The Zapata Times 11/8/2017

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ZAPATA, TEXAS

TEXAS IMMIGRATION

Mexican nationals busted

by BP

Lawyers argue against sanctuary cities law

Six immigrants had prior arrests Special to the Times Border Patrol agents recently initiated priority enforcement operations against identified criminal undocumented immigrants in the Zapata County.

The week-long operation resulted in the arrest of six

Police can inquire about people’s immigration status

By Kevin Mcgill ASSOCIATED PRE SS

NEW ORLEANS — Attorneys for numerous Texas local governments and immigrant advocates told a federal appeals court Tuesday that a

Texas law aimed at cracking down on so-called sanctuary cities puts illegal and unconstitutional burdens on local authorities.

The Texas Legislature approved the law in the spring. It requires local law enforcement

agencies to honor federal immigration requests to detain people in local jails for possible deportation. The law also allows police to inquire about people’s immigration status during routine interactions such as traffic stops. It subjects

some law enforcement officials with removal from office and criminal charges if they don’t comply with the law.

Opponents argue, among other things, that the law illegally puts local law enforceLaw continues on A11

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, TEXAS

Busted continues on A11

GUNMAN KILLS 26 IN CHURCH SHOOTING

HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS

Mexican citizen’s execution Wednesday Ramirez Cardenas convicted of killing 16-year-old cousin

By Michael Graczyk A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — Police who stopped at a convenience store 20 years ago in South Texas decided two men at the business were drunk and told them to find a friend to drive them home.

Ruben Ramirez Cardenas and buddy Jose AntoCardenas nio Lopez Castillo instead dropped off their designated driver after a short distance and Cardenas drove the rest of the way to his home in Edinburg — to get a bottle of brandy. Then they hit the road again and headed to an apartment where Cardenas’ 16-year-old cousin, Mayra Laguna, lived about 10 miles (16 kilometers) away in McAllen.

Laguna was later found fatally beaten, her body rolled down a bank and into a canal near a lake in the Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Cardenas, 47, a Mexican citizen who grew up in the Texas Rio Grande Valley, is set Execution continues on A11

Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News

Lupita Alcoces, 48, right, hugs her mother, Maria Durand, 78, at a memorial for the First Baptist Church shooting victims in Sutherland Springs, Texas on Tuesday. On Sunday, Devin Patrick Kelley killed 26 women, men and children and injured dozens in the church shooting. Durand was a bible study teacher aide at the church and knew several of the victims.

26 year old once escaped from mental health center

By Jim Vertuno, Will Weissert and Paul J. Weber ASSOCIATED PRE SS

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS, Texas — The gunman who killed 26 people at a smalltown Texas church was treated at a mental health center in New Mexico and briefly escaped in 2012, according to a

police report.

Devin Patrick Kelley was also caught trying to bring guns onto Holloman Air Force Base in Kelley New Mexico when he was stationed there, according to an El Paso police

report obtained by several media outlets.

Kelley, who was 21 at the time, had made death threats against superior officers, the report said.

He was committed to a mental health facility in Santa Teresa, New Mexico, but at some point escaped and was later found by police at a bus station

in downtown El Paso in June 2012.

Meanwhile at the First Baptist Church in tiny Sutherland Springs, investigators continued analyzing a gruesome crime scene and tried to gain access to the shooter’s cellphone, a longstanding challenge for the FBI in thousands Shooting continues on A11

TEXAS BORDER COALITION

Mayor Saenz elected to lead organization S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S

The Texas Border Coalition announced Monday that Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz has been elected to lead the organization in its mission to help border communities grow and prosper.

Saenz was elected to serve a two-year term during the coalition’s annual meeting Nov. 2 in Laredo. He replaces outgoing chairman, former Hidalgo County Judge J.D. Salinas III.

“I’m grateful for this opportunity to serve as TBC chairman, and will do everything in my power to help Saenz guide the organization during a time when border communities face myriad challenges,” Saenz said. “My sincere thanks to outgoing chairman J.D. Salinas III, for his outstanding service

and leadership. It will be privilege to continue working with J.D., TBC’s executive committee and our committee chairpersons as we carry on the organization’s vital work in Austin and Washington, D.C.” Since 1998, TBC has been the collective voice of border communities on issues affecting Texas-Mexico border region.

TBC members are committed to working to develop innovative policies and legislation at the

national, state, and local levels.

TBC’s executive committee is comprised of Del Rio Mayor Robert Garza; Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey Cantu; La Joya Mayor Jose A. "Fito" Salinas; McAllen Mayor Jim Darling; Pharr Mayor Ambrosio “Amos” Hernandez; Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge Director of Operations Fred Brouwen; Port Isabel Mayor J.J. Zamora; Roma Mayor Roberto Salinas; Willacy County Aurelio “Keter” Guerra; Zapata

County Judge Joe Rathmell; and Ben Petty, Sr., TaxFree Shopping, Ltd. The Texas Border Coalition is a collective voice of border mayors, county judges, economic development commissions focused on issues that affect 2.5 million people along the TexasMexico border region and economically disadvantaged counties from El Paso to Brownsville. TBC is working closely Mayor continues on A11

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 8

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited.

Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

The Nature Talk on "Introduction to Beekeeping." 6:30 p.m. Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center at Laredo Community College.

Nature Talks are sponsored by the Brush Country Chapter of Texas Master Naturalists. The presenter will be Jesus Jimenez. All Nature Talks are free and open to the public.

Teen Volunteers Weekly Meeting.

6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Middle school and high school students can earn community hours.

THURSDAY, NOV. 9 First United Methodist Church Annual Rummage Sale. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 1220 McClelland Church’s Fellowship Hall.

The Laredo Area Retired School Employees Association monthly meeting. 11 a.m. Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall. The theme is patriotic.

Members and guests are invited to wear red, white, and blue attire. Members are reminded to bring a children's book, an unwrapped toy, and a bingo prize for December's bingo. Lunch will be provided. For more information, call 956-286-6955.

6th Annual Hiring Red, White & You! Job Fair. 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. Laredo Community College – De La Garza Building, West End Washington St. Open to veterans, their spouses, and the public in general. More information: 956-794-6500.

LULAC Council No. 12’s Tejano Achiever Awards Banquet. 6:30 p.m. Monte Carlo Reception Hall, 6415 McPherson Road. This banquet is a fundraising event for LULAC’s scholarship fund. Tables of eight are available for $400 and single admission tickets are $65 per person. To purchase a table at the event, contact the Law Office of Jose Salvador Tellez at 956-722-0008 or 956-319-5881 and ask for Anagaby. Checks must be made payable to: L.U.L.A.C. #12 and mailed c/o Jose Salvador Tellez, P.O. Box 6658, Laredo, Texas 78042 or delivered to 1102 Scott St., Laredo, Texas 78040.

Preschool Books & Boogie: Songs and crafts for toddlers. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Free event.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2017 First United Methodist Church Annual Rummage Sale. 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. 1220 McClelland Church’s Fellowship Hall

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 11, 2017 First United Methodist Church Annual Rummage Sale. 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., 1220 McClelland Church’s Fellowship Hall.

FamilySearch.org Workshop (Genealogy): Research your family history. 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. All ages. Free event.

TUESDAY, NOV. 14 Knit with Us: Learn to Knit. For adults. Free and open to the public. 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. For more information, call 956-795-2400, ext. 2403.

National Apprenticeship Week Kick-Off event. 10 a.m. Transcontinental Distribution Services Inc., 14213 Transportation Ave. More Information: 956-794-6500 LEGO Night. 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Play with LEGOs and LEGO robotics. All ages. Free and open to the public.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 15 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited.

Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

Teen Volunteers Weekly Meeting.

6:15 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Middle school and high school students can earn community hours.

THURSDAY, NOV. 16 Preschool Books & Boogie: Songs and crafts for toddlers. 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco.

FRIDAY, NOV. 17 12th Annual Radiothon. Hosted by Make A Wish Foundation and Big Buck Country 98.1. 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. at Mall del Norte, Centre Court. Call 712-9474 to pledge or renew support. For more information, call 235-0673.

SATURDAY, NOV. 18 FamilySearch.org Workshop (Genealogy): Research your family history. 2 p.m. - 3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco.

Percy Jackson Book Club. To Discuss Sea of Monsters. 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco.

Ted Rozumalski / Houston Chronicle

In this 1963 photo, first lady Jackie Kennedy, President John F. Kennedy, Lady Bird and Vice President Lyndon Johnson attend a LULAC dinner in Houston.

LATINO POLITICAL POWER EYED BY FBI ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A memo included in recently released John F. Kennedy documents shows that the FBI was concerned about the growing political power of Latinos, historians say.

Among the thousands of documents released last week was a memo from an FBI informant who kept watch on a Dallas chapter of the G.I. Forum — a moderate group of Mexican American veterans who spoke out against discrimination.

According to the 1963 document, the informant closely followed a chapter meeting where members expressed con-

Why smartphones are giving police fits BOSTON — The phone used by the gunman who fatally shot 26 people inside a small Texas church has become the latest flashpoint in the privacy wars.

Federal investigators complain that they can’t get into Devin Patrick Kelley’s phone thanks to security features that shield messages, photos and other stored data from prying eyes. Such measures present a growing frustration for the

cerned about the revival of a similar organization, the League of United Latin American Citizens. The G.I. Forum feared a public fight with LULAC over membership might make both groups “powerless,” and members discussed ways to keep tabs on LULAC leadership. Historians say the memo gave a glimpse into the FBI’s concern about the growing political power of Latinos in Texas, New Mexico, California and Illinois and may also show the FBI was working to create tensions among the Latino civil rights groups. — Compiled from AP reports

FBI, which says it’s been unable to retrieve data from roughly half the mobile devices it’s recently tried to access.

Technology companies insist that strong security based on data-scrambling encryption is essential to protecting digital privacy. Law enforcement officials grumble that warrants should allow them to sidestep such measures; the companies say they often can’t unlock such phones even if ordered to.

The gunman’s phone was flown to an FBI computer investigation lab in Quantico,

Virginia, in an effort to gain access to it, said Christopher Combs, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s San Antonio division. Combs declined to release the make or model of the phone.

Apple and other tech companies have been steadily increasing their use of encryption and other safeguards, following recent hacking attacks and earlier government-surveillance revelations from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND TEXAS Gunman checked each church aisle and shot babies at point-blank range SUTHERLAND SPRINGS — The Texas church gunman went aisle by aisle through the First Baptist pews looking for victims and shot crying babies at point-blank range, a couple who survived the attack said.

Rosanne Solis and Joaquin Ramirez were sitting near the church entrance Sunday when they heard what sounded like firecrackers and realized someone was shooting at the tiny wood-frame building in the small town of Sutherland Springs. In an interview with San Antonio television station KSAT , Solis said congregants began screaming and dropped to the floor. She could see bullets flying into the carpet and fellow worshippers falling down, bloodied, after getting hit.

Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman / AP

Joaquin Ramirez checks on the gunshot wound on Rosanne Solis' left arm at their home in Sutherland Springs on Tuesday.

For a moment, the attack seemed to stop, and worshippers thought that police had arrived to confront the gunman, later identified as Devin Patrick Kelley. But then he entered the church and resumed “shooting hard” at helpless families, Solis said.

The gunman checked each aisle for more victims, includ-

ing babies who cried out amid the noise and smoke, Ramirez said. The couple survived by huddling close to the ground and playing dead. Solis was shot in the arm. Ramirez was hit by shrapnel.

“The lord saved me because I know it was my last day,” Solis told the station. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE WORLD Mexico arrests 2 police in killing of US citizen, resident MEXICO CITY — Two police officers have been charged with fatally shooting a U.S. citizen and a U.S. legal resident at a highway checkpoint near Saltillo in the northern border state of Coahuila, prosecutors said Monday.

Police apparently tried to cover up the killings with a now-discredited story that the

Americans fired at officers first.

The two officers of the elite, SWAT-style GROM police squad were manning a highway checkpoint near Saltillo on Oct. 28, when the two men later identified as the Americans allegedly failed to stop at the checkpoint.

A statement issued by police later that day claimed the officers “gunned down two armed civilians after they (officers) responded to an armed attack.”

The police account said the

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 8, the 312th day of 2017. There are 53 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On Nov. 8, 2016, Republican Donald Trump was elected America's 45th president, defeating Democrat Hillary Clinton in an astonishing victory for a celebrity businessman and political novice. Republicans kept their majorities in the Senate and House.

On this date: In 1793, the Louvre began admitting the public, even though the French museum had been officially open since August.

In 1889, Montana became the 41st state.

In 1892, former President Cleveland defeated incumbent Benjamin Harrison, becoming the first (and, to date, only) chief executive to win nonconsecutive terms to the White House.

In 1923, Adolf Hitler launched his first attempt at seizing power in Germany with a failed coup in Munich that came to be known as the "BeerHall Putsch."

In 1932, New York Democratic Gov. Franklin D. Roosevelt defeated incumbent Republican Herbert Hoover for the presidency.

In 1942, Operation Torch, resulting in an Allied victory, began during World War II as U.S. and British forces landed in French North Africa.

In 1950, during the Korean War, the first jet-plane battle took place as U.S. Air Force Lt. Russell J. Brown shot down a North Korean MiG-15.

In 1960, Massachusetts Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard M. Nixon for the presidency.

In 1974, a federal judge in Cleveland dismissed charges against eight Ohio National Guardsmen accused of violating the civil rights of students who were killed or wounded in the 1970 Kent State shootings.

In 1987, 11 people were killed when an Irish Republican Army bomb exploded as crowds gathered in Enniskillen, Northern Ireland, for a ceremony honoring Britain's war dead.

In 1988, Vice President George H.W. Bush won the presidential election, defeating the Democratic nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

In 1994, midterm elections resulted in Republicans winning a majority in the Senate while at the same time gaining control of the House for the first time in 40 years.

Ten years ago: The Senate confirmed President George W. Bush's nomination of Michael Mukasey to be attorney general, 53-40. President Bush suffered the first veto override of his seven-year-old presidency as the Senate enacted, 79-14, a $23 billion water resources bill despite his protest that it was filled with unnecessary projects. Dominican singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra swept the Latin Grammy Awards, taking home five musical honors including album of the year, record of the year and song of the year.

Five years ago: Jared Lee Loughner was sentenced to life in prison without parole for the January 2011 shootings in Tucson, Arizona, that killed six people and wounded 13 others, including Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. Longtime baseball executive and Hall of Famer Lee MacPhail, 95, died in Delray Beach, Florida.

One year ago: Democrat Zena Stephens of Jefferson County made history upon her election as the first black woman sheriff in Texas.

Today's Birthdays: Actor Norman Lloyd is 103. Actress Stephane Audran is 85. Actor Alain Delon is 82. Singeractress Bonnie Bramlett is 73. Singer Bonnie Raitt is 68. TV personality Mary Hart is 67. Former Playboy Enterprises chairman and chief executive Christie Hefner is 65. Actress Alfre Woodard is 65. Singer-songwriter Rickie Lee Jones is 63. Nobel Prizewinning author Kazuo Ishiguro is 63.

Rock musician Porl Thompson (The Cure) is 60. Singer-actor Leif Garrett is 56. Chef and TV personality Gordon Ramsay is 51. Actress Courtney Thorne-Smith is 50. Actress Parker Posey is 49. Rock musician Jimmy Chaney is 48. Actress Roxana Zal is 48. Singer Diana King is 47. Actor Gonzalo Menendez is 46. Rock musician Scott Devendorf (The National) is 45. Actress Gretchen Mol is 44. ABC News anchor David Muir is 44. Actor Matthew Rhys is 43. Actress Tara Reid is 42. Country singer Bucky Covington is 40. Actress Dania Ramirez is 38.

Actress Azura Skye is 36. Actor Chris Rankin is 34. TV personality Jack Osbourne is 32. Actress Jessica Lowndes is 29. Singer-actor Riker Lynch is 26. Country singer Lauren Alaina is 23.

Actor Van Crosby (TV: "Splitting Up Together") is 15.

Thought for Today: "One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done." — Marie Curie (1867-1934).

CONTACT US two men were speeding and tried to avoid the checkpoint.

“Several yards down the road they fired their weapons several times at the GROM officers, who chased them,” the statement said. It said that “the officers returned fire, killing the two suspects.”

An official in the state prosecutors’ office said contradictions in that version led investigators to test the Americans’ hands for gunpowder residue and none was found. — Compiled from AP reports

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 |

A3

STATE

Investigators believe slain mom, toddler were targeted A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HALLSBURG, Texas — Investigators say a toddler in a car seat and her mother have been found shot to death near a Central Texas reservoir and both apparently were targeted.

McLennan County Sheriff Parnell McNamara says the deaths of 24year-old Valarie Martinez and her 1-year-old daughter, Azariah, don’t appear to be random. McNamara said Tuesday that no one

has been arrested.

The sheriff says the bodies were discovered Sunday afternoon near Tradinghouse Creek Reservoir at Hallsburg, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of Waco. Some people who came upon the victims called 911.

Authorities say the mother’s body was found about 20 feet from a car.

McNamara says the child was in the vehicle and still buckled into her car seat.

Courtesy / AP

Three of Crystal Holcombe's five children were killed in the attack including (from left to right) Megan, Emily and Greg Hill.

Couples, families among the dead in church shooting

By Juan A. Lozano and Will Weissert ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Man’s charge in pregnant woman’s slaying dropped A S S OCI AT E D PRE SS

BEAUMONT, Texas — Investigators say they’ve dropped a capital murder charge against a Southeast Texas man that had accused him of killing a pregnant woman whose unborn daughter also died.

A Beaumont police statement says the charge against 22-year-old Jared Javon Bias of Beaumont was dropped after further investigation revealed that several juveniles were responsible for the deaths of 19-year-

old Kera Teel and her unborn daughter. Police Officer Haley Morrow says the suspects have been identified and are in custody on other charges.

However, Bias remains in custody charged in unrelated criminal cases.

Police have said they believe 19-year-old Kera Teel was shot during a string of attempted robberies. Teel, who was seven months pregnant, was found in her car in a parking lot. She and her unborn child died at a hospital.

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS — Robert and Shani Corrigan moved around during his three decades in the Air Force.

Married the summer after graduating from high school in Michigan, the couple first learned about the tiny town of Sutherland Springs, Texas, when he was stationed in San Antonio.

The couple bought a home in nearby Floresville and didn’t sell it when Robert Corrigan was stationed at Air Force bases outside the state. When he retired about two years ago, the couple was able to put down roots, and a big part of their lives was First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs.

“They kept that home and already had bonded with that community and knew that they were going to make that their home for the rest of their lives,” his sister, Sharon Corrigan, told The Asso-

ciated Press on Tuesday.

“They raised chickens there. They had fallen into their happy life.”

The Corrigans were among the more than two dozen people killed Sunday when a gunman opened fire inside the small church.

The rampage killed several other longtime married couples and members of their extended families, many of them children. About 20 other church goers were wounded in the attack, which was the worst mass shooting in Texas history.

“Losing him and her is just so tragic,” Sharon Corrigan said, noting two of the couple’s adult sons also are in the Air Force.

“We are so proud of them and love them so much.”

Another family bears the unspeakable burden of nearly a third of the fatalities.

Visiting pastor Brian Holcombe and his wife, Karla, were at the church with nearly a dozen family members, including several of their grand-

children. The Holcombes’ daughter-in-law, Crystal, was eight months pregnant. A widow and already a mother of five, Crystal had recently married one of the Holcombe’s sons, John.

John Holcombe survived, but those killed included his wife, three of her children, his parents, a brother and a toddler niece. Other victims included several members of at least one other extended family, a couple visiting for the church for first time and the 14-year-old daughter of the church’s usual pastor.

Investigators said the victims ranged in age from 18 months old to 77 years old.

Investigators said the gunman, Devin Patrick Kelley, had recently sent threatening texts to his mother-in-law, a member of the church who wasn’t there Sunday. Police said the shooting appears to have been driven by domestic tensions. Kelley, who was ousted from the

Air Force for a 2012 assault on his ex-wife, was found dead with a selfinflicted gunshot wound later Sunday.

Also killed were 66year-old Theresa Rodriguez and 64-year-old Richard Rodriguez, a recently retired couple who enjoyed gardening and working on their house in nearby La Vernia.

His sister, Evangelina Santos, said the couple married about a decade ago. He had an adult daughter, while Theresa Rodriguez had two adult sons.

“They were really giving,” Santos said. “If somebody had a problem, they were there.”

Santos said her brother would come to her house in San Antonio once a week to visit their parents, who live with her.

“He would bring us food, drinks. That was once a week, he would be here all day with us. So we’re going to miss that,” she said. “My parents are really taking it hard.”

Zopinion

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A4 | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Concealed carry is useless against church shootings

By Dahleen Glanton CH ICAGO T RIBUNE

After the ghastly church shooting in Texas, I am reminded of Mary Shepard.

Shepard was the lead plaintiff in the National Rifle Association’s lawsuit that forced the Illinois General Assembly to pass a law four years ago allowing residents to carry concealed firearms in the state.

She is a fighter and a fierce supporter of Second Amendment rights. And though we disagree on many aspects of what that should entail, she is a woman for whom I have a great deal of respect.

A few years ago, the then-74-year-old grandmother invited me to her home in rural southern Illinois to talk about the gruesome 2009 attack she suffered in the basement of the Anna First Baptist Church, where she worked as the treasurer.

The assailant, who entered through an unlocked door, beat Shepard and another woman, 76-year-old church custodian Leona Mount, mercilessly. Shepard’s skull was fractured in four places. Her nose and both cheekbones also were broken.

After robbing the church of $300, the man fled, leaving the two elderly women on the floor unconscious and near death.

Shepard was welltrained in the use of firearms. Had she been allowed to carry a handgun with her to church, she told me, she could have at least had a chance to defend herself.

Her case - Mary E. Shepard and the Illinois State Rifle Association v.

Lisa M. Madigan - convinced a federal appeals court to strike down the last state statute in the country that kept lawabiding citizens from carrying handguns in public.

Perhaps a handgun would have given the 5-foot-2-inch Shepard an edge over her 6-foot-3, 245-pound attacker. No one can know for sure.

But Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton thinks more gun-toting congregants could put an end to mass shootings like the one that occurred Sunday at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas.

"We’ve had shootings at churches for forever," Paxton said on "Fox News Sunday." "This is going to happen again. And so . we need people in terms of professional security or in terms of arming the parishioners or the congregation so that they can respond when something like this happens again."

Everyone knows that the issue of firearms is both complex and contentious. There is no "onesize-fits-all" answer to how to stop mass shootings from occurring in churches or anywhere else.

But it is unlikely a parishioner armed with a handgun would have been able to subdue a determined killer like Devin Kelley.

Dressed in all black, wearing bulletproof tactical gear, carrying a military-style rifle and equipped with dozens of rounds of ammunition, Kelley entered the Texas church prepared for a massacre.

When he was done, 26 people, about half of them children, were dead.

This is how the Texas attorney general responded: "All I can say is in Texas at least we have the opportunity to have conceal carry," he said. "And so . there’s always the opportunity that gunman will be taken out before he has the opportunity to kill very many people."

The attorney general is delusional if he thinks an armed church member or even a security guard could have frightened Kelley into submission.

A handgun would have been as powerless in Sutherland Springs as it would have been against Dylann Roof’s .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol and the arsenal of magazines and hollow-point bullets he used to kill nine people during Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C., two years ago.

It was easy for gun lovers to write off Roof’s racially motivated attack as the act of a mentally deranged 21-year-old. Still, lawmakers never did anything to keep people like Roof from having access to firearms. In fact, in February, President Donald Trump made it easier for some 75,000 mentally ill people to get guns. He rescinded a rule put in place under President Barack Obama requiring the Social Security Administration to report certain mentally ill recipients to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which screens gun applicants.

On Sunday, Trump said the Texas shooting was caused by "a mental health problem" not a problem with gun laws.

"This isn’t a guns situation," Trump said. "This is a mental health problem at the highest level.

It’s a very, very sad event."

It’s unclear whether Kelley actually suffered from mental illness. But we do know that he had a documented history of domestic violence.

While federal law prohibits anyone convicted of domestic violence from obtaining a firearm, Kelley’s 2012 court-martial and discharge from the Air Force were never reported to the federal background check database, the Air Force acknowledged Monday.

That, coupled with Texas’ lax gun laws allowing people to legally purchase assault weapons, was a deadly combination.

Paxton’s misguided solution is to advocate for more guns, rather than figuring out how to keep firearms out of the hands of people who should not have them.

"You can’t necessarily keep guns out of the hands of people who are going to violate the law," Paxton said. "If someone is willing to kill someone, they’re also going to be willing to violate a gun law."

With that attitude, we’d might as well just give up trying.

There is certainly was nothing wrong with citizens like Mary Shepard standing up for the right to carry a weapon in church.

The problem is with people like Paxton, who believe that carrying a weapon in church can put an end to mass shootings.

COLUMN

Another shooting, another search for answers

By Ken Herman COX NEWSPAPERS

Once again, a reeling nation yearns for answers amid difficult days of outrage, mourning and introspection, as we again speak about the unspeakable and think about the unthinkable.

This time it’s a tragedy that includes a city, a sporting goods store and a favorite fun place that, in this horrific context, remind us of just how close to home this is: New Braunfels, Academy, Schlitterbahn.

It’s particularly difficult for those of us who support gun control and gun rights.

Are those mutually exclusive? Perhaps. But that’s the precarious space in which we are going to find plausible, politically possible answers. Answers that prevent mass shootings?

Perhaps not. In fact, most probably not. Homicidal and suicidal are a powerful, toxic mix, often unencumbered by laws.

For years now after these mass shootings, I’ve asked folks what law could have prevented them. Ammo limits? OK. Background checks on all gun purchases? Sure. A ban on the ingeniously dastardly device that turns a legal semi-automatic rifle into a de facto illegal automatic weapon?

Right now, please.

Though who among us non-gun-owners had heard of “bump stocks” before the Las Vegas mass shooting last month?

It very well might be a distinction without a difference, but I prefer it (what an awful thing to have a preference about) when a mass murder is committed with an illegally purchased weapon because it shows a legislative attempt to prevent these crimes.

But I’m also concerned about laws that might prevent law-abiding citizens from legally buying legal weapons.

So I might not be much help in solving this. Or I might be where many Americans find themselves.

Is there a refrain more American than “there oughtta be a law”? We’re

This time it’s a tragedy that includes a city, a sporting goods store and a favorite fun place that, in this horrific context, remind us of just how close to home this is: New Braunfels, Academy, Schlitterbahn.

going to learn more about the Sutherland Springs shootings in coming days.

But for now, it looks as if this guy purchased the murder weapon at an Academy store in San Antonio despite a law that should have prevented it because of violent crime in his background.

How does a guy with a military bad-conduct discharge for violence against his own family get a gun? The saddest answer would be legally.

Loophole? Administrative screw-up? The difference between illegal purchase and fraudulent purchase? Post-Sutherland Springs, this is another distinction without difference. Going forward, it’s a matter of life and death for somebody or somebodies somewhere, perhaps in a church, in a school or at a concert. Perhaps even closer to home than a small Texas community few of us had heard of before churchtime Sunday morning.

We now know that the Air Force acknowledges it failed to tell the FBI about this shooter’s violent criminal record amassed while he served, a record that, by law, should have prevented him from legally purchasing firearms.

We also now know that an armed citizen fired at and hit the shooter after the church assault, very possibly preventing more murders.

This is a combination of factors that plays into the NRA narrative concerning good guys with guns. And for people who want it to, it can buttress the notion that government is ineffective in protecting us and people must be prepared to do it themselves.

I choose not to mention the name of this mad murderer, whose recent employment included a five-week stint as a security guard at the Schlitterbahn water park in New

Braunfels, the city in which he lived with his parents.

And I’m choosing not to repeat where this deed ranks on the list of mass shootings. I find such rankings noxious. Necessary in news coverage, noxious nonetheless.

I will, however, pass along this chilling line from CNN’s John Berman, who called this the nation’s “deadliest mass shooting in the last 35 days.”

Is there a law that could stop everybody who is homicidal and suicidal from getting a gun and killing lots of people? You know the answer. Where there’s an evil will, there’s an illegal way.

Some well-intentioned laws go too far, and some slopes are dangerously slipperier than others.

This is complicated, including the unassailable notion that guns and mental illness are a bad match.

There were howls of disbelief earlier this year when President Donald Trump signed a measure erasing a rule intended to keep guns away from people with mental disorders. The rule had required the Social Security Administration to report the names of Social Security recipients deemed unable to manage their finances due to a mental health condition.

Easy, right? No, not at all, said the ACLU, despite its core belief that “the Second Amendment allows reasonable restrictions to promote public safety.” The ACLU joined 23 national disability groups in favoring the repeal.

“The thousands of Americans whose disability benefits are managed by someone else range from young people with depression and financial inexperience to older adults with Down syndrome needing help with

a limited budget,” the ACLU said. “But no data -- none -- show that these individuals have a propensity for violence in general or gun violence in particular. To the contrary, studies show that people with mental disabilities are less likely to commit firearm crimes than to be the victims of violence by others.”

“This is about more than guns,” the ACLU said. “Adding more innocent Americans to the National Instant Criminal Background database because of a mental disability is a disturbing trend -- one that could be applied to voting, parenting or other rights dearer than gun ownership.”

Food for thought, as was this from the ACLU: “White men are most likely to be mass shooters, the issue that politicians care about most, despite accounting for a tiny fraction of gun violence.

And men under 35 commit most murders. Shall we enter all young men into the national database? The statistical correlation with gun violence would be stronger.”

The discussions sparked by these horrific incidents always remind me of a notion oft repeated by George W. Bush, both as candidate and president.

“I wish I knew the law that says love a neighbor like you would like to be loved yourself. I’d sign it,” Bush said at a May 2001 event at a Cleveland church.

He trotted it out again in the East Room of the White House in October 2003 as he proclaimed National Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

“I like to remind people, you know, that I wish government could make people love one another,” he said. “I would sign the piece of legislation.”

The official White House transcript notes the notion was greeted in the East Room with laughter.

Let’s hope that coming up with acceptable law that somehow ends these mass shootings is not a laughable notion.

Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 |

A5

NATIONAL

Pentagon has known of crime reporting lapses for 20 years

By Robert Burns J. Scott Applewhite / AP

Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., joined at left by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., refers to a newspaper article as he challenges claims made by Republicans about the GOP tax reform plan, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on Tuesday.

GOP cites donor pressure to deliver on tax bill

By Marcy Gordon and Erica Werner A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — House Republicans cited donor pressure as they rolled over Democratic objections Tuesday and pushed forward with contentious legislation to overhaul the nation’s tax code.

“My donors are basically saying get it done or don’t ever call me again,” Republican Rep. Chris Collins of New York told reporters.

That prompted a pointed retort from Collins’ fellow New Yorker, Democratic Rep. Joe Crowley.

“We know who’s watching, we know who you’re all catering to today,” Crowley lectured Republicans as the Ways and Means Committee launched into a second marathon day of amendments and votes on the sweeping, nearly $6 trillion bill, which would be the first major revamp of the U.S. tax system in 30 years.

“We also know that it’s been rumored that if you don’t get this done you might as well give up the majority, because you ain’t coming back in the majority,” Crowley said. “And that’s kind of sad that that’s how we’re going to

be putting together a tax bill that affects so many people.”

Indeed, the political backdrop was inescapable as Republicans sought final action by year’s end on the bill that’s strongly supported by President Donald Trump as he and Congress’ GOP majorities search for a legislative win they can take to voters next year.

Numerous issues were in play, including the precise levels for a mortgage interest deduction, whether an adoption tax credit would be restored to the bill, and whether the legislation would serve as a vehicle to repeal the “Obamacare” requirement for nearly all Americans to carry health insurance. A repeal would raise more than $400 billion to help pay for the tax measure because the government would no longer be paying as much in Medicaid and Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Trump has called for repealing the individual mandate, but after a press conference Tuesday with congressional Republicans Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin brushed aside a question about whether the president would accept a bill that didn’t contain that provision.

ASSOCIATION PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The Pentagon has known for at least two decades about failures to give military criminal history information to the FBI, including the type of information the Air Force didn’t report about the Texas church gunman who had assaulted his wife and stepson while an airman.

The Air Force lapse in the Devin P. Kelley case, which is now under review by the Pentagon’s inspector general, made it possible for him to buy guns before his attack Sunday at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas. Twenty-six people were killed, including multiple members of some families. About 20 other people were wounded.

New details emerged, meanwhile, about his troubled Air Force career. In 2012, several months before his conviction in the domestic violence case, Kelley escaped from a civilian mental health center where he had been placed by the Air Force for treatment, according to Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek. She confirmed a Houston TV station report that was based on an El Paso, Texas, police report.

Stefanek said privacy laws prohibited her from saying what Kelley was being treated for.

KPRC-TV also reported that the police officers who detained Kelley at an El Paso bus terminal after his escape were told he previously had been caught sneaking firearms onto Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, where he was stationed, and that he planned to

carry out death threats against his military superiors. Stefanek said she could not confirm those details.

Rep. Mac Thornberry, the Texas Republican chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said he was appalled at the Air Force mistake and unsatisfied by its plans to investigate the matter.

“I don’t believe the Air Force should be left to self-police after such tragic consequences,” he said, adding that he fears the failure to report domestic violence convictions may be more widespread.

John Cornyn of Texas, the No. 2 Republican in the Senate, said he is working on legislation that would require swift reporting of military criminal history data.

The requirement currently is based on an internal Pentagon rule that does not have the force of law.

An FBI database known as the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, which contains information for use in background checks on prospective gun buyers, had only one Pentagon entry for domestic violence convictions as of Dec. 31, 2016. Most federal agencies had zero entries in that category.

An FBI status report on that database noted, however, that this apparent lack of participation by federal agencies could indicate that they submitted their information to other relevant databases.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Tuesday he has directed the Pentagon inspector general to review circumstances of the Kelley case and “de-

fine what the problem is.”

At its core, the problem is that military criminal investigative organizations have too frequently, for too long, failed to comply with rules for reporting service members’ criminal history data to the FBI. As recently as February 2015, the Pentagon inspector general reported that hundreds of convicted offenders’ fingerprints were not submitted to the FBI’s criminal history database. The report found about a 30 percent failure rate for submitting fingerprints and criminal case outcomes. It did not determine the reasons for the lapses.

In February this year, the inspector general’s office launched a new review to assess compliance with updated reporting requirements. A spokesman, Bruce Anderson, said that review is ongoing.

The problem has persisted much longer.

A February 1997 report by the Pentagon inspector general found widespread lapses. Fingerprint cards were not submitted to the FBI criminal history files in more than 80 percent of cases in the Army and Navy, and 38 percent in the Air Force.

Failure to report the outcome of criminal cases was 79 percent in the Army and 50 percent in the Air Force, the report said. In the Navy, it was 94 percent.

“The lack of reporting to the FBI criminal history files prevents civilian law enforcement agencies from having significant information on military offenders,” the report concluded. It cited several reasons for the

lapses, including ambiguous Pentagon guidelines and a lack of interest among the military services in submitting information to an FBI viewed as chronically overburdened with data.

“In their view, little benefit in solving cases is achieved by providing timely information,” the report said.

The 20-year-old review was prompted by an act of Congress rather than a specific instance, like the Kelley case, in which a reporting lapse allowed a violent offender to purchase weapons.

Federal law prohibited him from buying or possessing firearms after his conviction. But because it was never added to the FBI’s database for background checks, Kelley was able to buy his guns.

Air Force records show Kelley initially faced charges of domestic violence for seven alleged incidents in 2011 and 2012. Five were withdrawn as part of a plea agreement, including two involving Kelley pointing a loaded gun at his wife.

He pleaded guilty to striking, choking and kicking his wife and hitting his stepson “with a force likely to produce death or grievous bodily harm.”

He was sentenced in November 2012 to one year in confinement and reduction in rank to E-1, the lowest enlisted rank.

He was given a bad conduct discharge, which was carried out in 2014.

The officer overseeing the case was Robin Rand, then a three-star general and now the four-star commander of Air Force Global Strike Command in charge of the service’s bomber force and nuclear missiles.

Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE Honor a veteranos 1 La Cámara de Comercio de Zapata estará honrando a todos los veteranos que realizaron el más grande sacrificio con una ceremonía de coronas luctuosas de 8:30 a 9:15 a.m. el viernes 10 de noviembre en la Corte del Condado de Zapata, seguido de una recepción en Zapata South Elementary School.

Colecta de libros 1 El distrito escolar Zapata Independent School District invita a la colecta de libros nuevos o ligeramente usados para niños, adolescentes o adultos jóvenes para la creación de la biblioteca “Little Lending Libraries”. Los libros se recibirán hasta el 17 de noviembre en todas las bibliotecas del distrito escolar, en el edificio adminsitrativo de ZCISD así como en el Boys & Girls Club de Zapata. Mayores informes al 956-7655855.

Gran apertura 1 Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary invitan a la Gran Apertura de IBC en Villarrealville, el evento se realizará el viernes 17 de noviembre en Villarral Elementary a las 9:30 a.m. Para reservar llame a Javier Ramírez al 956-7658361.

Campaña de la vista 1 El sistema DIF de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero invita a toda la ciudadanía a la campaña de la vista, el día 17 de noviembre apartir de de las 9 a.m. a 3 p.m. en sus instalaciones ubicadas en la Avenida Eisenhower.

Aviario 1 La Ciuda de Roma invita a visitar el aviario Roma Bluffs World Birding Center en el distrito histórico de Roma. El aviario estará abierto desde el jueves a domingo de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. hasta enero. Mayores informes al 956849-1411

Carne asada 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a su tradicional evento de carne asada Gobble Til you Wobble Cookoff el 18 de noviembre en el Parque Municipal de Roma. Registre a su equipo en Roma City Hall, 77 Convento Street. Mayores informes al 956849-1411 con Lily Sandoval.

Desfile de Navidad 1 El Desfile de Navidad y la iluminacióm de la Plaza del Condado se realizarán el jueves 7 de diciembre. El desfile comenzará a las 6 p.m. en 17th Ave. detrás de la Iglesia Nuestra Señora de Lourdes. Inmediatamente después se encenderán las luces del árbol de Navidad en la Plaza del Condado donde Santa estará repartiendo regalos.

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS

Consideran héroe a vecino que enfrentó al atacante en Texas Por Will Weissert y Jim Vertuno ASSOCIATED PRE SS

SUTHERLAND SPRINGS— Stephen Willeford estaba en su casa en Sutherland Springs, Texas, cuando su hija le dijo que escuchó disparos en la iglesia vecina. Entonces este ex instructor de tiro, de 55 años, inmediatamente tomó su fusil y corrió descalzo hasta la calle para enfrentar al hombre que acababa de matar a 26 feligreses.

Willeford es considerado héroe junto con Johnnie Langendorff, quien el domingo ayudó a perseguir en su camioneta a Devin Patrick Kelley.

"Escuché disparos, uno tras otros, muy rápido... y sabía que cada uno de esos disparos representaba a alguien, que estaba dirigido contra alguien, que no eran disparos al azar”, dijo Willeford del lunes en una entrevista con las televisoras KHBS/KHOG en Fort Smith y Fayetteville,

David J. Phillip / Associated Press

Stephen Willeford, derecha, y Johnnie Langendorff, asisten a una vigilia por las víctimas del tiroteo en la iglesia bautista de Sutherland Springs, Texas, el lunes, 6 de noviembre del 2017. Willeford hirió de bala al atacante Devin Patrick Kelley y Langendorff manejó la camioneta en la que ambos persiguieron a Kelley.

Arkansas.

Relata que corrió descalzo hacia la iglesia, donde vio a Kelley, de 26 años, e intercambiaron disparos. "Él me vio y yo le vi”, dijo Willeford. “Yo estaba parado detrás de un ca-

mioneta. Sé que le alcancé con un disparo. Él se metió en su vehículo y disparó un par de veces por la ventanilla. Cuando bajó la ventanilla, yo le disparé de nuevo”.

Cuando Kelley se alejaba, Willeford corrió hacia

una camioneta detenida en una intersección y le dijo al chofer: “Ese tipo acaba de balear la iglesia bautista. Tenemos que detenerlo”.

El chofer, Langendorff, dijo que estaba en Sutherland Springs el domingo

para recoger a su novia cuando un hombre que estuvo intercambiando disparos con Kelley se metió de repente en su camioneta.

“Se metió a mi camioneta y dijo: ‘Él acaba de balear la iglesia, tenemos que atraparlo’. Y yo le dije ‘vamos’”, dijo Langendorff, de 27 años, en conversación con The Associated Press el lunes.

Willeford dijo que él y Langendorff se mantuvieron en contacto con los servicios de emergencias mientras perseguían a Kelley. Dijo que Kelley finalmente chocó con una señal de carretera y el vehículo se metió en una zanja.

Willeford dice que él entonces salió de la camioneta, apuntó su fusil al vehículo de Kelley y le gritó para que saliera.

Pero Kelley no se movió.

Langendorff dijo que la policía llegó cinco minutos más tarde. Basados en la evidencia en el sitio, los investigadores piensan que Kelly murió de un balazo autoinfligido.

FRONTERA

PATRULLA FRONTERIZA

Operativo cierra siete gasolineras

Agentes rescatan 6 inmigrantes

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE

Autoridades tamaulipecas clausuraron siete gasolineras en la frontera con Texas el viernes 3 de noviembre debido a que estaban incumpliendo disposiciones que regulan su operación, de acuerdo con un comunicado del Gobierno del Estado.

Los cierres fueron derivados de un operativo realizado por la Procuraduría General de Justicia de Tamaulipas en coordinación con la Procuraduría General de la República y dependencias locales y federales.

El operativo mixto se realizó en los municipios de Reynosa, Matamoros, Río Bravo, Matamoros y Nueva Ciudad Guerrero y en él también participaron la Dirección Estatal de Protección Civil, la Comisión Estatal de Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios, la Subsecretaría de In-

ZAPATA

Foto de cortesía

La policía realizó operativos en Reynosa, Río Bravo, Matamoros, Matamoros y Nueva Ciudad Guerrero.

gresos, Petróleos Mexicanos y la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional.

Las gasolineras clausuradas fueron tres en Reynosa, una Matamoros, una en Río Bravo, dos en Valle Hermoso y una más en Nueva Ciudad Guerrero. Ésta última en aparente estado de abandono.

Los motivos de la clausura fueron: no haber presentado avisos de funcionamiento, certificados médicos, certificados de fumigación, no contaban con extintores ni rutas de emergencia así como por la falta de programas

internos de protección civil, dictámenes estructurales eléctricos, de hermeticidad de los tanques y uso de suelo, contar con extintores vencidos y la falta de señalamientos y botiquines.

Los representantes de PEMEX revisaron también que las empresas contaran con la documentación correspondiente de la adquisición del combustible que se encontraba a la venta al público.

Los operativos continuarán realizándose durante los siguientes días.

Autoridades reportaron el rescate de seis inmigrantes indocumentados esta semana a manos de agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza en dos incidentes diferentes, de acuerdo con un comunicado de la agencia.

El primer rescate se realizó el domingo 5 de noviembre, cuando agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza rescataron cuatro inmigrantes indocumentados en un rancho cerca de Hebbronville.

Los inmigrantes tuvieron que recurrir a llamar al 911 por ayuda después de perderse entre la maleza.

Los agentes pudieron localizar y rescatar a las cuatro personas pérdidas.

Los inmigrantes indocumentados fueron encontrados en buen estado de salud y se determinó

que eran provenientes de México y Guatemala.

El segundo rescate se llevó a cabo el lunes 6 de noviembre después que agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza rescataran a dos inmigrantes indocumentados en un rancho cerca de Freer.

Los sujetos también recurrieron al servicio de emergencia 911 porque se habían perdido en el terreno y fueron encontrados más tarde por agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza. Los dos inmigrantes indocumentados fueron encontrados en buen estado de salud y se determinó eran mexicanos.

El Sector Laredo de la Patrulla Fronteriza continuará advirtiendo sobre los peligros de la gente que cruza ilegalmente a los Estados Unidos pasando por condiciones medioambientales peligrosas.

GUERRERO AYER Y HOY

Proyectos de restauración y vinculación de ambos guerreros Nota del editor: Esta serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (1927-2016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal.

Por Lilia Treviño Martínez

Pago de impuestos

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE

1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma,608 N. García St.

ZAPATA

El interés que despertaron las ruinas de “Guerrero Viejo” dio lugar a la presentación de varios proyectos.

El 12 de octubre de 1997, a escasos días de haber sido constituida la asociación civil “Hijos y Amigos

de Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas”, un grupo de pasantes de la Facultada de Arquitectura de la Universidad de Monterrey (UDEM), bajo la coordinación del Arquitecto Jimmie L. King Asla, y por invitación del Vicepresidente de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero Rafael de la Garza, visitaron con el objetivo de presentar interesantes proyectos tendientes a vincular la Nueva Ciudad Guerrero con la Antigua. Los proyectos “Réplica”, “Vinculación”, y “Metáfora” presentaban planos y maquetas de construcciones conmemorativas vinculando la Nueva Ciudad con su

pasado histórico, y requerían de un terreno apropiado para su realización.

El arquitecto Carlos Rugerio Cazares, después de la exposición de proyectos de los jóvenes pasantes, hizo brillante exposición sobre las gárgolas de piedra labrada en las construcciones de Guerrero Viejo. Se llevó un fuerte aplauso.

El 20 de noviembre del mismo año se tomó el acuerdo de iniciar las labores de reconstrucción del Templo Nuestra Sra. Del Refugio, contemplando la urgencia de evitar su derrumbe total, y por considerarlo como el monumento que despierta

Foto de cortesía/ Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia

La Iglesia de Nuestra Señora del Refugio en Guerrero Viejo es uno de los pocos edificios que sobrevivieron a la inundación de la ciudad tras la construcción de la Presa Falcón en 1953.

mayor admiración.

Una vez restaurado éste en los elementos indispensables para su conservación, se presentaron otros proyectos en vías de restauración de otros monumentos.

El 8 de noviembre de 1999, en la Capital del Estado (Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas), el Centro Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia-

Tamaulipas, ante representantes de autoridades federales, estatales, municipales de Ciudad Guerrero, hizo la presentación de un Proyecto Integral de Conservación de Antigua Ciudad Guerrero, mismo que fue elaborado bajo la dirección de Nora Ahumada Sánchez, siendo responsable del proyecto el arquitecto Francisco Jassí Rojas.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 |

A7

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Lee’s return coincides with surge for Cowboys’ defense Dallas riding three-game winning streak heading into Atlanta game

By Schuyler Dixon A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

FRISCO, Texas — Sean Lee wasn’t on the field for the crazy Kansas City play that threatened to ruin an otherwise strong performance from the Dallas defense.

It turned out to be a microcosm of how important the 2016 All-Pro linebacker is for the Cowboys, whose three-game winning streak coincides with Lee’s return and a dramatic improvement on his side of the ball: fewer points, more turnovers, more key stops.

“Boy, tremendous difference when Sean Lee is out there,” owner and general manager Jerry Jones said after a 28-17 win over the Chiefs and their third-ranked offense. “Not to take anything away from anybody, but he makes things happen.”

Lee missed two games with a hamstring injury, and the Cowboys lost both at home despite scoring at least 30 points in each.

Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams won 35-30, followed

by Aaron Rodgers and Green Bay 35-31 when Rodgers took the Packers 75 yards in 62 seconds after Dak Prescott had guided the Cowboys to the lead with just 1:13 remaining.

The Cowboys (5-3) have allowed averages of 15 points and 299 yards during the winning streak. They next visit Matt Ryan and NFC champion, albeit struggling, Atlanta (4-4) on Sunday.

Then it’s the first of three straight home games in 12 days

Michael Ainsworth / Associated Press

Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee had 12 tackles Sunday in a 28-17 win over the Chiefs.

starting against NFC East rival Philadelphia, the division leader, and Carson Wentz, who has an NFL-best 23 touchdown passes. Dallas, the defending division champion, had the best record in the NFC last season.

“We’re trying to build to be that championship defense,” said Lee, the playmaking weakside linebacker . “And we’re seeing signs of it. But until we’re there, until we’re causing more turnovers and dominating, we’re going to continue to work.”

Dallas had gone three full games without a turnover when

Lee returned against San Francisco and the defense forced three fumbles, recovering two.

The Cowboys recovered another one on special teams.

Byron Jones had a clinching interception in the final minute of a win at Washington, and the Cowboys forced Alex Smith’s first interception of the season to end Kansas City’s last realistic hope Sunday.

Lee was watching when the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill took an underneath throw on the final play of the first half and weaved through seven Dallas defenders inside the 25 for an improbable

56-yard touchdown.

The Cowboys gave up another touchdown and lost the lead on the first possession after halftime before Lee’s unit reestablished control with a key stop between two long scoring drives for Dallas.

The eighth-year player was on the field, though, when Kansas City took the lead with a touchdown to start the second half. After Dallas retook the lead, Lee’s unit forced a quick punt that helped the Cowboys regain the control it looked like they had lost with Hill’s TD. “He’s always around the ball

NCAA FOOTBALL: TEXAS LONGHORNS

TEXAS SUSPENDS CB HILL FOR REST OF THE SEASON

in the running game and the passing game,” coach Jason Garrett said. “But his impact goes far beyond that. There’s an intensity he brings that also pervades the defense.”

The Cowboys had to rely too heavily on Jaylon Smith while Lee was hurt. Smith missed his entire rookie season recovering from a devastating college knee injury, and has struggled adjusting to the NFL game.

Dallas also benefited from the return of middle linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who injured a knee in the preseason. With Hitchens and Lee available alongside Damien Wilson, Smith has had a season-low 17 snaps in consecutive games.

More experience helped the Cowboys limit the big-play capability of the Chiefs — except for Hill’s stunner with the Cowboys set up to defend a traditional desperation pass.

“If you look at the last three games, the sacks, the turnovers, the plays on the football, they’ve been way up,” Lee said.

“In this defense, an attacking defense, you have to make those plays.”

The Cowboys make more of them when Lee’s on the field.

NOTES: DT Brian Price will have season-ending knee surgery after getting injured in the second half against the Chiefs. ... WR Dez Bryant has ankle and knee issues and WR Terrance Williams is dealing with an ankle injury after a seasonhigh 141 yards receiving. Garrett said they are day to day along with LT Tyron Smith, who left the Kansas City game late with a groin injury.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

Winslow Townson / Associated Press file

With talk the Texans could sign Colin Kaepernick with an opening at quarterback, Houston added nine-year veteran Josh Johnson on Tuesday.

Texans sign QB Josh Johnson, release McGloin ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Rod Aydelotte / Associated Press file

Texas defensive back Holton Hill was suspended Tuesday for the remainder of the season for a violation of team rules.

Longhorns corner had three TDs this year A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN — Texas has suspended touchdownscoring cornerback Holton Hill for the rest of the 2017 season for a violation of team rules.

Longhorns coach Tom

Herman announced Hill’s suspension Tuesday. The coach didn’t elaborate.

The school said Hill will be permitted to continue working out with the Longhorns (4-5) and remain a member of the team, but won’t be al-

lowed to play in any more games this season. Texas hosts Kansas on Saturday.

Hill returned two interceptions for touchdowns and scored on a blocked field goal return in the first two games this

season. His 51 tackles are second-most on the team.

In the season-opening loss to Maryland, Hill became the first FBS player in 10 years to score on an interception return and blocked field goal in the same game.

HOUSTON — The Houston Texans have signed free agent quarterback Josh Johnson and released Matt McGloin.

The moves come a day after coach Bill O’Brien said they had discussed the possibility of adding Colin Kaepernick in the wake of a season-ending knee injury to rookie Deshaun Watson.

Instead of adding Kaepernick, the former 49ers quarterback who began the protest movement by kneeling during the national anthem last season,

Houston chose Johnson to be its third quarterback.

The 31-year-old Johnson has been with the Giants, Bills, Colts and 49ers over the past three seasons, but hasn’t appeared in a game since he played two for the Bengals in 2013. He spent his first four seasons with Tampa Bay where he appeared in 26 games from 2008-11.

McGloin was signed on Friday to be Houston’s third quarterback behind Tom Savage and T.J. Yates, but was inactive on Sunday.

A8 | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

INTERNATIONAL

Human rights abuses by Mexican military largely unpunished MEXICO CITY — The vast majority of human rights abuses allegedly committed by soldiers waging Mexico’s war on drug gangs go unsolved and unpunished despite reforms letting civilian authorities investigate and prosecute such crimes, a report said Tuesday.

The Washington Office on Latin America study, described as the first comprehensive analysis of military abuse investigations handled by the Attorney General’s Office, found there were just 16 convictions of soldiers in the civilian judicial system out of 505 criminal investigations from 2012 through 2016, a prosecutorial success rate of 3.2 percent.

Moreover, there were only two “chain of command responsibility” convictions for officers whose orders led to abuses, it said.

The report said factors that hinder civilian investigations of the military include parallel civilian and military probes, limited access to troops’ testimony and soldiers tampering with crime scenes or giving false testimony.

“This militarized public security model has negatively impacted Mexico’s criminal justice system. The civilian justice system faces challenges — including military authorities’ actions resulting in the obstruction or delay of investigations — which limit civilian authorities’ ability to sanction soldiers implicated in crimes and human rights violations,” the group said.

The Attorney General’s Office, the Defense De-

Dario Lopez-Mills / AP

This 2009 photo shows soldiers standing in line as they prepare to board military vehicles at the Military School in Mexico City, where new recruits are being sent to the northern Mexico for drug crop eradication. The vast majority of human rights abuses allegedly committed by soldiers waging Mexico’s war on drug gangs go unsolved and unpunished despite reforms letting civilian authorities investigate and prosecute such crimes, a report said Tuesday.

partment and other government offices did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The military has played a central role in the war on drug cartels since at least late 2006, when newly installed President Felipe Calderon deployed soldiers across the country to fight the gangs. The militarized offensive has continued under current President Enrique Pena Nieto.

During that time there have been numerous accusations of serious human rights violations by soldiers, such as torture, killings and forced disappearances.

Critics say the Mexican military is not trained to carry out policing activities. However, many police departments in the country are seen as corrupt, outgunned and even in cahoots with organized crime gangs, and thus unreliable allies against the cartels.

One high-profile rights case involving the mil-

itary was the 2014 killing of 22 suspected criminals by soldiers in the central town of Tlatlaya. The military initially claimed they died in a fierce firefight, but evidence suggested there was no protracted shootout and some of the dead appeared to have been executed.

Seven soldiers were accused of homicide, but the charges were thrown out by civilian courts due to lack of evidence. In August of this year, a judge ordered an investigation into whether army commanders played any role in the killings.

The report said Tlatlaya is an example of a case in which military investigators had access to the crime scene and soldiers’ testimony before civilian authorities.

“The Tlatlaya case illustrates that holding military and civilian investigations concurrently delays and obstructs justice ... (and) shows that in military jurisdiction, cases of

grave human rights violations also go unchecked or remain unpunished,” the report said.

Reforms in 2014 changed how allegations of abuses by the military can be investigated, including the right to conduct a civilian probe in such cases and for victims to participate.

Among the 16 successful prosecutions of soldiers carried out by the Attorney General’s Office are convictions for the cover-up of a human rights violation and desecration of a corpse; forced disappearance; homicide; injuries and trespassing, and rape, the report said.

The two “chain of command” convictions the study found were of a lieutenant colonel and a second lieutenant in two

forced disappearance cases in in the northern states of Chihuahua and Nuevo Leon.

The Washington Office on Latin America said the report was based on three main sources: interviews with human rights groups and lawyers, right-to-information requests that yielded information including on convictions of soldiers, and collaboration with journalists who created a website on the issue, Cadenademando.org (Spanish for “chain of command”).

It added that it was “possible” there may have been more convictions than the 16 it documented, but authorities did not report them in response to right-to-information requests.

The United States has

supported Mexico’s security efforts through the multibillion-dollar Merida Initiative, including outfitting the military with helicopters and training security forces.

According to the report, more than $521 million in counter-drug assistance has flowed from the U.S. Defense Department to the Mexican military since 2008.

The report calls for measures from both Mexico and the United States to bolster the Mexican judicial system. It also urges Washington to condition aid money on improvements in the human rights record of Mexican security forces and to enforce U.S. laws barring funding of units known to have committed gross rights violations.

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 |

A9

BUSINESS

Losses for banks, smaller companies take stocks down

By Marley Jay ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Nam Y. Huh / AP

Information on available jobs lies on display at a Target store in Chicago. On Tuesday, the Labor Department reported on job openings and labor turnover for September.

Job openings flat as hurricanes slow hiring

By Christopher Rugaber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers posted roughly the same number of open jobs in September as the previous month, partly because hurricanes held back hiring at restaurants and hotels.

The Labor Department said Tuesday that 6.09 million jobs were available at the end of September, not far from the record high of 6.14 million reached in July. The number of open jobs in restaurants and hotels fell 111,000 from August. That reflects widespread damage in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, which struck many vacation spots in Texas, Florida and other southeastern states.

Overall, thousands of businesses were closed, which likely held back hiring. Total hires fell 2.7 percent to 5.27 million in September, the lowest in five months.

Excluding the storms’ impact, the job market remains mostly healthy.

The government said last week that employers added 261,000 jobs in October.

That partly reflected a recovery in hiring after the hurricanes dragged down job gains in Septem-

ber.

October’s figure is a net gain after layoffs, quits and retirements are subtracted from overall hiring. Tuesday’s data is from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover survey, or JOLTS. They are more detailed and provide a fuller view of the job market than the monthly jobs report.

The two reports paint a picture of employers struggling to fill jobs in tight labor market. The unemployment rate fell to 4.1 percent in October, the lowest in 17 years.

Employers have a dwindling pool of those out of work to choose from.

There were just 1.12 unemployed people, on average, for every open job in September. During the 2008-2009 Great Recession, that figure reached 6 unemployed people for every available job.

When employers are desperate to hire, they typically offer higher pay to find and keep employees. Yet a variety of data suggests that wages are rising slowly. Hourly pay rose just 2.4 percent in October from a year earlier, the government said Friday.

The last time the unemployment rate was as low as it is now, pay was increasing at about 4

percent a year.

Americans are quitting their jobs at a healthy pace, which helps lift pay gains. But they may need to do so more often to push wages higher. Nearly 3.2 million quit in September, near a post-recession peak reached in May. Still, the pace of quits has barely increased in the past 18 months.

Most workers quit to take new jobs, which typically pay more. Data collected by payroll processor ADP found that from July through September, full-time workers who switched jobs saw their earnings rise 4.9 percent from a year earlier. Those who stayed in their jobs saw a smaller gain of 4.3 percent.

The disparities between those who switched jobs and those who stayed were much higher in some industries. In leisure and hospitality, which includes restaurants and hotels as well as bars and casinos, those who quit and took new jobs saw annual gains of 6.9 percent. Those who stayed in their jobs saw just a 4.8 percent gain.

In a category that includes high-tech workers, switchers saw pay gains of 6.1 percent, compared with 5.1 percent for those who stayed in their jobs.

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks slipped Tuesday as smaller companies and banks took their worst losses in a few months.

With stock indexes near record highs, investors moved some money into big-dividend stocks like real estate companies.

Banks and other financial companies have been climbing over the last two months, but Tuesday they skidded as interest rates moved lower. Small, domestically-focused companies had their worst day since mid-August as House Republicans began making changes to their tax bill. Their Senate counterparts are expected to introduce their own bill soon. Smaller companies tend to pay higher tax rates than their bigger peers because they make more of their money in the U.S. and don’t have as many ways to reduce their taxes.

“Financials would be a primary beneficiary of a 20 percent corporate tax rate because they’re domestically based and they pay domestic taxes,” said Quincy Krosby, chief market strategist at Prudential Financial.

While the pace of company earnings is slowing, they continued to hold sway over parts of the market. Travel booking companies TripAdvisor and Priceline both plunged while Weight Watchers continued to surge after it raised its forecasts for the year.

The weight loss company has more than quadrupled in value this year.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index dipped 0.49 points to 2,590.64. The Dow Jones industrial average added 8.81 points to 23,557.23, another record high. The Nasdaq composite fell 18.65 points, or 0.3 percent, to 6,767.78. The Russell 2000 index tumbled 18.87 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,479.09.

Banks fell along with

bond yields and interest rates. Both have moved lower over the last few days, which reduces the profits banks make from lending. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 2.31 percent from 2.32 percent.

JPMorgan Chase fell $2.03, or 2 percent, to $98.75 and U.S. Bancorp lost $1.40, or 2.6 percent, to $53.45. First Financial Bancshares, a smaller, Texas-based bank, fell $1.15, or 2.5 percent, to $44.40.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers plunged after it slashed its profit forecast.

It pointed to higher labor costs and said it will temporarily stop opening new locations at the end of its next fiscal year. The stock lost $19.35, or 28.9 percent, to $47.70. Consumer products distributor Core-Mark fell $3.07, or 9.1 percent, to $30.63 after it cut its outlook.

Household goods makers, utilities, and other companies that pay big dividends did better than the rest of the market.

Drugstore and pharmacy benefits company CVS Health jumped $2.15, or 3.2 percent, to $68.95 to recover some of its recent losses. Shopping mall operator GGP soared $3.19, or 16.8 percent, to $22.20. Bloomberg reported that GGP is in talks with Brookfield Asset Management about potentially buying the rest of the company.

Competitor Macerich jumped $4.57, or 8.4 percent, to $58.76.

Real estate, household goods and phone companies have lagged far behind the S&P 500 this year. The stocks are generally seen as cautious investments, and investors look for them when they are worried about market volatility.

But investors have been betting on improved economic growth rather than looking for safety.

Travel website TripAdvisor plunged after its third-quarter revenue fell short of analyst esti-

mates. Booking service Priceline Group had a better-than-expected quarter, but its forecasts for the current quarter disappointed Wall Street.

Analysts said the company is spending a lot of money on advertising, but that may pay off with increased market share.

TripAdvisor sank $9.18, or 23.2 percent, to a fiveyear low of $30.35 while Priceline lost $257.28, or 13.5 percent, to $1,645.72.

Expedia shed $3.37, or 2.7 percent, to $119.61.

However Royal Caribbean Cruises jumped $3.89, or 3.1 percent, to $129.23 after it had a strong quarter even though its business was disrupted by three major hurricanes.

Drugmaker Mallinckrodt plunged after it said sales of its costly HP Acthar gel have been hurt because fewer prescriptions are being filled. It said revenue from the drug will decline in the fourth quarter. The company also reported weaker sales of generic drugs. Already trading at all-time lows, the stock dropped $11.07, or 35.5 percent, to $20.11.

Benchmark U.S. crude fell 15 cents to $57.20 a barrel in New York.

Brent crude, used to price international oils, dipped 58 cents to $63.69 a barrel in London. Oil prices rose about 3 percent Monday and hit two-year highs after a wave of arrests of princes and other officials in Saudi Arabia. Investors wondered if the upheaval could affect oil supplies and prices.

Wholesale gasoline lost 1 cent to $1.82 a gallon. Heating oil fell 2 cents to $1.92 a gallon.

Natural gas rose 2 cents to $3.15 per 1,000 cubic feet.

Gold lost $5.80 to $1,275.80 an ounce. Silver fell 30 cents to $16.94 an ounce. Copper declined 7 cents to $3.09 a pound.

The dollar rose to 113.87 yen from 113.77 yen. The euro fell to $1.1589 from $1.1606.

US consumer borrowing up $20.8 billion, most in 10 months

By Martin Crutsinger A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — American consumers increased their borrowing by $20.8 billion in September. It was the largest gain in 10 months and was led by a sharp increase in borrowing for auto and student loans.

The September increase followed a gain of $13.8 billion in August and marks the largest monthly increase since a $24.5 billion jump in November 2016, the Federal Reserve reported Tuesday.

The category that covers auto and student loans rose by $14.4 billion, nearly double the $7.6

billion gain seen in August.

The category that covers credit cards increased $6.4 billion, slightly better than the $5.5 billion August increase.

Consumer borrowing is closely watched for clues about the direction of consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of economic

growth.

The September increase pushed total borrowing to a fresh record of $3.79 trillion.

The Fed’s monthly borrowing report does not cover home mortgages or other loans such as home equity loans that are secured by real estate.

The U.S. economy grew at a

solid rate of 3 percent in the July-September quarter after advancing at a 3.1 percent pace in the second quarter. It marked the first back-to-back quarterly gains of 3 percent or better in three years. Much of the strength in both quarters came from solid consumer spending.

A10 | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

INTERNATIONAL

Trump talks negotiations, not threats in Korea

By Jonathan Lemire and Jill Colvin A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

SEOUL, South Korea — Softening his aggressive rhetoric, at least for the moment, President Donald Trump stood on South Korean soil Tuesday and urged North Korea to come to the negotiating table. It’s time, he said, for the North to “make a deal” to rein in its nuclear weapons program.

It was a striking shift in tone for the president, who for months has issued increasingly dire threats to answer any hostile North Korean action with “fire and fury.”

On Tuesday, his first day on the Korean Peninsula as president, Trump said he’d seen “a lot of progress” in dealing with Pyongyang, though he stopped short of saying whether he wanted direct diplomatic talks.

“It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world,” Trump said at a news conference with South Korean president Moon Jae-in. “I do see certain movement.”

Trump was winding down his visit to Seoul on Wednesday with an address to South Korea’s National Assembly, where he was expected to outline his view of dangers posed

by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The next stop on his five-nation Asian tour: Beijing, where he will press China to constrict the North’s economic lifeblood.

Ever the showman, Trump teased that he had a surprise in store for Wednesday, saying at a Tuesday evening banquet that he had an “exciting day” planned — “for many

Jeon Heon-Kyun / Getty Images

South Korean President Moon Jae-In, right, shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump during their summit at the presidential Blue House on Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea. Trump is in South Korea as a part of his Asian tour.

reasons that people will find out.” He did not elaborate.

Overall, the president sounded an optimistic note on disagreements with the North, saying confidently, if vaguely: “Ultimately, it’ll all work out.” Whether the shift in rhetoric signaled a change in policy or diplomatic strategy remained uncertain.

Mark Fitzpatrick, executive director in Washington for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said it could simply be Trump projecting “what he most recently heard” from Moon and Japan’s Shinzo Abe. “I expect he heard from both Prime Minister Abe and President Moon the need to give diplomacy a chance,” Fitzpatrick said.

“Of course, it’s not the first time he has talked about engaging with North Korea. The issue has been one of timing. Now is a good time, during a pause in missile testing.”

North Korea has fired off more than a dozen missiles this year but none in nearly two months. But analysts caution against reading too much into the pause.

There’s no public sign of any diplomatic progress between Washington and Pyongyang. U.S. officials say the back channel between the State Department and the North Korean mission at the United Nations in New York remains intact, but contacts have not been substantive other than achieving the release of American college student Otto Warmbier in June. He died days after his repatriation to the U.S. Still, Trump’s conciliatory comments would be welcome in South Korea, where both the government and the wider population have been unnerved by the president’s threats against the North.

Trump did note the United States’ military options, mentioning that three aircraft carrier groups and a nuclear submarine had been deployed to the region. But he said “we hope to God we never have to use” the arsenal. And he accused North Korea’s Kim Jong Un of “threatening millions and millions of lives, so needlessly.”

Moon, who has been eager to solidify a friendship with Trump, said he

hoped the president’s visit would be a turning point in the standoff with North Korea.

The president began his day with a visit to Camp Humphreys, a joint USKorean military base where he shook hands with American and Korean service members and ate lunch with troops in a large mess hall. The visit was intended to underscore the countries’ ties and South Korea’s commitment to contributing to its own defense.

When he leaves South Korea, Trump flies to Beijing for what the White House sees as the centerpiece of his five-nation Asia trip.

China is North Korea’s largest trade partner, and Trump is expected to press its leaders to curtail

their dealings with Pyongyang and to expel North Korean workers from its borders. Trump has praised China for adopting tough United Nations sanctions against North Korea but has urged it to do more.

“I want to just say that President Xi — where we will be tomorrow, China — has been very helpful.

We’ll find out how helpful soon,” Trump said. "But he really has been very, very helpful. So China is out trying very hard to solve the problem with North Korea.”

Trump and first lady Melania Trump on Wednesday will meet and have dinner with Xi Jinping and his wife and receive a private tour of The Forbidden City, Beijing’s ancient imperial palace.

White House officials point to the leaders’ successful summit in Florida this spring, an event in part defined by Trump telling his Chinese counterpart about the missile strike he had ordered on Syria while the two men enjoyed chocolate cake.

But experts in the region suggest that Xi will have the advantage over Trump.

“Trump keeps portraying his relationship with XI as great pals but that’s wildly naive,” said Mike Chinoy, a non-resident senior fellow at the USChina Institute at the University of Southern California. “The Chinese have figured out how to play Trump: flatter him.

And there’s nothing the Chinese do better than wow foreign diplomats.”

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 |

A11

FROM THE COVER LAW From page A1 ment officers in the role of federal immigration officers, and that it puts local officers in the position of violating detainees’ constitutional rights against illegal search and seizure. The critics also argue that some parts of the law are unconstitutional because they are vague as to exactly how local officers are to fulfill their duties with respect to immigration law.

Members of the threejudge 5th Circuit Court of Appeals panel questioned the law’s opponents closely, and Judge Edith Jones appeared skeptical of some of their claims. Jones and Judge Jerry Smith both questioned a municipality’s legal standing to bring a claim under the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment, which they said is usually asserted by an individual being harmed, rather than a government entity.

Jones also pushed back on arguments that the law is vague with its bar on patterns or practices that “materially limit” immigration enforcement. “We all know it when we see it,” said Jones, who also said the burdens placed on local law enforcement appear small. “It amounts to making phone calls,” she said.

Lee Gelernt, an American Civil Liberties

MAYOR From page A1 with the state and federal government to educate,

SHOOTING From page A1 of other cases.

Authorities aimed to conclude the crime-scene investigation at the church by Wednesday evening. Investigators have no reason to believe anyone conspired with Kelley, who acted alone, said Texas Department of Public Safety Regional Director Freeman Martin.

Martin repeated earlier statements that the shooting appeared to stem from a domestic dispute involving Kelley and his mother-in-law, who sometimes attended services at the church but was not present on Sunday.

“We don’t know what he was thinking or what was in his mind,” Martin said. “There was conflict.

He was upset with the mother in law.”

The gunman’s phone was flown to an FBI lab for analysis, but agents have yet to access it, said Christopher Combs, who is in charge of the agency’s San Antonio division.

The inability to access the shooter’s phone highlights a longstanding frustration of the FBI, which said it has been unable to retrieve data from half the mobile devices it tried to access in less than a year.

Director Christopher Wray said last month that in the first 11 months of the fiscal year, agents were unable to access the content inside more than 6,900 mobile devices, an issue he said stymies investigations.

The FBI and other law enforcement officials have long complained about being unable to unlock and recover evidence from cellphones and other devices seized from suspects even if they have a warrant.

Technology companies have refused to help, insisting they must protect customers’ digital privacy.

The long-simmering debate was on display in 2016, when the Justice

Union attorney representing the border city of El Cenizo, disagreed. He said the law, known as SB4, takes away local law enforcement leaders’ ability to prioritize law enforcement actions under constant threat of criminal fines or even removal from office.

“In the past, you could do whatever cooperation you wanted and you weren’t penalized,” Gelernt said later, outside the courthouse. Under the new law, he said, local authorities could be compelled to participate in raids or other actions.

“It’s a drain on big cities, but it’s also a drain like cities like El Cenizo ... where there are far fewer police officers.”

Opponents also said the law is written so broadly that some local officials could face punishment for even speaking out against it, an argument disputed by Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller.

The 5th Circuit panel did not indicate when it would rule.

Tuesday’s arguments mark the second time in as many months that 5th Circuit judges heard arguments in the case.

After U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia blocked much of the law on Aug. 30, Texas sought an emergency order allowing enforcement. A three-judge 5th Circuit panel heard arguments on Sept. 22 while immigrant advocates beat

drums and chanted outside the federal courthouse in New Orleans.

Days later the panel eased restrictions on enforcement of the law with a complex order that was interpreted differently by both sides.

Municipal officials from Dallas, Houston, El Paso, San Antonio and Austin are among the opponents. The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund is representing some localities.

President Donald Trump’s administration backs the law. The U.S. Justice Department has joined Texas in defending it.

There were no demonstrations outside the courthouse Tuesday.

After the hearing, local officials opposed to the law told reporters it promotes racial profiling and is engendering fear among families in immigrant communities.

Texas Attorney General Paxton, reading from a prepared statement, said an aim of the law is to protect the state’s citizens from criminal immigrants. “Americans overwhelmingly understand that one of our first duties as a nation is to protect our citizens,” he said.

In addition to Smith and Jones, both nominated by President Ronald Reagan, Judge Edward Prado, nominated by President George W. Bush, was on the panel.

advocate, and secure funding for transportation, immigration and border security, workforce development, eco-

nomic development and health care. For more information, visit the coalition website at texasbordercoalition.org.

Department tried to force Apple to unlock an encrypted cellphone used by a gunman in a terrorist attack in San Bernardino, California. The department eventually relented after the FBI said it paid an unidentified vendor who provided a tool to unlock the phone and no longer needed Apple’s assistance, avoiding a court showdown.

The Justice Department under President Donald Trump has suggested it will be aggressive in seeking access to encrypted information from technology companies. But in a recent speech, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein stopped short of saying exactly what action it might take.

Kelley had a history of domestic violence that spanned years before the attack and was able buy weapons because the Air Force did not submit his criminal history from his time in the military to the FBI, as required by military rules.

If Kelley’s past offenses had been properly shared, they would have prevented him from buying a gun, the Air Force acknowledged Monday.

Investigators also revealed that Kelley had sent threatening text messages to his motherin-law, a member of the church, before the attack, and that sheriff’s deputies had responded to a domestic violence call in 2014 at his home involving a girlfriend who became his second wife.

Later that year, he was formally ousted from the Air Force for a 2012 assault on his ex-wife in which he choked her and struck her son hard enough to fracture his skull.

At a news conference in South Korea, Trump was asked if he would support “extreme vetting” for gun purchases in the same way he has called for “extreme vetting” for people entering the country. Trump responded by saying stricter gun control measures might have led to more

deaths in the shooting because a bystander who shot at the gunman would not have been armed.

“If he didn’t have a gun, instead of having 26 dead, you would have had hundreds more dead,” Trump said.

Investigators collected at least 15 empty magazines that held 30 rounds each at the scene, suggesting the assailant fired at least 450 rounds. About 20 people were wounded.

Based on evidence at the scene, investigators believe Kelley died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after he was chased by bystanders, one of whom was armed, and crashed his car.

While in the military, Kelley served in logistics readiness at Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico from 2010 until his 2014 discharge, Air Force spokeswoman Ann Stefanek said.

He was discharged for the assault involving his previous wife and her child and had served a year of confinement after a court-martial. Under Pentagon rules, information about convictions of military personnel for crimes such as assault should be submitted to the FBI’s Criminal Justice Investigation Services Division.

Stefanek said the service is launching a review of its handling of the case and taking a comprehensive look at its databases to ensure other cases have been reported correctly.

A few months before he received the bad-conduct discharge, sheriff’s deputies went to his home to check out the domestic violence complaint involving him and his then-girlfriend. People in the house said there was no problem, and no arrests were made. Kelley married the girlfriend two months later.

Kelley lived in New Braunfels, about 35 miles (55 kilometers) north of the church, and had recently started a job as an unarmed security guard at a nearby resort.

Repeal of medical deduction prompts tax bill pushback

By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar ASSOCIATED PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The medical expense deduction targeted for repeal by GOP tax writers has helped to offset costs including nursing home care and fertility treatments, laser eye surgery and travel out-of-state for a second opinion on a rare cancer.

Several million people unlucky enough to face big medical bills not covered by their insurance would lose a valuable deduction under the House GOP bill.

Groups representing older people and patients are trying to save it.

“Anybody who is paying for the cost of nursing home care is paying a great deal of money, and they are going to lose that deduction, and their taxes are going to go up,” said Thomas DeCoursey, a retired lawyer from Kansas, in his 70s.

He relies on the deduction to help offset costs associated with nursing home care for his wife, who has Alzheimer’s.

Some of his own medical expenses also factor in.

DeCoursey estimates that in a couple of years their annual costs will pass $100,000.

“There are a lot of people in my shoes,” said DeCoursey, who lives in Leawood, a well-to-do Kansas City suburb that voted for President Donald Trump last year.

About 9 million households — 6 percent of tax filers — claim the medical expense deduction, said Gordon Mermin, a senior researcher at the nonpartisan Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. The annual cost to the U.S. Treasury is about $10 billion, which ranks it as a modest tax break. Those who benefit tend to be middle-income and uppermiddle-income people.

BUSTED From page A1 known criminal undocumented immigrants who were involved in illicit activity in Zapata County.

Each had prior arrests and convictions for human and narcotic smug-

EXECUTION From page A1

to be executed Wednesday for Laguna’s February 1997 abduction and slaying. He would be the seventh inmate executed this year in Texas, which carries out the death penalty more than any other state.

Attorneys for Cardenas say they plan to file multiple federal court appeals hoping to delay his punishment. They already appealed to state courts, arguing that evidence in his case should undergo new DNA testing because previous testing that pointed to him might not be reliable. Those courts rejected their arguments.

Prosecutors have called the DNA testing request a delay tactic. It’s not clear if the lawyers will present the DNA argument at the federal level.

Attorney Maurie Levin, an attorney for Cardenas, said Tuesday the trial court and the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, the state’s highest criminal court, used “legal technicalities” to block new DNA testing “that could prove his innocence.”

Levin also argued the eyewitness testimony against Cardenas was shaky, contended that little physical evidence tied him to the killing and said a confession from him was obtained only after 22 hours of isolation

“For the people who claim it, it is not a trivial benefit,” said Mermin.

The medical expense deduction is also versatile.

In addition to nursing home care, not generally covered by medical insurance plans, it can be used for: 1 Transportation expenses to a top hospital, like a comprehensive cancer center.

1 Some long-term care insurance premiums.

1 Installing specialized medical equipment in a patient’s home or vehicle.

1 Dental procedures.

1 Bills from out-of-network doctors.

“When you are faced with large medical costs and don’t have a lot of options, this is one that helps people,” said Barbara Collura, president of RESOLVE: The National Infertility Association.

Most insurance plans do not cover fertility treatments, which can cost from $15,000 to $30,000. The deduction can offset some of that cost.

Advocacy groups pushing back against repeal may get help from the Senate.

House Republicans defend their approach.

In a statement, Ways and Means GOP spokeswoman Lauren Aronson said the bill would allow people to “keep more of the money they earn for expenses that arise throughout their lives — such as medical bills — rather than providing a myriad of provisions that many Americans may only use once in their lifetimes, and only if they go through the hassle and frustration of itemizing.”

Republicans say doing away with, or curbing, tax breaks creates a big pot of revenue, which can then be used to lower tax rates. The lower rates and higher standard deduction in the GOP bill would compen-

sate for the loss of particular tax breaks, they say.

An argument against the medical deduction is that it can’t be easily claimed.

Taxpayers have to have enough deductions to itemize in the first place.

Then there’s another step. Taxpayers can only deduct medical expenses that exceed 10 percent of their income, in most cases.

Take a hypothetical single man under 65 making $45,000 a year. If he had $4,000 of qualifying medical expenses, he could not deduct any of it.

Independent analyst Greg Rosica, a tax partner at the Ernst & Young accounting firm, said tax legislation has to be looked at in its totality, not through the lens of individual tax breaks.

“It is a change,” he said of the potential loss of the medical deduction. “It’s not necessarily the loss of something, but it’s something that’s being replaced and changed.”

Democrats have jumped on the issue, arguing that the medical expense deduction would be sacrificed to reduce taxes for the wealthy.

“One of the challenges Republicans have with this provision is that people can understand it,” said Rep. Richard Neal of Massachusetts, senior Democrat on the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee. “Some of this tax stuff is arcane; this is not.”

AARP, the seniors lobby, is urging Congress to keep the deduction, saying the vast majority of those who claim it are older people.

“For people who are sick, many of whom are going to be older Americans, this medical expense deduction makes their health care more affordable,” said Cristina Martin Firvida, AARP’s lead lobbyist on financial security issues. “To them, it is a very big deal.”

gling. They were determined to be from Mexico.

“The arrest of these criminal aliens and preventing them from committing other crimes in the Zapata area is one of the many examples that illustrate how the United States Border Patrol keeps our communities

safe,” said Assistant Chief Patrol Agent Gabriel Acosta.

To report suspicious activity such as alien or drug smuggling, contact the Laredo Sector Border Patrol toll free telephone number at 1-800-343-1994.

and intense police questioning.

“All hallmarks of wrongful convictions,” Levin said. “To permit his execution to proceed when there is potentially exculpatory DNA testing available violates the most basic notions of fairness and justice.”

She added that the Mexican-born Cardenas wasn’t told he could get legal help from the Mexican consulate.

The victim’s younger sister, Roxanna Laguna, told authorities she awoke in pre-dawn darkness to see an intruder in their bedroom. She said Mayra’s mouth was taped and her hands were bound, and that the man went out a window with her.

A woman at the Hidalgo County public housing complex where the Lagunas lived called police after seeing a man walking with a girl who was barefoot and only wearing a shirt and underwear.

Cardenas initially was questioned about the teen’s disappearance because he was a close family member who had socialized with the girl. He was released, then questioned again and arrested after authorities said information he provided conflicted with details from Castillo.

In his statement to police, Cardenas said he was high on cocaine when he and Castillo drove around with Laguna in

his mother’s car and eventually had sex with her.

He said when he untied her to let her go “she then came at me,” scratching him and kneeing him.

“I then lost it and started punching her on the face,” he told detectives.

He said after he hit her in the neck, she began coughing up blood and having breathing difficulties. After trying unsuccessfully to revive her, he said he tied her up “and rolled her down a canal bank.”

Hidalgo County prosecutors argued the DNA request was intended to delay the punishment and “muddy the waters.”

Prosecutors also pointed out in court filings that Cardenas led them to the scene of the killing, providing information not publicly disclosed.

Being born in Mexico made Cardenas eligible for legal help from the Mexican consulate when he was arrested, according to provisions of the Vienna Convention of Consular Relations, which is a 1963 international agreement. The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed executions to move forward in several previous Texas death row cases in which the agreement was said to have been violated.

Cardenas’ friend, Castillo, was convicted of aggravated kidnapping and is serving a 25-year prison term.

A12 | Wednesday, November 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

ENTERTAINMENT World Series is a winner for Fox Network

By David Bauder A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — The Houston Astros may not have the drawing power of the Chicago Cubs, but Fox isn’t about to complain.

The network was blessed with a sevengame World Series for the second straight year, which is ideal for business. The Astros’ victory over the Dodgers reached an average of 28.3 million viewers, the Nielsen company said.

That’s nowhere near the 40 million that 2016’s ultimate game between the Cubs and Cleveland Indians reached. But both those teams were bucking a history of futility, and the seventh game was breathtakingly close. The Astros won their first championship and dominated in the seventh game.

Still, a solid Series enabled Fox to win the ratings race for a second straight week, averaging 9.7 million viewers in prime time. CBS had 8.2 million, NBC had 6.3 million, ABC had 4.5 million, Telemundo had 1.5 million, Univision had 1.4 million, the CW had 1.3 million and ION Television had 1.2 million.

Fox News Channel was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.73 million viewers in prime time. ESPN had 2.24 million, Hallmark had 1.9 million, MSNBC had 1.87 million and USA had 1.27 million.

Fox cancels its ad saying Donald Trump should be impeached

By David Bauder ASSOCIATED PRE SS

NEW YORK — Fox News Channel says it won’t air any more ads from a wealthy Democratic donor advocating President Donald Trump’s impeachment due its viewers’ strong negative reaction.

One negative reaction was from Trump himself, who tweeted that donor Tom Steyer was “wacky and totally unhinged.”

Steyer, a billionaire hedge fund operator, calls on television viewers to sign a petition urging

“People in Congress and his own administration know that this president is a clear and present danger, who’s mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons, and they do nothing,” Steyer said in the ad, which has also aired on CNN and other stations.

Trump’s impeachment.

His lawyer, Brad Deutsch, said Monday that 1.5 million people had signed the petition.

“People in Congress and his own administration know that this president is a clear and present danger, who’s mentally unstable and armed with nuclear weapons, and they do nothing,” Steyer said in the

ad, which has also aired on CNN and other stations.

Three times on the morning of Oct. 27, the ad aired during “Fox & Friends,” the morning show popular with Trump and his fans.

Trump tweeted about “Wacky and Totally Unhinged Tom Steyer, who has been fighting me and my Make America Great

Again agenda.”

Steyer had bought seven more ads for the following week on Fox News, Deutsch said, but the company canceled them.

“Due to the strong negative reaction to their ad by our viewers, we could not in good conscience take their money,” said Jack Abernethy, co-president of Fox News.

Deutsch noted that the ad had aired on other stations owned by Fox News’ parent company, even during the World Series. He said Steyer believes that Fox succumbed to pressure from the White House to scuttle the ad.

“Fox News is admitting that they don’t provide their viewers with information if the information upsets their audience,” he said. “Are they making the same decisions with respect to the news?”

Fox had no additional comment on the ad’s cancellation.