Page 4AThe Battalion/Wednesday, November 21,1984
Mattox: State shoe
to start suing
heavy trucks
by Jeff MacNe
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United Press International
AUSTIN — Truckers who carry
unlawfully heavy loads will be sued
by the state in an effort to save an es
timated $261 million in damage to
Texas highways over the next 20
years, highway officials and Attor
ney General Jim Mattox said Tues
day.
The State Department of High
ways and Public Transportation is fi
nancing a $960,000 program aimed
at cracking down on overloaded
trucks.
The Department of Public Safety
will receive $800,000 to buy portable
scales for weighing trucks at unan
nounced stops on the highways
while Mattox’s office will get
$160,000 to administer a stepped-up
program to prosecute violators.
©JeMerson Communications. Inc.
Olstnbutad bj^Tribuna Madia Sorvlcas, Inc
Poles' defection largest recently
United Press International
Bonfire gifts
Photo by MIKE SANCHEZ
Debi Hendry, a junior elementary education major from Vi
dor, decorates a tin can which contains gifts for her bonfire
buddy. Throughout construction of bonfire, individuals ex
change gifts in hopes of motivating the workers.
Man convicted
in pickax case
Mattox said his office would file
suits against repeat violators, some
of whom have piled up as many as
1,000 tickets for overloading, to seek
payment for actual damages to high
ways and to shut down the busi
nesses of truckers who refuse to stop
overloading their vehicles.
He said he also would ask the Leg
islature to increase the penalties be
cause the current fines, which range
from $50 to $200, are too low to
deter violators.
HAMBURG, West Germany — In
the largest mass defection in recent
memory, as many as 192 Polish tour
ists jumped a Polish cruise ship dur
ing a three-day layover in Hamburg,
West German officials said Tuesday.
The 15,000-ton Stefan Batory left
the northern German port for Rot
terdam late Monday without 192 of
its 608 passengers. By midday Tues
day, about 100 had sought asylum in
West Germany, a city spokesman
said.
Manfred Sorg, director of popula-
st probabb
went to visit relatives or countrymen
in other parts of West Germany and
would apply to stay there.
Sorg said the latest group of de
fectors cited “political motives” rang-
‘ ■ ■ ■ m oi-
ing from dissatisfaction with the Pol
ish economic and political system to
political persecution.
Poles “have as a rule been turns
down in the past,” said Lorem,-,
though West Germany never c®
pels East bloc refugees to returan
their country.
In 1974, 60 passengers from the
sail "
tion registry, said the rest probably
Stefan Batory defectetTin Hamburg.
Voyages of its sister ship, the Roga-
lin, to the Baltic port of Luebeck-
Travemuende are also a popular es
cape route for disenchanted Poles.
Requests for political asylum from
Provisions are routinely made
allow them to emigrate to otle
Western nations or to stay in %
Germany without a permanentrtj
dency permit. Quarters were ma
available to the new group.
Hamburg alone has received#
asylum requests from Poles so!i
this year, with most refugeescorara
from ships calling at the harbor.
egar
doit
United Press International
HOUSTON — A jury that delib
erated 4‘/2 hours over two days con
victed a 38-year-old man Tuesday of
capital murder in the 1983 slaying of
a woman killed by repeated blows
from a large pickax.
Daniel G. Garrett was found
guilty of the June 13, 1983, slaying
of Deborah Ruth Davis Thornton,
26, who was killed at a northwest
Houston apartment along with Jerry
Lynn Dean, 26. Both suffered more
than 20 stab and puncture wounds.
It was the second conviction in the
slayings. Garrett’s girlfriend, Karla
Faye Tucker, earlier was convicted
in Dean’s slaying and sentenced to
death. Jurors will return today to de
cide whether to sentence Garrett to
death by injection or life in prison.
Garrett’s attorneys had claimed he
was manipulated by Tucker, and
that she was to blame for the killings.
Garrett and Tucker, high on
drugs and armed with a shotgun,
al his
went to Dean’s apartment to steal his
motorcycle and were fully prepared
to kill him, Assistant District Attor
ney Rusty Hardin told jurors.
Tucker testified Garrett began
hitting Dean with a hammer, then
left the room. Dean’s gurgling noises
disturbed her, Tucker said, so she
grabbed a pickax and slammed it
into Dean’s back four times. Garrett
then struck Dean with the ax, she
said.
Tucker then noticed someone in
the bedroom hiding under sheets.
“I grabbed the pickax and I hit
the body twice up in the shoulders,”
she said.
“Danny then came into the room,
grabbed the pickax and shoved me
back. I left the room.”
When she returned to the room,
Garrett then struck the woman with
the ax, Tucker said.
(fines) as simply a cost of doing busi
ness,” Mattox said at a news confer
ence. “Our intention is to file law
suits against these individuals
seeking injunctive relief and dam
ages for the highways they are de
stroying.”
Publicity in Port case
may prevent fair trial
United Press International
Mattox said the first lawsuit would
be filed Monday and would seek
about $ 1 million in damages, but he
refused to say who the suit would be
filed against.
There were 58,000 tickets issued
for overloaded trucks last year. Mat
tox said all types of businesses vio
lated the law, but added there was a
particular problem with gravel haul
ers.
Robert C. Lanier, chairman of the
State Highway Commission, said he
expected the stepped-up enforce
ment program would pay for itself
quickly.
“We would expect to see more
savings to the taxpayers in terms of
penalties and saving wear and tear
on the system,” Lanier said.
HOUSTON — A judge pored
over more than 100 newspaper arti
cles Tuesday in an attempt to deter
mine if news accounts of a mail car
rier’s slaying were so extensive they
would prevent the teenage suspect
from receiving a fair trial.
Defense attorneys claim tele
vision, newspaper and radio reports
of the killing have been so numerous
that they could not find 12 impartial
people to hear the trial of David
Port, 17. They have asked District
Judge I.D. McMaster to move the
trial outside the Houston area.
The attorneys submitted to Mc
Master 120 newspaper articles con
cerning the June 7 slaying of Debora
Sue Schatz, 23, and Port’s arrest.
They also asked McMaster to con
sider news accounts of the jailing of
Port’s parents for refusing to testify.
McMaster studied each article in
dividually, and said he would do the
r
ampus.
rfe
.omleeiion
The Off Campus Connection is sponsored each month by Loupot’s Bookstore at Northgate as a service to Texas
A&M students. Stories and artwork are provided by the staff of the Off Campus Center.
REPAIRS - THE “OUCHLESS” WAY
Are getting repairs done around your apartment just as painful to you
as pulling teeth? Because problems occassionally arise in all types of
property, the tenant must be aware of the correct procedures for getting
repairs made. There are a few guidelines for insuring that the job is done in
a reasonable amount of time with the desired results.
1) Before you begin, read you lease. The lease will define who is re
sponsible for maintenance and repairs. Although the owner will
usually make necessary repairs, this is not always the case. There
fore, be sure to read this section of your lease in order to determine
how to initiate the repair process.
2) As stated in most leases, repairs are handled by submitting a written re
quest for repairs to your manager or owner. This request must be written
by the tenant and signed, dated, and accepted by the manager. Work
orders will not substitute for a repair request. In addition, be sure to
make a duplicate copy which can be kept for your own files once the
manager has signed it.
3) If for some reason the manager refuses to sign the repair request, you
can sent it by certified mail. The cost is aproximately $2.00, and it in
sures that the manager receives the notice. Keep the returned receipt
in case future verification is necessary.
4) After making certain the manager has received the notice, you must al
low a reasonable amount of time for the repair to be made. The allotted
time will depend on the severity of the problem. For example, a faulty
door lock would necessitate repair sooner than a leaky faucet. Also, re
pairs requested during move-in times and holidays will require a longer
amount of time. In most instances a period of five to seven working days
is sufficient for maintenance personnel to do the job.
5) If the manager receives the request but no apparent effort has been
made to remedy the problem, a second written notice
should be sent. Again have the manager sign and date
both copies, and keep one for yourself.
6) If the situation progresses to this stage and
no repairs have been made, arrange an ap
pointment with the Students’ Legal Advi
sors. Because you cannot force the man
agement to make repairs, your only
alternative may be to move. Before moving
out, you will want to become aware of your
legal rights and responsibilities. You cannot
withhold rent in an effort to force repairs.
Texas law states that a tenant loses all
rights if rent is withhold.
Now that you are familiar with the
procedure for requesting repairs, we
hope that the process will be an “ouch-
less” one. Sample “repair request” forms
are available in the Off Campus Center. We
encourage you to come by our office any
time you have a question about repairs. The
OCC is located in Puryear Hall across from the
YMCA Building. Stop by or give us a call at 845
1741.
GOTCHA COVERED
If a fire breaks out in your apartment complex and your belong
ings are damaged or destroyed, the apartment owner is not re
sponsible unless the owner is negligent. If your rental property is
burglarized, the owner is not obligated to replace anything that was
lost. Your belongings as a tenant are not protected from theft, fire,
or water damage under the owner’s insurance. Each year numer
ous A&M students lose personal possessions because the items
were not insured.
Because your belongings are not protected from theft or fire un
der the owner’s insurance, it is wise to consider renter’s insurance.
Even though you are living away from home, there is a possibility
that you may still be covered by your parents’ homeowner’s policy.
However, before making any assumptions, carefully read the con
ditions outlined in their policy.
If you find that you need to purchase renter’s insurance in order
to protect your personal property, you should purchase a Tenant’s
Insurance Policy. Such a policy is usually inexpensive compared to
the protection it provides. Coverage includes items such as furni
ture, appliances, stereo equipment, television sets, clothing, and
other personal items. Hopefully you will never have to file an insur
ance claim, but it is always better to be safe than sorry. The mini
mum cost of renters’ insurance is a wise investment in the event of
fire or burglary. For more information, contact the Off Campus Cen
ter in Puryear Hall.
ROOMMATE SESSIONS
If you are presently looking for a roommate, the Off Campus Center
will offer Roommate Sessions on the following dates in December:
3-7, and 10-11 at 2:00 p.m. in 402 Rudder. For further information,
contact the Off Campus Center in Puryear Hall at 845-1741.
same with scripts of radio stories and
television videotapes concerning the
Port case.
McMaster also refused to close to
the press and public a hearing on
statements Port gave police. But he
postponed the hearing until a jury is
seated in the teenager’s trial.
“In order to avoid poisoning po
tential jurors before selection, it will
be my intention at that time to se
quester the jury so that hearing will
be full and open,” McMaster said.
“I’m intent on giving your client
as fair a trial as possible.”
Port, who sat auietly during the
hearing, remained free on $20,000
bond. But his stepmother remained
jailed for refusing to testify to the
grand jury that indicted the teen
ager. Port’s father, Bernard, also
had been jailed but was released
Nov. 9 after answering the grand
jury’s questions.
Mary Lou’s
visit to A&M
postponed
Mary Lou Retton, Oivrs
gold medalist, and her coach ite
Karolyi have postponed theirra
to Bryan. They were original;
scheduled to come to Bryan fuiii
dime and exhibition on Sundr
Nov. 26 at the Aerofit Club. Im
been tentatively postponed fa;
Sunday, Dec. 16.
Dawn Suehs, manager of A®
fit, said the problem is that te
ton has a contract with Mete
aid’s restaurant which super®*
all other engagements.
“We didn’t know that vM
they originally agreed to c©
here,” Suehs said. “But... M
Karolyi said they still deftaiic
want to come here.”
Suehs said all tickets proms,
purchased for the exhtoitionac
clinu will be honored on then?
date. Also, refunds will be give
for those who already have tick
but are unable to attend, shesi<
———
MEAT SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER
DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL SCIENCE
HUNTING AND THANKSGIVING SEASON
Whole Cured and Smoked Hams (15-20 lbs.)
$1.98 per lb.
Beef Jerky (half pound bags)
$6.99 per bag
Smoked Beef and Pork Sausage
$2.49 per lb
Summer Sausage
$2.99 per lb
Salami
$2.99 per lb
Cheddar Cheese
$3.00 per lb
Jalapeno Cheese
$3.10 per lb
Lean Ground Beef
$1.19 per lb
(2 lb. plastic chub packages)
* Limited supply on all items.
The Meat Science and Technology Center is located on West
Campus next to the Kleberg Center (phone: 845-5651).
Other beef, pork, lamb, sausage and TAMU Creamery prod
ucts are available. Prices effective through November 30,
1984. We are open for business Monday through Friday from
9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
NEW
DINING
HOURS
Dine at the
MSC Cafeteria
Open Each Day Mon thru Sat
6:30 AM to 7:00 PM
Sunday
7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
TOWER
open
Mon. Thru Frl.
11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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