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School leaders ask to keep state aid program
Plans for student union building at LCC South shrink
Bill would boost school funding for most districts By Aliyya Swaby TH E TEXAS TRI BUNE
School officials whose districts would lose money under a Texas House plan to revamp the public school funding system, asked legislators Tuesday to ensure there are as few "losers" as possible. They were among dozens who testified at a House Public Education Committee hearing
cation system, boosting on House Bill 21. State funding for almost every Rep. Dan Huberty, the school district in the Houston Republican state although a few who chairs the commitwould be left out. tee, pitched the legislaIt also wouldn't renew tion Monday as a prelimthe soon-expiring Addiinary overhaul of a Huberty tional State Aid for Tax school finance system Reduction, or ASATR, the Texas Supreme program that awards suppleCourt upheld last year but said mental state funds to more than was in dire need of reform. 150 districts to offset a decadeThe bill would inject about old property tax cut — a major $1.6 billion into the public edu-
concern for education officials who depend on the funding. A provision in the bill that would award some grant money to make up for the loss isn't enough, they told the committee Tuesday. "My districts are going to lose," said Mike Motheral, executive director of the Texas Small Rural School Finance Coalition. He said he represents School continues on A10
Enrollment did not increase as projected By Judith Rayo LAREDO MORNING TIME S
45TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION
ZAPATA COUNTY FAIR KICKS OFF
Courtesy of Facebook
Zapata County Fair’s 2017 Royalty, Triana Isabel Gonzalez, 1st Runner-Up, and Clarissa Yvette Garcia, Queen, enjoy the rides at the annual event.
LCC officials have decided to decrease the size of the new student union building at the South Campus. The decision was made due to student enrollment not increasing by as much as initially projected. Comprised of students from Zapata and other neighboring counties, Laredo Community College plans to build the student union building at the South Campus as part of the $100 million bond that voters approved in May 2014. The project was previously placed on hold pending additional direction. LCC trustee Cynthia Mares said officials will reduce the square footage in half. She could not say how big the building will now be. Mares said the decrease comes after officials projected a bigger jump in student enrollment. The college saw a peak in enrollment in fall 2011, when about 10,050 students were registered. Enrollment then decreased for three consecutive years. The college reported an enrollment of 8,307 in fall 2014. It then jumped to 8,749 in fall 2015 and to 9,176 in fall 2016. Mares said with the leftover savings from the student union building, LCC will consider renovating the Maravillo Gymnasium and the student dormitory. She said the following bond-funded projects will move forward: the Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center, the oil and gas institute, the De La Garza building, signage and marquees and the health science center. The projects were on hold pending additional direction.
LAREDO ENERGY ARENA
Los Lonely Boys to perform at Empty Bowls XI event S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
After 10 years of classic rock and rhythm and blues, the South Texas Food Bank board that serves Zapata decided to change the sound of their staple fundraiser event, Empty Bowls XI, which will take place at the Laredo Energy Arena Friday, Aug. 18. This year’s band will be Los Lonely Boys. The announcement was made Wednesday at the LEA by the South Texas Food Bank
Board President Erasmo Villarreal and Empty Bowls Committee chairs Leslie Benavides and Kevin Romo. Empty Bowls has aimed to create awareness about the realities of hunger and to celebrate the generosity of those individuals, businesses and organizations that have impacted the food bank’s mission of feeding the hungry in South Texas. “We wanted to change things Event continues on A10
Cuate Santos / Laredo Morning Times
Directors and administrators of the South Texas Food Bank participated in a press conference Wednesday at the Laredo Energy Arena where they announced that " The Lonely Boys" as the entertainment for Empty Bowls XI set for Friday, August 18, at the LEA.
Zin brief A2 | Saturday, March 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE WORLD
TODAY IN HISTORY
MONDAY, MARCH 13
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
Today is Saturday, March 11, the 70th day of 2017. There are 295 days left in the year. The Jewish holiday Purim begins at sunset. Daylight saving time returns Sunday at 2 a.m. local time; clocks go forward one hour.
Today's Highlight in History: On March 11, 1942, as Japanese forces continued to advance in the Pacific during World War II, U.S. Army Gen. Douglas MacArthur left the Philippines for Australia, where he vowed on March 20, "I shall return" — a promise he kept more than 2½ years later.
AHEC Health Careers Camp. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 E. Bustamante St. The goal of this camp is to expose students interested in health careers to the various career choices in the medical field and provide them with an opportunity for interaction with practicing health care professionals. Registration for this camp is free and open to all high school students. To register or receive additional information, please call 956-712-0037.
TUESDAY, MARCH 14 AHEC Health Careers Camp. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 E. Bustamante St. The goal of this camp is to expose students interested in health careers to the various career choices in the medical field and provide them with an opportunity for interaction with practicing health care professionals. Registration for this camp is free and open to all high school students. To register or receive additional information, please call 956-712-0037.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 AHEC Health Careers Camp. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 E. Bustamante St. The goal of this camp is to expose students interested in health careers to the various career choices in the medical field and provide them with an opportunity for interaction with practicing health care professionals. Registration for this camp is free and open to all high school students. To register or receive additional information, please call 956-712-0037.
Amr Nabil / AP
A child poses for a picture past a recently discovered statue in a Cairo slum that may be of pharaoh Ramses II, in Cairo, Egypt, Friday.
ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVER MASSIVE STATUE IN CAIRO By Brian Rohan ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22
CAIRO — Archaeologists in Egypt discovered a massive statue in a Cairo slum that may be of Ramses II, one of the country's most famous and longest ruling ancient pharaohs. The colossus, a large portion of whose head was pulled from mud and groundwater by a bulldozer and seen by The Associated Press on Friday, is around eight meters (26 feet) high and was discovered by a German-Egyptian archaeological team.
Fourth Annual Laredo Media and Film Festival. LISD Civic Center. The Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts Audio and Video Production Department is hosting the free festival, which is open to all local middle and high school students, clubs or classes who are interested in TV, film, animation and radio.
Measles outbreak in Romania causes 17 deaths
MONDAY, MARCH 20 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
THURSDAY, MARCH 23 Fourth Annual Laredo Media and Film Festival. LISD Civic Center. The Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts Audio and Video Production Department is hosting the free festival, which is open to all local middle and high school students, clubs or classes who are interested in TV, film, animation and radio.
BUCHAREST, Romania — Thousands of people have caught measles in an ongoing outbreak that has caused 17 deaths in Romania, the health minister said Friday. Florian Bodog said that around 3,400 people had contracted the disease since the outbreak began in September
"We used the bulldozer to lift it out. We took some precautions, although somewhat primitive, but the part that we retrieved was not harmed," said Khaled Mohamed Abuelela, manager of antiquities at Ain Shams University. Egyptologist Khaled Nabil Osman said the statue was an "impressive find" and the area in the working class neighborhood of Matariya in eastern Cairo is likely full of other buried antiquities. "It was the main cultural place of ancient Egypt, even the bible mentions it," he said.
2016. Bodog said the virus was similar to strains found in Hungary or Italy, but couldn't say whether it was the same one. Romania has lowered the age for administering the first vaccine dose from the usual 12 months to nine months, recommending all children under 9 are vaccinated. The European Center for Disease Prevention and Control warned this week that "the
likelihood of exportation of measles (from Romania) cases is high." Most cases have been registered in western and southwestern Romania. In neighboring Hungary, there was no threat of a national epidemic after Hungarian health officials reported 31 suspected cases of measles, said Beatrix Oroszi, head of the National Center for Epidemiology. — Compiled from AP reports
SATURDAY, MARCH 25 Gateway Gatos of Laredo’s Cat Fundraiser. 12-3 p.m. Petco north store. All donations received will go toward financially helping cat community caretakers to neuter and spay their cats. For more details, call Birdie at 286-7866. 67th Annual Flower and Art Show. 1-6 p.m. Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church. Sponsored by the United Methodist Women. Guest artists: Laredo Community College Art Instructors. $3 admission fee per person. Public invited. Rally at the Border Laredo. 4-7 p.m. Convent Avenue.
SUNDAY, MARCH 26 67th Annual Flower and Art Show. 1-6 p.m. Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church. Sponsored by the United Methodist Women. Guest artists: Laredo Community College Art Instructors. $3 admission fee per person. Public invited.
MONDAY, MARCH 27 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 Spanish Book Club. 6-8 p.m. Joe A. Guerra Public Library on Calton. or more info call Sylvia Reash 763-1810. Laredo Next Generation Rotary Club “Unsung Heroes” dinner. 7:30 p.m. Montecarlo Reception Hall, 6415 McPherson Road. This year’s recipients are Ignacio Urrabazo, Samuel Ayala and Gigi Ramos. For more information about sponsorship levels or to reserve a table, contact Rudy Morales at 956-206-5378 or Hector Chapa at 956-206-1505 or visit nextgenerationrotary.com
THURSDAY, MARCH 30 Speaker and book signing. 6-7:30 p.m. Multipurpose Room at Joe A. Guerra Public Library on Calton. Hosted by Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society and the library. The speaker is Mauricio J. Gonzalez, LCC instructor and author of “My Grandfather’s Grandfather: Tomas Rodriguez Benavides.” Open to the public. For more info call 763-1810.
AROUND THE NATION Marine asks women to 'trust us' in nude-photo inquiry WASHINGTON — Fewer than 10 women victims have come forward so far in the investigation into nude photos of female service members that were posted online without their permission, the top Marine general said Friday. He pleaded with female Marines to "trust us" and reach out to make complaints or seek help. "I need their help," said Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine commandant. "I'm going to ask them to trust us. I understand why that might be a bit of a reach for them right now. But I can't fix this. ... The only way there is going to be accountability in this is somebody comes forward and tells us what happened to them." Former and current female Marines have said their photographs and those of women in other services were shared
Cliff Owen / AP
Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller pauses during a news conference at the Pentagon on Friday.
on social media without their consent. The other military services say that they are now looking into the matter to see if their service members are involved, but they say so far no other victims have come forward. Nude photographs of female Marines and other women were shared on the Facebook
page "Marines United," and the accompanying posts included obscene and threatening comments. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service launched an investigation into the matter and is urging victims of the photo-sharing to come forward. — Compiled from AP reports
Several states are considering legislation this year to end or curb child marriages. A Connecticut bill would prohibit marriage licenses for anyone under 18, and is awaiting committee action. Leg-
Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, continuing his tour of Latin America, met with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe. Newborn Mychael Darthard-Dawodu was found safe in Clovis, New Mexico, a day after she was abducted from a hospital in Lubbock, Texas. (The abductor, Rayshaun Parson, was sentenced to 20 years in prison.) Actress-singer Betty Hutton died in Palm Springs, California, at age 86. Five years ago: Sixteen Afghan villagers — mostly women and children — were shot dead as they slept by U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales, who later pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life in prison without parole. One year ago: Nancy Reagan's life was celebrated by 1,000 invited guests gathered at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California, to pay final tribute to the former first lady who had died five days earlier at the age of 94. Keith Emerson, 71, founder and keyboardist of the progressive-rock band Emerson, Lake and Palmer, took his own life in Santa Monica, California; he was 71. Today's Birthdays: Media mogul Rupert Murdoch is 86. Former ABC News correspondent Sam Donaldson is 83. Musician Flaco Jimenez is 78. Actress Tricia O'Neil is 72. Actor Mark Metcalf is 71. Rock singer-musician Mark Stein (Vanilla Fudge) is 70. Singer Bobby McFerrin is 67. Movie director Jerry Zucker is 67. Actress Susan Richardson is 65. Recording executive Jimmy Iovine is 64. Singer Nina Hagen is 62. Country singer Jimmy Fortune (The Statler Brothers) is 62. Singer Cheryl Lynn is 60. Actor Elias Koteas is 56. Actor-director Peter Berg is 55. Actor Jeffrey Nordling is 55. Actress Alex Kingston is 54. Country musician David Talbot is 54. Actor Wallace Langham is 52. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., D-Ill., is 52. Actor John Barrowman is 50. Singer Lisa Loeb is 49. Neo-soul musician Al Gamble (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 48. Singer Pete Droge is 48. Actor Terrence Howard is 48. Rock musician Rami Jaffee is 48. Actor Johnny Knoxville is 46. Rock singer-musicians Benji and Joel Madden (Good Charlotte; The Madden Brothers) are 38. Actor David Anders is 36. Singer LeToya is 36. Actress Thora Birch is 35. TV personality Melissa Rycroft is 34. Actor Rob Brown is 33. Thought for Today: "Life is easy to chronicle, but bewildering to practice." — E.M. Forster, English author (18791970).
CONTACT US
AROUND TEXAS Several states consider bills to address child marriages
On this date: In 1861, the Constitution of the Confederate States of America was adopted by the Confederate Congress in Montgomery, Alabama. In 1867, the Giuseppe Verdi opera "Don Carlo" had its world premiere in Paris as a five-act French version titled "Don Carlos." In 1888, the Blizzard of '88, also known as the "Great White Hurricane," began inundating the northeastern United States, resulting in some 400 deaths. In 1935, the Bank of Canada began operations, issuing its first series of bank notes. In 1957, Charles Van Doren's 14week run on the rigged NBC game show "Twenty-One" ended as he was "defeated" by attorney Vivienne Nearing; Van Doren's take was $129,000. American explorer Richard E. Byrd died in Boston at age 68. In 1965, the Rev. James J. Reeb, a white minister from Boston, died two days after being beaten by whites during civil rights disturbances in Selma, Alabama. In 1977, more than 130 hostages held in Washington, D.C. by Hanafi Muslims were freed after ambassadors from three Islamic nations joined the negotiations. In 1986, the state of Georgia pardoned Leo Frank, a Jewish businessman lynched in 1915 for the murder of 13-year-old Mary Phagan. In 2004, ten bombs exploded in quick succession across the commuter rail network in Madrid, Spain, killing 191 people in an attack linked to alQaida-inspired militants.
islation also has been proposed in New Jersey, New Hampshire, New York, Texas, Missouri, Maryland and Pennsylvania. While the legal age to marry in Connecticut state is already 18, state law also allows 16- and 17-year-olds to marry as long as they have parental consent. Children, 15 or younger, can marry if they obtain approval from a parent and a probate court judge. Human rights activists say
such exceptions have led to forced and arranged child marriages. "We know that girls that are married as children are more likely to experience domestic violence," said Fraidy Reiss, the founder and executive director of the New Jersey-based nonprofit Unchained At Last, which works to help women and girls escape arranged and forced marriages. — Compiled from AP reports
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OTHER VIEWS
Donald Trump’s travel ban is a threat to science By Albert Teich WA S H INGT ON P O ST
For years, our outdated and overly complex immigration system for scientists and engineers has threatened our nation’s position as a magnet for scientific and engineering talent from all over the world. Now, the government is finally taking action, only it’s in the wrong direction. It has decided to make it more difficult — not easier — for foreign scientists and students to come to the United States and for U.S. scientists to collaborate with colleagues in other countries. President Donald Trump’s travel ban is creating turmoil in U.S. laboratories. It is discouraging foreign scientists from coming to the United States, and it is creating a climate of insecurity and fear among many of those who are already here. It is threatening collaborative research projects involving U.S. and foreign scientists. And it is disrupting the flow of international students to U.S. universities. As reported in the journal Nature, foreignborn scientists are reconsidering their plans to work or study in the United States because of Trump’s actions on immigration. Meanwhile, administrators at Harvard University have cautioned foreign students and faculty about potential problems of reentry after traveling outside the United States. Such fears could have serious consequences for research and education in this country. Although the administration limited the scope of its 90day travel ban to six majority-Muslim nations, the president’s heated rhetoric has raised fears and created a climate of uncertainty about his administration’s longerterm plans and intentions. We have already seen a precipitous drop in applications to some U.S. engineering schools from international students, who are vital to science, technology, engineering and math graduate programs at universities. According to data from the National Science Foundation, foreign nationals represent more than 70 percent of fulltime graduate students in electrical engineering, 63 percent in computer science and about half of all engineering faculty members. But the latest figures from many universities are worrisome. International applications for Dartmouth College’s master’s in engineering management are down 30 percent; at Vanderbilt University, engineering graduate applications from international students have declined 18 percent. The timing and application deadlines suggest that these drops may be due to Trump’s campaign rhetoric rather than the recent travel bans. The United States has
long benefited from the contributions of foreignborn scientists and engineers. Examples abound: Nearly a third of all science Nobel laureates who won their prizes while working in the United States were foreign born. Approximately 40 percent of Fortune 500 firms were started by immigrants or children of immigrants. More than five out of six patents in information technology in the United States in 2010 listed a foreign national among the inventors. In view of such contributions, the government should be doing more to attract foreign talent, not driving it away. Scientific organizations have been speaking out on the travel ban. Rush Holt, chief executive of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, called on the president “to take a balanced approach to immigration that protects national security interests and advances our scientific leadership.” Leaders of the biotechnology industry, heavily dependent on foreign talent, were more forceful. A letter — published in Nature Biotechnology — stated bluntly: “If this misguided policy is not reversed, America is at risk of losing its leadership position in one of its most important sectors, one that will shape the world in the twenty-first century.” It’s not clear that anyone in the White House is listening. In previous administrations, the president’s science adviser and his staff in the Office of Science and Technology Policy would have offered a scientific perspective on issues of this nature. That point of view might not have shaped the final outcome, but its presence would have suggested at least the possibility of informed decision-making. So far, the Trump administration has not named a science adviser or given an indication of how - or whether - the White House science office will be structured and staffed. The travel ban set to go into effect this month highlights both the need for establishing a channel of high-level scientific advice to the president in the form of an appointed science adviser. It also demonstrates the need for a concerted, unified effort by the scientific community to speak out and oppose such misguided policies. The president needs to turn his attention to this situation soon. It is essential that, as we seek to secure our borders and protect the nation against terrorism and other threats to our security, we do not allow the strength and international reputation of our scientific enterprise to become collateral damage. Teich is research professor of science, technology and international affairs at George Washington University.
COLUMN
The high cost of rolling back fuel standards By Cass R. Sunstein BL OOMBERG
A Republican president takes office, vowing to eliminate job-killing regulations issued by his Democratic predecessor. In his first weeks, the automobile industry publicly asks him to eliminate specific regulations that are, in its view, crushingly burdensome. He agrees. Sound familiar? It should. But we’re speaking of 1981, not 2017, and of Ronald Reagan’s decision to repeal one of the central achievements of the Jimmy Carter administration: a rule designed to reduce highway deaths and injuries by requiring “passive restraints,” such as airbags, in motor vehicles. For fans of deregulation, the story ends badly. In 1983, the Supreme Court unanimously struck down Reagan’s repeal on the ground it was arbitrary and unjustified by reasons or evidence. That’s a warning for the Trump administration. Sure, the Supreme Court in coming years will not be the same as it was in 1983. But its current and future members are not likely to be comfortable with arbitrary or evidence-free decisions from federal administrators. Reagan’s ignominious defeat bears directly on what might well be the biggest regulatory controversy of the coming years. Acting in direct response to the pleas of the automobile industry, Trump’s regulators appear poised to revisit a major accomplishment of the Obama administration: a fuel-economy rule intended to save both money and lives, and
finalized in 2012 by the Department of Transportation and the Environmental Protection Agency. True, deregulation is often a sensible response to unjustifiably costly federal requirements. But on the basis of the numbers, discussed at length in the government’s technical analysis, the fuel-economy program looks quite solid — and if the Trump administration concludes otherwise, it will have to offer a detailed justification, not talking points. The program covers the period from 2017 to 2025, and it is designed to increase vehicles’ average fuel economy to more than 50 miles per gallon by the final year. It was developed in close collaboration with automobile companies, and in 2012, they embraced it. It is true that the fueleconomy program will be quite expensive, imposing annual costs of about $6.49 billion. Most of those costs will be borne by consumers, who will have to pay more for new cars. But according to the current numbers, those very consumers will ultimately be the rule’s biggest beneficiaries: Because fuel-efficient vehicles are less costly to operate, people are expected to save a whopping $20.5 billion annually. On net, the annual benefit to consumers is more than $14 billion. Putting climate change entirely to one side, you’ll also find big benefits for human health, because the rule will cut emissions of both particulate matter and ozone. The result will be to reduce prema-
ture deaths, chronic bronchitis, hospital admissions for respiratory causes, and emergency admissions for asthma. In terms of greenhouse-gas emissions, the program will also have a big impact. Over its lifetime, it is expected to eliminate the equivalent of two billion metric tons of carbon-dioxide emissions. The technical analysis explores other effects as well, including reductions in imported oil and the impact on accidents, noise and congestion. The overall conclusion is that the program will produce annual net benefits of $19.5 billion. You can’t find a lot of regulations with that kind of payoff. An unusual feature of the program, as it was finalized in 2012, is that it called for a midterm government review in 2017, reassessing the requirements for the period from 2022-2025. Because markets and technology can go in surprising directions, the idea of a midterm review makes a ton of sense. In January, the Obama administration undertook that review and elected to retain the program as it was originally designed. In the process, it offered a painstaking and highly technical explanation of its decision. In fact, it concluded that the progress of technology development would support even more stringent standards from 2022-2025 — but that in view of the need for regulatory certainty, and to respect the industry’s need for long-term planning, the 2012 program should not
CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
be amended. To be sure, it is perfectly appropriate for the Trump administration to reconsider the decisions of its predecessors, and to listen carefully to those who vigorously object to regulatory requirements. But as the Supreme Court made clear in 1983, an agency can’t repeal a regulation simply because it doesn’t like it. It must engage with the law and the facts. And if the prior administration has offered a technical justification, the repeal must be accompanied by an explanation of why that justification is wrong. The Trump administration might be able to offer such an explanation. For example, it might conclude that by 2025, a standard in excess of 50 miles per gallon is not feasible, or that it cannot be achieved at reasonable cost. It might reject the EPA’s conclusion, in January, that consumers would ultimately be big winners, gaining $100 billion from the 2022-2025 standards. It might argue that a creative approach of its own could generate large benefits at lower cost. But conclusions of this kind require evidence and analysis, rather than a plea from an interest group, or general skepticism about regulation and the very idea of climate change. Whether you’re concerned about consumer savings, public health, energy independence, cost-benefit analysis or greenhouse-gas emissions, the fuel-economy program has a lot going for it. If the Trump administration wants to scale it back, it will have some explaining to do. Sunstein is a Bloomberg View columnist.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 11, 2017 |
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A6 | Saturday, March 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
BUSINESS
Ivanka Trump’s State of California to give green light to driverless cars fashion sales By Justin Pritchard A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Cars with no steering wheel, no pedals and nobody at all inside could be driving themselves on California roads by the end of the year, under proposed new rules that would give a powerful boost to the technology from the nation's most populous state. For the past several years, tech companies and automakers have been testing self-driving cars on California's roads. But regulators insisted that those vehicles have steering wheels, foot controls and human backup drivers who could take over in an emergency. On Friday, the state Department of Motor Vehicles proposed rules that would open the way for truly driverless cars. Under the rules, testing of such cars could begin by the end of 2017, and a limited number could become available to customers as early as 2018 — provided the federal government gives the necessary permission. Currently, federal automobile standards require steering wheels, though Wash-
Eric Risberg / AP
In this 2016 file photo, an Uber car in driverless mode waits in traffic during a test drive in San Francisco.
On Friday, the state Department of Motor Vehicles proposed rules that would open the way for truly driverless cars. ington has shown a desire to encourage the technology. The proposed rules amount to the most detailed regulatory framework of any state and represent a major advance for the industry, given California's size, its clout as the nation's big-
gest car market, and its longtime role as a cultural trendsetter. The rules are subject to a public hearing and a comment period, and could change. Regulators hope to put them in effect by December. The proposal released Friday is more than two
years overdue. In one important change from prior drafts, once a manufacturer declares its technology is road-ready, it can put the cars on the market. That self-certification approach mirrors how federal officials regulate standard cars, and it represents a big victory for such major players as Waymo, as Google has rebranded its self-driving car project. Under the proposed California regulations, any driverless car still must be remotely monitored and able to pull itself over safely in an emergency. The technology for truly driverless cars of the future already is here — more than a year ago, a Waymo prototype with no steering wheel or pedals drove a blind man on city streets in Texas. Supporters say the cars may one day be far safer than those with humans at the wheel, since they won't drive distracted, drunk or drowsy. During the more than two years of road testing in California, self-driving cars with human backup drivers are believed to have caused just a few collisions.
Race to lower costs may cause oil to choke on supplies By Javier Blas B L OOM BE RG NEWS
Houston hosted two events this week: the nation’s largest energy conference and the town’s famous rodeo. They have more in common than you’d think. In both cases, the key for top performers is how efficiently they perform. For cowboys, it means tightly controlling every muscle to stick on a bucking bronco. For energy executives, it means controlling every cost to lower the breakeven price and survive what’s been a wild ride on the oil market. When companies can lower the price at which they break-even, it means they can approve more projects and produce more oil, keeping dividends safe and investors happy. The risk: By dril-
ling up their share price, they can also end up drilling down the price of oil. Welcome to 2017, the year after a two-year market rout made companies more efficient. At the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference this week, fears of too much supply were palpable. “Everyone is driving break-even prices down,” Deborah Byers, head of U.S. oil and gas at consultants Ernst & Young LLP in Houston, said in an interview at the meeting, the largest annual gathering of industry executives in the world. “It isn’t just shale companies; it’s everyone, from deepwater to conventional.” As the conference was ongoing, those fears took physical form as West Texas Intermediate, the U.S. crude benchmark, plunged
almost 8 percent over five days, dropping below the key $50 a barrel level for the first time this year. The slump came as Scott Sheffield, chairman of Pioneer Natural Resources Co., said prices could fall to $40 if OPEC doesn’t extend its existing agreement to cut production. Shale billionaire Harold Hamm, the CEO of Continental Resources Inc., warned undisciplined growth could “kill” the oil market. The buzzword was efficiency. In panel discussions and keynote speeches, executive after executive tried to outdo rivals in announcing their low break-even prices. Eldar Saetre, head of the Norwegian oil giant Statoil ASA, told delegates that break even for his company’s
next generation of projects had fallen from $70plus to “well below” $30 a barrel. “The downturn has been long and painful, but has presented the industry with a unique opportunity to strengthen ourselves,” Saetre said. He wasn’t alone in noting the new efficiencies. From Patrick Pouyanne of Total SA to Darren Woods of Exxon Mobil Corp., almost every executive commented on the lower break-evens. For some new projects tying back to existing facilities, executives said they could avoid losses even at $12 a barrel. According to Rystad Energy, a Norway-based industry consultant, the well-head break-even costs for U.S. shale plays declined 46 percent between 2014 and 2016.
take off By Kristine Phillips WASHINGTON P O ST
Sales of Trump’s products skyrocketed in early February, making her Lyst’s 11th most popular brand. The biggest spike, according to Lyst, came on Feb. 9, when sales jumped by 219 percent from the day before. Yes, Feb. 9 — the same day that White House counselor Kellyanne Conway promoted Trump’s clothing and jewelry line on “Fox & Friends.” “Go buy Ivanka’s stuff is what I would tell you,” Conway said. “I’m going to give a free commercial here. Go buy it today, everybody.” Abigail Klem, president of the Ivanka Trump brand, said in a statement that “the beginning of February” shows “the best performing weeks in the history of the brand.” “For several different retailers, Ivanka Trump was a top performer online, and in some of the categories it was the best performance ever,” Klem said. Sarah Tanner, Lyst’s spokeswoman, said increases in sales are usually tied to current events. For instance, interest in pantsuits went up by 460 percent last year because of Hillary Clinton’s affinity for the style, she said. Sales of the first daughter’s products went up by 86 percent in November, when her father won the presidential election, according to the company. But the brand was “largely featured” in the news in February, Tanner said. Conway gave her on-air endorsement of Ivanka Trump’s brand after President Trump had complained on Twitter that his daughter had “been treated so unfairly” by the department store Nordstrom, which dropped her clothing line over slow sales. “It would not be a surprise to us if it resulted in the increase in sales,” Tanner said of Conway’s Fox interview. “I think that’s one of the reasons the brand was largely in the news and could have attributed to this increase.” Conway did not respond to an email requesting comment. Her
promotion of the fashion line appeared to violate an ethics rule barring federal employees from using their public office to endorse products and immediately drew criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. According to Lyst, February drew unusually large numbers of orders across many Ivanka Trump-branded products, including dresses, shoes, pants, coats, knitwear and tops. Heels were the bestsellers, followed by dresses. Comparing February’s numbers with last year’s average number of orders of Ivanka Trump products shows a difference of 557 percent. The excitement on the brand, however, may be slumping. The company’s numbers show sales were gradually tapering off toward the end of February. March does not appear to be as remarkable, but sales are still on track to be about eight percent better than they were in January, according to Lyst. The Ivanka Trump brand also appears to have weathered an aggressive boycott campaign called Grab Your Wallet, which began in October and encouraged shoppers to avoid retailers that stock Trumpbranded products. Some retailers have partially or completely distanced themselves from the Trump brand. Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Belk have stopped selling Trump’s branded line of clothing, shoes and jewelry. T.J. Maxx and Marshalls have instructed employees to stop promoting Trump products in stores and to move Trump clothing into general merchandise racks. Sears Holdings and subsidiary Kmart discontinued online sales of 31 items from the Trump Home collection last month, though their websites still contain items sold by thirdparty sellers. The collection includes living room and bedroom furniture, lamps and chandeliers. The companies attributed their decisions to product performance. Nordstrom, for instance, said sales of the brand have steadily declined, particularly in the last half of 2016.
Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 11, 2017 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE PAGO DE IMPUESTOS 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St. PAGO EN LÍNEA 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.
FERIA DE ZAPATA 1 Desfile de la Feria del Condado de Zapata iniciará a las 8:30 el sábado 11 de marzo a las 8:30 a.m. en 3a. Avenida. 1 Presentación de Intocable, La Leyenda y Los Traileros del Norte el sábado 11 de marzo desde las 5 p.m., en terrenos de la Feria de Zapata. LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL 1 La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza, a un lado del City Hall. Informes en el 956-849-1411.
A7
CARRETERA 54
POLICÍA INTERESTATAL Corporación dará seguridad y tranquilidad a ciudadanos E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Miguel Alemán, México— Los Gobernadores de Tamaulipas, México, Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca y de Nuevo León, Jaime Rodríguez Calderón, pusieron en marcha este miércoles la operación de la Policía Interestatal, que en una primera fase se encargará de preservar la seguridad de la Ruta 54, un tramo carretero que une a los municipios del noreste de Nuevo León y la región ribereña tamaulipeca. García Cabeza de Vaca
declaró durante un evento realizado en la línea divisoria de los dos estados, al que asistieron alcaldes de la región, que la coordinación sin precedentes en ambos estados, permitirá un combate efectivo a la delincuencia. Por su parte la alcaldesa de Cd. Miguel Alemán Rosa Icela Corro Acosta dijo coincidir con los mandatarios de Tamaulipas y Nuevo León en lo que respecta a la puesta en marcha de la Policía Interestatal asegurando que esta Carretera 54 ayudará a la vigilancia entre los dos estados.
Foto cortesía | Gobierno de Miguel Alemán
Los gobernadores de Tamaulipas y Nuevo León, Fracisco J. García Cabeza de Vaca y Jaime Rodríguez Calderón, segundo y tercero de izquierda a derecha, dieron arranque a la Policía Interestatal.
CAREER DAY
COMPARTEN CON MENORES SU TRABAJO
CAMINATA AMISTOSA 1 El Servicio de Extensión Texas A&M Agrilife invita a la segunda caminata Walk Across Texas que iniciará desde el 1 de febrero y hasta el 24 de marzo. Una competencia amistosa para ver quién acumula más millas haciendo cualquier actividad física como correr, caminar andar en bicicleta, , baile, etc. Mayores informes en Texas A&M Agrilife Service Extension al (956) 487-2306. MUSEO EN ZAPATA 1 A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, se sugiere visitar el Museo del Condado de Zapata ubicado en 805 N US-Hwy 83. Opera de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. Existen visitas guiadas. Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983.
GRUPOS DE APOYO 1 El grupo de apoyo para personas con Alzheimer se reunirá en su junta mensual, a las 7 p.m., en el Laredo Medical Center, primer piso, Torre B en el Centro Comunitario. Las reuniones se realizan el primer martes de cada mes en el mismo lugar y a la misma hora. 1 El grupo Cancer Friend se reúne a las 6 p.m. el primer lunes del mes en el Centro Comunitario de Doctors Hospital. Padecer cáncer es una de las experiencias más estresantes en la vida de una persona. Sin embargo, los grupos de apoyo pueden ayudar a muchos a lidiar con los aspectos emocionales de la enfermedad. 1 Grupo de Apoyo para Ansiedad y Depresión Rayo de Luz. Centro de Educación del Área de Salud, de 6:30 a 7:30 p.m.
Foto cortesía | Departamento de Policía de Roma
Oficiales del Departamento de Policía de la Ciudad de Roma, asistieron al evento Career Day (Día de Carreras Profesionales) para compartir su experiencia profesional con los menores de la escuela primaria Roel and Celia Sáenz Elementary School, el viernes.
COLUMNA
LCC SUR
Sin maíz, no hay país Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Asoma en la mesa de los mexicanos con variadas maneras. Sola, en chilaquiles, sopas, tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, etcétera, la tortilla de maíz nos da identidad ante el mundo entero. Ricos o pobres, rancheros o citadinos, nadie se resiste. Menos aún si está hecha a mano y recién salida del comal. Al despuntar el dominio ibero de América, fray Joseph de Acosta escribe: “Así como en las partes del orbe antiguo … el grano más común es el trigo, así en las parte del nuevo orbe ha sido y es el grano de maíz, y casi se ha hallado en todos los reinos de Indias Occidentales … El grano de maíz en fuerza y sustento pienso que no es inferior al trigo”. “Nace en cañas –ilustra–, y cada una lleva una o dos mazorcas, donde está pegado el grano, y con ser granos gruesos tienen muchos”. Salen a relucir ancestrales raíces prehispánicas. “El pan de los indios es el
maíz; cómenlo comúnmente cocido … Otro modo … más regalado (o popular) es moliendo el maíz y haciendo de su harina, masa, y de ella unas tortillas que ponen al fuego y así calientes …se comen”, puntualiza en 1590 el docto fraile. Decadente el orden novohispano, por costas ahora tamaulipecas arriba Xavier Mina. Dispuesto a reavivar la insurgencia, lo acompañan correligionarios de muy diversas nacionalidades. Sin habernos visitado nunca antes, topan de pronto con algo que debe sorprenderlos bastante. Porque en difícil marcha hacia el interior, en 1817 las tropas rebeldes llegan extenuadas y hambrientas a cierta hacienda. William Davis Robinson pormenoriza: “Allí se les dieron raciones de carne de vaca, pero sin pan” de trigo, pues “el pan común que usa” la mayoría “en Nueva España es una especie de torta de maíz que exige mucho tiempo y preparación”. La independencia abre por fin las fronteras. Mara-
villándolos a veces, nuestra realidad cotidiana queda expuesta a trotamundos que aprovechan la oportunidad. En pintoresca crónica, uno de ellos narra: “Comía mi desayuno de tortillas calientes, un artículo general de sustento … El maíz de que se componen … es hervido para limpiarlo y suavizar el grano”, preparándolo “de la misma manera antes de la conquista …Esta masa se palmotea … hasta” obtener “una hojuela ligera”, Aprecia lo anterior en 1826 el capitán inglés George Francis Lyon, quien remata: “La hechura de las tortillas es un arte de tanta importancia, que en las casas de gente respetable, una mujer, llamada …tortillera, se tiene para este único propósito”. De tremenda presencia internacional, en forma de totopos EU consume hoy enormes cantidades de tortilla mexicana. El grano de que proviene sufre por desgracia la amenaza de variedades transgénicas. Atinan sus críticos al prevenirnos: “Sin maíz no hay país”.
Edificio será más pequeño Por Judith Rayo TIEMP O DE LAREDO
Funcionarios de Laredo Community College (LCC por sus siglas en inglés), han decidido disminuir el tamaño del nuevo edificio estudiantil en el Campus Sur. La decisión se tomó debido a que la inscripción estudiantial no se ha incrementado como se había proyectado. LCC planea construir el edificio en el Campus Sur como parte del bono por 100 millones de dólares que los votantes aprobaron en mayo de 2014. El proyecto fue previamente detenido esperando instrucciones adicioanles. La fideicomisaria de LCC Cynthia Mares dijo que los funcionarios redujeron el total de pies de la construcción a la mitad. Mares dijo que la reducción viene después que los oficiales proyectaran un mayor número de
estudiantes inscritos. El colegio tuvo una alza en las inscripciones en el otoño del 2011, cuando cerca de 10.050 estudiantes se inscribieron. La inscripción ha ido a la baja por tres años consecutivos. El colegio reportó una inscripción de 8.307 estudiantes en el otoño del 2014. Luego subió a 8749 en el otoño del 2015 y 9.176 en el otoño del 2016. Mares dijo que con los ahorros generados por reducir el tamaño del edificio, LCC considerará renovar el gimnasio Maravillo y los dormitorios estudiantiels. Ella dijo que los siguientes proyectos financiados con el bono avanzarán: Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center, el instituo de petróleo y gas, el edificio De La Garza, señalización y marquesinas y el centro de ciencias de la salud. Los proyectos estuvieron detenidos hasta nuevas instrucciones.
A8 | Saturday, March 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
St. Patrick's parade will allow gay veterans to march BY M ARK PRAT T A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
BOSTON — Organizers of the city's St. Patrick's Day parade reversed course on Friday and said they would allow a group of gay veterans to march in this year's parade. The South Boston Allied War Veterans Council announced on the parade's Twitter account that it had signed an "acceptance letter" that would clear the way for OutVets to participate. OutVets did not immediately say whether it would accept the invitation to march. "We are in receipt of a letter from the allied war council, and we are actively reviewing it," said Dee Dee Edmondson, a lawyer for the group. An earlier vote by the council to bar OutVets from marching drew
immediate condemnation from high-profile politicians, some of whom said they would not march if the gay veterans were excluded. It caused some sponsors to back out and stirred up a furor on social media. It was unclear if the reversal of the decision was a result of a second vote by the council. "I decided this is a wrong that has to be corrected," the parade's lead organizer, Tim Duross, told WHDH-TV. Earlier Friday, OutVets executive director Bryan Bishop said the vets had been told the original decision to bar them was because of their rainbow symbols. Bishop said the council offered to allow the group to march if its members did not display the rainbow flag, a symbol of gay pride, which is on their banner and their jackets. The group said no. "I almost fell out of the
Steven Senne / AP
In this 2016 file photo, members of OutVets march in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Boston. The group said Wednesday it was denied permission to march in the 2017 Boston St. Patrick's Day parade just two years after organizers made the decision to allow gay groups to participate.
chair at that point, said, 'You gotta be kidding me,'" Bishop said. He said OutVets has displayed the rainbow at the parade the last two years. "It infuriates me to look at the veterans that I know, gay and straight, who have served this country with valor and honor and distinction, and just because you're a veteran who happens to be gay your service is somehow less than someone who is not of the LGBT community or someone who's not gay," he said. Edmondson, the Out-
Vets lawyer, described the letter as "generic" and said it did not make fully clear whether the gay group would be allowed to display its banner. Another veterans group, Veterans for Peace, said it also had been denied permission to participate. That group has been trying unsuccessfully for several years to march. OutVets was first allowed to participate in the parade in 2015, in what was seen as a groundbreaking decision after parade organizers had, for decades, resisted the inclusion of gay
Russian UN ambassador dies from heart attack By Colleen Long and Jonathan Lemire A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, who collapsed in his office last month, died from a heart attack, and no foul play was suspected, according to a senior city official briefed by the medical examiner's office. The official was not authorized to reveal the cause of death for Ambassador Vitaly Churkin and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday after the medical examiner's office, citing diplomatic protocol, said it was instructed not to publicly release the cause of death. An autopsy was performed on Churkin last month, but the death required further study. The additional tests had
been completed, but Julie Bolcer, spokeswoman for the city's medical Churkin examiner, said that the city's law department told the office not to release any further information, "in order to comply with international law and protocol." The State Department asked the city in writing on Feb. 24 to not reveal the autopsy results, because Churkin's diplomatic immunity survives his death. "The United States insists on the dignified handling of the remains of our diplomatic personnel who pass away abroad (including in Russia) and works to prevent unnecessary disclosures regarding the circumstances of their deaths," wrote James
Donovan, minister counselor for host country affairs for the U.S. mission to the United Nations. In a follow-up letter on March 1, the State Department noted that the Russian Federation raised concerns after the autopsy had been conducted, and "voluntary statements reported in the media about Ambassador Churkin's medical history" prompted complaints from Russian diplomats. "The information reported was very private in nature and included information about which even they had no knowledge," Donovan wrote in the follow-up letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio's international affairs office. A spokesman for Russia's U.N. Mission said: "We regard the decision of the New York City Law Department as the one that fully complies with
the principles of inviolability of private life and diplomatic immunity." The medical examiner is responsible for investigating deaths that occur by criminal violence, accident, suicide, suddenly or when the person seemed healthy, or if someone died in any unusual or suspicious manner. City policy is to publicly release the cause of death. Donovan argued that state policies could be overruled by federal authority where "it creates an obstacle to the achievement of the President's foreign policy as reflected in an international agreement." Churkin, who died Feb. 20 at a hospital at age 64, had been Russia's envoy at the U.N. since 2006. He was the longest-serving ambassador on the Security Council, the U.N.'s most powerful body.
Visitors learn about Harriet Tubman at new center By Brian Witte A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
CHURCH CREEK, Md. — A new visitors' center on the Eastern Shore explores the history of one of Maryland's most famous figures, the Underground Railroad conductor, abolitionist and Civil War spy Harriet Tubman. The $21 million Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor Center is in Church Creek, about a two-hour drive from Baltimore. It opens Saturday to the public, four years after its groundbreaking. Free events scheduled for the grand opening weekend include children's activities, presentations by a Tubman re-enactor, tours of a legacy garden that will discuss escape methods used by Tubman, and talks by rangers and others. A ribbon-cutting was held at the site on Friday, designated by the U.S.
Brian Witte / AP
Maryland Park Service rangers stand at the entrance to the exhibit hall of the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Visitor's Center before a media preview on Friday in Church Creek, Md.
Congress in 1990 as Harriet Tubman Day. Tubman died on March 10, 1913, at a home for the elderly she founded in Auburn, New York. Tubman's great-greatniece, Valerie Manokey, attended the ribbon-cutting and said she feels "pride, honor, love and resolution," now that the center is opening. "We made it," said Manokey, who is 81 and
lives in nearby Cambridge, Maryland. "And I am truly proud to say: Yes, I am the niece of Harriet Tubman." Visitors will see a short video introduction to Tubman's life and her formative years in Maryland. A permanent exhibit focuses on Tubman and the Underground Railroad resistance movement in Maryland, including Tubman's brutal treat-
ment at the hands of slave owners, her escape to freedom, and her later rescues of hundreds of slaves. The center consists of four connected buildings depicting Tubman in sculpture during different stages of life, from her youth to her work on the Underground Railroad. Videos and panel illustrations on the walls tell of her strong sense of family, community and religious faith. Her roles in the Civil War as a nurse, scout and spy are represented. The center also has a shop and a research library. The center includes a new bronze bust of a youthful Tubman, who was born as a slave named Araminta Ross in 1822 in Madison, about 10 miles away. The bust is displayed on a pedestal so that the top of the head reaches her height. The base includes wood from a former Maryland landmark and a cedar tree.
groups. The case went to the U.S. Supreme Court, which in 1995 upheld the council's right to bar gay groups on free speech grounds. The council said in a statement Thursday its decision had been misinterpreted. "The council is accepting of all people and organizations, but it will not permit messages that conflict with the overall theme of the parade," the statement said. That decision resulted in backlash from other veterans' organizations. The council is made up of representatives from
several South Boston American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts. The Michael J. Perkins American Legion Post said it had withdrawn from the council. The Perkins post in a statement on its Facebook page didn't mention the OutVets decision but said it decided to withdraw because "recent efforts by several nonveteran parade volunteers to guide decision making has resulted in the subversion of the council as an organization being led by veterans."
Trump orders 46 Obama-Era prosecutors to resign By Charlie Savage and Maggie Haberman NEW YORK TIME S NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration moved Friday to sweep away the remaining vestiges of Obama administration prosecutors at the Justice Department, ordering 46 holdover U.S. attorneys to tender their resignations immediately — including Preet Bharara, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. The firings were a surprise — especially for Bharara, who has a reputation for prosecuting public corruption cases. In November, Bharara met with President-elect Donald Trump at Trump Tower and told reporters afterward that Trump had asked him about staying on, which the prosecutor said he expected to do. But on Friday, Bharara was among federal prosecutors who received a call from Dana Boente, the acting deputy attorney general, instructing him to resign, according to a person familiar with the matter. A spokesman for Bharara declined to comment. Sarah Isgur Flores, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said in an email that all remaining holdover U.S. attorneys had been asked to resign, leaving their deputy U.S. attorneys, who are career officials, in place in an acting capacity. “As was the case in prior transitions, many of the United States Attorneys nominated by the previous administration already have left the Department of Justice,” she said in the email. “The Attorney General has now asked the remaining 46 presidentially appointed U.S. Attorneys to tender their resignations in order to ensure a uniform transition.” She added: “Until the new U.S. Attorneys are confirmed, the dedicated
career prosecutors in our U.S. Attorney’s Offices will continue the great work of the Department in investigating, prosecuting, and deterring the most violent offenders.” It was not clear how that affects Boente, who is the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Trump temporarily installed him as acting deputy attorney general after firing the holdover deputy from the Obama administration, Sally Yates, for refusing to defend Trump’s initial travel ban in court. It was also not clear how the order affects Rod Rosenstein, U.S. attorney for Maryland, whom Trump has nominated to be deputy attorney general. It remains possible that Trump and Attorney General Jeff Sessions may choose not to accept particular prosecutors’ resignations. It is not unusual for a new president to replace U.S. attorneys appointed by a predecessor, especially when there has been a change in which party controls the White House. Still, some presidents have done it gradually, while keeping some inherited prosecutors in place, as it had appeared Trump would do with Bharara. President Barack Obama, for example, kept Rosenstein, who had been appointed by President George W. Bush. Still, in 1993, the Clinton administration fired all 93 U.S. attorneys on the same day. Bharara is among the highest-profile U.S. attorneys, with a purview that includes Wall Street as well as several corruption cases involving New York elected officials or their aides. Bharara’s office is involved in a case related to a top adviser to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, and is also probing allegations of pay-for-play around Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 11, 2017 |
A9
ENTERTAINMENT
Charlie Rose returns to CBS after heart surgery By David Bauder A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Charlie Rose returns to television on Monday, following a recovery from heart surgery he says his doctors told him has been "exemplary." One of three anchors on "CBS This Morning," Rose had a heart valve replaced on Feb. 9. His return was announced on the show Friday.
Anthony Mason filled in for Rose beside Gayle King and Norah O'Donnell for the past month. The 5-year-old CBS morning show has been getting closer to market leaders "Good Morning America" of ABC and NBC's "Today" show in the ratings, emphasizing a newsier approach. The 75-year-old Rose, who will resume work on his PBS interview show a few days later, said he has no concerns about coming
Author Robert James Waller dies By Mark Kennedy A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Robert James Waller, whose best-selling, bittersweet 1992 romance novel "The Bridges of Madison County" was turned into a movie starring Meryl Streep and Clint Eastwood and later into a soaring Broadway musical, has died in Texas, according to a longtime friend. He was 77. Scott Cawelti, of Cedar Falls, Iowa, told The Associated Press that Waller died early Friday at his home in Fredericksburg, Texas. He had been fighting multiple myeloma, a form of cancer. In "Bridges," a literary phenomenon which Waller famously wrote in 11 days, the roving National Geographic photographer Robert Kincaid spends four days taking pictures of bridges and also romancing Francesca Johnson, a war bride from Italy married to a nononsense Iowa farmer. One famous line from the book reads: "The old dreams were good dreams; they didn't work out but I'm glad I had them." Waller's novel reached No. 1 on The New York Times best-seller list and stayed on it for over three years, longer than any work of fiction since "The Robe," a novel about Jesus' crucifixion published in the early 1950s. The Eastwood-directed 1995 movie grossed $182 million worldwide. Many critics made fun of "Bridges," calling it sappy and cliche-ridden. The Independent newspaper said of the central romantic pair "it is hard to believe in, or to like, either of them." (Publishers Weekly was more charitable, calling the book, "quietly powerful and thoroughly credible.") The New York Times was dismissive: "Waller depicts their mating dance in plodding detail, but he fails to develop them as believable characters," reviewer Eils Lotozo wrote. "Instead, we get a lot of quasi-mystical business about the shaman-like photographer who overwhelms the shy, bookish Francesca with 'his sheer emotional and physical power.'" Readers, however, bought more than 12 million copies in 40 languages. "Bridges" turned the unknown writer into a multimillionaire and made Madison County, Iowa, an international tourist attraction. "I really do have a small ego," Waller told The New York Times in 2002. "I am open to rational discussion. If you don't like the book and can say why, I am willing to listen. But the criticism turned to nastiness. ... I was stunned." The novel prompted couples across the world
to marry on Madison County's covered bridges. Around the Waller town of Winterset, population 4,200, tourists arrived by the busloads, buying "Bridges" T-shirts, perfume and postcards. Thousands signed in at the Chamber of Commerce office, where they could use restrooms marked "Roberts" and "Francescas." Waller told The Des Moines Register in 1992 that "Bridges" was "written" in his mind as he drove from Des Moines to Cedar Falls after photographing the covered bridges in Madison County. "It's something that's difficult to explain," he recounted. "As I drove home, it just came to me. I had some sort of Zen feeling, a high. When I got home, I threw my stuff on the floor and immediately started writing." The film version was greeted warmly by audiences and critics. The New York Times said that Eastwood had made "a moving, elegiac love story." The New York Daily News said, "On that short shelf of classic movie romances 'Seventh Heaven,' 'Brief Encounter,' 'An Affair to Remember' you can now place 'The Bridges of Madison County.'" After the novel's success, Waller left Iowa, where he had grown up, and moved to a ranch in Alpine, Texas, 50 miles from the nearest town. He also divorced his wife of 36 years, Georgia, with whom he had a daughter, and found a new partner in Linda Bow, who worked as a landscaper. Waller grew up in Rockford, Iowa, and he was educated at the University of Northern Iowa and Indiana University, where he received his doctorate. He taught management, economics, and applied mathematics at the University of Northern Iowa from 1968 to 1991. Waller's seven books include "Slow Waltz in Cedar Bend," which unseated "Bridges" on the best-seller list, "Border Music," ''Puerto Vallarta Squeeze" and "A Thousand County Roads: An Epilogue to The Bridges of Madison County." The last, a sequel to his monster hit, was prompted by thousands of letters from people who wanted to know more about the characters. "Finally, I got curious and decided I'd find out — I wrote the book," he told the AP in 2002. A musical was made of "The Bridges of Madison County" in 2014 starring Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale with a score by Jason Robert Brown, but it closed after just 137 performances on Broadway. A national tour kicked off in 2015.
back too quickly. "It's not my judgment," he said in an interview. "It's the doctor's judgment." Rose has a heart of spare parts. He had one valve replaced in 2002 and, after falling ill while on assignment in Syria in 2006, had another valve implanted following emergency surgery in Paris in 2006. Last month's surgery replaced the one installed in 2002, which had been expected to last
about 15 years. He said he'd been having a little trouble sleeping and when a doctor discovered the valve was leaking, decided to move quickly and have surgery. Rose said he has no intention of cutting back on a schedule that has him rising at 4:30 a.m. on weekdays for a two-hour news show and taping his PBS interviews in the late afternoon, fitting in time for "60 Minutes" pieces. "I feel that the best days
Evan Agostini / Invision/AP
In this 2016 file photo, Charlie Rose attends the TIME 100 Gala in New York. After getting the doctor’s report that he’s had an “exemplary” recovery, Rose is ready to return Monday after taking a month off “CBS This Morning” for heart surgery.
are ahead of us for 'CBS This Morning,'" he said. Rose said he was touched by well-wishers who had emailed him while he was out. "When people tell you you're a national treasure,
you don't puff up your shoulders and say, 'I'm a national treasure,'" he said. "What you do say is that if they think that highly of me, I want to make sure that I justify it, that I'm prepared."
Stewart finds a groove in the shadow of celebrity By Jake Coyle ASSOCIATED PRE SS
NEW YORK — In the disheveled backroom of an East Village restaurant, Kristen Stewart is sarcastically motivating the French director Olivier Assayas for a photo shoot. "You're in America now, dude," Stewart jokes. "We've got to sell the s--- out of this movie." Stewart, a blockbuster veteran at 26, is well acquainted with the demands of movie promotion. But with Assayas, she has found a freedom from such concerns. She and the director have forged an unlikely but formidable bond that has resulted in two highly acclaimed movies, both made in Europe, far outside of Hollywood jurisdiction. They're an odd pair: She, a rebel A-lister from Los Angeles who has become one of the movie's most exciting and uncompromising actors; he, a demure Parisian whose layered, cerebral films teeter between reality and fiction. What makes them click? They chuckle. "I'm not sure," says Assayas. Stewart nods.
Amy Sussman / Invision/AP
Kristen Stewart, right, and writer-director Olivier Assayas pose for a portrait to promote their film, "Personal Shopper," on Thursday in New York.
"That's the main question," she says. "I don't know. We like each other." Their latest film, "Personal Shopper," is full of mysteries, too. It's a ghost story, set in a contemporary world of texting and Googling. In the film, which opened Friday, Stewart plays a twin whose brother has just died. Her day job is shop-
ping in Paris for a stuckup celebrity, but she's also a medium, and a series of strange encounters make her believe a spirit (her brother?) is contacting her. "Personal Shopper" follows their previous "Clouds of Sils Maria," also a singularly enigmatic movie in which Stewart played support staff to a more famous
character. But by stepping into characters out of the spotlight — and into films outside of Hollywood convention — Stewart has never been so much herself on screen. "I could be making movies about Kristen being a movie star or whatever persona any actress has on social media," says Assayas. "But what interests me is the person. So I throw the burden of celebrity on someone else, so she can be free of it." "Maybe for the next one I could play a famous actress," jokes Stewart. "Try to normalize that!" There were plenty of moments while making "Personal Shopper" where Stewart's fame invaded. Shooting on the streets of Paris, they were surrounded by paparazzi. Assayas acknowledges for that and other reasons the movie had "a weird energy." ''We struggled for this film," he says. But Stewart says she channeled the intrusions into her haunted character. "I thought I was being taken from, and it was good," she says. "It made me more sensitive. My nerves were very close to the surface."
A+E is in, Viacom out in Hulu’s TV Service By Lucas Shaw BL OOMBERG NEWS
Hulu LLC, the videostreaming service, will carry six cable channels from A+E Networks including the History network in its upcoming live TV package, and has decided not to offer networks from Viacom Inc. The accord gives Los Angeles-based Hulu a wealth of unscripted live and on-demand programming from the millennialoriented Viceland to the more grownup fare on A&E Network and Lifetime, according to the companies. The online service was unable to come to terms with Viacom, the owner of Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. A+E and Viacom are jockeying for spots in new online TV services to stem subscriber losses as more consumers watch TV shows and movies on the web instead of paying for cable. The History Channel has lost almost 8 million subscribers since the start of 2013, while Viacom’s Comedy Central has shed nearly 9 million, according to Nielsen data and Bloomberg Intelligence. The companies earn a monthly fee for each subscriber, so the
losses hurt. Viacom is “engaged in ongoing conversations with a spectrum of new, emerging digital distributors as we execute against our recently announced strategy,” the company said in a statement. The company does have a distribution deal with live-streaming TV service DirecTV Now and has one network on the basic package of another, Sling TV. Viacom, which also owns MTV, has been excluded from two other services, PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV. The New York-based company’s shares declined further after Bloomberg’s report, falling as much as 2.1 percent to $43.50. Adding A+E will let Hulu subscribers watch scripted shows such as History’s “Vikings” and reality programming like “Project Runway” as they’re airing on TV instead of waiting until later. “Having our top six networks available on their core package speaks to the power of our entertainment portfolio in reaching men, women, adults and millennials,” A+E Chief Executive Officer Nancy Dubuc said in a statement. Hulu, owned by four of the world’s largest media
companies, will introduce a service with more than 40 live channels for less than $40 a month within the next couple of months, according to the company. The package will include its existing on-demand service, which offers reruns of popular shows like “This Is Us” and “Blackish,” as well as original programming like “The Path” and “Casual.” With the service, Hulu will be competing with AT&T Inc.’s DirecTV Now, Dish Network Corp.’s Sling TV and Sony Corp.’s PlayStation Vue in offering a smaller, low-cost bundle of channels. YouTube, owned by Google, expects to be out with its service in the next few months. Hulu is combining the on-demand experience so many customers like on Netflix Inc. and the current version of Hulu with the live sports people watch on TV — without the cost or clutter of a traditional pay-TV package. Hulu’s live service will include major broadcast networks, sports networks like ESPN and kids’ programming. To keep costs down, it will exclude many cable channels that are fixtures of most pay-TV packages. Walt Disney Co., Com-
cast Corp. and 21st Century Fox Inc., three of Hulu’s four owners, have secured spots in almost every package thanks to the popularity of their main broadcast networks -- ABC, NBC and Fox. ABC and Fox also will be included in Hulu’s service, as will CBS Corp.’s over-the-air network. Comcast and the online service are still negotiating. Time Warner Inc., Hulu’s fourth owner, also will be part of the service. Companies that only own cable networks have had a harder time elbowing their way in. A+E, co-owned by Disney and Hearst Corp., has a deal with Dish’s Sling TV, the online package with the most subscribers, as well as DirecTV Now, but isn’t part of Sony’s PlayStation Vue or YouTube’s service. Viacom Chief Executive Officer Bob Bakish has stressed the need to rehabilitate the company’s relationships with its traditional distributors, and recently promoted a veteran executive to do so. Viacom has already taken one step in that direction — removing its programming from Amazon and Hulu’s on-demand services, which had dozens of shows and lured viewers away from conventional TV services.
A10 | Saturday, March 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER
Texas unemployment rate holds at 4.8 percent ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Felicia Frazar - Seguin Gazette / AP
People watch as searchers look into the Santa Clara Creek in hopes of finding the female passenger of a Chevrolet Caprice that was swept off the Interstate 10 Access Road between 1 and 2 a.m. on Friday.
1 missing when car swept into Texas creek A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
CIBOLO, Texas — Officers searched a rainswollen South Texas creek for a missing woman after her car was swept away by high water and her husband was rescued clinging to a tree. Emergency personnel on Friday searched Santa
Clara Creek near Cibolo, 20 miles northeast of San Antonio. Cibolo police say the couple's submerged vehicle was found Friday afternoon. Chief Gary Cox says the couple tried to locate a friend whose car broke down around 1 a.m. Friday on Interstate 10. They missed their exit, tried another road and
their car was swept away by highway flooding. Road crews, several hours later, were erecting high-water barricades when they heard screams and found the man in a tree. He suffered minor injuries. Officials didn't immediately say what happened to the couple's friend.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas' unemployment rate held steady in January at a seasonally adjusted 4.8 percent, the Texas Workforce Commission reported Friday. The Texas jobless figure for January was the latest statewide reporting period by the commission. Nationwide unemployment during February, the latest U.S. reporting period, was 4.7 percent. Amarillo and Lubbock had the lowest unemployment in Texas during January at 3.4 percent, according to a commission statement. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area had the state's highest jobless rate in January at 9 percent. Commission Chairman Andres Alcantar says Texas started 2017 on a high note, in terms of workforce, by adding 51,300 jobs in January. "Employers in a diverse range of industries have added 225,300 jobs over the year, a reflection of the many competitive advantages Texas offers to employers, including a
Female high school student among 2 juveniles charged with murder A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — Harris County authorities have charged a 17-year-old female high school student and a 16-year-old boy with capital murder for
SCHOOL From page A1 14 West Texas school districts that could lose up as much as 53 percent of their state revenue with the end of the state aid program. "One of my districts will lose $4.5 million and they have a $10.5 million budget," he said. When the legislature reduced property taxes by a third in 2006, it guaranteed school districts like the ones Motheral represents at least the same amount of funding they received in 2005-06 through a state aid initiative. The extra aid, which benefits Zapata County ISD, Webb Consolidated ISD and other school districts in rural areas, expires Sept. 1, so many districts have been asking for an extension to avoid falling off a funding cliff. About 156 school districts currently receive such aid. As written, the bill proposes letting the initiative providing extra state aid expire and instituting a $100 million two-year grant program, prioritizing districts that would lose money through the new funding formulas. That's not enough to
the New Year’s night shooting death of an 18-year-old during a drug deal robbery. Investigators say Faith Deleon is set for a court appearance next week in Houston. The juvenile
also charged is being held the county’s juvenile detention center. Sheriff’s detectives say Deleon and her partner met two other males in the parking lot of a movie theater to buy narcotics.
The two selling the drugs were shot. One victim died at a hospital. The second has recovered from critical injuries.
cushion the blow, school officials told the committee Tuesday. Superintendent Cynthia Lusignolo said the Texas City school district is facing a dire budget year if the state aid expires. Located on the eastern tip of Texas next to Galveston, the Texas City district gets 17 percent of its annual budget through the state initiative, at $11 million, she told the committee. It has reached the maximum local property tax rate possible, and cannot gather more revenue. "We didn't do anything to remain reliant on" the state aid initiative, Lusignolo said. After the state closed the neighboring La Marque school district in 2015, it required Texas City to annex the failed district's more than 2,000 students. Even with an increase in enrollment, the state considers Texas City a property-wealthy district, meaning it has to give up money to financially shore up property-poor districts. Lusignolo asked committee members to increase the amount of the grant program from $100 million, to more closely resemble the amount they are at risk of losing.
State Rep. Ken King, R-Canadian, said during Tuesday's hearing that he supports the plan to replace the state aid initiative with a two-year grant program. But he filed another bill, House Bill 811, to extend the expiration date from 2017 to 2021 in case Huberty's bill doesn't pass. "I am wholeheartedly in support of it. That being said, if something happens to your excellent work, we can't allow these districts to fall off a cliff," he said. Huberty, who chairs the House Public Education Committee, had touted the bill on Monday as one that would boost per-student funding for almost every school district while reducing the need for higher local property taxes. The legislation also calls for property-wealthy districts to pay less to the state to shore up poorer districts through the state's controversial "Robin Hood" program. Local officials say those growing payments have forced them to increase property tax rates. Numbers released Monday along with the bill show that about 35 of the state's 1,200 school districts and charters
would lose the overall funding they receive to operate schools in 2018, and 58 would lose that funding in 2019. All districts would see an increase from $5,140 to $5,350 per student in the base amount of funding they get from the state annually, thanks in part to an increase in transportation funding and more money for students with dyslexia. But some would lose funding on top of that, due to the bill's additional changes to the school finance formula. Many school officials and advocates who testified on the bill Tuesday said it leaves too many districts behind. "We want a bill that has no losers," said Christy Rome, executive director of Texas School Coalition, which represents mostly wealthier school districts. The education committee did not vote on the school finance bill Tuesday — Huberty left it pending and said he plans to bring back a substitute at the panel's next meeting that addresses some of the concerns raised during the hearing. Laredo Morning Times contributed to this story.
Amarillo and Lubbock had the lowest unemployment in Texas during January at 3.4 percent, according to a commission statement.
strong business climate and an expanding and highly skilled workforce," Alcantar said. The professional and business services industry recorded the largest private-industry employment gain over the month with 14,000 jobs added, according to the Texas Workforce Commission statement. Trade,
transportation, and utilities employment grew by 8,100 jobs in January. Manufacturing employment expanded by 7,300 jobs, commission officials said. "Our economy continues to offer many diverse opportunities to job seekers," said Commissioner Julian Alvarez.
EVENT From page A1
artists. Sponsorship tables of 10 that include dinner and access to silent auction items are available. There are different levels of sponsorship available: diamond ($20,000), platinum ($10,000), gold ($5,000), silver ($2,500) and bronze ($1,500). Individual-table tickets are $150. Table tickets are available at the South Texas Food Bank office, 1907 Freight at Riverside. Concert-only tickets are $10, $15 and $25. Tickets will go on sale 10 a.m. Friday, March 31 and will be available at the LEA box office, Ticketmaster.com, select Ticketmaster outlets or can be charged via phone at 1-800-7453000.
up a bit for Empty Bowls XI,” Empty Bowls CoChair Kevin Romo said. “Since its inception, we have featured ‘classic oldies’ bands, but this year we thought it would be a good idea to try something different — A band that appeals to both young and old.” He also noted that this year’s Empty Bowls will feature other events that attendees will enjoy. “Empty Bowls is a celebration of both generosity and dynamic spirit of our South Texas communities. This is why we believe that Los Lonely Boys are a perfect fit for this event,” Romo said. Romo added “Empty Bowls is our largest fundraiser event of the year. Our non-profit organization depends highly on fundraising events to continue providing for our community. Thanks to the support that we received from all our donors and supporters, we were able to distribute over 10 million pounds of food throughout our eight county service areas last fiscal year (20152016).” “We are grateful to everyone who has helped us make this event a success: from our supporters who buy tables, the fans that buy concert tickets, the businesses and wonderful artists that donate their talent to our auction and volunteers,” Leslie Benavides, Empty Bowls co-chair, added. The event includes dinner, a benefit concert and a silent auction featuring artworks from both local and regional
About Los Lonely Boys Hailing from San Angelo, Texas, the Grammy Award winning band Los Lonely Boys are in the forefront of a music style they like to call "Texican rock n' roll" - a sound that combines elements of different music genres such as Texas blues, country, Tejano, and Latino and American rock ‘n’ roll. The Texas trio consists of three brothers: Henry (guitar, vocals), Jojo (bass, vocals), and Ringo (drums, vocals) Garza. They are proud to note that they follow in the music tradition of their father, Ringo Garza, Sr., who formed the conjunto band, Los Falcones, with his brothers. Los Falcones played conjunto music throughout South Texas during the 1970s and 1980s. For more information about Los Lonely Boys, visit their official website: loslonelyboys.com
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 11, 2017 |
B1
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
QB Tony Romo says farewell to Cowboys fans Dallas has yet to part with former star QB DALLAS — Tony Romo remained with the Cowboys as the first day of free agency wrapped up Thursday, although the quarterback essentially said goodbye to Dallas fans in a video posted on Twitter. Romo wasn’t released when the NFL opened for business after being told he would be, with reports surfacing hours
before players could officially join other teams that the Cowboys were seeking a trade to try to get something for their former 10-year starter. Not long after news broke that Houston had traded Brock Osweiler to Cleveland, which led to instant speculation that the Texans would target Romo, Dallas’ franchise
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle file
Houston outside linebacker John Simon signed a three-year, $17 million maximum value contract to switch to AFC South rival Indianapolis.
Simon leaves Texans for Colts on NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE BROWNS ACQUIRE OSWEILER $17M deal “He is kind of IN TRADE FROM TEXANS an unsung Romo continues on B2
Tom Pennington / Getty Images file
Tony Romo said goodbye to Cowboys fans this week but is still waiting to see what his next move is as he awaits either being released or traded.
By Aaron Wilson HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Eric Christian Smith / Associated Press file
Former Texans quarterback Brock Osweiler was sent to Cleveland Thursday along with a fourth-round pick for a second-round pick in 2018 and a sixth-round selection this year. Numerous reports suggest the Browns don’t expect to keep Osweiler.
Cleveland lands Osweiler, plans on trading or releasing him By Tom Withers A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
CLEVELAND — The Browns found a “franchise quarterback,” just maybe not their own. And whoever winds up behind center in Cleveland will be well
protected. With an eye on making another move at quarterback, Cleveland acquired veteran Brock Oswelier and a 2018 second-round pick on Thursday in a stunning trade with the Houston Texans, who were looking for a part-
ner to help them get rid of the QB’s $16 million guaranteed contract. At first, the unusual trade was met with the usual, Browns-beingBrowns skepticism. However, the deal was made simply to give Cleveland more assets to
perhaps trade for another QB such as New England backup Jimmy Garoppolo, and it allows the Texans to clear some salarycap space to make a run at a starter. Cleveland, which also signed veteran wide reOsweiler continues on B2
Former Texans starting outside linebacker John Simon joined the Indianapolis Colts on Friday on a three-year, $17 million maximum value contract, according to a source not authorized to speak publicly. Simon gets a $4 million roster bonus Sunday. His 2017 base salary of $1.5 million is fully guaranteed. He has a $1.5 million Pro Bowl, sacks, playtime escalator in 2018 and 2019. He's due base salaries of $3 million and $3.5 million in the second and third years of the deal. He has an annual total of $500,000 in per game active roster bonuses. For the past three years under the tutelage of Mike Vrabel, Simon has emerged as a gritty contributor to the top-ranked defense in the NFL. Simon played through pain and inflicted punishment of his own. He injured his chest in a November loss to the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City and played just one game for the remainder of the season, but finished with a career-high 51 tackles, four for losses, two passes defended, one forced fumble and 3 1/2 sacks. Simon recorded a career-high five sacks dur-
hero type of player. He... personifies doing your job.” -Texans head coach Bill O’Brien
ing the 2015 season. "He is kind of an unsung hero type of player," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said of Simon during the season. "He's a guy who personifies doing your job. He does a good job every week of going out and doing what he's coached to do. Vrabel does a good job of coaching him. "John loves playing the game. He's in here all the time. He just loves being around it. He's tough." Vrabel was never surprised by the production of Simon, who's known for his physical style and strength in the weight room. Simon has bench pressed over 500 pounds and worked diligently on his flexibility and pass coverage skills. "I see a tough, physical football player who the game and his teammates are important to him," Vrabel said. "He loves it. He studies hard. He tries to do it the way we coach him to do it."
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS
WBC: ITALY 9, MEXICO 7
Rangers’ Bush strives to stay sober and keep pitching
Italy scores five in ninth to top Mexico
By Stephen Hawkins A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SURPRISE, Ariz. — There was a feeling of normality for Matt Bush when he got on the mound for the Texas Rangers as a 30-year-old rookie last season. “Felt like I was meant to always be there,” Bush said. Really, he was as a former No. 1 overall draft pick. Except Bush almost threw it all away after several alcohol-related incidents that culminated with a DUI accident during spring training in Florida five years ago that seriously injured, and nearly killed, a 72-
year-old man on a motorcycle. Bush spent 3 1/2 years in prison after pleading no contest in the case. Bush is now in major league spring training for the first time, nearly 13 years after he was drafted as a shortstop by his hometown San Diego Padres. His MLB debut as a hard-throwing reliever last season came after a mid-May call-up — and he went 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 58 appearances for the AL West champions. “I would have been in the major leagues and having success before if I didn’t have the struggles off the field,” Bush said. Rangers continues on B2
By Carlos Rodriguez ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Jim Cowsert / Associated Press file
Pitcher Matt Bush was a 30-year-old rookie for the Rangers last season, like he was always meant to be there. The reliever knows he could have been there sooner if not for his struggles off the field that culminated with a drunken driving crash that sent him to prison for 3 1/2 years.
GUADALAJARA, Mexico — John Andreoli capped Italy’s five-run rally in the ninth with a two-run single, lifting his team to a wild 10-9 victory over Mexico on Thursday night in the first game of Group D in the World Baseball Classic. Francisco Cervelli sparked Italy’s big inning with a leadoff double against Roberto Osuna. Chris Colabello followed with a double, advancing pinch-runner Sebastian Poma to third. Alex LidMexico continues on B2
Miguel Tovar / Getty Images
Italy celebrated after defeating Mexico during the World Baseball Classic Pool D Game 1 at Panamericano Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico Thursday night. Italy scored five runs in the ninth inning to upend Mexico.
B2 | Saturday, March 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SPORTS
Gus Ruelas / Associated Press file
Wide receiver Terrance Williams is remaining in Dallas signing a four-year, $17 million free agent deal. The Cowboys also added defensive tackle Stephen Paea for $2 million.
Williams, Paea agree to terms with Cowboys By Charean Williams FO RT WORT H STAR-TELE GRAM
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones had two targets in free agency - a "war daddy" pass rusher and receiver Terrance Williams. He got one of those in the fold Friday. Williams agreed to a four-year, $17 million deal, with $5 million more in incentives and $9.5 million guaranteed, according to sources.
ROMO From page B1 leader in passing yards and touchdowns posted the video from the workout room in his house. “I just wanted to come to tell you it’s been a crazy 48 hours here,” Romo said as Bob Dylan’s “The Times They Are A-Changin”’ played in the background. “Me and my family felt the outpouring of support and love from all of you. “It’s been overwhelming and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I want to say thank you and we have a lot to think about going forward, but we’ll see what happens.” Romo, who turns 37 next month and missed
OSWEILER From page B1 ceiver Kenny Britt to a deal, and Houston are also swapping 2017 fourth- and sixth-round picks. The Browns spent liberally on the first day of the free agency signing period by landing former Cincinnati Bengals right guard Kevin Zeitler (five years, $60 million), Green Bay center J.C. Tretter (three years, $16.75 million) and giving left guard Joel Bitonio a fiveyear, $51 million extension. Those moves were followed by the swap with Houston, an out-ofthe-box maneuver that could position the Browns to finally solve their decades-long quarterback issues. They have not yet decided what they’ll do with Osweiler, and his arrival does not necessarily affect any decisions on Robert Griffin III, who is due a roster bonus this weekend. But having Osweiler — and another high draft pick — provides the Browns with more ammunition to finally get their messy quarterback situation cleaned up. It’s possible they’ll try to entice the Patriots to move the 25-year-old Garoppolo, who won two
The Cowboys also came to terms on a oneyear deal with free agent defensive tackle Stephen Paea, who fills the void left by Terrell McClain’s departure a day earlier. Paea’s deal is worth $2 million, according to a source. The Cowboys were quiet in the first 24 hours of free agency, losing four of their 18 free agents. McClain, safety Barry Church, defensive lineman Jack Crawford and
guard Ron Leary all left for better deals Thursday. Dallas began filling the holes Friday afternoon. Receivers coach Derek Dooley had pushed for the re-signing of Williams. Fourth receiver Brice Butler re-signed earlier this week, giving Dak Prescott his receiving corps back intact for next season. Williams has never missed a game in his four seasons since the Cowboys made him a third-
round pick out of Baylor, with 177 catches for 2,791 yards and 20 touchdowns. Paea will join his fourth team in four years. He was in Chicago for four years, spending his first two seasons with Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli. Paea played in 13 games with one start last season with Cleveland, making a half sack and six tackles. In his six-year career, he has 42 starts, 73 tackles and 14 sacks.
most of the past two seasons with injuries, lost the starting job to rookie Dak Prescott while recovering from a back injury sustained in the preseason. The four-time Pro Bowler conceded the job to Prescott in November when the Cowboys were on a franchise-record 11-game winning streak, Romo played just one series in a meaningless regular-season finale at Philadelphia, throwing a 3-yard touchdown pass to Terrance Williams. The Cowboys were the top seed in the NFC at 13-3, but lost to Green Bay in the divisional round despite a fourthquarter rally that cemented Prescott as the quarterback of the pres-
ent and future. Osweiler’s departure leaves fourth-year pro Tom Savage atop the depth chart in Houston. He’s followed by Brandon Weeden, one of the backups who couldn’t get the job done in Dallas in 2015 when Romo missed 12 games with a twicebroken left collarbone and the Cowboys finished 4-12. If the Cowboys trade Romo, they take the full $19.6 million salary cap hit this season, but won’t have any dead money next year. With a release, they can spread the cap hit just about in half over two seasons. Romo was 78-49 as the starter in Dallas, but couldn’t match the playoff success of Hall of
Famers and multiple Super Bowl winners Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman. He was 2-4 in the postseason, winless on the road and never got the Cowboys to the NFC championship game. The Cowboys have already started looking for another backup, hosting 15-year veteran Josh McCown on a free-agent visit Wednesday. Vice president of personnel Stephen Jones has said Dallas is interested in re-signing Kellen Moore, who was Romo’s backup when he broke his right ankle in a training camp practice and missed the season. Prescott was the No. 3 quarterback before Moore’s injury.
starts last season while filling in when Tom Brady was suspended. Cleveland has two first-round picks, Nos. 1 and 12, and two secondrounders this year, and three second-round picks in 2018. With nearly $102 million in salary-cap space to start the day, the Browns were in a position to take on Osweiler’s contract and essentially paid $16 million for another high draft pick. “We’re really excited to acquire a second-round draft choice in this trade,” said Sashi Brown, Cleveland’s executive vice president of football operations. “Draft picks are extremely important to our approach in building a championshipcaliber football team. We are intent on adding competition to every position on our roster and look forward to having Brock come in and compete.” However, it’s possible the Browns, who now have 11 picks in this year’s draft, will move Osweiler long before he sees a field in Cleveland. Osweiler went 8-6 in 14 starts for Houston last season. The Texans are in the market to upgrade the position, and there’s a strong chance they’ll take a run at Tony Romo, expected to be traded or
released by the Dallas Cowboys. “We are committed to bringing a championship to the city of Houston,” said Texans vice president of football operations Rick Smith. “We are exhaustive in our efforts and the resources provided by the McNair family allow us to operate that way. We continuously evaluate our decisions and processes to ensure the results match our goals and objectives. The decision to trade Brock was made because it was in the best interest of the team. “It frees up both cash and salary cap room to continue to improve our football team. We appreciate Brock’s effort and leadership while he was with us and we wish him and his family well.” The 6-foot-7 Osweiler is in his sixth NFL season. He signed with Houston as a free agent last year after four seasons in Denver. Not long before striking the deal with Houston, the Browns got Zeitler, considered by some as the top lineman available in free agency. He’ll be reunited with coach Hue Jackson, who served as Bengals offensive coordinator for two seasons. “I think Kevin is one of the premier right guards
in football,” Jackson said. “I believe he’s going to be a really good football player for us at a position of need, and I think he’ll do a great job.” Cleveland’s line was ravaged by injuries last season and gave up a league-high 66 sacks (17 more than any other team), something Jackson had made a priority when he was hired by the Browns. But with Zeitler and Tretter joining Bitonio and perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas, one of Cleveland’s biggest weaknesses is now a strength. Tretter has been slowed by injuries, but he’s an upgrade over 2015 first round-pick Cameron Erving, whose next move could be to right tackle. Britt gives the Browns another playmaker, and insurance in case Terrelle Pryor signs elsewhere. Britt caught a career-best 66 passes for 1,002 yards last season for the Rams. “Kenny’s been a proven playmaker in the National Football League,” Jackson said. “He’s a big guy. He’s fast, tough. He’s made plays in his career, and we’re looking forward to him doing the same thing here.” Pryor has said he wanted to re-sign with Cleveland, but the sides have not been able to work out a deal.
Max Faulkner / TNS file
Pitcher Matt Bush made his mark in 2016 as a hard-throwing reliever following a mid-May call-up. The 30-year-old rookie went 7-2 with a 2.48 ERA in 58 appearances for the AL West champions.
RANGERS From page B1 “What I always remember, just continue to stay sober and be a positive role model off the field, and I can continue to stay here.” The success Bush had as a rookie on one of the AL’s best teams has only generated more interest in his backstory and his comeback — both in life and in baseball. Bush is constantly asked to retell his story, and the soft-spoken pitcher repeatedly does just that. “You know, I understand. I try to get out of myself and think about what it’s really like for someone else looking in on my story,” Bush said. “I try not to let it bother me, and understand that I’m grateful to be here and this was going to be the process before I ever signed.” These days, Bush tries not to make things too complicated. Bush, who turned 31 last month, strives to stay sober each day — he says he has been since the March 2012 accident — and looks forward to coming to the ballpark to spend time with teammates and to pitch. His dad is a constant companion off the field in Arizona, and he still regularly attends Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. On the mound last season, Bush said he always felt like he was in control. “I never felt overmatched, I never felt like I wasn’t going to get the job done. ... Last year, I was very confident and went out there with a good mindset,” he said. “It’s not worrying about this year of got to have a good year, got to repeat
MEXICO From page B1 di then hit a two-run double to make it 9-7. Drew Butera reached on an error and Drew Maggi walked to load the bases. Oliver Perez came in and allowed an RBI single to Brandon Nimmo to make it 9-8 before Andreoli’s clutch swing. “For some reason, any time Italy wins, it’s a big surprise. It’s been like that for eight years now. The only ones that are not surprised, it’s these guys, because they’re playing to win,” Italy manager Marco Mazzieri said. “They’re playing to win every pitch. And sometimes we’re able to make it, sometimes we don’t make it. But they play to win, and they showed it tonight.” Italy leads Group D. Venezuela and Puerto Rico will play on Friday night.
it. Just remember that I still have the same stuff.” The Padres moved Bush to the mound midway through the 2007 season after he struggled as a minor league hitter. He missed 2008 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and all of 2009 after being released from Toronto’s minor league camp after trouble there during spring training. He joined Tampa Bay’s organization the next year. Rangers officials in 2015 watched Bush throw in the mid-90s in the parking lot of a Golden Corral restaurant in Florida, where he was in a work-release program for the final nine months of his prison sentence. Bush was signed that December, pitched in two games for Texas late last spring then made 12 appearances at Double-A Frisco before going to the big leagues nearly 12 years after being drafted No. 1. The previous longest gap for a No. 1 overall pick to make his MLB debut had been Josh Hamilton’s nearly eight years. Hamilton overcame alcohol and drug issues before debuting with Cincinnati in 2007 and then going to Texas, where he became a fivetime All-Star and the 2010 AL MVP. Now Bush is going into his second major league season, which often can be a player’s most difficult year. “I don’t know too much more than myself and what I’m capable of,” he said. “That’s all I’m really focused on, what I’m going to be doing on the mound. I can’t really focus on my second season, a sophomore slump, anything like that. I’m just trying to continue to repeat what got me here.”
“We play until the last out, it’s something we talked about from long before the tournament started,” Colabello said. “One of the things we have to do is we have to grind. We might not be as talented as other teams, but I think it’s really important that we play every pitch, we play every inning, we play every out, and I think no matter what the scoreboard says, it’s our responsibility to go out every day and give our best at-bats.” Mexico will try to get its first win of the tournament on Saturday against Puerto Rico. “Next game is going to be like a Game 7 of the World Series. We cannot change the outcome, but we’re going to try to stay positive,” Mexico manager Edgar Gonzalez said. “The next game is the most important game for us and I know that this team is not going to bow down.”
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, March 11, 2017 |
Dear Heloise: Our guest bedroom SMELLS A LITTLE STALE. I vacuum often and try to open the windows once in a while, but it just does not smell, well, fresh. -- No Name, Jacksonville, Fla. Dear No Name: Don't worry, Heloise help is here! Generally, a room that is not used often can get that stale aroma from lack of air circulation. If you have carpeting in there, use my secret (not anymore!) trick: Mix about a cup of baking soda with a dash of cinnamon, sprinkle on the carpet and let sit an hour or overnight. Vacuum up using slow and overlapping passes. Do keep the door open, if you can, and yes, fresh air is good. However, if you live in a humid area like Jacksonville, then the "fresh air" is bringing in moisture, too. If there is a ceiling fan, turn it on a few times a week to move the air
around. -- Heloise BABY SITTER Dear Heloise: My husband and I are interviewing new baby sitters for our two young children. Here are a couple of questions I've asked in the past: * Tell me your experience, and how many children and what ages did you baby-sit? * Have you taken a baby-sitting course and a CPR class? * Have you ever had an emergency, and how did you handle it? -- Nally Rae, Bentonville, Ark. NEPHEW'S BLUES Dear Heloise: When my nephew visits, I give him a set of blue towels, and he knows which ones are his. -- Uncle Bill, Fort Worth, Texas
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B4 | Saturday, March 11, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SPORTS
Glennon gets Bears starting job, Griffin gets walking papers By Barry Wilner A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
It looks like Mike Glennon has a starting job in the NFL. Robert Griffin III no longer has any job. The Bears finalized their deal with Glennon, the former Tampa Bay quarterback, on Friday, one day after cutting Jay Cutler. Glennon wasn’t about to beat out Jameis Winston with the Buccaneers, and he got a threeyear contract in Chicago. RG3 spent one injuryfilled year with the Browns, who released him less than 24 hours after trading for Houston QB Brock Osweiler. Not that Osweiler is certain to be staying in Cleveland, which has stockpiled draft picks for the next two years and could be bargaining for the likes of New England backup Jimmy Garoppolo. Griffin thanked Browns fans on Twitter, posting a photo of him holding his jersey. “Thank you, #DawgPound,” Griffin wrote. “All love. #TheWorkContinues. #I’mHungry.” Meanwhile, the highest-profile quarterback who soon figures to become available, Dallas’ Tony Romo, was still a Cowboy. Julius Peppers is a Panther once again. Car-
David Richard / Associated Press file
Tampa Bay quarterback Mike Glennon landed a three-year, $45 million deal with Chicago in free agency.
olina’s career sacks leader and No. 5 on the NFL chart left Green Bay to return to the team that drafted him second overall in 2002. The 37-yearold Peppers has 143 1⁄2 sacks during 15 NFL seasons. He played eight
of those seasons for the Panthers (2002-2009) and was a two-time All-Pro. Carolina then dealt DE Kony Ealy to New England. College quarterback turned NFL receiver Terrelle Pryor left Cleve-
land for Washington for a one-year contract worth up to $8 million. The Redskins lost their two top receivers on Thursday in free agency, Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. Veteran linebacker
Lawrence Timmons of the Steelers joined the Dolphins for $12 million over two years. Also on the move on the second day of free agency were several more offensive linemen as NFL teams look at the crop of
blockers in this year’s draft and shudder. So big bucks were handed out to Andrew Whitworth by the Rams, Russell Okung by the Chargers, Riley Reiff and Mike Remmers by the Vikings, Ricky Wagner by the Lions, and Manelik Watson by the Broncos. One player who was franchise-tagged got a long-term deal as LB Chandler Jones re-upped with Arizona for five years and $82.5 million, with $53 million guaranteed. The Cardinals acquired Jones before the 2016 season from the Patriots and he had 11 sacks last season, along with four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 15 tackles for loss. “Every interview that I’ve had since I’ve been here, everyone’s asked me ‘How long are you going to be here? Are you going to be a free agent? Are you going to test the market?”’ he said. “It’s all over. Today’s been a great day.” It was not such a great day for Dolphins safety Isa Abdul-Quddus, Bills safety Corey Graham, and four Rams: center Tim Barnes, tight end Lance Kendricks, defensive lineman Eugene Sims and running back Tre Mason. They joined RG3 on the unemployment line.
Ex-players say NFL teams’ use of painkillers broke drug laws By Jim Litke A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
Documents unsealed in a lawsuit by 1,800 former NFL players provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how team and league medical personnel plied players with powerful painkillers for years, often in apparent violation of federal drug laws. The lawsuit being heard by U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup in the northern district of California has been moving through the court system for more than two years. Alsup ruled last July to begin discovery, allowing plaintiffs’ lawyers to interview potential witnesses and gather documents such as e-mails and memos from the teams related to the case. The documents appear to show a cavalier attitude toward the storage, transport and distribution of controlled substances, as well as prescription medicines, which the lawsuit contends were often obtained illegally. “Here is week 17’s fiasco,” began a Jan. 17, 2008 e-mail from Minnesota Vikings head trainer Eric Sugarman to team doctors and medical personnel. “The following items did not match up this week. ...” His e-mail goes on to detail how medications like Ambien, a sedative, and Toradol, a post-surgical painkiller, were distributed to players and not accurately tracked by the team’s dispensing records. “1. Total of 16 Ambien given out was recorded however only 11 Ambien were missing from the kit. 2. Total of 21 Toradol shots were recorded however only 20 Toradol shots were missing from the kit. 3. Total of 1 Diphenhydramine shots were missing with no record of dispensing.” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an
Nam Y. Huh / Associated Press file
In 2013, Minnesota cornerback Xavier Rhodes is attended to by head trainer Eric Sugarman. Documents unsealed in a lawsuit by 1,800 former NFL players provide a behind-the-scenes glimpse at how team and league medical personnel distributed powerful painkillers to players. According to a 2008 email from Sugarman to team doctors and medical personnel, medications like Ambien, a sedative, and Toradol, a post-surgical painkiller, were distributed to players and not accurately tracked by the teams dispensing records.
email to The Washington Post , which obtained a copy of the documents before they were unsealed, that the “clubs and their medical staffs are all in compliance with the Controlled Substances Act. ... Any claim or suggestion to the contrary is simply wrong.” Yet several of exhibits gathered by the plaintiffs’ lawyers regarding past behavior by the teams appear to contradict the league’s statement. “Can you have your office fax a copy of your DEA certificate to me?” Paul Sparling, the Cincinnati Bengals’ head trainer wrote in a 2009 email. “I need it for my records when the NFL ‘pill counters’ come to see if we are doing things right. Don’t worry, I’m pretty good at keeping them off the trail!” The number of painkillers and other prescription-strength medications given to players
during 2012, according to a March 2013 league document from NFL medical adviser Lawrence Brown, would average out to six or seven pain pills or injections per player per week. Brown concluded the average team prescribed nearly 5,800 doses of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs and 2,200 doses of controlled medications to its players. “The documents, emails and testimony referenced in the complaint are the tip of the iceberg,” lead plaintiffs’ attorney Steve Silverman said. In addition to alleging repeated violations of the federal Controlled Substances Act, the lawsuit contends players were routinely given drugs without information or regard for their longterm health. “And they achieve their ends through a business plan in which every Club
employee - general managers, coaches, doctors, trainers and players - has a financial interest in returning players to the game as soon as possible,” the lawsuit claims. “Everyone’s job and salary depend on this simple fact.” The lawsuit also notes that NFL officials made a number of efforts to bring teams into compliance with federal law. The league warned them to exert strict control over distribution of medications and tighten-up record-keeping procedures, hiring an independent agency called SportPharm to provide auditing standards and manage the process. “Physicians should prescribe controlled substances in a manner that is consistent with the standard of the medical community ... not the NFL medical community,” then-league medical adviser Dr. Ellliot Pellman wrote in a Sept. 20, 2010 e-mail to the trainers of the Steelers and Broncos. The NFL also consulted on several occasions with the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which staged a surprise game-day investigation of at least a halfdozen visiting teams in 2014 to learn whether those teams’ medical staffs were travelling with controlled substances. None were found in violation of federal laws, though the lawsuit contends a DEA employee tipped the teams off in advance. But the court documents also reveal doubts raised by team and league physicians and medical staff about the seriousness of those efforts even before the DEA surprise search. “I expect no immediate guidance from Dr. Brown or Dr. Pellman,” longtime Packers trainer Pepper Burruss wrote his Steelers counterpart in May 2010, “other than ‘cover your own behind.”
Karen Warren / Houston Chronicle file
Astros catcher Evan Gattis, left, and Brian McCann chat during spring training in West Palm Beach, Florida. Gattis is expected to play much more than a traditional backup catcher would this year after the team acquired McCann in the offseason.
Astros' Gattis to catch more than traditional backup By Jake Kaplan HOUSTON CHRONICLE
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Evan Gattis will catch his first game of spring training when the Astros visit Tim Tebow and the Mets on Friday afternoon in Port St. Lucie. But how often will Gattis catch during the season behind Brian McCann? "Initially, I would say McCann will look like more of the everyday guy and Gattis will play maybe a touch more than a traditional backup but will get plenty of time," Astros manager A.J. Hinch said on Friday. "I think what can change that is how the DH plays. Obviously the performances will change. But McCann will catch a majority of the games, Gattis will catch the balance of them and then as the schedule permits and the health permits, then we'll adjust accordingly." How often left fielder Carlos Beltran is able to play defense will help dictate the volume of DH at-bats open for Gattis. Gattis garnered 251 of his at-bats last season as a DH and the other 190 as a catcher, batting drastically better when he caught
(.295/.345/.647) than not (.219/.298/.410). After a year off from catching in 2015, Gattis didn't resume playing the position until the middle of May last year. This is his first spring training catching with the Astros, and he's still working to improve as a receiver and as a blocker. The latter is particularly imperative considering he's working with a pitching staff that threw 98 wild pitches last season, 15 more than the staff with the next-highest total. Hinch said Gattis' receiving is "really good down and over the plate" but he's working to improve at receiving pitches "on some of the perimeters of the plate." "Block and receive, I think they'll kind of go hand in hand," Gattis said. "If I can get better at blocking I think I'll be able to receive better instead of like just panicking for a block and then maybe missing a call, getting a strike called a ball." Hinch said Gattis will catch "quite a bit" through the rest of spring training, potentially even backing up in Grapefruit League games that McCann starts in the next week or so "just to try to get him on a regulated schedule."