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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 1983)
i nursaay, iviay a 'ivo^/me barraiion/Hage 7 Plan may prevent more state dams, senator says United Press International AUSTIN — The only legis lation in the state’s compre hensive state water plan which remains to be approved could halt the construction of dams on Texas riverways, a senator opposed to the legislation says. ''' The bill, carried by Sen. John Sharp, D-Victoria, re quires the Texas Department of Water Resources to pre serve the historic level of pro ductivity in the bays and estuaries by making sure an adequate supply of fresh wa ter flows through the environ mentally delicate bodies of water. Under the bill, water au thorities would determine if a request to take or divert water from a river would adversely affect marine life in the bays. If it is decided that the dam age would be significant, it could require the applicant to compensate for the lost water. “The feeling among water people is that if this bill passes, there won’t ever be another resevoir or dam built in the state of Texas,” Sen. John Traeger, D-Seguin, said Tuesday. The Senate gave tentative approval to the bill, but Sharp could not muster the votes needed give it final passage. The Senate gave final approval to all other bills proposed in the plan. The legislation, drafted primarily by Lt. Gov. Bill Hobby and Sen. John Mont- ford, D-Lubbock, places emphasis on water conserva tion and avoids any mention of water importation from neighboring states. Other components of the water plan passed by the Sen ate include: •Legislation to give the Rail road Commission and the Wa ter Resources Department concurrent authority to reg ulate the pollution of fresh water by oil and gas com panies. •A proposed constitutional amendment to allow the issuance of an additional $300 million in water development bonds, half to improve water supplies and half for water quality projects. •A proposed constitutional amendment that would pledge $250 million of the state’s credit to guarantee bonds issued by local districts in hopes they would receive a more favorable bond rating. The proposal also would allow the state to appropriate money for major water and flood control projects. •A proposed constitutional amendment authorizing the issuance of $200 million in state bonds to create a financ ing source for farmers who want to buy high efficiency irrigation systems. The proposals, several of which require approval of the voters in 1984 balloting, were forwarded to the House for its consideration. Truck insurance law Y for Mexicans delayed United Press International BROWNSVILLE — A feder- aljudge has scheduled a hearing Friday on a U.S. law requiring Mexican truckers to carry $500,000 in liability and en vironmental restoration insur- Federal officials had planned to begin enforcing the new rule Tuesday at major border cros sings including Brownsville, Hidalgo and Laredo. However, U.S. District Judge Filemon Vela Tuesday issued an order granting a one-day delay and setting a hearing on the matter for Friday. U.S. Transportation Depart ment officials said they planned to try again Wednesday to im plement the insurance regula tions at Brownsville, Hidalgo and Laredo by refusing entry to uninsured trucks. Lorenzo Blanco Enriguez, president of a group of customs brokers in neighboring Mata- moros, Mexico, Monday night called the new insurance re quirements a disaster because he said produce and shrimp en route to the border were threatened with spoilage if the trucks were not allowed to cross the Rio Grande. Texas insurance agents said the required insurance would cost Mexican truckers approxi mately $1,000 a year. The new law, which requires up to $ 1 million in insurance on Mexican and Canadian trucks carrying hazardous materials into the United States, actually went into effect Jan. 6, but has not been enforced. John Jackson, U.S. Customs port director at Roma said the insurance laws were designed to make United States truckers more competitive with Mexican truckers who have not had to carry the same insurance. Although Texas requires lia bility insurance for its trucks, Mexican truckers for decades have crossed the border without any insurance, Jackson said. Jackson said once the Mex icans learned of the new law he did not expect any trouble when they were turned away at the border. Five indicted in alien case and, mon nplemencl 1 anti-r United Press International SAN ANTONIO — A major ternational smuggling ring isted by federal investigators ovided Ecuadoran aliens with it visas, financial loans and lepaid airline tickets to New I ork and Chicago, federal offi- als say. U.S. Attorney Ed Prado and ichard M. Casillas, district di- | ictor of the U.S. Immigration d Naturalization Services, id Tuesday that a federal and jury had returned indict- ents against five people who legedly operated the ring. They said said a six-month deral investigation of the nuggling operation led to the rests of individuals in New ork, Chicago, San Antonio and iaredo. Prado said the organization idalized in smuggling aliens Fom Ecuador, Columbia and le Dominican Republic and id brought about 400 aliens ito the United States in the last months. He said the group id smuggled thousands of lens since it was formed in 176. >f the an twoy< ie issue. ing dl rch, spelj orally U.S. Iso stale al and beration arranged for exit per- lits and financial loans to ients, who were charged 1,000 for a trip that took them Mexico City and Monterrey, where they stayed in specified tels. After receiving instructions from operators in New York, the aliens were taken to Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico and eventually smuggled across the border to Laredo, Casillas said. From there, they were taken in private vehicles or tractor— trailers to San Antonio, where they were furnished with pre paid airline tickets to New York and Chicago. Indicted for conspiracy to smuggle and for harboring, con cealing and transporting illegal aliens were Edgar Argurdo- Argurdo, of New York, Corne- lio Molina Alverez, Juan Carlos Molina-Alvarez, Armando Peralta Soto, and Celia Ochoa Garcia, all of Laredo. Argurdo-Argurdo, who was indicted on three counts, used the aliases Francisco Hernandez and Mr. Rodriguez, federal offi cials said. Others who were arrested in the case were identified as Alba Lopez-Velazquez and Carlos Alberto Romero-Castro, both of New York, and Leticia Garcia of Laredo. Assistant U.S. Attorney Steve Hilbeck said the investigation began last year after two Ecuadorans were arrested at the San Antonio airport, and inves tigators “started putting things together.” -y strong; ind one can live, R. Roacln , preside* ^ence.l* actontlif| i our cowl AIDS spreading to small towns United Press International OCHESTER, N.Y. — Ac- jired Immune Deficiency Syn- 'ome, which has afflicted pri- lauv.., Jnly homosexual men in large is hops li® es > may be spreading to smal- ten thedp communities, says a resear- and en# er at the University of augh nc '' ctory f 01 Teat fe ration, strategy » ^Chester. i AIDS, first acknowledged in the male homosexual commun ity about two years ago, is a mys- y disease which eats away at e body’s ability to fight infec- n. Since 1981, its pool of vic- s has expanded to include mophiliacs, Haitian refugees, d intravenous drug users. 1 “Most of the cases originate in oig cities like Houston, New |prk City and San Francisco,” raid Dr. Thomas Rush, of the niversity’s AIDS screening nic. But doctors at the clinic are eing “a lot of men” with symp- ms known to lead to the dis- se, and Rush believes this may ean AIDS will come to Roches- r and possibly other smaller ties. The illness probably does not iginate so often in Rochester id other mid-size cities, Rush id, because homosexual men these areas are apt to be less promiscuous than those in big ger cities. But the disease may spread as those men return to the small cities to be with their families or friends when they are sick, Rush said. Researchers do not know the origin of the disease, the symp toms of which include fever, dramatic weight loss, swollen glands and diarrhea. Nearly half the 1,200 persons AIDS has stricken since 1981 have died from the disease, most of those victims in big cities. “These people really suffer,” said Dr. Roy Steigbigel, who also works at the clinic. “I’ve never seen such wasted patients. They know what’s happening to them; they remain very alert. It’s very tragic.” Rush said there is no known way to treat the illness, which researchers believe is transmit ted through intimate sexual con tact or contact with blood pro ducts. Rochester’s screening clinic is the only one upstate, Rush said, although there are many in New York City, where treating poten tial AIDS victims “has become a full-time job.” STAY IN SHAPE THIS SUMMER Exercise all summer (thru Aug. 31) for only $ 60! Qffer good for all TAMU students & staff dso available: single summer session for $30. Call 696-7180 or come by 900-B E. Harvey Rd. BODY DYIVA/niCS Exercise Studio “We just started pulling at the ball of twine,” he said. “It was a fairly sophisticated operation.” Hilbeck said Gary Renick, su pervisor of the anti-smuggling unit, checked other points of en try along the U.S. border and found that all the Ecuadorans were coming through the Lare- do-San Antonio route, indicat ing the smugglers felt the route was safe. “If it works, don’t fix it,” Hil beck s~id, adding that the route has now been disrupted “for a major portion of the indi viduals.” Prado said the government investigation was still underway and that more indictments are expected. COMPUTCfi RESOURCES in Austin Announces a 20% discount on the Texas Instruments Professional Computer A&M Departments, Faculty, and Students can now take advantage of the Texas Instruments’ Educational discount. The new Tl Professional Computer will be demon strated at 11:00 a.m., 1:30 p.m., and 3:00 p.m. on Friday, May 6th at the Teague Building, room 102. You will be able to place orders for your PC at that time. For more information, plan to attend the demonstration or call Peter Kiely at Computer Resources. (Area code 512.) 4211 S. Lamar Lakehills Plaza at Ben White 443-4183 HOURS: Mon.-Sat. 10-6 mmpurge Bgsouecgs Leasing and bank financing available. RUTHORrZED DEALER Texas Instruments COmPUT€R SVST€JT1S OPEN HOUSE MODEL OPEN DAILY 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Located on Stallings Drive in College Station Behind Woodstone Shopping Center Features: 2 Bedroom Wi and % l /t baths * Fireplace with wood mantel ♦ Sloped cypress ceilings a Built-in microwave ovens ♦ Frost free If refrigerators with ice-makers • Private 2 car garage • Swimming pool For information contact Stanford Real Estate Investments,696-6500/ 846-574L located between Dominik Drive and University Oaks Blvd. on Staflings Drive, A project of Stanford Associates, Inc. Ail Biend Importers Inc.. New tork. N.Y Sole U.S. Importer. C- IKE MOOSE HUT ROARED Imported Moosehead. Stands head and antlers above the rest. USE YOUR HEAD WHEN YOU DRINK MOOSEHEAD.