The Zapata Times 4/16/2016

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ZAPATA COUNTY

Recognition ceremony Sheriff’s Office 9-1-1 Telecommunicators honored

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Zapata County garnered three awards during the Recognition Ceremony for 9-1-1 Telecommunicators for the South Texas Region.

The ceremony was held Thursday at the San Agustin Ballroom in La Posada Hotel, 1000 Zaragoza St., in Laredo.

Honors were bestowed upon Zapata County Sheriff’s Office employees Eliza Lozano and Joe Peña, and on Lucy Gutierrez, of the

Zapata County Appraisal District.

Lozano was named Telecommunicator of the Year for Zapata County. She started at the Sheriff’s Officer as a jailor and later became a telecommunicator. She has been with the sheriff’s office for 14 years.

“I feel surprised. I wasn’t expecting it,” Lozano said after receiving the award.

Telecommunicators hold one of the most important jobs in law enforcement.

“They are the eyes and ears of

our deputies. They are the ones who have information, which prepares the deputy to be aware of the dangers or situations he might be in,” said Sheriff’s Office Chief Raymundo del Bosque Jr. Peña was honored as the Public Educator of the Year, an award given to individuals who understand the value of promoting 911 education and go to great lengths to ensure the community is ready to make that call in the event of an emergency.

Peña, of the Sheriff’s Office per-

sonnel and records department, said they recently launched the website with information educating the community on when to call 911.

“It educates the community about the reasons why you should call 911 and when not to call it,” Peña said.

“The biggest problem we had in our county was people calling in prank calls … or people even asking, ‘What’s the number to the courthouse?’ ‘What’s the number to the Pizza Hut?’”

SOUTH TEXAS FOOD BANK

Peña said the next step on the website is to upload games to educate children on 911, emergencies and what to say to the telecommunicator.

Del Bosque sees Lozano and Peña as people who care for the community they live in.

“They are very hardworking people. They know that it’s important to keep the community safe.

Their priority is public awareness and public safety,” the chief said.

See HONORED PAGE 12A

IMMIGRATION

ZAPATA KIDS CAFÉ RECEIVE BACKPACKS Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera | Texas Tribune

Texas DPS Director Steve McCraw gives testimony during a joint committee hearing on border security on Jan 21, 2016.

Immigrant harboring law blocked Federal judge stalls part of the state’s omnibus border security bill

By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE Courtesy photo | South Texas Food Bank

Representatives from the South Texas Food Bank presented 130 backpacks that will be used in the Zapata Boys and Girls Club Kids Café (an after-school meal) program in Zapata and San Ygnacio. The STFB received a grant through Romeo Salinas of Zapata who is a South Texas Food Bank board member for a backpack pilot program as part of the Kids Café. Kids will receive a backpack with food and snacks to take home for the weekend. The Kids Café serves after school meals in an area that has 40-plus percent childhood hunger. Among those in the photo are South Texas Food Bank representatives Alma Boubel, Erasmo Villarreal, Mike Kazen, Albert Garza and Ernie Hill plus Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell, commissioner Olga Elizondo and others.

MEXICO MISSING STUDENTS

Police present during disappearance

By MARK STEVENSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s national human rights commission said Thursday it had found a witness to the 2014 disappearance of 43 students who reported that two federal police and a third municipal police force were present when 15 to 20 youths were taken off a bus and disappeared.

The new evidence suggests two federal police officers at the least allowed local police to take the students away and may have even participated in their disappearance, said Jose Larrieta Carrasco, the commission member leading the case.

Photo by Marco Ugarte | AP file

In this file photo, relatives of the 43 missing students from the Isidro Burgos rural teachers’ hold pictures of their missing loved ones.

Investigators had already known that cops from two local forces — the city of Iguala and the town of Cocula — had turned the students over

to a drug gang that allegedly killed and burned them. But the witness said members of a third town’s police force, Huitzuco, also participated.

The report suggested the control of the drug gang known as Guerreros Unidos was even wider than previously thought, saying the gang bought off or intimidated more local police, federal officers and even private companies that the commission said were loath to share evidence with investigators.

The witness, whose identity is being concealed, said that far from stopping the abduction of the students on the side of a highway, the federal police went along with it: “What’s going on with those kids?” the witness heard a federal policeman

See MISSING PAGE 12A

A federal judge has blocked part of the state’s omnibus border security bill that makes harboring undocumented immigrants a state crime.

Under a provision of House Bill 11, which went into effect in September, a person commits a crime if they “encourage or induce a person to enter or remain in this country in violation of federal law by concealing, harboring, or shielding that person from detection.”

In January the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, or MALDEF, filed a lawsuit in Bexar County against Gov. Greg Abbott, Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steve McCraw and the Texas Public Safety Commission, which oversees the DPS. The lawsuit alleges the state violated the U.S. Constitution’s Supremacy Clause because immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility.

The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two San Antonio landlords, David Cruz and Valentin Reyes; and Jonathon Ryan, the director of an immigrant services agency. The plain-

tiffs said that under the bill’s provisions, they could be accused of the crime for providing shelter space or renting homes to undocumented immigrants.

“What the plaintiffs said was, ‘We don’t want to be prosecuted under this law, we think it’s unconstitutional,’” said Nina Perales, MALDEF’s vice president of litigation.

In an order signed on Thursday, federal District Judge David Alan Ezra said the plaintiffs would likely succeed on the Supremacy Clause claim and ruled that state and local officials had no authority to enforce the harboring provision until a final decision on the case is made.

“In this case, Plaintiffs risk subjection to criminal penalties under laws that might be pre-empted by federal law and the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution,” he wrote. “Thus, the Court finds that Plaintiffs are likely to suffer irreparable harm.”

A spokeswoman for state Attorney General Ken Paxton said "we are disappointed in the ruling and evaluating our options."

See BLOCKED PAGE 12A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, APRIL 16

ASSOCIATED PRESS

El Centro de Laredo Farmers Market. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Jarvis Plaza.

This month’s market celebrates Earth Day with a theme of trees, rio and a focus on the monarch butterfly. Free and open to the public.

Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 1–5 p.m. TAMIU. “The Little Star that Could,” “Origins of Life,” “New Horizons” and “Black Holes.”

This event is open to the TAMIU community and public. General admission is $4 for children, TAMIU students, faculty and staff, and $5 for adults. Matinee shows are $1 less. For more information, contact Claudia Herrera at 956-326-2463 or email claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu.

TAMIU 2016 Spring Dance Concert. 8 p.m. Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Theater. This event presents the work of students enrolled in dance courses. General admission is $5. Children under 10 and TAMIU students with a valid ID enter free. For more information, please contact Bede Leyendecker at 956-326-2649 or email bleyendecker@tamiu.edu.

Today is Friday, April 15, the 106th day of 2016. There are 260 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On April 15, 1912, the British luxury liner RMS Titanic foundered in the North Atlantic off Newfoundland more than 2 1/2 hours after hitting an iceberg; 1,514 people died, while less than half as many survived.

On this date: In 1850, the city of San Francisco was incorporated.

In 1959, Cuban leader Fidel Castro arrived in Washington to begin a goodwill tour of the United States. Secretary of State John Foster Dulles resigned for health reasons (he was succeeded by Christian A. Herter).

In 1960, a three-day conference to form the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) began at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. (The group’s first chairman was Marion Barry.)

In 1986, the United States launched an air raid against Libya in response to the bombing of a discotheque in Berlin on April 5; Libya said 37 people, mostly civilians, were killed.

In 1989, 96 people died in a crush of soccer fans at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England. Students in Beijing launched a series of pro-democracy protests; the demonstrations culminated in a government crackdown at Tiananmen Square.

In 1998, Pol Pot, the notorious leader of the Khmer Rouge, died at age 73, evading prosecution for the deaths of two million Cambodians.

Ten years ago: U.S.-led coalition forces using warplanes and artillery clashed with a small band of militants holed up in a house and a cave complex in eastern Afghanistan in fighting that killed at least seven Afghan civilians.

Five years ago: The first of three days of tornadoes to strike the central and southern U.S. began; according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, there were an estimated 177 twisters and at least 38 fatalities.

One year ago: Douglas Hughes, a postal carrier from Florida, flew a one-person gyrocopter onto the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol as a protest against money in politics; he later pleaded guilty to operating a gyrocopter without a license, a felony.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Amy Wright is 66. Actor Sam McMurray is 64. Actressscreenwriter Emma Thompson is 57. Bluegrass musician Jeff Parker is 55. Singer Samantha Fox is 50. Olympic gold, silver and bronze medal swimmer Dara Torres is 49.

Rock musician Ed O’Brien (Radiohead) is 48. Actor Flex Alexander is 46. Actor Danny Pino is 42. Actor Douglas Spain is 42. Country singer/ songwriter Chris Stapleton is 38. Actor Luke Evans is 37.

Rock musician Patrick Carney (The Black Keys) is 36. Actorwriter Seth Rogen is 34. Actress Alice Braga is 33. Rock musician De’Mar Hamilton (Plain White T’s) is 32. Actress Emma Watson is 26. Actress Maisie Williams is 19.

Thought for Today: “True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.”

— Arthur Ashe, American tennis champion (1943-1993).

SUNDAY, APRIL 17 Elysian Social Club Scholarship Bingo. 2–5 p.m. Mirage Reception Hall, 5711 McPherson Road. Play 10 games for $20. For more information, contact Herlinda Dubuisson at 285-3126.

MONDAY, APRIL 18 Chess Club. Every Monday from 4–6 p.m. LBV – Inner City Branch Library. Free for all ages and skill levels.

Basic instruction is offered. For more information call John at 956-795-2400 x2520.

TAMIU 2016 Percussion Ensemble Concert. 7:30 p.m. Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall. Free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. James Moyer at 956-326-2640 or email james.moyer@tamiu.edu.

TUESDAY, APRIL 19 5th Annual Bowl-A-Thon. 5:30 p.m. Jett Bowl North. Funds raised from the event will go toward Jaime J. Zapata Scholarships. Registration for a five-player team is $125 before April 12 and $150 on the day of the event.

Door prizes, best team T-shirt prize.

For more information, contact Rosy Gregory at 744-7505 or 791-8759 or email gregorysmartstart@live.com Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 5–7 p.m. TAMIU. “Stars of the Pharaohs” and “Wonders of the Universe.” This event is open to the TAMIU community and public. General admission is $4 for children, TAMIU students, faculty and staff, and $5 for adults. For more information, contact Claudia Herrera at 956-326-2463 or email claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu.

Knitting Circle. 1–3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and knitting needles. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 7952400 x2403.

Crochet for Kids. 4–5 p.m.

McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and a crochet needle. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.

Rock wall climbing. 4–5 p.m.

LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Free. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Must sign release form. For more information, contact John Hong at 795-2400 x2521.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20 Webb County Domestic Violence Coalition monthly meeting. Noon. Laredo Medical Center, Tower B, Conference Room, 1st Floor. The monthly luncheon is open to those interested in learning more about resources available to help victims and their children who find themselves in dangerous situations. For more information, contact Sister Rosemary Welsh at 718-6810.

Laredo Animal Care Facility Rabies “VACUNA” Clinic. 6:30–7:30 p.m.

City of Laredo Animal Care Facility, 5202 Maher Ave. Space is limited to the first 100 animals. Rabies shot for pets is $12; microchip is $10; registration is $5.

Laredo Chamber Education Committee Scholarship Fundraiser. 6:30– 9:30 p.m. Alamo Drafthouse, 11210 East Point Dr. Screening of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” $8 per person. Call 722-9895 to reserve seats. Help the Chamber Education Committee raise funds for scholarships.

Photo by Joe Deshotel | Texas Tribune

Sarah Goodfriend, second from left, and Suzanne Bryant, center, with their daughters (far left and far right) and Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, second from right. DeBeauvoir issued Goodfriend and Bryant a marriage license on Feb. 19, 2015.

Anti-LGBT case tossed

By ALEXA URA TEXAS TRIBUNE

The Texas Supreme Court on Friday tossed out Attorney General Ken Paxton’s effort to undo the union of the first gay couple to legally wed in Texas. The court-ordered same-sex marriage of two Austin women had occurred months before such unions were legalized by the U.S. Supreme Court.

In light of the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark June ruling that same-sex marriage is protected by the U.S. Constitution, the state’s highest civil court dismissed Paxton’s request as moot.

The case dates back to February 2015 when Austin residents Sarah Goodfriend and Suzanne Bryant were legally wed after obtaining a marriage license from the Travis County clerk under direction from state District Judge David Wahlberg.

At the time, Texas’ constitutional ban on marriage was still in effect. But Wahlberg ordered Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir to issue the license under special circumstances because Goodfriend was diagnosed with ovarian cancer a year earlier.

Wahlberg ordered the county to “cease and desist relying on the unconstitutional Texas prohibitions against same-sex marriage.”

Although Wahlberg’s court order was specific to the Austin couple, Paxton challenged the marriage before the Texas Supreme Court, which later blocked Wahlberg’s ruling to prevent other same sex couples from obtaining marriage licenses. A day after the couple wed, Paxton asked the court to overturn the order and void the marriage license to “avoid the legal chaos” that could arise.

Three Republican justices on the court used their opinion to blast the attorney.

Suspect surrenders in street racing deaths

Jail inmate flees, found hiding inside dishwasher

Man who forced girl into prostitution gets prison

HOUSTON — Investigators say a suspect has surrendered in a Houston-area hit-and-run street racing accident that left two people dead.

The Harris County Sheriff ’s Office says 21-year-old Alexis de la Rosa Sosa turned himself in Friday. He is charged with two felony counts each of street racing and failing to stop and render aid in Tuesday night’s deadly wreck.

JASPER, Texas — An East Texas jail inmate who fled while being treated at a hospital for a hand injury has been caught hiding in a dishwasher at an apartment.

Jasper County jail records show 20-year-old Wesley Evans of Silsbee was being held Friday on multiple charges following his day on the run. Sheriff Mitchel Newman says Evans was arrested March 8.

DALLAS — A Dallas-area man who forced a 12-year-old girl into prostitution must serve nearly 16 years in federal prison.

Prosecutors say the girl in 2014 had sex with a man who paid $50 to Luis Rivera of Irving for arranging the encounter.

The 19-year-old Rivera was sentenced Thursday in Dallas after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of children.

Suspected gang members arrested in South Texas

Reviews find several CPS workers falsified reports

Texas Criminal Justice director retiring

SEGUIN, Texas — Investigators say more than 20 suspected gang members have been arrested in South Texas in a sweep linked to drugs, illegal cash and violence.

Seguin police announced Friday’s arrests on state and federal warrants for manufacture and delivery of controlled substances and organized crime counts.

DALLAS — Texas state investigators have found at least a dozen Child Protective Services workers were accused in 2015 of falsifying parts of their case records to look as if they checked on endangered children. Reviews conducted by the Health and Human Services Commission’s inspector general showed that in 10 cases in which children died.

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Brad Livingston says he’s retiring this summer after guiding the state’s prison system for nearly a dozen years, making him one of the longesttenured directors in the agency’s history. Livingston made the announcement Friday.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Man wrongly convicted in 1957 murder is released CHICAGO — A 76-year-old man who a prosecutor says was wrongly convicted in the 1957 killing of an Illinois schoolgirl was released Friday shortly after a judge vacated his conviction, meaning one of the oldest cold cases to be tried in U.S. history has officially gone cold again.

Jack McCullough was sentenced to life in prison in 2012 in the death of 7-year-old Maria Ridulph in Sycamore, about 70 miles west of Chicago. In a review of documents last year, a prosecutor found evidence that supported the former policeman’s long-held alibi that he had been 40 miles away in Rockford at the time of Maria’s disappearance.

Judge William P. Brady said Friday that Maria’s murder had haunted the small town of Sycamore for decades, and that he had also lost sleep over the case.

CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Danielle Guerra/Daily Chronicle | AP file

In this photo, Jack McCullough appears in court for a hearing on his petition for post-conviction relief at the DeKalb County Courthouse. McCullough was wrongly convicted in the killing of a 7-year-old Illinois schoolgirl in 1957.

“I’m not blind to the importance of this proceeding to many people,” he said, minutes before ordering McCullough’s release.

McCullough, in handcuffs, appeared shaken by the decision, rocking back and forth, then taking a deep breath. Family mem-

bers behind him hugged and cried. Moments later, McCullough, of Washington state, looked back and smiled broadly.

On the other side of the room, Maria’s brother and sister displayed little emotion.

— Compiled from AP reports

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Local

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Zapata at South Texas Immigrant chocolatiers Food Bank conference

By JULIE GARCIA

CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES

By SALO OTERO SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The South Texas Food Bank hosted more than 100 people at its annual member agency conference on Tuesday, April 12 at the International Bank of Commerce Annex in Laredo.

Attending were agency coordinators and assistants. The South Texas Food Bank distributes food to the needy of Zapata County at several sites.

The agency coordinators and assistants signed up to attend the conference in Laredo included from the Shepherd’s Pantry and Helping Hands in Zapata.

From Shepherd’s Pantry were Leslie Davila, Patricia Guerra, Rebecca Solis and Leonel Guerra. From Helping Hands Brian Martinez, Andicia Pena and Alma de los Santos.

Romeo Salinas of Zapata is a member of the South Texas Food Bank board.

The South Texas Food Bank, a 501 c-3 non-profit, distributes food to the needy of an eight-county area from Rio Grande City (Starr County) to Del Rio (Val Verde County). Elia Solis, agency director for the South Texas Food Bank, was the organizer for the event, which is mandatory in cooperation with USDA and Feeding America. The South Texas Food Bank, located at 1907 Freight at Riverside in west Laredo, relies on agencies to distribute supplemental food to the unemployed, under-employed and those living on fixed incomes in an impoverished eight-county area that has a 30-plus percent poverty rate.

The STFB receives product from USDA through membership in the Feeding Texas Food Bank Net-

Courtesy photo | South Texas Food Bank

The participants heard presentations from director Alma Boubel, Mary Callahan Gaye, Lynn Bailey and Andrea Montalvo. work and national Feeding America. Alma Boubel is the South Texas Food Bank executive director.

Representatives from Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Starr, Dimmitt, Maverick, Val Verde and Kinney Counties attended.

The Rev. Father Noel Davis of Christ The King Catholic Church said the invocation. Christ The King distributes food as one of the more than 80 STFB agencies. The South Texas Food Bank serves an average of 27,000 families, 7,000 elderly, 7,000 children and 500 veterans and their widows per month. For agency and any other information call the South Texas Food Bank at 956-726-3120 or check the website www.southtexasfoodbank.org. The food bank opened in 1989 in cooperation with H.E.B. Tax deductible donations are accepted. They can be sent to 1907 Freight, Laredo, Texas, 78041.

Boubel, South Texas Food Bank board president Erasmo Villarreal and an IBC representative welcomed the group.

Speakers included a motivational talk by Ed Sherwood, an executive from Falcon International Bank and member of the STFB board of directors. The group heard from Mary Callahan, of Feeding America, based in Chicago; and Gaye Lynn Bailey of Feeding Texas in Austin.

South Texas Food Bank programs director Mike Kazen l presented a programs overview that included nutrition, SNAP (food stamps) Outreach, Kids Cafés, Community Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), Adopt a Family and food safety.

The coordinators are Andrea Montalvo, Marissa Alvarez, Juan Solis, Ernie Hill and Rachel Maldonado. Other discussions were on fundraising and warehousing.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Missiles whizzing overhead, the ever-present danger of explosions on the trek to school and constant checkpoints are realities the Ghraowi family faced the last few years in Damascus, the capitol city of Syria.

For the family of longtime chocolatiers, financial constraints eventually helped them make the decision to leave their beloved home.

“During war, no one is buying chocolate,” said Yazan Ghraowi, the 19-yearold son of Syrian chocolatier Bashar Ghraowi and an immigrant to the United States. Bashar, his wife Mais Kayal and Yazan Ghraowi were granted a specific type of work visa to build a chocolate business in America while continuing to operate a candy factory in Damascus.

Photo by Gabe Hernandez/Corpus Christi Caller-Times | AP

Bashar Ghraowi transfers chocolates to a pan Thursday, April, 7, 2016, in Corpus Christi.

The family’s business venture, Ghraowi Chocolate Co., has opened its new shop on Agnes Street in Corpus Christi. In the Middle East, especially Syria and Lebanon, the Ghraowi name is synonymous with chocolate.

“I remember growing up and every time I went to a new class in high school or

middle school, they would read my last name and say ‘You’re the chocolate people,”’ said Nour Ghraowi, the 23-year-old daughter who attends the University of Texas at Austin. After two years at Austin Community College, she was accepted to UT and is majoring in English Literature.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

We are all real Americans

By PAUL KRUGMAN NEW YORK TIMES

A couple of months ago, Jeb Bush (remember him?) posted a photo of his monogrammed handgun to Twitter, with the caption “America.” Bill de Blasio, New York’s mayor, responded with a picture of an immense pastrami sandwich, also captioned “America.” Advantage de Blasio, if you ask me.

Let me now somewhat ruin the joke by talking about the subtext. Bush’s post was an awkward attempt to tap into the common Republican theme that only certain people — white, gun-owning, rural or small-town citizens — embody the true spirit of the nation. It’s a theme most famously espoused

by Sarah Palin, who told small-town Southerners that they represented the “real America.” You see the same thing when Ted Cruz sneers at “New York values.”

De Blasio’s riposte, celebrating a characteristically New York delicacy, was a declaration that we’re also Americans — that everyone counts. And that, surely, is the vision of America that should prevail.

Which is why it’s disturbing to see Palinesque attempts to delegitimize large groups of voters surfacing among some Democrats.

Quite a few people seem confused about the current state of the Democratic nomination race. But the essentials are simple: Hillary Clinton has a large lead in both pledged delegates and the popular vote.

(In Democratic primaries, delegate allocation is roughly proportional to votes.) If you ask how that’s possible — Bernie Sanders just won seven states in a row! — you need to realize that those seven states have a combined population of about 20 million. Meanwhile, Florida alone also has about 20 million people — and Clinton won it by a 30point margin.

To overtake her, Sanders would have to win the remaining contests by an average 13-point margin, a number that will almost surely go up after the New York primary, even if he does much better than current polls suggest. That’s not impossible, but it’s highly unlikely.

So the Sanders campaign is arguing that superdelegates — the people, mainly party insiders, not selected through primaries and caucuses who get to serve as delegates under Democratic nomination rules — should give him the nomination even if he loses the popular vote. In case you’re rubbing your eyes: Yes, not long ago many Sanders supporters were fulminating about how Hillary was going to

steal the nomination by having superdelegates put her over the top despite losing the primaries. Now the Sanders strategy is to win by doing exactly that.

But how can the campaign make the case that the party should defy the apparent will of its voters?

By insisting that many of those voters shouldn’t count. Over the past week, Sanders has declared that Clinton leads only because she has won in the “Deep South,” which is a “pretty conservative part of the country.” The tally so far, he says, “distorts reality” because it contains so many Southern states.

As it happens, this isn’t true — the calendar, which front-loaded some states very favorable to Sanders, hasn’t been a big factor in the race. Also, swing-state Florida isn’t the Deep South. But never mind. The big problem with this argument should be obvious.

Clinton didn’t win big in the South on the strength of conservative voters; she won by getting an overwhelming majority of black voters. This puts a different spin on things, doesn’t it?

Is it possible that Sanders doesn’t know this, that he imagines that Clinton is riding a wave of support from old-fashioned Confederate-flag-waving Dixiecrats, as opposed to, let’s be blunt, the descendants of slaves? Maybe. He is not, as you may have noticed, a details guy.

It’s more likely, however, that he’s being deliberately misleading — and that his effort to delegitimize a big part of the Democratic electorate is a cynical ploy.

Who’s the target of this ploy? Not the superdelegates, surely. Think about it: Can you imagine Democratic Party insiders deciding to deny the nomination to the candidate who won the most votes, on the grounds that AfricanAmerican voters don’t count as much as whites?

No, claims that Clinton wins in the South should be discounted are really aimed at misleading Sanders supporters, giving them an unrealistic view of the chances that their favorite can still win — and thereby keeping the flow of money and volunteers coming.

Just to be clear, I’m not saying that Sanders should drop out. He has the right to keep campaigning, in the hope either of pulling off huge upsets in the remaining primaries or of having influence at the convention.

But trying to keep his campaign going by misleading his supporters is not OK. And sneering at millions of voters is truly beyond the pale, especially for a progressive.

Remember the pastrami principle: We’re all real Americans. And AfricanAmericans are very definitely real Democrats, deserving respect.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters.

To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary.

Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication.

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readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms.

Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed.

Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

COLUMN

The foreign policy of a President Hilary Clinton

By TRUDY RUBIN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

How would President Hillary Clinton conduct foreign policy? After decades of public exposure, including four years as secretary of state, one would think the answer to that question would be obvious. But it isn’t entirely clear.

Perhaps that’s because Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom she debated Thursday ahead of the New York primary, has tried to paint her as Hillary Hawk by constantly harping on her Senate vote for the Iraq war (while punting on most foreign policy questions.) Clinton has apologized for backing the 2003 war.

Or perhaps it’s because her role as secretary was constrained by the fact that, during her tenure, foreign policy decisionmaking was closely held by the Obama White House. We don’t know what Clinton would have done had she been given the leeway of a James Baker (who held the post under President George H.W. Bush).

We do know that Clinton’s instincts were more muscular than her boss.

In the summer of 2012 - before the Islamic State, when senior Syrian military defectors were looking for help in organizing a secular rebellion - she urged President Obama to arm and train Syrian rebels. This position was also adopted by Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, CIA head David Petraeus and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Martin Dempsey.

Obama demurred.

When I asked a senior aide how she would differentiate herself from Obama, he replied, "They are two different people with two different styles and temperament (and differ-

Clinton sees America as the leading global actor and wants to use all the tools of power. ences in) how they think of America in the world."

Clinton sees America as the leading global actor, without apologies, and wants to use all the tools of American power - including force, in collaboration with allies, if there is a compelling national interest and all other tools have failed.

Whereas an aide famously described Obama as "leading from behind" Clinton is clearly eager to lead from the front.

But, during a conference call with The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Editorial Board this week, when I asked her to describe her foreign policy philosophy, her emphasis was on diplomacy. "When I became secretary of state," she said, "I chose to say I wanted to practice smart power, meaning I wanted to elevate diplomacy and development (alongside) defense, because I thought the Bush administration militarized our foreign policy to our detriment."

A perfect example of "slow, patient diplomacy," she said, was the Iran sanctions. As secretary, she put together the international coalition, including Russia and China, that imposed the toughest ever sanctions on Tehran, which finally brought the ayatollahs to the bargaining table. Clinton started the negotiations for the agreement that was completed by Secretary John Kerry.

But, and here she was emphatic, "We’ve got to enforce it. If the Iranians violate even a lesser provision, there needs to be

consequences." Her emphasis on enforcement was made with a vehemence that isn’t usually heard from Obama.

I asked her views on use of force, and whether she regretted her advice to Obama to intervene in 2011 to prevent Moammar Gadhafi from massacring the inhabitants of Benghazi, Libya, a decision that ultimately produced a failed state which has become a terrorist haven.

(This is a different issue from the tragic deaths of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three U.S. officials in Benghazi, which have generated endless conspiracy theories that have been disproved by eight congressional committees.)

Clinton insisted she acted only after urgent requests from the British and the French, as well as the Arab League, and after the U.N. Security Council had called for measures to protect civilians. U.S. military involvement was limited, in support of NATO partners and the Arabs.

Yet a humanitarian intervention evolved into regime change, and America’s allies failed to help rebuild Libya after the fall of Gadhafi. A Clinton aide cautions "don’t extract from Libya that she is a fan of regime change, but sometimes a dictator remaining in power is the worst option."

To be fair, had Obama not intervened, the Libyan situation might have turned out like Syria, with a dictator clinging to power as civil war raged and terrorist groups took root.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Clinton seems on firmer ground when speaking of Syria, where she says diplomacy must be accompanied by "intensifying our military actions against (the Islamic State)." She would like a more robust air coalition to take out Islamic State infrastructure and leadership, while supporting Kurdish and Arab fighters on the ground who are battling the Islamic State.

I have my doubts about her call for a "no-fly zone" in the north of Syria to train and equip those fighters. With Russia involved, and Turkey at odds with the Kurds, I doubt such a zone is possible, but Clinton says she would push it in talks with Moscow and Ankara.

However, events in Syria are moving so fast, no one can predict the situation when the next president is sworn in.

What one can say is that Clinton has far more foreign policy experience and a deeper network of advisers than any of her competitors. And the foreign policy alternatives to her candidacy are slim.

In a meeting with the Inquirer Editorial Board, the charismatic Sanders was clearly disinterested and thinly briefed on foreign issues. As for her GOP competitors, Donald Trump is totally irresponsible while Sen. Ted Cruz’s mix of fundamentalism and careless military bravado is scary.

Obama once said his organizing principle was "don’t do stupid stuff."

Clinton aides say her organizing principle is this: "The United States must be aggressive in leading, in pulling friends together and creating disincentives for our adversaries." In this strange election year, that looks like the best foreign policy mantra we can get.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

PÁGINA 6A

Zfrontera

Ribereña en Breve RECONOCIMIENTO Bryana Saldaña, estudiante sophomore en Zapata High School, fue seleccionada para el ATSSB Band del estado por su interpretación como flautista en Texas. Saldaña recibió un reconocimiento por su logro durante la Corte de Comisionados del Condado de Zapata.

Lisa González y Myra Berrones fueron seleccionadas como Maestra del Año y Asistente de Enseñanza del Año, respectivamente. Ellas son parte del personal en Zapata North Elementary School.

Eva M. Garza, Consejera en Roma High School, recibió el Premio Very Important Counselor de parte de Texas A&M University en College Station. El reconocimiento fue por su trabajo con estudiantes de preparatoria y reclutadores para el colegio.

SÁBADO 16 DE ABRIL DE 2016

DESIGNAN A EX TEXAS RANGER COMO COMISIONADO PARA CPS

Medida inusual ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN— El Gobernador Greg Abbott nombró al ex jefe de los Texas Rangers para dirigir a la agencia de bienestar del menor del estado, llamando al status quo como “inaceptable” mientras realizaba un cambio inusual al poner a un oficial policiaco a cargo del sistema de cuidado de crianza.

Henry “Hank” Whitman asume por cinco meses el cargo de comisionado del Departamento de Familia y Servicios de Protección (CPS) de Texas, después que un juez federal determinó que el servicio de cuidado de crianza del estado está tan lleno de fallas que viola los derechos constitucionales de más de 30.000 jóvenes. Investigaciones periodísticas recientes también revela-

ron graves fallas dentro de la agencia.

“He insistido en reparar un sistema fallido, y aplaudo los cambios en el liderazgo que proporcionarán una nueva di- BLACKSTONE rección y un enfoque que pondrá la protección de los menores en primer lugar”, dijo Abbott en un comunicado.

Whitman fue seleccionado por Chris Traylor, Comisionado Ejecutivo para Servicios de Salud y Humanos.

“No puedo pensar en alguien mejor que un Texas Ranger para proteger a nuestros más vulnerables Tejanos”, dijo Traylor en un comunicado de prensa.

El nombramiento pone fin a una

década de comisionados de la agencia que fueron burócratas estatales de alto rango, jueces o individuos con antecedentes en servicios juveniles.

“Nada es más imWHITMAN portante que proteger a nuestros niños y me siento honrado de que me otorguen esta sagrada confianza”, dijo Whitman en el comunicado.

Whitman tenía cerca de 35 años de experiencia policíaca antes de retirarse de los Rangers en el 2012.

Sirvió en el Marine Corps, tiene una especialidad en ciencias en aplicación de la ley de Texas State University con una maestría en administración pública en justicia criminal del Texas A&M, Corpus Christi

Abbott, un ex abogado general de Texas, también nombró a Kristene Blackstone como comisionada asistente para los Servicios de Protección del Menor. Ha sido directora sustituta del procurador general en la división de apoyo al menor. Ella ha laborado en CPS durante 17 años, donde inició como trabajadora social.

El año pasado, una serie de muertes entre niños quienes fueran removidos por CPS y colocados con familiares obligaron a Abbott a ordenar al actual comisionado, Juez retirado John Specia Jr., a interrumpir la colocación (de menores) hasta que el sistema pudiera ser arreglado.

Las designaciones de Whitman y Blackstone inician el 1 de mayo, cuando Specia dimitirá.

BANCOS DE ALIMENTOS

COMUNIDAD

REUNIÓN ANUAL

Invitan al deshecho seguro de medicinas

ENTREGA DE BECAS 2016 El evento Becas 2016, un evento anual para recaudación de fondos, para alumnos de Zapata High School, se llevará a cabo el viernes 22 de abril de 5 p.m. a 10 p.m. en El Rincón de los Ángeles Restaurant. Agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza fuera de servicio serán “meseros” y todas las “propinas” y “donaciones” se destinarán al fondo de becas. Se realizará también el 3er. concurso anual de la “Big Burger” (gran hamburguesa). Pida informes en el 956-765-8900.

POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

CANDIDATOS A GOBERNADOR

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Los candidatos a Gobernador para el Estado de Tamaulipas son: Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca, postulado por el Partido Acción Nacional (PAN); Baltazar Manuel Hinojosa Ochoa postulado por la Coalición conformada por los partidos políticos Revolucionario Institucional (PRI), Verde Ecologista de México PVEM) y Nueva Alianza (PNA); Jorge Osvaldo Valdez Vargas postulado por el Partido de la Revolución Democrática (PRD); Armando Vera García del Partido del Trabajo (PT); Héctor Martín Garza González de Movimiento de Regeneración Nacional (MORENA); Gustavo Adolfo Cárdenas Gutiérrez por Movimiento Ciudadano (PMC); Abdies Pineda Morín postulado por el Partido Encuentro Social (PES) y del candidato independiente Francisco Chavira Martínez.

A finales del mes de abril se tiene programado realizar el día nacional conocido como Prescription Drug TakeBack (día para retirar medicamentos) del Drug Enforcement Administration.

Autoridades y la Coalición Comunitaria para Servicio de Niños y Adultos en Necesidad del Condado de Zapata motivan a las personas a entregar medicamentos que no estén utilizando o que estén vencidos para que sean eliminados de forma segura.

La cita es para el sábado 30 de abril de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. en el Zapata County Courthouse, 200 E. Seventh Street. El servicio es gratuito y anónimo — no se realizan preguntas.

En septiembre, más de 3.800 agencias federales, estatales y locales recabaron más de 702.365 libras de medicinas sin utilizar, vencidas o no deseadas en más de 5.000 sitios para recaudación a nivel nacional, de acuerdo con el sitio del DEA. “Los números son impactantes — aproximadamente 46.000 estadounidenses mueren anualmente por causas relacionadas a medicamentos. Más de la mitad de ellos son debido a heroína y medicamentes opioides”, dijo el Administrador Interino de la DEA Chuck Rosenberg. “Con cuatro de cinco nuevos usuarios de heroína empezando con medicamentos recetados, sé que nuestro programa para retirar-medicamentos realmente hace una diferencia”.

El DEA sostiene que Take-Back-Day otorga una forma segura, conveniente y responsable para eliminar los medicamentos que se compran con receta.

De forma adicional, autoridades y grupos locales esperan educar a la comunidad acerca de los peligros potenciales por el abuso de medicamentos, de acuerdo con el sitio de Internet del DEA. Para más información llame al 800882-9539 o visite www.dea.gov.

(Localice a César G. Rodriguez en el 728-2568 o en cesar@lmtonline.com)

TORNEO DE PESCA El sábado 23 de abril se realizará el torneo de pesca Bass Champs Fishing Tournament, en Zapata County Public Boat Ramp desde las 8 a.m. hasta las 5 p.m.

TORNEO DE SÓFTBOL Un torneo de sóftbol tendrá lugar el 23 de abril en Zapata. Lo recaudado será a favor de Alejandro Cañedo, para la adquisición de una prótesis ya que perdió una pierna en un accidente. Habrá equipos femeninos y masculinos. Cuota 150 dólares. Informes en 956-251-3075.

Foto de cortesía | STFB

El sistema de bancos de alimentos del Sur de Texas llevó a cabo su reunión anual obligatoria en instalaciones del Edificio Anexo del IBC, el martes, en Laredo.

Escuchan avances en programas de área POR SALO OTERO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Más de 100 personas participaron en la conferencia anual de agencias integrantes del sistema de Bancos de Alimentos del Sur de Texas, el martes.

El anfitrión fue el South Texas Food Bank (STFB) en el edificio Anexo del International Bank of Commerce en Laredo.

Representantes de los Condados de Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Starr, Dimmitt, Maverick, Val Verde y Kinney estuvieron presentes en la conferencia.

El STFB distribuye comida para las personas necesitadas en el Condado de Zapata en diferentes lugares. Los coordinadores de agencias y los asistentes estuvieron en la conferencia en la que se incluyó a Shepherd’s Pantry y Helping Hands en Zapata. Por parte de Shepherd’s Pantry estuvieron Leslie Dávila, Patricia Guerra, Rebecca Solís y Leonel Guerra.

De Helping Hands, asistieron

Brian Martínez, Andicia Peña y Alma de los Santos.

Romeo Salinas de Zapata, es integrante de la junta directiva del Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas.

Algunos de los oradores fueron Ed Sherwood, ejecutivo de Falcon International Bank y miembro de la junta directiva del Banco de Alimentos; Mary Callahan, de Feeding America, con base en Chicago; y Gaye Lynn Bailey de Feeding Texas en Austin.

Mike Kazen, director de programas del Banco de Alimentos Mike Kazen, presentó el programa que incluía nutrición, Alcance de SNAP (estampillas de comida), Kids Café, Programa de Alimentos Suplementarios Comunitarios (CSFP), Adopta una Familia y seguridad en los alimentos.

Otros temas que se trataron en la conferencia fueron la recaudación de dinero y bodegas.

La invocación estuvo a cargo del Padre Noel Davis de la iglesia católica Christ The King, la

COLUMNA

ZAPATAN OF THE YEAR Zapata High School, 2009 SHW 16, informa que el sábado 23 de abril se celebrará la ceremonia “2016 Zapatan of the Year” honrando a Roberto O. Hein. El evento será en la misma preparatoria en horario de 3 p.m. a 5 p.m.

REUNIÓN SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA La Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander celebrará su reunión el sábado 21 de mayo a las 2 p.m. en el Zapata County Museum of History. Los oradores invitados para esta ocasión son Del & Marsha Shumway, así como Viqui Uribe, con el tema “Búsqueda Familiar” (Family Search).

cual es una de las más de 80 agencias distribuidoras de alimentos. La bienvenida corrió a cargo de Alma Boubel, directora ejecutiva del Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas y del presidente de la junta directiva Erasmo Villarreal, así como por representantes del IBC. Los coordinadores fueron Andrea Montalvo, Marissa Álvarez, Juan Solís, Ernie Hill y Rachel Maldonado. Elia Solís, directora de agencias para el Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas, fue la organizadora del evento obligatorio, en colaboración con USDA y Feeding America.

La organización recibe productos de USDA a través de su membresía con la red Feeding Texas Food Bank Network y Feeding America a nivel nacional. El sistema de Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas atiende mensualmente a un promedio de 27.000 familias, 7.000 ancianos, 7.000 menores de edad y 500 veteranos y sus viudas.

Cerro del Bernal asombra a visitantes POR RAÚL SINENCIO CHÁVEZ ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El cerro del Bernal está considerado emblema de Tamaulipas. En la parte sur de la entidad, supera los mil 100 metros sobre el nivel del mar.

Toma primero la palabra fray Simón del Hierro, quien iba acompañado del misionero al coronel José de Escandón en la empresa colonizadora del hoy estado tamaulipeco, a mediados del Siglo XVIII. “Todo el camino es tierra llana… Se llegó a Horcasitas (ahora municipio de Gonzá-

lez) el día 7 de mayo (de 1749) a donde vinieron… los indios palaguecos… y quedaron (sus dominadores) en que se les daría pueblo y lugar para sembrar”, escribió Del Hierro.

En compañía del “coronel (Escandón) y el capitán (Juan Francisco) Barberena” visitan los palaguecos el sitio prometido, “cerca del cerro que hace frente a la población (reservada al vecindario hispano) y está rodeado de monte muy espeso por todo el circuito de su falda y en el medio hace la bufa un morro alto, que le llaman Bernal de Horcasitas”.

“La mañana estaba fresca y nublada, y el majestuoso Bernal, a cuyo pie nos habíamos acercado, levantaba su rugosa cima sobre un grupo de nubes color gris oscuro que flotaban a su alrededor en densas masas.

La única luz fuerte… provenía… del sol ascendente… dándole un aire de indescriptible grandeza a la escena. Nuestro camino nos llevó a la izquierda del Bernal, y como a 7 millas de su centro”, por lo “que pude obtener una buena vista del mismo”, relata el capitán George Francis Lyon.

Lyon, de nacionalidad in-

glesa, arriba por la bocana del río Pánuco al país. Con negocios mineros, camina México adentro. En la ruta le sale al paso el solitario coloso. Tanto lo impresiona que acaba dibujándolo.

“La base –pormenoriza en mayo de 1826– se extiende como por 4 millas y asciende… gradualmente hacia el centro, desde donde un inmenso conglomerado de rocas desnudas se levantan hasta unos 2.000 pies arriba del… llano, mientras que ninguna otra montaña se puede encontrar a menos de 30 millas del Bernal”.

Alejandro Prieto en 1873

afirma que al transcurrir la guerra anexionista de EU contra nosotros, “una comisión (militar) de ingenieros americanos… trató de” treparse a “este cerro, pero ascendieron… sólo hasta el cimiento de las rocas… en el vértice”.

(Traducido Lyon al español por María Luisa Herrera Casasús, compendia María del Pilar Sánchez a Del Hierro y Norton. El cerro del Bernal forma parte del escudo de Tamaulipas. Con permiso del autor según fuera publicado por La Razón, Tamaulipas, México, 8 abril 2016)

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

National

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

Body parts found likely slaying victim’s ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE — Human remains that sanitation workers found in a Seattle neighborhood on Friday likely belong to a woman whose boyfriend was charged with killing her, dismembering her and dumping some of her body parts in a nearby recycling bin, authorities said.

The crew uncovered the remains in a waste container in front of a house that is blocks away from where a homeowner found a head and other body parts nearly a week ago. Police said they then pulled several garbage trucks off their routes to be emptied and searched for possible additional remains.

“We’re confident that it is connected to last week’s homicide investigation, which was only three blocks away from where we are standing now,” Detective Mark Jamieson said of the grisly discovery.

John Charlton has been

charged with first-degree murder in the death of Ingrid Lyne, a 40-year-old mother of three, in her suburban Renton home.

Authorities say he dismembered the woman he recently started dating, then drove her head, an arm with a hand, a lower leg and a foot to Seattle, where a homeowner found them last Saturday.

Gordon Hill, Charlton’s public defender, has said no forensic evidence links Charlton to the crime.

Charlton told investigators that the couple attended a baseball game a week ago Friday and then returned to her house, but he was so intoxicated he couldn’t remember what happened.

Medical examiners have not said how Lyne died or when.

Lyne’s ex-husband reported her missing Saturday morning when he arrived to drop off their kids and saw she was not home.

Seattle detectives discov-

ered a 15-inch pruning saw near the bathtub at the house.

Charlton is in jail on $2 million bail and faces at least 28 years in prison if convicted. He also is charged with stealing Lyne’s vehicle, which was found in downtown Seattle on Monday night.

Misty Speck, who lives a few doors down from where the remains were found Friday, wondered why police had not found the parts on their own or asked people to help.

“How hard would it be to ask people to please check your cans? Of course they can’t check every can in the neighborhood,” Speck said.

When she saw the garbage truck stopped in the middle of the street, Speck first thought it was having mechanical problems.

“But in the back of my mind I’m like, ‘I hope this isn’t what I was reading about last week’ with that lady,” Speck said.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

Oil company head retiring Employers add jobs in 37 US states last month

By SUSAN MONTOYA BRYAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The head of the New Mexico Oil and Gas Association will be retiring later this year and the industry group announced Friday that it has launched a national search for his replacement.

Steve Henke’s last day will be Sept. 1. He has served as president of the group for the past six years and previously was a top manager with the Bureau of Land Management in northwest New Mexico, home to a basin rich in natural gas and coal.

Henke will be stepping down amid depressed energy prices that have tempered exploration and drilling nationwide. In New Mexico, the decline has left the state scrambling for revenues and has forced oilfield and related service businesses to lay off workers.

“Fortunately NMOGA has a great staff and actively engaged member committees to serve the industry in these

demanding times,” Henke said in a statement.

Henke said he’s grateful for the opportunity to have served an industry that “means so much to our country and our state.”

New Mexico is now the seventh-largest natural gasproducing state in the nation and oil producers in 2015 broke a record that had been in place for nearly four decades with more than 145 million barrels produced.

That pace of production has fallen slightly behind with just over 20 million barrels produced in the first two months of the year, according to figures from the state Oil Conservation Division.

Henke’s appointment as president of the industry group created waves in 2010.

Environmental groups called for an ethics review and an investigation into whether the industry had improperly influenced Henke during his time as head of the BLM’s Farmington office.

At the time, the groups said in a letter to the BLM and U.S. Interior Department

that Henke’s sudden hiring by the oil and gas association was “an example of the cozy relationship between industry and government officials” that federal officials had sought to confront in the wake of BP’s Gulf of Mexico oil spill.

Henke argued at the time that his three decades of work with the BLM was always fair and balanced.

BLM officials in New Mexico had said they had reviewed the matter and didn’t see a problem with Henke taking the job since the federal agency didn’t regulate the association and had no contractual relationships or arrangements with the industry group as it does with individual oil companies.

The association represents some 300 companies, from producers and processors to pipeline and service companies.

Cliff Brunson, the association’s chairman, said Henke did a tremendous job of developing relationships within New Mexico and providing leadership during his tenure.

By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Employers added more jobs in three-quarters of U.S. states in March, led by big gains in Maryland, Ohio and New Jersey. Just 12 states shed jobs, while there was no change in South Dakota.

THE NUMBERS: The unemployment rate fell in 21 states, rose in 15 and was unchanged in 14, the Labor Department said Friday. The unemployment rate doesn’t always decline even when more hiring occurs, because more Americans may start job hunting and push up the rate even as others are hired.

The largest monthly job gain was in Maryland, which added 19,300 positions, followed by Ohio, which gained 18,300, and New Jersey with 17,300.

The biggest losses were in Texas, which shed 12,000 jobs, followed by Indiana, with 9,000, and Oklahoma, which lost 5,800. Texas and Oklahoma have large oil and gas industries that have suffered from the drop in energy prices since late 2014.

South Dakota had the lowest unemployment rate in March, at 2.5 percent, followed by New Hampshire with 2.6

percent. The highest unemployment rate was in Alaska, at 6.6 percent.

BIG PICTURE: The figures suggest that hiring was relatively widespread across the country last month. Overall, U.S. employers adding a healthy 215,000 jobs in March. That’s just above the average monthly gain of 209,000 in the first quarter.

The U.S. unemployment rate ticked up to 5 percent from 4.9 percent, but mostly for a good reason: More Americans started looking for work, though not all immediately found jobs.

THE TAKEAWAY: The U.S. economy likely barely grew in the first three months of this year, as consumers spent cautiously and business investment was lackluster. At the same time, weak overseas growth has cut into exports.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta projects the economy expanded at just a 0.3 percent annual pace in the first quarter. That’s far below the alreadyweak growth of 1.4 percent in the fourth quarter of 2015.

Still, hiring has remained steady this year, which suggests employers remain confident in future growth and see the slowdown as temporary.

Stocks dip with oil prices, finish week higher

By MARLEY JAY ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks took small losses in quiet trading Friday as energy companies sank with the price of oil, but the market finished higher for the week.

The price of oil fell 3 percent and made energy companies the worst performing sector of the market.

Utility companies rose as bond yields decreased, and metals and mining companies rose as gold and silver prices edged higher.

For the week, the market was propelled higher by quarterly financial results from big banks that were less ugly than investors were bracing for. The market quieted, though, toward the end of the week.

“We’re in a wait and see market,” said Kate Warne, investment strategist for Edward Jones. “People are still skeptical about earnings growth in the first

quarter, but there’s no longer the grave concern there was a few weeks ago.”

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 28.97 points Friday, or 0.2 percent, to 17,897.46. The Dow rose 1.8 percent for the week. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 2.05 points Friday, or 0.1 percent, to 2,080.73 but finished the week up 1.6 percent. The Nasdaq composite index dipped 7.67 points, or 0.2 percent, to 4,938.22. For the week it was up 1.8 percent.

U.S. crude fell $1.14 to $40.36 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the international benchmark, lost 74 cents, or 1.7 percent, to $43.10 a barrel in London.

The prices of wholesale gasoline, heating oil and natural gas also slumped.

Ministers from major oilproducing countries will meet this weekend in Qatar to discuss their production policies. The price of oil has risen in recent weeks in part on hopes that those

Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP file

This file photo shows a sign for Wall Street carved into the side of a building, in New York. U.S. stocks are little changed on Friday. countries will be able to strike a deal that will limit oil production and help relieve a global glut. But a deal is far from a sure thing, and oil prices have slipped in recent days.

“Many of us are skeptical about whether there will be an agreement and even more skeptical about whether that will stabilize oil prices where they are now,” Warne said, because even if countries keep oil production near current levels, they’ll still be producing more than neces-

sary to meet demand.

Occidental Petroleum lost $2.17, or 2.9 percent, to $72.15. EOG Resources fell $2.10, or 2.7 percent, to $75.71.

Utility companies, the best performing group of stocks on the market this year, made the largest gains Friday. Investors are being drawn to their relatively high dividend payouts because rising bond prices are lowering the yields investors can earn from bonds. Edison International rose $1.02, or 1.5 percent, to

$71.06 and NextEra Energy rose $1.28, or 1.1 percent, to $117.43.

Bond prices rose and the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note declined to 1.75 percent from 1.79 percent.

Citigroup said Friday its first quarter profit shrank 27 percent on weak results from its consumer bank and trading businesses, but the bank’s net income and revenue were greater than expected. The stock fell 6 cents to $44.92, but still finished the week 11 percent higher. Bank holding company Regions Financial also reported a bigger profit and greater revenue than expected. Its stock added 26 cents, or 3.1 percent, to $8.74.

The price of gold and silver both edged upward, which gave metals and mining companies a boost.

Gold gained $8.10 to $1,234.60 an ounce, while silver rose 14 cents to $16.31 an ounce. Copper lost 2

cents to $2.15 a pound.

Newmont Mining added 69 cents, or 2.4 percent, to $29.37 and Freeport-McMoRan picked up 13 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $10.86.

In other energy trading, wholesale gasoline slipped 4 cents, or 2.9 percent, to $1.46 a gallon and heating oil decreased 2 cents, or 1.8 percent, to $1.23 a gallon.

Natural gas fell 7 cents, or 3.5 percent, to $1.90 per 1,000 cubic feet.

China reported that its economy grew 6.7 percent in the first quarter of 2016.

While that is the slowest pace in years, it matched analyst projections.

Germany’s DAX fell 0.4 percent and the CAC-40 in France was 0.4 percent lower. The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares declined 0.3 percent. The benchmark Nikkei 225 index in Japan shed 0.4 percent, while South Korean Kospi dipped 0.1 percent.

Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slipped 0.1 percent.

Theater chain cuts ‘texting during movies’ idea

By RYAN NAKASHIMA ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Oops.

The idea lasted about as long as a Snapchat text: the head of AMC Theatres mulled openly about creating texting-friendly movie theaters to appeal to smartphone-addicted youngsters.

Two days later, after a backlash on social media, the

company says it’s leaving the idea on “the cutting room floor.”

Adam Aron, who became CEO of AMC Entertainment Holdings in December, told Variety magazine for a story Wednesday that the company would consider allowing cellphone use in some theaters to appeal to millennials.

“When you tell a 22-yearold to ‘Turn off the phone,

don’t ruin the movie,’ they hear ‘Please cut off your left arm above the elbow.’ You can’t tell a 22-year-old to turn off their cellphone.

That’s not how they live their life,” he said.

That’s when the Twitterverse unleashed a torrent of criticism on the plan.

“AMC Theaters want to allow texting in movie theaters. In other news, I’ll nev-

er go to AMC Theaters ever again,” tweeted Fox News reporter Jake Hamilton.

Blogger Perez Hilton tweeted the plan made sense “because everything is the worst.”

Lucasfilm story executive Pablo Hidalgo mulled a day when he “brings enormous durian fruit to AMC theater; live-tweets and periscopes self eating it while movie

plays.”

Before the spasmic social media outrage continued much longer, AMC released a statement from Aron early Friday saying he had “instantaneously” reversed his thinking.

“With your advice in hand, there will be NO TEXTING ALLOWED in any of the auditoriums at AMC Theatres. Not today,

not tomorrow and not for the foreseeable future,” he said. “Unlike the many AMC advancements that you have applauded, we have heard loud and clear that this is a concept our audience does not want.”

Peace was restored to the movie-going galaxy.

“I love when rational thought wins out,” tweeted Holly Overton.

PAGE 10A

Zentertainment

6 best VR titles

By DERRIK J. LANG ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — After spending time with the recently released consumer editions of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive virtual reality systems, here are the 6 best VR titles out now: “Adr1ft”: If the film “Gravity” was a video game, it would be “Adr1ft.”

The weightless saga for Oculus casts players as an astronaut struggling to survive while exploring a shattered space station.

“Elite: Dangerous”: While the open-world space simulator “Elite: Dangerous” has been out for two years, a VR edition adds another level of immersion by placing players in the cockpit of their spaceship.

“EVE: Valkyrie”: This sci-fi dogfighter — one of the first full-fledged games to be created for modernday VR — convincingly pits online gamers against each other in out-of-this-world locales.

“Fantastic Contraption”: In this physics-based puzzler, there’s a wacky frenzy as players are tasked with constructing virtual inventions to navigate a glowing pink blob across increasingly more complex levels.

“Hover Junkers”: Duck!

The controllers for the Vive are transformed into a gun and a hovercraft’s throttle, in this addictive multiplayer shooter that implores players to use their whole body.

“Job Simulator”: This could be the first-ever VR sitcom. “Futurama” meets “Portal” in Owlchemy Labs’ quirky game where players take orders from robots in such roles as line cook and store clerk.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

Cosby lawyer to show accuser emails

By MARYCLAIRE DALE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILADELPHIA — A woman accusing Bill Cosby of sexual assault is entitled to any documents or emails the comedian’s criminal lawyer shared with a former prosecutor who has become a key defense witness, a federal judge ruled Friday.

Former prosecutor Bruce Castor has stepped forward since Cosby’s arrest last year to testify that he had promised Cosby a decade ago that he would never be charged in the case.

A judge refused to dismiss the charges on those grounds, but Cosby appealed COSBY and remains free on $1 million bail.

The ruling Friday came in the related defamation lawsuit that former Temple University employee Andrea Constand filed against Castor.

Castor has said Constand changed her story about

her encounter with Cosby at his suburban Philadelphia home in 2004 before she sued Cosby for damages.

“If the allegations in the civil complaint were contained with that detail in her statement to the police, we might have been able to make a case out of it,” he told The Associated Press last year, defending his decision not to prosecute as dozens of other accusers came forward.

Castor testified for the defense for an entire day as Cosby’s lawyers sought to have the sex assault

charges dropped in March. Constand on Friday won the right to see any police reports, emails or other correspondence that Cosby lawyer Brian McMonagle had shared with him.

U.S. District Judge Eduardo Robreno, presiding at Friday’s hearing, is the same judge who agreed last year to unseal excerpts from Cosby’s testimony in Constand’s 2005 lawsuit. In the excerpts, Cosby, who’s been married for more than 50 years, acknowledged a series of affairs and getting sedatives to give women

he hoped to seduce. That led Castor’s successor to reopen the criminal case.

Cosby, meanwhile, has sued Constand for talking to police last year despite their confidential settlement of that lawsuit.

Constand’s lawyers want the confidentiality agreement voided because of remarks made by Cosby’s camp. Robreno put that matter on hold.

The Associated Press generally doesn’t identify people who say they are victims of sexual assault unless they come forward publicly, as Constand has done.

International

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

Strong quake hits southern Japan, some trapped

By EMILY WANG AND MARI YAMAGUCHI ASSOCIATED PRESS

MASHIKI, Japan — A powerful earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.3 struck southern Japan early Saturday, barely 24 hours after a smaller quake hit the same region and killed nine people.

While it was not immediately clear whether the latest quake increased the death toll, authorities said hundreds of calls had come in from residents reporting people trapped inside houses and buildings. The Fire and Disaster Management Agency said 66 people were trapped inside a nursing home in Mashiki, the hardest-hit town, and rescue efforts were underway.

No other details were immediately available.

More than 400 people were treated at hospitals, but most of their injuries were not life-threatening, the Japanese broadcaster NHK said, citing its own tally. Video showed a resident, apparently rescued from underneath a collapsed house, on a stretcher being taken to a hospital by ambulance.

The quake shook the Kumamoto region at 1:25 a.m.

Saturday, and several after-

shocks soon followed. Japan’s Meteorological Agency issued an advisory for a tsunami up to 1 meter (3 feet) high along the coast west of the epicenter in Kumamoto, but it was lifted less than an hour later.

The agency upgraded the magnitude to 7.3 from an initial reading of 7.1. Compared to the temblor that struck late Thursday night just south of the town of Mashiki, the most recent quake and aftershocks appeared to be moving east, spreading damage to the northeast.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, in an emergency news conference early Saturday, said more than 300 calls came in to the Kumamoto police and another 100 to police in nearby Oita, seeking help and reporting people trapped or buried underneath debris.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, looking tired, said damage from the magnitude 7.3 quake could be “extensive” and urged rescue workers to do their utmost to help those trapped in the rubble.

Sirens of patrol vehicles could be heard in the background as NHK reported from Mashiki. The asphalt outside the town hall had a

Photo by Kyodo News | AP

A house is collapsed in Kumamoto, southern Japan early Saturday morning after a powerful earthquake. new crack, apparently made by the latest earthquake. In nearby Uto City, police reported that the City Hall building appeared to be unsafe because of damage.

The Nuclear Regulation Authority said no abnormalities were found at the Sendai nuclear plant, where the only two of Japan’s 43 reactors are online. NHK video showed stones tumbled from the walls of historic Kumamoto Castle, and a wooden structure in the complex was smashed, adding to damage from Thursday’s quake.

At the Ark Hotel, east of the castle, hotel guests woke up to strong shaking and a

warning siren. Hotel staff told guests, including tourists and journalists covering the quake, to evacuate their rooms and gather in the lobby for safety.

Thursday’s weaker magnitude 6.5 earthquake brought down buildings and injured about 800 people, in addition to the nine deaths.

The epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake was about 12 kilometers (8 miles) northwest of Thursday’s and, at a depth of about 10 kilometers (6 miles), Saturday’s quake was shallower.

Since Saturday’s quake was bigger, Thursday’s was technically a foreshock, a Meteorological Agency offi-

cial, Gen Aoki, told a news conference.

Saturday’s temblor hit residents who were still in shock from the previous night’s quake and had suffered through more than 100 aftershocks in the interim.

Yuichiro Yoshikado said Thursday’s quake stuck as he was taking a bath in his apartment in Mashiki.

“I grabbed onto the sides of the bathtub, but the water in the tub, it was about 70 percent filled with water, was going like this,” he said, waving his arms, “and all the water splashed out.”

“It’s as if all control was lost. I thought I was going to die and I couldn’t bear it any longer.”

A bright spot, broadcast repeatedly on television Friday, was the overnight rescue of an apparently uninjured baby, wrapped in a blanket and carried out of the rubble of a collapsed home.

Yoshikado, whose building was undamaged despite the intense shaking, checked the damage at his aunt and uncle’s home nearby. Kitchenware was scattered on the floor, and a clock had stopped around 9:26 p.m., the time of Thursday’s quake. Power and water had yet to be restored,

and many in the neighborhood had not returned because of the aftershocks.

About 44,000 people stayed in shelters after Thursday’s quake.

The dead included five women and four men, the Fire and Disaster Management Agency said. One man was in his 20s, and the rest of the victims ranged from their 50s to one woman in her 90s. Eight of the nine victims were from Mashiki.

There were varying reports on the number of injured Thursday. Suga, the government’s chief spokesman, said at least 860 people had been injured, 53 seriously. Kumamoto prefecture tallied 784 injured.

Suga said 1,600 soldiers had joined the relief and rescue efforts. TV reports showed troops delivering blankets and adult diapers to those in shelters.

With water service cut off in some areas, residents were hauling water from local offices to their homes to flush toilets.

Suga said there were no abnormalities at nearby nuclear facilities. The epicenter was 120 kilometers (74 miles) northeast of Kyushu Electric Power Co.’s Sendai nuclear plant, the only one operating in the country.

Arrest notices issued for 3 accused of rape ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Eraldo Peres | AP

Indigenous from various ethnic groups attend a gathering by supporters of Brazil’s President Dilma Rousseff in Brasilia, Brazil on Friday.

Brazil’s lower house in political crisis

By JENNY BARCHFIELD ASSOCIATED PRESS

BRASILIA, Brazil — The lower chamber of Brazil’s Congress on Friday began a raucous debate on whether to impeach President Dilma Rousseff, a question that underscores the deep polarization in Latin America’s largest country and mostpowerful economy.

If lawmakers approved the measure in a vote slated for Sunday, it gets sent to the Senate, where an impeachment trial could take place, prompting the president’s suspension from office.

The atmosphere in the lower Chamber of Deputies was electric, as Rousseff ’s critics festooned themselves with yellow and green ribbons and brandished placards reading “Impeachment Now!” Lawmakers backing impeachment allege Rousseff ’s administration violated fiscal rules, using sleight of hand accounting in a bid to shore up public support.

However, many of those pushing for impeachment face grave accusations of corruption themselves, prompting Rousseff and her supporters to decry the whole process as a bold-faced power grab by her foes.

Rousseff ’s defenders insist she did nothing illegal, pointing out that similar accounting techniques were used by previous presidents.

Miguel Reale Junior, author of the impeachment petition, said Rousseff ’s maneuvering directly led to the ills plaguing the recession-hit nation today, such as high inflation and the Brazilian real’s precipitous slide against the U.S. dollar in recent months.

“Are you going to tell me that isn’t a crime?” Junior told the body.

Solicitor General Jose Eduardo Cardozo contended exactly that, warning lawmakers in his impassioned speech before the chamber that because Rousseff hadn’t

committed any crime, her impeachment would constitute an act of “violence without precedent” against democracy and the Brazilian people.

“Violence has been committed against the democratic state,” Cardozo shouted, gesticulating wildly.

Flanked by supporters holding signs showing the constitution being ripped apart, Cardozo insisted the whole process was an act of personal vengeance against Rousseff by the house Speaker Eduardo Cunha.

The driving force behind the impeachment, Cunha has been implicated in the so-called Car Wash probe into corruption at Brazil’s state-run oil company Petrobras, as well as other schemes.

On Friday, a report in the respected Estado de S. Paulo newspaper quoted plea bargain testimony as suggesting Cunha had received more than $4 million in bribes as part of a Rio de Janeiro port renovation project tied to the August Olympics. The report said Ricardo Pernambuco Junior, of the Carioca Engenharia construction company, told investigators the company paid Cunha 1.5 percent of the deal in kickbacks. The report included spreadsheets that appeared to show the company funneled payouts amounting to more than $4 million to Cunha through several accounts abroad.

Cunha has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and continues to wield substantial power despite legal woes including money laundering and other charges in the Petrobras scheme and ethics committee proceedings in the Chamber of Deputies over allegations he lied when he insisted he held no foreign bank accounts.

But while the ethics committee against Cunha has limped along and is far from reaching a conclusion, the speaker has pushed the impeachment proceeding against Rousseff forward

swiftly — prompting many critics to denounce the process as deeply flawed.

The political infighting paralyzing Brazil comes as the giant South American nation is being buffeted by problems on multiple fronts: the economy is expected to contract nearly 4 percent this year, the Zika virus, which causes birth defects, has become a health crisis in northeastern states and the country is less than four months away from hosting the Summer Olympic Games.

The political crisis has dragged on for months, hamstringing attempts to help jumpstart the economy and hanging up other measures observers say are crucial to getting the country back on track.

Leonardo Picciano, a congressman from Rio de Janeiro state who’s gone against the pro-impeachment position of his party, said the most important thing for the country is not whether Rousseff remains in power, but rather that the situation get decided soon.

“This issue has been an open wound for a long time,” he said. “It must be closed on Sunday, whatever the result.”

The pro-impeachment camp needs two-thirds of the 513 votes in the lower house, or 342 votes, to send the proceedings to the Senate for a possible trial. If the Senate agrees to take it up, Rousseff would be forced to step down until the measure is voted on. The Senate would have six months for a trial.

Both government and opposition forces say they have enough votes to win Sunday, but daily counts by Brazilian media suggest the opposition is much closer to victory.

Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rousseff ’s mentor and predecessor, released a video warning lawmakers that impeachment would make it even harder to address the country’s ills.

MEXICO CITY — The Attorney General’s Office said Thursday that Interpol has distributed notices calling for the arrest of three Mexican men accused of sexually assaulting a high school senior in the Gulf coast state of Veracruz.

The statement said the notices target three of four men who have become known derisively through social media as “Los Porkys.” Authorities believe those three have fled the country. It said the request was made in support of Veracruz’s state attorney and the “red notices” went out April 6.

The alleged sexual assault occurred in Veracruz in January 2015. The then 17-year-old was standing outside a club with friends waiting for her ride when the men, all wealthy and in their 20s, forced her into a black Mercedes. Two allegedly assaulted her in the car and when they arrived at one of their homes, she allegedly was raped by a third.

After authorities appeared to ignore the case for months, her father took the story to the press along with a video of three of the men appearing to confess. The men have since denied wrongdoing.

Weeks of social media outrage followed by daily reporting in Mexico’s national television and print news outlets appeared to finally force the state to act. Her father gave a number of interviews and columnists aimed their fury at the state’s leaders.

There is a general disgust among Mexicans toward the impunity enjoyed by the wealthy and powerful.

Prior to this case, many Mexico City residents delighted at videos posted on social media by a crusading city official who confronted and shamed the wealthy and connected as they blatantly violated city ordinances.

Photo by Alexandre Meneghini | AP file

In this file photo, a cruise ship is docked at the port in Acapulco, Mexico. The U.S. government on Friday barred its employees from traveling to the Mexican resort city of Acapulco.

US bars employees from going to Acapulco

By PETER ORSI ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEXICO CITY — The U.S. government on Friday barred its employees from traveling to the Mexican resort city of Acapulco, where a rise in homicides attributed to drug gangs has made it one of the world’s deadliest cities in recent years.

The new travel guidelines posted online by the State Department extended a ban that already covered nearly the entire state of Guerrero, where Acapulco is located and which has been a flashpoint of drug violence.

American government employees previously could go to Acapulco as long as they traveled by air instead of land. They are still allowed to visit the Guerrero state resorts of Ixtapa and Zihuatanejo if they fly.

Famous in decades

past as a playground for Hollywood stars and other American tourists, Acapulco, a Pacific Coast city of about 700,000 residents, registered 902 homicides last year, according to government statistics. For all of Guerrero, there were 2,106 killings, a 33 percent increase over the previous year.

The violence peaked around summer in Acapulco, but murder rates continue to be high and have even become common in tourist zones near the beach.

Last month, on Good Friday, the dismembered bodies of two men were discovered in plastic bags and an ice chest in neighborhoods along the city’s seaside boulevard.

In late February, a roving saleswoman was shot dead in broad daylight at Condesa beach. Earlier in the month another vic-

tim, a man, was killed in the same area.

And in January, another roving salesman was fatally shot on the sands of Hornos beach by a man who then escaped on a Jet Ski. There were 139 killings in Acapulco in JanuaryFebruary 2016, the most recent months for which figures are available.

That’s up from 95 killings during the same two months in 2015, but lower than the murder rate seen last summer when 107 people were killed in August alone.

Guerrero is the only Mexican state for which the State Department has a near-total travel ban for U.S. government employees, although it warns people to “exercise caution in” or “defer nonessential travel to” other parts of the country that are afflicted by drug violence.

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

HONORED Continued from Page 1A Gutierrez was awarded the Database Coordinator of the Year. The award is presented to an individual who diligently maintained a highly organized 911 database.

Event organizers said this individual strives to continue learning and building their database to provide the best 911 service possible.

BLOCKED Continued from Page 1A Although MALDEF was victorious on one front, the judge rejected the group’s claim that the bill violates the plaintiffs’ right to due process and equal protection. Perales said the equal protection argument was made because the bill did not have a “rational purpose” and was arbitrary.

But in his order, Ezra said that al-

though HB 11 might be pre-empted, the harboring provision fits in with the state’s intended goal of securing its borders.

“HB 11’s harboring provisions are rationally related to their stated purpose of ‘strengthen[ing] the state’s border security measures and help[ing to] stem the rising tide of human smuggling and hu-

man trafficking in Texas,’” he wrote.

A timeline on when the case will resume is unclear, but attorneys with MALDEF appeared confident moving forward. The group had warned lawmakers last year the law was “enacted on dubious advice” because the harboring provision would not withstand a constitutional challenge.

Regional Telecommunicator of the Year Honors for Telecommunicator of the Year for the South Texas Region were bestowed upon Deanna Zamora, of the Rio Grande City Police Department.

Zamora, who’s been with Rio Grande PD for four years, was the first person from her department to receive regional honors, event organizers said.

“I’m very honored. I never thought that one of my calls would get nominated,” Zamora said.

Zamora recalled receiving a 911 call regarding a man who had broken into a property.

She said the property owner was holding the intruder at gunpoint.

Zamora calmed down the owner until a patrol officer arrived at the scene and took custody of the suspect.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

MISSING Continued from Page 1A ask an Iguala cop.

“We’re going to take them to Huitzuco, the boss will be the one who decides what to do with them,” the cop answers.

“Ah, OK, OK, that’s fine,” the witness quoted the federal officer as saying.

Larrieta said the federal officers should be investigated to see whether they also were in the pay of the drug gang.

He also said investigators had asked private companies to supply information, but they hadn’t complied. He

would not identify the companies, but investigations so far have focused on the bus companies whose vehicles had been hijacked by the students and phone companies who had records of their calls.

“Representatives of the companies involved have hidden information, or may have covered up for those responsible for these acts,” Larrieta said. He said the firms should be investigated “to see whether they were cooperating with the criminal gang responsible for

these acts, or whether they made a decision based on private interests.”

In some parts of Mexico, companies have been coerced into not reporting crimes by drug gangs who threaten to attack their vehicles, offices or employees.

“The facts released today could constitute clear evidence of the coopting of municipal institutions by criminal organizations in Iguala, Cocula and, now with the information being released, probably Huitzuco,” with the participation of municipal

police officers from those towns in the disappearance of the students, Larrieta said. “In the same way it could be an example of the alleged involvement of federal police officers.”

On Sept. 26, 2014, 43 students from the radical teachers’ college known as Ayotzinapa disappeared in Iguala after hijacking buses, a common tactic they used to acquire transportation.

Municipal police from Iguala and Cocula kidnapped some of the 43 students at one location inside Iguala.

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NFL

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: 2016 PLAYOFFS

Playing for a title File photo by Scott Eklund | AP

Former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel has been accused of damaging his rented property in Los Angeles with parties as the owner is seeking nearly $32,000 to fix damages.

Manziel back in hot water QB accused of damaging rented home with parties

By KEVIN LYTTLE AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

San Antonio center Tim Duncan and point guard Tony Parker lead the Spurs into the playoffs as the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference and one of the overall favorites to capture the league title.

NBA hits playoff time as 16 teams ready for action

By TIM REYNOLDS ASSOCIATED PRESS

The NBA playoffs start this weekend, and there’s no shortage of story lines worth following. Here’s a list of 10 to get you started: THE WARRIORS We begin with the reigning champions, the favorites to capture back-toback titles. Golden State set the NBA record with a 73-9 regular season, and the Warriors’ reward to open the playoffs is a rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals against the Houston Rockets. It’s a matchup of the game’s two best scorers this season — Stephen Cur-

ry and James Harden. The Warriors are 12-1 in their last 13 against the Rockets and Curry has sizzled in those games, shooting 54 percent from the field and 50 percent from 3-point range.

THE SPURS This was the first season in NBA history where two teams won at least 80 percent of their games. Meet the other one. San Antonio went 67-15 — tying for the seventh-best record in the history of the league — and finished six games behind the Warriors in the Western Conference. If there’s a franchise that would enjoy having such a year somehow stay off the radar, it’s the Spurs. San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich managed his

NCAA BASKETBALL: TEXAS TECH

players’ minutes to perfection again, with no one averaging more than 33 per night. Anything less than a WarriorsSpurs Western Conference finals would seem disappointing.

TIM DUNCAN He merits his own mention for this reason: Duncan has a chance to play in more postseason victories than anyone in the history of the NBA. He’s been in 151 so far in his legendary career with the Spurs. Only Derek Fisher (161), Robert Horry (155) and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (154) have played in more wins at this time of year.

It’s been another bad week for Johnny Manziel.

The former Heisman Trophy winner from Texas A&M is accused of causing "extensive damage" during parties at a Los Angeles home that he rented in early April, according to an ESPN report.

ESPN obtained a letter Friday from an attorney representing the owner of the property who wrote that "evidence suggests" that the former Cleveland Browns quarterback and his friends "were consuming drugs and alcohol."

Attorney Niki Ghazian wrote that the owner is seeking $31,580, including $19,580 in damage replacement fees.

The damages, according to the letter, include "extensive burn marks from cigarettes and marijuana" found on the floor, wine stains "that cannot be removed" from a carpet, a broken glass table and a broken door.

Earlier in the week, Manziel’s second agent, Drew Rosenhaus, known for taking bad apples under his wing, said he’s finished with Manziel unless he seeks treatment within five-days. Rosenhaus is

See PLAYOFFS PAGE 2B See MANZIEL PAGE 2B

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Silver: NC law ‘problematic’ to NBA, no decision on ASG

By BRIAN MAHONEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

who took the coaching job in Memphis.

Beard returns to Lubbock after leading Arkansas-Little Rock to a school-record 30 wins and a firstround upset of Purdue in the NCAA Tournament this season.

He also comes after having his contract at UNLV approved a week ago, the same day he changed his Twitter account to reflect his posi-

NEW YORK — NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Friday a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people remains “problematic” for the league, but he said there is no decision on moving next year’s All-Star Game out of Charlotte.

Owners discussed the law during their two-day meetings and Silver said the league wants to be involved in helping protect those the law discriminates against. He believes that is better done with dialogue than by making threats.

“Let me be clear. The current state of the law is problematic for the NBA in North Carolina,” Silver said. “I think for the league office and our owners, I think the discussion was how can we be most constructive in being part of a process that results in the kind of change that we think is necessary.”

See TEXAS TECH PAGE 2B

See NBA PAGE 2B

File photo by David Zalubowski | AP

Former Arkansas Little Rock head coach Chris Beard accepted the coaching position at Texas Tech less than two weeks after being named UNLV’s new coach.

Beard spurns UNLV for Texas Tech job ASSOCIATED PRESS

LUBBOCK — Less than two weeks after accepting the job at UNLV, Chris Beard is heading home to Texas.

Back to Texas Tech, specifically.

After a night of uncertainty surrounding Beard’s future, Texas Tech announced on Friday it has hired the coach who was previously an assistant there for 10 seasons. He will replace Tubby Smith,

Photo by Chris Carlson | AP

NBA commissioner Adam Silver said a North Carolina law that limits antidiscrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people remains “problematic” for the league, which is hosting the All-Star Game in Charlotte in 2017.

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

NBA to begin putting logos on uniforms

in Charlotte," Silver said.

There was also a presentation from Evan Wasch, the league’s head of analytics, about ways the NBA could become more sophisticated about next season’s scheduling to find further rest opportunities for players.

So the main business completed was the jersey

sponsorships vote.

Besides the financial implications, Silver believes the sales can expand the league’s growth oversees by drawing companies who want to be involved.

He understands that fans who favor the traditional look might not like the logos, but will eventually see them as a way to improve the game.

"But there’s a reason this is a pilot program," he added. "I mean, we listen very closely to our fans, and so we’ll see what the reaction is."

Major League Soccer teams began selling jersey sponsorships in 2007, and they generate more than $6 million annually in revenues.

Adidas enters the final year of his contract as the NBA’s official outfitter next season. When Nike takes over, its logo will become the first on league’s jerseys - except for those of the Charlotte Hornets, who are owned by Michael Jordan.

The logo of his Jordan Brand, a subsidiary of Nike, could be on the Hornets’ instead.

The sponsor patch will be adjusted to fit the dimensions of each sponsor’s logo. It won’t appear in retail versions of the jerseys, but clubs can sell jerseys with sponsor patches in their team stores.

team, and I think what’s next, and then people say, ’Should your team be playing in North Carolina?”’

Besides Jordan, Silver noted that current NBA stars Stephen Curry and Chris Paul are from North Carolina.

“I’ve already explained how I feel about discrimination period. I think that’s not tolerable nowhere,” Curry said as Golden State practiced for its playoff opener in Oakland, California. “It sucks that it’s in my home state where a lot of great people live. The All-Star Game hopefully being in Char-

lotte will be a huge thing for the city. I know the NBA will make the right decision when it comes time.”

Silver hopes that can be avoided by lawmakers changing the law before the NBA was forced to weigh action. He said they meet later this month, and his wish is that “they will see clear to a change in the law.”

“I’m hopeful they will,” Silver added. “And as I said, if the NBA and my colleagues and our owners can be helpful to that process, we stand ready. And I do think that’s an appropriate role for us to take.”

By BRIAN MAHONEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — The NBA will begin putting sponsorship logos on player uniforms in 2017-18, a move that could generate at least $100 million annually and a step that the NFL, Major League Baseball and NHL have yet to take.

The three-year trial was approved Friday by NBA owners and will take effect when the league’s contract with Nike begins. The patches will appear on the front left of the jersey, opposite Nike’s logo, and measure about 2 1/2 by 2 1/2 inches.

Logos appear on international and MLS soccer jerseys, and many athletes in individual sports wear their sponsors’ attire in competition.

Commissioner Adam Silver had said going with logos was inevitable because of the potential to add revenue. WNBA and NBA Development League teams already have logos, and NBA clubs were wearing them on practice jerseys.

Silver called the plan an "experiment" and said it was hard to estimate how much revenue it would generate because teams would be responsible for their own sales, and some could decide not to partici-

File photo by Michael Conroy | AP

Much like the WNBA has already done, pictured, the NBA will begin selling jersey sponsorships in 2017-18, becoming the first major North American sport to put partners’ logos on players’ uniforms. pate. But he said it could be $100 million annually.

"I think the greatest impact will be on sort of this amplifying effect of a company choosing to associate directly with a team’s jersey, then going out and promoting that relationship in the larger market," Silver said. "I think that will lead to greater engage-

ment of our fans with these teams."

Owners also discussed a North Carolina law that limits anti-discrimination protections for lesbian, gay and transgender people.

Silver called it "problematic" for the league, but there was no decision on moving next year’s AllStar Game out of Char-

lotte.

"The league believes that these groups need to be protected, but again, I think the right way to work to the proper resolution here is for the league to remain engaged in the conversation, rather than setting ultimatums or announcing we’re not going to play our All-Star Game

NBA Continued from Page 1B The North Carolina law directs transgender people to use public toilets corresponding to the sex listed on their birth certificate.

The law also excludes LGBT people from state anti-discrimination protections, blocks local governments from expanding LGBT protections, and bars all types of workplace discrimination lawsuits from state courts.

The law was adopted last month, and opposition has been loud and extensive. States and major cities have banned public employees from optional travel to North Carolina, PayPal reversed plans to

open a 400-employee operation center in Charlotte, and more than 160 corporate CEOs signed a letter urging the law’s repeal.

Bruce Springsteen, Ringo Starr and other entertainers have canceled plans to play in North Carolina.

The NBA previously said it was unsure it could successfully stage next February’s festivities in Charlotte as planned, but Silver said he doesn’t think a warning that it could pull out would be the proper message, particularly because the league would still have a team playing there.

“The league believes

that these groups need to be protected, but again, I think the right way to work to the proper resolution here is for the league to remain engaged in the conversation, rather than setting ultimatums or announcing we’re not going to play our All-Star Game in Charlotte,” Silver said.

But Silver, who attended Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, is troubled by the law, adding he doesn’t even understand the genesis for it.

His office has received letters from senators urging the league to take action by moving the game, but Silver said it’s not that

MANZIEL Continued from Page 1B known for his great patience with clients and giving them a lot of latitude. It is believed that he has never fired a client in 27 years.

Rosenhaus said Friday that Manziel has not made any movement in the right direction.

Manziel has a long laundry list of problems, including legal issues. He was finally cut by the Browns on March 11 and is seeking another job.

Troubled Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, a Baylor alum, came to Manziel’s rescue last weekend, picking him up after he was a passenger in a car involved in an alleged hit-and-run in Los Angeles, according to TMZ Sports.

The incident was reported just hours after the TMZ Sports site captured Manziel on video as he was heading into The Nice Guy nightclub for what he said was the fifth or sixth night in a row.

Slurring his words, Manziel claimed that he was living with Broncos superstar Von Miller, another A&M alum - a statement which he later retracted and for which he apologized - and that he wasn’t drunk.

There have been reports, later denied, that Manziel was living with Gordon in Los Angeles.

Gordon is serving an indefinite suspension by the NFL for repeatedly violating its substance-abuse policies.

simple.

The Charlotte Hornets, owned by Hall of Famer Michael Jordan, are in the playoffs and will be playing home games next weekend.

“Just to reiterate, as I said earlier, this notion that sort of we set a deadline, and then somehow we’re in the position to dictate to the community of North Carolina that, ’Change this or else,’ and then we were to say, ’Fine, we’ll move on,”’ Silver said. “We have a team that plays in Charlotte, North Carolina, and I’m not even sure what statement we’d then be making about that

TEXAS TECH Continued from Page 1B tion as coach of the Runnin’ Rebels.

UNLV athletic director Tina Kunzer-Murphy was the first to officially announce Beard’s move on Friday, and she didn’t mince words about her frustration at Beard’s sudden change of direction after being hired to replace the fired Dave Rice.

“This unprecedented move is extremely disappointing to (UNLV) President (Len Jessup) and I, for our program and to our fans,” Kunzer-Murphy wrote. “Our search process allowed us to develop a deep pool of qualified candidates, from which we will select a great coach who really wants to be here and who will honor his commitments in lead-

ing the Runnin’ Rebels.”

Beard agreed to a contract with UNLV on March 28, less than two weeks after he coached the Trojans in their second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State.

That five-year contract was approved by UNLV’s Board of Regents on April 8, and Beard was introduced during a news conference later that day.

However, Smith’s departure for Memphis created an opening at a Power Five conference school with the Red Raiders, where Beard was a coach from 2001-11. Seven of those seasons were under Hall of Famer Bob Knight with three under Pat Knight, and he coached in the semi-professional

American Basketball Association and at McMurry University and Angelo State before being hired in Little Rock last year.

The job with the Trojans was his first as a Division I head coach, and he quickly earned national praise. A year after the school finished 13-18, Arkansas-Little Rock was picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Conference before early season wins over San Diego State, Tulsa and DePaul helped it to 10 straight wins to begin the season.

The Trojans’ first loss came at Texas Tech, of all places, but they rebounded to win the Sun Belt title and conference tournament before earning a No. 12 seed in the NCAA

Tournament and shocking Purdue in the opening round.

Beard, who has three daughters in Texas, returns to the Red Raiders with a 171-50 record as a head coach.

Texas Tech was 19-13 this season under Smith, falling to Butler in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

“We are proud and excited to hire a coach of Chris’ caliber,” Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt said. “Our program achieved tremendous success this year, and I see that as something Chris will build upon and take us to even further heights. We are thrilled to have him back home at Texas Tech.”

last year, and the Los Angeles Clippers were in both — they beat San Antonio in the first round, and lost to Houston in the second round.

ROOKIE STRUGGLES It’s hard enough for rookies to get through the rigors of an 82-game regular season as it is, which might explain why it hasn’t exactly been common of late for a first-year guy to put up big postseason numbers. Only two players in the last five postseasons — Harrison Barnes and Kawhi Leonard — have capped their rookie years with 100 points or more in the playoffs. And no rookie has come up with 200 points in a post-

season since Miami’s Dwyane Wade had 234 back in 2004.

AWARDS TIME Here’s a tip: When the NBA schedules a “major announcement” with one of its teams over the next few weeks, odds are someone from that team is about to pick up a big award. Stephen Curry is expected to be the MVP for the second straight year, perhaps unanimously. Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns also seems like a lock for rookie of the year honors. But a number of the races — coach of the year in particular — figure to be wide open. Awards are revealed periodically throughout the postseason.

PLAYOFFS Continued from Page 1B LEBRON JAMES In 10 previous trips to the playoffs, James has reached at least the second round all 10 times. His teams (Cleveland, then Miami, then Cleveland again) are a staggering 40-7 in first-round games, and James is on a personal 13game winning streak in those opening matchups.

James just finds ways to lift his game in the playoffs, playing huge minutes.

And consider this one: Among players in this postseason, no one has more assists in their playoff career than James.

HORNETS-HEAT This is a logical pick to be the most intriguing first-round series, for plen-

ty of reasons. For starters, both teams finished with 48-34 records and come from the same division, though Miami’s 48-34 worked out to a No. 3 seed and Charlotte’s 48-34 got the Hornets the No. 6 seed.

But since the All-Star break, these have been two of the five hottest teams in the NBA. Charlotte was 21-8 since the break, thirdbest in the league behind Golden State (25-5) and San Antonio (22-7). The Heat are 19-10 in that span, behind only the Warriors, Spurs, Hornets and Toronto (21-9).

THE DURANT WATCH This season has been one long countdown to Kevin Durant Watch 2016,

otherwise known as what the Oklahoma City star will do this summer when free agency arrives. Durant has gotten the questions plenty of times this season, and when — or if, more accurately — the Thunder fall behind in a postseason series it’s a safe bet speculation will ramp up quickly about how what’s going on in these playoffs will influence the decision he makes in July. This will be especially true if the Thunder, the No. 3 seed out West, get into early trouble.

RAPTORS’ DROUGHT This has been the best regular season in Toronto history, a 56-26 mark that got the Raptors the No. 2 seed in the East. But this

season’s real goal for the Raptors has been finally getting some playoff success. Toronto was swept out of the first round last year, has lost its last five opening-round series and has reached the East semifinals once — in 2001. It’s not exactly an easy draw for Toronto, which gets Indiana in the first round.

The Pacers have won their last three opening-round series.

CLOSE GAMES Makes sense, given that the best teams tend to make for better matchups.

Last year, 59 percent of the playoff games were decided by no more than 10 points.

Having said that, there were only two Game 7’s

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016

Dear Readers: Summer weather’s already here in many parts of the country, and that means outdoor fun and play in the sun. SUNSCREEN is vital for humans, and also a must for our four-pawed friends.

Sunscreen for dogs and cats (especially if they have white hair and white/pink noses) should be considered most important if they are in the sun a lot. It’s recommend not to use a human sunscreen, but one made specifically for animals. OR you can use one for babies as long as it DOES NOT CONTAIN ZINC OXIDE. The important areas to protect are the tips of ears, on the nose and snout and on the belly, especially if your pet likes to "sun" lying on its back! Those darling pink bellies are prime places for sunburn and skin cancer.

If the animal has any kind of bad reaction, stop using the product and tell your veterinarian.

The animal’s furry coat, by the way, provides "insulation" and protection from the sun. Think twice before

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

"shaving" a pet down to the bare skin for summer. It will not make the pet cooler, nor protect from sunburn. – Heloise P.S.: Your pets can get skin cancer, so please take heed and protect them.

HELPFUL HANGER HINT Dear Heloise: When using plastic clothes hangers, they tend to break or sag in the middle, especially when hanging a heavy coat or jacket.

I simply use TWO hangers at once, and I use two for jeans and slacks.

Thanks. – John G., Terre Haute, Ind. FRESH BED Dear Heloise: To keep my dogs’ pet beds clean and fresh, I purchased inexpensive crib sheets to cover their beds. They fit so nicely, and I remove and wash them once a week.

For the bigger beds, I use an old, fitted twin-size sheet.

I also put an extra top sheet on my comforter at night to keep my blankets clean for when my Labrador retriever jumps on my bed.

– A Dog Lover, via email

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, APRIL 16, 2016