Since 1960 Volume 85, Issue 37
Monday November 16, 2009
The Student Voice of California State University, Fullerton
Concern for OCTA routes to CSUF grow By Jonathan Montgomery
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OPINION:
NASA discovers water on the moon, Page 4
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
OCTA Transit Committee held a meeting Thursday to discuss a revised strategy to the March 2010 service change program, which will reduce 150,000 revenue vehicle hours of service toward bus routes in Orange County. Local residents and some students from Cal State Fullerton joined to voice their concerns over possible route cuts directly affecting them. OCTA board member Janet Nguyen clarified that it is now too late to reduce the 150,000 hours. Instead, the committee looked at what services to eliminate, what services to keep and which hours to reduce. The transit committee voted to pass revisions in a 4-1 vote; Nguyen voted “no” because she said she does not support the cuts. As a response to public reaction, the presented service reduction strategy now aims to avoid cuts to overcrowded routes, run night owl routes until 1 a.m., retain peak trips, minimize ACCESS, a service for the disabled, impacts and add revenue to maintain service. But hours and lines are still being eliminated; among those is a route popular to CSUF, Route 24. Although it will discontinue west of CSUF, Scott Holmes, manager of service planning
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I’m still concerned about the complete elimination of the segment that’s going to impact Cal State Fullerton. I don’t know what we can do about it.
Courtney Stewart trial delayed By Fred Bloom
news@dailytitan.com
TODAY TOMorrow
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Mario Davis, Jr., chair of CSUF’s SOAR-CICC, spoke to the OCTA board about the effects cuts to bus routes will have on students.
Daily Titan Staff Writer
WEATHER
and customer advocacy, said students Holmes said the riders on the impacted would still be able to ride part of the 24 could make use of the 26 line; they route with an extension of Route 167. just may have to walk a little. However, Jane Reifer, spokeswoman Because the frequency of buses will for Transit Advocates of Orange Coun- also decrease, Holmes said students ty, said students wouldn’t be able to will have to plan ahead and reference fit into the reconstructed routes after the schedule to see what the earlier trip eliminating seris, then use that trip vice. to get to their desti“They’re just nation. not going to fit; Board members it’s already standnoted that direct ing room only,” dialogue with the she said. City of Fullerton OCTA board has been made, but member Richard not with CSUF. Dixon expressed Also impacted similar distress. are those that rely “I’m still conon ACCESS. Chriscerned about the tie Rudder and Fulcomplete elimilerton resident Marnation of the seg– Richard Dixon, garet Farris, both ment that’s going aided by wheelOCTA board member to impact Cal chairs, said they are State Fullerton. I worried about not don’t know what we can do about it, being able to get where they need to but I’m really concerned about that,” go. Rudder said cities such as Rancho Dixon said. “Whether it serves one Santa Margarita and San Clemente are student or 700 students is neither here eliminating routes in low-income afnor there.” fordable housing areas for seniors and Holmes said the decisions were people with disabilities. based off of removing parallel service Although OCTA Public Member where they thought they could. Route Greg Winterbottom said they have 26 operates parallel to Route 24 for a looked at all the different ways to good part in the segment of western gain revenue, Patrick Kelly, secretary Fullerton, continuing on to CSUF. treasurer of Teamsters Union, said the board needs to utilize different revenue sources, even if it takes some one-time money. “I think this is pretty much a onetime crisis,” Kelly said. Still, he keeps high hopes. “I think the economy is going to recover and that we’re going to get beyond this. I’m very, very optimistic about Orange County and about the ability for the transportation authority to move forward,” Kelly said. OCTA board member Art Brown said the organization is also going to lose a lot of employees with these cuts, which will put more people on the street during a declining economy. He said the economy has affected everyone in this nation, and not just the Fullerton bus service, but every bus service in the country in some way. “‘Fannies on seats.’ That’s our job, to put people in those seats and get them to where they need to go. Be it a mother pushing a baby carriage with a baby on the hip, a student needing to get to an economics class, a handicap person trying to get to a job or to physical therapy, or a senior that just wants to go downtown to the theater,” Brown said. “Nobody likes it; we don’t like it, but we have to sit here and make a decision within the financial means of this organization to keep something running.” The board will have a final vote on the cuts on Nov. 23. photo By Shruti Patel/Daily Titan Photo Editor
The trial of Andrew Thomas Gallo, the driver in a crash that killed Cal State Fullerton student Courtney Stewart and two others, has been delayed after a request from his defense attorney for more time was granted. Superior Court Judge Richard Toohey postponed the trial until April 19, 2010, in order to give Gallo’s new attorney, Deputy Public Defender Bryan Harris, time to prepare a defense. Harris took over the case after Gallo’s previous attorney, Randall T. Longwith, a CSUF alumnus, quit because he was not able to obtain court funding to provide additional investigators and expert
There are more than 482,000 reported cases of influenza H1N1 worldwide and over 6,000 deaths.
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INSIDE DT
witnesses. Longwith had previously asked the court for a change of venue, claiming that Gallo could not get a fair trial in Orange County. Due to the national publicity of the case, state prosecutors disagreed and denied the request. “The press is outrageous on this case and the way he has been portrayed works to his detriment,” Longwith said, explaining his belief that Gallo has no chance at getting a fair trial locally. Longwith added that the biggest financial burden was the obstacle of changing venues for the case. The cost of moving the trial could total anywhere from $25,000 to $50,000. The Stewart family suspected the trial would be delayed, but is not happy it did not take place within
the original six-month time frame. “(The previous lawyer) just wanted to get his name and face in the paper,” said Carrie Stewart-Dixon, mother of Courtney Stewart. Gallo, 22, was originally booked for felony drunk driving, felony hit and run, three counts of murder, three counts of vehicular manslaughter and four counts of committing bodily injury during a crime. He was charged with three counts of murder on April 10, 2009. On June 8, 2009 Gallo entered a plea of not guilty. “The jury should be able to decide to convict as not guilty, manslaughter, or murder. But in this case, the prosecutors took away that right,” Longwith said. See GALLO, Page 2 A recently passed law will prevent the trial from being delayed further and the Stewart family is being patient in hopes that the end result will be in their favor, Stewart-Dixon said.
H1N1continues to claim victims By Lauren Felechner
Daily Titan Staff Writer news@dailytitan.com
In April of this year, the H1N1 virus was first detected in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is now considered an epidemic and people of all ages are being affected by the virus. The virus is very similar to the seasonal flu in comparison with the symptoms it showcases – a fever, cough, sore throat, runny and/or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue are the typical signs of an onset of the H1N1 virus. However, the H1N1 virus is capable in progressing to much worse scenarios, such as pneumonia, and in some cases, even death, according to the CDC. Cassandra Lewis, 22, believes she contracted the virus at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles, where she attends school. “I think students just have to be really careful because we are in constant contact with others and touching everything. It’s gross,” she said. Lewis said her symptoms result-
ed in a feeling of her “drowning in her own lungs.” “I didn’t plan on getting vaccinated because I didn’t think I would catch it,” Lewis said. “But after getting it, I don’t think I can stress enough how important it is.” Morgan Strain, a 22 year-old business major at Cal Poly Pomona, has dodged being infected so far but agrees with Lewis on the importance of vaccination. “I know there are a lot of schools that may have the vaccination at all times or may have just a one-day event, and I think that’s something students and faculty should take advantage of and the nearby public if applicable,” Strain said. Although Lewis was lucky in the fact that the virus did not progress, she said it was “nervewracking” due to the fact that she has asthma. According to the CDC, those with asthma along with people who suffer from other chronic medical conditions are considered “high risk” for the H1N1 virus. Other high risk groups are those above 65 years of age, below 5 years of age and pregnant women. See FLU, Page 2