To most Texans, the West Texas State School here is the troubled institution at the center of a sexual abuse scandal that has shaken the state?s juvenile detention system. But to the residents of this town of 129 and the neighboring communities, it is a source of badly needed jobs. That is why about 200 people gathered outside the county courthouse in Monahans on Tuesday to oppose a state auditor?s recommendation to close the school, and why nine residents made the 750-mile round trip drive to Austin this week to address legislators on the matter.
See "Jobs at Risk After Scandal at Juvenile Facility", Barbara Novovitch, The New York Times, April 1, 2007