The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, January 19, 1989, Image 9

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    Thursday, January 19,1989
The Battalion
Page 15
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Woman faces
extradition
to Michigan
WALKER, Mich. (AP) — A
former nurse’s aide has waived
extradition and agreed to return
to Michigan from Texas to face a
charge of murder in the death of
a 98-year-old nursing home pa
tient.
Gwendolyn Graham, held in
the Smith County Jail near Tyler,
Texas, in lieu of $1 million bond
since early December, ended her
six-week extradition fight Tues
day.
Walker Police Chief Walt
Sprenger said Wednesday that
Ms. Graham probably would be
returned to Walker to face ar
raignment early next week.
Ms. Graham, 25, is charged
with killing Edith Cook, who died
April 7, 1987, at Alpine Manor
Nursing Home in this Grand
Rapids suburb.
Another suspect, Catherine
Wood, told police Ms. Graham
used a washcloth to suffocate Ms.
Cook and several other patients
between January and May 1987,
according to court documents.
Ms. Wood, a former nurse’s
aide supervisor at the home, has
been ordered to stand trial on two
counts of open murder in the
deaths of Cook and another pa
tient, 60-year-old Marguerite
Chambers. Police suspect the
pair, who were lovers, may have
killed as many as eight patients at
the home.
Ms. Wood, 26, told police Ms.
Graham killed the patients for
the “emotional release” it pro
vided her.
“Somewhere down the line
there may very well be other
charges” against Ms. Graham,
Sprenger said without elaborat
ing. He said it was unlikely the
charges would be brought before
next week’s arraignment.
“We weren’t expecting her
back so soon, so we’re going to
have to work a little bit faster than
we thought ,” Sprenger said.
Authorities said Ms. Graham
informed jailers about 3 p.m.
Tuesday that she wanted to waive
her extradition.
“She just wanted to get it over
with,” District Judge Bill Coats
said in Texas. T don’t know what
caused it (her to waive her extra
dition) ... They get tired of sitting
in these jails, but I imagine she’ll
get tired up there, too.”
The deaths originally were be
lieved to be from natural causes.
Police began investigating after
Ms. Wood’s ex-husband came
forward to report the deaths as
slayings. He said his ex-wife told
him the two women suffocated
patients for fun and were trying
to spell the word “MURDER”
with the patients’ initials, accord
ing to court documents.
AUSTIN (AP) — An Austin high-
tech company’s plan to test workers
for use of illegal drugs was upheld
Wednesday by a state appeals court.
The 3r d Court of Appeals agreed
with a district court ruling in favor
of Minco Technology Labs Inc. The
company was sued by employee
Brenda Jennings, who contended
that testing violated her privacy.
The Texas Civil Liberties Union,
which represented Ms. Jennings, has
said the case was the first in Texas
involving urine tests by private com
panies.
Wednesday’s appeals court deci
sion was hailed by Minco’s lawyer,
John Blazier, who said the company
believes testing is necessary.
“When a manufacturer of micro
chips places into commerce a chip
that is used in (heart) pacemakers,
the space shuttle, nuclear subma
rines, there’s no room for manufac
turing defects or errors,” Blazier
said. “And so in this context, I think
drug testing is appropriate.”
James Harrington, legal director
of the civil liberties union, said he
wasn’t surprised by the ruling, add
ing that, “We know this issue is going
to be decided by the (Texas) Su
preme Court.”
Jennings filed suit two years ago,
after the company announced plans
for tests that Minco officials said
were needed to guarantee product
quality and maintain its reputation.
The 3rd Court opinion, written by
Justice John Powers, said that Jen
nings was employed on an “at will”
basis, meaning employment contin
ues at the mutual pleasure of em
ployer and employee.
“Generally, when the employer
notifies an employee of changes in
employment terms, the employee
must accept the new terms or quit,”
the opinion said. “If the employee
continues working with knowledge
of the changes, he has accepted the
changes as a matter of law.”
The court said that employees do
have a right to privacy, but it noted
that Jennings’ argument suggested
“the state’s public policy in favor of
the right of privacy is transcendingly
important...”
“(Jennings) may consent or not to
any future requirement that she give
a urine sample or participate in a re
habilitation program, should either
be asked of her; or she may reject
further employment on the mod
ified terms proposed by the com
pany,” the appeals court said.
“She may not, however, deter
mine unilaterally what the terms of
her employment shall be and compel
the company to contract with her on
that basis against its will. In any case,
her privacy interest will not be in
vaded without her consent...”
Minco’s lawyer, Blazier, said drug
testing at the company, which has
about 150 employees, has been on
hold while the case was in court.
Harrington said the appeals court
focused on a revised drug-testing
policy which he called “light years
ahead” of the original, sending those
who test positive to a rehabilitation
program rather than firing them.
But he said the civil liberties union
still opposed the procedure because
it permits random testing without
cause or suspicion.
“That’s still the main deficiency in
the revised program,” Harrington
said.
West Germany starts probe
into firms who aided Libya
FRANKFURT, West Germany West German involvement in the
(AP) Prosecutors^Wednesday an- suspected Libyan chemical weapons
i .. i pl an t. He said the tips also involved
nounced criminal probes of a key
company in the Libyan chemical
weapons plant dispute and a Bavar
ian company that reportedly deliv
ered sophisticated equipment to Li
bya’s air force.
The new probes bring to three the
number of criminal investigations in
the widening scandal, and in each
case authorities acknowledged they
were checking allegations made by
West German news reports.
Since the first allegations of West
German involvement were pub
lished early this month, the nation’s
news media have been particularly
aggressive about pursuing the story.
Politicians, meanwhile, have had
to retract their earlier denials of
West German involvement with the
plant in Rabta, 60 miles south of the
Libyan capital of Tripoli. Washing
ton says it was built to make chemical
arms, while the Libyan government
of Col. Moammar Gadhafi says it will
make pharmaceuticals.
In Bonn on Wednesday, Chan
cellor Helmut Kohl sat with other
lawmakers as his chief aide, Wolf
gang Schaeuble, addressed an acri
monious session of Parliament about
when the government in Bonn first
learned of the charges.
Schaeuble said the U.S. govern
ment in May passed on tips about
the alleged German help in provid
ing Gadhafi’s air force with midair
refueling capability.
The Frankfurt prosecutor’s office
said Wednesday it has opened a
criminal investigation of the now-de-
“Our authorities opened
the probe against LB.I.
on Friday because of sus
picion of reported viola
tions of export laws. ”
—-Jochen Schroers,
Frankfurt prosecutor
funct I.B.I. Engineering company,
which U.S. officials have accused of
providing equipment for the plant.
“Our authorities opened the
probe against I.B.I. on Friday be
cause of suspicion of reported viola
tions of export laws,” Frankfurt
prosecutor Jochen Schroers told
The Associated Press in a telephone
interview.
He declined to provide further in
formation about I.B.I., which alleg
edly provided the contracts to the
West German companies to build
the plant.
West Germany’s ARD television
network reported that about 50
companies just in the greater Frank
furt area are suspected of having
taken part. Federal customs officials
are also investigating.
In Munich, chief prosecutor
Heinz Stocker said he was looking
into a report in this week’s Der Spie
gel magazine that says the Intec
Technical Trade and Logistik com
pany has been helping Libya de
velop the ability to refuel its war
planes while in flight.
The prosecutor said he had al
ready planned to investigate Intec,
but added authorities want to know
whether the report in Spiegel is cor
rect.
The probe against Intec concerns
fuel tank equipment sent to Libya
and may also involve violations of
West Germany’s export laws, he
said. “We don’t know what was done
with this equipment in Libya.”
Der Spiegel reported 10 Intec-
hired engineers are playing a key
role in helping Libya fit warplanes
and transport planes with equipment
necessary for mid-air refueling to
extend the warplanes’ range.
The Imhausen-Chemie company
is also being investigated, Offenburg
prosecutor Werner Botz said.
Poll shows most people support Bush
although they think he’ll raise taxes
NEW YORK (AP) — Most Americans thinK
well of George Bush and hold high expectations
for his presidency, but an overwhelming majority
believes he will abandon his pledge of no new
taxes, a national poll has found.
Six in 10 respondents to the Media General-
Associated Press survey said Bush, who made his
“read my lips — no new taxes” pledge a cor
nerstone of his campaign, should not seek a tax
increase. But 71 percent said they expect him to
do so.
Nonetheless, Bush, who takes his oath Friday
as the 41st president, won high marks for his
Cabinet choices and his preparations for office
since the election.
He was viewed favorably by 59 percent of
those surveyed, precisely the same approval rate
President Reagan received in a Media General-
AP poll last spring. Twenty-five percent rated
Bush unfavorably; the rest withheld judgment.
In another favorable comparison with his pop
ular predecessor, expectations for Bush’s presi
dency came close to the ratings of Reagan’s per
formance in a Media General-AP poll conducted
in the fall.
Forty-eight percent in the new poll said Bush
will be a good president and 13 percent said ex
cellent. Similarly, this fall 47 percent said history
would view Reagan as a good president, 20 per
cent excellent.
The new poll was conducted by telephone Jan.
4-12 among a random sample of 1,162 adults na
tionwide. It has a three-point margin of sampling
error.
Although the survey found considerable levels
of unfamiliarity with Bush’s nominees for his
Cabinet, 45 percent said their overall impression
was that the Cabinet was a good one, and an ad
ditional 8 percent called it excellent.
Among those who had opinions of the more
prominent nominees, they were overwhelmingly
positive.
And there was limited desire for more women
or minority nominees, with 70 percent saying
race and sex were irrelevant. Bush has picked
two women, one black and two Hispanics for
Cabinet-level jobs.
Of his better-known nominees, the best known
and best liked was former Transportation Secre
tary Elizabeth Dole, nominated as secretary of la
bor: Two-thirds viewed her favorably, a rating
better even than Bush’s, while 7 percent disap
proved. The rest, 28 percent, had no opinion.
Others also did well. Former Treasury Secre
tary James A. Baker III, nominated as secretary
of state, was viewed favorably by 57 percent and
unfavorably by 7 percent; former Rep. Jack
Kemp, picked for secretary of housing, had a 52-
10 positive rating, and Attorney General Dick
Thornburgh, chosen to keep his position, scored
51-7. The rest had no opinion.
Majorities had no opinion yet of other key
nominees — former Sen. John Tower, named to
defense; Treasury Secretary Nicholas Brady,
keeping his job, and Louis Sullivan, health and
human services nominee.A huge 83 percent had
no opinion of former New Hampshire Gov. John
Sununu, named chief of staff.
On Bush’s overall transition to the presidency,
46 percent said he had done a good job since the
election in preparing to take over and 11 percent
said excellent; 28 percent gave him a fair rating,
7 percent poor.
Even with his good grades, public doubt about
Bush’s campaign pledge of no new taxes ex
tended even to members of his own party.Six in
10 Republicans, and as many conservatives, said
they think he will seek higher taxes in the nex
four years.
CAMP OZARK
COUNSELOR POSITIONS
A Christian sports and adventure camp for boys and girls ages
8-16, located in the heart of the Ouachita Lake and Mountain
Region in Arkansas, is now accepting applications for coun
selor positions.
SLIDE PRESENTATION:
Thursday, January 19 9:00 p.m. Rudder Bldg. Rm. 302
For more information contact: Camp Ozark
SR 2 Box 190
ML Ida, Ark. 71957 (501) 867-2071
DAVE’S LIQUOR
B.T.S.
Sale*
Jim Beam
why 750ml 80°
6.99
Ancient Age
why 1.75! 80°
12.99
Charo Tequilla
L 80°
5.99
Ron Matusalm Rum lso”
5.99
Miller Lite
16 gal keg
39.00
*See Dave 524 Universit y Dr -
U&MJS 696-4343
Q'RSIS
Phi Kappa Theta at the Parthenon
Thursday January 19
No Cover
(Sweethearts also welcome)
For Details Call:
Bryan 693-7055 or Gary 696-4334
NIIN«
/A
HALF OFF
OF EVERYTHING
R
A . ,
l M«TXN$
Saturday, January 21
not good with any other specials
no coupon necessary.
excluding handpacked and bulk ice cream
and yogurt and whole desserts and spe
cial orders.
Su-Th 10 a.m.-Midnight
Fr-Sa 10 a.m.-l a.m.
Drive thru ’til 1 a.m. daily
Stroll through the vineyard and taste
the award winning wines of
Messina Hof Wine Ceilars
Vinyard Tours: Saturday January 21
Sunday January 22
By Reservation
Retail Hours: Mon-Fri 8-4:30
Saturday 10-5
Sunday 12-4
★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★
£ Directions to Winery £
* 1) Exit Hwy 6 at Hwy 21 *
* 2) Travel east 2mi. to Wallis Rd. *
J 3) Follow Signs to Winery £
778-9463
Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo 75