The Zapata Times 3/8/2017

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TEXAS LEGISLATURE

School funding at risk Rural districts could lose money if bill is not passed

By Julia Wallace LA R ED O MORNI NG T IME S

Zapata County ISD, Webb Consolidated ISD and other school districts in rural areas have a lot to lose if a bill is not passed by the Texas Legislature.

A large portion of the operating budgets for both school

districts comes from a statute called Additional State Aid for Tax Reduction, or ASATR, which is set to expire Sept. 1.

The legislative public education committee will discuss continuing this funding for four more years under House Bill 811.

ZCISD would lose $8.4 million if this bill does not pass,

according to attorney Jaime Garcia, who works at Laredobased law firm J. Cruz & Associates, which represents ZCISD and WCISD. This is 25 percent of the district’s operating budget. Garcia calls this “an absurdly high loss to incur from one year to the next.”

WCISD would lose $3.6 million, which makes up 40-45 percent of the district’s operating budget, according to its business office.

The Texas School Coalition, an advocacy group for public school districts, has listed on

their website some objectives for the current legislative session, one of which is it to “keep the promise of ASATR.” ASATR began as a way for rural school districts to function after the Texas Legislature reduced the school property tax rate by one third in 2006.

The statute was meant to supply more money to school districts to offset the loss of local revenue from these tax reductions, Garcia said.

But this loss of funding was never properly replaced, and ASATR should not taper out

U.S./MEXICO BORDER WALL

PATH TO EXTINCTION

without a meaningful solution from the legislature, he said.

“School districts did not decide to cut property taxes, the Legislature did. To punish school districts for the Legislature’s 2006 decision by killing ASATR would affect hundreds of thousands of students across the state,” Garcia said.

WCISD Superintendent Beto Gonzalez reacted similarly.

“To eliminate the additional money without a means for the school district to generate reFunding continues on A13

WEBB COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Cuate Santos / Laredo Morning Times

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, right, and Chief Deputy Federico "Fred" Garza addressed the media Monday at the Webb County Sheriff's Office.

A border wall alternative Callie Richmond / The Texas Tribune

Scott Nicol, co-chair of the Sierra Club’s Borderlands Campaign, stands in front of the border fence in Hidalgo in far South Texas. This section, which sits atop a levee, runs between a national wildlife refuge and a local nature center.

Wildlife habitat would be devastated by barrier

By César G. Rodriguez LAREDO MORNING TIME S

By Kiah Collier and Neena Satija TH E TEXAS T RI BUNE

H

IDALGO, Texas — Muddy handprints cover the rusty, iron posts on this section of border fence in far South Texas. The 18-foot-tall barrier, which runs between a national wildlife refuge and a local nature center, ends abruptly less than a mile down the road. Still, somebody clearly thought it was best to cross here.

“This is probably one of the most visible places they could have climbed,” Scott Nicol, co-chair of the Sierra Club’s Borderlands Campaign, said before snapping photos of the handprints. “I don't know if they got caught or not, but they made it up and over for sure.”

There’s been a lot of debate about how effective the Bush-era barrier has been at keeping out illegal crossers and drug smugglers. Some data indicates the barriers have encouraged people to cross in places where there isn’t one. But the handprints show that a determined person can still easily scale it.

What the border fence has kept out instead, according to environmentalists, scientists and local officials, is wildlife. And the people who

Layers of security include marine units, sensors, cameras, command units, a chopper, drones and deputies.

Callie Richmond / The Texas Tribune

A small opening at the base of the border fence in Brownsville is meant to let small, endangered wild cats like the ocelot through. The “cat holes,” which are the size of a piece of printer paper, appear every 500 feet or so.

have spent decades acquiring and restoring border habitat say that if President Donald Trump makes good on his promise to turn the border fence into a continuous, 40-foot concrete wall, the situation for wildlife along the border — one of the most biodiverse areas in North America — will only get worse.

Right now, a mix of vehicle barriers and pedestrian fencing covers only about one-third of the nearly 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border. Even with all those gaps, experts say the barriers have made it harder for animals to find food, water and mates. Many of them, like jaguars, gray wolves and ocelots, are already endangered.

Aaron Flesch, a biologist at the University of Arizona, said most border animals are already squeezed

into small, fragmented patches of habitat.

“If you just go and you cut movements off,” he said, “you can potentially destabilize these entire networks of population.”

Still, the impacts of the border fence on wildlife aren’t totally understood. That’s in large part because Congress let the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ignore all the environmental laws that would’ve required the agency to fully study how the barrier would affect wildlife.

Flesch and other scientists say the federal government also has made almost no research money available to support independent studies. Most of the studies that have been done are limited in scope, but their findings are pretty clear: Impeding animal Path continues on A13

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar said Monday he and his staff came back from a productive trip to Washington, D.C., where they discussed a border security initiative that, if funded, could be expanded to Zapata.

Last week, Cuellar met with federal authorities and Republican and Democratic members of Congress, seeking funding for Operation Border SMART (Strategic Mobile And Response Team), a border security measure that could be an alternative to President Donald J. Trump’s proposal to build a “great wall,” according to the Webb County Sheriff’s Office.

Operation Border SMART uses a combination of technology and boots on the ground to safeguard the border.

“Our safety, your safety is our priority,” Cuellar said in a news conference.

Layers of security include marine units, sensors, cameras, command units, a chopper, drones and deputies along the border, according to Assistant Chief Wayo Ruiz.

“Nobody has an implemented plan like the sheriff has,” Ruiz said.

Sheriff’s Office Chief Fred Garza said members of Congress were receptive to their program.

“Everybody has a plan. We went beyond and created an operation,” Garza said.

The Sheriff’s Office hopes to receive $90 million over a five-year period. For now, county authorities have a pilot camera watching over the World Trade Bridge.

Maverick County Should the Sheriff’s Office receive funding, the program would expand to Val Verde, Kinney, Maverick, Dimmit, Zapata and Starr counties.

That’s a combined 340 miles of border area.

Webb continues on A13

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE WORLD

TODAY IN HISTORY

THURSDAY, MARCH 9

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Laredo Area Retired School Employees Association meeting. 11 a.m.

Blessed Sacrament Parish Hall. The meeting topic is health care.

Today is Wednesday, March 8, the 67th day of 2017. There are 298 days left in the year.

Today's Highlights in History: On March 8, 1917, Russia's "February Revolution" began in Petrograd; the result was the abdication of the Russian monarchy in favor of a provisional government that was overthrown later the same year by the Bolsheviks. Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin, 78, creator of the rigid airships bearing his name, died in Berlin. The U.S. Senate voted to limit filibusters by adopting the cloture rule.

MONDAY, MARCH 13 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

MONDAY, MARCH 20 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25 Gateway Gatos of Laredo’s Cat Fundraiser. 12-3 p.m. Petco north store. All donations received will go toward financially helping cat community caretakers to neuter and spay their cats. For more details, call Birdie at 286-7866.

67th Annual Flower and Art Show.

1-6 p.m. Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church. Sponsored by the United Methodist Women. Guest artists: Laredo Community College Art Instructors. $3 admission fee per person. Public invited.

Rally at the Border Laredo. 4-7 p.m.

Convent Avenue.

SUNDAY, MARCH 26 67th Annual Flower and Art Show.

1-6 p.m. Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church. Sponsored by the United Methodist Women. Guest artists: Laredo Community College Art Instructors. $3 admission fee per person. Public invited.

MONDAY, MARCH 27 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

Sakchai Lalit / AP

In this Friday, March 3, 2017 photo, people watch the female green turtle nicknamed "Bank" swim in a pool at Sea Turtle Conservation Center n Chonburi Province, Thailand.

SURGEONS REMOVE 915 COINS FROM SEA TURTLE BANGKOK — Tossing coins in a fountain for luck is a popular superstition, but a similar belief brought misery to a sea turtle in Thailand from whom doctors have removed 915 coins.

Veterinarians in Bangkok operated Monday on the 25-year-old female green sea turtle nicknamed "Bank," whose indigestible diet was a result of many tourists seeking good fortune tossing coins into her pool over many years in the eastern town of Sri Racha.

The loose change eventually formed a heavy ball in her stomach weighing 5 ki-

lograms (11 pounds). The weight cracked the turtle's ventral shell, causing a lifethreatening infection.

Five surgeons from Chulalongkorn University's veterinary faculty patiently removed the coins over four hours while "Bank" was under general anesthesia.

"The result is satisfactory. Now it's up to Bank how much she can recover," said Pasakorn Briksawan, one of the surgical team. While recovering in Chulalongkorn University's animal hospital, the turtle will be on a liquid diet for the next two weeks.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29 Spanish Book Club. 6-8 p.m. Joe A. Guerra Public Library on Calton. or more info call Sylvia Reash 763-1810.

THURSDAY, MARCH 30 Speaker and book signing. 6-7:30 p.m. Multipurpose Room at Joe A. Guerra Public Library on Calton.

Hosted by Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society and the library.

The speaker is Mauricio J. Gonzalez, LCC instructor and author of “My Grandfather’s Grandfather: Tomas Rodriguez Benavides.” Open to the public. For more info call Sylvia Reash 763-1810.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

Panama ex-dictator Noriega critical after surgery PANAMA CITY — Former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega suffered a hemorrhage after surgery Tuesday to remove a benign brain tumor and was in critical condition following a second surgery, his lawyer said.

The attorney, Ezra Angel, said doctors had succeeded in stopping the bleeding during the second procedure and No-

Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, no admission fee.

riega was returned to intensive care.

"He is sedated," Angel said.

"His condition is critical after undergoing a (second) open brain surgery in less than eight hours."

Officials at the public Santo Tomas hospital in Panama City did not comment or return calls.

Earlier Tuesday, Noriega's daughters, Thays and Sandra Noriega, said their 83-year-old father was returned to the operating room after doctors detected bleeding following the

MONDAY, APRIL 3

AROUND THE NATION

Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

WikiLeaks: CIA has targeted everyday gadgets for snooping

Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting.

6:30—7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month.

People suffering from anxiety and depression are invited to attend this free, confidential and anonymous support group meeting. While a support group does not replace an individual’s medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength and hope.

NEW YORK— Maybe the CIA is spying on you through your television set after all.

Documents released by WikiLeaks allege a CIA surveillance program that targets everyday gadgets ranging from smart TVs to smartphones to cars. Such snooping, WikiLeaks said, could turn some of these devices into recorders of everyday conversations — and could also circumvent datascrambling encryption on communications apps such as Facebook's WhatsApp. WikiLeaks is, for now, withholding details on the specific hacks used "until a consensus emerges" on the nature of the CIA's program and how the methods should be "analyzed, disarmed and published." But WikiLeaks — a nonprofit that

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 5 IBC Keynote Speaker Series: “Failure to Adjust: How Americans Got Left Behind in the Global Economy.” 7:30 p.m. TAMIU Student Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd. The presentation features Edward Allen, author and the Bernard L. Schwartz Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. Free and open to the public. The author will be available for book signing following the lecture.

MONDAY, APRIL 10 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

MONDAY, APRIL 17 Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.

SUNDAY, APRIL 23 Spaghetti lunch. Noon to 1:30 p.m.

First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Sponsored by the United Methodist Men. No admission fee, free-will donations accepted.

first operation to remove the tumor.

The tumor was detected in the months after Noriega returned to Panama in December 2011 and was imprisoned for corruption and the killings of political opponents in the 1980s.

Doctors have said it grew unexpectedly recently and threatened the life of the former strongman, who has also suffered from vascular ailments and gets around in a wheelchair.

— Compiled from AP reports

AUSTIN, Texas — A state lawmaker wants to shine a light on how Texas spends millions of taxpayer dollars to educate the public about its controversial voter ID law.

Democratic Rep. Justin Rodriguez is proposing legislation that for the first time in Texas

Ten years ago: President George W. Bush arrived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, as he began a 6-day tour of Latin America.

House Democrats unveiled legislation to require the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from Iraq by the fall of 2008; the White House said President Bush would veto it. In his first news conference since taking over command of U.S. forces in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus said insurgents were seeking to intensify attacks and that it was "very likely" additional U.S. forces would be sent to areas outside Baghdad where militant groups were regrouping.

Five years ago: Syria's deputy oil minister announced in a video that he had defected from President Bashar Assad's regime. Jesse Owens was posthumously made an inaugural member of the IAAF Hall of Fame more than 75 years after he won four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. James T. "Jimmy" Ellis, 74, the frontman for The Trammps who released "Disco Inferno," died in Rock Hill, South Carolina.

One year ago: Democrat Bernie Sanders breathed new life into his longshot White House bid with a crucial win in Michigan's primary while Hillary Clinton breezed to an easy victory in Mississippi; Republican Donald Trump swept to victory in Michigan, Mississippi and Hawaii, while Ted Cruz carried Idaho. Sir George Martin, the Beatles' urbane producer who guided the band's swift, historic transformation from rowdy club act to musical and cultural revolutionaries, died at age 90.

Patrick Sison / AP

This 2014 file photo shows WhatsApp and Facebook app icons on a smartphone in New York.

routinely publishes confidential documents, frequently from government sources — claims that the data and documents it obtained reveal a broad program to bypass security measures on everyday products.

If true, the disclosure could spark new privacy tensions between the government and the technology industry. Rela-

tions have been fraught since 2013, when former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden disclosed secret NSA surveillance of phone and digital communications.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND TEXAS Lawmaker: Transparency needed on voter ID spending

On this date: In 1702, England's Queen Anne acceded to the throne upon the death of King William III. In 1817, the New York Stock & Exchange Board, which had its beginnings in 1792, was formally organized; it later became known as the New York Stock Exchange.

In 1854, U.S. Commodore Matthew C. Perry made his second landing in Japan; within a month, he concluded a treaty with the Japanese.

In 1874, the 13th president of the United States, Millard Fillmore, died in Buffalo, New York, at age 74.

In 1930, the 27th president of the United States, William Howard Taft, died in Washington at age 72.

In 1942, Imperial Japanese forces occupied Rangoon (Yangon) during World War II. In 1965, the United States landed its first combat troops in South Vietnam as 3,500 Marines arrived to defend the U.S. air base at Da Nang.

In 1966, Nelson's Pillar, a 120-foothigh column in Dublin honoring British naval hero Horatio Nelson, was bombed by the Irish Republican Army.

In 1979, technology firm Philips demonstrated a prototype compact disc player during a press conference in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

In 1983, in a speech to the National Association of Evangelicals convention in Orlando, Florida, President Ronald Reagan referred to the Soviet Union as an "evil empire."

In 1999, baseball Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio died in Hollywood, Florida, at age 84.

In 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board, vanished during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, setting off a massive search.

Today's Birthdays: Actor-director Micky Dolenz (The Monkees) is 72.

Singer-musician Randy Meisner is 71.

Pop singer Peggy March is 69. Baseball Hall of Famer Jim Rice is 64. Jazz musician Billy Childs is 60. Singer Gary Numan is 59. Neo-soul singer Van Hunt is 47. Actress Andrea Parker is 47. Actor Boris Kodjoe is 44. Actor Freddie Prinze Jr. is 41. Actress Laura Main is 40. Actor James Van Der Beek is 40. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kameelah Williams (702) is 39. Actor Nick Zano is 39. Rock singer Tom Chaplin (Keane) is 38. Rock musician Andy Ross (OK Go) is 38. Actress Jessica Collins is 34. Rhythm-andblues singer Kristinia DeBarge is 27.

Thought for Today: "Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing." — Dodie Smith, English playwright (1896-1990).

CONTACT US calls for transparency of spending for voter education campaigns by requiring the Texas Secretary of State's office to produce data showing results after each general election.

The state's chief elections office has contracted with public relations giant Burson-Marsteller to produce voter ID publicity efforts, but has refused to disclose where it placed television and radio spots as part of a $2.5 million campaign, nor reveal the names of roughly 1,800 community

groups that partnered with the state for the 2016 elections.

Rodriguez, a Democrat from San Antonio and member of the House budget writing committee, says Texas officials shouldn't be allowed to hide information about an important public education campaign especially given widespread confusion over changes to the Texas law leading up to November's election.

— Compiled from AP reports

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 |

LOCAL

Winter Texan Senior Citizen Appreciation Day

A3

Zopinion

Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com

A4 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Justice Kennedy gets real about racial bias in juries Noah Feldman BL O O M BE RG

In a powerful opinion that will become part of Justice Anthony Kennedy’s ever-growing liberal legacy, the Supreme Court held in a split opinion Monday that a jury’s verdict may be reopened if there is evidence of racial bias by the jurors.

The decision confronted a legal contradiction between the interest in treating jury verdicts as a black box not to be opened and the imperative of racial justice -and opted for the latter.

The decision is unusually honest and direct about how race in America has historically tainted the fairness of the judicial system.

Peña-Rodriguez v.

Colorado stemmed from a jury’s conviction of Miguel Angel Peña-Rodriguez of sexually assaulting two teenage sisters.

After the trial was over and the verdict submitted, two jurors signed sworn affidavits stating that one of the jurors had told the others that he was a former law enforcement officer and that in his experience, “Mexican men had a bravado that caused them to believe they could do whatever they wanted with women.” For good measure, the juror said that “nine times out of ten Mexican men were guilty of being aggressive toward women and young girls.” And he concluded that “I think he did it because he’s Mexican and Mexican men take whatever they want.”

There’s little question that these statements are evidence of racial bias.

But the evidence of racial bias wasn’t the end of the question, because of a common-law rule going back to the 18th century that says evidence of juror misconduct can’t come from the testimony of jurors themselves.

That rule is generally pretty useful. It assures that once the verdict has been reached, its finality is respected throughout the legal system.

Practically, lawyers never quite want to know why the jury did what it did — the lawyers are afraid the rationale may be too far from what the law requires, which would upset the apple cart of the judicial system.

Indeed, jury verdicts are often treated a bit mystically by the law. It’s almost as if they descend from the magic of trial by ordeal —which in a sense, they do.

To his credit, Kennedy in his opinion for five justices didn’t play down the importance of finality.

Instead he acknowledged that the case “lies at the

intersection” between the finality rule and “decisions seeking to eliminate racial bias in the jury system.”

Kennedy explained that in the U.S. legal system, “racial bias implicates unique historical, constitutional, and institutional concerns.” That’s definitely and perhaps obviously true -- but the court doesn’t always say so in such clear terms. As Kennedy put it, such bias is “a familiar and recurring evil that, if left unaddressed, would risk systemic injury to the administration of justice.”

That logic led Kennedy to his most inspiring line: “It must become the heritage of our Nation to rise above racial classifications that are so inconsistent with our commitment to the equal dignity of all persons.”

Those who follow Kennedy’s jurisprudence will be unsurprised to see the master concept of “dignity” appearing at this crucial moment in the opinion. To say that Kennedy loves the idea of dignity is a substantial understatement. He’s used it to uphold abortion rights and the right to gay marriage.

It’s particularly impressive that, rather than insisting that the U.S. is free of racial bias, Kennedy instead proposed that avoiding bias should in the future become part of our heritage. That’s a great way to invoke tradition prospectively, without falsifying our history of slavery, segregation and discrimination.

Kennedy also added that there’s a “pragmatic” aspect of racial bias in making an exception to the verdict finality rule.

He said that the “stigma” against racial bias is so great that other jurors might not be prepared to report one juror’s comments during the trial itself. To be precise, Kennedy was in effect saying that no one really wants to report racism -- which isn’t quite the same thing as saying that racism is deeply stigmatized. Nevertheless, the pragmatic analysis served Kennedy’s ends.

The court’s three conservatives dissented from Kennedy’s decision, essentially seeing the principle of finality as more important than rooting out racial bias.

As Kennedy has aged, he’s become increasingly liberal on issues from Guantánamo to abortion to gay rights and even affirmative action. This decision joins the pantheon of Kennedy opinions staking out strong, morally distinct grounds of liberal jurisprudence.

Let’s hope he doesn’t plan on retiring soon.

Feldman is a Bloomberg View columnist.

OP-ED

Trump is making us all into conspiracy theorists Paul Musgrave WASHINGTON P O ST

Last weekend, President Donald Trump accused former President Barack Obama — without any evidence — of ordering Trump’s phones to be wiretapped during last year’s presidential campaign. It was only the most recent in a bewildering number of conspiracy theories the president and his circle have embraced over the past year.

In 2017, having the president of the United States openly disregard the truth for short-term political gain is the new normal.

And that is not normal.

This is a dangerous time for democracy. Less than two months into the administration, the danger is no longer that Trump will make conspiracy thinking mainstream — that has already come to pass. Conspiracy theories, rumor and outright lies now drive the news cycle, as the weekend demonstrated once again.

Far worse, such untruths may now be driving government policy in realms as disparate as immigration policy and civil rights. In the long term, the damage done to trust by the normalization of untruth may threaten the social contract on which democracy itself rests.

Hostility toward facts is at the core of Trump’s governing style. Trump and his advisers do not innocently repeat conspiracy theories about the subjects they choose, whether it’s largely imaginary voter fraud or the false claim that Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s father was involved in the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. By now, it’s hard not to be suspicious that a pattern of repeatedly bringing up untruths and rumors is more than a

To be fair, Trump did not create the conditions for the rise of untruth.

Through luck or design, however, he has exploited it. Moreover, his embrace of fringe thinking has led to a reversal of a usual pattern. coincidence. Judged strictly on results, Trump’s methods have proven incredibly effective. As University of Miami political scientist Joe Uscinski pointed out last year, if anything, voters rewarded Trump for running a campaign that rejected facts.

How did conspiracy theories come to pose such a challenge to truth?

The long-term decline in general trust played a crucial role. As political scientists Joanne Miller, Kyle Saunders and Christina Farhart observe, to believe in a successful conspiracy, one must first believe that powerful actors are willing to conspire against the public — hardly the position of someone who believes that elites make the best, or at least good, choices.

As more people came to mistrust authority, they became susceptible to stories about how good people like them were being betrayed by nefarious elites.

Growing political polarization provided the second necessary ingredient.

As voters have become more and more likely to identify with strongly and vote for their preferred political party, they have also become more closed off from other viewpoints.

The creation of partisan echo chambers on social media and in other institutions has accelerated the growth of conspiracy thinking. As Norbert Schwarz, Eryn Newman and William Leach note

in “Behavioral Science and Policy,” people judge whether they should believe an argument not through rigorous factchecking but through criteria, such as coherence, familiarity and plausibility.

Polarization generates closed loops in which believing untruths about the “other side” becomes more plausible than seeking out information that might challenge those ideas, as The Washington Post’s Ishaan Tharoor suggested Monday. Thus, conspiracy theories can come to seem more plausible than objective sources, even if only just through repetition. Similarly, Schwarz, Newman and Leach suggest that brains judge coherence by whether a claim tells a good story. Ironically, that means that unfalsifiable conspiracy theories, in which everything can be explained as evidence of a sinister design, lends them a coherence that reality, full of coincidence and randomness, can never have.

To be fair, Trump did not create the conditions for the rise of untruth.

Through luck or design, however, he has exploited it. Moreover, his embrace of fringe thinking has led to a reversal of a usual pattern. Before 2017, conspiracy thinking was a feature of the party out of power. Now, however, Republicans have continued to embrace ideas like “DeepStateGate” even though they control al-

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DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

most the entire edifice of government, from the White House and Capitol to two-thirds of state legislatures.

The damage to the foundations of a factbased discourse has seeped to both sides. Last week, liberals and Democrats crowed about Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s admission that he had met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 campaign. The subtext was that Sessions may have helped coordinate a Kremlin-based plot to steal the election. The evidence supports no such assertion; as Ryan Lizza wrote in the New Yorker, so far this appears to be a “cover-up without a crime.” Yet the echo chambers of Twitter resounded with liberals eagerly sharing the news and hoping that Sessions would resign for a highly visible - but still undefined - transgression.

In the longer term, the feedback loop of lies begetting rumor will threaten the foundation of democracy. Democracy requires trust - including the fundamental trust that losing an election does not mean losing power forever. Not only do conspiracy theories feed on mistrust of authority, they also promote mistrust. If a substantial fraction of Americans believes that their political opponents have become their enemies, then the basis for compromise and accommodation that democratic institutions produce will collapse.

Through his actions, Trump is bidding for that to be his most lasting legacy.

Musgrave is an assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 |

A5

LOCAL & STATE

San Antonio hitman set to die

By Michael Graczyk A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HUNTSVILLE, Texas — The U.S. Supreme Court was considering appeals from attorneys trying to keep a paid hit man from his scheduled execution Tuesday evening in Texas for gunning down a San Antonio woman in a life insurance scheme nearly a quartercentury ago.

Rolando Ruiz was convicted of accepting $2,000 to fatally shoot Theresa Rodriguez, 29, outside her home in 1992 as she was getting out of a car with her husband and brother-in-law, who both orchestrated her murder.

Ruiz's lethal injection would be the third this year in Texas and the fifth nationally.

"It's not going to bring her back, so it really doesn't mean very much," Susie Sanchez, whose daughter

was killed in the contract murder, said Monday. She and her husband had no plans to witRuiz ness the execution, but some of her other children planned to attend the 44year-old Ruiz's punishment, she said.

Ruiz's lawyers argued to the Supreme Court that lower courts improperly rejected an earlier appeal.

They also contended Ruiz's execution would be unconstitutionally cruel because he's been on death row since 1995, had multiple execution dates and two reprieves. Attorney Lee Kovarsky blamed the long time between a San Antonio jury's verdict and the punishment on the state's failure to provide Ruiz with competent lawyers earlier in his

appeals.

Assistant Texas Attorney General Edward Marshall disputed the claims, telling the high court arguments about earlier deficient legal help "have been inspected, scrutinized, studied, probed, analyzed, reviewed and evaluated" at all levels of the federal courts. While some individual Supreme Court justices have raised questions about long death row confinement, the courts consistently have ruled it was not unconstitutionally cruel.

Ruiz approached a car pulling up to Rodriguez's home the night of July 14, 1992, under the guise of seeking directions. Her husband of nearly seven years, Michael, was in the car along with Michael's brother, Mark. Ruiz, who already had pocketed $1,000 and had failed in two earlier killing attempts, asked Mark Rodri-

guez if he wanted him to "do it," and Rodriguez gave him the go-ahead. As Theresa Rodriguez was getting out of the car, Ruiz put a .357 Magnum revolver to her head and fired. Three days later, Ruiz collected another $1,000 for the completed job.

Evidence showed Michael Rodriguez stood to collect at least a quarter-million dollars in insurance benefits from his wife's death and that he'd recently applied for another $150,000 in life insurance for her.

Ruiz had met Mark Rodriguez at the home of a mutual friend, was arrested nine days after the shooting and implicated the brothers. The police investigation was aided by a telephone tip after Theresa Rodriguez's employer, the San Antonio-based financial services giant USAA, offered a $50,000 reward for information about her slaying.

Former Border Patrol agent guilty of attempted enticement ASSOCIATED PRE SS

LAREDO, Texas — Prosecutors say an ex-Border Patrol agent in South Texas faces up to life in federal prison for trying to arrange sexual encounters with two girls.

Salvador Contreras pleaded guilty Tuesday in Laredo to attempting to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity.

Authorities say the 50-year-old Contreras, who was a senior Border Patrol agent in Del Rio, resigned following his December arrest in the undercover online investigation.

Prosecutors say Contreras thought he was communicating with a woman who had two daughters, ages 8 and 14, and would make the girls available for sex. The person was an undercover officer.

Prosecutors say Contreras was arrested when he traveled to Cotulla (kuh-TOO'-luh) to meet the children.

Sentencing is pending. Contreras faces at least 10 years in prison.

Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

ZCISD Y WCISD

INMIGRACIÓN

Financiamiento escolar en riesgo Distritos podrían perder millones de dólares Por Julia Wallace TIEM P O DE ZAPATA

El distrito escolar de Zapata (ZCISD por sus siglas en inglés), el distrito escolar independiente de Webb Consolidated (WCISD) y otros distritos ubicados en áreas rurales se encuentran en riesgo de perder fondos tras la reunión del Comité de Educación Pública que se lleva a cabo en la Legislatura tejana.

Una gran parte del presupuesto de operaciones de ambos distritos proviene de un estatuto llamado Ayuda Estatal Adicional para Reducción de Impuestos (ASATR por sus siglas en inglés), el cual expirará el 1 de septiembre. El comité legislativo discutirá si continuará el financiamiento por cuatro años más bajo el proyecto de ley 811.

De no ser aprobado el proyecto de ley, ZCISD perdería 8,4 millones de dólares o 25 por ciento del presupuesto de operaciones, según el abogado Jaime García, quien trabaja para el bufete de abogados J. Cruz & Associates que representa a ZCISD y a WCISD. García consideró que es “una pérdida absurdamente alta para pasar de un año a otro”.

WCISD perdería 3,6 millones de

dólares, lo que representa entre el 40 y el 45 por ciento del presupuesto operativo del distrito, según su oficina.

La Coalición de Escuelas de Texas, un grupo de defensa de los distritos escolares públicos, ha enumerado en su sitio web algunos objetivos para la actual sesión legislativa, uno de los cuales es "mantener la promesa de ASATR".

ASATR comenzó como una forma de que los distritos escolares rurales funcionaran después de que la Legislatura de Texas redujera la tasa de impuestos a la propiedad escolar en un tercio en 2006. El estatuto estaba destinado a proveer más dinero a los distritos escolares para compensar la pérdida de ingresos locales de estas reducciones, dijo García.

Pero esta pérdida de fondos nunca fue reemplazada adecuadamente, y el ASATR no debe ser recortado sin una solución substancial de la legislatura, dijo el abogado.

"Los distritos escolares no decidieron recortar los impuestos a la propiedad, lo hizo la Legislatura. Castigar a los distritos escolares por la decisión de la Legislatura en 2006, eliminando el ASATR, afectaría a cientos de miles de estudiantes en

todo el estado”, mencionó García.

El Superintendente de la WCISD, Beto González, reaccionó de manera similar.

"Eliminar el dinero adicional sin un medio para que el distrito escolar genere dólares para reemplazarlo es totalmente injusto", dijo González.

Si no se extiende la financiación de ASATR, podría resultar en el cierre completo de algunos distritos, según el sitio web de la Coalición de Escuelas de Texas.

"Si la financiación se pierde, el tamaño de las clases casi seguramente aumentará, ya que los distritos se ven obligados a renunciar a la dotación de maestros adicionales. La calidad de la educación será muy afectada ", dijo García.

Además, ZCISD probablemente tendría que reducir los días de contrato, estipendios y el número de eventos UIL a los que los estudiantes asisten, de acuerdo con García.

Si el proyecto de ley 811 es aprobado a través del Comité de Educación Pública hoy, entonces tendrá que ser aprobado por la Cámara de Representantes y el Senado, y luego firmado por el Gobernador Greg Abbott para asegurar el financiamiento ASATR hasta 2021.

PREPARATORIA ZAPATA

OBRA DE TEATRO AVANZA A SIGUENTE RONDA

Foto de cortesía | ZCISD

La obra de teatro de un solo acto ‘Soldaderas’ de la Preparatoria Zapata avanzó a la siguiente ronda y el próximo 3 de abril competirá contra la Preparatoria Canyon de New Braunfels, Texas. Marla Gutierrez fue nombrada mejor actriz y el reparto de ‘Soldaderas” obtuvo una mención honorífica.

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE

GUERRERO AYER Y HOY

FERIA DE ZAPATA

Colonización de Escandón

1 Arranca 45ava. Feria del Condado de Zapata, el jueves 9 de marzo desde las 5 p.m., con la presentación de Elida Reyna y Avante en terrenos de la Feria de Zapata.

1 Presentación de Kevin Fowler, Siggno y Jaime y Los Chamacos el viernes 10 de marzo desde las 5 p.m., en terrenos de la Feria de Zapata.

1 Desfile de la Feria del Condado de Zapata iniciará a las 8:30 el sábado 11 de marzo a las 8:30 a.m. en 3a.

Avenida.

1 Presentación de Intocable, La Leyenda y Los Traileros del Norte el sábado 11 de marzo desde las 5 p.m., en terrenos de la Feria de Zapata.

TORNEO DE PESCA

1 El próximo 25 de marzo se llevará a cabo en la Presa Falcón el torneo de pesca Bass Champs de 7

a.m. a 4 p.m.

LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL

1 Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza. Informes en el 956-849-1411.

PAGO DE IMPUESTOS

1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St. PAGO EN LÍNEA

1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.

Nota del editor: Esta serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (1927-2016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal.

Por Lilia Treviño Martínez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Al final de la quinta década del siglo XVIII, el 41° Virrey de la Nueva España, don Juan Francisco de Güemes y Horcasitas, Primer Conde de Revilla, urgido por la necesidad de pacificar los territorios de la Costa del Seno Mexicano, encomendó a don José de Escandón y Helguera la difícil tarea.

Este hidalgo español reunía las cualidades requeridas para tal misión, y el 31 de mayo de 1748, en México, capital de la Nueva España, recibió el nombramiento de

Intendente y Gobernador de los territorios que hoy forman el estado de Tamaulipas, y que en la época de la Colonia llevaron el nombre de Nuevo Santander, según acuerdo tomado en Junta presidida por el Virrey, a mediados del mes de mayo del mencionado año del 1748.

Escandón efectuó 22 fundaciones en los territorios de la Costa del Seno Mexicano, las cuales, unidas a las villas que estaban establecidas con anterioridad, como Tampico, Tula y Jaumave, formaron la Provincia del Nuevo Santander, hoy estado de Tamaulipas.

Es oportuno decir que Escandón realizó una gran labor colonizadora, pues contribuyó al desarrollo de la ganadería y al buen inicio de las labores agrícolas; desgraciadamente, su política para incorporar a los indios nativos no tuvo ningún éxito.

Foto de cortesía

El centro dará representación legal a los mexicanos que viven en los Estados Unidos.

Establecen centro de defensoría E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

A manera de dar respuesta a las nuevas medidas migratorias anunciadas por el gobierno de los Estados Unidos, el Consulado General de México en Laredo ha puesto en marcha un programa encargado de brindar asistencia consular para proteger los derechos de los migrantes mexicanos.

El principal objetivo del “Centro de Defensoría” es atender las necesidades de información y representación legal de los mexicanos que viven en los Estados Unidos, con apoyo de una red fortalecida de aliados locales, de acuerdo con un comunicado de prensa.

Este servicio no sólo se ofrecerá en la sede consular, sino que se extenderá a los consulados móviles. Entre las actividades que el “Centro de Defensoría” llevará a cabo, se encuentran: 1 Talleres informativos “Conoce tus Derechos” (Know Your Rights), que tienen el propósito de que nuestra comunidad sepa cómo actuar para proteger sus derechos constitucionales en caso de una detención migratoria.

1 Talleres de diagnóstico migratorio (immigration screenings) para que, de manera individualizada, los mexicanos conozcan sus opciones en materia migratoria, posibles remedios migratorios disponibles, o bien los riesgos de deportación y puedan tomar decisiones basadas en información fidedigna.

1 Talleres para promover la doble nacionalidad.

El “Centro de Defensoría” reforzará las campañas del consulado en esta materia.

1 Campaña informativa de prevención de un eventual retorno. El “Centro” difundirá las medidas preventivas que nuestra comunidad debe tomar ante posibles escenarios de deportación, planes de emergencia en caso de que sean detenidos por autoridades migratorias, particularmente respecto a la custodia temporal de sus hijos y el manejo de sus propiedades, y para que se prepare en caso de un posible retorno a México.

El centro, igualmente informará sobre los apoyos que las personas repatriadas pueden recibir en México a través del Programa “Somos Mexicanos”.

Además de estas campañas, a través del “Centro de Defensoría” el consulado formará “mecanismos de respuesta rápida” con la propia comunidad y organizaciones pro migrantes y de litigio ante operativos migratorios, y se reforzará el programa de visitas a prisiones, de condado, estatales y federales, así como centros de detención migratoria.

En ambos casos, el consulado verificará las condiciones de detención de ciudadanos mexicanos y, sobre todo, que se cumpla con el debido proceso.

En este sentido, los funcionarios consulares pondrán particular atención a la identificación de irregularidades y abusos durante la aprehensión y detención de las personas entrevistadas para ofrecerles los servicios legales correspondientes.

Igualmente, se prestará atención a casos en que existan patrones recurrentes de actos violatorios de preceptos constitucionales por alguna autoridad específica para buscar una solución legal colectiva. En ambos casos se trabajará de las manos con organizaciones de litigio, tanto locales como nacionales.

Además de fortalecer los servicios legales que se ofrecen en el Consulado General de Laredo, el “Centro de Defensoría” identificará corporaciones, instituciones, fundaciones y otras organizaciones para ofrecer asistencia pro bono y multiplicar los recursos necesarios para apoyar las acciones de orientación y defensa legal de los mexicanos que la requieran, particularmente migratoria.

Igualmente se dará seguimiento puntual al cumplimiento de los Arreglos Locales de Repatriación para garantizar que los procesos de remoción se realicen de manera ordenada, segura y con respeto a los derechos humanos, y se cumplan los lineamientos de protección a personas vulnerables acordados con las autoridades estadounidenses.

El Consulado General continuará promoviendo acercamientos con autoridades estatales y locales para sensibilizarlos y reforzar la importancia de fortalecer los lazos de confianza que deben mantenerse con la comunidad inmigrante, así como para para difundir los beneficios de la relación bilateral y el impacto positivo que tiene la comunidad mexicana en la economía y sociedad de Estados Unidos.

Para mayores informes puede ponerse en contacto con este Consulado General, comunicándose al 956-723-0990 o enviando un correo a informacionlar@sre.gob.mx.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 |

A7

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Leonard’s offense compares to Duncan Young Spurs forward shining offensively

By Nick Moyle SA N A NT ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS

During halftime of Saturday’s game between North Carolina and Duke, Tar Heels legend and internet meme Michael Jordan delivered a brief speech.

He left the crowd with this: “I wish you guys nothing but the best. The ceiling is the roof.”

It is an undoubtedly curious statement. It also means nothing to Kawhi Leonard.

Ceiling, roof, Kármán line – these are abstract concepts to the Spurs’ 25-year-old star, who has made a habit of bursting through boundaries.

His outing on Monday against the Rockets – 39 points, one Superman block, one ice-cold go-

ahead 3-pointer – was a Twitter-melting performance that solidified his spot in the MVP conversation.

It also made clear something once unfathomable: Leonard is having a better offensive season than Tim Duncan ever had.

In 57 games, Leonard is averaging 26.3 points while shooting 48.8 percent from the field, 38.6 percent from deep and 89.6 percent from the free throw line. Duncan’s gaudiest offensive output occurred in his 2001-02 MVP campaign, when he averaged 25.5 points on 50.8 percent shooting.

Similar to his his Spurs’ forefather, Leonard sets about napalming opponents with an almost unnerving stoicism. Imagine Halloween’s Michael

Myers with a sweet jumper.

“He’s one of the best players in the league,” Houston coach Mike D’Antoni said. “He just plays on both sides of the ball. He’s really the quiet, go about his business, I’m kicking some butt today (guy).”

Leonard has scored 30 points in 40 percent of his games this season. Duncan did so in 24 percent of his in contests 2001-02.

The imagined competition skews even further in Leonard’s favor when his and Duncan’s stats are compared on a per-36 minute basis: Leonard: 28.1 points, 3.7 assists, 2.2 turnovers.

Duncan: 22.6 points, 3.3 assists, 2.8 turnovers.

“It’s pretty obvious he’s gotten better every year,”

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I don’t think that was expected of him when he was drafted at 15 (overall). I don’t think people thought of him in that regard. Over the years, he’s shown himself to be a dynamic player at both ends.”

Leonard outclasses Duncan in player efficiency rating (28.6), offensive rating (122), and true shooting percentage (.617), and could catch him in offensive win shares by season’s end.

Even if Leonard fails to gain his first MVP nod, he can still stake claim to the greatest offensive season of the Popovich era.

Wherever Leonard’s ceiling – or a roof – may be, it reaches higher than most anyone ever imagined.

Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News file

San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard (2) has had arguably a better offensive season this year than Spurs great Tim Duncan ever put together.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS

NFL: HOUSTON TEXANS

RANGERS DEFEND MARTIN SIGNING Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle file

Texans free agent outside linebacker John Simon (51) is expected to receive a lot of interest from teams around the NFL this offseason.

Healthy market expected for Texans free agent Simon

By Aaron Wilson HOUSTON CHRONI CLE

For the past three years under the tutelage of Mike Vrabel, Texans outside linebacker John Simon has emerged as a gritty contributor to the topranked defense in the NFL. Simon has played through pain and inflicted punishment of his own.

He injured his chest in a November loss to the Oakland Raiders in Mexico City and played just one game for the remainder of the season, but finished with a careerhigh 51 tackles, four for losses, two passes defended, one forced fumble and 3 1/2 sacks.

Now, the former Big Ten Conference Defensive Player of the Year is an unrestricted free agent.

Although the Texans would ideally like to get Simon back under contract and want him back, league sources predict a healthy market for the Youngstown, Ohio native.

Simon has a strong relationship with Vrabel, his position coach at Ohio State where he developed into a fourth-round draft

pick for the Baltimore Ravens. However, Simon will also have strong options with other NFL franchises.

Simon recorded a career-high five sacks during the 2015 season.

"He is kind of an unsung hero type of player," Texans coach Bill O'Brien said of Simon during the season. "He's a guy who personifies doing your job.

He does a good job every week of going out and doing what he's coached to do. Vrabel does a good job of coaching him.

"John loves playing the game. He's in here all the time. He just loves being around it. He's tough."

Vrabel is never surprised by the production of Simon, who's known for his physical style and strength in the weight room. Simon has bench pressed over 500 pounds and worked diligently on his flexibility and pass coverage skills.

"I see a tough, physical football player who the game and his teammates are important to him," Vrabel said. "He loves it.

He studies hard. He tries to do it the way we coach him to do it."

Patrick Semansky / Associated Press file

Rangers executives testified Tuesday they never knew that outfielder Leonys Martin planned to cross the U.S. border in Texas illegally.

Texas testifies on Cuban players crossing border

By Curt Anderson ASSOCIATED PRE SS

MIAMI — Two Texas Rangers executives testified Tuesday they never discussed bringing Cuban ballplayers to the U.S. illegally with a Florida sports agent on trial for allegedly smuggling players from the communistgoverned island.

Rangers General Manager Jon Daniels and assistant GM Mike Daly told a jury they never knew that outfielder Leonys Martin planned to cross the U.S. border in Texas illegally and never talked about it with Martin’s agent, Bartolo Hernandez.

“Absolutely not,” Daly said under questioning from Hernandez attorney Daniel Rashbaum.

Martin testified earlier he came into the U.S. in 2011 without documents because he feared being kidnapped while awaiting

a visa in Mexico. Martin later signed a $15.5 million contract with the Rangers and now plays for the Seattle Mariners. Cubans at the time were generally allowed to stay once they reached U.S. soil.

Daniels and Daly were the first two defense witnesses in the trial of Hernandez and trainer Julio Estrada. Prosecutors rested earlier Tuesday after about four weeks of testimony.

Hernandez and Estrada are charged in a six-count indictment with conspiracy and bringing aliens illegally into the U.S. Prosecutors say they used phony travel documents and fake residency papers to clear Cubans to play baseball in the U.S. so they could pocket a chunk of their MLB contracts.

Both Rangers executives said they did not review any residency or travel documents before

signing Martin, relying instead on Major League Baseball to inform them if he was an eligible free agent. Players from Cuba must establish residency in a third country to negotiate free agent contracts rather than submitting to the less-lucrative MLB draft.

Daniels also said part of Martin’s contract was changed after he arrived to delete a section requiring him to obtain a U.S. visa, substituting instead that Martin get a work permit.

“You considered him a valuable talent for your organization, is that fair to say?” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Ron Davidson.

“Yes, it is,” Daniels replied.

Daly was also shown phone records listing a call between him and Hernandez on April 2, 2011, several hours after Martin had crossed the

U.S. border illegally.

“I spoke a lot with Bart throughout the process,” Daly said. Asked if that call was about Martin’s border crossing, Daly replied, “No, sir.”

Also testifying Tuesday was former player Alejandro Piloto, who spent three seasons in the Atlanta Braves’ minor leagues but said he now works security at a nightclub. Piloto, who was trained by Estrada, said he and another player crossed the U.S. border illegally in Mexico but that Estrada did not know of their plan.

“He was not with us,” Piloto testified.

“Did Julio do anything or suggest that you cross the border illegally?” asked Estrada attorney Dianne Carames.

“No, never,” he responded. “I was seeing that the process was taking too long. I wanted to come and play ball here.”

A8 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

STATE

Hundreds pack Texas Capitol for transgender bathroom debate

By Paul J. Weber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN, Texas — Hundreds of transgender-rights supporters packed the Texas Capitol on Tuesday, seeking to speak out against a North Carolina-style "bathroom bill" that has drawn opposition from sports leagues and companies such as Facebook.

The bill would require transgender people to use public bathrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate.

But unlike in North Carolina, where the law known as HB2 passed a year ago with broad Republican support, the Texas bill has split conservatives and faces a tougher road.

More than 400 people who jammed the Capitol to speak on the bill created a scene that rivaled the intensity and emotion of a vote last month over a ban on so-called "sanctuary cities" that don't cooperate with federal immigration officials. But whereas that divisive proposal passed over occasional protests in the Senate gallery, lawmakers discussing the bill in committee this time gathered in a smaller room that made for easier crowd control.

Large numbers of bill supporters also turned out in droves and waited throughout the day and evening to tell lawmakers why they support it.

Among them was the superintendent of a tiny Texas school district that sued last year over former President Barack Obama's attempts to

strengthen transgender rights in public schools nationwide. President Donald Trump has since rescinded those school orders.

The sheer turnout stretched the meeting for hours but the bill's clearing the committee was a near certainty. Still, Republican House Speaker Joe Straus again made clear he has little appetite for the bill even if it does clear the Senate and, on top of that, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott hasn't given a public endorsement.

"They have their agenda, we have ours," Straus

said Tuesday.

Straus stopped short of declaring the bill dead on arrival with three months of lawmaking still remaining in Texas. But he has repeatedly denounced it as bad for the Texas economy while standing with corporate opponents that include Google, Amazon, American Airlines, Microsoft, Intel and Hilton.

The National Football League and National Basketball Association have also said that passing the bill could give them second thoughts about bringing big events such as the Super Bowl

Eric Gay / AP

Members of the transgender community take part in a rally on the steps of the Texas Capitol Monday in Austin, Texas. The group is opposing a "bathroom bill" that would require people to use public bathrooms and restrooms that correspond with the sex on their birth certificate.

and All-Star game back to Texas.

The hazy future of the bill prompted Senate Republicans to launch a new campaign this week with religious leaders to drum up more conservative support. They also flew in North Carolina Lt. Gov. Dan Forest, who championed his state's bathroom bill and ac-

cused the media of creating a false picture of economic upheaval.

The NCAA canceled seven championship events in North Carolina after HB2 passed, PayPal canceled expansion plans and then-Gov. Pat McCrory lost his re-election race to a Democrat in a state otherwise controlled by Republicans.

Forest told Texas lawmakers his state was on an economic rebound and claimed that North Carolina landing the 2018 World Equestrian Games will offset the NBA and NCAA pulling out.

"They don't want to tell our narrative. They want to tell the narrative of our opposition," Forest said.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 |

A9

BUSINESS

Saudi energy minister keeps close eye on U.S. oil

By David Koenig A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HOUSTON — Saudi Arabia’s energy minister says OPEC production cuts are working to bolster crude prices and his country will look at whether other oil-producing nations are living up to their promises to curtail pumping before deciding whether to extend the cutbacks beyond this summer.

In a nod to America’s ability to offset much of the OPEC cuts by pumping oil from shale formations, Khalid al-Falih said Tuesday that he is watching the U.S. producers closely after U.S. oil production bounced back quickly as prices rose last year.

OPEC, whose members account for about one-third of global oil output, agreed to cut production beginning in January by 1.2 million

barrels a day. Other countries joined in, pushing the total to nearly 1.8 million barrels. By independent accounts, those targets have mostly been met, although some producers, like nonOPEC Russia, have fallen short.

“Some have not lived up to expectations,” alFalih said, “but as a whole if you look at the totality the agreement is working well.”

According to the Energy Department, U.S. production rose to an average of 8.8 million barrels a day in the fourth quarter after dropping below 8.7 million barrels in the third quarter. The department forecast increases to 9.2 million barrels a day this year and 9.7 million — a possible record — in 2018 in a market outlook issued Tuesday.

Oil prices have stabilized above $50 a barrel — a rebound from early 2016, when they plunged

US trade deficit jumps to high of $48.5 billion

below $30 a barrel — although some analysts had expected closer to $60. The U.S. benchmark closed at $53.14 a barrel Tuesday, while the global benchmark ended at $55.92.

Saudi Arabia is the world’s biggest producer and is carrying the heaviest load of production cuts. While other OPEC members such as Venezuela and Nigeria are in far worse shape economically, the Saudis too feel the pinch. The kingdom needs the money to pay for social programs, raising questions about how long and how low it will go with production cuts, which expire in July.

In deciding whether to favor extending the cuts, his country will look at global oil inventories as the midyear deadline approaches, al-Falih said.

Speaking at a conference known as CERAWeek by IHS Markit, he also said growth in developing

nations means that demand for oil will remain strong for the year despite efforts to curb carbon emissions, advances in energy efficiency, and competition from renewable energy.

OPEC Secretary-General Mohammad Barkindo of Nigeria met during the Houston conference with CEOs of several leading U.S. shale-oil operators. They told Barkindo how they cut costs and became more efficient.

“They did a great job,” Barkindo said of his cartel’s American rivals.

Still, some went bust, and layoffs swept the oil patch.

Without going into great detail on their meeting, which he termed private, Barkindo said both sides want to avoid another oil slump like the last one, which was aided by surging production from the U.S. and accelerated when OPEC decided

Melissa Phillip / AP

Khalid A. Al-Falih, minister of energy, Industry and Mineral Resources of Saudi Arabia and chairman of Saudi Aramco, speaks during CERAWeek Tuesday in Houston.

in November 2014 not to cut production to shore up crude prices.

“They are sold on that as well because they felt the brunt,” he said of the Americans.

Al-Falih also spoke briefly about Saudi Aramco’s pending IPO, planned for next year, will knit the state-owned company more closely into the international economy. He highlighted Aramco investments in the U.S., including taking control over a Texas refinery that had been run in a joint venture with Royal Dutch Shell, which

Losses for drugmakers, hospitals pull stocks lower

By Marley Jay ASSOCIATED PRE SS

By Martin Crutsinger A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. trade deficit jumped in January to the highest level in nearly five years as a flood of mobile phones and other consumer products widened America's trade gap with China. The result underscores the challenges facing President Donald Trump in fulfilling a campaign pledge to reduce America's trade deficits.

The deficit in January rose 9.6 percent to $48.5 billion, up from a December deficit of $44.3 billion, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. It was the largest monthly gap since a deficit of $50.2 billion in March 2012.

U.S. exports edged up a slight 0.6 percent to $192.1 billion, helped by stronger auto sales. But that was swamped by a 2.3 percent surge in imports to $240.6 billion, led by mobile phones, oil and foreignmade cars.

During the campaign, Trump pledged to attack America's persistent trade deficits, which he blamed

for the loss of millions of good-paying factory jobs.

He has threatened to slap punitive tariffs on imports from China, Mexico and other nations he has accused of trading unfairly.

But economists worry that Trump's tough talk could spark all-out trade wars in which foreign nations retaliate by boosting their tariffs on American goods.

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro, a long-time critic of China's trade practices, told an economists' group on Monday that reducing America's trade deficits would deliver stronger economic growth and improve national security.

For January, the U.S. deficit with China increased 12.8 percent to $31.3 billion, the highest level since September. The figure reflects a big rise in imports of mobile phones, clothing, televisions, toys and games.

American exporters have struggled over the past two years as a rising dollar has made their goods more expensive and therefore less competitive in overseas markets.

said it will get $2.2 billion from Saudi Aramco.

In discussing the U.S. shale rebound, al-Falih, who earned a degree in mechanical engineering from Texas A&M, threw in a bit of American business jargon to describe signs of recovery in oil investment and production.

“The green shoots are definitely here in the U.S., and maybe they are growing too fast,” alFalih said in reference to his American shale rivals. “I am monitoring the watering of the green shoots.”

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks declined for the third time in four days on Tuesday as health care companies took center stage.

Drugmakers fell after President Donald Trump said he wants to bring drug prices down. Insurers rose and hospital companies dropped after Republicans in Congress introduced a bill intended to replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act. Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies fell after Trump said in a morning tweet that he intends to bring down drug prices. The health care proposal gave big health insurers a boost, but hurt companies that do a lot of business with Medicaid.

It’s not clear if the bill will pass the Senate, as several Republicans have already questioned it.

Stocks turned lower at the end of the day as that criticism increased, leaving the fate of the current bill, a key part of Trump’s agenda, uncertain.

“We’re going to still be

Richard Drew / AP

Specialist Meric Greenbaum, left, and trader Tommy Kalikas work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange Tuesday. Stocks are opening broadly lower on Wall Street, led by declines in health care stocks and banks.

having this conversation six months from now,” said Les Funtleyder, health care portfolio manager for E Squared Asset Management.

Elsewhere, energy companies continued to slip and technology companies made smallish gains. Stocks hadn’t fallen for two consecutive days since the end of January, and set their latest record highs last Wednesday.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 6.92 points, or 0.3 percent, to 2,368.39.

The Dow Jones industrial average lost 29.58 points,

or 0.1 percent, to 20,924.76. The Nasdaq composite sagged 15.25 points, or 0.3 percent, to 5,833.93. Two stocks fell for every one that rose on the New York Stock Exchange.

On Thursday the current bull market will turn eight years old. It’s lasted longer than any other since World War II except for the decade-long run that ended in early 2000.

Since the middle of 2015 drug companies have repeatedly tumbled as investors worried that the government would take

action to reduce prices or at least curb price increases. While Trump has talked about dealing with the issue before, he has never discussed details. Funtleyder said the task might be harder than it sounds.

“There’s no government mechanism at the moment to control costs directly,” he said.

Companies that make high-price drugs took some of the largest losses.

Biotechnology company Alexion Pharmaceuticals shed $4.15, or 3.1 percent, to $129.18. Alexion makes Soliris, a high-priced drug that treats two rare genetic disorders. Mallinckrodt, which has faced criticism over repeated increases in the price of its HP Acthar gel, gave up $1.55, or 3 percent, to $49.71.

Pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts and biotech company Gilead Sciences each fell as they bickered over the price of Gilead’s hepatitis C drugs, some of which are listed at $1,000 a pill.

Express Scripts lost $2.66, or 3.8 percent, to $67.39 and Gilead slid $1.10, or 1.6 percent, to $69.02.

A10 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

ENTERTAINMENT

Battle looms over Bill Cosby's testimony on drugs and sex

By Maryclaire Dale A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

PHILADELPHIA — The next battle in the criminal case against Bill Cosby will be whether prosecutors can use his lurid deposition testimony about giving pills and alcohol to a string of women before sex — material that may be disallowed at his trial since the judge ruled most of the women themselves can't testify.

Judge Steven O'Neill must resolve the seeming conflict between two key pretrial rulings he made

in recent months: One lets the deposition in, while the other exCosby cludes most of the accusers Cosby discusses.

The two sides will slug it out in briefs being filed in the coming weeks. The case is set for trial June 5 in suburban Philadelphia.

Cosby, 79, is accused of drugging and molesting former Temple University employee Andrea Constand at his home in 2004. The TV star whose

reputation as America's Dad has been destroyed by a barrage of sexual assault allegations could get 10 years in prison if convicted. He has said the sexual contact was consensual.

The comedian gave the damaging testimony more than a decade ago as part of a lawsuit filed against him by Constand, who later settled for an undisclosed sum.

Some veteran trial lawyers doubt prosecutors can get in any of his testimony about other women, since that would amount to a backdoor

way to bring in evidence the judge has blocked.

"It should all be excluded," said Alan Tauber, a defense attorney who faced a similar issue in a Philadelphia priest-abuse trial. Otherwise, Tauber said, the ruling barring several other women from taking the stand would be rendered "entirely an academic gesture, with no meaning."

If the material is excluded, the jury won't hear Cosby admit giving quaaludes to a 19-year-old he met in a hotel gift shop before having sex with her; describe giving three

drinks to a teen actress at his New York townhouse during a supposed acting lesson before moving to the couch where, she says, he sought oral sex; or deny knowing a Las Vegas masseuse or a Sausalito, California, waitress who say they were drugged and attacked.

"I doubt if any of that comes in," said David Rudovsky, a criminal lawyer and University of Pennsylvania law professor.

Prosecutors had hoped to call 13 other accusers to try to show Cosby had a

pattern of drugging and molesting women that spanned 50 years.

In a victory for Cosby that could prove even bigger at trial, O'Neill ruled last month that the jury can hear about only the most recent of those allegations, involving a woman who worked for Cosby's agent at the William Morris Agency. She said Cosby drugged and sexually assaulted her during a lunch meeting in 1996.

Cosby was not asked about her in the deposition because she had not yet come forward.

A 'Beauty and the Beast' with a new dimension The Disney "live-action" remakes, of which the new "Beauty and the Beast" is but one in an assembly line, are starting to resemble an iPhone software update. Click a button and that old cartoon interface changes Belle into Emma Watson, the Beast into Dan Stevens and maybe fixes a few bugs in the system.

"Beauty and the Beast," that "tale as old as time,” could certainly use a few tweaks. It is, after all, a fable about finding beauty within that ends, curiously, with the once superficial prince falling for a beautiful woman he's kidnapped, whose name literally means beauty. If you'd like to untangle those ironies, please, be our guest.

Director Bill Condon's film often feels in search

Courtesy of Disney / AP

This image released by Disney shows Dan Stevens as The Beast, left, and Emma Watson as Belle in a live-action adaptation of the animated classic "Beauty and the Beast."

of a purpose beyond the all-but-certain dollar signs. Much of the liveaction/digital effects makeover is less lifelike than the Oscar-winning 1991 animated film: It's gained a dimension but lost a pulse. The merely fine acting and the lavish

production design.

Opposites attract, of course. And this "Beauty and the Beast" is equal parts dispiriting and enchanting: overflowing in handsome craft, but missing a spirit inside. Howard Ashman and Alan Menken's songs still have their infectious kick, but most of the big musical moments feel more like very good covers of the originals.

Belle's bookishness is more pronounced. Her performance is a little minor key, still, but Watson lends Belle an intelligence and agency that she has lacked.

But as the film nears its celebratory coda, a buoyant pluralism bursts forth.

Characters are freed from their prescribed roles in a glorious dance, shortly after Mrs. Potts (Emma Thompson), Cogsworth (Ian McKellen), Lumiere (Ewan McGregor) and the rest come to life.

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 |

A11

NATIONAL

Teen accused of decapitating mother

By Jonathan Drew and Tom Foreman Jr. A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

ZEBULON, N.C. — An 18-year-old man decapitated his mother and then walked out the front door of her house holding her head in his hand while wielding a knife in the other, authorities said.

The scene unfolded Monday afternoon in a normally quiet neighborhood of one-story homes about 30 miles east of Raleigh. Neighbor Randy Mullins was leaving his house minutes after the first deputy arrived, and he said he saw the woman's head lying in the front yard about five feet in front of the porch. The deputy appeared to have just handcuffed the suspect and seemed rattled when Mullins approached to ask if he needed help.

"You could see in his face he had a lot of concern. I'm not saying he was scared, but you could tell he was con-

cerned," Mullins said of the deputy. Mullins then went back to his house across the street and told his 91-year-old mother to stay inside. He said a half-dozen more law enforcement vehicles arrived within minutes, and a deputy covered the woman's head.

"I couldn't believe it.

Things like that don't happen," said the 59year-old Mullins, who has lived in the neighborhood for 25 years.

"You can't believe somebody would do that. You hear about that, but it never happens across the street from you."

Oliver Funes Machada was charged with firstdegree murder Monday after he called 911 to say he had killed his mother, according to a news release from the sheriff's office. Authorities say he was arrested without offering resistance, and his 35-year-old mother's body was found inside the home.

District Attorney Mike Waters said officials were

seeking a mental evaluation of Funes-Machada.

His public defender, Louisburg attorney C. Boyd Sturges III, said in a phone interview that he spoke with Funes-Machada for an hour in the Franklin County jail.

"It does appear there's some substantial mental health issues involved in this case," Sturges said.

"I'm not a doctor, so I can't really elaborate.

He's a pretty profoundly disturbed young man."

Waters said due to the suspect's apparent mental state, "this is something that's going to take weeks and months for us to get some answers as to why this happened."

Waters said the suspect was being transferred to Central Prison in Raleigh, and his next court appearance is scheduled for March 14.

Two young girls in the home were not hurt. A fourth child was in school when the attack occurred.

Deputies were searching the home hours after

Jonathan Drew / AP

A house in Zebulon, N.C., is seen on Tuesday. Police say the house is the scene where 18-year-old Oliver Funez decapitated his mother the previous day.

the body was discovered.

Bryan Cox, a spokesman for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a news release that the suspect was from Honduras and was in the country illegally. Cox said that federal records listed his name with the slightly different spelling, Machado, but his defense attorney said Machada was listed in local court records.

Neighbor Leona Smith told WRAL-TV she was still trying to come to grips with such a horrible crime happening so close by.

"It's very hurtful to know something like this can happen in your own

neighborhood with such a quiet family with the standard white picket fence, trampoline, playground in the back," she said. "To see the two younger children sitting in the ditch crying, it was heartbreaking."

Mullins, the other neighbor, said the family had moved to the neighborhood sometime around June. He didn't know them well, but he and his mother said they seemed friendly.

"If they were outside, they always waved at you," said Clearsy Mullins.

On Tuesday, a group of people were at the house where the crime oc-

curred loading a stroller and other belongings into two mini-vans. A neighbor who had stopped by to offer his condolences told a reporter that the people in the group didn't want to talk, and they left after about 20 minutes.

Randy Mullins said the suspect appeared placid as he sat handcuffed and the deputy was kneeling down to comfort the two younger children.

"He was sitting there like he didn't have a care in the world," Mullins said of Funes-Machada.

"He didn't appear to be upset; he didn't appear to be crying."

Comey asked to Chicago police alter policy on testify in House force following backlash panel’s Russia-Trump probe

By Don Babwin ASSOCIATED PRE SS

By Billy House B L OOMBE RG NEWS

FBI Director James Comey has been asked to testify along with several former Obama administration officials before the House Intelligence Committee for its first public hearing on its investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

Committee chairman Devin Nunes said Tuesday that he has also invited National Security Agency chief Mike Rogers, former director of national intelligence James Clapper, former CIA director John Brennan, former acting attorney general Sally Yates and two executives from CrowdStrike Inc., a cybersecurity company, to the March 20 hearing.

The California Republican added that none of invitees have been issued subpoenas, and that additional witnesses may be added.

The hearing will likely be the first in-depth public inquiry into allegations of connections between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government, as well as Russia’s efforts to influence the U.S. election.

Nunes told reporters Tuesday that he doesn’t believe the Russians conspired to help elect Trump, but that his committee will do “a full assessment” of that assertion.

The House Intelligence panel’s top Democrat, Adam Schiff of California, told reporters Tuesday that Comey wasn’t forthcoming with information when the panel held a closed hearing last week.

“The first obstacle we met was the FBI director’s unwillingness to answer questions,” Schiff said.

The House and Senate intelligence committees are conducting separate probes into the various Russia allegations. Trump has asked the panels to also investigate leaks and even suggested earlier this week that former President Barack Obama ordered wiretaps of his office at Trump Tower.

Nunes and Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr both said Tuesday that they haven’t seen any evidence supporting Trump’s allegation.

“We will go anywhere there are intelligence or the facts that send us, so I’m not going to limit it one way or the other,” Burr said. “We don’t have anything today that would send us in that direction, but that’s not to say we might not find something.”

Schiff said, “We will accept the president’s invitation to investigate this.” He said committee members will question Comey and others about Trump’s allegations at the March 20 hearing.

CHICAGO — A draft of a new Chicago Police Department use-of-force policy released Tuesday would give officers more latitude in deciding when to fire their weapons, backing off an earlier proposal that the police union had said was too restrictive and could have put officers in danger.

Chicago is struggling to forge a new police policy that balances the need for officers to do their work amid a wave of shootings, while restoring community trust following public anger over the shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald in 2014.

The new draft backs off a suggestion in October that officers not use force unless "all other reasonable alternatives have been exhausted."

That prompted concern from the police union that it was "too restrictive and would endanger officers who need to protect themselves in various situations."

The proposal now says that officers are required to use de-escalation tactics only when it does not put their personal safety at risk.

"The requirement that officers apply de-escalation principles does not mean officers must endanger themselves,' according to the latest draft.

Fraternal Order of Police President Dean Angelo Sr., told the Chicago Tribune that the changes since October show the department paid attention to union concerns.

"It's not like we look forward to utilizing force or we look forward to firing our weapon," he

Teresa Crawford / AP

In this Feb. 1, 2107 file photo, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson speaks at a news conference in Chicago. A draft of a new Chicago Police Department use-of-force policy released Tuesday would give officers more latitude in deciding when to fire their weapons.

told the newspaper.

But others said that latest proposal was troubling in the context of a history of Chicago police condoning and using excessive force.

"Nobody wants a cop to be shot or hurt but they haven't demonstrated good judgment as when to use (lethal force) and when not to," said Alderman Howard Brookins Jr. "I am concerned about giving them more authority and more latitude toward (the use of) lethal force."

Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson rejected any suggestion that either he or the department is backing away from implemented needed reforms but suggested that changes were needed to protect police officers.

"It is important that we balance public safety with officer safety so we are trying to get it right and we are trying to be transparent..." he said after an unrelated event at a school on the city's West Side.

Chicago's police department has been under intense pressure since a video was released in 2015 showing a white officer shooting McDonald 16 times. Public outrage led to calls for Mayor Rahm Emanuel to step down, forced out the police chief and led to the election defeat of a prosecutor who had not moved for months to charge the officer.

The U.S. Justice Department in the waning days of President Barack Obama's administration

concluded in a scathing report that the Chicago department had a long history of civil rights violations and excessive force. But it is unclear if President Donald Trump's administration will follow through on those conclusions and push Chicago for reforms.

Emanuel and the police department are also under scrutiny following a sharp increase in homicides concentrated in poor neighborhoods.

Chicago had 762 murders in 2016, the most killings in the city in nearly two decades and more than New York and Los Angeles combined.

The police department is accepting comments on the new policy draft until March 16.

Fishers sue to get rid of Obama's monument

By Patrick Whittle A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

PORTLAND, Maine — A coalition of commercial fishing groups filed a lawsuit on Tuesday to challenge the creation of a national monument off the coast of New England.

President Barack Obama created the monument in September using executive authority under the Antiquities Act. The monument is called the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National

Monument, and it is made up of nearly 5,000 square miles of underwater canyons and mountains.

The creation of the monument closed the area to most commercial fishing and has been opposed by fishing groups for months. A coalition of the groups filed their lawsuit Tuesday in federal court.

The groups said creation of the monument was a "unilateral" action by Obama that is bringing economic distress to fishermen and their families.

They want it ruled an unlawful use of the Antiquities Act. "The Northeast Canyons and Seamount National Marine Monument purports to designate a monument in the ocean 130 miles from the nation's coast. This area of the ocean is not 'lands owned or controlled' by the federal government," says the lawsuit, filed by the conservative Pacific Legal Foundation. "Therefore, the Antiquities Act does not authorize the President to

establish the Northeast Canyon and Seamounts Marine National Monument."

Groups signing onto the lawsuit include the Massachusetts Lobstermen's Association, Long Island Commercial Fishing Association and the Rhode Island Fishermen Alliance.

Environmental groups have rushed to defend the monument, which conservationists have touted as a way to protect habitat for whales and sea turtles.

"The president has the authority to declare national monuments, and we believe he did so properly here," said Brad Sewell of the Natural Resources Defense Council.

Also Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican and the chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, sent a letter to President Donald Trump calling for the removal of all marine monument fishing prohibitions. He called the prohibitions "a clear example of federal overreach."

A12 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

INTERNATIONAL

Iraqi forces enter Mosul in battle against ISIS

By Omar Al-jawoshy and Sewell Chan NEW YORK TIME S NEWS SERVICE

Pool Photo / AP

Turkey's Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar, center, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford, left, and Russia's Chief of Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov and their delegations attend a meeting in the Mediterranean coastal city of Antalya, Turkey, Tuesday.

Military chiefs discuss Syria tensions

By Bassem Mroue and Suzan Fraser A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

BEIRUT — The top generals from Turkey, the United States and Russia met Tuesday in Turkey to discuss mutual suspicions over northern Syria military operations, as Russia's military announced a twoweek long cease-fire between rebels and the government in the suburbs of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

The Russian military said a cease-fire has been in place since Tuesday, March 6, and will extend until March 20, for the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus, but activists reported a number of airstrikes and artillery strikes by government forces, killing

two civilians.

The White Helmets search-and-rescue group said they dug up the bodies of a child and an adult from the rubble of the strikes on Harasta, inside the rebel-held Ghouta pocket.

Government forces have intensified their siege against the civilians and rebels there since February in an effort to secure a surrender that would see part of the population sent to exile.

The U.N. has denounced other such arrangements as "forced displacement" and war crimes.

The Siege Watch monitoring group says around 400,000 people are trapped under the constant bombardment.

The surprise meeting between Turkey's Gen. Hulusi Akar, Marine

Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the Russian General Staff, was called to address reciprocal mistrust between Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces, U.S.-backed Kurdish forces, and Russianallied Syrian government forces, fighting their way toward the Islamic State group's de facto capital, Raqqa.

Turkey, a NATO ally, views the Kurdish group that dominates the Syria Democratic Forces as terrorists and has threatened to drive them from the northern town of Manbij, which the alliance captured from the militants last year with the aid of U.S.-led coalition airstrikes. Turkey

and Syria meanwhile support opposite sides in the Syrian civil war.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, addressing a campaign rally in the Turkish capital Ankara, reiterated his readiness to confront the Kurdish forces.

"We can clear Manbij together, then we can clear Raqqa together," he said.

The U.S. has a few hundred special operations forces embedded with the SDF and wants the alliance to lead the march on Raqqa. The Pentagon said Monday that U.S. forces have also taken up positions on the outskirts of Manbij to try to keep a lid on tensions.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the meetings would continue on Wednesday.

BAGHDAD — Iraqi forces trying to reclaim Mosul penetrated the western part of the city on Tuesday, retaking a bridge and several public buildings during heavy clashes with the Islamic State militants, officials said.

Civilians reported that the bombardment and gunfire were the heaviest since Feb. 19, the beginning of the operation to retake the western part of the city — the country’s second-largest, where roughly 1 million people are trapped and living in desperate conditions.

Soldiers recaptured a branch of the central bank, an archaeological museum that jihadis ransacked after taking the city in 2014, and the Hurriya Bridge, which crosses the Tigris River in the center of the city, Brig.

Gen. Yahya Rasool, a military spokesman, said by phone.

“We will never stop until we liberate Mosul entirely,” he said.

Lt. Gen. Raed Shakir Jawdat, the chief of the federal police, said that security forces had also retaken a government compound. A statement from the U.S.-led coalition forces assisting the Iraqis gave a similar account of their progress.

Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir al-Muhammadawi, a spokesman for an elite unit of Interior Ministry troops, said that the buildings retaken from the Islamic State included a courthouse where militants had carried out whippings, stonings and beheadings, as well as a building where militants had thrown people to their deaths.

“The liberation of the government compound is a step forward for our forces, a vital motivating position for us,” al-Muhammadawi said in an interview.

It was not yet clear how lasting the gains would be.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 |

A13

FROM THE COVER FUNDING From page A1 placement dollars is totally unfair,” Gonzalez said.

If ASATR funding is not extended, it could result in some districts shuttering completely, according to the Texas School Coalition website.

“If funding is lost, class sizes will almost certainly increase, as districts are forced to forego staffing additional teachers. Quality of edu-

cation will be greatly affected,” Garcia said.

Furthermore, ZCISD would likely have to reduce contract days, stipends and the number of UIL events students attend, according to Garcia.

If HB 811 is voted through the Public Education Committee, it will then need to be passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate, and then signed by Gov. Greg Abbott to ensure ASATR funding through 2021.

Cuate Santos / Laredo Morning Times

Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar, right, looks on as Maverick County sheriff addressed member of the media Monday at the Webb County Sheriff's Department Administrative office, about the joint effort border counties share as part of border.

WEBB From page A1 Maverick County Sheriff Tom Schmerber said Operation Border SMART could help his office better safeguard his county.

Like Webb, Maverick faces issues with human and drug smuggling, he said.

“It’s very effective.

Those cameras that (Cuellar) showed me are nice because you can have them in you unit … If you see any criminal elements crossing, you can respond right away,” Schmerber said.

Wounded Warrior Once established, Border SMART would create job opportunities for

PATH From page A1 movements puts them on a faster path to extinction.

Environmentalists and conservation groups say the border fence also has compromised the federal government’s own efforts to protect those vulnerable species, pitting the U.S. Department of Homeland Security against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The latter agency bought large tracts of land along the border decades ago and turned them into national wildlife refuges.

A spokeswoman for the Fish and Wildlife Service said the agency is not studying the environmental impacts of the proposed border wall and referred the Tribune to Customs and Border Patrol. That agency told the Tribune that “at this point we don’t have anything to share.”

A fast-tracked fence When you envision the U.S.-Mexico border, you might think of a barren, dusty desert. But it actually ranks among the most biodiverse places in North America — particularly the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.

The Valley is home to some of the last remaining tracts of sabal palm forest in the country — a lush, subtropical ecosystem that is prime habitat for an endangered wild cat called the ocelot.

Two major migratory bird paths also converge in the region, and several tropical bird species there can’t be found anywhere else in the United States.

More than 100 other en-

veterans from the Wounded Warrior Project, Cuellar said. Authorities would hire veterans to man a position at a command center along the border.

“To be able to hire veterans, to me it’s great,” Cuellar said.

At the command center, veterans would be able to monitor the border for any illicit activity, according to Cuellar.

“It’s a great program.

(Cuellar) always works with veterans and helps veterans,” said David Garza, veteran service officer for Webb County.

Garza added that when veterans leave the service, they struggle to find employment.

“Giving (veterans) the first choice … is an amazing opportunity,” he said.

dangered species may be impacted by construction of a wall along the U.S.Mexico border, according to an analysis of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service data.

A group of Wisconsinites on the lookout for birds and other wildlife at Resaca de la Palma State Park and World Birding Center in the Rio Grande Valley. The region is one of the preeminent birding locales in the Unites States. Callie Richmond for The Texas Tribune During his first presidential run, Obama vowed to review Bush’s directive to build the fence — which was still under construction when he took office — in part due to potential environmental impacts. That never happened, even after a presidential advisory committee urged him to study the issue before Homeland Security installed any more barrier segments.

Decades-old laws like the Endangered Species Act often tie up major federal projects for decades or thwart them altogether, but a 2005 security and immigration law that Congress passed gave Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff the power to waive all those regulations — which he did in 2008.

The existing border fence went up in just a few years. That left scientists scrambling to measure the impacts themselves — racing to try to measure animal movements before the fence was installed so they could compare them to what happened afterward.

Because the wall went up so quickly, “We didn’t

WWII pilot, 96, at the controls during North Texas flight

feeling, that here we were not dropping bombs, but we were bringing in food, doing something positive," Williamson said.

"There was two and a half million people encircled by the Russians in Berlin.

It was a tremendous victory for the Allies."

The Flagship Detroit is said to be the oldest flying DC-3 in the world. American Airlines operated the aircraft from 1937 to 1947, carrying the likes of Eleanor Roosevelt and Hollywood stars. Air travel in the day was a luxury and reserved only for the wealthy. The DC-3 is credited as the airplane that made passenger travel commercially viable.

"More passengers, safety, comfort, this is the plane that changed everything, the DC-3," Lemon said.

After being retired from American Airlines, the Flagship Detroit remained in service in various private cargo companies in the following decades. The foundation had been looking to find one of the original DC-3s and finally found one in Bridgewater, Virginia, where it had been converted to spray for mosquitoes.

"A gentleman called one of the guys in our group and said, 'I think I have something in my hangar that you boys are

looking for,'" Lemon said.

"They flew it around Virginia killing mosquitoes with it, but on the tail it had NC17334 and the serial number was 0920, and that's the Flagship Detroit."

Lemon and the other foundation members paid cash on the spot for the plane in 2004 and began a two-year project to restore it to its configuration as one of the first airliners.

Since then it has toured the country, giving people a glimpse of what early airline travel was like, which is quite different from modern jet airliners.

The DC-3's twin, 9cylinder radial engines belch black smoke out of the exhaust pipes as their started up one at a time.

The fuselage resonates and hums with the changing RPM of the propellers, and hydraulics hiss and groan as they operate the control surfaces.

Williamson said his reaction when Lemon invited him to the flight was, "Let's go!"

In 1944, Williamson was flying a bombing run over Brunswick, Germany, about 150 miles west of Berlin when the first lieutenant encountered one of Hitler's most advanced pieces of technology.

"We had just gone through some heavy flak," Williamson said. "Then

the Messerschmitt 262 made one pass and got us."

The Messerschmitt ME 262 was a twin-engine jet fighter, the first production jet plane in service.

The attack hit the number one engine and started fires throughout the aircraft. Williamson and his crew escaped through the top hatch and parachuted into Germany.

Williamson said he was met on the ground first by a group of German civilians, then by the German military. He was taken to an interrogation center first before being transported to Stalag Luft I, a prison camp for Allied airmen.

"At first they were rather harsh with us, putting it mildly," Williamson said. "But once we got in the prison camp, our guards were fairly good to us. For some of them it wasn't."

But before he was taken to the prison camp, the pilot of the ME 262 that shot him down wanted to meet the foreigner whose plane he just shot out of the sky.

"He came down to our holding cell. We had a short discussion. He wanted to know who I was and where I'm from, you know," Williamson said. "I said 'Texas.'"

"I spent the rest of the war in a prisoner of war camp," Williamson said.

"Not everyone made it.

"You didn't know what was going to happen to you, so many unknowns."

Williamson and the other airmen attempted to tunnel out of the prison camp. They dug more than 8 feet down and 135 feet out.

"We just knew we were going to get out and go to that airport, pick up one of their fighter planes and fly back to the American lines. But the Germans had other thoughts," Williamson said. "I got a little time in the cooler, but it worked out. We failed, but we tried."

coons, or “coati,” were more likely to appear in places without a barrier.

But human crossers appeared in equal numbers whether there was a barrier or not.

Constant noise and traffic from Border Patrol and other law enforcement activity is another threat to border wildlife, studies found. Even in areas where gaps in the fence could allow animals to get through, there are wide-open gravel roads constantly patrolled by border agents. At dusk, agents often set up mobile, generator-powered floodlights. That activity has steadily increased as border enforcement budgets have soared.

Flesch, the Arizona biologist, says all the gaps in the fence have definitely lessened environmental impacts; that’s especially true in Texas, where there is only 110 miles of it. Black bears, for example, have been able to continue their recent comeback in the Lone Star State after being hunted to near extinction, and even a few jaguars — more prevalent in Mexico — have been spotted in the United States in recent years.

Free movement of wildlife is especially important after droughts or natural disasters that can wipe out subpopulations, Flesch said.

“The only species we know that’s going to make it through the wall are people,” he added.

for endangered animals.

Now, much of that same land is bisected by the border fence.

The section of the fence in Hidalgo is one of the clearest indications of those competing agendas.

It sits on the edge of the Lower Rio Grande National Wildlife Refuge, located on land that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bought some 40 years ago. That means it’s federal property — so it became an easy target decades later when the Department of Homeland Security was looking for land to build the border fence.

In testimony to Congress in 2008, the former manager of that wildlife refuge, Ken Merritt, said the land “was thought of somewhat like low-hanging fruit.” That phrase had appeared in a Homeland Security PowerPoint presentation the previous year, referring to land the federal government already owned and therefore wouldn’t have to condemn to build the fence. (Merritt, who worked at the agency for 31 years, was forced into early retirement after refusing to sign off on the border fence plan.)

Ygnacio Garza, a former Brownsville mayor and chairman of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission, summed it up this way: “You’ve spent money to build this environmental corridor, and now you’re gonna go right through the middle of it and put up a wall.”

The parks and wildlife commission, which also has spent decades acquiring land along the border to protect habitat, rebelled against the Bush administration’s border

fence plan, too. According to a 2008 report in the Austin American-Statesman, park commissioners voted to reject an offer from the federal government to donate $105,000 to a nonprofit land trust in exchange for more than 2 acres of a stateowned wildlife management area where it wanted to build part of the fence.

"Construction of a border fence has impacts to fish and wildlife resources that could not adequately be compensated for by the offer of compensation," a department staffer said at the time.

But the state ultimately lost that battle. The federal government condemned the property, a Texas Parks and Wildlife Department spokesman said.

The federal government did do some things to try to help endangered species when it built the border fence, including rerouting some sections.

At a segment near Brownsville that runs through a private nature preserve, there are small openings at the base of the fence every 500 feet or so meant to let small wild cats through — particularly the ocelot, whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than 100 in the United States.

Sonia Najera, grasslands manager for the Nature Conservancy, calls the openings “cat holes.”

They’re the size of a piece of printer paper. She’s never seen an animal actually use one.

How are cats, or any other animals, supposed to find them?

“That’s a good question,” Najera said.

By Daniel Burgess DENTON RECORD-CHRONICLE

DENTON, Texas — Gripping the controls and applying slight pressure to the left rudder pedal, 96-year-old Leroy Williamson banked the World War II-era airliner over the skies of Denton, reliving his experience resupplying West Berlin after the war.

"What a thrill," Willamson said.

The Denton RecordChronicle reports the Flagship Detroit is a DC-3 airliner built by McDonnell Douglas that was delivered to American Airlines in 1937. It's been restored to its original configuration by the Flagship Detroit Foundation, a nonprofit founded by a group of American Airlines pilots who take the airplane around the country, educating people on the history of commercial aviation.

Foundation President Zane Lemon invited Williamson to join other foundation members for the Flagship's 80th anniversary last Thursday, March 2. The last time Williamson piloted a similar plane was during his time in the Army Air Corps when he flew the military version of the DC-3, the C-47, during the Berlin Airlift.

"He's an American hero," Lemon said. "We're honored to have him here."

The Soviet Red Army, which had liberated Williamson and other airmen from a German prison camp two years earlier, blockaded all ground routes to West Berlin following the end of WWII in Europe, cutting off supplies to millions of German civilians. Williamson joined other Allied pilots in resupplying citizens of a country whose military had shot him down and held him as a prisoner of war just a few years earlier.

"To me it was a good

have any good environmental studies of this area to establish a baseline,” said Laura Huffman, director of the Nature Conservancy’s Texas office. As a result, “it’s hard to comment on where we are today. And there was a lot of concern about that.”

The studies At the 18-foot pedestrian fence in Hidalgo, the posts are positioned less than 2 inches apart — far too narrow for even small critters to squeeze through. Flesch’s research found that the fence also blocks the threatened pygmy owl, which can only fly a few feet above the ground.

Jesse Lasky, a biologist at Penn State University who studied the impacts of the fence on mammals, reptiles and amphibians, found that the U.S.-Mexico barrier reduced the range for some species by as much as 75 percent.

Impacts were particularly acute on smaller populations of wildlife that occur in more specialized habitats like the endangered jaguarundi — another small wild cat.

“Mountain lions, jaguars, bobcats, javelinas, big horned sheep, deer, black bears — those animals often move far to find what they need,” he said, adding that a hardened border wall like the one Trump is proposing would be “substantially more threatening.”

Another study conducted in Arizona, published in 2014, used motion-sensitive cameras to monitor animal — and human — movement along the border. The researchers found that pumas and hog-nosed

Daniel Burgess / AP

In a March 2, 2017 photo, WWII veteran, former POW and Denton, Texas resident Leroy Williamson stands next to the Flagship Detroit, a restored DC-3 airliner built in 1937, in Denton, Texas. Williamson, 96, flew over the city, reliving his experience resupplying West Berlin after the war.

Competing agendas For more than 70 years, state and federal government and conservation groups have been buying up land along the border to preserve habitat

A14 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL

Courtesy of Facebook / AP

This image provided by Facebook shows a demonstration of live reporter support, an example of one of the company's suicide prevention tools. Facebook is beefing up its suicide prevention tools, adding ways for crisis workers to reach out to people through Messenger.

The more you're on social media, the more isolated you feel A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

Facebook and other social media services are all about connecting people, but new research suggests they may be having the opposite effect.

The more time young adults spend on social media, the more likely they are to feel isolated, a report from scientists at the University of Pittsburgh reveals. The study of 1,787 US adults ages 19 through 32 found that participants who visited social media services more than two hours a day had twice the odds for "social isolation" compared to their peers who spent less than half an hour on services like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat. Moreover, those who visited social media platforms 58 or more times per week had "about triple the odds of perceived social isolation" than those who visited less than nine times a week.

Social isolation occurs when a person "lacks a sense of social belonging, true engagement with others, and fulfilling relationships," according to a news release from the

school. Social isolation has in the past been linked to increased risk for mortality.

"This is an important issue to study because mental health problems and social isolation are at epidemic levels among young adults," lead author Brian Primack, M.D., Ph.D., director of Pitt's Center for Research on media, technology, and health said in a statement.

"We are inherently social creatures, but modern life tends to compartmentalize us instead of bringing us together. While it may seem that social media presents opportunities to fill that social void, I think this study suggests that it may not be the solution people were hoping for."

The results of the study were published Monday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. The researchers said they're not sure yet as to whether social media is causing people's social isolation.

"It's possible that young adults who initially felt socially isolated turned to social media," senior author Elizabeth Miller, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pediatrics at Pitt said in a

statement. "Or it could be that their increased use of social media somehow led to feeling isolated from the real world. It also could be a combination of both. But even if the social isolation came first, it did not seem to be alleviated by spending time online, even in purportedly social situations."

The scientists have a few theories to explain why social media is fueling feelings of isolation.

For one, people may be spending so much time on social media that they have less time to get out and do social things in the real world. Further, people might see posts of friends at an event they weren't invited to, and feel left out.

Finally, seeing only the most picture-perfect moments in other people's lives "may elicit feelings of envy and the distorted belief that others lead happier and more successful lives," according to the news release.

The scientists are advising doctors to ask patients about their social media use and encourage them to reduce it if it seems linked to social isolation.

D2 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

Welcome!

certainly not least, we cannot forget to thank our devout “fans” who come from near and far to make our events n behalf of the Zapata County prosperous year Fair Board of Directors along after year. Together with the livestock, queen, arts, as a community, crafts, and baking committees we all come and we would like to extend our most sincere Erica G. Uribe join together to make and heartfelt gratitude to everyone that each and every event a remarkable and participated or contributed in order to make our 2017 Zapata County Fair a extraordinary one.

As an association, we work diligently great success! One of the most vital and important factors to ensuring a successful year round planning and preparing to event is the participation of our youths, make our event bigger and better and parents, sponsors, buyers, and local the immense crowds at our events proves school and government officials. Last, but that we are doing something right. YOUR

O

presence is important to us and we hope that we can live up to your expectations and provide you with an unforgettable and memorable experience.

Lastly, I would like to show my appreciation and gratitude to the ZCFA Board of Directors, my family, friends, and our community for allowing me the honor and privilege of serving as your 2017 ZCFA President. It is truly a humbling and rewarding experience to be able to work and give back to this community that I truly love. God bless you all and see you at “the Biggest Little Town Fair in Texas!”

Erica G. Uribe - PRESIDENT

EVENT Overview

S

pringtime in Zapata County brings more than just blooming flowers and warm weather. It heralds the arrival of the area’s most eagerly anticipated event, the Zapata County Fair.

The fair rolls into town on March 9, 2017 and culminates on March 11.

Folks from far and wide, even from clear across the country, make the annual trek to the event billed as the Best Little Fair in South Texas to experience the best that the region has to offer.

Walking through the midway, one witnesses a spectacle like no other. Along with the dozens of impressively bred show animals such as lambs, goat kids and steer,

the fair entice its visitors with delectable foods, thrilling rides and some of the bets entertainment in South Texas.

Los Desperadoz, La Tropa F and Elida Reyna y Avante are set take the stage Thursday. The headliner for Friday is Kevin Fowler and on Saturday it’s Intocable.

Beauty also abounds at the Zapata County Fair. The presentation of the Zapata County Queen and Court is set for 11 p.m.

Saturday. Following the presentation, the jalapeno eating contest sponsored by IBCZapata will be held.

But, perhaps the biggest draw to the Zapata County Fair involves something more personal and meaningful: family.

Along with being the Best Little Fair in

South Texas, the Zapata County Fair also holds the distinction of being the setting for the largest family reunion in the area.

Like the fabled swallows that return to San Juan Capistrano during springtime, families converge on Zapata County from all over the country, some coming as far away as Chicago and California, to reunite with relatives, renew old friendships and relive cherished memories.

Generations of families come together to celebrate life at the Zapata County Fair.

Source | Zapata County Fair Official Program

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | D3

D4 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

MR. AND MRS. PEDRO M. MORALES

2017 Zapata County Fair Parade Marshals

P

edro M. and Edith H. Morales were named 2017 ZCF Parade Marshals by the Zapata County Fair Association Board of Directors and Members. Pedro and Edith are both Zapata natives, graduates of Zapata High School. Pedro has been involved with the Zapata County Fair since he was in 3rd Grade and Edith has been supporting the Zapata County Fair as a parent as their children also participated at Zapata County Fair since they were in 3rd grade, so fortunately they are no strangers to livestock shows.

Pedro raised and showed steers since he was in 3rd grade until he graduated from high school. He was an active member of the Zapata 4H Club. As a 4-H member, he also participated in Leadership Labs and 4H roundups throughout the years. Upon entering Zapata High School, Pedro became an FFA member where he served as President his senior year.

After graduating from Texas A&I University (Current Texas A&M Kingsville), Pedro and Edith decided to move back to Zapata where they started their careers. Edith is a principal’s secretary at Zapata North Elementary School and Pedro is the Services and Operations Director at Zapata County Independent School District.

Pedro became a member of the ZCF Livestock Committee as a collegian member back in 1988. In 1992 he was an assistant

superintendent for the steer division and then became the superintendent for the steers division. Pedro now serves as the Zapata County Fair livestock committee chairman. Pedro and Edith have stated that they enjoy volunteering at the Zapata County Fair. Pedro has been a members of the ZCF Livestock Committee for over 25 years. They have four wonderful children: Pedro M. (Ariana) Morales Jr. who is a Sales and Service Tech with Weatheraford,

he raised goats and steers, Kristina Edith who is a Compliance Coordinator at Texas A&M International University Police Department, she raised goats, lambs and a steer, Luis who is currently working as a ranch hand in Hunt, Texas, he raised goats and steers. Luis also got to take a heifer to the San Antonio as he got a scholarship to buy a beef project as he was one of the ones that caught a calf in the calf scramble competition. Kayla who is a 7th grader at Zapata Middle School has raised goats and lambs. Pedro Jr., Kristina and Luis were North 4-H members and Kayla was a Mesquite 4-h member and just like their parents, they’ve developed an affection and responsibility for livestock animals. Their oldest granddaughter Sophia Isabella is a clover kid with Mesquite 4-H and has participated in the peewee goat show for the past two years. Pedro and Edith are very proud of their children and know that one day they are going to follow in their footsteps in allowing their children to be exhibitors at our Zapata County Fair.

Pedro and Edith are privileged to have been chosen as the 2017 Parade Marshals. They want to thank the ZCFA for this great honor. To all the citizens of Zapata County and surrounding counties: Pedro and Edith, along with the ZCFA and ZCF Livestock Committee, invite each and every one of you to come and enjoy the “Best Little Fair in Texas”.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | D5

PREVIOUS ZAPATA Parade 1975 - Oscar Dodier 1976 - Leonel Gonzalez 1977 - Gilberto Villarreal 1978 - Alvin McMeans 1979 - Daniel Paredes 1980 - Judge Jake Rathmell 1981 - Elma Martinez & Nilda Gutierrez 1982 - Juan Manuel Vela 1983 - Edmundo E. Martinez 1984 - Clemente Gutierrez 1985 - Renato & Patricia Ramirez 1986 - Maria Eva U. Ramirez 1987 - Col. Robert & Jean Fish 1988 - Roberto O. Montes 1989 - Delfino Lozano Family

1990 - Jose Luis Flores 1991 - Austin & Charlotte Knox 1992 - Belia R. Benavides 1993 - Mr. & Mrs. Nicolas Gutierrez & Family 1994 - Mr. Ben Cantu 1995 - Rolando & Meche Villarreal 1996 - Mr. & Mrs. Robert Loza 1997 - Mr. & Mrs. Luis A. Lozano 1998 - The Dodier Family 1999 - Mr. & Mrs. Juan Medina 2000 - The Luis Gonzalez Family 2001 - Ricardo & Erica Ramirez 2002 - Mr. & Mrs. Zaragoza Rodriguez, III 2003 - Leonardo & Canti Flores

THE ZAPATA Royal

T

he Zapata Royal Court is describing the 45th annual Zapata County Fair as exciting, fun and an event with great food.

Clarissa Yvette Garcia, 16, is this year’s Zapata County Fair Queen.

Her court includes Triana Isabel Gonzalez, 16, and the Junior Royalty. Gonzalez was the first-runner up for Zapata County Fair Queen.

The Junior Royalty is comprised of Mia Del Bosque, Abigail Garza, Lorenzo Guerra III, Kristal Cantu and Monzeratt Ramirez.

All together, the Zapata Royal Court refer to themselves as pageant brothers and sisters.

The Junior Royalty said their favorite part of the fair is the carnival rides.

For Garza, her favorite part is spending time with her royal friends as a family.

The fair, which is dubbed the “Biggest Little Town Fair in Texas,” will be held March 9 to the 11.

The three-day event includes a jalapeño eating contest, carnival rides, a parade, rabbit judging, arts and crafts, street dancing and goat shows.

Court

Marshals

2004 - Jose Maria Ramirez, III 2005 - The Rathmell Family 2006 - Judge David Morales 2007 - Mr. & Mrs. Silvestre Bustamante 2008 - Mr. & Mrs. Xavier Villarreal 2009 - Mr. & Mrs. Oswaldo H. Ramirez 2010 - Information Not Provided 2011 - Mr. & Mrs. Aguinaldo Navarro, Jr. 2012 - Bonnie Guerra 2013 - Sergio & Lupita Ramirez 2014 - Mr. and Mrs. Fernando & Janie Rodriguez 2015 - Joey & Melissa Gutierrez 2016 - Mr. & Mrs. Zaragoza Rodriguez, IV 2017 - Mr. and Mrs. Pedro M. Morales

D6 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

ZAPATA COUNTY FAIRSchedule WEDNESDAY, MARCH 08, 2017 5-6 P.M. All livestock projects move into the Ramirez Exhibit Hall

THURSDAY, MARCH 09, 2017 10 A.M.

4 P.M.

Rabbit Judging @ Ramirez Exhibit Judging of Arts & Crafts, and Hall Photography inside of County Pavilion

10 A.M. – 12 P.M.

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 2017

9A.M. – 12 P.M.

6:30 – 8 P.M.

Submission of baking entries for all categories inside of County Pavilion (all age groups)

Street Dance by Jaime y Los Chamacos

10 A.M.

Street Dance by Grupo Siggno

Lamb Judging @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

10 – 10:15 P.M.

1 P.M.

Presentation of Queen & Court Tight Jean Contest Sponsored by Casa Raul

6 P.M.

2 P.M.

Hog Judging @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

Meat Goat Judging @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

11 A.M.

6:30 – 8 P.M.

6 P.M.

Metal works projects move into Ramirez Exhibit Hall

Los Desperadoz

Heifer Judging @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

2 P.M.

La Tropa F

5 – 6 P.M.

Poultry Judging @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

10:30 P.M. – 12 A.M.

Local School Groups Perform

Elida Reyna y Avante

8:30 – 10 P.M.

10:15 – 10:30 P.M.

Judging for all Baking, Arts & Crafts, and Photography

Submission of Arts & Crafts, and Photography entries inside of County Pavilion

8:30 – 10 P.M.

of Events

10:30 P.M. –12 A.M. Street Dance by Kevin Fowler (Headliner)

11 P.M. Ramirez Exhibit Hall Closes to the Public

12:15 A.M. Fairgrounds Close

7 P.M. Steer Judging @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

SATURDAY, MARCH 11, 2017 7A.M.

1:30P.M.

4P.M.

11P.M. – 11:15P.M.

Zapata County Fair Association Parade Line-up on 3rd Ave.

Award Ceremony for Parade Participants @ Fairgrounds

Livestock Auction Begins @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

Presentation of Queen & Court

9:30A.M.

2P.M.

7:30 – 9P.M.

ZCFA Parade Sponsored by Sames Motor Company

Local Dance Team Performance @ Fairgrounds

Street Dance by Los Traileros

Jalapeño Eating Contest Sponsored by IBC-Zapata

9 – 9:30P.M.

11:30P.M. – 1A.M.

12-2P.M.

2:30P.M.

Grito Contest

Selling of Baking, Arts & Crafts, and Photography (Non- Placing entries)

Buyer’s Social Sponsored by IBC-Zapata and Med-Loz Lease Services @ Ramirez Exhibit Hall

10 P.M.

Street Dance by Intocable (Headliner)

1P.M.

3 – 4P.M.

Local Talent Performs @ Fairgrounds

Art, craft, photography, painting, and baking entry pick-up (nonplacing or unsold entries)

Ramirez Exhibit Hall Closes to the Public

9:30 – 11P.M. Street Dance by La Leyenda

11:15 – 11:30P.M.

1:15A.M. Fairgrounds Close

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | D7

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D8 | Wednesday, March 8, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES