The Zapata Times 1/3/2018

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DEEP FREEZE ACROSS TEXAS AND U.S.

U.S.-MEXICO BORDER

Bitter cold delivers a shock to the deep South Advocates for homeless provide blankets, warm gear

Herika Martinez / AFP/Getty Images

Family members reunite through the border wall between Mexico and United States, during the "Keep our dream alive" event, in Ciudad Juarez.

Officials plan immigration debate

A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

Advocates for the homeless fanned out Tuesday across Houston to provide blankets and other warm gear as the National Weather Service issued a hard freeze warning until Wednesday for parts of the state. Freezing temperatures across parts of Texas have prompted traffic officials to warn about possible icy roads. The National Weather Service issued a hard freeze warning until Wednesday morning for parts of Central Texas, including Austin and south to San Antonio. A freeze warning for South Texas included McAllen, Edinburg, Pharr and Weslaco. Tuesday’s deep freeze stretched from South Texas to Canada and from Montana through New England. In Texas, freezing temperatures were reported in Amarillo, Lubbock, Dallas, Austin and Houston. Organizations assisting the homeless fanned out Tuesday across Houston to provide blankets and other warm gear. Some wrecks in East Dallas were blamed on an apartment complex sprinkler that appar-

Trump’s vow to build wall is a condition for any deal By Laura Litvan and Anna Edgerton BL OOMBERG NEWS Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle / AP

Michael Labingo, right, reaches for a supply kit from Star of Hope outreach case manager Kenneth DeVon, left, as DeVon passes out blankets to the homeless as temperatures hover in the 30s Tuesday in Houston.

ently malfunctioned and sent water onto a road that became an icy hazard. Bitterly cold temperatures gripped much of the nation on Tuesday, testing the mettle of even winter-wise northerners and delivering a shock to those accustomed to far milder weather in the South. The cold has been blamed for at least a dozen deaths, prompted officials to open warming centers in the Deep South and triggering pleas from government officials to check on neighbors, especially those who are elderly, sick or who live alone. Nearly four dozen sea turtles Freeze continues on A8

Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle / AP

Michael Labingo wraps himself in blankets Tuesday in Houston. Plunging overnight temperatures brought rare snow flurries as accidents racked up on icy roads across the state.

President Donald Trump is emphasizing his vow to build a wall at the U.S.-Mexico border and additional conditions for an immigration deal, as congressional leaders and White House officials plan a meeting Wednesday that will set terms for a coming debate on the issue. GOP lawmakers have largely avoided talking about the border wall, a central Trump campaign promise, in negotiations with Democrats on legislation to provide protection against deportation for 800,000 young undocumented immigrants while also bolstering border security and interior enforcement of immigration laws. House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, a Louisiana RepubWall continues on A8

MEXICO

Political killings spike as election year begins By Nacha Cattan B L O O MBE RG NEWS

This year’s election in Mexico is already shaping up to be one of the bloodiest in decades after one mayor and two mayoral aspirants were murdered in less than a week. Saul Galindo, a local lawmaker and mayoral candidate from the left-leaning PRD party, was assassinated in the Pacific Coast state of Jalisco on Dec. 28. Shortly afterwards, Arturo Gomez, mayor of Petatlan in Guerrero state, was

“It’s indignant that these events are happening during an electoral process,” Manuel Granados, the head of the PRD, said in a statement.

gunned down, and then a few days later Adolfo Serna, who sought to be mayor of another Guerrero town, was shot dead. “It’s indignant that these events are happening during an electoral process,” Manuel Granados, the head of the PRD, said in a statement. “We call on all three branches of

government to find a path to peace and security.” Mexico’s Biggest Election Could Turn Dirty. It’s Happened Before The murders are no isolated incidents. There were 26,573 killings in the first 11 months of last year in Mexico, the most Mexico continues on A8

Marco Ugarte / AP

Presidential hopeful Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador reads from a book during a campaign rally in Atizapan de Zaragoza, Mexico. It is Lopez Obrador’s third bid for Mexico’s presidency and his supporters still claim he lost the last election through vote fraud, fueling the divisiveness of his current campaign.


Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE NATION

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, JAN. 6

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

8th annual Birdies on the Rio golf tourney. 7 a.m. registration @ the Max Mandel Municipal Golf Course. Join the Rio Grande International Study Center for the biggest, baddest golf tournament in town. $150 per golfer (all-inclusive). Register at www.rgisc.org.

MONDAY, JAN. 8 Webb County Commissioners Court meeting. 9 a.m. 1000 Houston St. For more information, visit http://webbcounty.com/AgendaandMinutes/

MONDAY, JAN. 15 Ray of Light Anxiety and Depression Support Group Meeting in Spanish. 6:30 p.m.-8 p.m. Holding Institute, 1102 Santa Maria Ave., classroom #1. The support group welcomes adults suffering from anxiety and/or depression to participate in free and confidential support group meetings. Contact information: Anna Maria Pulido Saldivar, gruporayitodeluz@gmail.com, 956-307-2014

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 24 Laredo Gateway Rotary presents Paul Harris Foundation Dinner. 6:30 p.m. Laredo Energy Arena. The Paul Harris Fellow honoree is Juan Francisco Ochoa, restauranteur extraordinaire. For table information, contact Rotarian Bill Green at 956-728-2501 or 956-237-9704 or email bbgreen@lmtonline.com

SATURDAY, FEB. 3 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

SATURDAY, MARCH 3 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

Gregory Bull / Associated Press

Homeland Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen listens during an interview Tuesday in San Diego. Nielsen told AP that the administration would consider citizenship for DACA arrivals.

IMMIGRATION PLANS MAY INCLUDE CITIZENSHIP SAN DIEGO — The U.S. Homeland Security secretary said Tuesday the White House would consider immigration legislation that includes a pathway to citizenship for hundreds of thousands of young people, but she emphasized it wasn’t an endorsement. Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said President Donald Trump would consider any legislation Congress passes and noted that some lawmakers want to include a pathway to citizenship for about 800,000 people who have been temporarily shielded from deportation. Asked whether the president would support citizenship, she said, “I think he’s open to hearing about the different possibilities and what it means but, to my knowledge, there certainly hasn’t been any decision from the White House.” In September, Trump said he wouldn’t consider citizenship for DACA recipients — an Obama-era program that Trump said last year he was ending. He gave Congress until March to deliver a legislative fix. The secretary said she was hopeful the White House and Congress can reach a deal that includes border and immigration enforcement measures. She said building a wall along the Mexico border was “first and foremost,” and the administration

wanted to end “loopholes” on issues that include handling asylum claims and local police working with immigration authorities. “I remain optimistic. You have to be,” Nielsen said. “It’s very important. The American people have said they wanted it. I think we should find common ground. The devil’s in the detail.” Nielsen said she and other senior administration officials would discuss a potential deal with members of Congress this week, and the president would take it up in a meeting Wednesday with congressional leaders on legislative priorities for 2018. The secretary spoke hours after the president blasted Democrats for “doing nothing” to protect DACA recipients. Trump tweeted that “DACA activists and Hispanics will go hard against Dems, will start ‘falling in love’ with Republicans and their President! We are about RESULTS.” Nielsen, who visited prototypes of Trump’s proposed border wall in San Diego, said the president would request $1.6 billion next year for the barrier, in addition to $1.6 billion he is seeking this year to build or replace 74 miles in California and Texas. Trump has met stiff Democratic opposition to the wall, a central campaign pledge. — Compiled from AP reports

SATURDAY, APRIL 7 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale.

AROUND THE WORLD

8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

At least 46 dead when bus plunges onto rocky beach

SATURDAY, MAY 5 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

SATURDAY, JUNE 2 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

SATURDAY, JULY 7 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

LIMA, Peru — At least 46 people died when a bus tumbled down a cliff onto a rocky beach Tuesday along a narrow stretch of highway known as the “Devil’s Curve,” Peruvian police and fire officials said. The bus was carrying 57 passengers to Peru’s capital when it was struck by a tractor trailer shortly before noon and plunged down the slope, said Claudia Espinoza with Peru’s voluntary firefighter brigade. The blue bus came to rest upside down on a strip of shore next to the Pacific, the lifeless bodies of passengers strewn among the rocks. “It’s very sad for us as a country to suffer an accident of this magnitude,” Peruvian President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski said in a statement. Rescuers had to struggle to rescue survivors and recover the dead from the hard-toreach area in Pasamayo, about

HO / AFP/Getty Images

Rescuers, police and firefighters work at the scene after a bus plunged around 100 meters over a cliff after colliding with a truck on a coastal highway near Pasamayo, around 45 km north of Lima, and killing at least 46 people on Tuesday. The bus was travelling from Huacho, 130 km north of the capital, to Lima with 53 passengers on board. The spot where the accident occurred is known as the "devil's curve.

70 kilometers (43 miles) north of Lima. No road leads directly to the beach, complicating rescue efforts, Espinoza said. Police and firefighters used helicopters to transport six survivors with serious injuries to nearby hospitals. Traffic accidents are common along Peru’s road-

ways, with more than 2,600 people killed in 2016. More than three dozen died when three buses and a truck collided in 2015 on the main costal highway. Twenty people were killed in November when a bus plunged off a bridge into a river in the southern Andes. — Compiled from AP reports

Today is Wednesday, Jan. 3, the third day of 2018. There are 362 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Jan. 3, 1868, Japan's Meiji (mayjee) Restoration re-established the authority of the emperor and heralded the fall of the military rulers known as shoguns; the upheaval paved the way for Japan's drive toward becoming a modern power. On this date: In 1521, Martin Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church by Pope Leo X. In 1777, Gen. George Washington's army routed the British in the Battle of Princeton, New Jersey. In 1870, groundbreaking took place for the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1911, the first postal savings banks were opened by the U.S. Post Office. (The banks were abolished in 1966.) In 1938, the March of Dimes campaign to fight polio was established by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who himself had been afflicted with the crippling disease. In 1946, William Joyce, the pro-Nazi radio propagandist known as "Lord Haw-Haw," was hanged at Wandsworth Prison in London for high treason. In 1958, the first six members of the newly formed U.S. Commission on Civil Rights held their first meeting at the White House. In 1959, Alaska became the 49th state as President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a proclamation. In 1967, Jack Ruby, the man who shot and killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the accused assassin of President John F. Kennedy, died in a Dallas hospital. In 1977, Apple Computer was incorporated in Cupertino, California, by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Mike Makkula Jr. In 1980, conservationist Joy Adamson, author of "Born Free," was killed in northern Kenya by a former employee. In 1993, President George H.W. Bush and Russian President Boris Yeltsin signed the START II missile-reduction treaty in Moscow. (However, the agreement ultimately fell apart.) Ten years ago: Illinois Sen. Barack Obama won Democratic caucuses in Iowa, while Mike Huckabee won the Republican caucuses. After nearly 27 years in prison, Texas inmate Charles Chatman, 47, was set free by a judge because of new DNA evidence showing he'd been wrongly convicted of rape. Pop star Britney Spears was hospitalized after a child custody dispute with ex-husband Kevin Federline resulted in an hours-long standoff with police. The No. 8 Kansas Jayhawks won the Orange Bowl by defeating No. 5 Virginia Tech 24-21. Five years ago: Students from Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, reconvened at a different building in the town of Monroe about three weeks after the massacre that had claimed the lives of 20 first-graders and six educators. The new 113th Congress opened for business, with House Speaker John Boehner re-elected to his post despite a mini-revolt in Republican ranks. No. 5 Oregon beat No. 7 Kansas State, 35-17, in the Fiesta Bowl. One year ago: Ford Motor Co. canceled plans to build a new $1.6 billion factory in Mexico, and said it would invest at least some of the savings in new electric and autonomous vehicles. The national president of the NAACP and five others were arrested after staging a sit-in at the Alabama office of Sen. Jeff Sessions, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for U.S. attorney general. It was announced that Fox News star Megyn Kelly would be leaving the network to work at NBC News. Today's Birthdays: Actor Dabney Coleman is 86. Journalist-author Betty Rollin is 82. Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Hull is 79. Singer-songwriter-producer Van Dyke Parks is 75. Musician Stephen Stills is 73. Rock musician John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) is 72. Actress Victoria Principal is 68. Actor-director Mel Gibson is 62. Actress Shannon Sturges is 50. Actor John Ales is 49. Jazz musician James Carter is 49. Contemporary Christian singer Nichole Nordeman is 46. Musician Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk) is 43. Actor Jason Marsden is 43. Actress Danica McKellar is 43. Actor Nicholas Gonzalez is 42. Singer Kimberley Locke (TV: "American Idol") is 40. Actress Kate Levering is 39. NFL quarterback Eli Manning is 37. Actress Nicole Beharie is 33. Pop musician Mark Pontius (Foster the People) is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Lloyd is 32. Pop-rock musician Nash Overstreet (Hot Chelle (shel) Rae) is 32. Actor Alex D. Linz is 29. Thought for Today: "No one asked you to be happy. Get to work." — Colette, French author (1873-1954).

CONTACT US

SATURDAY, AUG. 4 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale.

AROUND TEXAS

8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.

Lighthouse at Port Isabel reopens after renovations

Submit calendar items by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location, purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.

PORT ISABEL, Texas — A 165-year-old lighthouse in South Texas has reopened after months of renovations. An official with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department says the Port Isabel Lighthouse

reopened Tuesday. Spokesman Steve Lightfoot says the lighthouse had been closed since October 2016 for $630,000 in updates. The Port Isabel structure, according to the agency’s website, is one of 16 lighthouses originally constructed along the Texas coast but is the only one open to the public. Port Isabel is at one end of

the highway bridge connecting to South Padre Island. The lighthouse was built in 1853 and features 75 winding stairs leading to an expansive view of beaches. Department officials say the Port Isabel Lighthouse has been a favorite for couples to exchange wedding vows atop the tower. — Compiled from AP reports

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 |

A3


Zopinion

Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com

A4 | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Market has a favorable view of recent tax bill By Neil Dutta B L OOM BE RG V IEW

In a Dec. 16 Twitter post, the Nobel laureate economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman asked, "What does the market think about the economic impact of this tax bill?" He concluded by noting that "markets look extremely unimpressed." We had some sympathy for this view, noting that corporate earnings and a strong economy both in the U.S. and abroad were the primary reasons for the stock market rise. More recently, however, sentiment appears to have changed. Although earnings and the economy remain the primary driver for equities, events in Washington now appear to be more of a tailwind for markets. Still, in dismissing the stock market, Krugman argues that "there is one market price that tells us something: the value of the dollar." But in analyzing how the markets feel about the tax bill, it is probably worth looking at stocks. The correlation coefficient between the yearover-year percent change in the S&P 500 and real gross domestic product growth is 0.50. The correlation between GDP and the broad dollar index is zero. Given the dollar’s role as a haven asset, it is more likely to rise during times of economic stress, not growth. Therefore, it is reasonable to view stock markets as a growth momentum barometer. As for the contention that the value of the dollar ought to rise, that’s true, but only on a stand-alone basis. Exchange rates move for a variety of reasons: growth in the U.S., growth outside, and policy inside and outside the U.S. For example, monetary policy can ease overseas, pushing the dollar exchange rate higher. This year, the greenback has sold off largely as a consequence of stronger growth overseas. Europe, Canada, Japan and many emerging-market economies have seen sharp upward revisions to growth. During this time, U.S. growth expectations have been stable. Not surprisingly, those currencies have been some of the best performers against the dollar. Now, let’s take a more systematic examination of how stocks have responded to news from Washington in recent weeks. We looked at Bloomberg News market wrap headlines at the close of each trading day. Analysis like this assumes markets are efficient with new information priced in upon announcement. The chart below shows the cumulative change in the S&P 500 on days of some Washing-

ton-centric event. The federal government was a tailwind early in the year, then a headwind in the middle of the year, and is closing the year as a tailwind. Specifically, stocks sold off earlier in the year during the Republicans’ failure to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Stocks sold off after the President’s CEO councils disbanded after Donald Trump’s widely criticized response to events in Charlottesville, Va. Each of these events likely cast doubt over the prospect for tax reform. After all, if the president couldn’t get along with CEOs who would help him muster public support for business tax reform? Recently, however, stocks rallied when House Republicans unveiled their plan. They rose when the Senate Budget Committee advanced the bill to the Senate floor. They surged with the announcement that Republican Senator John McCain, a key swing voter, would support the legislation. Finally, stocks continued climbing as the bill, which was signed into law on Dec. 22, made its way out of conference committee. We can’t say whether all of the good news from the legislation is priced into equities, and the market could be wrong about how much earnings will rise next year. But, it is fair to say that the stock market has a favorable view of this legislation, and given the stock market’s relationship to broader economic growth, stocks are discounting stronger growth next year. What about Krugman’s contention that "if advocates were right to insist that the benefits of tax cuts will be passed on to workers, stocks wouldn’t rise at all?" This is not necessarily true. There is a big difference between a margin slowdown caused by higher wage growth and a margin slowdown caused by slower productivity growth. In the first scenario, income shifts from firms to workers. That helps household spending by providing firms with a partial top-line offset to the hit to the bottom line. Margins compress but profits can keep rising. The second scenario is bad for stocks because there is no top-line offset. And remember that equities are correlated with GDP growth. Today, we appear to have some combination of stronger wage growth and productivity. That’s not a bad backdrop for equities. In short, if the question is how markets feel about the tax legislation, a firstpass answer is positive. Neil Dutta is a columnist for Bloomberg News.

COLUMN

The value of speaking Spanish By Anne Vasquez SUN SENTINEL

My first spoken words were in Spanish, "Mami, yo quiero. " Thirty years later, my son would string together his first sentence in Spanglish: "Más crackers, please." Does that make my son less Hispanic? American society seems to think so. Examine how advertisers spend their dollars, how films portray Latinos, how companies choose to hire. Language is perceived as the overriding characteristic that makes one Latino. Cultural identity is complex, particularly in the country’s current state of race relations, and our simplistic views need to evolve if we’re ever to make meaningful progress in understanding one another. Language does not define me or others of my generation, the children and grandchildren of immigrants. Whether or not Spanish makes for a cultural connection depends on the context: A non-Latino who speaks to me in Spanish may signal camaraderie, much as a person who codes connects with other coders. But we wouldn’t necessarily share the smells of my mother’s fricase de pollo or the wrath of my father’s chancleta or the Spanish songs my grandfather sang to me as a child. My two children are part Cuban, part Mexican — and 100 percent American. While I’m bilingual, my husband, like many MexicanAmericans of his generation, is not. The youngest of seven children whose birth years span the mid-1940s to the mid-1960s, my husband understands why his parents made a conscious decision that

English serve as their children’s sole language. The Los Angeles-born couple, who counted labor leader César Chavez as a friend, knew firsthand the societal penalties for having accents and brown skin in an era that pre-dated the civil rights movement. My parents fled the island of Cuba and dictator Fidel Castro’s regime in 1962, along with many other refugees who sought asylum in the United States. They eventually settled in Miami, which over decades transformed itself into a cultural bubble where Spanish is as common — if not more so, in some parts — as English. "Almost two decades into the 21st century, and we’re still struggling with institutional blinders when it comes to diversity and inclusion. The differences in our parents’ stories, experience and politics are stark, yet, culturally, I have far more in common with my husband than I do with a person who simply speaks Spanish. My children are part of a generation whose parents are acculturated Hispanics who prefer English. The use of Spanish at home is declining among Latinos in major U.S. cities, according to a recent Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data. Over an almost 10-year period, Spanish use at home among Latinos declined in each of the top 25 U.S. metro areas with the largest populations of Latinos. It’s a phenomenon attributed to choice, not circumstance. I can read Spanish, but I choose not to. I could watch telenovelas, but I don’t. And I could have insisted that my children speak Spanish

to me — even as they speak English to their father, cousins, grandparents and friends. But I didn’t. That’s not to say my husband and I don’t see the value of learning Spanish. I’ve often told my children that one day I will find a Saturday Spanish school to pick up where I did not. (Side note: Why aren’t there Saturday Spanish schools, much as there are Mandarin, Hebrew, Korean, etc. schools?) In my professional life, being bilingual also has played to my advantage. On more than one occasion, I’ve been challenged on my Spanish skills during an interview only to realize the person quizzing me clearly was not fluent and out-matched. I’ve sat inside the office of senior leadership at a top media company and listened as one executive complained about the lack of experienced Latino job candidates. Most, he said, were recent college graduates who were "too green." "And they don’t even speak Spanish, so they’re only Latinos by name," he punctuated his point to a room of nodding heads. Then I spoke up; the heads stopped nodding. Almost two decades into the 21st century, and we’re still struggling with institutional blinders when it comes to diversity and inclusion. Real progress acknowledges the important distinction between culture and language: The latter could be a subset of the former, but its absence does not dilute one’s identity. Yet that executive’s viewpoint is one that continues to permeate business, media and film. Seeing yourself reflected on TV and the big

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letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

screen should not feel novel in 2017. I don’t take inventory, but I feel it when it’s there. The opening scene of "Devil’s Whisper," an independent supernatural horror film featured at a Los Angeles film festival in June, was spoken in English and sprinkles of Spanish. The movie wasn’t about a Latino family. The family at the center of the story just happened to be Latinos who predominantly spoke English at home. It was unusual enough for me to take note, and it speaks volumes that I can’t think of another similar example. Other sectors are similarly behind. Dollars spent on media advertising targeting Hispanics has reached $7.8 billion, according to Advertising Age. But in a sign that corporate America has yet to catch up to the cultural evolution of Latinos, those numbers largely reflect Spanishlanguage spend. Most Fortune 500 companies still believe that to reach a Hispanic audience, one must appeal to them in Spanish. English-dominant Latinos inevitably fall into the "general market" bucket, leaving a open field of opportunity for those who come understand and appreciate cultural identity. For my son, now 13 years old, that complexity and nuance are realities he navigates with regularity: When he debates someone who believes Fidel Castro is a hero. When he hears his father’s stories of being mistaken for a gardener, a valet and a car thief. And when someone assumes he speaks Spanish simply because his last name is Vasquez. Anne Vasquez is a columnist for the South Florida Sun Sentinel.


THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 |

CRIME

Police seek man in woman’s death, abduction of 2 girls A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

ROUND ROCK, Texas — Police are searching for a 44-year-old man they’ve identified as a person of interest in the death of a woman and abduction of her two daughters.

Authorities say Terry Allen Miles is being sought for questioning in the death of 44-year-old Tonya Bates, whose body was found Sunday at the home they shared in Round Rock, Texas. Round Rock police

Car thief dumps 7-month-old baby on the side of road A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS

HUMBLE, Texas — Houston-area authorities say a car thief left a 7month-old child on the side of the road in frigid temperatures after stealing the car at a convenience store while the child’s mother was inside. Harris County constable officials in Humble say the mother had left the car unlocked and running Monday evening while she was in the

store. The suspect got in and drove away with the child. The baby was later found near an intersection. It’s not clear how long the child was outside in nighttime temperatures that fell to about 30 degrees (-1 Celsius). Authorities say the baby was returned to the mother in good condition. Constables are asking for the public’s help in finding the suspect and stolen car.

3 killed in New Year’s Day mobile home fire A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

MATADOR, Texas — State fire authorities are investigating a New Year’s Day blaze in a mobile home in West Texas that left three people dead, including an infant. Motley County Sheriff’s officials say a fire in a fireplace and small heaters were being used at the trailer home in Matador, about 70 miles (112.65 kilo-

meters) northeast of Lubbock, but the state fire marshal’s office would look into finding a cause. A relative of the victims says his nephew, the nephew’s fiancée and their 1-month-old child died in the blaze. Three other people managed to flee the burning home. The sheriff’s office says the fire is not being investigated as a crime.

Chief Allen Banks said Monday that Miles and Bates were roommates. He says it’s not clear how long Bates had been dead before her body was found. Banks says investigators believe Miles took the

woman’s 14- and 7-yearold daughters. An Amber Alert was issued Sunday for the girls. The Hyundai Accent that Miles is believed to be driving was last seen in northern New Mexico or southern Colorado.

Prison officials monitoring strike meals are housed at the Allred Unit in Iowa Park, about 120 miles northwest IOWA PARK, Texas — A spokesman for the Texas of Fort Worth near the prison system says officials Oklahoma border. Hurst says they began are “closely monitoring” a refusing meals on Christhunger strike involving mas but some have food about 40 inmates that in their cells that they started eight days ago. purchased from the comTexas Department of missary. Criminal Justice spokesHe says the department man Robert Hurst said by “will take appropriate email Tuesday that 37 action as needed,” but did prisoners in segregation not elaborate. are participating. The He says the inmates number has fallen since have complained about Sunday, when he told the Houston Chronicle that 45 recreational time, food portions and the temperinmates were involved. ature. The inmates refusing ASSOCIATED PRE SS

6 hurt, 4 arrested after carjacking suspects wreck ASSOCIATED PRE SS

DALLAS — Six people have been hurt after a police chase involving carjacking suspects in Dallas ended with the car being pursued crashing into other vehicles at an intersection and rolling over. Four people from the car are in custody. Authorities say at least

one of them had to be removed from the car after being trapped in the wreck late Tuesday morning in South Dallas. Injuries to five of those hurt, including the person who was trapped, are not considered life threatening. The condition of the sixth person, who was driving a van that was involved in the crash, isn’t immediately known.

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Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

DANNY VALDEZ

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE

APELARÁ DECISIÓN

Vacaciones de Navidad 1 El distrito escolar Zapata County Independent School District informa que las oficinas administrativas y las escuelas pertenecientes al distrito tendrán sus vacaciones de Navidad del 25 de diciembre 2017 al 5 de enero de 2018. 1 El distrito escolar Roma Independent School District informa de su horario por vacaciones navideñas: el distrito está cerrado hasta el 7 de enero de 2018; la oficina de impuestos del distrito estará abierta el 3 y 4 de enero de 2018, de 8 a.m. a 1 p.m.; todo el personal regresa en horario normal el lunes 8 de enero de 2018; todos los estudiantes regresan en horario normal el martes 9 de enero de 2018.

Foro empresarial 1 La Ciudad de Roma en conjunto con la Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores invitan al Foro Empresarial para Emprendedores que se llevará a cabo el jueves 18 de enero de 5 p.m. a 7 p.m., en Roma Community Center, 502 6th Street. Evento gratuito, para inscripciones llame al 956-6657535.

Exámenes de salud 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a la realización de exámenes de salud cardiovascular Life Line Screening con tecnología avanzada de ultrasonido que proporciona una visión en el interior de las arterias, en el Centro Comunitario de la Ciudad de Roma, de 8 a.m. a 3 p.m., patrocinado por Peripheral Vascular Associates. Se requiere registro previo llamando al 1-888653-6450.

Genealogía 1 ¿Desea saber más sobre su historia familiar? ¿Necesita ayuda para iniciar su genealogía? Venga y reciba ayuda personalizada para investigar a sus ancestros utilizando recursos en línea. Voluntarios entrenados le ayudarán, todos los martes de 6:30 p.m a 8 p.m., en Roma Birding Center. Evento gratuito patrocinado por la Iglesia de Jesús de los Santos de los Últimos Días.

Aviario 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a visitar el aviario Roma Bluffs World Birding Center en el distrito histórico de Roma. El aviario estará abierto desde el jueves a domingo de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. hasta enero. Mayores informes al 956849-1411

Busca se extienda fecha límite para presentar candidatura a Representante

Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times

Danny Valdez posa para una fotografía con sus seguidores el 6 de octubre, cuando anunció su candidatura a Representante Estatal.

Por Julia Wallace TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

El pasado jueves, el Tribunal de Apelaciones del Tercer Circuito de Texas negó la petición del ex Juez del Condado de Webb Danny Valdez para extender su fecha límite para solicitar su candidatura y poder postularse para Representante en la Cámara de Texas en el Distrito 80. Sin embargo, Valdez dijo a LMT el martes que estaría apelando el caso en la Suprema Corte de Texas y pidiendo una decisión rápida para poder actuar antes de que se impriman las boletas. “Vamos hacer todo lo que sea necesario. No hay otra manera de rectificar eso hasta que obtengamos el fallo de la Suprema Corte”, dijo Valdez. De acuerdo con la demanda que él emitió contra el Partido Demócrata de Texas, la solicitud de Valdez para la candidatura no fue emitida a tiempo porque el buscador Bing tenía una dirección errónea del partido.

Una empleada de Valdez, Claire Escobedo, buscó “Partido Demócrata de Texas” en Bing y envió la solicitud de Valdez a la dirección que el buscador indicaba, dice la demanda. Sin embargo, el Partido Demócrata de Texas cambió sus oficinas en noviembre de 2015, y la dirección que Bing indicaba tenía la ubicación previa. Valdez está pidiendo que la fecha límite del 11 de diciembre para las elecciones primarias de Texas se le sea extendida para que él pueda emitir su solicitud a la candidatura. Él dijo que su solicitud fue enviada el 23 de noviembre pero no se le fue regresada por tener la dirección incorrecta hasta el 14 de diciembre, tres días después de la fecha límite. Los abogados de Valdez, Doanh “Zone” T. Nguyen y Eustorgio Pérez argumentan que el Partido Demócrata de Texas es responsable por no proporcionar su dirección correcta y por no corregir irregularidades con su

dirección en línea. En su opinión, el Tercer Circuito dijo que las tareas del presidente del Partido Demócrata de Texas no fueron violadas en este caso, citando la opinión de 2006 por el Tribunal de Apelación del 14avo Distrito de Texas en el caso de Glory Hopkins. “La legislatura ha puesto el riesgo claramente sobre el candidato quien envía su solicitud de mandarla a tiempo…” cita el Tercer Circuito de la opinión de Hopkins. Nguyen dijo el martes que estaba trabajando para emitir la apelación a la Suprema Corte para el final del día. Él también dijo que apreciaba que el Tercer Circuito hubiera entregado su opinión sobre el caso de Valdez de inmediato, para poder tener mayor oportunidad de escuchar a la Suprema Corte antes de que se impriman las boletas electorales. El Administrador de Elecciones del Condado de Webb Oscar Villarreal dijo que la Ley de Empod-

eramiento de Voto Militar y en el Extranjero requiere que para el 20 de enero su oficina envíe una boleta a cualquiera que la haya pedido y se encuentre en el extranjero en el ejército. Villarreal dijo que su oficina ya ha recibido unas cuantas peticiones por boletas bajo esa ley. Y antes de la fecha límite del 20 de enero, las boletas electorales todavía necesitarán ser revisadas, aprobadas por los presidentes demócratas y republicanos, enviadas al

proveedor para ser impresas y regresadas al Condado de Webb para ser selladas con la firma de Villarreal antes de ser enviadas. “Francamente nos estamos quedando sin tiempo”, dijo Villarreal. Debido a que la Cámara de Representantes del Distrito 80 no cubre todo el Condado de Webb, Villarreal dijo que podrían imprimir algunas boletas y detener el resto mientras esperan la decisión de la Suprema Corte. Pero eso solo dificulta las cosas para todos, él dijo.

Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times

Danny Valdez posa con uno de sus anuncios en octubre, cuando anunció su candidatura para Representante Estatal, en octubree, en el salón Casa Blanca Ballroom.

OFICINA DEL ALGUACIL

DACA

Buscan cupable de choque

Sopesan otorgar ciudadanía a dreamers

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

La Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata y la organización Zapta Crime Stoppers están solicitando la ayuda de la comunidad para que proporcione información sobre un accidente automovilístico que tuvo lugar el lunes entre las 4:30 a.m. y las 5:30 a.m en la intersección de la calle Álamo y la calle 20/Miraflores, y donde el responsable se dio a la fuga. Las autoridades están a la búsqueda de un vehículo modelo entre

2010 y 2015 (posiblemente 2012), color azul metálico, Chevy Traverse, el cual puede presentar daños en la polvera frontal derecha y un faro roto. El vehículo colisionó contra la parte trasera de lado derecho de una camioneta negra de color negro, marca Ford que estaba estacionada. El responsable huyó del lugar de los hechos y se sospecha que se dirigió hacia el sur sobre la calle Álamo y posiblemente giró hacia el este sobre la avenida Bravo. El vehículo puede compartir similitudes

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Foto de cortesía / Oficinal del Alguacil Condado de Zapata

Chevy Traverse

con el mostrado en la fotografía. Si alguna persona tiene información del caso, por favor llame a la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata al 956-765-9960 o a Zapata Crime Stoppers al 956765-8477.

SAN DIEGO — La Casa Blanca sopesaría un proyecto de ley de inmigración que incluye una forma en la que cientos de miles de jóvenes amparados temporalmente de la deportación puedan obtener la ciudadanía, indicó la secretaria de Seguridad Nacional. En una entrevista el martes, Kirstjen Nielsen le dijo a The Associated Press que el gobierno no está respaldando un plan así, pero sí sopesaría cualquier proyecto de ley al respecto aprobado en el Congreso. Indicó que el gobierno no

ha determinado qué es lo que desea a cambio, pero sí dijo que la colocación de un muro en la frontera con México es una prioridad alta. Hizo notar que el otorgarle la ciudadanía a esos jóvenes, conocidos como “dreamers”, es una posibilidad que los legisladores están analizando. En septiembre, el presidente Donald Trump dijo que no sopesaría el otorgar la ciudadanía para los inmigrantes protegidos por el programa de Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA, por sus siglas en inglés).

Botes de basura 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a la comunidad que sólo estará recolectando basura contenida en botes propiedad de la ciudad. Informes al 849-1411

Pago de impuestos 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St.

COLUMNA

Recuerdan en reunión a Guerrero Viejo Nota del editor: Éste es el último de una serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (19272016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal. Por Lilia Treviño TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

El 7 de octubre del año 2002, la señora Margarita González de

Garza, miembro de la asociación Hijos y Amigos de Ciudad Guerrero, Tamaulipas, A.C., promovió una reunión de damas guerrerenses, con el fin de convivir y promover añoranzas de Guerrero Viejo. Asistieron numerosas damas residentes en otras ciudades de este y del vecino país, y fue un reencuentro muy emotivo, que estrechó los lazos de amistad y reavivó el cariño por aquel terru-

ño que llamamos “Guerrero Viejo”. En la ciudad de Zapata, Texas, también se han organizado reuniones de damas de origen guerrerense para compartir recuerdos y afirmar lazos de amistad. La primera de ellas fue el 20 de octubre de 2003, y la última el 21 de noviembre de 2004. Guerrero que fundaron mis mayores:/

Unes dos trayectorias diferentes,/ Enlazando pasado con presente/ Reafirmas de tu historia los valores./ Ríos que se embalsamaron han cambiado/ El sitio donde un día floreciste,/ Reunidos hoy, venimos a decirte:/ ¡Oh, Guerrero! No te hemos olvidado.


Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 |

A7

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Jones supports return of Garrett, coordinators Marinelli, Linehan By Drew Davison FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM

FRISCO, Texas — Owner Jerry Jones didn’t sound like a man who feels the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff needs major turnover. Jones voiced his support of coach Jason Garrett and also backed offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli returning for the 2018 season during his 105.3 The Fan radio show Tuesday. Instead, Jones said changes to the staff will come more at the assistant coaching level. Several assistants are on expiring contracts including quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson, wide receivers coach Derek Dooley, running backs coach Gary Brown, secondary coach Joe Baker and linebackers coach Matt Eberflus. As far as the top of the coaching staff is concerned, Jones reiterated his support of Garrett. "It’s not even a thought for me. I like the fact that we’ve invested several years of Jason evolving in this profession," Jones said. Jones said he wanted Line-

Ron Jenkins / Fort Worth Star-Telegram file

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed confidence in head coach Jason Garrett along with both of the team’s coordinators during a radio appearance Tuesday.

han and Marinelli to return. Linehan has been the coach under most scrutiny after the offense took a step back this season. The Cowboys had the 14thranked offense - both in yards and scoring - compared to the fifth-ranked in each category a

season ago. The Cowboys struggled to adjust when star running back Ezekiel Elliott started serving his six-game suspension. The offense failed to produce at least 10 points in three consecutive games, the worst stretch of futility in franchise history.

Several players had down years, too, particularly among the receiving corps. Dez Bryant went a third consecutive season without 1,000 yards and failed to produce a single 100-yard game; Terrance Williams had no touchdown receptions for the

first time in his career and had a career-low in receiving yards (568); and Cole Beasley saw his production more than cut in half. Defensively, the Cowboys struggled at times. The Cowboys lost two games despite scoring 30 points in each early in the season. But the defense has consistently improved under Marinelli since he became defensive coordinator in 2014. They had the 19th-ranked defense in 2014; the 17th in 2015; the 14th in 2016; and finished eighth this season. This season marked the first time the Cowboys have had a top-10 defense since 2009. Marinelli, 68, expressed interest in coaching what would be his 45th year in the game next season, and his players defended his scheme and coaching after the season. Linebacker Sean Lee referred to him as a "Hall of Fame coach." The same can be said for Linehan, who had the full support of quarterback Dak Prescott and others after the finale. Now, both have the support of the most important person in the organization - Jones.

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

Bill O’Brien retains job with Texans; is vague about future By Kristie Rieken A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HOUSTON — Coach Bill O’Brien kept his job despite Houston’s 4-12 finish and looks to be returning for next season. His status beyond that is far less certain. O’Brien, who has one season left on his contract, was asked repeatedly on Tuesday if he’ll be with the Texans next season and if he’s been offered a contract extension. He never refused comment, but avoided answering the questions directly with the skill of a veteran politician. “These are things that are being discussed,” he said when asked if he’ll coach the team next season. “I feel like I will be here in 2018, but again, these are ongoing discussions that maybe we can clarify with you guys, maybe, at a later date. I’m sure we will, but this is where it’s at right now.” When asked if he’d like to sign an extension, he again refused to give a direct answer, instead talking broadly about his relationship with owner Bob McNair and his son Cal McNair. “We’re having great discussions, very productive,” O’Brien said. “They’re very easy to talk to. They really do a great job of working with us, with me, of listening, back and forth, a lot of great ideas ... these are really good discussions that we’re having and we’ll move from there.” O’Brien has a 31-33 record in four seasons in Houston and this was his first losing season after he led the team to 9-7 records in each of his first three years.

The Texans won the AFC South the past two seasons before failing to make the postseason in 2017 as they dealt with injuries to quarterback Deshaun Watson and superstar defensive end J.J. Watt. Along with firming up O’Brien’s future with the team, the Texans also must find someone to fill in at general manager after Rick Smith announced that he’s taking a leave of absence of at least a year to care for his wife as she fights breast cancer. O’Brien said he isn’t looking to have more personnel power in Smith’s absence, but that he has been involved in discussions with the McNairs about his replacement and that he hopes they hire someone who shares his thoughts on the team’s needs. “The big thing for me and I think the big thing for the McNairs, and I don’t want to speak for them, but I would just say is alignment, being aligned philosophically on what type of team we want,” O’Brien said. Some things to know about the Texans as they wrap up the season: WATSON’S HEALTH Watson is recovering well since having surgery on his right knee in November, and O’Brien said there’s a chance he could be healthy enough to do some things in organized team activities in May. The 12th overall pick in the 2017 draft showed that he could be the solution to Houston’s long-term quarterback woes with his work before the injury. He appeared in seven games with six starts and threw for 1,699 yards

Elaine Thompson / Associated Press file

Head coach Bill O’Brien and the Texans were 3-3 in games Deshaun Watson started at quarterback but finished 1-8 the rest of the season after he suffered a torn ACL.

with 19 touchdowns and eight interceptions. “He’s an exciting player,” O’Brien said. “He’s just a very coachable guy, eager to learn, eager to get better. He’s got great poise on the field. We’re all excited about his future.” WATT’S THOUGHTS Watt is already looking ahead to next season after seeing a second straight season cut short by an injury. Watt has played just eight games over the past two seasons after a back injury ended his 2016 season after just three games and he broke his left leg in Houston’s fifth game

this season. The three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year said he is careful not to get caught up in negative thoughts after his tough stretch and is optimistic for the future. “That’s what gets me to work my hardest every single day is what this team is capable of and what we can do with these guys,” he said. And although he’s on the other side of the ball, Watt is thrilled to have Watson on his team after seeing the revolving door at quarterback over the past few years. “We have won a few division titles with like 15 different quarterbacks,”

Watt said. “So if we have one quarterback who is back there who can play the way that he plays, who has the potential and has the abilities he has ... we are really excited to see what he can do with a full season. I’m definitely excited to have a franchise quarterback.” CLOWNEY’S CAMPAIGN Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney’s play was one of the few bright spots during Houston’s tough season. The top overall pick in the 2014 draft had the best season of his career to earn his second straight Pro Bowl nod.

Clowney finished second in the NFL with a career-high 21 tackles for losses and his 91/2 sacks, 21 quarterback hits and two forced fumbles were also career bests. He also had a career-high 59 tackles and started all 16 games for the first time in his career after struggling with injuries in his first two NFL seasons before playing 14 games last season. “I’m going to keep getting better,” he said. “I get excited about it because I know my potential and I just say I’m going to keep improving year-in and year-out as long as I stay healthy.”


A8 | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

FROM THE COVER FREEZE From page A1 stunned by the severe cold wave have been rescued from offshore waters along the South Texas coast in Corpus Christi, Texas. National Park Service spokeswoman Donna Shaver says the cold-stunned turtles in shallow water become incapacitated and float to the surface. If not rescued, their lives can be in danger from predators and boats. She tells the Corpus Christi Caller-Times that more than 40 turtles had been recovered by Tuesday afternoon by people in boats and walking the shoreline. The park service has been joined in the effort by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, a team from Sea World in San Antonio, the Texas State Aquarium and other organizations. Once the rescued turtles are rehabilitated, they’ll be released in waters that are deeper and warmer. In St. Louis, where temperature dipped 30 degrees below normal, Mayor Lyda Krewson warned it was “dangerously cold.” “It’s important that people look out for anyone in need of shelter,” she said. The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories and freeze warnings covering a vast area, from South Texas to Canada and from Montana through Maine. The arctic blast was blamed for freezing a water tower in Iowa, halting a ferry service in New York and even trapping a swan

Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle / AP

Star of Hope outreach case manager Kenneth DeVon, right, passes out blankets to the homeless as temperatures hover in the 30s Tuesday, in Houston.

in a Virginia pond. At the same time, a heatwave swept into the country’s northernmost state: Anchorage, Alaska, hit a record high on Tuesday of 45 degrees (7 Celsius) — at the same time Jacksonville, Florida, was a mere 38 degrees (3 Celsius). Indianapolis Public Schools canceled classes after the city tied a record low for the day — set in 1887 — of minus 12 degrees (-24 Celsius). The northwest Indiana city of Lafayette got down to minus 19 (-28 Celsius), shattering the previous record set in 1979. Many local residents noticed a hum, which Duke Energy said was caused by extra power surging through utility lines to meet electricity demands. Although temperatures have been lower in Indiana — the all-time low was minus 36 (-38 Celsius) in 1994 — the current frigid weather is unusual because of how long it’s lasted,

WALL From page A1 lican, said the wall remains part of the discussion. He told Fox News Tuesday, “There is an agreement that can be reached. It’s got to start with border security, though, and putting money in place to start building the wall as President Trump said. He campaigned on this and he won the presidency with this being a front and center issue.” The president said in September that he would end the Obama-era program known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, in early March. Trump has expanded his demands for what he wants in exchange for a DACA accord: eliminating family immigration preferences and ending a diversity lottery program that provides visas to people in countries with low rates of migration to the U.S. Trump punctuated the holidays with a series of tweets renewing demands that an immigration measure include a border wall, which is strongly opposed by Democrats and many Republicans in Congress. He’s also accusing Democrats of playing politics in the debate. “The Democrats have been told, and fully understand, that there can be no DACA without the desperately needed WALL at the Southern Border and an END to the horrible Chain Migration & ridiculous Lottery System of Immigration etc.,” Trump said in a tweet Friday from his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida. He wrote on Tuesday, “Democrats are doing nothing for DACA - just interested in politics.” Tax Cut Immigration is one of the top issues that Congress pushed into 2018 as Republicans who control the Senate and House focused instead on passing a massive $1.5 trillion tax-cut measure. Democrats are insisting that the next federal spending bill include protections for the undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children. The White House meeting Wednesday will include White House budget director Mick Mulvaney and legislative liaison Marc Short. Trump isn’t alone in seeking policies that could complicate the debate. Some GOP lawmakers are pushing for a mandatory “E-Verify” system for employers to ensure their workers are documented and to include deep cuts to legal immigration. Democrats insist Trump has promised he would support not only DACA protections but the “Dream Act” that provides the young immigrants a pathway to citizenship. The DACA expiration puts pressure on all sides to act. Some of the young immigrants have expulsion protections that expire before March, with more than 7,900 already losing DACA protections since Trump acted in September, according to the Center for American Progress in Washington, a liberal research group. That number will rise to about 22,000 people by early March, the group said. Bipartisan talks in the Senate for an immigration compromise, led by Democrat Richard Durbin of Illinois and Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, could yield comprehensive

experts said. “It has just been relentlessly cold since Christmas,” said Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private Weather Underground. And it’s nothing to trifle with, forecasters warned. The cold has been blamed in at least 12 deaths in the past week. Police in St. Louis said a 54-year-old homeless man found dead in a trash bin Monday evening apparently froze to death as the temperature dropped to negative 6 degrees (-21 Celsius). Two other suspected coldrelated deaths occurred in Wisconsin: a 27-year-old woman’s body was found Monday evening on the shore of Lake Winnebago, and a 57-year-old man was found dead Sunday in a parking structure in Madison. With Chicago-area wind chills expected as low as negative 35 degrees (-37 Celsius), forecasters warned of frost bite

immigration legislation as early as this month. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky has pledged to put such a plan on the Senate floor this month if it has broad support in both parties. Risks in House Even if senators can reach accord, there will be risks in the House, where more Republicans are balking at the deportation protections. The last effort to enact a comprehensive immigration overhaul failed in 2013, when the Senate — then controlled by Democrats — voted to create a path to legal status for 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. and to spend $46 billion to secure the U.S.-Mexican border. The Republican-dominated House didn’t take up the bill, as most in the party opposed legal status. Trump’s support for any emerging compromise involving DACA could give political cover to some House Republicans from GOP-stronghold districts, but the ideological divide over the issue runs deep in that chamber. GOP Representative Steve King of Iowa continues to oppose any protection for people who are in the U.S. illegally. Some members of the conservative Freedom Caucus, including Representative Dave Brat of Virginia, have also expressed reservations. Yet with 2018 midterm elections looming, a measure that addresses the needs of immigrants could benefit vulnerable GOP House lawmakers from districts with heavy concentrations of Latino voters. That includes Mike Coffman of Colorado, Darrell Issa of California and Carlos Curbelo of Florida. “On this immigration issue, it’s the extremists on both sides that have prevented a compromise and a solution for years,” Curbelo said in an MSNBC interview last month. “People on the far right who call this amnesty, even though it’s not, the people on the far left who believe this issue is so potent politically that they don’t want it to get solved.” Meanwhile, a key issue splitting both political parties is how to enact any immigration compromise that might be reached. Democrats in both chambers are pushing to include it in the next federal spending bill, which must clear by Jan. 19 or risk a government shutdown. McConnell and other GOP leaders insist that it should move through Congress on its own. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, made clear in a letter Tuesday to House Democrats that she’ll reiterate her party’s demand at the Wednesday meeting, which will also include discussion of spending and budget caps. “We are firmly committed to swiftly passing the DREAM Act, which we know would pass with bipartisan support if brought to the floor,” she wrote. House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said last month that Trump’s deadline for DACA isn’t until March and that there are other more pressing issues to deal with first. He has repeatedly said that DACA is “a separate issue” that shouldn’t be lumped together with the discussion on government spending and extending other programs.

and hypothermia risks. They urged residents to take precautions, including dressing in layers, wearing a hat and gloves, covering exposed skin and bringing pets indoors. “You thought you were cold last year. You thought you were cold last month. But you weren’t cold. Now you’re cold,” said Jeanne Rivera, of Crystal Lake, Illinois, who was in Chicago on Tuesday to visit an art exhibit. “It hurts. It hurts the face.” In Tennessee, corrections officials at a maximum security prison used portable heaters and extra blankets to keep inmates and employees warm after the facility lost hot water pressure Monday, causing its boiler to go offline. A spokeswoman didn’t provide a timeline for its return. Atlanta hospitals were seeing a surge in emergency room visits for hypothermia and other ailments as temperatures plunged below freezing. The temperature in Atlanta fell to 13 degrees (-11 Celsius) before dawn Tuesday. “We have a group of patients who are coming in off the street who are looking to escape the cold — we have dozens and dozens of those every day,” said Dr. Brooks Moore, associate medical director in the emergency department of Grady Health System, which operates Georgia’s largest hospital in Atlanta. Warming shelters opened amid freeze watches and warnings in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. In Savannah, Georgia — where January’s average high is 60 degrees (16 Celsius) — the temperature hovered at 30 (-1

MEXICO From page A1 since at least the start of the century, as drug cartels fought for territory. Twenty-one of them were mayors or former mayors, according to Alcaldes de Mexico, a magazine that tracks the deaths. The violence doesn’t bode well for contentious elections this

Celsius) at noon Tuesday. It was cold enough for icicles to dangle from the ornate wrought-iron fountain in Forsyth Park at the edge of the city’s downtown historic district. The city could see up to 2 inches (5 centimeters) of snow and sleet on Wednesday. That would be the first measureable snow since February 2010. “I’ve never seen icicles in Savannah, period,” said Sean Dempsey, a local restaurant manager who wore a hat, gloves and a thick coat to walk his dogs Tuesday. “I’m pretty sure last year at New Year’s lots of families were in the park playing catch, Frisbee football and stuff like that.” Along the East Coast, the cold was expected to worsen behind a winter storm brewing in the Atlantic and Caribbean. Forecasters don’t think the storm will hit the coast, but parts of the Northeast will likely get sustained high winds, waves and some snow, forecasters said. And behind that storm is even colder weather that what the East Coast is feeling now. “For the Northeast, this weekend might be the coldest of the coldest with the storm,” said Jason Furtado, a University of Oklahoma meteorology professor. “We could be ending (the cold snap) with a big hurrah.” One area of reprieve: Phoenix, where residents wore short-sleeve shirts and flipflops as temperatures topped out in the 70s. “Don’t let the people on the East Coast know how nice the weather is here today,” said Mark O’Malley, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Phoenix.

year to choose the nation’s president, lawmakers and mayors. “Organized crime has become more politicized because it’s become more local,” said Alejandro Hope, a security consultant and a former official for CISEN, Mexico’s intelligence agency. “They’re more concerned about who wins and who loses elections.” The arrests and kill-

ings of drug cartel leaders, including Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, have caused criminal groups to splinter and to focus more on extortion and kidnappings, making their connections with local power structures more critical, Hope says. A total of 111 mayors or former mayors have been killed in the past decade, Alcaldes de Mexico reports.

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, January 3, 2018 |

A9

BUSINESS

Auto sales decline eyed as rates rise By Jamie Butters B L OOMBE RG NEWS

As automakers seal their first annual U.S. sales decline since 2009, expectations for more interest-rate hikes are contributing to the nearly unanimous view that car demand will drop again in 2018. Few analysts anticipate sales this year will reach 17 million vehicles, which was just achieved for a third-straight year and only the fifth time in history. The Federal Reserve forecasts three rate hikes in 2018, crimping the free-flowing credit that helped fuel a record streak of demand growth now coming to an end. “Consumers could face slightly higher costs for all their borrowing: credit-card balances, student loans, financing a house or a car,” said Charlie Chesbrough, senior economist at Cox Automotive, which owns websites including Kelley Blue Book and Autotrader. “At the same time, higher rates drive up the cost to provide low-rate financing, which eats into profit margins and hurts the carmakers as well.” The central bank, which hiked rates three times in 2017, raises interest rates to keep the economy from overheating and leading to high inflation. For consumers, those protective measures make it more expensive to take on new car loans or leases. “The monthly payment

Andrew Harrer / Bloomberg

An "IRS Audit Assistance" sign hangs at a Jackson Hewitt Tax Service office in Washington, D.C. The IRS is warning that cybersecurity should be a year-round concern for small business owners as income tax filing season can bring increased security risks.

IRS warns that tax season brings security risks Tony Gaines/ HCN / AP

Johanna Gomez get the keys for her new car from Moe Rabieh at Elite Auto Experts. Automakers will report their first annual U.S. sales decline since 2009 as interest-rate hikes hurts car demand.

matters,” said Jonathan Smoke, Cox’s chief economist. “When rates rise, many consumers do not have an option to pay more. We believe higher rates have already led the automotive market to see some shift” toward usedvehicle purchases instead of new ones. The final tally for 2017 industry deliveries will be reported Wednesday when automakers announce December results. Analysts project that all major carmakers will report declines compared with the blowout final month of 2016, which benefited from an

extra selling day. Industrywide, December sales probably ran at about a 17.7 million annualized rate, analysts estimated in a Bloomberg News survey. That would be down from the nearly 18.2 million pace logged the previous December but still among the top months of the year. Analysts project that sales may drop to about 16.7 million in 2018, from roughly 17.2 million last year. With a record-high stock market and low unemployment, the Federal Open Market Committee is expected to stay

the course and keep raising rates slowly as the chairmanship passes to Jay Powell from Janet Yellen this year. A quarter-point increase in interest rates typically adds $8 to $20 to the monthly payment on a new vehicle, according to Ivan Drury, senior analyst with car-shopping website Edmunds. Throw a handful of those at a consumer this year and the higher payments could lead shoppers to give up options like heated seats and satellite radio, or move down in vehicle size, pinching automaker profits.

Stocks ring in 2018 with gains By Marley Jay A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — Technology and health care companies jumped Tuesday as U.S. stocks started the new year the same way they spent the last one: rising steadily and setting records. Energy companies, which struggled in 2017, also climbed. Asian markets rose after surveys in China and India showed continued manufacturing growth in the world’s most populous countries. U.S. stocks followed suit as investors snapped up shares of companies that should benefit from faster economic growth, including technology, health care and materials companies, just as they did last year. The Nasdaq

composite busted through another milestone as it closed above 7,000 points. “We’ll continue to see many of the themes from last year play out,” said Kate Warne, an investment strategist for Edward Jones. She said the global economy should keep growing and businesses and consumers around the world will continue to spend more money. It helps that interest rates are low, and governments in areas that reduced their spending during the Great Recession are becoming more willing to spend. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index rose 22.20 points, or 0.8 percent, to a record 2,695.81. The Dow Jones industrial average climbed 104.79 points, or

0.4 percent, to 24,824.01. The Nasdaq composite jumped 103.51 points, or 1.5 percent, to 7,006.90. The Russell 2000 index, which consists of smaller company stocks, gained 14.50 points, or 0.9 percent, to 1,550.51, also a new high. The Nasdaq had its best opening day since 2013 as the big technology companies that dominated in 2017 got the new year off to a good start. Facebook rose $4.96, or 2.8 percent, to $181.42 and Apple climbed $3.03, or 1.8 percent, to $172.26. Chipmaker Nvidia climbed $5.85, or 3 percent, to $199.35. Drug and medical device companies led the health care sector higher. Hepatitis C and HIV drug maker Gilead Sciences

gained $2.46, or 3.4 percent, to $74.10. Abbott Laboratories, which sells medications, infant formula and medical devices, picked up $1.72, or 3 percent, to $58.79 and Baxter International gained $2.53, or 3.9 percent, to $67.17. Retailers also rose. That included Amazon, which added $19.54, or 1.7 percent, to $1,189.01. Retailers that struggled last year, including big box and department stores, also fared well. Target rose $2.38, or 3.9 percent, to $67.63 while Kohl’s picked up $2.12, or 3.9 percent, to $56.35. Early indications suggest shoppers had a busy holiday season and investors will look for confirmation of those reports in the weeks to come.

By Joyce M. Rosenberg ASSOCIATED PRE SS

While cybersecurity should be a year-round concern for small business owners, income tax filing season can bring some particular risks, according to the IRS. The agency says it has gotten an increase in reports of attempts to obtain employees’ W-2 forms in hopes of stealing people’s personal information and identities. The scams often go after employees in companies’ human resources and payroll departments, but any staffer or manager could be a target. In the scam, a potential thief poses as a company executive, sending an email from an address that might look legitimate, and requests a list of employees and their W-2s. Owners need to be sure that anyone with access to employee records including W-2s understands that they shouldn’t send the forms or staffer information to anyone without checking to be sure this isn’t an attempted scam. The IRS also wants companies to report W-2 scam emails to the agency, and it also wants to know if anyone has become a victim. For more information, visit the IRS website, www.irs.gov , and search for “Form W-2/SSN Data Theft: Information for Businesses and Payroll Service Providers.” The IRS also warns all taxpayers about emails that look like they’re coming from the agency but that are phishing attempts aimed at getting harmful software into a PC or a server. The emails might say that the

taxpayer has a refund waiting at the IRS, or that the agency needs more information from the taxpayer. There’s likely to be a link or an attachment that the reader of the email is supposed to click on — and that’s how thieves and hackers gain entry to a computer. The IRS does not initiate contact with taxpayers by email, text messages or social media; it sends letters by U.S. mail. Company owners and their employees need to be on guard against all kinds of phishing scams, and no one should ever click on a link or attachment until they’re completely sure the email is legitimate. And if an email says it’s from the IRS, it’s not. Accountants and other tax professionals are also targets of thieves looking to steal personal information and identities, the IRS says. It has a page on its website devoted to providing paid tax preparers with information so they can protect themselves and their clients. The address is www.irs.gov/tax-professionals/protect-yourclients-protect-yourself . Some small business owners struggle with getting their financial records organized and keeping them that way, and that makes tax filing season more difficult. SCORE, the organization that offers free advice to small companies, is sponsoring an online seminar to help owners get their books in order. It will be held Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 1 p.m. Eastern time. You can learn more and register at http:// bit.ly/2CSfKwW.


Entertainment Wednesday, January 3, 2018 | PAGE A10 | LAREDO MORNING The Zapata TimesTIMES

College Football Playoff ratings rise

Hoda Kotb will replace Matt Lauer on ‘Today’ By David Bauder

By Ralph D. Russo

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

With the semifinals back New Year’s Day, viewership for the College Football Playoff on ESPN was the highest it has been since the first season of the postseason system in 2015. The double overtime Rose Bowl thriller between Georgia and Oklahoma drew a 14.8 overnight Nielsen rating and average viewership of 27 million, up 39 percent over last season’s early semifinal. Georgia beat Oklahoma 54-48 and ESPN said the television rating reached a high of 17.3 in overtime. The Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Clemson got a 12.5 rating and average viewership of 21.1 million, up 10 percent from last season’s second semifinal. The last two seasons the semifinals were played on Dec. 31. The CFP drew record viewership for ESPN in its first season when games were played on Jan. 1, 2015. Overall, ESPN had its best average viewership for the New Year’s Six in the four-year history of the College Football Playoff format. The results were aided by the calendar, the changes made to the format in 2016 that moved games away from New Year’s Eve and some big-brand teams in the non-semifinal matchups. ESPN executive vice president for programming and scheduling Burke Magnus said simply having the semifinals back on Jan. 1 had network officials optimistic about the size of the audience. “We knew that going into this year, the tweaks that had been made over the last couple years and then getting back to the first year of the cycle again, with the semis on Jan. 1, was going to be a very favorable circumstance,” Magnus said. Continuing that ratings success could be difficult for ESPN with an allSoutheastern Conference championship game Jan. 8 matching Alabama and Georgia in Atlanta. The all-SEC championship after the 2011 season between Alabama and LSU was the lowest-rated title game in the Bowl Championship Series’ 16-year history. Magnus said the regional matchup is not necessarily cause for concern, not after having Clemson and Alabama in the championship game

Bob Andres/Atlanta Journal-Constitution / TNS

Georgia Bulldogs defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter celebrates with a game edition of the AJC after Georgia won the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game on Monday in Pasadena, Calif. Georgia won 54-48 in double overtime.

the past two years, teams from different conferences but both from the South. “It would always be to our advantage just from a pure fan interest perspective to have teams representing multiple regions of the country,” Magnus said. “That being said, Alabama is the No. 1 draw in the sport now from a television perspective, or maybe you can argue they flip-flop with Ohio State. They’re a gigantic brand and huge draw. I like the buzz Georgia is getting come off that great Rose Bowl game.” Having two SEC teams play for the championship in the heart of the South and just 70 miles from Georgia’s campus will be a boon for ticket sellers. StubHub said demand for tickets to the national championship game was up 106 percent over this time last year, when Clemson and Alabama were set to play for the second straight year and the game was in Tampa, Florida. The company said Tuesday that the average ticket price on StubHub for AlabamaGeorgia was $2,689, with the lowest available at $1,930 for upper end zone seats in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. This season’s New Year’s Six got off to a good start for ESPN with Ohio State-Southern California in the Cotton Bowl, played Friday night, Dec. 29. The game drew the best rating (5.9 and 9.468 million viewers) of any non-semifinal game during the four years of the current format. The Fiesta Bowl with Penn State and Washington and the Orange Bowl with Miami and Wisconsin were played Saturday,

Dec. 30. No bowl games were played on Dec. 31; college football traditionally has avoided competing against the NFL on Sunday. “That’s about as good, for fans and for us, as you can get,” Magnus said. “It’s still compressed around the New Year’s holiday, but you get everything as clean as you can for giving fans an opportunity to watch.” The FBS conference commissioners who manage the College Football Playoff backed off the original plan to schedule the semifinals on New Year’s Eve during most of the 12 years of the media rights deal with ESPN and tinkered with the schedule in 2016. Next season’s CFP semifinal doubleheader is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 29. The season after that, the games are slated to be played on Saturday, Dec. 28, and there will be a 17-day gap between the semifinals and the championship game on Monday, Jan. 13, in New Orleans. The semifinals return to Jan. 1 for the 2020 season. The semifinals can only be played on New Year’s Day when they are held in the Rose and Sugar bowls because those games and the conferences affiliated with them have contracts with ESPN locking in those time slots. ——— Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ ralphDrussoAP ——— More AP college football: http://collegefootball.ap.org and https:// twitter.com/AP—Top25 AP-WF-01-02-18 2156GMT

NEW YORK — NBC News opened the new year Tuesday by appointing Hoda Kotb as coanchor of the “Today” show’s first two hours with Savannah Guthrie, replacing Matt Lauer following his firing on sexual misconduct charges in late November. Kotb, 53, will continue to co-host the show’s fourth hour with Kathie Lee Gifford. It will be the first allfemale team headlining “Today” in the show’s 65-year history. Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts blazed that path for ABC’s “Good Morning America” in the 2000s, but morning shows have traditionally paired a man and a woman as host. With an audience dominated by women in an era where news of badly behaving men is frequent, the Guthrie-Kotb pairing may be particularly timely. “Today” won’t be an all-female zone in its first half, however, with longtime weather forecaster Al Roker and correspondent Carson Daly as regulars. Megyn Kelly hosts the show’s third hour. “This has to be the most popular decision NBC News has ever made and I am so thrilled,” Guthrie said on Tuesday, announcing the appointment on the air. “I am pinching myself,” said a beaming Kotb, sitting beside her. “I think we should send some

medics to Alexandria, Virginia, where my mom has likely fainted.” Kotb Lauer’s eventual replacement had long been the subject of internal angst but with a sudden decision forced upon the network, Kotb’s performance made it easier. She’s subbed for Lauer since the day he was fired and “Today” has won four straight weeks in the ratings, after having spent much of the past few years in second behind ABC. “Hoda has seamlessly stepped into the co-anchor role alongside Savannah, and the two have quickly hit the ground running,” NBC News Chairman Andy Lack said in a memo to staff on Tuesday. “They have an undeniable connection with each other and most importantly, with viewers, a hallmark of ‘Today.”’ Lack said Kotb “has the rare ability to share authentic and heartfelt moments in even the most difficult news circumstances. It’s a tribute to her wide range and her innate curiosity.” It’s common for television shows with job openings to hold informal tryouts of potential hosts. With Kotb’s immediate success, potential replacements like Willie Geist or Craig Melvin didn’t get that chance. Lauer had been a fix-

ture at “Today” since the mid-1990s before his abrupt firing for what NBC called “inappropriate sexual behavior” with a colleague. Other complaints and reports of crude behavior followed. He was the second television morning host fired in a week, after CBS News axed Charlie Rose just before Thanksgiving on sexual misconduct charges. Rose was one of three “CBS This Morning” hosts with Gayle King and Norah O’Donnell, and CBS has yet to name his replacement. Substitutes have included Vladimir Duthiers, Bianna Golodryga, Dana Jacobsen, John Dickerson and Anthony Mason. Kotb joined NBC News in 1998 as a “Dateline NBC” correspondent, after working in local news in New Orleans. Her public profile increased with her wine-soaked pairing with Gifford on the show’s informal fourth hour. She was born in Norman, Oklahoma, to parents of Egyptian descent, and raised in Morgantown, West Virginia. Ben Bogardus, a journalism professor at Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University, said Kotb’s selection was a good one “because it reinforces the sense of a family coming together after a shared trauma.” The timing is important for NBC, because “Today” will get a burst of attention next month with the Winter Olympics.


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