The Zapata Times 5/17/2014

ROOKIE MINICAMPS

SATURDAY MAY 17, 2014

FREE

COWBOYS AND TEXANS GET TO WORK WITH NEW PLAYERS, 1B

DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY

TO 4,000 HOMES

A HEARST PUBLICATION

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

FISHING

MURDER

Falcon concerns Photo by César G. Rodriguez | The Zapata Times

Police investigate the scene of the Laredo’s seventh homicide at the 1700 block of Cedar Avenue on Thursday afternoon.

Police: Robbery led to death 24-year-old man allegedly died after confrontation with homeowners

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES File photo by Times staff

Fishermen return from a cold Falcon Lake for official weigh-ins during the Fishing League Worldwide Outdoors tournament in 2010.

Committee eyes declining bass population

By GABRIELA A. TREVIÑO THE ZAPATA TIMES

M

embers of the Texas House of Representatives’ Committee of Culture, Recreation and Tourism met with a full house of concerned Zapata residents during a public hearing to address Falcon Lake’s declining bass population.

Experts from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department were brought in by the committee as invited testimonies during the hearing, held Friday afternoon at the Zapata Technical and Advanced Education Center.

“Fishing is big business in Texas, and we all know that,” said Dr. Gary Saul, division director of the Inland Fisheries Division at Texas Parks and Wildlife.

The declining bass population has greatly impacted not only the Falcon Lake ecosystem, but has also contributed to the declining number of tourists that visit the area. In 2012, Falcon Lake was ranked No. 1 bass lake in the country by Bass-

Photo by Gabriela A. Treviño | The Zapata Times

A panel listens to expert and public testimony during the hearing on declining bass populations Friday afternoon. master Magazine. In 2013, it ranked No. 7, and this year, it dropped again to No. 12.

Businesses that once sustained themselves on the amount of traffic they received from avid fishermen started to feel the economic repercussions of this environmental is-

sue, residents said during public testimony.

The panel from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department attributed the problem to an increase of alligator gar in the lake.

See LAKE PAGE 8A

COURTS

LAREDO — Police have identified the man who was fatally shot in a gunfire exchange reported Thursday afternoon at a home in the 1700 block of Cedar Avenue in El Trompe neighborhood.

He was identified as Raul Medina, 24.

Authorities identified a second person shot in the arm as Raul Hernandez, 37.

Police withheld the name of a third person alleged to be the one who shot Medina because he’s not facing any charges.

He’s is a 34-year-old relative of Hernandez, said Investigator Joe E. Baeza, Laredo Police Department spokesman.

Early stages of the investigation revealed that Medina allegedly intended to rob the home, according to Baeza. Police could not say what Medina wanted to take from the home because of the ongoing investigation.

“At this preliminary phase of the investigation

… it’s alleged that the deceased went to the house to commit a robbery,” he said.

Right before 5 p.m., police responded to the shooting at Cedar. The caller stated that there were several gunshots heard in the area. Upon arrival, officers found a lifeless Medina lying facedown next to the house by the concrete driveway — and Hernandez injured.

Medina allegedly had a .45 caliber semiautomatic handgun in his right hand. It was not clear how many shots were fired, but Medina was mortally wounded once. It appeared that he had an entry wound on the chest and exit wound through the back, according to police.

Police later learned that Hernandez and his relative were inside the house when they heard someone at the door.

When they opened it, a confrontation occurred between Medina and the two men, leading to the shots fired, according to

See DEATH PAGE 8A

MEXICO VIOLENCE

Man indicted for Suspect tied to Zetas immigrant transport charged in smuggling

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A man who expected a $300 payment for transporting eight illegal immigrants in Zapata County was indicted Tuesday in federal court in Laredo.

A grand jury formally charged Pedro Hernandez-Verastegui with conspiracy to transport undocumented people within the United States, and transport and attempt to transport undocumented people for financial gain.

If convicted, Hernandez-Verastegui faces up to 10 years in prison followed by supervised release, the indictment filed Tuesday states. Arraignment is set for May 22.

His arrest dates back to April 15. At 10:15 p.m., the Zapata County Sher-

iff ’s Office contacted the Zapata Border Patrol Station regarding a possible human smuggling attempt. Court records alleged the group of people was “undocumented due to the fact that the subjects did not possess any identifying documents and did not speak English.”

Border Patrol agents arrived to find a sheriff ’s deputy with a Chevrolet Venture bearing Mexican license plates. The agent observed “several subjects lying on top of each other in the cargo area,” according to court documents.

Agents determined that the eight passengers were in the country illegally.

Reports indicate that a deputy saw the Chevrolet Venture driving erratically near Miraflores Street in Zapata. As the

deputy approached the vehicle, it sped off, heading east on Texas 16. The deputy caught up with the vehicle after a short pursuit, court records alleged. A sheriff ’s official turned over the driver, Hernandez-Verastegui, to federal authorities.

In a post-arrest interview, Hernandez-Verastegui said he had entered the county illegally on April 13. He stayed at the Roma Inn, in Roma, and made arrangements with a man named “Juan” in Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico, to transport illegal immigrants in Zapata.

As per the arrangements, he was to be paid $300 for the smuggling attempt.

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

By JASON BUCH SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Mexican authorities have arrested a man suspected of being a member of the Zetas who’s accused of running a human smuggling ring that brought hundreds of immigrants to San Antonio.

The smuggling operation run by 42-year-old Fernando Martinez-Magana was notorious for putting the lives of immigrants and others at risk, court documents state.

His arrest was one of the priorities of a new strategy to return law and order to the state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas from Laredo to Brownsville, the Mexican government announced this week.

He was arrested Wednesday in the northern industrial center of

Monterrey, federal Police Chief Monte Alejandro Rubido said.

In a news conference posted online, Rubido said Martinez-Magana oversaw drug trafficking, arms shipments and human smuggling in the region around Nuevo Laredo.

In San Antonio, Martinez-Magana, who goes by the nicknames “Z-16” and “Don Fernando” is charged with multiple counts of immigrant smuggling and assisting in immigrant smuggling.

He faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted in the U.S. Officials for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, whose investigation of an immigration smuggling crew in 2011 and 2012 resulted in 20 people being charged in San Antonio, wouldn’t comment Friday.

Agents using wiretaps and informants busted stash houses and vehicles packed with immigrants, including at a Days Inn on Rigsby Avenue in April 2012 and a June 2012 traffic stop on Interstate 35 near Pat Booker Road.

The Zetas have expanded beyond drug trafficking into other lucrative crimes, including human smuggling, said Javier Peña, the former special agent in charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration in Houston.

They’ve taken over smuggling routes and formed a monopoly, driving up the cost of entering the U.S. illegally, Peña said.

“It’s more expensive than it was before,” he said. “I’ve even heard some lower-level traffick-

See ZETAS PAGE 8A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, May 17

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Down Syndrome Association of Laredo parents’ meeting. 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Life Choices Unlimited Inc., 1008 E. Hillside Road. Family members encouraged to attend. Alex Rodriguez of Planning and Network Advisory Committee to speak. Contact Raquel Canizales at 231-6502 or raquelucha56@yahoo.com.

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.

Laredo Area Retired School Employees Association installation of officers and awards luncheon. 11:30 a.m.

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. Call 324-2432.

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.

Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. For more information, contact Beverly Cantu at 727-0589.

Foster Care Festival. 6 p.m. 1708 Victoria St. Live music, face painting and informational booths on local foster care agencies. Free and open to public. Contact Alexis Herrera at 7278691 or alexis@vozdeninos.org.

Orthopedic clinic by Dr. Earl A. Stanley. During office hours. Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center, 1220 N. Malinche Ave. Benefits children with cerebral palsy, club foot, scoliosis, spina befida and more. $5 processing fee.

Patients must register at center before day of clinic. Contact 722-2431 or arianamora@stx.rr.com.

Friday, May 23 TAMIU Planetarium shows.

“Lamps of Atlantis” 6 p.m. and “Extreme Planets” 7 p.m. General admission $4 children and $5 adults. Call 326-3663.

Saturday, May 24 TAMIU Planetarium shows. “The Little Start that Could” 3 p.m.; “Force 5: Nature Unleashed” 4 p.m.; and “Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” 5 p.m.

General admission $4 children and $5 adults. Premium shows $1 more.

Monday, May 26 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.

Friday, May 30 TAMIU Planetarium shows. “Star Signs” 6 p.m. and “Live Star Show” 7 p.m. General admission $4 children and $5 adults. Call 326-3663.

Saturday, May 31 TAMIU Planetarium shows. “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” 3 p.m.; “The Future Is Wild” 4 p.m.; and “Seven Wonders” 5 p.m. General admission $4 children and $5 adults. Premium shows $1 more. Call 326-3663.

Photo by Gregory Bull | AP

Houses sit untouched above a canyon ravaged by wildfire Friday in Carlsbad, Calif. Some evacuation orders were lifted early Friday in an area near the fiercest of several wildfires in San Diego County, as crews building containment lines around the blazes hoped cooler temperatures will help them make further progress.

Arson eyed in wildfires

By JULIE WATSON & ELLIOT SPAGAT ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN DIEGO — With evacuation orders being lifted Friday, investigators worked to determine whether an unusually early and intense outbreak of wildfires in Southern California this week was ignited by something as ordinary as sparks from cars or something as sinister as an arsonist.

State fire officials said the first of at least 10 blazes that broke out between Tuesday and Thursday was found to have been caused by a spark from malfunctioning construction equipment.

But it could take months to get to the bottom of the rest of the fires.

“We are not ruling out anything,” San Diego County Sheriff Bill Gore said.

All together, the fires burned through more than 10,000 acres in the San Diego ar-

Police commissioner asked to quit over slur CONCORD, N.H. — Political leaders in a New Hampshire town have officially joined residents in demanding the resignation of a police commissioner who uttered a racial slur about President Barack Obama.

Wolfeboro Town Manager David Owen posted a message Friday on the town’s website calling on Robert Copeland to resign the post to which he was re-elected in March. In the post, Owen said Copeland’s comments are “appalling” and called on him to save the town further embarrassment.

Arkansas high court suspends marriage ruling LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas’ highest court has suspended a judge’s ruling striking down the state’s same-sex marriage ban, halting the distribution of licenses that have been issued to hundreds of gay couples.

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

Monday, June 23 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call 765-9920.

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

The state Supreme Court on Friday granted a request to suspend Pulaski County Circuit Judge Chris Piazza’s decision voiding a 2004 constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman.

Piazza last week struck down the ban, but expanded that ruling on Thursday to include all state laws preventing gay couples from marrying.

California fire chief arrested in stabbing death SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A former California fire battalion chief who eluded authorities for more than two weeks has been arrested in the stabbing death of his girlfriend, Sacramento County Sheriff ’s Sgt. Lisa Bowman said in a statement Friday.

She could not immediately provide additional information on the arrest of Orville “Moe” Fleming.

Fleming had been wanted since the body of 26-year-old Sarah June Douglas was found May 1 inside the south Sacra-

mento home they had shared for the past two years.

Rural county, feds locked in water-rights dispute WEED, N.M. — The latest dispute over federal control of land and water in the West has erupted along the banks of the Agua Chiquita, a small spring-fed stream in the mountains of southern New Mexico where the federal government has installed metal fences and locked gates to keep cattle out.

The move has enraged one rural county, where the sheriff has been ordered by the county commission to cut the locks.

The U.S. attorney for the district of New Mexico hoped a meeting Friday would ease tensions enough to avoid an escalation like the armed standoff last month over grazing rights in Nevada.

Otero County Commissioner Ronny Rardin said after the meeting that the dispute was far from over.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE WORLD

Sunday, June 8 Mexico Lindo 2014. 3 p.m. Laredo Little Theatre. Gabriela Mendoza-Garcia Ballet Folklorico to perform folkloric dances of Mexico. Children and adult company members to perform from states of Nuevo Leon, Jalisco, Veracruz and Sinaloa. $10 admission adults and $5 children 12 and under. Tickets purchased at door or by calling 725-1832.

ea, killing one person and causing more than $20 million in damage.

Six of the fires popped up within hours on Wednesday — raising suspicions that some had been set.

The region has become a tinder box in recent days because of conditions not normally seen until late summer. On Friday, though, cooler weather aided firefighters, and thousands of people began returning home.

In one of the hardest-hit cities, Carlsbad, investigators finished examining the burn site across the street from a park and focused on interviewing people who called a hotline set up to report suspicious activity.

“Do people have suspicions? Yes,” said police Capt. Neil Gallucci, noting there has been no lightning that could explain the blazes. “But can we confirm them? The answer is no.”

Turkish firm, govt deny negligence in mine fire SOMA, Turkey — The Turkish government and mining company officials vehemently denied Friday that negligence was at the root of the country’s worst mining disaster.

Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said at least 292 people died in Tuesday’s coal mine fire in Soma, a town in western Turkey.

Another nine or ten people are believed to be missing underground while 485 miners escaped or were rescued from the inferno.

Protesting workers have described the Soma disaster as murder, not an accident, because of what they call flawed safety conditions at that mine and others in the country. Police used tear gas and water cannon Friday to disperse rock-throwing protesters in Soma.

The government has asked for a parliamentary inquiry into the

Today is Saturday, May 17, the 137th day of 2014. There are 228 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Brown v.

Board of Education of Topeka, unanimously struck down racially segregated public schools, ruling that “separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

On this date: In 1792, the New York Stock Exchange had its origins as a group of brokers met under a tree on Wall Street.

In 1849, fire erupted in St. Louis, Missouri, resulting in the loss of three lives, more than 400 buildings and some two dozen steamships.

In 1933, U.S. News & World Report had its beginnings as David Lawrence began publishing a weekly newspaper called United States News.

In 1939, Britain’s King George VI and his wife, Queen Elizabeth, arrived in Quebec on the first visit to Canada by a reigning British monarch.

In 1946, President Harry S. Truman seized control of the nation’s railroads, delaying — but not preventing — a threatened strike by engineers and trainmen.

In 1961, Cuban leader Fidel Castro offered to release prisoners captured in the Bay of Pigs invasion in exchange for 500 bulldozers. (The prisoners were eventually freed in exchange for medical supplies.)

In 1973, a special committee convened by the U.S. Senate began its televised hearings into the Watergate scandal.

In 1980, rioting that claimed 18 lives erupted in Miami’s Liberty City after an all-white jury in Tampa acquitted four former Miami police officers of fatally beating black insurance executive Arthur McDuffie.

In 1987, 37 American sailors were killed when an Iraqi warplane attacked the U.S. Navy frigate Stark in the Persian Gulf. (Iraq apologized for the attack, calling it a mistake, and paid more than $27 million in compensation.)

Ten years ago: Massachusetts became the first state to allow legal same-sex marriages. Transsexuals were cleared to compete in the Olympics for the first time.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama strode head-on into the stormy abortion debate, telling graduates at the University of Notre Dame that both sides had to stop demonizing one another.

One year ago: The ousted head of the Internal Revenue Service, Steven Miller, faced hours of intense grilling before Congress; both defiant and apologetic, Miller acknowledged agency mistakes in targeting tea party groups for special scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status, but insisted that agents broke no laws and that there was no effort to cover up their actions.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bill Paxton is 59. Boxing Hallof-Famer Sugar Ray Leonard is 58. Actor-comedian Bob Saget is 58. Sports announcer Jim Nantz is 55. Singer Enya is 53. Talk show host-actor Craig Ferguson is 52. Singermusician Trent Reznor (Nine Inch Nails) is 49. Folk-rock singer/songwriter Passenger is 30. Actor Tahj Mowry is 28.

Thought for Today: “A burning purpose attracts others who are drawn along with it and help fulfill it.” — Margaret Bourke-White, American photojournalist (1904-1971).

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 Lefteris Pitarakis | AP

Anti-government protesters chant slogans on a monument for the town’s miners, during a march Friday in Soma, Turkey where the mine accident took place. Hundreds of protesters took part in the march against the government. disaster to find out what happened and why — but it appeared that officials had already made up their minds Friday.

“There’s no negligence with respect to this incident,” insisted Huseyin Celik, a deputy leader of the ruling party.

He said the mine in Soma “was inspected vigorously 11 times since 2009.”

“Let’s learn from this pain and rectify our mistakes,” he said. “(But) this is not the time to look for a scapegoat.”

— Compiled from AP reporters

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 17, 2014

Zlocal

PAGE 3A

Hunger campaign begins at H-E-Bs SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Longtime partners H-E-B and the South Texas Food Bank are once again teaming up for the 11th annual Help End Hunger Tear Pad campaign, which is currently underway at all H-E-B stores.

The Texas-based grocery chain is collecting donations from customers at cashiers’ checkout stands. Patrons have the option of tearing off the donor card in the amounts of $1, $3 and $5.

The campaign runs until June 25. All donations will benefit the South Texas Food Bank’s hunger programs and the more than 80 food pantries stocked by the food bank in Zapata and neighboring counties.

“H-E-B has been our No. 1 corporate sponsor,” said Alfonso Casso Jr., the food bank’s executive director.

“Through the years, these tear pads have meant thousands of dollars to help us feed the hungry.”

All Zapata and Laredo H-

E-B stores are taking contributions, including those in the food bank’s service area of Del Rio, Eagle Pass, Carrizo Springs and Rio Grande City.

“H.E.B. is happy to help and continue to be a strong community partner, especially in the area of feeding hungry people,” said Douglas Gonzalez, H-E-B Laredo’s regional manager. “We’ve been involved with the South Texas Food Bank for a very long time. We thank our customers for their support.”

Because of its affiliation with Feeding America and the Texas Food Bank Network, the food bank converts every dollar donated into eight meals, 10 pounds of food or $17 worth of groceries.

For more information about the Help End Hunger Tear Pad campaign, email Casso at acasso@southtexasfoodbank.org; or food bank Chief Development Officer Cindy Liendo at cliendo@southtexasoodbank.org.

File photo by Times staff

Despite a power outage, the TAMIU 2013 Spring Commencement Exercises continue at the university’s gym. This year graduates will be greeted by a “selfie wall” outside.

Graduation to have ‘selfie wall’

By CRISTINA HERRERA THE ZAPATA TIMES

Graduates at today’s TAMIU spring commencement might notice a new addition to the ceremony: a selfie wall.

More than 580 candidates will graduate Saturday during the ceremonies, which will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The selfie wall will be placed between Dr. F.M. Canseco Hall and Anthony J. and Georgia Pellegrino Hall, as graduates are lining up.

“With selfies prevalent today, especially at special occasions, the TAMIU Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services will provide a backdrop with ‘TAMIU’ displayed on it for

graduates, their friends and family to take photos to celebrate their graduation from TAMIU,” a news release states.

Students are asked to share their selfies with the hashtags #tamiugrad and #tamiu2014 on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. ( Cristina Herrera may be reached at 728-2557 or cherrera@lmtonline.com)

First year for Rio Grande Arts Festival SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Art connoisseurs, music fans and entertainment seekers alike will be treated to the biggest celebration this side of the Rio Grande as local artists showcase their works in film, music, theater, visual arts and dance during the first-ever Rio Grande Arts Festival.

The two-day event, presented

by Laredo Community College, will be held Friday, May 23, from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m., and Saturday, May 24, from noon to 8 p.m., at

the parking lots near the new Visual and Performing Arts Center and the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center at the Fort McIntosh campus.

Admission to the festival is free and open to the public.

The festival will feature local talent competing in songwriting, playwriting, live theater and short films, as well as a battle-ofthe-bands contest.

There also will be performances in flamenco and traditional dance, mariachi, chamber music, ballet, belly dancing, poetry slam,

Spanish poetry recitations, jazz music and much more.

Vendors will sell arts and crafts, food and beverages.

LCC theater director and event organizer William Hauserman said the festival will have something for everyone.

“Not only is the public invited to enjoy some great live performances, but they can also attend a series of workshops where they can hone their skills in dance, music, theater, filmmaking and more,” said Hauserman, who added that the workshops also

are free to the public.

Nixon High School students will present a Shakespeare medley, which includes excerpts from their UIL award-winning one act play, “Twelfth Night.”

On Friday, the Cactus Country Band, popular in South Texas and the Hill Country, will perform from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. On Saturday, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., six local bands will duke it out on the stage as they compete for cash prizes during the Battle of the Bands contest.

“One of our goals with this fes-

tival is to motivate the local art community to create new and better material,” Hauserman said. “The playwrights, filmmakers and songwriters of our city really need a platform to grow and be recognized as true artists.”

The event will close with an awards ceremony for all the festival entries at 7 p.m. Saturday in the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Theater.

For more information about the festival, call the Martinez Fine Arts Center at 721-5334.

Zopinion

PAGE 4A

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

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

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Race doesn’t belong in cop’s trial

“

KEN HERMAN

AUSTIN — The history is troubling. The trend unsettling. There’s disagreement on cause, but — regardless of the reason why it has happened — there is consensus that too many African-American males have been shot

by Austin cops.

But none of that has anything to do with Texas v. Charles Kleinert, the case against the now-retired cop indicted this week on a manslaughter charge for the July 2013 shooting death of Larry Eugene Jackson Jr. “This is a very, very big moment in the history of this town,” said lawyer Adam Loewy, who represents Jackson’s parents in a civil suit stemming from the shooting.

Given the history, Loewy is correct, and the potential ramifications are also very, very big. But, in an odd and very important way, Texas v. Kleinert is unrelated to the other shootings of its type.

“This man Charles Kleinert committed a criminal act,” Loewy said Monday. “We were saying that since day one, and with this indictment this confirms this was a criminal act.”

An indictment does not confirm a criminal act. It alleges one, based on largely one-sided testimony — the prosecution’s side — to grand jurors.

“We look forward to the day that we get to participate in the proceedings,” said Randy Leavitt, Kleinert’s lawyer. “I’m not going to let Trey Kleinert go to jail for doing his job in protecting the citizens of Austin, Texas.”

That last sentence is the heart of this case. Testimony might bring into focus the dangerous folly of fleeing from police, as Jackson, who had served time for forgery, was doing after trying to enter a closed bank. Police have said Jackson might have intended to pass a forged check. The testimony also might bring into question whether deadly force, accidental or otherwise, was appropriate.

The case deserves a verdict, based on the evidence, delivered by fairminded jurors who can leave their biases — and their feelings about the other shootings — outside the courtroom.

It’s a tall, important task.

“This is a recurring pattern,” Nelson Linder, president of the Austin NAACP, said of Austin police officers shooting black men. “We need to protect human beings, not use force in a reckless

The case deserves a verdict delivered by fair-minded jurors … manner.”

True enough, but oddly irrelevant in Texas v.

Kleinert. Both parties in this case — the state and Kleinert — are entitled to a trial in a vacuum, devoid of the history of anything that happened in any of the other 25 police shootings that have gone to local grand juries in the past five years.

Nothing about any of those other shootings will be allowed as evidence at the Kleinert criminal trial, where all that will matter is this indictment and the very specific circumstances it states.

Kleinert, it says, “did then and there recklessly cause the death of Larry Jackson by striking and by attempting to strike Larry Jackson with the defendant’s hand while holding a loaded firearm, and by attempting to seize and physically control Larry Jackson without maintaining a distance between himself and Larry Jackson that was sufficient to enable the defendant to holster his firearm, thereby creating a substantial and unjustifiable risk that the firearm would discharge into Larry Jackson’s body, thereby discharging the firearm into Larry Jackson’s body, thereby causing the death of Larry Jackson, against the peace and dignity of the state.”

The Austin AmericanStatesman has reported Kleinert told investigators he unintentionally fired the shot during his pursuit of what he believed to be a fleeing criminal, or, as his lawyer put it, “doing his job in protecting the citizens of Austin, Texas.”

Silver-badged hero or cold-blooded killer? Commendation or conviction?

Praise or prison?

The manslaughter statute under which Kleinert will be tried says, “A person commits an offense if he recklessly causes the death of an individual.

“I’m oversimplifying here, but that’s all prosecutors have to prove. They don’t have to show intent, merely that Kleinert recklessly caused Jackson’s death. Can a cop be guilty of this during a lawful pursuit? Was this a lawful pursuit?

Would you want to be a juror facing that question and passing judgment on whether Kleinert should face up to 20 years in prison?

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters.

To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication.

We want to assure

our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms.

Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed.

Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

COLUMN

Texas nuclear waste bad idea

By KAREN HADDEN SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The problem of waste disposal for the nation’s 100 nuclear reactors has plagued the nuclear industry for more than six decades. The Obama administration had a commission look into how to get a high-level radioactive waste disposal development moving. Maybe it hopes to spur new reactor licensing or to boost nuclear industry efforts to get multibillion dollar taxpayer subsidies for reactors that private investors won’t fund.

Regardless of what the administration wants, most states will fight hard against becoming a radioactive waste dumping ground.

In 1983, opposition halted consideration of disposal sites in Washington, Utah, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Texas’ Deaf Smith County was in the running, but opponents raised concerns about risks to the Ogallala Aquifer. The decision in 2002 to locate a repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada was based on politics and faulty science — $15 billion spent before development was halted eight years later.

Look out, Texas! The Department of Energy is looking for a state that might be duped into believing that importing dangerous radioactive waste is a good idea.

Better yet if that state would actually volunteer. Our governor and some legislators seem to be taking the bait.

Only political greed overriding common sense could account for consideration of an idea this stupid and dangerous.

Gov. Rick Perry was excited when he announced the possibility of bringing in high-level radioactive waste, as if he were offering a great gift. Wow, just how lucky can one state be?

He proclaimed the high likelihood of finding a suitable West Texas site. I can’t help but think of my cat proudly dropping a mouse he’d killed on the back porch. It’s hard to be impressed and the stench is

awful.

Speaker of the House Joe Straus is in motion, too. He asked a House committee to study the “benefits” of storing or disposing of high-level radioactive waste, and the “potential economic impact,” but seemingly failed to require any analysis of health, safety, environmental or financial risks.

His office says it will consider environmental concerns, but the second sentence of that charge reads: “Make specific recommendations on the state and federal actions necessary to permit a high-level radioactive waste disposal or interim storage facility in Texas” — reading as if the permitting is the chief goal here.

These leaders should first learn about the very real risks of radiation to all living things, even from lowdose exposures. Cancer, birth defects, mutations, radiation sickness and death can occur depending on the level and type of radiation exposure.

High-level radioactive waste basically means spent nuclear reactor fuel rods, which contain highly radioactive plutonium, cesium, strontium, and iodine-129.

Many radionuclides in spent fuel have long halflives; they’re dangerous today and remain so for hundreds of thousands of years.

Breathing in plutonium particles in dust is especially dangerous, since it can move from lungs into the bloodstream, bones and organs, remaining in the body and increasing cancer risks.

Gov. Perry had a new report from the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality in hand as he announced his desire to import more radioactive waste.

Surprisingly, it raises significant concerns such as the fact that without shielding, humans would die from exposure to high-level radioactive waste.

It states: “Even 10 years after being removed from the reactor core, the radiation field at one meter away from SNF (spent nuclear fuel) would be over

20,000 rem/hour … a dose of 5,000 rem would incapacitate a person immediately and cause the person’s death within one week.”

And do we really want such deadly materials going down highways such as Interstate 10 and Interstate 35, regardless of how supposedly safe the containers are?

Think transportation accidents, tornadoes, earthquakes, floods and wildfires, all of which happen in Texas. The TCEQ report acknowledges that if pellets inside of spent fuel were to become aerosolized and dispersed, “environmental damage” could occur.

You’ll probably soon hear assurances about accident and cancer risks being so low that we shouldn’t worry.

Risk assessments based on creative math may be provided, but it’s the unforeseen, unpredictable factors that often lead to disaster, things no one ever thought about. Legislators should take time to consider all real-life risks, especially since federal and state agencies don’t always do their job in protecting workers and the public from radioactive risks.

The Waste Isolation Pilot Project, or WIPP, near Carlsbad, New Mexico, had recently been considered as a possible site for high-level waste disposal. It’s the nation’s only geologic repository. Plutonium from nuclear weapons waste is buried half a mile underground, where it’s supposed to remain isolated for 10,000 years. It’s been less than 15 years since waste disposal began, but serious problems have already arisen.

In February, workers had to be evacuated when an underground truck caught fire. Safety systems failed, almost everything went wrong and 13 workers were treated for smoke inhalation.

Then nine days later, plutonium and americium leaked from the site. Radioactive contamination was detected 26 miles away and 21 workers were exposed to radiation. Waste may have

exploded due to a chemical reaction. Poor oversight and an eroding safety culture are being blamed for the site’s problems, and the WIPP site may remain closed for three years.

Waste Control Specialists operates a “low-level” radioactive waste dump in Andrews County, Texas, next to the New Mexico state line.

It is a likely candidate in the running for storage and disposal of high-level waste in Texas.

Wildfires pushed by high winds have ripped through the county in recent years, burning thousands of acres.

The WCS site was licensed over objections of environmental agency scientists with concerns about groundwater contamination.

The company seeks to erode safety requirements through license amendments while expanding its radioactive waste empire.

According to the New York Times, a WCS spokesperson said that the company expected to reap $15 billion in profits, but Texans should expect to bear the brunt financially and environmentally if things go wrong.

Risks can be reduced by moving cooled spent fuel rods into dry casks, which are allowed to remain at the reactor site for 60 years after it closes. These casks can be stored in hardened configurations to minimize damage in case of a terrorist attack.

Legislators should respect Texas and our land.

It’s wrong to treat Texas as a nuclear dumping ground; wrong to consider our deserts a wasteland; and wrong to risk our water. It’s wrong to put our health, safety and economic well being at risk from radioactive waste, especially waste we didn’t even generate.

No thinking Texan wants the increased risks from deadly high-level waste.

Tell Speaker Straus to take a principled stand to protect Texas and keep our state from becoming the nation’s high-level radioactive waste dumping ground.

DOONESBURY CLASSICS (1973) | GARRY TRUDEAU

Crime and more

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

Agents arrest man previously deported

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Federal agents have arrested a man accused of reentering the country after being deported nearly two years ago.

A criminal complaint filed Monday states that Victor Antonio Zuñiga-Arreguin was apprehended near Zapata on May 10. U.S. Bor-

der Patrol agents determined that he was an illegal immigrant from Mexico following a brief interview, according to court records.

An investigation revealed that Zuñiga-Arreguin had been previously removed from the United States on Oct. 9 in El Paso.

Zuñiga-Arreguin did not apply to receive permission

to re-enter the country, court records show.

A $75,000 bond was set for Zuñiga-Arreguin. His preliminary hearing is set before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 10 a.m. May 23 in Courtroom 2C of the U.S. Courthouse in Laredo.

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

Man indicted for re-entry

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A Mexican national has been indicted for allegedly re-entering the country after being deported last year, according to court records obtained this week.

Jose Angel Ramirez-Samaniego was charged with illegal entry after deportation, according to the indictment filed Tues-

day. He could face up to 20 years in prison if he’s found guilty, court records state.

Ramirez-Samaniego was detained in San Ygnacio on April 22. After a brief interview, it was determined that he was an undocumented immigrant from Mexico. Further investigation revealed Ramirez-Samaniego had been previously removed from the country Oct. 31 in La-

redo.

No records exist that Ramirez-Samaniego applied to receive permission to re-enter the United States. He has a $75,000 bond. His arraignment is set before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker at 11 a.m. May 22 in Courtroom 2C of the U.S. Courthouse in Laredo.

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

2 high school students involved in altercation

By JUDITH RAYO THE ZAPATA TIMES

Officials from Zapata County Independent School District confirmed that a fight occurred on the grounds of Zapata High School earlier this month.

The assault occurred at 10:35 a.m. May 6, according to police reports. Two students were allegedly involved in the altercation.

Sgt. Tony Elizondo, Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office supervisor/terminal

agency coordinator, said no calls were placed to the sheriff ’s office. The students were sent to the principal’s office and met with a deputy assigned to the school.

No serious injuries were reported, according to the police report.

The alleged offender was referred to probation through the juvenile court and charged with Class A misdemeanor assault.

“The district appropriately investigated the incident and the required law

enforcement measures were taken,” said Rogelio Gonzalez, ZCISD school safety coordinator.

The district added that student safety is a priority and the county complies with the student code of conduct for all disciplinary issues. The district refused to further comment on the incident “due to the privacy of students,” Gonzalez wrote in an email.

(Judith Rayo may be reached at 728-2567 or jrayo@lmtonline.com)

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

THE BLOTTER ASSAULT

DUI/DWI

Jorge Luis Prezas Jr. was arrested and charged with assault at First Avenue and Costa Rita Street.

Christopher Daniel Lindsay was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a motor vehicle May 8 in the intersection of Betty and Monterrey lanes.

Antonio Uvalle-Guzman was arrested and charged with assault, family violence May 10 in the 200 block of Carla Street.

Jose Eliseo Martinez was arrested and charged with assault, family violence May 11 in the 100 block of Evergreen Avenue.

Miguel Delgado-Telles was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated May 9 in the intersection of U.S. 83 and Senisa Drive.

Carlos Alberto Guerra was arrested and charged with driving under the influence May 10 in the intersection of U.S. 83 and 21st Street.

Roberto Luna Jr. was arrested and charged with driving under the influence May 11 in the intersection of Texas 16 and Alamo Street.

Rolando Lopez was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated May 11 in the intersection of Texas 16 and Alamo Street.

CRIMINAL MISCHIEF

HUMAN SMUGGLING

Maria Isabel Reyes was arrested and charged with criminal mischief May 10 in the 1500 block of Jackson Street.

Damian Aviles-Maldonado was arrested and charged with smuggling of persons May 7 at Tigre Island in Zapata County.

CRIMINAL TRESPASS

POSSESSION

Bobby Joe Green was arrested and charged with criminal trespass May 7 at the intersection of 25th Avenue and Carla Street.

Cynthia Martinez was served with a capias for possession of marijuana May 7 in the 1800 block of La Paloma Drive.

Amador Jay Salinas was

arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia May 8 in the intersection of 13th Street and Guerrero Avenue.

Juan Jose Navarro Jr. was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana May 9 along U.S. 83. in Zapata County

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Maria Melecia Herrera was arrested and charged with public intoxication May 9 in the intersection of Seventh Street and Zapata Boulevard.

Rolando Eduardo Sanchez was arrested and charged with public intoxication May 11 in the intersection of Seventh Street and Diaz Avenue.

RECKLESS DRIVING Victor Javier Ledesma was arrested and charged with reckless driving May 10 in the intersection of 16th Street and Zapata Boulevard.

Rodrigo Pruneda was arrested and charged with reckless driving May 12 about 5 miles north of Chihuahua in Zapata County.

State

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

1 dead in pursuit ASSOCIATED PRESS

LA JOYA — A South Texas justice of the peace says one woman has died and several others have been injured severely in the crash of a vehicle pursued by police near the Texas-Mexico border.

Hidalgo County Justice of the Peace Ismael Ochoa

says an unidentified female passenger inside the sport utility vehicle died in the rollover crash Friday. He said La Joya police were pursuing the vehicle, which they estimated held about 15 people, when it crashed.

La Joya police declined comment. The Border Patrol was assisting the search.

Groups of immigrants are picked up regularly near the Rio Grande and transported to stash houses, where they’re held before their release for the journey north.

Police chases of vehicles overloaded with people often steered by young, inexperienced drivers often end fatally.

Bodyguard of cartel boss guilty of murder ASSOCIATED PRESS

EL PASO — The bodyguard of a nowdeceased Mexican drug cartel boss has pleaded guilty in a West Texas federal court to murder and drug trafficking.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office says Rigoberto Ruiz-Alatorre entered the plea on the third day of his trial in El Paso.

Ruiz-Alatorre admitted to murdering Fermin Rodriguez-Gonzalez in July 2006, a former associate who had decided to start his own trafficking enterprise.

Prosecutors say Ruiz-Alatorre feared that Rodriguez-Gonzalez would be caught and start cooperating with authorities.

Ruiz-Alatorre provided security for Gabino Salas-Valenciano, reputed boss of the Sinaloa cartel in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. Mexican soldiers killed SalasValenciano last year.

A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says Ruiz-Alatorre faces up to 28 years in federal prison. A call to his attorney’s office was not returned.

West: Crews unprepared

By NOMAAN MERCHANT ASSOCIATED PRESS

WEST — Brian Renegar saw emergency crews fighting a blaze consuming his small Texas town’s sprawling fertilizer plant. The former plant employee raced to the scene and warned the fire chief to get everyone out. “(It’s) gonna blow,” Renegar, also a volunteer firefighter, told the chief as he drove by the scene in West.

Minutes earlier, he urged another firefighter to evacuate to at least a half mile away.

The West fire chief issued no such order after hearing from another firefighter that the massive amounts of ammonium nitrate stored at the plant would likely not explode.

But minutes later, it did

— killing 15 people, including 12 responding to the fire, and leveling West Fertilizer Co. along with nearby homes and schools.

The narrative of those minutes leading up to the April 2013 explosion was included in a report released Thursday night by the Texas State Fire Marshal’s Office that concluded firefighters weren’t prepared for the dangers of the blaze.

Blame The report also concluded that firefighters weren’t to blame and were victims of a “systemic deficiency in training and preparation” for a fire that was too big for them to fight.

“It’s very hard because my husband walked out of

the door for a fire call and never came back,” Carmen Bridges, the widow of firefighter Morris Bridges, said after a town meeting where victims’ relatives and neighbors were given the report. “And it could have been prevented.”

The report also renewed calls for action to better prepare first responders.

“The lack of adherence to nationally recognized consensus standards and safety practices for the fire department exposed firefighters to excessive risks and failed to remove them from a critically dangerous situation,” the report said.

Investigators concluded that firefighters’ water didn’t cause the explosion, noting they were trying to stop a blaze “significantly beyond the extinguishment phase.”

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

SÁBADO 17 DE MAYO DE 2014

Agenda en Breve ZAPATA 05/17— La Clase 1964 de Zapata High School se reunirá para celebrar los 50 años de haber graduado el miércoles 25 de junio en el Steak House. Interesados en asistir a la cena pueden solicitar informes con Dora Martínez al (956) 324-1226 o con Ninfa Gracia al (956) 500-5219.

LAREDO 05/17— El Mercado Agrícola El Centro de Laredo invita al evento ‘Celebrando Mayo’ y ‘Concurso Receta de Jalapeño’, de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. en Plaza Jarvis. Entrada gratuita.

Estacionamiento gratuito en El Metro Transit Center, 1301 Farragut, con compra en el mercado.

05/17— SOCCER: Laredo Heat recibe a Houston Dutch Lions a las 8 p.m. en el Complejo de Soccer de TAMIU. 05/17— Liverpool Legends, quienes interpretan temas de The Beatles, se presentarán en el Club Annex de Laredo Energy Arena, a las 8 p.m. Costo: 45 dólares, en el piso; y 30 dólares, resto.

Compre su boleto en la taquilla del LEA. 05/17— La obra de teatro “Noises Off” de Michael Frayn se presenta a las 8 p.m. en Laredo Little Theater, 4802 Thomas Ave. Para audiencia madura. Costo: 15 dólares.

Otras presentaciones el 18 de mayo a las 3 p.m.; y el 22 y 23 de mayo a las 8 p.m.

05/19— Día de Deportes (Mes para Escuchar y Hablar Mejor) de 5 p.m. a 7 p.m. en Safari Kids Rehab, 2108 Chihuahua Suite 1, 2, & 3. Los niños se divertirán mientras aprenden. Actividades mejorarán la memoria de los niños y aprenderán a obedecer direcciones. Evento gratuito.

05/20— Taller Mensual de Apoyo ante el Duelo, de 6 p.m. a 7:30 p.m. en la Sala de Conferencias de la Biblioteca Pública de Laredo, 1120 E. Calton Road.

05/20— “The Calling” (El Llamado) es una serie de charlas sobre La Biblia que se realiza de 6:30 p.m. a 7:45 p.m. en Laredo Church of Christ Chapel, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 340. Lleve su Biblia.

05/21— El Gran Reto de Sal, una clase semanal con enfoque del sodio en la dieta.

Continúa a las 12 p.m. hoy, y el 28 de mayo. Las clases serán en inglés, y gratuitas en First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland.

05/21— SOCCER: Laredo Heat recibe a Midland/ Odessa Sockers FC a las 8 p.m. en el Complejo de Soccer de TAMIU. 05/22— Se realizará el Foster Care Festival a las 6 p.m., en Caffe Dolce, 1708 calle Victoria. Habrá música en vivo, pinta caritas e información. Evento gratuito.

05/23— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU invita a “Lamps of Atlantis” a las 6 p.m.; “Extreme Planets”, a las 7 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares, niños; y 5 dólares, adultos.

NUEVO LAREDO, MX a las 2 p.m. Eventos gratuitos.

05/17— Exposición Plástica alusiva a Cuco Sánchez, en la Galería de la Casa de la Cultura a partir de las 12 p.m.

Entrada gratis.

05/18— Grupo de Teatro Laberintus A.C. presenta “Invisible”, a las 12 p.m. en el Teatro del IMSS, entre Reynosa y Belden. Costo 20 pesos.

05/18— Programa “Domingo de Teatro Universitario” presenta “La Piedra de la Felicidad” en el teatro Lucio Blanco en la Casa de la Cultura a las 5 p.m. Entrada libre.

05/18— Concierto “Tributo a Cuco Sánchez” en la Plaza Hidalgo, a las 6 p.m. Entrada gratuita.

Zfrontera Fijan cargos

PÁGINA 7A

CORTE

POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

guidos de libertad condicional, señala la querella presentada el martes por la noche. La lectura de cargos está programada para el 22 de mayo.

Su arresto se remonta al 15 de abril. A las 10:15 p.m. la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Webb contactó a la Estación de Patrulla Fronteriza de Zapata alegando un posible intento de tráfico de personas. Registros de la corte alegan que el grupo de personas eran “(personas) sin documentos legales de ingreso al país, debido a que los individuos no poseían ningún documentos de identificación y no hablaban inglés”.

Agentes de Patrulla Fronteriza llegaron para encontrar a un ofi-

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Un hombre que esperaba un pago por 300 dólares por transportar ocho inmigrantes sin documentos legales para ingresar al país, en el Condado de Zapata fue acusado de manera formal en una corte federal en Laredo.

Un gran jurado acusó a Pedro Hernández-Verastegui con cargos por conspiración para transportar personas sin documentos a Estados Unidos, y transporte e intento de transporte de personas sin documentos a cambio de un pago.

En caso de ser condenado, Hernández-Verastegui podría enfrentar hasta 10 años en prisión, se-

cial del alguacil con un vehículo Chevrolet Venture con placas mexicanas. El agente observó “a varios sujetos reposados unos sobre otros en el área de carga”, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte. Los agentes determinaron que los ocho pasajeros se encontraban en el país sin documentos legales”.

Reportes indicaron que un oficial vio un vehículo Chevrolet Venture conducir de manera errática cerca de calle Miraflores en Zapata. Mientras el oficial se acercaba al vehículo, aceleró con rumbo al este sobre Texas 16. El oficial logró la detención del vehículo después de una corta persecución, alegan los registros

de la corte. El oficial del alguacil entregó al conductor, Hernández –Verastegui, a las autoridades federales.

En un interrogatorio después del arresto, Hernández –Verastegui señaló que había entrado al país de manera ilegal el 13 de abril. Se hospedó en Roma Inn en Roma, Texas. Entonces, Hernández –Verastegui acordó con un hombre llamado Juan, de Miguel Alemán, Tamaulipas, transportar a los inmigrantes a Zapata. Como parte del acuerdo, se le pagarían 300 dólares por el intento de contrabando.

(Localice a César G. Rodriguez en 728-2568 o en cesar@lmtonline.com)

CULTURA

REYNOSA

DEVELAN BUSTO

Hecho deja tres muertes Resultan heridas 16 personas TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Foto por Victor Strife | The Zapata Times

Mary Jo Brenner admira el recién descubierto busto de bronce en memoria de Samuel N. ‘Sammy’ Johnson III, el jueves por la tarde, en la entrada del Laredo Little Theatre. Johnson nació en 1927 y falleció el 28 de febrero del presente año.

MÉXICO

Arrestan a un presunto Zeta ASSOCIATED PRESS

MÉXICO — Autoridades mexicanas arrestaron a un hombre sospechoso de ser el principal traficante de personas del cártel de Los Zetas, dijo el jueves un funcionario de alto nivel en México.

Fernando Martínez Magaña, de 42 años, está acusado de coordinar el tráfico de migrantes mexicanos y centroamericanos hacia Estados Unidos desde su base en Nuevo La-

redo, México, dijo el comisionado nacional de seguridad, Monte Alejandro Rubido.

Martínez Magaña fue arrestado en Monterrey, México, a donde había huido cuando las autoridades cerraban el cerco a su alrededor, dijo Rubido. El originario de Nuevo Laredo, de 42 años de edad, también es solicitado en Estados Unidos, donde los investigadores afirman que su grupo criminal mantenía a docenas de inmi-

grantes en casas o departamentos en San Antonio. Martínez Magaña tenía su base en Nuevo Laredo, desde donde se coordinaba para traficar principalmente migrantes centroamericanos que se dirigían hacia los EU. El funcionario agregó que Martínez Magaña había reemplazado a un líder de Los Zetas en Nuevo Laredo que fue arrestado en diciembre de 2011. El detenido se hacía llamar “Z16”.

COLUMNA

Detallan historia de precursor POR RAUL SINENCIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Higinio Tanguma ha obtenido el título de precursor de la Revolución Mexicana en Tamaulipas, a pesar de ser reconocido en pocos lugares. Pero el triunfo de las causas justas nunca olvida a los forjadores. Conozcamos de él.

Umbrales Higinio es hijo de un inmigrante coreano que estuvo a punto de ahogarse en el Golfo de México.

Pasó el tiempo hasta los albores del siglo XX. Higinio comienza una vida en Altamira, donde trabajó en las salinas de Loma del Real. Este trabajo mal retribuido, provocan que colabore con el Partido Liberal (PL).

El PL intenta en 1906 derrocar a Porfirio Díaz.

Malogrados estos preparativos, llegan los arrestos.

Tras la tentativa insu-

rreccional de 1908, y fresca la visita de Francisco I. Madero a Tampico, Tamaulipas en agosto de 1909 las mazmorras porteñas reciben a Higinio, de donde se escapó sin purgar condena. Fugitivo, suscrito a causas prohibidas, traspone los umbrales que está llamado a recorrer.

Neutralidad En noviembre de 1910 la Revolución Mexicana estalla. La dictadura porfiriana resiste. Políticos del Noreste extremo permanecen fieles al viejo orden.

“Es necesario que comience… a operar en Tamaulipas, porque por ahí no hay nada”, escribe Flores Magón en 1911.

Entonces Tanguma decide hacer frente a la injusticia rural.

El día 15 de febrero de 1911, aparecen sus “Instrucciones a mis grupos particulares en México”.

Impreso en Texas y con

Higinio Tanguma comenzaría con movimiento revolucionario en Estado de Tamaulipas. apenas 50 voluntarios, ordena el pronunciamiento, “si no es que se tenga la seguridad de vencer” e “internarse en la sierra” rápido. Un suceso inesperado echa todo a perder.

Un agente del vetusto dictador comunica que autoridades tejanas detienen al “cabecilla Tanguma”, acusándolo de violar normas de neutralidad.

Cuestas El antiguo orden cae.

Madero asume la presidencia de México en 1911.

Flores Magón lanza la consigna “Viva tierra y libertad”. De vuelta en Tamaulipas, Higinio aborda el lema con una bandera roja. Enarbolándola, se le-

vanta en armas en Aldama, Tamaulipeco.

Estremece Tamaulipas en 1912. Encabezados por Bartolo Rodríguez, en texto que redactan el 18 de marzo los hacendados exigen restablecer “la misma tranquilidad y orden” de antaño. Madero accede. En vez de ir al fondo del problema —la pobreza campesina—, dispone con efectivos militares feroz exterminio.

Afirman que lo traicionan. Francisco Ramos Aguirre, un biógrafo, sostiene que Tanguma cae abatido en la municipalidad de Casas. El 23 de abril de 1912 muere en rebeldía.

(Cortesía de Raúl Sinecio publicado en “La Razón”, de Tampico, Tamaulipas)

Tres personas muertas y 16 lesionadas es el saldo que dejara una explosión y derrumbe de uno de los sectores de la Plaza Comercial Valle del Vergel en Reynosa, México, informó el Gobierno de Tamaulipas en un comunicado de prensa.

Las personas fallecidas fueron identificadas como Alan Alanís Barbosa, de 25 años de edad; Ada Lizeth Silva Torres, cuya edad no fue dada a conocer; y Sigifredo Hernández Torres, de 43.

Silva Torres era empleada de un negocio dentro de la plaza comercial; en tanto que Hernández Torres era propietario de un consultorio dental. Se cree que Alanís Barbosa era un cliente dentro del edificio, se indica en el comunicado.

Hasta el momento las autoridades consideran que la explosión se derivó a un acumulamiento de gas.

En relación a los 16 lesionados, 14 están siendo atendidos en el hospital del Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social y fueron identificados como Seidy Hernández Hernández, José Guadalupe Tirado Rodríguez, Gloria Rodríguez Rivera, Antonio Robledo Escobar, Alberto Torres Rivera, Israel Martínez, Dilan Martínez, de 6 meses de edad; Lucila Morales García, Cindy Caballero Paredes, Miercha Diepra Aguilar, Alberto Rodríguez Avendaño, Antonia Rodríguez Cruz, Mario Mendoza Torres; y, Alejandro Soto Martínez.

Dos lesionados más se encuentran en observación médica en el Hospital Las Flores y sus nombres no fueron dados a conocer por las autoridades.

El Coordinador General de Protección Civil de Tamaulipas, Medardo Sánchez Albarrán, dijo que la explosión ocurrió el jueves a las 12:42 p.m. en la plaza que se ubica en Bulevar Hidalgo y Avenida del Vergel.

En el ala donde ocurrió el incidente operaban aproximadamente 11 locales comerciales, entre ellos el consultorio de Hernández Torres, un restaurante de comida china, un negocio especializado en climas y otros más de giros variados, indicó Sánchez. También resultaron afectados unos 15 vehículos debido al efecto de la explosión.

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

Perry aides called in probe

By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — Several top aides to Texas Gov. Rick Perry appeared Friday before a grand jury investigating whether the governor abused the powers of his office with a 2013 veto.

Mike Morrissey, Perry’s deputy chief of staff; Ken Armbrister, legislative director; Rich Parsons, a Perry spokesman; and Mary Anne Wiley, the governor’s general counsel, declined comment on their way in and out of the grand jury room.

Friday was the first time Perry’s staff has been seen entering the grand jury room at the Travis County courthouse in relation to the investigation. The panel is looking into whether Perry broke the law when he vowed to veto funding for the office of Travis County District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg’s anti-corruption unit if the Democrat didn’t resign after a drunken driving arrest.

Lehmberg refused to resign and Perry vetoed $7.5 million. A political watchdog group then filed a complaint alleging that Perry tried to coerce Lehmberg to leave office.

The probe could be a problem for Perry, who is considering making another

Photo by LM Otero | AP

Texas Gov. Rick Perry waits to be introduced to speak at a ceremony honoring the 60th anniversary of the General Motors auto plant in Arlington on Tuesday. run at the White House in 2016. The longest serving governor in state history, Perry is not seeking another state term, which ends in January 2015.

Perry has said he never sought a deal with Lehmberg and his aides insist the governor was within his rights to exercise his lineitem veto power the way he that did.

Grand jury proceedings are secret and none of Perry’s staff who went in the room would say if they were subpoenaed or came voluntarily. It was unclear if Wiley was a witness or providing legal counsel. She escorted each of the others out of the building at different times over the afternoon.

Michael McCrum, the special prosecutor investi-

gating Perry, has said he has specific concerns about Perry as part of the investigation, though he has refused to elaborate. No charges have been filed.

“It’s proceeding methodically and we’re doing our best to understand what happened,” McCrum said.

He said the panel would reconvene June 6 and would likely meet again after that, but declined further comment.

Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashed refused to say if Perry has been subpoenaed.

“We respect the longstanding legal principle of grand jury confidentiality and therefore it would be inappropriate to comment on the proceedings. The veto in question was made in accordance with the veto power afforded to every governor under the Texas Constitution, and we remain ready and willing to assist with this inquiry,” Nashed said.

Lehmberg said earlier this week that Perry’s personal attorney made an unusual request to the judge who seated the grand jury to be allowed to use a discreet entrance away from reporters staking out the main doorway. There is a private entrance to the grand jury room through Lehmberg’s office, but the Perry staff members used the main door Friday.

Top VA health official resigns ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The top official for the health care of veterans resigned Friday amid a firestorm over reported delays in care and falsified records at veterans hospitals.

Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki said he has accepted the resignation of Robert Petzel, the department’s undersecretary for health care, effective immediately. Shinseki had asked for the resignation, a department official later said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak for attribution.

Reports of long waits for appointments and processing benefit applications have plagued VA for years.

The agency has shortened backlogs but allegations that veterans have died while awaiting VA care have created an electionyear uproar. A former clinic director at the VA’s medical center in Phoenix told a House committee last month that up to 40 people may have died while awaiting appointments and that VA officials kept a secret appointment list to mask the delays.

Shinseki asked the VA’s inspector general to investigate the clinic director’s charges. An initial review of 17 people who died while awaiting appointments at the Phoenix hospital found that none of their deaths appeared to have been caused by delays in treatment, acting inspector general Richard Griffin told senators Thursday. But he also said new complaints

about wait lists and falsified patient appointment had surfaced at other VA hospitals and clinics after the Phoenix allegations came to light. At least 10 new allegations about manipulated waiting times and other problems have surfaced in the past three weeks, he said.

Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Fla., chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, mocked the announcement of Petzel’s resignation, calling it “the pinnacle of disingenuous political dou-

blespeak” since Petzel had been scheduled to retire this year anyway. The American Legion, which has called for Shinseki to resign, said pretty much the same thing: “This move by VA is not a corrective action, but a continuation of business as usual.”

The White House said President Barack Obama supports Shinseki’s decision on Petzel and thanks Petzel for his service. “As the president has said, America has a sacred trust

with the men and women who have served our country in uniform and he is committed to doing all we can to ensure our veterans have access to timely, quality health care,” a White House statement.

The announcement of Petzel’s resignation came a day after Shinseki and Petzel were grilled at a fourhour hearing of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, where lawmakers and veteran groups expressed exasperation of long-standing problems.

LAKE Continued from Page 1A Dave Terre, chief of Management and Research of the Inland Fisheries Division, said alligator gar can grow between 7- to 8-feet-long and weigh up to 300 pounds. Their lifespan is anywhere between 50 and 100 years.

They can spawn in flood conditions, but can also survive droughts.

Falcon Lake’s fluctuating water levels create a prime environment for the alligator gar to live in and reproduce, while also feeding on bass, Terre said.

Terre added that his team has taken a “very conservative approach” to combat the alligator gar issue. In 2009, restrictions were placed on the amount of alligator gar anglers could harvest per day.

James Bendele, owner of Falcon Lake Tackle,

… the lake is prime environment for the gar. spoke out against the restrictions, citing that there was no need to restrict the anglers.

“We should get [alligator gar] under control like rats or mice … not eradicate them,” Bendele said.

His main issue, however, was the slow process Texas Parks and Wildlife has done to deal with the issue.

“It’s going to take them another year to get a survey done,” Bendele said.

(Gabriela A. Treviño may be reached at 956728-2579 or gtrevino@lmtonline.com)

DEATH Continued from Page 1A police.

Inside the home, police found a .45 caliber semiautomatic belonging to the unnamed man, who is a registered concealed handgun licensee.

Detectives questioned several people who were inside the home at the

time of the shooting. Investigators are expected to turn their findings in to the District Attorney’s Office for any applicable charges. ( César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

ZETAS Continued from Page 1A ers saying they make more money on people than on drugs.”

Martinez-Magana’s smugglers, who packed large numbers of people into stolen pickups to bring them to San Antonio, often put their charges at risk, prosecutors alleged.

They forced immigrants to hike through the South Texas brush in the summer heat to circumvent Border Patrol checkpoints; put police, immigrants and bystanders at risk by fleeing from law enforcement; and physically abused

and threatened the people they were supposed to be smuggling.

The immigrants were warehoused in San Antonio before being sent on to other cities, and they’d be held here against their will until their families paid off smuggling fees, court records show.

As the Zetas have taken over smuggling routes, they’ve made the process more risky, Peña said.

“The old tradition coyote was an older person,” he said. “Back then, it wasn’t that dangerous like it is now.”

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

GM fined $35 million over deadly defect

By JOAN LOWY & TOM KRISHER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Federal safety regulators slapped General Motors with a record $35 million fine Friday for taking more than a decade to disclose an ignition-switch defect in millions of cars that has been linked to at least 13 deaths.

Under an agreement with the Transportation Department, GM admitted it was slow to inform regulators, promised to report problems faster and submitted to more in-depth government oversight of its safety operations.

The fine was the maximum allowed under the law.

“Literally, silence can kill,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said, adding: “GM did not act and did not alert us in a timely manner. What GM did was break the law.”

Safety advocates said the fine, which is less than a day’s revenue for GM, is too small to deter bad behavior by automakers.

Clarence Ditlow, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Auto Safety, said the Justice Department — which is conducting a criminal investigation — should fine the company $1 billion or more and bring charges against GM engineers and their superiors.

“That’s the only way you’re going to change GM’s behavior,” he said.

Congress is also investigating GM, and the automaker faces hundreds of lawsuits over deaths and injuries attributed to the

Photo by Paul Sancya | AP

This Friday photo shows General Motors’ world headquarters in Detroit. U.S. safety regulators fined General Motors a record $35 million Friday for taking at least a decade to disclose defects with ignition switches in small cars that are now linked to at least 13 deaths. bad ignition switch.

The company has acknowledged knowing that the switches in its small cars had problems since at least 2001. But it was not until February that it began recalling 2.6 million of the cars, mainly Chevrolet Cobalts and Saturn Ions.

Automakers are required by federal law to re-

port safety defects to the government within five days of discovering them.

When jostled, the ignition switches can slip out of the “run” position and shut off the engine. That cuts off the power steering and brakes, potentially causing drivers to lose control. It also disables the air bags.

GM says at least 13 people have died in crashes linked to the problem.

Trial lawyers suing the company say the death toll is at least 53.

The Transportation Department’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which has been criticized for failing to take action on the switches de-

spite thousands of complaints from car owners, used a news conference to turn the tables on GM, offering some of the most damning evidence yet against the automaker.

Acting NHTSA Administrator David Friedman said a previously undisclosed 2009 memo from a parts supplier to GM stated that the switch problem could disable the cars’ air bags.

Had the government been told that at the time, it would have sought a recall, Friedman said.

Friedman said that it was clear many GM employees knew about the bad switch years ago, from engineers to investigators to executives. But he said the agency has no records to contradict CEO Mary Barra’s claim that she found out about it only recently.

He portrayed the scandal as part of a larger problem with the safety culture at GM, saying the automaker’s training materials discouraged employees from using words like “defect” or “dangerous” when reporting problems up the chain of command.

“The fact that GM took so long to report this defect says there was something very wrong with the company’s values,” he said.

GM received a $49.5 billion bailout from Washington during its 2009 bankruptcy, and the government was once the automaker’s majority shareholder, but it sold off its last GM shares in December.

GM stock dropped just 25 cents to $34.11 in Friday afternoon trading.

GM is already making

changes. Barra has named Jeff Boyer as the company’s new safety chief, and it has begun checking records for safety problems that could lead to recalls.

So far this year the company has issued 24 recalls totaling 11.2 million cars and trucks.

“We have learned a great deal from this recall.

We will now focus on the goal of becoming an industry leader in safety,” Barra said.

Earlier this year, after a four-year criminal investigation, the Justice Department made Toyota pay $1.2 billion for concealing unintended acceleration problems from NHTSA. No individuals were charged with a crime.

Although the maximum fine from safety regulators was doubled to $35 million this year, Foxx urged Congress to raise it to $300 million.

Even though GM’s bankruptcy shields it from some past liability, the company has hired lawyer and compensation expert Kenneth Feinberg to negotiate settlements.

Carl Tobias, a law professor at the University of Richmond, said the government’s action Friday “makes GM’s exposure to liability greater, or the damages for which families ultimately settle larger.”

Under the agreement, GM has to give NHTSA full access to the results of an internal investigation being done for the company by a former federal prosecutor. It will probably be finished in about two weeks.

Darden to sell Red Lobster for $2.1 billion

By MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED NEW YORK TIMES

Darden Restaurants agreed Friday to sell Red Lobster, the seafood restaurant chain that formed the beginnings of its dining empire, to the private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion in cash.

The move comes five months after Darden announced that it planned to spin off Red Lobster, while it continues to face pressure from activist hedge funds concerned about the divestiture of the brand.

One of these investors, Starboard Value, warned the restaurateur this week not to sell the chain before a special meeting called by shareholders to discuss such a move. The meeting has yet to be scheduled.

Both Starboard and the other firm, Barington Capital, have argued that Darden should consider a more extensive break-up plan.

But Darden argued Friday that the sale of Red Lobster

would provide the company with $1.6 billion in net cash immediately. About $1 billion of that will go toward paying down debt, while the remainder will help finance a new stock buyback program of up to $700 million.

And the sale will allow the company to focus on its remaining brands, particularly its core Olive Garden chain.

“By enabling us to bolster the company’s financial foundation and increase our focus on the Olive Garden brand renaissance program, we believe this agreement addresses key issues that our shareholders have raised, including the need to preserve the company’s dividend and regain momentum at Olive Garden,” Clarence Otis, Darden’s chief executive, said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Golden Gate has extensive experience in the restaurant industry, with holdings like California Pizza Kitchen.

Darden said that the deal was not subject to a shareholder vote.

File photo by Alan Diaz | AP

This Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012 file photo, shows a Red Lobster restaurant in Hialeah, Fla. Darden Restaurants on Friday said it entered an agreement to sell its Red Lobster chain to investment firm Golden Gate Capital in a $2.1 billion cash deal.

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NBA PLAYOFFS: CONFERENCE FINALS

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Cowboys’ camp Photo by Eric Gay | AP

Tony Parker’s status for the Western Conference finals is up in the air after he strained his left hamstring Wednesday in Game 5 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Top seeds survive wild early rounds Spurs take on Oklahoma City, Miami faces Pacers in conference finals

By CLIFF BRUNT ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Tim Sharp | AP

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli instructs players during a rookie minicamp at the Cowboys’ headquarters Friday in Irving, Texas.

Dallas gets first look at Martin, other rookies

By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS

I

RVING, Texas — Scott Linehan wanted a reunion with Dallas coach Jason Garrett, which is why he’s the passing game coordinator for the Cowboys.

Now the former Detroit offensive coordinator is waiting to see how the live version of Tony Romo matches with what he remembers from the opposing sideline and

what he’s seen on film.

“He’s been a little bit slow as far as out here physically doing things,” Linehan said of early offseason sessions with Romo coming off his second back surgery in eight months after a herniated disk sidelined him for the last game of 2013. “But he’s done enough for me to see that this guy’s really got some special qualities.”

The Cowboys opened a three-day

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS

rookie minicamp Friday with their third play-caller in three seasons in Linehan. The same goes for defensive coordinator, with Rod Marinelli replacing the demoted Monte Kiffin.

Marinelli and Kiffin were on the Dallas staff together a year ago. Linehan was calling the plays for Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson before a four-game losing

OKLAHOMA CITY — After a wild start to the NBA playoffs — dramatic Game 7s, overtime games — the league’s postseason has returned to normal.

The top seeds in the East and West have advanced to the conference finals.

The two-time defending champion Miami Heat have been the most dominant team in the postseason, losing just once. Meanwhile, top-seeded and wildly unpredictable Indiana has staggered into the East finals rematch with the Heat, although the Pacers did win five road games to advance.

It took San Antonio seven games to eliminate Dallas in the first round, but then the top-seeded Spurs rolled past Portland in five to advance to the West finals. Oklahoma City rallied from a 3-2 deficit against Memphis, then fought through a dramatic six-game series against the Los Angeles Clippers.

The East finals begin Sunday with Indiana hosting Miami; the West tips off Monday night when OKC travels to San Antonio.

The Pacers have made no secret they were looking forward to rematch with Miami after pushing the Heat to seven games before losing on the road in last year’s East final. Oklahoma City beat San Antonio 4-2 in the 2012 West final, and many felt they might have beaten the aging Spurs last year if the teams had met, but

See DALLAS PAGE 2B See NBA PAGE 2B

NATIONAL FOOTBAL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

Clowney, Texans start practice

By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

leaning toward having the procedure done.

Perez is 4-3 with a 4.38 earned-run average in eight starts after going 10-6 as a rookie. He’s 0-3 with a 13.15 ERA following consecutive shutouts.

The Rangers lost left-handed starter Matt Harrison this week because of a recurring back injury that forced him to miss most of last season. The 28-year-

HOUSTON — No special treatment for Jadeveon Clowney.

On his first day of practice as a Houston Texan, the No. 1 overall draft pick’s locker was among several temporary ones plopped down in the middle of the locker room. Just like those for the rest of the rookies.

That was OK with him though. He just wants to be one of the guys.

“Just really trying ... to be a part of the team and learn, learn from these other guys around me,” he said.

The defensive end, who will play linebacker in Houston’s 3-4 scheme, is most concerned with studying the playbook. The former South Carolina standout mentioned it seven times in a six-minute interview Friday.

“I’m here to learn the playbook and get the ball rolling with the Houston Texans and show what I’ve got on the field,” he said.

The 6-foot-5, 266-pound Clowney is expected to pair with 2012 Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt to boost Houston’s already stout pass rush. Clowney piled up 47 tackles for losses and 24 sacks in a three-year career at

See PEREZ PAGE 2B

See TEXANS PAGE 2B

Photo by Jim Cowsert | AP

The Texas Rangers and Martin Perez will meet Saturday to determine if the left-handed starter will undergo Tommy John surgery.

Martin Perez could need Tommy John

By JEFF MILLER ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARLINGTON, Texas — The Texas Rangers will meet with left-hander Martin Perez on Saturday to determine if the injured starter will undergo Tommy John surgery.

The 23-year-old Perez felt discomfort in his elbow in his most start last Saturday. An examination revealed inflammation, and he said this week he’s

Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP

Jadeveon Clowney, the top overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, made his debut with the Texans in a rookie minicamp Friday in Houston.

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

Sterling says he won’t pay fine

DALLAS Continued from Page 1B streak to finish the season kept the Lions out of the playoffs and cost coach Jim Schwartz his job.

Dallas took the play-calling duties away from Bill Callahan just a year after trying to ease Garrett’s load by giving those duties to him, and Garrett reached out to Linehan. They were on Miami’s staff in 2005, Garrett’s first year in coaching.

“We were doing some meshing and molding back then,” said Linehan, who was head coach in St. Louis for two-plus seasons before going to Detroit.

Now they’re doing some meshing again, as Linehan likes to call it — combining a Dallas system that’s been in place since Garrett’s first season as offensive coordinator in 2007 and a Linehan program that Detroit had for five years.

“If you’re going in and you say, ‘Hey, we used to call this apple but now we’re calling it orange,’ it slows you down,” Linehan said. “There’s no reason to do that. So we’ll keep the language pretty much the same as it’s been. We come out here so we can play fast and operate. That’s the goal.”

Callahan’s focus is back on the offensive line, which is where it was when Garrett brought him in two years ago. The switch in 2013 was mostly driven by owner and general manager Jerry Jones wanting Garrett to have more time for game-management decisions.

The latest change brings a coach who shares more of Garrett’s passing philosophy — but doesn’t want to be known as a pass-first coach.

Garrett has been preaching balance, and the Cowboys made another move to improve one of the league’s worst rushing attacks by drafting an offensive lineman in the first round for the third time in four years.

The Cowboys believe running back DeMarco Murray can lead a strong rushing attack.

“We threw it a lot in Detroit but a lot of our passing game was designed to be a lot of what we didn’t feel we had in the running game,” Linehan said.

The defensive switch in Dallas is mostly about who’s running the meetings. It’s Marinelli now instead of Kiffin, whose title is assistant head coach/defense.

“The great thing about those guys is they know each other so well,” Garrett said. “They play off of each other so well. So it’s really a collective effort. It’s great having those guys.”

NOTES: The Cowboys signed DT Amobi Okoye and released LB Jonathan Stewart. Okoye was 19 when Houston picked him 10th overall in 2007. He played four seasons for the Texans and two with Chicago before sitting out last season. ... The Cowboys have signed four of their nine draft picks, all seventh-rounders: S Ahmad Dixon, DE Ben Gardner, CB Terrance Mitchell and LB Will Smith.

By ANNE M. PETERSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

Donald Sterling’s lawyer has written the NBA stating the owner of the Los Angeles Clippers does not intend to pay the $2.5 million fine imposed by the league for racist comments, a person with knowledge of the letter’s contents said.

Sports Illustrated first reported the letter from Maxwell Blecher. The contents were confirmed by the person who spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity.

Blecher, a prominent antitrust attorney, acknowledged sending a letter but would not discuss its contents Friday.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned Sterling for life and imposed the fine following the release late last month of a recording in which Sterling makes racist remarks. Silver also called on owners to oust Sterling from the league, which would require a three-fourths vote among the league’s 29 other controlling owners.

“We regard the dispute between Sterling and the NBA to be a private matter,” Blecher said. “We do not intend to have a trial in the press.”

Blecher said he has known Sterling since the early ‘80s, when he helped resolve a dispute that allowed the Clippers to move from San Diego to Los Angeles. Sterling has owned the Clippers since 1981.

Sports Illustrated reported that the letter to NBA executive vice president and general counsel Rick Buchanan said Sterling would not pay the fine because it violated his right to due process. It also says the controversy “will be adjudicated,” according to the report.

The person who spoke to the AP said that if Sterling doesn’t pay the fine, the league could withhold $2.5 million from the Clippers when disbursing money to teams.

The league’s Advisory/Finance Committee met via conference call as recently as Tuesday, according to league spokesman Mike Bass.

“The committee discussed the recent media appearances by Donald

File photo by Mark J. Terrill | AP

Donald Sterling has informed the NBA he doesn’t intend to pay the $2.5 million fine imposed by the league.

Sterling and Shelly Sterling, received updates on the hiring of Dick Parsons as the Los Angeles Clippers interim CEO and on his meeting yesterday with Clippers employees, and reviewed the status of the charge for termination of the Clippers’ ownership,” he said in a brief statement.

Bass added that the committee will reconvene next week.

The NBA’s constitution, which Donald Sterling signed as controlling owner of the Clippers, gives its board of governors broad latitude in league decisions, including who owns the teams. Article 13 (d) of the constitution says that an owner cannot “fail or refuse to fulfill” contractual obligations to the NBA “in such a way to affect the Association or its members adversely.”

Sterling has said he does not want to sell the Clippers. His estranged wife, Shelly, has said she’d like to keep her stake in the team even if her husband is ousted.

In a recent interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper, Sterling cast doubt on going to court if the NBA gover-

PEREZ Continued from Page 1B old Harrison hasn’t decided to undergo another back operation, one that would fuse disks together. Harrison is likely lost for the season regardless of his decision. He’s 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts.

The Rangers went into Friday night’s home game against Toronto having lost four of their last five games to drop below .500 for the first time since mid-April.

Amid the latest serious injuries to their starting rotation, Texas’ typically potent hitting attack ranks ninth in the American League in home batting average (.258) and 12th in home slugging percentage (.380).

Manager Ron Washington said the prospect of losing Perez for the season and Harrison possibly for good won’t affect how his team goes about its business.

“These guys are pros,” Washington said. “We’ve got to put 25 guys out there, and we’ve got to go play baseball. I think if you start trying to create a mental effect, that creates an excuse.

“Now, human nature?

Yes, you think about it.”

Harrison was Texas’ Pitcher of the Year in 2012 with an 18-11 record and then was limited in 2013 to two early starts before being shut down for two back surgeries.

He finally made his first appearance of 2014 on April 27 but left his start Tuesday in Houston in the second inning because of back stiffness.

Harrison said he’s scheduled to receive an epidural Monday to relieve pain and is fighting the reality that he might have pitched for the last time.

“I’m trying to stay positive as much as I can and take it day to day,” he said, “but I obviously can’t go out there and pitch the way I was last time with this stuff going on.”

nors ultimately do vote to force him out.

“People want me to hire a wall of lawyers and them to have to hire a wall of lawyers and go to war,” Sterling said on CNN. “I don’t think that’s the answer.”

Sterling also said he was not a racist and apologized for the comments, which he made to a female companion. The recording of their conversation was posted to TMZ.com on April 25 and drew immediate condemnation.

Players threatened to boycott league games and several sponsors suspended their relationship with the Clippers.

After Silver’s quick rebuke in the days following the recording’s release, many of the sponsors returned.

But the issue remains contentious.

Star forward LeBron James said Monday that he understands it may take time, but he wants Sterling out of the NBA. The Clippers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs Thursday night after a 104-98 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals.

NBA Continued from Page 1B Russell Westbrook was injured and the Thunder were eliminated. The Thunder know it will be challenge, but are confident after sweeping San Antonio this year in their four-game regular-season series.

“There aren’t really any surprises,” San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said.

“It’s the conference finals, and players step up and play well. That’s basically what it’s all about. Everyone is going to have energy, passion and those sorts of things, but execution for more of those 48 minutes is what it’s all about. To make sure that you don’t have too many dry possessions offensively, to make sure defensively that everybody is on track and communicating.

“It’s the same for both teams, but who will do it more for the 48 minutes.

We’ll see.”

The Heat, led by fourtime MVP LeBron James, are looking for their third straight title.

James is averaging 30 points and 7.1 rebounds in the playoffs while shooting 56 percent from the field.

He told Pacers coach Frank Vogel during All-Star weekend that he expected to see him in May, and both teams held up their ends of the deal.

“It’s the two best teams in the Eastern Conference,” James said. “It’s that simple. Both teams defend at a high level, both teams share the ball. Both teams

get into the paint, and both teams have a desire to win.”

After talking all season about having homecourt in a potential Game 7, they have earned it. But the Pacers haven’t played well at home in the playoffs, giving up homecourt advantage in the first round against Atlanta and in the second against Washington. James said none of that matters.

“I don’t believe the Pacers who struggled at home will be the team we play on Sunday,” James said.

The Pacers believe the challenges they have overcome — self-inflicted or otherwise — have made them a dangerous team.

“We worked so hard to get here,” Pacers guard Lance Stephenson said.

“The Hawks, the Wizards, they put us through a lot.

And we had (the media) talking bad about us, and I think it made us stronger.”

The Spurs and the Thunder are both a little banged up.

San Antonio point guard Tony Parker strained his left hamstring in Game 5 against Portland.

The Spurs aren’t sure what shape the All-Star will be in for the opener “I’m hopeful that he’ll be ready to go,” Popovich said Friday. “He’s going to stay off it again today and tomorrow. They’re going to put him on the treadmill a little bit and a bike and shoot a little bit and see where he’s at. So, we’ll

Photo by Mark J. Terrill | AP

Oklahoma City forward Serge Ibaka, right, will miss the remainder of the playoffs after injuring his left calf Thursday in Game 6 against the Los Angeles Clippers. know more tomorrow.”

Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka hurt his left calf in the third quarter of Game 6 against the Clippers, and the Thunder announced Friday that he is out for the postseason.

“We are obviously disappointed for Serge, as he is a tremendous competitor, and we know how badly he wants to be on the court with his teammates,” Thunder executive vice president and general manager Sam

Presti said in a statement.

Still, this shapes up to be an entertaining series: The savvy and wily Spurs trio of Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili vs. the youthful, talented tandem of Kevin Durant Russell Westbrook.

The Thunder duo has been dominant. Durant averaged 33.2 points against the Clippers and the ultraathletic Westbrook is averaging 26.6 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.4 assists in

the playoffs. The one-time new kids on the block feel they have become a veteran, battle-tested team. They won twice at Memphis and twice in Los Angeles, and they are confident going into San Antonio.

“We’ve been together so long, we’ve grown a lot,” Durant said. “Guys have matured through every type of situation and every type of game. That’s definitely going to help out, but we have a long ways to go.”

TEXANS Continued from Page 1B South Carolina. He doesn’t think the transition to linebacker in Houston will be that difficult.

“I don’t see any big differences,” he said. “I’ll go where they tell me.”

He didn’t seem concerned with the attention and scrutiny he’ll be subjected to as the first overall pick. The 21-year-old Clowney said he’s only worried about gaining the respect of his teammates and showing the Texans what he can do on the field.

New coach Bill O’Brien refused to talk specifically about how Clowney looked in his first work-

out, rather addressing how all the young players fared.

“I think all these guys being rookies, they all came in here and it’s an eye-opener,” he said.

“Just like anybody, it’s not just one guy. It’s a different level of competition. All these guys have come in, they’ve been on time, they’ve worked hard. So they just need to take it one day at a time and continue to work hard.”

The 34 players went through a workout that lasted about 90 minutes in shorts and helmets.

Clowney believes being humble and ready to listen to advice will

be the key to success in the NFL. “We don’t know what we think we know, basically,” he said.

“We’re here to learn. We haven’t been here before.”

Also practicing for the first time as a Texan was quarterback Tom Savage, a fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh. He’ll get a lot of work during this minicamp as the only quarterback in the group.

“It’s definitely a jump from college, but I think it’s going to be fun,” he said. “I’m excited. I’ve already ... started trying to get as much as I can and soak up as

much knowledge as I can from this whole deal so that when I go into OTAs, then I’m ready to go.”

O’Brien, who worked with Tom Brady as an assistant with the New England Patriots, did speak about how Savage performed in the workout.

“Quarterback is not an easy position to play in any system, for any team,” O’Brien said. “I thought for the first day, Tom came out, he tried to grasp what we were telling him. He’s got a lot of corrections to make. He seems to be working hard and processing through it.”

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014

Dear Heloise: After reading your hints on LADDER SAFETY, I’d like to suggest another important one. Although it may be apparent, sometimes a stepladder is placed sideways to the job rather than facing it. This can create a danger of the ladder tipping out away from the job and possibly injuring the user.. — Louis B., via email Too many of us think we can hop on a ladder for a quick repair with no worries butsafety is important when working with any ladder! — Heloise SUET STRIPS Dear Heloise: I like to put out suet for the birds and found this nifty way to serve it up. First, don’t use ground suet, but ask the butcher for strips. To make the suet holder, take a wire hanger, pull it straight and cut it in the middle. Holding the two ends together, “shish kebab” the suet strips onto the wire. Be careful: The wire ends are sharp, and one should use gloves to do this. Keep fill-

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

ing the wire up until you have about 7 to 8 inches left, then bend these ends up 90 degrees. That will prevent the suet from falling off and also serves as a perch for the birds. Then make a hook at the top end and simply hang the whole thing on a tree branch. — John in Washington DOUBLE-CHECK DOORKNOB Dear Heloise: Recently, I exited our home via the front door, something we don’t do very much since we usually go out by the garage exit.

For some reason, I jiggled the doorknob several times, and to my astonishment, it unlocked itself. I used the key to lock the door, again, and jiggled the knob a second time. Sure enough, the door came unlocked.

Now I am sure to set the deadbolt (using my key) whenever I go out the front of the house, just in case, even though we obviously have changed the entire doorknob assembly. — Claire M., Reading, Pa.

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, MAY 17, 2014