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FEDERAL COURT
Smuggler sentenced Man arrested for having 500 pounds of marijuana gets 5 years By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
A man who had a hand in the smuggling of about 500 pounds of marijuana in February in Zapata County was sentenced Wednesday in a Laredo federal court to five years in prison.
An indictment filed March 3 charges Heraldo Chapa with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Rene Romeo Guerra, a
co-defendant in the case, is also charged in the indictment. Guerra accepted a plea agreement April 30 and pleaded guilty to the possession charge. He was sentenced to 18 months Dec. 4. Chapa pleaded guilty to
both counts May 1. On Feb. 5, federal agents said they received reports of a white pickup in the Falcon Lake area that had pulled into an abandoned warehouse. Agents said they then saw four people leaving the area, according to a criminal complaint.
An investigation led to the arrest of Chapa and Guerra. Agents said they found 509 pounds of marijuana inside the warehouse, records state. The contraband was valued at $407,200. Chapa allegedly admitted to transporting the
INVESTIGATION
marijuana during a postarrest interview Feb. 6. Agents said Chapa’s role was to open and close the ranch gates to allow the vehicle to pick up the marijuana. (Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)
ZAPATA COUNTY
KIDS WITH CRIMINALS
ALBERTO GUERRA
Photo by Mark J. Terrill | AP
Marvin Velasco, 15, practices soccer outside his new home in Los Angeles. Velasco’s perilous journey from Guatemala included crossing a river, even though he doesn’t swim, and getting lost at night in a frigid desert.
Man busted for active warrant By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Committee examines migrant children abuse By GARANCE BURKE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal officials don’t know how many migrant children they’ve sent to live with convicted criminals across the U.S. over the last three years, at a time the government sought to speed young Central American migrants out of shelters and into private homes, the chair of a
bipartisan congressional subcommittee said Wednesday. Overwhelmed by the numbers of children crossing the border, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services weakened its child protection policies, leaving children vulnerable to human trafficking, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, said in an opening statement to the Senate Permanent Sub-
committee on Investigations. The subcommittee is holding a hearing Thursday to examine weaknesses in the agency’s placement program for migrant children, which Portman says suffers from “serious, systemic defects.” The senator’s statement echoes the findings of an Associated Press investigation released Monday, which
found that more than two dozen unaccompanied children were sent to homes across the country where they were sexually assaulted, starved or forced to work for little or no pay. In his statement, Portman said that as part of its six-month investigation, the subcommittee reviewed “more than 30 cases
See ABUSE PAGE 8A
A man wanted in Zapata County was arrested this week in Laredo, according to reports. Laredo police identified the suspect as Alberto Guerra, 51. Reports state he had an active warrant for burglary of habitation. At about 11 p.m. Jan. 26, police said they spotted a gray Chevy Equinox parked in the 3100 block of Chihuahua Street.
Reports state the officer recognized Guerra from a lookout given for being wanted out of the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office. The officer approached Guerra and confirmed he had the active warrant. He was taken into custody. Guerra remains in custody at the Zapata Regional Jail. Police impounded the Equinox. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
MEXICO
Pope’s visit to focus on immigration By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
REYNOSA, Mexico — The young Salvadoran woman was robbed and forced to dodge kidnappers working for a drug cartel during her four-month odyssey to this border city of belching factories and swirling dust across the Rio Grande from Texas. She hoped to be on the other side long before Pope Francis visits the region next month and delivers what promises to be a highly symbolic homily ad-
dressing immigration. Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims will flock to the border to hear him speak, and America’s political class will likely be listening as well. Francis’ Feb. 17 Mass in Ciudad Juarez comes just eight days after the New Hampshire primaries, and three before contests in South Carolina and Nevada. Immigration has been a hot-button campaign issue particularly among Republican hopefuls such as Donald Trump and Ted Cruz, who have taken an increas-
ingly hard line with Trump vowing to deport the more than 11 million immigrants living in the country illegally and Cruz aiming to end birthright citizenship for their U.S.-born children. It is also an issue close to Francis’ heart, and while analysts doubt he will wade too blatantly into the political thicket, his very presence along the border speaking on the issue will turn heads. “Migration is a complicated situation and he’s not
See POPE PAGE 8A
Photo by Rebecca Blackwell | AP
In this Jan. 6, 2016 photo, migrants participate in a Three Kings Day Mass at the Casa del Migrante shelter run by Catholic nuns in Reynosa, Mexico.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
Tuesday, February 2
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Alzheimer’s support group will meet at 7 p.m. in meeting room 2, building B of the Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s. For information, please call 693-9991. Join the MOS Library Knitting Circle at McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St., from 1-3 p.m. Please bring yarn and knitting needles. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. Crochet for Kids at McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St., from 4-5 p.m. Please bring yarn and a crochet needle. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. Les Amies Birthday Club will meet at the Ramada Plaza at 11:30 a.m. The hostesses are Yolanda Gonzalez, Rebecca Martinez and Veronica Salinas. The honorees are Velia Herrera, Yolanda Gonzalez, Mary Lou Solis and Mao Eugenia Garcia.
Today is Saturday, Jan. 30, the 30th day of 2016. There are 336 days left in the year. Today’s Highlights in History: On Jan. 30, 1945, during World War II, more than 500 Allied captives held at the Japanese prison camp in Cabanatuan in the Philippines were liberated by U.S. Army Rangers, Alamo Scouts and Filipino guerrilla fighters. On this date: In 1615, Thomas Rolfe, the only child of John Rolfe and his wife, Rebecca (the former Pocahontas), was born in Jamestown in the Virginia Colony. In 1649, England’s King Charles I was executed for treason. In 1882, the 32nd president of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born in Hyde Park, New York. In 1911, James White, an intellectually disabled black man who’d been convicted of rape for having sex with a 14year-old white girl when he was 16, was publicly hanged in Bell County, Kentucky. In 1933, Adolf Hitler became chancellor of Germany. The first episode of the “Lone Ranger” radio program was broadcast on station WXYZ in Detroit. In 1962, two members of “The Flying Wallendas” highwire act were killed when their seven-person pyramid collapsed during a performance at the State Fair Coliseum in Detroit. In 1968, the Tet Offensive began during the Vietnam War as Communist forces launched surprise attacks against South Vietnamese provincial capitals. In 1969, The Beatles staged an impromptu concert atop Apple headquarters in London; it was the group’s last public performance. In 1972, 13 Roman Catholic civil rights marchers were shot to death by British soldiers in Northern Ireland on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.” Ten years ago: Coretta Scott King, widow of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., died in Rosarito Beach, Mexico, at age 78. Five years ago: Egypt’s most prominent democracy advocate, Mohamed ElBaradei, called for President Hosni Mubarak to resign during an address to thousands of protesters in Cairo who were defying a curfew for a third night. One year ago: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said that even if no competitive advantage was gained, the New England Patriots could face penalties if a league investigation found they violated rules by deflating footballs in the AFC championship game. Today’s Birthdays: Rock singer Marty Balin is 74. Rhythm-and-blues musician William King (The Commodores) is 67. Singer Phil Collins is 65. Actor Charles S. Dutton is 65. World Golf Hall of Famer Curtis Strange is 61. Actress-comedian Brett Butler is 58. Singer Jody Watley is 57. Actor-filmmaker Dexter Scott King is 55. Actor Christian Bale is 42. Rock musician Carl Broemel (My Morning Jacket) is 42. Actress-singer Lena Hall is 36. Pop-country singer-songwriter Josh Kelley is 36. Actor Wilmer Valderrama is 36. Thought for Today: “Courage is the art of being the only one who knows you’re scared to death.” — Harold Wilson, British prime minister (1916-1995).
Thursday, February 4 Preschool Read & Play at McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St., from 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Story time and crafts for preschoolers. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. Family Story Time & Crafts at McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St., from 4-5 p.m. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. The American Cancer Society and Laredo Specialty Hospital will commemorate World Cancer Day at 6 p.m. to raise awareness and educate our community on how to fight cancer. A balloon launch will be held to remember those who have lost their lives to cancer and honor those who are fighting the disease and those who have survived. The public is invited to attend. For more information, call Diana Juarez at 319-3100 or Laura Nanez at 286-6955.
Photo by Timothy D. Easley | AP file
Republican Gov. Matt Bevin delivers his budget before a joint legislative session in the House Chambers at the Kentucky State Capitol, in Frankfort, Ky. Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin wants state colleges and universities to produce more electrical engineers and less French literature scholars.
Pushing for engineers By ADAM BEAM ASSOCIATED PRESS
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin wants state colleges and universities to produce more electrical engineers and less French literature scholars. The first-term Republican governor has a workforce shortage on his hands, and he says part of the problem is the public schools are not turning out degrees of the “things people want.” “There will be more incentives to electrical engineers than french literature majors. There just will,” Bevin told reporters this week when announcing his two-year state spending proposal. “All the people in the world that want to study French literature can do so, they are just not going to be subsidized by the taxpayer.” Bevin’s philosophy is more concerned
with the degrees rather than student loan debt, which has been a major issue in the presidential race. Bevin’s budget proposal includes moving Kentucky to a performancebased plan, where colleges and universities would get state tax dollars based on criteria such as graduation rates of certain degree programs. A college that graduates more engineers, for example, might get more state funding than one that has more French lit majors. Thirty-two states have some form of performance-based education funding, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Some of them only apply the model to a portion of state funding. Arkansas, for example, allocates 25 percent of its funding this way. Not so in Bevin’s plan.
Friday, February 5 CaminArte at the Laredo Center for the Arts, 500 San Agustin Ave. Free art walk every first Friday of the month. Carson and Barnes Circus from 5-7 p.m. and again from 8-10 p.m. at the Uni-Trade Stadium parking lot, 6320 Sinatra Parkway. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for children.
Saturday, February 6 The Laredo Northside Farmers Market will be held at the parking lot of North Central Park on International Boulevard from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. We will feature many of our usual vendors and Valentine’s Day activities for the children. We will hold a raffle for several children’s Valentine’s Day baskets with small toys and candy. Come see us there. For more information call Erna Pelto at 763-0138. Carson and Barnes Circus from 2-4 p.m., 5-7 p.m. and again from 810 p.m. at the Uni-Trade Stadium parking lot, 6320 Sinatra Parkway. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for children. Book sale, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Admission is free.
Massive sinkhole opens near Oregon coast
Kentucky moves to halt abortions at clinic
Woman shoots man who broke into home
PORTLAND, Ore. — Transportation officials say a massive sinkhole has opened near a highway along the coast of southern Oregon. The Oregon Department of Transportation says a sinkhole off Highway 101 has been plaguing the Curry County town of Harbor since heavy rains last month. A contractor was working on it Thursday when the erosion started to accelerate on a nearby road. Officials say the sinkhole didn’t swallow any vehicles, and there were no injuries. Signs have been placed along the highway directing traffic to a detour. ODOT spokesman Jared Castle says drivers can expect delays of five to 10 minutes. The agency plans to get bids from contractors Friday so repairs can start quickly. Castle says ODOT wants the road opened in a week, but the entire repair could take eight weeks.
FRANKFORT, Ky. — The state has ordered a Planned Parenthood facility to halt abortions, saying the Louisville clinic needs an agreement with a hospital that could take in women who have complications from a procedure. Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said in a statement that the facility was “openly and knowingly operating an unlicensed abortion facility in clear violation of the law.” State officials said in the letter to Planned Parenthood that its Nov. 19 application to begin performing abortions at its Louisville facility is deficient. Planned Parenthood of Indiana and Kentucky said in a letter to health officials Friday that it would work to correct the problems. The letter said the facility received assurances from state officials in early December — before Bevin took office — that it could begin providing abortions.
LUMBERTON, N.C. — North Carolina authorities say a woman shot and killed a man who had broken into her home. The Fayetteville Observer reports the shooting occurred Friday morning at a home in Robeson County. Maj. Anthony Thompson is a spokesman for the Robeson County Sheriff ’s Office. He said the woman had left home to run an errand, and when she returned, she saw an unfamiliar Jeep parked in her driveway. Thompson said the woman entered the house with her gun, and she confronted a man who was carrying her iPad before she opened fire. The spokesman did not specify the exact circumstances that led her to shoot. No one returned a phone call to the sheriff ’s office Friday afternoon. Neither the woman nor the intruder has been identified. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND TEXAS
Sunday, February 7 Laredo A&M Mothers’ Club Scholarship Fundraiser Super Bowl Plate Sale from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at BBVA Compass Bank on McPherson Road and Hillside Road. Carson and Barnes Circus from 2-4 p.m., 5-7 p.m. and again from 810 p.m. at the Uni-Trade Stadium parking lot, 6320 Sinatra Parkway. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for children.
Monday, February 8 Carson and Barnes Circus from 5-7 p.m. and again from 8-10 p.m. at the Uni-Trade Stadium parking lot, 6320 Sinatra Parkway. Tickets are $16 for adults and $10 for children.
Tuesday, February 9 Join the MOS Library Knitting Circle at McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St., from 1-3 p.m. Please bring yarn and knitting needles. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.
Court sides with cheerleaders in Bible suit DALLAS — The Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday in favor of high school cheerleaders who had argued that their free speech was trampled by their school district when it ordered them not to display banners emblazoned with Bible verses at football games. The court acknowledged in its opinion that the Kountze school district, about 95 miles northeast of Houston, later allowed the banners. But the justices determined their ruling was necessary to protect the future display of religious-themed signs because the district has argued it retains the right to restrict them. The banners carried various Biblical verses such as, “I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.” The lawsuit now returns to the appeals court that ruled in 2014 that the cheerleaders’ law-
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Dave Ryan/The Beaumont Enterprise | AP file
In this file photo, Kountze High School cheerleaders and other children work on a large banner. The Texas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Kountze High School cheerleaders who argued their free speech was trampled by their school district. suit was moot because of the district’s policy change. Hiram Sasser, deputy chief counsel for the Texas-based Liberty Institute, a law firm that specializes in issues of religious liberty and represented the cheerleaders, said the question
now becomes whether the school district will continue the fight. “Are they going to continue to bleed taxpayer money to fight for the right to censor religious speech?” Sasser asked. — 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 & State
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Boys & Girls STAT’s impressive ratings Club nutrition program By JAVIER SOLIS JR.
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Zapata Chamber of Commerce would like to inform the public about USDA Nutrition Program Services being provided by the Boys & Girls Club of Zapata County. The services are now providing free food and
nutrition services for children ages 4-17, from Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Boys and Girls Club. No membership is required. For more information, the Chamber of Commerce would like you to call 956-765-3892.
County fair parade registration SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Zapata County Fair Association would like to extend an invitation to the community. Whether it would be you, an organization, or a group, the association would like to see you participate in the 44th annual Zapata County Fair Parade in Zapata, Saturday, March 12, 2016. This year’s parade lineup will begin at 7 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. at U.S. Hwy 83 & 3rd Avenue next to Pepe’s Car Wash. All entries and participates must be in line no later than 8:30 a.m. The parade will start promptly at 9 a.m. and proceed on 3rd Avenue and head North on U.S. Hwy 83, taking a right on 23rd Street to the Zapata County Fairgrounds. Trophies for different
categories will be issued and awarded at the Zapata County Fairgrounds at 1:30 p.m. The categories include: Best in Show Top Equestrian Entry Top Law Enforcement Entry Top School Entry Top Musical Entry Top Military / Veteran Entry Top Dance Team / Studio Entry Top Cheer Entry Top Business Entry Top Club / Organization Entry Top Community Spirit Award Deadline for the parade entry form is Wednesday, March 9. For more information contact the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce at 956-765-4871.
STAT Emergency Center of Laredo proudly announces that they received exceptional survey results during their recent inspection completed by the Texas Department of State Health Services. STAT Emergency Center received a 100 percent overall rating with zero deficiencies. The state agency surveyed clinical, radiology, lab pharmacy, medical records, administration, physician files, patient surveys, and all other operational protocols. It has been noted that only a few emergency rooms in the state of Texas have received this remarkable rating by the department. Other noteworthy mentions are, the facility’s laboratory received accreditation from the Commission of Laboratory Accreditation (COLA) agency with a score of 99%. In addition, the Tex-
as State Board of Pharmacy performed an audit of our facility’s pharmacy and found us to be 100% compliant, with zero deficiencies. Grace Padron, Director of Operations, made the official announcement on the high ratings and would like to recognize the following staff members: Krisdian Uribe-Facility Administrator, Melissa Gonzalez-Assistant Administrator, Veronica Aguilar-Director of Nursing, Juan Ortiz-ER Manager, and Jesse Silva-Director of Radiology, Sebastian T. Padron, MD-Medical Director; as well as our ER physician staff, registration clerks, clinical and environmental service staff for their hard work and due diligence. Freestanding emergency rooms are part of a new modern era in emergency care and services. Stat Emergency Centers’ different approach in modernizing facilities, implementing fast registration processes,
prompt triage, patient diagnosis, treatment by an experienced/board certified emergency physician, and ultimately offering an array of concierge-style services is what sets us apart from other emergency rooms. We asked the opinion of our Director of Nursing, Veronica Aguilar RN, whose vast experience qualifies her response on why patients choose STAT ER? Aguilar states, “Patients who walk through our doors expect attention to detail, quality care, expedient service, excellent sanitary control measures, always be seen by an ER physician, and maintaining exceptional standards in service and accountability.” At STAT Emergency Center, we understand these expectations and work diligently to ensure that we deliver the best emergency care and service in the health industry. Stat Emergency Center of
Laredo is a freestanding emergency room with a team of ER trained physicians, nurses, and technologists that are available 24/7. We use the latest equipment and technology of a modern hospital emergency room, including CT scans, bedside emergency ultrasound, digital radiology, and a full clinical laboratory - all in the comfort of an upscale clinical environment right in your neighborhood. Stat Emergency Center of Laredo is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! The emergency center now offers two convenient locations at: 2502 NE Bob Bullock Loop, Laredo, TX 78045 (Next to Academy Sports) 1023 Bob Bullock Loop, Laredo, TX 78043 (Next to Valero Gas Station) For more information, please visit the website at www.statlaredo.com, or ‘like’ the page on Facebook: /StatEmergency.
BP agent completes course By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A U.S. Border Patrol agent assigned to the Zapata Station graduated from a 10week emergency medical technician course Friday in Laredo. Agent Porfirio Martinez Jr. and 16 other federal agents were recognized for their accomplishment during a ceremony at the Laredo North Border Patrol Station. A humble Martinez said he sought the training as an EMT to help out the community. He said he has been the first responder to a couple of recent accidents. Martinez said he feels he can do more with the set of skills he learned. “I’m doing this because I want to help the public. We
arrive at most accidents first than anybody else, and this is a good opportunity to help people who are in need,” he said. “We get hurt on the field. There are a lot of obstacles on the field. We mostly work at MARTINEZ night. Fellow agents get hurt … I’m going to be there to help them. I’m doing this out of the kindness of my heart. I just want to help out.” For Chief Patrol Agent Mario Martinez, the participants have given a lot of themselves by joining law enforcement. Now, they are taking that extra role to better take care of the community they serve. “That speaks of their char-
acter,” Martinez said. Douglas Lindberg, Border Patrol operations manager and emergency medical services coordinator, said the program provides emergency medical resources to remote areas where Border Patrol operates. “We quickly learned that it’s also a huge benefit for the general public because our people are out there and can respond in a matter of minutes when an ambulance may take an hour or longer,” Lindberg said. Border Patrol maintains a fleet of vehicles operated by EMTs. The units are outfitted similarly to an ambulance but smaller, he said. “We have the ability to provide IV fluid, oxygen, deal with any injuries that need to be dealt with whether it’s controlling bleeding
or splinting broken bones,” Lindberg said. Since October, Border Patrol has had 100 calls for service for EMTs. They average eight to 10 calls a week across the Laredo Sector, he said. Agent Gabriel Ruiz, who is assigned to the Hebbronville Station, also graduated from the course. Like Martinez, Ruiz said he did it for the people. “I didn’t do it for me. I did it for everybody else that I come in contact in whether it’d be agents whether it’d be the general public or the people that we come in contact day to day,” Ruiz said. “It was a very challenging course, but I feel accomplished at the end.” (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
American and British conservatism differences For a few decades, American and British conservatism marched in tandem. Thatcher was philosophically akin to Reagan. John Major was akin to George Bush. But now the two conservatisms have split. The key divide is over what to do about the slow-motion devastation being felt by the less educated, the working class and the poor. Ted Cruz and Donald Trump have appealed to working-class voters mostly by blaming outsiders. If we could kick out all the immigrants there wouldn’t be lawbreakers driving down wages. If we could dismantle the Washington cartel the economy would rise. In Britain David Cameron is going down another path. This month he gave a speech called “Life Chances.” Not to give away the ending or anything, but I’d give a lung to have a Republican politician give a speech like that in this country. First, he defined the role of government: basic security. In a world full of risks, government can help furnish a secure base from which people can work, dream and rise. Cameron argued that both sides in the debate over poverty suffered real limitations because they still used 20th-century thinking. The left has traditionally wanted to use the state to redistribute money downward. The right has traditionally relied on the market to generate the growth that lifts all boats. The welfare state and the market are important, but, he argues, “talk to a single mum on a poverty-stricken estate, someone who suffers from chronic depression, someone who perhaps drinks all day to numb the pain of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child. Tell her that because her benefits have risen by a couple of pounds a week, she and her children have been magically lifted out of poverty. Or on the other hand, if you told her about the great opportunities created by our market economy, I expect she’ll ask you what planet you’re actually on.” Cameron called for a more social approach. He believes government can play a role in rebuilding social capital and in healing some of the traumas fueled by scarcity and family breakdown. He laid out a broad agenda: Strengthen family bonds with shared parental leave and a tax code that rewards marriage. Widen opportunities for free marital counseling. Speed up the adoption process. Create a voucher program for parenting classes. Expand the Troubled Families program by 400,000 slots. This program spends 4,000 pounds (about $5,700) per family over three years and uses family coaches to help heal the most disrupted households. Cameron would also create “character modules” for schools, so that
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DAVID BROOKS
there are intentional programs that teach resilience, curiosity, honesty and service. He would expand the National Citizen Service so that by 2021 60 percent of the nation’s 16-year-olds are performing national service, and meeting others from across society. He wants to create a program to recruit 25,000 mentors to work with young teenagers. To address concentrated poverty, he would replace or revamp 100 public housing projects across the country. He would invest big sums in mental health programs and create a social impact fund to unlock millions for new drug and alcohol treatment. It’s an agenda that covers the entire life cycle, aiming to give people the strength and social resources to stand on their own. In the U.S. we could use exactly this sort of agenda. There is an epidemic of isolation, addiction and trauma. According to an AARP survey, one-third of adults over 45 report being chronically lonely. Drug overdose deaths of people ages 45 to 64 increased elevenfold between 1990 and 2010. More than half the American births to women under 30 are outside marriage. Poorer parents are too strained and stressed to spend as much quality time raising their kids. According to the sociologist Robert Putnam, college-educated parents spend 50 percent more “Goodnight Moon” time with their kids than less-educated parents. Meanwhile social support systems are fraying, especially for those without a college degree. Religious affiliation is plummeting. Since 1990 the number of people who declare no religious preference has tripled. Social trust is declining. Only 18 percent of high school seniors say that most people can be trusted. There are two natural approaches to help those who are falling behind. The first we’ll call the Bernie Sanders approach. Focus on economics. Provide people with money and jobs and their lifestyles will become more stable. Marriage rates will rise. Depression rates will drop. The second should be the conservative approach. Focus on social norms, community bonds and a nurturing civic fabric. People need relationships and basic security before they can respond to economic incentives. But Republicans have walked away from their traditional Burkean turf. The two leading Republican presidential candidates offer little more than nativism and demagogy. David Cameron has offered an agenda for a nation that is coming apart. There desperately needs to be an American version.
COMMENTARY
Combating veteran suicide and depression By DAVID J. SHULKIN TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
A national panel of health experts recommended this week that all adults be screened for depression during visits with their primary care providers. That’s welcome news at the Department of Veterans Affairs, where we’ve been screening all veterans in our health care system annually for more than 10 years. The new recommendation, developed by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force and published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, should strengthen our collective resolve to address the toll depression and its potentially devastating consequences, especially suicide, are taking on our society. At the VA, our sense of urgency is heightened by the discouraging statistic that America’s veterans are at higher overall risk for suicide than the general public. Veterans suffering from conditions like depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, insomnia and chronic pain are particularly vulnerable. We are working hard to find solutions to this national tragedy. The VA offers unparalleled clinical mental health care and support services to help veterans who find themselves in crisis and conducts innovative research
on suicide prevention. Among our most important statistical findings to date is that veterans who engage in VA care are less likely to take their own lives than those who don’t. This is an encouraging sign that what we are doing to prevent suicide is working, but we must do more. To that end, the VA is sponsoring a national summit on veteran suicide prevention in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday. The summit will bring together VA experts on suicide, veterans and their families, community mental health leaders, and other key partners to focus on how we can all do more to prevent suicide among veterans. Nearly a year ago, the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama, giving the VA additional authority to expand suicide prevention efforts for veterans in partnership with the community. We have made significant progress on implementing the provisions of this legislation, named after a Marine Corps veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan who took his life in 2011. Hunt’s mother and stepfather, Susan and Richard Selke, will be among the speakers at our upcoming summit. Their commitment to improving mental health
care for veterans like their son has been inspiring. We know that veteran suicide is a highly complex problem, but our focused research program is constantly uncovering new and better ways to prevent it. A recent VA study was the first to document that sexual trauma during military service increases the risk of suicide. As we learn more about the conditions and experiences that account for increased suicide risk among veterans, we can develop more evidencebased treatments. The VA’s collaborations with the Department of Defense and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to identify veterans in every state’s mortality data has, for the first time, made it possible to make informed statements about suicide risk among veterans by age, gender, period of service and other important factors. The VA is also harnessing the "big data" of our unique, national electronic health record to develop and test new interventions based on that data. Suicide is not always predictable, but it is preventable. As a doctor, I know that when it comes to suicide prevention, there is no substitute for the human connection: sitting down with a veteran; showing genuine concern; taking a military
history (rarely done outside the military or VA health systems); asking well-informed questions; and listening to what the veteran has to say. Strong relationships between veterans and those who care about and for them are critical. To help veterans build and maintain meaningful relationships with their care teams, families and communities, we need the support of all Americans. We want everyone to know that each of us can make a difference in the life of a veteran in crisis. Just one small act can make a big difference — it can even save a life. If you are a veteran in crisis, or want to know how you can help one who is, contact the Veterans Crisis Line by calling 1800-273-8255 and pressing 1, going to veteranscrisisline.net/chat, or sending a text message to 838255. You will receive free, confidential support from highly trained and experienced responders. Our responders are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, and you don’t have to be enrolled in VA health care to get help. We must be vigilant. Our veterans need and deserve the help of every American in preventing suicide. They were there for us when we needed them — now it’s our turn to be there for them when they need us.
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State
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Deaf immigrant couple dishes up crepes By MARY HUBER AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
AUSTIN, Texas — The smell of newness has not worn off of a small crepe eatery in South Austin. It fights for attention against the scents of melting butter, sweet cheese and fresh fruit, which waft through the open kitchen into a dining room poised with romance and class. At an expansive counter, a man and woman use American Sign Language to communicate with the cook. An oversized menu rests under a sign that reads “Point and Ye Shall Receive,” the simplest way for a customer to order a meal from the all-deaf staff. The story of Crepe Crazy is a story within many stories. It is the story of a family of immigrants struggling to bring a dream to life in
America. It is the story of food culture in Austin — the rise from food truck to brick-and-mortar restaurant, navigating a make-orbreak culinary scene in a city that breeds food legends. And, most centrally, it is the story of a deaf-owned business, which has discovered taste as a universal language that transcends barriers to communication. Vladimir and Inna Giterman hail from Russia and Ukraine, respectively. They moved to Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1990 with their son, Sergei. Six years later, they arrived in Austin, where they had their first American-born daughter, Michelle. Husband and wife toyed with business ideas in America, where they found it was possible for deaf people to start their own companies. They hosted parties with friends and cooked their beloved crepes, a time-
Photo by Tom McCarthy Jr./Austin American-Statesman | AP
Kristen Black, left, looks on as Jeff Kendall points out his order at Crepe Crazy, a deaf-owned and operated crepery in Austin, Texas. honored recipe from Vladimir’s mother, Evelina. “She usually made small crepes called ‘blinis,”’ Inna Giterman writes in an exchange of notes with the Austin American-Statesman. Not like the large crepes at Crepe Crazy, stuffed with
sweet delicacies like Nutella, brown sugar and caramel or the rich flavors of mozzarella, pesto and salted prosciutto. Many of the recipes were adapted from travels throughout Europe and America as the Gitermans were formulating ideas for
their crepe business. Their original flavors were ham and cheese, and Nutella and banana, which they sold out of a small food truck downtown beginning in 2007. They carted it around to festivals like South by Southwest and the Trail of Lights. “People kept asking us if we had a physical spot,” Inna Giterman writes. Their son found a posting on Craigslist for a site in Dripping Springs, and the family opened its first brick-and-mortar location there in 2014. Last month, they opened a second store in Austin. The South Lamar location is quiet at lunchtime. The only sound is small murmurs between hand signs. Inna Giterman writes on a tablet that she’s not sure people know they’re here yet. Their Dripping Springs location is alive and
bustling. But for Austin, they have a long way to go. Inna Giterman was waiting on permits to open the outdoor porch and put up a lighted sign. Inside, the restaurant is pristine — white marble tables decorated with small sprigs of lavender, copper chairs and dome lighting, a handcrafted wine rack and an espresso machine from Italy, polished to a sparkling shade of clean. Daughter Michelle Giterman remarks they hired a professional designer, and most of the interior furniture was custom made. On the menu, the family added fresh cheeses and seasonal soup, along with handmade desserts and New World gelato. The orange juice is squeezed in house, and the beer comes from local brewers (512) Brewing Company, Thirsty Planet and Real Ale Brewing Company.
Antioch church celebrates 150th anniversary By ALLAN TURNER HOUSTON CHRONICLE
HOUSTON — For the most part, the oldest landmarks are gone. The bayouside brush arbor never was meant to last, and the old “Baptist Hill,” site of a wooden box-like chapel, now is occupied by the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts. Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, though, never really was about buildings anyway, despite its current imposing Clay Street home. Antioch, its members will tell you, always focused on the soul. Next month, Antioch, Houston’s oldest AfricanAmerican Baptist congregation, will mark its 150th anniversary with a gala of celebrating leaders of the city’s black community and a
rousing affirmation of faith manifest in preaching, prayer and song. “It speaks of the resilience, the courage and faith of free slaves who had no direction to look to but to God,” Antioch’s pastor, the Rev. O.B. Winkley, told the Houston Chronicle of the coming celebration. “We today are living their legacy. We keep the same faith. We have an intense thankfulness to God.” Founded by a score of worshippers just months after the Civil War’s close, Antioch for generations would prove an anchor to Houston’s African-American community. “The people who started this church believed in education, property ownership, stability and moral character,” said Camilla Jackson, chair of its heritage com-
Photo by Gary Coronado/Houston Chronicle | AP
Martha Anne Goddard, 66, the great-granddaughter of the first pastor of Antioch Missionary Baptist Church, poses for a photo. mittee. While its early pastors were traveling clergy or formally associated with other congregations, Antioch found a man who embodied those values in John Henry “Jack” Yates, who, around 1868, became the church’s
first elected, full-time preacher. Today, his progressive spirit still is felt and his stern visage looks down on worship services from a second-story, stainedglass window. “My great-grandfather obviously was a visionary,”
said Martha Anne Goddard, a Yates descendant active in the church. “He always led by example. That meant that what he said was how he lived. That meant that what you saw was pretty much what you got.” Like many of his successors, Yates, a literate Virginia-born former slave who came to Houston at the Civil War’s close, was both man of God and an astute secular leader. With the help of teaching missionaries, he oversaw the creation of Houston Baptist Academy, the city’s first school for AfricanAmericans. The academy, which taught reading, writing, mathematics and vocational skills, later became Houston College for Negroes, which, church historians said, was a precursor to today’s Texas Southern
University. Under Yates’ direction, Antioch in 1872 joined with Methodist Episcopal Church to buy land in the city’s Third Ward for Emancipation Park, a tree-shaded enclave for the enjoyment of African-American residents. In 1879, Yates supervised the church’s move to its present location at 500 Clay St. - initially a one-story structure designed and built by church members. The chapel, enlarged with a second story in 1895, was the first brick building owned by black Houstonians. Today, the Gothic revival structure with the words “Jesus Saves” emblazoned on its belfry is surrounded by skyscrapers on the edge of the rapidly changing Fourth Ward “Freedmen’s Town.”
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
Agenda en Breve REYNOSA Rocío Ivonne Ramírez Ramírez, fue acusada de secuestro y arrestada por la Coordinación Estatal Antisecuestros (CEA), anunciaron autoridades del estado de Tamaulipas, el miércoles. Ramírez fue arrestada el martes 26 de enero, tras un operativo en seguimiento a una orden de aprehensión librada por el Juzgado Primero Penal del Quinto Distrito Judicial de Reynosa. Supuestamente Ramírez, y una persona que continúa prófuga, secuestraron al hijo menor de un profesionista de Reynosa. Su captura se derivó de una orden de aprehensión por el delito de secuestro contenida en el oficio 172/ 2015, derivado del expediente 131/2015 de fecha 7 de julio del 2015.
SÁBADO 30 DE ENERO, DE 2016
CORTE
Dictan condena POR PHILIP BALLI
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un hombre que tuvo parte en el contrabando de alrededor de 500 libras de marihuana en febrero, en el Condado de Zapata, fue sentenciado a cinco años en prisión el miércoles en una corte federal de Laredo. Una acusación formal presentada el 3 de marzo acusa a Heraldo Chapa de conspiración para posesión con intento para distri-
buir 100 kilogramos o más de marihuana y posesión con intento para distribuir 100 kilogramos o más de marihuana. Rene Romeo Guerra, un coacusado en el caso, también estuvo acusado en la querella criminal. Guerra aceptó un acuerdo de culpabilidad el 30 de abril y se declaró culpable a un cargo por posesión. Él fue sentenciado a 18 meses el 4 de diciembre. Chapa se declaró culpable de ambos cargos el 1 de mayo.
El 5 de febrero, agentes federales dijeron que recibieron reportes sobre una camioneta, estilo pick up, en el área del Lago Falcón, que era empujada al interior de una bodega abandonada. Agentes dijeron que vieron a cuatro personas dejar el área, de acuerdo con una querella criminal. Una investigación llevó al arresto de Chapa y Guerra. Agentes dijeron que encontraron 509 libras de marihuana dentro de la
bodega, señalan registros. El contrabando tenía un valor estimado de 407.200 dólares. Chapa supuestamente admitió haber transportado la marihuana durante un interrogatorio posterior al arresto el 6 de febrero. Agentes dijeron que el papel de Chapa fue abrir y cerrar la puerta entrada del rancho para permitir al vehículo recoger la marihuana. (Localice a Philip Balli en 7282528 o en pballi@lmtonline.com)
COMPETENCIA
AVANZAN A REGIONAL
MIGUEL ALEMÁN El Municipio de Miguel Alemán, México, ha comenzado con trabajos de pavimentación en la calle Manuel Barrera, en el poblado Guardado de Arriba, señala un comunicado de prensa. La obra de pavimentación, consiste en 1194 metros cuadrados de pavimento con una inversión de 686.000 pesos. Además, los residentes resultaron beneficiados con la entrega de paquetes de láminas con el material para su instalación. La entrega de los 15 paquetes fue autorizada por SEDESOL Federal, para beneficiar a familias con carencias. En total se entregaron 15 paquetes de 26 láminas, con un valor de 533.000 pesos, dijo el Presidente de Miguel Alemán, Ramiro Cortez.
TIRO AL DISCO El Boys and Girls Club of Zapata invita al Noveno Torneo de Tiro al Disco (Sporting Clay) que se realizará el sábado 30 de enero. La cuota de entrada es de 120 dólares para equipos con 5 tiradores adultos y 60 dólares para equipos con cinco tiradores jóvenes – equipos juveniles deben contar con un entrenador o patrocinador presente. Participantes deben estar registrados para las 7:30 a.m. el día del evento, y deberán llevar sus propias municiones 7 ½, 8 y 9 solamente. El horario de actividades será de 7 a.m. a 7:45 a.m. el registro; 8 a.m. primera etapa; 11 a.m., segunda etapa; 2 p.m., tercera etapa. Puede inscribirse en el sitio bgczapata.com. Habrá premios.
DESFILE La Feria del Condado de Zapata invita a los residentes, organismos y grupos de la comunidad a inscribirse en el Desfile de la Feria de Zapata. La fecha límite para entregar su solicitud de entrada es el miércoles 9 de marzo. El desfile tendrá lugar a las 9 a.m. del sábado 12 de marzo. La alineación del desfile será de 7 a.m. a 8:30 a.m., en U.S. Hwy 83 y 3rd Ave. Habrá trofeos para diferentes categorías. Los ganadores serán anunciados a la 1:30 p.m. en Zapata County Fairgrounds.
FERIA DEL CONDADO DE ZAPATA La Feria del Condado de Zapata elegirá a sus representantes de belleza a inicios del 2016. El Certámen de Belleza para Jr. Royalty se celebrará el 7 de febrero; en tanto que el Concurso para Reinas de la Feria del Condado de Zapata se celebrará el 28 de febrero. Ambos eventos se realizarán a las 2 p.m. en el Auditorio de Zapata High School.
Foto de cortesía | ZCISD
Un grupo de 22 alumnos de Zapata Middle School y Zapata High School avanzaron a la etapa regional del All-Region Mariachi. El concierto regional XIV del Association of Texas Small School Bands Region presentando el ATSSB All-Region Mariachis, se llevó a cabo el 16 de enero en el Auditorio de Falfurrias High School.
SALUD
ELECCIONES
Suben multas para personas sin seguro
Partidos revelan nombre de candidato
ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE LAREDO
El domingo se vence la oportunidad para que los residentes de Estados Unidos se inscriban en un plan de salud federal o estatal para el 2016. De acuerdo a la empresa H&R Block, que ofrece servicios de impuestos y seguros médicos, se trata de la última oportunidad que tendrán los contribuyentes “para evitar ser objeto de multas y obtener créditos por adelantado al no tener algún evento especial en su vida”.
Incremento A partir del lunes, las personas que no se hayan inscrito en un seguro médico y que tampoco califican para una excepción, podrían enfrentar multas en cantidades diversas. “Las multas más altas podrían significar un incremento importante para algunas familias sin seguro de vida y el tiempo se está agotando para evitar estas multas”, dijo Mark Ciaramitaro, vicepresidente de H&R Block. Las multas varían por la edad y estado civil de la persona. Así, un adulto sin cobertura pagará multa de 695 dólares; el adulto pagará por un menor de edad sin cobertura la cantidad de 347.50 dólares y hasta 2.085 dólares o el 2.5 por ciento de sus ingresos familiares – esto último dependerá de la cantidad que sea mayor. Las multas tuvieron un incremento ya que durante el 2015 las cifras eran de 325 dólares por adulto sin seguro; 162.50 dólares por menores de
edad sin seguro, y hasta 975 dólares o el dos por ciento de los ingresos familiares. Es decir, explicó Ciaramitaro, una persona soltera sin cobertura que ganó 27.000 dólares en 2015, pagaría una multa base de 334 dólares sobre el 2 por ciento de su ingreso ajustado. La cantidad se determina porque es mayor que una sanción de tarifa fija de 325 dólares por persona. “Sin embargo en 2016 se calcula que el porcentaje se incremente de 2 por ciento a 2.5 por ciento, por lo que los contribuyentes podrían pensar que la nueva multa es de alrededor de 416 dólares”, sostuvo Ciaramitaro. “Pero debido a la tarifa fija de 695 dólares por persona, el contribuyente deberá pagar el monto mayor. Su multa se incrementaría de 334 dólares a 695 dólares, en lugar de 416 dólares”. Además, a pesar de que el mercado de salud inscribirá automáticamente a los contribuyentes que ya cuentan con los planes de salud, los contribuyentes deben visitar el mercado de salud durante el periodo de inscripción para revisar sus planes de salud y actualizarlos. El comunicado agrega que algunos contribuyentes podrían ser reinscritos en créditos fiscales imprecisos por adelantado (APTC, por sus siglas en inglés) si acaso olvidaron proporcionar información actualizada sobre su familia y sus ingresos. “Esto podría resultar en un golpe duro para su reembolso de impuestos cuando reconsidere su crédito el próximo año”, agrega H&R Block.
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Los registros para ser considerados como candidatos a gobernador de Tamaulipas han llegado a su término. Sin embargo, los interesados en ser candidatos independientes se encuentran motivando a los ciudadanos con credencial de elector a firmar para apoyarlos.
Coaliciones A nivel estado, los partidos Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), Verde Ecologista de México y Nueva Alianza (PANAL) firmaron un convenio para participar a manera de coalición duHINOJOSA rante el proceso electoral. Fuentes del PRI indicaron que este convenio se aplicará también en la búsqueda de los diputados locales y presidentes municipales. El jueves, el PRI anunció que su candidato oficial es, por decisión unánime, Baltazar Hinojosa Ochoa. Su registro oficial se realizará hoy en Ciudad Victoria, México. Hinojosa, quien es Diputado por Tamaulipas, solicitó una licencia para ausentarse de la
Cámara de Diputados. La decisión se tomó bajo el Acuerdo de Unidad por el Futuro de Tamaulipas que tiene por finalidad que solamente se registrará una persona para la contienda.
Independiente Francisco Chavira, de Nuevo Laredo, se registró como candidato independendiente a Gobernador de Tamaulipas. “Estoy emocionado y sorprendido, pues han sido muchos los que se acercan y me preguntan cómo pueden ayudar, cómo pueden CHAVIRA sumarse al proyecto”, dijo. Chavira deberá reunir alrededor de 80.000 firmas de respaldo. El tendrá 40 días para recorrer la entidad, sin visitar medios de comunicación, y aplicando solo recursos propios. Los lineamientos del Instituto Electoral de Tamaulipas indican que el plazo para registrarse como independiente venció el 16 de enero. Él podrán recabar firmas hasta el 28 de febrero.
Morena Héctor Martín Garza González se registró co-
mo precandidato único a gobernador de Tamaulipas bajo las siglas del PSN de Morena. “En Tamaulipas abrimos los brazos y le entregamos nuestra devoción y convicción a quienes hoy levanGARZA tan esa bandera del pueblo de México”, expresó Garza González.
PAN El Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) confirmó que Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca será su candidato a Gobernador de Tamaulipas. El Comité Ejecutivo Nacional del PAN informó que a inicios de semana se reunieron el Presidente Nacional del CABEZA DE VACA PAN, Ricardo Anaya Cortés, y el Secretario General, Damián Zepeda Vidales, así como los cuatro aspirantes, Cabeza de Vaca, Norma Leticia Salazar Vázquez, Maki Esther Ortiz Domínguez y Carlos Enrique Canturosas Villarreal. El registro para candidatos a gobernador será del 23 al 27 de marzo.
National
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Prosecutors use militias’ own words on them By TERRENCE PETTY AND STEVEN DUBOIS ASSOCIATED PRESS
PORTLAND, Ore. — Ammon Bundy and his followers made ample use of social media and videos to summon armed recruits to join their takeover of a wildlife refuge and to declare their readiness to stand their ground. Now federal authorities are using the occupiers’ own words against them. Two criminal complaints unsealed this week against the 11 protesters under arrest show that FBI agents have carefully scrutinized social media postings, interviews and online talk shows that were broadcast from the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge during the siege that began nearly a month ago. Four holdouts continued to occupy the refuge in the snowy high country near Burns, and on Friday they posted a YouTube video de-
manding pardons for everyone involved in the occupation. A speaker believed to be David Fry said he asked the FBI whether it was possible to “get out of here without charges,” but “they keep saying that’s not possible.” Bundy and several other jailed leaders were due to appear in federal court in Portland on Friday to answer charges they used force or intimidation to prevent government employees at the refuge from carrying out their duties. A federal judge said Thursday she will not release any defendants while the occupation continues. Bundy, through his lawyer, has repeatedly called on the holdouts to leave peacefully. The ranchers and other protesters took over the refuge Jan. 2 to demand that the federal government turn public lands over to local control. They have
Courtesy photo by the FBI | AP
This photo taken from an FBI video shows Robert "LaVoy" Finicum after he was fatally shot by police Tuesday. complained about what they say are onerous federal rules governing grazing and mining rights across the West. The criminal complaints detail some of the evidence against the occupiers. A day after the takeover began, for example, a video posted on a website showed Bundy saying the group planned to stay for several years. He called on people to “come out here and stand,” adding: “We need
you to bring your arms.” A video posted Jan. 4 showed another defendant, Jon Ritzheimer, saying he was “100 percent willing to lay my life down.” In a video posted a day later, Ritzheimer talked about Robert “LaVoy” Finicum and other occupiers taking up a “defensive posture” at the refuge against a feared FBI raid. “Right now underneath the tarp right there — LaVoy Finicum is sitting un-
derneath the tarp, and he’s not going to let them come through,” Ritzheimer said in the video. That raid never came. Finicum was killed Tuesday night in a confrontation with the FBI and Oregon State Police on a remote road. Bundy and four others were arrested during the encounter, and more followers were taken into custody by the next day. At one point, a couple of dozen ranchers and other protesters were holed up at the refuge, but they began clearing out after the arrests and the killing. The FBI on Thursday released a video showing Finicum’s death, to counter claims he did nothing to provoke his killing. In the aerial video, Finicum is pulled over in his white truck but then takes off in the vehicle and plows into a snowbank because of a roadblock. He gets out of his truck and has his
hands up at first, then reaches toward his jacket pocket at least twice. He is shot and falls to the snow. The FBI said a loaded handgun was found in the pocket. An undisclosed number of state troopers involved in the shooting were been placed on leave pending an investigation, which is standard procedure. The charges against the defendants say the refuge’s 16 employees have been prevented from reporting to work because of threats of violence. Bundy is the son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, who was involved in a tense 2014 standoff with the government over grazing rights. The group came to the desert of eastern Oregon in the dead of winter to decry what it calls onerous federal land restrictions and to object to the prison sentences of two local ranchers convicted of setting fires.
Governor signs $28M bill toward water crisis By JEFF KAROUB AND DAVID EGGERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder signed into law $28 million more in emergency funding on Friday to address Flint’s lead-contaminated water, and said he didn’t know some state workers in the city had received bottled water last year while officials were still telling residents that tap water was safe to drink. It’s the second round of state aid for the city since the crisis was confirmed in the fall, bringing the total allocated to nearly $39 million. The Republican governor said the funding will provide immediate resources in Flint, but is not the end of state assistance. Improperly treated water leached lead from pipes into drinking water after Flint
switched from Detroit’s water system to the Flint River in 2014 to save money while under state financial management. Some children’s blood has tested positive for lead, which has been linked to learning disabilities, lower IQ and behavioral problems. Flint has reconnected to Detroit’s system for now. “It’s time to stand up and recognize that things could have been done differently,” Snyder said before signing the aid legislation. “Mistakes were made. ... We’re going to solve them.” Snyder has accepted responsibility for the emergency while also blaming state and federal environmental regulators, some of whom have resigned or have been suspended. But he remains the target of criticism, including longshot efforts to recall him from office. In pledging again to fix
Photo by Ryan Stanton/The Ann Arbor News | AP
In this photo taken on Wednesday, a poster offering a $5,000 reward for "citizen arrest" of Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder is displayed. the problem, he said, “how do you learn from things that didn’t go right to be even stronger and better for the long term?” News that employees at a state building in Flint re-
New pay inequity policy By DAVID NAKAMURA THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama proposed a new rule Friday that would require every large company in America to report employees’ pay based on race and gender, an effort to reduce longstanding pay inequities for women and minorities. The new policy, already drawing criticism from some business leaders, would order companies with at least 100 employees to add salary numbers on a form they already annually submit that reports employees’ sex, age and job groups. The pay information would alert the EEOC to companies with significant wage disparities, which could result in hefty fines. "Oftentimes, folks are doing the same job and being
paid differently," Obama said in a speech at the White House. "The goal is to help businesses who are trying to do the right thing get a clearer picture of how they can ensure their employees are being treated fairly." During the updated data collection process, officials would not publicly name employers or employees, said Jenny Yang, chairwoman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, which published the proposed rule with the Department of Labor. If the agency files a discrimination lawsuit as a result of the findings, however, companies would appear in public record. For instance, if a firm’s data shows typical female managers earn 25 percent less than typical male managers, the government may
launch an investigation and, lawyers say, workers who take discrimination complaints to the EEOC would have extra ammunition if company numbers supported their case. Since the White House established its Equal Pay Task Force in 2010, Yang added, the agency has collected from firms more than $85 million in employee-relief checks. The EEOC also intends to turn the aggregated data into an annual salary report, showing the average pay for workers in different sectors and industries across the country, starting next year. The information, Yang said, would help managers assess how they set pay and inform employees during the negotiation process. If the new policy is approved, the first report would be published a year later.
ceived fresh bottled water came Thursday in emails released by Progress Michigan, a liberal group critical of Snyder. Snyder said Friday he had “no knowledge of that
taking place.” The governor’s spokesman Dave Murray said the water was for both employees and residents visiting the building, which includes the Department of Health and Human Services, starting in January 2015. He said he didn’t know if workers promoted that it was available. Murray said one water cooler was placed on each floor and next to public drinking fountains. Water was provided until the summer, he said, and then returned in October after a public health emergency was declared. Another state spokesman said earlier it was provided continuously in the building. The coolers were introduced after Flint officials warned residents about elevated levels of a disinfection byproduct called trihalo-
methane in the city’s water. The city notified water customers at the time that it was in violation of the Safe Drinking Water Act but described the water as safe to drink. Democrats on a U.S. House committee asked Snyder on Friday for documents related to Flint’s water crisis. Rep. Brenda Lawrence of Michigan and Rep. Elijah Cummings of Maryland have complained that the Oversight Committee’s Republican chairman, Rep. Jason Chaffetz of Utah, rejected their request for Snyder to testify at a hearing next week. “The American people deserve a full accounting of this man-made disaster,” Lawrence said. Flint residents are now warned to drink only filtered or bottled water.
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
ABUSE Continued from Page 1A involving serious indications of trafficking and abuse.” Since almost all of the children have not been publicly identified, it could not immediately be determined if the children studied by the AP were among those cited by Portman. “The program does an amazing job overall,” HHS spokesman Mark Weber said in a recent AP interview. “We are not taking shortcuts.” Top HHS officials are scheduled to testify at the hearing, which will reveal new details in a case in Portman’s home state of Ohio, where six Guatemalan unaccompanied minors were placed with human traffickers including sponsors and their associates. Lured north with the promise of an education, the teens instead were forced to work up to 12 hours a day on egg farms in Marion, Ohio, under threats of death. “HHS told us that it is literally unable to figure out how many children it has placed with convicted felons, what crimes those individuals committed, or how that class of children are doing today,” Portman said in a statement, noting that the agency changed its criminal background check policy only Monday. “How many other cases are there like the Marion trafficking case? The answer is HHS doesn’t know.” HHS bars releasing children to anyone convicted of child abuse or neglect or violent felonies like homicide and rape. In November, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said a whistleblower contacted his office saying that unaccompanied children were placed with 3,400 sponsors who had criminal histories including homicide, child molestation, sexual assault and human trafficking. The government says it is investigating that claim. While declining to explain how it got stretched so thin, HHS says it recently signed a contract to open new shelters, and is strengthening its protection procedures as the number of young migrants is once again rising. According to emails, agency memos and operations manuals obtained by AP, some under the Freedom of Information Act, the agency relaxed its procedures as the number of young migrants rose in response to spiraling gang and drug violence in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. First, the government stopped fingerprinting most adults seeking to claim the children. In April 2014, the agency stopped requiring original copies of birth certificates to prove most sponsors’ identities. The next month, it decided not to complete forms that request sponsors’ personal and identifying information before sending many of the children to sponsors’ homes. Then, it eliminated FBI criminal history checks for many sponsors. AP uncovered accounts of children placed with sponsors who forced them to work taking care of other children and in cantinas where women drink, dance and sometimes have sex with patrons. Other teens were placed with relatives who were abusive and locked them inside the home. Experts who work with migrant children, including a psychologist and an attorney, cited cases in which unaccompanied children were raped by relatives or other people associated with their sponsors. Advocates say it is hard to gauge the total number of children exposed to dangerous conditions among the more than 89,000 placed with sponsors since October 2013 because many of the migrants designated for follow-up were nowhere to be found when social workers tried to reach them.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
POPE Continued from Page 1A going to ignore the demands of national sovereignty ... (but) he’s calling for a more open and generous approach,” said Tom Quigley, former Latin America policy adviser for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. “You can’t assume that he’s going to say ‘You all come,’ but he will clearly be urging the United States government, implicitly at least, to find ways of addressing the reasons why people are leaving El Salvador and Honduras and other countries.” For the Salvadoran woman, who gave only her last name, Miranda, all the talk makes little difference to her plans. She said she was not even aware the Pope was coming, and nothing Trump or the other candidates say can dissuade her from seeking a better life. Back home in El Salvador — which last year recorded a homicide rate of 103 per 100,000 inhabitants, believed to be the highest of any country not in open war — she faced death threats from hyperviolent gangs that rule entire neighborhoods largely unchallenged. “It does not make you want to go less,” Miranda said of the rhetoric, “because you know that immigration is never going to stop.” Violence is also rampant in neighboring Guatemala and Honduras, the latter of which had been the world’s reigning murder capital in recent years. Gangs in all three countries kill with impunity, extort broad swaths of the population and recruit young people so aggressively that some stop attending school or even leaving home. Living in many parts of those countries “is like living in a dark, dangerous, dead-end alley, and migration is a dark, dangerous tunnel — but it’s a tunnel,” said Kay Andrade Eekhoff, who works for Catholic Relief Services in El Salvador overseeing programs for at-risk Central American youth. Statistics show that many continue to risk the tunnel, despite a surge in enforcement by the U.S. and by Mexico along its own southern frontier. U.S. Customs and Border Protection says apprehensions of unaccompanied children mostly from Central America totaled 17,370 in October-December. That was up 117 percent from the same period a year earlier, while apprehensions of families rose 187 percent. Still, total detentions remain well below historic highs. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents on Jan. 2 began rounding up Central American immigrants who entered without permission since May 2014. Earlier this month Secretary of State John Kerry announced an expansion of a program letting Central Americans apply for refugee status before traveling north. But some say they may not qualify, or it’s simply too dangerous to wait. Those in a hurry in-
clude a 20-year-old man in San Salvador who was deported from the U.S. just months ago. On his last trip north, last summer, the Gulf drug cartel kidnapped and held him in Reynosa for five weeks until his family scraped together ransom. U.S. border agents later captured and sent him home. A police officer’s son, he’s now planning to try again after getting gang threats. “They told me if I did not join them, something was going to happen to me or my dad,” the man said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of gang reprisals. Francis has made the plight of migrants one of the hallmarks of his papacy, denouncing what he called the “globalization of indifference” toward people desperate to flee poverty and persecution. He has taken his message of compassion to Lampedusa, Italy, destination for many African migrants, and to the European Union and the United Nations. Last fall in the U.S. Congress, Francis lectured lawmakers that “we must not be taken aback by (migrants’) numbers but rather view them as persons.” He reminded them that they, too, descended from immigrants drawn by the dream of a new future. In Ciudad Juarez, the Argentine-born Francis plans to celebrate Mass in a huge open field on the border and then walk to the Rio Grande to salute people on the other side in a powerful show of solidarity with his Latin American compatriots. Vatican officials say he intends to address violence and drug trafficking as well. Francis will also come close to fulfilling his wish to cross the border during the U.S. visit, something that was ultimately scrapped for logistical reasons. It’s a message that resonates with Sister Norma Pimentel, director of Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley. “They are people and we need to treat them that way,” said Pimentel, whose work Francis has praised and who was invited to meet him in New York last year. “They need our help, and so we welcome them to restore their dignity.” Pimentel’s center at the Sacred Heart church in McAllen receives about 100 migrants a day who have been detained, processed and released by the Border Patrol. Each adult gets an electronic monitoring anklet to ensure they make court appearances. On a recent morning, Erica Johana Garcia was breakfasting with her two children at the center before catching a bus for the final leg of their journey to Los Angeles. They left Guatemala after thugs told her 15-year-old son they would rape his 8-year-old sister if he didn’t join their gang. Fingering her ankle bracelet, Garcia, 34, vowed to fight to be able to stay. “I can’t go back because I risk my children,” she said, “especially my son.”
Photo by Kevin Estrada/FOX | AP
This image released by Fox shows Carly Rae Jepsen, left, and Didi Conn during a rehearsal for "Grease: Live."
Live ‘Grease’ cameos By MARK KENNEDY ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Eagleeyed viewers of “Grease: Live” might see some familiar faces during the broadcast — two stars of the 1978 film have cameos. In a nice tip of the hat to the past, Fox asked Didi Conn, who played Frenchy in the John Travolta-led movie, and Barry Pearl, who was Doody onscreen, will appear in small roles on Sunday (Fox, 7 p.m. EST and tape-delayed for Pacific time). “The fact that the two us should be chosen to be part of this as an homage — an overall collective homage to the piece — is just delicious,” said Pearl. “That has been the ‘Grease’ experience all the way along. It’s been one magical moment after the next.” In this new rock ‘n’ roll paean to puberty set in the 1950s, Conn, 64, will play a waitress at the Frosty Palace malt shop, while Pearl, 65, plays a TV producer, a role written for him. The pair will join stars Julianne Hough as Sandy, Aaron Tveit as Danny Zuko, Vanessa Hudgens as Rizzo, Carly Rae Jepsen as Frenchy, KeKe Palmer as Marty and Mario Lopez as Vince Fontaine. The show is being filmed on two mas-
sive Warner Bros. soundstages in Burbank, California. Conn said her first meeting with Jepsen — in her old role — was emotional. “I started to cry. I think partly it was ‘That could be my daughter that I never had,”’ said the actress. “She is absolutely yummy-adorable.” Other cameos will be done by “Saturday Night Live” alum Ana Gasteyer, “Brady Bunch” star Eve Plumb, “The Fresh Beat Band” star Yvette GonzalezNacer and “The Wire” star Wendell Pierce. A live audience will add a dash of theater, which won’t rattle Pearl or Conn, who are both stage veterans. Over the years, Pearl and Conn have become the keepers of the “Grease” flame, organizing reunions and protecting the actors’ copyright. “He’s the troop leader of the T-Birds and I’m the den mother,” said Conn. This time, they added their deep knowledge of all things “Grease.” During rehearsals, Conn noticed the boys in leather jackets weren’t being nearly amorous enough around the girls, while Pearl pointed out that the script called for the guys to high-five but no one did that during the Eisenhower administration.
Pearl, whose link to “Grease” started when he joined the first national tour in 1973, said natural changes have crept in over the years. For instance, on Sunday there will be no fbombs or cigarette smoking, and the lyrics for “Greased Lightnin’ have been sanitized. But the broadcast will have a lot of Broadway DNA. It’s being directed by Thomas Kail ("Hamilton”), with music supervision by Tom Kitt ("Next to Normal”), production design by David Korins ("Hamilton”) and costume design by William Ivey Long ("Cabaret”). Conn, who after starring with Travolta in “Grease” went on to play “Lost in Yonkers” on Broadway and voiced the animated film “Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure,” said there’s a reason “Grease” never dies. “‘Grease’ is about firsts — first love, first car, first heartbreak. For Frenchie, first career disappointment,” she said. “It’s a story of excitement and newness and energy.” For Pearl, who made his Broadway debut in “Bye Bye Birdie” and also was in “Oliver!” it’s all about finding a surrogate family of friends: “At the core of it is a group of kids that just love each other.”
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
THE WEEK IN REVIEW WEEKLY STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS
u
u
NYSE 9,632.71 +205.80
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name TimknSteel Axiall FairmSant SunCokeE JP Energy AMidstrm Terex C&J Engy Costam pfB Mechel rs
Last 9.01 17.93 2.45 3.78 5.08 8.16 22.40 2.46 16.90 2.00
Chg +4.22 +8.33 +.98 +1.43 +1.62 +2.59 +6.91 +.69 +4.63 +.53
%Chg +88.1 +86.8 +66.7 +60.9 +46.8 +46.5 +44.6 +39.0 +37.7 +36.1
Last 39.23 25.51 7.15 82.27 13.59 33.60 10.45 28.24 2.81 11.86
4,613.95 +22.77
Last 2.79 7.43 3.37 3.90 4.01 5.98 5.89 19.24 3.31 2.15
Chg +1.20 +3.01 +1.29 +1.39 +1.41 +1.99 +1.92 +5.89 +.92 +.59
%Chg +75.5 +68.1 +62.0 +55.4 +54.2 +49.9 +48.4 +44.1 +38.5 +37.8
Chg %Chg Name Last Chg %Chg -25.77 -39.6 OncoMed 9.25 -8.32 -47.4 -10.89 -29.9 Attunity 6.24 -3.82 -38.0 -2.53 -26.1 AxsomeT n 7.83 -4.64 -37.2 -27.34 -24.9 OvaScience 5.65 -2.90 -33.9 -4.46 -24.7 OSI Sys 54.82 -23.68 -30.2 -10.71 -24.2 Zynerba n 6.62 -2.42 -26.8 -3.02 -22.4 CelldexTh 8.30 -3.00 -26.5 -7.86 -21.8 Ultragenyx 56.15 -19.24 -25.5 -.75 -21.1 ExtrmNet 2.76 -.94 -25.4 -3.02 -20.3 Trovagne 3.64 -1.21 -24.9
MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) BkofAm 6936586 FrptMcM 3429937 FordM 3095873 GenElec 2214122 Sprint 1953198 KindMorg 1946408 AT&T Inc 1888026 Pfizer 1859478 EgyTrEq s 1689357 Alcoa 1669091
Last Chg 14.14 +.58 4.60 +.66 11.94 +.20 29.10 +.86 3.02 +.15 16.45 +1.24 36.06 +.92 30.49 -.22 8.68 -.95 7.29 +.42
Name Vol (00) Last Chg Apple Inc 3716698 97.34 -4.08 Facebook 2781528112.21+14.27 Microsoft 2414963 55.09 +2.80 HuntBncsh 2380466 8.58 -.57 Cisco 1832192 23.79 +.42 MicronT 1479964 11.03 -.04 SiriusXM 1442658 3.70 -.03 Intel 1358729 31.02 +1.10 eBay s 1216698 23.46 -2.97 Netflix s 1120785 91.84 -8.88
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
Volume
2,386 825 91 246 3,234 23 22,883,536,096
Dow Jones industrials
STOCK MARKET INDEXES
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
Volume
1,760 1,224 43 363 3,052 68 10,984,115,978
52-Week High Low
-208.29 282.01 -222.77 125.18 396.66
Close: 16,466.30 1-week change: 372.79 (2.3%) 18,000
MON
TUES
WED
THUR
FRI
17,000
18,351.36 9,214.77 657.17 11,254.87 5,231.94 2,134.72 1,551.28 22,537.15 1,296.00 6,803.00
16,000
15,370.33 6,403.31 539.96 8,937.99 4,292.14 1,812.29 1,215.14 18,550.48 958.48 5,710.67
Name
Last
Dow Jones Industrials 16,466.30 Dow Jones Transportation 6,906.76 Dow Jones Utilities 611.35 NYSE Composite 9,632.71 Nasdaq Composite 4,613.95 S&P 500 1,940.24 S&P MidCap 1,317.74 Wilshire 5000 19,926.10 Russell 2000 1,035.38 Lipper Growth Index 5,829.84
MONEY RATES Last
15,000
A
S
O
N
D
J
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE) Name DrxNGBear Lannett DxBiotBull DxSPOGBear DirDGldBr DxRsaBr rs SantCUSA DxGMBr rs EveriHldgs CSVInvNG
NASDAQ
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name Amedica rs Breitbrn pf SGOCO rs SeanrgM rs LegcyR pf VanNR pfB VanNR pfC AvenueF n LegcyR pfB HansnMd rs
WEEKLY DOW JONES
STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Name
Ex
AT&T Inc NY AEP NY Apple Inc Nasd BkofAm NY B iPVixST NY Caterpillar NY CCFemsa NY CmtyHlt NY ConocoPhil NY CSVLgCrd rs NY Dillards NY EmpIca NY ExxonMbl NY Facebook Nasd FordM NY FrptMcM NY GenElec NY HP Inc NY HomeDp NY iShEMkts NY Intel Nasd
Div
Last
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg
1.92 36.06 +.92 2.24 60.97 +2.44 2.08 97.34 -4.08 .20 14.14 +.58 ... 24.12 -.88 3.08 62.24 +1.26 1.98 70.14 +4.49 ... 21.48 +1.78 2.96 39.08 +1.41 ... 2.46 +.23 .28 70.41 +2.85 ... 1.02 +.34 2.92 77.85 +1.28 ... 112.21 +14.27 .60 11.94 +.20 ... 4.60 +.66 .92 29.10 +.86 .50 9.71 -.09 2.36 125.76 +3.00 .84 30.57 +1.24 1.04 31.02 +1.10
+2.6 +4.2 -4.0 +4.3 -3.5 +2.1 +6.8 +9.0 +3.7 +10.3 +4.2 +50.0 +1.7 +14.6 +1.7 +16.8 +3.0 -0.9 +2.4 +4.2 +3.7
+4.8 +4.6 -7.5 -16.0 +20.0 -8.4 -.9 -19.0 -16.3 -37.7 +7.2 +32.5 -.1 +7.2 -15.3 -32.1 -6.6 -18.0 -4.9 -5.0 -10.0
Last
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg
Name
Ex
Div
IntlBcsh IBM Lowes Lubys MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney S&P500ETF SanchezEn Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SonyCp SPDR Fncl UnionPac US OilFd USSteel UnivHlthS WalMart WellsFargo
Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY
.58 23.19 +.97 +4.4 -9.8 5.20 124.79 +2.29 +1.9 -9.3 1.12 71.66 +1.16 +1.6 -5.8 ... 4.32 +.12 +2.9 -3.4 1.50 44.65 +.46 +1.0 -7.4 1.81 16.13 +.88 +5.8 -2.9 1.44 55.09 +2.80 +5.4 -.7 ... 6.42 -.10 -1.5 -29.1 ... 7.26 +.51 +7.6 +9.0 4.13 193.72 +3.20 +1.7 -5.0 ... 3.62 +.38 +11.7 -16.0 2.00 72.27 +7.07 +10.8 +3.6 ... 16.95 -1.08 -6.0 -17.6 ... 23.88 +2.14 +9.8 -3.0 .46 21.72 +.44 +2.1 -8.9 2.20 72.00 +2.01 +2.9 -7.9 ... 9.65 +.38 +4.1 -12.3 .20 7.00 -.24 -3.3 -12.3 .40 112.64 +5.12 +4.8 -5.7 1.96 66.36 +3.67 +5.9 +8.3 1.50 50.23 +1.21 +2.5 -7.6
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 $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.
Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year
Wk Chg +372.79 +128.22 +22.21 +205.80 +22.77 +33.34 +29.97 +333.76 +14.62 -17.24
Wk YTD %Chg %Chg +2.32 +1.89 +3.77 +2.18 +.50 +1.75 +2.33 +1.70 +1.43 -.29
-5.50 -8.02 +5.80 -5.03 -7.86 -5.07 -5.78 -5.87 -8.85 -8.93
12-mo %Chg -4.07 -20.15 -4.06 -8.58 -.46 -2.74 -8.18 -5.39 -11.16 -4.79
CURRENCIES Pvs Week
3.50 1.00 .25-.50 0.31 0.42 1.33 1.92 2.75
Last
Pvs Day
3.50 Australia 1.4140 1.4127 1.00 Britain 1.4242 1.4364 .25-.50 Canada 1.4005 1.4050 Euro .9234 .9128 0.29 Japan 121.10 118.78 0.39 Mexico 18.1648 18.3510 1.48 Switzerlnd 1.0245 1.0133 2.06 2.83 British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.
MUTUAL FUNDS Name
Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV
AB GlbThmtGrA 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 SwreITSvcs d Fidelity Select Tech d T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard 500Adml Vanguard HlthCare Vanguard InstIdxI Vanguard InstPlus Vanguard TotStIAdm Vanguard TotStIdx Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m
WS 513 ST 2,780 SH 1,033 SH 14,941 SF 405 ST 177 ST 451 SF 100 ST 1,522 SF 1,254 ST 3,268 ST 3,102 ST 3,145 LB 152,739 SH 12,018 LB 104,704 LB 90,041 LB 126,363 LB 96,322 ST 3,308
79.50 50.51 10.74 171.08 55.69 25.17 61.67 10.80 68.23 76.76 114.18 108.46 30.73 179.12 200.67 177.35 177.36 47.92 47.90 11.98
Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt
-9.9 -9.9 -12.3 -28.5 -14.3 -10.7 -11.0 -12.6 -11.6 -10.1 -7.7 -9.8 -11.8 -6.5 -10.2 -6.5 -6.5 -7.2 -7.2 -12.9
-6.8/C +0.7/B -6.9/B -22.9/E -16.1/E -14.4/E -18.6/E -9.7/D -7.2/E -7.6/B +8.7/A -1.2/C -0.6/C -2.0/A -1.1/A -2.0/A -2.0/A -3.9/C -4.0/C -12.8/E
+0.9/E +9.1/B +16.3/D +24.5/A +3.9/D +0.4/E +4.7/E +9.3/A +9.6/B +5.8/C +15.0/A +8.1/D +9.1/B +11.0/A +19.1/B +11.1/A +11.1/A +10.5/B +10.4/B +9.9/A
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 NL 2,500 NL 10,000 NL 3,000 NL5,000,000 NL200,000,000 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.
Chevron suffers loss due to falling oil prices By DAVID KOENIG ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Chevron suffered its first money-losing quarter since 2002 in the final three months of last year, as plunging crude prices chopped more than one-third from its revenue. Oil traded this month at levels not seen since 2003, although it has rebounded slightly in the last few days. Cheaper energy is great for consumers, who save with every fill-up, but oil-producing nations and big exploration companies like Chevron and Exxon are paying the price. Chevron is cutting spending, laying off workers, and looking to sell even more of its assets. The problem with that strategy: It’s a buyer’s market right now for oil facilities, with too many forsale signs. The company has sold off $11 billion worth of facili-
ties such as pipelines over the past two years and hopes to raise up to $10 billion more with sales through 2017. Company executives say, however, that they won’t unload assets at fire-sale prices just to get rid of them. Oil prices are down because growth in demand has slowed and cannot absorb a glut of oil on the market. On a conference call with analysts, Chevron CEO John Watson said he thinks energy demand will grow but that supply is a wild card. Watson pointed to forecasts that predict increasing cuts in production by nonOPEC nations could restore the market to balance this year. But until that happens, he said, prices will stay low “and the financial damage to the energy sector seen in 2015 will continue.” Watson said Chevron is managing through the
Photo by Alan Diaz | AP file
Chevron Corp. reports financial earnings on Friday and suffered its first money-losing quarter since 2002. downturn by cutting spending and investment — it cut fourth-quarter spending by about $9 billion compared with a year earlier. He said the company will finish pro-
jects under construction but won’t start new long-term projects and will be judicious with short-term ones. San Ramon, Californiabased Chevron Corp. report-
ed Friday that it lost $588 million in the fourth quarter. That compares with Chevron’s profit of $3.47 billion in the same quarter a year earlier, when the slump in oil prices was in its early stages. The loss amounted to 31 cents per share, and surprised Wall Street. The 22 analysts surveyed by FactSet expected, on average, a profit of 45 cents per share, and 10 analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research called for 48 cents per share. Chevron does not adjust its results based on one-time events such as asset sales. The loss was concentrated in Chevron’s exploration and production business, but even the refining side earned less money due to asset sales. Revenue plummeted 37 percent, to $29.25 billion, although that still beat expectations — the average forecast in the FactSet survey
was $27.65 billion. The company got $35 for every barrel of oil and other liquids, compared with $66 a year before. Natural gas prices also fell. Even with falling prices, Chevron boosted production of oil and gas by 3.5 percent. For the year, Chevron earned $4.59 billion, or $2.45 per share, on revenue of $138.48 billion. It is the second-largest U.S. oil company behind Exxon Mobil Corp. Next week, Exxon Mobil will report earnings. Analysts are expecting it to post a profit of 64 cents a share, less than half of what it earned a year ago. In afternoon trading, Chevron shares were down 50 cents to $85.42. They began the day down 4.5 percent in 2016 compared with a drop of more than 7 percent in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index.
Stocks soar, tech climbs By MARLEY JAY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Adriana Zehbrauskas | New York Times file
An offshore platform owned by Pemex, the Mexican state oil company, which benefited from the bond market frenzy, at the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico.
How Pemex raised $5B overnight BLOOMBERG NEWS
Petroleos Mexicanos, the statecontrolled oil company that lost an unprecedented $10.2 billion in the third quarter and was threatened with another downgrade just last week, is proving it can still lure overseas bond investors — with a little help from the government. The embattled producer sold $5 billion of notes due in three, five and 10 years Thursday, a day after Finance Minister Luis Videgaray said Mexico is considering pumping cash into the company. The sale means Pemex, as the company is known, has already raised half of the financing it plans to seek in international markets this year. News the government may provide financial assistance to Pemex bolstered investor confidence in a company reeling from the collapse of crude prices and 11 straight years of output declines, said Seaport Global Holdings LLC and Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria SA. Videgaray’s comment came after Moody’s Investors Service, which chopped Pemex’s ratings in November, said
Jan. 22 it may lower the grade again. “It was well-orchestrated,” Michael Roche, a strategist at Seaport Global, said, referring to the timing of the sale. The government’s statements were “a key component to the new issues’ reception.” At an event in Mexico City on Wednesday, Videgaray said that Pemex’s financial situation is of the utmost importance. Earlier that day during an interview, Deputy Finance Minister Miguel Messmacher said the government may inject capital, but Pemex needs to first show it can lower costs, make better investments and accelerate partnerships with other companies. “We will be evaluating the possibility of allowing some change in Pemex’s balance sheet or the possibility of some contribution in capital terms,” Messmacher said. Still, the sale didn’t come cheap. Mexico City-based Pemex sold $3 billion of 10-year notes to yield 6.9 percent, or 4.91 percentage points more than U.S. Treasuries. When the company issued similar-maturity notes a year ago, it paid 2.81 percentage points more than Treasuries.
NEW YORK — Stocks soared on the last trading day of January, with Microsoft, Visa and other tech stocks making the biggest gains in a broad market rally Friday. Indexes rose throughout the day and finished with their biggest gains in about five months. Asian stocks jumped after the Bank of Japan moved to stimulate the economy, and European markets also rose. In the U.S, tech stocks climbed following strong quarterly results from Microsoft and Visa. Materials companies and banks also made large gains, and the price of oil rose for the fourth day in a row. The U.S. government said Friday that the economy slowed in the fourth quarter, a possibility that had worried investors. But its estimate of the country’s gross domestic product was about equal to analysts’ forecasts and didn’t hurt stocks. The Dow Jones industrial average surged 396.66 points, or 2.5 percent, to 16,466.30. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 46.88 points, or 2.5 percent, to 1,940.24, as more than 480 of its component stocks rose. The Nasdaq composite index jumped 107.28 points, or 2.4 percent, to 4,613.95. Stocks made some big gains in the last two weeks, but still finished January with hefty losses. Microsoft added $3.04, or 5.8 percent, to $55.09 after its profit and revenue beat expectations. The tech giant posted strong results from its cloud computing business and the unit that sells PC software and Surface tablets and Xbox game consoles. Visa and MasterCard both
Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP file
Japan led global stock markets higher Friday, after its central bank introduced a negative interest rate policy. rose after reporting solid results. Visa climbed $5.16, or 7.4 percent, to $74.49 and MasterCard picked up $5.60, or 6.7 percent, to $89.03. E-commerce company Amazon took its largest one-day slide in more than a year. Amazon’s quarterly profit more than doubled, but it still fell short of Wall Street’s forecasts because of increased costs. Some of those related to its Fulfillment by Amazon service, which handles shipping for sellers and makes them eligible for Amazon Prime shipping. The stock lost $48.35, or 7.6 percent, to $587. Honeywell advanced $5.23, or 5.3 percent, to $103.20 following its fourth-quarter report, and General Electric added 89 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $29.10. Xerox said it will split into two publicly traded companies after pressure from activist investor Carl Icahn. Its stock gained 52 cents, or 5.6 percent, to $9.75. The Commerce Department said U.S. gross domestic product grew only 0.7 percent over the last three months of 2015, while analyst expected 0.8 percent. The agency said consum-
ers spent less, businesses invested less, and exports were down because of global instability. The U.S. economy has been expanding for six and a half years, but on Wednesday the Federal Reserve cautioned that the U.S. economy is slowing down. The Fed also expressed concerns about global growth. Stocks tumbled after the Fed released its assessment. Crude oil prices kept rising. Benchmark U.S. oil added 40 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $33.62 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, a benchmark for international oils, gained 85 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $34.74. Oil prices have increased for four days in a row as investors hope for cuts in global production. U.S. government bond prices rose. The yield on the 10year Treasury note fell to 1.93 percent from 1.98 percent. European bond yields also sank. The euro weakened to $1.0829 from $1.0955. Consol Energy jumped $1.19, or 18 percent, to $7.94 following its fourth-quarter report and another increase in the price of natural gas.
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Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: SAN DIEGO CHARGERS
Chargers to stay in 2016 Future still up in air, LA waiting By BERNIE WILSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO — Chargers Chairman Dean Spanos said Friday that the team will play in San Diego in 2016, and he’ll work with politicians and the business community to try to resolve a long, bitter fight over a new stadium. Spanos’ statement was posted on the team website
shortly after the UnionTribune reported that the Chargers had agreed in principle to join the Los Angeles Rams in a stadium expected to open in Inglewood in 2019. It also came shortly after Spanos invited Mayor Kevin Faulconer and County Supervisor Ron Roberts to his La Jolla home for an afternoon meeting.
“I am committed to looking at this with a fresh perspective and new sense of possibility,” Spanos’ statement said. The development was a relief to fans who feared the Chargers would leave their home of 55 seasons and join the Rams in Los Angeles in the fall. Spanos said he hoped
See CHARGERS PAGE 2B
Photo by HKS Sports & Entertainment via AP
While the Chargers have the option to join the Rams in a newly-built stadium in Los Angeles (pictured), San Diego will remain the team’s home in 2016.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
NFL: SUPER BOWL 50
CONCUSSIONS WAY UP File photo by Chuck Burton | AP
Carolina head coach Ron Rivera, right, has been praised for his decision-making in the postseason.
File photo by Brandon Wade | AP
SB coaches are avoiding mistakes
Dallas outside linebacker Kyle Wilber was one of many players to suffer a concussion this season as the NFL said Friday that concussions rose 58 percent in regular-season games, the highest number in any of the past four year
By HOWARD FENDRICH
NFL announces concussions rose 58 percent
Even those NFL coaches who are, in theory, the very best around have been making some decisions this postseason that made folks jump up from their couches and scream “Why?!” Ron Rivera of the Carolina Panthers and Gary Kubiak of the Denver Broncos certainly hope to avoid that in the Super Bowl. Then again, given the way they’ve managed things so far this season, there is little reason to sus-
By HOWARD FENDRICH ASSOCIATED PRESS
The NFL says reported concussions rose 58 percent in regular-season games to the highest number in any of the past four years. The league issued its concussion data for 2015 on Friday, a little more than a week before the Super Bowl, and it showed that
helmet-to-helmet hits were also way up. Jeff Miller, the NFL’s senior vice president of health and safety policy, said during a conference call the league will study what might have caused the incidence of head injuries to rise so much this season. Among the possible explanations mentioned by
Miller were a doubling in the number of players screened for possible concussions, “unprecedented levels of players reporting signs and signals of concussions,” and the fact that trainers who work as spotters or independent neurologists on sidelines “are much more actively participating in identifying this injury.”
According to the NFL, there were 182 reported concussions from 2015 regular-season games, reversing a recent downward trend. There were 115 in 2014, 148 in 2013, and 173 in 2012. A year ago, the league touted those decreases as a reflection of players chang-
See NFL PAGE 2B
ASSOCIATED PRESS
pect they’ll make a memorable gaffe on the sport’s most important stage next weekend. Kubiak is only the seventh coach to go to the big game in his first season with a team, handling the “Should the QB be an ineffective Peyton Manning or an inexperienced Brock Osweiler?” situation with aplomb for months. Rivera, who some thought was close to being fired not too long ago, has pulled all the right strings
See SUPER BOWL PAGE 2B
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE: ALL-STAR GAME
Scott happy as All-Star By TERESA M. WALKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
File photo by Ross D. Franklin | AP
John Scott is the center of attention at the NHL’s annual All-Star showcase, as the 6-foot-8 enforcer was voted into the event by fans despite being traded to Montreal and being sent to the minors.
NASHVILLE — John Scott sat back in his chair and took a cellphone photo of all the reporters crowded around him once the questions finally ended. It was a big moment for a big man, and it almost didn’t happen. So the journeyman enforcer who admits he’s an odd fit for an NHL All-Star game is soaking up every precious moment before heading back to Newfoundland, where he is toiling in the minors. “It’s definitely strange,” Scott said Friday at one of the more unusual media days for the NHL’s showcase event. “You go in the locker room everyone’s got
the NHL logo on their helmet. They threw the NHL logo on mine. It’s definitely always like, ’You’re not in the NHL anymore.’ So it’s neat, though like I’m not used to this and all this scrum and stuff. I’m going to enjoy it while I’m here and go back to the real world.” He is going to enjoy it with a blessing from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, too. The two had a talk Thursday night. “And he’s more than welcome to be here,” Bettman told The Associated Press. “We’re happy he’s here. The fans spoke, and we’re happy to reflect their will.” Scott said he was glad to hear that from Bettman because there was a time he really wasn’t sure
the league felt that way. He wrote in The Players Tribune this week that someone from the league called him to suggest he back out of the game, an idea he rejected much to the delight of his fellow All-Stars. The last two weeks have been a whirlwind for Scott. He was traded Jan. 15 to Montreal, which promptly ordered him to its AHL affiliate in Canada’s version of the Far East. The league also had to decide what to do with him, since no one had really expected a 6-foot-8 bruiser with just five goals over 285 games in eight seasons to make an All-Star roster. Scott didn’t just make the ros-
See SCOTT PAGE 2B
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Zscores
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
NCAA ATHLETICS: MISSISSIPPI REBELS
NCAA notifies Ole Miss of violations By DAVID BRANDT ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mississippi has been notified by the NCAA of rules violations involving the football, women’s basketball and track and field programs. Some of the allegations regarding the football program date back to previous coach Houston Nutt, but others involve current coach Hugh Freeze’s tenure, a person familiar with the investigation told The Associated Press on Friday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The person said the Ole Miss football program has already taken some steps — like reducing recruiting official visits — to try to mitigate any punishment from the NCAA. Yahoo! Sports first reported that Ole Miss was aware of the Notice of Allegations. The announcement was not unexpected but comes at a bad time for the football program, which is trying to lock down one of the nation’s most highly regarded recruiting classes before national signing day on Wednesday.
Photo by Thomas Graning | AP
Mississippi has been notified by the NCAA of rules violations involving the football, women’s basketball and track and field programs. The class is currently ranked No. 4, according to Rivals.com. The Ole Miss investigation began in 2012 when women’s basketball coach Adrian Wiggins and two assistants were fired after a school investigation found academic and recruiting miscon-
duct. Two players were ruled ineligible and the school self-imposed a one-year postseason ban. Ole Miss officials later acknowledged that the NCAA was also looking into issues regarding the football program. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil re-
NFL Continued from Page 1B ing the way they play. Rather than a discussion about the possibility that there were simply more concussions this season and what could have led to that, the emphasis during Friday’s call was on what the league and doctors touted as more efficient identification of head injuries during games. “I see coaches report players and pull them out of the game. I see players report themselves. I see players report each other,” said Richard Ellenbogen, co-chairman of the NFL’s head, neck and spine committee. “Clearly,” Ellenbogen added, “we’ve lowered the threshold for diagnosing concussion, for pulling players out and evaluating them.” While reports of concussions from helmet-to-helmet impacts sank from 91 in 2012, to 72 in 2013, to 58 in 2014, that figure climbed back up to 92 this season, a 58 percent rise that mirrors the overall increase in head injuries. Looking at all sorts of injuries, there were a total of 1,672 during regular-season games in 2015 that resulted in missed time, the NFL told The Associated Press on Friday. That works out to roughly one per player leaguewide.
ceived a seven-game suspension this season after the NCAA ruled he received several improper benefits, including the use of three loaner cars over a six-month period, an interestfree four-month promissory note on a $3,000 down payment for a
used car and a plane ticket. Tunsil played the final six games, but the athletic department’s culpability could still be examined by the NCAA. A separate NCAA probe from last year involving Louisiana-Lafayette also involved Ole Miss. The Ragin’ Cajuns investigation centered on former football assistant David Saunders. The school, in correspondence with the NCAA, said Saunders’ issues — which included academic impropriety — might date back to his days at Ole Miss. The correspondence also said that Ole Miss’ legal counsel and NCAA enforcement staff interviewed Saunders in 2013. Saunders most recently worked at Ole Miss in 2010 under Nutt. Freeze became the Ole Miss head coach in December 2011. Saunders was given an eightyear show-cause in the Louisiana-Lafayette case after the NCAA ruled he made an effort to arrange fraudulent college entrance exam scores for recruits. The school did not receive a postseason ban but was put on probation for two years and lost 11 scholarships over three seasons.
SUPER BOWL Continued from Page 1B in guiding the Panthers to a 17-1 record and role of favorite on Super Sunday. “When you’ve only lost one game, you’re probably making some pretty good decisions,” former NFL player and head coach Herm Edwards said with a chuckle. “If you win the game, you’re not going to be second-guessed as much.” Makes sense. But take a glance at social media during any NFL playoff game, and there is plenty of questioning of coaching going on. It’s happened over and over, even from the likes of the sport’s universally acknowledged “genius,” Bill Belichick, whose New England Patriots lost to Kubiak’s Broncos 20-18 in the AFC championship game. Belichick drew his share of criticism for passing up fieldgoal opportunities in the fourth quarter and instead letting Tom Brady and the offense go for it on fourth down — and failing. “You look at that situation and you go, ’Well, OK, if you
kicked the (earlier) one, then he probably would have won the game.’ That’s easy to say after the fact,” Edwards said. “But he put the ball in the hands of his best player, and in that game, I think he just felt: ’Got ’em on the ropes right now, we’re going to try to make it.”’ There sure is more temptation for hindsight when the ultimate result doesn’t go a coach’s way, of course. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid was lambasted for overseeing a slow-as-molasses offense that basically gave itself no chance to erase a fourthquarter deficit in a 27-20 loss to the Patriots in the divisional round. Another example came right at the start of the postseason, when the Houston Texans were still facing only a surmountable deficit in what would become a 30-0 wild-card loss to those Chiefs. Down near the end zone, Bill O’Brien’s club sent in J.J. Watt for a wildcat formation, with Vince Wilfork blocking, and the
run play got stuffed. On the next play, the Chiefs intercepted Brian Hoyer, and that was that. Then there was Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians’ choice to play a cover-zero defense and send an all-out blitz on the last play of regulation against the Green Bay Packers; as everyone knows, Aaron Rodgers took advantage of that strategy by throwing a desperation pass for a tying touchdown. At least Arians’ team won 26-20 in overtime. Clock management, timeout usage, whether to try to run the ball late while leading to drain time off the clock instead of risking stopping it with an incomplete pass — all of those sorts of decisions go into coaching a winning team. And all can give rise to badmouthing. “That’s part of the game. Part of the job. Everyone has an opinion,” said Edwards, who made a total of four trips to the playoffs during stints coaching the New York Jets and the Chiefs from 2001-08.
“You don’t get caught up as much in that as a coach. As that game’s being played out, you figure out what your strengths are when you have to make decisions. You don’t rely on what people think you should do, and the players understand that. They trust you.” Other than what could have been a disastrous second half in the divisional round against the Seattle Seahawks, when a 31-0 halftime lead dwindled to 31-24, Rivera has generally avoided being called out for sideline mistakes. And Kubiak gets credit for overseeing a team that has won 11 of its 14 games this season that were decided by seven or fewer points. “There’s a purpose to everything he does, and there’s a reason to everything he does. He just doesn’t do things to do things,” said John Elway, Kubiak’s boss with the Broncos. “And as a player, you respect that, and I respected that. That, to me, is why he’s been successful.”
SCOTT Continued from Page 1B ter: Fans flocked online and voted him captain of the Pacific Division, taking advantage of the NHL’s willingness to give them the ability to turn at least one position into a popularity contest. The same thing happened a year ago as Latvian fans helped send Sabres forward Zemgus Girgensons to the All-Star game. Of course, Girgensons isn’t a tough guy like Scott, who may very well look a bit out of place when the league shows off its frantic 3-on-3 format during Sunday’s game.
Scott expects the NHL to change the fan vote for the All-Star Game to keep someone like himself from ever being picked again. “They should do something if they don’t want this to happen again,” Scott said. “I think it’s a good thing for the game. It’s gotten a lot of publicity. It’s gotten a lot of people excited to watch the game, so you never know. It could be a good thing.” All-Star merchandise with Scott’s name and number has been a hot item, so popular that Scott said he couldn’t find any of
his own jerseys. Scott said his former Arizona teammates supported him accepting his All-Star spot. Florida star Jaromir Jagr said the pressure from the league wasn’t fair to Scott, who has played for six teams over the years and never averaged more than 10 minutes in ice time during an NHL season. “He didn’t do anything wrong,” Jagr said. “He’s a great guy. I think the change will change something next year, but he shouldn’t go through that. It was kind of cool when he
said, ’No, I’m coming.’ I like that. I think he’s going to be the most popular player on the ice. ... I just hope he doesn’t slash anybody.” Dallas forward Jamie Benn said the solution is simple. “If they don’t want certain players here, they shouldn’t let the fans vote,” Benn said. But first things first. Scott worked with Chicago forward Patrick Kane, the NHL’s top scorer, to set the lineups for Saturday’s skills competition. Scott himself will take part in
the shootout and hardest shot events. “I wanted to stack the deck and put my eggs in as many baskets as I could and win those prizes,” Scott joked. The 33-year-old Scott has two daughters, and his wife is expecting twins within the next couple weeks. In his essay, he wrote that someone with the NHL asked him: “Do you think this is something your kids would be proud of ?” That incident only strengthened his resolve to play Sunday. Scott was asked if anyone with the
league followed up with him about that comment about his children not being proud, and he said no. He doesn’t expect anyone to come forward, either. For now, he’s looking forward to fan support in his big weekend with the superstars. “It’s obviously an anomaly,” Scott said. “I’m not the typical All-Star, and it’s probably not going to happen again. It’s kind of one of those things where it might be the last time, and I hope they have fun with it and kind of get behind me a little bit.”
ward to discussing his vision for a new San Diego home for the Chargers, and will be working with him and our negotiating team on a fair and viable plan to put before voters. We have agreed to meet again in the near future.” Faulconer and Roberts contend that building a new stadium at the Qualcomm site in Mission Valley would be quicker and cheaper than the Chargers’ desire to build a stadium downtown as part of a noncontiguous expansion of the convention center. It’s possible the Chargers could launch their own citizens’ initiative. The Chargers have been trying to replace Qualcomm since 2002, but numerous upheavals at City
Hall and the economic downturn in 2008 contributed to a lack of momentum. The long-running saga turned nasty in the last year as team lawyer Mark Fabiani fiercely opposed Faulconer’s proposals. Spanos’ scorched-earth tactics angered many fans, who nonetheless turned out for what many thought was a farewell game when the Chargers beat the Miami Dolphins at home on Dec. 20. Several thousand fans stayed after that game, and star players Philip Rivers, Malcom Floyd, Eric Weddle and Antonio Gates, and even coach Mike McCoy, came back out to greet them and sign autographs. Rivers took off his cleats, signed them and gave them away.
CHARGERS Continued from Page 1B the Chargers would remain in San Diego “for the long term in a new stadium.” “I have met with Mayor Faulconer and Supervisor Roberts and I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to resolve our stadium dilemma,” Spanos said. “We have an option and an agreement with the Los Angeles Rams to go to Inglewood in the next year, but my focus is on San Diego. “This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve. Everyone on both sides of the table in San Diego must now determine the best next steps and how to de-
ploy the additional resources provided by the NFL.” Spanos’ announcement came more than two weeks after NFL owners voted to approve Rams owner Stan Kroenke’s plans to build a stadium in Inglewood near Los Angeles. A competing proposal by Spanos and Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis to build a stadium in Carson was defeated. While the owners gave Spanos the option to relocate to Los Angeles, the league said the Chargers and Raiders would each get an additional $100 million to try to get new stadium deals in their home markets. That money is in addition to a $200 million loan from the league available to each team.
“We are very supportive of the decision by Dean Spanos to continue his efforts in San Diego and work with local leaders to develop a permanent stadium solution,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement. “NFL ownership has committed $300 million to assist in the cost of building a new stadium in San Diego. I have pledged the league’s full support in helping Dean to fulfill his goal.” The next steps are uncertain. Faulconer has insisted a stadium measure be put on the ballot. Faulconer and Roberts said earlier this month that a November ballot issue is more realistic than trying to rush one onto the June ballot. They have also held
firm on their offers of public money: $200 million from the city and $150 from the county. Their proposal calls for the Chargers to contribute $353 million, which could be defrayed by the additional $100 million from the NFL and a naming rights deal. The sides held three brief negotiating sessions before the team walked away from the table in June. A financing plan was never discussed. The Chargers then focused all their efforts on Carson. “We appreciate Mr. Spanos’ commitment to staying in San Diego for the 2016 season to work with the region on a stadium solution,” Faulconer and Roberts said in a joint statement. “We look for-
SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2016
TOILET-BOWL STAIN Dear Heloise: What is the best product or homemade "something" to clean bad stains inside the rim of the toilet? -- Nancy, via email If the stains are inside the rim -- meaning coming out from the holes where the water flows -- it’s a water problem. It could be iron in the water (is the house on well water?) or high calcium mineral deposits, also known as hard water. If the stains are orangeylooking, that means there is iron in the water. You probably need a product with oxalic acid or an iron/rust remover. A HELOISE HINT FOR TOILET STAINS is to soak toilet paper in full-strength vinegar. Push the tissue up against the "stains" until the tissue sticks. Let sit for several hours (don’t let them dry out), then scrub with a stiff plastic brush or synthetic sponge (no metal -- do not scratch the porcelain surface), and poke through the holes where the water flows with a toothpick. Good luck! – Heloise
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PET PAL Dear Readers: Sharon in San Antonio sent a picture of her cute foster dog, Beautiful Bella, a Lab blend, or a "San Antonio Special," as they are sometimes called. To see Beautiful Bella and other Pet Pals, visit www.Heloise.com and click on "Pet of The Week." – Heloise WATER CONSERVATION MANDATORY Dear Heloise: Here in California, we’ve had a drought for four years running. Now water rationing is mandatory. My family takes threeminute showers. The first minute is for collecting the water in a bucket until it warms up. The second minute is to get yourself wet. The water goes OFF while we lather up with soap and shampoo. The last minute is for rinsing off. The water in the bucket is used for the toilet or to swab out the sink. -- Johans in Sacramento, Calif. Same here in San Antonio! Water is precious -don’t waste it! -- Heloise
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