El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 157

Former NM Land Commissioner Jim 1 Gov. Ann Richards and George Baca declines Interior Department W. Bush hit the road asking for position 7B votes 5B El Paso Times rn nn 1 n-j Sunday Jan. 30, 1994 City Desk 546-6124 Section 2B Deaths 4B Texas 9B History 9B Military LiVJ LS Vj vJ LjuLj LSlljI 'RsMo format cliae ses to Moves put about a dozen out of work Ishn Lsird By Gordon Dickson El Paso Times An El Paso news-talk radio station made an unexpected switch to a Spanish-language music format Saturday, and about a dozen employees were fired as part of an executive change, employees and station officials said. Among the employees fired from KFNA-AM (1060) was Bill Blair, a mainstay of El Paso radio and TV news since 1970.

zo said. The switch was made because of "contract changes" and "staffing changes," Lazo said. He said he couldn't be specific or discuss why the changes were sudden. Other station officials weren't available for comment Saturday. KFNA began in 1985 after another Spanish-language station vacated the 1060 frequency.

In January 1993, general manager John Doran said the station was seeking FCC approval to broadcast news 24 hours a day. change coming." KFNA had been broadcasting CNN Headline News and syndicated talk shows for about a year. On the air Saturday, disc jockeys began calling the station Radio Del Norte. They played mari-achi tunes. "It was kind of like CNN on a trial basis," operations director Richard Lazo said.

"We tried "It's a typical mess, rather abrupt. They told us practically nothing," Blair said Saturday. Blair, who was a studio engineer and read local headlines twice an hour, was fired at noon Friday and sent home with pay through the end of January. "We were talking about more power, better studios and equipment," he said. "You don't make those kinds of plans if you see a the format and it wasn't profitable and we decided to change it back (to Spanish-language)." The station was a Spanish-language station in the years before it tried all news.

There are no immediate plans to broadcast 24 hours, he said. "We're on sunup to sundown for now, until we get our transmitters back in shape and we wait and see what happens," La- IT If Ml.fafellHJJj.M ousmg Let's lower our pitchforks and restore the old Plaza Last week we observed a textbook case of what holds us back in El Paso. The issue was there. The people were there. We all should reflect, learn and benefit from what happened.

The Issue How could restoring a little ol' theater become such a big deal in such a big city? My gosh, you'd think we were trying to rebuild our city after a Richter-record earthquake or something. We need to calm down, take our sedatives and take a long, hard squint at this issue. The issue is the Plaza Theater. It is not Mayor Larry grant tops city agenda By Emily Jauregul El Paso Times City officials are trying to get more housing for farm workers in El Paso through an application for a $2.5 million federal grant. The City Council Tuesday will discuss directing the engineering department to work with the El Paso Housing Authority on apply I mm mmmmm 'Tf-'vir-.

WMm. -f" A' Jr fspMlfl ing for the grant. The 50 to 80 housing units it would pay for likely would go somewhere in Central El Paso, said Fermin Dorado, chief city engineer. The city will hear whether it was awarded the grant in about 90 days, but construction money wouldn't come for another year. The new housing units would help alleviate the city's housing shortage.

A city study shows 38 percent of El Paso families 61,000 of 168,000 families need inexpensive housing. That's up from 31 percent in 1980. And the study also shows that Legislative Review City department directors brief the City Council When: 9:30 a.m. Monday. Where: Meeting room, 10th floor of City Hall.

Information: 541-4127. Regular meeting When: 9 a.m. Tuesday. Where: City Council Chambers, second floor of City Hall. Television: The meeting is telecast live beginning at 9 a.m.

on Paragon Cable Channel 15, and rerun at 7 p.m. Tuesday. Information: 541-4127. Rudy Gutierrez El Paso Times Actor A Martinez, left, performed an improvisation with Austin High School freshman Miguel Lopez, center, and Robert Romo of Bassett Middle School at UTEP's Magoffin Auditorium Saturday. Martinez urged the students to study hard, read, and stay out of gangs.

7 Actor urges stuflehts: Hit books By Plana Washington Valdez El Paso Times "Study like crazy and stay in school," Hollywood actor A Martinez told about 150 students at UTEP's Magoffin Auditorium "Like a lot of other kids, I was always looking for an excuse for not going to School. Frankly, I had a lot more fun at home," said Martinez, who's starred in such television shows as "L.A. Law'' and "Santa Barbara." Hia trip was sponsored by the El Pasb Hispanic Chamber of Com- rrancis, wm vetoed the Plaza restoration Friday. Francis is an excellent mayor. His steadfast devotion to this city is obvious.

If Francis says cost estimates for Plaza renovation are too high, well, his background is in business and this columnist who is functionally illiterate on business matters believes him. But I also believe the Plaza should be renovated. Even empty and neglected, it is beautiful. The Plaza is too much a part of our past to be denied a role in our future. Affecting this issue is a commitment from the El Paso Community Foundation, which loves the Plaza enough to promise $1 million plus $200,000 a year for the next 10 years to restore and maintain it.

Reflect on those figures for just a moment, please. The people The people are the problem. As you read often in this space, the problem is anyone who disagrees with me. But, this time, I'm serious. Hardly anyone opposes Plaza restoration as such, but many are opposed to paying for it.

Moreover, they expect to make money after the Plaza is back in action. Their opinions are not vague. Their answers are firm. They cross their arms and 6nap, "No!" like a toddler contemplating spinach. What a sad, not to mention boring, pattern of thinking that must be.

They shout, "Hey! We voted down Plaza renovation once already!" Uh, Earth to obstructionist? That was before the foundation sweetened the pot. Might it just be a whole new ball game now? "No!" Oh, pardon me. I suppose if the foundation proposed to pay for all but the last dime of the project, the obstructionists still would snap "No!" just to keep from changing their minds. The mayor has left open the door for this project by indicating he might vote Jot a lower price tag. Here an assignments for the rest of us: Blue-sky idealists such as this columnist should remember the severe financial commitment required for Plaza restoration.

Obstructionists should drag themselves beyond the 1950s and consider a more progressive attitude. Designers, keep their pencils sharpened. Construction workers, keep the scaffolds on stand-by. Let's all keep our minds open, work together, listen to each other, restore the Plaza Theater and reap the many benefits of such a project. lie wuwcu lite fluuiciitc 11.11 on actor Raul Julia was merce alter tn-flcrpr RtmcraiincT with Fjofelish vcod to cancel his appearance be- no -r cause.Cf illness.

who wanted to drop out of scfipbl The character Martinezjf Wayed spoke little Spanish and'upwored English (and) I spoke Spanish as a second language" growing up, Martinez told the student to stay in A T. 1 a il and El Paso has only about 17.000 "truly affordable" private housing units for the 36.937 families who make $13,3000 a year or less. Meanwhile, Dorado said construction on a $650,000 shelter for farm workers should start in about three months. Farm workers need the center because many of them have to sleep or sit at night along Downtown El Paso streets while they wait for jobs. The city engineering department "is shooting to complete the work by Christmas," Dorado said.

In other action Tuesday, the council will discuss: Funding for the Plaza Theater. The council will vote on approving $5.9 million in certificates of obligation for the restoration project. The council approved issuing the certificates Wednesday, but Mayor Larry Francis vetoed the action Friday. The council, which approved the renovation project on a 5-3 vote, needs six votes to override the mayor's veto. third actor another El.I&a stu- CiV are en- dent helped the Pairuni-g Lan- cate stage ill SSiwr 8aid U'S bCCTing eaSi' stage witn tne ceieomy wer.

wig Hispanic actors and actresses ue Lopez, 15 and Robert Romo to and ooi role8 in movie8 and "(Martinez) is a Hispanic ypp'vy shows showed us that we can become arVyWi Grace Saenz Dickson El Paso Times Actor A Martinez talks with El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce board member Milton A. Duran during banquet festivities Saturday. Please see Martinez 38 thing we want to in hie, said pez, a freshman at Austin High. 5:4" mm v-. Fdfeman gets $43,600 upon retiring -I.

Unused sick leave translates into bucks By Michael Scanlon El Paso Times LAS CRUCES A Dona Ana County maintenance foreman who worked 30 years "to make 4 -4'-f lUJUMH I.MJJUHI. Hill drid how or what he was doing, he'd always reply, "Just working to make the county a little better," Trujillo said. "I'll have a lot of time on my hands, but I think I can utilize it," Madrid said, adding he plans to paint his house, plaster a couple of adobe buildings and tend his pecan and fruit orchard. He said he's also had a couple of offers for part time work. Officially, his last work day is Monday.

But because the county gives all employees one personal holiday a year. Madrid plans to take the day off. He said, "I'm going to come by and say goodbye to everybody and shake their hands and say-keep up the good work, and it'll be over." Under county personnel policy, employees are allowed to accumulate their unused sick leave and receive a lump-sum payment when they retire. Madrid, 57, said his good health and strong work ethic kept him on the job.and earned him a retirement bonus of $43,600. But the lump-sum check will put him in a 39.5 percent federal tax bracket There's also New Mexico state' income tax and a Social Security deduction.

"So I'll probably get about $21,000," Madrid said. County spokesman Dan Truji-llo called Madrid "Mr. Happy" and said his dedication to the job was inspiring. "He was always the first one here in the morning and the last one to leave." Trujillo said. When anyone would ask Ma tne county a little better" retired Friday with a check for more than 3,000 hours of unused sick leave.

"All I've eot to do is Rudy Gutierrez El Paso 1 imes Madrid ock up the buildings and leave the keys inside," Leo Garcia Madrid said. "That's the last task I have." Column tips? Write to John Laird, El Paso Times, Box 20, El Paso, Texas 79999 or call (915) 546 6160. Toll free from outside El Paso: (800) 351 6007. Luis Ruben Alarcon, a senior at Jefferson High School, prayed after he correctly answered a question at the Super Quiz of the Academic Decathlon at Bel Air High School Saturday. Results, Page 4B.

4.