A second tract on the development's western half has been carved into 32 plots for homes that will be at least 2,200 square feet each. The two developments will be separated by a walled-in strip for villa residents, expected to be mostly retirees, to park their recreational vehicles and boats. Rainfall between 2 and 4 inches drenched western points in the county, and strong winds raked the Rochester area, but at the end of the day little damage was done. But nearby towns such as Sweetwater and Merkel got only sprinkles or light showers. Severe thunderstorm warnings and watches around Abilene and to the north and west, and in the Coleman-Brownwood area, amounted to little when the storm systems had passed.
Rainfall remains in the forecast as a low-percentage possibility through the early half of the week.
Funds raised in the telethon, which featured children who have recovered from serious medical conditions with the help of modern treatment, remain in the community to buy equipment for the Meek hospital. Legislation that includes funding for dormitory construction and the consolidation of Dyess Air Force Base dining facilities has passed the House. The bill makes appropriations for military construction for the 1997 fiscal year. The Senate has not yet scheduled hearings on military construction funding for the 1997 fiscal year. A guilty verdict was returned Thusrday night in the general court-martial of a Dyess airman accused of indecent acts with a child.