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MCALLEN
FEDERAL COURT
Officer accused of stealing drugs
Smugglers sentenced
Policeman took coke from home
Three Zapatans get prison time for human smuggling By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
Three Zapata residents arrested in November during a thwarted human smuggling attempt on U.S. 83 were sentenced Tuesday in federal court in Laredo. A grand jury formally indicted Misti Lea Grand-
staff, Mario Humberto Garza III and Manuel Alejandro Garza on charges of conspiracy and two counts of transporting and attempting to transport illegal immigrants for financial gain. The human smuggling charges are punishable by up to 10 years in prison. Grandstaff and Mario
plea agreements, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the remaining charges of the indictment. During the sentencing hearing before U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña, Grandstaff was handed a prison sentence of eight months and 16 days. Saldaña further ordered that she be placed
on a three-year term of supervised release with a special condition that she be placed in home confinement for six months with electronic monitoring. Grandstaff must also complete 50 hours of community service within the first two years of her su-
See SMUGGLING PAGE 13A
WASHINGTON POST/ABC NEWS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
McALLEN — A criminal complaint unsealed this week accuses a South Texas police officer of stealing cocaine from a home in 2012 and then trying to cover up the theft by claiming he found the drugs in a car that he seized. Hector “Jo Jo” Mendez faces a charge of possession with intent to distribute more than 5 kilograms of cocaine, The Monitor newspaper in McAllen reported. Mendez is a 17year veteran of the Mission Police Department who was assigned to a drug enforcement task force. Mendez’s defense attorney, Carlos Garcia, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that he has reviewed the criminal complaint and that his client denies the allegations. Mendez is accused of stealing the drugs in July 2012 — several months after he lost a primary for Hidalgo County Precinct 2 constable. He was questioned several times, including earlier this month, after investigators said he made several inconsistent statements. The complaint unsealed Monday states that Mendez has denied knowing of any drug theft. Two former Mission police officers, Alexis Espinoza and Jonathan Trevino, were sentenced last year to lengthy terms for their roles in a drug-trafficking conspiracy that involved other law enforcement officers in the region. Mendez could receive up to life in prison and a $10 million fine if convicted on the possession with intent to distribute charge.
Humberto Garza accepted plea agreements and pleaded guilty Jan. 12 to one count of transporting illegal immigrants for financial gain. Manuel Alejandro Garza accepted a plea agreement and pleaded guilty April 23 to the conspiracy charge. As part of each of their
CRUZ, PERRY TIED IN POLL
Image by Cooper Neill | Texas Tribune
Former Gov. Rick Perry and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz are shown in this compilation image.
Two Texans each have support of 4 percent of voters By ABBY LIVINGSTON TEXAS TRIBUNE
WASHINGTON — The two Texans running for president are tied in a new national poll.
U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry each had the support of 4 percent of registered voters who identified themselves as Republicans in a new Washington Post/
ABC News poll. At first blush, 4 percent appears to be an insignificant number. But both men will make the cut if Fox News takes this poll into account when decid-
ing which 10 Republican presidential candidates appear in the upcoming Aug. 6 presidential debate. Cruz had a slight leg up over Perry in the survey when all self-identified Re-
publican respondents were polled — not just registered voters. In that group, Cruz got 4 percent while Perry got 3 percent.
See POLL PAGE 13A
TEXAS LAWMAKERS
El Chapo’s escape should lead to drug law reform By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE
Photo by Eduardo Verdugo | AP
This photo shows the opening of a tunnel, authorities claim was used by drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, to escape from his prison cell at the Altiplano maximum security prison, in Almoloya, west of Mexico City, July 15.
Corruption. Extradition. Border violence. Those were the standard talking-point topics by Texas lawmakers following Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán’s brazen escape last week from a maximum-security Mexican prison. Now, some advocates hope to add “drug policy reform” to the list, arguing that Guzmán’s catapult back to power of the Sinaloa cartel should lead to new discussions on how much out-
lawing drugs empowers the world’s most ruthless drug lords. Organizations like Law Enforcement Against Prohibition, or LEAP, a worldwide group whose members include current and former peace officers, prosecutors and correctional officers, wasted little time in sounding the alarms about a possible increase in violence after Guzmán’s escape. Rusty White, a former correctional officer, K-9 handler and watchtower sniper who is one of LEAP’s 17 Texas-based mem-
bers, said Guzmán’s escape could escalate a war with rival cartels that sought to gain traction in disputed turf after Guzmán’s arrest in February 2014. “Chapo’s been controlling the borders of the United States forever. Now that he’s back out, with whoever he put in place, there’s [likely] going to be more violence when the power struggle starts again,” he said. He added of law enforcement officials: “Someday, these people are going to have to look in the
See EL CHAPO PAGE 13A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 4 p.m.: Extreme Planets; 5 p.m.: Zula Patrol: Under the Weather. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
Today is Wednesday, July 22, the 203rd day of 2015. There are 162 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 22, 1975, the U.S. House of Representatives joined the Senate in voting to restore the American citizenship of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. (President Gerald R. Ford signed the measure on August 5.) On this date: In 1587, an English colony fated to vanish under mysterious circumstances was established on Roanoke Island off North Carolina. In 1796, Cleveland, Ohio, was founded by General Moses Cleaveland. In 1893, Wellesley College professor Katharine Lee Bates visited the summit of Pikes Peak, where she was inspired to write the original version of her poem “America the Beautiful.” In 1916, a bomb went off during a Preparedness Day parade in San Francisco, killing 10 people. In 1946, Jewish extremists blew up a wing of the King David Hotel in Jerusalem, killing 90 people. In 1950, former Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King died in Kingsmere, Quebec, at age 75. In 1957, Walter “Fred” Morrison applied for a patent for a “flying toy” which became known as the Frisbee. In 1963, Sonny Liston knocked out Floyd Patterson in the first round of their rematch in Las Vegas to retain the world heavyweight title. In 1983, Samantha Smith and her parents returned home to Manchester, Maine, after completing a whirlwind tour of the Soviet Union. In 1995, Susan Smith was convicted by a jury in Union, South Carolina, of first-degree murder for drowning her two sons. (She was later sentenced to life in prison, and will not be eligible for parole until 2024.) In 2011, Anders Breivik massacred 69 people at a Norwegian island youth retreat after detonating a bomb in nearby Oslo that killed eight others in the nation’s worst violence since World War II. Ten years ago: Jean Charles de Menezes, a Brazilian electrician, was shot to death by London police who’d mistaken him for a terrorist. Five years ago: President Hugo Chavez severed Venezuela’s diplomatic relations with neighboring Colombia over claims he was harboring leftist guerrillas. One year ago: A Hamas rocket exploded near Israel’s main airport, prompting a ban on flights from the U.S. and many from Europe and Canada. Today’s Birthdays: Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, R-Kan., is 92. Actorcomedian Orson Bean is 87. Game show host Alex Trebek is 75. Former Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, is 72. Actor Danny Glover is 69. Singer Mireille Mathieu is 69. Movie composer Alan Menken is 66. Actor Willem Dafoe is 60. Actor-comedian David Spade is 51. Actor Rhys Ifans is 48. Actress Diana Maria Riva is 46. Singer Rufus Wainwright is 42. Actress Selena Gomez is 23. Britain’s Prince George of Cambridge is 2. Thought for Today: “Life is the art of drawing without an eraser.” — John W. Gardner, American government official (1912-2002).
THURSDAY, JULY 23 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 4 p.m.: Extreme Planets; 5 p.m.: Zula Patrol: Under the Weather. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
SATURDAY, JULY 25 6th Annual Cat Appreciation Day from 2 – 3 p.m. Registration and judging of Live Cat Categories 2 – 2:30 p.m. and Photo/Cell Phone Categories 2 – 3 p.m. at Petco north, 2450 Monarch Dr. $1 donation for each participating category. Donations will go toward projects to protect free-roaming community cats including a Trap, Neuter, and Return Program. For more details, call Birdie at 286-7866. Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 2 p.m.: Accidental Astronauts; 3 p.m.: Wonders of the Universe; 4 p.m.: New Horizons; 5 p.m.: Led Zeppelin. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
SUNDAY, JULY 26 Operation Feed the Homeless. 3 p.m. at Jarvis Plaza. The Laredo Free Thinkers is organizing this event. Free food, good fun and free literature. See Facebook page, Operation Feed the Homeless-Summer Feast for more information.
TUESDAY, JULY 28 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 4 p.m.: Extreme Planets; 5 p.m.: Zula Patrol: Under the Weather. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
WEDNESDAY, JULY 29 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 4 p.m.: Extreme Planets; 5 p.m.: Zula Patrol: Under the Weather. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
THURSDAY, JULY 30 Spanish Book Club from 6 – 8 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library on Calton Road. Contact Sylvia Reash at 763-1810. Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 4 p.m.: Extreme Planets; 5 p.m.: Zula Patrol: Under the Weather. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 2 to 5 p.m. 2 p.m.: Accidental Astronauts; 3 p.m.: Wonders of the Universe; 4 p.m.: New Horizons; 5 p.m.: Led Zeppelin. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).
Photo by Brett Coomer/Houston Chronicle | AP
State and local officials gather for an inquiry looking into the death of Sandra Bland on Tuesday in Houston. Bland, a 28year-old African American woman was arrested July 10 after being stopped by a Department of Public Safety trooper for failing to signal a lane change. A DPS spokesman said she was arrested after becoming "uncooperative."
Jail admits breaking rules By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
HEMPSTEAD — The operators of a Texas jail where a black woman died after she was arrested in a traffic stop have acknowledged violating state rules on guard training and the monitoring of inmates. The Waller County Jail, about 60 miles northwest of Houston, is under investigation in the death of Sandra Bland, a Chicago-area woman whose family disputes authorities’ finding that she hanged herself with a plastic garbage bag in her cell. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards last week cited the jail for not providing documents proving that jailers in the past year had undergone training on interacting with inmates who are mentally disabled or potentially suicidal. The citation also showed that jailers fell
‘Archie’ cartoonist Tom Moore dies in El Paso
Heavy rains bring flooding to parts of West Texas
Man charged in beating death of his boyfriend
EL PASO — Tom Moore, the cartoonist who brought to life the escapades of a freckled-face, red-haired character named Archie, has died. The El Paso native was 86. Sunset Funeral Home Director Howard Holderfield in El Paso confirmed that Moore died early Monday morning. Moore drew Archie Andrews and his friends on and off from 1953 until the late 1980s when he retired.
AMARILLO — Heavy rains in West Texas have brought flooding to parts of the region, including Amarillo and El Paso. Parts of major arteries through Amarillo were closed to motorists due to standing water and emergency crews responded to high-water rescues Monday evening and Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service had issued a flash flood warning for the city until 2 a.m. Tuesday.
AUSTIN — A 20-year-old man has been charged with murder in the beating death of his boyfriend in Austin following a fight. The affidavit says the men’s roommate told police the couple had been fighting since about 4:15 a.m. after coming home from drinking. The roommate drove Stephen Sylvester, 18, who was bleeding from the head, to the hospital.
Vandals deface Denton Confederate monument
Wrong-way driver, 2 others die in I-45 collision
Police officer pleads guilty to drug charge
DENTON — Authorities are searching for three people who they say defaced a Confederate monument in North Texas with the words, “This is racist.” Surveillance video provided Monday by the Denton County sheriff ’s office shows two figures scaling the monument to spraypaint the words in red before fleeing with a third person.
FAIRFIELD — Three people have died on Interstate 45 in a head-on collision caused by a driver traveling the wrong way on the highway. Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper James Colunga said that among those killed was the wrong-way driver, 78-year-old James Edward Warren of Richland.
HOUSTON — A former Houston police officer has been convicted of a drug charge after admitting to helping her then-boyfriend with a cocaine deal last year. Federal prosecutors say 27year-old Jasmine Bonner pleaded guilty Monday to aiding and abetting possession with the intent to distribute cocaine. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION
TUESDAY, AUGUST 4 Grief Support Group “The Comfort Café” meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. at Danny’s Restaurant, 2406 Jacaman Road. For those 18 and older who are experiencing the loss of a loved one. Contact Yeseenia Dickey at 7409374 or email her at yeseniadickey@gmail.com to reserve a seat or for more information.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 Renacer Couple’s Club meeting at Northtown Professional Plaza, 6999 McPherson Rd. Suite 221, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Free and open to the public. Contact Rosario Navarro at rossnavarro83@gmail.com.
TUESDAY, AUGUST 11 Texas A&M International University is hosting no-cost, one-day workshops for K-5 educators interested in teaching computer science. Curriculum guide and supplies will be provided. Contact Dr. Pat Abrego at TAMIU at 326-2302.
short by not observing inmates in person at least once every hour. The sheriff ’s office said Friday in a statement that jailers checked on the 28-year-old Bland via intercom on one occasion rather than in person. Commission Executive Director Brandon Wood has declined to say if the citation is related to Bland’s death. But sheriff ’s officials mention her when explaining the violations, noting that they don’t believe “either one of these deficiencies had any part in the death of Ms. Bland.” The Texas trooper who pulled Bland over for failing to signal a lane change said in an affidavit that after handcuffing her for becoming combative, she swung her elbows at him and kicked him in his right shin. Bland was taken to the jail on July 10 and found dead in her cell July 13.
Washington wildfires burn 1 home, threaten others WALLA WALLA, Wash. — Several wildfires lit up Washington state on Tuesday, destroying at least one home and threatening dozens of others. In eastern Washington, a brush fire burned at least one property and forced a handful of homes in a rural neighborhood to evacuate, said Patty Courson, a spokeswoman with the Walla Walla County Emergency Management. The blaze briefly forced residents to flee about 30 homes Monday. Winds and hot, dry conditions could spread the flames and threaten more buildings, fire officials said.
Cosby’s lawyers ask judge to keep settlement sealed PHILADELPHIA — Lawyers for Bill Cosby argue in a new court filing his admission he
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Darren Wright/Washington State Patrol | AP
This Monday photo provided by the Washington State Patrol shows a brush fire burning in central Washington near the town of George. Several wildfires lit up Washington state on Tuesday, closing freeways and destroying at least one home. used quaaludes in the 1970s doesn’t mean he drugged and sexually assaulted women. The lawyers on Tuesday asked a court to preserve the confidentiality of his 2006 settlement in a sexual-battery lawsuit. Cosby’s lawyers are attacking
the weekend release of his deposition by a court reporting service. They say the deposition and other filings unsealed this month have led to inaccurate reports branding the Philadelphia native a rapist. — 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
Local
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Courtesy photo
Zapata ISD teachers visited local community worksites to conduct action research on “High Demand Occupation Opportunities” in the community
Courtesy photo
Barriers will be placed in Falcon Lake that will reach 8 feet below the water’s surface. Boaters are cautioned not to cross under Veleño Bridge.
Boaters cautioned SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Starting July 27 turbidity barriers will be placed
across the entire width of Falcon Lake on the east and west sides of the Veleño Bridge to 8 feet below
water surface elevation. Boaters are cautioned not to cross under Veleño Bridge.
ZCISD teachers research SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Zapata ISD teachers collaborated with Laredo’s United ISD Middle School and Laredo ISD teachers as they visited local community worksites to conduct action research on “High Demand Occupation Opportunities” in the community.
The project was made possible by a South Texas Workforce grant. Over 30 real world, learner-centered lesson plans were developed reflecting 11 local industries. All lessons are TEKS and STAAR aligned and are sure to motivate and prepare students for a brighter future. Conway, Frank’s Ar-
chitect, Buckland Customs Broker, Kristi Lins, Biomat-Grifols, Border Region, U.S. Border Patrol, Ruth B. Cowl, Mercy Kids, HJH Forwarding, Skintology and to the South Texas Workforce Solutions helped make this distinct opportunity for professional development possible.
Zapata Masonic Lodge officers installed SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Officers at the Zapata Masonic Lodge were installed July 11 in Laredo. The Laredo Masonic Lodge #547 was the scene for the joint installation of officers for both the Laredo Lodge, founded in 1881, and the Zapata Lodge, founded in 1963. Outgoing Worshipful Master Larry Lowe welcomed the group and then Installation Officer Drew Claes spoke of the Masonic Order’s history and the differences between Masonry and other benevolent organizations, emphasizing Masonic support of the Shrine Hospitals, the Scottish Rite Hospital and Learning Centers, the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, scholarships and
blood drives. The Laredo Lodge alone, said Claes, has awarded over $135,000 in scholarships to Webb County public high school graduating seniors in the past 15 years. Installed as worshipful master of the Laredo Lodge was Eduardo Esquivel, with Thomas Morris as senior warden, Miguel Inclan as junior warden, Charles Whitfield as treasurer, Drew Claes as secretary, Larry Lowe as chaplain, Anthony Cabello as senior deacon, Enrique Ceballos as senior steward, Jonathan Scott as junior steward, and Greg Moore as tiler. Whitfield presented each new officer with the jewels of his office. Next came the installation of the Zapata officers, beginning with Chris
Turner as worshipful master, O.J. Martinez as senior warden, Elias Mendiola Jr. as junior warden, Boyd Carter as treasurer, Irving H. “Skip” Smith as secretary, Eduardo Esquivel as senior deacon, Larry Lowe as junior deacon, and Charles Whitfield as tiler. The Zapata officers were also presented with jewels of their office. New Worshipful Masters Esquivel and Turner made closing remarks before Larry Lowe presented the Golden Trowel Award to Greg Moore. This award recognizes a Mason who has not had a leadership position for three years and who has consistently demonstrated his dedication to the fraternity in his attendance, participation and example.
Courtesy photo
Pictured in the first row, left to right, are O. J. Hale, Chris Turner, Elias Mendiola, Skip Smith and Larry Lowe. In the second row, left to right, are Charles Whitfield, Boyd Carter and Eduardo Esquivel
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Who will rule after Trump? By JENNIFER RUBIN THE WASHINGTON POST
Donald Trump’s self-destruction will soon manifest itself in his drop in the polls. The problem remains for those GOP voters still seeking a candidate who is a viable alternative to Jeb Bush. It is not likely to be Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who has been outshone by more credible candidates and again showed bad judgment in trying to ingratiate himself with Trump. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky. seems practically irrelevant to the race, and his preference to let the Obama administration negotiate with Iran rather than press for sanctions may be the death knell of his effort. Who then stands to benefit from the end of the Trump boomlet? Sen. Marco Rubio, RFla., is one of several. In his recent trip to Iowa, he continued to demonstrate mastery and common sense on foreign affairs. On the National Security Agency, he is sober: “This country has lost access to valuable intelligence at a time when we can least afford it, and the massacre in Chattanooga, Tenn. is an example of it. … Radical jihadists have reached our own country, and they are reaching it online and they are radicalizing people here. And we need to know as much about them as possible to prevent future attacks, or we’re going to have more of them.” His best argument for his candidacy may be that the mess President Obama leaves behind will take tremendous skill, knowledge and nerve to undo. (“The next president of the United States has to be committed to intelligence programs, to cyber defense capabilities, someone that’s committed to a strong foreign policy in which our allies trust us.”) In the debates, Rubio will have a chance to show he can throw a punch and take one. His encyclopedic knowledge of policy will serve him well. He won’t need to cram for the debates. In the aftermath of the Trump train wreck, former Texas governor Rick Perry may also grab a large share of disaffected Republicans. He has avoided pandering on the Confederate battle flag, has been critical but sober on the gay marriage decision and has stood up to Trump well before the latter attacked a war hero. He smacked him down when he called Mexican immigrants “rapists,” and on “Meet the Press” he gave no quarter: “I don’t think he has the character or the temperament to hold the highest position in this country.” He went on to say, echoing his much-praised speech on race, “The Republican Party needs to be reaching out to people of different cultures and races and ethnicities, what we’ve done in
the state of Texas.” He will need excellent debate performances (in part to replace the memories of 2012), but if conservative GOP alternatives to Bush keep self-destructing, Perry may be the last one standing. Key to his campaign will be showing how his long and successful governorship make him a better contestant than younger, less experienced and less accomplished contenders. There is also Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, who had the quickest start of any candidate and has struggled since, confounding conservatives otherwise receptive to his candidacy by zigzagging on issues such as ethanol, a constitutional amendment on gay marriage and even the Boy Scouts. (Reihan Salam speaks for many who worry that instead of “offering a serious and substantive reform agenda, Walker will simply tell the most vocal pressure groups within the Republican coalition what they want to hear.”) Through no fault of his own, Walker’s announcement week was partially overshadowed by Trump (whom Walker would not criticize until Trump imploded). The first debate offers the best chance for Walker to turn the corner on these problems, show he can withstand scrutiny and come through as ready for the national stage. If he can stanch the flow of “clarifications” of his remarks and pair his pugnacious tone with smart policy, he will be a threat. The good news is that no one candidate will have to talk for very long; the bad news is that a gaffe will be hard to conceal. And finally, there is Bush himself. He benefits so long as a pack of opponents carve up the vote, with no single standout. He benefits if candidates cede him the moderate, mainstream voters and fight one another just for the most conservative part of the base. He still has to show he can rev up his party, connect emotionally with voters and convince voters that being inclusive does not mean being a “squish” on the issues. His wonkishness is an asset but can’t get in the way of sharply enunciated positions. The debates will test him insofar as he may be the target of a pile-on as competitors vie to show how conservative they are by attacking Bush. He will need to be specific and non-defensive — no easy task in a crowded debate with multiple candidates gunning for him. We may go through this cycle for many months: One newcomer or lesserknown figure rises, gets attention, stumbles and loses support that shifts to one or more other candidates. The trick for Bush is to hold and expand his support, and for one opponent to consolidate the not-Bush vote. We are a long way from either happening.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
Hair salons without women Ah, thank you Lord, for the advent of unisex hair salons. Not only has my aging mind become broader with my body, so have the minds of us all. Growing up, it did seem unfair to me that males were allowed to “do” women’s hair, but the fairer sex was not allowed to legally lay hands on men in a non-healing way. Of course, the way hair grows on some of us members of the uglier sex, it looks as if it could use “healing.” Finally, society saw fit to allow women to cut, or as we now say “style,” men’s locks as well. For years men have been allowed to style women’s hair, but the opposite is a relatively new development, a few decades old compared to centuries of the chauvinist way. Now, this is not to disparage barber shops or even male stylists in unisex salons, but my stylist is the only female other than my wonderful Life Mate Julie that I allow the distinct privilege of running their fingers through what is left of my hair. As a kid growing up, I got those raggedy soup
bowl trims country boys get, all “gapped,” so that the sides of my head look like a pair of white sidewall tires and the rest of my head like Buster Brown, the shoe kid. When I was eight years old, I was finally allowed to get a “town-bought,” barbershop haircut. We approached the front of the shop and I marveled at what appeared to be a huge peppermint stick whirling to beat the band, but you couldn’t see where it began in the bottom of that tube, nor where it was whirling to out the top. “Gee whillikers,” I thought, “I wonder if they’ve got a littler one of those for me if I’m a good boy.” As we entered, on the left was a black man everyone knew as Fox. He was working his magic on a pair of shoes and making that shine rag pop like one I’d heard to “Chattanooga Shoeshine Boy” on The Grand Ole Opry via
our four-foot-tall Truetone Radio the previous Saturday night. Fox was already a legend in Teague for his mirror shines and for his second job as a janitor at the First National Bank, both so he could support his family. All the barbers teased Fox and said he could be the bank because he had so much money. I envisioned having a pair of fancy dress shoes with a Fox Mirror Shine and with taps on the heel and toe sections of the sole so I could walk down the sidewalk and, as Bro. Dave Gardner used to say, “make the sparks fly so people would marvel at me.” “Wow, this is some place,” I thought. Then I saw the barbers. There was Doyle Taylor with his ample middle sticking out just a little further than the huge cigar in his mouth as he buzzed away with the clippers on what was becoming a young boy’s burr cut. Manning the second chair was a tall, dour-looking man who resembled the pointy-haired man in today’s Dilbert comic strip. Towering (to me) Sam Moncrief had a de-
vice strapped on top of his hand, which was on a man’s head. The buzzing and vibrating said the customer was getting a soothing head massage. That is supposed to help the blood flow which makes the hair grow, much to a barber’s poetic delight. It benefits customer and purveyor. A third barber was giving a man a shave with a straight razor. Those things have always made me shudder, but, as I often say, that’s a whole ‘nother column. My turn came in Doyle’s chair and I nervously climbed up in it and was swallowed by the barber’s cloth. I suppose I was nervous and wiggly because Doyle grabbed my head with his huge hand and manipulated me through a haircut with only one minor nick. That was my introduction to “store-bought haircuts.” They did a good job, following the regimen of the times, but I’m glad we now are in the unisex era. Buzz away, Darlin’. Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 55 years experience. He can be reached via email at wwebb1937@att.net.
EDITORIAL
Human rights should be focus in Cuba THE WASHINGTON POST
President Barack Obama’s opening to Cuba is based on the hope that, after more than a half-century of hostility from the United States, a surge of commerce, information and travel will somehow erode the rigid authoritarian state built by Fidel Castro and now presided over by his brother, Raúl. The assumption is questiona-
ble: The opening, including Monday’s reestablishment of embassies, could well enhance rather than undermine the regime. The United States has diplomatic relations with many authoritarian governments that flout human rights, including China, Saudi Arabia and Russia. What will matter with Cuba is not the raising of flags in Washington and Havana but how the United States applies
its influence. Negotiations that led to this point included “a pretty robust conversation” about the abysmal human rights situation in Cuba, a senior administration official told reporters last week. Cuba has released some political prisoners. But frequent reports from the island make it plain that routine harassment continues of dissidents and those who speak out. Short-
term detentions and beatings are common. The opening of embassies upgraded the status of U.S. officials in Havana, who will now be fullfledged diplomats, with freedom to move around Cuba. Perhaps they should skip a diplomatic reception or two and use this newfound access to examine one of the most unsettling chapters in the history of the Castro dictatorship.
CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
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WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Court overturns claims Keillor says he’s retiring By JEFF BAENEN By MICHAEL TARM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — A federal appeals court Tuesday overturned some of the most sensational convictions that sent former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich off to a lengthy stint in prison, ruling that the Democrat did not break the law when he sought to secure a Cabinet position in President Barack Obama’s administration in exchange for appointing an Obama adviser to the president’s former U.S. Senate seat. The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago also ordered the resentencing of Blagojevich, offering the 58-year-old a ray of hope that he could end up serving less than his original 14-year term. The three appellate judges dismissed five of 18 corruption counts against Blagojevich, while affirming 13 counts. In a blow to the defense, the panelists also suggested the original sentence wasn’t necessarily extreme, even when factoring in the newly tossed convictions. Speaking outside the Blagojevich family home in Chicago, his wife, Patti, told reporters her husband had expressed disappointment the court didn’t hand him a clear legal victory. “He’s disappointed, of course,” she said, the couple’s 18-year-old daughter at her side. She added more optimistically, “Possibly this is a step in right direct of getting Rod home to his family.” The court’s unanimous ruling addressed a key question: Where is the line between legal and illegal political wheeling and dealing? The panel’s answer: When it came to Blagojevich’s attempt to land a Cabinet seat, he did not cross the line. His attempts to trade the Senate seat for campaign cash, however, were illegal, the court concluded. Blagojevich floated the
Photo by M. Spencer Green | AP file
In this Dec. 7, 2011 file photo, former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, left, speaks to reporters as his wife, Patti, listens in Chicago. idea of a Cabinet job in exchange for appointing Obama adviser Valerie Jarrett to Obama’s vacant Senate seat. After Blagojevich’s arrest, the seat went to Roland Burris, who served less than two years before a successor was elected. In its ruling, the appeals court pointed to allegations that President Dwight Eisenhower named Earl Warren to the U.S. Supreme Court after Warren offered Eisenhower key political support during the 1952 campaign. The judges said that under the logic used to charge Blagojevich, Eisenhower and Warren might have been convicted. “If the prosecutor is right, and a swap of political favors involving a job for one of the politicians is a felony, then ... both the President of the United States and the Chief Justice of the United States should have gone to prison,” the ruling says. Still, the ruling was by no means a resounding win for Blagojevich. The appellate judges upheld allegations that he sought to sell the Senate seat, saying the evidence against him was strong. Blagojevich had argued he didn’t break the law because he never stated explicitly that he was willing to trade an appointment for campaign cash. The panel balked at the notion that
crimes are crimes only if they are overtly stated. “Few politicians say, on or off the record, ‘I will exchange official act X for payment Y,”’ the opinion says. “Similarly persons who conspire to rob banks or distribute drugs do not propose or sign contracts in the statutory language.” Defense attorney Leonard Goodman sharply criticized the court for not quashing more counts. He said he would urge his client to challenge the panel’s finding, by possibly by asking the full appeals court to rehear the case. “My advice to him is that we fight on,” he said. “It is not justice in my view.” As for prosecutors, they could choose to retry Blagojevich on the dropped counts, though prosecutors often decline to retry a case if most counts are upheld. A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office declined to comment on the ruling. The two-term governor proclaimed his innocence for years — on television and on the stand at his decisive retrial in 2011, where a sometimes-tearful Blagojevich said he was a flawed man but no criminal. Eleven of the counts jurors convicted him on dealt with allegations that he tried to swap an appointment to the Senate seat for campaign cash or a job.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Garrison Keillor, creator and longtime host of the popular “A Prairie Home Companion” radio show, says he means it this time: He’s retiring. In an interview Monday with The Associated Press, Keillor said he plans to step down as host after next season, following four decades of entertaining listeners with his baritone voice and folksy comedy sketches about Lake Wobegon, his mythical Minnesota hometown “where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average.” The show is heard by 4 million listeners nationwide on nearly 700 public radio stations each week. Keillor also takes summer bus tours for live shows, and his 30-city “America the Beautiful” cross-country tour, billed as his farewell tour, starts next week. “I have a lot of other things that I want to do. I mean, nobody retires anymore. Writers never retire. But this is my last season. This tour this summer is the farewell tour,” the 72year-old Keillor said, laughing and joking as he sat in his book-lined office in St. Paul wearing his signature red socks. Keillor said he tapped musician Chris Thile of the bands Punch Brothers and Nickel Creek to succeed him full time as host in September 2016, following guest-hosting spots. He said Thile — a mandolin whiz — will help return “Prairie Home” to its roots as a music show. Thile, now 34, was 15 when he made his first appearance on the show in 1996. In a statement Monday, Thile said he and Keillor “have lengthily discussed the future of the show with me as host and agree that we should give it a go. There are, of
Photo by Jim Mone | AP
Garrison Keillor, creator and host of “A Prairie Home Companion,” said Monday that he plans to step down after next season. course, plenty of details to iron out, but I’m very excited!” Keillor will end his tenure as host with performances at some of his favorite outdoor venues, including Wolf Trap near Washington, D.C., Ravinia near Chicago and Tanglewood in Massachusetts, according to “A Prairie Home Companion” spokesman David O’Neill. The location of Keillor’s final show as host, in July 2016, has not been determined yet, O’Neill said. The Berkshire (Massachusetts) Eagle first reported last month on Keillor’s plans to “transition” out of the show. But given Keillor’s history — he talked about retiring when he turned 70 in 2013 — many media outlets were cautious. The Minneapolis Star Tribune noted Keillor had “announced an upcoming retirement so many times that he could be called the Brett Favre of broadcast radio.” He did leave the airwaves briefly in the 1980s to move to Denmark, but returned to broadcasting in New York two years later with “American Radio Company of the Air.” He finally returned to St. Paul — and “A Prairie Home Companion” — in 1992. Keillor insisted Monday that his retirement decision is solid. He said he plans to stay on as execu-
tive producer, but only “an admirer” and “a gray eminence” of the on-air show, which he said will keep its Midwestern focus. “I’m perfectly willing to do whatever needs to be done. I can certainly come on the show as a guest, you know, I can do the warm-up. I can stand in the wings and wind up microphone cord,” Keillor said. Keillor said that means retiring his weekly monologue “News from Lake Wobegon,” a homey recounting of the doings of Norwegian bachelor farmers and other Lake Wobegon residents, along with his sketches about hardboiled detective Guy Noir and hapless modern-day cowboys Dusty and Lefty. As for retirement, Keillor has a few plans, including traveling. “I’ve been everywhere, and I’ve seen very little. I’ve seen a lot of hotels, a lot of airports, I’ve seen the backseats of cabs and I’ve seen back stages of theaters,” he said. “I go to all these wonderful places and I never walk around and I never see things. Because I’m working.” Keillor also said he would like to make another movie. A movie version of “A Prairie Home Companion” hit theaters in 2006 to critical acclaim and modest box-office success.
Politics
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Negotiators fail to reach deal By JOAN LOWY ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — With a deadline looming for a cutoff of highway aid to states, Senate Republicans failed Tuesday to muster enough votes to take up a bill that would extend transportation programs for six years. Democrats complained they’d had only an hour to read the 1,040-page bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he would give Democrats more time, but added he intends to push forward with the bill even if it means keeping the Senate in session over the weekend. A motion to begin debate failed 41 to 56, falling far short of the 60 votes needed. Sen. Charles Schumer of New York, the No. 3 Democratic leader, said, “I can’t remember a time where I have been asked in all my years in the Congress to vote yes ahead of time on a bill we haven’t seen, and there are no amendments” allowed. While the bill would authorize highway and transit programs for six years, it contains only enough money — about $47 billion, according to a list of offsets supplied by McConnell’s office — to close the current funding gap for transportation programs for three years. The government currently spends about $50 billion a year on highway and transit aid, but the federal gas tax and other transpor-
Photo by Molly Riley | AP
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., listens to remarks while addressing the media after a policy luncheon on Capitol Hill. tation taxes and fees raise only about $35 billion a year. Some Republicans also expressed unhappiness with the bill. Banking Committee Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., said he objected to one of its money-raising provisions that would reduce the dividend that the Federal Reserve pays to member banks, worth $16.3 billion. “You’re taking money and there’s no connection between small banks, medium-sized banks and building highways and transit and you’re going to weaken the banking system. I’d be against that,” he told reporters. The banking provision is the biggest source of money in the legislation to pay for transportation programs, according to a list provided by McConnell’s office. Another $9 billion would come from the sale of oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve, the nation’s energy stockpile for emergencies. Indexing cus-
toms fees to rise with inflation would raise $4 billion. Extension of Transportation Security Administration fees paid by airline passengers would raise another $3.5 billion. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., called the bill “a black hole.” He said Democrats have been told changes have been made to auto, trucking and rail safety provisions that were agreed to last week on a party-line vote by the Senate commerce committee, but no details were provided before the vote. Some Democrats have described the provisions as giveaways to industry that would undermine safety. Safety advocates poring over the bill text late Tuesday said some of the controversial provisions were “tweaked,” but remain in the bill. One provision allows some states to effectively reduce the eligible age for an interstate commercial
truck driving license from 21 to 18. The trucking industry says more drivers are needed to relieve a shortage. The bill would also prevent the public from seeing the government’s safety ratings of truck and bus companies. The trucking industry says the government’s methodology for the ratings is flawed. Congress faces a July 31 deadline to act. That’s when authority for transportation programs expires, eliminating the Transportation Department’s ability to process promised highway and transit aid payments to states. But simply renewing the department’s authorization isn’t enough. Without an infusion of cash, the balance in the federal Highway Trust Fund is forecast to drop by the end of the month below $4 billion, the minimum cushion needed to keep money flowing to states without interruption. The House last week passed its own $8 billion bill keep transportation programs going until Dec. 18 while lawmakers try to work out a longer-term funding plan. But McConnell has said that he wants to pass a bill that keeps programs going at least through next year’s presidential election, if not longer. “I think the Senate should take up our shortterm bill as is, and pass that,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters.
Trump-GOP fued escalates By MEG KINNARD AND JILL COLVIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
BLUFFTON, S.C. — Donald Trump pushed back ever harder Tuesday against Republicans fed up with his provocations, disclosing one opponent’s cell number in a fiery speech and lashing out at an influential newspaper as part of an in-your-face escalation of the feud. Fellow GOP presidential contender Sen. Lindsey Graham called him a “jackass,” only to see floods of Trump supporters jam his phone line after Trump read Graham’s number to an audience. Trump is now at odds with much of the Republican establishment after a series of incendiary comments, topped by his weekend mocking of Arizona Sen. John McCain’s experience as a tortured prisoner of war in Vietnam. Since then the real estate developer and reality TV host has intensified his criticism of McCain and his record on veterans issues in the Senate, even as politicians from both parties and veterans groups have rushed to McCain’s defense. In a speech to hundreds of supporters in Bluffton, South Carolina, on Tuesday, Trump kept on McCain, accusing him of being soft on illegal immigration. “He’s totally about open borders and all this stuff,” Trump said. McCain sparked Trump’s temper last week when the senator said the businessman’s inflammatory remarks about Mexican immigrants had brought out the “crazies.” McCain said Tuesday he would no longer respond to Trump’s comments. Graham, a McCain friend and one of the 16 notable Republicans running for the presidential nomination, betrayed the growing exasperation and anger of many in the party when he appeared on “CBS This Morning.” “Don’t be a jackass,” Graham said. “Run for president. But don’t be the world’s biggest jackass.” He said Trump had “crossed the line with the American people” and predicted this would be “the beginning of the end with Donald Trump.” Trump responded during his speech by calling Graham an “idiot” and a “lightweight.” He then held up a piece of paper and read out the senator’s cellphone number to the capacity crowd of 540 people and the
Photo by Stephen B. Morton | AP
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump holds up a sheet of paper as he talks about calling Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C. TV audience. “Give it a shot,” Trump encouraged. “He won’t fix anything, but I think he’ll talk to you.” Graham’s voice mailbox was full Tuesday afternoon. Spokeswoman Brittany Brammell confirmed the number was his. Graham tweeted later: “Probably getting a new phone. iPhone or Android?” Christian Ferry, Graham’s campaign manager, said Trump “continues to show hourly that he is illprepared to be commander in chief.” Trump also ordered the American flags on his U.S. properties to be lowered, an act he said was to honor the five service members killed in last week’s shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The symbolism served, too, to underscore his claim that he has been a stronger supporter of veterans than McCain, despite the sen-
ator’s central work in passing laws that overhauled the Department of Veterans Affairs and strengthened programs against suicide by service members. Elsewhere in South Carolina on Tuesday, one of his rivals, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, walked a fine line on Trump, criticizing his fellow candidate’s rhetoric on immigration and McCain but saying Trump’s supporters are “good people” with “legitimate concerns.” “I respect the sentiments people feel when they hear Trump talk. The problem with Mr. Trump’s language is that it’s divisive, it’s ugly, it’s mean-spirited,” Bush told a gathering of Republican women in Spartanburg. “We have to separate him from the people that have legitimate concerns about the country.” Another GOP rival, Rand Paul, said, “People have to decide what’s more impor-
tant in trying to fix the country — real solutions or bombast.” The Kentucky senator predicted the GOP campaign will “get beyond the novelty of a reality TV star.” The back-and-forth is the latest in a series of showdowns between Trump and fellow GOP candidates frustrated by Trump’s brash campaign, which has often overshadowed their own in recent weeks. In his speech, Trump brushed off the criticism he’s faced, both from political rivals and others angered by his comments. He said he’s had business success even with countries he’s criticized, such as China, and negativity doesn’t affect him. He also said his wealth insulates him because he’s not beholden to donors who might not like what he says. “It turned out I’m much wealthier than people thought,” Trump said. “Nobody has to give to me.” An editorial in The Des Moines Register urged him to “pull the plug on his bloviating side show” and quit the race. “Trump has proven himself not only unfit to hold office, but unfit to stand on the same stage as his Republican opponents,” the paper said. The first debate, next month, will host the top 10 candidates in national polling, meaning Trump is almost certain to qualify to be on stage.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
With Kasich, 16 in GOP running By JULIE CARR SMYTH ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Saying “big ideas change the world,” Ohio Gov. John Kasich declared his candidacy for the Republican nomination Tuesday and pitched his well-rounded resume to voters who have a multitude of high achievers to size up. Kasich, 63, launched his campaign at Ohio State University before a crowd of 2,000 at an event marking the entry of a strongwilled and sometimes abrasive governor in a nomination race now with 16 notable Republicans. “I am here to ask you for your prayers, for your support, for your efforts because I have decided to run for president,” Kasich said in a scattered 43-minute speech packed with family anecdotes, historical references and calls for national renewal. A veteran congressman as well as governor, Kasich is telling voters he is the only GOP candidate with experience in three broad areas of political leadership — the federal budget, national security and state government. He also spent nearly a decade at Lehman Brothers. “I have the experience and the testing,” he said, “the testing which shapes you and prepares you for the most important job in the world and I believe I know how to work and help restore this great United States.” As budget chairman in the House, he became an architect of a deal in 1997 that balanced the federal budget. Now in his second term in swing-state Ohio, he’s helped erase a budget deficit projected at nearly $8 billion when he entered office, boost Ohio’s rainy-day fund to a historic high and seen private-sector employment rebound to its pre-recession level.
This, through budget cutting, privatization of parts of Ohio’s govKASICH ernment and other, often business-style innovations. “We didn’t really have to slash things,” Kasich said of the budget squeeze. “We just had to use a 21st century formula.” Former state Sen. Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat who’s allied with Kasich on such efforts as community-police relations, said she voted against every one of what she said were “pass-the-buck budgets” by Kasich. “We cannot be celebrating and dancing happily on the state level, meanwhile there are more school levies on the ballot and local governments have to look into the faces of their citizens and say, ‘I either have to raise your taxes or I have to cut this service,”’ she said. Unions, which turned back an effort by Kasich and fellow Republicans to limit public workers’ collective bargaining rights, say Kasich’s successes have come at a cost to local governments and schools, and that new Ohio jobs lack the pay and benefits of the ones they replaced. As a marching band kept up a spritely cadence before Kasich spoke, scores of demonstrators gathered across the street to protest his cuts to the budget and to school districts specifically, as well as his closing of centers for people with development disabilities. “I’m here to make sure that the nation knows, as John Kasich announces his run for president, that he is not an advocate for anybody that is vulnerable,” said Melissa Svigelj, 42, an educator from suburban Cleveland.
International
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
Burundi president seeks 3rd term; polls close By TOM ODULA ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUJUMBURA, Burundi — Overnight gunfire and explosions kept turnout low Tuesday in Burundi’s presidential election, with three people killed in unrest over President Pierre Nkurunziza’s bid for a third term that his opponents say is unconstitutional. Turnout was low in the capital, Bujumbura, and one province but 16 other provinces had a good level of voters, said the head of Burundi’s electoral commission Claver Ndayicariye. Re-
sults are expected in two days, he said. With some of the opposition boycotting the election and others charging that they were not allowed to campaign, Nkurunziza, 51, is not facing a strong electoral challenge. The U.S. State Department warned Tuesday that the election is not credible. “The legitimacy of the electoral process in Burundi over the past few months has been tainted by the government’s harassment of opposition and civil society members, closing down of media outlets and political
Photo by Jerome Delay | AP
Election officials start counting the ballots after polls closed in the presidential elections in Bujumbura, Burundi, Tuesday. space, and intimidation of voters,” U.S. State Department Spokesman John Kirby said in a statement.
Turkey target for IS
The U.S. is considering sanctions, including visa bans for those found responsible in the promotion of in-
By NICOLE WINFIELD
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ISTANBUL — Officials have raised concerns that a deadly bombing in southeastern Turkey is part of a campaign of retaliation by the Islamic State group for a recent crackdown on its operations in the country. If they are right, Turkey would be a particularly vulnerable target for the extremists. The country shares a 775-mile border with Iraq and Syria, putting it nearby to strongholds of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. And, as recent arrests show, the extremist group already has established its reach into Turkey. In an intensified crackdown, Turkish officials say they have detained more than 500 people suspected of working with IS in the last six months. An operation this month netted 21 terrorism suspects in an investigation of recruitment networks in multiple parts of the country, the officials said. The moves suggest an attempt to dismantle an entrenched presence inside Turkey. And authorities fear that Monday’s bombing in the town of Suruc that killed 32 people and wounded nearly 100 is a warning by the extremists against such a campaign. “This attack was against Turkey; against Turkey’s democracy; against the peace and welfare of our people; against public order,” Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said after the attack that officials called a suicide bombing. He vowed to go after those behind the bombing and made clear he believes it was the Islamic State. Turkish officials say they were early to declare IS a terrorist group and have taken extensive efforts to impede and degrade it. The recent moves against the militants are merely an extension of these efforts, they say, the result of close monitoring of IS militants in Turkey. But Western countries have long complained that the government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has done too little to prevent IS militants and
VATICAN CITY — Mayors from around the world declared Tuesday that climate change is real, manmade and must be stopped as a matter of moral imperative, gathering at the Vatican to announce new measures to fight global warming and bask in Pope Francis’ ecological star power. The Vatican invited the 60 mayors to a two-day conference to keep up pressure on world leaders ahead of U.N. climate negotiations in Paris later this year. The meeting also aimed to promote Francis’ environment encyclical, which denounced what he calls a fossil fuel-based world economy that exploits the poor and destroys the Earth. One by one, the mayors lined up to sign a final declaration stating that “human-induced climate change is a scientific reality and its effective control is a moral imperative for humanity.” Francis told the gathering that he had “a lot of hope” that the Paris negotiations would succeed, but
Photo by Emrah Gurel | AP
recruits from crossing its borders into Syria and Iraq. Some analysts say that because of Turkey’s aggressive policies against Syrian President Bashar Assad in that country’s civil war, it has allowed militants of many stripes to operate in Turkey, providing cover to the Islamic State group. They say the recent arrests are evidence that authorities were too slow to prevent IS from establishing a presence and building an infrastructure for the extremists. As a result, IS militants are better positioned to carry out attacks in Turkey. Even a restrained campaign could shut down the country’s vibrant tourism industry, as militants have done in Tunisia. “When the Syrian war first started, Erdogan’s government wanted the downfall of the Assad regime, and without Western military intervention, it thought that these foreign fighters would turn the tide,” said Mohamad Bazzi, a Middle East analyst at New York University. “Now that strategy is backfiring as the Islamic State becomes more emboldened.” It’s still too early to say that IS has turned its attention to target Turkey. If it has, it would be a risky move for the group, also known as ISIS or ISIL. No one has claimed responsibility for the Monday’s bombing in Suruc, and Turkish officials have offered little evidence that an IS suicide bomber was involved. Social media affiliated with the Islamic State group have been
conspicuously silent. The attack could also be the work of an admirer or follower without orders from IS leaders. Whatever the intention, the bombing appeared targeted at a leftist group that was in Suruc as part of a mission to rebuild the Syrian Kurdish city of Kobani, just over the border. Kobani, where Kurdish fighters beat back an IS assault begun last year, has become a symbol of Kurdish resistance. While most if not all of the victims of the bombing were Turkish citizens, it’s not clear that the Turkish government was the target, even if the government has viewed it that way. With a campaign of attacks in Turkey, IS would risk a more robust response from a major regional power that has until recently been more focused on bringing down Assad than the extremists. Turkey has joined a U.S.-led coalition against IS, but has so far limited its participation because it says Washington’s overall strategy for Syria is flawed. Turkey has held out support, including opening its key Incirlik air base near the Syrian border as leverage to get the U.S. to broaden its mission to take on Assad. But if the Islamic State became enemy No. 1 in Turkey, the government’s stance could open up a more direct assault. “It’s mutually assured destruction,” said Aaron Stein, non-resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. “If ISIS attacks Turkey, they are going to provoke a disproportionate response.”
third term. More than 100 people have died in street protests against the president’s bid to extend his time in power. The strife triggered an attempted military coup in mid-May that was quickly put down by proNkurunziza forces. Two policemen were shot dead in the capital Monday night, said Willy Nyamitwe, the presidential adviser for information and media. The body of an opposition official was found on a road Tuesday morning. The opposition and the government blame each other for the overnight violence.
Mayors at Vatican
By DESMOND BUTLER
Family members and friends of Osman Cicek, 24, and Kasim Deprem, 21, two of Monday explosion victims, mourn during their funerals in Suruc, Turkey, Tuesday. Authorities suspected the Islamic State group was behind an apparent suicide bombing Monday.
stability in the country, he said. Many fear that Burundi’s election may provoke widespread violence. Since independence from Belgium in 1961, Burundi has had four coups and a civil war that an estimated 250,000 dead. Kirby said the “fragile progress” made since the end of the civil war in 2006 is at risk of unraveling. The British government also issued a statement saying the poll is “discredited.” Burundi has been rocked by unrest since April when the ruling party announced Nkurunziza would run for a
Photo by L’Ossservatore Romano | AP
Pope Francis signs a declaration in the Synod Hall during a conference on Modern Slavery and Climate Change at the Vatican. also warned the mayors: “You are the conscience of humanity.” Experts have long said that cities are key to reducing global warming since urban areas account for nearly three-quarters of human emissions. Mayor after mayor made an individual plea Tuesday for the world to change its ways. Drawing rousing applause, California Gov. Jerry Brown denounced global warming deniers who he said were “bamboozling” the public and politicians with false information to persuade them that the world isn’t getting warmer. California has enacted the toughest greenhouse gas emissions standards in North America.
“We have a very powerful opposition that, at least in my country, spends billions on trying to keep from office people such as yourselves and elect troglodytes and other deniers of the obvious science,” said Brown, a former Jesuit seminarian. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced new greenhouse gas emissions targets for the Big Apple and urged other cities to follow suit. “The Paris summit is just months away,” de Blasio said. “We need to see it as the finish line of a sprint, and take every local action we can in the coming months to maximize the chance that our national governments will act boldly.”
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Expansion in NHL? Photo by Michael Perez | AP
Phillies starting pitcher Cole Hamels is in high demand with the Astros and Rangers pursuing him.
Astros, Rangers pursuing Hamels By EVAN GRANT MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Photo by L.E. Baskow | AP
Commissioner Gary Bettman and the NHL received bids by Las Vegas and Quebec City as they are interested in being a new expansion team.
NHL receives bids from Las Vegas, Quebec City By JOHN WAWROW ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bill Foley has put his money down on an NHL expansion team in Las Vegas. And Quebec City is getting a second chance at being a pro hockey market. The two cities moved one step closer to joining the NHL as expansion teams after the league announced Tuesday it has received applications from prospective ownership groups in both markets, a day after a deadline for submissions. The Las Vegas bid was submitted by Foley, a billionaire businessman who has spent the past seven months exploring the level of interest for professional hockey in the gambling mecca. Montreal-based Quebecor, a Canadian media and telecommunications giant, submitted the bid for Quebec City, which previously served home to the NHL’s Nordiques. Quebecor also has ties to the NHL after its cable network, TVA Sports, won the rights to become the league’s official Frenchlanguage broadcaster last year. As part of their application, bidders were required to submit a $10 million down payment, $2 million of which was
nonrefundable. There are at least two more steps in the expansion process, and the bids require approval from the NHL’s Board of Governors. The league doesn’t anticipate expanding before the 2017-18 season and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has proposed an expansion fee of at least $500 million. That’s a significant jump from the $80 million fee paid by the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild, when the NHL last expanded to 30 teams in 2000. Without going into specifics, the NHL said it received and responded to application requests from 16 separate groups since the process opened July 6. The league placed an emphasis on groups having the financial capacity to establish a franchise, as well as an arena either in place or under construction. “Our purpose in initiating the expansion process in the manner we did was not only to explore the possibility of admitting new members to the NHL but also to set out realistic guideposts to distinguish between bona fide expressions of interest from those indications of potential interests which were, at best, merely hopes or aspirations,” the league
said. “Apparently only Foley and Quebecor have the confidence in their ability to secure an arena and suitable ownership capability to move forward with this process,” the league added. The conditions quickly thinned the ranks of prospective markets, including Seattle and a second franchise in Toronto. Several separate Seattle groups have expressed interest in establishing an NHL team in the Pacific Northwest, where the lack of an arena plan in place remains a major stumbling block. Portland, Oregon, and Kansas City were also mentioned as potential markets. With the application process closed, the league intends to “focus exclusively” on the two applications that were submitted. In Las Vegas, Foley has secured more than 13,200 season-ticket deposits for a potential team. And there’s a multipurpose arena under construction near the Las Vegas Strip and set to open next spring. A team in Las Vegas would have natural and existing regional rivals because of its proximity to Arizona and California. Las Vegas would be a newcomer to North America’s major professional
sports landscape. The Canadian Football League had a brief foray into Las Vegas during its failed U.S.expansion bid in 1994. The Las Vegas Posse lasted just one season in town. In Quebec City, the publicly funded, 18,259-seat Videotron Centre is set to open in September. It replaces the small and outdated Colisee, which previously served home to the Nordiques, who relocated to Colorado to become the Avalanche in 1995. Quebecor manages and owns the naming rights to the new arena. With Quebec City, the NHL would add an eighth Canadian franchise. Quebec City is but a 21/2 hour drive from Montreal and a team there would re-establish what was a once-heated provincial rivalry with the Canadiens. The potential additions would lead to the NHL tweak its divisional alignment, though it’s uncertain whether it would result in a major change to the league’s unbalanced conference setup. The Eastern Conference currently features 16 teams, two more than the West. Bettman has previously said that if a 16-14 split works, he doesn’t see a reason why a 17-15 split wouldn’t.
DENVER — With 10 days to go before the trade deadline, the Rangers remain very much involved in talks with Philadelphia over ace lefty Cole Hamels, major league sources said Tuesday. Philadelphia has spent much of the last two months scouting the farm systems of potential trade suitors for Hamels. The Rangers and Houston Astros appear to line up as two of the most desired partners. It could create a best-case scenario for Philadelphia with two AL West teams bidding against one another. Hamels, 31, is 5-7 this year for Philadelphia with a 3.91 ERA. He has seen his ERA rise nearly a full run over his last two starts, in which he has allowed 14 runs in 61/3innings. Hamels is signed through 2018 at a cost of $23.5 mil-
lion per year. His contract includes provisions for both a team and vesting option based on innings pitched for 2019. The deal includes a $6 million buyout if the team option is not picked up. It’s expected that Philadelphia will have to send some cash along with Hamels to complete a deal for the best package of prospects. Acquiring Hamels would be a boost to the Rangers’ sagging 2015 chances, but would be aimed more at solidifying the rotation for 2016-17, the final two years of Yu Darvish’s contract. The Rangers would likely have to give up a top prospect other than Joey Gallo to headline the deal. The most likely options: Outfielder Nomar Mazara or catcher Jorge Alfaro, who is out for the year with an ankle issue but is still highly regarded. It is unclear what the Phillies would be seeking from Houston’s deep farm system.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Bonds’ charges dropped ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Department of Justice formally dropped its criminal prosecution of Barry Bonds, Major League Baseball’s career homerun leader. The decade-long investigation and prosecution of Bonds for obstruction of justice ended quietly Tuesday morning when the DOJ said it would not challenge the reversal of his felony conviction to the U.S.
Supreme Court. A jury convicted Bonds in 2011 of obstruction of justice for giving a meandering answer to a federal grand jury when asked about injections. A federal appeals court overturned that conviction in April. The DOJ could have asked the high court to take the case. But the DOJ has filed a one-paragraph notice with the appeals court saying it wouldn’t challenge the lower court ruling.
MIÉRCOLES 22 DE JULIO DE 2015
Zfrontera OPERATIVO EN TAMAULIPAS EVITA ROBO DE COMBUSTIBLE
Ribereña en Breve
Hidrocarburos
OPERATIVOS MATAMOROS, México — Juan Padilla Moreno, Eduardo Lozoya Leal y Pedro Sarmiento Plata fueron detenidos por elementos de la Policía Estatal en el Ejido El Empalme, como sospechosos de formar parte de un grupo delincuencial que opera en Valle Hermoso-Matamoros. Oficiales lograron asegurar cinco vehículos, ocho armas, 73 bolsitas con marihuana, 1.233 cartuchos, 42 cargadores, tres fornituras y 50 ponchallantas. MATAMOROS, México — Tomás Rodríguez Salazar y/o o Tomás Rodríguez Sánchez y Emilio Tovar Ramírez fueron arrestados tras intentar darse a la fuga en la colonia Ernesto Elizondo de Matamoros. Ambos estaban en dos vehículos estacionados, e interactuaban entre sí, lo que pareció sospechosos a los agentes. Autoridades lograron decomisar 28 paquetes y 17 bolsas con 312 kilos 475 gramos de mariguana, 91 dosis de marihuana, 406 dosis de cocaína, 1.270 dosis de cocaína en piedra, cuatro básculas grameras y cuatro radios de comunicación, además de un camioneta y un automóvil. MIGUEL ALEMÁN, México — El Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas decomisó el 17 de julio, 2.798 kilos de marihuana dentro de 277 paquetes, que estaban escondidos en el interior de la residencia ubicada en el 181 de calle Macario Gómez Sáenz, en la colonia Linda Vista. Ahí, indica el reporte, fue habilitada una bodega que tiene acceso a través de un túnel. Un sospechoso logró darse a la fuga. Informes indican que se trata del tercer decomiso en el mes en Miguel Alemán. El 10 de julio, fueron asegurados 38 paquetes con 377 kilogramos de marihuana en la Colonia Los Presidentes; en tantoq ue el 16 de julio se aseguraron 182 paquetes con 1.450,5 kilogramos de marihuana en el Fraccionamiento Colinas del Pedregal.
FESTIVAL LAREDO — La Ciudad de Laredo será anfitriona del 13er Festival Internacional Ciudades Hermanas de Laredo en Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 Arena Boulevard, del viernes 24 de julio al domingo 26 de julio. La ceremonia de inauguración está programada para el viernes a las 9 a.m., y la expo abre oficialmente al público a partir de las 11 a.m. El horario para el viernes será de 11 a.m. a 8 p.m.; sábado será de 10 a.m. a 7 p.m.; domingo, de 10 a.m. a 5 p.m. Este año se espera representantes de ciudades mexicanas como: Tepatitlan, Jalisco; León, Guanajuato; Amacuzac, Morelos; Totolapan, Morelos; Francisco I. Madero, Coahuila; Cuautla, Morelos; Cienega de Flores, Nuevo León; y de los estados de Nayarit y México. El Estado de México es el invitado de honor este año. De manera adicional, los módulos estarán representando a estados Aguascalientes; Distrito Federal; Guanajuato; Michoacán; Tamaulipas; Veracruz; San Luis Potosi; Coahuila; Estado de México; Jalisco; Morelos; Nayarit; Nuevo León; Oaxaca; Puebla; Zacatecas y Querétaro. Más información acerca del festival visitando visitlaredo.com
PÁGINA 11A
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Autoridades del estado de Tamaulipas han evitado el robo de más de un millón y medio de litros de combustible en lo que va del presente año. Durante la celebración de la reunión ordinaria del Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas (GCT) en Ciudad Victoria, México, se dio a conocer que del 1 de enero al 16 de julio se ha logrado la de-
tención de 102 personas, el aseguramiento de un millón 678 mil 650 litros de combustible; el aseguramiento de 53 tracto-camiones, 190 vehículos, 72 auto-tanques y 1.095 bidones. Los datos fueron parte del robo que contra el combate al robo de hidracarburos realizan elementos de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, Armada de México, Policía Militar, Policía Federal, PGR, CISEN, Procuraduría General de
Justicia y Secretaría de Seguridad Pública del Estado. Comparando los logros con lo realizado en el 2014, en cuanto al aseguramiento de hidracarburos, se informó que el año pasado fueron detenidas 195 personas, asegurados 131 tracto-camiones, 742 vehículos, 207 auto-tanques y 2.405 bidones. En el 2014 fueron recuperados 4 millones 889.0 litros de combustible.
Recientemente fue implementado un operativo especial entre Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) y la Policía Federal, Gendarmería Nacional y Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional. Así, del 11 al 17 de julio fue posible detectar 15 tomas clandestinas en los municipios de González, Llera de Canales, Altamira, y Madero; así como en el poblado de Estación Manuel, y algunos ranchos.
MASONES
TEXAS
NUEVOS OFICIALES
Indagan sobre muerte de presa ASSOCIATED PRESS
Foto de cortesía
Los nuevos oficiales Masones de Zapata son, primera fila, de izquierda a derecha, O. J. Hale, Chris Turner, Elias Mendiola, Skip Smith, y Larry Lowe. Segunda fila, mismo orden, Charles Whitfield, Boyd Carter, y Eduardo Esquivel.
Entregan joyas a logias de Webb y Zapata TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
S
e llevó a cabo los nombramientos conjuntos de la Logía Masónica de Laredo #547, fundada en 1881, y de la Logía de Zapata, fundada en 1963, el 11 de julio por la tarde. Eduardo Esquivel fue instalado como Venerable Maestro para la Logía de Laredo, con Thomas Morris como Primer Vigilante, Miguel Inclán como Segundo Vigilante, Charles Whitfield como Tesorero, Drew Claes como Secretario, Larry Lowe como Capellán, Anthony Cabello como Diácono Superior, Enrique Ceballos como Primer Mayordomo, Jonathan Scott como Segundo Mayordomo, y Greg Moore como Vigilante Externo. Lowe fue el Venerable Maestro saliente. Por su parte el Maestro de Ce-
remonias, Charles Whitfield, entregó a cada nuevo oficial con las joyas de su oficina. Durante la instalación de los oficiales de Zapata, se inicio con Chris Turner como Venerable Maestro, O. J. Martínez como Primer Vigilante, Elias Mendiola, Jr., como Segundo Vigilante, Boyd Carter como Tesorero, Irving H. “Skip” Smith como Secretario, Eduardo Esquivel como Diácono Superior, Larry Lowe como Segundo Diácono, y Charles Whitfield como Vigilante Externo. Los oficiales de Zapata también recibieron joyas de su oficina. Claes hizo referencia a la historia de la Orden Masónica y las diferencias entre los Masones y otras organizaciones. Los Masones brindan ayuda a los Hospitales Shrines, al Scottish Rite Hospital and Learning Centers, al Knights Templar Eye
Foundation. Igualmente entregan becas, realizan campañas para donación de sangre, entre otras actividades. “La Logía de Laredo ha otorgado 135.000 dólares en becas para estudiantes egresando de escuelas preparatorias públicas de Texas en los pasados 15 años”, dijo Claes. Agregó que los Masones poseen un sentimiento de seguridad, amistad e igualdad, y un sentido de pertenencia. Antes de concluir, Lowe hizo entrega del Premio Golden Trowl a Greg Moore. El premio reconoce a un Masón que no haya ocupado un puesto de liderazgo en tres años, pero que haya demostrado de forma constante su dedicación a la fraternidad con su asistencia, participación, y ejemplo.
HEMPSTEAD — Las autoridades federales están investigando la muerte de una mujer afroamericana a la que hallaron ahorcada en una celda, un hecho que sus familiares y amistades alegan fue un asesinato. Las autoridades dicen que Sandra Bland, de 28 años, se ahorcó con una bolsa de plástico el 13 de julio, tres días después de su arresto en un retén policial de tránsito. BLAND Su muerte en una cárcel de Texas se produjo en momentos que las fuerzas del orden son objeto de investigación tras varios casos de gran repercusión de muerte de afroamericanos a manos de la policía. Un fiscal que supervisa el caso dijo el domingo que aún no se podía determinar si era suicidio o asesinato, pero que se investigaba la muerte de Bland “como se lo haría en un caso de asesinato”. “Hay muchas preguntas en el condado de Waller, en todo el país y en el mundo sobre este caso. Necesita una investigación exhaustiva”, dijo el fiscal del condado de Waller, Elton Mathis. Aunque un forense declaró que fue suicidio, los parientes y otras personas que los apoyan insisten que Bland era optimista y estaba por iniciar un trabajo nuevo en una universidad local. “Este no fue un caso de suicidio sino de homicidio”, dijo el reverendo Jamal Bryant, quien participa del caso por pedido de la familia Bland. La hermana de Bland, Shante Needham, dijo que ella la llamó desde la cárcel la tarde que fue arrestada para decir que la habían detenido pero no sabía por qué. También dijo que un agente le había colocado una rodilla en la espalda y que creía que le había fracturado el brazo. El Departamento de Seguridad Pública dijo que Bland se puso a discutir y se negó a cooperar en el retén y al ser detenida por asalto a un empleado público, y que se llamó a los paramédicos al lugar, pero ella rechazó la evaluación médica.
COLUMNA
Tráfico surge en puertos de Tamaulipas Nota del Editor: Este es el segundo de dos artículos donde se habla del contrabando en puertos de Tamaulipas hacia 1800.
POR RAÚL SINENCIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Al iniciar la vida federativa, Tamaulipas cuenta con tres puertos de altura, por lo que destaca en México. También florece el contrabando. En Soto la Marina, fundada en la medianía del siglo XVIII, se incorporan las maniobras de estiba y alijo. En breve son abandona-
das por órdenes superiores. Más tarde adquiere relevancia, ya que Xavier Mina escoge sus playas en 1817 para desembarcar. Cuando el proscrito Agustín de Iturbide hace lo propio en 1824, permanece incorporada a la navegación mayor. Sin embargo, goza de pésima fama. “Un cañonazo muy dentro del mar era la seña de presentarse un buque en la costa, pues la aduana de Soto la Marina dista del puerto 15 o más leguas, tránsito todo destinado al contrabando”, alerta José Ignacio Esteva recién entrega la Secretaría de
Hacienda en 1827. Tras la muerte de Felipe de la Garza Cisneros, mandamás del lugar, en 1832, fue en 1833 que se cierra al tráfico internacional. Lo recupera de 1838 a 1839 por el bloqueo francés a Veracruz y Tampico en la Guerra de los Pasteles. Análoga categoría retiene por lo contrario Matamoros desde 1821. Padece altibajos serios, aunque tampoco está a salvo de mala imagen. Asentado en la ribera sureña del río Bravo, lo separan de la bocana varias leguas. De esto deriva “la facilidad del fraude”
y “la dificultad de evitarlo” dice saberse en la presidencia de Guadalupe Victoria. El municipio de marras evidencia “prosperidad […] extraordinaria” al transcurrir la Intervención Francesa, subraya cierto testimonio. Da pie a lo anterior el bloqueo unionista de Texas en la Guerra de Secesión estadounidense, de modo que por la orilla mexicana del Bravo los confederados exportan irregularmente volúmenes de algodón. (Publicado con permiso del autor conforme aparece en La Razón, Tampico, México.)
PAGE 12A
Zentertainment
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
Just say no to ‘Sharknado’ By FRAZIER MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The pun is as fitting as it is inevitable, so let’s go ahead and get it out of the way: “Sharknado 3” has definitely jumped the shark. It airs Wednesday at 8 p.m. CDT on Syfy as the latest in what, before now, was settling into a muchanticipated summer TV rite. Beware: Seek guilty pleasure elsewhere. Two years ago, the original “Sharknado” film depicted a weather aberration on the Southern California coast that caused bloodthirsty sharks to cascade on hapless Angelenos. But hunky beach-bar owner Fin Shepard (get it?) saved the day with a makeshift shark explosion. Both as cinema and marine biology, “Sharknado” was gleefully idiotic while sinking its teeth in the funny bones of every viewer in its path. A horror-spoof franchise was born. For last summer’s emphatically titled sequel, “Sharknado 2: The Second One,” Fin was back. Again played by “Beverly Hills, 90210” alum Ian Ziering, he headed to New York for quiet post-sharknado repose with his beloved, April (Tara Reid). But an even bigger, badder sharknado storm awaited him in the Big Apple, where he rallied take-no-guff New Yawkers in a feisty counterstrike. “Sharknado 2” was a hilarious treat. Now comes the incredibly aptly titled “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” First problem: the story centers on a bigger-thanever shark attack along the entire east coast. This sounds epic in theory, but in practice only waters down the action, with Washington quickly left in
Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision | AP file
In this July 10 file photo, Taylor Swift performs during her “1989” world tour at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.
Swift leads MTV’s VMA nominarions By MESFIN FEKADU Photo by Raymond Liu | AP
In this image released by Syfy, Ryan Newman as Claudia Shepard, left, and Jack Griffo as Billy appear in a scene from “Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!” premiering on Wednesday, at 8 p.m. CDT on Syfy. ruins before the mayhem shifts to South Florida and points in between. Another problem: The film forgot to be funny. Perhaps the most clever touch lampoons the through-the-gun-barrel point-of-view with which every James Bond film begins (though here, it’s through the gaping jaws of a shark), but that gag is over in the film’s opening seconds. As with its predecessors, the film is chock-full of odd-ball guest roles and cameos. Mark Cuban is frighteningly credible as the president, with Ann Coulter his vice president. Frankie Muniz is on hand, trying for and failing at a comeback. (He used to be so CUTE!) Other semi-bold-face names include Bo Derek, David Hasselhoff, Penn Jillette and Teller, Lou
Ferrigno, and former Congressman Anthony Weiner, far less conspicuous here than he used to be on Twitter. But this flurry of familiar faces seems more forced than funny. The biggest shortcoming: The film and its story seem to have been cobbled together not to entertain the audience, but to serve the varied interests of Syfy owner Comcast as a multi-pronged marketing assault. As before, this film heavily promotes Syfy sister network NBC. The sharknado siege is “covered” by NBC News personalities Matt Lauer, Savannah Guthrie and Al Roker. This was funny before, but feels uncomfortable now as NBC News struggles to restore its credibility after Brian Williams’ story-fudging fiasco. Maybe NBC News stars should try keeping a safe
distance from fish tales. More brazenly, the film spends lots of time in a certain Florida theme park owned by NBC Universal, which results in “Sharknado 3” serving less as a comedy than as a travelogue for Universal Studios Orlando. And it doesn’t stop there. The film even jams in a NASCAR event, with which Comcast has a sponsorship deal. Packed like sardines as they are, the only product plug missing, it seems, is Fin and April seen back at home enjoying their XFinity cable service. Unlike the first “Sharknado” film, which attacked without warning, and the second, an instant campy classic, this third outing is being hyped as a major television event. Far from it. It’s productplacement chum. Don’t take the bait.
ASSOCIATES PRESS
NEW YORK — Taylor Swift’s star-studded “Bad Blood” music video is paying off: She’s the top nominee at next month’s MTV Video Music Awards. Swift is nominated for nine moonmen, including video of the year for “Bad Blood,” starring Selena Gomez, Lena Dunham and more of the pop star’s famous friends. Kendrick Lamar, who is featured on “Bad Blood,” is nominated for video of the year thanks to his own hit, “Alright.” Other nominees for the top prize include Beyonce’s “7/11,” Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking out Loud” and “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson. The 2015 VMAs, hosted by Miley Cyrus, will air live Aug. 30 from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Sheeran has six nominations, while Beyonce, Lamar and Ronson have five each. Swift’s “Blank Space”
will compete for best female video and pop video, while “Bad Blood” is up for best collaboration, direction, editing, visual effects, art direction and cinematography. Fans can begin voting Tuesday. Beyonce, Sia, Nicki Minaj and Ellie Goulding will battle Swift for best female video, while Sheeran, Lamar, Ronson, the Weeknd and Nick Jonas will compete for best male video. Diplo, FKA twigs, Skrillex and Minaj earned three nominations each, while the Weeknd, Ariana Grande and Fetty Wap are double nominees. Cyrus, who won video of the year last year for “Wrecking Ball,” dominated the 2013 VMAs when she grinded on Robin Thicke during a performance that trended heavily on social media. Cyrus wrote in an Instagram post Monday that “MTV won’t let me perform ... so I’m hosting this year’s VMAs.”
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 13A
MARIA DE JESUS BRISENO
Airlines must push for biofuels
Aug. 19, 1967 – July 16, 2015 Maria de Jesus Briseno passed away on July 16, 2015, at St. Lukes Baptist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Mrs. Briseno is preceded in death by her father, Teodoro Briseno; and brother, Teodoro Briseno III. Mrs. Briseno is survived by her husband, Lorenzo Guzman, Jr.; sons, Alfonso Araiza Jr. and Alex Daniel Araiza; daughter, Brandy Mikayla Guzman; mother, Micaela Briseno; brother, Juan (Isela) Briseno; sisters, Micaela (Martin) Fernandez, Veronica (Israel Jr.) Morales, and Claudia (Richard) Gonzalez; and by numerous aunts, uncles, nephews, nieces, other family members and friends. Visitation hours were held on July 20, 2015, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a memorial rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession
By JONATHAN FAHEY AND SCOTT MAYEROWITZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
departed on July 21, 2015, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. memorial mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, Funeral Director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.
NEW YORK — The number of global fliers is expected to more than double in the next two decades. In order to carry all those extra passengers, airlines are turning to a technology very few can make work on a large scale: converting trash into fuel. They have no other choice. As people in countries such as China, India and Indonesia get wealthier they are increasingly turning to air travel for vacation or business, creating an enormous financial opportunity for the airlines. The number of passengers worldwide could more than double, to 7.3 billion a year, in the next two decades, according to the International Air Transport Association. But many in the industry believe that without a
Photo by Itsuo Inouye | AP file
In this Jan. 30, 2009 file photo, a Japan Air Lines staffer checks the biofuel-loaded No. 3 engine of Japan Airlines Boeing 747-300. replacement for jet fuel, that growth could be threatened by forthcoming rules that limit global aircraft emissions. “It’s about retaining, as an industry, our license to grow,” says Julie Felgar, managing director for environmental strategy at plane maker Boeing, which is coordinating sustainable biofuel research programs in the U.S., Australia, China,
SMUGGLING Continued from Page 1A pervised release. Mario Humberto Garza was sentenced to two years. Garza is an alleged Valluco gang member. Manuel Alejandro Garza was handed a threeyear probated sentence. He was also ordered to complete 100 hours of community service within two years of his probationary sentence. The three defendants were arrested Nov. 5. At about 3 p.m. Nov. 5, Zapata County Sheriff ’s
Office investigators flagged down a Border Patrol agent, requesting help with a traffic stop on U.S 83. They told the agent they saw a driver, later identified as Grandstaff, picking up four people near the brush on U.S. 83. That information was relayed to a sheriff ’s deputy, who then pulled over the vehicle, a 1999 silver Pontiac Grand Prix. Grandstaff allegedly admitted to picking up
the illegal immigrants and that she had been hired by Mario Humberto Garza to transport four of them to Zapata for $100. Investigators had seen a red Ford Mustang usually driven by Garza following the Pontiac. Deputies pulled over the Mustang and detained Garza and his brother, Manuel Alejandro Garza. Mario Garza later told authorities he was a
Brazil, Japan and the United Arab Emirates. Cars, trucks and trains can run on electricity, natural gas, or perhaps even hydrogen someday to meet emissions rules. But lifting a few hundred people, suitcases and cargo 35,000 feet into the sky and carrying them across a continent requires so much energy that only liquid fuels can do the trick. Fuel from corn,
which is easy to make and supplies nearly 10 percent of U.S. auto fuel, doesn’t provide enough environmental benefit to help airlines meet emissions rules. “Unlike the ground transport sector, they don’t have a lot of alternatives,” says Debbie Hammel, a bioenergy policy expert at the Natural Resources Defense Council. That leaves so-called advanced biofuels made from agricultural waste, trash, or specialty crops that humans don’t eat. United Airlines last month announced a $30 million stake in Fulcrum Bioenergy, the biggest investment yet by a U.S. airline in alternative fuels. Fulcrum hopes to build facilities that turn household trash into diesel and jet fuel. FedEx, which burns 1.1 billion gallons of jet fuel a year, promised Tuesday to buy 3 million gallons per year of fuel that a company that hopes to make out of wood waste.
POLL Continued from Page 1A member of the Valluco gang. In a post-arrest interview, Grandstaff claimed the Garzas were involved in the smuggling attempt. Mario Humberto Garza acted as the foot guide for the group of immigrants while Manuel Alejandro Garza was the scout, she told law enforcement. (Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
The numbers in this latest poll showed a decline for Cruz since his late-March announcement. Meanwhile, the survey reflected a sharp rise for billionaire Donald Trump, who appeared to be taking support away from Texas’ junior senator. Perry, conversely, showed slight growth. He registered at 1 and 2 percent in Washington Post/ABC News surveys earlier this year. The Washington Post and ABC News conducted the poll from July 16 to July 19.
The full survey showed Trump with a commanding lead, but a sharp day-to-day drop off after his controversial comments about Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. The total poll had a sample size of 1,002 respondents, 351 interviewed over landline phones and 651 interviewed by cellphone. The full survey had a 3.5-point margin of error. The Republican portion of the poll had 341 respondents, with a 6.5-point margin of error.
EL CHAPO Continued from Page 1A mirror, like all of us did, and realize we were part of the problem and not part of the solution.” Guzmán’s disappearance makes him the world’s most-wanted criminal once again. The Mexican government has offered a $3.8 million reward for his capture. And his escape through a mile-long channel has increased tensions between Mexico and the United States and permanently stained Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto’s legacy. Guzmán is still wanted in the United States and remains on the most-wanted list for the Drug Enforcement Agency’s El Paso division. Advocates pushing to decriminalize drugs concede they face an uphill battle in the United States, but they say Guzmán’s escape has prompted a conversation. While there is significant opposition to legalizing drugs like cocaine and heroin, support
is growing for loosening marijuana laws. A study by the Pew Research Center in April showed that 53 percent of Americans think marijuana should be legal. That’s compared with 12 percent in 1969. White said legalizing marijuana in Colorado and Washington has already proved effective as a hit to the cartels’ pocketbooks. “In the case of most drug dealers, regulated pot would take away about 60 percent of their profits right away,” said Ana Yáñez-Correa, the executive director of the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition, which lobbies for changes to drug policies and incarceration standards. “It’s time that Texas takes a look and do it in a way that’s going to make sense,” she said. Changing laws on marijuana would affect the
lives of the 73,000 Texans arrested every year for pot crimes, Yáñez-Correa added, citing Department of Public Safety data. Guzmán’s escape came the same week President Obama pushed a new White House agenda on criminal justice reform. “Meaningful sentencing reform, steps to reduce repeat offenders and reform of the juvenile justice system are crucial to improving public safety, reducing runaway incarceration costs and making our criminal justice system more fair,” a White House spokesperson said in a statement. U.S. Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, said that while he supports some criminal justice overhauls, he said drug policies are generally left to states because federal agencies concentrate on going after larger criminal networks. “I think what we will
weigh on is to make sure the penalty fits the crime,” he said. “I suspect we’ll be looking at all of that, [but] I don’t think we’ll be looking at legalization effort. I think that would send the wrong message, although I understand the argument.” Texas could be one of the best testing grounds on whether illegal trafficking would decline if lawmakers changed drug laws. According to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security, there were more than 2.36 million pounds of drugs seized in the 2014 budget year on the Southwest border, with just more than 1.02 million pounds seized in Texas. That’s just below Arizona’s 1.12 million and is well above California’s 183,100 and New Mexico’s 48,000. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, said that since Guzmán’s escape, it was reasonable to be con-
cerned about violence in El Paso’s sister city, Ciudad Juárez. Before Guzmán’s arrest in 2014, the kingpin’s Sinaloa cartel participated in a yearslong battle with the Juárez cartel for control of the lucrative smuggling routes that extend from Chihuahua to West Texas and beyond. Thousands were killed from 2008 to 2011. In response, O’Rourke in 2011 co-authored with Susie Byrd, his former colleague on the El Paso City Council, Dealing Death and Drugs, a book about marijuana prohibition and its outcomes. Guzmán’s successes were partially funded by sales of marijuana, O’Rourke said, calling it a “cornerstone of the U.S. drug trade.” “Anyone who buys [illegal] marijuana in the U.S. is contributing to the problems like the ones we saw in Juárez,” he said.
“So I am really grateful to LEAP and [pro-reform group] the Drug Policy Alliance. Part of the way you get at the Chapo Guzmáns is through drug policy.” Yáñez-Correa suggested it will take lawmakers with nerve to change the current politics in Texas, though very small steps have been taken. In May, a Texas House committee approved House Bill 2165, by state Rep. David Simpson, RLongview, which would have legalized the use and delivery of marijuana. But it was a symbolic vote, and the legislation never made it to the lower chamber’s floor. “Politicians are listening to their consultants, and their consultants are telling them, ‘You don’t want to take a position on pot because we don’t know how people feel about it,’” Yáñez-Correa said. “But the polls say something different.”
14A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2015