Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 2, 1987)
Thursday, July 2, 1987/The Battalion/Page 3 F9 i State and Local 'and en up just 'here ndtht! is that uced..i very the itlerhi: is a 5 to him lying.! n raise s he is hChui her ■ I doul him. he < i h B-CS to join in Independence Day celebration Lions club will sponsor games, fireworks show By Carolyn Kelbly Reporter Ten thousand people are ex pected to crowd onto Olsen Field for a Fourth of July celebration this weekend. The party is being hosted by the city of College Station and the College Station Noon Lions Club. The sponsors are expecting to al most double their attendance from last year, Dan Galvin, Lions Club president, said. “There’s probably no other community event that attracts so many as does the annual Lions Club Independence Day cele bration,” Galvin said. “Last year, we had 5,000 spectators inside Olsen Field and countless others all around the Field.” Teddy Hirsch, a licensed ex plosives expert, said the sponsors plan to ignite 250 Fireworks at this year’s picnic. At 9:45 p.m., the Fireworks dis play will begin with 190 single- and multiple-break aerial bomb shells, Hirsch said. The grand Fi nale consists of 60 bombs con nected by one fuse to create a choreographed sequence of color that will last about two or three minutes. “Once we light the fuse, it’s all over,” Hirsch said. Penberthy intramural baseball diamonds, behind center field, are restricted to Firework techni cians and spectators should avoid this area. Hirsch said. There are two explosive de vices to the Fireworks. The First propels the rocket into the air and the second explodes the bombshell. “The great fear is they won’t explode in the air and will come back down before they explode,” Hirsch said. While the Fireworks grab most of the attention, games, enter tainment and food will be avail able, Galvin said. the soccer ball kick, followed by the softball throw, sack races (in dividual and three-legged) and an egg toss, ending with a tug of war match. The games will be divided into various age groups and watermel ons will serve as trophies. Lions club member Bill Jenkins said. The Confederate Air Force, an international historical flying mu seum, will kick off the program by flying two pilot training planes, a 1943 and a 1951 North American T-6 Texan and a 1946 YO-55 Ercoupe, ah observation plane, over the celebration at 8:30 p.m., said Col. Ed Higgins, ay will begin with iwu single- minutes. able, Galvin said. 8:30 p.m., said Col. Ed Higgins, ire marshall urges celebrants to use caution operations officer for the Aggie Wing. Dressed in traditional revolu tionary uniforms, the Brazos Val ley chapter of the National So journers Inc. will perform their Flags of Freedom ceremony. m m am" The 15-flag ceremony depicts the history of the United States flag beginning with the Spanish flag and concluding with the 50- star flag of today, Henry O’Neal, president of group, said. The goal of the Sojourners, a group of master masons who are or have been officers and warrant officers of the U.S. military, is to promote Americanism and patri otism, O’Neal said. Also performing will be the Bengal Belles, the drill team from A&M Consolidated High School, and the Shy-Annes, the drill team from Bryan High School. University Police and College Station Police will direct traffic. Lots 56, 61, 71, 72 and 73 will be open and after about 8:30 p.m. spectators should park wherever they can. Spectators are reminded to take special caution when near the railroad tracks. Kyle Field will not be open for extra seating, Koehler said. By T. Dawn Gorman Reporter Any mention of the Fourth of July holiday brings to mind pic nics and Firework displays. But, for more than 12,000 Americans, memories of July 4, 1986, Fire work displays include injuries from Firework-related accidents. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission estimates that 10,000 people were injured in 1985, compared with 12,600 in 1986 — a 22 percent increase. Despite the increasing number of injuries, Texas law still allows the sale of ordinary, or Class C, fireworks. However, the sale of the Fireworks must be approved by the local authority. College Station Deputy Fire Marshall Bland Ellen said the lo cal ordinances regarding Fire works are simple. “It is illegal to possess, trans port or discharge Fireworks in the city limits of College Station,” El len said. “The Fire marshall’s of fice has orders to confiscate or destroy any fireworks found and the violation carries a penalty of $10 to $100. “Sparklers are also classified as Fireworks, which some people don’t realize. Any Firework with more than .25 grains of gun powder is illegal.” State Fire Marshall Ernest Emerson said that if residents want to discharge fireworks out side the city limits, several safety precautions should be taken. “Be sure the Fireworks you use are reliable,” Emerson said. “Buy them through legitimate sources, not through the mail. Never give fireworks to small children. Inju ries occur mainly to children un der 15 vears of age. “Occasionally fireworks will malfunction, and then it is very important not to handle them or try to relight them. Douse the Firework with water instead.” “Discharge fireworks only in a clear area, free from possible combustible materials such as dead grass and buildings.” The Houston branch of the Texas Society to Prevent Blind ness also is concerned with the dangers of fireworks not handled properly. “Of particular concern to the Texas Society to Prevent Blind ness is that more than 15 percent of all fireworks injuries reported by the Product Safety Commis sion involved the eye,” said Dr. Louise Moorhead, program chairman for the Houston branch. The American Academy of Ophthalmology, an organization of eye-care physicians, has a na tional reporting system to calcu late fireworks eye injuries. In 1985, out of more than 650 cases reported, 40 percent of the inju ries caused permanent eye dam age. Almost 25 percent of the to tal eye injuries included some loss of sight or destruction of the eye. For a safer Independence Day celebration, the Society to Pre vent Blindness recommends fol lowing instructions and warning labels on Fireworks. The safest fireworks display is a licensed, professional exhibi tion, but a private display can be safeguarded by storing fireworks in a cool, dry place, keeping water handy for emergencies and keep ing a telephone nearby for con tacting medical assistance should an injury occur, according to the society. me to 1 way to never siness t its to nlyw e rule: contio- yingano I ■K ime motlr f: nof DPS predicts 40 will die in fatal car accidents during July By Rebecca Jackson Reporter The Texas Department of Public Safety has estimated that 40 people will die in traffic accidents in the state during the July Fourth holiday, but the DPS is looking to driver- safety laws to help reduce the death toll. The recent decline in traffic deaths is attributed partly to the law requiring motorists to wear seat belts and the higher drinking age, and the DPS hopes even fewer people will die this year, said Col. Leo Gossett, director of the local DPS branch. During the July Fourth holiday eriod last year, 41 people were illed on Texas highways and four others later died from injuries suf fered in automobile accidents dur ing the period. In 1985, 235,438 people in acci dents were reported as wearing a seat belt, which is 24.3 percent of the total people in accidents, the report said. In 1986, the number of seat-belt wearers in accidents jumped to 695,473, which is 66.6 percent of the total people in accidents, the report said. Since the seat-belt law came into effect in January 1986, there has been a 7-percent reduction in front- seat fatalities and a 12-percent re duction in visible front-seat injuries, even though there has been a six- percent increase of miles driven on Texas roads. The Texas Traffic Safety Section 4th holiday of the State Department of High ways and Public Transportation in Austin is responsible for compiling statistics like these for the DPS. Another reason for the recent de cline in traffic deaths is because of the laws raising the minimum alco hol purchase age to 21, according to the TSS. There has been a 13-per cent to 16-percent decrease in fatal alcohol-related accidents among 18- to 20-year-olds in states with a pur chase age of 21, the TSS reported. Larger counties in Texas have medical examiners who draw blood from a fatally injured driver before anything is done to the body and test the blood for alcohol content, Trooper F.E. Garmon said. More than 60 percent of those tested in 1985 had more than the le gal alcohol content in their blood, which is 0.1 percent, Garmon said. Another 10 percent of the drivers killed in 1985 had alcohol in their system but were not legally intoxi cated, Garmon said. Only 30 percent of the drivers killed were not under any influence of alcohol, and the test results from 1986 are almost identical to the 1985 results, Garmon said. The DPS will be on Texas’ high ways in full force during the July Fourth holiday period to try to crack down on unsafe driving and protect motorists. The National Safety Gouncil has designated the holiday period to be 78 hours long, starting at 6 p.m. Thursday and ending Sunday at midnight. Expert: Keep your cool this summer, but don’t break your bank account Specialist offers suggestions to lower oir-conditioning bills 4 \ ^ By Craig Eichhorn Reporter Keeping cool this summer in your home or apartment may involve more than setting the air conditioner on 70 degrees and walking around in shorts with a cold drink in hand. Dr. Peggy Owens, a housing spe cialist with the Texas Agricultural Extension Service, says there are al ternatives to the usual choices. “Turning up the air conditioner isn’t always the best way to try and keep cool, though it’s often the easi est,” Owens says. “A little effort in other areas may be the coolest thing to do.” Air conditioners remove heat and moisture from a house or an apart ment and blow it outside, Owens says. Tightly closing windows, doors and Fireplace dampers will help the cooling system run more efficiently. Taking hot showers in the morn ing or the evening instead of the hot test part of the day will help save en ergy, she says. The steam and moisture from a shower force the air conditioner to work harder. Cooking should be done in the coolest part of the day since it can heat up the whole house and put a burden on the air conditioner. She says to take advantage of Texas’ weather and cook outside on a grill as much as possible. A good practice for college students is to cook big meals all at once and eat that food the rest of the week. Dishwashers, as well as washers and dryers, also add heat to the house, Owens says. These appliances should be run in the cool part of the day, while exhaust fans should be used in the laundry room, kitchen and bathroom to push heat and hu midity outside, she says. Ceiling fans and portable fans cir culate air around the room and of ten make a room feel much cooler than it actually is, Owens says. These fans can effectively cool a room or a home and are less expensive than running the air conditioner. “Whole-house or attic fans were widely used before the invention of air conditioning and are making a comeback,” she says. The fans are mounted in the attic to pull outside air through open windows and ex haust it through the attic. As attic fans increase air circula tion through the house, they carry out built-up heat. However, they should not be run while the air con ditioner is on, since the fans would draw out the cool air, Owens says. Some vents or turbines should be in stalled in the attic of a house to be used with air conditioning. Close shades, blinds and draperies to keep out direct sunlight, she says. Closing off areas of the home that are not in use, like bathrooms and closets, also helps, she added. And turning off all unnecessary lights in the home also helps reduce the amount of energy used. Long-term cooling plans include planting large trees which shade the whole house, she says. Using light-' colored shingles on the roof and adding extra insulation in the attic will also help keep the summer’s heat out and the cool air in. Checking for drafts and fixing them with draft dodgers — a tube of fabric containing sand — and inex- ensive peel-and-stick caulking will elp keep out the heat as well, Owens says. Check air-conditioning filters monthly to help maintain the unit, she says. Keeping the air conditioner running efficiently is a key to con trolling cooling costs. “In the ’70s we were really energy conscious — in the ’80s we aren’t,” Owens says. “We dress for the sum mer, but we don’t practice conserva tion because of our fast lifestyles.” A frugal person who keeps the blinds down, sets the air conditioner at 78 degrees, uses ceiling fans and cooks meals outside will save a lot more than someone who keeps the door open and is frivolous, Owens >ays. m /nf jttalio 5 THANKS AGGIES! For again making Loupot’s your used books headquarters. If you still need books, we can still save you money on used books - good as new, but cheaper. ffiLOUPOT'Sro BOOKSTORE Northgate - At the Corner Across from the Post Office ONE HOUR FREE PARKING JULY 4«h p RED, WHITE AND PARTY FEATURING THE UNTOUCHABLE BLUES BAND SPECIAL: CAJUN BURGER, FRIES, & TEA $1” (THRU FRIDAY) 103 BOYETT (AT NORTHGATE) SCHULMAN THEATRES 2.50 ADMISSION 1. Any Show Before 3 PM 2. Tuesday - All Seats 3. Mon-Wed - Local Students With Current ID s 4. Thur - KORA "Over 30 Nite" ‘DENOTES DOLBY STEREO PLAZA 3 226 Southwest Pkwy 693-2457 ■WITCHES OF EASTWICK r 2:25 7:35 5:05 9:50 MILLION DOLLAR MYSTERY pg THE BELIEVERS r MANOR EAST 3 Manor East Mall 823-8300 ■THE UNTOUCHABLES r 2:20 7:20 4:50 9:50 BENJf: THE HUNTED g ERNEST GOES TO CAMP pg 2:30 7:15 5:00 9:35 SCHULMAN 6 2002 E. 29th PLATOON r 775-2463 2:10 7:10 4:45 9:50 RAISING ARIZONA i 2:25 7:15 4:40 9:55 $ DOLLAR DAYS $ This Week’s Features Are: The Gate 2:30 5:00 7:15 9:35 CROCODILE DUNDEE i THE SECRET TOUT SUCCESS pg-13 SOME KIND OF WONDERFUL pg-13 U