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Natural gas sent to Mexico increasing
11 rescued by Border Patrol
Much of the fuel is from Texas shale
Group dumped from raft into river ASSOCIATED PRE SS
By Jennifer Hiller SA N A NT ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS
The export of U.S. natural gas is climbing — and much of it is coming from Texas shale fields and bound for power plants in Mexico. As Mexico continues to overhaul and modernize its energy sector, its appetite
for U.S. natural gas is swelling. Daily pipeline exports to Mexico rose 25 percent in August, compared with the year before, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. August exports were up 85 percent from the average amount of natural gas that had been exported daily Shale continues on A11
Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News file
Work continues north of Alpine on Dec. 8, 2015, for the construction of the Trans-Pecos Pipeline Project.
Bills for abortion restrictions pre-filed for 2017 session AUSTIN, Texas — In the 2017 session, Texas lawmakers plan to bring to the floor several bills that would restrict abortions despite this year’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found two provisions of state law unconstitutional. “States like Texas are going to try to continue to push the envelope,” Southern Methodist University political science professor Matthew Wilson told the Dallas Morning News. “I don’t think legislatures are going to be dissuaded from passing abortion decisions based on existing decisions.” Earlier this month, a federal judge blocked the state’s rules mandating burial or cremation of fetal remains from abortions or miscarriages until at least January. A lawsuit filed by the Center for
River continues on A11
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
TEXAS
A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MCALLEN, Texas — Border Patrol agents near McAllen have rescued 11 people, including seven children, who were crossing the Rio Grande in a raft tethered to a vehicle on the Mexican side when smugglers yanked on the rope
and dumped the people into the river. The people trying to enter the U.S. illegally were struggling to stay afloat when they were spotted by agents late Monday night. Authorities tossed floatation devices to some and others were rescued by a Border Pa-
Reproductive Rights and other national advocacy groups argues that the rules serve no medical purpose and are meant to shame women who seek abortions and make it harder for doctors to provide them. Republican state lawmakers have prefiled bills ahead of the session, which convenes Jan. 10, that would put similar fetal remains rules into state law, ban a type of late-term abortion that is already illegal under federal law and implement stronger requirements for electronic reporting of abortions by clinics. John Seago, legislative director for Texas Right to Life, said the anti-abortion group will focus on advocating for bills that save lives, such as a ban on a secondtrimester abortion method called dilation and extraction that Bills continues on A11
FARM LOAN CRISIS AVERTED
Charlie Riedel / AP
In this photo taken Dec. 21, Matt Ubell adds grain to feed as she prepares to feed cattle on his farm near Wheaton, Kan. Ubell is one of many farmers taking out government agriculture loans to make ends meet in a turbulent farm economy.
No limit to how much the USDA can lend By Roxana Hegeman ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WICHITA, Kan. — U.S. farmers drained all available government agricultural loan money this past
fiscal year to get through one of the worst agricultural downturns in recent years, but no one who qualifies for a farm loan will be denied in the next four months due to an
unusual provision passed this month by Congress. The budget patch gives the Agriculture Department’s Farm Service Agency authority to meet the spike in loan demand by
using future funding, according to U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican who chairs an agricultural appropriations panel. There is no limit to Loan continues on A11
Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
New Year’s Eve Scholarship Dance. 9 p.m. Castilian Royale (by Myreida), 9802 McPherson Road. Hosted by Epoca de Oro Social Club. There will be live music. BYOB and food trays are welcome. Tickets are $30 pre-sale and $35 at the door. For reservations call 290-7341.
Today is Wednesday, Dec. 28, the 363rd day of 2016. There are three days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 28, 1846, Iowa became the 29th state to be admitted to the Union.
SUNDAY, JANUARY 1 J.J. Sanchez Annual Memorial Mass. 10 a.m. Christ the King Church. Hosted by the Laredo A&M Mothers' Club. Former and current Aggie students and their families are invited to attend. There will a special blessing for those students who are returning to A&M in College Station the spring semester.
MONDAY, JANUARY 2 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available. Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting. 6:30—7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month. People suffering from anxiety and depression are invited to attend this free, confidential and anonymous support group meeting. While a support group does not replace an individual’s medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength and hope.
TUESDAY, JANUARY 3 Les Amies Birthday Club. 11:30 a.m. Ramada Plaza. Hostesses are Olga Laurel, Veronica Laurel and Grace Stegmann. Honorees are Olivia Arroyo, Aurora Miranda and Dora Rocha. Alzheimer's support group meeting. 7 p.m. Meeting room 2, building B of the Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer's. For information, please call 956-693-9991.
MONDAY, JANUARY 9 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
MONDAY, JANUARY 16 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
MONDAY, JANUARY 23 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
Rodger Mallison / AP
Dr. Kent Brantly, who was infected with Ebola in Liberia, poses for a photo in Fort Worth. The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that he returned to practicing medicine about a year ago.
EBOLA SURVIVOR RETURNS TO JOB FORT WORTH — A doctor who survived Ebola after contracting the virus while treating patients in Liberia has quietly returned to practicing medicine in Fort Worth. Dr. Kent Brantly, who resumed practicing family medicine about a year ago, now works at JPS Health Network, according to the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He sees patients, teaches family medicine residents and works one day a week in labor and delivery at John Peter Smith Hospital. He says some patients recognize him and bring up his battle of more than two
years ago. Brantly also said all of the responses have been positive and many have told him they prayed for him. “I have patients in the clinic occasionally who say, ‘Where do I know you from?’ or “I’ve seen you on TV,”’ the 35-year-old Indiana native said. He became the face of Ebola for many in the United States, writing a book, appearing at the White House, speaking around the country and gracing the cover of Time magazine. He worked for nine months as a doctor in Liberia. — Comp iled from AP reports
2 Home Depot workers hurt by shoplifters
Trucker jailed, charged with wreck that killed 4
Woman refuses to drop gun, killed by deputies
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police say two Home Depot employees have been hurt trying to halt some shoplifters. One of the workers was shot in the face with a BB gun when he confronted the two thieves. The other has been hurt when she fell during the confrontation Tuesday afternoon. Both have been taken to a hospital for evaluation.
RAYMONDVILLE — A $100,000 bond has been set for a 38-year-old truck driver facing four counts of criminally negligent homicide for a Christmas Eve traffic wreck that killed four members of a Rio Grande Valley family. The driver allegedly lost control of his tractor trailer and collided with a pickup truck, where four died.
PEARLAND — Authorities say a woman brandishing a pistol at an apartment complex south of Houston has been shot and killed by sheriff’s deputies after she refused orders to drop the weapon, then raised and pointed it at the officers. Brazoria County Sheriff’s officials say two deputies opened fire on the woman. — Compiled from AP reports
Spanish Book Club. 6-8 p.m. Joe A. Guerra Public Library - Calton. For more information, contact Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.
MONDAY, JANUARY 30 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 6 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available. Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting. 6:30—7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month. People suffering from anxiety and depression are invited to attend this free, confidential and anonymous support group meeting. While a support group does not replace an individual’s medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength and hope.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 13 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 20 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
AROUND THE NATION Stray bag of toys prompts scare at Trump Tower NEW YORK — A stray backpack prompted the partial evacuation of Trump Tower on Tuesday, though bomb squad technicians quickly determined the unattended bag contained children’s toys and was harmless. Video posted online showed people running through the Manhattan skyscraper’s public lobby as uniformed police officers waved them toward the exits. Stephen Davis, the New York Police Department’s top spokesman, said the bomb squad gave the “all clear” around 5 p.m. after examining the backpack left near the entrance to Niketown, a store in the building. President-elect Donald Trump lives in the tower and has his offices there, though he was at his Mar-aLago estate in Florida when the bag was discovered.
Craig Ruttle / AP
New York firefighters, police officers and others stand outside Trump Tower lobby in New York, Tuesday.
His newly appointed press secretary, Sean Spicer, Tweeted that officials were “back to work” following the “false alarm.” Shoppers and visitors to Trump’s namesake skyscraper described a chaotic scramble. “It was hysteria,” said Andy Martin, a 16-year-old from the New York City suburb of Hun-
tington. “Police were shouting and telling people to leave.” Trump Tower, in addition to being the president-elect’s home and business headquarters, contains residences, restaurants, retail stores — and a lobby that by law is open to the public to visitors daily from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD Cuba sees economic shrink despite US detente HAVANA — Cuba announced Tuesday that its economy shrank this year for the first time in nearly a quarter century as a plunge in aid from Venezuela overwhelmed a surge in tourism set off by detente with the United States. Economy Minister Ricardo Cabrisas and President Raul Castro told Parliament that the
island’s gross domestic product fell nearly 1 percent after seeing average annual growth rate of nearly 3 percent in 2011-2015. Cabrisas blamed the slump on Venezuela’s troubles and a decrease in revenue from Cuba’s few exports, which include sugar, refined gasoline and nickel, whose price has dropped in recent years. “In spite of the drop in GDP, the free social services that our population enjoys have been preserved, defying predictions that the Cuban economy would
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, at his Texas ranch, worked on designing a new U.S. policy in Iraq. Saddam Hussein’s lawyer made a last-ditch effort to impede his client’s execution. In Somalia, troops of the U.N.-backed interim government rolled into Mogadishu unopposed, putting an end to six months of domination of the capital by a radical Islamic movement. Five years ago: North Korea’s new leader, Kim Jong Un, escorted his father’s hearse in an elaborate state funeral, bowing somberly and saluting in front of tens of thousands of citizens who wailed and stamped their feet in grief for Kim Jong Il. Turkish warplanes mistakenly killed 35 smugglers and other villagers in an operation targeting Kurdish rebels in Iraq. Kaye Stevens, a singer and actress who performed with the Rat Pack and was a frequent guest on Johnny Carson’s “The Tonight Show,” died in The Villages, Florida, at age 79. One year ago: A grand jury in Cleveland declined to indict a white rookie police officer in the killing of 12-yearold Tamir Rice, a black youngster who was shot while playing with what turned out to be a pellet gun. A teen fugitive known for using an “affluenza” defense for a drunken driving wreck and his mother were detained in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
THURSDAY, JANUARY 26 Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society. 3-5 p.m. St. John Neumann Parish Hall. Meet and greet membership drive. The speaker’s subject is “How I Traced My Family Roots.” Open to the public. For more information, contact Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.
On this date: In 1612, Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei observed the planet Neptune, but mistook it for a star. (Neptune wasn’t officially discovered until 1846 by Johann Gottfried Galle.) In 1832, John C. Calhoun became the first vice president of the United States to resign, stepping down because of differences with President Andrew Jackson. In 1856, the 28th president of the United States, Thomas Woodrow Wilson, was born in Staunton (STAN’tun), Virginia. In 1895, the Lumiere brothers, Auguste and Louis, held the first public showing of their movies in Paris. In 1917, the New York Evening Mail published “A Neglected Anniversary,” a facetious essay by H.L. Mencken supposedly recounting the history of bathtubs in America. In 1937, composer Maurice Ravel died in Paris at age 62. In 1945, Congress officially recognized the Pledge of Allegiance. In 1961, the Tennessee Williams play “Night of the Iguana” opened on Broadway. Former first lady Edith Bolling Galt Wilson, the second wife of President Woodrow Wilson, died in Washington at age 89. In 1973, the book “Gulag Archipelago,” Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s exposé of the Soviet prison system, was first published in Paris. In 1981, Elizabeth Jordan Carr, the first American “test-tube” baby, was born in Norfolk, Virginia. In 1989, Alexander Dubcek, the former Czechoslovak Communist leader who was deposed in a Sovietled Warsaw Pact invasion in 1968, was named president of the country’s parliament. In 1991, nine people died in a crush of people trying to get into a rap celebrity basketball game at City College in New York.
Today’s Birthdays: Comic book creator Stan Lee is 94. Former United Auto Workers union president Owen Bieber is 87. Actress Nichelle Nichols is 84. Actress Dame Maggie Smith is 82. Rock singer-musician Charles Neville is 78. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., is 72. Funk musician Joseph “Zigaboo” Modeliste (The Meters) is 68. Actor Denzel Washington is 62. Country singer Joe Diffie is 58. Country musician Mike McGuire (Shenandoah) is 58. Actor Chad McQueen is 56. Country singer-musician Marty Roe (Diamond Rio) is 56. Actress Elaine Hendrix is 46. Comedian Seth Meyers is 43. Actor Brendan Hines is 40. Actor Joe Manganiello is 40. Actress Vanessa Ferlito is 39. Rhythm-and-blues singer John Legend is 38. Actor Andre Holland is 37. Actress Sienna Miller is 35. Pop singer Kasey Sheridan (Dream) is 30. Actor Thomas Dekker is 29. Actress Mackenzie Rosman is 27. Pop singer David Archuleta is 26. Actor Miles Brown is 12. Thought for Today: “If you don’t know history, then you don’t know anything. You are a leaf that doesn’t know it is part of a tree.” — Michael Crichton, American author (19422008).
CONTACT US collapse and upsetting blackouts would return,” Castro said. The two men spoke to Cuba’s rubber-stamp National Assembly, which also passed a law announced by Castro last month banning public memorials to his brother Fidel, the revolutionary leader who died on Nov. 25 at age 90. The last time official figures showed a fall in Cuba’s gross domestic product was in 1993 after the Soviet Union collapsed. — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 |
A3
POLITICS
Trump says UN just a club for people to ‘have a good time’ By Vivian Salama A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump is questioning its effectiveness of the United Nations, saying it’s just a club for people to “have a good time,” after the U.N. Security Council voted last week to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, The president-elect wrote Monday on Twitter that the U.N. has “such great potential,” but it has become “just a club for people to get together, talk and have a good time. So sad!” On Friday, Trump warned, “As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th,” referring to the day he takes office. The decision by the Obama administration to abstain from Friday’s U.N. vote brushed aside Trump’s demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel’s leadership. Meanwhile, the billionaire businessman took to Twitter Monday evening to say he believes his election as president has benefited the economy. “The world was gloomy before I won — there was no hope,” he
said in a verified post on his Twitter account. “Now, the market is up nearly 10 percent and Christmas spending is over a trillion dollars.” Trump also used social media to complain anew about criticism of the Donald J. Trump Foundation. In one post, he said, “The DJT Foundation, unlike most foundations, never paid fees, rent, salaries or any expenses. 100 % of the money goes to wonderful charities.” He also tweeted that “I gave millions of dollars to DJT Foundation, raised or received millions more. ALL of which is given to charity, and media won’t report.” Trump had said Saturday that he wanted to dissolve his charitable foundation amid efforts to eliminate any conflicts of interest before he takes office next month. He said in a statement that he has directed his counsel to take the necessary steps to implement the dissolution of the Donald J. Trump Foundation. The Democratic National Committee criticized him for what it called “a wilted fig leaf to cover up his remaining conflicts of interest and his pitiful record of charitable giving.”
Trump can’t dissolve foundation during investigation By Vivian Salama and Laurie Kellman ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump cannot move ahead with his plan to dismantle his charitable foundation because state prosecutors are probing whether the president-elect personally benefited from its spending, the New York attorney general’s office said Tuesday. “The Trump foundation is still under investigation by this office and cannot legally dissolve until that investigation is complete,” said Amy Spitalnick, spokeswoman for state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman. The statement came after Trump announced that he wanted to dissolve the Donald J. Trump Foundation, part of what his presidential transition team says is an effort to erase any potential conflicts of interest before he takes office Jan. 20. But the foundation’s inner workings have been the subject of Schneiderman’s investigation for months and could remain a thorny issue for Trump’s incoming administration. Democrats nationally have said they are ready to raise any legal or ethical issues from Trump’s global business empire during his presidency. Trump’s charity has admitted that it violated IRS regulations barring it from using its money or assets to benefit Trump, his family, his companies or substantial contributors to the foundation. The admissions by the Donald J. Trump Foundation were in a 2015 tax
House GOP aiming to prevent another Democratic sit-in By Mary Clare Jalonick A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — House Republicans are aiming to ensure there’s no repeat of a Democratic sit-in last summer over gun control. GOP leaders are planning a vote on a set of rules changes when Congress convenes in January that includes fines for members who use electronic devices to take pictures or video from the House floor. The proposal comes six months after Democrats live-streamed a sit-in on the House floor for 26 hours last June to call attention to their demand for votes on gun-control bills. Republican leaders shut off the cameras in the House gallery throughout most of the protest, but Democrats used their cellphones to transmit video on social media. C-SPAN broadcast live video streamed on Periscope and Facebook from lawmakers’ accounts. The proposed fines — $500 for a first offense and $2,500 for any subsequent offense — would be docked from the salaries of offending lawmakers. The new rules would not be retroactive, so those who participated in the sit in last summer won’t be penalized. AshLee Strong, a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan, said the changes “will help ensure that order and decorum are preserved in the House of Representatives so lawmakers can do the people’s work.” Democrats staged the
sit-in after 49 people were killed in a mass shooting at the Orlando, Florida nightclub Pulse. A spokesman for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi said Democrats will continue to speak out on the “daily tragedy” of gun violence. “House Republicans continue to act as the handmaidens of the gun lobby refusing to pass sensible, bipartisan legislation to expand back-
ground checks and keep guns out of the hands of terrorists,” said spokesman Drew Hammill. The proposed rules would also clarify that members or employees of the House cannot engage in “disorderly or disruptive conduct” by intentionally blocking another member from moving in the chamber, or using an exhibit or other means to disturb legislative proceedings.
Jabin Botsford / The Washington Post
President-elect Donald J. Trump talks to members of the media in Palm Beach, Fla., last week.
filing made public after a presidential election in which it was revealed that Trump has used the charity to settle lawsuits, make a $25,000 political contribution and purchase items, such as a painting of himself, that was displayed at one of his properties. The 2015 tax filing was posted on the nonprofit monitoring website GuideStar on Nov. 18 by someone using an email address from the foundation’s law firm, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, said GuideStar spokeswoman Jackie Enterline Fekeci. In the tax filing, the foundation acknowledged that it used money or assets in violation of the regulations not only during 2015, but in prior years. But the tax filing doesn’t provide details on the violations. Schneiderman, a Democrat, launched his investigation into the charity after reporting by The Washington Post drew attention to some of the foundation’s purchases. Trump asserted on Twitter late Monday that his foundation was run efficiently. “The DJT Foundation, unlike most foundations, never paid fees, rent, salaries or any expenses,” the president-elect tweeted.
“100% of the money goes to wonderful charities.” On Tuesday, Trump tapped an experienced national security adviser to serve as assistant to the president for homeland security and counterterrorism. A statement from Trump’s transition team said Thomas Bossert will advise the president on issues related to homeland security, counterterrorism, and cybersecurity, and he will coordinate the Cabinet’s process for formulating and executing policy. The position “is being elevated and restored to its independent status alongside the national security adviser,” the statement said. Policymakers have long debated whether such national security jobs should operate independently from the White House. Bossert will work closely with Trump’s pick for national security adviser, retired Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. Bossert is currently president of the risk management consulting firm CDS Consulting. He previously served as deputy assistant to the president for homeland security under President George W. Bush. Trump also continued to
question the effectiveness of the United Nations, saying Monday it’s just a club for people to “have a good time,” after the U.N. Security Council voted last week to condemn Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem, And on Friday, Trump warned, “As to the U.N., things will be different after Jan. 20th,” referring to the day he takes office. The decision by the Obama administration to abstain from Friday’s U.N. vote brushed aside Trump’s demands that the U.S. exercise its veto and provided a climax to years of icy relations with Israel’s leadership. That was only one subject Trump tackled on Twitter on Monday. In an evening post, he wrote that he believes his election as president has boosted the economy. “The world was gloomy before I won — there was no hope,” he tweeted. “Now, the market is up nearly 10 percent and Christmas spending is over a trillion dollars.” Markets are up since Trump won the general election, although not by that much. The Standard & Poor’s 500 is up about 6 percent since Election Day, while the Dow has risen more than 8 percent. As for holiday spending, auditing and accounting firm Deloitte projected in September that total 2016 holiday sales were expected to exceed $1 trillion, representing a 3.6 percent to 4.0 percent increase in holiday sales from November through January. But that can’t be credited to Trump because the projection came before the election.
Zopinion
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A4 | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Trump, ‘Merry Christmas’ and a Happy New Year By John M. Crisp TR IB UN E NEWS SE RV ICE
I tried to write a Christmas column without mentioning president-elect Donald Trump; as you can see, I have failed. You may have preferred not to think about Trump during the season that celebrates the birth of the man who said, “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Jesus must have been scratching his head on Nov. 8. But Jesus can afford to take the long view, and maybe eventually he’ll be right. But for the rest of us, Trump’s outsized personality tends to suck the mistletoe out of the room. Trump’s chief Christmas message bears some consideration: Earlier this month, he promised to make the nation safe for saying “Merry Christmas.” “So when I started 18 months ago,” Trump said. “I told my first crowd in Wisconsin that we are going to come back here someday and we are going to say ’Merry Christmas’ again. Merry Christmas. So, Merry Christmas everyone.” Take that! But the notion that the term “Merry Christmas” has been suppressed by secularists as a tactic in a larger “War on Christmas” has never held up very well to scrutiny. It derives from two initiatives, both of them commendable: The first involves the question of why our government should spend taxpayers’ money to fund public expressions of religious faith at courthouses and schools or, more to the point, why it should privilege any particular religion over others or none at all in an increasingly diverse culture. The second initiative involves private businesses that began to realize that not every customer who walks through their doors is a Christian and to recognize that the assumption that every Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist or atheist is celebrating Christmas might begin to grate after a while. So they began to substitute “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” in a decent and generous effort to acknowledge the feelings of individuals. The idea that Merry Christmas has been the victim of an organized attempt to purge it from our language, along with our Judeo-Christian heritage, is all in all fairly ridiculous. And it’s certainly not supported by an MSNBC videotape referenced by
E.J. Dionne in a Washington Post column last week: It shows President Obama — whose Christianity many on the right still question — saying “Merry Christmas” some 20 times in different contexts, including during the lighting of the White House Christmas tree. No outrage ensued, no consternation and no investigations by the political correctness police. Still, Trump got a lot of political mileage out of making people fear that their religious liberties are threatened, thereby taking advantage of three of religion’s least desirable characteristics: tribalism, grievance and aggression. At its best religion promotes tolerance and inclusion, and maybe we’re getting better at them. But unfortunately, more often than not, religion still provides the principles by which we divide ourselves into groups. Few other human elements generate as much capacity to take offense. And few stoke the depth of passion that can make people willing to fight and even die for what they see as a greater cause. Trump was able to capitalize on our inherent inclination to feel grievance and our need to defend ourselves from others. His use of religion in this way is somewhat ironic since no one would mistake him for a conventionally devout person. He’s clearly profane, lewd and materialistic, he stumbles when he tries to name his favorite scripture and he mispronounces books of the Bible that are completely familiar to any semi-serious adolescent Sunday school student. He’s the opposite of humble, and it’s impossible to imagine him loving his enemies or turning the other cheek. Of course, it’s not our place to judge anyone else’s religiosity. After all, Jesus said, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” But Jesus also said, “Ye shall know them by their fruits,” which in Trump’s case are rather bitter. So Trump is an odd advocate for us to choose to defend our unchallenged right to say “Merry Christmas.” But I say it to you, nevertheless, along with Happy Holidays and Season’s Greetings. And a Happy New Year. John M. Crisp, an op-ed columnist for Tribune News Service, teaches in the English Department at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas.
EDITORIAL
Planned Parenthood fight not worth battle FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
Fighting Planned Parenthood isn’t worth the battle, but that doesn’t seem to stop officials from taking up arms. In December 2015, Gov. Greg Abbott pledged to defund Planned Parenthood. Now, after a year, the state has issued a final notice to the healthcare
organization. Planned Parenthood could lose its $3.1 million Medicaid funding. The whole battle between the state and Planned Parenthood has been a frustrating, arduous ordeal — all over something that taxpayers don’t even pay for. It’s all brought on by the abortion services provided by Planned
Parenthood. That’s done by a separate entity from the Medicaid-eligible health programs, and no public dollars fund it. The governor’s office says Planned Parenthood is “no longer capable of performing medical services in a professionally competent, safe, legal and ethical manner” after allegations last year that the organiza-
COLUMN
The 10 most historic events of your time? By Dick Meyer SCRIPP S WASHINGTON BUREAU
The transition from Barack Obama to Donald Trump certainly feels like a historic moment, historically awful for some and positive for others. If it is any comfort, an interesting new study suggests that Americans have more in common in how they view the past than the present. The Pew Research Center and A+E Network’s “HISTORY” teamed up to ask more than 2,000 Americans this question: “Please name the 10 historic events that occurred in your lifetime that have had the greatest impact on the country.” They sorted the results by generation because, obviously, different generations lived through different events. The big headline was that Americans of all generations named the attacks of September 11, 2001, as the most important event of their lifetime by far. This was true even of older people who lived through World War II and the Vietnam War. There wasn’t much variation by age, gender, region or political leanings. AfricanAmericans did put Obama’s election at the top. Historians certainly could marshal many arguments that 9/11 was not, in fact, the most consequen-
tial episode in history for the Silent Generation (born 1928 to 1945) and Baby Boomers (1946-1964). But something about 9/11 puts it at the top of historical memories for all generations. Nothing else comes close. The only other events listed by all generations were the election of Obama and the “tech revolution.” This is the top 10 list for Millennials (1981 to 1998): 1 9/11 1 Obama election 1 Iraq/Afghanistan wars 1 Gay marriage 1 The tech revolution 1 Orlando shooting 1 Hurricane Katrina 1 Columbine shooting 1 Death of Bin Laden 1 Sandy Hook It’s a sad list for the most part. Millennials tend to see Obama’s election and gay marriage as positive historic moments; the tech revolution, for sure. It is especially disturbing, though not at all surprising, to see three mass shootings so prominent in the historical memory of young people. Generation X (1965 to 1980) produced a similar list but they remember “the Fall of Berlin Wall/ end of Cold War” and rank it third, according to the poll. Here’s the Gen X top 10: 1. 9/11 2. Obama election 3. Fall of Berlin Wall/ end of Cold War
4. The tech revolution 5. Iraq/Afghanistan wars 6. Gulf War 7. Challenger disaster 8. Gay marriage 9. Hurricane Katrina 10. Columbine shooting There’s a big jump, obviously, to the Baby Boomer list: 1 9/11 1 JFK assassination 1 Vietnam War 1 Obama election 1 Moon landing 1 The tech revolution 1 Civil Rights movement 1 Fall of Berlin Wall/end of Cold War 1 MLK assassination 1 Iraq/Afghanistan wars I’m a boomer whether I like it or not, and I would put Vietnam on the top of my list, no doubt. And I would have ranked the civil rights movement second — as both a triumph and a tragedy. I would have put Watergate on my list and perhaps the Arab-Israeli Wars of 1967 and 1973. I hope I don’t have to add Donald Trump’s election to my list in 10 years. Finally, here is the list of the Silent Generation: 1 9/11 1 WWII 1 JFK assassination 1 Vietnam War 1 Moon landing 1 Obama election 1 The tech revolution 1 Civil rights movement 1 Korean War 1 Iraq/Afghanistan wars I find it surprising that
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tion sold fetal tissue for research. We get that some state officials really don’t like Planned Parenthood, but couldn’t all the energy and taxpayer money in this fight be used somewhere else? Maybe to fix the broken Child Protective Services? It would be a better use of state’s time and money.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
the civil rights movement wasn’t higher on the list and even more surprising that the Cold War — or the end of it — didn’t make the list at all. More of the items on the Millennials and Generation X lists were very time-limited, headline “news events” that saturated TV for a period: 9/11, Orlando, Hurricane Katrina, Columbine, Bin Laden’s execution, Sandy Hook and the Challenger. This might be a function of age, but it also could involve how the news media and our consumption of it have changed. It is also interesting to see that as the world has grown small and more connected, global events aren’t more prominent on young people’s historical radars. The war on terrorism, the Arab Spring or the drug wars didn’t make any lists. Mostly what struck me was how similar perceptions of historical events were across generations and our other demographic dividing lines. Obviously, all Americans don’t view these events the same way. But after a year like 2016 and an election like this one, I’m inclined to start the New Year looking for as much common ground as I can. Dick Meyer is Chief Washington Correspondent for the Scripps Washington Bureau.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 |
A5
NATIONAL
Japan’s Abe offers ‘everlasting condolences’ at Pearl Harbor By Josh Lederman and Caleb Jones A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Under a warm Oahu sun, with the tranquil, teal waters of Pearl Harbor behind them, former enemies came together Tuesday to acknowledge the tremendous loss caused by the Japanese attack on U.S. military installations in Hawaii 75 years ago. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and President Barack Obama made a historic pilgrimage to the site where the devastating surprise attack sent America marching into World War II. “As the prime minister of Japan, I offer my sincere and everlasting condolences to the souls of those who lost their lives here, as well as to the spirits of all the brave men and women whose lives were taken by a war that commenced in this very place,” Abe said. He did not apologize for the attack but said “we must never repeat the horrors of war again.” Japanese leaders have visited Pearl Harbor before, but Abe was the first to go to the memorial constructed on the hallowed waters above the sunken USS Arizona. There, he and Obama placed a pair of greenand-peach wreaths made of lilies and tossed purple flower petals into the water. The rusting wreckage of the ship where more than 1,000 American service members are entombed can be seen just under the water’s surface. Obama and Abe closed their eyes and stood silently for a few moments. Afterward, they spoke at nearby Joint Base Pearl
Marco Garcia / AP
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, right, stands with U.S. President Barack Obama, Tuesday.
Harbor-Hickam, where Obama called the harbor a sacred place and said that “even the deepest wounds of war can give way to friendship and lasting peace.” “As we lay a wreath or toss flowers into waters that still weep, we think of the more than 2,400 American patriots, fathers and husbands, wives and daughters, manning heaven’s rails for all eternity,” Obama said. In likely the last time he will meet with a foreign leader as president, Obama said the two countries are bound by shared interests and common values and their alliance is “the cornerstone of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and a force for progress around the globe.” The two leaders greeted survivors in the crowd, shaking hands and hugging some of the men who fought in the Dec. 7, 1941, battle. The visit is powerful proof that the former enemies have transcended the recriminatory impulses that weighed down relations after the war, Japan’s government has said. It’s a bookend of sorts
for the president, who nearly eight years ago invited Abe’s predecessor to be the first leader he hosted at the White House. For Abe, it’s an act of symbolic reciprocity, coming six months after Obama became the first sitting U.S. president to visit Hiroshima in Japan, where the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb in hopes of ending the war it entered after Pearl Harbor. “This visit, and the president’s visit to Hiroshima earlier this year, would not have been possible eight years ago,” said Daniel Kritenbrink, Obama’s top Asia adviser in the White House. “That we are here today is the result of years of efforts at all levels of our government and societies, which has allowed us to jointly and directly deal with even the most sensitive aspects of our shared history.” In the years after Japan’s attack, the U.S. incarcerated roughly 120,000 Japanese-Americans in internment camps before dropping atomic bombs in 1945 that killed some 140,000 people in Hiroshima and 70,000 in Nagasaki.
Woman accused of faking will for Deepwater Horizon survivor By Jill Bleed ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A federal grand jury has accused an Arkansas woman of creating a fake will for a Deepwater Horizon oil explosion survivor who was later killed in a car wreck so her daughter would inherit his million-dollar estate. Donna Herring of Camden, Arkansas, was indicted on charges of money laundering, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The indictment was unsealed earlier this month and first reported Tuesday by the Texarkana Gazette. At issue is the estate of Matthew Seth Jacobs, who survived the 2010 Gulf of Mexico explosion
that killed 11 people but died in a 2015 car crash near his home in Arkansas. A separate civil lawsuit filed against Herring notes that Jacobs was part of a class-action lawsuit that had a multimillion-dollar settlement. “The settlement allowed Matthew to amass substantial wealth at a relatively young age, and proceeds of the settlement make up the bulk of his probate estate,” the civil lawsuit said. Both the civil lawsuit and indictment accuse Herring, whose daughter had dated Jacobs, of creating a fake will online in Jacobs’ name six days after his death. According to court records, Jacobs’ brother and Jacobs’ teenage son searched his home for a
will following the death, but found nothing. The civil suit said that Herring later “claimed that she discovered a sealed envelope with the initial ‘MJ’ on it containing a duplicate of a last will and testament for Matthew.” That document was filed in court, and Herring’s daughter received the bulk of Jacobs’ estate, valued at about $1.7 million. The federal indictment said Herring’s son received $50,000. Herring, whose criminal trial is set for Feb. 6, has pleaded not guilty and has also denied the civil lawsuit’s allegations in a court filing. Herring’s attorney did not immediately return a message seeking comment Tuesday.
Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE PAGO DE IMPUESTOS 1 A partir del 7 de diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St. CURSOS DE LENGUAJE DE SIGNOS (ASL) 1 El Departamento de Educación Especial local está ofreciendo clases de Lenguaje Americano de Signos para el personal profesional y paraprofesional así como para padres, estudiantes o administradores del distrito Zapata County Independent School District, todos los jueves desde el 20 de octubre al 15 de diciembre (ocho semanas de duración). En el horario de 4:15 p.m. a 5:15 p.m. en el laboratorio de computadoras de la escuela primaria Zapata North Elementary School. Mayores informes al 956-285-6877 o a la Oficina de Educación Especial al 956-7566130 antes del 13 de octubre.
PATRULLA FRONTERIZA
Agentes rescatan a once que cayeron al Río Bravo Adultos y niños procedían de Honduras y Nicaragua ASSOCIATED PRE SS
MCALLEN, Texas, EE.UU. — Agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza cerca de McAllen rescataron a 11 personas, incluyendo siete niños, que cruzaban el Río Bravo en una balsa amarrada a un vehículo en el lado mexicano, cuando los traficantes jalaron una cuer-
da y los inmigrantes cayeron al río. Las personas que intentaban ingresar ilegalmente a Estados Unidos, batallaban para mantenerse a flote cuando fueron avistadas por los agentes la noche del lunes. Las autoridades lanzaron dispositivos de flotación a algunos de ellos y
otros fueron rescatados por una embarcación de la Patrulla Fronteriza. Algunos de los traficantes de personas en la balsa llevaban chalecos salvavidas y nadaron de regreso a México. No hubo lesionados entre los rescatados. Cinco de ellos tenían menos de nueve años,
USDA
NACIONAL
EXPANDEN PROGRAMA DE PRESTAMOS AGRÍCOLAS
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL 1 La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad Laboratorio Computacional de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza. Informes en el 956849-1411.
Foto por Charlie Riedel / Associated Press
Durante el pasado año fiscal los fondos destinados para préstamos agrícolas fueron agotados. Sin embargo debido a una provisión aprobada por el Congreso, ningún préstamo agrícola será negado en los próximos cuatro meses para todos aquellos que califiquen.
GUERRERO HOY DESDE EL AYER
Llegan cambios económicos y sociales a nueva ciudad Nota del editor: Esta serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (1927-2016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal. Por Lilia Treviño TIEM P O DE ZAPATA
Con una ciudad moderna que ofrecía grandes comodidades, pero con una economía quebrantada por varios factores, se inició la vida en la nueva Ciudad. Los ele-
Buscan impulsar baja de impuestos Por Stephen Ohlemacher
MUSEO EN ZAPATA 1 A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, se sugiere visitar el Museo del Condado de Zapata ubicado en 805 N US-Hwy 83. Opera de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. Existen visitas guiadas. Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983.
VACACIONES EN LA BIBLIOTECA PÚBLICA DE LAREDO 1 Películas navideñas a las 10:30 a.m. y manualidades navideñas a las 2:30 p.m. La biblioteca esta localizada en 1120 E. Calton Rd. Informes al 795-2400. Todos los martes, miércoles, jueves y viernes hasta el 30 de diciembre de 2016.
incluyendo uno de un año de edad. Las autoridades afirman que todos procedían de Honduras y Nicaragua. Los agentes afirman que las balsas amarradas a vehículos son una práctica común entre los traficantes para facilitar la recuperación de la embarcación.
mentos adversos fueron: 1 El Municipio fue desmembrado, pues con la inundación de 26.000 hectáreas se perdieron varias comunidades rurales dedicadas a la agricultura y a la ganadería. 1 La salida migratoria a otras ciudades fronterizas de buen número de familias que perdieron las casas que habitaban en la antigua ciudad, porque, supuestamente, no tenían derecho legal a compensación en la Nueva. 1 El retardo del Gobierno
Federal para hacer entrega del fundo legal a las autoridades municipales. 1 La inseguridad en algunas áreas de trabajo, pues prácticamente, la Nueva Ciudad ya estaba organizada y con una representación del gobierno federal, debido al gran número de empleados y trabajadores que habían operado en las construcciones. En cambio, surgió una actividad derivada del nuevo recurso: la pesca, de la cual viven gran número de fami-
lias. Cabe mencionar otro nuevo aspecto de la economía: los aniegos de la Presa, que son aprovechados por varios ganaderos. También es digno de mención el factor positivo derivado de la construcción de la gran Planta de energía eléctrica, que proporcionó empleo a varios guerrerenses y habitantes de la región, que reforzaron la población construyendo o adquiriendo sus casas con grandes facilidades y quedándose a habitar en ellas con sus familias.
Los legisladores republicanos pretenden impulsar el año entrante una reforma de gran escala al sistema tributario en Estados Unidos, una medida de fuerte carga política que podría terminar afectando a las familias de todos los niveles económicos y a las empresas de todos los tamaños. El propósito es simplificar un complicado código fiscal que recompensa a los ricos que tienen contadores astutos y a las corporaciones que pueden trasladar con facilidad sus ganancias -y empleos- al exterior. No será una empresa fácil y la anterior ocasión que se efectuó fue hace 30 años. El líder de la mayoría del Senado, el republicano Mitch McConnell, de Kentucky, y el presidente de esa instancia, su correligionario Paul Ryan, de Wisconsin, anunciaron que buscarán aprobar un plan tributario que no aumente el déficit fiscal. El término para este efecto en Washington es “recaudación neutral”. Lo anterior implica que por cada reducción contemplada en un impuesto tiene que haber un aumento en otro, lo cual crea ganadores y perdedores. Los legisladores tendrán cierto margen de maniobra si los analistas legislativos independientes a los partidos proyectan que una reducción fiscal podría contribuir al crecimiento económico, al incrementar los ingresos sin aumentar los impuestos. Sin embargo, para la aprobación de un plan tributario de gran escala se necesitará algunos votos difíciles políticamente. Algunos senadores republicanos importantes quieren compartir el riesgo político con los demócratas. Afirman que una reforma tributaria debe tener el apoyo bipartidista para que la acepte el público. Estos legisladores señalaron la ley de salud del presidente Barack Obama -aprobada en 2010 sin ningún voto republicano- como una iniciativa política importante que continúa causando divisiones. Los legisladores demócratas afirman que están dispuestos a participar en una reforma al código fiscal. Sin embargo, McConnell, que censuró a los demócratas porque avanzaron unilateralmente en el tema de la atención médica, ha sentado las bases para la aprobación de un proyecto de ley meramente unipartidista. McConnell y Ryan han dicho que tienen previsto aprovechar una maniobra legislativa que impida a los demócratas en el senado recurrir a una medida dilatoria para obstruir una propuesta fiscal. McConnell dijo desear que el Senado examine un plan tributario en la primavera, después de que el Congreso revoque la ley de salud de Obama. Los republicanos en la Cámara de Representantes son los más ansiosos para comenzar, pero no han definido una fecha.
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 |
A7
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Rookie stars want wins, even with Cowboys secure atop NFC Dallas travels to Philly for season finale By Schuyler Dixon A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
FRISCO — Dak Prescott can help the Dallas Cowboys set a franchise record with 14 wins. Ezekiel Elliott could break Eric Dickerson’s 33-yearold rookie rushing record with a career high and a few more yards. Other than that, Dallas doesn’t have much on the line in the regular-season finale at Philadelphia on Sunday. The Cowboys (13-2) are guaranteed the best record in the NFC, and the home-field advantage that goes with it, after beating the Detroit Lions 42-21 . Prescott just wants to keep playing, and it’s not because of that franchise mark or because he could break the record he now shares with Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger for most wins by a rookie quarterback (13). “I want to play every
game,” said Prescott, whose 11-game winning streak put Tony Romo on the bench when the 10year starter returned from a preseason back injury. “I want to keep this momentum going. Any rep I can get is making myself better and I want to take advantage of those.” Prescott is 47 of 56 passing for 491 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in two games since his worst as a pro in a 10-7 loss to the New York Giants. He has 23 touchdowns with just four interceptions and has risen to fifth on the NFL’s rookie passing yardage list with 3,630 yards. If he plays long enough against the last-place Eagles (6-9), he needs 110 yards to pass Peyton Manning, who had 3,739 yards for Indianapolis in 1998. Owner Jerry Jones said he isn’t worried about Prescott getting injured.
Brandon Wade / Associated Press
Dallas’ Dak Prescott wants to continue playing even though the Cowboys have already locked up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
“Look at what Dak Prescott learned tonight and what’s now in his computer that wasn’t there before tonight,” Jones said. “With him being a rookie, we really need all these reps he can get, including any reps we get this week and next week, because we want him to be as educated and as well-prepared and have as much experience as he
THE KING OF 2016: LEBRON JAMES NAMED AP MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR By Tom Withers ASSOCIATED PRE SS
By Drew Davison FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM
ARLINGTON - Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones hinted that defensive end Randy Gregory might be unavailable for the playoffs. Jones isn’t worried about any rust Gregory may have after missing almost a year, rather that the NFL may issue a year-long suspension to Gregory for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy yet again. "I don’t want to speculate," Jones said. "I’m just saying as excited as I am about Gregory, I want to temper it a little bit." Gregory returned Monday night against Detroit after serving a 14-game suspension this season for violating the substance-abuse policy multiple times, and is facing another suspension for a failed drug test that is under appeal. Jones expects Gregory to play in the regularseason finale next Sunday at Philadelphia, but seemed unsure if the Cowboys would have him available in the playoffs. As far as Gregory is concerned, he is expecting to be eligible and available for a playoff run but acknowledged he doesn’t know for certain. "That’s out of my ballpark, that’s nothing I can do about that," Gregory said. "That type of stuff, I’ll let Jerry and everyone else - my agent - things like that handle that. As we go, we’ll figure out how everything is going to turn out.
Brandon Wade / Associated Press
Randy Gregory
"As far as I know, I’m going to go out there and play every week and do what I can to help out the team." Gregory returned to practice last week and game action Monday. Gregory found himself in the D-line rotation, being credited with two tackles. He recorded a tackle on his first defensive snap of the season, and later stuffed Detroit running back Dwayne Washington for no gain in the fourth quarter. A couple plays later, Gregory had a quarterback hit on Matthew Stafford. "I always feel like I’m my biggest critic, so I always feel like I can do better," Gregory said. "But I definitely feel like I did some things well, regardless of the circumstances. Obviously there’re some things I can work on." Gregory said he didn’t feel "gassed" at any part of the game, but was playing through an oblique injury he sustained early in the first quarter.
a trick play against Detroit to get receiver Dez Bryant his first career touchdown pass on a reverse pitch and throw to tight end Jason Witten. “We want to go out and win ballgames every week,” said Elliott, who has the third-highest rookie rushing total behind Dickerson and George Rogers (1,674 with New Orleans in 1981). “We don’t care if we have the playoff spot clinched. We don’t care if we have home field clinched. We just want to win ballgames.” By beating the Eagles, the best rookie quarterback and running back in franchise history will have the ultimate club mark: victories. NOTES: LT Tyron Smith left the Detroit game with a right knee injury, but Garrett said Tuesday it appeared the Pro Bowler would be fine. ... DT Terrell McClain didn’t return because of an ankle injury, but Jones said it was a precautionary move. The Cowboys were down to four healthy defensive linemen at the end of the game.
AP MALE ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS
Jerry Jones hints that Randy Gregory could be unavailable for playoffs
can when we get in the playoffs.” Prescott was reminded after the Lions game that Oakland’s Derek Carr and Tennessee’s Marcus Mariota had their seasons end with broken legs in Week 16. “It’s football,” Prescott said. “You think about those things, they happen. You’re just reacting and playing ball. You have to
take those chances.” Jones has a different view on the injury issue with Romo, who hasn’t played since Thanksgiving last year. The question is whether he needs snaps in a game to be better prepared to replace an injured Prescott in the playoffs. Coach Jason Garrett hasn’t addressed the question of whether Romo will play. “We don’t feel like we can gain anything from him running a few plays or a series of plays or several plays,” Jones said. “It would not be worth the risk.” Elliott is more cautious than his rookie roommate, saying there’s a "bigger purpose" than the NFL rushing leader reaching Dickerson’s mark of 1,808 yards from 1983. The former Ohio State star has 1,631 yards and would need 178 against the Eagles. He had his career high of 159 in Week 15 against Tampa Bay. But that doesn’t mean Elliott’s approach is any different from Prescott’s. The Cowboys weren’t holding back either, using
CLEVELAND — LeBron James was jolted forward when the massive crowd swelled from the sidewalks and into Cleveland’s streets, surrounding the convertible that he and his family were riding in. This wasn’t supposed to happen. James looked at his wife, Savannah, their baby daughter and two sons and feared for their safety. “We were kind of afraid for a second,” James said. Then relieved. Scanning the crowd, James spotted people dangling from lamp posts and traffic lights, even a few straddling window ledges to get a glimpse of the champion Cavaliers, who were being honored with a once-in-a-generation downtown parade after their comeback in the NBA Finals. James was awe-struck, and any concerns quickly melted away when he looked at the spectators’ faces and saw only smiles, laughter and tears of joy. “Everybody was just rejoicing in grace and happiness,” James said, fondly reflecting on the picture-perfect day in June when Cleveland was transformed into a giant block party. “It was more than I could have ever imagined. It was unforgettable, unbelievable.” And he had made it possible. James, who ended 52 years of sports heartache by bringing Cleveland a championship and used his superstar platform to address social causes, was chosen as The Associated
Tony Dejak / Associated Press
Cleveland’s LeBron James was named AP Male Athlete of the Year on Tuesday.
Press 2016 Male Athlete of the Year, an award he won previously in 2013. Results of the vote by 59 editors from AP member newspapers and customers were announced Tuesday. James collected 24 firstplace votes, beating out a pair of Olympic legends: Michael Phelps (16) and Usain Bolt (9), the fastest men in water and on land who are not accustomed to finishing behind anyone. Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant, the NL MVP who led his team to its first World Series title since 1908, tied for fourth with Golden State star guard Stephen Curry, last year’s winner. Cristiano Ronaldo, Von Miller and Andy Murray also received votes. James joined Michael Jordan as the only NBA
players to win twice. Jordan won it three straight years from 1991-94. A rabid sports fan, James was flattered to be in the same class with Phelps, the 23-time gold medalist who added five more to his record collection at the Rio Olympics. “To be that dominant in your respective sport, to see what he’s been able to do over the years, what he does in that water, man, it’s tremendous and very inspiring,” James said. “When you have that type of tenure to be able to dominate, when you know that the entire competition is gearing up to beat you — and only you — and you’re still able to come away No. 1 or always be at the top of the food chain, that’s very inspiring.” That James received the honor in an Olympic year underscores the weight of
his accomplishments. His third NBA crown was for Cleveland, delivering on a promise James made to a city that hadn’t celebrated a major championship since 1964 and had endured many torturous sports moments since. James, whose game shows no signs of aging as he approaches his 32nd birthday in a few days, came up short in 2015, leading an injury-depleted Cleveland team to the finals where they lost to the Warriors. And although James posted the best statistical series of any player in history, his critics were quick to point out his 2-4 record in the finals compared to Jordan’s 6-0. The Cavs got a rematch with the record-setting, 73-win Warriors. Led by Curry, the league’s unanimous MVP choice, Golden State was being talked about as potentially the best team ever, an argument that gained steam when it took a 3-1 lead. James, though, wasn’t going to be denied again. He scored 41 points in Games 5 and 6 and posted a triple-double in an epic Game 7 that will be remembered for his chasedown block of Andre Iguodala in the closing minutes — a defensive gem that stands as the signature play of his magnificent career. After the final horn, James collapsed on the floor and when asked moments later about his emotions, the Ohio native who proudly says he’s “just a kid from Akron,” screamed at the TV camera: “Cleveland, this for you!”
A8 | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT
Reactions to Carrie Fisher’s death A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
Reactions to Tuesday’s death of Carrie Fisher: “no words #Devastated” — Mark Hamill, on Twitter “There are no words for this loss. Carrie was the brightest light in every room she entered. I will miss her dearly.” — Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in “Star Wars,” on Fisher Twitter. “Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter. I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother” — Debbie Reynolds, on Facebook “Carrie was one-of-akind.brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely...My thoughts are with her daughter Billie, her Mother Debbie, her brother Todd, and her many friends. We will all miss her.” — Harrison Ford, in a statement “Carrie and I have been friends most of our adult lives. She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colorful personality that everyone loved. In Star Wars she was our great and powerful princess — feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult than most people might think.” — George Lucas, in a statement “Carrie Fisher was oneof-a-kind, a true character who shared her talent and her truth with us all with her trademark wit and
irreverence. Millions fell in love with her as the indomitable Princess Leia; she will always have a special place in the hearts of Star Wars fans as well as all of us who were lucky enough to know her personally.” — Bob Iger, chairman and chief executive officer, The Walt Disney Company, in a statement “When I was a young man, Carrie Fisher she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. She turned out to be witty and bright as well.” — Steve Martin, on Twitter “I’m deeply saddened to learn of the death of Carrie Fisher. I will miss our banterings. A wonderful talent & light has been extinguished.”— William Shatner, on Twitter “She was a beautiful spirit and a light that has dimmed too soon. ... What a sad way to end the year.” — SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris, in a statement “Carrie Fisher didn’t make it. I am so terribly sorry, and send my sincere condolences to her family, friends and fans all around the world.” — Bette Midler, on Twitter “I thought I had got what I wanted under the tree. I didn’t. In spite of so many thoughts and prayers from so many. I am very, very sad.” — Anthony Daniels, on Twitter. “I’m deeply saddened at the news of Carrie’s passing. She was a dear friend, whom I greatly respected and admired. The force is dark today!” — Billy Dee Williams, on Twitter. “@CarriefFisher was a brilliant writer, actor, and friend. She was so much fun. I can’t believe she’s gone.” — Ellen DeGeneres, on Twitter.
Jerry Mosey / Associated Press
This May 2, 1973 file photo shows Carrie Fisher, the 16-year-old daughter of Debbie Reynolds and Eddie Fisher, in New York. On Tuesday, a publicist says Carrie Fisher has died at the age of 60.
‘Star Wars’ actress and author Carrie Fisher dies at 60 By Sandy Cohen ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Carrie Fisher, a daughter of Hollywood royalty who gained pop-culture fame as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” and turned her struggles with addiction and mental illness into wickedly funny books, a hit film and a one-woman stage show, died Tuesday after falling ill aboard a flight last week. She was 60. “Carrie was one of a kind ... brilliant, original. Funny and emotionally fearless. She lived her life, bravely,” “Star Wars” co-star Harrison Ford said in a statement. Fisher, the daughter of actress Debbie Reynolds and singer Eddie Fisher, had been hospitalized since Friday, when paramedics responded to a report of a patient in distress at Los Angeles airport. Her family gave no details on the emergency, but media reports said she had suffered a heart attack.
“Thank you to everyone who has embraced the gifts and talents of my beloved and amazing daughter,” Reynolds wrote on her Facebook page Tuesday. “I am grateful for your thoughts and prayers that are now guiding her to her next stop. Love Carries Mother.” Fisher made her feature film debut opposite Warren Beatty in the 1975 hit “Shampoo.” She also appeared in “Austin Powers,” “The Blues Brothers,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “Hannah and Her Sisters,” “Scream 3” and “When Harry Met Sally ...” But Fisher is best remembered as the headstrong Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars” in 1977, her hair styled in futuristic braided buns. She uttered the immortal phrase “Help me ObiWan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.” She reprised the role in Episode VII of the series, “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” in 2015, and her digitally ren-
dered image appears in the newest installment, “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.” “She was extremely smart; a talented actress, writer and comedienne with a very colorful personality that everyone loved,” “Star Wars” creator George Lucas said in a statement. “In ‘Star Wars’ she was our great and powerful princess - feisty, wise and full of hope in a role that was more difficult than most people might think.” Fisher long battled drug addiction and mental illness. She said she smoked pot at 13, used LSD by 21 and was diagnosed as bipolar at 24. She was treated with electroshock therapy and medication. In 1987, her thinly veiled autobiography “Postcards From the Edge” became a bestseller. It was adapted into a 1990 movie starring Shirley MacLaine and Meryl Streep. More books followed: “Delusions of Grandma,”
“Surrender the Pink,” “The Best Awful,” “Shockaholic” and this year’s autobiography, “The Princess Diarist,” in which she revealed that she and Ford had an affair on the “Star Wars” set. Fisher’s one-woman show, “Wishful Drinking,” which she had performed across the country since 2006, was turned into a book, made its way to Broadway in 2009 and was filmed for HBO in 2010. Little was off-limits in the show. She discussed the scandal that engulfed her superstar parents (Fisher ran off with Elizabeth Taylor); her brief marriage to singer Paul Simon; the time the father of her daughter left her for a man; and the day she woke up next to the dead body of a platonic friend who had overdosed in her bed. “I’m a product of Hollywood inbreeding. When two celebrities mate, something like me is the result,” she said in the show.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 |
A9
BUSINESS
What 2017 may mean for your personal finances By Sarah Skidmore Sell ASSOCIATED PRE SS Keith Srakocic / AP file
In this Nov. 19, 2015, file photo, a row of new Ford Fusions are for sale on the lot at Butler County Ford in Butler, Pa.
Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan cars investigated for brake issue A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — The U.S. government is investigating some Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan cars because the brake pedal may lose pressure, making it hard for drivers to stop the vehicle. Three crashes were blamed on the braking issue, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Tuesday. The brake pedal can go “soft” when driving on slippery or uneven surfaces. NHTSA received 141 complaints, with some
reporting that their car stopped past red lights, leaving them in the middle of flowing traffic. The investigation covers Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan cars with model years 2007 to 2009. NHTSA estimated that there are about 475,000 of those vehicles. The maker of both car models, Dearborn, Michigan-based Ford Motor Co., said it will cooperate with the investigation. The Fusion and Milan vehicles were also part of the massive recall to remove Takata air bags that could explode.
Patrick Semansky / AP
In this Nov. 20, 2015, file photo, UPS employee Justin Sims prepares to place a package on a conveyor belt.
Island of misfit toys, UPS expects 1.3M returns in one day A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Christmas is the season of giving, and January the month of returns. UPS expects to deliver 1.3 million packages back to retailers on Jan. 5, celebrated by the delivery service, but no one else, as “National Returns Day.” Surging online sales have been followed by a surge of returns by air and if UPS is right, it will
be its busiest returns day ever, topping last year’s 1 million. By the end of January’s first week, the Atlanta company said Tuesday that it will likely have returned 5.8 million packages, topping last year’s 5 million, which was also a record. A survey by the National Retail Federation estimated that more than $260 billion worth of merchandise was returned 2015.
It’s been a tumultuous 2016 — both financially and politically. The year may have left some people wondering, what’s next? And, how will it affect me? Lacking a crystal ball, we asked a few economic experts what they think 2017 may hold in store for Americans’ personal finances. Here’s their take on what to expect in the year ahead:
Don’t lose sleep over auto loans if you are in need of a new set of wheels, as a rate hike of this size has an inconsequential effect on affordability. And most student loans are federal and charge fixed rates. But if you have private loans, you may want to look at your financing options as these often charge variable rates and may be impacted. House shopping? That’s a mixed bag — mortgage rates were already volatile before the rate hike and that’s likely to continue.
Q. What’s the job market going to look like? A. “The job market in 2017 will be about as good as it gets,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics. “There are currently a record number of job openings and layoffs are at record lows.” Job growth should be strong next year, with more jobs across all pay scales, Zandi said. With the economy at fullemployment, pay increases should also be as large as they’ve been in a decade, and well above the rate of inflation. The only soft spots Zandi sees will be in energy and other commodity-related industries, manufacturing that is sensitive to global trade, and industries being disrupted by technology, such as print media or brick-andmortar retailing. “2017 will be a great year if you’re looking for a new job or a better one,” he said. However, while the job market is good, it’s taking longer than ever to get hired, said Andrew Chamberlain, chief economist at Glassdoor. The interview process now takes 22.9 days on average to complete in the U.S. as employers conduct additional screenings to find the right candidate, Chamberlain noted in a recent report. Don’t expect jobs to look the same once you land them, either. Chamberlain predicts that automation will change every job. There may also be a shift away from flashy benefits packages in some industries in 2017. In the tech industry particularly, where fun perks are the norm, employers may be looking at which benefits give them the most bang for
their buck. He also predicts employers may finally take action to level the gender pay gap, thanks to greater awareness, data availability and pay transparency. Q. Will gas prices go up? A. 2017 will likely be another cheap year to fuel your car, but not quite as good as 2016, several energy experts said. A huge global glut in the oil supply has driven down prices in recent years, meaning consumers pay less at the pump. As of mid-December, gasoline is averaging $2.115 a gallon in the U.S., said Tom Kloza, global head of energy analysis at the Oil Price Information Service. He expects 2016 will be the cheapest year for American motorists since 2004, when the average price was $2.265 a gallon. But recently OPEC — short for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — recently agreed to cut production beginning in January to restore some stability to the market. If the cartel’s members follow through, global oil production will slow, but not by much. And while there is a likelihood that supply and demand will rebalance in 2017 under the OPEC agreement, Kloza said it’s also possible that various countries will cheat on production pledges. That could mess with oil and gasoline prices. He expects prices will range from $2.10$2.75 a gallon nationwide over the course of 2017, with seasonal and regional fluctuations. Patrick DeHaan at GasBuddy.com said he expects the national
yearly average will be 20 to 30 cents a gallon higher than this year. With Americans driving an average of 15,000 miles a year each, using about 600 gallons of gasoline, that means someone driving a normal passenger vehicle will pay about $120 more on gas in 2017 than this year, DeHaan said. Q. What should I expect from interest rates? A. The Federal Reserve slightly raised its key interest rate this month and said it may raise rates up to three more times in 2017. But that doesn’t spell disaster for borrowing in the year ahead. The Fed move will likely lead to higher rates for credit cards, home equity loans and adjustable-rate mortgages first. That means this is the time to pay down high interest rate debt and insulate yourself from variable rate debts, said Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com. Don’t lose sleep over auto loans if you are in need of a new set of wheels, as a rate hike of this size has an inconsequential effect on affordability. And most student loans are federal and charge fixed rates. But if you have private loans, you may want to look at your financing options as these often charge variable rates and may be impacted. House shopping? That’s a mixed bag — mortgage rates were already volatile before the rate hike and that’s likely to continue. McBride said that even with hikes, mortgage rates will likely stay closer to 4 percent than 5
percent in 2017. That’s still low by historical standards. Savers may finally begin see some improvement in rates for savings and CDs. But it may take a while for that to play out, McBride warned. And keep in mind that three potential hikes are just a prediction. This time last year the Fed said it would raise interest rates four times in 2016, but it has done so only once. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” McBride said. Q. And what about my taxes, will they really change? A. There’s potential for some major changes to the tax system next year under president-elect Donald Trump’s proposals. According to his action plan, Trump will simplify the tax system and lower the tax burden on Americans, primarily the middle class. He aims to reduce the number of tax brackets from seven to three. And he says Americans will be able to deduct their childcare and eldercare expenses from their taxes, among other changes. The average family could see a 3 to 5 percent reduction in their tax bill under Trump’s proposals, said David Prokupek, CEO of Jackson Hewitt. While these are just proposals, Prokupek suspects they will move forward given their priority in Trump’s agenda and for the Republicanled Congress in place. Even if it takes time, tax law changes such as these are almost always retroactive. So even if it’s passed later in the year, it will apply to all of 2017. The proposal is not without some controversy, however. An analysis by the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center found that about 8 million families, including a majority of single-parent households, would actually see higher tax bills under Trump’s proposals. But Trump’s advisers deny that he will raise taxes on middleincome Americans and say the president-elect would instruct Congress to avoid such hikes. As for the taxes you owe or the refund you’re due come April — that falls under existing law.
A10 | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
INTERNATIONAL
Investigators study flight recorder from Black Sea military plane crash By Vladimir Isachenkov and Veronika Silchenko A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SOCHI, Russia — Investigators recovered the flight-data recorder from a crashed Russian military plane Tuesday and began reviewing its contents to learn why the jet went down moments after takeoff, killing all 92 people aboard, including members of a famous choir. The Tu-154 crashed into the Black Sea early Sunday two minutes after departing in good weather from the city of Sochi. The plane was carrying members of the Alexandrov Ensemble, widely known as the Red Army Choir, to a New Year’s concert at a Russian military base in Syria. Meanwhile, rescue workers raced to wrap up their efforts to recover bodies and wreckage ahead of predicted bad weather. The work has involved 3,500 people, including about 200 navy divers flown to the site from all over Russia. Aided by drones and submersibles, teams have recovered 12 bodies and numerous body fragments about a mile away from the shore. The main flight recorder was quickly flown to Moscow, where experts started analyzing it, Transport Minister Maxim Sokolov said. Preliminary findings could be available as early as Wednesday, according to some aviation experts. Investigators were looking into whether the
Viktor Klyushin / AP
Russian Emergency Ministry divers search for fragments of a plane in the Black Sea, Tuesday.
crash might have been caused by bad fuel, pilot error, equipment failure or objects stuck in the engines. The top Russian investigative agency, known as the Investigative Committee, said it had taken samples from a fuel tank used to fill the plane, which flew from Moscow’s Chkalovsky military airport and stopped in Sochi for refueling. The committee also said it found a witness who filmed the crash but offered no details. Online publication Life.ru published what it described as a script of cockpit conversation, with one pilot yelling about a problem with the plane’s flaps and then shouting: “Commander, we are falling!” It was impossible to verify the report, but Life.ru is known to have good connections with Russian security agencies. Flaps are moveable panels mounted on the edge of the wings to increase lift. The Interfax news agency reported that the flaps were not functioning in sync, causing the jet to lose speed and trig-
gering an aerodynamic stall. It also said that the preliminary analysis of the flight recorder pointed at pilot error. The government has sought to quell speculation that the crash might have been caused by a bomb planted on board or a portable airdefense missile. A terrorist attack on a Syriabound military flight would badly embarrass the Kremlin at a time when it boasts about the success of its campaign in Syria after Aleppo fell into President Bashar Assad’s hands. Russia’s main domestic security and counterterrorism agency, the FSB, said it found “no indications or facts pointing at the possibility of a terror attack or an act of sabotage” on the plane. However, some aviation experts have noted that the crew’s failure to report any technical problem and the large area over which fragments of the plane were scattered point to a possible explosion on board. The Tu-154 is a Sovietbuilt three-engine airliner designed in the late 1960s.
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 |
A11
FROM THE COVER LOAN From page A1 how much the USDA can lend through April 28 — a victory for farm groups who pressed Washington for the fix to avert a looming loan crisis. Already, corn and wheat prices have pushed farmers to the limit, and beef prices are hurting ranchers. They turned to lenders, leading the FSA to fall short $137 million short of needed direct and guaranteed loan funds in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30. When the money ran out, approved loans were funded in the current fiscal year, piling on to the demand for loans and raising the specter that FSA would again run out of money before spring — when most farmers need it the most. “If you are trying to grow a crop and feed a family and pay the bills, it is a problem,” Moran said. “This is one of the most difficult times in agriculture in a long time.” Operating loans for 2016 are coming due at a time of widespread downturn. Farmers in Georgia, the Carolinas and Alabama have gotten a double whammy of drought and flooding. Midwest states are reeling from a glut in global grain markets that has slashed crop prices, and cotton growers in Georgia and Texas also are suffering due to low prices. Consumer demand for milk is down. Cattle prices are falling. Not as many people are able to pay off their 2016 operating loans, and the next 60 to 90 days will be telling, said Steve Apodaca, vice president for the Washington, D.C.-based The American Bankers Association’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Banking. Most borrowers will be able to sustain themselves another year, and bankers will be able to help restructure their loans and add federal guarantees to commercial loans, Apodaca said. He is not expecting a repeat of the farm crisis of the 1980s, when land values tanked and interest rates were high. Matt Ubell and his two siblings took out an FSA loan this month to buy their parents’ cattle and crops farm in Wheaton, Kansas, but he says the agricultural economy “has us scared to death.” Their balance sheet was just above the break-even point to qualify for the loan. “We are kind of starting out fresh. We bought the farm, we bought the equipment.” Ubell said. “... We are pretty highly leveraged right now.” The 34-year-old farmer and his wife put in long hours to make ends meet for their four children. His wife is a cook and a nursing assistant. He works at a lumberyard and delivers liquid feed supplements for cattle. One measure of the farm economy is equity — the amount of debt compared to assets like land and machinery. The USDA’s Economic Research Service predicted last month U.S. farm equity would decline 3.1 percent in 2016 to $2.47 trillion — the second straight year of declines. Farm debt is expected to rise 5.2 percent to $375.4 billion in 2016. With such low commodity prices, Russell Boening said he is doing everything he can not to borrow more money than he absolutely needs to operate his 7,500-acre family farm in south Texas because “that gets you further and further behind.” That includes delaying equipment purchases. The 57-year-old has farmed for 35 years, has hundreds of dairy and beef cattle and grows hay, corn, cotton, wheat and watermelons to diversify his income. Also the president of the Texas Farm Bureau, Boening knows he’s in a better spot than younger farmers like Ubell. “We have been here long enough,” he said. “We have a good relationship with the lender, so we have equity built up and we are in a better spot than someone who has struck out on their own within the last 10 years.” This year’s bountiful yields and low interest rates on loans helped many growers. But many commercial lenders are now demanding farmers whose operations are under stress to get government guarantees that any money lent for next year’s crops will be repaid. “When a farmer goes under, it affects that rural community,” Apodaca said. “He is no longer buying seed, he is no longer buying equipment. His family is no longer going to the local Main Street and buying goods and services.”
SHALE From page A1 between 2011 and 2015. It’s a trend that shows no signs of slowing, even as Mexico moves to increase its own oil and gas production, according to Antonio Garza Jr., a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico under President George W. Bush and a former chairman of the state’s oil and gas regulator, the Texas Railroad Commission. “The amount of natural gas flowing from shale fields in the United States to Mexico has been rapidly increasingly over the last few years — doubling from mid-2014 through today and expected to double yet again in the coming years,” Garza said. More than half of U.S. natural gas exports have gone to Mexico since April 2015. To move the gas, pipeline capacity from the U.S. to Mexico is on the
Marco Ugarte / AP
Rubi Ibarra, in an elaborate fuchsia dress and gleaming tiara, sits for a Mass part of her down-home 15th birthday celebration in a field at her hometown of La Joya, San Luis Potosi State, Mexico, Monday.
Thousands attend Mexican girl’s party following viral invite By Marco Ugarte ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LA JOYA, Mexico — Looking overwhelmed by the attention, yet resplendent in an elaborate fuchsia dress and gleaming tiara, Rubi Ibarra celebrated her 15th birthday on Monday in a rural Mexican village after the invitation to the event by her father went viral and made her the toast of the country. Family members had to open a path for the girl through reporters and photographers snapping her picture so she could reach the Mass for her in a field in central San Luis Potosi state. A large billboard saying “Welcome to my 15th birthday party” with Rubi’s picture towered over the tents and tables filled with food. Thousands of people from across Mexico poured into the community of La Joya for the “quinceanera” celebration, a traditional coming-of-age party similar to American “sweet sixteen” parties in
BILLS From page A1 abortion opponents call “dismemberment abortions.” Rep. Stephanie Klick, a Republican from Fort Worth, says the secondtrimester bill is meant to “protect women.” Texas health officials told Planned Parenthood last week that they will
rise, too. It’s currently at 7.3 billion cubic feet per day, mostly headed from Texas to the northeast and central parts of Mexico. Four new U.S.-to-Mexico pipelines are expected to come on line next year, with two more expected to start moving gas in 2018. In the next three years, that U.S.-to-Mexico export capacity is projected to double, according to recent reports from the EIA. “Some of this demand certainly comes from Mexico’s steadily growing economy, population and manufacturing sector,” Garza said. “But it mostly reflects the country’s longer-term transition toward cleaner and cheaper electricity sources — away from coal and fuels and toward natural gas.” Mexico’s state oil company, Petróleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, controlled the nation’s oil production and distribution starting in 1938, but Mexican officials decided in 2013 to end
which Mexican families often throw big, costly bashes for their daughters. “I came to see if they would give me a dress for my granddaughter for her 15th birthday in May,” said Victoriano Obregon, who came all the way from the northern state of Coahuila for an event which by Monday evening resembled a rock concert with music and large crowds. Rubi’s bash gained national and international notoriety in early December after a local event photographer posted on his Facebook page a video of the girl’s father describing a down-home birthday party complete with food, local bands and horse races. In the video, cowboy hat-wearing Crescencio Ibarra haltingly but proudly describes the party and prizes, before announcing that “everyone is cordially invited.” Rubi’s mother later explained that Crescencio had only been referring to everyone in the neighboring communities, not the world, but by then the
boot the organization from the state’s Medicaid program come January, fulfilling a promise Gov. Greg Abbott made last year after an anti-abortion group released secretly recorded videos that it claimed showed Planned Parenthood officials profiting from sales of fetal tissue for medical research. Investigations by 13 states concluded without
the monopoly and open the market to international competition. The move has affected every aspect of energy in Mexico, from inviting competitors into the retail gas station business to opening up auctions to international companies to drill in Mexico’s onshore and offshore fields. Its recent auction of some deep-water offshore fields in December drew the world’s largest oil companies to bid. Garza called it a smash hit that will draw $34 billion in investment over 35 years. “These deep-water fields were some of the country’s crown jewels: big, profitable and accessible through technology that has already been tested and proven on the U.S. side of the border,” Garza said. Mexico needs that influx of foreign investment to reverse its declining oil and gas production, but it takes time, said Thomas Tunstall, a research direc-
traditional media look for stories on social networks to bring in new audiences” who they have been losing, said Sergio Octavio Contreras, a communications professor at Mexico’s La Salle Bajio University. Jose Antonio Sosa, an expert on social media at the Iberoamericana University, said the country’s obsession with Rubi’s birthday party reflected a need for lighter stories in a society weary of violence and economic problems. All the attention seemed to take the poor communities near where Rubi’s family lived aback. The access roads were blocked with cars and state police and Red Cross workers monitored the situation. Some locals said they hoped something good could come out of it for the communities, which have a mezcal distillery but where residents are pleading for cellphone coverage. “More than anything, this can bring attention to us ... so people can see the unemployment,” said local resident Rutilio Ibarra.
video had been picked up dozens of times on Youtube and had been seen by millions, sparking tributes by musical stars, jokes and offers of sponsorships by companies. Mexican airline Interjet published a promotion offering 30-percent discounts on flights to San Luis Potosi, under the slogan “Are you going to Rubi’s party?” Internet jokesters published photos of troops of turkeys, backhoes stirring giant caldrons of soup and massive crowds “heading for Rubi’s party.” Actor Gael Garcia made a parody video of the invitation, and norteno singer Luis Antonio Lopez “El Mimoso” composed a “corrido” song especially for Rubi. The humble daughter of ranchers even got an offer to appear on the soap opera “The Rose of Guadalupe.” “What happened with Rubi is an interesting example of how the internet amplifies and makes hyper-transparent people’s personal lives and how
charges of wrongdoing, although a congressional panel is still investigating. No public funding in Texas is used for abortion. Medicaid reimbursements cover services that include well-women exams, screenings for sexually transmitted diseases and birth control. Planned Parenthood has said it plans to ask a federal court to block the $4 million defunding effort.
tor at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Mexico uses mostly coal and fuel oil for electricity generation and wants to move to cleaner sources but can’t move quickly enough to meet all its needs. “They’re very keen on importing natural gas,” Tunstall said. That jibes well with what’s happening in Texas, where some of the fields closest to Mexico — the Eagle Ford Shale and the Permian Basin — produce a combined 3 million barrels of oil daily but burn off much of the natural gas as a waste byproduct, Tunstall said. In the Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas, Webb County is the state’s top producer of natural gas. The EIA said Mexico’s domestic production of natural gas could increase and eventually displace the demand for U.S. gas. Garza said he doesn’t see much long-term risk
RIVER From page A1 trol boat. Some smugglers on the raft wore life jackets and swam back to Mexico. No one rescued was hurt. Five were under the age of 9, including a year-old infant. Officials say all were from Honduras and Nicaragua. Agents say the tethered raft is a smugglers’ tactic to make its retrieval easier.
for the U.S.-to-Mexico pipelines, though. Even when more Mexican production comes on line, there would be little incentive for Mexico to stop importing gas from Texas. “It’s true that Mexico energy reform is looking to boost natural gas production, but not only is that a long-term goal, it wouldn’t mean much for these current natural gas imports,” Garza said. “With the pipelines in place to bring U.S. natural gas directly to Mexico’s electricity generating plants (and gas in the two countries having the same price, given the regional market), it’s hard to imagine what the financial incentives would be to displace this supply with Mexican natural gas over the coming years.” For now, the increasing U.S. exports by pipeline are displacing natural gas that Mexico was importing with tankers of liquefied natural gas, according
to the EIA. In 2017, four U.S. pipelines will start delivering to new natural gas-fired power plants in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Nuevo León, Sonora and Sinaloa: Roadrunner Phase II near San Elizario south of El Paso; the Comanche Trail Pipeline, which originates near Fort Stockton in West Texas; the Trans-Pecos Pipeline in the Big Bend Region; and the Nueva Era project, from Webb County in South Texas to Monterrey. The EIA expects that in 2018, the Mier-Monterrey pipeline, from Starr County to Monterrey, and the Nueces-Brownsville pipeline, which crosses South Texas, will start exporting natural gas mostly from the Eagle Ford Shale. Mexico is expanding its domestic pipeline network, too, with 12 new pipelines in development that can carry 9.7 billion cubic feet of gas per day, according to EIA reports.
A12 | Wednesday, December 28, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES