The Zapata Times 11/9/2016

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PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2016

Hillary Clinton vs. Donald Trump

Brendan Smialowski / Getty Images

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton speaks during a rally outside the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning in Pittsburgh.

Jabin Botsford / AP

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at J.S. Dorton Arena in Raleigh, N.C. on Monday.

Americans across the country have their say on Election Day Editor’s note: Due to an early deadline, not all information is complete.

Please visit www.lmtonline.com for full election results.

By Richard Fausset, Fernanda Santos, John Eligon, Dave Philipps and Frances Robles TH E N EW YORK T IME S

In Harmony Township, Pennsylvania, west of Pittsburgh, early voters

Across the country, Americans cast their ballots Tuesday, putting an end to this extraordinarily divisive election. Some said they voted to show their hope in the future. Others bemoaned the harsh tenor of the campaign. Yet others spoke of political divides even in their own families.

were rewarded with cinnamon rolls from Oram’s bakery, on sale to raise money for the volunteer fire department. Culinary Union members in Las Vegas knocked on doors

to get out the vote. And in Exeter, New Hampshire, voters arrived early at their polling place to avoid lines — only to find that scores of others had the same idea.

Across the country, Americans cast their ballots Tuesday, putting an end to this extraordinarily divisive election.

Some said they voted to show their hope in the

future. Others bemoaned the harsh tenor of the campaign. Yet others spoke of political divides even in their own families.

For many, the day was

a time to reflect on the meaning of it all. “It’s scary,” said Laura Alcon, a 47-year-old bus driver waiting in line at a gas station in Fountain, Colorado, just south of Colorado Springs. “I don’t know what our country is going to turn out to be.” Disgusted by the options for the nation’s highest office, she wrote in a protest choice in early voting: Mickey Mouse.

Election continues on A11

TRACTOR SUPPLY CO. GRAND OPENING

RIBBON-CUTTING CEREMONY

Courtesy photo / Zapata County Chamber of Commerce

Zapata County officials, representatives, pageant winners and customers gather outside Tractor Supply Co. in Zapata, during the store’s grand opening on Saturday morning.

TEXAS LEGISLATION

Election rhetoric a threat to trade deals

By Julián Aguilar THE TEXAS TRIBUNE

Spike Johnson / The Texas Tribune

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, operating a crane at the Port of Houston Authority last week. The port is ranked first in the country for imports and exports, and second for overall tonnage.

LA PORTE, Texas — U.S. Sen. John Cornyn has been in politics long enough to know that hard line, campaign trail talk doesn’t always survive after elections. And he’s hoping — at least for Texas’ sake — that the tradition holds true this

year on at least one issue: international trade.

If not, Cornyn could have his work cut out for him trying to keep intact current trade policies, and the benefits they bring to Texas. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have made trade issues hallmarks of their campaigns, each assailing trade deals to different

degrees.

“While I think President Obama has been right on trade generally speaking, he hasn’t been a particularly effective spokesman for the benefits,” Cornyn said. “And I think a lot of that has to do with the internal divisions within his party on trade.”

That internal strife has

seen Clinton shift on the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership, a 12-country trade pact Obama and Cornyn support, first calling it the “gold standard” but opposing it in the later months of her candidacy. The switch came after Clinton’s former rival and current supporter, U.S. Sen. BerTrade continues on A11

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 9

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

1

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

Limited chess sets available for use.

1 The Economic Impacts of Violence and Crime in Mexico. 7—8:30 p.m. TAMIU Student Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd. International Bank of Commerce Keynote Speaker Series featuring Dr. Viridiana Rios, Global Fellow at the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute in Washington, D.C. Free and open to the public. Translation services will be available.

Today is Wednesday, Nov. 9, the 314th day of 2016. There are 52 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Nov. 9, 1976, the U.N. General Assembly approved resolutions condemning apartheid in South Africa, including one characterizing the white-ruled government as “illegitimate.”

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 10 1

Fifth annual Hiring Red, White & You! statewide hiring fair. 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. UT Health Science Center Regional Campus, 1937 E. Bustamante St. This Texas Workforce Commission hiring fair intended to connect veterans and their spouses with employers who are seeking veterans’ exceptional skills. Employers participate at no cost and are encouraged to contact their local Workforce Solutions office for more information.

1 Rummage Sale. 9 a.m.—5 p.m.

First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Free and open to the public.

1 Wii U Gaming. Every Thursday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Game with friends on Wii U. 1 Laredo Area Retired School Employees Association monthly meeting. 11 a.m. Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall, 2219 Galveston St.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 11 1

Rummage Sale. 9 a.m.—5 p.m.

First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Free and open to the public.

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

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 1

Last day of Rummage Sale, “A Dollar a Bag Day.” 9 a.m.—2 p.m.

First United Church Fellowship Hall.

Free and open to the public.

Max Schulte / AP

Voters lined up on Election Day to place "I voted" stickers on the grave of Susan B. Anthony at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Rochester, NY.

VOTERS HONOR SUSAN B. ANTHONY

By Sarah Maslin Nir THE NEW YORK TIME S

Just a few steps into the Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York, up the curve of a cobblestone walkway on a low hill, is the grave of Susan B. Anthony, a leader of the movement for women’s suffrage who lived about three miles away.

On Tuesday, her gravestone was nearly invisible beneath a coating of “I Voted” stickers and behind a line of hundreds of people who came here to pay their respects. They left notes of thanks to a woman who was arrested when she dared

to vote and who did not live to see women granted that right.

The cemetery opened early, at 7:30 a.m., to mark the day, and was to stay open late.

At 11 a.m., Lovely Warren, the mayor of Rochester and the first woman elected to that position, arrived at the grave. “I was elected 141 years to the day that Susan B. Anthony cast that illegal vote,” Warren said, seated on a stone step in the graveyard under a bowed spruce.

“To me that means, as a woman, there are no shackles and no chains to what we can accomplish,” she said.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14 1

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

Free. For all ages and skill levels.

Instruction is offered.

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

1 Presentation of “Bully” at Alamo Drafthouse. 6-8:30 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, 11210 East Point Dr. The Education Committee of the Laredo Chamber of Commerce joins forces with Alamo Drafthouse to present a viewing of the critically acclaimed film “Bully.” All middle and high school kids and their parents are invited to join the the anti-bullying campaign. $6 per ticket, which includes popcorn and a drink.

1 Become a Texas Master Naturalist. 7 p.m. Lake Casa Blanca State Park, 5102 Bob Bullock Loop. This is an informational meeting with the Brush Country Chapter of Master Naturalist. Master Naturalists are volunteers of all ages who educate the public about the environment and assist with habitat conservation.

Enhance your love of nature through in-depth training focusing on our native ecosystem.

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 1

Rock wall climbing. 4—5:30 p.m.

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

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

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 1

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

Limited chess sets available for use.

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

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17 1 Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society meeting and presentation on Argentina. 3-5 p.m. St. John Neumann Parish Hall-Hillside. $5 contribution asked of non-members.

For more information, contact Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.

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

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 1

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

Small town mourns officer killed in Des Moines suburb ROCKWELL CITY, Iowa — At least 1,000 law enforcement officers and much of the small Iowa community of Rockwell City gathered Tuesday to mourn the death of a 24-yearold police officer nearly a week after he and another officer were gunned down in their patrol cars.

Residents and officers packed into a middle school

gymnasium to remember Justin Martin, a rookie officer in the Des Moines suburb of Urbandale who grew up in Rockwell City. The community of 1,700 people is about 75 miles northwest of Des Moines.

Urbandale Police Chief Ross McCarty told mourners that his department and Rockwell City had both suffered a tremendous loss.

“This past week, the Urbandale Police Department lost our young man, but the community of Rockwell City lost their son,” McCarty said.

An Urbandale man is charged with first-degree murder in the Nov. 2 shooting deaths of Martin and 38-yearold Des Moines police Sgt. Anthony Beminio. A funeral for Beminio was held Monday.

Few knew Martin as well as Urbandale officer Brady Farrington, who also grew up in Rockwell City. The Des Moines Register reports he spoke at the service about first meeting Martin in kindergarten and remaining close throughout their lives.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND TEXAS Oyster leaseholders in Texas to pay $20 per acre annually GALVESTON, Texas — Regulators have decided that oyster leaseholders in Galveston Bay and elsewhere in Texas must pay $20 per acre each year for use of submerged state land.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission originally proposed $60 per acre. The most recent rate had been $6 per acre annually, the Galveston County Daily News reported Tuesday.

Texas Parks & Wildlife Department official Lance Robinson said the commission decided on the lower rate after oyster leaseholders protested.

The price increases were intended to help cover the state’s cost of operating the lease program, mainly enforcement, after the state auditor’s office said $60 an acre is the required amount to maintain the program. The protesters said the

Gary Coronado / Houston Chronicle

Kent Domas, sous chef, prepares raw oysters at Bernadine's, Wednesday, May 18, in Houston, Texas.

price increase would be damaging to the oyster industry after years of environmental tolls on the oyster fishery.

Galveston Bay has 43 privately held leases, held by oyster harvesters through the parks and wildlife department.

The leases account for a total of approximately 2,300 acres.

Robinson said while the $20

rate won’t be able to cover the lease enforcement costs, so the wildlife department’s operating budget will need to cover that instead.

The commission renewed the lease program for 15 years, but will review pricing every three years. Current leases will expire at the end of February 2017.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE WORLD Snake on a plane: Live reptile intrudes on flight in Mexico MEXICO CITY — Passengers on a commercial flight in Mexico were given a start when a serpent slithered into the cabin in a scene straight out of the Hollywood thriller “Snakes on a Plane.”

The green reptile appeared suddenly on an Aeromexico flight from Torreon in the country’s north to Mexico City

on Sunday, emerging from the ceiling behind an overhead luggage compartment.

Cellphone video shot by passenger Indalecio Medina showed it wriggling briefly as if trapped before partially dropping down into the cabin.

“I was reading a magazine and the passenger next to me saw it and, ‘Oh my word!”’

Medina told The Associated Press by phone Monday. He estimated it was over 3 feet (about 1 meter) in length.

Passengers hastily unbuck-

On this date: In 1620, the passengers and crew of the Mayflower sighted Cape Cod. In 1872, fire destroyed nearly 800 buildings in Boston.

In 1918, it was announced that Germany’s Kaiser Wilhelm II would abdicate; he then fled to the Netherlands.

In 1935, United Mine Workers president John L. Lewis and other labor leaders formed the Committee for Industrial Organization (later renamed the Congress of Industrial Organizations).

In 1938, Nazis looted and burned synagogues as well as Jewish-owned stores and houses in Germany and Austria in a pogrom that became known as “Kristallnacht.”

In 1953, Welsh author-poet Dylan Thomas died in New York at age 39.

In 1965, the great Northeast blackout began as a series of power failures lasting up to 13 1/2 hours left 30 million people in seven states and part of Canada without electricity.

In 1967, a Saturn V rocket carrying an unmanned Apollo spacecraft blasted off from Cape Kennedy on a successful test flight.

In 1970, former French President Charles de Gaulle died at age 79.

In 1986, Israel revealed it was holding Mordechai Vanunu, a former nuclear technician who’d vanished after providing information to a British newspaper about Israel’s nuclear weapons program. (Vanunu was convicted of treason and served 18 years in prison.)

In 1989, communist East Germany threw open its borders, allowing citizens to travel freely to the West; joyous Germans danced atop the Berlin Wall.

In 1991, singer-actor Yves Montand died near Paris at age 70.

Ten years ago: Republican Sen. George Allen conceded defeat in the Virginia Senate race to Democrat Jim Webb, sealing the Democrats’ control of Congress. World champion figure skater Michelle Kwan was appointed America’s first public diplomacy envoy

by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. CBS newsman Ed Bradley died in New York at age 65.

Five years ago: After 46 seasons as Penn State’s head football coach and a record 409 victories, Joe Paterno was fired along with the university president, Graham Spanier, over their handling of child sex abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky. Taylor Swift won her second entertainer of the year award at The Country Music Association Awards.

One year ago: Minimizing sharp differences, President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reaffirmed their commitment to seeking elusive Middle East peace during a White House meeting.

The president of the University of Missouri system and the head of its flagship campus resigned with the football team and others on campus in open revolt over what they saw as indifference to racial tensions at the school. President Obama launched his own personal Facebook page. Andy White, 85, a top session drummer in England during the 1960s who stepped in for newcomer Ringo Starr as the Beatles recorded their debut single “Love Me Do,” died in Caldwell, New Jersey. Stripper Carol Doda, 78, died in San Francisco.

Today’s Birthdays: Baseball Hall of Famer Whitey Herzog is 85. Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson is 81. Actor Charlie Robinson is 71. Movie director Bille August is 68. Actor Robert David Hall is 68. Actor Lou Ferrigno is 65.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, is 64.

Gospel singer Donnie McClurkin is 57.

Rock musician Dee Plakas (L7) is 56.

Actress Ion Overman is 47. Rapper Pepa (Salt-N-Pepa) is 47. Rapper Scarface (Geto Boys) is 46. Blues singer Susan Tedeschi is 46. Actor Jason Antoon is 45. Actor Eric Dane is 44. Singer Nick Lachey (98 Degrees) is 43. Country musician Barry Knox (Parmalee) is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer Sisqo (Dru Hill) is 38. Country singer Corey Smith is 37. Actress Nikki Blonsky is 28. Actress-model Analeigh Tipton is 28.

Thought for Today: “When one burns one’s bridges, what a very nice fire it makes.” — Dylan Thomas (19141953).

CONTACT US led themselves to get clear of the dangling snake before it dropped to the floor, where people trapped it between rows 5 and 6 with blankets provided by a flight attendant, Medina said.

“It was a frightening situation ... but people remained calm because it didn’t get out of that space and nobody became hysterical,” Medina said. “Some people got up to see what kind of reptile it was, but nobody got carried away.”

— Compiled from AP reports

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

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The Zapata Times

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 |

A3

LOCAL & STATE

Master Naturalist meeting dated SPECIAL TO THE TIME S

Zapatans interested in the environment and conservation are invited to attend an informational meeting for the Texas Master Naturalist Brush Country Chapter.

The meeting takes place

Monday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. at Lake Casa Blanca State Park, 5102 Bob Bullock Loop.

Master Naturalists are volunteers of all ages that educate the public about the environment and assist with habitat conservation, according to a news

Volunteers help restore Santa Maria shrimp boat

By Matt Degrood THE GALVE STON COUNTY DAILY NEWS Judith Rayo / The Zapata Times

A ZCISD volunteer packages books Tuesday afternoon at the L&F Distributors main warehouse.

ZCISD to receive donation of 4,766 books

By Judith Rayo TH E ZAPATA T IME S

ZCISD will receive over 4,000 books through an organization dedicated in reducing disparities in access to education and health.

The Molina Foundation is a national nonprofit organization that has donated over 3 million books to low-income and at-risk children and families.

On Tuesday, the organization, along with volunteers, packaged 60,000 books to be distributed to Laredo ISD, United ISD, Zapata County Independent School District, Bruni, the Gateway Commu-

nity Health Center, the Laredo Public Library, Literacy Volunteers of Laredo and the South Texas Food Bank.

The distribution, titled “Launch into Learning for Laredo,” is part of a literacy campaign for South Texas, to help motivate and give children an academic boost during the upcoming holidays.

ZCISD will receive 4,766 books.

Zapata High School will receive 1,856 books, Zapata Middle, 885, Zapata North Elementary, 700, Zapata South Elementary, 650, Arturo Benavides Elementary, 100, and Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary, 575.

GALVESTON, Texas — Each morning, after a cup of coffee, Joe and Edna Grillo venture out to Pier 19.

The Galveston County Daily News reports there, with other vessels of the Mosquito Fleet, is tied the shrimp boat Santa Maria — the object of the Grillos’ affection, dedication and hard work for many years.

“It was part of the family, that boat,” Joe Grillo said. “It still is.”

Soon, the Santa Maria will look a little different.

With heavy help from the Grillos and current owners, Galveston Historical Foundation, the Santa Maria is undergoing a slight makeover.

“The Grillos came to us and expressed interest and concern about the Santa Maria,” Galveston Historical Foundation Port Capt. Mark Scibinico said. “They felt like they would like to see it have more involvement in the Texas Seaport Museum.

We suggested to them that if they had interest in

that, we were willing to put together a volunteer labor force and were happy to work with them to work on the vessel.”

Plans for the Santa Maria include repairing woodwork that has aged and replacing the shrimp rig with a more historical frame.

“In the ‘80s, Joe put a modern shrimping rig on the vessel,” Scibinico said. “It’s really not the right shape and size for the vessel. So we are in the process of removing and selling the rig and crafting a more traditional look for her.”

Response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive.

Each Saturday, a group of anywhere from eight to 30 volunteers assembles at the Santa Maria to help with the restoration.

One consistent source of volunteers has been the Circle K organization at Texas A&M UniversityGalveston.

“It’s important for history,” Linda Stevens, president of Circle K, said. “It’s important for marine history. I know a bunch of students have class on the Elissa.

release.

“Enhance your love of nature through in-depth training focusing on our native ecosystem,” the news release states.

Master Naturalist courses begin Jan. 19, 2017 and meet every other Thursday through June 22. In addi-

tion to the 12 classes, there will be four field trips.

A course fee of $200 covers classes and curriculum materials.

For more information, contact Kathryn Gilson at kathryn.gilson@tpwd.texas.gov or Renee LaPerriere at renee@laredolibrary.org.

Thanksgiving Dinner to be held for all SPECIAL TO THE TIME S

Dr. Stanley’s Pediatric Practice Association is holding its second annual Thanksgiving Dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 15.

Everyone is welcome to the free dinner by Dr.

Stanley and his staff, according to a news release.

The dinner will last from 6-8 p.m. at the Zapata County Community Center, 605 N. U.S. Hwy 83. For more information call 488-1200.

Small business seminar to be held for free SPECIAL TO THE TIME S

A free informational seminar will be held in Zapata for those interested in starting a new business or developing an existing business.

The U.S. Small Business Administration is holding “Starting a Business or Existing Businesses: Tools and Resources for Entrepreneurs” on Tuesday, Nov. 29 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Zapata County

Courthouse, 200 East 7th St., Room 248.

Presenters will explain how to start a business and where to get free technical assistance, training and business loan programs, according to a news release.

Seating is limited, so attendees are asked to register ahead of time. To register, contact Veronica Z. Ortega at veronica.ortega@sba.gov or 427-8533 x233.

Zopinion A4 | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

OTHER VIEWS

COMMENTARY

A super-cliched hero’s trip to Asia

By Noah Berlatsky TH E P H ILADE LPHIA I NQUIRER

"After Western medicine failed me, I went east," Benedict Cumberbatch’s character declares portentously in the new Marvel film "Doctor Strange." His love interest, Dr. Christine Palmer (Rachel McAdams), looks surprised, but she shouldn’t be.

Would-be white superheroes are always gallivanting off to Tibet or Japan or China to discover enlightenment/ martial arts abilities/ mystical, magical awesomeness. So has it been, so, apparently, shall it ever be - at least as long as we keep rebooting the same boring Western heroes and their same tired narratives.

The crowded superhero pilgrimage to points east began almost as soon as heroes began to get super, according to comics scholar Chris Gavaler.

Will Eisner’s early Superman rip-off, Wonder Man, got his powers from a magic Tibetan ring in 1938. The Green Lama and Amazing-Man followed quickly in his footsteps, just about tripping over each other in their rush for Eastern mojo.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s first superhero, Dr. Droom, was trained in the occult by a Tibetan monk in 1961. Later, Lee and Kirby whooshed supervillain Dr. Doom to the same location. No doubt, the Tibetans were waiting for Doctors Voom, Vroom, Doon and Drool to show up. Instead, they got Thunderbolt, Doctor Strange, Iron Fist and Watchmen’s Ozymandias, who learns to catch bullets in the mountainous venues.

Christopher Nolan’s "Batman Begins" (2005) had Bruce Wayne head to Bhutan to learn ninja skills — because Asia is all the same anyway, and who can remember where ninjas are from, right? Netflix’s "Daredevil" (2015), like its namesake comic, gave its hero ninja training too - and now "Doctor Strange" and the forthcoming "Iron Fist" series are dipping their white heroes in the familiar Tibetan well.

From Wonder Man on, the East, in superhero lore, is not a place where heroes live. Instead, it is a giant reservoir of super origin stories for white people. At best, Asians get to be teachers or servants or helpers, like mystic librarian Wong (Benedict Wong) in "Doctor Strange." Batman, Daredevil, Wolverine, Elektra — white people are always better Asians than Asians. This is the logic of white supremacy: Take any martial art, any system of knowledge, any skill set and white people

will be better at it than anyone else.

Folks in Tibet or Japan have knowledge and power in superhero stories, but they can’t use that knowledge and power to do heroic things themselves. Instead, it’s up to the white guy to save them. (Hong Kong in "Doctor Strange" has no super-team of its own and has to wait around for Cumberbatch to rescue it.)

Adding insult to injury, Asian faces often are in remarkably short supply in these Asian locales.

Many Asian-American writers have criticized "Doctor Strange" producers for their decision to cast Tilda Swinton, a white woman, as the Ancient One, an all-toorare Asian character in Marvel’s universe. Ra’s al Ghul, who is supposedly from the Middle East, was played by Liam Neeson in "Batman Begins."

This is why the popculture journalist Keith Chow’s suggestion to cast an Asian-American actor as Iron Fist, aka Danny Rand, resonated so strongly. A martial arts expert who studies in Tibet, Danny Rand was always essentially a whitewashed Asian — white only because white audiences and white creators can’t imagine anything but white heroes. Tapping a Tibetan American actor, or an Indian American one, who over the course of the story explored his roots, would have been a way to address the character’s racist presuppositions. For the same reason, Marvel would have done well to cast an Asian-American actor as Doctor Strange.

But it didn’t. Instead, Marvel did the backwardlooking thing and tossed another white guy into Tibet. "Forget everything you think you know," Mordo tells Doctor Strange, even as the film recycles the usual tropes, not least in casting Nigerian British actor Chiwetel Ejiofor to play Mordo second banana to the pale-skinned lead.

Maybe, instead of tweaking their by-thenumbers scripts, Hollywood could take a risk on something truly different.

G. Willow Wilson’s "Ms. Marvel" comic, about a Pakistani American teen with stretching powers, has shown that there’s an audience for new heroes, and new Asian-American heroes.

If they had just a touch of imagination, superhero filmmakers could figure out some fresh paths, rather than sending all their properties to tread in that deep rut, east and back again.

Noah Berlatsky is the author of "Your Favorite Superhero Sucks."

COMMENTARY

Media, afraid of appearing unbalanced, partly to blame for Trump’s rise

By Josh Singer THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

Five years ago, I began a wonderful odyssey into the world of journalism.

Over those five years, I worked on two movies about the news business, "The Fifth Estate" and "Spotlight." As part of my research, I spent time with some incredible editors and reporters, and did a lot of thinking about where the industry is.

More to the point, I spent a lot of time thinking about the fundamental questions editors and reporters wrestle with every day. Do we have a story? And, if so, how (and when) should we run it?

These two big questions are ones we screenwriters ask ourselves all the time.

And while it’s true that, for us in Hollywood, "do we have a story" is more about ticket sales than public imperatives, my co-writer Tom McCarthy and I were often struck by the fact that The Boston Globe’s Spotlight team and their editors built narrative much in the same way we do. After all, the challenge is similar.

And whether you’re trying to break a story on clergy abuse or a write a screenplay about the reporters who broke the clergy abuse story, your real job is to craft a narrative that will break through the noise and reach people.

In contemporary culture, breaking through the noise is no small feat.

It requires more than just a good story. Gone are the days when dropping a bombshell on the front page of the New York Times or the Washington Post was enough to make the whole world sit up and pay attention. The whole world is already

paying attention - to Facebook, Snapchat, Politico, FiveThirtyEight and whatever else makes up one’s personal media bubble.

If a story is to have a real impact on people today, that story has to penetrate this bubble.

And that’s not a matter of simply publishing "all the news that’s fit to print."

That’s a matter of crafting a story with substance, power and legs, and putting it into the context of a larger narrative people can hold onto.

Which is why, when people ask, I tell them that yes, in my view, the ascendance of Donald Trump is in no small part due to a failure of the news media.

Don’t get me wrong. I don’t think this is a failure of reporting. In fact, I’d say the reporting has been pretty good. Trump doesn’t want to share his tax returns? Thanks to reporters at the Times, we have a pretty good idea why. Trump says he’s a great businessman? There have been a deluge of great articles in the Post and The Philadelphia Inquirer that suggest the opposite. Trump says he only talks an ugly game about women? A number of brave women talked to reporters and we now know that’s not the case.

In fact, the Post investigation into Trump was so deep and broad that they published an entire biography on him.

But taking a step back, I fear the larger narrative is murky. Yes, a number of newspapers have said Trump is "unfit to serve."

But this story is a twohander. For the most part, it seems the narrative coming from the traditional news media has been "Yeah, Hillary’s not great either but she’s better."

We in Hollywood learn to think in bolder terms.

Murky stories don’t capture attention - they tend to wind up in the vast pile of unproduced scripts that line the offices of midlevel film executives. Of course, when dramatizing a truelife story, one often has the benefit of hindsight to help illuminate narrative.

And I’m sure historians will more easily be able to see how bureaucratic carping undercut the candidacy of a noble, if flawed public servant and led to the ascension of an ignorant playboy who became the first American tyrant.

Now, I’m sure if the mainstream media took this kind of bold narrative approach to news it would be frowned upon at the Columbia School of Journalism. Hardly fair and balanced. But in attempting to be fair and balanced on individual stories about email servers or tax returns, I fear traditional news editors lose sight of how these stories shape an overall narrative.

Moreover, in a world of personal media bubbles, I would argue that a traditional "unbiased media" approach is worse than ineffectual. It might actually contribute to narrative in ways that are deeply problematic.

Consider the initial reporting of the letter FBI Director James Comey sent to Congress on Oct. 28. Most mainstream media presented the story as a bombshell, an October surprise that had the Clinton team on the defensive, with very little context. Within days, Post polling showed that 46 percent of likely voters thought Trump was the more honest and trustworthy candidate, compared with 38 percent for Clinton. Any fact-check-

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DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

ing site will tell you that’s dead wrong. And then Comey reversed himself, a mere nine days after his "bomshell."

So then how do we handle this story? Well, why not hold it until we can run out the full story that the FBI agents behind this had been looking for a way to take down Clinton for months? Or better yet, bury it in the National section? Treat it as what it was, a bureaucratic and politically driven note to Congress. We all know Clinton made a mistake, we all know she lied about it. So what story are we telling by putting it on the front page again? Don’t worry, Breitbart will call it a bombshell. Why not be bold and honestly treat this news item in the context it deserves?

I think I just heard Ed Murrow roll over in his grave. But Murrow lived in a different age, a time when the platform he had made it much easier to reach into the American consciousness. Today, even the Gray Lady doesn’t have that kind of power. But, I would argue that traditional media organizations like the Times have to be more cognizant of the power they have left - and not be afraid to use it in service of a larger narrative. Not just because everyone else is doing it. But because when you’ve got a thousand outlets, content really is king.

People pay attention to narrative, not individual stories. And unless a media organization is putting forth a strong narrative, its stories will invariably fall in service of someone else’s.

Josh Singer is a screenwriter, originally from Philadelphia.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 |

A5

INTERNATIONAL

Nicaragua president wins new term with wife as VP

By Luis Manuel Galeano ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Uncredited / AP

Hadi Abdullah poses for a photograph in Maaret al-Numan in Syria.

Turkey and Syrian Kurds at loggerheads over Raqqa offensive

By Suzan Fraser and Sarah El Deeb A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey said Tuesday that the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-led forces leading an assault on the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa should not enter the city itself but merely help encircle it, a suggestion dismissed by the Kurds.

The dispute between the two U.S. allies threatens to complicate efforts to drive IS out of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the extremist group’s selfdescribed caliphate.

The U.S.-backed Syria Democratic Forces, which include Kurdish, Arab and Turkmen fighters, have driven IS from large swaths of territory, but Turkey views the Syrian Kurds who dominate the group as an extension of the Kurdish insurgency raging in its southeast.

Turkey has sent its own forces across the border to back Syrian opposition fighters, and has suggested they lead the offensive to retake Raqqa. The Turkey-backed forces, now

pushing toward the IS stronghold of al-Bab, have clashed with IS as well as the SDF. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Turkeybacked opposition fighters captured six villages near al-Bab on Tuesday and are now about 4 miles (7 kilometers) from the town.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told reporters that the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Joseph Dunford, told Turkish officials during a recent visit that Kurdish-led forces would only have a role in encircling Raqqa and would not enter the city.

“We hope that this will be the case and we expect that our partners keep their promises,” Cavusoglu said. He said “local” fighters aided by Turkish special forces should drive IS out of Raqqa, and suggested that residents of the mainly Sunni Arab city might not welcome Kurdish forces.

“We should not force the people to choose between two evils,” he said.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua — President Daniel Ortega overwhelmingly won re-election to a third consecutive term in official results announced Monday, putting him in position to govern for a quarter-century and cement family control over the country with his wife now officially vice president.

With nearly all votes counted, the ticket of the former guerrilla leader and first lady Rosario Murillo captured 72.5 percent, compared with 15 percent for the next-closest finisher among five lesser-known challengers.

Their ruling Sandinista party is also poised to retain its domination of congress.

But governing during his new five-year term could prove to be a tougher task.

Opposition leaders, who had accused Ortega of rigging Sunday’s election and called for a boycott, disputed the official turnout estimate and claimed many people stayed home in protest, undercutting his mandate.

Meanwhile, the Western Hemisphere’s secondpoorest country faces an uncertain economic future with key benefactor Venezuela in a deepening crisis and other leftist ideological allies losing power in the region.

“I think the biggest problem that Ortega faces is the legitimacy of the process by which he was re-elected, which causes it to be questioned from within and from without the country because it has

Rodrigo Arangua / Getty Images

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his wife Rosario Murillo wave after voting in Managua during the presidential election on Sunday.

not complied with rules of fair play,” political scientist Humberto Meza said.

“The expectations of the people who are accustomed to subsidies for transportation, subsidies for the cost of energy, social payouts and everything else are going to increase,” he added. “I don’t think it’s an easy thing.”

If the 70-year-old Ortega completes his next five-year term, he will have been in power a total of about 25 years, including a decade or so after his Sandinista revolution toppled dictator Anastasio Somoza in 1979.

Critics said the election was unfairly tilted after court rulings that first allowed Ortega to seek a

new term and later barred his strongest opponents from running and unseated nearly all opposition lawmakers in congress. They accuse him of creating a new a political dynasty with his wife.

In a statement, the U.S. State Department expressed deep concern over “the flawed presidential and legislative electoral process in Nicaragua, which precluded the possibility of a free and fair election.”

Ortega, Murillo and the Sandinistas are genuinely popular in Nicaragua, however, with approval ratings consistently in the upper 60 percent range thanks to steady if modest economic growth, low violence relative to else-

where in Central America and social programs that put roofs on homes and pay for school lunches.

“His 40 social projects have helped to partly resolve poverty and basic necessities,” former guerrilla commander Eden Pastora said. “These projects will not end all need overnight because Daniel is not a magician, but they have had results ... and that’s why they keep reelecting him.”

Although still the hemisphere’s poorest nation after Haiti, Nicaragua has seen poverty fall in the last decade under Ortega. His supporters will expect him to continue to lower poverty and bolster the social programs.

Sports&Outdoors A6 | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Jones: Cowboys will play Prescott-Romo decision ‘by ear’ week by week Prescott shining as Romo sits

By Charean Williams FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM ( TNS )

The Cowboys will let their quarterback situation play out "play by play, series by series and game by game," Jerry Jones said Tuesday. In other words, the Cowboys will continue to play Dak Prescott as long as he has the hot hand.

Prescott has the Cowboys off to a 7-1 start, tied for the best record in the NFL, while Tony Romo continues his rehab from a compression fracture in his back.

"The key thing I want to emphasize is we probably are never going to have this totally sorted out," the Cowboys owner said on his weekly radio show on 105.3 The Fan. "We’re going to play it by ear, play it as it comes.

We can do that. And to do it really right for the advantage of the team, which we deserve, he’s

Wesley Hitt / Getty Images file

Dallas rookie quarterback Dak Prescott, left, has started since Week 1 while Tony Romo has sat with a back injury.

really got to be ready to go at the top of his game.

We have the luxury of getting it back ready.

When we do that, then we’ve got an edge that could carry us a long way.

So I think what you’re

going to have is you’re going to see Tony really playing well at practice, really being what he can be, which is in my mind, when he’s healthy, I don’t know that I’d trade him for anybody."

Jones added that no one on the team or in the organization has concern about the quarterback situation upsetting the Cowboys’ momentum.

"There’s nothing fragile about this team, about

the makeup, the momentum," Jones said. ".What we want to do is absolutely play by play, series by series, game by game, what’s in the best interest of winning the game."

Romo, injured in an Aug. 25 preseason game against the Seahawks, will do more at practice this week in his 11th week of rehab. He has practiced on a limited basis three times the past two weeks, getting 11-on-11 work for the first time last Thursday.

In Romo’s absence, Prescott ranks fourth in passer rating at 104.2 with 12 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has the Cowboys, who hold a two-game lead in the NFC East and are on track for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, dreaming of the Super Bowl.

"With Tony, there’s nothing that is anymore important - nothing that is any more important than Tony be on a team that’s capable of really competing for the big prize," Jones said. "We may be a part of that, and what he is is a competitor to win the game. So he’s for whatever it takes as a team to win the game.

That’s what’s making this an issue is that everybody knows he’d like to be out there healthy and contributing to win the game."

NCAA FOOTBALL: NO. 10 TEXAS A&M AGGIES

SPRAINED SHOULDER JOINT LIKELY ENDS TEXAS A&M QB KNIGHT’S SEASON No. 10 Aggies turn to junior Jake Hubenak at quarterback

By Ben Baby THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS (TNS)

C

James Pugh / Associated Press file

Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight sustained what could be a season-ending shoulder injury this past Saturday against Mississippi State.

OLLEGE STATION — It wasn’t even a hit that ultimately led to the end of Trevor Knight’s season.

The A&M senior quarterback first injured his shoulder last weekend against Mississippi State diving for a touchdown.

He was taken out of the game, only to return later in the second quarter to give it another shot with his team trailing.

But by the second half, he was wearing shorts and a shoulder sling. Now, it looks like Knight’s career at Texas A&M could be over.

Knight will miss the rest of the regular season with the shoulder injury, A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said during Tuesday’s news conference. Sumlin said the fifth-year senior could "at best" return for the Aggies’ bowl game.

Junior Jake Hubenak will start for the Aggies (7-2, 4-2) in this Saturday’s home game against Ole Miss (4-5, 1-4).

"If there was a bright spot from Saturday, it was how he approached everything and really gave us an opportunity in light of really how we played and gave us an opportunity to win the game," Sumlin said.

Along with Knight, Sumlin said junior reserve cornerback Noel Ellis (groin) and starting offen-

sive guard Connor Lanfear (knee) will also be out for the year with injuries.

Hubenak’s only prior collegiate start came in last year’s Music City Bowl, after quarterbacks Kyler Murray and Kyle Allen transferred.

Hubenak played the entire second of half of A&M’s upset loss that effectively ended any chance the Aggies had of landing a spot in the College Football Playoff semifinals. The Georgetown native completed 11 of 17 passes for 222 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

He came in for Knight after the Oklahoma graduate transfer landed on his shoulder after a 19-yard touchdown run in the final seconds of the first quarter.

Knight returned for one drive in the second quarter before he was dragged down on the Mississippi State sideline after he ran out of bounds. Sumlin said he sent film of the play, which drew no ruling from officials, to the SEC office.

A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said Knight sprained a shoulder joint.

At one point in the second half, Hubenak walked over to Knight, who was wearing a coach’s headset. The two motioned with their hands, as if diagramming receiving routes, while Hubenak was tasked with leading a comeback that

fell short on A&M’s final drive.

A&M junior running back Keith Ford, who played with Knight at Oklahoma, complimented the quarterback’s ability to bring energy to practices despite battling various injuries over the years.

"That’s the kind of leadership we need, especially at his position," Ford said.

Knight also gave A&M a viable running option.

He ran for 583 yards and 10 touchdowns this season in addition to throwing for 1,911 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions.

This year was Knight’s first as a starter since the 2014 season, when he started at Oklahoma. He started 10 of 13 games before losing the job to Baker Mayfield. Mayfield finished fourth in Heisman Trophy voting last season.

Ford said Knight called them about possibly playing together again. Then in January, Knight came to College Station and filled the void for a program in desperate need of a starter.

A&M offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone said he wasn’t giving a eulogy on Knight, even though it may have felt like it. Mazzone said Knight will still be a leader of the team, even if he’s trading his helmet for a headset.

"Now he’s just going to be Coach Knight for a few days," Mazzone said.

Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 |

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE ALERTAN POR FRENTE FRÍO La Ciudad de Miguel Alemán a través de Protección Civil municipal está recomendando a los habitantes de la región protegerse del frente frío y resguardarse de las lluvias que se pronostican para el área de la frontera chica.

SEMANA SALUD BUCAL El gobierno de Miguel Alemán, México, invita al público en general a la Semana Nacional de Salud Bucal que se realizará del 7 al 11 de noviembre, iniciando en la escuela primaria Benito Juárez ubicada en el Fraccionamiento Río Bravo de esa ciudad.

CURSOS DE LENGUAJE DE SIGNOS (ASL) El Departamento de Educación Especial local está ofreciendo clases de Lenguaje Americano de Signos para el personal profesional y paraprofesional así como para padres, estudiantes o administradores del distrito Zapata County Independent School District, todos los jueves desde el 20 de octubre al 15 de diciembre (ocho semanas de duración). En el horario de 4:15 p.m. a 5:15 p.m. en el laboratorio de computadoras de la escuela primaria Zapata North Elementary School. Mayores informes al 956-2856877 o a la Oficina de Educación Especial al 956-756-6130 antes del 13 de octubre.

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

Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el 956765-8983.

ELECCIONES 2016

TAMAULIPAS

Estadounidenses votan

Nombran a jefe de Oficina de Gobernador

Nota del editor: Al momento del cierre de la imprenta, aún no se contaba con los resultados de la elección presidencial. Para mayores informes visite LMTOnline.com

los votantes lo eligió como el tema principal.

Tanto los seguidores de Clinton como los de Trump dijeron que la prioridad es la economía.

Por Nancy Benac y Emily Swanson

Distintas posturas en conteo de votos Luego de todo lo que dijo Trump sobre las elecciones "amañadas", la mayoría de los estadounidenses acudieron a las urnas con al menos una confianza moderada de que los votos serían contados de manera precisa.

Aquellos que votaron por Clinton fueron más propensos a sentirse confiados sobre la precisión del conteo: alrededor de 7 de cada 10 votantes de Clinton expresó que sentía mucha confianza en el conteo de voto, en comparación con solo tres de cada 10 personas a favor de Trump.

En general, menos de la mitad de los electores se sintieron muy confiados en el conteo de votos, y una tercera parte tenía cierto grado de confianza.

Menos del 20% indicaron que no estaban muy confiados o no confiaban en lo absoluto en el conteo de sufragios.

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

WASHINGTON — Los estadounidenses salieron el martes a elegir un nuevo presidente. Pero no lo hicieron con mucho entusiasmo. Más de la mitad de los electores votaron con reservas sobre su candidato o solo por el hecho de que el candidato rival no es de su agrado.

Eso aplica tanto a los seguidores de la demócrata Hillary Clinton como a quienes están a favor del republicano Donald Trump, de acuerdo a los resultados preliminares de las encuestas de salida realizadas para The Associated Press y cadenas de televisión por parte de Edison Research.

Luego de una larga y disputada campaña, solo cuatro de cada 10 votantes apoyaban firmemente a su candidato.

La encuesta de sali-

Foto por Brendan Smialowski | Getty Images

Luego de una larga campaña, solo cuatro de cada 10 votantes apoyaban firmemente a su candidato.

da también reveló lo siguiente: Sobre el muro Después de todo lo que se habló durante la campaña en materia migratoria, resulta ser un tema poco prioritario para la mayoría de los votantes: Solo uno de cada 10 entrevistados dijo que la inmigración era el problema más importante que enfrenta el país.

Sobre el plan de Trump de construir "un enorme y hermoso" muro, más de la mitad de los electores se expresaron en contra de la idea.

Es más, siete de cada 10 estadounidenses

creen que a los inmigrantes que viven actualmente ilegalmente en el país se les debe permitir quedarse, y solo una cuarta parte dijo que deberían ser deportados.

Todo ello pese a la dura retórica de Trump sobre sacar a todas aquellas personas que no estén legalmente en el país.

La inmigración era el tema principal para casi una quinta parte de los votantes a favor de Trump y de menos del 10% para aquellos que siguen a Clinton.

El 20% de los hispanos señalaron que el tema migratorio era de prioridad máxima. Solo alrededor del 10% de

ECONOMÍA

INAUGURAN NUEVA SUCURSAL DE TRACTO SUPPLY CO.

FIRMA DE LIBROS La Dra. Alma González Pérez dictará una conferencia y estará firmando su nuevo libro de poesía en la reunión mensual de la Sociedad de Genealogía Nuevo Santander el sábado 12 de Noviembre en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata.

La cita es a las 2 p.m.

Competencia de Carne Asada La Comisión de Parques y Recreación de Roma invita a su 3a. Competencia Anual de Carne Asada, el 19 de noviembre en Guadalupe Plaza.

Habrá diferentes categorías que incluyen: guisado, fajitas, costillas y pavo entre otros. Registre a su equipo en Roma City Hall ubicado en 77 Convent St.. Mayores informes llamando al 956-849-1411.

LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza, a un lado del City Hall. Informes en 849-1411.

A7

Foto por Víctor Strife | Laredo Morning Times

Priscilla Elizondo, Olga Elizondo y Sergio Elizondo pagan los artículos que seleccionaron para su compra durante la gran apertura de Tractor Supply Co. en Zapata, el sábado por la mañana.

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Reynosa, México— El jefe de de la Oficina del Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Víctor Manuel Sáenz Martínez, dio posesión este lunes a Javier Garza de Coss como nuevo titular de la Oficina del Gobernador en la zona norte del estado.

En una conferencia de prensa, se confirmaron también los nombramientos de los nuevos titulares de la Jurisdicción Sanitaria número 4, Omar Nelson González Cepeda; el Hospital General, Carlos Alberto Acosta Peña; el Hospital Materno Infantil, Mirna Elisa Cantú Almaguer y José Adalberto Yáñez Leal como titular de la la Comisión estatal para la Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios.

Sáenz Martínez reveló que esta nueva posición responde a un compromiso hecho por el Gobernador Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca durante su campaña, de crear una oficina que permita a la administración estatal estar más cerca de la comunidad.

Adelantó que próximamente serán presentados los titulares de Oficinas del Gobernador en 5 regiones más de la entidad.

La jurisdicción de esta nueva dependencia en la zona norte abarcará los municipios de Reynosa, Miguel Alemán, Camargo, Mier, Díaz Ordaz, Río Bravo, Méndez, Cruillas, Burgos y San Fernando.

El nuevo funcionario presentó ante los medios de comunicación cuatro proyectos que el Gobierno de Tamaulipas ejecutará en breve.

“Lo que se va a estar realizando pronto es una inversión de infraestructura educativa en Reynosa que va a ser una inversión total de 32.88 millones de pesos, otra de las acciones también de inversión de pavimentación en Reynosa, una inversión total de alrededor de los 51 millones de pesos, otra acción inmediata es la construcción del Centro de Justicia de Mujeres en Reynosa con una inversión total de 8 millones de pesos y por último la rehabilitación de la red de drenaje en Reynosa, una obra ya licitada con una inversión total de 11.32 millones de pesos”, dijo Garza de Coss.

Durante la tarde de este mismo lunes Garza de Coss entregó también nombramientos a los nuevas titulares de las Oficialías Segunda y Cuarta del Registro Civil, Miriam Leticia Longoria García y Narda Yolibel Pérez Garza respectivamente, además de la titular de la Jefatura del Departamento de Atención a Víctimas en Reynosa, Olivia Lemus.

Garza de Coss ha sido Diputado local y ocupó varias responsabilidades en organizaciones de la iniciativa privada como la COPARMEX y la Cámara del Autotransporte de Carga.

GUERRERO HOY DESDE EL AYER

Lluvias inundaron Guerrero viejo (Nota del editor: Éste es el primero de una serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (1927-2016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal) Por Lilia Treviño Martínez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Fue un noviembre de hace 189 años cuando la villa de San Ignacio de Loyola de Revilla, en un México independiente, logró la categoría de ciudad bajo el nombre de Guerrero.

Un acuerdo bilateral

entre México y Estados Unidos en 1944, hizo que esta ciudad desapareciera dentro del vaso de la Presa Internacional Falcón, al igual que el poblado de Zapata.

En 1953 la presa quedó terminada y sus compuertas fueron cerradas.

Las fuertes lluvias de agosto de ese año, unidas al caudal de las avenidas del río Bravo provocaron que su afluente, el Salado, saliera de su cauce e inundara la parte baja de la ciudad hasta llegar a su Plaza central.

Se impuso la necesidad de desalojar las casas que se encontraban inundadas, y sus moradores

fueron trasladados a la Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, que simultáneamente a la construcción de la Presa, fue levantada junto a su Cortina por el Gobierno Federal, para indemnizar así a los propietarios guerrerenses y compensar las pérdidas en aquella vieja ciudad que quedaba atrás.

La inauguraciones de la Nueva Ciudad Guerrero y de la Presa Falcón tuvieron lugar el 19 de octubre de 1953.

En esa misma fecha se celebró la histórica entrevista de los Presidentes de ambos países en el amplio salon de actos del Palacio Municipal de la

Nueva Ciudad, que ahora ostenta la placa conmemorativa con el nombre de Salón de los Presidentes.

El 10 de octubre de 1750 pasó a la historia como fecha inicial de la fundación de Ciudad Guerrero.

El 19 de octubre marcó una nueva etapa en la vida del pueblo, ubicado en la Nueva Ciudad.

Dos ciudades marcadas por un destino, fluyen del mismo origen pero escriben dos historias distintas.

Querida Vieja Ciudad Guerrero que dormitas arrullando recuerdos junto a las aguas, en ti arraiga la historia de

nuestro pueblo y siempre te recordamos.

Añoramos tus plazas, tus parques de recreo, tus calles y tu temple y tus escuelas. ¡Nunca te olvidaremos, pues tu sacrificio fue venero de vida; las aguas de la gran Presa fecundan tierras de labor que nutren a miles de seres humanos, y generan energía eléctrica que impulsa el progreso en una vasta región!

Callejas de mi pueblo, solitarias callejas en donde la maleza impía penetró… ¡qué bien que las recuerdo con sus altas banquetas!

A8 | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

ENTERTAINMENT

Jackie Chan reflects on 50 year career, honorary Oscar

By Sandy Cohen A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

LOS ANGELES — As an action star, Jackie Chan never expected to get an Oscar.

So he considers receiving an honorary Academy Award from the film academy’s Board of Governors his proudest professional achievement.

Chan will accept his Oscar statuette Saturday at the eighth annual Governors Awards. Film editor Anne Coates, casting director Lynn Stalmaster and documentarian Frederick Wiseman are also receiving honorary Academy Awards, which recognize lifetime achievement and contributions to the film industry.

“I never imagined that

I’d receive such an award,” Chan said. “I still remember my very first proudest moment was when I received an award for stunt choreography. At that time, I didn’t know much about directing, I just knew how to do action and fighting sequences and stunts. Receiving this honorary award has raised my feelings to another level.”

The 62-year-old writer, director, producer and actor reflected on his career in an email interview with The Associated Press from his home base in Hong Kong. He plans to be in Los Angeles to accept his award in person.

AP: What was your most challenging film to make and why?

Lai Seng Sin / AP file

Hong Kong actor Jackie Chan smiles during a news conference.

Chan: “Rumble in the Bronx” had a lot of action choreography, fighting sequences, and dangerous stunts. In “Operation Condor” I filmed in extreme temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius in the desert. I had a near death accident while do-

ing a stunt in “Armor of God.” In “Rush Hour,” I found the English dialogue most challenging.

AP: How does making movies in Hong Kong differ from Hollywood’s approach to film?

Chan: I find Hollywood’s

approach to film production very systematic and organized. Of course, being organized is a good thing, but sometimes I feel restrained within set rules. Hong Kong filmmaking is more dynamic because things can be changed on the set while we’re still filming. It’s more flexible and encourages creativity, and if we think of something that might work, we try it right away.

AP: What changes in the industry have been most surprising to you?

Chan: Because I’ve been in the film industry for over 50 years, the most significant change I’ve noticed is the change from using 35mm film to digital technology, and even 3D filming. The improvement

of technology has changed how films are now made.

What we used to use back then is now part of history. I’m still fascinated by digital technology and the amount of work that can be done in post-production with CG (computergenerated) effects.

AP: What has been was your most exciting Hollywood experience?

Chan: All my experiences in Hollywood have been interesting and exciting.

I’ve learned so many new things in Hollywood, made new friends and family, such as my American Chinese brother Brett Ratner. I’ve had many great memorable moments while working in Hollywood. I guess the most fun was making the “Rush Hour” series.

By Sylvia Hui and Danica Kirka A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

LONDON — It’s the British royals versus the press — again — and Prince Harry thinks enough is enough.

In a highly unusual statement, the prince on Tuesday lashed out at the media for intruding on the privacy of his new girlfriend, American actress Meghan Markle.

The 32Markle year-old royal said the press had crossed a line with articles that had “racial underHarry tones,” and pleaded: “This is not a game.”

The condemnation was the latest in an often uneasy dance between Britain’s royals and an international press hungry for any tidbit about royal scandal or courtship.

Both Harry and his

brother, Prince William, have spoken candidly about their distrust of the media: Their mother, Princess Diana, died in a 1997 car accident while being pursued by paparazzi, and William’s wife, Kate, was relentlessly scrutinized for years before the couple married in 2011.

It looks like nothing has changed.

Kensington Palace described how journalists tried to break into Markle’s home, how newspapers offered “substantial bribes” to her ex-boyfriend, and said nearly everyone she knows has been bombarded for information. Markle’s mother couldn’t even get to her front door without jostling reporters.

“What is extraordinary about this letter is the level of ethical conduct breaches it details,” said Steven Barnett, a communications professor at the University of Westminster. “You have to feel something for Harry, who is presumably thinking of his mother and what she had to put up with.”

Markle, 35, is best known for her role as a feisty paralegal in the U.S. television drama “Suits.”

Many tabloids alluded to her mixed-race heritage — she has an AfricanAmerican mother and a white father. One Daily Mail headline described her ancestors as “a tailor, a teacher and a cleaner in racially-divided Jim Crow South.” Another dubbed her a “saucy divorcee.”

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Prince Harry condemns media ‘abuse’ of American girlfriend, Meghan Markle

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 |

A9

BUSINESS

Consumer borrowing rose in September

By Josh Boak A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — American consumers boosted their borrowing in September, a potential sign that recent job growth and wage gains have left them slightly more comfortable with holding debt.

The Federal Reserve said Monday that total consumer borrowing rose $19.3 billion in September to $3.7 trillion outstanding. Consumer debt has climbed at an annual pace of 6.3 percent, slightly below the growth rates seen in 2014 and 2015.

Revolving credit, which covers credit cards, posted an annual gain of 5.2 percent to $978.8 billion. The non-revolving category, which includes auto and student loans and makes up the bulk of consumer debt, has risen 6.7 percent over the past year to $2.7 trillion.

Roughly 70 percent of U.S. economic activity comes from consumers, so the increase in borrowing suggests that spending will keep aiding growth.

The economy expanded at an annual pace of 2.9 percent during the third quarter, its healthiest growth rate in two years. The troubled export sector recovered and companies started to restock their shelves in anticipation of greater consumer demand.

Much of the optimism has come from consistently solid hiring.

Employers added 161,000 jobs in October, a steady pace that contributed to average hourly earnings accelerating 2.8 percent in the past year. The unemployment rate ticked down to 4.9 percent.

Thanksgiving Day shopping is here to stay — with some tweaks

By Anne D’Innocenzio ASSOCIATED PRE SS

NEW YORK — Thanksgiving Day shopping — a delight to some, an anathema to others — isn’t going away, but some stores are rethinking their strategies on whether it makes sense to be open on the holiday itself.

Many of the nation’s major mall operators and the big retailers that anchor them, such as Toys R Us, J.C. Penney, and Macy’s, are sticking with what they want to be a new tradition, kicking off the holiday shopping season on Thanksgiving Day. Others, including the Mall of America, the nation’s largest shopping mall, are closing for Thanksgiving this year after being open for the past several years. Some retailers that are closing cite respect for the holiday, but in truth the cost of being open may be more than the return.

“Once you let the genie out of the bottle, it’s hard,” said Stephen D. Lebovitz, president and CEO of CBL & Associates Properties, a mall operator that is closing 72 of its malls for the day. “More retailers are coming to their senses and realizing it is a family holiday and from a business point of view, it’s not making much business sense.”

Stores being open on Thanksgiving started in earnest in 2011 and took a punch out of sales on Black Friday, which had usually launched the shopping season. Many places like Macy’s, Target and J.C. Penney have been opening earlier and earlier on Thanksgiving as

Bebeto Matthews / AP file

Shoppers carry bags as they cross a pedestrian walkway near Macy's in Herald Square, in New York. Thanksgiving Day shopping it isn't going away and some stores are rethinking their strategies on whether it makes sense to be open.

they try to outdo others to get first dibs on customers who could easily buy online.

But the move has been controversial, as many workers have voiced complaints that stores are putting profits over workers’ time to be with their families.

Some 89 of the 145 properties that Chattanooga, Tennessee-based CBL owns or has interest in opened at 6 p.m. on the holiday last year.

While dozens of those will be closed this year, the department stores, movie theaters, restaurants and retailers with exterior entrances have the option to open on Thanksgiving. Other retailers including Office Depot and consumer electronics chain hhgregg Inc. plan to be closed after being open for the past several years.

Plenty of retailers, particularly high-end stores like Nordstrom or those like T.J. Maxx that offer discounts every day, never opened on

Thanksgiving and have collected goodwill because of that.

In reality, analysts say, it’s all about stealing share in a market that isn’t growing that much.

For department stores, the competition is fierce. Last year, J.C. Penney opened at 3 p.m. for the first time, three hours earlier than its rivals Kohl’s and Macy’s. That may have hurt Macy’s, which had a weak holiday season and aims to reverse a sales slump.

This year, Macy’s decided to open an hour earlier at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving. Penney is sticking to 3 p.m., while Kohl’s will be opening again at 6 p.m. Most Sears stores will be open on Thanksgiving for the fourth year in a row, starting at 6 p.m. — the same as a year ago.

Best Buy, the nation’s largest consumer electronics chain, suffered over Thanksgiving weekend in 2012 because it didn’t open until

midnight, while stores like Wal-Mart and Target began their sales earlier in the evening. Wal-Mart, Target and Best Buy have not announced their plans for this Thanksgiving weekend. But all indications are they’ll start the doorbuster sales on the holiday.

For many big retailers, covering expenses like paying employees holiday pay is not that costly, said Joel Bines, a managing director at retail consulting group AlixPartners. But for small stores or those with specialized merchandise, it may make more sense to close.

AlixPartners also found for that some retailers who did open on Thanksgiving were simply pulling Friday sales a day earlier and their profit margins took a hit. Bob Riesbeck, president and CEO of hhgregg, says business on Thanksgiving actually declined over the previous two years when it opened at 4 p.m.

CBL’s Lebovitz says when he surveyed stores in the company’s malls this year before deciding to close, the reaction was “overwhelmingly positive,” particularly with the specialty stores. The big anchors plan to stay open.

Last year, the reaction was different. Most of the specialty stores wanted to be open.

“They didn’t have enough data” to make the decision,” he said.

Andy Mantis, executive vice president of NPD Group Checkout Tracking, says stores should open on both Thanksgiving and Black Friday to maximize their sales.

Energy Department grows less bearish about US oil production

By David Koenig A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

DALLAS — The decline in U.S. oil production may not be as severe as expected just a month ago.

The government is raising its forecast of U.S. production for both this year and 2017, as drillers respond to higher crude prices. Still, output won’t match 2015, which was the biggest year for U.S. production since 1972.

The Energy Department predicted Tuesday that domestic production will top 8.7 million barrels per day next year.

That’s 140,000 more barrels per day than the department estimated just a month ago. Forecasters also raised their

estimate of 2016 daily oil production by 110,000 barrels to more than 8.8 million barrels.

That’s still below 2015’s output that hit 9.4 million barrels per day.

The rising forecast is because this year’s rebound in oil prices has translated into more drilling, said Anthony Starkey, an energy analyst for S&P Global Platts. The number of active oil rigs in the U.S. has risen by more than 100 since oil prices plunged below $30 a barrel early this year.

About 20 rigs have been added in just the past month.

“Most analysts have been revising their production numbers higher as rig activity increases

Frank Whitney / Getty Images

An oil rig in West Texas is pictured. The Energy Department predicted Tuesday that domestic oil production will top 8.7 million barrels per day in 2017.

and the outlook for prices has improved with the rhetoric from OPEC that

they will do something to help balance the market” when cartel members

meet later this month, Starkey said.

Meanwhile, OPEC trimmed its forecast for growth in world crude consumption over the coming decades but predicted again that oil and gas will still account for more than half the world’s energy in 2040.

In its annual forecast, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries said that world oil demand will be 109 million barrels a day by 2040. That is 16 million barrels more than current demand but 400,000 barrels a day less than OPEC predicted in its previous annual forecast.

The 14 OPEC nations are more interested, however, in doing something about short-term prices.

OPEC oil ministers are scheduled to meet Nov. 30 to complete a September agreement on slightly reducing production to drive up prices.

It won’t be easy for OPEC to nail down the details.

OPEC nations have been pumping record amounts of crude this fall even though prices are less than half what they were in mid-2014. Iran, Libya and Nigeria have reportedly argued to be exempted from production cuts, which could put pressure on Saudi Arabia to shoulder more of the reduction. And it’s unclear whether any OPEC pullback might be offset by production from countries outside the cartel.

A10 | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL Orlando to buy Pulse nightclub, turn it into memorial

By Jeff Weiner ORLANDO SENTINEL

Chuck Burton / AP

Officers with the Department of Homeland Security patrol outside the federal courthouse in Charleston, S.C, on Monday.

Judge orders competency exam and delays church shooting trial

By Jeffrey Collins A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

A judge announced Tuesday that he has ordered another competency exam for a white man charged with killing nine black parishioners at a Charleston church one day after halting jury selection because of a motion from defense attorneys.

The exam for Dylann Roof is underway and should be finished by next week. Federal Judge Richard Gergel wrote in his brief order that he plans to rule within days whether Roof is competent and, if so, to begin jury selection for Roof’s death penalty trial on Nov. 21.

Jury selection was supposed to begin Monday, but instead Gergel held a hearing with only him, Roof and defense lawyers to consider the

Teen indicted on murder charges

By Hannah Winston TH E PA L M BE ACH P O ST

PALM BEACH, Fla. — A grand jury has charged Austin Harrouff with two counts of firstdegree murder in the deaths of John Stevens III and Michelle Mischcon, Harrouff Martin County Assistant State Attorney Nita Denton said Tuesday.

Harrouff, 19, is also facing charges of attempted first-degree murder and burglary of a dwelling with an assault or battery while armed.

On Aug. 15, investigators say Harrouff stabbed Stevens III, 59, and Michelle, 53, to death at the couple’s home.

After deputies arrived, they saw Harrouff on top of Stevens, biting his face. It took authorities a Taser, several kicks to the head and a police dog to get the Florida State University student off Stevens and into handcuffs and took him to the hospital.

At the hospital, Harrouff spat out what appeared to be a piece of human flesh, according to court documents.

Harrouff told deputies he ate something bad.

"What did you eat?" a sergeant asked.

"Humans," Harrouff replied.

motion, which has not been made public. Gergel’s order indicates he decided to order the exam after that hearing.

The defense motion for the exam is being kept secret, like many recent developments in the case.

The Monday hearing was held behind closed doors in part so it wouldn’t influence potential jurors and in part to protect attorney-client privilege, Gergel said in a memo with large sections blacked out.

Almost 70 motions, documents and orders have been filed in the case since the September. All but two have been sealed from view by the public and the media.

Roof is charged with hate crimes, obstruction of religion and other counts in the killings at Mother Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Authorities said

he sat with 12 people in a prayer meeting for nearly an hour before firing dozens of times, killing nine and leaving three people unharmed so they could tell the world the shootings were because he hated black people.

Gergel’s order may delay opening statements until 2017. The judge plans to question the jury pool of 500 in groups of 10 twice a day until he qualifies 70 potential jurors for lawyers to choose from. That process is expected to take several weeks.

Roof’s lawyers have said previously that he would plead guilty to the charges in federal court if prosecutors would agree not to seek the death penalty.

State prosecutors also plan a death penalty trial for Roof on nine counts of murder after the federal trial is finished.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando has reached a deal to buy the Pulse nightclub for $2.25 million and plans to eventually transform the site of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history into a memorial.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer told the Orlando Sentinel that the city won’t rush to change the club, once a mainstay in the gay community that has become a gathering place for visiting and local mourners alike.

"There are lots of people that are making a visit to the site part of their trip, part of their experience of Orlando, so I think 12 to 18 months of leaving it as is would be appropriate," Dyer said Monday.

In the meantime, the city plans to solicit ideas from the community for what form the lasting memorial should take.

Dyer said the city hasn’t ruled out leaving part of the club intact permanently, such as the roadside sign featuring its now-iconic logo.

The city’s ultimate goal, he said, will be to "create something to honor the memory of the victims that are deceased (and) those that were injured, and a testament to the resilience of our community."

The price negotiated by city staff is more than the $1.65 million appraised value of the nightclub, a 4,500-square-foot building occupying a third of an acre at South Orange Avenue and West Esther Street.

Dyer said the sale price was a compromise

Joe Burbank / TNS

Eric Sorenson pays his respects as visitors flock to the roadside memorial at the Pulse nightclub.

reached during negotiations with the club’s owners, whose attorney did not return a call seeking comment Monday.

The sales contract with the city was signed Friday by Rosario Poma, who owns the club with his wife, Barbara. Orlando’s City Council, which has the final say on the deal, will weigh in on it next week.

The nightclub has been empty since June 12, when a gunman opened fire during a Latin-themed dance party, killing 49 people and wounding dozens more.

Since the massacre, mourners have flowed steadily to the site to pay their respects, leaving behind photos, notes, stuffed animals and other remembrances. Many of the items have since been collected for preservation by the Orange County Regional History Center.

The visitors have at times been disruptive to nearby businesses and residents, creating parking troubles, crowding sidewalks and prompting safety concerns. The club was also the victim of at least one break-in about a

month after the tragedy.

Dyer said purchasing the property will help with security and safety issues, as the city will no longer need to coordinate with a private owner to enter or change the property.

"Now, we can actually secure it like we would any other piece of city property," he said.

In September, the city removed the black chainlink fence that had surrounded the club since soon after the shooting, replacing it with a new barrier farther back from the road, wrapped in a screen that features images created by local artists.

Those killed in the Pulse massacre have been commemorated in many ways, but the city has kept mum on the specifics of its plans for a permanent memorial. Dyer first floated the idea of buying the nightclub in a radio interview in August.

Barbara Poma opened the bar in 2004, naming it Pulse in honor of her brother John, who died of AIDS in 1991. It was a local landmark in the gay community.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 |

A11

FROM THE COVER

Local residents welcome new Tractor Supply Co. store

Victor Strife / The Zapata Times

Samantha Zepeda tends to customers as they pay for their items during the grand opening of Tractor Supply Co. in Zapata on Saturday morning.

Customers gather outside Tractor Supply Co. in Zapata, Texas during the stores grand opening on Saturday morning.

Mike Saenz tries on a pair of work boots during the grand opening of Tractor Supply Co. in Zapata.

ELECTION From page A1 Jose Umana, a 49-yearold airline pilot in Coral Gables, Florida, took a longer view of the political season. “Some people think the future of our country is being determined today,” he said. “I don’t see it that way. I think the future of our country is about each one of us, not one person in charge. You can’t wait for someone to determine your future. You just have to try to be the best you can be.”

Below are snapshots of the day.

‘It’s Already Been Rigged’ Robert Richardson walked out of a county government building in Zebulon, North Carolina, a small town east of Raleigh, with his “I Voted” sticker, and its stylized American flag, affixed upside down on his camel-colored work coat.

He put it on that way on purpose, he said: universal sign of distress.

Race relations in 2016, Richardson said, were “the worst I’ve ever seen them.” Muslim refugees were coming to the country “unvetted and uninoculated,” and he wondered if it was part of a Muslim plot to take over the world.

“I think it’s already been rigged and the people out here’s been just going through the motions,” he said, nodding toward his polling place.

Richardson, 56, owned a flooring company for decades until the recession dried up the work.

He closed it in 2010. He was a registered Democrat his whole life until this year, when he switched to the Republican Party.

He voted for all of the Republicans on the ticket, including Donald Trump, although he had his reservations about Trump.

“I think this will be our

TRADE From page A1 nie Sanders, I-VT. railed against more free trade policies he said will not prop up the middle class.

Meanwhile, Trump has called the North American Free Trade Agreement the country’s “worst trade deal” and has vowed to end or renegotiate the pact because he believes the agreement ships jobs overseas.

Though his comments about Mexico often center on his infamous “rapists" and "murderers” comments and illegal immigration, he’s also said repeatedly stated that the country “beats” the United States on trade.

Cornyn said he hopes tempers will subside after Tuesday, and that whomever claims the White House will adopt a more pragmatic tone.

“I hope that after the election — that after emotions cool — we’ll take a more reasoned approach,” he said. “It’s like so many things [where] we need somebody who’s explaining the benefits of trade for everybody. And in the absence of that you

Eric Gay / AP

Voters wait to enter the Alamo Height Baptist church to vote on Tuesday in San Antonio.

last chance to get somebody in there to shake it up enough to get people to pay attention,” he said.

‘I Believe in Equal Opportunity’ Patricia Estrada rose before the sun Tuesday, said her prayers and then put water to boil for some coffee to start her day.

She woke her youngest child so he could get ready for school. She turned on the radio to listen to the morning news.

These were the routines of every other morning, although this was a morning like no other for her. This morning, the 48-year-old homemaker was voting for the first time.

Forty-five years ago, her mother, a U.S. citizen, took her from Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, to Phoenix. But Estrada had never become a citizen.

get the more shrill, less responsible voices seem to fill the vacuum.”

Cornyn said the country’s trading relationship with Mexico sustains about 6 million jobs in the United States. Texas is home to the country’s busiest inland ports, Laredo and El Paso. From January to August of this year, the two customs districts have seen $179.5 billion and $63.56 billion in two-way trade with Mexico, respectively. Houston is the country’s fifth busiest trade partner with Mexico, at about $10 billion during the same time frame, according to WorldCity, a Florida-based economics think-tank that uses U.S. Census data to track trade patterns. According to Port of Houston Authority statistics, the hub supports more than 1.7 million jobs in Texas.

“I hope that after the election — that after emotions cool — we’ll take a more reasoned approach.”— U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas “We see here in Texas the benefits of Texas being the number one exporting state in the country,” Cornyn told the Tribune during a tour of the Port of

Voting, she said, “was something I didn’t care for, it didn’t matter.” This year, she said, it did. She became a citizen in the spring and on Tuesday voted for Hillary Clinton.

“I believe in equal opportunity, doesn’t matter if you’re green, purple, brown,” she said.

‘Go to Church and Vote’ Children wearing “I Voted” stickers while bounding through the streets of Springfield, Missouri, with their parents. A flier for an election night concert bearing a cartoon portrait of Clinton with a red X over her face. A chalkboard outside a bar that read: “It’s Nov. 8. Don’t forget to vote. Then come in to relax.”

These are the symbols of Election Day in a relatively small town in the conservative Ozarks.

Unlike the hustle and

Houston last week. “And while you have people — it ranges from Ross Perot Sr. to Donald Trump — talking about NAFTA being a bad thing, I think you’d be hard pressed in Texas to find anybody who believes that.”

The North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect in 1994, gradually eliminated most tariffs on several goods traded between Canada, Mexico and the United States. The main focus of the pact was freeing up of most agriculture, textile and automobile manufacturing, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

The current debate over the TPP centers on that initiative's goal of becoming what its supporters call a 21st century trade agreement that expands the tariff-eliminating measure beyond North America and includes provisions related to "trade facilitation; sanitary and phytosanitary measures; technical barriers to trade; trade remedies; investment; services; electronic commerce; government procurement; intellectual property," according to the CFR.

bustle of Election Day in swing states or big cities, this city, population 165,000, exuded Midwestern quaint.

Children had the day off from school, and so parents and their children formed a line outside of a movie theater for matinee shows. Emily Gifford, 41, sat over burgers and fries with her two daughters and husband after they had cast their ballots.

“What’d I tell you guys today is important for you to do,” Gifford asked her daughters before answering herself. “You should do two things in life: Go to church, and vote.”

next of 121 front doors she planned to knock on.

“I have a house, I have a pension, my kids went to college. We made it. I don’t want to lose that.

We have to fight to keep it. Trump? We’re scared of him.”

‘Have You Voted Yet?’ Susana Loli, a casino housekeeper and member of the Culinary Union in Las Vegas, subtly jammed her foot into the open front door of a fellow

member in the northern suburbs.

“Have you voted yet?” she said. “It’s very close by, at the high school. You want a ride there now?”

A woman in her pajamas on the other side of the barely opened door said she was not going to vote until 3 p.m. Loli removed her foot, made a note on her clipboard and said “OK, great, we’ll be back at 3.”

Loli has been working full time for the union, made up mostly of immigrants and women, since September. Teams have registered voters, driven people to early voting and spent hours trying to persuade undecided or unmotivated union members to vote for Clinton.

“The American dream — if you work hard you can get it,” said Loli, who immigrated from Peru in 1990. She walked to the

Cornyn conceded the TPP likely won't move forward during Obama’s last few months in office.

“I talked to Secretary [Penny] Pritzker and the Department of Commerce the other day, and she was asking me if there was any hope to pursue the Trans Pacific Partnership in the lame duck session. I am not optimistic,” he said.

He added that because of the 2015 Trade Promotion Authority, legislation requiring congressional approval for changes to tariff or non-tariff trade agreements, the next president would likely take a more thoughtful approach to trade policies.

“My hope is that given the fact the Trade Promotion Authority is a sixyear authorization, that whoever the next president is that they’ll take a more practical, more pragmatic view,” he said.

Cornyn acknowledged the United States will have to make sacrifices to remain competitive. He cited the decline of the textile industries in the Carolinas once those jobs were outsourced overseas.

“What we can do is make sure people get access to the job training they need to replace those skills with good high paying jobs that exist here for which they can’t get an adequate trained workforce,” he said. “But it’s going to take a willingness to target the people who are hurt because there jobs move off shore someplace else.”

Border-area lawmakers have a more nuanced approach to supporting trade deals. U.S. Rep. Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, has yet to officially throw his support behind the TPP. Asked during a Tribune event in Austin last week why he’s hesitated, he cited the North American Free Trade Agreement’s doubleedged sword effect on his district.

He said that in the immediate NAFTA aftermath, the El Paso border region directly felt saw the losses of thousands of jobs after the low-skilled, low-wage work performed north of the Rio Grande moved south.

“That informs what many of us in this community feel about TPP,” he said.

But he also said some sectors of the region’s economy have undoubtedly benefited from the policy.

“In the decades since the passage of NAFTA, EL Paso has transitioned from a low-wage, lowskilled, labor intensive community to a trade community,” he said.

“That’s now connected to one out of every four jobs in the community that I represent. NAFTA is not a black or white [though] it is for many people in the community who lost their job because of NAFTA .”

O’Rourke said a major hurdle for him in supporting TPP is that there is no incentive for Mexico to reform its labor laws and root out the potential for abuse of its workforce.

“There is no consistency plan for Mexico,” he said. “Mexico does not have independent labor unions, they have sham syndicates that purport to be independent labor unions, but they are not.

These are organizations that make deals with the management of the factories before the first worker is hired. The workers have no voice and no say.”

‘Lesser of Two Evils’ By 6:30 a.m., several dozen people had lined up to cast ballots at the Coral Gables Public Library in a well-to-do suburb just south of Miami. Voters, mostly dressed in workout pants and T-shirts, clutched their coffees and their cellphones, while some of them still debated their choices.

Person after person used the same refrain: “Lesser of two evils.”

“I think it’s going to be one of those impulse things,” said Michael Lopez, a cybersecurity consultant.

A12 | Wednesday, November 9, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES