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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 1979)
THE BATTALION FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 1979 Page 7 the state 1 fellow. 1 year to 'e nomi. graduate Another Cross the f nts. r am is a normally letion o! ! e or a ears o( Garland cademic Univer- ave a se- l r in col- plan to ol in the ). in any > the lit- exas prisons trial over, but udge delays decision tASA builds him space suit United Press International HOUSTON —The year-long trial [a 7-year-old inmate lawsuit de- ping court-ordered reforms in je Texas prison system ended ketly Thursday with little fanfare, I final arguments and no im- [diate ruling. TO. District Judge William tyme Justice will rule after review- if lawyers’ written arguments and [evidence: 161 days of testimony 349 witnesses and 1,530 ex- lits from the state, the Justice [partment and 25,000 inmates. Appeal as far as the Supreme Court was considered likely no mat ter what Justice decided about the future of the nation’s largest state prison system, blasted by plaintiffs as abusive of inmates and defended by the state as one of the best. With that, the visiting judge from Tyler strode from the courtroom, lawyers whooped and marshals ushered the inmate plaintiffs back to the Harris County detention center. Justice issued a “protective” or der, drafted jointly by both sides, that will allow the 91 inmates who testified against the prison system and the five who testified for it to move to federal prison if they fear retaliation. Inmates David Ruiz and O.D. Johnson, on behalf of all Texas prison inmates, contend allegedly substandard food, housing, medical care, supervision, safety and educa tion systematically violate inmates’ constitutional rights. The Texas Department of Correc tions argues conditions are not sub standard and that, rather than sys tematically violating inmate rights. officials make the best use of limited resources to run one of the nation’s best prison systems. After six years of skirmishing, the trial began Oct. 2, 1978. Except for holidays and a Christmas recess lengthened to three months by a dispute about moving the trial back to Justice s court in Tyler, testimony was continuous. Chief TDC lawyer Ed Idar noted the state had admitted and deplored overcrowding and had admitted problems with medical care but had moved to confront both. PHI ETA SIGMA Free Tutoring Rm. 216 MSC — Free tutoring by Phi Eta Sigma/ Alpha Lambda Delta in most 100 and 200 level courses. <E>HE members pick up certificates for present and previous years in Dr. Curtis Lard's office, Rm. 113 System Bldg. Boy in the bubble’ is 8 today United Press International cally had not changed in the last toys tor his birthday. bubble. NASA expects t »e» Ml International • HOUSTON — David, the world’s ! lest survivor of a genetic disorder 1 : It prevents his body from fighting '.‘ml ms, celebrates his eighth birth- I today at home in a plastic bub- "iii [while doctors continue to seek a re for his disease. "jjjj lit a news conference Thursday, ..m3 Isas Children’s Hospital doctors j n David continues to grow and "HHive and the 4-foot-1, 50-pound does not know what it is to be While Dr. William Shearer ex- ined David’s medical status basi- "iiH ::!! iiite takes aim at SEDCO Texas will sue over oil spills cally had not changed in the last year — no spontaneous cures are known and the outlook for a bone marrow transplant “does not look promising” — Dr. Murdina De smond boasted of the child’s de velopment. “David appears to be very much like other looys his age, except for a larger vocabulary and more mature sounding conversation that is a re sult of his close contact with adults, she said. “But he shares the same passion for space and Star Wars’ now that his contemporaries do and hopes to get some of the ‘Star Wars’ toys tor his birthday. “Although he hasn’t seen the movie, he has caught on from friends, television and books.” David, whose last name has not been disclosed in order to protect his family’s privacy, suffers from se vere combined immune deficiency — an absence of both kinds of lym phocytes crucial for providing the body with immunity to germs and infections. He spends four weeks at home for every two at the hospital as those are the only places he is permitted to go, surrounded by his plastic bubble. NASA expects to complete a new space suit for him after the first of the year that will enable him to take two-hour trips outside the bubble. Shearer said monthly tests showed David’s lymphocyte count remains “as sparse as ever, 15-20 percent of normal. ” Desmond said David’s social skills have blossomed. He and four second-grade classmates recently staged a play at his home with David in the lead role of “Chicken Little. Monday through Thursday he is tu tored for two hours. 9 OUT OF 10 PUPPIES PREFER THE BATTALION United Press International "[[{ IUSTIN — Attorney General ■•Mi rk White says he will sue DC0 — the drilling company ■•"il nded by Gov. Bill Clements — :::!<! Pemex — Mexico’s nationally led oil company — for causing ..mi ^ oil spill that stained Texas dies. mm White, in a “Capitol Eye” inter- w scheduled for viewing Sunday, 1 he would file the suit in Oc- tudent says ehad sex vith teacher United Press International DALLAS — A 14-year-old stu- .'.‘mI lent told police remedial lessons at •;;;!! s teacher’s apartment became mal encounters and he was given w clothes by his 26-year-old in- :uctor in return for sexual favors. Police reported Penny Jane Price sted a $5,000 bond Tuesday night .nil d was released from the Dallas ;;;!{] luntyjail. Investigators said Price •iijj id denied the student’s allega- "iJlfons. The teen-ager revealed the al- ged sexual relationship to a school lidance counselor Tuesday and rice was arrested after inves- gators questioned the 14-year-old. Price, who taught at Spence iiiii mior High School until last year, as a reading tutor for the youth ••jj| aring the summer, police said. A “III lokesman for the Dallas Indepen- Mt School District said records lowed Price had voluntarily re- gned her teaching position. tober. The attorney general said the suit would try to assess responsibil ity for “mismanagement, negligent operation and negligently main tained equipment. White said because SEDCO has sought to limit its liability in the June 3 blowout of the Ixtoc I oil well in the Bay of Compeche, the com pany will be named in any action filed by the state. Permargo, Peinex’s private contractor, also will be a prime target of any litigation, the attorney general said. White said the SEDCO-owned rig in operation during the blowout was not maintained properly. “It wasn’t an act of God,” he said. “This thing occurred apparently be cause of mismanagement, negligent operation, negligently maintained equipment, whatever. Higgins Palm Boach Tom Rich Hollywood Tex Tan ATTENTION ^ c ■ MSC m 1 ■ Town Hall V I ft P I Option ■ Pass holders! liown hall V Priority period to purchase tickets for Mel Tillis is ° Sept. 24-28. Tickets not purchased at this time will be released for sale to the general public. Floriculture-Ornamental Horticulture Club Plant Sale! Saturday September 22nd at the Floriculture Greenhouse 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. COMMONS Quad Lubbock St. Held (SLAB) Lamar Nail Yikonlack