The Zapata Times 8/8/2015

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ZAPATA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

ZCISD

High-speed chase

Board to discuss Nuques’ release Superintent may leave district despite contract extension

By JUDITH RAYO THE ZAPATA TIMES

Courtesy photo

The Sheriff’s Office seized 448 pounds of marijuana from the truck.

Courtesy photo

This photo shows the gray pickup involved in the chase.

Vehicle loaded with weed; driver still at large

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A high-speed chase ended with a pickup crashing into a pole, according to the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Of-

fice.

The vehicle was loaded with 448 pounds of marijuana, according to Sheriff ’s Office Chief Raymundo del Bosque. The contraband had an estimated street val-

ue of $390,400.

“No arrests have been made at this time,” del Bosque said.

Del Bosque said investigators are following leads.

The chase happened July

30.

A chase ensued between deputies and a gray pickup.

The pursuit ended with the vehicle crashing into an

See CHASE PAGE 11A

IMMIGRANT FAMILY DETENTION

ASKED TO RECONSIDER

After receiving a “good evaluation” and a contract extension, the ZCISD superintendent may be on his way out.

The Zapata County Independent School District Board of Trustees will discuss Monday evening a voluntary separation agreement and the release of Raul Nuques, who was hired in April 2014 as superintendent.

Nuques declined comment on the matter.

The discussion of a voluntary separation agreement and his reNUQUES lease comes two months after Nuques stated his relationship with the board of trustees was “better than ever,” even after an incident involving him slamming a door during a meeting.

During ZCISD’s June 4 special called meeting, while meeting with trustees in closed session, Nuques slammed a door as he was exiting the office.

He later clarified the incident, stating he had “slipped.”

Nuques said he was carrying two binders as

See ZCISD PAGE 11A

LAREDO

Plastic surgery scam Service was not provided for woman who paid for liposuction

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES Photo by Eric Gay | AP file

rity intends to turn the centers into short-term processing facilities that her ruling “addressed practices and policies that no longer exist.”

The government says detention time has been re-

LAREDO — A Zapata woman was the latest person to fall prey to a plastic surgery scam that occurred in Laredo, according to reports.

Laredo police said that Rosa Mayela Ramirez, 40, promised a woman from Zapata County liposuction and breast augmentation for $8,135.

That service was never provided, according to a criminal complaint.

Ramirez was served with a theft of service warrant Thursday in the 200 block of Tulip Circle.

Ramirez, owner of Cellulite and Body Contouring, 1502 Laredo St., allegedly promised her clients that a Mexican licensed doctor would come to Laredo to perform plastic surgery.

See DETENTION PAGE 11A

See SURGERY PAGE 11A

In this July 7 file photo, immigrants from El Salvador and Guatemala who entered the country illegally board a bus after they were released from a family detention center in San Antonio. Justice Department lawyers are asking a federal judge to reconsider her July ruling.

US officials contest call for immediate release

By SETH ROBBINS ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — The U.S. government has asked a federal judge to reconsider her ruling calling for the immediate release of children and their mothers caught entering the U.S. illegally from

Mexico, saying recent changes mean federal authorities are no longer violating a ban on holding immigrant children in secure facilities.

In late July, U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee ordered the release of all children from immigrant family detention centers “without unneces-

sary delay,” along with any mothers not deemed a flight or national security risk.

Justice Department lawyers late Thursday filed documents at the California Central District Court urging Gee to not implement her decision, saying the Department of Homeland Secu-

SOUTH TEXAS FOOD BANK

Artists donate to Empty Bowls IX auction SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The South Texas Food announced the artists who are donating their talent in benefit of the South Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls IX dinner and concert on Friday, Aug. 21 at the Laredo Energy Arena. Artwork will be sold during a silent auction from 6–10 p.m.

“Empty Bowls is a great way we bring two great causes together: fighting hunger and celebrating art in our community,” STFB Executive Director Alma Boubel said. “In a way, Empty Bowls celebrates the spirit of giving and power of art to make a positive difference in the life of those we serve.”

This year’s auction is spear-

headed by the food bank’s development office and board member Kevin Romo with the assistance of the Laredo Center for the Arts Director Rosie Santos. Together the food bank and center have been working on recruiting artists and collecting art pieces and other auction items. STFB Board Member Leslie Benavides is the Empty Bowls Committee Chair.

“The Laredo Center for the Arts, the food bank staff as well as several of our board members have been reaching out to artists and businesses for unique item donations. Auction attendees can expect to see a wide variety of art from past artists as well as new ones,” said Kevin Romo, STFB board member. “I think they are really going to enjoy the different

art offerings and auction items we have in store for them.”

The silent auction will be at the Laredo Energy Arena’s Star Bar. Confirmed participants for the event include local artists: Armando Hinojosa, Amado Pena, Arturo Nochebuena, Jessica DiezBarroso, Maru Portillo, Sandra

See ARTISTS PAGE 11A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A collaborative effort between the Area Health Education Center and the Laredo Community Bereavement Taskforce will result in the 3rd Annual Kindness Project from 8 a.m.–10 a.m. at 1505 Calle Del Norte, Suite 430, Laredo, Texas. This will be the 3rd year the Kindness Project effort takes place in Laredo.

Carmen Mendoza and Rosie Moncada (both mothers who lost adult children tragically) are spearheading the Kindness Project with the help of local organizations. The families have selected a school uniform and supply drive to benefit the children of Casa Misericordia.

Today is Saturday, August 8, the 220th day of 2015. There are 145 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History: On August 8, 1945, President Harry S. Truman signed the U.S. instrument of ratification for the United Nations Charter. The Soviet Union declared war against Japan during World War II. On this date: In 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte set sail for St. Helena to spend the remainder of his days in exile.

In 1911, President William Howard Taft signed a measure raising the number of U.S. representatives from 391 to 433, effective with the next Congress, with a proviso to add two more when New Mexico and Arizona became states.

In 1937, during the Second Sino-Japanese War, Japan completed its occupation of Beijing.

In 1942, during World War II, six Nazi saboteurs who were captured after landing in the U.S. were executed in Washington, D.C.; two others who’d cooperated with authorities were spared.

In 1953, the United States and South Korea initialed a mutual security pact.

In 1963, Britain’s “Great Train Robbery” took place as thieves made off with 2.6 million pounds in banknotes.

In 1968, the Republican national convention in Miami Beach nominated Richard Nixon for president on the first ballot.

In 1973, Vice President Spiro T. Agnew branded as “damned lies” reports he had taken kickbacks from government contracts in Maryland, and vowed not to resign — which he ended up doing.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon announced his resignation, effective the next day, following damaging new revelations in the Watergate scandal.

In 1994, Israel and Jordan opened the first road link between the two once-warring countries.

In 2007, space shuttle Endeavour roared into orbit with teacher-astronaut Barbara Morgan on board.

In 2009, Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in as the U.S. Supreme Court’s first Hispanic and third female justice.

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush signed a bill to give billions in tax breaks to encourage homegrown energy production but acknowledged it wouldn’t quickly reduce high gasoline prices or the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.

Five years ago: Flooding in Gansu province in China resulted in mudslides that killed more than 1,400 people.

One year ago: The U.S. unleashed its first airstrikes against the Islamic State group in northern Iraq amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Today’s Birthdays: Actor Richard Anderson is 89. Actor Larry Wilcox is 68. Movie director Martin Brest is 64. Radio-TV personality Robin Quivers is 63. Rock musician The Edge (U2) is 54. Singer JC Chasez (’N Sync) is 39. Actress Countess Vaughn is 37. Tennis player Roger Federer is 34. Actress Meagan Good is 34. Britain’s Princess Beatrice of York is 27.

Thought for Today: “Man adjusts to what he should not; he is unable to adjust to what he should.” — Jean Toomer, African-American author-poet (1894-1967).

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 Pat Abrego at TAMIU at 326-2302.

Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center continues with the UT KidsPediatric Orthopedics Clinics at the center, 1220 N. Malinche Ave. Dr. John Faust and Dr. Sekinat McCormick will hold clinics every second Tuesday of every month. Prior registration and $5 processing fee. Orthopedic clinics benefit children with cerebral palsy, club foot, scoliosis, spina bifida and more. Contact Norma Rangel at 956-722-2431.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 12 The Webb County Heritage Foundation will host a presentation and book-signing on “Border Contraband: A History of Smuggling Across the Rio Grande” by George T. Diaz from 6–8 p.m. at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St. Books will be available for purchase. Contact the WCHF at 956727-0977 or visit www.webbheritage.org or its Facebook page.

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.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 14 Veterans, their wives and their children are invited to “Salute to Veterans” Day from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Unitrade Stadium, 6320 Sinatra Parkway. Call 235-0673.

South Texas Blood Bank blood drive from 2–6 p.m., Stat Emergency Center, 2502 NE Bob Bullock Lp. Stat Center will donate $3 to the South Texas Food Bank mission of feeding the hungry for every pint collected during that day. For more information call Salo Otero, South Texas Food Bank, 324-2432.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 18 “Moving Forward in the Grief Journey.” This workshop provides insight into what can keep one from moving forward. From 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Laredo Public Library Conference Room, 1120 E. Calton Rd. To register or for questions contact 210-7579425 ext. 1703 or michelle.ramirez@gencure.org.

Photo by Rudy Gutierrez/The El Paso Times | AP

In this photo taken Tuesday, Luis Barroteran, left, and Juan Carrillo lower a new marble grave marker in place with the aid of guide markers at Fort Bliss National Cemetery in El Paso. Rains have damaged about 45 sites this year, including sinking 15 graves, Fort Bliss National Cemetery Director Ame Callahan said. Other sites had minor damage.

Rains damage cemetery

By LINDSEY ANDERSON EL PASO TIMES

EL PASO — Heavy rains have gone easy on Fort Bliss National Cemetery this season, officials said.

Rains have damaged about 45 sites this year, including sinking 15 graves, Fort Bliss National Cemetery Director Ame Callahan said. Other sites had minor damage.

It’s a far cry from 2013, when as many as 1,000 gravesites were damaged by rains, including some that sunk several inches. Last year at least 300 graves sank during the rainy season.

Damaged graves are often older burials in which bare caskets were used, Callahan said.

The caskets deteriorate over time. Then, when rainwater seeps into the grave, the soil collapses and the grave sinks, she said.

“As we’ve evolved, we’ve come up with

94 percent of school districts meet standards

Death certificate fixed to reflect gay union

Drug ring members get life in prison for murder

AUSTIN — The Texas Education Agency says about 94 percent of districts and 86 percent of schools statewide meet the state’s minimum education standards.

Conversely, in its annual announcement of accountability ratings on Friday, the TEA says improvement will be required in the performance of 57 school districts and 610 individual public schools. The remaining 11 districts and 564 campuses weren’t rated.

AUSTIN — State officials say they’ve complied with a court order and amended the death certificate of a man to include the name of his same-sex spouse.

The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement Thursday night that John Stone-Hoskins of Conroe has been added to the death certificate for James Stone-Hoskins, who died in January, months after the couple had married in New Mexico.

ODESSA — Four members of a West Texas drug ring have been sentenced to life in federal prison after their convictions of murder in a dispute over crystal methamphetamine.

Prosecutors argued Olgin and Paredes, along with 35-year-old Noe Garcia Galan, abducted and murdered Sean Michael Lamb over suspicions that he’d stolen a large quantity of crystal meth.

Galan and one other man remain at large.

Wrong-way driver triggers wreck that kills 4

Infant found dead inside hot car at Waffle House

More Medina deer have chronic wasting disease

GREENVILLE — Four people have died, including three teenagers, when a wrong-way driver triggered a collision on a North Texas interstate.

A vehicle driving east in the westbound lanes of Interstate 30 early Friday collided with an SUV carrying five teens traveling from Virginia.

AUSTIN — A 10-month-old boy is dead after his unconscious body was found inside a car parked outside an Austin diner.

Austin police Cpl. Chad Martinka says efforts by Waffle House employees and ambulance crew members to revive the child failed. The temperature at the time was 98 degree.

HONDO — Officials say two out of 35 deer from a Medina County breeding ranch have tested positive for chronic wasting disease.

State officials announced the news before meeting Thursday to discuss a strategy to handle the outbreak of the disease.

— Compiled from AP reports

FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 South Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls IX fundraiser, 6 p.m. dinner, 8 p.m. concert, Laredo Energy Arena.

Concert by Kansas. Table (of 10) sponsorships start at $1,500, on sale from South Texas Food Bank staff 324-2432. Concert tickets only $10, $15, $25 available at LEA box office and Ticketmaster. The event honors the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Foundation.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 District Attorney Isidro "Chilo" Alaniz and J’s Party Town invite you to a back-to-school supply drive from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at J’s Party Town, 6516 McPherson Rd. Show your receipt of school supplies and redeem it towards riding go-karts and paintball.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 Spanish Book Club from 6 to 8 p.m. at Laredo Public Library-Calton Road. Contact Sylvia Reash at 7631810.

newer and better” procedures, Callahan told the El Paso Times.

The cemetery’s current burial process uses a concrete crypt or wraps the casket in a polyliner cover and crushed rock, helping stabilize the gravesite and limiting rain damage, said Callahan, who has overseen the cemetery since October.

That process should prevent graves from collapsing, University of Texas at El Paso geological sciences assistant professor Lixin Jin said.

Jin and fellow UTEP geological sciences professor Diane Doser have been studying the cemetery’s soil, part of an effort spearheaded by state Rep. Joe Moody, D-El Paso, to discover why graves sink when heavy rains hit.

Jin said she expects the study will be completed this fall.

AROUND THE NATION Most who fled huge wildfire return home CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. — Fire officials say most residents who evacuated during a fierce Northern California wildfire have been allowed to return home as crews reopened two highways that were used as fire breaks.

Forty-three homes have been destroyed in the blaze that started July 29 and is burning about 100 miles north of San Francisco.

Some 12,200 people were ordered or advised to evacuate as the wildfire chewed through nearly 109 square miles of dry brush.

Dead Poets Society founder wraps up tour YORK, Pa. — A Maine man who travels the nation to document the final resting places of poets has completed a summer tour in which he visited his

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 Jeff Chiu | AP

Gov. Jerry Brown, right, talks with firefighters and first responders after a news conference at Cowboy Camp Trailhead near Clearlake, Calif., Thursday. Crews backed by firefighting resources are gaining ground against the wildfire.

500th grave.

Dead Poets Society of America founder Walter Skold wrapped up Friday at the graves of Philip Pendleton Cooke in Millwood, Virginia, and Marianne Moore in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.

He also visited his father’s

grave in York, Pennsylvania.

He’s heading back home to Freeport, Maine.

Most of his time was in the Deep South. He says he visited 97 graves over 70 days, bringing his total to 530.

— Compiled from AP reports

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Crime

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Sheriff’s Office arrests Man busted for drugs suspected dealer for crack

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A suspected street-level drug dealer was recently arrested following a traffic stop, according to the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office.

Identified as the suspect, Mauro NAVARRO Navarro Jr. was charged with possession of a controlled substance.

Navarro was additionally served with a warrant for not appearing in court for a charge of a possession of a controlled substance in a drug-free zone, reports state.

Deputies said they pulled over a GMC Acadia at about 1:20 a.m. July 23 in

Legal Notice An original Application has been made with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission for a Wine and Beer Retailer’s Off-Premise Permit by Dolgencorp of Texas Inc. d/b/a Dollar General Store #15661 located at 2864 S. US Hwy 83, Zapata, Z a p a t a County, Texas 78046.

Officers of said Corporation are Stephen R. Deckard, CEO, John W. Feray, Senior Vice President and CEO Maurice A. Laiberte, Vice President of Lease Administration and Robert R. Stephenson, Secretary L-39

Courtesy photo

The Sheriff’s Office seized 10 crack cocaine rocks July 23. the intersection of Fourth Street and Mier Avenue.

During the stop, deputies said they found Navarro in possession of 10 crack-cocaine rocks. In addition, a narcotics detection dog alerted deputies to the vehicle’s headliner, records state.

A search yielded a baggie containing powder cocaine, according to reports. Deputies said they seized 2 grams of cocaine in total.

The case remains under investigation.

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

A man has been arrested for allegedly selling crack-cocaine and synthetic marijuana, the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office said this week.

The case unfolded July 24, when authorities VERVER began an investigation on a man they identified as Tony Verver, 23.

Authorities said Verver was distributing small doses of synthetic marijuana. Investigators executed a search warrant at a home in the 300 block of Fourth Street in Zapata.

The search yielded six foils containing crack-cocaine with an approximate weight of 1.6 grams

Courtesy photo

This photo shows the drugs and cash seized by the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office on July 24. and three plastic baggies containing synthetic marijuana weighing about 8.73 grams, according to reports.

Investigators said they also seized $1,091.78 that was illegally obtained through selling narcotics.

Verver was arrested and charged with two counts of possession of controlled substance. He is in custody at the Zapata Regional Jail.

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

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

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

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

More like elimination than debate CLEVELAND — Not to diminish the importance of the first Republican debate, but it felt like the first in a political survivor series.

The question wasn’t so much who won the primetime skirmish but who eliminated himself to make room for Carly Fiorina — the hands-down winner of the “Happy Hour Debate,” as she dubbed it, and maybe of the larger debate as well.

The deck definitely got shuffled. And, depending on one’s chosen vernacular, Fiorina rocked. She killed. She made a stunning debut.

I had spoken with Fiorina earlier in the day Thursday and asked what her goal was for the evening. Principally, she said she wanted to introduce herself to her party, only 40 percent of whom knew who she was.

She can check that off her list. If people didn’t see the second-tier debate, they heard about Fiorina in the later debate when she was quoted. Even as commentators were evaluating the main event, Fiorina’s name kept coming up as the wow-candidate. In the ensuing months, she’s bound to enjoy a full-press courtship.

The truth is, Fiorina didn’t break new ground in her responses. To those who have followed her campaign thus far, she was on-message, characteristically concise and precise. Perhaps practice makes perfect, and to that point, she’ll need to refresh her script to hold her wow-appeal, as well as the media’s interest.

For Republicans, Fiorina offers some of what they say they like about Trump. A businesswoman rather than a career politician, she tends to offer her appraisals in no-nonsense terms. She has called Hillary Clinton a liar, which, though many Republicans may agree with her, is harsh language to stand by — especially should you become the nominee and have to face Clinton. In my daydreams, I try to imagine a Hillary Clinton/Carly Fiorina debate and it’s a stirring thought. Two smart, tough, dynamic women going toe-to-toe on the nation’s future leadership?

Be still my racing heart.

Thursday’s main debate, which looked like a police lineup after a Mad Men bachelor party, offered little opportunity for particulars. But oftentimes, a debate performance, like a speech, is mostly about making an impression. People rarely remember what you say, but they do remember how you made them feel.

As impressions go, a few stood out. Donald Trump failed to be charming. He was churlish, in-

“

KATHLEEN PARKER

sulting and petulant. Unfortunately, many find those qualities endearing.

But the audience booed him more than once.

In a particularly ugly moment, he lashed out at Fox News’ Megyn Kelly when she asked whether, given disparaging remarks he has made about women he dislikes (fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals), he has the temperament to be president.

Trump tried to dismiss the question first by saying, unfortunately to much audience appreciation, that he was only talking about Rosie O’Donnell. How could someone think that saying degrading things about any woman is acceptable, much less one who isn’t present to defend herself ?

Trump is a bully who makes the former leading Republican bully, Chris Christie, seem cherubic by comparison.

Other impressions: Rand Paul is irritable and irascible. Christie, argumentative. The two, who got into a spat about who cares most about civil liberties, either should be separated for future debates or consider becoming a comedy duo. Jeb Bush is a sincere guy who can’t quite find his light switch. He fumbled once again on the most predictable question — whether he would have invaded Iraq. Scott Walker, who distinguished himself as more pro-life than God (no exception even for the life of the mother), uttered perhaps the most irrefutable statement of the evening: “I’m a guy with a wife, two kids and a Harley.”

Mike Huckabee is quick with a quip, but he, too, wants to double-down on abortion. John Kasich is a good guy whose life is defined by family, faith and friends. Ted Cruz is really, really smart.

Ben Carson is a superb neurosurgeon and, frankly, adorable. Who did I leave out? Ah, the winner, Marco Rubio. He’s the young Republican of the future, the first-generation son of immigrants with a quintessential American story. Like Fiorina, he’s fluent in policy, and he even looked like a grownup Thursday night despite his cursedly boyish looks.

When I asked Fiorina what impression she hoped to make, she said she’d like people to think: “She can win this; she can do this job; and I like her.”

And now a lot more Republicans — and Democrats — know her name.

Mission accomplished.

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To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication.

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EDITORIAL

No handcuffs for children THE WASHINGTON POST

The boy is 8 years old.

He stands 3 1/2 feet tall and weighs 52 pounds. He has learning disabilities and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Those facts are all a reasonable person needs to know: Handcuffing such a fragile little boy should be unthinkable. Unfortunately, and rather incredibly, neither a Kentucky sheriff ’s deputy nor his boss recognized just how repugnant the actions were when shackles were used to punish this and another equally vulnerable young child.

The American Civil Liberties Union, filing a federal lawsuit on behalf of the two children, seeks to stop a practice that is unneces-

sary, excessive and allegedly in violation of federal and state laws prohibiting the forceful restraint of children unless there is an imminent and real threat to their own or someone else’s safety.

Buttressing the group’s arguments is a disturbing video of the 8-year-old boy being handcuffed last fall at his elementary school by a man the ACLU identifies as a Kenton County deputy sheriff.

The boy, whose disabilities make it difficult for him to pay attention and follow directions, is crying and gasping: “My arm!,” “Oww, oww,” “that hurts.”

The incident lasted about 15 minutes and because the handcuffs are designed for adults, the boy was bound on his biceps

above the elbows. Similar treatment, the lawsuit alleged, was inflicted twice on a 9-year-old girl diagnosed with a mental disorder.

She weighed 56 pounds.

Clearly neither child posed a threat, but that didn’t stop Sheriff Charles Korzenborn from doubling down with an unapologetic defense of the deputy for doing “what he is sworn to do.”

Why someone so obviously not properly trained to deal with emotionally disturbed children has been entrusted as a school resource officer with their safety and security is one of the issues that we hope will be addressed, if not by the court then surely by the school community.

The effect of this depu-

ty’s alleged action was to exacerbate diagnosed conditions of children who go to school to get help.

Troublingly, what happened in Kentucky is not unique but reflective of the way too many schools deal with students with disabilities. ACLU officials cited federal data showing that about 52,500 children with disabilities each year are subjected to physical restraint, with mechanical restraints such as handcuffs used on almost 4,000 of them.

There will be rare instances in which safety demands a student be restrained.

But slapping cuffs on small children who misbehave or don’t do what they’re told is, as the ACLU said, “not okay.” It’s barbaric.

COLUMN

Planned Parenthood question trips up Jeb Bush this week

By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST

Jeb Bush was doing just fine answering a question at the Southern Baptist Convention on Tuesday about stripping federal funding from Planned Parenthood. Then it all went wrong.

“You could take dollar for dollar — although I’m not sure we need a half a billion dollars for women’s health issues — but if you took dollar for dollar, there are many extraordinarily fine organizations, community health organizations, that exist, federally sponsored community health organizations, to provide quality care for women on a wide variety of health issues,” he said.

“But abortion should not be funded by the govern-

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Bush, who needed to spend the week prepping for his first debate in 13 years. ment.”

The 15-word aside contained in that quote — starting with “although” and ending with “issues” — almost immediately created a firestorm. Within the hour, Hillary Clinton’s campaign tweeted at Bush: “You are absolutely, unequivocally wrong.”

Sensing that he was in danger of tarnishing his conservative-enough-towin-a-Republican-primary-but-electable-in-ageneral-election image, Bush quickly backtracked.

“With regards to wom-

en’s health funding broadly, I misspoke, as there are countless community health centers, rural clinics and other women’s health organizations that need to be fully funded,” Bush said in a statement.

“They provide critical services to all, but particularly low-income women who don’t have the access they need.”

As you might guess, that didn’t quiet Bush’s critics. Clinton’s campaign launched online ads urging supporters to “tell Jeb Bush he’s wrong on

women’s health.” And even Republicans grumbled, noting that his gaffe allowed Clinton to change the subject from the news that the FBI was looking into the security protocols of her private e-mail server.

The timing couldn’t have been worse for Bush, who needed to spend the week prepping for his first debate in 13 years.

His performance Thursday night at the Fox News-Facebook debate wasn’t bad, but it didn’t wipe out the damage from his gaffe earlier in the week.

Jeb Bush, for turning an aside into a full-blown controversy at exactly the wrong time, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.

CLASSIC DOONESBURY (1984) | GARRY TRUDEAU

State

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

No-kill dog sanctuary fulfills lifelong dream

By CLAIRE KOWALICK WICHITA FALLS TIMES RECORD NEWS

WICHITA FALLS — What started as a small act of compassion by a young girl has turned into a lifelong dream come true to save as many animals as possible.

Growing up in Fort Worth, Carole Sanders’ love for animals began early with her first dog, Pepper, a Dalmatian given to her by her aunt and uncle.

Pepper died when Sanders was 13 and after that she often asked her mother to let her keep one of the many dogs she saw abandoned on the side of the road.

“I’d beg my mom to let me keep them, but she didn’t let me. She said, ‘When you grow up, you can save as many animals as you want,”’ Sanders remembers.

Sanders went on to a fulfilling 40-year career as an American Airlines flight attendant, but she never abandoned her dream to save animals.

“Every time driving back from DFW I would see stray animals and I’d pick them up and take

Photo by Torin Halsey/Wichita Falls Times Record | AP

Large black dogs are often difficult to adopt out, but all are welcome at Animal Angels, a dog sanctuary near Jacksboro. The organization works with a few adoption groups when possible to find homes for specific breeds. them home,” she told the Wichita Falls Times Record News.

She took in animals from all over the country, flying them home with her on return trips.

After maxing out patience of landlords and neighbors with her growing menagerie of dogs, cats,

turtles and other creatures, Sanders went in search of more land, finally settling on a 20-acre spot north of Jacksboro full of trees, rolling hills and endless possibilities.

Sanders pooled her retirement funds with the help of donors and

a handful of volunteers and established Animal Angels Rescue, Rehabilitation, Adoption and Sanctuary as a 501 (copyright)3 nonprofit in June 1993.

Angels was the first domesticanimal sanctuary certified through the American Sanctuary Association.

After acquiring an additional 18 acres, the sanctuary is now home to 10 horses and nearly 300 dogs.

Nita Burgoon, a longtime friend of Sanders who had been living in Denton, joined her at the ranch and other volunteers have come and gone along the way.

Sanders and Burgoon realized the hardship of keeping a nonprofit going after the death of its founder so they searched for a successor to carry on the mission.

While Sanders was working with Operation Kindness, another animal group, she met Beth Kelley.

“She’s the spit out of my mouth,” Sanders said of Kelley, meaning they are alike in many ways.

Kelley, an “Army brat” is a lifelong animal lover as well. While

living in upstate New York she organized rescue teams for sea creatures that had washed up on the beach. Later she served as the animal care manager with Wayne County for seven years.

Kelley was impressed with the work Sanders and Burgoon were doing and decided to take a look at the sanctuary.

“And I’ve been here ever since.

I’m in it for life,” Kelley said.

Kelley, husband Matt, and their three children, Madison, 11, Duncan, 9, and Lilly, 7, all came to live at the ranch about six years ago.

While her immediate family is supportive and they all help around the ranch, sometimes her extended family does not understand why she would want to live this way.

The life isn’t for everyone Sanders, Burgoon and Kelley all agree.

Taking care of more than 300 animals means working everyday — no vacation, no weekends, no holidays.

Every dog receives a name, is spayed/neutered, vetted, monitored and cared for.

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

National

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

Holmes gets life in theater shooting case

By SADIE GURMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — Colorado theater shooter James Holmes will be sentenced to life in prison without parole after a jury failed to agree Friday on whether he should get the death penalty for his murderous attack on a packed movie premiere.

The nine women and three men said they could not reach a unanimous verdict on each of the 24 murder counts. That automatically eliminates the death penalty for failed neuroscientist, who blamed his calculated murders of 12 people on mental illness.

Prosecutors argued Holmes deserved to die because he methodically planned the 2012 assault at a midnight screening of a

Batman movie, even blasting techno music through ear phones so he wouldn’t hear his victims scream.

The same jury had rejected his insanity defense, finding Holmes capable of understanding right from wrong when he murdered 12 people and tried to kill 70 others.

But the defense countered that his schizophrenia led to a psychotic break, and that powerful delusions drove him to carry out one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings.

There was never any question during the grueling, four-month trial as to whether Holmes was the killer. Holmes meekly surrendered outside the theater, where police found him clad head-to-toe in combat gear.

The trial hinged instead on the question of whether

a mentally ill person should be held legally and morally culpable for an act of unspeakable violence.

It took jurors only about 12 hours of deliberations to decide the first part — they rejected his insanity defense and found him guilty of 165 felony counts.

The defense then conceded his guilt, but insisted during the sentencing phase that his crimes were caused by the psychotic breakdown of a mentally ill young man, reducing his moral culpability and making a life sentence appropriate.

The jury’s final decision came after days of tearful testimony from relatives of the slain.

The case could have ended the same way more than two years ago, when Holmes offered to plead guilty if he could avoid death.

THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

PÁGINA 8A

Zfrontera

Ribereña en Breve ARRESTO Tres personas fueron arrestadas después del decomiso de un sistema de repetición y radiocomunicación que supuestamente pertenecía a un grupo delincuencial, anunciaron autoridades tamaulipecas.

Los hombres arrestados fueron Javier Velázquez Ibarra, presunto cabecilla, Abraham Gómez García y Luis Antonio Ramírez Flores.

Los arrestos y el decomiso tuvieron lugar el miércoles 5 de agosto en El Mante, Tamaulipas, señala el reporte.

El sistema de radiocomunicación permite a los grupos delincuenciales reportar las acciones de seguridad de los elementos de fuerzas estatales y federales, señala un comunicado de prensa.

Los tres delincuentes y las evidencias fueron puestos a disposición de las autoridades del Ministerio Público del Fuero Federal.

SÁBADO 8 DE AGOSTO DE 2015

ZCISD

Posible renuncia POR JUDITH RAYO TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Después de recibir una “buena evaluación” y una extensión de contrato, el superintendente de ZCISD podría irse.

La noche del lunes, la Junta de Fideicomisarios de Zapata County Independent School District discutirá un acuerdo de separación voluntario y renuncia de Raul Nuques, quien fue contratado en abril de 2014 como superintendente.

Nuques declinó a hacer comen-

tarios sobre el asunto.

La discusión de un acuerdo de separación voluntaria y la renuncia llegan dos meses después de que Nuques señalara que su relación con la junta de fideicomisarios estaba “mejor que nunca”, incluso después de un incidente que involucró el azote de una puerta durante una reunión.

Durante la reunión especial de ZCISD, el 4 de junio, mientras los fideicomisarios estaban en una sesión cerrada, Nuques cerró de golpe una puerta mientras salía de la

oficina.

Después aclaró el incidente, señalando que se había “deslizado”.

Nuques dijo que cargaba dos carpetas mientras salía de la oficina. Mientras cerraba la puerta, las carpetas se estaban cayendo de sus manos y trató de mantener el equilibrio.

Dijo que después de irse, dejó las carpetas en su vehículo, lo que solo tomó alrededor de 30 segundos, señaló.

Añadió, “En relación a si en las juntas hay tensión, no. Tenemos

una comunicación abierta”.

El abogado Juan Cruz, dijo que no podía realizar comentarios sobre el asunto.

“La junta considerará el acuerdo de separación voluntaria en la reunión del lunes”, dijo.

El ex profesor de United ISD, Nuques es graduado de Texas A&M International University.

Tiene una licenciatura en química y una maestría en comercio internacional, así como una maestría en administración de escuelas públicas.

CULTURA

JAZZ LLEGA A TAMAULIPAS

DECOMISO Tres operativos dieron lugar al aseguramiento de tres vehículos abandonados en Miguel Alemán, México.

De acuerdo con el reporte, uno de los autos tenía reporte de robo y otros dos con poncha llantas y un cargador.

El primer incidente ocurrió en las calles Nogal y Luna de la Colonia Montebello, donde fue ubicada una camioneta Ford Explorer color negra, con placas del Estado de Texas, con las puertas abiertas y el vidrio trasero roto. Al revisar dicha unidad, encontraron 15 poncha llantas y dos cargadores para fusil desabastecidos.

El segundo operativo tuvo lugar en las calles San Carlos con Manuel Acuña y Villa de Aguayo de la colonia Nuevo Santander, cuando policías estatales observaron un vehículo Nissan Versa, color gris, con placas de Texas, estacionado, con las puertas cerradas y el vidrio una puerta trasera rotor, señala un comunicado de prensa.

Tras revisar el número de serie del auto se determinó que fue reportado como robado, el 1 de junio, en el municipio de Valle Hermoso, México.

La tercera acción se realizó en las calles Los Alamos entre Delicias y Miramar, Colonia Linda Vista, donde fue hallado un vehículo Chevrolet Malibú blanco, con las puertas abiertas, el motor encendido, con residuos de marihuana y 12 poncha llantas.

EVENTO PREHISTÓRICO El día de hoy se presentará Dinosaur George a las 2 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena. Boletos a la venta en las taquillas de LEA a costo de 5 dólares por niño y 8 dólares adultos.

FERIA DE SALUD Feria de Salud de Regreso a Clases para Inmigrantes y Familias de la Comunidad, el sábado de 9:30 a.m. a 1 p.m. en el Centro Cívico de Laredo, en 2400 de avenida San Bernardo.

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.

Se están aceptando patrocinadores desde 300 dólares hasta 2.000 dólares. Para más información contacte a la Cámara de Comercio de Zapata, ubicada en 601 N. US Hwy 83 o llamando al (956) 765-4871.

REGRESO A CLASES Los estudiantes asistentes al Zapata County Independent School District, regresarán a la escuela, el lunes 24 de agosto.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

El evento JazzTamFest tendrá lugar del 20 al 23 de agosto, en las ciudades de Reynosa, Ciudad Victoria y Tampico, México.

Festival contará con presentaciones en calles y teatros TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

E

l JazzTamFest llega a Tamaulipas, y con él una serie de actividades enfocadas en la cultura musical que tendrán lugar en las ciudades de Reynosa, Ciudad Victoria y Tampico, México.

El Instituto Tamaulipeco para la Cultura y las Artes (ITCA) dio a conocer las actividades en espacios públicos que se realizarán dentro

del festival, que tendrá lugar del 20 al 23 de agosto.

A la serie de artistas tamaulipecos que participan en el evento, se unen Alan René, de Ciudad Victoria; el grupo Trasfuga, de Matamoros; y Jazz ensamble, de Tampico.

Las presentaciones serán intervenciones espontáneas urbanas en centros comerciales, mercados y plazas; así como en teatro, centros culturales y otros recintos.

El festival tiene por objetivo uni-

ficar a la población.

Presentaciones El Teatro principal del Parque Cultural Reynosa recibirá para la inauguración a la Big Band Querétaro y Gemelas Beaujean, el 20 de agosto; el 21 de agosto se presentará Andrea Básef. Será el 22 de agosto cuando se presente, desde Cuba, Fran Domínguez; el grupo

Bocatoma Jazz cerrará el ciclo de conciertos el día 23.

Todas las presentaciones comenzarán a las 7 p.m. Las presentaciones son gratuitas y abiertas al público.

De igual manera habrá presentaciones en Ciudad Victoria y Tampico. Para conocer más detalles sobre los grupos, fechas y horarios, puede visitar la página del ITCA al ingresar a http://itca.gob.mx/.

GOP

POLICÍA

Trump destaca en debate de precandidatos

Acusan a mujer de robo de servicios

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEVELAND, Ohio— El multimillonario Donald Trump sacudió con su tono combativo el primer debate entre aspirantes presidenciales republicanos con sus declaraciones, pero el encuentro también sirvió de recordatorio de que la contienda no está resuelta y carece aún de un favorito definido.

Cuando el jueves en la noche le preguntaron en los primeros minutos del debate si podía descartar su postulación para la Casa Blanca como candidato independiente, Trump dijo: "No voy a prometer nada en este momento".

Tampoco quiso disculparse por sus comentarios groseros hacia las mujeres, defendió su cambio de posturas políticas y también riñó con los moderadores del debate.

Si Trump se postulara para una tercera

fuerza política quizá dividiría el voto republicano y contribuiría a una victoria electoral de la puntera a la candidatura presidencial demócrata, Hillary Rodham Clinton, cuyo partido lograría un tercer periodo consecutivo en la Casa Blanca.

Durante la sesión de dos horas, Trump puso fin a las conjeturas de que reduciría el tono divisivo de su discurso que muchos auguraron arruinaría su campaña, pero pasó lo contrario, lo posicionó rápidamente en lo más alto de las encuestas.

También manifestó que no tiene tiempo para ser políticamente correcto y que lo único que hizo fue aprovechar las leyes cuando cuatro de sus empresas incurrieron en bancarrota.

Trump fue el único de los 10 precandidatos que levantó la mano cuando el anfitrión de Fox News preguntó quién no se comprometía a apoyar a quien finalmente sea

el abanderado republicano.

Esto encolerizó al senador de Kentucky, Rand Paul, quien afirmó que el multimillonario "protege de antemano sus apuestas porque está acostumbrado a comprar políticos".

Durante el resto del debate, los aspirantes sostuvieron sus posturas y optaron por aprovechar el espacio para reiterar sus posiciones bastante conocidas. Sólo 10 de 17 precandidatos fueron invitados a esta gran presentación; los otros siete quedaron relegados a un foro previo al debate.

Los precandidatos republicanos escenificarán otros cinco debates formales previstos antes del inicio de las elecciones primarias en febrero.

Por su parte, el Comité Nacional Demócrata anunció que el primero de los seis debates entre los precandidatos tendrá lugar el 13 de octubre en Nevada.

POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

LAREDO — Una residente de Zapata fue la última persona en ser detenida dentro de un esquema de estafa para cirugía plástica que tuvo lugar en Laredo, de acuerdo con reportes.

La policía de Laredo dijo que Rosa Mayela Ramírez, de 40 años prometió a una mujer del condado de Zapata una liposucción y aumento de senos por 8.135 dólares.

Este servicio nunca fue proporcionado, de acuerdo con una querella criminal.

A Ramírez se le entregó y ejecutó una orden de arresto por robo de servicios el jueves en la cuadra 200 de Tulip Circle.

Ramírez, propietaria de Cellulite and Body Contouring, en 1502 de calle Laredo, supuestamente prometió a sus clientes que un doctor mexicano con licencia vendría a Laredo a realizar las cirugías plásticas.

El primer arresto de Ramírez por el mismo cargo ocurrió a mediados de julio. En ese momento, la policía dijo que tomó 6.710 dólares en total por servicios que nunca proporcionó. Estaba libre bajo fianza por ese cargo.

En junio, una mujer de Zapata reportó al Departamento de Policía de Laredo (LPD, por sus si-

glas en inglés) que dio un total de 8.135 dólares por un aumento de senos, dos sesiones de liposucción y dos fajas. Una querella señaló que estos servicios nunca fueron proporcionados.

La demandante señaló a la policía que conoció a Ramírez a través de una pareja de amigos que le dijeron que Ramírez ofrecía lipo esculturas y tratamientos de spa.

En determinado momento, Ramírez ofreció a la demandante una cirugía plástica. Ramírez supuestamente le ofreció la liposucción a la demandante y a su hija y el aumento de senos a la hija.

Ramírez supuestamente pidió un anticipo de 900 dólares. Una vez que la demandante terminó de pagar los servicios, se le dijo que los procedimientos tenían que ser reprogramados porque el doctor no pudo llegar a Laredo.

Supuestamente Ramírez dio excusas en repetidas ocasiones desde 2013, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte. Cuando la demandante solicitó un reembolso, Ramírez supuestamente dio a las demandantes cheques sin fondos, señalan registros. Cuando la policía interrogó a Ramírez, supuestamente señaló que los procedimientos serían realizados en Nuevo Laredo, México, señala la querella. Salió bajo fianza.

National

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

Mine spill contains heavy metals

By DAN ELLIOTT AND COLLEEN SLEVIN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Andrew Harnik | AP

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump looks toward Jeb Bush, right, as Scott Walker watches during the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena on Thursday, in Cleveland.

The candidates’ forum reached 24 million viewers, by far the largest audience ever for that network.

Debate breaks record

By DAVID BAUDER ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Donald Trump always boasted about his ratings for “Celebrity Apprentice.” Now he can say the same thing about his first presidential debate, even if he didn’t like the show very much.

Thursday’s prime-time GOP candidates’ forum on Fox News Channel reached a stunning 24 million viewers, by far the largest audience ever for that network and any cable news event.

The closest was the 1992 “Larry King Live” debate between Al Gore and Ross Perot on CNN, which was seen by 16.8 million people, the Nielsen company said.

In fact, it stands as the most-watched television program of the summer so far, beating the last game of the NBA Finals and the women’s World Cup soccer finals, Nielsen said.

The debate left front-runner Trump singed by the aggressive questioning of Fox’s moderator team of Bret Baier, Megyn Kelly and Chris Wallace. Trump tweeted out criticism of the moderators as “not very good or professional” and retweeted a message from a supporter who called Kelly a “bimbo.”

Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes called his moderators “the best political team ever put on television.”

Trump became the focus of Thursday’s forum right

away, when Baier asked the 10 candidates onstage in Cleveland which of them would not pledge to support the eventual GOP nominee or run a third-party candidacy. Trump was the only one to raise his hand, leading opponent Rand Paul to criticize him.

Kelly’s sharp first question noted that Trump had called women he didn’t like “fat pigs, dogs, slobs and disgusting animals.” When Trump suggested he had only insulted Rosie O’Donnell, Kelly corrected him and asked whether this represented the proper temperament for a president and left him vulnerable to charges that he is part of a war on women. Trump pointed to his lack of political correctness.

“I’ve been very nice to you although I could probably not be based on the way you’ve treated me,” Trump told Kelly. “But I wouldn’t do that.”

Wallace asked Trump two tough questions and, in a quick-moving format that allowed little time for followups, both times came back at Trump for not answering them.

Wallace asked Trump to provide proof for his earlier statement that the Mexican government is sending criminals to the United States, and later questioned him on how he could be trusted to run the nation’s economy when his companies have declared bankruptcy four

times.

Baier asked Trump to reconcile his past support of single-payer health care with his opposition to President Obama’s health plan, and what he felt he received in return for past political donations to Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi. Kelly also pointed out Trump’s past support for Democrats and asked, “when did you become a Republican?”

“I don’t think they like me very much,” Trump said.

Later, Trump wrote on Twitter: “I really enjoyed the debate tonight even though the @foxnews trio, especially @megynkelly, was not very good or professional.” In another message, he wrote that Kelly “really bombed.” He retweeted several messages from others who criticized Fox, including one who wrote that “Fox viewers give low marks to bimbo @MegynKelly.”

On Fox after the debate, Kelly noted that it “creates an awkward dynamic” to have Trump attack her after she has asked a tough question about what he has said and done to women.

“I’m extremely proud of all of the moderators — they asked tough, important questions and did their job as journalists,” Ailes told Politico. “I think that was the best political debate team ever put on television.

Their performance was outstanding.”

DENVER — The mustard-colored muck that spilled from a Colorado mine and surged into a river contains heavy metals including lead and arsenic, federal environmental officials confirmed Friday, but they didn’t immediately discuss amounts in the water or health risks.

The spill also contained cadmium, aluminum, copper and calcium, the Environmental Protection Agency said. During a public meeting in Durango, EPA Regional Director Shaun McGrath did not mention whether the elements posed a health hazard but said local authorities were right to close the Animas River to human activities.

At least two of the heavy metals can be lethal for humans in long-term exposure. Arsenic at high levels can cause blindness, paralysis and cancer. Lead poisoning can create muscle and vision problems for adults, harm development in fetuses, and lead to kidney disease, developmental problems and sometimes death in children, the agency said.

EPA and contractor crews accidentally unleashed 1 million gallons of wastewater from the shuttered Gold King Mine on Wednesday, and it flowed into the river through a tributary. The EPA warned people to stay out of the river popular with boaters and anglers to keep domestic animals from drinking from it.

There have been no reports of drinking-water contamination because water utilities shut down

Photo by Michael Ciaglo/The New York Times | AP

Tyreen Farnsworth, 6, watches a coal train roll by from her home near a coal silo in Somerset, Colorado. Tighter regulations, environmental lawsuits and a pivot toward natural gas have knocked coal-mining communities like Somerset on their heels. their intake valves ahead of the plume to keep it out of their systems. Farmers also closed the gates on their irrigation ditches to protect their crops, and Colorado officials were testing the effects on fish.

The sludge is creeping toward communities in northern New Mexico, where tests also were being done. But the EPA says no information has been released yet.

New Mexico officials were angry they were not told of the spill until Thursday, nearly a day after it occurred.

“We’re having a real problem getting EPA to tell us what’s in this stuff,” Don Cooper, emergency manager for San Juan County, New Mexico, said earlier Friday. “We’re just kind of shooting in the dark and telling people to stay away from it.”

McGrath apologized for the EPA’s response and for previously sounding “cavalier” about the concerns for public health and the environment.

“Our initial response to it was not appropriate in that we did not understand the full extent of

what we were looking at here,” he said.

Few details have been released about the spill, except that a cleanup crew accidentally breached a containment structure.

The crew was trying to enter the mine as part of a project to pump and treat the water, EPA spokeswoman Lisa McClain-Vanderpool said.

The waste spilled into Cement Creek, which flows into the Animas River north of the historic mining town of Silverton in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains.

The river is a recreational destination and even served as the backdrop for parts of the movie “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.” Passengers on the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad snap thousands of photos of the waterway as the steam-powered trains chug up the narrow canyon beside it.

“It’s such a shame, it’s such a beautiful river,” said Jeff McCoy, who was watching from the riverbank in Durango, where he was on a fishing trip with his son.

Notice of Public Meeting to Discuss Budget and Proposed Tax Rate The Zapata ISD will hold a public meeting at 6:00 AM 08/18/2015 in PDC Building 1702 17th St Zapata, Texas. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the school district’s budget that will determine the tax rate that will be adopted. Public participation in the discussion is invited.

The tax rate that is ultimately adopted at this meeting or at a seperate meeting at a later date may not exceed the proposed rate shown below unless the district publishes a revised notice containing the same information and comparisons set out below and holds another public meeting to discuss the revised notice.

Firm’s layoffs hit hard

By WILSON RING ASSOCIATED PRESS

WATERBURY, Vt. — For years, the company now known as Keurig Green Mountain provided wellpaying, stable employment in Vermont. That’s about to change.

The company announced this week the bulk of 200 layoffs in the state would be in Waterbury, a town still rebuilding after the loss of about 1,100 jobs four years ago when Tropical Storm Irene flooded the state.

Local residents recognize the business fortunes of Keurig Green Mountain are beyond their control.

Resident Theresa Wood, who helped rebuild the community after Irene, said everyone in Waterbury knows someone affected by the layoffs or at least knows someone who knows someone.

She said the company, still known locally as Coffee Roasters, has provided dependable, well-paying jobs with good benefits that will be hard to replicate, even in a state with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the country.

“Sort of the hometown feel of the company as they have grown in sales — they are not the small- mediumsized company that they used to be,” Wood said.

“They are corporate America now and this type of thing happens in corporate America.”

Before Tropical Storm Irene flooded Waterbury in August 2011, there were about 1,400 state government jobs spread through an aging, but picturesque complex on the south side of the community that was first built in the 19th century as the state’s psychiatric hospital, but evolved to be-

come home to a number of state agencies.

The flooding caused the state to abandon most of those buildings, taking away all but about 300 of those jobs in the unflooded state public safety building.

On Wednesday, Keurig announced it was cutting about 330 jobs of a total of about 6,600 after disappointing sales numbers.

Keurig said that before the layoffs it employed about 2,000 in Vermont, but they wouldn’t break those numbers down by location.

Before the layoffs Vermont state Rep. Tom Stevens, a Democrat, said the company employed between 700 and

800 people in Waterbury.

At the time of the flood, Keurig, headquartered in a part of town away from the river, remained a rock of employment, Stevens said.

“After we lost so many people at the state complex, we still had a real solid base of employees who came in and helped support our retail,” Stevens said. “The company was generous in the recovery efforts and that will never be forgotten.”

The company, now known as Keurig Green Mountain, was created in 1980 in nearby Waitsfield.

The company was incorporated the next year as Green Mountain Coffee Roasters.

Maintenance Tax $1.040000/$100 (proposed rate for maintenance and operations) School Debt Service Tax Approved by Local Voters

$0.000000/$100 (proposed rate to pay bonded indebtedness)

Comparison of Proposed Budget with Last Year’s Budget The applicable percentage increase or decrease (or difference) in the amount budgeted in the preceding fiscal year and the amount budgeted for the fiscal year that begins during the current tax year is indicated for each of the following expenditure categories.

Maintenance and operations

1.060000% increase or

%decrease

Debt Service

0.000000% increase or

%decrease

Total expenditures

1.060000% increase or

%decrease

Total Appraised Value and Total Taxable Value (as calculated under Section 26.04, Tax Code) Preceding Tax Year Total appraised value* of all property $1,499,877,674 Total appraised value* of new property** $7,578,849 Total taxable value*** of all property $1,471,425,790 Total taxable value*** of new property** $7,578,849

Current Tax Year $1,236,449,987 $11,992,521 $1,212,906,265 $7,481,045

*Appraised value is the amount shown on the appraisal roll and defined by Section 1.04(8), Tax Code. ** “New property” is defined by Section 26.012(17), Tax Code. *** “Taxable value” is defined by Section 1.04(10), Tax Code.

Bonded Indebtedness Total amount of outstanding and unpaid bonded indebtedness* $0 *Outstanding principal.

Comparison of Proposed Rates with Last Year’s Rates Maintenance & Operations

Last Year’s Rate $1.040000 Rate to Maintain Same Level of Maintenance & Operations Revenue & Pay Debt Service $1.040000 Proposed Rate $1.040000

Interest & Sinking Fund*

Total

Local Revenue Per Student

State Revenue Per Student

$0.000000*

$1.040000

$4,518

$5,399

$0.000000* $0.000000*

$1.040000 $1.040000

$3,889 $3,856

$6,085 $6,027

*The Interest & Sinking Fund tax revenue is used to pay for bonded indebtedness on construction, equipment, or both. The bonds, and the tax rate necessary to pay those bonds, were approved by the voters of this district.

Comparison of Proposed Levy with Last Year’s Levy on Average Residence Last Year This Year Average Market Value of Residences $75,847 $74,490 Average Taxable Value of Residences $42,031 $35,709 Last Year’s Rate Versus Proposed Rate per $100 Value $1.040000 $1.040000 Taxes Due on Average Residence $437.12 $371.37 Increase (Decrease) in Taxes $0.00 $-65.75 Under state law, the dollar amount of school taxes imposed on the residence homestead of a person 65 years of age or older or of the surviving spouse of such a person, if the surviving spouse was 55 years of age or older when the person died, may not be increased above the amount paid in the first year after the person turned 65, regardless of changes in tax rate or property value.

Notice of Rollback Rate: The highest tax rate the district can adopt before requiring voter approval at an election is $1.000049. This election will be automatically held if the district adopts a rate in excess of the rollback rate of $1.000049.

Fund Balances The following estimated balances will remain at the end of the current fiscal year and are not encumbered with or by a corresponding debt obligation, less estimated funds necessary for operating the district before receipt of the first state aid payment.

Maintenance and Operations Fund Balance(s) $13,600,423 Interest & Sinking Fund Balance(s) $991,896

International

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

Beer shortage heats up Venezuelans

By HANNAH DREIER ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuelans are facing the prospect of a heat wave without their favorite beer, the latest indignity in a country that has seen shortages of everything from disposable diapers to light bulbs.

Cerveceria Polar, which distributes 80 percent of the beer in the socialist South American country, began shutting down breweries this week because of a lack of barley, hops and other raw materials, and has halted deliveries to Caracas liquor stores.

“This is never-never land,” said Yefferson Ramirez, who navigated a rush of disgruntled customers Thursday behind the counter at a corner store in posh eastern Caracas. The shop has been out of milk and bottled water for months, but the beer shortfall is provoking a new level of irritation.

“People more freaked out about losing beer than water — it shows how distorted our priorities have become here,” Ramirez said.

Some of the customers walking away empty-handed headed a few blocks down to El Tigre, a prime showcase of the country’s beer culture, where people while away balmy nights with a steady stream of light beer that comes in undersized bottles to ensure it never gets warm. Waiters ran around the bar’s outdoor plaza plopping down fresh drinks on plastic tables covered with dozens of empty bottles.

El Tigre has kept going during a heat wave that has seen temperatures soar as high as 86 in a month that averages about 73 by buying up all the Polar beer its waiters can find at super-

Photo by Fernando Llano | AP

A customer returns an empty Polar beer bottle and buys two others by another maker after Polar beers sold out at the store in Caracas, Venezuela. Starting Monday, at least two of Polar’s six beer plants are closing temporarily for lack of ingredients. markets and selling the bottles for 200 bolivars rather than the normal 150, in violation of government price controls.

Angel Padra was arranging his empty bottles into concentric circles Thursday night, lamenting that Venezuela wouldn’t be the same without the dark version of the popular beer, Polar negra.

“I started drinking ‘negra’ when I was 13,” he said. “This is our religion.

Take away beer and things get risky.”

The shortage comes at a time when Venezuelans could use a little relaxing.

Tensions are running high ahead of an election that the ruling party is expected to lose badly. A supermarket looting last week left one man dead, and in July, the head of Venezuela’s Liquor Store Association was arrested for unexplained reasons after denouncing the shortages of beer making materials.

It’s unclear when the national beer might start flowing again. Production cannot resume until the government approves foreign currency to import raw materials, according to Polar industrial engineer Daniela Escobar.

President Nicolas Madu-

ro has so far kept quiet on the issue, but in the past has accused Polar owner Lorenzo Mendoza of hoarding goods to create the impression that Venezuela’s economy is in chaos. In February he delivered the ultimatum, “Help our country or get out!”

As with every new wave of shortages here, there’s always an upside for someone. In this case, the liquor stores bearing the brunt of customers’ anger could ultimately benefit as people switch from beer to whiskey or rum, which have higher profit margins. In poorer neighborhoods, resellers are buying up the remaining cases of Polar beer at government-regulated prices, and illegally selling them at a steep markup.

Venezuelans can still opt for one of the imported or locally-made artisanal beers still found in liquor stores.

But with Heineken going for more than five times the price of Polar, it doesn’t seem likely many will switch to a posher alternative.

“If they’re only selling Heineken, they’re not selling beer,” said college student Jose Vera, who went home to drink rum after failing to find Polar at liquor stores Thursday.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

US economy adds 215,000 jobs

By JOSH BOAK ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market just demonstrated that it may be nearing full health more than six years after the Great Recession — and showed why the Federal Reserve may be about to raise interest rates from record lows.

July marked the latest month in a streak of solid hiring, with employers adding 215,000 jobs and the unemployment rate holding at a relatively low 5.3 percent, the government said Friday.

Monthly job growth has aver-

aged 211,286 so far this year, a level suggesting that employers are confident the economy will continue to expand and require more workers in the coming months and years. The government also said employers added a total of 14,000 more jobs in May and June than previously estimated.

“Another solid jobs report suggests the economy is gaining strength and keeps the Fed on track to raise rates as early as the next meeting,” in September, Sal Guatieri, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets, said in a research note.

The Fed has held its key short-

term rate near zero since the financial crisis of 2008 to try to energize borrowing, investing and spending. But now the Fed is close to concluding that the economy is strong enough to withstand higher rates.

Still, many Americans remain anxious about the modest recovery. The economy’s overall growth rate has remained lackluster at an annualized pace of 1.5 percent in the first of half the year, and pay raises have been sluggish, with average hourly earnings in July up just 2.1 percent from a year earlier.

Some of those misgivings were

DETENTION Continued from Page 1A duced to only a few weeks for most families, and that reducing it further would hinder processing asylum claims and could force the separation of mothers from their children in the event of another wave of migration.

Moreover, further limits on detention “would heighten the risk of another surge in illegal migration,” the filing said, “by incentivizing adults to bring children with them on their dangerous journey as a means to avoid detention and gain access to the interior of the United States.”

The government asked for another chance to argue its case before the judge, citing the “potentially farreaching scope of the remedies proposed,” and the short time — 90 days — it would have to put them in place.

Laura Lichter, a Denver immigration lawyer working with detained families, said the government had “doubled down” on family detention, and is “enamored of it as a tool, even though a judge has called it both illegal and ineffective.”

Homeland Security spokeswoman Marsha Catron said the agency has asked to the judge to reconsider, “taking into account

the current legal landscape and considerable changes we have already made to address the situation.”

The government poured millions of dollars into two large detention centers in Texas for women and children after tens of thousands of immigrant families, mostly from Central America, crossed the Rio Grande into the U.S. last summer. Many have petitioned for asylum after fleeing gang and domestic violence back home.

The centers in Karnes City and Dilley, both south of San Antonio, currently hold some 1,400 women and children combined, down from more than 2,000 in June. A third, smaller facility is located in Berks County, Pennsylvania. All three are overseen by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement but managed by private prison operators.

In her ruling, Gee found that detaining children violated parts of a 1997 settlement from another case barring immigrant children from being held in secure facilities. She said the settlement covered all children in the custody of immigration officials, even those who entered the country illegally with a parent, and that the facilities were not properly licensed to care for children.

Some 38,000 children arrived with their mothers on the border during the 2014 fiscal year.

Immigration authorities have vowed to make the detention facilities more child-friendly and to provide better oversight.

Homeland Security and ICE officials say they are looking to release families as soon as they pass the interviews that are the first hurdle to being granted asylum.

In Thursday’s filing, lawyers for the government argued that ICE now aims to detain families no longer than 20 days and that most are being released within about two weeks. Last year the majority of families spent more than a month in detention, and some were detained several months.

In recent weeks, more mothers have been released with their children. Bonds have been drastically reduced, and many of the women have been fitted with electronic ankle monitors, according to immigrant rights lawyers.

More than 170 House Democrats have asked Homeland Security to close the facilities. Immigrant rights advocates have filed two complaints demanding investigations into the centers.

SURGERY Continued from Page 1A Ramirez’s first arrest on the same charge happened in mid-July. At the time, police said she pocketed $6,710 in total for services she never provided. She was out on bond on that charge.

New allegation In June, a woman from Zapata reported to LPD she gave Ramirez a total of $8,135 for breast augmentation, two sessions of liposuction and two girdles. A complaint states those services were never provided.

The complainant stated to police she met Ramirez through a couple of friends who told her that Ramirez offered body sculpting and spa treatments.

At one point, Ramirez offered the complainant plastic surgery. Ramirez allegedly offered liposuction for the complainant and her daughter and breast augmentation for the daughter.

Ramirez allegedly requested an advance of $900.

Once the complainant finished paying the services, she was told the procedures had to be rescheduled because the doctor

could not make it to Laredo.

Ramirez has repeatedly made excuses since 2013, according to court documents. When the complainant asked for a refund, Ramirez allegedly gave the complainant checks without funds, records state.

When police interviewed Ramirez, she stated she told clients the procedures would be done in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, states the complaint.

Ramirez is out on bond.

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

on display Thursday night at the first Republican presidential debate, where the candidates talked of simplifying the tax code, slashing regulations and easing the pressures on American workers resulting from immigration and global trade.

“The jobs that once sustained our middle class — they either don’t pay enough or they are gone,” said Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, offering a perspective shared by many Democrats as well.

Companies are laying off fewer and fewer workers, with the monthly average of people seek-

ing unemployment benefits near a 15-year low. At the same time, roughly 8.3 million Americans are looking for work, and many others have given up.

Since the recession began in late 2007, 14.5 million people have left the job market, either abandoning their search for work, choosing to retire or staying in school longer. The result is that the share of adults working has fallen to 59.3 percent, the lowest level in 31 years.

The pace of hiring has managed to help revive housing and auto sales, according to industry reports.

ZCISD Continued from Page 1A he was exiting the office.

As he was closing the door, the binders were slipping off his hands and he tried to balance himself.

He said after leaving, he went to drop off the binders in his minivan, which only took about “30 seconds.”

Nuques stated, “In regards to meetings being tense, no. We have open

communication.”

Attorney Juan Cruz said he could not comment on the matter.

“The board will consider the separation agreement at Monday’s meeting,” he said.

Rogelio Gonzalez, ZCISD student services and public relations director, said Nuques received a one year contract extension and a three percent

raise in April.

A former United ISD teacher, Nuques is a graduate of Texas A&M International University.

He has a bachelor’s degree in chemistry and a master’s degree in international trade, as well as a master’s degree in public school administration.

(Judith Rayo may be reached at 728-2567 or jrayo@lmtonline.com)

CHASE Continued from Page 1A electrical pole. The driver ran toward a brushy area and could not be located, reports state.

Deputies seized bundles

from inside the vehicle. A narcotics detection dog alerted deputies about the presence of contraband in the bundles, reports state.

The case remains open.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

ARTISTS Continued from Page 1A Gonzalez, Maria L. Garcia, Ernesto Sanchez, Andrea Villarreal, Angie Osterman, Sharon Cruz, Ana Torres, Blanca Peña, Alicia Gonzalez, Elsa Martinez, Alejandra Cuellar, Pamela Gonzalez, Dania Lopez, Melissa Rendon, Vicky Garcia, Guillermo Lopez, Hilda Zavala, Salvador Zavala, Julio Izquierdo, Julio Orduña, Isabel T. Santos, Julio Mendez, Paty Orduña, Abiu Benavides, Jesus Diaz, Christina Speer, Tony Briones, Genoveva Colchado, Sylvia Richardson, Vanessa Sigrist, Jocelyn Castillo, Andres Alejandro Santos, Andrea Montalvo, Hope Zuñiga, Rolando Rios, Briana Reyes, Felipe and Sandra Esparza.

Other artists include: Roger Garcia from San Antonio, Noosa Mzili, from Marrakech, Morocco, who enjoys doing mirror painting; and Miami, Florida-based artist Sonia Perdomo.

Colombia native Perdomo worked in Laredo for a few years, but returned to Miami where she has lived most of her life.

“It gives me great satisfaction to be able to con-

tribute to such a good and important cause: fighting hunger,” commented Perdomo. “As an artist, knowing that my work may help improve the quality of life of those struggling with food insecurity is very rewarding.

“I feel very happy to be able to give back to a community that I was a part of for several years,” she added. This is the second time Perdomo has participated in the Empty Bowls auction.

Photographers contributing include Ricardo “Cuate” Santos, Butch Ramirez, Jose Ollervides, Sal Sciaraffa and Michael T. Crane III from West New York.

“On behalf of all the board members, we appreciate the assistance and support of the Laredo Energy Arena and the Laredo Center for the Arts. We thank all the artists who help make this auction a success by donating of their time and talent,” Romo said.

The silent auction will open at 6 p.m. at the Star Bar and will remain open the entire event. Table ticket holders will be able

to see this unique exhibit and bid on any of the items. The public will have a chance to view the different auction items and learn more about these artists and their work online via the food bank website (southtexasfoodbank.org) and on Facebook (South Texas Food Bank) one week before the event.

Empty Bowls IX honors the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Foundation for their support of social service programs in our community, especially the South Texas Food Bank.

Empty Bowls IX Tables are still available — call Salo Otero at 324-2432 or Cindy Liendo or Alma Boubel at the food bank office at 726-3120.

The South Texas Food Bank serves eight counties — Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Val Verde, Starr, Maverick, Dimmit and Kinney. The food bank is a certified member of Feeding Texas and Feeding America’s Food Bank Network — the nation’s largest domestic hunger relief organization.

Currently, the Food Bank serves an average of 27,000 families every month.

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

Vying to be the best File photo by David Graham | AP

A wrongful-death lawsuit was filed by the family of Kevin Ward directed at Tony Stewart after he hit Ward a year ago on the race track resulting in his death.

Suit filed against Stewart

By RICK BONNELL MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

Photo by David J. Phillip | AP

Houston defensive end J.J. Watt has high hopes for himself and the Texans for their upcoming 2015 campaign.

Houston’s Watt aims to be the ‘best athlete possible’

By HANK KURZ JR. ASSOCIATED PRESS

RICHMOND, Va. — J.J. Watt had just finished a 2 1/2-hour practice when he headed for the ball toss machine.

Standing about 10 yards away, the Houston Texans’ All-Pro defensive end and occasional touchdown-maker positioned himself in front of the machine and caught pass after pass, all using only his right hand.

Already voted the league’s best player by his peers, Watt doesn’t buy into the publicity, choosing instead to do extra work during the Texans’ second joint workout with the Washington Redskins

on Friday.

“My goal is always to create the best athlete possible, so it’s focusing on handeye coordination,” the 26-year-old Watt, a one-time tight end, said of the drill.

Last season, the Texans turned to the 6-foot-5, 289-pound Watt three times in goal-line situations, and all three passes he caught went for touchdowns. He intercepted one pass and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown, and had 20.5 sacks to earn his second defensive player of the year award.

Coach Bill O’Brien said the Texans recognize Watt’s value enough to monitor how much he does in practice.

“You know, during different periods

NFL: SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

he will get more reps than he will in certain other periods,” O’Brien said. “I am not going to get into the exact way we do it, but we definitely monitor how many reps he is getting. He is in fantastic shape, and he can go all day, but I think it is a long season and we have got to do that.”

Watt said he trusts the coach on the long-term plan.

“I trust the plan that we do have,” he said “I think it’s going to be very beneficial and just from the results we’re already seeing so far, it’s been great.”

The Texans drafted Jadaveon Clowney

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y — A law firm representing the parents of Kevin Ward filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Sprint Cup owner-driver Tony Stewart Friday in an upstate New York courthouse.

The suit, filed by New York City-based Lanier Law Firm, asks for unspecified damages.

The suit alleges Stewart "climbed up (the track), gunned his engine, causing the 700horsepower vehicle to slide and strike Ward with the right-rear tire."

Ward was killed in the Aug. 9, 2014, incident at Canandaigua Motorsports Park, during a 12mile sprint car race in which Ward and Stewart both drove.

Ward’s car made contact with an outer wall. He exited the vehicle and was standing on the track with the race under caution when he was struck.

Stewart has maintained his car hitting Ward was an accident and that he had no intention to harm Ward.

Stewart was asked Wednesday about the one-year anniversary of the accident during a media availability at Texas Motor Speedway.

See WATT PAGE 2B See STEWART PAGE 2B

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE: CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS

Police comment on Kane

By STACY ST. CLAIR AND JARED S. HOPKINS MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE

File photo by Ben Margot | AP

San Francisco released talented linebacker Aldon Smith Friday following his fifth run-in with the law on Thursday.

49ers cut troubled LB Aldon Smith

By JANIE MCCAULEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Aldon Smith received second chance after second chance with the San Francisco 49ers.

They finally had enough following his fifth run-in with the law.

The Niners parted ways with the troubled linebacker Friday, only three days after general manager Trent Baalke expressed his desire to keep

Smith beyond this season, which would have been a contract year. Instead Friday, Baalke and coach Jim Tomsula met with Smith at team headquarters after he left jail to inform him he was no longer part of the team.

"It’s a sad day," Tomsula said during an emotional news conference. "This is a day that doesn’t have anything to do

See SMITH PAGE 2B

HAMBURG, N.Y. — An investigation involving Blackhawks star Patrick Kane stems from an incident that allegedly occurred at his lakefront mansion over the weekend, police in his western New York hometown confirmed Friday.

Hamburg Police Chief Gregory Wickett confirmed the investigation for the first time in a brief public statement, but he did not offer any more details or take any questions from the media. He told one reporter that he was "wasting" his time by staying in the Buffalo area over the weekend, suggesting that the case will not be resolved any time soon.

"At this time, we are gathering information and awaiting forensic testing results," Wickett said.

Neither Kane nor his agent could be reached for comment.

His attorney told the Tribune that no arrest has been made in the case.

The Blackhawks and the National Hockey League have previously acknowledged the investigation involving Kane. The Buffalo News, which first re-

See KANE PAGE 2B

File photo by Chris O’Meara | AP

The NHL says it is "following developments" of a police investigation involving Chicago Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

PAGE 2B

Zsports

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

Minnesota AD resigns

By JON KRAWCZYNSKI ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS — The University of Minnesota’s athletic director resigned on Friday after being accused by two female co-workers of drunkenly groping them and sending them lewd and graphic text messages during a recent gathering.

The university released redacted transcripts of the sexual harassment complaints against Norwood Teague, which included texts to one woman in which he asked her to skinny dip and to let him perform oral sex on her.

The woman told school administrators that what started out as her texting with Teague about setting him up with one of her friends quickly devolved into Teague pinching her butt repeatedly and asking if she was open to cheating on her husband.

“Then his texting started to cross the line as he suggested skinny dipping, another drink with no touching, his attraction to me, etc.,” the woman wrote to school administrators. “At this point I responded, ’No’ and ’Stop.’ He continued to text.”

The other woman said Teague seemed intent on being next to her at the event and that she felt cornered by him at times. She said he kept asking when she was going to marry her boyfriend, and that he made unwelcome physical advances such as rubbing her back and poking her side.

Both women, whose names were blacked out in the report, said they left the event with others because they felt that Teague might otherwise try to follow them.

Teague apologized for having sent “inappropriate texts” in a statement issued through television station KARE 11. He said he drank too much that night and that he will be seeking help for an alco-

Photo by Carlos Gonzalez | AP

Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague has submitted his resignation after three years on the job. hol problem.

“I behaved badly towards nice people and sent truly inappropriate texts,” Teague said. “I’m embarrassed and I apologize to everyone involved. This neither reflects my true character or the true character of this great, great university.”

The school’s president, Eric Kaler, announced Teague’s resignation in an email to staff, pointing out that the women who accused Teague of harassing them are not student-workers and saying the university does not tolerate sexual harassment of any kind.

“The fact that we’ve pursued this aggressively and we’ve parted ways reflects a vigorous and firm statement about what the values of this university are and that his drinking doesn’t align with those,” Kaler said.

Beth Goetz, deputy athletic director and senior woman administrator, has been named interim athletic director.

KANE Continued from Page 1B ported the story, said the investigation began after a complaint was filed by a local woman.

Kane spent Saturday night at SkyBar, a popular Buffalo club about 15 miles from his lakefront mansion, and stayed past midnight with friends, a manager at the bar said. The evening was documented on social media as well.

Neighbors told the Tribune that three unmarked police cars descended upon Kane’s Hamburg home Sunday, and several plainclothes officers entered his house using flashlights. At least one officer wore gloves and could be seen taking pictures in the front, said one witness, who asked not to be named.

Kane, who grew up in nearby South Buffalo, won his third Stanley Cup Championship with Blackhawks this summer. In keeping with the tradition of giving each player a day to spend with the Cup, Kane had been slated to have the trophy Saturday and had planned to host a private party at SkyBar, according to a club manager.

Blackhawks spokesman Brandon Faber said he doesn’t know whether the Cup will be in Buffalo Saturday or whether Kane will take his turn with it.

The Cup, however, is already in western New York, as Blackhawks senior advisor Scotty Bowman hosted the trophy in his East Amherst home Friday. Bowman, who was throwing a private party at his house, declined comment on the Kane investigation through Faber, who spoke to the Tribune outside the home.

At 26, Kane is an NHL fan favorite and the cornerstone of a Blackhawks’ dynasty that quickly renewed Chicago’s love affair with hockey. The winger signed an eight-year, $84 million contract extension in July 2014 and laid claim to the league’s best-selling jersey later that year. In June, he helped lift the city’s third Stanley Cup trophy in six years with a playoff performance that included 11 goals and a dozen assists.

Kane moved to Hamburg

in 2012, when he purchased the 6,000-squarefoot mansion on the shores of Lake Erie. Before purchasing the $2.68 million house - described at the time as the third-highest price ever paid for a home in Erie County - he lived in a downtown Buffalo condo.

The move to the suburbs came after years of questionable behavior from Kane, who was drafted by the Blackhawks at 18 and arrived in Chicago at an age when most of his friends were packing for college. From that moment, his decisions became part of the public domain.

Kane pleaded guilty to the noncriminal violation of disorderly conduct in August 2009 after he was arrested in connection with a dispute with a Buffalo cabdriver. Though criminal charges against him were dropped, a judge ordered him to send an apology to the driver, who accused Kane and his cousin of assault and stealing a fare. Kane also had to pay $125 in court costs and was ordered to stay out of trouble for a year under a conditional discharge.

Kane again found himself in the spotlight in May 2012 when pictures surfaced of him celebrating Cinco de Mayo in Madison, Wis. A Madison Police Department representative told the Tribune then that Kane was involved in an altercation outside a bar but left when an officer told him to move on. He was not arrested.

In those years, images of a hard-partying Kane could be found on any number of social media accounts, and the team was clearly growing frustrated.

After being publicly chastised by management after the Wisconsin incident, Kane apologized for his behavior and vowed to do better.

"It was the offseason and you’re trying to have a good time, but you have to realize the spotlight you’re in no matter where you are," he said at the 2012 Blackhawks Convention.

"For me, the situation I’m in now is you always have to act like someone is watching you."

Teague was hired to replace Joel Maturi and was charged with reshaping a Golden Gophers athletic department that had fallen far behind the rest of the Big Ten in terms of facilities. His businesslike approach and focus on the bigmoney sports of football, men’s basketball and men’s hockey contrasted starkly with the folksy Maturi, who prided himself on his commitment to lower profile sports.

Teague set about to raise nearly $200 million to bring new practice facilities for football and men’s basketball — a gargantuan task for a school that hasn’t had the type of sporting success that gets big donors to open their wallets. But Teague helped raise about $70 million in the first year of the plan, and the school had hoped to start breaking ground on new projects this fall.

“I feel bad for everybody in the situation. Certainly not a good situation, but I trust our president,” football coach Jerry Kill said. “I’ve talked to President Kaler and I trust him 100 percent, and everybody’s going to say we’re going to get that thing started,” he said, referring to the groundbreaking on the new facilities.

Teague carved out a reputation as a basketball administrator in his previous six years as athletic director at Virginia Commonwealth University, where he teamed with coach Shaka Smart to bring the little-known program to national prominence. While at Minnesota, he fired Tubby Smith and hired Richard Pitino, the son of coaching legend Rick Pitino, to lead the men’s program. He also replaced Pam Borton with Marlene Stollings on the women’s side.

Teague said he planned to “reassess my career and life options.

While I’m proud of my career accomplishments, I want to stop and take a look at my life and alcohol issues.”

File photo by AP

The parents of the deceased Kevin Ward, pictured, are seeking unspecified damages from Tony Stewart in the recently filed lawsuit.

STEWART Continued from Page 1B "I don’t think how anybody could be exactly back to where they were," after being involved in a fatal accident, Stewart said then.

"That doesn’t mean I’ve become better, but there are always positives that come from any scenario."

The lawsuit says Ward suffered "blunt-force trauma to the chest resulting in a transcended aorta, a transected vertical spinal cord, crushed ribs and a hemothorax."

The suit said other drivers demonstrated more caution under the yellow flag than Stewart did and said Stewart has a history of "temper and outbursts both on and off the track."

Stewart is competing in Sunday’s Cheez-its 355 Sprint Cup race at the Wat-

kins Glen International.

Neither he nor his spokesperson offered immediate comment.

Stewart, 44, has struggled the past three seasons.

Three years ago he broke two bones in his lower right leg while driving a sprint car, causing him to miss 17 NASCAR races.

He missed three more races after last year’s incident with Ward.

This season he has no wins and no top-five finishes in 21 Sprint Cup races.

In danger of again missing the Chase, he approaches a Watkins Glen International road course where he has won five times since 2004.

His ninth-place finish at Pocono on Sunday was just his second top-10 finish this season.

SMITH Continued from Page 1B about football."

Smith was arrested Thursday night - on a day off from training camp for players - the fifth legal run-in since the team drafted him in 2011. Tomsula spoke to a couple of players but had a team meeting Friday afternoon.

"Guys care about him, we care about that guy, deeply," he said.

Smith had said when camp began he was healthy and in great shape, "ready to go." While he is now free to sign with any team, not needing to go through waivers, he likely would first face another lengthy NFL suspension.

Santa Clara police arrested Smith, and accused him of drunken driving, hit and run and vandalism.

Police said Friday that at 8:46 p.m., Smith collided with a parked vehicle while parking his car, then caused further damage to the parked vehicle with his car door.

The incident happened only a couple of miles from team headquarters at or on the street of Smith’s luxury apartment complex.

Authorities said Smith then left the scene without reporting the collision or leaving any identifying information. He later returned to the parking area where he was contacted by officers. Smith displayed "objective symptoms of being under the influence of an alcoholic beverage.

Officers administered a field sobriety test to Smith" and was arrested.

"Although he won’t be playing football for the San Francisco 49ers, he will be supported and helped, and he will not have to walk this path alone," Tomsula said. "That comes from our ownership down.

He will not have to walk this path alone. We’re not worried about football. It has nothing to do with football."

Smith denied he was driving under the influence during a brief interview with a local television station before Tomsula’s news conference.

"Justice will be served, the truth will come out," Smith told KTVU Fox 2 as he walked out of jail.

"There’s no DUI. I’m sorry for the way this whole thing - I want everybody to understand the situation that happened could have been handled differently."

Tomsula declined to speak about specifics of Smith’s arrest, but offered, "We’re dealing with human beings, living breathing human beings."

"There are things that need to be addressed with 100 percent of what he has," the coach said.

San Francisco has had 12 arrests or charges filed involving seven players since January 2012, prompting owner Jed York to promise the team would "win with class." The Niners released defensive tackle Ray McDonald late last season for his off-field problems.

"If one person out there reads this and you’re struggling, get help," an emotional Tomsula said emphatically. "Go get it. You’re worth it.

There’s value in every human being. Get the help. You don’t have to walk alone. Find it, it’s there."

Smith, who when at his best is one of the game’s top pass-rushers, was entering a contract year after he missed the first nine games of 2014 serving an NFL suspension for

violations of the league’s substanceabuse and personal-conduct policies.

In spring 2014, the 49ers exercised their 2015 option for Smith. In March, Smith restructured his contract into a more incentive-laden, team-friendly deal that gives the 49ers room if he were to get in legal trouble again.

The 25-year-old Smith missed time during the 2013 season to undergo treatment at an inpatient facility following his DUI arrest on Sept. 20, 2013. That November, he pleaded not guilty to three felony counts of illegal possession of an assault weapon, stemming from a June 2012 party at his home.

Smith was arrested on April 13, 2014, at Los Angeles International Airport. Police said Smith was randomly selected for a secondary screening and became uncooperative with the process, telling a TSA agent that he had a bomb. No charges were filed.

Smith emerged as one of the NFL’s top pass rushers in 2012. He had a franchise-record 19 1/2 sacks that year, but failed to record a sack in his final six games including the team’s postseason Super Bowl run.

Smith finished with 8 1/2 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games in 2013, making eight starts. In his shortened 2014 season, he had two sacks.

Tomsula hopes Smith will play football again one day.

"He has been turning his life around. He is in the process of turning his life around. People stumble," Tomsula said. "In terms of him playing football again, I sure hope so. I think he can. I want him to."

WATT Continued from Page 1B first overall a year ago but never got to see how the heralded pass rusher from South Carolina would impact, or foil, the attention paid to Watt on the other side. Clowney played in just four games, recording seven tackles, before being shelved for the season following knee surgery. He remains sidelined, but O’Brien said Friday “he’s going to be back at some point.”

Meanwhile, Watt welcomes the addition of nose tackle Vince Wilfork to the Texans, and keeps working to get better.

“There’s about a billion things I’d like to get better at,” he said. “I always say, and it’s the absolute truth, when I watch the film I click over the good plays real fast.

All I see when I watch the film is the negative stuff. What I can work on, what I can get better at and sure, everybody sees the high-

lights, everybody sees the great plays.

“It’s awesome, trust me. It’s a lot of fun and it’s great, but there’s still so much to improve upon and when you focus on every little thing, that’s when you really start to see improvement.”

Anything else would be akin to shirking his duties as a professional athlete, he said.

“Every day I am trying to find some way, somehow, that I can improve myself as an athlete,” he said. “I think the day that you start to get complacent, the day that you start to feel like you’ve made it is the day that you begin your decline.”

Watt signed a six-year contract extension worth $100 million before the start of the 2014 season.

“For me, if I don’t push the envelope, if I don’t go out there and practice my ass off, if I don’t go

out there every single day and try to be the best athlete I can be, I am cheating myself, I am cheating my teammates, I am cheating my fans, everybody,” he said.

Watt, who played college football at Wisconsin, looks to get to the next level.

“I haven’t reached my potential yet I am sure, and I hope to find out what that potential is,” he said. “They say you reach your prime between the ages of 27 and 33. I am 26, so hopefully it is still ahead. I hope they are right.”

Notes: O’Brien gave no update on RB Adrian Foster’s recovery from a groin injury. ... O’Brien gave NT Vince Wilfork the day off. ... The Texans have three players with Virginia ties: LT Duane Brown (Virginia Tech), RB Jonathan Grimes (William & Mary) and OLD Lynden Trail (Norfolk State).

SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015

Dear Heloise: I save unopened hotel soaps, shampoos, lotions, etc., and collect them from my friends.

I then drop them off at one of my local WOMEN’S SHELTERS. One can drop them off at the Salvation Army and other shelters.

They are perfect, since women and children who find themselves there usually come with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

The small sizes are perfect for short-term use, and children love them.

It would be nice if you would mention this from time to time. –– Suzanne in Turner, Ore. Happy to, and I have been writing about this very idea for over 25 years!

Many readers save up hotel amenities and free gifts from the cosmetic counter and make goody bags.

They deliver them during the holiday season, so the recipients will have something a little special and all their own. –– Hugs, Heloise SWEAT STAINS Dear Heloise: My son

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

“

HELOISE

goes to school and works part time after school in a pizza place. His T-shirts and school shirts really get bad, especially the underarm area. Regular washing does not seem to help.

Hints, please? –– Phil D. in Iowa Sweat stains and odor can be a challenge, but they are part of life! Turn the shirts inside out, put them in the sink, pour on full-strength household vinegar and let soak for 30 minutes or so.

Put into the washing machine, then hang to dry.

It may take a few times to remove the stains.SPICE SAVER Dear Heloise: Cover half the top of the spice jar with tape. It’s easier to control and get “just a dash.” –– Charlotte in Pennsylvania

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SATURDAY, AUGUST 8, 2015