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TAMAULIPAS, MEXICO
SAN YGNACIO, TEXAS
‘DO NOT TRAVEL’
Courtesy photo / Zapata County Constable Pct. 2 Daniel "Danny" Arriaga
Shown is one of the two vehicles involved in a crash Feb. 18 north of San Ygnacio. First responders said one person was taken to Laredo Medical Center via ambulance while the other was airlifted to San Antonio.
2 injured in head-on collision By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S
Courtesy photo
Tamaulipas state government dispatched a new police special forces unit to Reynosa, Mexico, in November.
U.S. State Department escalates risk level to highest ranking By Oliver P. Tallet H OUSTON CHRONICLE
Texas border business leaders are concerned that the U.S. Department of State’s recently escalated risk level for the Mexican state of Tamaulipas to “do not travel” status could discourage investment, scare off tourists and shackle the region’s economic growth. The department recently changed its classification system of travel advisories to four levels of risk, and Tamaulipas was assigned the highest — the same rating assigned to countries such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. “That creates a problem for us because what (the department) is basically saying is that we are also a war zone, but we are not in a war zone,” said Keith Pat-ridge, president and CEO of the McAllen Economic Devel-
opment Corporation, a public group dedicated to promoting business in the McAllen area and neighboring Reynosa across the border in Tamaulipas. Companies operating on the border have long made adjustments to contend with the protracted drug war raging across the border, and so far the $92 million in annual exports of Texas goods to Mexico have not been interrupted. In McAllen, where the local economy suffered a decline in 2017 as violent crimes increased across the border, business leaders are now concerned that the State Department’s “misleading classification” is going to create a reputation problem for the border region, Patridge said. “It would be rippling throughout the economy … because it impacts the ability of companies to attract suppliers, to
ZAPATA HIGH SCHOOL
recruit employees to the area and so on,” he said. Pablo Pinto, who directs the University of Houston’s Center for Public Policy, agrees the heightened risk assessment could damage a manufacturing sector that has blossomed as U.S. industries have located assembly plants south of the Rio Grande. “Tamaulipas is home to maquiladoras (plants) and other industries that are strongly integrated into the North American economy,” Pinto said. “Here (in Texas) the short-run impact could be less important, but it may affect future investment and business decisions by American and even Mexican firms.” The Reynosa factor The State Department recently creatRisk continues on A8
A two-vehicle collision reported recently north of San Ygnacio landed two people in the hospital, authorities said. One patient was taken to Laredo Medical Center via ambulance while the other was taken to San Antonio via Air Evac Flight 93, according to Zapata County Constable Pct. 2 Daniel "Danny" Arriaga. Arriaga posted on his Facebook that the crash occurred at about 2 p.m. Feb. 18 by La Perla Ranch. Zapata County Fire Department crews found two patients pinned, one in each vehicle. They required extrication with the use of several rescue tools, including the Jaws of Life, according to first responders. The fire department, Zapata County Sheriff's Office, Precinct 2 Constable’s office, Zapata Border Patrol Station and the Texas Department of Public Safety responded to the crash. “Prayers are being said for those involved. We would like to thank all the agencies involved for your assistance. A huge thank you to the public who helped as well. We are extremely appreciative with the team work that was accomplished which helped out the patients reach an appropriate medical facility in time,” the fire department said in a statement.
ZAPATA COUNTY
Sheriff’s office presents $1,000 check Person of interest detained in campus threat By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S
By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
A person of interest has been identified after Zapata High School received “a possible threat to the campus,” according to district officials. Details on the threat were not available. The incident occurred this week. Zapata County Independent School District officials said
they took appropriate security measures after receiving an “anonymous alert.” No students were in danger, officials posted on Facebook but later took down the post. “Serious threats against our schools or students will be administered to the fullest extent of the law,” the post read. District officials said Threat continues on A8
Zapata’s Lady Giants are getting new uniforms. On Thursday, Zapata County Sheriff’s Office Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. presented the team a $1,000 check during a brief ceremony at the Softball Park. “Throughout the years, I’ve learned that we don’t raise our children alone. We need our family members, friends and neighbors, teachers, coaches counselors, sport teams, civic groups and schools,” the chief said. He added such organizations help shape children’s lives. Del Bosque recalled that
Check continues on A8
Courtesy photo / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office
Zapata County Sheriff’s Office Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. presented the Lady Giants with a $1,000 check to buy uniforms.
In Brief A2 | Saturday, February 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
MONDAY, FEB. 26
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
U.I.S.D. Wind Symphony in Concert.
Bill Johnson Student Activity Center Complex (SAC), 5208 Santa Claudia Lane. This is a free event open to the community. All United States veterans and their families are invited to attend. WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave.
10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $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. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 7 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave.
10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions. Better Neighbors: Toward a Renewal of Economic Integration in Latin America . 7:30 pm, TAMIU Student
Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd., Laredo, TX 78041. Please join us for our International Bank of Commerce Keynote Speaker Series presentation featuring Dr. Raymond Robertson, professor and the Helen and Roy Ryu Chair in Economics and Government at Texas A&M University. The event is free and open to the public. Translations services (English to Spanish) will be available. Contact: Amy Palacios, 956-3262820, cswht@tamiu.edu. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 14 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave.
10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave.
10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave.
10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
Erin Schaff / The New York Times
Rick Gates leaves the E. Barrett Prettyman federal courthouse in Washington on Friday. Gates pleaded guilty on Friday, a move that signals he is cooperating with the investigation.
FORMER TRUMP AIDE PLEADS GUILTY WASHINGTON — A former senior adviser to President Donald Trump’s election campaign pleaded guilty Friday to federal conspiracy and false-statements charges, switching from defendant to cooperating witness in the special counsel’s probe of Trump’s campaign and Russia’s election interference. The plea by Rick Gates revealed that he will help special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation in “any and all matters” as prosecutors continue to probe the 2016 campaign, Russian meddling and Gates’ longtime business associate, one-time
White House locked down after vehicle strikes barrier WASHINGTON — The White House was on lockdown for about an hour Friday after a passenger vehicle struck a security barrier. The U.S. Secret Service tweeted that the vehicle “did not breach the security barrier of the White House complex.” No shots were fired during the incident, the Secret Service said.
Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. With his cooperation, Gates gives Mueller a witness willing to provide information on Manafort about his finances and political consulting work in Ukraine, and also someone who had access at the highest levels of Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Gates, 45, made the plea at the federal courthouse in Washington. He admitted to charges of conspiring against the U.S. government related to fraud and unregistered foreign lobbying as well as lying to authorities. — Compiled from AP reports
The agency added that the 35-year-old female driver was “immediately apprehended” after the incident on the southeast side of the complex, near the Old Executive Office Building. The driver was identified as a resident of La Vergne, Tennessee, and as someone the Secret Service has had previous encounters with near the White House, “resulting in numerous arrests for a variety of criminal violations.” The agency said the woman was charged Friday with numerous, unspecified criminal
violations and turned over to the District of Columbia police department. Witnesses saw a commotion on the White House grounds as security officers responded. President Donald Trump had been hosting Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the White House. Turnbull remained at the White House as the incident was being investigated. The Secret Service said no law enforcement personnel were injured in the incident. — Compiled from AP reports
SATURDAY, APRIL 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. SATURDAY, APRIL 14 Habitat for Humanity Laredo major fundraiser Golfing For Roofs golf tournament. Max A. Mandel Mu-
nicipal Golf Course. Hole sponsorships are title $10,000, platinum $5,000, diamond $2,500, gold $1,500, silver $1,000, bronze. For information, call 724-3227. 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.
AROUND THE WORLD Deaths mount in Syria as UN weighs cease-fire resolution BEIRUT — Syrian government warplanes carried out a sixth day of airstrikes Friday in the rebel-held suburbs east of Damascus, killing 32 people, activists said, as the death toll from a week of bombardment soared over 400. At the United Nations, lastminute negotiations were underway ahead of an expected vote on a Security Council resolution demanding a 30-day humanitarian cease-fire. The new bombings came a day after Syrian army helicopters dropped leaflets over the rebel-controlled areas of eastern Ghouta, urging residents of those suburbs to leave for their own safety and calling on opposition fighters to surrender because they were surrounded by government troops. Opposition activists reported
Hamza Al-Ajweh / AFP/Getty Images
A Syrian medic treats a wounded boy at a makeshift hospital in the rebel-held town of Douma, in the outskirts of Damascus.
airstrikes and artillery shelling on a string of towns on the edge of Damascus or eastern Ghouta. At least 32 people were killed in raids on areas including Hammouriyeh, Zamalka, Douma and al-Marj, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based group that monitors the civil war through a network of activists in Syria.
The Ghouta Media Center also reported 32 killed, saying the victims included 13 people in the Damascus suburb of Douma, five in Ein Tarma and five in Shiefouniyeh. Syrian state TV reported that insurgents fired 70 shells on Damascus, killing one person and wounding 60 others. — Compiled from AP reports
SATURDAY, JULY 7
Today is Saturday, Feb. 24, the 55th day of 2018. There are 310 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On Feb. 24, 1868, the U.S. House of Representatives impeached President Andrew Johnson by a vote of 126-47 following his attempted dismissal of Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton; Johnson was later acquitted by the Senate. On this date: In 1761, Boston lawyer James Otis Jr. went to court to argue against "writs of assistance" that allowed British customs officers to arbitrarily search people's premises, declaring: "A man's house is his castle." (Although Otis lost the case, his statement provided early inspiration for American independence.) In 1955, the Cole Porter musical "Silk Stockings" opened at the Imperial Theater on Broadway. In 1968, "Fleetwood Mac," the group's debut album, was released in the United Kingdom on the Blue Horizon label. In 1975, the Congressional Budget Office, charged with providing independent analyses of budgetary and economic issues, began operating under its first director, Alice Rivlin. In 1983, a congressional commission released a report condemning the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II as a "grave injustice." In 1988, in a ruling that expanded legal protections for parody and satire, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned a $150,000 award that the Rev. Jerry Falwell had won against Hustler magazine and its publisher, Larry Flynt. In 1996, Cuba downed two small American planes operated by the group Brothers to the Rescue that it claimed were violating Cuban airspace; all four pilots were killed. Ten years ago: "No Country for Old Men" won Academy Awards for best picture, best director and best screenplay adaptation for Joel and Ethan Coen and best supporting actor for Javier Bardem; Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for "There Will Be Blood," while Marion Cotillard (koh-teeYAHR') was named best actress for "La Vie en Rose." Cuba's parliament named Raul Castro president, ending nearly 50 years of rule by his brother Fidel. Five years ago: Pope Benedict XVI bestowed the final Sunday blessing of his pontificate on a cheering crowd in St. Peter's Square. At the Academy Awards, "Argo" won best picture while Ang Lee was named best director for "Life of Pi"; Daniel Day-Lewis won best actor for "Lincoln" while Jennifer Lawrence received the best actress award for "Silver Linings Playbook." Jimmie Johnson won his second Daytona 500, beating his Hendrick Motorsports teammate Dale Earnhardt Jr., who made a late move to finish second. Danica Patrick, the first woman to win the pole, finished eighth. One year ago: Vice President Mike Pence assured the Republican Jewish Coalition meeting in Las Vegas that he and President Donald Trump would work tirelessly on foreign and domestic issues important to the group, such as enacting business-friendly policies at home and supporting Israel abroad. President Pedro Pablo Kuczynski of Peru said he and President Donald Trump had a "cordial and constructive conversation" during their meeting at the White House. Today's Birthdays: Actor-singer Dominic Chianese is 87. Movie composer Michel Legrand is 86. Opera singer-director Renata Scotto is 84. Singer Joanie Sommers is 77. Actress Jenny O'Hara is 76. Former Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., is 76. Actor Barry Bostwick is 73. Actor Edward James Olmos is 71. Singer-writerproducer Rupert Holmes is 71. Rock singer-musician George Thorogood is 68. Actress Debra Jo Rupp is 67. Actress Helen Shaver is 67. News anchor Paula Zahn is 62. Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Murray is 62. Country singer Sammy Kershaw is 60. Actor Mark Moses is 60. Actress Beth Broderick is 59. Singer Michelle Shocked is 56. Movie director Todd Field is 54. Actor Billy Zane is 52. Actress Bonnie Somerville is 44. Jazz musician Jimmy Greene is 43. Boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. is 41. Rhythm-and-blues singer Brandon Brown is 35. Rock musician Matt McGinley is 35. Actor Wilson Bethel is 34. Actor Alexander Koch is 30. Actor Daniel Kaluuya is 29. Rapper-actor O'Shea Jackson Jr. is 27. Thought for Today : "It is the individual who is not interested in his fellow men who has the greatest difficulties in life and provides the greatest injury to others. It is from among such individuals that all human failures spring." — Alfred Adler, Austrian psychoanalyst (1870-1937).
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, AUG. 4 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. 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.
AROUND THE STATE Mayor says recovery from Harvey not fast enough HOUSTON — Six months after Hurricane Harvey’s flooding wreaked havoc in Houston, recovery efforts in the United States’ fourth-largest city aren’t “happening fast enough,” Houston’s mayor said Friday. Thousands of people still need help as they continue living either in hotels or in damaged homes, said Mayor Sylvester Turner. He praised
local efforts, including from nonprofit groups and residents, saying they’ve filled in some of the gaps as the city awaits additional state and federal funding for recovery efforts. “While we acknowledge that we are making progress, we also want to be very clear the recovery is not happening fast enough for any of us,” Turner said. As of Feb. 20, more than 3,420 households from Houston remain in hotels and thousands more are living in homes in dire need of repair, he said.
Houston is also working to repair the $2.5 billion in damage that city buildings and other infrastructure suffered, including its municipal courts building and performing arts center. Delays in federal funding have also resulted in the postponement of a program that will pay up to $60,000 to repair damaged homes. Repairs on the first 10 homes under this program are scheduled to begin next week. — Compiled from AP reports
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The Zapata Times
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, February 24, 2018 |
A3
STATE
Gov. Greg Abbott spares death row inmate’s life By Michael Graczyk ASSOCIATED PRE SS
File photo by Bryan Cox / AP
ICE agents are shown at a home during a targeted enforcement operation aimed at immigration fugitives. Federal agents in Laredo arrested 15 criminal immigrants as part of a seven-day removal operation in South and Central Texas. In total, ICE agents netted 145 criminal immigrants and immigration violators during a weeklong enforcement period that ended Feb. 16.
ICE agents arrest 145 criminal immigrants By César G. Rodriguez LA R ED O MORNI NG T IME S
Federal agents in Laredo arrested 15 criminal immigrants as part of a seven-day removal operation in South and Central Texas. In total, U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement special agents netted 145 criminal immigrants and immigration violators during a weeklong enforcement period that ended Feb. 16. Most had convictions for indecency with a child, assault, deadly conduct, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, drug possession, drug trafficking, burglary, resisting arrest, firearms offense, human, illegal entry and driving under the influence. “The results of this operation are a clear indication of ICE’s commitment regarding the role we play in keeping our communities safe by locating, arresting and ultimately removing at-large criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety, and other immigration fugitives,” said Daniel Bible, field office director for Enforcement and Removal Operations in San Antonio. “ICE’s leadership has made clear that ICE will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement. All of those in violation of the immigration laws may be subject to immigration arrest, detention and – if found removable by final order – removal from the United States. By effect-
ing these immigration enforcement operations, the dedicated men and women of ICE help keep our communities safe.” Authorities also arrested people in Austin, San Antonio, Rio Grande Valley and Waco. ICE said that 86 people had criminal convictions; 39 were arrested based on previous immigration encounters, four of which have pending criminal charges; 20
had no prior immigration history or encounters, one has pending criminal charges. Authorities arrested 135 men and 10 women ranging in ages from 18 to 62 years old. ICE said 128 arrestees were from Mexico, seven from Guatemala, one from El Salvador, seven from Honduras, one from Peru and one from Jordan.
HUNTSVILLE — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Thursday spared the life of a convicted killer shortly before the man’s scheduled execution for masterminding the fatal shootings of his mother and brother. In sparing the life of Thomas “Bart” Whitaker, Abbott accepted the state parole board’s rare clemency recommendation. Whitaker’s father, Kent, also was shot in the 2003 plot at the family’s suburban Houston home but survived and led the effort to save his son from execution. Abbott commuted the sentence to life without parole. “I’m thankful not for me but for my dad,” Bart Whitaker said in a statement to prison officials. “Any punishment that I would have or will receive is just, but my dad did nothing wrong. The system worked for him today. And I will do my best to uphold my role in the system.” The seven-member Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles, whose members are appointed by the governor, recommended unanimously Tuesday that Abbott commute the sentence. Abbott, a Republican had the option of accepting the recommendation, rejecting it or doing nothing. “Mr. Whitaker’s father, who survived the attempt on his life, passionately opposes the execution of his son. Mr. Whitaker’s
father insists that he would be victimized again if the state put to death his last remaining immediate family member,” Abbott said in a proclamation issued Thursday evening, adding that Whitaker had also agreed to waive all further rights to parole. Abbott added: “The totality of these factors warrants a commutation of Mr. Whitaker’s death sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole.” It was only the fourth time since the state resumed executions in 1982 that the parole board has recommended clemency within days of an inmate’s scheduled execution. In the previous cases, thenGov. Rick Perry, also a Republican, accepted the board’s decision in one case and rejected the other two, who subsequently were put to death in the nation’s most active capital punishment state. Executions were also scheduled to take place Thursday in Florida and Alabama. If all three were carried out, it would have marked the first time in more than eight years that three convicted killers were put to death in the U.S. on the same day. Kent and Patricia Whitaker and their two boys had returned home the night of Dec. 10, 2003, following a restaurant dinner to celebrate Bart Whitaker’s college graduation when they were confronted by a gunman wearing dark clothes and a ski mask. Patricia Whi-
taker and her 19-year-old son, Kevin, were killed. Kent Whitaker and Bart were wounded. Nearly two years later, Bart Whitaker was arrested in Mexico after investigators determined he arranged the plot in hopes of collecting a family estate he believed was worth more than $1 million. “I’m 100 percent guilty,” Whitaker testified at his trial in 2007. “I put the plan in motion.” He hated his parents and brother at the time, he said. Whitaker’s father said he loves and has forgiven his son, calling him a changed person. “As the greatest victim in this case, you don’t have to convince me how awful this crime was,” Kent Whitaker said. Evidence showed the plot included two of Bart Whitaker’s friends and was at least his third attempt to kill his family. Whitaker’s wound to his arm was meant to draw attention away from his involvement. Unknown to his parents, the dinner celebration marking his graduation was a fraud. He’d dropped out of school months earlier. The gunman, Chris Brashear, pleaded guilty in 2007 to a murder charge and is serving life in prison. Steve Champagne, who drove Brashear from the Whitaker house the night of the shootings, took a 15-year prison term in exchange for testifying at Whitaker’s trial.
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A4 | Saturday, February 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
The virtue of radical honesty By David Brooks N EW YORK T I ME S
This week I asked a group of students at the University of Chicago a question I’m asking students around the country: Who are your heroes? There’s always a long pause after I ask. But eventually one of the students suggested Steven Pinker. Another chimed in Jonathan Haidt. There was general nodding around the table. That was interesting. Both men are psychology professors, at Harvard and New York University, who bravely stand against what can be the smothering orthodoxy that inhibits thought on campus, but not from the familiar conservative position. One way Pinker does it is by refusing to be pessimistic. There is a mood across America, but especially on campus, that in order to show how aware of social injustice you are, you have to go around in a perpetual state of indignation, negativity and righteous rage. Pinker refuses to do this. In his new book, “Enlightenment Now,” he argues that this pose is dishonest toward the facts. For example, we’re all aware of the gloomy statistics around wage stagnation and income inequality, but Pinker contends that we should not be nostalgic for the economy of the 1950s, when jobs were plentiful and unions strong. A third of American children lived in poverty. Sixty percent of seniors had incomes less than $1,000 a year. Only half the population had any savings in the bank at all. Between 1979 and 2014, meanwhile, the percentage of poor Americans dropped to 20 percent from 24 percent. The percentage of lower-middleclass Americans dropped to 17 from 24. The percentage of Americans who were upper middle class (earning $100,000 to $350,000) shot upward to 30 percent from 13 percent. There’s a fair bit of social mobility. Half of all Americans wind up in the top 10 percent of earners at at least one point in their career; 1 in 9 spend some time in the top 1 percent. Poverty has been transformed by falling prices and government support. “When poverty is defined in terms of what people consume rather than what they earn, we find that the American poverty rate has declined by 90 percent since 1960,” Pinker writes. America has a pretty big safety net. Our numbers look bad because so much of our health care spending is funneled through employers, but when you add this private social spending to state social spending, America has the second-highest level of such spending of the 35 nations in the Orga-
nization for Economic Cooperation and Development, after France. Pinker has data like this in sphere after sphere, marking the progress we’ve made in health, the environment, safety, knowledge and overall happiness. So is he right, that society is in much better shape than we’re allowing? In part, but not totally. Pinker’s philosophical lens prevents him from seeing where the real problems lie. He calls himself an Enlightenment man, but he’s really a scientific rationalist. He puts tremendous emphasis on the value of individual reason. The key to progress is information — making ourselves better informed. The key sin in the world is a result either of entropy, the randomness that is built into any system, or faith — dogma clouding reason. The big problem with his rationalistic worldview is that while he charts the way individuals have benefited over the centuries, he spends barely any time on the quality of the relationships between individuals. That is to say, Pinker doesn’t spend much time on the decline of social trust, the breakdown of family life, the polarization of national life, the spread of tribal mentalities, the rise of narcissism, the decline of social capital, the rising alienation from institutions or the decline of citizenship and neighborliness. It’s simply impossible to tell any good-news story when looking at the data from these moral, social and emotional spheres. Pinker is a paragon of exactly the kind of intellectual honesty and courage we need to restore conversation and community, and the students are right to revere him. But today’s situation reminds us of the weakness of the sort of Cartesian rationalism Pinker champions and represents. Conscious reason can get you only so far when tribal emotions have been aroused, when existential fears rain down, when narcissistic impulses have been given free rein, when spiritual longings have nowhere healthy to go, when social trust has been devastated, when all the unconscious networks that make up 99 percent of our thinking are aflame and disordered. Pinker’s rationalism is not the total cure. But I have to confess, I really like him. A few years ago the magazine Moment gave genetic tests to a bunch of writers with Jewish heritage. The tests reveal that Pinker and I are third cousins. Learning of this kinship tie, I now feel special affection for him. David Brooks is a New York Times columnist.
COLUMN
Try enforcing existing gun laws before launching new ones By Andrew Malcolm SPECIAL TO MCCLATCHY
Here we go again with yet another "national conversation" about guns that is neither a conversation nor national. And not productive. Understandably, as with the Newtown, Conn., elementary school massacre in 2012, the agonized outcries and visceral fears after the outrageous Broward high school deaths on Feb. 14 erupt from parents who entrust their most prized treasures to a public school. The betrayal is horrendous. The suffering unimaginable. And we flail around trying to find answers for the unimaginable, the inexplicable, the unacceptable. There must be something we can do to prevent such awful events. There is. We could have. We’re certain to hear much more of the tiresome, trite arguments from all sides this week as the annual Conservative Political Action Conference meets near Washington. You know, Second Amendment, our blessed children, only government can do something, government has no place, yada yada. No one needs a crystal ball to know what will come of all this: Nothing. Same as after previous incidents. Remember a little more than five years ago to protect himself against political backlash, President Obama handed the molten gun-control debate to Vice President Joe Biden to honcho new restrictions through Congress so school shootings would never happen again? Nothing. We could do what Israel’s been doing in large schools for decades after
terrorists killed scores of children in an attack. Lock the doors. Train and arm a few unidentified teachers to conceal-carry. Perhaps some new restrictions will be necessary. Recall after the even worse mass shooting in Las Vegas last fall even the National Rifle Association endorsed restrictions on the so-called bump stocks that turned his long guns into virtual automatic weapons. What happened after that "national conversation"? Nothing, until just this week when the president ordered a ban. So, here’s a silly idea that doesn’t involve dramatic photo ops outside the Capitol. It’s not something to fuel angry marches for news cameras. Won’t fire up cable show bookers to get guests arguing vehemently between the Pepcid and Cialis ads. This isn’t a game played out for anyone’s entertainment - or political gain. Why don’t we try making all the existing enforcement and preventive tools work really work - before we slide routinely into the comfortable, predictable and almost certainly unproductive arguments about dubious news ones? It may sound unrewarding if you want to stay hysterical or score political points. Congress members would have to give up statements of rage when seemingly encountering reporters by accident in Capitol hallways. And as tempting as it might be to an impulsive president under FBI investigation, he’d have to forsake self-serving tweet storms against that agency. If the goal is not just to score political points -
how silly to even mention such an outlandish idea these days, right? - but actually to make such murderous mayhem less likely, it’s pretty smart to do what you already can do legally. Try the obvious. It’s so crazy, it might just work. Let’s look at the Broward County tragedy with a touch of pragmatism: This confessed killer had a long history of anti-social behavioral problems and mental trouble. Sounds eerily familiar. God bless well-meaning foster parents for their dedication, charity and hopes, but adults in the home are society’s early warning radar. He was on strong medications. Good for him probably. But if he’s still killing small animals for sport in an urban environment, as neighbors report, there’s another red flag that didn’t get waved. He’s been a long-time problem in high school such that it expelled him. Red Flag. Not waving. And fellow students warned. Police visited his home 39 times. 39 more flags. Everybody talks about cancer in America. But mental health is touchy; someone’s obvious maniac is another’s harmless crazy uncle. In 2016, the kid made a Snapchat video while cutting his arms and announcing he was going to buy a gun. The state’s Department of Children and Families arranged a psychiatric evaluation. Yes, he had the cuts and a swastika on his book bag. But he was taking his meds on schedule and laws only allow holding someone 72 hours. He was deemed not ready for hospitalization.
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DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Last September, the FBI got a tip about a Nikolas Cruz vowing online he was going to become a professional school shooter. Let’s be fair here just for a sec: Law enforcement gets thousands of tips about bad stuff. Most are bad tips. We only hear about ones that get through the cracks. The FBI took a Russian tip and interviewed the Boston bombers. But did nothing. Now it says it couldn’t find Nikolas Cruz. Seriously? Red flag waving. Forget for a moment arguing whether any civilian outside the Middle East needs such a weapon, this kid followed all existing rules and laws. He passed the established background check. He purchased an AR-15 and ammo and numerous magazines. Why? Because existing red flags weren’t in the system. In January, on a government tip line a man told an FBI employee about his friend’s behavior, gun and plans to shoot up a school. The tip went nowhere. Seriously? Red flag waving. Also rockets going off. Remember 9/11 and the after-report that found numerous little pieces of separate suspicious planning on file that others knew nothing about? "Everything everybody seems to know, we didn’t know," said a bereaved foster father. The same could be said for dozens of other people and institutions along this latest lethal way. So, what new law could make people do what they already can do but aren’t? Andrew Malcolm is a McClatchy Washington Bureau columnist.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, February 24, 2018 |
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A6 | Saturday, February 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
BUSINESS
Broad market rally helps stocks end slightly higher By Alex Veiga ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Seth Perlman / AP
Gun owners and supporters fill out National Rifle Association applications while participating in a Gun Owners Lobby Day convention in Illinois. U.S. companies are taking a closer look at investments, co-branding deals and other ties to the gun industry and its public face, the NRA, after the latest school massacre.
Companies start cutting ties with NRA A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — U.S. companies are taking a closer look at investments, co-branding deals and other ties to the gun industry and its public face, the National Rifle Association, after the latest school massacre. Petitions are circulating online targeting companies that offer discounts to NRA members on its website. (hash) BoycottNRA is trending on Twitter. Members of the NRA have access to special offers from partner companies on its website, ranging from life insurance to wine clubs. For a second consecutive day companies listed on the site have cut ties to the NRA as it aggressively resists calls for stricter gun control in the wake of the mass shooting last week at a Florida high school that left 17 dead. The insurance company MetLife Inc. discontinued its discount program with the NRA on Friday. The software company Symantec Corp., which makes Norton Antivirus technology, did the same. Insurer Chubb Ltd. said Friday it is ending participation in the NRA’s gun-owner insurance program, but it provided notice three months ago. The program that provid-
ed coverage for people involved in gun-related incidents or accidents had been under scrutiny by regulators over marketing issues. Those defections arrived a day after the car rental company Enterprise Holdings, which also owns Alamo and National, said it was cutting off discounts for NRA members. First National Bank of Omaha, one of the nation’s largest privately held banks, announced that it would not renew a co-branded Visa credit-card with the NRA. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre said this week at the Conservative Political Action Conference, that those advocating for stricter gun control are exploiting the Florida shooting which killed 17 people, mostly highschool students. “Evil walks among us and God help us if we don’t harden our schools and protect our kids,” LaPierre said Thursday. “The whole idea from some of our opponents that armed security makes us less safe is completely ridiculous.” President Donald Trump has aligned himself with the NRA, suggesting some teachers could be armed so that they could fire on any
attacker. U.S. corporations are moving in the other direction. On Friday, a large Wall Street money management firm said that it wanted to engage with major weapons manufacturers about what comes next. Blackrock Inc., which manages $6 trillion in assets, has become one of the largest stakeholders gun manufacturers like Sturm Ruger & Co., American Outdoor Brands Corp. and Vista Outdoor Inc. through indirect investments. The money is placed in index funds, so Blackrock cannot sell shares of individual companies within the index. Its fund clients invest in indexes that might contain companies like Ruger. On Friday, spokesman Ed Sweeney said Blackrock will be “engaging with weapons manufacturers and distributors to understand their response to recent events.” Blackrock, through indirect investments, holds a 16.18 percent stake in Sturm Ruger, an 11.91 percent stake in Vista, and a 10.5 percent stake in American Outdoor, according to the data firm Factset. Shares of gun companies mostly fell in trading Friday.
Wall Street capped several days of choppy trading Friday with a broad rally that gave the stock market a modest gain for the week. Technology companies, banks and health care stocks accounted for much of the market’s gains. Energy companies also rose along with crude oil prices. The rally came as bond yields pulled back for the second day in a row after reaching four-year highs earlier in the week. That spike on Wednesday, which sent the 10-year Treasury yield closing in on 3 percent, sent stocks sharply lower. “There was a lot of concern about what happened if bond yields got above 3 percent, and that probably added to some of the jitters earlier this week,” said Willie Delwiche, investment strategist at Baird. “Now you have a day when yields are moving away from that. At least for now, that probably lets equity traders breathe a sigh of relief and pushes stocks up a little.” The Standard & Poor’s 500 index climbed 43.34 points, or 1.6 percent, to
2,747.30. The Dow Jones industrial average picked up 347.51 points, or 1.4 percent, to 25,309.99. The Nasdaq composite gained 127.30 points, or 1.8 percent, to 7,337.39. The Russell 2000 index of smaller-company stocks rose 19.20 points, or 1.3 percent, to 1,549.19. The S&P 500, a key barometer for the stock market, had been on course to finish the week lower after losses on Tuesday snapped a sixday winning streak. All told, the S&P 500 eked out a 0.6 percent gain for the week. The Dow and Nasdaq finished with gains of 0.4 percent and 1.4 percent, respectively. Bond prices rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 2.87 percent from 2.92 percent. The yield declined for the second day in a row after climbing as high as 2.95 percent on Wednesday, the highest level since January 2014. That spike came after the Federal Reserve’s minutes from its January policy meeting showed bullish sentiment among policymakers, confirming their intention to raise interest rates this year. Earlier this month, global stock markets, particularly those in the
U.S., suffered big losses amid mounting concerns over the pace of inflation and Fed policy tightening. “We’re at the mercy of people’s changing opinions day-to-day on inflation and the Fed, but over the long run, we would expect the market to emerge higher,” said Craig Callahan, president of ICON Advisers. Hewlett Packard Enterprise led the gainers among technology stocks Friday. The data center hardware company surged 10.5 percent after it reported a strong fiscal first quarter and raised its estimates for the rest of the year. It also said it would increase its quarterly dividend. The stock climbed $1.73 to $18.14. Its former corporate sibling, printer and PC maker HP, also rose. The stock gained 74 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $22.13 after HP’s first-quarter earnings and revenue surpassed analyst expectations. Its forecasts for the rest of the year were also better than excepted. Banks and other financials companies also posted solid gains. Capital One Financial was among the big gainers, adding $2.37, or 2.5 percent, to $99.04.
Frontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, February 24, 2018 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE REINA DE LA FERIA 1 Concurso de Reina de la Feria del Condado de Zapata, de 2 p.m. a 5 p.m., en la preparatoria Zapata High School, el domingo 25 de febrero. CONCIERTO
ZAPATA COUNTY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Amenaza a campus Funcionarios toman medidas ante “alerta anónima” Por César G. Rodríguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
1 El Mariachi del distrito escolar Roma Independent School District invita a su concierto el domingo 25 de febrero en Roma ISD Performing Arts Center, ubicado en 2031 North U.S. Highway 83. Admisión general 7 dólares por persona. Cupo limitado.
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Una persona de interés ha sido identificada después que la preparatoria Zapata High School recibió “una posible amenaza al campus”, de acuerdo a oficiales del distrito. Los detalles sobre la amenaza no estuvieron disponibles. El incidente ocurrió esta semana. Funciona-
rios del distrito escolar Zapata County Independent School District dijeron que tomaron las medidas de seguridad apropiadas después de recibir una “alerta anónima”. Los estudiantes no estuvieron en peligro, publicaron funcionarios en Facebook, pero luego retiraron la publicación. “Amenazas serias en contra de nuestras escue-
las o estudiantes serán administradas con todo el rigor de la ley”, se lee en la publicación. Los funcionarios del distrito dijeron que tomarán cada reporte seriamente. “Además, solicitamos a los adultos que hablen con sus hijos acerca de la importancia de reportar cualquier situación a los funcionarios escolares.Continuaremos ha-
ciendo todo lo posible para proteger a nuestros estudiantes y a nuestro personal”, se lee en el comunicado. Navaja de bolsillo A principios de la semana pasada, un niño supuestamente llevó una pequeña navaja de bolsillo a la escuela en Zapata. El distrito dijo en un comunicado que un niño, menor de 10 años de
edad, fue encontrado en posesión de una pequeña navaja de bolsillo de menos de 1 1/2 pulgada de largo. La administración decomisó el artículo y disciplinó al estudiante de acuerdo al Código de Conducta del Estudiante del distrito, dijeron funcionarios, agregando que fue un “hecho aislado”. Nadie resultó lesionado.
ACTIVIDADES LITERARIAS 1 La escuela primaria Fidel & Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary de ZCISD celebrará y honorará a Dr. Seuss con un evento literario “Dr. Seuss: Read Across America”, durante la semana del 26 de febrero al 2 de marzo. Revise el sitio de Internet de ZCISD para los eventos de cada día. 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, este martes 27 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. ANIVERSARIO PUENTE 1 El Ayuntamieto de la Ciudad de Roma y la Comisión Histórica de Roma tienen el honor de invitar al público al evento sobre la celebración de 90 años de historia del Puente Internacional Colgante Roma-Miguel Alemán, el próximo 3 de marzo. FERIA DEL CONDADO DE ZAPATA 1 Evento de cabalgata y carne asada Zapata County Fair Trail Ride & CookOff el sábado 3 de marzo. Para mayores informes visite http:// zapatacountyfair.com/ index. 1 Arranque de la Feria del Condado de Zapata con la presentación de Albert Zamora, Rick Naranjo y Los Gamblers, Jaime y Los chamacos ,el jueves 8 de marzo. 1 Disfrute del carnaval durante las actividades de la Feria del Condado, el jueves 8 de marzo. 1 Presentación de los grupos La Mafia, La Firma y Kyle Park, el viernes 9 de marzo. 1 Asista con su familia al Desfile de la Feria del Condado de Zapata, el sábado 10 de marzo. 1 Subasta de ejemplares en la Feria del Condado de Zapata, el sábado 10 de marzo. 1 Presentación de los grupos Pesado, Ramón Ayala y sus Bravos del Norte y el grupo Palomo, el sábado 10 de marzo. HUEVOS DE PASCUA 1 Evento Búsqueda de Huevos de Pascu en la Ciudad de Roma, el 24 de marzo.
ROMA BIRDING CENTER
Foto de cortesía / Zapata County Constable Pct. 2 Daniel "Danny" Arriaga
En la fotografía se muestra uno de los dos vehículos que participaron en un choque el 18 de febrero al norte de San Ygnacio. Los paramédicos dijeron que una persona fue llevada a Laredo Medical Center, mientras otra se trasladó a San Antonio vía aérea.
GIRL SCOUTS VISITAN AVIARIO
Choque deja dos lesionados en San Ygnacio Por César G. Rodríguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Una colisión de dos vehículos fue reportada recientemente al norte de San Ygnacio y dejó a dos personas en el hospital, dijeron autoridades. Un paciente fue llevado al Laredo Medical Center por medio de ambulancia mientras que la otra persona fue llevada a San Antonio vía Air Evac en el Vuelo 93, de acuerdo con el Comisario del Precinto 2 del Condado de Zapata Daniel “Danny” Arriaga. Arriaga publicó en su perfil de Facebook que el accidente ocurrió alrededor de las 2 p.m. el 18 de febrero por La Perla Ranch. Personal del Departamento de Bomberos del Condado de Zapata encontró a los dos pacientes prendidos, uno en cada vehículo. Las personas
requirieron ser retiradas de los autos por medio de herramientas de rescate, incluyendo las quijadas de la vida, de acuerdo con personal de emergencias. El departamento de bomberos, la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata, la Oficina del Comisario del Precinto 2, la Estación de la Patrulla Fronteriza de Zapata y el Departamento de Seguridad Pública de Texas respondieron al accidente. “Estamos orando por los involucrados. Nos gustaría agradecer a todas las agencias involucradas por su asistencia. Unas enormes gracias para el público que ayudó también. Apreciamos extremadamente lo que se logró con el trabajo en equipo, lo cual ayudó a los pacientes alcanzar una instalación médica apropiada a tiempo”, dijo el departamento de bomberos en una declaración.
Foto de cortesía / Ciudad de Roma
Un emocionante día en el aviario vivieron las niñas pertenecientes a Girl Scouts. La tropa visitó el Centro de Aves de Roma ubicado en la Plaza Histórica de Roma. El grupo observó y aprendió sobre diferentes tipos de aves en la región..
Linati muere en Tamaulipas Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Bruselas, verano de 1829. Diplomático y dramaturgo, Manuel Eduardo de Gorostiza extiende un pasaporte que permite el regreso de Claudio Linati a México. Proscrito en Parma, entre marzo de 1825 y septiembre de 1826 visita por vez primera México, apenas establecida la república federativa. Instalado en la capital, el también artista gráfico introduce la técnica litográfica y funda El Iris, primera revista ilustrada. Colaboran el coterráneo Florencio Galli y José María Heredia, poeta cubano. Lo atrae el debate imperante. Aparecida en páginas de El Iris, aporta la más temprana caricatura política de México. Titulada “La tiranía”, presenta grotesco dictador, que lleva orejas de
burro y estos versos: “Entre superstición y fanatismo / la feroz tiranía mira sentada, / y con terror y mercenaria espada / do(nde) quiere siembra la muerte el despotismo”. Tras desaparecer la revista, Linati emigra a Europa. De 1828 a 1830, en Bélgica e Inglaterra publica “Trajes civiles, militares y religiosos de México”. El libro reúne 48 litografías coloreadas a mano; con sello precursor, constituyen invaluable legado plástico. Pero al volver en las postrimerías de 1832, Linati prefiere entrar por Tampico. Este último parece atraerlo. Ante el recién llegado huésped, de ideas progresistas, acaso sume puntos Tampico por el recibimiento otrora dispensado a El Iris, convirtiéndose en plaza suscriptora. El municipio porteño además posee importante colonia de italianos.
Linati remonta la bocana del río Pánuco y desembarca en suelo tampiqueño el domingo 9 de diciembre de 1832. Todo sugiere que arriba con la salud quebrantada. Los biógrafos afirman que padecía fiebre amarilla, contraída quizás en transbordos o escalas previas. El martes siguiente ya había fallecido. “En el Campo Santo de (…) Tampico (…) a los once días (…) de diciembre de mil ochocientos treinta y dos (…) di sepultura (…) con (…) procesión (…) al cadáver del adulto don (…) Claudio (…) Linati, natural de los reinos de Italia (…) Murió de inflamación a los cuarenta y dos años de edad”, asienta “el cura propio de esta ciudad”, Julián de la Garza Farías, establecido luego en Magicatzin, hoy villa de González, Tamaulipas. Cuesta morirse. Suponemos que los compatriotas del impresor, a falta
Foto de cortesía
Claudio Linati
de familiares cercanos, atienden las exequias según el Arancel Eclesiástico por entonces vigente, incluida la “procesión”. Fuera del área urbana, al norponiente,
se ubicaba el primitivo “Campo Santo”. Lo suprimen en 1908 munícipes porfirianos, ignorándose dónde quedan los restos del insigne reseñado.
A8 | Saturday, February 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER RISK From page A1 ed a new system to assess the risk of traveling to foreign countries,and Mexico was assigned a Level 2 risk, with American travelers advised to “exercise increased caution.” But risk levels were also assigned to individual Mexican states, and five, including Tamaulipas, were classified as having the highest risk. Tamaulipas comprises about a third of the 1,250 miles of the Texas-Mexico border, running along the Rio Grande from just upstream of Laredo, down to McAllen, Brownsville and to the Gulf of Mexico. “Violent crime, such as murder, armed robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, extortion, and sexual assault, is common,” reads the new advisory on Tamaulipas. The border state is home to the powerful Gulf Cartel, a crime syndicate that is engaged in a turf fight over control of key drug and humansmuggling routes, including with its breakaway enforcement arm known as Los Zetas. Intentional homicides increased in Tamaulipas by 24.5 percent last year — to 804 from 615, according to statistics from Mexico’s National Security Commission. Other high-impact offenses, as Mexicans call those usually related to organized crime, also increased in the same period, with extortion and violent car robberies both rising by 40 percent. Reynosa, the largest city on the Tamaulipas border and which sits across the river from McAllen, has been of particular concern for Mexican authorities as warring drug cartels often battle in broad daylight. The rate of intentional homicides was 28 percent, second in the
state only to the capital of Victoria. Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, the governor of Tamaulipas, knows that stretch of the border area well. He was born and attended high school in McAllen, and he holds dual U.S. and Mexican citizenship. He was mayor of Reynosa from 20052007. A member of Mexico’s leading opposition party, the conservative National Action Party, or PAN, Garcia has attributed the violent troubles in his state to the legacy of collusion between trafficking organizations and previous governors from the ruling party that controlled Tamaulipas for more than 80 years. García took a strong stand against organized crime during his campaign, and his staff points to improvements they say he has made to public security in the sprawling state. Still, crime has escalated. “We recognize that there is a problem,” spokesperson Aldo Hernández said. But, he adds, “the state has taken strong measures” during the past months that “we think will have an impact in this battle.” Hernández mentioned the creation of a state highway police force in September to patrol key highway corridors, a response to roving bands of criminals who hold up buses, trucks and private cars. The state also launched a new police special forces unit in November, trained as SWAT teams and equipped with armored trucks, with a concentration on operations in Reynosa. “We are going head-on, we are going against the enemies of peace in Tamaulipas,” García said during a ceremony announcing the units’ allocation. “There will be no truce against the violent; we will restore peace, order and the rule of
Lleve con usted estos documentos al sitio de VITA: • Prueba de identidad • Tarjeta original de Seguro Social, de usted, su cónyuge y dependientes y/o una carta de verificación del número de seguro social emitida por la Administración del Seguro Social • Fecha de nacimiento suya, de su cónyuge y de los dependientes que aparecen en la declaración de impuestos. • Carta del Departamento de IRS si usted, su cónyuge, y/o dependientes recibieron un número de ITIN. • Comprobante de salario e ingresos en Formularios W-2, W-2G, 1099-R, de todos sus empleadores. • Estados bancarios de intereses y dividendos (Formulario 1099-Int, 1099-Div) • Número de ruta bancaria y número de cuenta para depósito directo • Monto total pagado a proveedores de cuidado en guardería y el número de identificación tributaria del proveedor (el número de seguro social del proveedor o el número de identificación del empleador del negocio) • Para presentar electrónicamente una declaración de impuestos conjunta, ambos deben estar presentes para firmar
law.” Peaceful McAllen Crime has not spilled over, however, onto the Texas side of the Tamaulipas border, said Wolfram Schaffler González, director of Texas A&M International University’s Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development. “In fact, the (Texas) southern border counties have the lowest crime in the state,” he said. Violence in Tamaulipas has taken a toll, however, on business conditions in McAllen as visitors eschew the city in favor of Laredo, said Steve Ahlenius, president of the McAllen Chamber of Commerce. “The violence in Reynosa is having an economic impact in the sense that it’s stopping or redirecting Mexican nationals that travel from the Tamaulipas and Monterrey market to McAllen,” he said. Businesses on the Texas side of the border have experienced decreases in revenues, particularly in the hospitality and restaurant industries that rely on visitors from Mexico for shopping and cross-border commercial trips. After years of continuous economic growth, the economy of the McAllen metropolitan area declined in 2017 and “has been in a state of general stagnation” over the previous year, according to the McAllen Economic Index report. The number of border crossings also dropped during the year. Other Texas cities bordering with Tamaulipas, like Laredo and Brownsville, didn’t have the same economic downturn. But crime in their neighboring Mexican cities of Nuevo Laredo and Matamoros wasn’t nearly as high as in Reynosa. Tarnished reputation
Azteca
20 Iturbide St. Lun, Mier, Vier 4:00-7:00pm
Boys and Girls Club
Laredo Public Library
1120 E. Calton Rd. Vier, 9:00am-12:00pm; Sab, 9:00am-1:00pm
3900 Los Presidentes Ave. Lun, Mier, Vier 5:30-7:30pm
Martin High School
Bruni Library
Consulado General Mexicano
1120 San Bernardo Ave. Juev, 4:00-7:00pm; Sab, 3:00-7:00pm
Catholic Social Services 1919 Cedar Ave. Lun,Mar,Mier,Juev 8:30-11:30am
Cigarroa High School
2600 Zacatecas Mar, Juev, 4:00- 7pm
Goodwill Job Help Center 5901 San Dario Ave. Lun,Mar,Mier,Juev 5:30-8:00pm; Sab, 10:00am-2:00pm
José A Valdez High School
1619 Victoria Sab, 9:00am-1:00pm
LCC (South AAC 235)
5500 South Zapata Hwy. Sab, 9:00am-1:00pm
LCC (Main EG 130)
West End Washington Mart, Juev, 5:30-8:00pm
2002 San Bernardo Ave. Mar, Juev 4:15-6:15pm
1612 Farragut Vier, 10:00am-2:00pm (Sitio de Entrega)
NeighborWorks Laredo
216 Bob Bullock Loop Juev, 5:30-8:30pm; Sab, 9:00am-1:00pm
Nixon High School 2000 E. Plum Mart, Juev, 4:30- 8pm
TAMIU (WHTC 105) 5201 University Blvd. Lun,Mar,Mier,Juev 11:00am-1:00pm
Workforce Solutions 2389 E. Saunders Mart, Juev, 5:30-8:00pm
Zapata Community Center 607 N. Hwy 83, Zapata Sab, Feb. 3 & Mar. 3, 10:00am-2:00pm
Zapata Education Center
Hwy 83 & 7th St. Zapata Sab, Feb. 24 & Mar. 24
Para más informacion
(956)307-8138 | vitalaredo@gmail.com http://vitalaredo.org
For McAllen, reputation is vital to its economic prosperity, experts say. “In today’s day and age, the stakes are higher than ever for cities to attract and grow businesses, which means that cities need to manage their reputational risk just as companies and public figures do,” said Jeff Berkowitz, CEO of Delve, a firm that specialize in issues management. “The classification absolutely has a negative effect for employers on both sides of the border,” said Aaron Holt, a Houston employment lawyer with the international law firm of Cozen O’Connor. Holt said that border cities on both sides have thrived by capitalizing on an attractive dynamic for investors: the lower cost of labor on the Mexican side and the geographic proximity to the large consumer base in the United States. “If safety can’t be maintained, then the allure of profits is quickly offset by the risk and liability associated with security causing these companies to simply choose another, more stable area for their investments,” he said. Meantime, border business owners are caught between spiking violence in neighboring Mexico and a publicity problem sparked by the State Department travel warning. And with an economy that has thrived under the North American Free Trade Agreement, now under attack by President Donald Trump and his administration, the crossfire is only mounting for border cities. “We have to move forward,” Ahlenius said. “And you kind of hope and pray for the best.”
Caller told FBI Cruz was ‘going to explode’ By Sadie Gurman ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WASHINGTON — A woman close to the man charged with killing 17 people at a Florida high school warned the FBI in chilling detail that he had a growing collection of guns and a temper so uncontrollable she worried about him “getting into as school and just shooting the place up.” AP obtained a transcript of the Jan. 5 tip to the FBI’s call center. The FBI acknowledged it failed to investigate the tip about 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz, but the transcript provides the fullest
THREAT From page A1 they will take every report seriously. “In addition, we ask adults to speak with their children about the importance of reporting any concerns to the appropriate school officials. We will continue to do everything possible to protect our students and staff,” reads the statement. Pocket knife Earlier last week, a
CHECK From page A1 his father passed away when he was 15. That’s when high school teachers and coaches became a father figure for him, he said. “These men and women rendered their discipline and dedication to making me who I am
glimpse yet into the seriousness of the woman’s concerns. “I know he’s going to explode,” she told the call-taker. The FBI briefed congressional staff Friday about its failure to act on the alarming tip, as well as why it did not delve into a September 2017 YouTube comment posted by a “Nikolas Cruz” that said, “Im going to be a professional school shooter.” The FBI linked the January call to the report of the YouTube comment, but an FBI intake specialist and a supervisor at the call center took no further action.
allegedly took a pocket knife to a school in Zapata. The district said in a statement that a boy younger than 10 years old was found in possession of a small pocket knife under 1-1/2 inches in length. Administration seized the item and disciplined the student as per the district’s Student Code of Conduct, officials said, adding that this was an “isolated occurrence.” Nobody was harmed.
today,” Del Bosque said. He added, “Please accept this humble donation as a symbol of pride and service to the community, the youth and as a token of encouragement and appreciation. I encourage all of you to remain athletic and to get involved in sports and away from drugs, violence and crime.”
Sports&Outdoors
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, February 24, 2018 |
A9
NCAA: COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Report: FBI probe documents list range of payments to top players A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Bank records and other expense reports that are part of a federal probe into college basketball list a wide range of impermissible payments from agents to at least two dozen players or their relatives, according to documents obtained by Yahoo Sports. Yahoo said Friday that the documents obtained in discovery during the investigation link current players including Michigan State’s Miles Bridges, Duke’s Wendell Carter and Alabama’s Collin Sexton to potential benefits that would be violations of NCAA rules. According to the report, players over the past several years and family members allegedly received cash, entertainment and travel expenses from former NBA agent Andy Miller and his
agency ASM Sports. NCAA president Mark Emmert said in a statement Friday the allegations “if true, point to systematic failures that must be fixed and fixed now if we want college sports in America.” A balance sheet from December 2015 lists several payments under “Loan to Players,” including $43,500 to Dallas Mavericks guard Dennis Smith, who played one season at North Carolina State in 2016-17. Another document says Smith received a total of $73,500 in loans, and indicated options to recoup the money after Smith didn’t sign with ASM. N.C. State athletic director Debbie Yow said the school disassociated itself from Miller in 2012, saying the agent’s close work with a youth coach created a vulnerability for the school “that we
NFL: MIAMI DOLPHINS
OL Martin’s post on bullying, ‘Phins closes down school
cannot tolerate.” Yow said the school will fully cooperate with any investigations. Isaiah Whitehead, a guard for the Brooklyn Nets, received $26,136 while a freshman at Seton Hall, according to the documents. He received $37,657 and was setting up a payment plan, according to another document. Whitehead signed with ASM but later left the agency. A balance sheet also said Tim Quarterman, now playing for the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League, received at least $16,000 while a junior at LSU. The story says several families of players or handlers received more than $1,000 in payments from ASM Sports before turning professional. Apple Jones, the mother of former Kansas player Josh Jackson, received $2,700, and current
Keith Srakocic / Associated Press file
An explosive report published by Yahoo Sports Friday revealed a wide range of impermissible payments from agents to at least two dozen high-major college basketball players or their relatives.
Southern California player Bennie Boatwright or his father Bennie Sr., received at least $2,000, according to documents. The story says the mother of Bridges is among those receiving hundreds of dollars in advances. Current Kentucky player Kevin Knox, Carter and Sexton are listed among players or
families meeting or having meals with former ASM Sports associate Christian Dawkins. Kentucky coach John Calipari said neither he nor his staff used Miller or any other agent to provide financial benefits to student athletes. He said the school will conduct an internal review and cooperate with authorities.
Emmert said the NCAA Board of Governors and recently formed independent Commission on College Basketball are committed to “making transformational changes” and will cooperate with the federal prosecutors to “identify and punish the unscrupulous parties seeking to exploit the system through criminal acts.”
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
CHIEFS TRADE STAR CB PETERS TO RAMS
By Omar Kelly SUN S ENTI NE L
A high school in California was shut down after an Instagram account of former Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin showed a disturbing picture with threatening commentary on Friday morning. Martin was one of the major figures in the bullying scandal that sideswiped the Dolphins’ 2013 season. An Instagram account under his name posted a picture of a shotgun and shell casings spread around with Martin words that read: "when you’re a bully victim and a coward, your options are suicide or revenge." The Dolphins, Harvard Westlake, the high school he attended before going to Stanford, two agents, Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, and former Dolphins offensive linemen Richie Incognito were all tagged on the photo. It is not known whether Martin himself posted the photo and disturbing words. According to an ABC report, Martin has been taken into custody. Incognito, who is playing for the Buffalo Bills, and Pouncey were two of the three Dolphins players whom the NFL’s independent report claims created a hostile working environment for Martin, who left the team in the middle of the season claiming he was being bullied by teammates. The report revealed Martin had been subjected to racist, sexually explicit, homophobic and misogynistic messages, and labeled his interactions with Incognito, who was suspended for eight games by the NFL because of the investigation, as "harassment." The Dolphins are aware of the Instagram post, but referred all calls to the NFL. Martin, whose Instagram account is verified, was traded to the San Francisco 49ers before the 2014 season, weeks after the Ted Wells report was released. He struggled as a starter with the 49ers and was subsequently waived the following offseason. The Carolina Panthers claimed Martin, the Dolphins’ 2012 second-round pick, off waivers in March, but Martin retired before training camp opened in 2015, citing a back injury. According to the Los Angeles Times, police officials investigated what they labeled a "security risk," made to Harvard Westlake, but it was determined there was "no credible threat" against the school. The Los Angeles Times also reports that in 2015, Martin detailed his struggles growing up in a series of Facebook and Twitter posts. He admitted to attempting suicide while playing in the NFL. He also said he had been uncomfortable at Harvard-Westlake as "one of just a handful of minorities" on the campus. At this time, it’s unclear if Martin is receiving medical treatment. The NFL’s independent report claimed Martin had been receiving treatment for depression since he was a teenager.
Ed Zurga / Associated Press file
The Kansas City Chiefs are trading Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams for draft picks, according to reports. The deal will be made official at the start of the new league year March 14.
Kansas City makes its second big trade of this offseason ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — The Kansas City Chiefs are trading Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters to the Los Angeles Rams for what is expected to be a package of draft picks, according to published reports. ESPN.com first reported the trade, which will not become official until the start of the new league year on March 14. It’s the second major trade involving the Chiefs that will occur that day following the deal that will send quarterback Alex Smith to the Washington Redskins. The Chiefs have been aggressively seeking to trade Peters, an All-Pro during the 2016 season, as part of both a youth movement and shift in locker room culture. The 25-year-old Peters emerged as one of the NFL’s best cover cornerbacks, picking off at least five passes each of his first season in the league. But he also carries significant char-
acter concerns, beginning with getting thrown off his college team at Washington after a run-in with his coaches. Peters has drawn the ire of some fans for refusing to stand for the national anthem, even though he has never explained why he is protesting. He’s been involved in shouting matches with assistant coaches on the sideline, bizarre and sometimes divisive locker room antics, and was even suspended for a game last season after tossing an officials’ penalty flag into the stands. Peters thought he was ejected after that incident against the New York Jets and left the field, only to run back out — not wearing socks — when he realized he was not disqualified. None of those character concerns was evidently enough to dissuade the Rams from making a deal, though. They were desperate for a shutdown cornerback for defensive
coordinator Wade Phillips, especially with Trumaine Johnson due to hit free agency after spending two seasons playing on the franchise tag. Peters will count $1.74 million toward the salary cap this season, the final year of his rookie deal, and the Rams will have until May 3 to decide whether to pick up his fifthyear option. The Chiefs will obtain a potential replacement for Peters when the Smith deal becomes official. As part of their pending trade with the Redskins, the Chiefs will receive coveted cornerback Kendall Fuller, who many believe is on the verge of stardom, along with a third-round draft pick. Prior to the trades, the Chiefs were only scheduled to have four picks in the upcoming draft, which would have significantly hampered new general manager Brett Veach’s chances of upgrading the roster. They were granted a sixth-round compensatory pick Friday for allowing quarterback Nick Foles to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles last offseason, and are expected to get additional choices from the Rams.
A10 | Saturday, February 24, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT ‘Lost Tapes’ examines Malcolm ‘Walking Dead’ returns, X through rare footage but will the angry fans? By Russell Contreras
By Chuck Barney
A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
EAST BAY TIME S
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Malcolm X was reviled and adored during his lifetime thanks to his views of black nationalism and “by any means necessary” approach to battle racial discrimination. Following his assassination, the civil rights advocate’s popularity was revived by hip-hop artists in the late 1980s and early ‘90s and his image began appearing on clothing, college dorm posters and eventually in a Spike Lee 1992 biopic. Now a Smithsonian Channel documentary is examining the life of Malcolm X through rare footage from his speeches and media interviews to let the slain leader speak to a new generation using his own words. “The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X,” scheduled to premiere at 8 p.m. EST Monday, follows the advocate’s changing philosophy from a Nation of Islam black separatist to a figure seeking to build multiethnic coalitions during the tumultuous 1960s civil rights era. But it also contains never-before-seen footage of the outspoken advocate at rallies with Nation of Islam leader and eventually foe, Elijah Muhammad. Like other pieces in “The Lost Tapes” series, which is in its second season, the documentary uses only images and video clips from the time period and doesn’t insert contemporary voices or scholars to interpret what the audience sees. Only sentences are added to images to give background information. Malcolm X, who later changed his name to ElHajj Malik El-Shabazz following his pilgrimage in
"The Walking Dead" returns on Sunday to kick off the second half of its eighth season and AMC’s monster hit has already been renewed for a ninth. But I can’t help but wonder: How much life, really, is left in the series? After all, this is an aging show that too often has shown signs of creative exhaustion, and last year experienced a substantial ratings decline. Most notably, it’s a show that just can’t seem to resist the urge to infuriate its passionate viewers. The latest wave of fan outrage came last December during the midseason finale when Carl Grimes (Chandler Riggs) — one of only five characters remaining from the show’s first season — got chomped on by a walker. We all know this means that Carl is a goner, although the finale ended with him still alive. The cliff-hanger will be resolved in Sunday’s somber episode, "Honor." The decision by showrunner Scott Gimple and his writers to kill off Carl is the show’s most shocking one to date. It instantly set off an social media firestorm, with fans grousing that they had been "blind-sided" and "betrayed." A petition was even launched urging AMC to fire Gimple. Just a week after the episode aired, that petition reportedly had garnered 55,000 signatures. Truth be told, Carl was never one of my favorite characters. I often found him to be more annoying than engaging. However, I agree with fans who said turning him into zombie
Marty Lederhandler / AP
This Feb. 13, 1963 file photo shows Nation of Islam leader Malcolm X speaking to the press in New York as Muslims were picketing through the Times Square area. A Smithsonian Channel series, "The Lost Tapes: Malcolm X,” examines the life of civil right leader.
Mecca, came to national prominence in the late 1950s as the leader of the Nation of Islam’s Temple Number 7 in Harlem, New York. He often was critical of civil rights leaders, like Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., for practicing nonviolent resistance to segregation and called them “traitors” and “chumps.” But he later broke with Elijah Muhammad over disagreements about speaking out on police violence, President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and news that Muhammad had fathered children from teen followers. Producer Tom Jennings put together the project with the idea of making viewers feel they had been transported through a time machine to see events unfold as they happened. “The audience is waiting for the narrator to show up and save them,” Jennings said. “But the footage tells the story alone. This forum is very rewarding.” For example, “The Lost Tapes” shows footage from a July 1959 television documentary called “The Hate That Hate Produced” which introduced Malcolm X and the Chicagobased Nation of Islam to a wider audience. “They have their own parochial schools,” famed journalist
Mike Wallace reports at the time on a documentary that aired on WNTATV in New York, “where Muslim children are told to hate the white man.” A young Wallace then shows images of Malcolm X and speaks about his conversion to Islam after spending time in prison. Later in “The Lost Tapes,” the documentary reveals that boxing champ Muhammad Ali ended his friendship with Malcolm X in exchange for his name change granted by Elijah Muhammad — a coveted reward by Nation of Islam followers. The documentary also has a radio interview where Malcolm X discusses attending the 1963 March on Washington. He is shown speaking at events in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Ilyasah Shabazz, the civil rights leader’s third daughter, said the documentary puts her father in the context of his time and shows him reacting to the injustices he saw. Then, the documentary came to the assassination where radio reporters and images of the event recreate the chaos and sadness. “The ending of the documentary ... I was reduced to smithereens,” Shabazz said. “To see my father, a young man ...for me, it was very dynamic.”
meat felt like a shockvalue moment — just another plot gimmick from a show that wallows in them way too much. (See: Glenn’s dumpster fake-out in Season 6). Moreover, the Carl twist signaled a major deviation from "The Walking Dead" comic books. In the pages of Robert Kirkman’s ongoing zombie saga, Carl is not only still alive, but has assumed more a leadership role as his father, Rick, grows older. He’s apparently pivotal to to everything that happens after Rick’s all-out war against the villainous Negan. Fans of the source material have concerns that major chunks of the story will have to be modified in the show as it continues. And it’s not only the fans who are wary. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Norman Reedus, the actor who plays Daryl, wondered if the loss of yet another original character might dramatically alter the DNA of the show. "The people that started this show, to me, are the heart of the show," he said. "When you lose those key members, it’s such a big blow to the show, and to the fans, and to us that are there. . There’s only a few of us left . If you wanted to turn it into a totally different show, you get rid of those people. But if you want to hold on to what made the show special, you’ve got to be very careful what you do with those people." Meanwhile, the viewers who wanted Gimple out have achieved a victory — sort of. In January, AMC announced that he had
been elevated to the newly created role of chief content officer, overseeing the entire "Walking Dead" franchise, including the spin-off series "Fear the Walking Dead." The move means that Angela Kang, a veteran writer on the series, will run the show beginning with Season 9. Maybe Kang can revive the fortunes of "The Walking Dead" and inject a sense of freshness that has been missing for so long. She has her work cut out for her. Can she do anything to reshape a show that has been plagued by whiplash-like fluctuations in character behavior, boring stretches of been-there-done-that repetition and absolutely mind-boggling lapses of logic? Or will she just be part of the problem? As for the here and now, my guess is that even the fans most angered by the Carl plot twist will be in front of their screens at least on Sunday to pay their respects and observe how his fate plays out. I’ve seen the episode already and will dutifully avoid any spoilers here. Just know that Riggs delivers a rave-worthy performance. After that, who knows? Rick’s (Andrew Lincoln) bloody war with Negan (Jeffery Dean Morgan) will certainly continue and the body count is sure to rise, and more zombies will get splattered into mush. And AMC will continue to draw a sizable audience to its biggest show. But surely, many others will continue to realize that enough is enoughand that it’s time to walk away from "The Walking Dead."