Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 7, 1981)
Page 8 THE BATTALION TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 1981 Local / State No quarantines on fruit planned after decision United Press International AUSTIN — Agriculture Com missioner Reagan Brown, reacting to a Supreme Court decision Mon day that lifted a stay blocking Texas from quarantining Califor nia produce, said he had no im mediate plans for another ban. Brown said the need for a quarantine subsided when the two states agreed to work together on the Mediterranean fruit fly prob lem that existed in two California counties. He did not rule out another ban in the future should the situation change. “But we did have to protect the right to protect our industry,” Brown said. The Supreme Court denied California’s request to file a case asking for a permanent bar against a Texas quarantine on grounds it interfered with interstate com merce and would cause severe economic harm to California far mers. The court denied California’s motion “without prejudice,” which means the state could re new its request if the situation re curs. On March 9, one day after the two states agreed to lift the quarantine, the court blocked Texas from quarantining fruits and vegetables grown in California. Texas had imposed the quaran tine March 1 at the urging of Rio Grande Valley farmers, who were worried a Mediterranean fruit fly infestation in California would spread to Texas. California Attorney General George Deukmejian said Texas officials had said current warm weather in California meant the fruit fly infestation might spread beyond the areas now quarantined by federal and state officials. Santa Clara and Alameda coun ties are now under orders to freeze or fumigate produce before it is shipped. In response, Texas argued the case no longer presented a live legal controversy for the court to decide. California is asking the court to defer action “after the emergency ceases to exist,” Texas Attorney General Mark White said. “Apparently California wishes to keep its place in line just in case Texas at some later date sees an emergency and acts to protect its interests,” White said. Motorcycle safety course set By DAVID CALVERT Battalion Reporter For those who are excited by the thought of riding motorcycles but are afraid to try, a safety education program is offering a three-week course to introduce beginners to motorcycling. Offered by the Department of Industrial Education, the “Learn to Ride A Motorcy cle” program will be offered from April 10 through May 2. Registration for the course will run through April 9 in the Memorial Student Center. The program is open to everyone over 16 in the Bryan-College Station area, but par ticipants under 18 must have parental con sent. Dr. Maury Dennis, director of the safety education program, said the course has been offered in the past but had to be can celled due to inadequate enrollment. “I don’t feel we publicized the course enough in the past. We would be able to hold it for a semester or two and then have to cancel it after students forgot about it,” Dennis said. The short course will be held at the Research Annex on Highway 21 southwest of Bryan. The course will consist of eight hours of classroom theory and 12 hours of lab work on motorcycles. Dennis said motorcycles and helmets have been donated by Sports Center Suzu ki, University Cycles and Aggieland Harley- Davidson. “Because we have been supplied with bikes and helmets, we are having to charge $50 for the course,” Denny said. “This cost will cover the textbook, insurance, repair and maintenance of the bikes.” Denny said the course would be of con siderable help to minors in the area. “As of January 1981, persons under 18 will need some sort of motorcycle instruc tion before they can get their license,” he said. “This course will satisfy that require ment.” Three sections of the course will be taught, each consisting of 15 people. Each section will be taught in two two-hour ses sions during the week and a three-hour session on Saturday. “We won’t necessarily be riding on Saturdays and lecturing on weekdays,” De nny said. “The way the course is designed, we might be in class two or three times in a row at the beginning, but we will do more riding as time goes on.” Denny said the course will teach the be ginner basic theories of motorcycle riding from city driving to handling at higher speeds. The course will be taught in conjunction with Safety Education 430. This class teaches experienced riders some finer points of handling a motorcycle and pre pares them as motorcycle safety instruc tors. V AUS' veteran their cl cause h : an herb Southes other vc children “The ‘Learn to Ride a Motorcycle’ short course will be taught by student instructors from the 430 class,” Denny said. “One of the requirements of their class is that they have to student teach at least one hour of lecture and one hour of lab. Denny and graduate assistant will serve as supervisors. Students completing either course will receive a 10 percent discount on their in surance rate, as well as know how to handle a motorcycle safely, he said. Dan Brother! ans, tolc vices Cc bill auth Departn data on Suspect claims self-defense OH, MOTHER I’LL JUST Dig - get io se e United Press International HUNTSVILLE — An inmate charged with capital murder in the deaths of a Texas prison warden and farm manager told officials Monday the weekend deaths were committed in self defense. Inmate Eroy E. Brown, recov ering in a Huntsville hospital from a bullet wound in the foot he re ceived in the incident Saturday, was charged Monday on two counts of capital murder. Brown was arraigned in his hospital room before Justice of the Peace Lloyd Roark. Brown, who did not enter a formal plea, said the killings of Ellis Unit farm manager Major Billy Max Moore and Warden Wallace M. Pack were, “self de fense all the way, ” an assistant dis trict attorney in Walker County said. A spokesman for the Huntsville District Attorney’s office said Brown requested an attorney at the hearing, and Huntsville lawyer Jerry Register was appointed to the case. No further hearings were scheduled. TDC officials say they still can not explain how Brown got pos session of the gun. Moore died of a gunshot wound to the head. Officials say Brown used Pack’s gun in the shooting. Pack was shot in the elbow be fore Brown allegedly drowned the warden in a shallow, muddy creek adjacent to a garden shop on farm land at an area of the Ellis Unit called “the bottoms.” “There were no violations of policy or procedure as far as we know,” said prison spokesman Rick Hartley. Hartley’s statement was made in response to speculation about how inmate Eroy E. Brown got possession of Pack’s .38-caliber pistol. There were unconfirmed reports Pack was carrying the pis tol in his belt, a violation of secur ity regulations. Hartley said authorities are still investigating how Brown got hold of the weapon. “The suspect had never been a problem before,” Hartley said. “We really don’t know the motive. It was an isolated incident. Appa rently it was a spur-of-the- moment kind of thing. There is no evidence he had planned this oi conspired with anybody.” Funerals were held Mondayfor Pack, 54, a 19-year TDC em ployee who worked his way up through the ranks to the topjobai the Ellis unit; and Moore, 13-year TDC veteran who man aged the Ellis unit farm. Gov. Bill Clements said Mon day he will not hesitate to ask the Texas Rangers or Department o( Public Safety to help investigate the slayings of the two prison offi cials. Clements said he will meet with prison director W.J. Estele Tuesday to discuss the slayings, but said his information at this point indicates the deaths wereaa isolated incident and not partofan overall uprising among inmates. Lej and APRIL 10, 8I 8 pm TICKETS:0 Cn AT box of^c?° brave COMBO IN THE GROVE Stroke victim bitten, strangled i*i United Press International HAWLEY — Officials took no action Monday against a woman suspected of biting a 64-year-old stroke victim and strangling him, reportedly because she believed the man had refused to try to get well. District Attorney Jack Willing ham said the case probably would be referred to the Jones County grand jury. The body of Quinn Sharp, who was partly paralyzed by a stroke seven years ago, was found Sun day on a bed at his home in Haw ley, 15 miles north of Abilene. A 57-year-old woman was taken into custody at the home and later was placed in a hospital for obser vation. Officers indicated the woman had become angry be cause Sharp, who was confined to a wheelchair, had not tried to get well. Sharp apparently was “tor tured” for about 3V4 hours before he died, said Woodrow Simmons, a district attorney’s investigator. Simmons said the victim’s body was “covered with teeth maria from the waist up,” adding tbal marks also were found on Sharps neck. An autopsy was ordered, but the cause of death was not made public Monday. cc ZTA - KKF • KAQ ■ APA ■ AATI ■ A/SA £ SPantieMenic N <1 rush forum > o !> jnT i5 N c; X e e < lues., April 7, 7 p.m. for freshmen & sophomores interested in joining a SORORITY NEXT FALL... meet representatives from 10 Texas A&M sororities RAMADA INN BALLROOM f £ > 5 VJ.Z • ux • fflj> • ZV • (pv • WV • JiW HOW I LOST 55 POUNDS AND NEVER FELT HUNGRY” “It ready works! The beauty of it is that it’s completely natural and you don’t ever feel hungry. I’m a bedever in Nutri-Medic.” i Ml • LOSE 30 LBS. IN 40 DAYS... WRITTEN GUARANTEE. • COMPLETELY PROFESSIONAL MEDICAL STAFF. • EXCLUSIVE MAINTENANCE PROGRAM KEEPS YOU SLIM • FAST, SAFE AND NOW MORE AFFORDABLE THAN EVER! I . ■ M CONNIF GASDON BEFORF % OFF For new patients CALL NOW 846-1727 in Bryan/College Station (IslUTRI TMEDIC 1 MEDICAL WEIGHT LOSS ( LIMCS CLINICS LOCATED NATIONWIDE Vi LIBE1 tain cust House S] the socia family wr Mrs. husband stody 1 Marion 1 Asked rights to and Mrs. "Ofcoi rents.” Mrs. 1 being ch Daniel M to settle I She said t car Unite AUSTIf D-Houstoi 300,000th blue Volks bis state o: Colbert drove the < of the Ca friends wal driver to u license tag with a set stands for: He said afriend 4 1 / ly pul car. While iMi