Season starts
Spring practices begin for football team Page 6
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
News 1, 2 Arts & Life 3 Sports 6 Views 4 Classifieds 5 Games 5
Volume 97 | Issue 30
Sunny 83° / 51°
ntdaily.com
The Student Newspaper of the University of North Texas
Gillette files two motions BY BEN BABY
Senior Staff Writer
ARTS & LIFE: Dance and theatre professor earns fellowship Page 3
PHOTO BY JAMES COREAS/SENIOR STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Two beehives are hidden in the walls of the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building. It’s estimated that they’ve been there for at least 18 years.
UNT delays beehives decision BY M ATTHEW CARDENAS Staff Writer
SPORTS: Softball team risks Cowgirls Page 6
VIEWS: Politicians distract voters from real issues Page 4
Two 18-year-old beehives housing millions of bees outside the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building are being considered for removal or relocation, after students reported some of the bees were acting aggressively. Officials said they plan to make a decision at the end of the spring semester. The bees have been in a threeinch gap in the exterior north wall of the building since 1993, officials said. The hives house an estimated 4 million bees — about half of Denton’s estimated bee population. They were scheduled to be removed March 14, but UNT officials said they wanted more time to talk to bee experts and consider all available options. “Delaying action on the bee colonies will allow us to continue to gather as much information as possible on the best way to
deal with [them],” said Charles Jackson, the acting senior associate vice president for administration in an interview with UNT’s InHouse publication. “The bee colonies are damaging the building and will either have to be moved or eliminated.” Relocating the bees could cost UNT about $1,150, said Brandee Tercek a bee control specialist from Bee Safe Pest Control. Tercek said she spoke to a UNT official who called seeking information about hive removal. Tercek said the fees for removing bees start at $700. Then, removing the combs and honey would cost another $450. “Live removal is very expensive,” Tercek said. “Especially when they become Africanized.” Tercek said bees become Africanized when they feel threatened. “It’s when they come after you,” she said. “They are protecting the nest. Protecting their queen and combs.”
Theatre freshman Ja ke McCready is allergic to bees, but he said there is no reason to exterminate the ones living in the building. “They’ve been here for 18 years,” he said. “No one has been stung. No one has been chased by bees.” Radio, television and film junior Hannah Smith has all of her classes in the Radio, Television, Film and Performing Arts Building, and she said she doesn’t want to worry about the bees. “Getting stung by bees sucks,” Smith said. She also said she doesn’t think the risks justify the high price of relocation. “You don’t want anyone being hurt or hospitalized,” Smith said. Tercek said should UNT officials decide to remove the bees, they could be relocated to a location in Dallas or a farm in Oklahoma.
The Texas Woma n’s University student accused of making terroristic threats in a classroom last month could soon face felony charges, officials said. Christopher Gillette will be presented before a grand jury in the next two weeks, said Jamie Beck, the first assistant district attorney for Denton County.
Motion to lower bail Gillette, 30, remains in county jail with the bail set at $250,000 after his arrest March
“The more attention a case gets in the press, the less likely a defendant will catch a break.”
—Ben Hunsucker, Criminal law attorney
1 for making terroristic threats in a TWU classroom. According to a court document, Gillette said during class that he was “a veteran with the special skills needed to tear Washington, D.C., apart brick by brick.” Gillette is a veteran of the Army and was stationed in Kosovo, said David Sloane, Gillette’s attorney. Sloane filed two motions last Wednesday to have Gillette’s bail reduced. “[Gillette] has only minimal financial resources, but could raise the funds required to post bond in an amount between $500 and $2,500,” Sloane said in
the motion. The issue involves the Eighth Amendment, w h i c h prohibits e x c e s si v e CHRISTOPHER bail, exces- GILLETTE sive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments, Sloane said. Denton crimina l law attorney Ben Hunsucker said he believes the case will continue as a felony instead of being reduced to a misdemeanor. “The more attention a case gets in the press, the less likely a defendant will catch a break. If people are watching, the last thing a district attorney wants to do is to reduce the case,” Hunsucker said. Along with the motion for a reasonable bond, Sloane also filed a writ of habeas corpus, which states that Gillette is “unlawfully restrained” by the Denton County Sheriff’s office. The case involving the writ will be held by the probate court April 1. “I’ve written five of those in 15 years. That’s how seldom they are,” Sloane said in a phone interview last week. Sloane is seeking to get Gillette medical assistance upon his release, but said nobody will see Gillette as long as he has a pending criminal charge. According to the affidavit, Gillette was arrested at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Medical Center following his statements in class.
Students rally for tsunami victims
ONLINE: White wins conference award PHOTO BY DREW GAINES/SENIOR STAFF WRITER
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Construction continues on the commuter rail and bus station at East Sycamore Street and Railroad Avenue as workers lay pipe at the site. PHOTO BY JORDAN SHEDD/INTERN
Phi Gamma Delta is taking donations in the University Union to help aid the American Red Cross disaster relief for Japan. Students who donated got bracelets. BY NICOLE BALDERAS Staff Writer
Since the massive earthquake and tsunami destruction in Japan on March 11, organizations worldwide have stepped in to help provide funds to rebuild the country and provide relief for afflicted families. Though the devastating events occurred right before spring break, some UNT organizations wasted no time and quickly organized relief fundraisers. “Originally we had a booth reserved for a blood drive and had bracelets for people who donated blood,” said Chris Ivester, a member
of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity and an entrepreneurial business senior. “After we heard about Japan, we decided to take donations for the Red Cross and give those who donated a bracelet.” Phi Gamma Delta will accept donations at a booth next to the One O’ Clock Lounge in the University Union today from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The group will also accept blood donations today in the Union’s Silver Eagle Suite and tomorrow in the Golden Eagle Suite during the same times.
See STUDENT on Page 2
City vote may stall A-train BY DREW GAINES Senior Staff Writer
The June opening of Denton’s A-train line is riding on the city’s approval of a 180-foottall telecommunications tower that would provide radio correspondence for the network of commuter trains. T h e D e nt on C ou nt y Transportation Authority is vying for a Specific Use Permit from the City Council, which would allow the tower to be erected on a 15-acre plot within Kerley Street and Teasley Lane. City officials are expected to
decide on the permit in April. If approved, DCTA and its contractors will begin construction immediately to allow for testing of the communications system in April and May, just in time for the train’s June opening. “This tower is critical to our radio communications for the A-train system-wide,” said Tom LeBeau, the vice president of Rail Development and Capital Projects for DCTA. “It provides us all redundant backup up and down the system, which is a safety feature.” The tower w il l house fiber optic cables that act as
the nerve system for the rail lines, enabling communication between the trains if the network’s main radio system experiences problems. It is also designed to implode on itself should it ever come down. There has been some opposition to the project from residents living nearby. A few expressed their dismay with the scheduling of the towers’ construction during a City Council meeting March 1. They criticized DCTA for not notifying them about the project sooner.
See COUNCIL on Page 2