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INAPPROPRIATE SEXUAL RELATIONS BETWEEN EDUCATORS AND STUDENTS
FEDERAL COURT
Rise in sex cases
Three men indicted
Agency reports 27 percent increase over three years LAREDO MORNING TIMES AND SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
One teacher in Zapata and two in Laredo have been arrested since late March on sexual-related offenses. Most recently, a former Trautmann Middle School teacher allegedly admitted to engaging in sexual acts with a 14-year-old student. After being caught in
the act ing to in a the classcrimiroom nal at comTrautplaint. mann Six GARZA MERCADO CALDERA Middays dle, the prior to teacher, Luis Mercado, told po- his arrest, Luis Carlos Garza, a lice he had more than 20 sexual teacher in Zapata, was arrested encounters with the girl, accord- for allegedly having a sexual re-
lationship with a high school student. In March, an LBJ High School teacher, Napoleon Caldera, was arrested on an indecency with a child charge for allegedly touching a female student’s chest in a classroom. Zapata County Sheriff ’s Chief Raymundo del Bosque said he believes suspected child moles-
See SEX CASES PAGE 11A
SENATE BILL 2065
‘PASTOR PROTECTION ACT’ Abbott signs marriage bill into law By LIZ CRAMPTON TEXAS TRIBUNE
Gov. Greg Abbott, who signed a bill Thursday that allows clergy members to refuse to conduct marriages that violate their beliefs, said that "pastors now have the freedom to exercise their First Amendment rights." The signing ceremony for the so-called Pastor Protection Act, which goes into effect Sept. 1, was held outside the Governor’s Mansion. Abbott was surrounded by about two dozen clergy members at a news conference discussing the law. Others attending the signing ceremony included Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, Attorney General Ken Paxton and Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, who au-
See ABBOTT PAGE 11A
Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera | Texas Tribune
Gov. Greg Abbott signs SB 2065 into law on Thursday, joined by Attorney General Ken Paxton, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and authors of the bill Sen. Craig Estes, R-Wichita Falls, and Rep. Scott Sanford, R-McKinney.
Accused of smuggling 10 immigrants By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Three men accused of transporting immigrants who had crossed the border illegally were indicted this week in a Laredo federal court. On Tuesday, a grand jury charged Jose Alejandro Garcia, Anthony Rene Perez and Daniel Eduardo Salinas with one count of conspiracy to transport undocumented people and three counts of attempt to transport undocumented people for money. Each count could carry a punishment of up to 10 years in federal prison. Garcia and Salinas are out on bond. Perez is in custody on a $75,000 bond, according to court documents. The trio is due back in court June 18 for arraignment. U.S. Border Patrol said they apprehended the men May 13. Agents conducting surveillance in the Volpes Ranch area observed a group of people walking toward a suspected stash house, states the criminal complaint filed May 18. Then, the group left in a Ford Mustang and a GMC pickup hauling a horse trailer. Both vehicles were being driven recklessly, according to court documents. Then, agents pulled over both vehicles for an immigration inspection of the occupants. That’s when five people from the GMC ran toward the brush, only to be detained shortly after. Agents said they found more immigrants inside the horse trailer. Authorities identified the suspects as Garcia, Perez and Salinas and detained 10 immigrants. Records states the trio confessed to their involvement in the smuggling attempt. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
NORTH TEXAS
No evidence found that fracking caused quake By JIM MALEWITZ TEXAS TRIBUNE
After wrapping up a round of testing, Texas regulators say they have found no evidence that injecting oilfield waste into five disposal wells triggered the largest recorded earthquake in North Texas’ history. “At this time, there is no conclusive evidence the disposal wells tested were a causal factor in the May 7 seismic event,” the Texas Railroad Commission said Friday in a news release.
Last month, a 4.0-magnitude earthquake hit Johnson County, leading to a few reports of minor damage. It was the most powerful ever recorded in the Barnett Shale region, including more than 50 quakes that have struck since November 2013 — a surge that has coincided with the proliferation of disposal wells, deep resting places for liquid oil and gas waste injected underground at high pressures. Under rules adopted last year, the Railroad Commission ordered testing at five disposal
wells, which the four companies that operate them voluntarily shut down. On Friday, the commission said its analysis of “fall-off pressure”– tests to determine the effects of injections at the well sites – turned up no fault patterns nearby that could have been related to the earthquakes. “While we can’t say at this time there is a connection,” Craig Pearson, the agency’s seismologist, said in a statement, “this is the beginning of the process, not the end in ana-
lyzing and understanding whether there is any correlation and what, if any action by the Commission may be necessary in the future to protect public safety and our natural resources.” The disposal wells in question are operated by Bosque Disposal System, LLC; EOG Resources, Inc.; MetroSaltwater Disposal, Inc; and Pinnergy, Ltd. The commission’s announcement comes the same week that another disposal well operator,
XTO Energy, an ExxonMobil subsidiary, argued that it was not responsible for a series of earthquakes that shook the towns of Reno and Azle in late 2013 through early 2014. On Wednesday, the company argued at an eight-hour commission hearing that the quakes hit some 2.5 miles below its wastewater injection, indicating that they occurred naturally. The commission ordered the “show cause” hearing after a
See FRACKING PAGE 11A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY JUNE 13
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rio Grande International Study Center’s 21st annual meeting from noon to 3 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Rd. Laredo’s only environmental nonprofit organization. Raffle and silent art auction; meet our educator, volunteer and junior volunteer of the year; become a member of RGISC. Free and open to the public. RSVP at 718-1063. Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 1 to 5 p.m. 2 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut (Matinee Show – $1 less); 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: Attack of the Space Pirates; 5 p.m.: Led Zeppelin. General admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. Call 956-326-DOME (3663). Randy Rogers Band at Casa Blanca Ballroom. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 p.m.
Today is Saturday, June 13, the 164th day of 2015. There are 201 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On June 13, 1865, Nobel Prize-winning poet-playwright William Butler Yeats was born in Dublin, Ireland. On this date: In 1525, German theologian Martin Luther married former nun Katharina von Bora. In 1842, Queen Victoria became the first British monarch to ride on a train, traveling from Slough Railway Station to Paddington in 25 minutes. In 1935, James Braddock claimed the title of world heavyweight boxing champion from Max Baer in a 15-round fight in Queens, New York. In 1942, the first of two fourman Nazi sabotage teams arrived in the United States during World War II. (The eight were arrested after one of them went to U.S. authorities; six of the saboteurs were executed.) In 1957, the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship that brought the Pilgrims to America in 1620, arrived at Plymouth, Massachusetts, after a nearly two-month journey from England. In 1966, the Supreme Court ruled in Miranda v. Arizona that criminal suspects had to be informed of their constitutional right to consult with an attorney and to remain silent. In 1971, The New York Times began publishing excerpts of the Pentagon Papers, a secret study of America’s involvement in Vietnam from 1945 to 1967 that had been leaked to the paper by military analyst Daniel Ellsberg. In 1981, a scare occurred during a parade in London when a teenager fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II. In 1983, the U.S. space probe Pioneer 10, launched in 1972, became the first spacecraft to leave the solar system as it crossed the orbit of Neptune. In 1996, the 81-day-old Freemen standoff ended as 16 remaining members of the antigovernment group surrendered to the FBI and left their Montana ranch. Ten years ago: A jury in Santa Maria, California, acquitted Michael Jackson of molesting a 13-year-old cancer survivor at his Neverland ranch. Five years ago: Gary Faulkner, a Colorado construction worker, was detained in Pakistan while on a one-man mission to hunt down Osama bin Laden (Faulkner was released 10 days later). One year ago: The Los Angeles Kings won the Stanley Cup for the second time in three years with a 3-2 victory over the New York Rangers in Game 5. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Bob McGrath is 83. Artist Christo is 80. Magician Siegfried (Siegfried & Roy) is 76. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is 71. Singer Dennis Locorriere is 66. Actor Stellan Skarsgard is 64. Comedian Tim Allen is 62. TV anchor Hannah Storm is 53. Singer David Gray is 47. Singer-musician Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) is 45. Actor Steve-O is 41. Actor Chris Evans is 34. Actress Kat Dennings is 29. Actress MaryKate Olsen is 29. Actress Ashley Olsen is 29. Thought for Today: “There are no strangers here, only friends you have not yet met.” — William Butler Yeats (1865-1939).
TUESDAY, JUNE 16 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket; 5 p.m.: Secrets of the Sun. General admission is $3. Call 956-326DOME (3663).
Photo by Bob Daemmrich | Texas Tribune
Speaking with reporters in Houston after a speech, U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro was specifically asked whether he had enough experience to be vice president if the Democratic front-runner picked him. Castro skirted the question, saying “I’m here today to talk about HUD and the good work that we’re doing, and so I’ll let other folks make it about 2016.”
Castro avoids VP chatter By PATRICK SVITEK
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17
TEXAS TRIBUNE
Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket; 5 p.m.: Secrets of the Sun. General admission is $3. Call 956-326DOME (3663).
HOUSTON — U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro took a pass Friday on addressing growing speculation that he is a top prospect to be Hillary Clinton’s running mate. Speaking with reporters here after a speech, Castro was specifically asked whether he had enough experience to be vice president if the Democratic front-runner picked him. It’s a point largely raised by Clinton’s critics, though an increasingly salient one as the buzz surrounding Castro and his vice presidential timber intensifies. "I’m here today to talk about HUD and the good work that we’re doing, and so I’ll let other folks make it about 2016," Castro told reporters after addressing the Texas Black Expo. Castro, whose backers see him as a shoo-
THURSDAY, JUNE 18 Elysian Social Club will be hosting its regular meeting at 6:30 p.m. Herlinda Nieto-Dubuisson at 956-2853126. Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket; 5 p.m.: Secrets of the Sun. General admission is $3. Call 956-326DOME (3663).
SATURDAY, JUNE 20 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 1 to 5 p.m. 2 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut (Matinee Show – $1 less); 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: Attack of the Space Pirates; 5 p.m.: Led Zeppelin. General admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. Call 956-326-DOME (3663). Operation Feed the Homeless – Summer Feast. Jarvis Plaza at 3 p.m. There will also be a used book sale to raise funds for future events. For more information visit our Facebook page: Operation Feed the Homeless – Summer Feast. The Elysian Social Club will be sponsoring its annual Fathers’ Day Scholarship Fundraiser Dance at the Laredo Civic Center Ballroom. Contact Herlinda Nieto-Dubuisson at 285-3126.
TUESDAY, JUNE 23 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket; 5 p.m.: Secrets of the Sun. General admission is $3. Call 956-326DOME (3663).
in for a Clinton ticket, has nonetheless faced some questions about whether he is qualified enough for the job. He has served in Obama’s Cabinet for less than a year and was mayor of San Antonio for five years before that. Castro’s trip here came a day before voters headed to the polls in the Alamo City to pick his permanent replacement. On the ballot in the runoff are interim Mayor Ivy Taylor, who won appointment to the office after Castro left last year for Washington, and former state Sen. Leticia Van de Putte. Reiterating his neutrality in the race, Castro wished both candidates well and said he will have a chance to vote this weekend in San Antonio. "Whoever wins, I look forward to working with the next mayor and helping to ensure that that city has the affordable housing that it needs," he said.
Houston highway reopens after train derailment
Gunfire at clinic leaves doctor, associate dead
2 found slain in Vidor, deaths ruled homicides
HOUSTON — Freight cars that derailed from an overhead bridge have been moved away from a Houston highway to allow what’s known as Old Katy Road to reopen. A Kansas City Southern Railway Company statement says the highway and adjoining railroad track had been cleared of derailed freight cars and other debris and reopened Friday afternoon.
ODESSA — Police are trying to determine what prompted gunfire at a West Texas medical clinic that left a doctor and a patient dead in an apparent murder-suicide. Witnesses told police that a patient, Ayyasamy Thangam, shot the cardiologist multiple times, then closed the door to a room he was in and another shot rang out. There is no information on why Thangam was being treated.
VIDOR — Two people have been found stabbed to death in a Southeast Texas house in a case being investigated as a double homicide. Police in Vidor says relatives discovered the bodies late Thursday night while checking on a man and a woman who live at the home. No one has been arrested. Investigators found signs of a struggle in the home.
Abbott signs law creating depository for state gold
Plan for radioactive waste in Texas opposed
Doctor at hospital resigns during child porn case
AUSTIN — Gov. Greg Abbott has signed a law creating a Texas Bullion Depository where the state — and even ordinary residents — can store gold. The Republican said Friday that the measure will “repatriate $1 billion of gold bullion from the Federal Reserve in New York to Texas.” Its location has yet to be been determined.
VAN HORN — Some West Texas residents have raised health and environmental concerns over a proposal to store high-level radioactive nuclear waste in their county. Dozens of citizens at Thursday night’s town hall meeting in Van Horn also voiced fears about possible leaks, land value issues and even terrorism.
GALVESTON — A pediatric doctor at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston who faces charges of receipt and possession of child pornography has resigned and the state medical board has suspended his license to practice. Dr. Dennis Patrick Hughes announced his resignation Thursday. — Compiled from AP reports
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket; 5 p.m.: Secrets of the Sun. General admission is $3. Call 956-326DOME (3663).
THURSDAY, JUNE 25 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 4 p.m.: The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket; 5 p.m.: Secrets of the Sun. General admission is $3. For more information call 956-326-DOME (3663). Spanish Book Club from 6-8 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library on Calton Road. Call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810 (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.)
AROUND THE NATION Native American tribes start yearly fish harvest OREGON CITY, Ore. — They dove into the cold waters, emerging with writhing, eel-like fish in hand and thrusting them into nets. Northwest Native American tribes thus began harvesting lampreys this week at a 40-foot waterfall south of Portland, Oregon. The jawless, gray fish are a traditional food source for tribal members in the Columbia River Basin. They’re prized for their rich, fatty meat. But lamprey numbers have declined dramatically over the past 30 years because of hydroelectric dams and pesticides and other toxins. Willamette Falls is the last place where they can be caught by the hundreds.
Safety regulators link air bags to another death NEW YORK — U.S. regulators have confirmed that an air bag
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A Native American man catches lampreys, eel-like fish, at Willamette Falls, a 40foot waterfall south of Portland, Oregon on Friday. An ancient fish that’s a source of food for tribes in the Pacific Northwest, lampreys have been in drastic decline. made by Takata Corp. was involved in the April death of a woman in Louisiana, connecting the defective air bags to a seventh fatality. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it examined the car Kylan Langlinais
drove, read police and medical reports, and looked at other evidence. Takata said it had no comment. Honda, the maker of the car, confirmed that the air bag inflator ruptured during the crash. — 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
State
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
LOCAL EVENTS 150th Commemoration The Zapata Chamber of Commerce invites all to travel to Rio Grande City to celebrate the 150th Commemoration of Adrian Vital on Sunday from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. The event will celebrate the Tejanos who risked their lives to help liberate the Rio Grande Valley from the French and Imperialist allies. There will be a balloon launch, candlelight moment of silence, screening of short films and refreshments. There will also be special guests: The Moipei Triplets performing the National Anthem and Daniel Treviño and the South Texas Heritage Interpreters. The event will be located at the Lopez-Tijerina Courtyard in downtown Rio Grande City. For more information, call 487-0672.
Grand Opening Pronto Insurance is inviting all customers, family and friends to their grand opening ceremony Friday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. There will be free food, drinks and music, and they are giving away a pair of tickets to Six Flags. Pronto Insurance is locatedat 1301 N. U.S. Hwy 83.
Golf Tournament The Zapata Lions Club is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Leobardo Martinez Jr. Scholarship Golf Tournament on June 20 at Los Ebanos Golf Course in Zapata. The format is a 3 Men Florida Scramble with a $65 donation and $10 for two mulligans — one on the front 9 and one of the back 9. The first place team will be awarded $300; the second place team will win $200; and the third place team will get $100. For more information, contact Los Ebanos Golf Course at 7658336.
Freedom Fest The 2015 Rio Grande City Freedom Fest will take place Friday, June 26 from 6 p.m. to midnight at the Brasilia Villarreal Municipal Park. The show benefits the Rio Grande Boys and Girls Youth Club. Performers include Jack Ingram, Marshall Law and Los Palominos. There will also be free food, vendors, free kids rides and a firework extravaganza. Pre-sale tickets are $15. The festival is sponsored by Payne Auto Group.
5K Memorial Run The 3rd Annual PFC IRA “Ben” Laningham IV 5K Memorial Run will take place July 18 at 8 a.m. with a kids run at 7:50 a.m. Registration is $15 at the Boys and Girls Club, 302 W 6th Ave. and online at active.com Same day registration is $20 and takes place from 7 a.m. to 7:45 a.m. There will be awards given to the top three in each age category and trophies for both male and female overall winners. The age divisions are as follows: 14 and under, 15 – 19, 20 – 24, 25 – 29, 30 – 34, 35 – 39, 40 – 44, 45 – 49, 50 – 54, 55 – 59, 60 – 64, 65 and over, law enforcement. Start and finish will be in front of the court house on 7th Avenue and Hidalgo Street.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Attorney loses law license By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — A former Texas prosecutor has been stripped of his law license after a panel of the State Bar of Texas determined he withheld evidence and used false testimony to win a capital murder conviction against a now-exonerated death row inmate. A three-member evidentiary panel of the legal agency ordered Thursday the disbarment of Charles Sebesta, who spent 25 years as district attorney in Burleson and Washington counties, after finding he committed professional misconduct in his prosecution of accused murderer Anthony Graves. Graves was convicted and sent to Texas death row for the 1992 slayings of six people. A federal appeals court reversed his conviction in 2006. He was released from prison four years later, after a serving a dozen years on death row, when a special prosecutor determined he should be freed and declared innocent. “It takes great courage to say a prosecutor was so clearly acting against the rules of fair play that he should be stripped of his law license,” Graves said Friday in a statement released by his lawyers. “But the panel did just that, and I appreciate it. “I have waited 20-plus years for complete justice and freedom. ... No one who makes it a goal to send a man to death row without evidence — and worse, while hiding evidence of my innocence — deserves to be a lawyer in Texas.” Sebesta left office in 2000 after 25 years as prosecutor in the two counties about 100 miles northwest of Houston. He did not immediately respond to telephone messages Friday from The Associated Press.
Photo by Marie D. De Jesus/Houston Chronicle | AP file
In this Jan. 20, 2014, file photo, Former Texas Death Row inmate Anthony Graves electronically files a grievance against former Burleson County District Attorney Charles Sebesta asking that Sebesta be held accountable by the State Bar of Texas for Graves’ wrongful murder conviction at Texas Southern University in Houston. Sebesta was stripped of his law license Thursday. His State Bar profile lists him as retired. He has said he continues to believe Graves is guilty and has posted extensively about the case on his personal website. Texas has achieved notoriety as the nation’s most active death penalty state and prosecutors rarely have been punished for wrongdoing. Sebesta’s disbarment comes about 18 months after another former district attorney, Ken Anderson, served four days in jail and forfeited his law license for the wrongful murder prosecution of a Central Texas man, Michael Morton. Morton served nearly 25 years of a life prison term for the 1986 slaying of his wife but was freed after a special court of inquiry determined Anderson intentionally concealed evidence favorable to Morton’s defense. In Graves’ case, another man, Robert Earl Carter, also received a death sentence for the killings and had testified that Graves
was his accomplice. Carter subsequently recanted that testimony, including in the moments just before he was executed 15 years ago. When a federal appeals court reversed Graves’ conviction, it found Sebesta withheld that Carter told a grand jury that he committed the murders alone, and then allowed Carter and another witness to give false testimony. Graves in January 2014 filed a grievance with the State Bar. A year ago the organization’s Office of Disciplinary Counsel found “just cause” to believe Sebesta had violated ethics rules, leading to a four-day disciplinary hearing last month. Sebesta invoked his right under State Bar rules to keep those proceedings private. Besides his 12 years on death row, Graves spent two years awaiting his first trial, then another four in jail awaiting a second trial. “The ordeal experienced by Mr. Graves is almost unimaginable,” his attorneys, Kathryn Kase, Neal Manne
and Charles Eskridge III, said in a statement Friday. “We are humbled and inspired by the grace and character he has shown throughout — including when he shook Mr. Sebesta’s hand after the hearing ended and wished him well.” Graves and Carter were convicted separately of the murders of Bobbie Davis, 45; Nicole Davis, 16; Denitra Davis, 9; Brittany Davis, 6; Lea ‘Erin Davis, 5; and Carter’s 4-year-old son, Jason Davis. Court records showed Carter was upset that one of Davis’ daughters had named him in a paternity suit, a step toward seeking child support. The six victims had been stabbed or shot, or both, and were discovered by firefighters responding to a blaze at a home in Somerville, about 80 miles northwest of Houston, in the early morning hours of Aug. 18, 1992. Evidence showed their killer tried to burn the bodies to hide the deaths.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
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COMMENTARY
OTHER VIEWS
West must mull Russia after Putin By SERGEI GURIEV SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
Last year, thanks to its aggression in Ukraine, Russia changed in many important ways. But one crucial transformation has gone largely unnoticed: Long-term thinking has completely disappeared, and the Russian regime no longer talks about the future. Russian leaders’ discourse centers on the standoff with Ukraine and the West (and their “puppets” within Russia) and references to the heroic past (mostly to World War II). The regime is now fully focused on its own survival. This has not always been the case. In 2000, Vladimir Putin went to the Kremlin with a 10year “Gref program” that included a vision of Russia as an open and modern country. His first presidential term implemented parts of this program. Long-term development strategies — mostly based on this vision — were discussed and updated until 2012. Even when Putin returned as president that year, he put together a set of programmatic opeds in Russian newspapers outlining long-term plans on the economy, social policy, governance, federalism and foreign policy. He converted these into a number of presidential decrees that he signed on his first day in office. These decrees provided transparent targets that he promised to achieve by 2018. By now it is clear — and even publicly acknowledged by Putin himself — that these decrees will not be carried out. What alternative future does Russia’s president propose to his citizens? There is no answer. No long-term policy planning for Russia’s future is occurring. Previously, Russia took pride in moving from one-year to three-year budgets. This is no more: The Kremlin has no credible financial plan beyond 2016 except for hoping for oil prices to recover. Its foreign policy doctrine centers also on regime survival. Around the world, Russia fiercely defends the sovereign right of non-democratic governments to stay in power indefinitely. The regime is right to worry about its immediate future. The Russian economy is in recession and is unlikely to grow at more than 2 percent per year even when — or if — the recession ends. For the first time in Putin’s 15 years in power, Russians’ real incomes are falling. The propaganda benefits of annexing Crimea are subsiding. And another war is not affordable — in addition to direct military costs, being subjected to another round of sanctions could destroy important banks, which could easily result in widespread panic and the collapse of the regime. Given this environment, it is not surprising that the West, too, talks to Russia only about short-term issues. But whether we think about the future or not, it will come. At some point, this regime will have to go, and it is not clear at all what will replace it, how
turbulent the transformation will be and whether Russia will ultimately emerge as a democratic country. As the Arab Spring has shown, such regime changes can be very peaceful or very violent. A peaceful transition is not unlikely. Russia is richer and better educated than the Arab Spring countries; in fact, it is richer and better educated than any country in history that has moved from dictatorship to democracy. But it is also clear that the top figures in the regime are unlikely to readily surrender their hold on power. They are scared of being brought to justice for crimes against international law and humanity, and for grand corruption within Russia. The best scenario one can hope for is some form of transitional government that would provide certain guarantees to the outgoing elites and oversee new elections. It is certainly in the West’s interest not to “lose Russia” again. Given Russia’s nuclear arms and its diminished but still large economic, energy and geopolitical roles, a turbulent transition and the rise of another aggressive nondemocratic regime would be costly for the world. A democratic and capitalist Russia would contribute to the global economy and the world’s ability to address international challenges, including regional instability, environmental threats, terrorism and corruption. Can the West do anything to affect the outcome? Eventually, Russia’s destiny will be decided by Russians. But the West can still play a role. With a Marshall Plan-style program, it can contribute to shaping a new Russia by helping to rebuild an economy destroyed by corruption; supporting governance, education and health-care reforms; and investing in Russia’s infrastructure. Most important, the West should articulate a path for reintegrating Russia into the free world. Russians ultimately think of themselves as a part of European civilization, and even Putin’s aggressive rhetoric refers at times to his Western “partners” and looks for his policies’ roots in “true European values.” The West should be clear about what it will take for Russia to reengage with the European Union, NATO, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and other international bodies. These issues are difficult; addressing them will require major intellectual and political efforts. What is worrisome is that Western leaders treat such questions as too distant to bother with. We should learn a lesson from 1991, when the quick disappearance of the Soviet Union took everyone by surprise. But we must be careful not to be misled by the fact that 1991 was relatively peaceful. This time, the stakes are much higher for the ruling elite. The West should get prepared now for sudden and turbulent change in Russia.
COMMENTARY
Perry is bad for Latinos By JOSE MIGUEL LEYVA TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Rick Perry’s aspiration to rule the United States as he ruled Texas would be terrible for all of us, especially minorities and the poor. Perry, who just stepped into the GOP presidential fray, spent his 14 years as governor sidelining entire segments of the population. Among his prime victims were Latinos. Perry has consistently portrayed himself as a champion of Hispanics, trumpeting a small number of minority appointees and a few sops, such as allowing in-state tuition to undocumented children raised in Texas. But, in general, his policies have been overwhelmingly bad for the Latino community.
El Paso is one of the safest cities in the United States, but Perry chose to portray it as a hellhole, exaggerating the incidence of violent crime there. Associating El Paso with the drug cartel violence that plagued its sister city, Juarez, was a way for Perry to make a case for greater control over the lives and movements of heavily Latino border communities. Perry and his party twice gerrymandered districts to diminish the voting power of Latinos and other minorities. Despite a partially successful lawsuit against Texas gerrymandering in 2006, League of United Latin American Citizens v. Perry, Republicans largely kept minorities suppressed during the next redistricting in 2012. This lack of political representation has had a
dramatic effect in El Paso. As a city with an 80 percent Latino population, we’ve rarely gotten much consideration from the state. And with a population that votes heavily Democratic in a Republican state, El Paso’s representatives have been ignored for years in the Texas Legislature. During the last state election, one Republican campaigner went so far as to suggest to me that if we wanted to be heard by our government, we ought to start voting for the Republican Party. That’s what Texas has been under Perry: Vote Republican or go home. The voter ID law that has disenfranchised hundreds of thousands of Texans living in poverty was in full effect during the last election. Unlike other states, Texas has made no effort
to promote access to state ID cards for the poor. The result is more disenfranchisement. Since entering the 2016 presidential race, Perry has defended the voter ID law. But many of those disenfranchised by the law are poverty-stricken Latinos. El Paso, home to more than half a million Latinos, is one of the poorest cities in the nation. The poorest is Brownsville, another Texas border town with an even higher percentage of Latino residents. If Texas is the blueprint Perry will use to reform the nation, we should all be very wary. Perry’s system of government has no room for minorities or the poor. (Jose Miguel Leyva is a freelance writer and journalist living in El Paso.)
WORST WEEK IN WASHINGTON
Big mouth creates problems By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON — God bless the hot mike. Without it, how would we know what politicians really think? Take, for example, Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. On Thursday morning, he offered his thoughts about Senate colleague Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., near a mike he thought was off. If Graham, a bachelor and presidential candidate, wins the election, Kirk said, “he’ll have a rotating first lady. He’s a bro with
no ho.” Er, OK. So, here’s the thing: 1. No one says that (especially not white, middleaged men). 2. Even if people did say it, a U.S. senator shouldn’t be using the phrase, especially not in public. Like, ever. 3. Kirk is also single. This isn’t the first time in recent months that Kirk has been caught saying something impolitic. Back in April, he drew unwanted attention when he talked about trying to build wealth among Afri-
can-Americans “so that the black community is not the one we drive faster through.” Two months earlier, Kirk created a firestorm when, amid a fight over funding the Department of Homeland Security, he said, “The Republicans — if there is a successful attack during a DHS shutdown — we should build a number of coffins outside each Democratic office and say, ’You are responsible for these dead Americans.’” Kirk, not for nothing, also happens to be the sin-
gle most vulnerable Senate incumbent up for reelection in 2016, running in a state that President Barack Obama carried by 17 points in 2012 and where Democrats have a top-tier recruit in Rep. Tammy Duckworth. Mark Kirk, for forgetting (again) not to say aloud absolutely everything you are thinking, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something. (Cillizza covers the White House for The Washington Post and writes The Fix, its politics blog.)
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phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-call-
ing or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
CLASSIC DOONESBURY (1982) | GARRY TRUDEAU
Nation
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
NAACP leader Prison worker arrested lied about her race By JOHN KEKIS AND DAVID KLEPPER ASSOCIATED PRESS
By NICHOLAS K. GERANIOS ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPOKANE, Wash. — Rachel Dolezal leads the Spokane chapter of the NAACP, teaches African studies to college students and sits on a police oversight commission. But the 37-year-old artist and activist with dark curly hair and light-brown skin now finds herself at the center of a furor over racial identity after family members said she has falsely portrayed herself as black for years when she is actually white. As proof, they produced pictures of her as a blonde, blue-eyed child. The city is also investigating whether she lied about her ethnicity when she applied to be on the police board. And police on Friday said they were suspending investigations into racial harassment complaints filed by Dolezal, including one from earlier this year in which she said she received hate mail at her office. The NAACP issued a statement Friday supporting Dolezal, who has been a longtime figure in Spokane’s human-rights community. “One’s racial identity is not a qualifying criteria or disqualifying standard for NAACP leadership,” the group said. “In every corner of this country, the NAACP remains committed to securing political, educational and economic justice for all people.” Dolezal did not return several telephone messages left Friday by The Associated Press. On Thursday, she avoided answering questions directly about her race and ethnicity in an interview with The Spokesman-Review newspaper. “That question is not as easy as it seems,” she said. “There’s a lot of complexi-
Photo by Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review | AP file
In this Jan. 16 file photo, Rachel Dolezal, center, Spokane’s newlyelected NAACP president, smiles as she meets with Joseph M. King, of King’s Consulting, left, and Scott Finnie, director of Eastern Washington University’s Africana Education Program. ties ... and I don’t know that everyone would understand that.” “We’re all from the African continent,” she added. Dr. Camille Zubrinsky Charles, a professor of sociology at the University of Pennsylvania and an expert in racial-identity issues, said people can identify with people of other races without doing what Dolezal did. “For the most part, being a part of that community doesn’t require someone to claim that identity,” she said. “It might be difficult to become president of the local NAACP chapter, but achieving the goals? That in itself doesn’t require passing as a member of that group.” Maybe she “saw her whiteness as a barrier to doing the advocacy work in the social justice world,” said Charles, who is black. Ruthanne Dolezal of Troy, Montana, told reporters this week that she has had no contact with her daughter in years. She said Rachel began to “disguise herself” after her parents adopted four African-American children more than a decade ago. Rachel later married and divorced a black man and graduated from historically
black Howard University. Ruthanne Dolezal also showed reporters pictures of her daughter as a child, with blonde hair, blue eyes and straight hair. Her daughter dismissed the controversy, saying it arose from litigation between other relatives who have divided the family. Ruthanne Dolezal said the family’s ancestry is Czech, Swedish and German, with a trace of Native American heritage. She produced a copy of her daughter’s Montana birth certificate listing herself and Larry Dolezal as Rachel’s parents. Meanwhile, an inquiry was opened at Spokane City Hall, where Dolezal identified herself in her application to the Office of Police Ombudsman Commission as having several ethnic origins, including white, black and American Indian. “We are gathering facts to determine if any city policies related to volunteer boards and commissions have been violated,” Mayor David Condon and Council President Ben Stuckart said this week in a joint statement. Dolezal was appointed to the oversight board by Condon.
DANNEMORA, N.Y. — A worker at an upstate New York maximum-security prison has been arrested on charges she helped two convicted killers escape, state police said Friday. Fifty-one-year-old Joyce Mitchell was arrested and will be arraigned on charges of first-degree promoting prison contraband and fourth-degree criminal facilitation, state police said. Mitchell is accused of befriending inmates David Sweat and Richard Matt at the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora and giving them contraband. District Attorney Andrew Wylie said earlier the contraband didn’t include power tools used by the men as they cut holes in their cell walls and a steam pipe to escape through a manhole last weekend. Meanwhile, law enforce-
Photo by Mike Groll | AP
Law enforcement officers search for two escapees from Clinton Correctional Facility on Friday, near Dannemora, New York. Officers are searching for David Sweat and Richard Matt. ment officers continued to search for the escapees, concentrating Friday in a rural area near the prison. The hunt for the inmates was focused on an area where residents reported seeing two men jumping a stone wall outside the far northern New York town of Dannemora. About 300 searchers were added, bringing the total number of state, federal and local law enforce-
ment officers involved in the manhunt to more than 800. Mitchell’s family has said she wouldn’t have helped the convicts break out. An instructor in the tailor shop where the men worked, Mitchell is also suspected of agreeing to be a getaway driver but didn’t show up, leaving the men on foot early Saturday morning.
Nation
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
House Dems reject part of trade bill By CHARLES BABINGTON ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Led by union-backed Democrats, the House delivered a stinging blow to President Barack Obama on Friday and left his ambitious global trade agenda in serious doubt. Republican leaders, who generally support Obama’s trade objectives, signaled they might try to revive the package as early as next week. But that could require the shifting of at least 90 votes within either or both parties, a heavy lift. Friday’s setback was deep and personal for Obama, who made a surprise, last-minute trip to the Capitol to ask House Democrats to back him. Not only did they reject him by the dozens, they were led by party leader Nancy Pelosi of California, who has often expressed deep admiration for the president. She joined in a tactic that even some Democrats called devious and cynical: voting against a favorite job-retraining program in order to imperil the trade package’s main component: “fast track” negotiating authority for Obama. Hours earlier, Obama had specifically asked Democrats not to do that. But in a crowded House chamber, Pelosi urged her colleagues to ignore him. “Slow down the fast track to get a better deal for the American people,” she said, drawing praise from labor unions, liberals and others who say freetrade deals send U.S. jobs abroad. Pelosi added possible new burdens to the legislative package, saying new highway funding and “environmental justice” should be linked to its passage if it’s revived. In a statement, Obama said the job retraining program “would give roughly 100,000 American workers access to vital support each year,” and he urged the House to pass it as soon as possible and send the entire trade package for him to sign.
Photo by Pablo Martinez Monsivais | AP
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis. walks toward the House Chamber floor on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Friday. The House sidetracked a high-profile White House-backed trade bill, a humiliating defeat for President Barack Obama inflicted by Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and dozens of rank-and-file lawmakers from his own party. Other presidents have had fast track authority, which lets them propose trade agreements that Congress can ratify or reject but not amend. The administration currently is trying to conclude negotiations with 11 Pacificrim countries including Japan and Canada. Other trade agreements could follow. One possible route for pro-trade forces in Congress is to send revised legislation back to the Senate. But senators approved the larger package only narrowly last month after intense battles, and
the White House desperately wants to avoid giving opponents there another chance to strangle the legislation. White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Friday’s vote showed congressional support for fast track, and “our work is not done yet.” As for Democrats rejecting the retraining program, he said, the administration will contend “they have registered their objections to (fast track) and it didn’t work.” Earnest said the administration will urge Democrats to “support a policy that they have
Drought aid pledged By JULIET WILLIAMS ASSOCIATED PRESS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Federal agencies pledged another $110 million in aid Friday to help states struggling with the crippling drought after President Barack Obama talked to leaders from seven western states. The president met by phone and video link for about an hour with the governors of Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, and Wyoming and with the lieutenant governor of Utah, according to the White House. The funding announced Friday includes: $18 million for a jobs program to help as many as 1,000 Californians who are unemployed because of the drought get temporary
jobs doing drought-related work or as part of programs to help make communities more drought-resistant. “It also provides a much needed infusion of economic support right back into these communities that need it,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Portia Wu on a conference call with reporters. $30 million to extend a program so farmers who suffer one or two years of exceptionally low production because of the drought do not lose crop insurance. $10 million to reduce the threat of wildfires by cleaning up landscapes so they are less prone to fires. $6.5 million in grants for water management improvement projects. $7 million to address
the drought-related needs of water utilities and households. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Environmental Protection Administrator Gina McCarthy, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate, Deputy Interior Secretary Mike Connor and Wu were among those on the call.
strongly supported in the past.” Friday’s crucial vote came when 144 House Democrats joined 158 Republicans to reject extension of Trade Adjustment Assistance, or TAA. The program, which helps workers who lose their jobs to international trade, has long been a priority for Democrats and unions. But the Senate had tied it to the broader fast track negotiating authority for the president, which House Democrats overwhelmingly oppose. Egged on by the AFL-CIO, Pelosi and others, the vast major-
ity of House Democrats voted against the retraining program as a means to scuttle the entire package. Moments later, the House did vote, 219-211, to endorse the fast track portion of the package, but that could go nowhere without the first part. Only 28 Democrats joined 191 Republicans in voting for it. Voting no were 54 Republicans and 157 Democrats. Pro-trade forces now must either reverse the retraining program’s fate or send a revised fast track bill back to the Senate, and hope for the best. GOP
aides said more Republicans might possibly hold their noses and vote for the training in order to save fast track, a mirrorimage of the Democrats’ counter-intuitive strategy. House GOP leaders suggested it’s up to Democrats to revive the trade package. “The president has some work yet to do with his party to complete this process,” said Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., a leading author of the trade legislation. “This isn’t over yet.” Yet minutes later, Ryan’s staff sent reporters lists of headlines highlighting Democrats’ rebuke of Obama, a strategy unlikely to improve hopes of a bipartisan recovery for the trade package. AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka hailed Pelosi, saying, “She stood up against corporate interests and, as always, put first the people who are too often left out of trade agreement discussions.” Obama drew applause when he walked into the morning meeting with Democrats, but sharp words after he left. Rep. Peter DeFazio, DOre., was especially withering. “He’s ignored Congress and disrespected Congress for years,” he told reporters, “and then comes to the caucus and lectures us for 40 minutes about his values and whether or not we’re being honest by using legislative tactics to try and stop something which we believe is a horrible mistake for the United States of America, and questions our integrity. It wasn’t the greatest strategy.” Obama says U.S. products must reach more markets. He says unions and others should stop harping on perceived harm from the 1995 North America Free Trade Agreement, of NAFTA, which many critics accuse of shipping American jobs overseas. Globalization, technological advances and other changes in the past 20 years, Obama says, make expanded trade essential.
Entertainment
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Film Wagner discusses acting on TV show festival eyes Web By ALICIA RANCILIO ASSOCIATED PRESS
By LUQMAN ADENIYI ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — As scrutiny continues over diversity in film and opportunities for African Americans in Hollywood, some black actors and producers are looking to another avenue where they see growth — the Web. Success stories like Issa Rae, whose “Awkward Black Girl” Internet comedy series was so successful she received a development deal with HBO, have opened the door for others who may have found more traditional avenues in Hollywood closed. So as the American Black Film Festival opened in New York this week for its 19th year, it has turned its focus to the Web. “Degrassi” star Andrea Lewis is among those finding more exposure on the Internet. Used to being the only black person on set, when Lewis was not getting the roles she wanted, she decided not going to wait. “Instead of wondering where the next opportunity can come, I said, ‘I am going to come up with it and do it myself,”’ Lewis said. She took to the Web with her comedy series “Black Actress,” sharing the narrative of black women trying to make it in the industry. The 10- to 20-minute episodes include the storyline of a young women going on auditions, woven in with real-life interviews from actresses such as Tatyana Ali and “Powers”’ Naturi Naughton. They discuss the lack of significant roles offered, and the struggle to live creatively.
NEW YORK — Jack Wagner doesn’t need to roll with an entourage. He shows up to a recent interview by himself. A celebrity without a team of people including groomers, publicists, assistants and managers trailing behind is a rarity these days. “I stopped that a while ago. I had an entourage in the ‘80s because it’s just what I needed. It depends where your level of fame is or where your career is and what you’re promoting but, today, I’m really comfortable with who I am as a person and I can actually find an address, I can show up there and if I get lost I ask someone, you know, where are the elevators and it’s OK,” he joked. To a large swath of ‘80s TV fans, Wagner is Frisco Jones from ABC’s “General Hospital.” He stopped being
Photo by Jonathan Short/file | AP
Jack Wagner, a celebrity without a team of people including groomers, publicists, assistants and managers trailing behind, stars on “When Calls the Heart,” on the Hallmark Channel. a regular cast member in 1988 but has returned for the periodic arc, most recently in 2013 for the show’s 50th anniversary. “There is this real core fan base for that show and to play a character that is still remembered, I look at it as a gift. Back then you didn’t have social media or so many channels to watch
and people would watch ‘General Hospital,”’ said Wagner, who was also on the ‘90s hit “Melrose Place” and has performed on Broadway. These days the 55-yearold stars on Hallmark Channel’s series “When Calls the Heart” alongside Lori Loughlin. He appeared in season
one and was bumped up to a fulltime cast member for season two, which airs its two-hour season finale on Saturday at 7 p.m. Zapata time. Wagner plays Bill Avery, a forensic investigator in 19th century Canada looking into a counterfeit scheme. His character is mysterious in that you don’t know if he’s part of the scheme or really trying to solve it. The other story for his character is the love triangle with Loughlin’s character Abigail and his wife, Nora, played by none other than his real-life ex-wife Kristina Wagner (and TV ex-wife on “General Hospital,” Felicia Jones.) “It was very frightening to work together again. We know each other from that one format which is ‘General Hospital’ and we knew exactly what to do there. These are new characters. But we really worked through it and we have a
great chemistry.” Wagner laughs when it’s pointed out that not everyone would want to work with their ex. “I can’t say we lined up to do it,” he confesses. At a cast dinner, Bill Abbott, the president and CEO of Hallmark asked him, ‘What do you think of working with Felicia?’ I said, ‘Do you mean (my ex-wife) Kristina?’ He said, ‘I don’t know her name. I just know I want Frisco and Felicia on this show.”’ Their sons (ages 24 and 20) aren’t that fazed by mom and dad working together. “It’s like, ‘Oh yeah, cool. You guys look great. What’s for dinner?”’ he jokes. Wagner is also a musician. His best-known song “All I Need” became a Billboard Top 40 hit in 1985, thanks to its heavy rotation on “General Hospital.” He still performs live a few times a year, and released an album last year.
Nation
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Farmers to make major water cuts By FENIT NIRAPPIL AND SCOTT SMITH ASSOCIATED PRESS
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Drought-stricken California on Friday ordered the largest cuts on record to farmers holding some of the state’s strongest water rights. State water officials told more than a hundred senior rights holders in California’s Sacramento, San Joaquin and delta watersheds to stop pumping from those waterways. The move by the State Water Resources Control Board marked the first time that the state has forced large numbers of holders of senior-water rights to curtail use. Those rights holders include water districts that serve thousands of farmers and others. The move shows California is sparing fewer and fewer users in the push to cut back on water using during the state’s four-year drought. “We are now at the point where demand in our system is outstripping supply for even the most senior water rights holders,” Caren Trgovcich, chief deputy director of the water board. The order applies to farmers and others whose rights to water were staked more than a century ago. Many farmers holding those senior-water rights contend the state has no authority to order cuts. The reductions are enforced largely on an honor system because there are few meters and sensors in place to monitor consumption. California already has ordered cuts in water use by cities and towns and by many other farmers.. The move Friday
Photo by Eric Risberg | AP
Catarina Negrin shows off an irrigation system May 27 using gray water running through the back yard of her home in Berkeley, California. As cities cut back on irrigation and other urban water uses, lawmakers are trying to make gray water systems more common. Gray water is recycled waste water from kitchen appliances, bath tubs, showers and sinks. It flows through discharge pipes into irrigation systems that can keep plants and lawns lush and green, even in a drought. marked the first significant mandatory cuts because of drought for senior water rights holders since the last major drought in the late 1970s. One group of farmers with prized claims have made a deal with the state to voluntarily cut water use by 25 percent to be spared deep mandatory cuts in the future. The San Joaquin River watershed runs from the Sierra Nevada to San Francisco Bay and is a key water source for farms and communities. Thousands of farmers with more recent, less secure claims to water have already been told to stop all pumping from the San Joaquin and Sacramento watersheds. They are turning to other sources of water, including wells, reservoirs and the expensive open market. Some farmers have built their businesses around that nearly guaranteed access to water.
Jeanne Zolezzi, an attorney for two small irrigation districts serving farmers in the San Joaquin area, says she plans to go to court next week to stop the board’s action. She said her clients include small family farms that grow permanent crops such as apricots and walnuts without backup supplies in underground wells or local reservoirs they can turn to when they can’t pump from rivers and streams. “A lot of trees would die, and a lot of people would go out of business,” said Zolezzi. “We are not talking about a 25 percent cut like imposed on urban. This is a 100 percent cut, no water supplies.” California water law is built around preserving the rights of such seniorrights holders. The state last ordered drought-mandated curtailments by senior-water rights holders in 1976-77, but that order affected only a few dozen rights holders.
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
Pollutants to get cut By JOHN SEEWER ASSOCIATED PRESS
TOLEDO, Ohio — Ohio and Michigan have agreed to sharply reduce phosphorus runoff blamed for a rash of harmful algae blooms on Lake Erie that have contaminated drinking water supplies and contributed to oxygen-deprived dead zones where fish can’t survive. The two states along with Ontario, Canada, said Friday that they will work to cut the amount of phosphorus flowing into western Lake Erie by 40 percent within the next 10 years. It’s a significant move to combat the algae blooms that have taken hold in the western third of the lake over the last decade and colored some of its waters a shade of green that’s drawn comparisons to pea soup and the Incredible Hulk. Researchers have linked the toxic algae to phosphorus from farm fertilizers, livestock manure and sewage treatment plants that flows into rivers and streams draining into the lake. Groups studying the algae blooms, including a U.S.-Canadian agency, began calling for a 40 percent reduction in phosphorus about two years ago. That suggestion took on greater urgency last August after an algae outbreak contaminated public drinking water supplies for more than 400,000 people in Toledo and parts of southeastern Michigan. The largest bloom came in the summer of 2011, stretching more than 100 miles — from Toledo to Cleveland. Officials in the two states and Canada will develop plans on how to reach their goal to reduce the phosphorus runoff. They hope to start with a 20 percent reduction within the next five years.
Photo by Haraz N. Ghanbari/file | AP
A glass of Lake Erie water is photographed Aug. 3, 2014, near the City of Toledo water intake. Ohio and Michigan have agreed to reduce phosphorus runoff blamed for harmful algae blooms on Lake Erie that have contaminated drinking water supplies. “No one state owns the lake or the whole problem, nor can one state fix it,” said Craig Butler, director of the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. “It took a generation to get here. If we can change this in 10 years, that’s pretty quick.” Officials plan to sign the deal Saturday at the Council of Great Lakes Governors meeting in Canada. “I believe it’s an achievable goal,” said Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder. The International Joint Commission said two years ago that urgent steps were needed to get control of the algae through a combination of regulations and voluntary actions. Some of those steps have been put in place over the past year. Ohio has new rules banning farmers in northwestern Ohio from spreading manure on frozen and rain-soaked fields and requiring training before farmers can use commercial fertilizers. The state also is increasing monitoring of wastewater plants. Michigan, meanwhile, has a voluntary program to help farmers reduce pollution that goes into waterways. The two states along with Indiana also will begin sharing $17.5 million from the federal government to reduce farm field
runoff by planting strips of grass or cover crops that help soil absorb and filter phosphorus. Environmental groups that have been pushing the states to do more to combat the algae said a 40 percent reduction in phosphorus should have a major impact. “This is a game-changer an ambitious collective goal that, if met, could significantly reduce harmful algal blooms and the economic, social and environmental havoc they wreak,” said Mike Shriberg, regional executive director of the National Wildlife Federation’s Great Lakes office. Indiana, which is a part of the watershed that flows into the western part of the lake, didn’t agree to take part in the plan. Adam Rissien, the Ohio Environmental Council’s director of agricultural and water policy, said the agreement will give a real opportunity to improve water quality. “It’s unfortunate, though, that Indiana chose not to join in this cooperative spirit since the state also contributes phosphorus to Lake Erie,” he said. A message seeking comment about Indiana’s decision was left Friday with the state’s Department of Environmental Management.
SÁBADO 13 DE JUNIO DE 2015
Zfrontera TEXAS
Ribereña en Breve
Aprueba ley
RECAUDACIÓN DE FONDOS El Boys and Girls Club del Condado de Zapata se encuentra recaudando fondos para sus programas juveniles y eventos programados para el 2015. Interesados en apoyar la causa, la compañía Tupperware se encuentra ofreciendo que por cada producto Tupperware que se compre, un 40 por ciento de las ventas se destinará directamente al club de Zapata. Le meta es recaudar 3.000 dólares. Pida informes llamando al (956) 765-3892.
CAMPAMENTO DE VERANO Del 9 de junio al 2 de julio, tendrá lugar un Campamento de Verano, para los estudiantes de ZCISD desde preescolar a quinto año. Las sesiones serán de 8 a.m. a 12 p.m. y de 12 p.m. a 4 p.m. El desayuno y el almuerzo serán proporcionados. No habrá transporte. El campamento es gratuito, sin embargo, los estudiantes deberán cumplir con las normativas de fin de año para ser elegibles. Las solicitudes de ingreso deberán ser entregadas antes del 14 de mayo. Para más información puede llamar a Gerardo García al (956) 765-6917; a Dalia García, al (956) 765-4332; a Ana Martínez, al (956) 7655611; o a Marlen Guerra al (956) 765-4321.
PÁGINA 9A
POR MARY SCHLADEN EL PASO TIMES
HOUSTON — El Gobernador Greg Abbott promulgó el martes una ley de seguridad fronteriza que contempla invertir 800 millones de dólares para desplegar más policías estatales, cámaras y un avión espía para patrullar la frontera del estado con México. La propuesta de ley coloca a más policías en la frontera, adquirirá nueva tecnología para el Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas, fortalecerá la ley estatal contra el tráfico de humanos, ayuda a obtener más fiscales fronterizos y demanda que el gobierno federal pague 700 millones de dólares para ayudar a respaldar el esfuerzo. A decir de Abbott “la medida equivale al plan de seguridad fronterizo más fuerte y comprehensivo de cualquier estado en los Estados Unidos”. La medida acelerará la contratación de 250 policías estatales adicio-
nales para patrullar la frontera, en remplazo de soldados de la Guardia Nacional desplegados allí a mediados del año pasado. Además de otros medidas, Abbott promulgó una ley que creará una Unidad Transnacional y AntiCrimen Organizado en la Oficina del Procurador General y una unidad anti-pandillas en la oficina del gobernador. En esta misma ciudad, Abbott dijo que el Secretario de Seguridad Nacional de EU, Jeh Jonhson dijo que “Texas sigue viendo que más de 25.000 personas cruzan la frontera de manera ilegal mensualmente”. “Si suman eso, significa que la ciudad de Waco y Lubbock combinadas cruzan la frontera de manera ilegal, por lo que continúa siendo un problema grande y prolífico”. El gobernador no dijo cuáles medidas serían utilizadas para determinar si el nuevo programa de seguridad fronteriza está funcionando. Si Abbott y los oficiales federales
no logran llegar a un acuerdo sobre cómo vigilar la frontera, es poco probable que logren un acuerdo acerca de una demanda que es parte de la ley firmada por Abbott el martes. “Texas está dispuesto a trabajar hombro a hombro con la responsabilidad”, dijo Abbott. “Esperemos que el gobierno federal ponga su parte”.
Declaración de México En tanto, La Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores de México dijo que la nueva ley “fomenta la división entre nuestras sociedades y se opone a los principios y valores que rigen la relación bilateral entre México y Estados Unidos". Pese a “rechazar categóricamente cualquier expresión orientada a ver la frontera como un espacio de amenaza a la seguridad”, el gobierno mexicano trabaja con Estados Unidos en la pesquisa de un ataque a
RELIGIÓN
TAMAULIPAS
NOMBRAMIENTO
Oficial: Ganó Yahleel Abdala
TORNEO DE PESCA A partir del jueves 11 de junio, a las 8 a.m., y hasta el día de hoy, a las 8 p.m. se realizará el Torneo de Pesca API, en Beacon Lodge.
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CEREMONIA CONMEMORATIVA Ceremonia en honor a los tejanos que dieron su vida por liberar al Valle de Río Grande de Francia y los Aliados Imperialistas, de 7:30 p.m. a 9:30 p.m. el domingo, 14 de junio, en Lopez-Tijerina Courtyard, en 405 de calle Mirasoles. Durante el evento habrá un lanzamiento de globos, un momento de silencio a la luz de las velas, y una presentación por parte de un invitado especial. Para más infromación llame al (956)487-0672
TORNEO DE GOLF Zapata Lions Club invita al Segundo Torneo de Golf Leobardo Martinez Jr. Scholarship, el sábado 20 de junio en Los Ebanos Golf Course. El estilo es 3 Men Florida Scramble. Donación es de 65 dólares y 10 dólares por Mulligans. Registro a las 8 a.m., inicio a las 9 a.m. Informes llamando al campo de golf al (956) 765-8336 o con Lioan Eduardo Martinez en el (956) 765-8449 y/o Lion Aaron Cruz al (956) 240-3408.
FESTIVAL DE LA LIBERTAD RIO GRANDE CITY — El 2015 Rio Grande City Freedom Fest se realizará el viernes 26 de junio, a partir de las 6 p.m. en el Parque Municipal Basilio Villarreal. Presentación de Marshall Law, Palominos y Jack Ingram. Habrá comida gratis, puestos, juegos infantiles gratis y fuegos artificiales. Costo en preventa: 15 dólares; el día del evento a 25 dólares. Evento a beneficio del Rio Grande City Boys and Girls Youth Club.
EXHIBICIÓN DE ARTE El Boys and Girls Club de Zapata tendrá una exhibición de arte, el sábado 27 de junio, de 1 p.m. a 4 p.m. Los integrantes del club interesados en participar pueden llamar al (956) 7653892. La participación es exclusiva para integrantes del club. Las personas que gusten inscribirse pueden acudir al club o llamar al (956) 765-3892.
balazos a un helicóptero de la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza estadounidense el 5 de junio. La Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores mexicana indicó el jueves que la oficina de protección fronteriza le informó al gobierno de México que enviará dos helicópteros Blackhawk a patrullar el área de la frontera de Texas donde ocurrió el ataque. El helicóptero, que aparentemente no estaba blindado, se vio obligado a aterrizar de emergencia en Laredo, Texas, después de que los disparos impactaron uno de sus costados y la hélice. Los helicópteros Blackhawk están blindados contra disparos de armas cortas y pueden transportar más personal. Aunque México no pareció objetar el remplazo de soldados de la Guardia Nacional, el país se ha opuesto desde hace tiempo a la militarización de la frontera. (El Associated Press contribuyó con este reporte)
Foto de Cortesia
En esta imagen de archivo se observa al Obispo de la Di cesis de Nuevo Laredo, MÂxico, Gustavo Rodriguez Vega, al concluir una celebraci n en la Parroquia de Nuestra Se±ora de la Paz en la vecina ciudad.
Ex Obispo: siempre están en mi oración POR MALENA CHARUR TIEMPO DE LAREDO
E
star al frente de la Diócesis de Nuevo Laredo, México, fue una experiencia tan gratificante, que el Arzobispo Metropolitano Electo de la Arquidiócesis de Yucatán lo describe como un primer amor. El primer día de junio, Gustavo Rodríguez Vega, quien hasta finales de mayo fuera Obispo de la vecina ciudad, recibió un comunicado de la Oficina de Prensa de la Santa Sede en Roma donde se anunciaba el nombramiento, en sustitución de Emilio Carlos Berlie Belaunzarán, quien renunciara al cargo. “(Nuevo Laredo) es la primera diócesis en la que estuve al frente. Dicen que el primer amor nunca se olvida y en Nuevo Laredo tenía muchos conocidos, sacerdotes que fueron mis alumnos en el Seminario de Monterrey, además de ser un lugar cercano a casa”, expresó en entrevista exclusiva. “Ha sido un motivo de gozo esta cercanía porque compartimos modos de pen-
sar, la forma de ser de la gente del norte, el paisaje. Todo esto facilitó mi estancia en esta ciudad”. Indicó que al llegar como Obispo a Nuevo Laredo lo primero fue conocer la realidad para descubrir las áreas de oportunidad y adaptar proyectos para caminar junto con la comunidad. “La primera urgencia fue acompañar a la población por la situación de angustia que estaban pasando debido a la inseguridad. Acompañar a las víctimas, calmar los ánimos con la oración y encausarlos para elaborar proyectos en pro de la paz”, relató él. Respecto a su nuevo cargo como Arzobispo Metropolitano de la Diócesis de Yucatán, manifestó que lleva una actitud abierta. “Voy con el corazón y los oídos abiertos para conocer la realidad de los sacerdotes, de las religiosas, de los laicos y de la comunidad. Quiero saber qué necesitan para establecer un rumbo pastoral y subirme con ellos al mismo tren”, manifestó. “La realidad es muy distinta desde la cultu-
ra, la geografía, la sociedad. Sabemos que hay mucha paz y vamos a descubrir qué es lo que quiere Dios”. El Papa Juan Pablo II designó a Rodríguez Vega como Obispo Auxiliar de la Arquidiócesis de Monterrey, siendo consagrado el 14 de agosto del 2001 en la Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe de Monterrey. Fue nombrado Obispo de Nuevo Laredo en octubre de 2008 por el Papa Benedicto XVI y tomó posesión del cargo ese mismo año. El Arzobispo electo dijo que se encomienda a la oración de todos los feligreses. “No tengo más que gratitud para Nuevo Laredo y tantos amigos de Laredo. Siempre he presumido y he admirado a estas ciudades hermanas. Sólo les pido me encomienden en sus oraciones así como yo les recuerdo siempre en mi oración”, finalizó. Rodríguez Vega tomará posesión de su cargo el 28 de julio. (Localice a Malena Charur en el (956) 728-2583 o en mcharur@lmtonline.com)
El jueves, fue entregada la constancia de mayoría de votos a la candidata que resultara triunfadora en el pasado proceso electoral para la diputación federal en el Distrito 1 de Tamaulipas. Yahleel Abdala Carmona, quien representara los colores del Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), recibió el documento en las instalaciones del Instituto Nacional Electoal de Nuevo Laredo, México, lo que la hace oficialmente diputada feABDALA deral electa. También su compañera de formula, Claudia Ochoa Íñiguez, recibió constancia de manos del Vocal Ejecutivo del INE, Manuel Moncada Fuentes. Aunque Abdala perdió en la cabecera de Nuevo Laredo, los votos recibidos en la denominada “frontera chica” (principalmente Miguel Alemán y Camargo) le dieron el triunfo. Abdala ganó al recibir 56.350 votos, le siguió el PAN con 53.567 votos. Tras recibir la constancia, Abdala aseguró estar contenta y dio gracias a los ciudadanos que depositaron la confianza en la fórmula priísta. “El vernos favorecidas claro que nos motiva para seguir trabajando duro y responderle al ciudadano por esa confianza depositada en nosotras, ya tenemos parte de (la agenda legislativa) y se va a presentar desde el 1 de septiembre”, declaró Abdala. “Ya tenemos diferentes puntos de acuerdo en los que vamos a estar trabajando, y las reuniones que realizaremos de aquí al 1 de septiembre para poder elaborarla y ampliarla, el compromiso serán tres años”. En tercer lugar quedó el Partido Verde Ecologista de México con 3.858 votos; seguidos de la candidata Independiente con 3.110 votos; el Partido Encuentro Social con 2.362 votos; Morena con 2.333 votos; Nueva Alianza con 2.198 votos; Partido de la Revolución Democrática con 1.104 votos; Movimiento Ciudadano con 1.072 votos; y, el Partido del Trabajo, con 659 votos. (Con información de Agencia de Noticias-Oficina de Corresponsales)
COLUMNA
Acusado de pena capital apela condena Nota del Editor: Este es el segundo de dos artículos donde el historiador narra la situación de un hombre que enfrentaba pena de muerte en Tamaulipas, hacia 1909.
POR RAÚL SINENCIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Sobre Macario Zapata, de 24 años de edad, recae la condena a muerte, ningún recurso jurídico logra revertirla, solo le queda uno por agotar. Lo hace sin dudarlo. Tras la aplicación salen a relucir las fallas cróni-
cas del sistema judicial de Tamaulipas hacia el año 1909. El juez de primera instancia termina condenándolo. Comete “el delito […] con las circunstancias calificativas de premeditación y ventaja”, dicta el fallo emitido el 17 de julio de 1908. Zapata apela, pero “la Primera Sala del Tribunal Superior de Justicia” del estado ratifica el 11 de marzo de 1909 lo proveído e incluso añade la alevosía. La Segunda Sala del propio órgano desestima el cargo por ale-
vosía, ante la súplica interpuesta por el reo, confirma la sentencia. El 13 de abril de 1909 Zapata promueve juicio de amparo. Alega: “No consta probado de autos que los occisos se encontraban inermes […] pues los únicos testigos que […] lo declararon no fueron ratificados como lo previene” el precepto aplicable; tampoco se acredita “que pudo reflexionar antes de haber cometido el delito”, sin existir “dato respecto de que no […] corriera riesgo el heridor”.
Rigores Desecha los agravios el juez de Distrito, que el 12 de junio de 1909 determina “exactamente aplicada la pena capital”. A Zapata le queda una carta: Por solicitud expresa, interviene “la Corte Suprema de Justicia de la Nación”, acorde con sus facultades, revisa el asunto. “La deficiencia de la instrucción hasta el grado de no haberse practicado la ratificación de los testigos como lo exige” la norma
relativa, “basta para tener por comprobada la inexactitud en la aplicación de la ley […] debiendo aplicarse la […] prisión” correspondiente al “homicidio simple”, destaca el ministro ponente M. García Méndez. El 12 de julio de 1909, por unanimidad el pleno de la corte “ampara y protege a Macario Zapata contra la pena capital”. (Publicado con permiso del autor conforme aparece en La Razón, Tampico, México.)
International
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
Protests pressure Guatemala president By SONIA PEREZ D. AND PETER ORSI ASSOCIATED PRESS
GUATEMALA CITY — Every Saturday for nearly two months, Constitution Square outside Guatemala City’s National Palace has overflowed with thousands of protesters demanding an end to corruption and the resignation of President Otto Perez Molina. Most are from the young, middle-class, smartphone generation, and they organize the leaderless demonstrations through social media. But there are also priests standing shoulder-toshoulder with businessmen, and students alongside homemakers, in what Guatemala analysts call an unprecedented mass mobilization cutting across socio-economic, political, even class lines. Angered by recent revelations of multimillion-dollar corruption scandals and emboldened by the jailing of dozens of suspects and the resignation of the vice president, the protesters show no sign of letting up. And they’re bringing increasing pressure on the government, culminating in this week’s Supreme Court ruling green-lighting a congressional inquiry that could lead to impeachment proceedings against Perez Molina. “It is an expression of accumulated frustrations in mostly urban populations ... that finally found a way of expressing itself publicly in a massive way,” said Eduardo Stein, a former Guatemalan vice president and foreign minister. “There were people from many sectors of society fed up with corruption.” Perez Molina has not been implicated of any wrongdoing and insists he intends to serve out the remainder of his term, which ends in early 2016. But protesters blame him anyway since the scandals involved government officials, and it is an opposition-led Congress that will decide his political fate. The first bombshell came in April when authorities
Photo by Moises Castillo | AP
In this May 16 photo, protesters gather outside the National Palace to demand the resignation of Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina in Guatemala City. Every Saturday for nearly two months, Constitution Square outside Guatemala City’s National Palace has overflowed with thousands of protesters demanding an end to corruption and the resignation of the President. broke up a customs agency graft scheme in which officials allegedly took kickbacks from businesses to lower duties on imports. Former Vice President Roxana Baldetti’s private secretary, Juan Carlos Monzon Rojas, is accused of being the ringleader. Monzon is a fugitive and Baldetti has had her bank accounts frozen, properties raided and been banned from traveling abroad during the investigation. Weeks later the nation was rocked by a second scandal at the Social Security Institute, where officials purportedly awarded a $15 million contract for kidney treatments to a company that lacked a license to perform the services; at least 13 patients subsequently died. Both were exposed with the help of a U.N. commission set up in recent years to probe criminal networks because Guatemala’s judicial system was seen as too weak and graft-prone to handle high-level investigations.
In a country of more than 14 million inhabitants struggling with chronic social problems such as a skyhigh homicide rate of 34 per 100,000 inhabitants, rampant gang violence, widespread poverty and child malnutrition, seeing public servants enrich themselves so blatantly was a tipping point, said Adriana Beltran, a security analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, a U.S.-based organization that promotes human rights in the region. “I think (the scandals) finally demonstrated to the population how these networks of corruption and organized crime really impact their daily lives,” Beltran said. “For them to say, ‘We’re paying taxes and the state is not able to provide basic services because they’re embezzling or stealing them,’ I think that eventually just kind of was the drop that overflowed the cup.” Trying to tamp down the anger, Perez Molina has accepted the resignation of
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several Cabinet officials, including the powerful interior minister, fired others and initiated reviews of government contracts. Congress set up commissions to examine possible legal, political and social reforms. “I feel at peace. I have committed no crimes in relation to these cases,” Perez Molina said Thursday. But crowds of tens of thousands continue to demonstrate. Guatemala is no stranger to protests, with land invasions and indigenous farmer marches relatively common occurrences. The anticorruption movement is unique for constituting sustained demonstrations in the capital by a broad-based, mostly well-educated crowd that relies on social media and smartphones. There are no stages, fancy PA systems or politicians making speeches at the marches. Instead, demon-
strators punch fists in the air, sing the national anthem and hoist national flags and signs criticizing the political elite to cries of “Enough!” “Few people thought Guatemalan society would react like it did,” said Pedro Cruz, who has taken part in several marches. “The protests are like a democratic spring where the people have taken to the streets to demand many things. I have seen the people awaken.” Activist Mario Polanco said Guatemalans have long been afraid to speak out due to the 1960-1996 civil war, during which at least 245,000 people died or disappeared. Most were indigenous people living in rural areas killed by the army, according to the U.N., fueling charges of genocide against the Guatemalan government. The army has said those killed were rebel sympathizers.
During the war, the middle class too was terrified of the army. “But now there are young people who didn’t live through the war and the repression, and they are the ones who came out and feel more empowered,” Polanco said. Friday saw a key moment for Perez Molina’s future, when lawmakers named a commission to consider whether to take up the issue of his constitutional immunity from prosecution. Lifting it could lead to the equivalent of impeachment proceedings. The president, a 64-yearold retired general, took office in 2012 promising an “iron-fist” crackdown on crime and impunity, but a recent poll by the newspaper Prensa Libre put his approval rate at just 38 percent. Ahead of September elections to choose his successor, protesters are setting their sights on deep reforms to a system where corruption is seen as the norm. They’re also targeting a political class symbolized by presidential front-runner Manuel Baldizon, who lost four years ago to Perez Molina and has the campaign slogan “It’s Baldizon’s turn.” Guatemala’s last five presidential elections were won by the runner up in the previous campaign. “Baldizon, it’s not your turn!” the protesters shout. Michael Allison, a political scientist specializing in Central America at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania, said the scandals and protests have brought the country to a crossroads of either maintaining business as usual or truly committing to reform. “I think Guatemala is teetering on the verge of progress,” Allison said. “The idea is maybe with all these investigations going on, potential prosecutions, that it could lead to elected officials behaving more sensibly.”
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
BOBBY R. STEVENS March 23, 1940 — June 8, 2015 Bobby R. Stevens 75, passed away Monday, June 8, 2015, at his residence in Zapata. Bob Stevens was born in San Antonio, on March 23, 1940, to Glynn Ike and Yvonne Stevens. He grew up in Bandera, and graduated from Bandera High School in 1958. He attended Texas A&I University in Kingsville on a football scholarship, married and started working heavy equipment. He took a temporary job with the Public Works Department in the City of Bishop in 1964 and became Public Works director. He and his wife had two children while there. He stayed there until 1972 when he was hired in Alpine as its first city manager. He lost his first wife to cancer, and remarried in 1976 and welcomed another son. His proudest achievement in Alpine was securing water rights so that for the first time in at least 20 years there was no water rationing while he was there. In 1979 he accepted the job of city manager in Gatesville. He was responsible for completing the arduous task of building a pipeline from Lake Belton to Gatesville so that water would be plentiful and protected. He secured grants to allow the building of a $27 million water treatment plant. He worked with the prison system so that the citizens of the city had available a $100 million payroll for 3,000 jobs. He was proud of being able to make many other major improvements for the city while keeping taxes low. In fact, the taxes in
By EMILY SCHMALL ASSOCIATED PRESS
2000 when he retired were lower than when he arrived in 1979. When he retired, he and his wife traveled for a few years and settled in Zapata, where he enjoyed fishing in Falcon Lake. Mr. Stevens is survived by his wife, Andra, and three children: Bobby Glynn Stevens (Kerstin), Leigh Ann Williams, J.C. Sohl (Amber); four grandchildren, Teryn Fain (Chancy), Ambra Dawn Stevens, Tyler Sohl and Emily Sohl; and one greatgrandchild, Tribull Fain. Visitation hours were held Thursday, June 11, 2015, from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed at 4 p.m. for a 5 p.m. service at United Methodist Church. Graveside service was held Friday, June 12, 2015, at 2 p.m. at Bandera Cemetery in Bandera. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.
ABBOTT Continued from Page 1A thored the bill. “Freedom of religion is the most sacred of our rights and our freedom to worship is secured by the Constitution,” Abbott said. “Religious leaders in the state of Texas must be absolutely secure in the knowledge that religious freedom is beyond the reach of government or coercion by the courts." With the signing of the bill, "Texas took a small but important step to further protect the religious freedom of clergy in the face of increasing hostility toward people of faith in all walks of life," Paxton said in a statement. "No Pastor, Priest, Rabbi or other religious leader should be forced to perform or recognize a mar-
Bikers fired most shots
riage that contradicts his or her sincere religious belief. Estes has said the bill is about protecting pastors "who have a strong religious belief " against same-sex marriage. State Rep. Celia Israel, D-Austin, said in a statement released Thursday that she believes it’s possible to support both equality and religious liberty. "Texans are ready for equality, and if this measure gives pastors a peace of mind, I welcome it becoming law," Israel said. Critics had argued that Senate Bill 2065 attempts to make it difficult for same-sex couples to marry in Texas, in case the U.S. Supreme Court legalizes gay marriages.
FORT WORTH — Texas officers involved in a deadly shooting outside a biker gathering in Waco had disabled the automatic setting on their rifles, and most of the dozens of shell casings found at the scene were from suspects’ guns, police said Friday. Only three of the 16 officers outside the Twin Peaks restaurant fired their weapons after gunfire erupted following a dispute between two rival biker gangs on May 17, Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman said. The chief said the officers, who were staged outside in anticipation of a
large biker meeting, fired 12 times only after being shot at during the melee that left nine people dead and 18 injured. “We did not fire indiscriminately into the crowd. Our officers were restrained,” Stroman said during a news conference Friday in Waco. Witnesses have said they thought they heard automatic weapons during the shooting. Investigators haven’t said who fired the fatal shots. The shooting began after an apparent confrontation between the Bandidos, the predominant motorcycle club in Texas, and the Cossacks, according to investigators. About 175 bikers
were arrested following the shooting, and hundreds of weapons — including 151 firearms — have been recovered. Stroman said the three officers who fired their weapons shot a total of 12 bullets, though 44 shell casings have been found so far at the scene. Police spokesman Steve Anderson said 32 of those recovered casings came from suspects’ weapons, and don’t include casings from suspects’ revolvers, from which casings must be manually ejected. “As we get into examining all of the weapons, we may find even more empty shell casings, to show there were more than 32 rounds fired by suspects,” Ander-
son said Friday. Other weapons recovered include knives, brass knuckles, tomahawks, bats, a machete and a chain. Some weapons were stashed in between bags of flour in the restaurant’s kitchen, while others were recovered with metal detectors, found buried under grass, police said. During his news conference Friday, Stroman defended investigators’ decision to arrest the roughly 175 bikers following the shooting, and charge each with engaging in organized crime. “Those people who went to jail that night, there was probable cause for that arrest,” Stroman said.
SEX CASES Continued from Page 1A ters infiltrate the school system as educators to gain children’s trust. “That’s when they take advantage of (the children),” he said. “To keep all these criminals off the streets, all agencies need to work together.” Investigators with Texas’ top education agency have opened more than 70 cases since September to look into fresh allegations of inappropriate sexual relations between educators and students, an agency spokesperson said in midMarch. Texas Education Agency spokeswoman Lauren Callahan said the agency’s educator investigations unit has begun 74 probes into purported studentteacher relationships between Sept. 1, 2014 and Feb. 28, 2015. The agency previously reported a 27 percent jump in investigations into alleged student-teacher relationships over the past three school years. The number of investigations rose from 141 during the 2009-10 academic year to
179 in 2013-14, the agency said in an October news release. So, why the uptick? "Classroom sexual predators have been exploiting" social media services such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat along with text messaging to "develop improper relationships with students out of sight of parents and principals," Terry Abbott, former chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Education, wrote in a Jan. 20 op-ed for The Washington Post. "These instantaneous, omnipresent and discreet connections have created an open gateway for inappropriate behavior," Abbott wrote. Abbott’s Houston-based research firm Drive West Communications, which tracks media reports of inappropriate teacher-student relationships, found that Texas had the largest raw number of teacher sexual misconduct cases in the country in 2014. About 44 percent of cases reported on by news outlets involved social
media contact between teachers and students, according to Drive West’s 2014 report. Callahan said TEA’s investigations unit, which aims to determine whether educators meet standards and should receive sanctions, learns of new criminal cases involving educators and school officials in two ways: A fingerprint database that updates when an educator is arrested A "249 report" filed by the school district’s superintendent, which is usually fired after an educator resigns or is arrested or terminated as a result of alleged misconduct Investigators will often put their case on hold if law enforcement officials are conducting an ongoing criminal probe. If TEA’s investigations unit finds enough evidence against an educator or school official, they forward the case to the State Board for Educator Certification’s legal team, Callahan said. That legal team then
conducts their own investigation and files a case with the State Office of Administrative Hearing, which may schedule a hearing before a state administrative judge to recommend appropriate sanctions — which can range from permanent repeal of the educator’s certification to a reprimand — against an educator. The case then goes back to the State Board for Educator Certification, Callahan said, where agency officials will look at recommendations from their legal team and the state administrative judge before making a final decision. This whole process could take years, Callahan said. An educator’s certification is automatically revoked if they are convicted of a criminal offense and sentenced to prison, Callahan said. If an educator receives deferred adjudication for a crime, they may not teach while serving that sentence.
FRACKING Continued from Page 1A team of researchers led by Southern Methodist University concluded that industry activity “most likely” triggered the earthquakes. The peer-reviewed research, published in April, linked the earthquakes to wells operated by XTO Energy and EnerVest. The operators’ withdrawal of brine – naturally salty water removed during oil and gas drilling – and the high-pressure injection of huge volumes of wastewater from gas wells were to blame, that study concluded. EnerVest is scheduled to argue its case at the
commission on Monday. The SMU researchers say they won’t wade into the policy debate at the commission, but they stand by their work. “We will not be providing comments on the hearings or on any nonpeer reviewed science being presented at the hearings,” the researchers said in a statement this week. “We remain confident in the conclusions presented in our peer-reviewed publication, which was based on multiple lines of evidence.” The SMU team has not had the chance to fully study the 4.0 Johnson
County quake, Kim Cobb, a university spokeswoman, said Friday, but it has added it to its list of interests. In May, Heather DeShon, an SMU professor of geophysics, said she was not surprised by the larger temblor. “There have been a series of magnitude 3 and greater earthquakes in the Johnson County area. If you have movement on a fault and change the stresses, you increase the likelihood of additional earthquakes, she said. “This illustrates that we all need to think about the possibility of larger
earthquakes in the region where we live.” Scientists have known for decades that injecting fluid deep underground could trigger earthquakes. Neighboring Oklahoma has seen an increase in earthquakes even greater than Texas has, and has surpassed California as the country’s most quake-prone state. The USGS and Oklahoma Geological Survey say wastewater disposal probably contributes to the trend. Still, researchers point out, thousands of disposal wells have not been linked to earthquakes.
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
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Sports&Outdoors NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: NBA FINALS
Finals tied at 2 Photo by LM Otero | AP
A report says Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant (88), who received a franchise tag in the offseason, will sit out regular-season games if he does not receive a long-term contract.
Bryant to sit out Cowboys games? Report: Bryant to sit without long-term deal By DREW DAVISON MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Photo by Paul Sancya | AP
Cleveland forward LeBron James and the Cavaliers lost Thursday night as the Warriors evened the series at 2 heading back to Oakland.
Warriors even series after win in Cleveland By TOM WITHERS ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND — Weaving his way toward Golden State’s locker room, where the Warriors were packing for home, Stephen Curry had to handle one last double-team. Two Cavaliers fans wanted a photo with him. “Gotta be quick,” Curry said, pausing and smiling for the group selfie. Curry was happy to please, and hap-
pier the NBA Finals were tied again. With Curry’s shooting touch back to normal, Andre Iguodala playing like a younger version of himself, and coach Steve Kerr’s gamble to tweak his starting lineup — even if he had to lie about it — the Warriors knotted these entertaining finals Thursday night with a 103-82 win over the gassed Cavaliers, who are desperate for rest and help for LeBron James. Facing the prospect of falling behind 3-1, the Warriors came out to play. They
NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS
were energized from the start, and they finished off the understaffed Cavs with a dominant fourth quarter, a 12-minute bombardment of big shots to seize momentum going into Sunday’s Game 6 at noisy Oracle Arena. These were the Warriors closer to full volume, 9 out of 10. “We really picked up our intensity level,” said forward Draymond Green, who moved to center in Kerr’s smaller starting
Would Dez Bryant consider sitting out the Dallas Cowboys season opener if he doesn’t reach a desired long-term deal with the team? That very well could happen, according to an ESPN report that cited anonymous sources on the matter. But it wouldn’t seem to make much financial sense for Bryant to go in that direction and miss the Cowboys’ opener against the Giants on Sept. 13 at AT&T Stadium. Yes, Bryant is unhappy the Cowboys have slapped him with the franchise tag at $12.8 million for next season, and he only made a brief appearance during organized team activities earlier this month. He is expected to skip next week’s mandatory minicamp, and could balk at reporting to training camp when the rest of the team arrives. Sitting out, after all, is about the only leverage Bryant has at this point if he and the team
See FINALS PAGE 2B See BRYANT PAGE 2B
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE: STANLEY CUP
Defense stars in Stanley Cup By GREG BEACHAM ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Tim Sharp | AP
Dallas has started to use virtual reality technology in practice to better itself for the upcoming season.
Cowboys using virtual reality By DREW DAVISON MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
IRVING — Dallas Cowboys quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson remembers how NFL film study used to go when he played in the 1980s and 1990s. "The third quarterback had to splice the film," Wilson said, shaking his head at the memory. So much has changed since
then with advances in technology. Wilson is now seeing his quarterbacks implement the use of virtual reality to help improve their play. It’s cutting-edge and something the Dallas Cowboys jumped at the opportunity of adding this offseason, designing a room in which the quarter-
See COWBOYS PAGE 2B
BRANDON, Fla. — After Steven Stamkos stepped off the Lightning’s practice rink on a 90degree June day, the Tampa Bay captain made it clear he is well aware that he hasn’t scored a goal yet in his first Stanley Cup Final. Stamkos and his Lightning teammates are determined to keep their cool and their focus when this exceptionally even series with the Chicago Blackhawks begins its sprint to the finish in Game 5 on Saturday night. “Keep playing the game the right way, and eventually you’re going to get rewarded,” Stamkos said Friday. Chicago’s Patrick Kane feels much the same way, both about his own goalless final and the Blackhawks’ game in general. Both stars are hoping for that breakthrough score this weekend at Amalie Arena, where either the Lightning or the Blackhawks will end the 2-2 series tie and move one win away from a title. The Lightning and the Blackhawks realize the enormous stakes for Game 5 in a series that still hasn’t featured a twogoal lead for either team. They’re also attempting to direct
Photo by Nam Y. Huh | AP
Chicago goalie Corey Crawford, left, defends the goal against Tampa Bay’s Alex Killorn as the teams are tied after four games in the best-of-7 series for the Stanley Cup. that excitement into motivation instead of intimidation. “You’ve got to get caught up in the moment,” Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said. “You have to embrace where we are. It’s the middle of June, and we’re still playing hockey. The Stanley Cup is up for grabs in the besttwo-out-of-three. I don’t think we should be afraid of that. I don’t think we should walk around being tense and looking at the magnitude of where we are, being afraid of the moment. This is
the time of our lives.” Chicago’s Duncan Keith and Tampa Bay’s Victor Hedman have embraced this moment better than anyone. Stamkos, Kane and the Final’s quiet forwards have been upstaged by these two star defensemen, who are both turning in dominant playoff performances. In a postseason missing a breakout offensive performance or a dominant goaltending run,
See STANLEY CUP PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
TCU back in World Series By STEPHEN HAWKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT WORTH — There is one season TCU senior shortstop Keaton Jones has tried his best to forget. It was 2013, when the Horned Frogs didn’t even make the NCAA tournament in their Big 12 Conference debut. “That was a bad season,” Jones said. “At that point, we were still just very young and inexperienced.” Now with as many as six seniors on the field at any time, the grown-up Frogs are going to the College World Series for the second year in a row. “Last year, I couldn’t believe it,” Jones said with a smile. “Now I still can’t believe it.” The lasting memory for TCU’s unusually large senior group won’t be 2013, the only time under 12thyear coach Jim Schlossnagle that the Frogs haven’t made the postseason. They instead will leave with consecutive trips to Omaha, the latest after a Big 12 regularseason title and two incredible clinchers in the NCAA tournament. TCU (49-13) advanced with a 16-inning, nearly sixhour victory over Texas A&M in its NCAA super regional at home, a week after trailing North Carolina State 8-1 with two outs in the eighth inning of the regional final.
Photo by Tim Sharp | AP
Members of the TCU team react after beating Texas A&M in the 16th inning to advance to the College World Series on June 8. The resilient Frogs play their CWS opener Sunday against LSU (53-10), another SEC team — and one that helped shape Schlossnagle’s vision for what he hoped to do when he first got to Fort Worth. “Omaha is different when LSU is there,” Schlossnagle said. “It just is.” Before becoming UNLV’s head coach in 2002, and going to TCU two seasons later, Schlossnagle was associate head coach from 1994-2001 at Tulane. That was about 80 miles from the LSU campus, where the Tigers were in the midst of five national championships over 10 seasons under former coach Skip Bertman. “That was the heyday,” Schlossnagle said this week. “I’ve been called Tiger bait at Alex Box Stadium plenty of times.” Schlossnagle saw how LSU built a complete program under Bertman, who
had learned as an assistant under two-time national champion Ron Fraser at Miami. That included recruiting, marketing, attendance, game operations and winning national titles. “My goal was to have a minor league baseball atmosphere in a college ballpark. We’ve done that,” Schlossnagle said. “Our brand obviously is in a growing stage still.” Bertman’s last game for LSU was a home super regional in 2001, a loss that sent Tulane to the College World Series. Add in TCU’s first College World Series in 2010, and this will be Schlossnagle’s fourth trip to Omaha — but his first taking players who have already been there before. “Obviously you’re on a big stage, fighting for a national championship, but at the end of the day,
you’re playing baseball,” Jones said. “The main thing is I’m going to focus on playing the game, playing our brand of baseball and not worrying about everything around you.” While TCU has freshmen Connor Wanhanen and Evan Skoug batting in the third and fourth spots, Jones is among five senior position players in the everyday lineup. The Horned Frogs also have three senior pitchers, including possible Sunday starter Preston Morrison (11-3). LSU has seven seniors (four position players), but defending national champion Vanderbilt has none while Cal-State Fullerton’s only two seniors are pitchers. The four teams on the other side of the CWS bracket — Miami, Florida, Arkansas and Virginia — each have only one senior in their batting orders. Two of TCU’s seniors are transfers who were part of last year’s CWS squad, but six are holdovers from 2013. “We played our last game in the conference tournament knowing our season was already over,” senior reliever Trey Teakell said. “That feeling kind of resonated with us throughout the next fall, the next season. It was a big motivator for us. Definitely frustrating for us that year, but definitely paid off.”
BRYANT Continued from Page 1B can’t reach a long-term deal by the July 15 deadline. After that date passes, though, Bryant can only play the 2015 season on the franchise tag. This is not like 1993 when star running back Emmitt Smith skipped the first two regular-season games before signing a lucrative deal with the team and helping them to a Super Bowl title. Signing a long-term contract during the season simply isn’t an option
for Bryant or the Cowboys after the July 15 deadline. It would have to wait until after the season. So, essentially, missing the season opener would cost Bryant more than $750,000, based on his franchise tag salary of $12,823,000 spread out over 17 regular-season weeks ($754,294 per week). Is he really willing to forfeit that kind of money simply to show his displeasure with the fran-
chise tag? This story simply screams as another ploy to try and push the Cowboys to signing him to a long-term deal. From the Cowboys’ perspective, this deal is more than just about Bryant. They love what Bryant brings to the team, and his on-field production speaks for itself. But the Cowboys are hesitant to be the first team to set the market for
this new wave of wide receivers. Denver’s Demaryius Thomas, Atlanta’s Julio Jones and Cincinnati’s A.J. Green are all in line for long-term deals, just like Bryant. Maybe this threat from Bryant and his advisers gets both sides moving towards a long-term deal by July 15. If it doesn’t happen, though, the smart money still says Bryant plays the season opener, begrudgingly or not.
COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B backs can wear a headset and see a live-action 3-D replay of a play from any direction. It goes hand-in-hand with them using drones to film practice during organized team activities this month, giving them additional views and angles in efforts to better their football team. "You always want to be innovative in everything that you’re doing, you want to be on the cutting edge, particularly in how you teach players and hopefully how they learn," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "In the last few years, iPads have taken the place of playbooks, so there are some pros and cons to that. "You have to understand how each player learns, what’s the most effective way to get the information across to them so they can play." This virtual reality system from STRIVR Labs was created and developed by former Stanford kicker David Belch, and the Cowboys are the first NFL team to use it. They join several major college programs who have bought it, as well, including Stanford, Arkansas, Auburn and Clemson. The technology essentially gives the Cowboys’ quarterbacks the ability make pre-snap calls, in-play reads and physically drop back in-
stead of simply watching a play back through a TV screen or tablet. "It’s great, it really is a unique and special thing," quarterback Tony Romo said. "We’re just getting started with it, but I think this will be a big deal here shortly. You will see it all over the place soon." The biggest benefactors from the system are likely to be Romo’s backups in Brandon Weeden and Dustin Vaughan. Garrett, a backup quarterback during his playing days, loves the idea of this being a tool for Weeden and Vaughan to increase the number of reps they get on a daily basis. With Romo’s surgically-repaired back presenting no issues this offseason and allowing him to practice every day the past three weeks during OTAs, Weeden and Vaughan haven’t gotten as many on-field reps as they did last offseason. So the virtual reality system gives them the opportunity to get more reps, albeit in an unconventional fashion. "It’s been something I’ve been thinking about for probably the last 25 years of my life because as a backup quarterback, you never get enough reps," Garrett said. "Oftentimes you’re in a situation where you haven’t had the reps in practice
and you have to go into a ballgame and play. So for a lot of backup players, we emphasize doing whatever you can do to get yourself ready. "For quarterbacks, turn the radio off, turn the cell phone off when you’re driving around town, and call the plays out loud. Visualize yourself breaking the huddle, going to the line of scrimmage, making MIKE IDs, pointing out guys on defense, putting yourself in that place. This virtual reality system that we have in place here with the Cowboys is a good tool for us to take the next step in regards to that." For as much as the Cowboys are willing to add technology such as this, though, Garrett stressed that the team will remain steadfast in its old-school approach. Garrett said the new system will not alter how the team practices or plays, simply saying it will only enhance what they do. "We’re an old-school operation," Garrett said. "That’s how we conduct our business day to day, whether it’s in the meeting room, in a walk-through, on the practice field and hopefully how we play. "Those are the things that we emphasize, old-school fundamentals that have won in this league for a long time."
Photo by AP
The Warriors won handily in Cleveland 103-82 on Thursday.
FINALS Continued from Page 1B lineup. “We contested shots. We got on loose balls, and we rebounded. We battled.” Questioned by some critics for being too laid back, the Warriors were more physical, more focused and more urgent than previously in this series. They outran the frazzled Cavs, pushing the ball up the floor after made baskets and imposing their will for 48 minutes. Curry was Curry again. After missing 20 of 26 3pointers in the first three games, he knocked down four 3s and scored 22. He’s made 9 of his last 15 3pointers, an encouraging sign for the Warriors and something that will keep Cavs coach David Blatt from getting much sleep. Iguodala, though, was Golden State’s best player. He scored 22 points, made James work for every shot and while making his first start of the season in Golden State’s 101st game, he set the early tempo by outrunning Cleveland’s defense for a pair of dunks. “He’s one of the X-factors, and he came to play,” James said of the 31-yearold Iguodala, one of his Olympic teammates. “He was in attack.” Kerr went with a smaller lineup — he benched center Andrew Bogut — and it’s likely he’ll stick with a group that causes matchup problems for the Cavaliers. Because of injuries to Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love, Cleveland has limited options. Kerr admitted afterward that he wasn’t truthful leading into the game for fear of Cleveland making an adjustment. Given the Cavs’ fragile state, it may not have mattered. The coast-to-coast travel, lack of depth and demanding schedule caught up to Cleveland. Although the decimated Cavs downplayed the fatigue, it was obvious they didn’t have their legs. And the postgame scene in their training room underscored their brittle condition. James needed stitches for a head cut sustained when he banged into a courtside camera; Mat-
thew Dellavedova took an ice bath to soothe his cramping muscles; Iman Shumpert had his bruised left shoulder encased in ice. All things considered, it’s remarkable the Cavs are in the series. After carrying his teammates in three games, James was due a sub-standard performance. He still managed 22 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists, but he was unable to dictate the tempo as the Warriors took control. Blatt may need to re-consider his rotations. He’s only playing seven players, ignoring veterans Mike Miller and Shawn Marion, former champions who might be able to provide vital minutes and ease James’ burden. Also, the Cavs need to get something, anything, from J.R. Smith, who missed all eight 3-pointers in Game 4. The only time Smith, who arrived at Quicken Loans Arena riding an electric, hands-free vehicle called a PhunkeeDuck, was on the mark was when he muttered an expletive describing his performance. James, in typical fashion, seemed unfazed by the loss — almost as if he expected it. He understands his team’s limitations, but he also knows the Cavs still have a chance, and that’s all he can ask. James has been in tougher jams than this. He dismissed the notion that his next game will be his biggest challenge. With Miami in 2012, James went to Boston trailing 3-2 in the conference finals and the four-time MVP responded with an epic 45-point, 12-rebound effort. “That’s probably the biggest challenge of my career,” he said. “Game 5 at Golden State is not that big when it comes to going to Boston, you lose multiple times in that arena, and the franchise I was with at the time had never won a playoff game in Boston. Now that’s pretty challenging, so I’ve been through a little bit in my pretty cool career.”
STANLEY CUP Continued from Page 1B Keith or Hedman are the odds-on favorites to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoffs MVP. Barring a spectacular pile of goals from a forward, the series winner seems likely to feature the first defenseman to claim the Conn Smythe since Anaheim’s Scott Niedermayer in 2007. Keith and Hedman are 1-2 in the NHL in postseason plus-minus ratings and total minutes. Keith leads the playoffs with 18 assists during his incredible extended ice time, while Hedman has set franchise playoff records for assists and points by a defenseman. Although they play the game differently, they’re filling a simi-
lar do-everything role for their respective teams. “In a lot of ways, yeah, (Hedman) is a guy like Duncan,” Chicago captain Jonathan Toews said. “He makes, more times than not, the players he’s out there with better. He’s a catalyst when he’s in his own zone or the offensive zone.” Only four defensemen in NHL history have recorded more than Keith’s 18 assists in this postseason, and nobody has done it since Brian Leetch’s 23 during the New York Rangers’ Stanley Cup run in 1994. Keith’s numbers are uniformly strong in the postseason, but his sheer minutes are the most jaw-
dropping aspect of it all. Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville is relying largely on four veteran defenseman, showing little interest in his third pairing — or perhaps simply demonstrating confidence that Keith can handle more minutes that just about any defenseman in recent memory. Keith has played 655 minutes and 55 seconds in the postseason — nearly 11 full regulation games. It’s tough to quantify whether those extra minutes have affected Keith’s overall aggressiveness, particularly on the offensive end, but it’s unlikely he’ll get or want any respite in the final games. Hedman has the second-most
total minutes of any players in the Stanley Cup playoffs, yet he has logged nearly 82 fewer minutes than Keith. Hedman’s twoyear evolution from a project left off the Swedish Olympic team into a star culminated with his game-winning assist in Game 3. “I’ve always said this, (and I’ve) been around a long time: I’ve never seen a guy 6-foot-6, 230 (pounds), skate like he does,” Tampa Bay associate coach Rick Bowness said. “He’s dominant because of his size, his skating ability. His growth started last year, and it’s just continued this year. Now he’s on a bigger stage.” Both teams used the extra day off for recuperation and final
strategic adjustments. The Lightning don’t know whether goaltender Ben Bishop will return from his undisclosed injury to start Game 5. Cooper remains confident in 20-year-old rookie backup Andrei Vasilevskiy — and in all of his players’ ability to seize this pivotal five-day stretch of their careers. “If we’re not having fun doing this, then why are we doing this?” Cooper said. “I remember on the plane ride home (Thursday), thinking, ’In six days, it’s going to be over.’ How much fun. How we’ve grown together. You just don’t want the experience to end.”
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015
Dear Heloise: I have wrought-iron patio chairs that have a patterned weave design. I noticed a GREEN MILDEW STAIN on them. Can you offer advice on how to clean them? The chairs sit outside yearround, without covers. I look forward to reading your hints in The Columbus Dispatch. Thank you! –– Jane Beavers, Columbus, Ohio Jane, how nice to hear from you. I’ve visited your lovely city several times and can still see the beautiful Ohio State Theatre! If you are seeing green (the color on the chair, not you!), then it is probably mildew. Of course, bleach does clean mildew, but don’t use it on wrought iron. So, let’s go to my most beloved VINEGAR! Yes, it’s a very mild form of acetic acid (usually 5-6 percent, or sometimes 9 percent) that you can dilute with water, but it should kill mildew without harming the wrought iron. First, brush off as much of the “green” as you can.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
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HELOISE
Next step is cleaning: Add 4 cups of vinegar to 1 gallon of water and add a squirt of dish soap. Mix well and start cleaning! Scrub well, and get into as many of the crevices as you can. Let sit until dry, rinse with a hose, scrub a little more, then rinse again. –– Hugs, Heloise A STICKY SITUATION Dear Heloise: We bought a new love seat and sofa. I worried about keeping them clean with two dogs and a cat. I purchased plastic rugrunner material (at an office-supply store) with the gripper spikes on one side. I place the runner upside down on the furniture at night and when I leave. The animals don’t like the spikes and don’t get on the furniture anymore. –– Sherry in Colorado Springs, Colo.
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2015