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WEDNESDAYFEBRUARY 21, 2018
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ZAPATA COUNTY
Child takes pocket knife to school Student under the age of 10 disciplined as per ZISD’s Student Code of Conduct By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
A child recently took a pocket knife to a school in Zapata County, officials confirmed.
Zapata County Independent School District said in a statement that a student under the age of 10 was found last week in possession of a small pocket knife under 1-1/2 inches in
length. Rogelio N. Gonzalez, ZCISD director of student services and public relations, said administration immediately confiscated the item and disciplined the
student as per the district’s Student Code of Conduct. “This matter was an isolated occurrence where no students were hurt. (We) will ensure that all students of the district continue their education in a safe and comfortable learning environment,” the statement reads. Campus administration notified the parents of the student found in possession of the pock-
SEVERE WEATHER
et knife as well as the parents of the students who saw the student holding the knife, according to Gonzalez. “We are deeply saddened by the recent tragedy in Florida. Our thoughts are with the families of Parkland. Tragedies such as this one remind us all about the importance of training, preparation and continuous Knife continues on A12
NAFTA
STORMS BRING FLOODING, FREEZING RAIN AND SNOW
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle
Energy plants are shown along the United States/Mexico border on Friday in El Paso, Texas.
Energy trade boosts economies and security By Jack N. Gerard TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
said. The three men and one woman killed were from Colorado, authorities said. Roads were icy and snowy after the storm system passed through overnight. The Kansas Highway Patrol said a 38-year-old woman died and two other people were injured in a collision on an icy highway late Monday. In Minnesota, state police say winter weather has contributed to 400 crashes and 250 spinouts, including two fatal accidents. As much as a half-foot of snow is expected in some areas.
WASHINGTON — The job-creating, economyboosting resurgence in U.S. natural gas and oil production shows no signs of slowing down. The latest projections from the U.S. Energy Information Administration show domestic oil production is expected to reach a new high of 10.6 million barrels per day this year, on its way to nearly 12 million barrels per day by 2040. The United States is projected to become a net exporter of oil and natural gas combined by 2023. The positive impact of American energy abundance is wide-ranging. As The New York Times reports: "The results go far beyond the economic, offering Washington strategic weapons once unthinkable. The United States and its allies now have a supply cushion at a time when political turmoil in Venezuela, Libya and Nigeria is threatening to interrupt flows to markets." Overseas disruptions once sent gasoline prices soaring, but that supply cushion provides what we call energy security. And our energy trade with Canada and Mexico further strengthens that security. Trade partnerships supported by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) provide for a stable source of energy to supplement our own strong production. As the world’s leading natural gas and oil producer, we’re importing less and less. And the more of that "less and less" we can source from reliable neighbors in our own continental backyard, the greater our energy security. In fact, projections show North America could be selfsufficient in terms of liquid fuels as soon as 2020. Just as important are the economic benefits
Weather continues on A12
NAFTA continues on A10
Mike De Sisti / AP
Vehicles travel through standing water on a street Tuesday. A storm system stretched from Texas to the Great Lakes states and forced some schools to close. The National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories for parts of the Midwest. Flood warnings were in effect in in Texas and Arkansas.
System blamed for fatal crashes in three states A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
A storm system that’s brought rain, ice and snow to the Midwest and Great Plains was being blamed for fatal crashes in three states, including an accident that left four dead in Nebraska.
The storm system stretched from Texas to the Great Lakes states and forced some schools to close. The National Weather Service issued winter weather advisories for parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, North Dakota, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Flood warnings were in effect in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan with flood watches in Texas and Arkansas. Speed and slippery pavement caused a Tuesday morning crash between a pickup truck and a semitrailer that killed four people on Interstate 80 in eastern Nebraska, police
IMMIGRATION REFORM
Plans stuck in Congress as deadline looms Clock ticks toward expiration of DACA program and recipients face deportation By Sahil Kapur and Laura Litvan B L OOMBE RG NEWS
The anticlimactic failure of U.S. immigration legislation last week sent
senators scrambling for fallback options to avoid the deportation of young people who arrived in the country as children. But between upcoming fiscal deadlines, congres-
sional election campaigns and a stubborn stalemate over legal immigration restrictions, none of the plans put forward so far are enticDACA continues on A10
Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle
Austin High School students hold signs on the pedistrian bridge near the school protesting the ICE detention of Dennis Rivera, a student from their school on Wednesday, Feb. 14 in Houston.