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ZETAS DRUG CARTEL
OIL & GAS
Businessman guilty
Oil prices slump again
By JASON BUCH SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
COLORADO
AUSTIN — A jury here took less than two hours Thursday to find Mexican businessman Francisco Colorado Cessa guilty of conspiring to launder money for the notorious Zetas drug cartel. Prosecutors hailed the decision as a blow to a criminal underworld that relies on legitimate businessmen and to the family that leads one of Mexico’s
most feared gangs. Over eight days of testimony, judges heard from a number of drug traffickers and cartel operatives who said the Zetas relied on people like Colorado to convert dirty money into funds they could use freely. That’s why the U.S. government went after Colorado, who wasn’t directly involved in the drug trade, prosecutors said. “The businessmen are a conduit for these guys,” Assistant U.S. Attorney
Douglas Gardner said after the verdict was read. “I think it’s important to focus on how they’re also launderuing money in the United States.” Colorado faces up to 20 years in prison when he’s sentenced at a later date. According to the testimony, Colorado met a founding member of the Zetas through quarter horse races in his home state, and eventually became close to Miguel Treviño Morales, the gang’s
leader who’s jailed in Mexico. Treviño had a scheme to launder tens of millions of dollars through a quarter horse breeding and racing operation in the U.S. run by his older brother, José, and needed clean front men in this country to pay for horses at auction. Prosecutors showed that Colorado had purchased horses that later ended up in José Trevi-
BLOOMBERG
MEZCAL IS A HIT IN TEXAS
Photo by Louis DeLuca | AP
In this photo taken Dec. 3, part of the agave-spirits collection is displayed at Mexican Sugar, at the Shops at Legacy in Plano.
Popularity of spirit has spiked THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Photo by Louis DeLuca | AP
In this photo taken Dec. 1, Taylor Samuels pours a drink during a Mezcal tasting party at Shad Kvetko’s home in Dallas.
DALLAS — He found what he was looking for in a sip of mezcal. Shad Kvetko had been exploring the growing range of quality tequilas when he found his image of Mexico’s other agave-based spirit suddenly upended. Until then, his idea of mezcal was the gimmicky bottle with a worm in it. “I tried that years ago, and it was just terrible,” he told
The Dallas Morning News. “But for a time, that’s all you could get.” Then, several years ago, the Dallas antiques collector and dealer visited Austin’s Bar Ilegal, at the time a tiny hole-in-the wall featuring the mezcal brand of the same name. “That flavor in my mouth — I was like, that’s what I want,” Kvetko recalled. “It’s just a more interesting experience.” Around Texas and across the country, craftcocktail enthusiasts and li-
By MARK SHENK
See ZETAS PAGE 12A
CRAFT-COCKTAIL RENAISSANCE
By MARC RAMIREZ AND ALFREDO CORCHADO
Global surplus to last until late 2016
Oil declined to the lowest level since 2008 in London amid estimates that OPEC’s decision to scrap production limits will keep the market oversupplied. Brent futures capped the biggest weekly decline in more than a year. The global surplus will persist at least until late 2016 as demand growth slows and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries shows “renewed determination” to maximize production, the International Energy Agency said Friday. The group chose not to curb output at its Dec. 4 meeting. Oil prices have slumped to levels not seen since the global financial crisis as a result of OPEC’s strategy to defend market share against higher-cost producers. The group’s production rose to a three-year high in November, it said in a report Thursday, as surging Iraqi volumes more than offset a slight pullback by Saudi Arabia. "The hits keep on coming," said John Kilduff, a partner at Again Capital LLC, a New York-based hedge fund. "It was bad enough that the OPEC meeting ended in disarray with no quota. Now we’re seeing just how aggressively everyone is fighting for market share."
New Lows
quor aficionados are enjoying the growing number of Mexican spirits appearing on the shelves of U.S. bars and spirits retailers. While still small in terms of market share, mezcal is quickly climbing, a $126 million industry compared with $10 million a decade ago. Meanwhile, tequila’s popularity has boomed as the spirit sheds its reputation as college-party shot; the U.S. now drinks twice as much tequila as Mexico,
Brent for January settlement declined $1.80, or 4.5 percent, to $37.93 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. It was the lowest close since Dec. 24, 2008. The contract decreased 12 percent this week. The volume of all futures traded was 36 percent above the 100-day average at 3:05 p.m. in New York. West Texas Intermediate
See MEZCAL PAGE 10A
See OIL PAGE 12A
ASSOCIATED PRESS-GFK POLL
Voters like Trump’s decisiveness By EMILY SWANSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Republicans don’t see Donald Trump as likable or compassionate, but he’s viewed by Republican registered voters as their party’s most decisive, most competent and most electable candidate, according to a new Associated Press-GfK poll. Here are some things to know about public opinion on the presidential candidates from the poll: TRUMP TOPS ON DECISIVENESS, COMPETENCE
Eight in 10 Republican registered voters called Trump very or somewhat decisive, while more than 6 in 10 called him very or somewhat competent. Trump is far atop the field on decisiveness. Of the other four Republican candidates tested in the poll, Ted Cruz came closest, with 56 percent calling him very or somewhat decisive, followed by Ben Carson at 53 percent, Marco Rubio at 52 percent and Jeb Bush at just 42. The poll was taken before Trump called for a ban on Muslims coming into the U.S.
Just 31 percent of Republican voters said Trump is at least somewhat compassionate, and 43 percent said he is at least somewhat likable. Carson was viewed as most compassionate and likable, with 7 in 10 Republican voters saying each word describes him at least somewhat well. But while 9 in 10 Republican voters said decisiveness and competence are extremely or very important in a candidate for president, just 6 in 10 said compassion is that important, and only half said it’s that important for a candidate
to be likable. Nine in 10 Republican voters also agreed honesty is an important quality in a presidential candidate, but they were more divided on whether that’s a description that applies to Trump. Fifty-five percent said “honest” describes him very or somewhat well, and 43 percent said only slightly or not at all well. Bush, Rubio and Cruz didn’t perform significantly better. Carson, on the other hand, was viewed as at least somewhat honest by 66 percent
See TRUMP PAGE 10A
Photo by Susan Walsh | AP
In this Dec. 3 photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks in Washington.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12
ASSOCIATED PRESS
St. Patrick’s Church’s 25th annual 5K Walk in Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe at 7 a.m. beginning in front of Alexander High School. The walk continues down Del Mar Boulevard with those in the procession praying the Rosary. Matachines will join the procession at 7:45 a.m. in front of the McDonald’s and continue on to St. Patrick’s Church, 555 Del Mar Blvd., for Mañanitas and Mass at 7:55 a.m. Afterward there will be a children’s play in the parish hall. Refreshments will be served. Laredo Book Festival: The Best of Texas and Beyond! At the Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The festival celebrates local authors and illustrators. There will be book signings, books for sale, arts and crafts, readings and more. El Centro de Laredo Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Jarvis Plaza in downtown Laredo. There will be a chef demo featuring healthy living with Texas produce, a Christmas photo booth, holiday music with DJ The Pop Rocks, tamales, local seasonal produce and much more. There is free parking courtesy of El Metro Transit Center with a market purchase voucher. Third Annual Home for the Pawlidays, presented by City Councilman Roque Vela, at Blas Castaneda Park, 5700 McPherson Road, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Give a homeless pet the gift of a family this holiday season. There will be free coffee, sodas and hot dogs. “The Spanish Nutcracker” at LCC’s Martinez Fine Arts Center from 7:30 – 10 p.m. A Spanish-themed twist on a holiday classic comes to life as Laredo Community College and El Estudio de Cristina Greco present "The Spanish Nutcracker." Presale tickets are available. Proceeds from the event will benefit student scholarships. Tickets are $10. For more information call the Martinez Fine Arts Department at 7215334. 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).
Today is Saturday, Dec. 12, the 346th day of 2015. There are 19 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 12, 1915, singer-actor Frank Sinatra was born Francis Albert Sinatra in Hoboken, New Jersey. On this date: In 1787, Pennsylvania became the second state to ratify the U.S. Constitution. In 1870, Joseph H. Rainey of South Carolina became the first black lawmaker sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives. In 1925, the first motel — the Motel Inn — opened in San Luis Obispo, California. In 1937, Japanese aircraft sank the U.S. gunboat Panay on China’s Yangtze River. (Japan apologized, and paid $2.2 million in reparations.) In 1946, a United Nations committee voted to accept a six-block tract of Manhattan real estate offered as a gift by John D. Rockefeller Jr. to be the site of the U.N.’s headquarters. In 1963, Kenya became independent of Britain. In 1975, Sara Jane Moore asked a federal court in San Francisco to allow her to plead guilty to trying to kill President Gerald R. Ford. (After the judge ruled Moore competent to change her plea, she was sentenced to life. Moore was released on parole on New Year’s Eve 2007 after serving 32 years behind bars.) In 1985, 248 American soldiers and eight crew members were killed when an Arrow Air charter crashed after takeoff from Gander, Newfoundland. In 2000, George W. Bush became president-elect as a divided U.S. Supreme Court reversed a state court decision for recounts in Florida’s contested election. Ten years ago: California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger refused to block the imminent execution of Stanley Tookie Williams, rejecting the notion that the founder of the murderous Crips gang had atoned for his crimes and found redemption on death row. (Williams was put to death early the next day.) Five years ago: An explosives-packed minibus blew up at the entrance of a joint NATO-Afghan base in southern Afghanistan, killing six American troops and two Afghan soldiers as they prepared to head out on patrol. One year ago: President Barack Obama urged the Senate to ratify a $1.1 trillion spending bill opposed by some Democrats, judging it an imperfect measure that stemmed from “the divided government that the American people voted for.” (The Senate passed the measure the next day.) Today’s Birthdays: Former TV host Bob Barker is 92. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob Pettit is 83. Actor Bill Nighy is 66. Author Lorna Landvik is 61. International Tennis Hall of Famer Tracy Austin is 53. Rock musician Nicholas Dimichino (Nine Days) is 48. Author Sophie Kinsella is 46. News anchor Maggie Rodriguez is 46. Actress Jennifer Connelly is 45. Actress Madchen Amick is 45. Actress Regina Hall is 45. Country singer Hank Williams III is 43. Model Bridget Hall is 38. Thought for Today: “If you possess something but you can’t give it away, then you don’t possess it... it possesses you.” — Frank Sinatra (19151998).
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 15 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 17 Spanish Book Club. From 6-8 p.m. Laredo Public Library-Calton. For more info please contact Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 6 p.m.: Stars of the Pharaohs; 7 p.m.: Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information, call 956326-DOME (3663).
Photo by Jerry Larson | AP file
In this May 17 file photo, authorities investigate a shooting in the parking lot of the Twin Peaks restaurant, in Waco, Texas. Four of the nine people killed in a melee between rival biker gangs outside a Texas restaurant were struck by the same caliber of rifle fired by Waco police, according to evidence obtained by The Associated Press.
Police may have killed 4 By EMILY SCHMALL AND SETH ROBBINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT WORTH — Four of the nine people killed in a melee between rival biker gangs outside a Texas restaurant were struck by the same caliber of rifle fired by Waco police, according to evidence obtained by The Associated Press that provides the most insight yet into whether authorities were responsible for any of the deaths and injuries. The latest trove of potential grand jury evidence reviewed by the AP depicts a chaotic, bloody scene in which police swarmed into the shootout between rival biker gangs on May 17 outside the Twin Peaks restaurant that left about 20 wounded and nearly 200 people arrested. Hours of audio and footage and hundreds of documents including ballistics reports show that four of the dead and at least one of
the wounded were struck with bullets from .223-caliber rifles — the only type of weapon fired by police that day. Two of the four dead had wounds from only that kind of rifle; the other two were shot by other kinds of guns as well. The ballistics reports show that the rest of the people killed were shot by a variety of other guns. It was not clear whether any bikers had similar guns to the police that day. Among the hundreds of weapons authorities recovered from the scene were 12 long guns, which could include rifles. Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman had said in June that officers shot a total of 12 rounds using the semi-automatic setting on their .223-caliber rifles. The AP has previously reported that evidence showed some of those shots struck bikers, but didn’t indicate whether they were fatal.
Qatar military official, wife guilty of visa fraud
More than 100 animals seized from home
Girl, 13, who jumped from moving school bus dies
SAN ANTONIO — A Qatar military official training in Texas and his wife face up to 20 years in U.S. prisons for lying to get visas for two domestic workers and mistreating them. Prosecutors in San Antonio say the women from Indonesia and Bangladesh were given little food and slept on a pallet in a barren apartment. The couple pleaded guilty visa fraud.
SAN ANTONIO — More than 100 dogs, cats, ducks, pheasants and a peacock have been removed from a San Antonio home amid concerns for overcrowding. Officials with San Antonio’s Animal Care Services on Friday took custody of the various creatures, including at least one turtle. Most of the animals appear to be well-fed, but the living conditions could be hazardous.
GALVESTON — A 13-year-old girl has died of injuries suffered when she jumped from a moving Texas school bus after an argument with another student. Investigators believe the girl intentionally opened the rear emergency door and jumped. The bus was going about 55 mph Monday on I-45 when the girl jumped and suffered a head injury. She died Wednesday.
Houston-area couple has quadruplets, all well
Thieves break into about 100 home mailboxes
Police say boy, 11, finds gun, fatally shoots self
WEBSTER — A Houston-area couple has welcomed quadruplets. An official at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center in Webster said Friday that the three girls and one boy were born premature but are “progressing nicely.” Spokeswoman Rita Cunningham says Melissa Wood of League City gave birth Dec. 3.
CONROE — Police are seeking thieves who broke into about 100 residential mailboxes in Conroe. U.S. Postal Service officials believe criminals targeted the outdoor mailboxes over a two-day period. Investigators believe thieves targeted so many mailboxes, during the holidays, to look for gift cards or mail with cash as presents.
DALLAS — Dallas police say an 11-year-old boy has died after accidentally shooting himself with a gun he found while at a residence. Police on Thursday did not immediately release the child’s name or further details on why he was at the apartment. Investigators say the shooting happened Wednesday night. — Compiled from AP reports
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 Teatro Tejano de la Calle from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at La Posada Hotel, 1000 Zaragoza St. Street theatre-style history tour, $5 per person. 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).
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21 TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show their Holiday Break Special. 2 p.m.: Accidental Astronaut; 3 p.m.: Mystery of the Christmas Star; 4 p.m.: Let it Snow (Music Show). General admission is $3. For more information, call 956-326-DOME (3663).
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22 TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show their Holiday Break Special. 2 p.m.: The Little Star that Could; 3 p.m.: Season of Light; 4 p.m.: Let it Snow (Music Show). General admission is $3.
AROUND THE NATION Wintry storm dumps snow on Sierra Nevada SAN FRANCISCO — The biggest storm to hit the slopes of the Sierra Nevada this season triggered cheers Friday from the snow-starved ski resorts of Northern California and the businesses that surround them. Elsewhere in the droughtstricken state, rain and wind gusts prompted high surf warnings and repeated cautions from highway patrol to slow down when driving. The state needs all the snow and rain it can get, given four years of drought that have dried up reservoirs and left trees parched.
NJ could expand casinos beyond Atlantic City ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — New Jersey voters would be asked in November whether to approve two new casinos in the northern
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo courtesy of Northstar California Resort | AP
In this photo provided by the Northstar California Resort, skiers make their way down a run at the Northstar California Resort Thursday, in Truckee, Calif. It’s shaping up as the biggest snowstorm to hit the central Sierra in two years. part of the state under an agreement unveiled Friday by state lawmakers. The deal announced by Senate President Steve Sweeney calls for a November 2016 referendum on whether to approve two new casinos in separate northern New
Jersey counties. The ballot question would not specify locations for either casino. Tax revenue from the new casinos would go to help Atlantic City compensate from the expected loss of business. — 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
Local & State
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Dinosaur George to visit Zapata SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Zapata residents will be treated Wednesday to an appearance by Dinosaur George. The event, which takes place from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. at the Zapata County Community Center, is free and open to the public. Dinosaur George is a traveling museum designed to bring dinosaurs to communities where the local children and adults may not have an opportunity to see things as amazing as these, states a news release. This exhibit is highly educational. It is the largest traveling exhibit of its kind in North America with more than 150 individual exhibit items from around the world, such as huge skulls and bones from prehistoric creatures that once roamed the planet. Dinosaur George staff will lead viewers through an initial tour of the exhibit. The Zapata County Com-
Homes Tour set for Sunday SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
munity Center is located at 605 N. U.S. Highway 83. The event is sponsored
by Dr. B’s Pediatric Care Center, Zapata Crime Stoppers, the Zapata County
Sheriff ’s Office, Saíd Alfonso Figueroa Zapata County Attorney Youth Awareness
Program and the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce.
The Zapata County Museum of History is hosting this year’s Christmas Town & Country Homes Tour on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Visitors will tour La Hacienda De Las Flores, Torres Homes, Lozano Home and Treviño Ranch. General Admission is $7. There will be new displays and refreshments. Come by the museum, 805 N. U.S. Highway 83, for tickets and a map. There will also be a Christmas tree decorating contest. Local organizations will display themed Christmas trees at the museum. Admission is $3 for adults and $1 for children. Visitors can vote for their favorite tree.
Armed ‘patriots’ protest Muslim Americans By REESE DUNKLIN AND EMILY SCHMALL ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — They are known as “Three Percenters,” followers of a movement that has rallied against gun control efforts nationwide, patrolled the U.S. border with Mexico and recently begun confronting Muslim Americans. Followers describe themselves as armed “patriots.” But some of their leaders have been blamed for threats and vandalism against lawmakers, police and Muslims. One prominent member from Phoenix prompted an FBI alert in
November after posting an expletive-filled Facebook video saying he was headed to upstate New York with guns to challenge a Muslim group. In suburban Dallas, a protest at a mosque by armed, masked men, led by a Three Percent member, highlighted tension with the Muslim community. Also in Texas, the state has sued the federal government to halt Syrian resettlement. Police in September arrested a 14-year-old Muslim whose teachers in Irving, Texas, thought his handmade clock was a bomb. And two Muslim gunmen were shot outside a Dallas Prophet Muhammad car-
Photo by Avi Selk/The Dallas Morning News | AP
Armed demonstrators hold a protest outside the Islamic Center of Irving in the Dallas suburb of Irving. toon contest in May. The Three Percenters have expressed concerns about national security in waging anti-Muslim activ-
ities this year. It’s unclear whether they’ve also been influenced by the provocative speech of Republican presidential candidate Do-
nald Trump following the deadly Paris attacks. “We will interfere with every move they (Muslims) make towards taking over our country,” Dallas protest organizer David Wright said in response to questions the Associated Press sent to his personal Facebook page. “We are ready to fight back if they come at us violently.” Wright, who plans to protest Saturday at a different mosque, hasn’t advertised the “Three Percenters” name in his activities. But he claimed membership in comments on Facebook and told the AP he was a leader in a Texas chapter. A second Facebook profile appends the Roman numeral
“III” to his name, as do other Three Percenters, and features a black “III%” patch as a background photograph. The Three Percenters movement began in 2008, galvanized by President Barack Obama’s election, followers and researchers say. The name comes from the disputed percentage of colonials who armed themselves and fought the British during the American Revolution. The number of Three Percenters is unclear partly because anyone can ascribe to the movement. The man credited as the founder has claimed 3 million on his blog.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
YOUR OPINION
OTHER VIEWS
Sheriff concerned about proliferation of synthetic drug abuse in the community To the editor: The abuse of synthetic drugs has become a very strong issue and problem in the counties along the U.S.-Mexico Border. Zapata county has been affected by this substance, causing severe health issues. It is crucial that my office and staff remain educated and competent with the expertise and knowledge on how to detect and identify abuse of these drugs. We need to take the lead and step up in combating this problem which has become a health issue. I’m very interested in knowing the current trends involving synthetic drugs and any health issues and complications they bring. On Dec. 1, 2015, I sent my staff members to McAllen, Texas, for a continuing education course on Synthetic Drug Abuse hosted by the Hidalgo County Sheriff ’s Office and the Human Health Services. Overall, we need the community’s help with any information on those
who sell this controlled deadly substance. I continuously ask the community’s help to keep Zapata County a safe place to live. Communication between the law enforcement and the community is key to successfully fight drug abuse. My concern is the safety and security of the county. Some of these drugs are sold over the internet or certain stores (such as "herbal smoking blends"), while others are disguised as products labeled "not for human consumption" (such as "herbal incense," "plant food," "bath salts" or "jewelry cleaner") to mask their intended purpose and avoid health and safety rules. It is important to keep the community informed and updated daily. Our citizens need to be aware of what issues are uprising and threatening our children, youth and the entire community. Sincerely, Sheriff Alonso M. Lopez
COLUMN
Relishing innocence at church
EDITORIAL
By CHRISTINE M. FLOWERS
There is an obligation to reform US gun laws
This week, I spent one unseasonably warm evening at church, listening to children, kindergarteners through fourth-graders, sing Christmas songs while struggling to act as grown up as they’d been dressed up to be (never saw so many miniature bow ties in my life, and I used to teach at a boys’ school). They succeeded. At the singing part, that is, which was angelic. The grown-up part was a bit harder because the equation "7 p.m. plus late dinner plus under 10 plus grandparents snapping photos" yields lots of energy. One little boy kept bobbing his head back and forth like a metronome, to the point that I wish I’d stuck Dramamine in my handbag. (Side note: Dramamine was the only thing I didn’t have in my handbag, since I subscribe to the Monty Hall "ya got a paper clip in there?" school of organization.) Anyway, it was an incredibly beautiful show, especially the finale, where the kids invited those of us in the audience to sing along with them. The tune was my all-time favorite carol, "Do You Hear What I Hear?" And I suddenly found myself tearing up, while singing words that I’d know by heart from the age of 7. It wasn’t so much the song, even though I really feel its soaring spirit, especially the line "A child, a child, sleeping in the night/ he will bring us goodness and light/ he will bring us good-
THE WASHINGTON POST
Federal, state and local lawmakers should take note of the Supreme Court’s decision this week not to hear a challenge to a Chicago suburb’s ban on semiautomatic assault weapons. A recent series of horrific mass shootings, including one with the kind of weapon that Highland Park, Ill., has banned, underline government’s legitimate interest in regulating gun ownership to safeguard public safety. Lawmakers in Washington and state capitals should take note that they have the leeway — not to mention the obligation — to reform this country’s lax gun laws. The court announced Monday it would not review a lower-court ruling that upheld the 2013 ordinance prohibiting semiautomatic weapons and high-capacity magazines. "Weapons of choice in mass shootings" was the apt description from the opinion by a divided panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit. It noted that the Supreme Court’s landmark District of Columbia v. Heller decision upholding a constitutional right to keep arms for self-defense also allowed reasonable regulation by legislatures, including the ability to prohibit "dangerous and unusual weapons." Seven states reached similar conclusions about the need to ban these frighteningly lethal weapons, and their recent use in the terroristinspired shooting in San Bernardino, Calif., has brought renewed calls for reimposition of a national ban. These weapons are designed for war, and prohibition makes sense. But there should be no illusion that such a move, alone, would provide the solution to gun violence, of which mass shootings
and the use of assault weapons comprise just a small part. Similarly, efforts to prevent people on the no-fly list from buying weapons would do little to tackle larger issues of gun accessibility. A variety of strategies is needed, including stiffening the low standards for legal gun ownership, designing better systems to prevent those who are disqualified from circumventing barriers to gun possession and encouraging the adoption of technology to make guns safer. Instead of holding up possible policies to the impossible test of whether they could have prevented the most recent tragedy or would end all gun crime, proposals should be grounded in the research into what works and what offers the most promise for reducing homicides, suicides and accidental shootings. Laws requiring gun purchasers to obtain a license from law enforcement authorities would meet those tests. Not only has research shown the efficacy of gun permitting in reducing homicides and suicides, but gun owners are generally willing to put up with a little inconvenience if it helps foster public safety. Before passing on the Highland Park ordinance, the Supreme Court opted out of reviewing San Francisco’s law requiring handguns to be disabled or locked away when they are not being carried. It also declined to consider a challenge to a New Jersey law barring most residents from carrying guns in public. We don’t know whether, as some have speculated, the justices are having second thoughts about the Heller decision; we do know that lawmakers can and should take action to address this country’s unacceptable toll of gun violence.
PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS
ness and light." It wasn’t even the fact that this is the first Christmas I’m feeling the full impact of my mother’s death, which is now a fact that must be accepted instead of the fresh shock during last year’s yuletide. It wasn’t any panic about not having the time or disposable money to go shopping. It was this sense of gratitude that these children could distract me in their sweet, showy innocence from the meanness and the insanity of the adults. They were mostly tears of gratitude, mixed with frustration. As I wrote on my Facebook page, this pageant was like the "Silkwood Shower," cleansing me of the nuclear poison caused by Donald Trump. The past weeks have been difficult ones for people who don’t fit easily into any tidy political category. I certainly don’t. On the one hand, I hate people who take offense at the drop of a hat. It’s ridiculous to dance around the fact that the massacre in San Bernardino, Calif., was executed by a radicalized U.S. citizen and his jihadist wife. They were Muslims. On the other hand, the radiologist who fought mightily to save my father’s life three decades ago and who cried at his funeral was also Muslim. So are many people I call friends. So are some arrogant apologists at Center for American-Islamic Relations. So are the soldiers on the ground in the Middle East
fighting the Islamic State. So are most of its victims. Religion is relevant, then. But it’s not determinative. And the idea that we’re going to applaud someone who thinks you can bar an entire group of believers from the United States is frightening to me. I’m more afraid of the people at Trump rallies who think he’s an immigration and constitutional scholar, and are willing to draw barbed wire in front of a Muslim seeking admission. They parrot talking points they’ve heard on the radio and television, and lack any sense of doubt or humility. They call themselves Americans. I’d call them something else. I remember seven years ago, when Sarah Palin was being ridiculed by liberals for being stupid. It was beyond offensive, and showed that progressives like to demean the intelligence of their philosophical opponents. I vowed then that I would never do that. But I will also not ignore that some people, in order to maintain the integrity of their values, will not listen to facts. They will integrate opinion into their arguments, and convince themselves that their beliefs are objectively true. They will also report statistics from polls with which they agree, and ignore the statistics from those that run counter to their preconceptions. You will try and discuss with them, calmly, the issues. They will take offense, and respond with a certitude
that stuns, or at least cuts off the conversation. If you say you can’t exclude an entire group of people based on the way they pray to God, regardless of the deformation of their faith by others, you hear "Well Roosevelt did it with the Japanese." Actually, Roosevelt interned a lot of people, didn’t exclude them, but he also refused to accept Jewish refugees from the Holocaust, and set up camps for Italian and German Americans as well. This was not based on religion, and this was during wartime, but it is now seen as having been the singular dark mark on an otherwise admirable political life. This is not an example to bolster the righteousness of Trump’s position. And still we end up with a low threshold debate about all Muslims being potential terrorists so we have to keep them out. And the buffoon with the hairdo gets standings ovations. That’s why I had moist eyes at the Christmas concert. Those sweet, high voices were inviting me to listen to the message of grace, of welcome, a Christian message of hope. And all I could feel was gratitude that these babies weren’t yet old enough to hate the stranger more than they loved their neighbor, mixed with regret that they would have to grow up, possibly under a President Trump. Hence, the tears. Christine M. Flowers is a lawyer and columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News. Readers may send her email at cflowers1961@gmail.com.
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CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Nation
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Family of teen shot by Officer guilty of cop joins call for change raping black women By DON BABWIN
By NOMAAN MERCHANT AND SEAN MURPHY
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — The family of a black teenager shot 16 times by a white Chicago police officer joined the call Friday for change in local leadership and policing in the city and nationwide, weeks after a video of the 2014 killing set off days of protests. Laquan McDonald was shot in October 2014 by police Officer Jason Van Dyke, who is charged with firstdegree murder. Squad-car footage was released late last month upon a judge’s order, and protests have taken place almost daily since. Protesters allege a cover-up and have called for the resignation of Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez. The Rev. Marvin Hunter, who is McDonald’s great uncle, said at a news conference Friday that “what we’re feeling in Chicago is the real feeling of America itself, and that’s injustice against people of color.” He also said there are “thousands of Laquan McDonalds.” The family has stayed largely out of the spotlight since the video was released Nov. 24, but about a dozen of them stood behind Hunter. A few activists with them wore T-shirts that read “Rahm Failed Us.” One notable absence was McDonald’s mother, whom Hunter said is “hurting and traumatized by the constant reminder of the senseless death of her son.” Since the video’s release, McDonald’s death became another example in the debate over gun violence and the treatment of AfricanAmericans by the police. Protesters have turned the shooting into a rallying cry, their chants of “16 shots and a cover-up” taking its
Photo by Joshua Lott | New York Times
Demonstrators outside City Hall protest Chicago Police tactics in Chicago, Friday. place alongside the “I can’t breathe” refrain that followed the video that showed Eric Garner being taken down by a New York police officer in a fatal chokehold. The city agreed to a $5 million settlement with McDonald’s family earlier this year without a lawsuit being filed. Hunter downplayed that Friday, saying the money that really matters should come in the form of government resources to foster economic development and keep such deaths from happening. And he said he is calling for a national summit to be held in his community — one of the most dangerous in Chicago — and hoped that President Barack Obama would dispatch someone from the White House to attend. Chicago officials fought the release of the video, arguing that it could interfere with any resulting court case. Acting on a judge’s order, the city released it just hours after Alvarez announced charges against the officer. Attorneys for McDonald’s family said days ago that McDonald’s mother did not want the video made public because she was still grieving. But on Friday, one of their attorneys, Jeffrey Neslund, said the city understood that if Van Dyke was not charged that he and
attorney Michael Robbins would release the video that they had obtained as part of their legal work for the family. “The agreement says ... we would not release the video unless the officer was not criminally charged,” he said. Neslund also wondered why Alvarez, who ultimately charged Van Dyke more than a year after McDonald’s death, has been criticized while federal prosecutors have largely avoided reproach. Alvarez has defended the delay in bringing charges against Van Dyke, calling it a complex investigation. Emanuel apologized this week that the incident occurred under his administration. He fired the police chief and named a new head of the agency that investigates police conduct. But protests have continued. Hunter called on Alvarez to resign but declined to demand, as other protesters have, that Emanuel step down as well. “I hold Anita Alvarez accountable,” he said when asked about Emanuel’s role in the McDonald investigation. Hunter said McDonald was raised by his greatgrandmother and, despite a tough life, was gentle, loving and fond of telling jokes.
OKLAHOMA CITY — A “serial rapist with a badge” who faces many years in prison for raping black women on his police beat was caught because of the courage of a grandmother who refused to remain silent after he sexually assaulted her, her lawyer said Friday. “He just picked the wrong lady to stop that night,” said Jannie Ligons, whose complaint triggered the investigation that led to charges Daniel Holtzclaw victimized 13 women as an Oklahoma City Police officer. “I wanted to make sure this wouldn’t happen again, no way no how.” Holtzclaw’s conviction on charges including rape and sexual battery should send a strong message nationwide, said attorney Benjamin Crump, who plans to sue the city for civil damages. “Black women’s lives matter. It mattered just as if this were a group of 13 white women,” Crump said. Holtzclaw was found guilty on his 29th birthday Thursday of sex crimes against eight of the women, and acquitted of charges involving five other women he encountered while on night patrol. Jurors recommended 263 years, including 30-year sentences for each of four first-degree rape convictions. Ligons, a daycare worker in her 50s who was pulled over while driving home from a night with friends, said she knew she had done nothing wrong when Holtzclaw assaulted her. “He did things to me that I didn’t think a police officer would do,” said Li-
Photo by Sue Ogrocki | AP
Shardayreon Hill, center, one of the accusers of former Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw, stands with her parents. gons, flanked by her family and African-American activists outside the courthouse. “I was out there alone and helpless, didn’t know what to do.” Investigators found other victims through records of the background checks Holtzclaw had requested, corroborated their claims through the GPS locator in his squad car. He was fired and then jailed as other victims emerged. Holtzclaw’s case was examined as part of a yearlong Associated Press investigation that revealed about 1,000 officers nationwide had lost their licenses for sex crimes or other sexual misconduct over a sixyear period. The AP’s finding is undoubtedly an undercount, since not every state has a process for banning problem officers from re-entering law enforcement, and states that do vary greatly in how they report and prosecute wrongdoers. One factor stands out, however: Victims tend to be among society’s most vulnerable — juveniles, drug addicts, and women in custody or with a criminal history. Questions of race surrounded the trial. Holtzclaw is half-white, half-Japanese. All his accusers
are black. The case was heard by an all-white jury. Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said he had sought a “good cross-section of our community,” but defense attorneys had eliminated every potential black juror. Prater said he hopes people will see that his office and local law enforcement will stand up for any one, no matter their race or background. Activists outside the courthouse on Friday said they will closely watch Holtzclaw’s sentencing to make sure. The youngest victim, a 17-year-old girl, was the last to testify. She said Holtzclaw picked her up as she walked home one night in June 2014, and then walked her to the porch, where he told her he had to search her. She said he grabbed her breasts, then pulled down her pink shorts and raped her. Her DNA was found on his uniform trousers. The jury convicted Holtzclaw of first-degree rape, second-degree rape and sexual battery in the girl’s case. The AP does not identify victims of sex crimes without their consent and is not using the mother’s name, but is using Ligon’s name because she spoke publicly.
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
Ribereña en Breve EL CASCANUECES The Nutcracker (El Cascanueces) será presentado en el Auditorio de Zapata High School, 2009 State Hwy 16, el domingo 13 de diciembre a las 2 p.m. El costo del boleto es de 5 dólares. Organizado por el Departamento de Teatro de ZHS, en coordinación por Ex Alumnos de Teatro de ZHS y The Dance Studio.
RECORRIDO DE CASAS Se invita a recorrer las decoraciones en casas ubicadas en La Hacienda De Las Flores, Torres Homes, Lozano Home y Treviño Ranch el domingo 13 de diciembre, de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. La entrada tiene costo de 7 dólares. Adquiera su boleto en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata, 805 N. US Hwy 83. También se le hará entrega de un mapa. Informes en el (956) 7658983.
ENTREGA DE CARTILLA GUERRERO, México— El sábado 12 y el domingo 13 de diciembre, se realizará la entrega de Cartilla Militar en las instalaciones de la presidencia municipal. Se requiere que los interesados lleguen en punto de las 8 a.m. y lleven su media cartilla.
SÁBADO 12 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2015
JUICIO FRANCISCO COLORADO CESSA
Veredicto: Culpable POR JASON BUCH SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
AUSTIN — Un jurado requirió menos de dos horas el jueves para encontrar culpable al empresario Francisco Colorado Cessa, por el cargo de conspiración por lavado de dinero para el cártel de drogas de Los Zetas. Tras ocho días de testimonios, el jurado escuchó a varios narcotraficantes y operadores del cártel que dijeron que Los Zetas confiaron en gente como Colorado para convertir el dinero sucio en fondos que podrían utilizar libremente. Fiscales expusieron que por esa razón el gobierno de EU fue tras Colorado, quien no participó directamente con el narcotráfico.
“Los empresarios son un conducto para estos sujetos”, dijo el Fiscal Asistente de EU, Douglas Gardner, después de la lectura del veredicto. “Creo que también es importante enfocarnos en cómo lavan dinero en Estados Unidos”. Colorado podría enfrentar una sentencia de hasta 20 años en prisión. Su condena le será dictada en una fecha posterior. De acuerdo con el testimonio, Colorado conoció a un integrante fundador de Los Zetas durante carreras de caballos en su estado natal, y finalmente trabajó de cerca con Miguel Treviño Morales, el líder del cártel que se encuentra prisionero en México. Treviño tenía un esque-
COLORADO
ma para lavar decenas de millones de dólares a través de una operación de cría de caballos y carreras de caballos en Estados Unidos, operada por su hermano mayor, José, y necesitaba de testaferros en este país para pagar
por los caballos en las subastas. Los fiscales mostraron que Colorado compró caballos los que finalmente terminaron en posesión de José Treviño. Durante sus argumentos finales, Chris Flood, abogado de la defensa, dijo que Colorado tuvo pocas opciones en la materia. Durante esta semana y la pasada, el jurado escuchó a testigos que describieron cómo Los Zetas usaron a empresarios legítimos en México para lavar dinero generado por la corporación multimillonaria de la droga. Alejandro Barradas, un agente aduanal de Veracruz, estado natal de Colorado, fue abatido cuando no cooperó con Los Zetas, de acuerdo con el testimonio.
Ramiro Villarreal, quien un tiempo compró caballos para Los Zetas en el país, fue golpeado letalmente cuando líderes del cártel sospecharon que estaba cooperando con el gobierno de EU. El miércoles, Alfonso Del Rayo, un magnate de las bienes raíces en Veracruz, declaró que fue secuestrado y forzado a tomar un vuelo a la ciudad de Oklahoma para comprar caballos para el cártel. “Pancho Colorado no acordó con nadie cometer lavado de dinero”, dijo Flood. “Él compró los caballos para Los Zetas con su propio dinero. La alternativa era que (Colorado) corriera la misma suerte de Ramiro Villarreal, Alejandro Barradas”.
DIÓCESIS DE LAREDO
TEXAS
MISERICORDIA
Trasladan niños solos a albergues LA VOZ DE HOUSTON
CARRERA 5K MIGUEL ALEMÁN— La ciudad de Miguel Alemán, México, invita a la población a participar en la carrera y caminata 5K “Regala una Sonrisa”. El evento tendrá lugar el domingo 13 de diciembre, y dará inicio frente al palacio municipal, a las 8 a.m. Continuará por el boulevard Miguel Alemán hasta el libramiento Eulogio Gómez y retornará por la misma vía hasta el palacio municipal. Los interesados podrán inscribirse en las oficinas de la dirección municipal del deporte en el auditorio municipal o el mismo día del evento antes de la carrera. Los participantes deberán llevar un regalo como aportación al evento. Los participantes recibirán gratis una camiseta conmemorativa del evento.
DINOSAUR GEORGE El miércoles 16 de diciembre, se presentará la exhibición “Dinosaur George, Traveling Museum Exhibit”, en el Centro Comunitario del Condado de Zapata, ubicado en 605 de N. U.S. Hwy. El evento, que es gratuito para estudiantes, escuelas y público en general, está programado de 8 a.m. a 6:30 p.m.
Foto de cortesía | Diócesis de Laredo
El Obispo de la Diócesis de Laredo, James A. Tamayo, abre las puertas de la Catedral de San Agustín en Laredo, para celebrar el Jubileo Extraordinario del Año Santo de la Misericordia, que concluirá hasta el 20 de noviembre del 2016. En palabras del Papa Francisco, el Año Santo de la Misericordia “nos recuerda que Dios nos espera con los brazos abiertos, similar a como el padre espera al hijo prodigo”.
CONDADO STARR
Peña recibe cargos por robo POR AARON NELSEN SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
BAILE DE NAVIDAD El grupo Costumbre se presentará en el Baile de Navidad de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas. El baile tendrá lugar el viernes 25 de diciembre, a las 9 p.m. en el Centro Cívico de la Ciudad.
SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA La Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander informa que la próxima reunión será el sábado 9 de enero del 2016 a las 2 p.m. en 805 N Main St/ US Hwy 83.
FERIA DEL CONDADO DE ZAPATA La Feria del Condado de Zapata elegirá a sus representantes de belleza a inicios del 2016. El Certámen de Belleza para Jr. Royalty se celebrará el 7 de febrero; en tanto que el Concurso para Reinas de la Feria del Condado de Zapata se celebrará el 28 de febrero. Ambos eventos se realizarán a las 2 p.m. en el Auditorio de Zapata High School.
El miércoles, María Del Carmen Peña, asesora de impuestos del condado de Starr, y otros seis empleados del condado fueron arrestados y acusados por robo en relación con una investigación que, a decir de autoridades estatales y federales, reveló la dependencia sufrió el robo de más de 700.000 dólares.
Los arrestos fueron anunciados por la Oficina del Fiscal del Distrito Judicial 229. Los cargos inPEÑA cluyen falsificación de registros gubernamentales, robo por un servidor público, falsificación y actividad criminal organizada. Oficiales agregaron que
otras personas fueron acusadas formalmente en relación con la investigación. La investigación fue realizada por varias agencias policiacas, incluyendo la División de Investigaciones Criminales del Departamento de Seguridad Pública, que encavezó la investigación, Texas Rangers, la Fuerza de Trabajo para Corrupción Pública del FBI e Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional, entre otras.
El jueves, autoridades estadounidenses empezaron trasladar a albergues del norte de Texas a casi 1.000 menores indocumentados provenientes en su mayoría de Centroamérica y que recién habían cruzado la frontera con México. La acción es en respuesta al fuerte incremento vivido en las últimas semanas con la llegada de menores no acompañados. Tal ha sido la cantidad que los albergues de la frontera sur de Texas no son capaces de absorber (la responsabilidad). Entre octubre y noviembre, cruzaron la frontera casi 10.595 menores no acompañados, más del doble que en 2014, cuando fueron 5.129, según datos de la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza (CBP). Los menores, de entre 12 y 17 años de edad, llegarán a dos albergues pertenecientes a organizaciones religiosas en los condados de Ellis y Rockwall, cercanos a Dallas. Los funcionarios en ambos condados aseguraron que el traslado les fue “impuesto” por las autoridades federales. “La gente puede estar muy preocupada por la seguridad. Estos niños han cruzado ilegalmente la frontera, de algún modo han tenido la capacidad y la astucia para cruzar de Guatemala a México”, dijo Paul Perry, comisionado para el Condado de Ellis. Por su parte, el juez del condado de Rockwall, David Sweet, dijo que se están encargando de la situación de sus ciudadanos. “Somos conscientes de la situación difícil que viven estas personas pero nuestra prioridad, obviamente, es la seguridad de todos los residentes del condado”. Los menores permanecerán en estos centros por un máximo de tres semanas a la espera de que familiares que ya viven en Estados Unidos los acojan o, en caso contrario, de ser deportados a sus países de origen. En tanto, autoridades informaron que se abrirá un tercer albergue en California antes de que finalice el año. El fundador del albergue del condado de Rockwall, Ed Walker, respondió a los comentarios escépticos de las autoridades locales. “Estos niños… ya están aquí y tenemos que encargarnos. Estamos preparados para ayudar y contentos de hacerlo”, expresó Walker. En un comunicado, el Departamento de Salud de Estados Unidos afirmó que “aumentar la capacidad de albergue de menores no acompañados” es “una medida prudente para que BP siga con su misión”.
HISTORIA
Un tamaulipeco gobernó en Cataluña Nota del Editor: Esta es la primera de dos partes acerca de la vida de Bartolomé Robert y Yarzábal.
POR RAÚL SINENCIO CHÁVEZ ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Bartolomé Robert y Yarzábal nació en Tampico, México, el jueves 20 de octubre de 1842. Sus padres fueron Teodora Yarzábal, de San Sebastián, España, y Francisco Robert, de Campeche, quienes habían contraído matrimonio en
1841. Médico al igual que el abuelo paterno de nuestro biografiado, Francisco Robert llegó a Tampico en 1837 para ejercer de galeno. Francisco Robert era cirujano y dirigió el Hospital Militar en 1844 y el Hospital Civil en 1845. Presta respaldo entretanto a la Beneficencia Española. Desempeñaba funciones de síndico municipal cuando en 1842 visitan Tampico madame Calderón de la
Barca y su marido Ángel Calderón de la Barca, diplomático hispano. Ello vuelve probable la entrevista de los tres en aquella oportunidad. El lunes 18 de mayo de 1846, Francisco Robert certifica el acta bautismal del pequeño vástago, llevándoselo a Sitges, España. Los acompañaría Josefa, hermana de Bartolomé. El infante tamaulipeco inicia sus estudios allá. Gradúa en 1867 con el título de médico, de la Universidad de
Barcelona, a los 26 años de edad. Practicante de esta profesión, atiende enfermos, imparte cátedras, produce obras especializadas, dicta conferencias y preside distintas academias del rubro. Imposible resumir en breves líneas su trayectoria profesional. Recibe medalla del cabildo barcelonés por auxilios prestados ante epidemias de fiebre amarilla y cólera asiático en 1870 y 1885, respectivamente. Es electo alcalde de Bar-
celona en 1899, tiempo en el que depura el padrón electoral. Renuncia al no desear obedecer órdenes para que realice embargos en perjuicio de gente descontenta con las onerosas contribuciones hacendarias. Empero, en 1901, su tierra adoptiva lo elige a la cámara baja del congreso nacional. (Con permiso del autor según fuera publicado en La Razón de Tampico, México, el 27 de noviembre del 2015)
Nation
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
Federal shutdown avoided By ALAN FRAM ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Avoiding the high drama of recent year-end budget fights, President Barack Obama signed legislation Friday keeping government agencies open into next week, giving White House and congressional bargainers more time to complete sweeping deals on taxes and federal spending. Facing a midnight deadline, Obama signed the measure keeping government afloat through Wednesday just hours after the House used a voice vote to send it to him. The Senate approved the bill a day earlier, its easy sojourn through Congress underscoring that neither party saw reason to risk a government shutdown battle. Talks were likely to stretch at least into the weekend over the environment, Syrian refugees, guns and dozens of other disputes sprinkled across two major bills. One would provide $1.1 trillion to finance government for 2016; the other would renew around 50 expiring tax cuts for businesses and individuals that, with additions, could swell to a 10-year price tag of $700 billion or more. Disagreements remained but show-stopping, partisan quarrels were already resolved, lowering the decibel level of this year’s budget endgame. The overall $1.1 trillion spending total was previously cemented in place, leaving only spending details to finalize, and Republicans decided to avoid shutdown brinkmanship with Obama by omitting provisions dismantling his 2010 health care law and halting Planned Parenthood’s money. GOP lawmakers also attributed the lessened intensity to new Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., who replaced the ousted John Boehner, R-Ohio, this fall. They said they needed to finish this
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Woman on $10 bill still up in the air By MARTIN CRUTSINGER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by J. Scott Applewhite | AP
Members of the House of Representatives leave Capitol Hill in Washington, Friday, after a voice vote to approve a short-term spending bill to keep the government open and avoid a crisis. year’s work and focus on passing election-year bills in 2016 highlighting GOP priorities on taxes and health care. “There’s a honeymoon period in here,” conservative Rep. Ted Yoho, R-Fla., said of Ryan’s recent ascension to the top House job. “And I think Paul’s articulated very well where we want to go.” Leaders were hoping Congress would adjourn for the year next week after approving the two measures. Republicans wanted to insert language into the bills ending the four-decade ban on U.S. oil exports and curbing Syrian refugees from entering the U.S., a response to last month’s deadly attacks in Paris. They also wanted to roll back legal curbs on the financial industry, prevent Obama from easing ties with Cuba and block his efforts to fight air and water pollution. Yet though Republicans dominate Congress, the aversion of many GOP lawmakers to spending bills meant Democratic votes would be needed to pass the sweeping $1.1 trillion package. Seeking to use leverage, House Minority Leader
Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was threatening to withhold Democratic support unless Republicans agreed to annual inflation increases to a tax credit for children. “Lifting the ban on oil (exports) and all of the money that means for the oil industry” without boosting the children’s tax credit is “too big, it’s unfair and it does not have the support of House Democrats,” Pelosi told reporters. Pelosi was also seeking more money for renewable energy and an end to curbs on federal research into gun violence, an issue given life by last week’s mass shooting in San Bernardino, California. No. 2 House Democratic leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland indicated on CSPAN’s “Newsmakers” that Democrats could be open to bargaining on oil exports and gun violence research. But he expressed opposition to an effort by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., to lift campaign spending limits by party committees for candidates for federal office, saying, “I don’t want to say we can live with it.” It was unclear if lawmakers would pull off a major tax bill with permanent ex-
tensions benefiting both sides or opt for a two-year extension of existing tax breaks. Republicans wanted business tax reductions for research and development and for equipment purchases to be made permanent. For their part, Democrats were seeking permanence for Obama-passed increases in tax credits for low-earning households, families with children and college students. In another fight, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy and other California Republicans blamed Sen. Dianne Feinstein, DCalif., for blocking a provision aimed at bringing more water to the state’s farm belt amid a severe drought. At a news conference, the Republicans said Feinstein abandoned a deal in which GOP lawmakers had conceded to Democratic demands, including protection of endangered species. Feinstein said the language likely would have violated environmental law. “I expect that by early next week we’ll have a bill that the state and federal government can sign off on,” Feinstein said in a statement.
WASHINGTON — The country will have to wait a bit longer to find out who will become the first woman on U.S. paper currency in more than a century. Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew had said he would announce a decision by the end of this year naming the woman who will replace Alexander Hamilton’s portrait on the $10 bill. But late Friday, Treasury issued a statement saying the announcement was being delayed until sometime in 2016. Treasury said the delay will give the government time to “carefully review and consider a range of options” in response to an outpouring of suggestions from the public over the past six months. Lew set off a furor in June when he announced he was replacing Hamilton’s portrait on the $10 bill with a woman. Treasury has gotten more than 1.5 million responses commenting on the change, everything from tweets to handwritten notes. Treasury has not revealed who might be in the running to be placed on the $10 bill. Lew has said suggestions from the public have covered a wide range of women who have played important roles in American history going back to the founding of the country and ranging through the Civil War and up to the modern era. Treasury has asked the public to comment not only about who should go on the $10 billion but also to
suggest the best way to use the currency redesign to depict the theme of democracy. Lew has stressed that the redesign is about more than just the one square inch of Hamilton’s portrait. Hamilton supporters, including former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, have urged Lew to reverse his decision to replace the portrait of the nation’s first Treasury secretary on the $10 bill. Lew has said that Hamilton will still be honored on the $10 bill but he has not specified how that commitment will be carried out once Hamilton’s portrait is replaced. The Treasury statement did not specify how long the announcement could be delayed, only that it would come “in the new year.” “As a result of the tremendous amount of engagement, we have many more ideas than we had originally anticipated,” the statement said. “Therefore, we are taking additional time to carefully review and consider a range of options to honor the theme of democracy as well as the notable contributions women have made in our country.” While the $10 bill is the first that will be redesigned, Treasury has plans to redesign the other currency denominations in coming years as part of an effort to protect against counterfeiters. Treasury has a goal of completing the redesign of the $10 bill by 2020, the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote.
International
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Fifteen killed in Burundi By ELOGE WILY KANEZA ASSOCIATED PRESS
BUJUMBURA, Burundi — In coordinated attacks, gunmen stormed three military installations in Burundi before dawn Friday. At least 15 people were killed as gunfire and explosions rocked the African capital of Bujumbura, marking a steep escalation of a simmering conflict. Around 4 a.m., the unidentified attackers wearing civilian clothing hit two military installations in the capital and one in the countryside. Terrified civilians in Bujumbura stayed in their homes as stray rounds hit some of them. The sounds of battle continued into the afternoon, residents said. Military and police vehicles were the only ones on the deserted streets and roadblocks were set up. “A stray bullet hit the wall of my neighbor’s house. We do not know what’s going on in the streets. We are living in fear,” said Claire Biguda, a resident of the city’s Nyakabiga neighborhood, who was locked up in her house along with her husband and two children. Taxi driver Emery Sahabo said, facing roadblocks and gunfire early Friday, he and other motorists abandoned their cars and ran home. Burundian officials have previously accused neighboring Rwanda of supporting an insurgency against President Pierre Nkurunziza. There was no immediate comment from Rwanda. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the attacks.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
Clash of dueling climate realities By SETH BORENSTEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
LE BOURGET, France — Two sets of reality are clashing as climate talks go into overtime: Diplomatic real politics and hard science. Top experts say that while a goal of limiting warming in a new draft climate agreement is laudable, the rest of the proposed pact doesn’t provide the tools to achieve it — and in some ways, it even goes backward. “There’s an absolutely huge disconnect between the negotiations and the political rhetoric, and what’s very clearly coming out of the science,” Kevin Anderson, deputy director of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Research in Britain, said Friday as the high-stakes climate talks dragged into an extra day.
The latest draft of a proposed international climate agreement lists a goal of “holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels” and urges efforts to limit it even further, to 1.5 degrees Celsius. This even as Earth has already warmed nearly 1 degree Celsius (1.8 degrees Fahrenheit) since the mid-18th century. Dana Fisher, director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of Maryland, said she sees “a couple of dueling realities,” including one she calls a “kumbaya moment” where everybody talks about the importance of a 1.5-degree cap on global temperature increase but no one does anything to implement it.
Photo by Francois Mori | AP
The slogan "DECARBONIZE" is projected on the Eiffel Tower as part of the COP21, United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris, France, Friday. And because the Paris draft removes discussion of carbon dioxide emissions from shipping and air travel, Anderson said he considers the Paris proposal even weaker than the one that came out of Copenhagen in 2009. “It is not consistent with science, which the Copenhagen accord had directly
written into it,” Anderson told The Associated Press. And the current language for poor people in developing nations like Africa and Asia, “is somewhere between dangerous and deadly,” Anderson added. The negotiations also don’t take into account what emissions cuts are needed to limit warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celsius, said Hans Joachim Schellnhuber, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Research in Germany. “The politics simply leave it out of the equation.” Andrew Jones, co-director of Climate Interactive who runs computer simulations of what individual nations’ emissions promises mean in terms of temperature, said current pledges will amount to another couple degrees Celsi-
us warming from now, blowing right past the goal of keeping warming to less than 2 degrees above preindustrial levels. And making the goal a more stringent 1.5 instead of 2 degrees without reducing emissions just doesn’t cut it, he said. “It’s kind of like this: My friends and I have committed to losing 300 pounds but are failing so far,” Jones said. “Instead of eating less and exercising more, I propose that we lose 350.” At a news conference, Anderson and colleagues went through the draft agreement — which still is being modified and negotiated — and said it isn’t near to getting close to the goal. They especially criticized vague language that talks of “greenhouse gas emissions neutrality” without really defining it.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
MEZCAL Continued from Page 1A with Texas its second largest market. Restaurants including Dallas’ Madrina, Plano’s Mexican Sugar and even TBD Kitchen in suburban Castle Hills, along with early adopters like Austin’s Bar Ilegal, The Pastry War in Houston and San Antonio’s Esquire Tavern, stock broad selections of agave spirits to be sipped straight or used in cocktails. Like Kvetko and others, consumers are learning that range means more than tequila or even mezcal; there’s raicilla and bacanora, both also made from agave, and sotol, a milder spirit produced from the desert spoon plant in northern Mexico. Their availability is a result of the craft-cocktail renaissance that has swept the country in the last 15plus years, creating a subculture of bartenders, industry professionals and consumers that, like the “foodie” culture with which it overlaps, favors freshness, quality, vintage recipes and exclusive or exotic ingre-
dients. New spirits, liqueurs and other mixers have risen to meet the demand. Others have found audiences as imbibers seek authenticity and new flavor experiences — like the agave-based spirits Kvetko covets, many made by artisan producers using generations-old methods. “It makes sense, because never have we cared more about what we put into our bodies than we do now,” said Judah Kuper, owner of Oaxaca-based Vago Mezcal. “Wanting to know who made it, who’s the farmer, were there chemicals used in the process, where did it come from ... People are looking for truth in anything these days. And mezcal doesn’t have to put on a different hat to be that — it is that, it is artisanal. It’s just agave and water, nothing else.” The trend is in turn affecting Mexico as cocktail culture blossoms abroad, with tequila and mezcal earning newfound respect in trendy Mexico City and Guadalajara bars.
But the booming demand has come with a price: Agave — a hearty plant whose varieties require five to 35 years to reach maturity — is a limited resource, and advocates warn that overharvesting and largescale production not only threaten agave supplies but also small producers and the traditional methods on which they’ve built livelihoods. In response, Texas bartenders are among members of a group promoting sustainable agave production and the preservation of artisan culture. It’s those small-batch origins that have made Kvetko, a husky and affable Oak Cliff resident, passionate about his agave spirits. He’s been to Oaxaca and brought back bottles of mezcal cushioned in diapers purchased for the task. The spirits are served alongside orange wedges and sal de gusano, or “worm salt,” a mix of sea salt, chile and the ground remains of roasted moth larvae that feed on the agave plant.
TRUMP Continued from Page 1A of Republican voters. TRUMP TOPS ON ELECTABILITY Republicans were more likely to see Trump as a potential general election winner than to say that about any other candidate. Three-quarters thought he could win in November if nominated. Rubio (63 percent), Carson (60 percent) and Cruz (55 percent) were also seen as general election winners by more than half of Republicans. Trump isn’t without weaknesses. Although 58 percent of Republican registered voters rated him favorably, the 38 percent who gave him an unfavorable rating were among the highest for the GOP field. But Republican voters also don’t think Trump is getting a fair shake from the media. Two-thirds say media coverage is generally biased against him, more than say so of the other top candidates. CLINTON TOPS SANDERS FOR DEMS On the Democratic side, former Secretary of State
Hillary Clinton was viewed favorably by 80 percent of Democratic registered voters and unfavorably by just 14 percent. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders was viewed favorably by 54 percent of Democratic voters and unfavorably by 21 percent, with 24 percent saying they still don’t know enough about him. Clinton was viewed as decisive and competent by more than three-quarters of Democratic voters, and as compassionate and likable by two-thirds, topping Sanders on those measures. About 6 in 10 called each of the top two Democratic candidates honest. Nine in 10 said Clinton could win a general election, while just over half said of Sanders. LOOKING FORWARD Regardless of who wins the nominations, candidates will have a long way to go to win a favorable opinion from a majority of voters. No candidate was viewed more positively than negatively among
Americans as a whole. Trump received negative ratings from nearly 6 in 10, and Bush was viewed unfavorably by half. Americans were divided in their views of Democrats Clinton (44 percent favorable to 46 percent unfavorable) and Sanders (31 percent favorable to 32 percent unfavorable). They were also fairly closely divided on Republicans Rubio (30 percent favorable to 33 percent unfavorable) and Carson (32 percent favorable to 36 percent unfavorable). Cruz was viewed more unfavorably than favorably, 37 percent to 24 percent. But Clinton stood out from the field as the candidate viewed as most able to win a general election, with 78 percent thinking she could win if nominated. Trump came in second, with 55 percent thinking of him as a possible general election winner. No other candidate was seen as able to win a general election by more than 45 percent of all Americans.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
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DuPont, Dow Chemical seek merger By RANDALL CHASE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DOVER, Del. — Dow Chemical and DuPont are merging to form a company valued at about $130 billion as they try to counter falling commodities prices and weakness in some key markets that have pressured their giant agriculture and chemicals businesses. The two companies, whose research has brought the world products ranging from Ziploc bags and Saran wrap developed by Dow to DuPont’s Teflon coatings and Nylon and Kevlar fibers, will first form DowDuPont, then separate into three independent publicly traded companies focused on agriculture, material science and specialty products. The proposed merger, announced Friday, would temporarily create the world’s second-largest chemical company, behind BASF. It comes as both Dow and DuPont Co. have seen recent declines in agricultural performance and been pressured by activist shareholders to control spending and shift away from commodities to faster-growing parts of their businesses. “Overall, this transaction represents a tectonic shift in an industry that has been evolving over the last many years,” said Dow chairman and CEO Andrew Liveris, calling the merger a seminal event for employees and customers of the two companies, which have a
combined workforce of more than 110,000 people. DuPont chairman and CEO Edward Breen said the “industrial logic” behind the deal was compelling. “When I look at DuPont and Dow, I see businesses that fit together like hand and glove,” Breen said. DuPont shares fell 5.4 percent to $70.56 in midday trading. Dow Chemical shares were down 3 percent at $53.27. Breen took over as DuPont CEO following the abrupt resignation in October of Ellen Kullman, who just a few months earlier fended off a proxy challenge by Trian Fund Management, a hedge fund led by activist investor Nelson Peltz. Peltz has called for DuPont’s agriculture, nutrition and health and industrial biosciences units to be combined into a single growth company, separate from the more cyclical businesses of performance materials, safety and protection, and electronics and communication. Similarly, Dow has been pressured by hedge fund Third Point LLC, led by activist investor Dan Loeb, to split its specialty chemical and petrochemical businesses. Dow avoided a proxy fight last year by adding four independent directors, giving board seats to two Loeb nominees. “Both Dow and DuPont had activist shareholders who had sought breakups of these companies, so ulti-
Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
This Thursday photo shows a Dow Chemical plant in La Porte, Texas. Dow Chemical and the DuPont will attempt to merge. mately the visions of these activists are being realized,” said James Sheehan, an analyst for SunTrust Robinson Humphrey. Sheehan said the deal also could spark other mergers in the ag-chemical industry. Earlier this year, Missouri-based Monsanto, the world’s largest seed company, abandoned a $46.5 billion hostile bid for Swiss pesticide giant Syngenta. Last month, Syngenta rejected a $42 billion offer from state-owned China National Chemical Corp. Michael Ritzenthaler, an analyst for Piper Jaffray, said he expects Monsanto to renew its bid for Syngenta. Other big players who could figure in deals include Germany’s BASF and Bayer AG. Liveris will be named executive chairman of the combined company, while Breen will be CEO. The company will have dual headquarters in Midland,
Michigan, and Wilmington, Delaware, where they are currently based. Advisory committees led by Breen and Liveris will be established for each of the spinoff companies. The deal, which the companies expect to close in the second half of 2016, is sure to be scrutinized by antitrust regulators. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said in a statement that the proposed merger “demands serious scrutiny.” “I’ll be listening to Iowa farmers and consumers about any concerns they may have with this proposal, and the Judiciary Committee will be exercising its appropriate oversight function,” Grassley said. But Breen said that while consolidation in the agricultural industry is a “natural step,” any ag-related divestitures are likely to be minimal.
“These are highly complementary businesses.... We don’t see much real significant overlap here, which is pretty incredible,” he said, adding that the combined ag business would be balanced between seeds and crop protection. One motive for the merger is to cut costs. The companies said the deal should cut annual expenses by $3 billion. In addition, the companies announced separate restructuring steps. DuPont announced a plan that is expected to reduce costs by $700 million in 2016 compared to this year. Employee and contractor layoffs will affect about 10 percent of the company’s workforce. DuPont expects to record a pretax charge of about $780 million, with approximately $650 million of employee separation costs. “The state is committed to supporting those affected by DuPont’s cost cutting in Delaware,” said Delaware Gov. Jack Markell. Dow, meanwhile, said it is taking full ownership of Dow Corning, currently a 50-50 joint venture between Dow and Corning. Dow said the move is expected to generate more than $1 billion in additional adjusted earnings and increase its product offerings in the building and construction, consumer care, and automotive markets. Under the terms of the merger, Dow shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of one share of
DowDuPont for each Dow share, and DuPont shareholders will receive a fixed exchange ratio of 1.282 shares in DowDuPont for each DuPont share. Dow and DuPont shareholders will own about 50 percent, respectively, of the combined company. The proposed agriculture business would unite DuPont’s and Dow’s seed and crop protection businesses, which had combined pro forma 2014 revenue of about $19 billion. The material science company would combine DuPont’s performance materials segment with Dow’s performance plastics, performance materials and chemicals, infrastructure solutions, and consumer solutions units, excluding its electronic materials business. Combined pro forma 2014 revenue for material science was about $51 billion. The specialty products company would combine DuPont’s nutrition and health, industrial biosciences, safety and protection, and electronics and communications segments with Dow’s electronic materials business. Combined pro forma 2014 revenue for specialty products was approximately $13 billion. The new company’s board will have 16 directors, consisting of eight current DuPont directors and eight current Dow directors, and two independent co-lead directors.
Stock market losses widespread after oil rout By BERNARD CONDON ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — A slump in oil prices sparked a global sell-off in financial markets on Friday with losses spreading from Asia to Europe to the U.S., where stocks fell sharply to cap their worst week since the summer. The selling was broad, with all 10 sectors of the Standard and Poor’s 500 index ending down. Fearful investors put their money in government bonds, especially U.S. Treasurys. Another measure of anxiety, the so-called Vix index, jumped. It is now up 70 percent in just five days. Investors worry the sharp fall in the price of oil and other commodities is a sign of weakness in the global economy, especially China, and that will cut into profits at big energy producers and suppliers of raw materials as well as other companies. “We’re stockpiling commodities and demand is not picking up,” said Tim Courtney, chief investment
officer of Exencial Wealth Advisors. “It’s kind of a depressing market.” Energy shares, already decimated this year, fell 3.4 percent on Friday. Southwestern Energy plunged 14 percent. Freeport McMoRan, a mining giant, dropped 6 percent. The trouble began with a report from the International Energy Agency that said the oversupply in oil would persist until late next year even as demand continues to weaken. Benchmark U.S. crude plunged $1.14, or 3 percent, to close at $35.62 a barrel in New York. It has been falling for 11⁄2 years and is now at its lowest level since early 2009. By the end of the day, the S&P 500 index had lost 39.86 points, or 1.9 percent, to 2,012.37. It was down 3.8 percent for the week, its worst showing since August. The Dow Jones industrial average lost 309.54 points, or 1.8 percent, to 17,265.21. The Nasdaq composite declined 111.71 points, or 2.2 percent, to 4,933.47. In Europe, Germany’s DAX lost 2.4 percent, Bri-
Photo by Richard Drew | AP
Specialist Meric Greenbaum works at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Friday. tain’s FTSE 100 dropped 2.2 percent and France’s CAC 40 shed 1.8 percent. Investors were also rattled by trouble in a risky corner of the credit markets where bonds from heavily indebted companies are traded. Their prices have fallen sharply as investors fear the companies that issued the bonds might default. A fund that tracks the bonds, the iShares iBoxx USD High Yield Corporate Bond ETF, has dropped nearly 4 percent in five days. Investors are also focused on a Federal Reserve meet-
ing next week where the central bank is widely expected to announce an increase in its benchmark interest rate from a record low. Recent economic reports indicate that the U.S. economy is healthy enough to withstand a rate hike, but investors are still nervous because it would be the first rate rise in nearly a decade. “It’s anticipation of the Fed, it’s oil, it’s credit ... all of these factors are putting fear and confusion into the investor,” said Jonathan D. Corpina, senior managing
partner at Meridian Equity Partners. In a sign of trouble among commodity producers, Dow Chemical and DuPont on Friday announced a $130 billion deal to merge their businesses to counter falling prices. Their stocks had risen in previous days on reports the deal was forthcoming, but fell sharply on Friday. Dow Chemical dropped $1.54, or nearly 3 percent, to $53.37. DuPont lost $4.11, or 5.5 percent, to $70.44. In Asia, Japan’s Nikkei 225 index climbed 1 percent, but most other major indexes fell. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng dropped 1.1 percent and mainland China’s Shanghai Composite lost 0.6 percent. Among stocks making big moves: Software maker Adobe Systems rose $2.46, or 2.8 percent, to $91.42 after reporting earnings in its latest quarter that exceeded analysts’ expectations. The stock is up 26 percent since the start of the year. Corning rose 99 cents, or 5.6 percent, to $18.68 after
the company said it will give up its stake in Dow Corning, a joint venture with Dow Chemical. Instead it will invest in a semiconductor business that is owned by Dow Corning. U.S. government bond prices rose sharply. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.12 percent from 2.23 percent late Thursday, a big move. The dollar fell to 120.79 yen from 121.64 yen. The euro strengthened to $1.0995 from $1.0939. Precious and industrial metals futures closed mixed. Gold edged up $3.70 to $1,075.70 an ounce, silver fell 23 cents to $13.88 an ounce and copper rose four cents to $2.12 a pound. In other energy futures market, Brent crude, the international oil benchmark, fell $1.80, or 4.5 percent, to $37.93 a barrel in London. In New York, heating oil plunged eight cents, or 6.5 percent, to $1.146 a gallon, wholesale gasoline was little changed at $1.282 a gallon, and natural gas lost 2.5 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $1.99 per 1,000 cubic feet.
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
MALENA AGUIRRE
ZETAS Continued from Page 1A
Aug. 28, 1948 – Dec. 7, 2015 Malena Aguirre, 67, passed away on Monday, Dec. 7, 2015 at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas. Ms. Aguirre is preceded in death by her husband, Guadalupe Gonzalez and a son, Benito Alvarez-Aguirre. Ms. Aguirre is survived by her sons, Guadalupe Gonzalez Jr., Octavio Gonzalez; daughters, Amalia G. Lozano, Lourdes (Luis A.) Garcia; 22 grandchildren; and by numerous greatgrandchildren, greatgreat-grandchildren, nephews, nieces, other family members and friends. Visitation hours were held on Friday, Dec. 11, 2015, at 9 a.m. with a chapel service at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. Committal services followed at Martinez Cemetery in San Ygnacio, Texas. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral
ño’s possession. Defense attorney Chris Flood said during closing arguments that Colorado had little choice in the matter. Jurors this week and last heard from witnesses who described how the Zetas used legitimate businessmen in Mexico to launder the money generated
by their multi-million-dollar drug enterprise. Alejandro Barradas, a customs broker from Colorado’s home state of Veracruz, was killed when he didn’t cooperate with the Zetas, according to the testimony. Ramiro Villarreal, for a time the Zetas’ horse buyer
in this country, was beaten to death when cartel leaders suspected he was cooperating with the U.S. government. Alfonso Del Rayo, a real estate mogul from the same state, testified Wednesday that he was kidnapped and forced to fly to Oklahoma City to buy horses for the
gang. “Pancho Colorado did not agree with anyone to commit money laundering,” Flood said. “He bought the horses for the Zetas with his own money. The alternative was to share the fate of Ramiro Villarreal, Alejandro Barradas.”
OIL Continued from Page 1A Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, Funeral Director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.
for January delivery slipped $1.14, or 3.1 percent, to close at $35.62 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract dropped 11 percent this week, the biggest weekly decline in a year. It was the lowest settlement since Feb. 18, 2009. The U.S. benchmark crude closed at a $2.31 discount to Brent. Energy companies led declines on the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index. Southwestern Energy Co., an oil and natural gas producer, dropped as much as 17 percent, making it the worst
performer on the S&P 500 Friday. OPEC is displaying hardened resolve to maintain sales volumes even as prices fall in an oversupplied market, the IEA said Friday in its monthly report. While its policy is hitting rivals, triggering the steepest drop in non-OPEC supply since 1992, world oil inventories will likely swell further once Iran restores exports on the completion of a deal to lift sanctions, it said. "The level of output out of OPEC is spectacular,"
Kilduff said. "There’s no end in sight for the global glut."
Spending Cuts ConocoPhillips will reduce capital spending by 25 percent next year to protect the highest dividend yield among major U.S. producers, the Houston-based company said Thursday. Its plan to cut spending to $7.7 billion comes a day after Chevron Corp. disclosed a 2016 budget 24 percent smaller than this year’s.
Together, the reductions by the two companies totaled $10.9 billion. Russia is preparing for the possibility that low crude prices are here to stay as competition between oil and other fuels such as natural gas intensifies. The nation sees no reason for crude to rise above $50 a barrel anytime soon and predicts it will remain in a $40 to $60 range over the next seven years, Deputy Finance Minister Maxim Oreshkin said at a Moscow conference organized by Vedomosti.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS
NCAA BASKETBALL: TEXAS LONGHORNS
Texas’ first test Photo by Brandon Wade | AP
Dallas quarterback Matt Cassel, left, is looking to get star wideout Dez Bryant the ball more often as the Cowboys remain in the playoff hunt.
Cassel aims to get Bryant more touches By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS
IRVING — Matt Cassel was enjoying his first win as the Dallas starter when the question of getting the ball to Dez Bryant came up after the game in Washington. The Cowboys quarterback knew the right answer, and didn’t hesitate at all to give it: He had to get better at finding the All-Pro receiver. Cassel may be new to Dallas, and merely filling in for Tony Romo, but the 33-year-old has been here
before. He replaced an injured Tom Brady for almost the entire 2008 season in New England. And the Patriots had a vocal receiving star in Randy Moss. “All those guys have a competitive edge to them, and that’s the reason that makes them so good,” Cassel said Wednesday. “At the same time, it’s my job obviously to, in whatever capacity I can, continue to get him the ball and do those things, but also be open with him and talk to him and try to alleviate some of
See COWBOYS PAGE 2B
NFL: HOUSTON TEXANS
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Texas coach Shaka Smart and the Longhorns are off to a 5-3 start as they face off No. 3 North Carolina Saturday.
Longhorns meet North Carolina Saturday By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Shaka Smart’s first season at Texas has been anything but sharp. Excruciatingly long road trips bounced Texas around half the globe’s time zones, from China to the Bahamas and back again before Thanksgiving, producing three losses in the first five games. The Longhorns (5-3) re-
turned home to find paltry crowds coming out to see their new coach and newlook game after years of what might best be described as successful stagnation under former coach Rick Barnes: Good regular seasons followed by postseason flops. Now Smart faces his first “big” game with the Longhorns, facing No. 3 North Carolina (7-1) on Saturday. The Tar Heels started the season No. 1
and have their best player, Marcus Paige, back on the court after a preseason injury. “I think it would be nice to have a win tomorrow for a lot of reasons, playing one of the best teams in the country, one of the best programs in the country,” Smart said. “What a win like this would do is build a lot of confidence.” Smart has been pretty honest in saying his team lacks a lot of “naturally
confident guys” but senses that could be building with a three-game winning streak heading into Saturday. “I think we still have a ways to go,” Smart said. There have been glimpses of the “havoc” pace and pressure Smart used at VCU but it has yet to become a Longhorns’ trademark. North Carolina coach
See TEXAS PAGE 2B
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: CHICAGO CUBS Photo by Patric Schneider | AP
Houston nose tackle Vince Wilfork will face his former team for the first time Sunday when the Texans host New England.
Wilfork faces Pats Longtime Patriot Vince Wilfork faces New England for first time By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Houston’s Vince Wilfork didn’t want to talk about his feelings or admit that Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots will be any different than the other 170 games in which he’s played. Only after repeated prodding did Wilfork, a cornerstone of New England’s defense for 11 years who signed with Houston this season, finally discuss how he felt after the Patriots didn’t pick up his option in
March. “Anytime that you walk away from something that you’ve been a part of for that long I think it’s going to be some side of you that’s kind of sad and emotions involved and everything,” he said. “I think I’ve been through that and I’ve passed that time.” Even though the defensive tackle is over the parting now, he was forced to confront it this week as he prepares to face the team where he spent his first 11 seasons. Wilfork was a
See TEXANS PAGE 2B
Cubs land Heyward for $184 million By ANDREW SELIGMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs already boasted one of the best young cores in baseball — and that was before they added one of the top outfielders. Free agent Jason Heyward agreed to a $184 million, eight-year contract with the Cubs, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The person spoke Friday on the condition of anonymity because the deal has not been announced. The agreement with the three-time Gold Glove winner is the latest in a series of big moves by the Cubs as they try to build on a breakthrough season and bring home their first
World Series title since 1908. The Cubs won 97 games and reached the NL Championship Series before getting swept by the New York Mets. Chicago also has added pitchers John Lackey and Adam Warren along with infielder Ben Zobrist. Lackey, like Heyward, left the rival Cardinals for the Cubs and figures to be Chicago’s No. 3 starter behind NL Cy Young Award winner Jake Arrieta and Jon Lester. An All-Star in 2010, the 26-year-old Heyward hit .293 with 13 homers and 60 RBIs this year, helping St. Louis win the NL Central. He spent his first five big league seasons with Atlanta.
See CUBS PAGE 2B
Photo by Billy Hurst | AP
Former St. Louis right fielder Jason Heyward has agreed to a $184 million, eight-year contract with the young Chicago Cubs team that made the NLCS in 2015.
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
Heisman to be awarded Saturday night By RALPH D. RUSSO
ite after finishing fourth in the 2014 voting, but that back-loaded Big 12 schedule didn’t do him any favors. Then he threw four interceptions in his first really big game, a loss to Oklahoma State on Nov. 7. Fournette was rolling along as the favorite heading into that Saturday, but the race flipped in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. The Tide stuffed Fournette and Henry ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries, assuming the role of front-runner. McCaffrey, Watson and Mayfield made late pushes, but Henry just kept chugging along. Conventional
wisdom is the voting for the 80th Heisman will be relatively close, but Henry is the odds-makers’ choice to become the second Alabama player to win the Heisman and the first running back to win it since the Tide’s Mark Ingram in 2009. Seniors have won 56 Heisman trophies, but this will be the ninth consecutive season with a non-senior winner — the last was Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith in 2006 — and everything is lined up for 2016 to be more of the same. Top players are arriving on campus more prepared to play than ever before, with an eye toward jumping to the NFL after three years. For college coaches, there is no sense trying to save that talent. “If you’re in a program like Texas, for example, and you’re going to have NFL players, I don’t think you can redshirt them anymore,” said former Longhorns coach Mack Brown, who is now an analyst for ESPN. “You just got to play them. You’re not going to get more than three years out of a great player, most likely.” Like Watson and McCaffrey, Cook, Fournette, Chubb, Freeman and Barrett will be juniors next season. “Now I know what it takes,” McCaffrey said about becoming a finalist, “following with anything less than that is unacceptable for me.”
letdown.” Texas expects a much better turnout for the Tar Heels, who have won four in a row since a surprising loss at Northern Iowa. North Carolina seems to be finding found its rhythm after the early stumble. Paige missed the first six games due to a hand injury,
but returned to score 20 in a win over No. 2 Maryland. The Tar Heels then romped over previously unbeaten Davidson. Williams won’t call his team ready for the postseason just yet. “Neither of us have our team where we want them to be,” Williams said.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Even before the Heisman Trophy is handed out Saturday night, it is tempting to look ahead to 2016 and what could be a doozy of a race for college football’s most famous bronze statue. While Alabama’s Derrick Henry is likely to both win the Heisman and head to the NFL after the Crimson Tide’s playoff run, the other two finalists, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford scat back Christian McCaffrey, are sophomores who will return. Add Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and LSU’s Leonard Fournette and there is a strong chance five of the top eight Heisman vote-getters from this year will be back in 2016. “It’s a monster class,” said Chris Huston, a Heisman historian and editorin-chief of Heisman.com. Henry, Watson and McCaffrey arrived Friday in New York from Atlanta, where they attended the ESPN awards show at the College Football Hall of Fame. They were greeted in the Big Apple by a traffic jam that turned a 7mile trip from LaGuardia Airport to the Times Square into a 2-hour journey. The delay cost them lunch at an Italian restaurant, but otherwise all was well. “I’m just enjoying the moment and happy to be
Photo by Julie Jacobson | AP
Alabama’s Derrick Henry, Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson are the three finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Saturday. here,” Henry said. Being a finalist is a once-in-lifetime event for most players, often the culmination of a great career. For Watson and McCaffrey, maybe this is just a test run. “Of course, next year I want to be back. And if I happen to stay my senior year I want to be back then,” Watson said. Only twice (2008 and ’10) in the previous 10 seasons have at least two of the top three finishers in the Heisman voting returned to school the next year. Only twice in the last 10 seasons (2012 and ’06) have five of the top eight returned the
next season. The contenders in 2016 aren’t confined to just those players whose names will show up in the final voting Saturday night. Georgia’s Nick Chubb, one of the preseason favorites this year, will return from an injury, as well as Washington State’s Luke Falk and Baylor’s Seth Russell. Though maybe Jarrett Stidham will be the Baylor quarterback with the Heisman hype? Ohio State’s J.T. Barrett should be the Buckeyes starting quarterback from Day 1 and there is a good chance people will start noticing that Oregon’s
Royce Freeman is as good as all those stud running backs down South. Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and Houston’s Greg Ward Jr. will be trying to build upon breakout seasons. UCLA’s Josh Rosen and Penn State’s Saquon Barkley are primed for fantastic follow-ups to their fabulous freshman seasons. The Heisman race should have a very different feel from this season, when none of last year’s finalists were back. “The race was kind of a slow burn,” Huston said. TCU’s Trevone Boykin was the presumptive favor-
TEXAS Continued from Page 1B Roy Williams said he’s preparing for the aggressive, pressure style Smart is known for. “I would think it’s a change in what they’re doing and it’s hard to get them where Shaka wants them to be, I’m sure, but it’s good enough that we worked press offense yes-
terday and we’ll work press offense again today,” Williams said. Longhorns fans had become bored of the early ousters in the NCAA tournament. Former athletic director Steve Patterson fired Barnes after another exit last March and hired Smart, the up-and-coming
coach at Virginia Commonwealth who had been on just about everyone’s short list of candidates the last few years. After spurning previous chances to leave VCU, Smart finally said yes to the Texas offer. Texas fans have yet to really take notice. Attendance at Tuesday’s 116-51
TEXANS Continued from Page 1B first-round pick in 2004 by the Patriots and played 158 games with 148 starts for them, helping them to Super Bowl titles in 2004 and 2014. After playing in New England for so long, the 34-year-old assumed that he would finish his career there. “I always thought I would, but that is business,” he said. “Sometimes we lose track of business ... when you play this game you kind of block out the business aspect until it is time for business to step in and that was a prime case of this right here, it was just business, it was not anything personal.” Despite finally admitting that he was a bit sad that the Patriots didn’t keep him this season, he insisted that he isn’t approaching Sunday’s game any differently than he normally does. “I don’t look at it any different going into this game as I do going into any other game,” he said. “Who knows, I might feel different on Sunday, but I have never been in this situation. As of right now, I don’t feel no different. I look at them the same way as I look at any other team.”
Wilfork has fit in nicely in Houston where he’s added a veteran presence alongside defensive end J.J. Watt and Jadeveon Clowney. Wilfork has started each game this season for the unit that ranks seventh in the NFL in yards allowed per game. The 22-year-old Clowney views Wilfork like a wise uncle. “I call him unc, that’s big unc to me,” Clowney said. “I take advice from him. He’s right beside me in the locker room. I talk to him just about every day when we’re here about everything. Anything I have a question about, I ask him.” New England coach Bill Belichick said he thinks Wilfork looks about the same as he did last year and that he thought he played his best game of the season last weekend against Buffalo. He did admit that it will be a bit weird to see him in another uniform on Sunday. “Sure, yeah, but we deal with that pretty much every week,” Belichick said. “There is always somebody on our team that was on their team or somebody on their team that was on our team or a coach or something like that ... we’ve been through
win over Texas-San Antonio was maybe half the official announced crowd of about 9,600. “That’s a heartbreaker,” Longhorns center Cam Ridley said after the game. “We go to one of the biggest schools in the country.” Freshman guard Tevin Mack called it “kind of a
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quite a few of those.” Houston defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel had the same position with the Patriots when Wilfork was drafted and was impressed with him as a rookie. After watching him develop over his career, Crennel knew he’d be a great addition in Houston. “One of the reasons that we wanted him was because we knew what kind of football player he was, but we also felt like he would be a great leader and help the guys in the locker room and help us grow as a team and he is providing what we anticipated that he would provide,” Crennel said. Wilfork was asked if he might be able to provide some insight for the Texans into how to slow down Tom Brady since he faced him in practice for more than a decade. “My whole 11 years there I always tried to figure out and see what I can take from him that can give me and edge and there’s nothing there,” Wilfork said. “He covers all bases. He’s hard to prepare for because he does things that guys don’t even think about doing. So we have to be on top of our game.”
those issues that might come up.” Bryant was particularly mouthy on the sideline after Cassel didn’t see him on what could have been a touchdown against a blitz by the Redskins in the first half Monday night. He went three periods without a catch. But the pair connected three times for 62 yards in the fourth quarter of a 1916 victory, starting with a 42-yarder that set up a tying field goal. The other two were the key catches on a drive to the winning field goal in the final seconds. “I was really pleased with how he worked his way through that frustration and showed up late in the game to make a difference for our team,” coach Jason Garrett said of Bryant. Cassel came to the Cowboys from Buffalo in a trade two weeks into the season after the first of Romo’s two broken left collarbones. He was thrust into the starting job when Dallas decided backup Brandon Weeden wasn’t the answer after three straight losses. At that point, Bryant was still out with a broken right foot, and even when he returned, practice time
was limited. Bryant had his only 100-yard receiving game of the year (104 yards) in his second game back with Cassel before Romo returned two weeks later. Now that Romo is out again and Bryant is close to healthy after also battling a knee issue, Cassel is getting his best chance to build a rapport with Bryant while the Cowboys (4-8) are somehow still alive in the NFC East with a visit to Green Bay (8-4) coming Sunday. “I think it always takes time. There’s no doubt about it,” said Cassel, who lost four starts before Romo’s return and won the first game after the Dallas star was injured again. “I think Dez and I haven’t had a lot of time on task, but at the same time, I think we’re definitely getting to learn one another.” Bryant, who has had a testy relationship with reporters this season, chatted informally with a few of them Thursday, smiling a lot and even saying he wasn’t bothered by getting shut out most of the Washington game. Last year’s NFL leader in receiving touchdowns is also returning to the scene of his catch that wasn’t in a playoff loss to Green Bay
last season, an outcome he said left him moping on his couch for two weeks. But Bryant said he’ll be trying to put the hotly debated play behind him on game day. And his quarterback for the rematch wasn’t even there in January. “You’ve got to guard against, ’I’ve got to get someone the ball early,’ because the defense has a game plan,” offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said. “Dez is certainly a gamechanging player for that. It’s something we’re working on. I don’t think since the return we’ve been able to do it as consistent as we’d like.” Then again, the Cowboys haven’t had a consistent practice plan. First, Cassel didn’t have Bryant at all. Then after three games together, back came Romo. And then out went Romo again. But Bryant’s health might be the key to the issue. “I think the further we move away from his surgery and everything,” Cassel said, “you get more opportunities out there on the practice field to continue to build that relationship.” And Cassel’s been around long enough to know how important that is.
was willing to open up the checkbook rather than wait for more revenue from the Wrigley Field renovation and potential TV deal to kick in. While the Cubs might wind up having overpaid for Zobrist, who turns 35 in May, on the back end of his contract, Heyward should have plenty of prime sea-
sons remaining. That’s a big difference from the $136 million, eight-year deal the Cubs gave Alfonso Soriano under previous ownership and management before the 2007 season. Soriano was 31 at the time, and while he helped Chicago win division titles the first two seasons, his deal became a burden as he started to decline.
CUBS Continued from Page 1B Chicago also signed Zobrist to a $56 million, fouryear contract and traded Starlin Castro to the New York Yankees for Warren. Heyward has a .268 career batting average and has hit more than 18 home runs just once. But the Cubs are counting on him to help strengthen a batting order that includes young slug-
gers Anthony Rizzo, Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber along with Addison Russell. All are 26 or younger, with Rizzo a two-time All-Star and Bryant a unanimous pick for NL Rookie of the Year. The Cubs also are counting on Heyward to help solidify their outfield, whether they keep him in right field
or move him to center. If Heyward plays right, they could try to trade Jorge Soler for a pitcher or center fielder. The addition of Heyward will only further fuel expectations after the Cubs finished with both the thirdbest record in the majors and in their division. Even though they took two play-
ers from the Cardinals, beating St. Louis and Pittsburgh in the Central won’t be easy. Still the moves they made reinforce just how serious the Cubs are about winning their first pennant since 1945. They won their last title 17 days after the Ford’s first Model T left the car factory in 1908. Chairman Tom Ricketts
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015
Dear Readers: A recent column addressed dogs’ feeding schedules, and for fairness’ sake, it’s CAT time! Yes, I know, it’s always cat time, on their time! Just like dogs, experts usually recommend feeding cats twice a day, or what fits your household schedule. The average cat should weigh between 8 and 10 pounds, so they say! But, of course, that does vary, depending on the cat. The general "look and see" test is to look down at the cat’s backbone, and there should be an indent at the "waist" line. If you can’t feel ribs, or if there is a glob or paunch between the legs, it’s diet time! It may be cute when your cat sits up and that fat roll between the back legs poufs out, but it’s not healthy. If you want to get your kitty healthy, check with the veterinarian before making changes in food or schedule. Less food and more exercise (just like humans!) typically is the "recipe" for getting Kitty lean. Your cat CANNOT open
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the refrigerator door – no scraps or high-calorie people food for your kitty! Gradually cut down the amount of food – don’t suddenly cut back! As for exercise, it’s easy! Scratching posts, laser pointers and adopting a buddy for the cat to play with all can do the trick! Meow, meow, for a streamlined feline. – Heloise P.S.: Use an old fishing pole, and attach a cat toy to the end of the line. You can cast, reel and get your cat moving. DRY SHAMPOO HOWTO Dear Readers: No time to wash your hair, but want to freshen it up a little? Try using dry shampoo. Many are cornstarch-based, which absorbs oil and dirt. Quick hints: Section your hair and sprinkle or spray a little on the scalp. Massage in, then use a brush from the scalp down to the ends of your hair. Dry shampoo also can add a little body and fullness. Try one – you might be surprised! – Heloise
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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2015