El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 15

NeMborhoods El Paso Times Friday, Sept 17, 1999 3B FRANKLIN MOUNTAINS: SCENIC DRIVE IN YOUR AREA Trash makes spot where tourists go stinky, not scenic By Leonard Martinez El Paso Times Jogging along Scenic Drive has became an exercise in perseverance lately for Pat Dalbin. During her 7:30 a.m. runs, she said, she encounters trash, espe Floyd said. "It doesn't take any more of an effort to throw it in the trash than it does when they throw it out their windows. If you pack it in, you should pack it out." The city's Street Department is responsible for cleaning the roadway, and Street Department Assistant Superintendent Gerald Pucel said his crews do the best they can.

He said his workers were not responsible for cleaning park areas outside the roadway. It was unclear Wednesday which city department was responsible for those areas, which include Murchi-son Park There are no plans for police to patrol Scenic Drive more frequently than any other part of town. Scenic Drive is treated as a city park, and because of that the park must be empty by 11 p.m. and drinking alcohol on or by the road is not allowed. "We probably give out most citations there for curfew and drinking violations," Sgt.

Al Velarde said. "We also look out for illegal dumping on normal patrols, but it doesn't get any extra patrols." Unless violators are caught in the act, Dalbin and other users of Scenic Drive will have to put up with the view of box-" es, bottles and condoms intermingled with the scene from the Franklin Mountains of El Paso meeting Juarez. "It's just been growing and growing," Dalbin said. "We need to take care of what we have now before it gets worse." CALENDAR All meetings listed under the calendar are today in El Paso unless otherwise stated. Support Alanon 12 and 12 Ways Toward Recovery, 8 p.m., Alano Club 9400 Montana.

562-4083. Alanon Family Group, Northeast location, 7 p.m., Highland Presbyterian Church, 9210 Dyer. 562-4083. Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Bethany Christian Church, 10453 Springwood and other locations. 562-4081.

Alcoholics Anonymous, K.I.S.S., noon; happy hour, 5:30 p.m.; young people, 8 p.m.; can-dlelighter, 10 p.m., 9400 Montana. 562-4081 or 595-9940. Alcoholics Anonymous, open discussion meeting, 8 p.m., Church of the Nazarene on Gold and Alabama. 562-4081. Alcoholics Anonymous, Northeast fellowship, noon and 8 p.m., 4922-E Hondo Pass.

757-3327. Alcoholics Anonymous-Westside Early Birds, 6:30 a.m., 225 Derby, off Sunland Futurity. 562-4081 or (505) 589-1058. Alzheimer's, West, 1:30 p.m., Monte Vista Health Center, 1575 Belvidere. Fran Pataky, 584-3906.

Cocaine Anonymous, 7 p.m., Columbia Behavioral Center, 1155 Idaho. Hector, 581-8873; Jose, 565-4173. Domestic Violence, El Paso Shelter for Battered WomenWomen's Counseling Center, 200 N. Ochoa, no charge, call for times. 533-7300.

Domestic Violence, El Paso Shelter for Battered WomenBattering Intervention and Prevention Program Counseling, 3800 N. Piedras, $5 an hour, call for times. 562-0072. Mothers of Preschoolers, 9 a.m., First Baptist Church, 805 Montana. 533-1465.

Overcomers Anonymous, 7 p.m., 1949 W. Paisano. 532-2575, 755-1074. The Pit Group Narcotics Anonymous, 7 to 8:30 p.m., St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 5005 Love.

545-4209. Cards Double Deck Pinochle, 11:30 a.m., Eastside Senior Center, 3200 Fierro. 591-4292. International City Bridge Club, open to novice and 49ers games; 7:30 p.m., 2216 E. Yan-dell.

598-5938 or 833-0293. Nonsmoking. Mountain Shadows Bridge Club, open game, duplicate bridge, 11 a.m., nonsmoking, 2216 E. Yandell. 544-6565.

Party Bridge, 12:30 p.m., Eastside Senior Center, 3200 Fierro. 591-4292. cially in the areas where cars can park on the side of the road like a few hundred feet from the Police Academy entrance. "On the weekends, especially Thursday through Saturday, it really gets bad," Dalbin said. "You see lots of items like used condoms gross.

Early in the morning, it reeks of urine. It smells really, really bad, and there is broken glass from beer bottles everywhere." What bothers Dalbin is that visitors from out of town go to Scenic Drive and remember the not-very-scenic image of trash in that area rather than the view of the city. "One of my main concerns is I see the city pushing for tourists, and that's the Number 1 spot people go to visit," Dalbin said. "And if you have family coming to town, that's the place you'd go, and a lot of people hang out there." Empty trash cans are in the area, with the beer bottles and cans, empty food boxes and other items unceremoniously dumped on the mountainous landscape. This is something that bothers Keep El Paso Beautiful Executive Director Keith Floyd.

"I think that's just laziness when there are empty trash cans right there," Trash accumulates at various spots along Scenic Drive including Murchison Park, shown here. Murchison Park has two trash containers that often are not used. A Panel seeks input about Time Warner The city's Cable Communi cations Commission wants to listen to residents' opinions about Time Warner's perfor mance as the city television cable provider. The commission plans pub lic hearings from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

and 6 to 9 p.m. Wed nesday in the City Council chambers on the second floor of City Hall. Topics expected to be discussed include pricing, programming, service, late fees, internet connection and digital cable, said Gilbert Pineda, an accountant who is chairman of the commission. Information: 541-4729. Open house: Father Yermo High School, 250 Washington, will have its first open house and alumnae reunion Saturday.

The open house will begin with a Mass at 9:30 a.m., followed by a brunch and a tour of the school. The event will celebrate the theme, "A Foundation of Excellence Soaring into the 21st Centu- ry- Information: 533-3185. 1999 Oktoberfest: The 1999 Oktoberfest will be today, Saturday and Sunday at the German Community Center, Robert E. Lee Road, Building 5095 on Fort Bliss. The fun will begin at 7 p.m.

today and Saturday, and again Sunday from noon to dusk in the Oktoberfest tent. Tickets for evening events cost $12 each; admission Sunday will be $5. Information: 568-3126. Veterans meeting: Northeast 187 Chapter of the Disabled American Veterans and its Ladies Auxiliary will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Armed Forces YMCA at Dyer and Hayes.

Information: 751-5800. Children's fair: The Ysleta Independent School District's Ready To Be Ready Program will have a children's fair from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the district's Student Entrepreneur Center, 8455 Alameda. The free fair will introduce three new parenting programs offered at no charge to parents with children 5 and younger.

Information: 872-2927. Graduation packets: The Ysleta Independent School District will distribute out-of-school registration packets through Tuesday for any Ysleta student who has met all graduation requirements but has not yet passed the TAAS or TEAMS tests. Packets may be picked up at any district high school or at the Ysleta Administrative Cultural Arts Center, 9600 Sims. Testing dates are Oct. 26 for writing, Oct.

27 for math and Oct. 28 for reading. Information: 595-6212. Sarinana's meeting: Ralph Ramirez and Ray Tarang of Martin Funeral Home will be the guest speakers at EastridgeMid-Valley city Rep. Luis Sarinana's breakfast meeting at 7 a.m.

Wednesday at Gabriel's Cafe, 1270 Giles. Mary Lacy and Denise Watkins of the Alzheimer's Association will be the guests on Sarinana's television program, which will air at 7 p.m. Monday on cable Channel 15. Information: 541-4108. Have your say You may request a form to feature a teacher here by writing: Teacher Nomination, El Paso Times, P.O.

Box 20, El Paso, TX 79999. Or call Lulu Ontiveros at 546-6119. Or fax us at 546-6415. Wallet-size color photos are Anthony J- III I IV 'Vinton hUtojr5 Kj flcanutil0 TCXAS tJ V'tjN -62 "1L Jaif 1 1 II Sf Horizon VT I 'A )1 jf Biggs Army City i Ml JM WT -sro HWl (VINi fl MEXICO Vx I A 12 mile jr XT' JuSrez. N.X t.

jfe i 41 ri AIRPORT Red Ribbon breakfast: The 1999 Red Ribbon campaign will begin with a "Choose to be Drug Free" breakfast from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Oct. 1 at the El Paso Marriott, 1600 Airway. The event will honor Enrique "Kiki" Camarena, a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who was tortured and killed by Mexican drug lords in 1985.

Guest speakers will be Joe Wiese, director of the Office of Prevention of the Texas Commission on Alco- hoi and Drug Abuse, and Luis Barker, chief patrol agent with the El Paso sector of the U.S. Border Patrol. The Burges High School Rondalla Group and the Aries Internacionales folk-lorico dancers will perform. The cost is $10. Tickets must be bought by Sept.

25. Information: 821-0137. PEUICANO Mesoamerican presentation: The Inter American Magnet Program at Americas High School will present the lecture "The Ancient Maya: New Excavations in Belize" at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the school's theater, 12101 Pel-licano. Thomas Guderjan, president of the Maya Research Program at St.

Mary's University in San Antonio, will be the guest speaker. The creation of a permanent research center and new information about the Maya civilization will be discussed. The lecture is sponsored by a grant from the Texas Council for the Humanities. Information: 856-4300. 8 Rudy Gutierrez El Paso Times VEW MEXICO throughout the city, including grocery stores, pharmacies, malls and banks.

The flu immunization program will begin Sept. 25 at Cielo Vista Mall. The vaccinations will cost $10 a shot, and may be covered by Medicare. Printed clinic site schedules will be made available to the public. To get the shots, people must be 18 or older.

The association expects to give up to 17,000 vaccinations by the time the program ends in November. Information: VNA at 532-0888, or, flu shot sites hot line, 545-6346. In Our Neighborhoods runs Tuesday though Saturday. To have your community news included, please call 546-6416 or mail the information to In Our Neighborhoods, El Paso Times, P.O. Box 20, El Paso, TX 79999.

You may also fax the information to 546-6415. students Why I became a teacher: It just happened! The most challenging aspect of teaching young people today is: To compete against the media and introduce students to the joy of reading. The best teaching tool I have used and would recommend to colleagues is: The use of journals. Its use helps make writers out of udents. SUNRISE PARK You name it: Best Images Photography, 4445 Edgar Park, soon will open a full-service photo lab in the Northeast and is sponsoring a contest to help find a unique name.

Anyone who submits a name for the new lab will receive a free portrait session, and the winner will receive a prize package valued at $300. Entries can be submitted at the studio on Edgar Park. The contest will end Oct. 10. Information: 755-7307.

MONTANA Anniversary re-ffTfl union: The Aso-Ilijf ciacion de Lideres Zf Mexico Americanos (Association of Mex Communicating Dale Carnegie, training, 10 a.m., 7717 Lockheed. 772-2999. Sun City Amateur Radio Club, free license class; 7:30 p.m., 3709 Wickham. 755-7845 or 821-3472. Sunmasters Toastmasters No.

4248, 7:30 a.m., YMCA, 701 Montana. 779-1123. Leisure Austin Terrace Garden Club, 10 a.m., call for place. 751-5132. Desert Skies Astronomy Club, 7 p.m., meets in the El Paso School District Planetarium, 6531 Boeing Drive.

833-6948. St. Raphael Country and Western Line Dance Lessons, 7 p.m., 2301 Zanzibar. 855-1508. Weaver's Guild, call for time and place.

565-2695 or 590-8815. Whirlaway Square Dancers, 7:30 p.m., St. Andrew Presbyterian Church, 2155 Wedgewood. 592-7939. Yoga for Ufe, 5:15 p.m., Ill Rio Flor.

Prices vary. 581-8447. Seniors American Association of Retired Persons, board meeting, 2 p.m., Polly Harris Senior Center, 650 Wallenberg. 581-9525. Ballroom Dance, 1-3 p.m., Memorial Park Senior Center, 1800 Byron.

562-4268. Ballroom Dance, 1-5 p.m., San Juan Senior Center, 700 N. Glenwood. 772-8365. Ballroom Dance, 7-10 p.m., Multipurpose Center, 9031 Viscount.

598-1155. Singles East Side-Single, for divorced, widowed and separated, call for meeting place and more information. 595-5032. Mail your notice to El Paso Times Calendar, P.O. Box 20, El Paso, TX, 79999, or fax 546-6415.

El Paso Timesl FRANKLIN HEIGHTS Opera visit: The El Paso Opera Company's first guest artist to visit students in the El Paso Independent School District will present a program at Wiggs Middle School, 1300 Circle, at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday in the school gymnasium. Mezzo-soprano Emily Joan Wigod will sing selections from her role as Flora in "La Traviata." Wigod has studied at La Escuela Superior de Canto, Madrid, and the Manhattan School of Music in New York City. She has performed with the Brandenburg Opera, the Amato Opera, the Sarasota Opera and the Opera Northeast. Information: 544-6768.

Problem Every day, the El Paso Times profiles an El Paso or Las Cruces teacher who has been nominated as Teacher of the Day. Today: John Thompson. Age: 34. School: Father Yermo High School. Educational background: Bachelor of art degree in creative writing.

ican American Leaders) will have a fifth anniversary reunion from 8 p.m. to midnight Saturday at 1407 Montana. There will be music, food and door prizes. The nonprofit organization attempts to identify and recruit emerging leaders and prepare them to serve on community boards, commissions and committees through its leadership programs. Information: Sara Garcia, 543-3871; Mary Barreda, 562-2034; or Jesse Las-canb, 831-4644.

CIELO VISTA Flu Shots: The Visiting Nurse Association will help El Pasoans protect themselves from the flu this winter by setting up flu clinics in various places in Japan for the first 12 years of my life. If I could change one thing about my job, it would be: To focus less on standardized tests and teach students the ability to solve problems by thinking it through. My most gratifying experience as an educator: Is being told by high-school students that I made a TEACHER OF THE DAY: JOHN THOMPSON solving vital tool for Number of years teaching: Three. Current position: English teacher, all grades. Activities outside teaching: Writing and photography.

The hardest lesson I have learned: You cannot stop the present. People would be surprised if they knew lived 1 I John Thompson ft rm.