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BORDER OVERLOAD
BORDER OVERLOAD
Gov. Perry, Obama to meet today
Money for minors
By JULIAN AGUILAR
$3.7B eyed for children
TEXAS TRIBUNE
By ERICA WERNER AND JIM KUHNHENN Gov. Rick Perry will meet with President Obama today to discuss the continuing crisis on the border, an aide to the governor confirmed Tuesday. The meeting follows Perry’s letter to the president on Monday that urged Obama to do more than shake hands upon his arrival in Texas. “Gov. Perry is pleased that President Obama has accepted his invitation to discuss the humanitarian and national security crises along our southern border, and he looks forward to meeting with the president (today),” Perry spokesman Travis Considine said in an email. The meeting will occur days after Perry lobbed an onslaught of criticism at the Obama administration for what the governor has said is the White House’s failure to secure the border. “The federal government is just absolutely failing. We either have an incredibly inept administration or they’re in on this somehow or another,” Perry said on ABC Sunday. The president will be in Dallas today for an event hosted by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. He will then travel to Austin for a Democratic National Committee event this evening. He will speak about the economy on Thursday morning, according to a White House statement. “At any point while you are here, I am available to sit down privately so we can talk and you may directly gain my state’s perspective on the effects of an unsecured border and what is necessary to make it secure,” Perry wrote the president in a letter Monday. Perry’s invitation comes in the midst of sparring between his office and the White House over the influx of undocumented immigrants in the Rio Grande Valley and South Texas. Perry has criticized the president for not stopping to see firsthand the crisis on the border. A White House spokesman said last week that Perry’s concerns were “hard to take seriously.” Perry’s office said in response that instead of being concerned about the flood of immigrants, the president was using Texas as an “ATM.” U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector have apprehended more than 37,000 unaccompanied minors since October. Perry has repeatedly blamed the Obama administration for what he says is a failure to secure the border. In his letter, he hinted that his office has been ignored since 2009. “Since first calling the issue of border security to your attention in a 2009 letter requesting 1,000 National Guard troops to assist with securing our border, I have followed up with several further communications inviting you to tour the border and view this crisis firsthand,” he wrote. During a U.S. House Homeland Security meeting in McAllen last week, Perry said that a 2012 letter he sent to the president about the rise in unaccompanied minors garnered no response. Perry also said that the children should be sent back to their
See PERRY PAGE 9A
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Tackling what he has called a humanitarian crisis, President Barack Obama on Tuesday asked Congress for $3.7 billion to cope with a tide of minors from Central America who are illegally crossing the U.S. border, straining immigration resources and causing a political firestorm in Washington. The White House said the money would help increase the detention, care and transportation of unaccompanied children, help speed the removal of adults with children by in-
See BORDER PAGE 9A
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Cindy Jimenez, 26, from Olancho, Honduras, and her son depart the bus station in McAllen, on June 20. Jimenez crossed illegally into the U.S.
QUEEN COMPETITION
THREE-TIME CHAMPION Vanessa Cantu has won three queen crowns By MELVA LAVIN THE ZAPATA TIMES
Courtesy photo
A Zapata resident has achieved one of her goals in life — that of being crown a national beauty queen. Vanessa Cantu, 5, was named Tiny Miss American Beauty in Kissime, Fla., in late June. The pageant, for girls aged 4 and 5, had contestants from Florida, Texas and other areas along the Gulf Coast. “I enjoy drawing, dancing, modeling, singing, playing and coloring with my older sister Kristal,” Cantu said during a Friday afternoon interview at the Laredo Morning Times. “I am fun and creative, and can count in threes.” In the competition, Cantu participated in modeling, evening gown and presence in addition to an interview, to which Cantu’s mother said she responded in English and Spanish. The mission of the American Beauty Pageant is “to provide each participant with a quality experience at a reasonable price in a fair and balanced environment,” according to its website. The company has been producing pageants for nine years. The crown is Cantu’s third. She was
Vanessa Cantu, 5, was named Tiny Miss American Beauty in Kissime, Fla., in late June. She has received three crowns so far, fulfilling one of her goals in life.
See QUEEN
PAGE 9A
WORLD WAR II ANNIVERSARY
Survivors recall horrific Saipan suicide attack By CHRIS CAROLA ASSOCIATED PRESS
SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. — Even after seven decades, Wilfred “Spike” Mailloux won’t talk about surviving a bloody World War II battle unless longtime friend John Sidur is by his side. It was Sidur who found the severely wounded Mailloux hours after both survived Japan’s largest mass suicide attack in the Pacific. The pre-dawn assault launched 70 years ago Monday on the Japanheld island of Saipan nearly wiped out two former New York Nation-
al Guard battalions fighting alongside U.S. Marines. “He found me in the mud,” Mailloux recounted during a visit to the New York State Military Museum to attend a presentation on the battle’s 70th anniversary. Mailloux and Sidur are among the dwindling ranks of WWII veterans of the Army’s 27th Infantry Division, which endured some of the bloodiest fighting in the Pacific, only to have its reputation besmirched by a volatile Marine general in one of the war’s biggest controversies. In the Mariana Islands, 1,400
miles south of Tokyo, Saipan was sought by the Americans as a base for bombing raids against Japan. U.S. forces landed on Saipan on June 15, 1944, with two Marine divisions, the 2nd and the 4th, making the initial beach assaults and losing some 2,000 men on the first day alone. A few days later, the inexperienced 27th Division joined the fight. A New York National Guard outfit activated in October 1940, the “Appleknockers” still retained a sizable Empire State contingent among its ranks after two years of garrison duty in Hawaii.
The commander of the ground forces at Saipan was Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Holland M. Smith, dubbed “Howling Mad” for his volcanic temper. A week into the battle, Smith relieved the 27th’s commander, Maj. Gen. Ralph Smith (no relation), after the division lagged behind the Marine units operating on its flanks. The Marine commander not only blasted the 27th’s leadership, but he also openly criticized its soldiers in front of war correspondents, who later reported on the rift that became known as “Smith vs. Smith.”
Arthur Robinson, 92, of Saratoga Springs knew nothing of the Army versus Marine flap brewing on Saipan. As an infantryman in the 27th’s 105th Infantry Regiment, he was concentrating on staying alive. On July 3, he was wounded in both thighs by machine gun fire. Robinson endured a 10-mile ride in a Jeep to a field hospital, with the driver opting to travel on railroad tracks because the road was mined. On July 7, after three weeks of fighting, two battalions of the
See SAIPAN PAGE 9A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Thursday, July 10
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org. Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. Contact Beverly Cantu at 7270589 for more information. “The Calling” series of Bible talks. 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Laredo Church of Christ Chapel, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 340. Contact Miguel Zuñiga at 286-9631 or mglzuñiga@yahoo.com.
Friday, July 11 Free Chick-fil-A at Chick-fil-A North Laredo (Loop 20). Visit the restaurant and dress up like a cow from 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. to get free food.
Saturday, July 12 Photo by Tony Dejak | AP
Mass for the 120th anniversary of the Sisters of Mercy in Laredo. 10 a.m. Laredo Medical Center Chapel. A celebration of the partnership between the Sisters and the thousands of people who ministered with them throughout the years. A reception will follow the mass.
Thursday, July 17 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org. Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. Contact Beverly Cantu at 7270589 for more information. “The Calling” series of Bible talks. 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Laredo Church of Christ Chapel, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 340. Contact Miguel Zuñiga at 286-9631 or mglzuñiga@yahoo.com.
Thursday, July 24 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org. Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. Contact Beverly Cantu at 7270589 for more information. “The Calling” series of Bible talks. 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Laredo Church of Christ Chapel, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 340. Contact Miguel Zuñiga at 286-9631 or mglzuñiga@yahoo.com.
Friday, July 25 Alumni night for 25th reunion of J.W. Nixon High School Class of 1989. 8 p.m. to midnight. LIFE Fairgrounds and Branding Iron. $25 per person. Facebook: J.W. Nixon Eightynine.
Saturday, July 26 Dinner and dance for 25th reunion of J.W. Nixon High School Class of 1989. 8 p.m. to midnight. Embassy Suites. $30 per person. Facebook: J.W. Nixon Eightynine.
Monday, July 28 Monthly meeting of Laredo Parkinson’s Disease Support Group. 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, Tower B, First Floor Community Center. Patients, caregivers and family members invited. Free info pamphlets available in Spanish and English. Call Richard Renner (English) at 645-8649 or Juan Gonzalez (Spanish) at 2370666.
Thursday, July 31 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org. Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. Contact Beverly Cantu at 7270589 for more information. “The Calling” series of Bible talks. 6:30 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. Laredo Church of Christ Chapel, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 340. Contact Miguel Zuñiga at 286-9631 or mglzuñiga@yahoo.com. Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location and purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.
A man sits on a picnic table with a view of downtown Cleveland on Tuesday. Cleveland won the unanimous backing of a Republican National Committee panel on Tuesday, all but guaranteeing the GOP’s 2016 presidential pick will accept the party’s nomination in perennially hard-fought Ohio.
Dallas loses GOP meet By PHILIP ELLIOTT AND STEVE PEOPLES ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Cleveland won the unanimous backing of a Republican National Committee panel Tuesday, all but guaranteeing the GOP’s 2016 presidential pick will accept the party’s nomination in perennially hard-fought Ohio. The Republicans’ site selection committee backed Cleveland over donor-rich Dallas, and the full 168-member RNC is expected to ratify the choice next month. The move signals the role Ohio — and its 18 electoral votes— plays in presidential campaigns. “As goes Ohio, so goes the presidential race,” said party Chairman Reince Priebus. The RNC did not announce a start date for the convention but Priebus said that June 28 or July 18, 2016, are the two options under consideration. An earlier-than-normal con-
vention was a priority for Priebus, and leaders of Dallas’ bid said the calendar was the main factor running against the Texas city. “June is not an option for us,” said former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, who was involved in Dallas’ bid. “Reince really wants June.” Paying for the convention was another consideration. The previous two GOP conventions sapped party dollars during election years, and Priebus insisted the host city not leave the central party picking up the tab. Although Dallas had the edge on fundraising as recently as last month, Cleveland narrowed that gap and lined up early pledges toward the expected $60 million price tag. A successful convention is a boon not just to the political party, but also to the local economy.
Woman killed in Orange County shooting
Interior secretary pledges $43M for conservation
Game wardens target drunken boaters
MAURICEVILLE — Authorities have charged a 40-year-old woman with murder after they say she fatally shot one woman and then chased another into a nearby home. Amanda Lee Parker of Mauriceville was being held Tuesday on a $1 million bond at the Orange County jail.
FORT WORTH — U.S. Interior Secretary Sally Jewell announced during a stop in Fort Worth more than $43 million will be distributed from a federal fund for recreation and conservation projects nationwide. Officials announced the distribution from the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Offshore oil and gas royalties support the fund.
AUSTIN — Texas officials say game wardens arrested nearly 60 boaters for operating under the influence over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said in a release Tuesday that game wardens across the state were in contact with approximately 30,000 recreational boaters as part of enforcement efforts.
State confirms first case of mosquito-borne virus
Woman arrested after child’s fatal fall from car
AUSTIN — Texas health officials have confirmed Texas’ first human case of a mosquito-borne virus that’s been rapidly spreading through the Caribbean and parts of Latin America. The Texas Department of State Health Services said Monday that the Williamson County resident infected with the chikungunya virus had recently returned from the Caribbean.
CROWLEY — The mother of a 12-year-old North Texas girl who died after falling off the trunk of a moving car following a swimming outing has been arrested. Crowley police said Monday that 32-year-old Yasmin Lewis faces a charge of reckless injury to a child causing seriously bodily injury in Octavia Watkins’ death. — Compiled from AP reports
2 killed when big rig strikes car CANADIAN — Authorities say two people are dead in the Panhandle after their passenger car pulled in front of a tractor-trailer. The Texas Department of Public Safety says the collision occurred Monday evening in Ochiltree County in the northeast corner of the Panhandle. Fernando Ortiz’s northbound Chevrolet Equinox was attempting a left turn off U.S. Route 83 and crossed into the path of the southbound big rig.
AROUND THE NATION Survey: Math, science grads earn top dollar WASHINGTON — It seems to matter less whether your alma mater is public or private than what you study — math and science in particular — when it comes to finding a high-paying job after college, according to a report released Tuesday by the Department of Education. But while a paltry 16 percent of students took home degrees in science, technology, engineering or math, those who did were paid significantly better — averaging $65,000 a year compared to $49,500 of graduates of other degrees.
House GOP wants millions for Benghazi probe WASHINGTON — House Republicans have called for spending up to $3.3 million this year on the special select committee tasked with investigating the
Today is Wednesday, July 9, the 190th day of 2014. There are 175 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 9, 1944, during World War II, American forces secured Saipan as the last Japanese defenses fell. On this date: In 1540, England’s King Henry VIII had his 6-monthold marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington’s troops in New York. In 1816, Argentina declared independence from Spain. In 1850, the 12th president of the United States, Zachary Taylor, died after serving only 16 months of his term. (He was succeeded by Millard Fillmore.) In 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous “cross of gold” speech at the Democratic national convention in Chicago. In 1918, 101 people were killed in a train collision in Nashville, Tennessee. The Distinguished Service Cross was established by an Act of Congress. In 1943, during World War II, the Allies launched Operation Husky, the invasion of Sicily. In 1964, United Airlines Flight 823, a Vickers Viscount 745D, crashed in Tennessee during a flight from Philadelphia to Huntsville, Alabama, after a fire broke out on board; all 39 occupants were killed. In 1974, former U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren died in Washington at age 83. In 1986, the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography released the final draft of its report, which linked hardcore porn to sex crimes. In 1992, Democrat Bill Clinton tapped Tennessee Sen. Al Gore to be his running mate. Former CBS News commentator Eric Sevareid died in Washington at age 79. Today’s Birthdays: Actorsinger Ed Ames is 87. Former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld is 82. Neurologist and author Oliver Sacks is 81. Actor James Hampton is 78. Actor Brian Dennehy is 76. Actor Richard Roundtree is 72. Author Dean Koontz is 69. Football Hall-of-Famer O.J. Simpson is 67. Actor Chris Cooper is 63. TV personality John Tesh is 62. Country singer David Ball is 61. Business executive/TV personality Kevin O’Leary (TV: “Shark Tank”) is 60. Rhythm-andblues singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 60. Actor Jimmy Smits is 59. Actress Lisa Banes is 59. Actor Tom Hanks is 58. Singer Marc Almond is 57. Actress Kelly McGillis is 57. Rock singer Jim Kerr (Simple Minds) is 55. Actress-rock singer Courtney Love is 50. Rock musician Frank Bello (Anthrax) is 49. Actor David O’Hara is 49. Rock musician Xavier Muriel (Buckcherry) is 46. Actor Scott Grimes is 43. Actor Enrique Murciano is 41. Musician/producer Jack White is 39. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 38. Actor-director Fred Savage is 38. Country musician Pat Allingham is 36. Actress Megan Parlen is 34. Thought for Today: “Quotations (such as have point and lack triteness) from the great old authors are an act of filial reverence on the part of the quoter, and a blessing to a public grown superficial and external.” — Louise Imogen Guiney, American poet and essayist (1861-1920).
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Annette Maughan, of Cedar Hills, stands in line at the Utah Department of Health on Tuesday, in Salt Lake City. Utah began a limited medical marijuana program allowing those with severe epilepsy to possess a low-potency extract. deadly 2012 attacks in Benghazi, Libya. The seven-member GOP majority would receive some $2.2 million for staff and other operations while the five-member Democratic minority would get about $1 million.
Four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed on Sept. 11 when militants attacked the diplomatic installation and CIA annex in two separate incidents in the Libyan port city. — 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 9, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
‘Chaplain with the dog’ helps fellow soldiers Chaplain at an El Paso military base finds her canine partner ‘Sgt. Zoe’ helps erode barriers when helping others By DAVID BURGE EL PASO TIMES
FORT BLISS — She is known simply as the “chaplain with the dog” to the many soldiers she has served with at Fort Bliss and Afghanistan and even to the people she meets in the El Paso community. Chaplain Maj. Karen Hallett has a sidekick she is seen almost everywhere with — her dog, Sgt. Zoe, a psychiatric service dog who is trained to help people dealing with post-traumatic stress. Hallett, 49, from Vernon, N.J., has had Sgt. Zoe since February 2012 and uses her as a way to break down barriers and provide additional support to the soldiers in her unit and around the Army. Her dog can often be seen in the doorway of her office at West Fort Bliss, beckoning visitors. “Here is how it works,” Hallett said. “Someone comes by. Zoe is laying out in the hallway. She’s cute. They stop. They pet her. I have a chance to say, ‘Hey, how are you doing? What’s going on?’ Very often, they will come in and sit down and talk about whatever. It opens a door that wouldn’t be open to me normally. “I almost can’t get work done in my office, which is what we want as a chaplain,” she told the El Paso Times. “We want people to stop by.” Hallett, a nondenominational Christian chaplain, has been the brigade chaplain for 402nd Field Artillery Brigade, First Army, Division West at Fort Bliss since April 2013. Before that, she served as the brigade chaplain for the 411th Engineer Brigade, a reserve unit out of New York state. While with the 411th, she deployed to Afghanistan and brought the dog with her. Zoe, an adorable black Labrador, was a huge hit with the troops in Afghanistan — at Bagram Airfield and anywhere else the pair traveled. “It was a phenomenal experience,” Hallett said. “I can’t tell you the number of ways she impacted my ministry there. I would literally get calls and
Photo by Victor Calzada/El Paso Times | AP
Army Chaplain Maj. Karen Hallett sits with her therapy dog, Zoe, a black Labrador retriever July 2 in her office at Fort Bliss, near El Paso. Sgt. Zoe is a psychiatric service dog who is trained to help people dealing with post-traumatic stress. emails from people, ‘Are you the chaplain with the dog and can you come over to our unit?’ " Hallett said she has hundreds of stories of how Sgt. Zoe has helped reach soldiers.
tated because his marriage was falling apart.” If not for her dog, she would have never had that chance to break the ice with that pilot who needed her help, Hallett said.
turn from deployments. Counting those soldiers, Hallett can be responsible for the spiritual needs of up to 4,000 troops depending on the time of year. Chaplain Lt. Col. Karen Meek-
Hallett got the idea for incorporating a dog into her ministry during her first deployment to Afghanistan in 2010-11 when she went as a chaplain in support of the 101st Airborne Division. As an example, they were flying back to Bagram in Afghanistan and the flight crew for the airplane they were on wanted a photo with the dog when they landed. “The pilot is standing there and we’re chatting,” Hallett said. “Everyone has gotten off the plane. That couple of minutes turned into a two-hour counseling for the pilot who was devas-
At Fort Bliss, Hallett is responsible for providing religious support to about 400 soldiers and their families who are part of the 402nd Field Artillery Brigade. The brigade runs the Mobilization Training Center at Fort Bliss and is responsible for training National Guard and Reservists before they deploy. The brigade also does the in-processing work for these troops when they re-
er, the 1st Armored Division chaplain at Fort Bliss, said the installation is blessed to have both Hallett and Sgt. Zoe. “Zoe, a constant companion by the side of Chaplain Hallett, expresses the love and care of God for soldiers,” Meeker said. “There is nothing like the loyalty and affection of a friendly dog like Zoe to make anybody feel a little better.”
Hallett got the idea for incorporating a dog into her ministry during her first deployment to Afghanistan in 2010-11 when she went as a chaplain in support of the 101st Airborne Division “Air Assault.” Bagram Airfield had a detachment of mine dogs that would be brought out for base functions like fun runs, Hallett said. She saw how the soldiers, who were so far away from their families, flocked to the dogs. That gave her the inspiration to bring a dog with her when she returned to Afghanistan with her next unit, the 411th Engineer Brigade. Her brigade commander then, Brig. Gen. David Weeks, told her that whatever she felt she needed for the deployment, to get it. So Hallett contacted Puppies Behind Bars, a nonprofit organization out of New York City, which uses inmates to train psychiatric service dogs. Puppies Behind Bars gave Hallett a dog to take to Afghanistan and incorporate into her ministry. “They thought it was a great idea for a chaplain to have a dog,” she said. Hallett has a different background than many Army chaplains. She is a 1988 graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and served as a commissioned ordnance officer from 1988 to 1992. She then left the Army and took what she described as an “18-year corporate break.” During that time, she ran her own business, building and managing cell phone towers. She was also involved as a minister at various churches including being an associate pastor from 1998 to 2006 at Glenwood Baptist Church in New Jersey. She then went to seminary and graduated from Bethel Seminary in St. Paul, Minn., with a master of divinity in 2008. She commissioned into the Chaplain Corps in 2009 and began her second stint in the Army. “Being an Army chaplain is a good fit for me,” Hallett said. “I’m a very hands-on minister. I just can’t stand church committees. For me, being active in the Army was a much better way to go.”
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014
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COMMENTARY
OTHER VIEWS
Crisis helps Gov. Perry By ROSS RAMSEY TEXAS TRIBUNE
Even if you believe that Gov. Rick Perry’s motivations are purely about the security of the border between Texas and Mexico, his running dispute with the federal government makes for good politics. “What has to be addressed is the security of the border,” Perry said on Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “You know that. I know that. The president of the United States knows that. I don’t believe he particularly cares whether or not the border of the United States is — is secure, and that’s the reason there’s been this lack of effort, this lack of focus, this lack of resources.” Federal money for more courts to speed up processing of immigrant children currently housed in the U.S. might be on the way, and the administration is saying publicly that most of those children will be deported. That would be a win for the governor’s position. In the meantime, Perry is scoring political points. Texas voters put immigration and border security at the top of their list of the most important problems facing the state. In the most recent University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll, 54 percent of Texas voters agreed that undocumented immigrants now in the U.S. should be deported immediately. Republican voters were more emphatic — 74 percent of them support immediate deportation. The state’s sparring partner — the federal government — has been the governor’s favorite adversary since at least 2009, a year that saw the blooming of the Tea Party. His book Fed Up! came out in November 2010, the same year that the governor rode the anti-federalist wave to defeat U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in a Republican gubernatorial primary. Hutchison was very popular with Texas voters until the governor made her the proxy for an unpopular federal government. The same themes animated Perry’s botched run for president the next year. We all remember the “oops” moment from the presidential debates. Perry’s run for president was in the ditch for weeks before that, partly because he backed an immigration idea that once made political sense in Texas but that proved unpopular in a national election. After Mitt Romney said, in a debate in September 2011, that it makes no sense to give students illegally in the U.S. a discount on tuition, Perry responded by saying, “If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they have been brought there by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart.” His calls for federal help with border security in that same debate and at other times during that campaign were drowned out by his tuition position. The other candidates pounced, and Perry never seriously contended for the nomination after that. His debating skills failed him, but his opposition to Washington, D.C., did not. Perry’s 14 years as governor will end in January, but he has not ruled out a run for president or a stint in public service. Obama is done with all
that, but there are midterms ahead, and Perry’s swipe at the president’s border policy illustrates and probably reinforces the president’s unpopularity in Texas. And it comes on the eve of a fundraising trip that will take the president to Dallas and to Austin this week — but not to the border. On Monday, Obama invited Perry to meet him on the tarmac when he lands in Austin. Perry replied with an invitation to sit down and talk about the border while he’s in Texas; he didn’t get an immediate reply, but he did provide a fresh headline for the continuing story. This latest border skirmish was brought on by a large increase in the number of unaccompanied child immigrants who are being housed in the U.S. while the authorities try to figure out what should happen next. Perry has played good cop and bad cop, initially blasting the administration for letting the problem fester and become a crisis, and then saying he was not interested in credit and blame. At a field hearing in Texas last week, the governor told federal officials that the U.S. should immediately deport the children who have arrived at the U.S. border without immigration documentation. And he repeated a longstanding request that the federal government reimburse the state for costs it has incurred securing its southern border. Perry avoided confrontation. “I’m tired of pointing fingers and blaming people,” he said there. “I hope what we can do is come up with some solutions here.” In last weekend’s interview, he changed gears, saying Obama has known this problem was mounting and should have done something about it earlier. “The president has sent powerful messages time after time — by his policies, by nuances — that it is okay to come to the United States and you can come across and you’ll be accepted in open arms,” he said. “That is the real issue.” He got some support from an old ally on the other side of the aisle. U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, was Perry’s first secretary of state — a posting that includes minding the relationship between Texas and Mexico. He said over the weekend that the Obama administration’s efforts on the border have fallen short. The Democratic congressman didn’t go as far as his former colleague in the Texas House, but he joined Republicans in Texas and in Congress who have been critical of the federal government. “With all due respect to the administration, they are one step behind,” Cuellar told CNN. “They should have seen this coming a long time ago, because we saw those numbers increasing. Their criticism landed alongside reports that Obama will ask Congress for more power to deport the minors arriving in Texas. That’s not likely to end the debate before the president’s visit to Texas this week or to remove it from the list of issues under conversation in this year’s elections. From a political standpoint, that puts the governor right where he likes to be — at the front of a pack of angry voters, pointing his finger at Washington, D.C.
COLUMN
Hard to fight hunger when you don’t see the enemy As many in the country packed their bellies full of barbecue over the July 4 holiday, many millions lacked enough food and dealt with hunger By RICK CHRISTIE COX NEWSPAPERS
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hunger. If you can afford to pay for this newspaper, it’s not something that you ever have to grapple with. In fact, there’s a good chance you throw away enough food every year to feed another person for months. But truthfully, few of us ever slow down long enough to notice that we’re surrounded by it. Even as we celebrated the birth of our nation’s independence last weekend with belly-busting barbecues, it likely never occurred to us that one in every six Americans — roughly 49 million — was unsure where his or her next meal would be coming from. That includes 16 million children whose health, not to mention performance in school, is at risk. And nearly 5 million seniors over age 60 are “food insecure,” with many who live on fixed incomes often too embarrassed to ask for help. We’ve heard many of his critics chide President Barack Obama for being “the food stamp president” because there are more Americans on government assistance than any previous administration. This is true for a number of reasons. The economy tanked, which led to layoffs, which led to hardworking
people losing their homes, swelling the ranks of the unemployed and applications for government help. The jobs situation has improved, as was reported Friday in the monthly federal unemployment survey, but not enough to repair all of the damage done by the financial crisis. That’s left organizations dedicated to battling hunger — from the World Food Programme to Feed the Children Inc. to Meals on Wheels — barely holding the front line. And while the summer is supposed to be the time of year that children look forward to vacations, public school districts around the country are still providing a growing number of their students with their one square meal of the day. According to Food Research and Action Center, an anti-hunger advocacy group, nationally, only one in seven children who received free or reducedprice lunch during the school year takes advantage of the summer meals programs. That’s requiring some creativity on the part of hunger relief workers. An old logging camp in Oregon, a bookmobile in Kentucky and a karate studio in Delaware are just some of the unusual venues being used to gather low-income rural or suburban kids and hand out the food they
need to get by until school cafeterias re-open in August and September, according to a story published by Reuters last week Reuters quoted George Lunski, who distributes about 700 meals a week to kids along a 40-mile route near Newark, Delaware. “I never knew there were so many people in need,” said Lunski, a retired production supervisor at a local chemical plant. Lunski, who delivers meals from a van loaded with coolers, said the Food Bank of Delaware’s Summer Food Service Program was “really an eye-opener” about how widespread poverty is in the ninth-richest U.S. state. Many years ago, my daughters and I would deliver meals to migrant families on Thanksgiving mornings. It was part of a joint project of the Palm Beach County School District and a local alumni organization that required delivering thousands of meals by noon to families from Jupiter to Delray Beach. After complaining the first year, the girls came to look forward to it and were disappointed when it ended several years ago. They were so affected by it, however, they’ve begun volunteering for similar programs on their own. One, for example, volunteers when she can at the weekly soup kitchen
at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church near downtown West Palm Beach. Known to many in the community as Audrey’s Soup Kitchen for the now-deceased woman who nurtured it for years, it serves some 200 adults and children every Thursday. That’s double the amount of just two years ago; and its growth is only slowed by the amount of food available to prepare and serve. Whether we call it food insecurity or hunger, the problem doesn’t appear to be abating. Melissa Sullivan, new president of the Palm Beach County Food Bank, put it this way when asked in May about taking over the nonprofit organization that rescues, collects and distributes food to dozens of agencies: “It doesn’t take much to think about how scary hunger is. Try to concentrate in the late afternoon when you haven’t eaten all day. Then think of children trying to study without a meal on the table. It is happening right here where we live. The reality is that if we can make sure that people have their basic needs met, then they can use that energy to be successful as parents, neighbors, co-workers and students.” Indeed. (Rick Christie writes for The Palm Beach Post. Email: rick_christie@pbpost.com.)
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Entertainment
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Dogs get quiet music By SUE MANNING ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Jim Mone | AP
Taya Kyle, the widow of former Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, arrives at the federal courthouse Tuesday in St. Paul, Minn., for the start of a trial in a lawsuit filed by former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura.
Libel case in court Former wrestler/governor Jesse Ventura’s defamation case against estate of author opens in Minnesota courtroom By STEVE KARNOWSKI ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Jesse Ventura brought his defamation lawsuit before home-state jurors Tuesday in a bid to punish the estate of late “American Sniper” author Chris Kyle, who bragged in an autobiography that he knocked the former Minnesota governor out during a barroom scrap almost a decade ago. In opening statements in federal court, Ventura attorney David Olsen said the punch never happened and that Ventura never made disparaging comments about servicemen, as Kyle claimed. “Jesse Ventura will testify there was no incident, there was no altercation, and that Kyle made the whole story up,” Olsen said. Kyle estate attorney John Borger countered that the jury would get the real story from Kyle via testimony videotaped before his death. “You will hear Chris Kyle testify he was absolutely sure that what he wrote about Jesse Ventura’s behavior was true,” Borger
said. Both sides said they would produce witnesses to back their version of events. A four-woman, six-man jury was seated quickly to hear Ventura’s case, which he pursued even after Kyle was killed last year at a Texas gun range, saying it was important to clear his name. Ventura, a former Navy SEAL and wrestler who was Minnesota governor from 1999-2003, alleges Kyle defamed him in his bestselling book. In it, Kyle — also a former SEAL and regarded as the deadliest sniper in U.S. military history — describes a 2006 bar fight in California in which he said he punched a man, later identified as Ventura, knocking him to the ground. Kyle claimed that Ventura was speaking loudly against President George W. Bush, the Iraq War and Navy SEAL tactics. Kyle claimed Ventura said the SEALS “deserve to lose a few.” Ventura, who has hosted several cable TV shows since his single term as Minnesota’s governor ended in 2002, has said his job
offers dried up after the book was published and he was worried about being seen as a traitor to the military. Kyle’s widow, Taya Kyle, is now the defendant in Ventura’s case. Ventura and Taya Kyle are both expected to testify. Ventura, who often had a contentious relationship with the Minnesota media, declined to speak to reporters as court broke for lunch. He watched Tuesday’s proceedings with a serious look on his face most of the time, only occasionally cracking a smile while speaking with his attorneys. Legal experts have said Ventura has to prove that Kyle made up the story and profited from it, and that Ventura’s reputation was hurt as a result. Ventura said earlier this year that his lawsuit is “about clearing my name,” but significant money is at stake. Kyle’s book has made more than $3 million in royalties and the judge in the case has ruled that profits from an upcoming movie could be subject to damages, too.
LOS ANGELES — Score one for the dogs. DogTV, the 2-year-old television network for dogs, asked Grammy-winning musician Andrew Dost of the pop-rock band fun. to write some psychoacoustic music for the network. The unnamed result, nearly four minutes of harp, piano and repetitive electronic undertones, debuted Monday during a relaxation segment. “I approached this composition project differently than I would for human ears. I made sure the range of frequencies and instrumentation were tailored to a dog’s unique sense of hearing and kept things musically more level and linear,” Dost said in a statement. The music accompanies video recorded in Yose-
mite and together are designed to reduce the stress and anxiety dogs experience when they are home alone. Dost is donate his pay to A Rejoyceful Animal Rescue, a shelter in his hometown of Detroit. Members of fun. are singer Nate Ruess, guitarist Jack Antonoff and the multi-instrumentalist Dost. The group had a breakthrough year in 2012, topping charts with “We Are Young” and “Some Nights.” Last year, they won Grammys for song of the year and best new artist. DogTV debuted in April of 2012 with three kinds of programming: relaxation, stimulation and exposure. Relaxation segments, like the Yosemite video with Dost’s music, are for canines that might be home alone and a little too zealous and overactive. At times dogs might lack
stimulation, so they will need segments showing action and animation to add pep. And through the exposure segments, dogs will be taught to feel more comfortable in their environment when they are exposed to everyday sights and sounds they might find on the street. DogTV is a pay channel.
Sean Hayes joins cast of ‘The Millers’ LOS ANGELES — CBS says sitcom star Sean Hayes is joining the cast of its comedy “The Millers” as a series regular. Hayes will play the new best friend of the character played by Margo Martindale and a new source of friction for her son, played by Will Arnett. Hayes is best-known from eight seasons on the sitcom “Will & Grace.”
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera Logran decomisos
MIÉRCOLES 9 JULIO DE 2014
POLICÍA
Agenda en Breve LAREDO
07/09— La Clase Producción de TAMIU presenta “Hellcab” de Will Kern, a las 8 p.m. en el Teatro Experimentar Sam Johnson del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Costo general: 5 dólares; gratis para estudiantes con identificación actualizada. Contenido para adultos y lenguaje fuerte. No es para audiencia joven. 07/10— El Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presentará “Zula Patrol: Under the Weather”, a las 2 p.m.; “The Little Star that Could”, a las 3 p.m.; “Star Signs” a las 4 p.m. y “Black Holes”, a las 5 p.m. Costo de admisión general es de 3 dólares para niños y 4 dólares para adultos. 07/10— En el marco del 120 Aniversario de Sisters of Mercy se invita a la serie de discusiones “Conversaciones con las Hermanas”. La segunda charla será a las 6 p.m. en el Centro de Educación Lamar Bruni Vergara, 1000 Mier, esquina con Hendricks, con el tema de la Tierra. La conversación será Bilingüe. 07/10— Alex’s Studio tendrá una exhibición de arte en Gallery 201, ubicada en 513 de avenida San Bernardo, de 7 p.m. a 10 p.m. 07/10— La Clase Producción de TAMIU presenta “Hellcab” de Will Kern, a las 8 p.m. en el Teatro Experimentar Sam Johnson del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Costo general: 5 dólares; gratis para estudiantes con identificación actualizada. Contenido para adultos y lenguaje fuerte. No es para audiencia joven. 07/10— SOCCER: Laredo Heat recibe a Mississippi Brilla a las 8 p.m. en el Complejo de Soccer de TAMIU. 07/11— Hoy es la fecha límite para la Competencia de Fotografía del Laredo Histórico, a las 5 p.m. Lleve sus fotos y registro gratuito al la oficina del WCHF, 500 Flores Ave. Llame al (956) 7270977 o visite webbheritage.org para más detalles. 07/11— Habrá un “Día de Apreciación de Vacas”, de 5:30 a.m. a 11 p.m. en el que Chick-fil-A North Laredo, durante el cual se estarán repartiendo sándwich gratis a las personas que vistan como vacas. 07/12— El Consulado General de México en Laredo, 1612 Farragut St., invita a la Jornada Sabatina, de 8 a.m. a 2 p.m. Se brindará atención con servicios consulares, tales como pasaportes, matrículas consulares, o bien aspectos en el ámbito de protección.
NUEVO LAREDO 07/09— Cine Club Carmen Montejo presenta “Ocho mujeres”, del director, Francisco Ozon, en el Auditorio de Estación Palabra a las 6 p.m. Entrada libre. 07/09— Taller de Reciclaje y Concientización Ambiental, en el Polivalente INFONAVIT, a las 11 a.m. Entrada gratuita. 07/10— Programa Jueves de Teatro presenta “Luna para Dos”, en el Teatro Lucio Blanco, a las 7 p.m. Costo 20 pesos. 07/10— Estación Palabra presenta “Locomotora Literaria”, a las 4 p.m. Entrada gratuita. 07/10— Cine en tu Barrio presenta “Kon-Tiki: Un viaje Fantástico”, a las 5 p.m. en Maquila Creativa. Entrada gratuita. 07/11— Presentación del libro “Al Calor de la Amistad, Correspondencia 1950-1984 Octavio Paz y José Luis Martínez, con la particiapación de Rodrigo Martínez Baracs, a las 7 p.m. en Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita.
POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Agentes de la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata confiscaron cerca de 1.000 libras de marihuana y arrestaron a dos personas con cargos por drogas en acciones del orden no relaciones, anunciaron autoridades esta semana. El primer decomiso tuvo lugar el 26 de junio, cuando autoridades detuvieron una camioneta Ford, color café, por una violación de tráfico, justo al sur del puente Veleño. El oficial se acercó a la camioneta y
notó paquetes grandes cubiertos en el asiento trasero, de acuerdo con oficiales del alguacil. Los oficiales descubrieron 21 paqueGUZMAN tes de supuesta marihuana. El contenido presentó un peso de 439 libras y un valor estimado en las calles de 351.200 dólares. Las autoridades identificaron a la conductora como Linda Rosa Martínez, de 44 años. Ella salió libre bajo fianza el 27 de junio.
El segundo decomiso de marihuana ocurrió el lunes. Ese día, agentes realizaron una detención de tráfico a vehículo Dodge, sobre U.S. MARTINEZ Hwy 83 South. Una persecución se produjo sobre Monterrey Lane dentro del vecindario Siesta Shores. Identificado como el conductor, Roberto Guzmán, 31 años de edad, abandonó el vehículo pero fue encontrado, escondido dentro de una casa móvil, de acuerdo con las auto-
ridades. Los oficiales decomisaron 22 libras de marihuana de la camioneta y presentaba un peso de 489 libras. La marihuana fue valuada en 391.200 dólares. Guzmán continuaba tras las rejas en la Cárcel Regional de Zapata, muestran registros de custodia. Guzmán y Martínez enfrentan cargos por posesión de marihuana, un delito de segundo grado, con que el que podría ser sentenciados de dos a 20 años en prisión. (Localice a César G. Rodriguez en 728-2568 o en cesar@lmtonline.com)
NACIONAL
EDUCACIÓN
BUSCA SUBSIDIO
Fondo LBV apoya a jóvenes POR MONICA R. WALTERS ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto de archivo por Eric Gay | AP
El martes, el presidente Barack Obama pidió al Congreso 3.700 millones de dólares para confrontar la ola de menores solos que cruzan ilegalmente la frontera de México hacia Estados Unidos, abrumando los recursos de inmigración. En esta foto de archivo del 20 de junio, se ve a inmigrantes indocumentados que entraron a EU ilegalmente abordar un autobús en la estación de McAllen.
TAMAULIPAS
Liberan resultado de operativos ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Autoridades tamaulipecas dieron a conocer los resultados de diferentes operativos aplicados entre marzo y junio, alrededor de todo Tamaulipas. Elementos de la Policía Estatal Acreditable decomisaron seis kilos de cocaína, 3.999 dosis de cocaína, 53.33 kilos de marihuana y 856 dosis de marihuana, informaron autoridades a través de un comunicado de prensa.
De igual manera la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Estado incautó 3.377.870 pesos en efectivo, durante el mismo periodo de tiempo, añade el comunicado. Los operativos tuvieron lugar en los 43 municipios de Tamaulipas, y dieron lugar al arresto de 238 personas, de las cuales 49 estaban en posesión de droga, ocho están vinculados con secuestros, dos por amenazas a inmigrantes, 66 por delitos contra la comunidad y servidores públicos y 29
más por participación o relación en actividad criminal organizada. Otras 15 personas fueron detenidas por agresión a elementos de la Policía Estatal Acreditable, 20 por asalto, 16 por conducir vehículos robados, 22 por portación de arma de fuego, siete por el delito de violación y tres por homicidio. Tras los arrestos se aseguraron 44 armas, 221 cartuchos y 14 cargadores para arma larga, concluye el comunicado.
COLUMNA
Escritores presentan estado POR RAÚL SINENCIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Existen variadas maneras de recorrer el territorio tamaulipeco. Pero no hay nada como dejarnos guiar por reconocidos escritores. He aquí tres de ellos, extranjeros, durante el siglo XX.
Descripción El inglés Graham Greene ingresa al país en 1938 por Nuevo Laredo, México. “Toda la vida del lugar transcurría detrás de las puertas giratorias de las cantinas y salones de billar […] La lluvia salpicaba y socavaba y enlodaba las calles sin pavimentar”. Detalla: “Era una ciudad pequeña, y en todas direcciones excepto una se hundía rápidamente en la lodosa llanura. Esa dirección era la del
Puente Internacional. “Yo me encontraba […] volviendo la mirada hacia Estados Unidos. El elevado hotel Hamilton se erguía nítido sobre Laredo”.
Publicaciones Enseguida alcanzaremos el ángulo opuesto de Tamaulipas, con populoso vecindario de Tampico, Tamaulipas, México, a través de fragmentos proceden de “El tesoro de la Sierra Madre”, publicado en 1927, por el alemán B. Traven. “La ciudad estaba a algunos palmos sobre el nivel del mar […] y raramente llegaba la brisa”; en altos terrenos, por lo contrario, colonias exclusivas la “recibían […] toda la tarde y […] noche”. Frente a una plaza funcionaba “gran joyería” repleta
de alhajas “que difícilmente podían verse en Cualquier asalto resultaba imposible, pues “no había carreteras. Sólo dos trenes salían diariamente […] y […] podían ser vigilados […] aun por detectives de tercer orden. Lo mismo sucedía con los barcos de pasajeros y los de carga”. Aludidos, emblemáticos sitios dan pistas reveladoras. Por ejemplo, “cine Alcázar”, desaparecido inmueble morisco al extremo oriente de la catedral, y “edificio de Luz y Fuerza”, todavía cerca del muelle.
Fuego Por último incursionaremos la parte media del suroeste tamaulipeco, en compañía deTibón. “El Mante en el crepúsculo. Vasta llanura tropical, sabana de
caña intersecada de canales. Un ingenio. Una ciudad. Un hotel”, bosqueja la pluma del visitante italiano. Complementa: “Me baño en el río Frío bajo una bóveda vegetal. Sombra verde con chispas de sol, por entre la cual aletean pájaros alegres. Frío, deliciosamente frío, con su lenta corriente cardenilla, el río pasa como una bendición por estas tierras ardientes del Mante, y se desangra en beneficio de los hombres, dejando su ninfa en los novísimos campos de cultivo”. “Elogio de Tamaulipas”, publicado en 1949, reúne las impresiones del periplo, extendido al vecino municipio de Xicoténcatl. (Publicado con permiso del autor conforme fue publicado en “La Razón” de Tampico, Tamaulipas)
La vida de muchos estudiantes del Laredo Community College (LCC) ha sido impactada de manera positiva después de recibir un apoyo por parte del Fideicomiso Lamar Bruni Vergara. La última donación del fideicomiso por 700.000 dólares, no solo continuará beneficiando a estudiantes no convencionales que buscan un cambio de carrera, también beneficiará a los estudiantes de LCC con calificaciones ejemplares. La donación fue entregada a los administradores de LCC el miércoles 2 de julio. “El colegio agradece a los fideicomisarios de Lamar Bruni Vergara por su confianza en nuestra habilidad para cumplir con los requisitos del financiamiento. Estos fondos han tenido un impacto en nuestra comunidad y definitivamente han impactado la calidad de vida de nuestros estudiantes”, dijo la Directora de Relaciones del Contribuyente y Proyectos Especiales, Millie Slaughter. La Beca para Carreras Profesionales y Técnicas Lamar Bruni Vergara proporciona fondos para estudiantes inscritos en programas para carreras profesionales/ técnicas de un año, tales como técnico en reparación automotriz, electricista, hidrocarburos, flebotomía, conductor de trailer profesional, enfermera vocacional, y muchas más. La beca también está disponible para estudiantes inscritos en el Programa de Licenciatura en Enfermería Asociado, el Programa de Licenciatura en Enfermería en Transición y el Programa de Aires Acondicionados y Refrigeración, de dos años. La beca escolar LBV proporciona hasta el 85 por ciento del costo total de la educación de los estudiantes, que incluye la titulación, cuotas, evaluaciones y libros. El estudiante es responsable de los costos adicionales. Se conmina a los alumnos a solicitar la LBV Career and Technical Scholarship (Beca para Carreras Profesionales y Técnicas LBV). La fecha límite para entregar la solicitud es el viernes 15 de agosto. Puede buscar una solicitud visitando laredo.edu/financialaid o acudiendo al Centro de Ayuda Financiera en P-24, en el Campus Fort McIntosh o en el aula 123 del Centro Estudiantil William N. “Billy” Hall, en el Campus del Sur. A fin de poder calificar para la beca, los estudiantes deben ser residentes en los condados de Webb, Zapata y Jim Hogg, tener y mantener un promedio de puntaje en calificación de 2.5 o mayor, y poseer un buen estatus en el colegio. Además de la beca, este año marca la creación del programa de Becas Talentosas Lamar Bruni Vergara (Lamar Bruni Vergara Gifted Scholars), el cual provee becas a estudiantes honorarios seleccionados. El nuevo programa de becas beneficiará a estudiantes del cuadro de honor de LCC en su año de sophomore. Más información llamando al 721-5361 o 794-4360.
Nation
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014
Attack victim seeks buy rules By SUSAN HAIGH ASSOCIATED PRESS
HARTFORD, Conn. — A Connecticut woman blinded and disfigured by a chimpanzee attack will visit Washington this week to urge the passage of rules to make it harder to keep primates as pets. Charla Nash, who lost her nose, lips, eyelids and hands after she was mauled by her employer’s 200-pound pet chimpanzee in 2009, said people who buy baby chimps would be wrong to think they will be harmless, childlike companions. “There are many people that know nothing about myself and what happened. The more awareness is made, the better off people will be,” Nash told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. Nash, whose eyes were surgically removed after the attack, said chimpanzees “are not the type of animal that anyone should keep as a pet. They’re just too wild and dangerous when they get older.” Nash, who underwent face transplant surgery in 2011, is scheduled to appear at a news conference on Thursday in Washington with representatives of The Humane Society of the United States to press Congress to support the Captive Primates Safety Act. She is also meeting with congressional staff to discuss the legislation, which has previously passed the U.S. House. It would amend the 2003 Lacey Act by adding “nonhuman primates” to the list of animals that cannot be traded or transported across state lines as pets. Currently, the Lacy Act puts such restrictions on big cats, such as lions and tigers. Approximately 25 states prohibit people from keeping some or all primates as pets. But John Goodwin, director of animal cruelty policy at the Humane Society, said buyers can skirt those laws by pur-
chasing primates from exotic animal breeders they find online or at large exotic animal auctions. Infant chimpanzees can sell for about $5,000 apiece. Goodwin said there is no accurate count of how many primates are currently being kept as pets in the U.S. because there is little regulation of the exotic pet industry. But Goodwin calls 15,000 a “best guess.” And some of those animals have been involved in violent occurrences. “There have been several primate attacks on human beings documented in the news over the past couple of decades. And those are just the ones that make the news,” he said. He said primates can also expose humans to various diseases. In February 2009, Nash had come at the request of her friend and employer, Sandra Herold, to lure the woman’s pet chimp, Travis, back inside her Stamford, Connecticut home. But the animal went berserk and attacked Nash. Herold, who died in 2010, had bought the chimpanzee in Missouri when it was an infant and brought it to Connecticut. Earlier this year, the Connecticut General Assembly denied Nash the ability to sue the state in court. She claimed the state is partly liable for her injuries because officials knew the chimp could be dangerous and was being kept without a permit. Nash, who is now living alone in a small apartment in Massachusetts and relies on government assistance to cover most of her expenses, said she has not given up hope on her case even though her lawyers told her they can’t go any further. In the meantime, Nash said she hopes to play a role in preventing other attacks. “It’s a lot of suffering and hardship on everyone,” she said. “And your life is never the same.”
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Scientist finds germ vials By MIKE STOBBE ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — A government scientist cleaning out an old storage room at a research center near Washington made a startling discovery last week — decades-old vials of smallpox packed away and forgotten in a cardboard box. The six glass vials were intact and sealed, and scientists have yet to establish whether the virus is dead or alive, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Tuesday. Still, the find was disturbing because for decades after smallpox was declared eradicated in 1980, world health authorities said the only known samples left were safely stored in super-secure laboratories in Atlanta and in Russia. Officials said this is the first time in the U.S. that unaccounted-for smallpox has been discovered. At least one leading scientist raised the possibility that there are more such vials out there around the world. The CDC and the FBI are investigating. It was the second recent incident in which a U.S. government health agency appeared to have mishandled a highly dangerous germ. Last month, scores of CDC employees in Atlanta were feared exposed to anthrax because of a laboratory safety lapse. The CDC began giving them antibiotics as a precaution. The freeze-dried smallpox samples were found in a building at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, that has been used by the Food and Drug Administration since 1972, according to the CDC. The scientist was cleaning out a cold room
Image by CDC/file | AP
This 1975 file electronmicrograph from the Centers for Disease Control shows the smallpox virus. between two laboratories on July 1 when he made the discovery, FDA officials said. Officials said labeling indicated the smallpox had been put in the vials in the 1950s. But they said it’s not clear how long the vials had been in the building, which did not open until the 1960s. No one has been infected, and no smallpox contamination was found in the building. Smallpox can be deadly even after it is freezedried, but the virus usually has to be kept cold to remain alive and dangerous. In an interview Tuesday, a CDC official said he believed the vials were stored for many years at room temperature, which would suggest the samples are dead. But FDA officials said later in the day that the smallpox was in cold storage for decades. “We don’t yet know if it’s live and infectious,” said Stephan Monroe, deputy director of the CDC center that handles highly dangerous infectious agents. The samples were rushed under FBI protection to the CDC in Atlanta for testing, which could
take a few weeks. After that, they will be destroyed. Peter Marks, deputy director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Research and Evaluation, said the discovery was unexpected but not a total shock. He added, however, that “no one’s denying we should have done a better job cleaning out what was there.” In at least one other such episode, vials of smallpox were found at the bottom of a freezer in an Eastern European country in the 1990s, according to Dr. David Heymann, a former World Health Organization official who is now a professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. Heymann said that when smallpox samples were gathered up for destruction decades ago, requests went out to ministers of health to collect all vials. “As far as I know, there was never a confirmation they had checked in with all groups who could have had the virus,” he said. Dr. Donald “D.A.” Henderson, who led the WHO smallpox-eradication effort and is now a professor at the Center for
Health Security at the University of Pittsburgh, said it is highly unlikely more such stashes will be discovered. But he conceded “things were pretty casual” in the 1950s. Decades ago, he recalled, “I came back from many a trip carrying specimens, and I just put them in the refrigerator until I could get them to a laboratory. My wife didn’t appreciate that.” Smallpox was one of the most lethal diseases in history. For centuries, it killed about one-third of the people it infected, and left most survivors with deep scars on their faces from the pus-filled lesions. The last known case was in Britain in 1978, when a university photographer who worked above a lab handling smallpox died after being accidentally exposed to it through the ventilation system. Global vaccination campaigns finally brought smallpox under control. After it was declared eradicated, all known remaining samples of live virus were stored at a CDC lab in Atlanta and at a Russian lab in Novosibirsk, Siberia. The labs take extreme precautions. Scientists must undergo fingerprint or retinal scans to get inside, they wear full-body suits including gloves and goggles, and they shower with strong disinfectant before leaving the labs. There has long been debate over whether to destroy the stockpile. Many scientists argue that any remaining samples pose a threat and that the deadly virus should be wiped off the planet altogether. Others contend the samples are needed for research on better treatments and vaccines. At its recent annual meeting in May, WHO put off a decision again.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014
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Sports&Outdoors 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP: GERMANY 7, BRAZIL 1
MLB: ASTROS 12, RANGERS 7
Brazil stunned Germany nets five early goals, routs Selecao By CHRIS LEHOURITES
Photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP
Jose Altuve, recently named an All-Star, was 2for-5 and scored two runs in Houston’s 12-7 win over its in-state rival on Monday night.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BELO HORIZONTE, Brazil — Germany poured in the goals Tuesday to hand Brazil its heaviest World Cup loss ever with an astounding 7-1 rout in the semifinals that stunned the host nation. Miroslav Klose scored a record-setting 16th career World Cup goal in a five-goal spurt in the first half as Brazil’s defense was torn apart. The Germans reached their eighth final and will face either Argentina or the Netherlands on Sunday at the Maracana Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Previously, Brazil’s biggest World Cup loss was 3-0 to France in the 1998 final. This matched their biggest ever margin of defeat in any competition, equaling a 6-0 loss to Uruguay in 1920 in the South American championship, the predecessor of the Copa America.. “We wanted to make the people happy ... unfortunately we couldn’t,” Brazil defender David Luiz said. “We apologize to all Brazilians.” It’s also Brazil’s first loss in
Astros beat Rangers By BRIAN GOSSET MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Photo by Andre Penner | AP
Brazil’s goalkeeper Julio Cesar and the defense in front of him struggled from the start on Tuesday. Thomas Muller put away the first goal for the Germans in the 11th minute and the rout was officially on. a competitive match on home soil since 1975, when Peru won 3-1 at the very same Mineirao Stadium in the Copa America. Its last loss at home came in a friendly with Paraguay in 2002. “We did what we thought was best,” said Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari. “Please excuse us for this mistake. I’m sorry we could not get to the final.” Brazil’s attack was weakened by the loss of Neymar,
who fractured a vertebra after getting kneed in the back in the quarterfinal win over Colombia. But it was Brazil’s porous defense that was the biggest problem in the first half as the host also sorely missed suspended captain Thiago Silva. On Tuesday, with Bernard playing as the third striker, Brazil attacked from the start. But they failed to get any solid chances, and it wasn’t long before the Germans opened up
the defense and started the rout. Toni Kroos and Andre Schuerrle scored two goals each, while Thomas Mueller and Sami Khedira added the others. Oscar pulled a late goal back for Brazil. “The space we had was bigger than against defensive teams,” Mueller said. “We took advantage of it superbly, the opponent at some point gets broken.”
ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros began their three-game series Monday with the two worst records in the AL, but saw an offensive surge as the Astros defeated the Rangers 12-7, snapping their seven-game skid. The Astros got to Rangers starter Miles Mikolas, who was roughed up for nine runs, six in the second, on 12 hits in 3 1/3 innings. Mikolas (0-1) was chased in the fourth after Jon Singleton’s sixth home run of the season, a three-run blast to deep center. Houston opened the second with sixstraight hits, the last being a bases-clearing triple from Marwin Gonzalez. Jarred Cosart wasn’t much better, but got enough run support to move to 9-6 on the season after allowing six runs, five earned on nine hits in five innings. For the Rangers (38-51), they’ve lost eight of nine and sit two games ahead of Houston.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
OLEGARIO BUSTAMANTE
BORDER Continued from Page 1A
March 29, 1935 – July 4, 2014 Olegario Bustamante, 79, passed away July 4, 2014, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas. Mr. Bustamante is preceded in death by son, Jesus Bustamante; parents, Antonio and Cilia Bustamante; brothers, Oscar and Osvaldo Bustamante; sister, Odilia Bustamante; and son-in-law, Al Franco. Mr. Bustamante is survived by his wife Maria A. Bustamante; sons Olegario Jr. (Rhonda) Bustamante, Oscar Bustamante and Reynaldo Rojas III; daughters Diana Franco, Gloria Bustamante, Sylvia (John) Benline, Virginia Rojas, Yolanda (Andy) Barreto, Rachel (Francisco Jr.) Guzman, Rebecca Bustamante; 28 grandchildren and numerous great-grandchildren; brothers Olivero (Gloria) Bustamante, Antonio Jr. (Manuelita) Bustamante; sisters Olga B. Garza, Olivia (Alvaro) Guzman, Olinda (Steve) Newhouse, Oralia B. Crow, Ofilia (Charles) Hicks, Osvelia Bustamante and numerous nephews, nieces and friends. Visitation hours will be held Wednesday, July 9,
2014, from 6 to 9 p.m. with a wake at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home and Thursday, July 10, 2014, from 8 to 10 a.m. Chapel services will be held Thursday, July 10, 2014, at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Zapata County Cemetery in Zapata, Texas. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.
creasing the capacity of immigration courts and increase prosecution of smuggling networks. The money would also increase surveillance at the U.S. border and help Central American countries repatriate border-crossers sent back from the United States. Obama requested the money in a letter to House Speaker John Boehner. The request did not include proposals for legislative changes that the White House wants. But Obama said he still will seek such changes, including providing the secretary of homeland security additional authority to speed up the removal of children who have arrived from countries such as Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. Obama said he also wants increased penalties for individuals who smuggle vulnerable migrants, such as children. The developments all come as Obama has declared comprehensive immigration legislation dead in Congress and announced plans to proceed on his own by executive action to make whatever fixes he can to the nation’s dysfunctional immigration system. That could put Obama in the seemingly contradictory position of weighing proposals to shield millions of people from deportation while at the same time trying to hurry deportations for the unaccompanied children. Congressional Republicans blame Obama policies for the confusion;
Obama administration officials dispute that. More than 50,000 children have arrived since October, in many cases fleeing violence at home but also drawn by rumors that they can stay in the U.S. Obama plans to discuss the crisis with faith and local leaders during a political fundraising visit to Texas Wednesday, but he is resisting calls to visit the border for a firsthand look. The White House invited Texas Republican Gov. Rick Perry, who is among those urging Obama to get to the border while he’s in the state, to Wednesday’s meeting in Dallas. Perry’s spokeswoman Lucy Nashed confirmed that the governor and Obama would meet. Perry “is pleased that President Obama has accepted his invitation to discuss the humanitarian and national security crisis along our southern border,” Nashed said. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers, a Republican, called the situation on the border “extremely dire.” “It is clear that additional funding will be needed to ensure the proper care of these unaccompanied children, to enforce the law, and to further secure our border so that these problems can be mitigated in the short term,” he said in a statement. “Our committee will focus on providing what is necessary to meet these ongoing needs.” The White House request would:
PERRY Continued from Page 1A home countries as quickly as possible to deter more would-be crossers from illegally breaching the southern border. The Obama administration has said it is doing what it can to help stem the tide. Last week, the president said he was instructing the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. attorney general’s office to immediately redirect any available resources from the interior to the border. The administration also started a public awareness campaign highlighting the dangers of the trek to America from Central America, and re-
Seek $1.1 billion for the Department of Homeland Security to help deter border-crossers and increase enforcement. That would include $879 million to pay for detention and removal of adults traveling with children, to provide additional detention space for those individuals, and to speed up the prosecution of adults who cross the border unlawfully with children. Seek $433 for Customs and Border Protection to cover overtime costs and for additional facilities to detain unaccompanied children while they are in Border Patrol custody. It also includes nearly $40 million to increase air surveillance, such as drone flights along the border. Provide $64 million to the Department of Justice, with much of the money spend on hiring 40 additional teams of immigration judges. The White House says that together with a previous request for 35 additional teams, the system would be able to process an additional 55,000 to 75,000 cases annually. Provide $1.8 billion to the Department of Health and Human Services for the care of unaccompanied children, including shelter and medical care. As lawmakers return to Washington this week from a weeklong recess, Obama’s spending request is set to be a focus, with the Senate Appropriations Committee scheduling a hearing to examine it.
QUEEN Continued from Page 1A
minding people that they would not be allowed to stay in the United States. More Border Patrol agents have also been sent to the area. Meanwhile, Perry and the offices of House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, and Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst have authorized the Texas Department of Public Safety to spend an additional $1.3 million per week to ramp up law enforcement presence on the border. With the Border Patrol overwhelmed, state officials argue, federal agents could lose focus on deterring crime associated with transnational gangs and cartels.
crowned Tiny Miss Zapata County in March, American Beauty Southern States in April, and most recently, Tiny Miss American Beauty. Winners also receive financial aid for their education. “She loves modeling, making friends and is very friendly,” said Laura Moncivais, a nurse, of her daughter Vanessa. “She’s a 5-year-old girl who loves fashion, is very funny and is outgoing.” Young Cantu now has obligations to fulfill. She must, as
part of her contract with the American Beauty Pageant, take part in community service activities. She has already donated books to Zapata’s library, and is considering a visit to the local nursing home. Cantu has also taken part in activities in Laredo, mainly visiting sick children. “When I grow up I want to be a doctor, so I can heal the sick and make them feel better,” Cantu said. Her father is Baldemar Cantu, who works for Zapata
County. Her grandparents are Ramon and Antonia Moncivais and Higinio and Leonor Cantu. American Beauty Pageant has created a Facebook page (Tiny Miss American Beauty) for Cantu, which is updated by her parents, and through which the public can follow her activities as a beauty queen. (Contact Melva Lavin at 7282569 or at mecastillo@lmtonline.com. Translated by Mark Webber of the Times staff.)
SAIPAN Continued from Page 1A 105th Regiment were positioned across a plain along Saipan’s western shore. With the island’s 30,000 defenders down to a few thousand starving, ill-equipped soldiers and sailors, Japanese commanders ordered one last charge. The battalions’ 1,100 soldiers bore the brunt of what became known as the banzai attack. U.S. military officials later said 3,000 Japanese charged the American lines, though others put the estimate closer to 5,000. Many of the attackers were armed with samurai swords and bayonets tied to poles. “I was scared as hell,” said Mailloux, then a 20-year-old corporal from Cohoes, a mill town north of Albany. “When you hear that screaming — ‘banzai’ — who wouldn’t be?” The 105th’s positions were overrun. Firing their rifles until they ran out of ammunition and their machine guns until the barrels overheated, the Americans fell back as the attack became a running street brawl. They set up a second perimeter along the beach
Photo courtesy of Bob Dial | AP
World War II veterans Wilfred Mailloux, left, and John Sidur, both of Cohoes, N.Y., are seen at the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Saipan on Monday, in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. Their division bore the brunt of Japan’s largest mass suicide attack. and, with their backs to the water, fought for hours before the attackers were all but annihilated. When it was over, some 4,300 enemy dead were found on the battlefield, about half of them in
front of the 105th’s positions. The regiment saw 406 killed and 512 wounded. Mailloux was stabbed in the thigh by a Japanese officer wielding a long knife. Unable to move,
he lay in a ditch for hours before Sidur, a 26-year-old sergeant also from Cohoes, found him bleeding in a muddy ditch. “I didn’t know who it was,” Sidur said. “I just thought, ‘Boy, he
looks familiar.”’ More than 3,000 Americans died in the land battle for Saipan, about a third of them 27th Division soldiers. Among the dead were scores of New Yorkers, including more than two dozen from Albany-area factory towns. Three members of the 105th killed in the July 7 attack were awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously, including Col. William O’Brien and Sgt. Thomas Baker, both from Troy. Holland Smith declared Saipan secure on July 9, though the 27th remained on the island for weeks. Survivors of the banzai attack were still recovering from their wounds when they learned of Smith’s comments lambasting their division. For many, an intense dislike of the Marine commander and leathernecks in general would last a lifetime. But not for Mailloux, who prefers to remember how the two branches of the service teamed up to defeat a determined foe. “The Marines were Americans and we were Americans,” he said before tears cut off his words.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 9, 2014