I First Reader Editor's note: The Caller-Times is publishing a story each day written especially for younger readers. Pete Alvarez is looking forward to becoming the police chief. He says the current police chief, Henry Garrett, is leaving the department in good shape. Garrett is retiring. Alvarez will start his new job in January.
SOUTH TEXAS BRIEFS October 13, 1995 Former owner of Grandma Lira's Taco Stand dies Lilly Cisneros Lira, community real of Houston and Gracie volunteer, activist and former Carreon of Corpus Christi; five owner of Grandma Lira's Taco sons, Abel Contreras and Roberto Stand, died Wednesday. She was Martinez, both of Houston, Ja70. cinto and Alfonso Lira both of Lira served as a board member Corpus Christi and Ramon Lira of of the Community Committee on California; her father, David GoYouth Education and Job Oppor- mez of Houston; three brothers, tunities and worked for school, Juan Cisneros of San Antonio, Jostreet, park and recreation im- se Cisneros of Corpus Christi and provements Juan Cisneros Jr. of Houston; a Lira was an advocate for equity sister, Dora De Luna of California; of public facilities, particularly in 23 grandchildren; and eight greatthe area near the former Austin grandchildren. School, where Lira led a three-year Rosary will be recited at 7 p.m.
campaign to place a traffic signal today at Memory Gardens Funeral light. Home. Mass will be celebrated at 1 Survivors include her husband, p.m. Oct. 14 at Our Lady of GuadAlfonso; three daughters, Delia alupe Catholic Church.
Burial will Lopez of California, Irma Villar- be in Memory Gardens Cemetery. POLICE BLOTTER This information is taken from got out of his front yard and was run reports filed Thursday at the over by a 25-year-old man. The younger Corpus Christi Police Depart- man reported this was the third dog of Where numbered ad- his that had been run over by the older ment. man. dresses are given, they refer to 3000 South Staples Street block numbers.
If you have in- A 15-year-old was accused of threatformation concerning any of ening to kill a 14-year-old boy. these reports, call the police department at 886-2840. BURGLARIES 4000 Kathy Drive ASSAULTS Coveralls, car stereo, two speakers, 3000 Baldwin Boulevard briefcase, 20 music cassettes, valued at An 87-year-old woman told police a $1,250 46-year-old man slapped her when she 200 Cape Aaron Drive told him to get off her porch. She said Golf club set, golf shoes, valued at she felt a wet substance on her face $257 when he hit her. A police officer re- 5000 South Staples Street ported the woman had dried chili pep- Stereo, two amplifiers, valued at $800 per seeds on her cheek and neck.
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE THEFTS 2000 Bolivar Street 4000 Aaron Drive A 16-year-old boy was accused of A 13-year-old boy reported that his his mother's wheelchair, causing shirt, pants and wallet, valued at $125, kicking it to tip over. The boy's mother also re- were stolen during physical education he stole $70. class. ported 2000 Sean Drive 1 6000 South Padre Island Drive A woman told police her 18-year-old A 20-year-old man told police his 18- whom she had evicted, entered her year-old ex-girlfriend charged $243.26, son, home without permission, attacked her on his credit card without permission. and told her, "I'm going to kill you when 600 Mohawk Street I see you again." She said he was upset A 39-year-old woman was accused of because she gave away the family dog.
stealing $600 in rent from her workplace. 5000 Weber Road 1000 Nueces Street A woman reported that during an argu- A 47-year-old woman was accused of ment with her son about the mess taking a refrigerator and stove, at valued around the house, she found a small fil- $635. let knife stuck in a wall. Angered, she 1 3000 South Staples Street threw it toward the boy. She said her A convenience store clerk reported son was hit with the handle and that she that two boys in their late teens walked asked him to leave.
The woman re- into the store and took eight 12-packs of ported her son became angry and threw beer from a display. The clerk said the her purse through a window, pushed her boys dropped two packs of beer and down and choked her. ran out of the store with six, valued at 5000 Rasputin Court $55. A 19-year-old woman said her 19-year- 1 4000 Molina Drive old ex-boyfriend choked her and threw $1,000 cash her around her home for no reason. RADAR MISCELLANEOUS Interstate 37, from Corn Products 6000 Van Cleve Drive Road to Violet Road.
A 24-year-old man told police his dog Compiled by Sara Fernandez Corpus Christi Caller -Times Economic leader shares tips with Poles Development manager Utter teaches former communists about rebuilding system Lectures are designed to help Po- a past president of the association. I've received from Poland: is that tives Corpus Christi has used to land rebuild its economy. Utter, known for such local eco- they were ecstatic about Tom's pre- spur development. Utter used examples of local pub- nomic development projects as the sentation and his refreshing ap- For instance, several years ago the ventures. creation of the enterprise zone, tax proach to turning economy city needed a new marina office on their The association abatement programs and other pub- around." the Peoples Street T-Head but developed ties ventures designed to gen- Since the country's ruling Com- couldn't afford to build one.
with Poland three years ago. erate more jobs in the city, has given munist Party was dissolved in 1990, So, the city reached an accord with similar lectures in the United States. Poles have been making the difficult local attorney William O. Harrison ROSEMARY This was his first time to lecture in a transition from an economic system and his wife, Cathy, who conBy BARNES foreign country. dominated by the state to one run structed a building that contained a Caller-Times "It was a real honor to share my by the citizens, Utter said.
restaurant and a marina office. The Government officials in three ma- ideas with officials outside of the Poland has made great strides city receives a percentage of the resjor Polish cities recently got some country," Utter said. "It was a stim- have been made since the Commu- taurant's annual proceeds. tips on rebuilding their economies ulating experience because Polish nists' fall, Utter said. "It shows how government can from a local authority on economic officials are no longer held back by "When you consider where their work closely with the private sector development.
the institutional rigidities of the economy has come from in the last on a project that benefits both Tom Utter, Communist Party. They're no five or six years, they have made in- sides," Utter said. "That was one the city's group longer saying that they can't do credible progress toward privatiza- example that they particularly manager for things a certain way because that's tion," Utter said. "The shops are full liked." economic de- the way it has always been done. of merchandise.
And the people Also, Utter suggested that the offivelopment, re- The old way of doing things is histo- have a really strong desire to learn cials reduce the number of indicaturned Mon- ry." about our economy." tors they use to determine how the day after giving John Sasso, executive secretary of Now that the country's reigns of economy is faring. While Poland refive lectures on the community development associ- power are in the hands of two social lies on 2,500 indices, Corpus Christi free enterprise ation, said the group established ed- democratic parties, government- uses about four key indicators, Utter economics in ucational ties with Poland about owned businesses are being sold to said. Warsaw, Kra- three years ago. the private sector, Utter noted. "We use things like the sales tax kow and "Shortly after the wall came down, In many cases, the government is revenues and number of building Utter Krynica three we began going over there with a se- finding that it can't compete with permits issued, but over there, they of Poland's ries of lectures on a variety of sub- privately owned businesses, he said.
use everything, including the numlargest cities. jects designed to help Poland take "All antique stores in the country ber of plumbing fixtures sold," UtUtter, who has been directing city the right direction it needs to re- were owned by the ter said. "But that is a holdover economic development activities for build its economy," he said. Utter said. "Now, about 75 percent from the old system they tend to almost two decades, was asked by Sasso said he asked Utter to give of them have gone private.
They're collect too much data, which bogs the Washington, D.C.-based Na- the lectures because he regards the doing SO well that the state is ac- everything down." tional Community Development longtime city official as one of the tively trying to get rid of these shops Utter's trip was paid for by a grant Association to give the lectures. best in his field. because they're not doing any busi- the development association reThe association is made up of "Tom is one of the best in the ness." ceived from the German Marshall community development directors country at how cities can prepare To help the Polish officials build Fund of the United States, which is from about 600 cities in the United themselves for economic develop- upon their successes, Utter said he dedicated to rebuilding eastern EuStates. Utter is a board member and ment," Sasso said. "The feedback used examples of economic incen- ropean countries, Sasso said.
Alvarez looks forward to smooth transition Recruits a concern for police chief-designate Alvarez said it's difficult to find recruits who are qualified. He said relations are good between the police and minorities. He said he will continue Gar- By JEFF CLAASSEN Caller-Times George see a photographer -grader Martin Rosales looks through binoculars that are part of a shrimp boat exhibit at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History recently. Martin's Rose Shaw Elementary class was on a field trip to the museum. Flood watches are posted for beaches along Texas coast Barrier islands considered dangerous to swimmers as Tropical Storm Roxanne moves toward coast of Mexico Flooding is expected on South Texas beaches.
Tejano music festival planners will move their bash indoors if it rains. By RON GEORGE Caller-Times The National Weather Service posted coastal flood watches along the Texas coast Thursday as a hurricane that was weakened by its trek across the Yucatan Peninsula continued a westerly course toward the coast of Mexico as a tropical storm. Tropical Storm Roxanne piled water on the beaches of the Western Gulf of Mexico from Veracruz to Mustang Island by generating high seas as high as 14 feet, said Steve Pfaff, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in Corpus Christi. Texas' barrier islands, he said, would be extremely dangerous for swimmers as long as the tropical storm was in the Gulf of Mexico. "Most of the deaths we've had this year, especially on Eastern seaboard, were from rip Pfaff said.
"They get caught, and before they know it they get carried away from shore and they panic." Today's weather forecast called for mostly cloudy skies, with a 60 percent chance of showers. There is a 40 percent chance of rain on Saturday. The weather service considered DIG VA front, we should see nice rainfall totals over the three-day period." The term "nice" was a matter of perspective for those planning outdoor events this weekend. Organizers of a weekend Tejano music festival said they would move their party indoors if rain spawned by Tropical Storm Roxanne threatened on Saturday. "We're not going to let this weather rain on our parade," said Gail Birdwell, director of special events for the Columbus Fleet Association, which has scheduled a Tejano music festival for Saturday.
Organizers will decide today whether to move the music festival to Bayfront Plaza Exhibit Hall, Birdwell said. The Columbus Fleet Association did move a fundraising "Landing Party" on Thursday into the Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History. proposal will be allowed as an amendment to the reconciliation bill on the House floor. The reconciliation measure is expected to serve as a spending guideline for each of the government's operations, including NOAA. Congress will approve final spending for NOAA in 1996 as part of an appropriations bill, but the appropriations measure is expected to conform to the spending level in High juvenile crime rates and thin pickings among police academy recruits will be the worst problems for Pete Alvarez, who soon will be police chief.
But the upcoming transition will be smooth, Alvarez said at a meeting of the Corpus Christi Press Club on Thursday. Corpus Christi is experiencing a rare event in many cities recently a problemfree transition in the police chief's post. Police Chief Henry Garrett is retiring and leaves behind an efficient department that is open to public scrutiny, Alvarez said. The transition in many other cities, however, involves the sacking of a police chief and a department in turmoil, Alvarez said. "He is not leaving me a bunch of problems that I need to fix," Alvarez said.
The 53-year-old Alvarez, now an assistant chief, becomes the chief on Jan. 6. The Corpus Christi native and 28-year veteran of the Corpus Christi Police Department will be paid $77,700 a year. First on Alvarez's to-do list is picking a successor as assistant chief and moving other officers up the ranks to fill positions emptied by the change. Beefing up the force will be a problem because few people who apply are qualified to enter the police academy, Alvarez and Garrett said.
In a recent recruiting session, about 600 people applied for 25 openings for police academy training, Alvarez said. Of those, only 19 qualified. The others were disqualified for past convictions or using drugs. "It's really difficult to find young people who have never used drugs at Alvarez said, including people with no drunken-driving convictions. "It's a shame, but it's true." Part of the screening process involves a psychological exam designed to screen out people whose personalities would prevent them from becoming good police officers, Garrett said.
That exam is supposed to catch rogue characters like former Los Angeles police detective Mark Fu- the larger reconciliation bill. There are about 250 weather service offices in the continental United States. Under a modernization plan begun in the 1980s, that number would be trimmed to 118 by 1998 or 2000. Because Oct. 1 passed without a budget being signed into law, Congress passed a continuing resolution that keeps the federal government operating until Nov.
13. Alvarez Garrett hrman, a witness in the O.J. Simpson trial. Fuhrman used racial epithets and talked about falsifying evidence in a taped interview with a college professor. The so-called "Fuhrman tapes" hurt the image of police in Corpus Christi and across the nation, Alvarez said.
But Alvarez said there is no hostility between the local police department and minority community as occurs in some other cities. "We've never been involved in any of these scandals," Alvarez said. "In the Mexican-American community, people respect you as an officer if you're white, Hispanic or black. "I don't think we've ever had a situation where we were accused of lying or making things up." Corpus Christi strictly enforces its code of conduct, and Garrett said he has fired officers for violations during his 6-year tenure. But such internal matters must be resolved without public scrutiny, Garrett said, to ensure the smooth operation of the department.
"One lady followed a squad car she said was driving too fast, and complained about it. The officer admitted he was driving too fast, and we punished him. But the lady wanted to see the punishment, to witness it." Garrett didn't allow that. "You have to draw the line somewhere and have some trust in the administration." Alvarez said he has not decided how to tackle the "youth problem" in Corpus Christi, besides carrying on programs started under Garrett. Among those programs are a police unit dedicated to fighting juvenile crime and a graffiti ordinance that makes parents responsible for their children's crimes.
Alvarez said he will look for new strategies. Police in some cities have started seizing vehicles used in drive-by shootings, as police here have seized vehicles used by drug dealers, he said. Domestic violence will be the most frequent problem facing officers, Alvarez said. Roxanne pummels late Thursday whether to post coastal flood warnings, Pfaff said. A watch, he said, means flooding to the dune line is possible; a warning means such flooding is imminent.
Park ranger Tom Crowson said Thursday that water levels at Padre Island National Seashore were higher than typical high tide, even though low tide occurred about 11:33 a.m. put up caution signs and warned the people on South Beach to watch the water," Crowson said. to six-foot) waves have increased significantly since this morning. It is coming close to the dune line." Precinct 8 Chief Deputy Robert Ramos said there were four-foot waves at Padre Balli Park. "They're not as high as we anticipated it to be," Ramos said "We've had some scattered showers, but the water is not up to the dunes." The beach was populated with several dedicated beachcombers, he said.
"The area is not full, but several people are looking for shells," Ramos said. "After a high tide, that's pretty normal." Mustang Island State Park closed its beaches to motor vehicles, said a office worker Bobbie Smith. "It's pretty high," she said of the water line. "I was down there about 8 a.m., and it was way, way up the beach." Thursday afternoon, she said, "waves are 15 yards from the dunes, but they'll be in the dunes before high tide (at 8:30 p.m.)." The park's RV camping area was about half full, Smith said. "Tomorrow, we have a lot of reservations," she said.
Pfaff said that, except for high water on the barrier islands, the Coastal Bend should get nothing more but welcome rain from the remains of Tropical Storm Roxanne. In addition, he said, a cold front moving across the United States from the Pacific Northwest should draw even more rain from the tropical storm late Saturday. "There will be some areas of Texas see a hefty amount of rain because of those two factors coming together," Pfaff said. "Later tonight and tomorrow, combined with the WEATHER FROM PAGE B1 Antonio and Brownsville. Officials at the National Weather Service said the House could decide as early as next week whether Chrysler's proposal would be included in a massive "budget reconciliation" bill.
The House rules committee is expected to determine whether the Meanwhile, legislators are struggling to agree on a budget. There is another way the weather service could see its budget reduced. The budget for the weather service during the past year was $658 million. For this fiscal year, President Clinton has proposed a budget of $624 million a figure weather service officials say they could live with without drastic cuts..
