rinirsiJiiv, Octobers
Monday, October 5, 2000
STATE
Page 3B
THE BATTALION
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DALLAS (AP) — State troopers
[are more likely to ticket African
American drivers than whites in
[many of Texas’ rural counties, ac
cording to a statistical analysis pub-
(lished Wednesday.
In The Dallas Morning News’
study, researchers who reviewed 1999
traffic tickets written by troopers
found that in 28 mostly rural Texas
counties, African Americans received
"twice the number that were given to
the general driving population.
“There’s no way you can explain
this level of variation except there’s
got to be some kind of intent in
volved,” said Gary Bledsoe, presi
dent of the state National Associa
tion for the Advancement of
Colored People (NAACP) chapter.
The data noted the Texas Depart
ment of Public Safety(DPS) officers
did not denote Hispanic drivers when
U— writing tickets, and therefore Hispan-
■1 ics could not be included in the study.
1
The analysis conducted by the
newspaper included figures on
894,702 traffic tickets issued last year
by DPS troopers.
It found that statewide, African
Americans received about the same
proportion of tickets — 10 percent
— as their statewide driving-age
population who garner 11 percent
of the tickets issued.
But in 84 of 193 counties, African
Americans received more tickets
than expected, compared with 28
counties where whites received
more tickets than anticipated.
In another 28 counties, African
Americans received at least double
the number of tickets expected. Five
of those counties do not have an in
terstate highway. The study com
pared the percentage of tickets is
sued, by race, with the racial
demographics of the county where
they were issued.
Recording of traffic stops by DPS
troopers, which was revealed last
month, has been defended by the
There's no way
you can explain
this level of varia
tion except there's
got to be some •
kind of intent in
volved”
— Gary Bledsoe
President of Texas NAACP
agency, which began keeping records
in response to public concern about
racial profiling.
Civil-rights leaders said The
Morning News analysis under-
HMOs to face legal actions
Wjb
CODY WAGES/The Battai
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,” she said. “It was ale
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o go out there and
d after every play.” .
;aid allowing the noli!
playing time in game 1 ,
like Iowa State wilVnef
fidence and experii
ying to find the
now,” she said,
ring it one day at a
younger players mi
will definitely help.”
is will travel to Wa«
to take on the Baffl
2 HOUSTON (AP) — Texas’ leading doctors’ group
is becoming more aggressive about suing health plans
on behalf of its members for slow-paying or not paying
necessary patients’ services.
-The Texas Medical Association’s policy-making
body has passed a resolution to begin litigating over
perceived abuses, such as not paying doctors enough
for their work or using administrative obstacles to
slow payment, according to the Texas Journal of The
W&ll Street Journal.
“Doctors are just so frustrated with the system that’s
in place they feel like they have to enforce the laws
themselves,” Rocky Wilcox, the association’s general
counsel, told the newspaper in its Wednesday editions.
Until now, the physicians’ group has concentrated on
legislative rather than judicial action on behalf of mem
bers. But individual doctors under contract to health
maintenance organizations have previously filed law
suits claiming to be improperly reimbursed.
Lawyers for the Austin-based association are con
sidering whether to join a lawsuit like one filed last year
by Dr. Todd Samuelson, a Fort Worth ear, nose and
throat specialist, against United Healthcare of Texas
Inc., a subsidiary of Minneapolis-based United Health
Group Co. in state court in Fort Worth, Wilcox said.
■Rii
Papers filed in that lawsuit contend that United re
duced Samuelspn’s compensation in violation of his
contract. A hearing to determine whether it should be
treated as a class action on behalf of other Texas physi
cians under contract with United is scheduled for Nov.
2 before Judge Thomas Wilson Lowe III.
“We believe we followed the terms of the provider
agreement,” a United spokesman said, contending that
the lawsuit, seeking unspecified damages, was meritless.
Several Texas law firms, which Wilcox declined to
name, have agreed to take cases like the Samuelson law
suit and others that the association may file or join on
behalf of doctors on a contingency basis, with lawyers
receiving a fixed portion of any judgment — or nothing
if the case is lost.
Such lawsuits are unnecessary, according to the lead
ing industry group representing health plans.
“We would prefer to continue to work on these
things and avoid litigation,” said Leah Rummel, head
of the Austin-based Texas Association of Health Plans,
a lobby group.
. Representatives of large health plans meet regularly
with the TMA to discuss individual physician com
plaints, she said, and is drafting a joint proposal to cre
ate a standard form for pre-authorizing services and
making referrals to specialists. .
— News in Brief —
Testimony begins
in inheritance trial
HOUSTON (AP) — After two
days of opening statements in
which former Playboy Playmate
of the Year Anna Nicole Smith
was alternately described as a
grieving widow and a money-
hungry stripper, jurors faced
their first full day of testimony.
At stake in the probate trial
is the fortune of the former
stripper and model’s late hus
band, J. Howard Marshall II,
who died at age 90 in 1995.
During opening statements
Tuesday, defense attorney Jeff
Chambers said Smith had so lit
tle respect for her husband that
she would rarely ever give him the
five minutes of telephone com
panionship he wanted each day.
Several times, Smith turned to
her lawyers to display her disgust,
often tossing her head defiantly.
Olajuwon criticized for real estate projects
10M A
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)n Trauma
t
Abortion
ctor.
HOUSTON (AP) — Some local real estate ob
servers credit Houston Rockets star Hakeem Ola
juwon with blocking more than basketballs.
They say his unwillingness to develop some
downtown real estate has blocked ongoing revi
talization of the city’s core, the Texas Journal of
The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
. Rather than move forward with publicized
Rians to redevelop some of the seven downtown
properties he has acquired since 1994, the NBA’s
all-time shot blocker’s buildings are “being in
ventoried and mothballed,” according to down
town developer Bill Franks.
Perhaps Olajuwon’s best-known property is the
long-abandoned World Trade Center, across from
Enron Field. Olajuwon beat out several other bid
ders to buy a 10-year lease for $400,000, then an
nounced plans to convert the eyesore into condo
miniums or a hotel.
He and his partners decided against the ideas,
St JOSEPH CATHOLIC CHURCH • GIRLS CLUB OF BRAZOS COUNTV
however. Only one of Olajuwon’s properties has
seen any redevelopment activity.
“I look at each property separately,” Olajuwon
said. “Whether I decide to develop or sell, it’s a
business decision.”
“Whether I decide to de
velop or self it's a busi
ness decision”
— Hakeem Olajuwon
Houston Rockets center
He added that his adherence to Islam prohibits
him from certain activities, such as paying interest
on borrowed money or dealing in alcohol sales,
which largely eliminates the hotel business.
As a result, the World Trade Center continues
to be a blight in an area rejuvenated because of the
nearby ballpark.
Jack Rains, former chairman of the Harris
County-Houston Sports Authority, was among
those trying to buy the graffiti-stained building ini
tially with hopes of razing it and creating a park.
He has remained critical of Olajuwon’s handling
of the site.
“The building has sat there for two years, and
all he’s done is show it to people to sell it,” Rains
said. “They’ve been acquiring properties and an
nouncing grandiose plans and then wind up doing
a lot less than they say they’re going to do.”
Others say Olajuwon is just being a good busi
nessman, buying low and selling high.
“He’s just trying to find good deals, just like any
other developer or investor,” said downtown bro
ker Reggie Bowman of Reggie Bowman Proper
ties, who has worked with Olajuwon. “He’s a
smart investor.”
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GRAND
OPENING
scored the idea that African Ameri
can motorists are targeted by law
enforcement along state highways
through the profiling practice.
But others who studied the fig
ures, including statistics professors,
said no conclusions about racial
profiling can be drawn because a
key element is missing: the number
of minority drivers on any given
highway.
James Francis, chairman of the
Department of Public Safety Board,
said he believes the study is funda
mentally flawed because it compares
ticketed drivers with each county’s
racial makeup — but does not take
into account that highway travelers
might be from another place.
“I’m not going to start a massive
investigation unless and until there
is some indication that something is
going on,” said Francis, criticizing
the implication that troopers drew
upon racial profiling techniques.
4.0 & GO
www.4,0andgo.com or call 696-8886(TUTOR)
Acct 209
Part 1
Mon Oct 9
5pm~7pro
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Part I
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7pm-9pm
Acct 230
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Info 303
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Dewald
Part I
Tue Oct 1(1
11 pm
Part I
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7pni-10pm
Part I
Sun Oct 8
7pm-10pm
Part 1
Sun Oct 8
5pm-7pm
Part 11
Tue Oct 10
5pm-8pn»
Part II
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Test Review
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Part IV
Sun Oct 15
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Coming next
week:
Econ 203
(Nelson),
Math
141/166.
Math 142, &
Mktg 309
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