10 15 2009

Page 1

Defending the First Amendment since 1911

INSIDE THIS ISSUE NEWS pages 1-9

Volume 99, Issue 22

15

Soccer Showdown

THURSDAY

OCT

www.UniversityStar.com

The women’s soccer team looks to extend its six-game win streak this weekend. For story, see page 15

Airport control tower provides Jail repairs displace safety, boost local economy inmates, costs county By Natalia Montemayor News Reporter

KTSW has plans for newly acquired tower Villagio tensions lessening

OPINIONS page 10 MAIN POINT: Dead day debate Celebrating National Coming Out Day ASG President Covo wrong in his remarks

TRENDS Pages 11-13 FTC putting new restrictions on bloggers

Jake Marx/Star photo GROUND BREAKING: Members of the San Marcos community attended the ground breaking ceremony for the new control tower at the San Marcos Municipal Airport on Wedensday.

By Hollie O’Connor News Reporter

City officials and airport staff have sky-high hopes for the San Marcos Municipal Airport. Aquarena’s history Officials broke ground preserved in local author’s Wednesday in preparation of book building an airport control tower designed to enhance take-off safety. Airport Manager Scott Gallagher said the tower will coorDIVERSIONS dinate take offs and landings, aiding private pilots whose page 14 planes are of different models and speeds. Safety, however, is not the only function the tower is expected to serve. The airport’s business is exSPORTS pected to take off as well. More than 200 aircrafts are based at Pages 15-16 the airport, which is currently operating at 40 to 50 percent CAMERON’s COLUMN: capacity, Gallagher said. The airNFL quarterbacks need to port has the ability to expand, but the infrastructure to do so get tougher “isn’t quite there,” he said. “The lack of a tower is a barSoccer facing top rier to growth,” Gallagher said.

competition

Mayor Susan Narvaiz said the tower will “attract more cooperate operations, and give us (San Marcos) a stronger position in the region.” Narvaiz said she hopes the addition of the tower will bring an increase in charter flights and the number of private plane owners calling the San Marcos airport their “home base.” Narvaiz said the control tower will also provide local San Marcos residents job opportunities, such as airplane mechanics and additional airport staff positions. “Even in tough times, progress is happening,” Narvaiz said. The ceremony for the ground breaking took place on the runway of the San Marcos Municipal Airport. Narvaiz spoke alongside City Manager Rick Menchaca and local businessman Chuck Nash, chair of the Airport Commission. Four authentic World War II planes from the Commemorative Air Force performed a flyover after the speakers finished. The cer-

emony ended with a reception of airplane-shaped cookies and bottled water depicting a model of the completed tower. The tower is part of the Airport Master Plan formed in 1986, but a recent federal grant of $1,500,000 made its construction a reality, city officials said. Narvaiz said the tower will be nine stories high and 2,295 square feet when finished in April 2010. The tower will be comprised of a base building, elevator and control cab that professional air traffic controllers will be able to use in directing flight arrivals and departures. The control tower is not the only renovation in the works for the airport. A new front door for the airport and additional executive hangars, utilities and apron areas for aircraft are also planned, Narvaiz said. “It’s a great day for us,” Nash said. “This is one step in the beginning of a long line of things to come.”

While incarcerated at the Hays County Jail in 2000, Todd Dietert, 36, made it a point to avoid contact with both quarrelsome inmates and the everpresent mold in the showers. “We’d wear shower slides on our feet, but the showers were so small you couldn’t avoid coming into contact with the wall, which was covered in mold and mildew,” Dietert said. Dietert eventually suffered a staff infection, which he attributes to the jail’s teeming population. “I stayed in a 40-man tank with bunk beds and guys sleeping on the floors ... with that many people in that close of a vicinity, tensions and the risk of sickness are high,” he added. The same sanitary issues were cited Sept. 15 and Sept. 16 as areas of non-compliance during the annual county jail inspection given by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Adan Munoz, executive director for TCJS, explained the jail has been at non-compliant status since an April 23 inspection. The inspectors cited a leaking roof, broken toilets, as well as mold, mildew and rust in kitchen and holding areas. Munoz explained the Hays County Commissioner’s Court was required to respond with a corrective plan of action to make the jail in compliance with state regulations following both inspections. “If there is still leakage, then we will ask the inmates be vacated and moved to jails in other counties,” Munoz said. A practice that Sheriff Tommy Ratliff says costs Hays County $50 a day per inmate. “Currently we have 55 inmates being held in the Guadalupe County jail ... so if we were to get shut down that’d mean we’d be shipping out up to 350 inmates. You do the

math,” Ratliff said. Ratliff has worked toward improving the jail’s condition since Sheriff Allen Bridges died in December, and had requested the April inspection from the TCJS. “From what I understand, the jail was an issue the last two sheriff’s wanted to resolve, so the best way to figure out the exact problems was to have the inspectors come through,” he said. Ratliff said the 280 jail employees took care of smaller maintenance work such as painting, but the court arranges high-cost repairs. “We will fix the facility in order to get up to the standards for the state, but we have no choice but to build another facility,” Ratliff said. During Tuesday’s Commissioner’s Court meeting, $1.5 million was allocated to repair the jail’s roof and kitchen flooring. Judge Elizabeth Sumter discussed an additional $200,000 for a long-term needs assessment to be performed by Austin-based consulting firm Broaddus & Associates. “We will start working on the roof on the first of November, but we had to make sure the structure itself can hold it, and that is why an assessment is necessary,” Sumter said. Sumter said the epoxy used in the roof emits fumes. November is convenient for repairs because workers will not need air-conditioning, which would spread fumes. The project will take roughly 60 days to complete, and if needed, prisoners will be removed temporarily from the site. County Auditor Bill Herzog said a contract has yet to be awarded to a developer. “We have gotten bids, and plan to award a contract within the next week or two,” Herzog said. Herzog said $538,000 would see JAIL, page 5

Texas State’s graduate City considers graffiti ordinance enrollment increases By Billy Crawford News Reporter

Today’s Weather

89°/62° Partly Cloudy Precipitation: 10% Humidity: 66% UV: 7 High Wind: W 14 mph

Friday

Partly Cloudy Temp: 76°/56° Precip: 10%

Saturday

Partly Cloudy Temp: 91°/73° Precip: 20%

If passed, convictions against individuals might not succeed in court because of the proposed graffiti ordinance targeting. The City Council considered a proposal in September from the San Marcos police department. The proposal would make it illegal to possess graffiti instruments — such as spray paint or broad-tipped markers — in public. The Beautification Commission has taken charge of the effort to pass this ordinance. Some community members have expressed concerns the ordinance would target people who have not committed crimes. Others are not convinced the ordinance would respect individuals’ rights. “I would be worried about how this (new law) might be enforced,” said Gilbert Martinez, media law assistant professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication. “Law enforcement would have a lot of discretion to determine if someone is carrying these tools with intent to commit mischief. It could possibly lead to an influx of profiling.” The New York City Council tried to enact a similar ban in 2006 that made it illegal for 18 to 20 year olds to possess graffiti instruments. A federal court overturned the ordi-

nance, claiming it to unfairly single-out a specific age group. The city amended the law so it became illegal to sell graffiti instruments to anyone under 21 years of age. “We felt there needed to be something done to prevent graffiti from spreading across the city,” said Jonathan Risk, aid to New York City Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. “When the judge overruled (the ban), the council decided to amend the law so it would still limit this crime.” The likelihood of a statute such as this succeeding in court would depend largely on the language of the law from a legal standpoint. “It would have to be tailored to the illegal aspects of (possessing graffiti instruments),” said University Attorney Bill Fly. “The city staff is very competent, and I think they would learn from the New York case and would word it so it doesn’t conflict.” A final decision on the proposed ordinance is pending. “We have not yet reconsidered it,” said City Councilmember Kim Porterfield, Place 1. “It went to the beautification commission, and they’ve had a couple of public hearings to see how the community feels about it.” see GRAFFITI, page 5

By Lisa Carter Sports Editor

The recession is emptying offices and filling classrooms throughout the country. Texas State is currently experiencing this effect, as nontraditional students — those who are 26 years or older — are returning to school to pursue higher degrees. There are 3,870 students enrolled in the graduate college, which is a 375-person increase

from fall 2008. “Typically when the economy is down, you see an increase in graduate studies,” said J. Michael Willoughby, dean of the Graduate College. “This is certainly a very strong increase in recent years.” Gordon Martin, College of Education professor, agrees. “I do think the economy has influenced students going back to graduate school,” Martin said. “The education they are receiving will help them get hired in

school districts in Texas.” Willoughby said Texas State’s increase in the number of students enrolled in graduate school is significantly higher compared to the numbers at the University of Texas and Texas A&M University. “We look at the increase in numbers, but I see students coming into Texas State with higher test scores and GPAs,” Willoughby said. “Students are see EDUCATION, page 5

Ben Rondeau/Star photo BACK TO SCHOOL: Matthew Beebe, elementary education graduate student, came to Texas State to get his masters degree after receiving a Bachelor’s in anthropology from Southwestern University. The economy played a large role in Beebe coming back to school.


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.