The Zapata Times 1/11/2017

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MEXICO

Crisis, closures avoided Nuevo Laredo gas stations staying open

By Melissa Santillana TH E ZAPATA T IME S

Less than a week after the president of the Association of Gas Station Owners of Nuevo Laredo announced on social media that about 90 per-

cent of all gas stations in Nuevo Laredo, Mexico would suspend their services, the city’s mayor, Enrique Rivas, said negotiations between the state and municipal government managed to avoid the closures.

Rivas said Saturday in a press conference that thanks to satisfactory negotiations, Nuevo Laredo residents will be able to buy gas at 13.26 pesos per liter, which would be the equivalent to $2.35 per gallon.

José Luis Palos, president of the Association of Gas Station Owners of Nuevo Laredo, Raúl Cárdenas Thomae, secretary of Nuevo Laredo, and Rafael Pedraza Dominguez, interim mayor of

TEXAS LOTTERY

Gas continues on A11

Cesar Rodriguez / Bloomberg

A demonstrator holds a sign during a protest against the gasoline price hike in Mexico City on Monday.

WEBB COUNTY

REVAMPING LIFE DOWNS Property could be used to host more events

By Julia Wallace THE ZAPATA TIME S Cuate Santos / The Zapata Times

An El Cenizo man bought his winning lottery ticket here.

Webb County resident claims 7.5M prize Victor Strife / The Zapata Times file TH E ZAPATA T IME S

A Webb County resident claimed a $7.5 million prize in a Texas Lottery scratch ticket game.

The Texas Lottery said Monday that El Cenizo resident Federick A. Garza claimed the prize in the scratch ticket game $7,500,000 Ultimate Cash. The odds of winning the top prize are approximately 1 in 1.2 million.

For selling the winning ticket, Timewise, 4420 S. Zapata Highway Suite 100 in Laredo, is eligible for a $10,000 retailer bonus.

Garza, who requested minimal publicity, claimed the first of three top prizes worth $7.5 million available in the game. $7,500,000 Ultimate Cash offers more than $142 million in total prizes.

Overall odds of winning any prize in the game are one in 2.52.

Lottery continues on A11

Members of the Triple C women's rodeo team compete in the Brush Country Trail Riders 6th Annual Ranch Rodeo for the Cure on Oct. 17, 2015 at LIFE Downs.

Webb County is instigating a master plan to revamp LIFE fairgrounds. Commissioners in their meeting Monday said the property is rundown and has the potential to be used for much more than livestock events.

Six firms submitted proposals to conduct the master plan.

Officials chose Naismith Engineering, which has conducted over 150 master plans for fairgrounds around the world.

“You’re really designing the fairground for the future,” John Michael, board chairman for Naismith, said at the Commissioners Court meeting. “Some LIFE continues on A11

AUSTIN, TEXAS

Highlights from around the Texas Capitol 85th legislative session kicks off ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News

Joe Straus gavels in legislation as the 85th Texas Legislative session opens in Austin on Tuesday.

AUSTIN, Texas — Likely budget cuts and a Donald Trump presidency loomed over the return of the Texas Legislature on Tuesday amid a worsening child welfare crisis and top Republicans promising anti-LGBT bathroom

laws similar to what brought upheaval in North Carolina.

Already there are signs of tensions to come. Republican House Speaker Joe Straus, a moderate hand in a statehouse constantly drifting to the hard right, marked his election to a recordtying fifth term in his

powerful post with a call for civility over Trumpstyle politics.

Straus didn’t mention the president-elect by name, or proposals that would require transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate.

Capitol continues on A11

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE WORLD

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 11

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Book Room open. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, no admission fee.

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 11, the 11th day of 2017. There are 354 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 11, 1927, the creation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was proposed during a dinner of Hollywood luminaries at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 12 Laredo Area Retired Teachers Association meeting. 11 a.m. Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall. The topic is legislative.

Laredo Cardiac Support Group. 6 p.m. DHL Community Center. To register or for more information, please call Ana Sanchez at 523-2779.

MONDAY, JANUARY 16 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

Wakil Kohsar / Getty

Afghan security personnel stand guard at the site of twin blasts near the Afghan parliament in Kabul on Tuesday. Twin Taliban blasts struck near the Afghan parliament, killing 38.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 18 Book Room open. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, no admission fee.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 21 Harry Potter Book Club. 3 p.m.

McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Free and family friendly. Children and adults are welcome.

BOMBS IN AFGHAN CAPITAL KILL 38

By RAHIM FAIEZ ASSOCIATED PRE SS

United ISD 6th Annual 5K Run, Walk and Health Fair. Registration will be from 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. at the SAC, 5208 Santa Claudia Lane. Special ceremony dedicated to Adriana Rodriguez and Karina Villarreal will be held at 8:30 a.m. with the race at 9 a.m. Fee is $25 and includes a goody bag, T-shirt, and certificate of completion. Medals will be awarded to the top male and female winners in each age division. All proceeds to benefit United ISD students with scholarships to college. For more information call, 956-473-6201 or visit www.uisd.net

MONDAY, JANUARY 23 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 25 Book Room open. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, no admission fee.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society. 3-5 p.m. St. John Neumann Parish Hall. Meet and greet membership drive. The speaker’s subject is “How I Traced My Family Roots.” Open to the public. For more information, contact Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.

Spanish Book Club. 6-8 p.m. Joe A. Guerra Public Library - Calton. For more information, contact Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 28 United ISD Zumba Master Class event. Registration at 8 a.m. at the United 9th Grade Campus (gym), 8800 McPherson Road. Zumba class to be held from 9 to 11 a.m. and will be taught by elite Zumba instructors from the city. Fee is $20 and includes a goody bag and T-shirt. All proceeds to benefit United ISD students with scholarships to college. For more information call, 956-473-6201 or visit www.uisd.net.

MONDAY, JANUARY 30 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1 Book Room open. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, no admission fee.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 4 Book sale. 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, no admission fee.

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

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.

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 8 Book Room open. 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.

Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited.

KABUL, Afghanistan — Two large bombs — one triggered by a suicide attacker — exploded near government offices Tuesday, killing at least 38 people and wounding dozens of others in the deadliest Taliban violence in Kabul in months.

In southern Afghanistan, another attack at a guesthouse belonging to the governor of Kandahar province killed five people and wounded 12. An ambassador from the United Arab Emirates and other UAE diplomats were among the wounded, au-

Despite scandal, VW in running for global sales crown FRANKFURT, Germany — It’s ironic: Volkswagen spent 2016 battling a huge scandal over cars it rigged to cheat on emissions tests.

And now stands a decent chance to pass Toyota for the title of world’s biggest carmaker for the year.

Booming business in China helped Volkswagen increase its sales to 10.31 million vehicles

thorities said. The Kabul suicide bomber struck about 4 p.m. as workers were leaving a compound of government and legislative offices, said Interior Ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi. The second bomb, which was planted in a car, exploded minutes later after security forces had rushed in to help the victims, he said.

The Taliban, who have been waging a 15-year war against the U.S.-backed government, claimed the attack in the capital.

The 38 dead included civilians and military personnel, and another 72 people were wounded.

last year across all its brands, which include Audi, Porsche and Skoda, the company said Tuesday.

That was an increase of 3.8 percent over 2015, when Volkswagen came in second to Toyota. And a strong finish to the year in December — 11.8 percent better than the same month the year before — improves the company’s chances of moving from No. 2 to No. 1 in global sales.

That Volkswagen is even in the running for top spot seems remarkable considering how

terrible the year was on the legal and image front.

The company based in Wolfsburg, Germany, said Tuesday it was in advanced talks on a draft settlement with the U.S. Justice Department and U.S. Customs and Border Protection under which it would pay $4.3 billion in criminal and civil penalties in the emissions scandal. That sum would come on top of a $15 billion civil settlement with U.S. environmental authorities and owners of 500,000 cars.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

Matthew Brown / AP file

In this Nov. 7, 2013 file photo, a train hauls oil into Glacier National Park near the Badger-Two Medicine National Forest.

of the creation story for Montana’s Blackfeet Nation and the Blackfoot tribes of Canada.

Tribal members had argued that the leases were sold improperly and without due consideration of the area’s cultural significance.

Blackfeet Tribal Chairman Harry Barnes said his people were grateful for the cancella-

tion.

“This area is like a church to our people,” Barnes said.

“We’ve lived for 30 years under the threat that it might be industrialized.”

The leases canceled Tuesday were held by W.A. Moncrief with Moncrief Oil and Montex Drilling of Fort Worth, Texas.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND TEXAS Handcuffed Texas suspect who shot himself has died AUSTIN — A Texas man who managed to pull a handgun from his waistband and shoot himself in the head while handcuffed in the back of a police patrol car died of his wound Monday, one day after the shooting.

An Austin police statement confirmed that 19-year-old Zachary Khabir Anam, 19, died at

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush’s plan to send more troops to Iraq ran into a wall of criticism on Capitol Hill from both Democrats and Republicans. Democrats selected Denver as the site of their 2008 presidential convention. English soccer star David Beckham announced a five-year deal to play for the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Five years ago: Joran van der Sloot, the longtime suspect in the still unsolved disappearance of American Natalee Holloway in Aruba, pleaded guilty in Lima to the 2010 murder of a Peruvian woman, Stephany Flores; he was sentenced to 28 years in prison.

French TV cameraman Gilles Jacquier was killed while filming a pro-government rally in Homs, Syria; he was the first Western journalist to die in the Syrian uprising.

One year ago: Gunmen stormed into a Baghdad mall, killing 18 people; the Islamic State group claimed responsibility. Northern Ireland lawmakers appointed Arlene Foster as the first female leader of their unity government. No. 2 Alabama outlasted No. 1 Clemson in a 45-40 victory in the College Football Playoff championship game. Baseball Hall of Famer Monte Irvin, 96, died in Houston.

US cancels final 2 energy leases in area sacred to tribes BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. officials on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the final two oil and gas leases in a wilderness area bordering Glacier National Park that’s sacred to the Blackfoot tribes of Montana and Canada, more than three decades after the tribes said the leases were illegally sold.

Lease owners in Nebraska and Texas were notified of the cancellations in a letter from Deputy Interior Secretary Michael Conner and offered refunds of about $30,000 each.

The move is subject to a potential court challenge. A lawsuit against another lease cancellation in the area last year is pending before U.S. District Judge Richard Leon in Washington, D.C. The undeveloped leases were issued in the 1980s in the Badger Two-Medicine area, the site

On this date: In 1861, Alabama became the fourth state to withdraw from the Union.

In 1908, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed the Grand Canyon National Monument (it became a national park in 1919).

In 1913, the first enclosed sedantype automobile, a Hudson, went on display at the 13th National Automobile Show in New York.

In 1935, aviator Amelia Earhart began an 18-hour trip from Honolulu to Oakland, California, that made her the first person to fly solo across any part of the Pacific Ocean.

In 1942, Japan declared war against the Netherlands, the same day that Imperial Japanese forces invaded the Dutch East Indies.

In 1946, the People’s Republic of Albania was proclaimed after King Zog was formally deposed by the Communists.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry issued “Smoking and Health,” a report which concluded that “cigarette smoking contributes substantially to mortality from certain specific diseases and to the overall death rate.”

In 1966, Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti, 64, died in Chur.

In 1977, France set off an international uproar by releasing Abu Daoud, a PLO official behind the massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

In 1989, nine days before leaving the White House, President Ronald Reagan bade the nation farewell in a prime-time address, saying of his eight years in office: “We meant to change a nation and instead we changed a world.”

In 1995, 51 people were killed when a Colombian DC-9 jetliner crashed as it was preparing to land near the Caribbean resort of Cartagena — however, 9-year-old Erika Delgado survived.

In 2003, calling the death penalty process “arbitrary and capricious, and therefore immoral,” Illinois Gov. George Ryan commuted the sentences of 167 condemned inmates, clearing his state’s death row two days before leaving office.

Today’s Birthdays: The former prime minister of Canada, Jean Chretien, is 83. Actor Mitchell Ryan is 83. Actor Felix Silla is 80. Movie director Joel Zwick is 75. Country singer Naomi Judd is 71. World Golf Hall of Famer Ben Crenshaw is 65. Singer Robert Earl Keen is 61. Musician Vicki Peterson (The Bangles) is 59. Actress Kim Coles is 55. Actor Jason Connery is 54. Former child actress Dawn Lyn (TV: “My Three Sons”) is 54. Contemporary Christian musician Jim Bryson (MercyMe) is 49. Rock musician Tom Dumont (No Doubt) is 49. Movie director Malcolm D. Lee is 47. Singer Mary J. Blige is 46. Actress Amanda Peet is 45. Actress Aja Naomi King is 32. Actress Kristolyn Lloyd is 32.

Reality TV star Jason Wahler is 30.

Pop singer Cody Simpson is 20.

Thought for Today: “Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson, American essayist, poet and philosopher (1803-1882).

CONTACT US University Medical CenterBrackenridge, according to an Austin police statement.

Anam was taken into custody at the Barton Creek Square shopping mall around midday Sunday, where private security officers had detained him on suspicion of shoplifting and carrying a controlled substance.

Interim police Chief Brian Manley said Anam was handcuffed and placed in the back seat of a patrol car for the ride to police headquarters down-

town. En route, Anam managed to reach his manacled hands round his right side, grabbed a handgun hidden in a rear waistband, and pointed the weapon at his own head with threats to shoot himself, Manley said.

The officer at the wheel, who was not identified, stopped the car, got out and ordered Anam to drop the gun. Back and forth the threats and demands went for six minutes until Anam shot himself, Manley said.

— Compiled from AP reports

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 |

STATE

Entrepreneur center to open in Dallas

Texas man set to die in double slaying over fake drug deal

By Michael Graczyk A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HUNTSVILLE — A Fort Worth jury sent Christopher Wilkins to death row for killing two men after he explained how he shot his victims over a $20 phony drug deal and that he didn’t care if he was sentenced to death.

“Look, it is no big deal,” Wilkins calmly said from the witness stand at his 2008 trial.

On Wednesday, more than 11 years after the killings, the 48-year-old Wilkins is scheduled to die by lethal injection, pending the outcome of an appeal in the U.S. Supreme Court. If the execution goes ahead, it will be the nation’s first this year.

In 2005, after serving time in prison for gun possession, Wilkins drove a stolen truck to Fort Worth, where police tied him to several aggravated assaults and burglaries.

There he befriended two men, 40-year-old Willie Freeman and 33-year-old Mike Silva, who duped him into paying $20 for a piece of gravel he thought was a rock of crack cocaine. According to court records, Wilkins said he shot Freeman on Oct. 28, 2005, for laughing about the scam, then he shot Silva because he was there.

Their bodies were found in a ditch. Wilkins’ fingerprints were found in Silva’s wrecked SUV and a pentagram matching one of Wilkins’ numerous

A3

tattoos had been carved into the hood.

“When I get wound up, I have a fuse that is short,” Wilkins testified.

“I don’t think about what I am doing.”

He also admitted that a day earlier he had shot and killed another man, Gilbert Vallejo, 47, outside a Fort Worth bar in a dispute over a pay phone, and about a week later he used a stolen car to try to run down two people because he believed one of them had taken his sunglasses.

“I know they are bad decisions,” Wilkins said of his actions. “I make them anyway.”

Kevin Rousseau, a Tarrant County assistant district attorney, described Wilkins as “a professional criminal.

Very violent. He used violence as a means of achieve his means on a routine basis.”

Wilkins’ attorneys have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to halt the execution, saying he had poor legal help at trial and during other appeals, and that the courts should have authorized money to his current lawyer to support other appeals and a clemency petition.

“He has never had a meaningful opportunity at any stage to develop that claim, to have any court address it on the merits, or even to have it considered as part of a petition for executive clemency,” attorney Seth Waxman, told the justices in his appeal.

By Melissa Repko THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

DALLAS — In his southern Dallas neighborhood, George Battle III can hear the subtle hum of business, despite the vacant lots and shuttered shops. He knows a woman who makes flower arrangements in her home, caterers who cook in church kitchens, and a man who does carpentry and plumbing work.

“It’s almost like they’re below grass-roots,” he said.

The Dallas Morning News reports those hidden entrepreneurs will soon get their own kind of storefront: an entrepreneur center at the corner of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. boulevards.

The Fair Park District Entrepreneur Center, or the District for short, will be funded by the United Methodist Church’s North Texas Conference as part of the Zip Code Connection, an initiative to spark economic growth in areas with generational poverty.

The center is expected to open in March or April.

The new entrepreneur center will be across town from most of Dallas’ startup hubs and co-working spaces. Its surroundings — an empty plot of land, a boarded-up convenience store and panhandlers — reflect the struggles of the Fair Park neighborhood.

Instead of hosting startups with the latest app or gadget, it will focus on entrepreneurship that creates jobs and meets neighborhood needs, said Battle, the director of Zip Code Connection for South Dallas Fair Park.

Battle would like to see locals start businesses like a copy shop, an internet cafe, a company that paves driveways and parking lots, bakeries and produce

Rex C. Curry / The Dallas Morning News

Jay Scroggins, left, and Rev. George Battle III plan to open the Fair Park District Entrepreneur Center.

stores.

“The sky’s the limit for any entrepreneur in Dallas Fair Park,” he said.

“You name it, there will be a need. There will be a market for it.”

In Fair Park, the economic obstacles go beyond the vacant lots. Its ZIP code, 75215, represents the poorest urban area in Dallas County, according to U.S. Census data. More than half of households fall below the federal poverty line with incomes under $23,550 for a family of four. About 30 percent of adults over age 25 don’t have a high school diploma. Some don’t have cars and must get a job they can reach by walking or taking public transportation. Others have a criminal history that bars them from some jobs.

Many of the approximately 15,000 local residents juggle two or three minimum-wage jobs or rely on day labor or contract work to pay the rent, said Jay Scroggins, executive director of the public improvement district in Southern Dallas Fair Park.

Mayor Mike Rawlings has pushed for revitalization of southern Dallas through his GrowSouth initiative. He’s advocated for privatizing and overhauling the Fair Park grounds. In the future, he said, he’d like to see the

entrepreneur center move into a rehabbed building there. City Council member Tiffinni Young, who represents the area, said the entrepreneur center can create organic growth.

It can connect residents to advice and resources that turn their skills into business ventures.

“I want to make sure every chance possible, I’m pushing hope to the constituents I represent,” she said. “This is another avenue to push that hope.”

The entrepreneur center will open in a onestory former dry cleaner that has boarded-up windows, fire damage and a colorful mural on the side of the building with “Believe” painted in capital letters.

Starting later this month, the building will undergo a $250,000 to $300,000 renovation for electrical work and plumbing. It will get office space, whiteboards, a coffee bar, a stage for events and a rooftop patio with umbrella tables.

Like other co-working spaces, entrepreneurs will be able to rent desks or cubicles. They can also attend events or meet with a mentor.

The center will have a three-person staff and volunteer mentors who guide entrepreneurs through the steps of starting a business, Battle said.

The District will be part of a growing network of entrepreneur centers affiliated with the Dallas Entrepreneur Center. It will be a franchise of the nonprofit organization.

The DEC has satellite locations in Addison and Denton and a franchise in San Antonio. Later this year, it plans to open three more satellite locations in southern Dallas at Red Bird Mall, Paul Quinn College and University of North Texas at Dallas.

Doric Earle, an economic development consultant for the project, will serve as the liaison between the DEC and the District.

The District could give a boost to mom-and-pop businesses that already operate in Fair Park, like Pinson & Cole’s Gourmet Pickles. Stephanie PinsonCole, a 63-year-old grandmother who lives in Fair Park, learned how to pickle from her grandparents, who pickled okra, carrots and onions.

Pinson & Cole Gourmet Pickles has 18 flavors of pickles, from exotic ones like sour apple and cheesecake to a spicy pickle called the Gosh Darn. Pinson-Cole sells the jars at food festivals.

She hit her record of about $12,000 in pickle sales in 2016. At last year’s Taste of Dallas, her cheesecake pickles sold out. Her pickles are now part of gift baskets for guests at the Hampton Inn in Addison.

If the pickle business keeps growing, she may quit her day job as a school bus driver. She has her eye on a storefront where she could warehouse her pickles and sell them with sandwiches and wings. The empty building is a short walk from the Fair Park grounds. It needs a bit of love, she said, but it would be the perfect place to call her own.

Zopinion

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

A4 | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

EDITORIAL

OTHER VIEWS

Republicans risk chaos if they repeal Obamacare before they replace it CH ICAGO T RIBUNE

Republicans are gearing up to repeal Obamacare — what House Speaker Paul Ryan calls “the first order of business” for the new Congress and the Trump administration.

House and Senate committees will be under intense deadline pressure to write legislation before the end of the month that would undercut major pillars of Obamacare as part of a budget bill. Yes, the GOP is in a hurry to rid the nation of Obamacare.

But remember the second half of the Republican mantra — “replace.” Where is the detailed GOP plan to help millions of Americans who have coverage now under Obamacare?

Where is the plan that is locked and loaded for legislative passage, the one a President Trump will sign? Where is the proposal that discourages insurers from bolting the individual market, leaving more people unable to find affordable health coverage?

Nowhere in sight.

Sure, Ryan said Thursday that lawmakers would advance legislation to replace Obamacare this year. And yes, there are reams of proposals and blueprints.

One of them, part of Ryan’s “A Better Way” agenda, is impressive.

Former Rep. Tom Price, nominated to be Health and Human Services secretary, has an “Empowering Patients First” plan. The House Republican Study Committee recently unveiled another Obamacare alternative.

There are good ideas in these proposals to make insurance more affordable and expand access for Americans.

But so far Republicans haven’t coalesced around a comprehensive plan, nor persuaded any Democrats to join them in what should be a bipartisan effort.

But Republicans in a rush to jettison the law without first spelling out a superior alternative invite market chaos — and a political backlash.

If millions of Americans lose coverage, whether by GOP inaction or action, guess who takes the blame? That’s why Vice-President-elect Mike Pence says an Obamacare replacement must be done “in a way that doesn’t work a hardship on American fami-

lies who have gained insurance through this program (and) doesn’t work a hardship on our economy.”

About the economy: The nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget warns that repealing Obamacare could cost up to $350 billion through 2027. That’s not chump change. All the more reason to carefully create a more flexible and frugal plan that delivers better coverage before scuttling the old law.

Congress is likely to delay the ultimate elimination of Obamacare for at least a couple of years.

But insurers work months ahead to craft plans and set prices.

Patients with complex conditions need certainty about their coverage.

Obamacare has deep tentacles in many states’ laws as well.

Congressional Republicans can’t shrug and say to Americans, just wait, give us a few years, we’ll have a great new plan. These lawmakers have had years to hone a replacement that can muster White House and congressional support. If they can’t agree now, why would anyone believe they’ll agree a year or two from now?

The longer Republicans debate, the greater the chances that Obamacare hobbles along. Anyone remember how the “doc fix” — a federally imposed cut in doctors’ Medicare fees — kept getting postponed year after year because Congress couldn’t reach a resolution? The same could happen with Obamacare.

Democratic leaders rammed Obamacare through Congress without a single Republican vote. Then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously (and foolishly) told members they’d have to vote for the bill before they could learn what was in it. That’s called hubris.

Republicans can learn from that debacle or repeat it. The GOP can create a bipartisan health care bill that improves on Obamacare’s key reforms and promises. It can give patients, doctors, insurers and yes, lawmakers, time to evaluate it.

Millions of Americans have coverage now that they won’t — and shouldn’t — gladly surrender. Republicans, you promised something better, more affordable.

Now deliver.

EDITORIAL

The definition of the term ‘hate crime’ PITT SBURGH P O ST-GAZETTE

The decision to charge four young adult African-Americans in Chicago with hate crimes and other felonies for the abduction and torture of an 18-year-old white student with special needs was the correct one.

The case is especially notorious because of the depravity of the crime and the brazenness of the perpetrators. The victim was cut on the scalp, burned with cigarettes and beaten repeatedly while gagged and bound. They also heckled the victim with antiwhite racial epithets and

denunciations of President-elect Donald Trump.

The images of the beating show a clearly terrified man who will be feeling the mental effects of the trauma for years to come. He was reportedly beaten for hours by the merciless quartet in a residential apartment building.

The assailants broadcast 30 minutes of the torture sessions on Facebook Live. In doing so, the four sadists lost the advantage of anonymity that criminals usually strive to maintain. Getting caught means losing not only their personal

freedom but also access to the social media that made them feel fulfilled.

Today Jordan Hill, 18, Tesfaye Cooper, 18, Brittany Covington, 18, and Tanishia Covington, 24, are facing charges that could send them to prison for the next 30 years.

They’re young, but they’re also old enough to understand the implication of their actions and go to prison for it.

After all, they tortured an acquaintance and tried to generate fame from his humiliation and pain. Now they have more fame than they can ever deal with.

The fact that the four

COLUMN

Bannon vs. Trump It’s becoming clear that for the next few years U.S. foreign policy will be shaped by the struggle among Republican regulars, populist ethnonationalists and the forces of perpetual chaos unleashed by President-elect Donald Trump’s attention span.

The Republican regulars build their grand strategies upon the postWorld War II international order — the U.S.-led alliances, norms and organizations that bind democracies and preserve global peace. The regulars seek to preserve and extend this order, and see President Vladimir Putin of Russia as a wolf who tears away at it.

The populist ethnonationalists in the Trump White House do not believe in this order. Their critique — which is simultaneously moral, religious, economic, political and racial — is nicely summarized in the remarks Steve Bannon, the incoming senior counsel for Trump, made to a Vatican conference in

“

DAVID BROOKS

2014.

Once there was a collection of Judeo-Christian nation-states, Bannon argued, that practiced a humane form of biblical capitalism and fostered culturally coherent communities. But in the past few decades, the party of Davos — with its globalism, relativism, pluralism and diversity — has sapped away the moral foundations of this JudeoChristian way of life.

Humane capitalism has been replaced by the savage capitalism that brought us the financial crisis. National democracy has been replaced by a crony-capitalist network of global elites. Traditional virtue has been replaced by abortion and gay marriage. Sovereign nation-states are being replaced by hapless multilateral organizations like the EU.

Decadent and enervated, the West lies vulnerable in the face of a confident and convicted Islamofascism, which is the cosmic threat of our time.

In this view, Putin is a valuable ally precisely because he also seeks to replace the multiracial, multilingual global order with strong nation-states.

Putin ardently defends traditional values. He knows how to take the fight to radical Islam.

It’s actually interesting to read Trump’s ideologist, Bannon, next to Putin’s ideologist, Alexander Dugin. It’s like going back to the 20th century and reading two versions of Marxism.

One is American Christian and the other orthodox Russian, but both have grandiose, sweeping theories of world history, both believe we’re in an apocalyptic clash of civilizations, both seamlessly combine economic, moral and political analysis.

Both self-consciously see themselves as part of a loosely affiliated interna-

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perpetrators are AfricanAmerican doesn’t exempt them from hate crime charges. It shows that even racial minorities can be charged with hate crimes, especially when they make an issue of the victim’s race. Was the victim chosen solely because of his race or did the fact that he has developmental issues play into why he was kidnapped? Either way, it looks like a hate crime to everyone but the most cynical defense lawyer.

Fortunately, prosecutors in Chicago recognize a hate crime when they see one and have charged the four accordingly.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

tional populist movement, including the National Front in France, Nigel Farage in Britain and many others. Dugin wrote positively about Trump last winter, and Bannon referred to Dugin in his Vatican remarks.

“We must create strategic alliances to overthrow the present order of things,” Dugin has written, “of which the core could be described as human rights, anti-hierarchy and political correctness — everything that is the face of the Beast, the Antichrist.”

“We, the Judeo-Christian West, really have to look at what (Putin) is talking about as far as traditionalism goes,” Bannon said, “particularly the sense of where it supports the underpinnings of nationalism.”

In short, I suspect Steve Bannon is going to fail to corral the peripatetic brain of Trump. But he may have more influence on the next generation.

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 |

A5

ENTERTAINMENT

Fox News settled claims against O’Reilly A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — A former Fox News personality who accused Bill O’Reilly of sexual harassment was paid a sum in the high six figures by the network’s parent company in exchange for her silence and agreement not to sue, The New York Times reported Tuesday. The employee, Juliet Huddy, said O’Reilly, the network’s biggest star, pursued a sexual relationship with her in 2011. When she rebuffed O’Reilly’s advances, he tried to derail her career, the Times reported, citing a letter from her lawyers to Fox News it obtained.

The secret agreement was reportedly struck between Huddy and network parent 21st Century Fox in September, weeks after Roger Ailes was ousted as network chairman amid a sexual harassment scandal.

Debbie Reynolds’ death certificate confirms stroke

By Christopher Weber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

LOS ANGELES — Debbie Reynolds died of a stroke and her daughter Carrie Fisher died of cardiac arrest, according to their death certificates.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health issued Reynolds’ death certificate in the name of Mary Frances Reynolds. It was obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press.

Under “cause of death” it says “intracerebral hemorrhage,” a type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain rather than the more common type caused by a clot. The certificate lists high blood pressure as an underlying cause.

Reynolds died at 84 on Dec. 28 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the certificate says.

Fisher’s death certificate, obtained Monday, lists the cause of death as “cardiac arrest/deferred.”

The “deferred” designation indicates that more investigation is needed by the coroner.

‘La La Land,’ ‘Moonlight’ among PGA nominees ASSOCIATED PRE SS

NEW YORK — Oscar favorites “La La Land,” “Moonlight” and “Manchester by the Sea” were nominated by the Producers Guild of America for its top award on Tuesday.

But the snarky, expletivespewing superhero of “Deadpool” continued his unlikely awards season campaign.

The guild’s 10 nominees for its best picture honor, the Darryl F. Zanuck Award, also included “Arrival,” “Fences,”

“Hacksaw Ridge,” “Hell or High Water,” “Hidden Figures” and “Lion.” It was a largely expected bunch plus the surprising inclusion of “Deadpool.”

But the R-rated “XMen” spinoff has now run up a slew of nominations, proving the industry has considerable admiration for the comic-book hit. It last week landed a nomination for best adapted screenplay the Writers Guild, and it was twice nominated by the Golden Globes.

PGA nominees have

Dale Robinette / AP

This image released by Lionsgate shows Ryan Gosling, right, and Emma Stone in a scene from, “La La Land.”

historically been a good predictor for which films will receive Academy Award nominations for best picture. And for seven consecutive years up to last year, the PGA’s top prize matched (in one case with a tie) the academy’s top honor. Last year,

however, the PGA chose “The Big Short,” while “Spotlight” won the Oscar. The Producers’ Guild uses the same preferential balloting system that the Academy of Motion Pictures employs.

The producers also nominated five films for

best animated movie: “Finding Dory,” “Kubo and the Two Strings,” “Moana,” “The Secret Life of Pets” and “Zootopia.”

Winner will be announced in a Jan. 28 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt reach agreement

By Anthony McCartney ASSOCIATED PRE SS

LOS ANGELES — Angelina Jolie Pitt and Brad Pitt have reached an agreement to handle their divorce in a private forum and will work together to reunify their family, the actors announced in a joint statement Monday.

Their statement released Monday night to The Associated Press said that they will keep future details of their divorce confidential by using a private judge.

“The parties and their counsel have signed agreements to preserve the privacy rights of their children and family by keeping all court docu-

Robyn Beck / Getty file

This file photo taken on March 2, 2014 shows actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie on the red carpet.

ments confidential and engaging a private judge to make any necessary legal decisions and to facilitate the expeditious resolution of any remaining issues,” their statement read. “The parents are committed to act as a

united front to effectuate recovery and reunification.”

The statement is the first joint comment from the actors on their divorce since Jolie Pitt filed to end their marriage in September. At the time, one of her

attorneys stated the petition was filed “for the health of the family.”

Authorities investigated allegations that Pitt was abusive toward his 15year-old son on a private flight, but sources familiar with the cases said the actor was cleared of any wrongdoing.

Private judges are often used in high-profile divorce cases, keeping many details of a breakup out of the public eye while a final judgment is negotiated.

Custody of their six children has been the primary issue in the divorce, with Jolie Pitt initially seeking sole physical custody. California law favors joint custody in divorce cases, although final arrangements are

often agreed to by parents and formalized in a written agreement.

Pitt and Jolie were married for two years and together for 12 years after becoming close while filming 2005’s “Mr. & Mrs. Smith.”

Their divorce, and every filing in it, has attracted international attention. Last month, Pitt sought to seal custody records in the case, and a hearing had been scheduled for next week on the issue.

Both actors have kept a relatively low profile since their breakup was announced, although Pitt made an appearance onstage at Sunday’s Golden Globes to spirited applause.

Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE JUNTA DE EDUCACIÓN COMPENSATORIA Junta de padres del 19 de enero de 12:45 p.m. a 2:00 p.m. en la escuela primaria Zapata North.

COMITÉ ASESOR DE PADRES DE EDUCACIÓN ESPECIAL Junta del comité el jueves 12 de enero de 10 a.m. a 11 a.m. en el salón de juntas de administración.

PAGO DE IMPUESTOS A partir del 7 de diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St. CONFERENCIA La Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander invita a la conferencia impartida por Mauricio Javier González, quien tiene raíces en San Ygnacio. Él es el autor del libro “Un Encuentro con el pasado en San Ygnacio, Texas”, entre otros libros. El evento se llevará a cabo el sábado 14 de enero a las 2 p.m. en el salón del Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata, ubicado en 805 N US-Hwy 83. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983

‘GASOLINAZO’ EN LA FRONTERA

Mantienen abiertas gasolineras Dueños habían anunciado cierre de 57 estaciones E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

NUEVO LAREDO, México — Tras negociaciones del Gobierno del estado de Tamaulipas y el Gobierno municipal de Nuevo Laredo se logró evitar el cierre de 57 gasolineras, que haya abasto del combustible y se ofrezca a la población el litro a 13,26 pesos, anunció el alcalde de Nuevo Laredo, Enrique Rivas.

Los resultados satisfactorios de las negociaciones los dio a conocer en una rueda de prensa a la que asistieron el presidente de la Asociación de gasolineros de Nuevo Laredo, José Luis Palos, el Secretario del Ayuntamiento, Raúl Cárdenas Thomae y el Presidente municipal suplente, Rafael Pedraza Domínguez.

Destacó el alcalde que

Rafael Pedraza Domínguez y Luis Lauro García Treviño estuvieron como representante del Gobierno Municipal en la reunión celebrada en la ciudad de México con funcionarios de Pemex, de la Secretaría de Hacienda, diputados federales y otras autoridades.

La semana pasada los dueños de gasolineras en Nuevo Laredo anunciaron que a partir del lunes 9 de enero cerrarían cerca de 57 estaciones de servicio ya que no contaban con los recursos económicos para comprar la gasolina a precio más alto y venderla al público a 13,26 pesos por litro.

Rivas encabezó una serie de gestiones junto con el Gobernador Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca y éstas dieron resultados positivos al

llegar a un acuerdo que no afectará a los comerciantes del ramo y mucho menos a los consumidores.

“Como siempre estuve haciendo mi pronunciamiento, también de manera muy clara de que íbamos a agotar todos los medios del diálogo, del consenso, del concilio para poder encontrar la solución que hoy anuncio pero necesitamos que esté plasmado vía oficial con una modificación en esta reforma”, comentó Rivas.

El munícipe anunció que la siguiente semana habrá dos reuniones con la Secretaría de Hacienda y Crédito Público (SHCP) en donde se definirá si el subsidio para los propietarios de gasolineras será permanente o cómo establecer un sistema similar a la

homologación en el precio de gasolina con Estados Unidos.

“Esto ha sido evitado, se consiguió algunos instrumentos financieros que también hay que decirlo con la misma claridad no es la solución completa, simple y sencillamente esto nos garantiza sostener las gasolineras abiertas, que no haya perjuicio en cuestión financiera fiscal tributaria para los empresarios, pero lo más importante que el precio de la gasolina estará con 13,26 pesos”, reiteró el alcalde de Nuevo Laredo.

Video El martes 3 de enero, Palos Morales compartió en su perfil de Facebook un video en donde avisaba a la población de Nuevo Laredo que debía prepararse para la esca-

CONDADO DE WEBB

RENOVARÁN LIFE DOWNS

BOYS & GIRLS CLUB La organización Boys & Girls Club invita a su evento Clays for Kids Skeet Shoot & Cook-Off en su décima edición, que se celebrará el sábado 28 de enero.

Para registrarse o para mayores informes llame a Mark Alvarenga al (956) 337-5751.

LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza, a un lado del City Hall.

Informes en el 956849-1411.

MUSEO EN ZAPATA A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, se sugiere visitar el Museo del Condado de Zapata ubicado en 805 N US-Hwy 83. Opera de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m.

Existen visitas guiadas. Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983.

Foto por Danny Zaragoza | Tiempo de Zapata

Los jinetes de Brush Country Trail durante el "Rodeo para la cura” llevado a cabo en L.I.F.E. Grounds en octubre de 2015.

Propiedad se encuentra deteriorada Por Julia Wallace TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

El Condado de Webb se encuentra instigando un plan maestro para revitalizar los terrenos de LIFE. Comisionados en su junta del lunes dijeron que la propiedad está deteriorada y tiene el potencial para ser utilizada para mucho más que eventos ganaderos.

Seis firmas emitieron propuestas para realizar el plan maestro.

Funcionarios escogieron a Naismith Engineering, la cual ha realizado más de 150 planes maestros para terrenos de ferias alrededor del mundo.

“Realmente estás diseñando el terreno de feria para el futuro”, dijo John Michael, director del consejo de Naismith, en la junta de comisionados. “Algunas de estas instalaciones fueron con-

struidas hace 60, 70, e inclusive 80 años. Ahora están planeando para la siguiente generación. Hay mucha tecnología de por medio”.

“La clave está en que no diseñas un recinto para un evento por año. Diseñas un recinto que puedas comercializar los 365 días del año”.

El Juez del Condado de Webb Tano Tijerina mencionó algunas ideas de eventos para la propiedad como motocross, voleibol de playa y rallies de monster truck.

“Tenemos que quitarnos los lentes de vaqueros”, él dijo.

LIFE lleva 56 años de un contrato de arrendamiento de 100 años con el condado, de acuerdo con el presidente de LIFE Roy Lanier. El Comisionado John Galo dijo que el condado no tiene acceso a LIFE, aunque sean propietarios de la tierra.

“Esperamos poder negociar con

ellos”, dijo Galo. “Se encuentra en condiciones, deplorables y horrendas”.

Lanier dijo que no estaba enterado de que el Condado de Webb se encontrara trabajando en un plan maestro, pero que se encuentra abierto a mejorar la propiedad.

“El condado nos había contactado hace un año sobre mejoras a LIFE, pero nunca nos dieron nada especifico”, él dijo. “En cuanto a mejorar LIFE, recibimos el trabajo con el condado siempre y cuando las mejoras sean para los estudiantes que participan en LIFE. Cualquier otra cosa, es secundaria para nosotros”.

El costo de realizar el plan maestro aún no se ha decidido y dependerá de lo que el condado está buscando con la investigación. Naismith también considerará otras propiedades aparte de LIFE.

Recuerdan un pasado turístico

Por Lilia Treviño Martínez TIEM P O DE ZAPATA

Por su proximidad a la Presa, Guerrero tiene

LOTERÍA DE TEXAS

Se lleva premio de 7,5 millones TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

GUERRERO AYER Y HOY

Nota del editor: Esta serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (19272016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal.

sez de combustible puesto que el lunes 9 de enero solo habría seis o siete gasolineras abiertas en Nuevo Laredo.

“Los gasolineros ya no tienen dinero para soportar el subsidio y algunos ya están cerrando porque es imposible las dos opciones que tenemos”, dijo Palos Morales. Él indicó que el precio actual impuesto por PEMEX es de 16,03 pesos por litro de gasolina Magna y 17,80 por litro de gasolina Premium. “(El gobierno) nos da dos opciones puedes darlo a 13,26 pero PEMEX te la da la gasolina a 15,95. (Es decir que) cada gasolinero tendría que poner 3 pesos por litro y financiar el subsidio al gobierno. La otra es que vendamos a 16,03 cuando en Estados unidos está a 11 (pesos)”.

una clara vocación turística, como lo comprueba la gran cantidad de visitantes que acuden a vacacionar y que se instalan a orillas del agua. El parque deportivo Nuevo Amanecer ha dado albergue a miles de personas que se reúnen en las vacaciones de abril, con el consiguiente beneficio económico para este pueblo.

Además, las ruinas de

la Antigua Ciudad Guerrero constituyen una fuerte atracción turística para personas que se interesan en la cultura, para estudiosos de varios lugares y para diversos universitarios, especialmente estudiantes y maestros de las facultades de arquitectura de distintas universidades nacionales y extranjeras. Estas ruinas son preciadas construc-

ciones de tipo colonial cuya arquitectura despierta admiración y es digna de preservarse, pues constituye nuestro patrimonio históricocultural.

En cuanto al cambio demográfico, si bien cuantitativamente no ha sido muy notable pues las estadísticas no denotan aumento digno de consideración, podemos decir que cualitativamente sí se ha

efectuado, pues se han integrado numerosas familias procedentes de otros lugares del país.

Sentimos bienvenidos a todos los compatriotas que han venido con espíritu de trabajo y respeto a las leyes, pues con el producto de sus actividades y su participación en las tareas y campañas cívicas contribuyen a engrandecer a este pueblo que ya sentimos muy nuestro.

Un residente del Condado de Webb ganó 7,5 millones de dólares, premio otorgado por la Lotería de Texas en un boleto raspadito.

La Lotería de Texas dijo el lunes que Federick A. Garza, residente de El Cenizo, se llevó el premio jugando con el boleto raspadito “$7,500,000 Ultimate Cash”. Las probabilidades de ganar el premio mayor son 1 en 1,2 millones.

Por vender el boleto ganador, la tienda Timewise, localizada en 4420 S. Zapata Highway Suite 100 en Laredo, es elegible para un bono de 10.000 dólares.

Garza resultó ganador de uno de los tres premios valuados en 7,5 millones de dólares. El juego ofrece más de 142 millones de dólares en premios.

Las probabilidades de ganar cualquier premio en el juego son de una en 2,52.

El número telefónico de Garza no pudo ser localizado por LMT. Ganadores Anteriores La última vez que un laredense se convirtió en millonario de la noche a la mañana fue en julio de 2014, cuando un boleto ganador de 1 millón de dólares fue vendido en la Valero Corner Store 1015, localizada en 2215 South Zapata Highway.

El ganador jugó “Texas Two Step”, en el cual el jugador selecciona cuatro números más un número extra o pide que sean elegidos aleatoriamente por un sistema de computo.

En este caso, el ganador eligió los números, según funcionarios de la lotería.

En enero de 2013 un trabajador jubilado ganó 15 millones de dólares. El boleto ganador fue vendido en Arguindeque Pump-N-Shop.

Más tarde ese mismo año, en julio, otra persona ganó 19 millones de dólares. Esta vez, el boleto ganador fue vendido en la tienda de conveniencia Kwik Check, localizada en 7045 N. Interstate 35.

Ambos ganaron el premio mayor de Lotto Texas y ambas tiendas recibieron un bono por vender el boleto ganador.

La Comisión de la Lotería de Texas les otorgó un bono equivalente al 1 por ciento del premio total.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 |

A7

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Cowboys defensive leader Sean Lee finally gets his playoff shot Dallas hosts Green Bay on Sunday This time Dallas will be at home as the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and Lee will try to slow Aaron Rodgers, who has 19 touchdowns without an interception during a seven-game winning streak for Green Bay (11-6).

Lee never played in 2014 after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the first offseason practice. It was the third long-term injury for the former Penn State standout who slid to the second round in his draft because of another knee injury.

By the time that season ended, Lee had played in 46 games and been inactive because of injury in 36. But now he’s played in 29 of the past 32. It would be 30 if Lee hadn’t been held out of the regular-season finale at Philadelphia because the Cowboys had clinched the top seed.

“During a lot of in-

By Schuyler Dixon A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

FRISCO, Texas — Sean Lee’s first All-Pro season will end with the first trip to the playoffs for the oft-injured Dallas linebacker.

If that sounds like a breakout year, Cowboys tight end Jason Witten would argue otherwise.

“To me, it’s not like, oh, we’re seeing a different player than we’ve seen in the past,” Witten said. “I remember the first week, his rookie year, he was tough on scout team. He’s what you want your linebacker to look like.”

Lee missed Dallas’ only other trip to the postseason since he was drafted in 2010. That was two years ago, when the Cowboys beat Detroit in a wild-card game before losing at Green Bay in the divisional round.

The Cowboys (13-3) will meet the Packers in the same round Sunday.

Roger Steinman / Associated Press file

Dallas linebacker Sean Lee will make his playoff debut Sunday against the Packers.

juries I’ve had, I said, ‘Hey, I have this great opportunity ahead of me to play on this great team with these great teammates,”’ Lee said . “So that was really what motivated in times I was injured.”

Even though he knew he wasn’t playing against the Eagles, Lee kept his helmet on. And it wasn’t

so much because he longed to say he played all 16 games. His career list is likely to show another “15,” matching 2011 for the only other time he came close to playing a full season.

Instead, it was Lee doing what others say separates him from many players: obsessing on preparation .

“As soon as they played the Rocky theme song, I was like, ‘You’ve got to get me in this game,”’ Lee joked before explaining. “When I’ve had the injuries, the best thing I did was mentally I kept myself in it, situational. OK, I’m going to prepare like I’m playing this week.”

Lee set a career high in tackles each of the past three seasons he played, starting with 123 in 2013 before the knee injury, and 156 last season. After sitting against the Eagles, he settled for 173 and a team-high 12 tackles for loss this season.

The 30-year-old Lee was denied a second Pro Bowl bid, but not the All-Pro nod that carries more prestige.

“It’s good to see that recognition and the people kind of see it in the reflection because he has a lot of tackles,” Witten said. “That doesn’t define what Sean brings to this football team. I think it’s so much bigger than that.”

Dez Bryant’s famous catch that wasn’t is what most remember from the

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

CLOWNEY HELPS TEXANS TO DIVISIONAL ROUND Former top pick leads Houston ‘D’

By Kristie Rieken A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HOUSTON — After missing last year’s playoff game with an injury, Jadeveon Clowney turned Houston’s wild-card win over the Raiders into his NFL coming-out party.

Clowney’s first career interception underlined why he was drafted first overall in 2014.

The play itself was spectacular. The 6-foot-5, 270pound defensive end batted the ball with one hand before tipping it with the other and making the acrobatic grab .

But as impressive as it was, what it did for the team was even better.

The interception and a penalty the Raiders drew on the play left Houston at the 4-yard line, set up a touchdown on the next play that made it 10-0 in the first quarter, and helped the Texans cruise to the 27-14 victory.

“That interception that was a really instinctive play ... the back came at him. He understood what was coming at him,” coach Bill O’Brien said. “He saw the quarterback through the back. He basically backpedaled to get in the throwing lane, tipped the ball to himself. He did several things on that play to really change the game at that point.”

The Texans look to win a divisional game for the first time in franchise history on Saturday when they travel to New England. It certainly won’t be easy as the Patriots are 15 1/2 -point favorites,

Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle

Jadeveon Clowney and the Texans play at New England Saturday night in the postseason.

according to Pregame.com.

But Clowney isn’t daunted. In fact, he kind of likes it.

“That kind of boosts us up a little (like), OK we gonna show them,” he said. “One of the mentalities this week going into this game is we’re the underdogs, always been underdogs all season — let’s go out there and prove to them why we’re here in this second round now.”

Clowney had been felled by injuries in his first two seasons after Houston made him the top pick in the 2014 draft. He played just four games as a rookie before appearing in 14 games last season. While he played most of the games in the 2015 season, he was slowed by a variety of injuries and was angry when he had to sit out Houston’s wild-card game with a foot injury.

So when Clowney finally

got to play his first career playoff game on Saturday, he was determined to make an impact. He joined J.J. Watt as the only defensive linemen in franchise history to have an interception in the postseason.

“I was happy. I was very excited about what I (did),” he said. “Put us in great field position to score a touchdown. That was the best thing about it.

“And we won,” he said before flashing a huge smile.

The play was far from the first big moment of what has been his breakout season.

But it was the first time he’s made such a huge play in front of a national audience.

He was asked what it meant to shine in front of so many people after being criticized and characterized as a bust for a while.

“I didn’t care,” he said.

“Guys in the locker room (have) seen me doing it all season.”

Indeed, Clowney’s play this season has been a key to Houston’s defense remaining dominant despite the loss of Watt to season-ending back surgery after three games.

He had 16 tackles for losses, six sacks and 17 quarterback hits to help the Texans rank first in the regular season.

“He figured it out. I think he figured out how much he means to this team and he’s been rolling,” veteran nose tackle Vince Wilfork said. “A Pro Bowler this year, making plays like we always knew he could do.”

Clowney knows Houston’s defense will have to build on last week after its smothering performance against the Raiders propelled the Texans to their first playoff win since the 2012 season. He’s also fully aware that dealing with Tom Brady will be far different than facing thirdstring rookie Connor Cook last week.

“The guy is the most poised quarterback in the NFL,” Clowney said of Brady. “He (doesn’t) get rattled most of the time. He ... stays calm and that’s what makes him so good. He just stays calm back there. Even when you do get the pressure he steps up and makes the best pass.”

Clowney had two sacks in his only career game against Brady last season. He’s hoping that he and his teammates can do enough to slow down Brady on Saturday and help their offense — like they did against Oakland.

“You’ve got to get after him ... we’ve got to go in there and execute the game plan and force him into some bad throws, some turnovers and try to get him where we want him,” he said.

Cowboys’ 26-21 loss to the Packers two years ago. What most don’t remember is Rodgers’ offense keeping the ball for the final 4:06 after that play to preserve the win.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones certainly does, particularly because Lee was on the sideline — and on injured reserve.

“I remember watching Rodgers take it down the field against us two years ago and wishing we had Sean Lee out there,” Jones said. “And I knew he was sitting over there pretty healthy. Now, I don’t know if he was ready to defend Rodgers.

But it would have been probably good to have him in the game.”

This time Lee will be, after waiting seven seasons to experience the postseason.

“The anxiety level is low, but the excitement level is high,” Lee said.

“I’ve missed a lot of football. I’m blessed to be healthy. I’m excited to be on this team and have this opportunity.”

Witten and others are excited for him.

FIFA SOCCER

FIFA to expand World Cup to 48 teams in 2026

By Graham Dunbar ASSOCIATED PRE SS

ZURICH — FIFA will expand the World Cup to 48 teams, adding 16 extra nations to the 2026 tournament that is likely to be held in North America.

President Gianni Infantino’s favored plan — for 16 three-team groups with the top two advancing to a round of 32 — was unanimously approved Tuesday by the FIFA Council.

It meets Infantino’s election pledge of a bigger and more inclusive World Cup going beyond European and South American teams, which have won all 20 titles.

“We have to shape the football World Cup of the 21st century,” said Infantino, who also promised funding increases for FIFA’s 211 member federations at his election last February.

With 80 matches instead of 64, FIFA forecasts the equivalent of $1 billion extra income at current rates from broadcasting and sponsor deals, plus ticket sales, compared to $5.5 billion revenue forecast for the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

FIFA projects an increased profit of $640 million despite some extra operating costs and prize money for teams.

FIFA’s six continents should find out by May how many extra places they will each get.

“No guarantees have been made,” Infantino said. “The only sure thing is that obviously with 48 teams everyone will have a bit more than they have today.”

UEFA wants 16 European teams at the tournament, which is strongly favored to be played in North America. The CONCACAF region has not hosted the World Cup since the 1994 tournament in the United States.

American, Canadian and Mexican soccer leaders have had informal talks about a co-hosting bid.

FIFA members are scheduled to pick the host in May 2020, though there could be little competition in a process Infantino said must be “bullet-proof” to meet all integrity rules.

Africa and Asia could be winners in a bigger World Cup with up to nine places each. They had only five and four teams, respectively, at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

A8 | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL

Sessions says he’d defy Dylann Roof sentenced to death for killing 9 black Trump as attorney church members general if needed

By Eric Tucker and Mary Clare Jalonick A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions fervently rejected “damnably false” accusations of past racist comments Tuesday as he challenged Democratic concerns about the civil rights commitment he would bring as Donald Trump’s attorney general.

He vowed at his confirmation hearing to stay independent from the White House and stand up to Trump when necessary.

Sessions laid out a sharply conservative vision for the Justice Department he would oversee, pledging to crack down on illegal immigration, gun violence and the “scourge of radical Islamic terrorism” and to keep open the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.

But he also distanced himself from some of Trump’s public pronouncements.

He said waterboarding, a now-banned harsh interrogation technique that Trump has at times expressed support for, was “absolutely improper and illegal.”

Though he said he would prosecute immigrants who repeatedly enter the country illegally and criticized as constitutionally “questionable” an executive action by President Barack Obama that shielded certain immigrants from deportation, he said he did “not support the idea that Muslims, as a religious group, should be denied admission to the United States.”

Matt McClain / Washington Post

Sessions is shown before his hearing Tuesday.

Trump earlier in his campaign called for a temporary total ban on Muslims entering his country but has more recently proposed “extreme vetting.”

Sessions asserted that he could confront Trump if needed, saying an attorney general must be prepared to resign if asked to do something “unlawful or unconstitutional.”

Nothing new came out of the hearing that seemed likely to threaten Sessions’ confirmation by the Republican Senate.

Yet as he outlined his priorities, his past — including a 1986 judicial nomination that failed amid allegations that he’d made racially charged comments — hovered over the proceedings. Protesters calling Sessions a racist repeatedly interrupted and were hustled out by Capitol police.

Sessions vigorously denied that he had ever called the NAACP “unAmerican.” He said he had never harbored racial animus, calling the allegations — which included that he had referred to a black attorney in his office as “boy” — part of a false caricature.

“It wasn’t accurate then,” Sessions said. “It isn’t accurate now.”

He said he “understands the history of civil rights and the horrendous impact that relentless and systemic discrimination and the denial of voting rights has had on our African-American brothers and sisters. I have witnessed it.”

“I know we need to do better. We can never go back,” Sessions said. “I am totally committed to maintaining the freedom and equality that this country has to provide to every citizen.”

Politics got its share of attention, too, with Sessions promising to recuse himself from any investigation there might be into Democrat Hillary Clinton, whom he had criticized during the presidential campaign.

Trump said during the campaign he would name a special prosecutor to look into Clinton’s use of a private email server, but he has since backed away.

The FBI and Justice Department declined to bring charges last year.

Sessions, known as one of the most staunchly conservative members of the Senate, smiled amiably as he began his presentation, taking time to introduce his grandchildren, joking about Alabama football and making self-deprecating remarks about his strong Southern accent.

He has solid support from the Senate’s Republican majority and from some Democrats in conservative-leaning states.

By Meg Kinnard and Jeffrey Collins ASSOCIATED PRE SS

CHARLESTON, S.C. — An unrepentant Dylann Roof was sentenced to death Tuesday for killing nine black church members during Bible study, the first person to face execution for federal hate crime convictions.

A jury deliberated his sentence for about three hours, capping a trial in which the white man did not fight for his life or show any remorse. He was his own attorney during sentencing and insisted that he wasn’t mentally ill, but he never asked for forgiveness or mercy, or explained the crime.

And he threw away one last chance to plead for his life on Tuesday, telling jurors: “I still feel like I had to do it.”

Every juror looked directly at Roof, 22, as he spoke for about five minutes. A few nodded as he reminded them that they said during jury selection they could fairly weigh the factors of his case.

Only one of them, he noted, had to disagree to spare his life.

“I have the right to ask you to give me a life sentence, but I’m not sure what good it would do anyway,” he said.

When the verdict was read, he stood stoic and showed no emotion. Several family members of victims wiped away quiet tears.

Roof told FBI agents when they arrested him after the June 17, 2015, slayings that he wanted the shootings to bring

Chuck Burton / AP file

In this June 18, 2015 file photo, Dylann Roof is escorted from the Cleveland County Courthouse.

back segregation or perhaps start a race war.

Instead, the slayings had a unifying effect, as South Carolina removed the Confederate flag from its Statehouse for the first time in more than 50 years and other states followed suit, taking down Confederate banners and monuments.

Roof had posed with the flag in photos.

Malcolm Graham, whose sister Cynthia Hurd was slain, said he thought the jury made the right decision.

“There is no room in America’s smallest jail cell for hatred, racism and discrimination,” he said from his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The journey for me and my family today has come to an end.”

Roof specifically picked out Emanuel AME Church, the South’s oldest black church, to carry out the cold, calculated slaughter, Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Richardson said.

The 12 people he targeted opened the door for a stranger with a smile, he said. Three people sur-

vived the attack.

“They welcomed a 13th person that night ... with a kind word, a Bible, a handout and a chair,” Richardson said during his closing argument. “He had come with a hateful heart and a Glock .45.”

The gunman sat with the Bible study group for about 45 minutes. During the final prayer — when everyone’s eyes were closed — he started firing.

He stood over some of the fallen victims, shooting them again as they lay on the floor, Richardson said.

The prosecutor reminded jurors about each one of the victims and the bloody scene that Roof left in the church’s lower level.

Nearly two dozen friends and relatives of the victims testified during the sentencing phase of the trial. They shared cherished memories and talked about a future without a mother, father, sister or brother. They shed tears, and their voices shook, but none of them said whether Roof should face the death penalty.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 |

A9

BUSINESS

Johnson & Johnson to reveal average drug price increases A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

Health care giant Johnson & Johnson plans next month to disclose price increases of its prescription drugs as the industry tries to calm the storm over soaring prices.

Experts say the company’s move will help its image more than patients initially, but it could push other drugmakers to tame future price increases and be more transparent. The company says it will divulge average list price increases and what middlemen pay for medicines.

Annual price tags over $100,000 for many new drugs for cancer and rare diseases, plus huge price hikes on old products with little competition, have left some patients unable to afford their medicines.

Staggering prices also have infuriated doctors and politicians, triggering multiple government probes. Now there are signs drugmakers are taking steps to avert U.S. price controls.

General Motors exudes optimism, raises outlook for 2017

By Tom Krisher ASSOCIATED PRE SS

DETROIT — Optimistic executives at General Motors say strong sales in two core markets, the U.S. and China, along with cost-cutting will power the company to higher profits in 2017.

CEO Mary Barra and President Dan Ammann told a Deutsche Bank auto industry conference in Detroit to expect pretax adjusted earnings per share of $6 to $6.50 this year, up 50 cents from guidance issued for 2016. GM also said 2016 earnings would be at the high end of its guidance of $5.50 to $6 per share. GM reports 2016 results next month.

Barra said revenue would be higher this year than last, with an improved pretax profit margin, which was 8 percent in the third quarter.

She also addressed the incoming Trump administration, which has criticized the auto industry and GM specifically for building cars in Mexico instead of in the U.S. with American workers. She said she plans to stress GM’s record as a job creator in the

Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

A General Motors Co. Cadillac Escala concept vehicle sits on display in Detroit, Michigan, on Tuesday.

U.S. when she speaks to Trump.

GM also said it will buy back another $5 billion in stock. GM shares were up 4 percent to $37.45 in afternoon trading after hitting a 52week high of $38.16 shortly after the outlook was issued.

The big driver of GM’s optimism continues to be North America, where the company makes the bulk of its profits. Ammann predicted continued strong sales, especially as it rolls out more new SUVs, which have been the sweet spot of the market. Sales of GM’s big SUVs, including the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon, rose by double-digits last year, according to Autodata. GM unveiled an updated version

of the smaller GMC Terrain at the Detroit auto show this week.

The company also expects more of the same from its joint venture with the Chinese government. Ammann said China is heading from a super-high-growth economy to a maturing one with growth slowing. But buyers are going for more expensive vehicles as the economy matures, he said.

“We see from a macroeconomic point of view pretty robust underpinnings for another good year, absent an external shock,” Ammann told reporters before the presentation.

GM also added $1 billion to its annual cost-savings target, raising it to $6.5 billion

through 2018. Already it has cut administrative, material, logistics and manufacturing costs by $4 billion per year from 2014 levels.

Barra gave a glimpse into GM’s strategy for dealing with President-elect Donald Trump, who has threatened the company with a tax for importing compact cars from a factory in Mexico. Barra said GM doesn’t plan to change where it makes vehicles and plans to emphasize to the Trump administration that complex production decisions were made years ago. She said the company already is helping to grow jobs and the economy in the U.S. “We look forward to having the conversation with the administration with the president-elect to make sure that they also understand the number of jobs we already produce,” said Barra, who is among a group of CEOs advising Trump on the economy. The company has invested over $11 billion in the US in the past two years to preserve or add jobs and employs more than 100,000 people in the country, she said.

Wells Fargo overhauls pay plan for bank branch employees

By Ken Sweet A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — Wells Fargo announced a complete restructuring Tuesday of how it pays tellers and other bank branch employees, with incentives now tied to how often customers use their accounts, as the company tries to right itself after a scandal over its aggressive sales practices.

The long-anticipated plan has been considered a high priority for CEO Tim Sloan and Mary Mack, the head of Wells Fargo’s community bank division — both of whom took those jobs after the scandal emerged. Wells Fargo had already announced in September that it was getting rid of the sales goals that led employees to open up to 2 million unauthorized accounts.

Wells Fargo’s 70,000plus front-line bank employees will no longer be given incentives for how

many new accounts they open or for meeting sales goals. They will instead receive part of their overall salary based on how the products they sell are used, with one component also based on independently measured customer service scores for their branch locations.

“Do they use the products they have with us?

Do they think of us as their primary bank? Are we growing customers who consider us their primary bank? These are the metrics we are now measuring,” Mack told The Associated Press.

Accounts that are used frequently, such as those where customers set up direct deposits or use debit cards often, will be a positive factor for an employee’s pay. Idle accounts will not, and an account won’t be a factor toward incentives until it’s been open three months.

“Our goal here was to create a pay plan that would restore trust with our customers, team

CX Matiash / AP file

Wells Fargo announced Tuesday it is completely restructuring how it pays tellers.

members and the public,” Mack said.

Wells Fargo employees will also receive more of their overall compensation as a base salary, rather than in one-time incentives and bonuses. A teller, the lowest-level position, will have about 95 percent of his or her total pay as a base. Annual performance raises can still have an effect, but those will be based more on how customers regard and use the branch. Customer surveys done by Gallup and mystery shop-

pers will also provide information on how employees perform and how customers view their local branches.

San Francisco-based Wells Fargo had also said earlier this month it was boosting its minimum wage for employees to a range of $13.50 - $17.00 an hour, depending on geography and experience.

Wells Fargo provided a summary of the plan to the AP. But compensation plans, particularly at large companies like Wells, can run hundreds of pages

long. Without all the details, it is tough to see whether the changes will make a significant impact, said Lisa Barrington, a consultant in organizational psychology and compensation issues who has worked with companies like UnitedHealthcare and American Express.

“By itself, this plan is not going to solve the problems at Wells,” said Barrington. “It can only be one piece of an overhaul of Wells’ corporate culture.”

Mack acknowledged the bank still has work to do to restore its image, saying the new compensation plan is “an answer, not the answer.”

“This is just one step to restore trust,” she said.

The bank was fined $185 million in September in an agreement with regulators who said bank employees opened the millions of customer accounts fraudulently in order to meet the targets that called for every customer have eight products with the bank.

Federal and local author-

ities alleged that Wells Fargo employees moved money between those accounts and even created fake email addresses to sign customers up for online banking — all without customer authorization.

When the allegations became public, Wells Fargo employees said the bank’s pay plan was partly to blame. Employees described a constant and compulsive pressure to sell, with managers checking on a daily — or even hourly — basis about whether they were meeting the targets. Quotas varied by branch size and other factors, but generally were so high that they could not be met without skirting the rules, employees at the time said.

The new pay plan tries to address that pressure from bosses by restructuring the salary and bonuses for branch managers as well. Managers will be measured on how well they develop their employees.

A10 | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL

Trump pushes GOP leaders for fast action on health care

By Erica Werner A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — President-elect Donald Trump pushed Congress on Tuesday to act swiftly to repeal President Barack Obama’s health care law and follow up with a replacement. Speaker Paul Ryan, after talking with Trump, announced that the House would aim to take both steps “concurrently.”

The push for speed and coordination came as growing numbers of Republicans expressed concerns about GOP leadership’s plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement in hand, potentially leaving the 20 million people who gained coverage under the law in limbo.

“We have to get to business. Obamacare has been a catastrophic event,” Trump said in an interview with The New York Times.

“Long to me would be weeks,” he added of the gap between repealing and replacing the law. “It won’t be repeal and then two years later go in with another plan.”

Yet that’s exactly the scenario that had been envisioned by GOP leaders who’ve described a transition period of months or years between repealing the enormously complex law and replacing it with something else.

Under the congressional timetable, procedural budget votes set for later this week in the House and Senate would put the repeal process in motion.

But the vote on repealing “Obamacare” wasn’t expected until mid-February at earliest; a full replacement hadn’t been expected until months or even years later.

Trump seemed confused about that schedule, telling the Times that the repeal should be “probably sometime next week,” and “the replace will be very quickly or simultaneously, very shortly thereafter.”

Despite his imprecision, Trump was clear that he put an imperative on speed for both repealing and replacing the law, a message certain to be received loud and clear by congressional Republicans, some of whom had been urging the president-elect to make his views on the matter better known.

And even before Trump’s comments Tuesday, the notion of a lengthy transition period was running into problems on Capitol Hill from Republicans anxious about waiting too long between repealing the health law and replacing it. House Republicans in particular, who face voters every two years, are eager to dispense with the matter before the 2018 midterm elections.

Facing growing demands for speed, Ryan addressed reporters Tuesday morning and described a new approach.

“It is our goal to bring it all together concurrently,” Ryan said. “We’re going to use every tool at our disposal, through legislation, through regulation, to bring replace

concurrent along with repeal, so that we can save people from this mess.”

That may be easier said than done. Under arcane budget rules in the Senate, Republicans will likely be able to use their slim majority to push through repeal legislation without Democratic votes.

But they would need Democrats’ help to write a replacement bill. Ryan indicated Tuesday Republicans would try to get around that obstacle by passing some elements of the replacement bill using fast-track Senate rules, too.

Yet although they agree on certain approaches like expanding the use of health savings accounts, Republicans are far from agreeing on a unified GOP solution that could take the place of the farreaching Affordable Care Act, frustrating some in the party.

“We’ve been at it now for six years and it’s time for us to produce a replacement plan and hopefully we’ll do that in the very near term,” said Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., who’s among a group of Republicans pushing for a delay in the repeal bill to allow time to write a replacement.

Despite all the divisions, the comments Tuesday from Trump and Ryan were being interpreted by some Republicans as evidence of unity. Ryan told House Republicans he’d spoken Monday to Trump, and immediately after Trump made his comments to the Times, several Ryan aides took to Twitter.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 |

A11

FROM THE COVER

Mexico says it will negotiate with Trump A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s new foreign relations secretary said Tuesday his country isn’t just willing to negotiate changes to the North American Free Trade Agreement, it wants to start talks as soon as possible.

Luis Videgaray said there’s “enormous uncertainty” following the U.S. election of Donald Trump as

president. Trump has pressured companies not to move jobs to Mexico, warned he would tax those who do, and has vowed to renegotiate NAFTA. Videgaray said in a Radio Formula interview that Trump’s actions have caused concern, adding “that is why this (negotiation) process is so important, to dispel this uncertainty.” He said talks should

GAS From page A1

start “as soon as possible.”

Mexico’s peso weakened further Tuesday, closing at an interbank rate of 21.73 to $1.

Videgaray said his government’s main concern would be “how to protect jobs in Mexico,” and said “there are a lot of reasons to think the negotiation would be favorable for Mexico.”

He said Mexico is willing to negotiate over Trump’s

plan to build a border wall.

But Videgaray said Mexico won’t pay for the wall, calling that “unacceptable.”

Mexican manufacturing sectors such as the auto industry have benefited greatly from NAFTA, which went into effect in 1994. But wages haven’t risen much and Mexican farmers complain about massive imports of U.S. grain and other farm products.

Suspect in attack on US official sent out of Mexico

By Christopher Sherman and Michael Balsamo A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

MEXICO CITY — The U.S. citizen arrested by Mexican authorities in connection with last week’s shooting of a U.S. consular official in Guadalajara has been sent out of Mexico, the federal Attorney General’s Office said late Monday.

Its statement did not reveal where the suspect was sent, saying only that he was repatriated in coordination with U.S. authorities and in accordance with Mexican law. It said Mexican authorities would continue their investigation into the incident.

The statement did not give the suspect’s name, but an official with the Attorney General’s Office earlier identified him as Zia Zafar, a U.S. citizen. The official agreed to discuss

LOTTERY From page A1 Garza’s phone number could not be located.

Previous winners The last Laredoan to become an overnight millionaire by lotto ticket occurred

LIFE From page A1 of these facilities were built 60, 70, even 80 years ago.

Now you’re planning for that next generation. There’s a lot of new technology going into it.

“The key is that you don’t design a facility today for just one once-a-year event.

You design a facility that you can market 365 days a year.”

CAPITOL From page A1 Driving those efforts are Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who campaigned for Trump and has scoffed at warnings from business groups of economic repercussions.

Companies, touring bands and sporting events boycotted North Carolina after GOP lawmakers last year passed a transgender bathroom law.

Straus appeared to take a veiled swipe at copycat efforts in Texas in his opening speech to the overwhelmingly Republican House.

“This state should invite economic activity, not turn it away,” Straus said.

His spokesman did not immediately respond to a question about whether the comment was about the bathroom measures.

Transgender rights will be far from the only fight in the Texas Capitol between now and June. A prolonged oil slump has left Texas short on cash for the next two-year budget — at a time when the state must fix a foster care system that a federal

The victim of the shooting survived the attack Friday. Neither Mexican nor U.S. officials released the victim’s name, but local media have identified him as Christopher Ashcraft. Ashcraft is listed on social networking sites as a consular officer in Guadalajara since 2016. Surveillance video of the attack shows a man with dark hair shoot into the official’s car ...

The official said the victim was recovering at a medical facility in Guadalajara and was in “stable condition” Monday.

Surveillance video of the attack shows a man with dark hair and sunglasses shoot into the official’s car as it exited an underground parking garage. The attacker then runs away.

After the attack, the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City urged citizens to limit their exposure in Guadalajara.

“They should also take care not to fall into predictable patterns for those movements that are essential,” the statement continued.

“They should vary the times and routes of their movements.”

On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry issued a statement thanking Mexico for the quick arrest.

the situation only if not quoted by name because the details had not been formally released.

The victim of the shooting survived the attack Friday. Neither Mexican nor U.S. officials released the victim’s name, but local media have identified him as Christopher Ashcraft.

Ashcraft is listed on social networking sites as a consular officer in Guadalajara since 2016.

An American official in the United States who had seen a written summary of the investigation said authorities were still trying to determine a motive for the shooting. The official said a preliminary investigation found the suspect had mental health issues. The U.S. official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about the investigation and agreed to speak to the AP only on condition of anonymity.

in July 2014 when a winning Texas lottery ticket worth $1 million was sold to a person at Valero Corner Store 1015, 2215 South Zapata Highway.

The winner submitted the winning numbers in the Texas Two Step, in which a player selects four numbers plus a bonus number, or requests that the computer

selects the numbers.

The winner chose the winning number, lottery officials said.

In January 2013 a retired worker won $15 million after buying a lottery ticket at Arguindegui Pump-N-Shop.

Later that year, in late July, another player won $19 million, this time buying the

winning ticket at a Kwik Check convenience store, 7045 N. Interstate 35.

Both won Lotto Texas jackpots. And both stores received a bonus for selling the tickets.

The Texas Lottery Commission gave them a bonus equivalent to 1 percent of the total winnings.

Webb County Judge Tano Tijerina tossed around event ideas for the property like motocross, beach volleyball and monster truck rallies.

“We’ve got to take our cowboy blinders off,” he said.

LIFE is 56 years into a 100-year property lease with the county, according to LIFE President Roy Lanier.

Commissioner John Galo said the county does not have access to LIFE, even though they own the land.

“We’re hoping to negotiate with them,” Galo said.

“It’s deplorable, horrendous conditions.”

Lanier said he was unaware that Webb County had a master plan in the works, but he is open to improving the property.

“The county had contacted us about a year ago about improvements to LIFE, but they never gave us any specifics,” he said. “As far as improving LIFE, we welcome the work with the

county as long as the improvements are for the students who participate in LIFE. Anything else, that’s secondary to us.”

The cost of conducting the master plan is not decided and will depend on what the county is looking for in the research. Naismith will also consider properties other than LIFE.

judge ruled unconstitutionally broken, and public school funding that the Texas Supreme Court says is only barely constitutional.

Texas is as much as $6 billion short of the money needed just to keep the status quo, according to budget experts and Republican state Rep. Drew Darby, who says spending cuts are now certain.

Texas has not been forced to make budget cuts since 2011, when a much bigger shortfall amid the Great Recession resulted in lawmakers cutting $5.4 billion from public schools.

Straus easily secures fifth house speaker term Republican Joe Straus will serve a record-tying fifth term as the powerful speaker of the Texas House of Representatives.

Straus faced no competition Tuesday and won a unanimous 150-0 vote.

It was a sharp departure from previous sessions, when far-right conservative groups who criticize Straus as a moderate backed longshot challengers against him.

Straus is popular among both Republicans and Democrats, who see him an even hand and not a provocative firebrand like other GOP leaders.

One legislator who tried to unseat Straus in 2013 even seconded his nomination this time.

Only former Democratic speakers Gib Lewis and Pete Laney have held the job as long as Straus.

Abbott urges unity Republican Gov. Greg Abbott opened Texas’ legislative session urging lawmakers to put aside their differences — but they aren’t likely to do so when things get busier.

Abbott told the Senate on Tuesday: “We may bring different political perspectives, but we unite under one Capitol dome.”

He struck a similar tone in a speech to the House.

Those words were conciliatory and the session opened that way. But over the next 140 days, tensions will surely rise.

A tighter-than-usual state budget and a potential policy showdown over a North Carolina-style transgender bathroom bill are already roiling some

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com

lawmakers.

And things are likely to get even testier in the face of promises by the Republican majority to cut taxes and fix a broken child welfare system.

Dukes sworn-in anew amid investigation A state representative who reneged on previous plans to resign amid a criminal investigation into misusing campaign funds reported to the Texas House for the opening day.

Austin Democratic Rep. Dawnna Dukes arrived on the floor Tuesday escorted by the House sergeant at arms after the pledge of allegiance and national anthem.

Dukes was sworn in for her 12th term moments later. The Texas Rangers are investigating accusations she misused her legislative staff and campaign funds.

Dukes announced in September that she was stepping down at the end of 2016, citing medical concerns.

That announcement came too late for her to be replaced on the ballot and she was re-elected in

Nuevo Laredo, attended the press conference.

“I want to be very clear. We are assuring we will have gas stations open on Monday, like I always said. Just like I always said that we would exhaust all resources to find the solution that I am announcing here today. However, we need to make it official with a modification to this reform,” said Rivas.

Rivas said there will be two meetings this week with the ministry of finance and public credit in which they would define the subsidy for gas station owners. It could either be a permanent subsidy or a similar system to the previous standardization of gas prices with that of the United States.

On Jan. 2, Palos published a video on Facebook saying local gas station owners would close their business Monday because they did not have the economic means to buy gas at 15.95 pesos and sell it to the public at 13.26 pesos per liter.

Mexico City Thousands of Mexicans marched in the capital Monday to complain about a gasoline price increase, demonstrating a day after police in Sonora state fought a pitched, three-hour battle to free a border rail crossing blocked by protesters.

Demonstrators have been protesting across Mexico against a 20 percent hike in gasoline prices that took effect on New Year’s Day, and the anger has occasionally erupted into violence, including several days of looting last week.

The Sonora state government said late Sunday that two police officers were injured and two protesters were arrested in the confrontation at the border rail crossing in Nogales.

Authorities said officers who tried to break up the blockade were attacked with rocks for about three hours and responded by “firing rubber bullets into the air.”

Video aired by local media showed officers firing shotguns — commonly used to launch bean bags or rubber projectiles — at rock-tossing demonstrators.

The government said 11 trainloads with about 1,000 cars of merchandise headed for the United States were backed up by the protest. It said the blockade had threatened to temporarily shut down Ford Motor Co.’s stamping and assembly plant in Hermosillo.

On Monday, President Enrique Pena Nieto brought together labor and business leaders to talk about softening the gas price hike’s blow to Mexican families. He said business leaders were committed to not allowing indiscriminate price increases passed off as due to gas prices.

Within hours of the meeting, several thousand people marched along Mexico City’s main boulevard calling for Pena Nieto’s resignation and burning him and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in effigy.

In the border state of Baja California, the state tourism department acknowledged Sunday that gas stations there had run out of gas due to protest blockades of a distribution terminal in previous days, but said that supplies had been re-established.

On Saturday, a lone protester drove his truck into a line of police guarding a fuel distribution terminal in Baja California.

Federal police said seven officers were injured in the incident in Rosarito, near the border city of Tijuana.

Protests have largely been peaceful, and the looting seen last week has largely subsided. Hundreds of businesses were ransacked and more than 1,500 people were detained during that unrest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

November. On Twitter, Dukes now says her constituents didn’t want her to resign.

Opening day prayer session urges lawmakers to remember Texas’ marginalized Elders representing various religious faiths prayed for lawmakers to remember society’s neediest as the Texas Legislature got back to work.

More than a dozen religious leaders held a prayer service on the Capitol steps. Behind them, the line of people waiting to enter the building grew on a windy but balmy Tuesday.

The faithful urged the Republican-controlled Legislature to, as Pastor Ronald Smith of Houston’s New Mount Calvary Baptist Church put it, “Remember the least, the last, the left out.”

The prolonged oil slump is squeezing the state budget, fueling fears of social service cuts.

The prayer service featured a Muslim call to prayer, the blowing of the Jewish shofar, or ram’s horn, Sikh, Buddhist and

Christian blessings and a prayer in Spanish and English.

On deck The House reconvenes at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and the Senate is in an hour later. The upper chamber is expected to vote on its rules, which affect how bills are debated and approved — though no major changes are anticipated. The House should discuss logistical and administrative matters, though it isn’t expected to tackle major policymaking, either. The Legislature is prohibited from passing most bills in the early going of the session, making the opening weeks traditionally slow.

Quote of the day “Kel, you ain’t no Hell’s Angel but you’re a heck of a friend to all of us,” — Sen. Kirk Watson, DAustin, to Republican colleague Kel Seliger of Amarillo. Seliger was elected President-Pro Tempore of the Texas Senate on Tuesday and endured gentle ribbing about his love of motorcycles.

A12 | Wednesday, January 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES