Image provided by: Texas A&M University
About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 1988)
Monday, April 18,1988/The Battalion/Page 3 State and Local 1 Every participant wins at Youth Fun Day tin:;-. By Natalie Hedblom Reporter As the “Marine Hymn” played in Texas A&M’s Kyle Field Saturday, ipproximately 200 third, fourth and fifth-graders marched onto the field ' or the opening ceremony of Youth fun Day III, an afternoon tilled with various field events. In the event, sponsored by A&M’s are )l student Y, the children were divided Kills into four teams: radical red rockers, topi*; nirple penguins, aqua alligators and resjN lot pink panthers. Each team had an original team ell that they chanted throughout he day to show their team’s spirit. All four teams had counselors Musd^vho were A&M students. The coun- elors assisted the children and uliD), :heered them through the day. id l Paula Malone, a mother watching ter third-grade son, said she bought the Youth Fun Day staff ladcome up with some neat ideas. “The kids really seem to be enjoy- s: “Ht ng themself and it doesn’t even mat er if they are winning or losing,” Vlalone said. “I have never seen any araes like these.” The events were Dizzy Lizzy, Bal- oon Relay, Cotton Bowl Relay, poon Relay and Dress-up Relay. Talyn Koite, a third-grader at iam Houston Elementary School ji)lt[| ind a member of the aqua alligators, laid her favorite event was the dress- jpgame. ml ii IS DIE real enVi flUtSi irioia Some fifth-graders from Lamar Elementary School said the Dress-up Relay was their favorite game of the day also. The games were under the direc tion of David Mendoza, a senior computer science major from Beau mont. Mendoza served as sub-chairman last year for Youth Fun Day and this year had the role of chairman. “I have two younger sisters and I love children and enjoy working with them,” Mendoza said. Mendoza felt “Kids’ Day Out,” this year’s theme of Youth Fun Day, went very well. “The kids had a good time as well as the counselors,” he said. “That in itself made it successful.” He also felt this year’s Youth Fun Day was more publicized, which helped in its success. Student Y sponsored Youth Fun Day with the help of McDonalds, Coca-Cola and First City National Bank in Bryan. The day ended with a closing cer emony, when Mendoza taught the children and their parents the popu lar “Freeze” dance well-known to many A&M students. After the dance, ribbons were awarded to each child in the first, second, third and fourth place teams. Every child was a winner at Kids’ Day Out. Police chief denies blocking investigation HOUSTON (AP) — Police Chief Lee P. Brown denies that he has in terfered in the investigation into al leged criminal activity by members of a now-disbanded officers’ tactical unit. Harris County District Attorney John B. Holmes Jr. and some of his senior assistants, however, are angry at what they consider interference by top police officials in the investi gation of the Southeast Tactical Re sponse Unit, the Houston Chronicle reported Sunday. Among the accusations aimed at Brown and his senior staff are that members of the disbanded narcotics unit were tipped off they would be targets of an internal investigation before the inquiry was begun. Michael “Jamaica Mike” Grant, the informant whose tips led to the investigation, said one targeted offi cer “told me exact things I had told (internal affairs investigators).” The Chronicle reported that a source in the district attorney’s office accused Brown or his staff of hin dering the investigation by bogging down investigators with paperwork. The Radical Red Rockers, a team of third, fourth and fifth-graders participating in Youth Fun Day, Photo by Lisa Roe runs onto Kyle Field during the opening ceremo nies Saturday. m etters urging ban on ‘dial-a-porn’ flood PUC AUSTIN (AP) — Never have so many let ters— and prayers — been offered up for the Public Utility Commission of Texas. Some of them quoting from Scripture and offering prayers for guidance, more than j!0,000 Texans have written letters urging the three-member panel to ban controversial 976 lervices, including so-called “dial-a-porn” numbers. “To be telling our children and grandchil dren to just say no’ to drugs and alcohol, then making this type of material readily available V- it is simply not right,” Mary Brumley of Lufkin wrote. “These messages are, in reality, mother type of drug. Let’s say ‘no’ to this, plso.” On Tuesday, the PUC will consider a rule Ihat would ban all 976 services or allow tele phone customers to call by subscription only. Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. has sug gested an alternative: limiting 976 numbers to “honest entrepreneurs” who provide non- controversial programming and moving ob jectionable calls to a different prefix on a sub scription-only basis. The 976 service allows a phone customer to call a number — beginning with the prefix 976 — and listen to a recorded message for a fee. The messages generally feature adult en- tertaiment, jokes, prayers, sports information or news. Opponents want an outright ban on the service. “Do Texans really want to let someone try to make money by destroying the moral fiber of our society?” wrote Burton Moncrief of Waco. “Should someone be given the free dom to profit by luring the children of this state down a path of personal decay? I say no!” PUC spokesman Bill Dunn said the 976 is sue has generated more public outcry than even the most controversial of rate cases han dled by the regulatory commission. “It’s a different kind of issue for us,” Dunn told the Dallas Morning News. “It’s way be yond ‘are the rates too high?’ It’s real unusual that we get an issue that goes beyond dollars and cents and cuts into the social fabric.” The PUC postponed action on a 976 ban after a February public hearing. At that hear ing, representatives of the Texas Parent-Tea chers’ Association and several church groups urged an end to the telephone information industry. Meanwhile, sponsors of sports information lines, time-and-temperature numbers and fledgling soap opera-information services pleaded not to be put out of business. The PUC will consider two ways of hand ling public discontent over the services, Dunn said. “The bottom line is we’ve got two proposals — an outright ban on 976 or a plan to restruc ture 976 services to allow subscription only,” he said. Southwestern Bell spokesman Dave Lopez said the company has tried to deal with public concern over message services such as “dial-a- porn” by offering free blocking to customers who do not want 976 numbers called from their phones. In addition, the long-distance telephone companies AT&T, MCI and U.S. Sprint have provided “blocking” of long-distance 976 calls between Texas cities, Dunn said. Student Y reschedules charity event The community service pro ject, “Hands Across A&M,” was canceled Sunday because of poor weather conditions. The event, sponsored by the Texas A&M Student Y Association and radio station KKYS-FM, was resched uled for Sunday beginning at 1:30 p.m. Participants will meet at the Academic Building. Dave Mendoza, a senior com puter science major from Beau mont and public relations chair man for “Hands,” said the event was inspired by the national event, “Hands Across America.” All proceeds from the event will go to the Brazos Food Bank. e =*=MSC Wiley Lecture Series Thought provoking panel discussion with leaders of global scope on an issue of importance to our generation... and generations to come. Robert S. McNamara Former Secretary of Defense NUCLEAR WAR: Thinking the Unthinkable April 26, 8:00 Rudder Auditorium Tickets on sale now at the Rudder Box Office 845-1234 and at Dillards Texas A&M Flying Club ‘Teaching the Test to Tty the Test Interested people are urged to attend our meeting April 19, 1988 at the Airport Clubhouse For information Call Julie Scott 846-1279 7:00 p.m mm iNpm'S SIDENf tREVOLZirriOnt FOI^PESLCE: THE SWADHYAYA MOVEMENT Over the past 35 to 40 years, Swadhyaya, meaning "self-study", has transformed a hundred thousand Indian villages Into self-sustaining and self-reliant communities, affect ing the lives of nearly 20 million people. A lecture/discussion and slide presentation led by Dr. Betty M. Unterberger Department of History featuring members of the Swadhyaya Movement now living in the U.S. Monday, April 18 7:00 p.m. Harrington Lecture Room 207 FREE ADMISSION INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FORUM INDIA ASSOCIATION