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LAREDO CITY COUNCIL
No plastic bags City, merchants head to court over ordinance By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
City Councilman Roberto Balli reads his proposals regarding the plastic bag ordinance at City Council Chambers.
The City of Laredo will amend its plastic bag reduction ordinance to state that thin plastic bags cannot be sold or given away for free by businesses. Laredo City Council directed city attorney Raul Casso to make
the revision during a special called meeting Monday. The ordinance is still set to take effect Thursday, said city spokeswoman Xochitl Mora Garcia. The applause of ordinance supporters rang in the City Council chambers after the motion from District 8 Councilman Roberto
Balli to direct Casso to amend the language was voted on and approved. “We are ecstatic with the City Council’s decision to amend this ordinance to make it ironclad and to make sure that we keep with the spirit and the intent of it,” said Tricia Cortez, Rio Grande International Study Cen-
ter executive director. Local attorney Christopher C. Peterson, who filed a lawsuit last month over the ordinance on behalf of the Laredo Merchants Association, said he did not want to comment on City Council’s decision since he was not at the meeting. Council members
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD
discussed the ordinance due to statements made by an attorney during a court hearing on the lawsuit April 20. The attorney, Elizabeth GuerreroSouthard, who was representing the city, said at the hearing that the ordinance did not prohibit the sale of
See BAGS PAGE 11A
ZAPATA COUNTY
SPECIAL OLYMPICS
Suspect charged in smuggling By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Cuate Sanots | The Zapata Times
Zapata County ISD Special Olympians participated in the Area Special Olympics Tuesday morning at the UISD Student Acitivity Complex.
A man accused of transporting seven illegal immigrants was arrested recently following a traffic stop in Zapata County, according to court documents obtained Monday. Federal authorities charged the suspect, Benito Juarez-Gutierrez, with bringing in and harboring immigrants who are in the country illegally, according to a criminal complaint filed against the defendant on April 20. U.S. Border Patrol said the case happened April 15. That afternoon, the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office requested assistance from agents because deputy could not identify seven of eight occupants during a speeding violation stop at U.S. 83 and Singer Street. Authorities identified the driver as JuarezGutierrez, who was determined to be a U.S. citizen. But the seven occupants he allegedly had in his vehicle were Mexican nationals with no legal status to be in the country, according to court documents. In court documents, the deputy stated that Juarez-Gutierrez freely admitted to picking up the group at a house in the Siesta Shores neighborhood. The suspect allegedly agreed to a post-arrest interview. Juarez-Gutierrez allegedly stated he had gotten a call asking him if he could transport immigrants to Laredo for $200 per person. Records further stated that Juarez-Gutierrez has served time behind bars for possession of marijuana in state and federal facilities. Two immigrants held as material witnesses in the cases state they made arrangements to cross the border illegally through Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, Mexico, on April 14. Agents said the men paid $5,000 and $6,000, respectively. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
SEVENTH ANNUAL SHOOT FOR THE STARS SPORTING CLAY TOURNAMENT
DA Office raises $30k By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The District Attorney’s Office raised almost $30,000 during their Seventh Annual Shoot for the Stars Sporting Clay Tournament. The event took place April 18 at the South Texas Shooting Complex, which is located off of Texas 359. All the money raised will benefit the Webb County Better Community Foundation, a nonprofit corporation created by District Attorney Isidro R. “Chilo” Alaniz to build
lifelong relationships with community members. “That foundation enables us to help different organizations. We’re able to spread the money throughout all Webb and Zapata counties instead of one particular agency. We feel that we make a stronger impact that way,” Alaniz said. The foundation also serves to support services, activities and assistance to the youth in the areas of education, mental health, overall wellness and various therapies. Since its inception, Shoot
for the Stars has raised more than $200,000, Alaniz said. “We’re always happy to be able to help out in that way,” he said. International Bank of Commerce in Zapata entered two teams. Their purpose was to help out the community. “It’s nice to be helping out others while at the same time, we’re getting together and having a good time,” said team member Zonia Camacho. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
Courtesy photo
Pictured are Hugo Melo, Zonia Camacho, Erika Martinez, Claudia Piña, Viviana Moncivais and James Johnson. They were part of the two teams IBC-Zapata sponsored in the Sporting Clay Tournament.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Wednesday, April 29
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Used book sale, First United Methodist Church, 10 a.m. to noon. National Occupational Therapy Month Parade at the Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center at 10:00AM. Join us after the parade for a tour of our facility and information about the services offered at the Center. For more information please contact us at 7222431.
Today is Wednesday, April 29, the 119th day of 2015. There are 246 days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History: On April 29, 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the Dachau (DAH’-khow) concentration camp. Adolf Hitler married Eva Braun inside his “Fuhrerbunker” and designated Adm. Karl Doenitz (DUHR’-nihtz) president. On this date: In 1429, Joan of Arc entered the besieged city of Orleans to lead a French victory over the English. In 1913, Swedish-born engineer Gideon Sundback of Hoboken, New Jersey, received a U.S. patent for a “separable fastener” — later known as the zipper. In 1968, the counterculture musical “Hair” opened on Broadway following limited engagements off-Broadway. In 1974, President Richard M. Nixon announced he was releasing edited transcripts of some secretly made White House tape recordings related to Watergate. In 1983, Harold Washington was sworn in as the first black mayor of Chicago. In 1992, rioting resulting in 55 deaths erupted in Los Angeles after a jury in Simi Valley, California, acquitted four Los Angeles police officers of almost all state charges in the videotaped beating of Rodney King. In 2011, Britain’s Prince William and Kate Middleton were married in an opulent ceremony at London’s Westminster Abbey. Ten years ago: Insurgents unleashed a series of car bombings and other attacks across Iraq, killing at least 41 people, including three U.S. soldiers. Five years ago: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal declared a state of emergency in the face of the worsening oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The U.S. Navy officially ended a ban on women serving on submarines, saying the first females would be reporting for duty by 2012. One year ago: Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was banned for life by the NBA in response to racist comments he’d made in an audio recording. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Keith Baxter is 82. Disgraced financier Bernard Madoff is 77. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, DMich., is 65. Movie director Phillip Noyce is 65. Comedian Jerry Seinfeld is 61. Actor Leslie Jordan is 60. Actress Kate Mulgrew is 60. Actor Daniel Day-Lewis is 58. Actress Michelle Pfeiffer is 57. Actress Eve Plumb is 57. Country singer Stephanie Bentley is 52. Singer Carnie Wilson (Wilson Phillips) is 47. Actor Paul Adelstein is 46. Actress Uma Thurman is 45. Tennis player Andre Agassi is 45. Rapper Master P is 45. Actor Darby Stanchfield is 44. ock musician Mike Hogan (The Cranberries) is 42. Actor Tyler Labine is 37. Actress Megan Boone is 32. Actress-model Taylor Cole is 31. Actor Zane Carney is 30. Pop singer Amy Heidemann (Karmin) is 29. Pop singer Foxes is 26. Thought for Today: “An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It’s being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don’t.” — Anatole France, French author and critic (1844-1924).
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 dance from 3 to 5 p.m. at the St. John Newmann Catholic Church Hall. Call Sanjuanita Martinez-Hunter at 722-3497. Dia de los Niños from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at LBV Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Free raffle, refreshments, face painting and crafts. All are welcome. Contact John Hong at john@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2520.
Friday, May 1 12th Annual Mental Health & Substance Abuse Awareness Symposium at the UTHSC- Laredo Regional Campus. Contact Jaime Arizpe, Laredo – Zapata Border Specialist, at 7946320. The Laredo Stroke Support Group will be holding its monthly meeting at 7 p.m. at the San Martin de Porres Church Family Life Center. Please visit www.laredostrokesupport.com for more information. 19th annual VMT Journalism Students’ Photography Exhibition continues through May 9 at the Laredo Area Community Foundation Gallery at the Laredo Center for the Arts. For more information contact Mark Webber at mwebber004@laredoisd.org.
Sunday, May 3 Holy Redeemer Church annual Jamaica. Food, games and silent auction. Contact Amparo Ugarte at 2860862.
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 p.m. Ross and Friends on the main stage and five other bands on the patio and arcade: JoAnna and The Reminiscence, Jolly Ranchers, Expansivo, La Mission Vallenata and La Autentica Sonora. Admission is $10. Tickets at the door or from Salo Otero, 324-2432. Rock wall climbing from 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at LBV Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. People of all ages are invited. Climbers must bring an ID and sign the release form. Weather permitting. Contact John Hong at john@laredolibrary.org or 7952400 x2520. The Alzheimer’s support group will meet at 7 p.m. in meeting room 2, building B of the Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s. Call 693-9991.
Wednesday, May 6 Used book sale, First United Methodist Church, 10 a.m. to noon. 19th annual VMT Journalism Students’ Photography Exhibition continues through May 9 at the Laredo Area Community Foundation Gallery at the Laredo Center for the Arts. For more information contact Mark Webber at mwebber004@laredoisd.org.
Thursday, May 7 Elysian Social Club will be hosting their regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Contact Herlinda Nieto-Dubuisson at 956-285-3126 for more information. The Laredo Chamber of Commerce will celebrate its 100th anniversary at the Laredo Energy Arena from 6:30 p.m. – 10 p.m. Music, dinner, cocktails and guest Terry Bradshaw, co-host of NFL Sunday. Contact Liz Martinez at liz@laredochamber.com or at 722-9895. Cost is $150. The Villa San Agustin de Lareo Genealogical Society and the Laredo Public Library will hold the “AYER” Historical and Genealogical Exhibit at the Laredo Public Library on Calton from noon to 7 p.m. Contact Sanjuanita Martinez-Hunter at 722-3497.
Photo by Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News | AP
Sharon Banks poses for a portrait at her table in her home in Farmersville, Texas. Her daughter, Danielle Banks, was on Mount Everest when an earthquake struck last weekend, leaving thousands dead and triggering an avalanche. Though Danielle Banks was able to make it off the mountain Monday, dozens remain stranded there.
Mom waits for daughter By MICHAEL E. YOUNG THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
MERIT — In earthquake-ravaged Nepal, Danielle Banks waits in the relative safety of the U.S. Embassy in Kathmandu. Her mom finds much comfort in that. But The Dallas Morning News reports Sharon Banks said she won’t be completely free of the anxiety that has gripped her until her daughter arrives at luggage claim at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Saturday. Her daughter, 22, who graduated from Texas A&M University in December, was on Mount Everest when an earthquake struck last weekend, leaving thousands dead and triggering an avalanche. Though Danielle Banks was able to make it off the mountain Monday, dozens remain stranded there and at least 18 people died in the area around the base camp. She had
gone to Nepal last month to work with a group combating human trafficking. Danielle Banks was at the base camp on Friday night, when she last texted her mom. “She would text me every night — that was the deal,” Sharon Banks said. “The earthquake hit Saturday morning — Friday night here — and that was the last I heard from her until Sunday night. “The last text (before the earthquake) was, ‘I’m trekking out,’ and then a little later, ‘Oh my God, I just witnessed an avalanche.”’ As soon as Sharon Banks heard about the earthquake, her motherly concern ratcheted up to panic mode. “I sent her a message as soon as I heard, and I didn’t hear back,” she said. “And all that kept going through my mind was ‘Did she get swept off the mountain? Will they ever find her body?’
A&M Galveston professor fails entire class
Texas considers more abortion limits
Rescuers save 3 after boat goes over spillway
GALVESTON — In a fiery email, a Texas A&M Galveston professor told an entire class that they would be getting failing grades and called them a disgrace to the school. But a university official says the failing grades won’t stick. Irwin Horwitz sent an email Thursday to students in his Strategic Management. He says the students lacked the maturity level to enter the workforce.
AUSTIN — Two years after Texas adopted sweeping abortion restrictions despite Wendy Davis’ star-making filibuster, Republicans are pushing a smaller encore of additional limits for new Gov. Greg Abbott to sign within the next month. New battlegrounds over abortion access for minors and insurance don’t pack the same impact of a 2013 measure that would leave as few as eight abortion facilities in Texas.
MEXIA — Rescuers in a helicopter have hoisted three fishermen to safety after their boat went over a spillway and became wedged in some rocks. The men were stranded Monday night at Lake Mexia. Emergency personnel tried using a boat to reach the trio but the vessel hit some rocks and became disabled. Both people on the rescue boat managed to grab a nearby tree and safely reach shore.
Inmate facing execution Man charged with starting Texas Gov. Abbott reports wins reprieve from judge fire to kill girlfriend to Austin jury duty HUNTSVILLE — A Texas judge on Tuesday halted the execution of an inmate convicted of stabbing a corrections officer to death more than 15 years ago. Robert Pruett received the reprieve from his trial court judge, Bert Richardson, just hours before he could have been taken to the Texas death chamber at a Huntsville prison.
MIDLAND — A West Texas man has been accused of starting a deadly house fire after the body of his 55-year-old girlfriend was found in the rubble. Johnny Wayne Robertson was being held Tuesday on a murder charge, with $1 million bond. Midland police found Robertson in a ditch near the site of Monday’s fire.
AUSTIN — Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s return to a courtroom had nothing to do with suing Washington. Abbott on Monday spent most of his afternoon as potential juror No. 15 during selection for a domestic violence case in Austin. Abbott says he would make a fair juror but was excused after nearly three hours. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Two musicals lead Tony nominations pack NEW YORK — The musicals “An American in Paris” and “Fun Home” each received a leading 12 Tony Award nominations on Tuesday, showing two very different sides of this Broadway season. One side is sunny — the dance-heavy stage adaptation of the 1951 musical film with George and Ira Gershwin songs — and the other moody — the dark show based on Alison Bechdel’s coming of age graphic novel about her closeted, suicidal dad. “It’s nice to know if something’s good, there’s room for it,” said Max von Essen, who earned a nomination.
Saturday, May 9
Sen. Bernie Sanders to run for president
Operation Feed the Homeless. 2 p.m. at Jarvis Plaza. Make a donation or volunteer time.
MONTPELIER, Vt. — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders will announce his plans to seek the
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SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY Photo by Sara Krulwich/New York Times | AP
Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope perform in the musical "An American in Paris" at the Palace Theater in New York, March 12. Democratic nomination for president on Thursday, presenting a liberal challenge to Hillary Clinton. Sanders, an independent who describes himself as a “democratic socialist,” will follow a statement with a major campaign kickoff in his home state
in several weeks. Two people familiar with his announcement spoke to The Associated Press under condition of anonymity to describe internal planning. Sanders will become the second major Democrat in the race. — Compiled from AP reports
(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
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
Farmers market to be held in town SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Interagency Group
Zapata will host its first official farmer’s market May 2 from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Community Center Parking Lot, 605 N. U.S. Hwy 83. The Zapata Farmers & Artisans Market will take place every first Saturday of the month. Follow the farmers market on Facebook at facebook.com/zapatafarmersmarket and on Instagram at @ZapataFarmersMarket. For more information, contact Mariamada Garza-Perez at 536-7171, Victoria Vela at 500-6600 or Yael Rodriguez at 2860042.
South Texas Community Resource Coordination Group for Adults (CRCGA) is a local interagency group covering Zapata, Webb and Jim Hogg counties. The group is comprised of public and private providers who come together to develop individual service plans for adults whose needs can be met only through interagency cooperation. The goal is to help develop an agreement for coordination of services for the adult, to plan and develop community level programs and to develop a coordinated plan for services. The entity that provides the referral needs to be present to provide the details of the case. The CRCGA’s purpose is not to do casework for anyone, but rather serve as a group of social service providers that can pull together their resources to give a possible solution to the complex cases being presented. CRGGA’s next bimonthly meeting will take place Thursday from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. at Border Region Behavioral Health Center, 1500 Pappas, Laredo, Texas. This month there will be two presentations: The Area Agency on Aging – Aging and Disability Resource Centers Program; and The Serving Children & Adults in Need – Project HOPES program. For more information or to request a referral form, contact Jaime Arizpe at jaime.arizpe@ hhsc.state.tx.us.
Tupperware Fundraiser The Boys & Girls Club of Zapata County is raising funds for youth programs and events in 2015. From now through July 31, the club will be holding a Tupperware fundraiser. Tupperware is a partner of The Boys and Girls Club of America and offers quality products with a lifetime guarantee. The club will receive 40% of proceeds on each purchase made. The goal is to raise $3,000. Access the fundraiser online at http://www.tupperware.c om/Fundraiser/b/1010684 4011?ie=UTF8&title=Fundraiser or come by the Boys & Girls Club to view a catalog. The Boys & Girls Club of Zapata County is located at 302 W. 6th Ave. and can be reached at 765-3892.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Senate OKs Carrizo cane cut ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — A roughly $800 million border security package working its way through the Texas Legislature, although meant to curb such ills as drug and people smuggling, could al-
so attack another common enemy along the TexasMexico border: Carrizo cane. The Texas Senate on Tuesday approved using part of the border security package’s funding to eradicate the cane, which grows
along the Rio Grande. The bill by San Antonio Democratic Sen. Carlos Uresti now heads to the House. Native to Asia, Carrizo cane is common in South Texas and grows tall and wide enough to choke wa-
ter flow and obstruct border surveillance by law enforcement. Uresti’s plan would hire two state employees to help eradicate Carrizo cane at an annual cost of nearly $199,000 in salary and benefits.
House passes $4.9B tax cut By AMAN BATHEJA TEXAS TRIBUNE
The Texas House tentatively approved a $4.9 billion tax relief plan Tuesday that includes a cut to the state’s sales tax, marking a clear line in the sand against the Senate, which favors property tax cuts. The House voted 141-0 for House Bill 31 by Ways and Means Chair Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, which would cut the state sales tax rate from 6.25 percent to 5.95 percent. If the bill reaches the governor’s desk, it would be the first cut in the state’s sales tax in Texas history. Bonnen presented his sales tax cut as more impactful than the Senate’s proposal, which would increase homestead exemptions to lower local school property taxes. The Legislature passed an even larger property tax cut in 2006 that was widely viewed as underwhelming by homeowners due to increases in property values and local tax rates. “A sales tax cannot be eroded by a local tax hike or rising appraisals,” Bonnen told the House. “We would be using our tax dollars for a tax that we control.” Supporters of the Senate plan have noted that Texans complain far more about property taxes than the sales tax. Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick campaigned on passing a property tax cut and has said he will not support a budget that does not include
Photo by Bob Daemmrich | Texas Tribune
State Rep. Dennis Bonnen, R-Angleton, at the Capitol Tuesday. one. The House was less united in support for Bonnen’s House Bill 32, which would enact $2.6 billion in franchise tax cuts over the next biennium, largely through a 25 percent across-the-board cut. The Senate has proposed cutting the franchise tax by 15 percent and exempting businesses that make less than $4 million annually from the franchise tax altogether. HB 32 passed 116-29, with opposition coming from some House Democrats who argued that the cuts to the franchise tax were unwise given the state’s other obligations. “When we cut the sales tax, we cut taxes for our Texas businesses,” state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischer, DSan Antonio, said. “But this $2.56 billion is a lot of money to give away when we have yet to meet our state’s needs.” House Democrats have ar-
gued all session that lawmakers should be using robust state funds to expand state support for education and health care. At the same time, several Democrats have said they prefer Bonnen’s tax plan to the one passed by the Senate. The House considered about a dozen amendments on Bonnen’s bills, including one from state Rep. John Smithee, R-Amarillo, that would have mirrored the Senate proposal to increase the franchise tax exemption from $1 million to $4 milllion. Smithee argued that increasing the exemption would help small businesses like plumbers. Several House Republicans argued it would unfairly shift the tax’s burden onto larger businesses. A vote to table the amendment passed 12016, with Speaker Joe Straus taking the rare step of participating in the vote to kill the amendment. State Rep. Chris Turner,
D-Grand Prairie, proposed having Bonnen’s franchise tax cut expire in two years, citing the low price of oil and other factors as reasons to be concerned about how the state’s economy will look in the next legislative session. “It’s probably not smart for us to tie the hands of future legislators,” Turner said. The House voted down the amendment 102 to 41. Bonnen amended both of his bills to allow the comptroller to cut the sales tax and franchise tax rates even further if certain state revenue comes in higher than expected. Both bills were expected to draw strong support following the release of a letter over the weekend signed by 90 of the chamber’s 98 Republican members touting the House tax cut plan as superior to the Senate proposal. State Rep. Gary Elkins, RHouston, said he didn’t sign the letter because his constituents are more burdened by high property taxes than the state’s sales tax. Nonetheless, he voted for both bills Tuesday. “I will be supporting any tax we can cut because the only way to downsize government and stop the growth of government is to cut off their money,” Elkins said. “It’s just my district would rather have cuts to the property tax over the sales tax. Right now people are being priced out of their homes.”
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Ear plugs and thunder shirts needed Thunder and lightning make Sawyer, our Tibetan Terrier, extremely nervous. So, we bought a doggie thunder shirt to put on him at such times. It helps. He manages to not be as panicky and to survive thunder and lightning a little better. I’ve progressed from the same kind of fear, as a youngster and a young man. Sawyer came to us almost eight years ago in one of the rainiest, stormiest seasons in Central Texas in a decade or more. He was three months old, matted with burrs and dirt. He appeared at our gate as I was trying to do some lawn maintenance before another drenching downpour. With a pink tongue sticking through his white “mustache,” I thought, “Life Mate is going to love this little ragamuffin.” Of course she did. He’s still here. He and I have weathered some storms together, some pun intended, although I won’t push my luck. Lightning might strike again. There are good reasons for those fears in both of us. At about now, per usual, you expect me to say, “That reminds me of the time,” and Life Mate will say in mock despair, “Omigawd, not again! Another story! People will think you’re 108 years old, have been everywhere, have seen everything and have done it all! Or a liar.” I picked a bad time to rent a tux for a prom. I was on the fringe of the famous Storm of 1953 in downtown Waco. The worst tornado disaster in Texas history killed 114, injured 597 and almost destroyed the downtown area. That put me on alert for a long time. Then, in 1957, while a college sophomore at then-Sam Houston State Teachers College, I saw and survived (without a scratch) three tornados in one weekend. That’s pretty eye opening for someone who otherwise thought he was invisible and bulletproof. As a full time student, I had what was supposed to be a part time job but was more like a full timer — sports publicity director. The job included being the public address announcer at home baseball games. Bearkat baseball was on a par with any Southwest Conference school of that day. That scary Saturday
in March 1957 brought Southwestern Louisiana Institute to town to play a very good Bearkat nine. There was a single game Friday night and a Saturday doubleheader. Sam Houston took the first two games and the doubleheader opener was delayed by sprinkles on this cloudy Saturday. After the first game, coaches and umpires were standing by second base, discussing whether to continue. I sat in the press box “structure” and watched a cloud formation out past center field. I noticed that something resembling a tail on an animal was forming and looked as if it was descending. Then it dawned: It was a tornado. I flipped the PA microphone switch and said: “The cloud past center field just made your decision. The coaches and umps looked that way and quickly broke into a run toward their cars. Meanwhile, I’d quickly dismantled and stowed the PA system and was climbing down the ladder to retreat to my rooming house. I entered the home of Elmo and Falvey Welch, the late 70ish couple who rented rooms to me and four other boys across the street from the college campus. I went into my room and despite the fact my bed was by a window, I jumped in and drew the sheet and blanket over my head. Sure enough the tornado howled right through Huntsville, but we only got the peripheral winds. That was enough to blow down a large oak tree near my room, and it crashed against the eaves and roof right by my window. Thankfully, there was no major damage to the house because I knew, even with rental income, Elmo and Falvey couldn’t afford major repairs on a retired prison guard’s pension. I don’t want to see another tornado up close. My luck’s been stretched too thin already. Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper publisher and editor of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
Will this death change things? By PETULA DVORAK THE WASHINGTON POST
BALTIMORE — Abandoned. Abandoned. Abandoned. Occupied. Abandoned. Occupied (I think). If you want to understand the violence engulfing Baltimore, you have to start here, on the street where Freddie Gray was taken into police custody and died a week later. It is a blighted, joyless place of boarded up buildings in one of Baltimore’s poorest communities. The sidewalks of Sandtown-Winchester are strewn with trash, and the signs on a tiny strip of scraggly grass deliver a dispiriting warning: "No Pets Allowed. No Ball Playing." Gray’s death represents yet another terrible incident of police violence during the arrest of a black man for a petty (or non-existent, as may be the case here) reason. But it also raises questions about the state of Baltimore, Maryland’s largest city. It was here, in West Baltimore, that Gray lived all of his 25 years, and where his body was broken while he was in police custody April 12. Candles had been burned in a sawed-off Pringles can and pink mums had wilted in a broken bottle of New Amsterdam vodka on the corner where he was cuffed and dragged into a police wagon. "His legs were dragging behind him. He was limp," said Charles Thomas, 63, who has lived in Sandtown for nine years and was out-
side when he heard Gray screaming. He died from a severe spinal injury. "It’s like we live under martial law," said Thomas, a former prison guard. "I understand that police have a job to do. I did a job like that for years. But here, the police don’t know us. They don’t know the neighbors." But now, the whole world is watching as the city erupts in ugly violence. "Looks like people might pay attention to what’s really going on in this city," Thomas said. As he spoke, Gray’s funeral was being held a few blocks away at New Shiloh Baptist Church. It was a scene with rows of television trucks, hundreds of mourners and three officials from the White House. It was followed by confrontations between police and angry protesters a few miles away at Mondawmin Mall, where officers were pelted with rocks, bricks and other objects, and seven were injured before a police car was set on fire and a pharmacy was looted. I wanted to ask the protesting kids what they were feeling. I got my answer when one of them knocked into me and took my phone and as I chased after him, others knocked me to the ground. Some of them had rocks and bricks in their hands. But one came with an outstretched hand and picked me up, trying to get me somewhere safe. That was their
message. Anger and confusion. It was a scary, sobering moment. And it made me wonder: Will the reaction to Freddie Gray’s death change anything in Sandtown? "I’ve been here since 1971, and I don’t think all this is going to make any difference," said Sarah Chestnut, 71, much earlier in the day on her way to a doctor’s appointment. She stopped to chat with her neighbors, who have a makeshift convenience store set up on their stoop, selling bags of chips and single diapers for 50 cents a piece from a folding table because nearby "all we have are liquor stores and funeral homes." "I brought my nephew from Detroit to live here. I thought it would be better. He was shot eight times in the back right there," she said, pointing to a corner not far from Gray’s home. "Right now, Detroit’s better than this place." The crushing poverty and decay here stand as a stark contrast to the tourist attractions of the Inner Harbor — a revitalization project that was hailed in 1984 by the American Institute of Architects as "one of the supreme achievements of large-scale urban design and development in U.S. history." The National Aquarium, the Maryland Science Center and the waterfront mall made Baltimore a vanguard of the country’s urban renaissance movement. But Sandtown feels
like a world away instead of just a few miles. Its poverty is more visually jarring than even the poorest neighborhoods in the District of Columbia. "There’s a lot of hopelessness here now, and that’s changed since I lived here," said John Jones, 49, who put down his trash bag and rake for a moment. He grew up in West Baltimore but now works and lives on the other side of the city. His group, Living Classrooms Foundation, came in to clean the empty lots and alleyways that have been on display in the national media since Gray’s death. Is this a huge moment in America’s consciousness, where we are about to finally acknowledge the country’s forgotten neighborhoods and their desperate residents? "Yes. And I think change starts right here," said Jones, who is a case manager with the group. "We’re making a statement that we care." And crossing those lines into other neighborhoods may be the key. Baltimore has long been "the city of neighborhoods," said Meg Ward, executive director of the Patrick Allison House, which helps ex-offenders transition back into their communities. She was in the group picking up trash in Sandtown. "We all need to be part of a whole city, not just be in our own, little neighborhoods." We all need to care.
EDITORIAL
It’s time for same-sex marriage THE WASHINGTON POST
The Supreme Court heard arguments Tuesday in a case widely expected to decide a great civil rights issue of this century: what the Constitution demands
on same-sex marriage. If the court strikes down the nation’s same-sex marriage bans, what will its reasoning be? Under the 14th Amendment’s equal protection clause, discriminatory government policies gener-
ally must have a rational justification. This is not a difficult standard to meet, but supporters of prohibition nevertheless have failed to come up with anything plausible. The court could leave it at that, or it
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
could insist that cases involving state discrimination against gay men and lesbians deserve special care, demanding that the government meet a higher standard to apply any policy that treats them differently.
National
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
Historic arguments
Sister-in-law testifies
By MARK SHERMAN
By DENISE LAVOIE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Pivotal Justice Anthony Kennedy, whose vote could decide the same-sex marriage issue for the nation, did not tip his hand Tuesday in historic arguments at the Supreme Court. But Kennedy’s record on the issue could give encouragement to gay and lesbian couples. As advocates and protesters demonstrated outside, the author of the court’s three prior gay rights rulings talked about the touchstones of dignity and concern for children in same-sex households that drove his favorable earlier opinions. But he also worried about changing the definition of marriage from the union of a man and a woman, a meaning that he said has existed for “millenniaplus time.” “It’s very difficult for the court to say ’We know better”’ after barely a decade of experience with samesex marriage in the United States, Kennedy told Mary Bonauto, a lawyer representing same-sex couples. The 78-year-old justice’s likely role as a key, perhaps decisive vote was reinforced during arguments that lasted 21/2 hours in a rapt courtroom and appeared to divide the court’s liberal and conservative justices over whether the Constitution gives samesex couples the right to marry. Those couples can do so now in 36 states and the District of Columbia, and the court is weighing whether gay and lesbian unions should be allowed in all 50 states. “Same-sex couples say, of course, ’We understand the nobility and the sacredness of marriage. We know we can’t procreate, but we want the other attributes of it in order to show that we, too, have a dignity that can be fulfilled,”’ Kennedy said in an exchange with lawyer John Bursch, who was defending the state marriage bans Later, Kennedy also seemed concerned about adopted children in samesex households if only one partner is considered a parent. “Under your view, it would be very difficult for same-sex couples to adopt those children,” Kennedy said. Tuesday’s arguments offered the first public indication of where the justices stand in the dispute over whether states can continue defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, or whether the Constitution gives gay and lesbian couples the right to marry. In the court’s last look at same-sex marriage in 2013, the justices struck down part of the federal anti-gay marriage law. Federal courts with few exceptions have relied on Kennedy’s opinion in that case to invalidate gay marriage bans in state after state. The court divided 5-4 in that case, with the liberals joining Kennedy in the majority. Their questions on Tuesday suggested they would vote to extend samesex marriage nationwide, while conservative justices’ questions and comments were much more skeptical. Justices Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor both said marriage was a fundamental right and a state would need a truly compelling reason to deny it to a class of people. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said heterosexual couples would retain the same marriage benefits they currently have, whether or not samesex couples also could marry. Bursch argued repeatedly that states could prohibit same-sex unions because marriage always has been about biological bonds between parents and their children. Justice Elena Kagan said some people have difficulty with that argument, finding it “hard to see how permitting samesex marriage discourages people from being bonded with their biological children.” If the definition of marriage is changed, Bursch said, “then adults could
BOSTON — Testimony in the trial of Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev zeroed in Tuesday on his late brother’s wife, revealing searches done on her computer on the rewards of dying as a martyr’s spouse and raising questions about what she knew before the 2013 attacks. Mark Spencer, a computer expert testifying for the defense, said a computer belonging to Tamerlan Tsarnaev’s wife, Katherine Russell, contained searches done more than a year before the bombings for terms that included “rewards for wife of mujahedeen” and “If your husband becomes a shahid, what are the rewards for you?” Mujahedeen is the Arabic word for holy warrior; shahid is a term for a martyr, specifically one who dies during a holy war. Three people were killed and more than 260 were wounded when the Tsarnaev brothers set off two pressure-cooker bombs packed with shrapnel near the marathon’s finish line on April 15, 2013. Prosecutors have said the attack was designed to retaliate against the U.S. for wars in Muslim countries. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, 21, who was born in the former Soviet republic of Kyrgyzstan, was convicted this month of all 30 charges against him. A jury must now decide whether he should spend the rest of his life in prison or should be
Photo by Cliff Owen | AP
Tennessee plaintiffs and married couple Valeria Tanco, right, and Sophy Jesty leave the Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday. think, rightly, that this relationship is more about adults and not about the kids.” The actual cases before the court involve same-sex couples in which both partners want recognition as adoptive parents. In one case, Detroit-area nurses April DeBoer and Jayne Rowse are seeking joint adoption of their four children, and Bursch was quick to say he was not talking about them. “We all agree that they are bonded to their kids and have their best interest at heart,” he said. Most of the questions from conservative justices appeared skeptical of gaymarriage arguments. Chief Justice Roberts said gay couples seeking to marry are not seeking to join the institution of marriage. “You’re seeking to change what the institution is,” he said to Bonauto. Roberts also said people would be more accepting of change achieved through the democratic process, rather than imposed by courts. Only 11 states have granted marriage rights to same-sex couples through the ballot or the legislature. Court rulings are responsible for all the others. Yet the chief justice also questioned the states’ argument. “If Sue loves Joe and Tom loves Joe, Sue can marry him and Tom can’t. Why isn’t that a straightforward question of sexual discrimination?” he asked.
Justice Samuel Alito suggested that basing marriage on lasting bonds and emotional commitment — instead of providing stable homes for children — might open the right to marry to siblings who live together, close friends who are not romantically or sexually involved and groups of more than two people. “What would be the logic of denying them the same right?” Alito asked. Justice Antonin Scalia said he worried that a court decision in favor of same-sex marriage would force ministers to stop officiating at weddings altogether if they refused to perform same-sex weddings. Bonauto and some of Scalia’s colleagues tried to persuade him that ministers have a right to refuse any couple for religious reasons. Scalia also said the issue is not whether there should be same-sex marriage “but who should decide the point,” embracing the states’ argument. Justice Clarence Thomas asked no questions, as is his custom. In the last part of the session, devoted to whether states have to recognize same-sex marriages from elsewhere, both Kennedy and Roberts directed skeptical questions to a lawyer for same-sex couples, Douglas Hallward-Driemeier. Why should one state “have to yield” in recognizing a marriage from another state? Kennedy asked.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Photo by Jane Flavell Collins | AP
In this courtroom sketch, defense attorney David Bruck addresses the jury during the penalty phase in the trial of Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. executed. Tamerlan Tsarnaev, 26, was killed during a shootout with police hours after he and his brother killed a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer during a getaway attempt three days after the bombing. Dzhokhar Tsarnaev’s lawyers have argued that Tamerlan was the master-
mind of the bombings and led Dzhokhar, then 19, down the path to terrorism. They say Tamerlan became radicalized, and his wife, an American from Rhode Island, showed signs of becoming a religious fanatic. Russell’s name came up Monday, the first day for the defense to present its case in the penalty phase of Dzhokhar’s trial.
National
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Secret recording obtained By SEAN MURPHY
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
Baltimore on edge By AMANDA LEE MYERS AND DAVID DISHNEAU
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
OKLAHOMA CITY — Embroiled in a legal battle over the sale of his insurance company, Robert Bates met a former colleague at a restaurant to discuss the court case over drinks. But Bates, the volunteer Tulsa County deputy now facing a manslaughter charge for shooting an unarmed suspect, did not know the 2012 conversation was being secretly recorded by his companion, Bryan Berman, the company’s new president. During the exchange, Bates boasted of his connections in the sheriff ’s department and the U.S. attorney’s office and suggested he could make life miserable for the plaintiffs. The audio recording, obtained by The Associated Press from the court file of a federal case that was later dismissed, reveals the corporate executive as a man who bragged about using his position in the sheriff ’s office to help powerful friends and whose work as a reserve deputy added a spark to his life. “It’s kind of a thing that I need to go back to, to scare the s— out of me, to make me feel good about life,” Bates said, chuckling, of his work as a volunteer deputy. “I love that. That was just great.” The 73-year-old, who pleaded not guilty in the April 2 shooting, has said he meant to draw his stun gun rather than his handgun. On Monday, embattled Sheriff Stanley Glanz announced the resignation of his second-in-command, who, according to a 2009 internal investigation, had been aware that Bates was inadequately trained but pressured officers to look the other way. Undersheriff Tim Albin had been with the department since Glanz, a friend of Bates, first took office in 1989. Bates, who built and ran his own insurance company and eventually sold it for $6 million, also described himself as someone who does not fare well taking orders from others. “I don’t do well with that. I don’t do well with direction,” Bates said on the recording. “I never have, since the first grade. My first-grade teacher and I had a problem with it. I’ve had problems throughout my life with it.” Bates’ attorney, Clark Brewster, confirmed the authenticity of the recording, but described it as a “calculated” attempt by Berman to get information from Bates that might help Berman’s company win the lawsuit. “This was two guys at a restaurant talking frankly about their experiences. And, unbeknownst to Mr. Bates, Mr. Berman apparently was surreptitiously taping him,” Brewster said. “It has nothing to do with the shooting. I can tell you that.” Berman also confirmed that the audio was genuine but declined to comment further, citing more litigation over the sale of the company. On the recording, Bates suggests he did favors at the sheriff ’s office for
LEGAL NOTICE Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Mixed Beverage Permit (MB), Mixed Beverage Late Hours Permit (LB), Beverage Cartage Permit (PE) by Oso Blanco, LLC dba Oso Blanco Bar & Grill, to be located at 2132 Hwy 83 South, Zapata, Zapata County, Texas. Owners of said corporation are Craig D. Bigler and Rosa A. Bigler. L-63
Photo by Sue Ogrocki | AP
Robert Bates, left, leaves his arraignment with his daughter, Leslie McCreary, right, in Tulsa, Okla., Tuesday. Brewster, his attorney in the federal case. When Berman asks Bates about his legal costs, Bates responded that he had not yet received a bill. “I haven’t paid him yet,” Bates said, then chuckled. “Let’s say, I mean, he knows I’ve done some s—for him at the sheriff ’s office for some of his clients.” Brewster, who has a prominent local law practice, said he has never asked Bates or anyone in the sheriff ’s office to do favors for him. He said it’s possible Bates was trying to name drop in an effort to get the plaintiffs to drop the case. “I have no idea what that references,” Brewster said. Brewster declined to make Bates available for an interview and said his client was out of state. Bates owns a luxury home in a gated community in Vero Beach, Florida, and, according to his attorneys, planned to vacation in the Bahamas while awaiting his next court hearing in July. There are no travel restrictions on his bail. Bates has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the shooting death of Eric Harris, who was unarmed. Harris had been the target of an undercover sting and was already on the ground, with two deputies on top of him, when Bates drew his weapon and fired a shot into Harris’ back. Bates is white and Harris was black, but the victim’s brother has said he does not believe race played a role in the shooting. As a young man, Bates
had a short-lived career in law enforcement, serving as a patrolman for the Tulsa Police Department from 1964 to 1965. It’s unclear why he stopped pursuing police work. The department has not explained why Bates left the force or responded to repeated requests for documents related to his departure. Evidence of Bates’ unwillingness to take direction from superiors at the sheriff ’s office also emerges in the 2009 investigative report obtained by the AP and other news organizations from attorneys for Harris’ family. It shows concerns within the Tulsa County Sheriff ’s Office that the wealthy donor was conducting field operations for which he was not properly trained. The investigation, which includes interviews with several high-ranking officers inside the sheriff ’s department, found that Bates received special treatment and inadequate training. It quoted two deputies as saying they “felt Bates’ field operations were a little scary.” It also concluded that when other officers raised complaints, they were told by superiors to keep quiet and were reminded of Bates’ generosity, which included donations of tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of vehicles and high-tech equipment to the department. In one case, Sgt. Randy Chapman told an internal investigator that Bates was eager to complete his field training program so that he could stop vehicles and do patrol functions on his own.
BALTIMORE — Baltimore was a city on edge Tuesday as hundreds of National Guardsmen patrolled the streets against unrest for the first time since 1968, hoping to prevent another outbreak of rioting. Maryland’s governor vowed there would be no repeat of the looting, arson and vandalism that erupted Monday in some of the city’s poorest neighborhoods and sent a shudder through all of Baltimore. Hundreds of State Police troopers and law officers from outside Baltimore poured into the city to help keep the peace. The streets were largely calm in the morning and into the afternoon. But a state of emergency remained in effect, with the city under a 10 p.m.-to-5 a.m. curfew. All public schools were closed. And the Baltimore Orioles canceled their Tuesday night game at Camden Yards. The looting and rockand bottle-throwing by mostly black rioters broke out just hours after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25year-old black man who suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while in police custody. It was the worst such violence in the U.S. since the unrest that erupted last year over the death of Michael Brown, the unarmed black 18-year-old shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Political leaders and residents called the violence a tragedy for the city and lamented the damage done by the rioters to their own neighborhoods. “It’s disruption of a community. The same community they say they care about, they’re destroying. You can’t have it both ways,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. But the vandalism also
Photo by Matt Rourke | AP
A man rinses his eyes after he was sprayed by police with a crowd dispersant Tuesday, in Baltimore. brought out a sense of civic pride and responsibility among many Baltimore residents, with hundreds of volunteers turning out to sweep the streets of glass and other debris with brooms and trash bags donated by hardware stores. With schools closed, Blanca Tapahuasco brought her three sons, ages 2 to 8, from another part of the city to help clean up the brick-and-pavement courtyard outside a looted CVS pharmacy in the hard-hit neighborhood where Gray was arrested. “We’re helping the neighborhood build back up,” she said. “This is an encouragement to them to know the rest of the city is not just looking on and wondering what to do.” CVS store manager Haywood McMorris said the destruction didn’t make sense: “We work here, man. This is where we stand, and this is where people actually make a living.” As the day wore on, police fielded rumors of would-be rioters gathering at various places in and around Baltimore, but as of later afternoon, only a few scattered arrests were reported. The street corner where some of the worst
violence occurred resembled a street festival more than anything else. Musicians played in the intersection, surrounded by an appreciative crowd, street vendors hawked bottles of water, and the 1,000 or so people largely ignored the line of police in riot gear stretched across West North Avenue. “We’re not going to have another repeat of what happened last night,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said after a visit to a West Baltimore neighborhood where cars were burned and windows smashed. “We’re going to make sure we get Baltimore back on track.” Hogan said there are “a couple of thousand” National Guardsmen and police officers in Baltimore, with more on the way. National Guardsmen in helmets with face shields surrounded City Hall, standing behind bicycle-rack barriers. The crisis marks the first time the National Guard has been called out to deal with unrest in Baltimore since 1968, when some of the same neighborhoods that rose up this week burned for days after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Nepal
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Near quake epicenter, villagers still await help By KATY DAIGLE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PASLANG — There is almost nothing left of this village but enormous piles of broken red bricks and heaps of mud and dust. One of those piles was once Bhoj Kumar Thapa’s home, where his pregnant wife pushed their 5-year-old daughter to safety in a last, desperate act before it collapsed and killed her during Saturday’s earthquake. On Tuesday, Thapa and others in Paslang were still waiting for the government to deliver food, tents — any kind of aid — to this poor mountain village near the epicenter of the quake that killed more than 4,700 people, injured over 8,000 and left tens of thousands homeless. “When I got home, there was nothing,” said Thapa, an army soldier. “Everything was broken. My wife — she was dead.” He was put on leave from his army unit to mourn, one of the few Nepalese soldiers not deployed in the country’s massive rescue and recovery operation. But instead of sadness, there is anger. “Only the other villagers
who have also lost their homes are helping me. But we get nothing from the government,” Thapa said. An official came, took some pictures and left — without delivering anything to the village of about 300 people north of the capital of Kathmandu, he said. “I get angry, but what can I do? I am also working for the government,” Thapa said. “I went to ask the police if they could at least send some men to help us salvage our things, but they said they have no one to send.” Paslang is only 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) up the mountain from the town of Gorkha, the district headquarters and staging area for rescue and aid operations. But the villagers, who have no idea when they might get help, are still sleeping together in the mud and sharing whatever scraps of food they can pull from beneath their ruined buildings. Three people in the hamlet have died. Officials and foreign aid workers who have rushed to Nepal following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake are struggling against stormy weather, poor roads and a shortage of manpower and
funds to get assistance to the needy. On Tuesday, the district managed to coordinate 26 helicopter trips to remote villages to evacuate 30 injured people before a major downpour halted the effort. “We need 15,000 plastic tarps alone. We cannot buy that number,” said Mohan Pokhran, a district disaster management committee member. Only 50 volunteer army and police officers are distributing food and aid for thousands in the immediate vicinity, he said. “We don’t have nearly enough of anything,” Pokhran said. On Tuesday came more tragedy: A mudslide and avalanche struck near the village of Ghodatabela and 250 people were feared missing, district official Gautam Rimal said. Heavy snow had been falling, and the ground may have been loosened by the quake. But there also was also some heartening news: French rescuers freed a man from the ruins of a three-story Kathmandu hotel, near the main bus station. The man, identified as Rishi Khanal, was conscious and taken to a hospital; no other information
Photo by Daniel Berehulak/New York Times | AP
Relatives of victims of Saturday’s earthquake grieve as they prepare to cremate bodies in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday. More than 5,000 people have been killed at the latest count.
Photo by Daniel Berehulak/New York Times | AP
Bodies of victims of Saturday’s earthquake are cremated in Kathmandu, Nepal, Tuesday. Since the earthquake struck, the government has instituted disaster-response plans and galvanized the army. about him was released. Across central Nepal, including the capital of Kathmandu, hundreds of thousands of people remained living in the open without clean water or sanitation more than three days after the quake. It rained heavily in the city Tuesday, forcing people to find shelter wherever they could. While many across Nepal are opting to sleep outdoors for fear of the constant aftershocks, those in Paslang have no choice because almost no buildings are left standing. At night, survivors huddle together against the cold, rain and mosquitoes, and wait until dawn. Tilak Bahadur Rana, a farmer, still has a tin roof over his head but the cold rain leaks through. “In any case, I can’t sleep. I am too stressed. I worry about how I will feed my family,” he said. Some in Paslang have seen sacks of food being flown by helicopter to remote regions reachable only by air, without stopping. The arrival in the village of a diesel generator Tuesday, brought by “a nice charity man” from a foreign aid group that no one could identify, brought moments of much-needed elation as dozens crowded around to charge their cellphones on four attached power sockets. Sitting in the mud and sharing tea made over an open fire with his wife and children, Rana confessed he
was losing heart. “Because of this earthquake, the whole village is destroyed. We need food. We need a place to sleep, or compensation for all we have lost,” he said. Instead, the villagers are pooling anything they can rescue from the ruins, which isn’t much: a pile of garlic bulbs, wax honeycombs and some bed rolls, doorknobs, metal pans, and portraits of Nepal’s last king and queen. To help feed his family of 10, Loba Thapa dug into the brick dust that was once an A-frame building where he stored his livestock and food. Thapa — no relation to the soldier — sifted out some millet and cornmeal, although it still contained powdered bricks, pebbles and livestock dung. Still, it was all the family had to eat. “I have lost everything. Everything is below the rubble, including my clothes,” the 50-year-old said, throwing his hands up in exasperation. The U.N. said the quake affected 8.1 million people — more than a fourth of Nepal’s population of 27.8 million — and that 1.4 million needed food assistance. The challenge is to reach them in rugged isolated villages. Trucks carrying food were on their way to affected districts outside the hard-hit and densely populated Kathmandu Valley. Geoff Pinnock of the U.N.’s World Food Program
was leading a convoy of trucks north toward the worst-affected areas when the rain began, causing a landslide. “ I can maybe get one truck through and take a risk driving on the dirt, but I think we’ll have to hold the materials back to try to get them out tomorrow by helicopter,” he said. The World Food Program said distribution of rice would begin Wednesday in Gorkha district and that the agency plans to provide $116 million worth of food in the next three months. In the town of Gorkha, rescue helicopters delivered several injured women who grimaced and cried out in pain, unable to walk or speak. Sita Karki winced when soldiers lifted her. Her broken and swollen legs had been tied together with wisps of hay twisted into a makeshift splint. “When the earthquake hit, a wall fell on me and knocked me down,” she said. Nepal’s death toll rose to 4,768, said police officer Hari Bhakt in Kathmandu. Another 61 were killed in neighboring India, and China’s official Xinhua News Agency reported 25 dead in Tibet. Thomas Meier, an engineer with the International Nepal Fellowship, called the disaster “a long-term emergency.” “This will need major attention for the next five years,” he said. “People have nothing left.”
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
Texans replacing Johnson Houston could use top pick on receiver By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Andre Johnson is gone and the Houston Texans could use some help at wide receiver. But even if they draft a receiver with the 16th pick in Thursday’s NFL draft, they’re not expecting that player to fill the shoes of Johnson, a seven-time Pro Bowler and face of the franchise who was released in March and signed with Indianapolis. They’ve already been grooming a No. 1 receiver in DeAndre Hopkins, the 27th pick in the 2013 draft. Hopkins started moving into the role of top receiver last season when he had a careerhigh 1,210 yards and six touchdowns to Johnson’s 936 yards and three scores. Hopkins was close to Johnson, who left Houston with 13,597 yards receiving, and declined to comment specifically on his departure. But he did say he’s looking forward to helping any receiver they might draft and veteran free agents Nate Washington and Cecil Shorts III. “When they came in here, I told those guys: ’(Ask me) anything you need to know, just about the stadium or where to eat and any little thing,”’ Hopkins said. “I told those guys they could come to me. Coaches are going to help them transition into this offense, but a lot of wide receivers in there look up to me because we don’t have 80 (Johnson) here anymore.” The Texans are in a much different position this season than a year ago when they had the top pick after a 2-14 season and added outside linebacker Jadeveon
Clowney. On Thursday, Louisville receiver DeVante Parker or Southern Cal receiver Nelson Agholor might be available with the 16th pick. Parker finished with 43 receptions for 855 yards and five touchdowns in 2014 despite missing seven games with a foot injury. The speedy Agholor, who is also a punt returner, ran a 4.42 at the combine after leading the Trojans with 104 catches for 1,313 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior. Some things to know about the Texans in advance of this week’s draft. NEVER SATISFIED J.J. Watt is the undisputed face of this team with Johnson gone. The defensive end, who signed a $100 million contract extension before the season, had 78 tackles, 20 1/2 sacks and scored five touchdowns to win Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in his short career. He was a big reason why the Texans improved seven games last season to finish 9-7. But after missing the postseason for the second straight season, Watt is looking for more in 2015. “A lot of people can say last year was a great year and everything and that’s fine,” Watt said. “But we’re constantly looking to improve. We’re never satisfied ... we have big goals.” CLOWNEY’S HEALTH The jury’s still out on whether Houston’s 2014 draft was a success with Clowney missing a majority of the season with injuries. The former South Carolina standout had a rough rookie season from almost the moment he was drafted. He missed the start of training camp after sports hernia surgery and suffered a concussion late in camp. He injured his
Photo by David J. Phillip | AP
DeAndre Hopkins had 1,210 yards last season, but the Texans could draft another receiver after the departure of Andre Johnson. right knee in his first NFL game and had arthroscopic surgery. Clowney returned for three games, but never returned to form and eventually had seasonending microfracture surgery in December. His recovery is going well and the Texans hope he’ll be ready for Week 1. But they might draft an outside linebacker in case he isn’t. QUARTERBACK BATTLE The Texans were
forced to use four different quarterbacks last season because of injuries. But they probably won’t draft a quarterback this season after resigning Ryan Mallett and signing free agent Brian Hoyer in the offseason. Mallett and Hoyer are expected to compete for the starting job. RUNNING BACK DEPTH The Texans return Arian Foster, but could draft a running back
with Foster dealing with injuries in the past couple of seasons and turning 29 this summer. He was sixth in the NFL with 1,246 yards rushing in 2014 despite missing three games with hamstring injuries. That was a year after back surgery kept him sidelined for eight games. DEFENSIVE ANCHOR Houston likely won’t be looking for nose tackles in the draft after picking up veteran Vince
Wilfork in free agency. Wilfork spent his entire 11-year career with the Patriots, where he piled up 516 tackles. He hopes to blend in seamlessly to a defense featuring Watt and Clowney, and Watt is excited about playing with the big fella. “I’m looking forward to playing on the line with him because he is very good at what he does and he commands respect from every team,” Watt said.
MIÉRCOLES 29 DE ABRIL DE 2015
Agenda en Breve JAMAICA DE ESTUDIANTES El ZCISD, organiza una Jamaica de Estudiantes, el 29 de abril, a partir de las 6 p.m. en el estacionamiento de ZHS.
REUNIÓN DE PADRES El jueves 30 de abril, el Zapata County Independent School District realizará una reunión de integración para padres, en el gimnasio de Zapata South Elementary School, de 12:45 p.m. a 2 p.m.
MERCADO AGRÍCOLA Se realizará el primer mercado agrícola en Zapata cada primer sábado del mes, dando inició el 2 de mayo, de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. en el estacionamiento comunitario en 605 U.S 83, al norte. Para más información puede llamar a los números: (956) 500-6600, (956) 286-0042 y/o (956) 536-7171.
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 9A
TRÁFICO DE PERSONAS
Ejecutan arresto POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un hombre acusado de transportar a siete inmigrantes indocumentados fue arrestado recientemente después de una detención de tráfico en el Condado de Zapata, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte obtenidos el lunes. Las autoridades federales acusaron al sospechoso, Benito JuárezGutiérrez, de traer y albergar inmigrantes indocumentados que estaban en el país de manera ilegal, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte
presentados en contra del acusado el 20 de abril. Patrulla Fronteriza dijo que el caso ocurrió el 15 de abril. Esa tarde, la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata, solicitó la asistencia de agentes porque un oficial no logró identificar a siete de los ocho ocupantes, después de una detención de tráfico por una violación de velocidad, en U.S. 83 y calle Singer. Las autoridades identificaron al conductor como Juárez-Gutiérrez, quien se determinó es ciudadano de EU. Pero el resto de los ocupantes (siete), que supuestamente tenía en
su vehículo, eran de nacionalidad mexicana, sin estatus legal para estar en el país, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte. En documentos de la corte, el oficial sostuvo que Juárez-Gutiérrez libremente admitió haber recogido al grupo en una casa en el vecindario de Siesta Shores. El sospechoso supuestamente accedió a un interrogatorio posterior al arresto. Juárez-Gutiérrez supuestamente señaló que recibió una llamada en abril, donde le pedían transportar inmigrantes a Laredo por 200 dólares por persona. Registros además
señalan que Juárez-Gutiérrez, ha servido tiempo en prisión por posesión de marihuana en instalaciones estatales y federales. Dos inmigrantes que fueron retenidos como testigos materiales en el caso señalaron que hicieron acuerdos para cruzar la frontera de manera ilegal a través de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, México, el 14 de abril. Agentes dijeron que los hombres pagaron 5.000 dólares y 6.000, respectivamente. (Localice a César G. Rodriguez en 728-2568 o en cesar@lmtonline.com)
ZCISD
UN DÍA COLORIDO
CORTE DE COMISIONADOS La Corte de Comisionados del Condado de Zapata se reunirá el lunes 11 de mayo en el Palacio de Justicia del Condado de Zapata. La junta comenzará a las 9 a.m. y continuará hasta las 12 p.m. Para mayor información puede contactar a Roxy Elizondo llamando al (956) 7659920.
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 de la 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.
CAMPAMENTO DE VERANO Del 9 de junio al 2 de julio, tendrá lugar un Campamento de Verano, para los estudiantes de ZCISD desde preescolar a quinto año. Las sesiones serán de 8 a.m. a 12 p.m. y de 12 p.m. a 4 p.m. El desayuno y el almuerzo serán proporcionados. No habrá transporte. El campamento es gratuito, sin embargo, los estudiantes deberán cumplir con las normativas de fin de año para ser elegibles. Las solicitudes de ingreso deberán ser entregadas antes del 14 de mayo. Para más información puede llamar a Gerardo García al (956) 765-6917; a Dalia García, al (956) 765-4332; a Ana Martínez, al (956) 7655611; o a Marlen Guerra al (956) 765-4321.
CAMPAÑA MÉDICO-ASISTENCIAL MIGUEL ALEMAN — Se implementará la primer campaña médico asistencial propuesta por miembros de los ministerios nacionales “Betel” el 11 de junio, de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m. El grupo de 15 personas, entre médicos y enfermeros, estarán representados por la misionera Deana Gatlin. Además traerán consigo ropa, medicamentos y despensas. El Presidente Municipal, Ramiro Cortez, informó que los misioneros evangélicos viajarán a las comunidades rurales del sur de Miguel Alemán el 13 de junio.
Foto de cortesía
El viernes el Zapata County Independent School District celebró el evento "Color Splash", en Villarreal Elementary - University. En la imagen estudiantes, maestros y personal sonríen a la cámara.
NUEVA CIUDAD GUERRERO, MX
REYNOSA, MX
Candidata a diputada pide comentarios de residentes
Policía logra rescate de 92
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Una candidata a la diputación federal por el distrito uno, visitó Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, México recientemente. Laura Zárate, candidata por el Partido Acción Nacional (PAN, por sus siglas en inglés), recorrió las calles de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, como parte de su campaña política. Durante la visita recorrió sectores del municipio, saludó y presentó su proyecto de trabajo a familias y a grupos de pescadores. “Lo que la población nos pide es generar más empleo en este municipio, que la gente que se fue regrese, y para lograrlo se tiene que buscar el cambio”, dijo Zárate a través de un comunicado de prensa. Además, Zárate señaló que entre sus propuestas está bajar recursos para beneficio del gremio. Entre las principales necesidades que se plantearon son oportunidades de empleo y mantenimiento en calles y avenidas, señala el comunicado de prensa.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Foto de cortesía
La candidata a diputada por el Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), habla con residentes de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, México, durante una visita como parte de su campaña electora. “Parece que va por el camino correcto, se ve que Laura sabe y quiere trabajar”, dijo Teresa Martínez Quevedo, residente de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, de acuerdo con un comunicado. El comunicado además señala que la ciudadanía solicitó apoyo para mejoras de infraestructura urbana y ayuda financiera para detonar la actividad pesquera de la región.
MEXICO— La Policía Federal rescató a 92 migrantes que estaban secuestrados en la ciudad fronteriza norteña de Reynosa, en una zona donde el narcotráfico ha incursionado en los últimos años en el tráfico de personas. La Comisión Nacional de Seguridad, que supervisa a la Policía Federal, informó en un comunicado que los migrantes, entre ellos seis menores de edad, se encontraban en una casa de seguridad en la que también detuvieron a tres personas presuntamente relacionadas con el secuestro. Los migrantes son originarios de Cuba, Brasil, Honduras, Guatemala y México y se les exigía llamar por te-
léfono a familiares para exigir dinero o de lo contrario serían lastimados, refirió la dependencia. Reynosa, en el estado de Tamaulipas, es una ciudad fronteriza con McAllen. La comisión no señaló si los detenidos pertenecían a algún grupo de narcotráfico, pero en la zona las autoridades han dicho que opera el cartel del Golfo. Tanto el cartel del Golfo como sus rivales de Los Zetas diversificaron sus actividades criminales, incluido el tráfico de migrantes. Tamaulipas ha sido considerado por organizaciones de derechos humanos como uno de los lugares más peligrosos para los migrantes.
COLUMNA
Autor describe fin de Padilla, Tamaulipas RAÚL SINENCIO CHÁVEZ
Ningún diluvio cae. Ni siquiera llovizna. Por lo contrario, el sol brilla y deja sentirse. Pero las aguas suben rápido de nivel. Cada vez más y más. Antes del ocaso, abarcan de extremo a extremo al pueblo, entonces desierto. Es el fin de Padilla, Tamaulipas, México. Padilla es fundado por el conde de Sierra Gorda en 1749 a orillas del río Purificación. En 1821 reúne apenas 996 habitantes, incrementándolos menos de nueve por ciento cinco décadas adelante. Si los desempeños socioeconómicos lo condenan a modesto rango, Padilla registra en cambio acontecimientos de relevancia indiscutible, dándole enorme proyección. Aloja en 1824 el primer constituyente tamaulipeco. Por esas fechas, en su plaza termina fusilado Agustín de Iturbide, cuya osamenta lue-
go trasladan a la catedral metropolitana. En 1832 empuña su propia espada para arrancarse la vida Manuel de Mier y Terán, otrora correligionario de José María Morelos. En 1901 el reelecto gobernador porfiriano Guadalupe Mainero le coloca monumento a Iturbide, desatándose escándalo nacional. “Acto […] desnudo de patriotismo”, fue la clasificación que los hermanos Flores Magón dieron al suceso en aquel momento.
Contexto Algo fuera de lo común marcaría en la villa los festejos patrios de 1970. El martes 15 de septiembre, solemne plenaria realiza el congreso de Tamaulipas al interior del cuartel novohispano que ocupara el constituyente primigenio del estado.
Por la noche, el mandatario de la entidad preside la popular ceremonia del “grito”. Las oficinas públicas van en aquellos días vaciándose. Lo mismo sucede con las casas, tiendas y demás construcciones. Autoridades y vecinos arrancan puertas, rejas y ventanas, llevándolas consigo. Al traslado se incorporan papeles, enseres y diversos objetos. Todo va río arriba de inmediato. Cerca y hacia el norte, sobre la ribera opuesta del Purificación los espera un centro urbano que lleva por nombre, Nuevo Padilla. A la par, casi está lista obra de infraestructura hidráulica, financiada con recursos federales. Le sirve de asiento la confluencia de los ríos Corona y Purificación, que bajan de la serranía. Inaugurada el lunes 27 de septiembre de 1971, sesquicentenario de nuestra independencia, la denominan “Presa Vicente Guerrero”.
Concluida ésta, principia el anegamiento de extensa área del centro tamaulipeco. La superficie incluye Viejo Padilla, vacío por eso. Ante el desinterés oficial, dejan empero olvidado al referido compañero de Morelos. La Sociedad Tamaulipeca de Historia y Geografía de Matamoros interviene. Obtenidos los permisos correspondientes, sus directivos se reúnen el martes 5 de diciembre de 1972 frente al portón de la parroquia y exhuman con debidas formalidades los restos del general Mier y Terán. Realizan intrépido rescate. Concluido a las 3:30 p.m., “el agua de la presa cubre ya la banqueta del atrio […] y las olas comienzan a penetrar”, dice la constancia relativa, acaso el último documento salido del pueblo. (Con permiso del autor, según fuera publicado en La Razón, Tampico, Tamaulipas.)
International
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
Philippine drug convict’s execution delayed By TATAN SYUFLANA ASSOCIATED PRESS
CILICAP, Indonesia — A Philippine woman convicted of drug smuggling — one of nine people due to face a firing squad — has been granted a stay of execution, Indonesia’s attorney general said Wednesday. Attorney General Muhammad Prasetyo did not comment on whether the executions of two Australians, four Nigerians, a Brazilian and an Indonesian man had been carried out as scheduled shortly after midnight. Indonesia media reported that the eight had been executed, citing official though unidentified sources. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced that Australia will withdraw its ambassador from Jakarta in response to the still unconfirmed executions of two Australians, Myuran Sukumaran, 33, and Andrew Chan, 31. “These executions are both cruel and unnecessary,” Abbott told reporters. “Cruel because both Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran spent some decade in jail before being
executed and unnecessary because both of these young Australians were fully rehabilitated while in prison,” he added. Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff said in a statement the execution of a second Brazilian citizen in Indonesia this year “marks a serious event in the relations between the two countries.” Brazil had asked for a stay of execution for Rodrigo Gularte, 42, on humanitarian grounds because he was schizophrenic. Brazilian Marco Archer Cardoso Moreira was one of six drug convicts including foreigners that Jakarta executed in January, brushing aside last-minute appeals from Brazil and the Netherlands. Indonesia has 125 people are on death row, including 49 drug convicts. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has vowed to show no mercy to drug criminals. Gunshots were heard around 12:30 a.m. local time (17:30 GMT) from Nusakambangan island where executions take place. Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso, 30, had been arrested in 2010 at the airport in the central Indonesian
Fewer children entering US By RANDAL C. ARCHIBOLD NEW YORK TIMES
MEXICO CITY — A significant drop in the number of children apprehended at the United States-Mexico border in recent months sprang from Mexico’s record number of deportations of minors traveling without a guardian, according to an analysis released Tuesday. The analysis, by the Pew Research Center in Washington, noted that the flow of children not authorized to enter the United States had dropped precipitously, to 12,509, from October to February. The vast majority of the children were Central American. That was down from 21,402 in the same period a year ago, amid a surge of children, fleeing violence in their home countries and drawn by false promises of amnesty in the United States, that eventually prompted President Barack Obama to declare an emergency. Mexico, pushed by the United States and other countries, stepped up law enforcement in its southern border region in ways not seen in years, with raids on freight trains that migrants sneak aboard to travel north and more frequent immigration checks on hotels and vehicles. Officials returned 3,819 minors to their home countries in the period studied, a 56 percent increase over the previous year. Children making their way from Honduras, where crime, violence and the rumors of amnesty were strongest, slowed to the point that Guatemala now accounts for the largest share of children apprehended in Mexico, according to the study. "The broad conclusion is that the increase in deportations in Mexico is having an effect on the flow of unaccompanied minors," said Ana GonzalezBarrera, the Pew research associate who prepared the analysis using data from the Mexican and U.S. governments. The period studied tends to be one of the slower ones for migrants trying to reach the United States. But GonzalezBarrera said that the significant drop in the same period year-to-year indicated that the flow had slowed and that the change coincided with Mexico’s crackdown. Mexico’s get-tough approach has led to complaints from advocates for migrants. They say that the police have been heavy-handed and have detained many migrants unable or unwilling to pay bribes to pass through, and that the government has made it difficult for people to apply for asylum. At the same time, workers at migrant shelters have said that many people are simply finding new routes north, evading the authorities’ focus on traditional routes and jeopardizing their lives by crossing treacherous terrain. The Washington Office on Latin America, an advocacy group in Washington, said in its own report this month questioning the crackdown, "The humanitarian consequences could be severe."
Photo by Bullit Marquez | AP
Protesters celebrate following an announcement of the delay of the execution of convicted Filipino drug trafficker Mary Jane Veloso. city of Yogyakarta, where officials discovered about 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds) of heroin hidden in her luggage. Prasetyo said Veloso was granted a stay of execution because her alleged boss has been arrested in the Philippines, and the authorities there requested Indonesian assistance in pursuing the case. “This delay did not cancel the execution. We just want to give chance in relation with the legal process in the Philippines,” Prasetyo said. Mary Jane Veloso’s mother, Celia, told Manila
radio station DZBB from Indonesia that what happened was “a miracle.” “We thought we’ve lost my daughter. I really thank God. What my daughter Mary Jane said earlier was true, ‘If God wants me to live, even if just by a thread or just in the final minute, I will live,” Celia Veloso said. “That’s what she said and it became true. So I really thank God for this miracle that happened to my child,” she said. Michael Chan, brother of Andrew Chan, who became a Christian pastor during his decade in pris-
on, reacted with anger. “I have just lost a courageous brother to a flawed Indonesian legal system. I miss you already RIP my Little Brother,” Michael Chan tweeted. The executions were widely condemned. “The execution of these eight people for non-violent drug offenses will do nothing to reduce the availability of drugs in Indonesia or other countries, or protect people from drug abuse.” Ethan Nadelmann, executive director of the New Yorkbased Drug Policy Alliance said in a statement. “All it demonstrates is the savagery of which governments are capable,” he added. London-based Amnesty International called on Indonesia to abandon plans for further executions. “These executions are utterly reprehensible,” Rupert Abbott, Amnesty International’s Research Director for Southeast Asia and the Pacific, said in a statement. “They were carried out with complete disregard for internationally recognized safeguards on the use of the death penalty,” he added. He said the prisoners were killed despite having
at least two ongoing legal appeals. Some were reportedly not provided access to competent lawyers or interpreters during their arrest and initial trial, in violation of their right to a fair trial, he said Ambulances carrying coffins arrived Tuesday at a prison island and relatives paid final visits to their condemned loved ones as Indonesia announced it would execute the eight foreigners and one Indonesian man on drug charges, despite an international outcry and pleas for mercy. At least five ambulances carrying coffins were seen driving through the port city of Cilicap, where the prison island ferry lands, more than four hours after the reported executions. They are thought to be carrying executed prisoners’ bodies. The nine inmates were given 72-hour notices over the weekend that they would be executed by a firing squad, prompting a flurry of last-minute lobbying by foreign leaders. The United Nations has argued that their crimes — possession of heroin, marijuana or cocaine — were not egregious enough to warrant the ultimate punishment.
Nigerian army rescues 300 By MICHELLE FAUL AND HARUNA UMAR ASSOCIATED PRESS
MAIDUGURI, Nigeria — Nigerian troops rescued nearly 300 girls and women during an offensive Tuesday against Boko Haram militants in the northeastern Sambisa Forest, the military said, but they did not include any of the schoolgirls kidnapped a year ago. The army announced the rescue on Twitter and said it was screening and interviewing the abducted girls and women. Troops destroyed and cleared four militant camps and rescued 200 abducted girls and 93 women “but they are not the Chibok girls,” army spokesman Col. Sani Usman told The Associated Press. Nearly 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped from the northeastern town of Chibok by the Islamic extremist group Boko Haram in April 2014. The militants took the schoolgirls in trucks into the Sambisa Forest. Dozens escaped, but 219 remain missing. The plight of the schoolgirls, who have become known as “the Chibok girls,” aroused international outrage and a campaign for their release under the hashtag #BringBackOurGirls. Their kidnapping brought Boko Haram to the attention of the world, with even U.S. first
Photo by Alastair Grant | AP
Young protesters hold up placards demanding help from the Nigerian government to find the some 219 Chibok girls who remain missing, April 14. lady Michelle Obama becoming involved as she tweeted a photograph of herself holding the campaign sign. Boko Haram has kidnapped an unknown number of girls, women and young men to be used as sex slaves and fighters. Many have escaped or been released as Boko Haram has fled a multinational offensive that began at the end of January. A military source who was in Sambisa told The Associated Press that some of the women rescued Tuesday fought back, and that Boko Haram was using armed women as human shields, putting them as their
first line of defense. The Nigerian troops managed to subdue them and rounded them all up, and some said they were forced to fight for Boko Haram, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. Boko Haram also has used girls and women as suicide bombers, sending them into crowded market places and elsewhere. A month ago the Nigerian military began pounding the Sambisa Forest in air raids, an assault they said earlier they
had been avoiding for fear of killing the Chibok schoolgirls, or inciting their captors to kill them. Two weeks ago, counterinsurgency spokesman Mike Omeri said a multinational offensive that began at the end of January had driven Boko Haram from all major towns in the northeast and that Nigerian forces were concentrating on the Islamic militant stronghold in the Sambisa Forest. Omeri said the military believed that the Chibok girls might be held there. In Chibok, community leader Pogu Bitrus said townspeople were desperately trying to verify the identity of the freed girls and women. He said the town had learned of the rescue through social media, not from the military. “We are trying to verify if there are Chibok girls among them. We are working hard to verify. ... All we know is this number have been rescued,” he said. His comments reflected a distrust of the military, which has published many misstatements about the girls and once even claimed to have rescued some, though that proved to be untrue. Unconfirmed reports over the past year had indicated the girls were broken up into smaller groups and had been forced to convert to Islam.
Saudi Arabia arrests 93 suspects By AYA BATRAWY ASSOCIATED PRESS
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — Saudi Arabia on Tuesday announced the arrest of 93 suspects with ties to the Islamic State group who it says were planning multi-pronged attacks on the U.S. Embassy, security forces and residential compounds where foreigners live. The list of targets recalls a wave of attacks launched by alQaida inside the kingdom from 2004 to 2007, which killed dozens of people, including foreigners, and threatened the stability of one of the world’s most important oil-producing nations. Saudi Arabia is also home to Islam’s holiest sites, in Mecca and Medina. Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki told The Associated Press that Saudi Arabia’s security forces are better prepared than ever to fight back against the Islamic State group. The kingdom is part of a U.S.-led coalition bombing the group in Iraq and Syria. He said there have been five IS-related attacks across the kingdom in recent months that have killed 15 civilians and security personnel. But he said Saudis have largely ignored the IS group’s calls to take up arms against their government and
Photo by Hasan Jamali | AP file
In this April 24 file photo, Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Mansour al-Turki listens to questions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. attack the Shiite minority, security forces and foreigners living in the kingdom. “We do have a number of people who do respond to such calls and do try to carry out such terrorist organizations’ orders, but these people do not represent the Saudi population, do not represent the 20 million Saudis,” he said in remarks to the AP a day before the announcement of the arrests, which took place over several months. Al-Turki said the security raids included a cell of 65 people arrested in March who were involved in a plan to target residential compounds and prisons. They also allegedly
planned to carry out attacks aimed at creating sectarian strife. All but two in the cell were Saudi citizens. Authorities also disrupted a plot for a suicide car bomber to attack the U.S. Embassy in Riyadh after receiving information about the plan in midMarch, he said. Two Syrians and a Saudi citizen were arrested in relation to the plot. The timing of the alleged attack coincides with a U.S. decision to halt all consular services for a week starting March 15 at the embassy and diplomatic missions in Jiddah and Dhahran over security fears. The U.S. Embassy in Riyadh is located in a large and heavily
guarded compound with other embassies. The embassy is surrounded by fortified barriers and guarded by police, and a U.S. Marine checks visitor passes inside. Last week, Saudi Arabia increased security around shopping centers and oil installations for a few days, also in response to security threats. Al-Turki said another group of nine Saudis, including one woman, were arrested on suspicion they tried to use social media to lure a military officer into a trap and assassinate him. Other arrests involving alleged IS operatives included a cell of 15 Saudis broken up around New Year’s. That group, which called itself “Soldiers of the Land of the Two Holy Mosques” in reference to sites in Mecca and Medina, trained in desolate areas in the central ultraconservative region of alQassim, al-Turki said. They built explosives, setting off two test bombs, and also engaged in firearms training. Earlier in the day, al-Turki said police arrested a suspected IS operative wanted for the killing of two police officers in Riyadh, who were shot dead April 8 while on patrol. Nawaf al-Enezi, a 29-year-old Saudi citizen, was taken into custody early Tuesday morning after callers tipped the police off, he said.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
ROY R. RAMIREZ
Stocks end mostly higher
Aug. 9, 1948 — April 27, 2015 Roy R. Ramirez, 66, passed away on Monday, April 27, 2015 at Doctor’s Hospital in Laredo, Texas. Mr. Ramirez is preceded in death his father, Federico Ramirez. Mr. Ramirez is survived by his wife, Maria Del Refugio Ramirez; son, Roy Ricardo Ramirez; daughter, Lizeth (Juan A., Jr.) Navarro; grandchildren, Juan Esgardo Navarro, Elier Antonio Navarro; parents, +Federico and Maria Elena Ramirez; sister, Maria Elena R. (Oscar) Flores; brother, Sergio Roel (Librada Del Carmen) Ramirez; nieces, Liliana (Hugo, Jr.) Martinez, Erica Flores; nephew, +Roel (Sara) Ramirez; grandnephews and grandnieces, Hugo Alan Martinez, Leedia Marie Ramirez, Aleesa Raelynn Ramirez, Roberto Guzman and by numerous other family members and friends. Visitation hours will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2015, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession
By KEN SWEET ASSOCIATED PRESS
will depart on Thursday, April 30, 2015, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery, including full Military Honors by the American Legion Post 486 Color Guard. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.
BAGS Continued from Page 1A disposable check-out bags. The following day, the city said her statements misrepresented the ordinance. Businesses are prohibited from both giving away and selling thin plastic bags, the city said in a news release last Tuesday. City Council members voted to no longer have GuerreroSouthard represent the city in the lawsuit. They instead directed Casso to serve as counsel. On Thursday, Peterson filed three motions on behalf of the merchants association. They include one for the City Council to enforce the statements made by Guerrero-Southard in the April 20 court hearing, to reinstate the lawsuit and to continue the temporary injunction hearing. Peterson filed the lawsuit March 27, claiming the ordinance violated a state law that says a local government may not adopt an ordinance to prohibit or restrict, for solid waste management purposes, the sale or use of a container or package in a manner not authorized by state law. The lawsuit states the city was not authorized by the state to adopt the ordinance, but did so anyway. The three pending motions will be heard at 9 a.m. today in the 341st District Court before Judge Beckie Palomo. “We have full confidence that our city attorney can come out winning for the city and for our residents who want this plastic bag ban,” Balli said. (Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
NEW YORK — Stocks posted modest gains Tuesday as investors worked through another large batch of earnings reports. Pharmaceutical stocks rose after drug giant Merck reported better-than-expected results. Twitter plunged nearly 20 percent after its results, which were released early, missed analysts’ marks. Earnings season is at its busiest this week, with more than 150 companies reporting their results, including Apple, Exxon Mobil, Ford and others. So far, earnings have been coming in better than the gloomy expectations analysts had at the beginning of the month. But with stocks trading at all-time highs, there’s little momentum for this market to barrel upward, strategists say. “This market just feels tired to me,” said Dan Morgan, a fund manager at Synovus Trust. On Tuesday, the Dow Jones industrial average rose 72.17 points, or 0.4 percent, to 18,110.14. The Stan-
dard & Poor’s 500 index rose 5.84 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,114.76. The Nasdaq composite edged down 4.82 points, or 0.1 percent, to 5,055.42. Merck rose $2.88, or 5 percent, to $59.88. While the company’s profits fell 44 percent from a year ago, the results still handily beat analysts’ estimates. Adjusted earnings for the maker of diabetes drugs Januvia and Janumet were 85 cents a share versus the 75 cents expected by analysts. Other health care stocks also rose, including Aetna, drugmaker AbbVie and laboratory equipment maker Waters Corp. The Nasdaq ended lower partly because of Apple, which fell $2.09, or 1.6 percent, to $130.56. The iPhone and computer and maker reported a record quarterly profit of $13.6 billion, but Apple’s outlook was not as rosy as some analysts had predicted. Apple had $193.5 billion in cash on its balance sheet and plans on increasing its dividend and share buyback. Twitter was the center of some late-day drama when
its quarterly results were unexpectedly released before the market closed. Twitter’s revenue missed analysts’ expectations, sending its shares down $9.39, or 18 percent, to $42.27. Much of the focus this week will be on the Fed’s two-day policy meeting, which ends Wednesday. Policymakers are discussing when the Fed should start raising interest rates again. The Fed opened the door to rate increases after its March meeting, but some recent weak economic data might complicate that picture. “What we do know is the Fed is going remain accommodative and keep interest rates low for the foreseeable future,” said David Lefkowitz, senior equity strategy at UBS Wealth Management. Another weak signal on the U.S. economy came out Tuesday. The Conference Board reported that its index of consumer confidence fell to the lowest level in four months as hiring slowed down. The Conference Board said its index fell to 95.2 in April from 101.4 in March.
That was the lowest since 93.1 in December. The survey’s measure of how respondents assess current economic conditions fell for the third straight month. Their expectations for the future also fell. In energy markets, the price of U.S. oil rose slightly while global crude slipped. Benchmark U.S. crude rose 7 cents to close at $57.06 a barrel in New York. Brent crude fell 19 cents to close at $64.64 a barrel in London. In other energy futures trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange: wholesale gasoline fell 0.7 cent to close at $2.002 a gallon, heating oil fell 0.4 cents to close at $1.917 a gallon and natural gas rose 2.7 cents to close at $2.517 per 1,000 cubic feet. U.S. government bond prices fell. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note rose to 1.98 percent from 1.92 percent late Monday. Precious and industrial metals futures closed mostly higher. Gold rose $10.70 to $1,213.90 an ounce. Silver gained 20 cents to $16.59 an ounce and copper edged up a penny to $2.78 a pound.
Twitter stock falls after revenue miss By BARBARA ORTUTAY ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Twitter’s stock dropped sharply as the company’s revenue and outlook fell short of expectations at a time investors are looking for stronger advertising growth to make up for less-than-stellar user numbers. Twitter’s adjusted earnings for the first quarter topped Wall Street estimates but revenue fell short of expectations and of Twitter’s own guidance. Twitter attributed the shortfall to lower-than-expected contributions from some of its newer “directresponse” advertising products. These tools help advertisers communicate directly with customers in real time. The company posted a loss of $162 million, or 25 cents per share, in the January-March period. That compares with a loss of $132 million, or 23 cents per share, a year earlier. Adjusted earnings were 7 cents per share. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting 4 cents. Twitter’s revenue rose 74 percent to $436 million from $250 million a year earlier. Analysts had expected $456 million. Twitter’s user growth has been lagging behind other popular social media companies, but for the
Photo by Marcio Jose Sanchez | AP file
This Nov. 4, 2013 file photo shows the icon for the Twitter app on an iPhone in San Jose, Calif. Twitter Inc. reported quarterly financial results after the market closed Tuesday.
most part the company has been able to make up for that by making a lot of money from the users it has. That’s why the revenue miss, and the lowered outlook, disappointed investors. The company now expects revenue of $470 million to $485 million for the second quarter. Analysts
were looking for $538 million. For the full year, Twitter is predicting $2.17 billion to $2.27 billion, below analysts’ average forecast of $2.37 billion. Twitter accounted for less than 1 percent of the $145 billion digital advertising market last year, according to research firm eMarketer. In comparison,
Facebook’s share was nearly 8 percent and Google’s was more than 31 percent. Twitter had 302 million average monthly users in the first quarter, up 18 percent from the previous year. About 80 percent of these users accessed the site on mobile devices at least once a month. By
contrast, Facebook reported 1.44 billion monthly users last week. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Youssef Squali said that “user growth remains key” for Twitter over the long term. Twitter’s user growth met his expectations, and he called the sequential 14 million new users a “significant uptick” compared to the fourthquarter’s disappointing 4 million additions. Trading in Twitter’s stock was halted Tuesday afternoon after word spread that earnings were released prematurely, before the market closed. When trading resumed, the stock fell more than 25 percent. By the time the stock market closed, Twitter’s shares were down $9.39, or 18.2 percent, at $42.27. That’s still up nearly 17 percent year-to-date. Some reports said the earnings leaked out when research firm Selerity tweeted the results. Selerity said the report was “sourced” from Twitter’s website and was not the result of a “leak” or “hack.” Twitter later posted the results on its website and emailed it to reporters. Twitter said it was investigating the disclosure. After the stock market closed, San Franciscobased Twitter’s shares climbed $1.15, or 2.7 percent, to $43.48.
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 29, 2015