The Kerrville Times from Kerrville, Texas • Page 1

WEDNESDAY: COMFORT STOCK SHOW RESULTS, Page 3A WEATHER: COLDER, Page 2A Cajun chef spreads the word Bread pudding cake recipe Food, Page 6A Writers protest Pete Rose ban Furor overshadows selection of Seaver for Hall of Fame Sports, Page 1B iatlu New business finds college aid Financial assistance is its specialty Business, Page 8A Vol. 83 No. 228 WEDNESDAY January 8, 1992 Kerrville, Texas 18 Pages 25 Cents The Schreiner College Mountaineers anticipate a high-scoring battle tonight against talented Texas Lutheran. Preview on Page 18. In brief KISD absentee voting under way KERRVILLE Absentee voting in the Jan.

18 school board election is under way at Kerrville Municipal Auditorium. The early voting will continue through Jan. 14 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays.

Running for two vacant seats on the school board are incumbents Gary Crazier and Scott Monroe. New trustee Jesse Manciaz is running for the un- expired three-year term vacated by Larry Delgadillo. Retired NASA engineer to speak KERRVILLE Retired NASA engineer and physicist Richard Dickerson, who worked in space photography and on-board instruments in the Apollo missions, will give a presentation during the Hill Country Camera Club meeting Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the Dietert Claim meeting room. CPR instructor renewal Friday KERRVILLE The Kerr County CPR Task Force has set plans for a CPR instructor renewal course for Friday, Jan.

10. Anyone interested should call 257-0391 or 257-0727. INDEX Ann Landers 4B Bridge 4B Business 8A Classified 6-8B Comics 4B Crossword 4B Editorials 4A Entertainment 5B Horoscope 4B Lifestyle 5-7A Sports 1.2B Weather 2A BIBLE VERSE These 1 will bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer. 56:7 Weather, Page 2A Tuesday's high: 67 Overnight low: 45 Rainfall: .08 inch Senate adopts redistricting plans Bill could delay March 10 primaries AUSTIN Legislature appears near the end of a special session on redistricting, but the date of the primary election is still up in the air. On Tuesday, the Senate adopted its redistricting plan, and a bill that could result in delaying most of the March 10 primaries until August, and splitting the presidential "Super Tuesday" primary from the others.

Democrats who supported the bill, however, say that if the courts stay out of the way on redistricting, then primaries for federal, state and local elections can be held together as scheduled on March 10. "As far as the Legislature is concerned, it's in the chute and it's a done deal," said Sen. Steve Carriker, D-Roby. Republicans say that Democrats, are playing a political game with the courts. A split primary would cost an additional $9.1 million, they note.

"How in the world can we justify that to the taxpayers of this state?" asked Sen. Bill Ratliff, R-Mount Pleasant. Lawmakers are in a special legislative session to re-draw House and Senate districts after federal and state courts rejected earlier plans adopted by the Legislature. Legislative leaders said the session may be completed Thursday, one week after it began. New political boundaries are drawn every 10 years after the fcd- The black border shows the counties Sims currently represents.

The shaded areas exhibt areas Sims would represent if the senate's redistricting plan wins approval. eral census to adjust for population changes. The Senate approved its rcdis- tricling measure 18-12, with opposition coming from nine Republicans and three Democrats. The primary bill was approved 19-11. If the Senate redistricting plan fails to win court approval by Feb.

18, then the presidential primary will be hpld March 10, and the others Aug. 8. Democratic supporters said the new senatorial districts would increase the chance for minorities to be elected in proportion to their population. But Republicans called the mea- sure a back room deal that was designed to protect Democratic Anglo incumbents. Despite their opposition, GOP senators abandoned their threat to try and stall the bill through a filibuster, saying they would rather the Legislature finish its business and then continue their redistricting battle in court.

The action Tuesday ended three days of often bluer debate with each side accusing the other of seeking politically partisan gain in the drawing of district lines. The bills now go to the House for consideration. The Senate plan is the result of a (Continued on Page 2A) Sims expects court to use its own plan redistricting plan approved by the Texas Senate Tuesday will not be used in the 1992 elections, Democratic Sen. Bill Sims predicts. "I still don't think it will be effective," Sims said during a telephone interview Wednesday morning.

"The federal court is going to intercede." Three federal judges have drawn up their own redistricting plan, and Sims said he believes those district lines will be the boundaries used this year. "The activity we've been through in the last six or seven days, as far I am concerned, has been for nothing," he said, referring to this week's special session of the state legislature. The Texas Legislature's plan must be approved by the federal courts, but Sims believes federal judges will reject the Senate plan. If approval is denied, the state could appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court before the current redistricting plan could be used in the 1992 elections.

But there may not be enough time for that, Sims said. State lawmakers are working against the clock because the first Texas prim- SENATOR BILL SIMS ary is planned for March 10. "I think because of the timing, the Senate race will have to be done on the judges' order," he said. Sims opposes the Senate plan adopted Tuesday because it strips 25 counties from his current District 25. The plan also would add many urban voters in Bexar, Travis and Williamson counties to his traditionally rural district Deer season about average, but antlers better, officials say By MARGARET EDMONSON Times Staff Writer KERRVILLE Kerr County hunters fared about average to slightly better than average this hunting season, state wildlife officials and local meat processors report.

Final statistics on the deer harvest will not be available until after a hunter survey is completed in March, said Mike Reagan, wildlife biologist with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Austin. "I'd say we probably had an average season with slightly better than average antlers. The body condition of the deer was better than average because of the rain. The deer had plenty to eat," Reagan said. Approximately 400,000 deer are harvested in an average hunting season in Texas.

In the Hill Country, a typical deer harvest totals around 150,000 deer, Reagan said. "It was a typical Texas deer season," he said. Local meat processors were happy with the harvest but are looking forward to a better season next year. "1 think we did as well as could be expected," said Daniel Heep, director of sales at Bruner's Fine Meats. "Sure (the rain) hurt everybody, but we're looking forward to next year." Hecp said Bruner's had a fairly successful business during the past season.

Milton Bernhard, owner of Bemhard Meat Processing on Junction Highway, said his business did well. "It was very good for us. This is the third year we've been here, and a lot of our old customers found out where we are," he said. Bemhard's sales tickets for processing deer rose from 1,500 animals last year to 2,200 this year, he said. "We are really satisfied with our increase." Rhodes Brothers Taxidermy also reported an increase 40 percent over last year's processing.

"We had a much better whitetail season than last year," said owner Gary Broach. A.C. Wessels, owner of Plaza Meat Market, said that despite heavy rains in December slowing his business down some, he pro- cessedabout an average number of Ethel Martin stitches a whitetail mount at the Heart 'O' Hills Tax- dcer this season. tdermy, after the close of the Hill Country deer hunting season. About 100 turn out for river forum By GREG PERLISKI Times Staff Writer KERR 100 people listened Tuesday night as representatives of river protection groups and government agencies explained their responsibility for the Guadalupe River.

Delegates from throughout Kerr County and the state spoke at the meeting, which was sponsored by the Kerrville Area League of Women Voters. All agreed the Guadalupe River must be protected from future pollution, but no specific plans or agendas for future meetings were discussed. Bernie Bruns, general manager of the Upper Guadalupe River Author- ity, said water quality in the river is not a current problem. "My main point is we're not starting from a of crisis," he said. Earlier in the meeting, Bruns said although the UGR A is a slate authority, it has no legislative powers to regulate land use along the Guadalupe River.

Also, until county septic systems are replaced by sewer systems, the public can expect some effluent to seep into the river's tribu- uries. However, there is no adverse el lea on public health, Bruns said. "In general, the water in the river meets all ihe standards. There are some small streams and tributaries thai have been impacted." he said. "The problems are not getting any worse." Owners of river frontage also attended the meeting.

Arthur Nagel of the Riverside Landowners Protection Coalition said his group has lobbied the slate legislature in the past to protect private property along suite rivers. "Too many recreationisls see no fence and believe the land is open to their personal and private recreation," Nagle said. Private enterprise, such as Aquarena Springs in Sun Marcos, provides the besl use of public waterways, he said. Other uses, such as tube rentals on the Guadalupe River in Greune, Texas, are out ol control and pollute the river. "It is a loud mess," he said.

Dcidre Hisler, a park ranger with the state parks and wildlife department, promised increased campaigns in this area to clean up the Guadaluper River. Other local government representatives from Ingram and Kerrville spoke about their own plans. Kerrville mayor Leonard Holloway referred to the city's comprehensive plan, which will include a specific corridor thai addresses development along the Guadalupe River. Ed Phelps, a representative from the West Kerr County Chamber of Commerce, said Ingram is working toward the creation of a "beauty belt" us area. Ice, snow could be on the way By MARGARET EDMONSON Times Staff Writer KERRVILLE With possible icy weather on the way, local residents may want to protect their pipes from freezing.

The National Weather Service is predicting cloudy and colder weather for Thursday and Friday with a chance of rain mixed with freezing rain, sleet or snow on Friday. Low temperatures are expected to dip below freezing. Should a hard freeze hit the Hill Country, residents need to realize that houses in typically warm- weather climates are the most susceptible to freezing, bursting pipes because pipes are not installed or insulated for protection from cold air In 1989, Texas had the heaviest toll of water damage from freezing pipes when frigid temperatures froze much of the slate including the Hill Country. David Large, superintendent of the city of Kerrville's utility construction department, said that during the 1989 freeze, city workers put in 54 hours of overtime repairing busted water mains. "We worked non-stop for three days," Large said.

To help prevent a similar situation from occurring again, Large said the city will supplement it purchases from the Upper Guadalupe River Authority with wanner well water from the city wells. "It will iaise the water temperature up to help keep it from freezing," Large said. But residents still need to take some precautions, he advised. Homeowners can take these steps to protect their pipes and property: Insulate pipes most susceptible to typically those near outer walls, in crawl spaces and in the attic. Disconnect garden hoses.

During extreme cold, let cold and hot water faucets trickle overnight and keep doors under sinks open to allow heat to get to pipes. Keep heat set at least 55 degrees if you are to be gone and have someone check your house daily to make sure it's warm enough to prevent freezing. Shut off water in case pipes burst. (Make sure you and your fam- (Continued on Page 2A).