Taking one last look back at 1996

By BRIAN BETHEL / Staff Writer

The following stories touched many lives in one way or another in 1996. Some made readers angry, others made them think, still others made them cry.

They are presented in alphabetical order, along with a brief summary of what made each of these pieces of 1996 important to the area, for good or for ill.

- Boundary battle: Lines were re-drawn across the Abilene Independent School District this fall as the school board tinkered with attendance zone boundaries once again.

The fine-tuning process began in September as a follow-up to the 1991 massive district restructuring. The board adopted five main goals, among those, maintaining racial balance and balancing enrollment and parental support in the middle schools.

Before it was over, 10 plans had been presented to the board, including two from Superintendent Charles Hundley. The rest were from teachers and parents, who were mostly concerned about the fate of the two high schools.

The proposals offered a variety of suggestions, from combining the two high schools into one to moving more than 3,000 students at the elementary level, but the administration's plan eventually was adopted.

- C-130 crash: On an August night later described as "ink well dark," a Dyess C-130 slammed into the side of a Wyoming mountain, killing eight crewmen and a secret service agent.

The plane, designated Havoc Five-Eight, was carrying gear for President Bill Clinton, who had been vacationing in the nearby Jackson Hole area.

During the memorial ceremony for the Dyess crew, Brig. Gen. Larry Northington told more than 3,000 mourners to "remember the way they lived, the excitement about flight, their zest for life and love of country."

The crash investigation continued long after the memorial, and in November the verdict ruled crew failure had caused the accident.

The crash was the second-costliest in terms of Dyess casualties in the C-130's 40-year history at the base.

A crash in April 1982 killed nine Dyess crewmen and 17 passengers.

- Child homicides: Police investigated eight major deaths in 1996. Six of the victims were under the age of 18.

Three infants and three teenagers made the roster of this year's homicides/manslaughter cases.

Victims included Joseph Smart, 10 months; Kirstian George, 8 months; Tyler Russ, 13 months; Andrew Mesta, 15; Edward Able Reyes, 14; and Daniel Don, 16.

Each of the teenagers suffered gunshot wounds - two, both manslaughter cases, by friends.

In each case involving children, the suspects are adults - primarily relatives.

"The infant deaths are particularly frightening," said Lt. Mark Moore, head of the Abilene Police Department's Criminal Investigation Division. "Especially when you consider Abilene's size and history.

"... I don't know what's causing it all. It's just hard to say."

- Cooper Cougars: In Texas, football is king, and for most of the 1996 season it looked like Cooper High's Cougars were destined to inherit the 5A Division II throne.

But a 55-15 victory by Austin Westlake ended the dynasty in a heartbreaking final game that was supposed to have avenged the 1967 Cougars' state title loss.

After a nine-game winning streak and a solid final first half, Cooper's luck seemed to run out as the unbeaten Chapparals racked up 48 points to the Cougars' 8.

It was the first time in 29 years the school had made it to the state playoffs.

- Elections: Taylor County Republicans consolidated their gains as GOP strength grew in surrounding counties.

Area Democrats, despite keeping the White House, lost a seat in the Texas House and Texas Senate and witnessed further erosion of U.S. Rep. Charles Stenholm's political strength.

Stenholm won re-election, but with just 52 percent of the vote over San Angelo Republican Rudy Izzard, leading a Capitol Hill pundit to place him atop a national list of the year's "winners who weren't."

Nonetheless, the Stamford Democrat has even more duties as his 10th term starts: He's ranking Democrat on the House Agriculture Committee. But Republicans still control the committee and the House.

Izzard, meanwhile, said he's strongly considering a second run for the seat in 1998.

In state politics, Republican Troy Fraser won the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Democrat Bill Sims. He bested Rick Rhodes, a former Sweetwater mayor, helping the GOP win its first Senate majority since Reconstruction.

Republican Jim Keffer of Eastland defeated Breckenridge Democrat John Cook, who's held the District 60 seat since 1990.

- Library expansion: From Nationsbank to the Mall to the old Wal-Mart, it seems everyone has an idea about where a new city library could be.

The Citizens Library Review Board has had the thankless task this year of trying to figure out the best course for the city's bibliophiles.

The options are:

- Converting a building, such as the Nationsbank tower.

- Constructing a new facility.

- Building a huge branch in addition to the existing library.

- Erecting two branches and retaining some downtown presence.

- Renovating and expanding the current site.

Much yet depends on consultants' recommendations, expected to be issued Jan. 15.

- Lotto winners: They call them the Roby Gang, and it seems everyone from the New York Times to Aunt Ethel has heard of 'em.

By contrast, a group of Snyder residents - in the resulting Roby furor - have almost become the Winners that Time Forgot.

But their stories are surprisingly similar.

Back in June, 19 employees of BJ Services Inc. bought 110 quick picks for a $35 million lottery drawing. They won, along with a person in San Antonio. Their share was $17.5 million.

Roby's infamous Gang of 43 followed suit, buying up 450 quick pick lottery tickets from a Sweetwater store in late November.

They won, too. And it was all theirs.

National media attention followed, and even though the winning ticket wasn't bought in town, pilgrims flocked to the tiny hamlet, hoping some luck would rub off.

- Roaring Ranger: Former Ranger mayor Ronnie Ainsworth's tenure was stormy almost from the beginning, and the embattled mayor was voted out of office April 13, the second time such an initiative had been launched.

Stemming from a 1992 conflict between Ainsworth and commissioner Delbert Cozart, a lawsuit settlement allowed a second recall election.

Six felony indictments against Ainsworth were disposed of recently when he entered pleas to three and had the other three dismissed.

Ainsworth pled guilty to charges of theft, insurance fraud, and fraud.

He received either probated sentences or deferred adjudication for the three accusations, paying more than $8,000 in restitution and fines.

- Weather woes: For months, the rain did not fall.

Dubbed by some state ag officials as the "worst natural disaster to hit Texas this century," the drought created hazardous conditions and economic worries that lasted well into the summer months.

Folks got together and prayed for rain. Drought management workshops were given. Farmers and ranchers had fits as their crops withered under the blazing sun or herds had to be culled so there'd be enough feed to go around.

Grass fires prompted a team of U.S. Forest Service fire fighters to come to the area, dumping some 160,000 gallons of fire-retardant.

Although some April snows helped put the area ahead in moisture, by May things were much the same again.

By all estimates, the dry weather cost Texas as much as $2.1 billion, with Erath County's dairylands feeling the biggest crunch of area counties.

Staff Writers Richard Horn and Leslie Strader contributed to this report.