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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 4, 1991)
Page 2 Emergency Medical Services "... Sometimes people look at you a little weird when you describe a job like this as being a lot of fun." Chief Dudley Wait Page 15 "I am totally confused, but I’m determined not to let on." Toni Garrad, recounts her experiences as a freshman and gives tips to the Class of 1995 The Battalion ■ lol. 91 No. 3 USPS 045360 College Station, Texas Jury convicts mother in I HOUSTON (AP) — A jury Tuesday lonvicted a Channelview woman of try- ?|igto hire a hitman to kill the mother of daughter's cheerleading rival to fur- ijier her own daughter's cheerleading ca- •er. I Wanda Holloway, 37, could face up to ife in prison and a maximum $10,000 ine. Jurors, who deliberated for about six ours before reaching a verdict, were or- lered to return to court Wednesday aorning to begin the punishment phase ithe trial. Holloway burst into tears after she was convicted on the solicitation of mur der charge. Relatives and friends sur rounded her, shouting at members of the media to stay away. She also faced a lesser charge of solici tation of aggravated kidnapping, but no verdict was announced on that charge. State District Judge George Godwin said after Tuesday's proceedings that jurors did not have to rule on both charges. Shortly before the verdict was an nounced in the packed courtroom, the jury had reached a decision in the case. But at that time, the judge told jurors to "Serving Texeis A&M since 1893" 16 Pages Wednesday, September 4, 1991 murder-for-hire, cheerleading trial reread the charges and reconsider their decision. They returned with their final verdict about 20 minutes later. Godwin individu ally polled the 12 jurors, and each agreed with the guilty verdict. Attorneys on both sides said they could not discuss the case because of a gag order imposed by Godwin at the start of the trial. "The gag order is still in effect, (so) we can't say," said defense attorney Troy McKinney. "I'm pleased with the verdict so far," prosecutor Mike Anderson said. Anderson told jurors in closing argu ments that Holloway had every classic motive to want Verna Heath, the mother of her daughter's cheerleading rival, kid napped or killed. "This is not about cheerleading, folks," Anderson said. "This is about someone who hated someone so much that it gnawed at her day and night. "It ain't about cheerleading. It's about not getting what you want, and it's about getting it above anything else." McKinney told jurors Holloway be lieved initially that her former brother-in- law, Terry Harper, was joking about hav ing Heath killed. "Never, anywhere on those tapes does she say, 'Terry, please go do this for me or go find someone to do this,"' McKinney said. Nearly 80 spectators crowded into a cramped annex courtroom to hear the fi nal arguments in the week-old trial. More than half of the seats were filled with friends and family of the Heaths and Hoi See Cheerleader/Page 16 A brief thunderstorm Tuesday afternoon caused students to bring out the Tower and the Harrington Classroom Building. The scattered showers should umbrellas. This umbrella belongs to a student walking between the Harrington continue through the end of the week, with highs in the high 80s. Gorbachev supports reforms MOSCOW (AP) - Mikhail S. Gorbachev and Boris Yeltsin on Tuesday urged lawmakers to ap prove sweeping changes in the So viet government — and Yeltsin said Russia should keep its finger on the nu clear button. While main taining he fa vored elimina tion of nuclear weapons, and calling for an end to under- Boris Yeltsin ground nuclear tests, Yeltsin said nuclear missiles from the Ukraine and Kazakstan would soon be moved inside the borders of his giant Russian re public. He also pushed for elimination of the KGB department he said was responsible for bugging the telephones of millions of Soviets, including his own. "This is illegal," said Yeltsin. "This is unconstitutional." Gorbachev, Yeltsin and the leaders of nine other republics on Monday put before the Congress of Deputies a broad proposal to strip the Kremlin of most powers and transfer them to the republics. In speeches Tuesday, Gor bachev and Yeltsin sought speedy approval of the plan. Gorbachev acknowledged some could find fault with the proposals. He said: See Soviets/Page 16 Clashes in Yugoslavia threaten European Community peace plan BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (AP) - A renewal of fierce fighting in volving Yugoslav soldiers, Croat ian forces and Serb militants threatened on Tuesday to scuttle a new European Community peace plan in Yugoslavia. The Croatian stronghold of Os- ijek and surrounding villages in the ethnically-mixed Slavonia re gion saw some of the heaviest clashes Tuesday. At least 16 peo ple were killed. Associated Press photographer Franz Pammer reported that Osi- jek, 140 miles east of Zagreb, echoed with constant submachine- gun and light artillery fire Tues day. The army blocked a road to Vukovar, 18 miles to the south east, he said. He saw two air force planes dropping bombs on neighboring Bilje village, a last Croat stronghold in the Baranja area stretching north of Osijek toward Hungary. In the town of Beli Manastir, Serbs claimed to have taken Bilje and Mece, the last two Croat-held villages in Baranja. "Cease-fire, what cease-fire?" said Zdravko Mrdza, a Serbian de fense force officer in Beli Mannas- tir. "Our Baranja is definitely free. Baranja is Yugoslavia," he said, as a big Yugoslav flag fluttered over his head. Pammer said he saw the bod ies of 10 people killed in Bilje be ing delivered to the Osijek hospi tal, and six more bodies of people killed in fighting in and around Osijek. Lt. Gen. Marko Negovanovic, the assistant federal defense min ister, said Croatian forces had fired on an army base near Osijek, wounding one soldier. He said barracks in Osijek also came under attack. He accused Croatian forces of "flagrantly and crudely" violating the cease-fire and denied the army provoked incidents. The 12-nation EC called an ur gent international peace confer ence on Yugoslavia in The Hague for Saturday. It named Lord Car- See Yugoslavia/Page 6 Secretary of State plans trip to Moscow Baker will assess U.S.S.R.'s stability WASHINGTON (AP) - Sec retary of State James A. Baker III will fly to Moscow next week to gauge the dra- matic changes sweeping the Soviet Union and Mikhail S. Gorbachev's chances of holding the turbulent country to gether, U.S. of ficials said Tuesday. He also is pondering a visit to one or all of the three newly independent Baltic Republics James Baker with which the United States is re-establishing ties after more than a half-century, the officials told The Associated Press. Baker also is likely to go to the Middle East to try to advance preparations for an Arab-Israeli peace conference cosponsored by the United States and the So viet Union, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. An announcement is expect ed Wednesday, after Baker con fers with President Bush at the White House. The trip to Moscow will be centered on a 35-nation human rights conference that opens Tuesday and runs through Oct. 4. Baker is expected to spend three days at the meeting and to hold talks with the new Soviet foreign minister, Boris Pankin. The country is in the midst of changes that Gorbachev said Monday put it "on the brink of catastrophe." He has urged the national Congress to approve a reorganization plan that he worked out with leaders of 10 re publics. It would establish an interim government and pave the way for a new kind of union in which See Baker/Page 6 Phase I of CS park begins JAY JANNER/The Battalion Buddy Riley, a construction worker clears the way for a drainage pipe at with Aztex Construction of Houston, Wolf Pen Creek on Tuesday. By Mark Evans The Battalion Tractors are clearing land along Wolf Pen Creek as work begins on Phase I of a plan which will provide College Station with 14 acres of new park areas. The L-shaped tract of land, near the intersection of Dartmouth and Holleman drives, backs up to Col gate Drive in College Station. Wolf Pen Creek flows through the center of the park. The plans include concrete trails, a playground and an outdoor am phitheater with seating for 5,000 peo ple. The amphitheater will serve as host to a variety of outdoor concerts. Stephen Beachy, director of Col lege Station Parks and Recreation, said Tuesday the cost of Phase I will amount to almost $2 million. Funds for the project will come from existing bond programs, a grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, the Astin Trust and hotel/motel funds. In the past. Wolf Pen Creek has been plagued by drainage problems. The creek often overflows its banks and floods nearby business and residential properties. The portion of the creek on the western side of Texas Avenue has proven a liability to the area, Beachy said. Developers backed buildings right up to the channel, he said, making maintenance difficult. Beachy said College Station hopes to head off similar problems which could occur around the less- developed eastern portion of the creek. "The idea of the master plan was to take the creek downstream from Texas Avenue in an area that is at this point essentially undeveloped and try to plan out how that development should occur over the next several years," Beachy said. The park also will become home to the various festivals and concerts normally held in Central Park. Both the Jazz Festival and the Folk Festival will move to the outdoor amphitheater which borders on the creek. In addition, the facility will house a symphony orchestra and provide a stage for theatrical groups. "It's going to provide a facility for outdoor con certs and performances that we don't have now," Beachy said. "Anytime we do that now (hold out door events), we have to put up a tent and a stage." Beachy said College Station would like the com pleted project to entice businesses to invest money in the eastern section of the city. "Hopefully, it will stimulate economic develop ment in that particular area of town that has been va cant and encourage businesses to build there," Beachy said. If Phase I is successful. College Station will look into developing a Phase II further down the creek with some ideas suggesting additional lakes, trails, a museum, a library and a botanical gardens, Beachy said. No further plans, however, have been decided on, he said. Future plans depend upon the support of the City Council and voter approval. Bids for construction of the project will open on Sept. 17. College Station will consider submitted bids Sept. 26. Workers presently are rerouting sewage and electrical lines to make room for the lake. Beachy said completion of Phase I is expected sometime during the spring or summer of 1992.