The Zapata Times 12/13/2014

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FEDERAL COURT

RIO GRANDE

Driver indicted Man attempted to smuggle 76 immigrants

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A truck driver accused of attempting to smuggle 76 suspected illegal immigrants through a federal checkpoint on Interstate

35 was indicted this week in a Laredo federal court, according to an affidavit.

An indictment charges Broderick Jerome Battee, 45, with one count of conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants within the

United States and seven counts of transport and attempt to transport illegal immigrants for financial gain.

If convicted, Battee faces up to 10 years in prison per count, accord-

ing to the indictment released Wednesday.

The criminal complaint filed Nov. 26 against Battee, of Grand Prairie, west of Dallas, states the de-

See INDICTED PAGE 12A

Photo by Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman | AP

This photo shows the Rio Grande River from Ciudad Miguel Aleman, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER

EPA permit aimed at improving river quality

HAINDS’ ODYSSEY

Permit seeks to keep Albuquerque pollution out of Rio Grande

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times

Author/forester Mark J. Hainds poses with his travel gear Thursday afternoon in downtown Laredo. Hainds is on a walking journey from El Paso to Boca Chica Beach as he prepares to write about his experience in a working title called “Border Walk.”

Author passes through Zapata on his trek

By GABRIELA A. TREVIÑO THE ZAPATA TIMES

T

wo men have embarked on a unique journey to complete their personal projects.

Alabama native Mark J. Hainds arrived Friday in Zapata on his 1,200 mile trek across the Texas border.

Hainds’ began his journey Oct. 27 in El Paso, and plans to reach his destination of Boca Chica Beach, near Brownsville, on Dec. 23.

He is a research associate at the Solon Dixon

See ODYSSEY PAGE 11A

Courtesy image

This map details the route Mark J. Hainds traveled to arrive Friday in Zapata.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Federal regulators have issued a new permit aimed at keeping pollution from stormwater runoff in New Mexico’s most populated metropolitan area from finding its way into the Rio Grande.

The permit issued Thursday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency includes Albuquerque, Rio Rancho, the village of Corrales and the town of Bernalillo.

Surrounding Native American communities and Kirtland Air Force Base are also covered.

EPA officials say the permit allows for more flexibility and cooperation among local and tribal governments when it comes to monitoring, developing stormwater management plans and establishing public education programs.

The middle Rio Grande currently doesn’t meet state water quality standards for bacteria and other contaminants and it’s listed as impaired under the Clean Water Act. The Albuquerque area is not alone when it comes to the challenges of controlling runoff and

contaminants that get washed into canals that lead to the river.

“Nationally, it’s a big priority,” Bill Honker, a regional EPA water official, said of urban runoff.

“There are some similarities of the challenges that Albuquerque has if you compare it to say Dallas, Fort Worth or Houston, but there are some unique aspects because of the arid nature and drought situation that New Mexico has.”

The EPA has tried to team up permit holders in New Mexico with experts from Tucson, Arizona, where he said innovative practices have been adopted to address problems related to stormwater.

It’s not clear how much compliance will cost for the New Mexico communities, but Rio Rancho has already budgeted $20,000 for related expenses.

Jen Pelz with the environmental group WildEarth Guardians has been pushing for improvements along the Rio Grande. She said the new permit, when it takes effect later this month, will not offer any immediate remedies for the river’s degraded water quality.

See RIO GRANDE PAGE 12A

MEXICO

A history of hidden deaths

By JOSHUA PARTLOW THE WASHINGTON POST

IGUALA, Mexico —They picked up spent shotgun shells and placed them in plastic baggies for safe keeping. They examined discarded bottles, charred sticks, crusted weather-worn clothes. Over rocks and ridges, to the tops of trees and down in bone-dry riverbeds, the parents were searching for their children’s graves.

"Fifteen minutes more," a father in dusty camouflage said before trudging farther up into the thick Mexican forest, hacking the thorny branches with his machete. "Just a little farther."

Forty-three students went missing here in September, and for all the attention that received, they were hardly the first. Their abduction by police has loosed a flood of new accusations and begun to reveal a history of hidden deaths.

Before that crime, many people had been too afraid of the police to report the disappearances. Last month, just seven parents attended the first meeting in the basement of a Catholic church here for relatives of the missing. But as the national uproar over the students has grown, plus the arrest of the Iguala mayor, the dissolution of the town’s police force and the torching of city hall, the

See DEATHS PAGE 11A

Photo by Eduardo Verdugo | AP

Relatives of a missing student of the Ayotzinapa school embrace while visiting the house of Alexander Mora, one of 43 college students missing since September.

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, DEC. 13

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Laredo Main Street — El Centro de Laredo Famer’s Market, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Jarvis Plaza. The El Centro de Laredo Farmers Market is a program of Laredo Main Street, a non-profit organization whose primary mission is to build community support, interest, and economic growth for Laredo’s historic downtown commercial area and surrounding neighborhoods. The mission of the Market is to encourage, support, and promote the entrepreneurial efforts of local, independent, and small-scale farmers seeking to sell products directly to the consumer within a 200-mile radius. A strong focus on sustainability, food grown without pesticides, and a commitment to healthy cooking techniques and products with natural/organic ingredients and no preservatives are the goals we strive for as the market develops.

Operation Care and Comfort fundraiser to benefit Alredo Cruz, who suffers from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Veterans and volunteers are to meet at the corner of Constantinople and Davis streets, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Today is Saturday, Dec. 13, the 347th day of 2014. There are 18 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 13, 1944, during World War II, the light cruiser USS Nashville was badly damaged in a Japanese kamikaze attack off Negros Island in the Philippines that claimed 133 lives.

On this date: In 1642, Dutch navigator Abel Tasman sighted presentday New Zealand.

In 1862, Union forces led by Maj. Gen. Ambrose Burnside launched futile attacks against entrenched Confederate soldiers during the Civil War Battle of Fredericksburg; the soundly defeated Northern troops withdrew two days later.

In 1918, President Woodrow Wilson arrived in France, becoming the first chief executive to visit Europe while in office.

In 1937, the Chinese city of Nanjing fell to Japanese forces; what followed was a massacre of war prisoners, soldiers and citizens. (China maintains as many as 300,000 people died; Japan says the toll was far less.)

In 1974, Malta became a republic. George Harrison visited the White House, where he met President Gerald Ford.

In 1981, authorities in Poland imposed martial law in a crackdown on the Solidarity labor movement. (Martial law formally ended in 1983.)

In 1989, the film “Driving Miss Daisy,” starring Morgan Freeman and Jessica Tandy, was put into limited release by Warner Bros.

In 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. forces while hiding in a hole under a farmhouse in Adwar, Iraq, near his hometown of Tikrit.

Ten years ago: A jury in Redwood City, California, recommended the death penalty for Scott Peterson for the murder of his pregnant wife, Laci.

Five years ago: The Senate passed, 57-35, a $1.1 trillion spending bill with increased budgets for vast areas of the federal government, including health, education, law enforcement and veterans’ programs.

One year ago: North Korea’s state-run media announced the execution the day before of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s uncle, portraying Jang Song Thaek as a morally corrupt traitor.

Today’s Birthdays: Former Secretary of State George P. Shultz is 94. Actor-comedian Dick Van Dyke is 89. Actor Christopher Plummer is 85.

Country singer Buck White is 84. Music/film producer Lou Adler is 81. Singer Ted Nugent is 66. Country singer-musician Randy Owen is 65. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke is 61. Actor Steve Buscemi is 57. Actor Johnny Whitaker is 55. Actress-reality TV star NeNe Leakes is 48. Actor-comedian Jamie Foxx is 47. Rock singermusician Thomas Delonge is 39. Actress Chelsea Hertford is 33. Rock singer Amy Lee (Evanescence) is 33. Actor Michael Socha is 27. Country singer Taylor Swift is 25. Actress Maisy Stella is 11.

Thought for Today: “To know how to say what others only know how to think is what makes men poets or sages; and to dare to say what others only dare to think makes men martyrs or reformers — or both.” — Elizabeth Charles, British writer (1828-1896).

TUESDAY, DEC. 16 Planetarium movies from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium and Science Center.

Contact Claudia Herrera claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu or www.tamiu.edu/planetarium.

THURSDAY, DEC. 18 Planetarium movies. From 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium and Science Center .Contact Claudia Herrera at claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu or visit the website at www.tamiu.edu/planetarium for more information. For more information call 956-326-DOME (3663).

SATURDAY, DEC. 20 Planetarium movie showings.

From 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. TAMIU LBV Planetarium and Science Center.

Contact Claudia Herrera at claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu or visit the website www.tamiu.edu/planetarium.

For more information call 326-DOME (3663).

SUNDAY, DEC. 21 “Ring we now of Christmas” from 4 to 5 p.m. First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland. Linda Mott at lmott@stx.rr.com or the church office at 722-1674.

MONDAY, DEC. 22 Webb County December Adoption Meeting. Starting at 6 p.m.

DFPS Offices, 1500 N. Arkansas. For more information, contact Cornelia Garza 361-516-0943.

Planetarium Open House.

From 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. TAMIU LBV Planetarium and Science Center.

Contact Claudia Herrera at claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu or visit the website : www.tamiu.edu/planetarium. For more information call 956326-DOME (3663).

MONDAY, DEC. 29 Monthly meeting of Laredo Parkinson’s Disease Support Group.

6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, Tower B, First Floor Community Center.

Patients, caregivers and family members invited. Free info pamphlets available in Spanish and English.

Richard Renner (English) at 6458649 or Juan Gonzalez (Spanish) at 237-0666.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31 Epoca de Oro New Year’s Scholoarship Dance. Table reservations and tickes on sale at Rolis.

Call Rosa at 337- 7178, Sid at 7403572 or Daniel at 290-7341 for more information.

(Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location and purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.)

Photo by Betsy Blaney | AP file

Texas Tech freshman Regan Elder helps drape a bed sheet with the message "No means No" over the university’s seal on the campus in Lubbock, Texas. A task force on Greek culture at the university campus says in an interim report released Wednesday that there are numerous areas lacking in oversight and regulation of fraternities and their activities.

Fraternities lack oversight

By BETSY BLANEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

LUBBOCK — A task force at Texas Tech University says a lack of oversight and regulation in Greek life contributes to offenses that include hazing, alcohol abuse and sexual misconduct, a report released Wednesday showed.

The task force says initiatives being explored include sexual assault and alcohol responsibility training, sanctions for misbehavior by individuals, fraternities and sororities, and the creation of an advisory board to oversee compliance.

The group was formed a few months ago after pictures taken at a September Phi Delta Theta fraternity party and posted online showed a banner that read, “No means yes, yes means anal (sex).” Another image from the same off-campus party showed a sprin-

kler attached to a large cutout shaped like a woman’s spread legs.

Texas Tech president Duane Nellis said in a release that the recommendations provide “much-need enhancements” to current policies and procedures.

“And, while these recommendations will be implemented immediately, they are the first phase of our efforts,” he said. “The task force will continue to meet during the spring semester and continue to evaluate and criticize our processes until we are satisfied we have made significant improvements for the future of our organizations.”

Identified in the report were six categories, containing 29 interim and long-term recommendations, including new member experiences, leadership development, responsible social events, accountability and reporting, and staffing and resources.

Texas woman sentenced for injuring disabled boy

$25K cashier’s check dropped in red kettle

Safe stolen from South Texas Mexican restaurant

NEW BOSTON — A 68-yearold Northeast Texas woman who beat a severely disabled child at a daycare has been sentenced to eight years in prison.

Surveillance footage shows Smith strike the child more than 60 times with a shoe and kick him twice in the head. The boy suffered a stroke as an infant, which blinded him and left him with severe cognitive deficits.

GALVESTON — A generous soul has slipped a $25,000 cashier’s check into a Salvation Army red kettle in Southeast Texas.

Salvation Army Capt. Mark Jacobs said Friday that the anonymously donated check was found in a red kettle in Galveston.

Jacobs says the funds will be used for Salvation Army services in Galveston County.

LAREDO — Police in South Texas are searching for two men who stole a safe from a Mexican restaurant.

Laredo police spokesman Joe Baeza told the Laredo Morning Times Thursday that one man wore a goat mask and the other had a sweater wrapped around his face. He says the pair stole a safe containing $3,000 from La Fonda Don Martin on Monday.

Agents seize $2.5M worth of cocaine

Lawmaker: Too many schools make playoffs

San Antonio approves ridesharing rules

FALFURRIAS — Officers at a South Texas checkpoint who searched a car have discovered nearly 80 pounds of cocaine worth more than $2.5 million.

A man and a woman who were in the vehicle remained in custody. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the vehicle. An inspection turned up more than 30 bundles of cocaine in a secret compartment of the vehicle.

AUSTIN — A West Texas lawmaker says too many high school football teams reach the playoffs and has introduced a bill that would reduce the number of teams that advance. Republican Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock says the University Interscholastic League’s playoff system has become “watered down” and allows up to 74 percent of teams to make the playoffs.

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio has become the latest Texas city to approve rules for regulating ridesharing companies such as Lyft and Uber.

The San Antonio City Council on Thursday approved regulations that require commercial insurance, fingerprint background checks for drivers and inspections for vehicles. — Compiled fro AP reports

AROUND THE NATION ‘Angel’ pays customers’ layaway bills at toy store BELLINGHAM, Mass.

— Shoppers at a Massachusetts toy store are getting an early Christmas present: All their layaway bills totaling $20,000 have been paid off by an anonymous woman dubbed “layaway angel.”

Employees at the Toys R Us in Bellingham, about 40 miles southwest of Boston, said that the woman paid off all 150 of the store’s layaway accounts Wednesday.

Workers say the bubbly, older woman gave the store manager a hug and said: “If you have it, give it.” She also told an employee that paying all the bills would help her sleep better at night.

Man who vanished with sons arrested LOS ANGELES — A California man accused of abducting his four sons and engaging po-

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 Managing Editor, Nick Georgiou ................. 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by John Gibbins/U-T San Diego | AP

Police approach Daniel Perez as he tries to jump off a freeway bridge in Santee, Calif. on Thursday. The arrest of Perez, wanted for taking his four children and the possible homicide of his wife, capped three days of intense search efforts. lice in a highway standoff has been booked into jail for investigation of his wife’s death as well as kidnapping.

The 43-year-old man’s wife was found dead in the trunk of one of the family’s vehicles on Wednesday. Her cause of death has not

been released.Authorities located Perez and the couple’s four sons on a freeway in suburban San Diego Thursday. After a brief pursuit, Perez came to a stop and was cornered by armored trucks.

Perez’s four boys ran to safety.

— Compiled from AP reports

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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

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

Account used for laundering seized SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

CORPUS CHRISTI — An investment account in McAllen alleged to be owned by Homero De La Garza Tamez has been seized as a result of the efforts of a multi-agency Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force investigation, announced U.S. Attorney Kenneth Magidson. Tamez is the former Instituto Tamaulipeco De Vivienda Y Urbanismo director in the State of Tamaulipas, Mexico.

The account, held at UBS Financial Services Inc. in McAllen, contained $1,109,989.66 as of Nov. 4, 2014. According to the civil forfeiture complaint, the funds in the account were involved in a money laundering transaction, that the property constitutes or was derived from proceeds traceable to offenses includ-

ing bribery of a public official, or the misappropriation, theft or embezzlement of public funds by or for the benefit of a public official.

Tamez is allegedly the holder of that account. The complaint alleges Tamez transferred bribe monies from Mexico into the account in the United States.

ITAVU is the Tamaulipas Institute for Housing and Urban Development. Tamez was appointed as director by former Tamaulipas Governor Eugenio Hernandez Flores. ITAVU is the department in Tamaulipas responsible for supporting lower income residents with housing programs and financing programs. One of the programs under ITAVU assisted municipalities by paying half of the costs associated with the repair of city streets and the construction of new streets

within their city. The city would pay the remaining half of the costs. The program did not require municipalities to participate in the program. ITAVU also developed properties and built homes, in conjunction with providing special financing programs, which allowed low income families to move into new homes.

The complaint alleges that during his tenure as the director of ITAVU, Tamez would receive bribe money from the government contractors who received contracts from the state government of Tamaulipas after the government officials would falsify and manipulate the bids during the bidding process. The complaint further alleges Tamez received multiple of these types of payments throughout his political career and that he received

these bribes in the forms of cash and bank deposits made into his bank accounts, which were ultimately transferred into the UBS account.

The complaint seeks the forfeiture of the $1,109,986.66 held in the investment account at UBS Financial Service Inc. The investigation leading to the civil forfeiture complaint was conducted through OCDETF in McAllen, San Antonio, Brownsville, Houston and Corpus Christi. FBI, Internal Revenue Service — Criminal Investigation, Drug Enforcement Administration, Homeland Security Investigations, the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Leon Valley Police Department conducted the investigation. This case is being prosecuted in the by Assistant United States Attorney Julie K. Hampton.

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Museum of History holds holiday events SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Zapata Chamber of Commerce is hosting two events on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Homes Tour The Christmas Town & Country Homes Tour will begin at the Zapata County Museum of History. Visitors will be able to tour the Torres and Lozano homes for $5. There will also be new displays and refreshments.

The event will take place from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is located at 805 N U.S. Hwy 83. For more information, call 956-7658983.

Tree Decorating Local organizations will display their themed trees at the Christmas Tree Decorating Contest at the museum. Admission for adults is $3 and $1 for children. Visitors will be able to vote for their favorite tree.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

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

COMMENTARY

OTHER VIEWS

Cleansing not good for Yazidi people

By TRUDY RUBIN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

In August, President Obama authorized air strikes to prevent the Islamic State from carrying out a genocidal slaughter of Iraq’s Yazidi minority, tens of thousands of whom had fled their besieged city and villages into barren mountains.

The Yazidi struggle continues. The Islamic State is selling off 2,000 captured women and girls as sex slaves. Six thousand Yazidis remain trapped on Mount Sinjar.

Hundreds of thousands more — virtually the entire community — have been driven from their homes and are struggling to survive in refugee camps in Iraqi Kurdistan.

I just spent a day with Vian Dakhil, the only Yazidi member of the Iraqi parliament, whose passionate plea for help on Aug. 5 made her the face of the Yazidi struggle.

(Watch the YouTube clip of her speech and you will be moved to tears.)

She is in the United States at the invitation of Temple University’s Dialogue Institute, and is now in Washington to ask the administration and Congress for urgent assistance.

The Islamic State attempted genocide against the Yazidi minority — a pre-Islamic, monotheistic faith — lays bare the vicious ideology that seeks to drag the region back to the seventh century and illustrates the need to destroy the group. So Dakhil’s message deserves to be heard.

She is an accomplished, striking woman who taught biology at a university in Erbil, Kurdistan, before entering politics, and travels around Washington in a black pantsuit, her long, blond hair flying. She comes from a family of strong women (four of her sisters are doctors and one is a pharmacist) and displayed her own courage when she rushed in August to help refugees on Mount Sinjar, flying in with a rare Iraqi government helicopter rescue mission.

The chopper crashed, leaving her with broken legs that are only now healing; she is still using one crutch.

“We are being killed for our religious convictions,” Dakhil told me with passion. Indeed, the Islamic State targets members of her religious sect (who are mostly ethnic Kurds), which draws on Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, because they are considered infidels.

The jihadis are targeting other Muslim sects, as well as Christians, who have fled by the tens of thousands, but their women haven’t been taken as chattel.

“ISIS looks for young Yazidi girls to rape, 11 to 13 years old, and does it over and over,” she related emotionally. Some of the captives have been able to call home on cellphones and describe the horrors they have endured or witnessed. The three daughters of one of her cousins were taken and are still missing; the cousin was murdered.

When she lists the steps that are needed immediately to help the Ya-

zidis, it’s not surprising that Dakhil starts with a request for international help in freeing the women who have been enslaved.

She has little faith that the central Iraqi government or its security forces can help rescue Yazidis in the future, nor does she have any confidence in Iraq’s neighbors to do so. Instead, she hopes the United States will directly arm and assist Kurdish peshmerga forces, which include Yazidis.

Dakhil is also concerned about the fate of around 260 women and girls who have escaped from the Islamic State.

Yazidi religious leaders have instructed families to welcome them back, but “because of cultural norms, these women will not be able to marry nor be able to lead normal lives.” After enduring such horrors, they, and those rescued in the future, will need counseling and job training to resume any semblance of normality.

“Help us develop programs to support these victims of ISIS brutality,” Dakhil urges. I can’t think of a better use for U.S. aid funds.

Dakhil also hopes that Washington will aid the Kurds in evacuating 1,200 or so families that are still marooned on Mount Sinjar. And the several hundred thousand Yazidi refugees now living in tent cities in Kurdistan are suffering dire shortages of food, medicine, and sanitary facilities as a cold, wet winter approaches. Humanitarian aid funneled through the United Nations, or the central Kurdish government, is slow to appear, or invisible, she says. She is urging that such aid be delivered directly through the Kurdish regional government in Erbil. Good idea.

Of the many poignant and disturbing things I heard from Dakhil, the most striking was that she believes there is no possibility of religious minorities returning to their old homes among Sunni Muslims. Yazidis (and Christians) in Iraq’s north all have stories about how their relatives were betrayed to the Islamic State by Sunni neighbors or worse.

“My uncle’s Sunni neighbors killed him, even though Yazidis and Sunnis have lived for hundreds of years as brothers,” she says.

“Now everything has changed and I have no idea why.” Yazidis believe they can no longer trust their former neighbors, and many Iraqi Christians believe the same.

So Dakhil says the only chance for minorities to remain inside Iraq is if they are allotted a separate, autonomous region in the north once the Islamic State is rolled back, an area that might be attached to the autonomous Kurdish region. This is an idea the central government opposes.

Her idea may be premature, but it deserves consideration at the White House and by Iraq’s government. If Yazidi and Christian minorities are driven entirely out of the region, the Middle East’s future will look even bleaker than it does now.

COMMENTARY

Female slaves get no respect

By ISHAAN THAROOR THE WASHINGTON POST

WASHINGTON — Earlier this month, ideologues belonging to the extremist Islamic State published a pamphlet outlining guidelines for how its fighters can treat female slaves in their custody. The document, titled “Questions and Answers on Taking Captives and Slaves,” was supposedly compiled by the Islamic State’s “Research and Fatwa Department,” according to the Middle East Media Research Institute, which monitors jihadist activity.

By some accounts, the Islamic State has kidnapped thousands of women during

its months of rampage and slaughter this year. These include at least 2,500 Yazidi women, members of a religious sect deemed apostate by the jihadists. The shocking testimony of Yazidi women who escaped the Islamic State’s clutches has given us a chilling insight into the militants’ brutality and vulgarity. A YouTube video circulated in November appeared to show the jihadists joking around about the many sex slaves in their possession.

The pamphlet says it is permissible to capture any “unbelieving” women and have sex with her “immediately” if she is a virgin. If she is not, though, it mandates that “her uterus must

be purified” first. It offers no further detail on what that means.

The 27 “questions and answers” laid out in the pamphlet vary from the grotesque to the farcical. A man, it warns, “may not kiss the female slave of another.”

Here is the Islamic State’s guidance regarding when it’s permissible to beat your female slave: “It is permissible to beat the female slave as a form ofdarb ta’deeb disciplinary beating, but it is forbidden to use darb al-takseer, literally, breaking beating, darb al-tashaffi beating for the purpose of achieving gratification, or darb al-ta’dheeb torture beating. Further, it is forbidden to hit the face.”

It also gives a jihadist the right to have sex with a prepubescent girl: “It is permissible to have intercourse with the female slave who hasn’t reached puberty if she is fit for intercourse.”

For the Islamic State, such documents are a means of spreading their propaganda and burnishing their hardline, extremist chops.

“The content, while it is abhorrent and shocking, is not surprising,” said Charlie Winter, a researcher at Quilliam, an anti-jihadist think tank in London, in an interview with the Independent. “We know that IS ideologues have justified and legitimated slavery in past publications.”

COMMENTARY

Nuke plants decline in number

By LLEWELLYN KING HEARST NEWSPAPERS

This will be a bleak Christmas for the small Vermont community of Vernon. It is losing its economic mainstay. The owner of its proud, midsize nuclear plant, which has sustained the community for 42 years, Entergy, is closing the plant.

Next year the only people working will be those shuttering it, taking out its fuel, securing it and beginning the process of turning it into a kind of tomb, a burial place for the hopes of a small town.

What may be a tragedy for Vernon may also be a harbinger of a larger, multilayered tragedy for the United States.

Nuclear — Big Green — is one of the most potent tools we have in our battle to clean the air and arrest or ameliorate climate change over time. I’ve

named it Big Green because that is what it is: Nuclear power plants produce huge quantities of absolutely carbon-free electricity.

But many nuclear plants are in danger of being closed. Next year, for the first time in decades, there will be fewer than 100 making electricity. The culprit: cheap natural gas.

In today’s market, nuclear is not always the lowestcost producer. Electricity was deregulated in much of the country in the 1990s, and today electricity is sold at the lowest cost, unless it is designated as “renewable” — effectively wind and solar, whose use is often mandated by a “renewable portfolio standard.”

Nuclear falls into the crevasse, which bedevils so much planning in markets, that favors the short term over the long term.

Today’s nuclear power plants operate with ex-

traordinary efficiency, day in day out for decades, for 60 or more years with license extensions and with outages only for refueling.

They were built for a market where long-lived, fixedcost supplies were rolled in with those of variable cost.

Markets are great equalizers, but they’re also cruel exterminators.

Nuclear power plants need to run full-out all the time. They can’t be revved up for peak load in the afternoon and idled in the night. Nuclear plants make power 24/7.

Nowadays, solar makes power at given times of day and wind, by its very nature, varies in its ability to make power. Natural gas is cheap and for now abundant, and its turbines can follow electric demand. It will probably have a price edge for 20 years until supply tightens.

Natural gas burns cleaner than coal, and is favored over coal for that reason.

But it still pumps greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

The fate of nuclear depends on whether the supporters of Big Green can convince politicians that it has enough social value to mitigate its price disadvantage against gas.

Five nuclear power plants, if you count Vermont Yankee, will have closed this year, and five more are under construction in Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. After that the new plant pipeline is empty, but the number of plants in danger is growing. Even the mighty Exelon, the largest nuclear operator, is talking about closing three plants, and pessimists say as many as 15 plants could go.

Current and temporary market conditions are dictating environmental and energy policy. Money is more important than climate, for now.

CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

Nation

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

Immigrants at workshops after reprieve

By AMY TAXIN ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — In smalltown community centers, schools, churches and a vast city convention center, immigrant advocates are spreading the word about President Barack Obama’s plan to give millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally a temporary reprieve.

The November announcement promising work permits and protection from deportation made a splash, but lawyers say the events are crucial to dispel rumors about eligibility, ward off fraud, and help immigrants determine what they might need to apply.

In Los Angeles, advocates are hosting an information session for as many as 10,000 people at the city’s convention center Sunday.

“After this big forum, we’re going to have daily orientations.

That is what we have to do in order to deal with the demand,” said Angelica Salas, executive director of the Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles.

Immigrants are eager to see if they qualify for Obama’s executive actions to spare nearly 5 million people from deportation and to refocus enforcement efforts on criminals.

At least 20 states have filed a lawsuit to try to block the measure, which aims to benefit immigrants who have been in the country illegally for more than five years and have children who are American citizens or green card holders, along with some immigrants who entered the country illegally as children.

Photo by Nick Ut | AP

Tony Bernabe posts a flier in downtown Los Angeles advertising a massive information session scheduled for this weekend to tell immigrants more about President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

For immigrant advocates, the challenge is reaching prospective applicants in diverse communities that speak multiple languages and often know little about the United States’ byzantine immigration laws.

While some immigrants find strength in numbers, others shy away from public meetings because of fear or stigma over their immigration status.

At recent workshops and on telephone hotlines, immigrants have questioned advocates about who will qualify and what documents they will need. Many want to know how they can prove their identity after living under the radar for so long, and some worry they might face

trouble for having worked under a false Social Security number, Salas said.

Workshops for immigrants already have been held at a high school in Knoxville, Tennessee, a church in Goshen, Indiana, and an Islamic Center in New York City. Eben Cathey, a spokesman for the Tennessee Immigrant and Refugee Rights Coalition, said his organization has an event almost every night.

“Every time we do an information session, it is full,” he said.

At a recent forum at a San Diego community center, an immigration attorney fielded questions for two hours, and many hands were still raised when

time ran out.

Anahi Maldonado, a 32-yearold mother of two Americanborn children, said she attended to verify that she and her husband would qualify for the program. She’s been living in the U.S. for 14 years after crossing the border from Mexico and wanted to ensure she didn’t need a visa to apply.

“The thing is, sometimes someone has questions that the president is not going to answer,” said Maldonado, adding that she also wondered if she would need a good conduct letter from police, and how she could get one since she didn’t have valid immigration papers.

Immigrant advocates are dol-

ing out whatever information they have, much of it based on their experiences with a 2012 program to assist U.S.-educated immigrant children. But there is still much that is unknown, and no application form yet.

Advocates are warning immigrants not to pay anyone to get in line to apply and to avoid being duped into filling out fake applications.

Many are also planning oneon-one consultations to help immigrants determine if they’re eligible and if that’s their best shot at immigration relief, since sometimes people may qualify for a visa or other benefits.

“We’re definitely telling people they need to make sure they get screened,” said Jorge Baron, executive director of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, which is holding an event for as many as 650 people in Seattle.

“We don’t want people to go and apply on their own.”

Some groups are already starting individual screenings.

Michelle Saucedo, a legal advocate for Asian Americans Advancing Justice in Los Angeles, said Asian immigrants are more likely to turn out for oneon-one consultations than group sessions because some feel a sense of shame over their immigration status. When advocates advertised large workshops about the 2012 program in the Chinese community, only one or two people would show up, she said.

Saucedo said she expects hundreds of people to seek assistance at an event Saturday.

“It is very private and people often call and say, ‘Can I just see you in your office one-on-one,”’ she said. “We have learned along the way.”

Photo by Mike Groll/file | AP

A statue of Henry Johnson, a World War I hero in an all-black outfit, the 369th Infantry Regiment, sits in Washington Park in Albany, N.Y.

Obama to decide on WWI award Photo by Raul R. Rubiera/The Fayetteville Observer | AP

Claudia Lacy, center, cries as she thanks the people that showed up at First Baptist Church in Bladenboro, N.C., on Dec. 1 to listen to a discussion about the developments in the investigation of her son Lennon Lacy’s hanging death.

FBI reviews teen’s death

By MARTHA WAGGONER ASSOCIATED PRESS

BLADENBORO, N.C. — The black teenager was found in a North Carolina trailer park, hanging from a swing set by a dog leash and a belt that was not his own.

His mother said he showed no sign of emotional trouble, yet authorities quickly ruled the death a suicide.

Now the FBI is reviewing the investigation after Lennon Lacy’s relatives and the NAACP raised doubts about the official findings, which the county coroner also questions.

A 911 caller reported spotting the 17-year-old’s body Aug. 29 in the small town of Bladenboro, about 100 miles south of Raleigh. His feet were suspended 2 inches off the ground.

The state medical examiner ruled that the boy killed himself, but his mother said she does not believe it.

“When I saw him, I just knew automatically he didn’t do that to himself,” Claudia Lacy told The Associated Press in a recent interview. “If he was going to harm himself, his demeanor would have changed. His whole routine, everything, his attitude, everything would have changed.”

She last saw the youngest of her four sons alive as the middle linebacker prepared for a high school football game by putting together his uniform in the early hours of the day he died.

His father told him that he needed to get some sleep before the game, his first after his mother made him take a year off from the team to focus on his grades.

“OK, Daddy,” he said. They then heard a door close, which was not

unusual, Claudia Lacy said, because her son liked to run at night when the air was cool.

About 13 hours later, she identified his body in the back of an ambulance. The swing set was in clear sight of about 10 trailers.

She said she felt let down when investigators ruled it a suicide and brought her concerns to the state chapter of the NAACP, which has organized a march today in Bladenboro.

On Friday, federal officials confirmed they were reviewing the investigation. A spokesman for U.S. Attorney Tom Walker said Walker’s office acted at the request of attorneys from the North Carolina NAACP representing the family.

“We don’t know what happened that terrible night,” said the Rev. William Barber, president of the state NAACP chapter. “It is possible that a 17-year-old excited about life could commit suicide. The family is prepared to accept the truth.

They’re not prepared to accept this theory that’s been posited with a rush to a conclusion of suicide so quickly. We have said there are far too many unanswered questions.”

Bladen County District Attorney Jon David said Friday that he also asked the FBI to review the case because the family and the NAACP said they had information that they would provide only to federal authorities. He said he had seen no evidence of foul play.

“Not only is the case open, but our minds are open,” David said.

In the 911 call, the dispatcher advises the caller to try to get the person down in case he was still alive.

When investigators arrived at the trailer park that the NAACP has described as predominantly white, the body was on the ground. Investigators told NAACP attorneys that

one shoe was on the body and one was on the ground, said Al McSurely, a lawyer working for the NAACP. The shoes were 1.5 sizes too small for Lacy and did not belong to him, his family said.

The family also questioned whether authorities took photos at the scene, and if they did, whether those photos were provided to the state medical examiner.

David said Friday that many photos were taken, but the NAACP attorneys said they were not aware of any.

Bladenboro Police Chief Chris Hunt referred all questions to the State Bureau of Investigation, North Carolina’s top law enforcement agency. A spokeswoman for the bureau has said agents addressed all viable leads.

Bladen County Coroner Hubert Kinlaw said he signed a death certificate calling the cause of death a suicide because that’s how the form came back from the medical examiner. Kinlaw, who went to the scene, said he now wonders whether Lennon really killed himself.

“How did it happen? How did he wind up there?” he said. “These are all questions that are out there.”

But the medical examiner, Dr. Deborah Radisch, said in a discussion with a pathologist hired by the NAACP that she based her ruling partially on Kinlaw’s conclusion that Lacy killed himself.

And Claudia Lacy inadvertently contributed to the conclusion of suicide. When asked if Lennon had been depressed, she said yes, that his great-uncle had been buried the day before.

“Here’s a mother who knows at the end of the day she’s going to have to accept that either it was a suicide or it was a lynching,” Barber said.

By GEORGE M. WALSH ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALBANY, N.Y. — The decision to grant a posthumous Medal of Honor for a black World War I hero from New York moves to President Barack Obama’s desk after Congress agreed to waive time restrictions on the award.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer said the annual defense authorization bill passed Friday lifts the requirement for the medal to be awarded within five years of heroic acts.

Obama is expected to sign the bill and then consider honoring Sgt. Henry Johnson, which has already been recommended by the Department of Defense. The White House had no initial comment Friday.

Johnson was a train station porter from Albany who rescued a comrade in the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment while fighting off a German attack in France in 1918.

Johnson supporters have been pushing for the Medal of Honor for decades, helped in recent years by Schumer and other New York lawmakers who said the recognition was unjustly denied during the Jim Crow era.

“Sgt. Henry Johnson is a true American hero, who displayed the most profound battlefield bravery, and he deserves the Medal of Honor he was denied because of segregation,” Schumer said. “Johnson’s family has waited long enough for the recognition Johnson should have received almost a century ago.”

Johnson was born in Virginia. He eventually wound up in Albany and enlisted in the 369th, a New York National Guard unit based in Manhattan that became known as the “Harlem Hellfighters.” With U.S. armed forces segregated at the time, the 369th was assigned to serve under French

command. The unit arrived on the front lines in early 1918.

That May, Johnson and another soldier, Needham Roberts of Trenton, New Jersey, were on sentry duty when their trench outpost was hit by a night assault by a German raiding party.

Heavily outnumbered and severely wounded during the attack, the 5-foot-4 Johnson used his knife and rifle to kill or wound several of the enemy who were trying to drag the injured Roberts away. The Germans retreated, and Johnson was credited with repulsing the onslaught and saving Roberts.

Johnson’s actions earned him the French Croix de Guerre, one of France’s highest honors. After getting back to the U.S., Harlem held a parade in his honor, and the governor and mayor met his train when he arrived in Albany. But his heroism was all but ignored by American military officials, despite the many stories about his exploits published in American newspapers, including those with a predominantly white readership.

Hobbled by his wartime injuries, Johnson died a destitute alcoholic at age 32 at a veterans hospital in Illinois in 1929. His grave was rediscovered in Arlington National Cemetery in 2002. The next year, Johnson posthumously received the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second-highest military decoration.

Local efforts for the Medal of Honor began in the 1970s and gained momentum in recent years. They received a boost in 2011 when Schumer’s staff found a U.S. Army dispatch from May 1918 describing Johnson and Roberts showing “notable instance of bravery and devotion” during the attack. The report and other supporting documents were submitted to Pentagon officials to bolster Johnson’s cause.

State

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

Spa owner sentenced for illegal injection death ASSOCIATED PRESS

McALLEN — A South Texas beauty spa owner has been sentenced to three years in prison for illegally injecting liquid silicone into clients at her salon, a practice that led to the death of one woman.

Federal prosecutors

said in a statement Friday that 38-year-old Elva Navarro of Hidalgo injected at least 30 women and falsely told them she was trained and certified to provide the injections.

They say one woman died in October 2013 after receiving an injection at Navarro’s McAllen spa.

Another client became

sick and was hospitalized in 2012.

Use of the liquid silicone is not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration.

Navarro pleaded guilty in June to one count of receiving through interstate commerce an adulterated device with the intent to defraud or deceive.

Judge urges Texas to reveal drug supplier

By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — A judge has ordered Texas to release the name of the compounding pharmacy that provides the state its execution drug, but attorneys pushing for the disclosure said Friday that they don’t expect to get the information anytime soon.

District Judge Darlene Byrne ruled Thursday that the company’s name is a matter of public record, despite arguments from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice that disclosing it would be a safety risk. Texas had released the name of its drug suppliers for years, but in May, Attorney General Greg Abbott changed course and cited undisclosed threats made to a new company supplying the drug.

Similar fights are ongoing in other death penalty states like Oklahoma, Missouri and Ohio. But courts — including the U.S. Supreme Court — have yet to halt an execution based on a state’s refusal to reveal its drug supplier.

In Texas, Byrne sided with attorneys who filed a lawsuit earlier this year pushing for disclosure of the names of the company that supplies the execution drug and of the compounding pharmacy that prepares the drug when it’s used for executions.

Two of the suing attorneys, all of whom regularly work with death-row inmates, said the ruling is a victory even though they don’t expect the state to release the names pending its appeal.

“This is about the drugs, but it’s also about open government,” attorney Maurie Levin said.

Fellow lawyer Phil Durst said the drugs “are coming from somewhere, and who is the compounder is a vital piece of information.”

The Department of Criminal Justice plans to appeal, according to spokesman Jason Clark.

He said the state maintains that “disclosing the identity of the pharmacy would result in the harassment of the business and would raise serious safety concerns for the business and its employ-

ees.”

Clark also noted that state and federal courts have often sided with states on the issue.

The lawsuit originally included two Texas death row inmates, but both have since been executed.

Texas has 12 execution scheduled for the first five months of next year, but it was unclear what effect, if any, Thursday’s decision would have on them.

Durst said the case now moves to an appeals court in Austin but may eventually be heard by the Texas Supreme Court.

Texas uses one drug during its lethal injections, pentobarbital. Abbott — who was elected governor in November — had long said that the benefits of government transparency outweighed the Department of Criminal Justice’s desire to keep information secret about its execution-drug supplier.

But during his campaign for governor seven months ago, the Republican changed his mind and said the drug supplier’s identity should remain secret.

THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

International

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

Higher prices, shortages create pressure for IS

By SAMEER N. YACOUB AND VIVIAN SALAMA ASSOCIATED PRESS

BAGHDAD — Saadi Abdul-Rahman was recently forced to pull his three children out of school in the Iraqi city of Mosul, where Islamic State militants have ruled with an iron fist since June. The cost of living has soared there, and the family is barely able to make ends meet, even after putting the kids to work.

“We are not able to pay for cooking gas, kerosene and food,” laments the 56year-old retired government worker. “The situation in Mosul is miserable.”

The economy in the selfstyled “caliphate” declared by the Islamic State group bridging Iraq and Syria is starting to show signs of strain. Prices of most staples have more than doubled as coalition airstrikes make it difficult for products to move in and out of militant strongholds, lead-

ing to shortages, price-gouging and the creation of black markets.

Resentment has grown among residents under the rule of the extremists, who initially won support with their ability to deliver services.

In the early days of its rule, the Islamic State group subsidized food and gas prices through the wealth it accumulated from oil smuggling, extortion and ransom demands. They sold their smuggled oil at a discount— $25 to $60 a barrel for oil that normally cost $100 a barrel or more, according to analysts and government officials.

But in recent weeks, prices have soared in militantheld cities. Items like kerosene, used for heating and cooking, are in short supply, while others, such as alcohol and cigarettes, strictly banned by the group, are making a comeback on the black market.

Smoking is a punishable

File photo | AP

An Iraqi man shops for food at a market in the northern city of Mosul, Iraq, on June 13. It’s becoming more expensive to live in the self-styled caliphate envisioned by the Islamic State group. offense in militant-held Mosul. But at a warehouse on the outskirts of the city, cigarettes, as well as hard-tocome-by essentials like kerosene, can be found at hugely inflated prices on a black market run by the extremists. There, a pack of cigarettes sells for 30,000 dinars — the equivalent of $26 — more than double the pre-

caliphate price, according to residents who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals.

The militants “are developing an unsustainable economy,” said Paul Sullivan, an expert on Middle East economies at the National Defense University in Washington.

“Eventually the costs of keeping the sub-

sidies and price controls going will overpower their smuggling funds, which are also used for offensive and defensive actions.”

“They can collect taxes, extort money, and so forth,” he said. “But that will likely not be enough in the long run to keep an unbalanced economic system going.”

In the Syrian city of Raqqa, the extremists’ so-called capital, the breakdown of security along the border with Iraq in areas under Islamic State control has led to flourishing trade with Mosul. Trucks are also able to access the city from Turkey, allowing for a supply of fruit and vegetables, wheat and textiles. However, the cost of living has surged since U.S.led airstrikes began in September, and power and water cuts grew more frequent, residents said.

In addition, the strict social laws imposed by the group have been very bad for business, said Bari Abdelatif, an activist in the Is-

lamic State-controlled town of al-Bab in Syria’s northern Aleppo province. But, he said, foreign fighters were bringing with them lots of hard currency, making up somewhat for the shortfall.

Last month, Abu Bakr alBaghdadi, the leader of the Islamic State group, decreed the minting of gold, silver and copper coins for the militants’ own currency — the Islamic dinar — to “change the tyrannical monetary system” modelled on Western economies. But trade in most militant-held cities continues to be in Iraqi dinars and U.S. dollars.

The start of winter has led to serious shortages of gasoline and kerosene. The official price for a liter of gas in government-controlled areas of Iraq is 450 dinars (40 cents) — but in Mosul, it sells for four times that. Two hundred-liter barrels of kerosene are now sold in Mosul for 250,000 dinars ($220), versus the official price of 30,000 dinars.

SÁBADO 13 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2014

Ribereña en Breve MERCADO INVERNAL Este sábado 13 de diciembre se realizará el “Zapata Winter Market”, evento diseñado para apoyar a los negocios locales y pequeñas empresas.

Los asistentes podrán comprar de 10 a.m. a 3 p.m., en 506 Hwy 83.

FOTOGRAFÍAS CON SANTA CLAUS El sábado 13 de diciembre, la Ciudad de Roma patrocinará Fotografías con Santa Claus, que serán gratuitas para los asistentes.

El evento se realizará en el Falcon State Park Rec. Hall, a partir de las 9 a.m. y hasta las 12 p.m.

El costo de entrada será de 3 dólares para adultos y niños de 12 años o mayores.

Los primeros 50 niños en acudir recibirán un juguete gratis. Habrá actividades para los niños, entre ellas la creación de adornos navideños.

Durante el evento también se repartirán galletas y chocolate, gratis.

CAMPAMENTO DE SOFTBALL

Zfrontera

PÁGINA 9A

GOBIERNO

Confiscan cuenta TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Una cuenta de inversiones en McAllen, que supuestamente pertenece a un funcionario del Gobierno de Tamaulipas, fue confiscada como resultado de una investigación, según dio a conocer el Fiscal de EU, Kennet Magidson, en un comunicado de prensa, el viernes.

La cuenta al parecer pertenece a Homero De La Garza Tamez, actual Secretario de Desarrollo Social, y ex director estatal del Instituto Tamaulipeco de Vivienda y Urbanismo (ITAVU).

La cuenta, retenida en el UBS Financial Services Inc. en McAllen, contenía 1.109.989,66 millones hasta el 4 de noviembre de 2014. De acuerdo con una querella de confiscación civil, los fondos en la cuenta estuvieron implicados en transacciones de lavado de dinero, que la propiedad constituye o fue derivado de

transacciones provenientes de delitos tales como soborno de un oficial público, o de malversación, robo o derroche de fondos públicos por o para beneficio de un oficial público.

Supuestamente Tamez es el titular de esta cuenta. La querella alega que Tamez transfirió sobornos monetarios de México a cuentas en Estados Unidos.

ITAVU es el Instituto de Vivienda y Desarrollo Urbano de Tamaulipas. Tamez fue asignado por el ex Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Eugenio Hernández Flores, como director. ITAVU es el departamento responsable de dar apoyo a residentes de bajos ingresos a través de programas de vivienda y programas de financiamiento. Uno de los programas que ITAVU aplica en los municipios consiste en pagar la mitad de los costos asociados con la reparación de las calles de la ciudad y la construcción de nuevas calles den-

tro de su ciudad. La ciudad pagaría la mitad restante de los costos. El programa no requiere a los municipios participar en el programa. ITAVU también desarrolla propiedades y construye casas, junto con la provisión de programas especiales de financiamiento, lo que permite a familias de bajos ingresos mudarse a nuevos hogares.

La querella alega que durante su mandato como director de ITAVU, Tamez habría recibido sobornos monetarios por parte de contratistas del gobierno, quienes reciben contratos por parte del Gobierno del Estado de Tamaulipas, después, los funcionarios del gobierno habrían falsificado y manipulado las ofertas durante el proceso de licitación. La querella alega además que Tamez recibió múltiples tipos de pagos a lo largo de su carrera política y que recibió estos sobornos en forma de efectivo y depósitos banca-

MÉXICO

COMUNIDAD

REFORMA ENERGÉTICA

Retratan recorrido por frontera

La Ciudad de Roma, Texas estará realizando un campamento de softball dirigido a jugadores de entre 8 y 14 años de edad.

El evento se llevará a cabo el sábado 13 de diciembre, dentro de las instalaciones del Roma High Softball Field, en los siguientes horarios: de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m.; de 12 p.m. a 1 p.m. (se proporcionará la comida); y de 1 p.m. a 3 p.m.

Los asistentes recibirán entrenamiento para cubrir las áreas de picheo, bateo, cubrir las bases, moverse entre campos, robar bases, entre otros aspectos. El costo del campamento será de 25 dólares, e incluirá la comida y una playera.

Para más información puede llamar a Joel Hinojosa Jr., al 353-1442.

POR GABRIELA A. TREVIÑO TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

PROGRAMA PECDA 2015 El Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (CONACULTA), a través del Instituto Tamaulipeco para la Cultura y las Artes (ITCA), de México, han anunciado el cierre para las convocatorias del Programa de Estímulo a la Creación y al Desarrollo Artístico (PECDA) 2015.

Los solicitantes deben ser originarios del Estado de Tamaulipas o comprobar una residencia continua mínima durante los últimos tres años.

Los proyectos seleccionados se harán acreedores a un estímulo económico que les facilite las condiciones para continuar con su labor en las disciplinas de artes plásticas, arte urbano, artes visuales, danza, letras, música, patrimonio cultural y teatro. Los postulantes deberán ser mayores de 18 años y harán llegar todos sus documentos y material de apoyo en forma electrónica mediante el portal http://www.pecdaenlinea.conaculta.com.mx, a través de la opción “Registrar nuevo usuario”.

El cierre de la convocatoria es el 17 de diciembre.

VISITA DE PAISANOS Se fortalecerá la vigilancia en las carreteras del Estado de Tamaulipas, señala un comunicado de prensa del Estado.

Durante una reunión entre el Gobernador Egidio Torre Cantú, las fuerzas federales y estatales que integran el Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas, se acordó implementar la vigilancia y la presencia policial durante la temporada decembrinas, periodo durante el cual crece el número de paisanos que visitan México, a través del Estado.

rios realizados en sus cuentas bancarias, que fueron transferidos en última instancia en la cuenta de UBS. La querella busca la confiscación de 1.109.986,66 millones de dólares, retenidas en la cuenta de inversiones en UBS Financial Service Inc. La investigación que llevó a la presentación de la querella de confiscación civil, fue conducida a través de OCDETF en McAllen, San Antonio, Brownsville, Houston y Corpus Christi. El FBI, Investigaciones Criminales de Servicios de Impuestos Internos, Administración de Control de Drogas, Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional, la Oficina del Fiscal General de Texas y el Departamento de Policía de Valle León, condujeron la investigación.

El caso está siendo procesado por el Asistente del Fiscal de EU, Julie K. Hampton.

Foto por Dario Lopez-Mills/archivo | Associated Press

La plataforma de perforación para aguas profundas El Centenario, se encuentra sobre la costa de Veracruz, México, en el Golfo de México. El gobierno mexicano reveló las reglas propuestas para la histórica apertura de la industria energética apertura de la industria al sector privado.

Inicia nueva etapa en exploración de crudo POR E. EDUARDO CASTILLO ASSOCIATED PRESS

M

ÉXICO — El gobierno de México presentó el jueves las reglas que permitirán a empresas nacionales y extranjeras participar por primera vez en la exploración de crudo, luego de la histórica reforma energética que terminó con más de siete décadas de monopolio estatal.

Las autoridades anunciaron el inicio del proceso de licitación para 14 áreas en el Golfo de México, que se extenderá hasta el 15 de julio del 2015 con la presentación de propuestas económicas y en el que podrán participar todas las empresas privadas que cumplan con ciertos requisitos, por ejemplo comprobar su participación en al menos tres proyectos de exploración y extracción de crudo por un valor de al menos 1.000 millones de dólares y que tenga un capital contable de al menos la misma cantidad.

Las 14 áreas o bloques se encuentran en aguas someras, menores a 500 metros de profundi-

dad, frente a los estados de Veracruz, Tabasco y Campeche. Los bloques serán explorados a través de contratos de producción compartida con una vigencia de 25 años, que podrá prorrogarse por dos periodos de cinco años cada uno.

Las empresas interesadas podrán participar solas o en un consorcio, aunque no podrán postular por más de cinco bloques, que tienen extensiones desde 116 hasta 500 kilómetros cuadrados.

Antes de la reforma, la empresa estatal Petróleos Mexicanos era la única que podría explorar y producir crudo.

Los interesados tendrán acceso por seis meses a un llamado “cuarto de datos”, un sitio en internet en el que se pondrá a disposición toda la información disponible sobre cada área, por ejemplo información sísmica y geográfica.

“Es mucho lo que México se juega en esta audaz apertura”, dijo el secretario de Energía, Pedro Joaquín Coldwell. “Por ello, es definitivo el compromiso del

Estado mexicano con la transparencia”.

La subsecretaria de Energía Lourdes Melgar afirmó que hay una cláusula en la que se establece que cualquier soborno o acto de corrupción será motivo para rescindir los contratos.

Las autoridades dijeron que todos los contratos y procesos de adjudicación de contratos petroleros serán públicos para evitar casos de corrupción.

La producción de gas y petróleo de México alcanzó su máximo en 2004 con 3,4 millones de barriles diarios. Ha caído desde entonces a unos 2,4 millones de barriles. Con la reforma, el gobierno prevé incrementarla a tres millones de barriles para 2018 y a 3,5 millones para 2025, apoyado en la experiencia y tecnología de compañías extranjeras.

El gobierno considera que la reforma tiene el potencial de transformar el desarrollo económico del país. Analistas estiman que las inversiones podrían alcanzar los 15.000 millones de dólares anuales.

Dos hombres han comenzado una jornada única para cumplir con sus proyectos personales.

Mark J. Hainds, nativo de Alabama, llegó a Laredo el jueves durante su viaje de 1.200 millas alrededor de la frontera de Texas.

Hainds comenzó su jornada el 27 de octubre en El Paso, y en sus planes está llegar a Playa HAINDS Boca Chica, cerca de Brownsville, el 23 de diciembre. Él es un investigador asociado en el Centro Forestal Dixon Solon con la Universidad de Auburn en Andalucía, Alabama, asimismo trabaja como coordinador de Investigaciones para Longleaf Alliance.

El propósito de la odisea de Hainds es reunir información para su siguiente libro, que ha trabajado bajo el título “Caminata por la Frontera”. Toma notas diariamente y dijo que a tomado cientos de fotos.

Hainds dijo que se sintió atraído por la región a través de obras literarias tales como “No Country for Old Men”, por Cormac McCarthy, que describe la frontera de Estados Unidos y México.

Vestido con botas de senderismo, pantalón de mezclilla y sombrero vaquero, Hainds no lucía muy fatigado después de caminar desde el área de Old Mines Road al centro de Laredo. De todos los riesgos Hainds dijo que el más grande han sido los conductores irresponsables en áreas de alto tráfico.

El documentalista Rex Jones ha acompañado Hainds través de su viaje, aunque en una camioneta del equipo de producción.

Jones estará produciendo la película para el Proyecto Documental del Sur, un instituto que trabaja a través de la Universidad de Mississippi.

“La película no solamente habla de Mark”, dijo Jones. “Esperamos que la película de una idea de lo que es la frontera en la actualidad”.

La película de Jones, llamada “La Frontera”, será transmitida por PBS, por varios canales de acceso público, así como en festivales de películas.

Para más información, puede visitar la página de Facebook de Hainds, buscando “Mark J. Hainds” o visitar el blog de Jones en http://tinyurl.com/q5svy38.

NACIONAL

Hay 2 víctimas tras tiroteo en secundaria ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Oregon— Un tiroteo en una secundaria de Portland, Oregon, dejó al menos dos víctimas, informó la policía el viernes por la tarde.

La policía reportó la balacera después del

mediodía del viernes, y dijo que uno o más sospechosos habían huido de la secundaria Rosemary Anderson.

No se dieron detalles sobre la condición de las víctimas. No queda claro si las víctimas recibieron impacto de bala.

La escuela, ubicada en el norte de Portland,

es una secundaria alternativa para quienes abandonaron sus estudios y para estudiantes indigentes o en otra situación de riesgo.

Se pidió a los padres que acudieran a la escuela.

Dos escuelas cercanas declararon un cierre de emergencia.

PAGE 10A

Zentertainment

Gucci CEO to step down

By COLLEEN BARRY ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILAN — Gucci creative director Frida Giannini and CEO Patrizio di Marco are leaving their posts next year, the luxury brand’s parent company said Friday, in what is the biggest shake-up since star designer Tom Ford left 12 years ago.

The moves come as the industry witnesses a downturn in some of its major Asian markets to go alongside difficulties in Europe, and amid speculation about the double-G brand’s search for identity in the post-logo era.

Florence-based Gucci, which analysts say is responsible for two-thirds of Kering’s profits, saw thirdquarter revenues drop 2 percent to 851 million euros ($1.05 billion). Shares in Kering closed down 2 percent at 155.65 euros.

Giannini will step down as creative director, a post she has held since 2006, after showing her fall/winter 2014-2015 collections for men in January and women in February. No replacement was immediately announced. She joined Gucci in 2002 as the lead designer for leather goods, adding women’s ready-to-wear in 2005, before being named the sole creative director.

Di Marco leaves his post at the end of the year after 13 years with the group, first as CEO of Bottega Veneta, another brand in the company’s stable. He will be replaced by Marco Bizzarri.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

Cuban rappers targeted by USAID

By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ AND LAURA WIDES-MUÑOZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAVANA — Cuban rappers targeted by a clandestine U.S. program are “victims” unknowingly swept into an effort to spark an anti-government youth movement, the Cuban government said Friday.

The hip-hop operation was conceived by one of USAID’s largest contractors, Creative Associates International, using a team of Serbian music promoters. The Washington-based contractor also led other efforts aimed at undermining Cuba’s communist government, including a secret Cuban Twitter text-messaging service and an operation that sent in young, inexpe-

File photo | AP

In this April 23, 2010, photo, Cuban singer Bian Rodriguez, member of Los Aldeanos, holds a Cuban flag as they play in concert at the Acapulco Theater in Havana. rienced Latin American “tourists” to recruit a new generation of activists.

The collection of USAID missions, which were all undertaken over the same period of 2009-2012

and cost millions, failed. Rojas said Aldo Rodriguez, lead singer of Los Aldeanos, had received backing from the Hermanos Saiz Association, a youth culture group with close government ties, and “I don’t think he’s lost that support.”

The U.S. plan called for contractors to recruit dozens of Cuban musicians for projects disguised as cultural initiatives but really aimed at stoking a movement of fans to challenge the government. They filmed TV shows and set up a social network on the island to connect some 200 musicians and artists who would be encouraged to start a social movement. Artists were flown to Europe ostensibly for concerts, but the real aim was to groom them as activists.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

MANUEL B. SOLIS

DEATHS Continued from Page 1A

Oct. 5, 1932 — Dec. 8, 2014 Manuel B. Solis, Sr., passed away on December 8, 2014 in Huntsville, Alabama. Mr. Solis was born on October 5, 1932, and was a Korean War veteran.

Mr. Solis is preceded in death by parents, Ignacio and Severa Solis; five brothers and two sisters.

Mr. Solis is survived by his children, Sandra (Craig) Holton of Huntsville, Alabama, Manuel Solis of Houston, Jaime (Rachel) Solis of Houston; six grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; brother, Santiago Solis; and by numerous other family members and friends.

Visitation hours will be held Monday, Dec. 15, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a wake at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

A chapel service will be held Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014, at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

Committal services will follow at Panteon Del Pu-

eblo in San Ygnacio, including full Military Honors by the American Legion Post 486 Color Guard.

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

GAS HITS $1.99 IN DALLAS

Photo by Andy Jacobsohn/The Dallas Morning News | AP

A gallon of regular unleaded gas was advertised at $1.99 at Fuel City in Dallas, Texas on Friday. Over the last few months, Texas motorists have enjoyed steep drops in gasoline prices since world oil prices began their dramatic plunge.

scope of the brutalities began to become clear. Dozens, then hundreds, of people came to subsequent meetings at the San Gerardo church, which has become the gathering point for a citizen movement to search the surrounding hills and fields for the students’ remains.

"Because like this, you live all the time thinking.

When I’m eating, I’m wondering if my son is eating.

If I’m cold, I can cover up.

But can he? I’ll be going to bed, and my son?" said Guillermina Sotelo Castañeda, whose son, Cesar, 30, disappeared in August 2012. "I don’t know if he is suffering, if he is hungry. I imagine many things."

With little faith in their government, parents, volunteers and human rights workers have taken the initiative to catalogue the crimes. Medical volunteers are drawing blood from parents’ fingers to use as DNA evidence to compare against the remains in the 18 graves, some with multiple bodies, they have discovered. More than 400 people just from this part of Guerrero state have come to give testimony about their missing relatives.

"All the authorities were participating, and that’s why nobody could come forward to report the crimes," said Miguel Angel Jimenez, a coordinator for the local group that is leading the work at the church.

He says many more remain too scared to reveal themselves. "We are talking about hundreds and hundreds of disappeared."

By the official government count, about 22,300 people are missing in Mexico, a figure human rights officials think understates

the problem. In September, when police drove away with 43 students from the teachers college in this state, it was a particularly brazen example of a trend that had raged for years.

Authorities have suspected that the students were handed over to a drug cartel and then shot and burned in a trash dump in the hills outside Cocula, a farming town to the south.

That narrative had been dismissed by their relatives and supporters, as a protest movement demanding their return swept the country. But over the weekend, Jesús Murillo Karam, Mexico’s attorney general, said that DNA evidence confirmed that at least one of those students had suffered that fate.

"Our movement continues," said Omar Garcia, 24, a student at the teachers college who survived the police attack the night his classmates went missing.

"Because to us, we’re not interested if the attorney general’s version is true or false. What has been demonstrated is that they committed extrajudicial assassinations in a more brutal way than we have ever seen."

In Guerrero, that is more than many parents know. The collaboration between local authorities and drug cartels meant that many victims were killed and discarded without anyone coming to look for them.

Sotelo, 54, is sure that her farmworker son, Cesar, made a cellphone call on the afternoon of Aug. 19, 2012, to say he had arrived in Huitzuco, his father’s home town. But he never made it to his house. She searched hospitals and reported his disappearance

and spent months on and off in her search before returning to her home on Cemetery Road in Candor, North Carolina. When she learned that relatives were organizing search parties for the missing, she bought a one-way ticket and has joined them in the hills above the town examining unmarked graves.

Sotelo began to cry when she thought about what would happen if she found her son’s remains.

"I’m going to feel like dying," she said. "I don’t want to see them bringing my son to me in a bag."

But she says it is better to know than live in this limbo, a "terminal illness" she compared to cancer.

"We want to have them back so we can bury them ourselves," said Jovita Cruz, whose son Hector, 22, was taken in June. "So we know where to cry."

On the way into Cocula, embedded in the stone wall of a cemetery, there is a plaque that reads: "I say goodbye for all of my life, but for all of my life I keep thinking of you."

Last week, a group of relatives of the missing, volunteers and human rights officials passed this sign on their way through the corn fields in the valley floor and up into the wooded hills.

Their guide was a small, weathered man with a blue bandana over half his face. He was a construction worker and a deer hunter who knew the hidden gullies and concealed caves that he believed might have been a dumping ground. They drove up a dirt track amid blooms of tiny yellow butterflies and cows with numbered tags in their ears. Up on the ridge, the state police

who were guarding the trash dump — where the students were allegedly burned — blocked their entry so the group returned to a lower canyon to traverse the ravine until they reached the caves.

As they climbed into the woods, they scanned the ground for signs of human remains. Jimenez, from the church, pushed his metal rod into the ground, probing for loose earth. He found rusted cans and a discarded Arctic Zone backpack.

"This kind of stuff isn’t common here," he said.

"This is a sign of something."

A few of them, led by the guide and the old man in camouflage, separated themselves from the group and hiked faster up into the ravine. The faint path soon dissolved into a thicket of brambles and vines.

They fought their way hunched over through the vegetation, thorns and spines snagging their arms and legs.

The camouflaged man, who did not want his name used, or that of his son who disappeared in 2009, hacked at the brush with his machete. Branches slapped at his face. He stumbled and fell, and when he stood up blood was running through his fingers. But he was determined to keep going, despite the almost impassable terrain.

Finally, with the sun setting and sweat running down his face, he sat on a rock, exhausted.

"He’s not here," he said.

Miles of green wilderness surrounded them.

They would not reach the caves that day. So they turned back downhill toward the land of the living.

ODYSSEY Continued from Page 1A Forestry Center with Auburn University in Andalusia, Alabama, and he also works as research coordinator for The Longleaf Alliance.

The purpose behind Hainds’ odyssey is to gather material for his next book, which has a working title of “Border Walk.” He takes notes daily and he said he has taken hundreds of photos.

Hainds said he was drawn to the region through works of literature such as “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac McCarthy, which depict the U.S.-Mexico border.

Hainds previously authored “Year of the Pig,” a personal account of a hunter who hunts wild pigs. The book is said to appeal to adventure novel enthusiasts, farmers, land managers and environmentalists, according to Amazon.com.

On his stop in Laredo on Thursday, Hainds spoke to Laredo Morning Times about his journey thus far and his experience walking through the Gateway City.

Dressed in hiking boots, jeans and a cowboy hat, Hainds did not seem very fatigued after walking from the Old Mines Road area to downtown Laredo.

It was what Hainds called a “light day.”

Despite the risk of exhaustion, erratic weather conditions and predatory fauna, such as rattlesnakes and scorpions, Hainds said the biggest danger he has encountered in his journey has been reckless drivers and high traffic areas.

“Old Mines (Road) was insane,” Hainds said.

The area, past the Colombia-Solidarity International Bridge, is a high-traffic area for commercial 18-wheelers.

Hainds said he walks an average of about 25 miles a day. He said his endurance had increased since the beginning of his journey.

“For the first three weeks, my legs would hurt,” Hainds said.

He said he tapes his toes everyday to prevent blisters, and he has developed calluses.

In remote areas, he will pitch a campsite, but he said he usually stays in motels along the way. If a motel is too far to walk to, he will get picked up, taken to the hotel where he will spend the night, and he will be driven back out to the exact point he stopped walking the previous day.

“It’s one of my rules,” Hainds said.

Hainds said he has three rules he has been adhering to throughout his trip. They are the following: Stay alive.

“Where I end a day’s walk is where I begin the next day.”

“And I can’t walk past an open bar without going in to have a drink,” he said, laughing.

Documentary filmmaker Rex Jones has accompanied Hainds throughout his journey, albeit in a production crew van.

Jones will be producing the film for the Southern Documentary Project, an institute that works through the University of Mississippi.

He has been shooting footage since the beginning of Hainds’ trek.

“I’m the only person that will see his first step and his last,” Jones said.

The draw behind telling Hainds’ story, Jones said, is getting to know the area, which he said is very unfamiliar to the rest of the U.S. “This movie is not just about Mark taking a million steps,” Jones said. “You know, before coming here, I had people begging me to bring a weapon with me for protection. They think it’s a really dangerous place over here …

Hopefully, the film will provide an insight into what ‘la frontera’ is presently.”

In addition to recording Hainds along his outdoor pilgrimage, Jones has also interviewed ranchers and human rights activists.

Jones said he wanted to gather a multitude of perspectives of those on the border “because of the politics of the region,” he said.

Because Hainds has been walk-

ing along the border, he said he has been approached “at least twice a day” by Border Patrol agents.

Both Hainds and Jones said the Border Patrol agents have been “uniformly professional and courteous,” having even offered Hainds water along the way.

“It does help that we’re Caucasian males,” Jones said.

Jones’ film that has a working title of “La Frontera” will be submitted to PBS, several state’s public access channels, as well as film festivals.

Jones also said the film will be available for free online at http:// southdocs.org.

For more information and updates from the road, visit Hainds’ Facebook page, which can be found by searching for “Mark J. Hainds” or Jones’ blog, which can be found at http://southdocs.org/ category/documentaries/la-frontera/.

(Gabriela A. Treviño may be reached at 956-728-2579 or gtrevino@lmtonline.com)

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

3 in hospital after Oregon school shooting

By STEVEN DUBOIS ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Ore. — Someone opened fire on a group of young people outside an alternative high school Friday, sending three people to the hospital in what is believed to be a gang-related attack, Portland police said.

The victims are students at Rosemary Anderson High School or in related job training programs, police Sgt. Pete Simpson said. A 16-yearold girl was in critical condition, and two males — ages 17 and 20 — were in serious condition, police said. A fourth person — a 19-year-old woman — was grazed by a bullet but not hospitalized.

The shooting was reported after noon and happened at a street corner outside the school, Simpson said.

Witnesses told police there may have been a dispute outside the school, but police said they didn’t know who was involved.

“We don’t know what led up to the shooting,” Simpson said. “There was some kind of dispute.”

The assailant and two other people fled, and the wounded students went to the school for help, he said.

A nearby high school and community college were put on lockdown.

Preliminary information suggests the shooter has gang ties, Simpson said. The Police Bureau’s gang unit was deployed in the investigation.

Sierra Smith, a 17-yearold student, told The Oregonian she saw one of the male victims being helped by a teacher inside the school.

“He was laying on the ground. He had blood

Photo by Greg Wahl-Stephens | AP

Parents and teachers gather outside Rosemary Anderson High School following a shooting at the alternative school, in Portland. coming out of his stomach,” she said. “It was scary.”

Another student, Oliviann Danley, 16, told the newspaper she saw a boy run into the school and yell, “Oh my god, did I just get shot?”

Rosemary Anderson High School serves at-risk students who were expelled or dropped out, or

RIO GRANDE Continued from Page 1A “The permit provides additional flexibility and oth-

er processes, which simply provide a means for delay

rather than an assurance of clean water,” she said.

INDICTED Continued from Page 1A fendant was detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents at the checkpoint on mile marker 29 of Interstate 35.

Agents allege they found 76 people — 70 adults and six minors — inside a trailer hauled by a tractor driven by Battee.

Homeland Security Investigations took over the investigation. Battee allegedly agreed to speak with special agents without an attorney present.

Battee told agents he was hired to transport illegal immigrants from Laredo to San Antonio for money, according to court documents.

Authorities said Battee picked up the 18-wheeler loaded with the immigrants on Jef Drive in the Killam Industrial Boulevard area.

On Nov. 26, Battee re-

quested a bond be set in his case during a detention hearing while the prosecution requested that he remain behind bars given his criminal history. Prosecutors said that if Battee is granted bond, he could be picked up by Dallas authorities because he’s out on probation on a theft charge.

Records show the court has not issued a decision on the bond request. Battee, who is in federal custody, will be arraigned Thursday before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

who are homeless or single parents. According to the school’s website, 190 students annually are enrolled at the north Portland location. The school also has a second location in Gresham.

Gang violence in Portland isn’t a new phenomenon. Some of the violence occurs between rival gangs, but bystanders

have also been hurt.

“We’ve made a lot of progress in addressing the gang problem, but we haven’t eradicated it,” Mayor Charlie Hales said after shooting Friday. “Today’s really a sad reminder that it’s still with us.”

Portland police have said they saw a spike in gang crime this summer and have complained they don’t have adequate resources to address the problem. Recent violence includes a man killed in a drive-by-shooting in June and another man killed in a separate shooting. A 5year-old boy also was shot in the leg while playing at an apartment complex.

A Multnomah County report on gang activity released in June said crime in the county that includes Portland actually decreased from 2005 to 2012. As inner-city Portland gentrifies, the report

said, criminal activity is shifting from northern neighborhoods to areas farther east, including the city of Gresham.

The report identified at least 133 active gangs in the county.

Dani Gonzales, 64, has lived in the neighborhood of Friday’s shooting for 25 years and said it’s generally safe but there has always been some gang activity.

“Kids just get silly and get crazy ideas. I don’t know what goes on in their heads,” Gonzales said.

There was another school shooting in the Portland area in June, but it was not gang-related. A freshman killed another boy in a locker room and a bullet grazed a teacher before the shooter went into a bathroom and died from a self-inflicted gunshot, police said.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Appeal denied Photo by Nam Y. Huh | AP

Dallas wideout Dez Bryant’s success mixed with the team’s running game affects other receivers’ production.

Life behind Dez for WRs

By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS

IRVING — Terrance Williams scored five touchdowns the first five weeks of the season. Now he’s barely

Photo by Seth Wenig | AP

getting a catch per game.

Cole Beasley’s career TD total was two before he found the end zone three times in the past

See COWBOYS PAGE 2B

Photo by Stephen B. Morton | AP

Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson was officially barred from returning for the final games of the year after an arbiter upheld the NFL’s decision to suspend him for the season.

Houston running back Arian Foster will be Indianapolis’ focus going into their matchup this weekend.

Peterson remains suspended for season

Colts prepare for Foster

By DAVE CAMPBELL ASSOCIATED PRESS

MINNEAPOLIS — An arbiter appointed by the NFL ruled Friday that Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson will remain suspended until at least next spring in the childabuse case that has sidelined him for all but one game this season.

The decision by Harold Henderson, a former league official, up-

held the NFL’s decision last month to suspend Peterson without pay for the remainder of the season and not consider him for reinstatement before April 15.

Peterson was paid during his appeal, but Henderson’s ruling means Peterson will forfeit checks from the team’s last six games. That amounts to a fine of more than $4.1 million.

The NFL Players Association called Henderson’s objectivity in-

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

to question and said it was “considering immediate legal remedies” to the decision.

“The NFLPA expected this outcome, given the hearing officer’s relationship and financial ties to the NFL,” the union said in a statement. “The decision itself ignores the facts, the evidence and the collective bargaining agreement. This decision also repre-

See PETERSON PAGE 2B

By JIM JOHNSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

INDIANAPOLIS — The Colts understand what Arian Foster is capable of.

The Indianapolis defense has focused on stopping the rush all season, but the Texans’ running back poses a

See TEXANS PAGE 2B

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: WINTER MEETINGS

Trades dominate meetings

By RONALD BLUM ASSOCIATED PRESS

File photo by LMT

A bill has been submitted to cut down the Texas high school playoff field.

Bill may reduce playoffs, All-Star Game gone ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — A West Texas lawmaker says too many high school football teams reach the state playoffs and has introduced a bill that would reduce the number that advance.

Republican Sen. Charles Perry of Lubbock says the University Interscholastic

League’s playoff system has become “watered down” and allows up to 74 percent of teams to make the playoffs.

The bill he filed Thursday looks to reduce the number of schools advancing from each district from four to two.

Perry tells the Fort Worth

See FOOTBALL PAGE 2B

SAN DIEGO — Baseball’s winter meetings ended with an oldstyle spurt of swaps, with AllStars switching teams at a rapid pace and executives scrambling to fill roster voids.

Alfredo Simon, Dee Gordon, Yoenis Cespedes, Miguel Montero, Jeff Samardzija, Brandon Moss, Dan Haren and Howie Kendrick were among the AllStars dealt by the time teams headed home Thursday, and Matt Kemp and Jimmy Rollins were on the verge of switching clubs.

The Los Angeles and Chicago teams were the epicenter of change along with Miami.

Twelve trades involving 44 players were made over the four days, according to Major League Baseball, up from five swaps last year and three in 2012. There hadn’t been this many trades at a winter meetings since 2006.

“People are motivated,” Seattle general manager Jack Zduriencik said.

With major league revenues in the $9 billion range, increased sharing and changes to rules for the amateur draft, more clubs have money to spend and largemarket teams are more constrained.

The four organizations chasing San Francisco in the NL West all

Photo by Lenny Ignelzi | AP

Agent Scott Boras and others were quite busy at the winter meetings, with free agents picking new homes and teams trading players at a rapid pace. changed their top baseball frontoffice official since last year’s gathering: Tony La Russa took over at the Diamondbacks, Andrew Friedman with the Dodgers, A. J. Preller with the Padres and Jeff Bridich with the Rockies. Matt Silverman replaced Friedman with the Rays.

“People have been very, very aggressive,” Detroit general manager Dave Dombrowski said. “Action starts more quickly, so when you get here I think you’re prepared to move. Secondly, a lot of free agents started to sign. I think a lot of clubs were open-

minded. There’s been some change of regimes that have also contributed to that.”

A $155 million, six-year agreement between left-hander Jon Lester and the Cubs late Tuesday night seemed to break a market logjam.

In deals announced just before midnight Wednesday, the Dodgers acquired Kendrick from the Angels to play second and worked to obtain Rollins from Philadelphia in a remake of their middle infield. They dealt Gordon, Haren

See MLB PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

PETERSON Continued from Page 1B sents the NFL’s repeated failure to adhere to due process and confirms its inconsistent treatment of players.”

The Vikings declined to comment. Peterson is a three-time, first-team Associated Press All-Pro and reached the Pro Bowl in six of his first seven NFL seasons, all with Minnesota. Peterson led the NFL in rushing twice, including 2012 when his 2,097 yards fell 9 short of breaking Eric Dickerson’s all-time record, but he may never play again for the Vikings after this mess.

Peterson was charged with felony child abuse in September for using a wooden switch to discipline his 4-yearold son, but he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor reckless assault in November. He had been on paid leave, on a special exempt list at the discretion of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, while his case moved through the court system.

At the crux of the NFLPA’s argument for reinstatement was what NFL executive vice president for football operations Troy Vincent told Peterson last month when the dispute was at its height. According to a person with knowledge of the conversation, Vincent told Peterson he would receive a twogame ban if he attended a hearing on Nov. 14 with Goodell.

Peterson declined to meet that day with Goodell, citing uncertainty about the NFL’s intent to question him. Goodell then announced on Nov. 18 that Peterson would be suspended for the six games that remained for the Vikings at

Photo by Seth Wenig | AP

The NFL Players Association is considering action questioning the objectivity of arbiter Harold Henderson, a former NFL official, for his ruling on Adrian Peterson. the time and not be considered for reinstatement until April.

A recording and a transcript of what Vincent told Peterson was presented by the NFLPA to Henderson, who oversaw a hearing on Dec. 2. Peterson attended that and listened via telephone as the hearing continued on Dec. 4, when Vincent

was questioned.

The union and league have been sniping at each other over the personal-conduct policy since former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice’s case eventually prompted Goodell to upgrade the penalty for a first offense of assault, battery or domestic violence to a six-game

FOOTBALL Continued from Page 1B Star-Telegram that his bill is meant to keep away noncompetitive teams.

But he says it’s also a cost-saver because some rural districts spend $8,000 to travel for a playoff game.

The last time only two teams advanced to the state playoffs among the largest schools was 1989.

Texas high school all-star game discontinued SAN MARCOS — The Texas High School Coaches Association is abandoning an all-star football game dating to 1935.

The association announced Thursday that it was discontinuing the game because of a new NCAA rule that prohibits Division I college coaches from attending a convention that includes an all-star game.

The association had held all-star football and basketball games each summer as part of a convention that draws thousands of coaches. Both games are being eliminated to ensure that top-level college coaches can attend the clinics.

The group said the NCAA denied a request for a waiver. Executive Director D.W. Rutledge said it was “not a decision we wanted to have to make at all.”

MLB Continued from Page 1B — who is mulling retirement — infielder Miguel Rojas and a player to be named or cash to the Marlins as part of a seven-player trade for lefthander Andrew Heaney, right-hander Chris Hatcher, infielder Kike Hernandez and catcher Austin Barnes.

The Dodgers then sent Heaney, considered one of baseball’s top pitching prospects, to the Angels for Kendrick.

And as dawn broke, the Dodgers had a deal in place to send Kemp and catcher Tim Federowicz down Interstate 5 to San Diego for catcher Yasmani Grandal and two pitchers.

The trade was pending physical exams and approval by the commissioner’s office of the $32 million the Dodgers would send the Padres to help offset the $107 million remaining in the final five years of Kemp’s deal.

And the Dodgers also worked to complete a $48 million, four-year agreement with pitcher Brandon

McCarthy.

Detroit made a pair of trades, sending Rick Porcello to Boston for Cespedes and two minor leaguers and replacing Porcello on its staff with Alfredo Simon, obtained from Cincinnati for two minor leaguers.

Reds GM Walt Jocketty made that deal in a hotel hallway — Dombrowski’s room was right near his.

Boston also completed a one-year, $9.5 million deal with free-agent pitcher Justin Masterson, who began his career with the Red Sox, and worked to finalize a trade with Arizona for pitcher Wade Miley.

“There’s obviously been a lot more movement. The pace has quickened, certainly,” Red Sox general manager Ben Cherington said. “As expected, it picked up after Lester.”

The Cubs also have a $20 million, two-year deal with right-hander Jason Hammel. And they acquired AllStar catcher Miguel Montero from Arizona as they try to bring a World

TEXANS Continued from Page 1B different challenge.

“He has the speed and can break tackles,” Colts defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said. “Great eyes, great vision, he’s great out of the backfield.

He’s an individual that’s a pretty good player in this league that we have to take care of this week.”

The Colts (9-4) can clinch the AFC South title with a win or tie over Houston (7-6) on Sunday. First, Indy must find a way to contain Foster, who has proved what he can do with big games against Indianapolis.

He averages 6.4 yards a carry in games against the Colts and has topped 100 yards five times, including 109 yards — with two touchdowns — in the Colts’ 3328 win on Oct. 9.

Four years ago, Foster piled up 231 yards against the Colts — the last time the Indianapolis allowed a rusher more than 200 yards. Now he’s one of the top running backs in the AFC and leads the conference with 92.6 yards rushing per game since 2010.

For linebacker Jerrell Freeman, keeping Foster from getting into a groove is simple.

“Everybody just has to do their job,” he said. “Everybody has to know their gaps, stay in it.”

The Colts have held opponents under 100 yards rushing in seven of 13 games this season, but Indy allowed the Texans to run for 136 yards when the two teams met in October.

Foster was upgraded to limited practice time on Thursday after missing Wednesday with a groin injury.

Freeman said the best thing the Colts can do is to just stick to the same defensive approach the team has gone with all season.

“Just be disciplined,” he said.

“I think that’s the big thing. Be disciplined, know your job, and do your job. As long as we just play together, we’ll be able to stop the run.”

Colts safety Mike Adams has seen Foster’s ability unfold right in front of him before. He

suspension. After first suspending Rice for two games, Goodell suspended Rice indefinitely amid a national furor over his initial leniency.

Rice’s appeal, however, went to a neutral arbiter who ruled in his favor and reinstated him.

Peterson injured his son when the boy visited him in May at his home in the Houston area. Peterson acknowledged physically disciplining the boy as he had been as a youth, but said he meant no harm and was sorry for the trouble he caused. Peterson reached a no-contest plea agreement in Texas on Nov. 4, reducing the charge to misdemeanor reckless assault for probation time, community service and a small fine.

“I love my son more than any of you can imagine,” he said outside the courthouse that day.

The Vikings (6-7) have three games remaining. They initially announced Peterson would stay on the active roster after the first game he missed following the indictment on Sept. 13, but they reversed course less than two days later following intense public pressure and placed him on the exempt list.

Peterson’s current contract runs through 2017, but that’s not guaranteed like the other major sports. The Vikings could release him before next season and owe him nothing and take only a $2.4 million hit on their 2015 salary cap, the remaining prorated portion of the signing bonus he received on Sept. 10, 2011.

COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B

Photo by Phelan M. Ebenhack | AP

Texans running back Arian Foster will look to keep the Colts from clinching the AFC South title with a win or tie this weekend. saw in Indy’s first meeting with the Texans this season when Foster scored on a 12-yard run.

“I see him just reading the defense and just reading us,” Adams said. “And that’s what he does and that’s what he’s

Series title to the North Side for the first time since 1908.

On the South Side, the White Sox struck a $46 million, four-year deal with closer David Robertson and acquired starter Jeff Samardzija from Oakland after adding reliever Zach Duke and first baseman Adam LaRoche earlier in the offseason.

Other teams in the Central divisions were adding, too. Minnesota and right-hander Ervin Santana worked to finalize a $55 million, fouryear agreement, and AL champion Kansas City had a $17 million, twoyear deal in place with Kendrys Morales. He figures to take over at designated hitter from Billy Butler, who left as a free agent and agreed to a $30 million, three-year deal with Oakland.

Jocketty attributed much of the action to new team bosses.

“I think they wanted to be active and try to do things quickly,” he said.

good at — cutting back, one stop downhill, taking off. He’s been doing that for a while and that’s definitely what I see. I can see him about to make his cut or in the process of making his cut.”

three games.

That’s life for Dallas receivers behind top Tony Romo target Dez Bryant — anonymity and patience one week, bright lights and cameras the next.

“I’m still going to approach every game like I’ve been approaching it,” said Beasley, the diminutive former SMU player who scored twice in last week’s win over Chicago. “Just a little bit more attention. It’s nothing that we shouldn’t be able to handle.”

It actually might be easier on the busy side. Otherwise, Beasley and Williams have to prepare like the next snap will be their biggest, whether that moment is coming in Sunday night’s game against Philadelphia for the NFC East lead, or it’s months away.

Plus, Beasley points out that the understudies were a lot like Bryant in their college days.

“Getting to this point, you’re used to getting the ball a lot, obviously,” the 5-foot-8 Beasley said. “T-Dub got a ton of balls in college. I did. Dez did. Every skill player here. So it definitely takes some adjusting, especially when you have so many guys who can do something with the ball.”

Another case in point: tight end Gavin Escobar. The secondround pick from 2013, playing in the significant shadow of Jason Witten, has nine catches this year. Four were for touchdowns.

“I think one of the best things we’ve done on offense is a lot of those complementary players that we have,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Maybe it’s a couple of games when they don’t get a chance, but when they do get their opportunity, they cash in on them.”

There’s no guarantee the chances will keep coming. Williams actually had more touchdowns than Bryant until Week 9 against Arizona, when Bryant had one to pull even with the former Baylor receiver at six scores.

Since then, Bryant had clinched his third straight season with at least 1,000 yards and

10 touchdowns, joining Terrell Owens as the only Dallas receivers to do that.

Williams, on the other hand, has gone without a catch twice in the past four games, including last week against Chicago.

While he had a signature moment in a win at Seattle with a stretching, toe-dragging catch for a critical first down, he was caught out of position on a throw from Romo. That resulted in an interception in a loss to the Eagles on Thanksgiving. He knows how important those mistakes are.

“It’s like one of those things to where if Tony gives you a shot to make a play on the ball, then you have to capitalize on them,” said Williams, who has 30 catches for 482 yards and has been stuck on six touchdowns for six weeks. “Whenever he gives me a shot to make a play, I’ve got the mindset that it’s my ball or it’s nobody else’s ball.”

Williams kept playing after breaking his left index finger three weeks ago against the Giants, but Garrett said his downturn in productivity is more about opportunity than anything.

“We’re running the ball a lot in games. The passing opportunities are fewer and further between,” Garrett said. “And typically when he’s had a chance, he’s done a good job making the most of it.”

Beasley, who has 25 catches for 292 yards, is still looking for the first 100-yard game of his three-year career. Williams has just one in two seasons. Bryant, meanwhile, is climbing the career chart for the Cowboys in that category and plenty of others.

“When one makes plays, we all make plays,” Bryant said.

“That’s how the wideouts look at it. If you see one of us score a touchdown, I guarantee you you’re going to see the rest of the receivers over there. If you don’t, just look at the sideline.”

If they’re not the cause of the celebration, Beasley and Williams will be waiting for the next time they are.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014

Don’t Track It In – Vac It Up! Dear Heloise: I keep my wet/dry vacuum in the garage near the door. Instead of vacuuming floors, I vacuum grass and debris from GYM SHOES before coming inside. It makes a world of difference. – C. Pinkney, Indianola, Miss.

Love it, love it, love it! I also love my (well, my husband David’s, really) wet/ dry vac for all sorts of chores. Suck away dust along baseboards and in corners, clean up the back of furniture against a wall, get cobwebs that are way out of reach and even take care of debris when I prune and move a passel of potted plants.

David, if you read this, here is a hint, since Christmas is almost here: Can you find one in purple? – Heloise PATIO ITEMS Dear Readers: If you live in a climate where you put away patio and outdoor items for winter, here are a few hints for you:

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“

HELOISE

A. Always clean or wipe off items before storing.

Check for mildew or other damage, and take care of it now.

B. Store inside, away from weather, if possible. If keeping items outside, cover with furniture covers, tarps or heavy plastic.

C. Cold, wet weather is harmful to most patio furniture, including aluminum, steel, and most woods and natural materials. Synthetic (or "fake," as I call it) wicker is OK to leave out.

D. Do take the time to clean and prepare outside tables, chairs and umbrellas to store for the winter.

When spring comes, you will be so happy to pull them out of storage.

E. Everyone in the family should help. If they enjoy sitting out, they can help keep the furniture in good shape. –Heloise

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2014