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HomeMy WebLinkAboutBonfireCollapse-NOV23-Pg1SPORTS: Br an swee s crosstown basketball B1. REGION:'~'rustees to roceed with and lan, A9. Y p ~ p p p Tuesda Y November 23,1999 No. 327, 3 sections n enrages 'Aggies newspaper pulls Bonfire depiction Bti~JOHN LeBAS Fk~gle StaJJ'Writer The Arizona Republic newspa• per on Monday retracted an edito- rial cartoon that compared the.. Aggie Bonfu~e tragedy to the 1993 Branch Davidian inferno and the murder of a black man in Jasper. The newspaper pulled the car• toon, which ran in Friday's edi- tia~ and remained on the paper's Wlab site, but stopped short of an aRglogy for the illustration that drew thousands of protests. The fast frame of the cartoon, drawn by Republic staffer Steve $enson, depicts the burning Branch Davidian compound in Waco. The second frame shows a flaming cross and Ku Klux Klan members to represent Jasper, where a man was killed in 1998 in a racist hate crime. Lastly, the cartoon shows the crumpled Bonfire stack at Texas _R&.~1~. The litho of tk:..vr~hi.~n iu "Texas Bonfire Traditions." The drawing was pulled from the Web site, www.arizonacen- tral.com, on Monday, and editori- alpage editor Keven Willey posted a retraction. Willey's retraction says Repub- lic editors should not have , app~~moved Benson's cartoon for ptblication. She also wrote that z]xe Republic received nearly 2,Ot~ e-mails and telephone calls • protesting the cartoon;- - "If I had it to do over again, we would not approve.. this cartoon for publication," Willey wrote. "The cartoon sought to link three See CARTOON, Page A2 A&M postpones °iflephant Walk Elephant Walk, a traditional event for graduating seniors, has been postponed a week, A&M officials announced Sun- day. Like elephants that wander off to find a secluded place to die, seniors will walk around cam- pus, visiting various places for :< he last time before reaching their burial site. They will walk from Kyle Field to Duncan Field, passing the Bonfire site. The class of 2000, deemed unneeded after the final Aggie football game, will celebrate on ~~`Tuesday, Nov. 30. They will meet at Kyle Field at 1 p.m. and begin their walk at 1:40 p.m. The E Station, ~~~~ ,. High 73, Low 63 Showers and ~.. storms early -~- Forecast /A7 ^..~...^ 0 cents 'exas Texas A&M"freshman 1J. VI-asham, who was friends as he Is released from St. Joseph Injured in Thursday's Bordire collapse, Is Joined Reglona! Health Center In Bryan. He lost his Monday by his mother Geraldine ,(right) and spleen and a kidney as a result of his Inlurles. Group details inquiry steps Lawyer to review Bonfire data By KELLY BROWN Eagle 5ttr,~'Writer Law enforcement officials and Texas A&M University authorities met behind closed doors Monday to outline the orga- nization of an inquiry into last week's fatal Bonfire collapse. A&M officials said all information col• lected by the University Police Depart- ment -including statements from wit- nesses and any allegations -will be passed to the school's legal counsel, Scott Kelly. ~~` The data collected then will be forwarded to a commission that A&M President Ray t Two injure Bowen expects to leave hos iti appoint by the end of the P week. The special task ~ Ch.15 t0 farce will be sharked memorial SE with reviewing all facts end accusations coIlect• /Funerals I ed by the federal, state, $onfire vlCth c~ and school authorf- ~ 1BS 01~ J officials said most of at Austin rai the 20 to25 people at the meeting were directly 1 ed 'th th minutes before the collapse, or even from that day," Villarreal said. "We're hoping someone out there might have saved on their computer the live feed that was shown on the Internet. Unfortunately, it was not taped." Students and other witnesses who were at the site early Thursday are asked to call 845.2345 to set up a time to be interviewed. Anticipating the rain that fell Monday evening, officials erected a tent over the site and centerpole was moved to an off- site area where it would mvo v an a ewer gency response to the Thursday morning accident. University Police Det. Sgt. David Villar- real said the police department is still try ing to make contact with all the witnesses who were at the site at the time of the acci• dent. "We really need to talk to each and every one of them," Villarreal said; adding that police have taken statements from about a dozen students who were at the site. Other university officials also are gathering statements. °We'd also love to get bur hands on a photograph or video taken of the stack • le ir~~ux h nd nselors a Cou sy LAURA inrF ~ tressed over the tragedy, she said. Eagle StajJ`Writer < <Now that things By Monday, the center handled Counselors at Texas A&M Uni- versity are gearing up to help grief stricken students as the reality of the Bonfire tragedy sets in. In the past 2~ hours, calls have poured in to the HelpLine with questions of guilt and possible sui- cide. Soon after the student-run Bon- fire toppled Thursday killing 12 and injuring 27, callers began ask- ing counselors for details of the accident and whether classes would be held, said Kerry Hope, associate director of student coun- seling services. That day, the HelpLine fielded about 150 calls from students, facul- t, x er1~s to ins ec ~, p . p ~~~ . n f Tees ortio 0 By BLAUt FANNIN testimony was to communicate FagleStat)'Writer the urgency -for .safety improve- ments made to the roadway that is A deadly stretch of Texas 6 part of the "Aggie Expressway" between Navasota and College running north and south from the Station will be studied by state Bryan-College Station area to safety experts, officials said Mon- Houston. ~y~, "I asked them if we could groove The seven•mile stretch of road- the highway to reduce the Vvay between F.M. 159 and the hydroplaning when it rains," ~iavasota River has been the site Ogden said. "Also, a flashing light bf 73 major accidents resulting in could be put into place that reads eight deaths and 41 injuries dur- `Slippery When Wet.' The other trig the past 13 months. thing that I pointed out was that it ,~ A Texas Department of Trans- didn't make sense to have acon- portation safety team this week Crete barrier on an improved part ~Nill be studying the road, State of roadway until you get to the last en. Steve Ogden, R-Bryan, mile by the river." announced. Staples showed Commission Ogden and South Brazos Coun• members pictures from accident ty 7!'ire Chief Emily Staples both scenes, and explained how dan• testified about the highway in gerous it was for rescue personnel Austin last week before the Texas to .perform their work because of Transportation Commission. ggden said the purpose of his See INSPECT, Page A8 are mare concrete and the reality of the loss is set in, things are beginning to hurts ~ - KERRY HOPE Assoaate director of student counselmg'services ty and community members shocked about reports from friends and the media. "People are sort of numb #o their emotions in a lot of ways," Hope said. Since the weekend, more people have phoned in crying and dis- more than 300 phone calls. "'That's just a huge volume ~Or us "she said. "The calls are coming in very quickly." . The numbers of counselors on the nightly shift has been doubled, she said. The HelpLine expanded its services to 24-hours-a•day, which will continue until Monday. Even after the operation time returns to 9 pm, to 8 a.m., the coun- selingservice will be gearing up for more serious calls. "We're particularly concerned about the. next three weeks," Hope said. "Folks are going to be left wfth_empty places that are hard to See INFLUX, Page A8 Golf course foes consider recall of B an council ry By COLLEEN KAVANAGH Eagle Stat)"Writer Opponents of the city of Bryan's plans for a golf course and resort project said Monday that they might try to recall the City Council if voters are not allowed to decide the issue. Beth Price, chairman of the recently formed political action committee, Citizens In Action, said the group will ask the City Council at Tues- day's meeting to take the issue to the polls. "Call your city council, show up at meetings," Price urged the 85 people who attended the com- mittee's fast meeting. Bryan Mayor Lonnie Stabler defended the city's Tradition Golf -Club at University Ranch, which would be home to Texas A&M's golf teams. He said the council is charged with making such operational decisions, and the city will benefit from the public•private partnership. In July, the city announced plans to develop the west side golf course and resort project. The See OOLF, Page A8 l TOD1~Y'S e oodb in Sa INSIDE ine: The Eagle on SMILE y y g g Business. . B7 lottery A9 B6 www.theeagle.com ~~ ....~.~o Thousands. of mourners gathered in Classified .._ Ci Movies, ... .. www.aggiespons.com ~ g ~ ~~ I'm smiling because ... churches across the state to bid farewell Comics...... B8 Obituanes .Ail ~ ______~,_~ ' "I know Jesus." to five of the 12 Bonfire victims. Crossword... B8 Opinions.. . A10 fi; ....~~ a ~' Horoscope .. B8 Sports . . .. B1 ~ r - Donna Mushlnski, Region/A9 Landers ..... A7 Weather..: .. A7 Heame a .u. . `„ '^ r.. ~ ~ t ;; eP~ - ~ ~ . p'., be kept from the rain. The investigation will ~~E .look not just at center- `L pole -the spine of the stack, which at comple- StudentS tion stands 55-feet tall ~A2 with six levels -but at the cables and all other 'broadcast portions of the struc- ICe AZ ~~ officials said. Cindy Lawson, execu- Id fOr flVe five director of universi- /A9 ty relations, said the one-hoar tnPatin~ Mnn- :OngllOrnS day was a debriefing of ,a9 sorts. "All the agencies involved with the acci- dent were present to tie up loose ends," Lawson said. "Some fn this group will be called upon later to assist the commission in its inquiry: All thece agen- cies will now be pooling together their information for the commission." Attending the meeting were firefighters and police from College Station and Bryan> A&M administrators, representa- tives from student services, the Texas attorney general's office and university yelations. Bob Wiatt, A&M's director of security, has said since ~iday that his depat"t• See INQUIRY, Page A2 Eagle ptroto/uave mcuermana Bryan freighters and rescue workers visit the Bonfire site Monday. The group assisted in rescue efforts when the 40~foot pyr~nkl of logs collapsed early Thursday moming. Eagle photo/Dave McDermand ~_.__J.,,. ~I.~,nmlmr ?3. 19~J' page A2 The sryan~Canege 3tanon ~+~ .,.~~...,, •-- ~~`~ Rebroadcast Cox Cable Channel 15 wiH rebroadcast Sunday's Bonfire Memorial Service held at Bryan's Central Baptist Church at 7 p.n~. Tuesday and Wednes- day, at 5 and 7 p.m. Thursday, and at 8 a.m. and 7 p.m, Friday. Two Bonfire surviv~:~rs released By LAURA HIPP Eagte Staff Writer A scar on his stomach and a few scrapes are the only visible reminders of the accident that claimed the lives of J.J: Washam's roommate and ll c '' reHmo said he was wiring logs on Aggies working on the 4t ~ the second stack of Bonfire when pyramid of logs that co? Thursday manning. the Pita of lags Megan to shift, Washam, 19, was relea~~ a ; m "1 remember it moving and 1 St. Joseph Regional He ~'ili Cr~n- knew it was coming dawn," he ter bn Monday, as way ~~~~,~th.en said. "1 actually remember falling injured student; Chad i~,achin- from that stack. I blacked out a son, l9. couple of times." f He said he doesn't know how PAYNE, WATSON, KLING MILLER bt MALECHEK, P.C. nnenneis at i+u PROUDLY ANNOUNCES THE ADDITION OF WALTER S. CAMPBELL AS AN ASSOCIATE OF THE FIRM. 3000 Briarcrest Drive • Suite 600 Norwest Plaza P.O. Box 6900, Bryan, TX ?7805 Bryan, TX 77802 (409~776~98~0 Facsimile • (409~73~~8333 As Washam was escorted out o he hospital by his parents and long he was trapped under a log about a dozen friends, he recalled }~~ butarelnemberssthat he was. the events of the night... As a result of hIS injuries, his .grateful to be on the edge of the Left kidney and spleen were pile and not in the middle. last on many readers:' r Benson an Monday declined to comment on the cartoon. He teferred to Willey's calutnn far ~I"Ultt'I ~ ~ _ l an explanation of the retraction. ~ _ __ - ! ~ "Steve's point in doing the car- __ _ recent American tt , ,,,,,;,, <<'~!'~ tour was to highlight common share na meaningful t'.~; themes, he saw in the three Thus, the cartoon's me~sa~„ _ ,.~~ ti~a},eilly's which he found dis• ~I~y E -~~~ o~E ~'~.EE! of ~1u ~ .value (We rememla~r what ~`amily Meals are ail about! Buy any ``menu entree and two betierages at regular price. and' ~receiue another entree of equal or lesser lralue for free! Campus Blq~ Col~tge ~4atlon 846.9184 -607 , ~ a l"l 14b3 tbiv~rsity Dr. ~91~ S~ ~'~~as ~ ~' : ~~~±` • Please px~se~nt e~us:~n [anu,l t ~ rt~Elav 6 a.1n, to 1(~p.m. whenoxdeiing ~` i \ ~!nl tI-25arI1-26) Dine in {lnly ° Not"Valid wi+", aaivothe~r ft~• O~fRer~ire~1~~J wr orr sw rwrs n nos it~l from Brya p Washam's roommate, Lucas it to keep going." Kimmel of Corpus Christi, died in Washam plans an attending the accident. Kimmel's funeral Tuesday in Car- He said training to work'on pus Christi, and the candlelight Bonfire was thorough, and fresh• vigil and yell practice Thursday. men wear a white strip on their tither victims of the accident pants to identify themselves. remain haspitalt~d Monday ." At °We had our sophomores and St. Joseph Regiollal'~alth Cen- juniors who've been there in the ter, Bill Davis was upgraded to past show you how to do stuff,". he serious condition and Chip Thiel said. remains in fair condition. Washam said he would like to At the GoIlege Station Medical see Bonfire continue• Center, John Comstock remains "It's part of the school," he said. in critical condition and Dolllh~ic "Everybody that died would want Brous is in serious condition, - turbing -chiefly that all three tragedies occurred in Texas, resulted from poor judgment and caused needless deaths," Willey wrote. "Unfortunately, in this instance, Steve's premise was weak and the manner in which he chose to communicate it was susceptible to misinterpretation. "His editors are responsible lion monitoring taste and clarity, and we erred in approving this car- toon." Willey did not return phone calls seeking further comTr~E~nt after the retraction was pub- lished. At least one company, Tandy Corp. of Fort Worth, suspended advertising with the Republic. in protest of Benson's cartoon. "We believe it was very -dis• tasteful and inappropriate," said Tandy spokeswoman Lau~•a Moore. She said Tandy pulled ads for the corporation's Radio 511ark stores, and company officials plan to discuss the cartoon with Republic directors, "We understand it's an editori- al "Moore said, "but we cert.t i my as a company don't conrtene Chase views, and it doesn't me„h with the values we have in our company „ The cartoon also raised thev~e of thousands of Aggies. Internet "bulletin boards" dedicated ao discussion about A&M have over- flowed since Friday with zueG- sages of protest. Inquiry ment's involvement is gearF'd toward keeping the scene se~l~re while helping organize the evi- dence and information for the sci- entific investigators. Structural engineers will deter- mine how the 40-foot tall pY~Irid collapsed, crushing to ,death 10 men and two women. Eleven of the dead working on the studentaRUl project were currentau~ dnin ~~ while another had . .1997. Another 27 students ~vere injured in the violent collaps<~ ? 1 ~<<t required achy-long .search acid rescue effort. Wiatt's officers sealed off the site, much like they would a crune scene. The investigation is being described as a scientific inquiry, rather than a criminal matter, No evidence has arisen to indicate the matter involved misconduct an anyone's part, o~cials have said, Thursday's mctdent drew illter~ national attention to College Sta• tion almost instantly as hundreds of media de§cended urn the acci- dent. site at the main entrance to campus. By Monday, the number of television satellite trucks had dropped from more than 35 to less than 10. Family, students and adminis- trators turned their attention to the funerals of four students an Monday with more scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. Memorial services continued across Brazos County while droves of people made the pilgrint- age to the site. There, flowered memorials continued to grow around the orange plastic perime- ter fence where letters ,and plaques show a shared heartache. More than a dozen coated senior rings have been left nekr the. Administration Building on campus, offerings to the 12 who died building one of the school's most popular traditions. Enveloped in grief, the campus found some peace in the autpour• hlg of condolences sent from citi• tens and college campuses from throughout Texas, including `a banner from Baylor University students.