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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (June 22, 1998)
f The Battalion TfiTE Fatal heat Summer prompts extreme temperatures, health concerns Monday • June 22 (AP) — With two deaths and several blazes already blamed on rising temperatures, the stage is set for a long, hot Texas summer. A warning is posted through Monday for residents of North Texas, where moisture in the air is expected to push heat-humidity values to between 105 and 115 de grees. The only good news in the midst of the heat wave is that the haze plaguing Texas for the past several weeks has dissipated — at least for now. A 2-year-old Hillsboro girl who was left inside a car for more than an hour was the latest to die of heat- related causes. Sheena K. Dunbar died Friday morning at Cook Children's Med ical Center in Fort Worth of hyper thermia. Sheena's mother had taken the girl with her to run an errand Wednesday afternoon, but left the child inside the car when she re turned to the family's residence, Hillsboro Police Chief Richard White said. “When the mother went back out, she had succumbed to the heat," White told the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “We certainly would encourage people to be especially aware of leaving anything — family or pets — in an enclosed area like that,” White said. He said the distraught mother is cooperating with law officers and that no decision has been made whether to file charges. An autopsy report is pending from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office. It provisionally ruled the child's death “accidental." A 2-year-old Hillsboro girl who was left inside a car for more than an hour was the latest to die of heat-related causes. Wednesday's temperature reached 99 degrees. Many Texas cities Saturday were in the triple digits, with readings from 100 to 113. It was 107 at Cotulla and 113 at Childress. Dallas-Fort Worth In ternational Airport had 102 de grees in the second straight day over the century mark. Highs on Sunday, the first day of summer, were expected to reach near 105 along the Rio Grande and near 110 elsewhere in West Texas. The other heat-related fatality oc curred June 1 when 23-year-old Ja son Bradley Stogsdill of Arlington died while bicycling near Joe Pool Reservoir. The high temperature that day was 101. His death was caused by over heating combined with a pre-exist ing heart disease. Conditions also are favorable for brush fires because vegetation is high from heavy winter rains and dead from the dry spring, firefight ers said. Despite the wet winter, farmers in South Texas and elsewhere face the prospect of a second drought in three years. Agricultural losses of $517 million this year and an over all economic loss of $1.7 billion are projected. In Fort Worth, a string of small blazes began Saturday along a southeast side railroad track. “We have been gearing up," Fort Worth Deputy Chief Hugo Esparza said. No longer around to provide some protection from the sun is the haze caused by smoke from fires in southern Mexico. The smoke had been blowing north into Texas, prompting health alerts and pollution warnings. But a change in wind direction has pushed it elsewhere. “We've developed a more east erly flow in the Gulf of Mexico down where the worst of the fires are," Alan Moller, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Fort Worth, said Sunday. “There's still smoke down there, but much of it's being pushed westward by the easterly winds." Still, don't count on the clear skies to last. Another wind shift could cause the haze to return as quickly as it disappeared, Moller said. Father’s Day turns solen for family of Jasper m PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Far from his fam ily on Father's Day, James Byrd Sr. said he hoped the killing of his son — who was dragged to death behind a pickup truck in Texas — would not be in vain. “I'm hoping that through my son s suffering . . . the world will gain something," Byrd told parishioners during a Sunday service at All Saints Episcopal Church. He also gave thanks for his remaining children. “I had six girls and two boys," he told reporters outside the church. “I still have six girls and one boy and 1 thank God for having those children. “I always thank God for what I have." Parishioners offered the soft-spoken Byrd, who is in his 70s, countless handshakes and hugs after the service. Byrd was invited to attend Sunday services at the church and at Praises of Zion Baptist Church in South Central Los Angeles. The congregations raised a total of $15,000 for an educational fund for Byrd's children and grandchildren. A similar fundraiser was held Saturday at a church in New York. Byrd's children had planned to celebrate Fa ther's Day together in Jasper, Texas. But that all changed two weeks ago when James Byrd Jr, 49, a father of three, was savagely beaten, then shackled by his ankles to the back of a pickup truck and dragged along 21 / 2 miles of a narrow, twisting rural road in east Texas. Pieces of his body were scattered along the bloody trail. Police contend that Byrd was targeted simply because he was African-American. Alleged white supremacists Lawrence Rus sel] Brewer, 31, Shawn Allen Berry and John William King, both 23 have been charged with the June 7 murder. They remain jailed without bond. Authorities may seek the death penalty. Byrd said the horrific death has brought the town of 7,500 closer together. "So far in our little town, thingsk better," he said. Byrd recalled a small but poignarJ by a local merchant. When Byrd weti chase a watch battery, the merchant? him for free. "All these things, people in jasperj to help us any way they can," he said Membersof the Ku Klux Klanhavesc a Saturday rally in Jasper to disavow! nection to the three suspects in theca*! Byrd said he disliked the ideaoitkij lying in his hometown, but he supp First Amendment rights. "They can march all they want,"ByrJ would like for all races to get along. Fre speech, freedom of religion, black, wF ever, we're all one blood." The family has received hundreds^ lence cards and letters from aroundthej "Europe and places I've never heardt j said, adding that he was unabletoi every letter but was thankful forthesu; Greg Adams, 42, who used to liveeJ mont, Texas, about 30 miles south ot|e tended the Pasadena church service :) Byrd's death was a rude awakening! fighting for civil rights. “That kind of barbaric mutilation,it | thing that the whole country should; pause and ask how something liket happen," Adams said, who now livesir j Cucamonga. "We have to be attunedto that there's a lot of work to be done.” Los Angeles resident Joey Johnson- I to Pasadena to see Byrd, shake hishanc| fer his condolences and support. "I'm really angry about whathapp Johnson said. " This whole society isbein:! regated. ... I think we have toredediEj selves to fighting racism." Aikido instructor lends skills to law enforcement officials DALLAS — Martial arts instructor Bill Sosa teaches his students to move like water. “Fluid and free," he instructed students last week at his north Oak Cliff school. This co-ed group included businessmen and lawyers, but Sosa is best known for teaching his skills to local police officers. Aiki do, he said, helps unify the mind and body. “Aikido becomes a very powerful and effective method of self- defense that can neutralize any attack without causing serious in jury to an aggressor," Sosa wrote in his latest book. The Secrets of Police Aikido. “It helps to sharpen mental concentration, as the mind and body are trained to work together in a more efficient and harmonious way." Officers from departments throughout North Texas — including Dallas, Arlington, Burleson and Euless — have taken Sosa's classes since he began teaching the discipline more than 26 years ago. Sosa, a sixth-degree black belt, is the founder of the International Aikido Association and has schools in north Oak Cliff, Grand Prairie and Fort Worth. Burleson police Officer David Feucht has studied under Sosa for about nine years. Aikido techniques, he said, have helped in his police work by teaching him how to subdue people in a nonaggressive way. “It helps you deal with people. We don't hurt people; we control sit uations," Feucht, 36, said of the art. “It avoids a lot of liability." Feucht, who wrote the foreword in Sosa's book, said he once used a "pin" to control a person who had overdosed on Valium and alcohol. He said he subdued the person by restraining his wrist and pulling him to the floor and then handcuffing him. The officer is now an assistant instructor at Sosa's Fort Worth and Grand Prairie schools. Government aid fails to reach needy neighborhooi ^ DALLAS (AP) — More than $50 million in federal aid for poor neighborhoods hasn't reached its intended targets, instead side tracked for other programs. The Dallas Morn ing News reported Sunday. Records show city hall bureaucrats and the city's often-criticized code enforcement division have been the primary beneficiaries of the unspent money, the newspaper re ported in its copyright story. “The failure to spend the money on poor neighborhoods has left many of the commu nity people disgruntled and disgusted," Se- Gwen Tyler, vice chair of the citizens' panel that monitors the money, said. “City officials are simply not interested in these neighborhoods being revitalized." Dallas' pool of unspent money has risen since 1991 to total $51 million at the end of 1997. The federal government approved the money under Community Development Block Grant and Neighborhood Renaissance programs. The money is earning no interest while it sits unused. Meanwhile, the amount of community de velopment dollars used to pay city staffers almost doubled — from $5.7 million to $10 million — between 1995 and 1997. One of every three dollars spent was used to pay the city's code enforcement inspec tors, who were recently blasted by the city auditor for doing a shoddy job of enforcing laws prohibiting dilapidated housing and neighborhood blight. Funding the Neighborhood Renaissance program is $25 million in federal loans that must be paid back with interest. The funds were approved three years ago for six neigh borhoods. However, only one percent has been spent. Some of the money has been spent on the Southern Dallas Initiative for a Global Strat egy, a program designed to attract interna tional investment to south Dallas. City manager John Ware said he sup ports the program, which has received $151,000 in community development mon ey. Ware is leaving his office in August to run a company, financed by Dallas Stars owner Tom Hicks, that will invest in south Dallas businesses. A four-term Dallas City Council member said there is no legitimate reason for the city's inaction. “It's an outrage," councilman Larry Duncan said. "The best-case reason it's not been spent is a lack of will. 1 he worst(f is obstruction." A member of the Community Devcli ment Commission said the city's has had devastating consequences. J “It means we will continue tohave^l ly and handicapped individuals whosUil have caved in, who have to copewitbl sewage, who don't have decent plumbii'l electricity," Jan Bridges, who hasbeenonj commission since 1995, said. "IheM costs are enormous." Robert C. Wallace Sr., 79, has lived if'] South Dallas home for 41 yearsan<W three children there. But he now nea home improvement loan and has for funding with community develop® 1 money. , “I never heard back from the citj said, adding that his area already ha awarded $2 million in Neighborhoo naissance money. It hasn't been spenty Wallace, who is disabled, is conce® that the code enforcement division'' tear his house down. The division has | down 1,500 single-family homes in past six years, and has replaced on) the paper said. '3.95 m pager airtime Free Activation | ‘Accessories ‘Calling Cards i Aerial phones sold here j Schulman Theatres College Park 6 www.schulman-theatres.com Bcs online www.lockon.com DlSC System 8,n8 764-5900 The Quantum Gow Tutoring & Toys: 26D-2697 BEANIE BABIES! . . .-new. lower pricejsl-. All beanie babies currently-in-stock. ■ Erin-*65.°° Peace s 35. <> Princess , 55. 0,r 2080 E. 29th St., Bryan 775-2463 BOX OFFICE OPENS AT 12:30 Now Showing - Today’s Times Only X-FILES EOT (PG13) 1:10 4:05 7:05 9:45 MULAN KWTrAHT (G) 1:00 3:10 5:20 7:25 9:30 TRUMAN SHOW CE (PG) 1:35 4:15 7:20 9:40 6 DAYS 7 NIGHTS m (PG13) 1:40 4:20 7:10 9:55 DEEP IMPACT CD (PG13) 1:20 4:10 7:15 9:50 A PERFECT MURDER CD (R) 4:25 9:50 GODZILLA CD (PG13) 1:00 7:00 $3.00 - all shows before 6 p.m. $3.00 - children/seniors $5.00 - Adults If You Have Something To Sell, Remember: The Battalion Classifieds Can Do It Call 845-0569 MSC Barber Shop Serving All Aggies! XJ Cuts and Styles All Corp Cuts $7. Regular cuts start at f| 846-0629 Open: Mon. - Fri. 8-5 “wST Located in the basement of the Memorial Student Center 4r Memorial Student Center 1998 Summer Calendar of Events ( Dive into Summer! June Film Society Ghostbusters 9:30 p.m. Rudder Fountain L.T. Jordan Institute for International Awareness Community, Household & Status of Hacienda Tabi, Yucatan, Mexico and Environmental Policies in Bolivia 7 p.m. Rudder 510 Town Hall Poolside with Polygram 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) Visual Arts Tour of San Antonio's Art Museums (Cost: $10 Texas A&M students; $20 all others) Cepheid Variable Series 2 p.m. Biochemistry 107-108 Great Issues and Political Forum Open Microphone 11:30-12:30 p.m. Rudder Fountain Town Hall Hypnotist Rich Ames 8:30 p.m. Rudder Theater Town Hall Lunch Box Concert 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) NOVA Gaming Night at Hullabaloo 6-9 p.m. MSC Bowling and Games Area Black Awareness Celebration 12:30 p.m. MSC Flag Room NOV A. SurduKahn I & a.m.-l 1 p.m. MSC 138-146 25 Town Hall Poolside with Polygram 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) 25 Cepheid Variable Pleiades Reading Circle 7 p.m. MSC 145 27 Cepheid Variable Anime Series 2 p.m. Biochemistry 107-108 30 Film Society Sixteen Candles 9:30 p.m. Rudder Fountain All events are FREE, except as noted. Dates and times may change. Check out the MSC web site: wwwmsc.tamu.edu and the MSC Hotline at 847-5463. Please call 845-1515 for special needs. July Great Issues Drawing the Line-Technology and the Ethics of Cloning 4 p.m. Koldus 110 NOVA Gaming Night at Hullabaloo 6-9 p.m. MSC Bowling and Games Area Town Hall Poolside with Polygram 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) Visual Arts Tour of Houston ’s Corporate Art Collections (Cost: $10 Texas A&M students only) Film Society Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 9:30 p.m. Rudder Fountain Town Hall Lunch Box Concert 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) Cepheid Variable Anime Series 2 p.m. Biochemistry 107' 1 Town Hall Poolside with Polygram 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) Cepheid Variable Pleiades Reading Circle 7 p.m. MSC 1 24-26 NOVA Battle. Con 3 p.m. Fri.-2 p.m. Sun. MSC 224-225 Visual Arts Tour of Galveston s Historic Homes (Cost: $10 Texas A&M students; $20 all others) 28-29 OPAS Broadway Cabaret 7:30 p.m. College Station Conference Center at 1300 George Bush Drive (Cost: $2 Texas A&M students; $5 all others) Town Hall Poolside with Polygram 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) August 1 Cepheid Variable Anime Series 2 p.m. Biochemistry N 7 ' 1 ' Town Hall Poolside with Polygram 2-4 p.m. Rec. Center Outdoor Pool (A valid Texas A&M ID is required.) 28 Fall Leadership Conference Trinidad, Texas Cepheid Variable Pleiades Reading Circle 7 p.m. MSC I dend ing tl 10 14 16 23 FoJ prj Me Latiml presidl ty's dents,! Wednj ed Me Lat| extenc Latl Texas' in 19; He ciatior! high whichl °f mo| dents throue more for the Lati the A dents' Wome