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ZCISD
FEDERAL COURT
CFO files grievance
Women await prison sentence
Barrera claims she was put on leave after accident By JUDITH RAYO THE ZAPATA TIMES
A high-ranking administrator filed a grievance against ZCISD Superintendent Raul Nuques after she was notified of a job reassignment and placed on administrative leave with pay. Former Zapata County Independent School District Chief Financial Officer Suzette Barrera filed her grievance in January. The Zapata Times had requested a copy of the grievance in March. ZCISD requested an opinion from the Texas
attorney general on “This is in retaliation whether the requested for me communicating documents were of public with the board, which I record. have a right to do,” BarAs of mid-June, ZCISD rera states in her grievresubmitted certain inance. formation to the Texas A written statement NUQUES attorney general for reby Olinda Flores, ZCISD consideration. chief personnel officer, In her grievance, which states that on Jan. 7, Barrera ZCISD trustees later discussed informed office secretaries in a meeting and took no ac- about her reassignment. tion on, Barrera states that on “Mrs. S. Barrera was crying Jan. 5, she received a written and told the compensatory secmemo from the superintendent retaries that she does love all that she would be reassigned of them but she is not happy,” for the 2015-16 school year to Flores said in her statement. director of compensatory edu- “Mrs. S. Barrera told them it cation programs. had always been her dream to
be the chief just as her dad was at one time.” Flores said she later bumped into Barrera in the hall as Barrera was walking to her office. “She was crying and I hugged her and reassured her she was going to be OK,” she states. Flores states Barrera opened the door and continued to cry as she dropped to the floor. Flores stated that as Barrera was trying to find her car keys, she knocked down picture frames on her shelf and proceeded to walk out of her
See GRIEVANCE PAGE 10A
GAY MARRIAGE IN TEXAS
STILL ISSUING LICENSES AG says clerks can refuse By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Many county clerks across Texas have begun issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, despite instructions from the state attorney general that they could refuse to do so if it violates their religious beliefs. And most of the ones holding out say they are doing so for logistic — not religious — reasons. Counties in more liberal areas of the fiercely conservative state began sanctioning samesex weddings within hours of the U.S. Supreme Court ruling Friday legalizing gay marriage nationwide and wiping out a 2005 amendment to the Texas Constitution banning it. Some counties originally reported holding off to wait for updated paperwork or further state instructions. But many of those announced they would issue gay marriage licenses beginning Monday or at least
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Jim Obergefell, the named plaintiff in the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court case that legalized same sex marriage nationwide, is backed by supporters of the court’s ruling on the step of the Texas Capitol Monday in Austin.
Two Zapatans embezzled $800K in bank scheme By PHILIP BALLI ZAPATA TIMES
Two women convicted in February of embezzling $800,000 in a long-running bank fraud scheme that targeted the Zapata National Bank are scheduled to be sentenced today in a Laredo federal court. A grand jury indicted Petra Del Bosque and Anita Arredondo Oct. 28 on charges of bank fraud. They each face up to 30 years in prison and possible $1 million fine. After the women, both of Zapata, entered pleas of not guilty in November, Del Bosque pleaded guilty on Jan. 13. Arredondo pleaded guilty a month later. They each accepted plea agreements and pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. Their plea agreements have remained under seal. Del Bosque is a former employee of Zapata National Bank, while Arredondo worked for a Zapatabased construction company as a clerk in the accounts payable department and had responsibility for issuing company checks. For two years, Arredondo issued numerous false company checks made payable to contractors who had not performed the work that was the alleged basis for the checks. Arredondo admitted to endorsing the false checks by forging the signatures of the contractors and then delivering the checks to Del Bosque at the bank. Del Bosque led bank tellers to believe she was cashing the checks on behalf of the contractors who were unable to come to the bank themselves and that she would deliver the funds from the cashed checks. However, she pocketed the money and split the proceeds of the fraud with Arredondo. Both have admitted that the loss as a result of the scheme totals more than $800,000. (Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
See LICENSES PAGE 10A
U.S. SUPREME COURT
Possible reopenings Ruling temporarily blocks law that would close 10 Texas abortion clinics, but providers are still unsure of future By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Abortion providers cheered a move by the U.S. Supreme Court to temporarily block part of a Texas law that would have closed more than half the state’s 19 remaining abortion clinics. Now they are studying whether it could also allow them to reopen some previously shuttered facilities and whether that would even be feasible. “We may have gotten more than we even asked for,” said Amy Hagstrom Miller, chief executive of
Whole Woman’s Health, which sued to over overturn the law. But she cautioned that reopening clinics would be expensive and difficult, not just “a turn of the key and turn on the lights.” Meanwhile, anti-abortion advocates insisted Monday’s ruling, while at least a short-term victory for abortion providers, isn’t as sweeping as those groups hope. Both sides agree the two-paragraph order blocks a requirement that would mandate abortion facilities be constructed like surgical centers. It
was the final major component of the 2013 law set to take effect. Abortion providers also said they were analyzing whether the order goes further and temporarily wipes out an additional requirement that abortion doctors have admitting privileges at local hospitals. But Joe Pojman, executive director of Texas Alliance for Life, said the doctor requirements have been in place since a 2014 legal decision and stay in place.
See ABORTION PAGE 10A
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
In this Feb. 26 file photo, college students and abortion rights activists hold signs during a rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol, in Austin. The Supreme Court refused on Monday to allow Texas to enforce restrictions that would force 10 abortion clinics to close.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Thursday, July 2
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Renacer Couple’s Club meeting at Northtown Professional Plaza, 6999 McPherson Rd. Suite 221, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Free and open to the public. Contact Rosario Navarro at rossnavarro83@gmail.com.
Today is Wednesday, July 1, the 182nd day of 2015. There are 183 days left in the year. This is Canada Day. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 1, 1940, the original Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Washington state opened to traffic despite concerns over its tendency to “bounce” in windy conditions, inspiring the nickname “Galloping Gertie” (four months later, the suspension bridge’s main section collapsed into Puget Sound). On this date: In 1535, Sir Thomas More went on trial in England, charged with high treason for rejecting the Oath of Supremacy. (More was convicted, and executed.) In 1863, the pivotal, threeday Civil War Battle of Gettysburg, resulting in a Union victory, began in Pennsylvania. In 1867, Canada became a self-governing dominion of Great Britain as the British North America Act took effect. In 1946, the United States exploded a 20-kiloton atomic bomb near Bikini Atoll in the Pacific. In 1974, the president of Argentina, Juan Peron, died; he was succeeded by his wife, Isabel Martinez de Peron. In 1980, “O Canada” was proclaimed the national anthem of Canada. In 2000, Vermont’s civil unions law, which granted gay couples most of the rights, benefits and responsibilities of marriage, went into effect. The Confederate flag was removed from atop South Carolina’s Statehouse (in a compromise, another Confederate flag was raised on the Statehouse grounds in front of a soldier’s monument). In 2004, actor Marlon Brando died in Los Angeles at age 80. Ten years ago: Justice Sandra Day O’Connor unexpectedly announced her retirement from the U.S. Supreme Court (she was succeeded by Samuel Alito). Five years ago: At least two suicide bombers attacked a popular Muslim shrine in Pakistan’s second largest city, Lahore, killing some three dozen people. One year ago: David Greenglass, the star witness in the trial of his sister, Ethel Rosenberg, and her husband, Julius, died in New York City at age 92. (The Rosenbergs were executed in 1953 for conspiring to pass secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union; Greenglass served 10 years in prison for espionage followed by years of living under an assumed name.) Today’s Birthdays: Actress Olivia de Havilland is 99. Actor Jamie Farr is 81. Bluesman James Cotton is 80. Actress Genevieve Bujold is 73. Rock singer-actress Deborah Harry is 70. Actor Terrence Mann is 64. Actor-comedian Dan Aykroyd is 63. Actress Lorna Patterson is 59. Actor Alan Ruck is 59. Country singer Michelle Wright is 54. Actress Pamela Anderson is 48. Hip-hop artist Missy Elliott is 44. Actress Melissa Peterman is 44. Rock musician Bryan Devendorf (The National) is 40. Actress Liv Tyler is 38. Actress Lynsey Bartilson is 32. Thought for Today: “In an age of multiple and massive innovations, obsolescence becomes the major obsession.” — Marshall McLuhan, Canadian communications theorist (1911-1980).
Friday, July 3 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium at 8 p.m.: Live Star Presentation. Observing will occur after the show if weather permits. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
Tuesday, July 7 The Alzheimer’s support group will meet at 7 p.m. in meeting room 2, building B of the Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s. For information, please call 956-693-9991. Community Conversation on Teen and Young Adult Mental Health held from 6 – 8 p.m. The Area Health Education Center, Border Region Behavioral Health Center and the Texas Department of State Services Office of Border Health invite the community to attend an informal forum to learn more about mental health issues concerning teens and young adults. Mental health professionals will be present to answer questions and provide information about services available. The event will be held at the UTHSC Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 E. Bustamante. For additional information call Area Health Education Center at 712-0037. Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Origins of Life; 5 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
Wednesday, July 8 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Origins of Life; 5 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
Thursday, July 9 Inspire Social Business Club meeting at Northtown Professional Plaza, 6999 McPherson Rd. Suite 211, at 6:30 p.m. The public can discuss ideas, hear keynote speakers and support one another in business ventures. Contact Victor Navarro at vnavarro@texaslakeinc.com. The Laredo A&M Mothers’ Club will hold its Annual Membership Drive at the Commerce Bank, 5800 San Dario from 6:30 – 8 p.m. New students who will be attending A&M in College Station and their parents are invited to attend. Contact any club member for information or call 956-7446691 or 956-2369549 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Origins of Life; 5 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
Friday, July 10 A local support group known as Strength Within Me has a mission to create disability awareness in the community. All who live with a physical disability are invited to participate in the next meeting from 2 to 4 p.m. at Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center, 1220 North Malinche Ave. Info: facebook.com/strengthwithinme13, email: strengthwithinme13@hotmail.com.
Saturday, July 11 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 2 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Seven Wonders; 5 p.m.: Led Zeppelin. General admission is $3. Call 956-326DOME (3663).
Tuesday, July 14 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Origins of Life; 5 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663). (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.)
Photo by Ron Baselice/The Dallas Morning News | AP
In this June 18 photo, Duncanville Police Department’s Lt. Gene Kropff, left, and Adrian Mayberry, 17, set up the computer screen for the department’s service robot for a test run in Duncanville, Texas. When the donation from the Texas 1033 Military Surplus Program failed to function, Lt. Gene Kropff was ready to ship it off to the FBI for help — but then a solution closer to home presented itself. Kropff sent the robot to the Duncanville High School engineering department, where it caught the attention of Adrian Mayberry, who decided to fix it himself.
Student fixes police robot By CLAIRE BALLOR THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DUNCANVILLE — The Duncanville Police Department’s service robot was starting to look like a $10,000 paperweight. When the donation from the Texas 1033 Military Surplus Program failed to function, Lt. Gene Kropff was ready to ship it off to the FBI for help — but then a solution closer to home presented itself. The Dallas Morning News reports Kropff sent the robot to the Duncanville High School engineering department, where it caught the attention of Adrian Mayberry, who decided to fix it himself. Adrian would tell you that he is just an average 17-year old student — his after-school hobby is sleeping, he says. College is a distant thought, and his inspiration to study engineering came from his favorite Avengers
Snake in toilet at North Texas museum ARCHER CITY — An unwelcome visitor was curled up at a North Texas museum until a worker noticed the nearly 6-foot snake and summoned help. The Wichita Falls Times Record News reported Monday that the snake was safely removed from a toilet at the Archer County Museum. Mary Ann Levy on Sunday afternoon was opening the museum in Archer City when she came upon the rat snake.
Woman charged, 2 slain, allegedly in her home HONDO — A San Antonio woman has been charged with murder after two bodies were found dumped in South Texas. Loribeth K. Martinez was being held Tuesday on $700,000 bond. Sheriff Randy Brown said that investigators believe the victims were killed June 7 at the suspect’s apartment.
character, Iron Man. But in the words of his robotics teacher and his mother, Adrian has a tenacious work ethic and reads books on physics for fun. “I was so impressed by his tenacity to get the project done,” engineering teacher Eika Johnson said. “He gained a lot of confidence from completing this. He started something he wasn’t sure he could do, but now he’s made a huge contribution to our community, and a lot of doors have been opened to him.” When Johnson received the robot, she intended to use it as a class project for her seniors. “I felt really honored that they brought the robot to us,” she said. “At first, many students were intimidated by it, but I assigned it to a group of seniors because I wanted them to get the satisfaction of starting a project and finishing it completely.”
Woman found in ravine 48 Ex-Galveston police officer hours after crashing car gets prison for child porn SEYMOUR — A Texas grandmother who failed to arrive at her destination hundreds of miles away has been found by relatives near her wrecked car in a ravine. Family members located 75year-old Wanda Mobley of Brownwood near Seymour early Sunday. Mobley says she survived on Sprite and oily water dripping from her car.
Crowding sends 100 inmates to Beaumont HOUSTON — About 100 inmates at the overcrowded Harris County jail in Houston will be transferred to a detention center in Beaumont. National standards recommend maintaining a jail population at no greater than 95 percent of the Harris County facility’s total capacity. That limit of about 9,400 inmates was reached Monday.
AUSTIN — An ex-Galveston policeman must serve more than seven years in prison for having child pornography while working at the Texas attorney general’s office. Jose Luis Gardea had nearly 180 images of females on a thumb drive found at his government office. Many of the images were of girls in sexually provocative poses.
Park bans swimming after two bitten by alligator WALLISVILLE — Officials at a park near Houston say swimming will not be allowed after a 13-year-old boy and his father were attacked by an alligator at a lake. Officials say 42-year-old James Hurley and his 13-year-old son, Kaleb, were in Cedar Hill Park on Sunday when an alligator grabbed the boy’s arm and dragged him underwater. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Residents return to ruins after damaging wildfire WENATCHEE, Wash. — Surveying the smoldering ruins of his upscale home in this central Washington city, Vern Smith pointed to what had been his garage. Smith was among those in Wenatchee searching for something to salvage after a fast-moving wildfire destroyed two dozen houses and several businesses. The fire, which began Sunday, was the worst so far this season in as the state struggles with a severe drought. Mountain snowpack is extremely low, and about one-fifth of the state’s rivers and streams are at record low levels.
Record soybean crop planted, progress slowed DES MOINES — A record 85.1 million acres of soybeans are in the ground, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday, but
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In this Sunday photo provided by The Wenatchee World, a Chelan County Sheriff’s deputy races to check that all residents have left their home as flames approach houses at Quail Hollow Lane in Wenatchee, Wash. it’s not clear whether they’ll all sprout because persistent rain in some Midwestern states has flooded fields and slowed plant development. The planted soybean acreage is 2 percent more than in 2014, with the largest increases found
in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota and Tennessee. However, just 89 percent of soybean seeds nationally have emerged from the ground — about 5 percentage points behind the five-year average. — 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
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Ex-cartel leader Zapata man arrested for chase gets 30 years in US By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BEAUMONT — A former leader of Mexico’s notorious Gulf drug cartel has been sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. prison and fined $100 million. Juan Francisco Saenz-Tamez was sentenced Tuesday by a judge in Beaumont, Texas, on drug and money laundering convictions. Saenz-Tamez is a 23-yearold resident of the Mexican border state of Tamaulipas. He was arrested in October during a shopping trip to
Texas. Saenz-Tamez pleaded guilty in January to distribution and possession with intent to distribute cocaine; conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute marijuana; and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Prosecutors say Saenz-Tamez was responsible for shipping at least half a ton of cocaine and 90 tons of marijuana into the U.S. Investigators believe the drug cartel laundered $100 million.
New LGBT policy By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE
Immigration and Customs Enforcement will implement new guidelines designed to better protect transgender people in immigration detention facilities, the agency announced Monday. The announcement comes after 35 congressional Democrats wrote to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson earlier this month asking ICE to change its policies toward those detainees. The lawmakers also asked ICE to collect better data on how many people flee their homelands for fear of persecution because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. “We want to make sure our employees have the tools and resources available to learn more about how to interact with transgender individuals and ensure effective standards exist to house and care for them throughout the custody cycle,” Thomas Homan, executive assistant director for ICE’s Office of Enforcement and Removal Operations, said in a statement. According to the memorandum, ICE will now collect data on how many immigrants in
its custody are transgender, and provide training and guidance to ICE officers to keep those detainees safe. ICE will also name a special coordinator to manage such issues for each of its 24 field offices. Immigrant rights groups said the proposed changes don’t go far enough, and that the agency must back up its words with deeds. “A guidance document cannot be expected to change the fact that DHS and ICE have consistently failed at maintaining a minimum of safety and dignity for transgender immigrants,” a coalition of immigrant rights groups, including Familia: Trans Queer Liberation Movement and the Transgender Law Center, said in a statement. “Transgender immigrants and other vulnerable populations, including mothers with their children and gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer detainees, should be released from detention.” Monday’s announcement comes a day before immigrant rights groups and LGBT supporters are scheduled to rally at the White House to protest the detention of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender immigrants in ICE facilities.
A man was recently arrested for leading federal agents on a chase in Zapata County, according to court documents. A criminal complaint filed Friday identified the suspect as Luis Alejandro Gonzalez, 41. He was charged with transporting illegal immigrants. Gonzalez is in federal detention. U.S. Border Patrol said the apprehension took
place June 24. An agent performing his duties near Dolores creek on U.S. 83 reported he saw a gray pickup with elevated plywood in the bed of the pickup, records state. The driver of the vehicle slammed on the brakes when he passed the agent’s location. A pursuit ensued when the agent activated his unit’s emergency lights, according to court documents. The pickup then crashed through a gate located about 3 miles from
the Zapata and Webb County line. Agents said the driver continued speeding through a ranch property until the pickup’s front tire blew up. Identified as the driver, Gonzalez was taken into custody. Border Patrol took custody of six immigrants suspected of entering the country illegally. The case was turned over to Homeland Security Investigation special agents. Authorities said Gonzalez waived his rights and
opted to speak to special agents. In court statements, Gonzalez said he picked up the group in Roma. He expected a payment of $2,000, records show. Gonzalez further stated he had dropped off more immigrants at a La Quinta Inn Motel in Laredo, where special agents later discovered four additional immigrants. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
Karl Rove irked by Cruz’s book By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Though it’s not even out yet, tea party firebrand Ted Cruz’s new book is already irking at least one member of the Republican establishment: Karl Rove. The veteran GOP strategist is denying Cruz’s assertion in his forthcoming book that Rove pressed him not to publicize former President George H.W. Bush 2009 endorsement of Cruz’s then-campaign for Texas attorney general. Cruz writes that Rove was then raising money for George W. Bush’s presidential library, and top donors were backing another Republican in the attorney general race. Now a senator from Texas seeking the 2016 Republican presidential nomination, Cruz also writes that Rove suggested “that the elder Bush was too old to have good judgment anymore.” “A Time for Truth,” is being released Tuesday. The Associated Press purchased an early copy. Rove, who was a close adviser to President George W. Bush, responded that his recollection of
Photo by Andrew Harnik | AP file
In this June 18 photo, Republican presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, greets an audience in Washington. conversations with Cruz in 2009 differed substantially. Among other objections, he said he wasn’t raising money for Bush’s library then. He also said Cruz was wrong to say “I would question the judgment of one of the finest men I have ever known, President Bush 41.” In response, Cruz released a 2009 email exchange between the two. In it, Cruz apologizes to Rove for having “done anything to distress you or President Bush 43.” Rove’s response says “the distress you mention is not mine or 43 — it is the people raising money for
the library” and suggests they are backing another candidate for attorney general. “I have known Karl Rove for a long time, and have considered him a friend,” Cruz said in a statement. He said he knew the “threats” Rove made in the 2009 Texas attorney general race and his “disparaging remarks” about the elder Bush “would cause him some discomfort.” Cruz writes in the book about a sailing outing with George H.W. Bush that ended with the former president presenting him with a $1,000 check. At the time, Cruz
was running for attorney general — a bid he eventually abandoned because the incumbent, Republican Greg Abbott, ultimately decided to seek reelection in 2010. Cruz writes that, because of donors to President George W. Bush’s library who were backing other attorney general candidates, Rove called and demanded that he return the Bush check — but he’d already cashed it. He says Rove responded: “Then I want you to do nothing whatsoever to draw attention to it.” Cruz agreed, but recalls his wife angrily objecting to the notion that donors to the library would have anything to do with a primary for attorney general. Cruz says that a short time later, the elder Bush’s office sent a draft statement endorsing Cruz as “the future of the Republican party.” He writes that it was hard to imagine that the elder Bush was unaware of the consternation that his endorsement would cause Rove. But Cruz said he called Bush’s office and asked that the wouldbe endorsement announcement be thrown “in the trash.”
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
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COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Capturing baby’s every moment A mother stands by her choice to document and share photos online By MEGAN RITCHIE JOOSTE THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
There is a favorite photo of my great-grandfather that I keep in a high dresser drawer. I forget how it came to be in my possession, but it was probably tucked inside one of the boxes of costume jewelry and figurines we were given to play with at my grandmother’s house, and one day I must have managed to abscond with it. For as long as I can remember, it has been in my own drawer, alongside a key ring my father brought back from one of his first business trips to Paris, another treasure. In the photograph, my great-grandfather, one of 18 children, is playing marbles on an unpaved street. Crouched down, he is looking up at the lens, squinting. In his face, I see features he imparted on my grandmother and my father. It’s jarring looking at the photo, at this young boy who looks so starkly different than how he looked by the time I was born. But that’s the whole point of photographs. They shove bookmarks in time. At about the time my daughter was almost fully baked, I posted a public-service announcement on my Facebook page. It read: "Ever taken a picture of an awesome dinner you’ve cooked? Your first foray into Thai cuisine, for example, or a killer Pistachio-encrusted Tilapia filet? You need to share your genius, your talents with the world, don’t you? It’s an irresistible compulsion. "Well, I have cooked this baby for the last 37 weeks. Be prepared for the most obnoxious onslaught of baby photography you have ever witnessed. Adjust your newsfeed options accordingly." When my daughter came into this world, the sleek white silhouette of my iPhone, held by the anesthetist’s assistant, was right there in the front row alongside the doctor. Her very first gulp of air was captured on video, her very first wail. I remember craving to get my hands on her. Right after that, in the quiet of our hospital room, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on my phone to start documenting, and sharing. For the last two years, I have broadcast pictures of my daughter on an assortment of socialmedia platforms, using a quirky idiom to accompany many of the photos I share: "Baby. On the beach. Baby on the beach," reads the very first, alongside a selfie I took of us at the Jersey Shore her first summer. There’s been a "Baby. On a train, Baby on a train"; a "Baby. On a plane. Baby on a plane"; a "Baby. On the Rocky Steps. Baby on the Rocky Steps"; and most recently, a "Baby. With Philly Jesus. Baby With Philly Jesus," a shot taken with the man who walks the city
dressed as Christ. You better believe I’m going to make a photo with the pope happen. It’s practically mandatory at this point. I have shared more photos of my daughter in her first 730 days of life than I can count. And for every one photo posted online, you can bet that there are 17 to 4,304 more in a dizzying exponent of zeros and ones tucked into various hard drives squirreled around my home, and floating in the Cloud. There are aspects, of course, to parenting you could not possibly capture on film, like the sweet hindrance of a leghug, consistently midchore. But I take photos because I want to remember everything, to retaliate against the unmitigated sting of time passing. But, there’s an ironic twist. A study by Linda A. Henkel at Fairfield University on the influence of taking photos on memory actually seemed to show that, in contrast to what you might think, taking a photograph meant that people remembered less, not more, of what they saw that day. You can understand that reading this drove an ice-cold spike into my heart. If I am to believe Henkel’s findings, my inexhaustible efforts to document every milestone, every trip, every walk to the park, will have been futile. I will remember much less than I would have without shoving a cellphone in my daughter’s face day in and day out. But I stand by my choice to snap a trillion photos of my kid and dispatch a good portion of them across the World Wide Web. My photography gives me the power to call up nostalgia on a whim. The ability to time-travel, to another morning, another bath time, another foray into indoor water play gone awry. And I have found in the heady concoction of accolades and admiration that accompany a Facebook share a nod to a universal truth: We’re all doing what we can to hold on for dear life. For me, doing what I can involves a hefty data plan. A regular activity in my household involves browsing through the vast stockpile of photos I access through a Dropbox app on my phone. My daughter has known how to swipe the screen to advance to the next photo since she was about 1. "More, more baby!" she’ll demand, and this means we sit on the floor of whatever room we happen to be in, and scroll through photos until she gets bored. When I mine photos from too far back, she squints at the screen, quiet. She doesn’t recognize herself as a baby. I don’t blame her. Looking at the little girl next to me, I hardly do, either. (Megan Ritchie Jooste is a Philadelphia writer who wrote this for The Philadelphia Inquirer.)
COLUMN
Community cemeteries, memorials, all-day ‘sangin’s’ No one likes to dwell on death. Well, with tongue firmly in cheek, maybe funeral directors and perpetual care cemetery owners. Perhaps this written undertaking (ahem, there goes the tongue again) can resurrect some memories of those who, like me, grew up in small communities or, as some are wont to say, “the country.” To those who’ve never resided anywhere but big cities, “country” is in reference to RURAL, not to the U.S. of A. My thought process in this endeavor was prodded by thinking about those in my family who’ve gone on before and who are, for the most part, interred in a country cemetery. A discussion with a hometown, childhood friend — Pat Beasley Chappell — about our humble beginnings led to this examination and to penning this piece. No, we didn’t talk about dying. Rather, we discussed some of the things we encountered growing up and that prompted my later mental examination of those times and, thus, this column. The thought process examined ALL facets of life in little “country” communities such as the place of our origin, Luna in Freestone County in East Central Texas. Little is left of the small crossroads community
that would identify it with its thriving agricultural community origins of the early 20th century — several cotton gins, stores and a population of several hundred. Today, that crossroads is merely an intersection of five roads with no sign of habitation at the crossing, and the only residence is at least 100 yards away, then no others for at least half a mile. If you drive south from Teague — the nearest town of any size — the first crossing road is an east-west throughway that connects Dew and Freestone. At a slight angle to the left is a road that ultimately goes through farmland to Buffalo. Going almost directly south is another road that will take you to Donie. A right turn from the Teague flow leads to Freestone, which sits on a state highway connecting Teague and Donie, then Buffalo on Interstate Highway 45. But, let’s turn back to the Luna intersection. The aforementioned crossroads, where the farmland route leads to Buffalo, takes the traveler to Antioch Cemetery, the community burial ground established late in the 19th Century to facilitate the
growing agricultural town of Luna. Most of my ancestors — Webbs and Thorntons — are interred at Antioch, as are most of the early settlers of Luna. Antioch is owned by an association, which is made up of members who have family buried in the century-and-a-half-old graveyard. Therefore, maintenance falls to the association, which is supported by dues and donations. Thoughtful and politically savvy county commissioners have, over the years, helped the association by maintaining the road to the cemetery. And, before pressures from other quarters made it impossible, some commissioners’ crews were known to do a little “grounds keeping” in the cemetery proper. There is a building where funeral services are often held and where the business sessions of the association and an accompanying “afternoon sangin’” of gospel hymns occurs. Or did as long as the supply of untrained but gifted musician/singers kept the old-fashioned practice going. Equally important as an attraction to the annual gathering, is the traditional noontime “dinner on the grounds.” Country carpenters built tables between the trees and for years great “country
cooks” spread their enormous “memorial meals” and eatin’, greetin’ and visitin’ took place. (“Have you tried Miss Cora’s chicken-n-dressing, yet?” “How about Miss Ruth’s potato salad?” “What about Miss Robbie’s dumplings?” “Yeah, and then Miss Ethel baked a chocolate cake.” “Wow.” Indeed. Today, thanks to improved financial status, there is a large covered pavilion for sharing those wonderful meals. And, of course there are “facilities,” graduating over the years from ramshackle privies to nicely constructed, permanent wood and concrete structures. Sadly, the “sangin’” doesn’t last very long anymore. A dearth of farmseasoned, fundamentalist, wood-frame church gospel singers and musicians limits the afternoon lingering. Also, missing is the gusto and volume of that genre. That, and the acclimation of our society — city homes and farmhouses as well — to air-conditioning, television and other amenities leads to a cloud of dust exiting via the Antioch sand and gravel roads not long after dinner on the grounds. Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
Zentertainment
PAGE 5A
Misty Copeland breaks ballet barriers By JOCELYN NOVECK ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision | AP
This Nov. 2014 photo shows actor Ben Affleck and his wife actress Jennifer Garner.
Garner, Affleck split By LINDSEY BAHR ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are splitting after 10 years of marriage. The Oscar winner and his wife sent out a joint statement on Tuesday after weeks of public speculation on the status of their marriage. “After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time,” the couple said. Affleck will continue to live on the couple’s property in a separate house and the two will continue to coparent their three children: Violet Affleck, Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck and Samuel Garner Affleck, according to a person who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. The couple also plans to go to a mediator to settle their divorce, the person said.
NEW YORK — Misty Copeland, the Missouriborn dancer who has become a forceful voice for diversity in ballet and a rare celebrity in that field, was named principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre on Tuesday — the first AfricanAmerican ballerina to achieve that status in the company’s 75-year history. The company announced the promotion six days after Copeland made her New York debut in the role of Odette/ Odile in “Swan Lake,” one of the most important roles in a ballerina’s repertoire. The emotional performance ended with
Copeland being greeted onstage by trailblazing black ballerinas of earlier generations. Copeland, 32, has become increasingly famous over the past several years, achieving a pop culture status that’s extremely rare for a ballet dancer. “We haven’t had a ballet dancer who has broken through to popular culture like this since Mikhail Baryshnikov,” said Wendy Perron, an author and the former editor of Dance Magazine. “And she’s going to bring more attention from that world to ballet. We’ve waited a long time for this.” Copeland appeared on the cover of Time maga-
zine as one of the most influential figures of 2015, and wrote a both a children’s book and a bestselling memoir, “Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina,” in which she recounted the challenges she faced on the road to her hard-won perch in ballet — and which has been optioned for a movie. She also was the subject of a documentary at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival. She performed in a music video with Prince, and was featured in a hugely popular online ad for Under Armour sportswear that shows her leaping and spinning in a studio, while a narrator recounts some of the negative feedback she re-
ceived as a youngster, when she was told she had the wrong body for ballet and had started too late — at 13. The dancer also appeared as a guest host on the Fox show “So You Think You Can Dance” and was a presenter at this year’s Tony awards. Perron noted, as many did at Copeland’s historic “Swan Lake” performance last week, what a diverse audience Copeland had drawn to the Metropolitan Opera House, where ABT performs its spring season. The crowd was filled with young black girls in their party dresses. “She singlehandedly made that a diverse audience,” Perron said.
Photo by Julieta Cervantes/New York Times | AP
Misty Copeland performs in “Swan Lake” at Lincoln Center in New York, June 24, 2015.
National
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
Trump dogged by fallout from remarks By FRAZIER MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Fallout from outspoken Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s remarks about immigrants from Mexico continued to dog him Tuesday as a TV company backed by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim said it was scrapping a project in development with him and Mexico announced it won’t be sending a contestant to the Miss Universe contest, which he partly owns. Meanwhile, the backlash threatened to extend beyond Trump’s media interests. Ora TV became the latest company to cut ties with Trump over remarks he made in his recent presidential campaign kickoff speech, when he declared that some Mexican immigrants bring drugs and crime to the U.S. and are rapists. The company did not give any details about the project it had been developing with Trump. Slim holds a majority interest in Ora TV, which produces shows including “Larry King Now” and “Off the Grid with Jesse Ventura.” And a day after Televisa, the Mexican TV network that airs Miss Universe, said there would be no telecast for the next contest, Miss Mexico pageant director Lupita Jones said Mexico would boycott Miss Universe. She said Trump damaged the
Photo by Charlie Neibergall | AP file
In this June 16 file photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks to supporters during a rally in Des Moines, Iowa. pageant and its tradition of convening countries for an event that showcases “friendship, unity and breaking down cultural barriers.” NBC and Spanish-language network Univision previously said they would not air the Miss USA or Miss Universe pageants. The Miss USA pageant, set to take place July 12 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, also lost both its co-hosts Tuesday, with “Dancing with the Stars”’ Cheryl Burke and MSNBC anchor Thomas Roberts bowing out.
The Miss USA pageant had no specifics on who might host in their place but said the proceedings would be live-streamed on its website. Last week, the hosts of the Univision simulcast, Roselyn Sanchez and Cristian de la Fuente, said they wouldn’t take part in the Spanish-language telecast. Trump, though, said he’s fighting back with a $500 million lawsuit against Univision. The lawsuit claims breach of contract, defamation and First Amendment violations and says
Univision turned on him because it supports Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. “We have 50 of the most lovely women you’ve ever seen right now in Louisiana, and they have been abandoned by NBC and abandoned by Univision,” Trump said on Fox News Channel’s “The O’Reilly Factor,” adding, “They have been crushed.” In a statement, Univision called Trump’s lawsuit “factually false and legally ridiculous.” It said it will “continue to fight against Mr. Trump’s ongoing efforts to run away from the derogatory comments he made.” By Tuesday, the aftershocks had begun to spread into another lucrative part of Trump’s empire, as the Ricky Martin Foundation announced it would withdraw a golf tournament from a Trump-owned property. The tournament, which draws professional players and big sponsors, raises money for child advocacy and scholarships for Latino students. It was to be held Aug. 21 at the Trump International Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. It has been moved to the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar Beach Resort. The PGA Tour, which runs a World Golf Championship at Trump Doral near Miami, and the PGA of America, declined to comment on whether Trump’s remarks would impact their relationships with him.
Federal report faults Ferguson police By JIM SALTER AND ERIC TUCKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. LOUIS — Police antagonized crowds who gathered to protest in Ferguson after Michael Brown’s death last summer, violated free-speech rights and made it difficult to hold officers accountable, according to a Justice Department draft report that found across-the-board flaws in law enforcement’s response. The report summary, which covers the two-week period of unrest that followed a white officer fatally shooting the unarmed black 18-year-old in August, also faulted officers for inappropriately using tear gas, withholding information that should have been made public and relying on military-style equipment “that produced a negative public reaction” in the community. The summary is part of a longer after-action report to be released in the coming weeks focusing on the actions of police in Ferguson, St. Louis city and county and the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Details of the summary were first reported by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on Tuesday. The Associated Press later obtained a copy. The draft report suggests that the protests after Brown’s death on Aug. 9 were aggravated by the community’s hostility toward Ferguson police and worsened when authorities didn’t quickly divulge details of his death. “Had law enforcement re-
Photo by Jeff Roberson | AP file
In this Aug. 13, 2014 file photo, police walk through a cloud of smoke as they clash with protesters in Ferguson, Mo. leased information on the officer-involved shooting in a timely manner and continued the information flow as it became available, community distrust and media skepticism would most likely have been lessened,” according to the document. A grand jury and the Justice Department both declined to prosecute officer Darren Wilson, who is white and later resigned, but another Justice Department report released in March was critical of Ferguson police and the city’s profit-driven municipal court system. The after-action report was announced in September by then-Attorney General Eric Holder and is separate from the other federal civil rights inquiries. The summary, which includes 45 findings, identified a slew of poor policing tactics: The use of dogs for crowd control incited fear and anger, tear gas was
sometimes used without warning on people who had nowhere to retreat and officers were inconsistent in using force and making arrests, the Justice Department said. More broadly, though, the report chastised the Ferguson Police Department for failing to manage the community reaction and develop a long-term strategy, as well as for maintaining poor relationships with the black community — a problem that “over time led to devastating effects.” “The protests were ... also a manifestation of the long-standing tension between the Ferguson (Police Department) and the African-American community,” the report summary stated. The report was prepared by the Justice Department’s Community Oriented Policing Services office, a component that works to build trust between police departments and the com-
munities they serve. The office, which also conducts after-action reports on some high-profile police responses, said Tuesday it’ll release its final report on the Ferguson response in coming weeks. St. Louis Police spokeswoman Schron Jackson told the AP that department officials “are interested in the final report to identify what we did well and what we may need to improve upon. “The department reached out to COPS to inquire about a blueprint for handling similar situations,” Jackson said in an email. “We were told none exist and we were forging new ground. Now, agencies around the country look to our region for input on issues relating to civil unrest.” Representatives from the other police agencies who were analyzed either declined to comment Tuesday or did not return messages. Among the problems singled out in the report summary is the “highly elevated tactical response” that police used from the outset of the protests, which set a tone that “limited options for a measured, strategic approach.” The report acknowledges that a tactical response was sometimes called for, but an “elevated daytime response was not justified and served to escalate rather than de-escalate the overall situation.” The report also found that police “underestimated the impact social media had on the incident and the speed at which both facts and rumors were spread and failed to have a social media strategy.”
Christie promises blunt campaign By JILL COLVIN AND STEVE PEOPLES ASSOCIATED PRESS
LIVINGSTON, N.J. — A tough-talking New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie launched his 2016 campaign for president Tuesday with a promise to tell voters the truth even if it makes them cringe. The Republican governor, a one-time GOP favorite who faded and now tries to climb back, lashed out at “bickering leaders” from both political parties in a kickoff rally in the gymnasium of his old high school. And in his trademark blunt style, he told voters — and warned Republican rivals — that he’s ready to be aggressive in the 2016 contest. “You’re going to get what I think whether you like it or not, or whether it makes you cringe every once in a while or not,” Christie declared. He added: “I am now ready to fight for the people of the United States of America.” He went on to a town
Photo by Julio Cortez | AP
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie waves to supporters during an event where he announced he run for president. hall meeting in Sandown, New Hampshire, receiving enthusiastic applause from the standingroom crowd as he arrived with his family. “I want to be the next president of the United States and I intend to win this election,” he told the meeting, held in an actual town hall. Christie has already held nearly a dozen town halls in New Hampshire, a state key to his hopes, and plans more as he spends the next week in the state. Christie enters a Republican presidential field that already has
more than a dozen GOP candidates. Not all draw as much attention as Christie, who will compete for the same slice of the electorate as pragmatic-minded White House hopefuls such as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. But it’s an accomplished lineup of governors, senators and business people. Christie’s effort is largely driven by his outsized personality, and his resume, while notable, contains scattered land mines that have given many Republicans pause. Four years ago, some
of Christie’s backers tried to persuade him to challenge President Barack Obama. In the years since, he won re-election with ease, but also struggled to revive New Jersey’s moribund economy and fought with the state’s Democratic-controlled legislature over pensions and the state budget. While Christie’s turn as head of the Republican Governors Association was widely viewed as a success in the 2014 midterm elections, he’s also faced the fallout from the actions of three former aides, charged with creating politically motivated traffic jams at a bridge to retaliate against a Democratic mayor who declined to endorse Christie’s reelection. Christie has not been tied directly to wrongdoing, denies he had anything to do with the bridge closing and has seen no evidence emerge to refute that. Still, the episode deepened the sense that he may surround himself
with people who will do anything to win. He declared early in the scandal that “I am not a bully” to counter the public perception that he is just that. The governor faces a tough sell with many conservatives, but has seemingly found his stride at times in visits to early voting states with the lively town hall meetings he’s known for at home. There will be plenty more of those now that he’s an affirmed candidate. Emboldened by his political successes in heavily Democratic New Jersey, he seems himself as a leader who can work across Washington’s bitter partisan divide. “We need this country to work together again, not against each other,” he said with his wife, Mary Pat, and their four children standing behind him. He promised to lead a White House that would “welcome the American people no matter what party, no matter what race or creed or color.”
Harvard swimmer openly transgender By COLLIN BINKLEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Schuyler Bailar was a star recruit for the women’s swimming team at Harvard University, a tough competitor with a shot at winning titles. But Bailar is opting to forgo such honors to join the men’s team instead, competing as one of the first openly transgender swimmers in the NCAA. “It’s half terrifying and half exciting,” said Bailar, a 19-year-old from McLean, Virginia. “I’m just kind of embracing it with open arms.” Bailar, an incoming freshman, came out as transgender this year after already being recruited for the women’s team. Initially he BAILAR planned to stay on that team but had mixed feelings about it — he wanted to swim, but he also wanted to embrace his identity. The Harvard women’s coach saw that Bailar was torn and helped orchestrate another option: In a surprise move, the university offered Bailar a spot on either the men’s or women’s team. “I was blown away,” Bailar said. “I had no idea how to respond.” On the women’s team, Bailar would have been a top athlete. He had hopes of breaking records and winning titles. In the world of men’s swimming, though, his times were far behind the best. It took two wrenching months to decide, but he finally dropped his competitive goals and joined the men’s team. “I just want to be a boy,” he remembers thinking. “I can’t live this in-between thing anymore.” By then, men’s coach Kevin Tyrrell had already gathered the team to talk about adding Bailar. “We talked about how we’re all about character and values, and I kind of gave my two cents: If we’re going to say that we care about others, then this is something we should consider,” Tyrrell said. “And basically all the guys said, within 15 seconds, ‘Yeah, let’s do it.”’ Bailar is among the first openly transgender swimmers in the NCAA. Jay Pulitano, a Division III athlete at Sarah Lawrence College, competed on the women’s team for three seasons before joining the men’s team in the 2014-15 school year. Athletes have come out as transgender in other college sports, too. In 2010, Kye Allums asked to be identified as a man while playing on the women’s basketball team at George Washington University. Keelin Godsey was already a national champion in the women’s hammer throw at Bates College before coming out as transgender in 2005. The NCAA clarified in 2011 that transgender athletes can often compete on teams of either sex, depending on their hormone use. For Bailar, joining the men’s team will bring obstacles. Beyond the daunting competition, he’ll have to adjust to a locker room full of guys, and he’s still getting used to wearing a men’s swimsuit. But it’s also an immense relief, he said. Bailar has the chance to embrace his identity without losing the sport that was a bright spot during years of depression. “Through high school I grew my hair out, I conformed, I dressed in the high heels to prom — and I was miserable,” he said. “I did succeed in swimming because that was really my only outlet. That was the only place to put my passion into, because I didn’t enjoy much else really.” Among his accomplishments, he was part of a national relay record on a girls’ team, and he competed in the 2013 junior national championships. He was recruited to Harvard during his senior year of high school but took a year off after graduation, in part to focus on therapy. That’s when he first came out as transgender. “Once I was able to say that, a lot of things started clicking into place,” he said. Supported by his family and friends, Bailar started to transition. He had his breasts surgically removed and has started hormone treatments. In the two months before swimming season starts, he’s training hard but tempering his expectations. “My goal is just to contribute something to the team, and be a good teammate and a good friend. I have no idea what my body can do,” he said. But he’s already seeing physical progress and documenting it on social media. One post from last week includes a photo of a shirtless Bailar, flexing one of his biceps and giving a game-face scowl. “Despite my face,” he wrote, “I’m actually really happy these days.”
International
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
Greece’s bailout expires
Killer trained at camp
By ELENA BECATOROS AND DEREK GATOPOULOS
By BOUAZZA BEN BOUAZZA AND ANDREA ROSA
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATHENS, Greece — Greece slipped deeper into its financial abyss after the bailout program it has relied on for five years expired at midnight Tuesday and the country failed to repay a loan due to the International Monetary Fund. With its failure to repay the roughly 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) to the IMF, Greece became the first developed country to fall into arrears on payments to the fund. The last country to do so was Zimbabwe in 2001. After Greece made a last-ditch effort to extend its bailout, eurozone finance ministers decided in a teleconference late Tuesday that there was no way they could reach a deal before the deadline. “It would be crazy to extend the program,” said Dutch Finance Minister Jeroen Dijsselbleom, who heads the eurozone finance ministers’ body known as the eurogroup. “So that cannot happen and will not happen.” “The program expires tonight,” Dijsselbleom said. The brinkmanship that has characterized Greece’s bailout negotiations with its European creditors and the IMF rose several notches over the weekend, when Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras announced he would put a deal proposal by creditors to a referendum on Sunday and urged a “No” vote. The move increased fears the country could soon fall out of the euro currency bloc and Greeks rushed to pull money out of ATMs, leading the government to shutter its banks and impose restrictions on banking transactions on Monday for at least a week. But in a surprise move Tuesday night, Deputy Prime Minister Yannis Dragasakis hinted that the government might be open to calling off the popular
TUNIS, Tunisia — The student who massacred tourists in a Tunisian seaside resort trained in a jihadi camp in Libya at the same time as the two men who attacked a leading museum in March, a top security official said Tuesday, enforcing the notion of a link between the two assaults and raising fears of more attacks from an underground world clawing at this North African nation’s budding democracy. Investigators were searching nationwide for accomplices in the attack that killed 38 tourists and questioning a handful recently detained. “It has been confirmed that the attacker trained in Libya with weapons at the same period as the Bardo attackers,” said Rafik Chelli, the secretary of state for the Interior Ministry. “He crossed the borders secretly.” Chelli said Seifeddine Rezgui, a 24-year-old who obtained a Master degree in electrical engineering, left his studies at Kairouan University and sneaked into the western Libyan town of Sabratha in January — when the two young men who carried out the museum attack in Tunis were there. Sabratha, the site of Roman ruins, is one of several places in chaotic Libya where radical groups have training camps. The Islamic State, which has a strong Libyan presence, claimed responsibility for the beach resort attack. There has been no previous indication that Rezgui had left Tunisia. Rezgui has been portrayed as a good student. He received his one-year Masters degree, at one point liked break dancing and even getting a certificate, and practicing Kung Fu, according to a person with knowledge of the investigation. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and asked not to be identified. A fellow student in Kairouan, Saidi Fedi, 25, de-
Photo by Thanassis Stavrakis | AP
People stand in a queue to use an ATM outside a closed bank, next to a sign on the plant, reading “NO” in Athens, Tuesday. vote, saying it was a political decision. The government decided on the referendum, he said on state television, “and it can make a decision on something else.” It was unclear, however, how that would be possible legally as Parliament has already voted for it to go ahead. Greece’s international bailout expires at midnight central European time, after which the country loses access to billions of euros in funds. At the same time, Greece has said it will not be able to make a payment of 1.6 billion euros ($1.8 billion) to the IMF. With its economy teetering on the brink, Greece suffered its second sovereign downgrade in as many days when the Fitch ratings agency lowered it further into junk status, to just one notch above the level where it considers default inevitable. The agency said the breakdown of negotiations “has significantly increased the risk that Greece will not be able to honor its debt obligations in the coming months, including bonds held by the private sector.” Fitch said it now considered a default on privatelyheld debt “probable.” Hopes for an 11th-hour deal were raised when the Greek side announced it had submitted a new proposal Tuesday afternoon, and the eurozone’s 19 finance ministers held a te-
leconference to discuss it. But those hopes were quickly dashed. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she ruled out further negotiations with Greece before Sunday’s popular vote on whether to accept creditors’ demands for budget reforms. “Before the planned referendum is carried out, we will not negotiate over anything new,” the dpa news agency quoted Merkel as saying. Greece’s latest offer involves a proposal to tap Europe’s bailout fund — the so-called European Stability Mechanism, a pot of money set up after Greece’s rescue programs to help countries in need. Tsipras’ office said the proposal was “for the full coverage of (Greece’s) financing needs with the simultaneous restructuring of the debt.” Dijsselbloem said the finance ministers would “study that request as we should” and that they would hold another conference call Wednesday, as they had also received a second letter from Athens that they had not had time to read. Dragasakis said the new letter “narrows the differences further.” “We are making an additional effort. There are six points where this effort can be made. I don’t want to get into specifics. But it includes pensions and labor issues,” he said.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Photo by Abdeljalil Bounhar | AP
Tourists sunbathe at the Mediterranean resort of Sousse, Tunisa, four days after Friday’s terrorist attack, Tuesday. scribed him as a model of magnanimity — but a member of the student branch of Ansar al Sharia, an Islamist group, “Seif participated in the meetings ... on a lower level. He was not one of the leaders,” Feidi said in an interview, referring to the university’s Islamic Youth group. “He was the least radical of the group in which he was active. He was one who took part in the debates, and he accepted different views. He didn’t argue aggressively,” Feidi said. “He didn’t answer with anger” when debating with students who supported the Syrian government. “He didn’t do anything that could give us a clue.” The head of post-graduate Institute for Applied Sciences and Technology, attended by the attacker expressed equal shock.
“We informed the police so they could be sure of his identity and personal data,” said Karim Ben Elgharat. “We didn’t see anything strange about him. He was a good and assiduous student.” The invisibility of the attacker, like those who carried out the Bardo attack, is for Tunisia and elsewhere, the biggest challenge in preventing terrorism. The spokesman for the Interior Ministry, Mohamed Ali Aroui, said it was not immediately clear whether Rezgui trained in the same group as the Bardo attackers or whether they were linked to the Islamic State organization. But the presence of radical groups in Libya increases the threat level to its Tunisian neighbor, as does the approaching end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
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Sports&Outdoors NBA: DALLAS MAVERICKS
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS
Hamilton back
By EDDI E SEFKO
Hamilton replaces Gallo
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
By DAVID GINSBURG ASSOCIATED PRESS
BALTIMORE — Josh Hamilton is back on the Texas Rangers’ 25-man roster, eager to jump-start a season that has been marred by injury. The 34-year-old slugger was activated from the 15-day disabled list Tuesday and put in the starting lineup against the Baltimore Orioles. Hamilton was sidelined since May 31 with a strained left hamstring. Earlier this season, while with the Los Angeles Angels, he languished on the DL recovering from shoulder surgery. He has played in only seven games this season, batting .273 with two homers and five RBIs. In his return, Hamilton was fifth in the lineup and in left field. “I feel good,” Hamilton said. “I’m excited about playing today. I took early BP to knock some of the dust off. It felt good. I’m just trying to get back into a routine.” Texas made room for Hamilton on the 25-man roster by optioning rookie Joey Gallo to Triple-A Round Rock. The 21-year-old
Mavs court Jordan
Photo by Brandon Wade | AP
Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton returns off the disabled list and will replace Joey Gallo, who was sent to Triple-A. Gallo had his contract purchased from Double-A Frisco on June 2 and hit .218 with five home runs and 13 RBIs over 25 games in his major league debut. The third baseman/outfielder ended his stint with a 7for-47 skid that included 27 strikeouts. “It was a tremendously good experience just to be up here and kind of just see what the big league life is and face the pitchers that we faced,” Gallo
said. “I had some success and I had some failures. I kind of experienced both things.” He is the first Rangers player to homer in each of his first two games. Gallo, the organization’s 2014 minor league player of the year, will be making his initial foray in Triple-A ball. “Now, I know what I need to work on and what I need to get better at,” he said, “so I can come up here and stay next time.”
Apart from Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler is probably as close to a hero as there is for Mavericks fans. Chandler helped deliver the championship in 2011. He played his heart out on an average team last season. He’s a leader and a great personality. That’s why it’s going to hurt so much to lose him again. All signs point to that conclusion when free agency opens Wednesday. The Mavericks are going to put a full-court press on DeAndre Jordan, the Texan who has become one of the NBA’s best centers the last seven seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers. The Mavericks are going to do everything they can to make it happen. A source said Monday that the Mavericks are going to meet with Jordan and his agents, Dan Fegan and Happy Walters, on Wednesday in Los Angeles. Other teams are in line to engage conversations with Jordan’s camp, including the Lakers and New York Knicks. And the Clippers still are a major threat. While in LA, the Mavericks also will meet with representatives of LaMarcus Aldridge. San Antonio, the Lakers and Portland are other teams on the prowl for Aldridge. However, Jordan appears to
File photo by Tim Sharp | AP
The Mavericks are expected to make a strong push for DeAndre Jordan in free agency. be the more likely of those two big fish to jump into the Mavericks’ boat. The prevailing wisdom around the league is that Jordan is either going to stay put with the Clippers or jump to the Mavericks. The Mavericks can offer four years at a shade over $80 million. The Clippers can go five years and nearly $110 million because they own Jordan’s Bird rights. With the salary cap set to spike next summer, however, it’s possible Jordan and other free agents will look to sign shorterterm deals and then get a bigger payday in the summer of 2016 or 2017. Signing for a year or two with a player-option for a second or third season might be palatable for all parties.
MIÉRCOLES 01 DE JULIO DE 2015
Agenda en Breve PINTA DE BARDA La comunidad Reynosa, México, se unió para realizar la jornada “Pinta tu Mural”, que tuvo lugar el sábado, como parte del Programa Nacional de Prevención Social de la Violencia y la Delincuencia “Nos Mueve la Paz”. “Durante esta jornada nacional participaron poco más de 200 ciudadanos, quienes se unieron a elementos de la Octava Zona Militar para pintar una barda recuperada en la avenida La Joya, en la colonia Villa Diamante”, dijo Consuelo Terán Rodríguez, directora de Prevención del Delito y Participación Ciudadana del Gobierno de Tamaulipas. La jornada se realizó en 25 Estados de la República, incluido el Distrito Federal. Fue una campaña de activación ciudadana a través del arte urbano y la cohesión social, para generar entornos que favorezcan la convivencia y la seguridad ciudadana en colonias con problemas de violencia y delincuencia. El Programa Nacional de Prevención Social de la Violencia y la Delincuencia “Nos Mueve la Paz”, considera que los ciudadanos son los actores más importantes de toda política de prevención porque sólo si se apropian de la estrategia, se convierten en agentes de cambio en su comunidad, garantizando así la trascendencia de la política pública.
Zfrontera
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NACIONAL
Presentan queja POR CLAUDIA TORRENS ASSOCIATED PRESS
NUEVA YORK— Tres organizaciones de defensa de inmigrantes presentaron el martes una queja formal ante el gobierno de Estados Unidos para denunciar los daños psicológicos que la detención en centros de la frontera provoca en madres y niños centroamericanos. La Asociación Estadounidense de Abogados de Inmigración, la Comisión de Mujeres Refugiadas y el Consejo Estadounidense de Inmigración declaran en el documento que la retención durante meses de niños y madres en centros de Texas y Pennsylvania provoca varios tipos de traumas serios, incluidos la ansiedad, depresión, estrés
post-traumático y tendencias suicidas. Los tres grupos, que documentan en su queja 10 casos de inmigrantes afectados e incluyen estudios y citas médicas, exigen una investigación federal sobre el asunto. Portavoces del Departamento de Seguridad Interna, a quien va dirigida la queja, no respondieron de forma inmediata preguntas de Associated Press. Según datos oficiales, cifras sin precedentes de más de 70.000 menores centroamericanos no acompañados huyeron de la pobreza y violencia de sus países y llegaron a la frontera antes del mes de octubre de 2014. Muchos otros lo hicieron con sus madres. El secretario del Departamento
de Seguridad Interna, Jeh Johnson, anunció la semana pasada que procesará más rápido a mujeres y niños inmigrantes en estos centros y les ofrecerá la opción de salir libres bajo fianza. El funcionario realizó el anuncio después de que activistas criticaran al gobierno por mantener a familias en los centros de detención para inmigrantes aún después de que muchas de las madres habían pasado una entrevista clave en el proceso de asilo. Víctor Nieblas, presidente de la Asociación Estadounidense de Abogados de Inmigración, calificó el martes la detención de familias como "inhumana". "Como voluntario en el centro de detención de Artesia, en Nuevo
México, he trabajado con muchos detenidos y puedo asegurar que los 10 ejemplos de esta queja son tan sólo la punta del iceberg", afirmó el abogado. La queja incluye el caso de una salvadoreña a la que identifican solamente como Cecilia y que aseguran fue violada a los 13 años de edad y huyó a Estados Unidos con su hija debido a amenazas de miembros de pandillas. Cecilia fue diagnostica con estrés post-traumático severo y su hija con problemas serios de adaptación. A pesar de que la diagnosis se dio en noviembre del 2014, la mujer y la niña solo fueron dejadas en libertad hasta más de dos meses después, según el documento.
MATAMOROS, MÉXICO
TAMAULIPAS
MUESTRAN AVANCES
Rivas pide seguir pesquisa TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
DESFILE DE MODAS MIGUEL ALEMAN — Damas representantes de la Fundación “Vive en Paz y Haz el Bien” invitan a un Desfile de Modas que se llevará a cabo el 8 de julio en el Casino Milenium. La fundación que lucha contra el cáncer, espera que con el desfile de modas se recauden fondos que les permitirán continuar con su misión.
CORTE DE COMISIONADOS La corte de comisionados se reunirá el lunes 13 de julio, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m., en el Palacio de Justicia de la Ciudad. Para más información pude llamar a Roxy Elizondo al (956) 765-9920.
Fotos de cortesía
SUPERIOR: Trabajadores del Puerto de Matamoros, son vistos en la imagen durante una jornada laboral. INFERIOR: Constructores, arquitectos e ingenieros, realizaron un recorrido por las obras que se realizan en el Puerto, el lunes.
Recorren obras de puerto ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CAMINATA Se realizará la Tercer Carrera Anual “5K Memorial Run”, el 18 de julio a partir de las 8 a.m., frente a al Palacio de Justicia sobre 7th y calle Hidalgo. El costo de inscripción anticipada es de 15 dólares, mientras que el día del vento se podrá inscribir, de 7 a.m. a 7:45 a.m., por un costo de 20 dólares. La inscripción a la carrera para niños costará 5 dólares. Para inscribirse en línea puede ingresar a active.com; para inscribirse en persona acusa a Boys and Girls Club en 302 de avenida 6th. La carrera contará con las siguientes divisiones: carrera de 5 kilómetros, caminata de dos millas y carrera para niños, de 10 años y menores. Los ganadores de los primeros tres lugares en cada categoría, en las ramas femenil y varonil, recibirán un trofeo.
CORTE DE COMISIONADOS La corte de comisionados se reunirá el lunes 27 de julio, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m., en el Palacio de Justicia de la Ciudad. Para más información pude llamar a Roxy Elizondo al (956) 765-9920.
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onstructores, arquitectos e ingenieros, realizaron un recorrido por las obras que se realizan en el Puerto de Matamoros, el lunes. Vicente Saint Martin Ochoa, director general de la Administración Portuaria Integral (API) Tamaulipas, detalló los avances logrados hasta la fecha. Hasta el momento se han construido 44 kilómetros de carretera de acceso al puerto de Matamoros, de una longitud total de 62,30 kilómetros; quedando por reconstruir 18.30 kilómetros, que representan un 29.37 por ciento del total de los trabajos. Además, se señaló que del año
2012 al 2013 se reconstruyeron 24.54 kilómetros; en el 2014 se reconstruyeron 19.46 kilómetros adicionales; y en el presente año se contempla la reconstrucción de los 18.30 kilómetros restantes.
En cuanto a las obras de Anclaje, Rehabilitación y Prolongación de Escolleras a la fecha se presenta un avance del 76.23 por ciento. La rehabilitación del Muelle Marginal presenta un 67.50 por ciento.
El diputado local, Enrique Rivas Cuéllar y el Grupo Parlamentario del PAN propusieron continuar con las investigaciones sobre el ex gobernador priista, Eugenio Hernández Flores. Durante una conferencia de prensa, encabezada por el presidente del Comité Directivo Municipal, Rafael Pedraza Domínguez, Rivas anunció la soliciRIVAS tud de una comisión plural, con diputados de las distintas fuerzas políticas. “El Congreso no puede ni debe quedarse callado en éste y otros casos similares, que dejan a Tamaulipas en un papel que no merece”, señaló Rivas. “De no hablar en la LXII Legislatura dejaremos constancia que el estado de Derecho es inexistente”. Hasta el momento sólo el Grupo Parlamentario del PAN ha realizado declaraciones. “Ya no se puede permitir que Tamaulipas sea noticia a nivel nacional por cargos contra ex gobernadores”, añadió Rivas. “Debe quedar de lado la impunidad y los actos de corrupción”. Durante la conferencia, Rivas puntualizó que autoridades federales de Estados Unidos pretenden llevar a cabo un juicio para el decomiso de 30 millones de dólares y propiedades en McAllen y Austin, al ex gobernador y su cuñado, Oscar Gómez.
COLUMNA
Retratan Tamaulipas y cultura a través de rimas Nota del editor: Este es el segundo de dos artículos donde el autor habla sobre lar rimas publicadas en periódicos tamaulipecos y el impacto social que tuvieron.
POR RAÚL SINENCIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Al igual que el resto de México, Tamaulipas va definiéndose en intrincado devenir. La forja inspira expresiones literarias, recogidas en diversos impresos. Breve muestra permite aventurarnos por aquella época. Como anónimo publica la prensa de Tampico: “Jure todo mexicano/que ha de
morir o vencer,/ para nunca depender/ del odioso americano”. Pocas semanas adelante toca el turno a lo que Nicasio Magallanes firma: “De guerra el grito se escucha./ La Patria a sus hijos llama,/ para emprender una lucha/ que la justicia reclama”. Tercia José H. González: “Oprimida/ por los hierros/ del tirano/ nunca te halles,/ Patria mía,/ que es horrendo/ ser esclavo”. De junio a octubre de 1846, estas composiciones encuentran cabida en distintos periódicos del puerto. “La Esperanza” aloja las primeras. González prefiere
las páginas de “El Eco”. Median circunstancias estrujantes, que mucho inquietan al vecindario. Desde mayo, la urbe tamaulipeca sufre de continuo el bloqueo estadounidense. Quizás hasta saberlo desguarnecido por completo, los gringos deciden ocupar Tampico. En gran número llegan el 14 de noviembre de 1846. “Serán dueños del terreno que pisen, pero no de nuestros corazones […] sin que nos arredre el temor de la muerte, que despreciamos”, consigna en la misma fecha “El Eco”. Por lo visto, resulta dudosa la falta de conciencia nacionalista, im-
putada a nuestros paisanos del periodo. Familia A contrapelo de tan difíciles tiempos, “El Rifle”, tabloide de Ciudad Victoria, en plena Guerra de Reforma inserta: “Te vi en el baile, mujer hechicera, cual vaporosa nube que […] se pierde ligera como la brisa embalsamada de la mañana”. Bajo el título de “A ella en el baile”, prosigue la romántica prosa: “Tu aliento […] refrescaba mis sienes, cuando asida a mi brazo te veía. Y cual nube purpurina que recorre el firmamento ostentando sus primores, eras en el baile la Divina Huri
rodeada de hermosísimas rivales”. “¡Así te vi, mujer! Y una pasión pura y sincera se apoderó de mí […] Te adoro bien mío y tu amor es mi única ambición, porque en él se encierra mi Patria y esa suspirada felicidad que sólo yo he encontrado en tu sonrisa,” concluye el texto. Lo suscribe el 21 de agosto de 1859 Antonio F. Izaguirre, acaso teniente de la Compañía Móvil del enclave capitalino, e integrante de conocida familia con variopintas tendencias políticas. (Publicado con permiso del autor conforme aparece en La Razón, Tampico, México)
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
Report: Border US, Cuba plan to open embassies Patrol should add investigators By JULIE PACE
ASSOCIATED PRESS
By ALICIA A. CALDWELL ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Customs and Border Protection should more than double its ranks of internal affairs investigators, an advisory panel has recommended in a report sent to Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson. The panel recommended in a draft report that CBP add 350 criminal investigators to scrutinize its own agents and officers. Johnson assigned the Integrity Advisory Panel, led by the former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Karen Tandy, and New York Police Commissioner William Bratton, to look at the agency’s policies and procedures last year. The panel recommended that CBP, the parent agency of U.S. Border Patrol, improve its use-of-force policies in part by emphasizing the responsibility to preserve life and “implement specific restrictions on the use of firearms involving a moving vehicle.” A Police Executive Research Forum-commissioned report on the agency’s use-of-force practices that was released last year said some agents were suspected of intentionally placing themselves in front of fleeing cars before firing
their service weapons. The group also made several recommendations about how the agency can improve transparency, including reducing delays in releasing information publicly about incidents involving the agency or individual agents. The advisory panel report has not been released publicly and was obtained by The Associated Press. The group’s recommendations were first reported by The Los Angeles Times and The Arizona Republic. CBP Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske said in a statement that many of the issues highlighted by the panel centered on efforts “already implemented or underway.” “I am committed to continuing the progress made in the last year and to continue our work to earn the trust and respect of the American public and of the communities we work within,” Kerlikowske said. CBP has been plagued with criticism from human rights activists and others who have alleged abuses by agents and officers against border crossers. Last year Johnson gave the agency authority to investigate criminal allegations, including corruption, against its own personnel.
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama will announce Wednesday that the U.S. and Cuba have finalized an agreement to reopen embassies in each other’s capitals, a major step in ending hostilities between the Cold War foes, a senior administration official said. The U.S. and Cuba have been negotiating the reestablishment of embassies following the historic December announcement that they would move to restore ties after a half-century of animosity. The U.S. embassy in Havana is expected to open in July. For Obama, ending the U.S. freeze with Cuba is central to his foreign policy legacy as he nears the end of his presidency. Obama has long touted the value of direct engagement with global foes and has argued that the U.S. embargo on the communist island just 90 miles south of Florida was ineffective. The official insisted on anonymity because the official was not authorized to speak publicly about the matter ahead of the president. The White House said Obama will deliver a statement on Cuba from the Rose Garden on Wednesday morning. Secretary of State John Kerry, who is in Vienna for nuclear negotiations with Iran, is also expected to speak about the embassy openings.
Photo by Ramon Espinosa | AP file
In this Jan. 19 file photo, a Cuban and American flag wave from the balcony of the Hotel Saratoga in Havana. Kerry has said previously that he would travel to Cuba for an embassy opening. Cuba’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday evening that it would meet with U.S. Interests Section chief Jeffrey DeLaurentis on Wednesday morning to receive a message from President Obama about reopening embassies. The U.S. cut off diplomatic relations with Cuba in 1961 after Fidel Castro’s revolution. The U.S. spent decades trying to either actively overthrow the Cuban government or isolate the island, including toughening the economic embargo first imposed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Since the late 1970s, the United States and Cuba have operated diplomatic missions called interests sections in each other’s capitals. The missions are technically under the protection of Switzerland, and do not enjoy the same status as full embassies. While the opening of embassies marks a major milestone in the thaw be-
LICENSES Continued from Page 1A soon. A notable exception, though, has been Hood County outside Fort Worth. Most officials capitulating comes despite a weekend opinion from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who wrote that “county clerks and their employees retain religious freedoms,” including objections to issuing same-sex marriage licenses. He suggested that officials who defy the Supreme Court order could face fines or lawsuits — but said private attorneys were ready to defend them, and even do so for free. Not many officials appeared ready to take Paxton up on that offer, however. The Associated Press polled a dozen counties, mostly in GOP-dominated West Texas, and found many issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas also set up a statewide hotline and asked gay couples to call if they were denied marriage licenses. Once statewide vital statistics forms had been modified in conjunction with the legalization of same-sex marriages, the group said it had received no major complaints, according to Rebecca Robertson, its legal and policy director. Those areas not issuing gay marriage licenses included Lubbock County, where officials said they are waiting for updated paperwork. In nearby Lamb County, a spokeswoman said she was seeking further legal clarification from the state. In Floyd County, northeast of Lubbock, and Randall Coun-
ty, which covers part of Amarillo, officials said they weren’t issuing licenses Monday because their computer systems and paperwork needed to be updated with samesex language. Floyd County Clerk Ginger Morgan said she’s waiting for the state health department to forward updated forms. Katie Lang, county clerk in Hood County, said she believed it was morally and biblically incorrect to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. But Lang also said that no one has asked for one yet in her around 50,000-resident territory. Jim Obergefell of Ohio, a named plaintiff in Friday’s Supreme Court ruling, wore an American flag lapel pin as he participated in a rally Monday at the Texas Capitol. He said was “disgusted” by Paxton’s opinion. “I’m disappointed, disheartened and it angers me that they are creating a situation that doesn’t exist by saying that this ruling forces any religious person to go against their beliefs,” Obergefell said. The ACLU’s Robinson said freedom of religion “has never meant, and does not mean, that government officials can use their personal religious beliefs as an excuse not to follow the law.” “Government officials take an oath to uphold the Constitution, to follow the law on an equal basis,” she said “and we expect absolutely no less from county clerks, magistrates and justice of the peace across the state.”
tween the U.S. and Cuba, significant issues remain as the countries look to normalize relations. Among them: talks on human rights; demands for compensation for confiscated American properties in Havana and damages to Cuba from the embargo; and possible cooperation on law enforcement, including the touchy topic of U.S. fugitives sheltering in Havana. Obama also wants Congress to repeal the economic embargo on Cuba, though he faces resistance from Republicans and some Democrats. Those opposed to normalizing relations with Cuba say Obama is prematurely rewarding a regime that engages in serious human rights abuses. The president also will face strong opposition in Congress to spending any taxpayer dollars on building or refurbishing an embassy in Havana. Congress would have to approve any administration request to spend money on an embassy.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said in a statement that opening a U.S. embassy in Cuba “will do nothing to help the Cuban people and is just another trivial attempt for President Obama to go legacy shopping.” Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the opening of embassies was part of the administration’s “common sense approach to Cuba.” However, he called for Cuba to recognize that it is out of step with the international community on human rights. “Arrests and detentions of dissidents must cease and genuine political pluralism is long overdue,” Cardin said in a statement. Obama and Cuban President Raul Castro met in April during a regional summit, marking the first time U.S. and Cuban leaders have met in person since 1958. For Obama, the embassy announcements come amid what the White House sees as one of the strongest stretches of his second term. He scored major legislative and legal victories last week, with Congress giving him fasttrack authority for an Asia-Pacific free trade deal and the Supreme Court upholding a key provision of his health care law. The court also ruled in favor of gay marriage nationwide, an outcome Obama supported.
GRIEVANCE Continued from Page 1A office. In her grievance, Barrera states she was put on administrative leave after “accidentally breaking a couple of personal picture frames in her administrative office.” “It was my intention to push them down on the shelf, as I did with other picture frames. I
was upset about the reassignment at the time and the property was mine,” Barrera states in her grievance. “I regret the incident but in no way do I deserve the humiliating treatment from the district that has followed.” In her grievance, Barrera states Nuques had “exploited and exagger-
ated” the incident by placing her on administrative leave and directing her to be examined by a doctor. “I have complied with this directive against my wishes,” she states in her grievance. Barrera states the directive violates the Health Insurance Portability and Accountabili-
ty Act, or HIPAA, and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Since, Barrera has returned to ZCISD working at her assigned position as director of compensatory education programs. (Judith Rayo may be reached at 728-2567 or jrayo@lmtonline.com)
ABORTION Continued from Page 1A “That was decided,” Pojman said. “What’s in effect stays in effect. This order only applies to the new rules.” The justices voted 5-4 to grant the emergency appeal from abortion providers. The order will remain in effect at least until the high court decides whether to hear the clinics’ appeal of the lower court ruling, which won’t be before the fall. The court’s decision to block the regulations is a strong indication that the justices will hear the full appeal, which could be the biggest abortion case at the Supreme Court in nearly 25 years. The Republicanbacked law was enacted in 2013 and led to a wave of clinic closures statewide. Texas had 41 abortion clinics in 2012;
less than half of those remain and that number had been set to fall to nine starting Wednesday, had the nation’s high court not intervened. Supporters of the regulations, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, say they are common-sense measures intended to protect women. “I’m confident the Supreme Court will ultimately uphold this law,” Abbott said in a statement. But abortion rights groups say the regulations have only one aim: to make it harder, if not impossible, for women to get abortions in Texas. Without the Monday ruling, the state would have had no clinic west of San Antonio. Only one would have been able to operate on a lim-
ited basis in McAllen in the Rio Grande Valley. Stephanie Toti, a lawyer for the Center for Reproductive Rights who is representing the clinics, said some clinics that had previously closed might be able to reopen. “We are hopeful,” Toti said. “But some of those clinics have been closed for so long.” Miller’s group closed facilities in Austin and Beaumont in 2014 because of the construction requirements that demanded clinics meet hospital-level operating standards, a checklist that includes rules on minimum room sizes, staffing levels and air ventilation systems. The rules are among the toughest in the nation. Owners of traditional abortion clinics, which
resemble doctor’s offices more than hospitals, have said they would be forced to close because they can’t afford such upgrades. Other facilities closed because of the doctor requirements. Miller said to reopen the Austin and Beaumont facilities would require applying for a new state license, hiring staff and purchasing equipment. All that takes fundraising, which would have to be done while knowing that those clinics could again if the court ultimately rejected the case just few months later, she said. “Reopening a clinic without knowing how long is very unpredictable,” Miller said. “But the need is still there.”
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
JOYCE B. DOANE June 5, 1953 – June 26, 2015 Joyce B. Doane, 62, born June 5, 1953 in Uvalde, Texas passed away on Friday, June 26, 2015 at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Joyce is preceded in death by her parents, Glen and Myrtis Berry; spouse, Fred L. Doane and brothersin-law, Howard Cone, Gerald Shockley, Mark Doane and Jay Hofmeyer. Joyce is survived by her sons, Aaron and Ryan (Kezia) Doane; daughters, Melissia (Allen) Umphres, Michelle (Kelly) Thur; grandchildren, Heather (Danny) Montalvo, Collyn Thur and Garret Umphres; sisters, Carol Shockley, Niki Cone; brothers-in-law, Michael (Maryanne) Doane, James (Rachel) Doane and sisterin-law, Marie Hofmeyer. Visitation hours was held at The Church of Christ on Tuesday, June 30, 2015 at 1 p.m. with a service at 2 p.m. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery.
Puerto Rico struggles with debt By DANICA COTO ASSOCIATED PRESS
In lieu of flowers donations can be made to IBC acct # 2311249649 payable to “In Memory of Joyce Doane”. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.
Photo by David J. Phillip | AP file
In this Jan. 12, 2015, file photo, Nike Chairman Phil Knight walks near the field before the NCAA college football playoff game.
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — Puerto Rico’s financial future hung in limbo Tuesday as economists and officials warned that the U.S. territory could head down Greece’s path if it is not allowed to declare bankruptcy as it struggles with $72 billion in public debt. The island prepared to close a troubled fiscal year amid intense investor scrutiny just hours before the first of several multimillion-dollar debt payments is due. It remained unclear whether the government would meet the roughly $400 million obligation due Wednesday, obtain yet another extension from creditors, or default. Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla has said that the overall debt is unpayable and that he will seek a moratorium on payments, although it is still unknown whether bondholders will agree to that or opt to resolve the issue in court. “The bombshells that have come down from Puerto Rico in the last two days have not been particularly well orchestrated,” said David Tawil, co-founder and portfolio manager of New York-based Maglan Capital. “You really don’t
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Nike Chairman Phil Knight plans to step down, and says he wants President and CEO Mark Parker to succeed him. Nike Inc. says it expects to name a new chairman in 2016, but no specific date was set for Knight’s departure. Knight, 76, says he plans to stay involved with the company. Phil Knight co-founded Nike and has been a director of the footwear and athletic apparel and equipment maker since 1968. Parker has been Nike’s president and CEO since 2006. Knight also says he will transfer most of his Nike stock to a limited liability company called Swoosh LLC. The directors of the company will be Knight himself, Parker, and Nike directors Alan Graf and John Donahoe. On Tuesday Knight said he had transferred 128.5 million shares, or about 15 percent of
Nike’s total outstanding shares, to Swoosh. Because Knight owns a large amount of Nike’s Class A shares, which aren’t publicly traded, Swoosh now has the power to elect threequarters of Nike’s board. Knight says the move will help keep Nike’s corporate governance strong. As of a year ago, Knight owned about 75 percent of Nike’s Class A shares and a fraction of a percent of its Class B shares. The Class B shares are currently trading around all-time highs and closed at $108.02 on Tuesday. On Thursday Nike said its annual profit grew 22 percent to $3.27 billion and its revenue rose 10 percent to $30.6 billion. The Beaverton, Oregonbased company also named Knight’s son Travis to a spot on the board Tuesday. Travis Knight, 41, is the CEO of animation studio Laika LLC and was producer and lead animator on the movies “ParaNorman” and The Boxtrolls.”
A man drinks a beer in a local bar as he watches Puerto Rico’s governor Alejandro Garcia Padilla on television Monday. do those things without ... wanting to shock the market ... or preparing the market and gaining consensus.” Unlike Greece, Puerto Rico cannot seek emergency financing from an institution because it’s a U.S. territory. Some economists say that leaves bankruptcy as the most financially sound alternative, something U.S. rule do not now allow. “Both are in desperate need of a solution, but neither can access the solution they’re asking for, which is a bankruptcy process,” said Eric LeCompte, executive director of Jubilee USA Network. He noted that if Puerto Rico were considered a developing country, it would
be the eighth most heavily indebted country in the world. If the island does not obtain the right to declare bankruptcy, it will either restructure the debt or go into default, he said. “That’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s between a rock and a hard place in terms of how to move forward.” Critics of allowing bankruptcy said that would be unfair to holders of Puerto Rico bonds. The “proposed solution comes at the expense of seniors and retirees who invested in the island in good faith. Moreover, it does nothing to improve the reckless and even corrupt policies and practices that have left the island all but bankrupt,” the 60 Plus
Apple violated antitrust laws By LARRY NEUMEISTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nike chairman will step down
Photo by Ricardo Arduengo | AP
Association, a Virginiabased senior rights group, said in a statement. Puerto Rico’s governor plans to establish a team to come up with a fiscal and economic reform plan to help jumpstart the island’s economy, which has been in a recession for nearly nine years. The team has until Aug. 30 to develop the plan, which requires legislative approval. Some economists including LeCompte warned that imposing too many austerity measures could be detrimental. “The reality is if you’re not going to grow your economy, it doesn’t matter how much you tighten your belt,” he said. Like Greece, Puerto Rico can extend the life of its loans as well as try to get bondholders to agree to cut the debt by at least half, LeCompte said. Currently, 70 percent of Puerto Rico’s economic output goes toward paying debt, he said. Bondholders might agree to Garcia’s plan given that it benefits them if the economy grows again, said Sergio Marxuach, policy director at the Puerto Rico-based consulting group Center for the New Economy. And going to court could be a drawn-out process, he said.
NEW YORK — Apple violated antitrust laws by colluding with publishers to raise electronic book prices when it entered a market in 2010 that had been dominated by Amazon.com, a divided federal appeals court panel said Tuesday. A three-judge panel of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled 2-to-1 that a lowercourt judge correctly found Apple Inc. violated the law to upset Amazon.com Inc.’s control of the market. The appeals court also agreed that U.S. District Judge Denise Cote was right in 2013 to order injunctive relief to ensure the Cupertino, California-based company didn’t commit additional violations of antitrust laws. In a statement, Apple said the ruling did nothing to change the fact that it did not conspire to fix ebook pricing. “We are disappointed the court does not recognize the innovation and choice the iBooks Store brought for consumers,” it said. “While we want to put this behind us, the case is about principles and values. We know we did nothing wrong back in 2010 and
are assessing next steps.” Cote had ordered the technology giant to modify contracts with publishers to prevent price fixing and appointed a monitor to review the company’s antitrust policies. The appeals court last month upheld the appointment of the monitor. In a majority opinion written by Judge Debra Ann Livingston, the 2nd Circuit said Cote’s finding that Apple orchestrated a conspiracy among publishers to raise electronic book prices was “amply supported and well-reasoned” and that her remedy was “lawful and consistent with preventing future anticompetitive harms.” In a dissent, Judge Dennis Jacobs defended as “eminently reasonable” the actions Apple took as it fought to raise the price of e-books when Seattle-based Amazon controlled 90 percent of the market while selling the most popular books online for $9.99. Afterward, its share of the market dropped to about 60 percent. He said it was a mistake by Cote and his fellow appeals judges to assume “competition should be genteel, lawyer-designed, and fair under sporting rules, and that antitrust
law is offended by glovesoff competition.” “Apple took steps to compete with a monopolist and open the market to more entrants, generating only minor competitive restraints in the process,” Jacobs wrote. In the majority opinion, though, Livingston said it was “startling” that Jacobs would agree Apple intentionally organized a conspiracy among publishers to raise e-book prices and then say the company was entitled to do so because the conspiracy helped it become an e-book retailer. Joining the majority, Judge Raymond J. Lohier Jr. agreed with much of what Livingston wrote, though he noted that the publishers may be more culpable than Apple after using the company as “powerful leverage against Amazon and to keep each other in collusive check.” And he said there was “surface appeal” to Apple’s argument that the e-book market needed more competition. “But more corporate bullying is not an appropriate antidote to corporate bullying,” he wrote. The U.S. Justice Department and 33 states and territories originally sued Apple and five publishers.
The publishers all settled and signed consent decrees prohibiting them from restricting e-book retailers’ ability to set prices. Two publishers joined Apple’s appeal. In settlements with lawsuits brought by individual states, Apple has agreed to pay $400 million to be distributed to consumers and $50 million for attorney fees and payments to states, though it will pay nothing if it ultimately wins on appeal. Lawyers for the states say the $400 million combined with $166 million already turned over by publishers represent double the maximum amount consumers lost in the conspiracy. In a release, Assistant Attorney General Bill Baer of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division said the government was gratified with the ruling. “The decision confirms that it is unlawful for a company to knowingly participate in a price-fixing conspiracy, whatever its specific role in the conspiracy or reason for joining it. Because Apple and the defendant publishers sought to eliminate price competition in the sale of e-books, consumers were forced to pay higher prices for many e-book titles,” he said.
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2015