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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 13, 1985)
.• Friday, December 13,1985/The Battalion/Page 7 iminaia onv ruled earlitr^L • no-pass, no-pbjM, :.ite's toughereduat c (institutional,but^ , ic Court ovcrnildtt;, uirl.Kcd in Mow ’ rt last month H'htiu , ged the lawontlt^ . ssue. n i Ion said he has (g | \ evs conducted turn i ned over to Shtp ; '(H) could nottmt:* *rc insuHicient. j those we couldt I those weresnul-w d thint's showedc . aid. "CotnpariiBJ nents, minorities«/; ire than Anglos, w ■nee in perfonali minorities aren’t nc rate as Andomw as happening befom;;. v." <s, no plo| u hiding an easier, o-play rule.Masseya imiI administratm4|* concerned over tit tic's top jiolitical b er any imptoventef i law." Massey told ftp ng News. ■ principals joined mi ring political acr: High SchoolCoadiel scheduled toditnaii al cmlorseinenisnont* ig Friday, ite, who has uadis to consider anyduiittj no play, said schoolit to )x: more concendc mal achievement. | nderin tortured and nraf t h. Ralael Caro^.- '• indicted for the ass 1 awaits prosecution iiK ic first two of df is ■ ed in the indictitienlj^f| itero-l’ayan, 3", itcro-Payan, 32,bo4d8 a, are uncles of the le ant, Oncken said, •deial authorities sai-' (I the drug ring rC '■ ed with Salazar’s slaw Ve think there had 1 aonship... .it'ssomdb looking at,” said Man:' ' c, special agent in dm ■ V in Houston. FREE al 3. agle to nonstop ado. :op to Worth. ec. 20, 1985. AmericanAirlines World and Nation Reagan trying to revive tax bill Associated Press WASHINGTON — Congressio nal negotiators reported substantial progress on “must pass” year-end spending legislation Thursday, while administration officials cajoled Republican lawmakers to help revive President Reagan’s proposal for ma jor overhaul of the tax laws. The president’s men devoted their attention to the tax bill, search ing for ways to reverse Wednesday’s 223-202 House vote that sidetracked the issue, a revolt led by Republi cans. White House Chief of Staff Donald Regan and Treasury Secre tary James Baker met privately with GOP lawmakers, while O’Neill said the issue rests squarely with the pres ident. “If the president can deliver 50-75 Republican votes ... a guarantee on the bill, we’ll bring it up,” O’Neill said. Only 14 Republicans supported Reagan on Wednesday’s vote. House Speaker Thomas P. O’Neill Jr., D-Mass., said he hoped Congress could wrap up work by the end of the week, even if that meant an un usual Saturday meeting. But Senate Majority Leader Rob ert Dole, R-Kan., said the session should be extended into next week to assure passage of both a long term farm bill and a measure to res cue the financially ailing Farm Credit System. Dole added it would be an “abdi cation of everything we’ve done all year” if Congress left town without finishing work on legislation to cut spending by up to $80 billion through 1988. Weary lawmakers looked forward to the end of the session as Reagan, acting without ceremony, signed landmark legislation designed to force a balanced budget by 1991. That bill was cleared by Congress on Wednesday after months of wrang- ling. But the controversy lingered as O’Neill blistered the plan as a “fake and a fraud” and Rep. Mike Synar, D-Okla., announced plans to file suit in U.S. District Court challenging its constitutionality. The bill signed by the president also raised the debt limit above $2 trillion in time to avoid serious dis ruption of federal borrowing prac tices'. Lawmakers faced yet another deadline on the spending bill, with funding for most federal programs set to expire at midnight. Officials reported an informal agreement to spend $15 billion dur ing the current fiscal year on foreign aid — including $3 billion for Israel — nearly the level Reagan is request ing. There was progress on defense spending, as well, although no agreement was reached. Alcohol-related traffic deaths over New Year’s decreasing Associated Press ATLANTA — The number of al cohol-related traffic deaths over the New Year’s holiday has decreased steadily in the 1980s, apparently due to increased awareness of the drunken driving problem, federal health officials said Thursday. Nevertheless, alcohol-related traf fic deaths occur more frequently over the Christmas and New Year’s holidays than during the rest of the year, the Center for Disease Control said in its weekly Morbidity and Mortality report. For the New Year’s holiday, there were 71 alcohol-related traffic deaths per 24 hours in 1980, 67 in 1981, 60 in 1982, 55 in 1983 and 48 in 1984, the CDC said. At Christmas the number of alco hol-related traffic deaths fluctuated, with 68 alcohol-related traffic deaths per 24 hours in 1980, 62 in 1981, 63 in 1982, 45 in 1983, and 77 in 1984. The center used statistics from the Fatal Accident Reporting System for 1978-1984. Darryl Bertolucci, a statistician with the National Institute on Alco hol Abuse and Alcoholism in Wash ington, said the declining New Year’s figures are largely the result of increased awareness of the drunken driving problem. Crackdowns by law enforcement on drunken drivers, educational programs and the increasing rep- sonsibility placed on hosts and bar tenders not to send drunken drivers onto the streets may be helping to lower the fatality rate, he said. “Idealistically, we can say that some of these things are working,” said Bertolucci, who contributed to the study. He said officials are still trying to determine what is responsible for the inconsistent Christmas figures, particularly the “shocking” 1984 fig ure. Bertolucci suggested that percep tion may play a part in the fact that alcohol-related Christmas fatalities are not declining as rapidly as New Year’s deaths. People don’t perceive Christmas as a “get drunk” holiday, and there fore may not drive as carefully, he said. Also, families tend to travel in large groups for Christmas, while couples usually go out for New Year’s Eve. So the chances of more people dy ing in a single accident increase at Christmas, Bertolucci said. Until 1984 the total number of traffic deaths per 24 hours during the New Year’s holiday and during the full year declined during this de cade, according to the CDC. Jury still deliberating in racketeering trial Associated Press NEW ORLEANS — Jurors de liberating for the second day in Gov. Edwin Edwards’ racketeer ing trial appeared to focus Thurs day on the major charge against him — that he plotted illegally to make millions of dollars on hospi tal investments. Gov. Edwards, his brother Marion, and business associates Ronald Falgout, James Wyllie Jr. and Gus Mijalis went on trial al most 13 weeks ago, each charged with violating the conspiracy sec tion of the complicated federal Racketeer Influenced and Cor rupt Organization act. All but Mijalis also faced 49 counts of mail and wire fraud. Mijalis was charged with three counts of mail fraud. The indictment accused the defendants of scheming illegally to obtain state certification for hospital and nursing home pro jects in which they held interests. They sold five of the projects for $10 million. Edwards acknowledged that before he took office in March 1984 he made almost $2 million on the deals. But he insisted the deals were legal and that he broke ties with the venture when he be came governor. Prosecutors said the $2 million constituted a bribe from Wyllie and Falgout. They never pro duced a witness who said Ed wards conspired with the others. But they showed that Edwards, after he took office, approved or had a role in approving projects owned by Wyllie and Falgout. Defense lawyers said the nurs ing homes and hospitals were needed in the areas for which they were approved. And, they said, there was no evidence that anything improper was done. Each conspiracy count carries a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, a $25,000 fine and forfeit ure of all property acquired in the criminal enterprise. Each mail and wire fraud count carries a maximum punishment of five years in prison and a $5,000 fine. Jurors began deliberating Wednesday morning and by the end of the first day, appeared to have been bogged down over procedural matters. About noon Thursday, after 11 hours of deliberation, jurors sent U.S. District Judge Marcel Livaudais a note asking whether they could consider the conspir acy count first. Livaudais said they could consider the counts in any order they wished. GE executives sure merger with RCA will be approved Associated Press NEW YORK — General Electric Co.’s proposed $6.28 billion pur chase of RCA Corp. represents “an excellent strategic fit,” but it is too early to say whether GE will sell off any RCA assets, GE’s chairman said Thursday. However, John F. Welch Jr. said he does not expect the merger to run afoul of federal antitrust rules that would force GE to sell assets in order to win government approval of the deal. “We have all the confidence in the world that this merger violates no guidelines and will m fact be ap proved in a speedy and effective manner,” Welch said at a news con ference. RCA Chairman Thornton F. Bradshaw, meanwhile, said he would step down once the merger was completed, probably in late 1986, but that he would remain a GE consultant for three years. And the New York Stock Ex change said it launched an investiga tion into the surge in price and trad ing of RCA’s stock prior to the merger announcement Wednesday night. RCA’s stock soared $10.3714 a share to $63.50 Wednesday. In late trading Thursday, how ever, RCA’s stock skidded $4.1214 a share to $59.3714 in continued heavy trading as some investors ap parently decided to take profits rather than wait for the merger to be completed in a year. GE’s stock was off 25 cents at $67.6214. The NYSE routinely reviews the trading of stocks involved in subse quent merger proposals in an at tempt to find out whether any of the trading stemmed from actions such as trading on “inside information,” or the use of information about a company not available to the public. Such trading is a federal crime. In citing the RCA surge, the ex change said it was “concerned about this kind of market activity,” and that once its review was finished, it might take disciplinary action itself or turn its findings over to the Secu rities and Exchange Commission. The proposed merger calls for GE to pay $66.50 cash for each of RCA’s 94.4 million shares. It would be the largest non-oil corporate marriage in U.S. history and produce a com pany with annual revenue of $40 bil lion. The deal was approved by both companies’ directors, but remains subject to approval by RCA’s stock holders and regulators, including the Federal Communications Com mission, which must approve the transfer of broadcast licenses. GE, which is based in Fairfield, Conn., is a diversified company and a major defense contractor. New York-based RCA also is a defense contractor, and the companies share interests in consumer and commer cial electronics, broadcasting and sa tellite communications. RCA, the parent of the National Broadcasting Co., which operates the NBC television and radio net works, also owns five television sta tions and several radio stations. GE operates one TV station, the NBC affiliate KOA-TV in Denver. Welch and Robert F. Frederick, RCA’s president and chief executive, repeatedly said it was “premature” for them to respond specifically to questions about what shape the com bined company would take. Welch aid say RCA would help GE attain its goal of relying more on services and technology, rather than manufacturing, for its earnings. } And he said NBC would retain the \ independence it has under RCA. • In addition, W’elch emphasized I that the addition of RCA would help i GE’s progress in global markets. “(Broadcasting) is a domestic busi- : ness, it is not battered by imports,” j Welch said. “We need all the re- ■ sources we have here to support us j as we move around the world to win world markets.” r N: Juniors, Seniors, Vets, Meds and Grads Your last chance to have your Yearbook photos taken is Dead Week (Dec. 9-13). Photos will be taken at Yearbook Associate’s studio located above Campus Photo Center at Northgate. Office hours are 8:30-12 and 1-4:30.