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Vol. 87 No. 166 CJSPS 045360 6 Pages
College Station, Texas
Tuesday, June 28, 1988
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By Loyd Brumfield
Senior Staff Writer
I A week-old search for a missing
■exas A&M graduate in Belleville,
|l' ended in tragedy Monday when
)lice positively identified a body
und in a dry creek bed as Audrey
rdenas, a victim of an apparent
murder.
I Cardenas, a 24-year-old May jour-
lism graduate from Houston, had
en missing from her job as a news
ier intern at the Belleville News-
\emocrat since June 20.
A badly-decomposed, partially-
back to I Bide body was found Sunday morn-
onsiderat*
to arrange
i on furtbe
t recognittt
i restore tn-
not immei
ation of ibt
BGC spoke
ng in a creek bed near Belleville
rst Township High School, where
denas was known to jog.
A school custodian found the
l)dy, Belleville Police Chief Robert
Hurst said.
B Cardenas’ keys and other per-
Bnal items were (bund near her
Bidy, but police wouldn’t elaborate
Hi what else was found.
■ The St. Louis Major Case Unit
art requireftscalled i n on the case, but author-
iing by ihBes would not elaborate if there
ility to f® Jereany leads or suspects.
"The PBMH An autopsy was performed Sun-
court recoj-By night, but results from it and an
y to restort (jjiicial cause-of-death statement
disappoinieijere not expected to l)e released lin
ed addui'U tfl later this week,
ing from H Dental records were flown to Bel-
she saidikBville from Caallege Station Monday
dering otbflj to try to identif y the body,
the issuebB Hurst said murder was the most-
e the uncer likely cause of cleatli, hut the deterio-
es. Bted condition of the body made it
Bipossible to tell if sexual assault was
Bvolved.
jnd (Cardenas, who had been working
rthe News-Democrat 10 days, was
1st seen Sunday June 19 by a Belle-
jlle police officer at a local Wurst-
st celebration.
The town, located about 16 miles
lorn St. Louis, was in shock, said an
By Ashley A. Bailey
Staff Writer
University Police are still looking for a man
who assaulted a Haas Hall resident at 12:30 a.m.
Sunday in her second-floor dorm room, Bob
Wiatt, Director of Security and University Police
at Texas A&M University said Monday.
Wiatt said the suspect was described as a white
man in his 20s.
He is about 6-feet tall and weighs about 170
pounds.
He has brown hair, a brown mustache and
slanting eyes, Wiatt said.
The man apparently entered the woman’s
room through her unlocked door while she was
in the bathroom, Wiatt said.
When she saw him hiding in the hallway adja
cent to the bathroom, he grabbed her and threw
her against the closet, he said.
The woman then screamed and the suspect
told her to shut up, Wiatt said.
The two struggled momentarily until the
woman’s roommate entered the room, he said.
The suspect then left the room, ran down the
hall and exited the dorm, he said.
The victim’s roommate said that neither she
nor her roommate knew the suspect.
Wiatt said the UPD responded to the call by
covering the area with several patrol units in the
hope of locating the man, but the suspect was not
found.
The crime is still under investigation and the
department is trying to respond to any similar
calls they get that might lead them to the suspect,
he said.
Wiatt said security around Haas or any other
dorm has not been increased because of the at
tack report made by the resident.
“We don’t have the luxury of flooding one
area with security and disregarding other areas,”
Wiatt said. “There are many dorms and other
areas that have to be patrolled and we don’t have
that many officers on duty. We also have a multi
tude of other calls to respond to.”
Wiatt said, however, that the department is
certainly aware of the incident and that patrol of
the area would be increased as much as it could
considering the quanity of officers the depart
ment has available for patrols.
The victim’s roommate said she was bothered
by the fact that other people heard the commo
tion but did nothing.
She said her roommate is suffering from a
bruised arm and a slightly-swollen face, but
otherwise is fine.
She also said her roommate was withdrawing
from A&M for the rest of the summer because of
the incident and would be back in the fall.
id posted'
sin last )'0
■ssion record
ntinuing
this year am
with large
by mid-Sefj
vate invesw|
of First 1
Battalion File Photo
Audrey Cardenas
employee of the News-Democrat.
“This is a very close-knit commu
nity,” said Fred Ehrlich, assistant city
editor. “Something like this is a very
rare occurence here and it’s a numb
ing feeling.”
Ehrlich said Cardenas, who also
worked for the Bryan-College Sta
tion Press, was a stellar intern for the
newspaper.
Her last assignment before she
disappeared concerned the comple
tion of a new part of a highway inter
state.
The newspaper previously of
fered a $5,000 reward for informa
tion on Cardenas’ whereabouts, but
upped it to $10,000 for any informa
tion leading to the arrest and convic
tion of anyone responsible for her
death.
Cardenas’ mother and father had
flown to Belleville to assist the police
and were preparing to return to
Houston Monday.
A memorial service is scheduled
for today at 3 p.m. in the chapel of
St. Elizabeth Hospital in Belleville.
Earthquake jolts
Northern California
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A
strong earthquake jolted Northern
California on Monday, causing San
Francisco skyscrapers to sway and
briefly halting commuter trains, but
there were no immediate reports of
damage or injury.
The state Office of Emergency
Services in Sacramento said the
quake hit 5.2 on the Richter scale,
while the U.S. Geological Survey of
fice in Menlo Park said the quake
registered 5.0.
The epicenter, USGS spokesman
Pat Jorgenson said, was about 16
miles south of San Jose, along the
San Andreas Fault. The time was set
at 11:43 a.m., she added.
There were no indications of in
jury or damage, San Jose police said.
The quake was felt over a large
area, extending from Santa Rosa,
about 60 miles north of San Fran
cisco, to the Santa Cruz area 70 miles
to the south.
The temblor lasted up to 10 sec
onds in many areas. The 38 trains
running on Bay Area Rapid Transit
lines were halted briefly to allow a
check for track damage and then al
lowed to resume operation.
“It hit real hard like something
going into the side of the building.
Nothing fell, but light standards
swayed back and forth,” said Tom
Honig, city editor of the Santa Cruz
Sentinel.
Walt Glines, news editor of the
Dispatch in Gilroy, said half the
workers in the newspaper’s city
room “didn’t even notice” the rolling
quake, which he said seemed to hit
that area in two waves.
“The first time, I thought it was a
caffeine rush. But when the second
one hit, I knew,” he said.
A South San Francisco police dis
patcher, who identified herself only
as Pat, said her department had re
ceived a few calls, but none report
ing damage.
entsen makes list of possible VPs
— WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen.
General At Joy d jjentsen of Texas, who moved
prelimin || nt() ,| ie congressional forefront over
mate owl Bp p as t t j iree y ears i n the Demo-
t0 rfSiatic drive to sharpen the nation’s
t the FDI ■|g e j n gi 0 hal trade, is once again in
id the fun B e spotlight as Michael Dukakis
d be e^Bulis over hj s vice presidential op
tions.
BA Southwestern conservative, a
widesprw Botestant, a Washington insider —
oil dnlf jBintsen chairs the powerful Senate
lahoma s" (nance Committee, a record on de-
obeasign B nse t h at | s hawkish but not stri-
e FDIC’ ; Bpntly so — what more could likely
un, but thjp emocrat ic nominee Dukakis ask if
ient to » a balanced ticket is his goal for the
■ can lore | fj|| campaign?
( No Democrat has been elected
(resident in this century without
. (trying Texas, and Bentsen would
recasi! be a formidable opponent in one of
He states all-but-certain Republican
(ominee George Bush calls home,
even we et-ft
( In fact, the Texas senator knows
id Sprinkcll all about defeating Bush — he did it
now are til the 1970 senate race,
iflationfotfl Bentsen, an elegantly tailored, sil-
r because'per-haired patrician, is the scion of a
of the widj Wealthy landed family from the Rio
od prices (rande Valley, often seen tooling
n about B
ic rest isju ;
said Micitat
private ectf
m in Wast
around Capitol Hill in a cream-col
ored Mercedes-Benz convertible.
Friends describe Bentsen’s way
with a speech as “not incendiary.”
Actually, his carefully qualified,
never overstated commentaries on
the nation’s foreign trade outlook
have been known to draw yawns and
glazed eyes.
Bentsen mounted a 1976 run for
the Democratic presidential nomi
nation but excited little interest. In
1984, he was on Democratic nomi
nee Walter Mondale’s list of possible
running mates — one of the few
white males in a field that included
former San Francisco Mayor Dianne
Feinstein and eventual pick Ger
aldine Ferraro.
On the negative side, Bentsen cre
ated a furor in February 1987 when
it was revealed that he had asked
lobbyists to pay $10,000 apiece to
join him for breakfast once a month.
The breakfast club, called the
“Chairman’s Council,” held one
meeting and was quickly disbanded
with Bentsen promising to return
the money collected from an esti
mated 40 lobbyists.
Bentsen was born Feb. 11, 1921,
in Mission, Texas, the son of “Big
Lloyd” Bentsen, who migrated to the
Rio Grande? Valley after World War
I and made himself wealthy as a
rancher and by buying land and re
selling it, largely to Midwest farmers
who wanted to become citrus pro
ducers.
He received a law degree from the
University of Texas in 1942 and
joined the Army Air Corps, earning
his pilot’s wings and flying bomber
missions over the Third Reich. He
served as a Hidalgo County, Texas,
judge from 1946 through 1948,
when he was elected to the U.S.
House.
Bentsen was a member of the
House until 1955, when he retired to
go into business and enhance his
family’s fortunes. He took over the
operation of a small insurance com
pany and transformed it into a fi
nancial holding company, increasing
its size several times in the process.
He also kept his hand in Texas
politics, serving as state finance
chairman for Lyndon B. Johnson’s
campaigns. Content with his busi
ness achievements, Bentsen re-en
tered politics in 1970, defeating lib
eral incumbent Ralph Yarborough
in the primary and broadening his
appeal in the general election to de
feat Bush.
Bentsen could be of as much value
off the ticket as on it. He is up for re-
election this year and his much-
vaunted organization could make
Dukakis competitive in Texas if
Bentsen leads the state office ticket.
As Finance Committee chairman,
Bentsen presides over tax and trade
legislation and this year was sponsor
of a catastrophic health insurance
bill.
Record trade deficits in recent
years combined with layoffs caused
by import competition and resulting
congressional ferment have put the
focus on Bentsen. Voluntary re
straints on Japanese auto shipments
to the United States were imposed
after he and Sen. John C. Danforth,
R-Mo., offered legislation that
would have made import curbs man
datory.
The bill was largely a gesture on
their part and Bentsen has most of
ten been a critic of protectionism, al
though in 1984 he did vote in favor
of legislation to roll back Asian tex
tile imports.
:o have (M
it a reason
ecast of cof
d be 5 to 5-’
Regents plan
second round
of interviews
Catholic bishops plan new,
updated paper about AIDS
ring boon 1
ment spe^
pt the ecof
mmerceDf’H ^ exas A&M Board of Re-
that an es» nts Presidential Selection Commit
tee Monday announced that it will
meet to interview candidates for the
ojlfice in Dallas Wednesday, the sec-
asonally ^1 0I1< ^ suc ^ rneet: i n g * n the last week.
3 6 nerceflB Presnal, executive secretary of
Denod Board of Regents and secretary
>adest me J ' ol t ^ le Search Advisory Committee,
I.u ffreW tt Bid the meeting would begin at 1
nn-'arliusisl P' n - Wednesday in the DEW Air-
5 trillion. i B ort ^y a tt Hotel in Dallas and
e from iH VV(,U 'H go into executive session.
7 (
n |i(P resna * would not name the can-
•P J didates to be interviewed, but said
;vision oM a , , „ .
3NP gro« ere woulfl not be man y-
"Nf^ero^B ^ resnal a h° refused to name the
K three candidates interviewed at the
Hyatt Hotel in New York
J)me 22, but said that the interview-
, tig was conducted by committee
,l )lL ' Hembers David Eller, chairman, Dr.
lin 8’ n ! 0 ..E|phn Coleman, Douglas DeCluitt,
n pure 11 lMHi arn McKenzie, John Mobley and
Chancellor Perry Adkisson.
If Brand
vas a mut'p
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. (AP) — Acknowledging
weaknesses in a controversial paper on AIDS, a national
conference of Roman Catholic bishops decided unani
mously Monday to write a new, updated statement in
consultation with the Vatican.
Cardinal Joseph Bernardin of Chicago, who made
the motion for a new paper on AIDS teachings, said the
paper “The Many Faces of AIDS — A Gospel Re
sponse” could still be used however bishops wish.
The last of the major items on the agenda at the Na
tional Conference of Catholic Bishops at St.John’s Uni
versity, the AIDS paper proposed to have the church
teach about condoms as a way to stem transmission of
AIDS. It had been criticized by some church officials as
an apparent endorsement of condoms.
“We’re not replacing it,” Archbishop John May of St.
Louis told a news conference after Monday’s session.
“This new document will be a document of the whole
conference, all the bishops together,” he said. “It will
carry the discussion further.”
The church leaders said the existing paper on AIDS
should have been clearer on the church teachings about
condoms and should have been drafted in closer con
sultation with the Vatican.
The paper, written by the conference’s administra
tive board, also framed sharp differences between con
servative and liberal factions and questions over the role
Cool it
Photo by Jay Janner
Starter Rick Allenstein cools off a starting block before a race at the
Aggie Open Swim Meet at Cain Pool Saturday. Seventeen teams were
in the meet, which was sponsored by the Aggie Swim Club.
Amino acid may
lower side effects
of epilepsy drugs
of the bishops conference in teaching parishioners.
The AIDS paper stresses abstinence from sex outside
marriage and fidelity within marriage. But, noting that
many in society reject church teachings on sexuality, it
says education programs could include “accurate infor
mation about prophylactic devices” as a means of pre
venting transmission of AIDS.
The incurable, fatal disease is spread mainly by the
exchange of blood or semen during sexual contact or by
intravenous drug use.
A Vatican official, in a private letter to the bishops,
criticized the AIDS paper and faulted them for sowing
confusion among Catholics by considering it.
The Milwaukee Sentinel said it obtained a copy of the
letter by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, w'ho says bishops
should approve use of condoms under no circum
stances and should have consulted the Vatican. Rat
zinger, chief of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doc
trine of Faith, had the comments included in a
confidential booklet prepared for the bishops’ study.
In conclusion, Ratzinger expressed confidence the
bishops would follow “these considerations, which are
known to his Holiness and have his fullest support.”
Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert G. Weakland said
he was surprised because the letter marked the first
time the conference had received a private communica
tion from Rome before discussing an issue.
By Juliette Rizzo
Reporter
A Texas A&M scientist has found
that glycine, a simple amino acid
used in dietary supplements, may
improve the effectiveness and re
duce the side effects of drugs used to
prevent epileptic seizures.
Dr. Steven Peterson, associate
professor of pharmacology said
most anti-convulsant drugs used to
treat epileptics have sedative-like
side effects such as drowsiness or
mild intoxication.
“ There are three major types of
seizures associated with epilepsy,”
Peterson said.” The seizures often
can be controlled by medication, but
each responds differently to treat
ment.”
Epilepsy is the recurring activity
of a large number of nerve cells in
the brain.
“ A lot of cells activate or fire at
the same time,” he said, “causing va
rious peripheral manifestations or
the loss of control of bodily func
tions.”
More than one million Americans
suffer from grand mal, petit mal or
psychomotor seizures. Each type of
seizure can be associated with epi
lepsy.
Grand mal, which involves the
embarrassing loss of control of the
bodily functions, is the most familiar
form of seizure associated with epi
lepsy. Petit mal, otherwise known as
the absent seizure because the pa
tient stops and stares blankly, is the
most prevalent form.
In the medical science laborato
ries at A&M, Peterson is using gly
cine, an amino acid, simultaneously
with anti-convulsant drugs to poten
tiate or increase the drugs’ thera
peutic effects while minimizing their
toxicity.
He said the problem doctors face
with epilepsy is being able to give the
patient a strong enough drug to pre
vent a seizure without promoting ex
cessive drowsiness or other side ef
fects such as depression which is
associated with grand mal seizures.
So far, he found that large doses
of glycine seem to reduce the dosage
of two common anti-convulsant
drugs used to prevent epilepsy-like
seizures in laboratory animals.
“ Glycine seems to be relatively
nontoxic,” he said. “ It makes the
drugs more protective, without in
creasing toxicity, but this does not
mean glycine will work in every case.
” he said.
Peterson’s research is part of a
five year study he is conducting for
the National Institute of Health. His
work is based on past research that
found that extremely large doses of
glycine given alone might provide
some protection against seizures.
“ The idea was that if you could
give a large dose of glycine say, a
pill with your breakfast every morn
ing then you could cut back on
the patient’s anti-convulsant and still
get protection from seizures,” he
said. “ With less anti-convulsant, you
might have fewer side effects from
the drugs.”
Peterson said clinical testing of
glycine is in the future.
“ There have been two reports,
not scientifically based, that several
grams of glycine have made a differ
ence in preventing seizures,” he said.
“ But right now, we are still in the ex
perimental stage.”