6
Monday, June 16, 2003
The day the lights went out
JP BEATO III • THE BATTALION
College Station utilities repairman John Comstock attaches a
support line on Friday to a toppled telephone pole in the 1200
block of Glade in College Station. High winds and rain com
bined to knock out power in surrounding houses for an hour.
Judgi
THE BATTAL10S
;e to free 13
jailed defendant
on bail Monday
By Betsey Blaney
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Experts seeing signs of economic upturn
By Martin Crutsinger
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — For the
past three years, the U.S. econo
my has taken hits from the burst
ing stock market bubble, a
recession and terrorist attacks.
Conditions now, finally, offer
the prospect of better growth
over the last six months of the
year.
Of course, forecasters
acknowledge, they made the sim
ilar predictions in 2002 and
2001, and were proved wrong.
They now insist that new tax
cuts, a weakened dollar, falling
interest rates and other positive
forces seem to give their latest
optimistic forecast a better
chance of becoming a reality.
“We have been waiting and
waiting for the economy to
rebound, and then something
happens and things fall apart. But
this time we have a lot more stars
coming into alignment,” said
Diane Swonk, chief economist at
Bank One in Chicago.
For one, manufacturing com
panies that have shed more than
two million jobs during the past
three years are starting to see
omens of better days. That is due
in part to the weaker dollar,
which makes their products more
competitive on foreign markets.
“We are seeing a very nice
improvement in orders,” said
Tony Raimondo, president of
Behlen Manufacturing Co. of
Columbus, Neb. Demand for
the company’s steel buildings
and other metal products has
risen 20 percent in recent
months.
Jerry Jasinowski, president of
the National Association of
Manufacturers, says other com
panies are reporting similar
increases. The trend raises hopes
that the decline in manufacturing
employment may end soon as
businesses that have slashed
inventories start to step up pro
duction to meet demands of new
orders.
Help on the demand side is
coming from the $330 billion tax
cut just passed by Congress.
Consumers will begin seeing
their shares in paychecks starting
next month.
TULIA, Texas — Thirteen
people who were imprisoned
on the testimony of a now-
indicted undercover officer
were expected to be released on
personal recognizance bonds
Monday, nearly four years after
they and dozens of others were
arrested on drug charges.
“Fm so happy for them,”
said Billy Wafer, one of nearly
four dozen mostly black resi
dents who were arrested after
an 18-month undercover opera
tion in 1998 and 1999. “It’s
been a long time coming but
it’s finally here.”
Civil rights advocates have
called the July 23, 1999, arrests
racially motivated. Of the 46
arrested in the small Panhandle
town, 39 were black.
Wafer wasn’t charged. He
had an alibi and his case was
dismissed. But 38 others —
many of them friends and
neighbors — were convicted
on the uncorroborated word of
undercover drug agent Tom
Coleman or accepted plea
agreements out of fear of
lengthy prison sentences.
Monday, the 12 blacks and
one Hispanic will be taken
from the Swisher County Jail
to the Swisher County
Courthouse. There, State
District Judge Ron Chapman is
expected to free them on bond
while their cases are on appeal.
On June 2, Gov. Rick Perry
signed a bill allowing for their
release. Meanwhile, a ruling on
their cases by the Texas Court
of Criminal Appeals could take
as long as two years. The Texas
Board of Pardons and Paroles
also is reviewing the cases.
The appeals court review
comes after Chapman, who
presided over hearings for four
of the defendants, said
Coleman was “simply noi
credible witness underoal"
Chapman told the c«
April 1 that he was rectc-
mending the appeals coj
overturn the 38 convictions!
order new trials. A speti
prosecutor has said there si
be no new trials.
In late April, Coleman,»li
is white, was indicted ontlir
charges of aggravated perji
stemming from his test*
during the hearings Chapir:
oversaw.
A 14th defendant whoi
included in the governor’sH
not eligible for bond becais
his case is still pending on
appeal, said Vanita Gupta
tant counsel with the NAA0
Legal Defense and I
Fund and one of many
involved in the cases.
Gupta said she was “ora
joyed and relieved”
defendants who were
from their families” fir
be free.
“It is incredible
three branches of the Tea
government have recognize
the need for action to rectii
the injustice that tookplacei
Tulia,” Gupta said. “But it
these individuals receive fi
and complete relief,
through a pardon or an ora
turning of their conviction
this matter is not resolved"
The parent of one defends;
said the homecoming was is
to finding something
been lost.
“There's been a part
that's been missing,’
Freddie Brookins, whose si
Freddie Brookins Jr. servedt'-'
years of a 20-year sent®
“I’m extremely excited."
Mattie White, the motto!
two of the 13 being relesl
said she “tried to give up If
that she’d see both of i®
before the end of her life,
Volume
Th
By Me
THE
More th;
television e
from a par
June 6..
Equipmt
three profes
and their c<
ing cases
Angel Vaug
foradminisi
Vaughn
could have 1
“We had
taken away
Fui
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