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TIME: Almanac 1990
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1990 Time Magazine Compact Almanac, The (1991)(Time).iso
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time
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100989
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10098900.002
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1990-09-18
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BUSINESS, Page 80Business NotesLOCAL ECONOMIESThey Love Their Balloon
Bigger towns might consider it a boondoggle or an eyesore. But
the depressed West Texas ranching town of Marfa (pop. 2,500) is
delighted about the economic benefit of a 240-ft. radar
surveillance balloon that the Customs Service has tethered nearby
and plans to fly at an altitude of 14,000 ft. One of six in a
planned network along the Mexican border, the helium-filled
aerostat can spot suspected drug-smuggling planes up to 200 miles
away, then flash data to authorities who will try to intercept the
aircraft.
The Marfa installation alone will cost $18 million. Its
benefits include some 30 new technical jobs, an annual payroll of
$1 million and perhaps a few carloads of tourists drawn to the
remote prairie for a look at what townsfolk fondly call the "big,
pregnant whale." Says local newspaper editor Robert Halpern: "This
is a real shot in the arm for retail sales and real estate -- and
community pride too. We used to get attention for our cow pastures.
Now people know we're doing all we can to fight the drug war."