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GULF OF MEXICO OIL SPILL
US ENERGY BOOM
$18B in fines
Shale oil threatens Saudi sales
Federal judge: BP acted in ‘gross negligence’ By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN AND JANET MCCONNAUGHEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS — BP could be looking at close to $18 billion in additional fines over the nation’s worst offshore oil spill after a federal judge ruled Thursday that the company acted with “gross negli-
gence” in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico disaster. U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier concluded that the London-based oil giant showed a “conscious disregard of known risks” during the drilling operation and bears most of the responsibility for the blowout that killed 11 rig workers and spewed millions of
gallons of oil over three months. In the next stage of the case, set to begin in January, the judge will decide precisely how much BP must pay. Under the federal Clean Water Act, a polluter can be forced to pay a maximum of $1,100 in civil fines per barrel of spilled oil, or
up to $4,300 per barrel if the company is found grossly negligent. Barbier’s finding exposes BP to the much higher amount. Even as the oil giant vowed to appeal, BP stock fell $2.82, or nearly 6 percent, to $44.89, reducing
See OIL SPILL PAGE 10A
SAN ANTONIO
REBIRTH OF A CLASSIC
Photo by Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News | AP
This Aug. 21 photo shows the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts in San Antonio. The Tobin Center is a stunning new player on the city’s performing arts scene.
Renovated auditorium ready for performances By STEVE BENNETT SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — After the Municipal Auditorium was built in the 1920s, it became San Antonio’s civic center, hosting everything from opera performances to boxing matches over its long, historic life. Aside from architect Atlee Ayres’ Spanish colonial revival stone facade, that flexibility is about the only thing left of the venerable old auditorium. “We can have three, four, five events going on in here at the same time — a concert, a play, a banquet, a club meeting,” Tobin Center President and CEO Michael
Fresher pointed out earlier this summer, when tours of the space required a hard hat. “We can even have weddings.” Hard hats no longer are required at the Tobin Center, a stunning new player on the city’s performing arts scene. Architects — led by LMN of Seattle, a leading international firm in performance hall design, with San Antonio’s Marmon Mok Architecture as the local partner — faced three major challenges from Tobin officials. “They wanted a worldclass performance hall as well as a smaller studio theater, and they wanted us to respect the history of Munici-
Photo by Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News | AP
Seen is the interior of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts inside the H-E-B Performance Hall in San Antonio. pal Auditorium,” said Stephen Souter, Marmon Mok’s managing partner. Well, make that four challenges. Planners also wanted to make the Tobin accessible
— and relevant — to the San Antonio River. “The old building turned its back on the river,” Souter
See AUDITORIUM
PAGE 10A
By DAN MURTAUGH AND LYNN DOAN BLOOMBERG NEWS
After years of keeping the price of crude sold to the U.S. low enough to maintain market share, Saudi Arabia is losing ground as the shale boom leaves U.S. refiners with ample supplies of inexpensive domestic oil. Arab Light crude for sale in the U.S. averaged 48 cents a barrel less than Light Louisiana Sweet, a Gulf Coast benchmark, in August, the narrowest discount in data compiled by Bloomberg back to 1991. The U.S. imported 878,000 barrels of Saudi crude a day in the first four weeks of August, the least since 2009. Shale drilling has boosted U.S. oil output to the highest level since 1986. As refineries turn to lower-priced domestic oil to make fuel at a record pace, the Saudis and other foreign suppliers are left with dwindling slices of the market. In June, imports from Saudi Arabia accounted for the smallest share of crude processed at U.S. refineries since February 2010. “The Saudis are not going to sell crude at a disadvantage to themselves — they’re not about buying market share anymore,” Mike Wittner, Societe Generale’s head of oil market research in New York, said by telephone Aug. 28. “Those days are long gone. They’ll price crude to be competitive with the competing sour grades in every market, and if that means their flows to the U.S. are down, so be it.” Saudi Oil Minister Ali al-Naimi told reporters in Vienna in December that he expected Saudi shipments to the U.S. to stabilize at an average of 1.4 million to 1.5 million barrels a day this year. Saudi Arabian officials didn’t return at least nine calls between Aug. 28 and yesterday seeking comment on the exports. Saudi Arabian Oil Co. shares ownership with
Royal Dutch Shell Plc of three refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast, including a 600,000-barrel-a-day plant in Port Arthur, Texas, the largest in the U.S. The refineries, which have combined capacity of 1.07 million barrels a day, imported 331,000 barrels a day from Saudi Arabia in June. Until recent months, the kingdom maintained a steady flow to the U.S. around 1.3 million barrels a day even as total U.S. imports fell by 34 percent from a peak in June 2005. Other countries didn’t fare as well. Shipments are 59 percent below their peak from Mexico, 56 percent from Venezuela and 93 percent from Nigeria. Imports are being pushed out by domestic production that’s risen 65 percent in the past five years, spurred by horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing in underground layers of shale rock. Growing pipeline deliveries of heavy crude from Canada also displaced waterborne cargoes from abroad. The price of West Texas Intermediate crude averaged $96.08 a barrel in August, compared with $106.54 the same month the year before. It settled at $94.45 in New York today. “The Saudis might fully intend to stay in the U.S. market, they might fully intend to have a million-plus barrels, it’s just the market supply-and-demand levels probably won’t allow that,” said John Auers, executive vice president at energy consulting firm Turner Mason & Co. Saudi Aramco, as the state oil company is known, bases prices for the different destinations on regional indexes, adjusting premiums and discounts to be competitive against oil from other countries. In the U.S., Aramco’s adjustments kept the average price of Arab Light more than $2 a barrel below Light Loui-
See SHALE OIL PAGE 10A
NUEVO LAREDO, MEXICO
N.L’s annual fair runs through Sept. 21 By MELVA LAVÍN-CASTILLO THE ZAPATA TIMES
This year’s Border Fair and Exposition has begun in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, and will run through through Sept. 21. Expomex, as it’s popularly known, is held at the fairgrounds in the Viveros neighborhood. Some of the attractions this year will include some 250 exhibitors, eagles and snakes from Guadalajara Habitat, fireworks and rides, among others. Opening ceremonies took place Friday night, which will included
the crowning of Karla Elizabeth I and her court, an Expomex tradition, at the Teatro del Pueblo. Expomex 2014 President Fernando Torres Villarreal said there will be activities for the family. “We’ll have activities in the arena, rodeos, horse racing and wrestling,” Torres Villarreal said. “These are in addition to the artists at the Teatro del Pueblo.” The lineup of performing artists include: today, Trio Los Panchos; Saturday, Mike Laure Jr.; Sunday, Jot Dog; Monday, Nuevo Laredo tenor Leonardo Gonzalez Garnica; Tuesday, Los Terricolas;
Wednesday, Homenaje of Nuevo Laredo; Thursday, comedian Teo Gonzalez; Friday, Sept. 12, Sonora Dinamita; Saturday, Sept. 13, Playa Limbo; Sunday, Sept. 14, Sonora Santanera; Monday, Sept. 15, Yohan and Ziri; Tuesday, Sept. 16, La Tropa Loca; Wednesday; Sept. 17, Grupo La Firma; Thursday, Sept.
18, Ema Huevo; Friday, Sept. 19, Mario Bezarez Show; Saturday, Sept. 20, Nene Malo; and Sunday, Sept. 21, Perez Prado Orchestra. In the Palenque, cockfights are scheduled Saturday, Sept. 13 and Sept. 20. On Sept. 13, singer Julion Alvarez is scheduled for the Palenque, and charreadas are scheduled Saturday, Sept. 13 and Sept. 20 at the Lienzo Charro arena. On Monday, professional wrestling is scheduled for the Casino at Expomex, beginning at 6 p.m. Entry to Expomex is 30 pesos (about $2.30) for adults. Entry is free for children younger than 10,
senior citizens and disabled children. In addition, the federal, state and local governments are in charge of a special security operation around the fair. “We will establish safe routes for people who are coming to the fair from different parts of the city, and Laredo (Texas) also has access to a safe route,” Mayor of Nuevo Laredo Carlos Villarreal Canturosas said. (Contact Melva Lavín-Castillo at (956) 728-2569 or mecastillo@lmtonline.com. Translated by Mark Webber of the Times staff.)
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Saturday, Sept. 6
ASSOCIATED PRESS
FUMC Used Book Sale scheduled from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. For more information, contact Sue Webber, administrative assistant at 722-1674 or fumc_office@sbcglobal.net. Laredo Northside Market . North Central Park on International Blvd. from 9 A.M. to 1 P.M. See our facebook page for more information.
Tuesday, Sept. 9 Laredo Soups monthly microfinance dinner. 6:30-9pm. Holding Institute, 1102 St. Maria Ave. $5 gets you soup, salad, bread & a vote to microfund a community project. Four local organizations present projects. Money collected on the spot given to winning project. To learn more contact Tati Friar at tfriar@gmail.com or 771-9671.
Wednesday, Sept. 10 Photo by Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News | AP
21st annual Logistics & Manufacturing Symposium. Texas A&M International University. For more information contact the Laredo Development Foundation at 800-820-0564, 7220563 or ldfinfo@ldfonline.org.
Thursday, Sept. 11 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org. Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club will meet at the Laredo Country Club from 1:15 to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Beverly Cantu at 727-0589.
Saturday, Sept. 13 21st annual Logistics & Manufacturing Symposium. Texas A&M International University. For more information contact the Laredo Development Foundation at 800-820-0564, 7220563 or ldfinfo@ldfonline.org. South Texas Collectors Expo. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Energy Arena. Celebrities, comic book artists, cosplayers, vendors and more. Tickets on sale at LEA box office and Ticketmaster.com. Visit southtexascollectorsexpo.com or email info@stcelaredo.com.
Tuesday, Sept. 16 Bereavement Program grief support group. “ Grief Journey: Using Creative Arts to Heal and Remember”. 6pm to 7:30pm at the Laredo Public Library, contact Michelle Ramirez 210567-0528.
Thursday, Sept. 18 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org. Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club will meet at the Laredo Country Club from 1:15 to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Beverly Cantu at 727-0589. Spanish Club Meeting. 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Laredo Public Library-Calton. Sylvia Reash 763-1810
Saturday, Sept. 20 The community is invited to celebrate Mercy Day with the Sisters of Mercy at a Mass at Christ the King Church. From 3:00 pm to 4:00 pm. For more information please contact Rosanne Palacios at rosanne.palacios@mercy.net.
Frisco Fire and Police department officials cover back gate as they investigate the scene at the home of Pallavi and Sumeet Dhawan, where a woman’s body was found in the pool and another in the house, in Frisco, on Wednesday. The couple are the parents of Arnav Dhawan, a 10-year-old boy with special needs whose body was found in a bathtub on Jan. 29.
Father had head wound ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Police in a north Dallas suburb Friday released new details about the investigation into the deaths of a married couple whose bodies were discovered this week at the family home but declined to say what caused the deaths. On Wednesday, officers found the body of Pallavi Dhawan, 39, in the family’s backyard pool and the body of Sumeet Dhawan, 43, in the house where their son was also found dead earlier this year. Frisco Assistant Police Chief Darren Stevens said Friday that Sumeet Dhawan had blunt-force trauma to the head and a fractured hand. His wife had no visible signs of trauma, Stevens said. Pallavi Dhawan recently had testified be-
Laredo justice of the peace admits extortion
Perry leading economic mission to Japan, China
2 chains pay penalties for violating federal law
LAREDO — A justice of the peace has pleaded guilty to extortion and admitted to taking a bribe from a bail bondsman. Ricardo Rangel is a justice of the peace for Webb County Precinct 2. A statement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office says the 48year-old Laredo man accepted a $250 brive from a bail bondsman in return for granting a $1,000 surety bail bond for a drunkendriving defendant.
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry is leading a Texas economic mission to Japan and China next week as he continues to bolster his foreign policy chops for a possible second presidential run. Perry’s office announced Friday that he will be in Tokyo on Monday to address the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan.
HOUSTON — Federal authorities have imposed more than $2 million in fines against CVS and H-E-B for providing numerous prescriptions to customers when laws prohibited those drugs from being distributed. Officials said Rhode Islandbased CVS this week paid a $1.9 million penalty while H-E-B, with headquarters in San Antonio, paid more than $262,000.
Immigrant commits suicide in BP custody MCALLEN — Border Patrol officials say a 54-year-old Mexican man apparently hanged himself at a Border Patrol station. Agents found the man unresponsive at the McAllen station shortly before noon Friday. Officials said agents began administering cardiopulmonary resuscitation and contacted emergency medical services.
Friday, Sept. 26 Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club will meet at the Laredo Country Club from 1:15 to 5 p.m. For more information, contact Beverly Cantu at 727-0589. Villa de San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society meeting. 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. St. John Newmann Church, Parish Hall. Presentation of “Peru and the Legacy of the Incas,” by Sylvia Reasch. Contact Sanjuanita MartinezHunter at 722-3497.
Monday, Sept. 29 Monthly meeting of Laredo Parkinson’s Disease Support Group. 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, Tower B, First Floor Community Center.
‘Bernie’ victim’s family fights for voice in court DALLAS — When the mortician who inspired the movie “Bernie” was let out of prison, the family of the elderly woman he killed found out about his release from reporters. Now, they’re fighting to have their voices heard in a courtroom at all. Bernie Tiede’s attorneys have opposed a request by the family of 81-year-old Marjorie Nugent to argue their side to the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals.
Austin officials review safety for SxSW festival AUSTIN — Officials in Austin say they’re at a “critical point” to make the South by Southwest festival safer after a car crash earlier this year killed four. A new report on South by Southwest released Thursday faults festival organizers and planners of “secret shows” and unofficial events for not notifying the city in advance. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION
Thursday, Sept. 25 Grief support group. Noon to 1:30 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Free and open to public. Contact Patricia Cisneros at 722-1674 or pcisneros@mhm.org.
fore a grand jury reviewing the January death of the couple’s 10-year-old son, Arnav. She had been charged with murder in the boy’s death and was free on $50,000 bond. The couple through their attorney had strenuously asserted her innocence. A medical examiner’s report had said the child’s death was most likely the result of a natural cause. However, police have said the mother had confessed to killing the boy with a nod of her head, something the family has denied. Arnav was a special-needs child, born with a brain cyst and microcephaly, a condition characterized by an abnormally small head, which could have factored in his death, according to family attorney David Finn. Stevens also said Friday that investigators found a note at the home.
Alaska governor wraps up hard week in politics ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has had far better weeks than this one. First, Parnell’s two main opponents in a three-way gubernatorial race joined campaigns, a move expected to present a more formidable challenge to the governor’s re-election bid. Then, Parnell’s campaign inadvertently sent out an election flier to state employees, a campaign violation. Parnell’s administration then came under fire Thursday with a scathing report detailing allegations of fraud and sexual assault in the Alaska National Guard.
Clinton rallies support for Crist in governor race MIAMI — Bill Clinton is lending his political star power to Democrat Charlie Crist, who is locked in a tight race for gover-
Today is Saturday, September 6, the 249th day of 2014. There are 116 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On September 6, 1944, during World War II, the British government relaxed blackout restrictions and suspended compulsory training for the Home Guard. On this date: In 1861, Union forces led by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant occupied Paducah, Kentucky, during the Civil War. In 1901, President William McKinley was shot and mortally wounded by anarchist Leon Czolgosz at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, New York. (McKinley died eight days later; Czolgosz was executed on October 29.) In 1916, the first self-service grocery store, Piggly Wiggly, was opened in Memphis, Tennessee, by Clarence Saunders. In 1939, the Union of South Africa declared war on Germany. In 1943, 79 people were killed when a New York-bound Pennsylvania Railroad train derailed and crashed in Philadelphia. In 1954, groundbreaking took place for the Shippingport Atomic Power Station in western Pennsylvania. In 1970, Palestinian guerrillas seized control of three U.S.bound jetliners. (Two were later blown up on the ground in Jordan, along with a Londonbound plane hijacked on September 9; the fourth plane was destroyed on the ground in Egypt. No hostages were harmed.) In 1984, country music’s “Texas Troubador,” Ernest Tubb, died in Nashville at age 70. In 1997, a public funeral was held for Princess Diana at Westminster Abbey in London, six days after her death in a car crash in Paris. In 2002, meeting outside Washington D.C. for only the second time since 1800, Congress convened in New York to pay homage to the victims and heroes of September 11. Today’s Birthdays: Comedian JoAnne Worley is 79. Country singer David Allan Coe is 75. Rock singer-musician Roger Waters (Pink Floyd) is 71. Actress Swoosie Kurtz is 70. Comedian-actress Jane Curtin is 67. Country singer-songwriter Buddy Miller is 62. Actor James Martin Kelly (TV: “Mob City”; Film: “Magic Mike”) is 60. Country musician Joe Smyth (Sawyer Brown) is 57. Actor-comedian Jeff Foxworthy is 56. Actor-comedian Michael Winslow is 56. Rock musician Perry Bamonte is 54. Actor Steven Eckholdt is 53. Rock musician Scott Travis (Judas Priest) is 53. Pop musician Pal Waaktaar (a-ha) is 53. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is 52. Rock musician Kevin Miller is 52. ABC News correspondent Elizabeth Vargas is 52. Country singer Mark Chesnutt is 51. Actress Betsy Russell is 51. Actress Rosie Perez is 50. Rhythm and blues singer Macy Gray is 47. Singer CeCe Peniston is 45. Rhythm-andblues singer Darryl Anthony (Az Yet) is 45. Actress Daniele Gaither is 44. Rock singer Dolores O’Riordan (The Cranberries) is 43. Thought for Today: “The happiness of most people we know is not ruined by great catastrophes or fatal errors, but by the repetition of slowly destructive little things.” — Ernest Dimnet, French priest, lecturer and author (18661954).
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 Managing Editor, Nick Georgiou ................. 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife | AP
This photo taken May 3 shows the wolf designated OR-7 in Siskiyou National Forest in southwest Oregon’s Cascade Range. Genetic testing shows the mate of OR-7 is a wild wolf, and related to two packs in northeastern Oregon. nor in the nation’s largest swing state. The former president on Friday headlined a rally in Miami, where he implored Democrats to defy historical trends and turn out and vote in November. Speaking to several hundred
supporters, Clinton painted Crist as a bipartisan conciliator who would rebuild the middle class by raising the minimum wage, ensuring equal pay for women and expanding Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of Floridians. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Agency seeks nominations for state artists SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Photo by Cesar Rodriguez | The Zapata Times
Shown is the façade of the fairgrounds in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, where the city’s annual Expomex is held. This year’s fair, which started Friday, is scheduled to run through Sept. 21.
Nuevo Laredo providing security for fair visitors By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
David Diaz Aguirre, 19, hopped on top of a mechanical ride at the Expomex grounds Thursday morning. Diaz Aguirre attempted to find an electric power source to get the ride going. “Every thing has to be ready tonight (Thursday),” Diaz Aguirre said, adding Expomex wanted to try out the mechanical rides before the grand opening tonight. La Feria de Nuevo Laredo or Expomex 2014 kicked off Friday with the crowning ceremony of queenelect Karla Elizabeth I in
the Teatro del Pueblo. “To the community of Laredo, we invite you to come and enjoy the old days in Nuevo Laredo, a place with a lot of tradition,” said Fernando Torres, president for the Feria and Exposición Fronteriza de Nuevo Laredo. The U.S. Department of State issued a travel warning Aug. 15 for Mexico. U.S. citizens should “defer nonessential travel to the state of Tamaulipas” because of violent outbursts, according to the warning. Torres encouraged people to visit Expomex and added security has tight-
ened to ensure the safety of visitors and the community. He said there’s a master plan to protect feria-goers. Visitors wanting to visit Expomex are encouraged to take Boulevard Luis Donaldo Colosio from International Bridge 2 and head south until reaching Parque Viveros. Motorists can exit there and head toward feria grounds. Federal, state and local law enforcement are expected to be safeguarding traveling motorists throughout Boulevard Colosio. “The entire city will be protected,” Torres said. Organizers plan to set
up metal detectors at all three entrances. Once inside, people can enjoy the vendors who will be selling anywhere from Mexican cravings to handmade crafts and more. The public can also enjoy a livestock expo, charreadas, cockfighting and horse racing. Mexican singer Julión Álvarez is set to hit the stage in the palenque Sept. 13. Torres said about 7,500 tickets have been sold. The Feria runs through Sept. 21. Hours are from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
Texas Commission on the Arts is seeking nominations for the positions of 2015 and 2016 state poet laureate, state musician, state artist two-dimensional media (e.g., painting, photography), and state artist three-dimensional media (e.g., sculpture). All Texas citizens are encouraged to make nominations, and self-nominations are encouraged. The nomination form and complete information are available online at http:// www.arts.texas.gov/initiatives/texas-state-artist/. The deadline for Texas State Artists nominations is Oct. 15. All qualified nominees must be native Texans or five-year residents of the state. Candidates must have received recognition for high levels of excellence and success in their respective disciplines. They also must have received critical reviews in state, regional or national publications. Chosen artists will join the company of previous state artists such as Willie Nelson, James Surls, Dean Young, and Kathy Vargas and receive statewide recognition. Texas State Artists also have the opportunity to participate in TCA events and promotions, including participation on TCA’s Texas Touring Roster and other state initia-
The 84th Texas Legislature will make the appointments. tives in relation to their respective arts discipline. “We are fortunate to have many outstanding artists in Texas, and we anticipate receiving numerous qualified nominations,” said Gary Gibbs, executive director of TCA. “Being named a Texas State Artist is quite an honor, one that brings new career opportunities and recognition from the arts community and the general public.” TCA oversees the selection process for the four positions, in accordance with Chapter 3104 of the Texas Government Code. TCA issues the call for nominations, oversees an evaluation review process, and provides a list of finalists to the selection committee. The committee, composed of members appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, makes the final selections. The 84th Texas Legislature will make the appointments next spring when they are in session.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
OTHER VIEWS
Nader was consumers’ big hero By LLEWELLYN KING HEARST NEWSPAPERS
Ralph Nader is to blame. It’s that simple. I’m not talking about the election of 2000, where his candidacy was enough to hand the presidency to George W. Bush and all that has followed. I’m talking about when Nader went AWOL as the nation’s consumer conscience. In the space of a week, three U.S. flights have been diverted because of passenger disturbances over reclining seats. Would this have happened if Nader of old were on the case? In the mid-1960s and early 1970s, Nader was the nation’s bulwark against corporate excess. He may have gotten it wrong — as many have claimed — about the safety of the Corvair, the rear-engine compact car, manufactured by the Chevrolet division of General Motors, that was to have rivaled the Volkswagen Beetle. No matter. Nader’s 1965 book, “Unsafe at Any Speed,” launched him as the consumer’s knight in shining armor. For nearly a decade, we felt that Nader was on our side and those big, faceless monsters like insurance companies, banks, airlines, consumer credit outfits and appliance manufacturers could be brought to heal by invoking the one name that would strike fear, trembling and rectitude into the hearts of the titans of corporate America: Nader. It was a halcyon time for those who wanted, like actor Peter Finch in the 1976 film “Network,” to shout, and be heard, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!” Nader was a figure of mythical omnipotence. You didn’t have to take your troubles with a faulty car or broken contract to Nader, you simply had to threaten; the words “cc Ralph Nader” at the bottom of a letter were enough. Corporations quaked, the earth moved, and restitution was forthcoming. We delighted in learning little details about Nader the aesthete, who lived in one room somewhere in Washington, had no creature comforts, partners, or trappings, but always wore a suit. People happily believed he slept in it, ready to rush to court to slay a dragon of corporate excess. Journalists loved Nader. We learned that he kept a secret office in the venerable National Press Building in Washington and would sneak up to
the National Press Club on the 13th floor to peruse the press releases, which were then displayed near the elevators. One presumed he was looking for evidence of consumer abuse in false corporate claims. The Vietnam War was raging, and the nation was divided on every issue except the wonder of the man who was called “consumer advocate.” The nation had never had one before and we loved it. Oh, yes, love is not too strong a word. We went to bed at night knowing that if the mattress wasn’t what had been promised by the Divine Mattress Company, Nader would fix it. Jimmy Carter promised that when he was elected president, he would have a direct telephone line to St. Nader. That was the zenith of Nader’s consumer advocacy power. But Nader and his acolytes, known as Nader’s Raiders, had already begun to pursue broader political aims and to embrace the extreme reaches of the environmental movement. Nader, our beloved consumer advocate, saintly and virtuous, was becoming a partisan — a partisan of the left. It was an extreme blow for those who had followed along behind Nader’s standard because we believed he was the unsullied, virtuous supporter of the individual against the institution. The voice that could be heard when, as often, politics had failed. Over the years, I had battles with Nader. We argued most especially over nuclear power and a raft of related energy issues. I and the late physicist Ralph Lapp, together with the great mathematician Hans Bethe, put together a group of 24 Nobel laureates to support nuclear. Nader assembled 36 Nobel laureates against, and won the argument on numbers. He has always been a tough customer. Poor Ralph. He had it all — and so did we — when he fought for the common man against the common enemy: those who stole our money or shortchanged us. Deep in my heart, I think he is to blame for high bank fees, pay-day loans, tiny aircraft seats, high Amtrak fares, and the fact that corporations won’t speak to us — they have machines do that. Ralph, it could have been so different if you had just stayed at your post. (Llewellyn King’s email is lking@kingpublishing.com.)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
Parishes resume catechesis Two weeks ago I wrote in this column about the start of the academic year with students from prekindergarten through college returning to the classroom along with public and private school teachers, professors, administrators and paraprofessionals. This weekend in the Catholic parishes throughout the Diocese of Laredo an important ministry begins again in a different classroom setting with students of every age. Those of you who are older will recall the name Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, or CCD, when many of you were taught from what is commonly called the Baltimore Catechism. We still use the term CCD but we also say Religious Education for Children and Religious Education for Adults. This inte-
“
JAMES TAMAYO
gral ministry begins this week in parishes throughout Asherton, Carrizo Springs, Cotulla, Crystal City, El Cenizo, Encinal, Eagle Pass, Hebbronville, Laredo, Rio Bravo, Quemado, San Ygnacio and Zapata. Numerous men and women throughout these communities will serve God and his church by sharing their time and talent to educate Catholics of every age about the faith and to help prepare them to receive the Sacraments of Baptism, Reconciliation, Holy Communion and Confirmation. Their impact on the lives of the students is immeasurable.
The prayers and the faith formation taught in the religious education classroom will resonate with the faithful for the rest of their life. The children enrolled in CCD will have a faithbased understanding of God’s creation and will be guided by Judeo-Christian values as the children continue maturing in age, wisdom and grace. And for the teenagers preparing for Confirmation, the CCD teachers provide an environment where students and teachers discuss the faith and moral challenges people face in today’s society. Steadfast in the faith, these teachers offer a Christian perspective and good moral advice. In the ministry of Religious Education for Adults, those enrolled in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA)
receive preparation for all of the aforementioned Sacraments and enter into a program of faith information and spiritual formation. For many adults, the RCIA is a discernment process with stages of gradual conversion that take place within the community of the faithful. In other words, the RCIA is a time of exploration where people can ask questions and learn more about the Catholic Church and one’s relationship to God. And all of this happens because of the numerous volunteers who share their time and talent as CCD teachers. The impact of religious education teachers on our community is immeasurable as they give witness to the life and teachings of Jesus Christ — Todo Con Amor.
WORST WEEK IN WASHINGTON
Former Virginia governor and wife had a rough week By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST
Robert McDonnell made history this past week — but not the good kind — when he became the first Virginia governor to be convicted of a crime. And not just one crime. A federal jury found McDonnell guilty of 11 counts of public corruption related to his relationship with a businessman named Jonnie Williams. Williams lavished the governor and his family with almost $180,000 in gifts, from watches to shopping sprees to straight cash. The five-week trial that preceded McDonnell’s con-
He was offered, and he rejected, a plea deal proposed by federal prosecutors. viction — his wife, Maureen, was convicted on eight corruption counts — depicted a personal and professional life that had spiraled badly out of control. The McDonnell marriage was supposedly in bad shape. Maureen McDonnell, according to her own lawyers, had a “crush” on Williams. Awkward. Bob McDonnell, during his time on the stand, cast his wife as
insufficiently supportive of his political career and riddled with insecurities. If their marriage wasn’t over before the trial, it sure as heck is now. A parade of witnesses said the McDonnells were willfully unaware of the trouble they were getting themselves into. What was even more stunning was the fact that McDonnell could have avoided humiliation, not
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
to mention the near-certain prison time he and his wife now face. He was offered, and he rejected, a plea deal proposed by federal prosecutors that would have had him plead guilty to a single count and allowed his wife to escape any charges. So McDonnell proved he wasn’t just corrupt but also inept. Bob McDonnell, for thinking that you could talk your way out of an ethical cul-de-sac, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something. Cillizza covers the White House for The Washington Post and writes The Fix, its politics blog.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
Agenda en Breve LAREDO 09/06— First United Methodist Church invita a la venta de libros usados, de 8:30 a.m. a 1 p.m. en sus instalaciones de 1220 McClelland Ave. Libros de pasta dura a 1 dólar; libros de pasta blanda a .50 centavos; revistas y libros infantiles a .25 centavos. 09/06— La Asociación Laredo Northside invita al Mercado de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. en el área de juegos del North Central Park. Habrá venta de productos naturales, de jardinería, comida, manualidades y organizaciones comerciales y sin fines de lucro. 09/06— VOLLEYBALL: El equipo Dustdevil Femenil de TAMIU recibe a Lubbock Christian University a las 12 p.m. en el TAMIU Kinesiology-Convocation Building. Entrada gratuita para estudiantes con identificación válida de TAMIU. 09/06— Habrá pelea de box en el Laredo Energy Arena a las 6 p.m. Puertas abiertas al público. 09/06— Los concursantes ganadores del primer Festival de las Artes del Río Grande se presentarán durante el Espectáculo de Ganadores, de 6 p.m. a 7:30 p.m. en el teatro del Centro de Bellas Artes y Artes Escénicas del Campus Fort McIntosh. El costo de entrada es de 10 dólares. Los fondos recaudados se destinarán a organizar el evento del próximo año. 09/07— SOCCER: El equipo femenil Dustdevil de TAMIU recibe a UT – Brownsville a las 7 p.m. en Dustdevil Field. Entrada gratuita para estudiantes con identificación válida de TAMIU. 09/08— Evento de ‘Una Ciudad, Un Libro’ con la lectura de ‘The River Runs Salt, Runs Sweet: A Memoir of Visegrad, Bosnia’ de Jasmina DervisevicCesic, presenta la proyección de una película acerca de sobrevivientes de Bosnia, de 3:30 p.m. a 5 p.m. en la Sala de Usos Múltiples de la Biblioteca Pública de Laredo, Sucursal Inner City, 202 W. Plum. Informes con Hilary Frazier al (956) 795-2400 extensión 2252.
NUEVO LAREDO, MÉXICO 09/06— Estación Palabra presenta “Bazar de Arte”, a las 10 a.m.; “Te leo a la una”, a la 1 p.m.; Festival Infantil, a las 2 p.m. Eventos gratuitos. 09/06— Feria Expomex 2014 presenta a Mike Laure Jr. en el Teatro del Pueblo. Charreada en el Lienzo Charro y Peleas de Gallos en el Palenque. Evento tiene costo. 09/07— Feria Expomex 2014 presenta a Jot Dog en el Teatro del Pueblo. Evento tiene costo. 09/08— Feria Expomex 2014 presenta a Leonardo González en el Teatro del Pueblo. Lucha Libre a las 6 p.m. en el Casino de Expomex. Evento tiene costo. 09/09— El presidente municipal, Carlos Canturosas Villarreal, rendirá su Primer Informe de Gobierno en las instalaciones del Centro Cultural Nuevo Laredo. La hora está por determinarse. 09/09— Feria Expomex 2014 presenta a Los Terricolas en el Teatro del Pueblo. Función de Box en el Casino de Expomex. Evento tiene costo. 09/10— Feria Expomex 2014 presenta un Homenaje a Nuevo Laredo en el Teatro del Pueblo. Evento tiene costo.
SABADO 06 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2014
CONDADO DE WEBB
Caso extorsión POR ALDO AMATO
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un juez del Condado de Webb admitió el jueves haber aceptado un soborno tras que recibiera 250 dólares a cambio de otorgar una fianza de 1.000 dólares para beneficiar a una persona quien fuera acusada de conducir intoxicada. Ricardo Rangel, Juez de Paz del Precinto 2, Lugar 2, del Condado de Webb, se entregó a las autoridades federales el jueves y llegó a un acuerdo de culpabilidad. Por la tarde, Rangel, quien ha ocupado el cargo desde 2002, fue acusado con un cargo de extorsión frente a la Juez de Distrito de EU Diana Saldaña durante su presentación inicial. De acuerdo a documentos de información criminal, la oficina del Fiscal de EU sostiene que Rangel aceptó 250 dólares de un prestador de fianzas a cambio de otorgar una fianza de 1.000 dólares. “En o alrededor del 25 de marzo del 2012, (Rangel) con conocimiento e ilegalmente obstruyó, demoró y afectó, e intentó obstruir el comercio interestatal y extranjero por medio de la extorsión”, indican los documentos. A través de una intercepción de medios por parte del FBI, oficiales federales pudieron obtener conversaciones entre el prestador de fian-
una mujer llamada “Yvette”, quien de acuerdo a los documentos de la corte, trabaja en Border Bail Bonds. Hasta el jueves por la noche era incierto porqué Rangel fijó la fianza en 1.000 dólares. Su abogado dijo que la fianza beneficiaría al negocio del prestador de fianzas. Supuestamente Rangel envió a su asistente a recoger el dinero prometido en un negocio de maquinitas, de acuerdo a documentos de la corte. Después que su asistente recogió los 250 dólares, supuestamente llevó el dinero a la casa de Rangel. Una cámara vial captó el intercambio y Rangel aceptó que la persona aceptando el dinero en el video, era él.\ De ser condenado, Rangel pudiera enfrentar hasta 20 años en prisión federal y una posible Foto por Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times multa de 250.000 dólares. El Juez de Paz del Precinto 2, Lugar 2, del Condado de “Él cometió un error y reconoció su error”, Webb, Ricardo Rangel, Camina por calle Victoria en La- dijo Nathan Chu, abogado de Rangel. “Eso no redo, el jueves por la tarde, de camino a la Corte Feder- borra los 12 años de servicio”. al, donde se rindió ante autoridades federales. Acompañado por su hijo, Ricardo Rangel Jr., Ricardo Rangel en ocasiones se veía jovial con zas, conocido como “JER” y Rangel, de acuerdo su hijo, antes de presentarse ante la Juez Saldaa documentos de la corte. El 25 de marzo, Ran- ña. La juez ordenó una fianza de 75.000 dólares gel llamó a la Cárcel del Condado de Webb e y Rangel fue llevado en custodia federal. (El reportero Phillip Balli contribuyó en este impuso una fianza de 1.000 dólares sobre una persona acusada con DWI. Más tarde, ése mis- reporte. Localice a Aldo Amato en el 728-2538 o mo día, Rangel recibió un mensaje de texto de en aamato@lmtonline.com)
USDA
CONTRALORÍA
BENEFICIOS
Texas devuelve millones TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto de cortesía
USDA está alentando a los productores a inscribirse, solicitar una cita o iniciar una solicitud para el Programa de Forraje ante Desastres en Ganadería, antes del 1 de octubre, para fijar la tasa actual de cero por ciento.
Conminan a ganaderos a solicitar ayuda ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
WASHINGTON— El Departamento de Agricultura de EU (USDA, por sus siglas en inglés) insta a los productores que han sufrido pérdidas relacionadas con desastres, a solicitar la ayuda de la institución antes del 30 de septiembre. Entre los beneficios que se pueden obtener están las reducciones de los pagos ordenados por el Congreso, para llevarse a cabo antes de esa fecha. Pueden ser elegibles los ganaderos que han sufrido pérdidas de pastoreo desde octubre de 2011.
La Ley de Control de Presupuesto aprobada por el Congreso en 2011 requiere a USDA aplicar reducciones de un 7.3 por ciento en el Programa de Forraje ante Desastres en Ganadería (LFP, por sus siglas en inglés) en el nuevo año fiscal, que comienza el 1 de octubre de 2014. Sin embargo, los productores que han buscado apoyo de LFP y que han programado citas antes del 1 de octubre, no verán reducciones en la cantidad de operaciones de ayuda que reciben. USDA está alentando a los productores a inscribirse, solicitar una cita o iniciar una soli-
citud para el Programa de Forraje ante Desastres en Ganadería, antes del 1 de octubre de 2014, para fijar la tasa actual de cero por ciento. Como una ayuda adicional a los productores calificados que soliciten LFP, la Agencia del Servicio Agrícola ha desarrollado un registro en línea que permite a los agricultores y ganaderos inscribirse antes de la fecha límite para evitar la reducción de su asistencia por desastre. Para inscribirse al Programa de Desastres Ganadería Forraje en línea, visite http:// www.fsa.usda.gov/disaster.
Más de 200 millones de dólares en propiedad no reclamada fueron reembolsados a sus dueños durante el año fiscal, anunciaron autoridades de Texas. La Contralora Susan Combs informó en un comunicado de prensa que durante el Año Fiscal 2014, que terminó el 31 de agosto, su agencia reembolsó 205.341.447 dólares en propiedad no reclamada. Hasta este año la mayor cantidad devuelta era de 177.6 millones de dólares, cifra alcanzada durante el año fiscal 2013. “Siempre he estado comprometida a devolver la mayor cantidad de propiedades no reclamadas como sea posible”, dijo Combs. “Es por eso que hemos trabajado arduamente para hacer más eficaz el proceso”. El pago de propiedad no reclamada inició en 1962 y aproximadamente se han devuelto 900.8 millones de dólares en los 45 años previos al mandato de Combs. En el comunicado de prensa se explica que el dinero reembolsado ha sido entregado en depósitos de servicios públicos olvidados u otros reembolsos, pagos de seguros, cheques de nómina, cheques de caja, dividendos, regalías mineras, las cuentas bancarias inactivas y el contenido de cajas de seguridad abandonadas. Las empresas pasan a formar parte del programa de propiedad no reclamada después de que el lugar presente un periodo de inactividad de entre uno y cinco años. “No hay estatuto de limitaciones para la propiedad no reclamada que el estado almacene, esto quiere decir que no hay límite de tiempo para que los propietarios presenten una reclamación”, sostuvo Combs en el comunicado. “Pueden ser reclamadas en cualquier momento”. Para más información sobre el programa puede visitar window.state.tx.us/ about/up-successes.html. Para buscar propiedad no reclamada y comenzar el proceso de reclamación, visite ClaimItTexas.org.
ELECCIÓN 2014
Comienza campaña estatal ‘Voto por Texas’ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
“Voto por Texas” es el título de la campaña que se realiza en todo Texas a fin de promocionar el voto. Es la Secretaria de Estado, Nandita Berry quien encabeza la campaña cuyo objetivo es asegurar que todos los tejanos estén informados y tengan los recursos que necesitan para participar en las futuras elecciones. “Votar es un derecho fundamental y una responsabilidad, y queremos asegurarnos de que todos los tejanos tengan la información que
necesitan conocer como cuándo y dónde votar este otoño”, dijo Berry. “La elección de noviembre será la elección más grande, que requiere una identificación con foto”. Ciudadanos deberán presentar una de las siete identificaciones autorizadas para votar en persona. Berry visitó escuelas en el Valle de Río Grande para promover el voto entre los estudiantes de colegio. “Queremos que los jóvenes y los que votan por primera vez se sientan confiados acerca de votar, y quere-
mos asegurarles que el proceso es fácil, justo y que el voto cuenta”, añadió ella. Voto por Texas es una campaña de educación e integración al público e incluye asesoramiento, manejo de la comunidad y acercamiento/participación a través de las redes sociales. La campaña cuenta con elementos tanto en inglés como en español y pueden ser encontrados y compartidos al ingresar a VoteTexas.gov. La fecha límite para registrarse como votante para las elecciones generales es
el 6 de octubre. Las votaciones anticipadas comienzan el 20 de octubre y terminan el 31 de octubre. Las elecciones serán el 4 de noviembre. Para votar en persona, los votantes registrados necesitan presentar alguna de las siguientes identificaciones: Licencia de Conducir de Texas — emitida por el Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas (DPS, por sus siglas en inglés). Tarjeta de Identificación Personal de Texas — emitida por DPS. Licencia de Texas para Armas — emitida por DPS.
Identificación Militar de Estados Unidos con fotografía. Certificado de Ciudadanía de Estados Unidos con fotografía Pasaporte de Estados Unidos— emitido por el gobierno de Estados Unidos Identificación de Certificado de Elección — expedido gratuitamente por DPS. Las identificaciones deberán estar vigentes o que si están vencidas, no hayan pasado más de 60 días. Para obtener más información puede visitar VoteTexas.gov.
Nation
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Ebola doctor is stable By MARGERY A. BECK ASSOCIATED PRESS
OMAHA, Neb. — A doctor who became infected with Ebola while working in Liberia is sick but in stable condition and communicating with his caregivers at the Nebraska Medical Center, officials said Friday. Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, is being treated at a 10-bed special isolation unit, the largest of the United States’ four. It was built to handle patients with highly infectious and deadly diseases, according to Dr. Mark Rupp, chief of the infectious diseases division at the center. Sacra— the third American aid worker sickened with the virus — arrived at 6:38 a.m. Friday at the Omaha hospital. Sacra was wheeled on a gurney off the plane at Offutt Air Force Base, transferred to an ambulance and then wheeled into the hospital, said Rosanna Morris, chief nursing officer for the medical center. Sacra was conscious Friday and was able to communicate with medical staff, Morris said. The first two American aid workers infected by Ebola — Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol — have recovered since being flown to Emory University Hospital in Atlanta for treatment. Sacra came to Omaha instead of Atlanta because federal officials asked the medical center to treat him in order to prepare other isolation units to take more Ebola patients if needed. Sacra, a doctor from Worcester, Massachusetts, who spent 15 years working at the Liberia hospital where he fell ill, said he felt compelled to return after hearing that two other missionaries with the North Carolina-based charity SIM with whom he’d worked were
Photo by Nati Harnik | AP
The ambulance transporting Dr. Rick Sacra, 51, who was infected with Ebola while serving in Liberia, is escorted by police vehicles to the Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., on Friday. Sacra is the third American aid worker infected by the Ebola virus. sick. He delivered babies at the hospital, and was not involved in the treatment of Ebola patients, so it’s unclear how he became infected with the virus. An estimated 2,100 people have died during the outbreak, but Ebola has not been confirmed as the cause for all of the deaths. Dr. Phil Smith, medical director of the Omaha unit, has said a team of 35 doctors, nurses and other medical staffers will provide Sacra with basic care, including ensuring he is hydrated and keeping his vital signs stable. The team is discussing experimental treatments, including using blood serum from a patient who has recovered from Ebola, Smith said. There are no licensed drugs or vaccines for the disease, but about half a dozen are in development. Rupp said he’s unaware whether Brantly and Writebol have been asked about donating blood serum for Sacra. “These folks are friendly and know one another, and
they would presumably be willing to help their compatriots,” Rupp said, adding a battery of tests must first be performed, including one to ensure that any blood is compatible with Sacra’s. Doctors with the Omaha hospital have repeatedly said Sacra’s transfer to Omaha posed no threat to the public, noting Ebola is transmitted through close contact with an infected person. SIM president Bruce Johnson said Friday that Sacra’s wife, Debbie, is making arrangements to care for their three sons and preparing to fly to Omaha this weekend. “Rick would actually be somewhat embarrassed by all this attention,” Johnson said, adding tearfully that Sacra apologized to SIM officials in an email after he was diagnosed earlier this week. Sacra told them he knew an evacuation would be difficult. “So I don’t expect one,” Sacra’s email said. “Jesus is right here with me in Liberia.”
Suspect caught at hotel By TAMARA LUSH ASSOCIATED PRESS
HUDSON, Fla. — Police on a manhunt swarmed a Florida hotel early Friday and arrested a man suspected in the killings of four people whose bodies were found stacked on the ground and decomposing in a neighborhood some 45 miles away. Detectives found the bodies a day earlier when they went to check on a 4-yearold boy believed to be the suspect’s son, who authorities say is autistic. Police said they arrested Adam Matos, 28, after tricking him into leaving his room — where he was staying with the boy — on the 18th floor of the historic Floridan Palace Hotel. Matos had checked in under his real name, they said. Results were pending of a DNA test that would determine whether Matos is the father of the boy, Ismael Tristan Santisteban. “I love my son and I hope that he’s safe right now,” Matos told reporters as he was led to a police car outside the hotel. He denied killing the victims or knowing who did. Officials said an investigator who specializes in talking to autistic children was interviewing Ismael. They were not sure whether he might have witnessed the killings. After Matos’ arrest, the boy seemed fine, said Jane Castor, Tampa’s police chief. “He is in good spirits,” she told a news conference. She said she did not know whether Matos had a weapon in the room. Matos is the only suspect in the deaths of the four people whose bodies were found in Hudson, some 45 miles away from the Tampa hotel, authorities said. But they released only a few details about what led them to the man, who had recently come to Florida from Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco did say Matos had been seen in the Hudson area recently and quickly became a suspect. Court records in Pennsylvania show Matos had been arrested numerous times
for harassment, theft, burglary, trespassing, assault and driving under the influence. He pleaded guilty to some of the charges, and others appear to have been dismissed. He is due in a Hillsborough County court Saturday to face a charge of aggravated assault related to an incident on Aug. 28, when the boy was last seen at his home. His mother called police and said Matos had threatened her with a knife and then fled, said Nocco. She told investigators she was scared of Matos, but authorities could not find him. On Thursday, Pasco sheriff ’s deputies were checking on the family, but no one was home. They noticed a bad odor in the area and about threequarters of a mile down the street found the bodies of two men and two women in a pile in a grassy area out in the open with birds circling overhead, police said. The bodies had apparently lain unseen for several days in the working-class neighborhood with houses big
and small that abuts canals leading to the Gulf of Mexico. The names of the four victims were not released pending identification, Nocco said. “It’s been quiet around here,” said Mark Evans, who helps run a storage facility and landscaping service that overlooks the area where the bodies were found. “We mow some lawns over on that street, and we didn’t see anything out of the ordinary.” A tip from a cab driver who had driven a man and a boy the hour and a half or so to Tampa led officials downtown, Nocco said. There, witnesses said they’d seen Matos at a bus station, asking about fares. Authorities said they thought he planned to travel to Key West. A ticket wasn’t available, officials said, so he headed to the hotel. Once he checked in — and called the front desk at least once, asking how to connect to the Internet — staff called police, and the SWAT team gathered in the lobby.
Photo by Brant Sanderlin/Atlanta Journal-Constitution | AP
U.S. District Court Judge Mark Fuller, right, appears in Fulton County Court in Atlanta on Friday to face charges of misdemeanor battery. Under terms agreed to Friday, Fuller will be allowed to enter a court program to resolve a misdemeanor battery case against him.
Judge in program By CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — A federal judge from Alabama accused of hitting his wife in an Atlanta hotel room can have a misdemeanor battery charge dismissed if he completes a court program that includes domestic violence intervention. U.S. District Court Judge Mark Fuller will spend up to 24 weeks in the pre-trial diversion program, which also includes an alcohol and substance abuse assessment. Fulton County State Court Chief Magistrate Judge Stephanie Davis on Friday allowed Fuller to enter the program and ordered him to report back to the court on Oct. 14. Officers were called to the Fullers’ room in August at the Ritz Carlton in Atlanta, where a police report said Kelli Fuller answered the door in tears and had cuts on her mouth and forehead. She
was treated by paramedics but refused to be taken to the hospital. The room smelled of alcohol, according to the report. Kelli Fuller told police her husband became violent when she accused him of cheating, pulling her hair, throwing her to the ground, and kicking her. Mark Fuller told officers he threw her to the ground to defend himself after she threw a drink glass at him while he watched television. During the brief court hearing Friday, Mark Fuller spoke only to answer a question on whether he had agreed to enter the program. He left without speaking with reporters but, in a statement later issued through his attorney, Fuller said he looks forward to addressing the concerns of the court and “hopefully” returning to the bench. “I deeply regret this incident and look forward to working to resolve these difficulties with my family, where they should
be resolved,” Fuller said. Fuller, 55, was stripped of his cases following his arrest and faces an administrative complaint filed by the chief judge of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Fuller’s lawyer Barry Ragsdale said the program will not have a direct impact on the judge’s job status. “But we believe the fact that no criminal charges will be filed and the arrest record will be expunged will be helpful to Judge Fuller’s efforts to return to the bench,” Ragsdale said. Ragsdale said he expects a decision about the complaint by the end of September. The chief judge can dismiss the complaint independently or ask a panel of 11th Circuit judges to decide on disciplinary action, he said. Federal judges are confirmed by the Senate to lifetime terms, though the Senate can also remove them from office.
Nation
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
IRS: More emails are lost By STEPHEN OHLEMACHER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Service has lost emails from five more employees who are part of congressional probes into the treatment of conservative groups that applied for tax-exempt status, the tax service disclosed Friday. The IRS said in June that it could not locate an untold number of emails to and from Lois Lerner, who headed the IRS division that processes applications for taxexempt status. The revelation set off a new round of investigations and congressional hearings. On Friday, the IRS issued a report to Congress saying the agency also lost emails from five other employees related to the probe, including two agents who worked in a Cincinnati office processing applications for taxexempt status. The disclosure came on the same day the Senate’s subcommittee on investigations released competing reports on how the IRS handled applications from political groups during the 2010 and 2012 elections. The Democratic report, released by Sen. Carl Levin of Michigan, said both liberal and conservative groups were mistreated, revealing no political bias by the IRS. The Republican report, issued by Sen. John McCain of Arizona, said conservative groups were clearly treated worse. The IRS inspector general set off a firestorm last year with an audit that said IRS agents singled out tea party and other conservative groups for inappropriate scrutiny when they applied for tax-exempt status. Lerner’s lost emails prompted a new round of scrutiny by Congress, the Justice Department, the inspector general and at least two federal judges. The IRS blamed computer crashes for all the lost emails. In a statement, the
The agency also lost emails from five other employees related to the probe, IRS said all the crashes happened well before Congress launched its investigations. The IRS first told Congress in June that other employees involved in the probe also had computer problems. At the time, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen promised lawmakers a report on whether any had lost emails. The report was issued Friday. “Throughout this review, the IRS has found no evidence that any IRS personnel deliberately destroyed any evidence,” said the IRS statement. “To the contrary, the computer issues identified appear to be the same sorts of issues routinely experienced by employees within the IRS, in other government agencies and in the private sector.” When Congress started investigating the IRS last year, the agency identified 82 employees who might have documents related to the inquiries. The IRS said 18 of those people had computer problems between September 2009 and February 2014. Of those employees, five probably lost emails — in addition to Lerner — the agency said Friday. Lerner, who was placed on leave and has since retired, has emerged as a central figure in congressional investigations. The other five employees appear to be more junior than she. In addition to the Cincinnati workers, they include a technical adviser to Lerner, a tax law specialist and a group manager in the taxexempt division. In general, the IRS said the workers archived emails on their computer hard drives when their email accounts became too full. When those computers crashed, the emails were
lost. “By all accounts, in each instance the user contacted IT staff and attempted to recover his or her data,” said the IRS statement. The IRS has said it stored emails on backup tapes but those tapes were re-used every six months. The inspector general’s office is reviewing those tapes to see if any old emails can be retrieved. “The IRS has lost thousands of emails, but worse yet, completely lost the American people’s trust,” said Sarah Swinehart, a spokeswoman for House Ways and Means Republicans. “The DOJ must appoint a special prosecutor so the full truth can come out.” Attorney General Eric Holder has turned down numerous requests from congressional Republicans for a special prosecutor, citing numerous investigations already underway. Friday’s reports by the Senate subcommittee on investigations mark the conclusion of just one investigation. The Justice Department and three other congressional committees are continuing their probes. Levin is chairman of the investigations subcommittee and McCain is the ranking Republican. Their staffs routinely work together on investigations, and while they don’t always agree on the results, it is highly unusual for them to issue such diverging reports. “The investigation found that the IRS used inappropriate selection criteria, burdensome questions and lengthy delays in processing applications for 501(c)(4) tax exempt status from both conservative and liberal groups,” Levin said in a statement.
The Democratic report slams last year’s audit by the IRS inspector general. It says the IG report was incomplete because it focused only on the treatment of conservative groups. The IG’s report “produced distorted audit results that continue to be misinterpreted,” the Democratic report said. J. Russell George, the Treasury inspector general for tax administration, said his investigation is ongoing, with facts “still coming to light.” “I firmly stand behind the audit report that we issued last year, showing the inappropriate treatment of applicants for 501 (c)(4) status, for which the IRS apologized,” George said in a statement. “It is important to remember that the IRS accepted all of the recommendations contained in our audit report.” McCain’s Republican report says far more conservative groups were singled out for extra scrutiny. They were also asked more questions and were more likely to have their applications rejected or withdrawn. “The IRS selected conservative groups out of normal processing, placed them on a separate list, stopped work on their applications completely, forced them to answer intrusive questions about their behavior and demeanor at meetings and delayed their applications for multiple years,” the Republican report said. “Our investigation has uncovered no evidence that liberal groups received the same expansive inappropriate treatment that conservative groups received.” The Democratic report said investigators reviewed 800,000 pages of documents and conducted 22 interviews with current and former workers at the IRS and the inspector general’s office. The investigators, however, were not allowed to see confidential taxpayer information, so many of the documents were blacked out.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
Immigration goals explained By JIM KUHNHENN AND ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Leaving his timing uncertain, President Barack Obama laid out ambitious objectives Friday for immigration steps he intends to take on his own and said he had already received some recommendations from the Homeland Security and Justice departments for executive action he could implement without Congress. Facing competing pressures from immigration advocacy groups and from Democrats nervous about November’s midterm election, Obama made no commitment about whether he would act in the coming weeks as he had earlier pledged. “My expectation is that fairly soon, I’ll be considering what the next steps are,” he said during a news conference in Wales at the end of a two-day NATO summit. Still, Obama spelled out his goals with a degree of specificity that he had previously not detailed. He said that without congressional action to overhaul the immigration system, he would take steps to increase border security, to upgrade the processing of border crossers, to encourage legal immigration and to give immigrants who have been illegally in the United States for some time a path to become legal residents, pay taxes, pay a fine and learn English. “I want to be very clear: My intention is, in the absence of...action by Congress, I’m going to do what I can do within the legal constraints of my office, because it’s the right thing to do for the country,” he said. On June 30, Obama said
he had directed Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson and Attorney General Eric Holder to give him recommendations for executive action by the end of summer and pledged to “adopt those recommendations without further delay.” Legal experts and lawmakers have debated the extent of Obama’s authority, and Holder’s and Johnson’s recommendations remain closely held. It’s also unclear how far Obama could go without congressional approval in meeting the goals he delineated Friday. In 2012, Obama authorized the Homeland Security Department to consider applications to defer deportations for immigrants who had entered the country illegally as children and to give them work permits. Since then, the program has deferred the deportation of more than 580,000 immigrants. Immigrant advocates say Obama has the authority to allow similar deferrals to potentially millions of other immigrants, beginning with the parents of those young immigrants whose deportations have already been deferred. The Democratic-led Senate passed a broad overhaul of immigration last year that included boosted border security, more visas for legal immigrants and a path to citizenship for immigrants illegally in the country. But the Republican-controlled House has balked at acting on any broad measure. More recently, the White House has been under pressure from some Democrats to delay any action until after the elections out of fear that taking steps now would energize Republican opposition against vulnerable Senate Democrats.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
GENARO M. SANCHEZ Nov. 2, 1938 – Sept. 2, 2014 Genaro M. Sanchez, 75, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at Starr County Memorial Hospital in Rio Grande City, Texas. Mr. Sanchez is preceded in death by his parents, Jesus and Concepcion Sanchez; brother, Juan Manuel Sanchez and a sister, Gloria Sanchez. Mr. Sanchez is survived by his son, Genaro Jr. (Veronica) Sanchez; daughter, Monica Sanchez; grandchildren, Sonia I. Sanchez, Liliana Garza, Leobardo Garza, Luis A. Sanchez; greatgrandchildren, Kively N. Barraz and Kiveira Olivarez; sisters, Cira Sanchez and Placida (Cesar) Garcia and by numerous nephews, nieces, other family members and friends. Visitation hours were held Wednesday, Sept. 3, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a wake at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral
Home. A chapel service was held Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed at 10:45 a.m. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata, Texas.
LAURA GALVAN DE SAAVEDRA
Photo by Frank Tilley/Victoria Advocate | AP
Equine dentist Dr. David Warren utilizes special tools that reach the back molars grinding down rough spots of the horse’s teeth in Victoria, on Aug. 26. Thumbing around the mouth of a horse is normal in David Warren’s line of work. He’s a horse dentist.
Horse dentist likes work By JESSICA RODRIGO THE VICTORIA ADVOCATE
April 25, 1967 – Sept. 2, 2014 Laura Galvan de Saavedra, 47, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2014, at Retama Manor in Laredo, Texas. Mrs. Saavedra is preceded in death by her father, Armando Galvan. Mrs. Saavedra is survived by her husband, Hugo C. Saavedra Jr.; son, Hugo A. Saavedra; daughters, Vanessa Saavedra and Bryanna Saavedra; mother, Noema P. Galvan; brothers, Jose Armando Galvan, Geronimo (Olga) Galvan, Humberto (Elizabeth) Galvan; sisters, Rosa I. (Marcelo) Ramirez, Noemi (Juan) Alvarado, Maribel Galvan and by numerous nephews, nieces, other family members and friends. Visitation hours were held Thursday, Sept. 4, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a wake at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.
A chapel service was held Friday, Sept. 5, 2014, at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession will depart at 10:45 a.m. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata, Texas.
VICTORIA — Thumbing around the mouth of a horse is normal in David Warren’s line of work. He’s a horse dentist. For the past 18 years, Warren, 45, has fixed the oral problems of equines. “There’s not many,” he said of equine dentists. “Regular dentists will do it, but not many just do this.” He told The Victoria Advocate he saw a need to focus on the niche of equine dentistry and went into business for himself in 1996. Now, he travels throughout the South Central Texas region as well as the occasional visit north to the Waco and Dallas area to meet horses who need his attention. Warren’s truck is now his mobile clinic — full of tools and medicine for each exam, which can last about 30 to 40 minutes as long as there are no major issues.
Fitted into his truck’s bed, there are drawers and compartments that hold stainless steel tools that look like something out of a Frankenstein novel. “This has prongs that fit under the gums to help you grip the tooth,” Warren said, pointing at a pair of 19-inch forceps. Fortunately, it’s not often that he has to use them. During a routine he’s executed thousands of times, he’ll use a stethoscope to listen to the hearts of all of his equine patients and then run his fingers near the eyes and jawbones of the horses to assess potential issues he might find when he puts his hands and arms in their mouths. This time, Warren’s patient, Denver, a 7-year-old American Quarter Horse mare, has given him nothing to worry about. A quick shot of sedatives will calm her down, which will also keep her owner, Cathy Sullins safe from a nervous buck.
“It usually takes a minute or two to kick in,” said Warren, owner of Texas Equine Dentist and a longtime equine dentist based in Weesatche. Once it does, Sullins, 51, of Victoria and co-head trainer for KnP Training, stands close by, stroking Denver’s gray coat as her eyelids start to droop. Warren will prop Denver’s heavy head on stand and drops to his knee to prepare to work. He tests the balance of her jaw and then checks the sharp points of her teeth, which can make it painful for a horse to not only eat but also wear a bridle. “You can see a big difference between the before and after,” Kaylon Sullins Robinson, 27, of Lockhart, who is a horse trainer and Sullins’ daughter, said about the exam. “There’s a big difference in how they carry a bit.” Part of her work as a trainer includes knowing the different kinds of bits
available and the uses of each one. Sullins Robinson said the bits and the horse’s dental hygiene are very closely related to how a horse will behave during training. “Some people will train a horse, so the horse knows the bit,” she said. “People need to look more at the bits they use.” It’s also important, Sullins added, that people know that a good bit can go bad. Wear and tear from the horse’s teeth is normal because their teeth continue to grow well into their adult years. That’s when Warren can step in and provide routine maintenance and ensure the horse and trainer are working as efficiently as possible given the bits used in training or performances. “A good bit is one that works for your horse and is kind,” Sullins Robinson said.
TV camera may be out at shooting trial By DAN ELLIOTT ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — Attorneys for Colorado theater shooting defendant James Holmes asked the judge to bar television coverage inside the courtroom, saying it would violate Holmes’ right to a fair trial. In a filing dated Thursday and released Friday, defense lawyers argued that televising the trial could intimidate witnesses, expose jurors and attorneys to death threats, and create other problems.
Six Denver television stations, a Denver radio station and the CourtTV cable channel asked the judge last month to permit a single TV camera and an audio system in the courtroom during the trial, scheduled to start Dec. 8. Teresa Locke, an attorney for the broadcasters, didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Friday. Separately, The Denver Post has requested permission to have a still photographer in the courtroom who would provide photos to the Post, The Associated Press
Photo by Andy Cross/pool/file/The Denver Post | AP
Aurora theater shooting suspect James Holmes is charged with the July 2012 Aurora shootings that killed 12 people and injured 70. and others. Holmes is accused of kill-
ing 12 people and injuring 70 in the July 2012 attack on
more than 400 moviegoers in the Denver suburb of Aurora. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity to multiple counts of murder and attempted murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Defense lawyers argued that televising the trial would be entertainment, not education, and that it would not improve the public’s impression of the court system. The courtroom is a workplace, and “the court should take pause before trans-
forming this workplace into a ‘set’ for the entertainment of the public, which will most certainly detract from the solemnity of these proceedings,” the filing said. They also argued the First Amendment does not guarantee the media the right to televise trials. Also Friday, Arapahoe County District Judge Carlos A. Samour Jr. rejected another defense request to have the judge review in advance the statements that victims would make at the penalty phase of Holmes’ trial if he is convicted.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
OIL SPILL Continued from Page 1A the company’s market value by almost $9 billion. “Everybody talks about how big they are, but it’s staggering,” David Uhlmann, a University of Michigan law professor and former chief of the Justice Department’s environmental crimes section, said of the price tag for the spill. BP previously agreed to pay a record $4 billion in criminal fines and penalties over the Deepwater Horizon disaster, plus more than $27 billion in cleanup costs and compensation to people and businesses harmed by the spill. The company made $24 billion in profits last year but could be forced again
to sell off some assets to cover the additional fines, analysts said. Attorney General Eric Holder said Barbier’s ruling “will ensure that the company is held fully accountable for its recklessness” and will “serve as a strong deterrent to anyone tempted to sacrifice safety and the environment in the pursuit of profit.” Barbier held a non-jury trial last year to identify the blowout’s causes and apportion blame for the disaster, and on Thursday he ruled that BP bears 67 percent of the responsibility, Swiss-based drilling rig owner Transocean Ltd. 30 percent, and Houston-based cement contrac-
tor Halliburton Energy Services 3 percent. BP made “profit-driven decisions” during the drilling that led to the blowout, the judge concluded in his 153-page ruling. “These instances of negligence, taken together, evince an extreme deviation from the standard of care and a conscious disregard of known risks,” he wrote. Among other things, the judge cited a misinterpreted safety test that should have warned the drilling crew that the well was in danger of blowing out. In a statement, BP said the evidence did not meet the “very high bar” to prove gross negligence.
James Roy and Stephen Herman, who represented oil spill victims in the trial, said: “We hope that today’s judgment will bring some measure of closure to the families of the 11 men who tragically lost their lives, and to the thousands of people and businesses still trying to recover from the spill.” Government experts estimated 4.2 million barrels, or 176 million gallons, spilled into the Gulf. BP urged the judge to use an estimate of 2.45 million barrels, or nearly 103 million gallons, in calculating any Clean Water Act penalties. Barbier hasn’t ruled yet on how much oil spilled. If he goes with the gov-
AUDITORIUM told the San Antonio Express-News. After demolishing everything but the old Municipal Auditorium facade, with its domes on each corner, designers were able to give Tobin officials most everything they wanted. Within a footprint of 183,000 square feet, they were able to create the 1,759seat H-E-B Performance Hall, which, with its rich wooden touches, has the feel of a European opera house transported to South Texas. By shifting the hall off the building’s central access — from high noon to about 1 o’clock — there was enough space to tuck the 250-seat Carlos Alvarez Studio Theater into the building’s west side. “We opened up the geometry of the building to cre-
ate a place for the studio theater,” said LMN principal Erik Indvik. “We were trying not to attach new pieces to the existing building.” The main performance spaces are incredibly flexible. An $8 million flooring system in the big hall can transform it from a sloping concert setting to a flat gala setting with the push of a button. The black box theater can be transfigured in several different ways for dance and small theater productions. Visitors used to entering the dated, somewhat drab Municipal Auditorium will be wowed by the soaring grand lobby. “It’s an interesting collage of modern construction and historic architecture,” said LMN partner Mark Red-
dington. “We’ve combined those two elements to create what we believe is a rich architectural experience.” There has been some talk around town about the Tobin’s architectural skin, or veil, which covers the building in 18,955 aluminum panels weighing 111,000 pounds. Some have suggested it looks like a giant cheese grater. “It was one of the biggest gestures of the project,” Indvik said. “What do you do with the big stagehouse given that a portion of the building now faces the River Walk?” So the idea was to relate the skin of the building to the River Walk by creating a sort of dappled lighting effect with a veil of interconnected rectangular pieces that echo the original stone
ernment’s estimate, BP could be hit with close to $18 billion in fines. The crude that gushed from the sea floor killed wildlife, stained beaches and polluted marshes. BP ultimately sealed the well after several methods failed. BP pleaded guilty in 2013 to manslaughter in the rig workers’ deaths. Two BP supervisors aboard the rig are awaiting trial on federal manslaughter charges. Darlene Kimball, who runs Kimball’s Seafood on the docks in Pass Christian, Mississippi, said she hopes Thursday’s ruling, and the likelihood of huge penalties, will prompt all oil companies to pay more
attention to safety. “Sometimes something has to happen for people to realize, ‘I don’t want that to happen with our company. Let’s go back and look at how we are doing things,”’ she said. BP faces still another set of potential penalties, under the federal Oil Pollution Act of 1990. Uhlmann said those claims could cost BP more than $10 billion. He said those claims could be difficult to resolve because of varying assessments of how much damage was done to the environment. “We may not know for years how badly the Gulf of Mexico and its shorelines were damaged by the spill,” he said.
Continued from Page 1A
facade in shape and color. “The idea was to create a new presence on the skyline that would change during the day,” Indvik said. At night as well: The veil — officially named the AT&T Sky Wall — is outfitted with an interior LED lighting system that can be programmed to complement a performance inside the Tobin Center. They even hired a bird consultant to devise ways of keeping grackles from nesting in the openings of the veil. “There are all kinds of little prickly things to keep birds out,” Souter said. Acoustics was “fundamentally important” to the design process, Reddington said. That began with seating capacity. It was limited to about 1,750 in the perform-
ance hall to make for a more resonant experience, said Russell Todd, principal at Akustiks, an international acoustics firm based in Connecticut. The silence in the hall is, as they say, deafening. The hall has its own supporting structure so vibrations from other parts of the building won’t affect it. Lighting and electric wires are all filtered so they won’t buzz. Doors have been carefully sealed. “Sometimes the magic of music happens on the edge of silence,” Todd said. “It takes a lot to create that silence.” The room’s automated acoustics system has several settings, from orchestral to rock to ballet, that can be changed at the press of a button.
“What should really happen, particularly with symphonic music, is it should be a visceral experience,” Todd said. “The music should be impactful and wash over you like a tidal wave. You should be immersed.” Todd said he was very pleased with the sound at a recent tune-up concert by the Youth Orchestras of San Antonio. He is eagerly anticipating the San Antonio Symphony’s performance of Mahler’s “Resurrection” symphony Oct. 10-11. “The hall rivals some of the great halls in America, if not around the world,” he said. “And it suits San Antonio. It has the flexibility to serve as the city’s living room or home for all the music that’s important to the city.”
U.S. Shipments
percent through 2035, while North American demand shrinks, according to BP Plc. In September China surpassed the U.S. as the world’s largest importer of crude oil and refined products. The redirecting of supplies to other markets and the U.S.’s shrinking dependence on foreign oil will inevitably change American interest in international conflicts, Blanch said. “It is perhaps the biggest question: Is the reduced commercial relationship between the U.S. and Saudi going to lead to lesser involvement of the U.S. in the Middle East? said Blanch.
SHALE OIL Continued from Page 1A siana Sweet every month until July. The discount was $1.27 at 4:02 p.m. on Friday. Aramco was offering oil to the U.S. at a significant discount to prices in other regions. Arab Light to the U.S. was $5.64 a barrel less than to Asia in 2013, falling to a $22.64 discount in November. Saudi Arabia lost $2.6 billion by selling oil to the U.S. instead of Asia in 2013, Auers said.
Shifting Sales “In some ways, it’s inevitable that Saudi Arabia realizes there are more attractive markets, and
they’ll rotate away, supply their U.S. refineries with domestic grades and sell their crude at a premium to Asia,” Francisco Blanch, head of commodities research at Bank of America Corp. in New York, said by phone Aug. 29. “As the U.S. becomes a more balanced crude force in global markets, it’ll move toward lesser imports and become decreasingly attractive to foreign crude sellers.” Saudi exports to the U.S. averaged 1.32 million barrels a day in 2013, the second-most of any country behind Canada. They reached 1.58 million in April, before dropping by almost half to average
878,000 over the first four weeks of August, according to U.S. Customs data compiled by Bloomberg. The price changes and declining imports might just be a blip, Jason Bordoff, founding director of Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy in New York, said by telephone Aug. 26. Saudi Arabia uses more crude domestically during summer months to generate power and meet increasing demand for air conditioning. Temperatures have been higher than normal. “I’m not sure how much I’d read into a couple of weeks or even a couple of months of data,” Bordoff
said. “Saudi imports have come down, but they’re still higher than what we saw in 2009.” Saudi Aramco yesterday lowered for a second straight month its adjustments versus the regional benchmark for crude sold to the U.S. The discount for Arab Light sales in the U.S. in October was widened by 40 cents a barrel from September. Aramco reduced the Arab Light premium for Asia by $1.70 a barrel. “The Saudis continue to want to maintain a diversified market for their crude, and they continue to want a significant presence in the U.S. market.” Bordoff said.
Shipments to the U.S. have fallen even as Saudi exports to the rest of the world have held steady. U.S. imports from Saudi Arabia fell by 562,000 barrels a day from April to June, more than the 506,000-barrel-aday decline of total Saudi exports, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration and Joint Oil Data Initiative, a database supervised by Riyadhbased International Energy Forum. Saudi sales to Asia will become more important moving forward as demand for liquid fuels in the region is expected to grow 44
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
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Sports&Outdoors NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS
Washington leaves Photo by Matt Strasen | AP
Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain will be the starting linebacker this season after the former top 10 pick in 2010 enters his third team.
McClain starts for Cowboys By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS
File photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP
Texas manager Ron Washington, right, is stepping down as the manager of the Rangers. Washington and his team have had a season to forget in 2014, being the first team to be eliminated from the postseason at 53-87.
Rangers manager Ron Washington steps down By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARLINGTON — Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington unexpectedly resigned Friday, saying he needed to devote his full attention to an “off-thefield personal matter.” The stunning announcement came a day after the Rangers (53-87) lost their sixth straight game and became the first team in the majors mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. Only three years ago, Texas reached its second consecutive World Series under Washington. Washington issued a statement in
which he said his resignation had nothing to do with the disappointing season. He did not disclose any details of why he was leaving. “I have submitted my resignation from the job I love — managing the Rangers — in order to devote my full attention to addressing an off-the-field personal matter. As painful as it is, stepping away from the game is what’s best for me and my family,” Washington said. “This is in no way related to the disappointing performance of the team this season. We were already discussing 2015 and looking forward to get-
See RANGERS PAGE 2B
File photo by Eric Gay | AP
Ron Washington’s Rangers are just three years removed from making the World Series in back-to-back years.
IRVING — Rolando McClain dances around questions about how much he loves football and whether he enjoyed training camp. The new Dallas linebacker keeps getting asked because he walked away from the game twice in Baltimore after Oakland dumped its former top 10 pick just three seasons into his career. Ready or not, McClain is expected to start Sunday’s opener against San Francisco. The Cowboys apparently have seen enough to believe he’s the replacement in the middle for Sean Lee, whose season-ending knee injury led them to give the Ravens a seventh-round pick just to see if they could rekindle McClain’s interest. The former Alabama star remains coy with reporters about his commitment. McClain said he “loved life” when asked if he still loved football during game in California, and said he had “no expectations” days before his first football game in almost two years. “If you live up or care about somebody’s expectations, you’ll always let them down,” McClain said earlier this
See COWBOYS PAGE 2B
NCAA DIVISION I FOOTBALL: NO. 9 TEXAS A&M, TEXAS, TEXAS TECH
Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt | AP
File photo by Rick Bowmer | AP
Photo by Tori Eichberger | AP
Texas A&M WR Ricky Seals-Jones (9) and QB Kenny Hill (7) face Lamar after their impressive Week 1 victory over South Carolina.
BYU linebacker Alani Fua and the Cougars tortured Texas in 2013, picking up a 40-21 win while racking up 550 yards rushing.
Texas Tech’s Justin Stockton and the Red Raiders won a highly-contested game in Week 1 against Central Arkansas 42-35.
A&M faces Lamar
‘Horns rematch with BYU
Texas Tech hosts UTEP
By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Kenny Hill wowed in his record-setting performance in a win at South Carolina. As good as he was in his first game since taking over for Johnny Manziel, coach Kevin Sumlin sees plenty of ways the quarterback can get better as No. 9 Texas A&M prepares for its home opener against Lamar.
“He’s got a lot of things to work on,” Sumlin said of the sophomore. “His eyes are too much all over the place, but he was able to get past it the other night. He took care of the ball except for a couple times, the ad-lib shovel pass, it was loud in the stadium so he couldn’t hear exactly what I said, which was probably good. He threw a bad pass in the back of the end zone. Those are the things that
See A&M PAGE 2B
By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The Texas Longhorns are having a tough week. Starting quarterback David Ash is out with concussion symptoms and coach Charlie Strong once again had to lay down some discipline, this time suspending both of his starting offensive tackles. That means backup quarterback Tyrone Swoopes will play against BYU on
Saturday night behind a patchwork offensive line that has a total of five career starts. And if that’s not rough enough, remember that it was BYU (1-0) and Cougars quarterback Taysom Hill who rolled up 550 yards rushing in a 40-21 romp over Texas (1-0) last season. BYU was supposed to be a litmus test for Strong and Texas, a chance to see
See TEXAS PAGE 2B
By BETSY BLANEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
LUBBOCK — Texas Tech and UTEP had the same goal going into their season openers: ball security. The Miners succeeded, with their defense and special teams forcing three turnovers in a 31-24 win over New Mexico, while Red Raiders quarterback Davis Webb threw two interceptions — one that nearly led to a
TD — in a tougher-thanexpected 42-35 win over Central Arkansas. “We always want to be on the plus end of turnovers,” UTEP coach Sean Kugler said. “If we can stay on that end of the gig, it betters our chances of having a winning season.” Texas Tech (1-0) has forced just four turnovers in their past four games, dating to Nov. 16. In that
See TECH PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
RANGERS Continued from Page 1B ting the Rangers back to postseason contention.” Washington, in his eighth season and expected back in 2015, said it had been a privilege to be part of some of the best seasons in Rangers history and that he was grateful for the opportunity. “I deeply regret that I’ve let down the Rangers organization and our great fans,” Washington said, who ended his statement asking for privacy. General manager Jon Daniels also refused to go into specifics for the reasons for Washington’s decision, outside of saying that the manager had given the team permission to acknowledge that the move “was not
drug-related.” During spring training in 2010, it was disclosed that Washington had admitted to using cocaine once the previous year, but team executives stood by him. The manager got a two-year contract extension in 2012, then during spring training earlier this year had another season added through 2015. When asked if people should be concerned for Washington or someone in his family, Daniels again would not get into specifics. The 62-year-old Washington is married, but has no children. “I certainly think wellwishes and thoughts for
him and his family are appropriate,” Daniels said. Players were shocked. “It’s like losing your dad,” pitcher Derek Holland said. “I was extremely close with him. He’s taught me a lot both on and off the field and I didn’t see any of this coming at all. I’m lost for words.” The Rangers have been plagued by injuries this season. Slugger Prince Fielder and leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo, the primary additions last winter, are among an MLB-high 14 players on the disabled list. Also injured are ace pitcher Yu Darvish and left-handers Matt Harrison and Martin Perez.
In a 10-2 loss to Seattle on Thursday night, two more pitchers made their big league debuts for Texas. The Rangers have already set major league records using 63 overall players and 40 pitchers this season. “This has been a difficult season for the team on the field for a variety of reasons, but it was very clear throughout the organization, publicly, privately, and with Ron, that he was coming back,” Daniels said. “We were planning on him to be back as our manager for 2015, and the bottom line is that you don’t have a season like we had without a number of things going wrong. ... While we’re dis-
appointed, we accept Ron’s decision.” Washington was hired after the 2006 season, replacing the fired Buck Showalter. Washington became the team’s winningest manager with 664 wins, and leaves with a 664-611 record (.521 winning percentage) and the manager of the Rangers’ only World Series seasons. The hiring of Washington came a year after Daniels had become the youngest GM in major league history. Washington had been a coach the previous 11 seasons in Oakland, where he had been credited for developing the organization’s top infielders.
Texas won 75 games in Washington’s first year as a manager and increased its victory total in each season through 2011, when the Rangers set a franchise record by winning 96 games. The Rangers lost at home to Baltimore in the first one-and-done American League wild card game in 2012, and last season lost a wild card tiebreaker at home to Tampa Bay. Washington was a skinny middle infielder who had more than twice as many games in the minors than the majors in 20 seasons as a professional player. He then spent four years as a minor league coach before his 11 seasons in Oakland.
posed to start on the weak side in Rod Marinelli’s 4-3 scheme, but will be on the strong side instead. Justin Durant, the early pick as Lee’s replacement, will call the defensive signals and be on the weak side, a critical spot in run support. McClain’s ability in pass coverage was the biggest reason he landed in the middle. “I expect him to be really a heck of a linebacker for us,” said Marinelli, who replaced Monte Kiffin as defensive coordinator a year after both joined the staff to implement a
scheme change. “I think he has great range. He’s got length. He’s smart. He’s a really physical player. So we just have to get him going and see how it works out from there.” And McClain still has his moments of passion, even with reporters. “I still love the game like I’m an 8-, 9-year-old kid,” he said. “It’s just about getting back into it, building chemistry with some of these guys, some trust and just playing and having run really.” Now it’s time for McClain to show the love on the field.
side receivers were expected to be more active this week. They were led by Marquez, who had career highs in receptions (11), yards receiving (184) and longest reception (70 yards). “Without him, we wouldn’t have won that game,” Kingsbury said. “Lot of guys were floundering around, and he stepped up and made plays.” UTEP RUSHING RB Aaron Jones had career highs in yards (237 yards for a 10.8-yard average) and TDs (3) in the Miners win. He was one of six FBS players to rush for more than 200 yards last week. The Red Raiders defense is young, so gave Jones could have another
big game. “I want the ball in Aaron Jones’ hands as much as we can possibly do, not only as a running back but also as a receiver,” Kugler said. QUARTERBACK MATCHUP Miners QB Showers, back after missing the final five games last season because of a right shoulder injury, is a dual threat, which could wreak havoc for the Red Raiders defense. He threw for 116 yards and a TD in the Miners’ opener. Webb, who threw two interceptions in the first half last week — he had nine all of last season — rallied for 452 yards and four touchdowns. It was his second straight four-touchdown game.
COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B week. “So you set your own expectations.” Owner Jerry Jones let his expectations run wild almost as soon as McClain reported for camp, always bringing up his name without being asked and at one point saying the Cowboys have “a chance to pull one out of our hat” with the move to get him. McClain skipped practices sporadically through camp, with coach Jason Garrett mostly saying he was just getting back in football shape. During a steamy morning practice earlier this week, McClain appeared
to injure something during an individual drill and spent the next few minutes fiddling with a knee wrap instead of participating in the work. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” McClain said later when asked about the knee. “I’m ready. I’m great.” The Cowboys might need him to be great if they want to improve on the league’s most porous defense from a year ago. The defensive line is filled with questions, and the linebackers are unsettled too. Bruce Carter was sup-
Photo by Gus Ruelas | AP
Dallas linebacker coach Matt Eberflus, left, works with linebacker Rolando McClain during training camp, getting him ready for the season opener against San Francisco.
TECH Continued from Page 1B same span they’ve turned the ball over 10 times, four of those interceptions. Coach Kliff Kingsbury has made reducing turnovers and penalties a priority this season. “Embarrassing” was how he characterized the performance last week. “The whole deal just wasn’t good across the board, so we’ll get that straightened out this week,” he said of Webb’s two interceptions and the 15 penalties for 115 yards in the win over the Bears last weekend. The Miners (1-0) will start senior QB Jameill Showers, who was at Texas A&M during the 2012-13 season when Kingsbury was offensive co-
ordinator for the Aggies. Here are some things to watch Saturday night: QUICK START Both UTEP and Texas Tech got off to slow starts and had to overcome early deficits to win their openers. The Red Raiders offense wasn’t too sharp early, something they aim to change. “We need to start faster and probably the most obvious thing is to cut down on the penalties and the mistakes like that that put us in bad situations,” WR Bradley Marquez said. TIME OF POSSESSION The Red Raiders watched as FCS’ Central Arkansas put together drives of 18, 12, 14 and 15 plays that chewed
Photo by Tori Eichberger | AP
Texas Tech’s Jordan Davis scored a touchdown against Central Arkansas on Saturday in a 42-35 win. up a lot of time (33:36 for the Bears and 26:24 for Texas Tech). That wearied Texas Tech’s defense, which gave up 406 total yards. UTEP needs to keep the Red Raiders’ up-tempo offense off the field.. “We’ve got our work
A&M Continued from Page 1B can hurt you, particularly in the red zone.” Despite Sumlin’s criticism, Hill was impressive against the Gamecocks, and it earned him Southeastern Conference co-offensive player of the week. His 511 passing yards are a school record, and he’s just the sixth player in SEC history to throw for 500 yards or more in a game. Hill also isn’t satisfied and is looking for improvement from himself and his team in Week 2. “We know we still have to work hard,” Hill said. “We still have that chip on our shoulders. People still feel like we aren’t that good, that beating South Carolina was just a fluke, but I don’t think that’s it at all. We’re trying to prove them wrong.” After his big game, many people, including Manziel dubbed Hill ’Kenny Football’ in a nod to Manziel’s ’Johnny Football’ nickname. But Hill said he prefers the Texas rap-inspired nickname ’Kenny Trill.’ That’s just one piece of a week that saw Hill go from relative unknown to one of the hottest stories in college football. His performance also made him one of the early front-runners for the Heisman Trophy, hardware Manziel won in 2012. “It’s been crazy. It’s kind of fun, but I’m just trying to live my life,” Hill said of becoming an overnight celebrity. “As for the Heismanstuff, that’s surreal. It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a little kid. Watching guys growing up
like Reggie Bush and even just a few years ago watching Johnny win it ... it’s something I dream of doing one day.” The Cardinals also have a record-setting quarterback in senior Caleb Berry. Berry threw five touchdown passes in Lamar’s seasonopening win over Grambling to make him the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes with 43. Five things to know about the Lamar-Texas A&M game. BIG CROWD Off-season renovations to Kyle Field have increased the capacity from 82,600 to more than 100,000. The Cardinals aren’t accustomed to huge crowds, and the biggest crowd they’ve ever played in front of came last year when they faced Oklahoma State in front of more than 59,000 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. “We have done some things to help prepare our guys for the noise level at Kyle Field,” Lamar coach Ray Woodard said. “There is no way to accurately replicate how loud it is going to be, but we have been working with some things to make it as tough on our guys as possible.” STEPPING UP Receiver Malcome Kennedy had the best game of his career in Texas A&M’s first outing since last year’s top receiver Mike Evans left early for the NFL draft. Kennedy, who had 658 yards receiving last year, finished with 14 catches for 137 yards — both career bests — against South Carolina.
RECEIVING REGGIE Lamar receiver Reggie Begelton set a single-season school record and led the Southland Conference with 82 receptions last season. He’s already off to a good start this year and had 12 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown in Lamar’s 42-27 win over Grambling. WHAT A LINE Texas A&M’s offensive line has long been a strength of the team, and that hasn’t changed in 2014. The unit has had a player selected in the top-10 of the NFL draft the last two years in Luke Joeckel (second overall in 2013) and Jake Matthews (sixth overall 2014). The star of the group this year is Cedric Ogbuehi, a three-year starter who moves into the left tackle spot Matthews played last season. Ogbuehi is expected to be a first-round pick in 2015. The group also has Jake’s younger brother Mike Matthews, who started 13 games at center in 2013. The line is one of the biggest in school history, with the five starters combining to weigh 1,540 pounds. STARTING FAST Since Sumlin took over at Texas A&M, the Aggies have had a knack for starting fast. They have scored first in 24 of 27 games under Sumlin and have scored at least 14 points in the first quarter of 14 of those games. Their first drives have been particularly good, with the Aggies scoring a touchdown 18 out of 27 times.
cut out for us,” Kugler said. “We’ve got to make our calls quickly because they will catch out off guard if you’re not ready.” TEXAS TECH WRs Webb hit 11 different receivers last week. The out-
TEXAS Continued from Page 1B just how far he’d taken the Longhorns after nine months and one game. But the latest wave of injuries and suspensions has Texas fans in a panic that if Texas loses, the Longhorns could be in for more struggles. “It’s not like it’s the end of the world,” Strong said week this of Ash’s injury before he suspended tackles Desmond Harrison and Kennedy Estelle for team rules violations. “We know we have got to go play a football game and that’s what we’re going to go do.” Ash played all but the final snaps of the seasonopening 38-7 win over North Texas. He didn’t alert Texas officials of any problems until about 90 minutes after the game when he complained of headaches and dizziness. Texas had no choice but to sit Ash down for a while. The suspensions are just the latest example of Strong’s “get tough” approach that have a huge impact on the field for the coach in the first season of a fiveyear, $25 million-plus contract. Harrison already missed the first game under suspension and had only been reinstated as of Monday. Estelle joining him means strong will have at least four potential starters on the sideline under suspension. For BYU, the Cougars can make another national statement with another win against Texas, wheth-
er the Longhorns are depleted or not. BYU plays as an independent and Texas is one of only three opponents from the socalled power conferences. “Our mindset is we can compete with anybody,” Hill said. What to watch for when BYU plays Texas: SWOOPES Once hailed as a potential star, Swoopes seems to have regressed into a project. Former coach Mack Brown burned his redshirt freshman season in 2013 for just handful of plays and he struggled in the Texas spring game. It may speak volumes that before training camp, Strong declared Ash, who hadn’t played in nearly a year, as his clear No. 1 without even hinting at a quarterback competition. At 6-foot-4 and nearly 250 pounds, Swoopes is big. He’ll have to be mobile if a rebuilt offensive line struggles to protect him. “Ty is ready,” Texas quarterbacks coach Shawn Watson said. “He can hurt you at running the football, he’s got a very strong arm.” TEXAS OFFENSIVE LINE This unit was a question mark before the season began and now looks like a complete mystery. Freshman Jake Raulerson is tall but thin at 6-5, 281 and takes over at center after season-ending ankle surgery to senior Dominic Espinosa. Cameron Hughes slides in for Estelle and Marcus Hutchins likely starts for
Harrison. Espinosa had 40 career starts. The unit that lines up against BYU will have five total. HILL’S OPTION Hill romped through Texas’ defense with 269 yards rushing in BYU’s option offense. He turned broken plays into scrambles for touchdowns. Hill was right on form last week, passing for three touchdowns and running for two more against Connecticut. TEXAS RUNNING BACKS Given the change at quarterback, Texas is likely to turn the ball over to the running back tandem of Malcolm Brown and Johnathan Gray. Those two combined for 147 yards against North Texas and Gray showed a burst of his old speed after Achilles tendon surgery. But even that strength has been turned into a question mark considering the troubles in the offensive line. TEXAS DEFENSE Last season’s collapse at BYU was an embarrassment of missed tackles, missed assignments and a highlight reel of Longhorns players getting pushed all over the field. If Texas has a strength this year, it’s on the defensive line with end Cedric Reed and tackles Malcom Brown and Desmond Jackson. If the players up front can get a big push into the BYU backfield, Hill may have little room to crank up the option.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014
Dear Heloise: I don’t know if this is in your realm or not, but we need help. Some neighbors cut down their pine trees. They were nesting places for PIGEONS. We now have 30 or 40 large, dirty birds in our driveway and on our porch and patio. We have grandchildren who come to play, and the mess is unbelievable. We don’t want to destroy them, just prevent them from coming to our house. -- Annette O., Warren, Ohio What a pesky problem! Here is a hint that I have seen used a lot down at the Texas coast to keep birds from nesting underneath the elevated beach houses. I’ve even seen some on the roof of an enclosed walkway at an airport: FAKE OWLS! Many of the houses have owl decoys placed around the house. They are just plastic owls. If the birds think there is a larger, predatory bird there, they will not roost. Try that. If that doesn’t work, you may need to talk to a professional to get oth-
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
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HELOISE
er suggestions. -- Heloise CLEANING A MOP Dear Heloise: I believe that you have printed before the way to clean a mop. Could you please reprint it? I could use some help. I feel like I am not getting the floors clean because my mop is always dirty! -- Janice in Freeport, Texas Always happy to help, Janice! Sometimes the floors do not seem to get really clean with a dirty mop. Try to clean the mop between uses. The method of cleaning depends on whether your mop has a removable head or one of the more traditional styled one. If it does, remove it and wash it in the washing machine with some old towels. Hang it upside down in your bathtub for a messfree dry. -- Heloise
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2014