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SATURDAY APRIL 18, 2015
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TEXAS
SCHLUMBERGER
Unemployment falls
More oil jobs to be cut
Valley still has highest jobless rate in the state ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The Texas unemployment rate slipped to 4.2 percent in March, marking the seventh straight month of declines due to continuing job growth, the Texas Workforce Commission said Friday. Statewide unemployment in February was 4.3 percent. The nationwide jobless rate was 5.5
percent in March, the commission said. The state’s highest unemployment rate was the McAllenEdinburg-Mission area at 7.5 percent, according to TWC figures. Last month’s unemployment rate for Texas was the lowest since July 2007. Texas has added 327,500 jobs in the past year for an overall growth rate of 2.9 per-
cent, outpacing the national growth rate of 2.3 percent, TWC said, in a statement. “While the state of Texas has achieved enormous success in creating jobs and spurring economic growth, it’s time to renew our focus on promoting smarter tax policies that energize our economy and empower entrepreneurs to reinvest their capital in the Lone Star State,” Gov. Greg
Abbott said, in response to the latest jobless figures. Midland had the lowest average jobless rate for Texas during March at 2.9 percent. The education and health services industry added 3,400 jobs in March. The financial activities industry increased by 2,400 positions. The mining and log-
See JOBS PAGE 11A
Crude prices still falling, industry prepares By DAVID WETHE BLOOMBERG NEWS
MEDICINE
STEM CELL USE EXPANDS
Schlumberger Ltd., the world’s largest oilfield services provider, will eliminate an additional 11,000 positions in a sign the industry will undergo another round of job cuts as a result of tumbling crude prices. The latest announced reductions bring the company’s total to 20,000, making its workforce about 15 percent smaller than it was during the third quarter of 2014. Schlumberger had announced plans in January to eliminate 9,000 positions, in what was then the single largest cut in the industry. Energy producers who rely on service providers are estimated to cut
See SCHLUMBERGER PAGE 11A
TEXAS CAPITOL
House derails ban Photo by William Luther/The San Antonio Express-News | AP
From left, Dr. Ajeya Joshi, anesthesiologist John Hall and physical and pain medicine doctor David Hirsch, are interviewed about their medical practice that just opened in San Antonio that will use stem cell therapy to relieve common orthopedic conditions with the goal of helping patients avoid surgery.
House votes to prohibit city fracking bans By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Therapy shows promise in orthopedic treatment By PEGGY O’HARE SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — Three San Antonio doctors are bringing the science of stemcell therapy treatments to orthopedic injuries, a burgeoning field that caters to patients seeking to have joints or tendons rebuilt without undergoing surgery. The physicians at The Stem Cell Orthopedic Institute of Texas — a recently created division of the longstanding South Texas Spinal Clinic — said they are among
the few providers in San Antonio doing the procedures on an outpatient basis. Dr. Ajeya Joshi, Dr. David Hirsch and Dr. John Hall are performing the services at their office, which they said significantly reduces the costs patients would face compared with having it done at a surgical center or a hospital. The group began performing the procedures more than a year and a half ago; they launched the institute this
See STEM CELL PAGE 11A
Photo by William Luther/The San Antonio Express-News | AP
Anesthesiologist John Hall listens to questions during an interview March 18 in San Antonio.
AUSTIN — Oil and gas companies putting Texas awash in money moved closer Friday to stopping cities from banning fracking, an early victory for Republican Gov. Greg Abbott and his sights on what he calls runaway local overregulation. ABBOTT The Texas House, which Republicans control by a 2-to-1 margin, overwhelmingly passed a bill that would effectively prohibit cities and counties from denying access to natural gas goldmines underground. A scramble to change the law comes months after voters in Denton, a university town near Dallas,
See FRACKING PAGE 11A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, APRIL 18
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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. Second Chance Tennis – recycle tennis raquets and equipment from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bank of America Parking lot, 7676 McPherson. Donations will benefit Kids Club, Stroke Survivor’s Tennis Club, Young Raquets Program and Tennis for the Blind. For more information, contact Tina Treviño at 740-8464 or tinat@trevinoeyeclinic.com. Laredo Scuba Club. Please check out our facebook page, we have many scuba diving pictures to show. We have scuba diving trips out of town: Lake Amistad in Del Rio, Canyon Lake in New Braunfels, Comal River in New Braunfels, Ocean Diving the Oil Rigs in Port Aransas and South Padre Island. We are a non profit club. The purpose of our club is to promote scuba diving and safety. We also have Scuba Diving Classes with Certified Scuba Instructors to certify you in scuba diving. Please contact us at: laredoscuba@yahoo.com.
Today is Saturday, April 18, the 108th day of 2015. There are 257 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On April 18, 1945, during World War II, famed American war correspondent Ernie Pyle, 44, was killed by Japanese gunfire on the Pacific island of Ie Shima, off Okinawa. On this date: In 1775, Paul Revere began his famous ride from Charlestown to Lexington, Massachusetts, warning American colonists that the British were coming. In 1906, a devastating earthquake struck San Francisco, followed by raging fires; estimates of the final death toll range between 3,000 and 6,000. In 1925, the first Woman’s World’s Fair, an eight-day event, opened in Chicago. In 1934, the first laundromat was opened by John F. Cantrell in Fort Worth, Texas; the “Washateria,” as it was called, rented four electric washing machines to the public on an hourly basis. In 1949, the Republic of Ireland was proclaimed. In 1955, physicist Albert Einstein died in Princeton, New Jersey, at age 76. In 1978, the Senate approved the Panama Canal Treaty, providing for the complete turnover of control of the waterway to Panama on the last day of 1999. In 1983, 63 people, including 17 Americans, were killed at the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, by a suicide bomber. In 1995, quarterback Joe Montana retired from professional football. The Houston Post closed after more than a century. Ten years ago: Cardinals meeting at the Vatican failed to select a successor to Pope John Paul II in their first round of voting. Five years ago: Carrie Underwood became the first woman to win entertainer of the year twice at the Academy of Country Music Awards. One year ago: An avalanche swept down a climbing route on Mount Everest, killing 16 Sherpa guides in the deadliest disaster on the world’s highest peak. Today’s Birthdays: Actress Barbara Hale is 94. Actor Clive Revill is 85. Actor James Drury is 81. Actor Robert Hooks is 78. Actress Hayley Mills is 69. Actress-director Dorothy Lyman is 68. Actress Cindy Pickett is 68. Actor Rick Moranis is 62. Actress Melody Thomas Scott is 59. Actor Eric Roberts is 59. Actor John James is 59. Author-journalist Susan Faludi is 56. Actress Jane Leeves is 54. Ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham is 53. Talk show host Conan O’Brien is 52. Bluegrass singer-musician Terry Eldredge is 52. Actor Eric McCormack is 52. Actress Maria Bello is 48. Actress Mary Birdsong is 47. Actor David Hewlett is 47. TV chef Ludovic Lefebvre is 44. Actor David Tennant is 44. Actress Melissa Joan Hart is 39. Actor Sean Maguire is 39. Actor Kevin Rankin is 39. Actor Bryce Johnson is 38. Reality TV star Kourtney Kardashian (kar-DASH’-ee-uhn) is 36. Actress America Ferrera is 31. Actress Alia Shawkat is 26. Actress Chloe Bennet is 23. Rock singer Nathan Sykes (The Wanted) is 22. Actor Moises Arias is 21. Thought for Today: “War makes strange giant creatures out of us little routine men who inhabit the earth.” — Ernie Pyle (1900-1945).
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22 Volunteer Services Council for Border Region Behavioral Health Center’s 23rd Annual Administrative Professional day Luncheon & Fashion Show featuring scenes from Casablanca. 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. Used book sale, First United Methodist Church, 10 a.m. to noon. 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 722-1674. Friday, April 24 Relay for Life of Webb County. 7 pm to 7 am. United Independent School District Student Activity Complex. For more information please contact Laura Nanez at 286-6955 or Diana Juarez at 319-3100. Or visit them on the web at www.relayfor life.org/ webbtx.
TUESDAY, APRIL 28 Friends of ICE Special Agent Jaime Zapata 5th Annual Bowl-a-thon, 5:30 p.m. Jett Bowl North. Pre-registration for a five-player team is $125. Pre-registration ends April 20. After April 20, the fee will be $135. Funds raised from the event will go toward the Jaime J. Zapata Scholarships. Email entry forms at gregorysmartstart@live.com For more information, contact Rosy Gregory at 744-7505 or 791-8759.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29 Used book sale, First United Methodist Church, 10 a.m. to noon.
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. Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society will have a dance from 3 to 5 pm at the St. John Newmann Catholic Church Hall. For more information call Sanjuanita MartinezHunter at 722-3497.
Photo by Patrick Svitek | Texas Tribune
Gov. Greg Abbott tours Amazon’s new distribution center Friday outside San Antonio. The hub in Schertz is one of three in Texas.
Abbott touts agenda By PATRICK SVITEK TEXAS TRIBUNE
SCHERTZ — Gov. Greg Abbott used a trip to Amazon’s massive new facility here Friday to remind its executives that he’s pushing to make Texas even friendlier to businesses like the online-shopping giant, pressing a legislative agenda that’s approaching crunch time at the Capitol. While Texas remains a national leader in job creation, Abbott emphasized there is "so much more that needs to be done," including improving the roads that Amazon’s employees rely on — the heavily trafficked Interstate 35 corridor — and easing the company’s tax burden so it can add to the thousands of Texans it has already hired. "In less than 45 days, I’m going to be signing some legislation that will add $4 billion more a year to build roads in the state of
Texas to help those traveling to get to where they need a whole lot faster," Abbott said, referring to a plan that includes redirecting some revenue from the vehicle sales tax toward road construction and maintenance. "We will also ensure tax cuts of more than $4 billion so you can take that money and plow it right back into growing your business, hiring more people right here as well as across the state of Texas, continuing to power the state of Texas’ economic engine," added Abbott, who has threatened to veto any budget that does not include business tax relief. Abbott’s priorities are currently working their way through the legislative meat grinder. State lawmakers are working to identify the $4 billion in road funding he mentioned, and both chambers are squabbling over the best way to cut taxes.
Twin-engine plane makes 4 firms, 5 people charged crash landing along US 59 over exports to Iran DIBOLL — Authorities say a pilot and two passengers have been slightly hurt when a private plane bound for Houston made a crash landing along an East Texas road. DPS Sgt. William Kennard says the pilot, 63-year-old Edd Campbell Hendee of Houston, and the two passengers suffered minor injuries. All were taken to a hospital to be examined.
Abbott releases 2014 tax returns; made $135K AUSTIN — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has released his 2014 tax returns, revealing that he made about $135,000 as attorney general and paid about 40 percent of his income in federal, state and local taxes. Abbott was attorney general for 12 years, becoming governor in January. He gave nearly $5,000 to charity and paid about $52,000 in property taxes.
HOUSTON — Four companies and five individuals have been accused of illegally exporting to Iran high-tech electronics that could be used for military weapons. Prosecutors say the companies and defendants are charged with violating U.S. law by sending certain microelectronics, power supplies and other items to Iran. The exports violate U.S. sanctions as part of anti-terrorism efforts.
Scarlett O’Hara outfit could fetch $100,000 DALLAS — Experts say an outfit worn in the 1939 film “Gone With the Wind” by Vivien Leigh as she played Scarlett O’Hara could fetch more than $100,000 at auction. Heritage Auctions is offering the gray jacket and skirt, featuring a black zigzag applique, plus other items from the Academy Award-winning film.
Woman charged in death of man at recycling unit AUSTIN — A homeless woman has been charged in the slaying of another transient whose body was found on the conveyor belt of a Central Texas recycling center. Workers at an Austin-area recycling center on Tuesday discovered the body of 49-year-old Clarence Gerald Gardner Jr. The death was ruled a homicide.
2 plead guilty in 2013 machete slaying of teen HOUSTON — Two men face up to life in prison for the 2013 gang-related killing of a teen whose mutilated body was dumped in Sam Houston National Forest. Cristian Alexander Zamora and Ricardo Leonel Lara, both of El Salvador, pleaded guilty Friday in Houston to murder. Federal prosecutors say the men used a machete and bats to kill 16-year-old Josael Guevara. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION
SATURDAY, MAY 2 Operation Feed the Homeless. 2 p.m. at Jarvis Plaza. This is the third event of its kind, and we want to do it bigger and better! Come be part of the community and help spread the love through a donation or volunteer your time. Find us on Facebook as Operation Feed the Homeless for more information.
SUNDAY, MAY 3 Holy Redeemer Church annual Jamaica. Food, games and silent auction. Contact Amparo Ugarte for more information at 286-0862.
TUESDAY, MAY 5 “Cinco de Mayo” Holiday Fundraiser for the South Texas Food Bank at Hal’s Landing, 6510 Arena Blvd. 6 p.m. to 11. The event features music of Ross and Friends on the main stage and five other bands on the patio and arcade. Included are JoAnna and The Reminiscence, Jolly Ranchers, Expansivo and La Mission Vallenata.
12 hurt in Denver-area crash involving 2 buses DENVER — Authorities say a dozen people were injured, including one seriously, after tour buses for two different bands were involved in a chain-reaction crash on a foggy stretch of highway east of Denver. The Colorado State Patrol says a bus carrying crew members for the performer Twin Shadow rear-ended a tractor-trailer stopped on Interstate 70 Friday, seriously injuring 41-year-old bus driver John Crawford. Eleven of his passengers suffered minor to moderate injuries. Their bus then hit another truck and a tour bus carrying crew members of the country band Thompson Square.
Measles outbreak traced to Disneyland is over LOS ANGELES — California health authorities on Friday de-
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 David Zalubowski | AP
A tour bus involved in an accident with a tractor trailer sits on the shoulder of the westbound lanes of Interstate 70 Friday, in Aurora, Colo. Officials say 12 people were injured, two of them critically, in the four-vehicle wreck. clared an end to a large measles outbreak that started at Disneyland and triggered a national debate about vaccinations. Disease detectives for months raced to contain the highly contagious disease, which surfaced at Disney theme parks in Decem-
ber and spread to a half-dozen U.S. states, Mexico and Canada. The outbreak sickened 147 people in the U.S., including 131 in California. There were no deaths. No new infections have been reported for 42 days. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
State
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Dispatcher earns recognition By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The 911 South Texas Regional Telecommunicator of the Year Award was bestowed Thursday to Communications Supervisor Jo Ann Rodriguez during a ceremony at La Posada Hotel in Laredo. Rodriguez has been with the Laredo Police Department 911 communications division since December 1996. Dispatchers represent four counties including Zapata. She said the award caught her by surprise given that she thought her colleagues had a better shot of winning with calls involving a kidnapping and a shooting. “Rodriguez has always displayed and sustained a high level of tenacity and innovation in this ever
Photo by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times
Jo Ann Rodriguez (left), an E911 dispatcher at the Laredo Police Department, receives the 2015 Telecommunicator of the Year Award. changing field. She is always able and willing to assist her staff in call-taking and radio dispatch when high demands are bestowed on our department,” her nomination letter reads.
She garnered the award for a medical call she took March 3. A woman in her 40s called 911 saying she was driving herself to the nearest hospital. The caller thought she was having a heart attack, Rodriguez re-
called. She persuaded the woman to find the safest place to park and wait for first responders to arrive. “Rodriguez kept reassuring the caller and guided her through her moment of need and never let go of the conversation,” states the letter. Rodriguez, an 18-year veteran, never thought of this as a career. But the ever-changing field never gets boring for her, she said. “These types of calls make it rewarding and make you realized that you really help somebody,” Rodriguez said, who sees her career as a public service. “It’s rewarding on its own way if you have the skin for it.” (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
Judge eyes immigration policy By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE
NEW ORLEANS — An argument from U. S. Department of Justice lawyers that the state of Texas doesn’t have standing to challenge the Obama administration’s controversial immigration policy met with resistance from a pair of federal appellate judges Friday. A three-judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard more than two hours of arguments as federal attorneys fought to win reversal of a Brownsville-based judge’s earlier order blocking the policy. In February, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen stopped the program, announced in November, which would allow an estimated 1.6 million undocumented immigrants in Texas, and 5 million nationwide, to apply for renewable work permits and reprieves from deportation. Texas led the charge when then-Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit in December, arguing that Obama overstepped his authority. The White House has countered that the federal government — not individual states — has the power to enforce immigration laws. “This suit is unprecedented because in no case have the states been found to have standing because they have no judicially cognizable interest in who is prosecuted under the immigration laws,” argued Deputy Assistant Attorney General Benjamin Mizer. “Instead, Congress has given that prosecutorial responsibility to the Department of Homeland Security.” Judge Jerry E. Smith, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, immediately interrupted Mizer, saying the difference in this case was that Texas claims that Obama’s order also grants special benefits, mainly work authorization, to the poten-
tial applicants. The Lone Star State will also suffer damage, said Texas Solicitor General Scott Keller, because it will have to educate and provide health care to the immigrants. It will also incur costs for having to issue some driver’s licenses. Smith later asked Mizer to differentiate between the immigration lawsuit and a 2007 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in an environmental case in which several states successfully sued the federal government. That case was also mentioned in Hanen’s ruling halting Obama’s order. “Explain why in your view that case on the standing issue has no applicability here,” Smith said. Mizer said that case dealt with geographic borders and not benefits to individuals. Judge Jennifer Elrod also questioned when, if ever, states would have standing to sue on immigration
issues and presented Mizer with a list of hypothetical scenarios, including one that gave immigrants immediate voting rights. Mizer said provisions of the Voting Rights Act would come into play separately but Elrod was mildly cynical. “We finally found one that the state’s could challenge? If it gave voting rights?” she said. One judge however, Obama appointee Stephen Higginson, cautioned that a ruling in favor of Texas and the 25 other states that joined the suit could open a floodgate of challenges to several government agencies. “This is a dangerous rule for us to write,” Higginson said. He was also skeptical of Texas’ claim that Obama was issuing “amnesty” through his order and that deferred action recipients were automatically allowed to legally work in the country.
“Does it say ‘grant’ or does it say ‘eligible to apply’” for work, he asked. “That’s a big difference.” He also said that his interpretation of deferred action wasn’t legal status, which leads to permanent residency and possibly, eventual citizenship, but legal presence. “Presence is ‘you’re not removable but you could be’” he said, referring to a provision of deferred action that allows the government to reopen a case and initiate deportation proceedings if it sees fit. After the hearing, attorneys for the state of Texas expressed confidence and lauded the judges for how they presided over the hearing, which included allowing both sides more time to make their claims than was initially allotted. “This is how it’s supposed to work,” Keller said, adding that Higginson’s own comment reinforced why the state filed suit in the first place.
Photo by Bob Daemmrich | Texas Tribune
Chairman State Rep. Larry Phillips, sponsor of HB 910 open carry legislation, are shown just before final passage of the bill.
Open carry gets initial approval By MORGAN SMITH TEXAS TRIBUNE
Texas is well on its way to allowing the open carry of handguns in public places after House lawmakers took an initial step to approve it Friday. After a debate that stretched for more than five hours, the chamber passed House Bill 910 from state Rep. Larry Phillips, R- Sherman, on second reading, 96 to 35. It would allow license holders to openly carry their handguns in shoulder or hip holsters. Similar legislation has already cleared the state Senate, and Gov. Greg Abbott has pledged to sign any open carry bill that reaches his desk. The House is expected to pass the bill finally as early as Monday. The vote came over the protests of Democrats, who offered amendment after amendment to the legislation. “We seem to live in this fantasy world of protecting second amendment rights at all costs…what we have here is a descent down a path that we can’t come back from,” said state Rep. Poncho Nevarez, D-Eagle Pass. “I’m going to vote against anger, I’m going to vote against hate, and I’m going to vote against
the deterioration of our state into something that resembles — I don’t know.” The Republican majority shot down efforts to require stronger holsters, badges, and deeper background checks in order to carry a gun. They also rejected attempts to allow cities to opt out of the law, close a loophole in the law that allows handgun permit-holders from other states to openly carry their firearms in Texas and simplify the signage requirements for business owners who want to ban guns on their property. But the most contentious exchanges of the day came between Republicans themselves. State Rep. Jonathan Stickland, R-Bedford, took the floor debate as an opportunity to repeatedly demand public explanations for why House leaders had rebuffed his attempts to repeal handgun licensing requirements altogether. Stickland, who objects to the fees and restrictions the permitting process imposes, has vowed to bring so-called “constitutional carry” for a vote on the floor. Unable to get a committee hearing for his bill, he must try to tag it on to a related piece of legislation as an amendment.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
OTHER VIEWS
COLUMN
Lesson from the Holocaust By JAMES B. COMEY SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
I believe that the Holocaust is the most significant event in human history. And I mean “significant” in two different ways. It is, of course, significant because it was the most horrific display in world history of inhumanity, one that simply defies words and challenges meaning. I was born into an Irish Catholic family in this great, wonderful and safe country, but the Holocaust has always haunted me, and it has long stood as a stumbling block to faith. How could such a thing be? How is that consistent with the concept of a loving God? How is that in any way reconcilable with the notion of a God with a role in human history? How could there possibly be meaning in life, when so many lives were snuffed out in such a fashion? I have asked those questions since I was a young teenager. I have asked them my entire life. I asked the same questions standing in the pit at Ground Zero in early 2002. I have asked those questions many times as I have confronted unimaginable suffering and loss. And I know I am in good company asking such questions. Last month, on a flight home from Eastern Europe, I reread Viktor Frankl’s wrenching “Man’s Search for Meaning,” in which he seeks to find meaning in suffering and loving, among other things. And going much further back, back before I was a religious studies major in college, I recalled the voice from the whirlwind in the Book of Job, rebuking us for even asking the question “Why?” “How dare you!” the voice seems to say. “It is not for you to ask, it is not for you to know.” And yet I ask, as so many of us do. And I still don’t know. But I do know this: I know it is our duty, our obligation, to make sure some good comes from unimaginable bad. Not so we can comfort ourselves by saying, “Oh, that was worth it then.” That’s nonsense. That would be perverse. It will never be “worth it.” Instead, I believe it is simply our duty to do that, and I believe this is truth no matter where you come from on a philosophical or religious spectrum. Our obligation is to refuse to let bad win, to refuse to let evil hold the field. As Abraham Lincoln said on a field of unimaginable pain and loss, it is essential “that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain.” Our resolution does not justify the loss, but we simply cannot be alive and give
up. There are so many ways to fight evil to ensure it doesn’t hold the field. Some do this through public service that can involve actual physical battles against evil; others by different kinds of service, including the service of teaching a world what happened, teaching a world what is true. The Holocaust was, as I said, the most horrific display in world history of inhumanity. But it was also the most horrific display in world history of our humanity, of our capacity for evil and for moral surrender. And that second significance is the reason I require every new FBI special agent and intelligence analyst to go to the Holocaust Museum. Naturally, I want them to learn about abuse of authority on a breathtaking scale. But I want them to confront something more painful and more dangerous: I want them to see humanity and what we are capable of. I want them to see that, although this slaughter was led by sick and evil people, those sick and evil leaders were joined by, and followed by, people who loved their families, took soup to a sick neighbor, went to church and gave to charity. Good people helped murder millions. And that’s the most frightening lesson of all — that our very humanity made us capable of, even susceptible to, surrendering our individual moral authority to the group, where it can be hijacked by evil. Of being so cowed by those in power. Of convincing ourselves of nearly anything. In their minds, the murderers and accomplices of Germany, and Poland, and Hungary, and so many, many other places didn’t do something evil. They convinced themselves it was the right thing to do, the thing they had to do. That’s what people do. And that should truly frighten us. That is why I send our agents and our analysts to the Holocaust Museum. I want them to stare at us and realize our capacity for rationalization and moral surrender. I want them to walk out of that great museum treasuring the constraint and oversight of divided government, the restriction of the rule of law, the binding of a free and vibrant press. I want them to understand that all of this is necessary as a check on us because of the way we are. We must build it, we must know it and we must nurture it now, so that it can save us later. That is the only path to the responsible exercise of power. (Comey is director of the FBI.)
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.
COLUMN
A unique political candidate By LLEWELLYN KING HEARST NEWSPAPERS
Some of you were expecting me to announce my candidacy for president of the United States along with those other two who got all the headlines. There have been a few problems. There are solutions, too. (How’s that for a campaign zinger?) There is the problem of my birth. I was, er, born in a foreign country with, er, un-American parents. I have to check with the Ted Cruz camp on that. There is a money problem. At the moment, I have $138 in my current account. But that amount will swell when my Social Security check comes in next week. In the long term, I have a crafty, two-pronged approach to raise the billion or so dollars I will need for my campaign. My wife will set up a foundation, called the Foreign Governments’ Friends Committee, which will raise money like a Fourth of July flag. Unlike one of my oppo-
nents, I will not beat about the bush on foreign campaign donations. I will take them all, see that they are properly laundered, and promise the donors all sorts of favorable treatment. I can renege later. Not a word, please. Then there is crowdsourcing. When my message gets out, I expect a Niagara Falls of money. I will be after the disaffected, unhappy people who hate all candidates. The nutters of the left and the nutters of the right have lots of dough. Here is a peak at other aspects of my program: Bring back manufacturing (back story, by lowering the minimum wage), so that our labor is cheap. Get tough with Iran. Give China an ultimatum: Double the value of your currency or millions of Americans will be forbidden to shop at Walmart. In the Middle East, trust the dictators. We will support the most awful monsters in the time-honored way. If we could get Sad-
dam Hussein out of the grave, I would go for it. Likewise Muammar al-Qaddafi. Call it the strongman policy: No messing about with uprisings. I will be a tough guy supporting other tough guys. I will say to Vladimir Putin, when we are shirtless, “I don’t give a hoot about Ukraine. Take it. But want you to invade China — just a little way. And crush ISIS. You know, the way you did Czechoslovakia and Hungary in the glory days.” That should take care of the world. At home I will have the most flexible of policies, based on the latest polling. If you are in favor of abortion, tell Gallup and you will get them. Want the Ten Commandments on the wall of the Capitol? No problem if you can produce a convincing poll, preferably written on stone tablets. What is democracy but a craven pursuit of votes through polling? Go democratic all the way, I say. Wait until you hear some
of my appointments. How do you fancy Donald Trump for secretary of state? Here is someone who will appreciate my toughguys-are-always-right policy. Before I announce, I will perfect my Israel strategy. I am leaning toward giving honorary citizenship to Benjamin Netanyahu, so I can make him my national security adviser. Why should Congress claim Bibi as their own? I will have goodies to offer him that will beat whatever John Boehner and Mitch McConnell can do. How about a hard pass to the White House and a regular chance to be on the Sunday talk shows, for starters? Darrell Issa is my choice for ambassador to Libya, in recognition of his Benghazi studies. Finally, my coup de grace: immigration. Simple, no one will want to live here when I am in the White House. (Llewellyn King’s e-mail is lking@kingpublishing.com.)
EDITORIAL
Hubble still strong after 25 years PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
The countdown to the 25th anniversary of the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope has begun. On April 24, 1990, the telescope left Earth in the bay of Space Shuttle Discovery. NASA billed it then as the most sophisticated and powerful telescope ever made. It was specifically designed to do things no other telescope hampered by the distortions of atmospheric conditions
could do. A day later, Hubble was launched into orbit from Discovery’s bay. Immediately, there was a sense of wonder and anticipation. The telescope viewed the cosmos with fresh eyes and deepened people’s appreciation for the splendor, beauty and utter strangeness of the universe. When NASA discovered that the space telescope’s primary mirror was flawed shortly after the mission began, the agency
did not give in to despair. Even a flawed Hubble would continue delivering stunning, if distorted, images for years. Fortunately, it was decided that Hubble should have its "eyes" adjusted by a series of potentially risky space walks. In December 1993, Hubble began operating at optimal levels with follow-up visits and adjustments by astronauts as recently as 2009. The result of all this fine tuning has been hundreds of thousands of im-
ages that have deepened mankind’s understanding of the nature of time and space. Soon, Hubble will no longer be the standard for space telescopes. In October 2018, the far more powerful James Webb Space Telescope will be launched into orbit. It will eclipse Hubble in its ability to see into the darkest corners of the universe. Until then, the still powerful 25-year-old eye on the universe will keep watch.
CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Mexico
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Mexico still getting weapons from US By TIM JOHNSON TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
MEXICO CITY — The U.S. government has pledged to combat the illegal flow of firearms across the border, but new data reveal that the United States remains by far the largest source of weapons seized in Mexico. The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced 11,061 weapons seized in Mexico in 2014 as originating either with U.S. manufacturers or gun wholesalers and vendors. That amounts to 71.9 percent of all weapons that Mexico asked U.S. authorities to trace, a percentage rate slightly above any for the three previous years. "The United States hasn’t been able to halt the southbound flow of illegal weapons," said Clay Boggs, the program officer for Mexico at the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights and democracy advocacy group. The figures were released late last week by ATF, a bureau in the Department of Justice, but passed largely unnoticed. Mexican authorities say the
The U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced 11,061 weapons seized in Mexico in 2014 as originating either with U.S. manufacturers or gun wholesalers and vendors. That amounts to 71.9 percent of all weapons that Mexico asked U.S. authorities to trace, a percentage rate slightly above any for the three previous years. nation’s homicide rate dropped 14.6 percent last year, although the country remains home to numerous organized crime groups that smuggle narcotics and people, engage in extortion and kidnapping and exert control over some regions of the country through armed terror. Mexicans have a constitutional right to own firearms but in practice a permit is difficult to obtain. One must belong to a shooting club, have a clean record and prove that one has fulfilled obligatory military service. The nation has only one gun store, which is operated by the military. Only police and the armed forces can legally carry the types of large-caliber or semiau-
tomatic weapons that crime gangs commonly use. Law enforcement officials here asked their U.S. counterparts to trace 15,397 weapons last year that they had seized, according to the eight-page bulletin from the ATF’s Office of Strategic Intelligence and Information. Of those, the ATF found that 8,200 were manufactured in the United States, and that federal firearms licensees (usually gun wholesalers or vendors) imported another 2,861 weapons from third countries for U.S. sale. The provenance of the remaining 4,336 weapons was not clear. Some of them may have gone directly to Mexico from a third country, or passed through
the United States to another country before arriving in Mexico, the ATF bulletin said. To conduct a trace of a firearm, the ATF said it requires the name of the manufacturer, model, caliber and serial number of the weapon. Mexico does not submit such information to the ATF for all weapons it seizes, partly because criminals can file off serial numbers or otherwise alter weapons. Only two other countries in the region chalk up a higher trace rate of their weapons to U.S. shores — the Bahamas (97.9 percent) and the tiny island nation of Saint Kitts and Nevis (82.6 percent). All Central American nations
reported a trace rate to the United States of less than 50 percent — except peaceful Costa Rica, where only 63 weapons were traced and 53.9 percent came from the United States. In aggregate, 40 percent of weapons from Central American nations were from the United States. The U.S. government has vastly increased the presence of Border Patrol agents along the 1,950-mile southwest border and repeatedly pledged to combat arms trafficking to Mexico. The Department of Homeland Security says staffing along that border area has climbed from 9,100 Border Patrol agents in 2001 to more than 18,500 today. Since 2008, the U.S. government has given counter-drug assistance, including military weaponry and aircraft, to Mexico through the Merida Initiative program. As part of that program, the White House has promised to do more to fight weapons trafficking. On Feb. 27, it issued a joint statement with the Mexican government stating, "Weapons trafficking is a serious crime which we must prevent and firmly combat."
Nation
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
Parents of victim don’t want death penalty ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — The parents of the youngest victim of the Boston Marathon bombing are urging federal authorities to consider taking the death penalty off the table for the man convicted in the case. Bill and Denise Richard, whose 8-year-old son, Martin, was one of three people killed by the April 2013 explosions at the marathon’s finish line, say in a front-page piece in Friday’s Boston Globe that sentencing Dzhokhar Tsarnaev to death “could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives.” “We are in favor of and would support the Department of Justice in taking the death penalty off the table in exchange for the defendant spending the rest of his life in prison
without any possibility of release and waiving all of his rights to appeal,” they wrote. The Richards’ daughter, Jane, lost a leg in one of the explosions, and they both suffered injuries. “We understand all too well the heinousness and brutality of the crimes committed. We were there. We lived it. The defendant murdered our 8-year-old son, maimed our 7-yearold daughter, and stole part of our soul. We know that the government has its reasons for seeking the death penalty, but the continued pursuit of that punishment could bring years of appeals and prolong reliving the most painful day of our lives,” they said. They wrote that when Tsarnaev fades from the media spotlight and public view they can start “re-
Photo by John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe | AP
Boston Marathon survivor Jane Richard, left, and her brother Henry removed a drape covering a memorial honoring victims. building our lives and family.” The Richards never mention Tsarnaev by name, simply calling him “the defendant,” and stressed that they are
speaking only for themselves. U.S. Attorney for Boston Carmen Ortiz says she is aware of the Richards’ view but cannot comment on the specifics.
“But as I have previously assured both Bill and Denise, I care deeply about their views and the views of the other victims and survivors,” Ortiz said. Jennifer Lemmerman, the sister of Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer Sean Collier who was killed by Tsarnaev and his older brother days after the explosions, has also spoken out against the death penalty on her Facebook page, in posts that have since been removed. Relatives of other victims have expressed support of the death penalty. When it announced its decision to seek the death penalty, the Justice Department cited the killing of a police officer, the death of a child and the choice of the Boston Marathon as a target because its huge crowds provided
an opportunity for maximum bloodshed. Robert Blecker, a New York Law School professor and death penalty expert, said it’s highly doubtful the statement by the Richards will sway the Justice Department. “Victims and the survivors play a role — they should have a voice — but the reason they don’t get a veto and shouldn’t get a veto is because often there are larger interests at stake,” said Blecker, who said he supports the death penalty for Tsarnaev. “The question here is one of terrorism and partly a statement of denunciation of terrorism because that is one of the purposes of the death penalty,” he said. The penalty phase of Tsarnaev’s trial starts Tuesday, the day after this year’s marathon.
‘Sabado Gigante’ ends run By GISELA SALOMON ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Wilfredo Lee | AP file
In this photo taken on Feb. 3, 2012, host of "Sabado Gigante," Mario Kreutzberger poses on the set of his show in Miami.
MIAMI — Television’s longest-running variety show is calling it a wrap after 53 years. The Miami-based Univision network said Friday the popular “Sabado Gigante” will end its weekly broadcast on Sept. 19. Created by its Chileanborn host, the boisterous presenter with a huge grin known as Don Francisco, the weekly three-hour show “Sabado Gigante” long has been Univision’s most popular program. With an average of 2.2 million viewers, the show remains No. 1 on Saturday nights among Hispanics in the U.S. and was up this season among younger viewers, according to the Nielson company. The show also is broadcast to
more than a dozen countries throughout Latin America. Univision did not say why it was ending “Sabado Gigante,” nor what kind of programming will fill its slot. The network said Don Francisco, whose real name is Mario Kreutzberger, will continue to work on special programs and a telethon that has raised hundreds of millions of dollars over the years to benefit disabled children. The details of the decision will be revealed by Kreutzberger on the broadcast this Saturday, according to a network spokesperson who was not authorized to be quoted by name. A Univision executive who spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to speak for Kreutzberger said the host had decided it was
time to end the show, and to end it with the closing of the broadcast season. “Sabado Gigante,” which means “Giant Saturday” in English, aired for the first time in Chile in 1962, and moved to Miami in 1986. The variety show mixing humor, amateur talent contests, celebrity interviews and human-interest stories went on to become a weekly staple for many Hispanic families in the United States, sometimes with several generations gathered around the television set on Saturday evenings. Guests have included Hispanic artists such as Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Paulina Rubio and Gloria Trevi, and U.S. presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Latin American politicians also have appeared on the program.
In a release from the network, Alberto Ciurana, president of Programming and Content for Univision Communications, Inc., called the 74-year-old Kreutzberger “one of the most beloved and legendary entertainers in the world” and an “innovative and inspirational force in the television industry throughout his career.” “We join Mario’s fans in wishing him all the best as he enters his next chapter,” Ciurana said. Kreutzberger, who long has divided his time between Chile and Miami to produce the program, thanked the show’s viewers for their “support, loyalty and enthusiasm.” He said his fans had “allowed the show to become an unprecedented success in the history of this medium.”
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
Zentertainment
PAGE 7A
Lambert nominated Author remembered By MESFIN FEKADU
By JACOBO GARCIA
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARLINGTON, Texas — Miranda Lambert is one of the few women nominated at the Academy of Country Music Awards this year, so she says the ladies of country music need to help one another. “I really support female artists in any genre, especially country music right now,” Lambert said in an interview Friday. “I’ve taken out girls all tour long and I want to continue to do that because I feel like we need to stick together ‘cause it’s hard.” Lambert is the only women nominated for entertainer of the year at Sunday’s awards show (CBS, 9 p.m. CT), pitting her against Garth Brooks, Luke Bryan, Florida Georgia Line and Jason Aldean. She’s the lead nominee with eight, and her other nominations include album of the year for “Platinum” and song and single record of the year for “Automatic.” There are no females nominated for new artist of the year, Lambert is only female artist nominated for single record of the year and her collaboration with Carrie Underwood, “Somethin’ Bad,” is the only female representation in the video of the year category. “We all have insecurities and I feel like we all know what it takes to be here, so we have to lift each other up,” Lambert said. The singer talked about the ACMs, writing a song for Reese Witherspoon’s new film and more before she rehearsed at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Associated Press: People say there aren’t enough women on country radio. Why do you think that is? Lambert: I don’t really know. No. 1, I’m glad to have my spot. I just think
BOGOTA, Colombia — From hundreds of public readings in Mexico to an exhibit in Bogota displaying the typewriter off which flew the pages of “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” fans of Gabriel Garcia Marquez honored the Nobel laureate Friday on the one-year anniversary of his death. Since he died from cancer at age 87, Garcia Marquez’s ability to delight audiences has only grown, his name cropping up on everything from several documentary films to a bottle of rum. His bestknown work, “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” continues to crop up on best-seller lists around the world. Colombia’s congress is even debating legislation for putting his affa-
Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision | AP file
In this Feb. 8 file photo, Miranda Lambert arrives at the 57th annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center, in Los Angeles. that it goes in phases. There’s just a lot of really, really great male artists right now, and it’s good, too. And there’s so many different influences in country right now, too, like hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll and some blues. So I feel like if you turn on country radio, you will find something you’ll love because it’s so diverse right now. And that’s a great thing. AP: Have you always had this fiery swag in your music and personality? Lambert: I think so. I think also being a Texan — we sort of have that extra fire in us as a breed. I just felt like from day one I had something to say and I wanted to make sure people heard me, and it’s worked. But I’ve definitely calmed down a little bit from 21 to 31. AP: What advice do you give to young girls who want to be country singers? Lambert: Just don’t try to do it too early. Be a high school kid, be a cheerleader, do your thing. ... And also, just know who you are; know what you want to say and stick with it throughout. AP: What advice do you have for your husband, Blake Shelton, who will host the show? Lambert: Oh my god. I don’t know. He’s so great at
that. I would stress over it for months and months. And he’s just looking at his monologue like yesterday because he’s just so great. But he’s a loose cannon and you never really know what he’s going to say, so I’d be worried. (Laughs.) AP: You wrote a song for Reese Witherspoon and Sofia Vergara’s upcoming comedy, “Hot Pursuit.” What was that like? Lambert: It was different. As a songwriter we write our own stories, you know, and this was already a story; it’s a movie, it has characters. So we sort of played off what the characters are and our take on who they were. ... I’m glad I did it. I want to do it again. Reese is so sweet and she texted me and gave me some notes and that helped obviously to go off something because she’s really connected to do the movie. I’m excited about it.
Photo by Fernando Vergara | AP
The Nobel Prize diploma of the late Colombian novelist Gabriel Garcia Marquez are part of an exhibit at the National Library in Bogota, Colombia, Friday. ble grin and bushy eyebrows on a new banknote. Garcia Marquez’s native Colombia inspired and dismayed the author in equal
measure, and the feeling was often mutual. The main memorial a year ago took place in Mexico City, the author’s home for decades, and the family’s decision to sell his personal archive to the University of Texas in Austin for $2.2 million also irked Colombian sensibilities. But any lingering resentment appeared to have lifted. On Friday, the National Library in Bogota exhibited for the first time several personal objects donated by the author’s family, including the gold Nobel Prize medal and the first Smith Corona typewriter he used when writing “One Hundred Years.” Across town, the National Museum displayed the traditional linen suit known as a liqui liqui that the author wore when he accepted the Nobel Prize in 1982.
PÁGINA 8A
Zfrontera
Ribereña en Breve CONFERENCIA PARA EMPRESARIOS La conferencia “Comenzar un negocio o expandir un negocio: Herramientas y Recursos para Empresarios” se realizará el martes 21 de abril, dentro del Palacio de Justicia del Condado de Zapata, en 200 East 7th Street, de 10 a.m. a 12 p.m. Durante la conferencia se darán consejos, asesorías e información sobre el inicio, estructuración y ejecución de la apertura de un nuevo negocio. El seminario es gratuito, pero el espacio es limitado. Para más información o para inscribirse, llame a Verónica Z. Ortega al (956) 427-8533 ext. 233 o escriba a veronica.ortega@sba.gov; o con Yael Rodríguez al (956) 286-0042 o a yael.rodriguez@tamiu.edu.
SÁBADO 18 DE ABRIL DE 2015
INTERNACIONAL
Pacto comercial POR JIM KUHNHENN ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Al reconocer que el comercio es un tema difícil para el Partido Demócrata, el presidente Barack Obama defendió el viernes sus esfuerzos de ampliar el comercio con Asia y Europa y advirtió a sus críticos que oponerse daría a China una ventaja al fijar las reglas del comercio internacional. En una conferencia de prensa en la Casa Blanca, Obama trató de convencer a los críticos señalando que los acuerdos comerciales con Asia y Europa incluirían protecciones vinculantes en materia de derechos laborales y el ambiente. Obama habló un día después que legisladores llegaron a un acuerdo que allana el camino para el acuerdo comercial más amplio que en varios años. “Los mercados de crecimiento
COMIDA Y DESFILE DE MODAS El Concilio de Servicios de Voluntariado para el centro de salud Border Region Behavioral Health Center llevará a cabo la Comida y Desfile de Modas por el Día de las Asistentes Administrativos Profesionales en su edición 23, el miércoles 22 de abril, en el Laredo Country Club, en Laredo. La misión del concilio es recaudar fondos que beneficien a quienes reciben apoyo en la institución de salud mental, la cual sirve a Laredo, Hebbronville, Río Grande y Zapata. El tema de este año es “películas clásicas en los Oscares”. Los asistentes disfrutarán de escenas icónicas de Breakfast at Tiffany’s; Gentlemen Prefer Blondes; Goldfinger, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly; Cabaret y The Great Gatsby, actuados en una rutina enfrente del público. Además del espectáculo en vivo los asistentes podrán disfrutar de un desfile de modas con prendas y accesorios de tiendas como Stein Mart, Polly Adams y Bejeweled.
más rápido, los mercados más populosos estarán en Asia”, dijo Obama. “Si no participamos en la creación de reglas para que nuestras empresas y trabajadores puedan competir en esos mercados, entonces China creará reglas para beneficio de las empresas y trabajadores de ese país”. Según el acuerdo alcanzado en el Congreso, Obama tendría autoridad para negociar acuerdos comerciales que el Congreso puede aprobar o rechazar, pero no modificar. El Congreso todavía no ha votado sobre esa autoridad de negociación por la vía rápida y muchos demócratas, entre ellos fuertes aliados de Obama, han prometido oponerse. “Esta es la autoridad de más alcance que se ha debatido en el Congreso”, dijo Obama en una conferencia de prensa con el primer ministro de Italia, Matteo Renzi. “Es completamente comprensible que
exista escepticismo entre las familias trabajadores que vieron desplomarse la base manufacturera y la tercerización de los empleos”, agregó. El presidente afirmó que Japón es una de las naciones que participa en las conversaciones de la Alianza Transpacífica y que en estos momentos Estados Unidos importa más vehículos de Japón que ese país de Estados Unidos. “Las condiciones del momento no funcionan a nuestro favor”, dijo. “No sé por qué la gente se opondría a que abriéramos el mercado japonés a más vehículos o carne de res estadounidense. No tiene ningún sentido”, añadió. Legisladores de alto rango lograron el jueves por la noche un acuerdo bipartidista en el que trabajaban desde hacía mucho tiempo, el mayor pacto de política comercial alcanzado en años, que permite a
EDUCACIÓN
MIGUEL ALEMÁN, MX
FORTALEZA
Desean mejorar camino carretero TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
PRIMER JUGUETÓN EN RÍO BRAVO Reynaldo Santana Ayala, presidente de la asociación de autos modificados “Unidos por Tamaulipas” dio a conocer que el domingo 26 de abril se llevará a cabo el Primer Juguetón en Río Bravo, México. La sede será el “Paseo Río Bravo”, y los asistentes deberán acudir con un juguete. Los juguetes que se recauden serán entregados a niños en situación económica vulnerable durante un festejo programado para el jueves 30 de abril.
ESPECTÁCULO DE LUCHA LIBRE A fin de recaudar fondos y adquirir equipo adecuado para realizar deporte en las escuelas de Miguel Alemán, México, se llevará a cabo un espectáculo de lucha libre el viernes 15 de mayo en el Centro Cívico (dentro de los terrenos del Expo Feria) a las 5 p.m. El Supervisor de Tránsito, Antonio Santos Ramírez, informó que será un evento familiar. Entre los luchadores que participarán se encuentran Granda XXX y Mascara Sagrada Junior, Ator y los minis del cuadrilátero, los luchadores enanitos Voladorcito, La Parquita y Brazalete de Plata y de Platino. Santos Ramírez agregó que previo al evento se realizará un desfile con los luchadores participantes.
Obama negociar pactos comerciales para que sean revisados por el Congreso y avanzar con las negociaciones sobre una sociedad con naciones del Pacífico. Entre los retos principales para aprobar el proyecto de ley están las divisiones entre el propio partido del presidente. Demócratas liberales y pro empresariales están fuertemente divididos sobre el potencial del acuerdo para crear o restar empleos estadounidenses. Bajo la legislación, el Congreso consigue el derecho de aprobar o desechar cualquier acuerdo comercial, pero a cambio no puede realizarle cambios, algo que preocupa a ambientalistas y otros grupos interesados. Las divisiones además revolotean sobre la política presidencial para 2016, en momentos en que la precandidata demócrata Hillary Rodham Clinton arranca su campaña para unir al partido.
Foto de cortesía
Integrantes del equipo de Teatro Varsity One Act Play de Zapata High School, quedaron a un punto de lograr pasar a la etapa regional. Ellos participaron por el título del Área 20 en el Industrial High School. El equipo agradeció a sus padres y patrocinadores, a la vez que prometieron regresar en el 2016.
CIUDAD MIER, MX
Impulsarán frontera norte TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Con el objetivo de ampliar la cobertura de beneficios y continuar una campaña de promoción de la frontera norte de Tamaulipas, así como sus beneficios, se llevó a cabo el cambio de presidente del Consejo Empresarial de la Región Ribereña, A.C. Juan Gilberto Garza Salinas asumió la presidencia, en sustitución
de Iliala Alamar. Previamente, Garza Salinas declaró que busca “privilegiar la unidad en torno a los objetivos del consejo, el deber y la obligación de convocar a todos para que se trabaje en serio y en beneficio de la inversión, promoción, impulso y desarrollo de la región ribereña en la intención de hacerla más productiva y segura”. El evento celebrado en el restau-
rante La Cabaña en Ciudad Mier, reunió a comerciantes, empresarios y socios del consejo. El Consejo Empresarial de la Región Ribereña busca lograr un impulso acorde a las necesidades en virtud de la iniciativa de avanzar en torno a la actividad empresarial que se requiere. En el equipo de Garza Salinas participarán Benito Barrera Ramírez y Rosa Elva Garza de Gutiérrez.
Los presidentes municipales de Ciudad Mier, y Miguel Alemán, México, así como el administrador de Roma, participaron en una reunión donde se analizó la posibilidad de rehabilitar y modernizar la Carretera 54, que conecta desde Monterrey, México, hasta Miguel Alemán. “Una de los objetivos fue promover la generación de empleos, turismo e inversión, dadas las condiciones y la situación geográfica de la región Ribereña”, indica un comunicado de prensa. El boletín agrega que de concretarse el proyecto, se traduciría en un detonante que otorgaría a Miguel Alemán un sitio como municipio ancla de la región ribereña. La reunión fue celebrada en Pesquería, Nuevo León, México, y asistieron Amaro Guerra Ramírez, enlace entre Roma y Miguel Alemán; el Presidente Municipal de Ciudad Mier, Roberto González González; el Presidente Municipal de Miguel Alemán, Ramiro Cortez Barrera; y el Administrador de Roma, en representación del Alcalde Fredy Guerra. La conclusión de la modernización de la Carretera 54 es una importante alternativa para el desarrollo regional, aseguró Guerra Ramírez. Cortez Barrera sostuvo que la ciudad cuenta con la infraestructura aduanera, y garantía de seguridad en el desplazamiento de 150 kilómetros el tránsito vía terrestre. Reiteró que la difusión al aspecto comercial y turístico “dará paso a una frontera más fuerte y en condiciones de trascender”. Como anfitrión estuvo el Alcalde de Pesquería, José Gloria López, y el Comisionado para la Promoción de la Carretera 54, Enrique Maldonado Solís.
COLUMNA
Recuento de asechanzas nazis en Tampico Nota del Editor: Ésta es la primera de dos partes, acerca de la presencia de nazis y fascitas en la región sur de Tamaulipas.
Italia, aunque padece sus acechanzas. A cuenta de ello, agentes de Adolfo Hitler realizan en Tamaulipas actividades encubiertas.
POR RAÚL SINENCIO CHÁVEZ ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Armada
La II Guerra Mundial transcurre de 1939 a 1945. Si bien mantiene su neutralidad al principio, México condena las agresiones nazis y fascistas contra otras naciones. Asila también a los que huyen del totalitarismo. Ante el boicot extranjero por la nacionalización petrolera, vende crudo a Japón, Alemania e
Diciéndose representante comercial, Friedrich Karl Schlebrugge llega a México en diciembre de 1939. En realidad, trabaja para la Gestapo y dirige amplia red de espionaje, con ramificaciones tamaulipecas. Su paisano George Werner Bemhard Nicolaus arriba como segundo de a bordo el posterior 30 de marzo.
Fruto del trabajo de ambos son los informes secretos acerca del tráfico marítimo en Tampico. Ellos los trasmiten durante octubre y noviembre de 1940. Refuerza el trabajo de Fritz Bieler, aviador de Luftwaffe, inmiscuido en la rebelión del reaccionario Saturnino Cedillo, neutralizada por Lázaro Cárdenas. Desde 1940, México solo vendía al Tercer Reich derivados petroleros. Con tales productos, hacia diciembre zarpa de Tamaulipas el buquetanque “Rhein”, que los ingleses torpedean frente a Florida. Temerosos de parecida suerte, los propios tripulantes hunden al también car-
guero nazi “Fhrygia” en las inmediaciones de Tampico. Cerca ronda la Armada británica, aun cuando Londres había roto diplomáticamente con el gobierno mexicano por expropiar los hidrocarburos.
Órdenes Recién aplica Benito Mussolini tal medida, el 19 de abril de 1941 México incauta once embarcaciones a Berlín y Roma. (Con permiso del autor Raúl Sinencio Chávez, según fuera publicado en La Razón, Tampico)
Nation
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
Opt-out-of-testing movement speeds up By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — Thousands of students are opting out of new standardized tests aligned to the Common Core standards, defying the latest attempt by states to improve academic performance. This “opt-out” movement remains scattered but is growing fast in some parts of the country. Some superintendents in New York are reporting that 60 percent or even 70 percent of their students are refusing to sit for the exams. Some lawmakers, sensing a tipping point, are backing the parents and teachers who complain about standardized testing. Resistance could be costly: If fewer than 95 percent of a district’s students participate in tests aligned with Common Core standards, federal money could be withheld, although the U.S. Department of Education said that hasn’t happened. “It is a theoretical club administrators have used to coerce participation, but a club that is increasingly seen as a hollow threat,” said Bob Schaeffer with the National Center for Fair & Open Testing, which seeks to limit standardized testing. And so the movement grows: This week in New York, tens of thousands of students sat out the first day of tests, with some districts reporting more than half of students opting out of the English test. Preliminary reports suggest an overall increase in opt-outs compared to last year, when about 49,000 students did not take English tests and about 67,000 skipped math tests, compared to about 1.1 million students who did take the tests in New York. Considerable resistance also has been reported in Maine, New Mexico, Oregon and Pennsylvania, and more is likely as
Photo by Matt Slocum | AP
Meredith Barber poses with her daughter Gabrielle Schwager, 10, on Thursday at their home in Penn Valley, Pa. Barber, has decided Gabrielle will not be taking the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment this year and has been encouraging other parents to opt out. many states administer the tests in public schools for the first time this spring. The defiance dismays people who believe holding schools accountable for all their students’ continuing improvement is key to solving education problems. Assessing every student each year “gives educators and parents an idea of how the student is doing and ensures that schools are paying attention to traditionally underserved populations,” U.S. Department of Education Spokeswoman Dorie Nolt said in an emailed statement. Opposition runs across the political spectrum. Some Republicans and Tea Party activists focus on the Common Core standards themselves, calling them a federal intrusion by President Barack Obama, even though they were developed by the National Governors Association and each state’s education leaders in the wake of President George W. Bush’s No
Child Left Behind program. The Obama administration has encouraged states to adopt Common Core standards through the federal grant program known as Race to the Top, and most have, but each state is free to develop its own tests. In California, home to the nation’s largest public school system and Democratic political leaders who strongly endorse Common Core standards, there have been no reports of widespread protests to the exams — perhaps because state officials have decided not to hold schools accountable for the first year’s results. But in deep-blue New York, resistance has been encouraged by the unions in response to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to make the test results count more in teacher evaluations. In Rockville Centre on Long Island, Superintendent William H. Johnson said 60 percent of his district’s third-througheighth graders opted out.
In the Buffalo suburb of West Seneca, nearly 70 percent didn’t take the state exam, Superintendent Mark Crawford said. “That tells me parents are deeply concerned about the use of the standardized tests their children are taking,” Crawford said. “If the opt-outs are great enough, at what point does somebody say this is absurd?” Nearly 15 percent of high school juniors in New Jersey opted out this year, while fewer than 5 percent of students in grades three through eight refused the tests, state education officials said. One reason: Juniors may be focusing instead on the SAT and AP tests that could determine their college futures. Much of the criticism focuses on the sheer number of tests now being applied in public schools: From pre-kindergarten through grade 12, students take an average of 113 standardized tests, according to a survey by the Council of the Great City Schools, which represents
large urban districts. Of these, only 17 are mandated by the federal government, but the backlash that began when No Child Left Behind started to hold teachers, schools and districts strictly accountable for their students’ progress has only grown stronger since “Common Core” gave the criticism a common rallying cry. “There is a widespread sentiment among parents, students, teachers, administrators and local elected officials that enough is enough, that government mandated testing has taken over our schools,” Schaeffer said. Teachers now devote 30 percent of their work time on testing-related tasks, including preparing students, proctoring, and reviewing the results of standardized tests, the National Education Association says. The pressure to improve results year after year can be demoralizing and even criminalizing, say critics who point to the Atlanta test-cheating
Presidential hopefuls clash in NH By STEVE PEOPLES ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHUA, N.H. — The Republican Party’s most ambitious stormed into New Hampshire on Friday for an early state showdown that highlighted the diversity, political challenges and sheer size of the GOP’s 2016 presidential class. Nearly 20 Republican White House prospects were on the program for a weekend conference hosted by the state GOP, the year’s first gathering of its kind in the first-in-the-nation primary state. Speakers ranged from the party’s elite to its longshots: former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush delivered a standingroom-only speech while lesser-known South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham introduced himself to voters one at a time in the hallway. Each contender offered prescriptions for a party that hasn’t won a presidential election in more than a decade. Bush made a passionate plea for bipartisanship on a day when his moderate brand of politics was on display. He broke with many conservatives on the environment by declaring that “the climate is changing” and on immigration called for a pathway to legal status for immigrants in the country illegally. “The people who want to come here are driving for success,” Bush said of such immigrants. He also criticized those who demonize their political adversaries: “I’m sick and tired of the political game where you push someone down to make yourself look better.” He was among 10 prospective presidential candidates in New Hampshire on Friday, the first day of a two-day conference. Another 10 potential candi-
scandal, which led to the convictions 35 educators charged with altering exams to boost scores. “It seems like overkill,” said Meredith Barber, a psychologist from the Philadelphia suburb of Penn Valley who excused her daughter from this year’s tests. Close to 200 of her schoolmates also opted out in the Lower Merion School District, up from a dozen last year. “I’m sure we can figure out a way to assess schools rather than stressing out children and teachers and really making it unpleasant for teachers to teach,” said Barber, whose 10-year-old daughter, Gabrielle, will be in the cafeteria researching Edwardian history and the TV show “Downton Abbey” during the two weeks schools have set aside for the tests. Utah and California allow parents to refuse testing for any reason, while Arkansas and Texas prohibit opting out, according to a report by the Education Commission of the States. Most states are like Georgia, where no specific law clarifies the question, and lawmakers in some of these states want protect the right to opt out. Florida has another solution: Gov. Rick Scott signed a bill strictly limiting testing to 45 hours each school year. In Congress, meanwhile, lawmakers appear ready to give states more flexibility: A Senate committee approved a bipartisan update of No Child Left Behind this week that would let each state determine how much weight to give the tests when evaluating school performance. The Obama administration has encouraged states to adopt Common Core standards through the federal grant program known as Race to the Top, and most have.
Clinton eyes pact By LISA LERER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Jim Cole | AP
Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush leaves after speaking at a Republican Leadership Summit on Friday in Nashua, N.H.
dates were scheduled to appear in the state on Sunday. Among the speakers: 10 current and former governors, three senators, a congressman, a former United Nations ambassador and a former CEO. They range in age from 43 to 71 and include several Spanish speakers and one woman. Of the major candidates considering a 2016 run, only retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson did not attend the weekend conference. He cited a scheduling conflict. “There’s a new president coming, my friends,” said New Hampshire GOP chairwoman Jennifer Horn, praising the diversity of the Republican field. “I’d like to also recognize at this time the broad, diverse, qualified field of
candidates being offered by our friends in the Democratic Party, but I can’t.” That’s because the Democratic contest is dominated by Hillary Rodham Clinton, who launched her campaign earlier in the week. The 67-year-old former first lady and secretary of state is scheduled to campaign in New Hampshire early next week. Just down the street from the Republican conference, a leading Democratic voice charged that all the Republican voices sound the same: “With all of their shared extreme views they might as well just be one,” said Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee. Yet divisions were on display among the Repub-
lican candidates. “We’re not going to fix Washington by electing a president who is from Washington,” said former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, offering a jab at the members of Congress eyeing the White House. “Change is only going to come from the outside, from my perspective, and so should the next president.” And Bush said the United States must team up with other countries to fight climate change, a departure from the position of most rivals and many others in the GOP. “We need to work with the rest of the world to find a way to reduce carbon emissions,” he said. That won him praise from an unexpected quarter, Democratic billionaire environmentalist Tom Steyer, whose NextGen
group issued a statement saying Bush demonstrated leadership on the issue and showed why “climate change doesn’t have to be a partisan issue.” Florida Sen. Marco Rubio reiterated the need for a new generation of leadership. If elected, the 43year-old Rubio would be the third youngest president in history. He launched his campaign earlier in the week. Asked whether Rubio considers Bush to be a man from the past, Rubio avoided criticizing the governor who helped steer his early years in politics. “It’s not about biological age or how long someone’s been in politics, it has to do more with the age of your ideas,” Rubio said. “Do you have ideas to move America into the 21st century?”
WASHINGTON — Hillary Rodham Clinton says she will be closely watching efforts by the Obama administration to negotiate a broad trade policy pact with Pacific nations that’s raising concerns over potential harm to workers. As she kicks off her presidential campaign, Clinton is under pressure from the liberal wing of her party to oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a deal involving the United States, Japan, Vietnam, Canada, Mexico and seven other Pacific rim nations. Labor unions and other progressive organizations say the pact would hurt U.S. jobs and encourage abuse of workers and the environment. In a statement Friday, Clinton’s Democratic presidential campaign said she believes that any new trade measure should “protect American workers, raise wages and create more good jobs at home.” The agreement should also “strengthen our national security,” the campaign said. Clinton thinks the U.S. should reject any final deal that does not satisfy those criteria, the statement said. “The goal is greater prosperity and security for American families, not trade for trade’s sake,” according to the campaign. More specifically, the statement said, she will be “watching closely to see what is being done to crack down on currency manipulation, improve labor rights, protect the environment and health, promote transparency and open new opportunities for our small businesses to export overseas.”
International
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
Iraqi officials believe Saddam’s top deputy killed By QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA AND VIVIAN SALAMA ASSOCIATED PRESS
BAGHDAD — He was the last member of Saddam Hussein’s inner circle still on the run, depicted with his distinctive red moustache as the “king of clubs” on the U.S. military’s deck of cards of most-wanted Iraqi regime fugitives. Now, officials say they believe government forces killed Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri near Tikrit, where the former deputy to Saddam was working alongside Islamic State militants. Reports of al-Douri’s death came Friday as Iraqi forces tried to push back Islamic State group fighters in Salahuddin province, where Tikrit is located. Government troops took back several towns near Iraq’s
largest oil refinery at Beiji, officials said. Farther north, a car bomb exploded next to the U.S. Consulate in the city of Irbil, a rare attack in the capital of the Kurdish autonomous zone that killed three people and wounded five, police said. U.S. officials said no Americans were hurt and no casualties among consulate personnel or guards. An Associated Press reporter said the blast went off outside a cafe next to the building in the Ankawa neighborhood, setting nearby cars on fire. Shortly afterward, the Islamic State group claimed responsibility, according to the SITE Intelligence Group, which tracks militant websites. The report of al-Douri’s death was not the first time Iraqi officials have claimed
Photo by Associated Press
Displaced people from Ramadi wait for the approval of security forces to enter Baghdad, on Friday. to have killed or captured the 72-year-old former aide to Saddam. According to Raed al-Jabouri, the governor of Salahuddin province, al-Douri was killed by Iraqi troops and Shiite militiamen in an
operation in the Talal Hamreen mountains east of Tikrit, Saddam’s hometown, which was retaken from the Islamic State group earlier this month. Troops opened fire at a convoy carrying al-Douri
and nine bodyguards, killing all of them, Gen. Haider al-Basri, a senior commander, told state TV. The government issues several photos showing a body purported to be alDouri. The body had a bright red beard, perhaps dyed, and a ginger-colored moustache. Al-Douri was a fair-skinned redhead with a ginger moustache, making him distinctive among Saddam’s inner circle. Karim al-Nouri, a spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Forces, said the body was brought Friday night to Baghdad for DNA tests, which should be completed within 48 hours. Col. Pat Ryder, spokesman for U.S. Central Command, said the U.S. had no information to corroborate the reported death of alDouri.
In 2013, the Iraqi government said it arrested alDouri, circulating a photo of a bearded man who resembled him. It later said it was a case of mistaken identity. Al-Douri was officially the No. 2 man in Iraq’s ruling hierarchy. He served as vice chairman of Saddam’s Revolutionary Command Council, was one of Saddam’s few longtime confidants, and his daughter was married briefly to Saddam’s son, Odai, who was killed with his brother, Qusai, by U.S. troops in Mosul after the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. During the war, coalition troops were issued decks of playing cards with the names and faces of many of the most-wanted Iraqis on each one. Saddam was the ace of spades, Odai was the ace of hearts, and Qusai was ace of clubs.
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
FRACKING Continued from Page 1A imposed a hydraulic fracturing ban to keep encroaching drilling bonanzas outside their city limits. Their opposition was driven by recurring small earthquakes and safety worries from gas wells that have become ubiquitous near urban areas. But Republicans say the state — and not local governments — is in charge of what’s below ground. “In the absence of this bill, a statewide patchwork of oil and gas regulation is likely,” said Republican state Rep. Drew Darby, who authored the measure known as HB40. “It would hamstring the mainstay of the Texas economy.” The bill still needs approval in the Senate, which is expected, before reaching Abbott’s desk. Abbott has mostly stayed clear of the contentious debate that pitted cities against oil and gas companies. But before taking office in January, he bemoaned what he saw as
a rise in local governments putting restrictions on everything from plastic bags to cutting trees. City leaders and municipal lobbyists saw it as hypocrisy among Republicans who are quick to scold federal overreach and preach local control for schools. Drilling operations contributed more than $12 billion to Texas state coffers in 2013 alone, accounting for about 4.5 percent of the biannual budget. The oil and gas sector made more than $400 million in political contributions in Texas in the last election cycle, according to the National Institute on Money in State Politics. Democrats tried softening the bill with amendments to ban drilling in parks, near daycares or give local officials authority to shut off production in the face of natural disasters like hurricanes. Darby rebuffed them all, saying the bill was a
JOBS Continued from Page 1A ging industry, which includes oil and gas employment, saw a decline in March with the loss of about 2,800 jobs statewide. “Maintaining a diversity of employment opportunities has kept Texas strong for the past four years,” said Andres Alcantar, TWC chairman. “We must continue to build and support partnerships that will help connect employers to a quality supply of skilled workers and equip job seekers with training that will help them succeed.”
“painfully crafted” compromise with the Texas Municipal League, a powerful lobby that had originally fought the measure. Last week, a gas well leak at a fracking site near Arlington led to the evacuation of about 50 homes. No one was injured, but environmentalists and Democrats tried seizing on the timing of the leak in hopes of slowing down the bill. Republicans say cities would still keep authority to regulate the aboveground effects of fracking, such as traffic and noise — but only so long as local officials are being “commercially reasonable.” Environmentalists predicted heightened danger in local communities, while Democrats see imminent court challenges. “This is a bill that puts in place litigation from one coast of Texas to the other,” Democratic state Rep. Sylvester Turner said.
Photo by Bob Daemmrich | Texas Tribune
State Rep. Drew Darby, R-San Angelo, lays out HB 40 that would curb local control over oil and gas activities on Friday. With a 122-18 vote, the House sent the bill to the Senate.
SCHLUMBERGER Continued from Page 1A spending $114 billion this year, according to Cowen & Co. Worldwide, the industry had announced about 100,000 job cuts after Brent crude prices fell by half from a June high. While Schlumberger and its competitors were the first to bear the brunt of cutbacks after the drop in oil prices, explorers and producers could begin making deeper job cuts, said Rob Desai, an analyst at Edward Jones in St. Louis. “There will be another wave after this,” James Wicklund, an analyst at Credit Suisse Group AG in
Dallas, said in a phone interview. “You can’t cut all the people you need to cut the first time.” Schlumberger provides services including drilling wells, hydraulic fracturing and mapping underground oil pockets for energy producers. Its two largest competitors, Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc., agreed to merge last year in a $34.6 billion deal. They are scheduled to report earnings next week. “Generally we were expecting more layoffs,” Desai said. “I thought they would’ve gotten the big
number out first,” he said of Schlumberger’s cut. “This is more than I expected.”
Pricing Weakness The abrupt drop in North American drilling required more action, Paal Kibsgaard, chief executive officer of Houston- and Paris-based Schlumberger said in an earnings statement Thursday. The company announced its lowest first-quarter profit in four years. “We believe that a recov-
ery in U.S. land drilling activity will be pushed out in time, as the inventory of uncompleted wells builds and as the re-fracturing market expands,” Kibsgaard said. “We also anticipate that a recovery in activity will fall well short of reaching previous levels, hence extending the period of pricing weakness.” The company announced earlier Thursday it would pay another 50 cent quarterly dividend. Schlumberger will cut capital spending this year to $2.5 billion, down from its previous forecast of $3 billion.
The Schlumberger announcement comes as oil prices have recovered a bit from a low of $46.59 a barrel in January. They closed at $63.70 on Thursday, one day after analysts from Morgan Stanley issued a note calling a bottom on the services sector. “We believe the 37 percent cut in capex and 15 percent headcount cut is clearly a strong indicator of the expectation of still highly challenging market in 2016,” Angie Sedita, an analyst for UBS AG, wrote in a note to clients titled “Batten down the hatches.”
just for arthritis, but for tendinitis, for things like degenerative disc disease.” Before forming The Stem Cell Orthopedic Institute, the doctors conducted an unpublished study assessing how 15 patients with severe joint damage fared with the treatments. Those patients, ranging from their 40s to their 80s, saw significant pain relief and improved function after six months, they said. One of the 15 patients still required surgery after the treatment, Hirsch said. “The results were pretty fantastic,” said Hirsch, a specialist in physical medicine and pain management. The procedures do not yield immediate results. If treatment is successful, the benefits are seen over time. Pain relief might be-
come evident in a few weeks, but the formation of new tissue is likely to take six months, Hirsch said. Medical literature indicates the greatest effects likely will be seen three to four years after the injection is given, he said. Not everyone will benefit from such treatments. For patients who have bone grating against bone or severe wearing down of their joints, the doctors won’t profess “that we’re going to just magically grow a healthy cartilage,” Joshi said. “Most people aren’t candidates,” Hirsch said. The doctors said they also will perform the stem-cell treatments on two knees or two hips at no additional cost beyond what a patient would pay for a single knee or single hip procedure.
STEM CELL Continued from Page 1A month. Another medical practice, The San Antonio Orthopaedic Group, offers the same stem-cell treatments for orthopedic injuries but typically does that work at outpatient surgical centers, often in conjunction with other surgical procedures, said one of its physicians, orthopedic surgeon Frank J. Garcia. He expects his practice eventually will offer the procedure inhouse on a more frequent basis as well. The practice of using a patient’s own stem cells, derived from bone marrow, to rebuild cartilage, collagen, tendon or bone is flourishing in orthopedics, physicians said. The procedure also can reduce pain and inflammation. Stem-cell therapies have great potential for the increasing numbers of peo-
ple who are running and working out to keep fit, said Hall, an anesthesiologist and pain-management doctor. “There’s a lot of younger people getting severe joint damage,” he told the San Antonio ExpressNews. “Now there’s an alternative for them to surgery.” In the past, such procedures were “a little bit cost prohibitive to someone other than a professional athlete,” Hall said. “Now, we’ve got the price down to where it’s actually affordable for the everyday athlete — the guy that’s out running 5 miles every morning.” A single treatment still costs several thousand dollars — and is not covered by health insurance at this point. But because Joshi, Hirsch and Hall do the procedures at their of-
fice, they said, their prices are $1,500 to $2,000 less than what a patient would pay at a hospital or surgical center. The therapy involves withdrawing a patient’s bone marrow stem cells from his or her hip, concentrating those cells and injecting them directly into the damaged joint or tendon, using musculoskeletal ultrasound technology to reach the most severely affected areas. Once preliminary exams are out of the way, the stem-cell therapy can be done in one doctor’s office visit, typically lasting an hour, while the patient is under mild sedation. The process does not involve the controversial use of embryonic stem cells, the doctors said. “This is a very straightforward application of cells from your own body,”
said Joshi, an orthopedic spine surgeon. “You’re minimally manipulating them, and you’re returning them back to the patient.” The stem-cell application may be an attractive option for a patient wanting to avoid surgery or who is deemed too young, too old or not medically stable enough to undergo a total knee or hip replacement, doctors said. “Surgery is pretty invasive, can be disruptive and has a known set of complications,” Joshi said. “Stem cells represent a powerful, natural option . that can reduce inflammation, reduce pain and maybe make it unnecessary to go through surgery.” “The applications are tremendous,” agreed Garcia at The San Antonio Orthopaedic Group, “not
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: CLEVELAND BROWNS
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Manziel apologizes Photo by David J. Phillip | AP
Jameis Winston’s lawyer addressed the recent civil lawsuit against his client by a woman who claimed he raped her by saying it was a “stunt.” He is the projected No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in two weeks.
Winston camp speaks out Winston’s lawyer calls sex assault suit against QB a ‘stunt’ By GARY FINEOUT ASSOCIATED PRESS
File photo by Bob Leverone | AP
Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel was apologetic after a 10-week stay in rehab. The former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback was a first-round pick by Cleveland last year.
Johnny Football talks after stint in rehab By TOM WITHERS ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND — Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has expressed remorse and asked for privacy following a 10-week stay in rehab.
In his first public comments since he entered a treatment facility on Jan. 28, Manziel apologized to the Browns and their fans and acknowledged he has a long way to go to win back people’s respect. “I owe private apologies
to a lot of people that I disappointed but a very public one to the Browns organization and the fans that I let down,” Manziel said in the statement released Friday by the Browns. “I take full responsibility for my actions and
it’s my intention to work very hard to regain everyone’s trust and respect. I understand that will take time and will only happen through what I do and not what I say.”
See MANZIEL PAGE 2B
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The attorney for NFL prospect Jameis Winston said the lawsuit filed against the former Florida State University quarterback by a woman who says he raped her is “false” and a “stunt.” David Cornwell said in written a statement Friday the lawsuit by former Florida State student Erica Kinsman was expected. He said her accusations have been rejected by police and Florida State.
The lawsuit was filed Thursday, two weeks before the NFL draft where Winston could be the No. 1 pick. “Ms. Kinsman’s false accusations have already been exposed and rejected six times. This time will be no different,” Cornwell said. “Mr. Winston welcomes the opportunity to clear his name with the truth. Mr. Winston is looking forward to the upcoming draft. He will not permit this ploy to distract him as he begins the jour-
See WINSTON PAGE 2B
BOXING
No tickets yet for fight By TIM DAHLBERG ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by John Locher | AP
Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., left, works out with his uncle Roger Mayweather Tuesday in Las Vegas. Mayweather will face Manny Pacquiao in a welterweight boxing match on May 2.
LAS VEGAS — Don’t expect to snag a $1,500 nosebleed ticket — or any other ticket — at the box office for the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. Just two weeks before the bout, tickets for the most anticipated fight in recent times have yet to go on public sale, with the two camps and the MGM Grand locked in a standoff over allotments. When they are finally put on sale, only a few will be
NCAA ATHLETICS
sold at the listed price. The impasse has left fans in the dark, and ticket brokers perplexed. “It’s bizarre, normally there’s a public sale 10 weeks before the fight,” said Connor Gregoire, an analyst for Seatgeek.com. “To our knowledge no one has a printed ticket in their hands right now.” Mayweather’s promoter, Leonard Ellerbe, said Tuesday that tickets would go on sale this week for the May 2 fight, but MGM officials have been tightlipped about their availability.
The hotel issued a statement Friday saying there would be a “limited number of tickets available for sale” and that it is working with promoters to finalize a date for their release. The fight was always going to be a tough ticket, with announced prices of $1,500 to $7,500 in the 16,500-seat Grand Garden arena. But those prices have already tripled in the resale market even before tickets are available, and the two camps and the MGM have been dickering over
See BOXING PAGE 2B
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
NBA may alter schedule By BRIAN MAHONEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
File photo by Charles Rex Arbogast | AP
Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany talked about his new plan for incoming freshmen to be limited in athletics for a year of readiness.
Big 10 unveils plan for freshmen By RALPH D. RUSSO ASSOCIATED PRESS
Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany says making freshmen ineligible in college football and basketball could help correct the imbalance between athletics and academics. In a 12-page letter titled “Education First, Athletics Second: The Time for a Na-
tional Discussion is Upon Us” and sent to media members Friday, Delany reiterated why he believes a so-called year of readiness would be beneficial at this “critical moment in the evolution of intercollegiate athletics.” The letter is not a proposal, he wrote. He did,
See NCAA PAGE 2B
NEW YORK — NBA owners held their first serious discussions about the playoff format, though Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday it was too soon to tell if there was interest in changing it. The playoffs will open Saturday without the Oklahoma City Thunder, who finished ninth in the Western Conference with a 45-37 record that would have made them the No. 6 seed in the weaker East. Two teams in the East field finished below .500, renewing calls to make the playoffs for the best 16 teams, instead of the current top eight in each conference. Silver said owners reviewed data over about 30 years, while also considering the need for traditional rivalries born out of
File photo by Jason DeCrow | AP
Adam Silver and NBA owners are discussing possible changes for the 2015-16 season.
having divisions and conferences. “When we presented all the data to the teams, what becomes clear is
that there is no obvious solution,” Silver said. “It’s not to say that we don’t think there should be a change. I think this
is one of these issues that is going to require a fair amount of discussion and
See NBA PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
MANZIEL Continued from Page 1B Manziel thanked doctors and staff at Caron, a Pennsylvania facility which specializes in the treatment of drugs and alcohol. Manziel was discharged on April 11 and has not publicly disclosed what he sought treatment for. Manziel was allowed to leave the facility during his stay and he played golf in Louisiana with his father and visited patients in a hospital as part of his program. Since leaving Caron, he has attended a Texas Rangers game followed by a visit to see the Dallas Mavericks play. Manziel, who earned his “Johnny Football” nickname while winning the Heisman Trophy as a freshman at Texas A&M,
intends to attend Cleveland’s offseason practices next week. The 23-year-old knows there will be continued interest in his comeback. “Anyone who has a friend or family member that’s been through things like this knows it’s an ongoing process,” Manziel said. “I’m going to continue to ask folks to try to respect my privacy as I determine to what degree I am comfortable talking about a subject which I consider very personal.” Manziel had a rough rookie season in 2014 after he was drafted with the No. 22 overall pick by the Browns. Manziel spent most of it as the team’s backup before making two starts and
playing poorly. He was injured in Cleveland’s game at Carolina, then fined after he missed a treatment. Following the season, Manziel acknowledged he didn’t take his job as seriously as he needed to, and vowed to work harder in the offseason. He checked into rehab less than a month later. The Browns have remained supportive during his ordeal. Owner Jimmy Haslam and coach Mike Pettine have indicated Manziel will have a chance to win the starting job in training camp, but Manziel is not guaranteed anything. The Browns signed 11-year veteran quarterback Josh McCown as a free agent. The team also
has two first-round draft picks and could position itself to take Oregon’s Marcus Mariota. Browns Pro Bowl tackled Joe Thomas said earlier this week that Manziel needs to prove to his teammates that he is willing to commit to football as the most important thing in his life. “There was some doubt based on what he did last year if football was the most important thing,” Thomas said when the Browns unveiled new uniforms this week. “It matters about showing up, practicing hard, taking the film study seriously, committing yourself to the meetings and playing on Sundays.”
File photo by Tony Dejak | AP
After recently being called out by teammates for not giving 100 percent last year, Johnny Manziel is set to make amends during the 2015 season in Cleveland.
NBA Continued from Page 1B study, not just directly among the owners in the big room, with committees as well.” Another change could come quickly. He said there were discussions about extending the 201516 season by a week, which he said could reduce the number of backto-backs to an all-time low
average of 16 per team, with an average of just one four-in-five-nights stretch per team. The playoffs and draft lottery apparently will stay the same. Silver noted the races for the final spots in both the West and East, claimed by New Orleans and Brooklyn, went down to
the final night of the regular season. “If you seeded 1 through 16, of course you wouldn’t have that,” he said. “You’d just have one race to make the playoffs, so that’s one factor.” He said there was also discussion of a play-in tournament in which an undetermined number of
teams would play for the No. 8 spots. “I have to say I am intrigued by that idea,” Silver said. “It’s something we’ve talked about before.” So is lottery reform, which fell short of approval in October. The current system gives the team with the worst record the best odds to win the lot-
tery and the No. 1 pick in the draft, which could encourage tanking, or losing on purpose in hopes of getting a better pick. Silver said owners felt they shouldn’t touch that until after the new media deals begin in 2016, which will create a huge jump in revenues and make the salary cap soar by more
than $20 million to possibly $90 million. They want to see how that affects free agency and trades before touching the draft. “Once again on the draft lottery we agreed to continue looking at it but it seems highly unlikely at this point that we’re going to make a change for next season,” he said.
BOXING Continued from Page 1B how many seats — and at what price level — each party gets. Pacquiao’s manager, Michael Koncz, blamed the Mayweather camp for holding up the ticket sales, saying they have refused to sign a term sheet negotiated months earlier that specified the allotments. “It’s a real mess right now,” Koncz said. “I can only surmise the motivation is greed and an attempt to manipulate the tickets, otherwise why the holdup? I’m more than a little upset they’re not for sale to the public.” Millions of dollars are at stake in the dispute, because after the MGM takes its share each camp gets a certain percentage of tickets and is able to resell them with ticket brokers for higher prices. The estimated gate for the tickets if they are sold at retail prices is already a staggering $72 million, far surpassing the previous gate record of $20 million for Mayweather’s 2013 fight with Canelo Alvarez. Promoter Bob Arum said he has heard of people cancelling their reservations to Las Vegas because they’re afraid they can’t
Photo by Monica Almeida | AP
Manny Pacquaio will try to become the first person to defeat Floyd Mayweather as he brings his 47-0 record into their May 2 fight. get tickets. “This is not acceptable,” said Arum, who promotes Pacquiao. “This is a worldwide event that the city of Las Vegas is involved in. It’s one of the craziest things I’ve ever seen.” Gregoire said the fight is one of Seatgeek’s most
searched events, but that only a few dozen tickets have been sold through the website. Those tickets are what the ticket industry calls “spec tickets” because the sellers don’t actually have them in hand, but expect to get them before the fight.
NCAA Continued from Page 1B however, lay out a plan to raise scholarship limits in FBS football and Division I men’s basketball and add scholarships in women’s sports to stay compliant with Title IX. The increased costs would be covered with money from TV and media rights deals for the College Football Playoff and NCAA men’s basketball tournament. “If we cannot defend — through an examination of actions and results as opposed to words — that education is the paramount factor in our decision-making process (rivaled only by the health and safety of our student-athletes), then the enterprise stands as a house of cards,” Delany wrote. Since February, Delany has been pushing the idea of again making freshmen ineligible to compete in football and basketball. NCAA rules prohibited freshmen from competing in all sports until the early 1970s. Delany points out that by NCAA graduation rates and Academic Progress Rates, football and men’s basketball were the weakest performing sports from 2009-13. He said there is some evidence showing ath-
letes generally do better academically out of season. Sitting out would especially benefit those who come to college underprepared for the course work, he writes. But it goes beyond academics. “First and foremost, requiring a year of readiness would make clear to prospects that they have a choice. On one hand, they would be free to pursue their sport as a vocation, where development in the sport is their primary — if not sole — objective. To the extent such avenues are limited in the sports of football and men’s basketball, it is the responsibility of the professional leagues in those sports to provide such opportunities. It is not the responsibility of intercollegiate athletics to serve as professional minor leagues in any sport,” he wrote. Under Delany’s plan, athletes would still be eligible to play for four seasons. Freshmen would be able to practice with their teams, though participation and travel would be limited. To make up for the roster limitations that would come with freshmen not being allowed to play, FBS football programs would be allowed about seven additional scholarship players. The
current limit is 85. Men’s basketball teams in Division I would be allowed about three extra scholarship players; the current maximum is 13. Using those “ball park estimates,” 5.4 women’s scholarships per Division I school would need to be added to equal the $47.25 million spent on new men’s scholarships. Delany also reiterated the Big Ten has no plans to go it alone when it comes to implementing a year of readiness. It is not an idea that many college leaders are embracing. Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby and Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott have at least expressed interest in exploring the possibility. Southeastern Conference Commissioner Mike Slive has come out strongly against it. Even within the Big Ten, athletic directors such as Michigan State’s Mark Hollis have referred to Delany’s idea as a starting point for a broader discussion. Delany said that more than pushing a particular proposal, he is trying to start a dialogue about ways to make college sports more about college and less about sports. He concluded: “Let the national discussion begin.”
The cheapest seat on the site on Friday was $4,800, and Gregoire said the average sale so far is in the $8,000 range. “People are hesitant to buy in the secondary market before there’s been an original sale,” he said. “And you’ve also got the
incredible prices being asked for tickets now. That means a lot of people are not buying tickets at this point.” At Stubhub there are no tickets for sale, spokeswoman Alison Salcedo said, because the ticket reseller is waiting for actual prices
to be set and tickets to be printed. “There’s still so much up in the air for this fight that we’re not allowing spec sales,” Salcedo said. “We’re not willing to take that risk now.” Tickets have also not gone on sale for the closed circuit telecast of the fight at the various MGM properties in Las Vegas. Thousands of those tickets are expected to be sold to fans that can’t get into the arena itself, but no price has been set for them. Koncz said he talked to Pacquiao on Thursday about making sure he had enough tickets to take care of people in his camp. He said there have been requests from around the world for fight tickets, but that they have been forced to put them off because of the uncertainty over how many tickets are available and their pricing. One thing that is certain, he said, is no one — including the celebrities who generally populate the ringside seats — is getting in for free. “Nobody’s getting free tickets,” Koncz said. “Even Bob (Arum) has to pay for his ticket in the first row.”
WINSTON Continued from Page 1B ney of fulfilling his lifelong dream of being a championship quarterback in the National Football League.” Kinsman says she was intoxicated at a Tallahassee bar in December 2012 when Winston and others took her back to Winston’s apartment and he sexually assaulted her. The lawsuit accuses Winston of rape, assault, false imprisonment and emotional distress. Winston says the sex was consensual. The Associated Press does not routinely identify people who say they are sexual assault victims. However, Kinsman told her story publicly in a documentary. Prosecutors declined to file charges against Winston in late 2013. He also was cleared by the university following a two-day student conduct hearing last year. The hearing was held to determine whether Winston violated four sections of the code of conduct — two for sexual misconduct and two for endangerment. But John Clune, a lawyer for Kinsman, said in a statement Thursday there are consequences for Winston’s behavior “and since others have refused to hold
him accountable, our client will.” “Erica hopes to show other survivors the strength and empowerment that can come from refusing to stay silent no matter what forces are against you,” Clune said. “Jameis Winston in contrast has proven time and time again to be an entitled athlete who believes he can take what he wants. He took something here that he was not entitled to and he hurt someone.” Because the burden of proof is much lower in a civil lawsuit than in a criminal case, Kinsman could have a better chance of winning a jury verdict if it goes to trial. David S. Weinstein, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice in Miami, said in a civil case the standard amounts to the “greater weight” of the evidence, or “merely tipping the scales in favor of the plaintiff.” In a criminal case, prosecutors must prove a person’s guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. “The scales have to be tipped all the way over to the side of the prosecution,” said Weinstein, who is not involved in the case.
Weinstein also said that he thought Kinsman’s chances of prevailing were good, based on the detailed allegations and multiple witness statements in the lawsuit. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. “The defense will drag her character through the mud, so this is going to be an unpleasant process for her,” he said. “However, Winston has a lot to lose, so I foresee a settlement and not a trial.” Kinsman has also filed a lawsuit against FSU’s trustees, asserting that university officials had knowledge of her alleged sexual harassment and discrimination by the star quarterback and this created a hostile educational environment for her. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages, including reimbursement for tuition, damages for emotional pain and suffering and loss of past and present earning and earning capacity. Lawyers for the university’s board of trustees contend the lawsuit should be dismissed because it does not show that FSU was responsible for her harassment, but they also maintain that they offered her assistance.
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
Dear Heloise: I enjoy all of your hints. Occasionally, you mention adopting dogs and cats from local animal shelters. In addition, however, shelters also care for RABBITS. They make wonderful pets. I hope you spread the word! – Barbara W., Arlington, Va. Happy to hop, hop, hop and spread the word. A rescued rabbit can make a very charming, loving, fun and entertaining pet. Rabbits are NOT dumb bunnies (on the contrary – they are pretty darn smart!), and they just want to be part of the family. However, they do need some special care, much different from a dog, cat or bird. Here is a quick overview to consider: Your rabbit does need access to a few things all the time. Of course, fresh food, water and litter box are the basics. They need hay to chew and a safe place to play. Think rabbit "playpen" so they are safe and the house is safe, too. Rabbits CHEW and CHEW – it’s their nature – so you MUST bunny-proof wherever you let them
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
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HELOISE
roam. Electric cords are the first priority to cover up, then drapery, throw rugs, furniture, etc. Some need to have their front teeth filed, as these teeth grow ALL THE TIME! They are like human fingernails. That’s why they chew, to keep the teeth sort of ground down. Rather like us, with filing our nails. Rabbits can develop health issues (from chewing), so they should be groomed and brushed often. Like cats, they tend to ingest their hair when preening! Rabbits and pet dogs and cats can get along, but you must introduce them to each other slowly. Do find a veterinarian who treats rabbits before you make one a family pet. Do your homework first. The website www.rabbit.org is the place to start. – Hopalong Heloise
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SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015