UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL OKLAHOMA • Sports
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BRIEFS >News Last concert Dr. Ron Howell, professor of music, will be directing his last concert for the Wind Ensemble April 25. ✓ Page 4
Area police to swat litterbugs BY BRADLEY PEMBERTON
>Sports Bronchos finish 37-10
Broncho baseball ended the regular season with a doubleheader sweep of Southwestern. ✓ Page 7
>Features Hobbit returns Fellowship of the Ring, the new
movie due out Dec. 19, is the first installment in the epic trilogy to be brought to the big screen.
✓ Page 12
TODAY IN HISTORY In 1898, Spain declared war on the United States after receiving an ultimatum to withdraw from Cuba. In 1704, The Boston News-Letter, one of the earliest newspapers in the American colonies, was first published.
IL
Staff Writer
itterbugs beware. The next cigarette butt or tissue you toss out of the car could cost you. Oklahoma City and OKC Beautiful have teamed up for Litter Blitz 2001, an anti-litter campaign running from April 17 through May 15. One portion of the plan is to ticket motorists who litter from vehicles. This includes anything thrown from a car to improperly tied-down loads on trucks and trailers, said City Manager Jim Couch. Oklahoma City Police Chief M.T. Berry and Couch had an informal meeting April 17 to discuss the police department's role in the campaign. "Chief Berry recognizes that our police officers on patrol are critical to any long-term solution to littering. We think a blitz of littering tickets will have a deterrent effect — even when Litter Blitz ends on May 15," Couch said in an April 17
press release. Littering tickets in Oklahoma City begin at $85 and an Edmond citation costs $235. The second phase of the project is city-wide clean-up. Mayor Kirk Humphreys is urging citizens to organize trash pick-up events across the city. OKC Beautiful will supply gloves and bags. "Beautification is one of my top priorities, and we need to aggressively address our litter problem. We have to find longterm solutions, but we can also make an immediate impact with a program like Litter Blitz," Humphreys said. Any group participating will be honored publicly at the end of the campaign. Team leaders can call OKC Beautiful at 525-8822 to schedule times for trash removal by city collection vehicles. For more information on how to help with trash pick-up, call 297-2535 or log on to www.okc-cityhall.org. •
QUOTE OF THE DAY "No pessimist ever discovered the secret of the stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit." — Helen Keller (1880 — 1968)
WEATHER Tues.
Wed.
Mostly sunny. ,I,/ High in the 7401 '' lower-70s.
Mostly clear. High in the mid- 001 70s.
TUESDAY • APRIL 24, 2001
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PHOTO BY TSUYOSHI SHIRAISHI
Members of Litter Blitz 2001 (l-r) Pam Oliver, Gary Oliver, Jean Sharp and John Sharp clean up Memorial Park located at 36th and Classen Boulevard on April 21.
Shoot for two
PHOTO BY MOLLY MATHIS
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(left to right) Faith Hudson, Larry Clayton, Jenifer Moore and Brian Watson play a two-on-two basketball game outside of West Hall April 23.
Buyback may trigger thefts at UCO, campus police warn BY NATALIE SMITH
C
Staff Writer
rime is everywhere. The crime rate at UCO is low, but still relevant, especially to the victims, according to UCO Police Chief Jeff Harp. Since book buy backs will start soon, unattended backpacks may be reported stolen so that people can sell the books for money, he said. Book buy backs at the University Book Store go on year-round, but from now until finals are over is the best time to sell them back to get the best rate available. "It is a shame that people can't trust anyone anymore. I mean, stealing people's backpacks? Give me a break," said Marce Terry, speech and language pathology graduate student. "Theft of property is the most frequent crime anywhere, and UCO isn't excluded," Harp said. Harp went on to say that larceny is simply people taking advantage of others. Most thefts are crimes of opportunity. There were 15 cases of burglary reported at UCO in 1998. There are very few reported cases of auto theft on campus — one in 1997 and four in 1998. "Most cars that are stolen turn up sooner or later. The ones that aren't are at the bottom of some lake, or shipped off to Mexico to be sold as parts," Harp said. Crime prevention is the key. Harp stresses that people should just be careful to lock their doors, roll up their windows and keep their things with them. •