The Galveston Daily News from Galveston, Texas • Page 14

14-A THE GALVESTON DAILY NEWS THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 29, 1990 Galveston County County endorses revision of federal Clean Air Act By AMY COUVILLON The Dally News GALVESTON County commissioners on Monday voted to endorse a list of suggestions on how the federal Clean Air Act could be revised to better control the ozone pollution problem. The position paper endorsed by the court was developed through a consensus of several groups around the state, Health District Director Ralph Morris told commissioners. "Currently proposed amendments to the federal Clean Air Act would address non-attainment from a regional-consolidated metropolitan statistical area perspective," Morris wrote in a letter to the court. "Galveston County would thus be subjected to an ozone-control strategy for the entire Houston-Galveston region." Proposed amendments could involve requirements to test car emissions for ozone-causing substances, ban certain household products or limit the number of vehicles on the road. Motor vehicles account for nearly half of the nation's pollution from ozone, a highly reactive gas that is the prime ingredient of smog and can aggravate lung ailments and other health problems.

Ozone levels in the Houston-Galveston area are about four times higher than what the federal government has classified as safe. Other areas with marginal to severe ozone problems are Dallas-Fort Worth, El Paso and Orange-Port Arthur- Beaumont. The Houston-Galveston ozone problem, although studies show it has improved since 1980, has been called the worst of the four, although the ozone in Galveston County is dissipated somewhat by the constant breezes from the Gulf of Mexico. Ozone control plans adopted by the state and federal government are likely to start affecting the pocketbook of the average consumer, said Karen Kilpatrick, pollution control director at the Galveston County Health District. "We may be seeing a new generation of pollution controls that will affect individuals more than they have in the past," Kilpatrick said.

She said the two major sources of ozone pollution are industry sources and mobile sources, mainly private cars and trucks. Vehicles such as ships and railroad locomotives are also classified as mobile sources, but controls on those are not being discussed as much as controls on personal and institutional gasoline-powered vehicles, which exist in far greater numbers. Kilpatrick said the position paper endorsed by Galveston County and many groups in Texas supports general principles that should be addressed in amending the Clean Air Act. "It was put together to attempt to create a consensus in Texas on these issues," she said. Controls on vehicles will affect manufacturing standards as well as car owners, she said.

"It does have potential impact for every individual, although the impact may be as minor as increased inspection of your vehicle, and therefore an increased cost," she said. Some counties, such as Harris, Tarrant, Dallas and El Paso, already require a pollution control inspection for each vehicle in addition to a state safety inspection. In Harris County, the inspector checks the pollution control equipment to see if it is in working order, which adds about $5 to the consumer's inspection cost, But she said future inspections may include a more expensive emission test, which measures the pollutants coming out of the car's exhaust system. Other pollution control measures would increase or broaden regulations affecting the petrochemical plants in Texas City, Kilpatrick said. "Other changes would be to control smaller sources with the same controls as large sources," she said.

Larger sources such as Amoco, Union Carbide and Marathon already operate under stringent ozone controls and have lowered their volatile organic compound emissions significantly over the past five to ten years, she said. Smaller sources, which now do not have to meet many regulations, include dry cleaners, printing shops and other businesses that deal with volatile organic compounds. Reward grows to $10,000 By BEVERLY MILLER The Daily News GALVESTON A $2,000 donation Wednesday from the Bishop's Palace in Galveston brings tc $10,000 the reward being offered for information leading to an arrest in the attacks on eight elderly Galveston women. Msgr. Eugene Cargill of Dickinson, acting in his capacity as director of the Bishop's Palace, pledged the $2,000 to a reward fund drive headed up by Galveston businessman Marc Weiss.

"I'm adding to the fund because of our concern for the safety of elderly, defenseless women who are being preyed upon by a person or persons who attack and rob them," Cargill said. "We know the eight attacks since the first of the year have become a primary concern of Galvestonians, and they are our concern, too," he said. Cargill, a Galveston native, said he hopes the offer of reward money will produce information leading to the arrest and conviction of whoever is victimizing elderly women. "But since people who might have such information don't necessarily read newspapers, I'd like to suggest that those Staff photo by Robert W. Rizzo Bishop's Palace adds to reward money Monsignor Eugene Cargill, director of Bish- ward fund.

The donation brought the op's Palace, donates $2,000 from the pal- reward to more than $10,000. ace to Marc Weiss, coordinator of the re- who do read the paper recycle it into the hands of those who don't," he said. If that were done, and the reward being offered became common knowledge, the monsignor said he believes there would be an increased possibility that someone having information about the attacks and robberies would come forward. "This is one pledge I hope we have to pay, because it will mean that our friends and neighbors in Galveston will be able to live in peace," Cargill said. Santa Fe principal eager for new duties By BEVERLY MILLER The Daily News SANTA FE Jim Bounds says he is ready for a bigger and better challenge, and he's looking forward to his promotion with the Santa Fe Independent School District.

The Santa Fe High School principal, Bounds, 43, spent three years as assistant principal-and 11 years as principal before his recent promotion to director of instruction for the school district, effective at the end of the current school year. And while he concentrates on finishing out this year, Bounds already is thinking ahead to the next, saying the education reforms incorporated in HB 72 are an ongoing process, and he likens education to a three-legged stool. "Education, I read somewhere, is like a three-legged stool. There are the parents, the students and the teachers," he said, "and with all the reforms, there is one leg we haven't been able to stabilize. And that leg is the Although there have been improvements in school-home communication, it is still not as good as the schools would like, Bounds said, offering a possible solution.

Bounds "Maybe what we need is a training process for parents. Not all parents know how to help their kids," he said, "so I'd like us to bring the parents in in groups and have the teachers work with them so they can learn how to help 'and show other parents how, also." Bounds said there is not enough time in the classroom for teacher to help each student, so those parents who get training can help other parents "neighbor to neighbor," he said. With all the reforms and the inundation of paperwork they have brought, "teachers have been pushed and pulled and trained and re-trained, and some of those reforms are leading to teacher burnout," Bounds said. And he sees parent training as a multi-faceted approach to a solution to teacher burnout. "Now maybe helping parents will help students," he said, "and that will make students more accountable and that will help teachers." Bounds said that when he assumes his new position he will have a real advantage because he has good grade-level people at all levels.

"So I have confidence in our staff and in our team approach. Now we want to put some accountability on students, and by working with parents all the way through the system, maybe student accountability will be there," he said. GDN photographer Rizzo's work wins first place GALVESTON The Press Club of Galveston County handed out journalism awards Wednesday to 27 members of the Galveston and Houston media, including Robert W. Rizzo of The Galveston Daily News for work published in 1989. The annual competition drew 143 entries on subjects related to Galveston County people, events and activities, said Press Club President Jim Higgins.

Coverage of the Mark Kilroy murder in Matamoros and follow- up stories on the home town reaction in Santa Fe earned first place awards for the Houston Chronicle and Houston Post in the news story and feature story categories. And a team of reporters from the Houston Post earned a first place in the best investigative report in any media category for their report on the advent of dog racing in Galveston County. The Galveston Daily News won a first place in the best photo category with an emotional photograph by Rizzo of family members at a funeral, and the Texas City Sun's Jim Richard took top honors for best photographic series with a photo layout of kids working out at a gym. The best newspaper column award went to Pat Habashy of the Texas City Sun. Awards for best work in magazines went to Texas Shores' Chris Sigurdson for best feature article, with UTMB's Geoffrey Leavenworth receiving an honorable mention.

Leavenworth took first place in the best medical report category for a feature on gallstones for UTMB's Biomedical Inquiry magazine. KGBC newsman Jim Guidry took home first place honors for best radio news story for his coverage of the shrimpers' blockade. And Houston television station KPRC swept the television category with three first place awards for best news story, best camera work and best feature. Winners were honored at a luncheon at Zan's restaurant in Galveston. The Press Club of Galveston County acknowledged the Beaumont Press Club for their help in judging this year's entries.

Here is a complete list of the winners: Benavidez to speak at memorial benefit GALVESTON Congressional Medal of Honor winner Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez will be the featured speaker at a benefit for the planned memorial to honor Galveston County residents who died in the Vietnam War. The benefit will be 7-11 p.m. Friday at Seawolf Park.

The public is urged to take part. A $20 donation will entitle attendees to a barbecue dinner, beer and music. Benavidez, who is the author of two novels, one soon to become a film, earned the Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest award given a combat soldier by the United States, when he voluntarily helicop' tered into Cambodia to aid three members of a Green Beret unit and nine South Vietnamese "friendlies" who were trapped by fire from 250 to 350 North Vietnamese Army regulars. Wounded soon after jumping from a helicopter into the open field that was the focus of the firefight, Benavidez still managed not only to provide medical aid to his comrades, but also kill two NVA soldiers with a grenade, two more with an AK-47 assault rifle with which he had been bayonetted in the right arm, and finally kill another in hand-to-hand combat. Authorities said Benavidez lived through "six hours of hell" but managed to bring back 17 men his Special Forces comrades, the friendlies and "three NVA he loaded by mistake." The planned memorial is a $100,000 project.

The Galveston County Marine Corps League and the Galveston County Beach Park Board have been given a $50,000 challenge grant by the Moody Foundation. About 100 Galveston County residents died in the Vietnam War. The planned memorial is to be located at Moody Gardens. It is to be open 24 hours a day. For additional information, call Gilbert Salinas at 763-3411.

Staff photo by Robert W. Rizzo Robert W. Rizzo's prize-winning photo taken at Sylvia Salinas' funeral NEWSPAPERS Best Feature First Place: Ken Lanterman, Houston Post, "A Lump in a Small Town's Throat." Honorable Mention: Steven Long, Houston Chronicle, "Galveston's Latest Dorm Student Population Explosion Sends Aggies Downtown." Best News Story First Place: Mary Ann Kreps, Houston Chronicle, "Kilroy Reportedly Died from Blow by Machete." Honorable Mention: Cathy Glllentinc, Texas City Sun, "Police Sweep TC in Major Drug Roundup." Best Photograph First Place: Robert Rizzo, The Galveston Daily News, "Salinas Funeral." Honorable Mention: Robert Rizzo, The Galveston Dally News, Kevin Bartram, The Galveston Dally News, "Hitchcock Fair." Bett Photograph Flnt Place: Jim Richard, Texas City Sun, "Universal Getaway (or Honorable Robert Rizzo, The Gal- vttton Dtily ftewf, "EUeu Full Sail Ahead." Bent Column First Place: Pat Habashy, Texas City Sun. MAGAZINES Best Feature Article First Place: Chris Sigurdson, Texas Shores Texas Seagrant, ''On The Water." Honorable Mention: Geoffrey Leavenworth, UTMB's Biomedical Inquiry, "Coaxing Secrets from the Gut." RADIO Beit News Story First Place: Jim Guidry, KGBC, "Shrimpers' Blockade." TELEVISION Beat Newt Story First Place: John McPherson and James Perry, KPRC-TV, "Chemical People." Honorable Mention: BeBe Burns and John TreadgoM, KPRC-TV, "J.R. McConnell." Bctt Camera Work Fint Place: Kevin Benz, KPRC-TV, "Hurricane Jerry." Honorable Mention: Mark Anderson, TCI Cable Channel 12, "Your Health, Your Life." Beit Feature Fint Place: and John KPRC-TV, "Private Bank." SPECIAL MEDIA Best Sports Report First Place: Gene Duffey, Houston Post, "Minute by Minute." Honorable Mentions: Homer Jacobs, The Galveston Dally News "Ware's Day for Bill Haisten, The Galveston Daily News, "Power Punches." Beit Medical Report First Place: Geoffrey Leavenworth, Biomedical Inquiry, and the Invisible Chisel." Honorable Mention: Steven Long, Houston Chronicle, Grows over Prescription Daren Beaudo, The Galveston Dally News "MCH: Born in Wake of Disaster." Bett Investigative Report First Place: Pete Brewton, Jack Douglas, Ken Herman and Mary Flood, Houston Post, "State Gambles on Dog Racing," Honorable Mention: Steven Long, Houston Chronicle, "Taxpayer's Wallets Give Inmates New Amy Couvlllon, The Galveston Dally MfWf, "CriM for Probe of Inmate's Death." WORLD CLASS SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY COURSE Only Includes free Karate T-Shirt to the first 10 to register! World Champion or Forming Evening Classes Women's -Women De nse Classes For More Information, Call TOD AY 762-CHOP Since 1975.