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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1990)
Tuesday, May 1,1990 The Battalion Page 5 Candidate criticizes Clements’ lack of planning iichards says governor needs plan Associated Press Gov. Bill Clements should present a school fi- lance plan to the Legislature if he keeps his jromise to veto the measure they’ve sent him, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ann Rich- irds said Monday. “It would be incumbent upon him not only to lave a plan now, but he should have had a plan a long time ago,” Richards said, criticizing the Re- ublican governor’s handling of school finance ince the Texas Supreme Court last fall found the system unconstitutional. Clements vowed to veto the $555 million pro- sal funded by a half-cent sales tax increase de- ite the court’s order for a new system by Tues- ay. State attorneys will appear before a judge uesday to explain why no reforms were ap- roved before the deadline. Asked whether she was worried Texas public hools would close a few weeks before the end of e academic year, Richards said, “Of course, e’re worried.” But Richards would not say whether she sup- jrted the legislation. “I have refused in recent days to second-guess vhat is taking place in the Legislature because I leel sure that they’ve examined what opportuni- ies are available to them,” she said. “I think the sad part is we have a governor who las no position at all in terms of a positive solu- ion to what can be done,” she said. Richards said Clements should have called leg- slators into action on the issue immediately after the October ruling, instead of pushing schools to the brink of insolvency. “We knew there was a lot of political cynicism taking place when the special session was not called until the very last minute in which any so lution that was created was going to come about in a crisis situation,” Richards said. The governor calls special legislative sessions “I It would be incumbent upon him not only to have a plan now, but he should have had a plan a long time ago,” — Ann Richards, Guberatorial candidate and sets the agenda for them. The Legislature is finishing its second 30-day special session to re form the $13.5 billion school finance method, a combination of state and federal aid and local property taxes. The court said the system dis criminated between property-rich and -poor dis tricts. Richards was in Washington to accept an award in her duty as the state’s treasurer and to meet with Texas Democrats, including Sen. Lloyd Bentsen. Bentsen said he was confident Richards would beat Republican nominee Clayton Williams, a Midland rancher and businessman, in the No vember general election. “She’s been an excellent administrator of one of the state’s major agencies — treasurer — she’s a good campaigner and she’ll be a good gover nor,” Bentsen said. Richards repeated her vow to keep her cam paign focused on issues after winning the nomi nation in a primary that drew national attention because of the accusations of drug use and finan cial impropriety that were exchanged. She said remarks during the campaign became escalated “in this present atmosphere of inter preting and reinterpreting.” She refused to judge Williams’ admission he visited prostitutes as a teen-ager and his ranch- yard comparison of foul weather to rape, re marks that some analysts say have widened the gender gap in the race. “I’m going to continue not to comment,” she said. “I believe his words speak for themselves.” Richards received the 1990 Payment Systems Excellence Award from the National Automated Clearing House Association, a group of bankers and government officials that advocates electro nic funds transfer. Texas has nine programs using such methods, including tax collection and payment of state aid to school districts. A new program that reduces the time it takes large payments to be added to the Texas treasury is expected to add $5 million in non-tax revenue, she told the group’s conven tion. trong winds destroy balloon lesigned to stop drug smugglers ■ MARFA (AP) — A radar- ftuipped helium balloon designed to deter drug traffickers lay limp on I West Texas plain Monday where inspectors were trying to determine v[hy it ripped in pieces during high Rinds. R The balloon was moored when irface winds of 57 mph tore the lalloon in three sections at about 30 p.m. Saturday, officials said. “The site personnel at the aerostat eard a noise and went to investigate id found the aerostat had broken ito three pieces,” said Kathy amor, a U.S. Customs spokeswo- lan in Washington. Hamor said Customs and balloon- aker General Electric Co. officials ere in Marfa, about 170 miles iuth of El Paso, assessing the dam- g e - “Right now we don’t know the ause and we are investigating,”Ha- nor said. Each blimp costs $11.5 million to 12.5 million and $1.5 million a year |d operate, but all costs are now be- pg paid by GE which still owns the b.illoon and still is testing it. I “The balloon just came apart,” Danny Morris, a GE Marfa aerostat systems service engineer, told the Odessa American on Sunday. The Kevlar balloon ripped apart, broke into three pieces and hit the ground, Morris said. The three bal loon sections — its nose, hull and tail-fin — all landed within the site yard, a fenced-in area of 1,000 square feet. The sophisticated “look-down” ra dar package, which was affixed to the belly of the balloon, also suffered a lot of damage, he said. Morris was unsure if the winds were at fault in the accident. “We’ve been through this before,” he said of the high winds. “It ap peared the balloon suffered a rip ... Once it started ripping it kept going.” It took 10 to 15 seconds for the balloon to come apart. The unmanned balloon has been grounded since December 1989, when a similar balloon hovering about 6,000 feet over Eagle Pass snapped a tether and floated away. Workers deflated the balloon by re mote control, allowing it to crash- land at Carrizo Springs, about 46 miles southeast of Eagle Pass. A GE investigation released Feb. 21 revealed lightning had struck the moist tether where it had been pre viously repaired. The company is re designing a tether for the balloons. Three balloons with a 260-mile ra dar range each are supposed to monitor the Texas-Mexico border for low-flying drug-smuggling air craft that avoid conventional ra- dar.A balloon launch planned for Rio Grande City, about 90 miles southeast of Laredo, was delayed be cause of the Eagle Pass accident. The government plans to launch 16 aerostats, tethered 10,000 to 15,000 feet in the air from the Pa cific Coast to the Grand Bahamas. Currently five are in operation in Deming, N.M., Yuma and Fort Hua- chuca, Ariz., Grand Bahama Island and Cudjoe Key, Fla. “The whole aerostat line of de fense is a big part of the entire war on drugs in the Southwest, and once it’s fully operational we expect it to pay big dividends,” Dick Wert, a U.S. Customs spokesman, said. ury convicts police officer of voluntary manslaughter Dallas police warn drivers of new law DALLAS (AP) Dallas police say they are going to great lengths to warn ^cruisers” to stay away from the West End district of downtown. Although enforcement of a ban against cruising — driving around with no apparent destina* tion — in the shopping and din ing district won’t begin until May 11, the city already has signs up, and Dallas police are running newspaper ads telling about the ban. “It’s the first time we’ve used ads,” Dallas police Sgt. Jim Chan dler said Monday. ‘“The reason, of course, is we expect the (new) ordinance to be challenged.” Chandler said a city attorney recommended that police buy the advertising so no one can claim they did not get fair warning. A violation of the new ordi nance will result in a fine of up to $560. Police said they will stop motor vehicles that pass through traffic- control points more than three times between the hours of 8 p.m and 4 a.m. , DALLAS (AP) — A former Houston police officer was sentenced Monday to seven years in prison for the freeway shooting of Houston newspaper janitor Ida Lee Delaney. | Alex Gonzales, 25, was convicted in Dallas Friday of voluntary manslaughter in the Oct. 31 shooting death of Delaney. Gonzales had testified that Delaney shot at him and two other off-duty officers before they chased heron a Houston freeway for 12 miles. ; During the early morning chase, Delaney pulled her truck over to the side of the road, near a highway de partment vehicle, apparently seeking help. Delaney fired at Gonzales after he ran to her truck, gun in hand, and punched her in the face, witnesses testified. Crit ically wounded, he returned gunfire, killing the 50- year-old woman. Gonzales is a very coldhearted, ruthless person. He has no feelings.” Janice Myles, victim’s sister i An eight-woman, four-man jury spent most the day Monday determining Gonzales’ sentence. He could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. I The punishment phase in Gonzales’ trial began Mon day in Dallas County district court before Harris imunty District Judge Ted Poe. Poe moved the trial to pallas because of extensive publicity in Houston. cut here Charlotte Ragsdale, a member of the Ida Delaney Justice Committee, said the sentence “is at least a step in Dallas.” “Obviously, there was enough information and evi dence to bring some form of justice and that was critical in my opinion,” said Ragsdale, the sister of Dallas City Councilwoman Diane Ragsdale. “The family was looking for hope in the system in they were able to find it.” Charlotte Ragsdale said she believes that most people watching the case would feel that the sentence is fair. Defense attorneys had argued that sending a police officer or former officer to prison is like imposing a po tential death sentence because inmates often carry grudges against them. But prosecutors contended that police officers should be judged by a tougher standard than average citizens because officers are expected to enforce the law. Janice Myles, Delaney’s sister, said she was pleased with the sentence. Myles said she was not concerned about Gonzales’ fears that his life might be threatened in prison. “Gonzales is a very coldhearted, ruthless person,” Myles said. “He has no feelings.” Myles said although Gonzales has been sentenced to prison, he is still better off than her sister. “You know she’s gone,” Myles said. “The only thing I can do is go talk to her at her grave. But they can go visit him.” Gonzales and the two off-duty police officers were fired by former Houston Police Chief Lee Brown. All three have appealed their firings. Attendance skyrockets Record crowd sees air show in Fort Worth FORT WORTH (AP) — Spirits are soaring at Carswell Air Force base after record crowds turned out for a two-day air show over the weekend. Officials estimate that more than 1 million people attended the event, easily eclipsing the 1987 attendance record when an about 750,000 peo ple watched the show. “We were ready for a large crowd,” said Capt. Barbara Carr, chief of public affairs at Carswell. “But we had no idea how large it would be.” The combination of the F-117A Stealth fighter’s first air show ap pearance and the Thunderbirds, the Air Force aerobatic demonstration team, were probably the main rea sons for the free event’s success, Carr said. The Thunderbirds pilots flew F-16s built in Fort Worth. The base is normally closed to the public. About 500,000 people jammed through the gates Saturday, and about 600,000 people attended the show Sunday, Carr said. Defensive Driving Course May 14,15 & May 30, 31 College Station Hilton For more information or to pre-register phone 693-8178 24 hours a day. cut here i Battalion Classified SORORITY FORMAL FALL RUSH •1990 Registration in the MSC TUESDAY • MAY 1 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cruising Through Rush 845-0569 People will be available to answer questions. BOTHER’S BOOKSTORES THE PRICE IS RIGHT AT ROTHER’S SELL YOUR BOOKS NOW 340 George Bush Dr. 901 Harvey New Release Movie Rentals On Tuesday & Thursday M-Th 10-9 F&St 10-11 Sun. 1-9 693-5789 Located on the comer ot Texas & SW Parkway In the Winn Dixie Center, College Station MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED CO-OP STUDENTS REQUIRED MEETING FOR CO-OP STUDENTS SCHEDULED TO WORK IN SUMMER 1990 * Receive final reminders and instructions from co-op staff * Meet in small groups by major to receive additional instructions on co-op report * Meet in small groups by geographical location $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 Insomnia !^o Individuals (21-55 years old) who occasionally have trou- $iq0 ble sleeping due to short term stress to participate in a 1 $100 week insomnia research study. $100 incentive for those $100 chosen to participate. $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 %\ NEW COLD STUDY $75 Individuals who have recently developed a cold to participate in a $75 short research study with a currently available prescription medica- $75 tion. $75 incentive for those chosen to participate. $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $75 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 ADULT SORE THROAT STUDY $100 $100 Individuals 18 years & older with severe sore throat pain to $10° $100 participate in a investigational research drug study. $100 $100 $100 incentive for those chosen to participate. $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME STUDY Symptomatic patients with recent physician diagnosed, ir ritable bowel syndrome to participate in a short research study. $100 incentive for those chosen to participate. $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE STUDY Individuals with high blood pressure, either on or off blood pressure medication daily to participate in a high blood pressure study. $300 incentive, PLUS $100 RAPID ENROLLMENT BONUS for enroll ing and completing study. $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $400 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 PAINFUL MUSCULAR INJURIES Individual with recent lower back or neck pain, sprain, strains, muscle spasms, or painful muscular sport injury to participate in a one week research study. $100 incentive for those chosen to participate. $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 $100 CALL PAULL RESEARCH INTERNATIONAL 776-0400 A&M's video yearbook, Is option 23!