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PUBLIC HEALTH
TEXAS
Ebola ‘czar’ named
Perry wants travel ban
Former Biden aide to lead effort against deadly virus By JIM KUHNHENN ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama turned to a trusted adviser to lead the nation’s Ebola response on Friday as efforts to clamp down on any possible route of infection from three Texas cases expanded, reaching a cruise ship at sea and multiple
airline flights. Facing renewed criticism of his handling of the Ebola risk, Obama will make Ron Klain, a former chief of staff to Vice President Joe Biden, his point man on the U.S. fight against Ebola at home and in West Africa. Klain will report to national security adviser Susan Rice and to homeland security adviser Lisa Monaco, the White House
said. Meanwhile, the World Health Organization admitted to mistakes of its own in failing to contain the outbreak still spreading out of control in Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea. “Nearly everyone involved in the out-
See EBOLA “CZAR” PAGE 11A
‘No-fly’ list could keep those exposed off planes By WILL WEISSERT
VALLEY ECONOMY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
BANK BRANCH OPENS
Photo by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times
AUSTIN — Republican Texas Gov. Rick Perry reversed course and joined other top conservatives in calling for an air travel ban from countries hardest-hit by Ebola, saying Friday that he’d pushed the idea with President Barack Obama and even suggested creating a “no-fly list” for Americans potentially exposed to the virus. Texas has been the epicenter of Ebola in the United States, with a Liberian man who was the first confirmed case on American soil, Thomas Eric Duncan, dying at a Dallas hospital last week, and two health workers who treated him since falling ill. Both have been PERRY transferred to federal facilities for treatment and, amid criticism of Texas Health Presbyterian hospital, Perry also said he’d asked Obama to “fast-track” Ebola cases to betterequipped Centers for Disease Control facilities. “We must admit, along the way we have seen ample opportunity for improvement from the CDC all the way to the hospital,” Perry said at a news conference. Eyeing a possible 2016 presidential run, Perry had previously stopped short of joining leading national Republican voices in urging a travel ban from Ebola-stricken parts of West Africa. But he said Friday that “recent and ongoing events” had changed his mind. The governor also said it was “inde-
Citizens State Bank President Roberto A. Salinas and Zapata Branch Manager Veronica Rivera, center, are joined by board members and staff as they perform the cutting of the ribbon Thursday morning during the grand opening ceremony of Citizens State Bank Zapata. See related story, photos on page 3A.
See PERRY PAGE 11A
EMPLOYMENT
State’s Sept. jobless rate heads downward ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The Texas unemployment rate declined slightly to 5.2 percent in September as the state’s seasonally adjusted civilian labor force topped 13 million for the first time, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday.
The August statewide jobless rate was 5.3 percent. The nationwide unemployment rate for September was 5.9 percent, a six-year low. The Texas economy added 36,400 seasonally adjusted total nonfarm jobs last month, according to the TWC. “The Texas economy,
from our employers across all major industries to our skilled and dedicated workers, continues to perform at a record pace,” said Andres Alcantar, TWC chairman. “With a record setting 413,700 jobs added over the year, and our labor force surpassing the 13 million milestone, our state shows how part-
nerships and a strong business climate fuel job growth for the people of Texas.” Census figures Friday listed the estimated 2013 Texas population at nearly 26.5 million. The Midland area had the lowest September jobless rate statewide at 2.6 percent. Unemployment in
neighboring Odessa stood at 3.1 percent last month. The McAllen-EdinburgMission area had the state’s highest jobless rate in September at 8.5 percent, the TWC reported. Over the month, nine of 11 major industries showed positive growth, led by leisure and hospitality with 9,300 jobs added in
September, commission officials said. “With so much consistent expansion and hundreds of thousands of jobs added year-over-year, Texas employers should be proud of the tremendous growth they have been able to achieve here,” said Commissioner Hope Andrade.