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PUBLIC HEALTH
ACCIDENT
8 dead in crash Mother, several children among casualties THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
Laredo Health Department director Dr. Hector Gonzalez, left, addresses the media as Dr. Fernando Sanchez, infectious disease control specialist at Laredo Medical Center, listens Monday morning.
Officials clear air about flu By ALDO AMATO THE ZAPATA TIMES
Rumors and myths surrounding the flu were debunked Monday by the City of Laredo as health officials continue to urge the public to get vaccinated. Amid inaccurate information circulating social media sites, Dr. Hector Gonzalez, Laredo Health Department director, reiterated that the department has only confirmed 14 cases of influenza and one related death. The city has not come close to the number of cases it saw during last year’s flu season, when more than 40 cases were confirmed. Texas has one of the highest flu rates in the country with more than 900 confirmed cases this flu season. Gonzalez said although the city has not witnessed an outbreak or epidemic, he strongly recommends the public receive the vaccination to prevent contracting the virus. “This is the city’s normal cold, flu and respiratory (illness) season,” Gonzalez said. “It is no different from when we see a spike in gastrointestinal illnesses in the summer months. What is important is that the public gets the vaccination that adequately prevents against all strains.” A person cannot contract the flu from the vaccination itself and even if a person has been diagnosed with the flu, officials suggest getting vaccinated anyway as a pre-
ventative measure. It can take up to three days after receiving the shot to become immune to the virus. Gonzalez also debunked the rumor about a “cedar flu” outbreak. There is no such variation of the virus called “cedar flu.” It can commonly be confused with cedar fever, which has symptoms such as sinus congestion, sneezing, coughing, irritated eyes and a low-grade fever.
Eight people are dead and four others injured after the sports utility vehicle they were traveling in Monday rolled over on a highway between Monterrey and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, according to the U.S. Consulate’s office in Nuevo Laredo. In an emailed statement sent to the Laredo Morning Times, authorities confirmed the accident and said the family was from Laredo. “Due to privacy considerations, we can not discuss details of the case,” the U.S. Consulate’s office added. The victims were returning to Texas from the town of San Luis Potosi in Cerritos, Mexican au-
thorities said. The accident occurred around 7:45 a.m. Monday, according to the Department of Public Safety in Sabinas Hidalgo, Nuevo León. The black Ford Expedition had Texas license plates. Mexican federal police say Roxana Torres, 40, was driving the vehicle. She died at the scene, along with her five children and another woman. The deceased children were identified as: Tania Torres, 20 Ashley Torres, 17 Jesus Manuel Torres, 16 Mario Adolfo Gonzalez Torres, 12 Victor Gonzalez Torres, 12 Hector Jesus Collazo Torres, 4 Vianey Carolina de la Rosa, 2
The four injured were identified as: Briana Nicole Rojas, 5 Keziah Monik de la Rosa Torres, 3 Manuel de la Rosa Torres, 3 Lizandra Torres, 1 The injured are being treated at the Regional Hospital in Sabinas Hidalgo. Dr. Serna Orfelio Saenz, director general of the hospital, could not confirm the conditions of those being treated. According to investigators, the left rear wheel came off the vehicle, and Torres turned the steering wheel suddenly. The SUV then veered off the road. A federal source said the Expedition had four more passengers than recommended.
STAYING WARM
No cancelled classes Despite calls for a petition to cancel school in Laredo, Gonzalez said his department does not think there is any reason to close campuses. “We didn’t know what we were fighting back then with H1N1, (a subtype of influenza A that’s commonly called swine flu),” he said, referencing cancelled classes in 2009. “Unless it’s a brand new virus, schools would never be shut down. “Right now, what is out there is the normal flu strain that can either be prevented or treated. In only the rarest of cases we would exercise the option to close schools.” A. Marcus Nelson, superintendent of Laredo Independent School District, said the district monitored reports of the virus throughout the weekend and remained in close contact with the health department. “When people were pan-
Photo by Johnny Hanson/Houston Chronicle | AP
At left, Terrance Franklin, Gladys Hemphill and Henry Smith stay warm outside near the corner of Drew Street and Cullen Boulevard with a barrel fire Monday, in Houston. The group of Third Ward residents say they like to gather to socialize and drink beer. "It’s warm by the fire," Hemphill said.
TO READ MORE ABOUT THE COLD SNAP, GO TO PAGE 10A
See FLU PAGE 10A
CRIME
ERCOT
Alleged kidnap victims alive New record in Court records: Two allegedly beaten while being held against their will power use By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two Laredoans who had been allegedly kidnapped and taken into Mexico in November are back in Laredo, according to court records obtained by The Zapata Times on Monday. The criminal complaint, however, does not specify how the Laredoans, Martin Ramos and Adalberto Alejandro Reyes, managed to return to the states following the alleged drug-related kidnappings. According to the criminal complaint, the men were kidnapped Nov. 11 by people who were trying to find a stolen load of marijuana. Both were allegedly beaten while being held against their will. On Dec. 6, a Laredo police investigator received a call from an FBI task force officer, informing him they had Ramos and Reyes in Laredo. The complaint states Ramos was taken to Laredo Medical Center for treatment to injuries he sustained while being held against his will in
AUSTIN — The operator of the electricity transmission grid for most of Texas says this week’s freezing temperatures have pushed demand for power in the state to a new winter record. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says electricity use peaked Tuesday morning at 57,277 megawatts. The previous winter record was 57,265 megawatts on Feb. 10, 2011. ERCOT has discontinued a conservation alert it had issued on Monday calling on customers to reduce their use of electricity. The alert came after problems with high electricity use across much of
AGUIRRE
CONTRERAS
Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. He was being held by people demanding marijuana that he was allegedly holding for them. No suspects were identified in the complaint. No injuries are mentioned for Reyes. Requests for additional information submitted to agencies involved in the case were not returned as of Tuesday. On Nov. 11, Ramos was allegedly tricked into picking up a load of narcotics at the riverbanks, where La-
RODRIGUEZ
fayette Street ends in West Central Laredo. Police said Roberto Aguirre, 23, Steven Rodriguez, 22, and Mauricio Contreras, 17, lured Ramos to the location. Once there, several people emerged from the brush and took Ramos into Nuevo Laredo, the complaint states. Interviewed at the hospital by police upon his return, Ramos said the people holding him asked him about the
See KIDNAP PAGE 10A
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas says electricity use peaked Tuesday at 57,277 megawatts. the state due to frigid temperatures were compounded by the failure of two power plants. ERCOT spokeswoman Robbie Searcy says the electricity supply is in good shape and the system is operating normally.