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NATURAL RESOURCES
TEXAS COURTS
High priced gas Natural gas soars as cold grips homes, drillers By JONATHAN FAHEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The frigid winter of 2014 is setting the price of natural gas on fire. Friday, the price in the futures market soared to $5.18 per 1,000 cubic feet, up 10 percent to the highest level in three and a half years. The price of natural gas is up 29 percent in two weeks, and is 50 percent higher than last year at
this time. Record amounts of natural gas are being burned for heat and electricity. Meanwhile, it’s so cold that drillers are struggling to produce enough to keep up with the high demand. So much natural gas is coming out of storage that the Energy Department says supplies have fallen 20 percent below a year ago — and that was before this latest cold spell. “We’ve got record demand,
record withdrawals from storage, and short-term production is threatened,” says energy analyst Stephen Schork. “It’s a dangerous market right now.” Natural gas and electric customers are sure to see somewhat higher rates in the coming months. But they will be insulated from sharp increases because regulators often force natural gas and electric utilities to use financial instruments and fuel-buying strate-
gies that protect residential customers from high volatility. To understand the price increase, just look at the thermometer. A second major cold snap this month is gripping much of the country, including the heavily-populated Northeast. And forecasters are now predicting colder weather in the weeks to come, extending south through Texas.
Photo by Ron T. Ennis/Star-Telegram | AP
Erick Muñoz arrives for a court hearing in Fort Worth, on Friday. A judge allowed a pregnant, brain-dead woman to be removed from life support, despite hospital opposition.
See NATURAL GAS PAGE 9A
WEATHER
WINTER’S COLD, ICY GRIP
Judge: No more life support Family fought hospital over brain-dead, pregnant woman By NOMAAN MERCHANT ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Ricardo B. Brazziell/Austin-American Statesman | AP
Above: This view is looking south at the icy parking lot and road at the Stone Hill Town Center in Pflugerville, on Friday. Below: Caleb Davis, left, 9, and his sister Allie Davis, 7, play with the ice outside their home on Redmond Road in Austin, on Friday.
Friday was a bad day to travel in parts of the state By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Icy conditions in Central and South Texas resulted in an unscheduled day off Friday for a quarter-million Lone Star State students. The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for the Houston, San Antonio and Austin areas until
midday Friday as temperatures hovered just below freezing. The wet, wintry conditions had moved out of San Antonio and Austin by late morning. The weather was forecast to improve by Saturday, and Austin and San Antonio could see a return to temperatures in the 70s by Sunday, forecasters said.
See WINTER
FORT WORTH — A judge on Friday ordered a Texas hospital to remove life support for a pregnant, brain-dead woman whose family had argued that she would not want to be kept in that condition. Judge R. H. Wallace Jr. issued the ruling in the case of Marlise Muñoz. John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth has been keeping Muñoz on life support against her family’s wishes. The judge gave the hospital until 5 p.m. Laredo time Monday to remove life support. The hospital did not immediately say Friday whether it would appeal. Muñoz was 14 weeks pregnant when her husband, Erick Muñoz, found her unconscious Nov. 26, possibly due to a blood clot. Both the hospital and the family agree that she meets the criteria to be considered brain-dead — which means she is dead both medically and under Texas law — and that the fetus could not be born alive at this point. But the hospital had not pronounced her dead and continues to treat her over the objections of both Erick Muñoz and her parents, who sat together in court Friday. “Mrs. Muñoz is dead,” Wallace said in issuing his ruling, adding that meant the hospital was misapplying a state law that prohibits the removal of life-sustaining treatment from a pregnant patient. Larry Thompson, a state’s attorney
Photo by Jay Janner/Austin-American Statesman | AP
PAGE 9A
See WOMAN
PAGE 9A
FEDERAL COURT
Conviction OK’d in Saudi student bomb plot By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — A federal appeals court has upheld the conviction of a former Texas college student from Saudi Arabia sentenced to life in prison for trying to make a bomb for use in a religious attack that possibly was targeting former President George W. Bush. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday rejected an appeal from Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari, 23. A federal court jury in Amarillo in June 2012 convicted him of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Prosecutors said Aldawsari, serving his life term at a federal prison in Terra Haute, Ind., had collected bomb-making material in his Lubbock apartment and re-
searched possible targets, including Bush’s Dallas home, the Cotton Bowl, Hoover Dam and “people of New York,” according to the trial transcript. Aldawsari’s lawyers contended in their appeal before the New Orleans-based 5th Circuit that the trial judge improperly allowed evidence, gave invalid jury instructions and erred in calculating Aldawsari’s sentence. Dan Cogdell, the lead attorney for Aldawsari, did not immediately respond to messages Friday from The Associated Press. Aldawsari was arrested in February 2011 after the FBI searched his computer and apartment for evidence under terms of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows such searches if there’s probable cause the offender
is an “agent of a foreign power.” The appeal contended the search involving Aldawsari wasn’t valid because there was no evidence of any foreign power’s involvement. But a three-judge panel of the appeals court said “protection of the nation against terrorist threats” made the search proper under a provision of the act. Attorneys also argued Aldawsari never completed the bomb but had made “mere preparations,” meaning a single sentence in the jury instruction referring to the crime of attempt was invalid. The court said the reference in the appeal was taken out of context and the instruction as a whole was correct. In addition, the appeal said the sentence was too severe. While the punishment was the maximum
the trial judge could impose, “we do not find the district court abused its discretion,” the appeals panel said. Aldawsari arrived in the U.S. legally in 2008 to study chemical engineering. A handwritten journal found in his apartment included notes that he believed it was time for “jihad,” a Muslim term for holy war. Federal agents also found explosive chemicals, wiring, a hazmat suit and clocks, along with videos showing how to make the chemical explosive TNP. At his trial, his attorneys claimed he was a harmless failure who never came close to attacking anyone. He told U.S. District Court Judge Donald E. Walter at his sentencing hearing in November 2012
he was lonely and isolated from family, friends and faith. “I am sorry for these bad actions, but none of these bad actions did harm to the United States,” Aldawsari said. FBI bomb experts say the amounts of chemicals he had would have yielded almost 15 pounds of explosives, about the same amount used per bomb in the 2005 London subway attacks. Investigators say they were tipped to his online purchases by a chemical company and a shipping firm. Aldawsari had transferred from Texas Tech in early 2011 to nearby South Plains College, where he was studying business. A Saudi industrial company was paying his tuition and living expenses in the U.S.
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Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Saturday, Jan. 25
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Team Captain University for 2014 Relay for Life. 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Border Region Behavioral Health Center auditorium, 1500 Pappas St. Webb, Zapata and Hebbronville committee members invited. Get team registration info and goodies. Lunch provided. Contact Diana Juarez at 319-3100 or diana.juarez@cancer.org. TAMIU Planetarium shows. “One World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure” 3 p.m.; “Force 5: Nature Unleashed” 4 p.m.; “IBEX: The Search for the Edge of the Solar System” 5 p.m.; “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon” 6 p.m. General admission $4 children and $5 adults. Premium shows $1 more. Call 326-3663. Holy Redeemer Church’s 6th annual dance. 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Laredo Civic Center. Music by ON Band. $20 per person, $25 at the door. For tickets, call Isa Silva at 286-3798. Healing Hearts of Laredo grief support meeting. 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road, second floor classroom #A. Bilingual session. Bring a picture or favorite item of your loved one. Contact Elizabeth Alonzo-Villarreal at 740-3233.
Today is Saturday, Jan. 25, the 25th day of 2014. There are 340 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 25, 1924, the first Winter Olympic Games opened in Chamonix (SHAH’moh-nee), France. On this date: In 1533, England’s King Henry VIII secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn, who later gave birth to Elizabeth I. In 1787, Shays’s Rebellion suffered a setback when debtridden farmers led by Capt. Daniel Shays failed to capture an arsenal at Springfield, Mass. In 1863, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln accepted Maj. Gen. Ambrose E. Burnside’s resignation as commander of the Army of the Potomac, and replaced him with Maj. Gen. Joseph Hooker. In 1890, reporter Nellie Bly (Elizabeth Cochrane) of the New York World completed a round-the-world journey in 72 days, 6 hours and 11 minutes. The United Mine Workers of America was founded in Columbus, Ohio. In 1915, Alexander Graham Bell inaugurated U.S. transcontinental telephone service between New York and San Francisco. In 1936, former Gov. Al Smith, D-N.Y., delivered a radio address in Washington, titled “Betrayal of the Democratic Party,” in which he fiercely criticized the New Deal policies of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1947, American gangster Al Capone died in Miami Beach, Fla., at age 48. In 1956, Hank Greenberg and Joe Cronin were elected to Baseball’s Hall of Fame. In 1961, President John F. Kennedy held the first presidential news conference to be carried live on radio and television. In 1971, Charles Manson and three women followers were convicted in Los Angeles of murder and conspiracy in the 1969 slayings of seven people, including actress Sharon Tate. Idi Amin seized power in Uganda by ousting President Milton Obote (oh-BOH’-tay) in a military coup. Ten years ago: NASA’s Opportunity rover zipped its first pictures of Mars to Earth, showing a surface smooth and dark red in some places, and strewn with fragmented slabs of light bedrock in others. Five years ago: The White House used the Sunday talk shows to warn the country could face a long and painful financial recovery, even with major government intervention. One year ago: The U.S. Department of Education declared that students with disabilities had to be given a fair shot to play on a traditional sports team or have their own leagues. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Gregg Palmer is 87. The former president of Georgia, Eduard Shevardnadze, is 86. Actor Dean Jones is 83. Country singer Claude Gray is 82. Movie director Tobe Hooper is 71. Actress Leigh Taylor-Young is 69. Actress Jenifer (cq) Lewis is 57. Thought for Today: “Love must be learned, and learned again and again; there is no end to it. Hate needs no instruction, but wants only to be provoked.” — Katherine Anne Porter, American author (18941980).
Sunday, Jan. 26 Border Bike Challenge. 8 a.m. Shiloh Trails, intersection of Shiloh Drive and Livingston Drive. Online registration $30. Late registration $40 day of competition, 6 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Packet pickup Jan. 25, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., at Laredo Ciclomania, 611 Shiloh Drive, Suite No. 2. Participants receive complimentary ticket to attend Border Beer Festival. Contact David Kash Vasquez at 744-5274 or david@borderbeerfest.com.
Monday, Jan. 27 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920. Monthly meeting of Laredo Parkinson’s Disease Support Group. 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, Tower B, First Floor Community Center. Free pamphlets in English and Spanish available. No fees. Call Richard Renner at 645-8649 or Juan Gonzalez at 237-0666 for Spanish.
Thursday, Feb. 20 Winter Texan & Senior Citizen Appreciation Day. 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Monday, March 10 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Thursday, March 13 42nd Annual Zapata County Fair. 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Zapata County Fairgrounds.
Friday, March 14 42nd Annual Zapata County Fair. 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Zapata County Fairgrounds.
Saturday, March 15 42nd Annual Zapata County Fair. 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. Zapata County Fairgrounds.
Monday, March 24
Photo by Justin Hayworth | AP
Gov. Rick Perry speaks at the Polk County Republican Party fall fundraiser dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013. Perry defended Colorado and Washington’s legalization of marijuana on Thursday, saying it was an issue of state rights, while touting initiatives in Texas as national models for keeping minor drug offenders out of jail.
Perry defends states’ right By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry defended Colorado and Washington’s legalization of marijuana on Thursday, saying it was an issue of state rights, while touting initiatives in Texas as national models for keeping minor drug offenders out of jail. Perry’s comments during the World Economic Forum in Switzerland echoed his past comments on drug policy, but they caused a bit of a stir because of how publicly the Republican endorsed lesser punishments for non-violent drug offenders. His spokesman, Lucy Nashed, said the governor was promoting Texas drug courts, which offer treatment instead of jail time for non-violent offenders. But she sidestepped questions about whether Perry supported decriminalizing marijuana in Texas — where
School district arming some workers
Retail gas prices drop by 2 cents across the state
Inmate accused of triple killing in Mexico
ARGYLE — A North Texas school district has decided to arm some of its employees with firearms and authorize them to use force if necessary to protect students. The Argyle school board approved the policy Tuesday night by a 7-0 vote. Superintendent Telena Wright said the employees to be armed will not be identified.
IRVING — Retail gasoline prices across Texas have dropped by an average of 2 cents this week to $3.10 per gallon. The most expensive gasoline statewide was in El Paso at $3.15 per gallon. The industry survey found Amarillo continues to have the cheapest price at the pump at $2.97.
SAN ANTONIO — A Mexican national imprisoned in Texas on a drug conviction has been handed over to Mexican authorities as a suspect in a triple killing in that country. Authorities say 53-year-old Segundo Pineda-Magadan used assault rifles to kill three people in 1998. They say he and the victims were intoxicated when the shooting occurred.
2 die, 3 hurt in Fort Worth house fire FORT WORTH — A North Texas house fire has claimed the lives of a woman and one of her 6-year-old twin daughters and left three other people hurt. The Fort Worth Fire Department says the blaze was reported shortly before 2 a.m. CST Friday. Authorities are seeking the cause of the fire. Names of the victims weren’t immediately released.
Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Monday, April 14 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Monday, April 28 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Monday, May 12 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920.
Monday, May 26 Zapata County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. Zapata County Courthouse. Call Roxy Elizondo at 7659920. Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com.
having or selling small amounts are misdemeanors — saying only that drug courts have worked in Texas and should be an example to other states and countries. “He’s very much for rehabbing and a diversionary program (rather) than sending people directly to jail, and I think he’s been pretty clear about that during his time as governor,” Nashed said. “This is for non-violent offenders and, for a lot of circumstances, it’s the right policy.” Nashed didn’t have video of Perry making the comments, which according to U.S. News and World Report came during a panel discussion on drug policy that also included former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos. But the governor did say that he couldn’t see Texas legalizing pot any time soon.
Man indicted in sucker punch attack HOUSTON — A white Houston-area man accused of sucker punching an elderly black man has been indicted on a federal hate crime charge. A federal grand jury in Houston indicted 27-year-old Conrad Alvin Barrett on Thursday. Investigators say Barrett slugged the 79-year-old victim, breaking his jaw in two places, in a Nov. 24 attack in Katy. They say he laughed and shouted “knockout” as the man fell.
Lawyer receives sentence for money laundering EL PASO — A West Texas lawyer has been sentenced in El Paso to 20 years in federal prison for scheming to launder money for a Mexican drug cartel. U.S. District Judge David Briones sentenced El Paso lawyer Marco Antonio Delgado on Friday. Delgado was found guilty in October of conspiring to launder up to $600 million. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Family wants boy to surrender OAKLAND, Calif. — Police sought a 14-year-old California boy on Friday in the fatal shooting of his 17-year-old sister as the family of the teenager pleaded for him to surrender. Oakland police said they believe suspect Mario Toliver Jr. of Oakland may still be carrying the weapon involved in Thursday’s shooting. Police have not released a motive in the shooting. But relatives have said the shooting occurred after the two siblings got into an argument over laundry at the family’s apartment in Oakland’s Chinatown. Relatives have identified the victim as the boy’s sister, Justice Toliver.
Necropsies begin for 25 pilot whales found dead MARCO
ISLAND,
Fla.
—
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Managing Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez........... 728-2543 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Carolina Hidalgo, Naples Daily News | AP
Twenty-five dead pilot whales were discovered along the shore of Kice Island on the southwest Florida coastline on Thursday. Necropsies began Friday morning on 16 males and nine females. Teams of biologists are investigating the deaths of 25 pilot whales in the shallow waters off southwest Florida. Necropsies began Friday morning on 16 males and nine females found on Kice Island. Boaters found the carcasses
Thursday. Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service say the whales were part of a pod first spotted in the area Sunday. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
Local
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Suspicious U-turns Brother-in-laws accused of transporting undocumented immigrants from Zapata to Laredo By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
Two men were recently arrested at the U.S. Border Patrol checkpoint near Zapata for attempting to transport undocumented immigrants from Zapata to Laredo. At approximately 5:30 a.m., Jan. 17, U.S. Border Patrol agents stopped a silver Ford F-150 and a black Nissan Pathfinder after they made simultaneous U-turns as they approached the checkpoint. The drivers, identified as Victoriano Ramirez-Hernandez and his brother-in-law Juan Olvera-Angeles,
indicated they were both being paid to smuggle eight undocumented immigrants, according to a court document. Each vehicle contained four undocumented immigrants in them. Ramirez-Hernandez and Olvera-Angeles said they both entered in an agreement with another individual to transport the immigrants. Ramirez-Hernandez stated he wasn’t sure how much he was going to be paid. Olvera-Angeles indicated he was to be paid $600. Material witnesses have been assembled for both cases against Ramirez-Hernandez and Olvera-Angeles.
Woman arrested Agents check sports utility vehicle and allegedly find several undocumented immigrants inside By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
A woman was arrested after she was indicted on three counts regarding conspiracy and human smuggling charges, according to court documents. On Dec. 27, Border Patrol agents decided to follow a Chevrolet Suburban traveling northbound on U.S. Highway 83 due to the fact that agents have encountered sports utility vehicles being utilized by smuggling organizations to transport undocumented immigrants or illegal narcotics. The agents were able to see the inside of the cab and observed multiple subjects located in the vehicle lying down as if trying to hide from view. They brought the vehicle to a complete stop to investigate. The driver, identified as Gabriela Martinez-Luna furnished a Lawfully Admitted Permanent Resident card. The five passengers in the vehicle all stated they were illegally in the United States with no legal documents, the court document states. Martinez-Luna and the five subjects
were then placed under arrest and transported to the Zapata Border Patrol Station for processing. Border Patrol agents interviewed two of the passengers, Juan Carlos Amaya-Garcia and Julio Alfredo Ascencio-Diaz, who both stated they made arrangements to be smuggled into the United States. Agents had both Amaya-Garcia and Ascencio-Diaz identify Martinez-Luna as the driver of the suburban. Martinez-Luna, who recently totaled her own vehicle, told the agents she had an agreement with a man named “Zambo” to transport the undocumented immigrants to Laredo in exchange for borrowing his vehicle. She proceeded to smuggle the immigrants to Laredo before being stopped in Zapata while she was driving northbound on U.S. Highway 83. The indictment handed down by the grand jury states Martinez-Luna did knowingly conspire and agree with other persons to transport an alien who had entered and remained in the United States in violation of the law. (Philip Balli may be reached at 7282528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
Photo by Cuate Santos/file | The Zapata Times
UETA Jamboozie 2014 chairman Victor Garcia, at podium, looks on as Laredo Main Street board members unveil posters promoting the event in November, at La Posada Hotel. Jamboozie is scheduled for tonight.
Laredo party is tonight Annual Jamboozie offers food, dancing and international performers in the city’s downtown area SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The carnival season in New Orleans officially begins in January, but party goers need not travel far from the border to get their Mardi gras fix. The sights, sounds and tastes of exotic food, dancing and international performers descend upon Laredo’s downtown to make way for the annual UETA Jamboozie, breathing new life to the border city and resurrecting the downtown club scene. UETA Jamboozie runs from 5 p.m. to midnight today. Admission is $15 per person at the gates after 6 p.m. It’s $10 pre-sale. Boisterous revelers fill the streets by the thousands
donning feathered masks, layers of beads and face paint as they shimmy and shake their hips to the sounds of the Samba Vida Brazilian Dance Troupe and other musical sensations in one of the most widely attended Washington’s Birthday Celebration events. Operating under the auspices of Laredo Main Street, this festive pachanga offers a sampling of music from all parts of the globe and a taste of international as well as regional foods including New Orleans and Cajun style selections sure to tantalize your taste buds. One will not be able to resist the conga line of colorful characters wearing outrageous masks and donning elaborate Vegas style head-
dresses, vibrantly colored ruffled sleeves and sparkling face paint, as they wind down the downtown streets stopping at every corner block. There are plenty of free beads and face painting in this rowdy event that boasts “good clean fun” for the entire family. Accompanying more than 30 food and novelty booths that line a 20 block area of downtown Laredo selling gorditas, tacos, flautas, menudo, enchiladas and the like, are a string of regional, national and internationally renowned performers taking center stage on six locations on the corner of Hidalgo, Lincoln, Iturbide, San Agustin, Flores and Grant. For more information, visit jamboozie.org
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Zopinion
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Necktie’s on final knot By LLEWELLYN KING HEARST NEWSPAPERS
A nationwide alert, no, a worldwide alert, should be issued for the necktie. It is in great danger. It is disappearing. Soon it may be consigned to history, to live on only in old movies, like people smoking and men in hats. I’m not sure who signed the death warrant for the necktie, but I have my suspicions. It is a long chain of perfidy. First, there was Hollywood. Actors who appear on TV talk shows — and most actors do more appearing on talk shows than acting, in the hope that this will get them jobs, so they can do more acting than appearing on talk shows — did in the necktie. One cannot calculate what these innocent little strips of cloth did to the Hollywood Hills crowd — but actors won’t be caught in a suit and tie unless they are playing someone who wears a suit and tie. Then there is the dotcom crowd; billionaires who declared by their actions that creative people ought to dress as though they worked for a landscaper not the estate owners. Remember Steve Jobs, who starred in many iterations of his own show “Genius in Jeans”? Well, Jobs was a genius, but he was also dressed like a slob, flaunting an everyman image when he was anything but. Now every man is going around the way Steve Jobs did, except minus the genius and the billions. No! No! For me the suit and tie is my native habitat. It is where I am secure — as safe as ordering chardonnay. It all began with my first day of school, when I first put on what was to become the suit of my life: shirt, tie, jacket, hat or cap. When I left school, my father bought me a suit, two shirts and four collars (those were the faraway days when shirts had detachable collars) and told me I would be paying rent if I chose to stay at home. Who said the good old days were so good? My first serious sartorial crisis was at a newspaper in London. It was Saturday, and I ventured inside in a sports jacket, tie and flannels. The news editor (city editor) exploded. “Are you going to a cricket match?” he demanded. “No, sir, I thought it would be all right, as it is Saturday.” “All right, it is not bloody all right! I cannot send you to Buckingham Palace dressed like that.” “You want me to go to Buckingham Palace?” “No! I want you to go home and contemplate a career change!” So I stuck with a suit and tie, but it didn’t save me awkwardness. At a party in Tel Aviv, given so that I could meet members of the Knesset (parliament), I showed up in a summer suit and tie. I was the only man in a suit. The only man with a tie. The only man with a jacket. The odd man out. I trailed around China, as a member of the press corps accompanying President Clinton on his visit. My colleagues joke about my formality of dress, so I took the plunge. When we went to the Great Hall of the People, off Tiananmen Square, to watch Clinton appear with Chinese President Jiang Zemin, I went casual. By some secret telegraph, to which I was not privy, my colleagues dressed up; every man in a jacket and tie except me, looking ridiculous and disrespectful in a golf shirt. That is what happens when you let go of your principles. Sometimes sartorial failure is collective. At a U.S.-Japan conference on the Big Island of Hawaii, the first morning the American delegation, including myself, showed up in island wear. The Japanese delegation wore formal suits. After the refreshment break, lo and behold, the Americans had rushed to their rooms to get into suits and the Japanese to get into island wear. If President Barack Obama were to appear at an international conference without a tie, it would be all over for the necktie; it would move from the endangered species category to the extinct. He would do it in as thoroughly as bareheaded Jack Kennedy did in the gentleman’s hat. Are we better off, I ask you? (Llewellyn King is executive producer and host of ”White House Chronicle” on PBS. His e-mail is lking@kingpublishing.com.)
COLUMN
Life and death in the courtroom
“
KEN HERMAN
AUSTIN — It’s called “voir dire” and, as state District Judge Brenda Kennedy noted Tuesday in court, it’s pronounced “vor dire” in Texas but “vor deer” in Boston (as well as a good portion of the North American land mass). It is French (“vwa deer,” I believe, is the correct pronunciation) and generally translated as “to speak the truth.” It’s the trial phase during which potential jurors speak the truth as lawyers pick who’ll hear the case. More precisely, it’s the phase during which lawyers pick who won’t hear the case. Either way, it’s crucial. On Tuesday, about 70 local folks filled a courtroom as the lengthy process began for picking the 12 people and two alternates who will perform the most onerous task government places on citizens — deciding whether to allow somebody to be killed. The state of Texas wants to kill Brandon Daniel for the April 2012 shooting death of Austin police officer Jaime Padron as he responded to an early morning disturbance call at a North Austin Wal-Mart. Two weeks ago, the jury selection process began as about 400 people completed a questionnaire that asked everything from what kind of car they drive to their feelings about the death penalty. Six smaller groups, beginning with the one Tuesday
The state wants to kill Brandon Daniel for the April 2012 shooting death of Austin police officer Jaime Padron. Three folks indicated by paddle that they harbor bias either for or against cops. Nobody professed any bias against lawyers. The slaying of a police officer qualifies as capital murder. morning, were brought in this week for group questioning and instruction sessions. On Friday, individual questioning of potential jurors begain. On Tuesday, Daniel sat facing the panel of folks who might judge him, but I never saw him look at them. Instead, he gazed down and to the side (though he did seem decidedly more alert than the deputy seated behind him, who — eyes down, hands folded on midsection, chin on chest, swiveling rhythmically — seemed to periodically doze.) FYI, Tuesday’s first group of potential jurors included former Houston state Rep. Debra Danburg and Ellen Richards, daughter of the late Gov. Ann Richards. Danburg made it to the next round and will come back for individual questioning. Richards was excused before Tuesday’s group session. By display of numbered paddles, the potential jurors answered questions about themselves and the case. Six held up their paddles when Kennedy asked how many want nothing to do with the process. Nine paddles went up when she
asked how many were looking forward to it. The rest went up when Kennedy asked how many could “take it either way it comes.” Three folks indicated by paddle that they harbor bias either for or against cops. Nobody professed any bias against lawyers. Moving into specifics, Kennedy said, “Let’s talk about murder.” She managed to get a laugh out of that most unfunny subject when she noted that capital murder includes the slaying of a judge. “This is the most important one,” she said. The slaying of a police officer also qualifies as capital murder. In this case, given multiple witnesses and a self-admission, there’s little doubt about Daniel’s guilt, leaving punishment as the most challenging decision jurors will face. If convicted, the only choices are death or life in prison without parole. “Jurors don’t actually vote for death,” Kennedy told the panel. “Jurors just answer questions.” Correct. Judges sentence people to death, but can only do so if jurors decide the murderer
is a continuing threat and there were no mitigating circumstances making life without parole the more appropriate punishment. This case is litigation about mitigation. “I will agree with you that this is all about the punishment phase,” defense lawyer Russell Hunt told me during a Tuesday break. Daniel’s mother has said her son was binging on tequila and Xanax when Padron was killed. And Hunt has said his client is not a continuing threat to society. “He is a 20-something computer scientist,” Hunt told the Austin American-Statesman last month. It is, of course, possible to be both a 20-something computer scientist and a continuing threat to society. Twelve of our neighbors will make that decision. And, because they and the system in which they will operate are fallible, it’s unfortunate that it will be a life-or-death decision. Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: kherman@statesman.com.
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SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
Agenda en Breve LAREDO 01/25— Miembros del Comité del Relevo por la Vida 2014 de Webb, Zapata y Hebbronville invitan a capitanes de equipo, actuales y anteriores, a participar en el ‘Team Captain University’ a llevarse a cabo de 9:30 a.m. a 2:30 p.m. en el Auditorio del Border Region Behavior Health Center, 1500 Pappas St. en Laredo. Informes llamando al (956) 319-3100. 01/25— El South Texas Collectors Expo invita al Comic Con de 10 a.m. a 6 p.m. en el Student Center Ballroom de TAMIU. Costo del boleto inicia en 10 dólares. Más información en www.stcecomiccon.com 01/25— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta, “One World, One Sky, Big Bird’s Adventure” a las 3 p.m.; “Force 5: Nature Unleashed”, a las 4 p.m.; “IBEX: The Search for the Edge of the Solar System” a las 5 p.m.; y, “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon” a las 6 p.m. Costo varía de 4 a 6 dólares. 01/26— Reto de Bicicleta en la Frontera (Primera Carrera de Bicicleta de Montaña 2014) con inicio en Shiloh Trails, Shiloh Dr. y Livingston Dr. a las 8 a.m. Inscripción a 30 dólares a través de Borderbeerfest.com, y, 40 dólares en el Shiloh Trails, a partir de las 6 a.m. el día del evento. 01/26— Dentro de la temporada “Shared Border”s, la Filarmónica de Laredo se presentará a las 3 p.m. en el Martinez Fine Arts Center del Laredo Community College, Campus Fort McIntosh. Costo a 20 dólares para adultos y 15 dólares para adultos mayores. Estudiantes entran gratis. 01/26— El South Texas Collectors Expo invita al Comic Con de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. en el Student Center Ballroom de TAMIU. Costo del boleto inicia en 10 dólares. Más información en www.stcecomiccon.com 01/26— Misa Diócesana para Escuelas Católicas, a cargo del Obispo James Tamayo, a las 3 p.m. en Catedral de San Agustín. Posteriormente habrá recepción en el San Agustin Ballroom del Hotel La Posada, auspiciada por St. Augustine HS. Pida informes en su escuela.
NUEVO LAREDO, MÉXICO 01/25— Bazar de Arte a partir de las 9 a.m. en la Sala Gabriel García Márquez de Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita. 01/25— “¿Cómo atrapar una historia?” presenta “Los sueños en el arte” a partir de las 11 a.m. en Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita. 01/25— Festival Infantil presenta “La magia del cuento” a las 2 p.m. en Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita. 01/25— Sábado en el Museo para Niños “Todos Somos Monet”, técnica en acuarela, a las 4 p.m. en la Sala de Servicios Educativos del Museo Reyes Meza. Evento gratuito. 01/26— El grupo de Teatro Laberintus estará presentando la obra infantil “La Nave”, de José Luis Pineda Servín, a las 12 p.m. dentro del teatro del IMSS, entre Reynosa y Belden (sector centro). Costo 20 pesos. 01/26— Recital de homenaje al maestro Sergio Peña, a las 5 p.m. en la Sala Sergio Peña. Costo de 100 pesos. 01/27— Se presentará obra de teatro “Por qué los Hombres Aman a las C******s” con Aracely Arambula, Gabriel Soto y Jessica Coch, a las 7 p.m. en el Teatro Principal del Centro Cultural. Boletos a la venta en Talamás.
SABADO 25 DE ENERO DE 2014
CBP
Estadísticas de 2013 TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Aduana y Protección Fronteriza (CBP, por sus siglas en inglés) dio a conocer las estadísticas de incautaciones, detecciones y descubrimientos de delitos realizados durante el año fiscal 2013. CBP y agricultores especialistas en ocho puertos de entrada del Sur de Texas decomisaron una significante cantidad de narcóticos, dinero, documentos falsos y descubrieron numerosos inmigrantes indocumentados y violaciones agrícolas durante el año fiscal de 2013. El año fiscal 2013 comenzó el 1 de octubre de 2012 y culminó el 30 de septiembre de 2013. En los ocho puertos de entrada, que van desde Brownsville a Del Río, durante el año fiscal 2013, se decomisaron 93.011 libras de narcóticos, que presentan un valor esti-
CBP dio a conocer las estadísticas de incautaciones, detecciones y descubrimientos de delitos realizados durante el año fiscal 2013. mado en la calle de 358 millones de dólares. En concreto, se decomisaron 83.930 libras de marihuana, 4.970 libras de cocaína, 2.897 libras de metanfetaminas y 13.004 cartuchos de municiones. Estas intercepciones se realizaron durante el procesamiento de casi 2.8 millones de camiones comerciales, 19.3 millones de vehículos privados, 53 millones de pasajeros y peatones y 69.364 autobuses comerciales en los puertos durante el mismo periodo. “Nuestros oficiales de la línea frontal de CBP y especialistas en
importaciones respaldaron nuestra misión de dar seguridad a la frontera durante el año fiscal 2013 y en el proceso se decomisó una cantidad significativa de narcóticos”, dijo Noel Sánchez Jr., director interino de Operaciones de Campo de la Oficina de Campo de Laredo. “(Estuvo) incluido un aumento del 104 por ciento en el decomiso de heroína, así como un aumento significativo en la detección de las violaciones de inmigración”. Oficiales de CBP del sur de Texas, durante el año fiscal 2013, determinaron que un total de 31.787 ciudadanos de diferentes nacionali-
dades, sin documentos legales para ingresar a Estados Unidos, realizaron violaciones de inmigración, lo que representa un aumento del 13 por ciento sobre el año fiscal 2012. Así mismo oficiales de CBP y especialistas en agricultura en el año fiscal 2013 detectaron un total de 16.987 plagas. También se realizó la detección de plantas en cuarentena y material animal en el año fiscal 2013. “Los oficiales de CBP trabajan en colaboración de los agentes de Patrulla Fronteriza, agentes de interdicción aérea, marítima, así como federal, estatal, local y autoridades mexicanas a través de la Campaña del Sur de Texas, que continúa aportando una unidad de resistencia para la seguridad del Corredor del Sur de Texas en contra de las organizaciones criminales trasnacionales”, concluyó Sánchez Jr.
RÍO BRAVO/EL CENIZO
TAMAULIPAS
RESTAURAN CONFIANZA
Civiles armados atacaron a soldados TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto por Victor Strife | Laredo Morning Times
Dr. Luís Pellicia Ramos, médico de emergencias en Laredo Medical Center, explica las potenciales consecuencias en salud pública cuando organismos patógenos se encuentran en el agua para beber, durante la reunión pública/taller celebrada esta semana en Salvador García Middle School, en Laredo.
Reciben actualización sobre el agua POR ALDO AMATO TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Los primeros pasos en la reconstrucción de la confianza de los residentes de Río Bravo, El Cenizo y los oficiales del Condado de Webb iniciaron el miércoles por la noche durante una reunión pública en el ayuntamiento para discutir los problemas de la calidad del agua. Más de dos docenas de residentes llenaron el gimnasio de Salvador Garcia Middle School, conforme un panel entre funcionarios federales, estatales y locales presentaron una actualización en cuanto a las condiciones del agua en Río Bravo. El 8 de agosto, una alerta para hervir el agua fue emitida para los aproximadamente 8.000 residentes de El Cenizo y Río Bravo. Fue emitida después de que los problemas sobre la calidad del agua aumentaran y una muestra del agua diera positivo a la bacteria E. Coli. La alerta duró tres semanas. Tom Vaughan, quien enseña biología en Texas A&M International University, dijo que aproximadamente cinco millones de galones de aguas residuales sin tratar son desembocados al río todos los días. La mayoría del agua contaminada proviene del arroyo La Joya, de la sección de Nuevo Laredo, México.
“Esta (agua contaminada) también afecta a la Ciudad de Nuevo Laredo”, dijo Agustin Boone, jefe de sección de la Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas en Nuevo Laredo”. “Uno a uno, hemos logrado eliminar las fuentes de aguas residuales. Esperamos realizar mejoras en el arroyo La Joya y otras plantas tratadoras de agua junto a lo largo del río para eliminar las descargas de aguas residuales”. La residente de Río Bravo, Guadalupe Elizondo, destacó la gestión del ex Administrador del Sistema de Aguas del Condado de Webb, Johnny Amaya. Amaya renunció en agosto, durante la segunda semana en que la alerta para hervir el agua estuvo activa. Las autoridades ambientales del estado cuestionaron el por qué operadores con licencia en la planta tratadora de aguas de Río Bravo no emitieron la alerta inmediatamente después de que se presentaron los problemas de la calidad del agua. “Miles de residentes fueron afectados por la desafortunada mala gestión”, dijo Elizondo. “Necesitamos el compromiso del condado sobre que esto no volverá a ocurrir y hoy es el primer día en que reconstruimos nuestra confianza”. El Ingeniero del Condado de Webb, Luis Pérez-García dijo que su oficina está trabajando junto
con la Comisión de Calidad Ambiental de Texas (TCEQ) para realizar las reparaciones necesarias a la planta tratadora de agua. “Me sorprendieron algunas de las violaciones que descubrimos en agosto”, dijo Pérez-García. “De ninguna manera defiendo las acciones que fueron tomadas con anterioridad y estamos haciendo todo lo posible para remediar la situación”. Pérez-García dijo que una serie de problemas han ocurrido desde que la alerta par hervir el agua expiró en agosto. Aproximadamente 12 operadores en la planta han sido certificados por la TCEQ en comparación a uno que siguió tras la renuncia de Amaya. El estanque de sedimentación también ha sido limpiado y los trabajadores recibieron asesoría por parte de Leyendecker , Naiser y Viera Inc. El condado se encuentra esperando los resultados de la división de aplicaciones de TCEQ y Pérez-García dijo que el condado va a cooperar plenamente y aceptar las recomendaciones que la agencia ofrece. “(TCEQ) puede perseguir cargos criminales y estamos completamente preparados para seguir adelante con lo que ellos recomienden”, dijo. “Vamos a cumplir con lo que el estado requiera”. (Localice a Aldo Amato en 7282538 o en aamato@lmtonline.com)
Personal de la Secretaría de Defensa Nacional (SEDENA) fueron atacados a balazos por civiles armados, anunciaron autoridades del Grupo de Coordinación del Estado de Tamaulipas (GCT). El enfrentamiento resultó en la muerte de uno de los agresores y la incautación de armas, cartuchos y un vehículo. Los hechos ocurrieron el lunes 20 de enero. El Ministerio Público del Fuero Común, en apoyo de la SEDENA y la Procuraduría General de la República, se constituyó en el lugar para integrar la averiguación previa correspondiente, dando fe que los hechos se registraron en un camino vecinal que se ubica a espaldas de los ejidos El Juanillo y El Sabino de esa ciudad fronteriza. Personal del Ejército Mexicano realizaba labores de patrullaje por ese sector cuando alrededor de las 7:30 p.m. detectaron la presencia de personas que se comportaban sospechosamente a bordo de un vehículo blanco, conminándolos a detenerse. Los sospechosos hicieron caso omiso y emprendieron la fuga, al tiempo que agredían con armas de fuego a los militares. Estos, al repeler la agresión, lograron que el conductor perdiera el control y terminara volcado sobre uno de sus costados, al tiempo que abatían a uno de los agresores y otros más escapaban. El hoy occiso tenía entre 25 y 30 años de edad. Autoridades no revelaron la identidad de la víctima. El Ministerio Público de la Federación aseguró cinco armas largas (una hallada a los pies del agresor), 49 cargadores, 1.300 cartuchos de diversos calibres y un vehículo color blanco marca Infinity QX 56, modelo 2005, con placas de circulación del Estado de Texas.
COLUMNA
Destacan historia de ‘oficio más antiguo’ POR RAUL SINECIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Muchos prefieren llamarle el oficio más antiguo del mundo. Pese a su antigüedad, sin embargo, pocos se ocupan de historiarlo. El tema ofrece entretenidos aspectos, lo comprobaríamos al ver antecedentes. Surgido en 1823, Tampico sería impactado por “la escandalosa prostitución de Pueblo Viejo”, asegura un testimonio remoto. En efec-
to, aunque discretas, algunas crónicas de antaño reflejan la vida licenciosa del Pueblo Viejo, Veracruz, México. En 1827 ordenanzas municipales prohibieron “casas de prostitución” en la urbe tamaulipeca, autorizándose por lo contrario “billares, tabernas y casas de reunión”. Y si bien Tampico sumaba casi 5.000 habitantes, hacia 1848 reportó 252 costureras. Una por cada 20 residentes.
Ignoramos la suerte del cuerpo de modistas. En cambio, el 2 de marzo de 1874 las damas consagradas a la vida galante merecieron específico reglamento. “Y no siendo posible ni conveniente” suprimir dicha actividad, estimaron las autoridades edilicias, se buscó “darle cierto grado de moderación”. Importancia clave tuvo el registro y control sanitario de las aludidas. El ordenamiento también preveía
“lugares donde deben residir tanto las que vivan aisladas como las que se sujeten a hacerlo en gremio”. .
ADIÓS Su clientela repuntaría con la inmigración que produjo el auge petrolero. Lief Adleson resalta que el censo “legal” de las respectivas oferentes se cuadriplicó tan sólo de 1912 a 1914. Por falta de oportunidades
laborales para el género, la mayoría trabajaba en antros instalados alrededor de la vieja plaza de la Unión, que dio nombre al sector. El “mundialmente famoso” barrio de la Unión, rememora Valentín Campa, lo dominaron “cantinas y prostíbulos que hacían alarde de anuncios (…) montados con gran lujo”. (Contenido cortesía de Raul Sinencio, según fue publicado en ‘La Razón’ de Tampico, México)
National
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Storm paralizes Northeast, Midwest Snow, cold freezes parts of country By JONATHAN LEMIRE AND JENNIFER PELTZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Northeasterners scraped and shoveled Wednesday after a snowstorm grounded flights, shuttered schools and buried roads with a surprising amount of snow, leaving biting cold in its wake. The atmosphere was particularly frosty in New York, where the new mayor acknowledged flaws in the cleanup and some residents complained that schools remained open while children elsewhere in the region stayed home. The storm stretched from Kentucky to New England but hit hardest along the heavily populated Interstate 95 corridor between Philadelphia and Boston. As much as 14 inches of snow fell in Philadelphia, with New York City seeing almost as much, and parts of Massachusetts were socked with as many as 18 inches. Temperatures were in the single digits or the teens in many places Wednesday. In New York, Mayor Bill de Blasio, facing one of the first flashpoints of his weeks-old tenure, initially defended what he called a “coordinated, intense, citywide response” to a storm he said caused a worse-than-expected headache when it ramped up at rush hour. And de Blasio, who campaigned on closing gaps between rich and poor city residents, at first rebuffed complaints that the effort had lagged on Manhattan’s posh Upper East Side, saying “no one was treated differently.” But he backtracked Wednesday evening, saying he’d determined “more could have been done to serve the Upper East Side.” Thirty more vehicles and
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
An icicle drips as bundled up pedestrians pass by Friday in downtown San Antonio. South Texas could see a return to temperatures in the 70s by Sunday. nearly 40 more sanitation workers were sent to the area to finish the cleanup, de Blasio said in a statement that noted he still felt the citywide response, overall, “was well-executed.” In a city where snow removal has proven a political hot potato, the flap was almost a mirror image of complaints about how de Blasio’s predecessor, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, handled a 2010 blizzard. Bloomberg, who lives on the Upper East Side, faced criticism that outer boroughs had gotten short shift from plows. Brooklyn-dwelling de Blasio, then the city’s public advocate, was among the critics. This time, de Blasio found himself being asked why some Upper East Side avenues still were covered in snow when a Brooklyn thoroughfare was plowed clear to the pavement. Pamela Murphy Jennings’ two children navigated snowy sections of tony Madison and Park avenues to get to their public
schools on the Upper East Side, she said in an interview. “Children have to walk to city bus stops and cross these streets to get here,” she said. “Cars are sliding on roads. If there was any day to close schools, this was the day.” De Blasio said officials made the right call in anticipating that streets would be passable enough for students to get to school safely, adding that his own teenage son had gone, if grouchily. But the Department of Education said Wednesday’s attendance rate was only 47.1 percent — far below the average daily attendance rate of about 90 percent for the 1.1 million students who make up the nation’s largest public school system. Traffic and the storm’s timetable complicated the cleanup, he and Sanitation Commissioner John Doherty said. The storm arrived earlier than expected Tuesday and intensified right around the evening rush, mak-
ing it difficult to plow and spread salt, Doherty said. Citywide, 100 percent of primary streets were plowed by 6 a.m. Wednesday, along with 90 percent or more of other streets, Doherty said. Some residents were understanding. Upper East Sider Lou Riccio agreed cleanup was a problem in his neighborhood, but he didn’t see it as the mayor’s fault. “It was just the problem of a bad snowstorm coming at a bad time of the day,” said Riccio, who teaches public affairs at Columbia University. Elsewhere, the storm was blamed for at least one death — a driver was ejected from a car that fishtailed into the path of a tractor-trailer on a snow-covered Maryland road — and might have claimed more lives. Authorities were investigating three suspected weather-related deaths in Pennsylvania’s Delaware County, outside Philadelphia; a
preliminary investigation showed weather conditions played a role in a two-vehicle crash that killed two people in Prince George’s County, Md.; and police said the storm may have factored in a deadly tractor-trailer wreck in Frederick County, Va. Schools were closed in Boston, Philadelphia and many other places on the Eastern Seaboard. Federal workers in Washington got a two-hour delay in their work days Wednesday after a day off Tuesday because of the snow. In downtown Jersey City, N.J., certified nurse’s aide Kerline Celestin waited for a bus Wednesday to head home after being stuck at work overnight due to the storm. The temperature was in the single digits, with the wind chill below zero. “I didn’t want to be outside,” she said. Maintenance worker William Haskins knocked on doors in downtown Annapolis, Md., to see if anyone needed sidewalks cleaned. His 10-year-old son, Travis, out of school for a snow day, came along with his own shovel and an understanding that profits would be split evenly. “He was up waiting for me this morning,” his father said. On Cape Cod, a blizzard warning in effect through Wednesday afternoon kept business brisk at Aubuchon Hardware in Sandwich, where salt and snow shovels were popular. “The flow of customers is pretty steady, but everyone waits until the worst of the storm to start worrying,” manager Jeff Butland said. About 1,400 flights were canceled Wednesday into and out of some of the nation’s busiest airports, including in Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston, according to Flightaware. The storm was a conventional one that developed off the coast and moved up the Eastern Seaboard, pulling in cold air from the Arctic. Unlike the epic freeze of two weeks ago, it was not caused by a kink in the polar vortex, the winds that circulate around the North Pole.
Nation
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
Zimmerman accused News agency: He copied photo ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo by Ben Margot | AP
Work continues on the new eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, foreground, on Jan. 7 in San Francisco. The original span, background, will be dismantled.
Hearing: Errors made By JASON DEAREN ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — After numerous delays and cost overruns, pressure to complete the new $6.4 billion eastern span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge led to pieces being created with cracked welds and other subpar work, government and private engineers told a state Senate commission on Friday. The engineers did not conclude the new span is unsafe, but they told the state Senate’s Transportation and Housing Committee that myriad construction mistakes could have been prevented. They said the mistakes could lead to costly future repairs. “There was extreme pressure to not stop during the procedure because of a race for time,” former California Department of Transportation bridge engineer Douglas Coe, a 25-year department veteran, told the committee. Coe said he was moved to another department after raising concerns about cracks in welds to upper management. The hearing followed a report released earlier in the week by the committee. The Associated Press covered the hearing from a live webcast. Malcolm Daugherty, Caltrans’ director, admitted mistakes were made during the long bridge project, but that the agency went above
and beyond in quality control on welds and other areas of concern. He said the opinions of Coe and others on the panel did not reflect the consensus of the hundreds of people, including many engineers, who worked on the bridge. “The quality assurance on this project exceeded the norms, not the opposite,” Daugherty said. “Any assertion that the bridge is not safe we would absolutely disagree with.” The report detailed accusations that Caltrans managers repeatedly dismissed concerns by quality-assurance experts about the integrity of seismic safety rods — important pieces that hold a shock-absorberlike piece called a “shear key” to the bridge deck. Dozens of those rods cracked in March after being tightened, a failure that cost $25 million to repair. Metallurgy experts, including James Merrill, an engineer who was hired by Caltrans to inspect the construction of key bridge pieces, said the defective seismic safety rods were made of a corrosion-prone steel that should never have been used. Merrill testified that his report urged more testing on the rods, but that Caltrans approved them anyway. Lisa Thomas, a metallurgist with Berkeley Research Co., said Caltrans chose the wrong steel for the rods, and said the agency had no ex-
perts on staff to help guide the decision. “There was not metallurgical expertise on this project from start to finish,” Thomas said. The experts also expressed concerns about welds made in China that were disregarded by upper Caltrans management. Merrill, who works for the contractor, MacTec Engineering, that was hired to oversee welds being done by the Chinese firm Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co. Ltd, or ZPMC, said he raised concerns early on about the process. “I recommended that, if state went forward with them, they could be doing so at great risk as a result of (a) lack of experience,” Merrill testified. Steve Heminger, a member of the Toll Bridge Program Oversight Committee, the bridge project’s watchdog, said all concerns over the welds were taken seriously and investigated. Heminger said a team of investigators was sent to China and created a report that led to changes in the way welds were handled. According to Caltrans, efforts to reduce cracks were increased in 2009 after the concerns were brought forward and pieces were repaired before being installed. “We were well aware of this issue, it was a serious and significant one, and we dealt with it,” Heminger said.
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Associated Press has demanded that George Zimmerman halt the sale of one of his paintings because the news agency says it directly copies an AP photo. Zimmerman’s painting depicts Jacksonvillebased prosecutor Angela Corey holding her thumb and fingers together. An apparently made-up quote Zimmerman added to the piece reads, “I have this much respect for the American judicial system.” Corey’s office prosecuted Zimmerman for the 2012 shooting death of 17year-old Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman was acquitted of second-degree murder last summer. Zimmerman’s brother, Robert Zimmerman Jr., posted an image of the painting Wednesday on Twitter and tweeted a day later that they were in negotiations with possible buyers. A letter with the AP’s demands said that Zimmerman’s painting was a direct copy of an AP photo taken at the April 2012 news conference where Corey announced Zimmerman would be charged with murder. It was taken for the AP by freelancer Rick Wilson. The news cooperative asked that any sale be blocked — and that, if there has been a sale, that the AP be paid damages. The AP sent the letter to Jayne Weintraub, one of a handful of attorneys who has recently represented Zimmerman. Weintraub said she no longer represents Zimmerman but said she will forward the letter to him.
Photo by Rick Wilson | AP
This combination image shows an Associated Press photo, top, of Florida State Attorney Angela Corey, taken in Jacksonville, Fla., on April 11, 2012, and a painting, bottom, by George Zimmerman that portrays Angela Corey, titled “Angie.” “George Zimmerman clearly directly copied an AP photo to create his painting of Florida State Attorney Angela Corey,” AP spokesman Paul Colford said in a written statement. Zimmerman sold another painting on eBay last month, with a winning bid of $100,099.99. George Zimmerman’s exact whereabouts are unknown, and an email address and phone number for him could not be found. His brother, who has frequently served as his spokesman, did not immediately respond to an email. On Twitter, George Zimmerman wrote Friday evening: “No worries AP, I’ll just take whatever U sue me for off your tab when I’m done suing you :-) Or... I could put out how much U offered me 2..” Responding to Zimmerman’s tweet, Colford, the
AP spokesman, said: “We don’t know what he’s talking about.” Martin’s fatal shooting sparked a nationwide debate about race and selfdefense. Zimmerman was accused of racially profiling Martin and said he shot the teen to protect himself. Artist Shepard Fairey got in a legal dispute with the AP after he used an AP photo in his famous Barack Obama “HOPE” poster. Fairey sued the AP in an effort to get a court declaration that he did not violate AP’s copyrights when he made the Obama image. The AP countersued, saying the uncredited, uncompensated use of its picture both violated copyright laws and was a threat to journalism. Claims between the news agency and Fairey were settled in 2011, with Fairey agreeing to pay the AP $1.6 million.
Jury rules against banker in cop beating suit By LINDA DEUTSCH ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — A former banker and movie executive who said police beat him with batons in a bizarre street confrontation lost his $20 million excessive force claim on Friday against the Los Angeles Police Department. Jurors in federal court deliberated less than three hours before finding that two officers didn’t violate Brian Mulligan’s federal or state civil rights and didn’t batter him. Mulligan, his lawyers and his wife, Victoria, rushed out of the courtroom and declined to com-
ment to reporters. Defense attorneys and the officers said they were delighted with the decision. “I’m just extremely happy,” Officer John Miller said outside court. “I’m employed. ... We did nothing wrong.” Peter Ferguson, who represented Officer James Nichols, said experts who testified for the plaintiff couldn’t persuade the jury because the officers did nothing wrong. “These officers have had to live with these allegations for the last year or so,” the lawyer said. “They’re glad they are getting back to work.”
Mulligan’s suit claimed that he suffered a broken nose and shoulder and other injuries along with mental torture from an unprovoked beating in May 2012, and that the officers bludgeoned him with their batons. On Friday, jurors left their deliberations room once to examine one of the batons. During the three-day trial, Mulligan testified that he had used a drug mixture known as bath salts in the weeks leading up to the incident. Mulligan said he was driven to the drug to deal with sleeping problems but denied the substance made
him paranoid during the confrontation. The officers testified that they restrained but did not beat him, and James Nichols said he hadn’t used his baton in 13 years on the force. The officers painted a portrait of a man who was delusional and out of control, who wandered the street with wads of crumpled $100 bills falling out of his pockets and made animal sounds when police confronted him. “This guy had gone crazy,” Miller told jurors. “He’d lost his marbles. I was a bit scared. I’d never seen anybody frothing at the mouth and growling as
an adult human being.” The one-time Deutsche Bank official said he had used bath salts at least 20 times — but not on the night of the encounter. Nichols testified that Mulligan told him he had taken a type of bath salt called “White Lightning” four days earlier and hadn’t slept since. The case played out against a backdrop of horrifying photos of Mulligan’s smashed nose and face. He said he suffered multiple fractures of the nose and lost his sense of smell. He said he still suffers panic and flashbacks to the incident. An expert witness for Mulligan’s side
testified the injuries clearly were inflicted by a baton. Mulligan lost his job with the bank over the incident that was highly publicized. He also had been co-chairman of Universal Pictures and chief financial officer with Seagrams Co. A civilian oversight board found the officers’ use of force to be appropriate, and a claim against the city over his lost bank job was dismissed.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
THE WEEK IN REVIEW WEEKLY STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS
d
NYSE 10,034.42-309.04
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name CSVLgNGs ProSUltNG BarcShtB BiPNG Hyperdy rs BioAmbr n US NGas RadioShk PUVixST rs DirBrzBear
Last Chg 33.81 +12.54 53.98 +14.58 20.88 +4.27 3.12 +.57 6.15 +.95 10.63 +1.64 24.61 +3.73 2.39 +.35 72.81 +10.65 68.90 +9.95
%Chg +59.0 +37.0 +25.7 +22.4 +18.3 +18.2 +17.9 +17.2 +17.1 +16.9
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE) Name Last Chg CSVInvNG 4.76 -3.56 Dolan pfB 3.65 -1.97 PrUShNG rs 46.90 -20.15 YPF Soc 23.02 -7.75 WalterEn 11.35 -2.61 PhoenxCos 42.02 -9.62 GM wt C 3.40 -.74 58.com n 35.89 -7.62 AMD 3.47 -.71 SiderurNac 4.88 -1.00
%Chg -42.8 -35.1 -30.1 -25.2 -18.7 -18.6 -17.9 -17.5 -17.0 -17.0
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NASDAQ 4,128.17 -69.41
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name Thermgn h LiveDeal BioDlvry lf BonsoElec InfoSonic h AriadP ProDex SilcLtd NthValBcp PranaBio
Last Chg %Chg 2.82 +1.73 +158.7 21.18 +7.08 +50.2 9.41 +2.94 +45.4 2.06 +.60 +41.1 2.06 +.55 +36.4 8.99 +2.09 +30.3 3.57 +.82 +29.8 61.00 +13.77 +29.2 24.46 +5.39 +28.3 8.99 +1.89 +26.6
Vol (00)
Name ZipRlty OceraTh rs ZhoneTech LiquidHld n ArcticCat AgiosPh n CorpResSv Retrophin PlugPowr h EnrgyRec
Last Chg Name
S&P500ETF4283122178.89-4.75 BkofAm 4186615 16.45 -.56 iShEMkts 3159851 38.24 -1.55 Alcoa 2974699 11.44 +.08 GenElec 2611653 24.95 -1.63 AMD 2139244 3.47 -.71 SPDR Fncl 1787941 21.11 -.82 FordM 1679522 15.83 -.69 NokiaCp 1483119 6.86 -.93 MktVGold 1474806 23.67 +.34
Last Chg 4.34 -2.22 13.69 -5.07 4.35 -1.49 5.04 -1.68 43.27 -11.74 28.34 -7.59 2.15 -.55 10.43 -2.67 2.81 -.68 4.05 -.93
%Chg -33.8 -27.0 -25.5 -25.0 -21.3 -21.1 -20.4 -20.4 -19.4 -18.7
Vol (00)
Volume
1,110 2,119 358 96 3,268 39 15,465,565,078
Last Chg
BlackBerry 2583537 9.89 +.81 AriadP 2134929 8.99 +2.09 Facebook 2080984 54.45 -1.85 Microsoft 1698033 36.81 +.43 Intel 1647650 24.81 -1.04 SiriusXM 1558801 3.64 -.08 PwShs QQQ1511980 86.74 -1.14 Cisco 1398189 22.20 -.54 eBay 1257481 54.37 +1.17 MicronT 1194012 22.92 +.54
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
Dow Jones industrials
STOCK MARKET INDEXES
CLOSED -44.12
Close: 15,879.11 1-week change: -579.45 (-3.5%)
MON
17,000
52-Week High Low
-41.10 -175.99 -318.24
TUES
WED
THUR
16,588.25 7,591.43 537.86 11,334.65 4,246.55 1,850.84 1,359.99 19,776.59 1,182.04 5,698.58
FRI
16,500 16,000
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
Volume
823 1,887 408 56 2,758 48 8,643,490,619
Name
13,626.81 5,691.23 462.10 8,700.73 3,105.37 1,481.16 1,073.48 15,634.91 891.08 4,257.85
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Dow Jones Industrials 15,879.11 Dow Jones Transportation 7,258.72 Dow Jones Utilities 491.96 NYSE Composite 10,034.42 Nasdaq Composite 4,128.17 S&P 500 1,790.29 S&P MidCap 1,314.07 Wilshire 5000 19,168.63 Russell 2000 1,144.13 Lipper Growth Index 5,511.08
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg %Chg -579.45 -168.74 -.74 -309.04 -69.41 -48.41 -33.74 -490.08 -24.30 -143.11
-3.52 -2.27 -.15 -2.99 -1.65 -2.63 -2.50 -2.49 -2.08 -2.53
-4.21 -1.92 +.28 -3.52 -1.16 -3.14 -2.12 -2.73 -1.68 -1.42
12-mo %Chg +14.27 +23.66 +4.66 +12.69 +31.07 +19.12 +19.82 +20.72 +26.39 +27.28
15,500
MONEY RATES
15,000 14,500
Last
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LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name
WEEKLY DOW JONES
STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Last
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg
Name
Ex
Div
AT&T Inc AMD Alcoa AEP AriadP BkofAm BlackBerry Caterpillar CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil Dillards EmpIca ExxonMbl Facebook FordM GenElec HewlettP HomeDp iShEMkts Intel
NY NY NY NY Nasd NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd
1.84 33.42 -.28 -0.8 -4.9 ... 3.47 -.71 -17.0 -10.3 .12 11.44 +.08 +0.7 +7.6 2.00 46.77 ... ... +.1 ... 8.99 +2.09 +30.3 +31.8 .04 16.45 -.56 -3.3 +5.7 ... 9.89 +.81 +8.9 +32.9 2.40 86.17 -5.27 -5.8 -5.1 1.19 106.24 -4.42 -4.0 -12.8 ... 40.10 -.81 -2.0 +2.1 2.76 66.57 -.94 -1.4 -5.8 .24 90.70 +.05 +0.1 -6.7 ... 7.62 -.43 -5.3 -9.8 2.52 94.85 -4.31 -4.3 -6.3 ... 54.45 -1.85 -3.3 -.4 .50 15.83 -.69 -4.2 +2.6 .88 24.95 -1.63 -6.1 -11.0 .58 28.49 -1.31 -4.4 +1.8 1.56 79.16 -1.84 -2.3 -3.9 .86 38.24 -1.55 -3.9 -8.5 .90 24.81 -1.04 -4.0 -4.4
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Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg
Name
Ex
Div
IntlBcsh IBM Lowes Lubys MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney RadioShk S&P500ETF Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SiriusXM SonyCp SPDR Fncl UnionPac USSteel UnivHlthS WalMart WellsFargo
Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY
.46 25.02 -.31 -1.2 -5.1 3.80 179.64 -10.45 -5.5 -4.2 .72 47.83 +.22 +0.5 -3.5 ... 7.03 -.16 -2.2 -8.9 1.10 49.51 -3.45 -6.5 -8.2 3.18 27.74 -1.47 -5.0 -5.3 1.12 36.81 +.43 +1.2 -1.6 ... 11.52 -.52 -4.3 -10.1 ... 6.70 +.18 +2.8 -26.8 ... 2.39 +.35 +17.2 -8.1 3.35 178.89 -4.75 -2.6 -3.1 1.60 88.15 -2.06 -2.3 -2.2 ... 38.15 +.57 +1.5 -22.2 ... 3.64 -.08 -2.0 +4.3 .25 16.72 -.33 -1.9 -3.3 .32 21.11 -.82 -3.7 -3.4 3.16 171.64 +3.80 +2.3 +2.2 .20 25.28 -2.14 -7.8 -14.3 .20 80.32 -4.96 -5.8 -1.2 1.88 74.42 -1.77 -2.3 -5.4 1.20 45.48 -.91 -2.0 +.2
Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week. Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left. Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.
Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year
CURRENCIES Pvs Week
3.25 0.75 .00-.25 0.04 0.06 1.55 2.72 3.64
Last
Pvs Day
3.25 Australia 1.1477 1.1418 0.75 Britain 1.6507 1.6631 .00-.25 Canada 1.1066 1.1115 Euro .7311 .7301 0.04 Japan 102.32 103.17 0.06 Mexico 13.4235 13.3941 1.63 Switzerlnd .8951 .8973 2.82 3.75 British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.
MUTUAL FUNDS Name
Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV
Alliance Bernstein GlTmtcGA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SoftwCom d Fidelity Select Tech d PIMCO TotRetIs T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard 500Adml Vanguard HlthCare Vanguard InstIdxI Vanguard TotStIAdm Vanguard TotStIdx Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m
WS 609 ST 2,449 SH 847 SH 7,959 SF 921 ST 255 ST 703 SF 251 ST 979 SF 745 ST 3,394 ST 2,231 CI 150,959 ST 2,927 LB 82,357 SH 9,635 LB 87,843 LB 86,541 LB 105,008 ST 3,577
Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt
78.99 -1.0 50.30 +2.0 11.64 +4.9 206.00 +13.8 71.66 -2.8 29.97 +3.7 74.48 +1.0 15.83 -2.3 62.84 +1.1 78.76 -3.2 117.00 -1.1 122.23 0.0 10.79 +1.3 38.84 0.0 165.14 -2.2 190.41 +2.7 164.09 -2.2 45.41 -2.0 45.39 -2.0 15.63 -2.2
+15.1/D +19.8/E +41.1/C +76.0/A +32.4/A +22.9/D +25.7/D +22.6/C +32.1/B +21.1/C +41.4/A +28.7/C -1.0/D +37.1/B +22.3/C +37.6/D +22.3/C +23.5/B +23.3/B +44.8/A
+15.3/D +18.2/E +17.6/E +30.6/A +21.9/B +21.5/D +26.4/A +17.8/C +24.4/B +16.9/D +29.2/A +28.2/A +6.9/C +24.5/B +19.1/B +19.7/D +19.1/B +20.1/A +20.0/A +24.9/B
4.25 2,500 5.75 2,000 5.75 1,000 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL1,000,000 NL 2,500 NL 10,000 NL 3,000 NL5,000,000 NL 10,000 NL 3,000 5.75 750
CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - MidCap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.
It’s Grammys time By BEN SISARIO NEW YORK TIMES
The Grammy Awards are so predictable. Except when they’re unpredictable. On Sunday night, CBS will broadcast the 56th annual Grammys ceremony from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, giving the music business its most valuable annual media platform and fans everywhere a chance to root for their favorites and — almost inevitably — scratch their heads at an upset or two. Among the big questions this year: Will Macklemore & Ryan Lewis sweep the top prizes, planting a flag for in-
die, openly liberal rap? Will Grammy voters crown last year’s pop phenomena, like Lorde, Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke and Daft Punk? Or will they follow their mystifying habit of rewarding left-field underdogs, as in 2008, when Herbie Hancock beat Amy Winehouse and Kanye West for album of the year, or in 2011, when Esperanza Spalding — a little-known jazz bassist on her third album — won best new artist, ahead of Justin Bieber and Drake? This year’s top contenders include two that quickly went from the fringes to stardom through a combination of online virality and
old-fashioned Top 40 radio. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, a rapper-producer duo from Seattle, released their album, “The Heist,” independently and promoted it through savvy use of YouTube and a distribution deal with Warner Music. They sold 1.3 million albums and 16.5 million tracks, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and became one of Spotify’s moststreamed acts around the world. The duo’s seven Grammy nominations include album of the year, song of the year (for the marriage equality anthem “Same Love”) and best new artist.
NATURAL GAS Continued from Page 1A Natural gas is used by half the nation’s households for heating, making it the most important heating fuel. Electricity is the second most popular heating source, and electric power generators use natural gas to generate power more than any other fuel except for coal. Commodity Weather Group, which predicts heating demand for energy companies and consumers, said in a report Friday that periodic breaks in the cold weather are expected to be “weaker and briefer, extending the duration of colder weather” in late January and early February. There are a couple of other factors at play. In the past, much of U.S. natural gas was produced in the Gulf of Mexico. If weather disrupted supplies there, it was typically in the early fall, during hurricane season, when heating and electricity demand are low and natural gas storage facilities are mostly full in preparation for winter. Now, much of U.S. production comes from on-shore formations that are more susceptible to cold, ice and snow. Wells that are not designed for such extreme conditions can freeze, halting production. “Now the threat to production is when demand is at its highest,” Schork says. Also, electric utilities have for several years been switching to cheaper natural gas for power generation. And new pipelines aren’t being built fast enough to deliver all the
gas required at times of high demand. That can lead to regional shortages that send prices skyrocketing. In some producing regions in Pennsylvania gas was selling for below national benchmarks Friday, But closer to East Coast cities it was selling for 10 times those benchmarks because producers couldn’t get their gas into packed pipelines, according to Citibank energy analyst Anthony Yuen. When the Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Station in Maryland shut down earlier this week because of an electrical problem brought on by snow and ice, power generators across the East Coast scrambled to replace the lost power by cranking up natural gas-fired plants. That sent natural gas prices for immediate delivery, known as the spot price, to a record $120 per 1,000 cubic feet in some markets on the East Coast. To put that in perspective, that’s equivalent to oil at more than $700 per barrel. Analysts say there is plenty of gas to replenish supplies, and drillers will likely ramp up production so they can fetch prices they haven’t seen since June of 2010. That could push prices back down somewhat in the coming weeks. If, that is, the weather warms up later in February and March. If it’s still cold when baseball season opens in early April, though, Schork says, “we’ll be looking at much higher natural gas prices.”
and counties typically don’t command fleets of snowplows and other equipment to help deal with winter driving conditions. The freezing rain prompted the Houston Independent School District to cancel classes. The state’s largest district has more than 210,000 students. The University of Texas at Austin, with more than 50,000 students, also canceled classes Friday due to icy streets, along with Texas State University in San Marcos, about 30 miles south of Austin, and the Austin Independent School District. The Houston Airport System reported more than 60 flights canceled at Bush Intercontinental
Blake Shelton, right, and Merle Haggard perform during rehearsals for the 56th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center, on Friday, in Los Angeles. The Grammy Awards will take place Sunday.
WOMAN representing the public hospital, had told the judge the hospital had a legal responsibility to protect the unborn fetus. “There is a life involved, and the life is the unborn child,” Thompson said. But Jessica Hall Janicek and Heather King, Erick Muñoz’s attorneys, accused the hospital of conducting a “science experiment” and warned of the dangerous precedent her case could set, raising the specter of special ICUs for brain-dead women carrying babies. “There is an infant, and a dead person serving as a dysfunctional incubator,” King said. Erick Muñoz said he and his wife are paramedics who were clear that they didn’t want life support in this type of situation. Her parents agreed. He declined to comment as he left the courtroom, and King and Janicek did not say what they would do next, pending a potential appeal by the hospital. The hospital said in a statement Friday that it “appreciates the potential impact of the consequences of the order on all parties involved” and was deciding whether to appeal. The case has raised questions about end-of-life care and whether a pregnant woman who is considered legally and
WINTER The biggest problem was a light freezing rain and sleet that left freeway overpasses and bridges ice-covered and slippery. Traffic was lighter than usual, but numerous traffic wrecks were reported, although none involved large numbers of vehicles. Snow accumulations, no more than an inch or two, appeared to be limited to areas north and west of a line from Brenham to Livingston, well north of Houston. But freezing conditions were reported as far south as Laredo and Corpus Christi. While freezing rain and snow are not unprecedented in normally balmy South Texas, the cities
Photo by Matt Sayles/Invision | AP
Continued from Page 1A
medically dead should be kept on life support for the sake of a fetus. It also has gripped attention on both sides of the abortion debate, with anti-abortion groups arguing Muñoz’s fetus deserves a chance to be born. Several anti-abortion advocates attended Friday’s hearing. Hospital officials have said they were bound by the Texas Advance Directives Act, which prohibits withdrawal of treatment from a pregnant patient. Several experts interviewed by The Associated Press, including two who helped draft the legislation, have said the hospital is misapplying the law because Marlise Muñoz would be considered legally and medically dead. “Marlise Muñoz is dead, and she gave clear instructions to her husband and family — Marlise was not to remain on any type of artificial ‘life sustaining treatment’, ventilators or the like,” the lawsuit said. “There is no reason JPS should be allowed to continue treatment on Marlise Muñoz’s dead body, and this Court should order JPS to immediately discontinue such.” Earlier this week, Erick Muñoz’s attorneys said that the fetus, now believed to be at about 22 weeks’ gestation, is “distinctly abnormal.” The attorneys said they based that
statement on medical records they received from the hospital. The hospital argued in a court filing Thursday that there was little evidence of what state lawmakers and courts thought of this issue, but recent laws passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature to restrict abortion made it clear that they wanted to preserve a fetus’ rights. The Advance Directives Act “must convey legislative intent to protect the unborn child,” the hospital said in its filing. “Otherwise the Legislature would have simply allowed a pregnant patient to decide to let her life, and the life of her unborn child, end.” Not much is known about fetal survival when mothers suffer brain death during pregnancy. German doctors who searched for such cases found 30 of them in nearly 30 years, according to an article published in the journal BMC Medicine in 2010. Those mothers were further along in pregnancy — 22 weeks on average — when brain death occurred than in the Texas case. Birth results were available for 19 cases. In 12, a viable child was born. Follow-up results were available for six, all of whom developed normally.
Continued from Page 1A
Airport through late morning and another 55 at Hobby Airport on the city’s south side. “We have scattered delays in Houston, Austin and San Antonio and a few cancellations,” said Whitney Eichinger, a spokeswoman with Dallas-based Southwest Airlines. “The weather is expected to warm up throughout the day, and our schedule should operate close to normal.” Fort Worth-based American Airlines and its regional carriers cancelled about 220 flights Friday due to the weather, according to spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan. In San Antonio, the bad weath-
er didn’t keep thousands of people from attending the annual Cowboy Breakfast Foundation event, which marks the unofficial start to next month’s San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo. Volunteers began serving breakfast at 4:30 a.m. to people who already had lined up, Bill Massey, the event chairman, told The San Antonio Express-News. The tradition began in 1979 with tacos served to a few hundred people from a pickup truck. Crowds lately have reached 50,000 or more, even in bad weather. “It’s little bit lighter than normal,” he said Friday. “There’s a
good crowd here, but not what we normally get.” The menu included 45,000 breakfast tacos and 10,000 tamales. CPS Energy reported nearly 2,800 customers were without electricity Friday in the San Antonio area as crews worked to restore power. Oncor had about 1,400 outages, mainly in the Dallas area, where temperatures before dawn dipped to the teens. In Central Texas, Fort Hood’s normal operations were suspended for the day because of the hazardous travel conditions. Army officials said only “mission essential” personnel were to report for duty.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors AUSTRALIAN OPEN
HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS’ POWERLIFTING
Zapata cleans up Photo by Aijaz Rahi | AP
Rafael Nadal celebrates after defeating Roger Federer during their semifinal at the Australian Open in Melbourne, Australia on Friday.
Nadal beats Federer By JOHN PYE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Courtesy photo
The Zapata girls’ powerlifting team dominated at the Toros Meet of Champions on its way to taking first place, grabbing seven gold medals.
Lady Hawks win seven gold medals, grab first place By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO — The Zapata powerlifting team made their way to the Gateway City as they participated in the Toros Meet of Champions on Saturday. The Lady Hawks battled all the Laredo schools and a few other ones that made the trip. Zapata came home with a handful of medals, taking seven gold along with a silver, a few bronze and plenty of fourth and fifth place finishes. ZHS took home top honors at the Toro Meet of Champions, capturing first place and many of the Lady Hawks increased their lifts and totals. "Every meet, our goal is to increase in
our totals and of course hoping to win the meet," Zapata head coach Veronica Arce said. "This past Saturday was only our second meet of the year, and not only was I excited because of our championship finish but I was so impressed with the Lady Hawks individual accomplished lifts and totals. “We had some girls increasing their totals by 25, 30, even as much as 60 pounds. This indeed is a result of the girls’ dedication and hard work. As the season progresses, we expect all 20 lifters to increase their overall totals and maxes allowing them all to qualify for the regional meet that will be held in Pleasanton on March 1." The veteran team consists of 10 seniors,
NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS
four juniors, five sophomores and one freshman. Paving the way for Zapata was Jackie Garcia in the 97-pound division where she grabbed a gold medal. Brianna Gonzalez was golden in the 114-pound division while Alana Montes dominated in the 123pound division. Monique Hurtado picked up her gold medal in the 132-pound division while Delaney Cooper was first in the 148-pound division. Amanda Esquivel was first in the 181-pound division while Aileen Campos picked up her gold medal in the 165-pound division. Gaby Reyes lifted her way to first in the 220+ division.
MELBOURNE, Australia — The way Rafael Nadal managed to somehow retrieve a forehand midway through the second set shocked even Roger Federer, who has been on the receiving end of the Spaniard’s unbelievable shots more than anyone else in Grand Slams. It was a tipping point in their Australian Open semifinal. Federer had lost the first-set tiebreaker but was still throwing his whole arsenal at Nadal. At 15-30 in the sixth game of the second set, Federer thought he’d wrong-footed Nadal with a volley deep into the left corner. Nadal lunged for a desperate forehand, swinging just as the ball was about to bounce for the second time and angling it back over the net. Federer, in good position but not expecting he’d need to play another shot, framed a volley. It gave Nadal a breakpoint, and he quickly broke
See POWERLIFTING PAGE 2B See NADAL PAGE 2B
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS
Rangers coveted Tanaka By GERRY FRALEY MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
Photo by LM Otero | AP
Former Cowboys DT Josh Brent, center, was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation for a drunken car crash that killed his friend and teammate, Jerry Brown.
Brent gets 180 days in jail, probation By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Former Dallas Cowboys player Josh Brent avoided prison Friday and instead was sentenced to 180 days in jail and 10 years of probation for a drunken car crash that killed his friend and teammate, Jerry Brown. Brent was convicted Wednesday of intoxication manslaughter for the December 2012 crash on a suburban Dallas highway that killed Brown, who was a passenger in Brent’s car. Brent could have been sentenced to up to 20 years in prison. He was
also fined $10,000. Brent, 25, closed his eyes when the judge read the jury’s verdict. He was kept in custody after the hearing. One of his attorneys, Kevin Brooks, described the former defensive tackle as “somber.” “I’m really kind of overwhelmed with the results,” Brooks said. “It’s kind of what we’ve been fighting for from Day 1. I’m happy for Josh. Josh is still sad and grieving and that’s something he’s going to carry with him the rest of his life.”
See BRENT PAGE 2B
For the Rangers, the Masahiro Tanaka sweepstakes ended well before the touted Japanese right-hander worked out a deal with the New York Yankees on Wednesday. The Rangers cultivated Tanaka as avidly as they did righthander Yu Darvish, who signed with the club before the 2012 season. The Rangers did not stay at the table with the Yankees because they had decided the club needed at least two bats more than one pitcher. Their offensive output has declined by nearly one run per game over the last two years. The Rangers have slipped from 855 runs in 2011, when they reached the World Series, to 730 runs last season, when they missed the playoffs for the first time since 2009. In response, the Rangers committed $268 million to the lineup over the next seven seasons by bringing in first baseman Prince Fielder and outfielder Shin-Soo Choo. When the Rangers signed free-agent Choo to a $130 million contract, they were convinced it would take more to sign Tanaka. They correctly read the developing market. The Yankees will pay $175 million for Tanaka: $155 million on a seven-year contract and $20 million to Rakuten, his club in the Japan Pacific League, as
File photo by Jeff Chiu | AP
Japan’s Masahiro Tanaka was a target of the Rangers this offseason, as the team hoped to pair him with Yu Darvish. He signed with the Yankees on Wednesday. a transfer fee. By comparison, Darvish is a bargain for the Rangers. If he stays for all six seasons - there is an opt-out possibility for the final year - Darvish will cost the Rangers a total of $107.7 million in salary and transfer fee. The difference in salaries will not be lost on Darvish, who has the large ego typical of most top-shelf starters. Darvish-Tanaka will be a rivalry from a distance. The Rangers and the Yankees are scheduled for only seven games during a 10-day span in July this season. "Our off-season goals were first and foremost to address the offense," Rangers general manager Jon Daniels said. "We
were aggressive in spending our resources there. Notwithstanding Derek’s injury, we really like our pitching staff." "Derek’s injury" disrupted the plan, forcing the Rangers to scramble for rotation help. On Jan. 7, left-hander Derek Holland damaged his left knee in what he said was a household accident and underwent microfracture surgery three days later. The Rangers expect Holland to be out until at least the AllStar break, but his absence could go on beyond that. Holland led the staff in starts (33) and innings (213) last season. With Holland out, the Rangers are down to two fit
See RANGERS PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
NADAL Continued from Page 1B
POWERLIFTING Continued from Page 1B
Photo by Aaron Favila | AP
Rafael Nadal beat Roger Federer at the Australian Open, his 23rd win in 32 matchups between the two.
Federer for the first time in the match. He completed his 23rd win in 33 head-to-heads, and ninth in 11 Grand Slam matches, 7-6 (4), 6-3, 6-3 in 2 hours and 24 minutes against the 17-time major winner. A win over another Swiss, No. 8-seeded Stan Wawrinka, in Sunday’s final, would give Nadal a 14th Grand Slam title and make him the first man to win all four majors at least twice in the Open era. Nadal missed the 2013 Australian Open during a seven-month layoff for illness and a knee injury, but returned to win the French and U.S. Opens among his 10 titles for the season and finished the year at No. 1. He won the Australian Open in 2009, beating Federer in the final, and lost in a five-set, 5-hour, 53-minute 2012 final to Novak Djokovic after ousting Federer in the semis. In other years, he’s struggled with injuries — it’s the only Grand Slam tournament he hasn’t won at least twice. “It’s really, really emotional for me to be back on this court, and to be able to play another final — tonight I played the best match of the tournament,” he said, elaborating later: “Very emotional moments in the Rod Laver Arena in the past, very emotional moments this year especially because (this) is the Grand Slam that I really had more problems in my career.” Injuries kept him out of the 2006 Australian Open and hampered his progress in the 2010 and ’11 quarterfinals. “Lot of years I didn’t have a chance to play in this tournament that I really love so much with the perfect conditions,” he said. “So is very special have the chance to be in the final here again.” By reaching his first major final with a win over Tomas Berdych on Thursday night, Wawrinka ensured he’d replace Federer
Rafael Nadal bested Roger Federer in the Australian Open semifinals, continuing his success between the two. Nadal has now won 23 of their 32 matchups, including nine of the 11 in Grand Slam matches. Nadal will now face off in the Finals against Stanislas Wawrinka for the Australian Open championship. as Switzerland’s highest-ranked player for the first time. But the 32-year-old Federer is confident of returning to his old winning ways, expecting some coaching from Stefan Edberg and continued improvement in his fitness to help after a slump in 2013, when he didn’t reach any of the major finals for the first time in 11 years. “I still think my best tennis is only ahead of me now,” he said. Nadal is now second on the list of players reaching Grand Slam finals, joining Ivan Lendl on 19 — Federer leads the list with 24. Another Grand Slam title would lift Nadal to equal second on the alltime list with Pete Sampras, who was in the crowd for the match. Nadal has struggled with a blister on the palm of his left hand in his last two matches, but he removed the heavy tape that affected his serve in his quarterfinal win over Grigor Dimitrov and replaced it with one square of adhesive tape. “The blister is OK,” Nadal said. “The problem ... is the position of the blister, it’s difficult.” But, he
added, he didn’t feel any pain. He certainly didn’t show it if he did. He resisted just about everything Federer threw at him, scrambling to keep balls in play that usually would be winners. Federer served and volleyed, he played with good touch, he played drop shots, he tried everything — even complaining to the chair umpire about Nadal’s loud grunting after the tiebreaker — but his 50 resulting unforced errors doubled the number by his rival. Left-handed Nadal hit 13 of his 28 winners on his powerful forehand side, attacking Federer’s one-handed backhand yet again. “I tried a few things ... then again, Rafa does a good job of neutralizing you,” Federer said. “So I guess at times I couldn’t quite do what I wanted to do, but that’s because of Rafa.” Li Na will be hoping for third time lucky in the women’s final on Saturday against Dominika Cibulkova. The 2011 French Open champion has reached the Australian Open final in three of the past four years, but is yet to win the title.
Courtesy photo
At the Toros Meet of Champions in Laredo, Zapata cruised to a first-place finish. The Lady Hawks compete again this morning at United South. Silver medals were for Alexandra Garcia in the 114 division, who was right behind Gonzalez. Also going away with some hardware is Joeli Castillo in the 105 division while Crystal Navarro took home fourth place and Secilia Mata was fourth in the 165 division. Taking home fifth place medals were Daniela Vela (105-
pound weight class), Lily Cantu (123), Vanessa Guerra (132) and Trisha Garcia (165). The Zapata powerlifting teams make their way to the Gateway this morning for the Panther powerlifting invitational at United South High School. Clara Sandoval can be reached at Sandoval.Clara@Gmail.com.
RANGERS Continued from Page 1B
BRENT Continued from Page 1B Brent’s family members and supporters cried and hugged as the courtroom emptied after the hearing. His mother, LaTasha Brent, spoke briefly as she left the courthouse, saying she was there to support her son. Brown’s mother, Stacey Jackson, wasn’t in the courtroom when the verdict was read. She publicly forgave Brent, and said during Thursday’s sentencing proceedings: “He’s still responsible, but you can’t go on in life holding a grudge. We all make mistakes.” Jackson was the last witness the jury heard, and lead prosecutor Heath Harris said her testimony probably helped Brent get probation. “The victim’s family will always have a bearing on the punishment phase,” Harris said. “Should it make a difference? What if she had been wanting the maximum? Would they have given the maximum? That’s why we let the jury decide.” Prosecutors were pushing for prison time for Brent, whose trial came weeks after a teenage boy in neighboring Tarrant County received no prison time for an intoxication manslaughter conviction in a drunken crash that killed four people. In that case, a defense expert argued that the teen deserved leniency because his parents had coddled him into a sense of irresponsibility — a condition the expert termed “affluenza.”
The group Mothers Against Drunk Driving, whose headquarters isn’t far from the spot where Brent crashed, said in a statement that it was “shocked and appalled” by the athlete’s sentence. “This punishment sends the message that it’s OK to drink and drive — but it’s absolutely not,” MADD said. Brent and Brown, a linebacker on the practice squad, also played together at the University of Illinois and were close friends. They were headed home from a night of partying with Dallas teammates when Brent lost control of his Mercedes and crashed. Officers who arrived on scene saw Brent trying to pull Brown’s body from the wreckage. Blood tests pegged Brent’s blood alcohol content at 0.18 percent, which is more than twice the state’s legal limit to drive of 0.08 percent. Prosecutors told jurors that the burly, 320-pound lineman had as many as 17 drinks on the night of the crash. “We never quarrel with a jury’s decision,” said Harris, who passionately urged the jury to send Brent to prison. “All we can hope and pray is that I believe the jury saw something salvageable in him ... and he does get some help.” Judge Robert Burns scolded Brent after reading the verdict, saying his actions “bring shame to the city of Dallas.” The judge also mentioned Brent’s 2009 drunken-driving conviction in Illi-
nois, which the prosecution revisited in making its case for prison time. “The judge obviously has a right to express his opinion,” said George Milner, one of Brent’s attorneys. “I guess the difference is there’s no one in that courtroom that knows Josh the way Kevin and I do. And so I see a different person.” Brent played in all 12 games of the Cowboys’ 2012 season prior to the crash. He retired from the NFL in July, but less than a week shy of his 26th birthday, he’s still young enough to play, although he hasn’t said if that’s what he wants. “He’s never talked about football to me unless I specifically asked questions about football,” Milner said. “I think he’s just trying to figure out how he’s going to deal with the situation where he is.” If Brent did want to play again, it’s unclear if he’d have to serve a suspension before he could take the field again. “This is an issue we will deal with down the road,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello wrote in an email Friday. After wide receiver Donte Stallworth, who was then on the Cleveland Browns, pleaded guilty to DUI manslaughter for striking and killing a Florida pedestrian with his car, Goodell suspended Stallworth for the entire 2009 season.
File photo by Kyodo News | AP
25 year old Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka agreed to a $155 million, seven-year deal with New York this offseason. starters: Darvish and lefthander Martin Perez. The Rangers believe lefthander Matt Harrison, an 18game winner in 2012, is doing well in his return from two back surgeries. They hope right-hander Colby Lewis, who pitched more than 200 innings in 2010 and 2011, can become the first major league pitcher to return from hip-resurfacing surgery. The Rangers need more. Daniels hopes that with Tanaka signed, there will be a thaw on the frozen free-agent market. The Rangers will not get involved in the top remaining free-agent arms: right-handers Matt Garza, Ubaldo Jimenez and Ervin Santana. They will get involved in the next level, which includes left-handers
Bruce Chen and Paul Maholm and right-handers Bronson Arroyo and Jerome Williams. There are other avenues. A package headed by first baseman-outfielder Mitch Moreland could bring a back-end starter. Johan Santana, a twotime American League Cy Young winner, is attracting attention as he rehabilitates from a second shoulder surgery. "You can always add depth," Daniels said. "We’ve done that a little bit, and we’ll continue to look at guys to provide us some depth, maybe some competition for spots in camp. There are always guys who sign this time of year that end up playing big role on good clubs." The Yankees got that pitcher. The Rangers are on the prowl.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE
“
HELOISE
Dear Heloise: If I wash a shirt that has an AUTOGRAPH ON IT written in permanent marker, will the autograph come out? — A Reader, via email Permanent marker is meant to be permanent! However, repeated washing (especially with hot water) and drying probably will make the autograph fade. To be safe, it’s better to hand-wash it (turn it inside out first) using only cool water and a mild detergent. Roll it in a towel to squeeze out water, and hang to dry, or drape over the shower curtain. Hope this helps! — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Hope Soliz of Rotan, Texas, sent a picture of her 4-pound Yorkie, Baby Girl, sitting on the back of the couch watching TV with her owner. To see Baby Girl’s picture, go to my website, www.Heloise-
.com, and click on “Pets.” — Heloise REMEMBER TO SEND Dear Heloise: At the end of the year, I buy a new calendar for the next year. I write down all the birthdays and anniversaries for the year. I never forget to send a card. — Gail, via email DOG WASH Dear Heloise: The fertilizer hose attachment that allows fertilizer to mix with water makes an excellent device for washing your pets. Just put your dog shampoo in the reservoir. Spray with clear water first, turn the dial to “product application” and then rinse. Works great! — L.M., Port Charlotte, Fla. As long as the “pet” is large enough, and you MUST be sure to clean the sprayer several times first. — Heloise NO-TEAR BREAD Dear Heloise: I keep a loaf of bread in the freezer just to make school lunches with. It helps the bread not tear when I am trying to put together a sandwich, and it thaws by lunchtime. — B.R. in Massachusetts
DENNIS THE MENACE
FAMILY CIRCUS
PEANUTS
GARFIELD
DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:
DILBERT
Sports
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 25, 2014
White Sox extend manager Ventura Ventura gets multi-year contract ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox say they have agreed to a multi-year contract extension with manager Robin Ventura.
MLB NEWS ROUNDUP The terms were not disclosed. The White Sox announced the deal on Friday, hours before their annual weekend fan convention began. Ventura turned down an extension before the 2013 season, leading to speculation that he might not stick around much longer. He led the White Sox to 85 wins and a second-place finish in the AL Central, but they dropped to 63-99 while finishing last in his second season. Ventura, 46, is148176 in two seasons. He spent 16 major-league seasons with the White Sox (1989-98), New York Mets (1999-2001), New York Yankees (2002-03) and Los Angeles Dodgers (2003-2004), hitting .267 with 294 home runs and 1,182 RBIs.
File photo by Nam Y. Huh | AP
Chicago White Sox manager Robin Ventura (right) was given a multi-year extension after his team finished last in the AL Central in 2013. Cubs ink All-Star Wood CHICAGO — The Chicago Cubs have agreed to a one-year contract with All-Star pitcher Travis Wood, avoiding arbitration. A person familiar with the situation said Friday that the deal is for $3.9 million. The person spoke on the condition of ano-
nymity because the terms were not announced by the team. Wood was the Cubs’ most consistent starter last year and made the All-Star team, going 9-12 with a 3.11 ERA. Wood had filed at $4.25 million with the team countering at $3.5 million. The Cubs’ remaining arbitration-eligible players are pitcher
Jeff Samardzija, second baseman Darwin Barney and outfielder Justin Ruggiano. Dice-K back to Mets NEW YORK — Daisuke Matsuzaka is staying with the New York Mets. The 33-year-old right-hander agreed Friday to a minor league contract and was invited to big
league spring training camp next month. Matsuzaka was 3-3 with a 4.42 ERA for the Mets last year after going 5-8 with a 3.92 ERA in 19 starts for Cleveland’s Triple-A team at Columbus. He has a 53-40 record with a 4.52 ERA in the major leagues, going 18-3 with a 2.90 ERA in 2008, his second season with Boston. The Red Sox signed him to a $52 million, six-year contract before the 2007 season and paid slightly more than $51.1 million to buy his rights from the Seibu Lions of Japan’s Pacific League. Atlanta signs SP Garcia ATLANTA — The Braves have agreed to a minor league contract with right-hander Freddy Garcia and invited him to their big league spring training camp. A 37-year-old right-hander, Garcia went 1-2 with a 1.65 in six games for the Braves, including three starts, after he was acquired from Baltimore last year. He also pitched six solid innings in Game 4 of the division series against the Dodgers, though after he left the Braves lost the game and the series. Atlanta wanted a veteran to bolster a talented but young group of starters, especially after Tim Hudson signed with San Francisco. Garcia will contend for a spot in a projected rotation led by 28-year-old Kris Medlen that includes four other potential starters in their 20s.
Teammates square off at Pro Bowl
Photo by Eugene Tanner | AP
Photo by Tony Avelar | AP
Members of the Colts will face each other in this year’s Pro Bowl under its new format. Indianapolis long snapper Matt Overton, left, and linebacker Robert Mathis, right, are on Team Rice while quarterback Andrew Luck, center, is on Team Sanders.
San Jose captain Joe Thornton (19) and center Patrick Marleau (12) were both locked up to three-year extensions on Friday, avoiding free agency this offseason.
Under new format, teammates square off under Hall of Fame managers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. By OSKAR GARCIA ASSOCIATED PRESS
PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii — Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is disappointed he’s not teammates with Robert Mathis during the Pro Bowl. But the Colts linebacker says if he gets a shot at Luck during Sunday’s game, he’ll take it. “I’m going to bust him,” Mathis said Thursday after practicing for Team Rice, drawing laughs from a crowd of fans while signing autographs. Luck versus Mathis is just one of several head-to-head matchups made possible by a new Pro Bowl format modeled after fantasy sports and schoolyard pickup games. The teams were drafted by Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Deion Sanders. Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald could line up against teammate Patrick Peterson. Chicago’s wide receiver tandem of Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery might have to face off against cornerback Tim Jennings. And Kansas City quarterback Alex Smith could be sacked by linebacker Tamba Hali or defensive tackle Dontari Poe, or intercepted by safety Eric Berry. Nearly 30 of 88 play-
ers in the Pro Bowl have a reasonable chance of facing their NFL teammates on Sunday during the game at Aloha Stadium. Marshall said practicing against Jennings throughout the season has given him inside information he plans to use during the game. “I know what he likes, I know what he doesn’t like,” Marshall said. “I know what he bites on so I’m going to give him some double moves, give him some triple moves and I’m going to run right by him a few times.” Asked if Jennings could say the same about him, Marshall said: “I don’t think so, man. I don’t give away a lot.” “I’m a good actor out there,” he said. Rice and Sanders split up the Pro Bowlers in an “unconferenced” format earlier in the week. Players on six NFL teams — Baltimore, the New York Jets, Houston, New Orleans, Tampa Bay and Washington — ended up with their teammates only on the same Pro Bowl side. All five New Orleans Saints players ended up on Team Rice, which he built around quarterback Drew Brees. “I love having my guys — I know they can all play,” Brees said Thursday. “And I defi-
nitely don’t want to go up against any of them.” His teammate, tight end Jimmy Graham, said Brees was the mastermind behind makings sure the Saints ended up together. The players practiced in front of a military crowd on Thursday at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, next to an airfield with a Boeing C-17 Globemaster on the tarmac and service members and their families in a crowd on a track and field named for Amelia Earhart. “You made my day,” 12-year-old Sam Grazzini shouted toward Brees after the Saints’ quarterback posed for a picture with him and signed an autograph in a spiral notebook. Sanders, after trading barbs with Rice many times in the weeks leading up to the game, practiced with his team’s cornerbacks, wearing football gloves and doing positional drills. “I feel good, man. This is fun,” said Sanders, who has pushed to square off against Rice in the game. Rice did not appear to be at his team’s practice. He was scheduled to appear at a mall opening in west Oahu with Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., the mall’s developer and former 49ers owner.
Sharks ink their stars San Jose keeps captian Joe Thornton, all-time leading goal scorer Patrick Marleau from hitting free agency By JOSH DUBOW ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN JOSE — The San Jose Sharks locked up two of their cornerstone players before they could hit the open market this summer, signing three-year extensions Friday with captain Joe Thornton and franchise leading goalscorer Patrick Marleau. The contracts prevent the two stars from becoming unrestricted free agents this summer and keep them under contract with the Sharks through the 2016-17 season. “We really appreciate them helping us keep this group together and contributing in this way,” general manager Doug Wilson said. “They both did step up. It says a lot about both of them as people and teammates.” ESPN first reported the deals that will pay Thornton an average of $6.75 million over the three years and Marleau $6.66 million. Thornton also has a no-trade clause, according to his brother John, who is also his agent. Thornton and Marleau were the top two picks in the 1997 draft with Thornton going to Boston and Marleau to San Jose. The Sharks acquired Thornton in a deal on Nov. 30, 2005, and the two have helped the Sharks win the most regular-season games in the NHL since that time. They also both insisted on waiting to sign until knowing the other player was
coming back, too. “That created a unique dynamic in the negotiations because it was two individual negotiations but it was contingent to them knowing we’re a better team with both instead of one,” Wilson said. “That tells you the respect between the two players.” Despite all the regular-season success, San Jose is still searching for its first trip to the Stanley Cup finals. The Sharks lost the Western Conference finals in 2010 and 2011, and were knocked out in seven games in the second round last season against Los Angeles. San Jose is poised for another run this season and is currently fifth in the league with 72 points. Even at 34 years old, Thornton and Marleau are still playing at an elite level. Thornton leads the NHL with 47 assists and is sixth with 53 points. Marleau was picked for the Canadian Olympic team and has 21 goals and 26 assists this season. “They’re elite level players that are still playing at elite levels,” Wilson said. “They’re only 34 years of age. They are both strong and healthy and very high fitness guys.” Thornton has 1,171 career points, the most of any player since he entered the league in 1997-98. He is currently 25th on the NHL’s alltime assist list with 834 and 48th on the career points list. Marleau has played all
1,216 career games with San Jose, notching 425 goals and 483 assists. He is fourth in the league in goals the past six seasons with 187 and is 72nd all-time. Marleau ranks first on the Sharks career list for points, goals, power play goals, short-handed goals, gamewinning goals and shots. Wilson has always done a good job locking up his key players before they hit free agency at below market prices. Thornton is taking a slight pay cut from his expiring three-year deal that pays him an average of $7 million a year. Marleau, who negotiated his own contract after the death of his agent, Don Baizley, this summer, also took a slight pay cut from the fouryear deal that pays him an average of $6.9 million a year. With these deals done, the Sharks have locked up almost all of their important players before free agency starts in July. The one key remaining potential unrestricted free agent is 37-yearold defenseman Dan Boyle, who is talks with the Sharks about a new deal. The Sharks have already reached long-term deals with defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, and forwards Logan Couture, Joe Pavelski and Brent Burns. “We think we’re set very well for the future, and we also think we’re in a very good position to focus on the now,” Wilson said.