SPIETH WINS AGAIN
WEDNESDAY JUNE 24, 2015
FREE
TEXAN MIGHT BE BEST THING TO HAPPEN TO CHAMBERS, 8A
DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
ZAPATA COUNTY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Board meeting drama Superintendent maintains that relationship with trustees is good By JUDITH RAYO THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County Independent School District Superintendent Raul Nuques says the relationship between the superintendent and the board of trustees is “better than ever,” even after an incident involving him slamming a door during a meeting.
During ZCISD’s June 4 special called meeting, while with trustees in closed sesNUQUES sion, Nuques slammed the door as he was exiting the office. “I slipped and that is all it was,” he said.
Nuques said he was carrying two binders as he was exiting the office. As he was closing the door, the binders were slipping off his hands and he tried to balance himself. He said after leaving, he went to drop off the binders in his minivan. “It wasn’t even 30 seconds,” Nuques said. During the meeting on
June 4, trustees discussed appointing a school counselor for Zapata North Elementary School, appointing a counselor for Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School and appointing a student service and public relations director. “We discuss everything in a constructive manner,” Nuques said. “We see eye
to eye on everything.” He added, “In regards to board meetings being tense — no. We have open communication.” Rogelio Gonzalez, ZCISD student services and public relations director, said in April that Nuques received a one year contract extension and a three percent raise. “He has three years left
TEXAS
with the school district,” Gonzalez said. Regarding his contract extension, Nuques said it was a “great evaluation.” “There is no concern or anything like that,” Nuques. “I may look upset sometimes but this is the face God gave me.” (Judith Rayo may be reached at 728-2567 or jrayo@lmtonline.com)
ZAPATA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
TEA PARTY ISN’T HAPPY
Courtesy photo
Chief Deputy Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. is shown Chief Deputies Association Conference in Kerrville.
Photo by Ian McVea/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram | AP file
In this Jan. 31, 2014 file photo, Texas State Representative Giovanni Capriglione speaks to second-grade students at Keller-Harvel Elementary in Keller, Texas. The Texas Legislature’s tea party leaders are finding it hard to deliver on some of their most-conservative promises.
Legislators could not answer many promises By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Texas can sometimes feel like tea party heaven — the land of Ted Cruz, where the Legislature is packed with hard-right devotees and the governor himself heeds fringe fears about possible federal plots to seize
the state. But with so much power comes pressure, and the Texas Legislature’s tea party leaders are struggling to deliver on their most conservative promises. After the legislative session that ended this month, movement activists were openly unhappy with the results and have targeted
a few onetime favorite lawmakers for possible retribution. “It’s a truth in advertising issue,” said JoAnn Fleming, a state tea party leader who heads Grassroots America — We the People. “There are some that will likely pay a political price for caving on what they said they would
do.” The Texas tea party network is the nation’s strongest, with four dozen major conservative groups representing thousands of active members. Republicans control both chambers of the Legislature and the state
See PARTY PAGE 11A
Deputy nominated to board of directors Members of state association recognize Del Bosque SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
RIO GRANDE CITY
Ex-police chief found dead Byron ‘Dutch’ Piper allegedly committed suicide hours after he was accused of stealing federal grant money by the FBI. He was scheduled for court Tuesday. ASSOCIATED PRESS
RIO GRANDE CITY — A former Rio Grande City police chief died in what authorities said Tuesday was a possible suicide, hours after the FBI accused him of stealing more than $44,000 in federal grant money. Byron “Dutch” Piper, who retired last December, was found dead overnight at his home, with a possible self-inflicted gunshot wound, cur-
rent Rio Grande City police Chief Noe Castillo said. The FBI had filed a theft complaint Monday accusing Piper of stealing grant money since 2009 meant for overtime pay for border security operations carried out by local police. Piper had been scheduled for a court appearance Tuesday in McAllen, officials said. Federal agents received information last October that Piper, 63, may have been submitting time sheets reflecting
hours for work not done, the affidavit said. Agents conducted surveillance on Piper on several dates in December, finding that he appeared to do little, if any, actual police work, the complaint said. “He stayed several hours at home; he spent several hours eating meals at various restaurants; and he completed a number of personal errands,” the complaint said. Piper, in a voluntary meeting with agents in January, acknowledged filing false
time and attendance sheets to fraudulently collect money, the affidavit said. The former sheriff said in a statement to the FBI on Feb. 25 that he did not work 70 percent of the time as submitted on his time sheet. “I did it out of being lazy and stupidity,” Piper’s statement said. “I am very, very sorry for my actions. It is not only another stain on law enforcement but I am also hurting my family and embarrassing them.”
From June 9 to June 12, Chief Deputy Raymundo Del Bosque Jr., of the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office, attended the 29th Annual Texas Chief Deputies Association Conference in Kerrville. He has been a member of the association for the past three years. In this year’s conference, members and directors of the association nominated Chief Del Bosque for one of the board of directors’ position. Del Bosque is an architect of change, according to the Sheriff ’s Office. He stands alongside Zapata Sheriff Alonso M. Lopez and assists him as the office charts its way forward to a new successful year. Del Bosque’s contribution to his community and the citizens of Zapata is the union of experience and change, officials said. Del Bosque and Lopez work together to maintain the peace and safety of all county citizens. “I want to thank God first of all, my family, Sheriff Alonso M. Lopez, the Zapata County Sheriff ’s employees, and all the officials and citizens of Zapata County for their support and prayers,” Del Bosque said in a prepared statement.