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WAR ON DRUGS
BACK TO SCHOOL
Prison time
Tourney to help children Chamber of Commerce seeks donations of school supplies
Former Valley sheriff sentenced to 5 years
By MALENA CHARUR THE ZAPATA TIMES
By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
McALLEN — A former South Texas sheriff who had pleaded guilty to money laundering was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday in what the judge called a sad day for the county. U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez departed from sentencing guidelines that topped out at less than four years to impose a stiffer penalty on former Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño. Alvarez said many questions remained about how much money Treviño really took from a known drug trafficker. She said Treviño
admitted to accepting $20,000 to $25,000 — double the amounts in question that were recorded in his re-election campaign account. “You knew that this person was a drug trafficker,” Alvarez said. “You are contributing to the problem that we have in this county.” She said cases like Treviño’s diminish the public’s trust. Standing before the judge, Treviño made no excuses. “I’m sorry. It happened. I did it,” he said. Treviño apologized to his wife and children, “because our last name will al-
See SHERIFF
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US MILITARY
Photo by Delcia Lopez/The McAllen Monitor | AP
Former Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño received 5 years in prison, pleading guilty to accepting illegal campaign contributions.
This is the fourth consecutive year the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the annual Children’s Back to School Fishing Tournament, and is looking for sponsors to furnish school supplies to 400 underprivileged children expected to participate in the event. Celia Balderas, membership services coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce, said the event has been known as “Children’s Fishing Tournament,” but it’s been changed to a time closer to the beginning of the school year. “We have been doing this event for a long time, since fishing is a popular
activity in the region,” Balderas said. “Four years ago we changed the date and name to do it before school started and help the community with school supplies.” The event will take place at Bravo Park Pond on Saturday, August 23, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The first group of students numbered 100, but over time that number has increased. “This is a free event and open to the public. We have children from throughout the area,” she said. “Now we are helping 400 children.” Balderas said there is no registration fee, and a parent or other responsib-
See TOURNAMENT
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IMMIGRATION OVERLOAD
FEWER KIDS CROSSING Flow of children slows By ALICIA A. CALDWELL Photo by Helen L. Montoya | San Antonio Express-News
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lucy Coffey and Queta Marquez, Bexar County veterans service officer, go through pictures taken while Coffey was in Japan.
Looking at ‘honor flight’ Oldest female veteran, 108, hopes to see World War II monument in D.C. By SIG CHRISTENSON SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — When the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, Lucy Coffey had left the farm in Martinsville, Indiana, spent time in Chicago and finally settled in Dallas, where she worked at an A&P supermarket. After quitting the A&P in 1943, she joined the Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps, a call to service that would take her to Japan before she returned and settled in San
Antonio. Now, at 108, the nation’s oldest woman veteran has one more trip she wants to make, this time an Honor Flight, an all-expense-paid salute to World War II veterans. The destination: Washington, D.C. “I’d like to go to see things that are there that were not there before,” Coffey told the San Antonio Express-News. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Washington, but I would like to go to
See VETERAN PAGE 11A
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Protesters gather Friday outside the Mexican Consulate, in Austin. The flow of children crossing the border illegally and without their parents has slowed, officials say.
WASHINGTON — The flood of children crossing the Mexican border illegally and without their parents has slowed down in recent weeks, two senior Obama administration officials said Friday. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas have found fewer than 500 children crossing the border illegally this week, the officials said. Last month, agents arrested as many as 2,000 child immigrants a week. The Obama administration has been struggling to deal with a flood of more than 57,000 children traveling alone since Oct. 1. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said earlier this month that as many as 90,000 unaccompanied child immigrants could be apprehended by the end of the budget year in September. Most of the children are from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez and El Salvadoran President Salvador Sanchez Ceren will meet with Obama and Vice President Joe Biden on July 25. Biden has been the point person for contacts with these Central American leaders. He last spoke to them by phone on July 9 and was in Guatemala for meet-
See IMMIGRATION
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PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Saturday, July 19
ASSOCIATED PRESS
First Female Veterans Conference. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. UT Health Science Center Laredo Regional Campus. No cost for registration. All female veterans and their families are invited to attend. Contact Gerardo Alvarado at 7402053.
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 Cigarroa High School Class of ’94 20th year reunion. Contact Veronica Sanchez at verosanchez1976@gmail.com.
Saturday, July 26 Cigarroa High School Class of ’94 20th year reunion. Contact Veronica Sanchez at verosanchez1976@gmail.com. 5th Annual Cat Appreciation Day — Cat Contest. 3:30 p.m. to 6 pm. North PETCO. Cat Appreciation Day proclamation at 3:30 p.m. Registration for Live categories and for unframed photo categories from 3:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. Judging and awards for registered live cats from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Judging and awards for registered unframed cat photos from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. $10 donation for each participating category. All proceeds will go toward implementing a Trap, Neuter and Return Program in Laredo. Contact Birdie at 286-7866.
Monday, July 28 Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. to noon. Zapata County Courthouse. Contact Roxy Elizondo at 7659920. 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. Spanish Book Club. 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Laredo Public Library – Calton. Contact Sylvia Reash 763-1810. “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.
Photo by Cody Duty/Houston Chronicle)
Applicants fill out paperwork during the Chron Mega Job Fair at Reliant Center, on Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2013, in Houston. The statewide unemployment rate for June held steady at 5.1 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday.
Steady jobless rate for June ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The statewide unemployment rate for June held steady at 5.1 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday. Last month’s seasonally adjusted figure matched the May jobless rate for Texas, halting three months of declines in statewide unemployment rates. The nationwide jobless rate for June was 6.1 percent. The Texas economy added 19,100 seasonally-adjusted total nonfarm jobs in June for a total of 371,000 jobs added in the past year, according to the Austin-based TWC. “The positive news continues as the Lone Star State’s jobs grew at 3.3 percent annually, with 371,000 jobs added over the last year,” said Andres Alcanar, TWC chairman. “Every major industry expanded over the year, with
mining and logging leading the way at a 7 percent annual growth rate.” Seven of the 11 major industries in Texas showed employment increases over the month, led by a rise of 7,700 jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities. The industry added 90,400 jobs over the year as its annual growth rate reached 4.0 percent, the highest in the industry’s recorded history. Education and health services continued to offer employment opportunities with the addition of 7,400 jobs in June. This industry has gained 52,600 jobs over the past year, bumping its annual growth rate up to 3.6 percent, its highest level since June 2010. “Our economy continues to offer diverse opportunities to job seekers,” said Commissioner Ronny Congleton. “From teachers and health care workers to truck drivers and accountants — Texas is hiring.
Endangered ocelot found dead on highway
Sen. Cruz visiting border amid immigration surge
Pair stole more than 50K pieces of mail
BROWNSVILLE — Federal authorities say one of the last remaining U.S. ocelots has been struck and killed on a South Texas highway. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Thursday the male cat was found dead last week on a highway between Laguna Vista and Los Fresnos. The agency says there are less than 50 left, mainly because of loss of habitat.
AUSTIN — Sen. Ted Cruz is traveling to the Texas-Mexico border for a firsthand look at a surge of unaccompanied children crossing illegally into the U.S. Today’s visit to a Customs and Border Patrol facility in McAllen will be the tea party darling’s third trip to his state’s southern border since taking office last year. It’s the first trip for Cruz since the influx of young immigrants became a national issue.
Drought map shows improvement
Measles alert issued after softball tourney
WACO — Two people have pleaded guilty to targeting dozens of U.S. post offices across Texas and stealing more than 50,000 pieces of mail. Federal prosecutors in Waco say the couple from Temple robbed in more than 80 communities, from Midland to College Station and from Dallas to San Antonio. Charles Hattenbach and Kathryn Hubbert pleaded guilty to the charges against them.
LUBBOCK — Recent rainfall in the Texas Panhandle took more of the region out of the worst drought stage and heavy storms the past couple of days will further improve conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday shows about 3.8 percent of the state in exceptional drought, down from 4.51 percent.
AUSTIN — Texas health officials say more than 30 people who traveled to a softball tournament in Kansas over the Fourth of July weekend may have been exposed to the measles virus. Kansas health officials said in a statement Thursday softball teams from Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri and Texas participated in the Wichita tournament.
Heavy rain hits parts of the state SAN ANTONIO — Heavy rain in parts of Texas has flooded roads, left campers stranded and forced an evacuation of a hotel during a weather-related fire. Forecasters say the Austin and San Antonio areas recorded nearly 3 inches of rain since Thursday night. — Compiled from AP reports
Saturday, Aug. 2 Used book sale, hosted by First United Methodist Church. 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hardback books are $1, paperback books 50 cents, and magazines and children’s books 25 cents.
Thursday, Aug. 7 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. Sisters of Mercy “Conversations with the Sisters,” a series of discussions focusing on earth, nonviolence, women, racism and immigration. 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. 1000 Mier St.
Monday, Aug. 11 Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. to noon. Zapata County Courthouse. Contact Roxy Elizondo at 7659920. 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.
AROUND THE NATION Court delays benefits for Utah gay couples SALT LAKE CITY — More than 1,000 same-sex married couples in Utah must wait longer for state benefits after the U.S. Supreme Court granted the state a stay on an order requiring it to recognize the marriages. The high court issued the order Friday afternoon, saying the stay will remain in place pending the outcome of the appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. The state’s same-sex marriage ban was struck down in December and the couples got married before the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a halt.
Police: Fla. father beats accused child abuser DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — A Daytona Beach father beat an 18year-old man unconscious after finding him sexually abusing his
Today is Saturday, July 19, the 200th day of 2014. There are 165 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 19, 1989, 111 people were killed when United Air Lines Flight 232, a DC-10 which suffered the uncontained failure of its tail engine and the loss of hydraulic systems, crashed while making an emergency landing at Sioux City, Iowa; 185 other people survived. On this date: In 1553, King Henry VIII’s daughter Mary was proclaimed Queen of England after pretender Lady Jane Grey was deposed. In 1903, the first Tour de France was won by Maurice Garin. In 1944, the Democratic national convention convened in Chicago with the renomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered a certainty. In 1952, the Summer Olympics opened in Helsinki, Finland. In 1961, TWA became the first airline to begin showing regularly scheduled in-flight movies as it presented “By Love Possessed” to first-class passengers on a flight from New York to Los Angeles. In 1980, the Moscow Summer Olympics began, minus dozens of nations that were boycotting the games because of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush joined former presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon at ceremonies dedicating the Nixon Library and Birthplace (since redesignated the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum) in Yorba Linda, California. In 1994, a bomb ripped apart a Panama commuter plane, killing 21, including 12 Jews, a day after a car bomb destroyed a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, killing 85 people. Ten years ago: Mark Hacking of Salt Lake City shot and killed his 27-year-old wife, Lori, disposed of her remains, then reported her missing; he was later sentenced to six years to life in prison after pleading guilty to first-degree murder. Five years ago: Israel rejected a U.S. demand to suspend a planned housing project in east Jerusalem. One year ago: In a rare and public reflection on race, President Barack Obama called on the nation to do some soul searching over the death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of his shooter, George Zimmerman, saying the slain black teenager “could have been me 35 years ago.” Today’s Birthdays: Actress Helen Gallagher is 88. Country singer Sue Thompson is 88. Country singer George Hamilton IV is 77. Singer Vikki Carr is 74. Country singermusician Commander Cody is 70. Actor George Dzundza is 69. Rock singer-musician Alan Gorrie (Average White Band) is 68. Tennis player Ilie Nastase is 68. Rock musician Brian May is 67. Rock musician Bernie Leadon is 67. Actress Beverly Archer is 66. Movie director Abel Ferrara is 63. Actor Peter Barton is 58. Thought for Today: “No written law has ever been more binding than unwritten custom supported by popular opinion.” — Carrie Chapman Catt, American feminist (18591947).
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White lion cubs rub against each other during an event to welcome the cubs to Siegfried & Roy’s Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat, on Thursday, in Las Vegas. 11-year-old son early Friday morning, police said. The father called 911 around 1 a.m. after he walked in on the alleged abuse, police said. When officers arrived, they found Raymond Frolander motionless on the living room floor. He had sev-
eral knots on his face and was bleeding from the mouth. The father has not been charged with any crime. Frolander is charged with sexual battery on a child under 12. He is being held without bail. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
State
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Need for bigger timber leads to fewer pilings Homebuilders seek to build homes higher off the ground By LAURA ELDER GALVESTON COUNTY DAILY NEWS
GALVESTON — A severe shortage of timber pilings, crucial for construction on the coast, is complicating life for homebuilders who are lamenting about longer and longer waits for supply, as demand for new houses and vacation properties surges. Not long ago, builders could get 12-inch-by-12-inch timber pilings in a matter of days. Now it can take months, and the problem will get worse before it gets better, industry observers say. “Twelve-by-twelves are by far the hardest to get your hands on,” James Fox, manager of McCoy’s Building Supply on the island, told the Galveston County Daily News. “Vendors have stopped quoting lead times; they were saying four to six weeks, then five to seven weeks, then up to eight weeks. They’re not giving us times anymore.” Mandie Parker, who works in sales at Ideal Lumber Co. on the island, asked a vendor last month for a quote on 20 28-foot-long 12inch treated pilings. The vendor joked the lead time would be a “million weeks.” It might as well have been — his quote was three months. “It’s never been quite this bad,” said Jimmy Clore, owner of Alta Vista Builders. A few weeks ago, Clore, who builds custom homes around the county, called a local lumber yard for pilings and was told he’d have an eight-week wait. Wanting to keep the project on schedule, Clore started dialing. Of 16 suppliers he called, only one could give him quote. That supplier could get Clore the pilings “faster” — four weeks — but at a steep price. The supply shortage can be traced back several years to a national market collapse that brought housing starts to an abrupt stop. Mills cut shifts and slashed production in response to falling demand. Timber harvests plummeted. Inventory was whit-
Photo by Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News | AP
Jimmy Clore, with Alta Vista Development, was able to get 12-by-12 pilings for a Tiki Island project, but due to a shortage has had to wait weeks and pay extra to get them for other projects.
Another culprit is the weather. Timber used in construction around here comes mostly from East Texas and Louisiana, where spring rains made harvesting timber difficult. tled away. Some suppliers didn’t survive. Labor sought greener pastures in the booming energy industry. Another culprit is the weather. Timber used in construction around here comes mostly from East Texas and Louisiana, where spring rains made harvesting timber difficult. Meanwhile, homebuilding across Texas rebounded, and not gradually. It shot up fast, builder Billy Sullivan said. “It was a pretty aggressive incline,” he said. The factors all added up to a supply crunch. “Those suppliers which remain simply have more orders than they can physically produce, so things are out of balance,” said Larry Pikas, president of Breton Woods Builders. “When conditions such as wet springtime weather in East Texas are added to the mix, the gap widens more.” But perhaps the biggest cause of the shortage is the coastal
quest to build houses ever higher, out of reach of storm surge and other flooding, which has spurred demand for larger, longer pilings that require larger trees. For years, 10-by-10 pilings were the industry standard for home construction on the coast and still are widely used. But after hurricanes Ike and Dolly in 2008, demand rose for 12-inch pilings. Many structural engineers aren’t comfortable building too high above grade with 10-inch pilings, Pikas said. Although not required by building codes, many engineers want builders to use 12-inch pilings when the living area of a house is higher than 12 feet above grade, he said. Engineers consider 12-inch pilings to be more stable and have less rocking effect, Pikas said. And building higher tends to reduce flood premium rates, he said. “Flood premiums are largely based on the elevation of a home
relative to the established base flood elevation, so going higher tends to reduce those flood premium rates passed on to customers,” Pikas said. Not only are structural engineers mandating larger pilings, they’re requiring them to be driven deeper, as much as 20 feet below grade, Pikas said. And they want builders to use more of them. A few years ago, engineers might have required about 24 treated pilings for a 1,500-square-foot, single-story house, Pikas said. These days, they might require 38 pilings for the same house. More and bigger trees are needed to meet that demand, which is adding to the problem. “If you’re buying a 12-by-12 piling that’s 34 feet long, you’re going to need a tree at least 37 feet tall,” Clore said. The quickly rebounding Texas homebuilding industry also is driving sudden and increasing demand for wood products other
than pilings that are more profitable, Fox said. So a lot of large trees that could make pilings are instead cut up into the 2-by-4s, 6s, 8s and 12s used to frame houses, he said. Timber pilings also are competing with other higher-margin products that require large trees, such as utility poles and bridge trusses, said Kevin Ragon, executive director of Southern Pressure Treaters’ Association, which is affiliated with the Timber Piling Council. The industry needs a little time to adapt to the increased demand, Ragon said. “When you get into the bigger trees, you change the market,” Ragon said. “A bigger piece of wood is worth more money, and you make other products out of it. The pilings have to compete in different marketplaces.” Some suppliers who count coastal builders among clientele hope the industry adjusts sooner rather than later. “Without pilings, they can’t finish the rest of the beach house,” Todd Toups, sales executive of wholesaler Eastex Forest Products in Houston, said. “I’d love to see six or eight truckloads sitting outside my gate, but that’s not going to happen anytime soon.” Tightening supplies haven’t caused drastic spikes yet, but when the market shakes out, prices likely will be higher. Some builders are reporting price increases of about 8 percent for 12inch pilings since January. Timber piling prices vary, depending on size and height. A seasoned builder with good connections can typically buy a 12by-12 timber piling for $600 to $700, which includes the cost of transporting the product to work sites. Still, some builders with large jobs looming have reason to be a little worried. Rumors have been circulating that an order for thousands of 12inch pilings to rebuild island public housing complexes Cedar Terrace and Magnolia Homes was causing the drag on supply. But Sullivan, a principal in SLS, which won the bid to rebuild the public housing, said that’s not the case.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Youths will meet in Poland
“
JAMES TAMAYO
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.” Matthew, 5:7 Last week, the Vatican and the Archdiocese of Krakow unveiled the logo, the official prayer and the theme for the 2016 World Youth Day to be held in Krakow, Poland. The international youth gathering, scheduled for July 26-31, 2016, will be held in the Archdiocese of Krakow, the former see of St. John Paul II and is home to the Divine Mercy sanctuary. As many know, St. John Paul had a great devotion and instituted Divine Mercy Sunday on the liturgical calendar. After hearing the announcement I began reflecting on the theme for WYD 2016 and it resonated strongly within me. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy,” is one of the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount found in the Gospel of Matthew at the beginning of chapter five. I immediately thought of the many volunteers in Laredo, and throughout the many border communities, who have shown God’s love and mercy to the unprecedented influx of undocumented immigrant children and mothers from Central American countries over the last month. Locally, the Laredo Humanitarian Relief Team has seen the face of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in the women and children arriving in Laredo on a daily basis and has afforded these brothers and sisters in Christ with the appropriate respect and dignity that every person deserves. The Laredo Humanitarian Relief Team, comprised primarily of Catholic Social Services of the Diocese of Laredo, Holding Institute and Bethany House, has provided the basic necessities of life such as food, water, showers, a change of clothes and shoes to help them on their journey. They have performed the Corporal Works of Mercy. The hours have been long and the weight of the immigrant’s plight has been heavy on both the traveler and those serving them. While the physical trauma has been significant, the psychological scars and emotional strain have been worse. The cross has been heavy for both the immigrants and those serving them. Please keep the Laredo Humanitarian Relief Team and the many volunteers in your prayers. And then another group of hardworking faith-filled individuals came to mind. For the fifth consecutive year two merciful groups visited Laredo to serve others with humility, compassion and conviction. A group of adults, young adults and teenagers from Coppell, Texas, and Lafayette, La., as well as another missionary group from Houston, spent the past week in Laredo and in El Cenizo as examples of stewardship by donating their time, talent and treasure to the people of the Diocese of Laredo. Mission Laredo, a 180-strong group, helped with Vacation Bible Study at Our Lady of Guadalupe and San Francisco Javier Churches in Laredo as well as Santa Monica Mission in El Cenizo. They also painted and laid new flooring at Our Lady of Guadalupe School and constructed new bookshelves at San Francisco Javier Church. In El Cenizo, the Santa Monica Mission along with numerous homes received repairs including new roofs, bathroom repairs, new flashing and other construction-related improvements. The Houston youth group hails from St. Rose of Lima Parish, and they spent the week at San Carlos Mission also offering Vacation Bible Study and assisting in any way possible to improve the mission grounds. The collegiate and high school students, along with their adult leaders, toiled in the grueling summer sun for six days to accomplish their construction goals and for the last five years they have served as examples of mercy and of doing God’s work. I sincerely thank these people and so many of goodwill that are performing works of mercy in our midst — Todo Con Amor.
COLUMN
Austin seems not the place to be
“
KEN HERMAN
AUSTIN — Back in February, it was my proud (if skeptical) pleasure to report that the Guardian, a British publication, picked Austin as No. 3 on its list of the world’s top 40 “holiday hotspots” for 2014. Today, it’s my sad duty to report that Texas Highways magazine readers don’t think as highly of Austin as a travel destination. We are, they say, No. 26. And that’s in Texas, not the whole wide world. We’re just behind No. 25 Granbury (give yourself one point if you know where Granbury is and that Granbury is not an Ocean Spray combination of the juices of grapes and cranberries) and just above No. 27 Lake Fork (one point if you’ve heard of Lake Fork, which is just across the plate from Lake Knife and Lake Spoon. There’s talk of merging two of those to create Lake
Spork). As a Texas travel destination, say Texas Highways readers, we’re eight places below Abilene. Abi-freaking-lene. Turns out boredom is a bigger tourist attraction than bats. The good folks at Texas Highways, a fine publication of your Texas Department of Transportation, tell us that thousands of its readers shaped the list. The magazine’s website now has thumbnails about numbers 10 through 40. The top nine will be dribbled out later this year, with No. 1 to be announced in December. (Spoiler alert: It’s Muleshoe, though I expect tourist paradise Abilene to contest that in federal court.) Here’s the magazine’s blurb about Austin: “It would be understandable for Texans to grow weary of their capital city’s popularity and outsized national reputation as a funky cultural mecca. But beneath the hype is a genuine vibrancy that makes Austin an exciting place to visit. Whether you’re drawn to the music scene; parks and greenbelts; art
museums and cultural centers; Texas history and government; world-class daily newspaper with fascinating columnists; or good ol’ Tex-Mex and barbecue, it’s worth a trip to see for yourself what the fuss is about.” (Memo to Texas Highways: I reinserted the “world-class daily newspaper with fascinating columnists” part that I’m sure was erroneously deleted in the editing process. You’re welcome.) Abilene, we’re told, “won readers’ praise for its smalltown feel, state park, zoo, shopping, history, and restaurants, which range from classic barbecue joints to newcomers like Abi-Haus, which makes waves with craft cocktails and modern American fare.” I’ve been to Abilene. Here’s everything I remember about it: . “As reader Grant Rampy wrote, ‘Abilene’s got it going on!”’ Texas Highways reports. I’ve never met Grant Rampy. I’m not sure I want to vacation with him. Reader Gary Grubbs told the magazine: “Abilene is great for sports, hunting, music, awesome
West Texas lifestyle and pace, hospitality ... and of course, great food!” Grubbs lives in Abilene. He might need to get out of town more often. There’s a pattern here. The magazine’s laudatory comment about No. 25 Granbury is from a Granburyite (Granburyian? Granburyonian?) and the laudatory comment about No. 27 Lake Fork is from a Lake Forker. The positive comment about Austin is from a California Aggie. Of course, it’s possible Austin suffered in the poll because local readers of Texas Highways understand that your hometown probably doesn’t qualify as a travel destination for you. It’s Saturday, so let’s end on a positive note. The August issue of Texas Highways includes a look at the wonderful new family garden at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Maybe that can help nudge us into the top 25 next time. Take that, Granbury. Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: kherman@statesman.com.
Food, drugs had a very bad week By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST
I don’t know about you, but I like my deadly pathogens accounted for by the people who are in charge of that sort of thing. That’s why the news coming out of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this past week was so troubling. Turns out that the FDA discovered smallpox, the virus be-
hind dengue fever, a bacteria that causes spotted fever, and something called Q fever just sitting in a cold-storage room — OK, they were in vials, but still — at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland. “The reasons why these samples went unnoticed for this long is something that we’re actively trying to understand,” said Peter Marks, the deputy director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. Um, no duh.
Those revelations came in the same week that Thomas Frieden, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, testified on Capitol Hill about the 80 CDC employees who may have been exposed to live anthrax bacteria back in June. He added that there had been a number of incidents of mishandling of potentially deadly viruses over the past decade. “We missed a critical pattern,” Frieden said. “And the
pattern is an insufficient culture of safety.” Again, no duh. A reminder: These are the people — and the organizations — we entrust with handling the deadliest viruses in the world because they’re supposedly so careful and diligent about how they do their jobs. Or not. The FDA and the CDC, for ensuring that I will have nightmares for weeks, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.
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International
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
US eyes case in plane crash By JULIE PACE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The United States began building a case Friday linking pro-Russian separatists to the shocking downing of a passenger jet in Ukraine. A somber President Barack Obama declared the deaths of those on board, including at least one American, an “outrage of unspeakable proportions.” Obama said the U.S. believes the Malaysia Airlines plane was felled by a surface-to-air missile launched from an area near the Ukraine-Russia border that is controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists. Even as he cautioned that the exact circumstances were still being determined, the president turned his sights on Russia, saying the insurgents would not be capable of carrying out such an attack without Moscow’s support. “We know that they are heavily armed and they are trained, and we know that that’s not an accident,” Obama said. “That is happening because of Russian support.” The president spoke shortly after Samantha Power, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, outlined preliminary evidence against Russia and the separatists during an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. Power said separatists were spotted Thursday with an SA-11 anti-aircraft missile at a location close to the site where the plane came down and that they had boasted on social media sites about shooting down a plane, then later deleted those posts. Power joined Obama in calling for an immediate international investigation, and she warned that the separatists and those supporting them would have “good reason to cover up evidence of their crime.” The U.S. has called for evidence from the crash site to remain in Ukraine until investigators determine
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Mexico says suspects were not executed By MARK STEVENSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Dmitry Lovetsky | AP
A pro-Russian fighter holds up a toy found among the debris at the crash site of a Malaysia Airlines jet near the village of Hrabove, eastern Ukraine, on Friday. who is responsible. The American killed in the incident was identified as Quinn Lucas Schansman. Officials said they were still working to confirm whether any other U.S. citizens were on board the plane. For Obama, the downed plane adds new complexity to U.S. efforts to quell the months-long conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Increasingly stringent economic sanctions imposed by the U.S. and Europe, including a new round of penalties announced a day before the plane was shot down, have done little to change Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approach. Obama warned Russia anew on Friday that the U.S. has the capacity to increase the economic pain, but he outlined no specific potential actions. He did say he saw no U.S. military role in the conflict that has stemmed in part from Russia’s annexation of the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. All 298 people aboard the Malaysian plane were killed in Thursday’s incident. The victims included vacationers, students and a large contingent of scientists. The passengers came from a dozen countries, spreading the impact of the Ukraine crisis around the
globe. “This certainly will be a wake-up call for Europe and the world that there are consequences to an escalating conflict in eastern Ukraine — that it is not going to be localized, it is not going to be contained,” Obama said. The president has spoken with several world leaders since the crash, including Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands. The flight originated in Amsterdam and nearly 200 of those killed were Dutch. Obama also spoke with Russia’s Putin just as initial reports of the crash were coming in. On Friday, the president stopped short of blaming Putin for the downing of the plane, but he said the Russian leader could bring the broader conflict to an end. “He has the most control over that situation, and so far at least he has not exercised it,” the president said. A U.S. official said all available evidence, including satellite imagery, pointed to the plane being shot down with an SA-11 antiaircraft missile fired by pro-Russian separatist forces. The official said the
U.S. detected three separate events associated with the shootdown: the launching of the missile from the Ukraine side of the border, the missile’s impact with the plane and the plane slamming into the ground. That official was not authorized to discuss U.S. intelligence matters publicly by name and commented only on condition of anonymity. Power, during her remarks at the United Nations, said Ukrainian forces as well as the separatists have SA-11 systems in their inventory. However, she said the U.S. was not aware of those systems being in the area of the shooting, and she noted that Ukrainian air defenses have not fired any missiles during the dispute with Russia. The State Department said the FBI and National Transportation Security Board were each sending at least one agent to Ukraine, and perhaps more later, to assist with the crash investigation. A command center has been set up at the State Department, where officials from agencies participating in the delegation gathered Friday morning for a briefing from the CIA on the political and military situation.
MEXICO CITY — Mexican prosecutors said their investigation into the shooting deaths of 22 suspected criminals at a warehouse last month has found that none of the people were shot at close range. Questions arose about the June 30 shootout with military forces in which all of the suspects were killed, but no soldiers died, even though the suspects allegedly opened fire first. The prosecutors’ office of Mexico State said in a statement sent to The Associated Press late Thursday that it has “no evidence at all of possible executions.” The office said it found ballistic evidence of “crossfire with a proportionate interchange of gunshots.” But reporters who visited the warehouse did not see signs of an extended gun battle. About five spots along the warehouse’s inside walls showed the same pattern: one or two closely placed bullet pocks, surrounded by a mass of spattered blood, giving the appearance that some of those killed were standing against the wall and were hit by one or two precise shots at about chest level. There were few signs of any stray bullets or near misses of the kind that would be expected in a large gun battle. The prosecutors’ statement did not release any of the autopsy or ballistics reports. Nor have federal or state prosecutors responded to repeated requests for that information. The statement said a chemical test for gunshot residue indicated the dead suspects had fired weapons, but did not specify how recently. But experts called into
question Mexico’s reliance on a relatively primitive and partial chemical test for gunshot residue. Modern police departments use a clean swab and an electron scanning microscope to identify three ‘signature’ elements of gunfire — barium, lead, antimony. Mexico’s chemical-reaction method tests only for lead, and is usually used by police in other countries to test suspected bullet holes on clothing, not a suspect’s hands. “It doesn’t sound right,” Ronald R. Scott, an expert ballistics witness and former commander of the Massachusetts state police firearms section. “That’s not the gold standard.” Moreover, Scott said, gunfire in an enclosed space like the warehouse probably would have left some residue on the suspects’ bodies even if they hadn’t had fired a gun, because the residue spreads in the air. Soldiers who had gunshot residue on their hands and uniforms also apparently entered the warehouse, spreading it further. Soldiers or police may have even further contaminated the crime scene: the floor of the warehouse was scattered with broken parts of cellphones, because someone — apparently soldiers or police — broke the phones to extract the SIM cards, which contain information about the owner and his calls. Extracting the phones from the dead suspects’ pockets and handling the bodies could easily have contaminated them. “It seems to there’s a significant question of reliability and validity,” Scott said of the test results. The state prosecutors said they have turned the investigation over to federal authorities.
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera Reporta vivencia
SÁBADO 19 DE JULIO DE 2014
FRONTERA
Agenda en Breve LAREDO
07/19 — La Caminata del Laredo Walk to Defeat ALS 2014 se lleva a cabo en North Central Park, 10202 International Blvd. La inscripción inicia a las 7:30 a.m., y la caminata iniciará a las 9 a.m. 07/19 — El Mercado Agrícola de El Centro de Laredo será de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. en Plaza Jarvis. Pero igualmente habrá un paseo en bicicleta con salida a las 7:30 a.m. de TAMIU, organizado por el Laredo Cycling Association; posteriormente a las 9:30 a.m. 9Bike6 tendrán un paseo en bicicleta desde Caffe Dolce hasta el Mercado. Todos los eventos estarán amenizados con música y entretenimiento en vivo. 07/19 — Primera Conferencia de Veteranas, de 9 a.m. a 3 p.m. en el UTHSC Laredo Regional Campus. Evento gratuito. Se invita a todas las veteranas y sus familias. 07/19 — 12º Festival Internacional de Ciudades Hermanas, de 10 a.m. a 7 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 Arena Boulevard. Experiencia de la Caravana Spurs será de 2 p.m. a 4 p.m. 07/19 — El Tour de la Caravana de Spurs estará en Academy Sports + Outdoors, ubicado en 10820 de International Blvd., a partir de las 11:30 a.m. y hasta las 12:30 p.m.; y de 2 p.m. a 5 p.m. en el Festival de Ciudades Hermanas, dentro del Laredo Energy Arena. 07/19 — El Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU, estará proyectando “Star Signs” a las 3 p.m.; “Black Holes” a las 4 p.m.; “Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon” a las 5 p.m. Costo de admisión general es de 4 dólares para niños y 5 dólares adultos. 07/19 — LTGI y TAMIU presentan ‘My Fair Lady’, a las 8 p.m. en el Teatro del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU. Costo: 20 dólares; 15 dólares para estudiantes con ID y adultos mayores. 07/20 — 12º Festival Internacional de Ciudades Hermanas, de 10 a.m. a 5 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 Arena Boulevard. Experiencia de la Caravana Spurs será de 2 p.m. a 4 p.m. 07/20 — LTGI y TAMIU presentan ‘My Fair Lady’, a las 3 p.m. en el Teatro del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU. Costo: 20 dólares; 15 dólares para estudiantes con ID y adultos mayores.
NUEVO LAREDO 07/19 — Estación Palabra presenta: “Bazar de Arte”, a las 10 a.m.; “Te Leo a la Una”, a la 1 p.m.; “Festival Infantil: El Cielo”, a las 2 p.m.; “Leo… Luego Éxito’, a las 6 p.m. Eventos gratuitos. 07/19 — El Programa Leo… Luego Existo, presenta a la actriz mexicana Nuria Bages, a las 6 p.m. en Estación Palabra “Gabriel García Márquez”. Bages leerá fragmentos de la obra de la poeta Carmen Alardín. 07/20 — Teatro Laberintus A.C. presenta “Invisible” a las 12 p.m. en el Teatro del IMSS, entre Reynosa y Belden. Obra es para toda la familia. Costo 20 pesos. 07/20 — El Programa domingos de Teatro Universitario presentan “Romeo y Julieta”, a las 5 p.m. Entrada 20 pesos. 07/20 — El grupo Laberintus Arte y Cultura A.C. presentan “En el Desierto No hay Sirenas”, a las 6 p.m. Entrada gratuita. 07/21 — Festival de Monólogos ‘Teatro a una sola voz’ presenta: “Bambis dientes de leche” a las 7 p.m. en el Teatro Experimental del Centro Cultural.
Menores estarían acompañados por familiares/vecinos Nota del editor: Esta es la primera parte de una serie de dos donde el reportero describe su experiencia con diferentes grupos de inmigrantes que viajan con menores que usualmente son clasificados como “menores sin compañía” por CBP.
POR JOSHUA PARTLOW THE WASHINGTON POST
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO — Los “menores sin compañía” que caminan entre la maleza sobre las riveras del Río Grande y se entregaron a oficiales de Patrulla Fronteriza el mes pasado, técnicamente, no estaban sin compañía. En el grupo de 15 personas que vimos esa noche, alrededor de la mitad parecían ser adultos, incluyendo a hombres y una mujer que llevaba
un bebé, además de varios niños. La imagen más potente de la actual crisis migratoria: miles de menores centroamericanos en peligro recorriendo, sin compañía, el éxodo desde sus países. Pero por lo que he visto en la presentación de informes sobre este tema en la frontera de EU y en Honduras, esto también resulta algo engañoso. El término “menores extranjeros sin compañía” o UACs (por sus siglas en inglés) asignado por Aduana y Protección Fronteriza (CBP, por sus siglas en inglés), se refiere a personas de hasta 17 años, que se encuentran viajando sin la compañía de un padre o tutor legal. Esto no quiere decir que se encuentren viajando solos. En refugios migratorios de Mé-
xico y Honduras, hablando tanto con menores como con adultos que se encuentran realizando esta jornada, o han sido deportados después de no lograr entrar a Estados Unidos, el escenario más común parece ser menores que viajan en grupo que incluyen a parientes adultos, vecinos, traficantes u otras personas. A menudo los menores inmigrantes ya tienen a uno o ambos padres viviendo en Estados Unidos, y son considerados “sin compañía”, incluso si viajan con algún pariente adulto. Esto nos significa restar importancia a la circunstancia desesperada que estos menores se encuentran viviendo, el peligro de la jornada, o el estrés que esto causa a Patrulla Fronteriza y a la infraes-
tructura de inmigración de Estados Unidos. Solamente que el nombre es algo inapropiado. El gobierno opera refugios para familias y menores inmigrantes en San Pedro Sula, Honduras — la ciudad que ha enviado a más niños al norte que ninguna otra — autobuses que llegan tres días a la semana con cientos de inmigrantes que me recogieron en su camino por México y deportados a casa. En entrevistas recientes ahí, los menores estaban con tías, vecinos, abuelos, primos, padres. Un niño de 13 años de edad que entrevisté, cuyos padres estaban en prisión, habían emprendido la jornada con una familia del vecino. “Su madre es una buena amiga mía”, dijo la vecina. “Es por ello que tomé el riesgo”.
INTERNACIONAL
RECREACIÓN
EXHORTA TREGUA
Organizan torneo de pesca infantil POR MALENA CHARUR TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto por Evgeniy Maloletka | AP
Un combatiente pro ruso asegurando el área tras la llegada de OSCE (Organización para la Seguridad y Cooperaciones en Europa, por sus siglas en inglés), situado en uno de los lugares donde una parte del avión de pasajeros de Malaysia Airlines, calló el jueves por la mañana tras ser derribado por un misil.
EU colectaría evidencia POR JULIE PACE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Estados Unidos parece estar empezando a preparar evidencias de que los separatistas apoyados por Rusia fueron los que derribaron el avión de Malaysia Airlines en el este de Ucrania, un desastre que podría empeorar drásticamente la crisis en esa región. Un misil tierra-aire derribó al avión de Malaysia Airlines en Ucrania y un estadounidense estaba entre las casi 300 víctimas, declaró el viernes el presidente Barack Obama. Desde la Casa Blanca, el mandatario dijo que hay indicios de que el vuelo 17 de Malaysia Airlines fue derribado por un misil tierra-aire desde la zona controlada por los separatistas prorrusos. Obama advirtió que el incidente muestra que la crisis en Ucrania no se limita a la región.
Foto por J. Scott Applewhite | AP
El Presidente Barack Obama hablando de la situación en Ucrania, el viernes por la mañana en el Salón Brady Press Briefing, en la Casa Blanca, en Washington. “Esto es un llamado de alerta para todos”, aseveró el mandatario y exhortó a las partes en conflicto a acatar una tregua de inmediato. Dijo que el estadounidense fallecido es Quinn Lucas Schansman. No se dieron más detalles de la víctima. Aunque advirtió que la investigación sigue en curso, Obama señaló a Rusia por apoyar a los separatistas ucranianos, insinuando que fue con la ayuda rusa que pudieron derribar a la aeronave. Indicó que semejante ataque no es posible sin entrenamiento y equipos especializa-
dos “y eso es lo que está viniendo de Rusia”. “Obviamente estamos empezando a sacar conclusiones dada la naturaleza del misil”, dijo Obama. “Hay sólo ciertos tipos de misiles antiaéreos capaces de hacer impacto a 30.000 pies y destruir un avión de pasajeros”. Personal del FBI y de la Agencia Nacional de Seguridad en el Transporte van camino a Ucrania para ayudar a determinar lo que pasó, indicó Obama. Advirtió que la evidencia no debe alterarse mientras avanza la investigación respaldada por la ONU.
Por cuarto año consecutivo la Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Zapata está organizando el Torneo Anual de Pesca Infantil del Regreso a Clases y está buscando patrocinadores para surtir de útiles escolares a 400 menores de escasos recursos que participan en el evento. Celia Balderas, coordinadora de los servicios de membresía de la Cámara de Comercio, dijo que el evento se realizaba bajo el nombre de ‘Children Fishing Tournament; pero lo cambiaron para ajustarse a la época del regreso a clases. “Hemos hecho este evento por mucho tiempo ya que aquí la pesca es una actividad propia de la región”, explicó Balderas. “Hace cuatro años cambiamos la fecha y el nombre para realizarlo antes del regreso a clases y ayudar a la comunidad con los útiles escolares”. Indicó que iniciaron el evento ayudando a 100 menores pero que con el tiempo la cantidad ha ido en aumento. “Este es un evento gratuito y abierto al público. Se reciben niños de diferentes áreas”, sostuvo. “Ahora ayudamos a 400 niños”. Explicó que el torneo no tiene ningún costo de inscripción y que el requisito es que el menor vaya acompañado por uno de los padres o un adulto responsable. Los menores que participan reciben una camiseta, una mochila con una dotación de útiles escolares de acuerdo a la lista que proporciona el distrito escolar, y comida. Patrocinadores también permiten entregarles otros atractivos. “Buscamos patrocinadores que nos ayuden a cubrir esta demanda de material escolar u otros atractivos que se puedan instalar en el parque donde se realizará el torneo”, explicó Balderas. Agregó que algunos patrocinadores han sido concesionarios de autos, médicos pediatras, la oficina del alguacil del Condado de Zapata, entre otras empresas que participan. “Aún nos falta cubrir parte del material escolar”, agregó. El torneo se llevará a cabo en el parque Bravo Park Pond, el sábado 23 de agosto de 8 a.m. a 3 p.m. Si requiere mayores informes sobre el torneo o sobre cómo registrarse para ser un patrocinador de este evento, puede comunicarse al (956)765-4871 con Balderas o ingresar al sitio zapatachamber.com (Localice a Malena Charur en el 956-728-2583 o en mcharur@lmtonline.com)
REYNOSA, MÉXICO
Detienen a supuesto líder delincuencial TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El miércoles 16 de julio tuvo lugar el arresto de un presunto líder delincuencial que operaba en los municipios de Valle Hermoso y Río Bravo, anunciaron autoridades tamaulipecas a mediados de semana. Fue en la carretera Río Bravo-Reynosa, México, a
la atura del entronque a Matamoros, México, que elementos de la Policía Estatal Acreditable, de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, Secretaría de Marina y Policía Federal, lograron el arresto. Supuestamente el presunto líder, Miguel Ángel Alemán Salinas, y otros cuatro hombres, Israel Gar-
cía Rojas, Raúl Rodríguez Villarreal, Manuel Rodríguez Gutiérrez y Víctor Hugo Hernández Ortiz, se desplazaban en un vehículo por dicha carretera al momento del arresto, indica un comunicado. La policía federal y estatal habían colocado una red de vigilancia por la carretera el momento en que Ale-
mán Salinas y los otros cuatro hombres fueron detenidos en actividad sospechosa, señala un comunicado de prensa. Además se decomisó un arma larga, cargadores, cartuchos y equipo de radiocomunicación. Según el comunicado, después de la detención se presentó una serie de movi-
mientos de gente armada que intentaba rescatar al presunto líder, sin embargo autoridades bloquearon los presuntos ataques, indica el comunicado. Los detenidos fueron puestos a disposición de un Agente del Ministerio Público Federal para que se continúen las investigaciones correspondientes.
Nation
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Panel supports early release for drug felons By ERIC TUCKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Tens of thousands of federal inmates serving time for drug crimes may be eligible for early release under a costcutting proposal adopted Friday that would dramatically reduce the nation’s prison population over time. The U.S. Sentencing Commission, which earlier this year voted to substantially lower recommended sentences for drug-dealing felons, voted unanimously to retroactively apply that change to prisoners now behind bars. More than 46,000 inmates, including many who have already served a decade or longer in prison, would be eligible to seek early release under the commission’s decision. The commission, an independent panel that sets sentencing policy, has said sentences would be cut by an average of 25 months. The releases would start in November 2015 and be phased in over a period of years. “The magnitude of the change, both collectively and for individual offenders, is significant,” commission
chairwoman Patti Saris, a federal judge in Massachusetts, said before the vote. Advocates of the early-release plan say it would cut prison costs — nearly onehalf of the federal prison population is locked up for drug crimes — and scale back some of the harsh sentences imposed during the country’s war on drugs. Prisoner advocacy groups immediately trumpeted the change, calling it a matter of fundamental fairness. “This vote will change the lives of tens of thousands of families whose loved ones were given overly long drug sentences,” Julie Stewart, president of Families Against Mandatory Minimums, said in a statement. The change is part of a broader rethinking of criminal justice policy that the Justice Department, under Attorney General Eric Holder, has embraced. With an eye toward addressing sentencing disparities rooted in the 1980’s-era fight against crack cocaine, the Justice Department has issued new clemency criteria designed to encourage thousands of additional inmates to seek clemency. Last year, Holder
Photo by Marvel Family | AP
This 1999 photo shows Scott Walker and his daughter, Raele, at a Colorado prison. Walker hopes he’ll get clemency and be set free. directed federal prosecutors to avoid seeking mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug offenders. “This is a milestone in the effort to make more efficient use of our law enforcement resources and to ease the burden on our over-
crowded prison system,” Holder said in a statement. Though sentencing guidelines are advisory rather than mandatory, judges rely heavily on them in deciding on sentences. The guidelines recommend sentences that factor in the types and
quantities of the drugs. The commission in April voted to lower recommended sentences across all drug types, meaning, for instance, that a cocaine package of a given size would now be linked to a shorter range of punishment than before. Congress has until November to voice opposition to the commission’s plan, though advocates consider that unlikely. Otherwise, the sentencing guideline change and the retroactivity will go into effect then. Early releases wouldn’t begin until a year later. Commission members said they believe they have taken steps to ensure public safety, such as requiring a judge to sign off on a defendant’s early release. They also voted to delay the release until next year to give judges enough time to consider whether defendants are good candidates to be let out early. Among those attending Friday’s hearing was Adrienne Willis of Camp Springs, Md., who said her 47-year-old son, Bernard Gibson, might be among those who benefit. She said he’s already spent 18 years at a federal prison in Vir-
ginia for a drug-dealing conspiracy and still has more time to serve. “I thought that prison was supposed to rehabilitate people,” she said. “If someone’s been in prison for 18 years and they’re not rehabilitated, whose fault is that?” Some, though not all, judges, have joined advocacy groups in championing the change. “Even though retroactivity and individualized assessment for all eligible persons is time intensive and administratively burdensome, it is the right thing to do so that we can again ensure that our criminal justice system is fair to all concerned,” U.S District Judge John J. McConnell Jr. of Rhode Island wrote in a letter to the commission. But some prosecutors, including some within the Justice Department, have raised public safety concerns. A group of federal prosecutors, the National Association of Assistant United States Attorneys, said the move would lead to higher crime and give defendants little incentive to resolve their cases through plea deals.
Agency warns against powdered caffeine By MARY CLARE JALONICK AND ANN SANNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid pure powdered caffeine sold on the Internet after the death of an Ohio teen. Even a teaspoon of the powder could be lethal — it is equivalent to 25 cups of coffee. Eighteenyear-old Logan Stiner of LaGrange, Ohio, died May 27 after consuming it. The FDA said it is investigating caffeine powder and will “consider taking regulatory action.” In the meantime, the agency said it is recommending consumers stay away from it.
The agency added that the products may carry minimal or insufficient labeling. Consumers may not be aware that even a small amount can cause an overdose. Teenagers and young adults may be particularly drawn to the powder, which is a stimulant. Caffeine powder is marketed as a dietary supplement and is unregulated, unlike caffeine added to soda. FDA spokeswoman Jennifer Dooren said those who drink coffee, tea or soda may be aware of caffeine’s less serious effects, like nervousness and tremors, and may not realize that the powdered form is a pure chem-
ical. “The difference between a safe amount and a lethal dose of caffeine in these powdered products is very small,” she said. The powder is also almost impossible to measure with common kitchen tools, the FDA said. Volume measures like teaspoons aren’t precise enough and a scale may be needed. The agency added that the products may carry minimal or insufficient labeling. Consumers
may not be aware that even a small amount can cause an overdose. FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg recently said that the agency needs to better understand the role of the stimulant, especially on children. The agency is investigating the safety of energy drinks and energy shots, prompted by consumer reports of illness and death. FDA is also looking at caffeine in food as manufacturers have added caf-
feine to candy, nuts and other snack foods in recent years. Consumer advocate Jim O’Hara of the Center for Science in the Public Interest praised the FDA’s warning, but said the agency needs to go further to keep powdered caffeine off the market. The powder is easily available on Amazon.com and other online sites. “The overuse and misuse of caffeine in the food supply is creating a wild-West marketplace, and it’s about time the sheriff noticed and did something,” O’Hara said of the FDA. Symptoms of caffeine overdose or toxicity include rapid or erratic heartbeat, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea and disorientation.
State
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
Doping was chat topic Vouchers not utilized By STEPHEN WILSON
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Lance Armstrong’s meeting with an independent panel investigating cycling’s doping past was welcomed by the World Anti-Doping Agency on Friday as a positive step in getting to the bottom of the drug culture which ravaged the sport. Armstrong met with investigators for seven hours on May 22 at a hotel outside Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C., according to Elliot Peters, an attorney for the American rider who was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles for doping. WADA director general David Howman said the agency knew a meeting would take place but had no information about what was said, stressing that the Cycling Independent Reform Commission is doing its own work. “It just shows the establishment of an independent commission was a useful device,” Howman told The Associated Press. “To be fair, it’s what Armstrong said all along — that if there would be an independent body he would go and talk to them.” “Credit’s due all around,” Howman added. “At least that discussion has occurred. That’s very good” Armstrong’s willingness to talk to the commission has been seen as crucial in efforts to look into the International Cycling Union’s handling of doping in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including whether former UCI officials covered up or were complicit in his doping. “It’s up to the CIRC and the information he actually gave,” Howman said. “We’re going to have to be patient and wait for them to complete their job.” The commission is chaired by Dick Marty, a Swiss politician and former Swiss state prosecutor.
Photo by Thao Nguyen/file | AP
Lance Armstrong speaks during an interview in Austin, on Feb. 15, 2011. He met in May with the panel investigating cycling’s doping past in a meeting set up by the cyclist. The other members are German anti-doping expert Ulrich Haas and Peter Nicholson, a former Australian military officer and war crimes investigator. UCI President Brian Cookson has said that Armstrong’s lifetime ban for doping could be reduced if he provides information which assists other doping investigations. Peters said Thursday that Armstrong did not ask for, and was not offered such a deal. Howman said WADA would be told if there were moves to cut Armstrong’s ban. “They’ve got to complete their job before they start doing anything,” he said. “We would hear if there were any suggestions of penalty changes and things like that, because that’s where we have to be involved.” The UCI would not comment Friday on details of the investigation but said that, since the panel was formed in February, it has met with “a wide range of individuals and organizations.” Among those meeting with the commission have been “riders and members of their entourage, experts, sponsors, anti-doping agencies, UCI staff members and many others directly or indirectly involved in the sport of cycling,” the UCI said in a statement to the AP. “The CIRC also has full
access to the UCI’s files and electronic data which it is reviewing as part of its inquiry,” it said. Under the WADA code, athletes can have sanctions reduced if they provide “substantial assistance” to anti-doping investigators. The aim is to target any members of an athlete’s entourage who may be involved in the doping. American sprinter Tyson Gay received a reduced one-year suspension in May after cooperating with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s investigation, a decision accepted by WADA. “This is the only way we can get information on the entourage,” Howman said. “We’ve got to be strong about that. That’s only with people coming forward. The whole idea is to allow reduction of penalties in those circumstances. We have the ability to scrutinize whether that should happen. We’re doing that and I think we’re doing it responsibly.” Howman dismissed calls by some athletes for imposition of lifetime bans for a serious first offense. WADA has doubled the penalty from two-year to fouryear suspensions in the new doping code that goes into effect next year. Lifetime bans were deemed to be legally unenforceable. “We have to be very sensible,” Howman said. “We can’t be emotional and we’ve got to follow that sort of legal advice.”
HOUSTON — Some veterans said they have been sleeping on Houston streets or in shelters due to a lack of agreement between federal and local officials over housing assistance vouchers. Marine veteran William Hamilton told the Houston Chronicle he had been sleeping under bridges, on benches and sometimes visited shelters before he received a voucher last week from the Harris County Housing Authority. He said he applied for veteran housing assistance in 2011 after the car he was living in was stolen. According to the newspaper, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Houston housing officials have not been able to agree on how they count hous-
ing vouchers that are available for homeless veterans. In February, more than 150 homeless veterans participated in a housing readiness program at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in Houston, waiting to be referred to local housing authorities for rent assistance if they qualified. The vouchers are funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and veterans must be referred from the VA. The Harris County Housing Authority said it had 60 housing vouchers set aside for veterans, but didn’t receive referrals for four months. An audit of emails and data by the newspaper show about 720 months of rent from the county housing authority went unused last year. An-
other 370 months of rent were not used at the Houston Housing Authority. The VA looks at the number of vouchers available each day. DeBakey officials said of the 1,370 veterans vouchers funded at local housing authorities, 1,350 currently are being used. But local housing authorities said they don’t take into account the days vouchers aren’t used, such as delays that occur in finding apartments or finishing required paperwork. Some DeBakey officials said they are meeting federal expectations. DeBakey’s director of mental health services Laura Marsh defended the VA’s efforts but said the agency still faces hurdles. A recent federal audit found a nationwide problem with unused vouchers.
Sex-trafficking ring Women, underage girls were forced into prostitution By JUAN A. LOZANO ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Four people pleaded guilty Thursday for participating in a sex-trafficking operation in Houston that investigators said made at least $12.6 million by forcing woman and underage girls living in the U.S. illegally into prostitution. The three men and one woman were among 13 people arrested in October after a three-year investigation into the ring, which prosecutors said operated for more than a decade and involved girls as young as 14. Odelia Hernandez and Abel Medeles, who are U.S. citizens, along with Eduardo Guzman Gonzales and Alberto Mendez Flores, both from Mexico, each pleaded guilty to one
count of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens. The charge carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. They are scheduled to be sentenced in October. Prosecutors allege the operation’s nearly 70-yearold ringleader, Hortencia Medeles-Arguello, owned and operated four bars in east and southeast Houston where violence was used to force the girls and women into prostitution. Authorities said the sextrafficking operation was a family affair, as MedelesArguello’s three daughters, brother, sister and niece also were indicted in the scheme. Authorities allege that Medeles-Arguello and people who worked for her would charge men anywhere from $65 to $500 to have sex with the girls and women for 15 minutes
in rooms located above the bars or in nearby hotels. Some of the underage girls were as young as 14. During Thursday’s hearing, the four defendants said they worked at Las Palmas II, one of the bars owned by MedelesArguello. Guzman, 30, and Mendez, 25, told the judge they co-managed the bar for Medeles-Arguello and would pay her $20,000 per week from the bar’s proceeds and kept the rest for themselves. Hernandez, 45, and Medeles, 64, said their jobs included warning workers at the bar whenever police would show up. Medeles-Arguello and the eight remaining defendants arrested in the case are set to go to trial Sept. 8. One more suspect is still at large.
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
Some concerned over oil search using sound By JASON DEAREN ASSOCIATED PRESS
ST. AUGUSTINE BEACH, Fla. — The Obama administration is reopening the Eastern Seaboard to offshore oil and gas exploration, announcing final approval Friday of sonic cannons that can pinpoint energy deposits deep beneath the ocean floor. The decision promises to create plenty of jobs and thrills the oil industry, but dismays environmentalists worried about the immediate impact as well as the long-term implications of oil development. The cannons fill waters shared by whales and turtles with sound waves 100 times louder than a jet engine. Saving endangered species was the environmental groups’ best hope of extending a ban against offshore drilling off the U.S. Atlantic coast. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management disclosed its final approval first to The Associated Press ahead of an announcement later Friday. The approval opens the outer continental shelf from Delaware to Florida to exploration by energy companies preparing to apply for drilling leases in 2018, when current congressional limits are set to expire. The bureau is moving ahead despite acknowledging that thousands of sea creatures will be harmed. “The bureau’s decision reflects a carefully analyzed and balanced approach that will allow us to increase our understanding of potential offshore resources while protecting the human, marine, and coastal environments,” acting BOEM Director Walter Cruickshank said in a statement. These sonic cannons are already in use in the western Gulf of Mexico, off Alaska and other offshore oil operations around the world. They are towed behind boats, sending strong pulses of sound into the ocean every 10 seconds or so. The pulses reverberate beneath the sea floor and bounce back to the surface, where they are measured by hydrophones. Computers then translate the data into high resolution, three-dimensional images. “It’s like a sonogram of the Earth,” said Andy Radford, a petroleum engineer at the American
Photo by Bob Mack/The Florida Times-Union | AP
People watch a turtle on April 22, in Jacksonville, Fla. The administration is opening the Eastern Seaboard to offshore oil exploration for the first time in decades, using sonic cannons to map the ocean floor to identify new oil and gas deposits. Petroleum Institute, an oil and gas trade association in Washington DC. “You can’t see the oil and gas, but you can see the structures in the earth that might hold oil and gas.” The surveys can have other benefits, including mapping habitats for marine life, identifying solid undersea flooring for wind energy turbines, and locating spots where sand can be collected for beach restoration. But fossil fuel mostly funds this research, which produces data held as energy company secrets and disclosed only to the government. “They paid for it, so I can see why they don’t want to share. These things are not cheap,” said John Jaeger, a University of Florida geology professor. The bureau estimates that 4.72 billion barrels of recoverable oil and 37.51 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas lies beneath federal waters from Florida to Maine. Oil lobbyists say drilling for it could generate $195 billion in investment and spending between 2017 and 2035, creating thousands of jobs and contributing $23.5 billion per year to the economy. These estimates describe the total amount of energy “techni-
cally recoverable” from the outer continental shelf, which includes the seabed off New Jersey, New York and New England. But the north Atlantic zone remains off limits for now, apparently for political reasons. While some states have passed drilling bans, Virginia and the Carolinas requested the seismic surveys in an effort to grow their economies, bureau officials said Friday. In any case, the area to be mapped is farther offshore in federal waters, beyond the reach of state law. The sonic cannons are often fired continually for weeks or months, and multiple mapping projects may operate simultaneously. To get permits, companies will need to have whale-spotting observers onboard and do undersea acoustic tests to avoid nearby species. Certain habitats will be closed during birthing or feeding seasons. Still, underwater microphones have picked up blasts from these sonic cannons over distances of thousands of miles, and the constant banging — amplified in water by orders of magnitude — poses unavoidable dangers for marine life, scientists say. Whales and dolphins depend on being able to hear their own
Oil by the numbers Drillers hope to find natural resource using sound blasts and plenty of money By JASON DEAREN ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Obama administration on Friday approved using sonic air cannons to map offshore oil and gas in the Atlantic Ocean by measuring sound reverberating through waters shared by whales and other marine life. Some numbers to help explain it: 60 decibels. This is how loud humans normally talk. 140 decibels. Even momentary exposure to sound at this level can
cause permanent hearing damage in humans. 180 decibels. The maximum underwater noise from sonic cannons allowed within 500 meters, mitigating physical damage to marine mammals. 2,500 miles. How far away lower levels of noise pollution from the cannons have been recorded by hydrophones. 138,000. The minimum number of whales, turtles and other sea creatures that could be harmed, according to government estimates.
280,000. The number of jobs the American Petroleum Institute says could be created by offshore drilling in the Atlantic. 4.72 billion. The number of barrels of “technically recoverable oil” beneath federal waters from Florida to Maine, according to government estimates. $23.5 billion. The annual economic contribution that Atlantic oil drilling could bring to the U.S. economy, according to the oil industry.
much less powerful echolocation to feed, communicate and keep in touch with their family groups across hundreds of miles. Even fish and crabs navigate and communicate by sound, said Grant Gilmore, an expert on fish ecology in Vero Beach, Fla. “We don’t know what the physiological effects are. It could be permanent hearing damage in many of these creatures just by one encounter with a high-energy signal,” Gilmore said. More than 120,000 comments were sent to the government, which held hearings and spent years developing these rules. The bureau’s environmental impact study estimates that more than 138,000 sea creatures could be harmed, including nine of the world’s remaining 500 north Atlantic right whales. These whales give birth and breed off the coast of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas before migrating north each year. Many other species vital to East Coast fisheries also travel up and down the Gulf Stream. “Once they can’t hear — and that’s the risk that comes with seismic testing — they are pretty much done for,” said Katie Zimmerman, a spokeswoman for the South Carolina Coastal Conser-
vation League based in Charleston, S.C. “Even if there were oil out there, do we really want that? Do we really want to see these offshore rigs set up? Do we really want our tourism industry to suffer? Do we really want our environment to suffer?” she asked. Some of these animals are so scarce that intense noise pollution could have long-term effects, agreed Scott Kraus, a right whale expert at the John H. Prescott Marine Laboratory in Boston. Scientists can’t even approach them without extensive permits from federal marine mammal regulators. “No one has been allowed to test anything like this on right whales,” Kraus said of the seismic cannons. “(The Obama administration) has authorized a giant experiment on right whales that this country would never allow researchers to do.” Before the U.S. Atlantic seabed was closed to oil exploration in the 1980s, some exploratory wells were drilled, but the region has never had significant offshore production. “One thing we find is, the more you get out and drill and explore to confirm what you see in the seismic — you end up finding more oil and gas than what you think is out there when you started,” Radford said. Opposition to oil development has been abundant along the coast, where people worry that oil will displace fisheries and tourism. More than 16 communities from Florida to New Jersey passed resolutions opposing or raising concerns about the seismic testing and offshore drilling. Some states have passed The local economy is fueled by beach tourism and fishing in St. Augustine in north Florida, where rare turtles come ashore to lay their eggs. “Florida has already felt the devastating effects of an uncontrolled oil release with the Deepwater Horizon event of which cleanup efforts are still on-going,” said John Morris, a county commissioner whose constituency includes St. Augustine Beach. “Any oil spill, large or small, off the coast of St. Johns County, would greatly affect the county’s economy.”
Nation
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Death during arrest Mayor says NYC man’s arrest, death ’troubling’ By JAKE PEARSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — A New York City man died during an arrest — partially captured on amateur video — during which a plainclothes police officer placed him in what appeared be a choke hold while several others brought him to the ground and struggled to place him in handcuffs. Internal affairs investigators and prosecutors announced inquiries Friday into the death of Eric Garner, who died the evening before outside a Staten Island beauty salon. Garner, 43, had a heart attack as he struggled with officers trying to arrest him on suspicion of selling untaxed cigarettes, police said. An autopsy was scheduled for Friday. Partial video of the confrontation obtained by the New York Daily News shows an officer placing what appears to be a choke hold on the 6-foot-3, 350pound Garner, who can be heard complaining repeatedly that he can’t breathe as at least four other officers bring him down. He then apparently loses consciousness. The video shows the officer who apparently choked Garner using his hands to push Garner’s face into the sidewalk. “It was very troubling,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said at a press conference Friday, promising a thorough investigation. “I watched it the same way a family member would watch it, and it was very sad to watch.” Police Commissioner William Bratton said the officer depicted in the video appeared to have employed a choke hold, the use of which is prohibited in the NYPD patrol guide because it can be fatal. “Now the investigation will determine — was the actions that they took ap-
propriate to the resistance that they were experiencing,” he said. Ramsey Orta, 22, shot the video posted by the newspaper. He told The Associated Press on Friday that he was sitting with Garner and discussing weekend plans before the confrontation with police. Garner had just broken up a fight between two other men when the police approached him, claiming they’d observed him selling loose cigarettes, Orta said. “Before they even grabbed him, he told them he wasn’t feeling good and
a situation gets physical — despite what any departmental directive might dictate — the ensuing interaction can feel like a street fight, experts said. “The hard truth about street policing is there’s a tremendous amount of improvisation,” said Eugene O’Donnell, a former police officer and prosecutor who teaches at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice. “(Officers) get some very generalized guidance, typically, which is not very valuable once you have to make the decision to use force.”
Verbally de-escalating confrontations with suspects should be an officer’s primary objective. that’s why I pulled the camera out and started recording,” said Orta, adding that Garner was asthmatic. “They could’ve just hopped out on the guys who were fighting, but they didn’t bother to ask. They just jumped straight on him.” Garner has been arrested 31 times since 1988 on charges such as drug possession, selling untaxed cigarettes and assault, police said. He was last arrested in May for selling untaxed cigarettes, court records show. Since 2009, he was arrested nine different times for selling such cigarettes, police said. In the video, a clearly irate Garner shouts that he hasn’t done anything wrong. “Every time you see me, you want to mess with me. I’m tired of it. It stops today,” Garner shouts. “I’m minding my business please just leave me alone.” Verbally de-escalating confrontations with suspects should be an officer’s primary objective but once
Garner’s family will join the Rev. Al Sharpton at a Saturday rally to call for a full investigation, Sharpton’s National Action Network announced. Patrick J. Lynch, president of the powerful Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association, cautioned against drawing conclusions before the results of the official probe were released. “Not wanting to be arrested does not grant an individual the right to resist arrest nor does it free the officers of the obligation to make the arrest,” he said. This is not the first time the use of a choke hold has grabbed headlines. Twenty years ago, police officer Francis X. Livoti was dismissed from the NYPD and convicted by a federal jury for violating the civil rights of a Bronx man prosecutors say died after Livoti used a choke hold on him in 1994. Livoti has denied he used a choke hold, insisting Anthony Baez died form an asthma attack.
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
Terrorist database grows at a rapid rate By MATTHEW BARAKAT ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALEXANDRIA, Va. — The government is rapidly expanding the number of names it accepts for inclusion on its terrorist watch list, with more than 1.5 million added in the last five years, according to numbers divulged by the government in a civil lawsuit. About 99 percent of the names submitted are accepted, leading to criticism that the government is “wildly loose” in its use of the list. Those included in the Terrorist Screening Database could find themselves on the government’s no-fly list or face additional scrutiny at airports, though only a small percentage of people in the database are actually on the list. It has been known for years that the government became more aggressive in nominating people for the watch list following al-Qaida operative Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab’s failed effort to blow up an airplane over Detroit on Christmas Day 2009. But the numbers disclosed by the government show submissions have snowballed. In fiscal 2009, which ended Sept. 30, 2009, 227,932 names were nominated to the database. In fiscal 2010, which includes the months after the attempted Christmas bombing, nominations rose to 250,847. In fiscal 2012, they increased to 336,712, and in fiscal 2013 — the most recent year provided — nominations jumped to 468,749. The government disclosed the figures in a civil lawsuit out of Virginia challenging the constitutionality of the no-fly list. At a hearing Friday, government lawyers urged a judge to dismiss the case,
claiming state secrets will be exposed if the case proceeds. U.S. District Judge Anthony Trenga issued no immediate ruling but expressed deep skepticism of the government’s motion. Gadeir Abbas, a lawyer for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which filed the suit, said the numbers show the government is failing to abide by the standards required for inclusion, which require “a reasonable suspicion to believe that a person is a known or a suspected terrorist.” “There aren’t 1 million people who are known or suspected terrorists,” Abbas said after the hearing. “This suggests the standard the government is applying is wildly loose.” A Terrorist Screening Center official declined comment Friday. A counterterrorism official previously told The Associated Press that as of August 2013, there were 700,000 names on the watch list. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in order to discuss sensitive security information.
Counterterrorism officials have said names are routinely removed from the list. In Friday’s hearing, though, Abbas argued that the process the government uses to evaluate who should be on the list is opaque, and that people who find themselves on it never receive an explanation or a meaningful way to get removed. Abbas’ client, Gulet Mohamed, 21, of Alexandria, has never been told why he is on the list. Mohamed, a naturalized citizen, was stranded in Kuwait in 2011 trying to return to the U.S. after a trip to Yemen and his native Somalia. U.S. authorities allowed Mohamed to fly home after he sued, but the lawsuit challenging the legality of the list remains unresolved. Government lawyer Amy Powell told the judge that the government does not seek to invoke its state secrets privilege lightly, but said it would inevitably have to expose its methods and sources if it explained at a public trial why Mohamed was put on the list.
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
THE WEEK IN REVIEW WEEKLY STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS
u
NYSE 10,985.93 +49.58
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name BS IBM96 PSBMetDS PanhO&G TimeWarn Castlight n KindrM wt DrxRsaBear NQ Mobile CSVInvNG URS
Last Chg 46.80 +10.23 13.10 +2.30 64.44 +11.13 87.23 +14.94 16.50 +2.40 2.80 +.39 11.52 +1.45 5.01 +.62 4.28 +.51 58.85 +6.83
%Chg +28.0 +21.3 +20.9 +20.7 +17.0 +16.2 +14.4 +14.1 +13.5 +13.1
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE) Name Lannett DxRssaBull RubiconP n KeyEngy Dynegy wt GM wt C BioAmber DirGMnBull MillerEnR Drdgold
Last 38.19 17.50 9.39 7.03 3.08 2.49 12.00 29.02 4.87 2.78
Chg -8.72 -3.69 -1.79 -1.27 -.52 -.40 -1.90 -4.56 -.74 -.42
%Chg -18.6 -17.4 -16.0 -15.3 -14.4 -13.8 -13.7 -13.6 -13.2 -13.1
u
NASDAQ
Vol (00)
Name ZipRlty UBIC BioFuelEn KandiTech NeoGenom MaysJ Aemetis rs RoyalBcPA ZhoneTech Hurco
Volume
1,707 1,510 374 62 3,272 55 15,372,208,482
17,500
Last Chg %Chg 6.71 +3.73 +125.0 23.12 +8.15 +54.4 8.78 +2.55 +40.9 19.62 +4.90 +33.3 5.44 +1.23 +29.2 67.14 +15.07 +28.9 12.35 +2.61 +26.8 2.02 +.42 +26.3 3.56 +.72 +25.1 34.38 +6.77 +24.5
MON
STOCK MARKET INDEXES
5.26
Name AldeyraT n ManhBrCa FemaleHlt RealPage CymaBay n LigandPh IntactInt RaptorPhm MobileIrn n InfinityPh
Last Chg 4.83 -1.71 2.64 -.89 4.19 -1.39 16.68 -5.03 5.69 -1.46 51.32 -12.38 42.09 -9.90 8.53 -1.96 8.05 -1.83 9.72 -2.12
%Chg -26.1 -25.2 -24.9 -23.2 -20.4 -19.4 -19.0 -18.7 -18.5 -17.9
Vol (00)
Last Chg
Intel 3104033 33.70 +2.45 Apple Inc s 2443309 94.43 -.79 Microsoft 2034462 44.69 +2.60 Facebook 1900464 68.42 +2.08 SiriusXM 1814212 3.44 +.06 NewLead rs1743508 4.41 +.86 Yahoo 1628088 33.33 -2.10 21stCFoxA 1621229 33.01 -2.63 PwShs QQQ1492915 96.12 +.85 Cisco 1410958 25.91 +.39
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
Volume
1,138 1,637 146 149 2,840 65 9,017,177,987
TUES
WED
THUR
17,151.56 8,406.17 576.98 11,334.65 4,485.93 1,985.59 1,452.01 21,108.12 1,213.55 5,970.50
FRI
17,000 16,500
Last
Dow Jones Industrials 17,100.18 Dow Jones Transportation 8,385.40 Dow Jones Utilities 559.13 NYSE Composite 10,985.93 Nasdaq Composite 4,432.15 S&P 500 1,978.22 S&P MidCap 1,412.73 Wilshire 5000 20,912.56 Russell 2000 1,151.61 Lipper Growth Index 5,854.66
MONEY RATES
15,500
Last
15,000
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STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Name
Ex
Div
Last
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg
Name
Ex
Div
Last
AT&T Inc AMD AEP Apple Inc s BkofAm B iPVix rs Caterpillar CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil Dillards EmpIca ExxonMbl Facebook FordM GenElec HewlettP HomeDp iShEMkts iShR2K Intel
NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd
1.84 ... 2.00 1.88 .04 ... 2.80 2.17 ... 2.92 .24 ... 2.76 ... .50 .88 .64 1.88 .71 1.48 .90
36.17 3.83 54.39 94.43 15.49 27.89 110.17 116.70 45.92 84.76 117.71 7.47 102.73 68.42 17.72 26.46 34.81 80.08 44.16 114.23 33.70
+.41 +1.1 +2.9 -.54 -12.4 -1.0 +.08 +0.1 +16.4 -.79 -0.8 +17.8 +.11 +0.7 -.5 -.41 -1.4 -34.5 +.91 +0.8 +21.3 +2.39 +2.1 -4.2 +3.23 +7.6 +16.9 +.76 +0.9 +20.0 +.47 +0.4 +21.1 -.31 -4.0 -11.6 +.99 +1.0 +1.5 +2.08 +3.1 +25.2 +.25 +1.4 +14.8 -.09 -0.3 -5.6 +.84 +2.5 +24.4 +.47 +0.6 -2.7 +.27 +0.6 +5.7 -.87 -0.8 -1.0 +2.45 +7.8 +29.8
IntlBcsh IBM Lowes Lubys MktVGold MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney RadioShk S&P500ETF SanchezEn Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SonyCp UnionPac s USSteel UnivHlthS WalMart WellsFargo
Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY
.50 4.40 .92 ... .19 1.40 3.13 1.12 ... ... ... 3.58 ... 1.60 ... .25 1.82 .20 .20 1.92 1.40
25.80 192.50 47.81 5.25 26.94 55.83 28.08 44.69 15.07 8.58 .84 197.71 33.06 112.36 38.60 16.79 101.34 27.38 96.30 77.09 51.28
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg -.92 +4.50 +.37 ... -.38 +.09 +.15 +2.60 -.20 -.17 -.01 +1.10 +.14 -2.34 -.33 +.13 +1.07 -.26 +3.84 +.27 -.21
-3.4 +2.4 +0.8 ... -1.4 +0.2 +0.5 +6.2 -1.3 -1.9 -1.2 +0.6 +0.4 -2.0 -0.8 +0.8 +1.1 -0.9 +4.2 +0.4 -0.4
-2.1 +2.6 -3.5 -32.0 +27.5 +3.5 -4.2 +19.5 +17.6 -6.2 -67.7 +7.0 +34.9 +24.7 -2.8 -2.9 +20.6 -7.2 +18.5 -2.0 +13.0
Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week. Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left. Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.
June 16, 1976 – July 14, 2014
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg %Chg
12-mo %Chg
+156.37 +.92 +3.16 +131.09 +1.59 +13.31 -.30 -.05 +13.98 +49.58 +.45 +5.63 +16.66 +.38 +6.12 +10.65 +.54 +7.03 +1.25 +.09 +5.23 +83.70 +.40 +6.12 -8.32 -.72 -1.03 +4.10 +.07 +4.73
+10.01 +27.31 +10.45 +14.22 +23.54 +16.91 +14.46 +16.66 +9.63 +19.57
Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year
T-shirts, backpacks Children who participate will receive a t-shirt and a backpack containing school supplies, according to a list provided by the school district, and snacks.
You knew that this person was a drug trafficker. You are contributing to the problem that we have in this county.” U.S. DISTRICT JUDGE MICAELA ALVAREZ aried government employee. She did not receive an answer. “Clearly money was being accepted here and pocketed,” she said. Treviño, who began serving as sheriff in 2005, started his career as a local police officer in the 1970s. He spent 14 years as an officer in the Austin Police department before returning to South Texas to work as an investigator in the district attorney’s office. South Texas sheriffs have gotten into trouble before. Former Starr County Sheriff Rey Guerra was sentenced to federal prison in 2009 for his role in a drug-smuggling conspiracy. Former Cameron County Sheriff Conrado Cantu was sentenced to federal prison in 2005 for running a criminal enterprise. And former Hidalgo County Sheriff Brig Marmolejo was sentenced to prison for taking bribes in 1994.
3.25 0.75 .00-.25
Last
Pvs Day
3.25 Australia 1.0640 1.0663 0.75 Britain 1.7094 1.7113 .00-.25 Canada 1.0732 1.0747 Euro .7393 .7393 0.03 Japan 101.37 101.31 0.06 Mexico 12.9576 12.9620 1.64 Switzerlnd .8980 .8976 2.52 3.34 British pound expressed in U.S. dollars.
0.02 0.06 1.67 2.48 3.29
All others show dollar in foreign currency.
MUTUAL FUNDS Name
Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV
Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt
Alliance Bernstein GlTmtcGA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SoftwCom d Fidelity Select Tech d PIMCO TotRetIs T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard 500Adml Vanguard HlthCare Vanguard InstIdxI Vanguard TotStIAdm Vanguard TotStIdx Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m
WS 610 ST 2,618 SH 937 SH 8,664 SF 641 ST 294 ST 661 SF 165 ST 1,782 SF 1,236 ST 3,149 ST 2,465 CI 144,452 ST 3,130 LB 105,758 SH 10,320 LB 94,753 LB 99,159 LB 114,516 ST 3,736
+0.3 +1.3 +0.2 -4.8 -0.1 +0.9 +1.8 -0.8 +2.2 +0.5 +1.2 +0.4 +0.6 -0.1 +1.2 +2.4 +1.2 +0.8 +0.7 +0.7
86.12 58.13 12.52 188.63 73.17 32.45 79.43 15.53 79.50 84.76 118.12 120.43 10.94 41.66 182.66 206.92 181.48 49.72 49.70 16.63
+22.3/A +26.6/B +30.1/A +17.2/E +14.8/B +22.8/C +17.7/E +10.3/D +41.9/A +14.6/B +24.8/C +23.3/C +4.1/D +27.4/B +19.5/B +30.9/A +19.5/B +19.1/C +18.9/C +26.5/B
+10.2/E +15.4/D +19.0/D +27.6/A +13.8/C +13.1/E +20.0/A +17.0/A +19.2/B +12.1/D +23.1/A +19.2/B +6.2/B +17.8/C +18.5/A +21.7/C +18.5/A +19.0/A +18.8/A +21.1/A
4.25 2,500 5.75 2,000 5.75 1,000 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL1,000,000 NL 2,500 NL 10,000 NL 3,000 NL5,000,000 NL 10,000 NL 3,000 5.75 750
CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - MidCap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.
Organizers are also hoping sponsors will offer other attractions. “We are looking for sponsors to help us meet this demand for school supplies or other attractions that can be placed in the park where the tournament will be held,” Balderas said. Previous sponsors have included car dealerships, pediatricians and the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office, among other firms and organizations
IMMIGRATION Visitation hours were held Friday, July 18, 2014, at 3:30 p.m. with a chapel service at 5:30 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. Committal services followed 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.
CURRENCIES Pvs Week
TOURNAMENT Continued from Page 1A le adult is required to accompany children.
SHERIFF Continued from Page 1A ways be synonymous with what happens here today.” Treviño’s four-decade career in law enforcement began unraveling when on Dec. 13, 2012, federal prosecutors announced the arrests of one of Treviño’s sons — a local police officer — and two of Treviño’s deputies. They were members of a joint task force targeting the street-level drug trade. Within months they pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to steal drug loads and resell them to another trafficker. Treviño has maintained that he had no knowledge of the rogue unit’s activities, including the role of his son, who was living in his home at the time. Treviño’s own case was separate, but he referenced the date of his son’s arrest as the start of events that led to his resignation in March. A couple weeks afterward on April 14, Treviño pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to launder money. His lawyer, Robert Yzaguirre, tried to persuade Alvarez on Thursday that his position as sheriff should not weigh more heavily on his sentence, but the judge wasn’t having it. “The reason the donation is made is because he is the sheriff at the time,” Alvarez said. She said Treviño accepted money on at least two occasions in 2011 and 2012. She also alluded to the investigation finding that $40,000 in cash was deposited in Treviño’s accounts over a two-year period and asked why that would be the case for a sal-
14,719.43 6,237.14 467.93 9,246.89 3,573.53 1,627.47 1,170.62 17,305.21 1,009.00 4,813.26
Name
16,000
MICHAEL J. GRIFFIN Michael J. Griffin, 38, passed away Monday, July 14, 2014, at his residence in Zapata. Mike was a member of Class of 1994 of ZHS; he also worked in various jobs in the oilfield including land man, gauger, surveyor, as well as a truck driver. He was a very proud father and son. He was an avid traveler of the U.S. and Mexico. Mr. Griffin is preceded in death by his grandparents, Jack and Adele Griffin and O.W. and Edna Sellers; cousin, Carrie H. Griffin and an aunt, Dorcas Fraser. Mr. Griffin is survived by wife Marien S. Griffin; son Caleb A. Griffin; father Paul Griffin; mother Debra S. (Robert) Lairson; brothers and sisters Timothy J. Griffin, Raquel R. (Benjamin) Garcia, Jonathan James (Veronica) Griffin, Esther (Ricky) De Los Santos, Steven A. Griffin and a cousin, Aaron D. Griffin; and by numerous other family members and friends.
52-Week High Low
77.52 -161.39 123.37
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
111.61
Close: 17,100.18 1-week change: 156.37 (0.9%)
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)
Last Chg Name
AMD 4569316 3.83 -.54 S&P500ETF4414908197.71+1.10 BkofAm 4325244 15.49 +.11 iShR2K 2325209114.23 -.87 GenElec 1967881 26.46 -.09 iShEMkts 1883069 44.16 +.27 MktVGold 1873121 26.94 -.38 B iPVix rs 1848694 27.89 -.41 Petrobras 1651762 17.08 +1.89 FordM 1473455 17.72 +.25
Dow Jones industrials
4,432.15 +16.66
MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name
WEEKLY DOW JONES
ings on June 20. The U.S. has been urging those governments to take steps to stem the exodus of children and warning that the U.S. will take steps to send them back promptly. The volume of child immigrants has significantly taxed resources at the Homeland Security and Health and Human Services departments in recent months and prompted President Barack Obama to ask Congress to approve an emergency $3.7 billion spending bill to deal with the situation he has called an “urgent humanitarian crisis.” The officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the latest trends in border arrests, said Friday it’s too soon to
who have participated. “We still need to cover part of the school supplies,” she stressed. For more information or information on registration, contact Balderas at 765-4871 or www.zapatachamber.com. (Contact Malena Charur at 728-2583, or at mcharur@lmtonline.com. Translated by Mark Webber of the Times staff.)
Continued from Page 1A
know what has led to drop in border arrests. They said illegal border crossings along the Mexican border tend to slow during the summer. Customs and Border Protection has launched a public relations campaign to warn would-be immigrants and their families in Central America that the trip to the U.S. border is dangerous and immigrant children will face deportation after they are apprehended. But since the trip through Mexico can take weeks or even months, recent border crossers are unlikely to have seen much of the campaign. Along with dealing with the flood of children traveling alone, the Border Patrol has also arrested more than 55,000 people traveling as families, mostly mothers with young chil-
dren. Because of a lack of detention space many of those people have been released with a notice to report back to immigration authorities at a later date. The Obama administration has repeatedly declined to say how many people have been released and how many have reported as ordered. In recent weeks the Homeland Security Department has opened a family detention center with space for as many as 700 people center in Artesia, New Mexico, at the Border Patrol’s training facility. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Friday that a detention center in Karnes County, Texas, would be converted to house families starting in the next few weeks. That facility currently has space for 600 people.
VETERAN Continued from Page 1A see the things that are there.” The question wasn’t whether she has the will go fly to Washington, but the strength. Wheelchairbound, on oxygen and feeble after a stroke last year, Coffey has good days and bad days. She was dressed in a colorful blouse after breakfast recently and offered a few moments of sheer delight when asked about her long life. Asked if it made her feel happy to be America’s oldest woman veteran, she just smiled and pronounced: “Yeah.” Going to Washington and seeing the Women’s Memorial at Arlington National Cemetery, which draws 200,000 people a year, was on her bucket list in a big way. Getting there was the trick. Bexar County veterans’ service officer Queta Marquez said an Austin group that helps facilitate honor flights was poised to fly her to Washington but backed off because of concerns over her health. Coffey tires easily. There was concern about how the drive from her home in northern San Antonio to Austin would affect her health. No one knew how she would handle the heat or the stress of a long Saturday visiting such shrines as the World War II, Iwo Jima, Korean War and Vietnam memorials. Only one other veteran, also a Texan, is older —
and not by much. Richard Overton, a Bastrop County native now living in Austin, was born three days before Coffey in May 1906. Marquez, a retired Marine Corps captain who flew into and out of Afghanistan while with the service’s Southwest Asia headquarters, sees her as a pathfinder for women. “The service of women in the military back then was much more limited,” Marquez explained. “It was limited in scope, their numbers were limited and the fact that they were called on to serve and serve honorably obviously made it possible for women in future generations to serve in the military.” The Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps was born amid fears that a two-front war would lead to a manpower shortage in the military, but it didn’t come without controversy. Southern congressmen opposed it, with one lawmaker saying, “Who will then do the cooking, the washing, the mending, the humble homey tasks to which every woman has devoted herself; who will nurture the children?” President Franklin Roosevelt signed the bill a day after Coffey turned 35. Secretary of War Henry Stimson appointed future Houston Post editor Oveta Culp Hobby as director of the WAACs.
Coffey was a perfect fit. Sitting at the kitchen table Wednesday, a cup of coffee in front of her, she thought back to her role model for breaking through barriers — her mom. After women got the vote, Coffey recalled going with her mother to cast her first ballot. Her dad, born during the Civil War, escorted them into the courthouse. Staring at an old photo, Coffey had a moment of recognition as she leaned over the kitchen table. Four Asian men, all wearing tuxedos, posed in the old black-andwhite picture. “Do you know who they are?” Marquez asked. “Oh, yes,” she said. “He’s Mr. Hu and these are his sons,” Coffey replied. “I don’t know how I knew him.” There are other photos, including one of her standing outside a residence in Japan. Another is of a much younger Lucy Coffey, who never married or had children, sitting between two soldiers at a dinner table. Even though the WAACs were disbanded after the war, she stayed on in Japan and spent a decade there before coming home. Coffey worked at Kelly AFB from 195871, and even now feels immense pride in wearing the uniform. “I’d love to serve my country forever,” she said.
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Rockets move on Howard: Title hopes the same By JONATHAN LANDRUM JR. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by David J. Phillip | AP
ATLANTA — Dwight Howard doesn’t believe the departure of Chandler Parsons will have a major impact on the Houston Rockets’ title hopes next season. “It won’t affect us at all,” Howard said Friday of Parsons signing a threeyear, $45-million deal with the Dallas Mavericks. Parsons was a three-year starter that complemented Howard and guard James Harden. “We have myself and James,” Howard said. “We have the best center and the best two guard in the game on the same team. It’s on us.” Howard, who spoke at his father’s 10th annual Howard/Howard basketball camp in Atlanta, said he wishes his former teammate well with the Mavericks. But Howard said he and Harden will be able to carry the load without the 25year-old Parsons, who had career highs with 16.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and four assists for the Rockets last season. This has been a busy offseason for Houston. The Rockets hosted Carmelo Anthony before making a four-year max contract offer to Chris Bosh, but Houston was unable to sign any of those major free agents. Houston also lost role players Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin and Omri Casspi. The Rockets acquired veteran forward Trevor Ariza in a three-team trade this week. Howard, 28, said the addition of Ariza was “big” for the Rockets. “He’ll go through a wall for you,”
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Lance Stephenson doesn’t want to be known as the guy who blew in LeBron James’ ear. Stephenson said during his introductory news conference Friday in Charlotte he’s “a little upset” that the ear-blowing incident in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against Miami is how some people have defined him as a player. “I feel like it overshadowed my play on the court,” Stephenson said. “I bring more to the table than just blowing in someone’s ear. I’m a great player.” Hornets general manager Rich Cho agrees, which is why the club signed Stephenson to a three-year, $27 million contract Friday. The
See ROCKETS PAGE 2B
See NBA PAGE 2B
Dwight Howard said Friday the departure of Chandler Parsons won’t affect the Rockets’ title hopes next season.
TOUR DE FRANCE
Photo by Michael Conroy | AP
Lance Stephenson is hoping to move on from the earblowing incident with LeBron James after joining the Charlotte Hornets.
Stephenson’s fresh start New Hornet upset at being defined by ear-blowing incident By STEVE REED ASSOCIATED PRESS
PGA: BRITISH OPEN
Woods narrowly makes cut By PAUL NEWBERRY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Christophe Ena | AP
Italy’s Vincenzo Nibali, wearing the overall leader’s yellow jersey, breaks away in the final climb to win the thirteenth stage of the Tour de France.
Nibali continues to cruise in France By JAMEY KEATEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHAMROUSSE, France — If Vincenzo Nibali was looking happier Friday after the Tour de France rode into the Alps, here’s why: His top rival fell out of contention, he gained nearly a minute on his nextbiggest challenger and oh, he won Stage 13 to boot. On a sunbaked and melting Alpine road, the 29-year-old Italian, cemented his control of cycling’s greatest race with a solo-finish victory that was an afterthought to gaining time on other title contenders. Team Sky’s Richie Porte, who began the day in second, saw his title hopes all but vanish after he lost about 9 minutes to Nibali on the last climb along the grueling 197.5-kilometer (122-mile) trek from SaintEtienne to Chamrousse ski station. Ever cautious, calm and understated after his stage win,
Nibali noted that three big Alpine climbs still await Saturday and other punishing ascents are on tap in the Pyrenees next week. “For the coming days, I only know that I have to remain quiet,” he said. But in the winner’s circle, where he collected the yellow jersey for the 11th time this year, Nibali perhaps let slip a bit more happy emotion — knowing that a first Tour victory for an Italian since Marco Pantani in 1998 just got a little closer. “I expect more attacks tomorrow in another very hard stage and next week,” Nibali said. “My advantage over Porte is good now. He’s the rider I feared the most in the closing time trial.” If Nibali’s mountain dominance keeps up — on Monday, he won the only other highmountain stage so far — the
See TOUR PAGE 2B
HOYLAKE, England — As his tee shot curled farther and farther away from the 17th fairway, heading toward all sorts of trouble, Tiger Woods simply stuffed his club in the bag. He appeared to mumble something to himself, but that was about it. No fiery outburst. No course language. No complaints about someone talking too loud, or being on the phone, or snapping a picture. Shoulders slumping, Woods looked as though he had accepted his fate. There won’t be a 15th major championship. Not at this British Open. Woods needed a birdie at the final hole — his only one of the day — just to make the cut. He walked off the 18th with a 5-over 77, his worst Open round since that stormy day at Muirfield in 2002, and headed to the weekend a staggering 14 shots behind the leader, Rory McIlroy. “Not very good,” Woods said. Indeed, it wasn’t. Woods made double-bogey at the first hole, a bogey at the second. Just like that, all the good vibes from a 69 in the opening round were wiped away, his score tumbling to even par. From there, it was a grind — 14 pars in a row as McIlroy pulled away. Then came the 17th, where Woods made such a mess of things, he nearly missed the cut at a major for only the fourth time in his professional career. That aforementioned tee shot sailed out of bounds right of the fairway, though Woods didn’t realize it until he had walked some 150 yards toward his ball. Back to the tee box he trudged, to hit another after taking a onestroke penalty. This time, Woods yanked it off in the tall grass to
Photo by Jon Super | AP
Tiger Woods needed a birdie on the 18th hole Friday to make the cut at the British Open with a 5-over 77. the left, between the 16th and 17th fairways. Four more shots were required to finish off a triple-bogey 7 that nearly finished off his hopes of getting in two more much-needed rounds. Clearly, Woods is rusty after undergoing back surgery on March 31. He missed the Masters and the U.S. Open, finally returning to action at Congressional three weeks ago. He missed the cut in that event, and his opening round at Hoylake — five birdies in six holes on the back side — was merely an aberration. There’s a lot of work to do. “I had some opportunities to make a few birdies along the way to get back to even par for the day, and I just never did,” Woods said. “I just never made anything. I had myself in good positions to make birdies, and I just didn’t do
it.” More distressing for those in the Woods camp, his body language looked more and more defeated as McIlroy kept adding to what was a mere three-shot lead over Woods at the start of the round. Woods sounded downright delusional when he brought up Paul Lawrie’s comeback from a 10-shot deficit on the final day at Carnoustie in 1999. That, of course, required Jean Van de Velde to essentially give the tournament away on the 72nd hole. Hard to see McIlroy making such a blunder — and, even if he did, Woods’ game being in any sort of shape to take advantage of it.
See BRITISH PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
NBA Continued from Page 1B
Photo by David J. Phillip | AP
Harris County Judge Ed Emmett balked Thursday at the idea of demolishing the Houston Astrodome.
Judge balks at plan Ed Emmett opposes proposal to destroy of Astrodome ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Harris County’s top elected official says demolishing the Astrodome is a “silly” plan. Judge Ed Emmett on Thursday voiced his opposition to a $66 million proposal to destroy the historic stadium to make way
for green space. The Houston Chronicle reports (http://bit.ly/1p1Nyfs ) Emmett told members of the Hotel & Lodging Association of Greater Houston he wants to repurpose the stadium instead. Emmett says creative people could find ways to utilize the Astrodome’s 350,000 square feet of free
space. The Houston Texans and the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo have been eager to free up the area now filled by the derelict dome. The stadium opened in 1965. It was vacated by the Houston Astros in 2000 and declared unsuitable for occupancy in 2009.
NFL settlement Players’ lawyer discusses the concussion lawsuit By MARYCLAIRE DALE ASSOCIATED PRESS
HADDONFIELD, N.J. — New Jersey lawyer Craig Mitnick represents about 1,400 players in the NFL concussion lawsuit, from ex-quarterbacks Mark Rypien and Jeff Hostetler to practice squad unknowns. Some of his clients suffer from Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Many more have significant dementia. Others simply fear the future. Under a tentative settlement, the NFL would pay at least $765 million to compensate nearly 20,000 retired players over 65 years. U.S. District Judge Anita B. Brody granted preliminary approval of the deal last month after the NFL removed a cap on the payouts. The settlement is designed to cover retired players who develop neurological problems believed to be caused by concussions sustained during their careers. The proposed compensation grid weighs a man’s age, cognitive condition
and NFL experience. A young retiree with Lou Gehrig’s disease would receive $5 million, a 50-yearold with Alzheimer’s disease $1.6 million, and an 80-year-old with mild dementia $25,000. Those numbers are discounted for those who played fewer than five years. Mitnick, 52, sat down with The Associated Press at his Haddonfield office this week to discuss the revised settlement. He will continue to meet with retired players’ groups around the country before a Nov. 19 court hearing in Philadelphia. Here are excerpts from the interview, edited for length and clarity: Q: What’s new in the revised settlement? A: The cap’s huge. Now there’s a guarantee that the money will never run out, as long as the NFL exists. I don’t think the NFL is going anywhere. (Players also now keep) the right to sue over noncognitive things. That’s a huge, huge change.
And the NFL’s limit of 10 appeals (of player awards, per year) is out. They want to make sure that $2 billion doesn’t go out to individuals who don’t fit the intent of this settlement, or the criteria. Q: Compensation would depend on the age of diagnosis, but many people are never diagnosed until the disease progresses. A: I absolutely see players going in (to the claims board) and saying: “Yes, we were actually diagnosed in 2000. However, I was exhibiting symptoms in 1995.” I think it’s going to play itself out over and over again. When people start to exhibit symptoms of memory loss, of irritability, of rage, they don’t go to a doctor and have a battery of tests done ... so someone on a piece of paper can write, “You have dementia.” The problem with a lot of these guys who had big names when they played, they still have endorsements, and businesses. It’s walking a fine line.
deal includes a team option for the third season. Cho says the 23-year-old Stephenson brings competitiveness, scoring ability, a defensive presence and a wealth of playoff experience — all things the Hornets need to take the next step and become a perennial playoff contender. “I think he’ll be a great fit,” Cho said. The Hornets, who ranked near the bottom of the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage last season, expect Stephenson will help them in that area. Stephenson shot 35 percent from beyond the arc last season. He also proved versatile in other ways. He led the NBA with five triple-doubles and posted career highs in points (13.6), rebounds (6.9) and assists (4.2). But Stephenson’s intense competitiveness also has a dark side. He was called for 17 technical fouls last season — third-most in the NBA — and was also involved in a practice scuffle with teammate Evan Turner. He’s been known to talk trash, occasionally taking himself out of the game and hurting his team. Hornets coach Steve Clifford is well aware of that, but after doing some background checks — even going back to talk to his high school coaches — he felt good about bringing Stephenson into a locker room that boasted great chemistry last season. “What’s the old saying? ‘Your greatest strength is also your greatest weakness,”’ Clifford said. “I think those things are a byproduct of the fact that he badly wants to win. To be honest, that is one of the things we all liked about him so much.” Clifford said Hornets owner Michael Jordan addressed those issues with Stephenson in a meeting Tuesday night in Las Vegas. “He talked to him about what we can work on — and (Stephenson) knows that,” Clifford said. “Lance knows that sometimes he has crossed the line a little bit. But I think he does it out of competitiveness.” Stephenson acknowledged he has to mature as a player. But he said after talking to Jordan he knew he wanted to join the Hornets. “He loves my game and
what I bring to the table,” said Stephenson, who turned down a five-year, $45 million deal to stay in Indiana. “He loves that I’m a great passer and I play with my teammates, and he loves the competitive edge that I have.” As for the ear-blowing incident, Stephenson stopped short of saying he regretted his actions but explained his intentions. “During the series I was trying to play hard against LeBron and help my team win,” Stephenson said. “I’m very competitive and I know some of the antics were over the border — but I was just trying to do whatever it takes to win.” Stephenson said that off the court, he’s funny and likes to fool around with teammates and friends. On the court, he’s as intense as they come and says “I have no friends” on the opposing team. For the Hornets, landing Stephenson is a sign the organization is headed in the right direction. This marks the second straight year they’ve landed a big-name free agent after agreeing to a threeyear, $41 million deal with center Al Jefferson last summer. “It shows this is a great free agent destination,” Cho said. Gasol, Mirotic join Chicago Bulls CHICAGO — Weighing a handful of attractive offers, Pau Gasol says a gut feeling led him to sign with the Chicago Bulls. Gasol and newcomer Nikola Mirotic (KNEE-coaluh MIR-oh-tich) were at the United Center on Friday for a pair of press conferences announcing their new contracts. Gasol was a free agent after playing for the Los Angeles Lakers the previous six-plus seasons, and Mirotic was a 2011 first-round draft pick. The 7-foot Gasol is a four-time All-Star who averaged 17.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 60 games last season with Los Angeles. He says he thinks the Bulls have all the pieces they need to win the championship. The 6-10 Mirotic played for Real Madrid last season and shot 46.1 percent from 3-point range. LeBron James undecided on jersey No. 6 or 23 CLEVELAND — LeBron James has to make another big decision. He turned to social media Friday to help him choose which number
he’ll wear next season. James wrote “6 or 23....” on his Twitter account and posted photos on Instagram of him wearing No. 6 and No. 23 wine and gold Cavs jerseys. James wore No. 6 during his four seasons with Miami and also on the U.S. Olympic team. He used No. 23 in high school and during seven seasons in Cleveland. James has had the topselling jersey in the NBA six times during his career. His return to Cleveland has given the city a boost, and the Cavs quickly sold out their seasons tickets in the hours after his announcement. James signed a two-year, $42.1 million contract last week. AP sources: Pelicans add G Fredette, F Miller METAIRIE, La. — People familiar with the moves say the New Orleans Pelicans have agreed to contract terms with guard Jimmer Fredette and forward Darius Miller. Two people confirmed Fredette’s deal and one person confirmed Miller’s to The Associated Press on Friday on condition of anonymity because the transactions have not been announced. The 6-foot-2 Fredette averaged 5.6 points in 49 games last season with Sacramento and Chicago, shooting nearly 48 percent from 3-point range. A former NCAA national player of the year with BYU, Fredette was picked 10th overall by Sacramento in 2011. The 6-8 Miller was New Orleans’ second-round pick in 2012. Last season, he averaged 4.4 points in 45 games. Heat sign F Udonis Haslem to 2-year deal Udonis Haslem has signed a two-year, $5.6 million contract with the Miami Heat. Haslem has spent all 11 of his NBA seasons with the Heat and is the franchise’s all-time rebounds leader. He and Dwyane Wade are the only players to appear on all three of Miami’s championship teams. The Miami native opted out of a contract that would have paid him $4.6 million next season to give the team flexibility during free agency. Haslem averaged 3.8 points last season. For his career, Haslem has averaged 8.6 points in 715 regular-season games.
ROCKETS Continued from Page 1B Howard said of Ariza, who were teammates with the Orlando Magic. “Just to have soldiers on your team like that is great. We have that one-two punch with me and James. We’re filling out our roster
with guys who are willing to go through that wall and doing whatever it takes to win.” Mavs sign free agent F Eric Griffin to 1-year deal DALLAS — Free agent forward
Eric Griffin has signed a one-year deal with the Dallas Mavericks. The non-guaranteed contract for Griffin was announced Friday. The 6-foot-8 Griffin played last preseason with the Miami Heat
before going overseas. He is playing for the Mavericks summer league team in Las Vegas and averaged 9.8 points while playing 19.3 minutes in the first four games.
TOUR Continued from Page 1B 54-kilometer (33-mile) timetrial in Stage 20 from Bergerac to Perigueux is the only real challenge left in his way. The unexpected has gone Nibali’s way. He surprised himself by winning an upand-down Stage 2 stage in the hills and dales of Yorkshire and capturing his first Tour yellow jersey. He mastered cobblestone treachery in Stage 5, when 2012 Tour champ Chris Froome crashed out. And then, twotime Tour winner Alberto Contador went out five stages later after a fast downhill crash fractured his tibia. In a sport where many dominant riders in past years later turned out to be drugs cheats, Nibali confronted the issue of doping a day earlier, saying he expected questions about it. “This theme belongs to the past,” he said, crediting recent efforts like enhanced testing and the biological passport to clean it up. This 101st Tour could become the third straight in which the winner locked up
victory from before the halfway point. Last year, Froome was in yellow from the eighth stage onward. In 2012, Bradley Wiggins had the shirt for good after Stage 7. Nibali took it in Stage 2, lost it in Stage 9, and regained it a day later. He’s hoping to take it home after a largely ceremonial ride on the Champs-Elysees in Paris on July 27. A comeback by a rival would be exceptional by recent standards. After the 13th stage last year, Froome had three other riders within minutes. In 2012, Wiggins had only two. After Friday’s ride, no one is within three minutes of Nibali. The first of two days in the snow-capped Alps lived up to its billing as the daunting final climb of 18 kilometers (12 miles) with an average 7.3 percent gradient shook up the overall standings. The ride was hot: black tar on the recently resurfaced road to Chamrousse melted. Big crowds lined the route, including fans dressed as superheroes and one as a
scantily clad Borat — the Sacha Baron Cohen film character. As riders embarked on the final climb, the pack was mostly together and Valverde’s Movistar team was pushing the pace. But when it hit the steepest part, Porte struggled and dropped off the back and Nibali briefly turned his head to look. Valverde attacked a short while later, but Nibali and the others reeled him in. Nibali said he felt “better and better” as he climbed, despite the heat of more than 30 degrees Celsius (86 F). When the Italian saw “Richie Porte in trouble,” he turned his attention to gaining time on Valverde, he said. After two riders raced ahead, the Italian leader struck — jumping out of his saddle, and pedaling while standing in the upright riding position known in French as “la danseuse” or the dancer. He overtook them, and went on to win. Porte’s troubles also meant others climbed in the stand-
Since two seasons at Campbell University (2010-12), Griffin has played professionally in Puerto Rico, Venezuela and Italy. In 60 games at Campbell, he averaged 14.5 points and 7.8 rebounds.
BRITISH ings: France’s Romain Bardet moved up to third, countryman Thibaut Pinot was fourth, and American Tejay van Garderen fifth. Nibali appeared to be taking a risk that his effort to distance his rivals could come back to haunt him. By his own admission a day earlier, he said that he feared the second Alpine day more. Saturday’s 177-kilometer (110-mile) stage takes riders over three tough climbs from Grenoble to Risoul — including the Izoard pass that is one of the hardest under cycling’s ranking system. Some of his rivals seem to be accepting that Nibali may win. “Vincenzo is the strongest rider in the race, but after him, there is a place to take,” Bardet said, referring to the final podium. Nibali “played it well”, said FDJ.FR team manager Marc Madiot. “Now he can say ‘I’ve got all the cards, I can do what I want, when I want and if you try to slap me, I give two slaps in return.”’
Continued from Page 1B “I’m pretty far back,” Woods conceded. “Luckily I’ve got two rounds to go. And hopefully I can do something like Paul did in ‘99. He made up, I think, 10 in one day. Hopefully I can play well on the weekend and at least give myself a shot at it going to the back nine on Sunday.” Actually, Woods’ rehabilitation would seem to be a longer-term project. He showed flashes of his once-dominant form — that stretch of birdies on Thursday, a testy chip over a pot bunker to set up a 6-footer for birdie at the 18th on Friday — but the consistency just isn’t there. Too many errant drives. Too many iron shots that just weren’t quite close enough to the flag. Too many putts that came up short or slid by the cup. What made it all the more striking was the performance by McIlroy, usually considered the most likely player to succeed Woods as the face of the game. The Boy Wonder from Northern Ireland made his second straight 66 look downright easy, barely breaking a sweat on the sticky day. “He plays pretty aggressively to begin with,” Woods said. “And when he’s going, he can get it going pretty good.” That’s what they used to say about Woods, who was only 32 when he won his 14th major championship. Now he’s 38, and still waiting to add another. Hard to see that changing at Royal Liverpool.
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014
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HELOISE
Dear Heloise: I have a heavy wooden rocker and four wooden chairs on a light-colored linoleum floor. Nothing keeps the wood from MARKING MY FLOORS. I’ve tried all the self-adhesive pads — they just come off. Do you have any suggestions? — Gail D., Fountain Valley, Calif. Gail, here are a few things to try: They make chair-leg tips now that cover the entire foot of the chair instead of just sticking to the bottom. You could see if those stay on better. Another thing to try: Wrap the foot of the chair in some leftover fabric. This would work when it is just you at home, and it can be quickly removed when company comes over. You also could place a rug under the rocker and chairs to protect the floor. I hope one of these suggestions works for you.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
— Heloise SPICE IT UP Dear Heloise: As I was getting ready for my breakfast of sausage and eggs this morning, my eggs looked so drab with the same old salt and pepper. I looked at my little seasoning jars and decided to sprinkle on some spices that I like the best. What a difference in the taste of the eggs! — Jean in Ohio FRUSTRATING FAUCET Dear Heloise: My faucet started dripping one day, and I couldn’t get it to stop. Of course it was the weekend, and I couldn’t get anyone to come out until the next week. The sound was annoying, and I didn’t want to listen to it all weekend. I remembered a hint of yours I had read once. I tied a string around the faucet and let it fall into the sink. The water ran down the string instead of dripping and didn’t make any noise. I got some sleep, and the sink was fixed the next week. Thanks! — Y.E. in New Mexico
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 19, 2014