State Page 5 • Monday, September 7, 1998 OGRAPH attaion earring up .nr sopnomor: <37 XT of the four ate: nior and sen os pi tab consider laundry-for-profit service on s pnotog r / j r j tudents: 12 or ed at the Hoi J ANTONIO (AP) - Veter- 11 l, |[ ^^nicr dairs officials may try to . , : m -pp. _ away the ciepartment's fi- 1 woes by taking in laundry hospitals. 7, iew million automated ;,h ' y system can handle not only 1,11 1 u ’ P or ; linens from VA hospitals in a tun Kuo | e ar)( } j n san Antonio, but ground. ^ capacity to make a laundry- .‘Ction includ- fit sclieme feasible, terrific talent. ?’re discussing selling our ser if sunlight ft: o federal agencies and state ling glasso leral organizations,†Kerrville tr's collect: il administrator Ruben Balle an previous' e San Antonio Express-News ar subject day’s editions, tine brightet ‘ lauindry idea reflects diffi- that VA centers nationwide be student epertencing as they work i budget constraints started •ar. le president proposed, and l ,. . . esg a ,,p rovec -i a p] dn that all â– one studerr , , . r , , , /alth-tare units would matn- ' j ie | ame budget for five ne â– sa j ( j j ose Coronado, direc- s tor his s:l 5 0U th Texas Veterans Health some of tb. ;ysteins, a me fronn : contracts have been signed hey did. ir the new computer-con- he requires i washers, driers and fold- iwn cameras 'hich can handle 5 million nor year ane ontinue taktrt S pounds of laundry a year. The two hospitals, Kerrville VA Medical Center and Audie Mur phy VA Hospital, generate about 2.5 million pounds annually. Besides possibly offering laun dry services, the hospitals are ex tending care to paying patients, opening blood banks and explor ing leases for hospital grounds. Coronado said agency leaders want hospitals to bring in money from nongovernment sources “equal to 10 percent of our budget.†“We’re going to have to be come more involved in selling ser vices and providing things to oth er organizations,†he said. South Texas VA officials in July announced the system would have a $6.6 million deficit for the budget of $231 million. They al ready have shut down 82 beds at Audie Murphy and 11 in Kerrville. “The bottom line is that the government is denying their promise to veterans to give them good services,†said Ben Low, Kerrville’s mayor and a 70-year- old Navy veteran. “In my opin ion, this is a national problem that needs to be addressed by the country as a whole.†iraduate. them to hav is," he says, ‘eators sifted ‘lect 45 pictui AUDITIONS IHt is unit]’ reflect the â– % 1 itl he thoup the first year since the exit: a me level oC on Third War: INGING-CADETC August 31 - September 11, 1998 gh October!: Fine Arts. .rtftlHC-CAgrfr tVic sliov Vocal Auditions Open to All Male Students Corps of Cadets Membership is NOT required Guitar and Drummer Positions Also Available •tageltt day Se _PM 111 0 Aii 003 MSC (Downstairs) 845-5974 itoriuiti 11 lease stop by to make an appointment. zr hour WITH SPECIAL GUESTS LEAHY SEPTEMBER 9,1998 REED ARENA TICKETS AVAILABLE AT THE MSC BOX OFFICE RUDDER TOWER, FOLEY’S IN COLLEGE STATION OR CHARGE BY PHONE 409-268-0414 C3 THff PREFERRED CARD OF 1 All TICKETS SUBJECT TO CONVENIENCE CHARGE. DAH, VENUE AND SUPPORT ACT(S) SUBJECT TO CHANGE WITHOUT NOTICE. CWTCTAINMtNT Texas oyster harvesters want check of ships’ water discharge HOUSTON (AP) — Texas oyster harvesters want officials to inves tigate whether the bacteria that made 419 people ill this summer might also have come from water discharged from ships, the Hous ton Chronicle reported Sunday. The outbreak made people from 10 states ill with flulike symp toms like diarrhea, vomiting and headaches after eating the oysters. It also has pushed Texas’ $33 million oyster industry to the brink of financial ruin. “Everybody’s on the verge of bankruptcy. This has halted a com plete industry. It’s a disaster,†said Lisa Halili, who with her husband, Johnny, employs 300 people at their oyster processing business in Galveston County’s San Leon. What frustrates harvesters most is that if the bacteria tainting their oysters came from ships’ ballast water, safety precautions might have prevented the outbreak. U.S. Food and Drug Adminis tration marine biologist Dr. George Hofkin, who is studying the Texas outbreak, believes a connection between this out break of the bacteria Vibrio para- haemolyticus and ship discharge is a strong possibility. “The specific strain of bacte ria that made people ill has nev er before been detected in Galveston Bay, but it is common in Japan, India and Taiwan,†“Everybody’s on the verge of bank ruptcy. This has halted a complete industry. It’s a disaster.†— Lisa Halili Oyster processing employee Hofkin said. “It is something that needs to be looked into.†New technology, including the ability to type genes, has made bac teria trails easier to follow, he said. The Galveston outbreak was traced to Vibrio parahaemolyticus — a bacterium that occurs natu rally in all waters of the world — and then narrowed down to a spe cific virulent strain called “03:K6,â€. which never before had been de tected in U.S. waters but is com mon in Southeast Asian waters. The strain was the only type of Vibrio confirmed in those who be came ill from eating raw oysters from Galveston Bay, said Dr. Bruce Elliott, who heads the state’s mi crobiology lab in Austin. Since the bay was closed to har vesting more than two months ago because of the outbreak, authori ties have not been able to find any sign of this strain in oyster samples taken from the bay. Federal and state officials now are testing an additional 90 sam ples. If no contaminants are found, harvesting may resume within about a week. Four years ago, after cholera bacteria was detected in oysters from Alabama’s Mobile Bay, sci entists traced it to water dumped from ships that had been to Peru, where a major out break had occurred. In 1990, the U.S. Coast Guard barred ships from emptying water from their ballast tanks into the Great Lakes in response to an in festation of zebra mussels. That outbreak was linked to ballast wa ter that had been taken on in for eign ports to stabilize ships and then dumped in American waters. Ukraine ship’s crew remains in Houston HOUSTON (AP) — Sixteen Ukrainian sailors who have been stranded here for five months will remain in Houston for 10 days while; lawyers discuss how much money,, if any, the sailors will receive from; the sale of their seized ship. U.S. District Court Judge Lee; Rosenthal last week ordered the sailors for the Epta back to! Ukraine, but changed her mind Thursday to allow lawyers for those making claims time to try to work out a deal. The sailors were hired in April to sail the Epta. But the ship was abandoned by its owner after it was seized in March. The sailors have been hoping to get their salaries from the $500,000 sale of the ship. They’ve received no wages for the past five months. An unidentified sailor told the Houston Chronicle in Sunday’s edi tions he and others fear they will never get paid if they are sent home before the dispute is resolved. Until the matter is resolved, the local Ukrainian Hall will house the 16 sailors, who need clothes and other assistance. A fund also has been set up to help them. Off Campus Aggies Join us Tuesday, September 8th for our first meeting of the foil! Meet other off campus students and hove some fun with OCA! See what we're about! When: September 8th at 8:30 pm Where: MSC 201 Dues: $15 for the Fall or $28 for Fall and Spring For more info, call the OCA Offfice at 845-0688 or visit our website at http://ocatamu.edu INFORMATIONAL MEETING Wed. Sept. 9th, 8:30pm 410 Rudder Come join us today! BLACK & WHITE EXPRESS COPIES Bring this coupon to the Kinko's listed below and receive 3« Express Black & White Copies. kinko's 509 University Dr. West, College Station 846-8721 | Offer good for letter size, single sided, autofed copies on our standard white paper. Offer is limited to one coupon per person. Coupon must I be presented at time of purchase and h not valid with other offers or discounts. Offer valid at time of purchase only and may not be discounted or credited toward past or future purchases. Offer valid at Kinko’s listed locations only. Coupon void where prohibited by law. No I cash value. Offer expires 12/31/98. *1998 Kinko's. Inc. All rights reserved. Kinko's is a registered trademark of Kinko's Ventures. Inc. and is used by permission. Kinko's requires written permission from the copyright holder in order to reproduce any copyrighted materials. sea oy permission. Kinfcos requires written permission tram tne copyngnt noider in order to reproduce any copynqnteo materials. AAC327 1 Open 24 Hours • Ask about free pickup and delivery I exp 12/31/98 MMMMMMMMMMMI MM» «MM MM HMH MMM MMt MM* MNW MM* MM8 SNM MOM MM9 MM* flMMI MMMMHMMMMMMNMMMM The Skin of Our Teeth a pulitzers Prize Winning Comedy by Thorton Wilder A&M IHEATRE ARTS AUDITION NOTICE: Monday, September 7, 7:00pm, Rudder Forum. Performance dates: October 15-17,21-24 October 27-31 in Dallas at the American College Theatre Festival Auditions will consist of a “prepared monologue," cold readings, & improvisions. (Check the theatre office in room 152 Blocker for materials) A cast of 24 is needed - - Actors of all shapes, sizes, colors, and ages are welcome. Victor’s Shoe & Boot Repair Service Tradition • Quality A Symbol of Value Since 1966 Quality Men’s & Ladies Boot & Shoe Repair Professional Hat Cleaning & Blocking Luggage & Handling Repair Shoe Care Products Custom Made Aggie Senior Boots for 25 Years! Nametags dr Heeltaps 3601 Texas Ave. in Bryan 846-4114 North of Texas A&M & University Drive 1.5 Miles on Texas Avenue Hours: Monday thru Friday 8-6:30 • Saturday 9-4 Guest Speaker: Coach Slocum 1st General Meeting Monday, Sept. 7 7:00 p.m. Rudder 601 To become a member bring a check for either $24 for a full year membership or $12 for a semester membership.