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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 22, 1987)
Page 4/The BattaliorvThursday, December 22, 1987 846-LOU’S 1L>y '846-LOU’S Lethal diet pills under scrutiny in U.S Add A Bit of Romance to Your Life! J Ballroom Dance Instruction J Waltz, Rumba, Swing, Tango, Cha Cha, ^ Foxtrot New 8 Week Classes Starting Jan. 20, 22 & Mar. 31, Apr. 2 STEP N STYLE 268-4386 Gail Dresner & Clay Nelson YESTERDAYS DART TOURNAMENT Blind Draw Doubles Mondays 8:30 House Dress Code near Lubys 846-2625 TOTAL FITNESS FOR MEN & WOMEN 4 MONTHS TANNING $ 69 0 ° 3608 Old College Rd. (Across from Chicken Oil) 846-6272 Two Dry Clean Offers! Sweaters or regular slacks ( men’s or women’s) dry cleaned at S-4.79 for three, when you bring this coupon to our location just off University. A 3 College 1 ■£ Station 1 / ^ Cleaners ™ University Drive East <S4 *4* » FOR 3 ® (I’His lax ) (Sweaters, Reg. S2.85 ca.. Slacks, Reg. S2.30-men, S2.45-women, ea.) 1 r College Station Cleaners offers the professional garment care you expect for your clothes. 505 University Drive East 846-4364 College Station ONE HOUR SERVICE AVAILABLE J Chsanens i Sigma Alpha Mu Fraternity Spring Rush Schedule SAMMY WANTS YOG! JAN 23 - OPEN PARTY TREEHOGSE I PARTY ROOM JAN 25 - INVITATION SUMMER-IN-WINTER POOL PARTY AT AEROFIT JAN 30 - “RASTA” PARTY TREEHOUSE I PARTY ROOM JAN 31 - INVITATION SMOKER Get that Summer Look ThE OtIier E-clips Hair DesiqN AN(1 TannInq SaLon new look for Spring and Summer? Come in for a free consultation and consider the possibilities for your hair such as highlighting, cel- \ Iphanes, root perms, or an individu- 1 ally designed style. And to complete your total summer look, come in and relax in our tanning studio. Unlimited use of tanning bed only $35 a month HARL.1NGEN (AP) — Demand has exploded for a potendally lethal trio of pills Mexican doctors pre scribe for weight control, prompting federal officials to reconsider a pol icy allowing the drugs into the United States. The regimen of three pills con taining four different drugs has been linked to deaths, mental illness, heart disorders and other physical ailments, federal officials say. “The American public has been looking for a diet miracle for years and they’ll take anything,” said Don ald Healton, a regional director for the Food and Drug Administration in Dallas. “Unfortunately, they’re going to hurt themselves. “It’s not a panacea for everybody. The lucky ones are the ones who are going to only lose weight. There’s no question they work, if they don’t kill you first.” The U.S. Customs Service allows the drugs to be brought into the United States if prescribed by a reg istered physician and purchased at a registered pharmacy. Charles Conroy, a Customs spokesman in Houston, said the drugs must be declared upon cross ing into the United States, and must be of a small enough quantity to sat isfy inspectors that there is only enough for personal consumption. But Healton said he believes it is illegal to bring the drugs into the United States. “It’s a gray area we are exploring now,” he said. “It falls into a loop hole associated with short re sources.” Arnold Lochner, diversion group supervisor for the DEA’s Houston division, said ingredients in all three pills are prescribed in the United States, but not for the type of diet regimen the Mexican doctors pre scribe. The most popular weight-loss reg imen involves Ponderex, an amphet amine used as an appetite suppres sant; Redotex, an appetite control drug that contains an active ingre dient found in the depressant Va lium; and Monduretic, a diuretic, Lochner said. Healton said that Redotex is not allowed in the United States because it is not believed to be safe or effec tive, although a version of Ponderex and the active ingredient in Mondu retic are prescribed here. He said he can’t understand the purpose of Redotex, which com bines a stimulant and a depressant — both controlled substances in the U.S. — that would seem to cancel each other out. The ingredient in the diuretic is prescribed in the U.S. for high blood pressure, but unsupervised use can cause potassium depletion and heart problems, Healton said. Taking all three in combination, as prescribed in Mexico, is especially dangerous, he said. Lochner and Healton said side effects from the drugs range from severe diarrhea and pneumonia to psychosis. The drugs apparently are prescribed primarily at a weight loss clinics in NuevoLarc Healton said. All patients receivt same regimen and their niedicali lories are not taken before the; sci iptions are issued, he said. Despite the hazards, the Am can desire to be thin is creatir; large demand for the th ugs,the cials said. Murder case dropped against former coach HOUSTON (AP) —- A former La mar University assistant football coach who spent more than seven years on death row was ordered freed Wednesday by a judge. State District Judge Johnny Ko- lenda dismissed the capital murder charge against Vernon Eugene Mc Manus, 43, because the state’s key witness refused to testify in a new trial. “Thank the Lord, it’s all over with,” McManus said after the hear ing. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet.” McManus was sent to death row at the Texas Department of Correc tions in June 1977, after he was sen tenced for arranging the slayings of Paul and Mary Cantrell and killing Cantrell, an electrical contractor. But a federal judge, citing an er ror in jury selection, overturned the 1977 conviction in 1984 and ordered a new trial. McManus was trans ferred from TDC to the Harris County Jail in August 1983, where he remained pending a new trial. That trial was to have started Wednesday. Kolenda dismissed the charge af ter prosecutors filed a motion saying they had insufficient evidence for a conviction. Prosecutors were denied crucial evidence linking the former coach to the 1976 killings of the Cantrells, Harris County District Attorney John B. Holmesjr. said. Holmes said prosecutors tried Tuesday afternoon to convince the daughter of the slain couple, Paula Cantrell Derese, to testify after Ko lenda refused to allow her previous testimony into the man’s retrial. The 37-year-old woman, serving two concurrent life sentences in con nection with her parents’ slayings, has refused to cooperate with offi cials because she said they reneged on a deal to shorten her prison term. She said she testified against her former boss because authorities promised her sentence would be commuted to credit for time served, her lawyer, Ken McLean said. Kolenda said he refused to allow the woman’s previous testimony to be used in the new trial because of a conflict of interest between Don Smith, the attorney who represented McManus in his trial, and McManus’ former wife, Regina. But the judge on Tuesday did permit the transcript of pool hustler Ben Milton Tabor to be played after he refused to repeat his testimony. He is serving a 35-year prison sen tence for the slaying of a woman. During the first trial, Tabor testi fied that he took $12,000 from Mc Manus to kill the Cantrells and then failed to carry out the contract. Police Beat The following were reported to the University Police Depart ment from Dec. 15 through Tuesday; MISDEMEANORTHEFT: • Eight bicycles were stolen. • Four backpacks were stolen. • A man reported observing three men tear a phone from the wall of A-1 Lounge on the Quad rangle. • A man reported that the “Bernie’s” sign had been re moved from tiie outside of the Underground restaurant located beneath Sbisa Dining Hall. • While on patrol, an officer noticed that the “No Mopeds, Motorcylces, or Scooters” sign had been removed from the north side of the Systems Mall. BURGLARY OF A HABITA TION: • A student reported that a window was forced open and his blue, 12-speed bicycle was stolen from his room. • A student reported that someone entered her locked dorm room and removed various types of jewelry. • A student reported his ste reo receiver and tape player miss ing from his unlocked room. CRIMINAL MISCHIEF: • A student reported that she had discovered a hole in the glass window of her dorm room. Inves tigation revealed that the damage apparently was caused by a pro jectile fired from an air gun or similar device. Two other win dows in the same dormitory had undergone similar damage. • Two fires were extinguished by the College Station Fire De partment in trash dumpsters af ter the fire was reported near Da- vis-Gary Hall. • A man reported that he found a shirt burning on the floor after responding to an acti vated fire alarm. • An officer checking a dorm laundry room noticed a fire ex tinguisher had been removed from the wall and that the con tents had been sprayed over the inside of the laundry room. • A man reported that some one on the third floor of the Lan gford Architecture Center had thrown several pieces of card board of various sizes out ok window. DISORDERLY CONDUCT: • A student reported that k had been orally threatened ant pushed by another student. Hit student said the confrontations suited from an earlier incidetr The conflict has lieen referred!: student affairs. • A student reported thatsli observed a male about 20 year old leave a Commons-area vit. mg room and urinate on a hi! The investigation is continuing ASSAULT: • A student reported tte while she was on her way to final' her ex-boyfriend approacht: her. took her umbrella arc poured a bucket of milky lap: on her. He then used abusivek guage. The incident hasbeenrt ferret! to student affairs. • A student said he assaulicdi! female student because he w deeply hurt when she asked b rtxjmmate to help her with be homework. He said he had lit come extremely upset after end ing a very close relationship win her. The student said the sub stance he threw on her wasaim ture of water, milk and anythin; else he found in his refrigerate: If the student seeks counselin; no charges will !>e filed. INDECENT EXPOSURE: • A student rejKrrted that a about 1 1:3() p.m. she heaic knot king at her window. Afie opening the window, she ok served a male in his 20s wearingil green shirt and dark pantsexpof ing himself. • A woman reported thi while running near a campuj parking lot a man exposed him self to her. HARASSMENT: • A student reported thank had received a harassing noteii; tached to her dorm room door : ARSON; • An of ficer responded toi| report of an explosion in tk Dorm 9 area. After searchingtbi, area, the officer found no t' dence as to the source of theev plosion. The investigation, hoi; ever, is continuing. II pris( WtT pop pen the lion man I A ad ii! wen Cor Bio T Tue Wee systi pen I pie' onh (Purchase applies for up to two months) Shiloh Place (Next to College Station Winn Dixie) 696-8700