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| To be married.... Mr. and Mrs. Lonny Hillin are pleased to announce the approaching marriage of their daughter, Vanessa Aumiller to Ricardo De Jesus, son of Magaly Quiles and Ricardo De Jesus of Puerto Rico. The couple will be married on August 7, 2010. Vanessa is a graduate of Sul Ross State University, and is an accountant for a property management firm in Anchorage, Alaska where Ricardo is currently serving our country in the U.S. Army. |
- Seven Sul Ross State University students will present their research at a national symposium Aug. 5-8 at the 18th annual California McNair Scholars Symposium in Berkeley,
Calif.
The symposium is an opportunity for McNair Scholars to present the results of their research projects in an academic venue. Over the course of the four days, McNair Scholars will present the culmination of their McNair research before an audience of academics, peers, friends and relatives, meet graduate program representatives and learn more about graduate admissions.
Sul Ross presenters, their hometowns, topics and mentors, include:
* Dianna D. Marin, Van Horn, Culberson County, Texas: The Unreported County in Regard to Cancer Occurrence; Dr. Chris Ritzi, faculty mentor.
* Victoria Mancha, Alpine, Coal Ball Analysis: Variations in the Peel Technique; Dr. Jim Zech, faculty mentor.
* Jennifer Myrick, Del Rio, The Sound of Silence: How Deaf Writers Create Poetry; Dr. Sharon Hileman, faculty mentor.
* Chelsea Rios, Marfa, Historical and Cultural Importance of the Kokernot Amphitheater and Lodge, Alpine, Texas; Judy Parsons, faculty mentor.
*RoseAnn Rodriguez, Waxahachie, The Effectiveness Of Web Delivered Courses Vs. Traditional Instruction Courses: Focusing On Professional Preparation Courses For Teacher Certification At Sul Ross State University, Alpine, Texas; Dr. Chet Sample, faculty mentor.
* Joshua S. Rousselow, Alpine, Spring Baseline Floral Inventory of Hancock Hill, Brewster County, Texas; Zech, faculty mentor.
* Danielle Salgado, Marfa, An Analysis of Online Social Support for Patients and Caregivers of Alzheimer’s Disease: Identifying Needs and Satisfactions; Dr. Esther Rumsey, faculty mentor.
The Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program is designed to encourage first generation, low-income students and minority undergraduates to consider careers in college teaching as well as prepare for doctoral study. Students who participate in this program are provided with research opportunities and faculty mentors. This program was named in honor of the astronaut who died in the 1986 space-shuttle explosion. Currently there are 185 McNair projects at universities throughout the U.S., serving more than 5,000 students.
Sul Ross’ McNair program was established in November 2007 and is funded through the Department of Education’s TRIO programs at $220,000 per year.
For more information, contact Bennett, (432) 837-9054 or mbennett@sulross.edu.
CDRI will hold Chuparrosa Workshop August 5 - 7
As hummingbird season heats up in the Davis Mountains, the Chihuahuan Desert Research Institute is offering a Chuparrosa Workshop, to run August 5–7. In Mexico, chuparrosa means “rose-sipper,” and while hummingbirds don’t often sip nectar at roses, what they do feed on might surprise you! Want to learn more? In this exciting 2 ½ - day workshop, registrants will learn about hummingbirds in the sky islands of west Texas; experience banding of the tiny creatures first-hand; and take a leisurely birding hike at the Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve. The workshop begins Thursday night as Kelly B. Bryan, a local hummingbird expert, presents a lecture on hummingbirds of the Davis Mountains with information culled from his years of research. Nineteen species of hummingbirds make Texas their home for at least part of the year; 17 have been documented in west Texas. A few species nest in the region, but most are migrants. Many individuals return on their flights through, often even to the same feeders, year after year. Bryan will cover status, habitat and feeding requirements, distribution, and identification, and discuss recent research and banding studies, sharing what he has seen in the Davis Mountains and surrounding areas. Continuing Friday morning, join Bryan at the Nature Conservancy’s Davis Mountains Preserve to collect higher elevation data as part of his studies of hummingbird migratory behavior. If you’re lucky, you might see Magnificent Hummingbirds, known for their glorious coloring and size, among the pines and oaks. Renowned birder Carol Edwards, also of Fort Davis, will then lead workshop participants on a 3 ½ - mile round-trip hike through Road Canyon, a heavily wooded trail nestled in the heart of the Davis Mountains Preserve, at 6300 ft. With ponderosa and pinyon pines, Chisos red oaks, and a well-developed understory, Road Canyon is a prime birding venue for tanagers, warblers, flycatchers, hawks, vireos, woodpeckers, and occasionally hummingbirds.
USDA Rural Development Office Day set for August 11th
USDA Rural Development representatives will be holding a Rural Development Office Day for Culberson County on Wednesday, August 11, 2010, from 10:30am to 3:00pm to present program information and applications to the public. The office day will be held at the Van Horn Convention Center, 1801 W. Broadway in Van Horn. Information will be provided about USDA Rural Development Housing, Community and Business and Cooperative loan and grant programs.
USDA Rural Development works to ensure rural citizens can participate fully in the global economy through technical assistance and programs that help rural Americans build strong economies to improve their quality of life. Rural Development loans and grants assist rural communities meet their basic needs by building water and wastewater systems, financing decent, affordable housing, supporting electric power and rural businesses, including cooperatives and supporting community development with information and technical assistance including broadband initiatives. USDA Rural Development representatives will be available during the office day to answer questions and assist individuals with applications in all program areas.
USDA Rural Development Housing Programs offer loans and grants to families with very low to moderate income levels in towns and cities meeting certain population requirements. Loans are primarily used to help income eligible individuals or households purchase homes in rural areas. Funds can be used to build, repair and renovate a home, or to purchase and prepare sites with water and sewage facilities. For very low income families who own homes in need of repair, the Home Repair Loan and Grant Program offers funding for renovations. Funding has previously been requested to repair a leaking roof, make a home wheelchair accessible, repair damaged or faulty wiring and to install a waste disposal system.
USDA Rural Development Community Programs enhance the quality of life for rural Texans by providing funds to governmental entities, nonprofit organizations and Indian Tribes for essential community facilities and services. Funds may be used for a variety of community projects. Previous funds have been used to enlarge, improve or construct schools, libraries, farmers markets, medical clinics, assisted living centers, public buildings, community centers or fund new and improved water and wastewater facilities. Funds are also available to purchase public safety equipment such as ambulances, firefighting equipment and other required emergency service gear.
Entrepreneurship plays a vital role in the economic stability of rural Texas. With USDA Rural Development Business and Cooperative Programs, rural businesses can gain access to funds that are normally not available to them. USDA Rural Development Business and Cooperative Programs provide the needed capital to expand economic opportunities and development in rural areas throughout Texas by working with banks and community lenders. The Rural Energy for America Program offers grants and guaranteed loans to help agricultural producers and rural small businesses purchase and install renewable energy systems and make energy efficient improvements.
We invite anyone who is interested in learning more about these or any of our programs to come by and visit with us. For more information regarding USDA Rural Development programs, please contact the El Paso Office at (915) 855-1229, ext. 4 or by visiting our web
Feds, Farmers and Friends Feed Families food drive
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is a proud participant in this year’s USDA Feds, Farmers and Friends Feed Families food drive running now through Tuesday, August 31. Announced by Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, this annual event is designed to help food banks across the nation that are struggling through tough economic times. Each NRCS office across the state of Texas will be collecting non-perishable items, preferably nutritious foods and sources of protein. “When school lets out for the summer, our nation’s youngsters who receive free and reduced price meals through the National School Lunch and School Breakfast programs are at a higher risk of going hungry,” Vilsack said. “While USDA’s Summer Food Service Program helps fill that gap, these tough economic times mean that needy families throughout America are turning to emergency food assistance agencies such as food banks, food pantries, and soup kitchens to put food on the table. Unfortunately, the summer is also a tough time for these organizations, as they typically see a rise in demand coupled with a decrease in donations. The good news, however, is that while the needs of our hungry neighbors are especially great in the summer months, our opportunity to make a difference in their lives is also great.” A recent study revealed that 49.1 million Americans, or 14.6 percent of U.S. households, lived in food insecure households. This number includes 32.4 million adults and 16.7 million children. According to the USDA Household Food Security in the United States 2008 report, Texas is ranked #3 (14.8 percent) among the top ten states that exhibited statistically significant higher household food insecurity rates than the national average (12.2 percent). Please help make a difference by contributing your non-perishable food items to your local NRCS office prior to August 31. The NRCS office in Culberson County is located at the Western Bank building, 1800 West Broadway, Suite 319, Van Horn, Texas. If you have any questions or are interested in volunteering in this effort, please contact Gary Fuentes or Chanley Turner, with USDA NRCS at 432-283-2277 or via email at gary.fuentes@tx.usda.gov.
Club News
Tom Michaels of KRTS visits the Rotary
The Rotary Club met Tom Michaels of KRTS, Marfa Public Radio, for lunch Tuesday at Chuy’s. KRTS is the only radio station that can be picked up over the air here in Van Horn. It has been broadcasting for 4 years and is supported through private donations. Tom, the General Manager of the radio station, talked about several of the on air programs and reviewed some of the past quests such as Willie Nelson, Lyle Lovett and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott. The talk at ten program on Tuesday was an interview with Gubernatorial candidate and former Houston Mayor, Bill White. If you have not listened to the station, you’re missing a real treat. For program information go to www.marfapublicradio.org. Mr. Michaels enjoys what he does and gave an excellent program. Next week, the Rotary will have its monthly business meeting.
Birthdays
July 29 - Toni Turnbow, Roy Clark, II, Alejandro Lopez.
July 30 - J.R. Corrales, Daninel Sanchez, James Masek, Susy Rey, Adrian Sanchez, Jr., Robert Bedia, Jacob Fierro, Joshua Fierro.
July 31 - Renee Parker.
August 1 - Rocky Navarette, Juan Lopez, Stephanie Duarte.
August 2 - Minnie Gomez, Mary Conoly, Jonathan Garcia, Yolanda Lujan, Jacob Virdell.
August 3 - Julio Quintana, Danielle Burns, Mandy Larremore.
August 5 - Richard Bragg, Esequiel Ramirez, Taylor Balcazar, Lurdes Torres.
August 6 - Fredick Balcazar, Victoria Torres.
August 7 - Mark Reyes.
August 8 - Cheryl Owen, Esteban Urias, Sr., Emilio Tarango, Sr., Desiree Fodge, Edna Clark.
August 9 - Gabriel Baeza.
August 10 - Otilia Mendoza, J.B. Engle, Jessica Espinoza.
August 11 - Tashya Vasquez, Kaydie Corral, Briana Sanchez, Dominic Molinar, Diego Garcia
Anniversaries
July 29 - Mr. and Mrs. Bill Crowe.
July 30 - Mr. and Mrs. Don Heath.
August 3 - Mr. and Mrs. Rene Mendez.
August 8 - Mr. and Mrs. Javier Martinez.
