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Abilene News: May 1-15, 1996
- 5/15 - Vivid Testimony Highlights
Local Shooting Trial
- 5/15 - It's Now a Lot Easier to Get
Married
- 5/15 - Former Yahweh Member Indicted: A man who took his son
and a stepson out of the House of Yahweh compound was indicted Tuesday on
a charge of felony interference with child custody.
....David Richardson of Maryland went into the compound between Clyde and
Eula earlier this year and got his son, age 6, and his wife's son, 12, from
the compound.
....On a second trip, he encountered resistance from the religious sect's
security guards when he tried to get his wife and her 14-year-old daughter
out. The couple now is in the process of a divorce.
....Richardson, a former member of the sect, came to Texas to get his family
out of the compound because he feared the teachings of the sect's leader,
Yisrayl Hawkins.
- 5/15 (early) - Keffer Wants Tax Relief: A challenger to state
Rep. John Cook's seat wants to give homeowners some tax relief by capping
increases in property values.
....Keffer, an Eastland businessman, has been floating his idea to voters
in speeches throughout District 60, which includes six Big Country counties.
The Republican candidate stressed he will refine the plan depending on citizen
reaction.
...."Nobody's jumped up and said I ought to be governor instead of
George Bush, but (reaction) has been favorable," he said.
....Cook, a Breckenridge Democrat, admits he "probably would've said
the same thing - five years ago." But, he added, his Austin experience
has taught him Keffer's changes would spark wide-ranging ramifications,
particularly in school finance, a political bugaboo lawmakers don't want
to jiggle.
- 5/15 (early) - Long-Drive to Benefit Ranch: The Abilene Breakfast
Optimists Club is sponsoring a long-drive contest to benefit the Ben Richey
Boys Ranch and other youth programs in Abilene.
....The event will be Friday, May 24, at Maxwell Municipal Golf Course.
There will be a men's regular division (men up to age 49), a men's senior
division (men age 50 and over) and a women's division. Awards will be given
for the top three in each division.
....Qualifying will be held between 3-7 p.m. Final drives will start at
7:30p.m. Cost is $5 for three balls, $10 for seven balls and $20 for 15
balls.
....More information is available at the Maxwell pro shop.
- 5/14 - Woman Allegedly Shot in
Neck By Husband Wants Charges Dropped
- 5/14 - Threatening Weather Leaves Only Dust Storm in Wake:
A threatened evening of violent weather turned instead into a familiar,
dismal sort of weather for Mitchell County residents - a dust storm.
....The duster followed right behind dark, threatening storm clouds that
spawned a few dancing twisters, one or two which touched down but did no
apparent damage.
....About "eight drops" of rain fell, one Colorado City resident
said.
....Lightning from the system did touch off a sizable grass fire north of
Loraine, near County Road 446 and FM 1982 late Monday.
....Fisher County received some rainfall, but no reported violent weather.
....Most of the southwest Big Country, as far east as Taylor County, was
under a tornado watch until midnight.
- 5/14 (early) - AHS, CHS to be Part of History: Abilene history
will be made Thursday afternoon at Hardin-Simmons University.
....For the first time in either football, baseball or basketball, Abilene
High and Cooper will meet in the post-season.
....The Eagles and Cougars will square off at 4 p.m. at Hunter Field in
the state baseball playoffs. The winner of the one-game Region I quarterfinal
matchup will advance to the regional semifinals where it will take on the
winner of the Arlington Martin-Arlington Lamar series.
....Tickets for the game are $3 for adults and $2 for students.
- 5/13 - City Manager Gets Down and Dirty
to See What Makes City Tick
- 5/13 - Wylie Board to Consider Summer Program: Instilling a
love of reading in at-risk students is the goal of a summer program being
considered by the Wylie School Board tonight.
....The program, designed to improve both reading skills and self-esteem,
would use a combination of reading, writing, and language arts instruction
to help children learn to appreciate the printed word.
....Students eligible for the program would be identified by their teachers
based on criteria such as standardized test results, report card grades
and instructor recommendations.
Pending approval, $25,000 would be allocated to fund the program, which
would make use of 17 teachers and three computer lab instructors.
....The program as proposed would begin June 3 and end June 27. Parents
would provide transportation to and from the half-day sessions.
- 5/12 - ACU, HSU Graduates Students: Students from Abilene Christian
and Hardin-Simmons universities walked across separate stages into new lives
Saturday.
....More than 450 ACU students and 260 Hardin-Simmons scholars were awarded
degrees in a wide spectrum of disciplines during graduation ceremonies.
....Both schools had separate ceremonies for undergraduates and graduate-level
students.
- 5/11 - Schools "Cut it Close"
to Celebrate Reading Success
- 5/11 (early) - Postal Workers Picking Up Donations: "Pickup
and delivery" totes a more altruistic meaning for Abilene-area letter
carriers Saturday.
....Along with their usual duties, Big Country mailmen and women will be
picking up donations of non-perishable foods for delivery to local food
banks. The food drive is part of a nationwide effort among postal carriers
to help the hungry in their communities.
....Abilene was among a handful of cities to participate in the first drive
four years ago. Local carriers harvested 35,000 pounds of food for the Food
Bank of Abilene last year, a total they hope to boost to 50,000 pounds this
weekend.
- 5/10 - Forged Checks Becoming More
of a Problem
- 5/10 - HSU to Award Honorary Doctorates: Hardin-Simmons University
will award honorary doctorates to a former Abilene-area state representative
and a Phoenix pastor Saturday.
....Former State Rep. Truett Latimer, now a Houston museum director, and
Dan Yeary, pastor of the North Phoenix Baptist Church, will receive honorary
degrees during 2 p.m. graduation ceremonies in HSU's Behrens Chapel.
....Latimer and Yeary are both Hardin-Simmons alumni. Latimer graduated
in 1951, Yeary a decade later in 1961.
- 5/10 (early) - City Council: Out with
the Old, In with the New
- 5/10 (early) - Another Year, Another
Dollar for the Mayor
- 5/10 (early) - Councilman Beckham's Wife Resigns Post: Councilman
Rob Beckham's wife has resigned her post on the Planning & Zoning Commission,
saying she wanted to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
....Following her husband's swearing in Thursday, Julie Beckham said that
although city attorneys said she was not restricted from serving on the
commission, she felt it best to step down.
....Many of the most controversial items on the council's agenda originate
in hearings before the Planning & Zoning Commission. The council rules
on zone changes approved by the commission and on appeals of changes the
commission rejects.
....Mrs. Beckham, the owner of a local computer firm, explained she didn't
want her marriage to become a point of contention in zoning cases.
- 5/9 - Judge Refuses to Allow Brooks
New Lawyer
- 5/9 - ACHS Announces Top Grads: Abilene Christian High School
announced its top two students during the school's annual Top 25 reception
Tuesday night.
....Deborah Van Rheenen proved she made the grade all four years of high
school as she was named valedictorian of her 1996 graduating class. Van
Rheenen rounded out her academic career at ACHS with a 97.18 average.
....The school's second in line is Rebekah Smith, salutatorian of the senior
class. The daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bob Smith, Smith's four years of study
totaled out to a 94.669 average.
- 5/9 (early) - Busy B-1 Crews Return: Six exhausted but happy,
four-man B-1B bomber crews returned safely to Dyess Air Force Base Monday
after flying unprecedented Global Power missions to two different hemispheres
at the same time.
...."We've proved we can attack any place in the world from Dyess -
and return to Dyess - before, but this was the first time we've demonstrated
the ability to launch aircraft from two different squadrons, one squadron
flying east and one flying west, and strike targets in two different hemispheres
at the same time," said Lt. Col. Lance Dickinson, 28th Bomb Squadron
operations officer.
....Dickinson was aboard one of the three B-1Bs that flew a 15-hour mission
to Spain, simulating dropping bombs over the Netherlands at the same time
three other B-1Bs were conducting similar training bombing runs over Wake
Island and Saipan en route to Australia.
- 5/8 - County Seeks Ways to Ease
Tax Hike
- 5/8 - Abilene Police Talk Man Out
of Attempted Suicide
- 5/8 - Everman Park to Get Major Face
Lift
- 5/8 (early) - Abilene Captures 'Best
Water' Title
- 5/8 (early) - Commissioners OK Construction: Taylor County
commissioners spent a constructive morning Tuesday.
....They approved projects to build additional office space in the sheriff'soffice
and to rebuild part of the Taylor County Coliseum roof.
....Sheriff Jack Dieken was granted his request for additional space for
recordstorage and for elbow room for his staff. The space is currently undevelopedin
the south half of the Law Enforcement Building at South 3rd and Oak.
- 5/7 - Property Owners Protest Highest
Appraisal Jump in 10 Years
- 5/7 - Man Who Shot, Harassed Common-Law
Wife is Released
- 5/7 - Workers Begin Repairing
Storm-Damaged Buildings
- 5/7 - Cost of Living Low in Abilene
and State Compared to National Average
- 5/7 - Accused Firefighter Resigns: An Abilene firefighter accused
of tampering with evidence at a suicide scene has resigned.
....Curtis Evans, 28, voluntarily chose to quit his firefighting position
Monday, said Fire Chief Bob Putnam.
....Had he not chosen to voluntarily resign, Evans' case would have turned
into "a personnel issue we would have to resolve," Putnam said.
....Evans was arrested at his North Abilene home near Lake Fort Phantom
Friday for allegedly removing items from the scene of a suicide.
- 5/7 (early) - Council to Commission Downtown Hotel Study: The
Abilene City Council will commission a Houston consulting firm Thursday
to determine if downtown is a feasible market for a hotel.
....If PKF Consulting finds such a venture could prove profitable, city
officials plan on using the report, possibly coupled with economic incentives,
to sway a hotel chain to build downtown, thus luring conventioneers to the
Abilene Civic Center. That turn of events would inject an untold number
of dollars into the local economy.
...."One of our constraints is the lack of hotel rooms downtown,"
said Nanci Perini, executive director of the Abilene Convention and Visitors
Bureau. "We hear that all the time when we bid on conventions.
...."It's a competitive market," she added. "It would enhance
our position. We'd have one more thing we could sell."
....Though the number of hotel rooms in Abilene has ballooned 13 percent
in the past year to 2,290, only 118 of those are downtown - all in the Quality
Inn, 505 Pine.
....The spurt in hotel construction has caused occupancy rates to plummet,
making the feasibility of a downtown hotel "iffy," admitted Mike
Morrison, the city's economic development director. But, he added, there
may exist a "special niche" a downtown hotel could fill.
- 5/6 - Weather Beats Up on Texas Midwest
- 5/6 - Trent Wins Class A One-Act Play State Title: Trent thespians
landed a lion's share of awards in the University Interscholastic League's
one-act play contest in Austin.
....In the Class A category, Trent's drama team made themselves at home
while performing "The Foreigner."
....Trent was runner-up in last year's competition and previously won state
in 1992.
- 5/6 - Dyess Earns Award for Butterfly Aid: Abilene's home of
big birds was honored for efforts helping little winged creatures Sunday.
....Dyess Air Force Base received the first Monarch haven plaque during
Wildflower Day events at the Abilene Zoo.
....The Abilene Zoological Society cited the dedication Dyess has made to
protect the state's insect, the monarch butterfly.
- 5/5 - House of Yahweh: Posse
Comitatus Connection
- 5/5 - House of Yahweh: Andrew
Glick's Q&A Concerning Posse Comitatus
- 5/5 - House of Yahweh: No
Connection to Montana Freemen
- 5/5 (early) - Mayor Wins Big; Martinez, Beckham to Council: Incumbent
Gary McCaleb garnered 85% of the vote Saturday to win his third term in
office. His challenger, accountant Wayne Curtis, had 10%. Perennial candidate
Buff Hackney had 3% and Ray Corky Landis had 1.7%.
....City Council Place 3 northside winner was Carol Martinez with 51% of
the vote. Retired city planner Lee Roy George had 36.4% of the vote, and
Real estate agent Glenn Barnes had 12%.
....City Council Place 4 southside winner was stockbroker Rob Beckham with
67.5% of the vote. Attorney Claudia Clinton garnered 32%.
....The Abilene school board race was no contest. Car rental manager Robert
Smith lost to car dealer Mike Sullivan. Sullivan took 76% of the vote.
- 5/4 - Local Firefighter Arrested
for Tampering With Found Body Evidence
- 5/4 - Mayor Addresses Cinco de Mayo
Crowd
- 5/4 - Election Day in Abilene Figures
to Be a Quiet One
- 5/4 - Interchange "Re-Construction" Begins: Construction
began Friday to repair damage to U.S. Highway 83/84 caused by rising groundwater
levels.
....Barrels have been in place for two to three weeks to prevent motorists
from driving on the damaged portion of the northbound lanes between the
Loop 322 and Antilley Road interchanges.
....Actual construction began Friday and will take about a month, said Blair
Haynie, Texas Department of Transportation area engineer. During that time
northbound traffic will be routed onto the access road at the Antilley Road
interchange.
....Haynie said the rising groundwater tables have caused potholes and "alligator
cracks" in the road since the beginning of April. Damage has been limited
to the northbound lanes of the highway, which is next to Lake Kirby, he
said.
....An emergency contract was given to Stephens-Martin Paving Inc. of Abilene
for $43,000, Haynie said.
- 5/4 (early) - McMurry Graduation Saturday: Seniors at McMurry
University receive diplomas recognizing their accomplishment during commencement
Saturday.
....Southwestern University President Roy Shilling Jr. will speak to the
graduating class during the 10 a.m. ceremony at the Abilene Civic Center.
....Dr. Shilling, who is a McMurry alumnus, has served as Southwestern's
president since 1981. He also served as president of Arkansas' Hendrix College
for 12 years.
....Following Shilling's address to the 239 graduating students, the university
will present an honorary doctorate to a McMurry trustee.
....McMurry will present a doctorate to Rev. Charles Crutchfield, who has
been a strong supporter of the university and Christian higher education.
....Crutchfield is the El Paso district superintendent of the New Mexico
Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church. He has served on the university's
board of trustees since 1985.
- 5/3 - B-1 Clears First Funding Hurdle
- 5/3 - Hundreds Gather to Participate
in Day of Prayer
- 5/3 - Wylie Names Top Scholars: The list of Wylie's top scholars
is headed by Amy Penn and Vhance Valencia.
....Penn, class valedictorian, completes her high school career with a grade
average above the century mark.
...."I am preparing for a career in tax law," said Penn, daughter
of Gary and Sue Penn.
....She starts aiming for the chosen field this fall while studying accounting
and pre-law at the University of Texas, where her father, now a Certified
Public Accountant, received his bachelor's.
....Salutatorian Valencia plans to study mechanical engineering at San Diego
State University.
....His plans turned from the University of Texas on learning that his parents,
Cris and Trina Valencia, will soon be moving to California.
- 5/3 (early) - Abilene Towers Doesn't Pose Imminent Danger: The
Abilene Towers' crumbling stonework poses no imminent danger, and the owner
has agreed to fix it, the city's chief inspector reported Thursday.
....A five-page report from local engineer Terry Crozier to Building Official
Cassie Huges cites a number of concerns about cracking stone ornamental
facings on the 67-year-old building, but assured the hazards are repairable.
....Though Crozier estimated no cost or timetable for the needed repairs,
owner Paul Oman of California assured he will fix the stonework.
- 5/3 (early) - Parenting Seminar Saturday: Hardin-Simmons University's
Irvin School of Education will sponsor a "The Parenting Puzzle: Parenting
the Gifted Child" seminar Saturday.
....Mary Christopher, HSU education instructor, will serve as the keynote
speaker at the session beginning at 9 a.m. in the Johnson Building.
- 5/2 - Abilene Schools Name Top Scholars
for the Year
- 5/2 - The Checks Are in the Mail
... Uh, Somewhere
- 5/2 - George Endorses McCaleb: Lee Roy George endorsed Mayor
Gary McCaleb's re-election Wednesday and praised a proposal put forth by
a candidate for another city race.
....The former planning director, who's running for Place 3 on the Abilene
City Council, also said he's being endorsed by a group of retired city employees,
led by former refuse collection superintendent Charles Nolen, an outspoken
critic of past city administrations.
....George didn't mention either of his own Place 3 opponents - Carol Martinez
or Glenn Barnes - but he told reporters he's proud to have a McCaleb for
Mayor sign in his front yard. ....And he voiced enthusiastic support for
Place 4 candidate Rob Beckham's proposal to form a committee to review and
reduce city regulations.
- 5/2 (early) - Prayer Breakfast Thursday: Abilene educators
will meet Thursday morning to pray for the school district and the children
they serve during the second annual AISD Prayer Breakfast.
....In conjunction with the 45th annual National Day of Prayer, interested
AISD employees will meet from 6:15-7:15 a.m. in the Fellowship Hall of Pioneer
Drive Baptist Church.
....Dana Mayhall, assistant principal of Bassetti Elementary, will be the
featured speaker.
- 5/2 (early) - Academic, One-Act Play Competition This Weekend:
Many weeks of hard work will either end in joy or disappointment this weekend
for numerous Texas Midwest students.
....Thirty-two area schools will be represented in academic and one-act
play contests during the 86th annual state University Interscholastic League
competition at the University of Texas at Austin.
- 5/1 - Stenholm Urges Clinton Not
to Seek Quick Fix to Gas Price Dilemma
- 5/1 - Taylor County to Get New
Civil Court Management Software
- 5/1 (early) - Food Bank Drive: Abilenians can donate food to
feed the hungry on Saturday, May 11.
....On that day, all local letter carriers will be accepting donations.
- 5/1 (early) - Cardiologist Talks about Women and Heart Disease:
Recognition that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women should be a
community, personal and family effort, a cardiologist said Tuesday in Abilene.
....Dr. Linda Deere of Sun City West, Ariz., spoke at a luncheon sponsored
by the American Heart Association.
...."Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women - not domestic abuse,
not cancer, not accidents and not AIDS," Deere said. "There's
not anything else that causes as many deaths."
....The physician explained that women's risk factors may differ from those
for men.
...."We need to be aware of our cholesterol levels," she said.
"We need to raise awareness of family history and know about the changes
that we can make."
....Deere added that after menopause, the rate of heart disease in womenskyrockets,
and that hormone replacement therapy is a good tool to reduce the risk.
All content copyright 1996, The Abilene Reporter-News and Reporter
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