The Zapata Times 4/30/2014

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MEXICO DRUG WAR

HIGHER EDUCATION

‘Bodies piling up’

Voting begins for LCC bond election

Spotlight on Tamaulipas violence

By JUDITH RAYO

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN

THE ZAPATA TIMES

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CIUDAD MIER, Mexico — Once again, the bodies are piling up.

On April 4, gunmen peppered the facade of Ciudad Mier’s main hotel, leaving at least 20 bullet holes in the two-story building. The next day, soldiers killed four of the alleged attackers. A day after that, three other gunmen were found dead near the Rio Grande.

A spasm of violence has left at least 50 dead throughout the northern state of Tamaulipas this month, according to an Associated Press tally of official and Mexican media reports. That has many worried about a return to the worst days of 2010, when the security wing of the powerful Gulf Cartel turned on its former bosses, forming the breakaway Zetas group that has dis-

Photo by Christopher Sherman | AP

In this April 9 photo, a playground stands empty in the San Pedro subdivision on the outskirts of Matamoros, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Of four women interviewed in this working-class neighborhood, none would give their names. tinguished itself for butchery.

That rivalry simmers along, but authorities say many of the recent killings are the byproduct of a fresh feud between two Gulf Cartel capos, former allies who are struggling for control of cities or stretches of border.

Tamaulipas has always been a focal point in the drug

war, one of the busiest places on the border for northbound drugs and migrants and southbound weapons and cash. The federal government sent troops to the state in November 2010, turning military patrols into a feature of life in border cities. The violence has never fully abated, but even by the standards of Ta-

maulipas, April has been extreme. Mexico’s federal government has promised a new strategy, though it has yet to offer details.

“The fact is right now the federal government response in Tamaulipas is nowhere near what it needs to be,” said

See VIOLENCE PAGE 10A

SPECIAL OLYMPICS

CELEBRATING ATHLETES

Monday marked the start of busy days ahead for early voting sites for Laredo Community College’s $100 million bond proposal.

Taxpayers took an early start to cast their opinions.

Those who are for the bond have one reason in mind: Children’s education.

Maria Lara, 65, said she voted for the bond because the college needs many renovations for the benefit of students.

“It’s a good idea to vote and support the children,” Lara said.

Others said the bond will benefit students as well as the community.

Carolina Escudero, 32, said the bond will help students financially and improve the City of Laredo.

“Our children won’t have to seek education somewhere else,” she said.

“They will see that the colleges here are as good as anywhere else.”

But there are others who have many questions about the bond and some taxpayers wondered if the college is doing the proper renovations.

Although they said they agreed the college needs renovations to try to compete with Texas A&M International University, they questioned the quality of LCC’s services.

“I’m all for our children to get an education and be in a suitable learning environment,” said Miguel Hernandez, 48. “But maybe the college is focusing too much on the superficial rather than the curriculum or the instructors teaching the courses.”

Hernandez, who has a son at TAMIU and completed his associate’s at LCC, said TAMIU has more educational opportunities to offer than LCC. “I believe that LCC should take a look at the classes and services offered and compare them to TAMIU’s,” he said.

Hernandez said LCC administration should make plans to improve the college from the inside.

“It’s not about the outside, it’s not about the looks, it’s the quality of service,” Hernandez said.

Early voting continues at Laredo locations today through Saturday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Monday, May 5, and Tuesday, May 6, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Polling sites

Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times

A delegation of athletes from the Zapata County School District were on hand at UISD’s Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex to participate in the Area 21 Special Olympics Tuesday morning.

Billy Hall Jr. Administrative Building, 1110 Washington St. City Hall, 1110 Houston St. City Hall Annex, 1102 Loop 20 LCC Fort McIntosh campus, Kazen Student Center LCC South campus, William N. (Billy) Hall Jr. Student Center Election Day is May 10. Information on the bond, including where one can vote on Election Day, can be found by visiting laredo.edu/bond.

(Judith Rayo may be reached at 7282567 or jrayo@lmtonline.com)

OPERATION CHILD GUARDIAN

Offender sentenced for child crime Man was among five arrested in September 2012 during Webb County Sheriff’s Office operation

By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES

A man charged with online solicitation of a minor was sentenced Friday to a 10-year probated sentence in the 49th District Court.

Alberto Angel Filio and five

other men were arrested in September 2012 in Operation Child Guardian, an initiative that counters crimes against children.

The Webb County Sheriff’s Office leads the initiative.

Filio, an oil field worker, was arrested alongside Steven Villarreal, a former Webb County Pct. 4

deputy constable; Roberto Lozano Jr., a former Texas A&M International University shipping and receiving employee; Juan Antonio Castillo-Mendoza III, a private emergency medical technician; and Luis de la Rosa Moreno, a customs broker.

They were all arrested for alleg-

edly soliciting sexual contact online from a Webb County Sheriff’s Office deputy who was posing as an underage girl.

Online solicitation is a third-degree felony punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

(Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)

FILIO

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, April 26

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Bass Champs Fishing Tournament. 8 a.m. Zapata County Public Boat Ramp.

Monday, April 28 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.

May 50 year reunion for Zapata High School’s Class of 1964. The Steak House. For more information, call Dora Martinez at 324-1226 or Ninfa Gracia at 500-5219.

Thursday, May 1 “Building Healthy Relationships”

by Marco Antonio Karam. 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Doors open 5 p.m. TAMIU Student Center Ballroom. Topics include importance of maintaining healthy relationships with spouse or partner, family and colleagues. General admission $30 and students with valid ID $15. Call Adriana Villarreal at 235-1286.

Friday, May 2 Monthly Wellness & Women Connection Networking Luncheon. 11:45 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. Posh Sushi & Grill, 2715 E. Del Mar Blvd. Theme: The power of praying women transforming their environment. RSVP at wwconnection.org. Contact Abby Willett or Sylvia Praesel at 645-0377 or info@wwconnection.org.

“Muerte, Bardo y Renacimiento” conference by Tony Karam, with translators on site. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Understand Tibetan Buddist and modern scientific traditions: meaning of life, how to accept death and how to help the dying. Nurses, doctors and home health staff encouraged to attend. Call Adriana Villarreal at 235-1286.

Saturday, May 3 Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society fundraiser. 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Picnic tour to San Ygnacio, Texas. New members welcome. Call Sanjuanita Martinez-Hunter at 7223497.

Used book sale, hosted by First United Methodist Church. 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hardback books are $1, paperback books 50 cents, and magazines and children’s books 25 cents.

“Muerte, Bardo y Renacimiento” conference by Tony Karam, with translators on site. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Understand Tibetan Buddist and modern scientific traditions: meaning of life, how to accept death and how to help the dying.

Nurses, doctors and home health staff encouraged to attend. Call Adriana Villarreal at 235-1286.

Viva Laredo Festival. LIFE Grounds. 11 a.m. trail ride registration, at La Sita Rose VIP Trailriders rest area on Hwy 59. Ride out at noon, ends at LIFE Grounds. $20 per rider, with all proceeds benefiting local and area students’ scholarship fund. Free meal for trail riders. Door prizes. Special prize to best Mexican dressed trail riding team. Other activities include charreada; mutton bustin (ages 3 to 8, $20 entry fee); tamales tasting cook-off; salsa cook-off; grito contest; Li’l Miss Viva Laredo contest (ages 10 and under); and dance music. Contact Rosy at 744-7505, Alicia at 286-5398, Lilly at 237-2208, or Letty at 763-1299.

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

Friends, seen through debris, comfort each other at the site of a home destroyed by Sunday’s tornado, Tuesday, in Vilonia, Ark. A dangerous storm system that spawned a chain of deadly tornadoes over three days flattened homes and businesses, forced frightened residents in more than half a dozen states to take cover and left tens of thousands in the dark Tuesday.

Twisters claim 35 lives

By JEFF AMY AND ADRIAN SAINZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOUISVILLE, Miss. — Ruth Bennett died clutching the last child left at her day care center as a tornado wiped the building off its foundation. A firefighter who came upon the body gently pulled the toddler from her arms.

“It makes you just take a breath now,” said next-door neighbor Kenneth Billingsley, who witnessed the scene at what was left of Ruth’s Child Care Center in this logging town of 6,600. “It makes you pay attention to life.”

Bennett, 53, was among at least 35 people killed in a two-day outbreak of twisters and other violent weather that pulverized homes from the Midwest to the Deep South. The child’s fate was not immediately known.

As crews in Mississippi and Alabama

Woman admits killing dog over parking space NEWARK, N.J. — A New Jersey woman has admitted killing her neighbor’s small dog by throwing it into traffic during an argument over a parking space.

The Star-Ledger of Newark reports that 27-year-old Haniyyah Barnes, of Newark, pleaded guilty Tuesday to breaking into her neighbor’s home in August 2011, grabbing the 2-year-old Shih Tzu named Honey Bey and throwing her into oncoming traffic. The dog was struck by a vehicle and killed.

She pleaded guilty to burglary, animal cruelty and theft charges and Essex County prosecutors will recommend that she receive a six-year state prison term when she’s sentenced July 14.

Barnes also would have to pay up to $2,600 in restitution and would be barred from owning, buying or living with animals for 10 years.

Barnes also will have to participate in anger management and

Sunday, May 4 “Muerte, Bardo y Renacimiento” conference by Tony Karam, with translators on site. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Understand Tibetan Buddist and modern scientific traditions: meaning of life, how to accept death and how to help the dying. Nurses, doctors and home health staff encouraged to attend. Call Adriana Villarreal at 235-1286.

Wednesday, May 7 New parent orientation for those interested in fostering. 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. 102 E. Calton Road, Suite No. 4, in Laredo. English. Provides details about the process of becoming a foster parent. Contact Linda Mendiola at 7914909 or linda.mendiola@lsss.org.

Monday, May 12 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.

Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com. Items will run as space is available.

turned from search-and-rescue efforts to cleanup, the South braced for a third round of potentially deadly weather on Tuesday.

By the government’s preliminary count, 11 tornadoes — including one that killed 15 people in Arkansas — struck the nation’s midsection on Sunday, and at least 25 ravaged the South on Monday, the National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center said.

Among those killed was 21-year-old University of Alabama swimmer and dean’s list student John Servati, who was taking shelter in the basement of a Tuscaloosa home when a retaining wall collapsed on him.

His death — and that of at least two others in Alabama — came the day after the third anniversary of an outbreak of more than 60 tornadoes that killed more than 250 people across the state.

drug and alcohol counseling.

Authorities said Barnes initially grabbed the dog after it came rushing into the room barking at her when she broke into the house.

A Newark police officer who was sitting in a patrol vehicle saw what happened and immediately arrested Barnes, who acknowledged in court that the neighbor had followed her outside, begging her to stop and not hurt the dog.

“It was a horrific crime and I think the punishment reflects that,” Essex County Assistant Prosecutor Michele Miller told the newspaper after the hearing.

“She broke into someone’s home and killed their dog and they watched it happen. Not too many things are more disturbing than that.”

Crews rescue father, 2 kids in SC national park CONGAREE NATIONAL PARK, S.C. — Search crews have found a father and his two children who had been missing for

more than two days in the vast woods and swamps of the Congaree National Park in South Carolina, officials said Tuesday.

Dana Soehn of the National Park Service said rangers had located J.R. Kimbler, his 10-yearold son, Dakota, and 6-year-old daughter, Jade. The three — who carried no food, water or camping equipment — got lost after taking to the trails on Saturday afternoon for what was apparently intended to be a short hike.

“They were all OK,” Soehn said at a news conference. “They looked remarkably well.”

The three were taken to a local hospital for observation, officials said.

Eighty searchers from nearly a dozen agencies searched for the family in the 27,000-acre site since the father sent a text message late Saturday saying they were lost. Crews flew over the entire park, but Soehn said ground searchers combed 9,000 acres on foot and by vehicle before finding the family.

Officials closed the park Monday afternoon during the search.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE WORLD Italy court: Knox struck mortal blow in killing MILAN — The Italian appeals court that reinstated the conviction against Amanda Knox in her British roommate’s 2007 murder said in a lengthy reasoning made public Tuesday that Knox herself delivered the fatal blow out of a desire to “overpower and humiliate” the victim.

Presiding Judge Alessandro Nencini concluded in a 337-page document that the evidence “inevitably leads to the upholding of the criminal responsibility” against Knox and her former Italian boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito for the murder of 21-year-old Meredith Kercher in a hillside villa occupied by students in the university town of Perugia.

Protesters seize new building in Ukraine LUHANSK, Ukraine — Protesters demanding more power for

Today is Wednesday, April 30, the 120th day of 2014. There are 245 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York as the first president of the United States.

On this date: In A.D. 311, shortly before his death, Roman Emperor Galerius issued his Edict of Toleration ending persecution of Christians.

In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million.

In 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state of the Union.

In 1864, Confederate President Jefferson Davis’ five-yearold son, Joseph Evan Davis, died in a fall at the Confederate White House in Richmond, Va. In 1939, the New York World’s Fair officially opened with a ceremony that included an address by President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1945, as Russian troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun.

In 1958, the American Association of Retired Persons (later simply AARP) was founded in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus.

In 1968, New York City police forcibly removed student demonstrators occupying five buildings at Columbia University.

In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced the resignations of top aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst and White House counsel John Dean, who was actually fired.

In 1993, top-ranked women’s tennis player Monica Seles was stabbed in the back during a match in Hamburg, Germany, by a man who described himself as a fan of secondranked German player Steffi Graf.

Ten years ago: Arabs expressed outrage at graphic photographs of naked Iraqi prisoners being humiliated by U.S. military police; President George W. Bush condemned the mistreatment of prisoners, saying “that’s not the way we do things in America.”

Five years ago: Riding a crest of populist anger, the House approved, 357-70, a bill to restrict credit card practices and eliminate sudden increases in interest rates and late fees.

One year ago: The FDA lowered to 15 the age at which girls and women could buy the Plan B emergency contraceptive without a prescription, and said it no longer had to be kept behind pharmacy counters.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Cloris Leachman is 88.

Singer Willie Nelson is 81. Actor Burt Young is 74. Singer Bobby Vee is 71. Movie director Allan Arkush is 66. Actor Perry King is 66. Singer Merrill Osmond is 61. Movie director Jane Campion is 60. Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is 55. Actor Paul Gross is 55. Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is 53. Country musician Robert Reynolds (The Mavericks) is 52. Actor Adrian Pasdar is 49.

Thought for Today: “In America, getting on in the world means getting out of the world we have known before.”

— Ellery Sedgwick, American editor (1872-1960).

CONTACT US

Photo by Sakchai Lalit | AP

Udomsak Ratanotayo, left, and Suttinan Boonsomkiat wear stormtrooper costumes while donating blood as other Star Wars fans pose near them, at the Thai Red Cross in Bangkok, Thailand, on Monday. Thai Star Wars fans will donate blood and give toys at an orphanage as part of a promotional campaign.

Ukraine’s regions stormed the government building in Luhansk on Tuesday, seizing control of a key site in one of the largest cities in Ukraine’s troubled east.

The move further raises tensions in the east, where pro-Russia militias have seized govern-

ment buildings in at least 10 cities and towns.

The demonstrators who overran the building in Luhansk are seeking — at the very least — a referendum on granting greater authority to Ukraine’s regions.

— Compiled from AP reports

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Local

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

LCC honors students for community service SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Laredoan Jorge F. Gonzalez and 22 local high school and college students, including two from Zapata, were honored by Laredo Community College for their commitment to service during a special ceremony Monday at the Private David B. Barkeley Cantu Veterans Memorial Chapel at the Fort McIntosh Campus.

Gonzalez, president of FalconSure Insurance Agency, is the seventh recipient of the LCC President’s Beacon Award, an honor bestowed on individuals who dedicate themselves to helping LCC and wider communities.

In addition to the Beacon Award, high school and college students from Laredo, Hebbronville and Zapata were presented with the President’s Ray of Hope Award for their strength of character and service to their community. Among them were Zapata High School students Amy Rivera and Noe A. Sanchez Nominees for the Beacon Award demonstrate what it means to live a life of service to others.

Gonzalez was chosen for the award by LCC President Juan L. Maldonado for his spirit of service and for his dedication to bettering the lives of LCC’s students and the local community.

“Our Beacon Award recipient,

Photo by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times

From left: Laredo Community College President Dr. Juan L. Maldonado, Valerie Gordillo, Jorge Pedraza Jr. and Jorge F. Flores pose after Gordillo and Pedraza received the Ray of Hope Award on Monday afternoon at LCC Fort McIntosh campus.

Mr. Jorge Gonzalez, is emblematic of the altruism and generosity embodied by this recognition.

“His passion for making Laredo a better place is exemplified by the countless hours he gives to community organizations, including Laredo Community College,” Maldonado said.

“He is a man of character and integrity, and he is a noble spirit who is most deserving of LCC’s 2014 Beacon Award.

“I am proud to call him a friend and partner in education,” Maldo-

nado added.

A graduate of J.W. Nixon High School and a 2012 Mustang Legend, Gonzalez has worked to establish strong ties within the community.

He is a graduate of Laredo State University and has more than 28 years of experience in banking and insurance.

In addition to his work with Falcon, Gonzalez also dedicates much of his time and energy to various entities, including the American Heart Association,

Communities in Schools, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce, Boys and Girls Club of Laredo, Mercy Ministries and many more.

He also serves on the board for Laredo Medical Center and Catholic Social Services, and he has spent the last 16 years serving on the board for United Way. Like the Beacon Award, the LCC President’s Ray of Hope Award honors students who better their community through community service.

Two students from each high

school and LCC are nominated for the award. In addition to the award, students are presented with a $500 scholarship to help them pursue their education at LCC. The 2013-2014 recipients of the LCC President’s Ray of Hope Award are: from Zapata High, Rivera and Sanchez; from J.B. Alexander High School, Ashley Lizzette Solano and Zaid Valdez; from Cigarroa High School, Erik Rodriguez and Aracely Uresti; from Hebbronville High School, Luis Daniel Gonzalez and Luis David Gonzalez; from Lyndon B. Johnson High School, Brenda Cuellar and Juan E. Vega; from Raymond and Tirza Martin High School, Jasmin Alondra Hernandez and Juan Pablo Sanchez III; from J.W. Nixon High School, Jorge Armando Chavarria and Ala-Thif Puente; from St. Augustine High School, Daniel Barrientos Jr. and Katherine Garza; from United High School, Alexiram Gonzalez and Dominic Granado; from United South High School, Valerie Gordillo and Jorge Pedraza Jr.; and from Laredo Community College, Danelli Y. Ortiz and Valerya J. Perusquia.

For more information on the Beacon and Ray of Hope Awards, contact the LCC Office of Donor Relations and Special Projects at 764-5746.

Business owners benefit from TAMIU center SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Federico Garza Jr., a veteran, and his wife Anna are the owners of Laredo-based Diamond Eyes Security Co. Garza’s 32 years of management experience in law enforcement, a line of work that he enjoyed for so many years, contributed to the opening of the business.

The company, 216 W. Village Blvd., Suite 102, started in March 2013. Diamond Eyes Security’s services include armed and unarmed security, VIP protection, transport and events, private investigation, security consulting, protection and accident and incident reconstruction.

Anna Garza sought the assistance of the TAMIU Small Business Development Center to comply with all the needed requirements to operate the new business and how to apply for a business loan. The center is one of the Small Business Administration Resource Partners providing technical and management assistance to small business owners in Zapata, Jim Hogg and Webb counties.

Certified Business Advisor Norma Rodriguez advised Garza on the type of licenses and permits required for the business to be in compliance, to register the business and obtain an employee identification number. Additionally, Rodriguez assisted the Gar-

zas in preparing a business plan, cash flow projections and paperwork needed for a loan application.

On May 2, Celtic Bank approved a Small Business Administration Patriot Express loan to Diamond Eyes Security for the amount of $150,000 to fund the start-up business. The business started showing growth revenues.

The company employed two full-time and five part-time employees and the potential for more job creation/retention.

TAMIU Small Business Development Center continues assisting and guiding the Garzas by offering additional services to grow their business. Federico Garza is taking advantage of the many

courses/workshops available and completed the Small Business Management Certificate Program in three months.

The program helps participants build essential skills and knowledge on how to run a successful business. To individuals thinking about starting a business, Garza said: “I would recommend it, but first contact the (TAMIU Small Business Development Center) for assistance and training to make a successful business.”

In the past year, the center has counseled 632 entrepreneurs with their existing business, as well as those who are exploring the options of starting a business. The economic impact to these com-

munities has resulted in 54 business starts with 447 jobs created and 28 business expansions with 193 jobs retained.

“We have assisted in the process of obtaining financing through different loan options available to small business owners,” the center said. “The impact on these investments has exceeded $3.2 million.”

The center, located at Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Blvd., can be reached at 956-326-2827 or sbdc@tamiu.edu.

For information about Small Business Administration programs and services, contact its San Antonio District Office at 210-403-5900 or visit SBA.gov.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

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COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

US colleges rebranding rape

By PETULA DVORAK THE WASHINGTON POST

Have you heard? It’s not rape anymore. The newer, more palatable term at colleges across the country is “non-consensual sex.” And it’s become part of the weaseling, whitewashing way we deal with sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape.

The “non-consensual sex” rebranding is courtesy of Brett Sokolow, a lawyer who has been advising colleges and universities about dealing with rape on their campuses for the past 15 years. He told Al Jazeera America that college administrations don’t want to say the word “rape” and don’t want to believe their students could be rapists. But once he changed the term to “non-consensual sex,” the conversations were much easier. Focus groups loved it. Rape lite.

About one in five women and one of every 71 men have been raped, according to a survey done by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One in every 20 men and women said they’ve been sexually assaulted in some way other than rape.

So when are we going to take this huge issue seriously and hold predators accountable? Terms such as “non-consensual sex” make it too easy to minimize the scope of the problem. And not just on college campuses.

Last week, we saw the fall of the mightiest of the Blue Angels, that elite squadron of acrobatic Navy pilots. Capt.

Gregory McWherter, a two-time commander of the beloved unit, was relieved of duty for allegedly creating a non-angelic atmosphere of sexual harassment, hazing and porn.

This is the same guy who was also the president of the Tailhook Association.

Yes, THAT Tailhook. The group that had a primal bacchanal in a Las Vegas hotel in 1991, where drunk pilots loudly and publicly sexually assaulted more than 80 women.

McWherter had just graduated from The Citadel when that scandal blew up. But the Navy’s own investigation showed McWherter hadn’t learned much from it. The Navy tried to keep his reassignment hush hush, refusing to give details about its investigation and the reason for McWherter’s swift reassignment.

It’s all about image instead of about accountability. I’m surprised they didn’t call his booting a “non-consensual reassignment.”

We like to think that a lot the rape culture has to do with alcohol. And true, many rapes are dripping with 80-proof impulses and bad decisions. But even on dry campuses, there are attacks.

The scariest part of America’s sexual misconduct culture?

The decisions that are made in the cold, sober light of day.

Remember those Secret Service guys hiring prostitutes in Cartegena? The report on that was cleaned up quite a bit because the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general, Charles K. Edwards, was buddy-buddy with the guys who asked him to leave some of the more sordid details out, according to a report issued last week by a Senate oversight panel. Wouldn’t want our pals being pilloried, right?

It’s the women who wind up suffering when men try to protect each other. Take the case of Denise Rucker Krepp, a former Coast Guard officer and lawyer who was the first female general counsel at the U.S. Maritime Administration.

Soon after she took that job, she was horrified by a recent survey at the Merchant Marine Academy - it’s the equivalent of Annapolis or West Point, but for the Merchant Marine - that showed a huge number of sexual assaults were occurring at the New York campus.

One part of the survey had 21 students who reported being

… When are we going to take this huge issue seriously and hold predators accountable?

Terms such as “non-consensual sex” make it too easy to minimize the scope of the problem. And not just on college campuses … The future looks grim if guys in their 20s are behaving like this. harassed, collectively, a total of 358 times. Seven said they were sexually assaulted.

Krepp asked the inspector general of the Transportation Department for an investigation. It didn’t happen. And she said she was asked to resign for her continued whistleblowing on the matter. She showed me the emails she got from bosses asking her for her resignation. And she spoke openly, testifying before federal panels, about the stonewalling and resignation.

Thanks to a request by two members of Congress whom Krepp had talked to after she moved on to another job, an audit was launched last July, two years after she first flagged the rape culture of the academy.

The results are expected next month.

“What does this say about doing the right thing?” Krepp said. “Do they really think rape victims are going to come forward when they see this?”

Here’s the part that makes me really despondent. There are the sexual assault scandals that involve the old-school guys, the ones who entered the military before women were their peers. We hate what they did — but somehow it felt as though that were part of another era, and it would eventually go away.

Then last week, someone at American University leaked a bunch of texts and e-mails that are allegedly between some of the cavemen, I mean brothers, at a secret, not-really-a-fraternity Epsilon Iota, which was kicked off campus 13 years ago for bad behavior.

I can’t even quote them, they’re so bad. But they joke a lot about raping and assaulting. The primary term for women rhymes with “witches.”

They’re homophobic and racist enough to make Donald Sterling look reasonable. And the potty-texting young men are supposedly interns with Senate offices and various NGOs around town.

The future looks grim if guys in their 20s are behaving like this.

Last month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., pushed for legislation to remove sex-crime investigations, prosecutions and punishment from the chain of command in the military to make it easier to hold predators in the ranks accountable.

It failed, but changes may be coming to campuses soon. And not just in terminology.

American University is investigating the bad frat case.

And hundreds of students signed a petition to expel the secret frat boys.

On Tuesday, the White House released recommendations from a task force formed to combat sexual assault on campus.

Accountability is about to become a lot more non-consensual. And that’s long overdue.

Comments define Sterling CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Marge Schott, the outspoken former owner of the Cincinnati Reds who was repeatedly suspended by Major League Baseball for racist statements, died Tuesday. She was 75. — Chicago Tribune, March 3, 2004 Marge Schott was a lover of dogs and children, a pioneering businesswoman whose ballpark had the cheapest box seats in baseball — $12 in the mid 1990s — and sold hotdogs for $1.

She gave generously to charities, including Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, the Boy Scouts and the Cincinnati Zoo. All of that was in the bottom of her obituary, and most people never knew any of it. What they remember is that she once referred to some of her players as “million-dollar niggers,” and that she later said Adolf Hitler was

“good in the beginning but went too far.”

The first paragraph of Donald Sterling’s obituary wrote itself last week, when TMZ.com released a recording in which the Los Angeles Clippers owner purportedly scolds his girlfriend for bringing African-Americans to basketball games and for posting selfies with them.

“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people,” the audio says.

“Do you have to?”

Word gets around fast in the information age. One minute everyone is googling “Donald Sterling” to find out what all those angry tweets are about and the next minute they’re all over the comment boards, demanding that the NBA expel him from basketball.

Sterling’s response didn’t quiet any of that.

A statement released through Clippers President Andy Roeser questions whether the recording was altered, but doesn’t deny that the conversation took place.

It points out that the woman is being sued by the Sterling family for allegedly embezzling $1.8 million. And it apologizes for the sentiments attributed to Sterling. It’s not a real denial, or a real apology.

It’s also not the first time Sterling has been accused of racist remarks.

Nothing against the Warriors, but we’re rooting for the Clippers for the rest of this series. It would be a shame if their owner’s callous remarks took the wind out of their sails. And the longer their season stays alive, the longer those remarks will be thrown back in Sterling’s face, publicly repudiated by

NBA fans at every arena. (“I’m black,” said a sign held by one Warriors fan at Sunday’s game. “I brought a black guy 2 the game,” said the sign held by the fan next to him.)

The heartening thing about this whole ugly episode is that those reprehensible comments have been roundly and loudly denounced. That’s more powerful than whatever censure the NBA might impose, more powerful than the possibility that the Clippers will sell fewer tickets or fewer Tshirts.

Sterling can’t help but get the message. He knows those remarks will outlive him. For a lot of people, the ones who never heard of him until TMZ.com released that recording, they’re his whole biography.

Whatever else he’s done with his life and his billions will go in the bottom of the obituary.

Bundy rogue on the range Nevada cattle rancher is not a folk hero — he’s a government moocher THE KANSAS CITY STAR

You may have heard that Cliven Bundy, a Nevada cattle rancher and melon grower, is a folk hero. He’s been standing against the big bad federal government out on the range. Gun-toting patriots have gathered to stand by him and to keep the Bureau of Land Management from hauling off his cattle as you’d expect from some rampaging, jack-booted security force out of “Animal Farm.”

What right do the feds have to come down on a liberty-lover like Bundy?

Well, had Bundy decided about 20 years ago to pay government grazing fees — as many other American ranchers do — then perhaps we wouldn’t be in this ugly mess. Bundy objected when, in 1993, some of the land on which he fed his cattle was designated a conservation area to protect the habitat of a threatened desert tortoise.

Bundy now owes $1.1 million in fees and trespassing fines. His long-running fight went viral in early April when the federal bureau officials arrived and then backed off to avoid armed con-

flict. His fight went even more viral late last week in light of some offensive remarks Bundy made about blacks, slavery and government subsidies.

Let’s be clear about this: Cliven Bundy is no folk hero. He’s an irrational law breaker and a moocher.

“I abide by all of Nevada state laws,” he has said. “But I don’t recognize the United States government as even existing.”

This doesn’t seem as if it can end well. Government patience is welcome, but it’s been stretched very far.

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

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

name-calling 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.

State

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

Gov. Perry baptized

By PAUL J. WEBER

Laredoan sentenced ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry has long revered Texas icon Sam Houston and now shares a spiritual connection with one of his political heroes: getting baptized in the same waters.

Perry was dunked last month in Little Rocky Creek near the small town of Independence in a private ceremony witnessed only by close friends and family, spokeswoman Lucy Nashed confirmed Tuesday. It’s the same rural and rocky spot where Houston was baptized before becoming the seventh governor of Texas in 1859.

“Gov. Perry has a deep and abiding faith in God, and like many people of faith, the governor wanted to reaffirm his commitment in a way that holds great personal meaning,” Nashed said.

The baptism was first reported by The Texas Tribune.

Perry, who will leave office in January and hasn’t ruled out another presidential run in 2016, has extolled his faith throughout his 14 years in office. He announced his first run for the White House in 2011 just a week after staging a massive prayer revival in Houston called “The Response” that drew roughly 30,000 worshippers at Reliant Stadium.

His reverence of Sam Houston is almost as well known. Even on Monday, Perry again lionized his early predecessor during an interview with conservative talk radio host Michael Medved.

Perry recalled Houston’s struggles with alcoholism but praised his discipline in other parts of his life.

Like Perry, Houston also had presidential aspirations: He was briefly a candidate in 1860, and Perry suggested that had Houston won there wouldn’t

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

LAREDO — A 45-yearold man has been sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for conspiring to transport thousands of pounds of marijuana from South Texas and distributing it in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

Federal prosecutors said

Tuesday that Marco Antonio Marchan began working with the Los Zetas drug cartel in 2008 to move the drug from Laredo and into North Texas.

They say in one shipment alone, Marchan coordinated the distribution of 5,500 pounds of marijuana in November 2009. A person involved in the con-

spiracy notified federal authorities, which led to a surveillance operation and then Marchan’s arrest. He was convicted by a federal jury in December.

Prosecutors also say Marchan obstructed justice by attempting to intimidate a witness scheduled to testify against him.

Man guilty in hacking

By NOMAAN MERCHANT ASSOCIATED PRESS

File photo by Justin Hayworth | AP

In this 2013 file photo, Gov. Rick Perry speaks in Des Moines, Iowa. Perry was dunked last month in Little Rocky Creek near the small town of Independence in a private ceremony. have been a Civil War. “He was a fascinating guy and a very principled leader willing to take the hit to stand up against the forces of those days that were pushing Texas to secede,” Perry said. “He really believed in our nation.

He believed in the union.”

Perry was baptized by Mac Richard, the pastor and founder of Lake Hills Church in Austin. A phone message left at the church Tuesday was not immediately returned.

Independence is about 80 miles west of Houston and is where Sam Houston’s family lived in the 1850s. He was a member of Independence Baptist Church, which today draws about 80 to 100 people for Sunday services and still uses Little Rocky Creek as a natural baptistery, pastor Phil Hassell said.

Perry has long said he was active in both the Methodist and Baptist church while growing up in his rural hometown of

Paint Creek, and he worshipped at a Methodist church before switching to Lake Hills several years ago. Hassell said most people who seek another baptism do so to reaffirm their faith, because of the significance of a particular location or to join the Baptist church.

Because it was the governor, Hassell made one special preparation for Perry’s visit: He asked the local volunteer fire department to hose down rocks by the creek and wash away some algae.

“After the baptism it was pretty noticeable. He didn’t hide the fact he was here,” Hassell said. “He went to the general store.

Walked around old Mrs. Houston’s home, kind of did the tourist thing.”

Perry also tried his hand at a century-old pump organ before leaving town.

“I didn’t know he played the piano,” Hassell said.

“He actually played it pretty well.”

DALLAS — A writer and activist linked to the hacking collective Anonymous pleaded guilty to federal charges on Tuesday alleging that he shared stolen data and posted an online threat saying he would try to harm a federal agent who was investigating him.

Barrett Lancaster Brown, 32, pleaded guilty in Dallas federal court to obstructing the execution of a search warrant, making Internet threats and being an accessory to an unauthorized access of a protected computer.

While Brown’s attorneys got prosecutors to drop nearly a dozen other counts, he still faces up to 8½ years in prison. He will be sentenced in August.

Brown was a writer and one-time spokesman of sorts for Anonymous, a worldwide hacking collective that has staged attacks on governments, businesses and organizations. Brown acted as a self-appointed spokesman for the group and has been quoted by several news outlets, including The Associated Press, even if some within the movement dismissed him as a fabulist who craved attention.

Brown was arrested two years ago after posting YouTube videos and tweets threatening an FBI agent who was investigating him.

In a rambling, angry series

of posts, Brown vowed to “ruin his life and look into his (expletive) kids.”

Some of his tweets hinted at violence, including one before his arrest in which he said he would regard “any further armed raids as potential Zeta assassination attempts and respond accordingly,” referencing the Mexican drug cartel.

Federal authorities came down hard on Brown, obtaining three separate indictments against him. Freespeech advocates protested an indictment accusing Brown of trafficking in stolen information by posting a link to data hacked by Anonymous from Stratfor, an Austin, Texas-based defense contractor.

“Barrett’s always wanted to accept responsibility for what he’s actually done,” said Ahmed Ghappour, one of Brown’s attorneys, after the hearing. “The problem is that the allegations in the government’s case did not reflect what he’d actually done until the government dropped the majority of charges.”

Brown’s supporters say he was working as a journalist investigating the data.

Among his defenders is Glenn Greenwald, the journalist who published information from documents leaked by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Prosecutors also charged Brown’s mother, Karen McCutchin, with helping

him hide two laptops during the execution of a search warrant in March 2012. She pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge and was given probation. McCutchin attended Tuesday’s hearing, saying afterward that she was “cautiously optimistic” about Brown’s upcoming sentencing.

According to signed plea agreement documents filed earlier this month, Brown acknowledged he sent online messages “threatening to shoot and injure agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.” He also admitted to helping someone using the nickname “o’’ access stolen Stratfor data, as well as obstructing the execution of the search warrant at his home.

His attorneys succeeded in getting most of the indictment for republishing a link to the Stratfor data dismissed. They argued that Brown was working with contributors around the world to investigate public materials “such as information obtained from leakers and hackers.”

With the help of his attorneys and supporters, Brown has continued to write and publish from jail. He’s written online columns on the television habits of fellow inmates and other aspects of jail life, and his supporters have published an e-book in which he critiques the mainstream media and television pundits.

PÁGINA 6A

Zfrontera

Agenda en Breve ZAPATA 04/30— Se busca realizar una reunión de la Generación 1964 de Zapata High School. Dependerá de la cantidad de personas los detalles. Llame para informes a Dora Martínez al (956) 3241226 o con Ninfa Gracia al (956) 500-5219.

LAREDO 04/30— Concierto de Orquesta de Cámara a las 7:30 p.m. en el Salón de Recitales del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU. Evento gratuito.

05/01— “Construyendo Relaciones Sanas” es un tema que impartirá Marco Antonio Karam, de 7 p.m. a 9 p.m. en el Student Center Ballroom de TAMIU. Puertas abren a las 5 p.m. para quienes deseen adquirir productos. Costo: 30 dólares general, y 15 dólares para estudiantes. Llame a Adriana Villarreal al (956) 235-1286.

05/02— “Muerte, Bardo y Renacimiento” por Tony Karam se presentará de 6 p.m. a 8 p.m. en el aula 101 del Bullock Hall de TAMIU. El objetivo es entender el verdadero significado de la vida, aceptar la muerte, cómo ayudar a morir, y la muerte misma. Informes con Adriana Villarreal al (956) 2351286.

05/02— El Dallas Black Dance Theatre se presentará a las 7:30 p.m. en el teatro del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU. Entrada gratuita.

05/02— La cantante mexicana Yuri se presenta a las 8:30 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena. Costo: 43 dólares, 53, 73 y 103. Adquiera su boleto en la taquilla del LEA. 05/02— Concierto Primaveral de Banda de Percusiones a las 7:30 p.m. en el Salón de Recitales de TAMIU. Evento gratuito.

05/03— Venta de libros usados en First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave., de 8:30 a.m. a 1 p.m.

05/03— La Asociación Laredo Northside invita al Mercado de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. en el área de juegos del North Central Park. Habrá venta de productos naturales, de jardinería, comida, manualidades y organizaciones comerciales y sin fines de lucro 05/03— “Muerte, Bardo y Renacimiento” por Tony Karam se presentará de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. y de 3 p.m. a 7 p.m. en el aula 101 del Bullock Hall de TAMIU. El objetivo es entender el verdadero significado de la vida, aceptar la muerte, cómo ayudar a morir, y la muerte misma. Informes con Adriana Villarreal al (956) 2351286.

05/03— “Viva Laredo Festival” en LIFE Grounds, con Cabalgata y paseo en Carretas. Registro inicia a las 11 a.m. con la Cabalgata arrancando a las 12 p.m.

(20 dólares para cabalgar).

Habrá comida, concursos y música. Ganancias se destinarán a becas locales.

05/04— El Centro Binacional de Texas A&M International University presenta un seminario con Tony Karam, en el aula 101 del Bullock Hall de TAMIU. Informes en el 326-2834.

05/04— Jamaica Anual de la Iglesia Católica St. John Neumann, 102 W. Hillside Rd., de 4 p.m. a 9 p.m.

Habrá Bingo, Subasta Silenciosa, Comida, Juegos, entre otras cosas. También, de 7:15 p.m. a 8:15 p.m. habrá un mini Zumbathon.

05/05— Recital de Flauta de Primer Año, con Sonia Mares, en el Salón de Recitales del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU, a las 7:30 p.m.

MIÉRCOLES 30 DE ABRIL DE 2014

TAMAULIPAS

Brote de violencia POR CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

CIUDAD MIER, México — Otra vez los cadáveres empiezan a apilarse.

El 4 de abril, desconocidos abrieron fuego contra la fachada del principal hotel de Ciudad Mier y dejaron al menos 20 impactos de bala en el edificio de dos pisos. Al día siguiente, los soldados mataron a cuatro supuestos atacantes. Veinticuatro horas después, otros tres delincuentes aparecieron muertos cerca del Río Bravo.

Una ola de violencia ha dejado al menos 50 muertos este mes en Tamaulipas, según un recuento de Associated Press en base a informes de la prensa mexicana. Y muchos temen un retorno a los días aciagos del 2010, en que un sector del poderoso Cartel del Golfo se sublevó contra sus antiguos capos y se alió con los Zetas.

La rivalidad perdura, pero las autoridades dicen que muchas de las recientes matanzas son conse-

cuencia de nuevas peleas entre dos capos del Cartel del Golfo, antiguos aliados que ahora se disputan el control de ciudades y de sectores de la frontera.

Tamaulipas es uno de los puntos fronterizos por donde pasan más drogas y migrantes que se dirigen a EU, y armas y efectivo que viajan en la dirección contraria. Las autoridades nacionales enviaron soldados en noviembre del 2010 y las patrullas militares pasaron a ser parte de la vida cotidiana. La violencia no desapareció del todo, pero El gobierno ha prometido una nueva estrategia para contenerla, pero todavía no ha dado detalles.

“La realidad es que la respuesta del gobierno federal en Tamaulipas ni se aproxima a lo que debería ser”, comentó el representante de EU Filemón Vela, un demócrata de Brownsville, ciudad fronteriza con Matamoros, México.

Buena parte de la violencia se desató tras el arresto en febrero de Javier Garza Medrano, un capo del Cartel del Golfo que supervisaba

las operaciones de tráfico de drogas, secuestros, extorsiones y robo de gasolina en Tampico, México, de acuerdo con la Comisión de Seguridad Nacional de México. Garza aparentemente creía que un rival dentro del cartel, Aaron Rogelio García, lo delató y ordenó su asesinato, según un funcionario del gobierno que habló a condición de anonimato.

Desconocidos abrieron fuego durante el funeral de García en Matamoros el 3 de abril. El gobierno dijo que una muchacha de 18 años murió, pero el funcionario que no quiso ser identificado reveló que en realidad tres personas habían fallecido, incluida la viuda de García, un hermano y una cuñada.

Luego sucedieron ataques a aliados de García en Tampico y en Ciudad Madero, de acuerdo con el informante. Veintiocho personas murieron en las dos ciudades en cuatro días, 14 de ellas en un lapso de cinco horas durante una batalla entre las dos bandas que incluyó disparos desde autos en movimien-

ECONOMÍA

to y ejecuciones. Las víctimas fueron tiradas en la calle y, en un caso, adentro de una heladería.

Al margen de las peleas internas del Cartel del Golfo, varias muertes fueron atribuidas a combates entre elementos del Golfo y de Los Zetas, y alguna gente falleció en enfrentamientos entre bandoleros y unidades militares.

El procurador general Jesús Murillo Karam dijo que la nueva estrategia de seguridad del gobierno podría parecerse a las medidas agresivas tomadas en el estado de Michoacán, adonde el gobierno del presidente Enrique Peña Nieto despachó miles de soldados y policías, detuvo a funcionarios vinculados con los carteles e instaló un comisionado especial que es el funcionario más poderoso del estado.

“No está abandonado el estado”, dijo Karam. “Requiere otro tipo de estrategia, una adecuada a Tamaulipas, adecuada a las condiciones que tiene Tamaulipas, y eso es lo que estamos por tener en poco tiempo”.

SAN ANTONIO

MAYORES BENEFICIOS Foto por John Davenport | Associated Press

Padres de familia llegan por la entrada principal a Madison High School en San Antonio, el lunes, después que un estudiante fue supuestamente atrapado con armas.

Foto de archivo | The Zapata Times

Un trailer pasa por la Interestatal 35, junto a Cotulla, un área que ha sobresalido gracias a la extracción de hidrocarburos.

Economistas respaldan exportaciones de crudo y gas POR JONATHAN FAHEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

N

UEVA YORK — Permitir un aumento de las exportaciones de crudo y gas natural en Estados Unidos ha pasado a ser un debate político en Washington. Empero, para los economistas, la respuesta es obvia: el país se beneficiaría.

La gran mayoría de los economistas sondeados este mes por la Associated Press sostienen que derogar las restricciones a las exportaciones de crudo y gas natural ayudaría a la economía incluso si encarece los precios que pagan los consumidores.

Más exportaciones fomentarían las inversiones en la producción y transporte de crudo y gas natural, crearían empleo, harían más estables los suministros de crudo y gas natural y reducirían el déficit comercial de Estados Unidos, agregaron.

La producción nacional de energía se ha disparado y con ello las empresas extractoras han pedido autorización para exportar crudo

y gas natural, donde pueden obtener mayores precios. Dichas exportaciones están limitadas por regulaciones de seguridad energéticas decretadas hace décadas.

Los que se oponen a la apertura del comercio sostienen que las exportaciones podrían encarecer el combustible que usan los estadounidenses para calentar sus casas y abastecer sus automóviles.

Pero aun el caso dudoso de que las exportaciones encarecieran el precio de los combustibles a los consumidores estadounidenses, los economistas sostienen que el beneficio general a la economía compensaría cualquier posible daño.

Sería mejor permitir las exportaciones y usar las exenciones fiscales u otros métodos para ayudar a los que encaran mayores precios, insistieron.

“La economía en general se beneficia si podemos vender algo a alguien e inyectar dinero en la economía”, dijo Jerry Webman, economista jefe de Oppenheimer Funds. “Prefiero lidiar directamente con cualquier efecto secundario que limitar nuestra capacidad de

hacer negocios con el mundo”.

Las restricciones a las exportaciones de crudo y gas fueron mayormente aceptadas durante décadas porque el consumo en Estados Unidos —con mucho el mayor de crudo y gas del mundo— iba en aumento mientras bajaba la producción. Las importaciones cobraron fuerza y pocos creyeron que Estados Unidos llegaría a exportar petróleo o gas.

Empero, nuevas técnicas permitieron a los extractores llegar al crudo y gas en formaciones otrora consideradas inalcanzables, y la producción estadounidense se disparó.

Estados Unidos sigue consumiendo mucho más crudo del que produce, pero las empresas del petróleo producen uno de bajo contenido sulfuroso que ansían las refinerías extranjeras y que muchas refinerías en Estados Unidos no pueden tratar. Las empresas y algunos políticos pidieron la derogación de las restricciones a la exportación de crudo, aunque reconocen que no es probable en un año de elecciones.

EDUCACIÓN

Nombran finalista a nueva UT-RGV POR JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — El Consejo Rector del Sistema de la Universidad de Texas seleccionó el lunes al ex presidente de la Universidad de Alabama y de Texas Tech University como su finalista para encabezar la recién creada Universidad de Texas Rio Grande Valley, el lunes.

Guy Bailey, un sociolingüista, renunció como presidente de la Universidad de Alamaba en 2012, tan solo a dos meses de haber asumido el cargo. Él renunció para cuidar de su esposa enferma, quien falleció en septiembre. Bailey había estado cuatro años como presidente de Texas Tech y durante un lapso previo en el estado fue el rector de la Universidad de Texas en San Antonio. “Él posee experiencia siendo presidente y rector, él ha experi-

mentado con ambas instituciones académicas y de salud, y él ha operado a un muy alto nivel y tuvo un gran éxito durante su carrera”, dijo el PresiBAILEY dente del Consejo Rector, Paul Foster. “Él subió hasta la cima”.

La ley de Texas requiere que el nombre del finalista se haga público al menos 21 días antes de que un presidente sea seleccionado.

Mientras tanto, se esperaba que Bailey visitara las escuelas de la universidad en el Rio Grande Valley.

El Consejo Rector había aprobado previamente combinar la University of Texas-Pan American y la University of Texas-Brownsville, así como los planes para una escuela de medicina asociada. La pri-

mera generación de la nueva universidad iniciará el otoño del 2015.

La región fronteriza del Sur de Texas ha sido considerada inmerecida durante mucho tiempo y los recursos de la universidad combinada se espera ayuden a atender algunas de esas faltantes.

“Esta es la primera universidad en los EU en el siglo XXI”, dijo Foster. “Para nosotros no solamente crear una nueva universidad, sino una con una escuela de medicina, es un gran reto… Creemos que encontramos a la persona apropiada”.

Bailey también fue el rector de la Universidad de Missouri-Kansas City desde 2006 a 2008. En una declaración preparada dada a conocer el lunes por el sistema universitario, Bailey dijo, “Veo este papel como la única oportunidad educativa emocionante en los EU de hoy”.

Llevó AK-47 a escuela ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — Un estudiante de preparatoria de San Antonio escondió un rifle de asalto, cargado, AK-47, en el servicio sanitario de la escuela, el lunes, antes de que sus padres alertaran a oficiales de la escuela, cuando ellos se dieron cuenta que las armas no se encontraban en su casa, y el muchacho fue llevado en custodia.

Brendan Tarwater, de 17 años de edad, fue detenido después que fuera encontrado en la escuela Madison High School con dos armas cortas, cargadas, y balas dentro de su mochila. La vocera para North East Independent School District, Aubrey Chancellor, dijo que el joven admitió haber escondido el AK-47 en un bote para la basura en el baño.

Ella dijo que el rifle de asalto fue colocado en el baño antes de que las clases empezaran o justo cuando las clases daban inicio, pero Chancellor dijo que era incierto cómo el joven pudo introducir el arma a la escuela. A Tarwater también se le encontró un cuchillo de 12 pulgadas.

La escuela, con 3.200 estudiantes, realizó un cierre de emergencia poco antes de las 10 a.m., del lunes.

Una vez que el campus fue registrado, el cierre de emergencia concluyó a las 11:30 a.m. No hubo reportes de personas lesionadas, ni tampoco de que se realizaran disparos.

Los padres del joven se despertaron a las 6 a.m. para descubrir que él no estaba, dijo Chancellor. Llamaron a la policía de San Antonio para reportarlo como haberse escapado de casa. Cuando descubrieron que las armas no estaban, se apresuraron a llamar a los administradores escolares, dijo ella. Tarwater, un estudiante de segundo año de preparatoria, fue localizado y las armas cortas y las balas fueron descubiertas en su mochila. Sus padres entonces cuestionaron que había hecho con el AK-47.

Chancellor dijo que el joven tenía intenciones de realizar una serie de demandas durante los anuncios matutinos. Si esas demandas no eran respondidas juraría utilizar las armas para “cometer un acto violento”.

Tarwater fue acusado con realizar amenazas terroristas y estar en posesión de armas en un área prohibida. Su fianza fue fijada en 300.000 dólares, o 150.000 dólares por cada cargo.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL TRACK: ZAPATA HAWKS

Off to state Garza finishes 2nd at regionals

“

CLARA SANDOVAL OVAL

Senior long distance runner Luis Garza has added another milestone to his already distinguished high school running career which will come to an end in two weeks. At the Region IV-3A track and field meet, Garza placed second in the 1,600-meter run to become the only Zapata athlete to earn a trip to the UIL state track and field meet at the University of Texas-Austin. Garza will run the 1,600-meter run on May 10 at 2:45 p.m. at Mike A. Mayers Stadium.

"I really want to thank Luis for running a great race. Thanks also goes to coach Mike Villarreal, for all his hard work in getting Luis ready for the track season," Zapata coach Blake Garza said. "I can not take credit for this, it goes to Luis and coach Villarreal."

Garza is the reigning regional champion in cross country and has been regarded as one of the best long distance runners in the area – with plenty of hardware to prove it in his trophy case.

As his long distance coach, Vil-

larreal has a habit of producing great runners. He has made several trips to the state cross country meet in his coaching career. Villarreal took Garza under his wing and gave him the direction that he needed to take his running to the next level, as everything came together in Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Javelina Stadium on Saturday.

Under Villarreal’s direction, Garza was consistent at the top of his game and took the gold medal in the 1,600-meter run and the 3,200-meter run at the District 31-3A meet.

At the regional meet, Garza ran a smart race and stayed in the middle of the pack for the first two laps. He started to make his way into third place and eventually move into second place by the end of the third lap.

In the bell lap, Garza was able to keep his second place standing for the first 300 meters when a runner started to creep up on him in the last 50 meters. Still, he was able to edge him out at the finish line as both runners fell. After going to the photo finish, Garza was declared the second place finisher and a trip to state was waiting for him for his hard work.

"As a coach you always want to

Zapata runner Luis Garza will be headed to the UIL state track and field meet after taking second at regionals in a photo finish for the spot. take an athlete to the state meet," Garza said. "I have come close in the past three times but the athlete finished in third place. After the 1,600-meter race, I went up to Luis and congratulated him but I also thanked him because I will fullfil one of my goals of having an athlete at state.

"Luis is a great representative of Zapata and has done it through hard work and dedication to this sport. He has done a lot of things on his own and he is seeing it pay off on the track."

Clara Sandoval can be reached at Sandoval.Clara@Gmail.com.

Courtesy photo

Zapata’s Luis Garza took second place at regionals and will compete at state in the 1,600-meter run on May 10 in Austin.

Nation

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

11 hurt in explosion ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Brant Sanderlin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution | AP

FedEx employees and family members gather at a skating rink following a shooting at a FedEx facility in Kennesaw, Ga., on Tuesday.

Employee opens fire at FedEx sorting center Suspect identified as 19-year-old Geddy Kramer

By KATE BRUMBACK ASSOCIATED PRESS

KENNESAW, Ga. — A FedEx employee wearing ammunition draped across his chest “like Rambo” opened fire Tuesday at a package-sorting center outside Atlanta, wounding six people before committing suicide, police and witnesses said.

In addition to a shotgun, the gunman also had an undisclosed number of Molotov cocktails, but he did not use them in the attack, police said.

The suspect, identified by police as 19-year-old Geddy Kramer of Acworth, was found dead inside. He worked as a package handler at the sprawling facility, Cobb County police Sgt. Dana Pierce said.

Investigators have an idea of what his motive may have been, but they were not prepared to disclose it yet, Pierce said.

Three of the victims were critically wounded, though only one remained in critical condition by late afternoon. Police say three were in stable condition, and two others were treated and released.

Kramer first drove his car to a security shack outside the building and shot a guard there before heading inside, the news release said.

David Titus, a FedEx truck driver, said he was just coming to work around 6 a.m. when he saw a security guard shot in

the abdomen. He said he heard more gunfire later from inside the building.

“It was chaos,” Titus said. “Everyone was running, ducking and hiding, trying to get out of there.”

FedEx clerk Liza Aiken said she was working when she heard something drop, looked to her left and saw the gunman.

“He had bullets strapped across his chest like Rambo” and held a knife, Aiken said at the entrance to a parking lot where employees had gathered after the attack. Before she could continue, a woman wearing a FedEx jacket told Aiken to stop talking and led her away.

A 28-year-old man who received surgery was in critical condition late Tuesday, while a 52-yearold woman who received surgery was upgraded to stable, police said. A 22year-old man’s condition was also upgraded to stable Among the other wounded were a 42-yearold woman and two men, ages 38 and 19.

The gunman’s father, Scott Kramer, released a statement expressing the family’s condolences to the shooting victims.

“Our prayers are for their complete and speedy recovery. Our thoughts are also with all the workers at FedEx who were affected

by Geddy’s actions. We make no excuses for his actions and are shocked and devastated by them.

There really are no adequate words at a time like this,” Kramer said.

Multiple state and local agencies were working with the FBI to collect evidence at the package center in Kennesaw.

The facility about 25 miles north of Atlanta sorts packages and loads them onto vehicles for delivery. It’s next to the general-aviation airport for suburban Cobb County.

After the attack, police blocked roads leading to the FedEx center. Dozens of workers were taken by car and bus to a skatingrink parking lot to call relatives for rides. Some family members got out of their cars and hugged the workers. Several employees said they had been told not to speak with reporters.

The company offered no details about the attack, saying only that it was “focused on the needs of our team members and cooperating with the law enforcement investigation of this tragedy.”

The package center was shut down and surrounded by crime-scene tape. The full investigation is expected to take a long time because authorities have to search every part of the 500,000-square-foot facility for evidence.

Later in the day, the man’s car was towed from the scene and employees were allowed back to pick up their vehicles and go home for the day.

LA HABRA, Calif. — An explosion and fire possibly caused by a dust buildup at a Southern California metal-polishing shop injured 11 people Tuesday, including two men who were critically burned, fire officials said.

The blast occurred in an overhead duct system shortly before 10 a.m. in an industrial area of La Habra, a Los Angeles suburb. It took more than 50 firefighters about 40 minutes to douse the resulting fire.

TV news reports showed workers with blackened faces and hands outside the plant, which was identified on a company website as Gorilla’s Polishing Corp. It is part of Gorilla’s Chrome Inc., which plates and polishes metal, particularly car wheels.

Mike Bremer, an operations manager at the neighboring VIP Rubber Co., told the Orange County Register that he felt the explosion in his office.

Photo by Bruce Chambers/The Orange County Register | AP

Workers from a chrome finishing company sit outside talking after an explosion in La Habra, Calif., on Tuesday.

“It made my heart jump up into my throat,” Bremer said. “This felt like a bomb going off. It was one big, loud explosion and a steam sound after that.”

Bremer ran outside and saw about 20 to 30 employees from Gorilla’s Polishing standing outside the burning building.

“It was chaotic. A couple of people I saw were burned, badly burned,” he said. “They had their shirts off.”

The blast and fire injured 11 people, including

two men who were taken to hospitals in critical condition with third-degree burns over 90 percent of their bodies, Miller said.

Most of the others suffered smoke inhalation, he said.

A preliminary investigation suggested lint and dust in a duct system caused the explosion, Miller said.

Employee David Lopez, 32, told the Register that the employees were polishing tire rims at the time of the explosion.

Abducted girl found ASSOCIATED PRESS

HURON, Calif. — A 3year-old Central California girl was found alive, alone and apparently unharmed in a field about 12 hours after she was taken from her car seat in what sheriff ’s officials believe was a stranger abduction.

On Monday, a detective spotted the girl running through a field less than a mile from her Huron apartment, where she was taken from a vehicle Sunday evening, Fresno County sheriff ’s officials

said.

The girl appears to have been taken by a stranger, but there was no indication she was hurt, Fresno County Sheriff ’s Lt. Rick Ko said Tuesday.

Her mother told police she left the girl inside her car as she went back into her home to get her wallet around 7:45 p.m.

Sunday. When she returned a few minutes later, her daughter was gone.

Witnesses say they saw a male suspect leave the area on a bicycle with the child. A BMX-style bicy-

cle was found abandoned about a block away.

“We have nothing to tell us otherwise at this point, so until we find the suspect, and if he talks to us and tells us why he did what he did, then we’re going to have to go with what we believe, which is a total stranger,” Sheriff ’s Lt. Jose Salinas told KFSNTV. Ko told the Fresno Bee that the bicycle and the mother’s Toyota were being processed for fingerprints in an attempt to identify a suspect.

REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SEALED PROPOSALS Zapata County lSD Competitive sealed proposals for construction services are requested for all of the work of “Zapata County Independent School District Renovations to Fidel & Andrea R. Villarreal and Zapata South Elementary Schools, Zapata, Texas”. The project includes renovation and repairs of two elementary schools. Each proposal must be complete for all of the work in accordance with Drawings and Specifications prepared by The Wallace Group, Inc. Zapata County lSD (“Owner’’) will receive proposals until:

2:00P.M. Wednesday, May 15, 2014 at the Zapata County lSD Administration Building, 17th and Carla Street, Zapata, Texas 78076.

Proposals received after this time will not be accepted. Fax will not be accepted. Deliver by mail or courier between 8:30A.M. and 5:00P.M. Monday through Friday. Proposals will be opened publicly and read aloud at the above time. All interested parties are invited to attend. All proposals will be marked “A PROPOSAL FOR CONSTRUCTION OF ZAPATA COUNTY lSD RENOVATIONS TO FIDEL & ANDREA R. VILLAREAL AND ZAPATA SOUTH ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS, ZAPATA, TEXAS” on the outside of envelope. Any proposal received after the opening time will be returned to the proposer unopened.

Drawings and specifications may be examined at the offices of the Architect, The Wallace Group, Inc., in the Waco offices located at 200 W. Highway 6, Suite 620, Waco, Texas 76710. Copies of the above documents may be obtained at the office of the Architect upon depositing the sum of one hundred dollars ($100.00} per set. Any Bona Fide proposer, upon returning a complete set of paper documents including all addenda to the office of the Architect in good condition within ten days after receipt of proposals, shall be returned this deposit. Electronic documents on a CD are available for a cost of $25. Electronic copies are available at no cost for download via DropBox. Contact Misty Hendon at mistyhendon@wallace-group.com for download instructions. Deposits will not be refunded on incomplete, damaged, or late returns or on electronic sets. No partial sets will be issued.

In accordance with the Instructions to Bidders, §4.2, Proposers must submit with their proposals a Cashier’s Check or a Certified Check in the amount of five {5%} percent of the maximum amount of proposal payable without recourse to ZAPATA COUNTY lSD, ZAPATA, TEXAS, or a bid bond in the same amount from a Surety Company holding permit from the State of Texas to act as Surety, or other Surety approved by the Owner, as a guarantee that Proposer will enter into a contract and execute bond and guarantee forms provided within five {5} days after notice of award of contract to the Proposer. Proposals without checks, as stated above, or proposal bond will not be considered. The proposal bond and surety’s power of attorney must both carry the date of the proposal opening.

In accordance with the Instructions to Bidders, Article 7, and the Texas Government Code, Chapter 2253, the successful Proposer will be required to furnish not only a performance bond in the amount of the contract, but also a payment bond for the protection of all claimants supplying labor and materials as defined in said law. The bonds must be executed by an approved Surety Company holding permit from the State of Texas to act as Surety, or other Surety acceptable to the Owner. Project 23221 REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE SEALED PROPOSALS 0015 00-1. The Owner reserves the right to waive or reject any and all proposals or any and all irregularities or informalities in said proposal and to accept the offer considered most advantageous to the Owner. In order to determine the best value proposal, the following selection criteria will be considered by the Owner in determining to whom to award a contract.

Criteria rating values are as indicated, with a total of 100 possible points: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

Proposal sum. (Total 20 points possible) Proposer’s ability to complete the project on time. (Total 25 points possible) Proposer’s Past Experience in providing quality results on past projects of similar nature, i.e. Correction Repairs and Remediation. (Total 30 points possible) Reputation of the Proposer. (Total 10 points possible) Proposer’s assigned job Superintendent and the ability to provide job supervision on a daily, full time basis with experienced personnel. (Total 5 points possible) Proposer’s financial background and stability, including past claims and suits. (Total 10 points possible)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

ELOISA O. MORALES FEB. 8, 1930 — APRIL 24, 2014 ZAPATA — Eloisa Ornelas Morales, 84, passed away in Laredo, Texas, on April 24, 2014.

Eloisa was born in Uribeno, Texas, on Feb. 8, 1930, to Delfino and Eloisa Ornelas, one of five daughters.

She married Jose C. Morales on April 12, 1947.

Eloisa was well known for her warm hospitality, delicious cooking and generous heart.

She loved dancing with her husband, playing bingo, and most of all her family.

She always put others before herself and opened her home to many.

She and Jose made their home in Kingsville for many years before moving back to Zapata upon his retirement.

She was a member of St. Martin’s Church in Kingsville and Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Zapata.

Eloisa was preceded in death by her husband, Jose, on Feb. 28, 2014.

She is also preceded in death by their daughter, Diana Perez, as well as her parents, and sisters, Emma Rodriguez, Emilia Morales and Elia Hinojosa.

She is survived by her son, Jose Jr. (Shelly); daughters, Nydia Morales, Velma Salinas (Frank) and Vidala Silguero (Reynaldo).

She is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren, as well as a sister, Elisa Hinojosa, and numerous nieces and nephews, all of whom she held close to her heart.

Eloisa’s life touched and blessed many people, and

her greatest legacy, her love, will live on through countless generations of her family.

We consider it one of God’s greatest blessings that He gave her to us, and now we entrust her back to Him, looking forward to that day when we will see her again.

Visitation hours were Sunday, April 27, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession departed Monday, April 28, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

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

DIAMANTINA G. HERNANDEZ NOV. 22, 1942 — APRIL 25, 2014 ZAPATA — Diamantina G. Hernandez, 71, passed away Friday, April 25, 2014 in Zapata.

Ms. Hernandez is preceded in death by her husband, Jesus J. Hernandez; father, Macedonio Guajardo; and mother, Odilia Cantu.

Ms. Hernandez is survived by her children, Lillie (Rudy) Villanueva, Roberto Adame, Jose Adame, Norma (Martin) Villarreal, Michael Hernandez; sister, Yolanda (Francisco) Grandos; brother, Jimmie Lee (Janie) Resendez; 11 grandchildren; eight great-grandchildren; and by other family members and friends.

Visitation hours were Tuesday, April 29, 2014, at 8 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home followed by a 10:30 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

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

Photo by the AP

A small glass is presented with a lime requested to flavor a guacamole appetizer at the bar of El Coyote, a Mexican restaurant in Los Angeles, on Monday. The price of a lime has skyrocketed in recent weeks, quadrupling or, in some areas, going even higher.

Great Green Citrus Crisis A shortage of limes, due to a citrus disease, has caused prices to skyrocket; a case of roughly 200 limes costs between $80 and $130, up from $15 last year ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Every time a bartender at trendy Los Angeles fusion eatery Luna Park squeezes a shot of lime into a drink these days, owner Peter Kohtz says he winces a little.

Luna Park, known for its large selection of craft cocktails, is one of thousands of restaurants from coast to coast that have fallen victim to the Great Green Citrus Crisis of 2014 — a severe shortage of limes that has meant that the fruit has skyrocketed in price in recent weeks.

A case of 200 or so fetches between $80 and $130 now, up from about $15 last year — the result of a perfect storm of circumstances from citrus disease that struck Florida in 2001 and wiped out most lime groves to flooding to the efforts of drug cartels to disrupt supplies in Mexico, the biggest U.S. supplier.

The cost might not seem like that big of a deal until one realizes that it’s lime juice that’s squeezed into every margarita, mojito or mai tai.

It’s also lime that’s chopped up and mixed with fresh fish to create ceviche. It’s lime, mixed with avocado, that makes up guacamole — a mainstay at every Mexican restaurant.

“It’s just one of those things that you take for granted. You never really think about it because it’s always there,” said Kohtz, noting his bartenders squeeze an entire lime’s worth of juice into most specialty drinks.

So far, the price spike doesn’t seem to have been passed on widely to consumers, according to industry officials, but people are beginning to notice it in other ways.

Alaska Airlines stopped putting limes in in-flight beverages a couple of weeks ago. At a recent luncheon meeting of the California Restaurant Association’s board of directors, association spokeswoman Angie Pappas said limes were noticeably absent from the buffet bar, which featured Mexican food.

One of the luncheon attendees, a Southern California restaurateur, told her he is offering a free appetizer to any customer who brings in a bag of limes from their backyard tree. In Phoenix, the Arizona Republic reports that a bar and restaurant group is offering a free cocktail, glass of wine or beer to anyone who brings in 5 pounds of limes.

Which raises the question, if limes grow on backyard trees in Los Angeles and Phoenix, why are they so expensive?

Because they don’t really grow well enough in most of the U.S. to be produced commercially, says Jonathan Crane, a tropical fruit crop specialist at the University of Florida’s horticultural sciences department.

Until 2001, Crane said, Florida produced half of all the limes consumed in the United States. But then a devastating citrus canker outbreak led officials to order almost all of Florida’s lime groves destroyed and the industry never recovered.

Mexico began producing more than 90 percent of the limes now consumed in the United States.

In most of California, the weather isn’t warm or humid enough to produce commercial quality limes, and the state has only a few hundred acres in production near the Mexican border.

Mexico’s crop, meanwhile, was hit by a myriad of problems this year, including unusually heavy rains and citrus disease in some areas. The Knights Templar drug cartel used to jack up lime prices by disrupting deliveries and shaking down farmers in western Michoacan state, but that problem has declined in importance following an offensive this year by federal forces and vigilantes who took up arms against the cartel.

Like American mobsters, the drug cartel that controls much of the Mexican state of Michoacan where both limes and marijuana grow in abundance, has been muscling in on legitimate businesses.

A Mexican official told The Associated Press last month the cartel extorts as much as $1.4 million a week from legitimate businesses, mainly lime and avocado growers.

In some instances, he said, the cartel is now running some of the state’s wholesale lime distribution centers where prices are set.

Last winter’s storms, which triggered major floods across western Mexico, also destroyed crops, and a plant disease that struck the Mexican state of Colima damaged still more.

The result, the price of limes has shot up dramatically in both Mexico and the U.S. Restaurants in Seattle and New York have reported paying as much as $130 a case for them.

As the industry waits for the summer crop to lower prices, some restaurants and bars nationwide are pulling lime drinks off their happy hour menus. Others are substituting ingredients like lemons or oranges, said Annika Stensson of the National Restaurant Association.

That’s not an option at El Coyote, says Wayne Christoffersen, manager of the popular Mexican eatery that’s been a fixture with Hollywood’s hipster and film industry crowd since opening in 1931.

“People want to see a lime in their margarita, and rightfully so,” says Christoffersen, who is paying $80 a case for them. “A margarita’s not a margarita without the lime.”

Independent filmmaker Laura Bahr, who has downed her share of margaritas at El Coyote and other watering holes, says if anyone dared put anything but a lime in her drink she’d likely never go back.

“The lime mixed with the tequila is just a winsome combination,” she says. “Like peanut butter and jelly.”

So until the price spike ends, Kohtz of Luna Park says he’s come up with the only alternative he can think of.

“I tell the bartenders, ‘Squeeze those limes extra hard. Squeeze out every drop you can.”’

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 30, 2014

NBA bans Sterling for life ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver delivered the swiftest, strongest penalty he could, then called on NBA owners to force Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling to sell the team for making racist comments that hurt the league.

Almost unanimously, owners supported the commissioner Tuesday, as he handed down one of the harshest penalties in the history of U.S. sports.

“We stand together in condemning Mr. Sterling’s views. They simply have no place in the NBA,” Silver said at a news conference.

Sterling, 80, is banned for life from any association with the league or the Clippers, and fined $2.5 million — the maximum allowable under the NBA constitution. If threefourths of the other 29 owners agree to Silver’s recommendation, Sterling will be forced to sell the team he has owned since 1981.

Messages left seeking comment at Sterling’s business office and with the Clippers on Tuesday weren’t immediately returned.

Players and others cheered Silver’s quick action, with union officials saying that if the league’s punishment hadn’t included a mandate for Sterling to sell the team, players were considering boycotting playoff games, including Tuesday’s Golden State Warriors-Clippers matchup, the team’s first home game since the scandal erupted.

“We wanted to be a part of this decision, and we wanted Adam Silver to know where we stood. And we were very clear that anything other than Sterling selling his team was not going to be enough for us,” said Roger Mason Jr., the first vice president of the players’ union.

Sterling’s comments — which were recorded by his girlfriend and released by TMZ on Saturday — harmed the league, Silver said.

Sponsors were threatening to abandon the NBA, and criticism was coming from fans on social media and even the White House.

Sterling criticized V. Stiviano — purportedly the female voice on the tapes — for posting pictures of her with black athletes Magic Johnson and Matt Kemp.

“It bothers me a lot that you want to broadcast that you’re associating with black people. Do you have to?”

Sterling asks the woman on the tape.

“Sentiments of this kind are con-

Photo by Robyn Beck | AFP

Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling attends the NBA playoff game between the Clippers and the Golden State Warriors on April 21 at Staples Center. trary to the principles of inclusion and respect that form the foundation of our diverse, multicultural and multiethnic league,” Silver said.

The NBA’s longest-tenured owner keeps his team for now — and Silver said he didn’t know if Sterling would fight to do so permanently.

But he can’t attend games or practices, can’t be involved in any personnel decisions or participate in board of governors meetings.

Just three days after the scandal broke, and hours before the Clippers hosted their biggest game of the season, Silver apologized to some of the league’s black pioneers while meting out a punishment he believed would satisfy outraged players and fans.

Silver said the ban applied only to Sterling and there had been no discussions about whether he could sell to a family member.

Many owners supported Silver, and none of them publicly defended Sterling.

“We applaud the firm punishment handed out today by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and appreciate the swiftness with which the NBA conducted its investigation,” Warriors co-owner Joe Lacob said in a statement.

The fine will be donated to organizations dedicated to anti-discrimination and tolerance efforts, Silver said.

Sterling, with an estimated net worth of about $2 billion, did not comment, though Silver said he did not apologize for his remarks. Silver said Sterling confirmed that he was the person on the audiotapes.

Silver hasn’t even been on the job three months and already had to

face a crisis that threatened the league not only financially — with several companies ending or suspending their sponsorships of the Clippers — but more importantly, socially.

The NBA survived the Indiana Pacers’ brawl with Detroit Pistons fans, and referee Tim Donaghy betting on games he officiated. But this brought a different level of outrage, particularly because the league could have done something sooner about Sterling, who has faced federal charges of civil rights violations and racial discrimination in his business dealings.

“This has all happened in three days, and so I am hopeful there will be no long-term damage to the league and to the Clippers organization,” Silver said. “But as I said earlier, I’m outraged so I certainly understand other people’s outrage.”

After the announcement, the Clippers’ website had a simple message: “We are one.”

“We wholeheartedly support and embrace the decision by the NBA and Commissioner Adam Silver today. Now the healing process begins,” the Clippers added in a statement.

Sterling’s Clippers have been one of the most incompetent franchises in pro sports, and would have been home by now in most of their seasons. But this team is a title contender led by Doc Rivers, a black coach whom Sterling brought from Boston and paid $7 million a year.

Rivers canceled practice Monday and declined a meeting request from Sterling. He wouldn’t address whether he would return next season if Sterling were still in control.

That might not be an issue if the owners vote to oust the owner.

Sterling is estranged from his wife and had been dating Stiviano, 31. In court documents, Stiviano describes him as a man “with a big toothy grin brandishing his sexual prowess in the faces of the Paparazzi and caring less what anyone else thought, the least of which, his own wife.”

Silver said when he first heard the audio, he hoped it had been altered or was fake, but thought it was Sterling. And it doesn’t matter if Sterling didn’t realize he was being recorded, Silver said.

“Whether or not these remarks were initially shared in private, they’re now public, and they represent his views.”

VIOLENCE Continued from Page 1A U.S. Rep. Filemon Vela, a Democrat from Brownsville, a city across from Matamoros, which is a 2-hour drive east from Ciudad Mier.

Much of the violence has its roots in the February arrest of Javier Garza Medrano, who oversaw the Gulf Cartel’s drug, kidnapping, extortion and gasoline theft activities in the Gulf coast city of Tampico, according to Mexico’s National Security Commission. Garza apparently came to believe that a rival in the cartel, Aaron Rogelio Garcia, provided the information that led to his arrest, and ordered the man’s murder, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

Gunmen then opened fire at Garcia’s April 3 funeral in Matamoros. The government acknowledged that an 18-year-old woman was killed, but the unnamed official said three people had died, including Garcia’s wife, brother and sister-inlaw.

Attacks on Garcia’s allies followed in Tampico and neighboring Ciudad Madero, the official said. Twentyeight people were killed in the two cities over four days, 14 of them in a fivehour span during fighting between criminal groups that included drive-by shootings and executionstyle killings. Victims were dumped on streets and, in one case, inside an icecream shop.

In addition to the Gulf Cartel infighting, several deaths have been attributed to a feud between the Gulf Cartel and the Zetas, while still other people have died in clashes between gunmen and Mexican military units.

Easy access to the U.S. makes Tamaulipas attractive to both foreign manufacturers and criminal organizations. More immigrants enter the U.S illegally here than anywhere else along the border, and in drug trafficking, it’s second only to Arizona. As-

sault rifles purchased at Texas gun shops and cash from drugs sold in other states are smuggled back into Mexico through Tamaulipas. Undeveloped riverfronts like that outside Mier, where the Rio Grande river is shallow and studded with rocks, make crossing easy.

Asked about the cause of the fighting, Mier residents refer euphemistically to those who come from upriver — Zetas territory — and those from downriver — the land of the Gulf cartel.

But nearly everywhere in Tamaulipas, it is impossible to ignore the effects of the violence.

One afternoon in the working-class neighborhood of San Pedro on the outskirts of Matamoros, four women sat chatting outside a boxy single-family home.

None would give their names. One said her husband was taken by gunmen 2 ½ years ago. Another said it had been three years since her 28-year-old son disappeared. Yet another recounted when a marine helicopter opened fire from the air, sending residents scrambling for cover.

“Sometimes you’re just coming with the kids from school and here they come with their shootout,” said one young mother. “The insecurity is typical; it’s part of daily life.”

Mexican Attorney General Jesus Murillo Karam said the government’s new security strategy may be similar to the aggressive measures taken in the central state of Michoacan, where President Enrique Pena Nieto has sent in thousands of troops and police, arrested officials for cartel ties and installed a special federal commissioner as the most powerful official in the state.

“The state has not been abandoned,” Murillo said of Tamaulipas. “It requires another kind of strategy, an adequate one for Tamaulipas, adequate for Tamaulipas’ conditions. That is what we will have shortly.”