Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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EtCetera Hispanic characters give cartoon new perspective by Susan Parrott The Associated Press 1 Dallas - Baldo, the subject of a new na tionally syndicated comic strip that debuts Monday, is like a lot of teen-agers: He longs to be noticed by the prettiest girl in school. He enjoys a good game of soc cer. And he’s building his very own car. He’s also Latino. And the car he’s piec ing together is a low-rider. Cartoons de picting mostly Hispanic characters are rare. “There certainly has been a dearth of strips in that area. It is something we have been looking for, and when we saw Bal do, we knew it was the one,” said Lee Salem, vice president and editor of Uni versal Press Syndicate, which is launch ing the strip in English and Spanish ver sions in nearly 100 newspapers. Only three other Universal Press Syn dicate comics have started out with higher numbers, Salem said: “For Better or For Worse,” “Calvin & Hobbes” and “The Boondocks.” The daily cartoon is written by Hec tor Cantu, an assistant features editor at The DaHas Morning News, and drawn by Carlos Castellanos, a free-lance artist from West Palm Beach, Fla. Cantu said he had wanted to create a cartoon since he began reading Mad mag azine as a child. He said he found little that resembled his own Mexican-American heritage in the cartoon books and comic pages. Cantu knew Castellanos from his con tributions to Hispanic Business maga zine in Santa Barbara, Calif., where Can tu once worked. They have never met, but communicate by e-mail and telephone. Baldo is about 14 and lives between the sometimes-conflieting influences of his U.S. home and Latin American her itage. The strip has a strong father figure, but no mother. “Having just one parent will help us focus on the relationship be tween father and son,” Cantu said. The female influence on Baldo comes from little sister Grade, a strong-willed rebel who campaigns to save the Earth, and great aunt Tia Carmen, who forces Old Wbrld ways and magical remedies on the family. Baldo’s father is just called Dad. While the creators drew on some of their own life experiences to create the strip - Baldo’s physical features were mod eled after Castellanos’ half brother- they say the strip’s story lines about teen-age dilemmas and family interaction appeal to readers of all ethnicities. Florida commissioners set regulations on size, location of student housing \ by Scott Maxwell College Press Exchange Orlando, Fla. - Residents who dread the sounds of late-night college parties - and the early-morning aftermath - might be in for some relief. Orange County commissioners clamped down Tuesday on the burgeon ing student housing surrounding the Uni versity of Central Florida, just hours af ter UCF officials celebrated the groundbreaking of a new on-campus dor mitory. The new law will require future stu dent apartments to be more than a foot ball-field’s length from any residential property. And they will cap the num ber of units in any complex at 750. If such a law had been in place a few years ago, the massive Knights Krossing complex in eastern Orange County that has stirred up so much conflict would not exist. That complex has more than 2,500 students and abuts nearby homes in Or ange and Seminole counties. The commission’s ruling was designed to give some solace to residents such as Jeriy Stewart, who told the board that he was stirred out of bed Tuesday morn ing. “This morning at 3 am. I could hear some girl screaming her lungs out,” Stew art said. Commissioners were sympathetic, which is why they agreed to the 400-foot buffer between future complexes and homes. Developers, brokers and landowneis fought the proposal every step of the way. Many argued that the extra buffers will essentially prohibit building more of the needed off-campus housing. One development attorney also con tended that the county’s new law could violate the nation’s Fair Housing Act be cause it discriminates against students. County officials, however, said that was n’t true because students aren’t protect ed under that law. The 400-feet buffer was something of a compromise. Developers had argued against anything more than 250 feet, wliile residents lobbied for 1,000 feet. “We have a problem here that has no perfect solution,” said County Chairman Mel Martinez. One solution that all of the com missioners agreed upon, however, was that UCF should build more student hous ing on its sprawling 1,400-acre campus. Less than 7 percent of the school’s 32,000 students live on campus. And even though the school has plans to increase that to 15 percent by 2002, commis sioners and residents want more. Tire na tional average of students living on cam pus is about 25 percent. UCF officials have reminded angry neighbors and county leaders that the uni versity generates thousands of jobs and tens of millions of dollars for the local economy. The debate over UCF’s role in pro viding housing is not over yet. A housing task force comprised of school officials, residents and developers is set to offer suggested changes to the new law this fall. Commissioner Ted Edwards, whose district encompasses UCF, said he hopes the task force will find solutions, as op posed to the county’s new law, which of fers only restrictions. The Institute for Familes in Society, The Sisters of Charity Foundation, The Duke Endowment, and the SC Department of Social Services invite you to a presentation from their series on "The Root Causes of Poverty" featuring Lina Frescas Dobbs Executive Director of WOW (Wider Opportunities for Women) Based in Washington, DC, WOW is a nonprofit organization devoted to improving economic and educational opportunities for low-income women nationwide. on "Women Building Paths Out of Poverty" Tuesday, April 18,2000 ♦ 3:00pm ♦ Russell House, Room 203 NO CHARGE TREK * SPECIALIZED * KONA * JAMIS * LEMOND 10% off regular priced accessories 2*54-9797 1001 Harden St. (next to Food Lion) PROFESSIONAL SALES AND SERVICE d Featuring: • Fully furnished • Internet capability in bedrooms • Computer lab with internet • Recreation room & fitness center • Indiviual leases/ private bedrooms • Full size washer & dryer • Swimming pool & hot tub • Emergency alarm systems • Free parking UNIVERSITY 800 Alexander Road s Cayce, SC 29033 (adjacent to Parkland Plaza) Hours: Mon-Fri 9-6; Sat 10-4 www.capstonefdev.com