On Nov. 19, Jose Monje was charged with the Nov. 8 slaying of Elida Salmeron, an Odessa Police Department meter maid. The woman's strangled body was found 200 feet from her van on Interstate 20. Also at year's end, authorities were looking for suspects in connection with the beating deaths of a parish priest, Father Patrick Ryan who was visiting from Denver City, and of a young Odessa woman, Yolanda Patrick Ryan who lived at the Antlers Hotel. 1,560 new apartment units were completed by year's end, but they were still not sufficient to accommodate the flood of new residents. Following a series of meetings around Odessa, a new ordinance banning drinking at city parks went into effect in June.
Information is drawn from news accounts, archives and other historical records.
20th Century Countdown. The Odessa American's daily countdown of the last 100 years, from 1900 through 1999, with a short summary of some news and newsmakers affecting residents of Odessa. Copyright 1999 Odessa American. All rights reserved. Refer comments to Webmaster .