The Zapata Times 5/3/2014

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MEXICO VIOLENCE

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL

Weapons found

MERS now in America

Soldiers find nearly 80 rifles in raids in Reynosa THE ZAPATA TIMES

Mexican Army soldiers found almost 80 rifles during four raids Tuesday night and Wednesday morning in Reynosa, Mexico, where a number of people have been killed recently in a spike of violence in the area.

In addition, soldiers found a lifeless body Wednesday morning. At 10:15 p.m. Tuesday soldiers entered a house on Quebec Street, between Liverpool and Munich avenues in the Hacienda de las Fuentes neighborhood, where they confiscated one vehicle, 22 rifles, two grenade launch-

ers, four grenades, 3 kilos of the crystal methamphetamine, 415 packets of cocaine, 714 packets of marijuana, 3,000 marijuana cigarettes, magazines and cartridges, a press release states. Later, at 12:30 a.m. Wednesday, al-

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Agency says man flew from Saudi Arabia to US and fell ill By MIKE STOBBE

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

SOUTH TEXAS

POACHING PROBLEMS Deer are targets for illegal hunting By FERNANDO DEL VALLE VALLEY MORNING STAR

P

ORT MANSFIELD — Poachers have killed a large buck and wounded at least three deer in recent months in this tiny fishing village where residents’ feeding of the animals has made them easy targets, officials said. “It’s become more of a problem this year,” Oscar Castañeda, a game warden with the Texas Fish and Wildlife Service, said of deer poaching here. Norm Lavelle is a resident who helped raise a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the poacher who killed the 165pound buck. He said two other bucks have “disappeared” since January. Castañeda told the Valley Morning Star of Harlingen that authorities have not determined whether this year’s poaching incidents are related. Authorities are searching for the poacher who used a bow and arrow to kill the 11-point buck that a resident found in her backyard March 30, Castañeda said. He said he followed the buck’s blood trail about 100 yards from the Port

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Photo by David Pike/Valley Morning Star | AP

NEW YORK — Health officials on Friday confirmed the first case of an American infected with a mysterious virus that has sickened hundreds in the Middle East. The man fell ill after flying to the U.S. late last week from Saudi Arabia where he was a health care worker. He is hospitalized in good condition in northwest Indiana with Middle East respiratory syndrome, or MERS, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Indiana health officials, who are investigating the case. The virus is not highly contagious and this case “represents a very low risk to the broader, general public,” Dr. Anne Schuchat told reporters during a CDC briefing. The federal agency plans to track down passengers he may have been in close contact with during his travels; it was not clear how many may have been exposed to the virus. So far, it is not known how he was infected, Schuchat said. Saudi Arabia has been at the center of a Middle East outbreak of MERS that began two years ago. The virus has spread among health care workers, most notably at four facilities in that county last spring. Officials didn’t provide details about the American’s job in Saudi Arabia or whether he treated MERS patients. Overall, at least 400 people have had the respiratory illness, and more than 100 people have died. All had ties to the Middle East region or to people who traveled there. Experts said it was just a matter of time before MERS showed up in the U.S., as it has in Europe and Asia. “Given the interconnectedness of our world, there’s no such thing as ‘it stays over there and it can’t come here,”’ said Dr. W. Ian Lipkin, a Columbia University MERS expert. MERS belongs to the coronavirus family that includes the common cold and SARS, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, which caused some 800 deaths globally in 2003. The MERS virus has been found in camels, but officials don’t know how it is spreading to humans. It can spread from person to person, but officials believe that happens only after close contact. Not all those exposed to the vi-

Annie McKinney feeds a deer Dec. 1 in Port Mansfield. Poachers have killed a large buck and wounded at least three deer in recent months in this tiny fishing village.

See MERS VIRUS PAGE 13A

VETERANS’ AFFAIRS ADMINISTRATION

VA revelations infuriate state’s lawmakers By WILL BROWN HEARST NEWSPAPERS

Recent revelations of patient backlogs and a “secret list” of veterans waiting for medical care at a Veterans’ Affairs Administration hospital in Phoenix — including at least 40 who died before being helped — have enraged members of Congress, drawing particular ire from Texans. Rep. Bill Flores (R-Bryan), a

member of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee, said, “The Veterans’ Affairs Administration has one of the most sacred obligations to the men and women who serve this country, and it’s just failing.” The Phoenix hospital’s system of keeping veterans seeking care out of official records for months until their appointments were actually scheduled was detailed in a CNN investigative report last week. The report quoted a retired

The VA’s North Texas system had “in excess of 36,000 unresolved consults.” Phoenix VA doctor as saying that the number of veterans who died waiting for care there “is actually higher” than 40, but that it’s “probably a good number.” The report focused on the case of a veteran who died of urinary can-

cer before getting an initial appointment with a primary care physician. Sen. John Cornyn, (R-Texas) has called for an investigation into the allegations in Phoenix and said, “It’s outrageous that the

agency responsible for providing for our veterans appears to have developed a history of systemic fraud, abuse, and misconduct.” Rep. John Culberson, (R-Houston), a member of the Appropriations Committee, is sponsor of a VA funding bill that is due to be voted on by the House Wednesday. Culberson said the bill is in-

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Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, May 3

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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. 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. “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. Laredo Northside Market. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. North Central Park. Drawing to be held for 20 Mother’s Day baskets 11 a.m. Winner must be present. Visit facebook.com/laredonorthsidemarket. 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.

Today is Saturday, May 3, the 123rd day of 2014. There are 242 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 3, 1944, U.S. wartime rationing of most grades of meats ended (however, rationing returned by year’s end). On this date: In 1791, Poland adopted a national constitution. In 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city. In 1933, Nellie T. Ross became the first female director of the U.S. Mint. In 1948, the Supreme Court ruled that covenants prohibiting the sale of real estate to blacks or members of other racial groups were legally unenforceable. In 1952, the Kentucky Derby was televised nationally for the first time on CBS; the winner was Hill Gail. In 1973, Chicago’s 110-story Sears Tower (now the Willis Tower) was topped out after two years of construction, becoming the world’s tallest building for the next 25 years. In 1979, Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher was chosen to become Britain’s first female prime minister as the Tories ousted the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections. In 1984, Michael Dell founded Dell Computer Corp. while a student at the University of Texas in Austin. In 1986, in NASA’s first postChallenger launch, an unmanned Delta rocket lost power in its main engine shortly after liftoff, forcing safety officers to destroy it by remote control. In 1999, some 70 tornadoes roared across Oklahoma and Kansas, killing 46 people and injuring hundreds. Ten years ago: The U.S. military said it had reprimanded seven officers in the abuse of inmates at Baghdad’s notorious Abu Ghraib (grayb) prison, the first known punishments in the case; two of the officers were relieved of their duties. Five years ago: Mexican President Felipe Calderon told state television a nationwide shutdown and an aggressive informational campaign appeared to have helped curtail an outbreak of swine flu in Mexico. One year ago: President Barack Obama cast Mexico as a nation ready to take “its rightful place in the world” and move past the drug battles and violence that had defined its relationship with the United States; the president then headed to Costa Rica, where he told a press conference he didn’t foresee any circumstance requiring the U.S. to send ground troops into Syria. Today’s Birthdays: Actor George Gaynes is 97. Actress Ann B. Davis is 88. Actor Alex Cord is 81. Singer Frankie Valli is 80. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 68. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is 65. Pop singer Mary Hopkin is 64. Singer Christopher Cross is 63. Country musician Cactus Moser (Highway 101) is 57. Rock musician David Ball (Soft Cell) is 55. Country singer Shane Minor is 46. Actor Bobby Cannavale (ka-nuh-VAL’-ee) is 44. Thought for Today: “A man can become so accustomed to the thought of his own faults that he will begin to cherish them as charming little ‘personal characteristics.”’ — Helen Rowland, American writer, journalist and humorist (1876-1950).

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. St. John Neumann Catholic Church Annual Jamaica. 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. 102 Hillside Road. Zumbathon from 7:15 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. Bingo, silent auction, food and games. Contact sjnvolunteers@yahoo.com.

Tuesday, May 6 Monthly meeting of Webb County Community Coalition. 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. San Martin De Porres Catholic Church Meeting Room, 1704 Sandman St. Sonia Lara of South Texas Behavioral Health Center to discuss mental health awareness and substance abuse. RSVP with Veronica Jimenez at 7243177. “The Calling” series of Bible talks. 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Laredo Church of Christ Chapel, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 340. Contact Miguel Zuñiga at 286-9631 or mglzuñiga@yahoo.com. Meeting of Alzheimer’s support group. 7 p.m. Meeting Room 2, Building B, Laredo Medical Center. For family members and caregivers of someone who has Alzheimer’s. Call Melissa L. Guerra at 693-9991. Les Amies Birthday Club meeting. 11:30 a.m. Holiday Inn, 800 Garden St. Hostesses are Amparo Garcia, Olivia Arroyo and Minerva M. Garcia. Honorees are Viola Moore and Herminia Molina.

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

First lady Michelle Obama hugs a high school student during “College Signing Day,” an annual celebration of San Antonio high school seniors committing themselves to higher education, on Friday, in San Antonio. In her remarks, she had the students stand, raise their right hands and led them in reciting a pledge to enroll, persevere and graduate.

First lady visits San Antonio By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — First lady Michelle Obama on Friday kicked off a new “Reach Higher” initiative to encourage American students to commit to education beyond high school. Obama told about 2,100 San Antonio high school students at the South Texas city’s “College Signing Day” that the U.S. once had the highest percentage of college graduates in the world but has dropped to 12th globally. “That’s not acceptable,” she said. “That’s not who we are. “All of you have a role to play,” she told the students. In her remarks, she had the students stand, raise their right hands and led them in reciting a pledge where they committed to enroll, persevere and graduate.

South Texan with 8 DWI convictions gets 70 years

Apparent synthetic drugs make 15 sick in Austin

Navy plane crashes in Gulf, 2 pilots uninjured

CORPUS CHRISTI — A South Texas man with eight driving while intoxicated convictions has been sentenced to 70 years in prison for his latest DWI case. Jurors in Corpus Christi sentenced 58-year-old Richard Vollick over a traffic accident. Vollick, who was also fined $10,000 on Wednesday, has DWI convictions in Nueces, Aransas (uh-RAN’-zuhs) and San Patricio counties.

AUSTIN — Investigators are trying to determine if illegal synthetic marijuana was used by more than a dozen people who ended up in hospitals. Austin police say at least 15 people have been treated for overdoses reported mainly in the downtown area and near the Austin Resource Center for the Homeless. Police did not immediately report any arrests.

CORPUS CHRISTI — The U.S. Coast Guard has rescued two Navy pilots after their plane crashed off the coast of Corpus Christi in the Gulf of Mexico on Thursday. Navy public affairs officer Brynn Olson said the pilots were uninjured and an investigation will begin immediately.

FEMA provides $1.2M for Austin-area flood recovery AUSTIN — The Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide more than $1.2 million for recovery from last October’s deadly flooding in the Austin area. FEMA says additional funding is expected in the coming weeks as federal authorities work with government entities to review and approve eligible projects.

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.

Thursday, May 8 Opening reception for Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts’ 18th Annual Photographer Exhibition. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Laredo Center for the Arts, 500 San Agustin Ave. Contact Mark Webber at 273-7817 or mwebber004@laredoisd.org.

Saturday, May 10 Laredo National Letter Carriers Food Drive. Postal customers urged to place non-perishable food items in a bag next to mailbox for pickup by letter carrier. Benefits South Texas Food Bank and Laredo Regional Food Bank. Call Luis Palacios at 645-1062. Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com.

“So seniors, now comes the hard part,” she said as the college-bound students cheered. “You have got to make that pledge a reality.” The signing day, involving 38 high schools from around the area, is part of Mayor Julian Castro’s long-term initiative to improve high school graduation rates and increase the number of residents with college degrees. “We believe y’all are role models for your younger brothers and sisters and younger folks in our community,” said Castro. At Friday’s event, Michelle Obama also asked that parents read more to their younger children, urged businesses to offer more summer job opportunities for college students and appealed to foundations to offer more higher education scholarships.

Water testing continues on South border lake McALLEN — Water testing continues on Falcon Lake after a fish kill on a Mexican tributary raised concerns. Sally Spener, spokeswoman for the International Boundary and Water Commission, said Thursday that water tests conducted Wednesday at Falcon Lake did not indicate any foreign substance. Laboratory results will take a couple days.

West explosion trials delayed to June 2015 WACO — A judge has delayed the first of three civil trials in the West fertilizer explosion that killed 15 people. State District Judge Jim Meyer in Waco agreed on Thursday to postpone the first trial six months to June 2015. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that an attorney for one of West Fertilizer Co.’s suppliers said he needed more time to prepare. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Officials seek adult charges in foiled plot WASECA, Minn. — Prosecutors are seeking adult charges for a Minnesota teen who authorities say had planned to kill his family and bomb a junior and senior high school. KTOE-AM reports that Waseca County prosecutors filed a motion Friday asking that the teen be charged as an adult. A hearing is set for May 12. Police arrested the 17-year-old this week and charged him in juvenile court with multiple counts of attempted first-degree murder, possessing explosive or incendiary devices and criminal damage to property.

Squirrel goes nuts on teenager taking selfie AUBURN, Maine — A photo op with a squirrel that went awry has left a teenager flustered but unhurt.

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

A traditional Aztec-style dancer from Ce Atl Tonalli walks with a smoldering pot at a May Day march Thursday, in Seattle. Hundreds of people marched peacefully in support of immigrant and workers rights and a boost in the minimum wage. Seventeen-year-old Brian Genest, of Auburn, said Thursday he saw what appeared to be a friendly squirrel while walking through a park near Tampa, Florida. Genest took a selfie of himself and the squirrel. But the flash

and noises scared the squirrel, which climbed under his shirt and hung onto his back before scampering out. Genest’s mother, Paula Wright, said neither her son nor the squirrel was harmed. — Compiled from AP reports

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net


SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Some Ariz. ranchers say no to more BP By TIM JOHNSON MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

TUCSON, Ariz. — While some members of Congress remain gung-ho about adding still more agents to the Border Patrol, ranchers who work along the border aren’t so sure that’s what’s needed. Several ranchers say there are plenty of Border Patrol agents — even too many — but they’re deployed in the wrong places, usually away from the border. Most Border Patrol agents staff checkpoints many miles inland. “We don’t need more Border Patrol agents. We just need to put them on the international boundary,” said rancher John Ladd, whose family has been on his 14,000-acre spread near Naco in southeast Arizona for 118 years. Ladd is among a handful of established ranchers who are unhappy with how Border Patrol vehicles zoom across their ranches, ripping up roads and tearing down fences, but rarely staying at the border itself. They say legislators in Washington keep funding more agents and better technology — such as abundant ground sensors and infrared cameras — but fail to put the agents at the border to catch those coming across. Opinion is far from unified in the ranching community, but it doesn’t take much effort to find ranchers, like Ladd, who say Border Patrol agents inflict heavy damage to their spreads. Ladd said agents aboard threequarter-ton pickups whizzed around the 37 miles of private road on his ranch around the clock. “We’ve got 25 trucks a day doing that circuit. You’ve got to do maintenance once a month on it. You have to grade it,” he said, or it turns “rutted and corduroy.” Ladd is particularly unhappy that agents harm his fences. “They cut them, run through them, run over water troughs. They like driving cross-country, making roads,” he said. Repairing the damage is costly. “About 30 percent of my annual income is spent on border issues — illegals and Border Patrol — dam-

Photo by Brian Skoloff | AP

U.S. Border Patrol Tucson Sector Chief Manuel Padilla, left front, walks with other agents and media during a tour in the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refugeon April 30, near Sasabe, Ariz. While some members of Congress remain gung-ho about adding more agents to the Border Patrol, ranchers who work along the border aren’t so sure that’s what’s needed. age issues.” At one corner of his ranch, the Border Patrol has posted a flatbed trailer with a telescoping boom topped with an infrared camera. An agent sits inside a cabin on the flatbed monitoring the border, Ladd said. Scattered elsewhere on the ranch are 200 to 300 ground sensors, he added. The problem, Ladd said, is that there aren’t enough agents at the border when drug smugglers or migrants penetrate, touching off sensors. He said the smugglers used motorized saws with carbide blades to rip big holes through the steel mesh border fence. They can cut the holes in minutes, he said. In most cases, the holes are large enough to allow a pickup loaded with narcotics to drive through. Ladd said smugglers had done so 46 times on his property in recent years, and that Border Patrol agents had intercepted them only once. For his part, rancher Ed Ashurst got fed up with repairing

gravel roads on the property he manages. “You’ll see an agent driving down a road that you ought to be driving 20 miles an hour on and he’s flying down at 50 or 60 miles an hour. They just tear stuff up,” Ashurst said. One particular incident proved too much. “They ran into a couple of cows that belonged to me, and they wouldn’t pay for them. So I kicked them off,” Ashurst said. Since Ashurst manages a ranch that sprawls over 53,000 acres on the border with Mexico, he presumed that his move would draw serious consequences. “I thought they were going to hang me from a light pole,” Ashurst said. That didn’t happen. Ashurst said he set some rules and the Border Patrol agents had abided by them. “They can walk anywhere they want to. I just do not allow them to drive a motorized vehi-

cle or a horse onto my property,” Ashurst said. Levels of anger and frustration depend on geography, locations of ranches, changing migration patterns and ways in which the Border Patrol operates. James K. Chilton, the head of the Southern Arizona Cattlemen’s Protective Association, said thousands of undocumented migrants crossed his property, doing untold damage. He doesn’t complain of damage by Border Patrol vehicles. But he does say border strategy is wrongheaded. “The ‘defense and depth’ policy is a failure. It doesn’t work,” Chilton said. “The fault is in Washington.” Chilton, who spoke by telephone while visiting the nation’s capital, said he’d offered the Border Patrol 10 acres right at the border on his 50,000-acre ranch, west of Nogales, to use as a forward operating base. So far, the agents haven’t accepted it. U.S. senators from border

states acknowledge that there are frictions with ranchers over border policy implementation and about damage to their properties. “From time to time, there is concern about that,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican who’s the minority whip. “The Border Patrol tries to work with ranchers to make sure they are good neighbors. But occasionally problems do arise.” Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain, who sought last year to mandate and fund a doubling of the size of the Border Patrol to around 40,000 agents as part of an immigration bill that never passed, said placing more agents at the border itself wasn’t the answer. “It’s like in any war. You don’t just rely on the front line. We have to also have some depth,” McCain said. But he noted that many border ranchers face serious difficulties from many quarters. “Their frustration is real.” Chilton said 4,000 migrants had crossed his ranch so far this year, and the border fence is so flimsy along the five-and-a-halfmile stretch of his property that touches the border that drug smugglers have made it a favored crossing. “There’s a 30-mile gap of fourstrand unpatrolled fence — a cattle fence — and I have to maintain it,” Chilton said. He said he’d had encounters with heavily armed drug smugglers. “Can you imagine what it feels like to run into people with AK-47s dressed in camo and with 30 people behind them?” Chilton asked, explaining what happens next. “We all go the other way as fast as possible.” Ashurst has had a different experience. When he barred Border Patrol motorized vehicles on his property in late 2012, “everybody thought that I was going to have every illegal alien on the border on my property. I thought so, too.” But Ashurst said he’d instead had fewer problems with migrants. He can’t explain why. Paradoxically, he said, “most illegal aliens are where the most Border Patrol agents are” — near major points of entry.


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Zopinion

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

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COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Europeans urge US to ship gas By LLEWELLYN KING HEARST NEWSPAPERS

To hear Brenda Shaffer, a peripatetic academic specializing in European and Eurasian energy issues who is currently on a research fellowship at Georgetown University, natural gas is the predominant fuel of the 21st century, and it will be used copiously as time goes on. It will become the fuel of transportation as well as heating, manufacturing and electric generation. But, at this point in time, moving natural gas from supplier to user presents special problems. It is not as easily transported as oil, and it is not as fungible. Ideally, natural gas is transported by pipeline. Less desirably, it is converted into a liquid at -260 F and shipped around the world, where it has to be regassified. The freezing and the regassification processes for liquefied natural gas (LNG) require hugely expensive plants: over $5 billion at the originating end, and half that at the receiving end. This makes the gas expensive and its shipment inflexible. Oil is put on tankers and unloaded wherever it is needed. LNG is shipped in special cryogenic tankers to dedicated terminals on longterm, take-or-pay contracts. The United States is in the middle of a natural gas boom of unprecedented proportions; the result of extraordinary reserves in shale and the development of sophisticated hydraulic fracturing (fracking) technology linked to horizontal drilling. The pressure to export is on, balanced by environmental concerns and the fear of manufacturers that the price will rise. In the current crisis over Ukraine, a question has arisen as to whether we can help our European allies by shipping them LNG. The answer is “yes and no.” We do not have any terminals ready to begin exports; the first LNG exports will be loaded from the Sabine Pass terminal in Louisiana late next year and will be shipped to Asia. Nor does Europe have enough receiving terminals. But the Europeans argue strongly that the mere presence of the United States as a player in the natural gas export business will have a huge impact on the world market, signaling that we are on the way and, hopefully, warning Russia that its captive gas customers in eastern and central Europe are looking at alternatives, and want to lift the yoke of dependence on Russia. With the invasion of parts of Ukraine by Russian troops or their surrogates, gas has become a weapon of war. Russia’s giant, state-owned gas monopoly, Gazprom, has been an arbitrary supplier to Europe for years. Most troublesome is that the bulk of Europe’s gas supplies transit Ukraine, and that Gazprom has never behaved like anything but an arm of the Kremlin, dangerous and capricious. In 2009, Gazprom cut

Desperately, Europe is looking for a defense against Russia freezing supply to Ukraine this winter and cutting off some countries … off supplies over alleged contract and payment issues; in the cold of winter, the Russian bear was merciless. Also, it posts a different gas price for each customer, regardless the distance from Russia’s border or cost of delivery. Desperately, Europe is looking for a defense against Russia freezing supply to Ukraine this winter and cutting off some countries, particularly those wholly dependent on Russian gas, like the Baltic states and Slovakia. That is why the Visegrad Group, consisting of Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, under the chairmanship of Hungary, has been intensively lobbying Congress to pass a bill that would simplify and speed up the licensing of export terminals in the United States. At present, seven terminals have provisional licenses from the Department of Energy, and Sabine Pass is fully licensed. Visegrad members swarmed Capitol Hill this week, lobbying for the legislation. They were accompanied by officials from Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Romania and Ukraine. Their message was simple: the legislation would convince the Russians that they had to play by market rules because the entry of the United States as a player in the world of LNG — even if the gas cannot be offloaded in Europe in the near future — will send a strong market-stabilizing message. Where possible, eastern and central European countries are improving their interconnections and adjusting their systems so they can reverse the flow of gas to help Ukraine in a dire emergency. But no one believes that it will make enough of a difference; besides, as most of that gas will have originated in Russia, some Russian contracts specify the use of the gas. Almost all of the gas in the region is used for heating rather than electric generation or manufacturing. Central and eastern Europe is dreading winter and imploring the United States to send strong signals, even if it will be a long time before Pennsylvania or Ohio gas warms the people of Ukraine and its neighbors. (Llewellyn King is executive producer and host of ”White House Chronicle” on PBS. His e-mail is lking@kingpublishing.com.)

COLUMN

Lice at center of business AUSTIN — Thank you, Jessica Mester and Michelle Sunshine. Thank you for giving Austin something so sorely needed: another opportunity to shop and drink. Because we’re short on such opportunities, we now have a business called “Lousted.” Here, Austinites can kick back, maybe do a little shopping and enjoy an adult beverage, while their kids are in treatment. “Two Austin women make having head lice a party — it’s happy hour, literally,” said the announcement of Lousted’s recent grand opening. Lousted, we are told, “is changing everything you thought about lice.” It’s been awhile since I’ve thought about lice — though my scalp began to itch shortly after reading the Lousted announcement. The new way of thinking about lice involves beer, wine, coffee, jewelry, art and a vacuumcleaner-looking device designed to replace chemical warfare on lice. Back to the announcement: “Imagine sipping wine, socializing with your friends and enjoying the local arts — all because of head lice.” Ugh. There’s that darn scalp itching again. I went over to Lousted

KEN HERMAN

and got the tour — video at statesman.com — from Sunshine. (Great name, right? She got it when she married Mr. Sunshine. They have two little Sunshines). “We’re not pushing alcohol,” Sunshine told me, “we just know it’s part of the equation sometimes with people.” While killing lice is the heart of the business, Lousted strives to be “more of a treatment boutique” where parents can also kill the hour or so it takes for a treatment ($185) by enjoying a complimentary coffee or beverage or by browsing/ shopping for jewelry, candles and local art. Happy hours (“Drinks for adults and free head checks for the kiddos during those hours!”) will be held every Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. through the end of the school year. (Hey kids: If mom tries to convince you every Wednesday that you might have lice just so she can go to Lousted happy hour, look up the word “intervention.”) Sunshine decided to get

into the lice business after meeting Mester, an aesthetician experienced with the lice-killing machine, when one of Sunshine’s daughters had the pesky bugs. Impressed by the efficiency of the treatment, Sunshine talked with Mester about opening a business based on it. (While at a Lousted happy hour, ask Sunshine about the ski-trip lice event.) Far be it from me to cast aspersions on anybody’s bold new business idea. Good luck to all, I always say. (Imagine the meeting with the banker: “OK, kids get lice, right? And adults like to drink, right? I think we can leverage that into a powerful business model with franchising potential.”) Sunshine said Lousted is selffunded. I hope it succeeds, both because I like small businesses to make it and because it would be nice for lice to get the word that we’ve turned the fight against them into a social event with shopping. By temperament, the sunny Sunshine seems well-equipped to handle the inevitable jokes about her business. I, of course, am far too sophisticated to engage in such sophomoric efforts. But I’m sorry to report I can’t say that about all

my Austin AmericanStatesman brethren and sistren. Here are some of the responses I got when I checked to see if anybody else was writing about Lousted. I am withholding the names, though none of these people are innocent. “What do you expect from a woman named Michelle Sunshine. Head lice, no problem, Make a party out of it.” “All yours. I’ll have a delousing, hold the mayo.” “Oh my, ew.” And this series from a colleague I can always count on for this kind of stuff: “It is a head scratcher.” “And a lousy way to make a buck.” “Not to nitpick, but wouldn’t this column write itself ? Do we really need you?” That last question was rhetorical. Keep your answers to yourself. One more thing from Sunshine: “We’re very confidential here. We’re not going to reveal anyone who comes here.” You’re on your own, however, if somebody asks where you got that great bracelet. Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. Email: kherman@statesman.com.

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 name-call-

ing 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.

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Vet suspended for animal cruelty By JUAN CARLOS LLORCA ASSOCIATED PRESS

EL PASO — State officials suspended a Texas veterinarian’s license on Thursday after he admitted telling some clients that he would euthanize their pets but instead kept the animals alive in cages for months at his clinic in Fort Worth. Dr. Lucien Tierce was arrested a day earlier on animal cruelty charges after agents with the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners searched his Camp Bowie Animal Clinic. The board said Thursday that agents found “animal organs in jars” and “stacks of drugs, trash, laundry” and bugs throughout the clinic. The search came after a former client alleged Tierce told her that her dog needed to be euthanized, but that she was called by a former employee six months later who told her the animal had been kept alive in a cage and used for blood transfusions. In a written statement to investigators, Tierce acknowledged that his clinic was unsanitary and that he had kept five animals that should have been euthanized, according to the board’s report. But the report doesn’t specify if he explained

TIERCE

why he kept the animals. Board spokeswoman Nicole Oria said the statement was part of an ongoing investigation and that it and other details wouldn’t be released. Tierce was released from jail on $10,000 bond after turning himself in Wednesday evening. His clinic declined comment Thursday. The board’s order of temporary suspension said Tierce signed a handwritten statement admitting he had not euthanized four animals he accepted from clients and one dog of his own. One of the animals had been kept in a cage for two to three years since it was accepted for euthanasia in the clinic. Standard practice in Texas is to euthanize an animal on the same day the procedure is requested. According to the report, former clients Mar-

ian and James Harris took their dog — a 170 lb. Leonberger — to Tierce for a minor procedure in May 2013. Tierce said the dog needed therapy and should stay at the clinic, according to the couple. Over the next months, they were told the dog was improving but would not yet be released. But in October, Tierce told the Harrises that the dog had a birth defect in its spine and euthanasia was the only option. The couple agreed and paid for the euthanasia. But in April, the couple received a call from Mary Brewer, a veterinary technician who said their dog was still alive and was kept in a cage for 23 1/2 hours a day and that it was being used for experiments. She told them other animals were being treated the same way. The Harrises retrieved their dog from Tierce’s clinic. He admitted to them that he kept it alive in the clinic even after they had paid for euthanasia, according to the report. The report also stated that Tierce failed to properly secure controlled substances, noting that drugs were “strewn about the clinic in such a fashion (they) could easily be stolen and abused by employees, clients or visors.”

Bush library hosts 438K visitors in year By JAMIE STENGLE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — The George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum had more than 438,000 visitors in the year since it opened to the public. “It’s been a great year in terms of visitation and the response,” said Alan Lowe, the director of the museum and library. The library on Thursday celebrated its anniversary of being open to the public. The library opened to the public on May 1, 2013, on the campus of Southern Methodist University. The library was dedicated six days earlier in a ceremony featuring all of the living presidents. Lowe said that among the museum’s most popular features are a replica of the Oval Office and the Decision Points Theater, where museum-goers are given a set of facts and then must decide what action they would take if they were in charge. “If you look on a really busy day, those are where people are really crowding around. And of course everyone talks about the Sept. 11 part of the exhibit, how touched they are by that,” he said. The Sept. 11 exhibit includes screens playing news clips from that day and a twisted beam from the World Trade Center. The library is currently hosting a special exhibit of

‘Dark money’ gets debate By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — A top Texas House committee on Thursday re-examined a possible crackdown on anonymous donations from “dark money” political groups, defying Gov. Rick Perry, who has already vetoed a plan that would have subjected them to stricter disclosure laws. The fiercely debated issue pits many established members of the Texas Legislature from both parties, who have clamored for more government transparency, against powerful tea party groups and conservative grass-roots activists who say any such rules would violate free speech. But the larger issue is vast sums of money flowing into politics and how open those donating it have to be — questions with potential national implications since few states have more deeppocketed donors than Texas. The 2013 proposal would have required some politically active not-for-profit groups whose nonprofit status

exempts them from campaign finance laws to disclose donors who give more than $1,000. That would make such organizations more like traditional political action committees, which are required to disclose top donors. The measure passed the Republican-controlled Legislature after heated debate, but drew Perry’s veto last May. Members of the influential State Affairs Committee called for reviving it during a hearing Thursday, arguing that the public should know the sources of “dark-money” contributions. “The lack of transparency and accountability in the campaign system fortifies public mistrust of government,” said Rep. Byron Cook, a Corsicana Republican who chairs the committee. Jim Clancy, chairman of Texas’ ethics commission, told committee members that though dark-money contributions have accounted for less than 2 percent of all political donations in Texas since 2010, their frequency has grown fast in recent months — and

should continue to spike if disclosure rules aren’t changed. “Texas has very few limits; it just requires disclosure,” said Clancy, referencing a lack of caps on the size of donations, or how much money can be given from out of state. He later added, “The defense mechanism that the public has is the transparency of who is making that contribution.” Many conservative groups, however, oppose what they say will heap unwanted attention on donors trying to retain apolitical images. They also argue that disclosing big donors to groups that oppose abortion or work in other controversial areas could subject them to public ridicule or physical threats. Tea party leaders, meanwhile, claim that mainstream lawmakers have targeted dark money groups to keep them from funding potential primary challengers that could eventually unseat them from the Legislature. Russell Withers, general counsel for the Texas Conservative Coalition Research Institute, told

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the committee that stricter disclosure limits would keep many ordinary Texans from making political donations for fear of reprisals, and that exempting donors giving under $1,000 wasn’t enough. “This is government inappropriately choosing at what threshold someone has to disclose their participation in the political process,” Withers said. Tea party-backed U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz said Thursday that requiring more disclosure “would be a disastrous policy that would unconstitutionally chill free speech.” “The Texas Legislature should not enact these pernicious laws at the state level,” Cruz said in a Facebook post. The Legislature isn’t scheduled to meet again until January, though Perry could call a special session. The committee hearing came a day after former U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens told a Senate panel in Washington that federal campaign donations shouldn’t be protected as free speech.

Photo by Mona Reeder/The Dallas Morning News | AP

Former President George W. Bush tours his new exhibit, “The Art of Leadership: A President’s Personal Diplomacy” at the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Dallas, on April 1. and the public opening — when visitors included donors, dedication attendees and college students and staff — their attendance number would be more than 450,000. When the museum was opened to the public last year, the first visitors were 43 area schoolchildren who were greeted by Bush. Bush on Thursday kicked off his annual mountain bike ride for U.S. military members wounded in Iraq and Afghanistan. The three-day ride is being held this year at his Crawford ranch in Central Texas. It’s the fourth year that Bush has hosted the Warrior 100K, a 100-kilometer ride. The library is part of the George W. Bush Presidential Center, which also includes the 43rd president’s policy institute.

portraits of world leaders painted by the former president, which Lowe said has resulted in an uptick in visitors. The exhibit called “The Art of Leadership: A President’s Personal Diplomacy” runs through June 3 and includes portraits of everyone from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the late President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel. The National Archives and Records Administration says that the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum in Little Rock, Arkansas, had more than 493,000 visitors in its first year and the George H. W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum in College Station had 309,000. Lowe notes if they count the number of visitors in the days between the dedication

DA rebukes judge in rape case ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — The Dallas County district attorney said he’s “alarmed” by a judge’s decision to impose probation against a 20-year-old man who pleaded guilty to raping a 14year-old girl. District Attorney Craig Watkins said state District Judge Jeanine Howard last week declined to require Sir Young to follow standard sex offender requirements, such as attending treatment, undergoing an evaluation or staying away from children. Young does have to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life and is spending 45 days in jail as a condition of probation. He was 18 when the 2011 incident occurred at a Dallas high school where he and the girl were enrolled. The girl, now 17, testified last week that she told Young “no” and “stop” several times during the encounter. “This young lady was 14 at the time she was sexually assaulted at school, and we cannot send the wrong message to rape victims who have the courage to seek justice,” Watkins told The Dallas Morning News. “I am disappointed the judge would choose to give the

defendant probation after he admitted guilt, but even more alarmed the judge failed to impose standard sex offender conditions of probation designed to protect society.” Howard told the Morning News on Thursday she intended to recuse herself from the case so that she could explain her decision. Another judge will be assigned to handle any further deliberations in the matter. The judge said the teen had agreed to have sex with Young, just not at school. Medical records also showed the girl had three sexual partners and had given birth, Howard said. “She wasn’t the victim she claimed to be,” Howard said. “He is not your typical sex offender.” She later added, “There are rape cases that deserve life. There are rape cases that deserve 20 years. Every now and then you have one of those that deserve probation. This is one of those and I stand by it.” Young had faced a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. The district attorney’s office said it plans to file a motion asking for the terms of probation to be reconsidered.

Health care enrollment passes forecast By RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — More than 733,000 Texans have signed up for health insurance through the federal marketplace, overcoming significant hurdles and staunch state political opposition to exceed enrollment projections, according to federal data released Thursday. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ data show that Texas made up for an early shortfall in the final weeks of open enrollment, surging ahead of the projected 629,000 people federal agencies expected to sign up by March 31. Texas enrollment is crucial to the program’s overall success because the state has the highest rate of uninsured in the nation, with one in four people lacking insurance. Federal agencies, municipal-

ities and nonprofits invested millions of dollars and significant resources in Texas, including several visits by outgoing HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Initially, though, Texas lagged behind, with Florida — another state with similar obstacles — pushing far ahead in enrollment while the Lone Star State appeared to struggle. It appears, though, that in the final weeks, people rushed to sign up. In the end, Florida still beat Texas’ enrollment numbers — with more than 983,000 people signing up, but the gap diminished. In Texas, of the 733,757 people who selected insurance plans, 67 percent chose the mid-level silver plan that offered slightly higher premiums and lower deductibles. And 84 percent of those that enrolled were eligible for federal subsidies to help offset the

Photo by Jerry Lara/San Antonio Express-News/file | AP

People line up to enroll for health insurance at the Alamodome in San Antonio, on Monday, March 31. More than 733,000 Texans have signed up for health insurance through the federal marketplace, according to federal data. cost of the premium. About 30 percent of Texas enrollees are between the ages of 18 and 34, the age group considered crucial to keeping longer-term insurance costs down because they tend to be healthier.

Mimi Garcia is Texas’ state director for Enroll America, a nonprofit established to educate people about President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. As the open enrollment months ticked by and more people under-

stood the program, she slowly saw the numbers increase. In the final weeks, though, it became apparent that it could be far more than had been expected. In San Antonio alone, more than 4,000 families

stood on long lines on the final day of enrollment, most of them at the Alamodome, Garcia said. “We saw it out in the field, in all our enrollment events,” Garcia said. “People really responded to the deadline. This was something that they needed to do and they didn’t want to miss their opportunity.” One fact that remains unknown but crucial to understanding if the program can succeed is how many people have actually paid for their new policies. In Texas, Blue Cross Blue Shield said about 700,000 people signed up for their plans, about 150,000 of them outside the federal marketplace. However, the insurance company said in a statement Thursday, it could not provide exact information on enrollment because many of them don’t have to pay their first bill until May 1 — Thursday.


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US gains 288K jobs as jobless rate falls By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — U.S. employers added a robust 288,000 jobs in April, the most in two years, the strongest evidence to date that the economy is picking up after a brutal winter slowed growth. The Labor Department also said Friday that the unemployment rate sank to 6.3 percent, its lowest level since September 2008, from 6.7 percent in March. But the drop occurred because the number of people working or seeking work fell sharply. People aren’t counted as unemployed if they’re not looking for a job. Many of those who stopped looking for work last month had been among the long-term unemployed — people out of work for six months or more. The number of longterm unemployed fell 300,000, the sharpest drop in 21/2 years, to 3.5 million. Economists said most of them likely gave up looking for work rather than found jobs. Yet the vigorous job growth in April provided confirmation that the U.S. economy is regaining its health after nearly stalling early this year, when a harsh winter nearly stalled growth. In addition to last month’s burst of hiring, employers added more jobs in February and March than previously estimated. The job totals for those two months were revised up by a combined 36,000. Employers have now added an average of 238,000 jobs the past three months, up from 167,000 in the previous three. Sal Guatieri, an economist at BMO Capital Markets, said the surge in hiring “signals that American companies are optimistic the economy will snap back smartly after the largely weather-related slump in the first quarter.” Hiring last month was

Photo by Nati Harnik/file | AP

John Soung, right, and Gabriel Fitzgerald, second right, talk to recruiter Todd Zedicher of Integrated Life Choices, left, at a job fair April 10 in Lincoln, Neb. The Labor Department on Friday said U.S. employers added 288,000 jobs in April, the most in two years, the strongest evidence to date that the economy is picking up after a winter slowed growth. broad-based and included higher-paying jobs: Manufacturing gained 12,000, construction 32,000. Professional and technical services, which include accounting and engineering positions, added 25,100 jobs. The number of government jobs grew 15,000, mostly at the local level. One sour note: Average hourly pay was unchanged at $24.31. Average wages have risen just 1.9 percent in the past 12 months, just above the annual inflation rate of 1.5 percent. In a healthy economy, wages grow at roughly a 3 percent to 4 percent pace. The fall in the unemployment rate occurred because far fewer people than normal began looking for work last month. That lowered the number of people with jobs or looking for one by 806,000. But Patrick O’Keefe, director of economic research at the consulting firm CohnReznick, noted that that figure tends to fluctuate sharply from month to month: The exodus of job-seekers in April

came after nearly 1.3 million people had begun working or looking for work in the first three months of the year. Diane Swonk, an economist at Mesirow Financial, noted that the expiration of extended unemployment benefits at the end of 2013 likely fueled last month’s drop in the number of long-term unemployed. That’s because people are required to look for work to receive unemployment benefits. Once their benefits expired, many frustrated job-seekers likely stopped looking. April’s solid job growth wasn’t enough to boost stock prices. The Dow Jones industrial average fell nearly 23 points in mid-day trading. The jump in hiring comes after a spate of other data showed that the economy is improving. Consumers are ramping up spending, businesses are ordering more goods and manufacturers are expanding. The strengthening numbers show that harsh snowstorms and fri-

gid cold in January and February were largely to blame for the economy’s scant growth at the start of the year. The economy barely expanded from January through March, eking out an annual growth rate of just 0.1 percent, down from a 2.6 percent rate in the final three months of 2013. Americans spent more last quarter on utilities and health care, but their spending on goods barely rose. Businesses also reduced spending, and exports fell. Still, other data indicate that the economy was already rebounding in March and probably improved further in April. Consumers bought more cars and spent more at shopping malls. Overall consumer spending soared in March by the most in 41/2 years. Spending is up partly because Americans earned

a bit more, and confidence has improved from the bleak winter months. Incomes rose 0.5 percent in March, the government said, the most since August. And a private survey showed that manufacturing activity accelerated in April for a third straight month. Businesses are also investing more in machinery and equipment after cutting back in those areas in January and December. Business orders for manufactured goods jumped in March, the government said last week. All told, the positive news has led most economists to forecast a strong rebound in economic growth — to a 3.5 percent annual rate in the current April-June quarter. And growth should reach nearly 3 percent for the full year, up from 1.9 percent in 2013, they expect.


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Immigration bill gets final push By ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Advocates for immigrants living in the U.S. illegally are mounting a final push to persuade the House to pass immigration legislation this summer, seeing one last window to act that will soon slam shut for good. If they don’t succeed by August, most say any chance of legislation will be over for the year, and all eyes will be on President Barack Obama to see if he acts on his own to curb deportations and accommodate some of the 11.5 million people here illegally. The renewed focus on the GOP-led House comes amid chatter that immigration legislation — all but left for dead at the beginning of this year — is showing faint glimmers of life. Advocates point to recent comments by a handful of House Republicans, among them Speaker John Boehner, indicating an interest in getting it done. Meanwhile Rep. Mario DiazBalart, R-Fla., the leading proponent on the Republican side, has been trying to sell fellow Republicans on legislation he’s drafted that deals with enforcement of the laws and a legal status for those without one. He contends that after years of trying he’s struck a balance that can bring both sides on board. “I think we finally have it right which is why I feel more optimistic than ever,” Diaz-Balart said. Advocates note that midterm election primaries will largely be over by the end of June, freeing some House Republicans from the threat of a challenge from the right and perhaps liberating them to deal with a contentious issue like immigration. Business lobbyists and others say they are now aiming to elevate pressure on individual House Republicans who might support overhaul efforts, or at least not publicly oppose them, with the aim of creating a swell of support that would allow Boehner the space he needs to

act. Some outside lobbyists say they can count scores of House Republicans who would be with them. The activity comes 10 months after the Senate passed bipartisan legislation with billions for border security, new visa programs to bring workers to the U.S., and a path to citizenship for the millions now here illegally. There is widespread agreement within the Republican establishment that the immigration issue has become a political drag on the GOP because of how it alienates Latinos, a fast-growing voter bloc. A wide-ranging coalition consisting of business groups, farmers, religious leaders, labor unions and others is pushing for reform. But the same factors that have made immigration legislation a challenge from the beginning haven’t changed. For many individual House Republicans who represent largely white districts, there remains scant political imperative to act. And there is a small but vocal contingent among Republicans who oppose any effort at reform, and, egged on by some outside conservatives such as radio host Laura Ingraham, has vowed to take any step possible to oppose it. The outsize sway of this small group was demonstrated recently when it mobilized against efforts by Rep. Jeff Denham, RCalif., to advance legislation allowing eventual citizenship for people brought illegally to the country as youths who serve in the military. Boehner has shown little appetite for standing down this faction, instead swiftly retreating after he made comments last week mocking House Republicans for being reluctant to act on immigration because it was too hard. Rep. Raul Labrador, R-Idaho, a leading conservative voice on immigration, said “there would be a civil war” if Boehner tried to move immigration. A House leadership aide said there were no plans for floor action this summer.

House to look into Benghazi By BRADLEY KLAPPER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner declared Friday he would create a select committee to investigate the Benghazi attack, providing Republicans with a high-profile forum to target the Obama administration’s credibility ahead of crucial midterm elections. Boehner said U.S. officials misled the American people after the Sept. 11, 2012, assault on the U.S. diplomatic outpost in Libya that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans. He said emails released this week showed the White House has withheld documents from congressional investigators and asked, “What else about Benghazi is the Obama administration still hiding from the American people?” “Americans learned this week that the Obama administration is so intent on obstructing the truth about Benghazi that it is even willing to defy subpoenas issued by the standing committees of the people’s House,” Boehner, R-Ohio, said in a statement. “These revelations compel the House to take every possible action to ensure the American people have the truth about the terrorist attack on our consulate that killed four of our countrymen.” Separately, the Republican chairman of the House oversight committee, one of several investigating, said Friday he would subpoena Secretary of State John Kerry to testify about the administration’s response to the attack. Republicans have accused President Barack Obama and his top aides

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.

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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)

Photo by AP/file

House Speaker John Boehner said Friday he would create a select committee to investigate the Benghazi attack, giving Republicans a high-profile forum before mid-term elections. of seeking to deceive the public about the true circumstances of a major, al-Qaida-linked terrorist attack during the final months of the 2012 presidential campaign — charges that the president and other U.S. officials reject. But administration officials didn’t mention intelligence suggesting the Benghazi attack was distinct from simultaneous, antiAmerican protests elsewhere in the Arab world. The State Department, which ordered an independent review days after the assault, called the notion that it has stonewalled multiple, ongoing congressional investigations “just false.” “We’ve produced tens of thousands of documents. We’ve done nine hearings, 46 briefings,” State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters Friday. She called a select committee unnecessary: “How many more taxpayer dollars are we going to spend trying to prove a political point that in 18 months they haven’t been able to prove?” The White House did not immediately respond to Boehner’s comments. For Boehner, a select committee raises the profile of one of the Republicans’ main points

of attack against Obama ahead of November’s elections, which could swing the Senate to GOP control. Benghazi is a rallying cry for the conservative GOP base and will be critical for fundraising and getting voters to the polls in typically low-turnout midterm contests. A long-term investigation by a select committee could also provide a vehicle for Republican attacks on former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ahead of another potential presidential run in 2016. And it could unify the Republican approach, which showed fissures Thursday as two powerful GOP committee chairmen sparred over whether the military was prevented from responding to the attack. Boehner could schedule a vote as early as next week, a senior Republican aide said, which is a formality given the GOP’s control of the House. Democrats controlling the Senate have shown no interest in launching a similar probe. Boehner has been under intense pressure from rank-and-file conservatives and outside groups for a year to make the move. Republicans have pointed a finger at one

passage in particular among the 40 or so emails obtained by the watchdog group Judicial Watch through a Freedom of Information Act request. Three days after the attack, Ben Rhodes, then the deputy national security adviser for strategic communications at the White House, stressed the goal of underscoring “that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader policy failure.” The email was written the Friday before then-U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice appeared on the Sunday news programs and explained the Benghazi attack as a protest over a YouTube video that mocked the Islamic prophet Mohammed that was hijacked by extremists. Administration officials later changed their description of the attack and said references to a protest were inaccurate. Earlier this week, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Rhodes’ reminder was explicitly not about Benghazi but about the overall situation across the Arab world. The oversight committee chairman, Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., said he wanted Kerry to appear before the panel May 21 to explain why the latest emails were omitted from previous administration submissions. The State Department said Kerry plans to travel to Mexico around that time. Issa has been the GOP’s most prominent investigator of the Benghazi attack. But his star witness at a hearing Thursday came under sharp criticism from a fellow California Republican, Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, who heads the House Armed Services Committee.


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SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

US, Germany warn Putin not to disrupt vote By JOSH LEDERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel threatened tough sanctions Friday on broad swaths of Russia’s economy if Moscow disrupts Ukraine’s May 25 presidential elections, putting President Vladimir Putin on notice for harsher penalties even if he stops short of a full invasion. Standing side by side in the White House Rose Garden, Obama and Merkel sought to bat down the notion of any discord between the U.S and European approaches to dissuading Putin from interfering in Ukraine. Obama said the U.S. and Europe have shown “remarkable unity” in their response so far, though he acknowledged that some European countries are vulnerable to Russian retaliation for sanctions and said those concerns must be taken into account. “The next step is going to be a broader-based sectoral sanctions regime,” Obama declared, referring to entire segments of Russia’s economy, such as energy or arms. “If in fact we see the disruptions and the destabilization continuing so severely that it impedes elections on May 25th, we will not have a choice but to move forward with additional, more severe sanctions,” the president said. As Merkel arrived at the White House, Ukraine’s interim government launched its first major offensive against a pro-Russian insurgency that has seized government buildings across the eastern part of the country. The insurgents shot down two Ukrainian helicopters Friday, though Ukrainian officials said many insurgents had been killed or wounded. The Kremlin said the Ukrainian government’s actions had destroyed all chances for a two-week-old diplomatic

deal to de-escalate the crisis. While Obama and Merkel projected unity on Ukraine, there were clear differences between the two leaders over U.S. spying — a touchy issue that has exasperated much of the German public after revelations that the National Security Agency had eavesdropped on Merkel’s phone calls. Obama has vowed to end that practice, but a broader “no-spy” agreement sought by many in Germany hasn’t panned out. Obama insisted the U.S. doesn’t maintain that type of an arrangement with any country. Merkel said that “we have a few difficulties still to overcome,” while Obama said there are “some gaps that need to be worked through.” The leaders said they were committed to a “cyber dialogue” to resolve the lingering differences.

Photo by Manuel Balce Ceneta | AP

German Chancellor Angela Merkel speaks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington, on Friday. The U.S. and the European Union both ordered sanctions against Russian officials and individuals following Moscow’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula, but they have stopped short of broader sectoral sanctions out of concern about ricochet effects on European countries that do

business with Russia. Previously, Obama had said a Russian military incursion in eastern Ukraine would lead to those penalties, but on Friday, the two leaders signaled they could take such action even if Russia limited itself to more furtive means of stoking unrest in neighboring Ukraine.

“This is not necessarily what we want, but we are ready and prepared to undertake such a step,” said Merkel, according to an English translation of her remarks, which she made in German. She has spoken with Putin more frequently throughout the crisis than perhaps any other Western leader. Echoing Obama’s insistence that punishing Russia isn’t the goal, Merkel said the sanctions threat comes bundled with a renewed offer to Moscow to choose a diplomatic resolution instead. She spoke The tough talk from Obama and Merkel — the two leaders at the forefront of Western efforts to rein in Russia’s actions in Ukraine — came during a Washington visit in which the German chancellor was also meeting with U.S. lawmakers and promoting trans-At-

lantic trade in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. In that speech, she said the free-trade deal could help open the way for American natural gas supplies to Europe. About one-third of Europe’s energy now comes from Russia, and a majority of that supply passes through Ukraine, making it even more vulnerable. The crisis over Ukraine, Merkel said, “could have a very positive effect” in promoting a much quicker agreement on the free-trade agreement. Current U.S. regulations prohibit oil and gas exports to countries with which the U.S. does not have free-trade deals. Meanwhile, the European Union announced it would hold talks with Ukraine and Russia later this month on the price of natural gas, in an attempt to avoid any disruption in supplies.


SÁBADO 02 DE MAYO DE 2014

Agenda en Breve ZAPATA 05/04— El Zapata Lions Club Day estará celebrando un torneo de golf en Los Ebanos Golf Course, a la 1 p.m. Máyor información llamando al 765-8336.

LAREDO 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— Fiesta de Bellas Artes y Festival del Mariachi “Culturas Unidas” de 8:30 a.m. a 7 p.m. en el Auditorio del Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex. La Fiesta de Bellas Artes mostrará trabajos artísticos de estudiantes de secundaria, siendo a las 12 p.m. el anuncio de los ganadores. Para el festival del mariachi, el costo de entrada es de 4 dólares. Más información en el 473-7121. 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— Festival familiar “Dog Bowl”, donde participan agencias policiacas y su unidad K-9, de 11 a.m. a 4 p.m. en terrenos del Centro Cívico de LISD. Inscripción para los concursos es de 10 dólares, con las ganancias siendo destinadas a L.A.P.S. Habrá diversas actividades y pabellones con artículos en venta. 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. 05/03— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara presenta: “Earth, Moon and Sun” a las 3 p.m., “The Future is Wild” a las 4 p.m., “Seven Wonders” a las 5 p.m., y “Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’” a las 6 p.m. Costo: general, 5 dólares; niños, 4 dólares. 05/04— El Centro Binacional de Texas A&M International University presenta un seminario con Tony Karam, a partir de las 9 a.m., 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. Entrada gratuita.

NUEVO LAREDO, MÉXICO 05/03— ‘Bazar de Arte’ a partir de las 12 p.m. en Estación Palabra. Evento gratuito. 05/06— Pablo Soler se presentará a las 7 p.m. en el Teatro Lucio Blanco de Casa de la Cultura, con su gira Built for Tour 2014 – Fase 1 Latinoamérica. Estará acompañado por The Headbangers. Costo: 50 pesos.

Zfrontera

PÁGINA 11A

REYNOSA, MX

Ecos de violencia TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Casi 80 armas largas fueron aseguradas por elementos del Ejército Mexicano durante cuatro operativos realizados entre la noche del martes y las primeras horas del miércoles, en Reynosa, México. Además, durante este lapso de tiempo, fue localizado el cuerpo sin vida de una persona. A las 10:15 p.m. del martes, soldados se introdujeron a una casa ubicada en la calle Quebec, entre Liverpool y Munich, en la colonia Hacienda de las Fuentes, Sector 4, donde incautaron un vehículo, 22 armas largas, dos lanzagranadas, cuatro granadas, tres kilos de la droga sintética cristal, 415 dosis de cocaína, 714 dosis de marihuana,

3.000 cigarros de marihuana, diversos cargadores y cartuchos útiles, indica un comunicado de prensa. Posteriormente, a las 12:30 a.m. del miércoles, personal militar fue agredido por civiles armados. Aunque los sospechosos se dieron a la fuga, se logró asegurar tres vehículos blindados, seis automóviles; 19 armas largas y una corta, tres lanzagranadas, tres granadas, 103 cargadores, cartuchos útiles de diversos calibres y 10 kilogramos de marihuana. Un tercer operativo se realizó a las 8:49 a.m. del miércoles en la Colonia Los Caracoles, donde fue descubierto el cuerpo sin vida de un hombre, en el interior de un vehículo. Soldados lograron recuperar 10 armas largas, cinco granadas y

67 cargadores para diferentes calibres. La víctima no ha sido identificada. El cuarto operativo fue efectuado a las 11 a.m. en la colonia Riberas del Bosque, donde personal militar aseguró un vehículo presuntamente abandonado por civiles armados. “Del interior de la unidad (soldados) aseguraron 25 armas largas y dos cortas, dos lanzagranadas, 2.100 cartuchos de diferentes calibres y 12 cargadores”, concluye el comunicado. No se reportaron arrestos.

Día violento Los operativos se llevaron a ca-

bo después que los residentes de Reynosa vivieran un martes violento, que dejara 16 personas muertas, entre las 12 p.m. y las 8 p.m. Las víctimas de los enfrentamientos fueron 12 civiles armados, dos oficiales de la Policía Federal y dos jóvenes ajenos a la situación, informó la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (SeDeNa) en un comunicado de prensa. También una persona más resultó con heridas que no atentaban contra su vida. Durante ese lapso, militares aseguraron 10 armas largas, fornituras, cargadores, una granada de fragmentación, equipo táctico, y cartuchos útiles de diferentes calibres, además de tres camionetas blindadas.

TCEQ

EDUCACIÓN

¿AGUA INFECTADA?

Inquieren sobre casos de abuso POR KIMBERLY HEFLING ASSOCIATED PRESS

Foto de archivo por Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times

En la fotografía de archivo se puede ver a un grupo de pescadores deportivos en las aguas del Lago Falcón durante una tarde soleada.

Agencias verifican salubridad de lago ASSOCIATED PRESS

M

cALLEN — Las pruebas de agua continúan en el Lago Falcón, a lo largo de la frontera entre Texas y México, después de la muerte de peces, por preocupaciones de un afluente creciente. Rally Spener, vocera de la Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas, dijo el jueves que las

pruebas de agua realizadas el miércoles en el Lago Falcón no indicaron la existencia de sustancias extrañas. Los resultados del laboratorio tomarán un par de días. El 8 de abril, se encontraron peces muertos en el Río Salado, en México, alrededor de 90 millas, agua arriba del Lago Falcón, que es popular entre los pescadores deportivos y se extiende a lo largo de la frontera. Spener no te-

nía información sobre lo que pudo haber causado la muerte de los peces. No se han descubierto más peces muertos río arriba. Los resultados primarios de las muestras de agua realizados por una agencia mexicana estuvieron dentro de los estándares mexicanos. La Comisión de Texas sobre Calidad Ambiental ha notificado a los usuarios de aguas río abajo.

COLUMNA

Desarrollan consolidación de Leyes de Reforma en México POR RAUL SINENCIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Durante la Guerra de Reforma, México ardió. En 1857 inicia el cuartelazo que realizaron los conservadores al desconocer la nueva Constitución. Por mandato de esta Benito Juárez asume la presidencia de la República Mexicana y reúne al gabinete en Veracruz. Ahí redacta las Leyes de Reforma, sin imaginarse las repercusiones que tendrían en Tamaulipas.

Anuncio de las reformas El programa liberal, “cuyas ideas tiene hoy el gobierno la honra de representar, es el símbolo de la razón, del orden, de la justicia y de la civilización, a la vez que expresión franca y genuina de las necesidades de la sociedad”, puntualiza Juárez al lanzar en Veracruz el 7 de julio de 1859 el manifiesto. Y enfatiza: “Para poner un término definitivo a esa guerra sangrienta y fratricida que una parte del clero está fomentando (…)la

presidencia del país “adoptar como regla general invariable, la más perfecta independencia entre los negocios del Estado y los puramente eclesiásticos”. Investido de atribuciones extraordinarias de acuerdo con la Carta Magna, el patricio dicta seis ordenamientos. Leyes de Reforma.

Decretos La normatividad juarista consagra que “el culto católico y los que se establezcan siendo un derecho natural no tiene ni puede tener más límite que el derecho de tercero y las exigencias del orden público”. A los funcionarios gubernamentales concede la misma libertad religiosa, advirtiéndoles que “no podrán con carácter oficial asistir a los actos de un culto”. “Los gobernadores de los estados –prescribe la Constitución— están obligados a publicar y hacer cumplir las leyes federales”. Leal a las instituciones republicanas, Tamaulipas reproduce los referidos decretosUna persona muestra particular interés por la ley que crea

el Registro Civil..

Episodios Tanto le apura que hace inusitada solicitud al legislativo del estado 11 meses antes de concluir el conflicto bélico con la victoria liberal. Detalla el acta del 4 de febrero de 1861: “Se dio lectura” al “ocurso del presbítero Ramón Lozano”, donde reconoce ser padre de “tres hijos naturales, y deseando entren en los goces” jurídicos concedidos “a los hijos legítimos, ocurre al Honorable Congreso suplicándole clemencia, declarando su legitimidad con todos los privilegios que son consiguientes”. Bajo el derecho canónico las pretensiones del solicitante nunca hubieran prosperado. Romper el celibato le habría valido severas penas. Las Leyes de Reforma en cambio vuelven posible darles apellido paterno a los “tres hijos naturales” y la oportunidad de heredar. En la separación de los asuntos del Estado mexicano y de la Iglesia aún hay episodios poco conocidos. Ni duda cabe.

WASHINGTON— Desde enormes universidades estatales, otras locales e incluso algunas de gran prestigio, 55 casas de altos estudios en todo Estados Unidos enfrentan una investigación federal por la forma en que manejan las acusaciones de abuso sexual de estudiantes. Por primera vez el Departamento de Educación reveló el jueves la lista de universidades locales bajo investigación —aunque ningún detalle de las denuncias— en momentos que el gobierno del presidente Barack Obama trata de transparentar el problema de la violencia sexual en las universidades y sus alrededores. Las escuelas en cuestión son universidades públicas, como la Estatal de Ohio, la Universidad de California en Berkeley y la Estatal de Arizona, otras privadas como la Universidad Knox en Illinois, la Universidad Swarthmore en Pennsylvania y la Universidad Católica en el Distrito de Columbia. Universidades de la llamada Ivy League, como Harvard, Princeton y Dartmouth, también están en la lista. El gobierno enfatizó que la lista incluye universidades donde se realizan investigaciones de denuncias, no juicios. El secretario federal de Educación, Arne Duncan, dijo que la presunción de culpa es "absolutamente cero". No hay muchos detalles de los casos individuales, pero sí se sabe un poco. Uno, en la Universidad de Michigan en Ann Arbor, involucra acusaciones de manejo inadecuado sobre un caso de un jugador de fútbol americano. La investigación comenzó después de que las autoridades federales recibieron quejas relacionadas con la expulsión de Brendan Gibbons, un ex pateador. Un grupo estudiantil examinó la política de mala conducta sexual entre los alumnos y el mes pasado determinó que la universidad no logró explicar una demora de un año entre el presunto incidente y la expulsión de Gibbons en diciembre. El portavoz Rick Fitzgerald dice que la institución ha "cooperado completamente". En su mayor parte, las escuelas en la lista no estaban dispuestas a hablar sobre incidentes específicos, pero dijeron que han estado trabajando con el departamento federal para responder mejor a las quejas de los estudiantes. “Esperamos que al concluir esto habrá una solución que fortalezca nuestros procesos internos y lleve a una comunidad más segura”, dijo Justin Anderson, portavoz de Dartmouth. “Siempre hay algo que podemos aprender y formas de mejorar”. Algunas de las investigaciones se remontan a 2010. Tres universidades —la Estatal de Michigan, la de Wittenberg en Ohio y la Metodista del Sur en Texas— enfrentan más de una. Los reporteros de la AP Holly Ramer en Concord, Nueva Hampshire, Corey Williams en Detroit, Michigan, Paige Sutherland en Boston, Rick Callahan en Indianápolis, Jennifer Peltz en Nueva York y Josh Lederman en Washington contribuyeron a este despacho.


PAGE 12A

Zentertainment

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

Talent through the generations at Jazz Fest By CHEVEL JOHNSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is filled with artists who have handed down their know-how and love for their craft to their children. At Friday’s festival, Charmaine Neville and her band shook the Blues Tent with a rendition of Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” and The Temptations’ “Papa Was a Rolling Stone,” with help from her son, Damion on vocals, and her father, Charles Neville on saxophone. They’re not the only Nevilles playing this year’s festival. Ivan Neville’s Dump-

staphunk plays Sunday and includes another cousin, Ian Neville on guitar. Their family is just one example of how the music has flowed from one generation to the next and how the festival, by showcasing them, continues the city’s musical heritage. “I’m 32 for 32 on Jazz Fest,” said Ian Neville, the 32-year-old son of Art Neville. “I’ve played at about half or more. I think that’s a pretty good record.” The Neville Brothers and their musical progeny all have been featured at the fest over its 45-year history. Same goes for Zydeco singer Nathan Williams, 51, and his 27-year-old son, Nathan “Lil Nathan” Williams Jr.

and many of the musical Marsalis clan, led by jazz pianist Ellis Marsalis. Ivan Neville, 54, said he soaked up the music by “just being around it.” “I learned mostly by ear and feel,” he said. “It gets inside you and you express it. But we’re always talking about music, me and my uncles and dad. A lot of the end result is understood.” Charmaine Neville said her love for music came from her father and mother, who sang opera. “Hearing the classical and jazz together, I think that’s what did it for me,” she said. Growing up in a musical city, Charmaine Neville said, helps to keep the tradi-

Photo by Gerald Herbert | AP

Charmaine Neville, right, performs with her son Damion Neville, center, and father Charles Neville at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival in New Orleans, on Friday. tions moving from one generation to the next. “So many people taught you so many different things,” she said. “Living

next door to Fats (Domino) taught me the importance of continuing to pass on the knowledge from generation to generation. I truly didn’t

know the legacy of the lineage I had been born into until years later. But our family goes back at least eight generations of music. We’re just trying to keep it all alive. We definitely want the kids who are going to be around to know what it is.” The elder Williams said he, too, comes from a musically inclined family but he also learned much of his craft from Zydeco masters Clifton Chenier and Buckwheat Zydeco. Now, his children are following in his footsteps and benefiting from that knowledge. His son, Lil Nathan, used to play scrub boards in his band, the Zydeco Cha Chas, and now fronts his own band, the Zydeco Big Timers.


SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 13A

Abelino Bustamante

WEAPONS Continued from Page 1A

Nov. 10, 1930 — May 1, 2014 Abelino Bustamante, 83, passed away Thursday, May 1, 2014, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas. Mr. Bustamante is preceded in death by his parents, Manuel and Felicidad Bustamante and a brother, Humberto Bustamante. Mr. Bustamante is survived by his wife, Rosa P. Bustamante; sons, Humberto (Janie H.) Bustamante, Wilfredo (Josefa) Bustamante, Abelino Jr. (San Juana) Bustamante; grandchildren, Felix (Esperanza) Bustamante, Michelle Bustamante, Michael Bustamante, Clarissa Bustamante, Anthony Bustamante, Jaqueline Bustamante, Rebecca Bustamante; great-grandchildren, Emanuel Bustamante, Isabel Bustamante; brother, David Bustamante; sister, Olivia (Sergio) Elizondo; and by numerous nephews, nieces, friends and other family members. Mr. Bustamante was a veteran of the Korean Conflict and graduated from Holding Institute. Visitation hours will be Sunday, May 4, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden

leged gang members attacked soldiers and then fled. Soldiers reported confiscating three armored vehicles, six automobiles, 19 rifles and one pistol, three grenade launchers, three grenades, 103 magazines, ammunition of different calibers and 10 kilograms of marijuana. Soldiers conducted a third operation at 8:49 a.m. Wednesday in Los Caracoles neighborhood, where they discovered a man’s body inside a vehicle. He was not identified. Soldiers confiscated 10 rifles, five grenades and 67 magazines for difFuneral Home. The funeral procession will depart Monday, May 5, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Burial services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery, including full Military Honors by the American Legion Post 486 Color Guard. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata, Texas.

ferent calibers. The forth operation took place at the Riberas del Bosque neighborhood at 11 a.m. Wednesday. Soldiers reported finding a vehicle that was allegedly left by alleged gang members. “From inside the vehicle (soldiers) secured 25 rifles and two pistols, two grenade launchers, 2,100 cartridges of various calibers and 12 magazines,” a press release stated. Soldiers reported making no arrests.

MERS VIRUS Continued from Page 1A rus become ill. But it appears to be unusually lethal — by some estimates, it has killed nearly a third of the people it sickened. That’s a far higher percentage than seasonal flu or other routine infections. But it is not as contagious as flu, measles or other diseases. There is no vaccine or cure and there’s specific treatment except to relieve symptoms. Federal and state health officials on Friday released only limited information about the U.S. case: On April 24, the man flew from Riyadh — Saudi Arabia’s capital and largest city — to the United States, with

a stop in London. He landed in Chicago and took a bus to nearby Indiana. He didn’t become sick until Sunday, the CDC said. He went to the emergency room at Community Hospital in Munster the next day with a fever, cough and shortness of breath. He was admitted and tested for the MERS virus because he had traveled from the Middle East. The hospital said he was in good condition. As a precaution, the hospital said it would monitor the man’s family and health care workers who treated him for any signs of infection. There’s been a recent surge in

POACHERS VETERANS tended to ensure that “The VA handles medical care in a timely manner, meets its own deadlines for reducing the backlog or they’re going to have their money cut.” Flores said he hopes the bill will make a difference but added, “The optimal way to change policy is on the authorization side, not the appropriation side.” He added, “You have to wonder, how widespread, how pervasive” the issues spotlighted in the Phoenix report are. In a statement issued Tuesday, the Obama administration criticized Culberson’s VA funding bill, saying, “The Administration is disappointed with the funding level for VA Medical Care, which is $368 million below the President’s request” and also said the lower funding could delay “timely delivery of health care services to veterans.” Cornyn echoed Flores’ sentiments and said he was reminded of instances at “two different veterans’ clinics in Los Angeles and in Dallas that about 40,000 appointments that were on their books were purged in order to make it look like the backlog was not as bad as it was.” An internal Veterans’ Affairs document obtained Tuesday from the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee shows that in 2012, the VA’s North Texas system had “in excess of 36,000 un-

The operations took place after Reynosa residents lived through a violent Tuesday that left 16 people dead between noon and 8 p.m. Mexican authorities said those killed were 12 alleged gang members, two federal police officers and two innocent bystanders. Soldiers reported finding 10 rifles, cartridge belts, magazines, one fragmentation grenade, tactical equipment, ammunition of various calibers and three armored trucks. (Translated by Mark Webber of the Times staff.)

MERS illnesses in Saudi Arabia; cases have tended to increase in the spring. Experts think the uptick may partly be due to more and better surveillance. Columbia’s Lipkin has an additional theory — there may be more virus circulating in the spring, when camels are born. The CDC has issued no warnings about travel to countries involved in the outbreak. However, anyone who develops fever, cough or shortness of breath within two weeks of traveling in or near the Arabian Peninsula should see their doctor and mention their travel history.

Continued from Page 1A

Continued from Page 1A

resolved consults,” or unfulfilled appointments, dating back nearly a decade. Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-El Paso) And Rep. Pete Gallego (D-Alpine) have written to VA officials because much of their two districts are within the same veterans’ service network as Phoenix. The letter related their concerns about the allegations from Phoenix and cited a survey of El Paso veterans that found “28 percent of veterans had been unable to secure an appointment with a mental health provider during the past year.” Culberson said he “was appalled, outraged and heartsick” at the news from Phoenix and he is “sure that the inspector general will pursue criminal charges.” Flores said America owes our veterans an obligation of care and “We on the Veterans’ Affairs committee of the House of Representatives are committed to changing the VA to be able to fulfill that obligation.” Flores cited another bill, currently before the subcommittee he chairs, that is intended to make VA officials more accountable. “Basically, it reaffirms the fact that the senior employee cadre at Veterans’ Affairs are at-will employees and if they don’t do their jobs, they can be terminated or disciplined and then terminated,” Flores said.

Photo by David Pike/Valley Morning Star | AP

Annie McKinney feeds a group of deer in Port Mansfield, on Dec. 1. Poachers have killed a large buck and wounded at least three deer in recent months in this tiny fishing village where residents’ feeding of the animals has made them easy targets, officials say. Mansfield airport pasture to a resident’s mobile home park but could not find the arrow. “I suspect that they expected the deer to drop but when it didn’t they left the area,” Castañeda said of the archer. Castañeda said authorities have no leads in the case. “It’s real tough unless you have eye witnesses,” he said of arrests in poaching cases. Lavelle said he used to feed the buck that he named “Christmas.” “He knew his name,” Lavelle said. “I would call him a half-mile away and he would come running to me.” Lavelle said two other

bucks disappeared from the Port Mansfield area between Jan. 6 and March 30. Poachers have used bows and arrows to wound at least three deer so far this year, Castañeda said. “We found many deer with arrows in them but still alive,” he said. Castañeda said the killing of the 11-point buck marked the first confirmed case in which a deer died at the hands of poachers here since January 2013, when a hunter used a 30.06-caliber rifle to shoot a 12-point buck. He said the poacher faces a $12,000 state fine in the 2013 case. Poachers have killed 20 to 30 deer since he began

working here nearly 10 years ago, Castañeda said. Castañeda said authorities have arrested six or seven poachers during that period. Residents’ feeding of deer has made them easy targets for poachers, Castañeda said. “There are a lot of people who feed deer who need to be more conscious that others are taking advantage of them,” he said. Lavelle, who said he has researched the local deer population, said about 450 deer roam the 7-squaremile area. Free-roaming deer have become a tourist attraction in Port Mansfield, Port Director Ronald Mills said. “I’ve noticed vehicles

pulled over with women and children feeding deer corn out of their hands,” Mills said. The Willacy County Navigation District has considered a ban on the feeding of deer to try to stop them from wandering into town. “About half the community loves the deer and the other half wants them all gone,” Mills said. Some residents here have warned that rutting deer could hurt people. “There could be deer attacking people or people wrongfully killing deer,” Mills said. He said other residents are concerned deer could carry ticks and fleas into town.


14A LAREDO MORNING TIMES

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014


SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors PRO BOXING

MIDDLE SCHOOL GOLF: ZAPATA MERLINS

District winners Photo by Isaac Brekken | AP

Argentine Marcos Maidana will be a heavy underdog in tonight’s fight.

Floyd to fight Alvarez tonight By TIM DAHLBERG ASSOCIATED PRESS

Courtesy photo

The Zapata Middle School boys’ and girls’ golf teams both won district titles and won all four tournaments they entered. Ryan King won the boys’ individual district championship while Idalinda Guerra took the girls’ crown.

Merlins finish off strong season with league crown By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

T

he future for the Zapata golf team looks very bright as the middle school team excelled in its local district golf tournament on Thursday at La Joya’s Martin Valley Ranch. All season long, the Merlins were the team to beat as both the boys’ and girls’ squads took home the championship trophy in the four tournaments that Zapata entered. They quickly dispelled of the competition and were often fighting each other for the top spot at each tournament.

Zapata finally saw the fruits of its labor as the Merlins boys’ and girls’ golf teams came home with the biggest prize — a district championship. Zapata also took home the boys and girls individual championship titles. Ryan King and Idalinda Guerra were crowned individual district champions to help Zapata sweep all top four awards at the district tournament. Both teams also placed in the top 10. King took home the individual district title while CJ Garcia finished third with a ninehole score of 32 and was followed by Aaron Cruz’s fourth place finish with a score of 35.

EJ Garcia took fifth place honors with a 36. Guerra led the way for the girls with a score of 30 and was closely followed by Daniella Hernandez, who came in third with a score of 37. Fifth place went to Triana Rodriguez after she finished with a score of 42. Amber Bello scored a 46 to secure 10th place and help the team win the district title. "I just want to congratulate the team on a great season," head coach Clyde Guerra Jr. said. The middle school coaching staff consists of Guerra, Paul Soto and Gaby Montes. E-mail: sandoval.clara@gmail.com

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

LAS VEGAS — Floyd Mayweather Jr. is enough of a businessman to know his latest fight would be a tough sell, especially after setting records with Canelo Alvarez his last time out. But sell he must, even though oddsmakers and nearly everyone else give Marcos Maidana little chance in their welterweight title fight Saturday night. A full house is already guaranteed at the MGM Grand hotel arena, but Mayweather needs people at home to pay $64.95 for the fight if he is going to recoup his guaranteed $32 million purse. So Mayweather hinted this week that this might be his last fight, though few in boxing believe that. He also said he planned to stand in front of Maidana and trade punches with the hard-hitting Argentine, though his history in the ring suggests he won’t. Oh, and he wants to score a knockout, something he’s done only once in the last seven years. “I want to look impressive,”

See MAYWEATHER PAGE 2B

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: 2014 DRAFT

Smith’s option exercised By JANIE MCCAULEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco 49ers know Aldon Smith still has plenty of work to do in order to repair his tarnished image and stay on track away from the football field. They want to be an integral part of his self-improvement

project, exercising their 2015 fifth-year contract option for the star linebacker on Friday. The team made the decision despite Smith’s long list of legal trouble that included an arrest at Los Angeles International Airport just more than two weeks ago. San Francisco faced a Saturday deadline to decide on Smith’s immediate future, and

general manager Trent Baalke suggested last week the team would keep the fearsome passrusher around for the near future at least — for 2015, “and ’16, and ’17 and ’18.” The 49ers will provide Smith with the support he needs to deal with his rash of off-the-field issues. Yet Baalke has made it clear

See SMITH PAGE 2B

NBA: LOS ANGELES CLIPPERS Photo by Michael Conroy | AP

LA NAACP official resigns By JUSTIN PRITCHARD ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — The president of the Los Angeles chapter of the NAACP has resigned following outrage over a decision he later reversed to give Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling an award for promoting civil rights. Leon Jenkins was to honor Sterling later this month but rescinded that offer Monday after a recording of racist statements by the real-estate mogul was made public last weekend. In a letter to the national leader of the nation’s oldest

See NAACP PAGE 2B

Though quarterbacks like Johnny Manziel and Blake Bortles have drawn plenty of attention, the Texans may grab South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 pick.

Clowney still favorite to go first overall By BARRY WILNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

File photo by Mark j. Terrill | AP

After it was revealed that Clippers owner Donald Sterling was to receive a “lifetime achievement award” from the LA chapter of the NAACP, chapter president Leon Jenkins resigned Thursday.

NEW YORK — Quarterbacks, deep threats, and Jadeveon. For all the interest in QBs such as Johnny Football, and all the praise for the deep class of deep-threat receivers, the first player off the board on Thursday in the NFL draft figures to be that most coveted of defenders, the sack master end. South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney is expected to wind up with the Houston Texans, who get the first pick in the three-day proceedings at

Radio City Music Hall. Criticism of his work ethic and suggestions that he spent much of last season trying to avoid injury have been overwhelmed in most draft rooms by video of Clowney at his best. Those clips show him beating double-teams, even triple-teams. He’s been so impressive that many NFL insiders believe Clowney would have been the top overall pick had he been eligible after his 2012 sophomore season. “With a player like Jadeveon in

See CLOWNEY PAGE 2B


PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

MAYWEATHER Continued from Page 1B Mayweather said. “I want to put on a good show. We don’t expect this fight to go the distance.” Mayweather returns to the ring for the first time since dominating Alvarez in boxing’s richest bout, taking on Maidana in a fight that even Mayweather seems to have trouble expressing much enthusiasm about. He’s a bigger, much more skilled fighter than the Argentine, just part of the reason oddsmakers make him a 11-1 pick to remain undefeated in the 46th fight of a pro career that has made him the richest fighter ever. Still, Mayweather (45-0, 26 knockouts) says he has to be wary of the power Maidana brings into the ring. “He’s got an 80 percent knockout ratio so I can’t go to sleep on this guy,” he said. “But guys can’t go to the mental level I’m at. I can beat them many ways.” The fight is part of a pay-per-view card that features former champion Amir Khan moving up to welterweight to fight another former champion in Luis Collazo. Khan had campaigned to be Mayweather’s opponent and won an online poll set up by Mayweather, who ended up picking Maidana instead. If Khan is impressive, though, and Mayweather wins as expected, the two could meet later this year. “I would have loved to fight Floyd Mayweather, but I believe it’s really for the best,” Khan said. “It gives me a chance to get to 147 and feel my way.” Maidana (35-3, 31 knockouts) earned the fight with a strong showing in his last bout, twice knocking down Adrien Broner on his way to a decision win in December. Though Maidana hits hard, he will be up against a fighter who is such a defensive wizard that he rarely gets hit with more than one punch in any exchange. “It’s very difficult to land a punch against Mayweather,” Maidana said. “But when I land a punch I’m going to hit him and not let him go. I will go after him.” Mayweather said he welcomes the challenge after easily beating Alvarez last September in a fight that was supposed to be his toughest test. “If he brings his best maybe he will be the first guy that actually makes me dig in my bag of tricks and pull out my ’A’ game,” Mayweather said. “Hopefully he will make me bring out my ’A’ game because my whole career all I had to use was a ’D’ and ’C’ game to beat every guy.” If the Alvarez fight showed anything other than Mayweather’s talent for making money — and tons of it — it was that a conventional fighter stands little chance against him. He’s been dodging punches since before he could walk, and he’s a wizard at exploiting whatever weakness he finds in the fighter in front of him. “I can feel when a guy’s gonna punch. I can feel it,” Mayweather said. “I don’t even have to see it; I can feel it. You know, this is just with experience and being around the sport so long.” Maidana says he can become the first to beat Mayweather because he will be the first to treat him just like any other fighter in the ring. “Other fighters they show respect, they show fear,” he said. “That’s one thing I won’t show against Mayweather.”

SMITH Continued from Page 1B there must be positive change, and soon. San Francisco realizes Smith still could face a suspension from the NFL for his DUI last September, and is expected to look for depth at linebacker during next week’s NFL draft. “Well, that remains to be seen. You prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” Baalke said of a potential suspension for Smith. “There are still a lot of things that are going to factor into that decision at the league level and the club level. We’re working very diligently in the background trying to make sure the right decisions are made long term, not only for Aldon but for this club.” In his latest run-in with the law, Smith was arrested April 13 at Los Angeles International Airport. Police say the 24-year-old NFL star was randomly selected for a secondary screening and became uncooperative with the process, telling a TSA agent that he had a bomb. The district attorney has referred the case for misdemeanor consideration. That followed Smith’s fivegame absence last season to undergo treatment for substance abuse after a September DUI arrest. In November, he pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon, stemming from a June 2012 party at his home. Investigators say several shots were fired, two partygoers were injured and Smith was stabbed. In the subsequent investigation, prosecutors say detectives found five unregistered, illegal weapons in Smith’s house, including two Bushmaster rifles and an Armalite AR-10T. Yet, what Smith brings on the field makes him one of the NFL’s best at chasing down and pressuring quarterbacks. Smith emerged as one of the league’s most-feared pass rushers in 2012. He had a franchise-record 19 1/2 sacks that year, but failed to record a sack in his final six games including the team’s postseason Super Bowl run. Smith finished with 8 1/2 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games last season, making eight starts. His 42 sacks are second-most in the NFL since he entered the league.

File photo by Rick Scuteri | AP

The 49ers picked up star linebacker Aldon Smith’s fifth-year contract option through 2015 on Friday. Smith was recently arrested at Los Angeles International Airport after claiming he had a bomb. He and former teammate Delanie Walker were named in a lawsuit last September filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court by a Northern California man who said he was shot at a party at Smith’s house on June 29, 2012. The players charged a $10 admission and $5 per drink, the lawsuit said. Smith and now-Tennessee Titans tight end Walker were allegedly intoxicated on Smith’s balcony when they fired gunshots in the air while trying to end the party, the lawsuit said. Smith, selected seventh overall in the 2011 draft out of Missouri, had previously been arrested on suspicion of DUI in January 2012 in Miami shortly after the 49ers lost in the NFC championship game. Baalke and the rest of the 49ers hope Smith will learn a lesson at last, and become a better person because of it. Smith said during a January

NAACP Continued from Page 1B civil rights organization, Jenkins wrote that he resigned Thursday “to separate the Los Angeles NAACP and the NAACP from the negative exposure I have caused.” Jenkins also has had legal problems that came into focus this week. He has been banned for years from practicing law in California because of allegations that include corruption. A telephone message and email seeking comment after business hours from the NAACP Los Angeles chapter were not immediately returned. Even before the recording, the decision to give Sterling a “lifetime achievement award” May 15 at the 100th anniversary celebration of the Los Angeles chapter was questioned by some civil rights activists, who cited allegations of discrimination in Sterling’s past. The U.S. Justice Department sued Sterling in August 2006, alleging housing discrimination in the Koreatown area of Los Angeles. In November 2009, Sterling agreed to pay $2.7 million to settle allegations that he refused to rent apartments to Hispanics and blacks. Also in 2009, the year after Jenkins was first elected president in Los Angeles, the chapter first honored Sterling with a similar achievement award. Branches of the NAACP — there are more than 50 in California alone — operate with considerable autonomy. In a statement accompanying the resignation announcement, the national NAACP said it is “develop-

ing guidelines for its branches to help them in their award selection process.” Jenkins said Sterling had been selected owing to his history of donating to minority charities and giving game tickets to inner-city children. The Donald T. Sterling Charitable Foundation gave $5,000 to the NAACP’s Los Angeles chapter in 2010, according to tax records. There were no further NAACP contributions in subsequent years for which records were available. After the recording of Sterling having a private conversation with a woman became public, Jenkins backtracked. “There is a personal, economic and social price that Mr. Sterling must pay for his attempt to turn back the clock on race relations,” he said Monday. On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling from the league for life, fined the real estate magnate $2.5 million, and said he wanted the league’s board of governors to make Sterling sell the team. Sterling is the NBA’s longest-tenured owner. He is also among the league’s least successful, though in recent years the Clippers have surged. News of Jenkins’ resignation broke an hour before the Clippers tipped off against the Golden State Warriors in a first-round playoff game. In the three games played since the news broke, the Clippers have won just one and lost two. After dropping Thursday night’s game, 10099, in Oakland they will face the Warriors in a seventh and final game on Saturday

in Los Angeles. It will determine which team advances to the second round of the post-season playoffs. Reacting to the announcement, local activist Earl Ofari Hutchinson said the NAACP’s Los Angeles chapter needed to become “fully transparent and accountable to its members and community and not to dubious corporate donors.” Jenkins’ legal problems date back to allegations of corruption when he was a young judge in Detroit. In 1988, federal prosecutors charged Jenkins with extortion and racketeering conspiracy, saying he requested and received money, jewelry, a handgun and other gifts to dismiss traffic tickets and other misdemeanors. While Jenkins was acquitted after two trials, in 1991 the Michigan Supreme Court removed him as a judge. He had “systematically and routinely sold his office and his public trust,” thenChief Justice Michael Cavanagh said at the time. In April, three judges with California’s State Bar Court denied Jenkins’ most recent request to practice law again. The judges lauded Jenkins’ volunteer work with the NAACP and other organizations, but they cited several instances in which they said he misrepresented his finances or other aspects of his personal life. “Despite Jenkins’ impressive good character evidence and community service, he continues to commit errors in judgment that call into question his rehabilitation and present good moral character,” the judges wrote.

File photo by Jeff Chiu | AP

The seventh overall pick in 2011, Aldon Smith had 8 1/2 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games last season after a monster sophomore campaign. interview with The Associated Press he was encouraged by his strides and confident he had made positive changes in his life. “I’m a firm believer in the humanistic approach to everything. You continue to work just like you would with any family member,” Baalke said. “We’re a family.

You don’t just open the door and toss people out of it. You continue to work until they leave you no choice. That’s what we’re going to do. We’re going to continue to work with him, we’re going continue to find ways to support, not defend, we cannot defend the actions of others, all we can do is support.”

CLOWNEY Continued from Page 1B his second year, he was a tremendous player,” says former NFL player Tom Condon, now a prominent agent. “And then he had to play his third year and you hear the questions about what kind of motor does he have. I watched him this year and I thought he was a fantastic player.” Clowney disputes claims he doesn’t always bring it, and all NFL coaches believe they can get the most out of any prospect. “I think I work just as hard as anybody,” Clowney says. “If you pick me and pair me with guys, I’m going to try and outwork them also.” Should Houston bypass adding Clowney to a defense that already has a disruptive star end in J.J. Watt, the Texans could opt for a quarterback. They dealt incumbent Matt Schaub to Oakland, leaving Case Keenum and T.J. Yates behind center. But grabbing Texas A&M’s oftenspectacular and unpredictable Johnny Manziel at the top of the draft could be a reach. Same thing for the other quarterbacks being dissected by scouts — for two extra weeks this year, because the draft was moved back into early May. Choosing Central Florida’s Blake Bortles, Louisville’s Teddy Bridgewater, Fresno State’s Derek Carr (brother of 2002 overall top pick David Carr of the same school and an NFL bust) or any other passer might be a stretch. Instead, many teams drafting early may opt for guys who stretch the field. NFL draft guru Gil Brandt calls it “a very strong draft for receivers,” and general managers drool about Sammy Watkins of Clemson, Mike Evans of Texas A&M, Brandin Cooks of Oregon State, Marqise Lee of Southern California, Odell Beckham Jr. of LSU, and Kelvin Benjamin of Florida State. Brandt lists eight wideouts in his top 50 prospects. Asked what impact the speedy, strong, elusive workaholic Watkins might have on the Browns, general manager Ray Farmer says: “Big, big, really big. Ginormous.

“He’s explosive,” Farmer adds. “He’s got really good hands. He’s demonstrated he can run all the routes. He can be productive. So saddle him on the opposite side of Josh Gordon and WOW!” Other WOW factor players attracting attention before the draft include Buffalo (the Bulls, not the Bills) linebacker Khalil Mack, UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr, Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron. But the guys in the trenches never should be ignored, with three tackles — Greg Robinson of Auburn, Jake Matthews of Texas A&M (son of Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews) and Taylor Lewan of Michigan — projected to go in the first dozen picks. Defensive tackles Aaron Donald of Pittsburgh, Tim Jernigan of Florida State and Louis Nix of Notre Dame also are likely first-rounders. Just like last year, when no running backs went in the first round, that position is devalued in 2014. Top ball carriers in this crop include Carlos Hyde of Ohio State and Tre Mason of Auburn. The impact of underclassmen will be felt more in this draft than ever, with a record 98 declaring for early entry. Clowney, Watkins, Manziel, Ebron, Robinson, and Clinton-Dix are among them. Meanwhile, one player not likely to go until later Friday (the second and third rounds) or even Saturday (Round 4 through Round 7) is Missouri defensive end Michael Sam, the first openly gay player in an NFL draft. Sam has been a solid playmaker for the Tigers, and prefers to look at himself as a football prospect, not a trail blazer. He’s made that clear for months. “I wish you guys would just say, ’Michael Sam, how’s football going? How’s training going?’ I would love for you to ask me that question,” Sam said at the NFL combine. “But it is what it is. And I just wish you guys would just see me as Michael Sam the football player instead of Michael Sam the gay football player.”


SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

HINTS | BY HELOISE Dear Heloise: With our lives so busy and stressful, all I want is a GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP. Do you have any hints to help me achieve this? — Melissa W. in Colorado Aren’t we all exhausted and hoping for that perfect night of sleep? The National Sleep Foundation has some hints that may help: • Keep a nighttime routine by going to bed and waking up at the same time. And yes, unfortunately, this means on weekends, too. • Exercise, but try not to exercise within a few hours of bedtime. • Make sure your room is prepared for sleep, from comfortable bedding to the perfect cool temperature. You also want to limit noise and electronics, if possible. If you are having trouble falling asleep, do not just lie there. Go to another room to read for a short time. Hopefully, you will start to feel more tired after some relaxing reading time. — Heloise P.S.: Take a look around the bedroom to see how many "light-emitting" things

there are. I counted four in our bedroom! STRAY SIGN Dear Heloise: I found a cat one day, and I made fliers to hang to find the owner. Oftentimes, fliers get wet or damaged, and you can no longer read them. To avoid this, I made the fliers, cut them to size and put them in large plastic zippered bags. Then I hung them around the neighborhood. The signs lasted much longer, and I found the cat’s owner! — A Reader in Texas LABELED CONTAINERS Dear Heloise: I read your column regarding poison prevention in the Ventura County (Calif.) Star. One suggestion that I felt should be included is to store all poisons in their original, labeled containers. Often, folks who need a small amount of a chemical will pour it into another container (a cup or glass), making it appear to be water or some other drinkable liquid. This can be very dangerous. — A Reader, via email

DENNIS THE MENACE

FAMILY CIRCUS

PEANUTS

GARFIELD

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:

DILBERT


Sports

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2014

Jaguars don’t expect Blackmon to play By MARK LONG ASSOCIATED PRESS

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Jaguars expect to be without suspended receiver Justin Blackmon all season, maybe even longer. General manager Dave Caldwell said Friday it would be “relatively surprising” to have Blackmon back on the field this fall. “It’s not something that we’re counting on,” Caldwell said at the team’s annual predraft luncheon. “It would be something that would be relatively surprising. Haven’t gotten a whole lot of updates from the league where he’s at or from Justin, to be honest with you.” Blackmon is suspended indefinitely without pay for repeated violations of the league’s substance abuse policy. He was previously suspended the first four games of last year for violating the policy. He played four games before getting suspended again — at least for a year. But the Jaguars aren’t counting on Blackmon to return after eight games in 2014. NFL rules prohibit the team from having any contact with Blackmon — aside from texts — during his suspension. “Without having contact, we just have to protect the team now,” coach Gus Bradley said. “We’ve got to do what’s right for

File photo by Jack Dempsey | AP

Jaguars wide receiver Justin Blackmon has suspended indefinitely without pay for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, and Jacksonville GM Dave Caldwell said the team doesn’t expect him back this season. the organization so we have to continue to move forward and project that. We’ve got to get some guys in here at that spot and that’s why you’ve heard Dave talk about wide receiver is a need because of that. Now, if everything works out to get him

back, that’s OK. We always will love to get very talented players in here. But it’s hard. But we just have to keep going forward.” With Blackmon’s future uncertain, the Jaguars are considering selecting Clemson receiver

Sammy Watkins with the third overall pick in next week’s draft. If they don’t take Watkins in the first round, they expect to use at least one of their other 10 picks on a receiver. The wideout class is considered one of the deepest in the draft.

Blackmon has been involved in three substance-related incidents in three years. He was arrested on a misdemeanor DUI charge in Texas in 2010 after officers caught him speeding on a suburban Dallas highway. The charge was later reduced to an underage alcohol possession charge. A little more than a month after the Jaguars drafted him, he was arrested during a traffic stop in Stillwater, Oklahoma, after a breath test allegedly showed his blood alcohol content to be three times the legal limit. A subsequent violation landed him the four-game suspension. Another one got him the indefinite suspension. Blackmon caught 29 passes for 415 yards and a touchdown in the four games he played last season. He was the team’s leading receiver during that stretch. While Blackmon sat out the first four games, the Jaguars averaged 224 yards of total offense. In the four games he played, Jacksonville hiked its offensive output to just over 350 yards per game. He has 93 catches for 1,280 yards and six scores in 20 games — all since Jacksonville traded up to select the former Oklahoma State star with the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft. Without him, the Jaguars relied on Cecil Shorts III, Ace Sanders and Mike Brown last season.

California Chrome favorite at Ky. Derby By BETH HARRIS ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The owners of California Chrome are putting all their hopes into the chestnut colt to win the Kentucky Derby. After all, he’s the only horse they own. California Chrome, based at lesser-known Los Alamitos racetrack in suburban Los Angeles, is the early 5-2 favorite for Saturday’s 140th Derby with good reason. He has won four straight races by a combined 24 1/4 lengths under Victor Espinoza, who won the Derby in 2002 with War Emblem. “He’s so light on his feet,” Espinoza said. “He just does things so easy and makes my job easy.” California Chrome’s owners, Steve Coburn and Perry Martin, are no Kentucky blue bloods. They’re a couple of working stiffs who live near Reno, Nevada. A trainer called them “dumb asses” for getting into the racing game, inspiring the duo to put the letters DAP on their silks, which stands for Dumb Ass Partners. “We’re going to go down in history,” Coburn predicted. California Chrome is the product of an $8,000 mare and a $2,500 stallion. He’s earned more than $1 million already, making it somewhat easier for Coburn and Martin to turn down a pre-Derby offer of $6 million for a 51 percent stake in the horse. “We’ve been blessed with this colt,” Coburn said. “The first time we saw him, we knew it was going to be something special.” If their tale seems improbable, well, it’s happened before at Churchill Downs. Mine That Bird, a 50-1 shot owned and trained by two guys from New Mexico mocked as cowboys, pulled off the stunning upset in the 2009 Derby. At 77, Art Sherman, who oversees California Chrome, would be the oldest trainer to win. His colt would be the first California-bred to wear the garland of red roses in 52 years. “He’s feeling good and he’s doing good,” Sherman said. “He’s coming up to this race right.” Rosie Napravnik wants to grab history, too. No female jockey has won the Derby, although she came closest — fifth last year. Napravnik will ride 20-1 shot Vicar’s In Trouble. Her husband, Joe Sharp, works closely with

File photo by Reed Hoffmann | AP

Former Texas quarterback Vince Young, the third pick in the 2006 draft, was a two-time ProBowler in Tennessee but hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2011.

QBs can be risky selection in NFL draft By DAVE CAMPBELL ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Benoit Photo | AP

California Chrome is the 5-2 favorite for Saturday’s Kentucky Derby after the horse won the Santa Anita Derby in California last month. the Louisiana-bred colt as assistant to trainer Mike Maker. “The story would almost be too good if we won it,” she said. Wicked Strong is the early 6-1 second choice. The colt is named for the victims of last year’s Boston Marathon bombings and is trained by Jimmy Jerkens, who has his first Derby horse. Trainer Todd Pletcher has four horses in the Derby — Danza and Intense Holiday are both 8-1 while his other two are longer shots, 30-1 Vinceremos and 50-1 We Miss Artie. Danza is named for “Taxi” actor Tony Danza, who planned to attend the Derby. Maker will saddle three horses, all long shots. Besides Vicar’s In Trouble, he has 15-1 General a Rod and 50-1 Harry’s Holiday. “When those gates open, anything can happen,” Maker said. Three-time Derby winner Bob Baffert is down to 20-1 shot Chitu after being forced to scratch early second favorite Hoppertunity because of a minor foot problem. “California Chrome has proven he’s a really good horse,” Baffert said, adding, “There’s a lot of parity in this field. Everybody might have a chance.”

Getting the ideal trip in the 1 1/4-mile Derby is important, especially with the traffic from 19 horses making a chaotic charge into the first turn. Jockeys want to avoid anything that would prevent their horse from getting into rhythm, like being bumped, cut off or blocked. Sherman believes the key is the first 70 yards. “You want to get out and get yourself some position,” he said. Trainer Steve Asmussen takes a shot with Tapiture, who started three times at Churchill Downs as a 2year-old. Asmussen is under investigation by Kentucky and New York racing officials after an animal rights group alleged he and his former assistant mistreated horses in their care. The forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 73 degrees, with a crowd of at least 140,000 expected. Keep an eye on jockey Calvin Borel. He and 15-1 shot Ride On Curlin will break from the No. 18 spot in the starting gate. Borel will try to hustle the colt over to his favorite path on the track — the rail. The rider nicknamed “Bo-rail” for his fence-skimming rides has three Derby wins in the last seven years. Post time is 6:32 p.m. EDT.

Ryan Leaf or Peyton Manning? That was the drama at the top of the 1998 NFL draft, with two seemingly elite quarterbacks in play. Fortunately for Indianapolis, Manning was the pick, and the Colts eventually won a Super Bowl with him at the helm. Infamously for San Diego, Leaf didn’t have the same makeup and quickly fizzled out of the league. Two years ago, while Manning was on his way to winning the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year Award with Denver, Leaf was beginning a prison sentence for burglary and drugs. That’s the extreme contrast of success and failure at this critical position, of course, but Leaf isn’t the only high-profile quarterback whose struggles in the professional game significantly set back the team that drafted him. Here are six of the biggest busts of the last decade, weighing actual performance, selection number and franchise impact: JAMARCUS RUSSELL By far the Leafiest pick since that fateful selection by the Chargers, Russell was taken by Oakland first overall out of LSU in 2007. After a 7-18 record as a starter, with 23 interceptions and only 18 touchdowns on his resume, Russell was overweight and out of the league three years later. The worst part for the Raiders, who have yet to find their franchise quarterback, is the list of other players drafted that spring among the top 15 picks: Calvin Johnson, Joe Thomas, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, Marshawn Lynch and Darrelle Revis, to name a half-dozen potential Hall of Famers. VINCE YOUNG The third pick in the 2006 draft out of Texas, Young was at the forefront of the new wave of dual-threat quarterbacks to enter the league. The NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award winner for Tennessee and a two-time Pro Bowl pick, Young had more on-field success than many of his underachieving peers. But he had a falling out with the team, struggled to stay healthy, had off-field issues and has not appeared in an NFL game since 2011. The Titans used the eighth selection in 2011 on quarterback Jake Locker and still aren’t close to being sure if this position is set. MARK SANCHEZ After two trips to the AFC cham-

pionship game in his first two years in the league, Sanchez carried a nickname “Sanchise” that suggested longterm success with the New York Jets. But the fifth overall pick in 2009 out of USC was never able to cure his turnover problem, becoming an easy target for the tabloids in town, and his average of 6.4 yards per pass attempt in 2012 ranked 29th in the league. Last season he got hurt in preseason and the job went to rookie Geno Smith. Sanchez is now a backup for the Philadelphia Eagles after being released by New York. CHRISTIAN PONDER Following the retirement of Brett Favre, a deep crop of quarterbacks in 2011 offered several options for Minnesota with the 12th selection. Ponder, from Florida State, took over the job midway through his rookie year and improved enough in 2012 for the Peterson-driven Vikings to finish 10-6 and in the playoffs. But some of the warning signs of ill-timed turnovers and poor decisions under pressure that popped up in his first two seasons persisted last year, and he was eventually benched for Matt Cassel, leaving the Vikings looking anew in this draft. BLAINE GABBERT Two picks before Ponder, Jacksonville took Gabbert out of Missouri. The Jaguars didn’t have much support for him at other positions, but he struggled to keep up with the pro-style offense and went a woeful 5-22 as a starter, with one touchdown against seven interceptions over three starts last season. He was benched for Chad Henne, a relative journeyman. The Jaguars are still searching for a long-term solution, and Gabbert has become a backup for the 49ers behind Colin Kaepernick, who was drafted in the second round that year. BRADY QUINN Somebody had to make this list on Cleveland’s behalf. The 22nd pick in 2007, Quinn memorably tumbled down the board from top-of-the-draft projections, looking stunned and ashen as the television cameras captured his reaction each time a quarterback-deficient team passed on him. Quinn is 416 as a starter, and the St. Louis Rams last year were his sixth NFL team. The Browns have had as much trouble drafting and developing quarterbacks as any team, and by 2012 they were taking another would-be bust in the first round, Brandon Weeden, who has already been released after two seasons and now is with Dallas.


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