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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 4, 1993)
Bonfire RoIoclc TTsriaaai.a?avg? qmx®. JVIOIM IJ A Y. OCTOBER 4th Promptly a.'t 8:30pm eoi BXJPPEB SPEdAL GUESTS: THE H.EHEOTS CAlSrH A BOIMFIU-E SLIDE SHOW!) T-SHIKTS AVAILABLE!!! DICKSON PRODUCTIONS & POPULAR TALENT PRESENT JACKOPIERCE “ LIVE FROM THE AMERICAS ” CD RELEASE PARTY WITH SPECIAL GUEST JACK INGRAM SATURDAY, OCT. 9th WOLF PEN CREEK AMPHITHEATER AFTER THE LGAME CONCERT! TICKETS AVAILABLE AT MAROONED RECORDS 846-0017 By Phone 1-800 • 333-7188 Phone orders subject to convenience charge Texas A&M University Health and Wellness Fair iiwiiix tudents, faculty, and staff J - W VN, \ i : | RIGHT NOW ... \\\\ ■ |. | l| i^y, Oc t „bcf ;6, 10 ,, m . al Student Walkway and Flag^om ! J " i: ,r * N 1 "W > NOW ... // / / .in. \ \\\.- \ \ \\ : •' S;: ^ ,s ^|ittaiiiiiieut' and Door? \ : : lisj,' K,., ■: : f!p::: Y :: pggjg; Sponsored by: A.P. Bcutel Health Center and the Health Promotion Program For more information call: 845-1341 or 845-4141 CarePlusv^tt* Presents Roc, The Good Doc “Fell asleep at a tailgate party, did you?” Make tracks to CarePlus Medical Center for all your minor emergencies. Our on-site x-ray facility allows us to treat your breaks, fractures and sprains quickly. And no appointment is necessary, so you can come In Immediately after an accident. A&M students, faculty and staff even receive a 10% discount at CarePlus Medical Center. At CarePlus, you get quality care plus value and convenience. CarePlusv>*fr 2411 Texas Ave. and Southwest Pkwy. • College Station, TX 77840 696-0683 State Page 4 The Battalion Monday, October 4,195J Judge orders Brenham explosion site review The Associated Press HOUSTON - A Washington County judge wants state offi cials to review with a "fine toothed comb” a gas company's application to resume operations where a 1992 gas explosion killed three people. "Maybe we can't do anything about the past, but we can sure watch out for the future,” Judge Dorothy Morgan said after the National Transportation Safety Board's re port was re leased last week. In that re port, Semi nole Pipeline Co.'s safety system, which failed to detect a gas leak that sparked the April 7, 1992 blast, was criticized as badly designed. Brenham is 53 miles north west of Houston. Morgan and other county res idents say the Texas Railroad Commission should hold Mapco Natural Gas Liquids accountable for the accident before deciding on the company's request. Seminole is a division of Map co, a Tulsa, Okla.-based firm that is seeking approval from the Railroad Commission to reopen the facility about eight miles south of Brenham. "The findings (of the federal probe) don't come as any sur prise," Morgan said. "The bot tom line is that it looks like Seminole was very, very care less. That has been verified with the federal investigation." One activist group battling a new permit is the Brenham Area Concerned Citizens, represented by San Antonio attorney Jon Al- worth, who failed to persuade the commission to delay its hear ing until the federal investiga tion is completed. "The NTSB has resources far superior to those of the Railroad Commission to investi gate and find out the real facts," A 1 w o r t h said. "And their find ings confirm our worst suspicions about the Seminole operations." The early-morning explosion occurred after a cloud of the leaking gas had accumulated over a large area. A passing car ignited the gas and the resulting blast registered between 3.5 and 4.0 on the Richter scale. Killed in the explosion was 5- year-old Derrick Meinen, who was sleeping in his family's trail er home. The blast also injured Gloria Diver, 46, and her daughter. De- lores Medve, 27, both of whom died several days later. "Maybe we can't do any thing about the past, but we can sure watch out for the future." - Judge Dorothy Morgan State Fair of Texas Brown wood teen's animals draw fair's record proceeds The Associated Press DALLAS — A 17-year-old Brown wood youth — with his lamb and cow — have taken the State Fair by the horns, drawing in record proceeds at the livestock auction. Hilton Wise made a record $35,000 off his grand champion livestock — a top-prize steer named Possum and his champion lamb. Slick. "This is the biggest day I've ever had," Wise said, as bewail ed for the sale of his third entry, a nameless lamb that added $1,100 to the $30,000 selling price of Possum and the $5,000 brought in by Slick. The previous record sale prices, set last year, were $17,500 for a steer and $2,000 for a lamb. Auction organizers also said it was the only time they could remember one person winning both the steer and lamb categories at the annual State Fair livestock competition Saturday. In all, 100 steers were auctioned for $240,370, and 73 lambs brought $48,937, said Nancy Wiley, fair spokeswoman. Possum, the best of 217 steer entries, had a real-world market value of about $700. Dale Wamstad, better known as Del Frisco, owner of the Dou ble Eagle Steak House, bought the animal at 42 times that price. "It's a great piece of beef," he said. "But it won't end up in the restaurant." He donated the animal to the Salesmanship Club of Dallas (or consumption at a youth facility. Slick the lamb was purchased by Jack Evans Jr. ; president of Tom Thumb Food Stores. The auction price was about 100 times the animal's $50 market value. The lamb will be sold and the proceeds given to charity, Evans said. Hilton, a high school junior, is a member of Future Farmers of America. He said his winnings would help pay for him to attend the Texas A&M University School of Veterinary Medicine. Hilton said he spent two to three hours daily grooming, feed ing and doting on his six steers and two lambs. Upbeat after the sale, he revealed not a hint of sadness at having patted his 18- month-old cow for the last time. "It's just, 'So long,"' he said. "It's part of the business.'' State News Briefs Renovations disturb Corpus Christi residents CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) - Downtown Corpus Christi is undergoing a face lift, hut some residents say that the changes — rather than improving the city — may instead leave it scarred. In the past five months, five old build ings have been demolished by a develop ment company that owns 25 percent of downtown property. The same company is now in the process of tearing down a land mark restaurant. The move is designed to clear the cityscape of unsightly, deteriorated structures and to minimize insurance liability, said Jim Caldwell, president of TRT Development Co. "We are trying to give downtown a better look," Caldwell said. "We're of the opinion that once we create a new landscape, people will be quicker to come up with new ideas for using those spaces. By starting with a clean slate, you open a lot of possibilities." Mayor Mary Rhodes and a prominent downtown developer, Charles DeCou, say the demolitions probably make good busi ness sense and will improve the appearance of the downtown area. Officer rescued from car as it burst into flames HOUSTON (AP) — Authorities are crediting quick-thinking residents with saving a Houston police officer from his wrecked patrol car just as it burst into flames. Officer R.A. Lowe was pursuing a drug sus pect at about 1:30 p.m. Saturday when he swerved to avoid another motorist and struck a utility pole, said Alvin Wright, a Houston po lice spokesman. Wright said three alert residents dragged Lowe from the car just as it burst into flames near a southwest Houston restaurant. The offi cer, who was not seriously injured, was treated by Hermann Hospital and released Saturday. Al Walters, a diner at Doneraki Restaurant, ran to the scene and with an unidentified high school teacher and a jogger, pulled Lowe from the patrol car. "We finally got the window cracked open a little and then we got it open enough to pull him out through the window," said Walters, 43. "It was starting to get really warm at that point." Mitch Thompson, a marketer with a local television station, was jogging in the area when he saw the cruiser slide out of control. "We pulled him out and dragged him down the street," Thompson said. Seconds after the trio pulled Lowe out, the car went up in flames. "The car was totally engulfed," said Walters. "Then all of a sudden it went poof and it incin erated." The drug suspect surrendered a half-block from the wreck scene and faces charges of pos session of a controlled substance. His three companions were also arrested and face charges of drug possession. Community uneasy about illegal dumping FOUR CORNERS (AP) - In its heyday, this small unincorporated community south west of Houston was a thriving cotton and rice farming center. Now residents say, it's quickly becoming the trash capital of Texas. Garbage trucks making their way to a nearby dump already compete with school buses. Illegal dumping is rampant and dumpers are often hold. Some residents have given up trying to free the ditches and road sides from old tires, construction debris and household garbage. "Look how we live around here. Our streets are not wide. The trash trucks don’t respect the school buses. People dump all the time," said Donald Blake, a Four Comersres- ident. "We might complain, but ... this is the way it always has been." I I With another landfill on the way, courtesy I of Houston businessman Donald Poarch and partner Joseph Swinbank, residents in this area about 30 miles southwest of Houston are even more riled. Winona waste company to resume operations AUSTIN (AP) - The Texas Natural Re source Conservation Commission has given an F.ast Texas hazardous waste processing company approval to resume operations. The agency had banned Gibraltar Chemi cal Resources of Winona in September from receiving any more waste pending a review of operations. The order resulted from a Sept. 9 chemi cal reaction at the plant, which occurred be cause incompatible wastes had been mixed. A state investigation revealed Gibraltar workers failed to do basic testing before the mixing occurred. In addition, officials found that Gibraltar delayed reporting the accident to the TNRCC for a day and lacked expedi ency in turning over all records once agency investigators arrived. Gibraltar said it has since upgraded oper ating procedures and retrained^ staffers. The company will be allowed to receive waste in increasing amounts over a five day eriod, state officials said. During the first 24- our period, the company will be allowed to process no more than 30 percent of its average capacity. The percentage will be increased over subsequent days until the It reaches 70 to 75 percent of the plant's average capacity, ’'This will allow Implementation of their revised operating in a highly regimented and controlled fashion," said Tony Grigsbv, TNRCC executive director. corice/'t eoe/i/ t/iat o/i/r/ ^77/e /7/o 6e cor/A/6rm^yj/o//y... Tickets $8 in advance, $10 at the door. Available at The Globe or at Marooned Records & Compact Discs. Wednesday, October 6, 1993 DOORS OPEN AT 7:00 PM For more information, call 76-Globe 226 Southwest Parkway College station 12iMAN STUDENT FOUNDATION Second General JVIeeting When: Tuesday, October 5th 7 p.m. Where: MSC Room 226 Guest Speaker: Wally Groff, Athletic Director New members welcome. Come experience what Texas A&M Athletics is all about.