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O’DONNELL, TEXAS
Migrant laborers Oversight often absent for facilities for workers By JEREMY SCHWARTZ AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN Photo by Autumn Driscoll | AP file
The E-Verify system, which is needed to confirm that new hires are legal citizens. Former Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order in December 2014 mandating the use of E-Verify for state agencies. Gov. Greg Abbott signed a separate E-Verify bill months later.
Law to operate under honor system By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE
After former Gov. Rick Perry issued an executive order in December 2014 mandating the use of E-Verify for state agencies, some lawmakers noted the directive lacked a mechanism to ensure compliance. But more than nine months after Gov. Greg Abbott signed a separate E-Verify bill, some of those gaps still exist. Perry’s order required state agencies under the purview of the governor’s office, along with any contractors and subcontractors those agencies hired, to use E-Verify to ensure all potential new hires were legally eligible to work in the United States. The federal E-Verify system screens for undocumented workers by comparing the information that applicants submit to an employer with records maintained by the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. But Perry’s directive didn’t assign a state agency to ensure compliance or prescribe penalties for agencies or contractors that don’t use the system. While the new law, Senate bill 374 by state Sen. Charles Schwertner, RGeorgetown, expands the requirement to all state agencies, it also doesn’t spell out any penalties for agencies that don’t comply. And it doesn’t assign anyone to make sure the law is being followed. While SB 374 directed the Texas Workforce Commission to implement the bill’s provisions, a spokesperson for the agency said that doesn’t put the commission in charge of enforcement. “There is no provision in this law for TWC to enforce, monitor or report or track other agencies’ compliance,” said spokesperson Lisa Givens. “We have provided ongoing technical assistance when requested.” There’s hasn’t been an indication that agencies weren’t already cooperating with Perry’s 2014 order, which was noted during debate on the bill last year. But while Texas, whose GOP lawmakers often focus their re-election campaigns on prom-
O’DONNELL, Texas — The farmworkers arrived in the spring of 2013 to harvest green chiles for $8 an hour and the promise of temporary housing in a building near the fields. But when they showed up at the farm just south of Van Horn, operated by AJK Enterprises, workers said they had no alternative but to live in nearby shipping containers that lacked screens or ventilaPhoto by Rodolfo Gonzalez/Austin American-Statesman | AP tion, to shower with a bucket of cold water and to urinate A young boy plays in the families kitchen as his little brother sleeps on and defecate in the brush. the bed in the one room space of the Airport Motel in Plainview, Texas. Some workers slept “in their cars or outside on the boards Under state law, facilities in- the harvest from place to place laid on top of car tires,” ac- tended to house migrant farm- — must be inspected and licording to a lawsuit filed workers — defined as agricul- censed, ensuring they meet a against the farm’s operators tural laborers who leave their minimum standard of cleanliand settled last year. primary residence to follow ness and safety.
The law is supposed to protect workers and their families — many with limited command of English and little time or money to file complaints or find alternative housing — from being exploited by employers or farm labor contractors who might force them to live in filth and squalor. Yet a four-month Austin American-Statesman investigation has revealed that in Texas many housing facilities elude the reach of the state’s limited inspection effort. Even when state regulators have received reports of deplorable conditions, and inspectors verify deficiencies — as they eventually did at the Van Horn chile farm — they don’t
See LABORERS PAGE 10A
ZAPATA COUNTY FAIR
ZAPATA LIONS CLUB DONATION
Courtesy photo
The Zapata County Lions recently helped a participating kid’s project by giving back over $1,000 in add-ons toward their projects and to give them thanks for all their hard work.
See E-VERIFY PAGE 10A
BORDERING ON INSECURITY
Deportation of criminals By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE
Photo by Martin do Nascimento | Texas Tribune
A guard inside the Webb County Jail in Laredo, Texas on Nov. 5, 2015
In a slight deviation from what’s been common at the Texas Capitol this year, a Democratic senator pressed a Republican sheriff Wednesday on why her jail has released undocumented immigrants from custody. Usually the Democrats play defense, but during a subcommittee hearing on border security, state Sen. Sylvia Garcia, D-Houston, noted that Republican Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau’s jail has declined 11 requests from Immigration and Customs Enforcement to hold inmates for possible deportation.
Citing a January Texas Tribune story, Garcia noted that Bexar County’s figure is a distant second to Travis County’s 72 in the number of detainers that weren’t honored, according to the data received. But Bexar’s number is higher than the figures for more than 30 other jails in Texas. "Without getting into specifics on factual cases, just give me a couple of scenarios on when you would decline a detainer,” Garcia asked. “Maybe just a couple of examples.” Pamerleau said she couldn’t comment on the number because she didn’t have the information in front of her. “I don’t have the specif-
ics on that,” she said. Garcia, a progressive Democrat who opposes stricter state-based immigration enforcement, appeared to want to make two main points. One was to note that Bexar’s jail, run by a Republican, had let more inmates out than the Dallas County Jail, whose sheriff, Democrat Lupe Valdez, caused a statewide controversy last year when she said she would limit her cooperation with ICE. But Garcia said she also wanted to drive the point home that the figures don’t always paint a complete picture. “If we’re really going to look at both sides of the issue we need to look at all of
it,” she said as she was leaving the Capitol. “I think the numbers are probably skewed, I think there is a lot of reason, probably something administrative why they do that. But if they are declining them I think it’s important for us to know why. I personally don’t believe anybody would decline just because they want to.” Pamerleau declined to comment on the 11-inmate figure outside of the hearing room but did say that her department was behind technologically and upgrades could help streamline some issues in her jail. “For Bexar County in
See DEPORT PAGE 10A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
Saturday, March 26
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium show. 2–6 p.m. TAMIU. The showings include “Zula Patrol” at 2 p.m., “Seven Wonders” at 3 p.m., “Violet Universe” at 4 p.m., and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” at 5 p.m. Open to the public. Admission for children and TAMIU faculty and staff is $4. General admission is $5 for adults. For more information, contact Claudia Herrera at 956-326-2463 or email at claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu.
Today is Saturday, March 26, the 86th day of 2016. There are 280 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On March 26, 1979, a peace treaty was signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and witnessed by President Jimmy Carter at the White House. On this date: In 1812, an earthquake devastated Caracas, Venezuela, causing an estimated 26,000 deaths, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. In 1827, composer Ludwig van Beethoven died in Vienna. In 1874, poet Robert Frost was born in San Francisco. In 1892, poet Walt Whitman died in Camden, New Jersey. In 1917, the Seattle Metropolitans became the first U.S. team to win the Stanley Cup as they defeated the Montreal Canadiens. In 1964, the musical play “Funny Girl,” starring Barbra Streisand as Fanny Brice, opened on Broadway. In 1971, East Pakistan proclaimed its independence, taking the name Bangladesh. In 1982, groundbreaking ceremonies took place in Washington, D.C., for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. In 1997, the bodies of 39 members of the Heaven’s Gate techno-religious cult who’d committed suicide were found inside a rented mansion in Rancho Santa Fe, California. Ten years ago: Paul Dana, 30, died when he slammed into a stopped car during a warmup session of the Toyota Indy 300 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway. Five years ago: More than 250,000 people took to London’s streets to protest the toughest spending cuts since World War II; riot police clashed with small breakaway groups and arrested more than 200 people. One year ago: In New York City, a gas explosion and fire destroyed three buildings in Manhattan’s East Village, killing a restaurant worker and a diner (five people are accused of rigging an illegal gas delivery system blamed for the blast). Today’s Birthdays: Singer Diana Ross is 72. Rock singer Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) is 68. Singer and TV personality Vicki Lawrence is 67. Actor Ernest Thomas is 67. Comedian Martin Short is 66. Country singer Ronnie McDowell is 66. Movie composer Alan Silvestri is 66. Rock musician Monte Yoho is 64. Radio talk show host Curtis Sliwa is 62. Country singer Dean Dillon is 61. Country singer Charly McClain is 60. TV personality Leeza Gibbons is 59. Actress Ellia English is 57. Actress Jennifer Grey is 56. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Marcus Allen is 56. Actor Billy Warlock is 55. Actor Eric Allan Kramer is 54. Basketball Hall of Famer John Stockton is 54. Actor Michael Imperioli is 50. Rock musician James Iha is 48. Country singer Kenny Chesney is 48. Actress Leslie Mann is 44. Actor T.R. Knight is 43. Rapper Juvenile is 41. Actress Amy Smart is 40. Actress Bianca Kajlich is 39. Actress Keira Knightley is 31. Rapper J-Kwon is 30. Actress Carly Chaikin is 26. Thought for Today: “Life’s like a play; it’s not the length but the excellence of the acting that matters.” — Seneca the Younger, Roman statesman and philosopher (3 B.C.-A.D. 65).
Monday, March 28 Chess Club. Every Monday from 4–6 p.m. LBV – Inner City Branch Library. Free for all ages and skill levels. Basic instruction is offered. For more information call John at 956-795-2400 x2520.
Tuesday, March 29 Knitting Circle. 1–3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and knitting needles. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 7952400 x2403. Crochet for Kids. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and a crochet needle. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. Rock wall climbing. 4–5 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Free. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Must sign release form. For more information, contact John Hong at 795-2400 x2521.
Thursday, March 31 Presentation by Moises Garza on DNA genealogical testing. 5:30–7:30 p.m. Laredo Public Library – Calton. Hosted by the Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society and the City of Laredo Public Library. Book signing and genealogical books for sale. For more information, call Sanjuanita Martinez-Hunter at 722-3497. Preschool Read & Play. 11 a.m.–12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Story time and crafts for preschoolers. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. Family Story Time & Crafts. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.
Saturday, April 2 Book sale. 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Admission is free. Everyone is invited. 67th annual Flower and Art Show. 1–6 p.m. Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church. Admission fee of $3 per person. Everyone invited.
Sunday, April 3 67th annual Flower and Art Show. 1–6 p.m. Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church. Admission fee of $3 per person. Everyone invited.
Monday, April 4 Chess Club. Every Monday from 4–6 p.m. LBV – Inner City Branch Library. Free for all ages and skill levels. Basic instruction is offered. For more information call John at 956-795-2400 x2520.
Tuesday, April 5 Community conversation on teen and young adult mental health. 6–8 p.m. Border Region Behavioral Health Center, 1500 Papas St. The purpose of this event is to encourage the community to voice concerns, ask questions and share information on available resources to help those afflicted with a mental illness and substance abuse problem. Presented by Area Health Education Center (AHEC), Border Region Behavioral Health Center and Texas Department of State Services Office of Border Health. For additional information, call 956-712-0037 or email hmedellin@mrgbahec.org. Knitting Circle. 1–3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and knitting needles. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 7952400 x2403. Crochet for Kids. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St.
Photo by Jeremy Hogan/Bloomington Herald-Times | AP
In a Wednesday, March 23, 2016 photo, a search and rescue dog is prepared to search the area near a house where a baby disappeared in Spencer, Ind. Shaylyn Ammerman was reported missing from her crib by her grandmother Wednesday morning. The search continued Thursday.
Girl’s death questioned ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPENCER, Ind. — A 22-year-old man jailed in connection with the disappearance of a 1year-old girl hasn’t been talking with investigators, a sheriff said Friday, a day after investigators found the girl’s body a few miles from where she was last seen. Owen County Sheriff Leonard Hobbs said he couldn’t give details on what investigators have learned so far about Shaylyn Ammerman’s disappearance. But he said investigators are looking into other persons of interest in the case. “Right now, there’s just too many unanswered questions, too much information we haven’t gathered yet,” Hobbs said during a news conference. “I’m sure that in the next few days and weeks they’ll have all the information they need to bring charges accord-
ingly.” Owen County Coroner Stan Frank said the preliminary ruling from an autopsy Friday was that Shaylyn’s death was a homicide by asphyxiation. Authorities found the body Thursday night on private property near the White River outside of Gosport, state police Sgt. Curt Durnil said. He said they were tipped off by witnesses and persons of interest to that location, which is about 40 miles southwest of Indianapolis and only a few miles from Shaylyn’s father’s house in Spencer, which was where she was last seen. Shaylyn was reported missing Wednesday morning, prompting a search by more than 100 people from several police departments and other agencies. The girl’s father and grandmother were the last people known to have seen her late Tuesday.
Student withdraws her art Slaying of family does not Mailman and officer after police criticism appear to be random altercation to be reviewed DENVER — It’s a provocative image, for sure, and Denver’s police unions complained when they saw the student’s artwork honored in the school system’s annual best-of-city show: It depicts an officer wearing a KKK hood and pointing a gun at a black child, who has his hands up while wearing a white hoodie. In the background, a version of the American flag is ripped open to reveal a Confederate banner. The Denver school district’s communications chief, Nancy Mitchell, said the girl immediately asked to take her painting out of the award show when she shared the criticism with her. “She’s passionate about her art, but didn’t want to make trouble,” Mitchell said. Trouble followed nonetheless — even though authorities insisted that the girl was not pressured to remove her work — as her act of apparent self-censorship brought more attention.
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Authorities sought help from the public Friday in the investigation of what they called the “horrific” killings of a popular practitioner of Chinese herbal medicine, his wife and 5-year-old daughter in their multi-milliondollar California home. Deputies found the bodies of 57-year-old Dr. Weidong “Henry” Han, his 29-year-old wife, Huijie Jennie” Yu, and their daughter, Emily Han, on Wednesday while responding to a request for a welfare check at the home on the outskirts of Santa Barbara. “Early indications are that this was not a random attack,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff ’s Department spokeswoman Kelly Hoover said in a statement. She did not elaborate. Sheriff ’s officials did not immediately release information about what prompted the welfare check or describe the crime scene.
NEW YORK — The New York Police Department said it will review an incident in which four plainclothes officers and a lieutenant handcuffed a postal worker who was out driving his mail truck. The March 17 confrontation involving postal worker Glenn Grays was captured on cellphone videos that have been widely shared. The videos show the officers telling Grays to stop resisting even though he does not appear to be resisting. Grays said at a news conference this week he was delivering mail in Brooklyn when an unmarked police car nearly hit his mail truck. He said he shouted at the driver, and the officers backed the police car up and demanded identification. Grays told The New York Times that the driver told him, “I have the right of way because I’m law enforcement.” — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD Teen survived attacks in Boston and Belgium GHENT, Belgium — An American teenager wounded in the Brussels Airport attack is lucky to be alive. And he knows it. Mason Wells, his face covered in bandages, was in a hospital in the Belgian city of Ghent on Friday, where he told The Associated Press about surviving his second terror attack. Three years ago, the 19-year-old from Sandy, Utah, was just a block away from the pressure-cooker bomb that exploded while he was watching his mother run the Boston Marathon. “I don’t know if I was born under a lucky star,” he said. “I was definitely fortunate to have escaped with the injuries that I’ve escaped with at the airport, being very close to the bombs.” Wells, who is on a two-year Mormon mission to Belgium, talked to reporters via a video link from his hospital room,
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Mason Wells an American survivor of the attacks in Belgium this week answers questions during an interview in a hospital in Ghent, Belgium Friday. Mason Wells, who is from Sandy, Utah, told The Associated Press that he felt at peace. where he lay with a pillow propped behind his head and a light blue towel wrapped around his shoulders. The former high school football and lacrosse player spoke from behind a mask of bandages, with only his eyes, mouth and
left ear uncovered by the gauze dressings and mesh netting that held them in place. “The blast was really loud,” Wells said in a strong, clear voice. “It even lifted my body a little bit.” — Compiled from AP reports
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State
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
Baylor to detail help response ASSOCIATED PRESS
WACO, Texas — Baylor University has announced new actions to improve how it addresses sex assault. Baylor has faced criticism over its response to sex assault. The universi-
ty says the plans detailed this week are part of a $5 million commitment the board of regents announced last month. Baylor spokeswoman Tonya Lewis said Wednesday the funds will come from university reserves.
Baylor is adding another investigator and an administrative assistant to the school’s Title IX Office, which currently has seven members. Also, case management systems will be improved. A plan to increase services and staff at Baylor’s
counseling center was previously announced. ESPN has reported that Baylor failed to act on three students’ allegations that they were assaulted by a football player who was later convicted of two counts of sex assault.
Lab cited for animal deaths By DAVID WARREN ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — A prestigious laboratory in Texas already under federal investigation after inspectors determined it didn’t do enough to prevent the suffering of primates is facing more scrutiny after animals in another study were found dead. In the latest probe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service cited the Galveston National Laboratory last month for problems including improper data collection regarding animal observations and failure to promptly notify an attending veterinarian of an animal’s death. This came after federal inspectors learned that 19 guinea pigs died during a study at the lab, one of the nation’s leading research facilities seeking vaccines for some of the most lethal diseases. “The institution has taken appropriate corrective actions to prevent recurrence,” the National Institutes of Health said Friday in a written statement. Findings in a USDA inspector’s report echo concerns included in the federal investigation that the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases launched last year. A preliminary report issued last year in that probe found test animals weren’t prop-
erly observed. If left unobserved the animals can suffer from the effects of diseases like anthrax and Ebola before being euthanized. “This problem is not limited to one project or even to one species,” Michael Budkie, executive director of Ohio-based Stop Animal Exploitation Now, said Friday. “Basically what this is showing is that the problems are systemic.” But officials at the University of Texas Medical Branch, where the lab is located, deny any far-reaching problems and say the welfare of animals there is a primary concern. “We deal with some of the most dangerous diseases on the planet,” said Toby Boenig, UTMB vice president and chief compliance officer. “It’s our intention to intervene before the animal dies from the disease.” Studies at the lab are often conducted to determine how effective a vaccine may be against a pathogen, lab administrators say. A series of protocols are used to maintain strict controls on a study. Some studies may evaluate a vaccine against the late stages of a disease in an animal. Others may determine the effect on another species when a vaccine is introduced earlier. “When you get to a certain stage of a disease, at
what point can you still use a vaccine and save lives?” asked Dave Niesel, UTMB chief research officer. Niesel mentioned the Liberian man who in 2014 was discharged from a Dallas hospital because staff didn’t realize he had been stricken with Ebola. Treatment was delayed and the man grew sicker as the disease spread through his body, Niesel said. “So one of the key questions the world wants to know is where along the progression can lives still be saved?” he said. The preliminary report from the federal investigation of the Galveston lab found a variety of procedural errors with the primate study conducted at the facility. The lab had a contract with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to develop a strain of the Marburg virus that could be used on Macaque monkeys to find a cure. Eight monkeys were found dead in their cages in 2014; four others were euthanized. The Marburg virus has similarities to Ebola and is among the most virulent pathogens known to infect people, according to the World Health Organization. The federal probe’s preliminary report found dozens of irregularities, some considered minor and others more serious. They ranged from incomplete
training files for some employees to data that was not recorded and operating procedures that were not followed. The federal investigation is ongoing and penalties could range from federal action that ensures compliance, such as additional training for employees, to loss of funding from federal agencies. Lab officials acknowledge minor infractions occurred and said they have been corrected. But they argued the majority of claims, including that animals were allowed to suffer, were unfounded. Niesel said in the wake of findings from last year, the lab has hired additional staff and made a series of changes, including increased observation of animals. Those changes had not been fully implemented when the guinea pigs died late last year. A spokeswoman for the National Institutes of Health, which contracts with many labs on animal testing, did not respond to questions about whether the number of deaths at the Galveston lab is consistent with those at other labs. “This is not frivolous work. We are actually trying to stem the tide against some of the world’s most dangerous viruses,” said UTMB spokesman Raul Reyes, later adding, “We never set out to intentionally harm an animal.”
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Lockdown lifted at Army hospital ASSOCIATED PRESS
EL PASO, Texas — The lockdown has been lifted at an Army hospital near Fort Bliss, hours after a witness reported seeing a man toting two rifles. William Beaumont Army Medical Center spokeswoman Amabilia Payen says the facility in El Paso was given the allclear Friday afternoon. She says the gate to the hospital would reopen soon. The hospital went on lockdown around noon, when a caller reported
seeing a man carrying two rifles and ammunition cans near the firstfloor courtyard. Payen says there were no reports of gunfire and law enforcement officers went through the building. She says authorities are investigating whether the witness may have seen someone who was part of the Color Guard or another ceremonial detail. El Paso police didn’t immediately return a message seeking details about the investigation.
Cop accused in teen’s death resigns ASSOCIATED PRESS
FARMERS BRANCH, Texas — A suburban Dallas police officer who is charged in the shooting death of a teenage burglary suspect and the wounding of another boy while off duty has resigned from his department. Farmers Branch Police Chief Sid Fuller said that Officer Ken Johnson submitted his resignation on Thursday. Fuller accepted the resignation, which took effect immediately. Johnson is free on $300,000 bond after being charged with murder and
aggravated assault in the March 13 shootings in Addison. Authorities say Johnson confronted the teenagers after seeing the two burglarize a vehicle at his apartment complex. After Johnson chased the two in his own vehicle, an altercation ensued, during which Johnson shot the duo. Fuller says Farmers Branch police internal affairs investigators continue reviewing the shooting. Addison police are also continuing their investigation.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Pick your poison: Cruz or Trump By DICK MEYER SCRIPPS WASHINGTON BUREAU
In the days of Torquemada and the Inquisition, Spaniards debated which was worse, the rack or the head crusher. Today, Americans debate between Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. Jeb Bush has made his choice. He announced that Republicans should reject the "divisiveness and vulgarity" of Trump and embrace the divisiveness and zealotry of Cruz. It is precisely that kind of leadership and vision that made Jeb the presidential candidate he is today. Others are still struggling. This is a hard choice that Cruz and Trump make harder every day. On Monday afternoon, for example, Trump told editors at The Washington Post that all the other countries in NATO are "not doing anything." He added, "I would structure a much different deal with them, and it would be a much better deal." The next day, of course, terrorists murdered dozens of innocents in Belgium, where NATO is based. Perhaps Trump could get the U.S. a good deal on office space in downtown Brussels. To entrust him with any more power than that is blood-curdling. Monday was a big foreign policy day for Trump. He announced a national security team that he hasn’t met with, a motley group that even Google can barely find. He delivered a speech at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which was quickly denounced by the head of AIPAC. Embarrassingly, commentators on CNN praised the speech as an important step in Trump’s political "maturation" because he read the speech from teleprompter like a big boy instead of winging it as he usually does. After the bombings the next day, Trump was quick to react. He said the U.S. needs new laws so we can torture suspects faster, bigger and better. We don’t win at torture anymore, apparently. And with Trump in the White House, America is going to win at torture, believe me. We’re going to torture so great! And we’ll get such great deals on torture stuff ! The other war-mongering isolationist in the race, Cruz, didn’t try to capture any of the Trump brand’s market share on torture. He went straight for segregation, internment and mass racial profiling, demanding new laws to "empower law enforcement to patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized." Never mind that this is
moronic from a practical standpoint. It’s totalitarian. This self-proclaimed guardian of liberty, this constitutional prodigy, is purposefully drawing from the darkest, most shameful chapters of American history to monger some fear and grab some votes. If Cruz could have figured out a way to carpet-bomb Dearborn, Mich., and miss the Christians he’d probably have proposed it. As Belgians held candlelight vigils that night, Trump and Cruz had moved on to more important matters, their wives. The Donald was apparently upset on behalf of wife No. 3, The Melania. It seems an anti-Trump group ran a Facebook ad in Utah that grabbed an old picture of a bare-butt naked Melania posing atop furs inside Trump’s jet. The caption said, "Meet Melania Trump. Your Next First Lady. Or, You Could Support Ted Cruz on Tuesday." Trump’s response was only mildly out of character. Instead of bragging about his hot wife, he issued threats by Twitter: "Lyin’ Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin’ Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!" Cruz’s thumbed response: "Pic of your wife not from us. Donald, if you try to attack Heidi, you’re more of a coward than I thought." E-sympathy seemed to be on the side of Cruz, a man who had hours before proposed quarantining Muslims in America. What more can be said about this muck? If the stakes weren’t so incredibly high, one could enjoy the Republicans’ misery. But they are. Either one could be the Republican nominee. And no matter how unlikely it seems today, either one could beat Hillary Clinton. The public seems to have a clear view about which torture is worse. In a recent CBS News/New York Times poll, 50 percent of the public said they were scared of what Trump would do as president. Only 28 percent were scared of Cruz - such a comfort. The Republican Party leadership, however, does not appear to be properly scared by either of them. We keep hearing variations of this line: "The GOP establishment is desperate to stop Trump." I see little evidence that is true; if they were desperate they would do something more serious than ginning up a few hollow endorsements for Cruz. Some in that mythical establishment prefer Trump to Cruz. Most detest them both.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure
our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
‘Religious freedom’ to discriminate By MARY SANCHEZ THE KANSAS CITY STAR
Across the land, heroic male legislators are rising up to protect the lives and virtue of women and girls from sexual predators. They are not, as one might hope, enacting laws that would prevent men convicted of domestic violence from owning firearms, even though that would surely save precious female lives. Nor are they working with colleges and universities to ensure fair investigations of campus sexual assault, even though this would greatly help many a female coed. And, alas, they aren’t doing anything to help or
prod police agencies to process the backlogs of rape kits, even though this would surely put many more violent sex offenders behind bars. No, the state legislators - instigated mostly by Republican members - are obsessed with women and girls’ use of the bathroom. They’re freaked out that someone who was born male but who now identifies as female could wind up in the neighboring stall. North Carolina is the latest state to mount this little charade of chivalry. In a special session Wednesday, with mere minutes for members to read and digest the bill’s language, the legislature
decreed that municipalities could not pass antidiscrimination laws protecting people on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. In other words: People in the state must use the bathroom designated by the gender on their birth certificate. The move is part of a broad backlash against the American public’s growing acceptance that sexual orientation and gender identity are privacy issues that deserve respect and civil rights protection. It flared up in response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling clearing legal obstacles to gay marriage. When it comes to bathrooms, legislators express concern about sexual pred-
ators using more open bathroom access to attack vulnerable women and girls. Yet there is no trend of such attacks. A more honest conversation with transgender people would make that point. But honest dialogue isn’t how this is playing out - although it did play a decisive role in convincing South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard to veto his state legislature’s bathroom bill. What proponents can’t get over is that national attitudes have shifted rapidly in regard to lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people. People have by and large given LGBT people a fair hearing and have decided they deserve fair treatment.
OP-ED
SeaWorld must empty tanks By JARED S. GOODMAN TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
Even though SeaWorld was the last to accept it, the corporation has finally conceded: Orcas do not belong in tanks. And just as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus did when it announced the end of its elephant shows, SeaWorld CEO Joel Manby admitted that an "attitudinal change" in the public prompted the decision. As almost everyone knows by now, SeaWorld has announced that it has ended its orca breeding program. This means that this generation of orcas should be the last to suffer in SeaWorld’s tanks. While welcome, the decision does not go far enough. Instead of forcing orcas to continue suffering for years, perhaps decades, in cramped tanks, SeaWorld must take the next logical step and begin the development of coastal sanctuaries that would allow the remaining orcas to become reacquainted with
their natural ocean home. Such protected seas pens would give orcas greater freedom of movement and many opportunities that they are now denied: to see, sense and communicate with their wild relatives and other ocean animals; to feel the tides and waves; and to engage in other natural behavior that is not possible when confined to a tank. They would have a degree of autonomy and self-determination. Family groups could be preserved, and incompatible animals wouldn’t be forced to live together. Caregivers would remain at a safe distance but could monitor the orcas and provide them with food as well as veterinary care if necessary. Visitors could observe them from viewing platforms. Orcas can recover their sanity, even after years in captivity. Let’s not forget Keiko, a wild orca who was captured near Iceland and sold to a series of aquariums, where he was forced to perform tricks for food. He became sick and severe-
ly depressed. After the movie "Free Willy" prompted the call for his retirement, he was moved to the Oregon Coast Aquarium and successfully rehabilitated. Then in 1998, he was transferred to an ocean pen near Iceland. While his adjustment wasn’t completely trouble-free, Keiko was nevertheless able to communicate with nearby orca pods. He didn’t have to perform. He learned to catch his own food. Even though he was still being monitored by his rehabilitators, he navigated more than 1,000 miles of open ocean and was living free when he died in December 2003 nearly eight years after he was rescued from his tank in Mexico City and five years after he was first placed in the sea pen. Orcas Tilikum, Katina, Corky, Kasatka and Ulises like Keiko, all torn from their ocean homes and forced to spend their lives in tanks - could get to experience some of the same pleasures. Every orca at SeaWorld deserves this.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Unfortunately, it will probably be too late for Tilikum. Reportedly near death, he has spent three decades in captivity, forced to perform stupid tricks and used as a breeding machine. Kidnapped when he was only about 2 years old, he has never again known the joy of swimming with his family or exploring the vast ocean. The tide has forever turned at SeaWorld. PETA’s celebrity supporters, including Kate del Castillo, Jason Biggs, Jessica Biel, Wilmer Valderrama, Bob Barker, Marisa Miller and Joanna Krupa, have all worked to expose the unnatural living conditions and untimely deaths of animals in SeaWorld’s tanks, and people around the world were outraged after watching "Blackfish," which documented the misery. Until SeaWorld takes the next step and does what’s right for the animals who have long served its interests, kind people will continue to stay far away.
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
Zentertainment
PAGE 5A
Rolling Stones prep for free Cuba show By ANDREA RODRIGUEZ AND MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HAVANA — Thousands of jubilant Cubans and tourists swarmed the site of the Rolling Stones’ free concert in Havana on Friday, calling it a historic moment for a country that once forced rock fans to listen to their favorite music behind closed doors. Small groups of people slept overnight outside the Ciudad Deportiva, or Sports City, where a massive stage has been set up for the biggest act to play in the Cuba since its 1959 revolution. Thousands more streamed toward the outdoor sports complex throughout the day. At least half a million people were expected. Night watchman Joaquin Ortiz, 62, said he’d been a huge rock fan since he was a teenager in the 1960s, when Cuba’s communist government frowned on U.S. and British bands and he had to hide his Beatles and Stones albums in covers borrowed from albums of appropriately revolutionary Cuban groups. “After today I can die,” he said. “This is like my last wish, seeing the Rolling Stones.” The crowds of those waiting outside the gated of the Ciudad Deportiva to be in the first rows in front of the stage were made up of at least half foreigners, for whom seeing Cuba was as novel as seeing the Stones is for Cubans. Ken Smith, a 59-year-old retired sailor, and Paul Herold, a 65-year-old retired plumber, sailed to Havana from Key West, Fla. on Herold’s yacht. “This has been one of my lifelong dreams, to come to Cuba on my sailboat,” Herold said. The band arrived Thursday evening in the Cuban capital, two days after President Barack Obama finished the first trip to Cuba by a U.S. president in nearly 90 years. Obama who reestablished
Photo by Desmond Boylan | AP
Fans wait outside the venue where the Rolling Stones will play their concert in Havana, Cuba, Friday. The Stones are performing in a free concert in Havana Friday, becoming the most famous act to play Cuba since its 1959 revolution. diplomatic relations with Cuba last year, called for the two countries to move toward full normalization in order to end the legacy of the Cold War and prompt Cuba to engage in more reforms of its single-party system and centrally controlled economy. “Obviously something has happened in the last few years,” lead singer Mick Jagger told reporters at Jose Marti International Airport. “So, time changes everything... we are very pleased to be here and I’m sure it’s going to be a great show.” Cuban musicologist Joaquin Borges characterized the event as “very important,” saying it would be the biggest rock concert of its
kind ever on the island. He predicted that it would encourage “other groups of that stature to come and perform.” “It’s a dream that has arrived for the Cuban people,” radio host and rock music specialist Juanito Camacho. “A lot of young Cubans will like the music but it will also satisfy the longings of older generations.” The band’s private plane carried the four British rockers, family members and about 60 technical workers to manage the huge amount of gear brought to the island for the concert, including seven huge screens and 1,300 kilograms (2,866 pounds) of sound equipment.
“We have performed in many special places during our long career, but this show in Havana will be a milestone for us, and, we hope, for all our friends in Cuba, too,” the band said in a statement released before the arrival. The concert will be held outdoors at the Ciudad Deportiva, where nearby streets were blocked to traffic beginning on Thursday. While they waited hours for the show to begin, fans listened to a loop of songs by popular artists including Amy Winehouse while a lone vendor tried to sell popcorn to members of the crowd. Security was heavy, provided by private guards in yellow
jackets and hundreds of Cuban police and black-clad Interior Ministry officers in black jumpsuits. In the heat of Cuba’s revolution from the 1960s to the 1980s, foreign bands such as The Rolling Stones were considered subversive and blocked from the radio. Rock music such as the Stones’ wasn’t officially prohibited in public, but it was disapproved of. Cubans listened to their music in secret, passing records from hand to hand. The band’s Cuba stop ends its “Ole” Latin America tour, which also included concerts in Brazil, Uruguay, Chile, Argentina and Mexico.
National
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
Tech giants object N.C. bill By EMERY P. DALESIO AND GARY D. ROBERTSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Andrew Whitaker/The Hutchison News | AP
Damage to a home Thursday near Medicine Lodge, Kansas. A fire that started Tuesday has now burnt near 400,000 acres.
Kansas forest wildfire is largest in state ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. — Though some progress has been made to contain it, the persistent wildfire that spread north from rural Oklahoma into a sparsely populated section of Kansas is the largest one in Kansas history, officials said Friday. At least 620 square miles of land in Oklahoma and southern Kansas have been scorched in the fire, which started Tuesday. It destroyed at least one home in Kansas, but no serious injuries have been reported. The wildfire is the “largest in Kansas history and one of the largest in U.S. history,” the Kansas Forest Service said in a release Friday, the same day authorities sent a plane up to update how much land had burned. Officials also are looking at the damage in Barber County to determine if it meets the threshold for a Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster declaration, which would provide public assistance for damaged public infrastructure. Gov. Sam Brownback said Thursday that the fire was largely contained in Kansas except in Barber County, which is southwest of Wichita along the border with Oklahoma. The strong winds that initially fueled it died down Thursday, and though gusts of up to 30 mph were expected Friday, the winds don’t appear to be “hurting yet,” said Ben Bauman, spokesman for the Kansas Adjutant General’s Office. “Things really appear to be going pretty well so far today,” he said. Earlier in the week, smoke was reportedly detected as far away as St.
Louis, hundreds of miles to the northeast. Crews worked overnight to successfully save a home in Barber County, where the blaze has burned at least 426 square miles, Darcy Golliher, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Incident Management Team, said Friday. She said crews were hopeful that the blaze would be under control by the weekend, although it was just 15 percent contained Friday. “The big concern today is the winds coming out of the south,” she said. “That is what we are working on.” In neighboring Comanche County, the fire was mostly contained, although crews were monitoring for flare-ups, said John Lehman, the Kansas county’s emergency management coordinator. He said the concern was that sparks from still-burning trees and cedars in canyons in the area’s Gyp Hills would blow up and ignite flames on the ridges. “Up on top they feel like they have it,” he said. “It’s looking a lot better.” A separate grass fire that hit near the Kansas town of Burrton, which is about 30 miles northwest of Wichita, burned about 22 square miles before it was controlled Thursday. One home was destroyed and several head of livestock were killed. In Oklahoma, officials planned to conduct damage assessments Friday to determine how many buildings have been lost in the blaze, said Michelle Finch-Walker, a spokeswoman for the state’s Forestry Services. “Due to the extraordinary firefighting efforts yesterday and a little help from Mother Nature, we didn’t see any fire growth,” she said.
RALEIGH, N.C. — Technology giants Apple, Google and Facebook are among a dozen big companies or their top executives objecting to a North Carolina law that bars municipalities from adopting their own anti-discrimination ordinances. Facebook, Google and Apple each run massive data-processing complexes in western North Carolina. They joined American Airlines, IBM and others in reacting to a state law quickly adopted Wednesday that blocked local government measures to counter discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgender people. None of the high-profile companies have threatened to immediately withdraw business from North Carolina. San Francisco’s mayor on Friday banned city workers from non-essential travel to North Carolina. The city, which has a large gay and lesbian population, “will not subsidize le-
Photo by Jill Knight/The News & Observer | AP
Rajiv Soni, left, and Amara Perez, right, clap and shout as a car driving by honks during a protest against House Bill 2. gally sanctioned discrimination,” Mayor Ed Lee said in a statement. The Charlotte ordinance would have enabled transgender people to legally use restrooms aligned with their gender identity, and would have provided broad protections against discrimination in public accommodations in the state’s largest city. North Carolina is the first state to require public school and university students to use only those bathrooms that match their birth certificates, ac-
cording to the National Conference on State Legislatures. Advocates for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights say state legislators demonized them with bogus claims about bathroom risks. Supporters say the new law protects all people from having to share bathrooms with people who make them feel unsafe. Corporations announcing their displeasure “are shamefully bullying” state officials while many small business owners who live
in North Carolina support the new legislation, North Carolina Values Coalition Executive Director Tami Fitzgerald said. “North Carolinians should be aware of this so they have the opportunities to be consumers of companies that are congruent with their values,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. Other businesses have voiced support for the measure Republican Gov. Pat McCrory signed into law, a spokesman for his re-election campaign said. Spokesman Ricky Diaz did not respond when asked which businesses backed the governor’s decision. About 200 protesters blocked a downtown Raleigh street in front of the state’s Executive Mansion on Thursday evening. Police said in a statement that five people were arrested after they sat down in the street and refused orders to disperse. McCrory, a former Charlotte mayor, stays in the mansion while in the state capital but was not there at the time of the protest, spokesman Josh Ellis said.
Lawyers talk unaccompanied kids By MARTHA BELLISLE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEATTLE — Government lawyers urged a federal judge on Thursday to remove certain children listed in a lawsuit that seeks to require court-appointed lawyers for indigent children who enter the country illegally. But lawyers for the ACLU and immigrationrights groups said any child sent to immigration court has a constitutional right to a fair hearing and the only way to ensure that happens is to provide them with a lawyer. They also urged the judge to expand the case to include children across the country. “This case only defines class members as those unrepresented children who don’t have the resources to have an attorney,” said Matt Adams with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project. After a four-hour hearing, Judge Thomas Zilly said he would take the arguments under advisement and issue a ruling at a later date. The American Civil Liberties Union and immigrant rights groups filed
the lawsuit in 2014 on behalf of about a dozen children ranging in age from 1 to 17. They came from Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras and now live in Washington state, California, Texas and Florida. Each year, the government initiates immigration proceedings against thousands of children to determine whether they can remain in the U.S., according to the complaint. In each case, the government is represented by prosecutors, while in most cases, the children are forced to appear before a judge with little or no knowledge of their rights or the law, the lawyers said. Deputy Assistant Attorney General Leon Fresco told Zilly that six of the children in the case who were captured at the border do not have the same due-process rights as someone who has lived in the country for a period of time and they should be dropped from the case. Fresco described this as a “procedural due process case” that involves limitations established by Congress or the executive branch, as opposed to “substantive due process”
that prohibits the government from infringing on fundamental constitutional rights. When a child crosses the border illegally, they have procedural due process rights — basic rights against being detained indefinitely or being tortured, Fresco said. But they don’t have substantive rights under the constitution, he said. Fresco urged the judge against expanding the current system. “They are claiming there are more procedural rights that they should be entitled to,” he said. “If you were to rule in that context, your opinion by next year would be cited 500 times. It would be the first opinion that says arriving aliens have additional due process rights.” Under the current system, an immigration judge develops a record by asking the children questions, Fresco told Zilly. “Some of these questions would be asked to a 3 or 4-year-old,” Zilly responded. The three children living in Washington state who are part of the lawsuit say their father was murdered in Mexico and their mother was raped, Zilly
said. “They have fear,” he said. “You say even with these issues they don’t have procedural rights other than what Congress allowed?” Zilly asked Fresco. “These are sympathetic cases,” Fresco responded. Any child who faces deportation at a removal hearing has a constitutional right to counsel, regardless of where they were apprehended or whether they had an adult with them at the time, said the ACLU’s Ahilan Arulanantham. Fresco said their research shows that 72 percent of children who move through the system now, even without lawyers, “are getting some relief,” so the case isn’t needed. “I don’t know where that comes from,” Adams responded. “It must be the most generous interpretations of relief in the world, including continuances.” Fresco said the data refers to cases that were closed and the children were not removed. Adams said he is not convinced. “What other situation do you see a child pitted against a prosecuting attorney? Why is immigration law the exception?” he said.
Privileges allowed flight attendant to escape By AMANDA LEE MYERS ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — Within hours of ditching 70 pounds of cocaine at a security checkpoint and bolting barefoot out of the main Los Angeles airport, an off-duty flight attendant was flying across the country after clearing security at the same airport, law enforcement officials said Friday. Marsha Gay Reynolds, 31, did not do anything out of the ordinary to get back on a plane, officials said, describing how she used an airline badge with her real name to board another flight the next morning at one of the nation’s busiest airports. Communication lapses, bureaucratic protocols and special security privileges afforded airline workers all contributed to Reynolds’ remaining out of the grasp of law enforcement until she surrendered four days later at Kennedy Airport in New York. “This is a security breakdown. That could have easily been an explosive device and a terrorist running from the checkpoint. And we wouldn’t have known until it went boom,” said Marshall McClain, president of the union representing LAX airport police officers. Reynolds’ escape was an-
other embarrassing security lapse for the airport, which sought to enhance security after a gunman opened fire in a terminal in 2013 and killed a Transportation Security Administration agent. Reynolds was off duty when she arrived March 18 at an LAX checkpoint, wearing jeans and a black suit jacket and carrying her “known crew member” badge, according to an FBI affidavit filed in support of the charge against Reynolds. When Reynolds was chosen for a random security screening, TSA officers reported that she became nervous and made a phone call in a foreign language before she dropped her bags, kicked off her heels, ran down an upward-moving escalator and out of the airport, the affidavit said. LAX police soon found 11 packages of cocaine wrapped in green cellophane inside one of the bags Reynolds left behind, the affidavit said. The drugs had an estimated street value of up to $3 million. The badges allow airline workers to get through security faster to reduce lines and to allow the TSA to focus on travelers they know less about. To obtain the badges, airline workers must submit to a background check that includes
Photo by the Los Angeles Airport Police | AP
This photo shows multiple packages of cocaine wrapped in cellophane that was apprehended at Los Angeles International Airport. fingerprinting. Crew members do not have to be wearing uniforms or have a boarding pass when using the badges. But they are still subject to random screenings. The fact that Reynolds was able to fly the morning after her mad dash through the airport did not particularly surprise aviation expert Jeff Price because the system is designed to catch
terrorists, not criminals. The involvement of the crew member badge “might cause the TSA to look at this program a little more closely, to see if this is going to be a problem from a terrorist perspective,” Price said. McClain, the LAX police union president, agreed that the case raises longheld fears about the “insider” threat of a terrorist
gaining special access to airports and planes using the crew member program or becoming radicalized after obtaining such access. “It’s like giving someone the keys to your house, and you just made their job really easy,” said Price, who has written a textbook on airport security and trains airport workers across the country. The TSA has said that full screening of all employees would cost too much. Instead, the agency has urged airports to increase random screenings of workers and to keep background checks up to date. No bulletin for Reynolds’ arrest was immediately issued. The TSA would not have flagged Reynolds’ name because she did not pose a terrorist threat, according to an airport security official with knowledge of the investigation. The Drug Enforcement Agency did not learn about the drugs until at least five hours after Reynolds fled and did not know her name until well after she had boarded a flight to New York, according to a federal law enforcement official with knowledge of the investigation. Both officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about details of the case. TSA spokesman Mike
England said in a statement that the agency “immediately notified and began working with local law enforcement to identify the individual.” “Following events such as this, we conduct a full review of our procedures to determine how best to improve upon an already strong security foundation,” he said. The TSA did not verify Reynolds’ name until at least Saturday because no one at the airport is allowed to access the database that had scanned her crew member badge at the airport, both the airport security and federal officials said. As a result, the Los Angeles leadership of the TSA is recommending that someone with access to the database be required to be at airports across the country, the airport security official said. The TSA declined to provide details about the crew member program, citing the investigation. Price confirmed that no one at airports can access the database. Rather, he said, the information goes to a remote location where the database is stored. He doubts that anybody is staffing that location on a 24-hour basis, simply because it’s rare for anyone to need regular access to the database.
SÁBADO 26 DE MARZO DE 2016
Agenda en Breve DESCANSO Las clases en las escuelas de Zapata County ISD se reanudarán el martes 29 de marzo, en el horario habitual.
BECAS ZCISD Se informa a potenciales donadores de becas que el paquete conteniendo la carta del director, forma para donadores de becas y solicitudes generales de becas, se están entregando en Zapata High School. El 9 de abril es la fecha límite para que donadores sometan la forma como donador de beca; en tanto que el 27 de abril se llevará a cabo la Noche de Becas a las 6 p.m. lo cual pemitirá que donadores y receptores se conozcan. Igualmente se tiene considerado entregar certificados de agradecimiento a los donadores. Informes llamando a Jennifer Sanchez o Patricia Flores al (956) 765-0280.
EXAMEN STAAR Zapata County ISD informa que el martes 29 de marzo se aplicará el examen EOC English I del STAAR y el jueves 31 de marzo se aplicará el examen EOC English II del STAAR. Alumnos deben reportarse en su escuela respectiva a las 7:30 a.m., según el día que les corresponda. ZCISD ofrecerá desayuno a los estudiantes que lleguen temprano, y aunque estará prohibido que padres de familia lleven comida a sus hijos, sí se les puede proveer con una comida que no sea perecedera desde casa. Finalmente se aclara que no habrá sesiones de tutoriales los días 29 y 30 de marzo, ni el 1 de abril.
BRAVO FEST La ciudad de Miguel Alemán, México, invita al evento “Bravo Fest” el 26 y 27 de marzo en las márgenes del Río Bravo, debajo del puente internacional que conecta con Roma, Texas.
ATENCIÓN AL AUTISMO Segunda Carrera/Caminata 5K y carrera para menores para sensibilizar sobre el autismo. La carrera inicia en Zapata County Court House en 7th Avenue y Boulevard Hidalgo, el 2 de abril a las 8 a.m. Los interesados podrán pre-registrarse con un costo de 10 dólares en línea en el sitio de Internet en active.com o en la Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Zapata en 800 North Hwy. El registro tendrá un costo de 20 dólares el día del evento. Los menores participando en la carrera para niños tendrán un costo de registro de 5 dólares para niños de 10 años y menores.
REUNIÓN SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA La sociedad de genealogía Nuevo Santander Genealogy Society, tendrá su reunión el sábado 2 de abril, a las 2 p.m. en el salón del museo Zapata County Museum of History.
Zfrontera FISCALÍA AFIRMA EMPRESARIO LAVÓ DINERO PARA LOS ZETAS
PÁGINA 7A
ZCF ENTREGA DONATIVOS
Dictan sentencia TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un empresario mexicano fue sentenciado por su participación en actividad relacionada al grupo criminal de Los Zetas, dio a conocer la Fiscalía de Estados Unidos. Francisco Antonio Colorado-Cessa, de 55 años de edad, apodado “Pancho”, fue sentenciado a 20 años en prisión por lavado de ganancias por drogas de Los Zetas e intento de sobornar a un juez federal. El Juez de Distrito de EU, Donald E. Walter, además ordenó que el gobierno de EU le confisque 60 millones de dólares y propiedades, incluyendo dos aviones cinco cuentas bancarias. Autoridades aseguran que se tratan de ganancias que involucraron el sistema de lavado de dinero. En diciembre del 2015 en Austin, un jurado federal condeno a ColoradoCessa, propietario de ADT Petroservicios, a un cargo de conspiración para realizar lavado de dinero. La fiscalía indicó que ADT Petroservicios es una compañía de servicios petroleros en México realizando negocios con Petróleos Mexicanos. El cargo de conspiración se presentó basado en un sistema para lavar millones de dólares que eran ganancia por la distribución de drogas realizada por Los Zetas, a través de la compra, entrenamiento, cría y correr cabalos cuarto de milla en los EU. Durante el transcurso
del juicio, personas dando su testimonio revelaron un fraude a cargo de Colorado-Cessa, un asociado cercano a los líderes del cartel de Los Zetas, incluyendo a Miguel Ángel Treviño, conocido como Z40, Oscar Omar Treviño Morales, apodado Z42, COLORADO y otros involucrando a compradores intermediarios y transacciones con valor de millones de dólars en New Mexico, Oklahoma, California y Texas. De acuerdo con la fiscalía el objetivo era disfrazar la fuente del dinero y obtener ganancias por la venta de caballos cuarto de milla o bien hacer que sus triunfos en las carreras de caballos parecieran legítimas.
Carreras Más de 400 caballos cuarto de milla, que fueran decomisados por las autoridades federales en junio del 2012 como parte de la operación para lavado de dinero, han sido vendidos por aproximadamente 12 millones de dólares. Uno de los caballos confiscados llamado “Tempting Dash” fue el ganador de la carrera “Dash for Cash” celebrada en el Lone Star Park de Grand Prairie en octubre del 2009. “Tempting Dash” fue vendido en una subasta por la cifra récor de 1.7
millones de dólares en noviembre del 2013. En enero, un jurado federal independiente encontró a Colorado-Cessa culpable de un cargo de conspiración para sobornar a un oficial público, y un cargo por moción de soborno, ya sea por ofrecimiento o promesa, a un oficial público. El comunicado explica que la evidencia durante el juicio reveló que Colorado-Cessa y otros conspiraron en 2013 para pagar 1.2 millones de dólares en sobornos a un juez federal a fin de asegurar una reducción en la sentencia para el acusado, por el citado caso de lavado de dinero. De acuerdo con archivos de la corte “en ningún momento antes o durante esta investigación el juez federal estuvo incolucrado en la supuesta actividad criminal”. “Inclusive con un segundo juicio, el jurado rápidamente llegó a la misma conclusión – culpable”, dijo el agente especial de investigaciones criminales para el IRS, William Cotter. En tanto, el agente especial del FBI Christopher Combs, sostuvo que la sentencia entrega concluye años de litigio e impone un castigo significativo sobre el acusado. “… esto demuestra nuestro compromiso colectivo para proteger a los Estados Unidos de la violencia y corrupción asociada con los cárteles de las drogas mexicanos”, sostuvo Combs.
EDUCACIÓN
ESPECTACULAR
Foto de cortesía | ZCISD
Estudiantes de Zapata High School, quienes participaron en el certamen de One Act Play, avanzaron a la etapa de área con la obra ‘Desdemona in the Afterlife’. Obtuvieron reconocimiento individual, Andrea Núñez por mejor actriz; Marla Gutiérrez por elenco All Star; Rosanna Pineda y Samantha Ochoa, mención honorífica. Las directoras de la obra son Nelly García, Belinda Vela, y Dinora Regalado.
Foto de cortesía | ZCISD
Representantes de la Feria del Condado de Zapata, incluyendo la corte real, hicieron entrega de los fondos recaudados, gracias al apoyo de los voluntarios. Los beneficiados fueron Zapata High School con 3.690,99 dólares; St. Jude Hospital con 852 dólares; Villarreal Elementary School con 7.825,45 dólares; y, Benavides Elementary School con 2.702,45 dólares.
MX-EU
Educadores estarán en intercambio TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Han sido seleccionados los maestros tamaulipecos que participarán en un intercambio con Estados Unidos durante los meses de junio y julio. En el marco del Programa Binacional de Educación Migrante, los educadores participaron en el XX Seminario Nacional de Capacitación del Programa de Intercambio de Maestros México-EU celebrado en Puebla. Fue ahí donde coordinadores estadounidenses realizaron entrevistas y determinaron a los beneficiados que estarán durante el verano en Oregon, California y Minnesota. Los docentes seleccionados para participar en este programa son: Oregón— Brenzy Victoria Uribe Juárez, del nivel primaria, del municipio de Madero; Dulce Carolina Pérez Luviano, del nivel primaria, de Matamoros; Georgina Catalina Barrón Bateman, de preescolar, del municipio de Madero; y Perla Leticia Vargas Mares de educación primaria, de Ciudad Victoria. California— José Jaciel Martínez Hernández, de primarias, del municipio Matamoros; Luis Manuel Garza Aguilar, del nivel primarias, de Ciudad Victoria; así como a Fabiola Guadalupe Martínez Olan, del nivel secundaria, del municipio de Madero. Minnesota— Edgar Alan Zamora Urbina, del nivel secundaria, del municipio de Reynosa. “Los maestros recibie-
ron talleres de capacitación donde obtuvieron herramientas y métodos pedagógicos de enseñanza para impartir en la unión americana con los niños migrantes que van a atender”, señaló María San Juana López Jiménez, Coordinadora Estatal del PROBEM. “Con este programa se propicia el intercambio de experiencias entre los docentes de ambos países sobre su quehacer educativo y fomenta el conocimiento de la historia, la cultura, los valores y las tradiciones nacionales en los alumnos de origen mexicano que radican en los Estados Unidos”. Las áreas que fortalecieron con los talleres fueron matemáticas, inglés, escuela para padres, lecto-escritura, danza, artes plásticas, dirección de grupos corales y actividad física. Los docentes visitantes deberán atender en coordinación y con la supervisión del docente titular de grupo, a niños y jóvenes mexicanos y de origen mexicano, hispanos y de otras nacionalidades debido a la diversidad cultural de la Unión Americana, colaborar en la promoción de las actividades con los padres de familia, participar en actividades comunitarias o extraescolares, coadyuvar en la enseñanza de matemáticas, lecto-escritura, ciencias, historia, cultura mexicana e impartir otras materias que coadyuven a la mejora del logro educativo, de acuerdo con un comunicado de prensa.
DEPORTES
Destacan en competencia
RECOLECCIÓN DE MEDICAMENTOS
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
La Coalición Comunitaria del Condado de Zapata y la DEA realizarán el evento nacional Pill Take Back (recolección de medicamentos) el 30 de abril, de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. en el Palacio de Justicia del Condado de Zapata. Se buscan medicamentos caducos o que ya no se esté utilizando a fin de retirarlos de forma apropiada. Informes en la oficina de SCAN en el 765-3555.
Estudiantes de Zapata County Independent School District destacaron durante su participación en la competencia estatal y regional por levantamiento de pesas llevada a cabo este mes. En la categoría femenil estatal destacó la participación de Alana Montes, quien logró imponerse como campeona de Texas en su división. “Alana logró ubicarse en este sitio por segundo año consecutivo”, se dio a conocer a través de un comu-
nicado. “Ella logró romper todas las marcas y los totales en cada levantamiento”. Montes obtuvo además el premio Best Squat (mejor sentadilla) y el Deadlift (peso muerto) en su clasificación como peso ligero. Montes estudia el 12º grado en Zapata High School. En la categoría femenil también de Zapata destacaron, la estudiante senior, Joeli Castillo, quien quedó en el 12º lugar de su división; y, la sophomore Andrea Guerra, quien quedó en el séptimo sitio en su división.
En la categoría varonil, pero a nivel regional, destacó la participación de los estudiantes del último grado en Zapata High School. Jesse Treviño logró el segundo lugar con 1.045 libras; Mac Gómez se ubicó en el tercer sitio al levantar 1.155 libras; y, Hugo Martínez también logró imponerse en el tercer sitio con 1.595 libras. Treviño, Gómez y Martínez lograron avanzar a la competencia estatal que se realizará el 1 y 2 de abril. Ellos son entrenados por Mario Arce, Verónica Arce, y John Jackson.
Foto de cortesía | ZCISD
En la imagen, en la primera fila, de izquierda a derecha, Hugo Martínez, Joeli Castillo, Alana Montes, Mac Gómez, y Jesse Treviño. En la segunda fila, de izquierda a derecha, los entrenadores Mario Arce, Verónica Arce, y John Jackson.
International
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
Brussels police conducting more raids By JOHN-THOR DAHLBURG AND LORNE COOK ASSOCIATED PRESS
BRUSSELS — Heavily armed police swept into Brussels neighborhoods Friday in operations linked to this week’s bombings as well as a suspected new plot in France, detaining three people and shooting two of them in the leg. One man was carrying a suspicious bag while accompanied by a young girl. As Easter weekend began, jittery Europeans faced uncertainly about how many violent extremists remain at large, and where and when they might strike again. On Friday afternoon, two blasts and gunfire rang out in the Schaerbeek district of Belgium’s capital, where police earlier found explosives and bomb-making material in an apartment used by the suicide attackers who killed 31 people and wounded 270 in assaults on the Brussels airport and subway. Authorities, meanwhile, confirmed one of the attackers at the airport was the bomb-maker who made explosive vests used in last year’s carnage in Paris — the most definitive link yet between the two attacks, both of which have been claimed by the Islamic State group.
On the third and final day of national mourning, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry laid a wreath at the airport for the victims of Tuesday’s bombings — a ceremony that was skipped by Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel because of the police operations. Kerry, in a hastily arranged visit, defended Belgium’s counterterrorism efforts despite a series of security and intelligence failures before the bombings that have brought sharp criticism of top members of Belgium’s embattled government. Authorities believe both the Brussels attacks and the Nov. 13 bombings in Paris that killed 130 people were plotted from Belgium. Confirming that several FBI agents are involved in the investigation, Kerry said the “carping” about Belgium’s shortcomings “is a little bit frantic and inappropriate.” He also lashed out at the Islamic State group. “We will not be deterred,” he said. “We will come back with greater resolve — with greater strength — and we will not rest until we have eliminated your nihilistic beliefs and cowardice from the face of the Earth.” As the identities of the victims began to be made public, officials announced
Photo by Alastair Grant | AP
A member of emergency services puts on protective clothing to investigate the scene in Schaerbeek, Belgium, Friday. that American, British, German, Chinese, Italian, French and Dutch citizens were among the dead. A manhunt has been underway for one of the airport attackers who was recorded on a surveillance video and fled the scene. Prosecutors have not said how many attackers there were in total, or how many accomplices might be at large. But they said Friday that DNA analysis and an official investigation had confirmed one of the suicide bombers at the airport was Najim Laachraoui, 24, a suspected bomb-maker whose DNA was also found on a suicide vest and bomb used in the Paris attacks.
European security officials had earlier in the week confirmed his identity to The Associated Press, thus linking the Brussels and Paris bloodshed. On Friday, dozens of heavily armed officers swept into Brussels’ Schaerbeek neighborhood, as well as the Forest and Saint-Gilles districts, the Belgian federal prosecutor’s office said. It was the second such raid in Schaerbeek in two days. Officers began the operation about 1:30 p.m., when “two big explosions” echoed through Schaerbeek, resident Marie-Pierre Bouvez told the AP, and it lasted about two hours. It was not immediately clear
if the blasts were controlled explosions. Bouvez said police kept the area locked down and shouted at her to “get back inside” when she tried to go into the street. At a tram stop, a man sitting with a young girl and holding a bag was ordered by police “to put the bag far from him,” and after he did so, police shot him twice, hitting him in the leg, said Norman Kabir, a local electrician. The girl was taken into safe custody, and a bomb-squad robot searched the bag, he added. State broadcaster RTBF said police apparently feared the bag held explosives. Schaerbeek district Mayor Bernard Clerfayt told RTBF the raid was linked to the Brussels attacks as well as Thursday’s detention in France of a man authorities said was in the advanced stages of plotting a new attack. The 34-year-old suspect, Reda Kriket, has a past Belgian terrorism conviction and was linked to the suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, officials told the AP. Meanwhile, the top suspect in the Paris bombings, Salah Abdeslam, who was captured in Brussels one week ago, has stopped cooperating with police
and “no longer wants to talk,” said Justice Minister Koen Geens. Abdeslam exercised his right to silence during the second of two rounds of questioning on March 19, prosecutors said. France is seeking his extradition, and his lawyer said he is prepared to go. Elsewhere, Belgium’s nuclear agency said it has withdrawn the entry badges of some staff and denied access to other people recently amid concern the nuclear plants could be a target. Immediately after Tuesday’s attacks, security was boosted around Belgium’s nuclear sites, and hundreds of workers were sent home. Last month, authorities said searches after the Paris attacks uncovered video linked to a person working in Belgium’s nuclear industry. Belgian media reported this week that two of the suicide bombers in the Brussels attacks, brothers Ibrahim and Khalid El Bakraoui, had video of the home of a senior official at the Mol nuclear waste facility in the Flanders region. In the neighborhood of Molenbeek, home to some who took part in the Paris attacks, Sheik Mohamed Tojgani denounced the Brussels bombers during a sermon before Friday prayers.
Stalemate could cost billions By ZEINA KARAM ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Alessandra Tarantino | AP
Pope Francis prays during the celebration of the Lord’s Passion, in St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican Friday.
Pope Francis presides over Good Friday By FRANCES D’EMILIO ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROME — Pope Francis at the traditional Good Friday cross procession denounced those committing “terrorist acts” while profaning God’s name and decried “cowardly silence” over the barbarous killing of Christians. Francis also renewed his condemnation of what he has called indifference and inhospitality to those risking their lives in unseaworthy smugglers’ boats in hopes of finding refuge on European shores from war and other violence. Evoking the image of Jesus on the cross, Francis said: ‘’we see you in the faces of children, of women and people, worn out and fearful, who flee war and violence and who often only find death” and people who refuse to deal with them. Francis called the Mediterranean and Aegean Seas, two major routes for refugees and migrants, “insatiable cemeteries, reflections of our indifferent and anesthetized conscience.” In reference to deadly extremist attacks in Europe, Iraq and elsewhere, Francis denounced “expressions of fundamentalism” and ‘’terrorist acts committed by followers of some religions which profane the name of God and which use the holy name to justify their unprecedented violence.” Earlier in the week, Francis called the deadly attacks at a Brussels
metro station and airport “criminal abominations.” Wearing a long white coat against the evening’s chill, Francis had presided over a torch-lit procession at the ancient Roman arena, a symbol of early Christian martyrdom. Again, suggesting the image of Jesus’ dying on the cross, Francis said: ‘’We see you raised up in our sisters and brothers killed, burned alive, throats slit and decapitated by barbarous blades amid cowardly silence.” Throughout his papacy, Francis has repeatedly lamented the persecution and killing of Christians for their faith by extremists in the Middle East. In his prayer ending the Colosseum service, he said the ‘’certainty” of God’s love won’t be obscured by ‘’the apparent victory of evil.” The Good Friday service drew thousands of pilgrims and Romans who patiently submitted to security checks, part of stepped-up measures across much of Europe after the Brussels attacks. Hours before the pope arrived, police led explosives-detecting dogs through inspections inside and outside the Colosseum. Later, police waved metal-detecting wands across the faithful and searched their bags and knapsacks. Another security challenge comes on Sunday, when tens of thousands of people are expected in St. Peter’s Square for Easter Mass celebrated by the pope.
BEIRUT — Hundreds of millions of dollars in assistance money for cashstrapped Lebanon is being held up because of the country’s nearly two-yearold political stalemate, the president of the World Bank group warned Friday, imploring the country’s politicians to vote for a president who can enact laws. In an interview with The Associated Press in the Lebanese capital Beirut, Jim Yong Kim also said the World Bank, which pulled out of Syria in 2011, is getting ready to move as quickly as possible to contribute to the rebuilding of the warravaged country if and when the fighting stops. But he said battling extremism is going to be complicated. Kim is on a two-day joint visit to Lebanon with the U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Islamic Development Bank Group President Ahmad Mohamed Ali Al-Madani to get a firsthand look at the impact of the Syrian crisis and to assess how the combined
strengths of the prove the quality of three organizaits education and tions can best supachieve universal port the country. school enrolment On Friday, he for Lebanese and traveled to northSyrian refugee chilern Lebanon to dren by the end of visit a social dethe 2016-17 school velopment center year. KIM that provides Most of that health, nutrition and social money, however, has been services to extremely poor held up because Lebanon households, and an infor- has been without a presimal tented settlement for dent since May 2014, as lawSyrian refugees. makers repeatedly failed to “It’s always jarring to see agree on a consensus presihow difficult the situation dent, and parliament rarely is for these families,” he meets. said. In the interview, Kim Lebanon is home to more said the World Bank has exthan 1 million registered tensive plans to support LeSyrian refugees, or nearly a banon in developing proquarter of the country’s 4.5 jects, including helping million people. Lebanon build a special economic says that another half a mil- zone in Tripoli, near the lion Syrians live in the Syrian border, which can be country as well and officials a major supplier to Syria say their presence has gen- once the fighting ends. But erated a severe burden that everything is being held up. Lebanon is no longer able “This is really a very to face alone. strong message that I want The World Bank has to give to the Lebanese peosigned agreements worth ple, that there are real costs $900 million with Lebanon to the dysfunction of these and on Thursday an- governmental institutions nounced a new $100 million in Lebanon and the cost is initiative aimed at support- in money not moving diing the government to im- rectly to communities,”
Kim warned. “And we’re not talking about a few tens of millions of dollars, we’re talking about billions of dollars.” “We really urge everyone in Lebanon to push and push and push so that the government begins to function again,” he added. Kim also said that much of the instability and radical extremism the world is seeing now goes back to the lack of education and job opportunities, and that the key was in development projects and economic growth to reduce the likelihood of young people being radicalized. “Fighting extremism is not simplistic, it’s going to be complicated,” he said, adding that the World Bank and its partners were going to do everything possible to work on economic growth and development projects. “That’s why we’re here, that’s why we’ve put a billion on the table right now with the possibility for billions more over time,” he said. “We just need to have a partner, we need to have a partner here in the government.”
Egypt frees detained youth By HAMZA HENDAWI ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAIRO — An Egyptian youth released Friday after two years in detention for wearing a T-shirt with a slogan against torture described his imprisonment as “very cruel” and said one challenge he must immediately tackle was to grow accustomed again to being among people. Mahmoud Mohammed Ahmed, 20, was freed from a Cairo police station in the morning, more than 12 hours after a Cairo court upheld another tribunal’s order to release him, according to his brother and one of his lawyers. The prosecution had appealed the earlier ruling, they said. Wearing a white T-shirt, matching pants and baseball cap, Ahmed stepped out of the station to a warm and noisy welcome by his brother, Tarek Mohammed Ahmed, and a small crowd of about 40 lawyers, rights activists and friends. Mahmoud was 18 and a high school student when he was arrested on Jan. 25, 2014 — the third anniversary of the uprising that toppled autocrat Hosni Mubarak. The day saw deadly
Photo by Mohamed el Raai | AP
Egyptian activist Mahmoud Mohammed Ahmed, left, smiles next to his brother Tito Tarek, right, after his release. street clashes between police and protesters. He was detained at a police checkpoint north of Cairo as he made his way home after taking part in street protests marking the occasion. Another youth accused in the same case, 24-year-old Islam Talaat, was also released Friday. Police accused Mahmoud of taking part in unauthorized demonstrations, possession of explosives and paying money on behalf of
the now-banned Muslim Brotherhood group to others to take part in protests. He was never formally charged, but the case against him remains pending despite his release. When arrested, he was wearing a T-shirt with the slogan “A nation without torture,” something that turned his case into a cause celebre for Egyptian rights activists campaigning for an end to police abuses. He also wore a scarf that bore
the date of the start of the 2011 uprising: January 25. His brother and one of his lawyers, Mukhtar Munir, have maintained that Mahmoud was tortured in the early stages of his detention and deprived of many of his rights. He had leg surgery in 2010 for a condition stemming from a bad childhood fall. In detention, the leg’s condition deteriorated for lack of adequate medical attention, they said. He now limps and walks slowly, using a cane for support. “My experience was very cruel,” he told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. “I put up with it because of my brother and everyone else who has been demanding my freedom. But, I am not a hero. I am nothing.” He said his first day in freedom filled him with “disbelief.” “Realistically, I am still in shock about everything that happened today. I feel like a stranger in my own home. I must learn to live with people again after I spent so much time alone,” he said. He will soon undergo corrective surgery on his leg, rejoin school and, according to him, take an arts major in college.
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
THE WEEK IN REVIEW WEEKLY STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS
d
d
NYSE 10,086.60-136.82
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name Last Chg NQ Mobile 4.88 +1.12 Valspar 105.88 +22.05 PepcoHold 26.93 +4.96 AmrRlty 5.09 +.93 SwEBioFu23 9.17 +1.67 NY&Co 3.71 +.60 Willbros 2.08 +.31 ValeantPh 31.09 +4.11 Inphi 33.51 +4.31 CVR Ptrs 7.90 +.90
%Chg +29.8 +26.3 +22.6 +22.4 +22.3 +19.3 +17.5 +15.2 +14.8 +12.9
NASDAQ 4,773.51 -22.14
GAINERS ($2 OR MORE) Name Last Chg %Chg CodeReb n 3.28 +1.03 +45.8 Vericel 6.08 +1.47 +31.9 Tecogen 5.87 +1.39 +31.0 TownSprts 2.41 +.57 +31.0 Akorn hlf 24.37 +5.52 +29.3 BridgfdFds 13.46 +2.96 +28.2 AdmaBio 7.29 +1.50 +25.9 CarverBcp 4.40 +.88 +25.0 CTI Inds 6.15 +1.22 +24.7 Breitbrn pf 9.00 +1.76 +24.3
Last Chg %Chg Name Last Chg %Chg 2.86 -1.05 -26.9 PortolaPh 20.27 -8.23 -28.9 29.00 -10.00 -25.6 CombMt rs 4.11 -1.23 -23.0 2.76 -.81 -22.7 TerraFm n 2.57 -.71 -21.6 2.73 -.73 -21.1 TandemD 7.90 -2.11 -21.1 8.99 -2.40 -21.1 InfinityPh 5.06 -1.28 -20.2 18.75 -4.48 -19.3 Cellectar rs 3.96 -.98 -19.8 2.25 -.53 -19.1 UranmRs rs 2.46 -.58 -19.1 54.61 -11.71 -17.7 SigmaDsg 6.31 -1.44 -18.6 2.03 -.43 -17.5 CalumetSp 11.33 -2.55 -18.4 2.53 -.53 -17.3 Amaya g 11.71 -2.60 -18.2
MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name Vol (00) BkofAm 3757068 SunEdison 2226626 ValeantPh 1860241 FrptMcM 1624874 Pfizer 1476540 FordM 1144635 MarathnO 1085443 Vale SA 1062285 GenElec 1058080 ChesEng 1055429
Last Chg 13.68 -.11 1.21 -.92 31.09 +4.11 10.11 -.65 30.08 +.63 13.06 -.58 10.29 -1.34 4.04 -.13 31.11 +.19 4.25 -.66
Name Vol (00) Last Chg Apple Inc 1178833105.67 -.25 SiriusXM 1089701 3.87 -.08 Microsoft 843715 54.21 +.72 MicronT 835257 10.50 -.64 Cisco 820428 27.96 -.37 OfficeDpt 781524 6.91 +1.15 Intel 763696 31.88 -.80 Facebook 724090113.05 +1.60 Mondelez 538047 39.51 -1.23 Staples 514950 10.76 +.88
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
Volume
1,072 2,101 162 27 3,237 64 13,491,343,284
Dow Jones industrials Close: 17,515.73 1-week change: -86.57 (-0.5%) 18,000
21.57
MON
-41.30
TUES
STOCK MARKET INDEXES -79.98
WED
13.14 CLOSED
THUR
FRI
17,000
DIARY Advanced Declined New Highs New Lows Total issues Unchanged
1,016 1,953 99 91 3,041 72 6,452,558,296
Volume
52-Week High Low 18,351.36 9,176.20 664.58 11,254.87 5,231.94 2,134.72 1,551.28 22,537.15 1,296.00 6,803.00
16,000
15,370.33 6,403.31 539.96 8,937.99 4,209.76 1,810.10 1,215.14 18,462.43 943.09 5,394.93
Name
Last
Dow Jones Industrials 17,515.73 Dow Jones Transportation 7,926.02 Dow Jones Utilities 660.20 NYSE Composite 10,086.60 Nasdaq Composite 4,773.51 S&P 500 2,035.94 S&P MidCap 1,413.86 Wilshire 5000 20,914.77 Russell 2000 1,079.54 Lipper Growth Index 6,038.56
MONEY RATES Last
15,000
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LOSERS ($2 OR MORE)
LOSERS ($2 OR MORE) Name NoAtlDrl rs BS IBM96 VivintSolar BasicEnSv DorianLPG ChesEn pfD DianaShip DxGBull rs PionEnSvc FairmSant
WEEKLY DOW JONES
STOCKS OF LOCAL INTEREST Last
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg
Name
Ex
Div
AT&T Inc AEP BkofAm B iPVixST Caterpillar CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil Dillards DirDGldBr EmpIca ExxonMbl FordM FrptMcM GenElec GtBasSci rs HP Inc HomeDp iShEMkts Intel IntlBcsh
NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY Nasd Nasd
1.92 38.88 +.32 +0.8 +13.0 2.24 65.06 +.27 +0.4 +11.7 .20 13.68 -.11 -0.8 -18.7 ... 19.30 -.05 -0.3 -4.0 3.08 75.29 -.18 -0.2 +10.8 1.98 80.98 +.98 +1.2 +14.4 ... 17.14 +.84 +5.2 -35.4 1.00 40.04 -2.98 -6.9 -14.2 .28 81.67 -6.07 -6.9 +24.3 ... 3.59 +.45 +14.3 -78.3 ... 1.03 +.05 +5.1 +33.8 2.92 83.98 -.22 -0.3 +7.7 .60 13.06 -.58 -4.3 -7.3 ... 10.11 -.65 -6.0 +49.3 .92 31.11 +.19 +0.6 -.1 ... .20 +.04 +22.5 -79.1 .50 12.07 -.11 -0.9 +1.9 2.76 130.46 -.89 -0.7 -1.4 .84 33.36 -.67 -2.0 +3.6 1.04 31.88 -.80 -2.4 -7.5 .58 24.45 -.86 -3.4 -4.9
Last
Wk Wk YTD Chg %Chg%Chg
Name
Ex
Div
IBM Lowes Lubys MktVGold MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine Penney S&P500ETF SanchezEn Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SonyCp SunEdison UnionPac USSteel UnivHlthS ValeantPh WalMart WellsFargo
NY NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY Nasd NY NY NY NY NY NY NY NY
5.20 147.95 +.86 +0.6 +7.5 1.12 74.77 -.16 -0.2 -1.7 ... 4.98 +.03 +0.6 +11.4 .12 19.46 -1.15 -5.6 +41.8 1.50 42.30 -2.43 -5.4 -12.3 1.81 17.30 -.47 -2.6 +4.1 1.44 54.21 +.72 +1.3 -2.3 ... 10.49 +.46 +4.6 +15.9 ... 10.91 -.66 -5.7 +63.8 4.13 203.12 -1.26 -0.6 -.4 ... 5.18 -.51 -9.0 +20.2 2.00 72.58 -.94 -1.3 +4.1 ... 15.00 -1.09 -6.8 -27.0 ... 25.47 -.80 -3.0 +3.5 ... 1.21 -.92 -43.2 -76.2 2.20 80.92 -3.50 -4.1 +3.5 .20 15.78 +.02 +0.1 +97.7 .40 117.91 +1.26 +1.1 -1.3 ... 31.09 +4.11 +15.2 -69.4 2.00 68.00 +1.05 +1.6 +10.9 1.50 48.90 -1.64 -3.2 -10.0
Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week. Gainers and Losers must be worth at least $2 to be listed in tables at left. Most Actives must be worth at least $1. Volume in hundreds of shares. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.
Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year
Wk Chg -86.57 -149.67 +1.66 -136.82 -22.14 -13.64 -15.94 -182.03 -22.13 -27.76
Wk YTD %Chg %Chg -.49 -1.85 +.25 -1.34 -.46 -.67 -1.11 -.86 -2.01 -.46
12-mo %Chg
+.52 +5.56 +14.26 -.56 -4.67 -.39 +1.09 -1.20 -4.96 -5.67
-.92 -8.66 +14.46 -7.17 -1.85 -.98 -5.86 -3.99 -12.37 -6.28
CURRENCIES Pvs Week
3.50 1.00 .25-.50 0.28 0.44 1.39 1.91 2.67
Last
Pvs Day
3.50 Australia 1.3287 1.3283 1.00 Britain 1.4163 1.4117 .25-.50 Canada 1.3248 1.3210 Euro .8947 .8942 0.28 Japan 112.81 112.39 0.46 Mexico 17.6308 17.5773 1.37 Switzerlnd .9755 .9751 1.90 2.69 British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.
MUTUAL FUNDS Name
Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV
Total Return/Rank Pct Min Init 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt
AB GlbThmtGrA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SwreITSvcs d Fidelity Select Tech d T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard 500Adml Vanguard HlthCare Vanguard InstIdxI Vanguard InstPlus Vanguard TotStIAdm Vanguard TotStIdx Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m
WS 450 ST 2,594 SH 878 SH 9,727 SF 310 ST 169 ST 388 SF 86 ST 1,338 SF 1,044 ST 2,972 ST 2,777 ST 2,854 LB 147,060 SH 10,653 LB 100,777 LB 85,519 LB 121,424 LB 92,482 ST 2,814
+7.5 +7.1 +0.9 -0.4 +9.4 +3.9 +8.7 +4.6 +9.2 +6.7 +6.5 +7.3 +6.7 +5.7 +0.9 +5.7 +5.7 +5.9 +5.9 +5.4
82.76 54.74 10.58 163.23 58.54 27.61 67.44 11.39 74.95 79.21 117.16 114.38 32.74 187.73 194.56 185.88 185.89 50.30 50.28 12.13
-8.3/C +1.3/A -14.7/B -34.3/E -17.4/E -11.1/E -14.0/E -13.6/E -3.0/B -10.1/C +3.0/A -3.1/C -1.5/B -0.5/A -9.1/A -0.5/A -0.5/A -2.8/C -2.9/C -18.9/E
+1.3/E +10.8/B +15.6/D +22.4/A +5.0/D +2.0/E +6.0/E +9.9/B +11.9/A +6.6/C +15.2/A +9.0/C +9.9/B +11.6/A +18.1/B +11.6/A +11.6/A +11.0/B +10.9/B +9.1/C
4.25 2,500 5.75 2,000 5.75 1,000 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 10,000 NL 3,000 NL5,000,000 NL200,000,000 NL 10,000 NL 3,000 5.75 750
CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - MidCap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.
Spending, building fuels modest US growth By MARTIN CRUTSINGER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Consumer spending and home construction are helping sustain modest U.S. economic growth despite problems caused by a strong dollar, low oil prices and an excess of business stockpiles. The economy, as measured by the gross domestic product, grew at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the October-December period, the government said Friday. That was better than the 1 percent growth rate the government had estimated a month ago. Much of the new-found strength came from consumer spending on services such as recreation, which helped offset a manufacturing slump caused in part by a global economic slowdown. “The consumer and housing are driving the economy despite some nasty headwinds,” said Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight. “Manufacturing for all intents and purposes is in a recession, whereas the service sectors are doing fairly well and housing has been a bright spot.” Nearly two-thirds of the upward revision in GDP came from the boost in consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of economic activity. Analysts were encouraged by the revised fourth-quarter estimate, saying it provided momentum for the rest of the year, when they expect growth to reach a stronger if stillmodest 2 percent annual rate. “Real economic growth was stronger than we thought late last year, and this makes us more
Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast | AP
In this 2012 photo, a worker at the Ford Stamping Plant moves a stack of Lincoln MKS body sides in Chicago Heights, Ill. The economy grew at a 1.4 percent annual rate in the October-December period, the government said Friday. hopeful that the first quarter will be better than expected,” said Chris Rupkey, chief economist at MUFG Union Bank in New York. Economists say that steady job growth will support further gains in spending and help ease the pressures from overseas. The rise in the dollar’s value has contributed to a higher trade deficit by making U.S. exports more expensive overseas and imports less expensive for Americans. Another source of weakness has come from the drop in oil prices, which has triggered layoffs at energy companies and sharp reductions in investment spending on drilling and exploration. Friday’s report showed that res-
idential investment grew at an annual rate of 10.1 percent in the October-December quarter. That surge helped offset a 2.1 percent drop in nonresidential investment resulting in part from the cutbacks at energy companies. Trade subtracted 0.14 percentage point from growth in the fourth quarter. This was slightly less than previously thought because the weakness in exports was less than previously estimated. A slowdown in inventory building cut 0.2 percentage point from growth. Economists say this drag has continued into the current quarter. The estimated growth of GDP — the nation’s total output of
goods and services — was the government’s third and final look at economic expansion for the October-December quarter. The areas of weakness contributed to a 7.8 percent plunge in corporate profits in the fourth quarter after a 1.6 percent drop in the third quarter. Fourth quarter profits were down 11.5 percent from a year earlier — the steepest annual drop since 30.8 percent plunge in the fourth quarter of 2008 at the depths of the financial crisis. Though profit declines of that magnitude can raise concerns about a possible recession, Behravesh said they were heavily influenced by the weakness in the en-
ergy sector. Nearly 80 percent of the $159.6 billion profit decline in the fourth quarter came from a plunge in profits in the petroleum and coal sectors. “The profit decline was way overstated by the weakness in energy,” Behravesh said. “We are not in a recession, and we are not headed for one. We think a recession this year or even next year is a low probability of only 20 percent.” Behravesh said he foresees annualized GDP growth in the current January-March quarter of around 1.5 percent, with gradual strengthening as the weakness from low energy prices and paring of stockpile levels wanes. He predicted that growth in the second and third quarters would be around 2.5 percent and then rise to around 3 percent by the final three months of this year. This month, the Federal Reserve left its key policy rate unchanged after having raised it from a record low in December. Fed officials also scaled back their expectations for the number of rate hikes this year from four to two. The officials said they thought the global economy and financial markets still pose risks even though financial markets have stabilized since the year began. Stocks had nosedived after investors worried about how steep the slowdown would be in China, the world’s second-largest economy. Analysts have forecast that for 2016 as a whole, the economy will grow around 2 percent. That would be down from 2.4 percent growth for all of 2015, a figure that was not revised in Friday’s report.
Drone delivers package Asian stocks higher to residential area in holiday trading By SCOTT SONNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
RENO, Nev. — A drone has successfully delivered a package to a residential location in a small Nevada town in what its maker and the governor of the state said Friday was the first fully autonomous urban drone delivery in the U.S. Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeney said the six-rotor drone flew about a half-mile along a pre-programmed delivery route on March 10 and lowered the package outside a vacant residence in an uninhabited area of Hawthorne, southeast of Reno. The route was established using GPS. A pilot and visual observers were on standby during the flight but weren’t needed, Sweeney said. He said the package included bottled water, food and a first-aid kit. “Conducting the first drone delivery in an urban setting is a major achievement, taking us closer to the
day that drones make regular deliveries to your front doorstep,” Sweeney said. Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval congratulated the company “on successfully completing the nation’s first fully autonomous urban package delivery.” “I am thrilled that Flirtey is not only testing its cutting-edge technology in Nevada, but also creating jobs through its headquarters relocation to Reno,” Sandoval said in a statement. NASA is working with the drone industry and the Federal Aviation Administration on a low-altitude air traffic control system to prevent crashes involving drones and other low-altitude aircraft. Flirtey conducted the first FAA-approved, rural drone delivery in July to a rural health care clinic in Virginia. The Nevada delivery demonstrates that advanced drone systems allow aerial vehicles to safely navigate around buildings and deliv-
er packages with precision within a populated area, Sweeney said. The company recently moved its headquarters from Australia to Nevada. It said the recent delivery was filmed for an upcoming ABC-TV documentary. Hawthorne, a town of about 3,000 people, is the home of the Hawthorne Army Depot. Flirtey has been conducting research and development through a partnership with the Nevada Advanced Autonomous Systems Innovation Center at the University of Nevada, Reno. Nevada is one of six states the FAA has designated as unmanned aircraft systems test sites. “This was by far one of the most successful (unmanned aircraft systems) operations we ran and represents an advanced level of test and development ... by Flirtey,” said Chris Walach, director of operations for the FAA-designated Nevada site.
By YOUKYUNG LEE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEOUL, South Korea — The few Asian stock markets that were trading Friday mostly advanced, with shares in Tokyo and Shanghai up and Seoul stocks slightly lower. Financial markets in Europe, the United States and most of Asia were closed for the Good Friday holiday. KEEPING SCORE: Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 0.7 percent to 17,002.75. South Korea’s Kospi edged down 0.1 percent at 1,983.81. China’s Shanghai Composite Index traded 0.6 percent higher at 2,979.43. Markets in Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Indonesia and India that were closed for the Good Friday holiday will remain closed until Monday for Easter. CHINA GROWTH: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Thursday at an
annual forum in China that the country will maintain medium-high growth and it has many tools to turn the economy around. Chinese leaders have set an economic growth target of 6.5 to 7 percent for this year. THE QUOTE: “Although by most standards the market is running quiet, a recent shift in global investor sentiment has been beneficial for China,” Stephen Innes, senior foreign exchange trader at OANDA Asia Pacific, said in a daily commentary. “The long-term prospects are still muddled however. Capital outflows will be a concern along with China’s struggling economy.” WALL STREET: The U.S. stock market closed nearly unchanged on Thursday in very light trading ahead of the Easter holiday weekend. The Dow rose 0.1 percent to 17,515.73. The S&P 500
index slipped 0.04 percent to 2,035.94. The Nasdaq added 0.1 percent to 4,773.50. CURRENCIES: The dollar rose after some Fed bank presidents earlier this week made public comments that suggested the pace of rate hikes might not be slowed after all. The dollar strengthened to 113.02 yen from 112.79 yen. The euro fell to $1.1169 from $1.1180. OIL: Due to the Good Friday holiday, there were no settlements for crude oil futures. On Thursday, benchmark U.S. crude fell 33 cents, or 0.8 percent, to close at $39.46 a barrel in New York. Oil prices closed lower again as concerns over excess supplies returned following the latest U.S. stockpiles data. Brent crude, the benchmark for international oils, added 1 cent to $40.45 a barrel in London.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
DEPORT Continued from Page 1A particular, we’re still operating in what I call the ’80s," she said. “We’ve got the resources to now bring the agency in terms of technology, into the 21st century.” The exchange between Pamerleau and Garcia came after the sheriff testified that the federal government’s Priority Enforcement Program, or PEP, has likely led to more criminal aliens being released. Under PEP, which launched in November 2014, ICE determines whether an undocumented immigrant held in a county jail should be turned over to its custody for possible deportation. It is designed to use ICE’s limited resources to ferret out repeat offenders or what government officials have called “the worst of the worst.” It replaced an earlier program, Secure Communities, which defined deportable immigrants in broader terms and was often criticized for targeting non-violent undocumented immigrants. “The bottom line for us is that significantly fewer individuals are being detained today than just two years ago,” she said. Pamerleau said that overall jail population dropped 10 percent from 2013 to 2015. But she said detainers dropped by 50 percent and cited what she called a “snapshot” of her jail’s population on Monday to put the new policy in perspective On Monday we had 90 individuals that were on ICE detainers,” she said. “Fifty two percent of them had had previous serious criminal activity.” During the hearing state Sen. Brian Birdwell, RGranbury, said that detainers are not honored because local jurisdictions might have policies that prevent them from enforcing immigration laws, referring to the controversial sanctuary city designation that’s drawn the ire of several Republicans. “There may be a reason a detainer is not acted upon but it’s because there is some other legal action not simply willfully neglect of the sheriff,” he said. Jackson County Sheriff Andy A.J. Louderback, the former president of the Sheriffs’ Association of Texas, agreed with Pamerleau and said the PEP was hamstringing law enforcement. He said the committee only touched on a small portion of what’s wrong with the new system. “Here’s what Texas sheriffs are concerned about: People are entering the country illegally and they are committing crimes. They are being deported or not being deported. They might be a priority or they might not be,” he said. “What was discussed in there today was only a small sample of exactly how many [criminal] charges are not going to be a priority. So if you want to drill down deeper, there are a lot of ways a person can commit a crime … and not become a priority.”
E-VERIFY Continued from Page 1A ises to crack down on illegal immigration, operates on the honor system, other states back up their laws with harsh penalties for non-compliance. For example, Virginia prohibits an employer from contracting with the state for a year if they don’t comply with the state’s E-Verify law. Georgia performs annual audits to make sure contractors are complying. And in Mississippi, penalties for noncompliance include canceling public contracts and revoking a busi-
ness license for up to a year. Schwertner didn’t seem concerned about the lack of oversight in his bill, but he did say lawmakers could modify the law if that’s needed next year. “At this point, I have no reason to suspect our state agencies would have any difficulty following SB 374’s clear directive to utilize the federal E-Verify system when hiring new state employees,” he said in an email. “As with all new policy changes, the legislature
will continue to monitor the implementation of SB 374, and if additional changes are needed to insure compliance, I’m sure we’ll address those concerns in the upcoming session." Abbott, who supported SB 374 during the 84th Legislature, said he stands by the legislation. “Gov. Abbott supports the law, and expects state agencies to comply with it,” spokesperson John Wittman said. Schwertner’s bill did expand the scope of Perry’s
requirement to include all state agencies and not just those under the direction of the governor. It didn’t include the provision covering contractors and subcontractors but that issue was addressed this month by an opinion issued by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. Paxton ruled contractors and subcontractors hired by executive agencies must also comply with E-Verify. Even without an enforcement provision, analysts argue that the legislation mandating E-Verify use
provides enough of a deterrent. “Well on the one hand, it would be ideal to have some kind of enforcement mechanism,” said Jessica Vaughan, the director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington-based think tank that takes a hard-line approach to illegal immigration. “But by simply requiring the use of E-Verify itself, then you are going to get many agencies doing their due diligence that weren’t before.”
LABORERS Continued from Page 1A penalize offenders. Among the Statesman’s findings: The state agency responsible for inspecting migrant farmworker housing, the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs, hasn’t levied a single enforcement action against operators of migrant farmworker facilities, even after they fail inspections. State law spells out a high threshold for enforcement action, resulting in zero fines since at least 2005. Because they don’t actively look for them, Texas regulators have failed to uncover numerous unlicensed housing facilities and bring them into compliance. The result: an estimated nine in 10 migrant farmworkers lack access to licensed facilities. While other agricultural states spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to ensure safe and sanitary conditions at facilities for migrant farmworkers, Texas lawmakers provide no funding for the program. Last year, the housing department spent less than $2,500 on it. Inspections are conducted by manufactured housing division workers. Throughout the Panhandle and West Texas, motels often serve as housing of last resort for farmworkers. Yet Texas appears to have surveyed only a single motel since 2001. Other states, such as Indiana and Michigan, regularly inspect motels that house farmworkers. “We have an agency that doesn’t go out and look, that doesn’t catch people out of compliance, so there is no incentive even to get a permit,” said Daniela Dwyer, head of the farmworker program at Texas RioGrande Legal Aid Inc., which represented farm-
workers in Van Horn. The state housing agency inspected 41 facilities in 2015, with a capacity for about 3,750 workers and family members. More than half of that capacity, however, is in two apartment complexes in the Rio Grande Valley, where most farmworkers have permanent housing rather than the temporary, seasonal accommodations the state law envisioned. That means only a fraction of the state’s transitory farmworker population found room at a state-licensed and inspected facility. Estimates of the number of such workers vary widely: A 2012 consultant’s estimate of 34,000 counts only farmworkers in 49 of the state’s 254 counties and is considered low by advocacy groups. The National Center for Farmworker Health estimates Texas has more than 200,000 agricultural workers (455,000 counting family members), not including those who work off the books. Joe Garcia, executive director of the state agency’s Manufactured Housing Division, called the larger task of finding unlicensed farmworker housing in Texas nearly impossible, adding that inspectors “get a lot done” with no funding. “As critical and important as it is, it’s very difficult to be proactive,” he said. “Housing units potentially serving migrant labor are typically isolated and far out of sight from the highway and located on private property, which inhibits further inquiry,” agency spokesman Gordon Anderson said. But advocates point out that the agency also doesn’t try that hard. Dwyer said her organization finds problem housing by going to places where farmwork-
ers gather, such as food pantries, churches and laundromats, or contacting Head Start providers and migrant health providers — outreach the housing department doesn’t perform. One sign: State officials were unaware of any complaints from the public regarding farmworker housing, considered key in locating unlicensed housing. States such as Wisconsin employ full-time outreach workers who forward problems to inspectors. And critics say the agency doesn’t check up on facilities that drop out of its licensing program. Roman Ramos, who conducts farmworker outreach for RioGrande Legal Aid, said that in 2015 he saw at least two housing facilities with expired licenses in operation. A Statesman review of inspection reports also revealed lax enforcement when inspectors discovered problems, a finding that has already led to changes within the agency. After the newspaper inquired about a facility in the South Plains that received passing grades in 2014 and 2015 despite having the same five so-called deviations (including unsanitary mattresses, screens in poor condition and lack of first aid kits), state officials said they would stop issuing licenses based on promises to fix issues. “I did tell (inspectors)
we needed to discontinue the practice,” Garcia said. “As a general rule, it’s better to say everything has to be checked off the list.” Garcia defended the lack of fines and penalties, saying overly aggressive enforcement could cause growers to close down facilities, resulting in even fewer housing options. State Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr. said the state must do more to find unlicensed facilities and suggested implementing stiff fines for operators who fail to register. The Brownsville Democrat said the current level of enforcement “questions the state’s resolve.” “I am truly shocked,” Lucio said. “It is clear the licensing and inspection system needs to be improved.” The Van Horn lawsuit was settled for undisclosed terms. In court filings, the company said housing was made available to the workers, but that nobody was forced to accept it, and the shipping containers weren’t offered up as dwellings. Even though AJK Enterprises admitted to housing farmworkers without a license, state regulators took no follow-up enforcement action. In March 2014, inspectors found nine deficiencies, but two months later the company passed and today remains on the state-licensed migrant housing list. In June 2012, Ernesto
Garza, 35, left his home in the Rio Grande Valley town of Pharr and traveled 300 miles to the border city of Eagle Pass for the summer watermelon packing season. But when he saw the house his employers had arranged for him and his family of seven, he was disgusted. “At night you could hear rats scratching up against the wall,” he said. The house had holes in the kitchen walls, black mildew or mold in the bathroom and rotting floorboards family members feared they would fall through, according to a lawsuit filed earlier this year. Garza said his then-4year-old son developed a “nasty” rash due to flooddamaged carpeting in the house. The house wasn’t inspected by state officials, even though attorneys said it fit the definition of migrant farmworker housing and so should have been regulated. “I never knew that was a requirement,” Garza said. When he complained to his employer, Garza said, he was told to find alternative housing himself. But with his long work hours, unfamiliarity with the city and lack of money for a deposit, he was unsuccessful. Decent housing is often hard to come by for migratory farmworkers, especially in rural areas with little infrastructure.
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors MLB: ALEX RODRIGUEZ
NCAA MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT
Pursuing the HR record
Elite 8 teams learn from memories By TERESA M. WALKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Losing in the NCAA Tournament is downright painful. Several teams still in the hunt for the title are using the unpleasant memories of the past as good lessons that have helped them move into the Elite Eight. The Villanova Wildcats know the misery well. They lost their second game each of the past two tournaments, while their seniors were around for an opening loss in 2013. Rather than letting those memories haunt them, the Wildcats adjusted and reached the Elite Eight for the first time
See LESSONS PAGE 2B
Photo by Orlin Wagner | AP
Buddy Hield and Oklahoma are in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009 after beating Texas A&M 77-63 in the West semifinal.
NCAA WOMEN’S BASKETBALL: TEXAS LONGHORNS
File photo by Frank Franklin II | AP
Back from exile and a force in the Yankees’ lineup at age 40, Alex Rodriguez is 75 home runs from tying Barry Bonds’ career record. He has two seasons remaining in his contract with New York.
TEXAS RETURNS TO SWEET 16
A-Rod 75 HRs away from record By RONALD BLUM ASSOCIATED PRESS
TAMPA, Fla. — Alex Rodriguez plants his right foot in the batter’s box, takes a swing, steps in and taps the plate. His name is announced, and fans respond with 7 seconds of applause. After two years as a scoundrel, he’s once again a star in the minds’ of many New York Yankees fans. One year after his return from a drug suspension, ARod is approaching the home run marks of Babe
Ruth, Hank Aaron and Barry Bonds. He hit 33 last year, his most since 2010, and enters this season with 687, just 75 from matching Bonds’ record. “I know he gets there in three years,” Yankees great Reggie Jackson said. “I think it would be shocking if he got there in two.” A-Rod says he plans to retire after the 2017. But he also says he could change his mind. Surpassing Bonds could be too alluring. Last spring, Rodriguez’s name was absent from
items in the Yankees’ gift shops as the team prepared to fight over a $6 million marketing payment triggered by his 660th home run — matching Willie Mays’ total. This March, blue Rodriguez batting practice jerseys that cost $129.95 sold out at Steinbrenner Field, and team doesn’t appear to anticipate a dispute if A-Rod reaches the next payment level for matching Ruth at 714. Rodriguez turns 41 this
See A-ROD PAGE 2B
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Crawford ending great NBA career By BRIAN MAHONEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
SECAUCUS, N.J. — After nearly four decades making the toughest calls in the biggest games, Joe Crawford faced one he hoped to avoid. It was early November, and his arthritic right knee wasn’t getting better. He wanted to get through one final season, but not at less than his best. At 64, he wasn’t going to keep up with NBA players while dragging around one leg. “I tried to rehab a little bit but I knew it was over,” Crawford said. And what a career it was. Crawford officiated more than 2,500 games in the regular season and another 344 in the playoffs. He has worked more postseason and NBA Finals games than any current official. Now the fiery Crawford, who grew up in an officiating family and wanted to
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Ariel Atkins, left, and the second-seeded Longhorns are in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year and face UCLA Saturday.
Longhorns face UCLA on Saturday ASSOCIATED PRESS
File photo by David J. Phillip | AP
Joey Crawford, left, will end one of basketball’s great officiating careers watching games after being sidelined by knee surgery. be an NBA referee for as long as he can remember, gets emotional thinking about the end. “When I was 18 I started doing grade school stuff and then all of a sudden it stops and you’re like, ’Wow, what do I do now?,”’ he said Friday at the NBA’s
Replay Center. “It’s not as easy as I thought. I thought it was going to be a little easier. But you’re constantly talking to yourself: ’Turn the page, it’s somebody else’s turn.’ But in reality you’re
See CRAWFORD PAGE 2B
BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — Texas and UCLA bring two rising programs into their NCAA regional semifinal Saturday. The second-seeded Longhorns (30-4) are in the Sweet 16 for the second consecutive year. The Bruins (26-8) have the nation’s second-longest postseason winning streak after winning the WNIT a year ago. Texas has been steadily improving in the four years Karen Aston has been coach. After missing
the NCAA Tournament in her first season, the Longhorns won a first-round game in 2014 and last year made it to the Sweet 16 before losing to eventual national champion UConn, 105-54. “Each year they have learned a little bit more about what it takes to compete at the highest level,” Aston said. “And now, we have four seniors that absolutely know the day-today work that it takes.” The Longhorns are hoping to make it at least a round further this season, where another game with
the top-seeded Huskies is possible. But first, they must get by UCLA. The Bruins have won 10 of their last 12 games and are riding an eight-game postseason winning streak, second only to UConn’s 20games. Coach Cori Close said last year’s run to the WNIT championship prepared her team well for this season’s NCAA Tournament. “It gave us confidence about winning in tough environments and circumstances,” she said. “I think
See TEXAS PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
McIlroy, Day advance in different manners By DOUG FERGUSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas — Rory McIlroy had to go 20 holes. Jason Day only played six. Both advanced Friday to the round of 16 in the Dell Match Play. Day was all square in his match when Paul Casey withdrew because of a stomach illness that has been bothering him the last two days. Day was likely to advance, anyway, but the short day at Austin Country Club at least allowed him extra rest for his back and for the weekend ahead. Day has played only 31 holes in three days. “If I can make it all the way through Sunday, that means I’m playing 72 holes on the weekend, which is a
lot of golf,” Day said. Phil Mickelson also had a short day and was headed home. Patrick Reed holed out for an eagle on No. 10 to go 7 up, and Mickelson did well to get to the 14th hole before Reed closed him out, 5 and 4. Reed has never trailed in any match all week. McIlroy, Chris Kirk and Byeong-Hun An all played plenty of golf. McIlroy was in one of the four winner-take-all matches between undefeated players in their groups, and it was struggle from the start against Kevin Na. McIlroy, the defending champion, didn’t take the lead until the 15th hole, gave it right back and both missed birdie putt on 18 to halve their match.
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
Jason Day was all square in his match when Paul Casey withdrew because of a stomach illness that had been bothering him. It ended on No. 2, the second extra hole, when Na hooked his tee shot into a hazard and McIlroy holed a 6-foot putt for the win. He now has 10 straight matches
dating to his victory last year at Harding Park in San Francisco. “I was dying after 10 holes, but I knew I’d played the back nine well,” McIl-
TEXAS Continued from Page 1B it taught us, ’What does it take?’ And that feeling of winning six games in a row and it sort of follows a similar path to the NCAA Tournament in terms of those rhythms. UCLA also played one of the nation’s toughest schedules this season, going 14-4 in the Pac-12, which had four teams make it past the second round. “Playing in the No. 1 RPI conference, the Pac-12, with so many great players and great teams, just being able to play against them and battle against them, it’s just helped us through this whole run,” guard Jordin Canada said. Other tidbits from Saturday’s game between Texas and UCLA: FAMILIAR FOE: Texas beat UCLA last season, 75-65 in Los Angeles. But Canada doesn’t believe that contest can be used as a measuring stick for Saturday’s matchup. “We were very young and inexperienced — 10 players that never played together last year,” she said. “So now we have better chemistry and we have been playing really well this season.” FORMER TEAMMATES: UCLA’s Jordin Canada and Texas center Imani Boyette
roy said. “It is a sign of relief. It’s nice to get to the weekend.” Kirk and Branden Grace had an easy time winning their matches to finish 2-1 in their group. In a peculiar decision this year, players had to wait until everyone was on the course before the playoff. They were the first match and had to wait nearly three hours to start the playoff. It didn’t last long, as Grace went from a fairway bunker, over the green, and made bogey. An, who won the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth last year, lost a chance to win his group when Rickie Fowler birdied the last hole to halve the match. That sent An into a playoff with Scott Piercy, who won the 18th hole to
beat Jason Dufner. An hit his approach to 4 feet on the first playoff hole to advance. Motoring right along was Zach Johnson, who has been the most dominant player this week in Austin. Johnson finally played the last three holes — but only for practice. He had an easy time against Shane Lowry, who was eliminated regardless of the outcome, and beat him, 4 and 3. Johnson has played only 42 holes in three matches, all ending at the 15th or earlier. “My scorecard, or whatever you want to call it, speaks for itself,” Johnson said. “With the exception of the first hole yesterday, I’ve never been down in a match. I’m not going to take this for granted.”
LESSONS Continued from Page 1B
played together for two seasons at Windward High School in Los Angeles. Canada says they haven’t spoken since, but she believes knowing Boyette’s game will help the Bruins on Saturday. “Obviously, everybody makes mistakes, so it’s just being able to take advantage of those moments,” she said. Boyette also played on travel teams as a youngster with UCLA’s Kacy Swain and against the Bruin’s Kari Korver. “It’s going to be fun, because you grow up playing against each other,” she said. ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM Top-ranked UConn, which hasn’t lost an NCAA Tournament game since falling to Notre Dame in the 2012 national semifinals is on the other side of the region’s bracket. Aston said her players believed their body of work this season should have kept them out of UConn’s region. But since the pairings were announced, her players have embraced the challenge and are taking on each opponent as it comes. “They have never looked ahead and thought, ’Oh, what’s going to happen if we have to do this and this,”’ she said. “That is just not the way this team is built.
since 2009. “What you’re seeing is a team that’s learned a lot from those games and that is experience,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said Thursday night after a 92-69 rout of No. 3 seed Miami in the South Region semifinal. “They’ve been there twice. They’ve lost. They don’t fear it. They don’t fear losing in the second round, they don’t fear losing in the Sweet 16. They just are driven to advance,” he said. “And I think having no fear is what we’re seeing.” Other teams are making a similar play: Oklahoma also is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009 after early exits each of the past three seasons, while Kansas hadn’t gotten to a regional final since 2012. Oregon hasn’t played past the opening weekend since 2013, and now the Ducks are a game away from their first Final Four since 1939. “We went through those early exits,” Villanova junior guard Josh Hart said. “We went through that heartache, and it was tough. But we learned from it. ... We’re just using
that as momentum, using that experience to get us through these games.” All four advanced Thursday night with pretty impressive performances, too. NOVA SHOOTING: The Wildcats lost to North Carolina State in 2015 and Connecticut in 2014 in their second NCAA games. In 2013, it was an opening loss to North Carolina. Villanova came into this tournament having spent three weeks as the nation’s top-ranked team for the first time in program history. Now the Wildcats are showing just how good they might be, shooting better in each of their first three games. Villanova never trailed against Miami, scoring the first eight points. The Hurricanes got within one at 31-30 before Villanova finished the game hitting 62.7 percent of its shots and a season-high 66.7 percent (10 of 15) beyond the arc. They even hit their first 15 free throws before finishing 18 of 19 at the line to earn their third regional final under Wright and seventh alltime. “If they go 10 of 15 and 18 of 19, you know no-
body’s going to beat them,” Kansas coach Bill Self said. CHALK IT UP JAYHAWK: As the top of the No. 1 seeds, Kansas was expected to reach Saturday night’s South Region final. The Jayhawks know only too well expectations and seedings mean little in this tournament after losing to Wichita State in their second game last year and to Stanford in 2014. Reaching the Sweet 16 proved no help in 2013 with a loss to Michigan. Maryland stuck around long enough in the first half to give fans a few jitters. Kansas took a 36-34 halftime lead and opened the second half hitting its first six shots to seize the lead. The Jayhawks turned in what Self called a “superb” performance in the second half in pushing that lead to as much as 16 for a 79-63 win and first Elite Eight since 2012. SOONER TIME: No. 2 seed Oklahoma romped over third-seeded Texas A&M 77-63 in the West Regional semifinal with five Sooners in double figures. They now are in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2009 after losing in a regional semifinal a year
ago with opening losses to North Dakota State in 2014 and San Diego State in 2013. Having Buddy Hield helps. Oklahoma blew open a close game with a 19-4 run to close the first half, not letting the Aggies closer than 14 in the second half. Memories of that loss to Michigan State a year ago did, too. “Got asked a lot of questions about how we felt last year, so we just wanted to make sure we had a greater focus this game and make it to our ultimate goal,” Jordan Woodward said. ORE-NOT GONE YET: So much has been made of Oregon’s No. 1 seed in the West, and the Ducks lost to Wisconsin each of the past two tournaments. They lost to Louisville in their last regional semifinal in 2013. Not even playing the defending national champions could shake Oregon this time around as the Ducks took a double-digit lead early in the second half and never flinched in downing Duke 82-68 for the first time in school history. Oregon now is in the Elite Eight for the first time since 2007.
CRAWFORD Continued from Page 1B fighting it every day. You want to be out there, you want to do it, but you know you can’t. But the whole 39 years when you look back is off the charts. I mean, who dreams of being able to do what I’ve done for 39 years?” How good was Crawford? Of the four Game 7s in the NBA Finals over the last quarter century, Crawford had the assignment for three of them. The only time he didn’t, in 2013, he had just worked a classic Game 6. His last postseason assignment ended up being Game 4 in Cleveland, his 50th NBA Finals game. Crawford marvels at that total, recalling a referees union meeting from early in his career, when officials were told they would get a ring for working in the fi-
nals — once they did 25 games. “Everybody’s looking around the room and goes, ’Who the hell’s going to get 25 finals games?”’ Crawford said. “That’s like an impossible thing.” He doubled it. Constantly striving for perfection, Crawford would dive into the rule book again every year around Labor Day like he was cramming for a test he would’ve aced anyway. Yet earlier in his career, his excellence making calls was overshadowed by his temper. Being aggressive was the way he learned it from his father, Shag Crawford, a major league umpire who once wanted to fight Giants manager Alvin Dark behind the stadium. His brother, Jerry, also is an umpire, and Joe Crawford
says they were all overly passionate. “I’m a firm believer that players and coaches want somebody to run the game, and it’s your job as an NBA referee to run the game,” Crawford said. “I am not there to be friends with anybody. I’m not.” But that meant many nights after games wondering if he overreacted, said things to players and coaches that he should have avoided. The low moment was when he ejected the Spurs’ Tim Duncan for laughing while sitting on the bench in a 2007 game, earning a suspension for the rest of the season from former Commissioner David Stern. Crawford said he can’t go anywhere without someone asking him about the Duncan ejection.
“He’s known for his great, stellar career. I don’t what I’m known for, I guess it’s throwing out Tim Duncan,” Crawford said. “What are you going to do, it’s just part of my career.” And maybe it helped change it. Crawford spent time seeing a sports psychologist, and he says his last 10 years were better than the first 30. “I had a tendency in those days to overreact to a situation versus just moving on to the next 24 seconds, and that’s what the sports psychologist got me to do,” Crawford said. “’Joe, move on to the next 24 seconds. They’re only hollering at the shirt, they’re not hollering at you.”’ Bob Delaney, the NBA’s vice president of referee development and performance, called Crawford a
“Hall of Fame referee and servant to the game of basketball.” “Joe Crawford has a tremendous passion for the NBA referee profession and it drove him to be one of the all-time best,” Delaney said in an email. “He has an amazing commitment, dedication and work ethic to the game. He has always put the game first, his partners second and himself last.” Crawford remains on staff until October and works occasionally in the Replay Center, where he says he can remain “viable.” After that, he hopes to stay involved with the game and referees. But he knows it will be hard to replace the feeling of officiating that ended when he limped off in the first half of a game in Cleveland on Nov. 8. Crawford
said Cavaliers veteran Richard Jefferson later visited him in the locker room and said he could tell Crawford was done by the way he walked off the court. “He says, ’I just want to tell you that you were part of my NBA experience,”’ Crawford said. Crawford said he has received similar messages since word of his retirement circulated recently. “You know, people say they hate your guts when you make these calls, they holler at you and you go through these combative things with players and coaches, but really in reality, all it is is competition,” Crawford said. “And people reach out to you and they tell you how much they appreciate what you did for all these years and it’s pretty ... it’s really impressive.”
inflicted by then-Commissioner Bud Selig for violations of baseball’s drug agreement and labor contract. When A-Rod returned last spring training, he went out of his way to act humbly and speak contritely, offering milquetoast responses that sounded as if refined in focus groups to remove any trace of ego or controversy. He became an elder statesman on a middling Yankees team that limped into the playoffs and was eliminated by Houston in the AL wild-card game. Young players seeking advice gravitated to him in the clubhouse, inquiring in both English and Spanish.
“He’s been talking to everybody,” Yankees teammate Carlos Beltran said. “The two years that I’ve had a chance to play with him, he’s been great.” Rodriguez was affable as a guest analyst on Fox during last year’s playoffs. But whether on television or not, A-Rod won’t say whether he thinks Aaron’s 755 or Bonds’ 762 are within reach. When he responds to questions, Rodriguez delays before starting his reply, as if to filter out many of his thoughts. “I don’t allow myself to think that far ahead,” he said. “Literally, when you’re 40, you’re day to day, so you can’t get too excited.”
A-ROD Continued from Page 1B July and in the post-steroids era already is at an age where feet and bats slow, where balls that once soared over walls are caught on the warning track. His hairline has started to recede and he keeps his locks trimmed, limiting hints of gray to a minimum. As much as he tries to concentrate on the next game, the next at-bat and the next pitch, the big picture infiltrates his thoughts, like water starting to trickle through cracks in a dam. “There are things you just can’t help to think about. Obviously, they’re there. They’re big numbers,” he said. “But the goal for me this year is exactly
what it was last year: come out, work really hard, be in good shape, better be productive in the middle of the lineup and try to help us win games. And whatever the numbers add up to, they add up to.” History suggests he might fall short of Bonds’ 762. Bonds holds the record for most home runs after turning 40 with 79 — Rodriguez already has 10 since the big birthday last July 27. The mark for most in a season who already was 40 on opening day is 29, shared by Ted Williams and Raul Ibanez. “Of course, I’m sure it’s in his head,” Yankees manager Joe Girardi said. “You
hope that it doesn’t weigh heavily, and that he’s able just to go out and relax and play.” Rest and relaxation. Shifted from third base to designated hitter, Rodriguez spent just 11 innings in the field last season. He played in 151 games, his highest total since 2007. Before the suspension, he had gone on the disabled list six times in six years for a string of ailments that included operations on both hips, one knee surgery, a strained calf and a broken hand. Still, Rodriguez tailed off in the last two months of the season, like a leaf shriveling in the summer heat and falling to ground at the
first hint of autumn cool. After homering off the Texas Rangers’ Matt Harrison for his sixth birthday homer, he ended his first night as a 40-year-old with a .276 batting average, 24 homers and 59 RBIs. A-Rod hit .208 with nine homers and 27 RBIs the rest of the season. “I think it’s easier this year, just because we both kind of know the rigors of his job and what he needs,” Girardi said. “When he gets out of his legs, you know it’s maybe a time to give him one day off or two days off.” Rodriguez got to heal while sitting out the 2014 season, an enforced absence
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016
Be Thankful for Good Service Dear Readers: When you get GREAT SERVICE from a phone agent, server, bank teller, departmentstore clerk or anybody in the service industry, please thank them. It’s a really busy world, and we all seem to be in a rush. Take a few minutes to say thanks for the good work. When I speak with a phone agent who has really been helpful, I ask for a supervisor and tell the agent I’m going to compliment them. The supervisor usually is a little taken aback, since most people complain. If you can say "thank you" or a nice word to just one person a day, it’s worth the few seconds it takes. -Hugs, Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Brenda B. in Clinton, Maine, sent a picture of her rescued indoor cat, George. He’s 10 and is the most loving cat she has owned. His favorite place to be
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is in her lap, and he is quite vocal. She took the picture when he was singing for his supper! To see George and other Pet Pals, visit www.Heloise.com. -Heloise STAINLESS-STEEL FRIDGE Dear Heloise: About six months after I bought a new stainless-steel refrigerator, I ran out of the cleaner/polish sample that came with it. When I went back to the dealer for more, the clerk said that the stuff is really expensive. There’s something that does a better job for 1/10th the cost: spray lubricant. The stuff works beautifully on all my stainless-steel appliances! I enjoy your column and have learned many helpful things from it. -- Ann K., Baton Rouge, La. Ann, many readers do use this type of product. Please note that not all spray lubricants are the same -- some are water-displacement products; others are graphite-based. -- Heloise
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SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2016