El Paso Herald-Post from El Paso, Texas • 13

Kf ttMUBai 3BB3HE3HE verification practice An estimated 150 million checks are written daily in the United States and most merchants require two forms of identification from check writers Often merchants specifically request a license and a mqjor credit card The credit card is often requested not only for identification but also because many merchants believe consumers who have credit cards are financially responsible and less likely to bounce checks the Bank-card Holders group says SEE CREDIT PAGE B-2 Consumer group warns against credit-card number on the check By Patrick McDonnell Bankcard Holders of Paso Heratd-Post main tip to holiday shoppers who want to protect themselves against Many consumers may be vulner- fraud is: Guard your credit-card able to fraud because they give out number and refuse to let merchants their credit-card numbers too rea- copy the number on checks dily a national consumer group thief does not need your warns credit card to warns Elgie Many mqjor local businesses Holstein president of the Bankcard department stores home-improve- Holders of America needs only ment chains even music stores ask your credit-card number or personal check writers for a driver's license inflnrwiatiiwi about you such as your mid a major credit card for identifies- name wMiww phone number or tion Sales clerks then write the Social Security number" Star on mountain again brightens holidays in city Cheater Bella flies again Charles Bella right assists Ansel Conway 13 from his helicopter at Sunrise Shopping Centre in Northeast El Paso on Saturday Bella received permis- NUY CALZADA STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER sion from City Council to fly in Santa Claus who sits in the helicopter Conway who has cancer received the flight as a wish come true from the Candlelighters For non-hikers the star can be seen from the east for 30 miles from the ground and 100 miles from the air Suzanne' Litterski a 10-year resident of El Paso was among the first to get an aerial view of the star this year She flew into town about two hours after the star was lighted think Lit- tereki said husband saw it first and pointed it out to me I sat up and said yes today is the I knew it was supposed to be lighted One of her favorite memories of the star was when it stayed lighted for 444 consecutive days in 1980-1981 as a tribute to the American hostages in Iran Jean Sersow a former El Paso resident who now lives in Phoenix was on the same flight as Litterski Sersow said she thought the star beautiful from the air sitting by the window so I couldn't see any city lights but I could see the Sersow said Phoenix we have anything like By Patrick McDonnell El Paso Herald-Post El holiday beacon was lighted Sunday evening At 5:40 pm two El Paso Electric Co employees threw the power switches to light the 459 bulbs strung across the southern face of the Franklin Mountains about 400 feet above Scenic Drive The array of 135-watt bulbs form a star 459 feet long and 278 feet wide The lights will burn nightly from 5:30 pm to 10 pm through Jan 7 On Dec 25 Dec 26 Dec 31 and Jan 1 the star will remain lighted until 1 am Jose Manuel Chavez a part-time employee of El Paso Electric will be spending his third holiday season as a patrolling the mountain to prevent vandalism Chavez said most visitors to his lofty post are not aspiring vandals however Tourists from out of state soldiers from Fort Bliss and even long-time El Pasoans sometimes make the steep trek to get a closer look at the star he said Kitchen fire chases restaurant patrons Two teens killed when van runs off highway By Patrick McDonnell El Paso Herald-Poat By Patrick McDonnell El Paso Herald-Post Binkley said extinguishing system over the range hood kicked in poured a dry chemical agent onto the stove and knocked out the initial fire it (the fire) had extended up the exhaust flue into the attic All the roof rafters are made out of wood and once they and the paper insulation up there started going there was plenty to bum Everything in the attic was On Oct 1 a similar fire burned the kitchen and roof of Restaurant 5565 Gateway Blvd West and Binkley said that this type of fire always a possibility with restaurants wire hood Linda Seebach a Gasoline Alley waitress said that since the initial fire appeared to be under control customers were not evacuated right away then a lot of smoke began coming out and we got everybody out in a she said Police blocked off the section of Mesa street in front of the establishment The three fire hoses snaked throughout the Gasoline Alley parking areas Seebach and most of the other employees milled around outside the restaurant stepping over the hoses as they walked around the building Several of the employees were in shorts and short-sleeve shirts and shivered in the cold night air jacket is Seebach said purse too and it has my keys in it so I go Newsom said he believed his insurance would cover the cost of repairs "I may lose a day but we be closed for Newsom said While firefigthers cut holes in the Gasoline Alley roof and hosed down the ventilation shafts rock music could be heard coming from the band at the Surf Club next door The music stopped for a few minutes when an electrical problem apparently caused by the blaze prompted an El Paso Electric lineman to kill the power for the block DeSantiago was carrying a false identification card The two were thrown from the van in the crash and were pronounced dead at the scene Pblice said criminal negligent -homicide charges are pending against the driver of the van Jason Likely 17 of the 10000 block of Delafield Drive Likely and his third passenger Ryan GilHand 17 of the 10000 block of Crete Drive were taken to William Beaumont Army Medical Center Likely was treated and released and Gilliand was in stable condition Pblice said they believe speeding was a cause of the accident1 because the van was estimated to be traveling at 50 mph after the -initial impact at the median A Westside hot spot had to be evacuated Sunday night when a kitchen fire spread up into the attic Firefighters were called to Gasoline Alley 2513 Mesa St at 7:59 pm The first arriving units reported flames shooting from the roof of the restaurant District Fire Chief Robert Binkley said Between 40 and 75 customers and about 12 employees were inside the restaurant when the fire started said Clint Newsom owner of the establishment There were no injuries reported Binkley said Three pumper trucks had the fire under control within minutes he said He said the blaze caused extensive damage to the kitchen area and the attic as well as moderate smoke and water damage to the restaurant iarea "Something on the stove caught Two 18-year-olds died in a single-vehicle accident early Sunday on US Highway 54 police said Theodore Lamar White of the 2000 block of Ocean Side Drive and Diana DeSantiago 16 of the 10000 block of Hollyhock Drive were passengers in a northbound van that crashed through a median guardrail severed a light pole then hit a concrete embankment on the southbound side of the freeway eight miles south of the New Mexico border police said Pblice initially identified De-Santiago as Laurie Soto 18 Pblice Lt JR Grjjalva said City suit seeks $440000 for fire at recycling firm By James Martinez EJ Paso Herald-Post Police are seeking dues on local disappearance El Paso Police are asking for help in finding a 25-year-old man who has been missing since June According to police William Austin Kenner was living at the Gardner Hotel 31 1 Franklin He checked' out June 12 visited his grandmother's house June 13 then disap- I peared Kenner He has brown hair and blue eyes is about 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighs about 160 pounds He has a scar on his left palm He was thought to be on his way to a truck-driving school in Waco Texas but never registered there Anyone with information can can 564-7010 Salvation Army asks for pillows sheets blankets ii Since temperatures are dropping more homeless people are seeking shelter at the Salvation Army The agency needs sheets blankets and pillows said Maj Neil Saunders The Salvation Army usually shelters 210 people a night The past few nights about 275 people have sought shelter The Salvation Army will pick up donations or they can be brought to the main office 4300 Paisano Drive People may call 544-981 1 to arrange for pickup inspiration to rap drag use at Socorro High The reaMife police detective who inspired the Tv shows and will bring his national antidrug crusade to Socorro High School on Tuesday David Toma will address the entire Socorro High School student body from 9 am to noon Tuesday and also will put on a program for students and parents in the auditorium at 7:30 pm For more information call the school district at 858-0912 City Editor Joe Old 546-6340 the repairs to the bridge A fire April 20 at thie storage yard sent about 50 people to area hospitals for smoke-inhalation treatment Although tests showed most of the material involved in the fire was non-hazardous several drums of hazardous clean ing solvents were discovered' The case has been referred to the US Environmental Protection Agency for possible fines A second fire at the storage facility broke out on July 2 fearing the evacuation of about 100 people in the area The city contends Varkonyi was negligent in storing and maintaining combustible materials an andf unsafe 4 The city has sued the owner of Metal Recycling Co for $440000 for damages to an overpass and cleanup costs from a fire at his facility The suit filed Friday in 205th District Court is seeking $417000 for the cost of repairs to the Piedras Street overpass that was damaged in two fires at Thomas scrap-metal recycling company The city is also suing Var-konyi for $23357 for cleaning up the fire damage in his storage yard The suit states that Var-konyi has refused to reimburse the city for any of the cleanup of fire damage or for 1 7 i i I 1.