The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 168, Ed. 1 Friday, May 12, 2000 Page: 1 of 20
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I
WEATHER
Partly cloudy and
breezy. High around 90.
South wind 15 mph.
PAGE2A
BUSINESS
COMMUNITY
Better than expected
Annexation
Dell profits rise 21 percent
Baytown council votes to
in first quarter
annex subdivision
PAGE 3B
RAGE6A
SPORTS |
Blowout
Barbers Hill dominates.^
Tarkington, 11-1
RAGE2B
4T ■
-*-*-yffr-
UElje Partoton §>un
FRIDAY
v
May 12, 2000
Volume 78 No. 168
SINCE 1922
Baytown, Texas
www.baytownsun.com
50 cents
Filipino computer student surfaces in ‘Love Bug’ e-mail virus case
By DIRK BEVERIDGE
The Associated Press
MANILA, Philippines — A com-
puter student sought by investigators
in the “Love Bug” virus case
emerged from hiding Thursday to say
he may have accidentally released the
malicious program that disrupted
computer systems around the world.
Onel A. de Guzman wore dark
glasses and covered his face with a
handkerchief as he met reporters, de-
clining to say whether he wrote the
virus but conceding “youthful exu-
Onel A. de Guzman wore
dark glasses and covered his
lace with a handkerchief as
he met reporters, declining
to say whether he wrote the
virus but conceding
“youthful exuberance” may
have been to blame.
berance” may have been to blame.
The program released last week
sent a flood of e-mails with the sub-
ject line “ILOVEYOU” speeding
through computer systems world-
wide. Opening the attachment de-
stroyed saved files, and sent the virus
along to other addresses in the user’s
e-mail file. Experts say the rogue pro-
gram may cost up to $10 billion,
mostly from lost productivity.
College officials have said de Guz-
man helped develop programs that
may have been combined to produce
the e-mail virus. Investigators wanted
to talk with de Guzman and others,
but have not said whether he is sus-
pected of any crime.
De Guzman’s lawyer, Rolando
Quimbo, said his client had no inten-
tion of meeting with investigators,
and if de Guzman is subpoenaed, he
would exercise his right against self-
mcrimination and keep quiet.
It is not clear whether the author or
authors of the virus can even be pros-
ecuted in the Philippines, where com-
puter use is still uncommon among
ordinary citizens and cyber crimes
are not yet defined in the legal code.
But the terse responses de Guzman
gave during a news conference, with
his Tagalog language translated into
English by Quimbo, seemed to fill in
much of toe puzzle investigators have
grappled with.
The 23-year-old Filipino acknowl-
edged he was a member of GRAM-
MERSoft, a small group of students
at AMA Computer College in Manila
whose activities allegedly included
writing and selling thesis projects to
other students.
The GRAMMERSoft name ap-
pears in toe coding of the “ILOVE
YOU” virus, and de Guzman charac-
terized die nine-member group as “a
gang for the sharing of knowledge.”
But de Guzman said another 5ft*
dent whose programming has came
under scrutiny, Michael Buen, Was
not a part of GRAMMERSoft. ♦'*
Buen acknowledged de Guzman’s
work in his thesis for graduation laSt
week from AMA college. But de
Guzman did not graduate — his the-
sis proposal was rejected by a profes^
sor who said it was designed to steal
data from computer systems by pil-
fering passwords.
De Guzman said Thursday he(
See VIRUS on Page 10A
Students get sobering lesson on safety^ CoiMCilliUlll
By ALLISON WOLLAM
Staff writer
MONT BELVIEU — Every 15 minutes
Somebody dies in a traffic accident.
With a totaled car arid a hearse in front of
Barbers Hill High School and those words of
warning, Sgt. Michael P. Warren of the Harris
County Constable’s Department showed stu-
dents how important it is to drive safely.,
“This is to bring attention to the youth who
are over-represented when it comes to traffic
fatalities,” Warren said.
Warren gave a Safe & Sober presentation to
the students to educate them about safety
belts, speeding and drinking and driving.
“We are promoting safety and responsibili-
ty and the totaled car in front of the school is
a reminder of the injuries that can happen,
and the hearse is a reminder of death,” he
said. _;___'___ '
Every 15 minutes a T-shirt inscribed with
“I’m Dead” was given out to students to point
out how life would change if someone they
knew died in a traffic accident.
“Imagine if these students who are your
friends weren’t here today because of drink-
ing and driving,” Warren said.
Members of toe Barbers Hill Student Coun-
cil, who helped organize the event, issued traf-
fic warning citations to students who weren’t
wearing safety belts when they arrived at
school.
Julie Harris, a junior, said she issued two
tickets to students who weren’t wearing safety
belts. '
“A lot of the people driving in were my
friends, and I caught them off guard when I
stopped them and gave them a ticket,” she
said.
Kristen Rowlett, a senior, said the student
council wanted to have the program during
this time of year because prom is Friday night
and graduation is a couple of weeks away.
“I think this will make some people more
conscious of what they are doing,” she said.
Senior Jake Porter tried on “fatal vision
glasses” that show students what it’s like to
have a blood alcohol level of .175 — those
with blood alcohol levels of .08 are consid-
ered legally drunk. Wearing the glasses, he
tried to wslk&straightJiae^...
“Oh my gosh, it*was the most bizarre
thing,” he said. “It was like I didn’t have any
control over where I was going.”
Glenn Lemke, assistant principal, said the
school didn’t notify the Mont Belvieu Police
Department about the program, and it had
calls coming in all morning.
“We had people calling to see who died,
some even thought it was a terroristic attack,
arrested alter
domestic spat
Almendarez, wife cited for !
‘assault by threats’ Thursday
Photos by Alison Ashworth
Barbers Hill senior Jake Porter tries to walk a straight line while wearing “fatal vision glasses." The
glasses simulate the effects of having a blood alcohol level of .175. Pictured at left is a Texas De-
partment of Transportation official.
w
% ^■■
so you can imagine what it would be like in
the middle of the night with your parents
having to be called because you were in an
accident,” Lemke told the students. .
Principal Glynn Hughes said he hopes this
message stays with toe students during prom
and graduation parties.
“This is a time of year when we have stu-
dents who don’t think before they act, and we
are trying to promote safety because there are
so many opportunities for accidents to takfc.
place during this time,” Hughes said. ^
Contact Allison Wollam by e-mail at alii- Kristen Rowlett, a senior at Barbers Hill High
son.wollam@baytownsun.com or by phone at School, issues a ticket to lOtfrgrader Halea Pitts
(281) 425-8020. for not wearing a seat belt Thursday at the school.
ByJMWEBHE
Staff writer
BAYTOWN — District 1 City
Councilman Victor Almendarez was
arrested and jailed Thursday after an
argument with his wife.
Both he and his wife, Aida Almen-
darez, 37, were ticketed for assault by
threats, a state penal code class C mis-
demeanor. She was not arrested.
Victor Almendarez was taken to
Baytown Municipal Jail shortly after
midnight Thursday by police, who lat-
er released him.
Almendarez, 35, said he recently
had been separated from his wife but
had moved back home.
He said he intended to speak with
Mayor Pete Alfaro today and was
considering resigning from toe coun-
cil. Alfaro had no comment late
Thursday. Almendarez is in his sec-
ond term on the City Council.
“Vfe were arguing. I said one thing
and she said another,” Almendarez
said “Anger got toe best of me and it
got the best of het”
Aida Almendarez said late Thurs-
day she bad no comment about toe in-
cident
According to police Sgt. Herbert
Sims, Officer Steve Ocanas was dis-
patched to answer a call for a family
disturbance at 1909 Montana St at
11:57 p.m. Afednesday.
Sims said Ocanas arrested Victor
Almendarez after arriving at the cou-
pler home and investigating toe com-
plaint
“Apparently it got to toe point where
(Ocanas) felt arrest would be toe ap-
propriate action to take,” Sims said
“We go to the sdfce and do an in-
*
arguing. I said
one thing and
she said
another.
Anger got the
best of me
and it got the best of her.”
Victor AkMndaraz
vestigation where we try to get things
sorted out,” Sims said “A lot of times
we try to get the situation under con-
trol by removing one of the parties,
but arrest is not toe first option; itb toe
last option” » -
Sims said no physical altercation
had occurred and there were no physi-
cal injuries resulting from toe dorites-
tic dispute.
Aida Almendarez was not arrested
Sims said “because there was no
need” 4
Sims said a minor child was present
when police arrived at toe home, v
“In many situations where you hayp
allegations by both sides, you remove
toe one who appears to be the aggres-
sor. Had we arrested both people, wet
would have had to do something wfth
the child The situation was over with
the initial arrest,” Sims said
State penal code class C misde-
meanors are prosecuted in municipal
courts and can draw fmes up to $500,'
said city attorney Ignacio Ramirez.
Contact Jim Webre by e-mail at
jim.webre@baytownsun.com or by
phone at (281) 425-8031.
----- —
Clinton launches political attack; Bush’s camp returns fire
By TERENCE HUNT
Tbe Associated Press
WASHINGTON — President
Clinton took on the role of political
attacker Thursday, charging that
George W. Bush would pursue
“troublesome” nuclear-arms poli-
cies as president, let polluters regu-
late the environment and appoint
judges bent on repealing abortion
rights.
In his toughest criticism yet of
toe presumed Republican presiden-
tial nominee, Clinton also contend-
ed that Bush would bring back bud-
get deficits and higher interest rates
by pushing big tax cuts and Penta-
gon spending increases.
Bush’s campaip shot back that
Clinton was “continuing his transi-
tion from commander in chief into
his role as campaip manager in
chief” for Vice President A1 Gore,
the Democratic candidate.
With Gore trailing in the polls,
Clinton opened up on Bush in a ra-
dio interview with Diane Rehm of
National Public Radio. While Clin-
ton often has professed reluctance
to be dragged into the presidential
race, he jumped in enthusiastically.
Gore increasingly is turning to
surrogates for help in attacking
Bush, as some advisers fear that toe
vice president’s own full-throated
criticisms aje backfiring with vot-
ers who say they don’t like negative
campaiping. Health and Human
Services Secretary Donna Shalala
criticized the governor’s health care
plans Tuesday.
“What the president is pointing
out is something that A1 Gore has
pointed out, other Democrats have
pointed out and other analysts have
pointed out,” said Gore spokesman
Chris Lehane.
Singling out national security
policies, Clinton noted Bush’s op-
position to the Comprehensive Test
Ban Treaty, which the Senate de-
feated last year.
Moreover, Clinton said Bush
“wants to build a much bigger mis-
sile defense system than the evi-
dence warrants right now — it may
support it later — no matter what
the consequences are to toe efforts
we’re making to reduce toe nuclear
weapons threat around the world.
“So I think that that gives me.
some pause,” the president said. “I
think that’s troublesome. Because it
could cause the country a lot of
trouble in the next four or five
years”-
Returning the fire, Bush
spokesman Scott McClellan said,
“Governor Bush believes it is im-
portant to protect America and
Americans from rogue missile
launches, and he is concerned that
toe president and vice president do
not agree with this urgent priority.”
Clinton is to decide later this year
whether to deploy a national anti-
missile system that the Pentagon
See POUTICS on Page 1QA
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Cash, Wanda Garner. The Baytown Sun (Baytown, Tex.), Vol. 78, No. 168, Ed. 1 Friday, May 12, 2000, newspaper, May 12, 2000; Baytown, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1019710/m1/1/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Sterling Municipal Library.