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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 20, 1986)
0 ♦ ♦ 0 * Vo*. 82 No. 196 USPS 043360 14 pages College Station, Texas Wednesday. August 20, 1986 Reagan to renew sanctions SANTA BARBARA. Calif <AP) — President Reagan is expected to renew his sanctions against South Africa next month, but there are no plans at present to take additional measures against the white-ruled re gime as demanded bv (amgress. the president's chief of staff said I ues- dav Donald T. Regan, in Cailifornia with the \acatHining president, added that the administration was leaving the door open “a little bit" to taking new steps against South Af rica. President Reagan, the thief of staff emphasized, “thinks additional sanctions would not he the right wav cans have “gotten the message" that the United States is seeking an end to apartheid "Whether additional sanctions will put more heat on them is a debatable question." Regan said. “As far as additional sanctions, we have no plans at the current mo ment." the chief of staff said “We have no plans at this moment to add anv sanctions to what we are going to do on Sept. 9.“ Asked whether he intended to leave the door open to additional steps. Regan replied: “We don’t slam the door on everv possihilm Photo hr Amt homy S. Cmrper Plenty Of Fish In This Sea Members of Fish Camp Hensel practice the freshman wildcat' at a sprit rails at Kvle Field Tuesday afternoon. The freshmen and counselors, who are part of the second session of the summer camp, practice veils and eat lunch on campus before leav- "*§■ . Declintng trade, all, gas slump hurt GNP Senator: Tax decisions can’t wait until January gamesmanship and all those kinds of tmtaft." “They just don't want to deal with the budget as it is and we are going to wait until they deal with it." he said of senators The Farabee plan would require a constitutional amendment, accord- mg to Schlueter ■ sal “strengthens the position I of us who believe we shouldn't be arabee told reporters his propww. months of thos^p ssflrtt f passing a major appropriation bill like House Bill I without it being certified bv the comproller that the funds are available " Asked if his measure represented a Senate move “to »et the House talking about taxes. Farabee re sponded. “I would hope that this would cause greater consideration for a balanced budget and meeting <in\ shortfalls now rather than six from now when the problem far more critical. Lewis said the Farabee proposal would not help the House and Sen ate work toward a compromise. House discusses legalizing some forms of gambling AUSTIN (AP) — Sen Ray Fara bee introduced a proposal Tuesday that he said calls upon the Legis lature to make the “tough decisions" now on a tax increase rather than waiting until January as the House leadership would prefer One key House member said the Farabee proposal looked like a bit of "brMltfaaMMp." Also Tuesdav. the House voted preliminarv approval for two bills that Speaker Gib Lewis said could save SzM) million by offering incen tives for state workers to retire early and change state pay day from the last day of the month to the first working day of the next month. Both bills face another House vote, probablv todav The House on Friday approved a proposal that would slice some $750 million out of the current two-year state budget but has not moved on any tax proposal to make up a pro jected $3.5 billion budget deficit. A tax bill must originate in the House although Lt. Gov Bill Hobby said Tuesday that measures such as pari-mutuel betting and a state lot tery — “which may raise revenue" — can start out in the Senate. On Tuesday. Farabee, D-Wichita Falls, introduced a proposal that would require the state comptroller to certify any appropriation bill passed bv the Legislature. Farabee's btl had a near-majority 14 sponsors of the $ I -member Senate Since the House-approved budget bUi does not make up the entire defi cit. presumably tne comptroller couki not certify it because the Texas (^institution requires a bal anced budget House Ways and Means Commit tee Chairman Stan Schlueter. D-Kill een. said of Farabee's bill. “I under- stand brinksmanship and AUSTIN (AP) — The issue of le galizing pari-mutuel betting in Texas on Tuesday once again matched those who say it could help revive the state's economy against those who say it would destroy fami lies and increase crime Sen O H. “Ike” Harm. R Dallas said his proposal for local option bet ting on horse races, as well as dog races in certain counties, would not offer “instant money" but would re sult in more jobs and a diversified economy. Harris, chairman of the Senate Economic Development Committee, said the money generated bv the bill eventuallv could head off budget cuts such as have been recom mended by the special legislative ses sion. Whether the measure would require a statewide referendum was uncertain, and the bill was sent to a subcommittee. Hams' witnesses concentrated on the economic impact of pari-mutuel betting, which was outlawed in 1937 after four-year trial runs in 1905-09 and 1933-37 Numerous attempts to start it up again have failed, including an over whelming rejection bv the House in 19M5 Garv Keith of the Texas Agricul ture Department testified Tuesday that pari-mutuel betting would add 25.0(M) horses to the Texas horse population of one million with a to tal “farm-related" impact of $713 million in 10 years Steve Shumake. a Dallas analyst who authored a report for the Texas Horse Racing Association, placed the economic impact of a full fleged horse race industry — not including track construction — at $1.2 Inllion a Economic growth barely perceptible WASHINGTON (AP) — Eco nomic growth slumped to a barely perceptible 0.6 percent from April through June, the worst perfor mance since the end of the last reces sion. the government said Tuesday . The Commerce Department said growth in the gross national prod uct. the broadest measure of eco nomic hr ah h. was held back bv a huge deterioration in the country's trade performance and a slump m oil ancf gas production The new estimate of GNP growth during the second quarter marked a downward revision from a month ago when the government estimated the economy was growing at a slightly faster 1.1 percent pace. It was the poorest performance since the 0.6 percent advance turned in as the country emerged from the last recession in the final quarter of 1982. The weak showing raised new tears about the durabuity of the 44- month-old recovery, which is al ready the second longest since the rod of World W ai II “We are not that far away from a recession, but I don't think there is enough conclusive evidence to say we are in one.” said Lawrence Chimenne, president of Chase Eco- metIks of Bala Cvnwvd, Pa. Among the factors pointing to growing weakness were three con secutive monthly declines in indus trial production, something that has not occurred since the last recession. Chimenne said Still, he said Chase expects growth will rebound in the second half of the year to a rate of 2.5 percent to 3 percent, keeping the current 44- month-old recovery alive. “If the trade deficit improves, we will avoid a recession." he said. White House spokesman Larry Speakes. m (California with the vaca tioning President Reagan, trying to strike a positive note despite the weak GNP figure, said. "With infla tion remaining under control and kev economic indicators strengthen ing. we are optimistic about the pros pects for a strong showing the sec ond half of 1986 ' Alan (ireenspan. former chair man of the president’s Council of Economic Advisers, also said he be lieved growth would improve in the second half of the year as the fall in the value of the dollar begins to raise the price Americans pay for im ported goods. He predicted the economy would grow at an annual rate of 2.5 percent in the second half of the year, only slightly better than the 2.2 percent growth rate turned in during the first six months. The Reagan administration, which began the year forecasting the economy would grow at a robust an nual rate of 4 percent, has already scaled that estimate back to 3.2 per cent growth. year. Shumake said over $100 million a year already is leaving Texas for race tracks in Louisiana, and a new track in Oklahoma City is "banking on” expenditures bv Texas visitors ! Palestine veterinarian Steve Hicks said the Texas Veterinary Medical Association had endorsed pari-mu tuel betting. Hicks said East Texas, with ample supplies of water and rel atively cheap land, could be an ideal location for horse f arms. Larry Prehn, gn Austin business consultant, said hVjtudies of possi ble greyhound racing in Galveston. Nueces and Cameron counties, showed an economic impac t of $.322 million a year after the dog tracks are in operation. Mexican government to investigate death of U.S. drug agent WASHINGTON (AP) — The Mexican government has prom ised the United States quick and decisive action in its investigation of the kidnapping and beating of a U.S. narcotics agent, the State rtment said Tuesday, puty spokesman Charles Redman said the assurances were offered Monday by Mexican For eign Secretary Bernardo Sepul veda fottowing a U.S. protest of the “unprovoked, brutal and criminal acts" against Victor Cor tez. a Drug Enforcement Admin istration official taken into cus tody by Jalisco state police in Guadalajara last week SepuKeda told U.S. diplomats that Mexico was moving to re solve the case quickfv and decisi- vefv. Redman said, adding that 11 Jalisco state police officers have been suspended and detained fot questioning in the investigation Mexico has denied that Cortez was tortured, but the DEA said the agent was subjected to electric shock treatment and had numer ous contusions on his body Meanwhile, a report published Tuesdav said that an advisei to Mexican President Miguel de la Madrid confirmed that Mexican police tortured Cortez, and that I some officials were giving false information about the agent’s treatment It was the first time a Mexican official had confirmed that the agent was tortured during his de tention in the state of Jalisco last Wednesday , the Chicago Tribune said. Other officials have either denied the incident or refused to comment directly, the newspaper said. The Mexican official, a senior adviser to de la Madrid, asked not to be identified, according to the Tribune It said that when the official was asked about denials made by authorities in Jalisco, he replied. "That is their version." The offi cial made it clear that federal offi cials did not agree, but he refused to sav what was done to Cortez, the newspaper said. A However, the Tribune quoted a source with access to informa tion about Cortez's interrogation as saving the agent "got the works." The source said Cortez’s captors used electric cattle prods on sensitive parts of his body and spraved carbonated water, in w hich hot chili peppers had been soaked, up his nose, the newspa per reported. According the Tribune, offi cials close to the investigation said Cortez reported that while he was blindfolded and being tortured in a jail cell in Guadalajara, one of his captors told him, ‘Tf vou think this is bad. wait until we get you out into the country and you’ll see what Camarena went though." Killer denied reprieve, executed HUNTSVILLE. Texas (AP) — Randy Lynn Woolls, who beat, slashed and burned a dnve-in movie cashier to death, was executed early today after the U.S. Supreme (xMirt and Gov. Mark White rejected his last-minute appeals Woolls, a 36-year-old drug addict who claims to remember nothing of the 1979 slaving of Betty Stotts, was pronounced dead at I2:$3 a m after receiving a drug injection. Attorney (•cneraljiin Mattox said. “I'd like to say goodbve to my family." Woolls said after he helped his executioners find the veins in his arms tor the fatal fluid that began flowing at 12:13 a.m. “I love all of them. “I'd like to tell the people fighting against the death penalty to continue their work." he added “I'd like to sav l‘m sorr* for the victim and fam ily. and I wish there was something I could do to make it all right." To the sobbing witnesses standing nearby, he said only. “Take care." He then coughed slightly, closed his eves halfway and died Woolls is the 16th Texas inmate put to death since the state resumed executions in 1982. Five prisoners have been killed this year alone, a pace that pared the number of pro testers outside the death chamber Tuesdav night to zero. One of two lethal needles were in serted into his right arm just below a tattoo of a buzzard grasping a sv- nngr. Woolls said tattoos on his left arm dealt with the theme of death, and a second needle carrying the fatal drugs was inserted among pictures of the Grim Reaper and a large swas tika. His final meal was two cheesebur gers, french fries and iced tea. and he designated two cousins, Natrona Mills and Tvobe Mills, to witness his execution, said prison spokesman Charles Brown Woolls said he was introduced to drugs about age IS Drug use was re sponsible for each of his three prison sentences, he said “My whole complaint is that I'm being executed for a crime I can't re member committing.” he said. “I was flipped out on drugs. “I don't know what's supposed to be done with me," he said “I don’t know whether I deserve a life sen tence. 1 feel death is a little severe for something that was a mistake." Stotts was collecting ticket money the evening of June 16, 1979. when she was killed “They said I beat this woman down with a tire tool, cut her throat, then 1 piled everything in the booth on top of her and set it on fire," Woolls said. "Then while this booth is on fire. I’m sitting there selling tickets to people coming into the show." he said “Then I get in her car and drive inside the show and am sitting inside the show in her car when the cops got there. It's obvious I was out of my mind." The family of the murdered woman had expressed pits for Woolls. Stotts' daughter. Deborah Coonfield. had expressed a desire to talk to him before the execution. ‘Tvervbodv seems to expect me to hate him. but 1 don't," she said. “I wasn't brought up that wav ... 1 don t want to say that I want him (Woolls) to die. I understand why he has to. I have a lot of pity for him." Daughter Wanted to meef killer KERRVILLE (AP) — A Ker mile woman wanted to meet the man convicted of killing her mother before his execution, scheduled for early today, was earned out. “In the beginning I hated him, but that was something I had to overcome," Deborah Coonfield told the San Antonio Express Sews. “1 knew my mother wouldn't have wanted k that way." Coonfield said she nevertheless wanted to know why Randy Lynn Woolls killed her mother — Betty Stotts — on June 16, 1979, as the woman worked at the ticket win dow of a Kerrville drive-in the ater. The daughter was 20 years old that night more than seven years ago when her oldest brother told her their mother was dead Stotts. 44. was a deeply reli gious woman who had premoni tions of death. The whole ordeal has been a nightmare for Coonfield and her three brothers. Her father. Jo seph Stotts, died two years ago. “He was 20 years older than my mother," Coonfield said. "He never got over her death." She said the tragedy hit her youngest brother. Roger, the hardest He was 13 years old and at the drive-in on the night of the slaymg The teen-ager had been told about a fire at the ticket booth where he knew his mother was working. He saw someone driv ing his mother's car at the drive- in. approached the car. stuck his head in a window and saw a man wearing bloody clothing. Evi dence at the trial showed that man was Woolls. "All of us still have flashbacks and pain," Coonfield said. “I think ne (Roger, now 20) has ma tured better than any of us and has dealt with what happened. Because of what happened, he was forced to grow up fast " She said her ok lest brother, Ronnie, was searching through a desk drawer at his mother's house two davs after the slaving. T he drawer contained five envekipes, each containing a letter Stotts wrote to her husband and each of her four children. The letters apparently were written only a few oays before the killing. Coonfield said In the notes. Stotts told the family she would not always be with them in body but that her spirit would. Stotts next-to-last journal en try read: “The burning and cut ting of oneself for natural self h sorrow, and when it is all gone, the higher self n left.”