ZAPATA DROPS OPENER
SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15, 2014
FREE
LADY HAWKS LOSE FIRST GAME AT LAREDO UNITED, 1B
DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
CARLOS CASCOS
FEDERAL COURT
Abbott’s nominee
Zapata men, 7 others convicted
Valley man chosen as Texas’ new secretary of state By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Governor-elect Greg Abbott on Tuesday chose a Hispanic Republican as the first nominee of his nascent administration, naming a county judge from the Rio Grande Valley to be the new Texas secretary of state. Abbott spent his announcement at the Texas Capitol magnifying the credentials of Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos as well as where he plucked the state’s next chief election officer from. Abbott spent his campaign aggressively courting Hispanics, and immigration and border security are poised to be major is-
sues of his first year in office. The outgoing Texas attorney general made a point of mentioning that his first official trip since his landslide victory last week was to the Rio Grande Valley. “Judge Cascos will give the Rio Grande Valley a strong voice in Austin. He will also show the rest of Texas the outstanding leaders produced by the Rio Grande Valley,” Abbott said. The secretary of state’s office primarily oversees elections in Texas — an area where minority leaders in Texas have especially taken aim at Abbott as attorney gen-
See CASCOS PAGE 12A
Drug trafficking operation distributed pot, cocaine By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Brad Doherty/The Brownsville Herald | AP
Cameron County Judge Carlos Cascos smiles after Governor-elect Gregg Abbott announced him as the new Texas secretary of state in Brownsville on Tuesday. Cascos was re-elected county judge in the recent election.
PORT MANSFIELD
DEER POPULATION RISES
Photo by David Pike/Valley Morning Star | AP
Annie McKinney feed the deers in Port Mansfield in Dec. 2013. Poachers have killed a large buck and wounded at least three deer in recent months in this tiny fishing village where residents’ feeding of the animals has made them easy targets, officials said.
South Texans advised to take precaution By FERNANDO DEL VALLE VALLEY MORNING STAR
PORT MANSFIELD — Norm Lavelle loves the deer that he feeds — even the big buck that could have killed him. At his home, Lavelle feeds deer whose population has soared to about 450 in this fishing village of about 400 resi-
dents. But last January, he was standing about two feet from an 11-point buck when it suddenly gored him. “It was just nice, then it dropped his head and charged right into me,” Lavelle said. “I was horned and I was knocked down. If it wasn’t for a heavy jacket, I wouldn’t be here. Two months
earlier, I had my arm around him.” The Valley Morning Star reports Lavelle believes the buck may have been looking for a mate during rutting season, which runs from early November through late January, peaking around mid-December.
Nine men received stiff prison sentences this week in a Laredo federal court for their involvement in a drug trafficking conspiracy that, according to a ledger seized by law enforcement, had distributed about 12,500 kilograms of cocaine and had almost $42 million in drug proceeds. The men, including one described as the alleged FLORES JR. head of the trafficking cell, are among the last co-conspirators to be sentenced after their arrests in 2010, resulting from a long-term Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation. Prosecutors claimed they were part of FLORES SR. an elaborate money laundering and drug operation to distribute bulk quantities of marijuana and cocaine from Texas to Georgia. During the course of the investigation, dubbed Operation El Patrón, agents seized more than $7.5 million in drug proceeds and more than 450 kilograms of cocaine, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. According to authorities, the conspirators used commercial tractor-trailers to transport the narcotics. The drug ring would then have the drug proceeds shipped back to Laredo in the tractortrailers, where organizers would find ways to launder the money, chiefly via the purchase of real estate. The money was also transported “eventually into Mexico to further the drug trafficking activity of the organization,” prosecutors said. Elbert Figueroa, the alleged head of the drug enterprise, was arrested Sept. 1, 2010, along with 20 co-conspirators. The arrests were made during an operation organized by the Drug Enforcement Administration and Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Nabbed along with Figueroa were Laredoans Sergio Segovia and Jose Isabel Tobias, who were accused of being the organizers behind Figueroa’s drug trafficking cell. The two men were sentenced to nearly 34 years in federal prison in May and October 2012, respectively. From the time of the initial arrests and now, nearly all of the 21 co-conspirators in the case have been convicted and sentenced. Figueroa and the last five co-defendants in this case were sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo. Marmolejo ordered Eduardo Paul Del-
See DEER PAGE 12A See DRUGS PAGE 12A
SINALOA CARTEL
Kingpin broker arrested in San Antonio ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN ANTONIO — Authorities have arrested an alleged associate of a Mexican cartel kingpin’s sons after the suspect traveled to San Antonio with his wife for a vacation. The San Antonio Express-News reports that federal prosecutors have charged 37-year-old Jorge Torres of Guadalajara, Mexico, with money laundering conspiracy as part of a larger investigation in Chicago of the Sinaloa Cartel.
A federal judge on Thursday declined to grant bond to Torres, who is being held at a federal jail in downtown San Antonio. Authorities plan to transport him to Chicago to face the charge, which punishable by up to 20 years in prison. Torres was arrested after he and his wife arrived at the San Antonio International Airport on Oct. 28. Torres’ lawyer, Albert Flores, said they traveled to San Antonio to visit the Alamo, SeaWorld and other tourist sights. Authorities said Torres helped the
sons of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman obtain a twin-engine airplane used for transporting drugs. They said Torres made a series of wire transfers totaling $300,000 that helped Alfredo and Ivan Guzman acquire the plane from Ohio. Mexican authorities arrested Joaquin Guzman earlier this year in the resort city of Mazatlan. San Antonio-based DEA agent Patrick Curran testified that the case has been built in Chicago by wiretaps authorizing agents to intercept emails and
phone calls of cartel members or associates and from former high-ranking cartel members now cooperating with authorities. He said there was no direct contact between Torres and the Guzman brothers and that communication was filtered through an unidentified lieutenant. Flores said his client is not a member or an associate of the cartel. “At this time, I just believe the contacts with these alleged cartel members are minimal at best,” Flores said.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, NOV. 15
ASSOCIATED PRESS
LULAC Council 14’s 7th annual Football Tailgating Cook-off at the El Metro Park & Ride. Team cook-off competitions in the brisket, finger ribs and chicken divisions, with trophies and cash prizes awarded to winners of most divisions. Fee is $250 per team. There will also be food, arts and crafts and miscellaneous merchandise vendors. Entry fee is $1 for adults. Contact LULAC 14 at 956-286-9055.. Register for the 35th Guajolote 10K Race. Register at Hamilton Trophies (1320 Garden), Hamilton Jewelry (607 Flores), or on-line at www.raceit.com, Guajolote 10K Race. Call (956) 724-9990 or (956) 722-9463. Planetarium movies, 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center Planetarium. Claudia Herrera at claudian.herrera@tamiu.edu or tamiu.edu/planetarium. Low Cost Pet Vacines. From 10:30am to 3:45am. 517 Shiloh Dr. Ste 2 at Puppy Palace Etc. Contact Sandra Solis at sanpalsol@yahoo.com.
Today is Saturday, Nov. 15, the 319th day of 2014. There are 46 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 15, 1864, during the Civil War, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. William T. Sherman began their “March to the Sea” from Atlanta, with the goal of crippling the region’s military and economic resources; the campaign ended with the capture of Savannah on Dec. 21. On this date: In 1777, the Second Continental Congress approved the Articles of Confederation. In 1806, explorer Zebulon Pike sighted the mountaintop now known as Pikes (cq) Peak in present-day Colorado. In 1889, Brazil was proclaimed a republic as its emperor, Dom Pedro II, was overthrown. In 1942, the naval Battle of Guadalcanal ended during World War II with a decisive U.S. victory over Japanese forces. In 1959, four members of the Clutter family of Holcomb, Kansas, were found murdered in their home. (Ex-convicts Richard Hickock and Perry Smith were later convicted of the killings and hanged.) In 1974, the disaster movie “Earthquake” was released by Universal Pictures in “Sensurround,” which bombarded the audience with low-frequency sound waves during the quake scenes. In 1984, Stephanie Fae Beauclair, the infant publicly known as “Baby Fae” who had received a baboon’s heart to replace her own congenitally deformed one, died at Loma Linda University Medical Center in California three weeks after the transplant. Ten years ago: The White House announced that Secretary of State Colin Powell was leaving President George W. Bush’s Cabinet, along with Education Secretary Rod Paige, Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman and Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham. Five years ago: Kosovo’s first independent elections ended peacefully, with Prime Minister Hashim Thaci (HAH’-shihm THAH’-chee) claiming victory for his party. One year ago: Dressed in a black Batman costume, 5-yearold leukemia patient Miles Scott fulfilled his wish to be his favorite superhero, fighting villains and rescuing a damsel in distress in an elaborate fantasy staged by the city of San Francisco and arranged by the Make-a-Wish Foundation. (The event cost the city $105,000, but the tab was picked up by the John and Marcia Goldman Foundation.) Today’s Birthdays: Judge Joseph Wapner is 95. Comedian Jack Burns is 81. Actress Joanna Barnes is 80. Classical conductor Daniel Barenboim is 72. Pop singer Frida (ABBA) is 69. Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is 67. Actress Beverly D’Angelo is 63. News correspondent John Roberts is 58. Former “Jay Leno Show” bandleader Kevin Eubanks is 57. Comedian Judy Gold is 52. Country singer Jack Ingram is 44. Actor Jonny Lee Miller is 42. Rock singer-musician Chad Kroeger is 40. Golfer Lorena Ochoa is 33. Hip-hop artist B.o.B is 26. Actress Shailene Woodley is 23. Thought for Today: “My father used to say superior people never make long visits.” — Marianne Moore, American poet (1887-1972).
TUESDAY, NOV. 18 Planetarium movies, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Building. Claudia Herrera at clauda.herrera@tamiu.edu or tamiu.edu/ planetarium. Tennis for the blind. 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Hillside Rec Center. Contact Claudia Villarreal 740-5200.
WEDNESDAY, NOV. 19 Laredo Animal Protective Society’s first annual membership meeting. 5:30 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library multi purpose room. 1120 E. Calton Rd. Call 956-206-4229
THURSDAY, NOV. 20 Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society presents “The Origin of the Gonzalez Last Name” and American Indian Heritage Meeting. 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at St. John Neumann Catholic Church. Sanjuanita MartinezHunter at 722-3497. Pediatric Orthopedic Clinic by Dr. William Edwards from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 12220 N. Malinche. Norma Rangel at program.manager@laredo.twcbc.com.
Photo by LM Otero | AP
Josephus Weeks, left, nephew of Thomas Eric Duncan, and Mai Wureh, center, sister of Duncan, look on as attorney Les Weisbrod speaks during a news conference in Dallas on Wednesday. The hospital that treated Duncan, the only Ebola patient to die in the United States, will pay his relatives an undisclosed sum and create a charitable foundation in his name.
Ebola victim’s family settles By EMILY SCHMALL ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — The hospital that treated the only Ebola patient to die in the United States will pay his relatives an undisclosed sum and create a charitable foundation in his name, the family’s attorney said Wednesday. The agreement heads off a potential lawsuit from relatives of Thomas Eric Duncan, who died Oct. 8 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas. Duncan, from Liberia, was initially sent away from the hospital’s emergency room with antibiotics, something hospital administrators have acknowledged was a mistake. He would return to the hospital in an ambulance two days after his release and was quickly diagnosed with possible signs of Ebola, which has killed more than 5,000 people in West Africa.
Attorney Les Weisbrod declined to say how much the settlement was worth, but said it was a “very good deal” that would provide for Duncan’s parents and his four children. Weisbrod also said Presbyterian hospital was not charging Duncan’s family for his medical treatment. The foundation will assist efforts to fight Ebola in Africa, he said. Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas did not immediately confirm Weisbrod’s announcement but planned a news release later Wednesday. The hospital has apologized for releasing Duncan the first time, and after initially denying he had told them he was from West Africa, they acknowledged key caregivers missed his travel history in their record system.
FRIDAY, NOV. 21 USTA Adult Open Tournament. Three day event. Market Tennis Courts. Cecy Abboud at 724-7179.
MONDAY, NOV. 24 Monthly meeting of Laredo Parkinson’s Disease Support Group. 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, Tower B, First Floor Community Center. Patients, caregivers and family members invited. Free info pamphlets available in Spanish and English. Richard Renner (English) at 645-8649 or Juan Gonzalez (Spanish) at 237-0666. Planetarium movies at TAMIU. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center Planetarium. Claudia Herrera at claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu or tamiu.edu/planetarium.
SATURDAY, NOV. 22 Planetarium movies. 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center Planetarium. Claudia Herrera at claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu or www.tamiu.edu/planetarium.
Texas rancher’s dog hitches ride on ambulance
More than 3 dozen charged in drug ring
Scaffolding failure strands Houston window washer
MASON — A part-beagle named Buddy didn’t wait for an invitation to see his 85-year-old master at a Texas hospital. The dog hitched a ride on the outside of an ambulance transporting Mason County rancher J.R. Nicholson to Fredericksburg. The San Angelo StandardTimes reports a motorist flagged down the ambulance to say a dog was on a side step. Buddy was then put into the ambulance with the patient.
DALLAS — Investigators say more than three dozen people have been charged in a North Texas-based drug trafficking ring with ties to Oklahoma. Federal prosecutors on Friday announced the suspects face charges including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Authorities say 32 of the 37 suspects have been arrested. All allegedly have ties to various white supremacist groups.
HOUSTON — Firefighters in Houston say a window washer is unharmed after dangling more than 300 feet above the ground from a loose scaffold. The Houston Fire Department says the man was secured by another device and was able to climb to safety before first responders arrived. The scaffold was stationed around the 31st floor of the 34-floor building when it failed, leaving the man dangling for about 15 minutes.
2 Galveston teens killed in garbage truck wreck
Dallas-area teacher fired over racial tweets
GALVESTON — Galveston police say two high school students have died after their vehicle went out of control and collided with a garbage truck. The accident Friday morning killed a boy and a girl, both age 16. Police say Christopher Ragle and Gabriella Giles attended Galveston Ball High School.
DUNCANVILLE — A Dallasarea school board has fired a teacher who posted racially charged tweets about the killing of a black Missouri 18-year-old by a white police officer. The school district trustees on Friday voted unanimously to terminate the contract of Vinita Hegwood. — Compiled from AP reports
Dallas begins bicycle sharing program DALLAS — Dallas is ready to roll with a new bicycle sharing program at sprawling Fair Park. The rental project begins today at two locations in the 277acre park that’s home to the annual State Fair of Texas, plus museums and concert venues.
THURSDAY, NOV. 27 Register for the 35th Guajolote 10K Race. Register at Hamilton Trophies (1320 Garden), Hamilton Jewelry (607 Flores), or on-line at www.raceit.com, Guajolote 10K Race. Call 956724-9990 or 956-722-9463.
SATURDAY, DEC. 6 Trail clean up. 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. LCC Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center.
SUNDAY, DEC. 7 Pet Fest Laredo 2014. 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Laredo Civic Center. Woof@gopetfest.com.
TUESDAY, DEC. 9 Monthly Orthopaedic Clinic. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. 1220 N. Malinche.Contact Norma Rangel at program.manager@laredo.twcbc.com. Prior registration is required.
SUNDAY, DEC. 21 "Ring we now of Christmas” from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. First United Methodist Church 1220 McClelland. Linda Mott at lmott@stx.rr.com or the church office at 722-1674.
AROUND THE NATION Cat lovers flock to California’s cat cafe OAKLAND, Calif. — Cat lovers in Northern California are pouncing at the chance of spending time with feline company at a new cat cafe in Oakland. Cat Town Cafe gives visitors a chance to mingle with furry friends while sipping coffee. The cafe opened last month and was inspired by the cat cafe craze in Japan, where many people live in cramped high-rise apartments that don’t allow pets. Founder Ann Dunn says the cafe’s mission is to get the cats out of the shelter and into great homes. At least 10 cats have been adopted since the cafe opened on October 25.
Hawaii beach closed after reported shark attack WAILUKU, Hawaii — Officials say part of a beach in Hawaii has been closed after a snorkeler re-
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Managaing Editor, Nick Georgiou ............... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Eric Risberg | AP
In this photo taken Nov. 6, a cat sleeps on a rug as Donna Garrett, left, and Adam Myatt, right, check their email at the Cat Town Cafe in Oakland, Calif. The cafe has become America’s first permanent feline-friendly coffee shop. ported being bitten by a shark. The Department of Land and Natural Resources says the 50year-old Alaska man said he was attacked early Thursday afternoon. He reported that he was snorkeling off Airplane Beach area of West Maui when he
glimpsed a five-foot shark, felt a bump, and then immediate pain. He swam to shore and was taken to a hospital and treated for a leg laceration. There was no further word on the seriousness of the injury or his condition. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
State
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
‘El Gallo’ and others sentenced for drugs SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
McALLEN — A total of nine people have been ordered to federal prison for their roles in relation to a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of thousands of kilograms of marijuana and hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. U.S. District Judge Randy Crane sentenced the leader of that organization, Tomas Reyes Gonzalez aka “El Gallo,” 37, to a total of 120 months in federal prison. Reyes Gonzalez was convicted of conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute narcotics along with Eloy Gonzalez, 40, Hector Rodriguez Sr., 61, Federico Rodriguez, 27, Jamail Thomas, 34, and William Champion Gonzalez, 22, all of Weslaco. Reyes Gonzalez also
pleaded to one count of conspiring to launder money. Gonzalez, Rodriguez Sr., Rodriguez, Thomas, and Champion Gonzalez will serve respective sentences of 120, 57, 57, 70, and 40 months. Also sentenced today was Jose A. Padilla, 54, of Weslaco, a former deputy commander with the Hidalgo County Sheriff ’s Office who served under the leadership of former sheriff Guadalupe Treviño, aka Lupe Treviño. Padilla pleaded guilty to receiving a bribe and received a sentence of 38 months in prison. The 12th and final defendant charged in this case, Omar Fidencio Rojas, 33, of Weslaco, was convicted after a four-day jury trial in July 2014 of three counts of possession with intent to distribute marijuana and seven counts of money laundering. He was sentenced to 180 months for narcotics trafficking and 120
Wanted woman arrested By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A woman with an active warrant out of the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office was arrested in Laredo, according to reports. Laredo police officers arrested Amanda Lee Cavazos, 20, at about 1:45 a.m. Friday in the 300 block of Coke Street. She was served with a warrant for failure to appear in court in Zapata for two counts of assault of a public servant. An officer pulled over a CAVAZOS blue Dodge Neon on Coke. Police said there were two occupants inside the vehicle, one of those being Cavazos, said Investigator Joe E. Baeza, police spokesman. Officers noticed Cavazos was wanted in Zapata when they ran a check on her, according to police. Cavazos was then informed of her Miranda rights, booked at police headquarters and later taken the Webb County Jail. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
months for money laundering to run concurrently. He was also required to pay a $300,000 fine. The investigation revealed that from 2007 to 2013, Reyes Gonzalez headed a drug trafficking organization responsible for the distribution of thousands of kilograms of marijuana and hundreds of kilograms of cocaine. The narcotics were transported from the Rio Grande Valley to Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama and Georgia. Reyes Gonzalez used the resulting drug proceeds to purchase properties. At the time of his guilty plea, Padilla admitted he received cash from Reyes Gonzalez in exchange for providing information to him related to ongoing law enforcement activities. In a separate case, Treviño, 65, of McAllen, pleaded guilty to
conspiracy to commit money laundering. He admitted he received cash contributions for his election campaign through Padilla from Reyes Gonzalez, acknowledging he accepted the money knowing it was from illegal activities. He admitted he accepted the monies directly and through others as donations to assist with his 2012 election campaign. Some of the monies received were subsequently deposited into bank accounts Treviño controlled and were comingled with other funds. During and after the transactions, Treviño and others acted to disguise and conceal the nature, location, source, ownership and control of the currency by filing false Candidate/Officeholder Campaign Finance Reports and producing other documents. Treviño was sentenced July
Bike-A-Thon SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
St. Peter Church is holding its first annual Bike-AThon in Lopeño. The event will take place on Saturday, Nov. 22 at 8 a.m. There is a $5 entry fee, and riders can also be sponsored. All contributions will go toward the church. The race will begin on 3rd Street going north and end on 4th street behind St. Peter Church. There are four divisions for racers: 3-5 years old, 6-9 years old, 10-13 years old and 14-16 years old. There will be first, second and third place awards for each division. Riders can register until Nov. 19. For more information contact Lourdes Lopez at 956-245-0785.
day, Dec. 4. The parade lineup begins at 5 p.m. on Gleen Street and 17th Avenue behind Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. All entries must be in line no later than 5:30 p.m. The parade will start promptly at 6 p.m., proceeding on 17th Avenue and heading south on U.S. Hwy 83, then taking a left on 6th Avenue to end the parade. Trophies will be awarded to the top three decorated floats. Immediately following the parade will be the annual Christmas tree lighting ceremony at the County Plaza followed by gifts from Santa. For more information call Celia Balderas at 956-7654871 or email her at cbalderas@zapatachamber.com.
Christmas parade and Christmas Tree Forest lighting The Zapata Chamber of Commerce would like to invite all businesses, churches, clubs, schools, organizations and elected officials to participate in this year’s Christmas Parade on Thurs-
The Zapata County Museum of History is having a Christmas tree decorating contest on Sunday, Dec. 14 from 1 to 5 p.m at 805 N U.S. Hwy 83. For more information, call 956-765-8983.
17 to 60 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Micaela Alvarez. Treviño’s former chief of staff and campaign treasurer, Maria Patricia Medina, 40, pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony in yet another case, admitting she assisted Treviño in the concealment of the donations by falsifying election records. She was sentenced in late July to 11 months by Chief U.S. District Judge Ricardo Hinojosa. The overall investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Drug Enforcement Administration, Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation and Texas Department of Public Safety, Rangers Division. Assistant United States Attorneys James Sturgis and Anibal Alaniz prosecuted the case.
River pollution case settled ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Two of three businesses targeted by Harris County prosecutors in a lawsuit over polluting the San Jacinto River with poisonous paper-mill waste have agreed to pay $29 million to the county and state. The county on Thursday resolved its claims against McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corp. and Houstonbased Waste Management Inc., the Houston Chronicle reported. The last-minute deal was announced the day closing arguments were set to begin in the 4-week-old trial. Prosecutors have argued the businesses were responsible for the release of carcinogenic chemicals from three paper-mill disposal pits near the river between 1973 and 2008. A split jury on Thursday cleared Memphis-based International Paper Co. of any responsibility for the toxic pollution. The waste in the pits was produced by Champion Paper, which merged
with International Paper in 2000. The company used the chemicals at its now-closed mill to whiten paper. The Environmental Protection Agency says the compound is so toxic that there is no safe level of exposure. “This case isn’t about protecting the environment,” Winstol “Winn” Carter, a Houston attorney representing International Paper, told the jury. “It’s about penalties. They’re accusing us of something we didn’t do.” Prosecutors said the pollution prevented Harris County residents from using parts of the river for recreation or commercial fishing but didn’t show anyone got cancer because of the waste. “This is about a company that did not handle its obligations under the law, and it should pay a penalty,” said Earnest Wotring, an attorney representing Harris County. “If they don’t have to pay, companies will do nothing about their pollution problems.”
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Finding your inner strength George Eliot was an emotionally needy young woman. Throughout her 20s, she fell for a series of inappropriate and unavailable men, craving their affection. At one point, she got herself involved in a bizarre tangle with an editor and two other women. It was like a tragic farce as the women competed for his sympathy, complete with shifting alliances, slammed doors and storms of tears. In 1852, at age 32, she fell in love with the philosopher Herbert Spencer, the only one of the men who was close to her intellectual equal. Spencer liked her company but could not overcome his own narcissism and her lack of beauty. In July that year, she wrote him a bold letter. “Those who have known me best have already said that if ever I loved any one thoroughly, my whole life must turn upon that feeling, and I find they said truly,” she declared. She asked him not to forsake her: “If you become attached to someone else, then I must die, but until then I could gather courage to work and make life valuable, if only I had you near me. I do not ask you to sacrifice anything — I would be very glad and cheerful and never annoy you.” Finally, she added a climactic flourish: “I suppose no woman ever before wrote a letter as this — but I am not ashamed of it, for I am conscious in the light of reason and true refinement I am worthy of your respect and tenderness, whatever gross men or vulgar-minded women might think of me.” Some biographers have said that letter represented a pivotal moment in Eliot’s life, with its mixture of vulnerability and strong assertion. After the years of disjointed neediness, the iron was beginning to enter her soul and she was capable of that completely justified assertion of her own dignity. You might say that this moment was Eliot’s agency moment, the moment when she stopped being blown about by her voids and weaknesses and began to live according to her own inner criteria, gradually developing a passionate and steady capacity to initiate action and drive her own life. The letter didn’t solve her problems. Spencer still rejected her. She remained insecure, especially about her writing. But her energies were roused. There was growing cohesion and, at times, amazing courage. I’ve been thinking about moments of agency of this sort because often you see people who lack full agency. Sometimes you see lack of agency among the disad-
“
DAVID BROOKS
vantaged. Their lives can be so blown about by economic disruption, arbitrary bosses and general disorder that they lose faith in the idea that input leads to predictable output. You can offer job training programs, but they may not take full advantage because they don’t have confidence they can control their own destinies. Among the privileged, especially the privileged young, you see people who have been raised to be approval-seeking machines. They act active, busy and sleepless, but inside they often feel passive and not in control. Their lives are directed by other people’s expectations, external criteria and definitions of success that don’t actually fit them. So many people are struggling for agency. They are searching for the solid criteria that will help them make their own judgments. They are hoping to light an inner fire that will fuel relentless action in the same direction. I know an army officer who had a terrible commanding officer who only offered him negative feedback. He worked under this guy for 18 months, and whatever he did the feedback was the same. He had to come up with his own criteria to determine if he was doing well or poorly. He had to make decisions regardless of external affirmation or criticism. He discovered agency because external support was gone. I once knew a guy who was batted about by people who should have supported him. For a time he took it, reacting painfully to each abuse. But finally he just got fed up. In a moment of indignation he lashed out. Every human soul is entitled to dignity and respect. He tasted agency in a flash of anger and an instant of revolt. I once read about a guy whose childhood was a calamity. He was afraid, unable to control his mind and self. But he became a writer and discovered he was magnificent at it. Through the act of writing, he could investigate his fears and demystify them. He discovered agency by finding something he was good at and organizing his life around that gift. Agency is not automatic. It has to be given birth to, with pushing and effort. It’s not just the confidence and drive to act. It’s having engraved inner criteria to guide action. The agency moment can happen at any age, or never. I guess that’s when adulthood starts.
WORST WEEK IN WASHINGTON
Internet provides no privacy By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST
Rule No. 1 of modern politics: Never, ever say anything on camera that you wouldn’t be comfortable saying to your enemies. Like, for example, saying this about the Affordable Care Act (ACA): “Lack of transparency is a huge political advantage. And basically, call it the ‘stupidity of the American voter’ or whatever, but basically that was really, really critical to getting the thing to pass.”
That was Jonathan Gruber, who served as a consultant in the drafting of the ACA (and the 2006 Massachusetts law on which it was largely based), during a panel discussion at the Annual Health Economics Conference in October 2013. Those comments surfaced online — stunning! — this past week, and Gruber went from nerdy MIT economist whom only people in health-care circles knew to poster boy for opponents of what they call “Obamacare” everywhere.
Gruber, Republicans insisted, was saying what they have suspected all along: that the ACA was made purposely opaque so it could pass Congress. “The architect of ObamaCare says it passed because voters are stupid,” tweeted Rep. Bill Cassidy, R-La., who faces Sen. Mary Landrieu (D) in a Dec. 6 Senate runoff. (Democrats insisted that Gruber was far from the “architect” of the law and that he played more of an advisory role in the process.) Gruber quickly apologized, telling MSNBC’s
Ronan Farrow that he had been “speaking off the cuff.” Too late. He had already become a household name — and just days after the Supreme Court announced that it would hear a new challenge to the health-care law. Jonathan Gruber, for becoming a pawn in the never-ending battle over the Affordable Care Act, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something. Cillizza covers the White House for The Washington Post and writes The Fix, its politics blog.
COMMENTARY
Polling is the easy way out By LLEWELLYN KING HEARST NEWSPAPERS
Politics is the hot ticket in journalism these days. Young reporters long to cover Capitol Hill, when once they longed for the exotic life of the foreign correspondent. “Timbuktu or bust” has become “Washington or fail.” Journalism’s stars today are those who can reel off the precincts of Iowa or the hobbies of senators, not the wonders of rural Sri Lanka. Yet the passion for politics that has seized the Washington press corps and those who want to join it across the country has not been reflected in the public — not, at any rate, by the abysmally low national turnout of 36.3 percent on Nov. 4, arguably one of the most important midterm elections in a long time. It was the lowest voter turnout in 72 years: a seeming monument to voter apathy. Certainly not the sign of a seething, unhappy electorate that believes the bums should be thrown out because the country is on the wrong track. That may
be so, but you wouldn’t know it from the voter turnout. The voter turnout wasn’t large enough for anyone to claim that the country has veered to the right, or that the victors have a mandate. Yet we know President Obama is held in low esteem, although not as low as the risible contempt in which Congress is held. If the voters didn’t come out in large enough numbers to give us a clear reading, how do we know that Obama is on the ropes and that Congress is despised? We know it, without doubt, from the innumerable opinion polls which are now part of the journalistic toolbox. There is no doubt about the public mood. So why didn’t the public vote when there was so much journalistic enthusiasm for the election; when an amazing amount of television time, especially on cable, was given to politics; and when radio goes at politics 24-7? The paradox may be journalism and its commitment to opinion polls, largely funded by the media. If you know who is going to
win the match, why buy a ticket? The passion in journalism for politics has made politics a victim, robbed it of surprise and tension. I voted without passion because I had a very complete picture of the outcome before I did my civic duty. It was like reading an otherwise gripping who-done-it, when I already knew it was the butler. The metadata people, like Nate Silver, aren’t helping either. When newspapers are cutting their staffs and budgets are tight, why is political coverage and polling out of Washington thriving? First, it is cheaper to create news than find it. With polls, you scoop the election result. Second, there is a large pot of money for ”political issues” advertising that has given rises to a raft of new outlets, forcing oldline media to double down. Washington politics is no longer a franchise of The Washington Post and The New York Times. It has its own trade press, led by the upstart and well-funded Politico, a big news predator in a school of hungry fish.
There is The Hill, Roll Call, National Journal, RealClearPolitics and more than a dozen others, like The Cook Political Report and Talking Points Memo. It is these new entrants, with their access to instant electronic delivery, that have led the change and fueled the frenzy. They are in danger of becoming the game instead of covering it. They have become more interested in what the polls say than what the politicians say. On Capitol Hill, members of Congress are in bunker mode. They are afraid to say anything or look a bit tired, distressed or unkempt because these ill-considered words and unflattering images will be flashed across the Internet — there to be retrieved at any time, for all time. There is a joke around Washington that if a member of Congress breaks wind, Politico will have the story. In this new world, every trifle is recorded and archived. Is this the way to foster statecraft in a dangerous and unforgiving world? Let’s poll that question, shall we?
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Crime and More
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
Three arrested in Zapata County smuggling case By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A suspected gang member, along with two other people, was arrested accused of smuggling illegal immigrants in Zapata County, according to federal court records released this week. Misti Lea Grandstaff, Mario Humberto Garza and Manuel Alejandro Garza, a suspected active member of the Valluco criminal gang, were charged with transporting illegal immigrants, a criminal complaint filed Monday states. Zapata County Sheriff’s Office investigators flagged down a U.S. Border Patrol agent at 2:46 p.m. Nov. 5 to request assistance on a traffic stop. Deputies had pulled over a silver 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix driven by Grandstaff for speeding, according to court records. Investigators told agents they al-
legedly witnessed Grandstaff pick up four people from the brush along U.S. 83. Grandstaff allegedly admitted to picking up four illegal immigrants from Mexico and added she had been hired by “Betito” Garza, or Mario Humberto Garza, to transport four illegal immigrants for $100, records show. Prior to that stop, investigators had witnessed a red Ford Mustang driven by Mario Humberto Garza following the Pontiac southbound on U.S. 83. “Investigators had knowledge that (Mario Humberto) Garza is known to conduct counter surveillance against law enforcement for loads of illegal (immigrants) or narcotics,” a criminal complaint states. Investigators followed both vehicles. About a quarter mile later, the Mustang made a U-turn to head north on U.S 83. Deputies conduct-
ed a vehicle stop on the Mustang and detained three people: Mario Humberto Garza, Manuel Alejandro Garza and Francisco Javier Castro. Court records allege that Mario Humberto Garza and Manuel Alejandro Garza were too involved in the illegal activity. Grandstaff identified Mario Humberto Garza as the alleged foot guide and Alejandro Garza as the scout, according to court documents. Castro was turned over to deputies since he had a parole warrant. Grandstaff later admitted she was going to end up transporting a total of seven immigrants from Ramireño to Zapata. Court records alleged she was going to be paid $100. She knew it was illegal to transport illegal immigrants but told authorities she needed the money. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Mental state cited in execution delay By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Attorneys for a Texas death row inmate they describe as severely delusional asked a state judge Friday for a second time to put off the prisoner’s execution set for early next month. State District Judge N. Keith Williams in Gillespie County last week refused an emergency request from lawyers for convicted killer Scott Panetti that he reset or withdraw Panetti’s Dec. 3 execution date. Panetti, 56, faces lethal injection for the fatal shootings of his in-laws 22 years ago at their home in Fredericksburg. In a motion to Williams’ court Friday, Panetti’s lawyers contended the inmate’s longdiagnosed mental illness appears to have worsened, that
they need additional time to investigate whether he is incompetent for execution and that putting Williams to death could violate his constitutional rights. “Since 2007, when Mr. Panetti was last evaluated for competency to be executed, there has been a substantial change in circumstances that raise a significant question of Mr. Panetti’s present competency for execution,” lawyers Gregory Wiercioch and Kathryn Kase wrote. Last month, in at least his third trip to the high court, justices refused to review an appeal from Panetti. Besides the latest state court motion, Panetti’s legal team on Wednesday asked Gov. Rick Perry and the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles to commute Panetti’s sentence to life in prison.
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
Nation
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
Life for killing wife in 1994 ASSOCIATED PRESS
SANTA ANA, Calif. — A Kansas man was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole Friday for poisoning his wife to death with nicotine two decades ago and then collecting on her life insurance policy. Paul Marshal Curry, 58, of Salina, Kansas, showed no emotion as he was sentenced by Orange County Superior Court Judge Patrick Donahue for the 1994 death of his wife, Linda Curry. Curry called 911 on June 9, 1994, and told authorities he had found his wife of two years in bed and not breathing. The day after her funeral, he began trying to collect her life insurance benefits and ultimately received $547,000. During trial, prosecutor Ebrahim Baytieh told jurors that the former nuclear power plant engineer slowly poisoned his 50-year-old wife over the course of a year before he slipped her a powerful sedative and injected her with a fatal dose of nicotine. At the time, police believed he had murdered Linda Curry but didn’t have enough evidence to press charges. Curry moved to Kansas and the case went cold until 2007, when investigators discovered new evidence. He was arrested in 2010 in Kansas. In 1993, a year before Linda Curry’s death, the couple was questioned when hospital staff discovered a dose of lidocaine in Linda Curry’s IV bag while she was being hospitalized for unexplained vomiting, headaches and bloody diarrhea.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
School sorry for shooting video ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATWATER, Calif. — A California school district apologized for a video spoof that ended with a security officer pretending to shoot students from a rival high school with a toy gun. The video shows school administrators at Buhach Colony High School in Atwater, including the principal, dressed in superhero costumes and pretending to kick and punch students at the rival school. It ends with a school security officer pretending to shoot the rival students. The Merced Union High School District declined comment, but it released a statement Thursday afternoon. “Merced Union High School district immediately addressed the release of the school rivalry video posted by Buhach Colony and had it removed from the
The video took the rivalry between the two high schools too far. media site. We apologize for the impact the video has had on the community and want to ensure everyone that the district does not support or endorse school violence. The issue is being addressed through the personnel office,” the statement says. The roughly 6-minute video was posted on YouTube. Principal Steve Hobbs declined to identify the school administrators in the video or say who came up with the idea. Still, he apologized, the Merced SunStar reported. “At no time was there intent to glamorize or endorse school violence,” Hobbs told the newspaper. “Would I do it again? Ob-
viously not. I apologize for the impact it had on the community.” Board of Trustees Acting President Dave Honey told the newspaper that simulating a campus shooting was a mistake and showed poor taste, especially considering the number of people nationwide who have died in actual campus attacks “I was very upset,” Honey said. “In this day in age of school shootings, this was totally inappropriate and lacked sensitivity. The video also should have not been posted to the school online site, which has gone nationwide. This was all made worse by the administra-
tors in the video. We have great students at Buhach, Atwater and all our schools. I apologize to all (to whom) this has had an effect.” Johnson told the Sun-Star that the video took the rivalry between the two high schools too far. She suggested that district officials approve any videos that are to be posted to the web. Atwater High School Principal Alan Peterson said he felt the video spoof got too much attention, especially given all the great things happening in the schools. Some Atwater students, however, were upset. “I think Buhach needs to know that what they did was offensive,” said student Sebastian Cervantes, 17. “They make it seem like it’s cool, and I hope they learn the difference between right and wrong.”
State
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Prison officials seek ways to retain officers By BRANDI GRISSOM TEXAS TRIBUNE
BEEVILLE — Seventeen soon-to-be corrections officers in blue and gray uniforms listened attentively as Major Robert Lopez explained the importance of their professional appearance and warned them of the corrupting influences they will face every day on the job. “Corrupt employees may try to compromise the integrity of professionals,” the Texas Department of Criminal Justice trainer told his mostly young recruits — nine men and eight women — during a training session here in South Texas in October 2013. What Lopez probably knows that these budding prison guards do not is that most of them won’t be employed in the criminal justice system long enough to be corrupted. Turnover among corrections officers has been on the rise statewide since 2006, according to department data. And in South Texas and other oilrich regions in the state, where the energy boom has sparked an explosion of high-wage job growth, finding and keeping prison employees has become difficult. The desperation to retain employees has prompted an unusual approach at one South Texas prison unit, which is offering dirt-cheap on-campus housing — as low as $25 a month — to make the cost of living in such nouveau riche communities manageable for its employees. And Department of Criminal Justice officials plan to offer similar options at prison units across the state in oil-rich regions. Such recruiting tools are fast becoming a necessity. At the William G. McCon-
“
We can’t compete with the private sector in these critical areas.” BILL STEVENS DIRECTOR, CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS DIVISION
nell Unit in Beeville, the turnover rate skyrocketed from 28 percent in 2006 to 62 percent in 2012, according to Department of Criminal Justice data. As turnover spiked, so did the rate of violent incidents in the prison, growing from about 12 incidents per 100 inmates in 2006 to more than 30 incidents per 100 inmates five years later. It’s a trend mirrored at other prison units across the state that are near shale deposits and the refineries that process the oil harvested from them. “We can’t compete with the private sector in these critical areas,” said Bill Stevens, the director of the department’s correctional institutions division. Despite lawmakers’ approval in 2013 of a 5 percent pay bump for corrections officers and the department’s efforts to increase recruiting with bonuses and housing perks, agency officials and the officers’ union say the state just can’t compete with what energy companies can pay. It’s not only about the money; officers and prison condition experts say that the difficult working environment guards face contributes to their high turnover rate. That high turnover rate creates a domino effect that makes it even more difficult to retain prison staff: The remaining officers must put in longer hours, and the lower guardto-inmate ratio means vio-
lence among offenders grows. “All of these factors feed on each other,” said Michele Deitch, a prison conditions expert and professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s LBJ School of Public Affairs. The Department of Criminal Justice currently has 3,304 corrections officer vacancies throughout its 109 prison units, even after the closure in 2013 of two privately run facilities. Statewide, the agency has left roughly 1,400 prison beds empty since 2012 because of staff shortages. As he walked across the campus of the Garza East prison facility in Beeville, Cody Ginsel, who earlier this year served as the director of institutions for the department’s Region 4, listed off the staffing numbers at the South Texas units he oversees. More than 20 percent of the positions are vacant at the Garza East, Garza West and Connally units. At the McConnell Unit, the vacancy rate is 35 percent. Ginsel stands next to 40 freshly graded RV lots on the edge of the prison campus, where khaki-colored boxes that hook up water and electricity stick out of the ground. It’s here, in the shadows of concertina wire and watchtowers staffed by armed guards, that the department is building a small RV park — where for $25 a month, officers will be able to pull up their trailers and live on-site.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
Mexico
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
Mexico couple’s search for son By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
TIXTLA, Mexico — Maria Telumbre knows fire. She spends her days making tortillas over hot coals, and experience tells her a small goat takes at least four hours to cook. So she doesn’t believe the government’s explanation that gang thugs incinerated her son and 42 other missing college students in a giant funeral pyre in less than a day, leaving almost nothing to identify them. The discovery of charred teeth and bone fragments offers Telumbre no more proof of her son’s death than did the many graves unearthed in Guerrero state since the students disappeared Sept. 26. She simply does not accept that the ashes belong to her 19-year-old son and his classmates. “How is it possible that in 15 hours they burned so many boys, put them in a bag and threw them into the river?” Telumbre says. “This is impossible. As parents, we don’t believe it’s them.” For Telumbre, her husband, Clemente Rodriguez, and other parents, the official account is merely another lie from an administration that wants to put this mess behind it. Their demands for the truth are fuelling national outrage at the government’s inability to confront the brutality of drug cartels, corruption and impunity. The Rodriguez family’s chronicle of disbelief is rooted in collusion between Mexican officials and organized crime. The students of the Rural Normal School of Ayotzinapa were last seen in the custody of police in the city of Iguala, allegedly at the behest of the mayor. Soldiers didn’t respond to the parents’ appeals for help. Federal officials waited 10 days before intervening. And then, parents say, they focused on finding graves rather than live stu-
Ugandan priest’s remains ID’d in Mexico ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Marco Ugarte | AP
Clemente Rodriguez holds a photo of his missing son Christian Rodriguez Telumbre in his home in Tixtla, Mexico. The 19-year-old son of Rodriguez is one of the 43 students who were last seen in Iguala. dents, so only graves were found. “They are hidden somewhere,” insists Clemente Rodriguez. “I hope that they’re going to let them go any day now.” Guerrero is a rough state with an economy fed by cultivation of heroin and marijuana. Far from the tourist resorts of Acapulco and Ixtapa, the Rodriguez family lives in a farming enclave near the school in Ayotzinapa. Rodriguez delivers bottled water for a living, and Telumbre sells tortillas she makes on an outdoor stove. Their son Christian wanted an education to help support the family and hoped to study agronomy at a university. But his parents didn’t have the money, so his only option was the tuition-free teacher’s college, known for Spartan living and radical politics. Fundraising activities might include taking over highway tollbooths or commandeering buses to go to demonstrations. On Sept. 26, Telumbre and Rodriguez received a late-night call from their daughter and rushed to the school. There they were told that dozens of students had gone to Iguala to raise money, and police had attacked their buses. Details slowly trickled in:
Christian was part of the group; a student was shot in the head; three students and three bystanders were dead; one of the dead was found by a roadside with his face flayed and eyes gouged out. Rodriguez set out for Iguala with about 10 parents. Their first stop was the federal prosecutor’s office. They had to force their way in, but officials said they had no information. City police also insisted they knew nothing. It turned out that federal authorities were holding a few students. They were released that evening, but Christian wasn’t among them. The parents searched in hospitals, at city hall and on the local military base. They chased leads that took them to caves and an abandoned hacienda where the students were rumored to be held by a drug gang. State officials arrested 22 Iguala police in connection with the bus shooting, and announced they were searching for 43 students. Mayor Jose Luis Abarca went on the run with his wife, Maria de los Angeles Pineda. Still, there was no news on Christian. Eight days after the students disappeared, federal
officials announced more arrests and said suspects had led them to hidden graves on a slope outside Iguala where 28 bodies were discovered. None matched those of the students. Ten days after the disappearance, President Enrique Peña Nieto announced that he would send federal forces to “find out what happened and apply the full extent of the law.” Over time, 10,000 federal agents and dozens of forensics investigators joined the search. A reward of 1.5 million pesos (about $112,000) was offered for information on the students. More arrests were made, 76 in all. Still, no students. Finally, last Friday, Attorney General Murillo Karam went on national television to give a detailed account, based on interviews with suspects: The youths were hauled to the neighboring town of Cocula in dump trucks, so tightly packed that 15 died by suffocating on the way. The rest were killed there, and the bodies were piled like cordwood on a pyre that burned for 15 hours, then were pulverized, bagged and tossed into a river. Authorities said degradation of the remains made it difficult to extract DNA.
MEXICO CITY — The remains of a Ugandan priest kidnapped more than six months ago have been found in a mass grave in southern Mexico, Roman Catholic authorities said Friday. Father John Ssenyondo, 55, was among 13 bodies in a clandestine grave discovered Nov. 2 in the town of Ocotitlan, said Victor Aguilar, vicar of the Chilpancingo-Chilapa diocese in the southern state of Guerrero. Dental records were used to identify the priest, who was born Dec. 25, 1958, in Masaka, Uganda. He came to the diocese about five years ago. Aguilar said Ssenyondo, a member of the Combonian order, was abducted April 30 in the town of Santa Cruz after saying Mass, when a group of people in an SUV intercepted his car. “Apparently they took him out of the car and threw him in the trunk,” Aguilar said. “We don’t know the mo-
tive,” he added. “You know violence is widespread in the state.” Guerrero is the same state where 43 teachers college students disappeared in late September at the hands of local police, a case that has sparked widespread protests. Prosecutors say police turned the students over to drug gang members who apparently killed the youths, burned the bodies and dumped the ashes in a river. Aguilar said the discovery was not related to the search for the students. The diocese said another of its priests was abducted in Guerrero last year and freed after the church paid a ransom of about $3,300. Three more have had to make extortion payments to avoid being kidnapped. In September, another priest was murdered in the state. “That is the risk we all run,” said Rogelio Busto Juarez, superior of the Combonian order in Mexico, adding that the church community was stunned by the news of the death.
PÁGINA 10A
Zfrontera
Ribereña en Breve FESTIVAL VAQUERO La Ciudad de Escobares invita a su Noveno Festival del Día Vaquero, el sábado 15 de noviembre, desde el mediodía y hasta las 10 p.m. en Terrenos de la Ciudad, 4829 Old Hwy 83. Habrá una competencia de platillos, juegos, escalar montañas, toro mecánicos, y comida. Habrá un concurso de acordeón a las 6 p.m.; y la música en vivo estará a cargo del Grupo Tremendo de Juan P. Ramos. Informes en el (956) 8471200.
SEMINARIO DE FOTOGRAFÍA El domingo 16 de noviembre se impartirá un Seminario de Fotografía gratuito, organizado por la Ciudad de Roma. El evento se llevará a acabo en Roma Birding Center, y será impartido por Los Santitos Photography. Durante el seminario se impartirán y explicarán herramientas necesarias para capturar buenas imágenes. No se necesita una cámara profesional para acudir al seminario. El evento es abierto al público y a los fotógrafos entusiastas. Sin embargo, hay cupo limitado. Pude llamar al (956) 500.0373.
SÁBADO 15 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2014
CORTE
Sentencian a nueve POR PHILIP BALLI TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Nueve hombres recibieron severas sentencias en una corte federal de Laredo por su participación en una conspiración para tráfico de drogas que, de acuerdo a un libro de contabilidad confiscado por agentes, había distribuido alrededor de 12.500 kilogramos de cocaína y había obtenido casi 42 millones de dólares en ganancias por drogas. Los hombres, incluido uno descrito como el supuesto líder de una organización para el tráfico de drogas, se encuentran entre los últimos co-conspiradores en ser condenados, después de sus arrestos en 2010, resultado de una investigación llevada a cabo por el Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. Fiscales sostuvieron que fueron parte de una operación elaborada para lavado de dinero y drogas, para distribuir grandes cantidades de marihuana y cocaína desde Texas a Georgia. Durante el curso de la investigación, titulada Operación El Patrón,
agentes incautaron más de 7.5 millones de dólares de ganancias por drogas y más de 450 kilogramos de cocaína, según un comunicado FLORES SR. de prensa de la Oficina del Fiscal de EU. De acuerdo a las autoridades, los conspiradores utilizaron trailers comerciales con remolque para transportar narcóticos. La red de narcotráfico entonces enviaría las ganancias de regreso a Laredo en trailers.
Arrestos Elbert Figueroa, el presunto jefe de la organización de drogas, fue detenido el 1 de septiembre de 2010, junto con otros 20 co-conspiradores. Los arrestos se realizaron durante un operativo organizado por la Administración de Inmigración y Control de Drogas y Aduanas. Junto con Figueroa fueron arrestados los laredenses Sergio Segovia y José Isabel Tobías, quienes fueron
FLORES JR.
acusados de ser los organizadores detrás de la célula del narcotráfico de Figueroa. Los dos hombres fueron condenados a casi 34 años en una prisión federal en mayo y octubre de 2012, res-
pectivamente. Figueroa y los últimos cinco coacusados fueron condenados el jueves por la Juez de Distrito Marina García Marmolejo. Marmolejo ordenó a Eduardo Paul Delgadillo a 97 meses en prisión, a Rolando Jiménez a 78 meses, a Juan José Gómez a 151 meses, Eddie Cisneros a 108 meses en la cárcel, Juan Antonio Lara a 108 meses y a Figueroa a 188 meses de prisión federal. Figueroa recibió una sentencia menor, a pesar de ser el supuesto líder de la conspiración. Aseguró esto al testificar en contra de los coconspiradores. En un caso separado, pero relacionado, una acusación fue presentada en junio de 2012, acusando a
MATAMOROS, MÉXICO
SEGURIDAD
NUEVO PUERTO
Arrestan a tres por tráfico de personas
COMPETENCIA La Comisión de Parques y Recreación de la Ciudad de Roma invita a su primer Competencia Comunitaria de Cocina por Acción de Gracias Gobble Till Ya Wobble, el sábado 22 de noviembre en el Parque Municipal de Roma. La cuota de entrada es de 150 dólares por equipo. Las categorías disponibles para participar son: fajitas, frijoles, pan de campo y pavo. Se invita a la comunidad en general a asistir y disfrutar de una cena gratuita por Acción de Gracias.
POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
DESFILE DE NAVIDAD La Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Zapata invita al Desfile de Navidad y Encendido de la Plaza del Condado, el jueves 4 de diciembre. Se invita a empresas, iglesias, clubes, escuelas, organizaciones, y oficiales a participar durante el desfile. Se entregarán trofeos a los tres mejores carros alegóricos. Los participantes empezarán a alinearse a las 5 p.m. del 4 de diciembre en calle Glenn y 17th Ave (detrás de Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church). El desfile iniciará a las 6 p.m., tomando 17th Ave y continuando al sur sobre US Hwy 83, y girando a la izquierda en 6th Ave, para concluir el desfile. Al concluir el desfile, se realizará la ceremonia anual de encendido del árbol de Navidad en la Plaza del Condado, seguido de regalos de Santa.
VISITA DE CASAS Se invita a pasar la tarde del 7 de diciembre visitando casas históricas y puntos de referencia de San Ygnacio. Las ganancias se destinarán a la Escuela Primaria Arturo L. Benavides.
MEDIDAS PREVENTIVAS Ante las bajas temperaturas la Secretaría de Salud de Tamaulipas pide a la comunidad para protegerse adecuadamente, sobre todo los niños y adultos mayores. Las recomendaciones son: aumentar el consumo de alimentos ricos en vitamina C; no encender leña o carbón dentro de los domicilios; acudir a su médico ante cualquier síntoma de enfermedades respiratorias.
Enrique Méndez, Carlos Flores Sr., a Carlos Flores Jr., con conspiración para poseer con intención de distribuir una cantidad de al menos 5 kilogramos de cocaína. Durante un juicio de siete días a finales de julio de 2013 para Méndez, propietario de KCM Transportation en Laredo, y los Flores, ambos de Zapata, Figueroa declaró que Méndez había sido parte de la organización de tráfico de drogas desde 2003 o 2005. Subsecuentemente, jurados encontraron a Méndez culpable de cocaína y lavado de dinero y cuatro cargos adicionales de lavado de dinero. Ambos Flores fueron declarados culpables de conspiración por cocaína. Javier Flores Sr. también fue encontrado culpable de posesión con intención de distribuir cinco kilos o más de cocaína. Marmolejo sentenció a Méndez a 425 meses en prisión, seguido de 10 años de libertad supervisada. Los Flores recibieron 405 meses cada uno. El último co conspirador es Oscar Deleón. Será condenado el 22 de diciembre.
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
Continúan los trabajos para el desarrollo del Puerto de Matamoros, Tamaulipas, en la imagen se observa maquinaria trabajando en los cimientos del puerto. El miércoles, ocho funcionarios fueron asignados a dependencias encargadas de la administración del proyecto, de acuerdo con el Secretario de Obras Públicas de Tamaulipas, Manuel Rodríguez Morales.
NARCOTRÁFICO
Juez dicta condenas a grupo ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
McALLEN – A un grupo de nueve personas se les ordenó ir a prisión federal por su participación en relación con una organización de tráfico de drogas responsable por la distribución de miles de kilogramos de marihuana y cientos de kilogramos de cocaína, anunciaron autoridades. Tomás Reyes González, conocido como El Gallo, de 37 años de edad, y quien es considerado el líder de la organización, fue sentenciado a 120 meses en prisión. Se le condenó por conspiración para poseer con la intención de distribuir narcóticos. Igualmente se declaró culpable a un cargo de conspirar para lavar dinero. Los otros sentenciados fueron, Eloy González, de 40; Héctor Rodríguez Sr., 61; Federico Rodríguez, 27; Jamail Thomas, 34; y William Champion González, de 22, todos de Weslaco. Ellos cumplirán sentencias de 120, 57, 57, 70, y 40 meses, respectivamente. También fue sentenciado José A. Padilla, de 54 años de edad, de Weslaco, un ex comandante oficial con la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Hidalgo, quien trabajaba bajo el liderazgo del ex alguacil Guadalupe Treviño, conocido como Lupe Treviño. Padilla se declaró culpable a
recibir un soborno y una sentencia de 38 meses en prisión. Omar Fidencio Rojas, de 33 años de edad, de Weslaco, el doceavo y último acusado en este caso, fue condenado tras un juicio de cuatro días en julio del 2014 por cuatro cargos de posesión con intención para distribuir marihuana y siete cargos por lavado de dinero. Fue sentenciado a 180 meses por tráfico de narcóticos y 120 meses por lavado de dinero. Ambas condenas correrán simultáneamente. Igualmente deberá pagar una multa de 300.000 dólares. La investigación reveló que desde el 2007 al 2013, Reyes González encabezó una organización de tráfico de drogas responsable por la distribución de miles de kilogramos de marihuana y cientos de kilogramos de cocaína. Los narcóticos fueron transportados desde Rio Grande Valley hasta Arkansas, Tennessee, Alabama y Georgia. Reyes González utilizó las ganancias de drogas para adquirir propiedades. Cuando se declaró culpable, Padilla admitió haber recibido efectivo de parte de Reyes González a cambio de proveerle información relacionada a actividades de agentes. En un caso separado, Treviño, de 65 años de edad, de McAllen, se declaró culpable a conspiración para cometer lavado de di-
nero. Admitió que recibió efectivo para su campaña electoral a través de Padilla, de parte de Reyes González, reconociendo que aceptó el dinero sabiendo que era resultado de actividades ilegales. Admitió que aceptó el dinero directamente y a través de otros como donaciones para apoyar su campaña electoral del 2012. Algo del dinero recibido fue posteriormente depositado en cuentas bancarias que Treviño controlaba y que estaban mezcladas con otros fondos. Durante y después de las transacciones, Treviño y otros actuaron para disfrazar y sellar la naturaleza, ubicación, fuente, propiedad y control del dinero, por medio de presentar un Reporte de Financiamiento de Campaña Falso del Candidato/Funcionario y producir otros documentos. Treviño fue sentenciado el 17 de julio del 2014, a 60 meses en prisión por la Juez de Distrito de EU Micaela Álvarez. La ex jefe de personal y tesorera de campaña para Treviño, María Patricia Medina, de 40 años de edad, se declaró culpable a conducta negligente de una felonía en otro caso, admitiendo que ayudó a Treviño en el encubrimiento de las donaciones por medio de falsificar archivos electorales. Ella fue a 11 meses a finales de julio, por el Juez de Distrito de EU, Ricardo Hinojosa.
Un sospechoso de ser parte de una pandilla, junto con otras dos personas, fue arrestado tras ser acusado de contrabando de inmigrantes ilegales en el Condado de Zapata, de acuerdo a archivos en la corte federal dados a conocer esta semana. Misti Lea Grandstaff, Mario Humberto Garza y Manuel Alejandro Garza, un supuesto integrante activo de la pandilla criminal Valluco, fueron acusados con transportación de inmigrantes ilegales, indica una querella criminal presentada el lunes. Investigadores de la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata, pidieron ayuda de un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza de EU a las 2:46 p.m. del 5 de noviembre, solicitando apoyo en una orden de alto. Oficiales habían ordenado detenerse a un Pontiac Grand Prix, modelo 1999, conducidor a exceso de velocidad por Grandstaff, de acuerdo a archivos de la corte. Investigadores dijeron a agentes que ellos supuestamente fueron testigos cuando Grandstaff recogió a cuatro personas de entre la maleza, a lo largo del U.S. 83. Supuestamente Grandstaff admitió haber recogido a los cuatro ilegales, provenientes de México, y agregó que había contratado a “Betito” Garza o Mario Humberto Garza, para trasladar a los cuatro inmigrantes ilegales por 100 dólares, indican archivos. Antes de ése alto, investigadores habían visto un Ford Mustang, color rojo, manejado por Mario Humberto Garza siguiendo al Pontiac, en el carril hacia el sur por U.S. 83. “Investigadores supieron que (Mario Humberto) Garza es conocido por realizar vigilancia contra oficiales, a beneficio de cargas ilegales (de inmigrantes) o narcóticos”, indica la querella criminal. Investihadores siguieron a ambos vehículos. Aproximadamente un cuarto de milla después, el Mustang realizó una vuelta en “U” dirigiéndose hacia el norte por U.S. 83. Oficiales ordenaron al Mustang que se detuviera y arrestaron a tres personas: Mario Humberto Garza, Manuel Alejandro Garza y Francisco Javier Castro. Archivos de la corte sostienen que Mario Humberto Garza y Manuel Alejandro Garza estaban demasiado involucrados en la actividad ilegal. Grandstaff identificó a Mario Humberto Garza como la supuesta guía a pie y a Alejandro Garza como el explorador, de acuerdo a documentos de la corte. Castro fue entregado a los oficiales, ya que tenía una orden por violación de libertad condicional. Más tarde Grandstaff admitió que transportaría a un total de siete inmigrantes de Ramireño a Zapata. Ella sabía que era ilegal transportar a inmigrantes indocumentados, pero dijo a las autoridades que necesitaba el dinero.
Nation
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
Pentagon orders shakeup of nuke forces By ROBERT BURNS AND LOLITA C. BALDOR ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. — The Pentagon will spend an additional $10 billion to correct deep problems of neglect and mismanagement within the nation’s nuclear forces, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel declared Friday, pledging firm action to support the men and women who handle the world’s most powerful and deadly weapons. Hagel ordered top-to-bottom changes in the nuclear arsenal’s management, which he said had been allowed over the years to backslide, afflicted by broken and missing equipment, poor leadership and inadequate training and staffing. Hagel told a Pentagon news conference Friday morning — before flying to Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota where many of the nuclear force troubles began — that the Defense Department will boost spending on the nuclear forces by about 10 percent a year for the next five years, saying there is no problem on this issue the Pentagon can’t fix. That would be a total increase of about $10 billion over the five years. Currently the Pentagon spends about $15 billion a year on the nuclear mission. “The internal and external reviews I ordered show that a consistent lack of investment and support for our nuclear forces over far too many years has left us with too little margin to cope with mounting stresses,” said Hagel, who was flanked by senior Air Force and Navy officers. “The root cause has been a lack of sustained focus, attention and resources, resulting in a pervasive sense that a career in the nuclear enterprise offers too few opportunities for growth and advancement.” Hagel received briefings at Minot and then delivered a pep talk to a few hundred nuclear bomber and missile force members. Urging them to take pride in their jobs — an allusion to concern about lagging morale — he told the airmen, “You are an indispensable element of our national security.” Hagel ordered two reviews in February — one by Pentagon officials and a second by outside
Photo by Charlie Riedel | AP
Capt. Robby Modad closes the gate at an ICBM launch control facility in the countryside outside Minot, N.D., on Minot Air Force Base. Launch control officers working from a secure capsule far underground at the complex controls 10 Minuteman 3 missiles carrying nuclear warheads spread out in the fields around the facility. experts — as a result of a series of Associated Press stories that revealed lapses in leadership, morale, safety and security at the nation’s three nuclear Air Force bases. The good news, Hagel said, “is there has been no nuclear exchange in the world.” The head of his Strategic Command, Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, also noted the nuclear force has been operating securely. “You don’t see the mushroom cloud or that sort of thing. We must continue that,” he told reporters. Hagel acknowledged years of neglect since the Cold War’s end rendered America’s nuclear mission less relevant in a world of drones and counterterrorism. And he vowed renewed accountability. One of Hagel’s predecessors, Robert Gates, fired his top military and civilian Air Force leaders in 2008 because of similar problems. But Hagel said, “Previous reviews of our nuclear enterprise lacked clear follow-up mechanisms.” The new reviews concluded that the management structure of U.S. nuclear forces is so inco-
herent that top-level officials often are unaware of trouble below them. The reviews also found a “disconnect” between what nuclear force leaders say and what they provide to troops in the field. To illustrate the degree of decay in the intercontinental ballistic missile force, the reviews found that maintenance crews had access to only one tool set required to tighten bolts on the warhead end of the Minuteman 3 missile, and that this single tool set was being used by crews at all three ICBM bases, in North Dakota, Wyoming and Montana. When one crew needed it, it was sent by another — by Federal Express. That “was a metaphor for how far things had fallen,” said Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work, adding that eventually crew members stopped reporting the problem. “They had reported it over and over, and they just worked around it.” Hagel said Friday the crews now have tool kits at each of the three bases and will soon get two each. The reviews also noted the poor morale across the force,
LA schools drop sex case lawyer By BRIAN MELLEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles school district removed a lawyer Friday who successfully defended it from a sexual abuse lawsuit in which he told jurors that a 14-yearold girl was partly responsible for having sex with her middle school math teacher. The trial victory spared the cashstrapped district a potentially pricey verdict, but news of the trial strategy and remarks by attorney W. Keith Wyatt that crossing the street was more dangerous than deciding to have sex with a teacher drew criticism. “Mr. Wyatt’s comments yesterday were completely inappropriate, and they undermine the spirit of the environment we strive to offer our students every day,” Dave Holmquist, general counsel for the school district, said in a statement. “Our deepest apologies go out to the young woman and her family, who were hurt by the insensitive remarks of Mr. Wyatt.” Wyatt, who had worked with the district through an outside firm for 27 years and had 18 cases pending, declined comment. The girl who lost the case is appealing because the judge allowed evidence of her sexual history to be presented and because Wyatt blamed her for consenting to the sex. “She lied to her mother so she could have sex with her teacher,” Wyatt had told KPCC, which first reported the story. “She went to a motel in which she engaged in voluntary consensual sex with her teacher. Why shouldn’t she be responsible for that?” The teacher in the case, Elkis Hermida, was sentenced in 2011 to three years in prison for lewd acts against a child. The Los Angeles Unified School District claimed it was unaware of the relationship between the teacher and student and was cleared last year of wrongdoing by a civil jury in Los Angeles Superior Court. The girl was not awarded damages for the emotional trauma she said she suffered during a five-month relationship with the teacher. The case presents an apparent inconsistency in the standard for sexual consent in California criminal
HERMIDA
and civil cases. In criminal cases, a 14-year-old girl is too young to consent to sex. Wyatt, however, cited a federal court decision that said a minor could consent to sex in some circum-
stances. The federal case cited by Wyatt relies on a California Supreme Court decision about jury instructions in an incest case, said Mary Fan, a law professor at the University of Washington. The creative application of the language was probably never envisioned by the state’s high court. “Some language plucked out of the original case has grown to monstrous proportions,” Fan said. “Pretty soon it looks like a viable argument. When a court accepts it, it just grows into its own beast.” Lawyers and advocates for sexual abuse victims said the legal tactic was surprising. “I was shocked. I’ve done sexual abuse cases against school districts before and I’ve never seen the persistence of this argument,” said Holly Boyer, who filed the appeal for the girl. “I’ve never seen this at all that the victim willingly participated in this and that they should bear some responsibility in their injuries.” Boyer said there were enough red flags that the school should have been aware of the teacher’s conduct. He was seen hugging other girls and began to groom the victim at age 13 through texting, phone calls and exchanging photos, Boyer said, adding that the sexual abuse began when the girl was 14, and some of it occurred in the classroom. Boyer also plans to argue that the girl’s sexual past should not have been allowed into evidence. Such evidence is barred in criminal cases where rape shield laws exist, but not always in civil actions. “It’s terrible, but not unusual that a school would try to muddy the waters” by presenting such evidence, said Fatima Goss Graves, a vice president at the National Women’s Law Center. “The law on whether and when that sort of evidence is permitted is sort of murky and one of the reasons why Congress is looking at additional law ... that looks more like a criminal rape shield law.”
saying that that culture debilitates people who might otherwise flourish. Missile crews in Launch Control Centers complained that equipment remained broken for months or years, and launch centers were even forced to shut down because of problems that persisted for a decade. Among his more significant moves, Hagel authorized the Air Force to put a four-star general in charge of its nuclear forces, according to officials. The top Air Force nuclear commander currently is a threestar. Lt. Gen. Stephen Wilson is responsible not only for the 450 Minuteman ICBMs but also the nuclear bomber force. Hagel has concluded that a four-star would be able to exert more influence within the Air Force and the appointment would send a signal to the entire force that the mission is taken seriously, the defense officials said. Hagel also OK’d a proposal to upgrade the top nuclear force official at Air Force headquarters in the Pentagon from a two-star general to a three-star. The review’s authors, retired Air Force Gen. Larry D. Welch
and retired Navy Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., found fault with one of the unique features of life in the nuclear forces. It is called the Personnel Reliability Program, designed to monitor the mental fitness of people entrusted with the world’s deadliest weapons. Over time, that program has devolved into a burdensome administrative exercise that detracts from the mission, the authors found. Hagel ordered an overhaul. Hagel concluded that despite tight Pentagon budgets, billions of dollars more will be needed over the next five years to upgrade equipment. That will include a proposal to replace the Vietnam-era UH-1 Huey helicopter fleet that is part of the security forces at ICBM bases. The Air Force declared them out-of-date years ago but put available resources into other priorities. The Navy, which operates nuclear-armed submarines, has had its own problems, including an exam-cheating scandal this year among nuclear reactor training instructors and has suffered from a shortage of personnel. When he ordered the reviews, shortly after the Air Force announced it was investigating an exam-cheating ring at one ICBM base and a related drug investigation implicating missile crew members, Hagel was said to be flabbergasted that such misbehavior could be infecting the force. “He said, ‘What is going on here?”’ said one senior defense official. Like the other officials, that official was not authorized to comment publicly by name and spoke only on condition of anonymity. Hans Kristensen, a nuclear expert with the Federation of American Scientists, said Thursday that while he had not seen the Hagel reviews or heard what actions Hagel was ordering, he was skeptical that they would make much difference. “Throwing money after problems may fix some technical issues but it is unlikely to resolve the dissolution that must come from sitting in a silo hole in the Midwest with missiles on high alert to respond to a nuclear attack that is unlikely to ever come,” Kristensen said.
Cardinal: Vatican must check on KC bishop ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The leader of the Roman Catholic Church’s new commission to fight child sex abuse said the Vatican needs to “address urgently” the position of Kansas City Bishop Robert Finn, the highest-ranking church official in the U.S. to be convicted of failing to take action in response to abuse allegations. Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley, who leads the global commission on the abuse problem, acknowledged child protection policies in his own archdiocese would bar Finn from teaching Sunday school there. “It’s a question that the Holy See needs to address urgently,” O’Malley said in an interview with CBS’ “60 Minutes,” set to air Sunday. “There’s a recognition of that (from the pope).” “One of the first things that
came up is the importance of accountability,” O’Malley said. “We’re looking at how the church could have protocols on how to respond when a bishop has not been responsible for the protection of children in his diocese.” Finn, who leads the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph in Missouri, waited six months before notifying police about the Rev. Shawn Ratigan, whose computer contained hundreds of lewd photos of young girls taken in and around churches where he worked. Ratigan was sentenced to 50 years in prison after pleading guilty to child pornography charges. Finn pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of failure to report suspected abuse and was sentenced to two years’ probation in 2012. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker issued a
statement Friday saying she’s “encouraged by comments from within the church urging stronger action to protect children” and that she hopes “this results in real benefits for our community and its children.” The Vatican this fall sent a Canadian archbishop to Finn’s diocese as part of an investigation of his leadership. Finn’s spokesman declined to comment Friday. The Boston archdiocese didn’t immediately respond to The Associated Press. O’Malley’s comments, in a partial transcript released Friday by CBS, came days after new Vatican regulations took effect on how bishops can resign — or be encouraged to resign — because of scandal. According to the new regulations, bishops should not be reluctant to step aside earlier than the mandatory retirement age of 75.
Ford recalls more air bags By TOM KRISHER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — The death of a pregnant Malaysian woman in a car crash involving a faulty air bag has led to another U.S. recall, as the auto industry struggles with a widening problem across the globe. Ford Motor Co. agreed to recall more 2004 and 2005 Ranger small pickup trucks after the crash in Malaysia because their air bags are similar to the one that caused the woman’s death, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Friday. More than 12 million vehicles have been recalled worldwide because of a potentially deadly problem with air bag inflators made by Japanese auto parts supplier Takata Corp. At least five deaths and multiple injuries have been linked to the problem, which occurs when air bags inflate with too much force and blow apart
metal canisters, sending shrapnel into the passenger compartment. After the July 27 crash, which killed a pregnant Malaysian woman and her unborn baby, NHTSA began looking into air bag inflators made at a now-closed Takata factory in LaGrange, Georgia, south of Atlanta. Takata told the agency that the same single-stage inflator that went into the woman’s 2003 Honda City small car was not used in any U.S. vehicles, according to a NHTSA memo released Friday. But Takata said some Rangers got a similar inflator. In discussions with NHTSA, Ford agreed to recall the Rangers to replace the driver’s air bags. Complicating matters, many of the same pickups already were under recall for the passenger air bags made by Takata. It was unclear how many Rangers are covered by the additional recall, but NHTSA said about 25,000 still are in
use in the U.S. A Ford spokeswoman said Friday night she was not aware of any air bag incidents involving Rangers. The pickups are among 26,000 vehicles that Ford added to its list of recalls for the air bag problem, bringing its total to about 85,000. NHTSA said it is investigating Takata air bags that are more than a decade old, regardless of where they were manufactured. The company also has air bag plants in Mexico and Washington state. The Rangers are the only U.S. vehicle with inflators similar to those used by Honda in its City model, the agency said. In addition to the NHTSA investigation, Takata is being probed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Manhattan and a federal grand jury in New York. It also is scheduled to appear before a Senate committee on Thursday to explain the air bag problems.
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
Probe on comet will quickly drill for samples By ALEX MORALES BLOOMBERG NEWS
The European Space Agency’s Philae probe, with less than a day of battery life left, will drill for samples from the comet it touched down on two days ago even though that risks dislodging the unanchored lander. This decision has been made and mission managers are discussing when it should happen, Gerhard
Schwehm, consultant and manager of the mission from its liftoff until he retired last year, said in a phone interview from the lander control center in Cologne, Germany. They’re eager to use the drill. Philae bounced twice after failing to deploy its anchor harpoons on touchdown, leaving it far from the planned landing site in a more shaded spot. Its solar cells receive about half the sunlight needed to re-
CASCOS Continued from Page 1A eral. Abbott has stridently defended a strict new Texas voter ID law that opponents say disproportionately harm blacks and Hispanics, in addition to redistricting maps that Democrats say dilute the voting power of minorities. Cascos spent as much of his introduction talking about border security and economic development as how Texans cast ballots. Among Abbott’s plans is to send an additional 500 state troopers to the Texas border, where the Texas National Guard has already been deployed until at least the end of the year. Lawmakers began filing bills this week ahead of the next legislative session that begins in January, which will be the first in 14 years without Gov. Rick Perry at the helm. Although Abbott didn’t go into detail about specific bills already filed, he took a wait-and-see approach when asked about the potential return of a divisive “sanctuary cities” proposals that give police broader powers to ask people about their citizenship status. “I have no doubt the Legislature will be filing bills about that. We’ll take a look at is as they file it, if they do,” Abbott said. Cascos will replace Nandita Berry, who was appointed by Perry last year.
boot the lander and take measurements, Schwehm said. That means its reliant on power from its main battery thats due to run out in less than a day. The agency has sought to gather as much data as possible about the Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet from the probes instruments before doing anything that might dislodge Philae from the surface, including deploying the drill. “The lander is sitting
DRUGS Continued from Page 1A gadillo to 97 months, Rolando Jimenez to 78 months, Juan Jose Gomez to 151 months, Eddie Cisneros to 108 months, Juan Antonio Lara to 108 months and Figueroa to 188 months in federal prison. Figueroa received reduced sentence despite being the alleged leader of the conspiracy. He was able to secure this by testifying against coconspirators. In the separate, but related case, an indictment was filed in June 2012, charging Enrique Mendez, Carlos Flores Sr. and Carlos Flores Jr. with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute a quantity of at least 5 kilograms of cocaine. During a seven-day trial in July 2013 for Mendez, owner of KCM Transportation in Laredo, and the Flores, both from Zapata, Figueroa testified that Mendez had been part of the drug trafficking organization since 2003 or 2005. Figueroa testified he used numerous phones for the operation, each for communicating with a different person, such as his boss or people from Atlanta, Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, Laredo or Zapata.
He further testified that Mendez had been transporting cocaine to Atlanta and bringing down money from that city and into Mexico. The trial included more than 20 government witnesses. Jurors subsequently found Mendez guilty of cocaine and money laundering conspiracy and four additional counts of money laundering. The Flores were both found guilty of cocaine conspiracy. Javier Flores Sr. was also found guilty to possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms or more of cocaine. Marmolejo sentenced Mendez on Wednesday to 425 months in federal prison, to be followed by a 10-year term of supervised release. The Flores were sentenced to 405 months each. The last remaining coconspirator in the case is Oscar Deleon. He is set to be sentenced Dec. 22. He is charged with conspiracy, money laundering, and two counts of possession with intent to distribute 5 kilograms of cocaine (Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
there on the comet surface in a hole, and its providing excellent data,” Schwehm said. Now, with limited battery left, the agency will attempt to gather samples from as deep as 23 centimeters (9 inches) below the surface. They can then be lifted up into an oven in the probe and heated to test for elements and molecules. “They will not make an attempt to fire the harpoons,” Schwehm said. The
danger using the drill is that Philae would move because of the action. Three months ago, the European missions Rosetta spacecraft became the first to orbit a comet. Two days ago Philae separated from Rosetta, embarking on a seven-hour descent to the surface of the rubber-duck shaped comet in the first such landing. The Churyumov-Gerasimenko comet, lander and probe are moving at 18.3 ki-
lometers (11.4 miles) a second. Researchers hope that by studying the icy mass they can uncover clues about the early formation of the Earth because comets may have seeded the planet with the organic molecules needed for life. Rosetta launched in March 2004 and has been orbiting the comet since Aug. 6. Its 6.5 billion-kilometer journey has taken Rosetta as far as 1 billion kilometers from Earth.
DEER Continued from Page 1A Authorities are warning residents and tourists to be careful when they are around deer during the rutting season, when the deer become more aggressive. This time of year, Lavelle said, as many as 200 more deer begin wandering into town from nearby ranches. “All these deer go into a wild state during rut,” said Lavelle, who has studied the local deer population for years. “They’re here to breed. They don’t pay attention. Their eyes turn almost a blood-red and stay that way almost through the entire rut. They’ve got to keep going for that doe. You’ve got to be very alert.” Deputy J.M. Gonzalez, who patrols the area for the Willacy County Sheriff ’s Department, also urges people to be cautious. “They become more aggressive,” Gonzalez said. “We try to warn people. ‘Be real careful — watch your kids.”’ A rutting buck might mistake a person for a buck vying for breeding rights, said Randy Fugate, a biologist with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department in Falfurrias. “They can see humans as competition,” Fugate said. “It’s not a good situation over there.”
The Willacy County Navigation District, which oversees the 7-square-mile port, may resurrect a plan to ban the feeding of deer to try to keep them from wandering into town, Chairman Thomas Rains said. Residents and environmentalists opposed the plan in December 2012, Rains said. “We’re going to have to revisit this,” Rains said. “Every year, the population’s increasing two-fold. My main concern is people getting hurt, especially this time of year with the rut.” Free-roaming deer have become a big tourist draw in this village whose fishing industry slows during the winter months, said Christine Simmons, manager of the Port Mansfield Chamber of Commerce. “That’s an attraction for us,” Simmons said. “They come from all over to bring their families to feed them. People will stop in the street and feed them. (Deer) don’t have to move out of the way — you have to move out of the way. They’re at home.” During rutting season, some bucks spar in town, Simmons said. “They lock horns,” she said. “Naturally, it’s intriguing. You’re not in the wilderness to see this.” But Simmons said the
local deer population surged into a scourge about 10 years ago. “I’m not in favor of the deer,” Simmons said. “There are more of them than there are of us. We’re overrun with them. They’ve interbred. They’re mangy. It’s insane. They’re out of control.” The Navigation District could trap deer to relocate them, Rains said, citing the case of Lakeway, a city of 14,000 near Austin. In 1997, Lakeway officials began trapping deer to relocate them, said Devin Monk, the city’s spokesman said. But Monk said limited relocation sites led city officials to euthanize trapped deer, whose meat is processed for a food bank. Navigation District officials could consider costly options that include permitted deer hunts and trapping deer to relocate or euthanize, Fugate said. But Fugate said a feeding ban could help control the deer population. “People are going to have to accept that we can’t have them uncontrolled out there,” Rains said. “At some point in time, I believe, the population has got to be brought down.”
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 13A
ENRIQUE ANGEL LOPEZ, SR.
Gains extend into 4th week
Jan. 13, 1956 — Nov. 13, 2014 Enrique Angel Lopez, Sr., 58, passed away on Thursday, November 13, 2014 at Laredo Specialty Hospital in Laredo, Texas. Mr. Lopez is preceded in death by his parents, Manuel M. and Araceli Lopez; brothers, Efrain A. Lopez, Eustolio A. Lopez, Edmundo A. Lopez; sister, Elva L. Gutierrez and a brotherin-law, Jack Moore. Mr. Lopez is survived by his sons, Enrique A. Jr. (Linda) Lopez, Ely A. (Eva) Lopez; grandchildren, Esmeralda, Esperanza, Elsa, Enrique III, Edan Lopez; brothers, Eliseo (Flora) Lopez, Eduardo Lopez, Eloy (Blanca) Lopez; sisters, Elda (Jorge) Gonzalez, Estela L. Moore; sisters-in-law, Irene F. Lopez, Yolanda G. Lopez; brotherin-law, Gerardo Gutierrez, III; and by numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, other family members and friends. Visitation hours were held Friday, November 14, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.
By BERNARD CONDON ASSOCIATED PRESS
The funeral procession departs on Saturday, November 15, 2014, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83, Zapata.
NEW YORK — Stocks ended mostly higher on Friday as major indexes extended gains for a fourth week in a row, a rare stretch for this year. After flitting between tiny gains and losses for most of the day, the Standard and Poor’s 500 index rose just two-hundredths of one percent to close at a record high. The Dow Jones industrial average ended slightly lower, but the losses were limited by a gain in energy shares, which have been falling sharply in recent months as oil prices drop. As of Friday, the S&P 500 is up 10 percent so far this year. “The market has continued to surprise me with its strength,” said Uri Landesman, president of Platinum Partners, an investment fund in New York. “It’s been almost a six-year party ... and it takes a lot to upset that momentum.” The S&P 500 rose 0.49 points to 2,039.82. The Dow slipped 18.05 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,634.74. The Nasdaq composite rose 8.4 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,688.54. Stocks have been mostly rising since Oct. 15, when the S&P 500 nearly fell into a “correction,” a trading term for a drop of 10 percent or more from a recent peak. Generally strong
corporate earnings results and solid U.S. economic data have lifted shares sharply since then. On Friday, investors got more good economic news. The Commerce Department reported that retail sales rose 0.3 percent in October after a drop in September. The reversal, though modest, was interpreted by some market experts as evidence that recent job gains and lower gas prices are lifting spirits as the holiday shopping season begins. “American consumers are starting to spend again,” said John Manley, chief stock strategist at Wells Fargo Funds, which manages $250 billion. “More people are working ... and that makes us a little freer at the cash registers.” Six of the S&P 500 index’s 10 industry sectors rose for day, led by an 0.8 percent gain in energy shares. Energy stocks had fallen 10 percent in three months as the price of crude plummeted to a four-year low. Among the highlights of the day, Virgin America, an airline backed by billionaire Richard Branson, soared 30 percent in its initial public offering. For the week, the S&P 500 and the Dow closed up about a third of percentage point, their fourth week of gains. The only better performance this year was a five-week run started
Taj Mahal casino might fold By MICHAEL BATHON BLOOMBERG NEWS
The outlook for Trump International Resorts Inc.’s Taj Mahal is bleak, and the odds of the Atlantic City, New Jersey, casino remaining open are dwindling by the day. In a case in which the company and its union agree on very little, they have reached consensus on one matter: If things don’t change, the Taj Mahal will close by mid-December and more than 3,000 workers in the ailing seaside town will lose their jobs. Trump Entertainment filed for bankruptcy protection Sept. 9 and shut its other hotel, the Trump Plaza, the fourth Atlantic City casino to close this year. Casino revenue in the city dropped more than 40 percent in 2013 as gamblers took their business to neighboring states. Trump Entertainment informed New Jersey gambling regulators that it will close the Taj Mahal next month if it can’t come to terms with Unite Here Local 54, which represents more than 1,100 of the casino’s employees. “We informed the Division of Gaming Enforcement that we intend to close the Trump Taj Mahal facility on Dec. 12,” Kristopher Hansen, a Trump Entertainment lawyer, told a bankruptcy judge at a hearing today in Wilmington, Delaware. Hansen said the company will continue to negotiate with the workers and its lender, an affiliate of billionaire Carl Icahn, which would take control of the casino operator under a proposed reorganization plan. Contract Scrapped Last month, Trump Entertain-
in early August. Among stocks making moves: Nordstrom rose 92 cents, or 1.3 percent, to $74.17 after the high-end retailer reporting earnings that topped financial analysts’ expectations. Hertz Global Holdings sank 5 percent after announcing it needs to restate its financial results for 2012 and 2013. The car-rental company fell $1.404 to $21.69. The price of oil posted its biggest gain in two months on concerns over Libyan output and strong retail sales in the U.S. that raised expectations for demand. Benchmark U.S. crude rose $1.61 to close at $75.82 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils used by many U.S. refineries, rose $1.92 to $79.41 on the ICE Futures exchange in London. In other energy futures trading on the NYMEX: Wholesale gasoline rose 4.1 cents to close at $2.043 a gallon. Heating oil rose 5.4 cents to close at $2.416 a gallon. Natural gas rose 4.3 cents to close at $4.022 per 1,000 cubic feet. The price of U.S. government bonds rose slightly. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note slipped to 2.32 percent from 2.34 percent on Thursday.
Facebook advises marketers By SARAH FRIER BLOOMBERG NEWS
Photo by Wayne Parry | AP
Union members picket outside the Trump Taj Mahal Casino Resort in Atlantic City N.J., to protest the elimination of their health insurance and pension plan as part of the casino’s bankruptcy filing on Oct. 24. ment won bankruptcy court approval to scrap its contract with the union and impose concessions that the company called vital to its survival. The union appealed, and Trump Entertainment said it can’t survive if that challenge isn’t withdrawn. “With the Taj Mahal intending to close on Dec. 12, I don’t see any basis for the union to withdraw that appeal,” U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Kevin Gross said at today’s hearing. Trump Entertainment is seeking court approval to distribute an outline of its plan to creditors and take their votes.
Under a revised proposal Trump Entertainment filed today, unsecured creditors will now share about $1 million and get interests in a litigation trust, Hansen said. The trust would be able to pursue claims such as payments made within 90 days preceding the bankruptcy. Not Satisfied Unsecured creditors weren’t satisfied by the offer and asked the judge to terminate the company’s exclusive right to propose a plan. That request is scheduled for a Dec. 4 hearing. The official committee of unsecured creditors can make a competing proposal by early
next week, said Karen A. Giannelli, a lawyer for the panel. Once Trump Entertainment and the creditors can agree on language in a disclosure statement that would explain the company’s plan while also saying the committee is seeking to present its own proposal, the judge said he will allow the statement to be sent to creditors for a vote. Donald Trump, the real-estate tycoon who founded the company, has no involvement in Trump Entertainment now and has been seeking to have his name removed from its properties.
Facebook Inc. is telling marketers to stop putting up posts that look like advertisements unless they actually are paid promotions. The social network said in a blog post today that starting next year, users’ news feeds will show fewer posts that prompt readers to buy a product, install an application or enter a sweepstakes. Facebook already limits the number of promotions that appear in a feed. When free posts look like ads, it hurts a consumer’s experience, the company said. The move spells more bad news for companies that spent years building up the number of “likes” on their Facebook brand pages, only to see their free posts reach fewer people as the news feed became more crowded. Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg addressed the issue in a public question-andanswer session last week, saying that though he has “empathy” for businesses that went through the change, protecting the user experience on Facebook is more important. “Pages that post promotional creative should expect their organic distribution to fall significantly over time,” Facebook said in the post today. “This change is about giving people the best Facebook experience possible and being responsive to what they have told us.” Zuckerberg has said that Facebook members on average have 1,500 posts they can see each day.
14A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ BASKETBALL: ZAPATA LADY HAWKS
NCAA FOOTBALL
Zapata drops opener Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Texas faces off at Oklahoma State on Saturday with bowl eligibility on the line.
UT battles for bowl eligibility By JOHN TRANCHINA ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times
United’s Brianna Ford scored 15 points as the Lady Longhorns topped Zapata on Tuesday 67-46 in the season opener for both teams.
STILLWATER, Okla. — Whoever wins will become bowl eligible. Whoever loses probably won’t see the postseason. That’s the bottom line
when two of the Big 12’s marquee programs over the last decade — Oklahoma State and Texas — meet Saturday night. Both struggling teams are trying to reach six vic-
See TEXAS PAGE 2B
Lady Hawks lose first game at United By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO – The Lady Hawks girls’ basketball team hit the road to open the season against one of the top teams from the Gateway City. Zapata’s second-quarter meltdown al-
lowed United to open a lead on the Lady Hawks and they were never able to recover with a 67-46 loss last week. Zapata (0-1) was led by the hot hand of Tere Villarreal who scored a gamehigh 17 points and went 7of-9 from the free-throw
line. Meanwhile, United’s Brianna Ford scored a team-best 15 points off the bench. Isela Gonzalez finished with nine. If Zapata could go back and erase issues in both the second and third quarters – as United build a nine-point lead by the half
and featured a six-point output in the third quarter – the Lady Hawks would have been in the mix going down to the wire. After the game was knotted up at 11 apiece at the end of the first quarter,
See ZAPATA PAGE 2B
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS Photo by Brynn Anderson | AP
Texans turn to Mallett By TOM WITHERS ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND — From his one season in New England with Ryan Mallett, Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer provided a partial scouting report to his teammates on Houston’s quarterback. “It’s the strongest arm I’ve ever seen — by far,” Hoyer said. On Sunday, Mallett finally gets to show it off in an NFL regular-season game.
See TEXANS PAGE 2B
After upsetting Auburn last week, Texas A&M hosts Missouri in a battle of former Big 12 teams now in the SEC.
Texas A&M hosts Missouri By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLLEGE STATION — Normally road games in the Southeastern Conference are a grueling task that no one looks forward to. That’s not the case for Missouri and its upcoming trip to Texas A&M.
The Tigers have won two of their last three games in College Station with squads filled with players from Texas who rarely get to play in their home state since the move from the Big 12 to the SEC. “They’re not going to
See A&M PAGE 2B
File photo by Gene J. Puskar | AP
Houston may be without running back Arian Foster against the Browns Sunday as the Texans turn to Ryan Mallett to make his first start at quarterback.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS
Rangers extend GM Daniels By STEPHEN HAWKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
File photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP
Texas Rangers President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Jon Daniels, left, was extended through the 2018 season.
Jon Daniels was the youngest general manager ever in the major leagues when the Texas Rangers put him in that position nine years ago. Daniels now has a new contract that will take him into his 40s with the team he helped direct to its only two World Series appearances before an injury-plagued 95loss season. With a three-year extension Friday, the 37-year-old Daniels is signed with Texas through the 2018 season. “When I first got the job, actually that was the story, the novelty of my age,” said Daniels, who was then 28. “After a while, whether
See RANGERS PAGE 2B
File photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP
TCU will look to keep rolling after jumping into the playoff mix taking on Kansas this weekend.
TCU hopes to avoid upset By DAVE SKRETTA ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAWRENCE, Kan. — Gary Patterson didn’t need to deliver any rahrah speeches last week. Every player in the TCU locker room knew what was at stake against Kansas State, the only team ahead of them in the Big
12 standings and a team still in playoff contention. Patterson doesn’t think he’ll need to this week, either, for a different reason. “You wouldn’t think with everything that you have in front of you that you would have to get ’em
See TCU PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores ZAPATA Continued from Page 1B
United unleashed a fullcourt press that quickly made it an eight-point lead for the Lady Longhorns. Pam Rosas started the run in the second period with a steal for a quick lay up. "We struggled with the press," Zapata head coach Hector Garcia said. "The girls just came out from volleyball. We got tired also but United is a real good team and this should help us down the road." Ford scored six of her 15 points in the quarter while Gabby Romero chipped in with six points as United
outscored Zapata 22-13 in the second quarter for a 3324 halftime lead. United continued where it left off and did not take its foot off the gas pedal. The Lady Longhorns continued with their full-court pressure defense that allowed only Zapata to score six points on a pair of baskets by Villarreal and Alexis Alvarez. On the other side of the court, United displayed a balanced offense where six players got to the scoring act and were led by Claudia Lopez’s six points, fol-
lowed by Odalis Carillo with a pair from the floor. The final period, Zapata was able to match United’s output on the floor as the Lady Hawks utilized the free-throw line and four baskets to account for all their points in the quarter. Villarreal was kept busy as the 5-foot-8 player went to the free-throw line frequently. She was 6 for 7 in the quarter and hit two baskets to score 10 of Zapata’s 16 points. Clara Sandoval can be reached at Sandoval.Clara@Gmail.com.
TEXANS Continued from Page 1B With Ryan Fitzpatrick struggling and unable to get Houston’s offense moving, first-year Texans coach Bill O’Brien decided during the team’s bye week to switch to Mallett, a former third-round draft pick acquired in an August trade from the Patriots. O’Brien knows Mallett well, having worked with him in New England. Quarterback and coach have been reunited, and O’Brien’s eager to see what Mallett can do in his first career start. Mallett has been patiently waiting for his chance, and now that it has arrived, O’Brien believes the four-year veteran, who has only attempted four career passes, will make the most of the opportunity. “He loves football,” O’Brien said. “Even when he was on the sideline, he was somewhat of a coach kind of trying to tell us what he would see and what things were standing out to him. He just loves being around the team and he’s shown that now as the starter. He’s out there; he’s doing a good job of operating the offense. “We’re all excited to see what he’s going to do on Sunday.” Mallett’s matchup with Hoyer is a reunion of two QBs who cut their teeth as backups under Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. The meeting has been aptly dubbed “The Brady Backup Bowl.” Hoyer has the Browns (6-3), who have won five of six, alone in first place in the AFC North. He always believed Mallett would one day have an opportunity at starting. It probably wasn’t going to happen in New England as long as Brady was around, but now Mallett has a chance to get the Texans (4-5) back in the playoff picture. “It’s good to see him finally get his shot and get a chance to go out and play,” Hoyer said. “I’m excited for him, too, just being a friend and a former teammate. I know, being a quarterback, you always want to get that shot to play. I’m sure he’s excited, and we’ll see how it goes.” Texans defensive star J.J. Watt can attest to Mallett’s rocket arm. “I know when I bat one of his balls I sure feel it,” he said. “I’m obviously looking forward to seeing what he can do out there.” Along with the Hoyer-Mallett reunion, here are some other things to watch: TATE’S FATE Browns running back Ben Tate left Houston to step out of Arian Foster’s shadow. Now he’s sharing carries with rookies Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell and he’s not happy about it. Tate, who signed as a free agent with Cleveland in March, had just 10 carries — the fewest of the three backs — in last week’s win over Cincinnati. He’s trying to make the most of a situation he didn’t expect. “I couldn’t really tell you why things are happening or what’s going on,” he said. “The only thing I can do is when it’s time to go to work, go to work.” WHOLESOME DEFENSE Houston’s defense could be as healthy
TEXAS Continued from Page 1B tories to become eligible for a bowl. And both face more difficult opponents after this, meaning this game represents their best chance. Oklahoma State (5-4, 3-3 in Big 12) has lost three straight games by a combined margin of 124-33 before enjoying a bye last week. A school-record bowl streak of eight seasons is on the line. Texas (5-5, 4-3) has played in a bowl for three consecutive seasons and in 15 of the last 16 years. The Longhorns have won their last two, including a 33-16 victory over then-No. 24 West Virginia last weekend.
Some things to watch Saturday: ROUGH ROAD AHEAD Each team has difficult Big 12 opponents left. Texas hosts No. 5 TCU on Nov. 27 in its finale. Oklahoma State still has road games against No. 6 Baylor (Nov. 22) and rival Oklahoma (Dec. 6), which just dropped out of the Top 25. LONGHORNS RISING
Texas seemed like a team sinking after getting dominated 23-0 by then-No. 11 Kansas State on Oct. 25, its third loss in four games. But the Longhorns have rebounded, most recently knocking off West Virginia 33-16 last weekend. A key reason is that running back Jonathan Gray finally looks healthy after a season-ending Achilles injury in November 2013. Last week, he gained 101 yards and scored three touchdowns on just 10 rushes. OGBAH SHINING Sophomore defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah has blossomed lately for Oklahoma State, piling up six sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in his last four games — all against Big 12 opponents. He now leads the entire Big 12 and ranks fifth in the nation among defensive linemen with nine sacks on the year and is fourth in the country among D-Linemen with 14.5 tackles for loss. He’s also forced a fumble. BIG 12 PARITY The Big 12 has had six members ranked among the Top 25 at some point this season, including four
inside the top 10. While two teams still rank in the top six on the latest poll (No. 5 TCU and No. 6 Baylor), the league’s parity has also seen a number of good teams knocked out of the rankings after losing to other powerhouses. It’s also the only major conference that has had five different champions over the last five years. Said OSU coach Mike Gundy: “It’ll be that way from here on out. And this league, slowly and surely over the next few years, will develop into what people thought about the SEC West.” RESTED COWBOYS OSU should be rested after a bye last week. It couldn’t have come at a better time, allowing several players to heal, particularly safety Larry Stephens and cornerback Ashton Lampkin. They have missed the past five games with injuries and could return Saturday. Then there was the mental fatigue that accompanies a three-game losing streak. “It really helped us,” Ogbah said of the time off. “We did get that rest that we needed.”
A&M Continued from Page 1B
File photo by Gene J. Puskar | AP
The Texans benched Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, handing over the quarterback position to Ryan Mallett as he makes his first start Sunday. as it’s been since the opener. Linebacker Brian Cushing is expected back after missing two games with leg issues, and top overall pick Jadeveon Clowney may play for just the third time this season because of surgery and knee issues. WORST TO FIRST This will be the Browns’ first game since their Nov. 6 win over the Bengals and moving atop the AFC North. Coach Mike Pettine has been pleased with how his players have handled success so far. “It’s been business as usual,” he said. “I thought they came back from the time off in shape. It’s not like guys just went and partied for a long weekend. I thought the way the guys carried themselves around the building. They’re alert. They’re attentive.” RUN, RUN, RUN The Browns and Texans are more committed to their running games than any NFL teams. Cleveland runs the ball a league-leading 50.9 percent of the time, and Houston is second at 50.5 percent. Conversely, the teams are ranked 28th and 21st, respectively, at stopping the run. LET IT SNOW Winter’s early arrival — Sunday’s forecast is for temperatures in the mid-30s and a chance for snow — would seem to give the Browns an edge over the Texans, who play in a dome. After practicing in light snow on Thursday, Browns safety Donte Whitner said Cleveland needs to use the elements as a weapon. “If we go out there and embrace the Cleveland weather, the Cleveland culture and understand that the weather is on our side, especially playing at home, then, it’s easy to go out there and play,” he said. “We have to use the weather to our advantage.”
RANGERS Continued from Page 1B you’re 30, 50 or 70, it’s about it’s about production, it’s about performance. ... That’s ultimately how you’re going to be judged.” Thad Levine, the assistant GM under Daniels all nine years, also got a three-year extension through 2018. Texas won AL pennants in 2010 and ’11 as part of four consecutive 90-win seasons. The Rangers were plagued injuries this year to ace pitcher Yu Darvish and the two key additions last offseason: slugger Prince Fielder and outfielder ShinSoo Choo. “I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished overall,” said Daniels, who also holds the title president of baseball operations. “This past season was not what we’re about. ... We feel very good about the product we’re going to be putting out there for the foresee-
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
able future.” In a statement Friday from ownership, co-chairmen Ray Davis and Bob Simpson said the deals for Daniels and Levine were a top offseason priority. “Under Jon’s and Thad’s leadership, the Rangers have created a strong overall organization that has combined major league success with a productive scouting and player development operation over a number of years,” their statement read. “Jon and Thad are skilled executives who are well respected around the game and completely committed to once again delivering a winning team for our fans.” After manager Ron Washington resigned for personal reasons with three weeks left in the season, the Rangers hired Jeff Banister as their new manager. Banister is
signed through 2017 with an option for 2018. Levine spent six seasons with Colorado before becoming Daniels’ top assistant. He has taken a more active role in the team’s international scouting and other duties that had been held by A.J. Preller, who left the Rangers this summer to become San Diego’s general manager. Daniels joined the Rangers organization in 2002, three years before replacing John Hart as general manager. “This is still very much a dream job. I have pinchme moments all the time, and try never get to a point where you take it for granted,” Daniels said. “That’s pretty remarkable to think about, this is going to be our 10th year doing this, which is amazing. ... I don’t get too far ahead of myself. We’ve got a ton to do right now.”
be intimidated coming in here,” coach Kevin Sumlin said. “They’ve won four of the last five games we’ve played ... they’ve got a lot of kids from the state of Texas and the other day (coach Gary) Pinkel’s words were that his guys enjoy playing here. So we’ve got a lot cut out for us this week.” Missouri boasts 22 players from the Lone Star State on a team that has won three straight and needs a victory to stay atop the SEC East. “I think our players really like the environment there,” Pinkel said. “It’s a great environment to play college football. One of the great things about playing in this league is that there’s a lot of great venues. This is another one.” The Tigers were off last week and the Aggies are looking to build on a thrilling upset of then-No. 3 Auburn that snapped a three-game SEC skid. Freshman Kyle Allen looks to improve to 3-0 since taking over for Kenny Hill, who started the first eight games for the Aggies. Pinkel said A&M’s offense is difficult to deal with regardless of who’s taking the snaps. Some things to know about the Missouri-Texas A&M game: DEDICATED DESHAZOR Texas A&M senior cornerback Deshazor Everett played on Saturday against Auburn despite rupturing a tendon in his right elbow a week before. Wearing a big, thick brace, Everett had five tackles and returned a blocked field goal 65 yards for the fourth touchdown of his career. He leads the team with 59 tackles and is just two tackles shy of reaching 200 in his career.
RAY’S RECORD Missouri defensive end Shane Ray leads the SEC, is fourth in the nation and has set the school’s single season record with 12 sacks. The junior also has 16 tackles for losses this season. MY OH MYLES Texas A&M freshman Myles Garrett is second in the SEC with 11 sacks this season to set a league record for sacks by a freshman that was previously held by Jadeveon Clowney (eight). Garrett leads the defensive line with 47 tackles and had a blocked a field goal last week at Auburn. Despite his impressive season, he still has a long way to go to break A&M’s singleseason sack record. Jacob Green holds the record with 20 in 1979 and Von Miller is second with 17 in 2009. TEXAS TIGERS Pinkel has a knack for recruiting in Texas and has found players in a variety of parts of the state. The Dallas area leads this year’s group with 10 players and Houston and its suburbs are second with five. But he’s also found talent in less likely parts of the state, signing offensive lineman Taylor Chappell from tiny Canadian, a town in the Texas panhandle near Oklahoma. O-LINE SHAKEUP Texas A&M’s line has been shuffled because of an injury to right tackle Germain Ifedi. That injury caused projected firstround pick Cedric Ogbuehi to move from left to right tackle and guard Jarvis Harrison to play left tackle last week. The reconfigured group allowed just one sack against Auburn and is expected to feature the same lineup on Saturday.
TCU Continued from Page 1B fired up to go play Saturday,” he said. “You wouldn’t think you would have to do that.” He’s referring, of course, to the fact that the fifthranked Horned Frogs are now fourth in the college playoff selection committee’s rankings. If they manage to hang onto that spot through the final three games of the season, they would be headed for a national semifinal. The finishing kick starts Saturday at Kansas, a team coming off its second Big 12 win in the past four years. Then, games against Texas and conference cellar-dweller Iowa State. It’s not exactly a rough road, nor is it a chance to impress the committee with one last marquee win. So the burden is on TCU (8-1, 5-1) to take care of business crisply and efficiently. “We can’t look too far ahead,” TCU wide receiver David Porter said. “We have to worry about this week coming up because that is our next game, and that’s all we can worry about.” The Horned Frogs ripped the No. 13 Wildcats 41-20 last week to propel them into the playoff picture. Now, they take on a Kansas team playing for their interim coach. Clint Bowen has been in charge of the Jayhawks (3-6, 1-5) since Charlie Weis was fired four games into the season, and so far he’s been able to steady a listing ship.
Bowen made Michael Cummings his starting quarterback, switched speedy playmaker Tony Pierson from wide receiver back to running back, and shook up playcalling duties by making wide receivers coach Eric Kiesau the co-offensive coordinator along with John Reagan. The changes have paid off with better play, and that’s caught the attention of Patterson, who said that Bowen “probably needs to have a lot of consideration” for the full-time job. Bowen insists he isn’t worried about that, though. He’s only focused on the Horned Frogs. “TCU is a very talented team playing at a high level,” he said. “In all honesty, the last 10 years I’ve spent countless hours in the offseason watching TCU’s defense, trying to steal ideas because (Patterson) has been one of the best defensive coaches in college football for a long time. On offense, they’re obviously putting up a lot of points, a lot of yards.” Making a lot of people believe they’re among the best four teams in college football, too. BUNDLE UP The forecast calls for temperatures in the 30s and a likelihood of snow showers. That thought sent a shiver through several Horned Frogs, who are leaving Texas for a game for just the second time this season.
“Hopefully the sun always shines on the Frogs,” Patterson said. BOYKIN’S STAR TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin has made a late Heisman push, his star turn against Kansas State highlighted by a front-flipping touchdown run. “I thought he’d be a great safety,” said Bowen, who remembers seeing Boykin in high school. “Tells you how smart I was.” GROUNDING THE PASS After giving up big yardage through the air in its loss to Baylor, the Horned Frogs have been better of late. They’ll be facing a rapidly improving Kansas pass offense. “There are things we worked on,” TCU defensive back Chris Hackett said. “Perfecting our craft.” SENIOR DAY It may be only mid-November, but the Jayhawks play their final two games on the road, so it’ll be senior day at Memorial Stadium. Bowen will bid farewell to a senior class that watched two coaches get fired and won precious few games. “We’re going to make sure that we show the proper amount of respect and appreciation to these guys,” Bowen said. HEEENY MEENY MINEY MO Ben Heeney is among those who will be playing at home for the final time. One of the nation’s top tacklers, the Kansas linebacker embodies the Jayhawks’ resilient nature.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014
MOVING DISHES Dear Heloise: I am moving for the first time (going by truck) and know you have some hints about packing my china dishes. -- A. Anderson in Dallas Here’s the low-cost Heloise hint: Use paper or plastic foam plates to place between each dish. Wrap a small stack (no more than five plates) with plain white paper. Don’t use newspaper -- the ink might rub off. Pack tightly into boxes cushioned with bath towels, sheets or materials that you are moving. -- Heloise BEAUTIFUL BOUQUET Dear Heloise: You gave hints for drying flowers to preserve a wedding bouquet. Have you ever seen a bouquet preserved by freeze-drying? The result is a preserved bouquet that looks as new and fresh as the day of the wedding. -- Ruth in Hebron, Ind.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
“
HELOISE
Ruth, I can’t say that I have. But they can freezedry pretty much anything, so why not? Do check out several places and prices, and be sure to ask to speak to some previous customers. You wouldn’t want to trust your wedding bouquet to just anyone! -- Heloise GARBAGE CANS Dear Heloise: I kept forgetting to put the trash cans out in the morning on garbage day. To alleviate this problem, I started putting them out the night before. -- Jim G., Athens, Ga. Good hint, as long as there are no varmints, stray dogs or wild animals that may want a midnight snack! -- Heloise
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2014