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SATURDAY APRIL 30, 2016
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BORDER PATROL
DRUG ENFORCEMENT
Illegal immigrant smugglers arrested
DEA hosts Take Back event
Four people behind bars in Zapata County By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
Four people landed behind bars for picking up illegal immigrants in Zapata County, according to court documents. Authorities identified the suspects as Jose Guadalupe Jimenez, Cynthia Veronica Rodriguez-Raya, Tonie Jo Ann GonzalezPacheco and Karina CruzMadrid. Records state they tried to smuggle 11 immigrants who had crossed
the border illegally. A criminal complaint filed Monday charged the suspects with transporting illegal immigrants. Authorities said the smuggling attempt dates back to Friday. That day, U.S. Border Patrol agents assigned to an area north of San Ygnacio responded to a call from a concerned citizen. Reports indicated that a white GMC heavy duty dually truck and a green Ford Expedition were on
the side of U.S. 83 possibly picking up illegal immigrants. At about 1:55 p.m., agents said they spotted two vehicles matching the description traveling north on U.S. 83. Agents followed the vehicles for a close inspection. A records check on the GMC dually revealed it had been stolen out of Atascosa County. When agents attempted an immigration inspection on the vehicle, it sped off uncontrollably
onto on-coming traffic until it collided with parked work truck, according to court documents. About eight people exited the GMC following the crash. Agents caught up to the driver, Jimenez, and the passenger, RodriguezRaya, and several immigrants. Meanwhile, an agent on an unmarked unit kept following the Expedition. Agents then observed the Expedition parked on the Smugglers continues on A10
ZAPATA LION’S CLUB
SCHOLARSHIP NIGHT
Courtesy photo
The Zapata Lion’s Club gave over $6,000 in scholarships and got an additional $2,200 from attending universities for a grant total of $8,200 awarded to help our graduating seniors. However, after requesting a matching of $1,200, Texas A&M also told the Lions they would match them for $12,000, making the final grand total $20,000.
Dispose of unused medication By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day is today. This is an opportunity for the community to safely dispose of unwanted, unused prescribed medication. DEA officials said they properly dispose of the unwanted medication and ask no questions of people who drop off the medication. Disposing of prescribed medication improperly or washing it down the drain creates a health hazard, according to authorities. Zapatans can drop off their unwanted prescribed medication today at the Zapata County Courthouse, 200 E. Seventh Ave. from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Other collections sites were established in Laredo and Cotulla: 1 AT&T - 10719 McPherson Road. 1 Burger King parking lot - 4407 S. Zapata Highway. 1 KGNS-TV - 120 W Del Mar Blvd. 1 Laredo Fire Department Administration Center - 616 E. Del Mar Blvd. 1 Laredo Library - 1120 E. Calton Road. 1 Lowe’s Grocery Store - 1203 North Main in Cotulla. 1 Ryan Elementary -
2401 Clark Blvd. 1 San Martin Church 1704 Sandman St. 1 Shirley Field - 2002 San Bernardo Ave. 1 Student Activity Center - 5208 Santa Claudia Lane. 1 Uni-Trade Stadium 6320 Sinatra Pkwy. This service is free of charge, authorities said. The collection runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. In September, authorities collected over 2,000 pounds of prescribed, unwanted medication in the Laredo area. Veronica Jimenez, program director for the Webb County Community Coalition of Serving Children and Adults in Need, said there has been an increase in prescription drug abuse in South Texas. Prescription drugs are readily available at home because people do not get rid of them, she said. Youth tend to abuse Vicodin, OxyContin, stimulants for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety medication, among others. “We’ve a seen in a lot of youth abusing pain killers. They want to get that high,” Jimenez said. “Prescription medications in people’s homes are often misused and abused. The majority of abused prescription drugs are obtained from family members and friends.”
EDUCATION
Migrant children kept from enrolling in school By Garance Burke and Adrian Sainz A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Candelario Jimon Alonzo came to the U.S. dreaming of becoming something more than what seemed possible along the rutted roads of his hometown in Guatemala’s highlands. This was his chance: He could earn a U.S. high school education and eventually become a teacher. Instead, the 16-year-old spends most days alone in the tumbledown Memphis house where he lives with his uncle, leaving only occasionally to play soccer and pick up what English he can from his friends. Local school officials have kept Jimon out of the classroom since he
tried to enroll in January. Attorneys say Jimon and at least a dozen other migrant youth fleeing violence in Central America have been blocked from going to Memphis high schools because officials contend the teens lacked transcripts or were too old to graduate on time. The Associated Press has found that in at least 35 districts in 14 states, hundreds of unaccompanied minors from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have been discouraged from enrolling in schools or pressured into what advocates and attorneys argue are separate but unequal alternative programs — essentially an academic dead end, and one that can violate federal law. Instead of enrolling
Jimon and the other minors in high school, their cash-strapped district routed them to an adult school in East Memphis that offered English classes a few hours a week. But before Jimon could even register, the state shut the GED and English-language programs over concerns that few students were graduating, effectively ending his chances for a formal education. “I really wanted to study math and English when I got here,” said Jimon, who grew up speaking Spanish and the indigenous language Quiche. The teen is in the process of applying for permission to stay in the country permanently. Shelby County Schools spokeswoman Natalia Migrant continues on A10
Karen Pulfer Focht / AP
In this photo, students are shown in a Hispanic neighborhood in Memphis, Tenn. America's schools remain one of the few government institutions where migrant youth are guaranteed services, but the federal government has extended little money or oversight to monitor their impact and well-being.
Zin brief A2 | Saturday, April 30, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
Saturday, April 30 ASSOCIATED PRE SS
1
Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will celebrate its 11th anniversary. Noon–6 p.m. TAMIU. There will be showings of “Starry Night” and “Space Next” every 45 minutes. There will be snacks, face painting and other activities available. General admission is $3. Event is open to all TAMIU community and public. For more information, contact Claudia Herrera at 956326-2463 or email claudia.herrera@tamiu.edu.
Today is Saturday, April 30, the 121st day of 2016. There are 245 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History:
On April 30, 1789, George Washington took the oath of office in New York as the first president of the United States. On this date:
1
Mariachi Nuevo Tecalitlan de Guadalajara. 7 p.m. LISD Civic Center, 2400 San Bernardo Ave. The performance, dubbed De México Para El Mundo, is a scholarship benefit for TAMIU students. Tickets are $50, $35 and $25 each and are available at Ticketmaster outlets and at the door.
1
TAMIU’s Spring Theatre Production class presents “University.” 7:30 p.m. TAMIU’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Sam Johnson Black Box Theatre. Admission requires a minimum scholarship donation of $5 per person, students with ID and children under 12 enter free. For more information, contact Dr. Gilberto Martinez at 956-326-3037 or email gilberto.martinez@tamiu.edu.
1
Laredo PAGA Scholarship Fundraiser Tournament. 8:30 a.m. (sign in 7:30 a.m.–8:10 a.m.). Max Mandel Golf Course. Cost: $100, includes tournament fees and lunch. Prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners. You can mail in your teams and fees using the registration form, which can be accessed at http://www.laredopaga.org/. You need not be a PAGA member to come and support the cause. For more information, visit http://www.laredopaga.org/
1
Dia de los Niños Jamaica. 1–9 p.m. Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, 8731 Belize Drive. Fun and food for the whole family; gorditas, brisket tacos, funnel cakes.
Sunday, May 1 1
TAMIU’s Spring Theatre Production class presents “University.” 3 p.m. TAMIU’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Sam Johnson Black Box Theatre. Admission requires a minimum scholarship donation of $5 per person, students with ID and children under 12 enter free. For more information, contact Dr. Gilberto Martinez at 956-326-3037 or email gilberto.martinez@tamiu.edu.
Bruce Smith / AP
Attorney Debbie Barbier speaks to reporters outside the federal courthouse in Charleston, S.C., on Friday, after her client, Joey Meek, pleaded guilty to two federal charges.
SHOOTER’S FRIEND PLEADS GUILTY CHARLESTON, S.C. — A friend of the white man accused of fatally shooting nine black parishioners in Charleston last year pleaded guilty Friday to lying to federal authorities during their investigation. He also revealed that the suspect told him he planned to kill himself after the slayings, which he had planned for months. The plea by Joey Meek, 21, marked the first conviction in a mass killing that stunned the country, reignited discussions about race relations and led to the removal of a Confederate battle flag from the South Carolina Statehouse. Dylann Roof,
Woman took baby from womb
Monday, May 2 1
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 956795-2400 x2520.
1
Screen Free Week: Craft. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Celebrate Screen Free Week by making crafts.
Tuesday, May 3 1
Les Amies Birthday Club monthly meeting. 11:30 a.m. Ramada Plaza. Hostesses are Olivia Arroyo, Amparo Garcia and Grace Stegmann. Honoree is Herminia Molina.
1
Alzheimer’s Disease Support Group. 7 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, meeting room 2, Tower B in the Community Center. Meetings are open to individuals who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as family, friends and caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Those interested in learning more about the disease, as well as gather more information on resources available, are invited and encouraged to attend. For more information, call Melissa Guerra at 956-693-9991 or Laredo Medical Center at 956-796-3223.
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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 PerezGomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.
1
Screen Free Week: Crochet. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Celebrate Screen Free Week by learning to crochet with Laredo artist Mallory Miles.
1
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.
BOULDER, Colo. — A judge on Friday sentenced a Colorado woman who cut a baby from a stranger’s womb to 100 years in prison, including the maximum penalties for attempted murder and unlawful termination of a pregnancy. Judge Maria Berkenkotter said the harshest sentences for the most serious charges were justified by the brutality of the 2015 attack, which she described
who is charged with the slayings, had previously posed for photos with a rebel flag. Meek signed a deal with prosecutors under which he agreed to plead guilty to lying to authorities and failure to report a crime. He could face up to eight years in prison when he’s sentenced later, although prosecutors say they will argue he deserves less time if he’s helpful in their ongoing case. Meek admitted to key points of the government’s case against him, saying Roof had told him he had planned for more than six months to shoot people.
as performing a cesarean with a kitchen knife. Berkenkotter also said the victim, Michelle Wilkins, as well as her family and the community needed Dynel Lane, 36, to express remorse. Lane murmured a “no” when the judge asked if she wanted to speak. Lane also did not speak in her defense during her trial, which ended in February when jurors found her guilty of attempting to kill Wilkins after luring her victim to her home with an ad for maternity clothes. Jurors had heard that Lane
went to elaborate lengths to feign her own pregnancy before attacking Wilkins. They did not hear that in 2002, Lane’s 19month-old son drowned in what investigators ruled was an accident. Relatives said her remorse over losing her son may have led her to take an action they could not understand or explain. Lane’s attorneys did not dispute that she attacked Wilkins, but they argued there was no evidence it was a calculated murder attempt. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD Argentina floods swamp soy crop VILLA PARANACITO, Argentina — Water levels in the flooded town of Villa Paranacito have risen so much that the best way for residents to commute is by boat. The town in eastern Argentina is one of the worst-struck by weeks of heavy rains stemming from the El Nino weather phenomenon. With streets covered by several feet of water from swollen rivers, residents are getting to schools, banks and other town services on boats, the only means of transportation.
Kenya building collapses in rain NAIROBI, Kenya — A sixstory residential building in a low income area of the Kenyan capital collapsed Friday under heavy rain and flooding, trapping an unknown number of people in the rubble, Kenyan
Wednesday, May 4
Natacha Pisarenko / AP
A man navigates a flooded street in Villa Paranacito, Entre Rios, Argentina, on Thursday.
officials said. A search-and-rescue team managed to pull three children and an adult out from the remains of the building in the Huruma area, the Kenya Red Cross said. It was not immediately clear whether there were fatalities. The Red Cross said 150 building units and adjacent homes
were affected. Live TV footage showed the National Youth Service and firefighters removing stones by hand and a crowd cheering when a child was removed from the rubble. Hours-long traffic jams caused by flooded roads delayed rescue teams. — Compiled from AP reports
In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for 60 million francs, the equivalent of about $15 million. In 1812, Louisiana became the 18th state of the Union. In 1900, engineer John Luther "Casey" Jones of the Illinois Central Railroad died in a train wreck near Vaughan, Mississippi, after staying at the controls in a successful effort to save the passengers. In 1939, the New York World's Fair officially opened with a ceremony that included an address by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. In 1945, as Soviet troops approached his Berlin bunker, Adolf Hitler committed suicide along with his wife of one day, Eva Braun. In 1956, former Vice President Alben W. Barkley, 78, collapsed and died while delivering a speech at Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia. In 1958, the American Association of Retired Persons (later simply AARP) was founded in Washington, D.C., by Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus. In 1968, New York City police forcibly removed student demonstrators occupying five buildings at Columbia University. In 1973, President Richard Nixon announced the resignations of top aides H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, Attorney General Richard G. Kleindienst and White House counsel John Dean, who was actually fired. In 1975, the Vietnam War ended as the South Vietnamese capital of Saigon fell to Communist forces. In 1988, Gen. Manuel Noriega, waving a machete, vowed at a rally to keep fighting U.S. efforts to oust him as Panama's military ruler. In 1990, hostage Frank Reed was released by his captives in Lebanon; he was the second American to be released in eight days. Five years ago: A Libyan official said Moammar Gadhafi had escaped a NATO missile strike in Tripoli that killed one of his sons and three young grandchildren. One year ago: Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont formally entered the race for the Democratic presidential nomination with a news conference on Capitol Hill. Today's Birthdays: Actress Cloris Leachman is 90. Singer Willie Nelson is 83. Actor Burt Young is 76. Singer Bobby Vee is 73. Movie director Allan Arkush is 68. Actor Perry King is 68. Singer-musician Wayne Kramer is 68. Singer Merrill Osmond is 63. Movie director Jane Campion is 62. Movie director Lars von Trier is 60. Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is 57. Actor Paul Gross is 57. Basketball Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas is 55. Country musician Robert Reynolds is 54. Actor Adrian Pasdar is 51. Rock singer J.R. Richards (Dishwalla) is 49. Rapper Turbo B (Snap) is 49. Rock musician Clark Vogeler is 47. Rhythm-and-blues singer Chris "Choc" Dalyrimple (Soul For Real) is 45. Rock musician Chris Henderson (3 Doors Down) is 45. Country singer Carolyn Dawn Johnson is 45. Actress Lisa Dean Ryan is 44. Rhythm-and-blues singer Akon is 43. Rhythm-andblues singer Jeff Timmons (98 Degrees) is 43. Actor Johnny Galecki is 41. Singer-musician Cole Deggs (Cole Deggs and the Lonesome) is 40. Actor Sam Heughan (TV: "Outlander") is 36. Actor Kunal Nayyar is 35. Rapper Lloyd Banks is 34. Actress Kirsten Dunst is 34. Country singer Tyler Wilkinson (The Wilkinsons) is 32. Thought for Today: "There's a
difference between a philosophy and a bumper sticker." — Charles M. Schulz, American cartoonist (1922-2000).
1
South Texas Food Bank Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. 6–11 p.m. Hal’s Landing, 6510 Arena Blvd. Fundraiser donation is $10 per person. Tickets at door. Music by Ross and Friends, plus three other local bands: Grupo Kharma, Contacto and Los Folkloricos. More than $1,000 in door prizes. For information, call Salo Otero, 324-2432.
1
Screen Free Week: Petting Zoo & Pony Rides. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Celebrate Screen Free Week by visiting the petting zoo and riding a pony at the library.
1
Bible study. 7–9 p.m. Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, 8731 Belize Drive. Every Wednesday. The Word of God has the power to comfort, heal and change hearts. For more information, call at 251-1784.
AROUND TEXAS Authorities fault VA review of wait times AUSTIN, Texas — Federal authorities have determined that an investigation by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs into the manipulation of wait times for Texas veterans seeking care was “deficient and unreasonable.” The U.S. Office of Special Counsel released a statement this week saying the investigation of scheduling manipula-
CONTACT US tion at several Texas VA hospitals and clinics by the VA’s Office of Inspector General “failed to appropriately address” whistleblower allegations. It found, for instance, that the VA substantiated that improper scheduling occurred at facilities in Austin and San Antonio but didn’t address whether that may have endangered public health and safety. The OSC noted in its findings, which were first reported by the Austin American-States-
man, that a whistleblower at the VA medical center in Temple disclosed scheduling manipulation at her center and other facilities in the Central Texas Veterans Healthcare System. The Office of Inspector General did not substantiate the allegations by the whistleblower, but it also didn’t address her contention that the VA categorized hundreds of health consultations as either scheduled or completed when they actually never were. — Compiled from AP reports
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The Zapata Times
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, April 30, 2016 |
A3
LOCAL
San Ygnacio man Sheriff issues phone scam alert arrested for DWI By César G. Rodriguez By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office issued a scam alert this week. On Monday, authorities said they have received several reports of threatening phone calls made by IRS impersonators. The Sheriff’s Office said the “aggressive phone scam” is targeting elderly community members. “Individuals claiming to work for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are threatening to arrest people for failing to pay back taxes to the IRS and leaving voicemails stating that
a lawsuit will be filed if the phone call is not returned,” reads a statement from the Sheriff’s Office. “While these dangerous and cunning con artists can sound convincing and credible, they are far, far from it. If you receive such a call, don’t allow yourself to get scammed.” Authorities said the IRS will never do the following things: 1 The IRS will never call your home demanding the immediate payment of any taxes over the phone. 1 Furthermore, the IRS will never ask for your credit or debit card information over the phone. 1 The IRS will never
demand that you pay taxes using a specific method like a prepaid debit card. 1 The IRS will never threaten to have you arrested for not paying taxes. People who feel they’re being scammed should hang and contact the Sheriff’s Office at 956-7659960 or the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration at 1-800366-4484. For more information as it relates to the IRS and scam alerts, please visit: www.irs.gov/uac/TaxScams-ConsumerAlerts.
THE ZAPATA TIME S
A man from San Ygnacio was arrested in Laredo under the suspicion of driving drunk, authorities said. At 1 a.m. Friday, a person called 911 reporting a speeding maroon GMC Sierra that had crashed into a ditch by
By David Koenig A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
DALLAS — No one should blame consumers for being perplexed by airfares — even the airlines themselves can seem confused at times. Southwest Airlines
caught rivals and Wall Street by surprise when it cut many U.S. fares by $5 each way. The reduction this week applied to tickets bought within seven days of departure, which are usually favored more by last-minute business travelers than vacation-
Public Notice Region 11 of the Department of State Health Services, in partnership with the Texas Military Forces may conduct a health care program called “Operation Lone Star” in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Jim Hogg, Zapata and Webb Counties. Free medical and dental services may be provided for up to one week in late July and/or early August 2018. Questions should be addressed to: Innovative Readiness Coordinator ATTN: 1SG Enrique Sanchez 2200 W 35th St, Bldg. 8, Rm A125 Austin, TX 78703 512-431-8343 J7, NCOIC, DOMOPS 1SG Co G 949BSB L-65
ers. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines was busy raising fares on domestic routes by $5 each way. And it did not match Southwest’s lower fares where the two carriers compete, a Delta spokesman said Thursday.
ports. No injuries were reported, police said.
LPD officers identified the driver as Gerardo Gutierrez, 24. Gutierrez allegedly became rowdy with police, initial reports state. Gutierrez was charged with driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest, both misdemeanors. He is out on bond from the Webb County Jail.
Galveston City Council rejects beach construction moratorium ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Airlines tangle over prices
Gerardo Gutierrez
the area of Bucky Houdmann Boulevard and Bob Bullock Loop, according to preliminary police re-
GALVESTON, Texas — A divided Galveston City Council has refused to impose a moratorium on building projects on the city’s beaches. Council members voted 4-3 Thursday on a measure that would have blocked construction on the beach side of the
108-block-long Galveston seawall. The issue was prompted by an 11.5-acre project already in development that would convert beach property that’s now a park into restaurants, shops, apartments and room for 1,400 cars. The beach property is now in federal bankruptcy court. Some Galveston
residents would prefer it remain a park. The Galveston County Daily News reports council members opposed to the moratorium pointed out a vote in favor likely wouldn’t stop the project now and only a small portion of all land on the water side of the seawall actually is developable.
Zopinion A4 | Saturday, April 30, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Summit proves Vietnam War still provocative By Ken Herman COX N EWSPAPE RS
Funny how time can put new perspective on old jokes. I heard one of those a few times this week on a video loop played between sessions at the Vietnam War Summit that wrapped up Thursday at the LBJ Presidential Library: “Don’t worry about those riots you hear about in the states,” Bob Hope told GIs in Vietnam. “You’ll be sent to survival school before they send you back there.” Some of those long-ago warriors still are struggling to survive. All these years later, the nation they served still struggles with what former Lyndon B. Johnson aide Larry Temple, speaking at the summit, called “the tragedy of the Vietnam War.” On Tuesday, former Richard Nixon aide Alexander Butterfield, expanding on a familiar reference, said the war was the product of “the best and the brightest (who) were doing their darnedest. ... But no one could really get a handle on it.” We still really can’t, at least not in a way we on which we all agree. “I tried to do the best I could,” Henry Kissinger said Tuesday. So did Liz Allen of Huntington, West Virginia, a retired Army nurse who recalled trying to do too much with too little in Vietnam. “How do you come to grips with 150 body bags in one day?” Allen said on a Thursday panel. Other evocative words came in readings of longago letters to LBJ from U.S. servicemen. Marine Cpl. Lee Vernon Bonnette included a photo of himself with a young smiling Vietnamese girl whose mother was killed by the Viet Cong. “Because of us,” Bonnette told LBJ, “she is able to smile. ... But there are many more who do not have the freedom smile which she has. ... This is worth fighting for. This is worth dying for.” The counterpoint came in the next letter. “In short sir,” Marine Pvt. Charles E. Nichols told LBJ, “we’re fighting this war for the Vietnamese people and I’d like to know why. Why should my buddies and other people’s sons have to die fighting for what he doesn’t understand or believe in?” Another view of the war -- one that says it remains an unfinished task -- came from state Rep. Hubert Vo, D-Houston, a South Vietnam
native. “Today, what can we say was achieved with these great losses?” Vo asked. “While many communist states around the world have already fallen, Vietnam still remains a communist state. ... Vietnam today still has neither freedom nor democracy.” Vo expressed appreciation for the U.S. sacrifices, but he said “to properly honor these heroes we must examine what their sacrifice means to us today and how much of the cause for which they died still remains to be achieved.” On the same stage, a day later, Secretary of State John Kerry, who famously (infamously to some) opposed the war after returning from serving in it, trumpeted current relations between the U.S. and Vietnam. He spoke glowingly of a “remarkable transformation” in trade and tourism and cooperative efforts in education and security that’s made Vietnam “a completely different nation.” Different in many ways, the same in others. “Now as I say all of this, is it everything where we want it to be? No,” he said, noting that Vietnam now practices “raging capitalism” but remains under “authoritarian” rule.” Kerry will join President Barack Obama on a May trip to Vietnam. Kerry’s appearance at the Austin summit was a major moment. So was Country Joe McDonald’s Thursday performance of “Fixin’ to Die Rag,” his oddly upbeat ditty that became an anti-war anthem, with lyrics like “Be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box.” As he sang, LBJ’s daughters Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Johnson Robb sat stoically on the front row. Both applauded politely when McDonald finished. Not long later, the sisters seemed genuinely moved as they stood and joined hands as singer Peter Yarrow led the audience in “Where Have All The Flowers Gone?” “When will we ever learn?” Yarrow, the Johnson daughters and all in the hall sang. “When will we ever learn? If that was the summit’s emotional high point, it’s most riveting might have been the evening featuring Kissinger. LBJ Library Director Mark Updegrove diplomatically confronted Kissinger with the notion that he’s a Nobel Peace Prize winner who’s considered a war criminal by many for his support of bombing in Cambodia.
LETTERS POLICY Laredo Morning Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer's first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the
letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
Donald Trump is a riot, or at least his rallies are By Daniel Vasquez SUN SENTINEL
Professional wrestling has nothing on a Donald Trump rally. At a WWE event, the staged violence happens in the ring or around it. At a Trump rally, you never know where the standoff, tussle or sucker punch will come from. And at a Trump rally, the very real violence spills onto the streets. Trump isn’t afraid, of
course. While he likes to stir the pot, encourage his crowds to rough up protesters and promises to pay legal bills if they hurt someone, Trump sits comfortably in the catbird seat surrounded by security and secret service officers. So many fights broke out at this week’s Trump rally in Orange County, Calif., police had to arrest 20 people. Media reports say hundreds of protest-
ers surged on riot police. A Trump supporter had his face bloodied as he tried to drive out of the arena but was instead beaten by a mob. Another man jumped on a police car, smashing windows and leaving dents. TV news footage showed a crowd surrounding a police car with emergency lights on, ominously rocking it back and forth. But by now, everybody knows how dicey Trump
rallies can be. His supporters have literally detained, taunted and punched anyone they perceive to be a Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton follower. And those scenes in Orange County are signs of more things to come. If Trump can cause this kind of mayhem during primary season, imagine the damage he can do when we roll into a national presidential campaign.
OP-ED
Latino vote likely to sink Trump this fall By Andres Oppenheimer MIAMI HERAL D
Judging from the latest primary results and new polls that have just come out, I have a growing feeling that Latinos will save America from Donald Trump. There is little question after the April 26 primary elections in Pennsylvania and four other states that Trump will be the Republican candidate for November’s presidential elections. And if he is defeated by Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton, it will be largely thanks to the Latino vote. Consider a new poll by Latino Decisions, a nationwide survey of 2,200 registered Latino voters: It shows that a whopping 87 percent of Hispanics have an unfavorable opinion of Trump. Just in case you are wondering, the poll has a margin of error of 2.1 percent. Trump’s standing
among Latino voters has been falling steadily since the very day he announced his run for the presidency on June 16 and said that most Mexicans are "rapists" and that they "bring drugs and crime" to the United States. His rhetoric against Mexicans - perhaps influenced by his failed business project in Baja California in 2008 - and other undocumented immigrants, most of whom are Hispanics, has escalated since. Despite having been told a thousand times that his narrative about an avalanche of undocumented Mexicans coming to the United States is inaccurate - in fact, U.S. Census figures show the flow of Mexicans is significantly down from 2008 - Trump is repeating his fear-mongering tale in almost every speech. He calls for the mass deportation of more than
11 million undocumented migrants, proposes to build a wall on the border with Mexico, and wants to slap a 35 percent import tax on Mexican products. So far, his audiences love it. Bur, remember, he has been talking to a limited audience of right-wing Republican primary voters. In a general election, he may come to regret his Mexico-bashing and anti-immigrant tirades. The Latino vote will be critical in the November election. The percentage of Latino voters nationwide is projected to skyrocket from 3.9 percent in 1992 to nearly 10 percent in 2016, according to a recent study by City University of New York and CNN en Español. More importantly, Latinos are concentrated in 10 states that have the largest number of votes in the electoral college. They will exceed 10 percent of voters in Arizona, California, Colorado, Con-
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
necticut, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York and Texas. And Clinton is doing much better than Trump among Hispanics: 61 percent of those polled nationwide say they have a favorable opinion of Clinton, while only 9 percent have a favorable opinion of Trump, the Latino Decision survey shows. So how can Trump win without the Latino vote? Trump supporters say that he will make up for his shortage of Latino voters by drawing millions of angry white Republicans and so-called Reagan Democrats who have not voted in recent elections to the polls in November. These voters are energized by Trump’s "America First" nationalist-populist campaign claiming that Mexicans, Muslims and European and Asian governments that are getting U.S. military aid are to blame for America’s problems.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, April 30, 2016 |
A5
ENTERTAINMENT
Will Ferrell ‘not pursuing’ Ronald Reagan film, says spokesman A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Will Ferrell is not pursuing a film project about President Ronald Reagan, a spokesman for the actor said Friday. The actor had read and considered the script for “Reagan” but had never committed to developing or starring in the comedic film, which had prompted a strong family backlash. The script for “Reagan” had been described in a Variety report as a political satire about the president falling into dementia at the start of his second term. Reagan’s children Michael Reagan and Patti Davis, as well as the Ron-
Evan Agostini / AP file
In this file photo, Will Ferrell attends the world premiere of "Zoolander 2" in New York.
ald Reagan Presidential Foundation, issued statements against the idea of a film portraying dementia and Alzheimer’s in a comedic fashion. Ferrell’s spokesman said that “Reagan” is “by no means” an Alzheimer’s comedy. Reagan died of the disease in 2004.
Pullman’s ‘Independence Day’ call-to-arms lives on By Jake Coyle ASSOCIATED PRE SS
NEW YORK — President Thomas J. Whitmore, famed speechmaker and defender of the planet from aliens, has the kind of poll numbers Hillary or Donald dream about. In "Independence Day: Resurgence," Bill Pullman will reprise his much loved president from the 1996 original. His Whitmore was a relatively small piece of the movie, which featured other attractions like Will Smith punching an alien. But his rallying call-to-arms had an outsized impact amid the CGI spectacle. Pullman’s full-throated pre-battle speech ("Today, we celebrate our Independence Day!”) is like the popcorn-movie answer to the St. Crispin’s Day
Greg Allen / AP file
Actor Bill Pullman attends the 30th Annual Lucille Lortel Awards.
speech of “Henry V.” Pullman’s big scene has gone down in the annals of movie motivational speeches, alongside Gene Hackman in “Hoosiers” and Mel Gibson in “Braveheart.” Over the years, he’s seen it take on a life of its own. “It’s a strange kind of
pseudo position I have in the realm of politics,” says the 62-year-old actor, who also played a president in the short-lived sitcom “1600 Penn.” Pullman’s extensive fictional experience in the White House could arguably make him more qualified to run for office than some of this year’s presidential candidates. But in Roland Emmerich’s “Independence Day: Resurgence,” out June 24, his character is out of office and a potential liability in a new war with invading extraterrestrials. Pullman, Jeff Goldblum and Vivica Fox are some of the stars returning from the original, but much of the cast is made of up newcomers: Liam Hemsworth, Jessie Usher and Maika Monroe, among them. For Pullman, the longevity of
“Independence Day” — the epitome of the corny, pre-9/11 summer blockbuster — is surprising. The original made $817.4 million worldwide, far and away the biggest hit of 1996. “When it was summarized it sounded like maybe it was a cartoon,” says Pullman. “I remember there was even some pushback about it being more like a popcorn movie, or something. The fact that it’s kind of endured as a classic is good and puts a lot of pressure on the second one.” For an actor who starred in “Spaceballs” and David Lynch’s “Lost Highway,” and performed in Edward Albee and David Mamet plays on Broadway, “Independence Day” is an unlikely touchstone. It even threatened to typecast him.
A6 | Saturday, April 30, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
San Francisco chief releases racist texts, orders training By Paul Elias A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SAN FRANCISCO — San Francisco’s police chief said Friday that he has ordered that all officers finish an anti-harassment class within the next month amid a racist texting scandal that has rocked the department already dogged by fatal shootings of unarmed minority suspects. Flanked by religious and minority community leaders at a San Francisco press conference, Chief Greg Suhr also released more transcripts of racist and homophobic text messages first made available to The Associated Press along with inflammatory and inappropriate images found on former officers’ cellphones. It’s the second texting scandal since 2014 in a department that is attempting to diversify its officers to reflect the San
Francisco culture and population. The department of 2,100 was led by an Asian-American woman and a black man before Suhr took over five years ago. About half the officers are white, roughly reflecting the white population in San Francisco. Asians make up a third of the city population, but account for about 16 percent of the officers. Close to 9 percent of its officers are black, exceeding a city population of 6 percent, Suhr says he has no plans to resign and Mayor Ed Lee says he supports the chief. Lee sent an email letter to the entire department of nearly 2,100 officers Thursday night calling on them to report colleagues who display intolerant behavior. Suhr said Friday that two officers turned in by colleagues for suspected overtime abuse and unau-
Eric Risberg / AP
San Francisco Police Chief Greg Suhr makes his way to a podium before the start of a news conference, on Friday.
thorized access of driving records are being investigated by the district attorney for possible criminal charges. “I support Chief Suhr,” said the Rev. Amos Brown, president of San Francisco’s NAACP chapter. Investigators say they found the text messages on the personal phones of the officers during crimi-
nal probes of former officer Jason Lai and retired Lt. Curtis Liu. “The vast majority of police officers are shaken,” Suhr said in an interview with The AP Wednesday night. “The expectations have never been higher, so when officers do something like this, the disappointment can’t be greater.” The names of those
involved in the racist and homophobic conversations Suhr provided were redacted. Suhr said that Lai, Liu and an unidentified third former officer sent and received many of the messages. He also said several civilians were involved in the conversations. Lai resigned earlier this month and Liu retired last year. Both are Chinese Americans, according to Suhr. The unidentified officer, who is white, also resigned. Suhr declined to identify a fourth officer implicated in the texting scandal who is facing dismissal before the city’s Police Commission. The newly provided transcripts denigrate minority suspects with racial slurs and insult colleagues perceived to be gay. The texts ridicule blacks in Ferguson, Missouri, where police shot and killed an unarmed black man.
They discuss a shootout among black men and the shooting of an armed suspect by police. In doing so, they appear to ridicule the shooting death by police in 2014 of a mentally ill man carrying a stun gun officers mistook for a handgun. They also exchanged photographs with racist captions. One photo depicts a white man playfully spraying a young black child with a garden hose. The caption calls the boy a racial slur. There’s a photo of smoke rising above San Francisco and guesses are exchanged about the origins of the fire. “Must be Korean BBQ,” quips one. “I heard was a slave ship!!” quips another. Liu’s attorney Tony Brass said that the texts investigators turned over to him show Liu only on the receiving end.
Gun buyer in San Bernardino attack asks to delay trial By Amanda Lee Myers ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office / AP
Sisters, Allison Nelson, Anabella Gonzalez and Heavenlynn Gonzalez, pose for a photo.
$5,000 offered for missing girls By Tamara Lush A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
BRANDON, Fla. — A $5,000 reward is being offered for information about the whereabouts of four girls who apparently ran away from a facility for foster children near Tampa. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Col. Donna Lusczynski said during a Friday afternoon news conference that detectives have interviewed school classmates and other foster children. “Our concern obviously gets greater the more time they’re gone,” she said. The girls — ages 13, 11, 10 and 4 — were last seen at 10 p.m. Thursday at A Kids Place, east of downtown Tampa. They were reported missing after a bed check just before midnight. Lusczynski said law enforcement officers spent the day going doorto-door, looking for the girls. They also made contact with every registered sexual predator in a two-mile radius. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Federal Bureau of Investigation will also be placing alerts on Florida billboards about the missing children. Officials have also been checking with relatives of the girls. The three younger children — 4-year-old Allison Nelson, 10-yearold Anabella Gonzalez and 11-year-old Heavenlynn Gonzalez — are sisters who have been at the facility since March. She said 13-year-old Ashlyn Smith has lived there since February. Investigators inter-
viewed all the children and staff at the facility and learned at least two of the girls had discussed running away with others, Lusczynski said. Sheriff’s officials are working to obtain search warrants for the computers the girls use to see whether they corresponded with anyone about running away. “We don’t have any reason to believe this is an abduction,” she said. She urged everyone to be on the lookout for the girls. “They are young kids and we don’t want them out on the streets by themselves,” she said, adding that they are especially concerned about the safety of the 4-yearold. Lusczynski declined to give details about why the girls were at the home, citing privacy issues. She said many times children end up there because of abuse or abandonment. Officials at the home told authorities they didn’t know what the girls were wearing when they disappeared. They have no medical issues or disabilities and don’t take any medication. A woman who answered the phone at A Kids Place declined to answer a reporter’s questions. A Kids Place opened in 2009. It was described in local news reports as a $5.2-million, 60-bed facility that serves as a temporary shelter for children from birth to 17. The facility is where law enforcement brings children in the first traumatic hours after they are removed from their homes.
LOS ANGELES — The man who bought the rifles used in the San Bernardino terror attack has asked that his trial be pushed back by eight months to March of next year, according to a court filing Friday. Attorneys for Enrique Marquez Jr. argued in the filing that there was too much evidence involved to make a July trial date practical or fair to their client. Instead, they want the trial to start on March 21. “This case is so unusual and so complex that it is unreasonable to expect adequate preparation” by July, the filing states. The government’s evidence includes more than 8,500 documents and 500
Damian Dovarganes / AP
Members of the media surround Rafia Farook, the mother of Syed Raheel Farook, as she leaves court.
hours of audio interviews of witnesses. The filing also said federal prosecutors don’t object to a delay. A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment. Marquez pleaded not guilty in January to conspiring with one of the
San Bernardino shooters and to providing material support to terrorists. During 10 days of interviews, Marquez revealed that he bought two rifles for his longtime friend, Syed Rizwan Farook, in 2011 and 2012, according the criminal complaint against him.
Marquez told agents the two discussed but never carried out plans to launch bomb and shooting attacks at a community college and a notoriously gridlocked section of highway without exits, according to the complaint. Using guns Marquez had bought, Farook and his wife, Tashfeen Malik, massacred 14 of his coworkers on Dec. 2 at an annual training in San Bernardino before the couple was killed in a shootout with police. It was the deadliest terror strike on U.S. soil since Sept. 11, 2001. Authorities said Marquez was not involved in the killings, but his failure to warn authorities about Farook and his purchase of the guns had deadly consequences.
Pentagon says mistakes led to hospital attack in Afghanistan By Matthew Rosenberg NEW YORK TIME S
WASHINGTON — Mistakes by the crew flying an AC-130 gunship, compounded by equipment and procedural failures, led to the devastating attack on a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Afghanistan last year, the Defense Department announced Friday, and 16 U.S. military personnel, including a general officer, have been punished for their roles in the strike. The punishments for the Oct. 3 attack, which killed 42 people, will be “administrative actions” only, and none of those being disciplined will face criminal charges because the attack was determined to be unintentional. The punishments include suspension and removal from command as well as letters of reprimand, which can seriously damage or end a career. The new top officer of the military’s Central Command, Gen. Joseph L. Votel, made the announcement during a Pentagon news conference. He said the military had conducted “a thorough investigation,” which was “painstaking” in seeking an “accurate account” of what had occurred. Its conclusion is that neither the crew members of the gunship who fired on the hospital in the northern city of Kunduz
nor the Special Forces on the ground who were directing the strike “knew they were striking a medical facility” and that the attack on the hospital was a result of human errors compounded by “process and equipment failures,” he said. “This was an extraordinarily intense combat situation,” Votel told reporters. The troops on the ground, he added, “were doing a variety of actions at the same time: They were trying to support their Afghan partners, they were trying to execute resupply operations, and they were trying to protect themselves.” But Votel was clear on one point: The hospital was a protected facility that was at no time being used by active Taliban fighters, though some wounded insurgents had been treated there. His statement directly contradicted the claim by many senior Afghan officials that the hospital was being used by Taliban fighters and was therefore a legitimate target. Still, the release of the investigation’s findings and the announcement of the disciplinary measures, some of which were first leaked by defense officials last month, were unlikely to satisfy Doctors Without Borders and other human rights groups, many of which have said the attack may have constituted a
war crime and called for an independent criminal investigation. After the announcement, Mdecins Sans Frontires, the French name of Doctors Without Borders, reiterated its calls for an independent investigation, saying in a statement “that it cannot be satisfied solely with a military investigation.” “Today’s briefing amounts to an admission of an uncontrolled military operation in a densely populated urban area, during which U.S. forces failed to follow the basic laws of war,” said Meinie Nicolai, the group’s president. “It is incomprehensible that, under the circumstances described by the U.S., the attack was not called off.” John Sifton, the Asia policy director of Human Rights Watch, disputed Votel’s assertion that the airstrike did not constitute a war crime because it was the unintentional result of mistakes and equipment failures, not an intentional attack. The failure to bring any criminal charges was, “simply put, inexplicable,” Sifton said. “Gen. Joseph Votel’s assertion that a war crime must be deliberate, or intentional, is flatly wrong.” Sifton added. He said that there are legal precedents for war crimes prosecutions based on acts that were committed
with recklessness, and that recklessness or negligence do not necessarily absolve someone of criminal responsibility under the U.S. military code. The Afghan government said that it had seen the report and that it welcomed the decision to discipline U.S. troops. But Dawa Khan Meenapal, a spokesman for President Ashraf Ghani, declined to elaborate when asked if the Afghan government had reversed its conclusion that the hospital was being used by the Taliban fighters. The broad outlines of what took place in Kunduz, which days earlier had been overrun by Taliban fighters, were established in the weeks and months after the attack: A U.S. AC-130 gunship, responding to a call for support from Afghan commandos who said they were under fire, mistook the hospital for the intended target — a building in the city being used as a base by the Taliban — and unleashed sustained and repeated barrages from its heavy guns on the medical facility, despite frantic calls from Doctors Without Borders to military commanders. Friday’s announcement and the release of the report by investigators, which runs more than 3,000 pages, provided the most detailed accounting of the events to date.
Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, April 30, 2016 |
CONDADO DE BEXAR Ribereña en breve RECOLECCIÓN DE MEDICAMENTOS 1 La Coalición Comunitaria del Condado de Zapata y la DEA realizarán el evento nacional Pill Take Back (recolección de medicamentos) el 30 de abril, de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. en el Palacio de Justicia del Condado de Zapata. Se buscan medicamentos caducos o que ya no se estén utilizando a fin de retirarlos de forma apropiada. Informes en la oficina de SCAN en el 956-765-3555. CELEBRACIÓN DÍA DEL NIÑO 1 El Centro Bethel Mission Outreach Center invita a todos los niños a celebrar el Día del Niño el 1 de mayo en 206 N. Bethel, desde las 10:30 a.m., en Roma. Habrá un día de campo después del servicio en el patio de la iglesia. Los niños también podrán disfrutar de payasos, juegos de agua, brincolines y grandes premios. Evento gratuito y abierto al público. Mayores informes al 956-897-4550. CELEBRACIONES 1 Del lunes 2 de mayo al viernes 6 de mayo se celebra la Semana Nacional de Agradecimiento al Maestro. En tanto, el viernes 6 de mayo es el Día Nacional de la Enfermera, así como el día del Héroe de la Comida Escolar. STAAR 1 El lunes 2 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de Algebra 1; el miércoles 4 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de Historia de EU; y el jueves 5 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de Biología. El lunes 9 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de matemáticas a los alumnos de 3o, 4o, 6o y 7o grado. Igualmente se reaplicará el examen de matemáticas a alumnos del 5o y 8o grados. El martes 10 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de lectura a los alumnos de 3o, 4o, 6o y 7o grado. Igualmente se reaplicará el examen de lectura a alumnos del 5o y 9o grados. El miércoles 11 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de ciencia a alumnos del 5o y 9o grados; igualmente el de Algebra II. El jueves 12 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de ciencias sociales a alumnos del 8o grado. El martes 21 de junio se volverá a aplicar el examen de matemáticas a los alumnos del 5 y 8 grados; el miércoles 22 de junio, se reaplicará el examen de lectura para alumnos del 5 y 8 grados. El 11 de julio se aplicará el examen de Inglés I y el 12 de julio el de Biología e Historia de EU. El 13 de julio se hará lo propio con Inglés II y el 14 de julio el de Algebra I.
CONSULADO MÓVIL 1 El Consulado General de México informa que brindará el servicio de Consulado Móvil a los residentes del Condado de Duval, en el Civic Center de la ciudad de San Diego, Texas, ubicado en 510 E. Gravis Ave, de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m., el 14 de mayo. Se proporcionarán servicios básicos como expedición de Matrícula Consular.
CONTRABANDO
Encadenados
Corte: Traían once personas
Mark D. Wilson SAN ANTONIO EXPRE SS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — Oficiales del Alguacil del Condado Bexar investigan un caso de abuso infantil después que descubrieran a dos niños llorando, atados y encadenados en un patio al Noreste del Condado Bexas, el jueves por la noche. James Keith, vocero del Alguacil para el Condado Bexar, dijo que los oficiales recibieron un reporte por parte de un residente en el área alrededor de las 11:45 p.m. acerca de un posible abuso de menor en una casa ubicada en la cuadra 8100 de Chipping, una subdivisión cercana a los caminos New World y Montgomery. Cuando los oficiales tomaron una escalera para asomarse al patio, vieron a un niño de 2 años de edad encadenado al suelo, y a una niña de 3 años de edad atada a la puerta con una correa para perro. Oficiales se introdujeron al
Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA Foto por John Davenport | San Antonio Express-News
La imagen muestra la casa en el 8105 Chipping donde niños fueron supuestamente encadenados en el patio.
patio y liberaron a los niños, quienes fueron trasladados a un hospital del área para ser revisados. Keith dijo que la niña tenía un brazo quebrado y fue llevada a la unidad de cuidados intensivos. Autoridades se introdujeron a la casa y encontraron a otros seis niños cuyas edades iban desde los 10 meses hasta los 13 años de edad, sin un adulto supervisando.
Mientras los investigadores estaban en el lugar, los padres de los seis niños dentro de la casa, llegaron a la residencia. “Ellos fueron detenidos y trasladados al centro y actualmente están siendo investigados", dijo Keith, agregando que se espera la madre enfrente cargos por abandono de menor. Cargos potenciales contra el padre no estuvieron disponibles de forma inmediata.
SALUD
DE FORMA SEGURA Piden entregar medicinas indeseadas Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
El día nacional conocido como Prescription Drug Take Back del Drug Enforcement Administration es hoy. Es una oportunidad para que la comunidad se deshaga de manera segura de aquellas medicinas de receta sin usar o que ya no se deseen en casa. Oficiales de la DEA dijeron que ellos se deshacen de la medicina indeseada y no hacen preguntas a las personas llevandolas. El deshacerse de las medicinas de receta de forma inapropiada o el tirarlas en el drenaje crea un peligro para la salud, de acuerdo con autoridades. Zapatenses pueden dejar sus medicamentos de receta que no deseen el día de hoy en el Zapata County Courthouse, 200 avenida E. Seventh de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. Otros lugares para recabar medicinas han sido establecidos en Laredo y Cotulla. AT&T - 10719 McPherson Road. Estacionamiento de Burger King - 4407 S. Zapata Highway. KGNS-TV - 120 W Del Mar Blvd. Laredo Fire Department Administration Center - 616 E. Del Mar Blvd. Laredo Library - 1120 E. Calton Road. Lowe’s Grocery Store - 1203 North Main en Cotulla. Ryan Elementary - 2401 Clark Blvd. San Martin Church - 1704 Sandman St. Shirley Field - 2002 San
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Foto de archivo / Laredo Morning Times
Un voluntario coloca medicamentos en un contenedor seguro a fin de que sea destruidos posteriormente Back.
Bernardo Ave. Student Activity Center 5208 Santa Claudia Lane. Uni-Trade Stadium - 6320 Sinatra Pkwy. El servicio es gratuito, de acuerdo con las autoridades. La recaudación será de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. En septiembre, autoridades recaudaron más de 2.000 libras de medicamento de receto sin uso en el área de Laredo. Veronica Jimenez, directora del programa para el Webb County Community Coalition of Serving Children and Adults in Need, dijo que han visto un incremento en el abuso de medicamentos de receta en el Sur de Texas.
Las drogas con receta están listas y disponibles en casa porque las personas no se deshacen de ellas, dijo ella. La juventud tiene a abusar del Vicodin, OxyContin, estimulantes para el trastorno de hiperactividad, falta de atención y ansiedad, entre otras cosas. “Hemos visto a muchos jóvenes abusando de los analgésicos. Quieren drogarse tanto así”, dijo Jiménez. “Los medicamentos de receta en las casas de las personas son regularmente utilizan erróneamente y se abusan de ellos. La mayoría de los medicamentos con receta de los que se abusa son obtenidos de familiares y amigos”.
Cuatro personas terminaron tras las rejas por transportar inmigrantes indocumentados en el Condado de Zapata, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte. Las autoridades identificaron a José Guadalupe Jiménez, Cynthia Verónica Rodríguez-Raya, Tonie Jo Ann González-Pacheco y Karina Cruz-Madrid. Documentos indican que trataron de contrabandear a 11 inmigrantes que habían cruzado la frontera de manera ilegal. Una querella criminal emitida el lunes acusó a los sospechosos de trasladar inmigrantes indocumentados. Autoridades indican que el intento de contrabando data del viernes. Ese día, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza asignados al área norte de San Ygnacio respondieron a una llamada de un ciudadano preocupado. Reportes indican que una camioneta blanca GMC y una Ford Expedition verde estaban a la orilla de US 83 posiblemente recogiendo inmigrantes indocumentados. Alrededor de la 1:55 p.m., agentes dijeron que vieron dos vehículos con esa descripción viajando al norte en US 83. Los agentes siguieron los vehículos para una inspección más de cerca. Una revisión de antecedentes a la GMC reveló que había sido robada en el Condado de Atascosa. Cuando los agentes intentaron hacer una inspección al vehículo, aceleró incontrolablemente hacía el tráfico contrario hasta que chocó con una camioneta estacionada, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte. Un trabajador sostuvo heridas menores, de acuerdo con reportes. Alrededor de ocho personas salieron de la GMC después del accidente. Los agentes alcanzaron al conductor, Jiménez, y la pasajera Rodríguez-Raya y varios inmigrantes. Mientras tanto, un agente en una unidad sin logotipos de la agencia continuó siguiendo la Expedition. Los agentes observaron que la Expedition se estacionó en Espejo Molina Road, donde los pasajeros abandonaron el vehículo. Autoridades dijeron que lograron arrestar a la conductora y a la pasajera delantero. Ellas fueron identificados como González-Pacheco y Cruz Madrid, respectivamente. Agentes especiales de Seguridad Nacional respondieron para investigar el intento de contrabando. Los cuatro sospechosos accedieron a dar declaraciones posteriores al arresto. Jiménez dijo a autoridades que Rodríguez-Raya lo contrató para recoger de seis a siete inmigrantes por 450 dólares. Rodríguez-Raya indicó que estaba transportando inmigrantes pero negó estar obteniendo una ganancia financiera. Ella también indicó que GonzálezPacheco había realizado todos los preparativos para el transporte de los inmigrantes.
OFICINA DEL ALGUACIL
Lanzan alerta ante estafas telefónicas Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
La Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata emitió un alerta por estafas esta semana. El lunes, autoridades dijeron que han recibido varios reportes de llamadas telefónicas amenazantes por parte de personas que se hacen pasar como empleados del IRS. La Oficina del Alguacil dijo que “la agresiva estafa telefónica” busca a los adultos mayores de la comunidad.
“Las personas sosteniendo que trabajan para el Internal Revenue Service (IRS) amenazan con arrestar a las personas si no pagan impuestos retrasados al IRS y dejan mensajes de texto sosteniendo que será presentada una demanda si no se regresa la llamada telefónica”, indica un comunicado de prensa de la Oficina del Alguacil. “Aunque estos peligrosos y astutos estafadores pueden sonar convincentes y creíbles, ellos están muy distantes de serlo. Si recibe una llamada de
ese tipo, no permita ser estafado”. Autoridades explicaron que el IRS jamás realizará las siguientes cosas: El IRS nunca le llamará a su casa demandando el pago inmediato de cualquier impuesto a través del teléfono. Más aún, el IRS nunca preguntará por la información de su tarjeta de crédito o débito a través del teléfono. El IRS nunca demandará que pague sus impuestos utilizando un método específico como una
tarjeta de débito de prepago. El IRS nunca lo amenazará con arrestarlo por no pagar sus impuestos. Las personas que sientan que están siendo estafadas deben colgar y contactar a la Oficina del Alguacil al 956-765-9960 o al Inspector General de Tesorería para Administración de Impuestos al 1-800-366-4484. Para más información relacionada al IRS o alertas por estafas puede visitar la página oficial de la oficina de gobierno en www.irs.gov
A8 | Saturday, April 30, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
INTERNATIONAL
Surge in Palestinian youths in prison tests Israel’s justice system By Diaa Hadid N EW YORK T IME S
HALHOUL, West Bank — Sharing a cell inside an Israeli prison, the Palestinian girls would toss baskets and play a game they called shuffle ball. There were academic classes in the afternoon, and sometimes, an Arab-Israeli prisoner known as Auntie Lina would braid their hair. In the evenings, Dima al-Wawi, a 12-year-old who was arrested in February with a knife at the entrance to to an Israeli settlement in the occupied West Bank, would sing Palestinian nationalist anthems with Istabraq Noor, 14, who was accused of trying to sneak into a different settlement to attack Jewish residents in October. “Mom, I didn’t even cry once!” Dima boasted upon being released Sunday after serving about half of her 4 1/2-month sentence. “Not even for us?” asked her mother, Sabha, 47. “Only under the covers,” she replied. “At night.” There were a dozen such girls with similar cases in Israeli custody before Dima’s release, up from one in September, part of a surge in Palestinian minors incarcerated during a wave of violence that has killed about 30 Israelis in the last seven months. Assaf Liberati, a spokesman for the prison service, said
Rina Castelnuovo / NYT
Dima al-Wawi, 12, welcomes guests at her home after her release from an Israeli prison.
the number of Palestinian prisoners younger than 18 more than doubled to 430 from 170 before the stabbings, shootings and vehicular attacks began Oct. 1; 103 of them were 16 or younger, up from 32. “It’s the biggest number that we know,” Liberati said. The increase reflects a broad Israeli crackdown on young Palestinians who throw stones or otherwise confront soldiers and civilians amid an outbreak of attacks in which nearly half the suspects were teenagers. It has renewed a debate over how Israel’s military justice system, which prosecutes Palestinians from the West Bank, differs from the courts that cover Israeli citizens and Palestinian residents of Jerusalem, and especially how it handles very young offenders. “Nobody doubts what she did,” Sarit Michaeli of the Israeli human rights group B’tselem said of Dima, “but if she was an Israeli child, it would be
impossible under Israeli law to sentence a child this young for an actual jail term. “They don’t see a small girl,” Michaeli added. “They think of them as terrorists.” Israel has enacted some changes since a 2013 UNICEF report described abuses in the military court system as “widespread, systematic and institutionalized.” The age at which suspects can be prosecuted as adults was raised to 18 from 16; a separate youth court was created; and the amount of time minors can be detained without appearing before a judge was cut to 48 hours from 96 hours for 15-year-olds and to 24 hours for those 14 and under. Palestinian lawyers have had some luck persuading judges to send young detainees to homes for troubled youths, a recourse that was offered to Dima but rejected by her parents. At least three have been sent to homes, Dima’s lawyers said.
Polish firm cuts contracts with two stud farms amid turmoil ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WARSAW, Poland — A private Polish company said it has ended its contracts with two wellknown state-owned stud farms after managers were replaced by the government, highlighting the turmoil surrounding the farms that feature Arabian and other horses. The Polturf company cut contracts with farms in Michalow and in Janow Podlaski, where it had organized prestigious auctions of Arabian horses. Polturf co-owner Barbara Mazurek said on the company’s website that the decision was dictated by a “lack of cooperation” on the part of the studs’
new management ahead of an auction planned for August. The head of the state Agricultural Property Agency, Waldemar Humiecki, said Friday that the Aug. 15 auction will go ahead as planned but will be organized by a new company, Poznan International Fair, which has a long history of organizing business fairs and other events. The government unexpectedly replaced the internationally recognized heads of the farms in February and opened an investigation into alleged mismanagement during their terms, including the death of a precious mare in Janow Podlaski in
October. The fired managers have denied any wrongdoing. Since their dismissal, however, two mares — both belonging to Shirley Watts, the wife of Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts — have died at Janow Podlaski, prompting Watts and some other breeders to remove their horses from the farm. The deaths are also under investigation by veterinary authorities and prosecutors. Since 1970, the beauty of Arabian horses bred in Poland has drawn breeders from around the world to the auctions held yearly at the Janow Podlaski farm.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, April 30, 2016 |
A9
BUSINESS
Oil falls as surging OPEC production worsens global glut
U.S. stocks slip amid earnings reports, consumer spending data month high. Technology stocks have been battered by a batch of weakerthan-forecast earnings from heavyweights such as Apple, Microsoft Corp. and Google parent Alphabet Inc. The group capped its for the worst month since August.
By Joseph Ciolli By Mark Shenk B L OOMBE RG NEWS
Oil dropped from a five-month high in New York as surging OPEC crude production is seen swelling global stockpiles. Futures fell for the first time in four days after a Bloomberg survey showed the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries boosted output in April. Production rose by 484,000 barrels to 33.217 million a day, the most in monthly data going back to 1989, the survey of oil companies, producers and analysts showed. Oil climbed 20 percent in April, the biggest monthly gain in a year as the dollar tumbles and U.S. crude output slips. "The OPEC production estimates are putting pressure on the market," said John Kilduff, partner at Again Capital LLC, a New York hedge fund focused on energy. "Iran is really ramping up production since sanctions were lifted in January. Supply is unrelenting." Oil has rebounded after slumping to the lowest since 2003 in February amid signs the global glut will ease as U.S. output falls. While U.S. production has slipped below 9 million barrels a day, crude stockpiles have continued to expand, climbing to the most since 1929, according to data from the Energy Information Administration. West Texas Intermediate for June delivery fell 11 cents to settle at $45.92 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract touched $46.78, the highest intraday price since Nov. 4. Futures climbed 5 percent this week. Persian Resurgence Brent for June settlement slipped 1 cent to $48.13 a barrel on the London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. The contract expires Friday. The more-active July future fell 40 cents to $47.37. The global benchmark crude closed at a $2.21 premium to WTI for June delivery. Iranian output rose by 300,000 barrels a day to 3.5 million, the highest level since December 2011. Sanctions against the nation, which were strengthened in July 2012, were lifted in Janu-
ary. Iran is boosting production after penalties were removed upon completion of an agreement limiting its nuclear program. WTI is up 20 percent this month as the repercussions of tumbling oil prices and reduced spending by companies curb U.S. production. U.S. crude output declined to the lowest level since October 2014 and the dollar dropped. The number of active oil rigs fell to 332 this week, the least since November 2009, according to Baker Hughes Inc. The total is down to less than a fourth of the 2014 peak. Persistent Fall "We are now seeing a persistent fall in U.S. crude production, which is the key to the market moving roughly into balance during the second half of the year," said Mike Wittner, head of oil markets at Societe Generale SA in New York. The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the U.S. currency versus 10 counterparts, fell as much as 0.7 percent to the lowest level since May. A weak greenback bolsters the appeal of commodities priced in the currency as a store of value. Gasoline futures for May delivery slipped 0.8 percent to close at $1.5848 a gallon after earlier touching $1.6041, the highest since August 31. May diesel dropped 1.9 percent to $1.3779 after reaching the highest level since November. The May gasoline and diesel contracts expired today. Oil-market news: 1 Exxon Mobil Corp. posted its weakest quarterly profit in more than a decade as first-quarter net income fell to $1.81 billion from $4.94 billion a year earlier. 1 Chevron Corp. reported a loss that was double analysts’ estimates amid an oil-market collapse that’s sparked currency crises, corporate bankruptcies, credit downgrades and hundreds of thousands of layoffs across the industry. 1 ConocoPhillips is pulling some of its assets off the market as a prolonged industry downturn makes it harder to get the desired prices, according to Chief Executive Officer Ryan Lance.
BL OOMBERG NEWS
U.S. stocks fell, with the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index posting the worst two-day drop since February, amid lackluster earnings and few signs of a pickup in economic growth. Equities rebounded sharply in the final hour of trading, with the S&P 500 cutting its worst losses by more than half. Corporate reports jostled stocks, as Gilead Sciences Inc. retreated 9 percent, the biggest drag on the benchmark after its profit missed estimates. Apple Inc. slumped for a seventh session a day after Carl Icahn said he cashed out his stake in the company. Amazon.com Inc. surged after posting better-thanestimated results. The S&P 500 declined 0.5 percent to 2,065.40 at 4 p.m. in New York, eking out a 0.3 percent gain for the month, while losing 1.3 percent this week, the most since February. “A lot of optimism came into the market last week as we crossed 2,100, which makes it vulnerable to a short-term pullback, and that’s what we’re getting right now,” said Bruce Bittles, chief investment strategist at Milwaukeebased Robert W. Baird,
Michael Nagle / Bloomberg
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York, on Friday. Stocks slipped for a second day.
which oversees $110 billion. “The weakness that developed yesterday and today has stemmed from weak earnings. The market is being supported by very favorable monetary policy, but valuations are very stretched and earnings aren’t coming through.” As policy makers and investors assess the health of the world’s biggest economy, a report today added to concerns growth is struggling to gain traction. Consumer spending rose less than forecast in March, wrapping up the weakest quarter in a year for the biggest part of the U.S. economy even as incomes accelerated. Faster wage growth may be needed to help encourage American
consumers to spend more freely and jump start an economy coming off its weakest performance in two years. A separate measure showed consumer confidence fell to a sevenmonth low in April as Americans’ expectations about economic growth dropped to the lowest point since September 2014. Trader bets for a Federal Reserve interestrate rise in June have fallen to 14 percent from 20 percent a week ago, while the first meeting with at least even odds for an increase has been pushed back a month to December. Energy producers are the strongest April performers in the S&P 500, tracking crude to a five-
Rally Stumbles The benchmark equity index had rebounded as much as 15 percent from a 22-month low in February, though the rally faltered this week amid corporate earnings disappointments. The gauge reached a four-month high on April 20, briefly coming within 1 percent of a record set last May. More than half of S&P 500 members have reported earnings this season, with 77 percent beating profit forecasts and 57 percent exceeding sales expectations. Analysts still project a 8.2 percent decline in first-quarter profit for the index’s companies, compared with forecasts for flat growth at the start of the year. “Even with the better numbers you’ve had from Facebook and Amazon, that’s not going to help the rest of the market,” said Michael James, managing director of equity trading at Wedbush Securities Inc. in Los Angeles.
U.S. natural gas jumps to 13-week high after pipeline explosion By Christine Buurma BL OOMBERG NEWS
U.S. natural gas futures surged to the highest price since January after an explosion on a major interstate pipeline curtailed supplies as a spring chill boosted heating demand. Prices jumped after the fire and explosion disrupted shipments on a Pennsylvania segment of Spectra Energy Corp.’s Texas Eastern line, which carries the fuel from the Gulf Coast to New York. The pipeline system had been transporting to the east 1.3 billion cubic feet of gas a day through the Delmont compressor in Westmoreland County, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. The pipeline blast is crimping supplies as the coldest weather since mid-April stokes gas consumption in the
Northeast. Gas futures capped a second straight monthly gain on speculation that low prices will reduce output from shale formations as weather-driven demand trims the biggest seasonal stockpile glut in four years. “It seems like this is a slightly delayed price reaction to the news of the pipeline explosion,” Kyle Cooper, director of research at IAF Advisors in Houston, said by phone. “We have some below-normal temperatures in the Northeast, which is compounding concerns about supply constraints.” Natural gas for June delivery rose 10 cents, or 4.8 percent, to $2.178 per million British thermal units on the New York Mercantile Exchange, the highest settlement since Jan. 29. Gas climbed 11 percent this month.
Kerry Jobe / AP
In this photo taken by Salem Township Supervisor Kerry Jobe, first responders work the scene during a natural gas explosion at a nearby pipeline complex in Greensburg, Pa., Friday.
A10 | Saturday, April 30, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER MIGRANT From page A1 Powers said her sprawling district had a policy that allowed students 16 and older to choose to enroll in a GED program, and that once the program closed, students could continue studying in a “similar” program at a local nonprofit. But attorneys and advocates said their clients weren’t given the choice to attend a mainstream high school, and that the Memphis nonprofit did not teach English. America’s schools remain one of the few government institutions where migrant youth are guaranteed services, but the federal government has extended little money or oversight to monitor whether that happens, in part because schools are locally governed. Since fall 2013, the federal government has placed nearly 104,000 unaccompanied minors with adult sponsors in communities nationwide, where they are expected to attend school while they seek legal status in immigration court. Months later, during the dramatic surge of illegal crossings at the border, the Education and Justice departments issued joint guidance reminding districts that a 1982 Supreme Court ruling established that states cannot deny children a free public education, regardless of immigration status. For students learning English, guidance says school districts must provide appropriate language assistance services so students can participate equally in the standard instructional program within a reasonable period of time.
Districts found to have broken the law can be forced to change their enrollment policies, but making that happen is not easy. To start, few migrant children understand their rights. Students and their advocates can sue districts or file complaints with the Education or Justice departments, but investigations are backlogged and typically result in civil sanctions, said Lisa Carmona, senior attorney with the nonprofit Southern Poverty Law Center. Many local school districts have stretched to find the resources and staff to meet the educational needs of these students, who often carry emotional trauma, have gaps in their education and are older than other English-language learners. To determine where that was not happening, the AP analyzed federal data to identify areas where the number of migrant children was relatively large when compared to public school enrollment, along with the number of students formally learning English. In Alabama, California, Florida, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee, Texas and South Carolina, social workers and attorneys told AP that migrant students have been barred from enrolling, kept out of class for months due or routed to reform schools and adult programs. The full extent of how the Central American minors are faring in schools is unknown because the government does not release data on counties where
fewer than 50 minors have been placed, which means information was not provided for about 25,000 of the migrants. Spokeswomen for the Education and Justice departments would not say how many of the nation’s roughly 14,000 school districts have been investigated for such failures. “We remain committed to working with federal partners and community-based organizations to address any issues that unaccompanied children . may face in dealing with the education system,” Education spokeswoman Dorie Nolt said. All children must attend school until at least the eighth grade or until they turn 16 under compulsory education laws in all 50 states. Students can enroll beyond that age in many states. Some districts have gone to extraordinary lengths to accommodate the students, who often come to join relatives, sometimes escaping criminal gangs or extreme poverty. One district in rural Kansas rerouted a school bus to ensure a group of unaccompanied teens made it to class. A San Francisco high school rewrote young-adult novels at a basic level to spark the newcomers’ interest in reading. In March 2015, federal officials made $14 million in grants available for county school districts where the government placed more than 50 unaccompanied minors. But that amounts to less than $175 for each unaccompanied child placed in those counties since October 2013, which many districts say leaves them to cover too much of the cost.
Indigenous dancers compete at largest powwow By Susan Montoya Bryan ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Nearly 3,000 indigenous dancers representing hundreds of tribes from across the United States, Canada and other parts of the world kicked off one of North America’s most prominent powwows on Friday. With beating drums and jingling bells, the dancers twisted their way from the top steps down into the well of University of New Mexico Arena, spiraling clockwise until the arena floor was packed. Spectators caught glimpses of feathered bustles, buckskin dresses, elaborate outfits with hand-stitched designs and hair pieces covered with intricate beadwork. It’s no doubt a showcase of indigenous cultures and a means to preserving tradition, but it’s also about competition. “A lot of these dancers
SMUGGLERS From page A1
side of Espejo Molina Road, where the occupants had abandoned the vehicle. Authorities said they were able to arrest the driver and front passenger. They were identified as Gonzalez-Pacheco and Cruz-Madrid, respectively. Homeland Security Investigations special agents responded to investigate the smuggling
— most of these dancers in fact — train yearround for this first event of the year, of the powwow season,” said Larry Yazzie, a champion dancer himself and founder of Native Pride Arts. “They’re like athletes. They run, they bike, weightlifting, eat right, whatever they can to get that edge out there on the dance arena.” Most dancers at the Gathering of Nations compete for prize money during the weekend powwow. Organizers say the annual event draws more than 100,000 people to Albuquerque. Friday marked a special day for the powwow. Dancers took to the floor early to honor Spike Draper, an award-winning fancy dancer from Farmington, New Mexico, who died last year in a horse accident. Draper was named posthumously the head man dancer this year, one of the highest recognitions within the powwow world. Draper’s father danced in his place dur-
ing Friday’s grand entry. Head dancers are chosen each year based on their experience and notoriety on the powwow circuit. Representing young women this year is Jayda Gadwa, a fancy shawl dancer from the Kehewin Cree Nation in Alberta, Canada. Gadwa has been dancing since she was old enough to walk. So what’s it like to be in the heart of the arena, where the beating drums and pounding feet make for an almost deafening rhythmic rumble? “Good vibes all around,” Gadwa said of the feeling. But there’s also a seriousness that the competitors talk about, one rooted in years of practice and lessons about what the dances mean. Then there’s the pressure to absorb it all for the sake of passing it on to the next generation. “It’s important. I believe us native, aboriginal people wouldn’t be anyone without our culture,” Gadwa said.
attempt. All four suspects allegedly agreed to provide post-arrest statements. Jimenez told authorities that Rodriguez-Raya hired him to pick up six to seven immigrants for $450. Rodriguez-Raya stated she was transporting immigrants but denied financial gain. She further stated that Gonzalez-Pacheco had made all the arrangements for the transportation of the immigrants. Gonzalez-Pacheco said she accepted an offer from
Rodriguez-Raya to accompany her to drop off immigrants to an unknown location. Rodriguez-Raya allegedly agreed to pay her an undetermined amount for transporting the immigrants. Gonzalez-Pacheco further stated that Cruz-Madrid agreed to go with her knowing that she would get paid an undetermined amount of money, according to court documents. Cruz-Madrid denied those allegations, records show.
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, April 30, 2016 |
B1
NFL: HOUSTON TEXANS
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Texans trade up to get WR Will Fuller
Dallas’ EZ decision
By Kristie Rieken A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans needed a receiver to play with DeAndre Hopkins, and were willing to trade up to get him. Houston selected Notre Dame receiver Will Fuller, trading their sixth-round pick to Washington to move up one spot to take him at No. 21 overall in the NFL draft Thursday night. “He was a guy we felt strongly about we didn’t take a chance on not getting him,” general manager Rick Smith said. “So we were aggressive and we went and made the move.” Hopkins made his first Pro Bowl last season after finishing third in the NFL with 1,521 yards receiving. But the Texans were looking for another top-tier receiver to take some pressure off the 23-year-old Hopkins, who faced near constant double teams last season, and give new quarterback Brock Osweiler another target as he takes over Houston’s offense. “I’m super excited to be playing with DeAndre Hopkins,” Fuller said. “I had a teammate on Notre Dame from South Carolina. That’s all he talked about was Hopkins. I’m very aware of how good he is. I can’t wait to play on the same team as
Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Houston moved up to pick 21 Thursday night to select speedy Notre Dame wide receiver Will Fuller.
him.” Fuller had 62 receptions for 1,258 yards and 14 touchdowns last season for the Fighting Irish. It was his second straight 1,000-yard receiving season after he had a career-high 76 receptions for 1,094 yards and 15 touchdowns — also a career-best — in 2014. He had one receiving touchdown as a freshman to give him 30, second in school history. He said his only contact with the Texans was at the combine, but he was encouraged by that visit. “I felt good about it because I knew they Texans continues on B2
Photo by Jon Durr | Getty Images
Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott was selected by the Cowboys with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Cowboys take Elliott with No. 4 pick in NFL Draft By Schuyler Dixon ASSOCIATED PRE SS
IRVING — Ezekiel Elliott already has a lofty spot in Dallas Cowboys lore. Now the former Ohio State running back has to try to live up to it. The Cowboys took Elliott with the No. 4 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, the highest spot for a running back in the 26 years that Jerry Jones has been the team’s owner and general manager.
The only other running back to go higher for Dallas was Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett at No. 2 in 1977. And alltime NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith, another player in the Hall of Fame, went 17th in 1990, the second draft under Jones. “I’m glad that my name’s even up there with those guys,” said Elliott, the No. 2 all-time rusher at Ohio State behind two-time HeisCowboys continues on B2
Photo by Jon Durr | Getty Images
Elliott will join a RB group including Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris and Lance Dunbar.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: MIAMI DOLPHINS
Tunsil addresses his NFL Draft controversy By Steven Wine ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Photo by Lynne Sladky | AP
Miami head coach Adam Gase and executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum pose with first-round draft pick Laremy Tunsil at the team's training facilty on Friday.
DAVIE, Fla. — Laremy Tunsil kept repeating the same answer to questions about his freefall in the NFL draft, the social media hacking that cost him millions and the investigation he stirred at Ole Miss.
“I’m just here to talk about the Miami Dolphins,” Tunsil said several times Friday. At his introductory news conference with the Dolphins, the big tackle tried to tamp down the furor surrounding his slide to the 13th pick in the draft. Touted at one time as a
potential No. 1 overall choice, the Mississippi tackle fell into Miami’s lap after a video was posted on his Twitter account shortly before the draft showing him smoking from a gas mask connected to a bong. Another post on his Instagram showed an alleged text exchange
with an Ole Miss football staff member that included Tunsil’s request for money. The university said it will investigate. On Thursday, Tunsil said both accounts had been hacked — a cyberattack likely costing him more than $10 million. He declined to elaborate Dolphins continues on B2
NBA: SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Spurs, Thunder near West Semifinals By Cliff Brunt A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
OKLAHOMA CITY — Two years ago, the Thunder’s Kevin Durant tweeted that Kawhi Leonard was a good player who got a lot of help from the San Antonio Spurs’ system. Durant recognizes the Leonard Oklahoma City is about to square off against is much more. In fact, Durant is so impressed that he checks how Leonard performs each game. “He’s grown so much,” Durant said. “He’s prob-
ably the best in the league at shooting the mid-range (jumper) off the dribble. He posts up, dribbles, can shoot the three, catch and shoot. Their team, their system, their continuity and how they move allows him to get free a lot of times and utilizes his game.” Durant respect for Leonard has also grown over the years. After Leonard was named Finals MVP in 2014, Durant said on Twitter he would take Indiana’s Paul George over Leonard, and that Leonard was “doing work
like this because of the system.” Durant later clarified, saying he meant no disrespect to Leonard, he simply liked George better. Last month, Durant, unprompted, said Leonard is not a “system player.” On Saturday, Durant and Leonard will renew acquaintances in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals in San Antonio. Their individual matchup will be worth keeping an eye on. Durant is a four-time scoring champion who Spurs continues on B2
Photo by Sue Ogrocki | AP
San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard and Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant highlight the matchups that will be featured in the Western Conference Semifinals.
B2 | Saturday, April 30, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
Rockets learn a lesson in chemistry By SCOTT CACCIOLA N EW YORK T I ME S NEWS S ERVIC E
OAKLAND — Jason Terry had learned enough from 114 career playoff games and had seen enough in 17 NBA seasons to know that his teammates could use a motivational boost against the Golden State Warriors. More than anything, he realized that he and his teammates had nothing to lose — nothing, that is, except another game. And so, with the Houston Rockets’ dysfunctional season teetering on a cliff before Wednesday’s Game 5 in their firstround playoff series against the Warriors, Terry broke the emergency glass and guaranteed that the Rockets would win to prolong the series, if only for a couple of days. They were just words, of course, but Terry could only hope that they resonated. Instead, like so much else for the Rockets, whose season bore more than a vague resemblance to a late-night telenovela, Terry’s guarantee had as much life and lift as an
TEXANS From page B1 needed a receiver who could open the field up and I felt like I fit that mold perfectly,” Fuller said. At 6-foot and 184 pounds, Fuller isn’t all that big, but his 4.32 40-yard dash speed
SPURS From page B1 averaged 28.2 points and a career-high 8.2 rebounds per game this season. Leonard is the two-time reigning defensive player of the year who was a first-time All-Star this season and led the Spurs in scoring. Leonard knows his job will be difficult because of Durant’s versatility. “Being able to do everything on the floor, shoot, get in the paint, post, create shots for his teammates,” Leonard said of Durant’s skills. “Just active the whole game.” Leonard has also become more of an offensive threat. His scoring average has increased from 12.8 points per game in 2013-14, to 16.5 last season, to 21.2 this season. He shot a career-high 44.3 percent from 3-point range on a career-high 291 attempts this season. Some things to watch in the Thunder-Spurs series: ALDRIDGE EFFECT LaMarcus Aldridge has gotten comfortable in San Antonio after being acquired in the offseason. He averaged 18.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game this season while allowing Tim Duncan to
COWBOYS From page B1 man Trophy winner Archie Griffin. “I definitely don’t consider it a burden. I think I’m at my best in hard situations, situations of pressure.” Elliott has something of a head start. He was the star when the Buckeyes won the national championship at the $1.2 billion home of the Cowboys during the 2014 season, rushing for an Ohio State bowl-record 246 yards with four touchdowns in a 42-20 victory over Oregon. “It’s crazy how things work,” Elliott said. “I am very familiar with ‘Jerry Land.’ I’m pretty excited to get back to ‘Jerry Land’ and put on a show.”
team,” Terry said. “They all play well together. Someone’s down? Someone else steps up.” The Warriors played terrific basketball without Stephen Curry in the series’ final two games. In fact, after Curry sprained his right knee at the end of the first half of Sunday’s Game 4, the Warriors went on to outscore the Rockets by 60 points for the remainder of the series. On Wednesday, the Warriors led by 17 points after the first quarter. It was never close. This should all come with a huge caveat, of course: The Warriors were playing the Rockets, whose mere presence in the playoffs seemed to
defy both logic and good taste. And Golden State needs Curry as it moves forward. Perhaps not so much against the overachieving Portland Trail Blazers or the injuryravaged Los Angeles Clippers, who are still vying to advance out of the first round for the right to face the Warriors in the conference semifinals. But the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs loom on the same side of the bracket. “We do feel confident that we can win games without him,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Curry, “but we don’t really want to have to. So hopefully Steph will be back soon.” Kerr added: “We just don’t have the fireworks that Steph provides. So we’ve got to make sure we’re more solid, which we have been the last couple games in particular. But it’s good for our guys’ confidence. I think what pleases me the most is literally every single guy on our roster contributed during this series.” One of those key contributors was Shaun Livingston, an unflap-
pable point guard who scored 16 points in each of his three starts in Curry’s absence — first when Curry missed two games in the middle of the series with an ankle sprain, and later when Curry hurt his knee. Livingston is almost serene on the court. Little affects him, and it is a luxury for the Warriors to have someone who can so capably help fill the void. (The Warriors announced Monday that Curry would be re-evaluated in two weeks.) “We are blessed,” Kerr said. “We are really lucky. You lose your point guard, you lose the MVP and to be able to put Shaun Livingston out there? He’s a fantastic basketball player.” At about the same time, not far from where Kerr was speaking, Terry was circling back to the notion that it helps when teammates actually like each other, that there needs to be a “tightknit bond” for players to achieve something special. That was clearly the case for the Warriors last season when they won the championship. And it appears to be happening again.
what we do offensively with the creativity that these guys have on our offensive staff.” O’Brien is very familiar with Fuller after trying to recruit him while coaching at Penn State. “We saw this guy at our high school camp when I was the head coach there and we offered him right away
there when we saw him run around and do some of the things he was doing in high school,” O’Brien said. O’Brien said Fuller will begin his career as an outside receiver, but they’ll move him around as he gets a grasp of the offense. The Texans need to upgrade their return game and O’Brien said
they’ll give Fuller a chance to showcase his blazing speed by trying him out returning kicks and punts. Fuller attended high school at Roman Catholic in Philadelphia, but didn’t realize he was following in the footsteps of a former NFL star receiver until he was well into his prep career.
“I actually never met Marvin Harrison,” he said. “I’m still looking forward to that. But he definitely was someone who I looked up to being a young kid watching the game. He’s one of the best, and I didn’t even figure out he went to the same high school as me until I broke one of his records.”
Spurs beat the Thunder 4-2 in the 2013-14 Western Conference Finals, and San Antonio beat Miami for the NBA title. “We’ve had some battles,” Durant said. “And there were a few battles where the Finals was on the line. Each team really respects each other and definitely wants to compete.”
DOLPHINS From page B1
THEY HAVE HISTORY The Thunder beat the Spurs 4-2 in the Western Conference Finals in 2011-12, then lost to Miami in the NBA Finals. The
OFFENSE vs. DEFENSE Oklahoma City scored 112.0 points per game on 47.6 percent shooting against Dallas in the first round and shot better than 50 percent in each of the final three games. San Antonio held Memphis to 81 points per game on 39.4 percent shooting in a first-round sweep.
Friday. “I don’t know nothing about that,” he said. Tunsil hinted only once at any bitterness regarding what had transpired, while saying he felt blessed to join the Dolphins. “They gave me a chance,” he said. “I’m going to show them why I’m the best player — I should be — in the draft.” The tale took yet another strange twist when the news conference started more than an hour late because Tunsil suffered an allergic reaction while at the Dolphins’ complex. Was it Tunsilitis? He said it had happened before and probably resulted from something he ate. “The doctor took care of me, so I’m good,” he said. The risky decision to pick a player 12 other teams passed on was endorsed by executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum, general manager Chris Grier and coach Adam Gase. “A no-brainer,” Gase said. “A great moment for our organization,” Tan-
nenbaum said. “Some people are saying this guy was the best player in the draft,” Grier said. Yeah, but. The bizarre social media posts reinforced Tunsil’s reputation for off-field issues. He sat out the 2015 season’s first seven games after the NCAA ruled that he received improper benefits, including the use of three loaner cars over a six-month period. His stepfather reportedly filed a lawsuit against him Tuesday related to a confrontation in June, when the men were both charged with domestic violence against each other — charges later dismissed. The Dolphins have been stung before by players with character issues. A bullying scandal sabotaged their 2013 season, and their firstround pick three years ago, Dion Jordan, sat out last season serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s drug policy. Choosing players with good character remains a priority, Tannenbaum said. “We remain committed to that,” he said. “All of the decision makers in the room last night feel good about Laremy as a player and a person. Obviously there have been
some bumps in the road, but we’re comfortable with that. We think he has a bright future on the field as well as off.” Tunsil’s new teammates expressed support for him. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill sent him a welcoming text. “Welcome to the fam Laremy ... we got you,” running back Jay Ajayi tweeted. “Congrats Laremy, time to get to work!!!” receiver DeVante Parker tweeted. Because Tunsil has had conduct involving substance abuse, he could be referred for evaluation and possible entry into the league substanceabuse program. He would undergo counseling but there would be no discipline involved. Tackle wasn’t a priority for the Dolphins, who have two established starters at the position. Tunsil could play guard, Gase said. “We’ll figure out a way to get him on the field, whether it is as a guard or tackle,” Gase said. Even on that subject, Tunsil was anxious to avoid more controversy Friday. “If the coach wants me to play quarterback, receiver, tight end — hopefully tight end — whatever position he puts me at is fine,” Tunsil said.
Running back wasn’t the biggest need going into the draft with Darren McFadden coming off a strong season and the Cowboys adding twotime Pro Bowler Alfred Morris from Washington in free agency. But the Cowboys will get to put the top-rated running back in the draft behind one of the NFL’s best offensive lines. Dallas took blockers in the first round three times in a span of four seasons starting in 2011. “We think we’ve got a chance to have a foundation player,” Jones said. The Cowboys also had a strong interest in Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, who went to Denver at No. 26 when the Broncos moved up six
picks in a trade with Seattle. Jones said Dallas, holding the third pick in the second round at No. 34 overall, was close to a deal. Jones said he wasn’t sure what that meant for the rest of the draft at quarterback with the Cowboys, who are trying to find Tony Romo’s backup and possibly his replacement. The Cowboys had a high draft pick in part because Romo missed 12 games with a twice-broke left collarbone, leading to a worst-to-first slide in the NFC East and a 4-12 record. “If you’re going to have a young one, you want him on the field and you want him playing games, but you really don’t want
him playing games,” Jones said. “You want Romo playing in all the games.” The Cowboys decided to spend their highest pick since 1991 at running back a year after electing not to re-sign 2014 NFL rushing champion DeMarco Murray in free agency. The Dallas running attack was inconsistent early last season without Murray, improving only after McFadden replaced lead back Joseph Randle six games into the season. The Cowboys eventually released Randle. “I think that means that they have a lot of trust in me,” Elliott said. “But there are a lot of battle-tested running backs in that room. I do
not think at summer’s end I will start. That’s a job I’m going to have to earn.” If Elliott can win the starting job over McFadden and Morris, he will get a chance to play with Romo and 2014 All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant. Romo’s injury was the biggest problem for Dallas last season, but Bryant was out five games after breaking his right foot in the opener. He also missed the final two games as the injury continued to bother him all season. “I think we can be a three-headed monster,” Elliott said. The 6-foot, 225-pound Elliott finished with 3,961 yards at Ohio State, declaring for the draft after
his junior season. He holds the school record for rushing yards in consecutive seasons with 3,699 in 2014-15. In the inaugural College Football Playoff to wrap up the 2014 season, Elliott rushed for 476 yards in two games, starting with 230 in a victory over Alabama. Dallas’ biggest need going into the draft was defensive end, but top target Joey Bosa, a teammate of Elliott at Ohio State, went to San Diego with the third pick. The Cowboys were also strongly considering Florida State’s Jalen Ramsey at defensive back after finishing last in the NFL in takeaways in 2015. Ramsey went fifth to Jacksonville.
anvil. It was not going to make a difference, not with this collection of misfits and certainly not against a team as cohesive as the Warriors. “I’m the super motivator,” Terry said Wednesday night. “That’s been my M.O. throughout my career. It just didn’t hit home with this group.” The gulf between these two teams was almost alarming. Just one season removed from the Western Conference finals, the Rockets floundered for months. It was merely more of the same against the Warriors, whose 114-81 victory clinched a lopsided series and, perhaps just as important, ended their opponents’ suffering. Afterward, in a quiet visiting locker room at Oracle Arena, James Harden alluded to the Rockets’ having had “too many distractions.” Dwight Howard mumbled something about “ups and downs.” Terry, on the other hand, cut straight through the static and pointed to the frayed partnership between Harden and Howard, who had most likely played his final game
with the Rockets. “They just couldn’t coexist to have success this year,” Terry said. “Chemistry was a big issue for us all year long. We just didn’t have it.” Chemistry can be a nebulous, over-cited concept in pro sports, but Terry is a believer. And he could see the difference between the Rockets and the Warriors, especially given how the Warriors had compensated for the absence of the best player on the planet. Nothing changed. They looked like the same team that had won 73 games during the regular season. “That team over there is truly an example of
should help him become a deep threat in coach Bill O’Brien’s offense. His speed is what Smith valued most about him. “He’s fast,” Smith said. “Not only is he just straight line 40-yard dash fast, this guy plays extremely fast and quick. And adding that element to our offense we all just felt would really enhance
rest a bit more. “You’ve got to play both ends of the floor a little differently because he’s an All-Star player,” Durant said. “He’s a guy that can shoot over any shoulder, he can shoot from range, he can roll to the rim, so it’s a different dynamic when you play a guy like that, and that’s when you’ve got to be locked in and ready for anything.” TEXAS-SIZED THREAT Russell Westbrook had 18 triple-doubles in the regular season, then averaged 26.0 points, 11.2 assists and 7.2 rebounds per game in the first round of the playoffs against Dallas. In 12 career playoff games against the Spurs he averages 22.5 points, 7.3 assists and 5.8 rebounds per game. “He’s got a lot of energy, he’s super aggressive and obviously one of the best point guards in the league,” Spurs guard Tony Parker said. “It’s just fun to play against him. He brings a lot of excitement to the game. It’s always a great matchup.”
File photo by James Nielsen | Houston Chronicle
Jason Terry and the Rockets learned about the importance of team chemistry after struggling throughout the 2016 season.
COACHING MATCHUP Gregg Popovich is a five-time NBA champion and the league’s most successful active coach. Oklahoma City’s Billy Donovan just won the first playoff series of his career in his first year in the league. Donovan doesn’t look at it as a one-on-one matchup, but he said he learns every time he studies Popovich’s teams. “You watch San Antonio and Pop’s teams play, there’s a lot of respect and admiration for the way their team plays,” Donovan said.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, April 30, 2016 |
Dear Readers: If you read this column often, then you know I LOVE BOOKS! There is just something tactile about reading a paper book as opposed to reading on an electronic device. Oh yes, reading a REAL book in a bubble bath is simply soothing and enjoyable. An e-reader can be damaged by moisture and humidity, so it's not the ideal place to use one. HELOISE UPDATE: A cellphone can be damaged, too, by moisture and humidity in the bathroom. Don't set it on the counter when you shower. Reading books can open up a world of knowledge, expose you to different cultures and be a friend whenever you need a little quiet time. They never have a "low battery" message. But how are you storing the books? Here are some hints: Most books should be stored upright. Large
and heavy books, with "fat" spines, should be placed flat; storing them on a shelf standing up can pull on the spine and pages. This is especially true with old or rare books. For regular books, your home temperature probably is all right. DON'T store books long term somewhere that is too humid or too dry, such as a basement (too humid), an attic (too dry) or a garage. For big, costly (older) hardback books, don't "crack the spine" to open it to read -- this action causes major damage. If you want to keep the book, pass it on to someone or "down" to family, open the book only to where it won't open anymore. As a conservator told me once, "The book will tell you how far to open it," and I've done the same ever since. -- A Book Lover and Keeper, Heloise
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B4 | Saturday, April 30, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES