thebattalion
news for you texas West Texas plane crashes All five people, including a patient and his wife, aboard a small aircraft died when the air ambulance crashed shortly after takeoff from a West Texas airport. The crash happened about 12:15 a.m. Sunday about a mile east of Alpine-Casparis Municipal Airport, about 200 miles southeast of El Paso. The pilot was trying to make an emergency landing when the plane hit a rut, overturned and burned.
● tuesday,
july 6, 2010
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2010 student media
fourth of july
Big bang theory
School accepts earless musician Samuel Boutris, who was born without a left ear and has a slight misalignment of the jaw, has gained acceptance to the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, a top conservatory in Philadelphia. Boutris has suffered severe effects from Goldenhar syndrome. The 19-year-old from Fort Worth will continue his clarinet education at Curtis.
lowest gas price
$2.49
Tyler Hosea — THE BATTALION
Residents celebrate Independence Day by watching the evening fireworks show outside the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum. Other festivities at the library throughout the day included games, concessions and a performance by the Brazos Valley Symphony Orchestra.
Kroger at 2412 Texas Ave. & Southwest Pkwy. www.texasgasprices.com
nation &world BP releases total cost of damage BP’s costs for the Gulf of Mexico oil spill climbed nearly half a billion dollars in the past week, raising the oil giant’s tab to more than $3 billion for work on cleaning and capping the gusher and payouts to individuals, businesses and governments. The figure does not include a $20 billion fund for Gulf damages BP created last month.
Chavanel wins Tour de France 2nd stage France’s Sylvain Chavanel won the rain-swept second stage of the Tour de France on Monday to take the overall lead, while seventime champion Lance Armstrong finished in the pack after bloodying his thigh on a day filled with crashes. It was the second time in Chavanel’s career to win a Tour stage. Staff and wire reports
environment
safety
University reduces energy consumption
Museum shares fire safety lessons
Gayle Gabriel | The Battalion Since the approval of the Aggie Green Fund in March, students and officials have been working toward becoming a greener campus. Texas A&M received funding from the State Energy Conservation Office to aid in the energy conservation projects in campus buildings. “It is important to conserve energy for three reasons,” said Les Williams, associate director of utilities and energy management. “We have limited amounts of readily available energy, so it is only wise to conserve. Financially, it just makes sense to not waste a very costly commodity like energy, and there is a direct correlation between the reduction in energy consumption and the reduction of the campus carbon footprint. A reduction in energy consumption will reduce the campus carbon footprint.” Students can benefit from conservation if they take the time to switch to greener applications and to look at energy sources around houses that can be reduced, Williams said. Some of the biggest energy consumption comes from thermostats lowered past 75 degrees Fahrenheit, leaving on lights and other electronics and frequent use of washers, dryers and dishwashers. “Mostly I try to keep lights off when I am not in the room,” said Brittany Ali, senior sociology major. “I use lamps instead of overhead lights unless I am doing something that requires it.” Williams said energy use on campus had decreased significantly over the past several years. “Relatively speaking, [Texas A&M] has done a good job of reducing overall energy consumption,” he said. “We have reduced annual campus energy consumption by 24 percent while campus gross square footage has increased See Energy on page 6
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How to conserve energy ◗ Raise the thermostat temperature to 75 degrees Fahrenheit or higher.
◗ Replace light bulbs with energyefficient ones.
◗ Turn off all lights, televisions, computers and other electronics upon leaving the room or the house. Don’t leave appliances on overnight.
◗ Unplug infrequently used appliances.
For the third consecutive year, The Children’s Museum of the Brazos Valley will join the fire departments of Bryan and College Station to educate children on fire safety and the responsibilities of being a firefighter at Firegator Camp. The children explore a fire truck and a helicopter and learn how to extinguish and prevent fires. In addition, the Pipes and Drums Band will perform today to exhibit firefighters’ musical talent. “Kids just really enjoy fireman and police stuff,” said Karrie Bourquin, operations supervisor of the museum. “[Kids] get to learn about the importance of not playing with matches and the importance of stop, drop and roll and having a fire plan. They learn about it somewhere else besides school. It helps reinforce [fire safety] over the summer.” Eric Wallace, who has been a firefighter for the Bryan Fire Department for 10 years, said Tuesday is the most important day, in terms of safety, for the children. He said the children listen to the rules of fire safety and take to heart what they learn at camp. The museum organizes the camp to educate children about safety and to promote the history of the museum. “The building was formerly a firehouse, which had an alligator living in the basement,” said Priscilla Heyert, director of education for the museum. Thus the museum mascot, the firegator, was born. The Firegator, a children’s book written by Debbie Leland, College Station librarian, is based on
April Baltensperger — THE BATTALION
A Bryan firefighter holds one of the Firegator campers as he teaches other particpants about fire responsibility. the history of the firehouse. About 20 children will attend camp this week. The camp could use volunteers to assist the leaders of the program. Caroline Ward, staff writer
◗ Do laundry with a large load rather than a small one, and use cold water.
◗ During the summer, keep window shades and curtains closed to prevent solar heat gain.
◗ Report any on campus energy or water waste to the energy hotline at (979) 458-2468.
economy
Texas leads other states in recovery Economist Nathaniel Karp said Texas is making significant progress on its recovery from the ecnonomic recession during his lecture Wednesday at Briarcrest Country Club in a program presented by BBVA Compass Bank. He gave an overview of the economy and showed the path to recovery which Texas and the rest of the U.S. are following. “Texas entered the recession later than most states and is also currently leading in the recovery from the recession,” Karp said.
In April 2009, every state entered the recession. Karp said although there are many indicators confirming a solid recovery in future, it is a slow process. It has been two years since the crisis began. The U.S. is leading the world in technology and innovation, and Karp said he is optimistic about the recovery process, especially the stability that Texas is showing when compared to other states in the country. Sarah Ammerman, staff writer
7/5/10 4:17 PM