Daily Toreador The
THURSDAY, APRIL 4, 2013 VOLUME 87 ■ ISSUE 119
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US institute: Work under way at NKorea reactor WASHINGTON (AP) — North Korea has already begun construction at a shuttered plutonium reactor that it is vowing to restart and it could be back in operation sooner than expected, a U.S. research institute said Wednesday. Pyongyang announced its plans Tuesday, the latest in an almost daily string of threats toward the U.S. and South Korea that have ensued since it faced international censure over its nuclear and missile tests. The U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies has analyzed recent commercial satellite imagery of the Nyongbyon nuclear facility, where the reactor was shut down in 2007 under the terms of a disarmament agreement. A cooling tower for the reactor was destroyed in 2008.
Texas Senate votes to overhaul cancer agency AUSTIN (AP) — The Texas Senate voted Wednesday to overhaul management of the state’s cancer-fighting agency, which has been rocked by investigations into how it awarded millions of dollars in grants. The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has been under fire since last year over grants that bypassed the state’s review process. A scathing report from the state auditor alleged widespread failings at CPRIT involving transparency, accountability and decision-making. CPRIT is facing multiple state and local civil and criminal investigations and has been placed under a spending moratorium. The agency was created after Texas voters in 2007 approved spending $3 billion over 10 years on cancer research. That “honorable” effort has been tarnished by the scandal surrounding the agency, said Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, who wrote the restructuring bill.
OPINIONS, Pg. 4
Sigler: Texas A&M, Towson University oppress minorities
Kole Weldon: A lifetime of dedication, SPORTS Page 8
INDEX Classifieds................7 Crossword......................6 Opinions.....................4 L a Vi d a . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Sports.........................6 Sudoku.........................3 EDITORIAL: 806-742-3393
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Meteorologist predicts temperatures to rise By EMILY GARDNER COPY EDITOR
Between highs in the 80s one day and highs in the 50s the next, Lubbock has experienced a wide range in temperatures, and Tuesday and Wednesday were no exception. According to The Weather Channel’s website, Lubbock experienced a high of 51 degrees at 12:05 a.m. Tuesday followed by a low of 35 degrees at 8:25 a.m. The low was 25 degrees below average. On Wednesday, according to the website, the high was 49 degrees. Lubbock National Weather Service Meteorologist Charles Aldrich said this weather, although uncommon, is not unheard of at this time of year.
“It’s definitely not unheard of,” he said, “especially considering the average last freeze, now this is just the average, is around April 9 of every year.” Aldrich said snow was not predicted in the Lubbock area as it was in other areas of the Texas Panhandle, and the rain that was supposed to occur did not because there was not enough lift and moisture in the air to produce rain. The temperatures vary from year to year, he said. For example, 2012 was a warmer year in comparison to 2011, which had a fairly cold winter, and 2010 was wetter. “It just varies quite a bit,” Aldrich said. “There’s almost no such thing as normal whenever it comes to this kind of stuff.” The temperatures, he said, will in-
other cities around the nation in The Weather Channel’s Toughest Weather City bracket. According to The Weather Channel’s website, Lubbock is the South regional champion and competed in the Final Four competition against Fargo, N.D., on Wednesday. Displayed on the website are the weather conditions each city experiences. After seeing the descriptions, website visitors can vote for the city they believe experiences the toughest weather. By press time Wednesday, a winner had not been determined. The winner of Wednesday’s match-up will compete against Fairbanks, Alaska, to determine which is the toughest city.
crease through the next week, but meteorologists are expecting another cold front to occur by the end of the next week with some fluctuations in the forecast as the week continues. As the season continues, Aldrich said a gradual increase in temperatures will occur with the chance of a few more decreases in temperature. “We’re going to continue a gradual warm up,” Aldrich said, “that is normal in the spring. We might have a few cool offs, but the farther we, the later we get into the season, the less likely we’re going to get back down into the 30s and especially near freezing. There’s still always that chance, but it’s not a great chance at the moment.” Lubbock also has competed with
➤➤egardner@dailytoreador.com
Texting while driving bill awaits placement on agenda By MATT DOTRAY STAFF WRITER
Despite the dangers, nearly half of commuters admitted to texting while driving. Three years ago, it was 40 percent. Rep. Tom Craddick of Midland filed House Bill 63, on Nov. 12, 2012, which would make it a statewide offense to use a handheld wireless communication device for text-based communication while operating a motor vehicle. “Since 2011 until now,” he said, “lawmakers recognize there is a greater need for a statewide law because we have had more than two years of accidents and deaths on our Texas railways from distracted driving accidents.” In a survey released by AT&T, 49 percent of all commuters and 43 percent of teens admitted to texting while driving. More than 40 percent of those surveyed who admitted to texting while driving called it a habit, despite 98 percent saying that sending a text message while driving is not safe, according to the report. The dangers of texting and driving have been a discussion for the Texas Legislature, which has already made a few restrictions. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, 39 states already have banned texting while driving, and Texas prohibits bus drivers, anyone in a school zone and drivers younger than 18 years old from texting behind the wheel.
Craddick said the bill was sent to the Calendars Committee, where it is waiting to be placed on the calendar and debated, after it was voted on favorably in the House Committee on Transportation. Approximately 25 cities in Texas have adopted ordinances that ban texting while driving, according to the Texas House of Representatives website. The statewide bill has received support from Texans, lawmakers and interested parties, Craddick said. “Everyone of us can recall a time where we have to swerve in reaction to a distracted driver weaving through lanes of traffic as they play on their phone,” he said. “It is dangerous. It is irresponsible. And it can have devastating consequences.” The goal of House Bill 63, he said, is to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities. Craddick said lawmakers have a responsibility to make the roads safe. “House Bill 63 is a function of safety and saving people’s lives,” he said. “No text message or email is important enough to risk injury or death on the road.” Craddick said there are more than 22 million motor vehicles in Texas, and more than 100,000 drivers are texting at any moment throughout the day. Gov. Rick Perry vetoed a similar bill in 2011, House Bill 242, and said he viewed it as “a government effort to micromanage the behavior of adults,” Perry’s website states. After a number of states began to out-
Get the facts:
Texting takes away five seconds of drivers’ attention.
Texing while driving, according to textinganddrivingsafely.com.
23 percent of auto collisions involved cellphones in 2011.
Thirty-nine states prohibit texting while driving.
77 percent of young adults claim they can safely text while driving.
law texting while driving, a report by t h e Highway Loss Data In- stitute stated bans on texting do not reduce crashes, but actually increase them. The findings were based on comparisons before and after a texting ban in four states. The report stated the number of crashes increased in three of those states, varying from 1 percent more crashes in Washington to 9 percent more crashes in Minnesota. The HLDI did not give a reason for the increase, but suggested that when texting while driving was outlawed, drivers moved their phones closer to their laps, moving their eyes further from the road. At Tech, students opinions differ from
those of Craddick. Brittany Bell, a junior music major from Lubbock, said Texas Legislators should try to kick up security and pass a bill to prohibit texting while driving. Texting and driving is dangerous, she said, but people continue to do it. “They think they’re invincible,” she said. “They think nothing can happen to them. But it does.” Daniel St.Germain, a geology major from Midland, said texting while driving is obviously wrong, but it should not be illegal. Not allowing texting while driving not only infringes on the rights of the driver, but it also is nearly impossible to regulate, he said. ➤➤mdotray@dailytoreador.com
Tech Activities Board hosts open forum; students get answers By NIKKI CULVER STAFF WRITER
School is about gaining knowledge, and four Texas Tech officials invited students to do just that at an open forum Wednesday evening. Tech Activities Board hosted an event in the Student Union Allen Theatre, which allowed students to ask questions to a variety of Tech officials, including Athletic Director Kirby Hocutt, Student Government Association President Alex Alston, Senior Vice President and Provost Bob Smith and Senior Vice Provost Ralph Stewart. The panel took questions from both students in the audience and via Twitter. “I think it went really well,” sophomore TAB nightlife member Regine Cliatt said. “Even the questions that were sent in via Twitter were very appropriate and intriguing. The four people up there were very knowledgeable. They were very open to answering questions — even the ones that might have been uncomfortable.” Some of the topics of discussion were Tech’s continued partnership with Under Armour, the installation of Wi-Fi ADVERTISING: 806-742-3384
in dorms and tobacco usage on campus. Smith also detailed the university’s plans to expand in order to accommodate the expected increase in enrollment. “We are going to be very mindful of how we expand campus, both population-wise and facility-wise,” he said. Hocutt praised the new men’s basketball coach when a student in the audience asked about his opinions on the university’s appointment of Tubby Smith. “You won’t find a man in college basketball more respected than Tubby Smith,” he said. Hocutt also detailed the new plans presented by football coach Kliff Kingsbury to implement new football jerseys. “We’re going to see new uniforms,” he said. “A new home uniform, a new away game uniform, a Texas pride uniform, which will be reserved for special home games and a lone survivor uniform that will be used to honor veterans and soldiers. But, don’t worry, even with the new uniforms, the Double T will always be our logo and it will be on all of the uniforms.” FORUM continued on Page 3➤➤
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PHOTO BY WILLIAM ROBIN/The Daily Toreador
SENIOR VICE PROVOST Rob Stewart answers students’ questions during the Open Forum Tech Activities Board event Wednesday in the Student Union Allen Theatre. Students’ questions covered topics including football uniforms, residence halls and Vision and Tradition: The Campaign for Texas Tech.
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