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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 29, 2001)
t Welcome Back Students !!! £ * : :^3 Le Nails Special offer for new school year .00 off regular price for artificial nail services (Original prices: 832.00 and 815.00) * Free Paraffin w/nail services * $ 30.00 Pedicure & Manicure $20.00 Foot Spa Start your new school year w/ beautiful nails Act now! Don’t hesitate! Appointment and Walk-ins Welcome Post Oak Mall (By J C Penney) 1500 Harvey Rd. College Station, TX 77840 693-0996 Want to <jetto class ontinte'? Visit us at AGGIELAIXID C Y C l_ ■ I\1 Ei for all your cycling needs • any level • any style Bicycles starting at $ I 99.99 Great selection of Giant, Schwinn, Bianchi Lifetime service with bike purchase We service any bike! 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State Page 4A THE BATTALION Wednesday, August Cash infusion raises hopes for small telecommunication Kt '/ NEV DALLAS (AP) — A big infusion of cash for a start-up company has raised hopes for a turnaround in the battered local telecommunications industry. Santera Systems Inc. announced last week it has raised $110 million from private firms, one of the largest fund raising rounds this year by a pri vate Texas company. Santera makes what it touts as a new type of switch for routing telephone calls, one that may replace the kind of switching equipment made today by big companies such as Nortel Networks and Lucent Technologies. David Heard, who worked for AT&T and Lucent before taking the helm of Plano-based Santera, said phone-switching equipment is about to undergo a revolutionary change and that start-ups like his are better suit ed to deliver new technology than are the established players. Heard said he is not taking Nortel and Lucent lightly, but he compares Santera to Dell Computer Corp. and Compaq Computer Corp., which shoved aside heavyweight IBM to dom inate the PC market. The big phone-equipment makers have been hit hard as phone companies and other communications service providers cut spending on equipment that moves voice and data signals around the world. In recent months, Canada’s Nortel has announced 30,000 layoffs and New Jersey-based Lucent announced 15,000 to 20,000 layoffs on top of 19.000 jobs lost since last year. Nortel has U.S. headquarters in Richardson, and Lucent is also a major employer in an area of north Dallas, Richardson and Plano called Telecom Corridor. Still, technology start-ups in Telecom Corridor continue to attract venture funding — $250 million in the past three months, according to the Richardson-based Technology Business Council. “We certainly think there is still a significant amount of ven ture money flowing into tech nology companies in the corri dor,” said Ron Robinson, presi dent and chief executive of the business council. “It's term investment. The are looking at where start-ups) going to be. wise, when the marketi The bulk of Santer; money came investors. Texas-based Ventures and Redpoint of Menlo Park., Calif. Ed Olkkola. agener; ner at Austin Venture Santera’s switching ment can catch on wi carriers. “They’ve deve product that hits on the: cost issue for most came that is operating costs to: tain their networks. Olkkola, who also £ Santera’s board. Rivas’ fate could go to jury Tuesday DALLAS (AP) — Convicted killer George Rivas cannot be reha bilitated and would commit violence again, a forensics psychiatrist testified, echoing words he first spoke seven years ago. Dr. Richard E. Coons told jurors that Rivas is a career criminal who continued “business as usual” after killing Irving police offi cer Aubrey Hawkins on Christmas Eve. “It is clear the concept of violence is fine with that person,” he said Monday during the sentencing phase of Rivas’ trial. Coons also testified in 1994 when Rivas was tried for armed rob beries in El Paso. He said then that Rivas “has no conscience” and is “physically, mentally and morally dangerous and would continue to be so in 15 years.” If given another life sentence, Rivas likely would be heralded as a “folk hero” upon returning to prison and be elevated to a leader ship role among inmates, Coons said. “He gets a lot of psychological goodies out of organizing and controlling other people,” Coons said. “He will commit criminal acts of violence in the future.” Rivas, 31, has admitted he orchestrated a meticulously planned escape of seven inmates from a South Texas prison and fired some of the 11 shots that struck Hawkins. Six members of the gang were apprehended one month later in Colorado after a nationwide manhunt. One man committed suicide rather than surrender. Rivas is the first of the escapees to be tried for capital murder. Defense attorneys have said Rivas never wanted to harm anyone and did not intend to kill Hawkins, only to shoot him in the shoul ders to disarm him. They have lobbied for a life sentence, in which Rivas could be isolated from the prison population in an adminis trative segregation cell. Rivas was convicted last week of killing Hawkins during the robbery of an Oshman’s Sporting Goods Store. Jurors must decide whether to sentence Rivas to death or to life in prison. Keith Price, warden of the Clements Unit, said Rivas would be placed in the most restrictive level of isolation, where he would spend 23 hours a day in a single cell, with one hour a day for recre ation. He would have no books, fan or television and could have vis itors only once a month. Price said. But Rivas could be released from administrative segregation on good behavior. Price said, and his escape chances could increase if he’s taken to the medical ward. Producer in cour for drug charges HOUSTON (AP) — A trial on drug trafficking charges is under way for John Forte, a music producer who has per formed as. a backup singer for Michael Jackson. Carly Simon, Whitney Houston and Eric Clapton. Forte, 26, is accused of pos session with intent to distribute cocaine and conspiracy to dis tribute. Simon is expected to testi fy as a character witness. Simon posted $250,000 bail for Forte after his arrest at Newark (N.J.) International Airport on cocaine charges in July of last year. Forte has also performed with Herbie Hancock, co-pro duced the Fugees’ hit record The Score in 1996 and sung on a solo album released by Fugees singer Wyclef Jean. He sang backup during Simon’s last tour. Prosecutors allege Forte hired two young women to pick up two packets of cocaine in Harlingen and deliver them to New York City. The two were arrested at Hobby Airport as they attempted to make a connecting flight to New York. Defense attorney Tony Serra said Forte never knew the packets contained cocaine. An acquaintance who hired him to locate female couriers told him the packets contained mone; there was nothing jk about the deal, Serra saic But Assistant U.S. Att» Stacy de la Torre toldj- that Forte was to bi $10,000 for every I<® cocaine the two womeni ered to New York. After the couriers' r they agreed to cooperate u It's quite clear from the tape recordings that Mr Forte was tracking his dope. — Stacy delaTorr: assistant U.S. attome the Drug Enforces Administration, she said, using a tapped phone, women called Forte sec times in New York. “It’s quite clear from tape recordings that Mr. Ff was tracking his dope,"di Torre said. Serra said there is nor: Forte would jeopardize a 1. tastic future in music" engaging in illegal activ The trial is in U.S. Disr Judge Sim Lake’s courtroor !| Howdy Ags! I You are invited to THE TRADITION AT N0RTHGA11 j \t/_ Rally Day Sunday, September 9. Is Offering Group Rate Discounts for Firstj 1 Presbyterian “Aggies ‘N More” Sunday School Class I Church 9:30 AM Fall 2001 and Spring 2002. I Morning Worship 8:30 or 11:00 AM Call now for more details. Helping Aggies grow' in faith... 1100 Carter Creek Parkway Rides from Fish Pond & MSC 979-268-9000 Bryan, Texas 77802 Just call 823-8073. 301 Church Avenue nmw.jpcvryan. org £p Aggie Dance Team Tryouts Try-Out Clinic Sept. 4,2001 7:00 p.m. Kec Center- Archery Room • $10.00 Registration Fee Try-Outs Sept. 7,2001 5:00 p.m, Rec Center- Archery Room jhart^athletics.tamu.edu (979) 690-1015 Women’s Open House September 3, 2001 10:00 a. m. — 2:00 p.m. @ the MSC Foyer ?’s: apri)m@studentlife.tamu.edu WHERE: Paint ‘N’ More 2I5I Harvey Mitchell Pkwy College Station,TX Thursday, August 30, 2001 Liquidation Sale CARPET REMNANTS WHEN: WHAT: BRING YOUR ROOM MEASUREMENTS AND WE WILL HELP YOU PICK A PIECE OF CARPET fgjgjgjBJgjgjgjgjg/g/gjgjgjgjgjg/5jgjgJ5J5J5J5f5J5f5J5J3J5f5J5J5f5J5J5JBI5J5f5J5J5J5J5JBJBf5J5f5IBJ5l Tequila West Night Club Introduces The All New SALSA / MERENGE NKM Ladies FREE until 11 pm 18 & over welcome • Dress code enforced • Open until 2 a.m. 502 W. William J. 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