The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, August 03, 1992, Image 4
The Battalion tateLocal Monday, August 3,1992 State Summary Woman organizes alien support group AUSTIN (AP) “ A 53-year-oJd Austin woman says it isn't easy talking about hav ing encounters with aliens because people tend to think you're crazy. But she knows she isn't alone among those who believe we are not alone, so she has organized a support group for people who have had experiences with aliens. "There still is a part of me that thinks I'm totally nuts," said Jean, who asked that her last name not be published for fear of harass ment. "But I know what I experienced." She told the Austin American-Statesman she encountered aliens twice in the 1940s — first when she was 3 years old and again when she was 9. "The meetings will be open to the public, but it will not be a debate," she said. "If any- bod}' gives any of the abductees a hard time, they will be asked to leave. We don't need anybody making fun of us. We've lived with too much of that already." The number of TB cases in the city has in creased gradually over the past six years and dramatically last year, the San Antonio Ex press-News reported Sunday. Methods used long ago to test the disease, including mass testing and quarantines, are being re-examined to fight a dramatic re bound of the disease in San Antonio and South Texas. Officials also are exploring the revision of quarantine laws to make it easier to confine some patients in hospitals. Tuberculosis is a bacterial infection spread by tiny droplets released through coughing. Although the virus is killed by exposure to sunlight, it can circulate through a building's air conditioning system and infect someone in another room. Austin’s Aqua Fest features upgrades AUSTIN (AP) — The Aqua Festival, an annual tradition in the city for more than three-decades, is undergoing a few changes this year. The 31st version of Aqua Festival, which began last weekend and runs through Aug. 23, is dropping an evening water parade of lighted barges and adding power-boat rac ing, once an anchor to the event's program. Inmates overpower guard, escape jail TB outbreak alarms health officials HOUSTON (AP) — Authorities on Sun day searched for two convicted robbers who escaped from the Harris County Jail after overpowering a guard. Harris County Sheriff's officials said the two escapees assaulted the jailer and hand cuffed him Sunday morning on the third floor of the new Jail, which opened last year. P«y then cut open a louvered screen, :do broke out the window and climbed to the SAN ANTONIO (AP) - Health officials are considering tougher measures, including mandatory hospitalization, to fight an in creasing number of tuberculosis cases, ac cording to a newspaper report. lomas Paul Randle, 24, and Billy Lee Ford, 26. Both are ex-convicts who have been sentenced again to prison on aggravated robbery charges, au thorities said. They were awaiting transfer to a state prison. Also, the concerts that had been staged during the water parades are being replaced with one presentation on a 7,000-square-foot main stage. "We made a conscious effort to try to even out the festival," said Jon Kemmerer, 1992 Aqua Fest commodore. "We didn't want to diminish what we are doing at Auditorium Shores with the concerts, but we also wanted to present additional events that are equally outstanding." Boat racing was last on the festival pro gram 14 years ago, until residents along Town Lake complained about the noise. This R ear racing will be held at lake Walter E. ong in far East Austin, far out of residents' earshot. "A lot of the things that are new to the fes tival this year are 'back to the future,' " Kem merer said. "You find them in Aqua Fests past." One of those things is a pavilion featuring an array of ethnic music, dance, food and crafts under a single tent. Notice NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING District Seventeen of the Texas Department of Transportation is presently in the process of formulating a Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for the next three years beginning Sept. 1, 1992. Our current obligation authority provides construction dollars for preserve the system type projects such as rehabilitation and preventive maintenance. Some added capacity projects may also be contracted. In order to solicit public comments about our transportation improvements, a Public Meeting has been scheduled for Thursday, August 13, 1992 at 7:00 p.m. This meeting will be held in Room 102 of the Brazos Center at 3232 Briarcrest Drive, Bryan, Texas. Written comments may be addressed to Mr. Delton A. Kittrell, P.E., Acting District Engineer, P.O. Box 3249, Bryan, Texas 77805. Written comments should be received no later than 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 14, 1992. Help Wanted Services TENSION HEADACHE STUDY Subjects with a history of tension headaches needed to participate in a short research study with a single dose of a marketed medication. NO BLOOD WORK. Eligible volunteers will be compensated. G & S Studies, Inc. (close to campus) 846-5933 Professional Word Processing Resume Services Reports & Merge Letters Typist available 7 days a week ON THE DOUBLE 113 COLLEGE MAIN 846-3755 DALLAS (AP) — Heisman Trophy legends Roger Staubach and Doak Walker polished their football reputations there. Ramses the Great and Catherine the Great dazzled art patrons there. The Rolling Stones, Chicago, Michael Bolton and George Strait entertained there. Queen Elizabeth II dined, and presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt, William Taft and Gerald Ford vis ited there. Unfortunately, though, the good times have gotten the best of Fair Park. Now weatherworn, tattered and feeling downright neglected, the 277-acre park, home of the an nual State Fair of Texas and the Cotton Bowl, is asking for help. Dallas voters will decide Satur day whether to accept a proposed half-cent sales tax increase to ren ovate the 105-year-old park. If passed, the increase would give Dallas one of the highest sales tax rates in the nation. "Fair Park Yes!," proponents of the sales tax increase, are promot ing year-round use of the park's facilities. Currently, the State Fair of Texas' 24-day run each fall draws more than half of the park's estimated 6 million annual visitors. Cosmetic remedies such as fresh paint and landscaping won't be enough to mask cracking walls and foundations, leaky roofs, and outdated plumbing and electrical systems in 20 buildings created for the Texas Centennial in 1936. Fair Park, a National Historic "It's sort of like an aging beauty queen. It photographs well in just the right light, but when you look closely, the wrinkles are still there." - Vi rgi n ia Me A les ter, chairwoman of Fair Park Development Board Landmark, is one of the largest collections of 1930-style Art Deco architecture in the United States. "It's sort of like an aging beau ty queen," said Virginia McAlester, chairwoman of the Fair Park Development Board. "It photographs well in just the right light, but when you look closely, the wrinkles are still there." Opponents of the sales tax agree that improvements are needed, but say general obligation bonds, which are usually used for capital improvement projects, raising the hotel-motel occupancy tax or aggressive private fund raising are more viable alterna tives. Sales tax supporters say bonds would cost twice the needed amount because of interest pay ments and could take up to 10 years before money actually was invested in Fair Park. "It's like a hole in your roof at home," said McAlester. "You re alize the longer you let it go, the more expensive the repairs will be." QUICK MOVING SERVICE FOR APARTMENTS AND DORMS. CALL FOR PRE-ESTIMATE 779-2796. AAA DEFENSIVE DRIVING. Ticket dismissal, insurance discount. Mon-Tue (6-10 p.m.), W-Th (6-10 p.m ), Fri (6- 10p.m.)-Sat. (8-12noon), Sat. (8-4:30 p.m ). Across the street from University Tower Walk-Ins welcome $20.00 per class. 411 Tx. Ave South. 693-1322. Roommate Wanted Female roommate non-smoker, $200/mth. 1/3 utilities, fenced yard. $200 deposit 774-0214. For Lease Students needed from the following locations to collect data on seat belt use for the Texas Transportation Inst. during August break: Abilene, Beaumont, El Paso, Galveston, Laredo, Lubbock, Houston, Midland, San Angelo, Temple,Texarkana, Tyler, & Waxahachie. Maximum 3 days work, $5.50/hr. + gas. Call Julie at 845-2736 8am-5pm for interview. Used Homes New List Weekly. The Good , The Bad and The Ugly $2500 and up. 1 -800-880-2020. 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Participants who qualify and complete the study will be paid $200. Genital Herpes Study Individuals with genital herpes infection are being recruited for a 3 week research study of an investigational anti-viral medication. If you would like to find out more about this study, call VIP Research. $400 will be paid to qualified volunteers who enroll and complete this study. Anxiety Study Individuals are being recruited for a research study on Generalized Anxiety Disorder. If you experience anxiety or would like to find out more about this study, call VIP Research. $200 will be paid to qualified volunteers who enroll and complete this study. Arthritis VIP Research is seeking individuals with osteoarthritis of the hip and or knees for a three month study on investigational anti-inflammatory medication. If you have been diagnosed with osteoarthritis or would like more information, call VIP Research. $100 will be paid to those individuals who qualify and complete this study. INTERNATIONAL ELECTRICAL SECURITY Complete Alarm System starting at $495/installed. 2-way voice communication, great for apartments or dorms. Townshire Center. 823-4595. V CALL Volunteers in Pharmaceutical Research, Inc. 776-1417 Federal court to decidt on Texas school tax AUSTIN (AP) — As Texas stu dents look toward another school year, the way the state is paying for their education is under attack in federal court. The result could be a taxpayer revolt or a public school shut down, according to different sides in the case scheduled for argu ment Monday in New Orleans. The hearing is before a three- judge panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. At issue is whether Texas can use the county education district property tax this school year. The Texas Supreme Court in January found that the levy vio lates the state constitution, but de layed the said. "The schools won't dost the Legislature promptly dot something about the situatim which it can very well do." In his legal brief with theji Circuit, Keahey said, "There isi public interest in the paymenti an unconstitutional tax. A taxpn ers' revolt may be the const quence of a failure by the coni;, to uphold fundamental law.” He added in an interview, enough people would say/ not paying this unconstitution: tax,' you know the Legislati® would then meet and do somt thing ... I don't think anybot should pay their tax as longasir case is still alive." effect of its ruling until June 1, 1993, to give law- makers time to fix the system. "The schools won't close if the Legislature promptly does something about the situation, which it can do very well." - Jim Keahey, lawyer Aging Dallas park needs renovations Voters to decide how to pay for refurbishing If the resulting federal lawsuit by taxpayers succeeds in stopping the levy. Assistant Texas Attorney General Toni Hunter suggests that chaos will ensue. "I think it's quite clear that some schools would close. I think it would be fairly widespread," she said. The state would face a school funding shortfall of up to $5.1 bil lion without the tax, according to a legal brief she filed with the 5th Circuit. Hunter said she does not think lawmakers could act quickly enough to replace those funds. She said, "I don't know where they would get it from in the first place." But lawyer Jim Keahey, repre senting Texas taxpayers in the class-action lawsuit, disagrees. "That's crying wolf," Keahey The cm rent schot funding sy tern wa meant to met a Texas Sa preme Coui mandate h e q u a 1 i zt school funding. It was designedti shift hundreds of millions of lars from wealthier to poorei school districts within taxing re gions made up of one or severa counties. But the state Supreme Court in January ruled that the plan vio lates the Texas constitution by posing a statewide property tax and by levying a property ta* without voter approval. The court deferred the effect ol its ruling so as not to interfert with the collection of 1991 and 1992 property taxes in the 181 county education districts. Keahey then sued in federal court on behalf of retired naval captain Coleman Smith of Lake way, saying continued collection of the levy denies taxpayers process, violating the federal con stitution. Crime Stoppers Thieves hot-wire pick-up truck r steal two window air conditioners Sometime overnight on July 9 burglars hot-wired a pick-up truck parked at Pool Well Services on Industrial Boulevard in the Bryan Industrial Park. The thieves then forced open a gate to a storage yard where they broke into a portable building. They stole two window air conditioners from the building and loaded them into the truck and drove off. Later that day, the truck with one of the air conditioners was recovered on Highway 21 West near Smetana, where the thieves had abandoned it. The stolen air conditioner is described as a Cold Point 14,000 BTU window unit with serial #295736AD. Detectives believe that the thieves abandoned the truck because it stalled and that some other vehicle picked up the thieves and the air conditioner. This week the Bryan Police Department and Crime Stoppers need your help to identify the persons responsible for this burglary. If you have information that could be helpful, call Crime Stoppers at 775-TIPS. When you call, Crime Stoppers will assign you a special coded number that will protect your identity. If your call leads to an arrest and a grand jury indictment, Crime Stoppers will pay you up to $1,000 in cash. Crime Stoppers also pays cash for information on any felony crime or the location of any wanted fugitive. So call Brazos County Crime Stoppers today, at 775-TIPS. Todd Stone 115 ColltqE Main (NortIiGate) 846-9596 2 Wk. Cl ass Dates Auqusr IOtM Auqusi 17ih SpniNT CIass Auq. 14ih, 15ik 16rli Stpi. 18ih, 19ih, 20jU NAUI Renta! 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