El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 2

Paso Times Friday, Oct. 6, 2006 CONTINUED FROM 1A O'Rourke's in-law to invest in plan 5 v. 4 ft lawyer for Land Grab Opponents of El Paso, filed a city ethics complaint against O'Rourke, contending that he should recuse himself from the debate and voting on the Downtown plan advanced by the nonprofit Paso del Norte Group. The El Paso Ethics Review Commission will take up the complaint next Thursday. While the complaint cites several angles of potential financial conflicts that O'Rourke contends are probably too insignificant to keep him from voting, it also raises a troublesome "appearance of impropriety" question stemming from kinship alone.

The city Ethics Code contains a provision that states city officials "shall not give reasonable basis by their conduct for the impression that any person can improperly influence or unduly enjoy their favor in the performance of their official duties, or that they are unduly affected by kinship, rank, position or influence of any person." Cook said he suggested that O'Rourke sit out the Downtown debate because without him there is still a four-vote majority on council for the plan that regularly votes down the three opponents. And, Cook said, that does not include the vote he can cast to break ties. "I want to make it clear that I'm not voting because anyone wants me to. Some have said, 'Don't O'Rourke said. "My obligation is to the people of my district, and if I'm not at the table to represent their interests, then I don't think they have a seat at the table." David Crowder may be reached at dcrowderelpasotimes.com; 546-6194.

By David Crowder El Paso Times William Sanders, who heads the Paso del Norte Group and is the father-in-law of South-West city Rep. Beto O'Rourke, now intends to invest in the Downtown redevelopment effort after all. In April, Sanders told the El Paso Times he had decided not to put his own money into the investment trust that is to provide essential private capital for Downtown redevelopment so that O'Rourke could avoid a conflict-of-interest problem that might force him out of the debate. But, apparently at the request of Mayor John Cook, Sanders has agreed to lead other investors into a real estate investment trust with his money, but not to take any profits. Sanders said Thursday that he would donate any dividends to a Downtown nonprofit.

"Mayor Cook made a very constructive suggestion that would allow me to participate in the Downtown (investment trust) currently in the formation while eliminating any perceived conflict of interest," Sanders said in a written response to questions from the Times. "A number of El Paso citizens said that they would commit money to the Downtown (investment trust) only if I were alongside them as an investor." Because of Sanders' involvement, O'Rourke has been dogged by the conflict-of-interest issue since the beginning of the Downtown redevelopment debate in March It went beyond talk four weeks ago when Stuart Blaugrund, the Carolyn Kaster Associated Press Mourners gathered Tnursaay for a graveside ei Mines. Cnaries Carl Roberts IV stormed the service in Georgetown, for schoolgirls slain in Amish schoolhouse and shot 10 girls before turn-an Amish school shooting Monday in nearby Nick- ing the gun on himself. Five girls have died. Amish mourn girls slain in shooting INBRIEF District, religious schools shut down after threat CULPEPER, Va.

A bomb threat shut down an entire school district Thursday, canceling classes for more than 7,200 students in eight public schools, as well as hundreds more in religious schools and child-care centers. Culpeper Sheriff H. Lee Hart said the threat was called into the county's communications center about 11:30 p.ra Wednesday. "The individual had a lengthy conversation, and in this conversation he said he was going to blow up schools," Hart said. "We do not know which schools or his plans.

We don't know a lot about this individual." State police used explosives-detecting dogs and bomb technicians in a search of the buildings on Thursday, and the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives was called for assistance, officials said. In other news Arming teachers suggested: A Wisconsin state lawmaker, worried about a recent string of deadly school shootings, suggested arming teachers, principals and other school personnel as a safety measure and a deterrent. It might not be politically correct, but it has worked effectively in other countries, Republican Rep. Frank Lasee said Wednesday in Madison.

Lasee said he planned to introduce legislation that would allow school personnel to carry concealed weapons. The director of school safety for the Milwaukee Public Schools, Pete Pochowski, opposed the idea. Schools on alert: Schools around the country were on alert Monday after the second hostage event, and third homicide case, in less than a week in a public school. Some school administrators and security experts said they were worried about a new pattern of violence that schools were not well prepared for outside adults with grudges or suicidal urges entering schools and that news coverage could inspire more crimes. Others said those factors did not matter because vigilance, pre-emption and resources would be the same either way.

Times wire reports Roberts and five of the girls he gunned down died. A sixth a 6-year-old was disconnected from life support Wednesday and taken home to die, officials confirmed. The other four remain hospitalized, two of them in very grave condition. Buried Thursday were Fisher, Naomi Ebersole, 7, and the Miller sisters, 8-year-old Mary and 7-year-old Lena, interred in hand-dug graves near their ancestors. Anna Mae Stoltzfus, 12, will be laid to rest there Friday.

As the dozens of buggies and carriages clopped past in bright October sunshine, many of the black-clad Amish men and women peered at the shuttered Roberts' house. Outside the house next door, Lloyd Welk, grandfather of Roberts' widow, Marie, stood grim-faced, clutching the hand of his wife, Lorraine, as she sat in a green plastic chair. His wife was sobbing. Marie Roberts' aunt, Jackie Hess, was also present. "I felt that I needed to be here.

We knew them all," she said. "It helps us to know that they forgive us." By Jess Wisloski and Helen Kennedy New York Daily News GEORGETOWN, Pa. Photos capture the somber dignity and amazing grace of the Amish of Lancaster County as they buried their murdered daughters Thursday. Preceded by two mounted police officers, horse-drawn hearses led three slow processions of buggies and carriages through the tranquil farmlands and directly past the killer's house to a hilltop graveyard. Relatives of gunman Charles Carl Roberts IV kept vigil outside his house, sobbing as the corteges went by.

Many of the Amish mourners nodded to them as they passed. One of the four handmade coffins buried Thursday contained the white-clad body of Marian Fisher, 13, the eldest of the 10 girls shot Monday when Roberts turned a one-room schoolhouse into a slaughterhouse. Marian faced death with remarkable bravery, according to new details that emerged Thursday after one of five surviving witnesses was removed from a ventilator and could speak again. "Shoot me first," the girl told Roberts, bravely offering up her life in an attempt to save her terrified younger classmates. Then another of the older girls stepped up and said, "You can shoot me second," according to Mennonite midwife Rita Rhoads.

"They were hoping maybe if they offered themselves, the younger girls would either be saved or rescued in time," Rhodes said. "It really showed a tremendous amount of courage. It's really amazing that girls of that age would offer themselves up. I know a lot of adults who wouldn't do that." She said she heard the account from Marian's grandfather, Bishop Ruben Fisher, who talked to Marian's 12-year-old sister, Barbie, in her hospital bed. Barbie Fisher also related that after Roberts cleared the school-house of the boys and adults, and tied the 10 trembling girls together by the ankles in a row by the blackboard, he began a rambling discourse.

"At some point, the shooter asked the girls to pray for him. The girls were kind of amazed and surprised by that," Rhoads said. Downtown dad said, "I think there is no room for racism in this community, for politicizing this project or for the way some people have been treated." After approving the plan, the commission adopted a series of changes to be recommended to the City Council. One urges the expansion of the proposed Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone proposed to cover the entire 300 acres in the plan, which will enable the city to capture property tax money to finance improvements in the entire area. David Crowder may be reached at dcrowderelpasotimes.com; 546-6194.

Continued from 1A newspaper that made it appear she might have political reasons for opposing the plan. "Therefore, I do not wish to participate nor give the impression of impropriety to this very important land-use matter, where residents and business owners and the city as a whole will be impacted permanently," Luna said. Commission Chairman Gus Had- Attrition rates school district should be 100 percent graduation. "We will not be satisfied until that goal is realized," he said. "In order to reach this goal, we are providing many options for students to be successful academically and to pursue a postsec-ondary opportunities." For Central parent Elizabeth Garza, who has a daughter at Lamar Elementary School, high-school graduation is the bare minimum.

She said the old notion that a high-school diploma could get anyone a decent-paying job is no longer true. "In these days, kids need a college degree to succeed," she said. "I'm telling my daughter that high school is not enough. That if she wants to be successful, she needs to go to college." Robledo Montecel said that de documents her association has published show a direct link between economic development and high-school graduation. The Greater El Paso Chamber of Commerce's education committee, which is working with local schools to reduce the dropout rate, wants educators to focus on student retention as a way to create a better-prepared work force.

"A dropout, when you talk about a prepared work force, is going to be critical to the prosperity of the community," said Rafael Caraveo, the chamber's vice president of education and work-force development. "If you don't have the needed individuals available for the jobs we want, it's going to be a challenge." Ysleta Independent School District Superintendent Hector Montenegro said the goal for any Dropout Continued from 1A but the overajl figures for the last 10 years show that more El Paso students are graduating high school on time, though." The study showed that the attrition rate for Texas this year is 35 percent. Many educators consider the association's numbers to be a more realistic look at the state's dropout situation. Some use the association figures rather than the official dropout rate reported by the Texas Education Agency. According to the TEA Web site, the four-year attrition rate for the Class of 2004 from the El Paso region the latest figure spite the bad news of an increase in attrition this year, the outlook for El Paso has been relatively positive in the past 10 years.

In 1997, the attrition rate in El Paso was 43 percent 6 percentage points worse than this year and it reached an all-time best in 2003 of 35 percent. She commended some dropout prevention programs in El Paso and named the Ysleta district and the University of Texas at El Paso as schools doing something to fix the problem but said there is still more to do. "There's a growing public mandate to address the issue," she said. "We need to heed that call and make sure that every child counts that every child has an opportunity in life." Gustavo Reveles Acosta may be reached at greveleselpasotimes.com; 546-6133. El Paso: 37 percent.

Harris (Houston): 40 per- cent Tarrant (Fort Worth): 37 percent Travis (Austin): 36 percent. Texas: 35 percent. "Ask any employer, any college, whether a high-school diploma and a GED are the same thing they'll tell you that they're not," Robledo Montecel said. "It's not unreasonable to assume that everyone should have a high-school diploma." Robledo Montecel said other Attrition rates for some of the largest counties in the state as reported Thursday by the Intercultural Development Research Association: Bexar (San Antonio): 35 percent. Dallas: 41 percent.

available was 20 percent. The region's official annual dropout rate, according to the TEA, for that same period was 5 percent. One key difference between the figures is that the TEA counts students who received a GED as graduates, while the association sees them as de facto dropouts. climes How to subscribe To start home delivery, caH 546-6300 between 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Monday-Fnday; 6 a.m. to noon Saturday and 7 a.m. to noon Sunday. New Mexico's U.S. Sens.

Jeff Bingaman and Pete Domcnici last year backed $14 million in a federal transportation bill to aid the relocation of El Paso's rail yards. Jude McCartin, Bingaman spokeswoman, said the money meant to be split between New Mexico and Texas doesn't have tight restrictions and could be used to help build a road to the proposed Santa Teresa rail facility. Domcnici said in a news release the Union Pacific project will be a boon. "It's a result of teamwork between federal and state levels to bring the rail facility to Santa Teresa," he said. U.S.

Rep. Steve Pearce, agreed. "We are beginning to capitalize upon our geographical advantage as the crossroads of the Southwest," he said in a news release. Bingaman, also in a news release, said the federal government must continue to back the relocation of rail yards. Diana M.

Alba may be reached at D-Santa Fe, said lawmakers probably will favor the project. "The Legislature is very open and is interested in companies that will help New Mexico," he said. "I anticipate the delegation from this area will support this." Richardson said removing the tax will cost the state about $1 million annually. State Economic Development Secretary Rick Homans said the project has been a goal ever since Richardson took office. He said there had been talk for years about a railroad facility in Santa Teresa, though few people thought it could become a reality.

But after the idea was investigated, he said, the rail facility seemed possible. "All these good reasons came back, and not one negative reason," Homans said. Young said Union Pacific made the decision because the Borderland offers one of the greatest potentials for expansion in the railroad industry. It's ideal for handling shipping from California into the heart of the United States and train traffic from across the Mexican border, he said. In addition, Union Pacific Railroad Continued from 1A Richardson and other officials said the greatest benefit of the project is that it would promote other industry in Santa Teresa and Southern New Mexico.

Union Pacific also expects trains to move more efficiently through El Paso as a result of the new project The rail complex would be close to the Santa Teresa Industrial Park, the Dona Ana County Airport, an international border crossing and a border city planned by the El Paso-based Verde Group. Union Pacific CEO Jim Young said the construction of similar facilities around the country has spurred economic growth. "It's not unusual to look at a 10-fold economic impact," he said. Richardson said he's confident the Legislature will give the needed approvals next year. "It's almost a slam dunk," the governor said.

Speaker of the House Ben Lujan, spokesman Mark Davis said, the company's neighboring El Paso facilities have become outdated or are being used at capacity. Union Pacific officials said that initial construction could start in 2008 and that the facility could open two years later, if the New Mexico Legislature removes the train fuel tax in 2007. The inter-modal facility would be built by 2015. The proposed complex would be built on about 1,000 acres of U.S. Bureau of Land Management and state-owned land.

Union Pacific has yet to buy the property but plans to do so when the Legislature removes the fuel tax, Davis said. Young said the location west of Santa Teresa is at a key point in the railroad's distribution map. The company's track from California splits into three lines leading to Kansas City, Houston and Dallas. Some El Paso officials have pushed for years for rail yards to move from the center of the city because of congestion. Union Pacific owns four rail yards covering about 250 acres in the city, and BNSF Railway has a 44-acre yard.

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and 4 p.m. Monday-Friday. El Paso Times reporter Dave Burge contributed to this story. Debate Continued from 1A the four candidates was based on About news corrections The El Paso Times wants to correct errors as quickly a possible. Can errors news content to our attention at 546 6123.

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idit Bureau of Circulations. file a lawsuit alleging that the debate amounts to an illegal corporate campaign donation to the other candidates from Belo. Texas law forbids corporate contributions in political campaigns. "If this demand is ignored, be advised, my client intends to pursue all remedies, civil and criminal," Velte said. Velte said he would seek damages in excess of $4.6 million.

Belo counsel Coleman said the debate is a journalistic endeavor, not a campaign contribution, and the Texas Election Code statute cited by Velte does not apply. "If a suit is filed, we will fight that extremely vigorously," he said. Bf imli Gnssom may be reached at rHrissomfaplpvi)tirTWvcom; (5lA 6606. 8 a m. to 5 Monday Friday election debate Why: Find out more about where the candidates stand on the issues.

Participate: Submit your own questions for the candidates, along with your name, hometown, and home andor work telephone number to like-minded Republicans who might otherwise support Perry. "I don't know who wins, but I think Perry loses," he said. Lawyer Paul Velte said that if Werner Is excluded, he plans to 2008 governor When: 6 to 7 p.m. today. Where: Channel 7-KVIA (cable Channel 6); live streaming video at www.dallasnews.com and www.wfaa.com.

Who: GOP Gov. Rick Perry, Democrat Chris Bell, independent Carole Kee-ton Strayhorn, independent Kinky Friedman participation in the debate could ultimately change the outcome of the election. Claiming to be the only true fiscally conservative candidate in the race, Werner said ha would gain support from specific criteria that Werner did not meet. Candidates had to be receiving ongoing, continuous news coverage and receive more than a 6 percent showing in recent polls. Devlin said the criteria were fair and similar to those used in past debates.

He added that there are plenty of other opportunities for Werner to gain media exposure before the election. "This is not the heavyweight fight of the century," Devlin said. "U's just a one-hour program." ut Werner said he believes his m0mm.