Saturday's Internet Edition, May 17, 2008.
|
| It's a big buck! The Trans-Pecos Big Buck Tournament continues through the end of Mule Deer season on Sunday, December 9th. The big bucks continue to come in as evidenced by this 192 3/8 Boone & Crocket buck taken north of I-10 this week. |
- Are you ready for Saturday night? We sure hope so because that is when Van Horn’s holiday season gets into full swing.
The Van Horn Convention and Visitors Bureau, annually for 14 years now, has sponsored our community’s Lighted Christmas Parade. This event has always been one of the highlights of the holiday season here.
This year’s parade is set to get underway Saturday at 6:30 p.m., with entries asked to gather at the CCVB by 5:30 p.m. The parade route will head east on Broadway from the CCVB and end up at G & M Video.
As in year’s past, the entries will be judged by an impartial panel of visitors to our community, with the judges stand being in front of the Clark Hotel Historical Museum.
Prizes will be awarded to the top 4 entries and the prize money is being donated by the Van Horn Chamber of Commerce. Prize money will be as follows: 1st Place - $200; 2nd Place - $150; 3rd Place - $100; and 4th Place - $50.
Call Brenda Hinojos or Patricia Golden at the CCVB, 283-2673, to enter. Floats must be entered to be eligible to win.
In addition to the Lighted Christmas Parade, Main Street Van Horn is hosting a Christmas Show and Sell Saturday evening from 5 p.m. until 9 p.m. The Christmas event will be held at the former United Building, across from the Clark Hotel Historical Museum, and in the adjacent parking lot.
Vendors from around the West Texas region are expected to be on hand to offer you jewelry, crafts, arts, and food items, as well as other things.
So, make your plans to attend this year’s Lighted Christmas Parade and Christmas Show and Sell Saturday night and get the holiday season started off with a wonderful flair.
Trustees hire interiim superintendent
Trustees of Culberson County-Allamoore Independent School District met Tuesday afternoon and made several key decisions.
First and foremost, they interviewed and hired an interim superintendent to come on board by December 17th. He will, on an interim basis, replace superintendent Anne Pemberton whose last day on the job will be December 21st.
The interim superintendent is Fred Liner, a retired school superintendent from El Paso. He most recently has been assisting other superintendents as a staffer on Region 19 in El Paso.
Liner is no stranger to Van Horn, having coached here back in the early ‘80’s.
Liner, according to trustees, has already familiarized himself with our district and is aware of the direction we need to get going. Trustees expressed optimism that interim superintendent Liner will bring about some positive things within the district.
The other thing trustees did on Tuesday was to meet with representatives of the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) to narrow the field of interested applicants to become the permanent school district superintendent.
According to reports, trustees narrowed the field to five applicants and they will commence the interview process of these five next Wednesday and Thursday.
City will proceed with building condemnation/demolition process
Van Horn city councilmen met Tuesday evening and, after discussion, opted to proceed with the condemnation process for various buildings in town.
City Administrator Becky Brewster told council that the building have been inspected and the required notices have been sent to property owners to fix up their properties. Brewster noted that if they do not comply, then the city must decide whether to proceed or not.
To proceed, it will cost money, since it will require property deed searches at the court house. Council, after discussion, opted to enter into a contract with Attorney Steve Mitchell to perform these deed record searches for $50 an hour. At the same time, they authorized city staff to proceed with the process of condemning the property.
Once the property is condemned, then the city will demolish the property, haul off the debris and place a lien on the property.
Council also heard from Renate Hobson, of Adult Protective Services, during the meeting. She explained that, as a community, we need to look after one another.
Abuse, especially among the elderly, is a problem. And, abuse comes in many forms, so as verbal, physical, financial, and exploitation. She further noted that most abuse in Texas is children or grandchildren abusing or taking advantage of their elderly kin.
She noted that everyone should report abuse. If you see something that’s not right, report it! Go to www.everyonesbusiness.org or call the hotline at 1-800-252-5400.
Before leaving, she urged council to get behind a Blanket Drive for the community as many elderly do not have blankets to keep warm.
With regard to other agenda items which council considered, the following actions were taken:
* They rescheduled their Tuesday, January 1st meeting from 7 p.m. to 10 a.m. on January 1st.
* Approved the installation of a street light at 507 East 5th Street as had been requested. This followed a city survey of the site.
* After discussion, council instructed city staffers to send letters to folks with grease traps urging them to have them cleaned professionally on a regular basis. If the city is called out because of a clogged drain the customers will be assessed a charge.
* Council also opted to proceed with a letter of public education which will accompany water bills, before cracking down on yards and lots which need to be cleaned as a part of the Van Horn Beautification effort.
* Approved an agreement with the Texas State Library for a $4,000 grant to be used to update computers at the library.
* Approved a resolution to the Public Utilities Commission urging them to force cable companies to offer the NFL Channel on their cable offerings.
* Approved the write-off of some $35,680 from old gas company bills from prior to 2004.
* And, they approved sending two city employees to a 3-day backhoe course in Ft. Stockton.