ustxtxb_obs_1979_07_27_50_00015-00000_000.pdf

Page 6

by

PROOST! Duvel is an extraordinary Belgian ale, a “strong ale” twice fermented, naturally brewed with only Czechoslovakian hops and Danish barley matt, blonde and incomparably smooth. It is the product of one of Europe’s last small family-run breweries, the Brouwerij Moortgat, and it is available outside of Europe in only one place, Texas. Try it! Distributed by Shiner Beer Distributing Co. 204 E. 4th, Austin, Texas 78701 c iNt zts Closed Sundays 1607 San Jacinto 477-4171 THE BRAZOS BOOK SHOP 803 Red River Austin, Texas Literature and the Fine Arts new and used books Monday through Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Featuring Local Presses and Authors: including Thorp Springs Press, Prickly Pear Press, Texas Circuit, Encino Press, Shoal Creek Publishers, Jenkins Publishing, Place of Herons Press, and many others Labor Day in Acapulco.. . August 30 to September 3 Single: $303; Double: $254 Triple: $238; Quad: $229 Package includes: roundtrip airfare, airport/hotel transfers, four nights at the Holiday Inn, cocktail party, glass bottom boat ride, dinner at La Perla, hotel taxes, and maid tips. to New Double: $139; Triple: $129 Package includes: roundtrip airfare, air port/hotel transfers, tour of New Orleans, two nights at New Orleans Prince Conti, Mississippi cruise on steamboat Natchez Travel Store A Texas Tradition Since 1866 No games, no gimmicks, no loud music. Just good conversation with the most interesting people in Austin. And the best of downhome cooking. THE C O5SL: PRICE Texas Farmers Union 800 LAKE AIR OR. WACO, TEXAS 76710 817 772-7220 VIII0 LOCO TO CHANG= THAT TO 10111101 1111A11NO the legendary RAW DEAL Steaks, Chops, Chicken open lunch and evenings 605 Sabine, Austin No Reservations THE TEXAS OBSERVER 15 Cr, CD X sv The last patron The last chapter in a political saga spanning more than a quarter of a century was written July 26, as J. C. “Pepe” Martin Jr. entered a plea of guilty to one count of official misconduct in state court in Laredo. Martin, who ruled the political and social life of Webb County for 24 years as mayor of Laredo, received a one-year probated prison sentence and also made restitution of $300,000 to the city as part of a plea bargaining arrangement. The plea bargain was similar to one arranged in federal court last year, in which Martin made restitution of $201,000 and entered a plea of guilty to one count of mail fraud. As leader of the dominant political party in Webb County, Martin presided over the last true “patron” system, a system marked by graft and corruption on a massive scale. His downfall came slowly, as first federal, then state, grand juries began to delve into the tangled financial web of the Martin administration. Although four state grand juries investigated him in a two-year period, in the end Martin avoided a state trial and possible imprisonment by waiving indictment and accepting the plea bargain. Part of his motivation was the make-up of the last grand jury, impaneled by a district judge who had long been one of Martin’s political foes. The grand jury roster read like a who’s who of Webb County political activism. Included on the 20-member grand jury panel were ten members of either teacher or postal worker labor unions, the husband and father-in-law of one of the grand jury commissioners, and the mother-in-law of the district judge. Citing the “peculiar” composition of the grand jury, Martin’s attorneys won a temporary restraining order July 16 from U.S. District Judge John Singleton, barring the grand jury from indicting the former mayor pending a hearing on the constitutionality of the panel. Before the hearing could be held, however, the plea bargain was struck, and Martin made what he hopes will be his last appearance in court to answer for the crimes of his administration. Bill Bouldin DUMP CLEMENTS WT NUCLEAR WASTE Reid & Write Enterprises P.O. Box 12126, Austin 78711