Abilene News: August 1-15, 1996

8/15 - Teen Dies From Gunshot: A 16-year-old boy gunned down following a fistfight Tuesday night died Wednesday, upgrading the charges against his teen-age attacker to murder.
....Andrew Mesta died Wednesday afternoon after spending much of his final 24 hours strapped to life support systems as his attacker stewed in a juvenile center jail cell. Mesta is the city's fifth homicide this year.
....Abilene Police Lt. Ken Merchant reported the youngster was a passenger in a car with several others who stopped in the 1600 block of Poplar to confront several people. An argument in a yard escalated into a fistfight and shots were fired at the car as it left, Merchant said.
....One of the shots passed through the car piercing the back of Mesa's skull.
....Though a dozen people witnessed the shooting, Merchant said they've offered varying versions of what fueled the fight, leaving detectives at a lost. The confrontation may have been gang-related, the officer conceded, noting some of the participants have past gang affiliations.
....After several years of contained gang activity, Merchant said police have witnessed a recent rise, especially in the Hispanic community.
8/15 - CHS Students to Study Lake Pollution: Biology students at Cooper High School will monitor pollution levels in Lytle Lake and share their findings in classrooms across the state thanks to a state grant awarded to their teacher.
....April Sims, a biology teacher at the Abilene school, has been awarded $3,000 from the Texas Education Agency for her project 'H2O News.'
....Students will monitor the lake's pollution, oxygen levels, temperature and other vital signs and produce a newsletter to share with other students on the Internet.
...."I would hope that the students, and anyone who comes in contact with the newsletter would be impressed with what these students can do at this age," Sims said.
....The state money will go toward a video projector the class can watch as students edit the newsletter, Sims said.
....The grant is part of $100,000 awarded to teachers around the state to help them share innovative education projects.
8/14 - School Gets Off to Smooth Start in Abilene
8/14 - Clown Takes Postmaster Hostage in Wingate
8/14 - No Quorum for Trolley Approval: A request to pour more local money into the purchase of Abilene's infamous trolleys never got on track Tuesday.

....As the Tax Increment Financing District board prepared to approve an additional $9,400 for the purchase of two buses dolled up like yesteryear trolleys, it realized two of its members had left the meeting, resulting in the lack of a quorum.
....The board plans a special meeting next week to approve the funds in time for the City Council to award bids for the buses next month.
8/13 - AISD Board Approves Budget
8/12 - School Starts for Some Area Kids Today; Some Wait
8/12 - Storm Knifes Through Area: A late-summer storm system knifed south through the center of the Big Country late Sunday, bringing welcome rains and not-so-welcome strong winds.
....A barn roof was reportedly blown off south of Knox City, and the town itself was without power for about 40 minutes right at sundown.
....Southern Big Country counties including Brown and Coleman were under severe thunderstorm watches until after midnight.
....Today, the skies are expected to clear in the Abilene area. Later in the week, however, a chance for more rain is expected to return.
8/12 - Big Wylie ISD Board Vote Tonight: Wylie's board of trustees will take a record vote tonight to support setting the district's tax rate at $1.34 to minimize loss of state funding.
...Each board member's vote will be recorded and used to create a quarter-page newspaper advertisement that will run in the Reporter-NewsWednesday.
....Board members also will set a public hearing on Aug. 26, the day the district is expected to actually adopt its budget.
....The advertisements and related hearings are necessary because of Texas' taxation laws.
Under state law, a school district must adopt its budget before the tax rate can be set, Superintendent Cecil Davis said.
....The actual tax rate will be adopted Sept. 9. Another hearing, this one on just the tax rate, will be offered at that meeting before the vote.
8/12 - Public Budget Hearing This Evening: A public budget hearing is scheduled for 5:30 this evening at the Abilene administration building, 842 N. Mockingbird.
....The Abilene school board is scheduled to vote on whether to approve the proposed budget for 1996-97.
....This is the public's last opportunity to voice its opinion on the budget proposal for next school year before a vote is cast by the trustees.
8/11 - Severity of Sweetwater Youth Boot Camp Works
8/11 - ARN Driver Dies in Accident: A 53-year-old Merkel man died at the De Leon hospital early Saturday morning after being involved in an accident near Gorman.
....Dennis Morgan was pronounced dead by a De Leon physician at the hospital.
....Department of Public Safety Trooper Jim Willey said Morgan was southbound about one-half mile north of Gorman on Texas Highway 6 about 4:30 a.m. when his 1990 GMC van struck a black Yearling.
....Willey said Morgan then lost control and hit a large oak tree head on. The van was filled with bundles of Abilene Reporter-News newspapers, he said.
....He was an area driver for the ARN for the past 13 years.
8/10 - Dole's Selection of Kemp Pleases Local Republicans
8/10 - Izzard Criticizes "Blatant Stenholm Seesaw"
8/10 - Dyess Crews to be Honored: Two Dyess Air Force Base B-1B bomber crews will receive one of the world's most prestigious aviation awards Monday in Washington, D.C.
...The U.S. Air Force's MacKay Trophy, which recognizes the most outstanding aeronautical feat of the year, will be presented to the 9th Bomb Squadron crews at the Pentagon. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ronald Fogleman will make the presentation.
....The award recognizes the crews' non-stop, around-the-world flight on June2-3, 1995. The flight lasted 36 hours, 13 minutes and 36 seconds and established two National Aeronautical Association-certified records. The planes also demonstrated their capabilities by dropping dummy bombs on three different continents.
.... Award recipients are Lt. Col. Doug Raaberg, mission commander; and Capts. Steve Adams, Rick Carver, Kevin Clotfelter, Gerald Goodfellow, Kevin Houdek, Steve Reeves and Chris Stewart.
8/10 - Judge Rules Against Robbery Suspect: A federal judge ruled Friday that prosecutors have probablecause that Abilenian Mark Alan Harris robbed a Metroplex bank and shot itsguard last month.

....Harris' case will be presented to a grand jury for indictment by the end ofthe month and will be tried by year's end, Assistant U.S. Attorney JohnBradford said afterward.
....The hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Charles Bleil lasted just a fewminutes as Bradford briefly outlined the government's case.
8/9 - Affidavits in "Bloody Robbery" Trial Open Information Floodgates
8/9 - Youth Programs Started with Grants
8/9 - Council OKs Lower Rate, Spending: The Abilene City Council adopted a budget package Thursday that lowers both the property tax rate and spending.

....Though no one spoke at a public hearing before approval of the $46 million budget and the 53.90-cent tax rate, council members assured the citizenry has made clear its expectations that City Hall be run as efficiently and frugally as possible.
...."The public has spoken," Councilman Paul Vasquez insisted. "They're not here today, but we've heard them."
....The 1996-97 budget manages to lower costs slightly from the current plan. General fund expenditures will dip $122,910. Water and sewer spending, funded with water department revenues, will sink nearly 2 percent to $19 million.
....Despite the decreased spending, however, most taxpayers will be pinched for more taxes and fees.
....The council whittled the tax rate by nearly two cents, but a 7.55 percent jump in property values will let the city collect $163,030 more in taxes than a year ago. The average Abilenian will pay approximately $5 more in city taxes in 1997.
8/9 - Registered Voters Increase Here: Abilene's registered voters have increased almost 20 percent since 1992 and analysts say past Republican gains and recent Hispanic increases promise to make the city a statewide battleground for votes.

....Local party and state officials warn increased registration won't necessarily translate to votes at the polls. But party officials hope the increased interest will bring more statewide campaigners to West Texas.
....Since 1992, Abilene has increased its count of registered voters from 55,285 to 66,243, a 19.82 percent jump.
....Those numbers are slightly less than the statewide increase of 21.72 percent - from 7,968,221 to 9,698,506.
8/9 - What? A Cold Front? Fall is still several weeks away, but you couldn't tell it Thursday.

....Instead of another hot day in August, Mother Nature gave the Texas Midwest a respite from the sun's scorching rays by bringing in a cool front from the northern plain states.
....With a 2 p.m. temperature reading of 79 degrees at the Abilene airport, Greg Jackson, National Weather Service meteorologist in San Angelo, said it was doubtful Abilene would get above 90 degrees for a high.
....Don't expect the cooler temperatures and rainshowers to last, however, he says, because as the front starts moving away Saturday, the heat will return.
....The mercury will hover at the 90-degree mark Friday and then start edging upward into the lower 90s Saturday and Sunday, and mid-90s through next week.
....Rain chances are set at 30 percent Friday before dwindling to 20 percent Saturday and Sunday.
8/8 - Morales Here Friday: U.S. Senate candidate Victor Morales will speak at Friday's opening of Taylor County's Democratic headquarters.

....The event begins at 6:30 p.m. at the headquarters, 1167 N. 2nd. Morales is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. Afterward, at about 7:30 p.m., Morales will attend a fund-raiser at the Windsor Hotel. For more information call David Dillman at 674-2207 or 677-1776.
....Morales is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.
8/8 - Murder Trial Moving to Abilene: A man accused of killing a convenience store clerk will be tried for capital murder in Abilene next week.

....Judge Billy John Edwards of Taylor County's 104th District Court was assigned the Levelland capital murder trial of J.D. Fitts after Hockley County District Judge Andy Kupper removed himself from the case.
.....Kupper said he had knowledge of a prior crime allegedly committed by the defendant.
Edwards traveled to Levelland on Monday to begin the trial but was unable to seat a jury because of widespread knowledge of the shooting among local citizens.
8/8 - Convicted Molestor Gets 10 Years: Jurors sentenced an Abilene man to 10 years in prison Wednesday for molesting a 7-year-old girl, who suffers through nightmares about the incident, testimony showed.

...."She's been very afraid," the girl's mother told jurors. "She was afraid to come to court, afraid he'd get her. In her nightmares he comes to our house and kills me and takes her away.
...."I don't think there's anything bad enough for him," she said. "She's just a little girl. I really trusted him. If it were up to me, he'd go away for the rest of his life."
....On Tuesday the jury convicted 27-year-old Phillip Edward Burns III of indecency with a child, which carries a possible 20-year sentence. He was accused of touching the girl, who is the daughter of one of his ex-wife's friends, on the breast and genital area while he baby-sat her and three other children in June 1995.
....Burns denied any wrongdoing and suggested he was falsely accused by the girl because he hadn't let her ride her bike that night.
8/8 - RFD Celebrates 100th: Rural Free Delivery - or RFD as in Mayberry, RFD - has reached the 100-year milestone.

....To honor this historic anniversary, the Postal Service issued a stamp, which will be available in Abilene today. The stamp is based on a photograph of an early rural carrier alongside his horse-drawn wagon.
....Historians agree that RFD was partially responsible for the development of the nation's roads and highways.
....Rural delivery has grown nationwide from three routes in West Virginia to 57,000 routes, traveling 2.8 million miles per day.
Abilene has 15 rural routes traveling in excess of 800 miles per day.
8/7 - Man Convicted of Molesting 7-Year-Old
8/7 - Sorry, No Green Grass Growing Around Here
8/7 - Taylor's New Director of IS Resigns: Taylor County's newly hired director of information services resigned after a prosecutor alerted commissioners of his conviction for family violence.

....The commissioners and County Judge Lee Hamilton declined to comment after accepting Robert M. Vann's resignation Tuesday, explaining it is a personnel matter. Vann could not be reached for comment.
....County records show Vann pleaded no contest in January 1996 to assaulting his wife. ....Vann's young son called police to report the assault May 15, 1995, a courthouse source said. Vann was sentenced to one year deferred adjudication, paid a $500 fine and was ordered to attend counseling.
....The county does not perform criminal background checks on prospective employees with the exception of law officers and security guards.
....The source said a prosecutor notified commissioners of Vann's crime after learning they had hired him July 18 to head the county's computer processing department. Vann, who filled the same job at Hendrick Medical Center for six years, was scheduled to begin Aug. 26.
8/6- Teen Charged In Abilene's Fourth Murder: An 18-year-old youth was charged Monday with manslaughter in the early Sunday fatal shooting of Edward Abel Reyes, his friend, in a northside alley.

...Mark Anthony Rodriguez was taken before Justice of the Peace Rex Andrew, who set his bond at $25,000. He was arrested without incident at his home earlier in the day, Detective Jim Davis said.
...Reyes, 14, died about 7:30 a.m. Sunday, after undergoing surgery at Hendrick Medical Center, about seven hours after he was shot in the chest. He completed Mann Middle School in May.
...Davis said the known evidence fits manslaughter, a second-degree felony.
"I cannot show that he was trying to kill anyone," he said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
...Rodriguez apparently was targeting a nearby car when he recklessly fired a handgun in the west alley of the 1500 block of Orange, the detective said.
...He said he couldn't go into the "why" the suspect fired at the car, Davis said.
...Reyes struggled to his home nearby, where he was loaded into a car and driven with family and friends to the hospital about six blocks away, Davis said.
...Two groups of youths - Davis declined to necessarily term them gangs - had assembled in the moments leading up to the shooting, he said.
..."There was no argument or fight," he added.
8/5- Inmates Dispute Warden's Claims Regarding Prison Shooting: Three French Robertson prison inmates have disputed the official version of events leading to the fatal shooting of inmate Daniel Miguel Avellaneda four weeks ago. State corrections officials say Daniel Miguel Avellaneda was shot in the forehead while "running backward" during an escape attempt, but the three contradicted that conclusion in separate letters to the Dallas Morning News.

...Robertson Senior Warden Ron Drewry, however, strongly defended the initial finding of prison Internal Affairs investigators that the officer acted properly and went beyond what he was required to do before firing at the inmate.
...The 21-year-old farm worker from Mexico was serving a three-year sentence at the maximum-security French Robertson Unit near Abilene when he was shot by a mounted corrections officer overseeing a field work squad.
...The officer who shot Avellaneda, 35-year-old Neal Harms, says about 20 inmates were hauling dirt July 8 from one prison unit to another.
...Harms said that as inmates were pushing a trailer across a ditch, Avellaneda made an obscene gesture, yelled an obscenity, jumped over an electric wire and started running.
The officer said he twice instructed Avellaneda to stop and fired a warning shot into the air before yelling a third time for the inmate to halt.
..."The inmate turned around running backward, flipping me off again. I then fired a second shot toward the inmate's center mass, and the inmate fell to the ground," Harms told officials.
...The three inmates told the Dallas newspaper that Avellaneda was not running from the corrections officer when he was shot. Two said Avellaneda's hands were in the air, as if surrendering.
8/5- Fourth Homicide of the Year: A 14-year-old Abilene youth died after he was shot in the chest Sunday shortly after midnight on a northside street.
...Edward Abel Reyes was struck by a bullet fired at a car in the 1400 block of North 16th, near his home, police said.
...The Mann Middle School student was taken by private car the half-dozen blocks to Hendrick Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead later Sunday.
...An 18-year-old youth who was suspected of firing the fatal shot reportedly was taken into custody. Justice of the Peace Rex Andrew ordered an autopsy, to be performed by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's office.
...The slain youth's mother, Angie Reyes, was treated for shock at the hospital and released.
...The youngster reportedly left after midnight with some friends who came knocking on his door, and didn't return, a neighbor said. Teen-agers had been disturbing the late-night peace of the neighborhood for several days, the neighbor said.
...Police recovered a gun and a knife near the crime scene, the neighbor said.
...The death was Abilene's fourth homicide of 1996.
8/4- Wildfire Scorches Parts of Texas Midwest: A wildfire between Anson and Hamby left approximately 3,000 acres of land scorched and smoldering Saturday.

...The Hamby Volunteer Fire Department had battled the blaze alone Friday night and thought they had it put out early Saturday. But about 1 p.m., Hamby had to call for help from other local fire departments.
...The blaze, which started Friday night because of a lightning storm, tested the limits and endurance of some 15 local volunteer fire departments, including Hawley, Shackelford County, Buffalo Gap and Eula.
..."We've got a semi-covered ground fire," said Hawley Volunteer Fire Department Chief Hoss Smith, who had set up a command post. "We're running out of people and we're running out of resources."
...The fire's location made it difficult to fight. Fire trucks had to traverse some six miles on a gravelly, almost non-existent road off of State Highway 351 to reach the blaze. The smell of burnt earth permeated the area and smoldering earth was all that could be seen for miles.
..."The firefighters are fighting the main head of the blaze, but there are small breakouts all over the place," Smith said. "It's as bad as any as we've had in quite some time. We get one area put out and it'll come right back."
...Approximately 45 to 50 volunteer firefighters fought the fire throughout the night in an effort to keep it contained. About 50 trustees from a local state correctional institution were also brought in to help.
...The Texas Forest Service is expected this morning to douse the blaze. The Texas Department of Public Safety will conduct fly-overs in the area today, Smith said.
8/3- 'Horseplay' Death Awaiting Autopsy: The Taylor County sheriff is awaiting results of an autopsy on an 18-year-old Buffalo Gap youth before sending the case to the district attorney.
..."Once we get those we'll refer it to the district attorney," Sheriff Jack Dieken said Friday.
Christopher Kniffen of Buffalo Gap was fatally shot July 8 at close range during "horseplay" among three youths, all 18, according to the sheriff's office.
...Dieken said "on the surface it appears to be just a tragic incident," but the DA's office will determine if evidence warrants sending the case to a grand jury, possibly on charges of recklessness.
At the time of the incident, Dieken said the youths had been together for several hours, apparently drinking beer part of that time.
8/2 (early) - Rehab Show Gets Sponsors: Corporate sponsors are covering expenses of the West Texas Rehabilitation Center's annual dinner show for the first time.
....During a press conference Thursday, officials from five local businesses received a heartfelt thanks for their willingness to help the center.
...."We have a lot of people out there in this world who really cherish and respect everything that the West Texas Rehabilitation (Center) has done in the past," said Myrle Greathouse, event co-chairman. "And they look forward to things like this because it's kind of a freedom for them that we're not out begging for money one more time."
....This year's sponsors are Abilene Aero Inc., Abilene Regional Medical Center, First National Bank of Abilene, Wes-Tex Drilling and Security State Bank.
....Ellen Brown, director of public relations for the WTRC, said the firms are underwriting $30,000 of the show's approximate $40,000 price tag.
8/2 (early) - Uribe Urges 'Trimming:' Railroad Commission candidate Hector Uribe believes the RRC can stand considerably more streamlining - to the point of abolishing the commissioners' positions, along with their staffs and about 25 other employees.
....The Brownsville Democrat, who is challenging RRC Chairman Carole Rylander, proposes doing away with the three commissioners - like Texas is doing with the state treasurer's job.
....He called the commissioners' jobs "window-dressing management positions."
8/2 (early) - Wendy Gramm Speaks Here: Former Texas A&M University professor and governmental adviser Wendy Gramm met with local businessmen and women Thursday as part of a two-day trip to West Texas.
....Gramm spoke to the Abilene Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council primarily about the effect of governmental regulations on small businesses, but she also answered questions concerning the impending reform of the welfare system and her own role as the wife of U.S. Sen. Phil Gramm.
....Gramm was chairman of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission during the Ronald Reagan and George Bush presidential administrations. She also served as an adviser for the Federal Trade Commission and for the Office of Management and Budget.
8/1 - Santa Anna Residents Protest Crumbling of Mountain
8/1 - Summer Camps Leave Little Time for Family Fun
8/1 - Psychics in Stephenville: Psychics and spiritualists from around the nation will be convening in Stephenville today through Sunday.

....The 40th Annual Spiritual Alliance Convention, conducted at the Holiday Inn, will feature experts on metaphysics, crystal healing and extrasensory perception.
....Vicki Ochojski, president of the organization and chairwoman of the Republican Party in Erath County, invites all interested people to attend the convention, which is free of charge.
"This is a science, a way of life, and we invite people to find out for themselves," she said.
....Ochojski, who grew up around Sussex, England, is a spiritual adviser and counselor and one of many who will share their story at the convention.
....A number of events will be held throughout the four-day event.
.....Mediums will conduct circles at 2 p.m. Friday.
....Speeches on mastering the art of visualization will be made Saturday, and a healing service by Tina Loyd will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday.

Abilene News: August 1-15, 1996

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