The Zapata Times 5/10/2014

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341ST DISTRICT COURT

FALCON LAKE

Pleading guilty

Hearing to look at declining lake bass

Man to serve 30 years in death of Zapata native

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO — A man accused of stabbing to death a Zapata native in South Laredo has pleaded guilty to murder Tuesday in the 341st District Court, the Webb County district attorney’s office announced late Thursday.

Luis Jimenez, 33, pleaded guilty to killing Roberto Carlos Benavides before Judge Rebecca “Beckie” Palomo. Prosecutors and the defense agreed for Jimenez to serve a 30-year sentence in pris-

on, court records show.

Jimenez will be sentenced at 8 a.m. Monday.

Benavides’ mother discovered her son stabbed to death Feb. 9, 2012, in his bedroom at a home located JIMENEZ in the 3500 block of Cuatro Vientos Drive. The mother, Maria Herlinda Benavides, went to check on her son since he had not returned phone calls and had not gone to work, according to court records.

Police said they later learned that Ji-

BENAVIDES

menez stabbed Benavides because Benavides “wanted to be intimate with him,” according to the criminal complaint. Police found Benavides with multiple stab wounds to the left side of his neck, head and shoulder, according to

prosecutors.

Before leaving town to California, Jimenez confessed to a female cousin that

See PLEA PAGE 3A

Some think alligator gar is to blame for fewer bass SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE

SIGNING ALL THE HITS Her fingers ‘sing’ for the deaf

AUSTIN — State Representative Ryan Guillen (D- District 31) and State Representative Tracy King (D- District 80) will be jointly hosting a field hearing in Zapata to discuss issues related to the declining bass population in Falcon Lake, on Friday.

The hearing will be held at the Zapata Technical and Advanced Education Center, room 128, 605 North U.S. Highway 83, at 1:30 p.m.

The hearing is also open to the public for oral and written testimony.

Falcon Lake Reservoir, located in Starr and Zapata counties, has had a historically strong largemouth bass population and has received global recognition as a prime fishing location for the species.

However, in recent years the bass population in Falcon Lake has declined. The issue was first brought to light by local

See BASS

By ALYSON WARD

PAGE 7A

HOUSTON CHRONICLE

H

OUSTON — Amber Galloway Gallego was in bed when a friend texted her: “Turn on Jimmy Kimmel.”

“I was like, ‘Why?”’ said Galloway Gallego, who lives in Houston. Then she flipped on the late-night talk show and saw herself on TV. Kimmel was showing a clip of Galloway Gallego on stage at Lollapalooza, dancing and doing sign language as rapper Kendrick Lamar rapped expletives. An audience member had captured about a minute of her performance, shaky camera and all, and posted it on YouTube.

In the nine months since that Chicago music fest, Galloway Gallego’s sign-language

JAIME J. ZAPATA

Photo by Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle | AP

Amber Galloway Gallego, 37, a sign language instructor at Houston Community College, signs “interpreting” on April 23. Gallego specializes in interpreting music. She signs to make concerts accessible to the deaf. spectacle has been viewed about 4 million times on YouTube. With a rapper’s swagger, she lets it fly, signing rapidfire lyrics and dirty words that look like dirty words. Her

performance is lewd. It is startlingly, hilariously cool. It’s also her job.

Galloway Gallego, an American Sign Language interpreter who specializes in music,

has done the same thing at hundreds of concerts. She’s hired to stand at the side of the stage and interpret Ma-

See SIGN LANGUAGE

PAGE 7A

ZAPATA HIGH SCHOOL

Class of ’64 members eye reunion

By MALENA CHARUR THE ZAPATA TIMES

Members of the Zapata High School Class of 1964 are scheduling a reunion in June to celebrate their 50th anniversary of graduation from high school.

The Class of 1964 had 30 people, according to alumnus Dora Martinez.

“We’ve been trying to find as many people as we can,”

MARTINEZ

GRACIA

Martinez said. “We know that some have changed addresses, and unfortunately others have died.

“We hope to hold the reunion at the Steak House Restaurant in Zapata on Wednesday, June 25,” Martinez said.

Organizers hope the reunion will allow class members to recall their days as students and catch up with each other on the paths their lives have taken.

“I remember wanting (to study) medicine, but I had had an internship with a doctor

and realized that at least it was not for me,” Martinez said.

“Anyway, I made a career in the medical field but as a technician in the laboratory.”

She said she later studied journalism, operated a Hispanic-oriented newspaper in San Antonio, and was the first female promotor of artists in Texas.

See REUNION

PAGE 7A

30 receive money for education

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ LAREDO MORNING TIMES

LAREDO — ICE Special Agent Jaime J. Zapata would have turned 36 years old Tuesday.

But his life was cut short Feb. 15, 2011, when suspected Zetas drug cartel members ambushed him and a fellow agent in San Luis Potosi, Mexico.

To celebrate his birthday, his parents, Amador and Mary Zapata, came to Laredo to give away scholarZAPATA ships in their son’s honor Wednesday afternoon at the Guerra Communication Reception Hall.

The Zapata family and the Friends and Jaime J. Zapata committee presented scholarships to 30 students from Laredo, Mercedes, San Antonio, San Ygnacio and Zapata. Laredo Community College students and siblings Katheryn Tytler, 16, and Stephen Tytler, 17, both of Nigeria, said they were honored to receive the award.

See BIRTHDAY

PAGE 3A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, May 10

ASSOCIATED PRESS

1964 Zapata High School Class 50th reunion. Dinner at The Steak House on Wednesday, June 25. Call Dora Martinez at 324-1226 or Ninfa Gracia at 500-5219.

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.

Founders’ Day Celebration. Noon.

TAMIU Student Center Ballroom. Inauguration of President of the Republic of the Rio Grande and presentation of Heritage Awards. Call 727-0977 or visit webbheritage.org.

Today is Saturday, May 10, the 130th day of 2014. There are 235 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On May 10, 1994, Nelson Mandela took the oath of office in Pretoria to become South Africa’s first black president.

On this date: In 1775, Ethan Allen and his Green Mountain Boys, along with Col. Benedict Arnold, captured the British-held fortress at Ticonderoga, N.Y. In 1863, during the Civil War, Confederate Lt. Gen. Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson died of pneumonia, a complication resulting from being hit by friendly fire eight days earlier during the Battle of Chancellorsville in Virginia.

In 1869, a golden spike was driven in Promontory, Utah, marking the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in the United States.

In 1933, the Nazis staged massive public book burnings in Germany.

In 1939, the Methodist Episcopal Church, the Methodist Episcopal Church South and the Methodist Protestant Church merged to form the Methodist Church.

In 1941, Adolf Hitler’s deputy, Rudolf Hess, parachuted into Scotland on what he claimed was a peace mission.

(Hess ended up serving a life sentence at Spandau Prison until 1987, when he apparently committed suicide.)

In 1960, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Triton completed its submerged navigation of the globe.

In 1977, actress Joan Crawford died in New York.

In 1984, the International Court of Justice said the United States should halt any actions to blockade Nicaragua’s ports (the U.S. had already said it would not recognize World Court jurisdiction on this issue).

In 1994, the state of Illinois executed serial killer John Wayne Gacy, 52, for the murders of 33 young men and boys.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush reacted with “deep disgust and disbelief ” during a Pentagon visit as he examined new photos and video clips of American soldiers abusing Iraqi prisoners.

Five years ago: Pope Benedict XVI urged Middle East Christians to persevere in their faith as 20,000 people filled a Jordanian sports stadium where the pontiff celebrated the first open-air Mass of his Holy Land pilgrimage.

One year ago: The Internal Revenue Service apologized for what it acknowledged was “inappropriate” targeting of conservative political groups during the 2012 election to see if they were violating their tax-exempt status.

Today’s Birthdays: Author Bel Kaufman (“Up the Down Staircase”) is 103. Author Barbara Taylor Bradford is 81.

Rhythm-and-blues singer Henry Fambrough (The Spinners) is 76. Actor David Clennon is 71.

Writer-producer-director Jim Abrahams is 70. Singer Donovan is 68. Singer-songwriter Graham Gouldman (10cc) is 68. Singer Dave Mason is 68. Actor Mike Hagerty is 60. Actor Bruce Penhall is 57. Former Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., is 56.

Thought for Today: “Creative minds always have been known to survive any kind of bad training.” — Anna Freud, Austrian-born psychoanalyst (1895-1982).

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

Tuesday, May 13 South Texas Food Bank’s 25th anniversary, fundraiser. 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Hal’s Landing, 6510 Arena Blvd.

Admission $10. Featuring music of Little Sister at indoor stage; Kombo Del Sol, Inalcanzable, La Mision Vallenta and Zenzible at patio. For tickets, call 324-2432.

“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.

Wednesday, May 14 1964 Zapata High School Class 50th reunion. Dinner at The Steak House on Wednesday, June 25. Call Dora Martinez at 324-1226 or Ninfa Gracia at 500-5219.

“The Great Salt Challenge” class, Lesson 2. Noon to 1 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Focuses on sodium in diet, daily consumption limits, how to read a food label and strategies for reducing salt intake. Three lessons. Meets every Wednesday in May. English. Free.

Photo by Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News | AP

Neighbors survey the damage after a large tree had fallen onto a Volkswagen car and Mazda car on Winton Street near Stonewall Jackson Elementary, on Thursday, in Dallas. Homeowners, businesses and utility crews cleaned up around the Dallas-Fort Worth area Friday after savage thunderstorms with winds of up to 70 mph tore through North Texas.

Storms leave damage ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — Homeowners, businesses and utility crews cleaned up around the DallasFort Worth area Friday after savage thunderstorms with winds of up to 70 mph tore through North Texas, leaving widespread damage in their wake.

The storms Thursday afternoon toppled large trees, tore holes in warehouse roofs and peeled away the front wall of a church.

In west Dallas, the wind flipped a semi-truck trailer.

By Friday morning, about 200 homes remained without power in the area, according to Oncor — a significant improvement on the 34,000 homes reportedly in the dark Thursday afternoon.

Strong winds on Thursday had destroyed a mobile home near Joshua, about 45 miles

Thursday, May 15 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org.

Saturday, May 17 1964 Zapata High School Class 50th reunion. Dinner at The Steak House on Wednesday, June 25. Call Dora Martinez at 324-1226 or Ninfa Gracia at 500-5219.

J.W. Nixon’s Class of 1989 selling tickets for 25th reunion. 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. 317 E. Calton Road #1. $25 per person for event on Friday, July 25 at Life Fair, Branding Iron; and $25 per person for event on Saturday, July 26 at Embassy Suites.

Sunday, May 18 The St. Patrick Catholic Church Men’s Club steak plate sale, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on church grounds, 555 Del Mar Blvd. $5 per plate. Proceeds to scholarships. For information call (956) 324-2432.

Tuesday, May 20 “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.

Wednesday, May 21 1964 Zapata High School Class 50th reunion. Dinner at The Steak House on Wednesday, June 25. Call Dora Martinez at 324-1226 or Ninfa Gracia at 500-5219.

“The Great Salt Challenge” class, Lesson 3. Noon to 1 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Focuses on sodium in diet, daily consumption limits, how to read a food label and strategies for reducing salt intake. Three lessons. Meets every Wednesday in May. English. Free.

Thursday, May 22 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org.

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

to the southwest. Johnson County Emergency Management Coordinator Jamie Moore says a mother and child were hurt, but their injuries didn’t seem life-threatening.

Hours earlier, emergency workers rescued five teens from a rapidly filling creek in southern Dallas after up to 4 inches of rain flooded the stream.

A neighbor noticed the five teen boys, who had skipped school Thursday, in the Woody Branch Creek Thursday morning. It was unclear if they had been playing in the water or were swept into the creek. All five were taken to a hospital for evaluation.

“They were very lucky to make it out OK,” Lt. Robert Brey of the Fire-Rescue swift water team told the Dallas Morning News.

“When you have that many who are still alive after being stuck in the water, it is pretty miraculous.”

Plano to vote on Toyota US headquarters agreement

5 Houston teachers fired in cheating case

Rooster at hardware store popular bird

PLANO — The city of Plano is scheduled to vote on an agreement with Toyota on Monday that moves the automaker’s U.S. headquarters to the Dallas suburb.

Toyota announced last month that it was moving its U.S. headquarters from California to Texas. Gov. Rick Perry said that Texas offered the company $40 million in incentives from the taxpayer-funded Texas Enterprise Fund.

HOUSTON — The Houston school board has decided to fire five elementary school teachers for allegedly helping students cheat on state exams last year.

A district investigation into cheating allegations preceded the decision. The teachers, from Jefferson Elementary, had argued that the evidence comes from children who confused getting help on practice tests with the official state exams.

DALLAS — A Dallas hardware store owner isn’t surprised when new customers have their feathers ruffled over the shop’s mascot.

Store co-owner Andrea Ridout says Prince George, a Buff Orpington rooster, started ruling the roost after a little girl returned him after she learned he wouldn’t become a hen.

Police: Drug that caused illness came from Dallas AUSTIN — Central Texas police say synthetic marijuana that caused more than 30 people to fall ill was obtained in Dallas and sold by dealers in downtown Austin.

Austin police said Friday they haven’t been able to obtain a sample of the so-called K2 synthetic drug.

6 arrested in Waco in rape of teen girl WACO — Six men have been arrested on charges they raped a girl younger than 16.

Waco police told the Waco Tribune-Herald that the girl had left school early Thursday with several people she knew. They took her to a north Waco home where they sexually assaulted her. The men were all students and former students of that school.

Quadruplets born on their dad’s 36th birthday GRAPEVINE — Quadruplets born to a Dallas-area minister and his wife already share something with their father.

The boy and three girls delivered Monday at Baylor Regional Medical Center at Grapevine arrived on their dad’s 36th birthday.

Brooks, Sadie, Elle and Ivy join two sisters — 4-year-old Zoe and 2-year-old Kaytlin.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Massachusetts: Pledge of Allegiance not religious BOSTON — The Pledge of Allegiance does not discriminate against atheists and can be recited at the start of the day in public schools, Massachusetts’ highest court ruled Friday.

The Supreme Judicial Court said the words “under God” reflect patriotic practice, not a religious one. They acknowledged that the wording has a “religious tinge” but said it is fundamentally patriotic and voluntary.

The court was ruling in a 2010 lawsuit filed by an atheist family from Acton who claimed that the daily recitation of the pledge in classrooms violated children’s equal protection rights under the state constitution, which protects against discrimination.

Mudslide fire department aids Afghanistan victims OSO, Wash. — A Washington

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

Guests look down from the Tilt!, a new tourist attraction that provides a unique view of the downtown area from the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building, in Chicago, on Thursday. The glass and steel facade tilts forward 30 degrees. state fire department is still working on a mudslide that killed more than 40 people in March, but it’s also thinking about a community in Afghanistan also hit by a mudslide.

The Oso Fire Department issued a statement Tuesday asking

the local community to consider donating to Save the Children International in support of a remote village in northeast Afghanistan hit early this month by a mudslide. As many as 2,500 people in Abi Barik were buried.

— 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.

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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

Local

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

Children finish program SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Some of the city’s smallest and youngest readers, all participants in an innovative Early Literacy Program dubbed “Read 3,” stood tall as they “graduated” at Texas A&M International University on Fridayin the Student Center 239.

Ranging in age from two to four-years of age, the students are part of the Read 3 — Early Literacy Program, an innovative emergent literacy program between HEB Stores, TAMIU and the Laredo Public Library. They and their families were honored with a special graduation ceremony.

For six weeks, all participated in a workshop focused on early reading and nutrition for the young students and their parents.

It was led by Xuesong Wang, TAMIU College of Education assistant professor of early childhood education.

Wang has directed the program for the past three years, and says it delivers an impact through four major, linked components.

Thirteen families were enrolled in this spring’s program.

“The program consists of four major components: structured instructions on basic emergent reading skills to help children begin early reading experiences; parental involvement that enables them to better initiate interactive literacy activities with children; parental instruction on nutrition and a book drive that involves all people in the community,” Wang explained.

“Both our experiences and research data have shown that children and their parents really benefit from the program. Many parents have brought their friends to the new program based on their past experiences,” Wang noted.

By offering free literacy and nutrition workshops that value both the immediate benefits and sustainable developmental effects on children, Read 3 is particular beneficial to low-income families in local communities, she added.

“Our goal is to not only help young children and their parents now, but also

encourage and ensure sustainable development of literacy skills for young children from low-income families,” Wang said.

Assisting Wang this Spring were two TAMIU students, Diana Hamblen and Christine Rojas, from the College of Education’s Alternative Certification Program. Both served as teachers at the literacy workshops for children.

TAMIU Dean of the College of Education Catheryn Weitman said the college is enormously proud of the Read 3 Program collaboration with its partners.

“Dr. Wang’s creativity brought the HEB Read 3 program from a single school setting to one that is open to the community of young readers and their families. Of all the H.E.B. Read 3 programs, this is the only one delivered through a public library.

We are proud of Dr. Wang’s work with this very unique community program and to be able to collaborate with H.E.B. in helping families link reading with healthy living,” Dr. Weitman said.

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Two plead guilty in marijuana conspiracy

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO — Two men accused of transporting marijuana worth nearly $6.5 million through Zapata County recently pleaded guilty in federal court in Laredo, according to court documents.

Elmer Oswaldo Campos and Juan Manuel Perez Jr. pleaded guilty April 29 to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms of marijuana or more. A third suspect identified as Andrew James Escamilla pleaded guilty to the same offense Dec. 10. Sentencing dates for the trio have not been set up.

Special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation received information that during the early morning hours of Oct. 2, a pneumatic tractor-trailer loaded with pot would

travel from Zapata to Laredo.

During surveillance, agents spotted a tractortrailer traveling north on U.S. 83 and a Golf pickup driving directly in front of it. At one point, the tractor-trailer made a U-turn and parked a Pepe’s Gas Station in San Ygnacio.

Two men were spotted having a conversation behind trailer before departing southbound followed by the pickup.

“The tractor-trailer swerved numerous times onto the shoulder, committing a traffic code violation,” court records state.

A Department of Public Safety trooper assisted in pulling over the tractortrailer while the FBI stopped the pickup.

“Andrew James Escamilla was the driver of the tractor-trailer and Elmer Oswaldo Campos was the passenger,” court records

allege. Authorities identified Perez as the driver on the pickup.

A search of trailer yielded 590 bundles of marijuana. That was about 8,068 pounds with an estimated street value of $6,454,400.

In post-arrest interviews, Escamilla admitted he was given a prepaid phone to keep in touch with the scouts. Phone records showed Escamilla had been in contact with Perez, according to court documents.

“Escamilla admitted he was being paid $15,000 to transport the marijuana to Houston,” plea agreement records state. Meanwhile, Campos was identified as the man who was tasked with guiding Escamilla through the Border Patrol checkpoints, court records state.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

PLEA Continued from Page 1A

15 to get oil and gas accounting certificates SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

A group of 15 students will be the first in history to earn a certificate in Oil & Gas Accounting from Texas A&M International University’s A.R. Sanchez, Jr. School of Business for professional opportunities in the booming oil and gas industry.

The ARSSB will hold a special ceremony for those receiving the Certificate Thursday at 4 p.m. in the Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 116. A reception will follow, at 4:45 p.m., attended by oil and gas industry leaders, ARSSB Advisory Board members, as well as university administrators and faculty.

Receiving certificates at the ceremony will be Adrian Becerra, Amy Lee Capetillo, Griselda Emily Cepeda, Michelle Cortez, Ramón Estrada, John Ridley Goodpasture, Raúl Humberto Granados, Enriqueta Benavides Limón, Licely López, Priscilla Lizette Martínez, Francisco Alejandro Ortega, Martha Alejandra Peña, Leslie Pérez, and Edgar Gerardo Torres.

The Oil and Gas Accounting Certificate Program is a 12-semester credit hour class taught by oil and gas industry experts and is designed to provide additional education for business students and professionals who wish to enter the global oil and gas industry, with immediate job opportunities created by the Eagle Ford Shale formation.

The program provides students fundamental,

functional skills in accounting as well as an understanding of oil and gas industry opportunities available.

Students in the program learn the role and importance of the oil and gas industry for the U.S. economy, the industry’s different accounting aspects and elements of oil and gas exploration and production.

Instructors for the four courses in the Certificate Program include Cliffe Killam, partner, corporate planning and business development, Killam Oil Company; Oscar Cisneros, vice president for Texas Community Bank; Donato Ramos Jr., partner, Law Offices of Donato D. Ramos; and José Luís Ceballos, founder and owner, Totem LLC. Stephen Sears, ARSSB dean, said that the ARSSB plans to explore the development of additional certificate programs related to the energy business area.

“We believe that this new program greatly enhances the education of our students and will provide them with new career opportunities in a rapidly growing industry in South Texas,” Sears said.

Candidates for the certificate program include those working for various organizations including SCAN, Inc.; U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Killam Oil and Development, C&L Carriers, TAMIU, Uni-Trade Forwarding and H.K. Global Forwarding.

One of the candidates, Amy Capetillo, said she

decided to pursue the certificate because of the growth in oil and gas industry and job availability.

“I think that this is a good course TAMIU is offering because the oil and gas industry is one of the industries increasing in Texas,” Capetillo said.

Another student, Licely López, said she decided to pursue the certificate because of the prominent role the industry plays in the economy.

“I think that the oil and gas industry is very important nowadays, and having a certificate in Oil and Gas Accounting will give me better opportunities to work in the industry,” López said.

Enriqueta Limón, another student, said she pursued the certificate so that she could have more options in her career.

“I wanted to learn more about the oil and gas industry,” she said, “I am considering opening a business on the service side to cater to the oil and gas industry.”

Limón said she enjoyed the classes because it exposed her to many opportunities that she was unaware of not only locally but also globally.

“I would highly recommend this or any certificate to anyone,” she said, “The more knowledge you acquire, the more opportunities you will have.”

For more information contact Maggie Blasco, undergraduate admissions counselor, at 326-2483, email Maggie@tamiu.edu or visit offices located in the Western Hemispheric Trade Center, room 204 B.

he had stabbed Benavides, the complaint states.

Jimenez was arrested Feb. 29, 2012, in San Diego, Calif. Texas Gov. Rick Perry signed the gover-

nor’s warrant May 16, 2012, to bring Jimenez to Webb County to face the murder charge, district attorney’s office officials said.

Assistant district attor-

neys Aaron Bundoc and Cristina Alva prosecuted the case.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

BIRTHDAY Continued from Page 1A “I feel very happy that they could give me this scholarship. It’s to pay my tuition,” Katheryn Tytler said. “At the same time, I feel sad for the loss because I know how it feels to lose someone.”

More than 75 students have been scholarships recipients in the past three years. Mary Zapata said she wants to keep her son’s legacy alive and for students to do well in life.

“Today, there’s a lot of

crime. There are a lot of drugs,” she said. “You want (young people) to choose the right road.

Jaime (Zapata) chose it.

“I’d like for them to choose their education.”

She said she hopes for youth to go to college and come back home to make a positive impact in their community like her son did.

“I know he would’ve been a great person if life had granted him time,”

Zapata said. “He was a righteous person … He fought for righteousness to the last day.”

Rosy Gregory, coordinator for Friends of Jaime J. Zapata, said the committee chose to honor the students on Zapata’s birthday. This way, Zapata is remembered, Gregory said.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM

WORST WEEK IN WASHINGTON

OTHER VIEWS

Win is good for GOP in November

By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST

Tuesday night didn’t go the way Kay Hagan had hoped.

North Carolina state House Speaker Thom Tillis, widely regarded by political observers as the strongest potential challenger to Hagan (D) for her Senate seat, not only finished first in the Republican primary but avoided a possibly costly runoff by winning more than 40 percent of the vote.

Hagan — and national Democrats — had hoped that Tillis would have the same kinds of problems that other “establishment” Republicans experienced in 2010 and 2012 when faced with challenges from tea-party-backed candidates.

Hoping to spur on such a squabble, Hagan’s campaign paid for direct-mail pieces and radio ads targeting Republican voters and reminding them that Tillis had once called the Affordable Care Act “a great idea.” (Democratic senators such as Claire McCaskill, of Missouri, and Harry Reid, of Nevada, have successfully dabbled in GOP primaries to keep the most electable Re-

publicans from becoming the nominees against them.)

But despite that spending — and the fact that former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee and Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) endorsed his opponents — Tillis prevailed in convincing fashion.

So rather than spending the next two months in an ideological intraparty battle, Tillis — and national Republicans — are free to focus on Hagan.

North Carolina is a swing state, and the national political winds are blowing in the GOP’s favor, meaning that an already difficult race for Hagan, a freshman Democrat, just got harder. The day after the Republican primary, independent political handicapper Stuart Rothenberg moved the race into the “toss up” category.

“Hagan does not have a significant advantage,” his website said.

Kay Hagan, for watching your narrow edge collapse overnight, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.

Cillizza covers the White House for The Washington Post and writes The Fix, its politics blog.

EDITORIAL

Humans to blame for superbugs THE NEWS TRIBUNE

In September, the Centers for Disease Control sounded the alarm: Unless we stopped misusing and overusing antibiotics, they could become useless against disease-causing bacteria that are becoming resistant to them — evolving into so-called “superbugs.”

We could find ourselves living in a “postantibiotic” era, the CDC warned, one in which common infections and minor injuries could once again prove fatal because antibiotics are no longer effective.

Now the World Health Organization is saying that era is already here.

Superbugs able to resist the most powerful antibiotics — drugs known as carbapenems — have been found all over the globe. And the problem is only getting worse.

Staph woes One of the most common superbugs is MRSA, a staph infection that kills an estimated 19,000 Americans each year, mostly in hospitals and convalescent facilities.

Many countries — including Canada, Great Britain, Japan and Australia — report they have patients with the dangerous sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea that is resistant to all available antibiotics. And more than half the patients in many countries can no longer be treated for E. coli, which can cause meningitis and infections

of the blood and kidneys.

A Doctors Without Borders physician reports, “We see horrendous rates of antibiotic resistance wherever we look in our field operations.”

It continues to be important for doctors to responsibly prescribe antibiotics; for patients to use them as intended; and to stop routine, low-dosage use of the drugs in the livestock and poultry industries.

Lawmakers must give the Food and Drug Administration greater authority over use of antibiotics among farm animals.

Currently, more than 70 percent of all antibiotics in the United States are given to farm animals, either to bulk them up faster or as a preventive measure in crowded, dirty conditions.

But the existing prevalence of superbugs suggests those steps alone aren’t enough anymore.

We’ll need to take stronger measures to prevent infections in the first place, since it’s become harder to treat them after the fact. And the world will need to invest in research to develop new medicines that will be more effective against bacteria resistant to what’s available now.

That investment isn’t lucrative to drug companies more interested in developing long-term maintenance medicines rather than ones that are taken for short periods of time. A federal Manhattan Project-style initiative might be called for in this case.

COLUMN

Trusting the untrustworthy

“

KEN HERMAN

DALLAS — If we can trust both men seeking the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor — and why would we not trust a politician? — we can’t trust either of the men seeking the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor.

Either way it goes in the May 27 runoff, we’re told we’ll get a November favorite of low character.

Incumbent David Dewhurst says challenger Houston state Sen. Dan Patrick welshes on debts, hides assets, can’t get things done and just is an all-around bad guy. Patrick says Dewhurst is a nasty, lying campaigner who lacks leadership skills and — and this might be the meanest cut of all in a GOP contest — might possibly not be as conservative as he could be.

But, and this is my favorite part, despite all the fire and damnation, each says he’d vote for his low-character foe in November.

The two got nasty at a Wednesday debate at Dallas’ WFAA TV. Great fun, if not democracy at its issueoriented high point. The action continued post-debate in the media work room, a space, I’m told, that housed “The Julie Benell Show,” which was interrupted Nov. 22, 1963, for coverage of the JFK assassination.

On Wednesday, it was the scene of character assassination as Dewhurst, then Patrick, continued what had begun in the debate.

“He’s all talk,” Dewhurst said of Patrick, a radio talk show host by trade.

Respectfully reminding Dewhurst of all the bad things he’s said about his foe, I asked if Patrick is unqualified to be lite guv.

“That decision,” Dewhurst said, “is for the people of the state of Texas.”

True, but Dewhurst is a person of the state of Texas.

Does he think Patrick is qualified?

“I don’t believe that my opponent has the ability that I do to get tough bills passed,” Dewhurst said, adding, “I don’t think he has my integrity ... .”

I nagged a bit more about the character allegations, launching Dewhurst into a monologue about Patrick’s long-ago bankruptcy, grandstanding, cheating business partners, hiding assets and not letting us see his income tax filings.

“How can people believe in their leaders if they’re afraid they’re hiding something?” Dewhurst said. “I think this all speaks to character.”

Yes, it does, and it certainly raises questions in my mind as to whether I could vote for Patrick if he’s on the November ballot. But the allegations raise no such doubts for the alleger.

Despite all that bad, bad stuff, I asked Dewhurst,

Yep, he reaffirmed, Dewhurst is a bad man who last year was eating chicken at a steak place while senators worked on a key bill. you’d vote for Patrick if he’s the GOP nominee?

Realizing it would be political suicide to say otherwise, he said he “absolutely” will vote a straight GOP ticket in November, which means he’d back that cheating, all-talk scoundrel Patrick.

Next into the post-debate room was Patrick. Yep, he reaffirmed, Dewhurst is a bad man who last year was eating chicken at a steak place (reason enough for a Texan not to vote for someone?) while senators worked on a key bill.

So does Dewhurst lack the character needed in a lite guv?

“I’ll let the people make that decision,” Patrick said prior to listing bad stuff Dewhurst has done in the campaign.

“And it’s a lack of character,” he concluded.

Despite all of this, you’d vote for Dewhurst if he’s the nominee?

“I’m not going to vote for a Democrat,” Patrick replied. “I’m not going to vote for a Libertarian.”

So you’d vote for a Republican you’re telling us is of questionable character?

“Yes, of course,” Patrick said.

So any Republican is better than any Democrat?

“That’s not the question.

The question you asked me is would I vote for him over Leticia Van de Putte,” he said. “She’s a pro-choice, big-government, big-liberal, no-border-security Democrat.”

But Patrick is telling us Dewhurst is a big-money, big-lying, low-character, low-performing Republican.

“What’s more important, issues or character?” I asked.

“Both are important,” Patrick said. “And I’m going to be the nominee.”

And if he’s not, he’s going to vote for one he says we can’t trust.

I’m not exactly sure on the take-away from this, but I’m sure the Democrats will take away some sound bites they’ll play this fall.

Post script: Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson, who ran fourth in March in the GOP lite guv primary, endorsed Dewhurst on Thursday and said he would not vote for Patrick if he’s the November nominee.

Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin AmericanStatesman. E-mail: 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.

DOONESBURY CLASSICS (1973) | GARRY TRUDEAU

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

PÁGINA 6A

Zfrontera

SÁBADO 10 DE MAYO DE 2014

HOMICIDIO

COMUNIDAD

Culpable

Generación 1964 de Zapata HS convoca a reunión

POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Un hombre acusado de apuñalar y dar muerte, en el Sur de Laredo, a un hombre nacido en Zapata, se declaró culpable de homicidio el martes en la Corte de Distrito 341, anunció la oficina del fiscal de distrito del Condado de Webb, el jueves por la noche.

Luis Jiménez, de 33 años de edad, se declaró culpable del homicidio de Roberto Carlos Benavides, ante la Juez Rebecca “Beckie” Palomo. Fiscales y la defensa acordaron que Jiménez cumpla una sentencia de 30 años en prisión, mostraron archivos de la corte.

Jiménez será sentenciado el lunes a las 8 a.m.

La madre de Benavides descubrió el cuerpo apuñalado de su hijo en su recámara, el 9 de febrero del 2012, en el domicilio ubicado en la cuadra 3500 de Cuatro Vientos Drive. La mamá, María Herlinda Benavides, fue a ver cómo estaba su hijo siendo que éste no le había llamado y no había ido a trabajar, de acuerdo a archivos de la corte.

La policía dijo que ellos posteriormente supieron que Jiménez apuñaló Benavides porque Benavides “deseaba tener intimidad con él”, de acuerdo a la querella criminal. La policía encontró a Benavides con múltiples heridas corto punzante en JIMÉNEZ el lado izquierdo de su cuello, cabeza y hombro, de acuerdo a los fiscales.

Antes de salir de la ciudad rumbo a California, Jiménez confesó a una prima que había apuñalado a Benavides, indica la querella.

Jiménez fue arrestado el 29 de febrero del 2012, en San Diego, California. El Gobernador de Texas Rick Perry firmó la orden de arresto del gobernador el 16 de mayo del 2012 para traer a Jiménez al Condado de Webb a fin de que enfrentara el cargo de homicidio, dijeron oficiales de la oficina del fiscal de distrito.

Los abogados asistentes de distrito, Aaron Bundoc y Cristina Alva estuvieron a cargo del caso.

(Localice a César G. Rodriguez en el (956) 7282568 o en cesar@lmtonline.com)

FRONTERA RIBEREÑA

BENEFICIOS

POR MALENA CHARUR TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Con el fin de celebrar los 50 años de haberse graduado de preparatoria, miembros de la generación 1964 de Zapata High School, se reunirán en junio.

Treinta personas egresaron en 1964, recordó la ex alumna de Zapata HS, Dora Martínez.

“Hemos estado tratando de localizar el mayor número de personas. Sabemos que algunos han cambiado su residencia y otros desgraciadamente ya han fallecido”, dijo ella. “Nuestro deseo es reunirnos en el restaurante Steak House en Zapata el miércoles 25 de junio”.

Los organizadores esperan que la reunión les permita recordar anécdotas de sus días como estudiantes y ponerse al día sobre los caminos que tomaron sus vidas.

“Recuerdo que quería (estudiar) medicina, pero tuve un internado donde realicé prácticas con un médico y me di cuenta que al menos eso no era para mí”, dijo Martínez. “De cualquier modo realicé una carrera en el área médica pero como técnica en laboratorio”.

Indicó que más tarde estudió

periodismo, logró tener un periódico hispano en San Antonio y fue la primera promotora artística en Texas.

Ahora vive en Laredo donde también ha incursionado en los negocios.

Ninfa Gracia, otra de las estudiantes que se graduó con la generación de 1964, coincide con Martínez acerca de lo agradable que será recordar otros tiempos.

“Nunca nos hemos juntado.

Algunos nos casamos y otros se fueron a estudiar al colegio. Será muy bonito juntarnos y volver a recordar los viejos tiempos”, dijo Gracia.

Gracia estudió cosmetología y posteriormente empezó a trabajar como asistente de maestra, ahí continuó sus estudios como maestra de escuela primaria, de lo cual se retiró después de 28 años de servicio.

Agregó que espera que todos los que pertenecieron a esa generación puedan reunirse aunque ya no vivan en Zapata.

Para mayores informes puede llame al (956) 324-1226 con Dora Martínez o al (956) 500-5219 con Ninfa Gracia.

(Localice a Malena Charur en el 728-2583 o en mcharur@lmtonline.com)

EDUCACIÓN

Reciben becas en memoria de agente POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

La Secretaria de Desarrollo Económico y Turismo en Tamaulipas, Mónica González García, hizo entrega de cheques a microempresarios de los municipios de Guerrero, Mier, Miguel Alemán, Camargo y Díaz Ordaz, en el marco del Programa de Atención Prioritaria “Región Fronteriza”.

Comunidades reciben apoyos para avanzar TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

F

ondos recibidos por empresarios de la frontera chica les permitirán capacitarse, tener asesoría y financiar sus negocios.

Apoyos por 5.5 millones de pesos, a través del Fondo Tamaulipas, fueron entregados a 1.000 microempresarios de los municipios de Guerrero, Mier, Miguel Alemán, Camargo y Díaz Ordaz, el miércoles.

Para algunos de los dueños de negocios el cheque recibido representa la posibilidad de adquirir inmobiliario, mercancía y/o de remodelar su local, indica un comunicado de prensa del Gobierno de Tamaulipas.

Un empresario beneficiado, Hexiquio Rodríguez Peña, cuenta con un laboratorio de análisis clínicos y dijo que fue sencillo recabar los requisitos que solicitaban para adquirir el crédito.

Rodríguez agradeció las facilidades para sacar los préstamos, agregando que destinará el dinero a la compra de equipos para su laboratorio.

Igualmente, Roberto Guajardo y su esposa, recibieron recursos para una tienda de abarrotes.

Guajardo comentó que con el crédito podrán ampliar el lugar a fin de surtir el negocio familiar.

“Es la segunda vez que saco el crédito, no batallo con los trámites y nos tratan muy bien”, dijo Guajardo.

De manera simbólica, la Secretaria de Desarrollo Económico y Turismo, Mónica González García, en-

tregó los cheques en Mier, Miguel Alemán y Camargo.

Consejo Consultivo Por otra parte, Nuevo Laredo, México, fue sede el miércoles y jueves de un curso de capacitación dirigido a representantes del sector turismo en la frontera norte de Tamaulipas.

Jorge Viñals Ortiz de la Peña, secretario de Desarrollo Económico en Nuevo Laredo, dijo que el objetivo es formar Consejos Consultivos Turísticos Municipales en cada ciudad, incluyendo Nuevo Laredo, Matamoros, Reynosa, Valle Hermoso, Río Bravo,

Miguel Alemán, Mier, Camargo, Guerreo, y Díaz Ordaz.

“El consejo será factor importante para conocer la situación de este sector del desarrollo económico en el estado, además de la utilización eficiente de los recursos con los que se cuenta para la promoción del territorio tamaulipeco”, sostuvo Viñals.

Corresponderá a los consejos presentar proyectos fundamentados para obtener recursos estatales para su realización, indica un comunicado de prensa.

El Curso de Capacitación para la Integración de los Consejos Consultivos Turísticos Municipales fue impartido por Cecilia González, capacitadora de la Ciudad de México.

El Agente Especial de ICE, Jaime J. Zapata, hubiera cumplido 36 años de edad el martes.

Pero su vida fue truncada el 15 de febrero de 2011, cuando supuestos miembros de Los Zetas lo emboscaron a él y a un compañero agente en San Luis Potosí, México.

Para celebrar su cumpleaños en el cielo, sus padres Amador y Mary Zapata acudieron el miércoles por la tarde al JAIME ZAPATA Salón de Recepciones Guerra Communication de Laredo para entregar becas escolares en nombre de su hijo.

La familia Zapata y el comité Friends of Jaime J. Zapata hizo entrega de becas a 30 estudiantes de Laredo, Mercedes, San Antonio, San Ygnacio y Zapata.

Los hermanos, ambos estudiantes del Laredo Community College, Katheryn Tytler, de 16 años, y Stephen Tytler, de 17, originarios de Nigeria, dijeron haber tenido el honor de recibir tal reconocimiento.

“Me siento muy feliz de que me pudieran dar esta beca. Es

para pagar mi inscripción”, dijo Katheryn Tytler. “Al mismo tiempo, me siento triste por la muerte (de Zapata), porque sé lo que se siente perder a alguien”.

Más de 75 estudiantes han sido beneficiados con la beca durante los últimos tres años.

María Zapata desea mantener vivo el legado de su hijo, y que a los estudiantes les vaya bien en la vida.

“Hoy en día, hay mucha delincuencia. Hay muchas drogas.

Quieres (que los jóvenes) elijan el camino correcto. Jaime (Zapata) lo eligió”, dijo ella. “Me gusta que eligieran su educación”.

Ella espera que los jóvenes vayan a la universidad y vuelvan a casa para hacer el bien en sus comunidades, así como lo hizo su hijo.

“Sé que hubiera sido una gran persona si la vida le hubiera concedido tiempo”, dijo Mary Zapata. “Era una persona justa… Luchó por la justicia hasta su último día”.

Rosy Gregory, coordinadora de Friends of Jaime J. Zapata, dijo que el comité eligió a los estudiantes en honor al cumpleaños de Zapata.

De esta manera, se recuerda a Zapata, sostuvo. (Localice a César Rodríguez en 728-2568)

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

JORGE LUIS SERNA

MELECIO CHAPA

Dec. 24, 1952 – May 7, 2014

Nov. 15, 1934 — May 4, 2014

Jorge Luis Serna, 61, passed away on Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas.

Mr. Serna is preceded in death by his parents, Conrado V. and Eva H. Serna and a sister, Sylvia Amparo Perez.

Mr. Serna is survived by his wife of 34 years, Dora G. Serna; son, Jorge Ignacio Serna; daughter, Julyanna Aimee (Efrain Jr.) Morales; grandchildren, Ethan J. Morales and Julyssa A. Morales; brothers, Conrado Serna, Andres (Diana) Serna, Arturo Serna, Eloy (Maria Elena) Ramirez and by numerous family and friends.

Mr. Serna was a teacher at Z.C.I.S.D. for 33 years, he had retired and was director at Busy Babies Learning Center.

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

The funeral procession will depart Saturday, May 10, 2014, at 8:30 a.m. for a 9 a.m.

funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.

JUAN M. BENAVIDES JR. Juan M. Benavides, Jr. 52, passed away on Tuesday, May 6, 2014, at Laredo Nursing and Rehab Center in Laredo, Texas.

Mr. Benavides is preceded in death by his parents, Juan M. Benavides and Ramona G. Benavides.

Mr. Benavides is survived by his sons, Juan M. Benavides III and Gerardo A. Vasquez; sister, Juana Maria B. (Gerardo III) Gutierrez; brother, Benito Jr. (Nilda) Solis; former wife, Diana R. Benavides; nephew, Gerardo Gutierrez IV; niece, Gabriella B. Gutierrez and by numerous family and friends.

Visitation hours will be held Monday, May 12, 2014, at 8 a.m. with a rosary at 9 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

A funeral Mass will follow at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Refuge Mission in San Ygnacio. Committal servic-

REUNION Martinez new lives in Laredo where she is now a businesswoman.

Ninfa Gracia, another Class of 1964 graduate, agreed that it would be nice to recall her days as a student.

“We have never gotten together. Some married and others went away to college.

It will be nice to get together again and reminisce,” Gracia said.

Gracia studied cosmetology, and later worked as a teacher’s aide. She then attended college and became an elementary school teacher, from which she retired after 28 years.

She said she hopes all

es will follow at Panteon Del Pueblo in San Ygnacio.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.

Continued from Page 1A

The reunion will allow class members to recall their days as students. class members who no longer live in Zapata can attend the reunion.

For more information call Martinez at 324-1226 or Gracia at 500-5219.

(Contact Malena Charur at 728-2583, or mcharur@lmtonline.com.

Translated by Mark Webber of the Times staff.)

Melecio Chapa, 79, passed away on Sunday, May 4, 2014, at Edinburg Nursing and Rehab Center in Edinburg.

Mr. Chapa is preceded in death by his wife, Elia G. Chapa; parents, Alfonso and Teresa Chapa; brothers, Miguel A. Chapa, Roel Chapa, Javier Chapa; and sisters, Alicia (Fernando) Muñoz and Dora C. (Alberto) Chapa.

Mr. Chapa is survived by his daughter, Linda C. (Pete) Smith; grandchildren, Sean and Ryan Smith; brothers, Alfonso Jr. (Irma) Chapa, Armando Chapa, Roehl (Dora Maria) Chapa; sisters, Magda (Antonio) Lopez, Norma Chapa, Blanca Chapa, Alma (Rodolfo†) Garcia and by numerous nephews, nieces and friends.

Visitation hours were held Tuesday, May 6, 2014, at 8 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home, followed by a 10 a.m. funeral Mass

at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

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

BASS Continued from Page 1A fishermen, who have attributed blame to the overpopulation of alligator gar in the lake.

Since then, legislators have been working with the Falcon Lake community and the Parks and Wildlife Commission to identify solutions to the issue.

The purpose of the field hearing is to provide a forum for expert and public input in an effort to examine what the state can do to replenish the bass population.

The hearing will feature invited testimony from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Inland Fisheries Division, including Director Gary Saul, Chief of Management and Research Dave Terre, and Chief of Information and Regulations Ken Kurzawski.

“Helping restore the bass population to Falcon Lake is a top priority,” said Guillen, chairman of the Committee on Culture, Recreation & Tourism.

“By opening a working dialogue between the fishermen, local authorities, and the TPWD Inland Fisheries Division, we hope to make further progress toward a coordinated response to this crisis.”

“The bass depletion in Falcon Lake is a serious concern,” said King, chairman of the Committee on Agriculture & Livestock. “I want to thank the committee for taking the time to visit the area and gain a better understanding for the importance of finding solutions to improve the bass population at the lake.”

This event will be the Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism’s second field hearing this year.

SIGN LANGUAGE Continued from Page 1A donna and Paul McCartney, Lady Gaga and Rage Against the Machine for deaf audience members. She works South By Southwest every year, and she’s in high demand at music festivals such as Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza.

“I don’t play anything. I don’t sing.

But I can sign really well, and I have good rhythm and I love music,” she told the Houston Chronicle.

She wants to share that love with people who can’t hear it for themselves. Galloway Gallego’s interpretations are full-body physical. She moves to give a sense of the beat and what’s happening in the music. If there’s a guitar solo, she plays air guitar. If keyboards are driving the melody, she’ll play chords on an imaginary keyboard. And when the lyrics begin, she shares both the words and the meaning, acting it out with full emotion as she translates.

“Music does something to my soul,” she said. “I feel like if we’re not able to show that, then what are we doing up there interpreting?”

Galloway Gallego, 37, didn’t plan to become an interpreter. When she was a kid, she wanted to be a rapper.

“I was from the hood” in San Antonio, she said. “Rap music was a huge part of my life.” She’d write her own rhymes and dream of being on stage.

She also was learning sign language from an early age.

When Galloway Gallego was 5, her father dated a woman whose son was deaf. “He taught me my first signs,” she said. A few years later, she was cared for by a baby sitter who had two deaf children. In high school, she was a trainer for the football team when a deaf player tore his ACL and needed therapy. And a couple of years later, when she herself needed therapy after a car accident, her roommate at the rehab hospital was deaf.

“It’s funny,” Galloway Gallego said, “to have all those incidences happen to you and still not realize your life’s purpose.”

When she enrolled at St. Philip’s College in San Antonio with plans to

become a physical therapist, Galloway Gallego became friends with the deaf community there. One night at a party, Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back” came on the stereo, and she spontaneously got up to interpret.

“I was doing it with all the movements and the rhythm,” she said, “and I was dancing and signing, and one of my deaf friends said, ‘What are you doing?’ I said, ‘I’m interpreting music.’ She said, ‘I’ve never seen music like that before.”’

It was an off-the-cuff interpretation, but it looked like nothing any of Galloway Gallego’s deaf friends had ever seen.

“For years,” she said, “deaf people would tell me, ‘Music’s a hearing thing. We don’t get it.”’ But Galloway Gallego didn’t agree. “I said, ‘Have you seen music? You can see music.”’

Soon after, she went to a Wallflowers concert at the San Antonio Rodeo and saw that the small section of deaf concertgoers had a team of interpreters — but the interpreters were merely standing there, reciting lyrics with their hands.

“All the deaf people were talking in the deaf section,” she said. “No one was paying attention to the concert. It was disheartening to me because some of the songs are so great, you know? I thought: Maybe I can change something somehow so that deaf people love music.”

That’s when Galloway Gallego got serious about music interpretation.

She enrolled in an ASL interpreter program at San Antonio College and approached the San Antonio Rodeo about coordinating concert interpreters, showing them what she could do with a song. For the next few years, until she moved to Houston in 2005, Galloway Gallego was in charge of arranging interpreters for each of the rodeo’s 20-odd nightly concerts. She handled many of the shows herself.

Preparing a song takes hours.

“I listen to it over and over,” Galloway Gallego said, memorizing the lyrics and forming a story board in her head. She’ll learn about the art-

ist’s background and influences, then pore over fan boards and discussion groups online to get a sense of what each lyric really means. Finally, she’ll create and memorize her own interpretation.

Interpretation isn’t a word-forword translation of a song; the presentation is more conceptual. “ASL is grammatically different” from English, Galloway Gallego said, and it takes effort to explain songs that are full of metaphor or wordplay.

When interpreting Cyndi Lauper’s “True Colors,” she’ll explain that “true colors” can mean more than actual color. “If I said it in ASL, it would come out ‘real color,”’ she said. “That doesn’t really make sense. But if I say, ‘True colors means personality, character, the person that you are’ and go from there, they’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.”

Galloway Gallego doesn’t shy away from interpreting the raunchiest of lyrics.

“Oh my gosh, no,” she said, laughing. “I don’t mind dirty language, cursing, any of that. I know it’s not mine — it’s somebody else’s.” So when the expletive-laced song “.

Problems” became her 15 minutes of national fame, Galloway Gallego didn’t worry for a second about the content. “My first thing was: Is it good language?” she said. “I wanted to make sure it was clear, it was understandable, that the ASL was clear, that it was conceptually accurate and that it made sense. And it did.”

Jo Rose Benfield, who lives in Austin, is a deaf performer and music lover. When she goes to concerts, she said, “Amber is one of the very few interpreters that I actually appreciate” because “she takes the time to get familiar with the music and has that mentality of a visual artist.”

“Amber is one of the few interpreters that have grown up in the deaf community,” Benfield said in an email. “That is why deaf audiences love her — because she actually gives us the full-on experience of what the artists are actually expressing through their music.”

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: NFL DRAFT

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

Clowney-ing around Texans take DE Clowney with top pick

By KIRK BOHLS MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

Photo by Craig Ruttle | AP

Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack, right, and all the players selected in the NFL draft were watched by more viewers than any draft in history.

NFL draft sets record ratings ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Johnny Football may not have appreciated the excruciating wait until he was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick, but ESPN sure did.

The Nielsen company said Friday that the first round of the NFL draft drew 9.9 million viewers to ESPN Thursday night, shattering the previous record for the event that the network has telecast since 1980. The previous high was 7.3 million viewers in 2010.

HOUSTON - Instead of a quarterback, the Texans took the guy who’s hard on them.

Even harder than a Houston franchise that has endured the likes of David Carr, Matt Schaub and Case Keenum in a vain attempt to reach a Super Bowl.

So why not wait a little longer to get a great, or even a good, quarterback. Where’s the rush?

Well, mostly from the

Another 2.4 million people watched the draft coverage on The NFL Network, Nielsen said. That makes for a total of about 12.4 million for the event as a whole.

The drama about where former Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M would land is considered the biggest factor in the ratings success.

Draft forecasters suggested Manziel would go much higher.

Viewership Thursday was 60 percent higher than last year’s 6.2 million.

Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP

Top pick Jadeveon Clowney (center) sits with new general manager Rick Smith, left, and coach Bill O’Brien. defensive end position.

But then the Texans always lean toward defense, so it shocked no one when commissioner

Roger Goodell read Jadeveon Clowney’s name first on Thursday night.

It worked out pretty well for the last two Su-

per Bowl winners. Baltimore’s Ravens won it two years ago, and Seattle’s Seahawks claimed the most recent one in Febuary, and I’m not even sure the losing Denver Broncos have a first down yet on that ironclad defense with Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas. And San Francisco, which is just a hair behind those winning teams, also makes its living on defense.

There’s not a thing

See TEXANS PAGE 2B

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: CLEVELAND BROWNS

HERE’S JOHNNY!

HIGH SCHOOL TRACK: ZAPATA HAWKS

Garza ready for final race at state Photo by Gregory Payan | AP

Zapata’s Garza to run in Austin

By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

ZAPATA – When Zapata runner Luis Garza was in middle school, he always envisioned a successful high school run. With some old fashioned hard work, he has been able to live up to all his expectations.

For the second consecutive year, Garza will be running at the UIL Class 3A track and field state track meet which unfolds today at Mike A. Mayers

Johnny Manziel poses with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected by the Cleveland Browns at the 2014 NFL draft on Thursday in New York.

Stadium on the grounds at the University of Texas – Austin.

"Luis is very relaxed and that will be an advantage to him compared to last year," Zapata long distance coach Mike Villarreal said. "Some of the runners that are running the mile had to run Friday, and Luis was able to relax and enjoy the day.

He is not nervous and that is due to experience."

Garza will be running

See ZAPATA PAGE 2B

‘Manzielmania’ takes over Cleveland

By TOM WITHERS ASSOCIATED PRESS

B

EREA, Ohio — Johnny Manziel expects life in the NFL to be even crazier than college.

Selected in the first round of the draft by the Cleveland Browns, Manziel was introduced Friday to a soundtrack of whirring cameras as he took the initial steps of his pro career. Humble and self-assured, Manziel, who raised Texas A&M’s profile with his playmak-

ing ability and “Johnny Football” persona, said he’s entering the league expecting the spotlight to be brighter.

“I’m going in expecting madness,” he said.

Manziel says he’s learned from past mistakes and the 21-year-old vowed to earn the respect of his new Cleveland teammates, some of whom may have their doubts about him.

His arrival in Cleveland has already triggered “Manzielmania” as the Browns have been over-

whelmed with sales of season tickets in the hours since they drafted the former Heisman Trophy winner with the No. 22 overall pick on Thursday night. There were fans waiting outside the team’s headquarters to welcome Manziel when he arrived shortly before noon.

“It means a lot to me obviously, getting a lot of support already,” Manziel said of the buzz he’s created. “But there’s work that needs

See MANZIEL PAGE 2B

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Dallas takes Notre Dame lineman Martin

By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS

File photo by David Zalubowski | AP

Notre Dame offensive tackle Zack Martin was selected in the first round, 16th overall, by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL draft on Thursday.

IRVING — If Zack Martin is forever known as the player the Dallas Cowboys drafted instead of Johnny Manziel, the Notre Dame offensive tackle is fine with it.

“I can live up to that,” Martin said Thursday night a few minutes after the Cowboys took him with the 16th pick in the first round of the NFL draft.

With anticipation growing that Cowboys owner and general man-

ager Jerry Jones wouldn’t be able to pass on the flashy former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M, Dallas instead went with an offensive lineman in the first round for the second straight year — and third time in the past four drafts.

Jones said college football’s most exciting player was never really a consideration. The Cowboys used most of their 10 minutes considering offers to trade down.

“There’s no way any quarter-

back comes in here and beats out Tony Romo,” Jones said. “As you well know in here, Romo is by contract as well as by commitment is going to be the quarterback for the Cowboys for several years to come. There’s no moving around it. I don’t care who you draft.”

Instead of his potential replacement joining the roster, the 34year-old Romo gets another piece to protect a back that underwent

See COWBOYS PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B

Zscores

MANZIEL Continued from Page 1B to be done. There’s things that need to be done. I’m very excited, very eager to be here and really get things rolling.”

Manziel was joined at his introductory news conference by fellow first-round pick Justin Gilbert, the No. 8 overall pick. A cornerback from Oklahoma State, Gilbert said he rolled down his car window and screamed when he heard Manziel was taken by the Browns.

Gilbert was asked if he kept tabs on Manziel’s college career.

“Who didn’t follow him?” the soft-spoken Gilbert said.

Manziel, who posed for photos holding his new No. 2 jersey, insists he’s not burdened by all the attention he receives, and said he’s confident he can separate his celebrity and football lives.

“I think I’m Johnny Manziel,” he said. “Johnny Football is what I am in the media. I accept it, but I know who I am. I’m Johnny Manziel. I don’t let that weigh me down.”

Manziel doesn’t expect to receive any preferential treatment with the Browns. He wasn’t surprised to hear starter Brian Hoyer said “bring it on” when he was told he will be competing with Manziel in training camp.

Manziel acknowledged he has a lot to learn, and that his sole focus is on helping the Browns end years of futility.

“I want to win,” he said.

“That’s the main thing for me. I don’t handle losing very well.”

He’s gotten better at handling the constant swirl around him. After he was drafted following a nearly three-hour wait, Manziel went out in New York and celebrated with his family and friends, which reportedly included rapper Drake and Cavaliers All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. There are photos circulating on the Internet of Manziel drinking from a large bottle of champagne.

“I’m 21 years old,” he said when asked about the bubbly.

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

Buford named NBA’s top exec

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI ASSOCIATED PRESS

In a franchise that has no time for spotlights, with a roster that has no interest in headlines, R.C. Buford may be the very embodiment of the all-forone San Antonio Spurs.

For more than two decades he has toiled in the shadows, happy to let the attention fall on coach Gregg Popovich and the team that Buford has played such a pivotal role in assembling. He quietly — happily — lives in the back channels and has built a reputation as one of the most respected executives in the NBA. Yet for all his impressive work over the previous 11 years as a general manager and architect of the most enduring success story in modern American sports, Buford had never been honored by his peers as the league’s executive of the year. Until now.

Buford won the award Wednesday, and as is the custom in the Alamo City, did as much as he could to downplay his significant contributions to a team that posted the best record in the NBA. “I think it’s not why we do what we do,” Buford said. “I think it’s a great honor for the group of people that have been here and have been through here that have built and an ownership group that’s allowed a continuity to build a program that we’re proud of so to be recognized as a program that people respect by your peers, that’s rewarding.”

That Buford had never won the award before while helping to put together a team that won four championships and has posted a staggering 15 straight 50-win seasons has been one of the great mysteries in league annals. He’s helped put the

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

San Antonio general manager received the NBA Executive of the Year award prior to Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinal against Portland.

Spurs at the forefront of the international invasion, implemented a system that demands commitment and humility over recognition and individual achievement, and has been partly responsible for so many teams pilfering his staff to run front offices or teams across the league.

Yet he may have finally earned the award in his 12th season as GM because of what he didn’t do.

In the wake of a devastating loss to Miami in the NBA Finals last season, Buford didn’t panic.

He didn’t give up on an aging Manu Ginobili. He didn’t let Tiago Splitter get lured away by big money elsewhere.

He followed the Spurs’

creed: Stay the course.

Believe in the system.

Never give in to outside influence.

While other teams chased huge stars and made big splashes, Buford quietly re-signed Ginobili and Splitter and added second-tier free agent Marco Belinelli.

The moves weren’t flashy, but were exactly what the Spurs, who enter Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals on Friday night leading Portland 1-0, needed to recover from that bitter defeat.

“It’s pretty cool,” Popovich said. “We’re all excited for him; long overdue. He’s done a great job for a very long time. We’re giving him the requisite amount of you-know-what all over

the offices. He walks down the halls we hit the walls we hit the sides to make room for him.”

Buford received nine first-place votes and 58 total points to win the award. Phoenix’s Ryan McDonough (47) finished second for his superb job in turning the Suns from an afterthought into a 48win team that just missed the playoffs.

Neil Olshey, who added Robin Lopez, Dorell Wright and Thomas Robinson to bolster the Trail Blazers’ depth and get them into the playoffs, finished third in the voting with 34 points. Toronto’s Masai Ujiri and Miami’s Pat Riley rounded out the top five.

Popovich and Buford have made the Spurs the

TEXANS Continued from Page 1B wrong with taking Jadeveon Clowney, the fire-breathing, dreads-blowing-inthe-wind defensive end from South Carolina who will start at outside linebacker but also will play end as well. I mean, the guy was a 6-foot, 200-pound running back at one time as a freshman in high school. And he’s grown since then.

New coach Bill O’Brien likely won’t use him in the backfield, but Clowney will sure be in opposing backfields a bunch when he’s running down the Colts’ Andrew Luck and others.

No other team figures to have the double-barreled, pass-rushing tandem that Houston now has with Clowney and 2012 defensive player of the year J.J. Watt.

There was a clear need there on a 2-14 team whose sacks dipped from 44 each of the previous two seasons to 31 last year.

"I just talked to him," Clowney said of Watt in a conference call. "He told me he’s going to stay on my butt when I get there."

Houston was smart to take him and was smart to shop the pick because they might have gotten a king’s ransom like Cleveland, which fleeced the Buffalo Bills for three draft picks and I think Thurman Thomas’s helmet, if anyone can find it.

No one bit on the Texans’ standing offer of the No. 1 pick in the draft, probably because nobody but the Jacksonville Jaguars thought that highly of the quarterbacks. Central Florida’s Blake Bortles was the only one taken in the first 20 picks as A&M’s Johnny Manziel slipped and slipped. Maybe the Texans can scoop up a quarterback with the first pick in the second round Friday night.

There were reports that Houston was talking about trading for New England backup quarterback Ryan Mallett.

O’Brien worked as Bill Belichick’s offensive coordinator before going to Penn State, and new Texans quarterbacks coach George Godsey coached the Patriots tight ends the last four years, so both are more than a little familiar with Mallett’s abilities.

While questions remain about Clowney’s work ethic and some wonder why his sack totals slipped from 13 as a sophomore to three as a junior, the 6-5, 266pound specimen would be the blueprint a defensive coordinator would use to draw up a pass rusher. The risk of taking anyone else was greater, though.

"Sometimes, the media can be wrong," Clowney said. "I think I’ve got a lot to prove to people."

ZAPATA

Added Texans general manager Rick Smith, "Did he play with his hair on fire every snap? No, he did not, but we’re not worried about it. He played a lot of snaps."

He certainly doesn’t suffer from a lack of confidence. The day before the draft, Clowney said Luck "better have his head on a swivel."

So should O’Brien and Smith, who surely won’t put all their eggs or even a few of them in Ryan Fitzpatrick’s basket. Fitzpatrick, Houston’s free-agent quarterback pickup, wasn’t even good enough to stick in Buffalo, remember, but Houston will get another quarterback.

Clowney was the safe, if not the surprise, pick.

After all, he becomes the Texans’ 10th first-round selection in the last 12 years to come from the defensive side of the ball. And most experts are expecting him to become the next Bruce Smith if Watt doesn’t beat him to it.

The Texans still don’t have their quarterback, but at least every other quarterback in the AFC South may have the first of many sleepless nights. O’Brien, on the other hand, should sleep like a baby, knowing he has bookend dynamite defensive ends for the foreseeable future.

COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B two surgeries last season. The latter was for a herniated disk sustained against Washington that knocked Romo out of the playoff-or-bust loss to Philadelphia in the season finale.

Jones took Martin a year after trading down 13 spots to No. 31 and getting center Travis Frederick, later explaining the strategy as wanting to get an “extra half-second” for Romo to throw. Frederick started all 16 games as a rookie.

The Cowboys stayed put this time, just as they did in 2011 when they drafted ninth and took left tackle Tyron Smith, who has played 47 of 48 games in his career — all as a starter.

“Can’t wait to learn under those veterans and learn how to be a pro and go into battle with them each week,” said Martin, who holds a Notre

Dame record with 52 consecutive starts.

Jones said he was surprised Manziel was still around — he eventually went at No. 22 to Cleveland. And the Cowboys owner was equally surprised that the prospect of getting Manziel didn’t lead to a “bonanza” of trade offers.

The marketing-savvy Jones turned down a chance to get Manziel under one of the biggest brands in sports — in his home state, no less — without so much as a second glance. Or so he said.

“The idea of flair, flash, show business, all that kind of thing was never a consideration and we never discussed that type of thing,” Jones said.

The Cowboys figure to start 2014 with three first-round picks in their starting offensive

line, which has been a rebuilding project throughout Jason Garrett’s four drafts as coach.

“You look at the best teams in the league now and for a lot of years, they’re able to control the line of scrimmage on the offensive side of the ball,” Garrett said. “We did that for years here when we won championships in the ’90s. You need to build the infrastructure of your team. We feel like we’ve got a great start with that.”

Martin was a tackle with the Irish but could see time at guard with the Cowboys. Doug Free is the starter at right tackle and was better in 2013 after having a rough season a year earlier. Ron Leary and Mackenzy Bernadeau were the starting guards, but neither has a stranglehold on the job.

Martin was the fourth player

envy of the league, assembling one of the most uniquely stable systems in professional sports built around Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Ginobili, a trio that has won three championships together and keep coming back for more.

“We’ve been working with each other for a long time,” Popovich said. “We participate in everything.

It’s been a great relationship in that regard. We share everything it’s benefited both of us and the organization without a doubt. Just having that ability to communicate and having an owner that allows us to do that.”

Popovich gets more of the credit for making the Spurs machine go, and that’s just fine with Buford. But most around the league, and certainly everyone in San Antonio, recognizes what a big role Buford has played in helping the Spurs avoid the teardowns that almost every franchise has endured since he and Pop took over.

“You recognize how difficult that is and how fortunate we’ve been that an ownership group has allowed us to stay together and have the opportunity to survive through the growing pains,” Buford said. “To have a group of players that have wanted to be a part of what this community of San Antonio and what our fans mean to them.

To have wanted to stay with an ownership group the sacrifices that they’ve made to make this a unique environment and then how they’ve handled themselves that presents a platform that other players want to come join.

“Again, we’re not in this to win an award.

We’re in this to try to win a championship. That’s the reward we’re all hoping for.”

on the Cowboys’ primary list of targets behind three defensive players — Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald and linebackers Anthony Barr of UCLA and Ryan Shazier of Ohio State.

All three were gone by the time Dallas picked.

The Cowboys figure to turn their attention to the defensive line at some point in the draft.

They are revamping their front four after releasing franchise sacks leader DeMarcus Ware in a salary-cap move following the worst season of his nine-year career.

Dallas re-signed defensive end Anthony Spencer, but he missed 15 games last season with a left knee injury. The Cowboys added three other defensive linemen in free agents Henry Melton, Jeremy Mincey and Terrell McClain.

Continued from Page 1B the 1,600-meter run at 2:45 p.m. to close out his high school track career. He will then head to Our Lady of the Lake University in San Antonio next year to continue his long distance career.

"There is a lot of excitement and as pressure as well," Garza said. "This is my last high school meet and I would like to do well. I have been supported by family and friends plus the Zapata community, because here in Zapata we are one big family. It has been great to see the support for the past four years. " He made his first trip to the UIL Class 3A state meet last year in track and field to cap off a successful junior campaign that started off with a trip to the state meet in cross country. The first time he stepped on the track, Garza was nervous and did not fare well as the experience was new to him and it showed at the state meet.

"I was really nervous last year and I just did not know what to expect," Garza said. "I just did not do as well as I had hoped, but for this year I have been on the track and have run at the state meet.

"I had a lot of pressure to make it to state and was really focused. This time around I know what to expect."

Garza then kicked off his senior year by winning the District 31-31 title and easily winning the Region IV-3A individual cross country championship to punch his ticket to the state meet.

Garza was the runner to beat heading into the track season and he knew that the target on his back got a little bit bigger with his recent success in the fall.

What he accomplished at the district and the regional cross country meet helped him start his senior spring campaign just where he left off last year.

Heading into the regional meet, Garza was ranked among the top three and was able to pull off a second place finish at the Region IV-3A meet in Kingsville.

He fended off a late surge by the bronze medalists which almost caught him at the finish line.

Garza earned a place at the state meet this morning and is vying to finish off his senior season on a good note, despite being ranked No. 9 heading into the meet with a 4:40 which he ran at the regional meet.

"At regionals it was very windy so we ran a very strategic race," Villarreal said. "Our goal was just to get into the state meet and we were able to accomplish that in Kingsville."

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

HINTS | BY HELOISE Dear Heloise: Your recent column in The Kerrville (Texas) Daily Times brought attention to National Poison Prevention Week. This important topic of protecting ourselves and family members from household and other dangers is just as important for our FURRY FAMILY MEMBERS. Perhaps you can make other readers aware of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ Poison Control Center website. It charges a fee for an emergency call to cover the cost of the veterinarians who man the lines. — Debra S., via email Debra, you are right that our furry family members deserve just as much care as any others. If there is a potential poison emergency, you also can try calling your veterinarian or a local emergency animal hospital.

Depending on whether an office visit is determined necessary, you may be able to avoid the fee.

There are things we can do as pet owners to protect

our furry loved ones from potential poisonings: Make sure all medications and cleaning supplies are somewhere out of reach of pets.

Be aware of the plants in your yard and whether they are poisonous to pets.

Keep any insecticides, pesticides and fertilizers away from your pet. — Heloise SOUP DAY Dear Heloise: One thing I always do in anticipation of a “make soup day” is save all of the broth from any vegetables that I have cooked (even broccoli and asparagus). After we finish the veggies, I simply pour the leftover waters into a plastic, freezer-safe bag and freeze it until I make soup again. It adds a delightful “punch” to my soups. On soup day, all I have to do is go through my freezer and select some bags to use as liquid for my soups! — Sara S., via email I love this idea, because you are not wasting anything! And there are just so many soups you can make with vegetable broth! — Heloise

DENNIS THE MENACE

FAMILY CIRCUS

PEANUTS

GARFIELD

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:

DILBERT

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, MAY 10, 2014