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Zapata High lockdown 19-year-old man allegedly threatened student By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
CUELLAR
Border to see federal dollars
Zapata High was placed on lockdown Thursday after a man allegedly threatened a student who is enrolled at the school, according to authorities. The man was later arrested by Zapata sheriff ’s deputies. He was identified as Priciliano Saldivar Jr.,
19. Although the campus was placed on lockdown for about an hour, Saldivar did not pose an immediate threat to the students, according to Zapata County Independent School District. Saldivar allegedly made a threatening call and sent a threatening message to the female student, accord-
ing to sheriff ’s Chief Raymundo del Bosque Jr. The details of the threat were not immediately clear as of late Thursday. Reports state the student notified school administration when she received the threats. ZCISD police, the Sheriff ’s Office and Border Patrol responded to the campus. School officials then opt-
ed to place the campus on lockdown as a precautionary measure. Rogelio N. Gonzalez, district director of student services and public relations, confirmed via e-mail the lockdown was initiated at about 10:12 a.m. and lifted at 11 a.m. “The campus initiated this … standard response
See LOCKDOWN PAGE 10A
SALDIVAR
WORLD WAR II
VETERAN NEVER LOST HIS COOL
Highway bill invests in border infrastructure THE ZAPATA TIMES
On Thursday, Congressman Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, Senator John Cornyn, R-TX, Congressman Will Hurd, R-San Antonio, Congressman Beto O’Rourke, D-El Paso, and Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Houston, praised the passage by the U.S. House and Senate of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, a five-year federal highway bill includ-
See HIGHWAY PAGE 9A
MEXICO
Police torture victims released By PETER ORSI ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — Several people who were wrongly detained and allegedly tortured by Mexican police have been released after spending years in custody, human rights groups said Thursday. The releases involved four people who were arrested in 2012 and 2013 in cities along the border with the United States and accused of crimes of which they were ultimately absolved. They all walked free Wednesday. Amnesty International said in a statement that the cases offer “hope for justice in countless similar cases of people tortured and detained unfairly.” Three of those freed were Cristel Pina, Eduardo Estrada and Leonardo de la O, who were detained in August 2013 in Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas, and accused of belonging to an extortion ring, according to two Mexican advocacy groups, the Miguel Agustin Pro Juarez and the Paso del
See MEXICO PAGE 10A
Photo by Billy Calzada/San Antonio Express-News | AP
Russ Reed, seen in a Nov. 19 photo, was the pilot of the B-17G in the picture during World War II. He was shot down in this bomber on his fifth mission, but all 10 members of his crew survived. He was captured by the Germans and imprisoned at Stalag Luft III, which was made famous in the movie "The Great Escape."
Ex-fighter pilot was ‘tunnel king,’ prisoner of war By SIG CHRISTENSON SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — Fighter pilot Bob Inghram didn’t know how low he could go after being shot down off the coast of France in a friendly-fire mishap, but the day would come when he slipped 25 feet underground at a German prisoner-of-war camp and helped dig a dark tun-
nel. A POW in Stalag Luft III, he was on the ground floor of a breakout that would become famous in the movie “The Great Escape.” But Inghram, now 95 and a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, never panicked while crawling through the 23-inch square tunnel, as did Flight Lt. Danny Velinski, the “Tun-
nel King” played by actor Charles Bronson in the movie. In real life, there was a moment of alarm. It was Inghram’s first day on the job and his heart jumped after someone sealed the top of the tunnel with a slab of cement, leaving him in darkness until a colleague lit a candle fueled by margarine. “You can’t get scared
when you have no exit. As I say, the first time I went down I was a little concerned, and then I remember a fellow down below me, and that SOB is in the same position I am and he isn’t screaming or hollering,” Inghram recalled in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News. “You can’t escape. You’re locked into the damned tunnel because they’ve put
a slab of cement in front of you, and all of the other people are locked into the tunnel with you. You have no means of getting the hell out of there. They have to let you out.” Inghram and Russ Reed, 91, a retired Air Force Reserve lieutenant colonel, are among a handful of San Antonio-area veterans
See VETERAN PAGE 10A
SAN YGNACIO
Historic homes tour takes place Sunday SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Zapata Times file photo
Several out of state tourists visit the San Ygnacio Our Lady of Refugee Mission during the House Tours to benefit the Arturo L. Benavides Elementary School in this 2012 file photo.
The Zapata County Chamber of Commerce announced on Thursday that the Grand Tour of Historic Homes in San Ygnacio will take place on Sunday. All proceeds benefit Arturo L. Benavides Elementary School Gym. The event will begin at the school gym at 11 a.m.
for lunch and entertainment and the house tours will begin at 1:30 p.m. House tour tickets are $6 and plate sale tickets are $6.50. Entertainment at the gym will be $1 if a house tour ticket is not purchased. Following the tour, the San Ygnacio Ladies Club will be hosting a Christ-
mas Parade and the lighting of Plaza Blas Maria Uribe, starting at 6 p.m. at the San Ygnacio Fire Department. There will be a concession stand at the plaza. Children under the age of 10 do not need a house tour ticket if they are accompanied by a paying adult, but will have to pay for the entertainment.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Saturday, December 5
ASSOCIATED PRESS
One year anniversary of Operation Feed the Homeless hosted by Laredo Free Thinkers and the Tamiu Muslim Student’s Association at Jarvis Plaza from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Food served and a coat drive. Please donate or volunteer. For additional information contact us on Facebook on the Laredo Free Thinkers page or call 744-5674. Trail Clean-Up and Open House. LCC’s Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center will host their trail day clean up from 8 a.m.–12 p.m. at the Paso del Indio Nature Trail. The center will be open from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. Admission is $4 for adults and $2 for students and senior citizens. Entrance is free for children 3 and under, and LCC and TAMIU students, faculty and staff with a valid ID. TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 2 p.m.: Wonders of the Universe; 3 p.m.: Season of Light; 4 p.m.: Mystery of the Christmas Star; 5 p.m.: Let it Snow (Music Show.) Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. The 3 p.m. show is $1 less. For more information, call 956-326-DOME (3663). The Laredo Northside Farmers Market hosted by the Laredo Northside Market Association will hold its monthly market day at North Central Park on International Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will several children’s and adult gifts to raffle and holiday candy for the little ones. We now feature farm-fresh eggs along with our regular vendors. There will be a special children’s activity tent where they can make a reindeer ornament. The Laredo Center for the Arts will be hosting a free opening ceremony for a rare exhibit of Buddhist relics from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Dalai Lama has graciously donated 7 relics of the historical Buddha to the collection that are over 2,600 each. Other relics come from India, Tibet and China. Laredo Center for the Arts, 500 San Agustin, 727-1715. Affordable Care Act Information and Enrollment Session at the Health Science Center UT Laredo Regional Library Campus, 1937 E. Bustamante St., from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Please call 523-7404 or 712-7404 for more information. Or email laredolibrary@uthscsa.edu or bazanj@mrgbahec.org.
Today is Saturday, Dec. 5, the 339th day of 2015. There are 26 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy torpedo bombers mysteriously disappeared after taking off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on a training mission (designated as Flight 19) with the loss of all 14 crew members; “The Lost Squadron,” as it came to be known, later contributed to the legend of the Bermuda Triangle. On this date: In 1782, the eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren, was born in Kinderhook, New York; he was the first chief executive to be born after American independence. In 1791, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart died in Vienna, Austria, at age 35. In 1831, former President John Quincy Adams took his seat as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1848, President James K. Polk triggered the Gold Rush of ‘49 by confirming that gold had been discovered in California. In 1932, German physicist Albert Einstein was granted a visa, making it possible for him to travel to the United States. In 1933, national Prohibition came to an end as Utah became the 36th state to ratify the 21st Amendment to the Constitution, repealing the 18th Amendment. In 1962, the United States and the Soviet Union announced a bilateral space agreement on exchanging weather data from satellites, mapping Earth’s geomagnetic field and cooperating in the experimental relay of communications. In 1979, feminist Sonia Johnson was formally excommunicated by the Mormon Church because of her outspoken support for the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution. In 1994, Republicans chose Newt Gingrich to be the first GOP speaker of the House in four decades. In 2013, Nelson Mandela, the anti-apartheid leader who became South Africa’s first black president and was a global symbol of sacrifice and reconciliation, died at age 95. Ten years ago: The trial of Saddam Hussein resumed in Baghdad with gruesome testimony from witnesses who offered accounts of killings and torture. Five years ago: On the eve of talks with six world powers, Iran announced that it had produced its first batch of locally mined uranium ore for enrichment. One year ago: President Barack Obama announced his choice of Ashton Carter to be the new U.S. secretary of defense. Today’s Birthdays: Singer Little Richard is 83. Author Joan Didion is 81. Opera singer Jose Carreras is 69. College Football Hall of Famer and former NFL quarterback Jim Plunkett is 68. Country singer Ty England is 52. Country singer Gary Allan is 48. Comedian-actress Margaret Cho is 47. Writer-director Morgan J. Freeman is 46. Rhythm-andblues singer Keri Hilson is 33. Actor Frankie Muniz is 30. Thought for Today: “Talent hits a target no one else can hit; Genius hits a target no one else can see.” — Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788-1860).
Sunday, December 6 6th Annual Christmas Animal Posada at St. Peter’s Plaza at 4 p.m. All pets should be taken in a leash, harness, or cage. Everyone is invited to participate wearing a costume of an animal or a mask of an animal. Christmas Animal Posada and Gateway Gatos of Laredo T-shirts will be available with a donation. All donations received will go toward projects to protect our community cats including a trap, neuter, and return program for Laredo. For more details, call Birdie at 286-7866. The Laredo Center for the Arts will be hosting a free opening ceremony for a rare exhibit of Buddhist relics from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. The Dalai Lama has graciously donated 7 relics of the historical Buddha to the collection that are over 2,600 each. Other relics come from India, Tibet and China. Laredo Center for the Arts, 500 San Agustin, 727-1715. Domesticated animals will be allowed outside. Laredo Philharmonic – Celebrate the Season from 3 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. at LCC’s Martinez Fine Arts Center on West End Washington Street. A concert of light seasonal music including “Nutcracker,” “Sleigh Ride” and the “Hallelujah Chorus,” featuring United H.S. Choir, VMT Philharmonic and Choir, and VMT Brass Ensemble. Tickets are $20 or $15 for students.
Tuesday, December 8 South Texas Food Bank fundraiser for adopt-a-family program at Hal’s Landing, 6510 Arena Blvd., from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. $10 cover charge donation to hear music by Ross and Friends, La Autentica Sonora, Armamento Musical, Kombo Del Sol, Inalcanzable, La Mision Vallenata. Purchase tickets at the door or call Salo Otero at 956-324-2432. TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 6 p.m.: Wonders of the Universe; 7 p.m.: Seven Wonders. Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information, call 956-326-DOME (3663).
Thursday, December 10 LARSEA monthly meeting at Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall, 2219 Galveston St. at 11 a.m. Members can enjoy their Christmas celebration and Bingo.
Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Janet Baker, right, speaks to reporters during a press conference outside the federal courthouse Wednesday, in Houston. Baker has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in the 2014 death of her 26-year-old son Jordan Baker who was fatally shot by Houston police.
Shooting not on video By JUAN A. LOZANO ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — An attorney for the family of an unarmed black man fatally shot by a Houston police officer in 2014 said even though video released by police on Wednesday from the incident does not show the actual shooting it is still important because it details the moments that led to the deadly incident. Houston police released the video to reporters hours after the family of Jordan Baker filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Police say Baker was fatally shot on Jan. 16, 2014, by Juventino Castro, who was off duty but in uniform. Castro, who is Hispanic, was working an extra security job at a strip mall where there had been several robberies. Police say after Baker ran away from Castro when Castro tried to question him,
Baker put his hand on his waistband and charged the officer. Castro fired once, striking Baker. In the lawsuit, Baker’s family contends the 26-year-old was riding his bike through the strip mall near his home when he was racially profiled by Castro and that Baker “was not breaking any laws or engaged in any unlawful conduct.” The lawsuit alleges the confrontation was part of a pattern of shootings by Houston police of unarmed individuals. The video, from a business at a strip mall where the shooting took place, has no sound. Baker can be seen riding his bicycle in the strip mall parking lot when he is stopped by Castro, who is in a car. Baker and Castro are mostly in the background, so it’s difficult to see their interaction. About a minute later, the two walk away from the car, then Baker runs from Castro.
6 Union Pacific freight Texas traffic stop yields cars derail in San Antonio pot in gift-wrapped boxes
Attacker in 2013 college stabbings gets 48 years
SAN ANTONIO — Union Pacific officials say six freight cars have derailed in San Antonio in an accident that dumped loads of coal along the tracks. Nobody was hurt in the derailment before dawn Friday on the south side of San Antonio. Crews worked to clear the accident site. The derailment involved a 140car train bound from Wyoming to Elmendorf.
CONWAY — A California man faces drug charges after a Texas traffic stop yielded $120,000 worth of marijuana including some in neatly wrapped holiday gift boxes. A trooper Wednesday night stopped a pickup truck near Conway. A search led to the discovery of more than 20 pounds of pot, in the wrapped packages and a spare tire under the car.
HOUSTON — A student blamed for a 2013 stabbing rampage at a Houston-area community college must serve 48 years in prison. Dylan Andrew Quick was sentenced Thursday by a judge in Houston. Quick in August pleaded guilty to attempted capital murder and aggravated assault in the April 2013 stabbings that left 14 people hurt.
Man sentenced to 30 years for sex trafficking
Water service slowly returning to Marlin
Coast Guard rescues about 50 sharks
HOUSTON — A Houston man must serve 30 years in federal prison for running a prostitution ring involving underage girls wanting to be models. Emanuel Dandre Wade was sentenced Friday in Houston. Wade, 26, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of minors. Prosecutors say Wade forced girls into prostitution or coerced them into engaging in commercial sex acts.
MARLIN — A Central Texas district has called off school until Monday due to lack of water following problems with a treatment plant and leaks. The Marlin Independent School District canceled classes Thursday and Friday amid lingering water woes. Some homes and businesses in Marlin have been without running water since Thanksgiving Day.
SOUTH PADRE ISLAND — The U.S. Coast Guard has freed about 50 sharks caught in illegal nets strung in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas near South Padre Island. Coast Guard officials say five dead sharks were in the fishing gear associated with several Mexican boats that fled when the nets were discovered. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Planned Parenthood clinics open, but on guard DENVER — Bulletproof glass and armed security are nothing new at medical clinics that provide abortions. But in the wake of a deadly shooting last week at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado, clinics nationwide are redoubling security efforts, checking surveillance cameras and reviewing evacuation plans. Police say they’re adding patrols to clinics to guard against those who might be inspired to mimic a shootout that killed three people and injured nine.
Arizona couple convicted of imprisoning daughters TUCSON, Ariz. — A jury convicted an Arizona couple Friday of kidnapping and child abuse charges for imprisoning their three daughters, monitoring them through video feeds and forcing them to urinate and defe-
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In this Nov. 29 file photo, a sign in support of Planned Parenthood stands just south of the clinic as police investigators gather evidence near the scene of Friday’s shooting at the clinic in northwest Colorado Springs, Colo. cate in their closets. The jury found Fernando and Sophia Richter guilty on three counts each of kidnapping and child abuse. Fernando Richter was also convicted of two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The jury later
tacked on aggravating circumstances to all of the charges. The girls testified to having been physically abused, taken out of school and held captive for several months before two girls escaped through a window. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
State
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Texas backs down from blocking refugees By REESE DUNKLIN AND PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Texas stopped trying Friday to block Syrian refugees from resettling in the state after suing the U.S. government over fears that new arrivals from the war-torn country could pose a security risk. The swift reversal diffused a lawsuit the Obama administration criticized as unfounded. Since the Paris attacks, at least 29 U.S. governors have vowed to keep new Syrian refugees outside their state borders. Texas on Wednesday became the first to take the federal government to court but legal experts called it futile, saying states have no authority over resettlements. “I think that it’s the first sign that Texas is beginning to see the light,” said Cecillia Wang of the ACLU, which is defending a resettlement group that Texas also sued. One Syrian family, which includes two children ages 3 and 6 and their grandparents, were expected to arrive in Dallas on Monday. Details about the refugees were closely guarded by resettlement organizers over safety concerns. Last month, armed protesters with long guns staged a small demonstration outside a suburban Dallas mosque. A total of 21 Syrian refugees, most of whom are 13 years old or younger, are scheduled to resettle next week in Dallas and Houston. “All they’re asking for is safety,” said Lucy Carrigan, spokeswoman for the nonprofit International Rescue Committee, which is coordinating the Dallas resettlements. Republican Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton had claimed that the IRC handed over few details about the refugees and no
Photo by David J. Phillip | AP
People hold signs during a rally to show support for Muslim members of the community near the Clear Lake Islamic Center in Webster, Texas on Friday. Members of several Unitarian Universalist churches and the Unitarian Voices for Justice group showed their support as attendees made their way to the center for Friday prayers. assurances about whether they posed a threat to public safety. He accused the IRC of violating federal law by not cooperating with the state after Abbott last month ordered resettlement groups in Texas to stop accepting Syrians. Paxton wanted a federal judge to immediately halt the resettlements, but dropped that request Friday after the Obama administration and ACLU attacked the state’s argument in court papers as frivolous. Federal courts — including the U.S. Supreme Court — have long ruled that immigration and the admission of noncitizens is a federal responsibility. Paxton said the lawsuit succeeded in cajoling “requested information” about
the refugees but did not elaborate. He still wants a federal judge next week to make the Obama administration provide assurances that the state will be consulted on future refugees. “Our state will continue legal proceedings to ensure we get the information necessary to adequately protect the safety of Texas residents,” Paxton said. The IRC countered that not only was information already being shared, but that Texas had only ever wanted to know dates of arrivals and the number of Syrian refugees coming to Texas, said Donna Duvin, the IRC’s executive director in Dallas. She said her nonprofit shared with Texas officials a day before the Paris at-
tacks a spreadsheet that listed a proposed number of 200 to 250 Syrians refugees expected this fiscal year. The spreadsheet added that IRC and state health officials had received “some anti-Muslim communication” and that was being “closely monitored,” without elaborating. Durvin said she then again provided information after receiving two letters from the state last month. Although the Paris attacks prompted Texas’ hardline stance against Syrian refugees, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has also invoked the mass shootings in Southern California this week that the FBI is now investigating as an act of terrorism. On Thursday, Abbott tweeted a link to a
story about the shooting and added, “Another example of why Texas is taking a strong stand.” The Obama administration has announced plans to accept about 10,000 Syrian refugees nationwide and defends the screening process as rigorous. In Texas, the refugees set to arrive next week include a single woman hoping to reunite with her mother. A dozen of the refugees bound for Texas arrived in New York on Thursday and Friday and were greeted warmly by Democratic New York Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We welcome them with open arms to the city of immigrants,” De Blasio said. Federal officials told U.S.
District Judge David Godbey in court filings that Texas was harming national interests determined by President Barack Obama. The state “made no showing that these refugees pose any threat, much less an imminent one” to Americans, the Obama administration wrote. The refugees bound for Dallas are expected to take an apartment near other recent arrivals to the U.S. from Syria. Several Syrians have settled in one complex that is lower-income with a diverse group of residents and a security guard posted at the entrance. The family’s expected home is a few miles from the complex where a Liberian man lived last year before being hospitalized for Ebola.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
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COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Unfettered access to guns is a problem By MARY SANCHEZ THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Gun sellers can expect a bountiful Christmas. On Black Friday, the kickoff to the annual holiday shopping frenzy, more than 185,000 background checks were processed for firearms purchases — an all-time record. This week’s shooting spree in San Bernardino, Calif. — death toll so far: 14 — will be good for business as well. Background checks always spike after mass shootings. Given that the perpetrators appear to have been a married Muslim couple, the hysteria factor will only be magnified. At this writing, the motives of San Bernardino murderers, Syed Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, are still being deciphered. But one aspect of their case fits a pattern: In America, dangerous people find it very easy to get weapons. They even do it legally, as is believed to be the case for two handguns and two assault-style rifles the couple used. If you hope the San Bernardino deaths will move minds to limit access to guns by those who would cause such carnage, think again. That’s not how fear works in America. We freak out first. Wisdom comes later, if at all. Congress certainly isn’t helping. A day after the San Bernardino attacks, GOP senators deep-sixed an amendment that would have allowed the attorney general to ban people on the federal terror watch and no-fly lists from purchasing weapons. Senators also nixed an attempt to expand background checks. So expect that a number of Americans will rush to arm — or, rather, re-arm. According to the General Social Survey released in March, only 22 percent of Americans personally own a gun. What might account for growing arms sales is that those gun owners are increasing their arsenals. The sales volume at Walmart, the nation’s biggest gun and ammunition seller, isn’t being driven by new gun buyers. Gun ownership statistics tend to undercut widely held preconceptions. If you listen to gunrights chatter, you might assume that gun ownership rates were far higher. The NRA likes to create that impression. But even if you credit other surveys that find higher rates than the spring General Social Survey, one fact is inescapable: Far more Americas packed heat in the late 1970s and early 1980s
than do now. At the high point, about half of Americans either owned or lived with someone who owned a gun. That’s a sign of hope. Most Americans don’t buy the argument that they will be the "good guy with a gun" that gun advocates pitch as the antidote to mass shootings. Demographics are another factor. Minorities now make up a higher percentage of the population, and they have historically lower rates of gun ownership. And fewer people hunt. Among gun owners, there’s reason to believe there’s a silent majority — a too silent majority — of safety-conscious people who recognize that their right to own a gun comes with great responsibility. The voices of this crowd tend to be drowned out by those who can only scream about the Second Amendment and by those who ignore the complicated nature of enacting stronger protections. The Republican reply to the rising toll of mass shootings has been to call attention to the failures of mental health services. Yes, they need reform; we need to address underfunding and lack of access to care. But that’s half a solution. At the very least, we must go the same distance to ensure that people who are dangerously mentally ill cannot possess a gun. There’s nothing anti-Second Amendment about that approach. That would require comprehensive background checks, including as a prerequisite for private sales and sales at gun shows. Certainly, we need databases for gun sales that respect and protect privacy, and that are also accurate and up to date. That’s a tall order to construct. But let’s be serious. Adam Lanza and his mother needed less privacy about his mental health and the arsenal they kept in their home. The same can be said about the San Bernardino shooters. They had 12 pipe bombs and more than 3,000 rounds of ammunition at their home, had more than 1,600 bullets with them when they were killed by police and had shot off at least 75 rounds at the Inland Regional Center. Time will reveal the shooters’ motives, how they gathered their arsenal and how they planned their attack. But our silence, our denial that we have a problem and our fecklessness to address it have cost 14 more lives. Mary Sanchez is an opinion-page columnist for The Kansas City Star.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure
our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
GOP field is shifting, shrinking By JENNIFER RUBIN THE WASHINGTON POST
Seeing a long (really long) parade of presidential candidates forced to speak at length and in depth at Thursday’s Republican Jewish Coalition forum provided a helpful side-by-side comparison of the contenders. With the latest CNN national poll (granted, less predictive than early-state polls), Donald Trump (36 percent) is far ahead and Ben Carson has collapsed (14 percent). Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, at 16 percent, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., at 12 percent, are the only other candidates in double digits. Jeb Bush is at a measly 3 percent, behind New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie at 4 percent. Let’s look beyond the polling, however, which is of questionable value, to see what the potential for each candidate may be. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who missed the RJC event due to votes in the Senate, was not missed by the audience. Applause greeted the announcement that he wouldn’t be coming. Paul, along with George Pataki, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee and the lively Sen. Lindsey Graham, RS.C., is not really in contention for the nomination unless something radically changes. They may have other purposes for running — and can contribute to the debates — but they lack the message, the support and (I suspect) the money to run a credible campaign. As was evident yesterday, Carson is so tragically over his head, still struggling to learn basic issues, that one could feel a measure of pity. He does not have the grasp of policy, especially on national security, to be a credible alternative. Voters see that, too, and he is sinking in the polls. At this point, he seems unlikely to win even in Iowa, his
“
With each outing, Rubio looks more and more presidential. He would welcome a face-off with Trump, or better yet Trump and Cruz (dividing non-mainstream voters), but he’ll have to beat back the rest of the field to consolidate his support.” JENNIFER RUBIN
strongest state. Carly Fiorina and Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who once seemed interesting and potentially viable, just have not lived up to their potential. Mired in the back, they have yet to put forth a presidentiallevel agenda and message. Fiorina has not moved beyond platitudes although she is a polished presenter. Kasich is painfully tone-deaf. (Telling the RJC crowd his mother told him as a child to find a Jew for a friend because Jews are loyal — yes, he said it — was possibly the most cringe-worthy moment of the day.) Neither one seems to have momentum, and it is likely that after New Hampshire they will become non-factors even if they remain in the race. So we are left with Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Bush and Christie. To discerning voters and to the media, Trump seems buffoonish and uncouth. His boast after the San Bernardino mass murders that his numbers "go way up" seems to encapsulate all the crudeness and narcissism we’ve come to expect from him. Nevertheless, he has learned to give the masses a good show and for now remains atop the polls, although how many of the poll re-
spondents are actual voters remains in doubt. He will go on far longer than virtually everyone imagined and unless he drops out in fear of — or because of — an early loss will remain a barrier for Cruz. Cruz is moving up in the polls but has a lower ceiling than Rubio. Cruz has been thrown on defense on national security. His accomplishments are slight. Now that Republicans passed an Affordable Care Act repeal (thanks to electing middle-of-theroad Republicans, not far right-wingers of the type Cruz champions), his 2013 stunt in shutting down the government looks even more ludicrous. The way to win on conservative policy is not to create a spectacle, but to win elections. That’s a very un-Cruz-like view, but recent events support it. Cruz is not outrageous enough to snatch from Trump his populist, angry base (his dodging on what to do with illegal immigrants has got him in trouble), and yet he is utterly failing to win approval from mainstream (either moderate or somewhat conservative) Republicans. Cruz needs Trump to collapse; Trump is not cooperating. Cruz will need to top Trump some-
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
where early on, but his opportunities are limited so long as Trump takes the angry, anti-D.C. voters and Cruz has no sell with the mainstream plurality. Cruz has always been able to win by screaming loudly and putting down "RINOs"; it’s unclear whether that will fly as a presidential contender. That leaves the trio of candidates with mainstream appeal. Bush is struggling to find a formula that compels voters to take a second look at him. As he sinks in the polls, one can imagine his supporters have figured that it may only be a matter of time before they need to find a second choice. Christie has hit his stride and has the most momentum of any Republican in New Hampshire. In early states, his favorable/unfavorable split has improved dramatically. With each outing, Rubio looks more and more presidential. He would welcome a face-off with Trump, or better yet Trump and Cruz (dividing non-mainstream voters), but he’ll have to beat back the rest of the field to consolidate his support. Of these last three, any who fall back in the pack in New Hampshire will be on life support, facing increased pressure to drop out in order to allow more successful mainstream Republican contenders to consolidate support. You could see any one of them beating Trump or Cruz, but not if all remain in the race dividing the vote as Trump and Cruz compete for the far right. No votes have been cast, and the race can take dramatic turns. It cannot be emphasized enough how unpredictive national polls are at this stage. Nevertheless, in a sense the field already has narrowed, with a small group of competitive candidates and then everyone else.
Nation
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
FBI investigates attack as act of terror By AMANDA LEE MYERS AND TAMI ABDOLLAH ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. — The FBI announced Friday that it is investigating the mass shooting at a Southern California office party as an act of terrorism, but the agency’s director said there is no indication that the slain husband and wife who killed 14 were part of a larger plot or members of a terror cell. While authorities did not cite specific evidence that led them to the terrorism focus, a U.S. law enforcement official revealed that the wife, Tashfeen Malik, had under a Facebook alias pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and its leader. A Facebook official said Malik praised Islamic State in a post at 11 a.m. Wednesday, when the couple were believed to have stormed a San Bernardino social service center and opened fire. Malik and her husband, Syed Farook, died several hours after the massacre in a fierce gunbattle with police. The IS-affiliated news service Aamaq called Malik and Farook “supporters” of their Islamist cause but stopped short of claiming responsibility for the attack. FBI Director James Comey would not discuss whether anyone affiliated with the Islamic State communicated back to Malik, but he said there was no indication yet that the plot was directed by ISIS or any other foreign terror group. He also declined to rule out that possibility based on further investigation. “The investigation so far has developed indications of radicalization by the killers and of potential inspiration by foreign terrorist organizations,” Comey said. He cautioned that the investigation has not yet shown evidence the couple was part of a larger group.
Photo by Jae C. Hong | AP
Kayla Gaskill, left, is comforted by her mother, and Connie Pegler, right, at a makeshift memorial for the victims of Wednesday’s shooting rampage, Friday in San Bernardino, Calif. Gaskill said her friend Daniel Kaufman was killed in the shooting. Despite mounting signs of the couple’s radicalization, there “is a lot of evidence that doesn’t quite make sense,” Comey said in a nod to the fact that the investigation was just two days old. David Bowdich, assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles office, said “a number of pieces of evidence” point to terrorism and that the agency was focused on that idea “for good reason.” He would not elaborate. The U.S. official who revealed the Facebook post was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The Facebook official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity because the person was not allowed under corporate policy to be quoted by name, said the company discovered Wednesday’s post on Thursday, removed the profile from public view and reported its contents to law enforcement. Bowdich said he was not aware of the Aamaq report but was not surprised IS would attempt to link itself
to the attack. He said investigators were looking carefully to determine if there is an IS connection. Attorneys representing Farook’s family said Friday that none of his family members had any indication either Farook or his wife held extremist views. They urged the public and media to wait for specific evidence before jumping to conclusions. Farook and Malik rented a townhome where investigators said they found an arsenal of ammunition and homemade bombs. On Friday morning, the property’s owner allowed reporters inside. Bowdich said the FBI was done with the scene and that analysts were trying to retrieve data from two cellphones found near there that had been crushed in an apparent attempt to destroy the information inside. “We hope that will take us to their motivation,” he said. Until Friday, federal and local law enforcement officials said terrorism was a possibility but that the vio-
lence could have stemmed from a workplace grudge or a combination of motives. Farook had no criminal record and neither he nor his wife was under scrutiny by local or federal law enforcement before the attack, authorities said. Malik, 27, was a Pakistani who grew up in Saudi Arabia and came to the U.S. in 2014 on a fiancée visa. Farook, a 28-year-old restaurant health inspector for the county, was born in Chicago to Pakistani parents and raised in Southern California. Law enforcement officials have long warned that Americans acting in sympathy with Islamic extremists — though not on direct orders — could launch an attack inside the U.S. Using slick propaganda, the Islamic State in particular has urged sympathizers worldwide to commit violence in their countries. Others have done so. In May, just before he attacked a gathering in Texas of people drawing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, a Phoenix man tweeted his hope that Allah would view
him as a holy warrior. Two weeks ago, with Americans on edge over the Islamic State attacks in Paris that left 130 people dead, Comey said that U.S. authorities had no specific or credible intelligence pointing to an attack on American soil. Since March 2014, 71 people have been charged in the U.S. in connection with supporting ISIS, including 56 this year, according to a recent report from the George Washington University Program on Extremism. Though most are men, “women are taking an increasingly prominent role in the jihadist world,” the report said. It was not immediately clear whether Malik exhibited any support for radical Islamists before she arrived in the U.S. — or, like scores of others arrested by the FBI, became radicalized through online or in-person associations after arriving. Friends of the soft-spoken Farook who knew him from his daily prayers at a mosque in San Bernardino said they saw nothing to make them think he was vi-
olent. They said Farook reported meeting his future wife online. To receive her visa, Malik was subjected to a vetting process the U.S. government describes as vigorous. It includes in-person interviews, fingerprints, checks against terrorist watch lists and reviews of her family members, travel history and places where she lived and worked. Foreigners applying from countries that are home to Islamic extremists — such as Pakistan — undergo additional scrutiny before the State Department and Homeland Security approve their applications. Pakistani intelligence officials said Malik moved as a child with her family to Saudi Arabia 25 years ago. The two officials, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity, said that the family is originally from a town in Punjab province and that the father initially moved to Saudi Arabia around three decades ago for work. Another person close to the Saudi government said Tashfeed Malik did not stay in Saudi Arabia, eventually returning to Pakistan and living in the capital Islamabad, though she returned to Saudi Arabia for visits. The person was not authorized to speak publicly, and did so on condition of anonymity. Friends in Southern California said they had no idea Farook and Malik were building pipe bombs and stockpiling thousands of rounds of ammunition for their commando-style assault on a gathering of Farook’s colleagues from San Bernardino County’s health department. On Friday morning, the owner of the townhome that Farook and Malik rented opened it to reporters. On a living room table was a copy of the Quran. An upstairs bedroom had a crib, boxes of diapers and a computer. The couple had a 6month-old daughter.
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
Ribereña en Breve CONCURSO DE ÁRBOL NAVIDEÑO El Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata invita a la población en general a admirar los árboles navideños participantes en el concurso de decoración del 8 al 11 de diciembre. Corresponderá a la comunidad elegir, por medio de voto, el árbol ganador. El costo de entrada para votar es de 3 dólares, para adultos, y 1 dólar para niños. El museo se ubica en 805 N. US Hwy 83. Informes en el (956) 765-8983.
PERIODO DE REGISTRO Agricultores y ganaderos son invitados a participar en el periodo general de inscripción para el Programa de Reserva de Conservación (CRP, por sus siglas en inglés) que está vigente actualmente y concluye el 26 de febrero. El CRP, que cumple 30 años, es un programa con fondos federales que ayuda a los productores agrícolas con los costos de restauración, mejora y protección de ciertos tipos de césped, arbustos y árboles a fin de mejorar la calidad del agua, prevenir la erosión del suelo y reducir la pérdida del hábitat de la vida salvaje. En el programa han participado agricultores, ganaderos, conservacionistas, cazadores, pescadores, entre otros entusiastas del exterior, de acuerdo con un comunicado de prensa. La duración del control es de entre 10 a 15 años. Para más información sobre los programas de conservación del FSA visite una oficina FSA de su localidad o bien el sitio www.fsa.usda.gov/conservation.
ZUMBATÓN Se invita al Zumbatón, en una campaña para recaudar fondos a beneficio de The Zapata Hawketts, el domingo 6 de diciembre de 10:30 a.m. a 12 p.m. en el parque al cruzar el Pavilion. Costo: 5 dólares, adultos; y, 1 dólar niños de 10 años de edad y menores. Habrá bebidas, golosinas y una rifa.
CIUDAD GUERRERO, MX La ceremonia para el encendido del Pino Navideño en Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, México, se realizará el domingo 6 de diciembre a las 5 p.m. en la Plaza Principal, frente al Palacio Municipal. Además habrá un espectáculo infantil gratuito, repartición de bolsas con dulces, una tradicional piñata, y la visita de Santa Claus.
MIGUEL ALEMÁN, MX El Gobierno Municipal de Miguel Alemán, México, hizo entrega a Rosario Pérez Peña de una dotación de balones de fútbol. Ella es entrenadora de un equipo infantil el cual participa actualmente en el torneo municipal de soccer. “(La entrega) no es una dadiva del gobierno municipal (sino que) por el contrario, es un compromiso que desde un principio se adquirió con el deporte y más aún, cuando de apoyar a los niños se trata”, dijo el Presidente Municipal, Ramiro Cortez Barrera. Pérez Peña explicó que la dotación de balones permitirá a los niños practicar adecuadamente lo que les ayudará a mejorar su técnica y desempeño durante el torneo.
EL CENIZO El Alcalde de la Ciudad de El Cenizo y los Comisionados invitan a la Ceremonia de Encendido del Árbol Navideño el martes 8 de diciembre a las 6:30 p.m. en el Ayuntamiento de El Cenizo. Habrá música, refrigerios y pan dulce. También visitará Santa Claus.
SÁBADO 5 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2015
ZAPATA HIGH SCHOOL
Reporte de amenaza POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El jueves, un hombre fue arrestado por amenazar a una estudiante de Zapata High School, de acuerdo con las autoridades y oficiales del distrito. La amenaza obligó a que la escuela fuera cerrada por alrededor de una hora, pero no supuso una amenaza inminente para la población estudiantil, de acuerdo con oficiales de Zapata County Independent School District. Identificado como el sospechoso Priciliano Saldivar Jr., de 19 años, supuestamente realizó una llamada intimidante y envió un mensaje amenazador a la estudiante, de acuerdo con el Jefe Raymundo del Bosque Jr., de la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata.
CONDADO DE ZAPATA
Reportes señalan que la vieran a salvo y libres de estudiante notificó a la adcualquier amenaza inmiministración escolar cuannente”, señaló González en do recibió la amenaza. La el correo electrónico. “El policía del distrito, la oficidistrito investigó apropiadana del alguacil y Patrulla mente el incidente y solicitó Fronteriza, respondieron al a agencias policíacas tomar reporte. medidas. La seguridad de Entonces, oficiales esco- SALDIVAR JR. los estudiantes de Zapata lares decidieron colocar el County Independent School campus en cierre temporal como District es prioridad”. medida de precaución. Rogelio N. Investigadores ubicaron el oriGonzález, director del distrito pa- gen de la amenaza en la cuadra ra servicios estudiantiles y rela- 1500 de avenida Median, donde enciones públicas, confirmó, a tra- contraron a Saldivar, dijo del Bosvés de un correo electrónico, que que. el cierre dio inicio alrededor de Más tarde, el alguacil Alonso 10:12 a.m., y concluyó a las 11 a.m. M. López publicó un comunicado “El campus inició con este… en la página de Facebook de la protocolo estándar de respuesta agencia indicando que el sospecomo una medida de precaución choso estaba bajo custodia. para garantizar que los estudian“Quiero informar a la comunites y el personal del campus estu- dad que mi oficina, la Oficina del
Alguacil del Condado de Webb, en colaboración con la (policía del distrito) y Patrulla Fronteriza han arrestado a un sospechoso (quien) causó la movilización de varias agencias del orden para mantener la seguridad de los estudiantes y el personal de las escuelas de Zapata County ISD”, se lee en la declaración de López. Saldivar fue acusado de amenazas terroristas, un delito menor Clase B. Del Bosque añadió que se entregó y ejecutó una orden de protección de emergencia a Saldivar. Él tenía una orden de protección previa por parte de la misma demandante que expiró el 16 de noviembre, de acuerdo con la oficina del alguacil. Saldivar continuaba en la Cárcel Regional del Condado de Zapata el jueves.
ZAPATA
DESFILE NAVIDEÑO
ISIDRO ‘CHILO’ ALANIZ
Alaniz busca tercer periodo ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El Fiscal de Distrito del Condado de Webb/Zapata, Isidro R. “Chilo” Alaniz anunció que buscará su tercer término en el cargo. Alaniz asumió el puesto en 2009 después de vencer a tres oponentes durante las elecciones primarias del 2008. Buscó la reelección, sin opositores, en 2012. “Estoy muy agradecido por tener la oportunidad de trabajar como su fiscal de distrito para Webb y Zapata”, dijo Alaniz. “Espero muchas oportunidades, bendiciones y victorias más en la búsqueda de la justicia y ayudar a mantener una comunidad segura”. Alaniz dijo que él cree en poner manos a la obra para tener un acercamiento, además de que ha estado a cargo personalmente de varios casos de preeminencia. Él es integrante de la Unidad de Fiscalización Fronteriza de Texas y ha garantizado tres cargos para fiscales con fondos por parte de la oficina del gobernador de Texas. En 2013, Alaniz fue designado al Grupo Especial de Acción Justa por la Infancia de Texas, un programa que une a defensores infantiles y expertos en justicia criminal para mejorar la respuesta del estado a casos de abuso y negligencia infantil. Alaniz estableció la Fundación Comunitaria para Mejorar el Condado de Webb y el Cabalgantes Libres del Condado de Webb en 2014. La fundación fue creada con el deseo de invertir en el futuro de la comunidad para apoyar servicios, actividades y asistencia para organizaciones comunitarias. Cabalgantes Libres es una organización sin fines de lucro cuya misión es ayudar a niños víctimas de violencia y abuso en el hogar a través de tratamientos en base a equinoterapia.
Foto de cortesía
Fue celebrado el Desfile Navideño en Zapata, el jueves. Las diversas reinas de la Feria del Condado de Zapata estuvieron presente en un carro alegórico con el tema de ‘Frozen’.
MIGUEL ALEMÁN, MX
Cien personas se benefician con un empleo temporal TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El programa de empleos temporales en Miguel Alemán, México, está por llegar a la conclusión en su primera etapa. El plan estratégico busca el mejoramiento de la economía familiar, sostuvo Jorge Luis Martínez Portillo, Secretario de Desarrollo Social del Municipio. La primera etapa concluirá el 21 de diciembre, y la segunda etapa arrancará a inicios del 2016, de acuerdo con un comunicado de prensa. “Los empleos temporales son una alternativa para quienes no tenemos trabajo”, dijo Jesús Martínez, uno de los beneficiados en la primera etapa. “Es realmente una ayuda para quienes necesitamos trabajo”. Para implementar ambas etapas el Gobierno de Miguel Alemán contó con
Foto de cortesía | Miguel Alemán, México
El programa de empleos temporales en Miguel Alemán, México, beneficia a 100 personas en su primera etapa, la cual concluye el 21 de diciembre. un apoyo de 695.000 pesos por parte del Gobierno de Tamaulipas.
“Cien familias han estado disfrutando de un suelo durante la primera etapa,
con lo cual logran cubrir sus necesidades”, sostuvo Martínez Portillo.
Nation
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Carter opens all combat jobs to women By LOLITA C. BALDOR ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Removing the final barriers that kept women from serving in combat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter has ordered the military to open all military jobs to women, including the most dangerous commando posts. The historic decision Thursday is a formal recognition that thousands of women have fought — and many were wounded or killed — in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But it’s uncertain how many will actually want to compete for some of the more grueling Army and Marine Corps infantry posts or for spots on the high-risk special operations teams. Carter’s move also is a direct rebuff to the Marine Corps, which asked for an exception to prevent women from serving in certain infantry and combat jobs. “We are a joint force, and I have decided to make a decision which applies to the entire force,” Carter told a news conference. But he acknowledged some concerns. “Implementation won’t happen overnight. And while at the end of the day this will make us a better and stronger force, there still will be problems to fix and challenges to overcome. We shouldn’t diminish that.” Carter said the military can no longer afford to exclude half the population from high-risk military posts. He said that any man or woman who meets the standards should be able to serve, and he gave the armed services 30 days to submit plans to make the change. Carter’s order opens the final 10 percent of military positions to women — a total of about 220,000 jobs. And it allows them to serve in the most demanding and difficult jobs, including as special operations forces, such as the
Photo by Cliff Owen | AP
Defense Secretary Ash Carter gestures during a news conference at the Pentagon, Thursday, to announce that he has ordered the military to open all combat jobs to women, and is giving the armed services until Jan. 1 to submit plans to make the historic change. Army Delta units and Navy SEALs. On Friday, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said the White House would work with Congress to consider changing the selective service law that would make women eligible for the draft. In recent years, women have steadily moved into many jobs previously open only to men, including on Navy submarines, in Army artillery units, and as Night Stalkers, the elite special operations helicopter crews, best known for flying the Navy SEALS into Osama bin Laden’s compound in 2011. And three women became the first to take and pass the Army’s difficult Ranger course. The reactions have been a bit mixed. In a survey
disclosed early last year, the Army found that less than 8 percent of women soldiers said they’d like to move into one of the combat posts. And it also revealed that soldiers of both genders were nervous about women entering combat jobs, with men worried that unit readiness would be degraded and women worried they would be seen as getting a job because of their gender and not their qualifications. As women worked to pass the Navy’s Riverine course for the first time, they said they were happy to get a chance to serve in combat. And the men in the course largely shrugged, saying as long as the women could do the same tasks and physical
training, it wasn’t a big deal. Still, there have been problems. A male sailor pleaded guilty in June to illegally videotaping female officers in a submarine’s shower area. The women in the videos were among the first to serve on subs. The male sailor was sentenced to 10 months in the Navy brig and received a bad conduct discharge. Overall, however, military leaders have said they’ve not seen a lot of problems in the early integration efforts. But the decision to open all combat jobs took months of study and vigorous debate. The military services forwarded their recommendations to Carter earlier this fall. The Army, Navy, Air Force and Spe-
cial Operations Command all said they would not seek any exceptions and would recommend removing the ban on women in dangerous combat jobs. Only the Marine Corps sought to keep some jobs closed. The Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman, Gen. Joseph Dunford, was the Marine Corps commandant at the time and argued that the Marines should be allowed to keep women out of certain front-line combat jobs. He cited studies showing that mixed-gender units aren’t as capable as allmale units. Months of testing, the Marine review said, found that women often couldn’t carry as much weight or shoot as well as the men. Allowing women to com-
pete for ground combat jobs, it concluded, would make the Marine Corps a less-efficient fighting machine. Carter on Thursday said he came to a different conclusion, but he said the integration of women into the combat jobs will be deliberate and methodical and will address the Marines’ concerns. Dunford did not attend the news conference to announce the change, and when pressed about his absence, Carter said he has discussed his decision multiple times with the chairman. In a prepared statement, Dunford said he provided his best military advice on the issue, and now his focus is “to lead the full integration of women in a manner that maintains our joint warfighting capability, ensures the health and welfare of our people, and optimizes how we leverage talent across the joint force.” A spokesman for the Marines, Maj. Christian Devine, said in a statement that the corps will begin immediately to implement the change, but will maintain the standards of the force while also working to “optimize individual performance.” Notably, Gen. Joseph Votel, head of U.S. Special Operations Command, said his office also did extensive analysis and decided not to keep any of the high-risk, high-pressure commando jobs closed. Votel said that integrating women into certain jobs in recent years, including as Night Stalkers and in cultural supports teams in Afghanistan, benefited the force. “If candidates meet time-tested and scientifically validated standards, and if they have proven that they have the physical, intellectual, professional, and character attributes that are so critical to special operations, they will be welcomed into the special operations forces ranks,” Votel said.
Mexico
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
Three robbers detained for killing tourists ASSOCIATED PRESS
CULIACAN, Mexico — Three suspects have been detained in connection with the presumed killing of two Australian tourists who went missing last month, prosecutors in Mexico’s Sinaloa state said Friday. State prosecutor Marco Antonio Higuera said the three men were robbing motorists on a stretch of highway leading south through Navolato, Sinaloa. He said two other suspected members of the robbery gang remained at large. The three were arrested on low-level drug-dealing and weapons charges, but Higuera said he expects homicide charges to be filed against them soon. “This is just a gang of five people who committed highway robberies. They don’t have links to drug cartels,” Higuera said. One of them had previously been investigated for the killing of a man in a similar robbery, prosecutors said. The gang is alleged to have killed Adam Coleman and Dean Lucas after Coleman resisted the robbery just after midnight Nov. 21. The thieves allegedly shot the two Australians to death, then doused their van with gasoline and set it afire. Two charred bodies found inside the van the next day have not yet been positively identified. Tests are continuing. But the
van’s vehicle identification number matched one registered to Coleman in Canada. Evidence presented at a news conference showed the arrested men had rifles, a shotgun, pistols, 124 small bags of methamphetamine and jackets with police logos on them. It was unclear whether they were wearing the police jackets at the time they allegedly stopped the van. According to prosecutors, a lookout for the gang spotted the van before it got to Navolato and advised his accomplices it was a likely target. The thieves apparently stopped the van after it passed a toll booth, as the two Australians drove south through Sinaloa toward Guadalajara, Mexico’s second largest city. Prosecutors said the thieves, traveling in an SUV, forced the van to stop. Coleman purportedly struggled with the thieves, and one of them shot Coleman, but he didn’t die immediately. The van was then driven to a rural road, where both victims were apparently shot to death and one member of the gang lit the van on fire. Coleman and Lucas were traveling to Guadalajara from Edmonton, Alberta, and failed to arrive as planned on Nov. 21. The two surfers got off a ferry from the Baja California peninsula at Topolobampo, Sinaloa, at about 10:30 p.m. on Nov. 20. The burned-out van was found the next day.
AP file photo
In this Nov. 21 file photo, Mexican authorities inspect a burnt out van suspected to belong to a couple of Australian tourists missing for more than a week, in Sinaloa, Mexico. Two burned bodies where reportedly found inside the vehicle.
Brother Mexico to open debate on use of marijuana of capo caught, held ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — Mexican authorities say they have detained the brother of Nemesio Oseguera, who is the leader of the country’s newly powerful Jalisco New Generation drug cartel. Federal Police Commissioner Enrique Galindo said Friday that Antonio Oseguera was detained by soldiers Thursday near the western city of Guadalajara. He allegedly was caught with drugs and weapons and charges are pending. Galindo said Oseguera “worked directly under the orders of his brother Nemesio” gathering information and acquiring weapons for his brother’s cartel. Galindo said that “his detention seriously affects the financial structure of the criminal organization.” In just a few years, New Generation has grown from being an offshoot of the Sinaloa cartel to one of Mexico’s strongest criminal groups.
MEXICO CITY — Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto came out strongly against legalizing marijuana on Wednesday, the same day his government announced a national public debate on the issue. He suggested the recent, informal debate on the issue has already created confusion, even among his own children. Mexico’s Su-
preme Court ruled in November that growing, possessing and smoking marijuana for recreation is legal under the right to freedom, but that ruling applied only to the four people involved in the case. Pena Nieto said Wednesday that one of his own kids asked him “Hey Dad, does that mean I can light up a joint in front of you soon?”
The president said: “No, don’t be confused.” “I am not in favor of consuming or legalizing marijuana,” Pena Nieto said at a speech announcing a child welfare program. “I am not in favor because it has been proven, demonstrated, that consuming this substance damages the health of children and youths.” “However, I am in favor of debate, so that special-
ists can give us some indication of where we should be going,” he said. Earlier, Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong announced that the government will open a national debate on the use of marijuana, with public sessions to be held in the second half of January. Some debates will be held at four regional forums, and would also be available on the Internet.
The debate will focus on public policy, health and social impact. Mexico has decriminalized possession of very small amounts of marijuana, but activists want to go further, moving toward legalizing recreational and medical uses of pot. Pena Nieto rejected activists’ claims that legalization would reduce drug cartels’ incomes from the trade.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
Temperature goal an issue in talks By SETH BORENSTEIN, ANGELA CHARLTON AND KARL RITTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS — In climate math, the difference between 1.5 and 2 degrees is much greater than 0.5. Small nations say that for them, that half-degree could mean the difference between life and death. For larger nations, the question is what’s realistic and what’s not when it comes to limiting global warming. The broader issue is how much warming is too much. In 2010, international negotiators formally adopted a goal of limiting warming to 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial times; Earth has already warmed nearly 1 degree. The warming goal is what experts call a guardrail, and it has the potential to derail the climate talks going on in Paris if negotiators can’t agree on a number. Small island nations — like the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and St. Lucia — and some other countries are pushing 1.5 because they see it as an issue of survival. They talk about sea level rise inundating cities, salt water killing off crops, and more dangerous storms wiping out cities. “It’s a fight that really should not be focused on numbers, 1.5, 2, 2.5,” said James Fletcher, St. Lucia’s minister for sustainable development, energy, science, and technology. “It should be focused on lives. We’re not fighting for numbers, we’re fighting for lives.” Climate scientists say both numbers are a bit arbitrary, but keeping warming to 1.5 degrees could increase the chance of survival for coral reefs, slow the rise in the number of everincreasing severe weather disasters, and help keep the planet from hitting dreaded but so far unseen tipping points of irreversible environmental damage. “There is no such thing
Photo by Francois Mori | AP
Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, center, poses for a group picture with Michael R. Bloomberg U.N. Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Cities and Climate Change, and Alain Juppe, Mayor of Bordeaux, top left, and Fatimatou Mint Abdel Malick mayor of Tevragh-Zeina, Mauritania, left, along with mayors from various cities during a meeting with Mayors at Paris city Hall as part of the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Paris, Friday. as a guardrail where we are free from all the impacts of climate change; we’ve already seen climate change and it’s widespread,” said Chris Field, a Carnegie Institution scientist who headed an international scientific assessment of climate impacts two years ago. For some countries, keeping warming to 1.5 degrees may require steep and painful cuts in carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal, oil and gas. But United Nations climate chief Christiana Figueres and climate talks president Laurent Fabius, the French foreign minister, were optimistic about compromise. So far, international negotiators trying to broker a deal say it’s a
challenge they think they can handle. There are many issues in the talks that started Sunday and continue through mid-December. Climate negotiators are trying to figure out how much countries must reduce carbon dioxide emissions to keep the planet from heating up to dangerous levels; how to make sure countries do what they promise; and who pays for it all. But how much countries cut and pay could depend in part on the planetary goal. “Whether the text will also take into account a very justifiable request from the most vulnerable countries to improve on those efforts, it remains to be seen how that is going to be handled,” Figueres said
HIGHWAY Continued from Page 1A ing language to give states more flexibility to invest in border infrastructure. The legislation generates an average of $3.67 billion per year for the next five years for Texas transportation projects. Introduced in the House by Cuellar, Hurd and McCaul earlier this year as stand-alone bill H.R. 3181, this language will create a Coordinated Border Infrastructure (CBI) Reserve Fund, giving border states more flexibility in how they use federal transportation funds. States like Texas can reserve up to 5 percent of statewide Surface Transportation Funds for qualified border infrastructure purposes, providing funding certainty and allowing stakeholders and border communities to advocate for border infrastructure. “The CBI Fund will undoubtedly benefit border communities across my district and the country by dedicating more money to ports of entry,” Congressman Cuellar said. “My hometown of Laredo is host to the nation’s largest inland port, which services over 14,000 daily commercial truck crossings and 1,500 daily rail crossings. The large volumes of traffic passing over the border across South Texas place a tremendous strain on our border transportation infrastructure making it imperative that the infrastructure around our nation’s ports and trade centers remain in peak condition to ensure our economy keeps moving forward. I would like to thank my colleagues who supported this provision and worked to get it included in the bill.” “As the top exporting state in the nation, Texas already transports more than $100 billion in goods to Mexico each year, supporting hundreds of thousands of jobs,” said Sen. Cornyn. “Giving states like ours more flexibility to invest in infrastructure
along the border has the potential to facilitate more international trade, boosting jobs and economic growth.” “International trade and commerce is not just important for many of the towns in the 23rd Congressional District of Texas — it’s a vital part of the economy,” said Hurd, who has more than 820 miles of international border in his district and was a member of the conference committee for the highway bill. “Providing states the flexibility to invest in the infrastructure that makes this type of commerce possible not only benefits the families who live along the border, but ultimately boosts trade for the entire state of Texas and the nation.” “Wait times at five of the busiest ports of entry along our southern border result in an economic loss of $166 million per minute,” added Congressman O’Rourke. “ The passage of this bipartisan bill means states like Texas can direct funds to repair and upgrade infrastructure at our ports of entry, resulting in reduced wait times and increased economic and job growth for communities like El Paso." “Our homeland security deserves our utmost attention, and that starts at our border,” said McCaul, Chairman of the House Committee on Homeland Security. “By ensuring Texas has the flexibility to invest these funds in border infrastructure, our nation will be safer while paving the way to better American access to global economic opportunities. The inclusion of this provision will also support critical jobs in my district, which exported $11.5 billion worth of goods and services in 2013. By providing this certainty in funding for infrastructure improvements, we will be able to address the problems currently being encountered at the border." The provision is receiv-
ing support from stakeholders on the border, who understand the importance of having secure and stable routes across the border. “Today’s passage of a long-term transportation bill proves that Congress can still accomplish big things and in a bipartisan way,” said Jesse Hereford, chairman of the Border Trade Alliance. “This legislation is critically important for our country’s border regions, which are struggling to ensure that their infrastructure keeps pace with today’s trade volumes. The Border Trade Alliance thanks Sen. Cornyn and Rep. Cuellar, Rep. Hurd, Rep. McCaul and Rep. O’Rourke for working together to give border states like Texas the flexibility to direct transportation funding to the border region to help alleviate bottlenecks and congestion and promote the safe and efficient movement of freight.” "Safe and efficient cross border trade is central for the economic growth of border communities such as El Paso. We see every day how much people and companies rely on our transportation infrastructure to transport goods and travel for work,” said Rolando Pablos, chief executive officer of the Borderplex Alliance, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving economic prosperity in the El Paso, Ciudad Juarez and Southern New Mexico region. “We know current border crossings are not optimal and result in long wait times and the delayed movement of goods for businesses. We applaud Congress for including funding for the coordinated border infrastructure program in the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which will allow for improvements to our border transportation infrastructure and bolster economic activity and opportunities in this region.”
in an interview with The Associated Press. “It wouldn’t surprise me if there is a recognition of the intense vulnerability of some nations.” Fletcher said that based on reports from his negotiators, there will be pushback from some countries on the 1.5 goal. U.S. chief climate negotiator Todd Stern said his delegation has talked with the small islands about their position. “We haven’t landed anywhere yet but we hear the concerns of those countries and we think those concerns are legitimate,” he said. India’s chief climate negotiator, Ashok Lavssa, said India believes that the number should be below 2
degrees, but whether it goes all the way to 1.5 is difficult to say. Fletcher said he can see a compromise where both goals — 2 and 1.5 — are listed in whatever pact comes out of the conference and countries will agree to try to hit 1.5 but commit to 2 if they can’t. Then there’s the question of whether either goal is attainable. Andrew Jones, co-director of Climate Interactive, has run the numbers on computer models that simulate how much the world warms based on how much carbon pollution is spewed. He calls achieving a 2 degree goal difficult and a 1.5 degree goal “very difficult.” His numbers show that current pledges by nations
would only limit warming to 3.5 degrees, down from the current trajectory of 4.5 degrees if nations continue producing emissions as they have been. For example, to do its part in keeping warming to 2 degrees, the U.S. must cut emissions by 4.1 percent a year by 2030, but to get to 1.5, it must cut emissions by 6.2 percent a year. Those cuts would need to increase even more between 2030 and 2050. The fastest a country has ever cut carbon emissions was about 4 percent a year during the 1970s oil crisis, when France switched heavily to nuclear power. But Jones and MIT professor John Sterman said people shouldn’t get bogged down in the numbers right now. They said it’s like driving from New York City to San Francisco, arguing about where you are going to park when you get there when you are still only on the East Coast. Field said it’s a bit of an academic question, especially since the emissions already spewed stay around for so long the world is nearly already committed to 1.5 degrees of warming. “We’re very, very close,” Field said. “We’re teetering on the edge of commitment to 1.5 degrees C,” Field said. He added that he finds it difficult to imagine how the world can prevent 1.5 degrees of warming “without messing up the global economy, including people in developing countries.” Others, like James Hansen, a former NASA climate chief turned activist, said 2 degrees is too much warming, calling it “a crazy target to have; you cannot say that’s a safe guardrail.” Hansen, often considered the godfather of global warming science said “1.5 is certainly less dangerous than 2 degrees; I wouldn’t even want to characterize that as a guardrail.”
Presidential spat grows over inauguration By PETER PRENGAMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — A growing spat between Argentina’s outgoing president and president elect over inauguration day logistics took a strange turn on Friday, with the silversmith responsible for crafting a ceremonial baton saying an assistant was threatened by possible police action. The brouhaha, which has many Argentines shaking their heads, deepened on the same day that President-elect Mauricio Macri visited neighboring Brazil, his first head-of-state visit since being elected Nov. 22. Macri wants to receive the presidential baton and sash from outgoing President Cristina Fernandez in the government house, or Casa Rosada, during the Dec. 10 inauguration. However, Fernandez administration officials insist the transfer will happen in Congress. News channels, which covered the disagreement all day, briefly broke in to show Macri meeting with Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff. Macri was asked by reporters in Brasilia about the tiff. He responded that thankfully Rousseff didn’t bring it up, but otherwise didn’t comment. “Many of us look at this and think, ‘How embarrassing,”’ said Martin Bohmer, former dean of the law school at the University of Buenos Aires. “It’s amazing that we are having so much trouble transferring power.” The very active social media sites in the South American nation went wild on Friday after silversmith Juan Carlos Pal-
Photo by Ricardo Mazalan | AP
In this Nov. 25 photo, Argentina’s President Cristina Fernandez waves to supporters in Moron, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. larols shared his story with several news organizations. The respected craftsman has made every presidential baton since the country’s return to democracy in 1983. He said Macri officials this week asked him not to turn the baton over to the current administration. But the other side also applied pressure: Pallarols said an assistant received a threatening call from a Fernandez official, saying police would intervene if the baton wasn’t finished and turned over soon. “It was an unpleasant situation,” said Pallarols, who added that another official later called him to apologize. On Twitter, a clip from popular cartoon produced by a state television channel was making the rounds. In one episode, “Zamba,” the protagonist, is visiting the Casa Rosada. A guide tells him it’s “where the presidential sash and baton are handed over.” The constitution establishes that the incoming president’s swearing in ceremony take place in Congress, but does not specify where things like batons or sashes should
be handed over. While Fernandez received the baton and sash in Congress, other new presidents have received them at the Casa Rosada. “The president is within her rights,” said Cabinet chief Anibal Fernandez. “The articles will be in Congress. If Macri doesn’t want to receive them there, then he shouldn’t receive them.” Fernandez, a populist leader who publicly criticizes her opponents, has dominated the political landscape the last 12 years: initially as first lady during the administration of late husband Nestor Kirchner, and the last eight as president herself. News columnists and social media pundits have speculated that Macri will refuse to bow to Fernandez, and will simply put on his own presidential sash or ask a top official in his administration to do it. Ignacio Fidanza, director of popular political website lapoliticaonline.com, said Fernandez was being “whimsical.” “She is in a state of shock after 12 years in power and doesn’t understand that she’ll no longer be president,” said Fidanza.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
ORFALINDA G. MONTEMAYOR
LOCKDOWN Continued from Page 1A
Oct. 18, 1937 – Dec. 2, 2015 Orfalinda G. Montemayor, 78, passed away on Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015 at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas. Mrs. Montemayor is preceded in death by her son, David Montemayor; daughters, Irma Montemayor, Blanca Estela Montemayor; brother, Juvencio Gonzalez; and a sister, Maria Muñoz. Mrs. Montemayor is survived by her husband, Sigifredo Montemayor; sons, Leonardo Montemayor, Fabian (Maricela) Montemayor, Sigifredo Jr. (Irma) Montemayor; daughter, San Juanita (Jorge Luis) Garza; 16 grandchildren; 19 greatgrandchildren and by numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, other family members and friends. Visitation hours were held on Friday, Dec. 4, 2015, from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. and will be held on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, from 1 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession
protocol as a precautionary measure to ensure the students and staff of the campus were safe and free from any immediate threat,” Gonzalez states in the e-mail. “The district appropriately investigated the incident and the required law enforcement
posted a statement on the Sheriff ’s Office Facebook page saying that the suspect had been taken into custody. Saldivar was charged with terroristic threat, a Class B misdemeanor. Del Bosque added that Saldivar was also served
with an emergency protective order. He had a previous protective order for the same female student that had expired Nov. 16, according to the Sheriff ’s Office. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
VETERAN Continued from Page 1A will depart on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, at 2:30 p.m. for a 3 p.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, Funeral Director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.
MEXICO Continued from Page 1A Norte human rights centers. While in custody they were allegedly tortured physically and psychologically by police, and Pina in particular was subjected to sexual abuse, the groups said. “Cristel’s case reflects the systematic pattern of sexual torture faced by Mexican women who are detained by security forces. ... We consider it of utmost importance that the use of torture as a method of investigation is condemned,” the centers said. Pina, Estrada and de la O were absolved by a judge Nov. 9 and are now seeking punishment for those who tortured them. Amnesty International’s statement said Pina was beaten and tortured into giving a videotaped confes-
measures were taken. Student safety at Zapata County Independent School District is a priority.” Investigators said they later located and arrested the suspect in the 1500 block of Medina Avenue. Following the arrest, Sheriff Alonso M. Lopez
sion. It also cited the case of Adrian Vasquez, a bus driver who was arrested over three years ago and accused of being a drug trafficker. He, too, was allegedly tortured by police, and was freed from a prison near Tijuana, across the border from San Diego. “The fact that judges in different states of the country can strike down shaky accusations based on torture shows us that there is some hope for justice in other cases,” said Erika Guevara Rosas, Amnesty’s Americas director. Phone calls seeking comment from the Public Safety Department in Baja California state, which is home to Tijuana, and the State Prosecutor’s Office in Chihuahua, which is home to Ciudad Juarez, went unanswered Thursday night.
who were in the prison camp, where allied officers were housed. Both live at Blue Skies West, a retirement center once known as Air Force Village II, along with another Stalag Luft III alumnus, Bob Metcalf, who declined to be interviewed. Another local veteran who lives across town, Wallace Kirkpatrick, dumped dirt from his trousers and stole electrical wire to help light the tunnels. None of them participated in the legendary breakout depicted in 1963’s “The Great Escape,” which starred Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough. Reed arrived at the camp long after the escape, in which 76 prisoners briefly made their way to freedom — at a horrific price. The Germans executed 50 of them. Only three got back to friendly lines. The complex at Sagan, Poland, would grow to five camps containing about 10,000 allied troops. Freedom was never far from their minds, but looking back on it, Inghram can see how scary the work was for those who constructed the three tunnels, nicknamed Tom, Dick and Harry. As many as eight diggers worked underground, breathing air pumped through powered milk cans that had vents. Small cans that once contained cheese were filled with margarine and cloth wicks for use as candles. As the work progressed, carts were installed that allowed prisoners to roll forward and backward. The digger at the face of the tunnel slowly chipped away at the sandy earth, hoping to
avoid sudden collapses. Thousands of wooden boards, many removed from the prisoners’ beds, were used to reinforce the tunnel walls. “Before we had the carts, we had to crawl up to the face of the tunnel, and the first 100 feet you crawled up, and we’d go 100 feet and then we’d put in what we called a halfway house,” Inghram recalled. “Two people could sit in there and you could turn around.” Inghram and Reed were shot down on their fifth missions. At 20, Reed commanded a B-17 Flying Fortress, while Inghram flew the British-made Spitfire Mk Vbs in an American unit, the 31st Fighter Group, which the Air Force said was the first to go into combat in Europe, starting in the summer of 1942. The men were taken to Dulag Luft, the Luftwaffe Aircrew Interrogation Center near Frankfurt, where both believe they were questioned by the same man, a graying, pleasant Luftwaffe captain who had been a car salesman in Miami before the war. Reed and Inghram found the conversations revealing. Staring out a window in one session, Reed and the captain saw an American bomber group high in the sky. “And the interrogator said after I was looking at it for a while, just sitting there, ‘You know, no matter how many of you we shoot down, the next day there are more of you up there,”’ Reed said. “And at that particular point, I realized the Germans were aware of their situation.” It was November 1944.
Providing cover for a Canadian unit landing on the French coast April 19, 1942, a disastrous assault known as the Dieppe Raid, Inghram bailed after a British cruiser fired on him. He didn’t know how to swim, but rose to the surface after inflating his life jacket. He floated in a dinghy for 40 hours without food or water until a German officer saved him from being shot by his captors, then joked, “Now you have German life insurance.” Inghram, then 22, joined men from his unit who had become some of the first American POW in Europe. Taken to Stalag Luft III, he ran into one pilot everyone thought had been killed, Lt. Col. A.P. Clark, the fighter group’s executive officer. Inghram also saw a buddy, 1st Lt. Ed Tovrea, who was friends with Canadian Wally Floody. Inghram and historians at a website detailing the prison camp, www.b24.net, credit Floody as the mastermind behind the tunnel network. Clark, a 31st Fighter Group pilot who the Air Force said was captured after a crash landing, helped procure equipment used in the escape that included maps and compasses. He also obtained cameras to document a covert history of the camp. Tovrea approached Inghram about joining a group of tunnel diggers as part of a future escape. Documents say the goal was to spirit 200 POWs out of the camp — the movie said it was 250. “I said sure, fine, you betcha,” recalled Inghram, and before long he was dig-
ging in all three tunnels. He worked from 8 a.m. until noon or so, from the spring of 1943 well into the next year. At night, he and Tovrea talked of making their way down the Danube River in a small boat. That’s just what Bronson’s character and another prisoner did in the movie, rowing toward the Baltic, but all the officers in U.S. units were moved out before the breakout March 24-25, 1944. Most of the escapees were captured in or near Sagan, which is now Zagan, according to the website. The site lists the 50 executed prisoners with their photos. These days, Inghram and Reed chuckle at the movie’s dramatization, including a scene where McQueen’s character, Capt. Virgil Hilts, the “Cooler King,” jumps a motorcycle over rings of razor wire in a desperate bid for Switzerland. “It was a Hollywood production, and they didn’t make it to lose money,” Inghram said, laughing. “There’s no such thing as Steve McQueen riding a damned motorcycle or a guy flying the airplane, James Garner. There was nobody flying an airplane. . Hell, there was no damned Cooler King.” Inghram likes to think that he and Tovrea would have made it, and he hasn’t forgotten of how he dreamed of rowing downriver with his friend. Some days 72 years later, he’s still amazed at the part he played. “Every once in a while I remember,” he said. “And I say, ‘What in the hell was I doing down there?”’
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
Month of solid hiring clears way for Fed hike By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast | AP file
In this June 12, 2014 file photo, pumps at an oil-producing well are shown in McKenzie County, N.D. Lower fossil fuel prices have come at a painful cost: 122,300 lost jobs in the energy sector.
Oil, gas industry suffers By JOSH BOAK ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — The falling oil and gasoline prices that for months have coincided with strong U.S. hiring have helped most Americans. But they’ve come at a painful cost for workers in the energy and mining sector: 122,300 lost jobs in the past year. Even as workers nationwide are earning slightly more than they did a year ago, average wages have tumbled 1.5 percent to $26.72 an hour for energy production workers. The November jobs report that the government released Friday illustrates the divide between the broad economy and the ailing fossil fuels industry: Overall, U.S. employers added a robust 211,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate held steady at a healthy 5 percent. But the energy industry, reeling from falling oil prices and weakening global demand, shed 11,300 jobs. In just 18 months, oil prices have cratered from $107 a barrel to roughly $40. And gasoline prices have plunged from around $3.70 a gallon to $2.05. Those prices could be poised to fall further, with OPEC deciding Friday to keep production running high. One measure of the damage: Even as the overall U.S. stock market rocketed up 2 percent on Friday, an index of oil and gas stocks tracked by the New York Stock Exchange fell 0.5 percent. The industry’s layoffs are expected to pile up as energy companies try to shore up their finances in light of the sharply lower prices. “This is likely going to continue for six months or so as things settle out,” said Ken Medlock, an economist and Senior director at Rice University’s Center for Energy Studies in Houston.
Medlock said the rapid hiring that energy companies embarked on five years ago as fracking unlocked oil and natural gas from shale won’t likely return soon. There will be less impetus to develop fields and increase production as long as prices stay low. For most American consumers and companies, cheaper energy has been an unexpected gift. Drivers are paying less for gasoline. Jet fuel costs have plummeted for airlines and shipping firms. Heating oil expenses have dipped ahead of winter. Average gas prices nationwide are likely to slide below $2 a gallon in the next several days, bringing them to their lowest level since March 2009, said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service. “There is going to be a lot more money for consumers to spend,” Kloza said. “Whether they spend it and that leads to more jobs is an open question.” The outlook is rather different in oil country. Since August, Texas’ unemployment rate has risen as the state has shed oil and related manufacturing jobs, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. More than 17 percent of the mining jobs — which include oil and natural gas — have disappeared from North Dakota in the past year. Other fossil fuels, including natural gas and coal, have also collapsed in price. The result is fewer mining jobs in coal-rich states such as West Virginia and Kentucky. Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said he expects more industry bankruptcies and mergers, both of which will cost some employees their jobs. Even if prices recover, Bullock said he doubts that the industry will quickly increase hiring. He expects companies to automate
more work with robots and other machines. “The industry will be more efficient; it won’t need as many people as it did before,” Bullock said. The world’s appetite for all fossil fuels has been eroded by anemic economic growth. China has slowed, Europe is stumbling and Japan has lapsed into recession. Yet OPEC ended its meeting Friday with plans to keep the oil flowing. OPEC will maintain its current production levels of 31.5 million barrels a day, roughly a third of the global supply. By preserving market share for members such as Saudi Arabia, OPEC will continue to flood the market with more oil than people want, which then depresses prices. In fact, OPEC members such as Iran plan to increase their production as a recent international agreement begins lifting its nuclear-related sanctions. Other member countries lobbied unsuccessfully to cut production in hope of boosting oil prices. The impact of lower prices has ricocheted across the oil and natural gas fields of the United States. Major energy firms such as Schlumberger, Baker Hughes, Halliburton, ConocoPhillips, Chevron and BP have announced layoffs. Average wages have largely declined for oil workers because of these departures. But Rice University’s Medlock said he’s heard anecdotally that some workers agreed to lower salaries in order to keep their jobs and protect their benefits. The job cuts will eventually fade as companies become more financially stable through job cuts and mergers, not because of a surge in demand that would raise prices. “There is such an inventory overhang that we have a lot of supplies to eat through before we see an increase in price,” Medlock said.
WASHINGTON — If the Federal Reserve needed any final evidence that the economy is ready for higher interest rates, it got it on Friday. A solid November job gain of 211,000 showed that despite weak overseas growth and struggling U.S. factories, the U.S. economy appears healthy enough to withstand a Fed hike from record-low rates later this month. The unemployment rate remained at a low 5 percent in November for a second straight month, the government said Friday. More Americans started looking for jobs, and nearly all found them. Average hourly pay rose, though modestly, and the government revised up its estimate of job growth for September and October. Employers have now added a robust average 213,000 jobs a month over the past six months. The healthy jobs figures indicate that consumer spending is helping the economy surmount some lingering challenges. They include a strong dollar, which has made exports pricier overseas and squeezed U.S. manufacturers, and sinking oil prices, which have led drilling companies to slash orders for steel pipes and other equipment. Even so, Americans are spending more on restaurant meals and on big-ticket items like cars and homes. The U.S. economy “is strong enough to withstand an initial hike in interest rates from what were seen as emergency record-low levels,” said Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit. “A December rate hike now looks to be in the bag.” The economy’s strengths were evident in last month’s hiring patterns: Construction firms added 46,000 jobs, the biggest increase in two years. Spending on construction projects, including homes, roads and office towers, reached an eight-year high in October. In addition, restaurants added 31,500 positions, retailers nearly 31,000. Investors cheered the jobs report, which helped send the Dow Jones industrial average soaring 360 points in afternoon trading. This week, Fed Chair Janet Yellen said the economy appeared to be improving enough to justify a rate hike as long as no major shocks undermined growth before the Fed meets Dec.
Photo by David Goldman | AP file
In this June 6 file photo, a customer, bottom, pays for goods while shopping at the Atlanta Farmers Market in Atlanta. 15-16. The Fed has kept its key short-term rate at a record low near zero for seven years. A Fed rate hike typically lifts interest rates for mortgages, auto loans and other borrowing, though those increases might not occur immediately. For the Fed, conditions seem nearly ideal for a period of small and only gradual rate increases in coming months: Job growth has been solid, and wages have begun to rise but not so much as to cause concern about future high inflation. Since the recession ended, average hourly pay has grown at only about twothirds of the pace typical of a healthy economy. In November, average hourly wages rose 2.3 percent from 12 months earlier to $25.25. That is below October’s annual increase, which had been the strongest in six years. It’s still far below the roughly 3.5 percent pace typical of a strong economy. Still, many economists say they’re optimistic that Americans’ pay will keep rising. Companies are advertising near-record levels of available jobs. And layoffs are at very low levels. Both figures point to strong demand for workers. “Companies are holding onto people pretty tightly, and at some point that’s going to manifest itself in higher wages,” said Michael Dolega, senior economist at TD Bank. “Their workers are going to get poached. They are going to have sweeten the deal at some point.” Sarah Raminhos landed a new accounting job last month at a firm in Chevy Chase, Maryland, with a salary about 5 percent higher than her old one. She saw more opportunities than she did during a previous job search two years earlier and even felt confident enough to turn
down offers. “This time, I felt like I could be a more picky,” said Raminhos, 29. Dolega said wage gains are being held back by steep job cuts in mining, a category that consists mostly of oil and gas drilling and has shed 14 percent of its jobs in the past year. Government data show that drilling firms were handing out big raises as recently as last year to attract workers, but average pay in the industry is now declining. The sizable gain in construction jobs last month, even as the Fed is preparing to raise rates, suggests that few expect higher borrowing costs to derail home building or sales. More jobs with heftier pay checks are lifting Americans’ ability to spend. Auto sales, for example, jumped to a 14-year high in November. Industry analysts expect auto sales to total a record 17.5 million for 2015. And sales of existing homes have increased nearly 4 percent from a year ago, while new home purchases have jumped almost 16 percent. A healthier housing sector has benefited Genpact, a New York City-based company that provides mortgage processing services to companies. CEO Tiger Tyagarajan says Genpact has added about 400 people to its 4,000 person U.S. workforce this year, many of them in highly skilled areas such as software programming and management consulting. “The U.S. economy seems to be steady, and that’s good because that means we have to hire more,” Tyagarajan said. Still, Genpact hasn’t felt compelled to boost pay. Instead it’s stepped up training and recruiting and is seeking to make it easier for employees with families to work part time.
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
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Sports&Outdoors NCAA FOOTBALL
NCAA FOOTBALL: AAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Season finale Photo by John Raoux | AP
Greg Ward and Houston host Temple at 11 a.m. Saturday in a battle for the AAC title.
Houston faces Temple for AAC title ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Tyrone Swoopes and Texas close out the season at 11 a.m. Saturday on the road against Baylor.
Longhorns close out year against No. 12 Baylor By By
By STEPHEN HAWKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
WACO, Texas — Oh how sweet the season could end for No. 12 Baylor even though the Bears will not win a third consecutive Big 12 title. A likely Sugar Bowl berth is on the line Saturday for the Bears, who
with a win would represent their league against the SEC on New Year’s Day if Big 12 champion and No. 3 Oklahoma gets into the College Football Playoff as expected. “Well, I’d be running as fast as I could to get that berth, because it’s worth chasing,” coach Art Briles said when asked about the
potential of New Year’s Day in New Orleans. Briles almost as quickly noted that the Bears (9-2, 6-2 Big 12) first have to take care of business in their regular season finale against Texas (4-7, 3-5). The Bears play their first home game since a 44-34 loss to Oklahoma three weeks ago ended
their 20-game home winning streak — and playoff hopes. They are coming off a rain-drenched, double-overtime loss at No. 11 TCU, though a win there wouldn’t have changed their Big 12 fate. “Everyone was sad. I was sad and heartbroken
See FINALE PAGE 2B
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
HOUSTON — Tom Herman knows there is more to this fairy tale of a season for the Houston Cougars. The first-year coach and his 17th-ranked Cougars in are hosting the inaugural American Athletic Conference Championship game against No. 20 Temple on Saturday. Houston is looking for its second 12-win season in school history, four years after the Cougars went 13-1. The winner of Saturday’s game will be the Group of Five representative and go to either the Peach or Fiesta Bowl. “I am excited to have earned the right to host
the American Athletic Conference Championship game,” Herman said. “We feel like that is a tremendous advantage for us, considering the way that we have been packing our stadium the last two home games. I would expect this one to be about as good as it gets. Not only is there a conference championship on the line, but a New Year’s Day bowl bid as well.” After losing its first game of the year against Connecticut two weeks ago, Houston rebounded against Navy. Led by quarterback Greg Ward, Jr., who missed most of the UConn game and the
See AAC PAGE 2B
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Photo by Eric Christian Smith | AP
J.J. Watt and the Texans’ defense have allowed only 35 points over the past four games.
Photo by Brandon Wade | AP
Matt Cassel will look to snap a streak of seven straight losses by backup quarterbacks when the Cowboys face Washington Monday night.
Texans travel to take Cowboys keeping on slumping Buffalo Romo on active roster By JOHN WAWROW ASSOCIATED PRESS
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Inconsistent as the Buffalo Bills have been, safety Corey Graham sees no reason why they can’t finally get on a roll to make a late-season playoff push. “I believe in this team. I believe in what we’re capable of doing,” Graham said. “We know what it takes. We know what’s at stake. We know what we’ve got to do.” Beating the surging Houston Texans (6-5) on Sunday would be a start for Buffalo (5-6), which
has run out of room for error in mounting any realistic bid to end the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 15 seasons. Buffalo has lost two straight and four of six. Injuries are piling up. And so are questions about the porous performance of coach Rex Ryan’s prized defense, which is playing well below its high-priced expectations. “Sometimes when you’re backed into a corner, you see what people are made of,” Graham said. “It’s time for us to fight.” They’ll have to do it
against an opponent who has won four straight and moved into a tie with Indianapolis atop the AFC South. End J.J. Watt is leading a defense that’s allowed two touchdowns and 35 points in its past four games. And quarterback Brian Hoyer has been efficient in managing an offense led by star receiver DeAndre Hopkins. “People can try and look at it like it was some sort of overnight switch from five weeks ago,” said Watt of Houston’s
See TEXANS PAGE 2B
By JON MACHOTA THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
The Cowboys still have not placed Tony Romo on the injured reserve. As long as they haven’t been eliminated from the playoffs, Romo will remain on the 53man roster. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones explained the team’s line of thinking Friday morning. "Let’s just put it like this, we didn’t deactivate Tony for a reason, and that is if we should get to the playoffs then he would be available for us in the playoffs," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan’s G-Bag Nation show
(KRLD-FM). "I’m speaking for myself. Jason Garrett, of course, would be the ultimate decision-maker, but one of the reasons we thought (about) using a roster spot is so that he could be available for the playoffs." Although the 3-8 Cowboys are only two games back in the NFC East standings, they’ve been unable to win any of their seven games without Romo under center. But what if they somehow started winning games and Matt Cassel surprisingly led them to the postseason? Who would be the starting QB if Romo’s bro-
ken left clavicle had healed? Would they stick with Cassel, who got them there, or go back to their franchise QB? "Well I think if Tony can play, he’d be the starting quarterback, without question," Jones said. "If he mirrors last time and we do get to that point, now this isn’t a given, we’re going to play this thing as we go. As you get down and wind down near the end of his rehab time, he’ll be throwing, he’ll be ready. So if you think he can play a game like he did against Miami would you go with him? "Yes, you would. I’ll answer that for you."
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Zscores
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
Red Sox introduce David Price Packers reflect on stunning win
By JIMMY GOLEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — For all the money the Red Sox are paying David Price, the Boston fans don’t just want a pitcher who gives the team a chance to win every five days. And it’s not enough for him to wind up among the Cy Young contenders in the offseason. With a seven-year, $217 million contract that is the richest ever for a pitcher, the Red Sox are expecting playoff wins. And that’s the one thing Price hasn’t delivered. “I think I was just saving all my postseason wins for the Red Sox,” Price said on Friday during his introductory news conference in a Fenway Park function room filled with championship memorabilia. “I know good things are going to happen to me in October. That just hasn’t been the case thus far,” said Price, who is 0-7 with a 5.27 career ERA in eight career postseason starts. “I know I can throw the ball as well in October as I do in the regular season. That time is coming for me, and hopefully it’s in 2016.” Despite winning it all in 2013 — their third World Series championship in 10 years — the Red Sox have finished last in the AL East in three of the past four seasons. Their rebuilding began in August when they brought in Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations, and this week he made his big move. The deal with Price — “one of the best pitchers in baseball, a true No. 1,” Dombrowski said — gives the 2012 Cy Young winner a chance to opt out after three years. But it also goes against the team’s stated desire not to commit to long-
By TODD MCMAHON ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Winslow Townson | AP
David Price holds up his new jersey with principal owner John Henry, left, and chairman Tom Werner at a news conference Wednesday announcing his signing by the Red Sox. term deals for pitchers who have already turned 30. “There are exceptions to any rule, and certainly this is one of the most exceptional pitchers,” owner John Henry said. “He’s putting up historical numbers, or at least bordering on that, at this stage of his career.” The AL’s top pitcher in 2012 and the runner-up twice in seven full major league seasons, Price has a 3.09 ERA with 1,372 strikeouts and 104 wins. He went 18-5 with a 2.45 ERA with Detroit and Toronto in 2015, striking out 225. Red Sox general manager Mike Hazen also praised Price’s value as a teammate. While trying to decide whether to accept the ballclub’s offer, Hazen said, Price asked about other players in the system all the way to Single-A Greenville. The attitude, Hazen said, was: “If I’m going to sign here long-term, I want to know who my teammates are going to be long-term. Not just David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia.” Price already knows about them. Maybe too well. When he was with Tampa Bay, Price complained
about the way the Red Sox designated hitter admired a postseason home run before slowly trotting around the bases. Price hit Ortiz with a pitch the following season, the dugouts emptied and the two called each other names. But Ortiz told the Boston Herald at his charity golf tournament in the Dominican Republic that the feud was over. Price said on Friday he’s looking forward to playing with “arguably the greatest DH to ever play the game.” “Big Papi and myself, we’re both competitors. What he’s done for this organization and the game of baseball is really special,” said Price, who was given the No. 24 worn by Dwight Evans and Manny Ramirez. “I’m ready to be one of his really good friends.” Dombrowski, who worked with Price in Detroit, said he had no concern about him getting along with his new teammates. “I had more than one person tell me, from a player perspective and from a staff perspective, that he was the best teammate they ever had,” Dombrowski
said. After starting his career in Tampa Bay, Price was acquired by Detroit at the 2014 trade deadline. A year later, Dombrowski traded him to the Blue Jays at the July 31 deadline and Price helped Toronto reach the playoffs for the first time since 1993. The Red Sox hope he can get them back to the playoffs after falling out of contention early last year. And helps them win once they get there, too. “Success in the postseason, sometimes it takes a while to come,” Dombrowski said. “He’s a big-game pitcher. (It) hasn’t always happened in the postseason. I’m confident that he’ll do that for us.” The sides agreed to the terms of the deal on Tuesday, but had to wait for Price to pass his physical. The contract gives Price the right to opt out after three seasons. “This is an exciting time,” owner John Henry said. “We’re going to see one of the best pitchers in baseball every five days. It’s going to be exciting for our fans, but it’s going to be really exciting for our team.”
TEXANS Continued from Page 1B turnaround. “But it’s really been a day-to-day process to make this happen. And it’s going to continue to be a day-to-day process.” Watt has been a difference maker over the past month. He has 9 1/2 of his NFL-leading 13 1/2 sacks in the past five games. The Bills, by comparison, have just 16 sacks all season — a considerable drop-off after they led the NFL with 54 last year. Coach Ryan still isn’t sure what to make of Buffalo. “I’m not admitting defeat by any stretch of the imagination. We have some opportunity,” Ryan said. “And clearly right now, in my opinion, we can win the rest of them. But we’re also a team that could lose them all.” Some things to watch for as Houston attempts to beat Buffalo for a fourth straight time: BANGED-UP Though DE Mario Williams is expected to return after missing one game with a foot injury, the Bills will be minus a number of defensive regulars. Tackle Kyle Williams (left knee) and his backup Alex Carrington (quadriceps) were placed on sea-
son-ending injured reserve this week. Linebacker Nigel Bradham is out with a sprained right ankle. And safety Aaron Williams still isn’t cleared to return from a neck injury. GROUP EFFORT Texans running back Alfred Blue has started all four games since star Arian Foster suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury. But he’s far from the only one getting carries. Since Foster was injured, four other players have helped Blue carry the rushing load. Chris Polk, Jonathan Grimes and Akeem Hunt have all pitched in, and Houston has also unveiled a wildcat formation featuring receiver Cecil Shorts. Ryan credits Texans offensive line coach Mike Devlin for introducing some of the more exotic schemes. Devlin helped design similar plays for the Jets, when he was working under Ryan. EXTRA WATTAGE Though Watt gets the most credit for the Texans’ defensive resurgence, he’s not doing it alone. Linebacker Brian Cushing leads the team with 84 tackles, and linebacker Whitney Mercilus has 4 1/2 sacks in his past four
games. The secondary has combined for five interceptions during the winning streak. CLEMSON CONNECTION Hopkins and Bills receiver Sammy Watkins were a formidable receiving duo during their two seasons together at Clemson. In 2011, they combined for 154 catches for 2,198 yards and 17 TDs. Hopkins, who at 23 is a year older, refers to Watkins as “my little bro,” and has had the distinct edge. Hopkins ranks third in the NFL with 1,081 yards receiving, and has nine touchdowns. Watkins, who has missed two games due to injuries, is 48th with 526 yards, and has five TDs. Watkins joked Hopkins is playing so well he can’t help but keep track of his former teammate. “I have no choice,” Watkins said. “I see him on Sports Center like every week.” EMPTY SACKS The Bills’ 16 sacks are the fewest they’ve had through 11 games since they had 10 in 2007. They’ve yet to register more than two sacks in one game this season. And Buffalo has a 1-4 record when limited to one or fewer.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Packers coach Mike McCarthy left no doubt about where the team’s no-time-left win in Detroit stands for him. “Outside of the Super Bowl (title in the 2010 season), to me, that’s our greatest regular-season win,” said McCarthy, who’s in his 10th year as Green Bay’s coach. “I couldn’t sleep, so I sat up and watched it a few times on TV,” he added Friday, less than 24 hours after the stunning victory. “It was a phenomenal play.” The media quickly dubbed it the “Motor City Miracle” and “Miracle in Motown” and other names. The resilient Packers added a different slogan to one of the most spectacular wins in their 97-year history: Scat Two Rebound Pass. That’s the name of the play used by the Packers to pull out their 27-23 comeback victory on the road against the Lions after time expired Thursday night. Aaron Rodgers’ 61yard throw coming after a penalty with 0:00 on the clock arced high into the air before coming down into the hands of leaping tight end Richard Rodgers in the end zone. McCarthy called it the best throw he’s seen in his 23 years in the league. It capped a second-half comeback from 20 points down, the largest in Rodgers’ eight seasons as a starter. And after losing four of its previous five games, Green Bay (8-4) stayed on the heels of the
NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings. “We had really put ourselves behind the eight ball as far as the division and the playoffs in general,” linebacker Clay Matthews said. “So to bounce back and put ourselves in position to hopefully take back the North, it means a great deal.” The Packers, who don’t play again until they host Dallas on Dec. 13, could be back atop the division after they return to work from having the full weekend off. The Vikings (8-3) have a home game against Seattle on Sunday. What pleased McCarthy the most was having his team rally and overcome a great deal of adversity. Detroit jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter. The Packers’ decimated offensive line, which started the game without right tackle Bryan Bulaga and right guard T.J. Lang, lost center Corey Linsley to a reinjured ankle in the first half and left tackle David Bakhtiari briefly in the fourth quarter because of a reinjured knee. After two straight 100yard rushing games, Pro Bowl running back Eddie Lacy didn’t play much for what McCarthy said might have been for a disciplinary reason. Lacy didn’t make the start and had only five carries for 4 yards. “Leading up the game, frankly, there’s an internal football decision that was made,” McCarthy said. “That’s what resulted in Eddie’s (reduced) reps.” But the Packers didn’t flinch after falling behind 20-0 in the third quarter.
AAC Continued from Page 1B second half against Memphis with an ankle injury, the Cougars offense got off to a fast start and limited Navy’s triple option to 147 rushing yards. It’s a pretty good year for Temple, too. The Owls are looking for their first 11-win season and first bowl game since 2011 Temple, led by quarterback P.J. Walker and running back Jahad Thomas on offense and linebacker Tyler Matakevich on defense, will challenge the Cougars. “You just have to be sharp,” Houston cornerback Adrian McDonald said of the Temple offense. “Limit the explosives. They have some good, big-time receivers on the outside with a lot of speed. Last year they had us on a couple of screen plays. We can’t let that happen this year.” Herman has one message for his team. “Finish,” Herman said. “Our goal wasn’t to be 11-1, our goal wasn’t to be 12-0, our goal wasn’t to be the West Division Champions, our goal was to win the conference, and we are that close.” Other things to watch for on Saturday: TEMPLE OFFENSE RB Jahad Thomas is
second in the American with 1,188 rushing yards and 17 rushing touchdowns. Walker has thrown for 2,450 yards and 18 touchdowns on 57 percent passing. Receiver Robby Anderson is Walker’s favorite target, with 52 receptions for 723 yards and six touchdowns this season. Overall, Temple has averaged over 32 points a game, with a balanced rushing and throwing attack combining for nearly 368 yards a contest. HOUSTON’S RB QUESTION Starting running back Kenneth Farrow missed the Navy game with a high ankle sprain. Brandon Wilson, who typically starts at cornerback, made his first career start against Navy, rushing for over 100 yards and two scores. Herman said Wilson would likely play both offense and defense against Temple. THOSE DEFENSES Temple’s Matakevich is a finalist for the Bednarik Award and the Nagurski Trophy for good reason as the senior has 118 tackles, including 14 for a loss and 4 1-2 sacks, and is second in the American with five interceptions. Defensive end Nate Smith has eight sacks to lead the
Owls’ stingy defense. The Cougars are second to the Owls in run defense and Elandon Roberts leads Houston’s defense with 127 tackles, including 84 solo (second nationally). Houston ranks fifth nationally with 28 takeaways and has scored five times on defense this season. COACHING BUZZ Tom Herman was Ohio State’s offensive coordinator last season as the Buckeyes won the national title and he was frequently mentioned as coaching vacancies opened around the country this year. Houston moved this week to keep their first-year coach, agreed to a deal that locks him up through the 2020 season and raises his annual compensation to $2.8 million. Temple coach Matt Rhule, who has a career record of 18-18 as the Owls coach but is 10-2 this season, is also garnering attention. Asked about rumors being a distraction, Rhule said: “Only if people keep asking about it. Our team and I, we consider ourselves a family. So anything that happens they know about, and we talk about. The program’s not about me, it’s never about me.”
FINALE Continued from Page 1B about the situation,” said Corey Coleman, the FBS leader with 20 touchdowns receiving. “Now we just have to beat Texas and get to the Sugar Bowl.” Baylor can still get to 10 wins and play on Jan. 1 for the third year in a row. Not bad for a team that had losing records the first 14 seasons of the Big 12 (1996-2009), finished at the bottom of the standings 12 times, and won 10 games only one time before that. In another stunning reversal, Texas has consecutive losing seasons for the
first time since 1988-89 in the old Southwest Conference days. The Longhorns are the last Big 12 team to win a national championship (2005) and the last to play in the title game (2009). Texas is responsible for the only loss by Oklahoma, which has won seven games since that 24-17 shocker at the State Fair of Texas in mid-October. Second-year Longhorns coach Charlie Strong was asked if he is still surprised at that victory, and expects calls from playoff opponents asking for ad-
vice. “I don’t know why,” Strong said, eliciting laughter. “But you look at our team and we played so well against Oklahoma, then you would have figured, OK, after that game you’ve got six to go play. ... Just think about why can’t we go play like that, what’s holding us back.” Some things to know when Texas and Baylor play a regular-season finale in Waco for the third time in five seasons: STARTING AGAIN Texas freshman starting quarterback Jerrod Heard
is sidelined after a concussion. Tyrone Swoopes, replaced as the starter after the first game, is back in that role and still leads Texas with 11 touchdowns rushing. He has hit only 47 percent of his passes for 386 yards and three TDs. BAYLOR’S BIG NUMBERS The Bears have the nation’s top offense with 616 yards and 51 points a game, and 7.47 yards per snap. ... They have an FBS-best 22 wins in November and December games since 2011 ... The Bears are 29-2 at home
since 2011, the best among FBS teams in that span. ... Baylor on Saturday will honor 19 seniors, a group that has won 39 games and two Big 12 titles. LIMITED LINEBACKERS Texas lost is best defensive player, senior linebacker Peter Jinkens, to a knee injury last week. That leaves five freshmen among the two-deep depth chart for three linebacker spots. It is asking a lot for that group to keep up with the big-play Bears in coverage and handle Baylor’s run game. BOWL BOUND
Baylor will be in a bowl for the sixth consecutive season. The Bears last played in the Sugar Bowl 59 years ago, beating Tennessee 13-7 on New Year’s Day 1957. OPENING THE PLAYBOOK Strong is expected to make some offensive staff changes in the offseason. Interim play-caller Jay Norvell could be willing to open the playbook wide open with trick plays or other gambles. Texas has nothing left to play for but pride, which could be the perfect motivator for a noholds-barred attack.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015
Dear Readers: CATS AND CARS do not mix, even when the car is parked! Here are three of your hints for keeping cats off parked cars. Dear Heloise: I’ve had success dusting black pepper on the path. A whiff or two, and they find an alternative. It may take a couple of applications for them get the message. – R.J., Gulf Shores, Ala. Dear Heloise: Years ago, my mother put life-size rubber snakes on the hood of her car, and her two large cats would not climb or walk on her new car. This might be worth a try. Thanks. – Ms. Mary, via email Hi, Heloise: I wanted to share my secret: I take a plastic lid from a spent spray can, fill it full of mothballs and place it on top of the hood and/or top of the car. (HELOISE HERE: Please see the CAUTION at the end of this column.) The smell of mothballs is very unpleasant to cats. They will not hang around near that odor. – Christina in San
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
Antonio. Christina and my readers: Yes, mothballs will repel cats and other animals (this is an old hint from years ago), but please note that mothballs are HIGHLY toxic to animals and humans. Far better to put just one mothball in a plastic margarine tub, poke holes in the top and tape shut. – Heloise DOG HAIR MATS Dear Heloise: One petfriendly hint: When our tiny Yorkie gets mats in his hair, rather than using scissors, which makes him nervous, I use a plastic letter opener, which has a small, covered blade. No "snipping" sound – I put my finger between his skin and hair, and with one smooth move, the mat is removed, and he’s not nervous. – K.E., via email CHARITY STICKERS Dear Heloise: I give the charity address labels to my grandchildren to play "post office" with. No waste, and it’s fun for them. – MaMa in Las Vegas
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015