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CRIME
TEXAS SCHOOLS
Smuggling charges
Meeting education standards
2 alleged human smugglers face years of prison By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Two alleged human smugglers accused of smuggling a group of people where one immigrant died near the Webb-Zapata County line in mid-July have been indicted in federal court, records obtained Thursday state. A grand jury charged Antonio Vasquez III, 18, and Juan Luis Lopez, 19, with conspiracy
to transport undocumented people, and transport and attempt to transport undocumented people for financial gain. Each man faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted on the allegations, according to the indictment filed against them Tuesday. Court records allege that the men attempted to smuggle 10 Mexican citizens, one Costa Rican and one Honduran. At 1:05 a.m. July 17, the Webb
County Sheriff ’s Office notified U.S. Border Patrol about a distress call originating at a ranch near the Webb-Zapata County line. Sheriff ’s deputies discovered two immigrants. One was dead, according to court documents. At 2 a.m., Border Patrol received another distress call from two immigrants whom agents assisted. While canvassing the area in search of a bigger group, agents followed foot-
prints to Las Presas neighborhood on Mangana Hein Road. Agents said they encountered a blue 2005 Dodge Durango occupied by Lopez and Vasquez, the suspected human smugglers. Both men were arrested after a foot pursuit. The vehicle had nine people who had crossed the border illegally, according to court records. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
FORT MCCLELLAN
TOXIC CHEMICAL EXPOSURE
90 percent of districts meet the minimum By JAMIE STENGLE AND WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — About 90 percent of districts and 85 percent of schools in Texas met the state’s minimum education standards, education officials announced Friday as they continue overhauling an accountability system that will eventually hand out letter grades. Because the Texas Education Agency has been tinkering with the system to reduce an emphasis on standardized test scores and calculate other factors, these latest ratings aren’t directly comparable to the ones released last year. Meanwhile, that so many districts and schools statewide met the minimum standard was no accident since many facets of the new ratings were designed to ensure failure rates of no more than 5 percent. The ratings still rely heavily on student performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness, or STAAR exam, but also take into account how well districts are closing achievement gaps between minority and economically disadvantaged youngsters and their white or wealthier coun-
See EDUCATION PAGE 11A
IMMIGRATION OVERLOAD
Photos by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times
Pictured from left are Sonia Roberts, Cynthia Riley, Maria Castle and Barbara Kie.
4 local veterans stationed at most toxic site in US By GABRIELA TREVIÑO THE ZAPATA TIMES
Over nearly 65 years, tens of thousands of veterans, including an unknown number of Laredoans, either trained or were stationed at Fort McClellan, a U.S. Army post adjacent to the city of Anniston, Alabama, which has since become known as the most toxic site in America. A Facebook page called Ft. McClellan Toxic Exposure for Veterans was launched in 2010. “If you were stationed at Ft. McClellan, (Alabama) from Jan. 1, 1935 - May 20, 1999, you were exposed to toxic chemicals, substances or agents,” reads the webpage’s banner. A 2002 Washington Post article called “Monsanto Hid Decades of Pollution” outlined the legal dispute between Monsanto and the citizens of Anniston. It was exposed that Monsanto, a leading producer of agrochemicals, genetically engineered seed and herbicides,
used the city of Anniston as a dumping site for its hazardous waste up until the 1970s. The toxic soup of chemicals included polychlorinated biphenyls, also known as PCB’s, trichloroethylene, also known as TCE’s, dioxin, a potent carcinogen, and sarin nerve gas. A 2002 episode of “60 Minutes” declared Anniston “the most toxic site in America.” According to an article on veteranstoday.com, PCBs are principal component of Agent Orange, and Monsanto was the company manufacturing PCBs to help the military make Agent Orange. Fort McClellan operated from 1917 until 1999, after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted a detailed survey of the contaminants on the site. It was also one of the principal chemical and biological training centers for the U.S. Department of Defense. In interviews with the Laredo Morning Times, four local women described their strug-
gles with serious medical conditions they attribute to their time at Fort McClellan. Although those interviewed are women, it is not a gender-specific issue. Here are their stories.
Sonia Roberts In July 2013, Sonia Roberts was sent to the emergency room. She had been coughing persistently, had a painful nodule on her lung and shortness of breath. A later visit with a specialist indicated mild emphysema. As months passed, her symptoms evolved, and she was recently diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis. The rapid progression of this illness is something she has found “startling.” Every day as Roberts, 64, leaves her house and grabs her car keys, she makes sure to take her inhalers as well. Roberts said this diagnosis
Flow of children slows
was added to her laundry list of medical conditions, which includes carpal tunnel, tinnitus, post traumatic stress disorder and dental issues, among others. Roberts, a New York City native, enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of 26 in 1977, and left for Fort McClellan soon thereafter for basic training. She was sent on a three-year commission. Roberts said that two weeks into her basic training at Fort McClellan, she began to feel ill. Frequent bouts with nausea led her to believe her body was adapting to the Alabama heat or training. Apart from the extreme physical training she went through, Roberts endured heavy menstrual bleeding, intense migraines and nausea while at basic training camp. Nine months into her threeyear commission, Roberts left Fort McClellan due to health
McALLEN, Texas — Far fewer unaccompanied immigrant children are crossing the Texas-Mexico border, allowing the federal government to close the temporary shelters that it hurriedly opened to handle the surge, authorities say. The Department of Homeland Security released data Thursday showing that about 5,500 unaccompanied children were arrested in July, barely half the number in May and June and the fewest children arrested in a month since February. Similarly, arrests of parents with children dropped by more than half last month, to just over 7,400. DHS Secretary Jeh Johnson wel-
See TOXIC PAGE 12A
See IMMIGRATION PAGE 11A
Arrests at 100 per day, down from 300 in June By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS