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FEDERAL COURT
Copter under fire
Man gets 10 years for pot
Six suspected Zetas shot and killed by Mexican Marines By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A Mexican navy helicopter came under fire over the weekend while patrolling an area located about 45 miles south of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, authorities said Monday. Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said he suspects the gun-
men who shot at the Black Hawk were Zetas. Six gunmen died in the armed confrontation with Mexican marines, Tamaulipas authorities said. Officials said the incident occurred Sunday in the area of Ejido El Cuatro, located across the border from Zapata County and almost 44 miles south of Nuevo Laredo.
Based on naval intelligence, troops were looking for criminal groups operating in the area, reports state. Mexican navy personnel on air and ground patrol said they spotted several vehicles occupied by gunmen. The gunmen allegedly opened fire on the chopper, hitting it at least seven times. Troops on board were unharmed, reports
state. Mexican marines said they fired warning shots from the air. However, the suspects allegedly refused to stop and continued firing at authorities. Federal forces seized four vehicles and six firearms, reports state.
Caught with 3,000 kilos in Zapata
See ZETAS PAGE 11A
By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
SOUTH TEXAS SPINE AND REHAB
‘I LOVE WHAT I DO’
Photo by Melissa Guerra | Danny Zaragoza
Chiropractor and Clinic Director Dr. Melissa Guerra poses for a photo on Friday morning at her new office. Dr. Guerra was recetly named head of rehab at the Laredo clinic and resides in Zapata.
Zapata native named head of rehab in Laredo By GABRIELA A. TREVIÑO THE ZAPATA TIMES
Z
apata native Dr. Melissa Guerra was recently named head of South Texas Spine and Rehab. Energetic, passionate about her profession and friendly, she is a chiropractor and the clinic’s new director.
Guerra came in as longtime clinic chiropractor Dr. Kayce Frye made a move out-of-town to another practice. A recent graduate from Parker University, Guerra obtained her Doctor in Chiropractic degree after serving in the U.S. Navy and working for the Texas Department of Human Services for 10 years. She was previously em-
ployed at a personal injury chiropractic clinic in Arlington before moving back to her hometown of Zapata. The Zapata High School graduate said she moved back down south to be closer to her parents, who reside in Zapata. Guerra commutes from Zapata to Laredo everyday.
“I love what I do. This is going to be my last career,” Guerra said, with a laugh. According to the American Chiropractic Association, chiropractic care focuses primarily on alleviating back pain, neck pain, pain in the joints of the arms or legs, and headaches.
See REHAB PAGE 11A
GUERRA
A man accused of conspiring to smuggle more than 3,000 kilograms of marijuana from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston was sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Laredo to 10 years in prison. Juan Manuel Perez Jr. was arrested Oct. 2, 2013 along with co-conspirators Andrew James Escamilla and Elmer Oswaldo Campos. A grand jury indicted the men Oct. 29, 2013 on charges of conspiracy to posses with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana and possess with intent to distribute 1,000 kilograms or more of marijuana. The drug charges are punishable by 10 years to life in prison and a possible $10 million fine. Escamilla accepted a plea agreement Dec. 10, 2013 and pleaded guilty to the conspiracy charge. Perez and Campos pleaded guilty to the same charge on April 29, 2014. U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo handed Perez the 10-year sentence. Perez was the last of the three defendants to be sentenced in the case. Escamilla and Campos were both sentenced March 31 to 58 months and 10 years in prison, respectively. On Oct. 2, 2013, Laredo FBI agents and task force officers established surveillance in the area of Highway 83 between Zapata and San Ygnacio after receiving information in reference to a drug smuggling attempt, according to the criminal complaint, filed Oct. 3, 2013. A confidential source reported that a pneumatic tractor trailer was hauling marijuana from the Rio Grande Valley to Houston by way of Laredo via Highway 83, according to the complaint. The source also reported there would be at least
See POT PAGE 11A
ZAPATA
Border Patrol agents seize 673 pounds of pot THE ZAPATA TIMES
Courtesy photo | U.S. Border Patrol
This July 3 courtesy photo shows some of the bundles of marijuana that were found in an abandoned truck by Border Patrol agents in Zapata.
Border Patrol agents at the Zapata Border Patrol Station seized 673 pounds of marijuana during a drug-smuggling attempt on July 3 around 11:30 a.m. Agents were working line-watch operations
when they observed a suspicious vehicle near Highway 83 make an abrupt turn, an indication of a possible drug smuggling attempt. As the agents drove closer, they encountered the vehicle abandoned, reports state. A search of the area
was conducted and agents were able to recover 30 bundles of marijuana inside the vehicle. The total weight of the bundles was 672.85 pounds, with an estimated street value of $538,280. All subjects involved in the smuggling attempt fled the scene and no arrests were made.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8
ASSOCIATED PRESS
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). The first-ever LaReDo Music Festival, a three-day event that will include performances by classical and chamber ensembles. Guest musicians from across the United States, including Iowa, Michigan, and Texas are expected to perform. The festival ends on Wednesday with a Symphony Concert Program at the Kazen Student Center beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Today is Wednesday, July 8, the 189th day of 2015. There are 176 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 8, 1776, Col. John Nixon gave the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence, outside the State House (now Independence Hall) in Philadelphia. On this date: In 1889, The Wall Street Journal was first published. In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson received a tumultuous welcome in New York City after his return from the Versailles Peace Conference in France. In 1950, President Harry S. Truman named Gen. Douglas MacArthur commander-inchief of United Nations forces in Korea. (Truman ended up sacking MacArthur for insubordination nine months later.) In 1975, President Gerald R. Ford announced he would seek a second term of office. In 1989, Carlos Saul Menem was inaugurated as president of Argentina in the country’s first transfer of power from one democratically elected civilian leader to another in six decades. In 1994, Kim Il Sung, North Korea’s communist leader since 1948, died at age 82. In 2000, Venus Williams beat Lindsay Davenport 6-3, 7-6 (3) for her first Grand Slam title, becoming the first black female champion at Wimbledon since Althea Gibson in 1957-58. Ten years ago: Group of Eight leaders meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, unveiled a $50 billion package to help lift Africa from poverty and pledged new joint efforts against terrorism in response to the deadly London bombings the day before. Five years ago: The largest spy swap between the U.S. and Russia since the Cold War unfolded as 10 people accused of spying in suburban America pleaded guilty to conspiracy and were ordered deported to Russia in exchange for the release of four prisoners accused of spying for the West. Violent protests erupted in Oakland, California, after a Los Angeles jury convicted a white former transit officer, Johannes Mehserle, of involuntary manslaughter (instead of murder) in the videotaped fatal shooting of an unarmed black man, Oscar Grant. During an ESPN prime-time special, basketball free agent LeBron James announced he was leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to join the Miami Heat. One year ago: President Barack Obama appealed to Congress for $3.7 billion in emergency spending to deal with the immigration crisis on the nation’s southern border, where unaccompanied children were showing up by the thousands (Republican lawmakers rejected the request). Washington became the second state to allow people to buy marijuana legally in the U.S. without a doctor’s note. Today’s Birthdays: Singer Steve Lawrence is 80. Actor Jeffrey Tambor is 71. Ballerina Cynthia Gregory is 69. Children’s performer Raffi is 67. Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck is 66. Actress Anjelica Huston is 64. Actor Kevin Bacon is 57. Country singer Toby Keith is 54. Singer Beck is 45. Actress Sophia Bush is 33. Actor Jaden Smith is 17. Thought for Today: “History must stay open, it is all humanity.” — William Carlos Williams, American author and poet (1883-1963).
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). Register now for the Brush County Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program. Registration deadline is July 9. For those who would like to find out more about the plants, animals, and other nature of South Texas. We will be holding our first training classes July through December. The chapter registration fee is $200 and will cover course materials. For registration or more information, please contact Alberto Sandoval, chairperson and decretary at alberto@rgisc.org or 718-1063.
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).
WEDNESDAY, JULY 15 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 16 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).
SATURDAY, JULY 18 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 21 South Texas Food Bank “Strike Out Hunger” bowling tournament and fundraiser at 5:30 p.m. at Jett Bowl North. Lanes are $125 for five bowlers. Open to everyone. Sponsorship advertising is open for $250.
Photo by Rachel Denny Clow/Corpus Christi Caller-Times | AP
In this Monday photo, Tom Schmid, Texas State Aquarium President and CEO, speaks to the crowd before the start of a dolphin show at the Texas State Aquarium during a celebration of the aquarium’s 25th anniversary in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Aquarium marks 25 years By JULIE GARCIA CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES
CORPUS CHRISTI — From her post behind the front desk, Imelda Villarreal has witnessed the Texas State Aquarium go from “itty-bitty” to hosting about half a million visitors every year since she started in admissions in March 1991. “I’ve seen so many people come and go through here. I’ve met people from Spain, Germany, all over the world,” Villarreal said. “Most of the time, people are happy, and that’s what we’re here for. The aquarium is here for families, and we get so many returning visitors who say the aquarium has grown so much. It really has.” The aquarium opened July 6, 1990. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reports at the time, it had only the Gulf of Mexico Exhibit building, but now is home to more than 4,000
animals representing 320 species. After a quickly made decision to work at the aquarium over H-E-B, Villarreal has manned the admissions desk nearly every day for the past 24 years. Her sister, Yolanda Tanguma, was the first in the family to work there in 1990 and helped her get the job. They plan to work there for years to come. Villarreal remembers the days when the aquarium had to sell time tickets and allowed only 250 visitors in the building every half-hour. She has watched famous entertainers walk through the doors and remembers her excitement when dolphins arrived in 2003. The aquarium celebrated its 25th anniversary Monday, including a special show with its resident bottlenose dolphins, Kai and Shadow. State Rep. Todd Hunter was in attendance along with a packed audience.
Decommissioned carrier headed to Brownsville
Bald eagle illegally captured in 2012 set free
Texan gets 60 years for porn, items at deer lease
BROWNSVILLE — The former aircraft carrier USS Ranger is expected to reach a South Texas shipyard this weekend as the vessel faces the scrapyard. The Ranger left Bremerton, Washington, on March 5, and is being towed about 16,000 nautical miles to Texas. The Ranger was commissioned in 1957 and was active from the Vietnam War to Operation Desert Storm.
SAN ANTONIO — A bald eagle has been rehabilitated and freed after being rescued in 2012 in Texas following an alleged attempt to capture the bird for falconry. An official with the nonprofit group Last Chance Forever said Tuesday that the eagle was released into the wild in June. Executive director John Karger declined to say where the eagle was freed.
DALLAS — A former Dallasarea man has been sentenced to 60 years in prison in child pornography cases based on evidence found at a deer hunting lease last February. Prosecutors linked 32-year-old Walker to cases of girls enticed into sexually explicit conduct and photographed. The incidents happened with a 7-year-old girl and a 3year-old girl.
Plane deploys chute, lands in neighborhood
Grandma’s neck broken in baseball bat attack
HOUSTON — Authorities say the pilot of a small plane reported engine trouble and deployed an emergency chute before landing in a Houston-area neighborhood. The accident happened late Tuesday morning. Authorities say the pilot and a passenger were being treated for minor injuries.
NACOGDOCHES — An East Texas man has been accused in a baseball bat attack that left his 77-year-old grandmother with a broken neck and his aunt hurt. James Leo Lacy was being held Tuesday on charges of injury to an elderly person, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, interference with an emergency call and resisting arrest.
Man charged after he struck man with sword AUSTIN — Police say a man was injured when he was slashed by a double-sided sword during an argument in North Austin. Joshua Mejia, 23, was charged Friday with aggravated assault with serious bodily injury. Officers responded to a home that day and found a man in the driveway bleeding heavily from his left arm and shoulder. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Second body found in river after boat capsized LOUISVILLE, Ky. — A woman’s body was pulled from the Ohio River Tuesday, three days after a pontoon boat capsized nine miles upstream, killing at least three and leaving two more missing. Their families waited anxiously for the coroner to confirm whether the body found was one of the missing boaters. “Maybe this can bring us some closure,” said Colby Caldwell, whose sister Joyce Wright was among the missing.
Drug bundles block pipe, send sewage into home TUCSON, Ariz. — Authorities in the border city of Nogales, Arizona, believe smugglers were using an international sewage line to transport drugs into the U.S. from Mexico when the pipe became clogged, sending gallons
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Kiana Stoker, center, sister to boating accident survivor Tiffany Stoker, gets support from friends in Harrisville, Utah, Tuesday. Authorities say the people killed when a boat capsized were a man, two of his daughters and one of their friends. of waste through an illegal tunnel and into a house and local businesses. City officials discovered waste coming out of the house near the border with Mexico on Sunday. City Manager Shane Dille said there was so much waste that it
was oozing from the front door and side of the house. The international pipeline runs through Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Sonora, and carries 10 million gallons of waste each day, Dille said. — 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 8, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
The Alamo earns world heritage status By CHRISTOPH NOELTING AND FRANK JORDANS ASSOCIATED PRESS
BONN, Germany — The United States has succeeded in its bid to “Remember the Alamo,” after the U.N. cultural body approved its status as a world heritage site Sunday. The Alamo was one of five Spanish Roman Catholic sites, known as the San Antonio Missions, to receive the coveted label likely to boost tourism. UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee approved the Missions’ status along with more than a dozen others from around the globe, including the Gunkanjima industrial site off Japan that South Korea had long objected to. Susan Snow, an archaeologist for San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, said the site in Texas represents “the very essence of the great melting pot of the United States.” “These Missions are a living example of the interchange of cultures bringing together the indigenous, Spanish, Mexican, and other influences that form South Texas today,” Snow said in a statement following the decision in Bonn, Germany. The Missions were built in the 18th century in and around what is now the city of San Antonio to convert indigenous people to Catholicism and make them Spanish subjects. The best known of the missions, The Alamo, was the site of the famous 1836 battle when an outnumbered band of Texas settlers staged a courageous stand before Gen. Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna and his Mexican forces seized the mission. During the Battle of San Jacinto weeks later, then-victorious Texas soldiers shouted, “Remember the Alamo!” U.S. officials hope the designation will boost tourism to San Antonio, already one
Photo by Bob Owen/San Antonio Express-News | AP
San Antonio city leaders including Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, left, and Mayor Ivy Taylor, center, celebrate the announcement of the San Antonio’s Spanish missions winning World Heritage Site status on Tuesday in front of The Alamo. of the city’s top five industry and responsible for one in eight jobs. The Missions were the only sites in the United States proposed for world heritage status this year. Other American icons already on the list include the Statue of Liberty and the Grand Canyon. In another decision, Japan received world heritage status for a collection of almost two dozen sites that illustrate the country’s industrial revolution during the 19th century. The unanimous vote in favor of Japan’s bid was approved only after Tokyo and Seoul resolved a spat over whether to acknowledge the sites’ history of wartime forced labor, particularly that of Gunkanjima, or Battleship Island. The fortress island near Nagasaki was key to Japan’s rapid development during the 1868-1912 era of the Meiji Emperor, who sought to catch up with Western colonial powers. Until recently, Seoul had
objected to the listing unless the role of Korean prisoners forced to work there during World War II was formally recognized. “Japan is prepared to take measures that allow an understanding that there were a large number of Koreans and others who were brought against their will and forced to work under harsh conditions in the 1940s at some of the sites,” the Japanese delegation said in a statement after the decision. More than a dozen other sites have also been granted world heritage status in recent days. They include: The Burgundy vineyards south of Dijon, France, which have been shaped by centuries of wine making. Along with surrounding villages and the historic center of Dijon, the site represents an industry in existence since at least the 12th century. Champagne, the sparkling wine distinctive of the eponymous French region, represented in the vine-
yards, the cellars where the bottled wine ferments a second time, and the storied sales houses. The Diyarbakir Fortress and Hevsel Gardens of Turkey, which goes back to ancient Greek and Roman times. The Par Force Hunting Landscape northeast of Copenhagen, a sculpted woodland where Danish kings hunted with hounds until the 18th century. A Lutheran church settlement known as Christiansfeld, also in Denmark. Founded in 1773 in the region of South Jutland, the town was built around a central church square to represent the democratic ideal of this Protestant denomination. Tusi sites in southwest China, named after the tribal chiefs who ruled there from the 13th to the early 20th century. The archaeological mounds and Ardeshir’s palace along the Shavur River in Iran. Known as Susa, the site was continuously set-
tled from the 5th century B.C. until the 13th century. The Maymand valley region of central Iran inhabited by semi-nomadic people who move between mountain pastures and caves depending on the season. Singapore’s Botanical Gardens, which were created in 1859 and have since become a world-class conservation and research site, as well as a major tourist attraction for the city state. The Baekje region of South Korea comprising archaeological sites dating from the late 5th to late 7th century. Mongolia’s sacred Great Burkhan Khaldun Mountain where Central Asian steppe meets the Siberian taiga. Tradition holds that it is the site of Genghis Khan’s birth and burial. Sicilian churches and palaces dating back to the island’s 12th-century Norman rule, which incorporated Arab and Byzantine culture. Christian pilgrimage sites in modern Jordan
where Jesus is said to have been baptized, along with Roman and Byzantine remains in the area. Prehistoric rock art showing human and animal figures in Saudi Arabia’s Hail Region. Hamburg’s Speicherstadt district, a vast complex of red-brick warehouses built between 1883 and 1927 in Germany’s biggest port. The Rjukan-Notodden industrial site in Norway, built in the early 20th century to produce fertilizer to meet the booming demand from agriculture. The Necropolis of Beth She’arim, a series of catacombs built from the 2nd century B.C. onward as a Jewish burial place. Located southeast of Haifa, Israel, the site features inscriptions in Greek, Aramaic and Hebrew. Scotland’s Forth Bridge, completed in 1890 to carry trains over the Forth River and still in use today. The ancient Greek and Roman settlements at Ephesus in Turkey, once the site of the Temple of Artemis — one of the ’Seven Wonders of the World.’ A Christian chapel from the 5th century has also become a major pilgrimage site. The Aqueduct of Padre Tembleque Hydraulic System on the Central Mexican Plateau. Dating back to the 16th century, the canal system was conceived by a Franciscan friar and combines Roman hydraulics and traditional Mesoamerican construction techniques. Uruguay’s Fray Bentos industrial site set up in the 19th century to process and export meat to Europe. The Blue and John Crow Mountains, Jamaica’s first world heritage site. Located on the southeast of the island, they became a refuge for indigenous people and escaped African slaves during colonial times and are considered a biodiversity hotspot.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
The fight against rape By ALYSSA ROSENBERG THE WASHINGTON POST
Bill Cosby’s already-battered reputation took another hit Monday when the Associated Press reported that “Cosby testified in 2005 that he got Quaaludes with the intent of giving them to young women he wanted to have sex with, and he admitted giving the sedative to at least one woman and “other people.’” What I found most revealing about the AP’s story was less that Cosby has acknowledged seeking drugs or having extramarital sex, and more the way his lawyers responded to the AP’s reporting. “The AP had gone to court to compel the release of the documents; Cosby’s lawyers had objected on the grounds that it would embarrass their client,” wrote reporter MaryClaire Dale. That language of embarrassment may be merely legalistic. If Cosby’s legal team acknowledged that the behavior described in Cosby’s testimony was criminal rather than merely humiliating or in contradiction with Cosby’s public image, they could compromise their ability to defend him in other lawsuits. But there’s a more unnerving possibility in that suggestion of embarrassment, one that’s at the center of many of our most difficult conversations about sexual assault. Maybe Bill Cosby truly believes that all the sex he’s ever had is consensual. Maybe Bill Cosby believes that having taking drugs doesn’t have any impact on a person’s ability to consent. Maybe Bill Cosby and the women who have alleged that he assaulted and abused them have radical, even irreconcilable definitions of what it means to consent. Maybe Bill Cosby thinks that all he has to feel is embarrassment. It might seem flabbergasting that we haven’t achieved a clear national consensus about a definition of rape by now. But our disagreements are both written into law and the result of long-unresolved cultural expectations. In 2012, then-Attorney General Eric Holder announced that, for the purposes of the Uniform Crime Report, which tracks crime nationwide, rape would be understood to be “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” But in the District of Columbia, where Holder’s office is located, sex crimes are sorted into four degrees of sexual abuse, misdemeanor sexual abuse and statutory rape; the definition focuses less on the specific acts than the means a perpe-
trator uses against a victim to get them “to engage in or submit to sexual acts.” California defines rape based on the circumstances in which sexual contact took place, and has separate statues that cover rape, the rape of a spouse, and a variety of specific acts. The differences go on and on. And the differences in attitudes that accompany these variations in the law create an even more complicated environment. In a study released last December, researchers Sarah R. Edwards, Kathryn A. Bradshaw and Verlin B. Hinsz wrote that “when survey items describe behaviors (i.e., ‘Have you ever coerced somebody to intercourse by holding them down?’) instead of simply label them (i.e., ‘Have you ever raped somebody?’), more men will admit to sexually coercive behaviors in the past and more women will self-report past victimization ... Given that rape is defined as intercourse by use of force or threat of force against a victim’s wishes, this discrepancy suggests that at least some men who rape do not seem to classify their behaviors as such.” Jon Krakauer’s “Missoula,” his chronicle of a series of sexual assault cases at a University of Montana campus, is riddled with these sorts of disagreements about what counts as consent (as well as what counts as a sign that a woman is enjoying sex). Some of these disagreements may be strategic; saying you never heard someone say no to sex can be an important part of a criminal defense. But “Missoula” portrays a community where young women, members of the University of Montana football team, police and prosecutors have dramatically different understandings of what rape is. And the consequences of those disagreements go far beyond individual prosecutions. It’s always going to be exceptionally difficult to convince people to see themselves as rapists, just as it’s extremely hard to get people to redefine themselves as racists. And we can’t take a pause in prosecuting alleged rapists, covering them in the media, or talking about sexual assault in order to convene some sort of national conversation, standardize our laws, and get every single American to agree on what counts as rape. But as tiresome and as unfair as it might seem, we have to keep pushing for consensus even as the campaign against sexual assault pushes forward on other fronts. If citizens — no matter how famous — legislatures and law enforcement officials can’t agree on what rape is, then why should Bill Cosby feel like he’s done anything wrong?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
‘Trigger finger’ affliction You know how men are. Even men know how men are, though we may be somewhat reluctant to ‘fess up to it. It’s that macho thing. Especially when we’re young. You know invincible, bulletproof and sometimes, even invisible. Or so we think. As for pain… “Shucks, ma’am, it don’t hurt none,” he said as his nearly severed arm dangled by a skin flap. But, dang it, we age. Get older. Gray hair. But, no Grecian Formula for me. I earned every one of those suckers. As men get somewhere near maturity, say in their early 40s, they may reach the point where they admit having aches, pains and weaknesses. At age 30, I remember getting an affliction that I thought represented enough wear, tear and abuse (by men particularly) on the body that I must be “GETTING OLD!” Double gasp! Dr. Fred Beavers in Richmond broke the news to me that I had (heavens to murgatroid) those “H” things. Yeah, I know, it’s a family newspaper, but I’m being as circumspect as possible. Okay, so I said to myself,
“Self, you work hard and put a lot of stress on your mind and body, so these kinds of things are bound to happen. You just didn’t expect them when you were still, ahem, young and dashing.” However, as the vagaries of time and age began to take their toll on my already non-Apollonic body, I began to be more resigned to afflictions and determined to handle whatever fate tossed in my direction. “Be a trooper!” “Forward, ho!” “Charge!” Here came the forties. The realities of aging really began to set in. A doctor told me that the biggest and baddest of those Ritis boys, Arthur, had moved in and was going to be a leeching !@#$%^&* resident of my still somewhat trim body. Little did I know that the lithe look would give way, too. Short breath and less stamina began to be regulars in adaptation to the aging process. Fat didn’t help afflicted joints either. Ol’ Arthur announced in
no uncertain terms that I’d better make room because he was taking up permanent residence and was doing nothing to earn his keep. Instead he was adding a frequent visit to EVERY joint in my aging body. It started with the shoulders, announcing itself forcefully in crowded seating conditions in a live theater production. My mother’s farm girl advice to her young son was to eat a lot — “heavy” people can ward off illness easier (because they have more resistance “stored up” than skinny folks). That’s what she said. Well, she didn’t have to carry all that extra weight around on her small-boned frame. My knees, which had undergone some abuse in high school football, screeched at carrying those additional pounds. Eventually, common sense and pain won out and dieting reduced a lot of that poundage. But, it is difficult to stay out of the cookie jar or the freezer where the greatest sweet challenge resides….mmm! Ice Cream! I scream for it. Never the less, Arthur continued waging his invasions. Particularly bothersome was the fact that, after the shoulders, the
hands thought THEY were the Pearl Harbor of the war. Along with swollen joints, trigger finger raised its ugly, well, finger. A guy who makes his living sitting at a keyboard and writing doesn’t need trigger finger. And, to make things worse, the most afflicted digit is, as Roy D. Mercer would phrase it, “the naughty finger” of the left hand. Trigger finger has brought about a (ugh!) shot in that middle finger on the left hand. I hate needles but I hate pain more. The doc put the needle in the part of the joint that you feel in the palm of your hand. It relieved the pain. So, a great deal of the time, I walk around with this elasticized black fabric splint on that digit. There’s a “pad” extension down toward the palm from that digit it covers the joint of that finger, thus calling attention to the “naughty finger.” It IS a medical condition. It is NOT intended to be naughty. Really. 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.
EDITORIAL
A new mass extinction looms PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
When the dinosaurs died, it was not the first time the bulk of living things disappeared on Earth, but the fifth mass extinction. Now, there’s evidence that another is ongoing, researchers from three respected universities have warned. It’s a worrisome theory for all living crea-
tures, no matter their place on the food chain. The study by researchers from Stanford, Princeton and the University of California at Berkeley, published last month in the journal Science Advances, concludes that species are disappearing from the planet 114 times faster than they would normally. The rate is significant enough
to be considered a mass extinction, in which abnormally large numbers of species perish in the same time frame. Previous events include the Ordovician-Silurian extinction 440 million years ago, in which 85 percent of sea life perished; the Permian extinction 252 million years ago, in which 96 percent of species were wiped
out; and the familiar Cretaceous-Tertiary event 66 million years ago, which killed the Tyrannosaurus rex and friends. The previous extinctions, however, remind the world that Mother Nature can be a beast on her own. If humans can turn this foreboding ship around, they will evolve from villain to hero.
CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Nation
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Senate votes to remove flag Two killed when planes crash in air
By JEFFREY COLLINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The South Carolina Senate gave its final approval Tuesday to removing the Confederate flag from the Capitol grounds, but across the hall in the House, Republicans quietly sought a way to make a last stand to preserve some kind of symbol honoring their Southern ancestors at the Statehouse. The House was scheduled to begin debate Wednesday on the bill to take down the flag and its pole and send the banner to the state’s Confederate Relic Room. Gov. Nikki Haley and business leaders support the proposal. To stress the chamber’s unity after Tuesday’s 36-3 vote, senators invited the widow of their slain colleague Clementa Pinckney to the floor. She stood just inside the door in a black dress, only a few feet from her husband’s desk, which was draped in black cloth with a single white rose on top. Every member stood as she entered and later walked up to her, offering condolences. After the flag was pulled off the Statehouse dome 15 years ago, it was called a settled issue. The banner was instead moved to a monument honoring Confederate soldiers elsewhere on the Capitol grounds. But the flag debate swiftly gained urgency last month after Pinckney and eight other black people were fatally shot at a historic African-American church in Charleston. A white gunman who police said was motivated by racial hatred is charged in the attack. Dylann Roof was indicted Tuesday on nine counts of murder, three counts of attempted murder and a weapons charge. Haley and other conservatives have said they called for the flag to come down in part because of photos
By SUSANNE M. SCHAFER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Travis Dove/New York Times | AP
Jennifer Pinckney, wife of slain lawmaker Rev. Clementa Pinckney, greets and thanks senators after a measure to remove the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the State House passed its final vote. showing Roof posing with the Confederate symbol. If the House goes along with the Senate’s bill, the flag could be removed by the end of the week. But if the House changes the bill, either the Senate would have to agree with the changes or lawmakers would have to reconcile their differences in a conference committee, possibly delaying action for weeks. Several senators said the lopsided vote shows they do not want their bill to change. Many Republicans in the House insist the flag will come down because of its association with racist groups. But they think lawmakers should at least discuss replacing it with a different flag that flew over Confederate troops. Rep. Mike Pitts plans to propose several possible flags for the pole and believes he has a majority to pass them. Completely removing the flagpole, he said, would scrub history, which includes family members from his Laurens County home and from the mountains of North Carolina and Virginia. “I guess my plan for tomorrow is to be a lot like my ancestors were at the Bloody Angle,” Pitts said, referring to part of a Virginia battlefield where fighting
raged for nearly 24 hours in 1864, leaving Confederate dead stacked four deep behind their fortifications. “And fight until I have nothing left to fight with.” Pitts’ favorite amendment would place on the pole the flag of the 1st South Carolina Volunteers regiment, which is a blue flag similar to the state flag with its Palmetto tree and crescent moon but with a wreath around the tree. Similar art is etched on a wall inside the Statehouse, Pitts said. Any change to the Senate bill is unacceptable to the 46 Democrats in the 124-member House — a critical number because some Democrats will have to support any bill to take down the flag to reach the two-thirds threshold required by law, Minority Leader Todd Rutherford said. “It will become the new symbol,” Rutherford said of any flag that goes up beside the monument to Confederate soldiers. “It will be the new vestige of racism.” Asked if the GOP was using the idea of an alternative flag simply to avoid bringing down the existing banner, Democratic Rep. Joe Neal, elected in 1992, said he thinks most Republicans are willing to remove the flag and pole entirely. “I think a majority wants to do this. There is a minor-
ity that is dead set against it,” Neal said. “We’ll see when that vote comes up who they are.” Tuesday’s Senate vote lacked drama, nearly matching the vote from the day before. But minutes after, the chamber hushed and all 45 senators stood up as Jennifer Pinckney entered. On June 17, she locked herself in an office with one of the slain senator’s two daughters as the gunman fired dozens of shots in her husband’s Emanuel African Methodist Church. Since then, her only appearances have been at her husband’s viewing and funeral. She did not speak publicly at the Capitol. Instead, family attorney and Clementa Pinckney’s fellow senator Gerald Malloy spoke on her behalf. Malloy said he was proud that the Senate followed the example of the Emanuel AME families who offered forgiveness to the gunman. He cited lawmakers’ willingness to accept that the Confederate flag is a painful symbol to many South Carolinians who are not in their party or of their race. “She wanted to show her gratitude,” Malloy said of Pinckney’s widow. “As you can see, Clementa shined on her as well. His grace is contagious. It is contagious throughout this state.”
MONCKS CORNER, S.C. — An F-16 fighter jet smashed into a small plane Tuesday over South Carolina, killing two people and raining down plane parts and debris over a wide swath of marshes and rice fields. Two people were aboard the smaller Cessna, which was completely destroyed, and both died, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said. The pilot of the F-16 ejected and “is apparently uninjured,” he said. A press release from Shaw Air Force Base in Sumter said the pilot, Maj. Aaron Johnson from the 55th Fighter Squadron, was taken to Joint Base Charleston’s medical clinic for observation. There are not yet any details on what caused the collision or where the planes were traveling, though the NTSB is investigating. Debris was scattered across a wide area, though there were no reports of anyone being hurt or any homes being damaged on the ground, Berkeley County spokesman Michael Mule said. There are homes in the area about 20 miles northwest of Charleston, though it is not densely populated, Mule said. A witness reported that the military plane broadsided the Cessna, said Berkeley County
Coroner Bill Salisbury. Officials said during a news conference that most of the debris was in a marshy area, including a rice field. “We have airboats and boats that are designed to run in the mud,” Salisbury said. Wayne Ware told The Post and Courier of Charleston he was going for a walk when he heard the crash happen. He did not see the initial impact, but heard it. “I turned around, and I saw the jet. Pieces started falling out of the sky,” Ware said, telling the paper the jet’s engine landed at a campground. The Air Force has flown F-16s since the 1970s, though very few active-duty squadrons still fly them. F-16s from Shaw Air Force Base, about 35 miles east of Columbia, routinely fly training missions over eastern South Carolina and the Atlantic. The smaller plane was a Cessna 150, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, a two-seat plane that debuted in 1959 and remains one of the most common single-engine planes in the U.S. The Cessna 150’s maximum altitude is about 15,000 feet, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. Most models weigh about 1,500 pounds when fully fueled. By comparison, an F-16 is about 50 feet long and weighs nearly 10 tons, not counting fuel or weapons.
Nation
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
Cosby admitted he Subway suspends ties gave women quaaludes with Jared after raid By MARYCLAIRE DALE
By TOM MURPHY AND RICK CALLAHAN
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHILADELPHIA — While many of Bill Cosby’s accusers feel vindicated by his decade-old admission that he gave at least one woman quaaludes before sex, some of his Hollywood friends are reserving judgment, saying the testimony doesn’t prove he committed a crime. The testimony, unsealed Monday by a federal judge, reignited the furor that erupted last year, when dozens of women came forward to accuse the comedian of sexual assault over the past four decades. Many said Cosby drugged and raped them. “I never thought I would be validated or vindicated in this,” said Joan Tarshis, of Woodstock, New York, who accused Cosby of drugging and attacking her when she was breaking into comedy writing in 1969. “I mean, it’s turned my life around 180 because now all the people that haven’t believed me or us have come out, most of them, and said, ‘We were wrong.”’ The testimony came from a deposition in a 2005 sexual abuse lawsuit brought against Cosby by a former Temple University basketball team employee, Andrea Constand. The case was settled on confidential terms, but it was the first in a torrent of lawsuits that have shattered Cosby’s goodguy image as wise and understanding Dr. Cliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show” in the 1980s and ’90s. Questioned under oath, Cosby acknowledged giving quaaludes to a 19-year-old woman before they had sex in Las Vegas in 1976. And he admitted giving the
Photo by John Minchillo/Invision | AP file
In this Nov. 6, 2013 file photo, comedian Bill Cosby performs at the Stand Up for Heroes event at Madison Square Garden. powerful, now-banned sedative to unidentified others. His lawyer intervened before he could answer questions about how many women were given drugs and whether they knew it. On ABC’s “The View” on Tuesday, Whoopi Goldberg said she is reserving judgment on Cosby, reaffirming the stance she has held since the allegations against him resurfaced last winter. “You are still innocent until proven guilty,” Goldberg said. Cosby “has not been proven a rapist.” “The View” co-host Raven-Symone, who starred on Cosby’s sitcom as a child and credits him with launching her career, said: “You need the proof, and then I’ll be able to give my judgment here or there.” The Bounce TV network, which is geared toward black viewers, said it is pulling its reruns of the 1990s-era CBS sitcom “Cosby” from the air immediately. And Philadelphia singer Jill Scott, who supported Cosby through the barrage of recent allegations, changed her tune. “I’m not sorry for standing by my mentor. I’m sorry the accusations RTrue,” Scott tweeted. Cosby, 77, has never been charged with a
crime, and the statute of limitations on most of the accusations has run out. Cosby and his lawyers have not commented on the unsealed documents. His publicist, David Brokaw, said that a statement ABC attributed to Cosby’s camp “was not authorized by a Cosby representative.” Attorneys for some of the women suing Cosby seized on the testimony as powerful corroboration of their accusations. “The women have been saying they’ve been drugged and abused, and these documents appear to support the allegations,” said Joe Cammarata, who represents Therese Serignese. She claims Cosby sexually assaulted her backstage in Las Vegas. Bruce Castor, a former suburban Philadelphia prosecutor who declined to bring charges in the Constand case a decade ago, said Tuesday that Cosby’s admission about giving quaaludes to women he wanted sex with didn’t amount to evidence of a crime. Castor, who is running again for district attorney in Montgomery County, said that if he is elected, he will review the unsealed court documents to see if Cosby committed perjury.
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. — FBI agents and Indiana State Police raided the home of Subway restaurant spokesman Jared Fogle on Tuesday, removing electronics from the property and searching the house with a police dog, two months after the then-executive director of Fogle’s foundation was arrested on child pornography charges. FBI agent Wendy Osborne said the agency was conducting an investigation in Zionsville, an affluent Indianapolis suburb, but wouldn’t say whether it involved Fogle or describe the nature of the investigation. Subway said in a statement that it is “very concerned” about the raid, which it believes “is related to a prior investigation” of a former employee of the Jared Foundation, an organization founded by Fogle to raise awareness about childhood obesity. Subway did not immediately say whether that employee was former foundation executive director Russell Taylor. The company had removed references to Fogle from its website by late afternoon and issued another statement, saying the two “have mutually agreed to suspend their relationship due to the current investigation.” “Jared continues to cooperate with authorities and he expects no actions to be forthcoming,” the company said. “Both Jared and Subway agree that this was the appropriate step to take.” Federal prosecutors in May filed a criminal complaint charging Taylor, 43, with seven counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Fogle issued a statement after the charges were filed saying he was shocked by the allegations
Photo by Michael Conroy | AP
Subway restaurant spokesman Jared Fogle walks to a waiting car as he leaves his home, Tuesday, in Zionsville, Ind. and was severing all ties with Taylor. The Indianapolis Star photographed Fogle stepping out of a police evidence van parked outside his home Tuesday morning, and he left the house just after noon with attorney Ron Elberger. Fogle declined to comment, but Elberger later released a statement saying his client is cooperating with authorities. “Jared has been cooperating, and continues to cooperate, with law enforcement in their investigation of unspecified charges, and looks forward to its conclusion,” Elberger said. Fogle, 37, became the Subway restaurant chain’s pitchman after shedding 245 pounds more than 15 years ago, in part by regularly eating Subway sandwiches. Subway began featuring Fogle in commercials soon after, and his story was instrumental in giving the sandwich chain an image as a healthy place to eat. During a search of Taylor’s home this spring, federal investigators say they discovered a cache of sexually explicit photos and videos Taylor allegedly produced by secretly filming minor children at the home. They said they also allegedly found more than 400 videos of child pornography on computers and storage media recovered from Taylor’s home office in his Indi-
anapolis residence. Taylor’s attorney, Brad Banks, said Tuesday his client was briefly hospitalized after the allegations surfaced but is now in federal custody. Sheriff ’s officials have said Taylor tried to take his own life in jail. “The only thing I can say is that I’m aware that there’s an ongoing investigation,” Banks said. Tim Horty, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office in Indianapolis, said prosecutors “are moving forward” with the case against Taylor. He declined to comment on Tuesday’s raid at Fogle’s home. Neighbors said Fogle and his wife entertained frequently and would say hello but that they didn’t see the couple outside a lot. Jacob Schrader, 19, who lives across from Fogle’s house, said the pitchman seems “like a pretty private guy” and that he’d only seen him about a dozen times in the last five or six years. “He’s like an endangered species or something like that,” Schrader said. Subway, which is based in Milford, Connecticut, and is privately held, has struggled in recent years. Last year, industry tracker Technomic said average sales for Subway stores in the U.S. declined 3 percent from the previous year. The company has about 44,000 locations around the world.
International
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Greece’s deadline extended By MIKE CORDER AND RAF CASERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Gregorio Borgia | AP
Pope Francis walks with his pastoral staff to celebrate Mass at Bicentennial Park in Quito, Ecuador, Tuesday.
Pope promotes environment By NICOLE WINFIELD ASSOCIATED PRESS
QUITO, Ecuador — Pope Francis challenged Latin America’s youth to take up his environmental protection campaign Tuesday, saying the defense of God’s creation isn’t just a recommendation but a requirement. Francis appeal, delivered at Quito’s Catholic University, is particularly relevant for Ecuador, a Pacific nation that is home to one of the world’s most species-diverse ecosystems in the Galapagos Islands and Amazon rain forest, but is also an OPEC country heavily dependent on oil extraction. Francis told students and professors that God gave humanity the Earth to not only cultivate, but to care for — a message he framed earlier this month in his headline-grabbing encyclical on the environment. “It is no longer a mere recommendation, but rather a requirement because of the harm we have inflicted on it by our irresponsible use and abuse of the goods with which God has endowed it,” he said. He challenged universities to ensure that students’ educations aren’t aimed only at profitable careers but at helping the poor and the environment. “There is a relationship between our life and that of mother Earth, between the way we live and the gift we have received from God,” he said. Francis’ environmental message has been cheered by indigenous groups, who have complained of being increasingly marginalized by Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa as he pushes mining and oil drilling in the Amazon. That push, coupled with high crude prices, allowed Correa to lift 1.3 million people out of poverty in his eight years in office. Francis has called for environmentally responsible development, one that is aimed at helping the poor without sacrificing the planet. It was a message he was likely to repeat later in the day at a meeting with indigenous groups, and then later this week in Bolivia, the next stop on his threenation South American tour. Bolivian President Evo Morales has been hailed as an environmental hero to many for demanding rich nations do more to
halt global warming, but he has been assailed by conservationists at home who say he puts oil and gas extraction ahead of clean water and forests. Francis began his last full day in Ecuador with an open-air Mass that drew more than 1 million people and featured readings in Quichua, the native language mostly spoken in Ecuador, and Ecuadorean vestments for the pope. In his homily, Francis urged Latin Americans to channel the same urgency that brought them independence from Spain two centuries ago into spreading the faith on a continent where Catholicism is losing souls to evangelical movements. The Mass location, at Quito’s Bicentennial Park, was appropriate given that Ecuador was where the first cries of independence against Spanish rule arose in Latin America in 1809. “There was no shortage of conviction or strength in that cry for freedom which arose a little more than 200 years ago,” Francis said. “But history tells us that it only made headway once personal differences were set aside.”
BRUSSELS — Frustrated and angered eurozone leaders gave Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras a last-minute chance Tuesday to finally come up with a viable proposal on how to save his country from financial ruin. Overcoming their surprise when Tsipras failed to present them with a detailed plan, the leaders reluctantly agreed to a final summit Sunday, saying that could give both sides an opportunity to stave off collapse of the struggling but defiant member nation. Underscoring the gravity of the challenge, European Union President Donald Tusk decided to call all 28 EU leaders to Brussels instead of only the 19 eurozone members, because, for the bloc, it “is maybe the most critical moment in our history.” French President Francois Hollande agreed. “It’s not just the problem of Greece — it’s the future of the European Union” that’s at stake, he said. And highlighting the rising anger with Tsipras over months of foot-dragging and surprising negotiating twists, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker had a stark warning for Greece. “We have a Grexit scenario, prepared in detail,” he said, referring to the situation in which Greece would have to exit the currency union. With Greece’s banks just days away from a potential collapse that could drag the country out of the euro, Tsipras arrived with only vague proposals and a commitment to back it up with real figures and a more detailed plan by Thursday. Speaking to reporters late Tuesday, Tsipras said
Photo by Michel Euler | AP
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, center, leaves an emergency summit of eurozone heads of state in Brussels on Tuesday. he made proposals to the leaders during the evening summit but it was unclear whether it meant anything more than the general direction of staving off too tough austerity and insisting on debt restructuring. Yet he made clear he had gotten the message that there wasn’t a moment to waste as deadlines for debt payments that Greece cannot afford draw near. “The process will be swift, it will be speedy, it will begin in the next few hours with the aim of concluding until the end of the week at the latest,” Tsipras said. According to a joint statement of the leaders, Tsipras must set out Greece’s proposals in detail for a reform agenda. The country’s international creditors will then assess the plan to prepare for another meeting of eurogroup finance ministers and ultimately Sunday’s summit of the full EU. Often such detailed plans have fallen by the wayside amid political bickering between Greece and its creditors. Patience among Greece’s allies was wearing very thin ahead of the meeting. “You know, there was a promise for today. Then, they’re promising for to-
morrow,” said Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite. “For the Greek government it’s every time ‘manana.”’ Tsipras came buoyed by a triumph in last Sunday’s referendum, where an overwhelming majority of Greeks backed his call to reject the belt-tightening reforms that creditors had last proposed. But that domestic victory did not appear to give him much leverage in talks with foreign creditors, who know Tsipras needs a deal soon to keep his country afloat. Banks have been shut since last week and will not reopen before Thursday, cash withdrawals have been limited for just as long, and daily business throughout the country has come to a near standstill. So it was with astonishment and dismay that European leaders learned Tsipras did not yet have a written proposal for new rescue aid. “I’m extremely somber about this summit. I’m also somber about the question of whether Greece really wants to come up with proposals, with a solution,” Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said. Greece’s eurozone partners have steadfastly said they want to help Greece
stay in the currency club but have just as often complained about Greece dragging its feet during months of negotiations. “At a certain point, you need to get to the truth,” said Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel, before asking: “Is there, yes or no, a political will of the Greek government?” A Greek government official, who asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the discussions, said Tsipras was presenting a “common ground” to the 18 other leaders Tuesday, while a detailed proposal would come Wednesday. He said the Greek government would submit a request for immediate financing in advance of 5 billion euros in loans due for repayment by the end of the month. He predicted a full political deal could be reached in two or three weeks. German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned Tsipras he was dancing close to the financial abyss. “We are no longer talking about weeks but very few days,” she said. In his flurry of contacts, Tsipras spoke by phone with President Barack Obama, and the White House said it was in Europe’s interest to reach a resolution that puts Greece on the path toward economic growth and stability. An official from a eurozone nation said that Greece’s failure to bring clear proposals to an earlier meeting of finance ministers caused widespread frustration. Greek Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos instead made only an oral presentation and discussed key issues. “Everybody was angry,” said the official, who asked not to be identified because he was commenting on a closed meeting.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
NBA
Thinking big Photo by Ben Margot | AP
Golden State traded forward David Lee to Boston in a move for Gerald Wallace.
Celtics swap Wallace for Lee By ANTONIO GONZALEZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by LM Otero | AP
Dallas head coach Jason Garret and the Cowboys are planning a Super Bowl run in 2015 but a tough September schedule should be their first concern.
Gosselin: Cowboys’ concern should be September By RICK GOSSELIN
ry.
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Why do I focus on the defense? Because of the four opponents on tap at the start of the season. All four finished in the NFL’s top 10 in offense last season - the Saints first, the Eagles fifth, the Falcons eighth and the Giants 10th. Two of the teams have quarterbacks who have won Super Bowls, another has the NFL rushing champion and two have Pro Bowl receivers. The Cowboys could certainly use Hardy’s pass rush against Eli Manning in the opener against the Giants. New York has won two Super Bowls and Manning has been the MVP of both of them. The Cowboys also could use Hardy’s rush against Drew Brees in the fourth week against the Saints. Brees picked up a Super Bowl ring in 2009. There have been eight 5,000-yard passing seasons in NFL history and Brees has four of them. The Cowboys could use McClain’s run-stuffing abilities against old friend DeMarco Murray in the second week against the Eagles. Murray set the Cowboys’ franchise record with 1,845 yards on the ground last season, winning the NFL rushing title by almost 500 yards. But Murray bolted for Philadel-
The focus around Dallas ever since the Dez noncatch in Green Bay has been the 2015 season. Specifically, the end of the 2015 season. The expectation in these parts is that the Cowboys are ready to take the next step. There’s an anticipation that the Cowboys will again capture the division, reach the playoffs, win the NFC and advance to an NFL-record ninth Super Bowl. League passing champion Tony Romo fueled those expectations in April with a public proclamation that the Cowboys would win the next Super Bowl. So there is a natural urge to want to fast forward the season to January. Let’s cut to the chase. But my concern isn’t January. My concern is now September. The team’s best pass rusher (Greg Hardy) won’t be there for the opening month of the season. Neither will the team’s best run defender (Rolando McClain). The Cowboys also will be asking two rookies to assume prominent roles on defense - firstround cornerback Byron Jones and second-round pass rusher Randy Grego-
phia in free agency this offseason, becoming the first rushing champion to switch teams in 49 years. Do you think Murray has this game circled on his calendar? Hardy signed as a free agent with the Cowboys in March. He’s a former Pro Bowl pass rusher who sacked 15 quarterbacks in his last full season in 2013. At 26, he’s certainly young enough to do it again. But the NFL suspended him in April for 10 games for domestic abuse. Hardy has appealed, but even the optimists at Valley Ranch do not expect more than a four-game roll back, if any. McClain returned to the field after a year’s absence in 2014, signing with the Cowboys as a free agent, and put together his best season as a pro. A former top-10 draft pick, McClain collected a career-best 108 tackles to serve as the linchpin of a top 10 rushing defense. But last week, the NFL suspended him for four games for violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. Free agent Jasper Brinkley figures to replace McClain at middle linebacker in September. Brinkley started in the middle for a Minnesota defense a year ago that ranked 25th in the NFL against the run.
Gregory figures to see better left tackles in September than he saw in the Big Ten these last few seasons. The Eagles have a seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle in Jason Peters, and the Falcons used a top-10 pick on a left tackle in 2014. The Giants used a top-10 pick and the Saints a top-15 pick on left tackles in April. Jones certainly figures to see better receivers in September than he saw in the American Athletic Conference these last few years. He’ll make his NFL debut against a New York team with a Pro Bowl receiver on each flank, Odell Beckham Jr. and Victor Cruz. Two weeks later, the Falcons will trot out Julio Jones to challenge the Dallas secondary. During their Super Bowl era (1992-95), the Cowboys were 12-4 in the opening month of seasons. Fast starts paved the way for championship finishes. But since winning their last title in 1995, the Cowboys are 40-36 in the opening month of the season. They are 9-7 in the opening month under Garrett. The focus of the fan base may be February and the Super Bowl. But the focus of the Cowboys needs to be September and survival on defense.
OAKLAND — David Lee wanted to help turn around the Golden State Warriors when he came to the struggling franchise as a high-priced free agent in 2010. Five years later, Lee is leaving with a championship — and the respect of his teammates and loyal fans. The Warriors agreed to trade the former All-Star forward to the Boston Celtics for Gerald Wallace on Tuesday, a person with knowledge of the deal said. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade can’t become official until the moratorium on NBA business ends Thursday. Lee injured his left hamstring in the final preseason game and his role diminished with the emergence of Draymond Green, the runner-up for defensive player of the year. The NBA champion Warriors have been looking to trade Lee this summer to limit the team’s luxury tax hit next season. Green wrote on Twitter that this is the “part of the business that sucks!” He wished Lee “nothing but the best and I appreciate you showing me the way Champ!!! Much love.” It became a near-certainty the Warriors would move Lee after agreeing to a five-year contract worth about $82 million with Green last week. Lee is due about $15.4 million in the final year of his contract. Wallace is owed about $10 million next season. But because Wallace’s contract was signed after the most recent collective bargaining agreement, the
Warriors can use the stretch provision and it will only cost the team about $3.3 million over the next three seasons — a huge tax savings. Lee was the highestpaid player on the Warriors last season at about $15 million. He was someone the roster was built around after he was acquired in a sign-and-trade deal with the New York Knicks in July 2010, and Lee led the way his first few years with Golden State alongside newly minted MVP Stephen Curry. While his defense — or lack of it — remained a source of debate, Lee was a double-double machine and co-captain with Curry until this past season. In 2013, Lee became the franchise’s first All-Star since Latrell Sprewell in 1997. But Lee lost his starting job when he got injured and Green excelled in his place. Lee received only sporadic playing time depending on matchups and had several games when he didn’t play. Lee played the fewest minutes of his career and averaged just 7.9 points per game — the lowest since his rookie year with the Knicks in 2005-06. But Lee never complained and never became a distraction. Instead, he embraced his role and embodied the team-first spirit that propelled the Warriors to their first NBA title in 40 years. Lee’s biggest contribution on the court might’ve come in the fourth quarter of Game 3 of the NBA Finals in Cleveland. The Warriors’ comeback fell short, but the team regained its rhythm behind Lee’s pick-and-roll play and ball-movement, which had been sorely lacking in the series.
MIÉRCOLES 08 DE JULIO DE 2015
Zfrontera NUEVO LAREDO, MX
Ribereña en Breve
Atacan unidad
DECOMISO El viernes, alrededor de las 11:27 a.m., agentes de Patrulla Fronteriza asignados a la Estación Zapata decomisaron 673 libras de marihuana, durante un intento de contrabando. Los agentes trabajaban en operativos cuando observaron un vehículo sospechoso realizar una vuelta abrupta cerca de la Carretera 83. Conforme los oficiales se acercaron, encontraron el vehículo abandonado. Se realizó una búsqueda por el área, tras la cual agentes recuperaron 30 paquetes con marihuana. El peso estimado fue de 672.85 libras de marihuana con un valor en las calles estimado de 538.280 dólares. No se realizaron arrestos. Para reportar actividad sospechosa puede llamar a Patrulla Fronteriza del Sector Laredo al 1-800-343-1994.
PÁGINA 9A
POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un helicóptero de la armada de México sufrió un ataque con disparos mientras patrullaba un área ubicada alrededor de 44 millas al sur de Nuevo Laredo, México, dieron a conocer autoridades el lunes. El Alguacil del Condado de Webb, Martin Cuellar, dijo que él sospecha que los pistoleros que dispararon contre el Black Hawk eran integrantes de Los Zetas. Seis pistoleros murieron durante la confrontación con marinos mexicanos, revelaron autoridades de Tamaulipas. Oficiales informaron que el incidente ocurrió el domingo en el área del Ejido El Cuatro, el cual se encuentra ubicado al cruzar la frontera desde el Condado de Zapata y a casi 44 millas al sur de Nue-
vo Laredo. Por el lado mexicano, es en una brecha entre las áreas de Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León y Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas. Basados en inteligencia naval, oficiales se encontraban patrullando en busca de grupos criminales operando en el área, indican reportes del estado. Personal de la armada de México sobrevolando y patrullando en tierra, dijeron que vieron varios vehículos ocupados por pistoleros. Los sospechosos abrieron fuego contra el helicóptero, acertando en al menos siete ocasiones. Sin embargo, oficiales a bordo de la nave resultaron ilesos, indica el reporte. Marinos mexicanos sostienen que empezaron a realizar disparos de advertencia desde el aire. Pero, los sospechosos se rehusaron a detenerse y continuaron disparando
a las autoridades. Fuerzas federales decomisaron cuatro vehículos y seis armas largas, agrega el reporte. Tanto de las personas fallecidas como de los efectos asegurados antes mencionados, se hicieron del conocimiento al delegado estatal de la Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) y a la Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado, para los efectos correspondientes. Una advertencia de viaje hacia México actualizada el 5 de mayo, permanece activa, de acuerdo al Departamento de Estado de EU. “Pospongan cualquier viaje no esencial al estado de Tamaulipas”, indica la advertencia. “Conflictos violentos entre elementos criminales rivales y/o militares mexicanos pueden ocurrir en todas partes de la región y en cualquier momento del día. La actividad
criminal violenta ocurre con mayor frecuencia a lo largo de la frontera norte”. En su cuenta de Facebook, el Presidente Municipal de Nuevo Laredo, Carlos Canturosas Villarreal, aclaró que medios nacionales erraron en relatar el punto donde ocurrieron los hechos. “Es preciso señalar que los hechos en mención son ciertos, pero la ubicación donde señala que el hecho sucedió en Nuevo Laredo es falso, toda vez que los mismos sucedieron en Nueva Ciudad Guerrero Tamaulipas, muy cercano al estado de Nuevo León”, escribió Canturosas. Sostuvo que la aclaración era pertinente para “evitar que se dañe la imagen de nuestra ciudad”. (Localice a César G. Rodriguez en el 728-2568 o en cesar@lmtonline.com)
TAMAULIPAS
INMIGRACIÓN
ANALIZAN IMPACTO DE REFORMA
Reducirían casos pendientes
HORARIO DE EXÁMENES El Zapata County Independent School District anunció los exámenes para estudiantes de Zapata High School. El examen de Inglés II será el 8 de julio; mientras que el examen de Biología será el 9 de julio; y el 10 de julio se presentará el examen de Historia. Todos los exámenes comenzarán a las 8 a.m. En caso de dudas o preguntas puede llamar a Irma Guerra al 765-0280 o escribir a iguerra@zcisd.org.
POR LUIS ALONSO LUGO ASSOCIATED PRESS
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. Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
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.
El lunes, José María Leal Gutiérrez, titular de la Agencia Estatal de Energía, participó en el Primer Congreso Internacional sobre Reforma Energética, que tuvo lugar en Reynosa, México, donde habló sobre la importancia de formar profesionales del sector energético.
Fomentan educación en sector energético TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
E
l desarrollo del sector energético a la par de la investigación y la educación, han sido elementos claves para lograr alcanzar los propósitos de la agenda Energética del Estado de Tamaulipas, señaló José María Leal Gutiérrez, titular de la Agencia Estatal de Energía, durante el Primer Congreso Internacional sobre Reforme Energética en Reynosa, México. La formación de nuevos profesionales y la especialización fueron los temas principales de la conferencia, durante la cual, también se habló de las oportunidades de trabajo generadas por la Reforma
Energética impulsada en México desde 2013. “Es fundamental que los tamaulipecos estemos capacitados ante el alud de oportunidades que ya están llegando al Estado, además de la promoción que hemos realizado con los inversionistas nacionales y extranjeros”, dijo Leal. “Es por eso que la vinculación con el sector educativo es la base para la formación en el sector”. Una de las primeras acciones que emprendió el Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Egidio Torre Cantú, fue iniciar la vinculación con las universidades de San Antonio, Austin y Laredo, esto en octubre de 2014, señala un comunicado de prensa.
MATAMOROS, MÉXICO
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.
TORNEO El Torneo Anual de Pesca Infantil ‘Back to School’ organizado por la Cámara de Comercio de Zapata, en su quinta edición, se realizará el sábado 22 de agosto. El evento se realizará de 7 a.m. a 3 p.m. en Bravo Park Pond.
Al mismo tiempo en que se realizaron las giras también se trabajó a la par con la Secretaría de Educación en la Entidad y la Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas, para alinear los programas que fortalecerían el eje de formación del capital humano, añade el comunicado. “La formación en el sector energético (que tiene la UAT) se enfila fuertemente para capitalizar la Reforma”, dijo Leal. El congreso tuvo por objetivo analizar los alcances de la Reforma, difundir las áreas de oportunidad en el desarrollo energético, dar a conocer los nuevos modelos educativos y su impacto económico en el sector industrial en el norte de México.
WASHINGTON — Algunos de los 247 jueces migratorios de todo el país postergaron hasta noviembre de 2019 los casos de baja prioridad para dar cabida a los más de 75.000 casos interpuestos por miles de menores centroamericanos que llegaron a la frontera sin documentos, dijo el martes el gobierno estadounidense. Juan Osuna, director de la Oficina Ejecutiva para la Revisión Migratoria, explicó que algunos tribunales migratorios enfrentan tal volumen de casos que solamente trabajan en la actualidad con los de alta prioridad, entre ellos los relacionados con los niños de Centroamérica. El funcionario agradeció a los legisladores sus esfuerzos para incluir en el proyecto de presupuesto para el ejercicio fiscal 2016 fondos destinados a la contratación de 55 jueces migratorios adicionales que ayuden a resolver los casos pendientes. “Nuestro mayor desafío es la cantidad creciente de casos pendientes”, indicó Osuna al comparecer ante la Comisión de Seguridad Nacional del Senado. “Seguimos pidiendo a una buena cantidad de jueces migratorios y su equipo que procesen estas decenas de miles de casos en un esfuerzo continuo por reducir el impacto sobre cientos de miles de casos que ya estaban en espera”, agregó. El principal demócrata en la comisión, el senador por Delaware Thomas Carper calificó de “inaceptable” que algunos inmigrantes deban esperar hasta noviembre de 2019 y agregó que si bien los 55 nuevos magistrados “no solucionarán el problema por completo, ciertamente serán de gran ayuda”. Joseph Langlois, director de Asilos de la Oficina del Servicio de Ciudadanía e Inmigración de Estados Unidos (USCIS, por sus siglas en inglés), dijo que 7.041 menores sin acompañantes adultos detenidos por las autoridades migratorias solicitaron asilo entre octubre de 2013 y julio de 2014, de los cuales 1.616 fueron aprobados. Langlois agregó que 2.993 casos de asilo están pendientes y que 61% de ellos fueron interpuestos durante el último trimestre. El presidente de la comisión, el senador republicano por Wisconsin Ron Johnson, sostuvo que el flujo migratorio este año ha disminuido de manera sustancial respecto de 2014 y lo atribuyó a la implementación de un programa conocido por sus siglas en inglés DACA que protege de la deportación a más de medio millón de inmigrantes cuyos padres los trajeron a Estados Unidos sin autorización cuando eran niños.
Detienen a 10; serían parte de grupo delictivo TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Diez presuntos integrantes de un grupo delictivo que opera en el municipio de Matamoros, México, fueron detenidos, anunciaron autoridades tamaulipecas el sábado. El arresto ocurrió tras la supuesta participación de los acusados en una agresión a balazos contra elementos de Fuerza Tamaulipas, señaló el Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas, a través
de un comunicado de prensa. Los implicados también son acusados de dedicarse a actividades de halconeo. Las personas arrestadas son Mayra Yadira Valdez González, Yesica Zamora Castro, Sandra Patricia Gutiérrez Tovar, Erik Ríos García, Ángel Martínez Vázquez, Jesús Victorino Gómez Mares, Julio Eduardo Ramírez García, Luis Alberto Medellín Zavala, Carlos Alberto Pérez Tavera y Roque García
García. Todos mayores de edad. El arresto ocurrió el miércoles 1 de julio, cuando alrededor de la 1:30 p.m. Ese día, los sospechosos iban a bordo de una camioneta GMC tipo Van, color blanca, sobre la carretera federal MatamorosVictoria, en las inmediaciones del ejido González Villarreal, señala el comunicado. El vehículo, supuestamente participó en un ataque contra policías estatales en la misma carretera el 26 de junio, añade el
comunicado. Tras el arresto también se decomisaron dos radios, ocho teléfonos celulares de diferentes marcas y 25 poncha llantas. Los acusados y los objetos decomisados fueron puestos a disposición del Juzgado Primero Penal e internados en el CEDES de Santa Adelaida por los delitos de Atentados a la Seguridad de la Comunidad y Delitos Cometidos Contra Servidores Públicos.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
US trade deficit widens By MARTIN CRUTSINGER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit widened slightly in May, reflecting declines in sales of American-made aircraft and machinery as exports continued to suffer from a strong dollar. The deficit increased 2.9 percent to $41.9 billion in May, up from an April imbalance of $40.7 billion, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. Imports fell 0.1 percent to $230.5 billion. Exports slid at a faster pace of 0.8 percent to $188.6 billion. American producers have been hurt this year by a rising value of the dollar, which makes U.S. goods less competitive in overseas markets. Even with the slight rise in May, the deficit over the past two months is averaging less than in the first quarter. That should help boost growth in the second quarter. Trade slashed nearly 2 percentage points off growth during the first three months of the year. The big drag from trade combined with an unusually severe winter sent the economy into reverse, contracting at an annual rate of 0.2 percent in the JanuaryMarch period. Analysts believe that a narrowing of the trade deficit in the April-June period will be a major factor in reviving overall growth. They forecast a rebound to an annual growth rate of around 2.5 percent, as measured by the gross domestic product, in the second quarter. Analysts think going forward, solid job gains will bolster GDP growth even more in the second half of this year to around 3 percent. Paul Ashworth, chief U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said that the dollar’s rise in value over the past 12 months will likely mean that trade will remain a small drag on the economy for the rest of this year. But he added that with the dollar’s increase slowing in recent months, its drag on growth should fade in 2016. The deficit with China jumped 15 percent in May to $30.5 billion. So far this year, it is running 11.1 percent higher than the same period a year ago, putting the country on track to hit another annual record. America’s trade deficit with China is the largest with any country. In May, the United States ran a rare trade surplus with its biggest trading partner, Canada.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
Crude oil succumbs to pressure By COLLIN EATONAND AND ERIN MULVANEY HOUSTON CHRONICLE
U.S. crude plunged on Monday in its third-biggest tumble since the oil bust began last summer, spurred by the threat of financial disaster in Greece and China and by 11th-hour international negotiations that could put Iranian crude back on the market. But for all the potential crises on the world’s energy stage, it was signs of a resurgence in U.S. drilling that spooked oil markets most, abruptly ending two months of stable $60 oil as traders digested signs that oil fields from Texas to North Dakota are producing more than the market needs. “It’s finally dawning on the market that the overwhelming weight of supply growth isn’t just going away,” said Neil Atkinson, an oil analyst at Lloyd’s List Intelligence in London. “The U.S. has been remarkably resilient. All those people who said production would fall off a cliff were proved wrong.” Oil markets did a major recalculation after last week’s key energy data showed the United States is putting excess oil in storage again and producers are sending drilling rigs back into the field. Traders realized the 13-month slump in prices hasn’t significantly slowed production and are coming to grips with a potential future of $50 oil, Atkinson said. The U.S. benchmark oil price fell $4.40, or 7.7 percent, on Monday to $52.53 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, its third-largest one-day de-
Photo by Hasan Jamali | AP file
In this May 28 file photo, oil pumps work in the desert oil fields of Sakhir, Bahrain. A slew of global economic and geopolitical factors are working to pummel the price of oil. cline over that 13-month period. The price was $61.01 on June 23. Brent, the international standard, fell $3.78, or 6.2 percent, to $56.54, its lowest settlement since early April. For oil traders, troubles mounted outside the United States, as well. In Vienna, delegates from Iran and six western nations were one day away from a Tuesday deadline to strike a deal that would curb Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for lifting oil-export sanctions that have kept 700,000 barrels a day of Iranian crude out of circulation. Greek voters on Sunday rejected a European bailout in a referendum that could mean financial ruin for Greece if it gets kicked out of the European Union. Investors are worried the financial distress could spread to other European nations and weaken global demand for oil.
And the Chinese government spooked oil markets by pouring billions into its domestic stock market, a sign that the financial engine of the world’s second-biggest oilconsuming economy is teetering. Saudi Arabia and Iraq have put huge amounts of oil into a market already groaning under the weight of a global glut in crude. “There’s been a slew of bearish fundamental elements for the market to chew on,” said John Kilduff, an oil analyst and founding partner of Again Capital in New York. ”This could set up for a showdown at $50 a barrel again.” A price level that low would derail any possibility of a modest recovery for the U.S. oil industry, which despite keeping production relatively stable, has gutted annual budgets and laid off thousands of workers since the
beginning of the year. “It’s a case of volatility in oil prices raising its ugly head again,” said Bill Arnold, professor of the practice of energy management at Rice University. “Were we to move into a $50 world, I think that would be grounds for a loss of optimism that could lead to even more job cuts,” Arnold said. “The industry has been through so much over the last nine months. Companies have responded very quickly to the drops. It’s not as if you have companies sitting on the sideline waiting to see what will happen.” On Monday, oil equipment maker Technip said it plans to cut about 6,000 jobs, roughly 16 percent of its workforce, as it restructures its businesses to cope with the downturn. The Paris-based firm, which has its main U.S. offices in Houston,
cited ”anticipation of an even more challenging environment” and said the moves will save $919 million over the next three years. A drilling recovery could put some of the 15 percent to 20 percent of the nation’s laid-off oil field workers back to work. Analysts anticipated roughly 350 rigs, each of which employs scores of workers, could return to the oil patch by 2017. But oil companies have no chance of staging a recovery like that if oil hovers around $50 a barrel for long this year, said Bill Herbert, an analyst at Simmons & Co. in Houston. “The industry doesn’t work at sub-$60 oil prices,” Herbert said. ”If these prices last for months or quarters, the fallout is going to be significant. ... The industry is not going to be able to handle this.” And it’s unlikely that capital markets, which propped up cash-strapped oil companies in the first half of the year, will be as sympathetic to U.S. producers when overall output remains too high, he said. Jesse Thompson, business economist with the Houston branch of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, predicted an uptick in bankruptcies for small exploration and production companies if oil hovers around $50 a barrel. The outcome of Iran’s negotiations with the five permanent nations of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany, will play a big role in determining whether oil prices bounce back.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
Clerk issues ‘declaration’ By DAVID WARREN ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — A county clerk in West Texas is refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples and asks state leaders in a self-described “declaration” to “protect natural marriage from lawless court opinions.” The objection this week by Irion County Clerk Molly Criner to last month’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that legalized gay marriage nationwide is detailed in a statement she crafted titled “Declaration of obedience to law and defense of natural marriage.” Other county clerks in Texas have expressed concerns about issuing licenses to same-sex couples, some because they have religious objections to such a marriage and others who cite state documents that haven’t been updated to include samegender language. But Criner’s opposition, released as part of a broader statement by the Florida-based conservative nonprofit group Liberty Counsel, refers to prior Supreme Court decisions, state resolutions from 1798 and the writings of Martin Luther King Jr. in arguing that marriage “between one man and one woman remains the law in Texas, regardless of any court decision to the contrary.” As of last week there were about 100 counties in Texas that weren’t issuing the licenses, but the vast majority said the delay
Photo by Eric Gay | AP file
Texas marriage plaintiffs Vic Holmes, left, and partner Mark Phariss, right, hold hands on the steps of the Texas Capitol on June 29. was because clerks were awaiting legal advice, updated paperwork or software, according to The Dallas Morning News. Only a few cited religious objections. Criner’s opposition comes amid a flurry of opinions by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and various county attorneys trying to give direction to county clerks, at least some of whom were uncertain how to act in the wake of the court’s June 26 ruling. “We were the first people to be affected and the last ones to be contacted. No one had our back,” Yoakum County Clerk Deborah Rushing said in a statewide email list to other clerks, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. A district attorney in South Texas is among many who recently issued opinions to their county
clerks, but his stands out for its occasional use of folksy, blunt language to assess matters. While Attorney General Paxton has expressed support for clerks who object to issuing same-sex marriage licenses, Victoria County District Attorney Stephen Tyler said Paxton’s opinion essentially states that he disagrees with the Supreme Court ruling but Paxton “is not the lifeguard at this pool” so clerks “WILL swim at their own risk.” Tyler later told The Associated Press that Paxton was wrong to say in a statement to the media last week that there are lawyers waiting to counsel, free of charge, clerks who cite religious objections in declining to issue licenses. “To suggest that someone’s going to come out of the woodwork and defend
them, that’s not going to happen,” Tyler said. Criner did not respond to a call from the AP seeking comment Tuesday, but Liberty Counsel founder Mat Staver said Criner has “thought through this scenario probably more than most people have.” He said she wants recognition that she can freely exercise her religious beliefs and objects to how the court “shut down debate on such a critical social issue.” “There’s the intuitive sense of concern of millions of Americans that the court is deciding these very divisive social issues with a mere majority of one vote,” Staver said. Liberty Counsel will represent Criner should she be the target of a lawsuit, he said. He did not know if deputy clerks in Irion County are authorized to issue licenses to same-sex couples or if any couples have requested one. The county judge and county attorney did not return calls Tuesday. The rural county, with a population of about 1,500 people, is southwest of San Angelo. Chuck Smith, executive director for Equality Texas, an advocacy group that lobbies on behalf of gay and transgender people, said Criner is entitled to her beliefs, but those beliefs can’t “interfere with the issuance of a license.” “The office as a whole has to comply with issuing licenses to all eligible couples on demand,” Smith said.
35 people test positive for tuberculosis at school ASSOCIATED PRESS
EL PASO — Additional testing will take place after nearly three dozen students and staff at a West Texas school tested positive for tuberculosis, according to public health officials. The El Paso Department of Public Health ordered tests for 163 students and eight staff members at Frank Macias Elementary School after an active case of tuberculosis was discovered at the school last month. Of the 150 or so people who have been tested, 29 children and six staff members tested positive for the infectious bacterial disease. It’s unclear how many of the infected people are contagious. More testing is needed to determine if any of the cases are active. “We need to stress to parents not to be concerned that they already have the active disease,” said local pediatrician Hector Ocaranza. “They may have been exposed before and that’s why they
react positive.” All of the people who tested positive for tuberculosis will undergo additional screenings. The health department will provide medication to anyone with an active case of tuberculosis. “It’s important to note that children under the age of 10 rarely transmit tuberculosis,” said Bruce Parsons, assistant health director for the City of El Paso Department of Public Health. Another round of testing will begin Wednesday for 40 more children and the school’s entire staff of about 100 adults. The testing is expected to be complete by the end of the week. Health officials took blood samples from about 170 adults Monday to test for tuberculosis exposure at the Dismas Charities halfway house after a person associated with the facility tested positive. The results are expected early next week. Last year, 44 cases of tuberculosis were identified in the El Paso area.
JUAN J. “J.J.” GONZALEZ May 30, 1959 – July 5, 2015
Google tests driverless cars ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas — Google Inc. has selected Texas as the latest testing site for its self-driving car project, the company announced Tuesday. A modified Lexus SUV has already been seen on Austin roads, with safety drivers on board, according to the Austin American-Statesman. The driverless car will operate a few square miles north and northeast of downtown Austin, Google said in a statement. Google
did not say exactly where the driverless cars would be tested. The company is also testing several dozen self-driving cars on streets in Mountain View, California, where Google is based. Google in 2013 announced the company had picked tech-savvy Austin for wiring homes with ultra-fast Internet connections as part of Google Fiber. “We loved how much Austin embraces innovation,” said Jennifer Haroon, head of business op-
erations for Google’s selfdriving unit, told the American-Statesman. “From technology to music to food. We feel like that matches the spirit of both Google and the selfdriving car project.” All of the vehicles use special software and sensors, which can detect objects as far as two football fields away in all directions. “It’s important for us to get experience testing our software in different driving environments, traffic patterns and road condi-
tions — so we’re ready to take on Austin’s pedicabs, pickup trucks and everything in between,” according a Google statement. “Keep it weird for us, Austin, and visit our website to let us know how we’re driving.” The testing fleet in California includes Lexus SUVs and also prototype vehicles. All self-driving vehicles in California and Texas have safety drivers on board. Google has “selfdriven” more than 1 million miles, according to the company’s website.
ZETAS Continued from Page 1A A travel warning into Mexico updated May 5 remains active, according to the U.S. Department of State.
“Defer all non-essential travel to the state of Tamaulipas,” reads the warning. “Violent conflicts between rival criminal ele-
ments and/or the Mexican military can occur in all parts of the region and at all times of the day. Violent criminal activity occurs
more frequently along the northern border.” (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
Juan J. “J.J.” Gonzalez, 56, passed away on Sunday, July 5, 2015 at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Mr. Gonzalez is preceded in death by his parents, Juan and Maria T. Gonzalez; brother, Mario Gonzalez and a sister Yolanda De Los Santos. Mr. Gonzalez is survived by his wife, Diana Gonzalez; sons, Juan J. Gonzalez (Mine Chapa), Jaime Gonzalez, Joshua Gonzalez; daughters, Misti Gonzalez (Gabriel Garcia, Jr.), Sadie Gonzalez, Roxanna De La Paz; ten grandchildren; brother, Enrique (Melissa) Gonzalez; sister, Graciela (+Armando) Ortiz; brother-inlaw, Pedro De Los Santos; sister-in-law, Graciela Gonzalez and by numerous other family members and friends. Visitation hours will be held on Wednesday, July 8, 2015, at 8 a.m. with a chapel service at 11 a.m. at
Rose Garden Funeral Home. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.
Public Notice
POT Continued from Page 1A one scout vehicle traveling with the tractor trailer. Agents observed a gold 1998 Chevy Pickup truck traveling in front of the tractor trailer as they passed through San Ygnacio. When agents began following the vehicles, both the truck and the tractor trailer pulled over to the side of the road and turned their hazard lights on, the complaint states. A Department of Public Safety trooper initiated a
traffic stop with the tractor trailer and made contact with the driver and passenger, identified as Escamilla and Campos, respectively. “Border Patrol conducted a canine sniff on the tractor trailer and the canine alerted to the rear of the trailer,” the complaint states. After receiving consent to search, officers discovered a total of 590 bundles of marijuana, weighing approximately 3,659.80 kilo-
grams, inside the trailer. Other agents followed the aforementioned gold truck back to a gas station in Zapata and made contact with the driver, identified as Perez. All three men were arrested. In a post-arrest interview, Escamilla admitted he was being paid $15,000 to transport the marijuana to Houston by way of Laredo. “He indicated that Campos was also in contact
with scout vehicles, and his job was to guide him on the journey and through the Border Patrol checkpoint,” the complaint states. Perez and Campos will be placed on a five-year term of supervised release following their incarceration. Escamilla will be placed on a three-year term of supervised release. (Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
REHAB Continued from Page 1A “Doctors of Chiropractic – often referred to as chiropractors or chiropractic physicians – practice a drug-free, hands-on approach to health care that includes patient examination, diagnosis and treatment. Chiropractors have broad diagnostic skills and are also trained to recommend therapeutic and rehabilitative exercises, as well as to provide nutritional, dietary and lifestyle counseling,” the website states. Guerra said she would eventually like to open a chiropractic clinic in Zapata because of the need for it. There are currently zero
doctors of chiropractics in Zapata County. “I think there is a need for it (in Zapata). Most people that need the services end up having to travel long distances to Laredo or to the Valley, which, you know, if you’re in pain, is inconvenient,” Guerra said. Guerra also said she is committed to staying in the Laredo and Zapata area for a while. “I like the area. I know the area,” she said. She attended L.J. Christen Middle School before moving to Zapata as a freshmen, and she said she has maintained contact with her middle school and high
school friends via social media. “I’ve tried to let them know that I’m back, so maybe they can come and see me,” she said. A more natural approach to health care, chiropractics is a preventative health care measure that President Obama has been encouraging for citizens to practice. “Preventive care … saves money, for families, for businesses, for government, for everybody,” Obama was quoted as saying in a Feb. 2012 White House briefing. Because chiropractics attempt to treat pain without the use of medication or surgery, Guerra said that
she requires dedication from her patients. “I think that the body was created in a way to heal itself,” she said. “I tell my patients that they will feel better after their first session, but they have to stick with me and come in for a few more sessions before any real progress is made… I’m working with 40 years of pain sometimes! It’s going to take time… I tell them to either go to another doctor and get some muscle relaxants or to stick with me, and so far, all of them have stuck with me.” (Gabriela A. Treviño may be reached at 956-728-2579 or gtrevino@lmtonline.com)
Region 11 of the Department of State Health Services, in partnership with the Texas Military Forces may conduct a health care program called “Operation Lone Star” in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Jim Hogg, Zapata and Webb Counties. Free medical and dental services may be provided for up to one week in late July and/or early August 2017. Questions should be addressed to: Innovative Readiness Coordinator ATTN: MSG Sanchez Enrique J7 DOMOPS J7 NCOIC 2200 W. 35th St.,Bldg 8 A125 Austin, TX 78703 512-431-8343. L-53
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2015