The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 12, 1974 Page: 1 of 17
This newspaper is part of the collection entitled: Winkler County Area Newspapers and was provided to The Portal to Texas History by the Winkler County Library.
- Highlighting
- Highlighting On/Off
- Color:
- Adjust Image
- Rotate Left
- Rotate Right
- Brightness, Contrast, etc. (Experimental)
- Cropping Tool
- Download Sizes
- Preview all sizes/dimensions or...
- Download Thumbnail
- Download Small
- Download Medium
- Download Large
- High Resolution Files
- IIIF Image JSON
- IIIF Image URL
- Accessibility
- View Extracted Text
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
K Ip
VQG§ $#OS * CVOH
City Council Adopts Budget, Hikes Taxes
Members of Kermit City
Council voted to approve the
proposed 1974-75 city budget
and raise city taxes and charges
for sewer, trash collection and
water during their regular
meeting Tuesday night in City
Hall.
The City Fathers opened
the regular meeting and
declared it a public hearing on
the proposed city budget, and
proceeded to hold a lengthy
discussion among themselves
and with members of the
audience, prior to calling for a
vote on a motion by
Councilman Charles
Shadowens to approve and
adopt the budget. The motion
passed with Councilmen Fred
Pearson, C. W. Weaver and
Shadowens voting in favor of
the new tax and service rates
and Councilman H. W. Brooks
Jr. casting the only dissenting
ballot.
After approving the new
budget, the Council voted to
adopt four new ordinances,
setting the tax rate, water rate,
sewer rate and trash collection
rate. Councilman Brooks again
voted against the ordinance to
hike the tax rate, but then
joined the other members of
Jury Convicts
Braxton Of Rape
A 109th District Court Jury
Wednesday afternoon found
30-year-old Charles Ray
(Chico) Braxton guilty of the
rape of a 17-year-old Kermit
girl and then sentenced him to
20 years in the state
penitentiary, the maximum
sentence under Texas law.
. The eight-man, four-woman
jury deliberated only 30
minutes to find Braxton guilty
of rape and then spent an
additional 15 minutes to assess
him the 20-year sentence. The
jury completed its duties at
4:45 p.m. Wednesday, when it
reported the sentence to
District Judge Russell D.
Austin of Andrews, who
presided during the trial.
Jury selection in the case
began Tuesday morning and
testimony got under way
Tuesday afternoon.
The jury found Braxton
guilty of the rape of the girl on
the butane route northeast of
Kermit on March 7 of this
year.
Braxton was arrested by
Hobbs, N. M., law enforcement
officers on March 28 on a
warrant from Winkler County.
He was returned to Kermit by
officers of the Winkler County
Sheriffs Department, who
conducted the investigationof
the case.
District Attorney Calvin W.
(See JURY, Page 7)
HANDS GO UP AND TAXES, TOO
Members of Kermit City Council voted to approve the proposed assessed valuation, based on 50 per cent appraised value. The
1974-75 city budget Tuesday night during the regular meeting only member of the council to vote against the new budget was
of the city governing body. The new budget calls for increases in Councilman H. W. Brooks Jr. Shown (left to right) are council
charges for water (over the minimum), sewer and trash, as well members Brooks, Charles Shadowens, Mayor G. L. McGuire, C.
as an increase in the ad valorem tax rate of 25 cents per $100 W. Weaver and Fred Pearson. (Staff Photo)
the Council and voted for the
remaining three ordinances.
The new ad valorem tax rate
is $1.75 per $100 assessed
valuation based on 50 per cent
of appraised value. This is an
increase of 25 cents per $100
of assessed valuation.
The other ordinances which
were unanimously adopted by
the Council, include increasing
the rates for sewer service to
$3 per month, increasing the
trash collection rate to $3 per
month and increasing the water
rate by 50 cents per 1000
gallons used over the
minimum. The water rate for
the minimum remains the
same.
One of the major items of
additional cost included in the
new budget is a cost of living
salary increase of $40 per
month for all full-time city
employees.
As the vote was taken on
the ordinance concerning the
raising of charges for trash
collection, Council Shadowens
stated that he would vote for
the ordinance, if trash men
would “take more care of the
trash containers.”
In other action, Councilman
Weaver made a motion to
The Winkler County News
Vol. 38 - No. 51
Kermit, Winkler County, Texas 79745
15 Cents
Thursday, September 12,1974 J
reappoint city attorney John
R. Lee for the coming year.
The motion was adopted
unanimously.
Fire Chief Richard Goertz
appeared before the assembled
city officials and requested
that instead of $2,000 which
had been granted to the Kermit
Volunteer Fire Department for
professional services by the
city, the fire department would
prefer to have free trash and
sewer services.
After the Council discussed
the request at length,
Councilman Pearson stated
that the fire department saves
the city of Kermit some
$150,000 in insurance costs
yearly and by being volunteer,
the department saves the city
an additional $300,000 per
year in salaries.
Councilman Shadowens
made a motion to grant the
request of the fire department,
and the motion passed with
only Councilman Brooks
voting against it.
Police Chief Melvin Bartley
gave a report on the recent
traffic survey conducted by
local police around Kermit
schools and told the city
governing body that the new
patrolmen were doing an
outstanding job.
In discussing the situation,
City Manager W. G. (Jerry)
Haynes reported that new
flashing signal lights are to be
shipped on September 20. The
new lights are to be placed
around the schools, in order to
remind motorists of the school
zone speeds.
(See CITY, Page 7)
Commissioners Discuss
Heavy Equipment Needs
The condition of heavy
equipment owned by Winkler
County was discussed by
members of the Winkler
County Commissioners Court,
meeting in regular session
Monday morning.
>; Several possibilities
concerning different types of
heavy equipment were
discussed during the meeting,
but no definite action was
taken, pending further study of
the equipment needs of the
county.
Plans were made to draw up
specifications for a new pickup
for Precinct 1. The county will
advertise for bids and the bids
(See COMMISSIONERS, Page 7)
Deputy Dismissed
By Sheriff Bell
Winkler County Sheriff
Jerry D. Bell Wednesday
morning dismissed Deputy
Sheriff Jack Speer, a member
of the sheriffs staff since Bell
took office on Jan. 1, 1973.
In a brief statement
concerning the firing of the
JACK SPEER
. .. dismissed by Sheriff
deputy, Sheriff Bell said, “In
the best interests of the
Winkler County Sheriffs
Department, Deputy Sheriff
Jack Speer’s employment was
terminated as of Sept. 11,
1974.”
The sheriff cited a
“personality conflict and a lack
of trust” in the officer as the
reasons for dismissing Speer.
“I hated to terminate
Deputy Speer’s employment,
but I believe it was the right
thing to do in the best interests
of the sheriff’s department,”
Sheriff Bell concluded.
A veteran of 24 years in law
enforcement, Speer first joined
the Winkler County Sheriffs
Department on April 15, 1971,
under former Sheriff L. B.
(Bill) Eddins. He continued to
work as a deputy under Sheriff
Bell after he took office on
Jan. 1, 1973.
Sheriff Bell said he has
made no plans toward naming
a successor, adding that any
new deputy will have to be a
certified law enforcement
officer.
School Board OK’s
Annual Choir Trip
Trustees of Kermit
Independent School , District
voted Tuesday night in regular
session to approve a request of
the high school choir director
for the high school choir to
attend a music festival in
Houston.
Choir director Charlie
Helmer requested that the
choir be allowed to attend the
music festival this year since
the current school year is the
year for the choir to take its
semi-annual trip.
The music festival is to be
held in Houston April 24
through April 26.
Each year the choir and
band alternate taking the
annual trip.
In other action, the board
voted to discontinue charging
admission to the seventh and
Against Alpine
OFFICERS INVESTIGATE MISHAP
Kermit Police officers were summoned to the scene of this two-vehicle mishap at 7:55 p.m.
Saturday, which occurred at the intersection of Mulberry and Sweetwater. The officers
reported that the 1972 Ford (above) was going south on Mulberry, failed to yield right of way
and struck the 1972 Ford Broncho (below), which was being drive west on Sweetwater by
Daniel Lofton, 25, of 438 North Ash. A traffic citation was issued to Leslie Braswell, 17, of
Monahans, who was driving the car above. Damage to the Monahans car was listed as very
heavy and damage to the Kermit man’s vehicle was said to be moderate. (Staff Photos)
Coach Comments
On Performance
Grace Temple Plans
Lay Witness Mission
> “Grace Temple Baptist
Church is going to have as its
guests, a large group of
Christian people from all over
Texas and as far away as
Kansas during a Lay Witness
Mission to be held at the
Church September 20 through
22,” Pastor L. D. Green
announced today.
Co-ordinator for the event is
to be Rickie Stark of Tulia.
Stark, 30, has been
.co-ordinator of other Lay
Witness Missions in Kansas,
Oregon and Texas and has
served as a team member on
•missions in Idaho, New
Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.
/ Stark and his wife, Lavon,
are parents of two daughters,
ages six and nine, and are
members of the Claytonville
7<Baptist Church. They farm and
ranch 15 miles southeast of
Tulia.
Stark has been Training
Union Director and head usher
for several years and will be the
Assistant Director of the
Associational Brotherhood
next year.
In addition, Stark is active
in Community affairs,
including being a 4-H leader for
the past seven years, chaplain
of the Tulia Jaycees, a director
of the Swisher County
Activities Association and was
chairman of the 1974 Swisher
County Birthday Celebration.
Stark and his wife will be
one of 15 couples from outside
the Kermit area participating
and leading in the Lay Witness
Mission. A total of 30 couples
have been invited to participate
in the weekend activities as
well as all local residents.
The Lay Witness Mission is
scheduled to begin with a
(See GRACE TEMPLE, Page 7)
In National Publications
Collector’s Weekly Recognized
Kermit has received mention
in three national publications
in the last 60 days as each
focused attention on the
growing activity in antiques
and collectables. The mention
in each case was tied to
Collector’s Weekly, which is
headquartered in Kermit at
100 East San Antonio.
+■
Better Homes and Gardens
in its August issue, with a
circulation of almost eight
million, listed Collector’s
Weekly as a source of
information for collectors.
The September issue of
House Beautiful reported on a
book published by Collector’s
Weekly on wicker furniture. It
listed Wicker Furniture Price
Guide by Frances Thompson
($2) as a source of information
on the wicker furniture
produced in the early part of
this century.
Collector’s Weekly reports
that almost 4,000 of the
books, published late in 1973,
have been sold to date, and
that the book is in its second
printing.
In the Sept. 7 issue of The
National Observer, John
Peterson, Observer staffer from
San Francisco, titled his
front-page feature on antiques
and collectables, “Here’s a
Hedge Against Inflation That
Can Be Like A Money Tree.”
Peterson, who visited Kermit
several weeks ago to gather
material for the feature, quotes
a variety of authorities on art,
rare books, coins and antiques.
“Knowledge is value,” Frank
Knight, Collector’s Weekly
publisher, told Peterson.
Peterson also quotes Knight on
the increase of new dealers in
the' field, the sharp increase in
golden oak furniture in the last
year or so, coin values and
other collecting subjects.
BY ROBERT WINGROVE
“We played pretty well, but
we made some mistakes
throughout the ball game and
the boys got tired toward the
end of the game,” was the way
that Coach Charles Topinka
described the Yellow Jacket
effort against the Alpine Bucks
in Friday’s game.
Coach Topinka stated that
the team was not in real good
condition going into the first
game, but the boys put forth a
real fine effort. Alpine, making
a last minute comback in the
Friday game, showed a well
seasoned ball club and showed
the experience of being in
some of the really big games as
they never let up in their effort
to regain poise and make a
showing on the scoreboard.
In naming offensive
standouts during the Alpine
game Topinka named the
entire offensive line and
running backs Mark Ethridge
and Daryle Fulbright. Those
getting special recognition
from the defensive unit were
Kevin Arnold, Jack Hunter,
Robert Eubanks, Lynn King,
Larry Harbin, Randy Segars;
Richard Townley, Richard
Robertson and Mike Smith.
Upon being asked aboutthe
upcoming Crane garnet
Topinka stated, “Like Alpine,
Crane has a lot of good
t weathers
FORECAST: Clear to partly
cloudy and continued warm.
Date
H L
Sept. 5
83 57
Sept. 6
95 60
Sept. 7
90 61
Sept. 8
91 56
Sept. 9
89 54
Sept. 10
92 54
Sept. 11
98 62
These figures were recorded
at Federal Flight Service
Station at Winkler County
Airport. There was no
precipitation recorded during
the period.
personnel and it has a defense
that goes into several different
sets causing some confusion on
the part of the offensive teams
which it encounters.” Topinka
also said that Crane has a large
number of starters back from
last year’s.team which makes
them even stronger.
According to scouting
reports, Crane has a much
improved ball club which has
good speed plus the fact that
they are aggressive and hard
hitting. The line has good size
and they have two exceptional
running backs. The running
backs are Willie Neal and
Ronald Jeffery. They also
possess a good quarterback in
Mike Roseberry.
In looking at the defensive
unit of Crane, the report states
that Crane plays a 5-2 defense
with players that are aggressive
and tough. The report also says
that the secondary is quick and
hits hard.
The only changes made in
the Kermit lineup for the
Friday game will be Joe
Haygood at flanker and Steve
Barry will be the designated
starting quarterback.
PROBABLE
ARTING LINEUPS
OFFENSE
ERMIT
No. Name Pos. Wt.
82 Jack Hunter TE 168
62 Randy Segars RT 203
71 Richard Townley RG 172
51 Rory Manning C 194
61 Kevin Arnold LG 164
60 Robert Eubanks LT 179
83 Mike Smith SE 142
10 Steve Barry QB 140
32 Daryle Fulbright FB 163
20 Mark Ethridge TB 139
31 Joe Haygood FL 148
CRANE
No. Name Pos. Wt.
10 Bobby Hogan HB 160
15 Mike Roseberry QB 152
20 Randy Ford SE 162
22 Willie Neal FB 190
42 Ronald Jeffery TB 176
50 Ricky Heredia C 170
63 Trent Kidd G 152
64 David Thurman G 184
(See COACH, Page 7)
eighth grade football games. It
was stated that by
discontinuing admission
charges, hopefully more junior
high school students and fans
will attend the games.
High school Spanish teacher
John King requested that the
school board allow him to
teach Odessa College evening
extension courses in Kermit
and Monahans and the board
unanimously granted the
request. King also requested
that he be given release time to
serve as a consultant in two
classroom teacher workshops.
The board refused the request,
since it was not covered in the
school’s professional leave
policy.
A committee which had
been appointed to study the
possibility of placing lights at
the high school tennis courts
made its report and the board
voted to make the lights at the
Purple Sage School play area
available for moving to the high
school tennis courts at no cost
to the school. It was stated
that the expense of moving the
lights would be a sizable item
and was not included in the
current budget.
Bids were opened and
awarded for a piano for the
high school band hall and also
one for the junior high school
choir department. The bid was
awarded to American Music
Company of Odessa on the low
bid of $796 each. The bid price
included trade-in and
discounts.
The board also considered
bids on premium grade gasoline
for the 1974-75 school year
and the bid was awarded to
Gulf Oil Corporation on the
low bid of 27.99 cents per
gallon, plus state tax. The bid
includes delivery of some
17,000 gallons of the fuel to be
used during the year and also
included in the bid was an
availability and price escalation
clause.
Also during the Tuesday
night meeting, the board voted
to revise the current leave
policy, due to the addition of
Workmen’s Compensation
Insurance. The policy addition
states: “If an employee
becomes eligible to receive
benefits under Workmen’s
Compensation Insurance, the
difference between the
employee’s normal base
earnings and the disability
benefits payable under
Workmen’s Compensation will
be paid by the District until
the employee’s accident leave
and sick leave are exhausted.”
A request from Athletic
Director Charles Topinka and
Junior High School Principal
Irvin Clayton that a tennis
program be initiated in junior
high was also approved by the
(See SCHOOL, Page 7)
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Matching Search Results
View four places within this issue that match your search.Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Newspaper.
Parks, Phil. The Winkler County News (Kermit, Tex.), Vol. 38, No. 51, Ed. 1 Thursday, September 12, 1974, newspaper, September 12, 1974; Kermit, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1034628/m1/1/?q=music: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Winkler County Library.