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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 19, 1981)
State THE BATTALION Page 9 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 1981 State airplanes’ leasing is sky-high B estate, 4lj United Press International ‘ iAUSTIN — Texans will pay $5 million in 1981 to main- eeide - i : anc [ lease the state’s 36 airplanes, frequently used for He said t political and personal appearances, it was reported, t claim, tfer “Everyone’s hustling around the state in a twin-engine or they’re busy hustling for one in the Legislature, ” a state side Texas,tfjphot was quoted in the Dallas Times Herald Tuesday, g on Hughes Two years ago the Legislature passed a bill to save Imoney by centralizing the state’s air fleet in a pool, rather than having aircraft assigned to a particular agency or offi- severalyean rial. However, the bill was not able to take effect because no will, thh the Legislature did not fund the pool board. f A study by the Legislative Budget Board said a pool tions in Gre;. would allow the state to sell some airplanes, prohibit per sonal and political use of the planes, save money through lower maintenance and eliminate some pilot jobs. Officials and agencies that have airplanes assigned them can be expected to oppose consolidation. Gov. Bill Clements used his plane to take his wife, the wife of H. Ross Perot and 12 other citizens to tour the governor’s mansions of Mississippi and Georgia when Cle ments was interested in restoring the Texas governor’s mansion, the newspaper said. According to a log of Clements’ flights, he used state airplanes for trips to Chamber of Commerce and service club functions, testimonials, ribbon cuttings, barbecues, political gatherings and the Republican National Conven tion in Detroit. Clements spokesman Jon Ford said the governor would not oppose airplane pooling but probably would not lead the way for it. Comptroller Bob Bullock has the largest fleet with three airplanes, including an eight-seater. His press secretary, Tony Profitt, said the state’s planes were a money-saver but the Times Herald said many commercial flights were cheaper. The newspaper said it cost the state $171.55 for each person on an Austin-Amarillo flight while Southwest Air lines offered a $43 ticket. Austin-Dallas costs $114.86 per person on a state plane but $28 on Southwest. died, inciiii hurch in Sal ada in 1918, oute to Hons- Dallas Siamese twins safely separated d Texas orders California fruit fumigated United Press International I DALLAS — A team of doctors at Children’s Medical Center suc- jcessfully separated twin girls born Jqined at the spine in a delicate 10-hour operation, hospital offi cials said Tuesday. I The 3-month-old sisters were C Released in ‘‘excellent condition” ^ on Valentine’s Day, exactly one at there tms month after doctors separated a vote,” Matts P or,: *on of the spinal cord and j us t trying fc nerves leading to each child’s tizens,” plodder, lower legs and feet, charged »i41 They (the parents) have two if one elder!pHootly normal little girls,” said Bann, on ii Dt Ted Votteler, who led the 10- nhastoldolmember medical team. “We’re ke an af 1 ballot. rnts involvdi making aj ( ballots L United Press International leacnomoak | AUSTIN — A decision by the Telectionb j ta t e to fumigate fruit shipments orimaryc*; g. ()m California to defend against |n infestation of the Mediterra- a person ni:; nean f ru ,t fly d re w harsh criticism meatioii lor„ g. ()m California officials, who cal- ne of the wi ] e[ ] ^ ac tj on unwarranted and ny as five W unne cessary. Fred Heringer, president of ere electa the California Farm Bureau s and Jerrol Federation, said Tuesday the fly ’earl Edwin tad never been found in commer- 'earl McCorJ i cial agriculture in California and all commercial crops leaving the panta Clara Valley were already ; treated. ^ He called the action by the Texas Agriculture Department m “unwarranted and unnecessary. ” JjC “The real losers in this out- j rageous action will be the consum- 3alth warns ers of Tex “ who wiU P a y hi g he i; ifliinxirslifi P nces at the supermarket and (California farmers who will be ', saidTuesi w ) th c °sHy fumigation that n at Hillcrr w ' re duce the quality of their j products for no reason,” he said. sring from tk , ■eleased.wBjt! relapse oflkl t. tan inserted 11 xic shock f-;: laytex tamp® in ovemigtll lout 14 houni idden dropil ;re toxic skf really pleased about that.” The girls, bom by Caesarean section the first week of Novem ber, were sent home in December but returned to the medical center Jan. 11 in preparation for the Jan. 14 surgery. No information had previously been released about the twins be cause of “a very strong desire for privacy on the part of the family,” said a hospital spokesman. Votteler said the babies were joined at the lower back and shared the lowest portion of the spinal cord and bony stmetures of the spine. The babies shared no other organs. “The family knew it was in the best interest of both little girls to have the separation,” the doctor said. “They also realized that the separation would not create any problems of one versus the other. ” The girls are the third set of twins separated at the hospital in the past three years and the first in which both twins survived. One twin died in each of the previous cases. The biggest concerns of doctors was a fear the twins would share common nerves, that separation might cause injury to the cord or nerves and the fear of infection. “We really couldn’t imagine what it would be like,” said Dr. Joan Venes, pediatric neuro surgeon and a member of the operating team. “We would pinch one baby in certain skin areas and the other baby would cry,” she said. “We don’t know how they managed to do that. There was probably some intermixed or duplication of nerve cells.” During the four-hour separa tion of the spinal cord, doctors used electricaJ stimulation to test each nerve and “to make sure that each twin had an equal share of everything,” Venes said. The doctors said the babies appear normal but will require close follow-up for the next few years to make sure their spines grow the way they should. Votteler said both babies “had good motion in their extremities” when released from the hospital. Conjoined or Siamese twins oc cur once in every 60,000 births. DIETING? Even though we do not prescribe diets, we make it possible for many to enjoy a nutritious meal while they follow their doctors orders. You will be delighted with the wide selection of low calorie, sugar free and fat free foods in the Souper Salad Area, Sbisa Dining Center Basement. OPEN Monday through Friday 10:45 AM-1:45 PM QUALITY FIRST Texas will begin March 1 to re quire fruit shipments from Cali fornia to be fumigated, Agricul ture Commissioner Reagan Brown said Tuesday. “I can’t live with myself if we didn’t do something and we lost that Rio Grande Valley very pro ductive area down there,” Brown said. He said the order did not re quire a halt in shipments from California. “We are only requiring all fruits and vegetables under the order to be fumigated or submitted to cold treatment before they can cross the Texas border,” he said. “The Mediterranean fruit fly is a serious threat to the Texas fresh produce industry if it is brought into the state.” Richard Rominger, director of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, also called the action “completely unwar ranted.” “We do have a quarantine of the infested area, that covers 500 miles in the Santa Clara Valley,” he said. “It makes no sense to quarantine the entire state of Cali fornia. “No fruit is leaving California that shows any Medfly infesta tion,” said Rominger, who called the Texas action “very costly to California growers.” He said the move would delay shipments, noting that “not all fruits and vegetables will hold up well under fumigation.” M. M. 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