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‘Biggest little fair’ Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
Laredo police officer Jorge Benavides displays a building in the area he patrols as one of the properties targeted to be demolished in Operation Crackdown.
Operation aimed at properties Photos by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times
By ALDO AMATO
Zapata North Elementary students showcase their parade float Saturday morning, as they participate in the 2014 Zapata Fair Parade.
THE ZAPATA TIMES
Parade marks beginning of 42nd annual event
portunity for family gatherings is what she enjoys most about the fair. “It is a real small town, but everyone comes from all over the place and this is where we
Fast food wrappers, used tires and condoms litter the floor of a South Central Laredo property slated to be demolished later this year. Although no one lives at 1115 Cedar Ave., the property has been known for housing illicit activity. The property, owned by Jose Silva and Jose Luis Romero, is one of 12 properties approved for demolition as part of Operation Crackdown. The Laredo City Council entered into an agreement Monday night with the Texas Army National Guard to participate in an operation conducted by the Texas National Guard Joint Counterdrug Task Force, which is scheduled for the last two weeks of May. The operation is aimed at demolishing abandoned buildings and notorious drug houses. “To see this area get better would be wonderful,” said Clemencia Barragan, manager of My Little Life Daycare & Learning Center, which sits a block from the Cedar Avenue property. “That area has been known to harbor criminal elements.” Barragan said although the children’s safety has never been compromised, she’s always been concerned about the
See FAIR PAGE 10A
See CRACKDOWN PAGE 10A
By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES
The festivities of the 42nd annual Zapata County Fair culminated Saturday with a full day of events beginning with the parade and ending with various live performances from talented artists. Regarded as “The Biggest Little Town Fair in Texas,” the Zapata County Fair has engraved itself into the culture and traditions of the Zapata community through the years. This year’s fair ran from Mar. 13-15. The three-day fair included the traditional trail ride and ribbon cutting that officially opens the fair to the public, followed by a range of activities including animal exhibits, the parade, art projects, photography, musical performances and a carnival, among the many attractions. For many of the attendees,
the fair has been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember. Leticia Muñoz of San Ygnacio owns a Nacho Daddy’s BBQ restaurant in Zapata. She and her aunt, Josefina Villarreal, share many memories of
past fairs. “I have attended many of these fairs throughout the years,” Muñoz said during the parade. “I used to participate in the parades when I was younger.” For Alma Alvarez, the op-
SXSW CRASH
MEXICO
Senior Mexican officials quit positions THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman | AP
A cross and flowers are outside The Mohawk in Austin, on Saturday, as a memorial to the people who died in the hit-and-run tragedy at South by Southwest.
Six still hospitalized ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Six people remain hospitalized nearly a week after a suspected drunken driver plowed into a South By Southwest festival crowd in a crash that has claimed three lives. A spokesman for University Medical Center Brackenridge in Austin says five
victims were still hospitalized Tuesday. Steve Taylor says one person remains critical, two are fair and two patients are in good condition. An official for St. David’s Medical Center says one victim remains hospitalized in fair condition. Police say the driver, Rashad Owens of Killeen,
was legally intoxicated and fleeing from officers when he veered into the crowd. Two people were killed Thursday. Austin police say a third critically injured person, Sandy Thuy Le, died Monday. Owens remains jailed on capital murder and aggravated assault with a motor vehicle charges.
Two senior officials related to security agencies quit over the weekend in Mexico. One was with a national agency, while the other was with Tamaulipas state. Manuel Mondragon resigned as head of the National Security Commission in Mexico, while Rafael Lomeli Martinez stepped down as Secretary of Public Safety in Tamaulipas. Secretary of the Interior Miguel Angel Osorio Chong publicized Mondragon’s departure through a posting on Twitter social network, according to the Associated Press. No reason was given for the resignation. The AP story adds that “Mondragon was in charge of a new police force, (and while) it would not replace the Federal Police, it would be assigned to combat highimpact crimes such as drug trafficking and kidnapping.” The police force’s oper-
Manuel Mondragon resigned as head of the National Security Commission in Mexico, while Rafael Lomeli Martinez stepped down as Secretary of Public Safety in Tamaulipas. ations would have started in mid-2014, Mondragon had previously told the Associated Press. It was not immediately known why Mondragon left the commission.
Tamaulipas state Lomeli Martinez resigned for personal reasons, according to a press release issued by the Tamaulipas state government. He was in charge of a project that created a new Tamaulipas police force
that “duly certifies elements of a creditable state police, which has strengthened security,” according to a press release. Brigadier General DEM Arturo Gutierrez Garcia was named new Secretary of Public Security. He was the chief of staff of the Fourth Military Region in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon state, in 2012 and 2013. He’s a military college graduate, has been part of the Presidential Guards and the president’s security detail, among other assignments.