Page 4
Tuesday, January 16, 2001
STATE
THE BATTALION
Midland residents debate naming
street after Martin Luther King Jr.
MIDLAND (AP) — Martin
Luther King Jr.’s name has been the
subject of a debate in President-elect
George W. Bush’s hometown. The
debate began two years ago, when a
city councilman introduced a motion
to rename a street after the slain civ
il rights leader.
Ever since, the issue has sim-
B mered and cooled — mostly along
M racial lines.
—^ “It got real hot toward the latter
^■oart of the summer of 1999,” city
ouncilman Mike Canon said Mon-
lay. “And it continues to come up. I
TTovo 1 lon’t think it’s resolved in some
-Lvdyl) oiks’ minds, and short of namirig a
\ I itreet after Dr. King, I don’t know
is histrajaj }j at j t w jj] ^ settled.”
In the past, officials have pro-
iosed renaming Fairgrounds Road,
vhich lies on the eastern edge of
Midland, after King.
City councilman James Bradford
aid he will propose naming a road
cheduled to be built around a
lanned sports complex after King.
What has been the problem is
here has not been the support in the
ouncil or in the majority of the com-
nunity to rename an existing street,
o to me, let’s go for something that
oesn’t have a name,” he said.
Bradford, who is black and the
nly minority on the city council, has
ssembled a 12-member committee
am natural'
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arical movi
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of residents from various racial back
grounds to study his proposal. The
committee’s first meeting is slated
for next Monday.
Bradford said he will present his
proposal before the city council in April.
In 1999, Bradford’s predecessor,
Julius Brooks, failed to get Fair
grounds Road renamed after King.
I don't care if it's
renaming it for Dr.
Martin Luther King
or George W. Bush or
George Washington.
I don't think it
serves any particular
purpose.”
— Mike Canon
city councilman
During an Aug. 24, 1999, council
meeting. Brooks filed a motion to
have the street renamed. The motion
was shot down when council mem
bers refused to second it. Mayor Bob
by Burns said at the time he would
have seconded Brooks’ motion, but
could not because of a legal restric
tion.
The council’s position was that
Midland needed to “preserve the
historical significance” of Fair
grounds Road.
Longtime residents remain divid
ed on the issue.
Many of Midland’s older, white
residents said renaming Fairgrounds
Road would violate its historic past.
“They used to have the county
fair and the rodeo off Fairgrounds
Road,” said longtime resident Joan
Baskin. “Some of the really old folks
who lived here said, ‘Wait a minute,
let’s not start changing historic
roads’ names.’ When you get into
discussions like that, you find that
people polarize.”
Meanwhile, Alma Marshall, who
is black and has lived in Midland for
43 years, said Bradford’s proposed
alternative amounts to pandering.
“The black community is not
monolithic, so we don’t always have
the same feeling about everything,
but my feeling about it is if they want
to name just a little side street around
a sports complex after Dr. King, they
can keep it. That is an insult.”
Canon said he did not like the
“business of renaming roads” and
said there were better uses of gov
ernment funds.
“I don’t care if it’s renaming it for
Dr. Martin Luther King or George W.
Bush or George Washington,” he
said. “I don’t think it serves any par
ticular purpose. I’d rather see what
ever money it costs to rename a road
— and it does cost money — go into
programs to help the impoverished.”
Marshall called the lack of a road
named in King’s memory an “insult.”
“I think this speaks pretty poorly
of Midland and is an insult to Dr.
King and Dr. King’s memory not to
honor him with anything other than a
little, rinky dink park,” he said.
Other officials have suggested
other streets, including Front Street,
which runs east to west through Mid
land, a city of about 100,000. “One
of the reasons I like Front Street is it
is a business street,” said Robbyne
Hocker Fuller, who ran against Brad
ford for his council seat.
Renaming any street after King
could prove to be volatile, given
Midland’s recent history, including
disputes over the waving of the rebel
flag at high school football games
and school integration, said Marshall.
“It is somewhat of a controversial
issue, and I certainly can't speak for
those who are in favor of honoring
Dr. King,” Canon said. “I respect him
as a great American and someone
who did something very important
for our country, but there are a lot of
other people who did important
things for America too.”
ina thisgffi
it script.®. » «r
““Man may
lose eye for freeing blue heron
from histoi FO rt WORTH (AP) — An effort to free a
•> luck blue heron may cost a man one of his eyes,
card hast)* a heron that appeared to be dead jabbed
? comingtcjhristopher Leeper, while he was out on the wa-
tory bool ^ j n the eye after he tried to free the bird, which
l lasvsnagged in a trotline, hooks buried in its
act that it dim j n g anc i breast.
the wayitpff As Leeper freed the bird, it struck him with its
conveying sharp bill.
a a tickli^S Now Leeper, is in danger of losing his left eye,
lotipht 11 fi\\ds himself temporarily unable to work and faces
growing stack of medical bills.
His friends jokingly tell him to hunt down the
ird and kill it. Leeper, though, speaks fondly of
lis attacker.
“It wasn’t his fault,” he said. “I would do it again.”
The weather had been cold and icy for several
ind see
,. Little fla»
d redo..
days, but Jan. 6 was nice. Leeper, 26, and a friend,
Dustin Ward, 24, loaded a canoe and headed to
Lake Arlington.
Recent rains and snow had raised the lake lev
el, and only a few branches were above the water
at their favorite fishing spot near an island. Tan
gled in branches was a migratory blue heron.
The heron tried to flap its wings when Leeper
reached out for it. Leeper cradled it with one hand
and began removing the hooks with the other.
He said he kept the bird at arm’s length, watch
ful of its long, sharp bill.
“I tried to keep him as far away as I could,”
Leeper said in Monday’s editions of the Fort Worth
Star-Telegram. “He thought I was trying to hurt
him, turned around and gave me a funny look.”
Later, Leeper realized the bird was pausing to
take aim, as if it were spearing a fish.
Despite his injury, Leeper removed the hooks
and untangled the bird. The heron moved only
about 10 feet away after Leeper set him free.
“After that, he knew what I was trying to do,”
Leeper said. “He looked like he felt sorry. He
watched me as I grabbed my eye. I think he felt re
gretful, if a bird can feel regretful.”
Despite two surgeries, and another one scheduled,
he said his left eye is not expected to regain sight.
A year ago, Leeper started a general contract
ing business and has yet to get medical insurance.
His medical bills are approaching $20,000.
“I don’t know where I’m going to find the mon
ey,” he said. “I’m barely making my house pay
ment right now. But I'm an optimist, and every
thing will work out, I think.”
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v Year’s, an
Corrections employees
equest higher wages
11 said,
irilliant. I® AUSTIN (AP) — Prison guards and other corrections employees are tak-
most I eJi'' ,g their requests for better pay and benefits to the state Capitol,
as really aW £ | Members of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Em-
act that I ^'iployees were scheduled to have a candlelight vigil late Monday, a day before
ok at it and '-they planned to take their requests to lawmakers.
I “This campaign will continue to push for professional wages, improved
Irorking conditions and benefits,” a flyer announcing the 7 p.m. vigil said.
|We will continue this fight until results are made for the future of cor-
ctions e'mployees.”
Several top lawmakers have said they are in favor of pay raises and in-
eased funding to pay for additional staff at the state’s prisons.
But while the 2002-2003 proposed state budget includes $42 million for
Prison guard pay raises promised last summer, it does not include any new
:i ^|fF money for additional raises or staff.
I And finding funding for additional raises will be tough. Only $300 million
||e estimated to be left from the $108.2 billion budget for all new spending.
I Union executive director Brian Olsen said the guards had no specific dol-
.. ftr requests, but want the state “to pay them something decent to keep them.
I mean, it’s a public safety issue. They’re going to have to dig deep to take
|are of this or the public isn’t going to be safe.”
Starting pay for a prison guard is about $18,000 in Texas, the 43rd lowest
vel in the country, according to the union.
A “reclassification” last year by then-Gov. George W. Bush boosted vet-
an officers’ pay to slightly more than $28,000, compared with the national
[verage of about $34,000.
Currently, there are 23,622 guards working in the Texas prison system, the
.ation’s largest. A total of 2,595 positions are open.
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News in Brief
Police respond to Federal aid offered
Pizza Hut shooting to storm victims
HOUSTON (AP) — Police were
responding Monday afternoon to
a reported shooting outside a Piz
za Hut restaurant in eastern Har
ris County, authorities said.
One person was reported
wounded in a vehicle in the park
ing lot, according to William De-
vazier of the Channelview Fire De
partment, and at least one
suspect was thought to be in the
restaurant Monday afternoon.
No hostages were thought to be
inside the eatery, Devazier said.
Rescuers were unable to get to
the victim immediately because of
a dog inside the vehicle, Devazier
said. Animal control workers were
en route shortly after 4 p.m.
Fire officials also were con
cerned about who might be inside
the Pizza Hut.
“We do not want to take any |
chances of any of our guys being
in danger by getting up near the
building,” Devazier said.
Residents of three Northeast
Texas counties whose homes and
property sustained damage from
severe ice storms that hit last
month need only pick up the phone
to get the process of financial as
sistance under way, state and fed
eral officials said late Sunday.
Individuals in Cass, Red River
and Bowie counties can apply for
low-interest loans and grants to
repair homes, replace personal
property and offset losses to agri
culture and small businesses.
There is also relief available in
the way of disaster unemploy
ment benefits and housing.
About 1,000 calls have come
in to a toll-free number set up to
take information. A Disaster Field
Office was set up in Texarkana, but
that is only for management of the
relief efforts, said Don Rogers,
spokesman for the Texas Depart
ment of Public Safety’s Division of
Emergency Management.
Open Door
Policy
• The Office of the Vice "President for Stu
dent Affairs wants you to be aware of our
open door policy.
• Our office is here to help you. Please feel
free to come by the 10th Floor Rudder
Tower or call 845-4728.
• You may also visit our website
http://studentaffairs.tamu.edu or email
Dr. Southerland at malons@tamu.edu.
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