Thursday, November 19,1987rThe Battalion/Page 7
Residents of Pasadena protest
opening of new parole offices
PASADENA (AP) — Residents,
angry that the Texas Board of Par
dons and Paroles did not hold public
hearings on the planned opening of
its regional office near a high school
and skating rink, are mounting op
position to the plan.
“It just surfaced Saturday,” Bob
Doley, leader of the Parkview Estates
Community Association, said.
“That’s the first anybody really
heard about the facility. There was
no public hearing or anything.
“It’s horrendously bad planning.
We don’t want ex-convicts mixing
with our children. Some won’t have
cars and there’s no public transpor
tation, so they’ll be walking right
through our subdivision.”
City officials, including Mayor
John Ray Harrison, say they too
were uncertain until recently who
the tenants of the new office build
ing would be.
Parole officials, however, say they
were not required to hold hearings
on the matter and are simply open
ing a much-needed office in an area
already heavily populated with paro
lees.
The office will be less than a block
from Skating America, a popular
teen-agers’ hangout, and several
houses. It also is about one-quarter
mile from Sam Rayburn High
School.
An overflow crowd turned out for
a Pasadena City Council meeting
Tuesday, when several anti-office
petitions were presented to the
panel.
Residents and city officials say the
parole office took them by surprise
mostly because city records only
mention plans for an “office build
ing.”
The city on Aug. 12 granted
McAllen-based Williamson Con
struction Co.’s request for a permit
to build a 12,000-square-foot,
building. The records
mention of the parole
its specific construction
$230,000
make no
board
plans.
or
Mayor Harrison, who is studying
the parole board’s plan, said: “I
drove up the street three or four
times and saw the building, but
didn’t know a whole lot about it. I
was glad someone was building an
office building.”
Robert Tapscott, parole supervi
sion director for the parole board,
said the state recently awarded the
construction project to the low bid
der in a public bidding process, and
that no public hearings are required.
Tapscott said his decision to place
a regional office in Pasadena was
based on economic reasons and the
population of parolees in southeast
Harris County.
“The parolees are already there,”
he said. “We are not bringing paro
lees into the area. People go to the
pen from Pasadena every day; and
when they leave, they go back to Pa
sadena, whether it be under manda
tory supervision or parole.”
He said state law requires home
and office visits between ex-convicts
and parole officers, and that the Pa
sadena office will reduce parole offi
cers’ travel expenses.
The office will not handle inmates
freed under the Texas Department
of Correction’s early release pro
gram. Those inmates are sent to
halfway houses, said Jack Sutton, di
rector of the parole board’s regional
office in Houston.
First City Bancorporation stockholders
critical of $1.5 billion restructuring plan
DALLAS (AP) — Several stockholders of First
City Bancorporation have criticized a $1.5 billion
restructuring plan designed to rescue the ailing
organization, a newspaper reported Wednesday.
Some of the largest holders of two issues of tne
Houston company’s preferred stock — including
San Antonio banker and rancher Frederick Erck
— are unhappy with the plan First City an
nounced Sept. 9, according to the Dallas Morn
ing News.
The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., under
the rescue plan, would contribute nearly $1 bil
lion to the transaction, and Chicago banker A.
Robert Abboud and his investment banker —
Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette Securities Corp. —
would raise $525 million through the sale of se
curities.
The plan, if successfully completed, would be
the largest bank bailout since the $4.5 billion res
cue of Continental Illinois Corp. of Chicago in
1984.
In the deal, preferred stockholders would re
ceive $30 million in cash, plus the right to pur
chase $10.7 million of First City common stock
and 40.5 percent of the common stock of a new
workout bank that would be created to hold at
least $ 1.79 billion of First City’s bad loans.
The newspaper said one of the larger pre
ferred shareholders said the $30 million cash
payment equals about $8.50 a share, an amount
he said is far shy of the $45 and $48.50 that First
City would be required to pay to redeem the
shares normally.
When the bank announced the restructuring,
federal officials said First City was “clearly in
danger of failing.”
If the Abboud proposal is rejected, Keim said,
he believes the FDIC will be forced to present
shareholders a better deal.
“I do not believe they (FDIC) would let First
City go down because of the rippling affect in
Texas and throughout the country, especially
during this time when the capital markets are in
such an uneasy condition,” he said.
First City has about $12 billion in assets and 62
separate subsidiary banks.
Police charge
SWTSU student
with hazing
SAN MARCOS (AP) — A
Southwest Texas State University
student has been charged with
engaging in hazing after being
found in a rural area wearing no
shirt and covered with motor oil,
authorities said.
The student, Joseph D. Chris
tian II, 20, was arrested after he
refused to tell police about other
fraternity pledges who officers
believed were in the area.
University officials said Chris
tian was a sophomore from
Georgetown and was pledging
Kappa Sigma fraternity.
Police said Christian was
charged under a law enacted ear
lier this year requiring anyone
with firsthand knowledge of
hazing to report it.
John Garrison, Southwest
Texas dean of students, said the
fraternity chapter faced “severe”
penalties if a university investiga
tion finds it sanctioned hazing.
Bureau questions firm’s offer
of free recreational vehicle
DALLAS (AP) — Better Business
Bureau officials caution that a com
pany’s offer of a free Winnebago
Chieftain with purchase of three
dozen imprinted ballpoint pens will
net customers a sleeping bag, not a
recreational vehicle.
Businesses around the country
have made 243 inquiries since June
asking if the offer, which requires a
purchase of up to $498, is legitimate,
bureau president Ronald P. Berry
said Tuesday.
No written complaints have been
filed with the bureau against the
Dallas firm, International Promo
tions, which is offering the package.
“There is nothing wrong with
companies offering premiums as an
inducement,” Berry said. “What is
wrong is when they mislead prospec
tive customers about the nature of
the prize or the value of the prize.”
Michael Farnsworth of the com
pany’s customer relations division
declined comment Wednesday. A
spokesman for the firm said Monday
the company sells business gifts and
gives away trips and other items as
an inducement for people to make
purchases at the company.
International Promotions told the .
BBB that in addition to receiving a
sleeping bag, customers get a chance
to win a Winnebago recreational ve
hicle, Berry said.
He said the bureau contacted the
company that manufactures Winne
bago recreational vehicles and offi
cials there said the sleeping bag is an
authorized product made by an
other company with their permis
sion.
“They also are aware that this
product has been misused by certain
companies,” he said.
Regardless of whether the sleep
ing bag was connected with Winne
bago, “the bureau would object to
the offer of the Winnebago Chief
tain without an affirmative disclo
sure that it is a sleeping bag, not a
recreation vehicle,” he said.
The bureau began investigating
International Promotions in June
when it received calls that the firm
was offering a trip to Hawaii, Berry
said. But the bulk of the calls did not
come until after the first of Novem
ber.
■■■■■■ ■■■■■■ I cut here I ■■■■ ■■ ■■ Hi
Defensive Driving Course
Nov. 23, 24 and Nov. 30, Dec. 1
College Station Hilton
For information or to pre-register phone
693-8178 24 hours a day.
■§■■■■■■■■■■■■ I cut here | ■■■■mi
Marines
We’re looking for a few good men.
Captain R. Mahanv 846-9036/8891
Benefield & Co.
Hair Design
Sculptured Nail Special — $30
Rita Benefield Mary Jane Gray
Tammy Faulkner Clurii Rohack
Nexxus • Aveda • Paul Mitchell
Hairstyling for Men and Women
846-7614
Next to Fajita Rita’s
erformance
"Is our Business"
Transmission • Clutch
Driveshaft • 4x4
Front wheel Drive
Full Service — Imports — Domestic
Bryan Drive Train Call us 268-AUTO
“That led us to believe that the
Winnebago offer was relatively re
cent, since we’ve been deluged with
calls, just in the last few weeks,” he
said.
In a bureau questionnaire, Inter
national Promotions said the firm
was established in 1986 and is a
“telemarketing company marketing
office products by phone nation
wide.”
A request by the bureau for copies
of the company’s promotional
material has gone unanswered,
Berry said.
Companies have been told that
they must pay $290 to $498 for the
pens to qualify for the Winnebago
Chieftain offer, Berry said.
Dr. K. Ragupathi
is happy to announce the opening of
his office for the practice of gas
trointestinal and liver diseases.
(Diseases of the stomach, colon, liver and pancreas)
2701 OSLER BLVD., BRYAN
OFFICE HOURS MOM.-FRI. 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
OFFICE: 774-7666 AFTER HOURS: 775-3133
Diplomate American Board of Internal Medicine & Gastroenterology
SKI
Winterpark
JAN. 8-15
Nutritionist studies eating habits, diet
of various animal species at Dallas Zoo
DALLAS (AP) — To look at
Demba the gorilla, who sits innocent
and Buddha-like before a dinner of
celery, the casual observer might not
notice that she is uniformly tubby,
monstrously pot-bellied and a thief.
But there is no mistaking the
grumpiness manifest in her mate.
Fubo has suffered the indignity of
having his own Demba steal his pri
mate biscuits in the morning.
He has taken his irritation out on
his keepers at the Dallas Zoo and has
beaten up Demba. At feeding time,
Demba and Fubo have sustained mi
nor wounds — all over sweet pota
toes and spinach.
The problem confounded Bonnie
Raphael, the zoo veterinarian. After
an unsuccessful attempt with a re
duction diet for Demba, she called
Dave Baer, a prominent animal nu
tritionist from Silver Spring, Md.
Recently, Baer roamed the zoo
with a duffel bag of weighing scales
and clipboards, trying to get to the
bottom of dietary problems such as
Demba’s.
“People think of nutrition at zoos
as being real simple,” Raphael said.
“But it’s complicated.”
The 401 species and 1,519 ani
mals at the Dallas Zoo kept Baer
busy. But this was not his first visit.
He came to the zoo two years ago to
help train some keepers.
Baer has a bachelor’s degree in
zoology and a master’s degree in ani
mal nutrition. He is also well-versed
in the latest research.
Take Papa the hippopotamus.
“He is looking a little thin,” Baer
said. “This is something I wouldn’t
see, but the keepers have.”
Weighing Papa is almost impossi
ble. He’s close to several tons, and it
would take a truck scale to do the
job. But his keepers have noticed his
backbone and hip bones are pro
truding. Normally, he is completely
spherical.
Papa is about 32 years old, which
for a hippo is rather old.
Baer said his teeth could be going
bad, or his system may be less effi
cient. Most hippos in captivity live
only into their 40s.
“We can give him a diet easiei to
digest,” Baer said. “We’ll sample dif
ferent feeds and see what happens.”
Baer is not sure what to do about
Demba and Fubo.
At 17, Demba is getting up in
years and she has yet to bear off
spring. Fubo, who at 20 has fathered
two gorillas, cannot be blamed.
“Gorillas spend 40 percent of
their waking hours foraging for
food,” Baer said. “Demba doesn’t
move enough and I think she’s bo
red.”
Demba’s obesity may be contribut
ing to her infertility, Raphael said,
and the zoo would like the gorillas,
which are a vanishing species, to
bear some progeny.
Man lives up to promise to become ‘river rat’
SILSBEE (AP) — Pete Reed always told his
kids that as soon as he got them grown and mar
ried off, he was going to become a river rat.
A man of his word, he started building a
houseboat not long after that happened and has
been on the water ever since.
He and his wife, Lois, stay on the floating
home underneath the Neches River bridge on
U.S. 96, and their two years there have convinced
them of one thing:
“If I ever had to live on land again, I wouldn’t
know what to do,” Lois says, echoing Pete’s views.
It’s easy to see what they mean. Inside the
modest houseboat, the lazily flowing brown water
and tree-lined shores are visible through every
window but one. Ferns wave gently in the breeze
on the fenced-in porch, decorated with flower
boxes and furnished with rocking chairs for eve
ning philosophizing.
A gentle, barely noticeable rocking motion re
minds you you’re on the water, not land. And the
minute you step aboard, although you’re just feet
from the shore, you feel different.
“There’s a peace on this river, it’s something
about the river,” Pete says slowly, looking out his
kitchen window. “You don’t have some things
other people have, but you sure have something
they don’t have.”
The rent may be free, but the Reeds must haul
their drinking water and wood for their wood-
burning stove. Their biggest expenses are coal oil
and butane, and, of course, materials for their
ongoing carpentry projects, one of which starts
right after the last one is finished.
“How long did it take to build this thing?” Pete
echoes a visitor’s question. “Heck, we’re still not
finished.”
While most people start from the ground up,
the Reeds started from the water up. Once they
built the basic barge, or what is now the floor,
they stayed in a tent on board as they built the
walls and finally the roof.
They located a butane-powered refrigerator
so they didn’t have to make trips to the grocery
store every day.
And they have running water, sort of. Pete’s
father, Charlie Reed, while trotting to the sink,
says, “See, you run over here, and then you
pump your water and then you run back.” The
water he pumps into the sink, though, is river wa
ter used for baths and washing dishes. Their
drinking water is in a yellow cooler by the door,
next to a large glass jar full of candy.
The candy is for Molly Moore, “the youngest
river rat,” as Lois calls her 4-year-old grand
daughter who spends as much time as she can on
the houseboat with her grandparents.
“It’s nice being out on the water and all be
cause it is so peaceful,” Lois says, watching the
sun stretch colorfully over the water at dusk.
“But the best part is the freedom. We’re free.”
Spans, by
Weigh tl ifting
club
Steve Buras
845-5020
$300.
Includes:
"TrnNSpprf a+ioM
Coudos
Shi Reu-tals
LifV TtcViefs
THE cASCTS TN XT=ALt)
TWO LECTURES By P^OLO B AHUCCHIE'RX
Texas A&TT. Professor at La Poggerina
TATTU's Ttatian Study Center
Giotto. Uffizi, Florence
Dante & Giotto: Literary Space & Pictorial Space
Friday Nov. 13 2:00 pm Room 510 Rudder
The Medieval City as a Contemporary Solution
Friday Nov. 20 2:00 pm Room 510 Rudder
L
Study Abroad Office
145-0544
161 Biwell West