State & Local
Dru
esday, N'
Page 2
The Battalion
Tuesday, November30,11
Still burning...
TU Electric fights to recover losse
Rebound expected despite back-to-back major accidenl
The Associated Press
DALLAS — Reeling from back-
to-back major accidents involving its
facilities, TU Electric still expects to
recoup its losses without passing on
costs to the ratepayers, a spokesman
said Monday.
"As far as accidents go, it certain
ly has not been a good year," TU
spokesman Jim Lawrence said.
On Oct. 28, a ruptured gas line in
Arlington sparked an explosion and
raging fire, toppling 17 of the compa
ny's electric transmission towers and
temporarily cutting off power to more
than 40,000 homes and businesses.
Authorities said the blaze appar
ently was triggered when a con
struction vehicle hit a line that car
ries natural gas to a TU Electric plant
in Grand Prairie. TU Electric's
equipment sustained $2.5 million to
$3 million in damages, officials said.
Two and a half weeks later, a 600-
foot concrete emissions stack col
lapsed onto a TU Electric power
plant at Mount Pleasant, about 120
miles east of Dallas. One person was
trapped and killed in the Nov. 14 ac
cident; four others were injured.
Dave Fiorelli, a spokesman at the
Monticello Plant in Mount Pleasant,
had estimated the damages at sever
al million dollars.
"As far as accidents go,
it certainly has not been
a good year."
-Jim Lawrence,
TU spokesman
Lawrence said: "We regret that
there was a fatality and there were
injuries at the Mount Pleasant site.
In addition to that, of course, there is
some expense involved. There is a
matter of operating without one of
our major lignite-fueled units until it
can be restored.
"All those things combined have
not made it an especially good
year," he said.
Lawrence said the company
insured for damages at the Mo;
Pleasant plant. It still was collec
bills associated with the Arlinji
fire, but expected to turn them®
to Pate Brothers Construction h;
Kennedale, the contractor TU siv
responsible for the accident.
"We're operating on theth#
that we're going to recoup ourlt
es," Lawrence said.
Kevin Pate, president off;
Brothers, did not immediatek
turn a telephone call to The Ass
ated Press.
Because TU Electric expects
repaid, it does not anticipate!:
electric rates will rise as a resui:
the two incidents, he said.
Guillermo Garcia, spokesma.1
the state Public Utility Coirunk
said TU Electric could decide tofe
losses from the accidents as a ret
for seeking a rate hike. The com
sion staff would then decide whe:
the expenses are reasonable andc
a recommendation to a judge.
Fishing trip leads to wild raccoon rescue missior
The Associated Press
Tim Moog/Tm Battalion
(from left) Juniors Leach Schneler, Schwinn Monday afternoon. The fire, which was lit
Mesecke and Brian Tully climb atop Bonfire Wednesday night, is still burning.
CORPUS CHRISTI - David Neal
and his son Jason set out to catch a
fish or two not far from home on
Padre Island.
But the sight of a raccoon, cling
ing tenaciously to a barge, led them
on a 31/2-hour rescue mission all
the way to Aransas Pass.
And despite catching no fish, Jason
declared the Saturday trip a success.
"We caught a raccoon instead,"
the 14-year-old said.
Jason said he first noticed the rac
coon, on the back of a barge near a
support strut for the rudder, as he
and his father steered their 18-foot
motorboat on the jetties at Naval Air
Station Corpus Christi.
"I had to think about it for a
minute, to figure out what I saw,
then I told my dad we had to go
back," Jason said.
The Neals followed the barge
from underneath the John F.
Kennedy Causeway to Aransas Pass,
nearly 20 miles away.
On the way, they watched as the
half-drowned raccoon clung to the
struts, fighting for its life.
When the barge finally stopped
outside Conn Brown Harbor in
Aransas Pass, the Neals fished the
ring-tailed mammal from the water
with a net and a canvas bag.
It recovered Saturday at their
home in the pen that normally holds
the family Doberman.
They released the raccoon Sun
day into an undeveloped canal.
"That leads to the National
Seashore," David Neal said. "There
are plenty of things for him to eat
and I know there are some other rac
coons there, so that might be a good
place for him."
Neal, a lieutenant commands:
the Coast Guard and a helicopte:
lot, said the raccoon's determina:
and stamina surprised him.
"The guy on the barge said he:,
been there for the last 50 miles, s
sunup," Neal said. "A coupleoffc
he just disappeared under there
but he managed to hang on."
To no avail, the man aboard:
barge had tried to toss firstaro
then a pole in hopes the aniir:
would climb up onto the deck.
The raccoon, nicknamed!
cal," didn't put up muchofai
when the Neals rescued him.
"He tried to submerge him
and get away, but we still fishedtr
out," Neal said. "He growledal
bit, but he was pretty docile h
been real quiet. I think he'
pretty tough day."
>; , \
ili
liilii
Fish Camp ‘94
Counselor and Fish
Crew Applications
Available
January 24, 1994
Requirements: Must have 2.0 GPR
and must be in the B-CS area during
Fall 1994.
Fish Camp 90, 91, 92, 93 T-Shirts for
sale in MSC Hallway this week.
Challenge Yourself for the Class of ‘98!!
DANCE ARTS SOCIETY
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
PRESENTS
FALL SHOW '93
WEDNESDAY
DECEMBER 1, 1993
7:30 P.M.
RUDDER THEATRE
ADMISSION $3.00
TICKETS ON SALE AT MSC BOX
OFFICE
Now, you can get a head
start on the MCAT!
PORTLA
newest a
ly reserv
they beg
The Princeton Review's Early Enrollment Option was designed to
competitive students who want to begin reviewing biology, physics
chemistry, ;md organic chemistry before our course begins. TIk
program consists of a pre-course diagnostic, a personalized pre-comt
study plan, and the powerful Caduceus MCA T review software.
Caduceus is an extensive science review package with exhaustive
on current MCAT topics. It includes over 3000 pages of review abovf
and beyond the material otherwise included in The Princeton Revies
MCA T Course. It retails for over $200, hut is provided to Princeton
Review Early Enrollment Students at no charge.
Early Enrollment Test Dates
Saturday, Oct. 30
Saturday, Dec 4
THE
PRINCETON
REVIEW A
MSC Miss
Texas A&M University
Pageant Committee
PRESENTS:
Mr. Rggie
THUR., DEC. 2 7 P.M. MSC 201
$3 STUDENTS $5 NON-STUDENTS
CASUAL
WEAR
TALENT
FORMAL
WEAR
Tickets at
Rudder
Box Office
Persons with disabilities please call 845-1515 to
inform of you special needs. We request notification
three (3) working days prior to the event to enable us
to the ‘
to assist you to the best of our ability.
U • sv,.., \f.
For more information,
call today!
696-9099
.» I .1. .•.-.i v. jrb v V \ K I
‘7%S& (2<MutHittee fat
AWAKSnSSS
'Tftextccut-fArtteru&itt' (^ctCtcvte
Las Posadas
\ Christmas Tradition celebrating
Mary and Joseph’s journey.
‘DecewtAJesi /, 1993
7:00
filcaAt, ccM $45- / 515 te-
effect 4./iccCcLt Ht-tcCd.. 'T&i xtqueAt
(Tiiee (3) etayt pUo* t/lc cv&tt
to- uo to aAOtat tfocc to t6c 6eot <*/ acco aiilttcf..
The Battalion
CHRIS WHITLEY, Editor in chief
JULI PHILLIPS, Managing editor MARK EVANS, City editor
DAVE THOMAS, Night News editor ANAS BEN-MUSA, Agg/e//7eeditor
BELINDA BLANCARTE, Night News editor MICHAEL PLUMER, Sports editor
MACK HARRISON, Opinion editor WILLIAM HARRISON, Sports editor
KYLE BURNETT, Photo editor
Staff Members
City desk - Jason Cox, James Bernsen, Michele Brinkmann, Lisa Elliott, Cheryl Heller, Kim Horton, Jan
Higginbotham, Jennifer Kiley, Mary Kujawa, Kevin Lindstrom, Jackie Mason, Kim McGuire, Carrie Miura, Slept# 11 *
Pattillo, Geneen Pipher, Jennifer Smith, Mark Smith and Andrea Taormina
News desk - Rob Clark, Jennifer Petteway, Irish Reichle, Khristy Rouw and Heather Winch
Photographers - Mary Macmanus, Marty Allen, Amy Browning, Lauren Donahue, Varnell Hopkins III, .
Tommy Huynh, Kevin Ivy, Tim Moog, Gus Morgan and Holly Organ
Aggielife- Dena Dizdar, Jacqueline Ayotte, Margaret Claughton, Lesa Ann King and Joe Leih
Sports writers - Julie Chelkowski, Matt Rush and David Winder
Opinion desk - Toni Garrard Clay, Lynn Booher, Tracey Jones, Jenny Magee, Melissa Megliola, Jay Rot)bi ns
John Scroggs, Lrank Stanford, Jason Sweeny, Robert Vasquez and Eliot Williams
Cartoonists - Jason Brown, Boomer Cardinale, Clifton Hashimoto, George Nasr, Gerardo Quezada and
Edward Zepeda
Graphic Artist - Angel Kan
Clerks- Grant Austgen, Eleanor Colvin, Wren Eversberg, Carey Fallin and Tomiko Miller
The Battalion (USPS 045-360) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semd^
and Monday through Thursday during the summer session (except University holidays and exam pefi<xM‘
Texas A&M University. Second class postage paid at College Station, TX 77840.
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 230 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M Unive 151 '
College Station, TX 77843.
News: The Battalion news department is managed hy students at Texas A&M University in the Divisio"
Student Publications, a unit of the Department of Journalism. Editorial offices are in 013 Reed McDoi*
Building. Newsroom phone number is 845-3313. Fax: 845-2647.
j
Advertising: For campus, local and national display advertising, call 845-2696. For classified advertising 1 '
84S-0S69. Advertisingoffic.es are in 015 Reed McDonald and office hours are 8 a.m. fo 5 p.m. Monday ti' roll »
Friday. Fax: 845-5408.
Subscriptions: Mail subscriptions are $20 per semester, $40 per school year and $50 per full year. To cMf
by VISA or MasterCard, call 845-2611.
0 r
c
st