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VIOLENCE IN MEXICO
Missing boy found Several law enforcement agencies comb brush area By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
For a couple of hours, lawmen experienced tense moments Friday as they searched for an 8-year-old boy reported missing. He was later found at a friend’s home. At 9:30 p.m. that evening, deputies were dispatched to
the 300 block of First Street. Relatives who could not find the boy filed a missing child report. Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office deputies, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens and U.S. Border Patrol agents canvassed the nearby brush area to no avail. Two hours into the search, the child was found at a
friend’s home down the street. He returned home safely, a sheriff ’s office report states. He did not ask for permission or let relatives know he was leaving the home, according to the report. “It is a very scary and dangerous situation when you have a small child that is lost,” Sheriff Alonso Lopez said in a news release. “The
outcome of this incident was excellent, and I am very appreciative of not only my deputies that were out vigorously searching for the child, but also the response and support from (game wardens) and (agents) that arrived to assist in the search.” (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
PUBLIC HEALTH
MODERN MEDICINE
THE ZAPATA TIMES
See MOBILE PAGE 10A
See VIOLENCE PAGE 10A
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
City Manager Carlos Villarreal, left, Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas, BCFS President andCEO Kevin C. Dinnin, Congressman Henry Cuellar and Laredo Fire Chief Steve Landin cut the ribbon for the new Mobile Medical Unit on Tuesday. and CEO of BCFS, said the opportunity to join with the City of Laredo to benefit the citizens of the community and support the firefighters is very important.
By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ
“We have been a part of serving the colonias for over 10 years, providing prenatal and postpartum healthcare servic-
By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
It is equipped with sophisticated technology such as a non-fetal stress test monitor, ultrasound and other medical tools. Kevin C. Dinnin, president
NL listed in violent cities Nine Mexican cities, including Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, were named among the 50 most violent in the world in 2013, according to a report issued last week by a Mexican civil group tracking security issues. The Citizen Council for Public Safety and Criminal Justice in Mexico stated in its report that Latin American countries with the most occurrences of violence were Brazil, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and Venezuela. For a third time in a row, San Pedro Sula in Honduras ranked as the most violent city, the citizen council said. Mexican cities mentioned in the report include: No. 3 Acapulco No. 16 Culiacán No. 18 Torreón No. 21 Chihuahua No. 22 Victoria No. 30 Nuevo Laredo No. 37 Ciudad Juarez No. 43 Cuernavaca No. 47 Tijuana The announcement came a week after the U.S state department issued a travel warning to Mexico, stating Americans have been victims of violent crimes such as kidnapping, carjacking and robberies perpetrated by criminal organizations. State officials have discouraged trav-
Unit to aid colonias, firefighters The ribbon was cut Tuesday for a multipurpose mobile medical unit that will provide much-needed medical care and rehabilitation to families in the colonias, local firefighters and those affected by disaster. The new mobile unit, operated by BCFS Health and Human Services, will bring care directly to communities along the border, which has some of the highest rates of poverty and lack of insurance. It was funded by the Lamar Bruni Vergara Trust and BCFS Foundation. Its primary responsibilities will be to deliver prenatal and postpartum care to women living in the colonias. It is outfitted with an exam room, a blood-draw station, first-aid station and a delivery station.
Courtesy photo
Krystal Azeneth Lopez, who was reported missing in Nuevo Laredo on Feb. 27, 2012, is shown.
ENVIRONMENT
Town hall to provide update on water issue By ALDO AMATO THE ZAPATA TIMES
It’s been seven years since Carolina Obregon has picked up a glass of tap water at her own home. The Lyndon B. Johnson High School honor student lives in Rio Bravo and said the poor condition of the water is nothing new to her. A boil water notice was is-
sued in early August for the approximately 8,000 residents in El Cenizo and Rio Bravo, after water quality issues arose and a sample tested positive for E. coli. The alert lasted three weeks. “The concern about tap water is nothing new to us and was something that just wasn’t out there getting reported,” Obregon said. “We’ve always known about the issues for years, and I think the notice in August made
people in Laredo more aware.” Obregon is one of several young residents of both communities who plan to attend a public workshop today at Salvador Garcia Middle School. The workshop is designed to provide an update on Rio Grande water conditions, possible health hazards and details on the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality investigation into the Webb County Surface Water
Treatment Plant. It is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. Tricia Cortez, executive director of the Rio Grande International Study Center, said representatives from United ISD, Webb County, Nuevo Laredo and public health experts will be on hand to provide insight. “The goal is to figure out a way to get clean water to the area,” Cortez said. “Residents should be able to drink their
own tap water.” Luis Macias, a graduate of LBJ and lifelong resident of Rio Bravo, said he’s always been skeptical of the water and does not feel optimistic about the future. “The water always smells bad,” Macias said. “I don’t know if it will ever get better or not, but I think they should do a bet-
See WATER PAGE 10A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
Thursday, Jan. 23
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. Call Beverly Cantu at 7270589. Kickoff rally for American Cancer Society’s 2014 Relay for Life. 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Laredo Firefighters Union Hall, 5219 Tesoro Lane. Receive information, join the committee, sign up as a survivor/caregiver, become a sponsor. Light refreshments. Call event chair Terry Alvarado at 236-2231 or Diana Juarez at 319-3100, or visit relayforlife.org/webbtx.
Today is Wednesday, Jan. 22, the 22nd day of 2014. There are 343 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 22, 1984, the Los Angeles Raiders defeated the Washington Redskins 38-9 to win Super Bowl XVIII (18), played at Tampa Stadium in Florida; the CBS-TV broadcast featured Apple Computer’s famous “1984” commercial introducing the Macintosh computer. On this date: In 1498, during his third voyage to the Western Hemisphere, Christopher Columbus arrived at the present-day Caribbean island of St. Vincent. In 1901, Britain’s Queen Victoria died at age 81. In 1917, President Woodrow Wilson pleaded for an end to war in Europe, calling for “peace without victory.” (By April, however, America also was at war.) In 1922, Pope Benedict XV died; he was succeeded by Pius XI. In 1938, Thornton Wilder’s play “Our Town” was performed publicly for the first time in Princeton, N.J. In 1944, during World War II, Allied forces began landing at Anzio, Italy. In 1953, the Arthur Miller drama “The Crucible” opened on Broadway. In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court, in its Roe v. Wade decision, legalized abortions using a trimester approach. Former President Lyndon B. Johnson died at his Texas ranch at age 64. In 1987, Pennsylvania treasurer R. Budd Dwyer, convicted of defrauding the state, proclaimed his innocence at a news conference before pulling out a gun and shooting himself to death in front of horrified spectators. In 1998, Theodore Kaczynski (kah-ZIHN’-skee) pleaded guilty in Sacramento, Calif., to being the Unabomber in return for a sentence of life in prison without parole. Ten years ago: Enron Corp.’s former top accountant, Richard Causey, surrendered to federal authorities; he pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges. (Causey later pleaded guilty to securities fraud and was sentenced to 5 1/2 years in prison; he served 4 3/4 years.) Five years ago: President Barack Obama signed an executive order to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp within a year (however, the facility remains in operation, with Republican and some Democratic lawmakers repeatedly blocking efforts to transfer terror suspects to the United States). One year ago: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hard-line bloc fared worse than expected in a parliamentary election, forcing Netanyahu to negotiate a broad coalition deal. Today’s Birthdays: Former Sen. Birch Bayh, D-Ind., is 86. Actress Piper Laurie is 82. Actor Seymour Cassel is 79. Author Joseph Wambaugh is 77. Actor John Hurt is 74. Singer Steve Perry is 65. Country singer-musician Teddy Gentry (Alabama) is 62. Movie director Jim Jarmusch is 61. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Mike Bossy is 57. Thought for Today: “I know there’s a proverb which that says ‘To err is human,’ but a human error is nothing to what a computer can do if it tries.” — Dame Agatha Christie, English mystery writer (1890-1976).
Friday, Jan. 24 Strength Within Me support group meeting. 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center, 1220 Malinche Ave. Unites people with physical disabilities, from ages 14 to 35. Visit facebook.com/strengthwithinme13 or email strengthwithinme13@hotmail.com. TAMIU Planetarium shows. “Earth, Moon and Sun” 6 p.m. and “Destination Saturn” 7 p.m. General admission $4 children and $5 adults. Premium shows $1 more. Call 3263663.
Photo by Achmad Ibrahim | AP
Children line up to receive a Christmas gift from volunteers near a giant lantern with the colors of the Philippine flag, in Tacloban, Philippines, a city devastated by the Nov. 8 typhoon Haiyan, on Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2013. Last year was tied for the fourth warmest year on record around the world, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
NOAA: 2013 was 4th hottest year
Saturday, Jan. 25
By SETH BORENSTEIN
Team Captain University for 2014 Relay for Life. 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Border Region Behavioral Health Center auditorium, 1500 Pappas St. Webb, Zapata and Hebbronville committee members invited. Get team registration info and goodies. Lunch provided. Contact Diana Juarez at 319-3100 or diana.juarez@cancer.org. TAMIU Planetarium shows. “One World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure” 3 p.m.; “Force 5: Nature Unleashed” 4 p.m.; “IBEX: The Search for the Edge of the Solar System” 5 p.m.; “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon” 6 p.m. General admission $4 children and $5 adults. Premium shows $1 more. Call 326-3663.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sunday, Jan. 26 Border Bike Challenge. 8 a.m. Shiloh Trails, intersection of Shiloh Drive and Livingston Drive. Online registration $30. Late registration $40 day of competition, 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Packet pickup Jan. 25, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Laredo Ciclomania, 611 Shiloh Drive, Suite No. 2. Participants receive complimentary ticket to attend Border Beer Festival. Contact David Kash Vasquez at 744-5274 or david@borderbeerfest.com.
Monday, Jan. 27 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Thursday, Feb. 20 Winter Texan & Senior Citizen Appreciation Day. 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, March 10 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Thursday, March 13 42nd Annual Zapata County Fair. 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Zapata County Fairgrounds.
WASHINGTON — Last year tied for the fourth hottest year on record around the globe. The average world temperature was 58.12 degrees (14.52 Celsius) tying with 2003 for the fourth warmest since 1880, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Tuesday. At the same time, NASA, which calculates records in a different manner, ranked last year as the seventh warmest on record, with an average temperature of 58.3 degrees (14.6 Celsius). The difference is related to how the two agencies calculate temperatures in the Arctic and other remote places and is based on differences that are in the hundredths of a degree, scientists said. Both agencies said nine of the 10th warm-
Officials identify remains of missing NYC teen NEW YORK — The city’s medical examiner confirmed Tuesday that human remains found along the East River last week are the body of an autistic teen who vanished more than three months ago after walking out of his school in the middle of the day. The announcement was widely expected for several days, but it still devastated the family of Avonte Oquendo, who was 14 and had a form of autism that made it impossible for him to speak. Avonte’s mother, Vanessa Fontaine, was inconsolable, said her lawyer, David Perecman. “Now that the inevitable, unfortunately, has occurred, undoubtedly she’ll go through a metamorphosis of a sort, and I’m sure she’ll get good and angry,” he said. Perecman said the family intends to file a wrongful death lawsuit against the city, alleging that school officials failed to monitor the boy or call the po-
est years on record have happened in the 21st century. The hottest year was 2010, according to NOAA. Unlike 2012, much of the worst heat and biggest climate disasters last year were outside the U.S. Parts of central Asia, central Africa and Australia were record warm. Only a few places, including the central U.S., were cooler than normal last year. Temperatures that were only the 37th warmest for the nation were last year. That followed the warmest year on record for the U.S. Last year, the world had 41 billion-dollar weather disasters, the second highest number behind only 2010, according to insurance firm Aon Benfield, which tracks global disasters. Since 2000, the world has averaged 28 such billion dollar disasters, which are adjusted for inflation.
lice quickly enough when he left. The medical examiner’s office used DNA tests to identify the remains discovered Thursday. Further study was needed to determine the cause and manner of death, the office said. Avonte had been missing since Oct. 4, when he walked out of his school toward a park overlooking the river. One investigative theory was that Avonte might have tumbled into the river near the park, though his family has said he was fearful of water. It wasn’t clear how his remains had traveled so far, but authorities noted that the East River is a tidal strait with strong currents that reverse flow many times a day.
8 pilot whales found dead off Florida coast MIAMI — Eight pilot whales have died in shallow waters off Florida’s southwest coast, and six others remain unaccounted for, authorities said Tuesday. The Coast Guard temporarily closed the area to traffic in the
area and ordered boaters to reduce speeds off the shores near Fort Myers as they searched for the other whales. Of the eight deceased whales, veterinarians euthanized four of them. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service coordinator Blair Mase said necropsies will be performed on the dead whales, four of which died Monday, including two that were euthanized. In December, more than 50 pilot whales were stranded in Everglades National Park. Several died. Farther south, officials had been monitoring another two dozen pilot whales off the coast of Collier County, but Mase said those whales were last seen about two miles offshore Monday. Pilot whales live in deep water and usually make their home at least 20 miles off the coast of Florida, so when they swim inland, that’s often a sign they are suffering from some kind of toxicity or disease, Mase said. These whales tend to travel in pods. — Compiled from AP reports
Friday, March 14 42nd Annual Zapata County Fair. 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Zapata County Fairgrounds.
Saturday, March 15 42nd Annual Zapata County Fair. 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Zapata County Fairgrounds.
Monday, March 24 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Monday, April 14 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
AROUND THE WORLD Repairs begin on Rio’s Christ statue RIO DE JANEIRO — Rio de Janeiro’s famed Christ statue is being repaired after two fingers and its head were chipped during recent lightning storms. Workers began examining the 125-foot (38-meter) Christ the Redeemer statue on Tuesday. After inspecting the damage, officials say it’ll take about four months to repair. The statue, which is perched atop a mountain and offering spectacular views of Rio, will remain open to tourists.
Monday, April 28
Panama Canal head says solution may be in sight
Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920. Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com.
PANAMA CITY — The head of the Panama Canal says there may be a solution in sight to the $1.6 billion dispute that threatened to halt work on the canal’s expansion. Administrator Jorge Luis Qui-
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A dog named Caique wears a hat and shirt on Arpoador beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Saturday. Caique’s owners said they like to dress Caique up for dog parades and that they enjoy pedestrians taking his picture during his daily walks. jano said Tuesday that the consortium expanding the canal has proposed a resolution “with some potential” to resolve the dispute. He offered no details and the consortium known as United for the Canal made no immediate comment.
The two sides and the authority’s insurer met Tuesday to negotiate who will pay for cost overruns that led the consortium to threaten to halt work on a set of locks that would allow ships to pass through the canal. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
Local
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Officials prep report UISD officials to present data on academic performance By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
The United Independent School District Board of Trustees and Superintendent Roberto J. Santos will report on student academic performance in all campuses during a public hearing today. The hearing will take place at 4:15 p.m. at the Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex Auditorium in Laredo. School district officials will present data from the Texas Academic Performance Report, formerly known as the Academic Excellence Indicator System. Additional items to be discussed during the meeting include results of statemandated exams, attendance rates, college readiness indicators, completion of Advanced/Dual Enroll-
ment Courses, completion of the Recommended High School Program or Distinguished Achievement Program, participation and performance on Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate examinations. Santos is encouraging all parents and community members to attend the hearing. “We continue to do better every year to meet the state requirements,” Santos said. “Our instructional staff will address whatever areas we still need to work on.” At the beginning of the school year, all UISD campuses met the benchmarks set by a new state accountability system. The system rates schools and districts on their compliance with four account-
ability pillars: student achievement, student progress, closing performance gaps and postsecondary readiness. With the four indexes, the state not only tracks overall performance on state exams but also performance of subpopulations, their ability to meet goals, graduation rates and how many graduates went through the more rigorous diploma plan. UISD had the highest index scores in student progress and closing performance gaps and the secondhighest in student achievement and postsecondary readiness when compared with districts in the Region One Education Service Center. (Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
Run benefits Olympics By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
File photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
Mario Antonio Olvera, 12, is all smiles as he tries out a new walker at the Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center during a medical clinic in August.
Rehab clinic Jan. 30 SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center will host an orthopedic clinic 8:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 30.
The clinic is aimed at children with cerebral palsy, club foot, scoliosis, spina bifida and similar disabilities. Clients will be served on a first come, first served basis, and there is
a $5 processing fee. Patients must register at the center before the day of the clinic. For more information, call the Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center at 956-722-2431.
Athletes with special needs in the Zapata area will soon have a chance to reach Olympic glory. On Tuesday morning, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Field Operations hosted the Law Enforcement Torch Run Kick-Off in Laredo, where a series of community events were announced to benefit Special Olympics. “We would like our community to support our athletes with intellectual disabilities from Laredo, Zapata and Hebbronville,” said Maribel Santoya-Maciel, area director for Special Olympics. Money raised goes toward the Special Olympics Torch Run Scholarship. First up is the Polar Plunge, set for March 7 at the City of Laredo Inner
City Pool, 202 W. Plum St. “This ‘unbearable’ event is a unique opportunity for individuals, businesses and organizations to support Special Olympics Texas athletes by plunging into the water in the middle of the ‘Laredo’ winter weather,” the Special Olympics website states. Cops on a Roof Top will take place at Krispy Kreme, 6627 San Dario Ave., on April 25. Lawmen take the roof of the doughnut shop until donations come in, allowing them to come down, according to the Special Olympics website. The fire engine pull is set for April 25. Other events, such as Tip-A-Cop, Tip-AFirefighter and a law enforcement softball tournament, are in the works, Santoya-Maciel said. The Laredo area Law Enforcement Torch Run starts at San Martin de Porres
Church and ends at the United Independent School District’s Student Activity Complex on April 29, followed by the Spring Games opening ceremonies and two days filled with competitions. The Law Enforcement Torch Run’s final leg run is set for May 20. It starts at the Webb County Commissioners Court and ends at Calton Road. The run continues the following day, from the U.S. Border Patrol federal checkpoint on mile marker 29 on Interstate 35 to pass the torch in Cotulla. From there, the torch continues making its way to Arlington for the Summer Games. Law enforcement agencies and the community are encouraged to participate. For more information on the events, call 712-2144. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
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COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Data breach is wake-up call THE WASHINGTON POST
Tens of millions of Americans were recently exposed to a rude shock: theft of their credit card numbers, names and, in some cases, phone numbers and email addresses. They were simply shopping at Target stores and had no idea that when they swiped a credit card at the cash register, they turned over private information to thieves. This ought not be viewed as just another bad shopping day in the digital age. The massive Target data breach and ones like it at other stores are warnings of a persistent and deepening cybertheft problem that needs to be confronted. Computer networks are vital to American capitalism and society, but they remain surprisingly vulnerable to thieves and hijackers. Law enforcement does not have the resources to stop them; the private sector is growing more aware but remains exposed and complacent; and Congress has yet to find a consensus.
Legislature In the past several years, Congress debated cybersecurity bills that would have made it easier for the government and private sector to cooperate. The legislation died, in part because of opposition by some in the business community, who called the requirements too intrusive or burdensome. When Congress failed to act, President Obama issued an executive order to improve the sharing of information between government and the private sector. This was a good first step, but it was not enough. Not long ago, there was debate about whether the National Secu-
rity Agency, which has developed cybertools to protect U.S. military networks, ought to partner with the private sector in fending off cyberthieves and espionage. Revelations about NSA surveillance have reduced the political viability of that option, at least for a time. The Target breach appears to be one of the largest retail data thefts ever carried out. It is still under investigation, but apparently the thieves used malware written by a Russian teenager that scraped the data from card readers in the stores. Most of the time such information is encrypted, but there is a fraction of a second when the credit card data are in the clear and in the system’s memory. That’s when the information was stolen. Target has said the intruders may have taken credit and debit card data from 40 million holders and compromised the personal information of 70 million others, including names, mailing addresses, email addresses and phone numbers. If thieves had come up to customers at Target and physically wrested this many credit cards out of their hands, there would have been an uproar. But the data breach unfolded silently between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15. The victims did not know it was happening. Target says that customers have zero liability for fraudulent charges, but the loss of their personal data is likely to leave many people feeling ripped off and angry. Credit cards with chips that encrypt data would help, but they are not yet in wide use in the United States. More broadly, Congress must now get serious about cybersecurity. The private sector has much at stake but may not be able to cope on its own.
COLUMN
Strangers show care, community By JEFF JACOBY THE BOSTON GLOBE
I’ve always liked Rudyard Kipling’s 1895 poem “If—,” with its four stanzas of rugged, Victorianera paternal advice. But it wasn’t until this month, when my older son Caleb went missing for 80 hours and my wife and I were frantic with worry and fear, that I gained a real appreciation for the virtue with which Kipling’s poem opens: “If you can keep your head when all about you / Are losing theirs …” Never before has the quality of levelheadedness meant quite so much to me. As my mind lurched among nightmare scenarios and my gut churned with anxiety, it took an effort of will just to process what was happening. I had no idea how to formulate a plan of action going forward. What are you supposed to do when your teenager has been gone for hours — six hours, 12 hours, 24 hours — and hasn’t been seen or heard from? When you’ve called in the police and given them all the information you can think of ? When you’ve checked your child’s usual haunts and come up dry? When his friends, realizing that something is wrong, are beginning to sound the alarm on Facebook and Google Chat? And when the temperature outside is in the single digits — and falling? Left to our own devices, with no relevant training to draw upon, my wife and I would have been overwhelmed by panic and uncertainty. A natural-born crisis manager I clearly am not. Fortunately there were others — steady, sensible, experienced — who were able to think clearly, set emotion aside, and impose some order on the turmoil. There were three or four such people in particular who stepped forward to help without waiting to be asked. They organized themselves into a kind of war
room operation and focused relentlessly, but calmly, on the immediate tasks at hand. How I admire their talent for keeping their heads when it was all I could do not to lose mine. After more than 25 years of working for newspapers, I figured I knew something about stories that grab public attention. But the intensity of interest in my son’s disappearance was extraordinary. Of course some of that was due to the public following that comes with a regular byline in the Boston Globe. But I wasn’t prepared for the way the news erupted, especially on social media, or how it radiated outward in wider and wider spheres of compassion and concern. It astonished the police, too. “You have an amazing community here,” the detectives working on the case told us more than once. Tips, queries, and offers of help surged into the Brookline police station. Maimonides, the Modern Orthodox Jewish day school where Caleb is an 11th grader, coordinated a local search effort involving more than 200 volunteers. But offers of aid came pouring in from strangers in other states and countries, many of whom were prepared to drop everything and go anywhere they were needed. Like the interlocking circles of a Venn diagram, our “amazing community” is really many communities with one family common to all of them. We were embraced and helped and prayed for by people who are connected to us through our son’s school or our local synagogue — as well as by others with different connections. And above and beyond them all, the “amazing community” of parents who have experienced their own stresses and storms, and who know from experience that no family is immune to them.
COLUMN
High cost of the Olympics Writer: Though they’re heralded as a way to bring the world together, the games have created high human — and sometimes violent — costs By CHARLES LANE THE WASHINGTON POST
The 2014 Olympic Winter Games haven’t started, but they’ve already produced their first scandal. The host country’s president, Vladimir Putin, runs a notoriously despotic regime whose victims include not only independent journalists and political opponents but also gay men and lesbians, who have recently been targeted by a law prohibiting “propaganda of nontraditional sexual practices” among minors. Russia’s patently oppressive statute presents no problem for gay visitors to the Games, Putin observed on Friday. “One can feel calm and at ease,” he said. “Just leave kids alone, please.” Human rights activists justifiably howled at the insult. Of course, the Putin regime is not the first host dictatorship to taint the Olympics; previous examples include Nazi Germany in 1936, the Soviet Union in 1980 and the People’s Republic of China in 2008. I have just one question: How many more such embarrassments must we endure before ending this corrupt quadrennial exercise? The modern Olympics were founded by a French aristocrat, Pierre de Coubertin, who believed in promoting international peace and understanding by reviving the ancient Greek custom of periodic truces for athletic competition. Whatever might be said for that idea in theory, it hasn’t panned out in practice. The ostensibly apolitical Games have been marred by several boycotts — of Montreal in 1976 (by African nations protesting apartheid), of Moscow in 1980 (by the United States and other Western countries protesting the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan) and of Los Angeles in 1984 (by communist countries
retaliating for 1980). The Games also have created a target for extremists, from the Palestinian terrorists who killed 11 Israeli athletes at Munich in 1972 to ultra-rightest Eric Rudolph, who placed a deadly bomb at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. Consequently, these celebrations of international conviviality proceed under heavy military guard. Rather than curbing nationalism, the Olympics have arguably exacerbated it. The pursuit of gold-medal glory has led various countries to bribe judges or countenance rampant doping by athletes — and, in the case of the former East Germany, to subject many athletes to systematic steroid injections without their knowledge. “The important thing at the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part; for the essential thing in life is not to conquer but to struggle well,” Coubertin said. Today’s Games make a mockery of that fine sentiment. Millions in prizes or endorsements await those who make it to the medal stand; the pursuit of cash has driven athletes to enhance their performance with evermore sophisticated drugs. According to a superb ESPN documentary about the men’s 100-meter dash at the 1988 Summer Games in Seoul, six of the eight finalists were eventually implicated in drug use — including Canadian Ben Johnson, who was initially declared the winner but was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for steroids. But it’s hard to fault athletes for being greedy when members of the International Olympic Committee have lost their jobs for allegedly accepting bribes or favors, such as for helping Salt Lake City win its bid to host the 2002 Winter Games.
The whole event long ago became a corporate spectacle that has more to do with selling TV ads than promoting international friendship. Yet for all the private profitmaking associated with the Olympics, the Games’ positive economic impact on host nations is pretty ephemeral. It famously took the city of Montreal 30 years to pay off the cost of the giant stadium built for the 1976 Summer Games. One of the many reasons Greece is in such economic misery is that it ran up about $9 billion in public debt for the 2004 Summer Games, whose total cost — $11 billion — was the highest of any Games in history up to that point. I admit, the Olympics have provided some wonderful drama over the years, from the U.S. hockey team’s defeat of the favored Soviets in 1980 to 15year-old Katie Ledecky’s swimming triumph in 2012. Even in politics, the Games have sometimes created a forum for important causes that might otherwise have failed to reach a global audience: Consider the silent protest of black U.S. track and field athletes at the Mexico City Summer Games in 1968. And I like sports as much as the next guy — though not necessarily every event with which the Olympics pads out its TV schedule, such as shorttrack speed skating and BMX cycling. But any benefits have to be weighed against the Olympics’ costs, which are political, financial, moral and — for athletes ravaged by steroid abuse — human. Supporters speak of the Olympics as a “movement,” as if the Games were some sort of insurgent force for good, not the leviathan they are. What we really need is a movement to get rid of them.
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Crime
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
$2M lands man prison time SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Editor’s note: Department of Justice policy prohibits the release of mug shots for all defendants charged with federal crimes. A man who pleaded guilty to smuggling more than $2 million to Mexico has been sentenced to prison, according to a U.S. attorney. Octavio Orizaba, 38, a legal permanent resident from Illinois, has been ordered to prison for attempting to smuggle the cash load to Mexico. He entered a guilty plea Sept. 6, 2013. U.S. District Judge Diana Saldaña on Tuesday handed Orizaba a sentence of 37 months in federal prison and ordered the forfeiture of the cash. He will also be required to serve a term of three years of supervised release follow-
ing completion of the prison term. The hidden currency totaled $2,147,985. Saldaña said the sentence takes into account the need to protect the public, noting “where there is money of this magnitude, there are people willing to protect it … which means danger.” On June 30, Orizaba attempted to exit the United States from Laredo with his wife and two children. He provided a negative declaration as to whether he was transporting weapons, ammunition or currency of more than $10,000 into Mexico. A secondary inspection resulted in the discovery of 144 plasticwrapped, vacuum-sealed bundles, which were concealed in the sofa and futon he was hauling in the bed of his pickup truck. A total of
47 bundles were discovered in the sofa, while 97 were found in the futon. Orizaba acknowledged during his plea that he concealed the currency and failed to report it to authorities. He further admitted he was hired by someone in the Illinois area to take the money to Guanajuato, Mexico, and expected to be paid for the task. Individuals are permitted to carry any amount of currency or monetary instruments into or out of the U.S. However, if the quantity is more than $10,000, they are required to report it to an officer with Customs and Border Protection. Orizaba will remain in custody pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility, which remains to be determined.
Courtesy photo
Shown is $2.15 million in cash seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers on June 30 at International Bridge II.
BLOTTER ASSAULT Jaime Javier Buentello was arrested and charged with assault Friday in the 300 block of Irene Drive.
POSSESSION Florentino Herrera was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance Friday at the Valero, off U.S. 83. Raul Rene Villarreal was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana Saturday at the intersection of 19th Street and Guerrero Avenue.
Eduardo Javier Gonzalez Jr. was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana Sunday at the corner of West 16th Avenue and Hidalgo Boulevard. Roberto Baldemar Guzman was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana Tuesday by Sixth Street and Texas 16.
PUBLIC INTOXICATION Jose Eliseo Martinez was arrested and charged with public intoxication Thursday in the intersection of 16th Street and Medina Avenue.
Photo by Gabe Hernandez/The Monitor | AP
McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez points at dozens of fraudulent credit cards that were confiscated by McAllen police after arresting two people on fraud charges tied to the Target credit card breach Monday at the McAllen Police Department. Rodriguez said Mary Carmen Garcia, 27, and Daniel Guardiola Dominguez, 28, both of Mexico, were arrested Sunday.
Man suspected 2 nabbed at border for fraud in smuggling By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
McALLEN — Two Mexican citizens who were arrested at the border used account information stolen during the Target security breach to buy tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise, according to a South Texas police chief. But a spokesman for the U.S. Secret Service said Tuesday that an investigation is ongoing into the possibility of a link between the Target data breach and the arrests in Texas. One day earlier, McAllen Police Chief Victor Rodriguez said Mary Carmen Garcia, 27, and Daniel Guardiola Dominguez, 28, both of Monterrey, Mexico, had used cards containing the account information of South Texas residents stolen from Target. Rodriguez said they were used to purchase numerous items at national retailers
DOMINGUEZ
GARCIA
in the area including Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Toys R Us. “They’re obviously selling the data sets by region,” Rodriguez said. Rodriguez didn’t immediately return calls for comment Tuesday. In an email, Secret Service spokesman Brian Leary said: “The U.S. Secret Service continues to work closely with affected parties and law enforcement to investigate the Target breach. In regards to the arrests announced yesterday, the Secret Service is working with the U.S. At-
torney’s Office and McAllen Police Department to determine if there is any connection.” Garcia and Guardiola were both being held Tuesday on state fraud charges. It was not immediately known whether they had retained lawyers. Rodriguez said he did not know whether these arrests were the first related to the Target breach. Asked about the McAllen arrests, Target spokeswoman Molly Snyder said in an email Monday that the investigation was active and ongoing.
“I’d have to refer you to local law enforcement there for any questions about their community,” she said. The Minneapolis-based company said last week that it has stopped more than a dozen operations that sought to scam breach victims by way of email, phone calls and text messages. McAllen police began working with the Secret Service after a number of area retailers were hit with fraudulent purchases on Jan. 12. The Secret Service confirmed that the fraudulent accounts traced back to the original Target data breach from December, Rodriguez said. Rodriguez said investigators suspect Garcia and Guardiola were singling out Sundays for their shopping sprees hoping that the banks would not be as quick to detect the fraud. He said he expected Garcia and Guardiola to eventually face federal charges.
He claims immigrants were threatening By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A man claimed he felt threatened when two undocumented immigrants asked him for a ride from Zapata to Laredo, leaving him no option but to comply, a criminal complaint released Tuesday states. Amado Ricardo Martinez was charged with transporting illegal immigrants with a motor vehicle. He is in federal custody on a $75,000 bond, pending a detention hearing. A Webb County Sheriff ’s Office deputy pulled over a speeding four-door red car at about 9 a.m. Thursday along U.S. 83, one mile south of Rio Bravo. Identified as the driver, Martinez, a U.S. citizen, was issued a warning for speeding. But it did not end there. Court documents state the driver and his passengers had contradicting stories.
The deputy contacted U.S. Border Patrol agents. His two passengers were illegal immigrants from Honduras, court documents state. Martinez claimed he was asked by the Honduran citizens at a gas station in Zapata to give them a ride to Laredo. “(Martinez) stated he was afraid and felt intimidated by the way they asked,” a complaint alleges. “Martinez claims that he did not know the subjects were illegally in the United States and he denies any monetary gain from transporting them to Laredo.” Both immigrants told agents they had already paid $6,500 in Honduras to be smuggled into the United States. They also said Martinez instructed them to get in the car, according to court documents. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
Agenda en Breve LAREDO 01/22— Se estará presentando la Serie de Oradores Distinguidos por parte de United South High School a las 9 a.m. dentro de la biblioteca de la escuela ubicada en 4001 avenida Los Presidentes. Durante la plática se busca motivar a los estudiantes a permanecer en la escuela. Más información llamando al 473-5423. 01/22— El Workforce Solutions for South Texas Center invita a una Feria de Trabajo Administrativa y de Oficina, de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m. en el WSST Center, 2389 E. Saunders. Se conmina asistir con atuendo profesional y con su curriculum vitae (copias). 01/22— LISD invita a la Feria de Ciencias del nivel Secundaria a partir de las 2:30 p.m. en el Salón del Laredo Civic Center, 2400 San Bernardo. 01/22— El guionista y actor Timothy Mooney se presentará con “The Greatest Speech of All Time” a las 7:30 p.m. en el teatro del Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center del Campus Fort McIntosh de LCC. Costo 5 dólares. 01/23— El guionista y actor Timothy Mooney ofrecerá un taller de actuación titulado “Shakespeare Spaghetti” a las 9:30 a.m. en el teatro del MFA del Campus Fort McIntosh de LCC. Evento gratuito. Reserve su espacio escribiendo a william.hauserman@laredo.edu. 01/23— Inicio del Relevo por la Vida del Condado de Webb, organizado por la Sociedad Americana del Cáncer, a partir de las 6 p.m. en el Laredo Firefighters Union Hall, 5219 Tesoro Lane. Habrá información para capitanes, unirse a comités, agregarse como sobreviviente o cuidador, o bien como patrocinador. 01/23— Video conferencia gratuita para el gobierno local, escuelas de Jardín de Niños a Grado 12, colegios y universidades, así como organizaciones sin fines de lucro, a fin de que aprendan más acerca de los Programas de Excedentes de Propiedades Estatales y Federales de 12 p.m. a 1 p.m. en el Aula 224 del Western Hemisphere Trade Center de Texas A&M International University, 5201 University Boulevard. 01/23— Se ofrecerá información del programa CASA de “Voz de Niños”, de 6 p.m. a 7:30 p.m. en 902 East Calton Road. Toda la comunidad es invitada y no se requiere educación específica. 01/23— Fritz Gechter ofrecerá un Recital de Piano a las 7:30 p.m. en la Sala de Recitales del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU. 01/23— El guionista y actor Timothy Mooney se presentará con “Lot O’ Shakespeare” a las 7:30 p.m. en el teatro del Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center del Campus Fort McIntosh de LCC. Costo 5 dólares.
GOBIERNO
Unen voluntades TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un incremento del 32 por ciento para Tamaulipas presentó el Presupuesto de Egresos de la Federación. Tal aspecto fue destacado por el Gobernador del Estado Egidio Torre Cantú durante una visita de trabajo a la ciudad fronteriza de Nuevo Laredo, México. El presupuesto, autorizado a finales del año pasado, también presenta un incremento en términos reales del 7 por ciento, agregó. Además dentro del Presupuesto de Egresos de la Federación (PEF), adicionalmente hay un programa de apoyo a las fronteras de 3.000 millones de pesos, de los cuales 500 de ellos van a ser canalizados a la banca de desarrollo para potenciarlos y ayudar a las micro y medianas empresas, dijo. Torre explicó que 2.500 millones de pesos van a ser aplicados en los estados fronterizos, de los cuales a Tamaulipas le toca 460 millones de pesos para ser aplicados a los 10 municipios en diferentes obras de desarrollo social. Torre llegó a la gubernatura hace tres años representando los colores del Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), en tanto que el
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
El Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Egidio Torre Cantú, derecha, y el Presidente Municipal de Nuevo Laredo, México, Carlos Canturosas Villarreal, se saludan durante un evento oficial desarrollado en la ciudad fronteriza, el lunes. actual presidente municipal de Nuevo Laredo, Carlos Canturosas Villarreal, lo hizo bajo las siglas del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) el 2013. Pero el lunes, durante la visita, Torre expresó que el único fin es que “a Nuevo Laredo le siga yendo bien, pero sobre todo que le vaya cada vez mejor”. Subrayó que Nuevo Laredo es una ciudad de la mayor importancia en el desarrollo económico de Tamaulipas y de México, recibien-
do más del 30 por ciento del comercio exterior del país. Por su parte, Canturosas manifestó que el trabajo en conjunto involucra a todos los habitantes de Nuevo Laredo y destacó la fraternidad que existe entre ambos gobiernos en la realización de proyectos que impulsen el desarrollo económico y social de esta ciudad. “Cuando trabajamos en equipo se logra más, cuando trabajamos de la mano los gobiernos, quien gana es la gente, y aquí en Nuevo
Laredo seguiremos trabajando como hasta ahorita en conjunto, el gobierno municipal y el gobierno del estado”, destacó Canturosas. Ambos gobernantes escucharon proyectos para Nuevo Laredo, como son la remodelación del Puente Internacional II, el aeropuerto de carga, un recinto fiscalizado estratégico, el puente 4/5 y, acciones para disminuir los actos delictivos. Durante la reunión también se expuso la presentación de los Proyectos Estratégicos para el municipio fronterizo. Manuel Rodríguez Morales, Secretario de Obras Públicas, destacó doce obras terminadas, en el periodo 2011-2013, entre las que figuran tres pasos superiores vehiculares, la construcción del Centro de Rehabilitación Integral, la construcción y rehabilitación de 60 espacios de educación básica, diferentes Parques de Barrio, entre otras. Explicó también el proceso de 10 obras que se encuentran en construcción, entre las que destacan: El Centro Oncológico, la modernización de puente Nuevo Laredo III, la construcción de la planta potabilizadora norte, la construcción del Paso Inferior Vehicular Boulevard Colosio, entre otras.
SALUD
TAMAULIPAS
CACERÍA DEPORTIVA
Tamaulipas busca evitar propagación ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
Hasta el 17 de enero el Gobierno de Tamaulipas haba expedido 1.380 cintillos de cobro cinegético para la caza del venado cola blanca, y esta semana autoridades anunciaron que la temporada de caza fue extendida hasta el 23 de febrero.
Amplían temporada para caza de venado TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
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a temporada hábil de caza deportiva para la especia del venado cola blanca ha sido prolongada hasta el 23 de febrero. Anteriormente estaba previsto que concluyera el 27 de enero. La medida, que respeta la Ley General de Vida Silvestre, es en respuesta a los planteamientos recibidos por parte de los propietarios de las Unidades de Manejo para la Conservación de la Vida Silvestre, así como de los prestadores de servicios cinegéticos y responsables técnicos de las mismas. La medida no incidirá de ma-
nera negativa en el comportamiento de la especie, dijo Carlos Alejandro Garza Peña, Vocal Ejecutivo de la Comisión Estatal para la Conservación y el Aprovechamiento Económico de la Vida Silvestre en el Estado. “Hemos tenido un incremento en la presencia de cazadores en las diferentes zonas en donde existe esta práctica de cacería deportiva, especialmente en municipios como Nuevo Laredo, Mier, Camargo así como en la zona de Aldama y Soto la Marina en dónde están ubicados la mayor parte de los ranchos cinegéticos”, agregó Garza. Sostuvo que el sector se ha
recuperado de manera notoria e inclusive se está realizando un estudio acerca del impacto que en este año ha tenido con la llegada de cientos de cazadores a Tamaulipas. Garza explicó que la decisión se tomó considerando las lluvias que se presentaron en la segunda quincena de diciembre y al inicio tardío de la ‘corrida’ del venado cola blanca. “Esta medida no incidirá de manera negativa en el comportamiento de la especie”, reafirmó. Hasta el 17 de enero se habían expedido 1.380 cintillos de cobro cinegético para la caza del venado cola blanca.
COLUMNA
Importancia de pactos en sociedad actual ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
NUEVO LAREDO, MÉXICO 01/22— Cine en tu barrio presenta “El hijo de la novia” a las 4 p.m. en Maquila Creativa. 01/22— Cine Club presenta “Mientras la ciudad duerme” a las 6 p.m. en el Auditorio de Estación Palabra. 01/23— Muestra de cortometrajes nacionales dentro del “mes del del corto” a las 5 p.m. en Maquila Creativa. 01/23— “La Casa de Taiwán” – Fotografía Arte Pop por Chien Yang Wang, a las 7 p.m. en la Galería Regional de Artes Visuales del Centro Cultural.
MIÉRCOLES 22 DE ENERO DE 2014
A últimas fechas, oímos con frecuencia hablar de pactos. El uso del término se enmarca, casi siempre, en asuntos de gran nivel, dentro y fuera del país. Tanta importancia ha adquirido, que está asociado en buena medida a las profundas transformaciones de nuestro tiempo. Pactar equivale a convenir, ponerse de acuerdo. Lo hacen dos o más partes. Al efecto, aceptan determinadas condiciones y adoptan un conjunto de compromisos, encaminados a ciertas metas compartidas. Esto generalmente se
establece por escrito y recibe amplia difusión, salvo que su materia sea confidencial, secreta. Tenemos así el Pacto por México. En 2012, al inaugurarse el sexenio presidencial de Enrique Peña Nieto, lo suscribieron éste y las tres principales formaciones partidistas. El documento bosqueja ambiciosas enmiendas políticas, energéticas, tributarias, etcétera. Durante el acuerdo se excluyeron a las autoridades del Congreso de la Unión y a líderes de sectores claves. Hemos de lamentar que entre varios aspectos ello denote menos pericia que iniciativas similares.
Comencemos por referir que en distintas latitudes del orbe se implementaron pactos de hondos alcances. Sin embargo, a dichas naciones las identificarían prioridades comunes: todas buscaron de veras sustituir anquilosados e injustos regímenes con democracias vinculadas al bienestar de la sociedad. Muerto Francisco Franco, la dictadura impuesta resultó insostenible. Previo referéndum del ordenamiento respectivo, los españoles celebraron elecciones libres rumbo al nuevo marco constitucional. Ningún contendiente obtuvo empero prepon-
derancia absoluta. Las definiciones que consolidaran la transición democrática y reorientaran el rumbo, reclamaban consensos. El Palacio de la Moncloa acogió los correspondientes encuentros. Acudirían derechas, izquierdas y centro del espectro hispano, titulares del parlamento, directivos empresariales y de sindicatos. Con réditos tangibles desde el corto plazo, estos instrumentos proporcionaron estabilidad y crecimiento económicos. Hicieron viable la democracia. (Contenido cortesía de Raul Sinencio, publicado en ‘La Razón’ de Tampico, México)
El estado de Tamaulipas ha permanecido, por seis años, entre los primeros cinco estados de México que trabajan en la prevención del VIH/SIDA. Durante los últimos seis años Tamaulipas ha trabajado con programas para la prevención del VIH/SIDA. Su permanencia en el top 5 es medido por sus resultados en los indicadores establecidos por la estrategia federal “Caminando a la Excelencia”. Entre los factores valuados están el control virológico de pacientes, el control de la enfermedad y evita la muerte por esta infección. Alejandro Cortez Calderón, responsable estatal del programa VIH/SIDA, señaló que Tamaulipas mantiene un alto nivel ya que es uno de los dos estados en contar con cinco Centros Ambulatorios para la Prevención y Atención en Sida e Infecciones de Transmisión Sexual (CAPASITS) y especialistas en la materia. “Este padecimiento es uno de los más costosos, pero gracias al apoyo de nuestro Gobernador y del Secretario, contamos con excelente servicio que, además es gratuito”, dijo Cortez después de afirmar que en Tamaulipas “ofertamos medicamento, atención médica, estudios de laboratorio, todo de forma confidencial; con ello contribuimos con la mejor atención de los tamaulipecos”. El funcionario destacó que nuestro estado cumple de forma satisfactoria con los principales indicadores del programa como son el control adecuado de los pacientes; distribución de preservativos para la prevención de infecciones de transmisión sexual; seguimiento a embarazadas para detectar VIH y sífilis a fin de evitar nacimientos con esta enfermedad, entre otros de igual importancia. Las acciones de prevención, tratamiento y control de la enfermedad se efectúan de forma coordinada con las unidades hospitalarias y Centros de Salud, donde se promueve la prueba rápida para detectar la presencia del virus y así evitar infecciones por desconocimiento. A este respecto, Cortez reconoció el trabajo de las más de 10 Organizaciones No Gubernamentales (ONG), grupos de trabajo comprobado por su amplio alcance comunitario para la prevención del VIH. Detalló que recientemente tres de estas organizaciones enviaron un pliego petitorio en busca de mejores servicios para las personas que viven con VIH/SIDA y por instrucciones del Secretario de Salud, Norberto Treviño García Manzo, se les está dando respuesta a cada una de las peticiones de acuerdo a las posibilidades y normas. “No hemos dejado de dar el servicio que se merecen, estamos buscando la excelencia del programa VIH, así como de todos los programas de la Secretaría de Salud, ya que nuestra responsabilidad es atender a toda la población”, concluyó.
National
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
More snow for N. East By KATHY MATHESON & MICHAEL RUBINKAM ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Michael Conroy | AP
A police officer walks out of the Electrical Engineering Building on the campus of Purdue University in West Lafayette, Ind., on Tuesday, where one person was killed inside a classroom by a gunman.
1 shot dead at Purdue By KEN KUSMER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A man opened fire Tuesday inside a basement classroom at Purdue University, killing one person and prompting officials to send a text alert to students telling them to seek shelter, police and the university said. Purdue Police Chief John Cox said Tuesday that 23-year-old Cody Cousins of Warsaw, Ind., is being held in the Tippecanoe County Jail on a preliminary charge of murder. Cousins is accused of shooting 21-year-old Andrew Boldt of West Bend, Wis., in the university’s Electrical Engineering Building around noon Tuesday. Cox says police are still investigating the motive behind the shooting but that it appears Cousins targeted Boldt. No one else was injured. Cox says Boldt was a senior and worked as a teaching assistant in the school. Cousins is a student in the engineering school.
Students described a chaotic scene as the initial report of the shooting hit around noon on the campus in West Lafayette, about 60 miles northwest of Indianapolis. “It was scary,” said Julissa Martinez, a freshman nursing student from Portage. She was in psychology class on another part of the 40,000student campus when she received the text message saying the university was on lockdown. She said her professor briefly kept teaching, then stopped lecturing so that students could contact people to let them know they were safe. “He tried to get everything under control because people were freaking out,” she said, adding that students were nervous because there was a lot of speculation about the severity of the situation. Cox said the suspect wasn’t immediately cooperating with investigators. He said some people witnessed the shooting, but he didn’t specify whether the attack hap-
pened during a class. Shortly after 12:03 p.m. when the shooting was reported, Purdue officials issued a text alert telling those on the campus to seek shelter. Around 1:15 p.m., the university said there was no ongoing threat on campus and allowed normal operations to resume in all buildings except the engineering facility. Purdue officials considered the campus to be secure, said Purdue Provost Tim Sands, who in June will become president of Virginia Tech, where an April 2007 campus massacre left 33 dead. By mid-afternoon Tuesday, Sands was encouraging students to go about their normal activities around campus, except for the Electrical Engineering Building. But the university later announced that classes were being suspended through Wednesday. A candlelight vigil was planned for Tuesday night, with special counseling services being offered to students at several sites around campus.
PHILADELPHIA — A swirling storm with the potential for more than a foot of snow clobbered the mid-Atlantic and the urban Northeast on Tuesday, grounding thousands of flights, closing government offices in the nation’s capital and making a mess of the evening commute. The storm stretched 1,000 miles between Kentucky and Massachusetts but hit especially hard along the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston, creating a perilous ride home for millions of motorists. The snow came down harder and faster than many people expected. Forecasters said some places could get 1 to 2 inches an hour, with wind gusts up to 50 mph. A blizzard warning was posted for parts of Massachusetts, including Cape Cod. Late in the afternoon, highways in the New York City metropolitan area were jammed, and blowing snow tripled or even quadrupled drive times. “I just want to get to the Bronx,” motorist Peter Neuwens lamented. “It’s a big place. Why can’t I get there?” In Jersey City, N.J., Stanley Gaines, wearing just a thin jacket and huddling beneath an overhang as snow stung his face, said he had been stuck for more than an hour waiting for a ride home from his appointment at a Veterans Affairs clinic. “I’m waiting on anything I can get: a taxi, a shuttle, a bus,” Gaines said, squinting to read the destination on an approaching bus in near white-out conditions. “I didn’t really pay attention
Photo by Susan Walsh | AP
A pedestrian walks on Capitol Hill in Washington during the start of a major snowstorm on Tuesday. to the weather this morning because there was no snow on the ground, and now — this!” In White Plains, N.Y., Anthony Schirrone pulled over his car to scrape snow from the windshield. “I just did this five minutes ago,” he said. “But it’s coming down too fast.” The storm was blamed for at least one death in Maryland after a car fishtailed into the path of a tractor-trailer on a snowcovered road about 50 miles northwest of Baltimore. The car’s driver was thrown from the vehicle. Forecasters said the storm could bring 10 to 14 inches of snow to Philadelphia and southern New England and up to a foot in New York City, to be followed by bitter cold as arctic air from Canada streams in. Washington was expecting 4 to 8 inches. This one was a conventional storm that devel-
oped off the coast and moved its way up the Eastern Seaboard, pulling in cold air from the arctic. Unlike the epic freeze of two weeks ago, it was not caused by a kink in the polar vortex, the winds that circulate around the North Pole. Pennsylvania’s Transportation Department said it had already blown through more than half of its $189 million winter weather budget. “Lots of nuisance storms this season have meant that PennDOT crews have been plowing and treating roads more frequently this winter,” spokeswoman Erin Waters-Trasatt said. About 3,000 flights Tuesday were canceled, with airports from Washington to Boston affected. More than 1,000 flights for Wednesday were called off as well. Amtrak planned to cut back train service in the afternoon.
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL: ZAPATA HAWKS
MLB: TEXAS RANGERS
Hawks win two Zapata 2-1 in district play By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata head coach Juan Villarreal knew that the tough preseason schedule he had setup would prove beneficial during District 31-3A play, despite victories not coming often for the Hawks. Villarreal is finally seeing all the fruits of his labor as the Hawks have picked up two district wins after dropping the District 31-3A opener to Kingsville. The Hawks have rebounded nicely this past week, grabbing a pair of victories in grand fashion. Zapata (2-1 District 31-3A) started off the week with a convincing 73-47 win over Raymondville Tuesday night. Then it finished the week with a 62-45 victory over Lyford. The Hawks had one of their best defensive efforts of the season through the two games, holding teams to 46 points while unleashing an average of 67.5 points per game. Against the Bearkats on Tuesday, Zapata had four Hawks in double figures. Senior Alonzo Gutierrez led the way with 20 points to go along four steals and found time to hand out 10 assists. Raul Ruiz added 13 points and Javier Lopez and EG Garcia both had 11. Zapata came out firing on all five cylinders, racing out to a 10-point lead in the opening quarter against Raymondville. By halftime the Hawks were up 4422 and then took a 59-38 advantage at the end of the third quarter. The same scenario played out Friday night when the Hawks traveled to Bulldog country. Zapata came in with the hot hand in the second half to finally pull away, winning 62-45 over Lyford. Javy Lopez worked hard on both ends of the floor and had a double-double, pouring in 17 points with 17 rebounds, and dished out four assists. Senior Rodrigo Saldivar lent a hand on the offensive end with 19 points and worked hard on the boards, hauling down eight rebounds. It was a chess match through the first two quarters as no one took more than a two-point lead. Lyford had the upper hand at the end of the first quarter, tak-
File photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Texas starter Matt Harrison is going to be even more important in the Texas rotation with Derek Holland’s recent injury.
Health key for Texas’ Harrison SP Harrison returns from two back operations By STEPHEN HAWKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
File photo by Clara Sandoval | Laredo Morning Times
Javier Lopez and Zapata won games against Raymondville and Lyford last week. The Hawks are now 2-1 in district play after losing the opener to Kingsville. ing a 14-12 edge and were only down by a point at halftime as the Bulldogs held a 22-21 advantage. A new Hawk team emerged from the locker room and really started finding their offensive rhythm, outscoring the Bulldogs 21-5 in the third quarter. Lopez and Saldivar started to come
alive on the scoreboard, pouring in the majority of the points for the Hawks. Zapata never looked back and came away with the victory. The Hawks opened the week with Rio Grande City-La Grulla on Tuesday. Clara Sandoval can be reached at Sandoval.Clara@Gmail.com
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Ex-Cowboy’s crash case goes to jury By NOMAAN MERCHANT ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Jurors on Tuesday began deliberating the intoxication manslaughter case against former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent, who is accused of drunkenly crashing his car during a night out and killing his passenger, who was a close friend and teammate. The jury deliberated for about 31/2 hours after lawyers delivered their closing arguments to a packed courtroom. Among those watching were Stacey Jackson, whose son Jerry Brown was killed in the December 2012 wreck, and Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee. Jackson has publicly forgiven Brent, whose sentence could range from probation to 20 years in prison if he is convicted. Brent and Brown, a linebacker on the Cowboys’ practice squad who also played with Brent at the University of Illinois, were headed home from a nightclub where they had been partying with fellow Cowboys when Brent lost control of his Mercedes, causing a fiery accident. Officers who arrived on scene said Brent was seen trying to pull Brown’s body from the wreckage. The jury is expected to resume its deliberations Wednesday. Jurors are being
Photo by LM Otero | AP
Former Cowboy defensive tackle Josh Brent, right, stands with Dallas linebacker Sean Lee in court after closing arguments in his intoxication manslaughter trial. sequestered until they reach a verdict. Prosecutors say Brent was driving as fast as 110 mph at the time of the crash and that blood tests showed his blood alcohol content was 0.18 percent, which is more than twice Texas’ legal limit to drive of 0.08 percent. Prosecutors allege that the burly, 320pound defensive tackle had as many as 17 drinks on the night of the crash. Brent’s attorneys contend that the blood tests used by police were faulty and that Brent couldn’t have drunk nearly that much alcohol. Prosecutors Jason Hermus and Heath Harris called on the jury Tuesday to send a
message about the serious nature of Brent’s alleged crime, saying drunken drivers put the public in danger. Hermus stood in front of Brent, hit the table and shouted: “They shouldn’t be driving, no exceptions, no excuses!” Hermus replayed police dash cam video of Brent losing his balance and stumbling as he tried to walk in a straight line. He referenced footage of Brent telling an Irving police officer that he was “buzzed” and nightclub security video that appears to show Brent holding up two bottles of Champagne. “You can see with your own eyes, time and time and
time again, that he is not normal,” Hermus said. Harris held up an undamaged glass bottle of unopened Cognac found in the wrecked Mercedes. He stood next to Brent, raised the bottle as if to chug from it and told jurors that on that night, Brent was “in the club, turning it up.” “This is almost like a poster child case for intoxication manslaughter,” Harris said. Brent’s attorneys argued that prosecutors were misleading the jury. They cited a defense expert’s testimony that the Dallas County crime lab had used expired fluid to process Brent’s blood and came up with an incorrect result. “In the history of mankind, there has never been created such a thing as an infallible machine,” defense attorney Kevin Brooks said. “It doesn’t exist. Has never existed. Planes crash. Computers don’t boot up. Cars stop running.” George Milner, another of Brent’s attorneys, told jurors they had sworn at the start to keep an open mind about the case and called on them to remain skeptical and acquit Brent. “You will not then be able to go back in time and correct a mistake if you make it now,” Milner said. “There is no going back in time.”
ARLINGTON — Having Matt Harrison healthy to start the season is even more important now for the Texas Rangers with Derek Holland hurt. Harrison, who last season had as many operations on his back as starts (two), said Tuesday that he feels good and is on track to be ready for spring training and the start of the season. “So far, so good, so hopefully keep going in the right direction,” Harrison said after playing long toss, a day after a bullpen session throwing at about 80 percent. “Every day is getting a little better.” After being an All-Star and winning 18 games in 2012, Harrison got a new $55 million, five-year contract and was the opening day starter. The big left-hander started only the opener and one other game last season before two operations in nine days on a herniated disk in his lower back. Pitching coach Mike Maddux said Harrison, who has lost about 30 pounds, “was free and easy” during a 35-pitch bullpen session Monday. Harrison has been working out since October and thrown about six bullpen sessions since late December. “If he’s healthy, a real high degree of confidence he’s going to perform,” general manager Jon Daniels said. “The biggest thing, we just want to make sure he doesn’t feel any additional pressure with what happened with Derek. I don’t want him to try to ramp it up any quicker.” Holland had microfracture surgery on his left knee Jan. 10, and isn’t expected back before at least midseason. He got hurt after being tripped by his dog on the stairs at his home. As the Rangers’ No. 2 starter last season behind Yu Darvish, lefty Holland was 10-9 with a 3.42 ERA in a team-high 33 starts and a career-high 213 innings. “We’ve got a lot of depth in our pitching staff,” Harrison said. “For me, though, I don’t feel any more pressure. I’ve just got to go out and do what I’m capable of.” Nick Tepesch was the first pitcher throwing off the mound at Rangers Ballpark on Tuesday during the team’s winter camp primarily for young pitchers. The right-hander was 4-4 with a 4.84 ERA last season as a rookie, but missed two months with right elbow inflammation. Left-hander Michael Kirkman is also among the 14 pitchers taking part in the camp. “Part of what this week is about is getting our arms around some of our internal candidates, both short term and long term,” Daniels said. For Harrison, who is working out but not part of the camp, he just has to show he’s healthy. He was 32-20 with a 3.34 ERA over 63 games in the two seasons before getting hurt last year. “Definitely, the previous years have shown me I’m able to do it. It’s just a matter of getting out there and doing the same thing,” Harrison said. “I don’t think I need to prove to them that I’m able to pitch at this level, because I feel like I’ve done that so far, and hopefully with the injuries and everything that my body wants to react the same way it did before the injury.”
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
THE MARKET IN REVIEW DAILY DOW JONES
STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS
u
NYSE 10,366.00
+22.53
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name
u
NASDAQ 4,225.76
PSBMetDS 14.50 +2.39 +19.7 Thermgn h Hyperdy rs 5.98 +.78 +15.0 Vimicro h DirGMnBull 27.60 +2.96 +12.0 SignatB wt PumaBiotc 139.92 +14.11 +11.2 Inteliquent TeekayTnk 4.38 +.44 +11.2 ConnectO n NordicAm 12.54 +1.25 +11.1 SmartTc g FortunaSlv 3.85 +.38 +11.0 PacBiosci NorandaAl 3.89 +.38 +10.8 GeronCp Tsakos 8.14 +.79 +10.7 TonixPh rs ChiMYWnd 2.98 +.26 +9.6 S&WSeed
Last Chg%Chg
17,000
2.30 +1.21 +111.0 3.80 +1.10 +40.7 99.92+22.36 +28.8 12.98 +2.42 +22.9 48.49 +8.66 +21.7 2.50 +.42 +20.2 7.77 +1.27 +19.5 5.38 +.88 +19.4 18.24 +2.79 +18.1 6.55 +.96 +17.1
16,500
Last Chg%Chg Name
Last Chg%Chg
DirGMBear CSVInvNG RubyTues SiderurNac WalterEn DrNGBr rs ViolinM n Skechers USEC rs Intrexon n
31.72 7.60 5.42 5.41 12.85 24.27 3.47 27.09 5.02 34.19
4.89 18.80 10.56 16.43 7.56 32.00 5.80 3.67 6.83 6.38
-1.67 -3.24 -1.74 -2.33 -.97 -3.93 -.65 -.41 -.67 -.62
-25.5 -14.7 -14.1 -12.4 -11.4 -10.9 -10.1 -10.0 -8.9 -8.9
MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name
Vol (00)
Last Chg Name
Alcoa 1245944 12.13 BkofAm 1125024 17.01 S&P500ETF 788608 184.18 GenElec 582463 26.29 AMD 516094 4.17 iShEMkts 426496 39.73 SPDR Fncl 410355 21.95 RegionsFn 387135 10.86 FordM 353167 16.41 MktVGold 344476 23.70
+.77 ... +.55 -.29 -.01 -.06 +.02 +.29 -.11 +.37
Vol (00)
Last Chg
BlackBerry 666972 Facebook 476739 Intel 416562 SiriusXM 350827 Cisco 330904 Microsoft 306625 MicronT 292193 PwShs QQQ 249387 Mondelez 234304 CellThera 232039
9.93 +.85 58.51 +2.21 25.59 -.26 3.71 -.01 22.83 +.09 36.17 -.21 23.12 +.74 88.55 +.67 34.45 -.80 4.21 +.57
DIARY Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows
Volume
2,028 1,082 104 3,214 238 23 3,668,630,134
DIARY Advanced Declined Unchanged Total issues New Highs New Lows
Volume
16,420
16,588.25 7,508.74 537.86 11,334.65 2,471.19 4,219.28 1,850.84 1,354.65 19,760.54 1,173.37
1,611 973 137 2,721 241 12 1,986,693,071
16,240
10 DAYS
15,500
13,447.49 5,569.78 456.26 8,671.06 2,186.97 3,093.32 1,463.76 1,054.22 15,444.13 875.42
Name
Last
Dow Industrials Dow Transportation Dow Utilities NYSE Composite NYSE MKT Nasdaq Composite S&P 500 S&P MidCap Wilshire 5000 Russell 2000
16,414.44 7,469.74 498.21 10,366.00 2,416.46 4,225.76 1,843.80 1,352.93 19,724.65 1,175.72
MONEY RATES J
A
S
O
N
D
J
STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Name
Ex
AT&T Inc AMD Alcoa AEP BkofAm BlackBerry Caterpillar CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil Dillards EmpIca ExxonMbl Facebook FordM GenElec HewlettP HomeDp iShEMkts Intel IntlBcsh
NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd Nasd
Div
1.84 ... .12 2.00 .04 ... 2.40 1.19 ... 2.76 .24 ... 2.52 ... .50 .88 .58 1.56 .87 .90 .46
YTD Yld PE Last Chg %Chg
Name
Ex
Div
YTD Yld PE Last Chg %Chg
5.5 ... 1.0 4.2 .2 ... 2.6 1.1 ... 4.0 .3 ... 2.6 ... 3.0 3.3 1.9 1.9 2.2 3.5 1.8
IBM Lowes Lubys MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney RadioShk RegionsFn S&P500ETF Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SiriusXM SonyCp SPDR Fncl UnionPac USSteel UnivHlthS WalMart WellsFargo
NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY
3.80 .72 ... 1.10 2.94 1.12 ... ... ... .12 3.35 1.60 ... ... .25 .32 3.16 .20 .20 1.88 1.20
2.0 1.5 ... 2.1 ... 3.1 ... ... ... 1.1 1.8 1.8 ... ... 1.5 1.5 1.9 .7 .2 2.5 2.6
25 ... 37 19 17 ... 18 ... 21 11 12 ... 10 ... 12 18 11 22 ... 14 16
33.57 -.13 4.17 -.01 12.13 +.77 47.34 +.57 17.01 ... 9.93 +.85 90.60 -.84 110.07 -.59 39.41 -1.50 68.26 +.75 90.05 -.60 7.88 -.17 98.50 -.66 58.51 +2.21 16.41 -.11 26.29 -.29 29.90 +.10 80.46 -.54 39.73 -.06 25.59 -.26 25.90 +.57
-4.5 +7.8 +14.1 +1.3 +9.2 +33.5 -.2 -9.6 +.4 -3.4 -7.4 -6.7 -2.7 +7.1 +6.4 -6.2 +6.9 -2.3 -4.9 -1.4 -1.7
13 23 51 19 ... 13 ... ... ... 14 ... 17 ... 53 ... ... 19 ... 17 15 12
188.43 -1.66 47.82 +.21 7.20 +.01 52.67 -.29 29.45 +.24 36.17 -.21 12.00 -.04 6.49 -.03 2.16 +.12 10.86 +.29 184.18 +.55 91.09 +.88 37.85 +.27 3.71 -.01 16.85 -.20 21.95 +.02 168.12 +.28 26.68 -.74 83.89 -1.39 75.84 -.35 46.50 +.11
+.5 -3.5 -6.7 -2.3 +.5 -3.3 -6.4 -29.1 -16.9 +9.8 -.3 +1.1 -22.8 +6.3 -2.5 +.4 +.1 -9.6 +3.2 -3.6 +2.4
Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week. Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left. Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.
Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year
3.25 3.25 0.75 0.75 .00-.25 .00-.25 0.035 0.06 1.65 2.83 3.74
YTD 12-mo Chgg %Chg %Chg %Chg -44.12 -.27 -.98 +19.71 +42.28 +.57 +.93 +29.74 +5.51 +1.12 +1.56 +6.83 +22.53 +.22 -.33 +17.36 +42.20 +1.78 -.40 +.14 +28.18 +.67 +1.18 +34.44 +5.10 +.28 -.25 +23.53 +5.12 +.38 +.77 +25.04 +65.94 +.34 +.09 +25.20 +7.29 +.62 +1.04 +30.75
CURRENCIES
Last PvsWeek
15,000
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
Name
-4.42 -12.2 ZipRlty -.72 -8.7 MiratiTh n -.49 -8.3 KingtoneW -.47 -8.0 OceraTh rs -1.11 -8.0 Infinera -2.08 -7.9 AgiosPh n -.29 -7.7 NovaLfstyl -2.17 -7.4 eOnCom h -.39 -7.2 ChAdCns rs -2.63 -7.1 GalenaBio
16,600
Close: 16,414.44 Change: -44.12 (-0.3%)
16,000
14,500
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
Dow Jones industrials +28.18
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE)
Last Chg%Chg Name
STOCK MARKET INDEXES 52-Week High Low
0.035 0.055 1.59 2.83 3.77
Australia Britain Canada Euro Japan Mexico Switzerlnd
Last
Pvs Day
1.1360 1.6478 1.0982 .7375 104.27 13.2831 .9102
1.1360 1.6435 1.0958 .7371 104.16 13.2438 .9091
British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.
MUTUAL FUNDS Name Alliance Bernstein GlTmtcGA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SoftwCom d Fidelity Select Tech d T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard HlthCare Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m
Total Assets Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init Obj ($Mlns)NAV 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt WS 609 81.78 +3.3 +20.1/C +16.0/D 4.25 2,500 ST 2,449 51.27 +5.5 +22.1/E +18.7/E 5.75 2,000 SH 847 11.96 +7.7 +46.0/C +18.0/E 5.75 1,000 SH 7,959 212.72 +18.8 +82.2/A +30.9/A NL 2,500 SF 921 74.75 +2.3 +39.3/A +22.8/A NL 2,500 ST 255 30.56 +7.1 +25.9/D +22.3/D NL 2,500 ST 703 76.64 +5.6 +29.0/D +27.3/A NL 2,500 SF 251 16.29 +1.2 +26.4/C +17.8/C NL 2,500 ST 979 64.33 +5.0 +34.8/B +25.3/B NL 2,500 SF 745 81.60 +1.3 +26.6/C +17.0/D NL 2,500 ST 3,394 120.59 +3.3 +47.8/A +29.5/A NL 2,500 ST 2,231 125.87 +4.1 +32.2/C +29.0/A NL 2,500 ST 2,927 39.82 +4.0 +40.8/B +25.1/B NL 2,500 SH 9,635 195.01 +5.7 +42.5/D +20.4/D NL 3,000 ST 3,577 16.10 +1.6 +50.3/A +25.2/B 5.75 750
CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.
Spending likely to boost growth in 2014 By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Hopes are rising that consumers will drive stronger growth in 2014 after they stepped up spending at the end of last year in the United States and Europe. The outlook for spending is brightening even though growth is weakening in some large emerging economies and slowing the sales of consumer product giants such as Unilever and Procter & Gamble. Several trends are boosting consumer spending in developed countries: Inflation is low, enabling shoppers to stretch their dollars, euros and yen. The Federal Reserve, the Bank of England and other central banks are keeping interest rates super-low. Those low rates have made it easier for borrowers to afford higher-cost items such as cars and appliances. Global retail sales growth jumped to a 5.4 percent annual pace in the three months through November, according to economists at JPMorgan Chase. And global auto sales reached an alltime high in December, the bank said. “It was a year of big improvement in consumer spending after two years of very weak growth,” said David Hensley, a global economist at JPMorgan Chase. “Businesses were pleasantly surprised by the increase in consumption.” Even in Europe, where growth
Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP
Mannequins display fashions in an H&M storefront window advertising discounts up to 75 percent Jan. 14 in New York. Americans bought more clothing in December, clicked frequently at online retailers and paid higher gas prices. remains slow after the region emerged from its longest-ever recession last year, consumers appear willing to spend more. Retail sales spiked 1.4 percent in November, the biggest increase in 12 years. In the United States, Morgan Stanley economists forecast that consumer spending rose in the final three months of the year at its fastest pace in three years. Consumer spending in Japan could jump by as much as 7 percent in the first quarter of 2014, JPMorgan calculates. Much of that gain might reflect greater
spending ahead of an April increase in a national sales tax, from 5 percent to 8 percent. Sales will likely fall back after that, making it harder to determine broader trends. With more consumers willing to open their wallets, businesses will also likely start spending more on machinery, computers and other equipment, Hensley said, providing an additional spark to growth. The International Monetary Fund said Tuesday that it expects world growth to reach 3.7 percent this year, up from 3 percent last
year. That’s little changed from its October forecast. The good news in developed countries is partially offset by slower growth in many large emerging economies. Brazil, India and Turkey have been raising interest rates to battle high inflation. Both high rates and rising prices are weighing on consumer spending in those countries. For big global consumer product companies such as Unilever, growth in the U.S. and Europe hasn’t been improving strongly enough to offset slowdowns elsewhere. The company, which
Families aided Texas-based by bank amid co. cuts jobs holiday season ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
IBC Bank brought the spirit of the season to the Brush Country community through its employee-driven “It’s a Brighter Christmas” program. During the month of December, IBC Bank-Zapata employees raised funds to adopt nine families during the holiday season. Through fund-matching and contributions from IBC Bank, CEO Renato Ramirez, President Ricardo Ramirez and employees purchased Christmas gifts for families living in eight different communities throughout Brush Country. “While our dedication to the communities we serve lasts all year, the holiday season gives us a special opportunity to reach out and make a difference in the lives of those in need,” said Renato Ramirez. “Our employees love participating in our It’s a Brighter Christmas program and being able to bring joy to the lives of those who might
not otherwise experience Christmas.” Bank employees shopped for food and gifts, wrapped the items and delivered the items to the families on Christmas Eve. The bank also provided them a full Thanksgiving dinner in November. An extension of the bank’s “We Do More” philosophy, the company began the corporate-wide initiative in 1995 as a way to help deserving families, senior citizens and children enjoy the holidays, according to a news release. IBC Bank–Zapata is a member of International Bancshares Corporation (NASDAQ: IBOC), an $11.6 billion multi-bank financial holding company headquartered in Laredo, with 216 facilities and more than 320 ATMs serving 88 communities in Texas and Oklahoma. IBC Bank–Zapata has been serving the Brush Country area since 1984 and has a retail branch network of 12 locations.
DALLAS — Chipmaker Texas Instruments Inc. said Tuesday that it will cut 1,100 jobs worldwide to trim costs and will reduce its investment in certain markets. The company says the cuts in its embedded processing unit and in Japan will result in $130 million in annual savings by the end of 2014. The Dallas-based company also said Tuesday that its fourth-quarter net income nearly doubled as restructuring charges fell and revenue ticked up 2 percent. Net income in the three months to Dec. 31 rose to $511 million, or 46 cents per share, matching analyst expectations. In the same quarter the year before, profit came to $264 million, or 23 cents per share. But the results included a restructuring charge of $49 million, or 3 cents per share, which Texas Instruments did not account for when issuing its guidance. Revenue rose to $3.03
The company says the cuts … will result in $130 million in annual savings by the end of the year.
billion from $2.98 billion. That beat the $2.99 billion expected by analysts polled by FactSet. For the first quarter, the company said it expects revenue between $2.83 billion and $3.07 billion and earnings per share of 36 cents to 44 cents including restructuring charges of about $30 million. Shares slipped 11 cents to $43.74 in after-hours trading. The stock closed regular trading up 40 cents at $43.85, up 31 percent over the past 12 months.
makes Ben & Jerry’s ice cream, Dove soap, and Lipton tea, said sales fell 3 percent last year to 49.8 billion euros ($67.5 billion). Profit rose 9 percent. “The growth that you see in the United States and some people get excited about is not enough to make a difference” to Unilever, Chief Executive Paul Polman told analysts. Ali Dibadj, an analyst at Bernstein Global Wealth Management, said Unilever’s results reflect a broader slowdown in growth for consumer products that will likely continue in 2014. Consumer-product companies have invested heavily in emerging markets as growth in developed markets slowed. But this year, growth will likely pick up in developed markets and slow in emerging countries. The sales slowdown will likely force more cost cuts, Dibadj said. Procter & Gamble has been implementing a $10 billion cost-cutting program and trying to adjust its prices to stay competitive. In its most recent quarter, it held or expanded its market share in two-thirds of its product categories globally and two-thirds to 70 percent of categories in North America. Cincinnati-based P&G will report its fiscal second-quarter results on Friday. Analysts expect net income of $1.20 per share, slightly below last year’s $1.22. Revenue is forecast to come in at $22.36 billion, up slightly from $22.18 billion a year ago.
$1B offered for bracket ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — Correctly predicting the outcome of every game in the NCAA men’s basketball tournament is no layup. There’s now a $1 billion prize waiting for anyone able to pull off the feat this spring. Quicken Loans Inc. announced Tuesday that it will team with investor Warren Buffett’s Omaha, Neb.-based Berkshire Hathaway on the “Billion Dollar Bracket Challenge.” The Detroit-based mortgage lender says any qualified entrant who correctly predicts the winners of every game in the tournament will be paid in 40 annual installments of $25 million. A winner also can elect to receive an immediate $500 million lump-sum payment or share in that payment if there’s more than one perfect bracket submitted. It’s a safe investment by Buffett’s group. ESPN — which has run a tournament challenge for the past 16 years that has in-
cluded President Barack Obama — has never had a perfect bracket in over 30 million entries according to the network. CBS Sports, which also has run a pool for years, said it hasn’t had a perfect entry either. Last season, no unblemished brackets made it through the round of 64. Quicken Loans Inc. said it will offer to split $2 million among the 20 most accurate predictions submitted for the contest. It will also donate $1 million to educational charities in Detroit and Cleveland, the two cities that are the main focus of Quicken founder and Chairman Dan Gilbert’s activities. “We’ve seen a lot of contests offering a million dollars for putting together a good bracket, which got us thinking, what is the perfect bracket worth? We decided a billion dollars seems right for such an impressive feat,” said Jay Farner, president and chief marketing officer of Quicken Loans. Submissions are limited to one per household.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2014
WATER Continued from Page 1A ter job of maintaining good quality water at the plant. I think that might restore some confidence.” Last Monday, Webb County commissioners voted unanimously to allow Leyendecker, Naiser & Viera Inc. to provide consultation services as the water treatment plant continues to make improvements. Officials are still awaiting a ruling from the TCEQ enforcement division that could come as early as next month. Still, students who live in the area said they are doing their part to help bring clean water to their homes. “First of all we need to bring awareness,” said LBJ student San Juana Samaniego. “From there we can move initiatives to change the future. Hopefully one day in the future I’ll be able to drink water from the tap.” (Aldo Amato may be reached at 728-2538 or aamato@lmtonline.com)
VIOLENCE Continued from Page 1A
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
Carolina Obregon and San Juana Samaniego, LBJ High School students and volunteer EcoAmbassadors for the Rio Grande International Study Center, will attend today’s town hall at Salvador Garcia Middle School to get a better understanding of the water issue in their community.
Texas adds more training By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Federally funded “navigators” who help Texans get health insurance under the federal health care overhaul must obtain more training sought by Gov. Rick Perry, state officials announced Tuesday, but not as much as he and other Republicans wanted. The Texas Department of Insurance ordered navigators to complete 20 hours of additional training by May 1. That’s half the time Perry asked the agency to implement in September. Federal guidelines already require navigators to complete 20 to 30 hours
of training. Perry and Republicans, however, have insisted more training is necessary to protect consumers who put their personal information in the hands of navigators. “These rules are important, common-sense protections for Texans and their personal and private information,” Perry spokeswoman Lucy Nashed said.
More time Open enrollment in the federal health care marketplace ends March 31. Giving nonprofits a month after that to complete the additional training spares them the time crunch of trying to comply with the
new mandate before the deadline. Last week, Texas’ delegation of congressional Democrats called the proposed 40 hours of additionaltraining the most burdensome in any of 17 states with federally facilitated exchanges. They and a network of nonprofits across Texas argued the additional requirements would be costly and unnecessary. About 25 percent of Texas residents, or some 6 million people, lack health insurance. That’s the highest rate in the nation. Democratic state Rep. Lon Burnam expressed some satisfaction in the new rules being less com-
prehensive than first proposed. “There was no justification for the original proposal other than conservative politics, so I’m glad TDI has relented and come up with training requirements that are at least somewhat logical,” Burnam said. Navigators have until March 1 to register with the state for the additional training. “These rules will help ensure Texans have confidence that anyone registered as a navigator has passed appropriate background checks and received the training they need,” state Insurance Commissioner Julia Rathgeber said.
el to the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, where Nuevo Laredo is located. The Federal Bureau of Investigations told Laredo Morning Times last year they had recorded 126 people missing in Nuevo Laredo, from 2003 to August 2013. During that time, Laredo has recorded kidnappings such as that of Krystal Azeneth Lopez. Isabel Cristina Davila, Lopez’s mother, has faith in God that she’ll see her again. “That’s my wish,” Davila said Monday. “I pray to God for her always.” Regarding the most violent cities report, Davila said Nuevo Laredo should rank higher. Lopez, a then 18-year-old U.S. citizen, went missing Feb. 27, 2012, in Colonia Victoria. Investigations have shown that Lopez crossed into Mexico that evening. Her Facebook account also showed activity days after she’d gone
missing, but nothing panned out. Lopez’s whereabouts are not known. Another unsolved mystery recorded in the area is the disappearance of Ramiro Martinez, a sales representative for Sames Motor Co. in Laredo, who commuted between the Sister Cities. Martinez, then 35, went missing July 13, 2012. He met with friends after work at a home in the JSJ Estates neighborhood. Running low on beer, Martinez left, stating that he could pick up some more. Investigations revealed Martinez crossed into Nuevo Laredo shortly after 2 a.m. via International Bridge 2. Martinez was driving his sister’s 1997 Ford Explorer. He last told his friends over the phone that police were pulling him over. He hasn’t been heard of since. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
MOBILE Continued from Page 1A es as a part of the federal Healthy Start program,” he said. Fire Chief Steve Landin has seen the needs of the people living in the colonias when he worked as a peace officer. “I patrolled those areas for many years before I became a district chief with the fire department,” Landin said. “I am glad the residents will be receiving this much-needed assistance.” Dinnin described the unit as a “transformer,” saying it is designed to convert from a mobile healthcare clinic to one of the most sophisticated and advanced firefighter rehabilitation units in the state. Equipped with liquid cooling vests, wireless vital signs monitors, oxygen units and other tools, the mobile unit can rehabilitate up to 30 firefighters or
first responders in longterm, strenuous emergencies. The unit will follow a schedule to visit community centers along the border when it is not being used as a rehabilitation center. On Mondays and Fridays, the unit will be in either El Cenizo or Rio Bravo, from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. On Tuesdays it will be at the Webb County Self Help Center during the same period. Wednesdays will be reserved for maintenance of the unit. Every first Thursday of the month, the unit will be at La Santa Teresita Community Center, and every other Thursday it will be at the Fred M. and Anita Bruni Community Center, in Penitas, during the same time. ( Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)