Wednesday • April 24, 1996
Page 5 • The Battalion
• April 24,1996
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State pumps nearly $5 million into
new HIV drugs for poor citizens
The Texas Health Department will help nearly 5,000 Texans purchase medication
AUSTIN (AP) — Most of a $5
million state health fund will be
used to purchase new drugs to
combat HIV, according’to a plan
announced by state health officials.
The Texas Health Depart
ment faced a decision this month
whether to focus an anti-HIV
program for the poor on the lat
est drugs to fight the virus that
causes AIDS.
The department had to choose
between that option and another
plan to continue purchasing ad-
jditional drugs that fight illness
es brought on by the disease,
such as pneumonia.
A panel had recommended a
plan that would have forced
some 5,000 poor Texans with
HIV to go elsewhere for medica
tions for AIDS-related illnesses.
But Health Commissioner
David Smith said Monday that
the department will not leave
poor people on their own to pur
chase those medications. He
said most of the HIV Medica
tion Program’s $5 million will
go to new HIV drugs, but some
money will continue to go to
other medications.
Smith also said an additional
$500,000 will be added to the
fund to help purchase medica
tions for AIDS-related illnesses.
“We are grateful and pleased
for the additional funds the com
missioner was able to find to
continue supplying certain drugs
to the indigent HIV population,”
said Tom Sheffield, chairman of
the Austin Area Comprehensive
HIV Planning Council.
The added $500,000 was ex
pected to last through June,
Smith said. The department
was searching for other funds
to continue the additional med
ication purchasing through the
end of the year.
The latest treatment for AIDS
is a combination of two to three
drugs that can cost into the hun
dreds and thousands of dollars
per patient each month based in
part on dosage.
According to the department,
between 49,400 and 71,100 Tex
ans have HIV.
"We are grateful and pleased for the additional
funds the commissioner was able to find..."
— TOM SHEFFIELD
chairman, Austin Area Comprehensive HIV Planning Council
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Indictment of Hidalgo officials pared down
County Judge J. Edgar Ruiz had 66 counts
dismissed, the most of the five defendants
s is a sophoiiM \
lurnalism map
LAREDO (AP) — A federal
judge dismissed part of a 102-
count indictment against five
Hidalgo County officials Tues
day as their bid-rigging trial
wound to a close.
The last-minute action
buoyed the defendants, particu
larly suspended County Judge
J. Edgar Ruiz, who had the
most counts dismissed. Ruiz
now faces just nine counts in
stead of the 75 he was charged
with at the trial’s start.
“It’s a relief,” said Ruiz’s at
torney, Joe Cisneros.
After the case was pared
down, attorneys presented their
closing arguments. Jury deliber
ations were scheduled to begin
Wednesday morning.
Initially, Ruiz and four oth
ers were named in a 102-count
indictment charging them with
mail fraud, bribery, extortion,
racketeering and money laun
dering. The number of counts
against each defendant faced
ranged from four to 75.
U.S. District Judge George
ifazen dismissed the money
laundering and racketeering
charges against all the defen
dants as well as an additional
59 mail-fraud counts against
Ruiz. Bribery charges against
two defendants also were
dropped.
Cisneros said the additional
charges were dropped against his
client because of lack of evidence.
“(The government) was just
piggybacking Ruiz with the other
fellows, and there was really no
evidence to support it,” he said.
Kazen indicated Monday he
planned to slim down the indict
ment to simplify the case for the
jury. His action didn’t help the
other defendants as much, drop
ping the number of counts they
face by three at most.
Accused with Ruiz are coun
ty commissioners Sam Sanchez
and Abelardo Arcaute, former
Commissioner Leonardo Ca
marillo and Head Start Direc
tor Luciano Ozuna.
The officials are charged with
awarding about $1 million in
county business at inflated
prices to companies represented
by former county purchasing
agent Ramiro Gonzalez. In re
turn, prosecutors allege, Gonza
lez paid them more than
$25,000 in bribes in the form of
cash and airline tickets.
Gonzalez pleaded guilty to a
lesser charge in exchange for
his testimony.
In his closing argument, As
sistant U.S. Attorney Greg
Surovic tried to steer away from
complex issues such as competi
tive bidding and purchasing pol
icy, telling the jurors, “The facts
are pretty simple.”
“It’s a bid-rigging case. ...
They intentionally allowed
Ramiro Gonzalez to give them
bids, set whatever prices he
wanted. We know why they
were doing that — they were
getting kickbacks, enriching
themselves,” Surovic said.
He urged the jury to use
common sense when consider
ing evidence such as the
$61,000 of untraceable cash
government records showed
was deposited in Ruiz’s bank
accounts from 1990 to 1994.
Surovic questioned Ruiz’s ex
planations for the source of the
money, including his contention
that he would withdraw cash for
spending and later redeposit the
leftover money.
“Those figures have absolute
ly nothing to do with the cash
deposits, because it doesn’t
make sense,” Surovic said.
Defense attorneys locked on a
common theme during their
closing arguments, repeating
their contentions that Gonzalez
plotted the bid-rigging scheme
and carried it out without the
officials’ knowledge, then turned
them in to save himself.
“These individuals on trial to
day had nothing to do with that
scheme,” Cisneros said. “Per
haps the only thing (Ruiz) may
be guilty of is having met the
devil himself.”
Cisneros contended the gov
ernment’s entire case hinged on
“a thief, an admitted felon.”
“This is about whether or not
you believe that rat. ... Do you
believe him. Do you really be
lieve him?” he quietly asked the
jurors, peering into their eyes.
This is the second time the
officials have faced trial on the
charges. The first trial, held in
Hidalgo County, ended in De
cember with a hung jury. The
retrial was moved to Laredo be
cause of extensive publicity.
The first trial last two
months, while the retrial
wrapped up after just two
weeks.
E
Affirmative action halted at Houston Transit Agency
A U.S. District Judge signed an order Monday that bars race or
sex from being used as factors in awarding contracts
HOUSTON (AP) — A transit authority
program that awarded $41.4 million worth
if contracts to businesses owned by women
and minorities last year has been temporari
ly shut by a federal judge,
j U.S. District Judge Lynn Hughes signed an
order Monday that bars the Metropolitan Tran
sit Authority from considering race or sex as
factors in awarding contracts until the constitu
tionality of using such criteria can be reviewed.
According to Metro’s 6-year-old Disadvan
taged Business Enterprise program, bidders
on prime contracts must attempt to use DBE
aubcontractors and suppliers for at least 21
Percent of the gross contract price.
When bids are submitted, prime contrac
tors must identify subcontracted businesses
bwned by minorities and women, their work
and their price.
After two days of hearings last week,
Hughes ruled that preliminary evidence
indicates the program unfairly discrimi
nates against nonqualifying contractors
and subcontractors.
“No government may redress an injury it
nflicted by giving its victim the rights of an
other,” the judge wrote.
Hughes ordered Metro not to accept data
about the participation of disadvantaged
business enterprises in bids or contracts be
fore completion of the project, even if the in
formation is volunteered.
Additionally, Metro may not require staff
approval of a bid on non-technical grounds,
nor may it base acceptance of bids or pay
ment on contracts on sex or race.
The constitutionality issue will be decided
within 90 days. The judge will either issue a
permanent injunction, rescind the tempo
rary injunction or consider the merits of the
case at the June 4 trial.
Transit authority attorneys had ex
pressed concern that complying with the
court’s order might endanger federal fund
ing. Hughes said that was unlikely, but
agreed to adjust the preliminary order if it
becomes a serious threat.
The federal ruling was the second this
month that could strike down an affirma
tive-action program in Texas.
In March, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in New Orleans rejected the admis
sions process at the University of Texas’ law
school because it relied partly on race. That
ruling was temporarily stayed last week.
The Houston Contractors Association,
which contested the Metro policy, was jubi
lant over Hughes’ ruling.
“We think this was absolutely the right rul
ing,” said Tom Fitzhugh, the group’s attorney.
Metro board Chairman Billy Burge said
he was “embarrassed” because he thought
the transit authority and the contractors as
sociation had a “firm handshake agreement”
to settle the lawsuit in early March.
Burge blamed the settlement’s collapse on
the appeals court ruling in the UT case.
“I think this UT ruling let these guys
say, ‘Hey, we can whip these guys big-time
now,”’ he said.
Metro attorneys had sought to show that
the DBE designation is not really a pro
gram but rather an expression of goals.
They also asserted that minority participa-
"We think this was absolutely the
right ruling."
— TOM FITZHUGH
Houston Contractors Association attorney
tion is not required.
But Hughes pointed out that program ma
terials specify participation levels and threat
en contract cancellation for noncompliance.
In addition, the program administrator
testified that contractors are required to
submit forms showing payments to approved
subcontractors and suppliers in an effort to
ensure compliance.
Fitzhugh submitted evidence of contracts
denied and higher subcontractor costs be
cause of the program.
Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for a while and
leave footprints
on our hearts and we
will never be the same.
Melanie Allen
Cristie Gill
Shannon Patty
Tiffany Ashley
Jennifer Gusic
Nicole Pritchett
Jill Allby
Alyson Henry
Margaret Quinney
Julie Averett
Karen Horne
Lori Rabjohns
Allison Barker
Jenny Hummel
Amanda Ricks
Becky Baur
Ashley Jehle
Shelly Rolleg
Leslie Boutell
Laura Loeve
Kristen Savant
Michelle Bryan
Jennifer Lumpkin
Jennifer Soliah
Tami Cagle
Jennifer McDaniel
Allison Starr
Kim Casey
Carol Mervis
Nicole Vermedahl
Kim Gallmore
Kristen Moorehead
Amy Weaver
Kristen Gaulding
Diane Pack
Laurel Williams
Pi Beta Phi would like to wish a warm congratulations to our seniors.
We love you and well
miss you.
Do You Worry Too Much?
Dr. Steven Strawn is seeking volunteers for a
2 - month research study of an
investigational medication for anxiety.
For more information call:
846 - 2050
Monday - Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Friday 8:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
The Vice President of Student Affairs Office
wants you to be aware of our open door policy.
Our office is here to help you in any way
possible. So, if there is anything we can do to
make life at Texas A&M better, come by
10th floor Rudder Tower or call 845-4728.
TAMU - Math This Summer
Consider taking a math course this summer. Advantages are:
• SmaUer classes
• Greater personal attention
• Expanded help session
New course offerings this summer include:
• History of Math (Math 689-101)
• Mathematics of Recreational Games (Math 689-103)
• Mathematical Comm. &Tech. (Math 689-201)
Prerequisites for these courses wiU he kept to a minimum.
Contact the Math Dept, at 845-3261
for further information.
BIG School. BIG Party.
WOLF
PEN
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CREEK ^
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AMPHITHEATER 764-3486
TICKETS AVAILABLE
$1050 Si C00
JLm pre sale JLV day ol event
get yonrs at
Bothers Bookstore,
Marooned & Fajita Bitas
1-800-333-7188
Phono order prices sob|oct to chare*
Senior Weekend ‘96
“Titer Tutal Road Trifv... Vestinationr Acjcjielatul”
Tuesday. April 23rd
Party on the Patio 7-10 p.m.
Wings N 7 More across from Campus
Wednesday. April 24th
Old Army Yell Practice 6:30 p.m.
Rudder Fountain
Thursday. April 25th
Senior Bash 8 p.m.-l a.m.
Texas Hall of Fame
Saturday. April 27th
Senior Banquet 6-8 p.m.
Hilton Hotel
Ring Dance 9 p.m.-l a.m.
MSC and Rudder Complex
For ticket information call 845-1234