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NUEVO LAREDO, MEXICO
VA OUTPATIENT CLINIC
Woman shot
Partnership will expand surgical care
Victim attacked when leaving dentist’s office By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A San Antonio woman who was shot in the head in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, was flown out to the San Antonio Military Medical Center soon after the incident, according to reports. Additionally, a Laredo Police Department incident report identified the woman as Virginia Valenzuela de Medina, 36. She remains in serious condition at the SAMMC as of Tuesday afternoon, according to hospital spokesman. Reports further state the case was assigned to the local Federal Bureau of Investigation office with FBI task force inves-
tigators to follow up on the case. Assistant Driver Victor Lopez, Laredo Fire Department spokesman, said paramedics responded to the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge at about 5:15 p.m. Saturday. Paramedics rendered aid to Valenzuela, who was alert and oriented when EMS crews took over, Lopez said. She was rushed to Laredo Medical Center, where she was listed in critical condition. Later, Valenzuela was airlifted to San Antonio for specialized care that same day, according to Mindy Casso, an LMC spokeswoman. The American Consulate in Nuevo Laredo re-
leased a brief statement on the incident. “The U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Laredo is aware of the case but is prevented from sharing specifics due to privacy considerations of those involved,” reads the statement.
Shooting The shooting occurred at about 3 p.m. in Nuevo Laredo. Valenzuela had crossed into Mexico on Saturday morning to visit her sister and run some errands. Reports state Valenzuela then went to a dentist’s office with her niece. Her niece was getting dental work, according to police. When Valenzuela and
her niece came out of the office, they walked toward their Chevy TrailBlazer. Valenzuela attempted to turn on the ignition when an unknown man walked up to the driver side window, pointed a revolver and shot Valenzuela at point blank range in the left temple, states an incident report. Reports state Valenzuela’s items and money were not stolen. The assailant allegedly walked away after he shot the woman. Police said the niece sought help from a taxi cab because she did not know how to drive. The cab took them to Hospital General, which
OIL & GAS
See SHOT PAGE 10A
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
LAREDO — Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, announced Tuesday the expansion of health care services for veterans at the Laredo Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Outpatient Clinic. A new partnership between the VA Texas Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System, TriWest and Doctors Hospital of Laredo will allow qualifying Laredo-area veterans, including those in Zapata, to receive inpatient surgical and emergency care services. This partnership brings the convenience of a community hospital within
reach to over 5,000 Webb County veterans who will no longer have to travel to San Antonio for their healthcare needs. As per this agreement, Doctors Hospital will notify the VA when a local veteran arrives to the emergency room, or when a veteran arrives as a transfer from the Laredo VA Outpatient clinic. The hospital will then provide in-patient services, emergency room care and advanced radiological services including MRI and CT scans. These new services are in conjunction with existing on-site clinic services, which have recently been
See CLINIC PAGE 10A
LINCOLN-JUAREZ INTERNATIONAL BRIDGE
$62M RENOVATIONS
Photo by Toby Talbot | AP file
In this June 15, 2005 photo, methane gas burns off a stack near the Washington Electric Cooperative power plant in Coventry, Vt. The Obama administration is proposing to cut methane emissions from oil and gas production by nearly half over the next decade.
US proposes to cut methane by nearly half
Courtesy photo
Rep. Henry Cuellar on Thursday announced a $62 million renovation project for bridge II in Laredo. Pictured from left is Cuellar, GSA Regional Administrator Sylvia Hernandez, CBP Director of Field Operations David Higgerson, Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz and Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carlos Canturosas.
Construction project to begin next month By KENDRA ABLAZA
By MATTHEW DALY AND JOSH LEDERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is proposing to cut methane emissions from U.S. oil and gas production by nearly half over the next decade in an unprecedented step to curb climate change. The administration’s target is to cut methane from oil and gas drilling by 40 to 45 percent by 2025, compared to 2012 levels. The move was not unexpected — officials set the same goal in a preliminary blueprint in January. Still, by moving forward with the official proposal, President Barack
Obama is adding to a list of energy regulations that have drawn applause from environmentalists and ire from energy advocates. To meet the goal, the administration was expected to issue the first U.S. regulations cutting emissions from new natural gas wells, along with updated standards for drilling to reduce leakage from wells on public lands. It’s unclear how much those regulations will cost the energy industry to comply. The Environmental Protection Agency scheduled a noon announcement to unveil the proposal. “Today, through our cost-
See METHANE PAGE 10A
THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO — The port of entry at the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge, also known as bridge II, will undergo more than two years worth of renovations starting September that will eventually build a new bus inspection and passenger processing area; an improved waiting area; restrooms and a canopy for loading and unloading buses. The $62 million revamp is meant to improve traffic flow and reduce waiting times at the port of entry, said U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo.
Cuellar and other federal and city officials announced the project’s kick-off Tuesday by the Lincoln-Juarez International Bridge. Project manager Raul Moreno Jr., who works with the U.S. General Services Administration, said the port of entry was originally designed for inspecting six buses a day when it opened in 1980. Now, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers go through about 100 inspections a day. Processing a bus takes at least 45 minutes, Moreno said The project manager said he hopes the complet-
See BRIDGE PAGE 10A
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
Congressman Henry Cuellar, holding cellphone, takes a selfie with GSA representatives Sylvia Hernandez and Raul J. Moreno, and with CBP Director of Laredo Field Operations David Higgerson and Nuevo Laredo Mayor Carlos Canturosas Villarreal Tuesday morning following a press conference at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge.