thebattalion ● friday,
september 11, 2009
● serving
texas a&m since 1893
● first paper free – additional copies $1 ● © 2009 student media
One year
after Ike
Election to replace Hutchison could cost $30M AUSTIN, Texas — A special election to replace Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison could cost up to $30 million, the Texas Secretary of State said in a letter released Thursday. A single special election would cost between $18 and $20 million, Secretary of State Esperanza “Hope” Andrade said in the letter. A runoff could increase the cost another $10 million, she said. Andrade sent the letter in response to a cost breakdown request from the conservative group Texans for Fiscal Responsibility. Hutchison has said she expects to resign before the end of the year to focus on her race for Texas governor. Her opponent, Gov. Rick Perry, would designate a temporary replacement and call a special election to fill the senator’s unexpired term. Associated Press
Courtesy Photo
Murdoch’s Bath House on the Galveston seawall and the 89th Street fishing pier were just some of the buildings that were destroyed Sept. 13, 2008, by Hurricane Ike.
Galveston tries to recover from hurricane destruction By Megan O’Toole Pitts | The Battalion
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year after Hurricane Ike struck Galveston, causing $3.2 billion in damages, palm trees are being replanted, schools and businesses have reopened, but the island still has progress to make, said Galveston Public Information Officer Alicia Cahill.
“Every day is a little bit better, every day we’re closer to returning to normal,” Cahill said. To mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Ike and the 109th year anniversary of the Great 1900 Storm, a six-day series of “Revival and Reflections” events began Tuesday. “When you’re in this community you think ‘was it before the storm or after?’— It’s really a pivotal event in our lives,” said Betty Massey, head of the Galveston Community Recovery Committee. “And it’s important not to let the anniversary of that event go by and be just another day in Galveston.”
The Mostyn Law Firm Galveston Rebirth Race, a 5k run or walk hosted by the Galveston Historical Foundation, aims to show off what’s survived the disaster, said Galveston Historic Foundation Director of Marketing and Public Relations Molly Dannenmaier. “We want to highlight the importance of Galveston historic architecture and how important it is to continue to preserve it,” Dannenmaier said. “It’s been many years since there has been a race in the See Recovery on page 5
Sea Aggies readjust to regular college life in Galveston By Lorelei Willett | The Battalion
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ggies everywhere were struck with a personal tragedy when Hurricane Ike tore through Galveston on Sept. 13, 2008. Students from Texas A&M Galveston came to main campus to continue classes while their home campus underwent reconstruction. Many decided to go back to rebuild the city while others stayed. “I was living in the dorms at the time and looking at the size of this
storm and thought for sure we would be flooded in the dorm room,” said Jesse Drewa, junior marine engineering major. Drewa stacked everything off his dorm room floor, and then packed books and clothes into his car before driving to Houston to ride out the storm with his dad. “That was a rough night. We were out of power at his house for 12 days. I was dying to go back to the island, but we weren’t allowed to for a long time,” Drewa said. Though surviving through the hurricane was the first step for many students, the real challenge came when the word got around that they were allowed to move to College Station to restart their classes.
“The move to College Station was kind of a pain — it seemed a lot less organized than I figured it would be,” said Jeff Wood, junior marine systems engineering major. Like many Sea Aggies, Wood and Drewa had obstacles finding housing. He stayed in a hotel for two days before finding an apartment, and Wood ended up renting a duplex with a friend. Space for classes was also limited on the main campus with the sudden influx of students. “One of my classes I had didn’t really have an assigned room. We’d always walk in and get kicked out of the classrooms we’d be in and just See Sea Aggies on page 3
Courtesy Photo
Junior marine systems engineering major Jeff Wood helps clean up debris from Ike.
College Station costs less U.S. News ranked College Station third in underpriced college towns in the nation. According to U.S. News the median home price is $107,000, which HIS Global Insight, the world’s largest economics organization, considers to be 21 percent undervalued. The criterion used to compile this ranking was population density, household income and data to compare households’ value with where it should be, according to U.S. News and World Report. Lani Weingarten, a sophomore marketing major, said she noticed a severe change from living in Chappaqua, N.Y., to moving to College Station. “Living my whole life in [New York] I was always very conscience of my spending, even something as simple as eating out would be costly,”she said. “Now living here I find myself spending much less.” Weingarten said she has noticed drastic price differences in recreational activities and living expenses such as groceries and rent, and is not surprised that this city was ranked so high in being underpriced. Vicky Flores, staff writer
Aggies honor lives lost on 9/11 ■ A remembrance
ceremony will be at 9 a.m. today at the Freedom From Terrorism Memorial Julie Rambin
Students put flags in the grass surrounding the Freedom From Terrorism Memorial Thursday night. The memorial is located near Corps Plaza Memorial. Nick Badger — THE BATTALION
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The Battalion Eight years ago today, terrorists hijacked four passenger planes and crashed the planes into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon. More than 2,700 people died in the attacks. Former President George W. Bush subsequently declared a “war on terror,” and the U.S. invaded Iraq and Afghanistan. ‘Today is a day for remembering — a day for remembering and honoring the memories of our fellow Americans and others who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks,” said Interim President R. Bowen Loftin. “The tragic events of 9/11 will for-
ever be etched in our minds and on our hearts.” In 2008, the Freedom From Terrorism Memorial, designed by Texas A&M University students, was built on the A&M campus. It is located near the intersection of Coke Street and Lubbock Street. The memorial is dedicated to students who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks and subsequent wars. Today at 9 a.m. a remembrance ceremony will take place at the memorial. The Young Conservatives of Texas will host their 9/11 Never Forget Memorial and Ceremony. “We feel it’s very important to honor those who were tragically lost in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and also to honor those who have died protecting our life and freedom,” said YCT chairman Justin Pulliam, a sophomore animal science major. American flags will be distributed to students to be planted at the memorial. “We’d like to encourage every Aggie to come by,” Pulliam said. “Every-
Patriot Day Admission to Patriot Day is free with donation of a nonperishable item to be sent to American troops during the holidays. For more information, call 979-774-9958. one can come and put in a flag. This memorial is for all of Texas A&M and the surrounding community.” At 5:45 p.m. at Veteran’s Park in College Station, an event called Patriot Day will take place to honor and thank those who died on 9/11 and those who have fought since then. The event will include a barbecue dinner and speakers. “We have a New York firefighter who was on the ground on 9/11 eight years ago. We have a survivor who was at the World Trade Center and lives locally. We have a naval chaplain,” said See Never Forget on page 5
9/10/09 10:47 PM