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The Battalion ; ■ %£ N -
STATE & LOCAL
3
Thursday, August 10,1989
—
Conroe man charged with murder
made previous threats to children
CONROE (AP) — A man charged
with capital murder in the killing* of
his two children had made threats
against them last month in another
county, officials said.
Russell Billingsley Sr.. 27, was
(ailed (or 12 hours on July 24 on a
complaint of disorderly conduct af
ter allegedly threatening his chil
dren at the family's home in Vidor,
authorities in Orange County said
Billingsley was tnarged Tuesday
in Montgomery County
deaths of his daughter.
in the
Brandy
Vapors cause
plane to head
back to Houston
HOUSTON (AP) — A Continen
tal Airlines airbus en route to New
York's l.a Cuardia Airport made an
emergency landing Wednesday at
Houston's Intercontinental Airport
shortly after takeoff when crew
members sighted sapors in the
cabin, a spokesman sain
Continental spokesman Ned
Walker said crew members aboard
flight 122 noticed a light vapor de
veloping in the cabin shortly after
takeoff about noon. As a precaution
ary measure, the captain of the A-
S00 airbus with 120 passengers de
cided to return to Intercontinental,
he said.
Continental maintenance crews
who examined the aircraft said the
vapor was caused by heavy conden
sation in the air conditioning system,
he said.
lire plane landed safely, taxied to
the gate and passengers were being
accommodated on other flights.
Walker said.
Mane. 7. and son. Russell Jr., b. who
were shot Monday (list outside l^mk-
ford’s Water Hole Tavern, about
four miles southeast ol Conroe.
Montgomery County Sheriffs De
tective Tracy Peterson said Ian
Mane Billingsley. 24. had left her
husband and children in Vidor a lew
weeks ago and moved into her par
ents' resident e behind the tavern
near(x>nroe.
“He (Billingsley) had told her over
the phone he was going to kill the
kids because nobodv wanted them."
Peterson said “As best we can tell,
they'd had a lot of lamilv problems
that provoked him to drive up (to
the tavern) from Vidor with the
kids
Orange Counts Sheriffs Deputy
WJ. Hubltard said he assumed
Billingsley had sought psychiatric
help and the case was referred to
He had told her.. he
was going to kill the kids
because nobody wanted
them”
— Tracy Peterson,
Detective
child welfare officials. Hubbard said
be heard no more about it until the
thildren were killed
Billingsley, himself shot in a fam
ily dispute (hat led to the killings,
underwent surgery Monday night at
" Medical Center Hospital in Conroe
with a .22-caliber bullet lodged in his
brain, officials said. He is listed in
stable condition and is expected to
be released this weekend. Peterson
said.
Montgomery County investigators
say Billingsley was shot by his father-
. * in-law. Vern Lankford. 50. after
S ng into the lounge with his pistol
iwn.
i
Educator: School, good work ethic
helps deprived children reach goals
By Cindy McMillian
STAFF WRITER
Young people Irom levs lortunate ixukgtounds can
achieve their goals through hard work and education.
Beverly Clark, director ol the University ol Houston
Outreach Center, told ISO teen-agers and their parents
and friends Wednesday.
Clark, the keynote speaker at the scholarship and
awards program that dosed out this summer's South
Opportunities Unlimited pn»gram, said that many
young people wander aimlessly through high school
with no plans for the future and miss out on opportuni
ties for self-adsantemeut. *
If students follow the "proper work ethu — making
good grades, taking advantage ol opportunities and
working hard — then they can stay on the road to suc
cess. Clark said
Drugs, crime and unplanned pregnane irs can take
them off the road to success, she said She- told them to
stay in school, pointing out that education in< reases in
come and that more than 85 percent of Texas pi ison in
mates were high sc hool dro|>outs.
•''h** enmnraired the sindrnis to rrsiwct iea< hers and
other adult authorities who “vimriimes hold the kes to
your future.■*
The students were part of an eight-and-a-half week
program focused on high school students at risk of
dropping out of school. Thes lived in dorms, worked ai
on-campus (obs (or minimum wage and earned credits
lor high school graduation by taking English and math
(lasses at AfrM
D H Seastrunk, Headmaster of Y.O.U., said this
summer's program went “very well " The students were
tested before arrival and tested again at the end of the
program, he said, and they “showed measurable pro-
gress
Seastrunk said the program exposed the studen.s to
a variety of career potentials thev may not have consid
ered before Many of them experienced the responsibil
ity of living awav from home for the first time, he said
"We hope that their experience with college life will
serve as an incentive to continue education.'* he said
Placjues and certificates were awarded at the cere
mony for outstanding work, student government, good
citizenship, leadership. Y.O.U. Olympics, athletic excel
lence, talent show and academic excellence Schol
arships lor students who ch«x»se to attend A&M were
awamed as well
Poll: Texans prefer
6 Lone Star State’ as
license plate slogan
AUSTIN (AP) — The Lone
.Star State' was the overwhelming
favorite slogan for new Texas li
cense plates in an Austin Amrn-
can-Staresman poll, but many
readers submitted their own
ideas, ranging from political rom-
mentary to off-the-wall
statements
Of the 7.656 ballots submitted.
6,515 chose ‘Lone Star State.' 587
said keep the plates the way they
are — slogan-less — and 615 had
their own suggestions
Only 12l7lw» than two per
cent, chose ‘The Friendship
State,’ which was selected bv the
Texas Highway Commission and
has ignited the license plate flap
I exas has always been known
as the ‘Lone Star State.' and I'm
proud of it." wrote Frances Hill-
iker of Liberty Hill
Ballots poured into the news-
paper singly and in bulging enve
lopes sent bv entire offices full of
pcm>te and apparentlv entire
small towns _
Mary Lambert of Round Roc k
was one of the few who liked the
proposal by the Highway Com
mission “II we made 'Lone Star
State.' people would only think of
beer!" she wrote
Some readers combined Tame
Star State' and ‘Friendship State’
into The Friendly lame Star
State.'
Other suggestions included:
•‘Don’t Mess With Texas'
•‘Don’t Mess With Me State'
•■Don’t litterdamit'
•'Pinhead Legislature'
•‘The Bank Failure State'
•‘Texas, the Insolvent State'
•“Yankee Go Home"
•‘Bluebonnet State'
•‘Gateway to New Mexico'
•‘Gateway to Oklahoma'
Ex-police officer investigated
by FBI after rape conviction
HOUSTON (AP) — A former
Houston police officer convicted of
raping an intoxicated female pris
oner at a park is being investigated
by the FBI for possible civil rights vi
olations.
U.S. Attorney Henry Oncken said
the rase of fames Obula had been
refetred to the FBI for a “prelimi
nary investigation."
FBI spokesman Rolando D. Moss
said Tuesday the U.S. attorney's of
fice asked the bureau to investigate
whether Cebula, 29. used force and
violence to violate the woman's civil
rights in the Mas 2. 1988. attack.
The bureau's findings will be for
warded to the civil rights division of
the Justice Department, which will
recommend whether a grand jury
should consider them for a possible
indictment
Moss said the bureau also will look
into possiMr civil rights violations hv
Keith Ferguson. 22. who remains
charged with rape in the case. C>-
hula and Ferguson, a security guard,
arrested the woman outside a night
club.
* V
><\
^ V • jfl
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f STANLEY H. KAPLAN
O Tskr Kaplan Or Take tour (piances
Claaaeti begin Aug. 27
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TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY MSC FORSYTH CENTER GALLERIES
Selections From the College of Medicine Art Collection
Featuring works by Artists
JUHREE BASSETT
DICK DAVISON
JOSEPH DONALDSON
VIRGINIA GRONEMAN
JOE HUTCHINSON
MARGIT ILIKA
LUCINDA JOHNSON
LEA M. LYMAN
MARY CIANI SASLOW
ROBERT SCHIFFHAUER
RUTH SHILLING
JOSEPH SMITH
ALAN STACELL
MARY STONE
PAUL SUTTMAN
WANETA SWANK
RUDY VAVRA
JOHN WALKER
Artists’ Reception: Thursday, August 10,1989 from 630-830pm. Public invited.
Exhibition continues through August 20. Admission is free. m
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