The Zapata Times 4/8/2015

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Elderly man indicted for pot

Rep. Cuellar announces reimbursement opportunity THE ZAPATA TIMES

MISSION, Texas – Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Zapata, announced Tuesday that border communities affected by the humanitarian crisis that developed last year as a result of an influx of unaccompanied minors crossing the

border into the United States will be eligible for financial reimbursement from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

“As my district knows all too well, communities along the border are responsible for dealing with a lot of important and expensive problems like providing humani-

Courtesy photo

Rep. Henry Cuellar, alongside McAllen Mayor Jim Darling and Ana Maria Garcia of Senator Cornyn’s office, announces his reimbursement plan in McAllen, Tuesday.

71-year-old had 523 lbs of weed

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

RAY OF HOPE AWARD

Courtesy photo | LCC

Laredo Community College President Juan L. Maldonado (front, far right) is joined by Olga Ayala, president of the LMC Auxiliary (front, far left), at a ceremony held in honor of the 2015 recipients of the LCC President’s Beacon and Ray of Hope Awards. The ceremony was held March 31 at the Fort McIntosh Campus. Ayala was joined by members of the LMC Auxiliary in receiving the Beacon Award. Joining them at the award ceremony were the high school and LCC students awarded the Ray of Hope Award, which includes a $500 scholarship to attend LCC.

Two Zapatans recognized for service, receive scholarship THE ZAPATA TIMES

T

wo Zapata High School students were recently presented with the Laredo Community College president’s Ray of Hope Award for their strength of character and service to community.

The students were

Alyssa Briseño and Maria G. Rodriguez. They were among 24 area high school students to receive the award.

The students and the women and men of the LMC Auxiliary were acknowledged during a special ceremony on Tuesday, March 31, at the Private David B. Barkeley

Cantu Veterans Memorial Chapel at the LCC Fort McIntosh Campus.

The LMC Auxiliary is the eighth recipient of the LCC President’s Beacon Award, an honor bestowed on individuals who selflessly dedicate themselves to helping LCC and wider communities.

The volunteers of LMC Auxiliary join a long list of honorees that have been selected by LCC President Juan L. Maldonado for their dedication toward helping others.

Past honorees include Jorge F. Gonzalez, J.C. Martin II and James Pearl, and Steve and Linda LaMantia.

“It is a great honor for LCC to recognize the Laredo Medical Center Auxiliary with the Beacon Award. The members of this group are very deserving of this recognition. They unselfishly devote themselves to assisting those whose family

An elderly man accused of transporting more than 500 pounds of marijuana in a phony oilfield pickup was indicted last week in a Laredo federal court.

Wayne Howard Masters, 71, was formally charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.

Each count carries a punishment of five to 40 years in prison, states the indictment. Masters, of Progreso, is in federal custody.

A criminal complaint filed March 4 alleges the man was transporting 523 pounds of marijuana valued at $418,400. The confiscation and arrest happened March 3. At 6:45 a.m., a U.S. Border Patrol agent patrolling the area of U.S. 83 and FM 2687 spotted a pickup “outfitted to look like an oilfield truck and was displaying the company Rock Water Energy Solutions,” according to court documents.

Authorities noticed several other anomalies on the vehicle, including the pickup being “unusually clean” given recent showers in the area. During an immigration inspection, agents identified the man as Masters, who stated he was on his way to the Galvan Ranch in Laredo.

“The Galvan Ranch is a large ranch/property that is known by law enforcement to be used by (human and drug trafficking organizations) to circumvent the (U.S.) Border Patrol checkpoint,” states the complaint.

Masters allegedly agreed to an inspection by a K-9 unit. The narcotics detection dog alerted to possible contraband within the vehicle. Agents

See AWARD PAGE 10A See POT PAGE 10A

MEXICO

15 police officers killed, five wounded in Jalisco attack

By MARK STEVENSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEXICO CITY — Gunmen ambushed a police convoy in the western state of Jalisco, killing 15 state police officers and wounding five as bullets riddled their vehicles in the deadliest single attack on Mexican police in recent memory.

The attack happened late Monday as the convoy traveled on a rural road between the Pacific coast resort of Puerto Vallarta and

Guadalajara, the state capital, the Jalisco state prosecutors’ office said. The death toll exceeded that of what had been the largest recent since attack on law enforcement, an assault that killed 12 federal police officers in neighboring Michoacan state in 2010.

Jalisco is home to a drug cartel known as Jalisco New Generation, which experts say is now among Mexico’s most powerful. Prosecutors would not confirm the gang was involved in Monday night’s attack, but it would be unlikely for a

rival gang to launch such a large attack on Jalisco’s home turf.

While state Security Commissioner Alejandro Solorio did not say how the attack was carried out, he said the convoy was ambushed in a “cowardly attack.”

Local media reported that a vehicle was hijacked, parked across the two-lane road and set on fire to force the convoy to stop.

“The serious thing about this attack was that it was very well

See ATTACK PAGE 10A

AP photo

Federal police stand next to a bullet riddled and burned car after a criminal gang ambushed a police convoy near the town of Soyatlan, Mexico, Monday.

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Used book sale, First United Methodist Church, 10 a.m. to noon.

Come join us at the Laredo Human Resource Management Association Meeting. Embassy Suites at noon. Rodney Klein the Education and Training Manager for the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will be presenting on Harassment and Bullying in the workplace. Register online at LAHRM.org.

Registration is open for G-Force Summer Reading Camp & Vacation Bible School at First United Methodist Church.

The camp will take place June 15 – 19 from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and is for children ages 6 – 12. Applications are available at the church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Registration is $5 per child. For more information, contact Mary Webber at 7221674.

Today is Wednesday, April 8, the 98th day of 2015. There are 267 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On April 8, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act, which provided money for programs such as the Works Progress Administration.

On this date: In 1820, the Venus de Milo statue was discovered by a farmer on the Greek island of Milos.

In 1864, the United States Senate passed, 38-6, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution abolishing slavery. (The House of Representatives passed it in January 1865; the amendment was ratified and adopted in December 1865.)

In 1913, the 17th Amendment to the Constitution, providing for popular election of United States senators (as opposed to appointment by state legislatures), was ratified.

President Woodrow Wilson became the first chief executive since John Adams to address Congress in person as he asked lawmakers to enact tariff reform.

In 1961, a suspected bomb exploded aboard the passenger liner MV Dara in the Persian Gulf, causing it to sink; 238 of the 819 people aboard were killed.

In 1975, “The Godfather Part II” won the Academy Award for best picture; Ellen Burstyn won best actress for “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” while Art Carney received best actor for “Harry and Tonto.”

In 1990, Ryan White, the teenage AIDS patient whose battle for acceptance had gained national attention, died in Indianapolis at age 18. The cult TV series “Twin Peaks” premiered on ABC. In 1994, Kurt Cobain, singer and guitarist for the grunge band Nirvana, was found dead in Seattle from an apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound; he was 27.

Ten years ago: With presidents and kings looking on, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square sang, applauded and chanted for the Catholic Church to declare John Paul II a saint as the pope was laid to rest.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed the New START treaty in Prague.

One year ago: The U.S. said it would keep its current force of 450 land-based nuclear missiles but remove 50 from their launch silos as part of a plan to bring the U.S. into compliance with a 2011 USRussia arms control treaty.

Today’s Birthdays: Comedian Shecky Greene is 89. Actor-turned-diplomat John Gavin is 84. Author and Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Seymour Hersh is 78. Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is 77. Songwriter-producer Leon Huff is 73. Former House Republican Leader Tom DeLay is 68. Actor John Schneider is 55. Singer Julian Lennon is 52.

Actress Robin Wright is 49.

Actress Patricia Arquette is 47. Actor Taylor Kitsch is 34.

Rock singer-musician Ezra Koenig (Vampire Weekend) is 31. Actress Kirsten Storms is 31.

Thought for Today: “Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.” — Pablo Picasso, Spanish artist (born 1881, died this date in 1973).

SATURDAY, APRIL 11 Larry Hernandez Memorial 7th Annual Crime Stoppers 5-K Run/Walk Against Crime at the entrance of Lake Casa Blanca State Park. Registration 7 a.m. Race at 8 a.m. Pre-registration fee $15 through April 10. Day of the event April 11, $20. Kids’ run for ages 10 years and under. Proceeds benefit Laredo Crime Stoppers. The first 100 entries receive T-shirt and goody bag. Registration forms at Laredo Crime Stoppers office, 1200 Washington St., 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., or at Laredo Ciclo Mania at 611 Shiloh, Ste. #2 from 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Call 956-724-1876 for information; applications at www.laredocrimestoppers.org.

TUESDAY, APRIL 14 The Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center orthopedic clinic. Patients must register at the center before the day of the clinic. By appointment only. $5 fee.

For more information contact Norma Rangel at 722-2431.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 Used Book Sale, 10 a.m. to noon, Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited; no admission fee.

“Opportunities and Challenges for Mexico Today” from 7:30 to 9 p.m. at TAMIU Student Center Ballroom 5201 University Blvd. Dr. Negroponte will examine the high expectations for modernization of the Mexican economy under President Enrique Peña Nieto and the 11 structural reforms that he succeeded in passing through Congress. Contact Amy Palacios at cswht@tamiu.edu or 956326-2820.

Registration is open for G-Force Summer Reading Camp & Vacation Bible School at First United Methodist Church.

The camp will take place June 15 – 19 from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and is for children ages 6 – 12. Applications are available at the church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Registration is $5 per child. For more information, contact Mary Webber at 7221674.

SATURDAY, APRIL 18 Garage sale at Holy Redeemer Church, 1602 Garcia St., from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be clothes, toys, furniture and more. Call Amparo Elegarte at 286-0862.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 Volunteer Services Council for Border Region Behavioral Health Center’s 23rd Annual Administrative Professional day Luncheon & Fashion Show featuring scenes from Breakfast at Tiffany’s. At the Laredo Country Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Reservations: Laura Kim via email at blaurak@borderregion.org or 794-3130.

Registration is open for G-Force Summer Reading Camp & Vacation Bible School at First United Methodist Church.

The camp will take place June 15 – 19 from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and is for children ages 6 – 12. Applications are available at the church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Registration is $5 per child. For more information, contact Mary Webber at 7221674.

THURSDAY, APRIL 30 Spanish Book Club from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library on Calton. Call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.

(Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location and purpose.)

Photo by Rodolfo Gonzalez/Austin American-Statesman | AP

Rep. Matt Krause, R-Fort Worth, speaks to the media about the Religious Freedom Reform Act bill he is sponsoring in the House, Tuesday, at the State Capitol in Austin. Texas lawmakers and top business leaders vowed Tuesday to kill two proposed constitutional amendments, one by Krause, they say will promote anti-gay discrimination and could lead to backlash.

Texas eyes religion law

By EVA RUTH MORAVEC ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — Texas lawmakers and top business leaders vowed Tuesday to kill two proposed constitutional amendments they say will promote anti-gay discrimination and could lead to backlash similar to recent reactions in Indiana and Arkansas.

Opponents say the proposals, sponsored by Republicans Rep. Matt Krause and Sen. Donna Campbell, would morph the businessfriendly Lone Star State into a costly state for corporations and negatively affect tourism.

Texas’ Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1999 allows a Texas resident to sue state and local governments if he or she feels that a government entity is burdening their religious beliefs or practices. Lauded as “carefully crafted” by gay rights advocates, the act

explicitly states it cannot be used to undermine federal or state civil rights or take precedence over local ordinances.

The proposed amendments do not explicitly say the law can’t be used to justify discrimination based on sexual orientation, mirroring the original language of the laws passed recently in Indiana and Arkansas that sparked boycotts and strong opposition.

Those states’ Republican-controlled legislatures both revised their laws last week.

Krause said his proposed amendment would give constitutional strength to Texas’ law. It would also trump local laws, including cities’ nondiscrimination ordinances already in place, such as Houston, Dallas, Austin and San Antonio. Dozens of states have similar religious freedom laws, largely modeled after a federal law enacted in 1993 with broad bipartisan support.

More than dozen arrested in drug, gun raids

Hundreds wrongly get acceptance documents

Man gets nearly 19 years in prison for child porn

CANTON — More than a dozen people have been arrested in a crackdown on drugs and stolen weapons in East Texas. Officials say at least 16 people were arrested in the initial raids by multiple law-enforcement agencies.

Authorities say the crackdown led to the confiscation of methamphetamine and stolen weapons linked to drug cases.

SAN MARCOS — Hundreds of prospective students wrongly received acceptance brochures to Texas State University in an error blamed on a mailing service.

More than 450 potential students received the congratulatory documents last week. An official with the school in San Marcos says a third-party mailing service made the mistake.

SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio man has been sentenced to nearly 19 years in federal prison for swapping child pornography images with more than 100 people.Investigators say Daniel David Osuna, 44, communicated and exchanged downloaded child pornography with dozens of individuals and had been doing so for years.

Volunteer firefighters charged with sex assault

Death row inmate in 25year case loses appeal

Police investigating after couple found dead

WAXAHACHIE — Volunteer firefighters south of Dallas are among six people arrested as part of a Texas Rangers investigation into a hazing incident in January at a volunteer fire department. The Texas Department of Public Safety said Tuesday that five men were charged with aggravated sexual assault while a 23-year-old woman is charged with improper photography or visual recording.

HOUSTON — A federal appeals court has refused arguments a man condemned for the fatal stabbing of a 70-year-old Houston man nearly 25 years ago is mentally impaired and ineligible for execution. Courts generally have used a 70 IQ as the threshold for mental impairment. Tests have put Matamoros’ IQ from 77 to 62. Matamoros was convicted of killing Edward Goebel, who was stabbed 25 times.

MCALLEN — South Texas police say they’re investigating an apparent murder-suicide after a couple was found dead inside their home on Easter weekend.

The McAllen police chief tells the Monitor that Thomas Wayne Williams and his 66-year-old wife, Janet Eads Williams, were found dead by a friend Sunday night.

Authorities say the man’s gunshot wound was self-inflicted.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Jurors begin deliberating charges against bomber BOSTON — A judge has sent jurors home in the trial of admitted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after their first day of deliberations.

Judge George O’Toole Jr. dismissed the jury Tuesday after a little more than seven hours of deliberations.

The judge said jurors sent him two notes containing questions shortly before the day’s end. He did not share the contents of the notes publicly but told the jurors he will answer their questions Wednesday morning.

Jurors are considering 30 charges against Tsarnaev.

McLean’s ‘American Pie’ brings $1.2M at auction NEW YORK — Singer-songwriter Don McLean’s original manuscript and notes to “American Pie” sold at auction Tues-

CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Steven Senne | AP

Members of the legal defense team for Boston Marathon bombing suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, from the left, Miriam Conrad, David Bruck, William Fick and Judy Clarke, arrive at federal court, Tuesday, in Boston. day for $1.2 million.

McLean offered his wistful anthem that asks “Do you recall what was revealed the day the music died?” at Christie’s.

The auction house said two people vied for the 16-page manuscript, one in the room and one

on the phone. The winning bid went to the collector in the room who wished to remain anonymous.

Bidding started at $500,000 and rose to $1.2 million in just four minutes.

— Compiled from AP reports

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Local

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Texas House attempts ambitious school funding fix

By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — An ambitious House proposal to fix the much-criticized way Texas pays for its public schools seeks to pour $3 billion extra into classrooms and reduce the state’s reliance on the so-called “Robin Hood” funding mechanism — even as a multiyear court battle continues to rage.

Unveiled Tuesday by the lower chamber’s leading schools expert, Rep. Jimmie

Don Aycock, the sweeping bill would increase per-pupil funding for 94 percent of the state’s 5.2 million public school students — with some school districts in wealthy areas, or those not currently collecting local property taxes at high enough rates, virtually the only ones left out.

No district would see current funding levels decline over the first two years of the plan.

Education advocacy groups have for weeks

cheered Aycock’s attempted school finance overhaul — but all sides also agree it’s still a long way from becoming law.

Texas has no state income tax, meaning public education funding relies heavily on local property taxes and a “Robin Hood” system under which school districts in wealthier parts of the state share funding with those in poorer areas.

Aycock’s plan would scrap a series of “outdated” funding formulas and de-emphasize

AEP customers can receive text alerts SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Consumers served by American Electric Power (AEP) in South and West Texas now have the option to be notified by text message or e-mail when their home or business is affected by a power outage.

Consumers who enroll in AEP Texas Mobile Alerts will receive a notification when an outage has been reported in their area and will get updates as AEP Texas crews determine the outage cause and

can estimate when power is expected to be restored.

“The deployment of advanced meters across the AEP Texas system combined with the proliferation of hand-held communications devices now makes it possible for AEP Texas to let consumers connected to our lines know that we know their power is out and when we expect it to be restored,” said Wade Smith, AEP Texas president and chief operating officer. “Mobile Alerts can help us meet ever-growing expectations

and allows consumers yet another way to be connected to AEP Texas, only this time wirelessly,” he said.

Consumers wishing to enroll in AEP Texas Mobile Alerts should call AEP Texas at 866-223-8508 to register their home or business account. Once that is done, the consumer will receive a link to a website where they can enroll in AEP Texas Mobile Alerts. If a consumer already has an online account, they can login and enroll for the alerts.

the share-the-wealth plan by ensuring that Texas’ poor school districts get more new funding than their wealthier counterparts.

“I think it does what’s right for kids,” said Aycock, a Killeen Republican who spent months building bipartisan support for a proposal he says he can shepherd through the lower chamber.

The problem may lie in the Senate, which has focused more on advancing school voucher plans than

freeing up additional money for classrooms. While both chambers have called for property and business tax cuts, the Senate has made “tax relief” a higher priority than education funding.

In their draft state budgets, both the Senate and House increased school funding by $2-plus billion to cover public school enrollment that grows by 80,000 students per year amid a statewide population boom.

The House approved its budget plan after an all-

night debate last week and included an extra $2.2 billion in new funding beyond enrollment growth costs — money that’s largely available because of rising property values statewide that have increased tax revenues. An additional $800 million to fully fund Aycock’s plan can come via a rider.

The Senate has yet to approve its budget, but hasn’t yet earmarked extra money above enrollment growth costs.

Mexican citizen busted

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A Mexican citizen arrested early March accused of transporting illegal immigrants from Zapata to Laredo for money was formally charged in federal court last week, records show.

An indictment filed March 31 charges Benjamin Garcia Hernandez with conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants within the United States, and transport and attempt to transport undocumented immigrants for financial gain.

His arrest dates back to March 8, when the Za-

pata County Sheriff ’s Office called U.S. Border Patrol regarding a dark colored sport utility vehicle allegedly involved in a human smuggling attempt.

Agents who responded to the call said they observed a dark Ford Explorer coming out of County Road and heading north on U.S. 83.

Multiple occupants could be seen inside the vehicle while a front passenger appeared to be ducking in an attempt to hide, states the criminal complaint filed March 11.

Agents allege the driver was driving recklessly.

Federal authorities acti-

vated their unit’s emergency lights to conduct an immigration inspection. The driver was identified as Garcia Hernandez. He and nine other occupants were taken into custody. All detainees allegedly admitted to being in the country illegally.

Garcia Hernandez was supposed to transport the immigrants from Zapata to Laredo for $1,000, records show. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison. Garcia Hernandez is in federal custody.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

Farm Bill Program offers producers relief SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s(USDA) Farm Service Agency announced Monday that nearly 2,700 applicants will begin receiving disaster assistance through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (ELAP) for losses ex-

perienced from Oct. 1, 2013, through Sept. 30, 2014.

The program, re-authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides disaster relief to livestock, honeybee, and farm-raised fish producers not covered by other agricultural disaster assistance programs. Eligible losses may include excessive heat or winds, flooding, blizzards,

hail, wildfires, lightning strikes, volcanic eruptions and diseases, or in the case of honeybees, losses due to colony collapse disorder.

Beekeepers, most of whom suffered honeybee colony losses, represent more than half of ELAP recipients.

The farm bill caps ELAP disaster funding at $20 million per federal fiscal year

and the Budget Control Act of 2011, passed by Congress, requires USDA to reduce payments by 7.3 percent, beginning Oct. 1, 2014. To accommodate the number of requests for ELAP assistance, which exceeded 2014 funding, payments will be reduced to ensure that all eligible applicants receive a prorated share.

This announcement was made possible by the 2014 Farm Bill, which builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past six years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for the taxpayer. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of

this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative publicprivate conservation partnerships; and developing new markets for rural-made products.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Ft. Parker State Park is more than history “Hey, whatcha doin’ Saturday night?”

“Goin’ to Ft. Parker to do some dancin’. You?” That was a typical inquiry and response in my teen years and the question and response here might tend to be a bit confusing to a minor history buff.

Ft. Parker is a replica of the original fort and settlement in early Texas by the Parker family. The group gained a unique place in history when the Comanche Indian tribe raided the fort and kidnapped a young girl, Cynthia Ann Parker, age 9.

Cynthia grew to be the teenage wife of a Comanche chief. She gave birth to a boy who gained the name of Quanah Parker and became a war chief who led raids against white settlers in Central and North Texas.

Ft. Parker is situated on a lake, Springfield, located between Mexia and Groesbeck. A facility on the lake’s edge was known in my young years by the lake’s name. It had a nice clubhouse with facilities for soft drinks and snacks.

There was the inevitable jukebox and a huge concrete patio with a wall about three feet tall made of natural rock and concrete. The jukebox music was piped out onto the patio.

Springfield/Ft. Parker became a destination once we teens were taught to “slow dance” and jitterbug to the 1950s ballads and rock and roll on the Wurlitzer.

Teens of my era learned to dance via a music teacher who defied the fundamentalist leanings and teachings of a commanding and demanding preacher in the First Baptist Church.

And, we took to it like the proverbial duck to water.

The deliberate defiance of non-First teens manifested in identifying “Springfield” as the unofficial gathering place to “practice” the things we’d learned.

To be sure I wasn’t destined for hell, I went to the preacher (we didn’t use the term “pastor” at our country Baptist church as opposed to the “town” First Baptist) and asked if it was a sin to dance.

His reply showed, I thought, a lot of understanding and common sense. “Do you have evil thoughts when you’re dancing with a girl?” My reply, since I just loved dancing and music, was “no.” He said, “Then, it’s not a sin.”

So, as teens we were, of course, “ineligible” to go

to the “beer joints” (they weren’t nice enough to call “bars” or “night clubs”) where live bands provided dance music.

These “joints” were in Mexia, about 10 miles from my hometown of Teague. Springfield was a couple of miles nearer to Mexia than the actual fort portion of the park.

Frankly, it was natural for us to separate Ft. Parker and Springfield in our minds. One was “history stuff ” and the other was “fun stuff.” Boring or a blast.

While the state park had lots of roads conducive to “parkin’ and sparkin’,” the practice was discouraged by the frequent patrols by Limestone County deputies and state park officers.

Besides, those of us who’d become so enamored of our newly-learned pastime were more concerned with being smooth on the dance floor, not to mention that our home Freestone County had more country roads than you could shake a post oak limb at.

In the course of learning to put one foot in front of the other in doing the two-step, we were also taught how to jitterbug.

While I loved the two-step, I went nutso over the jitterbug — you could just naturally jitterbug to the “new” rock-n-roll with such groups as Bill Haley and The Comets not to mention a new hip-shaking sensation named Elvis Presley.

One step I never quite got the hang of, nor did I particularly like, was the waltz. Later in life, when I re-discovered country music, I found that dances featuring that music just about required the waltz, because about every third song was a waltz. For a short period of time in my life I became fairly proficient at waltzing, even getting “fancy dandy” with it by taking the big, long steps and swirling your partner around the floor in an eye-catching manner.

A double “A” affliction — age and arthritis — have called a halt to anything but a once-a-year or so two step.

Ah, but there are still memories.

Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters.

To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication.

We want to assure

our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms.

Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed.

Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

COMMENTARY

False rape allegations confuse

By ALYSSA ROSENBERG THE WASHINGTON POST

In their scathing report on how Rolling Stone and reporter Sabrina Rubin Erdely botched "A Rape on Campus," a feature about an alleged gang rape at the University of Virginia, staff at the Columbia Graduate School of Journalism noted the story may have done damage to the very cause its authors wanted to aid.

"Erdely and her editors had hoped their investigation would sound an alarm about campus sexual assault and would challenge Virginia and other universities to do better," Sheila Coronel, Steve Coll and Derek Kravitz wrote. "Instead, the magazine’s failure may have spread the idea that many women invent rape allegations."

This idea is old and widespread — David Lisak, a psychologist who studies sexual assault, dates one of its most prominent and influential expressions all the way back to 1847. And in the wake of "A Rape on Campus," it’s critically important not just to continue to push back against the misconception that false reports are common, but to think more carefully about where fabricated allegations come from and the best way to respond to them.

False reports of rape do exist, of course, though they are often a sign of a different kind of crisis that merits serious intervention and sympathy. Cases of true, malicious fabrications by people who are neither mentally ill nor facing some other disaster should be taken seriously and punished by law. But those cases shouldn’t be used as a weapon against people who make a terrible mistake in a desperate bid for aid.

Lisak, Lori Gardinier, Sarah Nicksa and Ashley Cote, in their 2010 review of academic studies that tried to determine the rate of false reports of rape, identified a critically important problem: a pro-

found disagreement on what counts as a false allegation. Their review of the literature reveals just how hard it is to agree upon a definition of a false allegation.

In some studies, "A case can be classified as ‘baseless’ if, for example, a victim reports an incident that, while truthfully recounted, does not meet, in the eyes of investigators, the legal definition of a sexual assault," Lisak and his colleagues write. "This classification is clearly distinct from a case in which a victim deliberately fabricates an account of being raped, yet the ‘unfounded’ category is very often equated with the category of ‘false allegation.’"

A 1992 study of 302 rape reports made to law enforcement conducted by the British Home Office drew a distinction between cases that were "nocrimed" — or neither investigated further nor prosecuted — from reports that were determined to be false allegations. A 2005 study by the same organization dealt with alleged assaults that were classified as false reports that were deemed not credible because the alleged victim was mentally ill, intoxicated, or told inconsistent stories, which can be a sign of trauma.

And Lisak and his colleagues noted that not all false reports are filed by the supposed victims: in a 1977 study of Toronto rape cases found that of 12 allegations (out of 116 total) "in which there appeared to be evidence that a rape did not occur ... only 7 (6%) were false reports actually made by alleged victims themselves; the other 5 were filed by someone other than the victim (e.g., a relative or boyfriend)."

One of the studies Lisak criticizes is E.J. Kanin’s 1994 study of rape allegations in a town of 70,000 people. He classified as false reports allegations where the police told him an accuser had recanted, a methodology that lead him to conclude that 41 percent

of rape allegations were fabrications. But even if you ignore the issues with Kanin’s methodology (and the extreme age of his report) and accept those figures, the study ought to give pause to people who believe that hordes of malicious women are fabricating rape charges that lead to innocent men being prosecuted.

Kanin accepted that 45 allegations of rape were false, and sorted them into three categories: 56 percent served the complainants’ need to provide a plausible explanation for some suddenly foreseen, unfortunate consequence of a consensual encounter, though only half of those women actually named an alleged attacker. Another 18 percent of those cases seemed to stem from an accuser’s need for attention, and in none of those instances was any particular person accused of rape.

And Kinan classified 27 percent, or 12 cases, as retaliation against a specific man.

In academic literature, Kinan is viewed as an unsympathetic analyst who is far too deferential to the police. And it’s not unreasonable to conclude that his outlier figures give the misleading impression that fabricated rape claims are common. But even he concluded that "false accusations can be viewed as the impulsive and desperate gestures of women simply attempting to alleviate understandable conditions of personal and social distress," including a fear of being unable to obtain an abortion after consensual sex or a violent home situation.

More recently, Quinnipiac University School of Nursing professor emeritus Barbara Moynihan told me that service providers and law enforcement need to look below the surface of an implausible-seeming rape allegation to see what’s motivating a potential victim’s distress.

"How many times have people said ‘I was raped by

the system’? They’re not talking about sexual assault. But they’re using that to describe their feelings of helplessness and powerlessness," Moynihan argues. "Maybe they’re using a term to describe something that isn’t sexual assault, but makes them feel totally powerless, vulnerable, that makes them feel like they’ve been raped. You begin by believing, until you find cause not to believe that particular statement, and then you say, ‘Can you talk a little more about it?’... It’s saying ‘What else is going on?’ A person wouldn’t just walk into a police station and just say ‘I was raped.’ What else is happening? ‘They just threw my furniture out of my house and evicted me, I didn’t think the eviction was going to happen so fast.’ You need to create a situation in which a person can talk about it."

As Drs. Kimberly Lonsway and Lisak, in collaboration with retired police Sgt. Joanne Archambault, wrote in a 2009 briefing for the National Center for the Prosecution of Violence Against Women, "many ‘real’ false reports involve only a vaguely described stranger, so the victim can receive the caring attention of law enforcement officials and social service providers without the fear that someone will be arrested. Clearly, these cases can be extremely frustrating for criminal justice professionals, but they are probably best handled with appropriate referrals for social services rather than prosecution for filing a false report."

It would be irresponsible to speculate which category the subject of "A Rape on Campus" falls into without further hard evidence. But the people who are concerned about the harm she may have done to the reputations of a group of young men shouldn’t compound the damage she’s caused by invoking her to discredit other people who may be in desperate need of help.

CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NCAA BASKETBALL: DUKE

Blue Devils celebrate title Duke welcomed home after winning tourney

By JOEDY MCCREARY ASSOCIATED PRESS

DURHAM, N.C. — Quinn Cook turned around and pointed to the Cameron Indoor Stadium rafters, toward those four national championship banners that cast long shadows at Duke.

Then the Blue Devils captain said: “I think they’ve got to make some room up there” for another one.

Duke brought its latest

national championship trophy back to campus Tuesday, with perhaps 8,000 fans flocking to Cameron for this title celebration.

The Blue Devils earned banner No. 5 by beating Wisconsin 68-63 on Monday night in Indianapolis.

During Tuesday’s 35minute rally on campus, coach Mike Krzyzewski called this “my favorite year” — a strong statement for a Hall of Famer who just wrapped up his

Photo by Gerry Broome | AP

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski addresses the crowd during a homecoming celebration for Duke Tuesday in Durham, N.C. 35th season here.

“My guys have been an

absolute joy to coach,” Coach K said.

Cook led the team onto the stage and big man Marshall Plumlee brought out the championship trophy. Krzyzewski said President Barack Obama called him to offer an invitation to the White House.

For Cook, this was the perfect way to go out.

“They’ve made this the greatest year we ever could have imagined,” Cook said. “These guys have made my senior year magical.”

Duke ended the season with eight scholarship players — and half of them were freshmen, though some of them (Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow) could

wind up in the NBA next season.

As a result, the overarching theme of this season was for these Blue Devils to live in the present. They couldn’t worry about the external expectations that come with representing a program that already had four national titles — and those pesky, recent early NCAA Tournament losses to Lehigh and Mercer — in its history.

“What we’ve tried to do all year is enjoy the moment,” Krzyzewski said.

This Duke team started the season at No. 4 in the AP Top 25, never fell out of the top five and won 18 of its last 19 games. At the time, Krzyzewski described the lone defeat in that stretch — an ACC semifinal loss to Notre Dame — as an “out-ofbody experience.”

The Blue Devils (35-4) never allowed more than 63 points in six NCAA Tournament victories, capping their run by rallying to beat the Badgers with those four freshmen scoring 60 of the team’s 68 points.

“In the history of our program, we’ve won a lot of things, and one of the reasons we won was not because we were pursuing a fifth” championship, Krzyzewski said. “It was

because we were pursuing our own.”

Before the players made their entrance, fans watched a replay of the television broadcast of the game on the arena’s video scoreboard, cheering and jeering at the same places many of them did the night before during a boisterous watch party at Cameron.

During the rally, the scoreboard showed the game’s final score and the clock was frozen on 20:15.

It marked the year, yet also was appropriate for a team and a fan base longing to make time stand still, at least for that night.

“Last night was absolutely magical,” Krzyzewski said. “There’s nothing quite like the moment when you know you’ve won the national championship.”

Nation

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

Father, seven children found dead in home

By JULIET LINDERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. — A divorced father and the seven children he was trying to raise on a kitchen worker’s salary were poisoned in their sleep by carbon monoxide only days after the power company discovered a stolen meter and cut off electricity to their rental home, police said Tuesday.

Delmarva Power said it did not cut off the family’s electricity because they were behind on their bills, but for safety reasons after discovering the illegal connection March 25.

Rodney Todd, 36, then bought a gas-powered generator and installed it in his kitchen to keep his two sons and five daughters warm.

Friends and relatives last saw them alive March 28.

“The children were all in beds, and it appears as though they were sleeping,” Princess Anne police Chief Scott Keller said. “Probably it was bedtime and they decided they needed some light and probably some heat, because toward the end of March even though it was spring we were having some pretty chilly nights.”

Police found their bodies Monday inside the one-story wood-frame home on Mary-

land’s Eastern Shore after school workers, friends and Todd’s co-workers knocked on the door with no answer.

“I’m just numb. Like it’s a nightmare but it’s not,” the children’s mother, Tyisha Luneice Chambers, told The Associated Press on Tuesday. “If I had known he was without electricity, I would have helped.”

Why Todd had a generator running indoors wasn’t clear. The chief ruled out foul play and speculated that had it been outside, the noise would have bothered neighbors. The utility’s statement didn’t say whether Todd made any arrangements with Delmarva Power or any other authorities or social workers to restore electricity after the illegal meter was removed. The police chief said the utility has been subpoenaed to document exactly what it did when. Maryland’s Public Service Commission, which regulates utilities, also is investigating.

Maryland regulations allow utility companies to terminate service without notice if the utility finds a condition on the customer’s premise is hazardous or the customer has tampered with the utility’s equipment.

Sen. James Mathias Jr., a Democrat who represents Princess Anne, addressed

Photo by Joe Lamberti/The Daily Times | AP

Onlookers gather outside of a house, where seven children and one adult were found dead Monday in Princess Anne, Md. Maryland’s Senate on Tuesday, asking his fellow lawmakers to work with agencies and neighborhood groups to make certain the eight deaths were not in vain.

Although Todd got some welfare money, it wasn’t enough to pay the bills, his close friend Sarah Hardy said Tuesday morning.

“How can a man survive off of basically minimum wage with seven kids, and you can’t help him with a utility bill?” Hardy asked.

“This man was working.

And Delmarva Power cuts the lights off?”

Later Tuesday, the utility revealed that the rental home never had legal power while the Todds lived there.

The utility said the electricity had been disconnected

in October, and there was no request to reconnect it after the family moved there in November.

“Through the use of smart meter technology, Delmarva Power discovered a stolen electric meter was being used at the home on March 25, 2015. Delmarva Power disconnected the illegally connected meter for safety reasons and to comply with standard protocol.

Delmarva Power did not disconnect electric service at this address for nonpayment,” its statement said.

Bonnie Edwards said her grandsons, Cameron and ZhiHeem, were 13 and 7, and her granddaughters, Tyjuziana, Tykeria, Tynijuzia, TyNiah and Tybreyia, were 15, 12, 10, 9 and 6, respectively. Todd did all he

could to stretch his money for their care, she said.

“There was nothing he wouldn’t do for them,” Edwards said. “All he was trying to do was to keep his kids warm.”

A co-worker at the nearby University of Maryland Eastern Shore, Brittney Hudson, said Todd “was always smiling and laughing.”

“He’s the man you need to know and the man you want to be,” said Bilel Smith, who lives nearby.

“They were their own football team, their own basketball team. This is breaking our hearts.”

Todd retained full custody when their divorce was finalized last September, and his ex-wife said he never harmed the children. But Chambers said he was physically abusive to her and stabbed her in the face before serving 16 months in prison for assaulting her.

Chambers also said she had been the primary breadwinner when they were together and kept paying child support until losing track of them in Todd’s last move.

“I was working 12-16 hours as a manager at McDonald’s, the overnight shift. He was home cooking and cleaning, and I was the working mom,” she said.

But Hardy said there is

more to that story.

“She abandoned him and the family,” Hardy said. “He took his seven kids and her son and raised them on his own.”

Todd had received assistance with utility bills in the past but did not apply for help this year, said Tom VanLandingham, who directs the Office of Home Energy Programs in Somerset County. Families can apply once a year, and assistance is based on household income and energy use, among other factors.

“We’re all kind of baffled as to why he did not apply this year. ... That’s the million-dollar question,” VanLandingham said before the utility’s announcement.

Todd’s children had big personalities. The youngest, Tybreyia, “was the bashful type,” Hardy said, “but she was really loving.” Cameron, who Hardy nicknamed “Pun,” was a “quiet and reserved, but he was a Casanova.” The older girls loved it when Todd styled their hair —a skill he almost mastered.

“They took care of each other,” and they helped their dad, too, she said.

“Even the little one,” Hardy said, referring to 7-yearold ZhiHeem, “I’d see him with a little broom and dustpan.”

Ferguson election anticipated

By JIM SALTER AND JIM SUHR ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Jacquelyn Martin | AP

Chris Cellini of Charlotte, N.C., left, lifts his son Aiden Cellini, 5, onto his shoulders after a visit to the Natural History Museum.

Power out across Washington DC

By BEN NUCKOLS ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Widespread power outages affected the White House, the Capitol, museums, train stations and other sites across Washington and its suburbs Tuesday afternoon — all because of an explosion at a Maryland power station, officials said.

Many of the outages were brief, but some were longer and forced evacuations. Officials said a mechanical failure at a transfer station led to the outages, and terrorism was not suspected. Tens of thousands of customers lost power.

At the White House, backup generators kicked on, so the interruption lasted only a few seconds. The complex quickly went back onto regular power. Electricity in the press briefing room dipped around lunchtime, briefly darkening cubicles and blackening TV screens.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office when the power blip occurred, and they didn’t notice anything unusual. Only some of the offices in the White House complex were affected, he said.

Power also went out at the State Department during the daily press briefing, forcing spokeswoman Marie Harf to finish her comments in the dark.

Power in the U.S. Capitol building twice shut down briefly, and then came back on by way of a generator.

The mechanical failure occurred shortly before 1 p.m. at a transfer station in Charles County, Maryland, that is controlled by utilities serving Washington and southern Maryland. Homeland security officials in Washington and Maryland said there was an explosion at the station, although the two utilities, Pepco and the Southern Maryland Electric Cooperative, could not immediately confirm that there was a blast or fire. No

one was injured, the utilities said.

Admiral William Gortney — commander of the U.S. Northern Command, which is tasked with homeland defense — was visiting the Pentagon when the outage hit. He said it was important to assess how well backup systems work during such events.

“Are the backup systems that we put in place, do they work? At the moment, that’s what I’ve been told is that they all kicked in and they’re all working, everybody was back up on backup power, which is why we do it. We build redundancy into this critical infrastructure,” Gortney said.

But some effects of the outages were still apparent later Tuesday afternoon.

Some traffic lights were out, and Metro said 14 of its 91 public transit stations were affected. Power to the trains remained on and trains were moving, Metro spokesman Dan Stessel said, but the affected stations were on emergency power, with dimmer lighting and nonworking elevators and escalators.

University of Maryland officials said their entire campus was affected.

Some Smithsonian museums also lost power. The National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of the American Indian, the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian American Art Museum and the Anacostia Community Museum were evacuated and closed to the public, a spokeswoman said.

Jenni Swan, who was visiting from Savannah, Georgia, with her husband and two children, said they were eating in the atrium of the Air and Space Museum around 1 p.m. when security officers said the building was being evacuated. Almost an hour later, they were not yet let back in.

“Honestly I think my kids are excited because of all the fire trucks and people leaving the building quickly,” she said. “I think Daddy’s a little annoyed.”

FERGUSON, Mo. — Voters braved heavy rain and lightning to get to the polls Tuesday for municipal elections in Ferguson that could substantially boost the number of African-American city council members in the St. Louis suburb at the center of a national debate about how police interact with black residents.

Ferguson currently has just one black member of its six-person City Council, even though AfricanAmericans make up about two-thirds of residents. The lone black member, Dwayne James, is not up for re-election.

After Tuesday, at least two, and possibly three African-Americans will be on the council.

Three of the six council seats are at stake in the first Ferguson election since a white police officer last August fatally shot 18-year-old Michael Brown, who was black and unarmed. The shooting sparked sometimes violent protests in the St. Louis area, and spawned a national “Black Lives Matter” movement to press for change in how police deal with local minorities.

It also prompted a review by the U.S. Justice Department, which decided not to prosecute the white police officer. But the federal department released a scathing report blasting the city for racial bias and profiling in the police department and a profit-driven municipal court system. Several city officials re-

Photo by Laurie Skrivan/The St. Louis Post-Dispatch | AP

Lee Smtih casts his vote for Ferguson City Council seat in Ward 3 on Tuesday at in Ferguson, Mo. Smith is running against Wesley Bell in Ward 3, the neighborhood where Michael Brown died. signed following the review, including the city manager, police chief and municipal judge. The municipal court clerk was fired for racist emails.

The new city council will be tasked with approving hiring of the replacements.

The scrutiny in the wake of the shooting also found that the city of 21,000 residents had a mostly white police force and city leadership — the mayor also is white.

The race for the 3rd Ward, which includes the apartment complex where Brown was killed, involves two black men — Lee Smith, 76, and Wesley Bell, 40 — guaranteeing that an additional black resident will join the council. The 1st Ward features four candidates, two black and two white.

The 2nd Ward race involves two white men.

Still, turnout is expected to be low, which isn’t

unique for municipal elections. Turnout for the local election last April was 12.3 percent, said Eric Fey, director of elections for St. Louis County.

A strong push was made after the shooting to register more black voters, but Fey said just 562 new voters were added to the rolls. In recent weeks, the focus has been on getting those who are registered to vote.

On Tuesday, severe storms that roiled the region appeared to be dissuading would-be voters from venturing to the polls. Fey said it wasn’t immediately clear how many ballots had been cast as of mid-day, or how turnout compared to previous spring municipal elections.

“In general, so far what we’ve been hearing is (turnout) has been light. The weather has been very bad so far,” he

said.

But the weather didn’t deter Marty Einig, who has participated in Ferguson protests since August. The 3rd Ward voter appeared buoyed by the election’s potential.

“I see there is raw material within this community to demonstrate hope,” he said. “I see a glass that’s half full, and I feel that the people have the will to force change.”

Charrolynn Washington agreed. Voting at the First Presbyterian Church of Ferguson, she said the election is where real change will occur.

“As much change is needed here in Ferguson, this is where we begin — not out there in the streets, doing what they were doing — but, right here,” Washington said.

“They need to be voting and putting people in position to make the change and make the decisions that need to be made.”

White officer shot black man

By BRUCE SMITH ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A white South Carolina police officer was charged with murder Tuesday in the weekend shooting death of a black motorist after a traffic stop.

City Patrolman Michael Thomas Slager was arrested and charged after law enforcement officials saw a video of the shooting following a Saturday traffic stop, North Charleston Mayor Keith Summey told a hastily called news conference.

Authorities say the victim, 50-year-old Walter Lamer Scott of Charleston, was shot after the officer already hit him with a stun

gun. A video of the shooting released to news media outlets shows the officer firing several times at the man’s back while he’s running away.

Summey said at a news conference that Slager made a “bad decision.”

“When you’re wrong, you’re wrong,” Summey said. “When you make a bad decision, don’t care if you’re behind the shield or a citizen on the street, you have to live with that decision.”

Slager’s attorney had released a statement Monday saying the officer felt threatened and that the motorist was trying to grab the officer’s stun gun. The attorney told The Post and Courier of Charleston on

Tuesday that he no longer represents the officer.

North Charleston Police said Slager was arrested by officers of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.

The shooting occurred as heightened scrutiny is being placed on police officer shootings, particularly those that involve white officers and unarmed black suspects. A grand jury declined to indict Ferguson, Missouri, officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown last August, leading to nationwide protests.

In a separate case in South Carolina, a white police officer who shot a 68year-old black man to death last year in his drive-

way was charged Tuesday with a felony: discharging a gun into an occupied vehicle. A prosecutor previously tried to indict North Augusta officer Justin Craven on a manslaughter charge in the February 2014 death of Ernest Satterwhite. But a grand jury instead chose misconduct in office, which is a far lesser charge.

Craven chased Satterwhite for 9 miles beyond city limits to the man’s driveway in Edgefield County. After Satterwhite parked, the officer repeatedly fired through the driver-side door, prosecutors said. The 25-year-old officer faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted of the gun charge.

Politics

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

Rand Paul begins presidential run

By PHILIP ELLIOTT AND ADAM BEAM ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Sen. Rand Paul launched his 2016 presidential campaign Tuesday with a combative challenge both to Washington and his fellow Republicans, cataloguing a lengthy list of what ails America and pledging to “take our country back.”

Paul’s fiery message, delivered in his home state of Kentucky before he flew to four early-nominating states, was designed to broaden his appeal outside of the typical GOP coalition as well as motivate supporters of his father’s two unsuccessful bids for the Republican presidential nomination.

In a 26-minute speech that eviscerated “the Washington machine,” he spared neither Republican nor Democrat as he attempted to tap into Americans’ deep frustrations with their government.

“I worry that the opportunity and hope are slipping away for our sons and daughters,” the tea party favorite said. “As I watch our once-great economy collapse under mounting spending and debt, I think, ’What kind of America will our grandchildren see?”’

He added: “It seems to me that both parties and the entire political system are to blame.”

By criticizing fellow Republicans, Paul showed he was ready to run a toughtalking campaign equally at ease criticizing both major parties.

“Big government and debt doubled under a Republican administration,” Paul said in a swipe at former President George W. Bush, whose brother, Jeb, is expected to be a Paul rival for the GOP nomination.

He immediately followed up: “And it’s now tripling under Barack Obama’s watch.”

In what well might have been a jab at Jeb Bush and other rivals considered more mainstream, he added: “If we nominate a candidate who is simply Democrat Lite, what’s the point?”

At a splashy kickoff rally, Paul promised a government restrained by the Constitution and beholden no more to special interests.

“I have a message, a message that is loud and clear and does not mince words: We have come to take our country back,” he told cheering supporters.

Paul is a fierce critic of Washington, where he is in his first term as a senator but often not in line with his party’s leadership. A banner over the stage in Louisville proclaimed: “Defeat the Washington machine. Unleash the American dream.”

Paul was clearly most passionate about upending the way Washington works.

“I propose we do something extraordinary,” he said. “Let’s just spend what comes in.”

Cheers erupted when he decried government searches of phones and computer records as a threat to civil liberties. Most Republicans defend the practice as a necessary defense against terrorism.

“I say the phone records of law-abiding citizens are none of their damn business,” Paul said of government officials.

Tom Stewart, a 58-yearold resident of London, Kentucky, joined Paul’s rally and counted himself a backer.

“I like that he wants less government,” Stewart said.

“Less spending. Less intrusion. Maybe less intrusion into everybody’s rights around the world.”

Paul’s challenge now is to convince other Republican voters that his is a vision worthy of the GOP presidential nomination, a prize twice denied his father, former Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. The elder Paul joined his son at Tuesday’s announcement and got a raucous cheer when he was introduced.

Paul begins the 2016 race

Photo by Carolyn Kaster | AP

Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. arrives to announce the start of his presidential campaign, Tuesday, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, Ky. as the second fully declared candidate, behind Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas. They could face as many as 20 rivals before the lead-off Iowa caucuses in February.

Paul is a frequent contrarian against his party’s orthodoxy, questioning the size of the U.S. military and proposing relaxation of some drug laws that imprison offenders at a high cost to taxpayers. He also challenges the GOP’s support for surveillance programs, drone policies and sanctions on Iran and Cuba.

But as the presidential campaign has come closer, Paul has shifted his approach somewhat on the

question of how much government the country actually needs.

He recently proposed a 16 percent increase in the Pentagon’s budget, a switch from his earlier call for military and troop cuts.

Tech savvy and youth focused, Paul is expected to be an Internet pacesetter whom his competitors will have to chase.

Paul’s digital advisers, for example, kept track of who asked questions in a Facebook exchange after the speech, harvesting data to reach prospective voters.

It’s unclear how much support Paul can muster in the Republican mainstream.

THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

Obama talks climate

By JOSH LEDERMAN AND NEDRA PICKLER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Global warming isn’t just affecting the weather, it’s harming Americans’ health, President Barack Obama said Tuesday as he announced steps government and businesses will take to better understand and deal with the problem.

Obama said hazards of the changing climate include wildfires sending more pollution into the air, allergy seasons growing longer and rising cases of insect-borne diseases.

“We’ve got to do better in protecting our vulnerable families,” Obama said, adding that, ultimately, all families are affected.

“You can’t cordon yourself off from air,” Obama said. Speaking at Howard University Medical School, he announced commitments from Google, Microsoft and others to help the

Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP

President Barack Obama, with US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, left, speaks at Howard University in Washington, Tuesday. nation’s health system prepare for a warmer, more erratic climate.

Warning of the perils to the planet has gotten the president only so far; polls consistently show the public is skeptical that the steps Obama has taken to curb pollution are worth the cost to the economy. So Obama is aiming to put a spotlight on ways that climate change will have real impacts on the body, like more asthma attacks, allergic reactions, heat-related deaths and injuries from extreme weather.

Obama said spending on health — such as preventing asthma — can save more money than it costs, as well as alleviate pain and suffering.

Surgeon General Vivek Murthy noted that people suffering from an increase in asthma-attack triggers lose time at work and school. Murthy, a doctor, said the problem was especially personal for him because he’s seen so many patients struggle to breathe and his own uncle died of a severe asthma attack.

PÁGINA 8A

Zfrontera MÉXICO

Ribereña en Breve

Emboscada

CAMINATA CONTRA CRIMEN LAREDO— La organización Crime Stoppers realizará la carrera “Larry Hernandez Memorial 7th Annual Crime Stoppers 5-K Run/Walk Against Crime” el sábado 11 de abril.

El punto de inicio será en la entrada del Lago Casa Blanca. El registro para la carrera empieza a las 7 a.m. y la carrera empieza a las 8 a.m. El costo por el prerregistro de es de 15 dólares hasta 10 de abril. El día del evento el costo por participar será de 20 dólares. También habrá una carrera para niños menores de 10 años.

A los ganadores se les entregarán trofeos y medallas. Todas las ganancias será para beneficio de Laredo Crime Stoppers. Las primeras 100 personas en registrarse recibirán una camiseta y una bolsa con souvenirs.

La forma para registrarse estarán disponibles de lunes a viernes en la oficina administrativa de Crime Stoppers del centro en 1200 de la calle Washington de 9 a.m. a 6 p.m. o en Laredo Ciclo Mania en 611 Shiloh Suite 2 de 11 a.m. a 6:30 p.m. Para mayores informes llame al 956724-1876, la forma de registro también se puede conseguir en http://www.laredocrimestoppers.org.

MIÉRCOLES 8 DE ABRIL DE 2015

POR MARK STEVENSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEXICO— Al menos 15 policías muertos y otros cinco heridos dejó una emboscada de presuntos miembros del crimen organizado en el oeste de México, en el que para autoridades ha sido el peor ataque en los últimos años contra alguna corporación de seguridad.

El comisionado de Seguridad Pública del estado de Jalisco, Alejandro Solorio, dijo en un mensaje a la prensa que "fueron emboscados" cuando viajaban de la localidad turística de Puerto Vallarta, en el Pacífico, hacia la capital estatal, Guadalajara.

Tanto fallecidos como heridos eran parte de la Fuerza Única Jalisco, la corporación policial estatal.

Solorio, quien hace unos días salió ileso de otra emboscada atribuida al crimen organizado, dijo que miembros de la misma organización mataron en otra acción al jefe de la policía de la municipalidad de Zacoalco de Torres, Miguel Angel Caicedo.

Horas antes, la fiscalía había informado de la emboscada en un ataque atribuido a una reacción por la reciente muerte de un presunto líder local del narcotráfico.

El ataque se registró el lunes

CORTE DE COMISIONADOS La Corte de Comisionados del Condado de Zapata se reunirá el lunes 13 de abril en el Palacio de Justicia del Condado de Zapata.

La junta comenzará a las 9 a.m. y continuará hasta las 12 p.m.

Para mayor información puede contactar a Roxy Elizondo llamando al (956) 765-9920.

Al menos 15 policías murieron y cinco más resultaron heridos después de una emboscada por parte de presuntos integrantes del crimen organizado, durante su curso hacia Guadalajara, dijeron autoridades. en una carretera de la comunidad Soyatán, a unos de 700 kilómetros al oeste de la ciudad de México, cuando un comando armado atacó a tiros a miembros de la policía estatal en una zona serrana del estado, lo que derivó en un enfrentamiento.

Aunque las autoridades no han identificado al grupo detrás de los ataques, analistas asumen que se trata del Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación, un grupo del narcotráfico que se ha fortalecido en los últimos años e incluso ha extendido sus operaciones a otros estados en disputas con grupos rivales.

"Es uno de los ataques más mortíferos", dijo a The Associated Press Raúl Benítez, experto en seguridad de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. "Creo que se que debe a que el gobierno está haciendo una ofensiva muy grande; el ejército, la marina y la

policía federal contra el Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación".

La policía del estado ha sostenido algunos enfrentamientos en las últimas semanas con presuntos miembros del crimen organizado, en uno de los cuales murió un hombre identificado como Heriberto Acevedo Cárdenas, "El Gringo", supuesto cabecilla local del narcotráfico.

El 19 de marzo pistoleros emboscaron un convoy de la policía federal y el 30 de marzo intentaron asesinar al comisionado estatal de seguridad, esto último en represalia por la muerte de "El Gringo", dijeron recientemente las autoridades.

El fiscal estatal Luis Carlos Nájera había identificado previamente a Acevedo como el autor intelectual de un ataque a soldados en mayo de 2014.

Jalisco ha sido un estado con

presencia desde hace mucho del poderoso Cartel de Sinaloa. Ahí operaba una facción encabezada por Ignacio "Nacho" Coronel, quien murió en una operación de autoridades federales en julio de 2010.

Tras su muerte, facciones que formaban parte del grupo de Coronel empezaron a operar por su cuenta y surgió el Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación.

El Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación ha sido señalado de varios hechos violentos en los últimos años tanto en Jalisco como en otros estados en su disputa con grupos rivales, incluidos Los Caballeros Templarios, que dominaban el estado vecino de Michoacán.

La organización criminal fue ligada con el hallazgo de docenas de cuerpos en fosas clandestinas en la comunidad de La Barca, cerca del Lago de Chapala, una zona de Jalisco popular entre turistas canadienses y estadounidenses.

También fueron señalados de ser los responsables en septiembre de 2011 de lanzar 35 cadáveres en una calle cercana al puerto de Veracruz, en el estado del mismo nombre y en el extremo opuesto a Guadalajara. Las autoridades señalaron que era parte de una batalla con sus rivales del cartel de Los Zetas.

PRIMAVERA

USDA

OBRA DE ARTE

ELAP ayudará a más de 2.000

CAMPAÑA MÉDICO-ASISTENCIAL MIGUEL ALEMAN — Se implementará la primer campaña médico asistencial propuesta por miembros de los ministerios nacionales “Betel” el 11 de junio, de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m.

El grupo de 15 personas, entre médicos y enfermeros, estarán representados por la misionera Deana Gatlin. Además traerán consigo ropa, medicamentos y despensas.

El Presidente Municipal, Ramiro Cortez, informó que los misioneros evangélicos viajarán a las comunidades rurales del sur de Miguel Alemán el 13 de junio.

CONVOCATORIA El Gobierno de Tamaulipas, a través del Instituto Tamaulipeco para la Cultura y las Artes (ITCA), en coordinación con el Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA) invita a intelectuales, artistas e intérpretes a participar en la convocatoria para obtener apoyo económico para cursar Residencias Artísticas y Capacitación del Programa de Estímulo a la Creación y al Desarrollo Artístico (PECDA) 2015.

Los requisitos son, en participación individual: ser creadores tamaulipecos o con residencia continua mínima comprobable de 3 años en el Estado de Tamaulipas, mayores de 18 años, con trayectoria acreditada en disciplinas artísticas.

Las fechas para la capacitación deberán estar comprendidas en el periodo julionoviembre de 2015. Para el registro, los interesados deberán de entrar al sitio del PECDA (www.pecdaenlinea.conaculta.gob.mx), llenar la solicitud de participación en línea. Y subir al sitio del PECDA los documentos y anexos obligatorios.

Para información, los aspirantes pueden llamar al teléfono 01 (834) 1534312 ext.

111, 131 y 132.

ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Foto de cortesía por Mike Barnett | Texas Farm Bureau

Una variedad de flores silvestres han cubierto los caminos y carreteras alrededor de Texas.

Destacan flores silvestres en caminos TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

M

anejar por las carreteras de Texas es un espectáculo gratuito de la naturaleza para el mundo.

Varios colores sobresalen, como el amarillo y el azul.

Laredo no es la excepción, y son ya varias semanas que se pueden observar sábanas de flores cubriendo varios puntos de la ciudad.

Mike Barnett, Director de Publicaciones del Texas Farm Bureau, recientemente viajó por los caminos de La Coste, Devine y Bigfoot.

“Por el camino había campos de (flores) amarillas, mezcladas con púrpura. De fondo, una yuca puntiaguda. Bellísimo”, escribió Barnett en una columna.

De camino a Poteet dijo que encontró hectáreas y hectáreas de un anaranjado exuberante. “Una verdadera obra de arte”, comentó.

A decir de Barnett, la lluvia recibida durante el invierno e inicios de la primavera fue una bendición, a la cual el Sur de Texas respondió.

“Nunca lo había visto tan hermoso”, concluyó.

Según el sitio de Internet de “Texas Wildlife”, pese a que en el Sur de Texas las lluvias son escasas, “cuando llega (la primavera y el otoño) sobreviene una abundancia de flores silvestres, cactus, y arbustos florecientes tales como el huisache”.

En el Parque Estatal Lago Casa Blanca y por Monarch Drive, o bien Mines Road, se logran captar imágenes con Bluebonnets de fondo. La Bluebonnet es considerada la Flor de Texas. Por el Bob Bullock Loop 20 es fácil admirar campos llenos con pe-

Foto de cortesía | Martha Keizer

Una flore silvestres altamuz azul al lado del camino, dentro de los jardines del Parque Estatal Lago Casa Blanca en Laredo. queñas flores amarillas, y en varios jardines, sobresalen las Blue-eyed grass, o bien el girasol común.

Nuestra sugerencia es que se to-

me un tiempo, estacione su carro, y se deleite admirando y fotografiando lo que esta primavera nos está regalando.

Más de 2.000 personas han sido seleccionadas para recibir ayuda financiera por desastres agrícolas, anunció el Departamento de Agricultura (USDA, por sus siglas en inglés).

A través del programa de Asistencia de Emergencia por Ganado, Cría de Granjas de Abejas y Pescado (ELAP, por sus siglas en inglés) de USDA, cerca de 2.700 solicitantes recibirán alivio económico por pérdidas experimentales, sufridas entre el 1 de octubre de 2013 y el 30 de septiembre de 2014.

El programa, autorizado nuevamente por la Ley Agrícola 2014, proporciona alivio por desastres a productores ganaderos, apicultores y con criaderos de peces, que no son cubiertos por otros programas de asistencia para desastres agrícolas.

Las pérdidas que se califican pueden incluir exceso de calor o viento, inundaciones, tormentas de nieve, granizo, incendios, rayos, erupciones volcánicas y enfermedades, o en el caso de la apicultura, pérdidas debidas al desorden del colapso de colonias. Los apicultores, la mayoría de los cuales sufrieron pérdidas de colonias de abejas, representan más de la mitad de los beneficiarios de ELAP. La ley agrícola cubre financiamiento por desastres con el programa ELAP con 20 millones de dólares por año fiscal federal. La Ley de Control del Presupuesto de 2011, aprobada por el Congreso, requiere a USDA reducir los pagos en un 7,3 por ciento, a partir del 1 de octubre de 2014.

Para atender a los solicitantes elegibles, que superaron los fondos de 2014, los pagos se reducirán para garantizar que todos los solicitantes elegibles reciban un pago apropiado.

Para más información sobre ELAP, puede visitar www.fsa.usda.gov/elap. Para más información sobre programas , puede visitar disaster.usda.fsa.gov.

International

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

Fears of humanitarian collapse in Yemen

By AHMED AL-HAJ ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANAA, Yemen — As tons of desperately needed medical supplies await clearance to be flown into Yemen, aid workers warned Tuesday of an unfolding humanitarian crisis, saying at least 560 people, including dozens of children, have been killed, mostly in a Saudi-led air campaign and battles between Shiite rebels and forces loyal to the embattled president.

More than 1,700 people have been wounded and another 100,000 have fled their homes as fighting intensified over the past three weeks, the World Health Organization said.

The Red Cross shipment would be the first to reach Yemen since the start of the Saudi-imposed air blockade.

Sitara Jabeen, a Genevabased spokeswoman for the International Committee of the Red Cross, said a cargo plane with 17 tons of medical supplies was in the Jordanian capital, Amman, awaiting the go-ahead from coalition forces to land in Sanaa, hopefully on Wednesday. Another 35 tons of supplies were also ready for shipment, she said.

“If these medical supplies

do not reach Yemen, then unfortunately we are afraid many more people will die,” Jabeen said.

She said a surgical team was also awaiting clearance to dock in the embattled Yemeni port of Aden, where heavy fighting Monday left streets littered with bodies.

The fighting pits allies of Yemen’s president, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, against Iranian-backed Shiite rebels, known as Houthis, and allied military units loyal to ousted President Ali Abdullah Saleh.

The Saudi-led air campaign, which supports Hadi, now in its 13th day, so far has failed to stop the Houthis’ advance on Aden, Yemen’s second-largest city, which was declared the provisional capital by Hadi before he fled the country for Saudi Arabia as the rebels closed in two weeks ago.

WHO said Tuesday that at least 560 people have been killed and 1,768 wounded — many of them civilians — since the rebels and their allies launched an intensified land grab on March 19.

Among the fatalities are at least 293 people killed since the March 26 start of the Saudi-led air campaign in support of Hadi.

The dead include at least

Photo by Vahid Salemi | AP

A Yemeni man who was wounded in a blast in a Sanaa mosque in late March, is visited by a group of Iranian students Tuesday.

74 children killed since the start of the airstrikes, the U.N. children’s agency said.

At least 44 children have been wounded.

Comprehensive casualty figures are difficult to collect and verify because of the ongoing violence, and aid agencies warned the overall death toll is likely far higher.

The Saudi campaign has turned Yemen into a new proxy war between the kingdom and Iran, which has backed the Houthis, though Tehran denies aiding the rebels militarily.

Civilians have paid a heavy toll for the violence that mushroomed from an internal power struggle into

a regional war.

Children have been especially vulnerable, said UNICEF’s Yemen representative, Julien Harneis.

“They are being killed, maimed and forced to flee their homes, their health threatened and their education interrupted,” Harneis said in a statement, released Monday. Warring factions have also increased their recruitment of children under the age of 18.

Humanitarian groups say they are running out of supplies and have called for a temporary halt to the fighting to allow medical teams and fresh medical supplies to arrive in the country and for residents to identify and

bury their dead.

UNICEF said the violence has disrupted water supplies in areas of southern Yemen and that sewage is overflowing in some locations, raising the risk of outbreaks of disease. Water systems have been repeatedly damaged in Aden and two other areas, UNICEF said, adding that it is providing fuel for water pumps.

Hospitals are struggling to treat large numbers of wounded with insufficient supplies and some medical facilities have come under attack, the agency said.

On Tuesday, Saudi-led coalition jets bombed a rebel-allied military installation in southern Yemen as local tribes battled the Shiite fighters and their allies in the area, seizing a makeshift camp and weapons, Yemeni military officials said.

A medical volunteer in southern Ibb province said the airstrikes hit a Republican Guard camp, wounding at least 25 Saleh loyalists.

Residents say the camp was close to a school, and the rebel television station, al-Masirah, said three children were killed in the airstrike. The medical volunteer, who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, could not confirm

the children’s deaths.

About 30 miles (50 kilometers) south of the camp, local tribes battled with Houthis who had set up a makeshift camp in the area, driving the rebels away and seizing their weapons, a local resident said, also speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

Fighting intensified in Aden on Monday, with the rebels and their allies making their strongest push yet to seize control of the city, a main stronghold of Hadi supporters.

The fighting has raised doubts over the possibility of landing ground forces from the Saudi-led coalition to carve out a secure enclave for the return of Hadi.

“Conditions are very dangerous right now,” UNICEF’s Dr. Gamila Hibatullah in Aden was quoted as saying. “Hospitals are overflowing, and even ambulances have been hijacked.”

In Islamabad, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif addressed a joint session of parliament convened to debate whether Pakistan would join the Saudi-led coalition.

Sharif warned Iran to “ponder upon its policy and consider whether that policy is correct or not.”

French ex-mayor allegedly committed suicide

By JAMEY KEATEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARIS — The Tours city project was simple enough: Lure Chinese couples to get married in the heart of the Loire Valley — romantic French castle country — as a way to boost the area’s economic and cultural fortunes.

It soon went awry. First, the project got bogged down in corruption allegations. Then on Tuesday, the scandal took a deadly turn with the apparent suicide of former mayor Jean Germain, as he was to go on trial with four other defendants in a case of alleged kickbacks and misuse of public funds.

Adding to the drama, another key defendant, Taiwanese-born Lise Han — who devised the plan and worked at City Hall to drum up Asian business — told investigators that she had had a secret love affair with Germain. One lawyer in the case said the ex-mayor had always denied that claim.

The apparent suicide was likely to cast a pall over the fairytale weddings of some Chinese couples who took up the city’s pitch as a romantic getaway spot for tying the knot.

Photo by Patrice Deschamps/la Nouvelle Republique | AP

In this Oct. 2008 photo, Tours mayor, Jean Germain, center, wearing a sash in the colors of the French flag, poses with a group of recently married Chinese couples in front of the city hall in Tours, France.

France’s body politic was shaken. The Senate, where Germain had a seat as a Socialist senator, held a moment of silence to honor his memory on Tuesday.

President Francois Hollande expressed his sadness, saying Germain had taken his own life “because he didn’t want his honor

sullied.”

Prosecutors began looking into the scam in 2011, following news reports noting that the city was luring already married Chinese couples for the fake wedding ceremonies.

Minutes into the trial Tuesday, Germain’s lawyer announced that a colleague

had found a suicide note.

The former mayor’s body was found later in town.

The court abruptly adjourned until Oct. 13.

French TV news reports showed white-suited forensic teams in Tours, and broadcast archive images of Germain giving the traditional French “bise”

cheek-kiss to one bride in an ornate ballroom filled with dozens of Asian couples.

The trial centers on alleged kickbacks linked to 750,000 euros ($815,000) that Tours spent to lure Asian visitors between 2008 and 2011, officials said. The city splashed out tens of thousands of euros on such expenditures as a stand at the Shanghai World Expo in 2010 and sending a delegation of dozens of representatives to China, one defense lawyer said.

Germain, 67, was facing charges including misuse of public funds, according to court documents, though not of benefiting financially himself. Han and her associates were the main suspected beneficiaries of the plot. As mayor for nearly two decades until 2014, Germain presided over the weddings and spoke publicly about the broad media coverage of them.

The city’s effort to lure Chinese newlyweds ended after the suspected wrongdoing came to light.

According to court documents, Han alleged she had had an amorous relationship with Germain. Lawyer Gerard Cebron de Lisle, who is representing the city in its effort to recoup

some of 500,000 euros in estimated losses, said Germain never admitted to that claim.

The drama has echoes of the death of former Socialist Prime Minister Pierre Beregovoy, who shot himself with his bodyguard’s gun in a forest near his home in 1993 — following a blistering electoral loss and the disclosure that he had received an interest-free loan from a businessman who was later jailed on corruption charges.

In a phone interview, Germain’s defense lawyer, Dominique Tricaud, called his client “a martyr of the republic who was thrown to the dogs” — an allusion to a similar comment by former President Francois Mitterrand at Beregovoy’s eulogy.

State prosecutor JeanLuc Beck, in comments broadcast on BFM-TV news channel, said there was little doubt Germain killed himself, noting that a colleague of Germain’s had found the note that indicated that he could not stand the thought of facing trial over the case.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said he believed that Germain would have had the strength to face the trial.

Kenyans angry over delayed response

By TOM ODULA AND CHRISTOPHER TORCHIA ASSOCIATED PRESS

NAIROBI, Kenya — Public anger spilled into the streets of the Kenyan capital Tuesday, a fury stirred by the seven-hour delay between the time authorities learned of a deadly attack by gunmen on a college and when police commandoes finally arrived at the scene.

Authorities were informed of the assault just before dawn Thursday at Garissa University College in northeastern Kenya, where four militants killed 148 people before being slain by police in the early evening.

Questions have arisen that the delayed arrival of the police could have contributed to the high death toll as the country confronts the threat from the Islamic extremists from the Somalia-based al-Shabab militant group.

During a demonstration by about 250 students, they passed a truck carrying security forces with red berets and rifles and shouted at the troops: “Where were you?”

The troops did not respond.

Photo by Ben Curtis | AP

A Kenyan holds a candle and flowers as she listens to the names of each of the victims of the Garissa attack being read out aloud.

The students also banged on the sides of a police vehicle and converged briefly outside Kenyan police headquarters, again demanding: “Where were you?”

The Kenyan military, which has a barracks in the town of Garissa, was the first to respond with some help from local police, the government has said.

The police department’s paramilitary tactical unit, known as the Recce Squad, was briefed about the attack but put on standby because the military said it could handle the attack, said a senior police officer who was involved in Thursday’s actions.

It was only after hours had gone by and the mili-

tary had suffered casualties that a decision was made to send in the Recce unit, which is trained in closequarters combat and hostage rescues and is based in Nairobi, he said. The official spoke only on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to talk to the press.

Military spokesman Col.

David Obonyo did not immediately answer phone calls seeking comment.

With police helicopters not operational because of mechanical problems, the Recce Squad flew the 200 miles (325 kilometers) to Garissa on two small planes that could not carry the whole unit, forcing other members to travel by

road. Once the tactical team went into the besieged campus at 5 p.m. — almost 12 hours after the attack began — its members killed the gunmen and secured the site within a halfhour. By then, 148 people were dead.

Kenya has vowed severe retaliation against al-Shabab, and its military on Monday announced it had carried out airstrikes on militant camps in Somalia.

Inter-service rivalries may also be playing a role in coordinating responses to extremist attacks, and security officials also complain of corruption and a lack of funding. A government commission looked into the procurement of the grounded police helicopters, suspected fraud and recommended an audit of their purchase.

“The systemic corruption that afflicts all our institutions infects our security services too. This continues to be the dead weight our efforts against terrorism have to carry,” said Kenyan corruption expert John Githongo, currently a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Haas Center for Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law.

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

AWARD Continued from Page 1A and friends are in great need by volunteering at the hospital, and they work to raise funds for student scholarships in the nursing profession,” said Maldonado. “It is my pleasure to recognize them and thank them for their outstanding contributions to our community and college.”

With more than 60 years of service, it is clear that the LMC Auxiliary has made an indelible mark on Laredo’s medical history, LCC said.

The group began in 1954 at the old Mercy Hospital, making the move alongside staff when the Saunders facility opened in 1999. When the Sisters of Mercy sold the hospital to its current owners in 2004, the group kept working.

Their presence can be felt all over the hospital, LCC said. Whether greeting visitors at the main entrance, managing the hospital’s gift shop or providing information to family mem-

bers in the surgical waiting area, these volunteers assist wherever they are needed.

They have also remained dedicated to helping Laredoans achieve their educational goals. In 1973, the group began an endowment from proceeds from their gift shop sales that has continued to provide scholarships for students wishing to study nursing at LCC or for LMC employees who want to advance their skills.

Like the women and men of the LMC Auxiliary, the students selected as this year’s Ray of Hope honorees were chosen for their work within the community.

Nominated by their counselors, two students from each high school and from LCC were presented with a $500 scholarship to help them pursue their education at LCC. The other 2014-2015 recipients of the LCC President’s

Ray of Hope Award are: Alejandro JimenezAguilar and Andrea Marquez-Vasquez (Alexander High) Xavier Borrego and Amberly Casarez (Cigarroa High) Elias Alaniz and Javier Maldonado (Hebbronville High School) Alyssa Fuentes and Diana Laura Vega (LBJ High) Kristina Diaz and Violeta Paz (Martin High) Guadalupe Medina and Victoria Ramirez (Nixon High) Amanda Rae Gonzales and Edward Jackson (St. Augustine High) Ivan De La Rosa and Ellen A. Ramos (United High School) Jose R. Cantu and Nadia Martinez (United South High) Alyssa Briseño and Maria G. Rodriguez (Zapata High) Emmanuel Garcia and Jocelyn Martinez (LCC)

POT Continued from Page 1A eventually discovered 96 marijuana bundles inside the auxiliary fuel tank.

In addition, four 5-gallon

“

It’s important that the federal government mitigate these expenses and provide resources to assist with handling the issues that are unique to the cities and counties along border.”

REP. HENRY CUELLAR

under certain Homeland Security grants to Southwest border recipients for fiscal years 2013 and 2014. The influx of unaccompanied alien children and families that came across the Southwest border overwhelmed federal resources and put a burden on state and local jurisdictions, particularly small counties, cities, and nonprofits along the border.

Awards may used for reim-

bursement of costs related to providing humanitarian relief to unaccompanied children and families, including costs for food, water, hygiene products, medicine, medical supplies and temporary housing, as well as costs for transportation to and from temporary housing or to permanent housing.

This is part of a continued effort by Cuellar to en-

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

ATTACK Continued from Page 1A planned and orchestrated, with a military-style strategy,” said Raul Benitez, a security expert at Mexico’s National Autonomous University. “This was planned.

A lot of gunmen were involved. They blocked the highway to surround them (police) and attack with military superiority.”

Ambushes of state-level security officials and Mexican army patrols have been relatively rare, and the Jalisco attacks suggest the conflict there is reaching a new level.

The ambush in the township of Soyatan was the latest in a series of attacks in Jalisco over the past two weeks. Gunmen ambushed

CUELLAR Continued from Page 1A tarian relief to children who have come to our country,” Cuellar said. “It’s important that the federal government mitigate these expenses and provide resources to assist with handling the issues that are unique to the cities and counties along border. I want to thank Senator John Cornyn for working with me on a bipartisan solution to this problem.”

Law enforcement, nonprofits, religious, governmental and other community partners who incurred unexpected costs due to the surge will be able to apply for reimbursements due to an addition Cuellar included in the FY2015 Department of Homeland Security funding bill.

The language adds a provision which makes costs of providing humanitarian relief to unaccompanied alien children and to alien adults and their minor children eligible for reimbursement

buckets on the bed of the pickup had one marijuana bundle each, records show.

sure local communities along the border receive the reimbursements and support they need to address the humanitarian crisis that occurred due to unaccompanied minors crossing the border. Last July, the Appropriations Committee included language to address reimbursements in response to Cuellar’s request to Chairman Hal Rodgers to provide resources and assist with costs related to providing humanitarian relief to unaccompanied children and family units who have entered the United States.

Last year, Cuellar also sent a letter to FEMA requesting reimbursements for local governments and law enforcement that bear undue burdens along the border and has worked with the FEMA Grant Directorate and Texas Department of Public Safety to increase funding to border communities.

a federal police convoy March 19, killing five officers. On March 30, gunmen staged an unsuccessful attempt to kill Solorio, the state security commissioner. On Monday, gunmen killed the police chief of the town of Zacoalco de Torres.

Solorio said the most recent attacks are in retaliation for a March 23 shootout in which police killed gang boss Heriberto Acevedo Cardenas, who was nicknamed “El Gringo.”

State prosecutor Luis Carlos Najera had previously identified Acevedo Cardenas as the mastermind behind a May 2014 ambush of Mexican troops in another part of Jalisco

that killed four soldiers and injured two. Authorities said at the time that attack was carried out by Jalisco New Generation in reprisal for the army’s seizure of stolen gasoline.

The cartel has been violent since it was founded in 2010 following the death of Jalisco-based Sinaloa cartel leader Ignacio “Nacho” Coronel. But it was the first time a cartel appeared to be mounting a direct, head-on challenge to authorities, Benitez said.

Gunmen from other cartels have been known to open fire on police and soldiers, but it is usually because they are being pursued and want to escape capture.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

Summer gas prices expected to be 32 percent lower

By DAMIAN TROISE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Drivers will see the lowest summer gasoline prices in about 6 years, according to the Energy Department.

The national average price is forecast to fall 32

percent from a year ago to $2.45 a gallon between April and September, the period when Americans do most of their driving. That would mark the lowest seasonal average since 2009.

For the year, the department’s Energy Information Administration expects

gasoline to average $2.40 a gallon, down from $3.36 a year prior.

The lower prices are a result of world oil supplies growing faster than demand because of higher production in North America and elsewhere. That dynamic has been depressing

the price of crude oil. But, the Energy Department warned that the forecast could substantially change if oil-related sanctions against Iran are lifted as part of ongoing negotiations. That country is believed to hold at least 30 million gallons of oil in

storage. The price of Brent crude, a benchmark used to price oil used by many U. S. refineries and the most important factor in gasoline prices, is forecast to fall 40 percent this year.

U.S. drivers are expected to consume slightly more gasoline, a 1.6 percent in-

crease, during the summer.

But gasoline expenditures by household are expected to be the lowest since 2004, according to the EIA, with people spending about $700 less on gasoline in 2015.

The average price of gasoline in the U.S. was $2.38 a gallon Tuesday.

BORD E. BYRNS

RAFAELA H. MONTALVO

ESPERANZA B. RAMIREZ

Dec. 21, 1927 – April 1, 2015

Oct. 20, 1928 – April 4, 2015

Feb. 12, 1927 – April 6, 2015

Bord E. "Curly" Byrns (Sr.) passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 1, 2015 at Retama Nursing Home North in Pleasanton, Texas. He was born in Byrnville, Indiana. His parents were Charles Thomas Byrns and Ida Carroll Byrns.

A mechanic by trade and a cowboy by heart, Mr. Byrns moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico in the 1950s. There he was able to live out both of his dreams. He was a topnotch mechanic and was known for having worked on the race cars of that time. He would diligently search for car parts as he traveled across the country, and was easily identified by his red toolbox he always kept handy. He never once passed anyone by that was broke down alongside the road, keeping extra things like fan belts and water with him for just such emergencies.

He would never accept any money for helping folks out, telling them to just help others out when they could.

He was active in saddle clubs, rodeo and participated in search and rescue posses. He loved the cowboy life and lived by the cowboy code. At times he hired out on various ranches in New Mexico and Texas. He was known as an "all-around hand" and it was said that the "had the way" with animals. Not only was he good with horses, he could fix almost anything and was a great cook besides that.

He loved to fish and could catch fish even when others around him had no luck. He enjoyed his time at Falcon Lake, where he caught his fair share, even when fishing from his wheelchair.

Mr. Byrns loved kids and enjoyed playing Santa Claus for the Salvation Army, as well as donating his time and talents to various charities to help children. He fixed broken bicycles and helped procure donations.

Like many in his family, Mr. Byrns was also a musician. He liked to play the guitar and sing the old country and western songs. As a young man his entire family would play and sing together.

Later in life enjoyed playing and singing with his brother Jack.

Mr. Byrns was preceded in death by his second wife Jean Byrns, and his brothers and sisters that included: Woodrow Byrns, Chales Eldon “Jack” Byrns, Creta Mae Byrns Lundstrum, Loubell Stepro Tomlinson, Saldonia Stepro, Todd Byrns, Elmer Byrns, Oscar Stepro and Burl Stepro.

Mr. Byrns is survived by his children, Helen Byrn, Bord Byrn (Jr.), Lois Byrn, Roy Byrn and Harry Byrn; grandchildren, Paul Forbes, Jim Jones, Monica Byrn, Colleen Byrn, Allison Byrn and Joseph Byrn-Ciapetta; as well as five great-grandchildren, Payton Jones, Vanessa Estrada, Mariah Estrada, Justin Estrada and Jensen Blaine Byrn.

Cremation services are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home in Zapata, Texas.

Graveside services will be held on Saturday, April 11, 2015 at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Corydon, Indiana at 11 a.m. Reverend Bruce Hawkins will officiate.

Family and friends are invited to refreshments and a chance to share memories from 1 – 4 p.m. at the Georgetown Optimist Club on Hwy 64 in Georgetown, Indiana.

Mr. Byrns requested himself quite some time ago that well-wishers should please "do something for a child" instead of sending flowers. Therefore, the family asks that all follow his wishes and please make a donation the the children’s charity of their choice.

Rafaela H. Montalvo, 86, peacefully entered into eternal rest Saturday, April 4, 2015.

Rafaela is preceded in death by her husband, José P. Montalvo; son, José P. (Diana) Montalvo; granddaughter, Kristen Walters; parents, José Hernández Mejía and María del Refugio Corona Muñoz of Jerécuaro, Guanajuato, Mexico; brothers, Félix (+Berta) Hernández Corona, Leopoldo (Raquel) Hernández Corona, Antonio (+Angelita) Hernández Corona, José (Lilia) Hernández Corona, and Ezequiel (Andrea) Hernández Corona; sisters-inlaw, Piedad (+Pedro) Guerra, Gregoria (+Tomas) Valadez, and Maria (+Guadalupe) Rodriguez.

Rafaela is survived by her children, José Rafael (Enedina) Montalvo, Rolando (Emma) Montalvo, Sergio Montalvo, Maria del Refugio (Steven) Walters, Hector (Guadalupe) Montalvo, Guadalupe Graciela (Guillermo) Méndez, Maria Teresa Montalvo, Veronica P. (Luis) Covington, Dr. Juan Francisco (Ada) Montalvo, Gilberto (Victoria) Montalvo and María Elena (Juan Manuel) Ledesma; grandchildren, Erica L. Gonzalez (Juan), Julio Montalvo (Angela), Roberta Avellaneda (Hugo), Jose “Joey” Montalvo, Andrew Montalvo, Rolando G. Montalvo, Claudia Longoria (Joel), Jo Emma Sanchez (John), Marco A. Montalvo (Patty), Sergio C. Montalvo (Audrey), Briand Chapa (Luis), Rebeca Montalvo, Sergio R. Montalvo, Karleen Walters, Hector D. Montalvo (Heather), Christina E. Montalvo, Gabriella M. Montalvo, Adriana A. Mendez, Guillermo A. Mendez, Adriana G. Salinas, Maritza D. Salinas, Samuel L. Covington, Claudia I. Covington, Maria R. Montalvo, Juan F. Montalvo, II, Andres E. Montalvo, Teresa Montalvo, Elizabeth Montalvo, Maritza Montalvo, Yesenia Montalvo, Gilberto Montalvo, Juan Ledesma (Phyllis), Ernesto Ledesma (Monica), Veronica Ledesma and twenty great-grandchildren; and sister, Juliana

Hernandez Corona (+Rafael Pureco Ortiz), and by numerous nephews, nieces, other family members and friends.

Visitation hours were held on Monday, April 6, 2015, at Rose Garden Funeral Home in Zapata, Texas from 5 to 9 p.m.

A Holy Rosary was recited Monday at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

A funeral procession departed from Rose Garden Funeral Home on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m.

Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Catholic burial services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

The family would like to thank all of their mother’s friends in Zapata for their support over the last few weeks. They would also like to thank anyone and all who have kept their mother in their prayers. A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Andres Garcia-Zuniga, Ralph Nimchan, Dr. Bicheng Nan, Dr. Carlos Llanes, Doctors Hospital ICU, Medical Floor, Med - 1, Nurses on Wheels Hospice and Dr. Luis Benavides.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home. Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.

“Que el Señor le abra las puertas del paraíso, para que llegue a la patria donde ya no hay muerte, ni luto ni llanto, sino paz y alegría sin fin.”

Esperanza B. Ramirez, 88, passed away on Monday, April 6, 2015 at Starr County Memorial Hospital in Rio Grande City, Texas.

Ms. Ramirez is preceded in death by her husband, Jose Salvador Ramirez; parents, Jose and Eva R. Benavides; sisters and brothers, Enriqueta Benavides, Olivia Benavides, Oscar Benavides, Jose Maria Benavides, Fernando Benavides and Teodulo Benavides.

Ms. Ramirez is survived by her sons, Jose Candido (Laura) Ramirez and Jorge Ramirez; grandchildren, Ana Katrina Ramirez, Jose Candido, Jr. (Alisha) Ramirez, Andrea (Mario, Jr.) Martinez; great-grandson, Jose Candido “Jay” Ramirez, III; sister, Petra Benavides and by numerous nephews, nieces, other family members and friends.

Visitation hours will be held on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession will depart on Thursday, April 9, 2015, at 9:15 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at San Pedro Mission in Lopeño, Texas.

Committal services will follow at Lopeño Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.

LUCILA L. RANGEL Feb. 13, 1921 – April 4, 2015 Lucila L. Rangel, 94, passed away on Saturday, April 4, 2015 at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas.

Ms. Rangel is preceded in death her husband, Salvador Rangel; parents, Jose and Juliana Lozano; two brothers and four sisters.

Ms. Rangel is survived by her daughter, Sandra (Flavio Sr.) Chapa; grandchildren, Flavio Jr. (Lydia) Chapa, Salvador (Damaris) Chapa, Raul Chapa; great-grandchildren, Maria Isabel, Yekol Chapa, Yomaris Chapa; greatgreat-grandchild, Lila Marie; sister, Amparo Velasquez and by numerous nephews, nieces, other family members and friends.

Visitation hours were held on Tuesday, April 7, 2015, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession will depart on Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.

for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church in San Ygnacio, Texas.

Committal services will follow at Uribe Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 8, 2015