The Zapata Times 7/25/2015

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ZAPATA COUNTY

49TH DISTRICT COURT

Man caught transporting immigrants

$11.6M in minerals Zapata siblings close to winning Conoco suit

By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES

Mireles claims he thought he was doing a good deed

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A man who was recently caught transporting illegal immigrants in Zapata County thought he was doing a good deed, according to court documents.

Homeland Security Investigations special agents identified him as Rogelio Alberto Mireles. He agreed to speak to authorities about the failed human smuggling attempt he was allegedly involved in, records state.

“During Mireles’ interview, he stated that he knowingly picked up the (undocumented people) from the side of the road because he was being a humanitarian,” states the criminal complaint filed July 9.

Mireles and co-defendant Hector Leonel Tristan, who acted as a scout, were charged with transporting illegal immigrants, according to court documents.

Mireles told agents he was not being paid for transporting the immigrants. Tristan, however, admitted to being the scout during the failed smuggling attempt, according to court documents.

“Tristan stated Mireles was going to pay him $200 to help him in this smuggling at-

A Zapata woman and her brother are one step closer to receiving compensation of more than $11.6 million in minerals they inherited from their grandmother that were wrongfully being collected by ConocoPhillips.

Minerva Clementina Rami-

rez and Leon Oscar Ramirez Jr. filed a suit against ConocoPhillips in November 2010 in the 49th District Court in Zapata County to recover their share of minerals produced by the company.

They inherited the rights to the minerals from their grandmother, Leonor V. Ramirez.

Leonor Ramirez’s children

include Leon Oscar Ramirez Sr., Ileana Ramirez and Rodolfo Ramirez.

In a section of her will, Leonor Ramirez left all of her right, title and interest in and to the Las Piedras ranch – 1,058 acres of land situated in Zapata County – to her son, Leon Oscar Ramirez Sr., during the term of his natural life.

However, upon his death, Leonor Ramirez stated in the will that the title shall pass to his children in equal shares.

Pursuant to her will, Leon Oscar Ramirez Sr. became a life tenant, meaning he was only entitled to enjoy the surface of the land and not the corpus, which includes the

See MINERALS PAGE 13A

LAREDO

TRUMP’S BORDER VISIT

See ZAPATA PAGE 13A

LPD

Man leads police on chase 19-year-old Zapatan accused of transporting illegal immigrants

Photo by Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump addresses the media on Thursday afternoon at Paseo Real in Laredo.

Presidential candidate spends 3 hours in Texas

By KENDRA ABLAZA

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

THE ZAPATA TIMES

A Zapata man accused of transporting illegal immigrants led Laredo police on a chase that ended with a crash in an east part of town.

Yovani Yanez, 19, was charged with evading arrest with vehicle, striking an unattended vehicle and three counts of smuggling of persons.

Police said the case unfolded at about 3 a.m. Wednesday when an officer attempted to pull over a YANEZ suspicious Chevy S-10 in the 6000 block of Olmos Drive.

A chase ensued through South and East Laredo when the driver refused to stop, said Investigator Joe E. Baeza, LPD spokesman.

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection helicopter assisted authorities on the ground, reports state.

Police said the chase ended with the Chevy

See CHASE PAGE 13A

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump spent about three hours visiting Laredo on Thursday, hosting two short news conferences where he discussed illegal immigration and the country’s need for more border security.

The candidate’s visit was first planned as a meeting with local and federal law enforcement officials, but the local Border Patrol union canceled plans at the last minute to accompany him.

He was previously scheduled to meet with the union and other law enforcement entities, such as U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Laredo Police Depart-

ment, Drug Enforcement Administration and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives.

A change in the itinerary Trump landed at the Laredo International Airport ahead of schedule Thursday, met by Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz and other local officials.

Supporters and protesters of Trump’s campaign tried to catch a glimpse of him behind the gated airport tarmac as he exited his private jet.

Trump, best known as a billionaire, real estate mogul and TV personality before his presidential campaign, had expressed a day earlier his

See TRUMP PAGE 13A

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump listens to members of the media at a press conference Thursday afternoon at the World Trade International Bridge.

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

Saturday, July 25

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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).

The Webb County Tax Office, 1110 Victoria St., Suite 107, will be open from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and the dealer line will be open from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. All services will be provided. For more information call the tax office at 523-4200.

Today is Saturday, July 25, the 206th day of 2015. There are 159 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan drew boos from some spectators at the Newport Folk Festival as he performed with a rock band. (The cause of the negative reaction is in dispute, with some citing Dylan’s use of an electric guitar, others blaming poor audio quality and still others complaining about the shortness of Dylan’s set.)

On this date: In 1554, Queen Mary I of England married Philip II, future King of Spain.

In 1814, the Battle of Lundy’s Lane, one of the bloodiest battles of the War of 1812, took place in present-day Niagara Falls, Ontario, with no clear victor.

In 1934, Austrian Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss was assassinated by pro-Nazi Austrians in a failed coup attempt.

In 1943, Benito Mussolini was dismissed as premier of Italy by King Victor Emmanuel III, and placed under arrest. (However, Mussolini was later rescued by the Nazis, and re-asserted his authority.)

In 1952, Puerto Rico became a self-governing commonwealth of the United States.

In 1975, the musical “A Chorus Line” opened on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre, beginning a run of 6,137 performances.

In 1985, a spokeswoman for Rock Hudson confirmed that the actor, hospitalized in Paris, was suffering from AIDS. (Hudson died in October 1985.)

In 2000, a New York-bound Air France Concorde crashed outside Paris shortly after takeoff, killing all 109 people on board and four people on the ground; it was the first-ever crash of the supersonic jet.

Ten years ago: The AFLCIO splintered as the Service Employees International Union and the Teamsters announced they were leaving the labor federation.

Five years ago: The online whistleblower Wikileaks posted some 90,000 leaked U.S. military records that amounted to a blow-by-blow account of the Afghanistan war, including unreported incidents of Afghan civilian killings as well as covert operations against Taliban figures.

One year ago: President Barack Obama met at the White House with the presidents of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador; afterward, he urged the leaders and congressional Republicans to help ease the influx of minors and migrant families crossing the southwest border of the United States.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Barbara Harris is 80.

Folk-pop singer-musician Bruce Woodley (The Seekers) is 73. Model-actress Iman is 60.

Cartoonist Ray Billingsley (“Curtis”) is 58. Rock musician Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth) is 57. Country singer Marty Brown is 50. Actor Matt LeBlanc is 48. Actor D.B. Woodside is 46. Actress Miriam Shor is 44. Actor David Denman is 42. Actor James Lafferty is 30. Actress Shantel VanSanten is 30. Classical singer Faryl Smith is 20. Actor Pierce Gagnon is 10.

Thought for Today: “Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is the cheapest way of selling goods, particularly if the goods are worthless.” — Sinclair Lewis, American author (1885-1951).

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).

Used book sale at First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Hardcovers $1, paperbacks $.50, magazines and children’s books $.25.

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome.

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 740-9374 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.

Thursday, August 13 Inspire Social Business Club meeting at Northtown Professional Plaza, 6999 McPherson Rd. Suite 211, at 6:30 p.m. The public can discuss ideas, hear keynote speakers and support one another in business ventures.

Contact Victor Navarro at vnavarro@texaslakeinc.com.

Photo by Ilana Panich-Linsman/New York Times | AP

Warren Diepraam, the first assistant district attorney of Waller County, speaks about the results of Sandra Bland’s autopsy report during a news conference. An autopsy of Bland, who died in a Texas jail cell three days after a minor traffic stop, showed injuries that were consistent with suicide, and not with someone else having killed her, a prosecutor said Thursday.

Autopsy details released

By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS

HEMPSTEAD — A black woman found dead in a Southeast Texas jail three days after a traffic-stop confrontation with a white officer hanged herself using a clear plastic bag tied into a slip knot, according to an autopsy report released Friday.

The medical examiner’s report, which the Waller County District Attorney’s Office made public, corroborates findings prosecutors detailed a day earlier about the death of 28-year-old Sandra Bland.

Authorities have said the bag was tied to an overhead steel partition of the jail cell where Bland died. The “circular area” of the bag formed by the slip knot was about 61/2 inches in diameter, wrote Dr. Sara Doyle, who signed the report.

The report released Friday did not address

toxicology, saying only that blood and urine and other specimens have been sent for additional tests. Prosecutors have said results could take weeks.

Preliminary results show Bland had marijuana in her system, a finding that could be “relevant to her state of mind,” assistant district attorney Warren Diepraam has said.

Diepraam said there were “approximately 25 to 30 horizontal faint ... linear superficial incised wounds” up to an inch long on her body. He said they were likely self-inflicted, weeks earlier.

Relatives and supporters have disputed that the death could have been a suicide.

Waller County officials have said there is no evidence to suggest otherwise but have welcomed an investigation led by the FBI and involving numerous local and state agencies.

Bland died three days after her arrest.

Convicted sex offender on Man who surrendered in 2 brothers die after Most Wanted list caught 2011 slaying gets 25 years pulled from family’s pool HOUSTON — A man on the Texas 10 Most Wanted convicted sex offender list has been captured at a home in Houston.

Cox in 1994 was convicted of aggravated sexual assault of a child after an incident in Dallas County involving a 9-year-old girl. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Cox in 2004 was convicted in Harris County of possession of a controlled substance.

CORPUS CHRISTI — A man who last winter called 911 to surrender over a 2011 slaying in Corpus Christi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison. Terry Lynn Smith of Beaumont pleaded guilty to murder in the plea deal Thursday. Beaumont police in January arrested Smith after he called, from a halfway house, to claim responsibility for the September 2011 stabbing death of Patricia Duling, 51.

HOUSTON — Houston police say two brothers drowned in the family’s swimming pool when they became entangled in a tent that also went in the water.

Police on Friday identified the victims as 6-year-old Alvaro Ramiro and 9-year-old Gonzalo Ramiro. Both were pronounced dead Thursday night at a Houston hospital. Police say the boys were left with a nanny while their mother ran errands.

Dallas-area woman pleads 1 dead, 3 hurt in stabbing Inmate in drug case dies, guilty to Medicaid fraud attack at apartment police say hanged self DALLAS — A Dallas-area woman has pleaded guilty in a $1.6 million Medicaid scam over false claims using the names of legitimate counselors.

Brenda Ward of Cedar Hill faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine.

Ward on Friday pleaded guilty to health care fraud. She’s free pending sentencing later.

DALLAS — Dallas police say one person has been killed and three others hurt in a stabbing attack at an apartment.

Police did not immediately release the name of the man who died at the scene or conditions of the woman and two men hospitalized Friday. Dallas police are trying to determine what led to the stabbings Thursday night.

HOUSTON — Officials say an inmate has died at the Houston City Jail after he apparently hanged himself using his clothes.

Houston police on Friday said 38-year-old Hung Do died of an apparent suicide.

Do’s body was discovered Thursday afternoon in the cell he shared with other inmates.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Robot’s cross-country hitchhike off to slow start BOSTON — A robot’s hitchhiking journey across the U.S. is off to a slow start.

The robot named hitchBOT caught its first ride in Marblehead, Massachusetts, last week, bound for San Francisco, but it still hasn’t left the state.

Instead, it has bounced around the Boston area and was briefly taken to sea. On Friday, the humanoid robot is expected to attend a Red Sox game.

The robot is immobile and relies on strangers to transport it from place to place. It’s the creation of two researchers in Canada who wanted to study how people interact with robots.

Jacket worn by Ringo Starr sells for $46K BOSTON — The black wool double-breasted suit jacket that Ringo Starr wore in the 1965

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 Stephan Savoia | AP

HitchBOT co-creator David Harris Smith adjusts its position as co-creator Frauke Zeller, right, says farewell as the hitchhiking robot starts its journey July 17 in Marblehead, Mass. HitchBOT is beginning its’ first cross-country hitchhiking trip.

Beatles movie “Help!” has sold at auction for more than $46,500.

Boston-based RR Auction announced Friday that the jacket with soft gray vertical pinstripes, six black buttons, and the name “Ringo” sewn inside was part of the online Marvels of Modern

Music auction that closed Thursday.

RR said the buyer is “a top rock ’n’ roll collector in Rhode Island,” but did not disclose a name. Other items sold in the auction included a Hamer guitar.

— 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.

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The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net

State

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

State wants 60 percent of adults with a degree by 2030

By MATTHEW WATKINS TEXAS TRIBUNE

With an eye on keeping up with demographic changes and competing with other states and countries, the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board adopted a new overarching goal Thursday: Get 60 percent of Texans between 25 and 34 a postsecondary degree or certificate by 2030.

That will be a difficult task — only 38 percent of Texans in that demographic currently have such a degree.

The benchmark was set in the coordinating board’s 15-year strategic plan, which the board unanimously approved at its regular meeting Thursday. The plan, called 60x30TX, was written by a committee of business and higher education leaders, who expressed concerns that the state is falling behind other states and countries.

If Texas were its own country, it would rank fifth in the world in educational attainment among residents between

Photo by Callie Richmond | Texas Tribune

Chelsea Stewart listens to a lecture in the College of Health Professions at Texas State University.

55 and 64 years old, committee members said. But it falls to 25th in the world for people between the ages of 25 and 34.

In addition, educational attainment is far lower among black and Hispanic students. And Texas has the highest percentage of black and Hispanic students in the country.

Finding ways to help those students get into college — and pay for it — will be vital to the state’s future, the agency said.

“It is an urgent matter for Texas to increase our knowledge and skills to sustain and become globally competitive,” said Woody Hunt, chairman of the committee that wrote

the plan. “To not do so has serious economic consequences for the state and our citizens.”

To succeed, the state needs 550,000 students to earn a certificate, associate, bachelor’s or master’s degree in Texas in 2030.

In 2014, about 256,000 people achieved that goal.

“Being incremental is

not a solution,” said Hunt, executive chairman of Hunt Companies.

Committee members said the goal is reachable.

The state’s current longterm plan, written in 2000, aimed to have 163,000 degrees awarded annually by 2015. The state achieved that in 2015.

But other aspects of the current plan, known as Closing the Gaps by 2015, have had mixed results.

Its overarching goal was to raise success levels for Hispanics, blacks and other underrepresented groups in higher education. In 2014, participation in higher education by Hispanics rose, though at a slower rate than the benchmarks set by the coordinating board. Meanwhile, participation by blacks has stayed on target over the last 15 years, but dropped in 2013 and 2014, according to the coordinating board.

The plan approved Thursday urges more success with those demographics. But it’s more of a statement of goals than a list of desired actions.

Still, its authors said they are confident that state leaders can figure out a way to succeed.

“We have done our best to be realistically ambitious,” said Larry Faulkner, vice chairman of the committee and former president of the University of Texas at Austin.

Annual Hispanic Genealogical Rusty’s Quick Lube conference set for October celebrates grand opening today THE ZAPATA TIMES

Adopting the “Villas del Norte: A String of Pearls on the Río Grande” as their theme to showcase Laredo and its history, the Villa San Agustín de Laredo Genealogical Society will host the 36th Annual Texas State Hispanic Genealogical and Historical Conference, Oct. 8–10, at the historic downtown La Posada Hotel in Laredo.

The story of South Texas has a unique narrative of its own to tell. It all began with José de Escandón’s Villas del Norte (1749-1755). When completed in

1755, the all-civilian venture involved more than 20 settlements, including seven on the banks of the lower Río Grande.

The following towns sprouted from these Villas del Norte: Laredo, San Ygnacio, Zapata, Roma, Rio Grande City, Hebbronville, Edinburg, McAllen, PharrSan Juan-Alamo, Harlingen, Brownsville, and many others.

Equally important, family roots of many of today’s Mexican/ Spanish-descent Texans began here.

Attendees to this conference will have the opportunity to learn the true roots and history

of Laredo and these surrounding areas. In addition to interesting presentations by notable speakers, the conference will include a “Villas de Norte Tour” to Roma, San Ygnacio, Zapata, and Laredo, a Cine Mejicano, lively entertainment, and a delicious Taste of Laredo Fiesta.

Come join us to find out more!

For more information on the conference, contact Sanjuanita Martinez-Hunter, Ph.D. at 956722-3497, or Sylvia J. Reash at sjre0348@yahoo.com, or visit the website vsalgs.org, or Facebook page Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society.

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Francisco and Enrique Gavilanes and their staff are welcoming all to join them for the grand opening of their new business.

Rusty’s Quick Lube is celebrating its grand opening at 9:30 a.m. today at 2705 South U.S. Hwy 83.

“Our business is dedicated to providing customers with quality services. From the mo-

ment you enter our Quick Lube service center, we strive to deliver exceptional auto maintenance services,” the company said in a press release. “Our goal is to make sure our customers are completely satisfied with their auto service.”

Rusty’s Quick Lube is open Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. They can be reached at 956-750-3196.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Medicare needs some medicine WASHINGTON — Current quibbling over what Jeb Bush meant when he said it’s time to phase out and replace Medicare — as opposed to “attacking the seniors,” as one woman at a recent event bellowed out — will soon seem quaint against the realities of our future.

Never mind projections that the program will only be able to finance 86 percent of its obligations by 2030. Or that by 2050, the number declines to 80 percent, according to a recently released Social Security and Medicare Boards of Trustees report.

These are relatively comforting numbers compared to new projections from the Alzheimer’s Association. By 2050, the group says, 16 million Americans will have Alzheimer’s at a cost of $1.1 trillion per year, mostly to Medicare and Medicaid.

Today, by comparison, 5.3 million have the disease.

“Basically, it will bankrupt Medicare,” said Rob Egge, the Alzheimer’s Association’s chief public policy officer. I met with Egge and chief science officer Maria Carrillo during the association’s recent international conference in Washington.

The 2015 cost of care for Alzheimer’s and all other dementias is estimated at $226 billion, with 68 percent being paid by Medicare and Medicaid, said Egge.

This total includes only direct costs for the care of Alzheimer’s sufferers — there currently is no treatment — and doesn’t take into consideration unpaid care by families. Within the next 10 years, 19 states will see at least a 40 percent increase in the number of people affected.

Lest you feel overwhelmed by numbers — and demoralized by the reduction of human suffering to numerical values — suffice it to say that we are in a state of emergency.

Yet, even with this obvious urgency, relatively few resources have been dedicated to research for prevention and treatment compared to other chronic diseases. This, despite the fact that Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Current federal funding is less than $600 million annually, while top scientists say they’ll need $2 billion a year to meet the association’s 2025 goal of prevention and effective treatment. There’s cause for some hope. Last month, bipartisan House and Senate subcommittees approved increasing funding to the National Institutes of Health for Alzheimer’s research by 50 percent and

“

KATHLEEN PARKER

60 percent, respectively.

If this funding becomes law — and the association’s goals are met — costs could be reduced by $220 billion over the first five years and $367 billion in 2050 alone, according to an association report. Sixty percent of those savings would accrue to Medicare and Medicaid.

Among other scientific developments reported this week, researchers have isolated a “common ancestor” among all forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lewy body.

“All are caused by misfolding proteins,” Carrillo explained to me. Two different “misfolded” proteins — amyloid beta and tau — are toxic to brain cells.

I am sad to report these proteins cannot be corrected with daily doses of a sturdy zinfandel. There is, however, a new drug that delivers a molecule scientists have created to “chaperone” these naughty proteins so that they fold correctly.

Carrillo doesn’t want to overstate the value of this one-target-one-molecule approach, though it is promising. She suggests that eventually we’ll treat Alzheimer’s with a “cocktail” that will be created based on an individual’s genetic makeup and other factors.

Other hope-inspiring developments include six diagnostic tools that, in combination, can be useful in predicting Alzheimer’s.

They include memory and thinking tests, as well as MRI scans that can measure the thickness of the brain’s right entorhinal cortex and the volume of the hippocampus, both of which are important to memory.

It is reassuring that both policymakers and scientists are committed to tackling these diseases before we’re all trying to remember what we were trying to remember. But women especially should be interested in the progress of dementia research. For reasons unknown, women suffer Alzheimer’s at a higher rate — two-thirds of today’s sufferers are women. And women’s function declines twice as fast as men’s. This fall, the association will issue an international call for research on why this is so.

In the meantime, Congress should waste no time in correcting the travesty of too-little funding for a devastating disease that demands our urgent attention. Otherwise, what to do about Medicare will be rendered irrelevant.

(Kathleen Parker’s email address is kathleenparker@washpost.com.)

COMMENTARY

Lawsuits and book prices

By JAMES GATTUSO TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

As Americans set out to the beach this summer with their favorite novels in hand, federal officials are being asked to sue the nation’s largest bookseller, Amazon.com. Why? For not having higher prices.

A group of authors and competing booksellers recently petitioned the Department of Justice to open an antitrust investigation into the activities of the online retailer. Their complaint, expressed in separate letters to DOJ from the American Booksellers Association and Authors United, is not that the firm charges too much for books, but too little.

Low book prices would hardly seem to top the list of problems facing America today. And, the lawsuit advocates admit that Amazon doesn’t act like your typical monopolist. Rather than rake in profits, the firm is “barely profitable,” Authors United says in 24-page document. “It excels in customer service and in providing low prices and wide selection,” the document continues. “The face it presents to consumers is friendly and helpful.”

That sounds more like a testimonial for Amazon, not testimony against it. Nevertheless, Amazon’s critics say it is just too big. It holds

a monopoly over the book business in America, they claim, which threatens both the marketplace for books and freedom of speech itself.

It’s a scary assessment, but it’s simply not true.

With more than 40 percent of total book sales in the U.S., including 65 percent of e-books, the firm is the preeminent source of books for Americans. Still, Amazon is a far cry from a monopoly.

Amazon, which just celebrated its 20-year anniversary, rose from Silicon Valley startup to retail giant through a straightforward strategy of providing more products to consumers at lower prices than the other guys. It keeps growing only by continuing to provide more product and lower prices; its position in the market is by no means locked-in.

Once-dominant firms ranging from the Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company to IBM can attest to how quickly fortunes can change. In the book world itself, the demise of once mighty Borders Books serves as a constant reminder of this fact.

And market position is even more fluid in nascent markets such as that for ebooks. Before Apple’s entrance into that field, in fact, Amazon “controlled” 90 percent of the e-book market. A quarter of that share was lost when Apple

jumped in in 2010. Apple very possibly would have taken an even bigger bite out of Amazon’s market had it not itself been hamstrung by an ill-considered antitrust suit.

Critics also complain that Amazon has abused its market power in dealing with the publishers who supply their books. Exhibit A for their case is the 2014 feud between Paris-based Hachette Book Group (owner of Little-Brown and other well-known brands) over ebook pricing.

Hachette wanted to set its own prices for the books it sold on Amazon.com; Amazon wanted to cap the price at $9.99. For months the two were at odds. During this time, the Internet retailer did all it could to discourage sales of Hachette’s books on its site: eliminating discounts, delaying delivery time, refusing prepublication orders, and even telling customers to go elsewhere to buy Hachette titles.

Amazon’s critics say such steps were disruptive to the marketplace, reducing Hachette’s book sales, and the sales of many individual authors, significantly. And there’s no doubt that Amazon has been aggressive in its dealings with Hachette and others. But this kind of “disruption” is a good thing. Amazon’s goal was to lower the price of e-books,

WORST WEEK IN WASHINGTON

Comments get rep into trouble

By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — Sarcasm rarely works for politicians. Especially when it’s not entirely clear they’re being sarcastic. Which it wasn’t in the case of Ron Johnson, the Republican senator from Wisconsin, who gave a cringe-worthy interview Monday.

While discussing the need for school choice, Johnson castigated Democratic politicians who send their children to private schools.

“They just don’t want to let those idiot inner-city kids that they purport to be so supportive of . . . they don’t want to give them the same opportunity their own kids have,” Johnson

said. “It’s disgraceful.”

Johnson’s office initially insisted that a reporter who asked about the senator calling inner-city kids “idiots” had misheard his comments. But soon, Johnson himself was on the phone explaining that “I was being, that quote is, I’m being very sarcastic in that’s how liberals view these underprivileged

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which after all are less costly to produce than printed books. American consumers have been the prime beneficiaries of such price pressure.

Moreover, while the Hachette dispute is typically cited by Amazon’s critics as an example of the firm abusing market power, Amazon critics rarely mention that the supposed monopolist failed in its efforts in that case: Hachette continues to charge consumers more for e-books on Amazon that the retailer wanted.

Some Amazon critics have pooh-poohed the importance of lower prices.

Douglas Preston, a technothriller writer who founded Authors United, has denounced “the sense of entitlement of the American consumer” calling it a “WalMart” mentality.

This view is not surprising. No author wants to see his work on the discount table. But for the consumer, Amazon’s strategy has been a boon, making tens of millions of titles available to the American people to read at home, at school or even at the beach. For the government to reverse this success would be the worst plot twist yet.

(James L. Gattuso is a senior research fellow for regulatory policy in the Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation.)

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

kids.” He went on: “That is not my viewpoint in any way.”

The problem is that Johnson has built something of a reputation for impolitic comments.

Ron Johnson, for forgetting that sarcasm is better left on the sidelines of politics, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.

Nation

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

Theater gunman’s family called him mentally ill

By MELINDA DESLATTE AND MICHAEL KUNZELMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

LAFAYETTE, La. — The man who killed two people and wounded nine others at a movie theater was so mentally ill and violent that years ago, his wife hid his guns and his family had him hospitalized against his will before obtaining a court order to keep him away.

John Russell Houser, 59, stood up about 20 minutes into the “Trainwreck” movie and fired first at two people sitting in front of him, then aimed his handgun at others. Police said Friday they found 13 shell casings.

“They heard a couple of pops and didn’t know what it was,” said Randall Mann, whose 21-year-old daughter, Emily, was sitting in the same row as the shooter Thursday night.

She told her father that she did not hear the shooter say anything before opening fire. “And then they saw the muzzle flashes, and that’s when they knew what was going on.

She hit the floor immediately.”

Mann said his daughter and her friend escaped, uninjured but traumatized.

Police said Houser had one additional magazine of bullets as he tried to escape.

Then, when he spotted police officers outside, he turned around and pushed back through the fleeing crowd. The officers tailed him into the theater and heard a single shot before finding him dead inside.

Houser parked his 1995 blue Lincoln Continental by the theater’s exit door, and disguises including glasses and wigs were found in a search of his room at a nearby Motel 6, police said.

The license plate on the car had also been switched.

“It is apparent that he was intent on shooting and then escaping,” Lafayette Police Chief Jim Craft said.

Police were looking at online postings they be-

lieved Houser wrote to learn more about him and try to figure out his motive, superintendent Col. Michael D. Edmonson said.

In the 1990s, he frequently appeared on a local television call-in show, advocating violence against people involved in abortions, said Calvin Floyd, who hosted the morning show on WLTZ-TV in Columbus, Georgia.

Houser, who was known by the nickname Rusty, also espoused other radical views, including his opposition to women in the workplace.

Floyd described Houser as an “angry man” who made “wild accusations” about all sorts of topics, and said he put him on to counter a Democratic voice because “he could make the phones ring.”

Houser owned a bar called Rusty’s Buckhead Pub but his liquor license was revoked in 2001 for

Photo by Paul Kieu/The Daily Advertiser | AP

Mason Matthews, 10, leaves a card at a makeshift memorial for shooting victim Jillian Johnson in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Friday. serving minors. To protest, he put up a banner that had a swastika on it encircled by the words, “Welcome to LaGrange,” according to a story in the LaGrange Daily News.

Houser told the newspaper he was “completely against” the Nazi philosophy but chose the symbol because it represented a government’s ability to do what it wants.

“The people who used it — the Nazis — they did what they damn well pleased,” Houser told the newspaper.

The two fatalities were identified as 21-year-old Mayci Breaux and 33-yearold Jillian Johnson. Breaux was a radiology student at a nearby college. Johnson ran clothing and art boutiques, played in a rootsy rock band and planted fruit trees in her neighborhood for the homeless and her neighbors.

The wounded ranged from their late teens to their late 60s. Two were released from a hospital and three others were in stable condition. The condition of the others wasn’t immediately available.

Theatergoers said the gunman sat alone and said nothing before he stood up and opened fire at the 7:10 p.m. showing of “Trainwreck” at the Grand 16 thea-

ter.

“We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker,” Katie Domingue told The Advertiser. “He wasn’t saying anything. I didn’t hear anybody screaming either.”

Domingue said she and her fiance ran for the nearest exit, leaving behind her shoes and purse.

Stories of heroism emerged. A teacher jumped in front of her colleague, taking a bullet for her, and the second teacher pulled a fire alarm to alert other moviegoers, said Gov. Bobby Jindal, who traveled to the scene.

“Her friend literally jumped over her and, by her account, actually saved her life,” Jindal said.

Houser studied accounting in Georgia and earned a law degree at Faulkner University in Alabama.

There’s no record he ever became a lawyer in either state.

PÁGINA 6A

Zfrontera

Agenda en Breve REPORTE Restos óseos calcinados fueron encontrados dentro de una camioneta que estaba abandonada en un camino vecinal por el centro de Tamaulipas, México.

La camioneta Hummer H3, modelo 2006, estaba abandonada, sin neumáticos, a la altura del Kilómetro 235 de la Carretera San Fernando-Matamoros.

Los restos fueron ubicados en cuatro puntos alrededor de la unidad, los cuales estaban a flor de tierras, y otros semi-enterrados, indica el reporte. Los mismos están siendo analizados para detectar el ADN. Autoridades no pudieron confirmar si se trata de restos humanos, y si de ser así, a cuántas personas diferentes pertenecen.

Además elementos militares aseguraron ocho cartuchos percutidos, dos cartuchos útiles, dos cargadores vacíos y tres envases de vidrio de cerveza.

RECOMENDACIONES Cerrar de forma adecuada las residencias cuando las familias salen de vacaciones, es el principal consejo que se encuentra brindado la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública para evitar robos al patrimonio durante el periodo vacacional.

Las recomendaciones incluyen asegurar puertas y ventanas de la vivienda; dar el número telefónico para casos de emergencia a personas de total confianza; desconectar aparatos eléctricos; evitar almacenar combustibles innecesarios, ropa vieja o periódicos; revisar las condiciones mecánicas del vehículo; no llevar a menores de edad en el asiento delantero; respetar los límites de velocidad; no rebasar en curva ni por acotamientos; utilizar el cinturón de seguridad; no ingerir bebidas alcohólicas; no manejar cansado; no pararse en lugares despoblados.

Debido a las altas temperaturas que se viven en la región, la Secretaría de Salud de Tamaulipas invita a la población a tomar las medidas necesarias para evitar intoxicación por ingestión de alimentos perecederos o bien, falta de procedimientos de higiene.

Se debe tener especial cuidado y atención con alimentos, tales como carnes crudas, carnes frías, pescados y mariscos, salsas crudas y cocidas, ensaladas verdes o de frutas, agua purificada, agua purificada a granel, agua potable, aguas frescas, hielo purificado, alimentos preparados, leches pasteurizadas y quesos frescos.

Asimismo se pide a los residentes abstenerse de tomar agua que no sea potable o clorada, evitar consumir pescados y mariscos crudos, no exponer los alimentos a temperatura ambiente e insistir en el lavado frecuente y correcto de manos, después de comer, antes de ir al baño y al cambiar pañales; así como lavar y desinfectar frutas y verduras, principalmente.

CORTE DE COMISIONADOS La Corte de Comisionados del Condado de Zapata se reunirá el lunes 27 de julio, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m., en el Palacio de Justicia de la Ciudad.

Para más información pude llamar a Roxy Elizondo al (956) 765-9920.

TORNEO El Torneo Anual de Pesca Infantil ‘Back to School’ organizado por la Cámara de Comercio de Zapata, en su quinta edición, se realizará el sábado 22 de agosto. El evento se realizará de 7 a.m. a 3 p.m. en Bravo Park Pond.

SÁBADO 25 DE JULIO DE 2015

DONALD J. TRUMP RECORRIÓ LAREDO EL JUEVES

Visita de tres horas Habló sobre seguridad fronteriza e impacto en votantes POR KENDRA ABLAZA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Donald Trump, aspirante a candidato presidencial por el Partido Republicano, pasó alrededor de tres horas visitando Laredo el jueves, encabezando dos breves conferencias de prensa donde habló acerca de los inmigrantes indocumentados viviendo en Estados Unidos y la necesidad de la seguridad fronteriza para el país.

La visita del pre-candidato fue planeada al inicio como una reunión con oficiales policíacos locales y federales, pero agentes de la patrulla fronteriza cancelaron los planes de acompañarlo antes de su arribo. Él previamente tenía programado reunirse con el sindicato local de la Patrulla Fronteriza y otras entidades policíacas tales como Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de EU, Inmigración y Aduanas, Departamento de Policía de Laredo, Agencia Antidrogas de EU y el Buró de Alcohol, Tabaco y Armas y Explosivos.

Foto por Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times

El aspirante a Candidato Presidencial por el Partido Republicano, Donald J. Trump, se dirige a los medios de comunicación, el jueves por la tarde en Paseo Real, en Laredo.

El candidato dijo que no vio a ningún oponente contra su campaña al momento de aterrizar.

Muro

Itinerario Trump aterrizó en el Aeropuerto Internacional de Laredo antes de lo programado el jueves, se reunió con el Alcalde de Laredo Pete Saenz y otros oficiales locales.

Seguidores y manifestantes contra la campaña de Trump intentaron verlo un poco al colocarse detrás de la pista privada del aeropuerto, conforme descendía de su jet privado.

Trump, mejor conocido como un billonario, magnate de bienes raíces y personalidad de la televisión antes de su campaña en busca de la candidatura presidencia, un día antes expresó su emoción por su visita a Laredo, a través de Twitter.

Dijo que sintió “tal calurosa bienvenida” de todos los que conoció a su arribo.

“Al aterrizar, muchas personas en el aeropuerto estaban ondeando banderas de Estados Unidos y todos ellos estaban a favor de Trump y de lo que estoy haciendo”, dijo Trump.

Trump dijo que fue invitado a visitar Laredo porque agentes de patrulla fronteriza están teniendo problemas con sus trabajos.

De acuerdo con Trump, sus planes de acompañamiento fueron cancelados en el último minuto por órdenes de Washington D.C. “La Patrulla Fronteriza me invitó, después cancelaron porque francamente no quieren involucrarse”, dijo Trump. “La razón por la que me invitaron fue debido al gran problema y al gran crimen”.

Durante una conferencia de prensa en el Puente del Comercio Mundial, Trump dijo que hay “un gran peligro en la frontera con ilegales entrando”. Dijo que los problemas de crimen y seguridad a lo largo de la frontera se resolverían si los agentes de patrulla fronteriza se les permitieran hacer su trabajo.

El aspirante a candidato dijo que también escuchó evidencia de México enviando criminales a través de la

frontera, y que otras personas escucharon la misma evidencia.

Durante la conferencia de prensa, no dijo o proporcionó a los medios la evidencia específica que escuchó.

“Les hemos mostrado la evidencia”, dijo, a pesar de no señalar dónde o cómo.

Trump dijo que construir un muro a lo largo de algunas secciones de la frontera entre Estados Unidos y México es necesario. No mencionó si siente que el muro es necesario en Laredo.

Encuestas El jueves, Trump dijo que lidera las encuestas entre los aspirantes a ser candidatos del Partido Republicano e incluso cuenta con más votantes hispanos que lo apoyan.

De acuerdo con una encuesta de Washington PostABC News de la semana pasada, Trump fue el favorito con el 24 por ciento de los republicanos registrados y de los independientes con tendencias republicanas.

La semana pasada, One America News Network también reveló los resultados de Republican and Democratic Presidential Polling Results for Nevada

COLUMNA

2016, realizadas por Gravis Marketing.

Estos resultados muestran que Trump tiene una ventaja general de 27.7 por ciento. Él recibió 31.4 por ciento del apoyo de hispanos en las encuestas, señalan los resultados.

Trump señaló estos números orgullosamente, pero evitó prolongar comentarios acerca de la impresión que causaron sus comentarios en el anuncio de campaña, el 16 de junio, a la izquierda de hispanos.

El discurso de anuncio incluyó comentarios altamente provocativos acerca de los mexicanos que emigran a Estados Unidos.

“Cuando México envía a su gente, no envían a los mejores”, dijo Trump el mes pasado… “Están enviando a personas que tienen muchos problemas, y traen sus problemas consigo. Traen drogas. Traen crimen. Traen violadores. Y algunos, asumo, son buenas personas”.

Cuando se el preguntó si se disculparía, Trump dijo que los hispanos no fueron insultados por sus comentarios “porque la prensa malinterpretó mis palabras”.

El mes pasado, Univision dijo que no transmitiría Miss USA y Miss Universe

— dos certámenes de belleza de los que Trump es copropietario — debido a los señalamientos de Trump.

Posteriormente Trump presentó una demanda contra Univision por daños, por la cantidad de 500 millones de dólares.

Otras compañías que han concluido lazos con las empresas de Trump desde su anuncio de campaña incluyen a Macy’s y NBC Universal.

Aún así, Trump tiene confianza en que obtendrá la nominación del GOP. “Estoy en primer lugar por mucho, parece”, dijo Trump el jueves. “Deseo correr como Republicano.

Creo que obtendré la nominación. Lo veremos pronto”.

Dijo que parte de su plataforma de campaña es “traer de regreso empleos desde China y Japón y de cualquier otro país que nos está matando”. Dijo que los hispanos van a obtener esos empleos.

Sin embargo, su prioridad como un pre-candidato presidencial es fortalecer las fronteras de EU. “Después de eso, tendremos mucho tiempo para hablar acerca de eso (inmigrantes indocumentados quienes viven en los EU)”, dijo Trump.

REGIÓN FRONTERIZA

Tamaulipas conserva Trabajarán por cruces gamadas más oportunidades Nota del Editor: Este es el primero de dos artículos sobre los cruces gamadas en Tamaulipas durante el Siglo XX.

POR RAÚL SINENCIO CHÁVEZ ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Como herencia del Siglo XX Tamaulipas aún conserva infinidad de cruces gamadas. Pese a su carga ideológica, el lugar que ocupan les procura larga vida. Próximas al primer centenario, de ellas casi nunca se habla en altos círculos locales.

Vayamos frente al perímetro norteño de la Plaza de Armas de Tampico, donde sobresale la Catedral del puerto. Sucesivas mejoras pulen su estilo neoclásico. Recién abierto, el horizonte posrevolucionario incuba las de mayor aliento, imprimiéndole de paso distintivo sello: los pisos interiores quedan ornamentados con numerosas esvásticas, únicas en México y buena parte del mundo.

Entenderemos fácil los motivos si retrocedemos al 27 de septiembre de 1917. Prosiguen ese día temerarias composturas en la plancha superior del referido edificio. Al procederse sin las debidas precauciones, el techo de pronto se desploma por completo y provoca fuerte estruendo. Bajo los escombros mueren el alarife Tiburcio Peña, su ayudante y devota anciana que rezaba

cerca del púlpito. Después un rayo impacta en la torre poniente.

Urgidas de reparar la vieja parroquia feligresas piden en 1922 ayuda económica a Edward L. Doheny. El magnate de la Huasteca Petroleum Company accede. Pero la riqueza extraída de nuestro subsuelo le permite rebasar el simple remedio de los estropicios.

Instruido por Doheny, Ezequiel Ordóñez dirige los trabajos que dotan al templo de cúpula, vitrales, candiles de cristal, decoraciones intramuros en azul y oro, altar mayor de mármol italiano, así como otros complementos. Adentro se instalan pisos de granito que lucen cruces gamadas en los pasillos. El proyecto finalizó hacia 1931, develándose alusiva placa.

Al transcurrir la posterior década aparecen verdaderos clásicos de la historiografía tamaulipeca. Sorprende que ninguno dedique ni breves palabras al símbolo de marras.

Cabe desprender que ello aconteciera por la entonces cercana II Guerra Mundial. Sin embargo, concluida esta última con la derrota contundente del Eje Berlín-Roma-Tokio, persiste el silencio. Aún textos impresos en fechas menos remotas son del todo omisos.

(Con permiso del autor, según fuera publicado en La Razón, Tampico, México)

POR KENDRA ABLAZA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El miércoles, el Representante de Texas, Richard Peña Raymond, anunció la creación del Comité Asesor de Comercio de Texas-México para ayudar a expandir las oportunidades entre Estados Unidos y México, con enfoque en la región fronteriza de Laredo.

El comité incluirá a líderes de negocios locales y expertos en comercio como: Eduardo Garza-Robles, fundador y propietario de Uni-Trade Forwarding and Logistics. Él servirá como presidente del comité.

José Uribe, un asesor de comercio para importación-exportación que cuenta con 38 años de experiencia en servicios gubernamentales, su empleo más reciente fue como asistente del director del puerto de entrada para el Puerto de Laredo.

Gilbert Narváez Jr., presidente y oficial en jefe de operaciones de Falcon Bank.

Minita Ramírez, vicepresidenta de éxito en los estudiantes en Texas A&M International University.

Ernesto Gaytán Palomo, fundador y propietario de Super

Transport International, que proporciona transporte comercial entre Estados Unidos, México y CanaPEÑA RAYMOND dá.

Eliza Rodríguez De La Garza, vicepresidenta de desarrollo comercial de Norteamérica y agente aduanal regional en Kuehne + Nagel.

Raymond dijo que el propósito del comité es expandir el papel de Laredo y el Condado de Webb como líder en comercia al buscar un mayor desarrollo comercial internacional y expandir el comercio entre Texas, Tamaulipas, Nuevo León y Coahuila.

“Si continuamos expendiendo el comercio con ellos, llevará a lazos económicos más fuertes entre Texas y México”, dijo Raymond en una declaración.

El comité se reunirá con Raymond y otros líderes de Texas y México a partir de la próxima semana, por lo menos dos veces al mes, señaló el representante estatal.

(Localice a Kendra Ablaza en 728-2538 o en kablaza@lmtonline.com)

Nation

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

Some ‘sanctuary cities’ fear lawsuits

By AMY TAXIN ASSOCIATED PRESS

HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. — The term “sanctuary city” has become a rallying cry for conservative Republicans seeking stiffer immigration laws. They characterize such places as havens where those in the country illegally are protected from immigration authorities.

The reality behind the phrase is that while some cities actively thumb their noses at federal immigration policies, many refuse to enforce them not because of any moral obligation to immigrants; they fear lawsuits.

Since the fatal shooting of Kathryn Steinle on a San Francisco pier allegedly by an immigrant who was released from jail even though U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement sought to deport him for a sixth time, the debate over how to handle cities and counties that refuse to cooperate with immigration authorities has reached a feverish pitch.

On Thursday, House Republicans passed a bill aimed at punishing cities that refuse to share information with federal immigration authorities, which the White House threatened to veto. While the bill doesn’t specifically address the release of immigrants sought by federal authorities for deportation, the Republicans are pitching other legislation to do so.

The vote came after presidential hopeful Donald Trump attacked illegal immigration on the campaign trail.

While notably liberal San Francisco has openly declared itself a haven for all immigrants regardless of their legal status, some of the cities and counties that have stopped detaining immigrants for ICE are politically conservative and are not trying to shield residents from deportation.

The city of Huntington Beach, California, which is predominantly white and Republican, stopped honoring the hold requests last sum-

mer for purely legal reasons.

A federal court ruling in Oregon said so-called immigration detainers, which ask local police to hold immigrants suspected of living in the U.S. illegally for up to 48 hours, were not sufficient reason to keep someone in jail.

“We don’t have any policy or anything that prohibits our folks from interacting with ICE. We just follow the law,” said Police Chief Robert Handy, adding his officers don’t generally ask about immigration status because it doesn’t relate to their cases, not because they’re protecting anyone. “If they go get a warrant, we’ll hold them in our jail. If they ask us to go help for a search warrant on a drug house, we’re going to help them.”

San Francisco declared itself a sanctuary city more than two decades ago and continues to advertise itself as a place of refuge for immigrants. In 1989, the city passed an ordinance banning officials from enforcing immigration laws or asking about immigration status, unless required by law or court order.

In 2009, it began issuing municipal identification cards that can be used to obtain a public library card and sign up for parks programs.

Today, San Francisco is one of more than 200 jurisdictions that have stopped fully honoring detainers.

The localities span a broad spectrum on how far they go to welcome immigrants or whether they’re trying to assist them at all. A big distinction is the reasoning behind local detainer policies. Places like Cook County, Illinois, and Santa Clara County, California, are trying to cultivate trust of police in immigrant communities. Others, such as San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California, cite fear of getting sued.

“When you use the term sanctuary city, it implies a policy decision that’s been made about how the city should engage with the immigrant community, and most of the detainer policies were adopted to address the legal

concerns,” said Jennie Pasquarella, a staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California.

Mark Krikorian, executive director of the anti-illegal immigration Center for Immigration Cities, acknowledged the difference but said the net effect was similar whether a city wanted to work with ICE or not.

“Some may cooperate here but not there. Some may cooperate on certain matters but not other matters. But any jurisdiction that does not cooperate fully with federal immigration authorities seems to me qualifies as a sanctuary city,” he said.

Last year, a spate of localities that had long worked closely with ICE stopped honoring detainers in response to the ruling in Oregon. In response, immigration authorities said they would start asking police to simply notify them when a suspected illegal immigrant is about to get released — not necessarily detain them. They believe the new approach, combined with a focus on more serious offenders, will lead to better collaboration from local law enforcement.

In populous Southern California, immigration agents have tended to work more closely with sheriff ’s departments that run the county jails, where most serious offenders wind up. Smaller city jails like the one in Huntington Beach usually serve as short-term holding centers for misdemeanor arrests.

In the Orange County jail, deputies regularly interview immigrants about their legal status as part of a close collaboration with federal immigration agents. They tell them when someone they’ve flagged for possible deportation is due to be released. But the agency doesn’t hold people on the detainers due to legal concerns, said Steve Kea, assistant sheriff of custody operations.

“We are not a ‘sanctuary’ jurisdiction by any existing definition,” said Orange County undersheriff John Scott.

Photo by Patrick Breen/The Arizona Republic | AP

A work crew works on fixing the crossover to allow traffic to resume on Interstate 10 near Desert Center, California, on Friday. A 50 mile-stretch of a vital California interstate linking Los Angeles and Phoenix partially reopened Friday after flash flooding damaged several bridges last weekend. The California Department of Transportation said delays as long as half an hour can be expected at peak travel times, including Friday evenings and late Sunday afternoons.

Road partially reopens ASSOCIATED PRESS

DESERT CENTER, Calif. — A 50 mile-stretch of a vital California interstate linking Los Angeles and Phoenix partially reopened Friday after flash flooding damaged several bridges last weekend.

Traffic began moving again on the desert stretch of Interstate 10 where a surge of storm water barreling down a gully Sunday carved away the soil under concrete bridge supports. The eastbound span buckled into the gully and a driver was seriously injured.

The reopening is welcome news for travelers and truckers, but traffic bottlenecks will remain.

The California Department of Transportation said delays as long as half an hour can be expected at peak travel times, including Friday evenings and late Sunday afternoons.

Construction crews labored around the clock to meet an aggressive timetable for shoring up the westbound span over Tex Wash. One of its two lanes is being used for traffic heading toward Arizona until the eastbound span is rebuilt.

The workers have focused on pouring concrete and placing new flood protection boulders.

The damaged bridges crossed gullies that became swollen with rain when an unusually strong summer storm dumped up to 7 inches in the area near Desert Center, about 50 miles west of California’s border with Arizona.

On the approach to Tex Wash, traffic heading east is using a specially

laid road across the median to connect to the westbound interstate. On the other side of the bridge, the traffic takes another connector back to eastbound lanes.

Repairs to the eastbound span will take longer.

Since Sunday, traffic has been forced to take a diversion of several hours along smaller desert highways. Caltrans closed about 50 miles of interstate west of Tex Wash, to the outskirts of Indio, as inspectors checked the safety of other bridges.

They found that bridges over three other washes also suffered lesser erosion damage.

The resulting detour has created major headaches for people who rely on Interstate 10, but it has benefited towns along Interstate 8 to the south.

Thousands more visitors have passed through Yuma, Arizona, a normally sleepy city along the highway to San Diego.

Caltrans was able to do the repairs quickly thanks to a $4.9 million emergency contract with a private construction firm — and a little help from the federal government.

On Wednesday, Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency in six counties affected by the storms that were spawned by the remnants of a tropical storm that slid north from the coast of Baja California. With that declaration, the U.S. Department of Transportation offered California $2 million in emergency funds.

Caltrans has not said how much it projects the total repair and reconstruction costs will be.

International

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

New inquiry into Clinton emails fuels questions

By LISA LERER AND ERIC TUCKER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — A new letter by intelligence investigators to the Justice Department says secret government information may have been compromised in Hillary Rodham Clinton’s private server, underscoring an inescapable reality for her presidential campaign: Email is forever.

Clinton, the former secretary of state and now the leading Democratic presidential candidate, wants to focus on the economic issues she and her team believe will drive the next election. But they remain unable to fully escape the swirling questions surrounding her decision to run her State Department correspondence through an unsecured system set up at her New York home.

The inspector general of the U.S. intelligence community recently alerted the Justice Department to the

potential compromise of classified information arising from Clinton’s server.

The IG also sent a memo to members of Congress that he had identified “potentially hundreds of classified emails” among the 30,000 that Clinton had provided to the State Department — a concern the office said it raised with FBI counterintelligence officials.

Though the probe is not criminal and does not specifically target Clinton, the latest steps by government investigators only fuels the partisan furor surrounding the 55,000 pages of emails already under review by the State Department.

For Clinton, the news amounted to a major distraction on a day when she’d hoped to focus on unveiling a new set of economic policies. Instead, she opened her New York City speech by addressing the controversy, decrying some reports as inaccurate.

Some media initially re-

Photo by Mary Altaffer | AP

Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton speaks Friday at the New York University Leonard N. Stern School of Business. ported that Justice Department had been asked to consider a criminal investigation into whether she mishandled her emails.

“We are all accountable to the American people to get the facts right, and I will do my part but I’m also going to stay focused on the issues,” she said.

It was not immediately clear whether the Justice Department would investi-

gate the potential compromise highlighted by the intelligence inspector general, I. Charles McCullough.

His letter didn’t suggest any wrongdoing by Clinton, according to U.S. officials speaking on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the referral.

But the inspector general’s office said it was concerned that “these emails

exist on at least one private server and thumb drive with classified information and those are not in the government’s possession,” said Andrea Williams, a spokeswoman for McCullough. None of the emails were marked as classified at the time they were sent or received, but some should have been handled as such and sent on a secure computer network, said the letter sent to congressional oversight committees.

Clinton has maintained that she never sent classified information on her personal email account, which she said in March she used as a matter of convenience to limit her number of electronic devices.

The State Department has made public some of the emails involving Clinton, and is under court order to make regular further releases of such correspondence.

The aim is for the de-

partment to unveil all of 55,000 pages of the emails she turned over by Jan. 29, 2016. But a federal judge this month chastised the department for moving too slowly in providing The Associated Press with thousands of emails submitted through the Freedom of Information Act. Republicans are pushing Clinton to turn over her server to a third party for a forensic evaluation.

“Her poor judgment has undermined our national security, and it is time for her to finally do the right thing,” said House Speaker John Boehner.

Clinton spokesman Nick Merill said she had followed “appropriate practices in dealing with classified materials.”

But there’s little dispute among intelligence officials that Clinton should have been more careful with her information — though her behavior was likely not criminal.

Ted Cruz accuses leader Mitch McConnell of lying

By ERICA WERNER AND LAURIE KELLMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — In a stunning, public attack on his own party leader, Republican Sen. Ted Cruz accused Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of lying, and said he was no better than his Democratic predecessor and couldn’t be trusted.

Cruz, a Texan who is running for president but ranks low in early polling, delivered the broadside in a speech on the Senate floor Friday, an extraordinary departure from the norms of Senate behavior that demand courtesy and respect.

“Not only what he told every Republican senator, but what he told the press over and over and over again, was a simple lie,” Cruz said.

At issue were assurances Cruz claimed McConnell,

R-Ky., had given that there was no deal to allow a vote to renew the federal Export-Import Bank — a little-known federal agency that has become a rallying cry for conservatives. Cruz rose to deliver his remarks moments after McConnell had lined up a vote on the Export-Import Bank for coming days.

“It saddens me to say this. I sat in my office, I told my staff the majority leader looked me in the eye and looked 54 Republicans in the eye. I cannot believe he would tell a flat-out lie,” Cruz said.

“We now know that when the majority leader looks us in the eyes and makes an explicit commitment that he is willing to say things that he knows are false.”

The majority leader was not on the Senate floor when Cruz issued his attack, and ignored reporters

Photo by Luis M. Alvarez | AP

Republican Presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, speaks during a demonstration Thursday. who tried to ask him about it in the Capitol’s hallways.

A spokesman said McConnell would have no response.

McConnell has long indi-

cated he would allow a vote on the Export-Import Bank as an amendment on the highway bill, which is the course he’s now following.

Senate supporters of the

Export-Import Bank have said they got that commitment from McConnell in the course of debate on a separate trade bill, though there’s been some dispute about what precisely was agreed to.

No senator rose to defend McConnell on the floor, as some Republicans sought to avoid engaging in the dispute and giving Cruz still more attention. Questioned by reporters later, Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, challenged Cruz’s criticism of McConnell, telling reporters, “I think it’s wrong to disclose private information, especially when the disclosure is not accurate.”

“Keep in mind, he’s running for president,” Hatch added. “People who run for president do some very interesting things.”

McConnell and Cruz have never had a thriving relationship. The new majority leader’s allies earlier

this year derided Cruz’s Senate record, complaining that he often speaks out but has missed important developments. After complaining about President Barack Obama’s nomination of Loretta Lynch as attorney general, for example, Cruz skipped the final vote on her confirmation.

Some close to McConnell call Cruz “Mr. 1 percent,” referring to his share of support in the crowded race for the GOP presidential nomination. Recent polls have him a few points higher among more than a dozen contenders.

Cruz, for his part, has grown increasingly outspoken about his contempt for McConnell and other Republicans, using his newly published book, “A Time for Truth,” to attack his colleagues on various fronts and accuse them of failing to stand up for their principles.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

International

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

Bailout talks near start

By MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS AND NICHOLAS PAPHITIS ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATHENS, Greece — Greece on Friday invited the International Monetary Fund to participate in its negotiations with European creditors over a vital third bailout — talks that are expected to start next week after a few days’ delay and must conclude before Greece faces another big repayment Aug. 20.

Negotiators are now expected to arrive in Athens over the weekend with talks probably starting Monday, Greek officials said.

Athens is looking to secure yet another bailout — the third since its finances imploded in 2009 — worth 85 billion euros ($93 billion) over three years. Without the money, the country faces imminent bankruptcy and a probable exit from the shared euro currency.

The letter to the IMF, signed by Finance Minister Euclid Tsakalotos, formally requests a new bailout from the fund. That is in accordance with the preliminary third bailout agreement Greece struck with its European partners on July 12, which called for IMF financing and monitoring for Greece from March 2016 — when current IMF financing ends.

The letter said Athens believes it will take “several quarters” before the Greek economy faces up to its challenges “and returns to a vigorous and sustainable path to growth with fairness and social inclusion.”

“We look forward to continued cooperation with the Fund,” it added.

Greek government spokeswoman Olga Gerovasili said the final third bailout agreement will be brought to Greece’s parliament for approval on Aug. 18.

“Clearly, the negotiations will be constant until then,” she said Friday.

Greece has a debt repayment of around 3.2 billion

Photo by Thanassis Stavrakis | AP

Greece’s Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras laughs at a meeting with the Greek president and other political party leaders Friday. euros ($3.5 billion) to the European Central Bank on Aug. 20.

Greece’s five-year financial crisis took a dramatic turn for the worse this summer, after talks between its radical left-led government elected in January and the country’s creditors nearly collapsed amid sharp disagreements over the reforms required in return for the rescue loans. The new bailout was only possible after Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras made a sharp Uturn from years of vehemently opposing further cutbacks.

Since its first bailout in 2010, Greece’s economy has shrunk by a quarter, while unemployment has rocketed to record peacetime highs and incomes have shrunk an average of 40 percent.

Much of the pain has been attributed to the income cuts and tax hikes demanded by creditors.

It’s unclear to what extent IMF participation complicates the latest bailout talks. The fund has been critical of many of the demands insisted upon by Greece’s European creditors but it also says Greece needs deep, meaningful debt relief — something that Germany and other European nations are dead set against.

Gerovasili said the IMF position on Greece’s crippling debt load — the highest in the 19-country eurozone — “is clearly something we agree with.”

But she added the fund

“is tougher in negotiations, with harsher terms, and is not very agreeable to us as a negotiator.”

Gerovasili dismissed reports that security concerns delayed the talks Friday, blaming “technical issues” instead.

“Greece is a safe country,” Gerovasili said. “Both sides are trying to expedite the start of talks.”

The final hurdle Greece had to clear before talks could restart came early Thursday when Greek lawmakers approved creditordemanded judicial and banking reforms. A week earlier, parliament approved new laws introducing steep sales tax increases. In spite of a revolt from his own Syriza party, Tsipras managed to get both reforms passed with the help of pro-European opposition parties.

Top Greek banking and finance ministry officials met with Greek business leaders Friday to discuss ways of easing financial transactions, which are being restricted by the capital controls introduced last month.

Banks reopened Monday after being closed for more than three weeks, albeit for limited transactions. Daily withdrawals at ATMs are still limited to 60 euros ($65) per account holder, and the Athens Stock Exchange has been closed indefinitely.

On Friday, authorities eased the restrictions slightly, allowing Greeks to take up to 2,000 euros ($2,200) or the equivalent in foreign currency out of the country per trip.

“With time, the situation is returning to normal. We aim to have things return to the way they were before,” Deputy Finance Minister Dimitris Mardas said.

Small Business Association Chairman Giorgos Kavvathas said the daily limit for businesses to transfer money abroad has been raised to 100,000 euros ($155,080) but Greek authorities are vetting those money transfers.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

Obama goes to Kenya

By JULIE PACE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NAIROBI, Kenya — Fulfilling the hopes of millions of Kenyans, Barack Obama returned to his father’s homeland Friday for the first time as U.S. president, a long sought visit by a country that considers him a local son.

The president spent the evening reuniting with his Kenyan family, including his elderly step-grandmother who made the trip to the capital of Nairobi from her rural village. U.S. and Kenyan flags lined the main road from Nairobi’s airport, and billboards heralding Obama’s trip dotted the city.

“I don’t think that Kenyans think of Obama as African-American.

They think of him as KenyanAmerican,” said EJ Hogendoorn, deputy program director for Africa at the International Crisis Group.

Obama’s link to Kenya is a father he barely knew, but whose influence can nonetheless be seen in his son’s presidency.

Obama has spoken candidly about growing up without his Kenyan-born father and feeling “the weight of that absence.” A White House initiative to support young men of color who face similar circumstances has become a project dear to Obama, one he plans to continue after leaving the White House.

In Africa, Obama has used his late father’s struggle to overcome government corruption as a way to push leaders to strengthen democracies. He’s expected to make good governance and democracybuilding a centerpiece of his two days of meetings and speeches in Nairobi, as well as a stop next week in Ethiopia.

“In my father’s life, it was partly tribalism and patronage and nepotism in an independent Kenya that for a long stretch derailed his career,” Obama said

Photo by Evan Vucci | AP

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, right, watches as President Barack Obama, center, hugs his half-sister Auma Obama, Friday. during a 2009 trip to Ghana, his first visit to Africa as president. “We know that this kind of corruption is still a daily fact of life for far too many.”

The president’s father, Barack Obama, Sr., left Kenya as a young man to study at the University of Hawaii. There, he met Stanley Ann Dunham, a white woman from Kansas.

They would soon marry and have a son, who was named after his father.

The elder Obama left Hawaii when he son was just two years old, first to continue his studies at Harvard, then to return to Kenya. The future president and his father would see each other just once more, when the son was 10 years old. Obama’s father died in a car crash in 1982, at age 46.

“I didn’t have a dad in the house,” Obama said last year during a White House event for My Brother’s Keeper, his initiative for young men. “I was angry about it, even though I didn’t necessarily realize it at the time.”

Obama’s first trip to Kenya nearly 30 years ago was a quest to fill in the gaps in the story of his father’s life. In his memoir “Dreams From My Father,” Obama wrote that at the time of his death, “my father remained a mystery to me, both more and less than a man.”

What Obama uncovered was a portrait of a talented,

but troubled man. An economist for the Kenyan government, the senior Obama clashed with then-President Jomo Kenyatta over tribal divisions and allegations of corruption. He was ultimately fired by the president, sending him into a tailspin of financial problems and heavy drinking.

The Kenyan leader Obama will meet with this weekend, Uhuru Kenyatta, is the son of the president his father confronted decades ago.

Obama met most of his Kenyan family for the first time on that initial trip to his father’s home country.

As he stepped off Air Force One Friday, he was greeted by half-sister Auma Obama, pulling her into a warm embrace. The siblings then joined about three dozen family members at a restaurant at the president’s hotel for a private dinner.

Logistical constraints and security precautions prevented Obama from visiting Kogelo, the village where his father lived and is buried, on this trip.

Despite the intense focus on the American leader’s local roots, the White House has cast the trip as one focused on the relationship between the U.S. and Kenya, not the president and his family. Officials say Obama’s agenda is heavily focused on trade and economic issues, as well as security and counterterrorism cooperation.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

THE MARKET IN REVIEW DAILY DOW JONES

STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

d

d

NYSE 10,721.95 -118.79

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name

NASDAQ 5,088.63

StancrpFn Pandora NwSrceEn RubyTues RegnlMgt Celestic g InfrREIT n NetSuite AlamosGld FortunaSlv

113.45+36.76 15.96 +2.08 2.42 +.31 6.80 +.65 19.11 +1.77 12.82 +1.14 32.61 +2.84 99.73 +7.63 3.32 +.24 2.66 +.17

+47.9 +15.0 +14.7 +10.6 +10.2 +9.8 +9.5 +8.3 +7.8 +6.8

Last Chg%Chg

CondorH pfB Marketo NETgear ChinaHGS CondorH pfA InotekPh n MeritMed VillB&T rs SucampoPh ProUNShBio

24.00 30.39 33.80 2.60 9.02 17.65 25.17 21.18 22.10 20.13

+4.25 +5.30 +5.05 +.38 +1.22 +2.28 +3.05 +2.51 +2.50 +2.21

+21.5 +21.1 +17.6 +17.1 +15.6 +14.8 +13.8 +13.4 +12.8 +12.3

Last Chg%Chg Name

CapOne wt UnivTInst Gigamon Unisys DirGMBear CapOne BS IBM96 GoodrP pfD ForumEn GoodrP pfC

36.91-12.00 5.96 -1.69 26.56 -5.41 16.55 -3.20 14.28 -2.39 78.86 -11.91 70.00-10.08 3.35 -.48 14.85 -2.05 3.36 -.46

-24.5 -22.1 -16.9 -16.2 -14.3 -13.1 -12.6 -12.5 -12.1 -12.0

Vol (00)

BkofAm AT&T Inc FrptMcM BarrickG Sprint Cemex Vale SA JnprNtwk Ambev GenElec

Last Chg Name

833597 660767 563445 417895 416430 369738 361336 349314 300116 299199

Vol (00)

17.90 -.28 34.29 +.36 12.29 -1.35 7.25 +.18 3.44 -.23 8.03 -.64 5.05 -.23 27.54 +1.05 5.65 -.16 25.75 -.51

Apple Inc Cisco SiriusXM Facebook Microsoft Intel FrontierCm MicronT InotekPh n AmAirlines

854 2,295 93 3,242 37 431 3,780,230,916

Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows

Volume

Last Chg

403041 124.50 -.66 383797 28.40 +.39 353376 3.88 -.01 321631 96.95 +1.51 316939 45.94 -.17 310910 28.06 -.54 260852 4.54 -.23 213600 18.34 -.36 205765 17.65 +2.28 197162 39.63 -2.98

DIARY Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows

17,520

DIARY

Volume

18,351.36 9,310.22 657.17 11,254.87 5,231.94 947.85 2,134.72 1,551.28 22,537.15 1,296.00

654 2,136 167 2,957 50 239 1,938,193,277

10 DAYS

15,855.12 7,700.57 524.82 9,886.08 4,116.60 814.14 1,820.66 1,269.45 19,160.13 1,040.47

Name

Last

Dow Industrials Dow Transportation Dow Utilities NYSE Composite Nasdaq Composite S&P 100 S&P 500 S&P MidCap Wilshire 5000 Russell 2000

YTD 12-mo Chgg %Chg %Chg %Chg

17,568.53 -163.39 -.92 -1.43 +3.58 8,072.57 -54.43 -.67 -11.68 -4.22 562.74 +.58 +.10 -8.95 +1.12 10,721.95 -118.79 -1.10 -1.08 -2.40 5,088.63 -57.78 -1.12 +7.44 +14.36 921.21 -10.05 -1.08 +1.41 +4.70 2,079.65 -22.50 -1.07 +1.01 +5.12 1,476.74 -13.65 -.92 +1.67 +5.05 21,906.75 -225.23 -1.02 +1.09 +4.78 1,225.99 -18.98 -1.52 +1.77 +7.10

17,600

MONEY RATES

17,200

CURRENCIES

Last PvsWeek

J

F

Last Chg%Chg

CryoPort rs 2.25 -1.75 -43.8 TrueCar 6.87 -3.81 -35.7 Spectranet 16.30 -8.53 -34.4 Biogen 300.03-85.02 -22.1 Esperion 75.91-19.83 -20.7 VitalThera 13.74 -3.34 -19.6 ForPhm n 31.27 -7.01 -18.3 JunprPhm 8.38 -1.82 -17.8 Westmrld 13.80 -2.51 -15.4 KeryxBio 7.84 -1.42 -15.3

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name

17,840

18,000

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)

18,160

Close: 17,568.53 Change: -163.39 (-0.9%) 18,400

16,800 Name

Dow Jones industrials -57.78

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)

Last Chg%Chg Name

STOCK MARKET INDEXES 52-Week High Low

M

A

M

J

J

STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Name

Ex

Div

AT&T Inc AEP BkofAm B iPVixST BarrickG Caterpillar CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil CSVLgNGs CSVLgCrde Dillards DxGldBull EmpIca ExxonMbl FordM FrptMcM GenElec HewlettP HomeDp iShEMkts

NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY

1.88 2.12 .20 ... .20 3.08 2.13 ...

2.96 ... ... .24 ... ...

2.92 .60 .20 .92 .70 2.36 .84

YTD Yld PE Last Chg %Chg

Name

Ex

Div

YTD Yld PE Last Chg %Chg

5.5 3.9 1.1 ...

2.8 4.0 2.9 ...

5.7 ... ... .2 ... ...

3.7 4.2 1.6 3.6 2.3 2.1 2.3

Intel IntlBcsh IBM Lowes Lubys MktVGold MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney S&P500ETF SanchezEn Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SonyCp UnionPac USSteel UnivHlthS WalMart WellsFargo

Nasd Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY

.96 .58 5.20 1.12 ... .12 1.50 2.58 1.24 ... ...

4.03 ...

2.00 ... ...

2.20 .20 .40 1.96 1.50

3.4 2.2 3.3 1.7 ... .9 2.7 ...

2.7 ... ...

1.9 ...

2.4 ... ...

2.4 1.2 .3 2.7 2.6

34 15 19 ...

45 13 ...

24 13 ... ...

13 ... ...

12 19 ... ...

12 23 ...

34.29 +.36 54.60 +.01 17.90 -.28 16.84 +.55 7.25 +.18 76.10 -.78 73.99 -1.23 58.20 -.70 52.09 -1.95 2.00 -.09 1.64 -.05 99.11 -1.28 3.74 +.34 2.84 -.07 79.94 -1.20 14.39 -.22 12.29 -1.35 25.75 -.51 30.81 -.42 113.59 -1.00 37.06 -.54

+2.1 -10.1 +.1 -46.6 -32.6 -16.9 -14.5 +7.9 -24.6 -49.7 -66.5 -20.8 -66.5 -42.3 -13.5 -7.2 -47.4 +1.9 -23.2 +8.2 -5.7

12 12 13 24 ... ...

10 ...

31 23 ... ... ...

23 ... ...

16 32 24 15 14

28.06 -.54 26.76 -.29 159.75 -1.98 67.18 -.52 5.02 +.07 14.08 +.46 56.15 -.60 19.72 -.37 45.94 -.17 10.17 -.28 8.44 -.08 208.00 -2.18 6.88 -.47 82.90 -3.12 22.19 +.11 29.27 +.07 92.61 +.49 16.25 -.72 140.99 -.80 71.58 -.93 57.78 -.43

-22.7 +.8 -.4 -2.4 +10.3 -23.4 +3.8 -5.2 -1.1 -25.2 +30.2 +1.2 -25.9 -2.9 -32.7 +43.0 -22.3 -39.2 +26.7 -16.7 +5.4

Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week. Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left.

Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.

Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year

3.25 3.25 0.75 0.75 .00-.25 .00-.25 0.04 0.14 1.62 2.26 2.96

0.03 0.11 1.67 2.35 3.08

Australia Britain Canada Euro Japan Mexico Switzerlnd

Last

Pvs Day

1.3731 1.5508 1.3071 .9107 123.76 16.2564 .9620

1.3577 1.5520 1.3031 .9091 123.78 16.1991 .9575

British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.

MUTUAL FUNDS Name AB GlbThmtGrA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SoftwCom d Fidelity Select Tech d T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard HlthCare Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m

Total Assets Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init Obj ($Mlns)NAV 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt WS 568 92.08 -1.0 +6.5/A +7.9/E 4.25 2,500 ST 2,858 59.27 -5.3 +15.9/A +14.6/C 5.75 2,000 SH 1,114 14.00 +0.5 +28.4/D +22.9/D 5.75 1,000 SH 16,381 277.72 +1.0 +60.6/A +40.1/A NL 2,500 SF 581 75.26 -3.2 +5.7/D +12.2/C NL 2,500 ST 231 30.53 -4.2 +0.3/E +8.1/E NL 2,500 ST 650 76.94 -5.3 -2.0/E +13.2/D NL 2,500 SF 130 13.77 -2.5 +8.2/C +14.6/A NL 2,500 ST 2,130 76.80 -10.7 +6.5/D +15.9/B NL 2,500 SF 1,408 90.89 -0.7 +8.4/C +10.8/D NL 2,500 ST 2,795 119.13 +1.9 +10.1/C +20.5/A NL 2,500 ST 2,870 121.74 -2.7 +9.8/C +15.4/B NL 2,500 ST 3,283 40.00 -1.0 +11.9/B +16.2/B NL 2,500 SH 12,259 237.23 +0.3 +27.5/D +24.9/C NL 3,000 ST 3,638 15.46 -5.2 +1.9/E +17.9/A 5.75 750

CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%.

Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

Mega-health deals bloom in July with $48M bid

By TOM MURPHY AND MICHELLE CHAPMAN AND MATTHEW PERRONE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Anthem is buying rival Cigna for $48 billion in a deal that would create the nation’s largest health insurer by enrollment, covering about 53 million U.S patients.

In just three weeks, starting with Aetna’s $35 billion bid for Humana Inc. on July 3, the landscape of U.S. health care has been altered in a buyout frenzy that could transform five massive U.S. health companies into just three, including UnitedHealth Group.

Larger insurers have negotiating power to squeeze better rates from drug companies and health care providers. But the wave of consolidation could lead to fewer choices for consumers in certain markets. Regulators scrutinizing the two mega-deals will be trying to assess whether these combined companies would have so

much power that they could dominate markets and drive already high health-care costs even higher.

Employer-sponsored health insurance is growing slowly and with the recent overhaul of the nation’s health care system, providers are jostling for the largest share of the millions of people who have signed up.

The deal announced Friday is valued at $54.2 billion including debt. Shareholders of Cigna, based in Bloomfield, Connecticut, will receive $103.40 per share in cash and 0.5152 shares of Anthem stock for each of their shares. The companies put the total value at $188 per share.

Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish said during a teleconference Friday that the combined company would “advance affordability, choice, access and quality.”

But the merger’s impact will take time to be felt by consumers, because insurers have already final-

ized most of their plans for coverage that starts in January.

For now, industry experts say there is relatively little overlap between the two companies at the local level, where health care costs are set.

“What they do is create more capable organizations that can spread fixed costs across a wider group of people and ultimately, if they can do that, they can really improve health care,” said Dan Mendelson, CEO of Avelere Health consultants. “And the reason why it doesn’t hurt things competitively is because at the local market you’re not creating consolidation to a problematic extent.”

But some lawmakers said the proposed mergers in health insurance raise serious consumer concerns, and urged an extensive review by regulators.

“These mergers must be seriously scrutinized to ensure that consumers and health care providers

are protected from megainsurer market power abuse,” said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.

Anthem’s combination with Cigna would create a much broader base over which to spread costs and expenses, and the technology investments it makes would be extended over the industry’s biggest customer pool.

Data and technology are playing a growing role in monitoring patients and care. At a very basic level, that means things like tracking whether patients are keeping up with their immunizations.

Insurers also are trying to give consumers better information on the cost and quality of the care they buy, based on their coverage. Deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs have been rising for years.

That leaves a growing number of consumers with bigger bills to pay before most of their insurance coverage starts, so it can encourage more to shop

Housing market may falter

By JOSH BOAK ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. housing market has sizzled this summer, lifting expectations that home sales will finally help drive an economic expansion now in its seventh year.

Or will it?

Signs are emerging that housing’s momentum may be destined to falter in coming months. Analysts note that some of the key foundations needed to sustain a brisk pace of home-buying in the long run appear to be missing.

The U.S. economy had only just begun to derive strength from housing for the first time since the Great Recession began in 2007. If home sales flag, that strength would fizzle.

The main problem is also the simplest: There just aren’t enough homes available. Robust demand has failed to draw many sellers into the market. And few in the industry foresee a flurry of home listings arriving soon.

Other pressures will also likely slow sales. Steadily rising home prices can put ownership out of reach for some. What’s more, builders are increasingly focused on apartment construction rather than single-family homes.

And then there are mortgage rates, which have crept up from recent lows and made it incrementally harder for some wouldbe buyers already struggling to afford a purchase. Some buyers are rushing to finalize deals for fear that rates will keep rising — a trend that could depress demand later this year.

“What we fear is next is if interest rates rise and prices rise,” said Deborah Heffernan, a Boston-area broker. “That combination will definitely eliminate people from the market.”

Early this spring, buyers leapt

back into the market. Mortgage rates were just slightly above their 2012 lows, and nearly two years of solid job growth had generated millions of new paychecks.

Sales of existing homes have surged 9.6 percent in the past 12 months, according to the National Association of Realtors. In June, they hit an annual rate of 5.49 million, a pace last achieved before the recession began. And sales of new homes have jumped 21 percent through the first half of 2015, the government reported Friday.

But an unusual trend has taken hold: Stronger home sales have yet to motivate many people to put their homes on the market.

Listings for existing homes have barely edged up in the past year.

And the pace of home building remains subpar compared with previous economic expansions.

With buyer demand outstripping supply, the national median sales price for homes last month reached $236,400, the highest ever recorded, the Realtors said.

For many would-be buyers, those higher prices are manageable if mortgage rates remain ultra-low. In June, the average 30year fixed mortgage was 3.8 percent. The average has since topped 4 percent as the Federal Reserve has moved toward raising a key interest rate from its nearzero level. When the Fed last prepared to curtail its stimulus efforts in 2013, rates spiked and home sales sank.

Though only modestly up, the higher mortgage rates are having a dampening effect, according an index of buyer demand released Thursday by the national real estate brokerage Redfin. It expects a slowdown in the growth of sales and prices as buyers pursue less expensive homes.

“Interest rates are having an effect,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at Redfin. “It’s making

buyers a bit more conservative.”

In some key markets, prices have begun to stagnate as buyers seem to be retreating. A majority of homes in Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C., either lost value or basically flat-lined during May, according to a study by Weiss Residential Research.

Weiss’ analysis points to a contributing factor for the shortage of available homes: Many homeowners can’t find affordable homes themselves and so can’t list their own properties for sale.

“The reason why demand is high relative to supply is that homeowners are having a hard time moving up,” said Allan Weiss, founder of Weiss Residential Research. “There is gridlock.”

In addition, many Americans remain squeezed by sluggish pay raises and have chosen to continue to rent. And some who do want to buy are unmoved by the limited selection and have decided to wait, said Tony Smith, a real estate broker in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“Buyers are leaving the market because they don’t have anything to buy,” Smith said. “Some of them get frustrated and sign another lease.”

Indeed, home ownership is declining, and renting has surged.

Fewer than 64 percent of Americans own homes, the lowest level since 1989, according to the Census Bureau. The share of people under age 35 who own has dropped to around 35 percent from a high of 44 percent in 2004.

Marina Rodriguez, a 26 year-old dental hygienist, recently signed a lease on a one-bedroom apartment in suburban Chicago.

“The idea of buying is a little scary — it’s a huge financial obligation,” she said. “I would rather rent and travel and be year-to-year then be locked down.”

around.

Anthem has said that a tie-up with Cigna will help build their company’s Medicare Advantage enrollment in states like Texas and Florida. Medicare Advantage plans are privately run, fast-growing versions of the federallyfunded program for people over age 65 and the disabled.

Anthem, based in Indianapolis, is currently the nation’s second-largest health insurer, while Cigna ranks fourth in terms of enrollment. Anthem Inc. specializes in selling individual coverage and insurance to workers of small businesses. It also has grown its government business, which includes Medicare, Medicaid and coverage of federal employees.

Health insurance is Cigna Corp.’s main business, but it also sells group disability and life coverage in the U.S., and it has a growing international segment that Anthem lacks. Much

of Cigna’s health insurance business involves coverage where the employer pays the claims and then hires Cigna to administer the plan.

The deal is targeted to close in the second half of 2016. Cigna stockholders still need to approve the agreement, and Anthem shareholders need to approve the issuance of shares in the transaction.

Anthem stockholders will own about 67 percent of the combined company, with Cigna shareholders owning approximately 33 percent.

The Anthem board will expand to 14 members.

Cigna’s President and CEO David Cordani and four independent directors from Cigna’s current board will join the nine current members of Anthem’s board.

Cordani will serve as president and chief operating officer of the combined company, with Anthem’s Swedish as chairman and CEO.

Fiat Chrysler recalls 1.4M cars

By TOM KRISHER ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler has decided to recall about 1.4 million cars and trucks in the U.S. just days after two hackers detailed how they were able to take control of a Jeep Cherokee SUV over the Internet.

The company will update software to insulate the vehicles from being remotely controlled, and it implied that the hackers committed a crime, saying in a statement Friday that unauthorized remote manipulation of a vehicle is a criminal act.

The recall affects vehicles with 8.4-inch touchscreens including 2013 to 2015 Ram pickups and chassis cabs and Dodge Viper sports cars. Also covered are 2014 and 2015 Dodge Durango and Jeep Grand Cherokee and Cherokee SUVs, as well as the 2015 Chrysler 200 and 300, and the Dodge Charger and Challenger.

All the vehicles have a certain type of radio, indicating that the company may have found and patched another area that’s vulnerable to hackers.

The recall covers about 1 million more vehicles than the company had originally believed were affected.

Fiat Chrysler says it also has taken security measures on its own vehicle network to prevent hacking. Those measures require no customer action and became effective on Thursday.

The company said it knows of no incidents involving hacking of its vehicles except for the one unveiled this week. Initially the company didn’t issue

a recall, but said it would contact all affected customers The fix is a response to a recent article in Wired magazine about two well-known hackers, Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek, who remotely took control of a Jeep Cherokee through its UConnect entertainment system. They were able to change the vehicle’s speed and control the brakes, radio, windshield wipers, transmission and other features.

The Jeep incident was the latest warning to the auto industry, which is rapidly adding Internet-connected features like WiFi and navigation that are convenient for drivers but make the car more vulnerable to outside attacks. Earlier this year, BMW had to offer a software patch after hackers remotely unlocked the doors of its cars.

Miller has said he and Valasek first told FCA about their research in October and have been in touch with the company several times since then.

Owners of the recalled vehicles will get a USB drive that they can use to update the software. Fiat Chrysler says it provides added security features beyond what’s been done on the company’s vehicle network.

Customers can go to http:// www.driveuconnect.com/software-update/ and punch in their vehicle identification number to find out if they’re included in the recall.

The company, known as FCA US LLC, also said it has set up a team focused on best practices for software development and integration into vehicles.

PAGE 12A

Zentertainment

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

Rose breaks out on ‘Orange is the New Black’

By ALICIA RANCILIO ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — American audiences were introduced to Australian actress Ruby Rose on the third season of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black,” and she’s quickly become a breakout star.

Rose plays Stella, an inmate at the women’s prison who hits it off with Taylor Schilling’s lead character, Piper. The series also stars Laverne Cox, Laura Prepon and Uzo Uduba.

In a recent interview, Rose said she’s trailed by paparazzi, even when she’s at the airport. However, the attention she’s gotten is welcomed because “my main goal is always acting.”

“I had no opportunities before,” she said with a laugh. “I was finding it really hard to get in the door here. Really hard. I couldn’t get an agent, I couldn’t get a man-

ager, I couldn’t get an audition. I couldn’t do anything, and your hands are a little bit tied at that point. You have a visa that says it’s for entertainment and you have no one that wants to represent you.”

The 29-year-old is considering possible future projects, and says there’s a possibility she’ll return for the fourth season of “Orange.”

She talked about her experience on the show in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

Associated Press: What was it like to join the huge cast of “Orange is the New Black”?

Rose: I’ve never been in a situation like that where I’ve gotten to meet so many amazing women that are all so talented and independent and funny, and it’s a very supernatural situation with that many talented people in one room at one time, all getting along. It’s great. It was perfect.

Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/file | AP

Actress Ruby Rose attends Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black” ORANGECON Celebration at Skylight Clarkson SQ, in New York, on June 11. Rose plays Stella, an inmate at the women’s prison who hits it off with Taylor Schilling’s lead character, Piper.

AP: Is there anything about the set that surprised you?

Rose: There’s a lot of re-purposing. ... There’s parts of the set where it’s someone’s bunk, but then it’s someone else’s bunk after four o’clock.

AP: You were a fan of the show before becoming a cast member.

How did it feel to join the cast?

Rose: The only one I went like, ‘Oh, what’s going on?’ was with Laura Prepon. She had the prison outfit, the glasses, the brows and the hair. She was (her character) Alex walking down the corridor. I just went, ‘Hi! You’re really goodlooking.’ She’s just so tall and statuesque.

AP: Is there anyone you didn’t have scenes with that you wish you did?

Rose: I did a lot of scenes with pretty much everyone. I think Laverne (Cox), maybe, I didn’t get any scenes with (her), but we hung out a lot, and whenever she

was there on the set, I would always go and sit in her room.

AP: You also work as a disc jockey. How do you balance that with acting?

Rose: I get these weekend opportunities to travel to different parts of the world and DJ, so it’s literally the perfect mix. I have a fantastic combination career. It’s a hobby, but it’s something I’ve done for the last 10 years and so it’s always going to be part of me.

AP: How did you start acting?

Rose: I actually went to school for acting when I finished high school and about halfway through that first year, I ended up booking MTV (in Australia) and so I proceeded to do television presenting, I had a clothing brand and created my own radio station. ... I did all these crazy things and it was almost like they were all sidesteps to get me into the door with acting. ... I’m definitely where I want to be now and it feels amazing.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 13A

TRUMP Continued from Page 1A

“

A lot of people at the airport were … all in favor of Trump and what I’m doing.”

DONALD TRUMP

excitement via Twitter for his visit to Laredo.

He said he felt “such great warmth” from everyone he met upon arrival.

“We just landed, a lot of people at the airport were waving American flags and they were all in favor of Trump and what I’m doing,” Trump said.

The candidate said he did not see any protesters when he landed.

Border safety Trump said he was invited to visit Laredo because Border Patrol agents are having problems carrying out their jobs.

According to Trump, their plans to accompany him were canceled at the last minute per orders from Washington, D.C.

“The Border Patrol invited me then they cancelled because frankly they don’t want to get involved,” Trump said. “The reason they invited me was because of the tremendous problem and the tremendous crime.”

During a news conference at the World Trade International Bridge, Trump said there is “tremendous danger on the border with illegals coming in.” He said crime and safety issues along the border would go away if Border Patrol agents were allowed to do their jobs.

The candidate said he also heard evidence of Mexico sending criminals across the border, and that other people heard that same evidence. He did not say or provide the media with what specific evidence he

heard.

“We’ll be showing you the evidence,” he said, though he did not specify where or how.

Trump said building a wall along some sections of the U.S.-Mexico border is necessary. He did not mention whether he felt building a wall was necessary in the Laredo area.

Voter impact Trump said Thursday he is leading the polls among GOP presidential candidates and even has the most Hispanic voters backing them.

According to a Washington Post-ABC News poll from last week, Trump was the favorite of 24 percent of registered Republicans and Republican-leaning inde-

ZAPATA

pendents.

One America News Network also released last week 2016 Republican and Democratic presidential polling results for Nevada, conducted by Gravis Marketing.

Those results showed Trump had an overall lead of 27.7 percent. He received 31.4 percent support from polled Hispanics, the results said.

Trump proudly brought these poll numbers up, but he avoided making lengthy comments about the impression his June 16 presidential campaign announcement left on Hispanics.

The announcement speech included provocative comments about Mexicans who migrate to the U.S. “When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best,” Trump said last month. “… They’re sending

people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us.

They’re bringing drugs.

They’re bringing crime.

They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.”

When asked if he should apologize, Trump said Hispanics were not were not insulted by his comments “because the press misinterprets my words.”

Last month, Univision said it would not air Miss USA and Miss Universe — two beauty pageants that Trump co-owns — because of Trump’s remarks. Trump later filed a lawsuit against Univision for $500 million in damages.

Other companies that have ended ties with Trump’s business ventures since his campaign announcement include Macy’s and NBCUniversal.

Yet, Trump is confident he’ll get the GOP nomination.

“I’m in first place by a lot, it seems,” Trump said Thursday. “I want to run as a Republican. I think I’ll get the nomination. We’ll see soon enough.”

He said part of his campaign platform is to “take jobs back from China and Japan and every other country that’s killing us.”

He said Hispanics are going to get those jobs.

His priority as a presidential candidate, however, is to strengthen U.S. borders.

“After that, we’re going to have plenty of time to talk about that (undocumented immigrants who live in the U.S.),” Trump said.

(Kendra Ablaza can be reached at 728-2538 or kablaza@lmtonline.com)

MINERALS Continued from Page 1A

Continued from Page 1A tempt,” states the complaint.

Tristan further stated he and Mireles planned the attempt the night before. Tristan told agents he needed the money because it was hard for him to find work because he was recently released from prison, records show.

U.S. Border Patrol said they detained both men July 7 after agents noticed several people running from the brush and jumping into the back of a white pickup. Records state the men were transporting eight immigrants who had entered the country illegally.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

minerals.

The corpus belonged to the people that remain after the life tenant, the children of Leon Oscar Ramirez Sr. His children are the plaintiffs in the case.

After Leonor Ramirez died, ConocoPhillips sent a letter addressed to her son, Rodolfo Ramirez, on July 1, 1997.

In the letter, ConocoPhillips recognizes that the minerals that once belonged to Leonor did not belong to any of her children but her grandchildren.

Enclosed with the letter was a “stipulation of in-

terest ownership of the mineral estate,” which, if signed by Leonor’s children, intended to “correct the title of record.”

Leonor’s children each signed the stipulation, wiping out the grandchildren’s claim to the mineral interest in the process.

As a result, ConocoPhillips made a lot of money that rightfully belonged to the plaintiffs, according to attorney Alberto Alarcon, who represented the plaintiffs in the case.

In December 2011, Minerva and Leon Oscar Ramirez Jr. filed amended motions for partial summary judgment.

The motions specifically requested summary judgment that the mineral interest of each was a 1/12 undivided mineral interest devised to them in Leonor Ramirez’s will.

The motions also requested judgment that the oil and gas leases relied on by ConocoPhillips were invalid as to their respective mineral interest.

The trial court granted the amended motions for summary judgment on Dec. 6, 2012. The final judgment decreed that Minerva and Leon Oscar Ramirez Jr. were the owners of 1/6 of the minerals

(1/12 each).

Their shares totaled $9,432,070. In May, the trial court awarded an additional $1,125,000 each in attorney’s fees to Minerva and Leon Oscar Ramirez Jr., bringing the total judgment to $11,682,070, which will be divided equally among them.

“ConocoPhillips’ tactic in this case was to present a shopping cart full of whitewash and shell games, hoping to find a gullible judge,” Alarcon said. “Instead, they found a brilliant jurist in Judge Joe Lopez, who quickly picked up the arguments were nothing but smoke

screens.”

The case and the vigorous defense presented by ConocoPhillips and its team of eight lawyers consumed a quarter of the work time of Alarcon for four and a half years, court documents state.

Alarcon said ConocoPhillips has already given notice that they are going to appeal the case.

If the Fourth Court of Appeals in San Antonio affirms the trial court’s decision, then the plaintiffs will receive the $11.6 million.

(Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)

CHASE Continued from Page 1A striking a Nissan Xterra parked on the side of the street of the 6400 block of

Creosote Loop.

Authorities apprehended Yanez and three suspected

immigrants who had entered the country illegally.

Yanez was taken to the

Webb County Jail, where he remained Friday. The three immigrants were

turned over to U.S. Border Patrol.

(César G. Rodriguez

may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

Judge fixes Court tosses 1 of Perry’s 2 indictments sentence for executive

By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — Some members of the Pedernales Electric Cooperative are asking why a judge amended a jail sentence for a former cooperative executive convicted in 2010 of theft and money laundering.

A state district judge sentenced Bennie Fuelberg in early 2011 to five years of probation that included 10, 30-day jail terms that would have forced jail time during his July birthday and on holidays, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

A different judge issued an order earlier this month delaying the 300day jail term by two months.

Fuelberg is now slated to begin his sentence Aug. 24 and to serve his time in shorter spurts of one to two weeks. He’ll also have time off during the month of his birthday and on certain holidays.

Fuelberg was accused of funneling members’ money to his brother through the co-op’s former law firm.

He served as the utility’s general manager for more than 30 years.

Longtime co-op member John Watson questioned the amended sentence order by state district Judge Allan Garrett, who didn’t return multiple messages from the newspaper seeking comment.

“It appears you modified the sentence without public notice or a public hearing,” Watson said in a letter to the judge. “The process as described seems procedurally questionable to me. I wonder if you could explain why you acted in secret on this matter.”

Other members also raised concerns at a co-op board meeting this week, the newspaper reported.

Fuelberg’s attorney Chris Gunter said the order was modified in June after a verbal discussion with Garrett.

“I had a conversation with the state, and they agreed we could modify the order,” Gunter said. “We had to the put order in writing, and each side approved the order as written.”

AUSTIN — One of two felony indictments against former Texas Gov. Rick Perry was tossed out Friday, giving the Republican presidential candidate a potentially huge legal victory in the face of flagging polling numbers for the 2016 race.

The 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin sided with Perry’s pricy legal team, stating in a 96-page ruling that the charge of coercion of a public servant constituted a violation of the former governor’s free speech rights.

Perry, who left office in January, was indicted last August on the coercion charge and a separate charge of abuse of official power, which wasn’t affected by the ruling.

For now, he’ll still have to face the abuse of power charge — which could tie him up in court and eat into valuable onthe-ground campaigning time in the midst of his White House run. But Perry’s lead attorney, Tony Buzbee, downplayed the future significance of the case, just as his client has for months, saying it will have “no impact whatsoever” on the campaign.

“One down, one to go,” Buz-

Photo by Charlie Neibergall | AP file

In this July 13 photo, Rick Perry speaks during a meet and greet. bee said at a Houston news conference. "The court today threw out what we believe to be the greater of the two charges.” He added that the abuse of power charge is “hanging by a thread.”

Perry has spent more than $2 million on top defense lawyers — even though his 2016 campaign has raised barely half that much. Despite numerous visits to key early states like Iowa and New Hampshire, polls show Perry badly trailing in a crowded field.

He’s made just a single court appearance in the case, which stems from 2013, when Perry publicly threatened, and then carried out, a veto of $7.5 million in state funding for public

corruption prosecutors. His move came in the wake of the Democrat who headed the investigative unit, District Attorney Rosemary Lehmberg, rebuffing Perry’s calls to resign after she was convicted of drunken driving.

The indictment was handed down by a grand jury in Austin, a liberal bastion in a state that’s mostly conservative, leading Perry to characterize the case as a political “witch hunt.” Still, his previous — and numerous — attempts to have the Republican trial judge toss the charges on constitutional grounds were rejected, prompting the appeal.

Michael McCrum, the San Antonio-based special prosecutor leading the case, has long maintained it deserves to go to trial. He said he wasn’t certain whether he’d appeal Friday’s ruling since it affects an underlying statue that will impact many cases, not just Perry’s.

“Obviously we’re ready to proceed to trial on the other count,” McCrum said, though he noted he doesn’t yet know when such a trial would begin because Perry can appeal the abuse of power charge to the Court of Criminal Appeals, Texas’ highest criminal court.

With that court on summer recess, doing so is “going to cause an extended delay,” he said.

“Insofar as the presidential issue is involved,” McCrum said “anybody that’s considering voting or donating to any candidate, you’re not going to get any resolution anytime soon.”

Buzbee said he considers the remaining charge nothing more than a misdemeanor and said the Court of Criminal Appeals “will throw it out on its face.” The abuse of official capacity nonetheless has a maximum sentence of 99 years in prison, while the voided coercion charge carried a 10-year maximum sentence.

Craig McDonald, the director of the left-leaning watchdog group Texans for Public Justice that filed an initial complaint about Perry’s veto, noted that Friday’s ruling came from Republican judges who could have quashed the whole case.

Instead, he said, their decision “leaves a criminal indictment hanging over Perry’s head.”

Perry’s presidential campaign offered no comment beyond what Buzbee said. Perry was in South Carolina on Thursday but didn’t have any announced weekend events.

16 media groups fight Waco gag order

By EMILY SCHMALL ASSOCIATED PRESS

FORT WORTH, Texas — A gag order in a criminal case arising from a shootout at a biker gathering in Waco is unconstitutional, overly broad and should be lifted, attorneys for 16 media organizations argued in a brief filed Friday with a Texas appeals court.

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press and 15 other organizations, including The Associated Press, filed the “friend of the court” brief in support of a motion by an

attorney for one of 177 people arrested after the shooting.

Nine people were killed and 18 injured in the May 17 shootout that authorities say arose from an apparent confrontation between two motorcycle clubs.

The gag order was issued in the criminal case of Matthew Clendennen, the only arrested biker who has filed a lawsuit against local authorities alleging he was arrested without probable cause. All 177 people arrested initially were held on a $1 million bond on charges of engaging in organized crim-

inal activity. Only three remain in jail and there have been no indictments.

The gag order prevents those involved in Clendennen’s criminal case from discussing it with the media.

But the Reporters Committee brief says the order “does not make clear whether the speech restrictions apply to any discussion of the underlying incident generally, including the other pending criminal cases,” or to Clendennen’s civil lawsuit.

The order was written by McLennan County District At-

torney Abel Reyna, who is among officials named in Clendennen’s suit, and issued

by Reyna’s former law partner, District Judge Matt Johnson. The judge also has issued a protective order preventing public release of a surveillance video of the scene.

In granting the gag order, Johnson said he was acting to prevent pretrial publicity from influencing potential jurors.

The brief argues the court lacked specific findings to support its conclusion that publicity could taint the juror pool.

Mexico

14A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

Prison that held ‘El Chapo’ a replica of his former

By WILLIAM NEUMAN NEW YORK TIMES

MEXICO CITY — Ever since the powerful drug lord known as El Chapo escaped from a maximum-security prison through a mile-long tunnel that opened right into the shower of his cell, Mexico has been wondering how his accomplices got their hands on the blueprints to operate with such pinpoint precision.

The answer could be quite simple: They may have had them for years.

It turns out that the prison is a virtual replica of another lockup that El Chapo, whose real name is Joaquín Guzmán Loera, broke out of in 2001 in an almost equally audacious escape.

In other words, he essentially broke out of the same prison twice.

Authorities believe that for his first escape — by some accounts, he broke out by sneaking out in a laundry cart — Guzmán had the help of a top prison security official who went on to become a trusted member of his Sinaloa cartel.

Investigators think that the confederate, Dámaso López, may have taken a copy of the blueprints for the other prison when he left his job around the time of Guzmán’s earlier escape, a senior Mexican law enforcement official said.

And since the layout of the two prisons is virtually identical, and they were built within a few years of each other, those blueprints could have come in handy when planning this month’s breakout.

The official said that López was now a prime suspect in the hunt for the people who planned and carried out this month’s escape. Beyond the possible blueprints, López is believed to have close knowledge of the layout of the prisons and security procedures. The tunnel makers may have also had the GPS coordinates for Guzmán’s shower stall.

Authorities have so far detained seven prison employees, including four

Photo by Eduardo Verdugo | AP

In this July 14 photo, a journalist climbs a ladder to get out of the tunnel that according to authorities, drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman used to escape from the Altiplano maximum security prison in Almoloya, west of Mexico City. whose job was to watch closed-circuit television monitors that showed Guzmán’s cell and three guards.

But López remains at large.

López was charged with drug trafficking in a 2011 indictment filed in federal court in Virginia, and in 2013 he was described as Guzmán’s right-hand man and a senior lieutenant in the Sinaloa cartel in a statement by the Treasury Department.

The tunnel that Guzmán used to escape included ventilation and lighting and extended for about a mile, under the prison walls, ending in a shaft that opened in a hole about 20 inches by 20 inches in the floor of the tiny shower of his cell.

There was little room for error. Being off by a foot or two would have meant failure.

"Certainly they needed the blueprints," Interior Secretary Miguel Ángel Osorio

Chong said in a news conference last week, although he did not say how Guzmán’s henchmen may have gotten them.

The prison that he escaped from this month, about an hour’s drive from Mexico City, is known as Altiplano, or Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 1, because it was the first of a new set of modern prisons.

Construction was completed in 1990, and the center opened in 1991, according to a book by the prison’s first director, Juan Pablo de Tavira.

The prison that Guzmán escaped from in 2001 is Federal Social Readaptation Center No. 2. Located near Guadalajara and commonly known as Puente Grande, it was constructed from 1990 to 1993, according to the book.

A third prison with the same design near Matamoros on the border with Texas was finished in 1994.

The senior Mexican law enforcement official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation into Guzmán’s

escape is continuing, confirmed that the design for the three prisons was the same.

Satellite images of the prisons show virtually identical layouts. Information available on government websites shows that the prisons were each designed to hold 724 inmates and that the facilities each comprise 300,313 square feet.

After Guzmán’s escape,

Mexicans were flabbergasted this week when authorities announced that a computer containing blueprints to another high-security jail, this one in Mexico City, had been stolen. Authorities said the drawings were not the final ones, but they were reported to have moved some prisoners to different cells to protect against possible breakout plans.

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NFL: COWBOYS

CONCACAF GOLD CUP: MEXICO

Reviews underway Photo by LM Otero | AP

Former Cowboys WR Michael Irvin discussed turning Tim Brown away in free agency in the past.

Irvin reflects on Brown WR explains why he drove Brown away

By RICK GOSSELIN MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE Photo by Gregory Bull | AP

Mexico’s Michael Perez, left, tries to keep the ball inbounds as Panama’s Cecilio Waterman, second from left, defends on July 23.

Panama, Costa Rica upset with Mexico’s victories

By RICARDO ZUNIGA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Panama and Costa Rica have formally asked for reviews of CONCACAF’S referee procedures after both countries had questionable calls go against them late in Gold Cup knockout round games against

regional power Mexico, according to a person in CONCACAF with knowledge of the requests.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Friday because he was not authorized to discuss the matter. CONCACAF had announced that the issue had been added for discussion to the agenda

of Saturday’s executive committee meeting but did not detail the requests.

In the final minute of extra time in Sunday’s quarterfinal, Mexico was awarded a penalty kick with the game tied 0-0 and converted to beat Costa Rica.

See MEXICO PAGE 2B

CONCACAF GOLD CUP: UNITED STATES

TITLE HOPES DASHED

Michael Irvin was not being selfish when he told fellow Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown in 1994 to forget about playing for his hometown Cowboys.

Irvin was just being realistic.

"We were a runoriented offense then and Troy (Aikman) was only completing 20 balls a game," explained Irvin on Friday in a telephone call. "I got eight of those balls, Jay (Novacek) would get six, D.J. (Daryl Johnson) would get two out of the backfield, Emmitt (Smith) would get two. We were scrambling to get Alvin (Harper) and KW (Kevin Williams) some balls.

Where was Tim going to get any

See COWBOYS PAGE 2B

NFL: HALL OF FAME

USA to play for 3rd place

By RACHEL COHEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHESTER, Pa. — Asked what winning the third-place game at the CONCACAF Gold Cup would mean, U.S. captain Michael Bradley paused for a moment, then said softly, “Not much.”

The midfielder quickly added that pride and competitiveness would keep the Americans playing hard against a short-handed Panama squad, a promise repeated often by his teammates and coach Jurgen Klinsmann on Friday. Once the U.S. was stunned by Jamaica in the semifinals, cutting short its bid to repeat as Gold Cup champion, Saturday’s third-place match was left to build momentum and try out different lineups.

In many ways, those are always objectives for Klinsmann as he seeks to develop a squad that can contend against the world’s best. For a coach in his position, the trick is to win enough in the short term to stick around to possibly see through those long-term results.

“We want to continue the process toward 2018,” he said about the next World Cup. “This is Year 1 after the World Cup in Brazil, a year of rebuilding the pieces and bringing in young, new players, trying a lot of things out.”

Klinsmann specifically defended two young players, center backs John Brooks and Ventura

File photo by Denis Poroy | AP

Junior Seau stands with his daughter, Sydney, at his induction into the Chargers Hall of Fame.

Photo by LM Otero | AP

U.S. head soccer coach Jurgen Klinsmann and team USA is settling for the third-place match after their title hopes were dashed.

Alvarado. The 22-year-olds have been shaky at times in the Gold Cup, and they were unable to prevent Jamaica’s Darren Mattocks from heading in the first goal of Wednesday’s 2-1 loss on a throw-in.

“They have to go through these pains,” Klinsmann said, adding, “We’re going to do a step back here and there.”

He noted Brooks and Alvarado had made for a winning pairing in their brief tenure together before the semifinal defeat, including breakthrough victories in June exhibitions against world champion Germany and the Netherlands, another Euro-

pean power.

“Enormous, enormous talent” is how he described the two.

“We’re going to keep on developing young players, keep looking into the future,” Klinsmann said. “Two, three years down the road — what does this team look like? ... You have to keep developing a team that you have in mind toward 2018 that’s hopefully better than you did in Brazil.”

Panama, reeling from the chaotic finish to its semifinal loss to Mexico, will be without five players because of suspension or injury. On the verge of victory Wednesday, the Panamanians, playing with 10 men,

Seau’s family quieted

were called for a disputed hand ball. Mexico tied the game on the penalty kick and went on to win 2-1 after another penalty in extra time.

Midfielders Valentin Pimentel and Gabriel Gomez and forward Blas Perez are hurt, while forward Luis Tejada and goalkeeper Jaime Penedo were each suspended two games by CONCACAF on Friday. Penedo was disciplined for pushing the assistant referee after Wednesday’s match. Tejada received a red card, then was punished additionally for not leaving the field

CANTON, Ohio — Junior Seau’s daughter will not be commenting on her father entering the Pro Football Hall of Fame during the Aug. 8 inductions.

Citing previous policies on posthumous inductions, the Hall has barred Sydney Seau from making a speech. Seau,

See USA PAGE 2B

See SEAU PAGE 2B

ASSOCIATED PRESS

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Zscores

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

Photo by Charles Krupa | AP

Organizers of Boston’s bid for the games are scrambling to improve lackluster poll numbers ahead of a September 2015 deadline to formally throw the city’s name into the mix to hold the games.

Photo by Ennio Leanza | AP

FIFA president Sepp Blatter speaks during a news conference at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland on July 20.

Boston’s organizers Corruption halts sponsors downplay opposition

By GRAHAM DUNBAR ASSOCIATED PRESS

By PHILIP MARCELO ASSOCIATED PRESS

BOSTON — Organizers of Boston’s bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics downplayed the opposition that was already galvanizing against it, as well as the prospects of a voter referendum, according to the documents that won over the U.S. Olympic Committee.

The full, unredacted version of the bid was released Friday after city officials earlier this week called for their disclosure.

The documents reveal that organizers said a referendum was unlikely because it would cost “in excess of a million dollars” to launch and would be too “burdensome” and “onerous” for opponents to accomplish before 2018. Boston2024 also suggested they were prepared to challenge any referendum effort on a variety of fronts, including the courts and legislature.

A citizen’s group earlier this month filed a request to place a referendum on the 2016 ballot that would effectively prevent state taxpayer dollars from being used on the games. Boston 2024 has also said it supports the idea of the ballot question and has been working to submit a proposal by the state’s Aug. 5 deadline.

“Boston 2024 is afraid of a ballot question, and they’ve outlined a detailed plan to fight back against any effort to have one,” said Evan Falchuk, a former gubernatorial candidate and an organizer of the citizen-led ballot referendum.

Boston 2024 Chairman Steve Pagliuca stressed the original bid book was simply a “proof of concept” that’s since been supplanted by a more detailed and revised June proposal. “While it served that purpose well, it was not meant to be a final or operable plan,” he said.

Opponents have countered that the original bid is still relevant because it provided a basis of comparison and also shows

what promises organizers initially made to the USOC. “The release of Boston 2024’s unredacted bid documents confirm that the boosters have been saying one thing behind closed doors, and an entirely different thing to Massachusetts taxpayers,” said the No Boston Olympics group, a citizen group that’s become the de facto voice of opposition to the bid.

Boston 2024 released a partial version of its winning bid in January, after the USOC picked Boston over Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington D.C. But the privately funded organization declined to release the full version of the bid, citing “proprietary information” the USOC didn’t want disclosed.

Four of the six chapters of the original bid have since been made public through records requests; the final two chapters had not been disclosed. Among the other findings in the previously undisclosed chapters, which focused on finances and public and political support: — Organizers initially projected the games to cost about $4.7 billion but run at a nearly $500 million deficit. Boston 2024’s revised proposal shows a $4.6 billion budget with a surplus of just over $200 million.

— Boston 2024 anticipated submitting a raft of bills to the legislature to “facilitate public control of the land and infrastructure” and streamline the permitting process, among other things.

— Bob Kraft, the New England Patriots owner, was named as a member of Boston 2024’s original board of directors. Boston 2024 now says his name was erroneously included.

— Early polling found the idea faced “significant resistance” from older, better educated and mostly white Bostonians but enjoyed support among minorities and youths.

ST. PETERSBURG, Russia — The FIFA corruption crisis is hurting its search for new World Cup sponsors.

Targeting almost $6 billion in revenue from the 2018 tournament, FIFA has not signed any new sponsors since last year’s World Cup in Brazil.

"Definitely the current situation does not help to finalize any new agreement. That is a fact," FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said Friday ahead of this weekend’s qualifying draw.

The first big event for host Russia has brought hundreds of international media to St. Petersburg, offering a natural stage for a sponsorship launch.

However, Valcke said no major deals would be completed until FIFA’s future is clearer - after Sepp Blatter is replaced as president next year.

"I’m sure until the (presidential) election, until the 26th of February, there will not be major announcements," Valcke said, adding that "at least two major companies" have been in negotiatons.

Amid growing frustration with FIFA since May 27, when American and Swiss federal investigations of alleged bribery and money-laundering were revealed, current

MEXICO Continued from Page 1B Then in Wednesday’s semifinals, Panama led 1-0 when it was called for a hand ball in the box. Mexico again converted in stoppage time, then went on to win in extra time.

The person said Panama requested investigations into the referee committee and its procedures, the people who assign referees to games, all unspecified “suspicious matches,” and referee Mark Geiger.

In a separate letter, Costa Rica made similar requests. It also requested that certain referees not be assigned to its matches in the future.

CONCACAF said in a statement: “The confederation takes these claims extremely seriously and will look into them immediately.”

Earlier Friday, the president of the Panamanian federation, Pedro Chaluja, told reporters that “we feel that that game was fixed.”

“There are third parties with interests, and we know that it can’t be possible that the best-ranked referee in CONCACAF has such a

poor and suspicious performance in a game,” he said.

He also noted that “we know that there have been suspicious and strange things going on in several matches in this Cup.” On Thursday, the federation demanded the removal of CONCACAF’s referee selection panel after describing the officiating in the loss as “insulting and embarrassing.” The statement also accused the match officials of favoring Mexico “in a vulgar and shameless way.”

Two Panama players — forward Luis Tejada and goalkeeper Jaime Penedo — were each suspended two games by CONCACAF on Friday. Penedo was disciplined for pushing the assistant referee after Wednesday’s match. Tejada received a red card, then was punished additionally for not leaving the field “in a timely manner.”

The federation was also fined an undisclosed amount “for team misconduct both on and off the field.”

made from the podium,” Horrigan said.

The 2011 induction used such a format when former Los Angeles Rams star Les Richter was inducted posthumously.

In a New York Times story Friday, Sydney Seau said: “It’s frustrating because the induction is for my father and for the other players, but then to not be able to speak, it’s painful. I just want to give the speech he would have given.”

Seau, who played 20 seasons as one of the NFL’s best linebackers, shot and killed himself.

Doctors later diagnosed

among several commercial partners who did not renew last year.

Only seven of 14 available positions in FIFA’s top two commercial categories have been filled, and none of the 20 slots in a new regional category designed to increase revenue from the 2010-2014 tournament cycle.

FIFA earned $1.63 billion in marketing revenue tied to the 2014 tournament in Brazil. Its total "event-related revenue" in that four-year commercial period was more than $5.1 billion, the governing body’s accounts showed in March.

Valcke said the 2018 tournament should be worth more and insisted FIFA was not behind schedule in signing deals to meet its revenue targets.

With some sponsors committed to other big events in 2016 - such as the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and the European Championship - promotional campaigns tied to the 2018 World Cup would typically start after they are finished, Valcke said.

Blatter’s right-hand man since 2007 is unlikely to clinch the new contracts. FIFA rules require the president to propose appointing a secretary general and a new leader elected in February will want to choose his own person, Valcke said.

USA Continued from Page 1B “in a timely manner.”

Panama’s federation also was fined an undisclosed amount.

In the Panamanians’ latest criticism of CONCACAF, the federation’s president, Pedro Chaluja, told reporters earlier Friday that “we feel that that game was fixed.”

“There are third parties with interests, and we know that it can’t be possible that the bestranked referee in CONCACAF has such a poor and suspicious performance in a game,” he said.

Coach Hernan Gomez said Chaluja’s reaction was “human nature” but wouldn’t add to the criticism, saying “rules are rules.” CONCACAF confirmed Friday it would review requests from Panama and Costa Rica — which lost to Mexico on a disputed call in the quarterfinals.

Gomez initially said that six players were at risk of missing World Cup qualifiers because of

SEAU Continued from Page 1B who committed suicide in 2012, is one of seven men being inducted this year.

In a statement from Joe Horrigan, the executive vice president and chief communications officer for the Hall, a 2010 policy was referenced on Friday.

“The policy of the Pro Football Hall of Fame since 2010 regarding individuals enshrined posthumously provides for an expanded presenting video (longer than the videos of living inductees) followed by the traditional unveiling of the bronzed bust and no additional comments

sponsors have asked to meet with FIFA management.

FIFA received a letter from sponsors this week and will organize a briefing in August by its lawyers and marketing officials, Valcke said.

Valcke spoke at a news conference hours after Visa said FIFA’s responses to the recent crisis were "wholly inadequate."

"We believe no meaningful progress can be made under FIFA’s existing leadership," the United States-based credit card company said Thursday.

Long-time FIFA backer Coca-Cola and second-tier sponsor McDonald’s have also broken ranks from their traditional loyalty by criticizing the football body’s handling of bribery allegations. Two of FIFA’s eight vice presidents were among 14 soccer and marketing officials indicted in the United States in May. Blatter and Valcke are expected targets in the U.S. Department of Justice’s case.

FIFA’s slate of current World Cup sponsors is looking thin as its seeks to fill 34 available slots for two-tournament packages taking in the 2018 event in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

Two top-tier sponsors, Dubai-based airline Emirates and Sony, were

Seau with traumatic brain injury they believed attributable to playing football, particuarly to hits to his head.

His family also has sued the NFL. But Sydney Seau told the Times none of that was planned in her speech.

“It wasn’t going to be about this mess,” she said. “My speech was solely about him.”

The video presentation will last about five minutes, longer than the usual videos by about two minutes, the Hall said. Sydney Seau will appear in the video.

yellow card accumulation, but CONCACAF officials said yellow cards in the Gold Cup wouldn’t affect qualifying.

Panama played some kickball during Friday’s practice, seeking to add a lighthearted note to a trying week.

Klinsmann plans to shake up his lineup against Panama, but didn’t offer any specifics other than to say DaMarcus Beasley would play in the second half.

The 33-year-old defender had retired from international soccer only to agree to make himself available for the Gold Cup. Klinsmann added him for the knockout rounds, but Beasley strained a calf in his first practice and has yet to play.

Klinsmann spoke to the squad before Friday’s workout about Beasley’s contributions, and fellow players gave the defender a lengthy ovation. The coach hopes to send Beasley off with a strong performance and a victory, but then again the

veteran of a U.S.-record four World Cups isn’t ruling out another return to the national team.

The Americans can still qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup even though they won’t win this tournament. As the 2013 Gold Cup champs, the U.S. will face the winner of Sunday’s title match between Mexico and Jamaica in a playoff Oct. 9 for CONCACAF’s spot in the most important warm-up for the next World Cup. The United States beat Panama in the 2013 Gold Cup final, one of several stinging losses delivered by the Americans. In qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, the U.S. scored twice in second-half stoppage time to cost the Panamanians a chance to make it to Brazil.

The teams tied 1-1 in the group stage earlier in this tournament, a game with far more on the line for Panama than the Americans.

COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B balls?

"It was just the reality. I love Tim. He and I came in (to the NFL) together, and we’ve always been tight. We’ve talked about going into the Hall of Fame together. But I was just being flatout real with him. I told him, ’Let’s take the emotions out of it about you wanting to come home and play for the Cowboys. Let’s take a realistic look at this.

We only have 20 passes, baby. There aren’t that many balls to go around.’

"And it wasn’t like the formula wasn’t working. You can’t make great decisions without information.

"I took in the information around the decision and saw there was no need to tamper with anything. I was thinking, ’Tim, what we’ve got working is pretty good over there.’ " Brown mentioned the other day that he had approached Irvin at the 1994 Pro Bowl about the possibility of signing with the Cowboys in free agency. Not only did Irvin

discourage the thought, Brown mused, he flat out rejected it and told him he was going to call Jerry Jones to prevent any such signing from happening.

"I remember him looking at me like, ’You’re joking, right?’ " Irvin said, "but I said, ’Listen, dude, I’m serious.’ " The Cowboys would advance to the NFC title game in the 1994 season and win a third Super Bowl in the 1995 season. Brown wound up staying with the Raiders and finished his career fifth on the NFL’s all-time receiving list with 1,094 catches.

The talent was there. Just not the timing.

"If we were in today’s time, it would be different," Irvin said. "Everybody is throwing the ball 60 times a game. I’d have told him, ’I’ve got 7-8 passes for you, Tim, because I have 11-12 for me. C’mon over.’ But at the time, the formula we had - we were going to the Super Bowl - there was no point in bringing in anything to interrupt that at that moment."

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015

Dear Heloise: I wish parents/ employers would teach kids/employees to COUNT BACK CHANGE. I think it would be a good lesson and habit to get into.

If you buy an item that’s $1.49 total and pay with a $20 bill, you get $18.51 back in change.

Please count it out for me.

-- Ed in Mobile, Ala. Let me count the ways to learn to count money!

It starts in school (and at home) with basic arithmetic. Parents can help children learn math and make it fun even before school age. When you get change back from a transaction, have the child count the change. When you leave a cash tip, ask them to count the amount left on the table.

That said, employers may have a certain way they want change returned to the customer. Bills first, then coins, or vice versa. As a customer, you can say politely, "Please give me the bills first." -Heloise

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

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HELOISE

PET PAL Dear Readers: Cheryl, via email, sent in a picture of her black-andwhite 4-year-old cat, Poohpah -- the "love" of her day.

When she is sitting in just a certain way, you can see her two spots come together to make a heart! To see Poohpah and our other Pet Pals, visit my website, www.Heloise.com, and click on "Pet of the Week." -- Heloise CHEAP CAT TOY Dear Heloise: I have several house cats, and they just love colorful, large craft "pipe cleaners."

They form into all kinds of shapes. One cat loves talking to his "toy," carrying it around and having a great time. Such an inexpensive toy and more cherished than purchased ones. -- Ethel R., via email

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, JULY 25, 2015