The Zapata Times 10/21/2015

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SIESTA SHORES

ZAPATA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Water shortage

Two drug dealers arrested

Problem temporarily resolved for subdivision

By MELVA LAVÍN-CASTILLO THE ZAPATA TIMES

The lack of water in the Siesta Shores WCID Subdivision, about three miles north of Zapata, was temporarily resolved by interconnecting a pipeline from the Zapata County Water System to the residents affected.

On Saturday night a problem occurred when the water storage tank at the subdivision began to leak, threatening to leave about 1,000 families without water within 48 hours.

“We were able to interconnect the systems with a 700-foot pipe, and at 8 a.m.

(Monday) the water began to flow,” Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell said in a telephone interview. “We hope that by the end of the

day (Monday) the pressure “We could perform this will be adjusted.” workaround connecAlso, families tion into an existing need to follow a boil pipeline (from Sieswater alert for one ta Shores) to a pipe more day, or until in our system,” extests indicate that plained Rathmell. the water is fit for A new storage human consumption. tank and water has “The elevated tank RATHMELL been located and the had enough water for Water Work Compatwo days, but I think ny expects to get in early when residents heard that November. the water was running, “The water system in many of them used more coordination with TCQ than the usual, and the will have to provide the stored water only lasted a blueprint and at the same day,” he said. “They used time analyze what kind of twice as usual for a Sun- tank they’re going to get, day.” and consider all the reEven though the water quired specifications,” system is run by Siesta Rathmell said. “Once this Shores Water Work, an in- happens it should take dependent firm, Rathmell about three weeks to set it and the Zapata County up.”

Commissioners decided to Employees from the Zatake action. pata County Water System

SOUTH TEXAS FOOD BANK

worked for 24 hours straight to install the temporary pine.

“I want to reassure residents that we will do everything in our power to help them,” said Rathmell.

“County staff was on hand to help our neighbors, friends and brothers.”

Meanwhile, H-E-B donated 7,000 boxes of water bottles to Siesta Shores’ residents and Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina offered his help with a tank truck as well.

Rathmell requested that families limit their water use, until the time comes to demolish the affected water storage tank and the new one arrives, and its set up.

(Contact Melva LavínCastillo at (956) 728-2569 or mecastillo@lmtonline.com)

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

juana, 18 Xanax pills, 30 Alprazolam pills and $1,106.

Authorities identified Two suspected street-lev- the suspects as Eduardo Jael drug dealers were vier Gonzalez Jr. and arrested following a Amador Jay Salinas. recent narcotics Both were charged raid, authorities anwith two counts of nounced recently. possession of a conThe Zapata Countrolled substance and ty Sheriff ’s Office one count of possesexecuted a search sion of marijuana. warrant regarding Gonzalez and SaliGONZALEZ an illegal narcotics nas were taken to the dealer operating Zapata County Refrom his home in gional Jail. Salinas is the 2500 block of out on bond. Custody Fresno Street, reinformation on Gonports state. zalez was not availaSheriff ’s officials ble.

(César G. Rodrisaid they seized 26 SALINAS guez may be reached foils containing crack-cocaine, 12 plastic at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonbaggies containing mari- line.com) THE ZAPATA TIMES

TEXAS TRIBUNE FESTIVAL

BORDER DISCUSSION Courtesy photo

The South Texas Food Bank distributed 9,909,472 pounds of product to families in its eight-county service area this year.

More than 8 million meals served SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The South Texas Food Bank distributed 9,909,472 pounds of product to needy families in its eight-county service area during the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.

The 9.9 million pounds is the highest total since the 10,291,719 pounds distributed in 2011.

Alma Boubel, food bank executive director, shared the figure at the monthly South Texas Food Bank board meet-

ing at Commerce Bank.

Erasmo Villarreal is the South Texas Food Bank board president.

The poundage equals 8,257,893 meals served in one of the most impoverished areas in the state and nation, where the poverty rate is 30-plus percent. The South Texas Food Bank, which opened in 1989 under the auspices of H-E-B as the Laredo Webb County Food Bank, now includes the counties of

See FOOD BANK PAGE 8A

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times file

Mayor Pro-temp Juan Narviaez, City Councilman Alejandro Perez and City Manager Jesus Olivares look on as Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump shakes hands with Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz at a press conference July 23 at the World Trade Bridge in Laredo.

Trump ‘changed his tone a little bit’ after visit

By JONATHAN TILOVE AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

AUSTIN — In the middle of Saturday’s Texas Tribune Festival panel on the border and the Legislature, state

Rep. Cesar Blanco, an El Paso Democrat, asked two of his Republican colleagues if there was something they could do to keep Donald Trump from exploiting the border for his own political

benefit.

“Do you think any of us can control Donald Trump?” replied state Rep. Larry Phillips, the Sherman Republican who chairs the House Homeland Security

and Public Safety Committee.

Perhaps not.

But the panel of border mayors that followed in-

See BORDER PAGE 8A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, October 21

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Pumpkin Patch, First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Public invited; admission free.

Bringing Vitality to Main Street: How Immigrant Small Businesses Help Local Economies Grow, from 7–8:30 p.m. at TAMIU Student Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd. Featuring David D. Kallick, senior fellow and director of the Immigration Research Initiative at the Fiscal Policy Institute in New York. Free and open to the public.

Today is Wednesday, October 21, the 294th day of 2015.

There are 71 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On October 21, 1892, schoolchildren across the U.S. observed Columbus Day (according to the Gregorian calendar) by reciting, for the first time, the original version of “The Pledge of Allegiance,” written

by Francis Bellamy for The Youth’s Companion.

The pledge, which has been revised several times, originally went, “I pledge allegiance to my Flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

On this date: In 1879, Thomas Edison perfected a workable electric light at his laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.

In 1917, members of the 1st Division of the U.S. Army training in Luneville, France, became the first Americans to see action on the front lines of World War I. In 1945, women in France were allowed to vote in parliamentary elections for the first time.

In 1959, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, opened to the public in New York.

In 1960, Democrat John F. Kennedy and Republican Richard M. Nixon clashed in their fourth and final presidential debate in New York.

In 1971, President Richard Nixon nominated Lewis F. Powell and William H. Rehnquist to the U.S. Supreme Court.

(Both nominees were confirmed.)

In 1985, former San Francisco Supervisor Dan White — who’d served five years in prison for killing Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, a gay-rights advocate — was found dead in a garage, a suicide.

Ten years ago: Hurricane Wilma tore into Mexico’s Yucatan peninsula as a Category 4 storm, after killing 13 people in Haiti and Jamaica.

Five years ago: Eight current and former officials pleaded not guilty to looting millions of dollars from California’s modest blue-collar city of Bell. (Seven defendants ended up being convicted, and received sentences ranging from home confinement to 12 years in prison.)

One year ago: In South Africa, Oscar Pistorius was sentenced to five years in prison for killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp; legal analysts said under the law, the man known as the “Blade Runner” because of his carbon-fiber running blades, would have to serve 10 months, or one-sixth of his sentence, in prison before he was eligible for house arrest.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Joyce Randolph is 91. Author Ursula K. Le Guin is 86.

TV’s Judge Judy Sheindlin is 73. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is 66. Actress LaTanya Richardson Jackson is 66. Movie director Catherine Hardwicke is 60. Actress-author Carrie Fisher is 59. Singer Julian Cope is 58.

Christian rock musician Charlie Lowell (Jars of Clay) is 42.

Actor Will Estes is 37. Reality TV star Kim Kardashian is 35.

Actor Matt Dallas is 33.

Thought for Today: “Silence is sometimes the severest criticism.” — Charles Buxton, English writer (18231871).

Thursday, October 22 Pumpkin Patch, First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Public invited; admission free.

Spanish Book Club from 6–8 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library on Calton. For more information call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810 TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 6 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 7 p.m.: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. General Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information call 956326-DOME (3663).

Friday, October 23 Pumpkin Patch, First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Public invited; admission free.

UISD Dyslexia Awareness Parent Festival from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Student Activity Complex, rooms 1 and 2, 5208 Santa Claudia Ln. Parents and members of the community are invited to learn more about dyslexia and how to help their child at home.

Admission is free. Door prizes will be given and a light breakfast will be served. For more information, contact Brenda Benavides at 956-473-5246 or 473-5267.

Movies on the Patio at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St. “The Brain That Wouldn’t Die” will show at 7:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. Outdoor seating and concessions. In case of rain, the event will be canceled. For more information, call 727-0977.

Saturday, October 24 Pumpkin Patch, First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Public invited; admission free.

The Laredo Free Thinkers will be having Operation Feed the Homeless at Jarvis Plaza at 3 p.m. Please volunteer time and/or food, drinks, clothing, etc.

For more information please visit/ message the Laredo Free Thinkers page on Facebook.

TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 2 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 3 p.m.: The Little Star That Could; 4 p.m.: Back to the Moon; 5 p.m.: Violent Universe: Catastrophes of the Universe. General Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. Matinee Shows are $1 less.

Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

Sunday, October 25 Pumpkin Patch is open in front of the First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland. 12:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Public is invited, and admission is free.

Photo by Eric Gay | AP file

In this July 28 file photo, Erica Canaut, center, cheers as she and other anti-abortion activists rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol in Austin, to condemn the use in medical research of tissue samples obtained from aborted fetuses. Texas announced Monday that it was cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood clinics.

Texas cuts off funding

By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — Texas announced Monday that it was cutting off Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood clinics following undercover videos of officials discussing fetal tissue, potentially triggering a legal fight like the one unfolding in neighboring Louisiana.

Planned Parenthood affiliates statewide were told in a letter that their enrollment in the joint state-federal Medicaid program was in the process of being terminated because they were potentially “liable, directly or by affiliation, for a series of serious Medicaid program violations.” The five-page letter was sent by the Texas Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Inspector General.

The move comes after undercover videos released by the anti-abortion group Center for Medical Progress, which alleges the vid-

eos show that Planned Parenthood illegally sold fetal tissue for profit. Planned Parenthood denies the allegation and said the videos were misleading.

A federal judge ordered Louisiana on Monday to continue providing Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood clinics for 14 more days. Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, while running for president, ordered his state to block funding in the wake of the same videos, but Planned Parenthood sued and challenged the state ending of funding for non-abortion services, such as cancer screenings and gynecology exams.

Texas’ letter to its affiliates attempted to address the issue of access to other services.

The letter also noted that since 2013, the GOP-controlled Texas Legislature has moved to deny as much funding to Planned Parenthood as possible.

Sixth Floor Museum adds Oswald’s ring to exhibit

Bond $150K for driver after motorcycle hit

Patient shot when gun discharges at clinic

DALLAS — The Dallas museum that tells the story of President John F. Kennedy’s death has acquired his assassin’s wedding band. Lee Harvey Oswald’s ring, left on a dresser the morning of Nov. 22, 1963, went on display Tuesday at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza. The ring is the first personal item belonging to Oswald the museum has acquired.

GRANBURY — A North Texas driver accused of intentionally hitting a motorcycle and leaving two people hurt says he swerved after an insect bit him.

William Crum of Granbury was being held Tuesday on two counts of aggravated assault over the videotaped wreck near Granbury.

Hood County jail records list his bond at $150,000.

BEAUMONT — A handgun that fell from a purse at a Beaumont medical clinic has discharged and injured a patient who was checking out of the facility.

Beaumont police said in a statement that the shooting happened Monday as a woman was assisting her mother at the clinic and the two were at a front desk preparing to leave.

Nearly 70 homes destroyed in wildfire

Swift water training rescue practice turns real

7 convicted of operating North Texas ‘pill mill’

SMITHVILLE — Residents forced from their homes by a 7square-mile Central Texas wildfire have been allowed to return to the evacuation zone — some to return to their homes, some to count their losses.

The Texas A&M Forest Service on Tuesday reported the blaze in Bastrop County was 80 percent contained after burning 68 homes Oct. 13.

NEW BRAUNFELS — Emergency responders practicing swift water rescues in a South Texas river have saved a boy who fell from an inner tube.

Austin-Travis County EMS on Monday announced the Oct. 5 rescue in the Comal River in New Braunfels. The rescue was captured on video by a camera worn by Special Operations Cmdr. Craig Smith.

DALLAS — Federal prosecutors say seven people have been convicted of operating a North Texas “pill mill” that conspired to illegally distribute prescription drugs. Dr. Theodore Okechuku of Plano and three others were found guilty by a federal jury of charges that include conspiracy to unlawfully distribute a controlled substance.

— Compiled from AP reports

Monday, October 26 Pumpkin Patch, First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Public invited; admission free.

Chess Club meets at the LBV–Inner City Branch Library from 4–6 p.m.

Free for all ages and skill levels. Basic instruction is offered. Call John at 7952400, x2521.

Tuesday, October 27 Pumpkin Patch, First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Public invited; admission free.

Take the challenge and climb the Rock Wall. Free. Bring ID and sign release form. 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at LBV–Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Call 795-2400, x2520.

TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 6 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures; 7 p.m.: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. General Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information call 956326DOME (3663).

Halloween Health Fair at the LBV–Inner City Branch Library from 3 p.m.–5:30 p.m.

AROUND THE NATION Sharp-toothed creature that bit surfer was an eel HONOLULU — An eel, not a shark, bit a surfer off the shore of Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach over the weekend.

The state Department of Land and Natural Resources said Tuesday it made the determination based on an interview with the victim and photos of his injuries.

Hawaii’s coral reefs are home to a variety of eels, including some with large mouths, long teeth and strong jaws that help in capturing prey. The Maui Ocean Center’s website says the snakelike fish normally aren’t aggressive but have been known to defend their lairs.

Mom, 3 kids, neighbor killed in row house fire MAYSVILLE, Ky. — A fire that appeared to start on the back porch of a row house spread

CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Carolyn Kaster | AP file

This Dec. 26, 2011 file photo shows the Mokulua Islands from a view on the Lanikai Pillboxes trail in Lanikai, Hawaii. Authorities say an eel, not a shark, bit a surfer off the shore of Hawaii’s Waikiki Beach over the weekend. quickly Tuesday, killing a woman, three of her children and a neighbor, authorities said.

A neighbor who survived said the mother went back inside to try to save her kids while flames were shooting out of the building. “We were saying, ‘God, no,

God, no,’ and I knew she wasn’t coming back out,” Ruth Austen said, holding and comforting a crying cat that she said belonged to the victims.

The father of the children survived.

— 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.

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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

Local & State

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Border Coalition names new officers SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Texas Border Coalition has announced a slate of new officers and committee chairmen to lead the organization in its mission to help border communities grow and prosper.

During TBC’s annual meeting earlier this month, Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz was elected to a two-year term as chairman elect.

McAllen City Commissioner Richard Cortez was appointed vice chairman.

Carolyn Petty, president of TaxFree Shopping Ltd., has been appointed chairwoman of TBC’s new economic development committee, and Sergio Contreras, director of external affairs for the city of Pharr, will serve as transportation committee chairman.

“TBC is privileged to have experienced and influ-

ential border leaders working on our behalf in Austin and Washington,” said TBC Chairman J.D. Salinas III. “With decades of experience, these individuals will apply their knowledge and skills to help solve numerous challenges facing border communities. I look forward to working with them to confront these challenges.”

Since 1998, TBC has been the collective voice of border communities on issues affecting Texas-Mexico border region. TBC members are committed to working to develop innovative policies and legislation at the national, state, and local levels.

TBC executive committee members include Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell; Del Rio Mayor Robert Garza; Eagle Pass Mayor Ramsey Cantu; La Joya Mayor Jose A. "Fito" Salinas;

McAllen Mayor Jim Darling; Pharr Mayor Ambrosio “Amos” Hernandez; Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge Director of Operations Fred Brouwen; Port Isabel Mayor Joe Vega; Roma Mayor Jose Alfredo Guerra; Willacy County Aurelio “Keter” Guerra; and Ben Petty, Sr., TaxFree Shopping, Ltd. Standing committee chairman also include Blas Castaneda, workforce development; Olga Gabriel, health care; and Monica Weisberg-Stewart, immigration and border security.

Pete Saenz Pete Saenz was elected mayor of Laredo in November, where he is focused on bringing new industry and jobs to the city, while developing trust and transparen-

cy within city government.

For 12 years, he was a member of the Laredo Community College Board of Trustees, serving four years as president, playing an instrumental role in the planning and construction of the LCC South Campus.

Saenz built a highly successful and distinguished law practice, and also worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as a Range Conservationist. In addition, he has served on numerous community boards and advisory committees, including president of the South Texas Food Bank and president of the Laredo Affordable Housing Corporation.

Richard Cortez Richard Cortez was elect-

ed to the McAllen City Commission in May, after having served as mayor of the city from 2005-13. A senior partner with the public accounting and management firm of Burton McCumber & Cortez, Cortez has a long history of service to municipal and civic organizations.

He is a past member of the McAllen Economic Development Corporation, the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, the McAllen Community Development Council, the Rio Grande Valley Partnership and McAllen International Museum. He also is past president of the McAllen Boys and Girls Club, past member of The University of Texas-Pan American Business Council, former vice chairman of the McAllen Public Utilities Board and advisory director of the International Bank of Commerce of McAllen.

Carolyn Petty Carolyn Petty is president of Addison-based TaxFree Shopping, which has offices around the state and contracts with U.S. retailers to provide instant sales tax refunds to foreign shoppers.

Sergio Contreras Sergio Contreras, director of external affairs for the city of Pharr, is responsible for monitoring state and federal government activities, developing legislative agendas and coordinating legislative activities with public and private sector organizations. He formerly served as regional manager of external affairs for AT&T in San Antonio and the South border region.

Crisis seminar set for Friday Zapata farms qualify for federal assistance SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Zapata Chamber of Commerce invites Zapatans to attend a free seminar on crisis and suicidal intervention in Laredo on Friday.

Suicidal Counseling: An Integrated Crisis Intervention is hosted by the Ecumenical Center for Religion and Health. The seminar is by Dr. Lennis Echterling of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

“In this training, you will learn techniques that promote resilience and resolution,” a press release states. “These techniques include offering the LUV Triangle, looking for the survivor in the crisis story, asking ‘getting through’ questions, and promoting the emotions of resolve — courage, hope and compassion.

“Participants will understand current protocol for suicidal intervention, risk assessment and ensuring safety. The purpose of this training is to prepare caring, committed clinicians and religious leaders to enhance their effectiveness as crisis interveners in troubled times. The format of this training session

will include lecturing, experiential exercises and discussions.”

Objectives of the seminar are: To recognize a crisis as a turning point that involves both threats and opportunities To develop skills in assisting a suicidal client To learn specific techniques that help victims become survivors who can go on to thrive in their lives.

The seminar takes place Friday, Oct. 23 at the Holding Institute auditorium, 1102 Santa Maria Ave. in Laredo, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is available on the street behind Davis Avenue.

To register, please contact Cecilia Miranda by phone at 956-319-2718 or email at cecim_garza@hotmail.com. This event is free.

This seminar is sponsored

by Methodist Healthcare Ministries and Holding Institute.

About the speaker Lennis Echterling is professor and director of counseling psychology at James Madison

University.

He has more than 30 years of experience in promoting resilience, particularly during crises and disasters.

He has provided disaster intervention services across the country, including Mississippi and Texas after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Following the 9/ 11 attacks, he worked as a Red Cross volunteer with survivors at the Pentagon.

More recently, he was a crisis counselor after the shootings at Virginia Tech University. His books include “Crisis Intervention: Promoting Resilience and Resolution in Troubled Times,” “"Thriving! A Manual for Students in the Helping Professions,” “Beyond Brief Counseling,” and “Becoming a Community Counselor.”

Dr. Echterling has received the College Award for Distinguished Service, James Madison University’s Distinguished Faculty Award, Virginia Counselors Association’s Humanitarian and Caring Person Award, and the Counseling Vision and Innovation Award from the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision.

THE ZAPATA TIMES

Farmers and ranchers in Zapata County qualify for natural disaster assistance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to damages and losses caused by a recent drought.

The primary natural disaster area is in the following nine counties: Bastrop, Dimmitt, Fayette, Grimes, Kinney, Maverick, Rains, Travis and Walker.

However, since Zapata County is contiguous to the area, its farmers and ranchers also qualify for assistance.

“Our hearts go out to those Texas farmers and ranchers affected by recent natural disasters,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.

“President Obama and I are committed to ensuring that agriculture remains a bright spot in our nation’s economy by sustaining the successes of America’s farmers, ranchers, and rural communities through these difficult times. We’re also telling Texas producers that USDA stands with you and your communities when severe weather and natural disasters threaten to

disrupt your livelihood.”

Other contiguous counties that qualify for assistance are Austin, Blanco, Brazos, Burnet, Caldwell, Colorado, Edwards, Frio, Gonzalez, Hays, Hopkins, Houston, Hunt, La Salle, Lavaca, Lee, Madison, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Trinity, Uvalde, Val Verde, Van Zandt, Waller, Washington, Webb, Williamson and Wood.

All counties listed above were designated natural disaster areas on Oct. 14, making all qualified farm operators in the designated areas eligible for low interest emergency loans from USDA’s Farm Service Agency, provided eligibility requirements are met.

Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. FSA will consider each loan application on its own merits, taking into account the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability. FSA has a variety of programs, in addition to the EM loan program, to help eligible farmers recover from adversity.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

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

COMMENTARY

OTHER VIEWS

Despite 9/11, George W. Bush kept us safe

By MARC A. THIESSEN THE WASHINGTON POST

Donald Trump says it is ridiculous for Jeb Bush to claim that his brother, President George W. Bush, "kept us safe." "The World Trade Center came down during his reign," Trump says. "He was the president at the time, and you know, you could say the buck stops here."

Blaming Bush for the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks is an absurd, left-wing talking point. The fact is, when Bush took office on Jan. 20, 2001, planning for 9/11 was well underway. Bush inherited a world where terrorists had been permitted safe haven in terrorist states and were engaged in a virtually unimpeded offensive. Under his predecessor, they had launched a string of attacks against the United States: the first effort to bring down the World Trade Center in 1993; the murder of 19 American airmen at the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia three years later; the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania; and the attack on the USS Cole in 2000, which caused the deaths of 17 American sailors.

In none of these cases was there a forceful U.S. response. As a result, alQaida was convinced that the United States was soft and that if they hit us hard enough, we could be forced to retreat and withdraw as we had in Beirut and Somalia.

They miscalculated.

Unlike his predecessor, Bush did not respond by firing cruise missiles into empty tents and abandoned obstacle courses.

Within weeks, U.S. special operations forces were on the ground in Afghanistan, and in less than a month they had destroyed the Taliban regime and driven al-Qaeda from its sanctuary there. After Afghanistan’s liberation, the United States and its coalition partners captured or killed hundreds of alQaida leaders, managers and top operational commanders responsible for day-to-day planning of the terror group’s activities across the globe, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid SheikMohammed.

To uncover and disrupt follow-on attacks, Bush established a program at the National Security Agency to monitor terrorist communications. He built new programs at the Treasury Department to deny extremists state-of-the-art banking and financial tools, thus making it more difficult for them to raise funds, move money, pay operatives, bribe officials and finance new attacks. He established the CIA program to detain and question top terror leaders — an effort that doubled our intelligence on alQaida. He created the Department of Homeland Security and a new director of national intelligence and transformed the FBI and the Justice Department to fight terror.

Using these new tools and doctrines, the Bush administration disrupted

a series of planned alQaida attacks on our homeland, including a 2002 plot to fly a plane into the tallest building in Los Angeles, a 2003 plot to crash airplanes into targets on the East Coast and a 2006 plot to blow up multiple passenger jets flying across the Atlantic from Britain to North America. The administration also thwarted a series of planned alQaida attacks on U.S. interests and allies abroad, including a plot to blow up the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan; a plot to hijack passenger planes and fly them in to Big Ben and the Canary Wharf district in London; and a plot to blow up U.S. Marines at Camp Lemonier in Djibouti using explosive-laden water tankers — an attack that, if carried out, would have rivaled the 1983 terrorist attack on the U.S. Marine Barracks in Beirut that killed nearly 300 U.S. and French service members.

Asked whether Bush should even get credit for keeping the country safe after 9/11, Trump says, "I’m not sure that anybody can answer that question. Because you don’t know."

Yes, we do. What does Trump think — that after 9/11 al-Qaida simply gave up trying to attack the United States? Of course it didn’t. It was stopped.

Bush made a lot of mistakes, especially in his prosecution of the war in Iraq. But this much is indisputable: Thanks to the actions he took, the institutions he built, the doctrines he established, the United States went 2,688 days on his watch without another attack on our soil.

That is an achievement few thought possible when the rubble of the World Trade Center was still burning.

Even more ridiculous is Trump’s claim that, unlike Bush, he would have stopped 9/11 because under his immigration policies "these terrorists wouldn’t have been in the country" and because "a good leader would’ve made sure that the CIA and FBI would get along and talk."

Trump seems wholly unaware that several of the 9/11 hijackers were already in the country when Bush took office and that most were here legally on tourist visas.

He also seems oblivious to the fact that there was a legal wall between the intelligence and law enforcement communities that prevented them from sharing information — a wall Bush broke down when he signed the Patriot Act. According to a recent poll, more than 80 percent of Republican voters agree that Bush kept us safe. Blaming Bush for 9/ 11 and denying him credit the actions he took to stop al-Qaida from striking us again are things one would expect from the Democratic presidential nominee — not someone vying for the Republican presidential nomination.

Thiessen was a speechwriter for Bush from 2004 to 2009.

COLUMN

Columnist doesn’t watch football like a ‘normal’ fan My son thinks I’m comatose when I watch football on TV and not much better when in the stadium.

There are a number of explanations for why he or any other normal, rabid, foaming-at-the-mouth, chew-the-ref, cuss-thecoach football nut case would think something was wrong with drabdon’t-get-excited-and-yell me.

Mostly, it’s because during my working years (50-plus), watching football was for mostly professional reasons. Yeah, I know, scouting coaches can get excited during a gridiron match, even if they have no allegiance to either team on the field.

Well, let me tell you it’s absolutely taboo, an actual you-can-go-to-reporter’s-hell screw-up to become “emotionally involved in the game.”

That means the showno-favorites dictum is in effect all during game week, but more especially on game night or day for a reporter.

Oh, sure, community newspaper folks might get just a bit more in-

volved and less “formal” in watching the hometown boys lay it on the line on Friday night. But, all in all, (Grantland) Rice’s Rules of Reporting Games compels us to be as fair as possible, even though the “opposing” newspaper covering their town trying to beat your town is totally biased for their home-base school.

If I’m a human with a trace of a pulse, you say, I’ll be rooting for one team or another. Yeah, you’re right, but I didn’t say I was never rooting for someone to win the game.

Anyone can write, “Smith ran off right tackle for 11 yards and a touchdown.” That means a sportswriter has to be able, just like a reporter covering a presidential debate, to describe moves and strategies in a way that will be easily understood by each and every reader. Professional pride enters so that hopefully you are capable of de-

scribing it in a clear and concise way, yet not have your reader drop off into slumber land while reading.

It has always been easier for me to describe some “regular” news event more rationally than the gridiron’s glorygrabbing gallops (see, told ya).

A news reporter can apply a more analytical mind to a sequence of events in, say, a court case or even a car wreck than they can a “rational” analysis of the home teams’ game-winning touchdown drive.

Plus, sportswriters can “get away” with just a touch of “homer-ism” while covering a Friday night football foray more easily than he can a conspiratorial city council conflab.

I always fought like crazy to keep from editorializing in sports news story. Somehow, it’s easier to do that in a straight news story than in a football game story, particularly if it’s a small town and you’re the editor-publisher of a community newspaper and a playoff spot is riding on the outcome of

this Friday night fracas.

But, when you put on the sportswriter cap instead of the judicious city council critic senior graduate mortar board, those loyal subscribers hunger for a little homerizing. Certainly, the readers want you to be as “juicy” as possible so as to grease their gossipy gifts of gab for back fence or coffee shop summations of the proceedings, but readers expect some ammo for rationalizing the crucifixion of the quarterback or, even more desirable, the home coach.

However, if you’re going to be true to the tenets of unbiased journalism, you have to be able to dissect a sports play so that you sound like a knowledgeable Joe Buck instead of a haranguing Howard Cosell.

So, that’s why I’m still and quiet while watching football. You understand don’t you, Son? Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 50 years experience.

He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.

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 name-call-

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

ing 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.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Zentertainment

PAGE 5A

‘Star Wars’ fans clamor for tickets

By LINDSEY BAHR ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo courtesy of Disney | AP

This undated photo provided by Disney shows the poster for the new film, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."

Netflix reviving ‘Gilmore Girls’

By BETHONIE BUTLER THE WASHINGTON POST

"Gilmore Girls" fans may finally get some closure, thanks to Netflix. TV Line’s Michael Ausiello reported Monday that the online streaming service has teamed up with show creator Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, executive producer Daniel Palladino, to revive the beloved series.

"Gilmore Girls" fans rejoiced last year when Netflix announced that all seven seasons of the show

would be available to stream. The series ended in 2007, but its cult-like following has endured. So too, have rumors of a revival — Variety notes that the subject came up over the summer when Sherman-Palladino reunited with many of the show’s stars at the ATX Television Festival.

According to TV Line, Netflix is planning a series of four 90-minute episodes, to be written by ShermanPalladino and Palladino, who famously left "Gilmore Girls" before its seventh season.

LOS ANGELES — Millions of fans cried out in joy after they saw the latest trailer for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” but it also left more than a few wondering where Luke Skywalker has been during all the marketing.

Twitter said there were more than 17,000 tweets a minute when the trailer aired Monday night and over 1.1 million tweets since then.

Facebook reported that 1.3 million people had 2.1 million interactions related to “Star Wars” within the first hour of the trailer screening. Even Mark Zuckerberg commented on the official fan page, writing “this looks amazing. I love Star Wars.”

It didn’t take a Jedi to notice that Luke Skywalker was missing from the promo.

The ads have focused mainly on new characters such as Daisy Ridley’s Rey and John Boyega’s Finn.

But the clips also have strategically teased out the return of original characters such as Harrison Ford’s Han Solo and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia.

Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker is nowhere to be seen — in full at least.

Fans have heard Luke’s voice and seen what is presumed to be his gloved hand on R2-D2, but his conspicuous absence from the most recent trailer and the official poster had many Twitter users asking #whereisluke and wondering what that means for his character.

Director J.J. Abrams is somewhat notorious for keeping the plots to his films under wraps, and “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” has been no different.

The 2-minute, 35-second spot debuted during ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” halftime and was made available online immediately after. Overnight ratings for the game show a definite viewing spike during halftime, suggesting that many tuned in solely for the trailer, not the Giants-Eagles game.

Tickets for the “The Force Awakens,” out Dec. 18, went on sale earlier Monday, causing sites like Fandango and MovieTickets.com to experience intermittent crashes as a result of demand.

The initial fervor has dissipated, though, and sites seemed to be back up and running and getting fans their tickets. AMC theaters are also selling tickets for 39 “Star Wars” marathon events, where they will be showing all seven films on Dec. 17.

Sellouts have been re-

ported for many of the Thursday night preview showings of the latest chapter. AMC alone sold out 1,000 shows in less than 12 hours but also noted that there are still nearly 4 million tickets available for opening weekend.

Ticketing sites tend to keep specifics about actual sales secret. MovieTickets.com did reveal, however, that “The Force Awakens” had accounted for a whopping 95 percent of sales on the site in 24 hours.

Fandango experienced unprecedented demand for tickets as well. They’ve already sold eight times as many tickets as they had for their previous record holder, “The Hunger Games.”

“Movie theaters are continually adding new show times on Fandango to meet the phenomenal demand,” a Fandango company statement said.

National

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

California’s drought helps monarchs

By GILLIAN FLACCUS ASSOCIATED PRESS

VISTA, Calif. — In California’s drought, the struggling monarch butterfly may have found a sprinkling of hope.

Suburban homeowners ripping out thirsty lawns are dotting their new drought-tolerant landscapes with milkweed native to California’s deserts and chaparral — plants that have the potential to help save water and monarchs at the same time, because the female monarch will only lay her eggs on milkweed.

Overall numbers of the majestic black-and-orange butterflies have dropped from 1 billion to fewer than 60 million over the past two decades as milkweed nationwide has fallen prey to development and pesticides.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced $1.2 million starter investment to re-

store habitat; other national projects aim to distribute milkweed seeds by mail and build databases of breeding habitats as alarm grows.

Whether by choice or by chance, ecologists hope California gardeners looking to save water can provide a boost to the butterflies on the West Coast.

“This is a really important way to provide really important habitat for a really important butterfly,” said Greg Rubin, president of California’s Own Native Landscape Design, Inc. Nurseries are increasingly stocking multiple varieties of native milkweed and catering to customers who want to be drought savvy but also want to attract butterflies.

Business was up 50 percent this season at Tom Merriman’s native plants nursery in Vista, California.

Five years ago, Merriman didn’t sell milkweed at all; this summer, he sold more

Photo by Gregory Bull | AP

In this Aug. 19 photo, Tom Merriman stands behind a monarch in his butterfly atrium at his nursery in Vista, Calif. than 14,000 plants and is shipping truckloads of seedlings all over California and other bone-dry Western states like Arizona, New Mexico and Utah.

Dozens of monarchs flit through a butterfly atrium he built next to his greenhouses and sometimes sneak inside his greenhouses to lay eggs on plants awaiting sale.

“If you plant it, they will come,” said Merriman, who has a greenhouse stuffed with 8,000 milkweed of a dozen types. “We had chrysalises on shovels, we had them on wheelbarrows.

They were up in the nursery on palm trees. They were everywhere, under tables. We were releasing 500 caterpillars a week on native milkweed.”

Anya Shortridge bought a few milkweed plants last year for her drought garden.

Now, she grows more than 100 milkweeds and carefully scans them for microscopic monarch eggs.

When the eggs hatch, she feeds the tiny black-, goldand white-striped caterpillars until they disappear into a shimmering, light green chrysalis where the mysterious transformation into a butterfly occurs.

This season, she and her husband have released more than 100 butterflies into the wild.

A sign in front of her house on a San Diego hilltop designates her garden as a “monarch waystation.”

“We’re finding eggs — monarch eggs — on the underside of our milkweed leaves all the time, so if I wanted to I could probably raise thousands,” said Shortridge, who coos and cajoles the butterflies as if they were her children.

Some experts, however, are worried that California homeowners who plant milkweed might actually do harm by trying to do good.

That’s because many gardeners unwittingly choose tropical — or so-called “exotic” — milkweed because of its colorful pink and yellow flowers.

The plants are more attractive than the desert varieties but could interfere with the monarch’s famed migration.

Native milkweeds go dormant in the winter, leaving the butterflies no choice but to complete their migratory journey. But the tropical varieties bloom — and provide a place to lay eggs — all year, distracting the females and interrupting migration patterns.

Millions of North American monarchs travel to Mexico each winter, while a smaller number travel through the western U.S. to winter in California.

Jim Webb dropping Democratic bid for president

By KEN THOMAS AND LAURIE KELLMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb said Tuesday he is dropping out of the Democratic race for president and is considering his options about how he might “remain as a voice” in the campaign.

Webb said at a news conference that he is “withdrawing from any consideration” of becoming the Democratic party’s nominee and would spend the coming weeks exploring his options about a possible independent bid.

“The very nature of our democracy is under siege due to the power structure and the money that finances both political parties,” Webb said, joined by his

wife, Hong Le Webb. “Our political candidates are being pulled to the extremes.

They’re increasingly out of step with the people they’re supposed to serve.”

Webb said many of the issues that he cares about are not in line with the hierarchy of the Democratic party, saying he did not have a “clear, exact fit” in either party. Asked if he still considers himself a Democrat, Webb said, “We’ll think about that.”

A Vietnam veteran and former member of President Ronald Reagan’s administration, Webb complained that he did not get the chance to make his views fully known at the first Democratic debate.

He has trailed badly in the field that includes Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sand-

Photo by Andrew Harnik | AP

Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb, accompanied by his wife Hong Le Webb, announces he will drop out of the race for president. ers. Webb has been polling in the back of the pack with former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley and former Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee.

Webb has raised only about $700,000 and ended

Women advised to get fewer mammograms

By LINDSEY TANNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — The American Cancer Society now says women should start mammograms later in life and get fewer of them, a stance that puts the trusted group closer to an influential government task force’s advice.

In new guidelines out Tuesday, the cancer society recommends that most women should begin annual screening for breast cancer at age 45 instead of 40, and switch to every other year at 55. The task force advises screening every other year starting at age 50.

It’s not a one-size-fits-all recommendation; both groups say women’s preferences for when to be scanned should be considered.

The advice is for women at average risk for breast cancer. Doctors generally recommend more intensive screening for higher-risk women, including those with specific genetic mutations.

“The most important message of all is that a mammogram is the most effective thing that a woman can do to reduce her chance of dying from breast cancer,” said Dr. Richard Wender, the cancer society’s cancer control chief.

“It’s not that mammograms are ineffective in younger women,” he said, but at age 40, breast cancer is uncommon and false alarms are more likely.

“Therefore, you’d have to do a lot more mammograms to prevent one death,” compared to older women, Wender said.

Concern about false alarms contributed to the cancer society’s new guidance. These lead to worry and more testing — they mean an initial result was suspicious but that cancer was ruled out by additional

scans and sometimes biopsies.

The latest guidelines acknowledge that some younger women are willing to accept that, and that for them starting annual exams at age 40 is fine, as long as they know the risks.

The guidelines were developed by experts who reviewed dozens of studies including research published since 1997 — the year the cancer group recommended yearly mammograms starting at age 40, and since 2003, when it stopped recommending monthly breast self-exams.

The update recommends that women continue getting screened as long as they are in good health and have a life expectancy of at least 10 years. The old guidelines did not include an age limit.

The cancer group also dropped a recommendation for routine physical breast exams by doctors, saying there’s no evidence that these save lives.

The Rev. Jennifer Munroe-Nathans, 46, a pastor in Millis, Massachusetts, said she hasn’t paid attention to guidelines and started getting annual scans around age 40 on her doctor’s advice. Her mother had breast cancer, so have some of her congregants and MunroeNathans said she has no plans to change course when she gets older.

“For my own peace of mind I intend to continue yearly mammograms,” she said. “I’ve seen the impact of breast cancer — perhaps that makes me a little more hyper-vigilant.”

The society’s updated guidelines say switching to every other year at age 55 makes sense because tumors in women after menopause tend to grow more slowly. Also, older women’s breasts are usually less dense so cancer is more visible on mammograms, said

Dr. Kevin Oeffinger, chairman of the society’s breast cancer guideline panel and director of the cancer survivorship center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.

The guidelines were published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

More than 200,000 women in the U.S. each year are diagnosed with breast cancer and about 40,000 die from the disease. Overall, 1 in 8 women will be diagnosed with the disease at some point and chances increase with age.

Oeffinger said women need to be familiar with their breasts and aware of any changes, which should be evaluated by their doctors.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, whose guidelines have historically influenced Medicare coverage, made waves in 2009 when it recommended mammograms every other year starting at age 50, to age 74. In draft recommendations released earlier this year, the group said mammograms for women in their 40s should be an individual decision based on preferences and health history, and that more research is needed to determine potential benefits or harms for scans for women aged 75 and older.

That panel also questioned the value of breast exams by doctors, citing a lack of evidence for any benefit or harm. It will examine the cancer society’s evidence review in finalizing its update, said Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo, the task force’s vice chair and a professor at the University of California, San Francisco.

Most health plans are required to cover screening mammograms free of charge as part of preventive care mandated by the Affordable Care Act.

the month of September with more than $300,000 in the bank. Rivals like former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders have raised millions for the campaign.

Webb surprised many fellow Democrats when he became the first major figure in the party to form a presidential exploratory committee in November.

In a sign of Webb’s impending decision, the Iowa Democratic Party said he would not appear at Saturday’s major Jefferson-Jackson fundraiser in Des Moines.

Webb, 69, a decorated veteran of the Vietnam War, has promoted criminal justice reform and an overhaul of the campaign finance system and has been critical of the Obama administration’s foreign policy. He has urged Democrats to appeal to working-class Americans and white voters in the South who have left the Democratic party in recent elections.

Webb was a Navy secre-

tary under Reagan and an author who became a Democrat in response to the Iraq war, which he opposed.

Webb’s opposition to the war, in which his son Jimmy served, was critical to his surprise Senate election in 2006 against Republican Sen. George Allen.

Webb’s campaign was helped by an anti-Iraq war fervor and missteps by Allen, whose campaign imploded after he called a Democratic tracker “macaca,” an ethnic insult.

In the Senate, Webb focused on foreign affairs and veterans issues and was the driving force behind a GI Bill for post-9/11 veterans seeking to attend college after returning from Iraq or Afghanistan. He announced he would not seek re-election in 2012 and returned to writing.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Bryant’s return uncertain Cowboys not sure if Dez Bryant will be ready for Giants

By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS

IRVING — On the eighth of 11 questions concerning whether Dez Bryant would play six weeks after breaking his right foot in the season opener, Dallas coach Jason Garrett had heard about enough.

“We don’t put these things down like the Magna Carta that these are all the different standards that we have for Dez,” Garrett said Tuesday. “We have an objective. We want to get him back on the football field as quickly as we can.”

The All-Pro receiver hasn’t played since the Cowboys (2-3) beat the New York Giants, and now the question is whether he’ll be ready for the rematch Sunday in what is considered the minimum number of weeks needed for the bone to heal.

Dallas is 0-3 without Bryant and Tony Romo, who will miss at least four more games with a broken left collarbone.

Garrett wouldn’t say whether Bryant will practice Wednesday after he worked on the side for the first time since the injury during last week’s bye.

And while the coach said Bryant was cleared medically for the work he’s done so far, Garrett wouldn’t say Bryant had final clearance. He also declined to say whether the bone was fully healed.

Bryant wasn’t available in the locker room when it was open to reporters Tuesday.

“We are not going to make any determination today as to whether or not Dez Bryant is going to play in this game,” Garrett said. “We are going to see how he is doing. He has made a lot of progress in the last two weeks.”

The Cowboys have just two touchdown passes in the four full games that Bryant missed after get-

ting injured early in the fourth quarter against the Giants. Brandon Weeden came on when Romo went down a week later against Philadelphia, but now Weeden has been replaced

by Matt Cassel after losing all three of his starts.

Dallas is coming off a 30-6 loss to New England that was the first time in four years the Cowboys have gone without a touchdown.

Maybe that’s why owner Jerry Jones sounds optimistic.

“It totally depends on how he’s doing,” Jones said on his radio show.

“He had a good end of the week last week. He got in some really good work, didn’t have much negative response from that work.

It was strenuous work, the kind that if he can step out here and have a couple really good days of practice, you could see him on go.”

Bryant had a procedure almost two weeks ago designed to try to speed the healing process, but he’s been cautioned by other receivers who had the same injury about returning too soon. That included Atlanta’s Julio Jones.

Garrett said Bryant’s input would weigh heavily in the decision.

“We want to be deliberate with the process that we go through,” Garrett said. “And that’s with every player that is hurt. We will never put them in a compromising position in practice or in a game.”

Still, there is an urgency with the Cowboys visiting the Giants (3-3) and realistically needing at least two wins in the four games Romo will miss for sure. A win over New York gives Dallas, the defending NFC East champion, a 3-0 record in the division.

“I don’t know what 100 percent really means in this particular case,” Jones said. “One hundred healed? One hundred per-

File photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP

Dallas wide receiver Dez Bryant has been out since the season opener as he broke his foot against the Giants. The Cowboys play the rematch in New York Sunday as they are riding a three-game losing streak with the injured Bryant and quarterback Tony Romo. cent from the standpoint of no sensation, no sensitivity?

“I don’t think you would have no sensitivity, but I do think that all the

combination of all the work he’s done, which has been extraordinary as well some of the additional procedures that were done give us a lot of confidence

that if he’s comfortable to putting it down and driving off of his foot then we’re comfortable with him playing.”

NOTES: The Cowboys

signed LB Darius Eubanks and DT Casey Walker to the practice squad, replacing LB Dakorey Johnson and RB Gus Johnson.

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

Koreans celebrate reunions across DMZ

By HYUNG-JIN KIM ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEOUL, South Korea — Hundreds of mostly elderly Koreans — some in wheelchairs or leaning on walking sticks, most overcome by tears, laughter and shock — began three days of reunions Tuesday with loved ones many have had no contact with since war divided the North and South more than 60 years ago.

About 390 South Koreans traveled to the North’s scenic Diamond Mountain resort. Dressed in business suits, formal dresses and traditional hanbok, they brought long johns, medicine, parkas, calligraphy works and cash to give as presents to about 140 family members in the North.

The reunions, as always, are a mixture of high emotion and media frenzy. Journalists crowded around South Korean Lee Soonkyu, 85, as she met with her North Korean husband, Oh In Se, 83. As camera flashes bathed them in glaring white light, she cocked her head and looked with amazement at Oh, who wore a dapper suit and hat and craned backward to take in Lee. The images are broadcast throughout South Korea, where the reunions are big news. North Korea’s government, which analysts believe worries that scenes of affluent South Koreans might influence its grip on power, published a report about the reunions through its state media that said the North Korean participants explained to their South Korean relatives how their lives have been “happy” and “worthwhile” under the North’s socialist system.

The deep emotions stem partly from the elderly reuniting after decades spent apart, partly from the knowledge that this will be their only chance. None of the past participants has had a second reunion.

Photo by Kim Do-hoon/Yonhap | AP

South Korean Min Ho-shik, 84, center, hugs his North Korean family member Min Un Sik, right, during the Separated Family Reunion Meeting at Diamond Mountain resort in North Korea, Tuesday.

At a table covered with a white cloth, bottled water and soft drinks and a vase of flowers, South Korean Kim Bock-rack wept as he clasped the hands of his sister as a cameraman silently filmed.

The reunions, the first since February of last year, are a poignant yet bitter reminder that the Korean Peninsula is still in a technical state of war because the 1950-53 fighting ended with an armistice, not a peace treaty. The Koreas bar ordinary citizens from visiting relatives living on the other side of the border and even from exchanging letters, phone calls and emails without permission.

Rim Ri Kyu, the widow of famous North Korean mathematician Jo Ju Kyong, looked calm as she met with her South Korean brother and other relatives from the South.

She introduced her son to the

visitors, and the relatives burst into laughter after Jo Ju-chan, the South Korean brother of Rim’s late husband, joked that her son resembled him.

South Korean Lee Ok-yeon, 88, will reunite with her husband for the first time in 65 years. She lives in the same house her husband, also now 88, built and that the couple shared as newlyweds.

Her grandson Chae Jeong-jae told South Korean reporters that Lee had “asked whether it was a dream or a reality” when she was told she would attend the reunions.

In a second round of reunions, from Saturday until Monday, about 250 South Koreans are to visit the mountain resort to reunite with about 190 North Korean relatives, the South’s Unification Ministry said.

The Korean War separated millions of Koreans from family members for a multitude of rea-

sons. What they have in common is shock that their homeland remains so bitterly split after so much time.

Choi Hyeong-jin, 95, reunites this week with his youngest daughter, who was 2 when he left her and is now 64. “I am not sure if I will even be able to recognize her. I don’t even remember how she looked as a baby,” Choi said.

North and South agreed in August to resume family reunions during talks to end a standoff that began when land mine blasts blamed on Pyongyang maimed two South Korean soldiers. The rivals have a history of failing to follow through with cooperation agreements. These reunions may have been in danger had North Korea gone through with threats to conduct a satellite launch earlier this month. The launch would have likely canceled the reunions because Seoul and Washington see such firings as cover for

banned tests of long-range missile technology.

South Korea uses a computerized lottery system to pick participants while North Korea reportedly chooses based on loyalty to its authoritarian leadership.

Most people who apply for the reunions are elderly and desperate to see their loved ones before they die. Nearly half of the 130,410 South Koreans who have applied to attend a reunion have died.

Oh Cheol-ran, a 77-year-old South Korean, said that before her parents died they always tearfully spoke of her brother who was left in the North. “I’m so happy to see him even now. I haven’t been able to sleep well,” said Oh, who was dressed in a traditional hanbok.

Seoul has long called for a big increase in the number of people taking part in reunions and holding them more regularly. But North Korea has only occasionally agreed to the reunions, which analysts say Pyongyang uses as a bargaining chip in negotiations with South Korea.

At the same time, the venue for the reunions may reveal something about North Korea’s aspirations. The Diamond Mountain resort, largely built with South Korean money, was once a major tourist draw. It brought in nearly 2 million visitors, mostly South Koreans, and provided the government with much needed hard currency. That all ended when a North Korean soldier shot a South Korean tourist to death in 2008. Impoverished North Korea no doubt wants to restart tours.

Family reunions were part of a slew of now-stalled rapprochement projects the two Koreas agreed upon following first-ever summit talks between their leaders in 2000. About 18,800 Koreans have since participated in 19 faceto-face reunions and about 3,750 others have been reunited by video.

FOOD BANK Continued from Page 1A Webb, Zapata, Starr (Rio Grande City), Jim Hogg (Hebbronville), Dimmit (Carrizo Springs), Maverick (Eagle Pass), Val Verde (Del Rio) and Kinney (Brackett-

ville).

The food bank is a member of the food bank network Feeding Texas and Feeding America.

South Texas Food Bank

programs include adopt a family, distributing 466 bags per month; Commodity Supplemental Food Program, serving 7,164 elderly individuals per month;

BORDER Continued from Page 1A cluded Pete Saenz of Laredo, who hosted Trump on his whirlwind border inspection tour in July, and may have actually persuaded Trump to slightly moderate his plans for a great wall between Mexico and the United States.

As Saenz said after the panel discussion, he was obligated to be a “gracious” host to Trump but also obliged during his border briefing to explain to the Republican presidential front-runner why his plans for a wall and mass deportations were ill-advised.

“I told him it was not practical,” Saenz said of the wall. “I told him aside from it being offensive to Mexico, which is our second- or third-largest trading partner, the cost is impractical, and it’s not practical inside Texas, where the Rio Grande sometimes throughout the year is a source of drinking water for livestock.”

“We’re a ranching community,” Saenz said. “What

are you going to do — dam the tributaries?

“He did change his tone a little bit,” Saenz said.

“He did say maybe the wall is not appropriate for the entire border and certain sections are not conducive for that.”

Trump had asked Saenz to meet him at the airport for his arrival, and “when he landed, he asked, ‘Is it safe for me to get down (off the plane)?’ In his mind, in his own consciousness, he perceived danger,” Saenz said.

Saenz said he told Trump there were some protesters but there was no danger.

As they were riding in Trump’s Suburban, Saenz said, the candidate took note of all the people who came out to see him, remarking, “Hey, the Hispanics love me.”

“I said: ‘No, they don’t.

They’ve never see a white Republican before,’” Saenz recalled. Laredo is 96 percent Hispanic and solidly Democratic.

The border mayors said the state’s new $800 million investment in border security was both a blessing and a curse — pumping money into the local economy but doing untold damage to the reputation of their communities with people considering investing or visiting the region.

Blanco credited the legislation to a political atmosphere bracketed by Republican Lieutenant Gov. Dan Patrick’s campaign for governor and Trump’s campaign for president.

But Rep. Tan Parker, chairman of the House Republican Caucus, said that ignores the very real threat to safety posed especially by drug cartels.

Rep. Poncho Nevarez, DEagle Pass, who represents the largest border district, said: “Borders are always going to be porous — that’s what borders are. The idea of sealing the border, it’s not going to happen.

“What I object to is being a political piñata,” he said.

Kids Café, serving 1,100 Monday through Friday after-school meals per day at 20 sites; and the SNAP (food stamps) outreach, which helps an average of

200 families with applications and emergency bags (walk-in) that average 200 per month.

The South Texas Food Bank, 1907 Freight at River-

side, is open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Monday through Friday.

For information, call 956726-3120 or visit southtexasfoodbank.org. Volunteer opportunities are available.

MIÉRCOLES 21 DE OCTUBRE DE 2015

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Agenda en Breve

Alivio temporal

CONFERENCIA DE MEDICINA Se llevará a cabo la 31a Conferencia Anual sobre Actualización en Medicina el viernes 23 de octubre y sábado 24 de octubre en el UTHSC Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 E. Bustamante. Se discutirán temas como diabetes, cáncer, salud mental, obesidad, autismo, entre otros. Se pueden inscribir en el lugar. Se ofrecerán créditos de educación continua para médicos, enfermeras, trabajadores sociales, consejeros y nutriólogos. Llame al (956) 712-0037 para registrarse y reservar su espacio. Evento patrocinado por el Area Health Education Center y la Sociedad Médica de los Condados Jim Hogg-Zapata-Webb.

PÁGINA 9A

POR MELVA LAVÍN-CASTILLO TIEMPO DE LAREDO

La interconección de una tubería desde el Sistema de Agua del Condado de Zapata hasta los residentes en Siesta Shores solucionó temporalmente el problema de falta de agua en la subdivisión, ubicada unas tres millas al norte de Zapata.

El sábado por la noche el tanque para almacenamiento de agua en Siesta Shores WCID presentó una ruptura, amenazando con dejar sin vital líquido a alrededor de 1.000 familias en un plazo de 48 horas.

“Pudimos interconectar los sistemas con una tubería de aproximadamente 700 pies y a las 8 a.m. (del lunes) el agua empezó a fluir”, dijo vía telefónica el Juez del Condado

de Zapata, Joe Rathmell. “Esperamos que para el final del día (lunes) tengan la presión acostumbrada”.

Aunado a esto, fue necesario lanzar un alerta para hervir el agua, pero se espera que sea para hoy mismo que las pruebas indiquen que el líquido ya es apto para consumo humano.

“El tanque elevado tenía agua para dos días, pero creo que cuando residentes escucharon que el agua iba a faltar, muchos de ellos usaron más de la debida, y el agua almacenada solo duró un día”, indicó él. “Utilizaron el doble de lo normal para un día domingo”.

La participación por parte del Juez, Condado y Comisionados de Zapata fue realizada pese a que el sistema de agua está a cargo de la

empresa independiente “Siesta Shores Water Works”.

“Pudimos realizar esta solución temporal conectamos una tubería existente que tenían en un sistema, con una tubería que sale de nuestro sistema”, dijo Rathmell.

Un tanque para almacenamiento de agua nuevo ya fue ubicado y la empresa privada espera recibirlo a inicios de noviembre.

“El sistema de agua en coordinación con TCQ deberá proveer el anteproyecto y analizar qué tipo de tanque es y las especificaciones necesarias, pero una vez que esto ocurra deberá tomar unas tres semanas para isntalarlo”, agregó él.

Empleados del Sistema de Agua del Condado de Webb trabajaron durante 24 horas para instalar la tubería temporal.

“Quiero asegurar a los residentes que vamos a hacer todo en nuestro poder para ayudarlos”, sostuvo Rathmell. “El personal del Condado destacó por su trabajo a fin de ayudar a nuestros vecinos, amigos y hermanos”.

Por su parte, la empresa H-E-B donó 7.000 cajas con botellas de agua para donar a los residentes de Siesta Shores; y, el Juez del Condado de Webb Tano Tijerina ofreció su ayuda con un camióntanque.

Finalmente, Rathmell solicitó que las familias limiten el uso de agua, en tanto llega el momento de demoler el tanque para almacenamiento de agua y reemplazarlo.

(Localice a Melva Lavín-Castillo en el (956) 728-2569 o en mecastillo@lmtonline.com)

DESFILE POR NAVIDAD La Cámara de Comercio del Condado del Condado de Zapata invita al Desfile de Navidad y Encendido de la Plaza del Condado. Se invita a que se registren para participar en el evento llamando para detalles al (956) 765-5434.

El día del desfile la alineación iniciará a las 5 p.m. en Glenn St. y 17th Ave. (detrás de Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. El desfile dará inicio a las 6 p.m. y proseguirá por 17th Ave. hacia el Sur sobre US Hwy 83 tomando a la izquierda sobre 6th Ave. para concluirlo. Posteriormente será el encendido anual del árbol de Navidad en la Plaza del Condado, seguido de entrega de regalos por Santa.

TAMAULIPAS

TBC

MAREA ROJA

Buscan reforzar misión ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

CONSEJERÍA EN TEMA DEL SUICIDIO El Centro Ecuménico para Religión y Salud invita a un seminario gratuito con el tema “Consejería ante Suicidios: Una Intervención Integrada ante Crisis” a cargo de Lennis Echterling, del James Madison Univertity.

Los objetivos del seminario serán reconocer la crisis como un punto de cambio que involucra tanto a las amenazas como las oportunidad; desarrollar herramientas para auxiliar a clientes con pensamientos suicidas; y, aprender técnicas específicas para ayudar a las víctimas a ser sobrevivientes y continuar con sus vidas.

El evento es el viernes 23 de octubre en el Auditorio del Holding Institute, 1102 Santa María Avenue, Laredo, de 9 a.m. a 4 p.m. Evento gratuito.

Habrá estacionamiento disponible por avenida Davis.

Para registrarse pueden comunicarse con Cecilia Miranda al (956) 319-2718.

PARANORMAL La Borde House presenta “Película – Comida – Música” el 27 de octubre a partir de las 6:30 p.m. en el 601 E. Main St. de Rio Grande City. Se proyectará el cortometraje ganador del Starr County Historical Foundation ‘Le Rouge and Ocean Pacific’ titulado “Paranormal Documentary de Alejandro Domínguez, con preguntas y respuestas del director/productor.

Música en vivo por Jay Muñiz, Detalles llamando al 956-4872709.

ACTIVIDADES EN PUERTO ISABEL Celebración del Día de los Muertos se realizará del 10 al 31 de octubre, en horario de 4 p.m. a 11 p.m. en 317 E. Railroad Ave. Habrá música, baile, vendedores, exhibiciones, actividades, música y concursos de disfraces.

Recepción para Artistas de la Galería se realizará el viernes 30 de octubre, de 5 p.m. a 8 p.m. en los Museos de Puerto Isabel y en la Biblioteca Pública de Puerto Isabel. El evento es abierto a la comunidad y se les invita asistir disfrazados. Se ofrecerán refrigerios por el Día de los Muertos y Halloween.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

El Secretario de Salud, Norberto Treviño García Manzo, saluda a pescadores durante un recorrido por el sur de Tamaulipas, durante la supervisión de los efectos de la marea roja en las costas del Estado.

Vigilan venta y consumo en toda la costa TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

E

l fenómeno de la ‘Marea Roja’ ha sido detectado en playas de San Fernando, Soto la Marina, Aldama y Altamira, Tamaulipas, desde el 26 de septiembre.

La lectura realizada para detectar la presencia del microorganismo ‘Karenia brevis’ es mayor a las 5.000 células por litro, indica un comunicado de prensa de la Secretaría de Salud.

Desde su detección a la fecha, se han retirado alrededor de 40 toneladas de peces muertos.

“La marea roja es un evento natural cíclico, que está determinado por factores meteorológicos y oceanógrafos que se manifiesta con una coloración pardorojiza en la superficie del mar causado por un gran número de algas microscópicas que se multiplican rápidamente y ocupan gran cantidad de oxigeno del

agua, lo que ocasiona que miles de peces mueran por asfixia y sean acumulados por la acción de la marea en playas y lagunas”, explicó José Isauro Flores Rivera, Comisionado estatal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios (COEPRIS).

El Gobierno del Estado ha ordenado la vigilancia permanente para evitar la venta y consumo de moluscos bivalvos (ostiones, almejas y mejillones) desde Matamoros hasta Altamira, así como se ordenó el despliegue de ocho brigadas médicas integradas por 65 elementos, la creación de 98 empleos temporales y más de 3.000 apoyos alimenticios otorgados a los habitantes de localidades y en los campos pesqueros.

Autoridades de salud expresaron que al momento no se han presentado padecimientos relacionados a la marea roja, aunque en Matamoros y Soto La

Marina se atendieron tres casos de irritación de garganta, “frecuente en las personas que se exponen al efecto aerosol cercano a la superficie del mar”, aclara el comunicado.

Por su parte, el Secretario de Salud, Norberto Treviño García Manzo, lanzó una convocatoria al sector naval, investigadores e instituciones educativas como la Universidad del Mar, a trabajar de forma coordinada para documentar y aportar conocimientos que sienten las bases para anticipar la aparición del microrganismo, estrechamente relacionado con la ausencia de fenómenos hidrometeorológicos como tormentas y huracanes.

Algunos de los síntomas por intoxicación, originados por la toxina, son el adormecimiento de labios, lengua, yemas, pernas, brazos y cuello hasta generarse falta de coordinación muscular y problemas respiratorios.

El Alcalde de la Ciudad de Laredo, Pete Sáenz fue anunciado como el presidente electo de la Coalición Fronteriza de Texas (TBC, por sus siglas en inglés), en tanto que Richard Cortez, comisionado de McAllen, es el vicepresidente electo. El cargo tiene duración de dos años.

“TBC tiene el privilegio de contar con líderes fronterizos experimentados e influyentes que trabajan en Austin y Washington”, dijo el presidente de TBC J.D. Salinas III, en un comunicado de prensa. “Con décadas de experiencia, estas personas aplicarán sus conocimientos y habilidades para ayudar a resolver los desafíos que enfrentan las comunidades fronterizas” Salinas aseguró que la labor conjunta auxiliará al momento de hacer frente a los retos.

Otros nuevos funcionarios son Carolyn Petty, presidente de TaxFree Compras, Ltd., nombrada presidenta del nuevo comité de desarrollo económico de TBC; y Sergio Contreras, director de asuntos externos para la ciudad de Pharr, quien servirá como presidente de la comisión de transporte.

Desde 1998, TBC ha buscado ser la voz de comunidades fronterizas en cuestiones que afectan a la región fronteriza de Texas-México.

“Los integrantes de TBC se comprometen a trabajar para desarrollar políticas innovadoras y la legislación a nivel nacional, estatal y local”, de acuerdo con el comunicado de prensa.

Los integrantes del comité ejecutivo incluye a los Alcaldes de Del Rio, Robert Garza; Eagle Pass, Ramsey Cantú; La Joya, José A. “Fito” Salinas; McAllen, Jim Darling; Pharr, Ambrosio “Amos” Hernández; Puerto Isabel, Joe Vega; Roma, José Alfredo Guerra; al Director de Operaciones del Puente Internacional Pharr-Reynosa, Fred Brouwen; a Aurelio “Meter” Guerra del Condado de Willacy; al Juez del Condado de Zapata, Joe Rathmell; Ben Petty, TaxFree Compras senior, Ltd.; Blas Castañeda, desarrollo de personal; Olga Gabriel, atención a la salud; y Mónica Weisberg-Stewart, inmigración y seguridad fronteriza.

USDA

Reportan zona de desastre en 9 condados ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Nueve condados de Texas han entrado en la categoría de “zonas primarias de desastre natural”, tras sufrir daños y pérdidas por la reciente sequía, dio a conocer el Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos (USDA, por sus siglas en inglés).

Los condados enlistados, a partir del 14 de octubre de 2015, son: Bastrop, Grimes, Rains, Dimmitt, Kinney, Travis, Fayette, Maverick y Walker.

“Acompañamos en sentimiento a todos los operadores agrícolas de Texas afec-

tados por los desastres naturales recientes”, dijo el Secretario de Agricultura Tom Vilsack. “…Queremos comunicarle a los productores y a las comunidades de Texas que USDA está a su lado cuando el mal tiempo y los desastres naturales amenazan su medio de vida”.

Igualmente, los siguientes condados también son elegibles para los beneficios por desastre debido a que son condados contiguos: Austin, Hopkins, Uvalde, Blanco, Houston, Val Verde, Brazos, Hunt, Van Zandt, Burneo, La Salle, Waller, Caldwell, Lavaca, Washin-

gton, Colorado, Lee, Webb, Edwards, Madison, Williamson, Frio, Montgomery, Wood, Gonzales, San Jacinto, Zavala, Hays y Trinity.

Todos los operadores agrícolas en el área designada son elegibles para los préstamos de emergencia (EM) a bajo interés de la FSA, siempre que se cumpla con los requisitos de elegibilidad.

Los agricultores en condados elegibles tienen ocho meses a partir de la fecha de la designación para solicitar préstamos que los ayuden a cubrir parte de sus pérdidas reales. La FSA considerará cada solicitud

de préstamo por sus propios méritos, tomando en cuenta la magnitud de las pérdidas, el colateral disponible y la capacidad de repago.

Entre los otros programas de FSA que pueden proporcionar ayuda, pero no requieren una declaración de desastre, incluyen el Programa de Conservación Durante Situaciones de Emergencia (“Emergency Conservation Program”); el Programa de Forraje para Ganado y Animales de Granja en Caso de Desastre (“Livestock Forage Disaster Program”); el Programa de Indemniza-

ción para Ganado y Animales de Granja (“Livestock Indemnity Program”); el Programa de Ayuda por Emergencia para Ganado, Abejas de Miel, y Pescado Criado en Granja (“Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees, and Farm-Raised Fish”); y el Programa de Asistencia para Árboles (“Tree Assistance Program”).

Los agricultores que estén interesados pueden comunicarse con un centro de servicio local de USDA para más daros. Información adicional también está disponible en http://disaster.fsa.usda.gov.

International

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

Canada elects new leader

By ROB GILLIES ASSOCIATED PRESS

TORONTO — Canadian voters reclaimed their country’s liberal identity sending Justin Trudeau — the son of one of the country’s most dynamic politicians — to the prime minister’s office and ending nearly a decade of conserTRUDEAU vative leadership under Stephen Harper.

The victory in Monday’s election by Trudeau’s Liberal Party was stunning.

The Liberals were on a path to win at least 184 seats out of 338 — a parliamentary majority that will allow Trudeau to govern without relying on other parties. The Liberals received 39.5 percent of the overall vote compared to 32 percent for the Conservatives and 19.6 for the New Democrats.

Harper, one of the longest-serving Western leaders, will step down as Conservative leader, the party announced as the scope of its loss became apparent.

Trudeau’s victory could result in improved ties with the United States, at least for the remainder of Barack Obama’s presidency. Harper was frustrated

by Obama’s reluctance to approve the Keystone XL pipeline from Alberta to Texas and clashed with the president on other issues, including the Iran nuclear deal. Although Trudeau supports the Keystone pipeline, he argues relations should not hinge on the project. Trudeau is the son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, who swept to office in 1968 on a wave of support dubbed “Trudeaumania.”

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

UN chief urges calm amid violence

By IAN DEITCH ASSOCIATED PRESS

JERUSALEM — U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon called for calm during a surprise visit to Jerusalem on Tuesday ahead of meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders, in a high-profile gambit to bring an end to a monthlong wave of violence.

The visit comes amid unrest that erupted a month ago over tensions surrounding Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site sacred to Jews and Muslims. A spate of almost daily Palestinian attacks against civilians and soldiers, most of which have involved stabbings, has caused panic across Israel and raised fears that the region is on the cusp of a new round of bloodshed.

“These are difficult times for Israelis and Palestinians. I am here in the hope that we can work together to end the violence, ease the tensions and begin to restore a long term political horizon of peace,” Ban said at a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday night.

“I deplore the random attacks against civilians, such terror at-

Photo by Majdi Mohammed | AP

A Palestinian hurls a stone during clashes with Israeli troops, near Ramallah, West Bank, Tuesday. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for calm in Jerusalem. tacks make every place unsafe and every person regardless to gender or age a potential victim,” he said.

Over the past month, 10 Israelis have been killed in Palestinian attacks, most of them stabbings. In that time, 46 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire, including 25 identified by Israel as attackers, and the rest in clashes with Israeli troops. An Eritrean migrant died after being shot by a security

guard and beaten by a mob that mistakenly believed he was a Palestinian assailant during a deadly Arab attack at a bus station.

Netanyahu said Tuesday night that the violence has been caused largely by incitement from Palestinian leaders, including President Mahmoud Abbas.

“President Abbas unfortunately has been fanning the flames. President Abbas has not condemned a single one of the 30 terrorist at-

tacks against Israelis over the last month and he continues to glorify the terrorists as heroes,” Netanyahu said.

The initial outbreak of Palestinian attacks was fueled by rumors that Israel was plotting to take over Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site. Unrest began about a month ago, when Palestinians repeatedly barricaded themselves inside the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City, hurling stones, firebombs and fireworks at police.

The hilltop compound in Jerusalem’s Old City is revered by Jews as the Temple Mount, site of the two Jewish biblical Temples.

It is the holiest site in Judaism.

Known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, it houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the gold-topped Dome of the Rock. It is the third-holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia.

Israel has adamantly denied the allegations, saying it has no plans to change the status quo at the site, where Jews are allowed to visit but not pray. Israel has accused Palestinian leaders of incitement to violence over the site.

But Jewish visits to the site have doubled since 2010.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

Lexus is top brand for reliability

By DEE-ANN DURBIN ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — Elaborate new transmissions are helping automakers meet rising fuel economy standards, but they’re also requiring more trips to the repair shop.

Transmission problems tripped up Honda, Nissan, Jeep and other brands in Consumer Reports’ annual reliability survey. Drivers reported rough shifting, clutch failure and even transmissions that had to be replaced twice in the first year of car ownership.

Lexus and Toyota — which rely on older transmissions in many of their models — were the bestperforming brands in the survey. Lexus or Toyota has topped the survey since 2011. Audi, Mazda and Subaru rounded out the top five. The worst performers were Infiniti, Cadillac, Ram, Jeep and Fiat among

Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP file

In this April 1 file photo, the 2016 Lexus RX is introduced at the New York International Auto Show, in New York.

28 brands.

The survey, released Tuesday, predicts the reliability of 2016 cars and trucks based on a survey of its subscribers. This year’s survey was based on responses from owners of 740,000 vehicles. Consumer Reports’ annual survey is closely watched by the auto industry, since many potential buyers follow the Yonkers, New York-based company’s recommendations.

Wall Street watches closely, too. Tesla Motors’

shares fell nearly 10 percent after Consumer Reports said it would no longer recommend its Model S sedan. The Model S got high scores in the magazine’s driving tests, but owners reported multiple mechanical problems.

Transmissions with more gears help engines run more efficiently. A car with an eight-speed transmission gets about 8 percent better fuel economy than one with a four-speed, according to the U.S. Envi-

ronmental Protection Agency. Dual-clutch transmissions use separate clutches for odd and even gears, allowing faster shifting. And continuously variable transmissions do away with fixed gears altogether, relying instead on a system of pulleys to produce an infinite variety of engine to wheel-speed combinations.

But new technology can cause problems. Honda Motor Co. took a risk and put two new transmissions — an eight-speed dual-clutch and a nine-speed — in its 2015 Acura TLX sedan.

Consumer Reports said they had multiple problems, and the Acura brand slipped seven spots to 18th in this year’s survey. The Honda brand remains in the top ten, but it fell below Kia for the first time due to transmission problems as well as glitches with its infotainment system.

Jeep, too, remained at the bottom of the survey.

GUMERSINDO VALADEZ GARCIA April 17, 1966 – Oct. 14, 2015 Gumersindo Valadez Garcia passed away on Thursday, Oct. 14, 2015.

Mr. Valadez is preceded in death by his parents, Gumersindo and Genoveva Valadez; and sister, Yolanda Valadez de Alaniz.

Mr. Valadez is survived by wife, Leydiana Rodriguez de Valadez; son, Gumercindo Valadez; daughters, Leydiana Ruby (Aaron) Carmona, Yuliana Zamara Valadez; grandchildren, Aaron A. Carmona, Anaylea Ruby Carmona; brother, Roberto Valadez; sisters, Ramona Valadez, Alma Rosa Valadez, Maria Elena Valadez; and by numerous brothers and sisters-in-law, cousins, nephews, nieces, other family members and friends.

Visitation hours was held on Monday, Oct. 19, 2015, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a wake at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

A Chapel Service was held on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2015, at 10 a.m. at Rose Gar-

den Funeral Home.

Committal services followed 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.

Optimism about economy’s strength has dimmed

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Consumers, fueled by job growth, cheaper gas and higher home values, would drive the U.S. economy through a global slump.

That was the widespread hope just a few months ago.

Now, doubts are growing that the United States can withstand economic pressures flowing from overseas. Economies in China, Canada, Brazil and Europe are struggling. Canada, the largest U.S. trading partner, is in recession.

Americans have been holding back on spending even though lower gas prices have put more cash in their pockets. Employers have slowed hiring and held down pay. Home sales have flattened. And the U.S. economy has been hobbled by a stronger dollar, which makes U.S. goods costlier overseas and is depressing corporate profits.

“There’s no question that the economy is losing momentum,” said Mark Vitner, an economist at Wells Fargo. “The question is whether it is temporary ... or is it something that will prove more lasting?”

As recently as early August, economists had sketched a bright picture for the rest of the year and, as a result, thought the Federal Reserve would be confident enough to raise interest rates from record lows in September. The Fed chose not to. And many economists and investors have pushed back their forecast for a Fed rate hike into next year.

The U-turn in sentiment happened fast. It occurred

soon after China made a clumsy attempt last summer to prop up its stock prices and then devalued its currency. Financial markets plunged on fears that China’s once-sizzling growth was shakier than anyone had thought and would slow economies elsewhere.

This week, China said its economy’s growth slid to 6.9 percent in the July-September quarter from a year earlier, the slowest pace in more than six years.

As China’s appetite for oil, copper, iron ore and other commodities has fallen, so have prices for those goods. One consequence is that U.S. energy companies, squeezed by lower oil prices, are buying fewer factory goods. At Ahaus Tool & Engineering in Richmond, Indiana, orders for components it sells to drilling equipment makers have dropped.

Gas drillers “are cutting their costs, which means they’re slowing down on buying new components,” said Kevin Ahaus, the company president. “We’re not seeing much business there.”

U.S. factories cut production for a second straight month in September. Manufacturers are being hurt by a declining appetite for their goods overseas and by cheaper foreign-made products. U.S. exports are down this year compared with 2014, the first year-over-year decline since the Great Recession officially ended in 2009.

“We haven’t seen near as much interest overseas as there had been the past couple of years,” said Terry Babb, president of Apex Tool & Manufacturing in

Photo by David Goldman | AP file

In this Oct. 30, 2014, file photo, Joe Warner fills up his tank at a gas station in Atlanta.

Evansville, Indiana.

Falling demand for U.S. goods hurts even companies that don’t themselves export products. CSX Corp., for example, said its revenue from transporting coal fell 19 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier in part because of reduced coal exports.

The higher-valued dollar is squeezing U.S. corporations’ sales in another way, too: Their revenue in foreign currencies is worth less once it’s converted back to dollars. Wal-Mart, for example, says it expects flat sales this year, partly because of such currency effects. Johnson & Johnson and Monsanto have also said currency exchange rates are depressing revenue.

At the same time, U.S. consumers appear to be pulling back. Sales at retail stores and restaurants dipped in September after a flat reading in August.

Though Americans are snapping up cars at a solid pace, retail sales excluding autos have fallen for two months.

Scott Brown, chief economist at Raymond James,

said “middle and lower-end consumers are still struggling a lot.”

With apartment rents rising rapidly and pay growth anemic, “it’s still tough for many households to make ends meet,” he said.

Several economists noted that Apple’s launch of its latest iPhone failed to boost overall sales at electronics stores, in contrast to previous iPhone releases.

Many companies have been stuck with warehouses full of unsold goods, which were built up on optimistic expectations for demand.

Now, the excess supply has led businesses to reduce new orders. The paring of inventories could slash economic growth in the July-

September quarter by up to 2 percentage points, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Businesses have also slowed hiring. Employers added 136,000 jobs in August and 142,000 in September — far below the 245,000 average gain for the 12 months that ended in July.

“If we’re going to depend on the consumer, we’re going to need more jobs and income growth,” Vitner said.

Many economists note, though, that while growth is slowing, it isn’t stopping.

Few foresee anything near a recession. In recent weeks,

consumer confidence has rebounded as gas prices have fallen and stocks have regained some of their losses.

Growth is expected to slow to a meager annual rate of about 1.25 percent in the July-September quarter.

But analysts expect a modest rebound in the OctoberDecember quarter to about 2.5 percent annual growth.

“While this has not been the year that we were hoping for, whispers of a looming recession are misplaced,” Michelle Meyer, an economist at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, wrote to clients.

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2015