Dried plums, formerly known as prunes, may help prevent colon cancer according to a recent study. Texas A&M professor Nancy Turner led a study that found dried plums in rats' diets helped promote healthy microbiota in the colon and replicated changes that occur in the human intestine during colon cancer development. Dried plums have been marketed as "dried plums" for longer than most people realize, since around 2000 according to Don Zea of the California Dried Plum Board.

1. By STEVE KUHLMANN
steve.kuhlmann@
theeagle.com
Dried plums — the fruit
formerly known as prunes
— aren’t just your grand-
mother’s go-to snack any-
more.
As Texas A&M Univer-
sity professor Nancy
Turner ex-
plained,there
may be some
good news
for fans of the
fruit. Turner
was among
a team of
researchers
who found
in a recent
study that the inclusion of
dried plums in a balanced
diet helped prevent colon
cancer.
The positive effect, Turn-
er said, is being attributed
to the plum’s ability to pro-
mote the health of microbi-
ota in the colon. Although
the study was conducted
on rats, Turner explained
thatthisparticularresearch
model has done a “good job
of replicating a lot of the
changes that occur
inthehumanintes-
tine as colon cancer
develops.”
Forthosewon-
deringhowlong
prunes have
been called
dried plums, it
has actually been
longer than most
might think.
Don Zea, executive di-
rector of the California
By TOMMY
WITHERSPOON
Waco Tribune-Herald
The judge presiding
over the West fertilizer
plant explosion cases
denied a motion Friday
to postpone the upcom-
ing trial despite defense
assertions that federal
investigators recently
shared evidence with
themthatcouldproveim-
portant to the litigation.
While Dallas attorney
Carlos Balido said the
information from the Bu-
reau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives
sharedThursdaywiththe
defense is a “significant
break in the case,” 170th
State District Judge Jim
Meyerwasnotpersuaded
to postpone the first trial,
set to begin Oct. 12.
“I can see this dragging
on for a year,” Meyer said
in denying the motion for
continuance.
Meyer has already de-
layed the trial twice from
its initial trial setting.
Friday’s request was the
third time since January
that defense attorneys
have sought a delay.
Balido, who represents
CF Industries, was seek-
ing a delay until Febru-
ary so defense attorneys
could review evidence
from the ATF investiga-
tion, given to them after
defense attorneys sued
infederalcourtforaccess
to the materials and U.S.
District Judge Walter S.
Smith Jr. helped mediate
the release of a portion of
the agency’s findings.
“I can’t say with cer-
tainty that this will
change the outcome of
the case, but I think this
is significant because
the ATF broke the wall
they had put up,” Balido
said.“Thisisasignificant
break in the case. . . . The
plaintiffs want to push so
hardtogototrialbecause
if the information from
the ATF contradicts their
experts’ analysis, that
will put them in a bind.
We have not sat back just
waiting and hoping we
would get this informa-
tion. We have fought for
this information.”
Balido argued that
while he and his col-
leagueshavenotbeenable
toreviewtheinformation
from the ATF, he told the
judgethatthematerialre-
leased so far “is just the
tip of the iceberg,” saying
By REBECCA FIEDLER
rebecca.fiedler@theeagle.com
The Texas Department
of Transportation expects
to make a decision about
where exactly an exten-
sion of Texas 249 through
Grimes County will run
within the next several
months.
“The preferred route
crosses F.M. 1774 south
of Plantersville and con-
nects to SH 105, west of
Navasota,” said TxDOT
spokesman Bobby Colwell
in an email to The Eagle.
“TxDOT continues to con-
sider refinements to the
route to reduce any im-
pacts to property owners.”
Colwell said the final
decision of TxDOT will
rely most heavily on input
from stakeholders.
“The alignment will
be finalized in the com-
ing months with a pub-
lic hearing anticipated
in early 2016,” Colwell
said. “Although no spe-
cific start date is set at
this time, construction
could begin as early as
2017 in some parts of the
corridor.”
TxDOT has been plan-
ning this construction for
several years, said Grimes
County judge Ben Leman,
and has been collecting in-
formation and opinions
from landowners and
residents who may lose
land because of TxDOT’s
eminent domain through
the project.
“My message to TxDOT
has been to please mini-
mize the impact on home-
owners and homesteads
as much as possible,” Le-
man said.
Leman said he does
not feel it was his place
to try and advise TxDOT
on where exactly to con-
struct the toll road, but
said earlier this year he
successfully rallied for the
inclusion of access ramps
and frontage roads. Le-
man said he is glad that, so
far, plans from TxDOT do
not include the removal of
actual homes or buildings.
“TxDOT has worked re-
ally hard to minimize this
impact,” Leman said.
TxDOT takes the opin-
ions of locals and local
government very seri-
ously into account, Leman
said, but ultimate author-
ity is outside the reach of
anyone in Grimes County,
as TxDOT has power from
the state to make the final
By AUBREY BLOOM
aubrey.bloom@theeagle.com
S
itting on the side-
walk beside Cowboy
Way a few hours be-
fore kickoff between A&M
and Arkansas, Mike and
Audrey Burton’s Long-
horn- and Aggie-themed
cornhole boards look
more than out of place,
they look anachronistic.
A&M seniors, many
of which got their Ag-
gie Rings on Friday have
only known the Aggies as
part of the Southeastern
Conference. Texas A&M
students like the Burton’s
daughter Brooke, class of
’17, haven’t seen a game
between A&M and Texas.
They have seen games
with Arkansas though,
and while the rivalry with
Texas is collecting dust,
the one with Arkansas is
blossoming.
“The whole Arkansas
and A&M game kind of
replaces the A&M and
UT game for me,” said
Audrey, A&M class of ’86.
“It doesn’t quite have that
same hate feel to it, but I
am married to a t-sip so
we don’t have much hate
anyway.”
The cornhole boards
were a gift from Audrey
to Mike, a Texas graduate,
for their 26th anniversary
and their colors represent
a rivalry that Mike said he
misses.
“It’s very disappoint-
ing,” he said. “Just the ca-
maraderie that you had in
that game was just fantas-
tic. Both schools are great
schools, no question.
When they play, it’s such
a big event and really
brings everyone together.
It’s really disappointing
that it doesn’t happen.”
But the Burtons are
tailgating a rivalry that
also has its roots in the
Southwest Conference.
Saturday’s game was the
72nd meeting between
Arkansas and A&M since
the teams first played in
1906. The two had also
scheduled a long-term
nonconference series be-
fore A&M even joined the
SEC.
Brad Rodgers, an Ar-
kansas graduate who
works in Frisco, said
A&M’s entry into the SEC
only made that rivalry
from the past grow stron-
ger.
“This goes way back,”
said Rodgers. “I grew up
watching Arkansas and
the Aggies play. This goes
back to the Southwest
Conference in the ’70s. We
know plenty of good Ag-
gie jokes and we happen
to live down here now so,
hell yeah, we like coming
here for the game every
year. We love it.”
In fact, when it comes to
Arkansas’ views as their
big rival, Rodgers said
A&M tops the list.
“I think this is right
up at the very top, it’s got
Region A9
Sunday, September 27, 2015
The Eagle
INSIDE
•OpinionsPage:Did
Americansreallylistento
whatthepopehadtosay?
A10
•Obituaries:A11,A12
IN BRIEF
CS man on most
wanted list arrested
A man on the College
Station Police Department’s
most wanted list was ar-
rested Saturday afternoon
on numerous charges.
James Ernest Loftis,
28, of College Station, is
charged with
aggravated
assault with
a deadly
weapon;
four counts
of evading
arrest; pos-
session of
a controlled
substance; possession of
marijuana; failure to pay
child support; failure to ap-
pear in court and two counts
of driving with an invalid
license.
According to College Sta-
tion police, officers received
a call around 3:30 p.m.
Saturday from a passer-by
at Bee Creek park in Col-
lege Station, who recognized
Loftis from a Crime Stop-
pers photo. Police formed
a perimeter around Loftis,
who police say began to run.
Officers were able to catch
him and Loftis was arrested
without incident, officials
said.
Loftis is being held at the
Brazos County Detention
Center on $254,639 bond.
If convicted of all the offens-
es, he faces up to 50 years
in prison and up to $60,000
in fines.
Silk Stocking worker
charged with assault
A man police say was a
bouncer at the Silk Stocking
Lounge faces charges after
he allegedly beat a man and
threatened him at gunpoint.
Andrew Dyonne Lindsey,
25, of the 100 block of
Ridgecrest in College Sta-
tion, is charged with aggra-
vated assault causing bodily
injury and aggravated as-
sault with a deadly weapon.
Lindsey was arrested Friday.
According to College Sta-
tion police,
officers
received a
call from a
man around
2 a.m. July
19 who told
police his
brother-in-law
had been
attacked and beaten in
the parking lot of the club,
where the two were patrons.
Lindsey and three other
bouncers are accused of
beating the man until he
was unconscious after the
man had not paid for a lap
dance, police say. When the
man who made the report
took his injured brother-in-
law to his car, Lindsey al-
legedly pointed a gun in his
direction and threatened to
kill him if he called the po-
lice, officials said.
It is unclear if the other
bouncers have been ar-
rested or charged. The Silk
Stocking Lounge could not
be reached to determine
if Lindsey was still an em-
ployee.
Lindsey was released on
$29,000 bail. If convicted
of either charge, Lindsey
could face up to 40 years in
prison and up to $20,000
in fines.
Fire department to
honor fallen heroes
The College Station Fire
Department is inviting the
public to help them honor
fallen firefighters in Texas
from 2014.
The department will be
hosting a memorial ceremony
at noon Monday at Station
6 at University Drive and Tar-
row Street, where firefighters
and emergency service work-
ers will remember their fallen
brothers and sisters.
The department is host-
ing this event, which is open
to the public, in conjunction
with National Fire Prevention
Week.
— Eagle staff reports
Tracingarivalry’sroots
Competitiveness stems from players and fans alike
Eagle photo by Sam Craft
Texas A&M’s Otaro Alaka stretches his legs during pre-game warmups of the Arkansas vs.Texas A&M Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium in
Arlington on Saturday.The Aggies defeated Arkansas 28-21 in overtime.
Judgerefusesto
delayWestplant
explosiontrial
TxDotnearsdecision
Driedplumskeep
coloncanceraway
Agencytoannounceroadextensionlocation
An estimated 8,000 vol-
unteershaveremovedtrash
from more than 20 Texas
beaches in a cleanup effort
scaledbackduetothealgae
bloom called red tide.
The 29th annual Texas
adopt-a-beach fall cleanup
happened Saturday morn-
ing from Beaumont to Cor-
pus Christi.
TexasGeneralLandOffice
spokeswomanRenneTuggle
says some beaches, south-
ward to the Rio Grande Val-
ley,wereexcludedduetored
tide and safety concerns.
Tuggle says the cleanup
usuallydrawsabout10,000
volunteers,butthenumbers
were lower this year due to
nine fewer sites than usual.
— Wire report
Thousands volunteer
to clean up beaches
AP file photo
A home burnt to the ground as a result of the West fertilizer plant
explosion is shown in a West neighborhood.
See ROAD, Page A12
See A&M, Page A12
sity professor Nancy
Turner ex-
good news
for fans of the
fruit. Turner
was among
researchers
who found
in a recent
changes that occur
inthehumanintes-
tine as colon cancer
develops.”
deringhowlong
prunes have
been called
dried plums, it
has actually been
longer than most
might think.
See PLUMS, Page A12 See TRIAL, Page A12
LOFTIS
LINDSEY

2. By MATT WIXON
The Dallas Morning News
C
orey Dooley smiles
as he talks, revealing
a set of shiny braces
and the personality that
makes him so popular on
the South Grand Prairie
campus.
“I’m a people person,”
Corey told The Dallas
Morning News, and that’s
obvious when you talk
with him.
He’ll tell you how much
football means to him.
He’ll share with you how
he loves to be a leader and
wants to help his com-
munity. And he’ll show
you, without prompting,
where the four bullets tore
through his body two years
ago, leaving him with a 30
percent chance of survival
when he arrived at the
hospital.
Corey says he’ll never
be the fastest guy on the
field. But the 6-2, 165-pound
senior has always had good
hands, and after playing
a backup role last season,
he’s now a starting re-
ceiver for one of the area’s
top teams. He made a criti-
cal catch for South Grand
Prairie last week when he
snagged a third-down pass
on the Warriors’ winning
touchdown drive against
Arlington Martin.
“It all came together on
that play,” Corey told his
coaches.
That seems appropriate,
considering how Corey
pulls people together. He
wants to study political
science in college, hopes to
one day be a politician, and
likes superhero movies —
his favorite series is Iron
Man — because of “the
battle of good vs. evil.”
Anything he can do to
make a positive change, he
says, he’ll do it.
“He’s the guy who
friends go to, or ask to
come over, if they need
comfort or advice,” says
Nicole Rishard, Corey’s
mom.
Corey is a natural leader,
South Grand Prairie coach
Brent Whitson says. Gifted
public speaker, great lis-
tener, friend to everyone.
On the evening of Oct.
16, 2013, Nicole Rishard
pulled into the garage at
her mother’s house in
DeSoto. Corey, then 15, was
in the front passenger’s
seat, and his brother Cody,
then 14, was in the back
seat. Cody had just played a
football game for Truman
Middle School, and they
were talking football as the
closing garage door jerked
to a stop.
The door then reversed
direction. Corey remem-
bers his brother turning
to look behind him and
gasping when he saw his
stepfather.
Richard Richard, who
then went by the name of
Richard Rishard, had been
married to Nicole Rishard
for nearly five years. But
Nicole wanted to end the
marriage and had moved
in with her mother several
months earlier.
“We were aware that
Richard was coming
around, and like stalking
us,” Corey remembers.
“He tried to send stuff
and would try to be in our
lives and show up at our
games.”
Richard pointed a gun
at the car, Corey says, and
began screaming.
“He was swearing and
cussing and said, ‘Get out
of the car! Get out of the
car! I’m not playin’, I’m go-
ing to shoot.’” Corey says.
“Before you know it, he
starts firing.”
Corey was hit twice on
the right side of his back,
and his mom was shot in
the arm. She leaned toward
Corey, trying to cover him,
as Corey leaned toward
his mom, trying to cover
her. Shattered glass fell on
them as the shooter walked
around the car. Corey was
hit two more times, in his
upper left leg and hip, be-
fore his mom could get the
car started and pull out of
the garage.
Rishard couldn’t find her
phone but was able to use
the car’s OnStar service to
call for help as she drove
to a Walgreen’s parking
lot. Richard Richard was
found at the house, police
said, and was on his knees
with his hands in the air.
He is charged with aggra-
vated assault with a deadly
weapon, and his jury trial
is set for November.
Lying in the Walgreen’s
parking lot, bleeding from
four bullet wounds, Corey
wasn’t thinking about
dying. His life didn’t pass
before his eyes, he says. He
looked down at his Nike
jacket, a gift that he had
just received.
“It was just covered in
blood,” he says, “and I was
thinking, ‘I’ll never get to
wear this jacket again.’”
Corey went to the hos-
pital in one ambulance
and his mother in another.
Cody, who was uninjured,
traveled in the ambulance
with his brother, who
slipped in and out of con-
sciousness.
Corey was bleeding from
two major arteries, one
near his heart and one in
his left leg. Doctors later
said that Corey had lost
nearly two-thirds of his
blood. When he arrived at
the hospital, they estimat-
ed his chances of survival
at 30 percent.
Corey remembers lying
in the operating room, feel-
ing like it was a movie, see-
ing the bright white lights
above and the doctors in
scrubs talking and passing
tools around.
He tried to talk, but
couldn’t.
“I could feel myself dy-
ing,” Corey says. “I was
losing my voice. My vision
was getting blurry, and
I was just praying. I felt
myself leaving my body.
It’s an indescribable feel-
ing. It’s like literally losing
yourself.”
The next thing Corey re-
members is waking up four
days later, surrounded by
family and friends. Corey
was on the road to recov-
ery, but doctors warned
that there might be com-
plications. With so much
blood loss, his brain might
have been deprived of
oxygen, and there could be
speech problems or other
cognitive impairments.
Those fears were eased
by a week after the shoot-
ing, when Corey talked
with reporters from his
hospital bed at Methodist
Dallas Medical Center.
Just two weeks after he felt
like he was dying, he was
released from Methodist
Dallas and taken to Baylor
Institute for Rehabilitation
in Dallas, where hospital
personnel were waiting
with a wheelchair.
OBITUARIES
Robert Paul Welch Jr.,
44, of Lyons, Texas was
taken from us September
18, 2015. A celebration of
Paul’s life is being planned
for and will be announced
at a later date.
Paul was born October
18, 1970 in Bryan, Texas,
and graduated from
Somerville High School
class of 1989. Paul was a light of many peoples life
but especially of his mother Veronica. His kindness,
thoughtfulness, wonderful sense of humor and
frequent playing of the jokester were all a part of his
unique charm. Paul was an outdoorsman enjoying
camping, hunting and fishing as well as playing
dominoes with his elderly friends and was known
for his Karaoke skills. He enjoyed food and loved
sharing his barbequing skills with friends. Paul
worked at St. Joseph Regional Hospital in Patient
Registration Services.
Paul was preceded in death by his father, Bobby
Welch; grandparents, Raymond and Frances
Schoppe and, Albert and Lola Welch.
Survivors include his mother, Veronica Fick;
daughter, Madie Welch of College Station; brothers,
Preston Welch, Corey Welch and wife Dana; uncle,
Larry Schoppe of Dayton Ohio; aunts, Mary Helen
Schoppe of Austin, Judi Schoppe-Hargrove and
husband Tony of Seguin, Nelda Keese and husband
Charles of Brenham.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to
the Snook Volunteer Fire Department where he
was a member or to a charity of your choice.
Robert Paul Welch Jr.
October 18, 1970 - September 18, 2015
Gary Edwin Anderson,
74, was called home to be
with the Lord peacefully
on Friday, September 18,
2015, in Austin, Texas.
He was born on April
18, 1941, to Robert Fay
Anderson and Florence
Ismay Robison Anderson
in his grandmother’s house
in South Owego, New York
and raised on his family’s dairy farm. He remained
a farm boy at heart all of his life.
Gary graduated high school at Owego Free
Academy in Owego, New York in 1959. He attended
Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City, New York
1959-1960, and was a licensed X-ray technician
in the state of New York and worked at Wilson
Memorial hospital 1960-1964. He worked part time
for the Johnson City Police Department 1962-1964.
Gary went to work for IBM in Endicott, New York
in 1964, as a machinist and retired at IBM in Austin,
Texas after 30 years where he had worked his way
up in management. After IBM, Gary worked at
Xetel, Xplore and Spec Technologies in Austin. His
forte was engineering management, mentoring and
education skills in the workforce.
He served as a Chaplain in the Civil Air Patrol
and received a PhD from the University of America
and published his dissertation in a book titled
“Shouldn’t You Own Your Future Today?”
In retirement, he became a gentleman rancher,
lovingly tending to cattle and the land in Wellborn,
Texas. He also worked part-time at Lowe’s where
he enjoyed talking about people management with
fellow employees.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents. He will
be sadly missed by his loving wife of 21 years, Anne
Elizabeth Pruitt Anderson; his beloved son, Gary
Edwin Anderson II; first wife, Sharon Elaine Taylor
Anderson, and mother of Gary II; sister Sharrel
McNeill and husband, Mervyn; brothers, Leslie
Anderson and Eric Anderson and wife, Bernice;
numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; Anne’s
son, Christopher Alan Pruitt; grandchildren, Kayla
Pruitt and Coleman Pruitt; brother-in-law, Jay
Pruitt and wife, Leslie; niece, Karyn Pruitt Fairris
and husband, Scott and children, Austin Fairris
and Amanda Fairris; and host of friends.
He was a loving husband, father, grandfather,
brother, uncle, cousin, friend and mentor and will
be missed by many.
There will be A Celebration of Life for Gary held
in October.
The family would like contributions to be made in
Gary’s memory to the American Heart Association,
http://www.heart.org or to a charity of your choice.
Arrangements under the care of Cook-Walden/
Forest Oaks Funeral Home, 6300 W. William
Cannon Dr. Austin, Texas 78749 (512) 892-1172.
Condolences may be made at www.
cookwaldenforestoaks.com.
Gary Edwin Anderson
April 18, 2015 - September 18, 1941
OBITUARIES
Robert Paul Welch Jr.,
44, of Lyons, Texas was
taken from us September
18, 2015. A celebration of
Paul’s life is being planned
for and will be announced
at a later date.
Paul was born October
18, 1970 in Bryan, Texas,
and graduated from
Somerville High School
class of 1989. Paul was a light of many peoples life
but especially of his mother Veronica. His kindness,
thoughtfulness, wonderful sense of humor and
frequent playing of the jokester were all a part of his
unique charm. Paul was an outdoorsman enjoying
camping, hunting and fishing as well as playing
dominoes with his elderly friends and was known
for his Karaoke skills. He enjoyed food and loved
sharing his barbequing skills with friends. Paul
worked at St. Joseph Regional Hospital in Patient
Registration Services.
Paul was preceded in death by his father, Bobby
Welch; grandparents, Raymond and Frances
Schoppe and, Albert and Lola Welch.
Survivors include his mother, Veronica Fick;
daughter, Madie Welch of College Station; brothers,
Preston Welch, Corey Welch and wife Dana; uncle,
Larry Schoppe of Dayton Ohio; aunts, Mary Helen
Schoppe of Austin, Judi Schoppe-Hargrove and
husband Tony of Seguin, Nelda Keese and husband
Charles of Brenham.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to
the Snook Volunteer Fire Department where he
was a member or to a charity of your choice.
Robert Paul Welch Jr.
October 18, 1970 - September 18, 2015
Gary Edwin Anderson,
74, was called home to be
with the Lord peacefully
on Friday, September 18,
2015, in Austin, Texas.
He was born on April
18, 1941, to Robert Fay
Anderson and Florence
Ismay Robison Anderson
in his grandmother’s house
in South Owego, New York
and raised on his family’s dairy farm. He remained
a farm boy at heart all of his life.
Gary graduated high school at Owego Free
Academy in Owego, New York in 1959. He attended
Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City, New York
1959-1960, and was a licensed X-ray technician
in the state of New York and worked at Wilson
Memorial hospital 1960-1964. He worked part time
for the Johnson City Police Department 1962-1964.
Gary went to work for IBM in Endicott, New York
in 1964, as a machinist and retired at IBM in Austin,
Texas after 30 years where he had worked his way
up in management. After IBM, Gary worked at
Xetel, Xplore and Spec Technologies in Austin. His
forte was engineering management, mentoring and
education skills in the workforce.
He served as a Chaplain in the Civil Air Patrol
and received a PhD from the University of America
and published his dissertation in a book titled
“Shouldn’t You Own Your Future Today?”
In retirement, he became a gentleman rancher,
lovingly tending to cattle and the land in Wellborn,
Texas. He also worked part-time at Lowe’s where
he enjoyed talking about people management with
fellow employees.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents. He will
be sadly missed by his loving wife of 21 years, Anne
Elizabeth Pruitt Anderson; his beloved son, Gary
Edwin Anderson II; first wife, Sharon Elaine Taylor
Anderson, and mother of Gary II; sister Sharrel
McNeill and husband, Mervyn; brothers, Leslie
Anderson and Eric Anderson and wife, Bernice;
numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins; Anne’s
son, Christopher Alan Pruitt; grandchildren, Kayla
Pruitt and Coleman Pruitt; brother-in-law, Jay
Pruitt and wife, Leslie; niece, Karyn Pruitt Fairris
and husband, Scott and children, Austin Fairris
and Amanda Fairris; and host of friends.
He was a loving husband, father, grandfather,
brother, uncle, cousin, friend and mentor and will
be missed by many.
There will be A Celebration of Life for Gary held
in October.
The family would like contributions to be made in
Gary’s memory to the American Heart Association,
http://www.heart.org or to a charity of your choice.
Arrangements under the care of Cook-Walden/
Forest Oaks Funeral Home, 6300 W. William
Cannon Dr. Austin, Texas 78749 (512) 892-1172.
Condolences may be made at www.
cookwaldenforestoaks.com.
Gary Edwin Anderson
April 18, 2015 - September 18, 1941
Highschoolplayergoesondespiteneardeath
South Grand
Prairie wide
receiver Corey
Dooley, 17,
holds a football
signed by his
teammates and
coaches in his
Texas home.
AP photo
theyexpectmuchmoretocomelater.
WacoattorneySteveHarrison,who
represents a number of plaintiffs in
thelawsuits,arguedagainstthedelay
on behalf of the plaintiffs. He said if
the ATF is conducting an ongoing in-
vestigation,thereleaseof moreinfor-
mation will come in trickles, if at all.
“Mr. Balido says he can’t tell the
court if there is anything in the ATF
evidencethatwillmakeadifference,”
Harrison said. “That is the key.”
Dallas attorney Sandy McCorquo-
dale,whoseclientsarenotamongthe
first trial group, argued that two of
his clients, Elenora Muehlstein, 96,
and Freddie Gerik, 53, died in August
and that he has other elderly clients
who might not live to see their day
in court if the first trial is delayed
indefinitely.
Thejudgehasdividedtheplaintiffs
into three trial groups. Plaintiffs in
thefirsttrialarethefamiliesof Kevin
Sanders, 33; William “Buck” Uptmor
Jr., 45; and Kenneth Luckey Harris
Jr., 52. The three were killed in the
blast.
More than 200 plaintiffs, includ-
ing the city of West, West Rest Ha-
ven nursing home and West Terrace
Apartments,havefiledlawsuitsinthe
wake of the April 17, 2013, explosion
that killed 15 — mostly first respond-
ers — injured scores of others and
destroyed a large section of town.
Defendants in the lawsuits include
Adair Grain Co., the local owners of
the plant that exploded; El Dorado
Chemical Co.; CF Industries; Ther-
maclime Inc.; and International
Chemical Co. The defendants either
manufactured or sold fertilizer to
West Fertilizer Co.
Adair Grain has filed a counter-
claim against the four fertilizer pro-
ducers and sellers.
Meyer has summoned 400 prospec-
tive jurors to come to court Oct. 9 to
fill out questionnaires, which will as-
sist attorneys during jury selection,
which begins Oct. 12.
TRIAL:JuryselectiontobeginonOctober12
Continued from A9
decision.
Leman said he sees
the construction of the
toll road through Grimes
County as a positive
change in the area.
“This road will change
the face of economic op-
portunity for Grimes
County forever, for the
better,” he said.
Leman said commutes
from smaller towns in the
county to larger cities,
including Houston, often
take longer than they need
to because of no major
highway.
“We don’t have a lot of
access to industry or bet-
ter-paying jobs,” he said.
Now that the toll road
will also include access
roads, more businesses
can be constructed along
this new road, and cities
and towns in the region
can compete economi-
cally with other counties,
Leman said.
Not everyone is excited
about the new toll road.
As construction plans
have progressed, The
Eagle has reported on the
grievances of locals. Some
in Grimes County say they
wished the road would not
be built at all, according
to an Eagle article from
April, while Leman said
disagreements from resi-
dents as to which pieces
of land in the county the
road will run through have
arisen.
TxDOT states on its web-
site that multiple alterna-
tives had been presented
to the construction of the
road in 2014, and so far Tx-
DOT has acted with con-
sideration to public input
on these options.
Some members of the
community were dis-
pleased enough that a
Facebook page titled “Stop
Grimes 249” was created,
currently boasting 306
“likes.”
“The position of the Stop
Grimes 249 committee is:
Choose the ‘No Build’ op-
tion,” states the page’s de-
scription. “TxDOT needs
to utilize surplus Texas
funds to improve SH105
and SH1774. Grimes Coun-
ty Commissioners need
to rescind their support
of the resolution that en-
dorses this project.”
Dried Plum Board said in
2001 prunes were officially
renamed dried plums with
theU.S.Departmentof Agri-
cultureasanattempttogive
the fruit a broader appeal to
consumers. Zea said prunes
had become so connected
with digestive health, it was
“too successful.”
“Ithinkallof ushavethat
image from when we were a
kid, we were usually given
either the prune juice or the
dried prunes because we
weren’t feeling well,” Turn-
er said. “It was almost like a
punishment.”
While she acknowledged
that many have a negative
perceptionof thedriedfruit’s
taste,Turnersaidthat,inher
experience,adultsandolder
children who give them an-
other chance generally end
up surprised at “how good
they actually are.”
“It’s just a dried fruit, just
like a dried apricot or ba-
nana,” Turner said. “If you
thinkof itfromthatperspec-
tiveandjustgiveitachance,
thereisprobablyagoodlike-
lihood that you would find
that you actually enjoy the
flavor of the dried plums.”
The name change, Zea
added, also had the added
benefitthatdriedplums“de-
scribe more literally what it
actually is” than the name
prunes.
The actual benefits deliv-
ered by the dried fruit are a
combination of few factors,
Turner said. She explained
that while the dietary fiber
of the plums is a vital factor
in maintaining good diges-
tive health, it is a combina-
tion of the fiber and other
compounds inherent in the
fruit that work in tandem to
provide the benefits.
“Weconstantlytellpeople
that they need to eat more
dietary fiber, but it isn’t just
themathof dietaryfiberthat
you’regetting,”Turnersaid.
“It’s about the things that
come along with the dietary
fiber in the food that you’re
eating.”
Turnersaidthatitisthese
additional compounds and
dietary fibers — found in
many fruits, vegetables and
whole grains — that “seem
to be better at providing a
beneficialmicrobialpopula-
tion and ability to suppress
the disease.”
Theresearchwasconduct-
ed in partnership between
Texas A&M and the Univer-
sity of North Carolina, with
funding from the California
Dried Plum Board.
PLUMS:Provideagoodsourceofdietaryfiber
Continued from A9
ROAD:Criticizedbysomelocals
Continued from A9
old-school roots. It’s great
that we started doing this
before they came in the
SEC, and it’s great now
that they’re in the SEC. ”
said Burton.
He paused for a second
and then added, “That and
the fact that they kicked
our butt last year at the
last minute.”
A&M and Arkansas fans
can at least battle for brag-
ging rights on the field.
For now, the Burtons
will have to settle for corn-
hole.
A&M:Will
continue
newrivalry
Continued from A9
The Eagle • theeagle.com
Region/ObituariesA12 Sunday, September 27, 2015