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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 23, 1999)
PAGES Wednesday’s issue A complete guide to the Texas Film Festival - events, films and special guests. ers petition for emoval of mayor, luncil members r ballon to® 3 Simpson Drill?:. BY AMANDA SMITH The Battalion ?stions about and who repe 1 to provide th hing to answi >stions directei Generally loqu ty whip is bins arding a laws 1 in 1994 bya o claimed Dei tner weretryir he pest contro • We have an t,” Delay told; ters in a bn inter earlier tit: A citizens’ petition circulating iojiege Station aims to remove ,e members of the College Sta rt City Council, including Mayor tn Mcllhaney. Five College Station registered ers presented an affidavit Friday ZitylSecretary Connie Hooks re- estiilg recall petitions. In accor- icejwith the city charter, the iup has 30 days to gather signa- es from at least 40 percent of the al number of registered voters 10 had cast votes for the posi- ns ih the May 1998 elections. Swiki Anderson, a City Council tmber, said he advocates the re- lofkhe mayor and members of t cBncil because of their lack of nsidjeration for the majority of liege Station residents, includ- l their endorsement of the Jrthg.ite parking garage develop ed fl/id their responses to the unson Avenue controversy. “There are some vindictive, ntrojling and mean people in ty Hall now,” Anderson, said, lere, we live in a community lichlis supposed to be enlight- Bd. iThe voters are now begin- ig to question some of the ac- ns of the City Council. ” An individual recall election for ? mayor and city council mem- rs Ron Silvia, Larry Mariott, ivid (Hickson and Anne Hazen 11 be held if the petition receives ough signatures. Mayor Lynn Mcllhaney said ch of the council members being nsidered for recall faced at least fee opponents in the May 1998 tctions. “My hope is that people will up- Id the election results from last aylMcIlhaney said. “There will vays be at least one to disagree th the decision made by the City Hindi. Based on the feedback I veReceived from the public, I ji informed the city is well-man- ed and well-run. I feel like we have been very pro-active in get ting feedback from the citizens.” Mcllhaney said that in the 1998 citizen survey. College Station cit izens gave city services a 93 per cent approval rating. She said the survey is conducted annually, and 536 citizens were contacted. She said the majority of the services addressed in the survey received a ranking of 90 percent or higher. Hooks said a recall election would require 1,523 signatures for Mcllhaney, 1,482 signatures for Hazen, 1,463 signatures for Mari ott, 1,444 signatures for Silvia and 435 signatures for Hickson, each based on the number of votes re ceived by the candidates in May. Benito Flores-Meath, one of the five College Station residents who submitted the affidavit, said the five council members he recom mends recalling continue to act in the interest of special groups, not the majority. “When the City Council contin ues to ignore hundreds of people, something is wrong,” Flores- Meath said. “Now it is time to re call and to get a fresh set of faces on the City Council. People are coming out of the woodwork and giving support. We have had a lot of people sign our petitions.” After conversations with con stituents over the weekend, Hazen said she does not think the petition will receive much citizen support. Hazen, who was elected in May 1998, said the city council has acted in the best interest of the majority. “I feel that our council and the city staff have done our best to handle the matters brought before us,” Hazen said. “I feel the city council is very representative of the people. It is very unfortunate that it came to this.” In a letter released Feb. 20, An derson said he will not run for re- election to the College Station City Council in the upcoming May elec tion. see Petition on Page 2. Daily grind MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion Scott Mills, a senior agricultural development major, grinds his new barbecue pit at the Parsons Mounted Cavalry complex Monday evening. Welfare-reform advocate voices concerns BY NONI SRIDHARA The Battalion Star Parker, president and founder of the Coalition on Urban Renewal and Education (CURE) and a for mer welfare recipient, said the steps people should take to leave the arena of poverty include having a sense of moral obligation and a strong work ethic, get ting a good education, and saving and investing mon ey wisely. Parker said under the objective of moral obligation everyone must be self sufficient and personally re sponsible. “We have fallen victim because of our environment and not our personal choice,” Parker said. Parker said she was involved in drugs and was promiscuous, and she used abortion as a form of birth control. Parker said the “leftist” groups are responsible for keeping the poor in a lower status because they can not empathize with the poor. She said liberals should not try to legislate on behalf of the poor. Parker emphasized the importance of receiving a good education. “In this country, you have to become proficient in English and math to leave poverty,” she said. She said many of the schools are creating programs such as bilingual education just to receive more funds. Parker said this does not help the poor; it just con tributes to the problem of those dependent on welfare. Mike Fuentes/The iihTAUON Star Parker, founder and president of CURE, speaks speaks Monday night. Parker said the welfare program and the hopes for the “great society” stole the work ethic. “Some of the key points to a strong work ethic are hard work, postponed gratification and diligent efforts,” she said. Parker said welfare sometimes encourages single-par ent homes, and many of families receiving welfare are headed by single mothers. She said 80 percent of peo ple on welfare have had children out of wedlock. “Many a times, it is the fathers who teach their sons the importance of working, but in single-parent fami lies, they do not have an example to follow,” she said. She said 70 percent of the males who come from sin gle-parent families get into serious trouble during their see Parker on Page 2. Health clubs to present symposium for students, graduates BY LISA K. HILL The Battalion Representatives from health-re lated professional schools will offer students information on the criteria necessary to be admitted to medical school at the ninth annual Health Professions Symposium. The symposium, today from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the MSC Flagroom, is sponsored by the Ex ecutive Council of Health Organiza tions (ECHO), an organization of 1,500 students from nine pre-health clubs on campus. Dr. Anne Blum, director of Pro fessional School Advising and an ECHO adviser, said the symposium will provide information for stu dents and graduates. “Students are able to meet and talk with deans of admissions on their acceptance standards,” she said. “Former Aggies who are now attending these schools will also be there to give advice.” The Baylor College of Medicine and four University of Texas medical schools and physical-therapy, physi cian-assistant and other health-re lated professional schools will be represented at the event. “We suspect around 1,000 stu dents will attend to talk with the reps,” she said. “In the past, stu dents have had a positive reaction, and we hope to continue that trend.” Kris Heinzman, president of ECHO and a senior biomedical sci ences major, said a great effort has been made to ensure the event is a success. “ECHO sells T-shirts during the freshman conferences which raises the bulk of the money,” he said. “We also collect $1 dues from each mem ber of the nine clubs. ” The symposium is free to atten dees. Parking in the John J. Koldus Parking Garage and lunch will be provided at no cost. Jivision of J Urgency Management ■epares, educates Jans about ingerous mther. BY APRIL YOUNG I The Battalion In fen attempt to increase tow]edge of potential haz- is [severe weather can j.use, the week of Feb. 22 b been declared Severe eather Awareness Week 199 for Texas and surround- ; states that are affected by tilai weather patterns. For three decades, the jtverinors of each state have ^Ked a Severe Weather rareness Week. Don Rogers, assistant pub lic information officer for the Division of Emergency Man agement (DEM), said be cause of Texas’ geographical diversity, different types of weather occur throughout the state. “Texas’ geographical di versity means that we have flash floods, tornadoes and hurricanes throughout the state,” Rogers said. “It is im portant that people are made aware of the necessary pre cautions to take during these types of weather.” Rogers said the leading cause of death in severe weather is flooding. “The number one weath er-related cause of death in Texas is flooding because people tend to think that they can go into a flood without paying attention,” he said. According to the National Weather Service, the south ern flooding in January 1998, which included Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Al abama, Florida, Oklahoma, Arizona, Tennessee and Ken tucky, resulted in 10 deaths. Rogers said there is a his tory of severe weather in Texas, but no particular area harbors it more than another. “East Texas tends to have drought and fires; coastal ar eas have hurricanes and tor nadoes, while the central area has flooding and torna does,” Rogers said. “So Texas in general is not particularly affected by one type of severe weather. ” According to the National Weather Service, during the Dallas-Ft. Worth flash flood ing and hail in May 1995, $900 million in hail damage was reported as well as 21 deaths and 510 injuries. For this reason, DEM has designed an informational packet which contains media advisories, press releases and feature articles about prepar ing for tornadoes, flash floods, thunderstorms and lightning. see Weather on Page 2. Significant Weather Events - 1998 30 6 Deaths SIB million damage Wyoming South Dakotar* Nebiaska. \ Cobiado New Meftctr Heat Ware/Drought june/July TX; OK, LA 300+ cfeatha $6 billion cfamage Tropical Storm Charley August 31-36 IX, 10 cfeatha Severe flooding $300 million Texaa Floodng October 17-39 39 deaths $750 million Southern Flooding January 4-8 TX,LA,M£AL,FL, OK,AR,TN,KT 10 deaths Hurricane Earl Aug 31-Sept 3 FL, 3 deal ha $70 million damage Hurrica , Severe Thunderstorm Vermont ! SejAember 7-B y NT, NJ, PA 4 cfeatha ,000 without power Massachusetts Winter StcrmKrtood January 6-9 ME.NHTT * MT.WK Pt, m; SC. 7 deaths $500 nil lion damage la tot*; — Hurricane Bonnie August 19-38 N£, I cfeath $1 billion damage V__ March 30 I ocnadoes "ri GJC nc; T* .—I 14 cfeaths $16 rraliion GAU. Florida Fireat Miy 35-July 15 t cfeath, $390+ million damage CentrM Fiorirfei T ornadoes Feb 22 -23 42 death; $IOO+ million damage Georggg Sept 18-39 AL, FL, GA, LA, MS, PR 3 U.S. deaths $3-$4 billion damage / Graphic Courtesy of the National Weather Service