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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 23, 1984)
Friday, March 23, 1984/ r The Battalion/Page 9 p.m. for rational ler(l*. ire wel. 7722. • studv m. Call a. willbf Vf from i'iO.To pm; in ict Jean ghoun > Build- re! Cali 17 p.m, come. line for cations: ounge), ingfEn- ! Build- ad' stu- lg >0 go re inter- iter aid nation. xre goit t Bryan nforma- I Two firms to clean up chemicals United Press International TRENTON, N.J. — State environmental officials said Thursday two Fair Lawn in dustrial firms have agreed to pay the borough a total $1.2 million to clean up five mu nicipal wells contaminated with cancer-causing chemi cals. Fisher Scientific Co., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Allied Corp., and Sandvik, Inc. have also agreed to clean up the sites around their plants that caused the con tamination, DEP officials said. The agreement by Fisher and Sandvik marks the sec ond time state officials have reached such an agreement with firms identified as hav ing caused toxic pollution. Last week, the Dallas-based Diamond Shamrock Chemi cals Co. agreed to pay for the cleanup of dioxin at a site in Newark where it manufac tured the herbicide Agent Orange from 1951 to 1969. High I evels of cancer-causing dioxin were discovered last summer near the defunct chemical plant on Lister Ave. The agreement with Fisher and Sandvik ended an inves tigation that began in 1978 when the DEP closed four wells found to contain cancer- causing chemicals used as in dustrial solvents. A fifth well, also found to be contami nated, had been closed earlier because of mechanical prob lems. Each firm has agreed to pay $610,000. The money will be used to reimburse the borough for the cost of pur chasing water from outside sources and for the installa tion of a water purification system in each well. Sandvik, which manufac tures cutting tools, has al ready removed a dozen 55- gallon drums from beneath the company parking lot that had leaked dangerous chemi cals into the ground. Sandvik has also agreed to dispose of the contaminated soil within 120 days, DEP officials said. Protection against rabies lacking in some humans Test tube monkey born United Press International SAN ANTONIO — Hospital officials Thursday handed out bananas to announce the birth ofPepito, the first monkey ever conceived with the egg and sperm of one species and grown to term in a female of another species. Officials at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio said the tiny male primate is only the third ever produced with the in vitro, or test tube, procedure. The baby, dubbed Pepito, was born March 12 but the birth was not announced until today. Bananas were distributed by the hospital to mark the occassion. The birth was accomplished by a team headed by Dr. Jose Balmaceda, a professor of ob stetrics and gy Thomas Pool, Both men are involved in the Center’s in vitro program, which was established last year to help infertile human couples achieve pregnancy. Balmaceda said the monkey was born after scientists com- jynecology, and Dr. ol, a cell biologist. bined the egg and sperm of two fascicularis monkeys in vitro, and planted the embryo in a fe male rhesus monkey. They said the birth rep resented the first in which the egg and sperm of one species of monkey grew to term in the fe male of another species. Pepito was delivered by Cae sarean section to avoid any pos sible trauma to the baby during labor, Balmaceda said. The mother rejected the baby soon after birth. “When the mother is put to sleep for the procedure, there is no baby,” he explained. “When she wakes up, suddenly there is a baby. The mother has no memory of the birth or of being in labor, so she doesn’t recog nize the baby as hers.” But he said the baby, whose 16-ounce birth weight was greater than that of most fas cicularis monkeys, was healthy and thriving after being placed with a female rhesus “mother” monkey. pledge 1 i Bryan ; = on Jen- sorority i p.m, to 60-5365 n. in the nforma- ite exec- ield at 8 me wel- s at 693- Kerr says allegations hurt his career (by team ► p.m. in y at 696- Iges and eiTsotai RS; The C. fihnk | ami per- : tion n In 3in ;nt per, i EL PASO — Former Assis tant U.S. Attorney James Kerr testified Thursday he had the backing for a “high court” ap pointment until his career as a federal prosecutor suffered from published allegations in ■(he El Paso Times. Kerr, testifying in the fourth trial day of his $40 million libel lawsuit against the Times, told the jury an Aug. 6, 1978 opin ion column written by reporter Ron Dusek damaged his career. The column alleged Kerr was “cheating” and “lied” in a 1978 federal narcotics trial when he told a jury that an El Paso drug Nuclear site faces delays FORT WORTH — The Co manche Peak nuclear power plant, already mired in cost overruns and construction de lays, will be late by nine to 12 months in activating its first re actor, forcing another upward cost revision, a government of ficial said. The delay in loading radioac tive fuel in the project’s reactor could add another $550 million to $730 million to the plant’s al ready bloated price tag of $3.89 billion, figures provided by the plant’s owners indicated. The delay forecast was made Wednesday by Thomas A. Ip- plito, an executive of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commis sion. On that basis the first reac tor will not begin operation un til late 1985 or early 1986. But utility officials were confident operation will begin as sched uled in early 1985. Ippolito heads a special NRC task force to examine licensing for the plant, being built in Glen Rose, 30 miles southwest of Fort Worth. Ippolito said his preliminary forecast was based on three days of meetings with plant offi cials this week. An official fore cast would be issued in another month, he said. He said the forecast was based on a large amount of un finished insulation work, paint ing and pre-operation testing and delay in correcting almost 9,000 construction defects ranging from minor to signifi cant. This is the second time NRC has revised the estimate of when the fuel loading would take place. The previous revi sion was made last November. The $3.89 billion cost esti mate is the sixth revision since the estimate of $779 million when the project was conceived in 1974. The U.S. Atomic Safety and Licensing Board is holding li censing hearings for Texas Uti lities Generating Co., a consor tium of area utilities building the plant. The owners have been ac cused of harassing whistle blow ers who complained to the NRC of safety violations and con struction defects at the plant. Charles A. Atchison, who raised allegations of welding de fects at the plant in 1982, said Wednesday he has been black listed by the nuclear industry. He said he learned Wednesday that he had been fired before even starting work as an auditor at the Clinton nuclear construc tion plant in Clinton, Ill. conspirator admitted to being the financier of a drug smug gling scheme. Kerr indicated Dusek’s col umn might have cost him the high court appointment. He said he had the backing of U.S. senators from Texas until the column was published. “There is a blot on my re cord,” Kerr told Times lawyer Richard Munzinger. “And I want that blot removed.” Kerr earlier testified before 65th District Court Judge Ed ward Marquez he thought Du sek was favoring narcotics con spirators when the opinion column was published. Kerr, now an administrative law judge, said “it is absolutely incomprehensible to me that an article like this could be printed unless the writer was defending convicted drug smugglers.” The Gannett Co., and the Times are co-defendants in the suit. Kerr testified that his reputa tion was damaged and denied he had lied or cheated when he made final arguments to the jury that convicted Rick De la Torre who, trial records showed, was described by pros ecution witnesses as the finan cial backer of a drug smuggling conspiracy. United Press International ARLINGTON — A new ge netic study indicates a small number of humans cannot pro duce the internal “killer cells” needed to combat infectious ra bies, a Texas A&M veterinary pathologist reported Thursday. “Even with a rabies vaccine, some people just do not pro duce the necessary antibodies,” Joe Templeton told delegates to the annual “Diseases in Nature” conference. “There is a reasonable seg ment of people, perhaps 1 to 5 percent, who do not nave the genetic capacity to make these antibodies. “The evidence indicates that we must find a way of stimilat- ing the body’s own killer cells. We believe they must be mod ulated with a vaccine.” Templeton said his study of mice showed some animals died of rabies despite the use of a po tent vaccine. “The serum factor does not necessarily correlate with pro tection.” V In a related report, Texas au thorities said they confirmed 724 animal rabies cases last year — one of the highest totals in the nation — but 9 percent be low the state’s 1982 level. Nearly half the cases were traced to skunks, said Victor Whadford, a technician at the state’s zoonosis control division. Zoonosis is the study of animal diseases transmissible to man. There were no fatal human cases in Texas last year, but doz ens of people were innoculated. “It’s hard to tell somebody who has to go through the pain ful shots that the rabies situa tion is improving,” he said. In addition to skunks, rabies was found in cows, bats, cats, 0C o ** 3 < 0) 5 CL E o o Ken’s Automotive 421 S. Main — Bryan 822-2823 “A Complete Automotive Service Center'' Clutches * Brakes Front End Parts Replacement Standard Transmission Repairs GM Computer Testing All American Cars Datsun-Honda Toyota 10% Discount with Student |.D. on parts (Master Card A VISA Accepted) OPEN SATURDAYS * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *1 m * 0> * 5. * o * jo * -S * p * * * * * 4c * Rebels Presents: TAKA playing HAPPY HOUR 5-8 pm Monday-Thursday and SAGEBRUSH performing Friday St Saturday 9-close HAPPY HOUR lO-dose ALL THE FAJITA'S YOU CAN EAT Saturday 11 am - close for only $ 4501S. Texas 846-0945 5 Help Elect An Aggie to Congress! Joe Barton - Class of ’72 Needs Your Vote on May 5th -To vote , you must be registered by April 5 Congressman Phil Gramm’s decision to run for the u.S. Senate leaves a void in the Sixth District. Joe Barton is the most qualified candidate to fill that void. Experience in the Reagan Administration •Third Texas A&M Graduate, and the first Texan appointed by President Reagan, to serve as a White House fellow. •Served under Secretary of Energy James Edwards as a White House fellow. •Assisted under President Reagan’s Cost Control Commis sion, the Grace Commission. Experience in the Private Sector •Cost Control Engineer for Atlantic Richfield •Former Plant Manager, Ennis Business Forms. Roots Deep in the South •Native of Bryan •Graduate of Texas A&M University •Currently resides in Ennis Strong supporter of President Reagan and Congressman Phil Gramm Dr. Jarvis Miller, former president of Texas A&M, says, “Joe Barton has proven himself as a capable, responsible, and sensitive community leader. He will bring to Congress a sound conservative philosophy and proven ability. I sup port Joe Barton for Congress.” paid forty Aggies for Bar,on horses, foxes dogs, raccoons, and, in three unusual cases, a bobcat, pig and deer. One of the horse cases, Whadford said, was a regular on the rodeo circuit. “After the horse underwent euthanasia, we traced the dis ease back to a pasture in Miller County, Texas.” Experts also reported on tl outbreak of brucellosis, a dj ease common in cattle. Last year 84 human cas*j were reported, roughly doufdj the rate from 1982, accordiii to Dr. Ed Young, acting chief c| staff at the VA medical Centei Houston. ATLAS TRANSMISSION SERVICE TRANSMISSION TUNE UP $17.95 AGGIE DISCOUNT COUPON 10% off major transmission work with this coupon and student I.D. (Does not apply to tune up) 1511 Texas Ave. Bryan 779-0555 exp. 3/31/84 xna Any time’s a wild time when you add the great taste oflwo Fingers... and this wild Two Fingers T-shirt! To get yours, send your name, address, style preference and size (men’s style S,M,L or women’s French cut S, M, L) along with $7.50, to: Two Fingers T-shirt Offer, 266 North Rocky River Dr. Berea, Ohio 44017. Please allow 6 weeks for delivery. Two Fingers* is all it takes. © 1983 TWO FINGERS TEQUILA 80 PROOF. IMPORTED & BOTTLED BY HIRAM WALKER INC.. BURLINGAME, CALIF.