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BOSTON MARATHON BOMBINGS
‘Boston Strong’ unite Bombings marked by moment of silence By DENISE LAVOIE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — Survivors, first responders and family members of those killed came together Tuesday to mark the anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing with solemn ceremonies. “This day will always be hard, but this place will always be strong,” former Mayor Thomas Menino told an invitation-only audience of about 2,500 people gathered at the Hynes Convention Center, not far from the marathon finish line where three people died and more than 260 others were wounded a year ago. In Washington, President Barack Obama planned to observe the anniversary with a private moment of silence at the White House. “Today, we recognize the incredible courage and leadership of so many Bostonians in the
wake of unspeakable tragedy,” Obama said in a statement. “And we offer our deepest gratitude to the courageous firefighters, police officers, medical professionals, runners and spectators who, in an instant, displayed the spirit Boston was built on — perseverance, freedom and love.” Obama said this year’s race, scheduled for Monday, will “show the world the meaning of Boston Strong as a city chooses to run again.” Vice President Joe Biden was in Boston for the ceremony, and he said the courage shown by survivors and those who lost
Photo by Charles Krupa | AP
Survivors, officials, first responders and guests pause as the flag is raised at the finish line during a tribute in honor of the one year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombings Tuesday in Boston.
See BOSTON PAGE 10A
EDUCATION
COMMUNITY
Directive for 8th graders draws concern
Food bank hosts conference ‘Helping hands’ join for mission of feeding hungry residents By SALO OTERO SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
By AAMENA AHMED TEXAS TRIBUNE
As the state integrates a directive that requires eighth-graders in Texas public schools to have graphing calculators for STAAR testing, some poorer Texas school districts say that such mandates ignore the financial crunch that many districts are already facing. In February, Texas Education Agency Commissioner Michael Williams wrote to Texas superintendents to instruct them that they must ensure that eighth-grade students have graphing calculators for STAAR assessments, starting in the 2014-15 school year. The directive comes after the State Board of Education increased the algebra content on the exam, said Debbie Ratcliffe, a TEA spokeswoman.
While districts have provided calculators for algebra classes, most eighthgrade math classes had previously not been supplied with the calculators, which cost more than $100 each. The state will not provide extra funding for the new calculator mandate, Ratcliffe said, adding that districts receive a specific allotment for spending on instructional materials. To provide more flexibility for school districts, the requirements were amended to include the option of substituting calculators with math applications on tablet devices. But many property-poor districts and their advocates say that despite the options provided, resources are limited and they have other issues to consider. “Most of the students in
See CALCULATOR PAGE 10A
The South Texas Food Bank’s mission of feeding the hungry requires a lot of “helping hands.” Those hands came together Tuesday at the annual member agency conference in the IBC Annex Building in Laredo. Forty of the agencies are in Laredo-Webb County, but representatives from Zapata, Jim Hogg, Starr, Dimmit, Maverick, Val Verde and Kinney counties also attended the conference. One of the attending agencies was the aptly named Helping Hands, a food pantry located at Zapata’s Del Mar Street. Elia Solis, agency director for the South Texas Food Bank, organized the event, which is mandatory in cooperation with USDA and Feeding America. The South Texas Food Bank, located at 1907 Freight St. in west Laredo, relies on the more-than 80 agencies to distribute supplemental food to the unemployed, under-employed and those living on fixed incomes in an impoverished eight-county area, from
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
South Texas Food Bank agency representatives, from left, Norma Mendoza of Zapata’s Helping Hands; Bertha Ramirez of St. Peter The Apostle Catholic Church; and Cynthia Guerra of the Jim Hogg County pantry attend the agency conference Tuesday in Laredo. Starr County’s Rio Grande City to Del Rio in Val Verde County. The food bank receives product from the USDA through membership in Feeding Texas — formerly the Texas Food Bank Network — and nationwide organization Feeding America.
The South Texas Food Bank serves 30,000 families, 7,000 elderly, 6,000 children and 500 veterans and their widows per month. Staffers say more agencies are always needed. For information, call the food bank at 956-726-3120.
CORRUPTION
Ex-sheriff pleads guilty ASSOCIATED PRESS
McALLEN — A former South Texas sheriff whose office has attracted the attention of federal investigators pleaded guilty Monday to money laundering. Lupe Treviño, who resigned about two weeks ago as Hidalgo County sheriff, appeared Monday in federal court and faces a 20year sentence. He was released on a $30,000 unsecured bond Monday. Treviño, 64, admitted laundering campaign contributions that were tied to a convicted drug trafficker, the Monitor newspaper
in McAllen reported. Court testimony suggests the amount Treviño laundered could be between $70,000 and $120,000. It is the latest in a series of arrests and convictions of law enforcement officers in Hidalgo County. In December 2013, Treviño’s second in command, Cmdr. Jose Padilla, was arrested on money laundering and drug conspiracy charges. He pleaded not guilty to both charges. A year earlier, one of Treviño’s sons who was a police officer in Mission and two of Treviño’s deputies were arrested in a federal drug sting.
Those three were part of a Hidalgo County and Mission Police Department joint drug task force, and months after the December 2012 arrests, they pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to steal drug loads and resell them to another trafficker. Nine other lawmen, including Jonathan Treviño, the sheriff ’s son, have been convicted on drug charges in connection to that task force, known as the Panama Unit. All throughout the process, Lupe Treviño maintained he had
See SHERIFF PAGE 10A
Photo by Gabe Hernandez/The Monitor | AP
Former Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño walks past members of the media with his attorney Roberto Yzaguirre after leaving the McAllen Federal Court building Monday in McAllen.