The Zapata Times 10/29/2016

‘HORNS, AGGIES IN NEED OF WINS

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29, 2016

FREE

TEXAS HOSTS NO. 8 BAYLOR, NO. 9 A&M BACK VS. NMSU AFTER 1ST LOSS, 1B

DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY

TO 4,000 HOMES

A HEARST PUBLICATION

BORDER PATROL

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

COMMUNITY COALITION OF SERVING CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN NEED

Couple arrested for transporting immigrants 44 pounds collected

National Pill Take Back

By César G. Rodriguez

in Zapata County

TH E ZAPATA T IME S

By César G. Rodriguez A husband and wife were arrested for transporting immigrants who are in the country illegally from San Ygnacio to Laredo, according to court documents.

A criminal complaint filed Monday charged Steven Medina and his wife Belen SerratoGarza with transporting illegal immigrants.

U.S. Border Patrol said the case unfolded Oct. 20. At 5 p.m., when agents responded to San Ygnacio for reports of a gray sedan loading people and traveling north on U.S. 83 toward Laredo.

Agents caught up to a vehicle matching the description as it accelerated to Rio Bravo.

Agents alleged the vehicle Border continues on A8

THE ZAPATA TIME S

The Drug Enforcement Administration and the Zapata County Community Coalition of Serving Children and Adults in Need said this week they collected 44 pounds of expired, unwanted prescribed medication.

DEA and the coalition collected the medication Oct. 22 during the National Pill Take Back, which offered Zapatans an opportunity to get rid of prescribed and unwanted medication.

Authorities also set up collection points in Cotulla and Laredo. In total, authorities collected 1,366 pounds from all participating locations.

“Thanks to the wonderful

support of Zapata County, we were able to collect 44 pounds of unused or expired medications. A huge thank you to all the people who took their unused or expired meds,” the coalition wrote on its Facebook.

For those who did not make it out to the take back event, the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office was recently awarded a grant from CVS/Pharmacy to combat drug abuse by installing a drug collection unit, the coalition said.

Officials said the box provides the community a safe and proper way of disposing unwanted or expired medication.

People can stop by the Sheriff’s Office lobby area to drop off the medication from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Courtesy photo / Zapata County Community Coalition

Pictured are the 44 pounds of unwanted, expired medication collected during the National Pill Take Back.

HAWK STADIUM

BATTLE OF THE BADGES Zapata Fire Hogs claim first place

By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S

Law enforcement and first responders turned down their badges for flags for a good cause.

U.S. Border Patrol, Zapata County Sheriff’s Office, Zapata County Fire Department and the Zapata County Independent School District Police Department played for bragging rights in the first ever flag football tournament.

The tourney dubbed Battle of the Badges took place Oct. 23 at Hawk Stadium. The fire department, also known as the Zapata Fire Hogs, claimed first place.

Battle continues on A8

Courtesy photo / U.S. Border Patrol

Authorities competed Oct. 23 for a good cause during the first ever Battle of the Badges flag football tournament.

FEDERAL COURT

RED RIBBON WEEK

Man indicted for transporting five immigrants

Presentation encourages students to be drug-free

By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S

By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S

A man arrested in Zapata County in September for transporting five immigrants who had crossed the border illegally has been indicted in a Laredo federal court.

On Tuesday, a grand jury charged Richard Osiel Ramos with conspiracy to transport undocumented immigrants within the United States and attempt to transport undocumented people for financial gain.

Ramos, of Alice, could spend up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

U.S. Border Patrol arrested him Sept. 28.

Agents manning the intersection of FM 2687 Road and U.S. 83 south of Zapata observed three vehicles driving north in tandem.

One vehicle, a beige Chevrolet Tahoe, accelerated, according to a criminal complaint. Agents said the two other vehicles were acting as scout to confuse law enforcement.

The U.S. Border Patrol and the Webb and Zapata County District Attorney’s Office stopped by local schools to tell student to stay drug-free.

On Wednesday, District Attorney Isidro R. “Chilo” Alaniz stopped by Zapata South and Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary schools during this Red Ribbon Week.

Alaniz presented to more than 1,000 students the importance of making healthy choices, such as saying no to drugs, eating healthy and exercising,

Indicted continues on A8

Ribbon continues on A8

Courtesy / District Attorney’s Office

District Attorney Isidro “Chilo” Alaniz encourages students to make good decisions during Red Ribbon Week.

Zin brief A2 | Saturday, October 29, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

1 Pumpkin Patch. 7 a.m.—7 p.m.

First United Methodist Church lawn, 1220 McClelland Ave. 1 Past Lives, Dreams and Soul Travel. 1—2:30 p.m. Fairfield Inn & Suites Meeting Room, 700 W. Hillside Road. Discover how past lives, dreams and soul travel can help you experience God. Free bilingual discussion with booklet included. For more information visit eckankar-texas.org 1 RGISC’s “Rivers and Shivers Spooktacular” family event. 4 p.m.

Father McNaboe Park. Free entry.

Pumpkin patch, children’s art stations, costume contest for 10 and under (with grand prizes), butterfly seed planting, Casa Yoga (adults and children session), Border Slam poetry (bring your best poem!), youth games, live music, live painting, movie screening, and Laredo’s finest food trucks!

Today is Saturday, Oct. 29, the 303rd day of 2016. There are 63 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History: On Oct. 29, 1956, during the Suez Canal crisis, Israel invaded Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. “The Huntley-Brinkley Report” premiered as NBC’s nightly television newscast.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 1 Pumpkin Patch. Noon—7 p.m. First United Methodist Church lawn, 1220 McClelland Ave.

MONDAY, OCTOBER 31 1 Pumpkin Patch. 11 a.m.—7 p.m.

First United Methodist Church lawn, 1220 McClelland Ave. 1 Chess Club. 4—6 p.m. Every Monday. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete in this cherished strategy game played internationally.

Free. For all ages and skill levels.

Instruction is offered.

1 Movie and Popcorn. Every Monday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Enjoy a family movie and refreshments.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1 1 Les Amies Birthday Club monthly meeting. 11:30 a.m. Ramada Plaza.

Hostesses are Lely Garza, Aurora Miranda and Ma. Eugenia Garcia.

Honorees are Marta Rangel Bennett, Amparo Garcia and Imelda Gonzalez.

1 Rock wall climbing. 4—5:30 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Free. Bring ID. Must sign release form. Every Tuesday. For more information, call 795-2400 x2520.

1 LEGO Workshop. Every Tuesday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Create with LEGOs, DUPLOs and robotics.

1 Alzheimer’s support group. 7 p.m.

Laredo Medical Center, meeting room 2, building B. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s.

For information, please call 956-6939991.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 2 1 SRX Chess Club. Every Wednesday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Learn the basics of chess and compete with friends.

Limited chess sets available for use.

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 3 1 Author Christine Sendejo visits.

11 a.m.—12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco Street. The author of “Little Star” will visit the Preschool Books & Boogie program. Books will be available and on sale.

1 Wii U Gaming. Every Thursday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Game with friends on Wii U.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4 1 11th Annual Big Buck Country Grant A Wish Radiothon. 7 a.m.—7 p.m. Mall del Norte, 5300 San Dario Ave, in front of Macy’s home store.

With your support, we can continue to grant that one special wish to an area child at a time they need it most. The event benefits Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas. Call 712-9474 to pledge or renew support.

1 DUPLO Fun Time. Every Friday, 10:30—11:30 a.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco Street. LEGOs for toddlers.

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5 1 Purple Run. 7 a.m.—12 p.m. Lake Casa Blanca. $20. Designed for the entire family to run/walk/roll in honor of victims, survivors and all those who lost their lives to domestic violence.

1 Book sale. 8:30 a.m.—1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. No admission charge.

Everyone is invited.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 7 1 Chess Club. 4—6 p.m. Every Monday. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete in this cherished strategy game played internationally.

Free. For all ages and skill levels.

Instruction is offered.

1 Movie and Popcorn. Every Monday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Enjoy a family movie and refreshments.

1 Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting.

6:30—7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month.

People suffering from anxiety and depression are invited to attend this free, confidential and anonymous support group meeting. While a support group does not replace an individual’s medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength and hope.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8 1 Rock wall climbing. 4—5:30 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St.

Roberto E. Rosales / AP

In this Oct. 24, 2015, file photo, Davon Lymon, center, an ex-convict charged in the shooting of an Albuquerque police officer, is escorted by police officers after being released from the hospital.

SUSPECT FOUND GUILTY

BY MARY HUDETZ ASSOCIATED PRE SS

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — A federal judge found an ex-convict guilty Friday of illegally possessing a pistol that police say was used to kill an Albuquerque police officer during a nighttime traffic stop last year.

The verdict announced in a courtroom packed with law enforcement officers and relatives of Officer Daniel Webster followed a two-day bench trial in which witnesses described seeing the shooting and a man wearing a helmet — later identified

First lawsuit filed in deadly California casino bus crash LOS ANGELES — The families of two men among 13 people killed when the bus they were riding from a desert casino to Los Angeles slammed into a slow-moving truck have sued the bus company and the estate of its driver, who died in the crash.

The families of Gustavo Garcia and Tony Mai sued USA Holiday and the estate of owner

by police as defendant Davon Lymon — run away.

Webster died eight days after the October 2015 shooting that occurred in a Walgreens parking lot along Historic Route 66.

Lymon has not been charged in state court in Webster’s death, but prosecutors say they are preparing to file charges in the case.

The federal trial on the firearms charge offered a look at the witnesses and evidence that state prosecutors could use if they pursue charges.

— Compiled from AP Reports

and driver Teodulo Elias Vides for negligence and wrongful death Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court.

The lawsuit is the first in the crash that occurred before dawn last Sunday on Interstate 10 near Palm Springs as the bus returned to Los Angeles from the Red Earth Casino.

Vides was traveling at “freeway speeds” when he plowed into a tractor-trailer truck that was moving at 5 mph because of utility work, the California Highway Patrol said.

He did not appear to brake

before the crash and the trailer became embedded in the front of the bus, where most of the dead were found.

Passengers were dozing when the collision occurred just after 5:15 a.m. Thirty passengers and the truck driver were injured.

Attorney David Harris, who filed the suit, said lawyers are looking into an account from a man who said the truck was stopped and its driver appeared to be asleep without his hazard lights on.

— Compiled from AP Reports

AROUND THE WORLD EU, Canada to sign trade pact Sunday BRUSSELS — The European Union will sign a longdelayed trade pact with Canada on Sunday after a hold-out Belgian region finally endorsed the agreement.

Ambassadors from the EU nations meeting in Brussels late Friday paved the way for the signature of the deal and for it to be provisionally applied until all 28 member states have legally ratified it.

European Council President Donald Tusk said in a tweet that an EU-Canada summit with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would be held this Sunday to sign the accord.

“I am delighted to confirm that the EU is ready to sign the comprehensive economic and trade agreement with Canada.

It represents a milestone in the EU’s trade policy and our commitment to it,” said Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico,

Nicolas Maeterlinck / Getty

Walloon Minister-President Rudy Demotte delivers a speech at a plenary session of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation parliament in Brussels.

whose country now holds the bloc’s rotating presidency.

The move came after parliamentarians in Belgium’s French-speaking region of Wallonia voted by 58 votes to five, with no abstentions, to support the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement.

Regional Parliament Presi-

dent Andre Antoine said that “Europe must also pass by Wallonia.”

Smaller than the U.S. state of New Jersey, Wallonia blocked the deal between more than 500 million EU citizens and 35 million Canadians for several weeks, deeply embarrassing the bloc.

— Compiled from AP Reports

AROUND TEXAS Metro areas to see premium spikes, fewer providers DALLAS — Large population hubs in Texas will see the sharp increases in health premiums under the Affordable Care Act that federal officials announced earlier this week, but the sting won’t be felt as deeply in some more rural settings, an analysis for The Associated Press shows.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma is

On this date: In 1618, Sir Walter Raleigh, the English courtier, military adventurer and poet, was executed in London for treason.

In 1787, the opera “Don Giovanni” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart had its world premiere in Prague.

In 1891, actress, comedian and singer Fanny Brice was born in New York.

In 1901, President William McKinley’s assassin, Leon Czolgosz (CHAWL’-gahsh), was electrocuted.

In 1929, Wall Street crashed on “Black Tuesday,” heralding the start of America’s Great Depression.

In 1940, a blindfolded Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson drew the first number — 158 — from a glass bowl in America’s first peacetime military draft.

In 1964, thieves made off with the Star of India and other gems from the American Museum of Natural History in New York. (The Star and most of the other gems were recovered; three men were convicted of stealing them.)

In 1979, on the 50th anniversary of the great stock market crash, antinuclear protesters tried but failed to shut down the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1987, following the confirmation defeat of Robert H. Bork to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, President Ronald Reagan announced his choice of Douglas H. Ginsburg, a nomination that fell apart over revelations of Ginsburg’s previous marijuana use.

Jazz great Woody Herman died in Los Angeles at age 74.

In 1994, Francisco Martin Duran fired more than two dozen shots from a semiautomatic rifle at the White House. (Duran was later convicted of trying to assassinate President Bill Clinton and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.)

In 1998, Sen. John Glenn, at age 77, roared back into space aboard the shuttle Discovery, retracing the trail he’d blazed for America’s astronauts 36 years earlier.

In 2012, Superstorm Sandy came ashore in New Jersey and slowly marched inland, devastating coastal communities and causing widespread power outages; the storm and its aftermath are blamed for at least 182 deaths in the U.S. Ten years ago: The board of trustees of Gallaudet University, the nation’s premier school for the deaf, voted to revoke the appointment of incoming president Jane Fernandes, who’d been the subject of protests.

Five years ago: A “white Halloween” storm with record-setting snowfalls brought down trees across the northeastern U.S., knocking out power to millions; 39 deaths were blamed on the weather.

One year ago: Paul Ryan was elected the 54th speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Owen Labrie, a graduate of the exclusive St. Paul’s School in Concord, New Hampshire, was sentenced to a year in jail for sexually assaulting a 15-year-old freshman girl as part of a competition among upperclassmen to rack up sexual conquests. (Labrie remains free pending appeal.)

Today’s Birthdays: Bluegrass singermusician Sonny Osborne (The Osborne Brothers) is 79. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is 78. Country singer Lee Clayton is 74. Rock musician Denny Laine is 72. Singer Melba Moore is 71. Musician Peter Green is 70. Actor Richard Dreyfuss is 69. Actress Kate Jackson is 68. Actor Dan Castellaneta (TV: “The Simpsons”) is 59. Country musician Steve Kellough (Wild Horses) is 59. Comic strip artist Tom Wilson (”Ziggy”) is 59.

Actress Finola Hughes is 57. Singer Randy Jackson is 55. Rock musician Peter Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) is 51.

Actress Joely Fisher is 49. Rapper Paris is 49. Actor Rufus Sewell is 49.

Actor Grayson McCouch is 48. Rock singer SA Martinez (311) is 47. Musician Toby Smith is 46. Actress Winona Ryder is 45. Actress Tracee Ellis Ross is 44. Actress Gabrielle Union is 44.

Actor Trevor Lissauer is 43. Olympic gold medal bobsledder Vonetta Flowers is 43. Actress Milena Govich is 40. Actor Jon Abrahams is 39. Actor Ben Foster is 36.

Thought for Today: “Love is like a card trick. After you know how it works, it’s no fun anymore.” — Fanny Brice (1891-1951).

CONTACT US among five states that will have only one participating health insurer in 2017.

Premiums for a midlevel benchmark health plan will increase an average of 25 percent across the 39 states served by the federally run online market, which include Texas and Oklahoma, according to a report from the Department of Health and Human Services.

About 1 in 5 consumers will have plans only from a single insurer to pick from, after major national carriers such as

UnitedHealth Group, Humana and Aetna scaled back their roles.

A county-by-county analysis

by AP and Avalere Health shows premiums in Austin, Dallas and Houston continue to rise as insurance providers pull out, leaving fewer options for those not covered under an employer’s plan. It’s not clear that insurers bailing out is the main reason driving doubledigit increases across many parts of the country.

— Compiled from AP reports

Publisher, William B. Green .....................................728-2501 General Manager, Adriana Devally ..........................728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................................728-2531 Circulation Director ..................................................728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo..................................728-2505 Managing Editor, Nick Georgiou ..............................728-2582 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ........................................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo.......................728-2569

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Wednesdays and Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata and Jim Hogg counties. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times in those areas at newstands, The Zapata Times is inserted.

The Zapata Times is free.

The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas, 78044. Call (956) 728-2500.

The Zapata Times

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, October 29, 2016 |

A3

LOCAL & STATE

Public school students in South Texas welcome Camp RIO

By Steve Clark A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

BROWNSVILLE, Texas — On the banks of a resaca filled with IDEA Public Schools students in canoes, a small crowd of spectators seated on folding chairs under a rental tent at Camp Lula Sams on Wednesday heard the news: “Camp RIO” is officially a go.

The Brownsville Herald reports IDEA officials announced the school system’s purchase of the property that comprises the camp, located on the 86-acre former Girl Scout camp in north Brownsville, and discussed planned construction and renovations aimed at giving Rio Grande Valley students a quality nature and ecology education and camp experience, in part to improve classroom learning but also to instill an appreciation for nature and sense of stewardship.

By the terms of the deal, Camp RIO’s developments will comprise roughly 10 acres of the property. The remaining 76 acres are to be protected in perpetuity under a conservation easement administered by the Valley Land Fund.

Lula Sams is a rare surviving example of original South Texas habitat and has never been developed.

Camp RIO will be open to IDEA students and other school groups around the Valley for prescheduled day visits, and already has been providing summer camp to children in first through fifth grades.

Those summer camps — six one-week sessions — will continue.

Future plans call for a renovated swimming pool and “world-class archery range,” among other amenities, according to Sam Goessling, IDEA’s chief advancement officer, who worked closely with all parties in shepherding the deal.

Gladys Porter Zoo Director Pat Burchfield and his wife, Carol DeMoss, bought Lula Sams with two other partners in 1997 when the Girl Scouts put it up for sale, and regularly invited school groups to learn about natural history and conservation.

Burchfield said the point of buying the camp in 1997 was to save it from being subdivided and developed. Preserving the property became

an issue again when he reflected on the fact that he and DeMoss were getting older. When a prospective buyer appeared in the form of IDEA, which was looking for an outdoor educational experience for its students, it seemed like a match made in heaven, Burchfield said.

“When this option surfaced, it was almost a heavenly intervention, if you will,” he said.

“We’ve seen what IDEA’s done. They have all the right intentions, and they have the wherewithal to get it done. It was a perfect, perfect set of circumstances that brought it all together.”

“It’s actually fabulous, because they’re doing the vision Pat and I had always hoped would take place, but it was hard for us to get there,” DeMoss said. “They have access to the children, the grants, to everything, and they’re making it what we always wanted it to be. So we’re very happy and very proud of what they’re doing.”

During Wednesday’s news conference, partners and supporters who made the deal possible were recognized, including Burchfield and DeMoss, Jesse Barba Jr.,

Miguel Roberts / The Brownsville Herald/AP

In this Oct. 26 photo, IDEA Public School students wave to Chunk a toxic toad at a distance during a presentation of Animal Encounters at Camp Rio in Brownsville.

the East Foundation, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Valley Land Fund and especially John Martin, a VLF founding board member.

Burchfield said it was Martin who, with his son, Bill, came up with the idea to get IDEA schools involved. Martin also is founder of Images for Conservation, which sponsored wildlife photo contests at Lula Sams to help raise money for an endowment for VLF stewardship of the 76acre easement.

“A dream came true, the dream of a lifetime,” Martin said of the IDEA deal.

Kevin Good, TPWD

assistant state park director, said Camp RIO only will help further the agency’s goal of getting a new generation involved in the outdoors and developing a sense of stewardship toward the state’s natural resources.

“I know every one of these kids who come out here is going to remember their experiences,” he said.

The conservation easement, meanwhile, is another link in a chain of protected easements that will help ensure the survival of wildlife for future generations, Good said.

Tom Torkelson, founder and CEO of IDEA

Protective services chief proposes pay raise for CPS staff A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN, Texas — The commissioner of the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services has proposed giving $12,000 raises to each Child Protective Services caseworker, supervisor and administrator.

The raises are part of a plan Commissioner Hank Whitman submitted to lawmakers late Thursday.

Whitman submitted the

plan after a Texas Senate committee ordered him to provide a revised plan for caseworkers or law enforcement officers to visit thousands of youth reported as abused or neglected.

Committee Chairwoman Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, had given Whitman until the close of business Thursday to submit the new plan and demanded that higher pay be a key part of it, as most caseworkers are paid

starting salaries as low as $34,000. Whitman said last week that he wanted to hire more than 800 investigators, caseworkers and staffers at a cost of $53 million.

“Get the National Guard or the Texas Rangers or whoever out to each house to see these kids now,” Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, told Whitman.

Records show that as of Oct. 17, more than 15,000 children had not been

seen by Child Protective Services investigators, as required, between 24 and 72 hours after an abuse report. More than 2,800 at-risk children have not yet been seen by CPS staff.

After a Dallas newspaper reported that through early September half of the children referred to Harris County’s CPS investigators weren’t being seen on time, two legislative leaders called for “action plans” to improve face-to-face visitations.

Whitman acknowledged that as of early last week, not much has changed.

Department consultant John Stephen testified that child abuse complaints have increased to about 240,000 a year, compared to fewer than 200,000 four years ago. Currently, there are 211 vacancies for caseworker positions.

“I can’t imagine why we would want to do anything more than go find these children tonight,” Nelson said.

Parents charged after toddler dies in San Antonio house fire A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

SAN ANTONIO — Authorities have charged a couple with child abandonment after their toddler died in a San Antonio house fire while left

home alone.

Police say 1-year-old Taliyah Edwards was dead at the scene Thursday night.

Investigators say 25year-old Charles Shorts and 23-year-old Tyler

Terry were arrested on charges of child abandonment with intent to return. San Antonio police say the couple told authorities that they left for a few minutes to go down the street. The pair re-

turned to find firefighters at the burning residence.

Authorities are trying to determine what sparked the fire.

Bexar County magistrate records show Shorts was freed Friday

after posting $20,000 bond. Terry remained in custody, also on $20,000 bond.

Online court records did not immediately list information on attorneys to speak for the parents.

schools, said the school system’s “forward-thinking board” was instrumental in making Camp RIO a reality. He noted that 10,000 students had visited the camp during the past year and half and that — thanks to IDEA staff — the camp is pristine despite the huge numbers.

Behind the podium, Torkelson pointed to a wooden sign at the foot of a nearby resaca-side trail. The sign bore the Camp RIO logo along with eight words that seem to capture the camp’s philosophy in a nutshell: “No electronics.

Walk carefully. Respect wildlife. Pick up trash.”

Zapata Fall Health and Wellness Fair SPECIAL TO THE TIME S

The Healthy South Texas Coalition invites the community to attend its first ever Zapata Fall Health and Wellness Fair.

Attendees can enjoy free door prizes and a fall cooking demonstration.

Additionally, the event will provide free health screenigs which will include A1C, BMI, blood pressure and cancer. Flu vaccines will also be administered.

The event will take place Nov. 5 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Parish Hall, 1609 Glenn St. For more information on the event contact Sammy Luera, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension health agent at 956-7659822 or by email at samuel.luera@ag.tamu.edu.

Zopinion

Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com

A4 | Saturday, October 29, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

In the campaign’s final days, an FBI lightning bolt

By Scot Lehigh B L OOM BE RG

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Talk about your October Surprise.

This isn’t just a mild final-days shocker. It’s a lightning bolt from the blue: The FBI has let it be known that it’s reviewing new e-mails in connection with its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s e-mail practices while secretary of state.

These new e-mails were reportedly on a device used by close Clinton aide Huma Adedin and husband Anthony Weiner, which was seized as part of a probe into Weiner’s e-mail issues.

The news was so startling and unexpected that GOP nominee Donald Trump barely had time to revise his conspiracy theories to take the new information into account.

Trump started his speech in the Queen City here glorying in new controversy clouding Clinton’s candidacy.

Shortly thereafter, however, he launched into standard charge that everything is rigged against him. And began walking the audience through the tangled tale of how the PAC of close Clinton ally Terry McAuliffe, the governor of Virginia, made big contributions to a candidate (one of several candidates, though Trump didn’t say that) who was the wife of an FBI official who later became the bureau’s deputy director, and had a role in the FBI’s probe into Clinton’s use of a private server during her time as secretary of state.

Although one has to contort logic and timelines into a pretzel to make that theory work, Trump and his allies have done just that.

Except that this news makes those charges look silly. Which Trump himself seemed to realize even as he related the tangled web of information.

“But maybe now that takes care of itself,” mused the conspiratorialist candidate. “I am very proud that the FBI was willing to do this.”

So just to review the bidding: Only yesterday in Trumpland, the FBI was compromised and dishonest, its investigation rigged to protect Hillary Clinton. Today, it is apparently a fiercely proud and independent institution, willing to do what’s right regardless of the political consequences.

Let’s be clear: The FBI itself hasn’t changed. FBI Director James Comey hasn’t changed.

Why, after all, would a bureau that had declined

to prosecute Clinton in June because it was, if detractors are to be believed, compromised and dishonest, suddenly take another look with only days left in the campaign?

But now, because the FBI action favors the Trump narrative of Clinton wrongdoing, everything may not be rigged after all.

Of course, Trump being Trump, he couldn’t just say he was wrong in his previous assertions that the agency had tanked its investigation.

Instead, he put it this way: “I have great respect for the fact that the FBI and the DOJ are now willing to have the courage to right the horrible mistake that they made. This was a grave miscarriage of justice.”

Still, as cross-eyed conspiratorialist as the GOP nominee has been and is, this is a development that could scramble the final days of an election that has seemed all but over.

With Clinton in a commanding position, the Trump campaign has been desperately looking for something, anything, to change the dynamic.

It’s possible they have it. It’s hard to imagine that this second FBI probe will be completed by Election Day, which means that Clinton will be in a tricky spot indeed.

Those who believe she is a scheming, corrupt manipulator will see this as validation. Stories will spin that she will now face serious legal problems -- and that will be adduced as a reason not to vote for her.

Count me skeptical, for this reason: Although Clinton has her flaws, I do not think, at core, that she is a scheming Lady Macbeth. I doubt much that matters will be found here. It may be more carelessness, but I doubt the FBI will find the intent it needs to bring a case.

Still, a lot will hinge on how Clinton handles this.

She’ll need to be forthright, open, and honest about what she knows.

It’s also incumbent on the FBI, having intervened this way, this late in the election, to provide as much information as possible to voters so they can make a reasonably informed judgment. It would be a monumental travesty if this news somehow tipped the election to Trump, only to have the FBI come forward later and say nothing untoward happened.

I still think Hillary Clinton will be the next president. But let’s be honest: We are in uncharted territory here.

COLUMN

Don’t let FBI’s email surprise swing the election

By Eli Lake BL OOMBERG NEWS

To borrow a phrase from Vermont’s favorite socialist, I too am sick and tired of hearing about Hillary Clinton’s damn emails.

As we all found out on Friday afternoon, the FBI is reviewing some messages involving a close Clinton aide to see if they contained classified information. The agency’s director, James Comey, said so in a vague letter to congressional leaders, and it has turned the election yet again on its head.

This is the political equivalent of crack cocaine. House Speaker Paul Ryan called on the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, to suspend classified briefings to the Democratic candidate.

Prominent liberal pundits are in high dudgeon, alleging that Comey is trying to throw the election to the Republicans. The Trump campaign meanwhile is elated. Its campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, that “A great day

in our campaign just got even better.”

It’s worth taking a step back and look at what the bureau is actually investigating. The New York Times reports that new emails came to the bureau’s attention in its investigation of former Democratic congressman Anthony Weiner for sexting with under-aged girls.

Weiner is married to a top Clinton aide, Huma Abedin. Comey letter says that the bureau is now reviewing whether the messages contained classified information.

At the heart of this issue is the mishandling of classified information.

Clinton used a private, unsecure server to conduct official business with her staff at the State Department. Comey said over the summer that Clinton’s decision to use the server was reckless and that foreign powers may well have accessed her emails, even though the bureau could not prove that definitively.

For this she has paid a major political price. The

question is whether her negligence should be treated as a crime. To answer this question, it’s worth putting the national security damage wrought

by Clinton’s private email server into some context.

Despite unprecedented steps from the FBI to crack down, more state secrets have been disclosed during the Barack Obama presidency than at any other time in American history.

There are the voluminous disclosures of diplomatic cables from WikiLeaks, and the National Security Agency troves from Edward Snowden.

There was the hack of the Office of Personnel Management, which gave the Chinese access to the security clearance files on thousands of Americans serving in sensitive positions in the U.S. government. Then there are the press leaks of cyber operations against Iran’s nuclear program and operations against al-Qaeda’s franchise in Yemen. Finally, the State Department’s own unclassified email

OP-ED

Voters with no religion hold power to sway direction of country

By Annie Laurie Gaylor TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

This election could be a flashpoint in American history in which nonreligious voters finally eclipse major religious groups in terms of turnout and influence.

More than 26 million voters with no religion could turn out on Nov. 8, dwarfing the group’s previous electoral participations and, for the first

time, providing the power to sway the direction of the country, according to a new analysis of data on religious affiliation and voting by the Freedom From Religion Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes the separation of church and state.

The ranks of atheists, agnostics and those with no religious affiliation — the so-called nones — have increased by 19 million since Barack Obama

was first elected president, making them the fastest-growing religiously categorized group in America. In 2004, the nones comprised just 16 percent of all American adults. Since then, they’ve grown to represent a quarter of all adults and a third of millennials.

Despite their size, the nones have been underrepresented at the ballot box. Religiously unaffiliated voters comprised

LETTERS POLICY Laredo Morning 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. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms.

This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day.

Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted.

Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

system was hacked in 2014.

In this sense, calling for the prosecution of Clinton in the name of cybersecurity or the protection of state secrets is a bit like cracking down on jaywalking when a serial killer is on the loose.

It’s fair to argue that the law is the law. As the secretary of state, Clinton should be held to a high standard, since lower level officials would be penalized for doing what Clinton did.

But this argument cuts both ways. The FBI always has to prioritize what it investigates. Part of that calculation should consider the damage, in context, done by the alleged crime. When it comes to mishandling classified information, I can tell you from experience, many government officials at one time or another will leak classified information to reporters. It’s common to find something that would be considered classified in the unclassified emails of most government officials.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

just 12 percent of all voters in the last presidential election, according to the Public Religion Research Institute. But their voter participation is set to spike this election and far surpass their involvement in 2012, when 15 million voted.

About 30 percent of Hillary Clinton’s supporters are religiously unaffiliated, and 13 percent of Donald Trump’s supporters meet that definition.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, October 29, 2016 |

A5

NATIONAL

Activists split as Clinton makes push for black millennials

By Errin Haines Whack A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

PHILADELPHIA — Six months into Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign, she met with a group of Black Lives Matter activists in Washington to make her case and seek their support.

DeRay Mckesson left disappointed, feeling Clinton lacked a grasp of the issues he had spent the previous year protesting in cities like Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, including police brutality and income inequality. He came out of the October 2015 meeting unwilling to support her publicly.

On Wednesday, though, The Washington Post published an op-ed

by Mckesson announcing his plans to vote for her after meeting again with her last week in Cleveland. He said he heard a candidate well-versed in the things that matter to him.

“There was no platform the first time,” the 31-yearold Mckesson said in a telephone interview.

“There is a platform now.

I reflected on the things I’ve heard her say, commit to and seen in writing, and that’s how I came to my decision.”

A growing number of black millennials who were initially skeptical of Clinton — questioning her commitment to end mass incarceration, confront racial bias in policing and repudiate her husband’s tough policies

on welfare and crime during the 1990s — now support her.

Some do so enthusiastically, others pragmatically, because they find Donald Trump so repugnant with his talk of violence in “inner cities” and the need for “law and order.”

But other activists are still not convinced that Clinton will address their priorities and are withholding their votes and public support as she makes a final push to enlist a group seen as key to her path to victory in November.

“It’s a challenge and we’re just facing it headon,” said Clinton aide Christopher Huntley, who focuses on millennials. He said the candidate is mounting a full-court press to reach young black voters and is being helped by “folks who have been skeptical now realizing and coming to that ‘Aha!’ moment that she’s the best one to carry our water.”

Clinton’s platform includes establishing national guidelines on police use of force; police training in recognizing implicit bias; legislation to end racial profiling; increased funding for body cameras; sentencing reform; and federal aid to create jobs for young people, ex-convicts and small businesses in poor communities.

To help make her case to black voters, she has enlisted the Mothers of the Movement, a group of

Jeff Roberson / AP

In this Aug. 10, 2015, file photo, social media activist Johnetta Elzie attends a protest in St. Louis. Johnetta Elzie, one of a group of protesters who met with Hillary Clinton in October 2015, says she won't vote for Clinton and that Clinton has done nothing to earn her endorsement.

black women who have lost children to violence.

They include the mothers of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. The mothers joined Clinton on the campaign trail in North Carolina last weekend.

Clinton is also reaching out to Black Lives Matter activists, several of whom have social media platforms that give them tremendous influence, and is campaigning at historically black colleges, deploying surrogates like New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and tapping the likes of rapper Jay-Z to perform a get-out-thevote concert.

On her 69th birthday on Wednesday, Clinton stopped by “The Breakfast Club,” a popular urban radio show. Over the weekend, she tweeted a shout-out to historically black Howard University, which was celebrating its homecoming.

According to a new GenForward poll of Americans ages 18 to 30,

Supreme Court to rule in Virginia transgender case

By Mark Sherman and Alanna Durkin Richer A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court will take up transgender rights for the first time in the case of a Virginia school board that wants to prevent a transgender teenager from using the boys’ bathroom at his high school.

The justices said Friday they will hear the appeal from the Gloucester County school board sometime next year. The high court’s order means that student Gavin Grimm will not be able to use the boys’ bathroom in the meantime.

A lower court had ordered the school board to accommodate Grimm, but the justices in August put that order on hold while they considered whether to hear the appeal.

Grimm, a 17-year-old high school senior, was born female but identifies as male. He was allowed to use the boys’ restroom at his high school for several weeks in 2014. But after some parents complained, the school board adopted a policy requiring students to use either the restroom that corresponds with their biological gender or a private, single-stall restroom.

Grimm is backed by the Obama administration in his argument that the policy violates Title IX, a federal law that bars sex discrimination in schools.

“I continue to suffer daily because of the school board’s decision to

49 percent of blacks say they will definitely vote in November. That’s similar to the percentage of all young people. Eighty percent of the likely black voters say they plan to cast their ballots for Clinton, versus 4 percent for Trump.

Clinton has enjoyed strong support from older African-Americans, particularly in the South, where she defeated primary rival Bernie Sanders with 77 percent of the overall black vote in states with exit polling.

But in the GenForward poll, black millennials reported supporting Sanders over Clinton during the primary season 46 to 28 percent.

In endorsing Clinton last week in an Elle magazine interview, Brittany Packnett — a St. Louis organizer who was also at both Clinton meetings — voiced some of the conflict felt by young black voters during the election season.

“These young people

are understandably asking, ‘What is the point of continuing to participate in this system that assaults me?”’ Packnett said. “I have been wrestling with the same frustrations, but I have a responsibility to young people, to my community and to our work. The best way I can use my platform is to support Secretary Clinton.”

Many black millennials had doubts about Clinton early in the campaign because of a 1996 speech in which she referred to young “super-predators” in the black community.

She has since apologized for the remark.

In a heated moment on the campaign trail in April, Philadelphia activist Erica Mines confronted former President Bill Clinton about his support for welfare reform that activists say punished poor people and a crime bill that put many blacks behind bars.

Mines said she plans to vote for an independent

next month.

“I do not believe she is someone who can be trusted,” Mines said of Clinton. “She has been pushed because of Bernie Sanders to be more left than she has in the past. I do not trust her to do what is right for our communities. I only hear her talk about the middle class, which is not representative of those living at or below the poverty line.”

Ferguson protester Johnetta Elzie said Clinton has done nothing to earn her endorsement.

Elzie was among the protesters who met with Clinton in October 2015, but did not meet with her last week.

“There is no way I could promise to black people that she’s not going to be horrible for us,” she said. “That’s not the hill I want my credibility to die on. I’m not going to guilt-trip people. I’m encouraging people to vote however you want on Nov. 8 — or don’t vote.”

“In these tough times, I have fought to keep my promises to Texas’ working families. With your support, I will continue to deliver real results to our community.”

— CONGRESSMAN HENRY CUELLAR

“I continue to suffer daily because of the school board’s decision to make my bathroom use a matter of public debate.”

Gavin Grimm, student

make my bathroom use a matter of public debate,” Grimm said in a column published in Friday’s editions of the Washington Post. “I feel the humiliation every time I need to use the restroom and every minute I try to ‘hold it’ in the hopes of avoiding the long walk to the nurse’s office.”

The Education Department says that transgender students should be allowed to use restrooms and locker rooms consistent with their gender identities. Among the issues in the case is whether the department’s guidance should have the force of law.

Similar lawsuits are pending around the country. The Obama administration has sued North Carolina over a state law aimed at restricting transgender students to bathrooms that correspond to their biological genders.

A federal judge in Texas has sided with Texas and 12 other states in issuing a nationwide hold on the administration’s directive to public schools, issued in May. The directive tells schools to allow transgender students to use the bathroom and locker room consistent with their gender identity.

The Supreme Court split 5 to 3 in August to put the court order in Grimm’s case on hold. At the time, Justice Stephen Breyer said he was providing a fifth vote to go along with the four more conservative justices to “preserve the status quo” until the court decided whether to weigh in.

Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan dissented.

Grimm had urged the court not to take up his case.

The school board asked the court to settle the matter now. It said that allowing Grimm to use the boys restroom raises privacy concerns and may cause some parents to pull their children out of school.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond sided with Grimm in April, saying the federal judge who previously dismissed Grimm’s Title IX discrimination claim ignored the Education Department’s guidance on bathroom use.

The appeals court reinstated Grimm’s Title IX claim and sent it back to the district court for further consideration.

The judge then issued the order in favor of Grimm.

Endorsed by: American Farm Bureau AgFund, National Federation of Independent Business, Texas Association of Business, Texas Hospital Association HosPAC, U.S. Chamber of Commerce

EARLY VOTING: OCTOBER 24 - NOVEMBER 4 ELECTION DAY: TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8

“A rating” National Rifle Association

www.henrycuellar.com | (956) 724-1212 PAID FOR BY TEXANS FOR HENRY CUELLAR

Zfrontera A6 | Saturday, October 29, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE CONSULADO MÓVIL EN ZAPATA 1 El Consulado General de México en Laredo llevará a cabo su programa Consulado Móvil en la comunidad de Zapata, donde los residentes podrán obtener servicios básicos como expedición de matrícula consular, pasaportes, asesoría legal y orientación en el ámbito de protección. El evento tendrá lugar en las instalaciones del Zapata County Technical & Advance Education Center ubicado en Carretera 83 y Calle 9, con horario de servicio de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m., el sábado 29 de octubre. Para hacer cita y para solicitar requisitos pueden comunicarse a MEXITEL 1-877-639-4835 o por internet consulmex.sre.gob.mx/ laredo

RED RIBBON WEEK

Promueven vivir sanamente Piden a estudiantes de primaria decir no a drogas Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

La Patrulla Fronteriza y la Oficina del Fiscal de Distrito del Condado de Zapata visitaron escuelas locales para decirles a los estudiantes que se mantengan libres de drogas.

El miércoles, el Fiscal de Distrito Isidro R. “Chilo” Alaniz visitó las escuelas primarias Zapata South y Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal durante la Semana de Listón Rojo.

Alaniz habló ante más de 1.000 estudiantes sobre la importancia de hacer decisiones saludables, tales como decirle no a las drogas, comer sano y ejercitarse, dice un co-

FIESTA FAMILIAR DE HALLOWEEN

municado de prensa.

“Huggy the Bear hizo una aparición especial durante la presentación para decirle a estudiantes que “Digan No a las Drogas, Den Abrazos”, dijeron oficiales.

La Patrulla Fronteriza compartió su mensaje de concientización sobre las drogas el martes.

Los estudiantes vieron un video llamado Operation Detour, un video para prevenir que los estudiantes se involucran en bandas criminales y crear conciencia sobre las drogas, éste les enseña a los menores a mantenerse en el camino correcto.

“Después del video los agentes tuvieron una

discusión abierta sobre las drogas y las consecuencias de consumirlas o transportarlas. Los estudiantes escucharon información sobre como una vida libre de drogas les proporcionará un mejor futuro”, dijo la Patrulla Fronteriza.

Además, los agentes hablaron sobre los sacrificios que realizan los oficiales de las fuerzas del orden para mantener las drogas alejadas de las calles y de los residentes.

La Patrulla Fronteriza habló de como el Agente Especial de la DEA Enrique “Kiki” Camarena y el Agente Especial de ICE Jaime J. Zapata pagaron con el más grande sacrificio.

Foto de cortesía | Oficina del Fiscal de Distrito de Webb y Zapata

El Fiscal de Distrito Isidro “Chilo” Alaniz incita a estudiantes a tomar las decisiones correctas durante la Semana del Listón Rojo.

SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA NUEVA SANTANDER

1 La Patrulla Fronteriza y el Departamento de Parques y Vida Silvestre invitan a la fiesta familiar del terror el sábado 29 de octubre en el Parque Municipal de Roma de 5 a 9 p.m.

Habrá concursos de disfraces para todas las edades, juegos, comida y mucho más.

CELEBRAN HISTORIA

FESTIVAL DE OTOÑO 1 La comunidad de Zapata y los comerciantes locales invitan al 1er. Festival de Otoño que se realizará el lunes 31 de octubre, desde las 5 p.m., en los terrenos de la feria del Condado de Zapata.

Mayores informes con la Comisionada Olga Elizondo 956489-1064.

FOTOS DE HALLOWEEN 1 La escuela primaria Zapata South Elementary estará tomando fotos de Halloween el lunes 31 de octubre en la Biblioteca de la escuela. El costo es de 2 dólares por fotografía.

DISFRACES DE HALLOWEEN 1 El distrito escolar Zapata County Independent School District está solicitando a los padres de familia a cuyos hijos se les ha permitido usar disfraces el 31 de octubre, que éstos tengan las siguientes recomendaciones: disfraces que no provoquen temor, disfraces con los que se puedan mover fácilmente, se prohíben disfraces de payaso, no se pueden utilizar máscaras en la secundaria y en la preparatoria, el campus principal se reserva el derecho de prohibir aquellos disfraces que no se atengan a estas recomendaciones.

FESTIVAL DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS 1 La ciudad de Miguel Alemán, México, está invitando a su Festival del Día de los Muertos en la Casa del Arte en esa ciudad. El evento, gratuito y abierto al público, iniciará a las 5 p.m., el jueves 3 de noviembre. Habrá un altar en memoria de Raúl Antonio Rodríguez Barrera, ex presidente minicipal, además de otras actividades artísticas y culturales.

Foto por Malena Charur | Tiempo de Zapata

El mariaichi de TAMIU interpretó varias melodías como parte del Primer Festival Nuevo Santander organizado por la Sociedad de Genealogía y el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata, el sábado por la mañana.

Realizan actividades culturales en Museo de Historia Por Malena Charur TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

El edificio del Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata fue el marco perfecto para una exposición de árboles genealógicos por parte de la Sociedad Genealógica Nueva Santander y una lectura de poesía a cargo de la poeta laredense Raquel Valle-Sentíes, el sábado por la mañana.

Hildegardo Flores, director del museo, vestido a la usanza del siglo XVIII, dio la bienvenida a los asistentes y presentó a la poeta, dramaturga y artista Raquel Valle-Sentíes, quien leyó algunos de los poemas que aparecen en el poemario “The Ones Santa Anna Sold” (2014).

Valle-Sentíes inició su presentación explicando el título de su obra.

“Me casé y me fui a vivir a Veracruz, México por más de 20 años, y algunas personas me decían, quizás jugando, pero en algún modo de forma despectiva, ‘¡Ah! Ustedes son los que vendió Santa Anna’, y por eso decidí que ése fuera el título de mi libro”, explicó Valle-Sentíes.

Ella dio lectura a varios poemas entre los que destacó “Lare-

Foto por Malena Charur | Tiempo de Zapata

Las hermanas María del Refugio y María del Carmen González posan ante la exhibición de su árbol genealógico en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata, el sábado por la mañana.

do”, “Como una flor”, “The Ones Santa Anna Sold” y “Soy como soy y qué”, entre otros.

Retratos al óleo de autoras chicanas realizados por ValleSentíes también fueron exhibidos, destacando su faceta como pintora.

Además, en el Salón de Clases del museo se exhibían varios árboles genealógicos pertenecientes a las diferentes familias del Condado de Zapata, cuyos orígenes datan de fechas anteriores a 1750 cuando aparecieron los primeros asentamientos.

“En 1750 llegaron los primeros

colonos a Zapata pero no fue sino hasta 1767 que se entregaron las primeras tierras otorgadas por el rey”, señaló Flores. “Sin embargo, nuestras familias proceden de Francia, España y otros países”.

Familias con apellidos como Gutiérrez, De la Garza, y López entre otros, formaban parte de la exhibición. Flores mismo explicó parte de su historia familiar.

“Nuestro apellido viene desde el siglo IX que se originó en Borgoña (Francia). Su nombre original era Flory”, indicó. Én su árbol incluyó todos los lugares en que han vivido los

Flores, entre los que están Jerusalén, Chipre, Italia, España y, finalmente, México y Estados Unidos.

También destacó las semejanzas arquitectónicas entre estos países.

“Es increíble cómo la arquitectura de una iglesia en Asturias (España) es casi idéntica a la iglesia de Guerrero Viejo, una construida en el siglo XII y la otra en el siglo XVIII”, finalizó.

María del Refugio González, junto a su hermana María del Carmen González, exhibían el árbol genealógico de la familia Gutiérrez de Revilla.

“Gutiérrez era el apellido de nuestra madre pero yo me he dedicado a buscar la historia familiar y he sacado copias de cada certificado de nacimiento y la he unido a su correspondiente fotografía”, dijo María del Refugio González.

Durante el evento también hubo una interpretación musical por parte del mariachi de TAMIU y una exhibición de comida cocinada en sartenes de hierro fundido.

Flores adelantó que el museo está proyectando expandir sus actividades y piensan realizar un Festival de Renacimiento para recrear los tiempos de antaño.

DEA

Recolectan medicamentos controlados Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

La Administración para el Control de Drogas y la Coalición Comunitaria del Condado de Zapata Sirviendo a los Menores y Adultos Necesitados dijeron que recolectaron alrededor de 44 libras de medicamento controlado caducado o

innecesario.

LA DEA y la coalición estuvieron recibiendo medicamentos el 22 de octubre durante el evento nacional “Pill Take Back”, el cual ofreció a zapatenses una oportunidad para deshacerse de sus medicamentos controlados que ya no necesitan.

Las autoridades también instalaron stands de

recaudación en Cotulla y en Laredo. En total, se recolectaron 1.366 libras de todas las ciudades que participaron.

“Gracias al maravilloso apoyo del Condado de Zapata, pudimos recolectar 44 libras de medicamento controlado caducado e inseguro. Muchas gracias a toda la gente que llevó sus medicinas”,

escribió la coalición en su página de Facebook.

Para aquellos que no lograron ir al evento, la Oficina del Alguacil de Zapata recientemente recibió un subsidio por parte de la Farmacia/CVS para combatir el abuso de las drogas instalando una unidad de recolección, dijo la coalición.

Funcionarios dijeron

que la unidad proporciona a la comunidad una manera segura y adecuada para deshacerse de medicamentos no deseados o caducos. Las personas pueden pasar al área del lobby de la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata para dejar sus medicamentos de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m. de lunes a viernes.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, October 29, 2016 |

A7

BUSINESS

Soylent says it’s remaking meal products after illnesses

By Olivia Zaleski BL O O MBE RG

Soylent, a food-tech startup backed by top Silicon Valley investors, said it will stop selling two of its meal-replacement products after some customers became sick.

Rosa Labs, the Los Angeles maker of Soylent, said it will reformulate its powder mix and protein bars before resuming

sales early next year.

Two weeks ago, the startup recalled its Soylent Bar, just a month after the product hit the market. Customers had taken to online forums, such as Twitter and Reddit, to report a variety of gastrointestinal problems they said were caused by eating Soylent bars. Many said the 250-calorie snack was making them nauseous. At least two people

said they had gone to the hospital.

“Fitting with our desire to err on the side of caution, we are reformulating Bar and Powder 1.6 to remove the likely ingredients,” Soylent wrote in a blog post on Thursday.

The company said it plans to report its findings to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and expects the regulator to conduct an independent

evaluation.

Since starting his venture in 2013, founder Rob Rhinehart has marketed Soylent to busy coders looking for quick and simple sustenance during the workday. Techies ate it up, and by 2014, Soylent said it was selling 30,000 units a month. The startup has raised venture capital from Andreessen Horowitz, Index Ventures and other investors.

Peter Earl Mccollough / New York Times

Pulak Mittal, a software engineer, drinks Soylent.

Soylent will reformat its line of products after a number of customers reported stomach issues.

U.S. stocks fall with Mexico peso on Clinton probe; bonds rise

By Rita Nazareth, Joseph Ciolli and Andrea Wong BL O O MBE RG

U.S. stocks fell with Mexico’s peso after a Congressman said the FBI reopened its investigation into Hillary Clinton’s use of an unauthorized e-mail server.

Bonds rose, while the dollar slumped as traders pared bets on a Federal Reserve hike this year.

American equities erased gains and are set for their longest losing streak since June. Mexico’s peso, seen as a proxy for market perception on the U.S. election, declined against most major currencies. The greenback slid from a seven-month high, while Treasuries gained as futures data show wagers on a 69 percent probability of an rate increase by December, down from 74 percent earlier Friday. Oil fell as an OPEC committee meets to discuss how deeply some of its members should cut output to comply with the group’s pledge to reduce supply.

It’s not the first time U.S. stocks have been sensitive to perceptions about Clinton’s political prospects. Futures on the S&P 500 rallied threequarters of a percent during the first presidential debate, when her odds of winning shot up on online prediction markets. A win by Donald Trump “would reduce the value of the S&P 500, the U.K., and Asian stock markets by 10-15 percent,” economics professors Justin Wolfers and Eric Zitzewitz said in a paper released by Brookings Institute.

“As soon as the Hillary Clinton news went

across, everything went down,” said Stephen Carl, principal and head equity trader at Williams Capital Group LP. “The election is at the forefront, and with a lack of other market-moving news right now, that’s what people are focusing on.”

Clinton has been cruising toward a win in the election. She held an average four-point lead over Republican Trump in polls that include independent candidates as of Friday, according to Real Clear Politics. Some recent polls have been far worse for Trump; the Associated Press said on Oct. 26 that its poll showed Clinton with a 14-point lead. The election projection site FiveThirtyEight.com assessed her odds of a win at 82 percent on Friday.

“The FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation,” FBI Director James Comey said in a letter to eight committee chairmen in Congress. “I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information.”

Stocks The S&P 500 fell 0.1 percent to 2,130.23 at 3:01 p.m. in New York, erasing an advance of 0.4 percent. Earlier gains came as data bolstered speculation a stronger economy may lift corporate earnings, while rallies in Alphabet Inc. and Chevron Corp. overshadowed a selloff among drugmakers.

Equity markets have

better-than-projected earnings. The region’s banks rallied more than any other industry group this week, losing their spot as biggest decliners of the year. A gauge tracking the industry moved in opposite directions to the benchmark Stoxx Europe 600 Index for a third week out of four.

the balance of risks towards Trump again,” said Shaun Osborne, chief foreign-exchange strategist in Toronto at Bank of Nova Scotia. “I don’t think the market necessarily believes this means Trump will win, but it raises the level of uncertainty significantly.”

Brazil’s real posted the biggest loss in emerging markets as commodities slid and traders said dollar inflows connected to a repatriation law slowed.

The yuan headed for the biggest monthly drop since last year’s shock devaluation, spurring concern that China’s policy makers are becoming more tolerant of declines as exports slump.

Currencies The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which measures the U.S. currency’s performance against a basket of 10 major counterparts, fell 0.3 percent, leaving its weekly gain at 0.2 percent. The gauge is up 2.2 percent this month.

The politically explosive development less than two weeks before the presidential election extended the dollar’s losses against the euro and the yen. The greenback strengthened against the Mexican peso, which is viewed as a gauge of the likelihood of Republican candidate Donald Trump beating Democrat Clinton in the ballot. The peso tends to fall when Trump gains ground, reflecting concern about his pledges to renegotiate the countries’ free-trade agreement and deport millions of undocumented immigrants.

“The market will be concerned that this tips

Bonds Yields on U.S. two-year notes, the coupon maturity most sensitive to Fed policy expectations, fell three basis points, or 0.03 percentage point, to 0.86 percent, according to Bloomberg Bond Trader data.

“This is a small glimpse into what the bond market thinks is going to happen if Trump is elected,” said Thomas Roth, senior Treasury trader in New York at MUFG Securities Americas Inc. “The market has made it clear that they think a Trump victory would be bad for stocks and would create more uncertainty in the economy. And therefore, it might hold the Fed off from raising rates.”

German bonds headed for their worst month since 2013 as a global selloff deepened amid speculation major central banks are moving closer to reining in stimulus.

Yields on Europe’s

“Clinton is clearly priced to win, and anything that disrupts the market’s predictions will have an adverse reaction. The market has to re-price for a new level of uncertainty, and we’re now dealing with a big heaping teaspoon of it.”

Michael Antonelli, institutional equity sales trader

been wagering on a Clinton victory, with the latest RealClear Politics poll average showing her with an advantage of about 5 points. Stocks have been stuck in a range of about 65 points since August as the looming presidential election and expectations for higher interest rates upstage a recovery in corporate profits.

“Clinton is clearly priced to win, and anything that disrupts the market’s predictions will have an adverse reaction,” said Michael Antonelli, an institutional equity sales trader and managing director at Robert W. Baird & Co. in Milwaukee. “The market has to re-price for a new level of uncertainty, and we’re now dealing with a big heaping teaspoon of it. It has to change its probabilities and change how it’s thinking.”

An avalanche of earnings announcements added to concerns about the health of European companies, with the region’s shares slipping for five days straight. For banks, though, the week was good: They’re no longer the year’s worstperforming industry.

While results at companies from Novo Nordisk A/S to AnheuserBusch InBev NV disappointed investors, UBS Group AG was among the lenders that reported

benchmark 10-year securities rose earlier to the highest in almost six months. Ten-year debt yields in the U.S. and Australia also climbed to levels last seen in May, buoyed by expectations that the Fed will raise interest rates this year and amid signs that global inflation is accelerating.

Commodities Oil retreated. Brazil will attend the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries gathering Saturday in Vienna as the bloc that controls about 40 percent of world production seeks non-member cooperation on reducing output. Brazil will join other producers from outside the group, including Russia. OPEC may agree on a collective cut and postpone “difficult decisions” on individual quotas, analysts Bassam Fattouh and Amrita Sen wrote in an Oxford Institute for Energy Studies report.

“OPEC is expected to kick the can down the street,” said Bob Yawger, director of the futures division at Mizuho Securities USA Inc. in New York. “There will probably be a wishy-washy, watered-down statement that says little. Iraq, OPEC’s second-biggest producer, wants to join Libya, Nigeria and Iran in being exempt from cuts, which makes it very difficult.”

Industrial metals rose on signs of economic improvement in the U.S. and China. Price gains will cheer industry executives and investors meeting next week for the London Metal Exchange’s annual LME Week gathering.

A8 | Saturday, October 29, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

FROM THE COVER

Users mourn as Twitter kills quirky, beloved Vine video app

FBI investigating new emails for classified information Andrew Harnik / AP

By Barbara Ortutay A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — You can watch any video for six seconds, played on an infinite loop. The funniest ones only get more ridiculous with repetition.

That was the beauty of Vine, the simple, pioneering mobile video app that Twitter has decided to kill off. Its loyal users are mourning its weirdness, humor and creativity-boosting constraints.

There are alternatives, sure, but nothing as simple as Vine, which did just one thing, and one thing well. Instagram has photos and videos of all sorts. Snapchat keeps expanding features, and it isn’t really meant for mindless scrolling of humorous content. Facebook, well, we all know Facebook.

Vine’s demise is a story of what happens when a cool, edgy, but money-losing service fails to take off with the masses amid competition from heavyweight rivals.

On the other hand, had Vine gained mass popularity, it might have lost its edge, the essence of what made Vine Vine, and instead got gobbled up by big brands and sanitized into the mainstream — a bit like what’s happened to Twitter, or Instagram.

“Vine is a very unique app in that it requires

the smallest amount of attention. Watching YouTube videos, reading Facebook posts or even looking at tweets takes more concentration than watching a six-second clip,” said Carling Crawford, 19.

Crawford, a student at the University of Texas at Austin, fondly recalled classic Vines, such as the one titled “A Potato Flew Around My Room Before You Came ,” which, as its name suggests, shows a potato tied to a ceiling fan and flying around a room. In the time you read this sentence, it already played twice. It has been played more than 23 million times and “revined,” or shared, nearly 9,000 times.

Several college students mentioned looking at Vine at the end of the day, before going to bed, as a way to decompress, especially if the day was tough.

“It was something funny to end my day on, kind of like a detox,” said Olivia Burger, a sophomore at Gannon University in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Twitter bought Vine a few months before the service launched in 2013.

The service enjoyed a brief surge in popularity before it got overtaken

by Snapchat and Instagram, which introduced 15-second videos later that year. Vine stars (yes, that is a thing), moved on.

By Michael Biesecker and Eric Tucker ASSOCIATED PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The FBI is investigating whether there is classified information in new emails uncovered during the sexting investigation of disgraced former congressman Anthony Weiner, the estranged husband of one of Hillary Clinton’s closest aides.

FBI Director James Comey told Congress in a letter that the emails prompted investigators to take another look at whether classified information had been mishandled, which had been the focus of its recently closed, criminal probe into Clinton’s use of a private email server. Comey couldn’t guarantee that the latest focus of the investigation would be finished before Election Day. Clinton said Friday that “the American people deserve to get the full and complete facts immediately. She urged the FBI to “explain this issue in question, whatever it is, without any delay.”

“Let’s get it out,” she said.

Comey did not provide details about the emails, but a U.S. official told The Associated Press that the emails emerged through the FBI’s separate sexting probe of Weiner, who is separated from Clinton confidant Huma Abedin.

She served as deputy chief

of staff at the State Department and is still a key player in Clinton’s presidential campaign. The two separated earlier this year after Weiner was caught in 2011, 2013 and again in 2016 sending sexually explicit text messages and photographs of himself undressed to numerous women.

Federal authorities in New York and North Carolina are investigating online communications between Weiner and a 15-year-old girl. The U.S. official was familiar with the investigation but was not authorized to discuss the matter by name and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The disclosure came less than two weeks before the presidential election and thrust a political liability for Clinton back into the headlines that her campaign thought had been resolved and had begun to recede from the minds of voters. The FBI said in July its investigation of Hillary Clinton’s private email server was finished.

Comey stressed in his letter that the FBI could not yet assess “whether or not this material may be significant,” or how long it might take to run down the new investigative leads.

“In connection with an unrelated case, the FBI has learned of the existence of emails that appear to be pertinent to the investigation,” Comey

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses while speaking at a news conference at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, Iowa, Friday.

wrote. “I agreed that the FBI should take appropriate investigative steps designed to allow investigators to review these emails to determine whether they contain classified information, as well as to assess their importance to our investigation.”

Clinton, in a brief statement to reporters Friday evening, noted: “The director himself has said he doesn’t know whether the emails referenced in his letter are significant or not. I’m confident whatever they are will not change the conclusion reached in July.”

It was unclear what the emails contained, who sent them, or what connection they might have to the yearlong investigation the FBI closed in July without recommending criminal charges. The FBI probe focused on whether Clinton sent or received classified information using a server in the basement of her New York home, which was not authorized to handle such messages. Abedin was interviewed by the FBI as part of its investigation.

Comey said in July that his agents didn’t find evidence to support a criminal prosecution or direct evidence that Clinton’s private server was hacked.

Indiana teen resentenced for role in slaying when he was 12 A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WARSAW, Ind. — An Indiana teenager originally sentenced to 25 years in prison for helping kill a friend’s stepfather when he was 12 could now be released in about three months.

Paul Gingerich, now 18, is believed to be the youngest person in Indiana to be sentenced as an adult.

He was resentenced Friday under a state law named for him called “Paul’s Law,” which al-

INDICTED From page A1 The Tahoe drove off the paved roadway and stopped close to a fence line. Identified as the driver, Ramos abandoned the vehicle and the five passengers who were immigrants suspected of

BORDER From page A1 refused to stop.

When attempting to get away from Border Patrol, the vehicle reached 100 mph. Agents terminated the pursuit due to the proximity to a highly populated area, according to court documents.

Texas Department of Public Safety troopers followed the sedan into Laredo. The vehicle was stopped at the intersection of Moon and Rodeo lanes.

Authorities identified the driver as Medina and the passenger as SerratoGarza.

“In the back of the vehicle, five adult people were found, along with a

lows alternative sentences for juveniles who commit serious crimes.

The new sentence Whitley County Judge James Heuer announced calls for Gingerich to be incarcerated for 300 days in a medium-security adult prison. With his participation in a community transition program that removes 120 days from his sentence and good behavior that can cut defendants’ sentences in half, he could be released after 90 days, said his

attorney, Monica Foster.

“Assuming that Paul behaves as he has behaved in the past he will be released from that program after 90 days,” she said following the hearing in a Warsaw, Indiana, courtroom.

Gingerich, who is currently in a juvenile facility, would then spend one year in home detention followed by 10 years of probation.

Jody Hill, the assistant to Kosciusko County’s prosecutor, said Ginger-

ich’s 90-day sentence won’t just “magically happen. There are things that need to done and fall into place before 90 days is actually the true number.”

The Indiana Department of Correction has determined that Gingerich has a low risk of re-offending.

“I know I committed a truly horrible crime and I am sorry for that,” Gingerich told the judge Friday. “I will never stop being sorry and I know

sorry will never be enough.”

Gingerich and then-15year-old Colt Lundy shot and killed Lundy’s stepfather, Phillip Danner, in 2010 at his home near Lake Wawasee, about halfway between Fort Wayne and South Bend.

Each boy fired two shots, hitting the 49-year-old man four times.

The slaying was part of a plot by the boys and another friend to run away to California or Arizona.

Matthew Miller, a former chief spokesman for the Justice Department, was dismayed by the timing of Comey’s letter.

“Longstanding DOJ and FBI practice is you don’t say anything publicly close to an election that can possibly influence that election,” Miller said.

Comey, who has talked often about the FBI’s need to be accountable to the public, promised extraordinary transparency about the investigation and during intervening months has authorized the release of investigative files from the case, which are normally kept confidential.

That stance also left Comey, a career federal prosecutor who has served under both Republican and Democratic administrations, open to criticism from leaders in both parties that he was trying to influence the outcome of the presidential race.

Clinton campaign supporters were already suggesting the FBI director was putting a thumb on the scale. Had he waited until after Nov. 8 to announce the discovery of the new emails, however, Comey would surely have faced criticism for sitting on major news until after the new president had been selected.

BATTLE From page A1 ZCISD police placed second, Border Patrol third and the Sheriff’s Office fourth.

Fire Department Lt. Epitacio “Pito” Martinez said the turnout was great for the first tournament ever.

“It was good. It was fun,” he said.

But the tournament meant more than winning a trophy. Martinez said authorities wanted to raise funds for the Zapata High School special education department.

“We want the community to be aware we help out organizations with their needs,” Martinez said.

entering the country illegally.

“A wallet was found near the center console of the vehicle. The wallet had a Texas Inmate Identification Card belonging to Richard Osiel Ramos,” the complaint states.

Records alleged he expected a $400 payment per immigrant smuggled.

1-year-old male infant who was strapped to a child’s car seat,” states the complaint.

The infant was identified as the driver’s son.

All adults in the backseat were Mexican citizens who had entered the country illegally, according to reports.

Serrato-Garza claimed to be eight months pregnant and complained of pain. Paramedics took her to a local hospital.

In post-arrest interviews, Medina stated his cousin agreed to pay him $1,200 to transport immigrants from San Ygnacio to Laredo. His cousin instructed him to pick up the immigrants at a trail coming up from the Rio Grande near Washington Street in San Ygnacio, records alleged.

Courtesy photo / Zapata County Independent School District

U.S. Border Patrol agents pose for a photo with local elementary school children during Red Ribbon Week.

RIBBON From page A1 states a news release.

“Huggy the Bear made a special appearance during the presentation to tell the students to ‘Say No To Drugs, Give Hugs!’” officials said.

Border Patrol shared their drug awareness message Tuesday.

The students were shown a video dubbed Operation Detour, an anti-gang and drug awareness video that teaches children to stay on the right path.

“After the video the

agents had an open discussion about drugs and the consequences of using or transporting drugs.

Students are told how a drug free life will provide them with a better future,” Border Patrol said.

In addition, agents spoke about the sacrifices of law enforcement offi-

cers to keep drugs off the streets and away from people. Border Patrol spoke about how slain DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena and Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agents Jaime J. Zapata paid the ultimate sacrifice.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, October 29, 2016 |

B1

NCAA FOOTBALL: TEXAS LONGHORNS VS. NO. 8 BAYLOR BEARS

Longhorns host No. 8 Baylor Bears begin tough Big 12 stretch with Texas

By Mark Rosner A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN — For acting head coach Jim Grobe, to some extent the real season for No. 8 Baylor is about to begin.

The Bears are 6-0 for the fourth consecutive year and have played exactly one team — Oklahoma State — with a winning record. From here, their path to a coveted playoff spot includes a finishing stretch with games at No. 16 Oklahoma and No. 10 West Virginia.

But first comes Saturday’s visit to Texas.

“I think we have a fresh, healthy team,” Grobe said. “We’re getting ready to go through the gauntlet.”

Texas (3-4, 1-3 Big 12) has

lost four of its last five games, prompting speculation about third-year coach Charlie Strong’s future with the Longhorns. Strong, asked whether he has received support from his bosses, said: “We do have support within this program. We have to play better. It’s all about us doing a better job of coaching. It’s about our players playing a lot better.”

Texas is particularly inept on defense. The Longhorns rank 94th in yards allowed and 126th in passing efficiency defense.

They further hurt themselves with lapses on special teams and by scoring just three points off nine turnovers by opponents.

Texas failed to score after Texas continues on B2

Cooper Neill / Getty Images

Shane Buechele and Texas square off in a battle with in-state conference opponent Baylor hosting the No. 8 Bears Saturday.

NCAA FOOTBALL: NO. 9 TEXAS A&M AGGIES VS. NEW MEXICO STATE AGGIES

NCAA FOOTBALL: BIG 12

A&M BACK AFTER LOSS Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press file

Instead of creating two divisions, commissioner Bob Bowlsby and the Big 12 will choose the top two teams for their football conference championship.

Big 12 passes on divisions, will take top two teams for conference championship

By Matt Murschel Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Trevor Knight and No. 9 Texas A&M will look to rebound after a loss at No. 1 Alabama last week facing New Mexico State Saturday.

Aggies in search for improvement vs. NMSU

By Kristie Rieken A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HOUSTON — As the No. 9 Texas A&M Aggies take a break from the rigors of Southeastern Conference to host New Mexico State on Saturday, they are far more worried about improving

than they are about their opponent.

And that’s not simply because they’re 48 1/2point favorites.

“Our identity as a team this year is playing the next week,” quarterback Trevor Knight said. “It’s about us and a nameless, faceless opponent. And

that’s no disrespect to who we’re playing, but we want to worry about us and play as best we can.”

The Aggies are looking to rebound after taking their first loss of the season last week in a 33-14 defeat at top-ranked Alabama . Linebacker

Justin Evans said it’s easier to move on from that game since a single loss to the No. 1 team could still give them an outside chance at the College Football Playoff.

“We know with just one loss we can still do a lot,” Evans said. “We A&M continues on B2

ORLANDO SENTINEL

Only the best will do for the Big 12 after the conference announced it is going to forgo the creation of divisions instead going with the two best teams in the conference for its championship game.

"There are a number of advantages to matching our top two teams," Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby said in a statement. "Given our roundrobin, nine-game sched-

uling model, it is expected the Big 12 champion will be uniquely positioned for College Football Playoff consideration.

"I would argue there will be no path more difficult than our champion’s, where it will have played every team in the conference, faced at least one autonomy conference non-conference opponent, and then plays in our championship game. The guaranteed No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup Big 12 continues on B2

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Prescott, Wentz lead Cowboys, Eagles into NFC East showdown

By Schuyler Dixon ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Michael Ainsworth / Associated Press

Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott meets Philadelphia's No. 2 overall draft pick, Carson Wentz this weekend as NFC East rivals square off in the Cowboys and Eagles.

ARLINGTON — Trying to explain the quick success for Philadelphia’s Carson Wentz and Dallas counterpart Dak Prescott often comes back to the complementary parts behind both rookies.

For Wentz, that means relying on a persistent if not wildly successful

running game, and one the NFL’s best defenses.

For Prescott, it means the league’s top rushing attack fueled by fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott, the NFL’s rushing leader with 703 yards, and a dominant offensive line.

If you want to use the term “game manager” for two quarterbacks who protected the ball at the start of their careers better than any first-year

players before them, so be it. Their teams are winning, which makes for quite a story line in a key NFC East game Sunday night.

“I obviously don’t think it’s a negative way to describe any quarterback,” said first-year Eagles coach Doug Pederson, a former NFL QB. “If you’re efficient throwing the ball, you’re not turning the ball over,

and you’re converting on third downs, then that’s a pretty good way to manage the game.”

When Wentz and Prescott were trading the rookie record for pass attempts without an interception to start a career, this Eagles-Cowboys meeting was a potential target for the return of Tony Romo, who broke a bone in his back Cowboys continues on B2

B2 | Saturday, October 29, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

SPORTS

Houston RB Miller expects to play against Lions

By Kristie Rieken A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HOUSTON — Houston Texans running back Lamar Miller expects to play Sunday against the Detroit Lions despite a shoulder injury.

“It’s getting better daily,” he said. “Every morning I’m feeling better.”

Miller was injured taking a hit at the end of a run in the first quarter on Monday night at Denver . He returned for a few plays after the hit, but Alfred Blue got the bulk of the carries after

COWBOYS From page B1 in a preseason game. But Dallas’ 10-year starter still isn’t listed as a practice participant, although he did throw some in the early portion this week for the first time since his fourth back injury in less than four years. So Prescott gets a chance to extend a five-game winning streak that has the Cowboys (5-1) tied with Minnesota for the best record in the NFC. “It’s going to be big because it’s the next game,” Prescott said.

“I’m not going to really put much into it, the rival or the division opponent.

that.

Miller said he would be surprised if he isn’t able to play, but isn’t sure if he’ll be able to take as many snaps as he normally does. He said he had an MRI, which revealed no structural damage to his shoulder, and that it simply will be a matter of managing his pain on Sunday.

The 25-year-old was signed to a four-year, $26 million contract in the offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Dolphins. He has been a bright spot for an offense that has strug-

gled behind new quarterback Brock Osweiler.

Miller is fifth in the NFL with 581 yards rushing and has been a workhorse for the Texans, with 136 carries this season, which ranks sixth in the NFL. Blue has only 30 carries this season playing behind Miller after starting nine games last season when Arian Foster was injured and finishing with a career-high 698 yards rushing. He had 11 carries for 63 yards — both season-highs — after Miller was injured on Monday.

Houston running back Lamar Miller is expecting to play Sunday against Detroit despite a shoulder injury.

It’s a game that I want to win. Every game that I play, I’ll be the same way and I’ll treat it that way.”

Things to consider as the Eagles (4-2) go for a fourth straight win at the Cowboys, which would match their longest in the series going back to when Philadelphia won eight straight overall from 1987 to 1991:

extra two weeks of recovery time. The 2014 AllPro missed seven games last year after breaking his foot in the opener and finished with career lows in catches, yards and touchdowns. He scored his only touchdown this season against Chicago when he returned after injuring the knee. “Seems like forever. Now it’s over,” Bryant said.

last week after a penalty and tried a 2-point conversion — it was successful . Wentz is 3 for 3 for 21 yards on fourth downs and he ran 6 yards on fourth-and-2 against Minnesota.

“I trust our guys and I trust our offensive line and I think it sends a great message to the rest of the team, to the defense and special teams,” Pederson said.

THE AGGRESSOR Pederson describes himself as conservative, but his play calling isn’t.

Pederson has gone on fourth down with the lead — the Eagles are 5 for 5 on fourth down. He took a point off the board

BIG 12 From page B1

DEZ RETURNS Dallas receiver Dez Bryant is expected back after missing three games with a hairline fracture of a bone in his right knee. He said he was ready to play against Green Bay before the bye, but the medical staff opted to give him the

will be a great game for our fans, and it’s hard to imagine a stronger position for a conference champion."

Officials made the move despite the majority of the league’s coaches reportedly voting 7-3

Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

Not only have the Dallas blockers created huge holes for Elliott, they’ve allowed the second-fewest sacks of Prescott with nine. Four of those came in one game, a fourthquarter comeback at Washington that was Prescott’s first win .

kins shifts to cornerback, Jaylen Watkins will take his spot at safety. “I just get bored playing deep sometimes,” Jenkins said.

PROTECTING THE ROOKIES The Eagles can trace their success directly to protecting Wentz. He’s been sacked four times total in their four victories and eight times combined in the two losses.

SECONDARY SHUFFLE Eagles Pro Bowl safety Malcolm Jenkins should get more snaps at cornerback because Ron Brooks sustained a season-ending knee injury. Jenkins played more than half his snaps last season in coverage against the slot receiver, so he’ll help fill Brooks’ role as the nickel cornerback. When Jen-

MORE QB TIDBITS Wentz and Prescott are on the verge of breaking the team rookie records for touchdown passes. Wentz will pass Donovan McNabb (eight in 1999) with his next TD pass. Prescott needs two to tie Troy Aikman (nine in 1989). Wentz and Prescott are also 1-2 among rookies in TD passes and passing yards. Wentz has the edge in touchdowns (eight to seven), Prescott the nod in yards (1,486 to 1,324).

in favor of splitting up into divisions according to ESPN’s Brett McMurphy.

The Big 12 will reportedly continue to use its current tiebreaker system with head-to-head matchups being the lone deciding factor when two teams finish with the same record. A threeway tie and the league

would consider conference records and then conference-records against the next highestranked teams and then scoring differential.

Concerns over whether the lack of a football championship would hamper its chances to qualify for the four-team playoff, Big 12 officials co-sponsored legislation

that would allow conferences with less than 12 members to create a championship game.

The NCAA granted the waiver and the Big 12 board of directors approved plans to stage a title game set to begin in 2017.

The conference says a host site will be chosen in the coming weeks.

A&M From page B1

Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News file

Baylor has won four of the last six meetings with Texas, but the Longhorns upset the Bears last year.

TEXAS From page B1 an interception and fumble recovery in the fourth quarter during a 24-21 loss at Kansas State last week.

“They tried to give us the game,” Strong said.

Some things to look for when the Bears and Longhorns kickoff on Saturday: BUDDING RIVALRY? Texas won 12 straight against Baylor from 19982009. Baylor has won four of the last six but lost 23-17 in Waco last season while using its fourth-string quarterback — a converted wide receiver — for the final three quarters because of injuries. Texas competed without several injured players as well. A melee broke out during the first quarter among two teams that have a developing rivalry. Texas added four freshman recruits who were released by Baylor after the school’s sexual assault scandal.

“Honestly, I’ll say it’s been building,” Texas offensive lineman Kent Perkins said.

Baylor quarterback Seth Russell does not expect a warm reception in Austin.

“Every away game is going to be a hostile environment just because you have fans who don’t want you to win,” Russell said.

“We’ve got to block that out, and we’ve done a

good job of that so far.

With it being the Texas game, being a rivalry game, we’re expecting it to be a little more intense than the other games.”

YOUNG STAR One of the four freshmen who bolted Baylor for Texas, wide receiver Devin Duvernay, has caught touchdowns covering 63, 75 and 80 yards in the last three games.

PERFECT DOWN STRETCH Baylor is the only FBS team that has not allowed a point in the fourth quarter this season. Overall, the Bears rank 11th in scoring defense, allowing 17.2 points a game.

STENGTH OF SCHEDULE? Strong is 14-18 during his three seasons at Texas, including 10-12 in Big 12 games. The Longhorns’ three victories this season were against opponents — Notre Dame, UTEP and Iowa State — with a combined 5-16 record. Baylor’s six opponents have a combined 12-30 record and four of them have won only once this season.

A BRIGHT SPOT Texas junior running back D’Onta Foreman ranks third nationally with 142.5 rushing yards per game. Foreman has reached 100 yards in eight straight games, a streak that ranks second in Longhorn history to Earl Campbell’s 11 in a row.

don’t want to look too far ahead, but in the back of our mind we know that we’re still playing for something so it’s going to be there.”

Texas A&M returns to SEC play next week with a trip to Mississippi State before hosting Mississippi on Nov. 12.

But first they’ll meet New Mexico State for the first time. New Mexico State has had a tough time this season with just two wins and is coming off a 22-19 loss to Georgia Southern.

New Mexico State coach Doug Martin knows things will be tough for his offense on Saturday in facing a defense led by Myles Garrett and Daeshon Hall .

New Mexico State is tied for 111th in the nation after allowing 21 sacks this season. Texas A&M has piled up 23 sacks, which ranks 12th in the country. Garrett leads the Aggies with four sacks and Hall and Jarrett Johnson have 3 1/2 each.

Garrett and Hall have also combined for 18 quarterback hurries.

“The two defensive ends are first round draft picks so it’s going to be a real challenge for our offense to move the football,” Martin said. “But we’re a pretty good offensive football team so looking forward to that challenge.”

Some other things to know about the game: RUNNING WILD Texas A&M ranks third in the nation by averaging 251.4 yards rushing a game. The Aggies success has come from splitting carries between freshman Trayveon Williams and Keith Ford and with quite a bit of help from Knight.

Williams leads the team

Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images

Trevor Knight and No. 9 Texas A&M are 48 1/2 point favorites this week facing New Mexico State Saturday.

with 727 yards rushing and Ford has added 304 yards rushing. Knight has 526 yards rushing and leads the team with nine rushing scores.

Ford, who has missed time with an injury this season, impressed coach Kevin Sumlin by leading the team with 62 yards rushing against Alabama.

“At beginning of year I said we’d need all the backs,” Sumlin said. “All provide change of pace for difference defenses.

That was more of a Keith Ford-style of football game and I think you saw that. His experience in those situations showed. Way he runs showed. Physical, tough guy in that situation, a different back than Trayveon.”

TEAM STRENGTH New Mexico State has

seven different players who have at least 150 yards receiving this season, giving quarterback Tyler Rogers plenty of targets each week. The group is led by Gregory Hogan, who has 26 receptions for 335 yards and three touchdowns and Tyrian Taylor with 304 yards receiving.

“Our offensive kids have a lot of confidence,” Martin said. “We have a really good group of wide receivers that can really compete against anybody and it kind of gives us an edge.”

WE HAVE GOOD RECEIVERS, TOO New Mexico State isn’t the only one with a solid group of receivers as the Aggies’ receivers might be the strength of A&M’s offense. Josh Reynolds has 515 yards receiving

and five scores and Christian Kirk also has five touchdowns and has added 410 yards receiving. Ricky Seals-Jones missed two games with an injury before returning last week against Alabama and has 200 yards receiving.

“I still say that’s the best receiving corps in the country,” Knight said of A&M’s receivers. “And they’ve proven that time and time again, and it’s just getting the ball in their hands and being more consistent.”

PILING ‘EM UP New Mexico State linebacker Rodney Butler leads the nation with 102 tackles. Butler had a season-high 24 tackles against New Mexico on Sept. 10 and has had at least 12 tackles in all but one game this year.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, October 29, 2016 |

Dear Readers: HALLOWEEN is on Monday, and while it is a fun time for all, it can be scary for your pets. Here are some hints to help: >> The constant ringing of the doorbell, strange costumed people and unusual noises and lights can be terrifying for pets.

Comfortably contain animals in a quiet part of the house. Make sure they are microchipped and tagged with current information in case they do escape. >> Costuming your pet is adorable, but make sure the animal is comfortable. A cute bandana or bow is an appropriate nod to the holiday. Ensure that your pet won't get tangled in this. >> Candy is terrible for animals, especially chocolate, which can cause vomiting and diarrhea.

What's a good treat?

Carrot pieces, apple slices and dog biscuits. >> Keep decorations'

electric cords picked up and away from animals so they won't chew on them. Have a fun and spooky Halloween, and keep your pets safe on this night and every night! -- Heloise CURTAIN CALL Dear Heloise: I was confused about where to put the litter box, and then I got an idea, which worked for both me and my cat. Cats like privacy, so I removed one door from my bathroom vanity and put up a lace curtain.

The box fits, and the cat has privacy.

This might not work for everyone but it's a space-saver and privacymaker for me and my cat.

And the door can always be rehung. -- L.P., via email

B3

B4 | Saturday, October 29, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES