The Zapata Times 11/18/2015

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Indicted for smuggling Siblings expected Agents: 2 men caught $300 per person with 11 immigrants

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A federal grand jury recently indicted two siblings from Laredo for transporting illegal immigrants in Zapata County, an affidavit states.

On Nov. 10, Jonathan J. Mendoza, 19, and Nancy J. Mendoza, 26, were charged with conspiracy to transport undocumented people within the United States and two counts of transport and attempt to transport undocumented people for money.

Each faces up to 10 years behind bars if convicted.

Authorities said the case occurred Oct. 21, when U.S. Border Patrol agents got a tip to be on

J. MENDOZA

the lookout for a blue Ford Expedition suspected of transporting immigrants who had crossed the border illegally.

Reports state the Expedition had picked up the immigrants near the Dolores Creek area, off U.S. 83. The creek is an entry point for smugglers to bring in immigrants into the country, states a criminal complaint filed Oct. 23.

Eventually, agents said

they located and pulled over the Expedition. Authorities identified the driver as Nancy J. Mendoza and Jonathan J. Mendoza as the passenger.

Agents said they also discovered six immigrants suspected of being in the country illegally. Nancy J. Mendoza was the only one who agreed to speak to Homeland Security Investigations special agents in a post-arrest interview.

She allegedly told authorities she expected a payment of $300 per immigrant to transport the group to Laredo. Records state she was to split the money with her brother, Jonathan J. Mendoza.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

THE ZAPATA TIMES

Two men who transported 11 illegal immigrants in Zapata County have been indicted in a Laredo federal court, re-

cords state.

On Nov. 10, a grand jury charged Guillermo Bautista and Juan Gonzalez with conspiracy to transport undocumented people within the United States and attempt to transport

undocumented people for financial gain.

Federal authorities arrested the men the night of Oct. 16. U.S. Border Patrol agents said they were

See AGENTS PAGE 8A

Zapata man pleads not guilty to charges

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A Zapata man accused of attempting to transport eight illegal immigrants has been indicted, according to an affidavit.

A grand jury indicted Jorge Hector Salinas on Nov. 10 with conspiracy to transport undocumented people within the United States and attempt to transport undocumented people for money.

Salinas pleaded not guilty Thursday.

U.S. Border Patrol responded to human smuggling activity in the Dolores Creek area Oct. 19.

See NOT GUILTY PAGE 8A

RIO GRANDE VALLEY

TEXAS

‘EYES IN THE SKY’

Abbott will refuse refugees

Helicopters used for law enforcement

By KRISTIAN HERNANDEZ

Gov. does not want Syrians in state after terrorist attacks in Paris

THE MONITOR

McALLEN, Texas — From 700 feet in the air, the Rio Grande looks like an artery, winding into the horizon on both sides of the U.S.-Mexico border.

Hundreds of dirt trails and small canals resemble veins connecting the river to farmlands and roads that channel into highways and cities all across the Rio Grande Valley.

“Smugglers know how to use these trails and terrain to their advantage,” said Rod Kise, spokesman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection. “In some places they can hop the fence and be on a main highway in a matter of minutes.”

The Monitor newspaper reports the McAllen Air and Marine Branch hosted

See HELICOPTERS PAGE 8A

By EDGAR WALTERS TEXAS TRIBUNE

Photo by Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | AP

In this photo taken Monday, a U.S Customs and Border Protection McAllen air branch pilot flies a helicopter over the Rio Grande River near Anzaldua’s Bridge near Mission, Texas.

Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that Texas would refuse Syrian refugees after a terrorist attack in Paris killed more than 120 people.

"Given the tragic attacks in Paris and the threats we have already seen, Texas cannot participate in any program that will result in Syrian refugees — any one of whom could be connected to terrorism — being resettled in Texas," Abbott wrote in a letter to President Barack Obama.

Cynthia Leigh, an immigration attorney in Austin, said advocates for refugees “deplore this sort of announcement.”

But

Leigh said Abbott’s move was likely legal because resettlement policies are at the discretion of local communities.

Asked if individual states were ABBOTT allowed to bar Syrian refugees from being resettled, U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said, "I don’t have an answer for you. I think our lawyers are looking into that."

Abbott’s announcement made Texas the third state to declare it would block Syrian refugees from resettling. The governors of

See ABBOTT PAGE 8A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

Wednesday, November 18

ASSOCIATED PRESS

International Bank of Commerce Keynote Speaker Series presentation featuring Dr. Tony Payan, director of the Baker Institute’s Mexico Center at Rice University. “Trade, Politics and Culture: Resetting the Texas-Mexico Relationship for the 21st Century” will be at TAMIU Student Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd. from 7-8:30 p.m.

This event is free and open to the public.

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 18, the 322nd day of 2015. There are 43 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 18, 1865, Mark Twain’s first literary success, the original version of his short story “The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County,” was first published in the New York Saturday Press under the title “Jim Smiley and His Jumping Frog.”

On this date: In 1883, the United States and Canada adopted a system of Standard Time zones.

In 1886, the 21st president of the United States, Chester A. Arthur, died in New York.

In 1928, Walt Disney’s first sound-synchronized animated cartoon, “Steamboat Willie” starring Mickey Mouse, premiered in New York.

In 1936, Germany and Italy recognized the Spanish government of Francisco Franco.

In 1942, “The Skin of Our Teeth,” Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning allegory about the history of humankind, opened on Broadway.

In 1959, “Ben-Hur,” the Biblical-era spectacle starring Charlton Heston, had its world premiere in New York.

In 1964, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover described civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. as “the most notorious liar in the country” for allegedly accusing FBI agents in Georgia of failing to act on complaints filed by blacks; King denied making such a claim.

In 1978, U.S. Rep. Leo J. Ryan, D-Calif., and four others were killed in Jonestown, Guyana, by members of the Peoples Temple; the killings were followed by a night of mass murder and suicide by more than 900 cult members.

In 1985, the comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes,” created

by Bill Watterson, was first published. (The strip ran for 10 years.)

In 1999, 12 people were killed when a bonfire under construction at Texas A&M University collapsed.

In 2000, actors Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones were married in an extravagant wedding at The Plaza hotel in New York City.

Ten years ago: The Republican-controlled House spurned a call for an immediate pullout of troops from Iraq in a 403-3 vote hastily arranged by the GOP that Democrats denounced as politically motivated.

Five years ago: General Motors stock resumed trading on Wall Street, signaling the rebirth of an American corporate icon that had collapsed into bankruptcy and was rescued with a $50 billion infusion from taxpayers.

One year ago: Several feet of lake-effect snow paralyzed the Buffalo, New York, area on a wintry day when temperatures fell to freezing or below in all 50 states.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Brenda Vaccaro is 76. Author-poet Margaret Atwood is 76. Country singer Jacky Ward is 69. Singer Graham Parker is 65. Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon is 59. Actor Oscar Nunez is 57.

Actor Owen Wilson is 47. Actress Peta Wilson is 45. Actress Chloe Sevigny is 41. Rapper Mike Jones is 35. Actress/comedian Nasim Pedrad is 34.

Thought for Today: “Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them.”

— Robertson Davies, Canadian author (1913-1995).

Thursday, November 19 Spanish Book Club meets from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road. Call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810 for more details.

Bowlers sought for UISD’s Annual Bowl-A-Thon, 6-9 p.m. at Jett Bowl North, 5823 McPherson Road.

Teams are comprised of five members and there is a $25 fee for each player.

Proceeds will benefit the district’s Partners for Scholars program, which provides college scholarships for high school students. Register with Rosie Cruz in the Communications Office, 201 Lindenwood Drive, or call 4736331.

Friday, November 20 TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows, 5201 University Blvd. 6 p.m.: Earth, Moon and Sun; 7 p.m.: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. General Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information call 956326-DOME (3663).

Saturday, November 21 Cesar Chavez Memorial Alliance of South Texas and Laredo Chess Club are hosting a chess tournament, kindergarten-12th grade, to raise funds for scholarships at LCC’s De La Garza Building, West End Washington Street.

Registration is from 9-9:45 a.m. First round begins at 10 a.m. and awards are at 3:30 p.m. For more information, contact Manuel Bocanegra at 775-7027 or manuelboc45@gmail.com TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows, 5201 University Blvd. 2 p.m.: The Little Star that Could; 3 p.m.: Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens; 4 p.m.: Back to the Moon; 5 p.m.: Pink Floyd’s The Wall. General Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. 2 p.m. show is $1 less. For more information call 956-326-DOME (3663).

Monday, November 23 TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show a Thanksgiving Break Special. 2 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 3 p.m.: Season of Light; 4 p.m.: Let it Snow. General Admission is $3. For more information call 956326-DOME (3663).

Chess Club meets at the LBV– Inner City Branch Library from 4–6 p.m. Free for all ages and skill levels.

Basic instruction is offered. Call John at 795-2400, x2521.

Tuesday, November 24 TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show a Thanksgiving Break Special. 2 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 3 p.m.: Season of Light; 4 p.m.: Let it Snow. General Admission is $3. For more information call 956326-DOME (3663).

Take the challenge and climb the Rock Wall. Free. All participants must bring ID and sign release form. 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at LBV–Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Call 7952400, x2520.

Monday, November 30 Chess Club meets at the LBV– Inner City Branch Library from 4–6 p.m. Free for all ages and skill levels.

Basic instruction is offered. Call John at 795-2400x2521.

Parkinson’s Disease Support Group will meet at 6:30 p.m. at Laredo Medical Center, first floor, Tower B in the Community Center. Meetings are open to individuals who have been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease as well as family, friends and caregivers of Parkinson’s patients. For more information, call Richard Renner at 6458649 or 237-0666.

Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location, purpose and contact information for a representative.

Items will run as space is available.

Photo by Ralph Barrera/Austin American-Statesman | AP

Google’s self-driving car tours the Mueller Housing Development, Sept. 23, in Austin, Texas. Hustling to bring cars that drive themselves to a road near you, Google finds itself somewhere that has frustrated many before: Waiting for help from California’s department of motor vehicles.

Self-driving cars embraced

By PAUL J. WEBER AND JUSTIN PRITCHARD ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — With Google’s self-driving cars slowed in a gridlock of California regulation, Texas is offering a fast lane.

Officials in Austin have embraced the technology, a welcome so warm that the mayor used talking points written by a Google lobbyist when the tech titan began testing prototypes on their streets over the summer.

That embrace came as state transportation and safety policymakers are struggling with whether they share Google’s vision of — sooner than later — getting the public access to cars that have neither a steering wheel nor pedals.

For now, Google’s test cars have an employee in the driver’s seat, ready to grab the wheel should the onboard sensors and com-

puters get in trouble. Four retrofitted Lexus cars and four bubble-shaped cars Google commissioned are rolling around Austin, the hub of tech innovation in Texas and the first area Google has done extended testing outside its Silicon Valley base.

Four months into Google’s test drives here, Texas transportation officials appear unsure how to oversee their safe operation. Unlike California, where regulators have been drafting regulatory rules to give the public safe access to the cars, Texas has no obvious restrictions on self-driving vehicles.

And Google wants to keep it that way. The tech titan believes vehicles with just a button to start and stop — and no other way for passengers to maneuver them — would be legal without any change to Texas law.

State officials would not comment on their take.

School district to equip new buses with seatbelts

Police identify toddler fatally burned near oven

Dead dogs left outside shelter to protest service

HOUSTON — The biggest public school system in Texas has decided that all new school buses will be equipped with three-point seatbelts, effective immediately.

The administration of Houston ISD approved the move Tuesday. The district’s transportation department had recommended the policy last week after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration provided new guidance on the issue.

HOUSTON — Houston police say the death of a toddler whose suffered severe burns while playing with a kitchen oven appears to have been an accident.

Authorities say the girl’s parents were not in the apartment when the incident happened around 12:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Police believe the girl was with other children at her home and the youngsters began playing with the oven.

DALLAS — A vocal critic of Dallas Animal Services has left two dead dogs outside an animal shelter to show her frustration with what she says is city hall’s slow response to stray and dead canines.

The Dallas Morning News reports that Marina Tarashevska dropped the two dead animals outside the shelter’s entrance when she brought them there and didn’t get a response.

Police remove snake from Police question mother in bathtub during storms fatal stabbing of her baby WACO — Waco police have safely removed a 3-foot snake from a bathtub after the apartment resident noticed the slithery visitor during rainy weather.

Police are not sure if storms played a role in the incident Tuesday. Nobody was hurt. A woman called police to say her daughter found a snake in her bathtub.

HOUSTON — Houston police say a 2-month-old boy has been found stabbed to death at an apartment and his mother faces questioning in the slaying.

Investigator David Stark says police were dispatched to the home on an emergency call about someone being cut. The infant was dead at the scene. No charges have yet been filed.

Vandals caused $125K in damage to cemetery FABENS — Investigators are trying to determine who caused about $125,000 in damage to a West Texas cemetery by vandalizing as many as 50 graves.

Cleanup and repairs were planned Tuesday at the La Isla Cemetery in Fabens. It’s managed by Our Lady of Guadalupe Church.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Census weighs changes to American Indians in 2020 ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The U.S. Census Bureau is testing new questions on tribal enrollment to try to get a more accurate count of American Indians in 2020, officials said Tuesday.

The agency is aiming to avoid a 5 percent undercount of the population seen in 2010 and reaching out to tribes years in advance, Director John Thompson told The Associated Press.

Questions on tribal enrollment are important because of funding and discussions about Native American identity in a changing nation, officials said.

Judge accused of having sex with defendants LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A state disciplinary panel is accusing an Arkansas judge of having inappropriate sexual relationships with defendants.

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

In this April 26, 2013, file photo, a steady stream of indigenous dancers file past a drumming group at the Gathering of Nations in Albuquerque, N.M. The U.S. Census Bureau is testing new questions on tribal enrollment for the 2020 count.

The complaint alleges District Judge Joe Boeckmann inappropriately handled cases involving a man he was dating, the man’s siblings and employees of a business run by Boeckmann’s sisters.

The panel alleges Boeckmann showed preferential treatment to

white men and allowed sentencing not recorded on court dockets, including picking up trash at his home. He’s accused of taking inappropriate photographs of some defendants during those punishments.

— Compiled from AP reports

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State

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Sheriff: Man befriended campers, killed them

By JAMIE STENGLE AND DAVID WARREN ASSOCIATED PRESS

MIDLOTHIAN, Texas — The man charged in the killings of six people at an East Texas campsite had earlier befriended the victims and helped dislodge one of their vehicles from mud, a sheriff said Tuesday.

William Hudson, 33, spent time with the group Saturday and then returned hours later and killed them all, though authorities have not said how, Anderson

County Sheriff Greg Taylor said. Taylor declined to elaborate on the attack or a motive, but said Tuesday that there were “several different crime scenes.”

The victims were part of a blended family that had come from as far away as California for a weekend together to camp on wooded land that 46-year-old Thomas Kamp had purchased in August, according to Steven Woodruff, who was Kamp’s uncle.

The land was adjacent to property owned by Hudson

and his family about 100 brating Nathan Kamp’s apmiles southeast of proaching 24th Dallas, Taylor said. birthday.

Kamp had lived for Cynthia Johnseveral years in Midson escaped the atlothian, south of Daltack and hid in las, with Hannah woods before callJohnson, 40, and her ing 911 for help.

6-year-old son Kade.

“Nothing can They were joined last describe the pain HUDSON weekend by Johnand sorrow of the son’s parents, Carl remaining family and Cynthia Johnson, and members,” Woodruff told Kamp’s two adult sons from reporters at a news confera previous marriage, Nath- ence on Tuesday afternoon. an and Austin Kamp, who Two of the victims were were California residents. found by sheriff ’s deputies The family also was cele- in a travel camper. The oth-

er bodies, including Kade’s, were later pulled from a pond about a half-mile away.

One of Hannah Johnson’s friends, Michael Gilbert, said she grew up and attended school in Maine and later lived in suburban Boston before moving to Texas to be closer to her parents, who had retired there.

“She loved it down there and was really happy,” he said in a phone interview, adding that she found a job she liked with an insurance

company in Fort Worth.

Gilbert said she enjoyed camping.

Hudson is charged with one count of murder, and more are pending. Court officials said Hudson, who’s being held on $2.5 million bond at the Anderson County Jail, does not yet have an attorney to comment on the allegations.

Phone messages left with Hudson family members were not returned Tuesday.

Hudson was apprehended at his mother’s house, next door to his own home.

Man set to die for fire that killed 3 children

By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS

LIVINGSTON, Texas — Condemned Texas inmate Raphael Holiday insists he has no idea how a log cabin in the woods north of Houston caught fire, trapping and killing his toddler daughter and her two young half-sisters 15 years ago.

“I loved my kids,” Holiday, 36, said recently from a visiting cage outside Texas’ death row. “I never would do harm to any of them.”

A jury found him responsible for the fatal blaze, however, and Holiday is set for lethal injection Wednesday evening in Huntsville for the children’s September 2000 deaths.

He would be the 13th prisoner executed this year in Texas, which carries out the death penalty more than any other state, and 26th convicted killer executed nationally this year.

The U.S. Supreme Court in June refused to review Holiday’s case and no additional appeals were planned because of “the reality that his legal options are exhausted,” according Seth Kretzer, one of Holiday’s court-approved attorneys.

Holiday refused to accept that explanation, contended he’d been abandoned by his lawyers and complained to a federal judge in Houston, but his handwritten re-

Photo by Michael Graczyk | AP

Condemned Texas inmate Raphael Holiday is photographed Oct. 28 during an interview outside death row at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Polunsky Unit near Livingston, Texas. Holiday, 36, is set for execution today. quests were denied.

Another lawyer, Gretchen Sween, stepped in to try to get the execution stopped so new attorneys could be appointed to pursue appeals.

Those efforts failed in lower federal courts and Sween, affiliated with the Texas Resource Center, a legal organization that represents some Texas death row prisoners, took her arguments

to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday. There was no immediate ruling from the justices.

Kretzer described Sween’s intervention as “frivolous.” State attorneys have argued she has no legal authority in Holiday’s case because he already has court-approved lawyers.

Evidence and testimony showed Holiday, irate over a

protective order obtained by his estranged common-law wife, forced the girls’ grandmother at gunpoint to douse the interior of the Madison County home with gasoline.

After it ignited, he sped away in the grandmother’s car, hit a police car that had arrived outside the cabin about 100 miles north of Houston and then led officers on a chase that ended

two counties away when he wrecked.

“I was at the house, the house blew up,” he said recently from prison. “I don’t know how the fire started.”

At his trial, defense attorneys suggested an electrical problem or a pilot light started the blaze in the early hours of Sept. 6, 2000, killing Holiday’s 18month-old daughter, Jus-

tice, and his stepdaughters, Tierra Lynch, 7, and Jasmine DuPaul, 5.

Evidence showed the girls’ mother sought the protective order against Holiday after he was arrested for sexually assaulting one of the girls. Holiday contended he knew nothing about the assault.

“He wanted his family back together,” Frank Blazek, one of Holiday’s trial lawyers, recalled last week.

“In some unusual state of mind, out of desperation, he thought this was the way to go about it, by threatening them.”

The girls’ grandmother told jurors she watched Holiday bend down and then the flames erupted, court records show.

Blazek said evidence wasn’t conclusive that Holiday started the fire.

“It was a tough case,” he said. “Three little children.

They didn’t deserve to die.”

Prison officials said the girls’ mother planned to witness Holiday’s execution. She declined to speak with reporters.

Holiday said from prison that he was outside when the fire broke out.

“I was panicking,” he said, explaining why he sped off in a stolen car. “I think it was crazy for someone to say I spoke of harming my kids. That doesn’t make sense.”

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

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

COMMENTARY

OTHER VIEWS

It’s OK if you care more about Paris

By MAXIM MAYER-CESIANO THE WASHINGTON POST

The outpouring of support for Paris has been mostly inspiring, but one class of reaction has been especially odd: the scolds who chide our hypocrisy for caring so much about predominantly white, European victims while reacting less emotionally to the plight of the victims of terrorist attacks elsewhere. These unfortunate discrepancies are, supposedly, signs of latent racism, rather than something less insidious.

Comparing the response to the comparative global silence after a pair of suicide bombings in Beirut, Aryn Baker argued in Time, "Whatever the reasons — and there are many — for the disparity of global reaction, the message that emerges from these twinned events is that some lives matter more than others." Claire Bernish’s headline on theAntiMedia.org contended: "America: Your Solidarity with Paris is Embarrassingly Misguided."

The piece held that "as long as you wear just one flag, your attempt to stand with victims of terror is a most embarrassingly hollow solidarity, indeed."

This is nonsense. Grief is a personal emotion, and when it’s felt authentically, it is not always fair or proportionate to world demography. Grief is not in the same category as things like voting rights, criminal justice, education or work. It is not a matter for justice.

People are allowed to grieve the way they want to grieve. If something moves them more than something else, that is fine. Many people have visited the City of Lights and found meaningful experiences there. Many other people have cherished family, friends or colleagues there who loom larger than an anonymous victim. That affinity doesn’t necessarily come from a hateful, ignorant or otherwise bad place. That’s just being a human and having feelings. No one has the right to police that.

What’s more, tragedies in Beirut and Paris shouldn’t get the same kind of coverage. Beirut is less than an hour’s drive from Syria, a country wracked by civil war.

Internal frontiers shift constantly, rebels battle the government, which battles the so-called Islamic State. The Lebanon-Syria border is porous, and Syrians cross it easily. Beirut itself has been a war zone several times in the last 30 years.

Paris, meanwhile, is usually a safe city (the Charlie Hebdo attacks not-

withstanding). It is more than 2,000 miles from the war zone, and it’s generally thought to be pretty hard to get inside the European Union from the Middle East, even with the surge of refugees.

A week ago, people reasonably had different expectations about which was most vulnerable to Islamic terrorism. It is simply not as surprising when suicide bombers kill 37 people near a prolonged civil war as when six coordinated largescale attacks unfold in a city that is nowhere near any kind of active conflict, killing 129 (more than triple the total in Beirut). Even the logistics to plan an attack like this, far from the home front, shows a sophistication and scale of operations that transcend our previous understanding of the Islamic State.

Paris, then, defied expectations.

That was scary, and it made readers and viewers question what else they have underestimated. No wonder it elicited a much sharper, louder response among the press and among Western social media users. It would be a much better world if all people could have an equal and reasonable expectation of safety, but that’s not the world we live in.

Finally, these other attacks — the ones we absolutely should be caring about, too — were covered, on front pages, including the shoot-up of a Kenyan mall last year and the Beirut suicide bombings. As Erin Cunningham, The Washington Post’s Cairo correspondent, put it: Please don’t lament our lack of coverage to journalists across the Middle East who rush into unsecured bomb sites in order to report those stories.

Yes, the world is full of racism. Many people do see others as alien. To address that problem, more empathy is always better than less empathy. But while all people are created equal, it is no crime to rue the loss of something familiar more than the loss of something remote or altogether unknown.

We weep for the loss of a relative to cancer, but not for the loss of a stranger to the same disease. Does anyone really believe that grief is supposed to tell us something about the relative values of their lives? Are we any less committed to fairness or justice for loving our loved ones? There is no need to convince people that the manner in which they express sincere sorrow is somehow harmful to others.

Maxim Mayer-Cesiano is an attorney living in New York City.

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COLUMN

Brimley roles are my dream “You’re a smart man, Mr. Gallagher. I’m pretty smart myself.” — Wilford Brimley to Paul Newman in the movie “Absence of Malice.”

Most of us, if we admit it, grow up idolizing someone on movie or TV screens.

Some of us could probably ‘fess up to having acting idols in our adult years.

As a kid, I came up in the times of Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, William “Hopalong Cassidy” Boyd and Lash LaRue (he of the whip instead of gun [ha!]). And, Smiley “Frog” Burnette, he of the bug eyes of, er, uh, well, a frog, probably a politically incorrect handle and reference today. However, Burnette was known as Frog in most of the westerns he played in with Gene Autry.

With the advent of television, adulthood and serious dramas debuted. One of the few that attracted me was “Our House,” starring Wilford Brimley, Deidre Hall and Shannon Doherty.

Brimley was the sometimes gruff (isn’t he always), widower father-in-law, Hall was his widowed daughterin-law and Doherty was Hall’s daughter and Brimley’s granddaughter.

Hall (grrr! woof, woof!) came to “Our House” from a successful career in soap operas. If I remember correctly, she returned to that after the run on the show with Brimley and Doherty, a child star who went on to do more TV and movies.

Hall’s soap credits came from “Days of Our Lives” and “The Guiding Light,” both of which my late mother was a devoted fan.

Brimley’s introduction to me came in “Absence of Malice,” where he had what I considered a show-stealing, five-or-so-minute appearance near the end of the movie.

Some setting of the stage is necessary to understand how memorable my introduction to this fine actor occurred.

Matinee-idol (snarl! snap! jealousy!) Newman’s role in “Absence” was that of an honest liquor warehouse owner who is put under extreme scrutiny by a despicably aggressive Justice De-

partment lawyer, Elliot Rosen, played by Bob Balabem.

Sally Field, one of my favorite actors, played an inquisitive and aggressive newspaper reporter. She’s tipped off by Rosen/Balabem that Justice is investigating a Mafia hit of a labor organizer and infers that Newman is responsible. Rosen’s shady goal is to use Field to pressure Newman so the miscreant prosecutor can ride the headlines into bigger things.

Field’s reporting inadvertently leads to the suicide of Newman’s childhood friend and prompts him to consider a lawsuit although he knows the deck is stacked against him because of his father was a Mafia boss. So, Newman sets a trap for Field and she falls for it and, of course, for him. Dang it, don’t they always.

Of course, prosecutor Rosen, with visions of headlines and promotion dancing in his head, jumps on the case without doing due diligence and is ensnared in Newman’s trap for all feds and for Field.

The movie ends with a couple of excellent scenes.

One is Field taking leave and hinting to Newman

with those big magic eyes of hers that she’d like to see him again under better circumstances.

The other scene is Brimley’s stealing the show with his dressing down of his overly ambitious underling prosecutor.

“Elliot, what’d you figure you’d do after government service?” Brimley asks.

Rosen feigns shocked innocence and says, “I’m not quitting.”

Brimley says calmly. “You ain’t no Presidential appointee, Elliott. One that hired you is me. You got 30 days.”

There was at least a smattering of applause after that remark.

With hindsight, you figure how could the movie miss: Newman, Field and Brimley.

It was my introduction, as I said, to Brimley and made a fan of me. I’ve dreamed of being the hero prosecutor and a doting grandfather.

Oh, well, .500’s not a bad batting average.

Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editorpublisher of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.

EDITORIAL

Federal officers need body cameras THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

In the wake of the fallout from the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Mo., last year, President Barack Obama announced a three-year, $263 million community policing initiative, which included $75 million to help local law enforcement agencies purchase 50,000 body cameras. The Justice Department doled out $19.3 million in such grants this

year, which, along with a 50 percent match by the local police agencies, will purchase an estimated 21,000 cameras.

We agree with the use of police body cameras, although we strongly disagree with federal involvement and the use of federal tax dollars. Policies of local police agencies should be determined by the jurisdiction’s taxpayers and political leaders, not cross-subsidized by taxpayers nation-

wide.

The oft-cited experiment of the Rialto Police Department with body cameras in 2012-13 illustrates why their use is good for protecting both police officers and the wider community.

The department found that after the body cameras were instituted, officers used force nearly 60 percent less often, and the number of citizen complaints against officers dropped by 88 percent.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Since then, numerous police departments across the country have adopted body cameras. But in yet another case of "Do what I say, not as I do," the Obama administration has so far refused to adopt body camera policies for federal agencies. An internal review for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the largest law enforcement agency in the nation, recommended against widespread use of body cameras.

Nation

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

Openly gay mayor elected

By MICHELLE L. PRICE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SALT LAKE CITY — Former Utah lawmaker Jackie Biskupski on Tuesday became the first openly gay mayor of Salt Lake City, the capital of the conservative state where the Mormon church and a small town judge delivered setbacks last week to the LGBT community.

Official election results show Biskupski won 52 percent of the votes to defeat two-term incumbent Ralph Becker.

The victory by Biskupski marked a milestone for LGBT people in Utah who have made major strides in recent years.

“Today is not just about making history,” Biskupski said. “It is about people. It is about affecting change.”

Her supporters cheered when the results were read at an elections canvass meeting. Becker showed no reaction and later congratulated Biskupski, and vowing to work with her to ensure a smooth transition.

“Serving as mayor of Salt Lake City has been the richest working experience of my life,” Becker told reporters. “It has been an unparalleled privilege and honor to serve in this role for eight years.”

Biskupski takes over after progress on gay rights was temporarily marred in recent weeks when a judge ordered a foster child to be removed from a lesbian couple and placed with a heterosexual couple. The judge cited the child’s wellbeing as the reason for his order.

The ruling set off a firestorm around the state and nation. The judge quickly reversed his decision and took himself off the case.

Days earlier, the Salt Lake City-based Mormon church issued new rules targeting gay members and their children, prompting widespread backlash. The new policy bans baptisms for children of gay parents until the kids turn 18 and disavow same-

Photo by Kathryn Scott Osler/The Denver Post | AP

Cooper Belly, 3, joins his father Seth as they work to clear the sidewalks in front of their home in Denver. A wet heavy snow fell on the Denver metro area and across the state overnight.

Photo by Rick Bowmer | AP

Former Utah lawmaker Jackie Biskupski poses for photograph after becoming mayor of Salt Lake City on Tuesday.

Colorado snow storm may cause tornadoes

By COLLEEN SLEVIN

sex relationships.

Biskupski is not a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and said she hopes the faith reconsiders the policy. She said one of her goals as mayor is to meet with church leaders and discuss the new rules.

Biskupski, who became Utah’s first openly gay lawmaker in 1998, declined to discuss the church’s policy further Tuesday, saying she wanted to meet with Mormon officials first.

Earlier this year, the church endorsed a statewide anti-discrimination law that protected gay and transgender people from discrimination in housing and the workplace. It’s a contrast from 1998, when some of Biskupski’s colleagues in the heavily Mormon and conservative Legislature wouldn’t shake her hand.

When asked about her win in light of last week’s controversies, Biskupski said, “It’s 2015, and we’ve come a long way from, gosh, when I first got elected.”

Regarding the foster child case, Biskupski said she was proud of Utah’s Republican governor for criticizing the judge’s actions, which she

called “so old and rhetorical.”

LGBT issues didn’t define the tight race between Biskupski and Becker.

Salt Lake City is a liberal island in the state where no Republican has been elected mayor in four decades. Gay rights group Equality Utah endorsed both Becker and Biskupski.

Becker has been called an ally of the LGBT community, helping pass a 2009 city antidiscrimination ordinance.

He also officiated dozens of the first gay marriages in 2013 in the hours after a surprising ruling overturned Utah’s same sex marriage ban.

Becker, 63, was hoping to win a third term as mayor but came out of election night 1,450 votes behind Biskupski. With just 5,000 votes left to be counted in recent days, Becker did not concede.

Salt Lake City voters also elected Derek Kitchen, who became the second gay member of the City Council, election results showed.

He and his husband, Moudi Sbeity, were one of three couples who sued to overturn the state’s same-sex marriage ban.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DENVER — A powerful wintery storm dumped heavy snow on parts of Colorado on Tuesday while bringing the threat of tornadoes to millions in central and southern states.

Much of Interstate 70, Colorado’s main east-west highway, was closed because of blizzard conditions on the state’s Eastern Plains as well as in northwest Kansas, where up to 15 inches of snow and heavy winds are in the forecast. Dozens of semi-trailers and cars were lined up along the interstate and a nearby frontage road on Tuesday as strong winds blew snow across the road.

“I’ve got to go to Liberal, Kansas, and this is the best way to go. So I came this way not realizing that they were shutting the roads down, that it was that bad,” said truck driver Thomas Meyer, who was traveling with his dog, Little Hank.

Truck driver Fernando Rendell said he was headed to Kansas City, Missouri, but stopped after seeing two trucks in the ditch along the slick interstate.

As the system pushed east, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Texas, including Houston, and a large swath of Arkansas, where heavy rain had led to standing water in Little Rock and winds caused property damage in the southwest part of the state. Tornado watches also are in effect for most of Louisiana and western Mississippi through the evening hours, while Alabama is bracing for severe storms on Wednesday.

On Monday, a least five tornadoes touched down in the Texas Panhandle, including one that hit a Halliburton district office near Pampa. Early Tuesday, two weak tornadoes touched down in the northern suburbs of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to the National Weather Service. No one was injured in any of the tornadoes.

Tuesday’s storms come on the twoyear anniversary of tornadoes and thunderstorms that killed eight people in Illinois. In 2015, only 10 people have died due to tornadoes — two in Arkansas, two in Oklahoma, two in Illinois and four in Texas, according to data from the Storm Prediction Center. At the same point last year, 42 people had been killed.

The storm that originated in the Gulf of Alaska could be a harbinger of El Nino, the ocean-warming phenomenon that’s predicted to bring heavy rain to the West in the coming months, said Kathy Hoxsie of the National Weather Service.

“It’s the beginning of the winter season,” she said. “We want storms. We want rain. We’ve been projecting that we’re going to have a wet winter and this is a sign that it’s going to happen.”

California in particular is anxiously awaiting winter rains as it seeks relief from its record, four-year drought.

Heavy rain will help, but isn’t expected to erase the deficit. Forecasters canceled high wind warnings in Southern California on Tuesday morning, but not before downed trees blocked roads overnight and thousands of customers in Los Angeles County lost power.

International

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

Putin vows to punish jet plane bombers

By LYNN BERRY ASSOCIATED PRESS

MOSCOW — A somber President Vladimir Putin vowed to hunt down and punish those responsible for a bomb that brought down a Russian passenger jet last month, “wherever they are hiding.” Intensified Russian airstrikes Tuesday hit the Islamic State group’s stronghold in Syria that also is being pounded by the French military.

Russia’s FSB security service confirmed for the first time that a homemade bomb caused the Oct. 31 crash of the Metrojet Airbus 321-200 in Egypt’s Sinai Desert and killed all 224 people aboard in what it called “a terrorist act.” The Islamic state had already claimed responsibility, saying it was punishing Moscow for its air campaign in Syria.

With Russia striking IS targets in reprisal for the Metrojet downing, France hitting militants in response to the attacks on civilians in Paris last week and the ongoing U.S.-led coalition bombings, the extremists were facing a stepped-up assault from at least three military powers.

But the Kremlin said it was too soon to call it a de facto alliance.

Putin heard the report on the Metrojet bombing at a late-night meeting of his security advisers in the Kremlin that was shown on national television. He and his advisers stood for moment of silence for those who died on the plane, mostly Russian vacationers flying from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh to

St. Petersburg.

An unusually subdued Putin called it “one of the bloodiest crimes,” and promised retribution for “the murder of our people in Sinai.”

“We will not wipe away the tears from our souls and our hearts. This will stay with us forever,” he said.

The FSB offered a $50 million reward for information leading to the arrest of those responsible, and Putin said Russia would be relentless in its pursuit.

“We’re going to look for them everywhere wherever they are hiding. We will find them in any place on Earth and punish them,” he said.

FSB head Alexander Bortnikov said a bomb containing the equivalent of 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of TNT went off aboard the Airbus, causing it to break apart in the air, which explains why the fuselage was scattered over such a large territory. I can certainly say that this was “a terrorist act,” Bortnikov said.

He said tests showed the explosives had been produced outside of Russia, but gave no other details.

Egyptian Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said his government was informed only on Tuesday of the results of the Russian investigation, and he shied away from endorsing its conclusion that a bomb was to blame. Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh following a Cabinet meeting there, Ismail said Egypt would “bear in mind” the Russian conclusion.

Aviation Minister Hossam Kamal, meanwhile, sought to cast doubt on the

Photo by Maxim Grigoriev/Russian Ministry for Emergency Situations | AP file

In this Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015 file photo, Egyptian Military approach the wreckage of a passenger jet bound for Russia.

Russian declaration, saying the technical investigation into the crash by experts from Egypt, Russia, France and Ireland had not concluded.

Egyptian authorities opened an investigation into a possible security breach or infiltration by militants of the Sharm elSheikh airport staff, security officials said. The investigation has focused on baggage handlers, their security supervisors and also personnel involved in aircraft catering, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case.

Egypt is concerned about the impact on its tourism industry. Sharm elSheikh was particularly popular with Russian tourists, who in 2014 accounted for nearly a third of the nearly 10 million visitors to Egypt.

Russia has suspended all flights to Egypt. Russia also has banned Egypt’s national carrier from flying to Russia.

Seeking to reassure trav-

elers, Egyptian Interior Minister Magdy AbdelGhaffar said security measures at airports had been stepped up nationwide.

Putin’s meeting at the Kremlin was held immediately upon his return from Monday’s summit with President Barack Obama and other world leaders in Turkey, where they vowed to work together to combat the Islamic State group following Friday’s attacks in Paris that killed 129 people.

IS has claimed responsibility for those bombings and shootings.

Putin ordered the Russian missile cruiser Moskva, currently in the Mediterranean, to start cooperating with the French military “as allies” on operations in Syria. He said a French aircraft carrier task force was to approach the Moskva soon.

The plane crash and the Paris attacks clearly have raised Russia’s determination to fight IS, although Western concerns remain that its airstrikes also are hitting rebels who oppose Syrian President Bashar

Assad but are not affiliated with radical groups.

Putin said that Russia’s air campaign in Syria “should not only be continued but should be intensified so that the criminals realize that retribution is inevitable.”

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Russian bombers hit positions in the Islamic State’s stronghold of Raqqa, as well as in Deir alZour.

Russian warplanes fired cruise missiles on militant positions in Syria’s Idlib and Aleppo provinces, Shoigu said. The Islamic State group has positions in Aleppo province, while the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front is in Idlib province.

The cruise missiles that hit the Aleppo and Idlib positions were fired from supersonic Tu-160 bombers and from Tu-95s, long-distance turboprop strategic bombers that started from Russian territory, he added.

France’s airstrikes Tuesday in Raqqa destroyed a command post and training camp, said French military spokesman Col. Gilles Jaron. Later, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said there were new raids in the evening by 10 fighter jets.

The aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle will depart Toulon on Thursday for the region.

French President Francois Hollande, who stayed away from the G-20 summit because of the Paris attacks, said he would travel to Moscow next week to help forge a military coalition against the Islamic State group.

France also made an unprecedented demand that its European Union allies

Riots ensue after marches in Greece ASSOCIATED PRESS

ATHENS, Greece — Several hundred youths have hurled rocks, bottles and petrol bombs at riot police in central Athens following an annual march to mark the anniversary of a bloody student uprising.

The clashes, which went on for at least two hours late Tuesday, broke out following a rally that ended peacefully after being attended by 16,000 people and policed by 5,000 offi-

cers.

Violence also broke out in Greece’s second largest city, Thessaloniki. There were no immediate reports of any injuries or arrests.

The annual march that ends at the U.S. Embassy in Athens is held to commemorate the student uprising that was crushed by Greece’s military regime in 1973.

Many Greeks blame Washington for backing the dictatorship that ruled Greece from 1967-74.

University students shout slogans during a rally in Athens on Tuesday.

Thousands of demonstrators are gathering for an annual protest march to the U.S. embassy in Athens, to commemorate a student uprising that was crushed by the country’s military regime in 1973.

Photo by Yorgos Karahalis | AP

Germany-Netherlands match called off shortly before kickoff

By CIARAN FAHEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

HANNOVER, Germany — The friendly soccer game between Germany and the Netherlands was canceled at short notice due to the serious threat of an attack at the stadium on Tuesday.

“We had concrete evidence that someone wanted to set off an explosive device in the stadium,” Hannover police chief Volker Kluwe told German TV. Referring to another bomb threat about an hour beforehand that turned out to be a false alarm, Kluwe said, “After the first object turned out to be harmless, we got a tip that had to be taken seriously that an attack was being planned.”

Lower Saxony Interior Minister Boris Pistorius, speaking at a late news conference, said no explosives had been found by then, and no arrests had been made.

Pistorius said there was no confirmation of rumors that an explosive device was placed in an ambulance or another vehicle inside or outside the stadium.

Federal Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere told the same news conference that indications of a planned attack became stronger as the match approached, and that the game was called off at his recommendation.

De Maiziere said he could give few details because he needed to protect the source of information, and because “part of these answers would upset the population.”

Police shut down parts of the

Photo by Julian Stratenschulte/DPA | AP

Two police officers stand in the HDI-Arena in Hannover, Germany on Tuesday, just before the stadium was evacuated before the friendly soccer match between Germany and the Netherlands. main Hannover train station and several subway stations while searching the area around the stadium. A jazz concert at which around 900 concert-goers were expected was also cancelled.

Spectators had only just started entering the Hannover stadium when the evacuation order was given, which affected mainly stadium staff, match workers, VIP guests, and media.

Members of the German government including Chancellor Angela Merkel had not arrived, but were scheduled to attend the match to send a signal that Germany wouldn’t bow to terrorism in the wake of the deadly Paris attacks on Friday.

At that time, Germany was playing France in a soccer

friendly in the Stade de France, outside of which three suicide bombers blew themselves up, killing one bystander. The bombers sought unsuccessfully to enter the stadium. At least 129 people were killed in the coordinated attacks in the city.

Announcements at the stadium in northern Germany advised people to go home in a calm manner, and that there was no danger to fear. Most fans were still waiting outside when the order to evacuate came about an hour and a half before kickoff.

There were no signs of panic, with most fans seemingly accepting the decision with resignation. Police became more forceful with members of the media who attempted to stay be-

side the stadium.

Germany press officer Jens Grittner said the team bus was redirected to a “safe place,” and that was all he could say for the moment.

Security at the stadium was very tight, with police armed with machine guns and maintaining a very obvious presence in the city. Reporters arriving for the game were searched, while a sniffer dog was deployed to check their bags.

Tuesday’s friendly between Belgium and Spain was called off late Monday following a Belgian government recommendation. The Belgian Football Association said it was “in the context of a new elevated terrorist alert and the current pursuit of a suspect.”

support its military action against IS. It invoked a never-used article of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty obliging members of the 28-nation bloc to give “aid and assistance by all the means in their power” to a member country that is “the victim of armed aggression on its territory.”

Le Drian said all EU partners responded positively, and they could help “either by taking part in France’s operations in Syria or Iraq, or by easing the load or providing support for France in other operations.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was asked by reporters if Putin’s order about the Moskva cooperating with the French meant there was a de facto coalition on Syria involving Moscow and Paris. He replied: “For now, it’s premature to say this.”

Putin said Russia is “relying on all of our friends.”

“We will act in accordance with the U.N. Charter’s Article 51, which gives each country the right to self-defense. Everyone who tries to aid the criminals should understand that they will be responsible for giving them shelter,” he said.

An image posted on the Facebook page of Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova apparently sought to show solidarity between Russia and France. Similar to the popular meme of the Eiffel Tower inside a circle forming a peace symbol on the French tricolor, the image on Zakharova’s page shows a jet plane in a circle superimposed on the white, blue and red of the Russian flag.

EU police in pursuit of terrorist suspects

By AURELIEN BREEDEN AND KATRIN BENNHOLD THE NEW YORK TIMES

PARIS — A dragnet across Europe widened Tuesday to include a second fugitive suspected to have taken part in the Paris terrorist attacks, as officials tried to make sense of a torrent of emerging intelligence about the planning and execution of the attacks.

The police in France and Belgium continued their pursuit of one fugitive, Salah Abdeslam, 26, a Frenchman who is believed to have escaped to Brussels, while a French official — who was briefed on the investigation but was not authorized to discuss it — said on Tuesday evening that the authorities were looking for an accomplice, whose identity has not been revealed.

Seven attackers died in the assault Friday night, but it now seems clear that at least nine directly took part in them.

Some of the attackers, who killed 129 people in a closely coordinated series of assaults that lasted three hours, rented a house in the northeast suburb of Aulnay-sous-Bois last week, telling the landlady they were businessmen from Belgium, according to the French official.

The person suspected of organizing of the attacks — a Belgian militant named Abdelhamid Abaaoud, who is 28 or 27 — is believed to be in Syria with fellow Islamic State militants, French and U.S. intelligence officials have concluded.

Early Tuesday morning, 10 French fighter jets, taking off from bases in Jordan and the Persian Gulf, dropped 16 bombs on what the French Defense Ministry described as an Islamic State command center and training center in the group’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa, Syria. Hours later, Russia carried out an attack on Raqqa, with cruise missiles and long-range bombers, after acknowledging that a terrorist bomb brought down a Russian jetliner over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt — a hotbed of Islamic State activity — on Oct. 31.

“The terrorists want to erase everything: culture, youth, life, and also history and memory,” President Francois Hollande said in a speech at a UNESCO conference in Paris.

“You do not fight against terrorism by hiding, by putting your life on hold, by suspending economic, social and cultural life, by banning concerts, theater, sports competitions,” he said. “We will not yield to terrorism by suspending our way of life.”

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: CLEVELAND BROWNS

Manziel made starting QB Browns name Manziel new starter, former A&M QB cleared by NFL

By TOM WITHERS ASSOCIATED PRESS

BEREA, Ohio — There was no formal presentation or fanfare. No torch passing ceremony.

Browns coach Mike Pettine simply pulled Johnny Manziel aside and told him he would be Cleveland’s starting quarterback for the remainder of this season.

No longer just a celebrated bad-boy backup, Manziel joined an elite class.

The trick will be staying there.

Manziel’s budding pro career, dotted mostly by missteps on and off the field to this point —the NFL said Tuesday he will not be disciplined for a domestic case — seems to be finally headed in the right direction for him. Now, the Browns will find out if he can be their franchise QB. Fresh off a strong start at Pittsburgh on Sunday, Manziel moved ahead of veteran Josh McCown on the depth chart, a switch that will either usher in a new era for the Browns or send them scrambling again to fill a troublesome position.

“I wanted the chance to be the guy and that was always my goal,” said Manziel, who was watching film before Pettine told him the

news. “I’m excited, I think as I should be. This is a great opportunity with a great group of guys that are going to go out and fight with me every week.”

Pettine made the change before the team’s first byeweek practice, two days after Manziel passed for a career-high 372 yards in a 30-9 loss to the Steelers. He also flashed a few of those Johnny Football moments that won him the Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M. After fumbling on his first play, Manziel regrouped and completed 33 of 45 passes with one touchdown. He didn’t lead the Browns (2-8) to victory, but Manziel showed he’s learning from his mistakes, growing more comfortable in the pocket and ready to take his biggest step yet.

“The performance against Pittsburgh validated for us the progress he’s made and the improvement he’s shown and that he deserves this opportunity,” Pettine said. “We understand where our season is at this point and this is a kid we’ve invested a lot in.

This will give us an opportunity to see how far he’s come and what he’s capable of.”

On the same day he was named a starter, Manziel also learned he will not be

Photo by Gene J. Puskar | AP

Cleveland quarterback Johnny Manziel was told by the NFL he would not be punished for a reported domestic violence incident with his girlfriend on the same day he was named the Browns’ starter for the rest of 2015. fined or suspended for his actions in a domestic incident last month in Avon, Ohio. The 22-year-old was questioned on Oct. 12 by police following an in-car argument with his girlfriend.

The league said it interviewed several people, including Manziel and his girlfriend, who told police he had been violent with her. Manziel admitted to

drinking before the argument. He was not arrested.

For Manziel, being named a starter is both a personal milestone and evidence that he’s turned his life around following a disappointing first season and 10-week stay in a Pennsylvania rehab facility for an unspecified condition.

Pettine is giving his players the bye weekend off. He

spoke to Manziel about his behavior and the club’s expectations for him away from the field as the face of the franchise.

“He’s done some things to affect that trust, clearly,” Pettine said. “He understands it. He knows with these expectations comes great responsibility. That’s something he knows he has to return.”

Manziel promised his coach he would be a model citizen.

“I let him know that I’m not going to do anything that’s going to be a distraction to this team or be an embarrassment to the organization,” Manziel said.

“I don’t think they’re going to have to worry about me this week.”

Once back to work, the Browns, who have dropped five straight games, will prepare for a Nov. 30 game against Baltimore, a Monday night matchup between two struggling teams certain to draw more TV viewers with Manziel starting.

“Coach Pett said I couldn’t ask for a better stage,” Manziel said.

And, it’s an ideal platform for the Browns to further evaluate Manziel’s growth as a quarterback and leader. Now 1-4 as a starter, the final six games could be an audition for 2016 and beyond.

“I was just looking forward to coming out and trying to have a little bit of a spark and more than anything, get some wins,” Manziel said. “That’s what I told coach Pett, no matter what happens, whether you think this may be for next year or whatever the case is, we’re going to win some of these games down the road.”

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

ABBOTT Continued from Page 1A Michigan and Alabama said Sunday that they would similarly prevent such resettlement in their states. Other states followed suit on Monday.

In his letter, Abbott said ISIS posed a “very real” risk to Texas, referencing an attack last year in Garland where a security guard was wounded after being shot outside a Prophet Mohammed cartoon contest. ISIS claimed responsibility for that attack.

In a similar statement on Monday, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick commended the governor’s actions.

"We adhere to JudeoChristian principles and stand ready to help those in need, but not at the expense of the safety and security of our own people," Patrick said.

House Speaker Joe Straus on Monday took a more nuanced position, saying he agreed with Abbott’s “concern” and that refugees needed “thorough background reviews” in order to be placed in Texas.

“I share Gov. Abbott’s concern that relocating refugees to Texas without thorough background reviews compromises our security,” Straus said in an emailed statement. “Our highest priority as a state has been and should continue to be the safety of all Texans.”

In September, the U.S. State Department announced it would accept 10,000 Syrian refugees next year. Thousands have fled war-stricken Syria, mostly to Europe, Turkey and Jordan, as the terrorist group ISIS has taken over much of the nation’s territory.

It is unclear how many of those refugees would have ended up in Texas, but in recent years, the Lone Star State has accepted about 10 percent of the 70,000 refugees admitted into the country annually.

Obama reiterated his support for accepting Syrian refugees at a press conference Monday morning.

“We also have to remember that many of these refugees are victims of terrorism themselves,” he told reporters. “Slamming the door in their faces would be a betrayal of our values.”

About 120 Syrian refugees have already been resettled in Texas this year.

Refugee admissions are determined by the U.S. Department of State, which processes applications received through the United Nations and conducts security screenings — a process that can take up to two years.

Refugees cleared by the State Department are assigned to one of nine national refugee resettlement organizations that place individuals in communities across the country, where local case managers help them resettle.

HELICOPTERS Continued from Page 1A a media ride-along Monday morning on a UH-1H Huey. This medium range helicopter, often used for rescue missions, provided a breathtaking view of Border Patrol officers in action patrolling the more than 300-mile riverbank and apprehending illegal crossers.

Since 2013, the Rio Grande Valley sector has become the busiest area for illegal crossings in the nation, surpassing Tucson, Arizona, which led in apprehensions since 1998. In fiscal year 2014, more than 256,000 people were apprehended within an area stretching from the mouth of the Rio Grande to Falcon Lake, according to Customs and Border Protection statistics.

“We assist the Border Patrol between the ports of entry where the river winds. Not only does the foliage change along the river bank, but also the depth, making it very challenging for anyone that’s not on an aircraft to patrol,” said William A Durham, director of air operations in McAllen. “We provide the eyes in the sky for any assistance that is needed on the border.”

On a dirt road near Peñitas, just steps away from the river, officers dragged tires tied to the back of their SUV to clear the hundreds of migrant footprints left behind from the night before. The scattered trail led to sugar cane fields, which can grow up to 10 feet high and provide excellent cover for someone trying to avoid detection, agents said.

Every season provides different challenges for air operations agents and changes the landscape they fly over every day.

Photo by Delcia Lopez/The Monitor | AP

In this photo taken Monday, a U.S Customs and Border Protection McAllen air branch helicopter is shown as it prepares for take off near Edinburg, Texas.

Through the use of technology and expertise, the department has grown to be one of the most critical in CBP’s mission, according to Durham.

“We have a skill set and a knowledge base that no one else has. … We apply it to the CBP’s mission of counterterrorism, illegal crossings and narcotic interdictions,” Durham said.

Durham’s branch seized six aircraft last year, including a Beech King Air E90 airplane that was attempting to depart from the McAllen Miller International Airport with seven passengers onboard, believed to be in the country

illegally. The Office of Air and Marine contributed to the apprehension and arrest of more than 84,000 suspects and the seizure of about 50 tons of marijuana last fiscal year nationwide.

Recently, the OAM went through some significant changes, including a new initiative to educate the public on their mission and a name change that is more fitting, Durham said.

“We are trying to apply this knowledge base to all operations, so we changed our name to Air and Marine Operations. It’s subtle, but it’s more accurate and part of a national initiative to show the public what

we are and what we do.”

In the Rio Grande Valley Sector, the bulk of the work for AMO agents is supporting the Border Patrol with their missions, not only near the river but all across the region, including rescues of migrants lost or in distress in the brush near Falfurrias.

“These aircraft have been real life savers out in the ranchlands,” Durham said, referring to the Huey that can lift up to 10 people and fly for two hours.

“They are literally saving lives every day.”

Border Patrol agents in the RGV sector estimate

more than 700 rescues for fiscal year 2015, a more than 80 percent increase compared to last fiscal year, according to CBP statistics.

When Durham became director of the McAllen Air Branch in May 2013, they had six pilots and 12 aircraft in the branch based out of a row of hangars at the McAllen airport.

Over the past two years they have acquired three additional aircraft and hired 10 agents due to the increase in traffic through the area, Durham said.

They currently have 10 AS350 or A-Star’s, which can fly at a maximum altitude of 16,000 feet for up to three hours and is equipped with infrared sensors and video cameras used for surveillance.

“If Homeland Security Investigations wants us to survey somebody going from point A to point B, we can do that,” he added.

The AMO branch also assists local, state and federal law enforcement agencies in the Valley. With the A-Star they conduct all kinds of air support including surveying of stash houses and tracking suspicious vehicles, Durham said.

“Before, the Hidalgo County Sheriff ’s Department didn’t know to call us for air support and they do now,” Durham said.

“This would limit us because people could not image all we could provide.”

CBP is currently undergoing their largest recruitment effort in nearly a decade. Some of the new recruits will be AMO pilots. Most of the recent hires are ex-military pilots who already have the minimum required 1,500 flight hours, Durham said.

NOT GUILTY Continued from Page 1A An agent said he observed several people coming out of the brush area and boarding a red 2012 GMC Sierra.

When the agent followed the vehicle, the driver accelerated, according to

court documents. The agent activated the unit’s emergency lights and eventually pulled over the Sierra.

Identified as the driver, Salinas allegedly apologized for smuggling immigrants in his girlfriend’s ve-

AGENTS Continued from Page 1A conducting operations south of Zapata when they spotted several people getting into a vehicle.

Records state the vehicle began traveling north on U.S. 83. When agents pulled over the vehicle, they observed several people who allegedly attempted to conceal themselves in the bed of the pickup and the passenger compartment.

Agents said they took custody of 11 immigrants suspected of entering the

county illegally. Homeland Security Investigations special agents responded to investigate the smuggling attempt.

The suspects, Bautista and Gonzalez, allegedly admitted to transporting immigrants for money during a post-arrest interview.

However, records show both pleaded not guilty Monday.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

hicle, states the criminal complaint filed Oct. 20.

Agents said they discovered seven adult males from Mexico and one male juvenile from Peru inside the vehicle.

Salinas allegedly agreed

to speak to authorities regarding the smuggling attempt. He told agents he expected a payment of $175 per immigrant. Records allege he was transporting the group to an H-E-B in Laredo.

If convicted, Salinas could spend up to 10 years in prison. Records showed Salinas is in federal detention.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

MIÉRCOLES 18 DE NOVIEMBRE DE 2015

Agenda en Breve SECUESTRADORES Elementos de la Policía Federal rescataron en Matamoros, México, a tres víctimas de secuestro, logrando además la captura de 19 probables plagiarios.

Los sospechosos fueron identificados como José Iván Paz Castro, Felipe Ricardo del Angel Ortega, Héctor Raúl Aldana Estrada, Francisco Salvador Sánchez Garcia, Carlos Adrián Reyes Ruiz, Héctor Jesús Lugo López, Irvin Alexis García Rodríguez, Misael Pérez Aguirre, Fernando Guadalupe Alvarado Nava, Simón Silva Cruz, Edgar Guadalupe Madrigal Martínez, Nicolás Hernández Salazar, Miguel Angel Sánchez, Ramón Ezequiel González Aguillón, Reyes Montoya Posada, José de León Martínez, María de Jesús Ruiz Ortegón. Además de dos menores de edad.

Paz Castro, Del Ángel Ortega y Aldana Estrada son considerados jefes de estaca y operativos del jefe de plaza de un grupo delincuencial que opera en Matamoros, de acuerdo con un comunicado del Gobierno de Tamaulipas.

El rescate y arrestos se realizó el domingo en la colonia Villa Española. El comunicado agrega que la Policía Federal aseguró cinco armas largas de diferentes calibres, cartuchos útiles, cuatro vehículos y droga.

Los detenidos fueron llevados a la Ciudad de México a bordo de un avión de la Policía Federal, para ser puestos a disposición de la SEIDO de la Procuraduría General de la República.

Zfrontera

PÁGINA 9A

REFUGIADOS

Postura en contra POR MIKE WARD HOUSTON CHRONICLE

El lunes, el gobernador Greg Abbott se sumó a una creciente lista, compuesta en su mayoría por gobernadores republicanos, donde declaran que no quieren aceptar a refugiados sirios en sus estados, después de que los atentados terroristas en París, el viernes por la noche, avivaran el debate político sobre la ola de inmigrantes que buscan refugio en Europa y Estados Unidos.

En una carta dirigida al presidente Barack Obama, Abbott expresó que Texas no aceptaría a ningún refugiado sirio por razones de seguridad. Asimismo, exhortó al mandatario a suspender sus planes de reubicar a unos 10.000 refugiados sirios en Estados Unidos durante el próximo año fiscal.

Los gobernadores de 26 estados de diferentes zonas del país tienen planes de cerrar sus puertas a refugiados sirios adicionales en sus estados, según reportó la agencia EFE. Los estados dispuestos a no aceptar refugiados sirios son: Arizona, Alabama, Arkansas, Carolina del Norte, Carolina del Sur, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Luisiana, Maine, Michigan, Misisipi, Massachusetts, Nebraska, Nueva Jersey, Nuevo México, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas y Wisconsin, dirigidos

federal no dispone de la suficiente por gobernadores republicanos. información de antecedenLa lista, que todavía tes para realizar verificapuede aumentar, también ciones adecuadas de los siincluye a Nuevo Hampshirios. re, estado liderado por go“Debido a los trágicos bernadora demócrata. atentados en París y las Entre tanto, funcionaamenazas que ya hemos rerios de inmigración en cibido, Texas no puede parWashington, expertos juticipar en cualquier prodiciales y organizaciones grama que resulte en que a favor de los refugiados ABBOTT refugiados sirios, donde en Texas se apresuraron cualquiera puede ser un teen cuestionar si los gobernadores tienen la autoridad para rrorista, sean reubicados en Tehacer cumplir esa directiva. Fun- xas”, manifestó Abbott.

Abbott agregó que ha instruido cionarios federales pueden reubicar a refugiados sirios en Texas a a la Comisión de Salud y Servicios través de agencias de servicios so- Humanos que no participe en ninciales y hay poco que el estado pue- gún programa para refugiados sida hacer para detenerlo, según dije- rios. Sin embargo, expertos indicaron que la autoridad del gobernaron.

Líderes republicanos en Washin- dor podría estar limitada para gton, que han exigido al gobierno tomar esas medidas.

Ian Millhiser, del Centro para el de Estados Unidos entre en acción tras los ataques terroristas en Progreso Estadounidense, expresó: Francia que dejaron un saldo de “No hay un medio legal que permi129 personas muertas, también han ta al gobierno estatal dictar una poexhortado a Obama negarse a la lítica inmigratoria al presidente”.

Casi 1.700 refugiados sirios fueentrada de refugiados sirios.

Obama dijo el lunes en una con- ron reubicados en el pasado año ferencia de prensa que Estados fiscal en todo el país. De ellos, 90 viUnidos tiene que seguir comprome- nieron para Houston y 213 en el tido con sus valores de tolerancia y resto del estado.

Brian Black, portavoz de la Code aceptación de inmigrantes. misión de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Texas, dijo que 21 refugiados sirios han venido para Texas desde fines de agosto.

Abbott afirmó que el gobierno

Rechazo

Recorte de fondos La reacción hacia los refugiados aumentó el lunes.

“Nos adherimos a los principios judeo-cristianos y estamos listos para ayudar a los necesitados, pero no a expensas de la seguridad de nuestro pueblo”, dijo el vicegobernador Dan Patrick.

Republicanos del Congreso en Washington lanzaron un impulso el lunes por la tarde para recortar los fondos para el programa de reubicación de sirios. El republicano de Austin Michael McCaul, jefe de la Comisión de Seguridad Interna de la Cámara de Representantes, cuestionó la capacidad de los funcionarios estadounidenses de poder verificar a decenas de miles de refugiados y escribió a Obama para pedirle que suspenda la admisión de nuevos refugiados sirios en el país.

Funcionarios del Partido Demócrata de Texas en Austin criticaron la directiva de Abbott.

“El terrorismo pretende instigar miedo en las comunidades, tanto pánico que cambie cómo somos y nuestro ser”, dijo Gilberto Hinojosa, jefe de la comisión. “No podemos permitir que los terroristas superen nuestra compasión y afecto hacia nuestros hermanos que huyen de la violencia en el mundo”.

(Kevin Díaz y Lomi Kriel, colaboraron en este reporte)

ZAPATA HS

TAMAULIPAS

‘ANTES DE JULIETA’

Sujeto recibe cargos por rapto

PARTIDO Zapata County ISD informa que Zapata Middle School logró imponerse 3-2 a Veterans Middle School durante el partido de fútbol soccer celebrado el lunes.

Hoy miércoles 18 de noviembre ZMS recibe a La Grulla a las 4:30 p.m.

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Autoridades dieron a conocer que lograron el arresto de un hombre sospechoso de haber participado en el secuestro y muerte de una adolescente de 14 años de edad, el 13 de noviembre en Ciudad Victoria, México.

Mauro Alexis Mata Tovar, de 23 años de edad, y a quien apodan “El Caballo”, fue detenido el domingo por el cargo de MATA TOVAR delito de robo con violencia.

Tras el arresto realizado por agentes de la Policía Federal se dio a conocer que dos testigos relacionaron a Mata Tovar con el ca-

BOXEO MIGUEL ALEMÁN, México — Se invita a una función de box y artes marciales mixtas a partir de las 6 p.m. en el espacio del patinadero en la Plaza Principal, el viernes 20 de noviembre. Como previo al evento también se llevará a cabo un desfile de carros alegóricos representados por escuelas e instituciones públicas y privadas en el marco del 105 Aniversario de la Revolución Mexicana.

MIGUEL ALEMÁN, México — Después de seis meses de trabajo, el sábado 21 de noviembre al mediodía se llevará a cabo la inauguración de la reconstrucción y rehabilitación de las instalaciones del Parque México.

Como evento central será un partido entre los Sultanes de Monterrey y los Saraperos de Saltillo. Como invitado estará Néstor Alba Brito, secretario de la liga mexicana de béisbol. La obra tuvo una inversión de casi cinco millones de pesos.

Foto de cortesía | ZCISD

El departamento de teatro de Zapata High School presentó la obra “Antes de Julieta” el sábado. El espectáculo mantuvo atenta a la audiencia en todo momento, de acuerdo a ZHS.

ALERTA

IRS emite consejos para prevenir estafas

DESFILE POR NAVIDAD La Cámara de Comercio del Condado del Condado de Zapata invita al Desfile de Navidad y Encendido de la Plaza del Condado, el jueves 3 de diciembre. Se invita a que se registren para participar en el evento llamando para detalles al (956) 7655434. El día del desfile la alineación iniciará a las 5 p.m. en Glenn St. y 17th Ave. (detrás de Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. El desfile dará inicio a las 6 p.m. y proseguirá por 17th Ave. hacia el Sur sobre US Hwy 83 tomando a la izquierda sobre 6th Ave. para concluirlo. Posteriormente será el encendido anual del árbol de Navidad en la Plaza del Condado, seguido de entrega de regalos por Santa.

ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

HARLINGEN — El Servicio de Impuestos Internos (IRS) emitió una alerta al consumidor proporcionado consejos adicionales a los contribuyentes para que se protejan de las llamadas de estafadores que se hacen pasar por representantes del IRS. Los estafadores pueden exigir dinero o le dicen que usted le corresponde un reembolso y tratan de engañarlo para que el contribuyente comparta información privada.

Ellos pueden sonar convincentes cuando llaman. Pueden saber mucho sobre usted, y generalmente alteran el identificador de llamadas para que se vea como que el IRS está llamando. Usan nombres falsos y números de emblema del IRS. Si usted no responde, a menudo dejan un mensaje de carácter “urgente”.

El IRS recuerda a los contribuyentes que pueden saber muy fácilmente cuando una supuesta llamada del IRS es falsa. Aquí están al-

gunas cosas que los estafadores a menudo hacen pero no el IRS. Una de estas cosas es un signo revelador de una estafa.

El IRS nunca: Le exigirá que pague impuestos sin antes darle la oportunidad de cuestionar o apelar la cantidad que dicen que usted debe.

Le pedirá que use un método de pago específico para que pague sus impuestos, como una tarjeta de débito prepagada.

Le pedirá números de tarjetas de crédito o débito por teléfono.

Lo amenazara con llamar a la policía local u otros grupos del orden para detenerlo por no pagar.

Si usted recibe una llamada telefónica de alguien que afirma ser del IRS y pidiendo dinero, esto es lo que debe hacer: Si usted no debe impuestos o cree que posiblemente tiene una deudallame al IRS al 1-800-829-1040.

Los representantes del IRS le pueden ayudar con el pago.

Si usted no debe impuestos o no tiene ninguna razón para pensar que tiene una deuda, reporte el incidente al Inspector General del Tesoro para la Administración Tributaria (TIGTA) al 1-800-366-4484 o visite www.tigta.gov.

Si usted ha sido blanco de esta estafa, también póngase en contacto con la Comisión Federal de Comercio (FTA) y use el Asistente de Quejas en FTC.gov. Por favor incluya “estafa telefónica del IRS” en la sección de comentarios de su queja.

Recuerde, también, que el IRS no usa correo electrónico, mensajes de texto o cualquier medio de comunicación social para discutir su problema de impuestos personal. Para más información sobre informes de estafas de impuestos, visite www.irs.gov y escriba “scam” en la casilla de búsqueda.

Testigos relacionaron a Mata Tovar con la muerte de una menor. so de la menor de edad.

El 13 de noviembre, el cuerpo de la jovencita fue encontrado en la calle Panamá, entre avenidas Uruguay y México, de la colonia Solidaridad a la 1:14 a.m.

El reporte indica que ella presentaba herida en la cabeza, hematomas y huellas de estrangulamiento.

Además la Policía Ministerial asegura que los mismos testigos reconocieron la camioneta donde el sospechoso y otras personas secuestraron a la adolescente el 12 de noviembre, cuando ella, su hermana gemela y varios amigos regresaban a casa.

La camioneta pick up Chevrolet cabina y media, color gris, fue recuperada horas después de ser encontrado el cuerpo de la menor de edad. El reporte señala que en la caja posterior de la camioneta se encontraron rastros de sangre.

PAGE 10A

Zentertainment

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

Charlie Sheen says he is HIV-positive

By FRAZIER MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Charlie Sheen said his bad-boy days are over and, with Tuesday’s declaration that he’s HIV-positive, he aims to become an inspiration to others.

“My partying days are behind me,” Sheen said in a letter posted online. “My philanthropic days are ahead of me.”

The manifesto was released as the former “Two and a Half Men” star appeared on NBC’s “Today” to say he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS about four years ago, but that, thanks to a rigorous drug regimen, he’s healthy.

When asked by “Today” co-host Matt Lauer if he had transmitted the disease to others, Sheen declared, “Impossible. Impossible,” and insisted he had informed every sexual partner of his condition beforehand. He told Lauer he has had unprotected sex with two partners, both of whom knew ahead of time, adding, with no clarification, “They were under the care of my doctor.”

That claim was disputed

by Bree Olson, who was living with Sheen in 2011 as one of his two “goddesses.”

“He never said anything to me,” Olson said on Howard Stern’s SiriusXM radio show Tuesday.

She said she learned of Sheen’s condition only in the past few days, prompting her to be tested. She told Stern the results were negative.

Asked by Lauer if he expected “a barrage of lawsuits” from past sexual partners alleging he infected them, he said wanly, “I’m sure that’s next.”

But in California, where

Sheen resides, a person can be charged with a felony only if they are aware they are HIV-positive and engage in unprotected sex with another person with the specific intent of exposing them to the disease.

While some may have dismissed what Sheen said as the latest rantings of a reckless grandstander, others were calling him a champion.

“Today, he’s a hero of mine,” said Peter Staley, a long-time AIDS activist who is HIV-positive. Watching Sheen’s interview, “I saw someone who has made a major leap forward and is on a new path that will hopefully end up helping a

Photo by Peter Kramer/NBC | AP

Actor Charlie Sheen appears during an interview Tuesday, on NBC’s "Today" in New York. In the interview, the 50-year-old Sheen said he tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS. lot of people.”

Sheen said one reason for

going public with his condition was to put a stop to shakedowns from prostitutes and others. He said one prostitute took a photo of the HIV-related drugs in his medicine cabinet and threatened to sell that photo to the tabloids.

For part of the interview, Sheen was joined by his physician, Dr. Robert Huizenga, who said the HIV level in Sheen’s blood is “undetectable” and that he does not have AIDS. “He is absolutely healthy,” said Huizenga.

Sheen said in the past that he was “so depressed by the condition I was in that I was doing a lot of drugs, I was drinking way

too much.” He said he currently is not abusing drugs, though he allowed that he is “still drinking a little bit.”

The disclosure was the latest chapter in Sheen’s headline-seizing history. In recent years, drug and alcohol abuse led to his being kicked off CBS’ hit sitcom “Two and a Half Men” in 2011, where he played a womanizing bachelor, after a meltdown that included calling the show’s producer “a contaminated little maggot.”

His escapades also included the revelation that he spent more than $50,000 as a client of “Hollywood Madam” Heidi Fleiss’ prostitution ring.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

THE MARKET IN REVIEW DAILY DOW JONES

STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

d

NYSE 10,285.76

-13.64

GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name

u

NASDAQ 4,986.02

Last Chg%Chg

Airgas 137.35+31.17 +29.4 RennovaH IntShip pfB 43.00 +8.00 +22.9 KaloBio rs Flotek 10.63 +1.62 +18.0 NuanceCm GencoShp n 2.13 +.30 +16.4 HTG Mol n IntShip pfA 43.03 +5.28 +14.0 The9Ltd WalterInv 11.16 +1.19 +11.9 Vuzix Syngenta 79.06 +6.69 +9.2 SumTher n GlobantSA 37.94 +3.09 +8.9 DipexiumP ArcLogist 14.60 +1.10 +8.1 Tangoe ITT Ed 3.27 +.24 +7.9 TuesMrn

4.08 +.98 +31.6 2.17 +.45 +26.2 20.21 +3.16 +18.5 5.42 +.79 +17.1 2.33 +.27 +13.3 5.50 +.60 +12.1 10.17 +1.07 +11.8 12.36 +1.20 +10.8 6.83 +.65 +10.5 6.14 +.58 +10.4

Last Chg%Chg Name

Last Chg%Chg

SunEdison Univ Insur VivintSolar Adeptus McDrmInt TrnsRty SafeBlk pfB LehTOY21 DxGBull rs CliffsNRs

3.02 -1.54 20.69 -9.18 7.34 -2.23 46.50-13.37 4.85 -1.06 8.30 -1.70 16.15 -3.27 5.20 -.85 22.56 -3.55 2.36 -.33

5.15 4.61 3.24 10.97 10.32 4.35 19.94 45.47 2.31 3.00

AgroFresh FifthStAst Anavex rs Osiris TerraFmP DigitalAlly AccVIXup rs NatHlTr n ChAdvCns FulingGbl n

-2.01 -1.57 -.98 -3.01 -2.81 -1.07 -3.66 -8.25 -.41 -.50

-28.1 -25.4 -23.2 -21.5 -21.4 -19.7 -15.5 -15.4 -15.1 -14.3

MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name

Vol (00)

Last Chg Name

GenElec 4085139 SunEdison 1636243 Synchrony 1078968 SynchFn wi 896541 BkofAm 656888 Genworth 554107 Vipshop 417148 Alcoa 345401 FrptMcM 324267 Pfizer 294986

30.32 -.04 3.02 -1.54 30.58 +.29 30.67 +.37 17.42 -.01 4.63 -.21 12.53 +.03 8.27 -.02 8.39 -.47 32.87 -.29

Vol (00)

Netflix s Cisco Microsoft Apple Inc Facebook MicronT UrbanOut Intel SiriusXM Groupon

Volume

1,159 1,971 88 3,218 30 130 4,281,010,927

Last Chg

327422 117.10 +5.75 290608 26.81 +.02 284204 52.97 -.44 267485 113.69 -.49 261912 105.13 +1.09 250455 15.28 +.39 223431 21.80 -.87 221141 32.64 +.54 216200 4.08 -.02 184395 2.76 +.12

DIARY Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows

DIARY Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows

Volume

17,600

1,283 1,495 188 2,966 49 150 1,813,122,226

17,200

10 DAYS

Last

Dow Industrials Dow Transportation Dow Utilities NYSE Composite Nasdaq Composite S&P 100 S&P 500 S&P MidCap Wilshire 5000 Russell 2000

17,489.50 8,058.30 559.03 10,285.76 4,986.02 915.45 2,050.44 1,418.54 21,300.74 1,153.20

MONEY RATES

16,000

YTD 12-mo Chgg %Chg %Chg %Chg +6.49 +.04 -1.87 -1.12 +6.25 +.08 -11.83 -10.88 -9.77 -1.72 -9.55 -6.03 -13.64 -.13 -5.11 -5.99 +1.40 +.03 +5.28 +6.03 -1.05 -.11 +.78 +.59 -2.75 -.13 -.41 -.07 -4.82 -.34 -2.33 -1.23 -34.10 -.16 -1.70 -1.26 -2.88 -.25 -4.27 -1.46

CURRENCIES

Last PvsWeek

M

J

J

A

S

O

N

STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Name

Div

Yld

PE

AT&T Inc AEP BkofAm B iPVixST Caterpillar CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil Dillards EmpIca ExxonMbl FordM GenElec Genworth HP Inc HomeDp iShJapan iShEMkts Intel IntlBcsh IBM

1.88 2.24 .20 ...

3.08 1.98 ...

2.96 .28 ...

2.92 .60 .92 ... .50 2.36 .13 .84 .96 .58 5.20

5.7 4.1 1.1 ...

4.4 2.6 ...

5.5 .4 ...

3.7 4.2 3.0 ...

3.7 1.9 1.0 2.5 2.9 2.0 3.9

36 33.26 15 55.05 13 17.42 ... 20.83 14 69.39 ... 75.99 9 27.40 60 53.90 10 73.16 ...

1.33 17 79.96 12 14.15 ... 30.32 ...

4.63 ... 13.28 25 126.18 ... 12.50 ... 34.09 14 32.64 14 29.43 9 133.82

Last

YTD Chg %Chg

+.22 -1.16 -.01 +1.08 -1.00 +.16 +.04 -.47 +.64 -.02 -.94 +.11 -.04 -.21 -.07 +5.34 +.03 -.10 +.54 +.38 +.11

-1.0 -9.3 -2.6 -33.9 -24.2 -12.2 -49.2 -22.0 -41.6 -73.0 -13.5 -8.7 +20.0 -45.5 -27.1 +20.2 +11.2 -13.2 -10.1 +10.9 -16.6

Name

Div

Yld

Lowes Lubys MktVGold MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney S&P500ETF SanchezEn Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SonyCp SunEdison Synchrony SynchFn wi UnionPac USSteel UnivHlthS WalMart WellsFargo

1.12 ... .12 1.50 2.20 1.44 ... ...

4.13 ...

2.00 ... ... ... ... ...

2.20 .20 .40 1.96 1.50

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25 72.85 +1.21 +5.9 ...

4.72 -.04 +3.7 ... 13.08 -.66 -28.8 12 50.28 -.19 -7.0 ... 18.10 +.09 -13.0 36 52.97 -.44 +14.0 ...

8.42 -.08 -38.1 ...

7.43 -.20 +14.7 ... 205.47 -.15 0.0 ...

5.38 -.30 -42.1 26 76.74 -1.59 -10.2 ... 22.37 -.55 -32.2 ... 26.87 -.57 +31.3 ...

3.02 -1.54 -84.5 12 30.58 +.29 +2.8 ... 30.67 +.37 -.4 15 85.10 +.75 -28.6 ...

9.45 -.36 -64.7 18 122.66 +2.43 +10.2 13 59.92 +2.05 -30.2 13 54.96 -.31 +.3

Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants.

Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week.

Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.

Dec. 10, 1935 – Nov. 12, 2015

Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year

3.25 3.25 0.75 0.75 .00-.25 .00-.25 0.12 0.33 1.66 2.27 3.05

0.14 0.34 1.72 2.34 3.11

NEW YORK — Walmart reported improved customer traffic and an uptick in a key sales figure for the third quarter, even as a stronger dollar pressured its performance overseas.

The world’s largest retailer also issued a forecast for the holiday shopping season that largely topped Wall Street expectations, and narrowed its full-year outlook after cutting it in August.

Its shares rose more than 2 percent in morning trading Tuesday.

Wal-Mart has been pressured on a number of fronts this year. The company, based in Bentonville, Arkansas, is facing increasing competition from online retailers like Amazon.com and dollar stores, and its profits have been squeezed by pay raises for workers and a strong U.S. dollar that has dampened

By SCOTT MAYEROWITZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Alan Diaz | AP file

In this Nov. 25, 2014 file photo, travelers check in their luggage as they prepare to travel at Miami International Airport in Miami. a mere 0.3 percent or 69 cent average increase, according to the Airlines Reporting Corp., which processes ticket transactions for airlines and travel agencies.

Traveler counts are little fuzzier when it comes to other forms of transport.

Bus use will continue to grow, according to the Chaddick Institute for Metropolitan Development at DePaul University. The school expects 1.2 million to take buses, up 1 percent to 2 percent from last year. However, AAA says travel by cruises, trains and buses, will decrease 1.4 percent this Thanksgiving, to 1.4 million travelers.

Air travel tips Since flying can often cause the most disruptions and leave travelers feeling helpless, here are some tips to cope with any delays.

Flights are packed around the holidays and if there is any hiccup, the difference between getting home and not can come down to asking the right questions and

Last

Pvs Day

1.4042 1.5212 1.3317 .9391 123.41 16.7621 1.0147

1.4100 1.5198 1.3333 .9365 123.26 16.7970 1.0101

British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.

MUTUAL FUNDS Name AB GlbThmtGrA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SoftwCom d Fidelity Select Tech d T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard HlthCare Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m

Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV WS 524 87.23 ST 2,741 60.33 SH 1,012 12.82 SH 14,124 238.28 SF 421 69.86 ST 214 28.73 ST 556 73.30 SF 110 13.00 ST 1,509 80.19 SF 1,271 86.14 ST 3,121 124.27 ST 2,970 119.95 ST 3,141 39.81 SH 11,648 226.71 ST 3,377 14.74

Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt +1.1 +1.7/B +4.0/E 4.25 2,500 +4.0 +13.8/A +12.9/B 5.75 2,000 +3.0 +6.4/D +19.2/D 5.75 1,000 +5.6 +19.7/A +33.7/A NL 2,500 +4.3 -3.9/E +9.7/C NL 2,500 -4.8 -5.0/E +5.3/E NL 2,500 -2.2 -9.7/E +9.5/E NL 2,500 -2.3 -2.4/D +14.8/A NL 2,500 -0.2 +9.8/B +15.6/A NL 2,500 +2.1 -1.2/D +10.6/C NL 2,500 +3.6 +12.2/A +18.1/A NL 2,500 +1.3 +6.9/C +12.3/C NL 2,500 +2.6 +5.8/D +13.7/B NL 2,500 +2.4 +12.5/B +21.9/C NL 3,000 -0.4 +0.6/E +15.4/A 5.75 750

CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, ST - Technology, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, Funeral Director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.

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Wal-Mart tops expectations

Photo by Steven Senne | AP file

In this Nov. 13, 2012 photo a worker pulls a line of shopping carts toward a Wal-Mart store in North Kingstown, R.I. sales from overseas.

In the U.S., the company is also trying cleanliness and service. Greg Foran, CEO of the U.S. division, said during a call

Thanksgiving will bring congestion NEW YORK — A stronger economy and lower gas prices mean Thanksgiving travelers can expect more congested highways this year.

During the long holiday weekend, 46.9 million Americans are expected to go 50 miles or more from home, the highest number since 2007, according to travel agency and car lobbying group AAA. That would be a 0.6 percent increase over last year and the seventh straight year of growth.

While promising for the travel industry, the figure is still 7.3 percent short of the 50.6 million high point reached in 2007, just before the recession.

Like on every other holiday, the overwhelming majority of travelers — almost 90 percent — will be driving. And they will be paying much less at the pump.

AAA says the average retail price for gasoline is now $2.15 per gallon, 74 cents cheaper than the same time last year. With the average car getting 18.5 miles per gallon, that means a family driving 300 miles will save $12 in fuel this holiday.

Airlines for America, the lobbying group for several major airlines, forecasts 25.3 million passengers will fly on U.S. airlines, up 3 percent from last year. (AAA’s forecast shows fewer numbers of fliers because it looks at a five-day period while the airline group looks at the 12 days surrounding Thanksgiving.)

Airfare is basically flat compared to last year, with

15,370.33 7,452.70 539.96 9,509.59 4,292.14 809.57 1,867.01 1,344.80 19,619.26 1,078.63

Name

16,800

GLORIA GONZALEZ Gloria Gonzalez, 79, passed away on Thursday, Nov. 12, 2015 at Doctor’s Hospital in Laredo, Texas.

Ms. Gonzalez is preceded in death by husband, Triunfo Gonzalez; brother, Leonel Gonzalez and a sister, Amelia G. Ramirez.

Ms. Gonzalez is survived by her son, Triunfo (Elva) Gonzalez; daughter, Hermelinda (Adrian) Chapa; granddaughters, Isela T. Gonzalez, Triana I. Gonzalez, Alina I. Chapa and by numerous nephews, nieces, other family members and friends.

Ms. Gonzalez was a loving daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother who will be greatly missed.

Visitation hours were held on Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession departed on Monday, Nov. 16, 2015, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our

18,351.36 9,310.22 657.17 11,254.87 5,231.94 947.85 2,134.72 1,551.28 22,537.15 1,296.00

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Close: 17,489.50 Change: 6.49 (flat) 18,400

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Dow Jones industrials +1.40

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acting fast.

Delays At the first sign of a serious mechanical problem, call the airline to have it “protect” you on the next flight out. That way if the mechanical problem leads to a cancellation, you are already confirmed on a new flight and can just print a new boarding pass.

If you miss your flight connection — or bad weather causes delays — get in line to speak to a customer service representative. But also, call the airline directly.

If the phone lines are jammed, try the airline’s overseas numbers. You’ll pay long-distance rates, but might not have to wait. (Add those numbers to your phone now.) Finally, consider sending a tweet to the airline.

Consider buying a oneday pass to the airline lounge. For one thing, there are usually free drinks and light snacks. But the real secret to the lounges is that the airline staffs them with

some of its best — and friendliest — ticket agents. The lines are shorter and these agents are magically able to find empty seats. One-day passes typically cost $50 but discounts can sometimes be found in advance online.

If weather causes cancellations, use apps like HotelTonight and Priceline to find last-minute hotel discounts for that night. Warning: Many of the rooms are nonrefundable when booked, so lock in only once stuck.

Luggage Weigh it at home first.

Anything over 50 pounds (40 pounds on some airlines) will generate a hefty overweight surcharge, in addition to the checked bag fee.

Before your bag disappears behind the ticket counter, make sure the airline’s tag has your name, flight number and final destination. Save that sticker they give you — it has a bag-tracking number on it.

Place a copy of your flight itinerary inside your suitcase with your cellphone number and the name of your hotel in case the tag is ripped off.

If you can’t live without it, don’t check it. It might take days to return a lost bag. Don’t pack medication or outfits for tomorrow’s meeting or wedding. Never check valuables such as jewelry or electronics.

Prepare your carry-on bag as if it will be checked.

You might not have planned to check your bag, but given today’s crowded overhead bins many fliers don’t have a choice.

with reporters Tuesday that customers are telling the company they’re seeing improvement in the stores.

During the quarter, the company said sales at stores open at least a year rose 1.5 percent, marking the fifth straight quarterly increase. But the increase was driven by higher traffic, while average spending per visit dipped. This figure is a key gauge of a retailer’s health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

For the fourth quarter, which includes the key holiday shopping season, Wal-Mart said it expects sales at established locations to rise 1 percent.

Foran declined to say how much that would be driven by increased traffic, versus higher spending. But he expressed

confidence in the company’s holiday plans.

“We’re feeling good about what we’re pulling together,” Foran said.

Sales in Wal-Mart’s international segment, meanwhile, fell 11 percent to $29.81 billion. Excluding the impact of currency fluctuations, sales were $34.7 billion.

For the quarter ended Oct. 31, Wal-Mart Store’s net income fell 11 percent to $3.3 billion. But its earnings of $1.03 per share topped Wall Street expectations for 97 cents per share, according to Zacks Investment Research.

Revenue slipped to $117.42 billion from $119 billion. On a constant currency basis, revenue was $122.4 billion. Wall Street expected $117.82 billion.

Wal-Mart also narrowed its forecast for full-year earnings to a range of $4.50 to $4.65 after cutting that outlook in August to $4.40 to $4.70 per share.

Analysts expect, on average, $4.50 per share, according to FactSet. The retailer also said it expects fourth-quarter earnings to range between $1.40 and $1.55 per share. Analysts forecast, on average, $1.42 per share.

Its shares rose $1.69, or 2.9 percent, to $59.56 in morning trading.

Wal-Mart shares have decreased 33 percent since the beginning of the year, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index has stayed nearly flat.

The stock has declined 30 percent in the last 12 months.

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2015