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ZAPATA BORDER PATROL STATION
Two narcotics seizures in two days Both incidents took place near Falcon THE ZAPATA TIME S
Courtesy / Border Patrol
Border Patrol agents seized a total of 60 bundles of marijuana from the two incidents.
Border Patrol agents assigned to the Zapata Border Patrol Station recently intercepted two drug smuggling attempts within a two day span. On Nov. 28, Border Patrol agents assigned to the Zapata Station Marine Unit were working their assigned duties when they
Seizures continues on A11
Courtesy / Border Patrol
These bundles of marijuana were found by Border Patrol in an abandoned truck on Nov. 28.
ZAPATA COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
ZAPATA COUNTY
Man arrested with six illegal travelers
came across a suspicious boat and a white truck near one of the landings at Falcon Lake. Moments later, the driver proceeded to get into the boat and navigate back to Mexico, a news release states. As agents secured the truck, they noticed numerous abandoned bundles of suspect-
ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARADE
By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
A man from Rio Grande City was arrested in Zapata County for transporting six immigrants who had crossed the border illegally, an affidavit states. A criminal complaint filed Nov. 29 charged Juan Antonio Hernandez Jr. with transporting immigrants. The case unfolded at about 1 p.m. Nov. 27 when agents assigned to the Zapata Border Patrol Station spotted a gray Dodge Ram traveling slow along U.S. 83 in Zapata. “As the driver of the Dodge Ram drove by the (Border Patrol) vehicle, he was seen turning his head toward the backseats as if speaking to someone,” states the criminal complaint filed Tuesday. When the agent approached the Dodge, it started to swerve on and off a dirt road until it stopped, according to court documents. Authorities identified the driver as Hernandez, a U.S. citizen. Agents said they discovered six immigrants in the vehicle, according to court documents. Homeland Security Investigations special agents responded to investigate the smuggling attempt. Hernandez allegedly Illegal continues on A11
Courtesy / Zapata County Chamber of Commerce
The Zapata County Chamber of Commerce held its annual Christmas Parade and Lighting of the County Plaza on Thursday in Zapata. After the parade, children got to meet with Santa.
ZAPATA COUNTY ISD
Two employees suing school district By Judith Rayo THE ZAPATA TIME S
Two ZCISD employees filed a lawsuit against the district, claiming discrimination and machine style corruption, court documents state.
Former Zapata County Independent School District Chief Financial Officer Suzette Barrera filed the lawsuit after she notified former Superintendent Raul Nuques that Teresa Hein, director of operations, was allowing individuals to
steal school property, the lawsuit states. The incident was reported May 2014. Court documents state Hein is the aunt of Ricardo Ramirez, board president of ZCISD. Court documents further state Barrera was
forced by the district to seek treatment with a psychologist and threatened with a demotion. “In an attempt to force her resignation, Barrera was eventually demoted to director of compensatory education,” the lawsuit states.
In January 2015, Barrera filed a grievance against Nuques after she was notified of the job reassignment and was placed on administrative leave with pay. In her grievance, Barrera stated she received a School continues on A11
U.S.-MEXICO
Terror risk real, but low at border By Eleanor Dearman TH E TEXAS T RI BUNE
In border enforcement parlance, they’re known as “exotics:” distinct from the usual flow of Mexicans and Latin Americans, they are people from far away countries as distant as Bangladesh
and Pakistan, arriving at the southern border and crossing illegally into the United States. People from a subset of this group called “special interest countries,” usually defined as countries considered a concern to U.S. national security, are the perennial focus of
longstanding but unrealized fears that a terrorist could melt into the hordes of people crossing the border illegally and release a dirty bomb or inflict mass casualties on the U.S. population. While still only a fraction of all migrants, the number of people from
special interest countries has risen sharply at a time when non-Mexicans – mostly Central Americans – are making up a larger and larger percentage of the border crossers taken into custody, figures obtained by The Texas Tribune show. Do the rising numbers
mean the United States faces a growing threat from terrorism seeping across the U.S-Mexico border? Experts say the potential for cross-border attacks remains real, but nevertheless remote. “I want to say right up front that the cost would be extraordinarily high,
but the likelihood is extraordinarily low,” said Christopher Wilson, deputy director of the Mexico Institute at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. “My short answer in that context would be no, the Texas-Mexico border is Terror continues on A11
Zin brief A2 | Saturday, December 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 3
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Book sale. 8:30 a.m.—1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. No admission charge. Everyone is invited.
Today is Saturday, Dec. 3, the 338th day of 2016. There are 28 days left in the year.
Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 3, 1926, a real-life mystery began as English novelist Agatha Christie, 36, drove away from her home in Sunningdale, Berkshire, and disappeared. (Christie turned up 11 days later at a hotel in Harrogate, Yorkshire, under an assumed name, for reasons never quite explained.)
Laredo Northside Farmers Market. 9 a.m.—1 p.m. North Central Park playground behind the trailhead facility. Christmas goody bags will be given to the first 70 children starting at 11 a.m. Santa will be available for pictures from 10 a.m. to noon.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 5 Movie and Popcorn. Every Monday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Enjoy a family movie and refreshments. 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, DECEMBER 6 Les Amies Birthday Club monthly meeting. 11:30 a.m. Ramada Plaza. Hostesses are Olga Hovel, Consuelo Lopez and Magda Sanchez. Honorees are Alicia Laurel and Olga Laurel. Rock wall climbing. 4—5:30 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Free. Bring ID. Must sign release form. Every Tuesday. For more information, call 795-2400 x2520. LEGO Workshop. Every Tuesday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Create with LEGOs, DUPLOs and robotics. Alzheimer’s Support Group. 7 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, Building B, meeting room 2. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer's. For information, please call 956-693-9991.
Christopher Lee / New York Times file
Supporters of Donald Trump rally ahead of the final results of the presidential election outside of the Hilton Hotel in New York, Nov. 8.
TRUMP ASKS TO HALT RECOUNTS LANSING, Mich. — President-elect Donald Trump and his supporters went to court Friday to prevent or halt election recounts in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, less than two weeks before the states would have to complete the tasks to meet a federal deadline to certify their election results. The legal actions seeking to block or halt the recounts in three states Trump narrowly won could cause delays that would make them extremely difficult or impossible to complete on time. Even if the recounts happen, though, none would
be expected to give Democrat Hillary Clinton enough votes to emerge as the winner. The recounts were requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein, who says they’re necessary to ensure that voting machines weren’t hacked, even though there’s no evidence that they were. Critics say Stein is simply trying to raise money and her political profile while building a donor database. Wisconsin is the only state where a recount is underway. Clinton lost to Trump in Wisconsin by about 22,000 votes, less than 1 percentage point. — Compiled from AP reports
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 Laredo Area Retired School Employees Association Christmas Party and Bingo. 11 a.m. Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall, 2219 Galveston St. Christmas Pizza Party. 4-5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Pizza and cupcakes will be served.
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9 Christmas Pizza Party. 4-5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Branch Library, 301 Castro Urdiales Loop. Pizza and cupcakes will be served.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 12 Movie and Popcorn. Every Monday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Enjoy a family movie and refreshments.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13 Rock wall climbing. 4—5:30 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Free. Bring ID. Must sign release form. Every Tuesday. For more information, call 795-2400 x2520. LEGO Workshop. Every Tuesday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Create with LEGOs, DUPLOs and robotics.
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15 Spanish Book Club. 6-8 p.m. Jose A Guerra Public Library on Calton. For more information call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 18 Memorial Bells 9th Annual Christmas Concert. 4 p.m. Sanctuary at First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland. The program will include both sacred and secular selections and will conclude with a “Ring-SingA-Long.” Free and open to the public. Donations accepted.
MONDAY, DECEMBER 19 Jedi Christmas. 3-5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Stormtrooper Santa, gaming, crafts, music and food. Star Wars costumes are encouraged. Movie and Popcorn. Every Monday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Enjoy a family movie and refreshments.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20 Rock wall climbing. 4—5:30 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Free. Bring ID. Must sign release form. Every Tuesday. For more information, call 795-2400 x2520. LEGO Workshop. Every Tuesday, 4—5 p.m. Santa Rita Express Library, 83 Prada Machin Drive, on the corner of Malaga Drive and Castro Urdiales Avenue. Create with LEGOs, DUPLOs and robotics.
Trump speaks with Taiwan’s president, risking China tensions NEW YORK — Presidentelect Donald Trump spoke Friday with the president of Taiwan, a move that will be sure to anger China. It is highly unusual, perhaps unprecedented, for a U.S. president or president-elect to speak directly with a leader of Taiwan, a self-governing island the
U.S. broke diplomatic ties with in 1979. Washington has pursued a so-called “one China” policy since 1979, when it shifted diplomatic recognition of China from the government in Taiwan to the communist government on the mainland. Under that policy, the U.S. recognizes Beijing as representing China but retains unofficial ties with Taiwan. A statement from Trump’s transition team said he spoke with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, who offered her congratulations. It was not clear
who initiated the call. “During the discussion, they noted the close economic, political, and security ties exists between Taiwan and the United States. President-elect Trump also congratulated President Tsai on becoming President of Taiwan earlier this year,” the statement said. A Taiwanese source with direct knowledge of the call confirmed it had taken place. The source requested anonymity to speak about it before an official statement was issued from Taipei. — Compiled from AP reports
1 dead, 11 injured after Texas school van rear-ended
KTRE / AP
In this image taken from video, a wrecked school van sits on the road as investigators survey the scene in Trinity, Thursday.
The 7-year-old girl was riding in the van and died at a hospital. Ten children from the van and the pickup truck — ages 5 to 15 years old — were taken to a hospital, along with the van driver, East Texas Medical Center spokeswoman Rebecca Berkley said. All were treated and released by Thursday af-
ternoon, Berkley said. A statement Thursday on the Trinity ISD website said the safety of students and staff is the highest priority and the student who died was being mourned. The accident comes nearly two weeks after six children died in Chattanooga, Tennessee. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD Mexico’s bank chief resigns for international post MEXICO CITY — The head of Mexico’s central bank said Thursday he is resigning to become the new general manager of the Bank for International Settlements in Switzerland. Banco de Mexico Gov. Agustin Carstens said in a statement that he had submitted his resignation to President Enrique Pena Nieto effec-
Ten years ago: Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez won re-election, defeating Manuel Rosales. Marat Safin had 16 aces in beating Jose Acasuso 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (5) in the fifth and deciding match on, giving Russia a 3-2 decision over Argentina for its second Davis Cup crown. Five years ago: In Atlanta, a defiant Herman Cain suspended his faltering bid for the Republican presidential nomination amid a drumbeat of sexual misconduct allegations which he condemned as “false and unproven.” Oklahoma State defeated Oklahoma 44-10 to win the Big 12 championship. (Exultant Oklahoma State fans stormed the football field, resulting in a dozen injuries.) One year ago: Congress approved a 5-year, $305 billion bill to address the nation’s aging and congested transportation systems (the bill was approved on a 359-65 vote in the House, and an 83-16 vote in the Senate). Defense Secretary Ash Carter ordered the armed services to open all military jobs to women, removing the final barriers that had kept women from serving in combat, including the most dangerous and grueling commando posts. Former Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland was found dead in his tour bus in Bloomington, Minnesota; he was 48.
AROUND TEXAS
TRINITY — A 7-year-old girl died Thursday after a school van that had stopped to pick up children was rear-ended by a truck on a rural East Texas highway, officials said, and 10 students and the van driver were injured. The Trinity County Sheriff’s Office identified the child on its Facebook page as Journey Magness, daughter of Deputy David Magness. Authorities in Trinity County, which is about 75 miles north of Houston, believe the uninjured 17-year-old driver of the pickup truck was temporarily blinded by the sun as her truck came over a hill, crashing into the stopped van at about 7:30 a.m. “The best as we can tell, the sun is going to play a big, major role in this,” Trinity County Sheriff Woody Wallace said.
On this date: In 1818, Illinois was admitted as the 21st state. In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected president of the United States by the Electoral College. In 1833, Oberlin College in Ohio — the first truly coeducational school of higher learning in the United States — began holding classes. In 1925, George Gershwin’s Concerto in F had its world premiere at New York’s Carnegie Hall, with Gershwin at the piano. In 1947, the Tennessee Williams play “A Streetcar Named Desire” opened on Broadway. In 1953, the musical “Kismet,” featuring the song “Stranger in Paradise,” opened on Broadway. In 1960, the Lerner and Loewe musical “Camelot” opened on Broadway. In 1965, The Beatles’ sixth studio album, “Rubber Soul,” was released in the United Kingdom by Parlophone (it was released in the U.S. by Capitol Records three days later). In 1967, surgeons in Cape Town, South Africa led by Dr. Christiaan Barnard performed the first human heart transplant on Louis Washkansky, who lived 18 days with the donor heart, which came from Denise Darvall, a 25-year-old bank clerk who’d died in a traffic accident. The 20th Century Limited, the famed luxury train, completed its final run from New York to Chicago. In 1979, 11 people were killed in a crush of fans at Cincinnati’s Riverfront Coliseum, where the British rock group The Who was performing. In 1984, thousands of people died after a cloud of methyl isocyanate gas escaped from a pesticide plant operated by a Union Carbide subsidiary in Bhopal, India. In 1991, radicals in Lebanon released American hostage Alann (cq) Steen, who’d been held captive nearly five years.
tive on July 1. He will assume his new position on October 1. Carstens was scheduled to speak later Thursday. In a statement, President Enrique Pena Nieto congratulated Carstens and said his selection was an endorsement of Mexico’s macroeconomic policies. The BIS is the bank for the world’s central bankers. Carstens will be the first central banker from a developing country to hold the position. Carstens leaves as Mexico’s currency has been hammered
Today’s Birthdays: Movie director Jean-Luc Godard is 86. Singer Jaye P. Morgan is 85. Actor Nicolas Coster is 83. Actress Mary Alice is 75. Rock singer Ozzy Osbourne is 68. Actress Heather Menzies Urich is 67. Rock singer Mickey Thomas is 67. Actress Daryl Hannah is 56. Actress Julianne Moore is 56. Olympic gold medal figure skater Katarina Witt is 51. Actor Brendan Fraser is 48. Singer Montell Jordan is 48. Actor Royale Watkins is 47. Actor Bruno Campos is 43. Actress Lauren Roman is 41. Pop-rock singer Daniel Bedingfield is 37. Actress Anna Chlumsky is 36. Actor Brian Bonsall is 35. Actress Dascha Polanco is 34. Pop/rock singer-songwriter Andy Grammer is 33. Americana musician Michael Calabrese (Lake Street Dive) is 32. Actress Amanda Seyfried is 31. Actor Michael Angarano is 29. Actor Jake T. Austin is 22. Thought for Today: “What the world really needs is more love and less paper work.” — Pearl Bailey, American entertainer (1918-1990).
CONTACT US this year and reacted with uncertainty to the presidential election of Donald Trump. But he was generally seen as a steady hand on the levers of Mexico’s monetary policy. Jaime Reusche, a Mexico analyst with Moody’s Investors Service, said in a statement that while Carstens had an excellent reputation, it was important to remember that Mexico had a long history of continuity in its economic policies that will continue. — Compiled from AP reports
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The Zapata Times
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, December 3, 2016 |
A3
LOCAL & STATE
Christmas homes tour slated S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
Zapata’s annual Christmas Town & Country Homes Tour takes place next Sunday, Dec. 11. Stops on the tour include La Hacienda De Las Flores, Torres Homes, Bustamante Village and Trevino Ranch. The event kicks off at the Zapata County Museum of History, 805 N. U.S. Hwy 83, at 1 p.m. It is set to end at 5 p.m. General admission is $7. Tickets and maps are available at the museum. Also at the museum will be the annual Christmas Tree Decorating Contest, where local organizations display their themed Christmas trees. Admission for this event is $3 for adults and $1 for children. Attendees will be able to vote for their favorite tree.
Border wall seen as threat to Big Bend beauty, wildlife ASSOCIATED PRE SS
BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK — Opponents of a vast border wall championed by President-elect Donald Trump say it will impair tourism and conservation efforts at Big Bend National Park and beyond, according to a newspaper report. They contend Big Bend was first envisioned in the 1930s as Big Bend International Peace Park, extending from Texas into Mexico, and that a wall will ruin that original vision. But supporters of the wall argue border security is paramount and that concerns it would threaten wildlife and undermine the park’s beauty are secondary, The Dallas Morning News reports. “The idea of putting a wall up from Brownsville to San Diego can’t
Melissa Ward Aguilar / Houston Chronicle
In this stretch of Big Bend National Park, only 30 feet separate Mexico, on the left, from Texas.
be discounted,” said Shawn Moran, vice president of the National Border Patrol Council, the union representing Border Patrol agents. The union supported candidate Trump and now it’s advising him about border security issues. “We can look at each sector of the border and decide. Are we able to
control an area without a fence? If the answer is yes, then we can look at that,” Moran told the newspaper. “Security really has to come first.” But Rick LoBello and others counter that enhanced security measures can be introduced without constructing a border barrier, and this approach would allow for promising conserva-
tion gains to continue, such as the remigration of black bears into Texas from Mexico. “A big wall in Big Bend would basically destroy the wilderness quality Big Bend has protected,” said LoBello, a member of the Greater Big Bend Coalition, a nonprofit pushing to create a binational park or protected area. President Franklin D. Roosevelt wrote to Mexican President Manuel Avila Camacho in 1944, the year the national park was created, to say Big Bend would not be complete until “both sides of the Rio Grande form one great international park.” The current boundaries of the park extend along 118 miles of the border. “It’s hard to live up to the original vision of Big Bend if there’s a big wall going through it,” LoBello said.
But Moran said the aim must remain a continuous wall inaccessible at any point to smugglers. He points to problems on the ArizonaMexico border in Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, which became a hot spot for smugglers carrying loads of marijuana and people crossing illegally into the United States after security was tightened elsewhere on the border, according to the newspaper. “My concern is you leave Big Bend National Park open but fortify the areas around it, then you could have thousands of people coming through Big Bend National Park,” Moran said. Not likely, said Mike Davidson and others living in the rugged, remote West Texas region.
GOP leaders OK hiring hundreds of new child welfare workers A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN — Top Republican leaders have approved nearly $150 million in emergency funding to hire 800 new workers at a troubled Texas agency facing huge case backlogs in its effort to protect abused and neglected children. Under terms of the plan promoted by Texas Family and Protective Services Commissioner Hank Whitman, the accelerated hiring of the additional workers could begin as soon as Friday. Whitman had originally
Whitman
proposed to begin bolstering the agency’s staff a day earlier, but was waiting on funding
approval. More staff should help ease caseloads at Texas Child Protective Services, which has for years been plagued by high turnover and low morale among workers overwhelmed by rising numbers of children at risk statewide. Also under the plan, about 6,000 caseworkers
would receive a pay raise of $12,000, and approximately 1,100 managers and others would see salary increases as well. The nonpartisan Legislative Budget Board said in a letter to Whitman that it was approving $142.5 million for the moves through the end of fiscal year 2017, but also setting a series of benchmarks the agency must meet as part of the process. Last year, a federal judge ruled that Texas’ foster care system — which has about 30,000 children in homes and
institutional settings — is “broken, and it has been that way for decades.” Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in April tapped Whitman, a former head of the Texas Rangers, to shake up Child Protective Services. But there has since been little progress in reducing the scores of allegedly abused or neglected kids who welfare investigators are failing to visit in a timely fashion — meaning the state is effectively breaking its own rules. Around 50 kids pulled from homes considered dangerous also slept in
state offices, motels or emergency shelters in August and September, a roughly fivefold increase since February, according to state figures. In a statement Friday, Whitman said he was “very grateful for the continued strong support of CPS from Gov. Abbott and the Legislature.” “This will improve our capability to protect Texas children,” he said. The agency said it is constantly hiring caseworkers due to high turnover but that the funding would allow it to step up those efforts. A prelimi-
nary plan calls for hiring 100 special investigators between this month and next. They will be assigned to the Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin areas. Around 55 investigative caseworkers also should be hired this month, and will immediately begin a three-month training period. Additional training will also be needed for about 30 new familybased safety services workers that the agency plans to hire in December, and about 20 foster care workers it plans to hire this month and next.
Zopinion A4 | Saturday, December 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
OTHER VIEWS
COLUMN
Attack on ‘Fixer Upper’ charming hosts is irrelevant and illiberal By Cynthia M. Allen FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM
As a non-native Texan, for years the only thing I associated with Waco was David Koresh. That was before Chip and Joanna Gaines entered my living room. The quirky couple needs no introduction: They are only the stars of one of the most popular reality shows on cable TV, HGTV’s “Fixer Upper.” For an hour each week, the Gaineses help a Waco family buy a dilapidated old house (usually for a song) and then proceed to transform it into an absolutely beautiful home, full of rustic charm and unpretentious warmth. There’s a dramatic reveal, and the new homeowners usually cry. While it’s a formulaic presentation, “Fixer Upper” has enjoyed unparalleled success. The show’s ratings are through the roof; the Gaineses have been able to parlay their popularity into multiple businesses and product lines; and the couple’s Waco store has become a central attraction of the city’s downtown. But “Fixer Upper” isn’t simply good TV. The Gaineses’ popularity certainly benefits from Joanna’s unique aesthetic, but the real magic behind the show’s success is Chip and Joanna themselves. They are just so darn likable. Why? Because it’s evident throughout the show that they not only like their work, they genuinely like each other — a rare quality in reality TV couples. They spend at least half of each program playfully teasing each other and talking about their brood (they have four beautiful young children). The Gaineses are also conservative Christians. In interviews they openly discuss how faith guides their decisions about family, the show and public life. “Even today with the opportunities that are coming our way,” Joanna told People magazine, “I need (God’s) guidance. Otherwise I’d say yes to everything.” And while not emphasized in the show, the strength and importance of their faith are subtly conveyed through their
interaction with their clients and affection for each other. Which is probably why some many people love the show. It’s also why the Gaineses have become a target. This week, Kate Arthur, a BuzzFeed reporter, decided she needed to inform the world about the views of the Gaineses’ pastor, Jimmy Seibert — specifically his opposition to same-sex marriage. This unsurprising fact (Seibert is a pretty typical evangelical leader) inexplicably prompted Arthur to inquire, “So are the Gaineses against same-sex marriage?” Arthur admittedly can’t answer this question, since the Gaineses have never made it a point to discuss their beliefs on this topic, yet somehow for her, speculation about their personal feelings becomes not only relevant but newsworthy. “The word for BuzzFeed publishing this garbage is harassment,” writes Gabriel Malor, a Washngton, D.C., attorney and blogger who also happens to be gay. Famous Christians possibly believing what other Christians are known to believe is hardly grounds for feature news articles. It’s worth noting that such teachings are part of the theologies of many religions, including Catholicism and Islam. Since the Gaineses have never used what is arguably a tremendous public platform to articulate their beliefs about gay marriage, it’s safe to assume it’s not something they feel compelled to address. And their status as public figures doesn’t give anyone the right to demand they reveal their beliefs, either. Federalist writer Hans Fience explains, “Liberal fans of ‘Fixer Upper’ are in full-blown panic mode after learning that people they’ve fallen in love with are, by their own rules, unlovable.” It’s as if one alleged belief of the couple and the religion of which they are a part eclipses everything else about them. That doesn’t sound particularly liberal. And it should hardly be a reason to attack the Gaineses, much less to stop watching their show.
EDITORIAL
Pope Francis underlines the golden rule PITT SBURGH P O ST-GAZETTE
Pope Francis’ characterization of worldwide tensions based largely on race and ethnicity couldn’t be more on point. The leader of the world’s Roman Catholic community labeled it a “virus.” That is exactly
how to describe widespread refusal to understand, accept or even tolerate others who are different. And, as with viruses, the results of that ill will can be infectious and deadly. The pope made his observation this month at St. Peter’s Basilica at
Vatican City during a ceremony at which 17 new cardinals from six continents were inducted. He urged the cardinals to be careful about the deepseated animus that has taken root and that has spread exponentially in recent years. “We are not immune from this,” he
COLUMN
Seduced and betrayed by Trump By Paul Krugman NEW YORK TIME S
Donald Trump won the Electoral College (though not the popular vote) on the strength of overwhelming support from working-class whites, who feel left behind by a changing economy and society. And they’re about to get their reward — the same reward that, throughout Trump’s career, has come to everyone who trusted his good intentions. Think Trump University. Yes, the white working class is about to be betrayed. The evidence of that coming betrayal is obvious in the choice of an array of pro-corporate, anti-labor figures for key positions. In particular, the most important story of the week — seriously, people, stop focusing on Trump Twitter — was the selection of Tom Price, an ardent opponent of Obamacare and advocate of Medicare privatization, as secretary of health and human services. This choice probably means that the Affordable Care Act is doomed — and Trump’s most enthusiastic supporters will be among the biggest losers. The first thing you need to understand here is that Republican talk of “repeal and replace” has always been a fraud. The GOP has spent six years claiming that it will come up with a replacement for Obamacare any day now;
the reason it hasn’t delivered is that it can’t. Obamacare looks the way it does because it has to: You can’t cover Americans with pre-existing conditions without requiring healthy people to sign up, and you can’t do that without subsidies to make insurance affordable. Any replacement will either look a lot like Obamacare, or take insurance away from millions who desperately need it. What the choice of Price suggests is that the Trump administration is, in fact, ready to see millions lose insurance. And many of those losers will be Trump supporters. You can see why by looking at Census data from 2013 to 2015, which show the impact of the full implementation of Obamacare. Over that period, the number of uninsured Americans dropped by 13 million; whites without a college degree, who voted Trump by around two to one, accounted for about 8 million of that decline. So we’re probably looking at more than 5 million Trump supporters, many of whom have chronic health problems and recently got health insurance for the first time, who just voted to make their lives nastier, more brutish, and shorter. Why did they do it? They may not have realized that their coverage was at stake — over the course of the campaign,
the news media barely covered policy at all. Or they may have believed Trump’s assurances that he would replace Obamacare with something great. Either way, they’re about to receive a rude awakening, which will get even worse once Republicans push ahead with their plans to end Medicare as we know it, which seem to be on even though the presidentelect had promised specifically that he would do no such thing. And just in case you’re wondering, no, Trump can’t bring back the manufacturing jobs that have been lost over the past few decades. Those jobs were lost mainly to technological change, not imports, and they aren’t coming back. There will be nothing to offset the harm workers suffer when Republicans rip up the safety net. Will there be a political backlash, a surge of buyer’s remorse? Maybe. Certainly Democrats will be well advised to hammer Trump’s betrayal of the working class nonstop. But we do need to consider the tactics that he will use to obscure the scope of his betrayal. One tactic, which we’ve already seen with this week’s ostentatious announcement of a deal to keep some Carrier jobs in America, will be to distract the nation with bright, shiny, trivial ob-
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said. “Our pitiful hearts ... tend to judge, divide, oppose and condemn.” And bearing in mind people of different races, nationalities and beliefs, Pope Francis further urged caution against all who “raise walls, build barriers and label people.”
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
jects. True, this tactic will work only if news coverage is both gullible and innumerate. No, Trump didn’t “stand up” to Carrier — he seems to have offered it a bribe. And we’re talking about a thousand jobs in a huge economy; at the rate of one Carrier-size deal a week, it would take Trump 30 years to save as many jobs as President Barack Obama did with the auto bailout; it would take him a century to make up for the overall loss of manufacturing jobs just since 2000. But judging from the coverage of the deal so far, assuming that the news media will be gullible and innumerate seems like a good bet. And if and when the reality that workers are losing ground starts to sink in, I worry that the Trumpists will do what authoritarian governments often do to change the subject away from poor performance: go find an enemy. Remember what I said about Trump Twitter. Even as he took a big step toward taking health insurance away from millions, Trump started ranting about taking citizenship away from flag-burners. This was not a coincidence. The point is to keep your eye on what’s important. Millions of Americans have just been sucker-punched. They just don’t know it yet.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, December 3, 2016 |
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Police: Slain teen had BB gun in waistband, nothing in hands ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean
Smoke billows on the outskirts of Gatlinburg, Tenn.
Wildfire ravages South; 13 dead GATLINBURG, Tenn. — People in cars and trucks rolled into the wildfire-ravaged city of Gatlinburg on Friday to get a first look at what remained of their homes and businesses, and a mayor raised the death toll to 13, including a woman who died of a heart attack during the firestorm. Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters also increased the number of buildings damaged, saying it now approaches 1,000. “I can’t describe to you the feelings we have over this tragedy,” he said during a news conference with the governor and U.S. senators. Local officials defended their response to the firestorm and the warnings to evacuate, with Waters saying it was not the time for “Monday morning quarterbacking.” He promised a full review of the response. John Matthews of the Sevier County Emergency Management Agency said a text alert telling people to evacuate went out around 9 p.m. Monday to anyone with a mobile device in the city, but by that time, wildfires were raging in the area. Matthews said some people did not receive the message due to power outages and loss of cellphone reception. Asked about the overall response, Great Smoky Mountains National Park Superintendent Cassius Cash said the appropriate amount of resources was put in the area, including four helicopters dropping water Sunday. He said the wind came in earlier than forecast. His deputy said 1,000 firefighters and engines lined up end to end wouldn’t have prevented the flames. Local officials, bowing to pressure from frustrated property owners, allowed people back into most parts of the city Friday morning. Residents passed through a checkpoint and showed proof of ownership or residency. Among those anxiously waiting to return was Tracy Mayberry. He and his wife, 12-year-old son and five dogs have bounced between hotels since they were forced to evacuate their rental home Monday night. They were struggling to find a place to stay Thursday as many lodges began to discontinue the special rates for evacuees. “It feels like Gatlinburg is more worried about how to rebuild than they are about their people,” he said. The dead included a Memphis couple who was separated from their three sons during the wildfires. The three young men — Jared, Wesley and Branson Summers — learned that their parents had died as they were recovering in the hospital.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A black West Virginia teenager had a BB gun in his waistband but nothing in his hands when he was fatally shot by a white man, a police detective has testified. According to police, 15-yearold James Means was shot in the chest and in the back Nov. 21 by 62-year-old William Pulliam after they bumped into each other outside a Charleston store and twice exchanged words. Police said Pulliam showed
no remorse and told investigators, “That’s another piece of trash off the street.” Pulliam, who faces a firstdegree murder charge, said in a jailhouse interview that he shot in self-defense after he felt threatened. “He told me that he shot him because he was hassling him,” Charleston Police Detective Chris Lioi testified during Pulliam’s preliminary hearing Thursday. According to Lioi, Means had a BB gun in his waistband, though video footage showed nothing in his hands when he
was killed. “James Means had nothing in his hands and I observed Mr. Pulliam pull out a gun and discharge one round. James Means then falls to the ground. As he gets up, William Pulliam fires another round,” Lioi said. The detective also said that audio captured from the footage suggested Pulliam knew the BB gun was a toy. “That toy gun is going to get you (expletive) killed,” Lioi said Pulliam could be heard saying before Means was shot. “No, it’s not,” Means re-
sponded, according to the detective. Pulliam’s attorney, Richard Holicker, said neither he nor his client has seen the footage, and he argued that prosecutors should play it in court. “Hopefully, one day the state will let us see the video so we’ll know what happened,” Holicker said in his closing statement. “The fact that Mr. Pulliam shot Mr. Means doesn’t make this a first-degree murder,” he said. A Kanawha County magistrate found probable cause to send the case to a grand jury.
A Cabinet of generals? Trump’s choices get mixed reviews By Lolita C. Baldor ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump’s move to pack his administration with military brass is getting mixed reviews, as Congress and others struggle to balance their personal regard for the individuals he’s choosing with a broader worry about an increased militarization of American policy. No fewer than three combat-experienced retired Army and Marine leaders, with multiple deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan, are on tap for high-level government jobs normally reserved for civilians. Others are entrenched in Trump’s organization as close advisers. Retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn will serve as the president’s national security adviser, and Trump announced retired Marine fourstar Gen. James Mattis Thursday night as his secretary of defense. In addition, retired Marine Gen. John Kelly is a likely pick to head the Department of Homeland Security. All three had high-profile military careers leading top commands, and they are known for their willingness to offer blunt policy assessments publicly and privately. But their strategic advice could be colored by their years on the battlefront watching soldiers and Marines fight and die battling insurgents in the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq. Those experiences can have markedly varied effects, making some officers a bit cautious when considering plans to send troops into battle but making others more likely to urge aggressive military responses to national security crises and less patient with the slow pace of diplomacy. The men Trump has chosen so far are familiar faces on Capitol Hill, having made frequent trips in their former jobs, and lawmakers are expressing personal respect. But some temper that with a wariness about the wisdom of
Evan Vucci / AP file
In this March 5, 2013, file photo, then-Marine Gen. James Mattis, commander, U.S. Central Command, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington.
putting so many military leaders at the helm of the country’s national security when the nation was founded on the idea of civilian control. In particular, some Democrats oppose passing a law overriding a prohibition on an officer leading the Defense Department before he has been out of the military for seven years. That law has been waived only once in American history, for George Marshall in 1950. Flynn’s appointment does not require congressional approval, and there is no similar law for Homeland Security. Mattis retired from the Marine Corps in June 2013, and Kelly retired early this year. Flynn retired in 2014 after being pushed out of his job as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency. “While I deeply respect General Mattis’ service, I will oppose a waiver,” said Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a member of the Armed Services Committee. “Civilian control of our military is a fundamental principle of American democracy, and I will not vote for an exception to this rule.” Rep. Adam Smith, ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee,
echoed that concern, saying that while Mattis served with distinction, “civilian control of the military is not something to be casually cast aside.” It is unlikely, however, that those trepidations will threaten Mattis’ nomination. He has broad support from Republicans, who hold the majority in both chambers, including from John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee. “America will be fortunate to have General Mattis in its service once again,” said McCain, R-Ariz. There were even positive words Friday from House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who said, “We are grateful that the presidentelect reportedly found General Mattis’ argument against torture persuasive. We will need the secretary of defense to continue to uphold the laws, alliances and norms that protect our nation and enshrine our values as Americans.” Still, national security experts raise concerns about the possibility of a greater reliance on military solutions to international problems. Vikram Singh, a former senior adviser at the Defense Department and now vice
president at the left-leaning Center for American Progress, said the law requiring a gap between military service and leading the Pentagon “exists to preserve civilian control of the military, a cornerstone of American democracy, and appointing a general so recently retired from active service to be secretary of defense is a serious matter, no matter how qualified that general may be for the position.” Jon Soltz, who leads the liberal political action committee VoteVets, said that people with military service are needed in Washington, but “it is somewhat concerning that Donald Trump continues to eye recently retired generals for some of the most important traditionally civilian positions in government.” He added, “We should never lose sight of the balance in civilian and military roles that has served our nation well for centuries.” Spencer Meredith, an associate professor at the National Defense University, said Friday that military officers can bring vital strategic thinking and organizational skills to administration jobs. But he acknowledged possible concerns about a cadre of advisers with military viewpoints — the idea that “everything looks like a nail to a hammer.” The generals themselves have expressed little worry about any militarization of U.S. policy. Military officers, said Kelly, spend their careers willing to give their lives to defend their country and the U.S. Constitution. He said civilian control is rooted in the president as commander in chief and the Congress, which controls spending. Mattis, in a recent exchange, showed a sense of humor about his status as a career military officer. When a reporter addressed him as “General,” he responded, “Please call me Jim. I was once a general, but it was long ago and I’ve happily rejoined the human race.”
Chains and branded skin: Kidnap case baffles cops By Paul Elias A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SAN FRANCISCO — Three weeks after Sherri Papini disappeared, the question of whether she was dead or alive was answered when the young mother and wife was spotted waving frantically for help along a California freeway early on Thanksgiving morning. But the mystery over what happened to her during those 22 days just seemed to grow stranger. She was battered and bruised, her hands were chained, her long blond hair had been chopped off, and her flesh had been branded with a threatening message. The 34year-old Papini told authorities that she had been kidnapped at gunpoint by two women Nov. 2 while she was out for a run near
her home. The bizarre turn of events — with many of the most sensational details released not by authorities but by her husband in an exclusive interview with ABC — has baffled police and set social media aflutter, with armchair detectives scouring the internet’s darkest corners for clues and others arguing that the case is some kind of twisted hoax, like something out of the movie “Gone Girl.” Her husband, Keith Papini, has condemned the rumors as “exhausting and disgusting,” and police have said they have no reason to doubt his wife’s harrowing account. But they have a multitude of questions, among them: Who are these women? Where did they keep her? Was she selected at random or targeted?
Andrew Seng / The Sacramento Bee file
In this Nov. 10 file photo, a “missing” sign for Sherri Papini, 34, is placed along side Sunrise Drive.
And, most of all, why? No ransom demand was ever received, and neither the Papinis nor their families are wealthy, according to Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko. She is a stay-at-home mom, he a Best Buy store employee. Detectives are tracking hundreds of leads but haven’t elicited much information from Papini
and have only the sketchiest description from her of her captors, who were said to be Hispanic. Authorities have not divulged the message burned into her skin, and she hasn’t been seen publicly since she was found. “Sherri did her best that she could in providing the descriptions, but she was not able to provide a detailed description due to
the suspects covering their faces, and at times Sherri’s head was covered,” the sheriff said. He noted also that victims of traumatic experiences sometimes suffer memory loss. Among the leads detectives are following up on is a 13-year-old blog post on a white supremacist site signed by someone using Papini’s maiden name. The post claimed she and her family had white supremacist beliefs and disliked Latinos. “We do not know that it has any relevance to this case or not,” Bosenko said Wednesday. Papini’s former husband, David Dreyfus, defended her, saying it must have been written by someone else. “People are bullies, and it’s easy to poke at people online,” Dreyfus told The Sacramento Bee. “With as
diverse of a friends group as she and I had, that’s not her.” Papini said she was seized about mile from her rural home outside Redding, 215 miles north of San Francisco. She was found in Yolo County, about 140 miles from home, telling authorities that her captors shoved her out of an SUV near Interstate 5 with a bag over her head. Her hands were bound to a chain around her waist. Keith Papini said his wife’s nose was broken and she was emaciated, weighing 87 pounds, or 13 pounds less than her normal weight. As for her hair, “obviously, a very sick person who may have wanted to not only to cut it off to change her physical appearance but also as to humiliate them, wear her down,” Bosenko said.
Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, December 3, 2016 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE GLOBOS AEROSTÁTICOS EN L.I.F.E. GROUNDS 1 Del 2-4 de diciembre habrá vuelos en globos aerostáticos, comida, artesanías, música, show de globos y más. En L.I.F.E. Grounds, ubicada E. HWY 59 de 4 p.m. a 12 a.m. RECORRIDO DE CASAS HISTÓRICAS 1 El evento especial Gran Recorrido de Casas Históricas en San Ygnacio, se llevará a cabo el domingo 4 de diciembre, iniciando en el gimnasio de la escuela primaria Arturo L. Benavides Elementary desde las 11 a.m. donde habrá refrigerios y entretenimiento. El recorrido iniciará a la 1:30 p.m. Costo del recorrido: 6 dólares; costo del platillo 6.50 dólares. Por la tarde, desde las 6 p.m. habrá el encendido del árbol y un desfile navideño en la Plaza Blas María Uribe. EXÁMENES STAAR 1 El distrito escolar Zapata County Independent School District anuncia que la aplicación de exámenes STAAR será como sigue: lunes 5 de diciembre, Inglés 1 para alumnos de 9o. grado; martes 6 de diciembre, Álgebra I para alumnos de 9o. grado; miércoles 7 de diciembre, Inglés II para alumnos de 10o. grado; jueves 8 de diciembre, Biología para alumnos de 9o. grado; y, viernes 9 de diciembre, Historia de EU para alumnos que repiten prueba.
ZAPATA COUNTY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Empleados demandan a distrito Por Judith Rayo TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Dos empleados del Distrito Escolar Independiente del Condado de Zapata (ZCISD por sus siglas en inglés), se encuentran demandando al distrito por supuesta discriminación y corrupción, indican documentos de la corte, La ex Oficial Financiera de ZCISD, Suzette Barrera emitió una demanda después de que notificara al ex superintendente Raúl Nuques que Teresa Hein, Directora de Operaciones, estaba permitiendo a individuos robar propiedad escolar, indica la demanda. El incidente fue reportado en mayo de 2014. Documentos de la corte indican que Hein es la tÍa de Ricardo Ramírez, presidente del consejo de ZCISD. Documentos de la corte además indican que Barrera fue forzada por parte del distrito a buscar tratamiento psicológico y amenazada con bajarla de puesto. “En un intento por forzarla a emitir su renuncia, Barrera eventualmente fue relegada a Directora de Educación Compensatoria”, indica la demanda. En enero de 2015, Barrera emitió una queja contra
Nuques después de que se le notificara de la reasignación de puesto y fuera puesta en licencia administrativa con goce de sueldo. En su queja, Barrera indicó que había recibido un memo por escrito del superintendente de que sería reasignada para el año escolar 2015-16 a Directora de Programas Educacionales Compensatorios. “Esto como represalia por haberme comunicado con el consejo, lo cual yo tengo derecho a hacer”, dijo Barrera en su queja. Una declaración escrita por parte de Olinda Flores, Oficial en Jefe de Personal de ZCISD, indicó que Barrera informó a secretarias sobre su reasignación. Flores dijo que ella después se topó con Barrera en el pasillo mientras Barrera caminaba a su oficina. Ella indicó que Barrera abrió la puerta y comenzó a llorar y cayó al piso. Flores indicó que Barrera estaba tratando de encontrar sus llaves del auto, ella tiró algunos retratos familiares de su estante y procedió a salir de la oficina. En su queja, Barrera indica que fue puesta en licencia administrativa después de “accidentalmente romper un par de
retratos personales en su oficina administrativa”. “Fue mi intención empujarlas del estante, como lo hice con otros cuadros. Estaba molesta por la reasignación en ese momento, y la propiedad era mía”, indicó Barrera en su queja. En su queja, Barrera indicó que Nuques había “explotado y exagerado” el incidente al ponerla en licencia administrativa y dirigiéndola a ser examinada por un doctor. Los fideicomisarios no tomaron acción sobre su queja y ella después regreso a ZCIS trabajando en la posición que se le había asignado en programas compensatorios de educación. Facción de Flores Otro personal de administración, Gerardo Montes, ex Director de Evaluación en ZCISD, emitió una demanda en contra del distrito. La demanda indica que durante su tiempo sirviendo como Director de Evaluación, él había sido diagnosticado con Mieloneuropatía, una enfermedad que afecta la espina dorsal y los nervios periféricos. La demanda indica que Montes fue discriminado y víctima de represalias debido a su condición médica.
Él fue relegado Coordinador de Sistema de Manejo de Información de Educación Pública y sufrió un recorte en su paga. La demanda además indica que en 2012, la ex Superintendente Norma García reasignó a José Flores, ex Director de Preparatoria y actual integrante del consejo de ZCISD, a la posición de Director de Operaciones. Flores supuestamente estaba molesto por la reasignación y lo vio como si lo hubieran bajado de puesto, incluso cuando no había recibido un recorte en la paga. La demanda indica que Flores decidió retirarse y postularse al Consejo de Fideicomisarios de ZCISD, junto con su cuñado Manuel González. La demanda indica que la integrante del consejo Verónica González también decidió postularse y también estaba molesta con García por no haber dado a su hermana y su tía un puesto en el distrito. “Ellos abiertamente corrieron con una plataforma para deshacerse del superintendente así como de los empleados que la apoyaban”, indica la demanda. La demanda define al consejo escolar como la “Facción de Flores”. “Estaban políticamente alineados en su deseo de
ROMA ISD & CITY OF ROMA HOLIDAY KICKOFF 2016
ARRANCA NAVIDAD EN ROMA
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.
remover al Superintendente García y todos aquellos asociados con ella y fueron unidos de la misma manera en su deseo de recompensar a sus familiares y aquellos que habían apoyado el grupo”, dice la demanda. La demanda indica que García había sido forzada a retirarse y fue reemplazada por Nuques. En noviembre del 2013, García anunció su retiro, diciendo que quería seguir adelante y pasar más tiempo con su familia. La demanda indica que una vez que Nuques estaba de superintendente, él “se propuso llevar el plan de la Facción de Flores para destituir empleados que estaban asociados con la superintendente anterior… y para recompensar a sus familiares y aquellos que apoyaron al grupo”. La demanda indica que un puñado de empleados, algunos relacionados a los integrantes del consejo, fueron promovidos en su trabajo y recibieron un incremento de sueldo. El abogado Juan Cruz dijo que la Comisión de Oportunidad Igualitaria determinó que el distrito no se encontraba discriminando empleados. “Los alegatos no tienen mérito y defenderemos la demanda vigorosamente a través de procesos de la corte”, él dijo.
CONTRABANDO
Confiscan marihuana TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
La Ciudad de Roma celebró el arranque de las festividades Navideñas con un desfile y festival donde no podía faltar Santa Claus, la señora Claus, además de comida tradicional navideña, y el encendido del árbol por miembros del Ayuntamiento y la Junta Directiva escolar, el miércoles en la Plaza Guadalupe.
DECORACIÓN DE ÁRBOLES NAVIDEÑOS 1 El Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata está invitando a la comunidad a participar en el concurso de decoración de árboles navideños que se llevará a cabo el 11 de diciembre de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m., en las instalaciones del museo, ubicado en 805 N. Main St. Mayores informes al (956) 765-8983. 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.
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Foto cortesía | Ciudad de Roma
COLUMNA
Nos trasladamos con nuestras reliquias a Nueva Ciudad Guerrero Nota del editor: Esta serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (19272016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal. Por Lilia Treviño Martínez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Con emoción los habitantes de Ciudad Guerrero, el 11 de octubre de 1953, rindieron por última vez honores al lábaro patrio y a las reliquias históricas como la estatua de Juárez, el reloj público el Palacio Municipal, el
Libro de Actas y Archivo de la Ciudad y la cruz de hierro que remataba la torre del Templo. Ese día, las bandas militares de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional y del Estado de Nuevo León tocaron la marcha de honor, mientras era arriada por última vez, la bandera del asta del Palacio Municipal, reconstruido en 1871. Terminada la ceremonia, despedimos a los visitantes y nos trasladamos con nuestras preciadas reliquias a la nueva ciudad. Nueva Ciudad Guerrero fue edificada por la
Secretaría de Recursos Hidráulicos con un costo de 25 millones de pesos. Ofrece todas las comidades y adelantos de la vida moderna y durante las ceremonias de su inauguración tuvo capacidad de alojamiento para 3.500 visitantes, entre ellos 2.000 soldados del Ejército Nacional, personal de ceremonias y festivales (músicos, bailarines, organizadores y conductores), miembros de la comitiva del Presidente de la República Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, acompañado del presidente de Estados Unidos Gral. Dwight David “Ike” Eisenhower, y peri-
odistas y camarógrafos de ambos países. A las 10:30 a.m. del día 19 de octubre, el Secretario de Recursos Hidráulicos hizo entrega de la flamante ciudad. Diferentes oradores tomaron la palabra y encomiaron la actitud de los guerrerenses que patrióticamente sacrificaron su ciudad en bien del progreso, e hicieron votos porque la vida en la nueva población continúe dando ejemplo de patriotismo y laboriosidad. Inmediatamente después el presidente Ruiz Cortines descubrió el monumento a Juárez y así quedó oficialmente inaugurada la ciudad.
Agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza asignados a la estación de Zapata interceptaron recientemente dos intentos de contrabando de narcóticos en un periodo de dos días. El 28 de noviembre, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza asignados a la unidad marítima de la estación Zapata estaban trabajando en sus funciones encomendadas cuando encontraron un bote sospechoso y un camión blanco cerca de un desembarcadero de la presa Falcón. Momentos después, el conductor se subió al barco y navegó hacia México, de acuerdo a un comunicado de prensa. Mientras los agentes aseguraban el camión, notaron varios paquetes abandonados de supuesta marihuana en el vehículo. El contrabando dio positivo por marihuana. Los narcóticos tenían un peso total de 913 libras, con un valor de reventa estimado de 729.868 dólares. Días después, el 30 de noviembre, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza asignados a la estación de Zapata notaron que un barco sospechoso tocó tierra al norte de Zapata. La unidad marítima de la estación Zapata llegó al área, llevó a cabo una búsqueda extensiva y encontraron paquetes de marihuana. No hubo arrestos y los paquetes abandonados fueron transportados a la estación Zapata para ser examinados y pesados. El contrabando dio positivo por marihuana. En total 24 paquetes fueron confiscados. Los narcóticos tenían un peso total de 541 libras y un valor de reventa estimado de 432.896 dólares. “Felicito a todos los agentes del sector Laredo de la Patrulla Fronteriza por su vigilancia y su abilidad de detener actividad criminal y así disuadir a las organizaciones de pasar contrabando peligroso a través de la comunidad de Zapata, Texas”, dijo el jefe interino de la Patrulla, agente Jason Owens.
A8 | Saturday, December 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT Luke Bryan slaps heckler from stage with microphone in hand A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Country star Luke Bryan took care of a heckler without skipping a beat during a concert this week by taking a swing at the man from the stage with his microphone still in hand. Bryan was performing his single “Move” at the Charlie Daniels’ all-star Volunteer Jam in Nashville, Tennessee, on Wednesday when the outburst occurred. Fan video shows Bryan shouting, “Come on!” before stepping forward and
slapping the man with his fingers while still holding onto the mic. Bryan Bryan then continued with the song while seemingly unfazed by the incident. Bryan’s publicist says in a statement that the man was making “crude hand gestures” toward Bryan and that security personnel saw the man’s “disruptive actions” and escorted him out.
Designers mixed on dressing former model Melania Trump By Patrick Mairs ASSOCIATED PRE SS
First lady-to-be Melania Trump likely won’t be wearing designer Tom Ford’s clothes in the White House. Some of the designers who clamored to dress first lady Michelle Obama have been mixed about dressing Mrs. Trump, a former model. Ford became the latest to weigh in on the matter during an appearance this week on “The View.” The designer was asked to dress Melania Trump “quite a few years ago:” and declined because “she’s not necessarily my image,” he said on the ABC chat show Wednesday. Ford is a Democrat and voted for Hillary Clinton
Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher welcome second child A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are parents for the second time. A publicist for the actress said in an email Thursday that Kunis had given birth. The publicist, Melissa Raubvogel, did not provide further details on the baby, including whether it’s a boy or girl. But dad Kutcher may have spilled the gender beans. In an October appearance on NBC’s “Today,” Kutcher said the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Wyatt, was pointing to her mother’s belly and saying, “baby brother.” Kunis and Kutcher,
Frazer Harrison / Getty
Actors Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis are shown on April 25, 2014 in Indio, California.
who were cast mates in the sitcom “That ‘70s
Show,” married in July 2015.
Carolyn Kaster / AP file
In this July 18 file photo, Melania Trump, wife of President-elect Donald Trump, walks the RNC stage.
in the presidential election, he said, before adding that even if Clinton had won, she shouldn’t have worn his clothes because “they’re too expensive.” His clothes cost a lot to make and the president needs to “relate to everybody,” he explained. Asked if Melania Trump should wear expensive clothes, Ford replied: “I’m going to leave
that to Melania.” Ford was willing to dress first lady Michelle Obama for a London visit with Queen Elizabeth II in 2011 and isn’t the first to be less enthusiastic about outfitting Mrs. Trump. Sophie Theallat, whose designs have been worn by Mrs. Obama on several occasions, wrote in an open letter last month that she would not dress Mrs.
Trump specifically brought up politics in urging her colleagues to take the same tact. “The rhetoric of racism, sexism, and xenophobia unleashed by her husband’s presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by,” Theallat wrote. The letter prompted Women’s Wear Daily , which covers the fashion industry, to survey other prominent designers on the question of working with Mrs. Trump, who began modeling in Paris and Milan at age 16 before settling in New York 20 years ago. While Marc Jacobs said that he has “no interest whatsoever” in dressing Mrs. Trump, Tommy Hilfiger told the trade magazine he was willing.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, December 3, 2016 |
A9
BUSINESS
US health care tab hits $3.2T; fastest growth in 8 years By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — The nation’s health care tab grew at the fastest rate in eight years in 2015, driven by the coverage expansion in President Barack Obama’s law and by costly prescription drugs, the government said Friday. The growth of 5.8 percent in 2015 boosted total health care spending to $3.2 trillion. That’s an average of $9,990 per person, although the vast share of that money is spent caring for the sickest patients. Health spending grew about 2 percentage points faster than the overall economy in 2015, said the report from nonpartisan economic experts at the Department of Health and Human Services. That’s a problem because it makes it harder for government programs, employers, and individuals to afford the level of health care that Americans are used to having. The report was disappointing news for the
outgoing Obama administration, which had enjoyed a long stretch of historically low increases in health care spending, and had sought to credit its 2010 health care overhaul for taming costs. It’s a reality check for President-elect Donald Trump, who did not focus much on health care during his campaign and implied that problems could be easily fixed. America has struggled for decades to balance health care cost, access, and quality. Obama’s law made significant strides to expand access, and the report found nearly 91 percent of U.S. residents now have coverage. But the problem of costs has re-emerged. That’s partly because people with health insurance use more medical care than the uninsured, who tend to postpone going to the doctor. Some of the newly insured turned out to be sicker than those who were already covered. The report “casts further doubt on the extent of a permanent slowdown in health cost growth,”
Jon Elswick / AP file
This Feb. 2, 2015, file photo, depicts a part of a U.S. $100 bill.
said economist Eugene Steuerle of the nonpartisan Urban Institute. In a milestone for datawatchers, the report found that the federal government became the largest payer for health care in 2015. Washington accounted for 29 percent of overall spending. That was followed by households (28 percent), businesses (20 percent), and state and local governments (17 percent). In doing the analysis, the HHS experts count the employee share of premiums for job-based insurance as spending by households. Spending by private health insurance plans increased by 7.2 percent in
2015, and Medicaid spending grew by 9.7 percent. In both cases, the health care law was a driver. Nine million people had private insurance through the health care law’s subsidized markets, and nearly 10 million had Medicaid coverage as a result of the law. Increases in Medicaid spending will be a problem for states. Starting next year, states that expanded the program under the health law must gradually pick up a share of the costs. Spending on prescription drugs dispensed through pharmacies increased by 9 percent in 2015. Although that rate of growth was less than in 2014, the report said drug
spending grew faster any other category, including hospitals and doctors. It wasn’t only pricey new drugs for hepatitis C infection driving the trend, but also new cancer drugs and price increases for older brand-name and generic drugs. Medicare was a bright spot in the report, growing only by 4.5 percent, despite roughly 10,000 baby boomers a day reaching eligibility age. Calculated on a per-beneficiary basis, Medicare spending grew by just 1.7 percent. Former White House official Ezekiel Emanuel said that’s partly due to the Obama administration’s stewardship. Not only did the health care law cut payments to service providers, it set into motion a series of initiatives that aim to reward quality, improve coordination and penalize poor performance. Republicans would be foolish to sweep away Obama’s Medicare changes, Emanuel said. “In the long term, the only way we get rate of increase
down is by experimenting with alternative payment models,” he said. “We need to push harder and harder.” Still, there seems to be little to cheer about as health care costs start to accelerate. Two of the major brakes on costs in the Obama health care law — a Medicare spending board and a tax on high-priced insurance plans — are in limbo and likely to be repealed if ascendant Republicans follow through on their promises. It’s unclear whether the GOP has better ideas, and even more uncertain whether Democrats would support them. “You get back to this old problem we have of spending growing faster than the economy,” said Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the America Action Forum, a centerright think tank. “If you don’t solve the cost problem, it will undercut coverage expansions because they get too expensive.” The HHS report was published online by the journal Health Affairs.
Jobs report shows Trump to inherit solid but uneven economy By Christopher S. Rugaber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — The U.S. jobs report on Friday made one thing clear: President-elect Donald Trump will inherit the same two-track U.S. economy that bedeviled his predecessor. Hiring is solid and the unemployment rate low. But longer-term problems persist — especially a stubbornly high number of men who are out of work and have given up looking. Many are likely frustrated former manufacturing workers who voted for Trump over Hillary Clinton. Employers added 178,000 jobs in November, the government said, extending the longest streak of hiring since World War II. And the unemployment rate sank from 4.9 percent to a nine-year low of 4.6 percent. Yet the jobless rate dropped mainly because many of those out of work gave up on their job hunts and were no longer counted as unemployed.
A key challenge for the Trump administration is to extend the benefits of job growth to include many of those who feel left out. The job market’s durability will help to some extent. Eventually, low unemployment should compel employers to offer higher pay to attract more workers. That, in turn, could persuade more Americans to resume their job hunts and find work. “With the unemployment rate this low and wages rising, now is the real test of whether a stronger economy can bring people back into job market,” said Jed Kolko, chief economist at job hunting website Indeed. Aside from the longerterm challenges, recent data suggest that the economy is in decent shape. Americans bought homes in October at the fastest pace in nearly a decade. They’re also more confident in the economy than at any other point in the past nine years and are spending more. Those trends are keeping the Federal Reserve on track to raise short-
Jeff Gritchen / The Orange County Register file
In this Nov. 25 file photo, Eric Denker and his wife, Jalen Denker, of Irvine, California, shop sales.
term interest rates at its next meeting in less than two weeks. “For the Fed, barring a very adverse ... development, a hike at the Dec. 14 meeting appears to be a done deal,” said Michael Feroli, an economist at JPMorgan Chase. Two measures illustrate the mixed nature of the economic recovery: The unemployment rate is now back to where it was in August 2007 — four months before the Great Recession began. That suggests that the economy has fully recov-
ered. Yet the percentage of all adults with jobs is still 3 percentage points below where it was in August 2007. Some of that decline has been driven by retirements among the aging baby boom generation. But for men age 25 through 54 years old — prime working years — the proportion who have jobs remains substantially below its pre-recession level. That translates into millions of men who are neither working nor looking for work. Why have so many
men dropped out? Kolko says that is “probably the biggest question facing the labor market today.” Many men who aren’t working blame mental or physical health problems. Alan Krueger, an economist at Princeton and a former top adviser to President Barack Obama, has found that nearly half of men ages 25 through 54 who are outside the workforce take pain medication. The nation has lost nearly a third of its manufacturing jobs since 2000, and many who once held those positions have struggled to find work that pays as well. But Nicholas Eberstadt, an economist at the rightleaning American Enterprise Institute, notes that most European countries also lost manufacturing jobs, yet haven’t seen a similar decline in male employment. Instead, Eberstadt points to high levels of incarceration over the past three decades. That’s left millions of men with criminal records that can make it hard for them to
find work even years after they’ve completed their sentences. Randy Shacka, president of Lansing, Michigan-based moving firm Two Men and a Truck, says job applicants have had a harder time passing drug tests in recent years, particularly in states that have eased marijuana laws. The company hopes to add 3,000 to its 8,000person staff by June, when moving season heats up. But with unemployment down and the economy growing consistently, the company has had to try harder to find qualified applicants. It recently introduced a 401(k) plan and has ramped up training, Shacka said. Sluggish pay gains have been a chronic problem for the economy and have provided less incentive for those who have dropped out to resume job hunts. Average hourly pay slipped in November and has risen just 2.5 percent in the past year. Wage increases remain below the level consistent with healthy growth.
A10 | Saturday, December 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
INTERNATIONAL
Jason Patinkin / AP file
In this Jan. 19, 2016 file photo, displaced people walk next to a razor wire fence at the United Nations base in the capital Juba, South Sudan.
Rape used for ethnic cleansing in South Sudan, says UN team By Justin Lynch A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
KAMPALA, Uganda — South Sudan is experiencing ethnic cleansing in several parts of the country and risks becoming a Rwanda-like catastrophe, a team of U.N. human rights investigators said Friday. “There is already a steady process of ethnic cleansing underway in several areas of South Sudan using starvation, gang rape, and the burning of villages,” said Yasmin Sooka, the lead U.N. investigator, earlier this week. Rape is “one of the tools being used for ethnic cleansing,” the U.N. investigators said Friday, adding that sexual violence in the East African nation “has reached epic proportions.” “The scale of gang rape of civilian women as well
as the horrendous nature of the rapes by armed men belonging to all groups is utterly repugnant,” said Sooka. A U.N. survey found that 70 percent of the women in Juba, South Sudan’s capital, had experienced sexual assault since the country’s civil war began in December 2013, the team said. The warning comes after the special investigators finished a 10-day visit to South Sudan earlier this week. They found that the South Sudan government is intentionally moving civilians from the Dinka ethnic group out of Yei, a town that has seen significant fighting near the border of Uganda and the Congo, Ken Scott, a member of the U.N. team, told The Associated Press on Friday in Nairobi. He warned that South Sudan’s violence could soon spill over into Kenya,
Uganda, and Ethiopia. The core definition of ethnic cleansing is displacement along ethnic lines, said Scott. “It can take many forms, obviously killing people is the most extreme, raping very close to that, destruction of property, destruction of schools,” he said The claims of ethnic cleansing come as the U.N. Security Council debates placing an arms embargo and targeted sanctions on South Sudan. Those sanctions are supported by the United States. The international community should place sanctions, an arms embargo, and deploy a 4,000 strong force of additional peacekeepers to “avert catastrophe,” said investigator Sooka, speaking in the capital of Juba, at a press conference earlier this week.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, December 3, 2016 |
A11
FROM THE COVER
Mobile clinic helps cancer patients, others in South Texas MCALLEN, Texas — Many of the patients who come to Paul Toscano’s free mobile clinic are jobless. Uninsured. Undocumented. Desperate. The Houston Chronicle reports the physician’s assistant treats so many inside this retrofitted RV that it’s impossible to remember them all. Some he’ll never forget. He closes his eyes and thinks of a woman who knocked on the door eight years ago. She’d wanted a Pap smear, a routine screening to check for signs of cervical cancer. But he’d turned her away; told her to come back when she wasn’t menstruating. She never did. “That happens here,” Toscano said one recent afternoon. “Patients disappear.” Welcome to the Rio Grande Valley, where women are nearly twice as likely to die from cervical cancer compared to the rest of the country. The disease is now relatively rare in the U.S. but flourishes here in a section of Texas where half the population has no health insurance. Toscano and another medical assistant travel along the Mexico border in the University of Texas Health Science Center mobile clinic, parking outside schools and treating as many people as possible, many of them women. But an abnormal Pap requires up to two return visits, an added burden for those without steady jobs or reliable transportation. “That’s hopefully where we come in,” said Dr.
Kathleen Schmeler, a gynecologic oncologist at UT’s MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. For years, Schmeler and renowned Rice University bioengineering professor Rebecca Richards-Kortum have been studying ways to combat cervical cancer in the poorest sections of Latin America. The work centers on a portable, pensized device RichardsKortum invented that allows medical technicians to diagnose cancer in real-time. By deploying the lowcost tool inside clinics like Toscano’s, Schmeler and Richards-Kortum found they could diagnose and treat women in a single visit, saving lives in places like Brazil and El Salvador. Now, remarkably, they’ve found a need far closer to home. The first time Schmeler visited a clinic along the border, she couldn’t believe what she saw. “Are we really in the United States?” she’d said. Health outcomes in Texas’ four southernmost counties are among the worst in the country. Schmeler was horrified by stories of women showing up at emergency rooms with vaginal bleeding, only to be turned away because they couldn’t afford cancer treatments. The percentage of women diagnosed with cervical cancer has steadily fallen across Texas, by 20 percent over the past decade, primarily because more women are getting the Pap test, which can find changes in the cervix before cancer develops. Over that same period, the cervical cancer rate has gone up 6 percent in Cameron County. Here, in
ILLEGAL From page A1
SCHOOL From page A1
opted to speak with authorities. Hernandez had made arrangements with a man he met at a party to pick up the group at an apartment complex in Roma, the complaint states. Hernandez allegedly expected a payment of $1,500 for transporting the immigrants to Laredo.
written memo from the superintendent that she would be reassigned for the 2015-16 school year to director of compensatory education programs. “This is in retaliation for me communicating with the board, which I have a right to do,” Barrera stated in her grievance. A written statement by Olinda Flores, ZCISD chief personnel officer, stated Barrera informed office secretaries about her reassignment. Flores said she later bumped into Barrera in the hall as Barrera was walking to her office. She stated Barrera opened the door and cried as she dropped to the floor. Flores stated that as Barrera was trying to find her car keys, she knocked down picture frames on her shelf and proceeded to walk out of her office.
By Mike Hixenbaugh H OUSTON CHRONICLE
SEIZURES From page A1 ed marijuana in the vehicle. The contraband tested positive for marijuana. The narcotics had a total of weight of 913 pounds, with an estimated street value of $729,868. Several days later, on Nov. 30, Border Patrol agents assigned to the Zapata Station noticed a suspicious boat make landfall north of Zapata. The Zapata Station Marine Unit arrived to the area, conducted an extensive search, and encountered bundles of marijuana. No subjects were apprehended and the abandoned bundles were transported to the Zapata Station to be tested and weighed. The contraband tested positive for marijuana. A total of 24 bundles were seized. The narcotics had a total of weight of 541 pounds with an estimated street value of $432,896. “I commend the Laredo Sector Border Patrol agents for their vigilance and their ability to continue to disrupt criminal activity to dissuade organizations from smuggling dangerous contraband through the community of Zapata, Texas,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent Jason Owens.
TERROR From page A1 not particularly vulnerable to terrorism.” The number of apprehensions of migrants from outside Mexico as well as El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras – where most Central American migrants are coming from – apprehended on the U.S-Mexico border more than doubled from 6,630 in fiscal year 2009 to 16,973 through the first 11 months of the 2016 fiscal year, which ended in September. This is part of an overall upward trend in the number of apprehensions along the country’s southwest border in 2016, and includes migrants from countries deemed state
Four days before taking her first trip to McAllen to launch the study, Parra gave a demonstration. She propped up a tablet in her lab and rubbed an antiseptic chemical on the inside of her lip. A moment later, Parra pressed the glowing tip of the microendoscope to her mouth, and an image appeared on the screen. “Those are my cells,” she mumbled, noting that the computer program had automatically highlighted all the nuclei. She can take a snapshot, tap the screen, and within seconds the tablet analyzes the image and spits out a diagnosis. No need for a pathologist; if an indicator on the tablet screen turns red, the cells are cancerous. “Instead of having to wait days or weeks for a biopsy,” Parra said, “they can get the results immediately and decide a treatment right there and then. “It’s easy to see how this could be of use down in the Valley.” “Easy” might not be the right word. Five hours after arriving at Rodriguez’s free clinic in McAllen one day last month, the highpowered Rice and MD Anderson research team still hadn’t screened a single patient with the microendoscope. They’d planned ahead, flying down on a day when Rodriguez was scheduled to see at least a dozen women who’d previously had an abnormal Pap smear. Only two showed up, and they didn’t wish to participate. “You knock one barrier down, then there’s another one on the other side,” Schmeler said after a few hours of waiting.
the state’s southernmost county, 4.3 out of every 100,000 women die of cervical cancer each year — nearly double the national average. “Initially, I was outraged,” Schmeler said. “No one should be dying from cervical cancer in the United States. But I also thought, ‘We can do something about this.”’ Since 2014, Schmeler and MD Anderson have been working to educate women in the Valley about the need for cancer screenings and the HPV vaccine, which blocks transmission of the HPV virus, the primary cause of cervical cancer. The effort also includes teaching local providers noninvasive techniques to remove precancerous cervical tissue. But too often, Schmeler found, women fail to follow up after the initial examination. “There are too many ways for women to fall through the cracks here,” said Dr. Ana Rodriguez, a University of Texas Medical Branch gynecologist who travels from Galves-
ton to McAllen once a month to run a free women’s clinic. Women travel from up to an hour away for treatment there. If one of Rodriguez’s patients has an abnormal Pap, she has to return for a colposcopy. If that test reveals areas of concern, Rodriguez then performs a biopsy — taking a tissue sample and sending it to a lab. If those results come back positive, the patient then must return for a third visit, weeks later, to have any cancerous tissue removed. Rodriguez recalled a patient who seemingly fell off the grid for nearly a year after an abnormal Pap. She was fortunate. Rodriguez said: “Some women don’t come back until it’s too late.” Every year, some two dozen women die of cervical cancer in the Rio Grande Valley, according to data compiled by the Texas Cancer Registry. The figure doesn’t include immigrants who return to Mexico to be with family before they die. “That happens a lot,” Schmeler said.
Last year, during an unrelated research trip abroad, she told RichardsKortum about the staggering problems she’d found only a few hours south of Houston and its worldclass medical center. “You should really come to the Valley with me,” Schmeler told her. “Everything we’re doing in Brazil is needed in our own state.” Don’t be fooled by the simplicity of RichardKortum’s most promising invention. Yes, it’s basically a tiny microscope connected to a Microsoft tablet - the kind you’d find at Best Buy. It might just revolutionize the way doctors diagnose some types of cancer. “I was really excited,” she said, recalling the day she dreamed up the gadget 15 years ago. Instead of sending a cervical tissue sample off to a lab to be studied under a microscope, Richards-Kortum brings the microscope to the tissue, eliminating the need for biopsies. Her “high-resolution microendoscope” fits in a shoebox and has now been proven effective in clinical trials across the globe, but never before in a low-income setting in the U.S. “That’s what we’re trying to do now in the Rio Grande Valley,” said Sonia Parra, a bioengineering student studying under Richards-Kortum, while simultaneously pursuing a medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine. In partnership with Schmeler, Parra plans to spend the next year testing the microendoscope in the Valley. Long term, their goal is to equip local clinicians with the devices.
In her grievance, Barrera stated she was put on administrative leave after “accidentally breaking a couple of personal picture frames in her administrative office.” “It was my intention to push them down on the shelf, as I did with other picture frames. I was upset about the reassignment at the time and the property was mine,” Barrera stated in her grievance. In her grievance, Barrera stated Nuques had “exploited and exaggerated” the incident by placing her on administrative leave and directing her to be examined by a doctor. Trustees took no action on her grievance and she later returned to ZCISD working at her assigned position as director of compensatory education programs. Flores faction Another administrator, Gerardo Montes, former director of assessment at
ZCISD, filed a lawsuit against the district. The lawsuit states during his time serving as director of assessment, he was diagnosed with myeloneuropathy, a disease that affects the spinal cord and peripheral nerves. The lawsuit states Montes was discriminated and retaliated against due to his medical condition. He was demoted to coordinator of public education information management system and had a pay cut. The lawsuit further states in 2012, former Superintendent Norma Garcia reassigned Jose Flores, former high school principal and current board member of ZCISD, to the position of director of operations. Flores was allegedly upset at the reassignment and viewed it as a demotion, even though he did not receive a cut in pay. The lawsuit states Flores decided to retire and
run for the ZCISD board of trustees, along with his brother-in-law Manuel Gonzalez. The lawsuit states board member Veronica Gonzalez also decided to run and she was also upset at Garcia for not giving her sister and aunt a position with the district. “They openly ran on a slated platform to get rid of the superintendent as well as those employees who supported her,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit defines the school board as the “Flores faction.” “They were politically aligned in their desire to remove Superintendent Garcia and all those associated with her and were likewise united in their desire to reward their family members and who had supported their group,” the lawsuit states. The lawsuit states Garcia was forced to retire and was replaced with Nuques.
In November 2013, Garcia announced her retirement, citing she wanted to move on and spend more time with her family. The lawsuit states once Nuques was named superintendent, he set “to carry about the Flores faction’s plan to remove employees who were associated with the previous superintendent…and to reward their family members and those who had supported their group.” The lawsuit states a handful of employees, some related to board members, were given job promotions and a salary increase. Attorney Juan Cruz said the Equal Opportunity Commission determined the district was not in violation of discriminating employees. “The claims are meritless and we will defend the lawsuit vigorously through the court process,” he said.
sponsors of terrorism by the U.S. Secretary of State: Iran, Syria and Sudan. The list is narrower when looking at "special interest countries," a cluster made up of about 35 countries, including the state sponsors of terrorism countries and others like Afghanistan, Somalia, Bangladesh, Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan, according to a list provided by the office of U.S. Congressman and chair of the Homeland Security committee Michael McCaul. In total, 1,004 people from these 35 countries were apprehended on the southwest border through August of fiscal year 2016, all but 172 of whom were from Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Rio Grande Valley Border Patrol Sec-
tor was responsible for 496 of those apprehensions — almost half — and 410 of those were of people from Bangladesh. McCaul, an Austin Republican, said the first thing he asks about in government briefings for the committee is "special interest aliens." He said the “good news” is that there’s “hardly any evidence” of concrete examples of terrorists crossing over the southwestern border, but he said “the bad news is they have the opportunity as long as our border is open.” “Well as long as [the borders open] it’s always an opportunity, and I think that’s what concerns me the most. This story has been exaggerated in some circles, that there are terrorist, ISIS training camps in Juarez,”
McCaul said. “We see no evidence of that or anything like that. But we do know that they like to explore it.” McCaul was referring to a 2015 report of an ISIS camp operating near Juarez, just miles outside of El Paso. The report, put out by Judicial Watch, a “a conservative, nonpartisan educational foundation,” has since been debunked by the U.S. State Department. One thing that does concern McCaul, though, is the increasing number of Pakistani apprehensions, which jumped from 50 in fiscal year 2015 to 262 through August of fiscal year 2016 on the southwestern border. “That concerns me just because of Pakistan in general and just the influence of terrorism there,”
McCaul said. “We did have two Pakistanis detained in Panama that had some ties we thought, that didn't quite make it, though they wanted to get into the United States. Just about all of these Special Interests are deported automatically from the country. But that rise in Pakistanis, we’re not quite sure why.” These climbing numbers, paired with a surge of refugees seeking security in Texas, have some fearful. President-elect Donald Trump has suggested temporarily stopping immigration from some of the “most dangerous and volatile regions of the world that have a history of exporting terrorism,” though it’s unclear if he will hold his campaign promises related to immigration.
Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle
In this Oct. 25 photo, Dora Zuniga, left, walks away from the UTHealth Mobile Health Clinic with her daughter Ariadna Zuniga, right, after she received a pap smear, in Brownsville, Texas. Zuniga said she prefers going to the mobile unit to receive preventive care because it is near her home and is affordable.
A12 | Saturday, December 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
MEXICO
Mexico disappointed at Carrier agreement to keep jobs in US By Mark Stevenson A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MEXICO CITY — Officials in the Mexican state of Nuevo Leon expressed disappointment Wednesday at Carrier Corp.’s announcement it will keep hundreds of jobs in the United States rather than send them south of the border. Carrier said it had made a deal with President-elect Donald Trump to keep the jobs at its plant in Indiana. Carrier currently operates one plant in Nuevo Leon and has built but not yet occupied another one there as part of a
planned $200 million expansion. “The implications are very serious, not only for Nuevo Leon, but for Carrier,” Sen. Marcela Guerra said. “The one who is going to suffer from this is the company ... because their products are going to be more expensive,” she added. Still, Guerra said she could understand Trump’s fight to save U.S. jobs. “I understand the fight, because it is the same fight all we politicians carry out.” At a news conference, the mayor of Santa Catarina, the Monterrey sub-
urb where the Carrier plant is, said he had not heard from the company. “We haven’t received any formal notification from the company. In fact, we are working normally with them,” Mayor Hector Castillo said, adding that Carrier has already constructed the shell of the new factory building. Monterrey, Santa Catarina and much of Nuevo Leon was gripped four years ago by a wave of drug cartel violence and killings. But the situation has calmed, in part because of greater law enforcement efforts but also because of increased
A J Mast / New York Times
President-elect Donald Trump is at the Carrier plant in Indianapolis, Dec. 1.
job availabilities at new businesses, such as a new Kia Motors auto plant, that have opened nearby. “By offering people working conditions that allow them to look after their families’ welfare, they have been kept to some extent busy and on
the road to progress” and away from illicit activities, said Jaime Garcia, director for economic development of Santa Catarina. Like any city, Santa Catarina “would be grateful” for Carrier’s jobs, Garcia said. He declined to com-
ment on Trump’s effort, saying: “We are respectful but we keep our distance from the presidentelect’s policies.” Officials in the union for Carrier’s Mexican workers could not be reached for comment. Calls to the union’s offices went unanswered.
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, December 3, 2016 |
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
B1
NFL
Bryant: Plan ‘way bigger than being 11-1’ LM Otero / Associated Press file
Prosecutors say they have an agreement with Johnny Manziel to dismiss a domestic violence charge against the Heisman-winning Texas A&M quarterback. The former Browns QB was accused of hitting and threatening former girlfriend Colleen Crowley during a night out in January.
Prosecutors: Dismissal deal done in Manziel’s domestic case By Schuyler Dixon ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Paul Moseley / Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Wide receiver Dez Bryant spoke of the Cowboys’ Super Bowl aspirations after Thursday night’s 17-15 victory in Minnesota as Dallas improved to 11-1 on the season.
Dallas hoping for Super Bowl after 11-1 start By Schuyler Dixon A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
ARLINGTON — Dez Bryant and the Dallas Cowboys are on the verge of the team’s longest winning streak in any form — better than the carry-
over run in 1968-69 after already topping the playoff-included surge from the proud franchise’s first Super Bowl-winning season in 1971. There’s something else a 12th straight win would do when the Cowboys
return from an extended break with a visit to the New York Giants on Dec. 11. It would give Dallas (11-1) a firm hold on the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Now that’s progress toward where the Cowboys hope they’re headed.
Dallas could clinch a playoff spot as early as Sunday with a Tampa Bay loss or tie or a Washington loss. “The plan is way bigger than being 11-1,” Bryant said after Thursday’s 17-15
DALLAS — Johnny Manziel has a dismissal agreement with prosecutors that will require the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback to meet conditions for a year before being cleared of a domestic violence charge against him. Dallas County District Attorney’s Office spokeswoman Brittany Dunn said Manziel wasn’t pres-
ent Friday when the agreement was filed. The former Cleveland player will be required to complete an anger management class, attend a domestic violence impact panel and participate in the NFL’s substanceabuse program or something similar. Manziel, who turns 24 Tuesday, faced a misdemeanor charge that carried a penalty of up to a year in jail and a $4,000 Manziel continues on B2
NASCAR
Cowboys continues on B2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
Hobbled Rodgers on roll as Packers face Texans Houston hanging on to 1st
Brian France, NASCAR Chairman and CEO, and Mark Hall, Chief Marketing Officer of Monster Beverage Co., toast during a press conference announcing Monster Energy as the third entitlement sponsor in NASCAR premier series history.
NASCAR hopes sponsor Monster attracts needed younger fans
By Genaro C. Armas A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MILWAUKEE — While Aaron Rodgers’ sore left hamstring might affect his mobility, the quarterback’s right arm seems as strong and accurate as ever. Rodgers is on a roll as the Green Bay Packers return home from a three-game road swing to face the Houston Texans on Sunday. The two-time NFL MVP has 17 touchdown passes to three interceptions over the past six weeks. He’s had passer ratings of at least 115.0 each of the past two games. One victory down, five to go to fulfill Rodgers’ confidence-boosting statement the Packers (5-6) could win out, which would boost their chances of returning to the playoffs. A win last week over Philadelphia snapped a four-game losing streak. “We’re just one game better than we were last
Jonathan Ferrey / Getty Images
By Mike Cranston ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle
Houston running back Lamar Miller is fifth in the NFL with 881 rushing yards this season for the Texans.
week,” Rodgers said. “A bad performance this week or in any upcoming week, we know what that is going to entail in the days after that, so we’ve got to stay focused on what we’ve got to do to win each week.” One of Rodgers’ greatest assets is his ability to extend plays and scramble when needed. This has been especially im-
portant with the Packers lacking a consistent running game since Eddie Lacy went down with a season-ending ankle injury in Week 5. “Keep him in the pocket. He’ll make a lot of plays moving out of the back of the pocket with his legs,” Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney said about rushing Rodgers.
Houston (6-5) remains in first place in the AFC South, but is coming off losses to Oakland and San Diego. The Texans are in the middle of an especially tough stretch in their schedule against tough quarterbacks. After Rodgers and the Packers, the Texans visit Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts. Texans continues on B2
LAS VEGAS — NASCAR’s top circuit has been called the Winston Cup, Nextel Cup and Sprint Cup. Starting in 2017, the sport could have a Cupless name, one of many changes expected as Monster Energy takes over as title sponsor with a desire to attract younger fans to a sagging sport. “Young people set trends in fashion and then older people adapt,” said Mark Hall, Monster’s chief marketing officer. “Fashion is set by a small group of influencers. The challenge is to make your product relevant to that group and then have them influence the others. If we’ve been successful in the past, we’ve followed that model.” A decade ago, NASCAR was the cool
sport, drawing record television ratings and numerous sponsors as it branched out from its Southeastern roots. The recession hit the sport hard, then the fans started to scatter and TV ratings dwindled. Sprint, which inherited the sponsorship of the sport’s top series when it merged with Nextel, announced in December 2014 it wouldn’t renew. It took nearly two years to find a replacement, and it’s believed Monster is paying much less. But NASCAR hopes the relationship with the California-based maker of caffeine-filled energy drinks will reinvigorate an aging fan base. NASCAR Chairman Brian France kept saying “fun” and “edgy” in describing Monster at Thursday’s news conference announcing the NASCAR continues on B2
B2 | Saturday, December 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SPORTS
Cowboys’ LB Rolando McClain suspended indefinitely By Schuyler Dixon A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
ARLINGTON — Dallas Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain’s onagain, off-again career could be over this time. McClain was suspended indefinitely Friday for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, his third suspension since the end of the 2014 season. That was his only full year with the Cowboys, although he missed three games with injuries, after reviving his career following a year away from the game. The suspension likely means the end of McClain’s Dallas career. The 27-year-old McClain was on his third straight one-year contract but never saw the field for the Cowboys. McClain was suspended the first
MANZIEL From page B1 fine after the former Cleveland player was accused of hitting and threatening former girlfriend Colleen Crowley during a night out in January. As with previous court orders, the former Texas A&M star will not be allowed to have contact with Crowley under the agreement. “If the undersigned defendant fails to meet one of the requirements of this agreement or is charged with a new offense, the defendant will be prosecuted for this offense,” the agreement states. Prosecutors said the agreement with Manziel was far from the end of its process. “A conditional dismissal is only the beginning of the process of educating an individual on how to make better choices when facing conflict,” prosecutors said. “It is an important first step for a defendant. Success or failure will depend upon one’s commitment to the treatment programs included.” Judge Roberto Canas
TEXANS From page B1 Coach Bill O’Brien is sticking by his own struggling quarterback — Brock Osweiler has thrown more interceptions (13) than touchdowns (12) and has often failed to move the offense. O’Brien said Osweiler, is his first season with Houston, is getting more comfortable with the offense. “So we just have to make sure that we play better around him. Look, he’s got to do his part, there’s a lot of things he can improve upon. But I think we all need to improve,” O’Brien said. Other notes and things to watch ahead of Sunday’s game: RODGERS’ MOBILITY Coach Mike McCarthy has said that Rodgers is expected to play after he tweaked his left hamstring in the 27-13 win over the Eagles on Monday night. Passing game production has picked up after a slow start with Rodgers
10 games this year after a four-game ban to start 2015. McClain was eligible to return for the Thanksgiving game this season, but owner and general manager Jerry Jones said he wouldn’t report to the team. Jones declined to be more specific. “Rolando has got to work on his off-the-field situations before he can even begin to think about being a productive player on the field,” executive vice president Stephen Jones said on his radio show Friday. “We certainly wish him the best.” The eighth overall draft pick by Oakland in 2010 out of Alabama, McClain had three disappointing seasons before the Raiders dumped him. McClain signed with Baltimore shortly
after his release but retired twice while with the Ravens. The Cowboys were looking for help at linebacker in 2014 after leading tackler Sean Lee sustained a season-end-
ing knee injury in offseason workouts. McClain decided he wanted to play and came to Dallas in a trade just before training camp. McClain had a careerhigh 108 tackles that first
said at a hearing last month that the sides had reached a tentative deal. Canas had required Manziel to attend a hearing to finalize the agreement, but it was postponed Thursday so court personnel could attend the funeral of a bailiff. “I’m thankful to both the court and prosecutor for their hard work and diligence in trying to come to a fair and just resolution for all parties involved,” Manziel attorney Jim Darnell said. “My client is pleased to be able to put this part of the situation behind him and is eager to satisfy the terms of the agreement.” Manziel, a free agent who hasn’t signed with a team since the Browns released him in March, served a four-game suspension this season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. He remains under review of the league’s domestic policy, which could include a six-game suspension under guidelines that were toughened after the NFL was criticized for its handling of Ray Rice’s domestic case. Manziel’s agreement is similar to one that star Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant successfully
completed following a domestic incident involving his mother in 2012. Cleveland took the dazzling dual-threat quarterback 22nd overall in the 2014 draft, and the Browns cut him after two tumultuous seasons marked by inconsistent play and off-the-field headlines about his partying and drinking, including one stint in rehab. Since the 2015 season ended, Manziel has been dumped by two agents after both demanded a second trip to rehab. The allegations stem from a night out on Jan. 30. Crowley said Manziel accosted her at a Dallas hotel, a confrontation that continued downstairs to the valet station. She said he forced her into a car and a valet disregarded her pleas for help. The two eventually drove to where her car was parked in front of a Dallas bar, she said in an affidavit. She said Manziel got into the driver’s seat and began to drive. Crowley said Manziel stopped when she tried to jump out of the car, but then he dragged her back inside and hit her.
COWBOYS From page B1
making quick, accurate throws in rhythm. Still, this might be the perfect time for the Packers to generate a ground game with James Starks and Christine Michael. Houston’s defense is ranked 19th against the run (107.5). “Now, it’s December football, we need to run the ball more as a football team, not only for us offensively but for our defense, time of possession,” McCarthy said.
gling offense . Miller, whom the Texans signed to a four-year, $26 million contract from Miami in the offseason, ranks fifth in the NFL with 881 yards rushing. He’s been a workhorse, carrying the ball 211 times, which is just five shy of his previous career high.
SORE LINEBACKERS Injured starting inside linebackers Jake Ryan (ankle) and Blake Martinez (knee) seem to be getting closer to returning, which could bode well for the Packers run defense. After a good start on the season for the run defense, opponents have had more success on the ground over the past month. McCarthy has also said that linebacker Clay Matthews should be ready for Houston after he hurt his shoulder against Philadelphia. MILLER TIME Running back Lamar Miller has been a bright spot on Houston’s strug-
Roger Steinman / Associated Press file
Dallas linebacker Rolando McClain has been indefinitely suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. This is his third violation and likely ends his career as a Cowboy.
GOOD DAVANTE Adams, in his third season, has emerged as a go-to guy for the Packers. He’s finding ways to get open and making tough catches at key moments. Adams is averaging a career-high 13.4 yards per catch this season, and 14.8 over his past three games. FOND OF FULLBACKS O’Brien is a fan of fullbacks, even in an era where many NFL teams don’t have one on their rosters. Houston’s fullback is Jay Prosch, and O’Brien raved about the third-year pro’s blocking and what he brings to the offense. “I always use it this way — and I guess I’ll leave it to you to figure out — it calms the game down when the fullback is in the game,” O’Brien said. “That’s how I see it.”
victory over Minnesota. “It’s a pretty cool situation but there’s more ball left. This success thing is kind of tricky. You can’t get too high. That’s the beginning of falling off. That’s something that we are not going to do.” The win over the Vikings was the roughest of a run that started after a season-opening loss to the Giants. Dallas had season lows in points, yards and first downs along with penalties that contributed to just one third-down conversion in nine tries. The Cowboys needed their punt coverage unit to provide probably the biggest play of the game, when Kyle Wilber forced and recovered Adam Thielen’s fumble in the fourth quarter. Bryant scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 8-yard catch on the next play. And Dallas won despite giving Minnesota a chance to tie when rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and center Travis Frederick botched a snap to force a punt. A play earlier, Prescott thought he scrambled for a critical first down with a brilliant slide along the sideline that kept the clock moving. The spot was overturned on review. “There’s no question you can get challenged differently over the course of a 16-game season,” coach Jason Garrett said Friday. “And if you do have an ability to win different ways, it’s certainly going to make you more difficult to beat.” While Prescott was limited to 139 yards passing on just 18 attempts, fellow rookie Ezekiel Elliott was slowed before
NASCAR From page B1 agreement. “They get at a millennial audience in a different way than we’ve ever been associated with,” France said. “They know what they’re doing.” France declined to say what the name of the circuit will be in 2017. NASCAR’s press release of the multiyear agreement referred to NASCAR’s “premier series,” hinting the Cup name will go away. An official announcement of the name and logo is expected within a couple
year with Dallas, second to safety Barry Church and good enough to get him another one-year contract. But the fourgame suspension shortened his second season before the announcement
in June that he was banned 10 games for another substance-abuse violation. McClain has 479 tackles and 9 1/2 sacks in 345 games with 134 starts over five seasons.
Paul Moseley / Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Dallas wideout Dez Bryant caught four passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in Thursday night’s victory at Minnesota.
a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter helped push him to 86 yards and set up Dallas’ final points on a field goal. The pattern for Elliott has been consistent in recent weeks — a slow start before a late surge that gets his rushing total close to 100 yards. And now he gets ready for a rematch with the only team that contained him the entire game. Elliott had season lows of 51 yards and a 2.6-yard-percarry average in a 20-19 loss to the Giants in his regular-season debut. “We’ve certainly changed as a team, they’ve changed as a team, different guys have played, there’s a lot of different factors that go into it,” Garrett said. “But there’s no question we’ll use that game extensively to prepare for this one. We’re just starting that process right now.” The Cowboys won 11 straight over two regular seasons in 1968-69 and two years later won the
last 10 games, including the playoffs, for the Super Bowl title. The last time Dallas was 12-1 was 2007 with Tony Romo at quarterback, when the Cowboys rested regulars late in the regular season, finished 13-3 and lost to the Giants in their first playoff game. Dallas could be looking at a similar scenario this season, with Romo as the backup to Prescott after the rookie took the job and kept it following Romo’s preseason back injury. Owner and general manager Jerry Jones isn’t interested in top seed talk. “Let’s don’t go there,” Jones said on his radio show Friday. “We’ve got some teams that are looking better. And then of course we know playing Philadelphia played us to the wire. And this Giant game has the makings of a playoff game itself. So, let’s don’t count it.” Jones’ star receiver isn’t counting anything.
weeks. “We’ve got some real good options on that,” France said. NASCAR and Monster will have to move quickly. A marketing plan, signage and other sponsorship issues are pressing ahead of the Feb. 26 season-opening Daytona 500. “It’s a brand that can translate to the youth,” said driver Kurt Busch, whose car has been sponsored by Monster since 2012. “Yet it’s a brand that’s respected in all of motorsports.” The culture change from a cellular company as face of the sport to an
energy drink targeted to millennials was apparent as models in form-fitting outfits flanked both ends of the stage at Thursday’s announcement. “We want to bring some good shows and entertainment for NASCAR fans so they can interact with our brand and understand what our culture is all about,” said Mitch Covington, Monster’s vice president of sports marketing. “Of course, they will have met the fabulous Monster Energy girls. We’re going to have a lot of fun at NASCAR, both in the parking lot and inside the oval.”
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, December 3, 2016 |
Dear Readers: Cats are so cute, and we love them and want to keep them healthy. What are some "people foods" that they SHOULD NOT EAT? Here are some foods, and the reasons why: Tuna: Cats love seafood, right? Well, tuna fish for people doesn't have the nutrition cats need. And too much tuna? Too much mercury, which can be poisonous. Tuna specially made for cats is available -- look for it. A saucer of milk: We've all seen this familiar and ordinary device in comic strips, on TV, etc., but many cats cannot digest milk, which can lead to tummy trouble and diarrhea. Meat fat and bones: Fat can cause upset tummies, and bones can splinter, which could get stuck in the intestines. Raw eggs: Loaded with bacteria, raw eggs are a bad idea, and the egg whites can disrupt vita-
min B absorption in cats. Dog food: A small amount occasionally is not harmful, but don't substitute dog food for cat food -- the nutritional needs of the cat will not be met. Treats: Too many can lead to a fat cat. Check with your veterinarian about recommendations for healthy cat foods. -- Heloise BAG LADY Dear Heloise: I use those 40-pound bags that wild birdseed comes in to make a dropcloth or tarp for small projects around the house, with easy cleanup. I cut the bottom seam off the bags and cut them down the middle, open them and duct-tape them together. -- Tracy K., Frenchville, Pa.
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B4 | Saturday, December 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES