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DRUG-CARTEL VIOLENCE
Suicide rates
Dramatic cut in US aid to Mexico
Study: South Texas has low suicide rate By YASMIN SHARIFF THE ZAPATA TIMES
Suicide is the 11th leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Institute for Health Promotion Research. In Webb and surrounding counties, about 3 percent of the 250 deaths in 2012 were suicides, according to Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern. “(The suicide rate) pretty consistently stays there year after year,” she said. Stern covers eight other counties, including Dimmit, Jim Hogg, La Salle, Zapata, Zavala and Brooks. She said one caveat is that counties may not perform an autopsy on every deceased body. Stern added that “suicide rates in Texas are lower than the average across the states.” According to The Institute for Health Promotion Research, South Texas has a lower suicide rate than the rest of Texas. This may
be due to the fact that suicide rates among Hispanics are lower than other groups. If someone has a loved one or family member
for those who have lost someone to a suicide are suggested ways to possibly lower national suicide rates. According to the Cen-
In Webb and surrounding counties, about 3 percent of the 250 deaths in 2012 were suicides, according to Webb County Medical Examiner Dr. Corinne Stern. commit suicide, they are more likely to do so themselves. Other risk factors for suicide include previous suicide attempts, a history of depression, having easy access to lethal methods, alcohol or drug abuse, physical illness and feelings of isolation. Prevention and support
ters for x Disease Control and Prevention, suicide rates among middle-aged Americans across the country have risen sharply in the past decade. A New York Times article by Tara Parker-Pope said this is surprising because statistically it has been teenagers and the el-
derly who are traditionally viewed as the individuals in the most danger of dying by suicide. “Suicide rates can be difficult to interpret because of the variations in the way local officials report causes of death,” the article states. The article further states that the number of suicides across the country is underreported and that CDC researchers are confident they have the data to document an actual increase in deaths by suicide. According to Julie Philips, an associate professor at Rutgers University who was quoted in the New York Times article, “(Suicide is) vastly underreported. We know that we’re not counting all the suicides.” Research from Rutgers University states that the risk for suicide is unlikely to decline for future generations as changes in marriage, increased social isolation and disintegrating family roles will continue.
Proposal: Less monetary help in narcotics control, law enforcement By DAVID MCCUMBER HEARST NEWSPAPERS
Even as Mexico’s federal government launches a campaign to reduce drugcartel violence in the border state of Tamaulipas, the State Department is proposing a dramatic cut in U.S. aid to Mexico — particularly for programs that fight the international narcotics trade. Last week, Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto and Interior Minister Miguel Osorio Chong announced a federal initiative to fight drug violence, kidnappings, robberies and shootouts on the state’s highways. Within the past month, the war between the Zetas cartel, which originated in Tamaulipas, and the Gulf cartel is thought to be to blame for more than 70 murders in the state.
2014 SCRIPPS NATIONAL SPELLING BEE
Cutting back
LOVE FOR WORDS
But the State Department’s 2015 budget calls for aid to Mexico for international narcotics control and law enforcement to be cut nearly in half — from 2014’s $148.1 million to $80 million. Rep. Henry Cuellar, DLaredo, believes Mexico is on the right track in fighting cartel violence, and he questions the wisdom of cutting back on a program he believes is just beginning to bear fruit. “A strong, prosperous Mexico is better for us.’’ Cuellar said. “What’s good for them is good for us.” Cuellar is vowing to fight the Obama administration’s proposed cuts, with the help of Rep. Kay Granger, R-Fort Worth. Granger chairs House Appropriations’ State and Foreign Operations Subcommittee, of which Cuellar is also a member.
Plan Merida
Photos by Victor Strife | Laredo Morning Times
From left, Orlando Patricio, Rolan Jay Patricio, Mary Joy Patricio, and Juliana Patrico pose for a photograph March 29 after Mary Joy Patricio’s victory in the 2014 Scripps Regional Final Spelling Bee, at the Laredo Community College De La Garza building.
Laredoan in DC to compete for top honor By JUDITH RAYO LAREDO MORNING TIMES
In March, United Middle School student Mary Joy Patricio, 13, won the Scripps Regional Spelling Bee. The grand prize was an all-expense paid trip to compete in the National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C. In a phone interview with Laredo Morning Times, Patricio spoke about what she has been doing since winning the regional competition. “I have been studying and preparing for the National Spelling Bee,” Patricio said.
Patricio and her family are in Washington, D.C., for the national competition. She will be competing against 281 spellers for the grand prize of a $30,000 cash prize and an engraved trophy. “We are so excited for her success,” said Patricio’s father, Orlando Patricio. Mary Joy Patricio competed Tuesday morning in the preliminaries. The preliminaries, which comprised of a computer-based test, included a combination of 50 spelling words and vo-
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A State Department spokesman, speaking on background, said the cuts do not represent any diminishment of the United States’ commitment to Mexico, but rather reflect the reality that there is sufficient aid money in the pipeline from previous authorizations to continue the anti-cartel cooperation between the two countries that began back in 2008, with an agreement known as Plan Merida. “We maintain the level of funding needed to address U.S. objectives,” the spokesman said. Mexico has seen significantly more success in the war against the cartels since Peña Nieto took over the presidency from Felipe Calderón in late 2012.
Fighting back Sabastian Luna, right, listens as Mary Joy Patricio, left, spells the winning word March 29 during the 2014 Scripps Regional Final Spelling Bee, at the Laredo Comunity College De La Garza building.
In January of this year, federal troops rolled into the state of Michoacán, which had been racked by
drug violence, brazen kidnappings and widespread extortion. The government stepped in after local vigilantes had begun to fight back against the drug gangs. Then, in February, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán Loera, kingpin of the Sinaloa Cartel, was arrested by Mexican Marines — with U.S. help — in Mazatlan. Within the past week, the announcement of the federal move into Tamaulipas was quickly punctuated by federal authorities killing a founding member of the Zetas in Reynosa and arresting two other key members of the gang — including Juan Fernando Alvarez Cortez, known as “El Ferrari,” the highest-ranking Zeta in the state’s capital, Ciudad Victoria. Mexico’s National Security Commissioner, Monte Alejandro Rubido García, announced on May 20 that “El Ferrari” had been captured in a much more prosaic vehicle, a public bus en route to Nuevo Laredo — apparently fleeing Ciudad Victoria after an assassination attempt by the Gulf cartel.
Call for help In recent years, Cuellar has leveraged his personal relationships with highranking officials in Mexico — including Peña Nieto, Osorio Chong and Mexico’s Customs Director, Alejandro Chacon — in longrunning shuttle diplomacy to discuss common interests between the countries. At the same time, he has campaigned consistently in Washington for more help for Mexico. “Mexico needs a friend here in the Congress, and I certainly want to play that role,” Cuellar said. Cuellar said that he spoke with Osorio Chong about lawlessness in Tamaulipas in a face-to-face meeting last year. He said the minister’s initial reaction was that the situation was a state responsibility. Cuellar said he pushed further, saying “I understand, Mr. Secretary, but the reason I’m here is there is no movement by the state.” He said that Osorio Chong responded that if Tamaulipas did not act, the federal government would reassess the situation. Cuellar sees the crackdown announced last week as the result of that reassessment. Osorio Chong said the federal government’s initiative in the sprawling state, which shares a border of almost 150 miles with Texas, would be divided into four zones — the border, which includes the cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, as well as Rio Bravo and Valle Hermoso; the coast, including Tampico; the center, including Ciudad Victoria; and the south, including Antiguo
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Zin brief CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
Wednesday, May 28
ASSOCIATED PRESS
1964 Zapata High School Class 50th reunion. Dinner at The Steak House on Wednesday, June 25. Call Dora Martinez at 324-1226 or Ninfa Gracia at 500-5219. Healthy recipe dishes for “The Great Salt Challenge” class. Noon to 1 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Focuses on sodium in diet, daily consumption limits, how to read a food label and strategies for reducing salt intake. Three lessons. Meets every Wednesday in May. English. Free.
Today is Wednesday, May 28, the 148th day of 2014. There are 217 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 28, 1934, the Dionne quintuplets — Annette, Cecile, Emilie, Marie and Yvonne — were born to Elzire Dionne at the family farm in Ontario, Canada. (Of the five, Annette and Cecile are still living.) On this date: In 1533, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, declared the marriage of England’s King Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn valid. In 1863, the 54th Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry Regiment, made up of freed blacks, left Boston to fight for the Union in the Civil War. In 1912, the Senate Commerce Committee issued its report on the Titanic disaster that cited a “state of absolute unpreparedness,” improperly tested safety equipment and an “indifference to danger” as some of the causes of an “unnecessary tragedy.” In 1929, the first all-color talking picture, “On with the Show,” opened in New York. In 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt pushed a button in Washington signaling that vehicular traffic could begin crossing the just-opened Golden Gate Bridge in California. In 1940, during World War II, the Belgian army surrendered to invading German forces. In 1959, the U.S. Army launched Able, a rhesus monkey, and Baker, a squirrel monkey, aboard a Jupiter missile for a suborbital flight which both primates survived. In 1961, Amnesty International had its beginnings with the publication of an article in the British newspaper The Observer, “The Forgotten Prisoners.” In 1977, 165 people were killed when fire raced through the Beverly Hills Supper Club in Southgate, Kentucky. Ten years ago: Some three dozen people were killed by a powerful earthquake in northern Iran. Five years ago: Kavya Shivashankar, a 13-year-old girl from Kansas, spelled “Laodicean (lay-AHD’-uh-SEE’uhn)” (lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics) to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee. One year ago: Calling it perhaps the biggest moneylaundering scheme in U.S. history, federal prosecutors charged seven people with running what amounted to an online, underworld bank, saying that Liberty Reserve handled $6 billion for drug dealers, child pornographers, identity thieves and other criminals around the globe. Today’s Birthdays: Rockabilly singer-musician Sonny Burgess is 85. Actress Carroll Baker is 83. Producer-director Irwin Winkler is 83. Actor John Karlen is 81. Basketball Hall-of-Famer Jerry West is 76. Actress Beth Howland is 73. Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is 70. Singer Gladys Knight is 70. Actressdirector Sondra Locke is 70. Singer Billy Vera is 70. Singer John Fogerty is 69. Country musician Jerry Douglas (Alison Krauss and Union Station) is 58. Thought for Today: “Time does not become sacred to us until we have lived it, until it has passed over us and taken with it a part of ourselves.” — John Burroughs, American author and naturalist (18371921).
Thursday, May 29 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. Spanish Book Club meeting. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Laredo Public Library, Calton Road. Call Sylvia Reash at 7631810. From New York to Havana – A Ballroom Dance. 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Laredo Center for the Arts, 500 San Agustin Ave. Featuring VMT’s premier jazz ensemble SoundTown. Big Band classics, Latin favorites from south of the border and energetic sounds from Havana. Tickets $15; available at VMT office, 820 Main St.; by calling 273-7800, and at the Center for the Arts at 725-1715. Also sold at the door. Semi-formal attire recommended. Guests may bring party trays. No alcohol; concession stand included. Contact Robert M. Lopez at 273-7811 or rmlopez004@laredoisd.org.
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. Nixon High School’s production of “Twelfth Night.” 8 p.m. TAMIU Fine and Performing Arts Theater. General admission $10. 2014 UIL AAA State OneAct Play finalist.
Photo by Dean Humphrey/Grand Junction Daily Sentinel | AP
Trees are knocked down where a massive mudslide happened near Collbran, Colo., on Monday. The search for three ranchers who disappeared after the huge mudslide in the remote part of western Colorado was called off Tuesday as authorities turned their attention toward monitoring for another potential slide.
Search halted for missing By P. SOLOMON BANDA ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLLBRAN, Colo. — The search for three ranchers who disappeared after a huge mudslide in a remote part of western Colorado was called off Tuesday as authorities turned their attention toward monitoring for another potential slide. Mesa County Sheriff Stan Hilkey said the slide remained too unstable to continue looking for the men. “We don’t want to create any more tragedy than we already have,” he said. The three men were checking on problems with an irrigation ditch caused by an initial slide Sunday when a large chunk of a ridge broke off, sending soggy earth spilling like wet cement for 3 miles. The slide is about three-quarters of a mile across and several hundred feet deep at the center.
The men were Clancy Nichols, 51, who also worked as a county road and bridge employee; his son Danny Nichols, 24; and Wes Hawkins, 46, who worked for the local water district. A depression created by the slide has been filling up with spring runoff since Sunday’s big slide, and it is unclear whether it will be able to contain all of it. Hilkey has said the slide most likely was triggered by runoff from Grand Mesa — one of the world’s largest flat-topped mountains — following two days of strong rain. The slide occurred in a rural area with no structures, but other residents in the vicinity could be affected by another slide. Authorities are considering putting in place an early warning system to help protect them. Energy companies working in the area have suspended operations.
Saturday, May 31 1964 Zapata High School Class 50th reunion. Dinner at The Steak House on Wednesday, June 25. Call Dora Martinez at 324-1226 or Ninfa Gracia at 500-5219. 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. Nixon High School’s production of “Twelfth Night.” 8 p.m. TAMIU Fine and Performing Arts Theater. General admission $10. 2014 UIL AAA State OneAct Play finalist.
Sunday, June 1 Nixon High School’s production of “Twelfth Night.” 3 p.m. TAMIU Fine and Performing Arts Theater. General admission $10. 2014 UIL AAA State OneAct Play finalist.
Tuesday, June 3 “The Calling” series of Bible talks. 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Laredo Church of Christ Chapel, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 340. Contact Miguel Zuñiga at 286-9631 or mglzuñiga@yahoo.com.
Wildfire in Central California grows overnight MARIPOSA, Calif. — State fire officials brought in hundreds of additional firefighters to battle a Central California blaze that had burned through 1.4 square miles as of Tuesday morning and was threatening up to 100 rural homes. The fire burning in foothills near Lake McClure in Mariposa County nearly doubled in size overnight and was 20 percent contained, state fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said. So far, residents in just 50 of the threatened homes are being urged to evacuate, sheriff ’s officials said. Berlant said about 500 firefighters were battling the Hunters Fire on Tuesday morning, up from 100 firefighters when the blaze began a day earlier. The fire — fueled by dry brush — was burning in steep terrain that crews were having difficulty accessing. Temperatures were also expected to be in the 90s on Tuesday. Berlant
Friday, June 6 Grand Dance of Legends, to benefit Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center. 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Casa Blanca Ballroom. Featuring Sunny Ozuna & the Sunliners, Freddy Martinez and Joe Castillo Zaz y Zaz. $20 pre-sale tickets at Casa Raul North and South, Graphitiks Advertising Design Inc., Rio Bravo Music Store, San Ramon Record Shop and Ruthe B. Cowl. Sponsorships available. Call 722-2431 or visit ruthebcowl.com.
Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location and purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.
NYPD officers to carry heroin overdose antidotes NEW YORK — Thousands of New York City police officers will soon be carrying emergency antidotes to help deal with the recent spike in heroin overdoses, officials said Tuesday. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and city Police Commissioner William Bratton announced that the state is providing the New York Police Department with $1.17 million from civil and criminal forfeiture cases to pay for 19,500 kits intended to equip patrol officers,
including those assigned to transit and housing bureaus. “By providing NYPD officers with naloxone, we are making this stunningly effective overdoes antidote available in every corner of the five boroughs,” he said. “This program will literally save lives.” Kits contain two syringes and two inhalers of naloxone and instructions. They cost about $60 each with a two-year shelf life. Some officers in the nation’s largest police force were equipped with the drug as part of pilot program on Staten Island. They have saved five overdose victims police officials said. In less than two months since establishing the reimbursement program, more than 150 law enforcement agencies are getting about 25,000 naloxone kits, Schneiderman said. In Suffolk County, it was used last year to save 563 lives, according to the attorney general’s office. In Quincy, Massachusetts, they had used it 221 times by February to successfully reverse 211 overdoses. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD
Thursday, June 5 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.
said air tankers and helicopters were being used to fight the blaze. “This fire is burning like it would in summer with the dry conditions we’ve been experiencing,” Berlant said. The fire began on Monday afternoon as a structure fire, Berlant said. No additional structures were damaged or destroyed as of Tuesday morning, Berlant said.
Impasse in rescue of Nigerian girls ABUJA, Nigeria — Nigeria’s military chiefs and the president are apparently split over how to free nearly 300 schoolgirls abducted by Islamic extremists, with the military saying use of force endangers the hostages and the president reportedly ruling out a prisoner-hostage swap. The defense chief, Air Marshal Alex Badeh, announced Monday night that the military has located the girls, but offered no details or a way forward. A human rights activist close to mediators said a swap of detained extremists for the girls was negotiated a week ago but fell through because President Goodluck Jonathan refused to consider an exchange.
Catholic Church ousts priest for sex abuse MEXICO CITY — The Roman
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Photo by Arnulfo Franco | AP
Two men play drums while practicing for a choreography for a parade, in Panama City, on Monday. Catholic Church in Mexico has suspended a priest from the ministry after sexual abuse allegations against him were made public on a billboard. The president of the Catholic Lawyers College of Mexico says Eduardo Cordova was stripped
of his priesthood by the Vatican following an investigation of the allegations. Armando Martinez Gomez said Tuesday that all the evidence has been forwarded to Mexican prosecutors. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
Entertainment
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Jackson’s Immortal Tour coming to the LEA Estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque de Soleil announces dates for one of the top 10 grossing music tours of all time SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Estate of Michael Jackson and Cirque du Soleil announced that Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour, one of the top 10 grossing music tours of all time, will perform in Laredo on Friday, Aug. 1 and Saturday, Aug. 2 at the Laredo Energy Arena. Since its world premiere in Montreal in October 2011, this electrifying production has thrilled audiences across North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. Cirque Club members currently have exclusive access to pur-
chase presale tickets online at cirqueclub.com. Starting Friday, May 30 at 8 a.m., tickets will be available to the general public at cirquedusoleil.com/MichaelJackson and ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Tickets range from $40 to $125 each. Created by Cirque du Soleil and directed by Jamie King, The Immortal World Tour is a departure from the company’s previous touring shows. Featuring 49 international dancers, musicians and acrobats, it is presented in a rock concert format that combines the excitement and innovation of Michael Jackson’s music and choreography with Cirque
du Soleil’s unparalleled creativity. The underpinnings of The Immortal World Tour are Michael Jackson’s powerful, inspirational music and lyrics — the driving force behind the show — brought to life with extraordinary power and breathless intensity. Through unforgettable performances, the show underscores Michael’s global messages of love, peace and unity, and the band includes some of the same artists who previously worked side by side with Michael. Aimed at lifelong fans as well as those experiencing Michael’s creative genius for the first time,
the show captures the essence, soul and inspiration of the King of Pop, celebrating a legacy that continues to transcend generations. Michael Jackson The Immortal World Tour features the diverse talents of the following creative minds: Guy Laliberté – Creative Guide; Gilles Ste-Croix – Creative Guide; Chantal Tremblay – Director of Creation; Jamie King – Writer and Director; Carla Kama – Associate Show Director; Kevin Antunes – Musical Designer; Greg Phillinganes – Music Director; Mark Fisher – Set Designer; Michael Curry – Props and Scenic Designer; Zal-
dy Goco – Costume Designer; Germain Guillemot – Acrobatic Performance Designer; Scott Osgood – Rigging and Acrobatic Equipment Designer; Olivier Goulet – Projection Designer; Martin Labrecque – Lighting Designer; François Desjardins – Sound Designer; Travis Payne – Choreographer; Rich and Tone Talauega – Choreographers; Debra Brown – Acrobatic Choreographer; Napoleon and Tabitha Dumo – Choreographers; Jamal Sims – Choreographer; Cloud and Tamara Levinson – Choreographers; Mandy Moore – Choreographer; Florence Cornet – Makeup Designer.
Watson’s grad guard Broadway shines bright Brown won’t talk about actress’ armed guard
Broadway League reports high revenue, attendance figures By MARK KENNEDY ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Emma Watson had an undercover armed guard with her during graduation ceremonies at Brown University, and a university spokesman says he is unable to answer questions about why. The 24-year-old British actress best known for her role as Hermione Granger in the “Harry Potter” movies was one of more than 2,000 students to get her degree from the Ivy League university in Providence on Sunday. She was photographed sitting and walking next to a woman who was wearing a cap and gown. The same woman, who was older than Watson and her fellow graduates, was later seen escorting Watson without a cap and gown
Photo by Steven Senne | AP
Actress Emma Watson walks between buildings following commencement services on the campus of Brown University, on Sunday, in Providence, R.I. and with a holstered weapon, a badge and other equipment. Providence Public Safety Commissioner Steven Pare says the woman is not a Providence officer. When asked if the woman was a campus police officer and why the guard was necessary, Brown spokesman Mark Nickel said on Tuesday he was “not able to help.” Watson began her stud-
ies at Brown in 2009, the same year she was named the highest-grossing actress of the decade by the Guinness Book of World Records. She earned a degree in English literature. Her most recent movie is the Biblical epic “Noah,” and she has also starred in ”The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and “This is the End.” Watson’s publicist would not comment.
NEW YORK — Broadway’s revenue and attendance figures were both up this season, largely fueled by classics from Harold Pinter and William Shakespeare rather than brash, new musicals. The Broadway League said Tuesday that box offices reported a record total gross of $1.27 billion — up from $1.13 billion from the previous season. The trade association for theater owners, operators and producers said attendance was up 5.6 percent to 12.2 million. New musicals — “After Midnight,” “Rocky,” “If/ Then,” “A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder,” “Bullets Over Broadway” and “Violet” — mostly recorded fine. A few flopped — “Big Fish” and “The Bridges of Madison County” — and a few have soared, like Neil
Patrick Harris in “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” Pushing the overall numbers higher were firstrate play revivals, including a double bill of Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night.” They recouped their $3.1 million capitalization costs, despite putting aside 250 seats at every performance for just $25. A revival of Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal,” starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz and Rafe Spall, wrapped up its 14-week engagement with a stunning cumulative gross of just over $17.5 million. It set a record for best single week for a play ever on Broadway. Another revival — Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie,” starring Zachary Quinto and Cherry Jones — recouped its $2.6 million investment, while a double bill of Pinter’s “No Man’s Land” and Samuel Beckett’s “Waiting for Godot,” starring Ian McKellen and Patrick
Stewart, left after 23 weeks with a $14.3 million haul. A revival of “A Raisin in the Sun” with Denzel Washington has been a sure thing, with the Ethel Barrymore Theatre packed each time and making over $1 million a week. The two-time Tony Award winner Mark Rylance, nominated twice this year, said he is heartened by the draw for his Shakespeare plays. They were performed by an allmale cast and sought to replicate how the plays were produced in Shakespeare’s day. “My view is that people are increasingly enabled by technology but also rather isolated by it — isolated from visceral experiences,” he said. “Being in a room with Viola or with Richard III or with any of those characters as they go through real experiences and real emotions — that beats watching it on the screen every time.”
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
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EDITORIAL
OTHER VIEWS
True scandal shared across government THE WASHINGTON POST
At the Department of Veterans Affairs, the federal government’s largest employer (the Army ranks second), only 56.9 percent of employees believe they can disclose a suspected violation of law or regulation without fear of reprisal. Even fewer — 46.1 percent — feel “a high level of respect” for their senior leaders. Fewer still — 37 percent — are satisfied with the policies and practices of those leaders. Quite an indictment, you may say, one that confirms congressional demands for the summary firing of Eric Shinseki, the Cabinet secretary in charge of the VA. But the numbers for the government as a whole are barely more encouraging than for Shinseki’s domain: 58.4 percent, 49 percent and 38.8 percent, respectively. We don’t have a Shinseki problem, in other words. We have a President Barack Obama problem. We have a Congress problem. We have a civil service system “in crisis,” as the Partnership for Public Service said in a recent report. The contours of the VA scandal, involving alleged deception about the waiting time for treatment at veterans hospitals, are depressingly familiar. Disclosure is followed by politicians’ howls of outrage at perfidious civil servants, demands for firing and “accountability,” more investigations and more firings, until public attention wanes. The
howls are particularly screeching this time, because everyone wants to be pro-veteran, and the proposed congressional solution — allowing any VA senior executive to be fired at will, with no due process and no protection for whistleblowers — is particularly appalling. But the trajectory was similar when it involved the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Hurricane Katrina or the Internal Revenue Service and the tea party or the Department of Health and Human Services and HealthCare.gov. Such “scandals” will recur, likely with increasing frequency, as long as government leaders ignore the underlying problem: a personnel system that has not been upgraded to suit the 21st-century knowledge economy. “Name an organization that is succeeding largely under the same system it had in 1949,” says Max Stier, president and CEO of the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service. “It doesn’t exist.” It is a cumbersome system that can’t recruit or compete for talent and doesn’t reward top performers or punish poor ones. Some of the resistance to change is political: Democrats rely on government unions that are suspicious of meritbased policies, and Republicans are suspicious of government altogether. But Stier says the bigger obstacle to reform is structural. Political leaders want to influence policies that will bear fruit while they are in office.
COLUMN
Where you go to college is no matter By STEVE ROSEN THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Not long ago, I attended a panel discussion aimed at engaging high school juniors and their parents in the college application process. To jump start the program, the moderator asked a question: How many parents had attended Ivy League or other top-tier private colleges? A few hands popped up. Then, he asked how many had attended good old State U. That covered the majority of the audience. Then to the entire group he asked for a show of hands from those who felt happy and successful in life. I don’t recall seeing any hands drop. The point: Highly selective colleges don’t have any greater odds of producing successful, productive and happy graduates than any other large or small school. I thought about that simple, unscientific survey after scanning a far more comprehensive poll released earlier this month from the Gallup organization and Purdue University. Titled “Great Jobs, Great Lives,” the poll was based on interviews this
spring with about 30,000 college graduates in all 50 states. And guess what? It came to essentially the same conclusion as the moderator I listened to in the high school auditorium. “Where graduates went to college — public or private, small or large, very selective or not selective — hardly matters at all to their current well-being and their work lives in comparison to their experiences in college,” the Gallup survey concluded. According to the research, of greater and longer-lasting importance was taking a class from an inspiring, nurturing professor, landing an internship or job that made textbook material relatable, being involved in extracurricular activities and organizations, and working on projects that took a semester or more to complete. In other words, the survey noted, it’s not where you go, it’s how and what you do when you get there. It may be age-old advice, but that’s the takeaway to share with any high school student who may be thinking this summer about college applications and campus visits.
COMMENTARY
Europe’s bombshell ruling on Internet may cost dearly The European Court of Justice pronounces ‘a right to be forgotten’ on the Web; effects of the decision fall on search engine handlers in US By CRAIG A. NEWMAN SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
This month’s bombshell decision from the European Court of Justice pronouncing a “right to be forgotten” on the Internet was couched as a principled stand for digital privacy. Looking closer, however, one could see a double standard at work: The enormously expensive effects of the decision fall squarely on the shoulders of search engines based mostly in the United States, while the European players left the courtroom free of obligation. The courage of the court’s convictions, it seems, applies only outside the borders of the European Union — a result that, while convenient in the short term, carries ominous implications for Europe’s future. Although opaque in nearly every particular, the decision settles this much: A lawyer from Spain has the right to demand that Google remove links to a government notice, placed in a newspaper in 1998, that his repossessed home was being auctioned. In plain English, the court determined that the lawyer’s right to be forgotten — at least with respect to the long-ago and po-
tentially embarrassing foreclosure notice — outweighed Google’s interest in linking to that information. The court, unfortunately, did not speak in plain English. Even worse, it dumped the job of interpreting its words on those ill-equipped to do so: search-engine companies. The Google team is wonderful at writing code, but it is now saddled with the task of making judgment calls over which unflattering references to individuals should be scrubbed from search results. Should links to a doctor’s negative reviews be removed? The past behavior of a politician making a comeback bid? The conviction of a man who possessed images of child abuse? These are just three of the takedown requests that Google has received in the wake of the ruling. To make these determinations, Google has nothing to guide it but the laughably vague calculus of the decision, which requires removal of material that is "inadequate, irrelevant" or “excessive” — whatever those terms mean in the context of a search query — as “fair1/8ly3/8 balanced” against the public’s right to the information. Certainly, these kinds of concepts can-
not be plugged into an algorithm. Of course, there is nothing novel about high-court opinions that are vague and perhaps even unworkable. Criticism of the U.S. Supreme Court has included the same charges from time to time. But some aspects of the European decision simply don’t add up. Most glaring is the illogical selectivity of the ruling. While the court required Google to remove the link, it let the Spanish newspaper off the hook, meaning the material that actually violates the lawyer’s right to be forgotten is allowed to remain on the Internet. The result makes no sense. If a store at the mall is selling banned products, the problem isn’t cured by removing the mall directory. By handing down different fates to Google and the newspaper, the court is having its cake and eating it, too — standing up for privacy, only so long as the burden of that stand lands outside the continent. In the long term, however, the court’s approach could cost Europe severely in lost investment and innovation. Investors and tech entrepreneurs will surely take
note that the cost of providing information over the Internet in Europe has just skyrocketed. Google and other search engines not only face difficult removal decisions, but they must also build massive systems to handle removal demands. If foreclosure notices qualify for deletion, that alone could account for millions of requests, to say nothing of unfortunate karaoke performances and Halloween costumes. While Google may have the resources to forge on in Europe, tomorrow’s Google or Facebook or Tumblr may not. It isn’t difficult to imagine start-ups simply forgoing a European presence, given the high cost of doing business there. It’s a dire consequence, but by creating special rules that apply only within the European Union, the continent has set itself on a path toward cutting itself off from the global community. The costs of that approach are truly incalculable. Forward-thinking members of the European Union should recognize that and recognize that the European Court of Justice’s attempt to secure cost-free privacy protection is too good to be true.
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National
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
Afghan war to end by 2016 Obama: 10,000 troops to stay after this year; withdrawal will follow
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
How VA clinics falsified records Fake appointments, unofficial logs among ways to disguise delays for treatment
By JULIE PACE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By PAULINE JELINEK WASHINGTON — Charting an end to America’s longest war, President Barack Obama announced plans Tuesday for keeping nearly 10,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after this year but then withdrawing virtually all by the close of 2016 and the conclusion of his presidency. The drawdown would allow Obama to bring America’s military engagement in Afghanistan to an end while seeking to protect the gains made in a war in which he significantly intensified U.S. involvement. “We have to recognize that Afghanistan will not be a perfect place, and it is not America’s responsibility to make it one,” Obama declared during an appearance in the White House Rose Garden. He credited American forces, which were first deployed by President George W. Bush within a month of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, with striking significant blows against al-Qaida’s leadership, eliminating Osama bin Laden and preventing Afghanistan from being used as a base for strikes against the U.S. He said: “Now we’re finishing the job we’ve started.” The drawdown blueprint is contingent on Afghanistan’s government signing a stalled bilateral security agreement. While current Afghan President Hamid Karzai has refused to sign the accord, U.S. officials say they’re confident that either of the candidates running to replace him will finalize the deal. In fact, both candidates who are on the ballot in next month’s runoff — former Foreign Minister Abdullah Abdullah and ex-Finance Minister Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai — welcomed Obama’s announcement Tuesday. The size and scope of the residual U.S. force largely mirrors what Pentagon officials had sought, which appeared to give Obama cover with some Repub-
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Carolyn Kaster | AP
President Barack Obama speaks about Afghanistan, on Tuesday, in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington. The president will seek to keep 9,800 U.S. troops in Afghanistan after the war formally ends later this year. licans, including House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio. But some of president’s harshest critics on foreign policy — Sens. John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, and Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire — called the decision short-sighted and warned that it would embolden enemies. “The president’s decision to set an arbitrary date for the full withdrawal of U.S. troops in Afghanistan is a monumental mistake and a triumph of politics over strategy,” the three Republicans said in a joint statement. U.S. forces had already been on track to stop combat operations in Afghanistan by the end of 2014, more than 13 years after the American-led invasion. But Obama wants to keep some troops there to train Afghan security forces, launch counterterrorism missions and protect progress made in a war that has left at least 2,181 Americans dead and thousands more wounded. There are currently about 32,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Under Obama’s plan, that number would be reduced to 9,800 by the start of 2015, dispatched throughout Afghanistan. Over the course of next year, the number would be cut in half and consolidated in the capital of Kabul and at Bagram Air Field, the main U.S. base in Afghanistan. Those remaining forces would largely be withdrawn by the end of 2016, with fewer than
1,000 remaining to staff a security office in Kabul. The American forces would probably be bolstered by a few thousand NATO troops. Noting the complexity of his drawdown plan, Obama said, “It’s harder to end wars than to begin them.” Officials said Obama was outlining his decisions before the conclusion of the Afghan elections and the signing of the security agreement because the military needed to begin making plans. If the security accord is unexpectedly not signed, the drawdown will speed up and all U.S. troops will leave Afghanistan, said the administration officials, who briefed reporters after Obama’s announcement on condition they not be identified. The formal end of the Afghan war has triggered a White House effort to reframe America’s foreign policy after more than a decade of conflict. During a commencement address Wednesday at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Obama is expected to make the case for an approach to global problems that relies on international consensus. The U.S. tried to keep a residual force in Iraq as combat missions there came to an end, but Washington and Baghdad were unable to finalize a security agreement. In the vacuum left by the American military, Iraq has been battered by resurgent waves of violence.
WASHINGTON — Fake appointments, unofficial logs kept on the sly and appointments made without telling the patient are among tricks used to disguise delays in seeing and treating veterans at Veterans Affairs hospitals and clinics. They’re not a new phenomenon. VA officials, veteran service organizations and members of Congress have known about them for years. The “gaming strategies” were used to make it appear veterans were getting appointments within target times set by the department, according to a 2010 department memo to VA facility managers aimed at fighting the practices. The memo from William Schoenhard, then the VA’s deputy undersecretary for health operations and management, said that when a medical appointment wasn’t available within the 30-day target time then used by VA, some schedulers would: Make a fake appointment within the 30-day period but not tell the patient. The appointment would be canceled later and a new appointment would be made to meet a new 30-day target. Note on a paper log the actual distant date of an appointment, but not enter it into computer until within 30 days of the date. Give the patient an appointment at whatever date was next available, but log it in the computer as the date the veteran had asked for. Schoenhard’s nine-page memo ordered the practices stopped and instructed managers on how to detect them. Then he added: “Please be cautioned ... additional new or modified gaming strategies may have emerged, so do not consider this list a full description of all current possibilities of ... practices that need to be
addressed.” Or as Sen. Patty Murray, DWash., put it at hearing this month: “As soon as new directives are put out, they’re torn apart to find out how to get around the requirements.” “Cooking the books” at VA hospitals has exploded into public view since allegations arose that up to 40 patients may have died at the Phoenix VA hospital while awaiting care. The department’s inspector general said he’s found no evidence so far that any of those deaths were caused by delays. He’s widened his office’s probe to include 26 VA centers but hasn’t specified just what is being investigated at the newly added locations. There are some 1,700 VA health facilities nationwide, including hospitals, clinics and residential rehabilitation centers. Investigators are now trying to determine how widespread is the practice of falsifying records. But the fact it is a problem has been detailed in VA inspector general reports and Government Accountability Office reports to Congress going back a decade. The 2010 Schoenhard memo cited practices identified by a task force monitoring access to care. “We have worked very hard ... to root out these inappropriate uses of the scheduling system and these abuses,” VA’s Robert Petzel testified at a Senate hearing this month. “This has been a very important thing to us for at least the last four years.” Petzel was the top VA health care official until he was forced to resign ahead of his retirement previously scheduled for later this year. “It’s not that people haven’t brought this up before, it’s just the word ‘secret’ lists blew it up in the media,” Vietnam Veterans of America’s Richard Weidman said in an interview. “They weren’t secret, they were handwritten” logs kept aside from computerized scheduling.
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
Agenda en Breve ZAPATA 05/28— 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.
MIÉRCOLES 28 DE MAYO DE 2014
TAMAULIPAS
PAN
Nueva fase
Buscan cambiar ley pública TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
LAREDO 05/28— El Gran Reto de Sal, una clase semanal con enfoque del sodio en la dieta. Concluye a las 12 p.m. hoy. La clase es en inglés, y gratuita en First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland. 05/29— El Departamento de Música del VMT School of Communication presenta “From New York to Havana – A Ballroom Gala-Dance” con la presencia de SoundTown, de 7:30 p.m. a 10:30 p.m. en Laredo Center for the Arts, 500 San Agustin. Costo: 15 dólares. Informes en (956) 273-7800 y/o (956) 725-1715. Ganancias se destinarán al fondo de actividades estudiantiles. 05/30— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara presenta: “Star Signs” a las 6 p.m. y “Live Star Show” a las 7 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares, niños; y 5 dólares, adultos. 05/30— Se presentará la obra de teatro “Twelfth Night” de William Shakespeare, con el grupo finalista de JW Nixon HS 2014 UIL AAAA State One-Act Play, a las 8 p.m. en el Teatro del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU. Costo: 10 dólares. Otra presentación el 31 de mayo a las 8 p.m.; y el 1 de junio a las 3 p.m. 05/31— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara presenta “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” a las 3 p.m.; “The Future is Wild” a las 4 p.m.; “Seven Wonders” a las 5 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares, niños; y 5 dólares, adultos.
NUEVO LAREDO, MX 05/28— Cine Club presenta “Amar fue su pecado” a las 6 p.m. en la Auditorio de Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita. 05/28— Inauguración de las Exposiciones Rojo-Felgueres Geométricas Orgánicas y Edén de Roger Von Gunten, a las 6 p.m. en el Museo Reyes Meza. Entrada gratuita. 05/28— El grupo de teatro Laberintus A.C. estará presentando la obra de teatro “En el desierto no hay sirenas”, de Luis Edoardo Torres, a partir de las 7 p.m. en el teatro del IMSS, ubicado entre Reynosa y Belden. Costo 20 pesos. 05/28— 55ª Muestra Internacional de Cine presenta “Gloria” (Chile-España/2012) a las 7 p.m. en Cinemex Plaza Real/HEB. Abono de 200 pesos para toda la muestra. 05/29— Programa “Jueves de Teatro” presenta la obra “Intratable” en el teatro Lucio Blanco de la Casa de la Cultura, a las 7 p.m. Entrada gratuita. 05/29— 55ª Muestra Internacional de Cine presenta “La Postura del Hijo” (Rumanía/2013) a las 7 p.m. en Cinemex Plaza Real/HEB. Abono de 200 pesos para toda la muestra. 05/30— 55ª Muestra Internacional de Cine presenta “Érase una vez yo, Verónica” (Brasil-Francia/2012) a las 7 p.m. en Cinemex Plaza Real/ HEB. Abono de 200 pesos para toda la muestra. 05/31— Estación Palabra invita a sus diversas actividades: 11 a.m., “Cómo atrapar una historia”; 12 a.m., “Bazar de Arte”; 2 p.m., “Festival Infantil”; y, 5 p.m., “Vagón # 13 Manifiesto”. Eventos gratuitos.
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
La reunión para evaluar la nueva fase de la Estrategia de Seguridad Tamaulipas, fue encabezada por el Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Egidio Torre Cantú, y el Secretario de Gobernación, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong.
Evalúan seguridad en vecino estado TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
En Tamaulipas se están viviendo momentos críticos, aceptó el Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Egidio Torre Cantú, al concluir la reunión de evaluación de la nueva fase de la estrategia de seguridad. “Como lo he dicho suceden muchas cosas buenas en Tamaulipas, pero ahorita estamos viviendo momentos críticos, complicados y que juntos tenemos que salir adelante y lo vamos a lograr”, sostuvo Torre ante la presencia del Secretario de Gobernación, Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong. La nueva fase de la estrategia de seguridad busca coadyuvar para terminar con los problemas de violencia y recuperar la paz social, indica un comunicado de prensa. “Lo importante es que tenemos una nueva estrategia de desarrollo, que estamos haciendo las cosas con coordinación, voluntad, compromiso, corresponsabilidad, lo que queremos es lograr la tranquilidad”, agregó Torre. Las reuniones buscan evaluar los resultados obtenidos día a día en la búsqueda por erradicar la violencia, además de disminuir y eliminar los delitos en la sociedad, sostiene el comunicado. “Llevamos 13 días y las estrategias toman su tiempo en instrumentarse, tenemos mucha mayor presencia y eso de alguna manera nos va a permitir en muy corto tiempo eliminar la violencia en las calles, o cuando menos reducirla en su mínima expresión”, dijo Torre. Por su parte, Osorio destacó que el propósito de la Estrategia es que las mujeres, hombres, niñas, niños y jóvenes de Tamaulipas recuperen lo
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
Egidio Torre Cantú, Gobernador de Tamaulipas, da un mensaje acerca de cómo observa el avance a 13 días de implementada la Estrategia de Seguridad Tamaulipas. que les pertenece: su tranquilidad personal, familiar y de su entorno. Agregó que el Gabinete de Seguridad del Gobierno de la República y las instancias de coordinación del Estado verifican personalmente “que está instalada la capacidad operativa y se están llevando a cabo las primeras acciones a las que nos comprometimos el pasado 13 de mayo”. Parte de la estrategia considera una mayor presencia de elementos federales en las carreteras de Tamaulipas; y, en un futuro cercano será la creación de cuatro fiscalías especializadas de la Procuraduría General de la República. El objetivo de las fiscalías, al estar regionalizadas, será atender de mejor manera la comisión de delitos, explica el comunicado. Torre comentó que parte de la estrategia tiene que ver con la profesionalización de las instituciones y elementos de seguridad pública estatal. Por esta razón, todos los integrantes de la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública y de la Policía Ministerial serán evaluados y capacitados por elementos de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional.
“Se trata de blindar la denuncia, darle esa confianza al ciudadano de que denuncie y de que su denuncia será no nada más guardada en confidencia si no que será resuelta”, precisó Torre. Destacó también la importancia de que la sociedad cuente con información veraz y oportuna sobre los principales temas o situaciones que se viven. “El tema más importante, recuperar la paz y la tranquilidad, que todos los tamaulipecos podamos vivir como nos merecemos y sin duda alguna no descansaremos hasta lograrlo”, dijo Torre. “Por Tamaulipas damos y daremos todo lo que tenemos para lograrlo”. Osorio se reunió igualmente con más de 80 empresarios, integrantes de organizaciones sociales y civiles, académicos y líderes de opinión de Tamaulipas. Ante ellos refrendó el compromiso de trabajar y establecer las condiciones de paz y bienestar para los habitantes de este Estado. Reiteró la importancia de formar un frente común bajo la premisa de la confianza y la coordinación que permitan alcanzar los objetivos trazados, a través de la Estrategia de Seguridad Tamaulipas.
ENTREGAN BECAS El Club de Leones de Zapata otorgó becas a tres estudiantes de Zapata High School. De izquierda a derecha se encuentran, Homer Carrizales, Consejero de la Preparatoria; Aurelio Villarreal, Presidente del ZLC; los estudiantes, Alexander Yañez, Jessenia Garza, y Miguel Álvarez; y el subdirector de la preparatoria, José Luis Sáenz.
Foto de cortesía | ZLC
El Grupo Parlamentario del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) puso a consideración del pleno legislativo en Ciudad Victoria, Tamaulipas, reformas a la Ley de Deuda Pública Estatal y Municipal de Tamaulipas, para dar facultades al Congreso para autorizar endeudamiento adicional en circunstancias extraordinarias. El proyecto de decreto pretende que la LXII Legislatura del Congreso reforme el artículo 10 de la Ley de Deuda Pública Estatal y Municipal RIVAS de Tamaulipas, lo que fortalecería la autonomía, independencia y desarrollo de los municipios y el Estado, indica comunicado de prensa. A decir del Diputado Enrique Rivas Cuéllar, los entes públicos, la Federación como los Estados, necesitan recursos para atender sus múltiples funciones y propósitos. “El Municipio como nivel de gobierno, también requiere recursos que obtenga él mismo o le sean otorgados por los otros niveles de gobierno a fin de atender sus compromisos, prestar los servicios públicos a su cargo y cumplir con sus objetivos o bien, para cumplir con las propuestas hechas al inicio y durante la gestión pública y otros compromisos adquiridos con la comunidad”, dijo Rivas. Según el Artículo 115 de la Constitución, los Ayuntamientos pueden manejar y disponer de su Hacienda Municipal. La hacienda municipal se forma por los rendimientos de bienes, de las contribuciones e ingresos que las legislaturas de los Estados establezcan a favor del Ayuntamiento, de las participaciones federales cubiertas y de los ingresos por la prestación de los servicios públicos. Pero a decir de Rivas, Ley no advierte facultad alguna por parte del Congreso Local, para, sin previa solicitud de los entes públicos, particularmente en los municipios, contraer deudas y, menos aún, sin que al respecto se cuente con capacidad de pago. “Es indudable que el ente público interesado, en su caso beneficiado en la adquisición de un crédito o financiamiento, es el único legitimado para efectuar la solicitud del mismo”, sostuvo él. Rivas consideró indispensable contar con normas jurídicas que brinden mayor certidumbre a la autorización de la deuda pública, a fin de garantizar la viabilidad y salud financiera de los mismos. La mesa directiva del Pleno Legislativo turnó el asunto a Comisiones para su análisis y posterior dictamen.
EPA
Extienden periodo para dar comentarios ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
WASHINGTON — La Agencia de Protección Ambiental de Estados Unidos (EPA, por sus siglas en inglés), extendió por 60 días adicionales el período para someter comentarios a los cambios propuestos al Estándar de Protección a los Trabajadores Agrícolas vigente. La nueva extensión, hasta el 18 de agosto de 2014, se ha dado en respuesta a la solicitud de parte de los sectores agrícolas, indus-
triales y estatales, así como defensores de los trabajadores agrícolas. Los cambios propuestos a la reglamentación vigente son críticos para aumentar la protección a la exposición a pesticidas de los dos millones de trabajadores agrícolas que actualmente trabajan en la nación y sus familias. Los cambios propuestos incluyen mejoras significativas con respecto al adiestramiento de trabajadores agrícolas, el uso y manejo seguro de pesticidas y con-
tienen medidas para la prevención y tratamiento efectivo ante la exposición a estos. Los cambios, que proveerán una mayor protección de la exposición a los pesticidas tanto al trabajador como a sus familiares, establecen aumentar la frecuencia de los cursos de capacitación y la colocación más frecuente de avisos y rótulos. Los trabajadores de campos de cultivos tratados con pesticidas estarán mejor protegidos de los efectos causados por la fumigaciónde pesticidas.
Foto de archivo por Christopher Sherman | Associated Press
Un campo con granos es visto en la imagen de archivo de 2013 en Lyford. EPA extendió 60 días el período para dar comentarios de los cambios del Estándar de Protección a los Trabajadores Agrícolas.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Romo still limited ‘Boys QB recovering from surgery By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS
IRVING — Tony Romo looked like the man in charge of the Dallas offense for the first offseason practice until the drills got a little more competitive. Five months removed from back surgery, Romo donned a baseball cap for 11-on-11 work. There’s no use in rushing, as coach Jason Garrett has been saying for weeks. Romo echoed that talk Tuesday in his first extensive interview since sustaining a herniated disk against Washington and missing the finale against Philadelphia with a playoff berth on the line. “I don’t know that there’s anything you can’t do,” the 34year-old said in the locker room after practice. “You just want to make sure you don’t put a high volume of numbers on it yet.” For example, Romo says he has thrown at full velocity — just not very often — in his continuing recovery from surgery Dec. 27. That came two days before he watched from home while the Cowboys fell to the Eagles in a third
Photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP
Dallas quarterback Tony Romo is still on the mend after undergoing back surgery in the offseason. straight season-ending loss that put them at 8-8 and kept them out of the postseason. “It’s very difficult to watch,” said Romo, who was under center for season-finale losses at the New York Giants and Washington the previous two seasons, and for another one at Philadelphia in 2008. “That one obviously is out of your control. That’s what made it hard. It’s amazing how big of a fan you become, rooting and
excited about every little thing.” Romo was further along Tuesday than he was a year ago, when he had surgery to remove a cyst on his back in April and missed all the offseason practices. He went to California ahead of his teammates for some intense conditioning work before training camp, and spent the first few weeks catching up. “I’m actually excited just
about comparative to last year where you’re just going into camp without having had a rep in the offseason,” Romo said. “There’s some things I want to work on, and I’ve been doing that in small doses. Now we’ll get that ramped up here.” Romo has a new play caller for the third straight season in Scott Linehan, who was offensive coordinator in Detroit before coach Jim Schwartz was fired after last season. Linehan and Garrett worked together for a season in Miami almost a decade ago, and plenty of the language will be the same. The new passing game coordinator is in no hurry to see up close all the things his new primary weapon can do. “We’re early,” Linehan said. “And the mental game that he’s getting done with us and the meetings and the last four or five weeks when we started our offseason program has been huge. I know he’s getting himself ready to go.” There are daily discussions over what’s next for Romo. “Certainly we anticipate him being ready to go at training camp,” Garrett said. “We’ll evaluate how he did today, say, ’What do you think? Should we stick with the same plan tomorrow? What do you think about Thursday?’ You’re always trying to push the limit as best you can, but you don’t want to do something where you go across that line and they have setbacks.”
Dallas LB Lee hurt Sean Lee suffers knee injury in first day of practice By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS
IRVING — Oft-injured Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee didn’t even make it through the first offseason practice without another setback in a career filled with them. Lee went down with a left knee injury during the team portion of what was supposed to be a noncontact workout Tuesday. Coach Jason Garrett said Lee was getting an MRI later in the day. The fifth-year middle linebacker went to the ground with rookie offensive lineman Zack Martin on top of him and didn’t get up right away. He had to be helped off the field by trainers, screaming in anger at cameramen lining the entrance to the training room. The 27-year-old Lee has missed 15 of 32 games the past two seasons and has never played a full a season in his four years in the league. He missed five games last year with hamstring and neck injuries. Lee tore a ligament in his right knee during spring practice at Penn State in 2008 and sat out that season before finishing his college career a year later. The Cowboys drafted him in the second round in 2010. After a pair of mostly healthy seasons his first two years, Lee sustained a season-ending toe injury in the sixth game in 2012. He finished the season on the inactive list again last year with a neck injury. Despite playing just 46 games over four seasons, he leads all linebackers with 11 interceptions. He was the team’s leading tackler when he started 15 games in 2011.
National
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
Twister sparks discussion By JAMES MACPHERSON AND JOSH WOOD ASSOCIATED PRESS
WATFORD CITY, N.D. — No sirens or local alert system warned an RV park housing workers in North Dakota’s oil patch about a Memorial Day tornado that injured nine people and damaged or destroyed 15 trailers. Even with warning, there are scant places to take cover in the wide-open plain. Though such weather is rare in the area, officials say the twister already has prompted discussion among companies and others about how to better protect the thousands of workers who have taken to temporary homes as they cash in on the region’s booming industry. McKenzie County Emergency Manager Jerry Samuelson said some oil companies have contacted him inquiring about shelters. He said the county might also discuss adding conditions to the zoning laws, though it might be cost prohibitive. “We never had zoning laws in McKenzie County before the oil boom and now we do,” he said. “And maybe that’s something that needs to be incorporated into our zoning — if you’re going to put up a big man camp up there, where is the shelter?” The twister touched down about 7:50 p.m. Monday just south of Watford City, about 50 miles southeast of Williston. One of the nine people hurt was a 15-year-old girl who suffered critical injuries and was flown to a Minot hospital. The girl, who was visiting an aunt and uncle, was in an intensive-care unit but expected to survive, Samuelson said. He did not release the girl’s name or the community in which she lives. Eight other people were treated at a Watford City hospital for less serious injuries. Tornadoes are rarely reported in McKenzie County, with only 14 since 1950, with no fatalities, according to weather service data. Mon-
Photo by Rich Pedroncell | AP
State Sen. Hannah-Beth Jackson, D-Santa Barbara, calls for lawmakers to do more to deter the type of violence that killed six young people in her district last Friday. Photo by Dan Yorgason | AP
A tornado is shown in a worker’s camp near Watford City, N.D., in the heart of the state’s booming oil patch, on Monday. The tornado injured nine people and damaged or destroyed trailers at the camp.
Attacks prompt action By DON THOMPSON
day’s tornado was an EF-2 in strength on the 0-to-5 enhanced Fujita or EF scale, the weather service said, adding that preliminary information suggests the twister’s winds peaked at 120 mph. Many who have come to the area looking for work in wake of the oil boom live in hastily assembled trailer parks, known as man camps, which house prefabricated structures that resemble military barracks. Some companies rent blocks of hotel rooms for employees, and some workers sleep in their cars or in tents. “The tornado was coming down the hill along our only escape route. There was nowhere for us to go. It was crazy,” said Dan Yorgason, who lives in a neighboring workers’ camp to the one destroyed and filmed the tornado from inside his truck. Michael Smith said he used to live in the park that was destroyed but moved to Watford City four weeks ago. He said he got an alert on his phone and then barely heard the sirens from town because of the wind, rain and hail. He hunkered down in his trailer. “Ain’t no place to take cover,” Smith said. There are no statewide rules or restrictions governing crew camps, said Cecily
Fong, spokeswoman for the North Dakota Department of Emergency Services. She said residents who live in housing that has inadequate shelter especially must pay close attention to severe weather warnings and seek appropriate shelter. The Watford City Civic Center is a designated emergency shelter. “The individual also is duty bound and must heed warnings,” Fong said. It was not immediately known who owned the camp that was hit. Target Logistics is the largest crew camp operator in the oil patch, with more than 5,000 workers in nine facilities. Company regional vice president Travis Kelley said a weather radio is monitored by staff at each facility. If a tornado is reported in the area, workers are “encouraged to come to common areas such as recreation or dining areas, which are fairly well protected right in the middle of the facility,” he said. Meterologist Ken Simosko said the growth of temporary housing means there is more of a chance for death, injury and destruction from tornadoes. “People living in trailers creates a very dangerous situation because there is no protection,” Simosko said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Legislature must do more to deter the type of violence that left six young people dead over the weekend near the University of California, Santa Barbara, Democratic lawmakers said Tuesday. That includes establishing statewide protocols for all law enforcement officers who are called to check on mentally troubled people, they said. Additional steps are also needed to identify young people with severe mental illness and get them needed services, said state senators, who spent 35 minutes eulogizing the students at the state Capitol and expressing frustration that such rampages continue despite previous efforts to end the problem. Meanwhile, two Assembly members proposed legislation that would create a gun violence restraining order for use when family members and friends notify law enforcement about someone who is threatening violence. Currently, therapists can tell law enforcement when they fear a client is at risk of committing a violent act. That can lead to the individual being prohibited by law enforcement from buying or owning firearms. The proposed legislation would allow family members, friends and intimate partners to ask authorities to intervene. Law enforcement would then have the ability to investigate threats and ask a judge to grant an order prohibiting firearms purchase or possession.
First lady responds to critics Michelle Obama strikes at GOP for trying to weaken school meal standards By MARY CLARE JALONICK ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — First lady Michelle Obama is striking back at House Republicans who are trying to weaken healthier school meal standards, saying any effort to roll back the guidelines is “unacceptable.” The rules set by Congress and the administration over the last several years require more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in the lunch line and set limits on sodium, sugar and fat. The first lady met Tuesday with school nutrition officials who said the guidelines are working in their schools. The event was an unusual move for the first lady,
who has largely stayed away from policy fights since she lobbied for congressional passage of a child nutrition law in 2010. “The last thing we can afford to do right now is play politics with our kids’ health,” Mrs. Obama told participants. An agriculture spending bill approved by a House subcommittee last week would allow schools to waive the standards if they have a net loss on school food programs for a sixmonth period. Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., who wrote the bill, said he was responding to requests from school food directors who have said the rules are too restrictive. The School Nutrition Association, which represents school
nutrition directors and companies that sell food to schools, has lobbied for changes to the standards and endorsed the House bill. The House Appropriations Committee is expected to approve the spending bill this week. At the White House event, school nutrition directors from New York City to Los Angeles to a rural county in Georgia told the first lady success stories about implementing the standards and said they would be disappointed to see any roll backs. “We’re not just talking about food, we’re talking about education,” said David Binkle of the Los Angeles Unified School District. He said participation
is up in his district, along with test scores and graduation rates, since they made school foods healthier there. The first lady asked the group for advice about how they can better respond to schools that are struggling, and suggested that the conversation should be focused on helping those schools rather than rolling back some of the standards completely. She said the government and schools can also do more to work with students to get them interested in what they are eating. The president of the School Nutrition Association said Tuesday that the school officials invited to the White House weren’t representative of those who have concerns.
Under current law there is no prohibition on firearms ownership unless the suspect meets the standards for an involuntary civil commitment to mental health treatment. “There is a lot we can do to prevent these kinds of horrific events in the future,” said Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento. Among them, he said, more money could be provided in next year’s budget for detecting and treating mental illness. The lawmakers’ comments came after 22-year-old community college student Elliot Rodger killed six university students in the Isla Vista community on Friday after posting an Internet video describing his plans. The attacker died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot. Authorities say Rodger stabbed to death his three roommates then fatally shot two women outside a sorority house and another student who was working in a deli. The rampage came hours after Rodger emailed a lengthy manifesto to his parents, therapists and others, and a month after sheriff ’s deputies had visited him on a welfare check after his parents became concerned about his postings on YouTube. It was unclear if the information about the YouTube videos was passed along to the deputies. The deputies found Rodger to be shy but polite and left without walking through the apartment or talking to anyone else. Rodger later wrote in his manifesto that deputies would have found his weapons and foiled his plot if only they had done a bit more checking.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
THE MARKET IN REVIEW DAILY DOW JONES
STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS
u
NYSE 10,720.61
+38.74
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)
u
NASDAQ 4,237.07
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)
Last Chg%Chg Name
Last Chg%Chg
Hillshire Lentuo Aeropostl DirGMBear NAtlDrll n DirDGdBr s ConcdMed BarnesNob Dynegy wt Sparton
45.19 2.21 3.92 28.84 9.65 28.63 7.36 18.41 3.80 29.00
2.97 8.41 8.38 7.00 9.68 10.60 12.89 5.17 22.97 17.71
+22.1 +16.3 +15.0 +13.8 +13.5 +11.3 +10.5 +9.3 +8.6 +8.2
Spherix DyaxCp GlycoM n FairwayGp UBIC MarroneB n Tekmira g SemierSc n JD.com n Tuniu n
Dow Jones industrials
16,760
Close: 16,675.50 Change: 69.23 (0.4%)
16,540
+1.46 +1.81 +1.42 +1.06 +1.41 +1.52 +1.66 +.65 +2.87 +2.21
16,320
16,800
+96.7 +27.4 +20.4 +17.8 +17.0 +16.7 +14.8 +14.4 +14.3 +14.3
Last Chg%Chg Name
Last Chg%Chg
Frontline DirGMnBull DxGldBll rs DxIndiBl rs WSP Hldgs MVIndSC rs BioAmb wt GoldFLtd Oiltanking AnglogldA
2.39 14.35 28.97 86.22 2.01 45.38 2.55 3.64 87.62 15.79
18.19 3.79 6.62 2.82 67.86 15.05 28.99 51.78 7.02 6.72
-.47 -16.4 KellySB -2.49 -14.8 LiveDeal s -3.67 -11.2 HimaxTch -7.85 -8.3 YouOnDm -.18 -8.2 Anlogic -3.63 -7.4 DurataTh -.20 -7.3 Cardtronic -.27 -6.9 ClovisOnc -6.38 -6.8 OramedPh -1.08 -6.4 SilvStd g
-3.26 -.63 -1.04 -.41 -9.06 -1.84 -3.09 -5.22 -.69 -.63
-15.2 -14.3 -13.6 -12.7 -11.8 -10.9 -9.6 -9.2 -8.9 -8.6
MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name
Vol (00)
Last Chg Name
BkofAm 1205624 15.22 +.50 S&P500ETF 594913 191.52 +1.17 iShR2K 438627 113.58 +1.61 MktVGold 392863 22.41 -.90 iShEMkts 373587 42.77 -.37 iShJapan 362469 11.48 +.09 Hillshire 334340 45.19 +8.17 Pfizer 248130 29.61 +.12 Twitter n 246592 30.51 +.01 Citigroup 241293 47.57 +.28
Vol (00)
Last Chg
Facebook 548934 SiriusXM 468635 Spherix 446723 HimaxTch 280047 Intel 267871 Zynga 262878 PwShs QQQ 257358 Microsoft 257158 Cisco 245909 MicronT 233437
63.48 +2.13 3.32 +.05 2.97 +1.46 6.62 -1.04 26.71 +.42 3.41 +.13 91.00 +1.12 40.19 +.07 24.71 +.19 28.06 +.73
DIARY Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows
Volume
2,134 975 117 3,226 229 21 2,825,637,478
DIARY Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows
Volume
Last
Dow Industrials Dow Transportation Dow Utilities NYSE Composite Nasdaq Composite S&P MidCap S&P 500 S&P MidCap Wilshire 5000 Russell 2000
YTD 12-mo Chgg %Chg %Chg %Chg
16,675.50 +69.23 +.42 8,017.84 +31.26 +.39 537.81 +3.79 +.71 10,720.61 +38.74 +.36 4,237.07 +51.26 +1.22 847.38 +4.79 +.57 1,911.91 +11.38 +.60 1,378.40 +8.74 +.64 20,258.82 +135.32 +.67 1,142.20 +16.01 +1.42
MONEY RATES
15,600
+.60 +8.34 +9.63 +3.08 +1.45 +2.86 +3.44 +2.67 +2.81 -1.84
+8.22 +25.32 +9.22 +12.92 +21.44 +13.42 +15.17 +15.17 +15.67 +14.52
D
J
F
M
A
M
STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Name
Ex
AT&T Inc AEP BkofAm Caterpillar CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil Dillards EmpIca ExxonMbl Facebook FordM GenElec HewlettP Hillshire HomeDp iShJapan iShEMkts iShR2K Intel IntlBcsh
NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd Nasd
1,981 674 113 2,768 100 24 1,775,448,872
CURRENCIES
Last PvsWeek
Div
1.84 2.00 .04 2.40 2.17 ... 2.76 .24 ... 2.76 ... .50 .88 .64 .70 1.88 .13 .86 1.45 .90 .50
YTD Yld PE Last Chg %Chg
Name
Ex
Div
YTD Yld PE Last Chg %Chg
5.2 3.8 .3 2.3 1.9 ... 3.5 .2 ... 2.7 ... 3.1 3.3 1.9 1.5 2.4 1.1 2.0 1.3 3.4 2.0
IBM Lowes Lubys MktVGold MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney RadioShk S&P500ETF Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SiriusXM SonyCp Spherix UnionPac USSteel UnivHlthS WalMart WellsFargo
NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd Nasd NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY
4.40 .72 ... .19 1.40 3.13 1.12 ... ... ... 3.48 1.60 ... ... .25 ... 3.64 .20 .20 1.92 1.40
2.4 1.5 ... .8 2.7 ... 2.8 ... ... ... 1.8 1.6 ... ... 1.5 ... 1.8 .8 .2 2.5 2.8
11 15 20 18 ... ... 13 16 ... 11 84 10 20 12 27 20 ... ... ... 14 13
35.21 -.11 52.70 +1.29 15.22 +.50 103.68 -.35 116.29 -.19 41.61 -1.09 79.04 +.61 112.58 +2.81 8.06 +.14 101.36 +.04 63.48 +2.13 16.16 +.14 26.57 +.06 33.10 -.62 45.19 +8.17 79.69 +.51 11.48 +.09 42.77 -.37 113.58 +1.61 26.71 +.42 24.67 +.52
+.1 +12.8 -2.2 +14.2 -4.5 +6.0 +11.9 +15.8 -4.6 +.2 +16.2 +4.7 -5.2 +18.3 +35.1 -3.2 -5.4 +2.3 -1.5 +2.9 -6.4
12 21 ... ... 15 ... 15 83 ... ... ... 19 ... 55 ... ... 20 ... 18 15 13
184.78 -1.16 47.78 +.72 5.26 +.15 22.41 -.90 51.56 +.80 27.73 +.13 40.19 +.07 15.77 -.05 8.85 -.16 1.30 +.09 191.52 +1.17 102.16 +.77 37.64 ... 3.32 +.05 16.64 +.53 2.97 +1.46 197.09 +.83 24.28 +.20 89.06 -.37 75.59 -.02 50.55 +.39
-1.5 -3.6 -31.9 +6.1 -4.4 -5.4 +7.4 +23.0 -3.3 -50.0 +3.7 +13.4 -5.3 -4.9 -3.8 -63.2 +17.3 -17.7 +9.6 -3.9 +11.3
Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week. Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left. Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.
ELVANELIA SANCHEZ July 26, 1962 — May 23, 2014 Elvanelia Sanchez, 51, passed away Friday, May 23, 2014, at Methodist Texan Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Sanchez is preceded in death by her father, Amador Sanchez. Ms. Sanchez is survived by her mother, Marcelina G. Sanchez; brothers and sisters: Hermelinda S. Muñoz, Guadalupe (Maria) Sanchez, Francisco Sanchez, Amador Jr. (Lupita) Sanchez, Roberto Sanchez, Hector (Thelma) Sanchez and Leonel Sanchez; special friend, Arturo Gutierrez; nephews and nieces: Belia Muñoz, Clarissa Muñoz, Melissa Muñoz, Aaron (Jerica) Sanchez, Lesbia (Cesar) Cuellar, Irasema (Leo, II) Solis, Lupita Sanchez, Oziel Jasso, Karen Jasso, Eddie Sanchez, Edna (Jorge) Salinas, Bobbie Bustamante, Sonia (Ramon) Montes and Sandy (Roehl) Chapa; grand-nephews and nieces: Arturo Guerra, Aaron Sanchez Jr., Aalysun Sanchez, Carlos Cuellar, Leo Solis III, Kayla Solis, Javi Sanchez, Julissa Sanchez, Amador E. Sanchez Jr., Jorge Hector Salinas II, Cesar Gonzalez, Carlos Gonzalez, Leila Montes and Ramon Montes Jr.; and by numerous other family members and friends. Pallbearers will be: Guadalupe Sanchez, Francisco Sanchez, Amador Sanchez Jr., Hector Sanchez, Roberto Sanchez, Amador E.
14,551.27 5,952.18 462.66 8,814.76 3,294.95 703.39 1,560.33 1,114.04 16,442.14 942.79
Name
16,000
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
Name
10 DAYS
16,400
15,200
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
16,735.51 7,995.39 558.29 11,334.65 4,371.71 842.91 1,902.17 1,398.91 20,257.19 1,212.82
+51.26
Name
+8.17 +.31 +.51 +3.50 +1.15 +2.91 +.70 +1.57 +.30 +2.20
STOCK MARKET INDEXES 52-Week High Low
Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year
3.25 3.25 0.75 0.75 .00-.25 .00-.25 0.03 0.05 1.53 2.52 3.36
0.025 0.05 1.55 2.54 3.39
Australia Britain Canada Euro Japan Mexico Switzerlnd
Last
Pvs Day
1.0800 1.6812 1.0857 .7333 101.97 12.8705 .8967
1.0821 1.6848 1.0855 .7328 101.92 12.8646 .8946
British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.
MUTUAL FUNDS Name Alliance Bernstein GlTmtcGA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SoftwCom d Fidelity Select Tech d T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard HlthCare Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m
Total Assets Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init Obj ($Mlns)NAV 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt WS 582 83.83 +4.3 +19.6/A +10.5/E 4.25 2,500 ST 2,419 53.97 +4.4 +23.4/D +15.6/D 5.75 2,000 SH 876 12.02 +4.0 +28.6/B +19.1/D 5.75 1,000 SH 8,129 186.88 +6.3 +27.7/B +29.3/A NL 2,500 SF 656 70.23 +1.1 +13.2/D +14.9/C NL 2,500 ST 283 31.87 +4.5 +28.7/B +15.5/D NL 2,500 ST 656 75.55 +1.7 +17.6/E +21.7/A NL 2,500 SF 209 15.24 +2.2 +13.5/C +18.6/A NL 2,500 ST 1,512 72.51 +4.9 +37.7/A +20.9/A NL 2,500 SF 911 82.04 +2.2 +14.9/B +12.3/D NL 2,500 ST 3,472 114.69 +4.9 +29.8/A +25.1/A NL 2,500 ST 2,229 115.64 +4.9 +25.4/C +21.3/A NL 2,500 ST 2,882 39.68 +3.8 +29.1/B +18.7/C NL 2,500 SH 10,307 197.83 +4.7 +29.9/A +21.4/C NL 3,000 ST 3,436 15.91 +3.9 +31.3/A +21.5/A 5.75 750
CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.
S&P 500 ends at all-time high By STEVE ROTHWELL ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sanchez, Aaron Sanchez and Ramon E. Montes. Honorary pallbearers will be: Arturo Guerra, Carlos Cuellar, Leonel Sanchez and Eduardo J. Sanchez. Visitation hours were Tuesday, May 27, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession will depart at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, May 28, 2014, for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. US HWY 83 Zapata, TX 78076.
NEW YORK — More promising signs that the economy is strengthening after its winter slowdown pushed stocks higher on Tuesday. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose for the fourth straight day and ended at another all-time high. It closed above 1,900 for the first time on Friday. Small-company stocks and other riskier parts of the market, like Internet and biotechnology companies, also gained after being beaten down over the past few months. The government reported that orders to U.S. factories for long-lasting manufactured goods rose unexpectedly in April, powered by a surge in demand for military aircraft. Also, the Conference Board’s consumer confidence index rose in May to the second-highest level since January 2008, just after the start of the Great Recession. “Everyone’s been continuing to look for signs about whether the economy is picking up some speed,” said Kate Warne, an investment strategist at Edward Jones. The report on manufactured goods “is one more piece of evidence suggesting that it really was weather and not something else slowing growth in the winter time.” The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 11.38 points, or 0.6 percent, to 1,911.91. The stock market was closed Monday for Memorial Day. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 69.23 points, or 0.4 percent, to 16,675.50. The Nasdaq composite climbed 51.26 points, or 1.2 percent, to 4,237.07. Stocks rose from the opening bell
Photo by Richard Drew | AP
Trader Gregory Rowe, left, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday. following the durable goods report. Nine of the ten sectors that make up the S&P 500 rose, led by financial and industrial companies. Small-company stocks also made big gains, suggesting that investors were more comfortable making riskier investments. The Russell 2000 rose 1.3 percent, its biggest gain in two weeks. Hillshire Brands, the maker of Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage and other products, was among the biggest gainers Tuesday. The stock jumped $8.17, or 22.1 percent, to $45.19 after poultry producer Pilgrim’s Pride offered to acquire the company in a deal worth about $5.6 billion. Pilgrim’s Pride said the deal is better than Hillshire’s plan, announced earlier this month, to buy Pinnacle Foods for $4.23 billion. Pinnacle’s stock fell $1.79, or 5.4 percent,
to $31.48. Despite the positive economic news, bond prices rose. Typically, bond prices fall and their yields rise when economic data improves as traders anticipate that interest rates will rise in the future. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.51 percent from 2.53 percent on Friday. The yield on the note is trading close to its lowest in ten months. It started the year at 3 percent. The recent surge in bonds is one of the reasons behind the uptick in stocks, said Jeff Knight, head of global asset allocation at Columbia Management, an asset management company. Although stocks are no longer cheap on an absolute level after the S&P 500 surged almost 30 percent last year, they still look good value compared to bonds.
Median CEO pay crosses $10 million in 2013 By KEN SWEET ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — They’re the $10 million men and women. Propelled by a soaring stock market, the median pay package for a CEO rose above eight figures for the first time last year. The head of a typical large public company earned a record $10.5 million, an increase of 8.8 percent from $9.6 million in 2012, according to an Associated Press/Equilar pay study. Last year was the fourth straight that CEO compensation rose following a decline during the Great Recession. The median CEO pay package climbed more than 50 percent over that stretch. A chief executive now makes about 257 times the average worker’s salary, up sharply from 181 times in 2009. The best paid CEO last year led an oilfield-services company. The highest paid female CEO was Carol Meyrowitz of discount retail giant TJX, owner of TJ Maxx and Marshall’s. And the head of Monster Beverage got a monster of a raise. Over the last several years, companies’ boards of directors have tweaked executive compensation to answer critics’ calls for CEO pay to be more attuned to performance. They’ve cut back on stock options and cash bonus-
Photo by Associated Press
This photo combination shows the 10 highest-paid CEOs of 2013, as calculated by The Associated Press and Equilar, an executive pay research firm. Top row, from left: Anthony Petrello, Nabors Industries, $68.3 million; Leslie Moonves, CBS, $65.6 million; Richard Adkerson, Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold, $55.3 million; Stephen Kaufer, TripAdvisor, $39 million; and Philippe Dauman, Viacom, $37.2 million. Bottom row, from left: Leonard Schleifer, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, $36.3 million; Robert Iger, Walt Disney, $34.3 million; David Zaslav, Discovery Communications, $33.3 million; Jeffrey Bewkes, Time Warner, $32.5 million; and Brian Roberts, Comcast, $31.4 million. es, which were criticized for rewarding executives even when a company did poorly. Boards of directors have placed more empha-
sis on paying CEOs in stock instead of cash and stock options. The change became a boon for CEOs last year because of a surge
in stocks that drove the Standard & Poor’s 500 index up 30 percent. The stock component of pay packages rose 17 percent to $4.5
million. “Companies have been happy with their CEOs’ performance and the stock market has provided a big boost,” says Gary Hewitt, director of research at GMI Ratings, a corporate governance research firm. “But we are still dealing with a situation where CEO compensation has spun out of control and CEOs are being paid extraordinary levels for their work.” The highest paid CEO was Anthony Petrello of oilfield-services company Nabors Industries, who made $68.3 million in 2013. Petrello’s pay ballooned as a result of a $60 million lump sum that the company paid him to buy out his old contract. Nabors Industries did not respond to calls from The Associated Press seeking comment. Petrello was one of a handful of chief executives who received a one-time boost in pay because boards of directors decided to renegotiate CEO contracts under pressure from shareholders. Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold CEO Richard Adkerson also received a one-time payment of $36.7 million to renegotiate his contract. His total pay, $55.3 million, made him the third-highest paid CEO last year. The second-highest paid CEO among companies in the S&P 500 was Leslie Moonves of CBS.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2014
After long wait, Malaysia releases jet data By CHRIS BRUMMITT AND EILEEN NG ASSOCIATED PRESS
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Close to three months after the Malaysian jetliner disappeared, the government on Tuesday released reams of raw satellite data it used to determine that the flight ended in the southern Indian Ocean, a step long demanded by the families of some of the passengers on board. But while the 45 pages of information may help satisfy a desire for more transparency in a much criticized investigation, experts say it’s unlikely to solve the mystery of Flight 370 — or give much comfort to relatives stuck between grieving and the faintest hope, no matter how unlikely, their loved ones might still be alive. “It’s a whole lot of stuff that is not very important to know,” said Michael Exner, a satellite engineer who has been independently researching the calculations. “There are probably two or three pages of important stuff, the rest is just noise. It doesn’t add any value to our understanding.” He and others said the needed
assumptions, algorithms and metadata to validate the investigators’ conclusion were not there. The release of the information came as the underwater hunt for the jet is poised to pause until later in the summer while new, powerful sonar equipment is obtained, a sign of just how difficult
ter it was last spotted on Malaysian military radar to the west of peninsular Malaysia and ended up in the southern Indian Ocean off western Australia. The conclusion is based on complex calculations derived largely from brief hourly transmissions or “handshakes” between the plane
The families — many of whom have been highly critical of the Malaysian government and, in the absence of any wreckage, have been unwilling to accept that their loved ones were dead — had been asking for the raw satellite data for many weeks so it could be examined by inde-
Investigators say they believe the plane was deliberately diverted from its flight path, but without finding the plane or its recorders there is no certainty what happened on board. it will be to locate the jet and finally get some answers on how it went missing with 239 people on board. Air traffic controllers lost contact with the Boeing 777 soon after it took off from Kuala Lumpur on March 8 on a night flight to Beijing over waters between Malaysia and Vietnam. An international investigation team led by Malaysia has concluded that the jet flew south af-
and a communications satellite operated by Britain’s Inmarsat company. Investigators say they believe the plane was deliberately diverted from its flight path, but without finding the plane or its flight data recorders they have been unable to say with any certainty what happened on board. Theories range from mechanical failure to hijacking or pilot murdersuicide.
pendent experts. Malaysia initially balked at doing so, but then reconsidered. In a posting on its Facebook page, a group representing some of the families said: “Finally, after almost three months, the Inmarsat raw data is released to the public. Hope this is the original raw data and can be used to potentially ‘think out of the box’ to get an alternative positive outcome.”
Steve Wang, whose mother was on the plane, said he was disappointed that the release did not contain an account of exactly what investigators did to conclude the plane had taken the southern route. “We are not experts and we cannot analyze the raw data, but we need to see the deduction process and judge by ourselves if every step was solid,” he said. “We still need to know where the plane is and what is the truth. We know the likelihood that our beloved ones have survived is slim, but it is not zero.” Sarah Bajc, whose husband was on the flight, has been at the forefront of a campaign to press the government for more transparency. She said that “a half dozen very qualified people were looking” at the information and she hoped to have their conclusions soon. The investigators were forced to rely on the Inmarsat data because the plane’s other communication and navigation systems were disabled. They determined the plane’s direction by measuring the frequency of the signals sent to the satellite.
WORDS Continued from Page 1A cabulary questions. “I feel very excited and blessed (to be competing),” Patricio said. Semifinals are Thurs-
day afternoon and championship finals are Thursday night. The Patricio family expressed their gratitude to
all the sponsors who are part of the National Spelling Bee. “I want to thank Laredo Morning Times, Mr.
Green, United Middle School and everyone who supported the competition,” Orlando Patricio said.
Mary Joy Patricio will compete today for round two of the oral competition. The event will be live on
ESPN3 starting from 8 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. (Judith Rayo may be reached at 728-2567 or jrayo@lmtonline.com)
less money, is far less important to us than the access to products and services we can’t buy — like training our security people at Quantico (the FBI school at Quantico, Va.)” A spokesman for Rep. Granger said Friday, “The chairwoman is in the process of finalizing the FY15 appropriations bill. As a Member of Congress from a border state, she understands well the significance of the U.S.-Mexico relationship. Mexico is a critical trading partner and as our neighbor Mexico is an important ally. The U.S. security assistance provided to Mexico will continue to
demonstrate our strong commitment to our shared security concerns.” Cuellar disagrees with the administration rationale. He still believes the funding for Mexico aid is inadequate, and that the cutback comes at a particularly unfortunate juncture. “We’re playing a lot of defense here at the one-yard line, spending billions of dollars, and I don’t think that’s the correct way,” Cuellar said, referring to the border efforts to stop illegal immigration. “Living on the border, I believe I understand it a lot better than most folks in this town.”
CUT Continued from Page 1A Morelos and Nuevo Morelos. He said priorities will include beefing up security at five state penitentiaries; establishing specialized federal law-enforcement groups to battle kidnapping and extortion in each zone; securing ports, airports and highways; and putting pressure on businesses that could be sources for illicit activities and violence.
Troop increase The Interior Minister announced that federal troops would be increased in each of the state’s major cities, to
provide a 24/7 presence. And in an unsubtle message to state officials, Osorio Chong said federal authorities would do a “review and purging to achieve an honest, capable and effective state police.” The Obama administration insists the United States’ funding “pipeline” to Mexico is working fine. “Since November 2013, 78 projects, totaling more than $430 million, have been approved,” the State Department spokesman said. “The 2015 request prioritizes lower-cost ... programs and takes into account funds we currently have available. (These) programs will fur-
ther strengthen Mexican capacity to sustain rule of law and respect for human rights, strengthen institutions, encourage full participation of civil society, and expand services to at-risk youth.” Assistant Secretary of State William R. Brownfield went before Granger’s subcommittee and defended the budget in similar terms, although he did so with very careful words. In response to a question from Cuellar, Brownfield said, “Congressman, I of course will have to start any commentary in terms of budget requests for support of the Merida Initia-
tive by saying ... I support the president’s budget request for fiscal year 2015. But I too noticed that it was 45 percent less than it was last year.” He paused, and then continued, “I will work to ensure maximum effectiveness and value of whatever budget the United States Congress chooses to appropriate ... but yes, I too noticed the request is 45 percent less.” Speaking on background, a senior Mexican government official said Friday that the direct monetary aid under the Merida Initiative was not the country’s primary concern. “A little more money, a little