Friday, March 7, 1986/The Battalion Page 3
State and Local
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Eliglbilftynot
pays utilities
~ ■ > • - : ' [ , v ;„ •• i •
By JEANNE ISENBERG
H St* fT Writer
i • •
College Station residents who
find thertiselves unable to pay
their utility bills don't necessarily'
have to worry about their electric
ity being shut-ofTor their garbage
being left in front of the house.
Project Beacon, sponsored by
. the City of College Station Utili-r
ties Department and the Brazos!
County chapter of the American
Red Cross, could be a way out.
Project Beacon has been an op
tion for Cotlrge Station residents
with delinquent bills since Sep
tember +985, says Charlotte
Cook, utilities collection supervi
sor and the overseer of the pro- ^
ject.
. “If something prevents any
-resident from paying his bill,”
Copk says, "he can apply for this
energy assistance program.
“Tnere is no wage or income
guideline. It’s not now much a
person makes or where he lives in
the city. If it's determined that
something unusual prevented the
payment of the bill, he is eligible
tor the program.”
The Red Cross processes the
applications and interviews pro
spective participants. If the appli-
“'There is no wage or in-
come guideline. It's not
how much a person makes
or where he lives in the
city. ”
— Charlotte Cook, Project
Beacon overseer.
aid given at one time is $400. she
says.
Participants arc not required to
pay back the Beacon aid money,
Look says, but many do anyway.
Since the program’s beginning
in September 1985, 53 of the 70
people that applied have been
nelped. Cook says, accounting for
about $8,400 in f unding.
Beacon began with .a $10,000
donation from the City of College
Station. Cook says, but pledges
and donations from residents <
College Station are increasing
of
cant is approved, the Red Cross
notifies the utilities department.
College Station utility bills in
clude charges for electricity,
sewer, garbage and water.
Once a person is accepted to
the project, Cook savs, he mav
not participate again for one
year. The maximum amount of
“In straight donations we’ve re
ceived about $740 since our start,
and approximately $130 has been
committed in monthly pledges
through the end of February,”
she says.
A resident can fill out a pledge
card and the city will automat-
icallv add the pledge onto the res
ident’s monthly utility bill. Cook
savs. Any pledges or donations
are tax deductible, she savs.
Houston firm to cost Texos goddess
Associated Press
AUSTIN — A Houston art
foundry has been selected to cast the
aluminum replica of the Goddess of
Liberty for the Capitol dome, Capi
tol Architect Roy Graham said.
Graham said Dellray Bronze Inc.
was selected by the Aluminum Co. of
America, a major contributor to the
project, because of the foundry’s
fine-arts orientation and its capacity
to handle large-scale casting in alu
minum.
Graham estimated it would take
about eight weeks to complete the
new Goddess.
“May 31 is being considered as the
tentative date for airlifting the new
lioddess to her permanent perch
atop the Capitol dome.” Graham
saio.
The weathered and time-wmn
original Goddess was removed last
fall after 97 years on the dome.
Experts said the original I '/Vton
zinc statue had deteriorated and
could not be repaired
IRS official:
Austin center
keeping up
with returns
Associated Press
AUSTIN — Local Internal Reve
nue Service officials say a Cieneral
Accounting Office finding that the
IRS regional center here is lagging
be hind most others in processing
tax returns this year is outdated.
Larry Westfall, director of the
Austin center said, "I don’t think we
have a slowdown in processing. I
think we're doing exceptionally
well.”
Rep. Jake Pickle, D-Texas, heads
an IRS watchdog subcommittee
which received the GAO report
Tuesday in Washington.
Pickle said the report showed the
Austin center with 1.586 unpro
cessed refunds as of Feb. 21. But
Pickle said Westfall had assured him
the number was down to 350 as of
Wednesday.
I he report by the GAO, the audi
ting arm of Congress, said that as of
Feb. 21, the Austin tenter had proc
essed only 29 percent of the more
than 3 million returns filed there bv
taxpayers in Texas and the four
other states served by the center.
The report said Austin had the
second-worst processing record
among the IRS's M) regional centers
and was well behind the 34.8 percent
national processing rate
But Westfall said as of Wednes
day, the center had received 4 2 mil
lion returns and processed 1.8 mil
lion. or 43 percent.
‘‘W T e're taking four to five weeks
to refund, and that is very, very
fast," Westfall said. It s a gtx>d tax
season for us so far. he said
White: Texas teachers will do well on test
Associated Press
AUSTIN — The 210,000 Texas
teachers who must take the manda
tory competency test on Monday are
understandably worried but will do
well. Gov. Mark White predicted
Thursday.
White, who taught a history class
at Austin High Scnool as part of a
state officials' teach-in program, said
the test is obviously v>mething that
has raised teachers' concerns.
“I was in class today," he said. “I
saw a number of teachers. They’re
worried about it. But I know they
Will do well.”
The reading and writing test,
which w’ill be taken by current teach
ers and school administrators, Was a
key element of the school reform law
passetj in 1984.
A teachers' organization unsuc
cessfully challenged the exam in
court, saving a one-shot test isn’t a
fair way to judge people who have
been working in a profession Tor
years.
White continued to defend the
test, but also said he understands
how teachers fed.
White said. “There’s an enormous
amount of pressure brought to bear
upon them because of the test. But
they’re going to do well.”
I erri Anderson, spokeswoman
for the I exas Education Agency,
said the test also will lx* taken by
about half the TEA staff — some
4()<J people including Education
Commissioner William Kirby. Those
taking the test have teacher certifica
tion.
An additional 300,000 people
who hold teaching certificates but
aren’t teaching right now will begin
taking the competency test April 10.
Anderson said
White said the test is an essential
element in forging a new knowl
edge-based economy for the state.
in the
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"I don’t know how they’ll react,"
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on Monday, we’re going to see the
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UK
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WM
V*
The Bridal Boutique
and
Coiogero's Formal Wear Rental
cordially invite you to attend
their first annual
Up, Up and Away
Formal Style Show
Sundav, March ninth, nineteen hundred eiyhtv-si \.
at two o'clock in the afternoon
Modeling the latest in prom Jormal.s. tuxedos, and
formal wear accessories.
at Park Place Pla/.a
Texas Avenue South at Southwest Parkway
College Station. Texas.
Refreshments w ill he served afterwards
Register to win in drawings for
100" gift certificate from Bridal Boutique
Free tuxedo rental from Cologero’s
25% discount on any rental from Party Time
£ •: ! •
M
,
I
M
M
M
\ M'
J
•ts:
re sale at
proceeds to benefit
United Cerebal Palsy
of Texas
FRIDAY NIGHT, GATES OPEN AT 7:30
*■ • Dancing
• Fajita Sale
• Free Beer and
Soft Drinks
• Featuring
Ultimate Force
]iifr
Blocker & ® fcirtle K
$8 at the door
: 5 t
Brmxo* County Pavllllon, East Bypass Exit Tabor Road
For every case of Lite beer Brazos Beverages Inc. sells during the month of March. 1986.
a donation will be made ip the United Cerebral Palsy Organization.
c*
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