The Zapata Times 4/6/2016

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CATHOLIC STUDENT CENTER

COAHUILA, MEXICO

Dear Pope Francis Letters going to Vatican plead for construction

By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES

A priest in Hutto, Texas will deliver to the Vatican a handful of letters written by Laredoans who are urging the pope to allow construction of the Catholic Student Center adjacent to Texas A&M International University.

Diocese of Laredo Bishop James A. Tamayo’s decision to halt construction of the fully funded center has provoked community members into action.

Tamayo has refused to explain his reasoning to anyone close to the 10year-old project, including to TAMIU President Ray

Keck, Dennis Nixon, president and CEO of IBCLaredo and chairman of InternationTAMAYO al Bancshares Corp., and a slew of other donors and supporters.

Father Robert L. Kincl, a canon lawyer and former judicial vicar for the Diocese of Laredo, told Laredo Morning Times this week he has around 30 letters he plans on delivering to the Vatican post office.

All of the letters are written by Laredoans.

“There are some really competent people who

wrote some excellent letters” Kincl said.

“I would think once Pope Francis and KINCL his staff read these letters, there will certainly be some sort of reaction.”

Kincl will be in Rome on April 15.

The Laredo Morning Times received copies of a handful of the letters Friday.

Within the contents include pleas for assistance to help move the project forward, commendations toward the Brothers of St. John for the work they

have done within the campus ministry and disappointment concerning Tamayo’s recent and past behavior and decisions.

Some of the letters were written by students, according to Kincl.

Canon law violation It’s unclear why the bishop stopped construction of the center. But according to the project’s supporters and donors, Tamayo said a 2009 agreement to allow for the center’s formation was null and void because he was

See VATICAN PAGE 10A

RIO GRANDE

ERADICATION EFFORT

Photo by Harry Cabluck | AP file

The governor of Coahuila from 2005 to 2011, Humberto Moreira, whose in-laws own property in San Antonio, left office to lead the national Institutional Revolutionary Party.

Corrupt group spreads influence Millions spent in illegal kickbacks, drug traffickers in San Antonio

By JASON BUCH AND GUILLERMO CONTRERAS SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

A network of politicians and businessmen from the Mexican state of Coahuila relocated to San Antonio over the past seven years, and prosecutors say a corrupt group among them invested millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks here from drug traffickers and state contractors.

San Antonio has strong historic ties to Saltillo, Coahuila’s capital.

Intellectuals and land-

holders from the state, which borders Texas, took refuge here during the Mexican Revolution in the early 1900s. Further back, in the 1800s, Coahuila y Tejas was one state under Mexican rule.

Camouflaged among those escaping the more recent problems in the state are drug traffickers, unscrupulous businessmen and high-ranking Coahuila officials who laundered more than $35 million in kickbacks for state contracts, U.S. au-

See CORRUPT PAGE 9A

FOOD STAMP LIMITS

Some could lose SNAP benefits

By ROBERT PEAR Photo by Martin do Nascimento | Texas Tribune

Border Patrol agent Isaac Villegas makes his way through Carrizo cane in Roma, Texas while searching for a group of undocumented immigrants reported to have crossed the river on March 8.

Carrizo cane plan reignites old debate

By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE

Photo by Victor J. Blue | Bloomberg

Members of the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board and other officials release Arundo wasps into a stand of carrizo cane as part of a United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) pilot eradication program for Carrizo cane in Starr County, Texas, on Wednesday, June 9, 2015.

After sitting dormant for nearly a year for lack of funding, a border security project aimed at ridding the banks of the Rio Grande of an invasive plant that hides smugglers is finally sprouting roots.

But fearing that herbicides used for the project will pollute the river, the primary water source for several border communities, an environmental group is planning a fullfledged effort to halt the plan and is recruiting local governments to join its side.

Signed in June, Senate Bill 1734 by state Sen. Carlos Uresti, D-San Antonio, directed the Texas State Soil and Water Conserva-

tion Board to create a plan to eradicate Carrizo cane, which can grow up to 30 feet tall on the river banks and area floodplains. The project was listed on Gov. Greg Abbott’s list of border security priorities, and his proposed budget included $9.8 million for it.

Budget writers didn’t fund the effort, however, and project coordinators at the conservation board couldn’t do much more than plan.

Last month, state leaders decided to transfer $500,000 from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to cover a pilot eradication project. The plan calls for using a combination of mechanical, biological and chemical methods, which

See CARRIZO CANE PAGE 9A

NEW YORK TIMES

WASHINGTON — Hundreds of thousands of people could soon lose food stamps as states reimpose time limits and work requirements that were suspended in recent years because of high unemployment, state officials and advocates for the poor said.

Liberal groups said the time limits, which date to the 1996 welfare law, could result in many unemployed childless adults with low incomes being cut off, starting this month.

About 45 million people receive benefits in the food stamp program, now known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. In Zapata County, about 4,723 people receive the benefits, according to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Approximately 2,066 of them are adults. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal-leaning research and advocacy

group, estimates that 500,000 to 1 million people will lose benefits this year.

The federal Food and Nutrition Service said many adults would need to take steps to meet work requirements or risk losing aid.

“Able-bodied adults without dependents are eligible for SNAP for only three months in any three-year period unless they are working or participating in qualifying education and training activities,” said Kevin W. Concannon, undersecretary of agriculture in charge of food assistance programs.

During and after the latest recession, which ended in mid-2009, most states qualified for waivers from the time limits.

But the time limits will be in effect this year in more than 40 states. In 22 states, the limits are coming back for the first time since the recession.

As the economy improves, the Food and Nu-

See SNAP PAGE 10A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Meet your mayor. 6–7:30 p.m.

McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Mayor Saenz is inviting all South Laredo residents to meet him, the fellow south side council members and various department directors. Residents are urged to come and discuss any issues or ideas they might have regarding the district.

Laredo Animal Care Facility Rabies “VACUNA” Clinic. 6:30–7:30 p.m. City of Laredo Animal Care Facility, 5202 Maher Ave. Space is limited to the first 100 animals. Rabies shot for pets is $12; microchip is $10; registration is $5.

Today is Wednesday, April 6, the 97th day of 2016. There are 269 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On April 6, 1896, the first modern Olympic games formally opened in Athens, Greece.

On this date: In 1830, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized by Joseph Smith in Fayette, New York.

In 1886, the Canadian city of Vancouver, British Columbia, was incorporated.

In 1909, American explorers Robert E. Peary and Matthew A. Henson and four Inuits became the first men to reach the North Pole.

In 1945, during World War II, the Japanese warship Yamato and nine other vessels sailed on a suicide mission to attack the U.S. fleet off Okinawa; the fleet was intercepted the next day.

In 1954, a month after being criticized by newsman Edward R. Murrow on CBS’ “See It Now,” Sen. Joseph R. McCarthy, R-Wis., was given the chance to respond on the program; in his pre-filmed remarks, McCarthy charged that Murrow had, in the past, “engaged in propaganda for Communist causes.”

In 1965, the United States launched Intelsat I, also known as the “Early Bird” communications satellite, into geosynchronous orbit.

In 1971, Russian-born composer Igor Stravinsky, 88, died in New York City.

In 1980, 3M introduced its “Post-it Notes,” a re-branding of a product formerly known as “Press ‘n Peel.”

In 1996, actress Greer Garson died in Dallas at age 91.

In 1998, country singer Tammy Wynette died at her Nashville home at age 55.

In 2014, actor Mickey Rooney, 93, died in North Hollywood.

Ten years ago: At the death penalty trial of al-Qaida conspirator Zacarias Moussaoui, former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani described his own harrowing experiences in lower Manhattan on Sept. 11, 2001.

Five years ago: Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi appealed directly to President Barack Obama in a letter to end what Gadhafi called “an unjust war”; he also wished Obama good luck in his bid for re-election.

One year ago: The Phi Kappa Psi fraternity at the University of Virginia announced it would “pursue all available legal action” against Rolling Stone, saying a Columbia Journalism School review showed the magazine acted recklessly and defamed its members by publishing a discredited article that accused them of gang rape.

Today’s Birthdays: Nobel Prize-winning scientist James D. Watson is 88. Composer-conductor Andre Previn is 87.

Country singer Merle Haggard is 79. Movie director Barry Levinson is 74. Former U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., is 60. Actress Ari Meyers is 47.

Actor Paul Rudd is 47. Actor Zach Braff is 41. Actor Joel Garland is 41. Actress Eliza Coupe is 35. Actor Charlie McDermott is 26.

Thought for Today: “Never think that you’re not good enough yourself. A man should never think that. My belief is that in life people will take you at your own reckoning.” — Isaac Asimov (19201992).

THURSDAY, APRIL 7 Elysian Social Club meeting. 7 p.m. Laredo Country Club. For more information, call Herlinda Dubuisson at 285-3126.

Opening reception for “Postcards from the Past.” 6–8 p.m. Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St. The public is cordially invited to attend this exhibit of historical postcards of Laredo and Nuevo Laredo from the private collection of Armengol Guerra III. Hosted by the Webb County Heritage Foundation. For more information, visit www.webbheritage.org or call 727-0977.

Preschool Read & Play. 11 a.m.–12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Story time and crafts for preschoolers. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.

Family Story Time & Crafts.

4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.

MONDAY, APRIL 11 Chess Club. Every Monday from 4–6 p.m. LBV – Inner City Branch Library. Free for all ages and skill levels. Basic instruction is offered.

For more information call John at 956-795-2400 x2520.

TUESDAY, APRIL 12 Knitting Circle. 1–3 p.m.

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

Crochet for Kids. 4–5 p.m.

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

Rock wall climbing. 4–5 p.m.

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

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 IBC Keynote Speaker Series. 7 p.m. TAMIU Student Center Ballroom, 5201 University Blvd. Open to the public and free of charge. “Still Midnight in Mexico? Mexico’s Challenges, Journalism and the Borderlands, and the New American Narrative” presented by Alfredo Corchado, Mexico bureau chief for the Dallas Morning News.

THURSDAY, APRIL 14 Preschool Read & Play. 11 a.m.–12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Story time and crafts for preschoolers. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.

Family Story Time & Crafts.

4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.

Spanish Book Club. 6–8 p.m.

City of Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road. For more information call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.

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

For more information call John at 956-795-2400 x2520.

Photo by Eric Gay | AP file

In this May 30, 2013 file photo, Texas state Sen. Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa looks at maps on display prior to a Senate Redistricting committee hearing, in Austin, Texas. The U.S. Supreme Court handed Texas a victory Monday, April 4, 2016, upholding the state’s system of drawing legislative voting districts based on everyone who lives there, not just registered voters.

Voting districts upheld

By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — The U.S. Supreme Court handed Texas a victory Monday, upholding the state’s system of drawing legislative voting districts based on everyone who lives there — not just registered voters.

But it was liberal groups, rather than the Republican-controlled state’s top leaders, who applauded the 8-0 ruling loudest since it likely bolsters the voting power of Texas’ booming Latino population over sparsely populated rural areas dominated by conservatives.

Gov. Greg Abbott’s office declined to comment. Attorney General Ken Paxton put out a statement saying only that his office was pleased with the decision and “committed to defending the Constitution and ensuring the state legislature, representing the citizens,

continues to have the freedom to ensure voting rights consistent with the Constitution.”

Contrast that with the head of the Texas Democratic Party, which hailed the ruling as affirming the principle of “one person, one vote,” a requirement laid out by the Supreme Court in 1964.

“This is a victory for our democracy and every Texas family,” party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa said in a statement.

Added American Civil Liberties Union Legal Director Steven Shapiro: “The argument that states are forbidden from treating everyone equally for redistricting purposes never made any constitutional sense and was properly rejected.”

That was a far cry from the years Texas Democrats have spent arguing in federal court that the Republican-controlled Legislature discriminates against minority voters.

UT-Austin: body in creek possible homicide

Dogs help at Houston’s Intercontinental Airport

16 with ties to Aryan Brotherhood indicted

AUSTIN — A body has been found in a creek at the University of Texas in Austin in what authorities describe as a possible homicide.

UT President Greg Fenves says the body was discovered Tuesday in Waller Creek behind the Etter-Harbin Alumni Center.

Fenves didn’t release the name of the victim, the gender of the person or say who located the body.

HOUSTON — Trained dogs will be making the rounds at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston as a petfriendly way to help stressed-out travelers relax.

Volunteer dog teams will visit various terminals and gates. A system statement says passengers will have an opportunity to pet and interact with the fourlegged ambassadors.

TYLER — Federal prosecutors in East Texas say 16 people with ties to the Aryan Brotherhood gang have been indicted on firearms and drug trafficking conspiracy charges. U.S. Attorney John Bales announced the indictments, which were handed down last month by a federal grand jury, were the result of a 10-month, multi-agency investigation in the Gregg County area.

Woman unharmed after Sting found most sites did Body found on beach ID’d locked in library for hours not sell alcohol to minors as that of missing teen WACO — An elderly woman has survived being locked alone in a Central Texas library for about 36 hours after she was trapped in a bathroom stall.

Waco authorities say the woman, whose name wasn’t released, was unharmed when she was found Monday morning as workers arrived. The incident happened at the West Waco Library & Genealogy Center.

AUSTIN — Texas regulators say most businesses targeted in an undercover operation during spring break did not sell alcohol to minors.

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission on Tuesday announced 92 percent of retailers declined to sell to anyone underage during the stings.

Nearly 1,500 TABC-licensed businesses were visited.

CORPUS CHRISTI — Authorities say a body found on Padre Island National Seashore has been identified as a North Texas teen who disappeared in rough waters in the Gulf of Mexico at Corpus Christi last week.

Family members positively identified the body found earlier in the day as 16-year-old Carlos Perez.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Alabama lawmaker plans to impeach governor MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley was hit Tuesday with a longshot impeachment effort in the wake of a scandal involving a former top aide, the latest sign of his growing political troubles.

Republican Rep. Ed Henry introduced the articles of impeachment, saying lawmakers and voters have lost confidence in the two-term GOP governor.

“We are looking at this governor who has essentially betrayed the trust of the people of Alabama through actions and lies that have caused us to have some doubt about his leadership,” Henry said.

Wal-Mart to sell only cage free eggs by 2025 NEW YORK — Wal-Mart Stores Inc., nation’s largest food retailer, is pledging to sell only

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

Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley speaks during a news conference at Limestone Correctional Facility in Harvest, Ala., Monday. Bentley says he is asking people for their forgiveness after his admission of inappropriate behavior with a former aide. cage-free eggs by 2025, joining a growing list of retailers and food makers making the switch.

The pace picked up when McDonald’s announced in September that it will phase out the use of eggs laid by caged hens over the next 10 years. Since

then, Target and Costco have been among major retailers to offer specific pledges.

But with Wal-Mart garnering 25 percent of total grocery sales in the U.S., it will have outsized influence on suppliers’ practices.

— Compiled from AP reports

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National

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Trump proposes plan for funding wall

By VIVIAN SALAMA AND JILL COLVIN ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Donald Trump would try to force Mexico to pay for a border wall by targeting billions of dollars in remittances sent by immigrants living in the U.S., according to a memo released by his campaign Tuesday.

The memo outlines in new detail how Trump would try to compel Mexico to pay for the 1,000-mile wall he’s promised to build along the Southern border if he becomes president.

In his proposal, Trump threatened to change a rule under the USA Patriot Act, an anti-terrorism law, to cut off a portion of the funds sent to Mexico through money transfers known as remittances. His plan would also bar nonAmericans from wiring money outside of the U.S. unless they can provide documentation establishing their legal status in the country.

Trump said he would withdraw the threat if Mexico makes a one-time payment to finance the wall.

“It’s an easy decision for Mexico: make a one-time payment of $5-10 billion to ensure that $24 billion continues to flow into their country year after year,” the memo reads.

“Good luck with that,” President Barack Obama said Tuesday in response to questions about Trump’s proposal. He warned of the ramifications such a plan would have on the Mexican economy which, in turn, would drive more immigrants to cross the border in search of jobs.

“People expect the president of the United States and the elected officials in this country to treat these problems seriously, to put forward policies that have been examined, analyzed are effective, where unintended consequences are

Photo by Guillermo Arias | AP file

In this April 1, 2008 file photo, a Mexican soldier patrols along the U.S.-Mexico border wall on the outskirts of Nogales, Mexico. The billions of dollars in U.S. remittances that Donald Trump is threatening to force Mexico to pay for a border wall are a financial lifeline for the Latin American country’s economy. taken into account,” Obama said. “They don’t expect half-baked notions coming out of the White House. We can’t afford that.”

The billionaire businessman has estimated his proposed wall would cost between $10 billion and $12 billion, and has argued that it would protect the country from illegal border crossings as well as halting drug shipment. Mexico’s President Enrique Peña Nieto has said his country will not pay for any such wall.

The U.S. is home to about 12 million Mexicans, some living here illegally, according to various research organizations that monitor trends in immigration. They and other migrants use money transfer agents or banks to send

money home, often with the objective of supporting their families.

The Mexican central bank reported that money sent home by Mexicans overseas hit nearly $24.8 billion last year, overtaking oil revenues for the first time as a source of foreign income. Cutting off those transfers would therefore represent a significant blow to the Mexican economy.

The memo also lists other potential areas for leverage, including threats of trade tariffs, canceling visas — including targeting “business and tourist visas for important people in the Mexican economy” — and increasing visa fees, including includes fees on border crossing cards.

The release of the memo was first reported by the

Washington Post early Tuesday, the same day as the Wisconsin primary.

Trump has been trailing rival Ted Cruz in the state in some recent opinion surveys.

This is not the first time that Trump has spelled out options for pressuring Mexico into paying for his signature policy proposal.

In an immigration overhaul plan released in August, Trump’s campaign suggested a number of options for compelling Mexico to pay for the wall.

Those included impounding “all remittance payments derived from illegal wages,” increasing fees on temporary visas issued to Mexican CEOs and diplomats — “and if necessary cancel them” — increasing fees on border crossing cards, increasing fees on

NAFTA worker visas from Mexico, and increasing fees at ports of entry between the two countries.

“Tariffs and foreign aid cuts are also options,” the immigration paper stated.

Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to questions, including whether he still envisions impounding any money. It is also unclear whether Trump would seek any input from Congress. He and other Republicans have long criticized Obama for relying too heavily on executive orders to ram through his agenda.

Under the Patriot Act, a government-issued identification is already required for routine money transfers in the United States.

For high-dollar transactions additional documentation or identification can

be required.

According to Matt Chandler, a former deputy chief of staff at the Homeland Security Department, financial institutions must know their customers and are required to routinely share information with the government to ensure that their banking services aren’t being used to launder money or fund terrorism.

Trump’s wall is his signature policy proposal — and mere mention of the word elicits booming cheers and applause at his rallies, where supporters sometimes dress in wall shirts and costumes.

Trump often leads call-andresponse sessions where he asks his audience who will pay for the wall.

“Mexico!” they thunder in response.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

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

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Left thumb looks almost normal You know how it is when you’re a kid — especially stinky little ol’ boys — and someone has something just a little different about them, little ol’ boys will tease the dickens out of the odd duck.

Being the oldest of four boys (three at the time of this story), I was charged with keeping an eye on the others. And, of course, it was your bound and duty to prevent any harm coming their way. Sort of like an Old West movie … protect the good guys from any and all harm.

As I’ve laid claim often, I AM a country boy. I was born in a log farmhouse although I make no Abe Lincoln-like claims. We lived on a farm/ranch out in the country near Donie (Big D as I have laughingly referred to it). Dad’s days were spent out in the various pastures where his beef cattle grazed.

When I was eight, I was given the task of “watching” my younger brothers while our mother worked in the garden or tended the chickens. My next-oldest brother was sitting on the floor playing and youngest brother, still a toddler was ensconced in a small jumper chair — made of metal (frame) and cloth and in a way that didn’t allow him to climb out. It included a tray for food or toys. The chair was placed at the edge of the hearth in front of a toastywarm fire.

I was seated on the floor beside baby brother, who was perhaps six months old. Usually, I had a book — either a storybook or a textbook — but one eye was always on “the baby.”

What was perceived as preventable harm was an absolute in our household.

That meant “eyes on” all of the time.

One of his toys was a rattle made of celluloid, a thin, flimsy plastic.

He was bouncing in the chair, shaking the rattle and it flew from his hand and went rolling toward the fire. I had visions of Mother punishing me for allowing his rattle to be destroyed.

I reflexively grabbed for it and just as I clutched it, the rattle

blazed and melted all over my left hand.

Of course, I screamed in agony.

This was in 1945, eight miles out into the rural countryside. Mother came running into the house from the garden and did all she knew to do. She applied an ointment and wrapped my hand in a gauze-like bandage to ease the pain.

Beyond the pain I worried about “allowing” little brother’s celluloid rattle to be destroyed.

I missed almost six weeks of school. Mother kept the hand wrapped with the gauze and ointment.

Gradually, the healing process took place under Mother’s watchful eye and natural instincts. All the blisters (on all five fingers) went down and healed.

The hand was functional and as the blisters disappeared and the discomfort subsided, I began to use the hand normally. All the scarring went away except on my thumb. Seventy years later, the only discernible mark is on my left thumb and it merely looks a big odd when held next to the right thumb. For perhaps 65 years, there were two nails on the left thumb. The top one did not quite cover the bottom one.

So, it has taken only three-quarters of a century for the scar to disappear almost completely.

When I was younger, other boys would say: “What in the world did you do to your thumb, dipstick? It looks weird and freaky.” Ah, the diplomacy of young men.

Of course, the girls made up for it: “Oooo, you poor thing. What happened to your little ol’ thumb?”

“Aw, shucks, hon, it only hurts when ah smile.”

Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.

COLUMN

Trump’s wall plan spells pain

By TARA LACHAPELLE BLOOMBERG NEWS

Donald Trump, as part of his ongoing rhetoric about the wall he wants built along the U.S.-Mexico border, inadvertently targeted American publicly traded companies this time: MoneyGram International and Western Union.

The billionaire Republican presidential hopeful has insisted that the fence, which would hypothetically stretch for 1,000 or so miles, wouldn’t cost the U.S. a dime because he’ll get Mexico to pay for it.

How? Well, until now, he hadn’t answered that question. In so many words, former Mexico President Vicente Fox pretty much said that there’s a better chance of pigs flying: "I’m not going to pay for that f—-ing wall," is how he put it in a Univision interview.

Amount of remittances Mexico receives each year: $25 Billion So what’s the idea? In a

plan he released to the Washington Post, Trump proposes cutting off the billions of dollars in remittances that Mexican immigrants living and working in the U.S. send back home to family members.

This would be quite painful for Mexico’s economy: It receives around $25 billion in remittances annually, a large portion of which comes from the U.S. Trump says he would stop this money flow until the nation made a onetime payment of $5 billion to $10 billion to the U.S., for the wall, and he cites the USA Patriot Act antiterrorism law as a way to enforce his idea. Bloomberg Politics’ Toluse Olorunnipa writes that it’s unclear whether Trump would be able to do this without approval from Congress. Academics and economists told the Washington Post that the effects could be "devastating" for poor families that rely on such funds for food and shelter.

COLUMN

How covenants make us When you think about it, there are four big forces coursing through modern societies. Global migration is leading to demographic diversity. Economic globalization is creating wider opportunity but also inequality. The Internet is giving people more choices over what to buy and pay attention to. A culture of autonomy valorizes individual choice and self-determination.

All of these forces have liberated the individual, or at least well-educated individuals, but they have been bad for national cohesion and the social fabric. Income inequality challenges economic cohesion as the classes divide. Demographic diversity challenges cultural cohesion as different ethnic groups rub against one another. The emphasis on individual choice challenges community cohesion and settled social bonds.

The weakening of the social fabric has created a range of problems. Alienated young men join ISIS so they can have a sense of belonging. Isolated teenagers shoot up schools. Many people grow up in fragmented, disorganized neighborhoods. Political polarization grows because people often don’t interact with those on the other side. Racial animosity stubbornly persists.

Odder still, people are often plagued by a sense of powerlessness, a loss of efficacy. The liberation of the individual was supposed to

“

DAVID BROOKS

lead to mass empowerment.

But it turns out that people can effectively pursue their goals only when they know who they are — when they have firm identities.

Strong identities can come only when people are embedded in a rich social fabric. They can come only when we have defined social roles — father, plumber, Little League coach. They can come only when we are seen and admired by our neighbors and loved ones in a certain way. As Ralph Waldo Emerson put it, “Other men are lenses through which we read our own minds.”

You take away a rich social fabric and what you are left with is people who are uncertain about who they really are. It’s hard to live daringly when your very foundation is fluid and at risk.

We’re not going to roll back the four big forces coursing through modern societies, so the question is how to reweave the social fabric in the face of them.

In a globalizing, diversifying world, how do we preserve individual freedom while strengthening social solidarity?

In her new book “Commonwealth and Covenant,” Marcia Pally of NYU and

Fordham offers a clarifying concept. What we want, she suggests, is “separability amid situatedness.” We want to go off and create and explore and experiment with new ways of thinking and living. But we also want to be situated — embedded in loving families and enveloping communities, thriving within a healthy cultural infrastructure that provides us with values and goals.

Creating situatedness requires a different way of thinking. When we go out and do a deal, we make a contract. When we are situated within something it is because we have made a covenant. A contract protects interests, Pally notes, but a covenant protects relationships. A covenant exists between people who understand they are part of one another. It involves a vow to serve the relationship that is sealed by love: Where you go, I will go.

Where you stay, I will stay.

Your people shall be my people.

People in a contract provide one another services, but people in a covenant delight in offering gifts. Out of love of country, soldiers offer the gift of their service.

Out of love of their craft, teachers offer students the gift of their attention.

The social fabric is thus rewoven in a romantic frame of mind. During another period of national fragmentation, Abraham Lincoln aroused a refreshed

love of country. He played upon the mystic chords of memory and used the Declaration of Independence as a unifying scripture and guide.

These days the social fabric will be repaired by hundreds of millions of people making local covenants — widening their circles of attachment across income, social and racial divides. But it will probably also require leaders drawing upon U.S. history to revive patriotism.

They’ll tell a story that includes the old themes. That we’re a universal nation, the guarantor of stability and world order. But it will transcend the old narrative and offer an updated love of America.

In an interview with Bill Maher last month, Sen. Cory Booker nicely defined patriotism by contrasting it with mere tolerance. Tolerance, he said, means, “I’m going to stomach your right to be different, but if you disappear off the face of the earth I’m no worse off.” Patriotism, on the other hand, means “love of country, which necessitates love of each other, that we have to be a nation that aspires for love, which recognizes that you have worth and dignity and I need you. You are part of my whole, part of the promise of this country.”

That emotion is what it means to be situated in a shared national life.

David Brooks is a columnist for The New York Times.

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

To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The

phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication.

We want to assure our

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

Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-call-

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ing or gratuitous abuse is allowed.

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WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

Zentertainment

PAGE 5A

14.2 million watched ‘Walking Dead’ finale

By DAVID BAUDER ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — A cliffhanger ending to its sixth season fascinated more than 14 million viewers of “The Walking Dead,” although AMC’s blockbuster hit continued to show some signs of erosion.

During the final episode on Sunday, new villain Negan killed someone with a barbed wire bat he named Lucille. Viewers will have to wait until next season to find out who he killed, however.

It was down from the 15.8 million who watched the fifth season finale on the night it aired, and didn’t approach the 17.3

million who watched the first episode of the fifth season in October 2014 — the show’s high point.

It’s not unusual for hit shows to begin to fade after they have been on the air for a couple of years. A more complete barometer of the show’s performance will come in a few weeks, when the number of people who watched it via delayed viewing are counted in.

In its first year on cable’s TBS on Monday night, an estimated 17.8 million people watched Villanova’s last-second victory over North Carolina for the NCAA men’s basketball championship.

That’s sharply down from the 28.3 million people who saw

Photo by Gene Page/AMC | AP

In this image released by AMC, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, standing left, appears in a scene from "The Walking Dead." last year’s Duke-Wisconsin game on CBS, the Nielsen company said. It shows that broadcast TV still has an advantage over cable networks although, to be fair, last year’s game was the most-watched NCAA fi-

Tina Fey discusses ‘Bossypants’ and more

By HILLEL ITALIE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Even for someone as loved as Tina Fey, a reported $6 million advance seemed like a lot of money for a book of essays.

But five years after its publication, “Bossypants” has sold 3.75 million copies, according to Little, Brown and Co. And it confirmed a market for smart, funny nonfiction such as Amy Poehler’s “Yes Please” and Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?” In an email interview Tuesday with The Associated Press, Fey discussed “Bossypants” and some

books she has enjoyed recently. She also had a few words for authorjournalist Gay Talese, who said FEY last weekend that he could think of no women journalists who inspired him when he was young.

Q: When the book was first published, what were your expectations?

A: My goal was just to avoid humiliation. After years of writing character-based comedy in a group process with other writers, a book “about me written by me alone”

made me feel panicky and vulnerable. I kept telling my husband, “This is going to ruin me.”

Q: Why do you think it has done so well, beyond, of course, your fame and the quality of the writing?

A: It’s also edible. Well, I guess all books are if you’re hungry enough.

Q: Any books you’d like to recommend that you’ve read lately?

A: I enjoyed Diane Von Furstenberg’s autobiography. I loved “Americanah”

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I’m currently reading “Dinosaurs in the Attic” — nonfiction about the American Museum of Natural History. Nothing

by Gay Talese has moved me.

nal since 1997.

The Academy of Country Music awards saw its viewership take a steep drop — from 16 million last year to 11.2 million Sunday night on CBS, Nielsen said.

CBS won the week in

prime time, averaging 7.9 million viewers. NBC had 6 million viewers, ABC had 4.8 million, Fox had 4 million, Univision had 1.8 million, the CW had 1.5 million, ION Television had 1.24 million and Telemundo had 1.23 million.

Buoyed by Saturday’s NCAA basketball semifinals, TBS was the week’s most popular cable network, averaging 2.55 million viewers in prime time.

AMC had 1.96 million viewers, Fox News Channel had 1.82 million, HGTV had 1.66 million and USA had 1.53 million.

NBC’s “Nightly News” topped the evening newscasts with an average of 8.6 million viewers. ABC’s

“World News Tonight” was second with 8.2 million and the “CBS Evening News” had 7 million viewers.

For the week of March 28-April 3, the top 10 shows, their networks and viewerships: “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS, 14.24 million; “The Walking Dead,” AMC, 14.19 million; “Empire,” Fox, 12.46 million; “Dancing With the Stars,” ABC, 11.95 million; “The Voice” (Monday), NBC, 11.36 million; “Little Big Shots,” NBC, 11.33 million; “Academy of Country Music Awards,” CBS, 11.2 million; “The Voice” (Tuesday), NBC, 11.1 million; “Blue Bloods,” CBS, 10.4 million; “NCIS,” CBS, 10.38 million.

PÁGINA 6A

Zfrontera PRE-CANDIDATOS PRESIDENCIALES E INMIGRACIÓN

Ribereña en Breve

Contrastes

OLIMPIADAS ESPECIALES El Zapata County ISD invita a las Olimpiadas Especiales 2016 que se realizarán hoy miércoles 6 de abril, a partir de las 9 a.m. en el Estadio Hawk. Es la etapa del Área 21 Local de Atletismo.

NOCHE DE COMEDIA Se presentarán los cómicos Sergio Mejorado y Mayito Show Man en Mirage Social Events en Río Grande el 8 de abril. El evento es a beneficio de Alejandro Cañedo, para la adquisición de una prótesis ya que perdió una pierna en un accidente.

Informes en 956-437-2629 y 956-437-7247.

BECAS ZCISD Se informa a potenciales donadores de becas que el paquete conteniendo la carta del director, forma para donadores de becas y solicitudes generales de becas, se están entregando en Zapata High School. El 9 de abril es la fecha límite para que donadores sometan la forma como donador de beca; en tanto que el 27 de abril se llevará a cabo la Noche de Becas a las 6 p.m. lo cual pemitirá que donadores y receptores se conozcan.

Igualmente se tiene considerado entregar certificados de agradecimiento a los donadores. Informes llamando a Jennifer Sánchez o Patricia Flores al (956) 7650280.

MIÉRCOLES 6 DE ABRIL DE 2016

POR LUIS ALONSO LUGO ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Unos hablan de resolver favorablemente la situación de los 11 millones de extranjeros que se cree están en el país ilegalmente. Otros se comprometen a hacer lo posible por expulsarlos del país.

Son los contrastes entre las propuestas de demócratas y republicanos sobre el tema de la inmigración ilegal.

Mientras que los demócratas Hillary Clinton y Bernie Sanders dicen que darán prioridad a una reforma integral a las leyes de inmigración que incluya la opción de la naturalización a los inmigrantes no autorizados, los republicanos Donald Trump y Ted Cruz plantean aumentar las deportaciones, culminar la construcción de un muro a lo largo de la frontera con México y anular los alivios del presidente Barack Obama para 5 millones de personas.

Clinton y Sanders tienen propuestas generalmente favorables a los extranjeros que están en el país sin permiso. Quieren regularizar su status sin recurrir a la deportación, siempre y cuando no hayan cometido delitos violentos o no re-

presenten un riesgo a la seguridad nacional.

Ambos hablan de mantener los proCLINTON gramas de alivio migratorio que dejaron en suspenso las deportaciones de cinco millones de personas, en su mayoría inmigrantes que fueron traídos por sus padres cuando eran niños.

Sanders cerraría los centros de detención de inmigrantes manejados por empresas privadas y ampliaría el alivio migratorio a todas las personas que han residido en Estados Unidos sin autorización al menos cinco años para que incluya a los nueve millones de personas a las que hubiera amparado el proyecto de ley aprobado por el Senado en 2013.

En el otro extremo, Trump y Cruz proponen deportar a todos los inmigrantes sin autorización, anular los alivios temporales que dispuso el gobierno de Barack Obama y completar el muro a lo largo de toda la frontera con México.

NumbersUSA, una organización que postula reducir la cantidad de inmigrantes que recibe Estados Unidos, critica a Trump

porque no ha dicho específicamente si mantendría la lotería anual de 50.000 resiCRUZ dencias permanentes ni si eliminaría la opción que actualmente tienen los residentes permanentes de solicitar el ingreso legal de parientes no inmediatos.

Cruz descartó ambas posibilidades.

Trump, por otro lado, plantea darle carácter obligatorio a E-Verify, un programa del gobierno federal que permite a los patronos determinar si sus empleados están autorizados para trabajar en Estados Unidos, y detener la migración legal durante uno o dos años.

Cruz se ha referido a la necesidad de contar con un E-Verify “sólido”, aunque sin especificar si su uso será obligatorio.

Los dos candidatos republicanos proponen asimismo triplicar la cantidad de agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza, negar fondos federales a las ciudades que rehúsen a cooperar con las autoridades migratorias para identificar a inmigrantes no autorizados y eventualmente deportarlos, y modificar la Constitución

para eliminar el derecho a la nacionalidad estadounidense por nacimiento.

SANDERS Pero a diferencia de Cruz, Trump ha especificado que aspira trasladar a México el costo de terminar de construir el muro fronterizo, incautando remesas provenientes de salarios percibidos, según dice, ilegalmente, incrementando las tarifas de las visas solicitadas por capitanes de empresa y diplomáticos mexicanos, de las tarjetas fronterizas que un millón de mexicanos reclama cada año en los puntos de entrada aéreo y terrestre.

Trump, por otro lado, deja abierta la posibilidad de imponer aranceles comerciales y recortar la cooperación bilateral a México si no colabora. El comercio bilateral supera los 500.000 millones de dólares cada año.

El magnate se distingue de Cruz en otra propuesta: ha dicho que permitiría el reingreso a Estados Unidos de aquellos deportados que reúnan requisitos aún por definir.

John Kasich, el tercer precandidato republicano

que ya no tiene posibilidades de reunir la cantidad requerida de delegados antes de la conTRUMP vención, ha dicho que de convertirse en presidente buscará culminar el muro fronterizo, ampliará un programa de trabajadores invitados y permitirá la legalización de aquellos sin antecedentes penales.

Entre los demócratas, Sanders ha criticado a Clinton por oponerse en 2007 a una iniciativa para otorgar licencias de conducir a inmigrantes sin autorización. Escasos días después de lanzar su candidatura el año pasado, Clinton se declaró a favor de otorgar las licencias de conducir, tal como ocurre en California, Colorado, Nevada y otros siete estados de la nación.

Por su parte, Clinton ha señalado a Sanders por haber votado en contra de un proyecto de reforma migratoria patrocinado en 2007 por el senador Ted Kennedy. El senador por Vermont ha justificado su voto por considerar como abusivas las condiciones vigentes en un programa de trabajadores invitados contenido en la legislación.

ZCISD

SOCIEDAD AMERICANA DEL CÁNCER

APRENDIZAJE

Detallan Relay for Life

TORNEO DE PESCA Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, México, invita al 11º Torneo de Pesca Aniversario “Rogelio Olivares” en Campos Los Olivos del Falcon Lake, el 9 y 10 de abril. En embarcación el costo es de 1.250 pesos por persona y en la orilla es gratis. Informes en Hotel Los Olivos (956) 353-9629.

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

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

TORNEO DE SÓFTBOL Un torneo de sóftbol tendrá lugar el 23 de abril en Zapata. Lo recaudado será a favor de Alejandro Cañedo, para la adquisición de una prótesis ya que perdió una pierna en un accidente.

Equipos femeninos y masculinos. Cuota 150 dólares. Informes en 956-251-3075.

RECOLECCIÓN DE MEDICAMENTOS 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 765-3555.

PRÉSTAMOS FSA Los Condados de Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr y Willacy Counties fueron declarados elegibles para los préstamos de emergencia ante desastres del FSA. Esto significa que los agricultores que hayan perdido al menos 30 por ciento de su producción o que hayan sufrido cualquier perdida en producción o física causadas por tormentas severas, vientos constantes, tornados, e inundaciones, en el periodo del 22 al 31 de octubre del 2015. La fecha límite para presentar su solicitud de préstamo es el 25 de julio del 2016.

Foto de cortesía | ZCISD

Estudiantes del pre Jardín de Niños de Zapata South Elementary School visitaron el Rancho de Daniel González. Esta oportunidad les permitió experimentar y conocer directamente acerca de los animales que han estado estudiando durante clase. Los alumnos pudieron tocar y dar de comer a los animales.

COLUMNA

La Sociedad Americana del Cáncer pintará de morado a Laredo durante el evento anual Relay For Life, del 18 al 21 de abril. El tema de este año es “Relay Around the World: It’s A World Full of Hope”.

Los voluntarios de Relay For Life han estando contactando grupos, escuelas, iglesias y negocios del área para alentarlos a participar en el Relay for Life, un evento recaudador de fondos para la Sociedad Americana del Cáncer.

Los participantes que reúnan 100 dólares o más se convierten en miembros del Hope Club. Basados en el tema anual, los equipos de relevo pueden competir para el Best Campsite, Best Spirit Stick/Baton, Best Banner, Best T-Shirt, entre otros.

Participantes también podrán competir para el Mr. y Ms. Relay For Life 2016 al donar 10 dólares para entrar al concurso y juntar votos por el precio

de 1 dólar por voto.

Este año el Relay For Life del Condado de Webb será realizado en el SAC de UISD desde las 7 p.m. del 22 de abril, a las 7 a.m. del 23 de abril.

El evento consiste en que personas y/o equipos siempre deben tener un representante en la pista de atletismo.

Los equipos hacen la mayor parte de la recaudación de fondos anterior al evento, pero algunos equipos también realizan recaudaciones creativas durante el relevo.

Negocios y residentes también pueden mostrar su apoyo en la batalla contra el cáncer al ordenar un listón morado que pueden poner en su propiedad durante la semana “Pinta de Morado a Laredo”. Los listones están disponibles por una donación sugerida de 10 dólares.

El 22 de abril es el día oficial para vestir de morado. Pida informes con Laura Nanez al 956-286-6955 ó mlnanez@att.net.

SENSIBILIZACIÓN

España repatria cuerpo disecado a Botsuana Nota del editor: Esta es la primera de dos partes sobre cuerpo disecado de un jefe tribal.

POR RAÚL SINENCIO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El cuerpo de una persona disecada se exhibía en el Museo Darder en Banyoles, en Cataluña. Hacia finales del siglo XX, un médico español demanda que se suprima el denigrante espectáculo.

Francisco Darder, veterinario, taxidermista, y fundador del museo promovía en la guía obsequiada a los visitantes hacia

1888: “No figura en los museos de historia natural y no sabemos de ninguno que posea un ejemplar que se conserve …como un animal cualquiera”, y agregaba, “A fuerza de sacrificios, hemos conseguido uno que es betchuano”.

El hombre disecado, poseía un cuerpo menudo, el cual estaba relleno de fibra vegetal. Por dentro, clavos, alambre y barras metálicas lo mantenían erguido. Lucía ojos de vidrio, cubiertos de betún el pelo crespo y la piel.

Al interior de una amplia vitrina, el hombre sostenía en la mano dere-

cha una lanza; en la otra, un compacto escudo. Llevaba taparrabo y tocado.

Cuentas pequeñas componían el collar alrededor del cuello.

Los informes disponibles hacen suponer que proviene de Botsuana, república de África. Había gobernado alguna tribu de bosquimanos, cazadoresrecolectores del Kalahari.

Acaso enfermo, muere a principio del siglo XIX. Conforme a su investidura, su pueblo lo inhuma con honores.

(Con permiso del autor, publicado en La Razón, el 1 abril)

Foto de cortesía | ZCISD

Adriana Valadez, Adriana García, David González, Enrique “Kike” Ramos y Derek González, de Zapata North Elementary School, participaron en la segunda caminata anual de Atención al Autismo del Condado de Zapata.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NCAA BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: VILLANOVA 77, NORTH CAROLINA 74

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION

Wild win for ‘Cats File photo by Ronald Cortes | Getty

Klay Thompson and the Warriors have two more games against San Antonio this year and have four games left.

Spurs stand in Warriors’ way of history Photo by David J. Phillip | AP

Will Spurs prioritize stopping Golden State from breaking wins record?

Villanova’s Kris Jenkins high fives fans after hitting the game-winning 3-pointer in the Wildcats’ 77-74 victory on Monday night.

By BRIAN MAHONEY

Villanova hits buzzer beater to win championship

By EDDIE PELLS ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON — Some plays you can’t draw up. Other plays you can.

The double-clutch 3-pointer North Carolina’s Marcus Paige made came right off a playground. It might go down as college basketball’s most spectacular footnote ever.

The buzzer-beating 3 that Villanova’s Kris Jenkins poured in on top of that was the result of months, even years, of practice making perfect. It might go down as the sport’s most memorable game-winner.

Two huge buckets in the span of 4.7 seconds Monday night turned a back-andforth, edge-of-your-seat national title game into something even better.

Jenkins walked away the winner. His 3 at the buzzer, two steps behind the arc and with a 6-foot-9 defender flying in his face, gave Villanova a 77-74 victory and the second national title in program history.

“I think every shot’s going in,” Jenkins said, “and this one was no different.” ’Nova coach Jay Wright barely flinched when Jenkins’ shot fell with the buzz-

er blaring. “Bang,” he said, calmly, before walking to midcourt to shake Carolina coach Roy Williams’ hand.

Wright has been coaching that play for months, even years.

With the game tied and 4.7 seconds left, Jenkins inbounded under the Villanova basket to point guard Ryan Arcidiacono. Forward Daniel Ochefu set a pick at midcourt to free things up, then it was up to Arcidiacono to create. He underhand flipped a pass to Jenkins, who was open. The junior spotted himself up, and with North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks running at him, launched the shot.

Swish. Confetti. Party time. Or, as Jenkins put it, “One, two step, shoot ’em up, sleep in the streets.”

The Wildcats (35-5) took the title for the first time since 1985, when Rollie Massimino coached the program to a title-game victory over Georgetown. Villanova shot 78 percent that night.

In this game, the Cats shot 58.3 percent in the first half, 58.3 percent in the second half and 100 percent with the final buzzer sounding.

Wright said every coach designs plays for game-ending situations with less than

four seconds, four to seven seconds, seven to 12 seconds.

They practice it. A lot.

When showtime comes, the coach puts the ball in his players’ hands and hopes they can execute. He knows that with the senior, Arcidiacono, running the play, odds are the Wildcats will get a good look.

“Every kid dreams about that shot,” said Arcidiacono, who finished with 16 points and two assists, one more memorable than the other.

“I wanted that shot, but I just had confidence in my teammates, and Kris was able to knock down that shot.”

Not too much earlier, trailing 74-71, Paige knocked down his.

No coach could draw up that sort of thing.

The senior guard took a skip pass from Joel Berry II, almost lost the handle, dribbled twice, and with Arcidiacono running at him, hit a double-clutch 3 from two steps behind the arc.

“He’s been doing that his whole career here,” Berry said. “He just that tough a guy.”

The Tar Heels (33-7), the only No. 1 seed in the Final Four, trailed by 10 with 5:30

left. At that point, Williams said he promised his team that if he did what they said, they would have a chance to win.

Then, after Paige hit his shot, the senior told his teammates they just needed to play 4.7 seconds of defense, and they would win the overtime.

Never happened.

“It was helpless,” Williams said. “It was not a good feeling.”

The tears flowed out of the 65-year-old coach, who fell to 2-3 in title games. It’s never fun being on the wrong side of hoops history.

Back in 1983, Lorenzo Charles dunked after an air ball to lift North Carolina State to its improbable title.

In 1987, Keith Smart made one from the side late to lift Indiana to a championship.

In 1992, Christian Laettner took Grant Hill’s pass and hit a turnaround jumper to help Duke beat Kentucky and make the Final Four.

Now, this.

“The last play, we were just calm in the huddle, honestly,” Arcidiacono said.

“We knew what we were going to do and we just executed.”

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The biggest mystery surrounding the Golden State Warriors’ run at history is how motivated San Antonio will be to stop it.

The NBA’s two best teams this season will meet twice this week, perhaps the biggest remaining obstacles to the Warriors’ quest for an NBArecord 73 victories.

Or, the Spurs might decide not to be much of an obstacle at all.

With less than two weeks until the playoffs and the Spurs (64-12) all but locked into the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, coach Gregg Popovich has already begun resting his players on occasion. So it’s impossible to predict who will be in uniform for San Antonio when it travels to Golden State on Thursday, or hosts the Warriors (69-8) on Sunday.

“It doesn’t matter, to me, how he plays it,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said of Popovich, one of his former coaches.

“His team is a little older than ours, too.”

Kerr said the younger Warriors told him they don’t feel they need a rest, but Popovich doesn’t ex-

actly give his players the option. When he made LaMarcus Aldridge sit out one of his first practices with the team in October, Popovich joked that he told the All-Star forward, “Welcome to the Spurs.”

The Spurs will be opening a back-to-back Thursday in Oakland, so Popovich figures to sit some regulars either that night or Friday in Denver.

San Antonio is then off until the Warriors visit, and follows that game with another night off before hosting Oklahoma City.

San Antonio will be 39-0 at home when Golden State arrives, two victories from becoming the first team in NBA history to go undefeated at home for an entire season. That could motivate the Spurs to make everyone available — and leave Kerr as the one who might play the rest card.

The Warriors will be playing for the second straight night after a game in Memphis, and Kerr said he may give reserve guard Shaun Livingston one of those games off.

“Other than that, we have a lot of young guys who have no reason to sit out because they’re feeling great,” Kerr said.

International

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

Revelations could add to outrage in race

By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN, Texas — The revelations in the Panama Papers could add to the populist outrage in the presidential race by confirming many of the fears of Bernie Sanders supporters on the left and contributing to the distrust that drives people to Donald Trump on the right.

So far, the 11.5 million leaked documents have shed light mostly on foreign figures such as the prime minister of Iceland, who resigned Tuesday after the public learned that he used a shell company to shelter large sums of money while his country’s economy foundered. The reaction in the U.S. has been relatively muted.

But voters and experts suggested that the papers could still validate the frustration of blue-collar Sanders supporters who feel that hard work is no longer enough to get ahead in America and the anger of Trump partisans who say it will take someone who knows the insider system to dismantle it.

Retired Wisconsin high school teacher Steve Nibbe, who was voting for Sanders on Tuesday in Wisconsin’s presidential primary, said word of the documents made him “sit up and take notice.” But

Photo by David Keyton | AP

People hold banners and protest in front of Parliament building in Reykjavik, Iceland, Tuesday. The leak of millions of records on offshore accounts claims its first high-profile victim as Iceland’s prime minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson resigns. he said he was not shocked.

“It just seems that those who have wealth — and sometimes that comes with privilege — are able to do things that other people are not,” said Nibbe, 60, from Verona, outside the state capital of Madison.

Joe Brettell, a Republican strategist based in Houston, doubted whether the public’s fury could get much worse.

“The populist anger be-

ing fueled primarily by white working-class Americans didn’t need any more fuel,” Brettell said.

“They’ve already lived through the financial meltdown. They’ve already lived through the lack of middle class wage increases even as the stock market boomed.”

The papers illustrate how a small class of global elites amass staggering wealth and find elaborate ways to hide it from tax collectors, bank regulators

and police.

The passports of at least 200 Americans are included in the documents, according to news organizations that have access to them, though none are thought to be as famous as celebrities and politicians from other countries, such as Russian President Vladimir Putin and Argentine soccer star Lionel Messi.

In all, 12 current or former heads of state are included in the legal records

from Panama’s Mossack Fonseca law firm. They were first leaked Sunday to the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper based in Munich, Germany.

Charles Postel, a history professor at San Francisco State University who has studied American populism and wrote a book titled “The Populist Vision,” said of Sanders, “This is just the type of thing that is animating his base.”

He described Trump as

“more of a nationalist.”

“His issue is not that these rich people are not playing by the rules. It’s that we need powerful people who will protect Americans,” Postel said. “That’s a different thing that provokes outrage.”

The New York billionaire might even actually win points with supporters if he were among the rich and famous mentioned in the documents, Postel said.

“If Trump said, ‘Of course I put half of my money in the Virgin Islands,’ none of his voters would object to that,” Postel said. “They’d say, ‘Sure, he’s a billionaire. If I was a billionaire, I wouldn’t pay my taxes either.”’

That was a sentiment echoed somewhat by 24year-old factory worker Demetrius Rimmer of Milwaukee, who had not heard about the scandal before a reporter mentioned it. But he was none too impressed: “It’s always about money.”

Rimmer voted for Sanders.

If the papers become more of a presidential issue, it won’t be confined to the Trump or Sanders camp.

“Both sides do it,” said Mike Feiler, a 52-year-old auto dealer in Verona who said he voted for Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in the primary. “Both sides try to hide their money.”

Cruz, Sanders eye Wisconsin Service denial to

By JULIE PACE AND SCOTT BAUER ASSOCIATED PRESS

MILWAUKEE — Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Bernie Sanders hoped to turn the tables on their parties’ front-runners in Wisconsin Tuesday and emerge from the Midwestern battleground reinvigorated in their pursuit of the White House.

Even with wins in Wisconsin, Cruz and Sanders would still face tough mathematical odds of winning their parties’ nominations before the summer conventions. Still, losses Tuesday for leading contenders Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton would keep an aura of uncertainty hanging over both races.

Sanders has vowed to stay in the Democratic race through all of the voting contests, and the Vermont senator has raised enough money to make good on that pledge. A win in Wisconsin would be a boost for his campaign, but would still leave him trailing Clinton in the delegate count.

It’s Republicans who are bracing for a real convention fight, which could occur if Trump can’t reach the 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination through the normal voting process. Cruz, the Texas senator who has emerged as Trump’s closest rival, was casting Wisconsin as crucial to GOP efforts to stop the billionaire busi-

Photo by Daniel Acker | Bloomberg

A "Voter Registration" sign hangs at a polling location during the presidential primary vote in Waukesha, Wisconsin, on Tuesday. nessman.

“What we are seeing in Wisconsin is the unity of the Republican Party manifesting,” Cruz said during one of his final campaign stops.

For Trump, the long lead-up to Wisconsin’s contest has included one of the worst stretches of his candidacy. He was embroiled in a spat involving Cruz’s wife, which he now says he regrets, was sidetracked by his campaign manager’s legal problems after an altercation with a female reporter, and stumbled awkwardly in comments about abortion.

Still, Trump made a spirited final push in the state and predicted a “really, really big victory.”

“If we do well here, it’s over,” he said. “If we don’t win here, it’s not over.”

Nearly 4 in 10 Republican primary voters in Wisconsin said they’re scared

about what Trump would do as president, according to exit polls. But more than half say that if the GOP race goes to the convention, the party should nominate the candidate with the most support in the primaries, which so far would be Trump.

Complicating the primary landscape for both Cruz and Trump is the continuing candidacy of John Kasich. The Ohio governor’s only victory has come in his home state, but he’s still picking up delegates that would otherwise help Trump inch closer to the nomination or help Cruz catch up.

Trump has grown increasingly frustrated with the governor and has joined Cruz in calling for Kasich to end his campaign. Kasich cast Trump’s focus on him as a sign that he’s best positioned to win over the businessman’s

supporters.

“They’re not really his people,” Kasich said.

“They’re Americans who are worried about, they’re really most worried about their kids, are their kids going to have a good life?”

If Cruz wins all of Wisconsin’s 42 delegates, Trump would need to win 57 percent of those remaining to clinch the GOP nomination before the July convention. So far, Trump has won 48 percent of the delegates awarded.

Paul Lorentz, was in line at 6:30 a.m. in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, on Tuesday to cast his vote for Kasich.

Lorentz said he typically votes Democratic in the general election but Republican in Wisconsin’s open primary in order to sway the GOP to a better candidate.

“My hope is always to have two acceptable candidates running for president,” he said.

Among Democrats, Clinton has 1,243 delegates to Sanders’ 980 based on primaries and caucuses.

When including superdelegates, the party officials who can back any candidate, Clinton holds a much wider lead — 1,712 to Sanders’ 1,011. It takes 2,383 delegates to win the Democratic nomination.

On the eve of voting in Wisconsin, Clinton’s campaign manager argued that Sanders’ only path to victory “relies on overturning the will of the voters.”

gays OK by law

By JEFF AMY ASSOCIATED PRESS

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi’s governor signed a law Tuesday allowing religious groups and private businesses to deny services to gay and transgender people — echoing attempts made in other states with varying levels of success following last year’s Supreme Court ruling that effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide.

Saying he was protecting religious freedom, Republican Gov. Phil Bryant signed the bill without hesitation or fanfare just hours after it cleared its final legislative obstacle Monday, and before opponents could try to talk him out of it. In addition to opposition from gay-rights activists, two leading state business associations and a number of large corporations in recent days had come out against the bill, which allows religious groups and some private businesses to refuse service to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people based on religious beliefs.

It was unclear whether opponents would continue to marshal their forces in an attempt to repeal the measure as they are doing in North Carolina, however, where the Republican governor signed a law limiting bathroom options for transgender people and prohibit-

ing local communities from enacting anti-discrimination ordinances. The Mississippi law also prohibits local communities from passing their own ordinances. The law is slated to take effect on July 1.

“We’re still gathering troops,” said Erik Fleming, director of advocacy and policy for the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi. “We’re disappointed.

We were hoping that the business community stepping up the way they did, and people of faith, would at least have him reflect on the decision.”

Republican Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal vetoed a similar religious objections bill last week after big companies including Coca-Cola, Delta Airlines and others expressed vehement opposition, and national sports organizations hinted that they might hold their important events elsewhere. In North Carolina, an economic backlash broadened Tuesday, with PayPal announcing it has canceled a major expansion in the state. South Dakota’s governor vetoed a similar proposal limiting bathroom options for transgender people.

Such measures began emerging in various states in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision last summer that effectively legalized gay marriage nationwide.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

Iceland’s PM steps down amid scandal

By DAVID KEYTON AND JENNA GOTTLIEB ASSOCIATED PRESS

REYKJAVIK, Iceland — Iceland’s embattled prime minister, facing accusations of conflict of interest because of offshore accounts, stepped aside Tuesday and proposed that the vice chairman of his party take over.

Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson has become be the first major figure brought down by a leak of more than 11 million financial documents from a Panamanian law firm showing the tax-avoidance arrangements of the rich and famous around the world.

Sigurdur Mar Jonsson, press secretary of the Icelandic government, said in

a statement Tuesday that Gunnlaugsson has suggested Sigurdur Ingi Johannsson, his GUNNLAUGSSON Progressive Party’s vicechairman, takes over as prime minister for “an unspecified amount of time.”

Iceland’s president has not yet confirmed any changes to the leadership and the situation remained muddled as hundreds of protesters gathered outside parliament to demand the ouster of Gunnlaugsson.

There were contradictions throughout the afternoon and evening as officials first said Gunnlaugsson had resigned as prime minister, statements that

were later contradicted by the press secretary’s communique, which indicated he was only stepping down for a period of time. The statement also suggested that Gunnlaugsson would remain as party chairman.

It was not clear if new elections would be held or if the governing coalition would be able to weather the crisis that developed several days ago with the release of the Panama papers.

The lack of a clear resolution angered some protesters who blew whistles and banged on pots and pans in front of parliament.

“I’m here because the government still hasn’t resigned,” said store manager Elfar Petursson. “The finance minister and the interior minister are still sitting

CORRUPT Continued from Page 1A thorities say.

Prosecutors have moved to seize tens of millions of dollars in San Antonio real estate — including a home in The Dominion, commercial property on U.S. 281 and a pharmacy on Stone Oak Parkway — and indicted six people under an investigation into a nexus of politics, private industry and one of Mexico’s most notorious drug gangs.

They say those millions were looted from the Coahuila government and flooded Texas starting in 2007, during the term of former Gov. Humberto Moreira.

Moreira has not been charged, but his political career came to an abrupt end in 2011 when it was revealed that under his governorship Coahuila had racked up nearly $3 billion in debt.

Among those charged in South Texas are the interim governor who served after Moreira, several business owners with homes on San Antonio’s North Side, and a former state treasurer who’s wanted in Mexico on allegations of taking out fraudulent loans on the state’s credit.

Bexar County prosecutors say the treasurer, Héctor Javier Villarreal Hernández, wired millions of dollars to Texas that he received from kickbacks.

Some of the money came from inflated contracts, said First Assistant District Attorney Cliff Herberg. On one occasion, he said, a state contract went to a mineral extraction company controlled by the Zetas drug gang, former en- forcers for another cartel who spun off into their

own criminal organization.

“It is our position that it’s just a front for money laundering,” Herberg said.

“They didn’t do any mining.”

Interviews, court documents, property records and regulatory filings show that those under investigation built a sprawling business network in Texas, including commercial real estate developments, private residences and restaurants. They often used a network of limited liability companies that made it difficult for investigators to track the ownership of those assets.

Along with the San Antonio properties, prosecutors have filed lawsuits to take control of real estate in the Rio Grande Valley and millions of dollars in bank accounts in Texas and Bermuda.

Investigators are asking witnesses about Coahuila politicians — including Moreira and his brother, the current governor — comprising a virtual who’s who of businessmen from the state and the Zetas, one court document shows.

The multiagency taskforce handling the case includes the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Texas attorney general’s office and the Internal Revenue Service.

Among those charged are Villarreal, who is in a San Antonio jail awaiting trial, and Coahuila’s former interim governor, Jorge Juan Torres López, a fugitive. Lawyers for both men maintain they’re innocent.

The situation is politically fraught. Moreira, the former leader of the Insti-

tutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, is close to Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto. When one defendant was brought to court in San Antonio, a former U.S. congressman showed up to support him.

Coahuila, with its large manufacturing sector and border crossings, is a major trade partner with Texas, and politically connected people from the state who are not under investigation have become close with San Antonio city leaders.

Fernando Salazar, a recently elected senator from Coahuila who’s in the opposing National Action Party, or PAN, said he thinks the problem goes well beyond the former treasurer and interim governor. Salazar said Moreira deserves more scrutiny because the state’s debt and the allegations of theft happened on his watch.

“Torres and Villarreal were the closest persons to Moreira,” Salazar said.

“They worked for him.

He’s the one that made all this mess.”

Moreira’s attorneys wouldn’t comment for this report, but after Forbes magazine included him on a list of Mexican politicians accused of corruption, Mexico City lawyer Christian F. Zinser Cieslik wrote to the publication, saying the former governor had been exonerated in an investigation by the Mexican attorney general’s office.

“It was found that there is no evidence to link Mr. Moreira Valdes to any wrongdoing in relation to the debt contracted in the state of Coahuila during his term as governor,” the attorney wrote.

CARRIZO CANE Continued from Page 1A Uresti’s office said are safe.

“The herbicides involved have been approved and reapproved by the [U.S. Environmental Protection Agency] who has deemed them safe for use, and they have a long history of success in salt cedar eradications across Texas,” said aide Michael Ruggieri.

It’s not the first time the issue has stirred controversy. The U.S. Border Patrol tried a pilot program in southern Webb County that was suspended in 2009 after environmental groups objected. According to a settlement reached that year between a coalition of Webb County residents and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, there is to be no aerial spraying in the 16mile area where the initial pilot program was conducted.

It’s still unclear what the state’s project will entail, or if the $500,000 will be a one-time allotment. Tom Harvey, a parks department spokesman, said an interagency contract isn’t complete. A program manager for the TSSWCB did not return calls seeking comment.

But a lack of details isn’t stopping the Laredo-based Rio Grande International Study Center from spearheading the fight against the new program.

“Maybe Uresti, the governor, and the folks at the

conservation board in Austin think that it’s OK to push ahead with aerial spraying because they don’t live here and don’t have to drink the Rio Grande tap water,” Tricia Cortez, the center’s executive director, wrote in an opinion piece published by the Austin AmericanStatesman last month.

It’s not that the group likes the plant. It agrees the invasive species sucks up much-needed water from the river while hindering efforts to patrol the banks. It’s the method under consideration that the group opposes, Cortez insists.

She points to a sevenyear project by the USDA that uses a combination of cane-eating wasps and a cane-topping method with specialty tractors to stunt the Carrizo’s growth.

“The most important question is why has the state chosen to ignore the incredible work being done by the USDA along a 558mile stretch of the Rio Grande, from Del Rio to Brownsville?” she wrote.

“Results from the past seven years — which have been peer reviewed and published — show a dwindling of the cane’s biomass by nearly 25 percent.”

Abbott’s office said the directive to the conservation board isn’t different from what the agency does

on a regular basis.

“They will do this just as they always have has done — with their Water Supply Enhancement Program — reducing a variety of waterhogging plants all over the state,” spokesman John Wittman said. “And just like they routinely do, the agency will utilize eradication methods that fully comply with the federal government’s exhaustive regulatory standards.”

Uresti’s office is quick to mention that the program is voluntary for landowners, that the state’s efforts won’t focus on Webb County and that the bill was unopposed by area lawmakers last session.

“SB 1734 was supported by the USDA, the Texas Farm Bureau, the Texas Seed Trade Association, the Texas Conservation Association for Soil & Water, and every single border lawmaker in both the House and the Senate,” said Ruggieri.

Cortez’s group isn’t convinced.

Its most recent victories came when the Laredo city council and the Webb County Commissioners Court last week passed resolutions opposing any aerial spraying along the river during the eradication effort. Cortez said she expects communities up and downriver from Laredo to follow suit before too long.

in parliament, they refuse to resign, they both have offshore accounts.”

Revelations in the Panama Papers about offshore accounts held by Gunnlaugsson and his wife have infuriated many residents who suffered during the financial collapse of 2008 and 2009.

Gunnlaugsson has denied wrongdoing and said he has paid taxes and done nothing illegal regarding his offshore holdings.

Opposition lawmakers say the holdings amount to a major conflict of interest with his job.

Gunnlaugsson said his financial holdings didn’t affect his negotiations with Iceland’s creditors during the country’s acute financial crisis. Those assertions did

little to quell the controversy.

The prime minister sought at first to dissolve parliament Tuesday and call an early election, but President Olafur Ragnar Grimsson said he wanted to consult with other party leaders before agreeing to end the coalition government between Gunnlaugsson’s center-right Progressive Party and the Independence Party.

“I need to determine if there is support for dissolving (parliament) within the ruling coalition and others.

The prime minister could not confirm this for me, and therefore I am not prepared at this time to dissolve parliament,” Grimsson said.

The president met with Independence Party law-

makers later Tuesday to discuss the governmental crisis. Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, chairman of the Independence Party, criticized the prime minister for unilaterally seeking to dissolve parliament.

“It was a total surprise for us to see that. I don’t think it was the rational thing to do. I’ve never seen it done before in Icelandic politics and I hope that I will not see it again,” he said.

The impact in Iceland from the leaks has been the most dramatic, but leading officials in Russia, Ukraine, China, Argentina and other countries are also facing questions about possibly dubious offshore schemes used by the global elite.

The leaked documents al

Panama rejects money-launder label

By JUAN ZAMORANO AND JOSHUA GOODMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

PANAMA CITY — Panamanians have long shrugged off their country’s checkered reputation as a financial haven for drug lords, tax dodgers and corrupt oligarchs.

They like to joke that if they’re crooks, they’ve learned it from the world’s wealthy nations.

That same defensiveness has re-emerged amid the fallout from the leak of 11.5 million confidential documents from the Panamabased law firm Mossack Fonseca revealing details of how some of the globe’s richest people funnel their assets into secretive shell companies set up here and in other lightly regulated jurisdictions.

Ramon Fonseca, a cofounder of the firm, said

Monday that his country’s success in establishing itself as an offshore banking giant has bred jealousy from first-world rivals at a time of increasing competition and scrutiny of the industry in the aftermath of the global financial crisis.

“It’s very unfair what’s happening because there’s not a level playing field,” Fonseca told The Associated Press in an interview.

“Without a doubt if this happened to a company in Delaware nothing would happen, but because it’s Panama it’s the front page of the world’s newspapers.”

Panama cemented its status as a money laundering center in the 1980s, when dictator Gen. Manuel Noriega rolled out the red carpet to Colombian drug cartels. It has remained a magnet for illicit money, as well as for legiti-

mate funds, because its dollarized economy sits at the crossroad of the Americas. Breakneck economic growth averaging 8.5 percent a year for a decade has been fed by the flood of cash, transforming the capital’s skyline into Latin America’s Dubai.

But Panama isn’t alone in its permissive attitude toward shell companies, which the British-based Tax Justice Network estimates hide $21 trillion to $32 trillion in untaxed or lightly taxed financial wealth around the globe.

Panama ranks 13th on the watchdog group’s financial secrecy index — better than the U.S., which is at No. 3.

Panamanian President Juan Carlos Varela has promised to cooperate with any judicial investigations stemming from the leaked data.

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

SNAP Continued from Page 1A trition Service said, many places no longer qualify for time limit waivers.

Dorothy Rosenbaum, a food policy expert at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, said people could be particularly hard hit in Southern and Southeastern states including Arkansas, Florida and Mississippi. In many states, she said, the time limits took effect in January, and the first people will be cut off this month.

Ellen M. Vollinger, legal director of the Food Research and Action Center, an advocacy group, noted that the poet T.S. Eliot had described April as “the cruelest month,” and for people losing SNAP benefits, she said, that description is appropriate.

“Many thousands of jobless adults without dependents will lose all their SNAP benefits even though they are seeking work,” she said.

The people at risk of losing food aid are 18 to 49 years old. People younger than 18 or older than 49, pregnant women and people who are medically certified as “unfit for employment,” because of a disability, are generally exempt from the time limits.

In 2016, Rosenbaum said, the three-month time limit will be in effect in areas with about 65 percent of the U.S. population while the rest of the country can qualify for waivers because of high and persistent unemployment, and officials in those states have requested a continuation of the waivers.

By contrast, Rosenbaum said, the 2015 time limits were in effect in areas with about 30 percent of the country’s population.

The Labor Department reported Friday that the national unemployment rate was 5 percent, half of what it was in late 2009.

“Although the overall jobless rate has been slowly falling,” Rosen-

baum said, “other labor market data indicate that many people who want to work still cannot find jobs. Cutting off food assistance does not enable them to find employment or secure more hours of work.”

People likely to lose benefits because of the time limit have monthly incomes averaging from $150 to $170 a person, or 17 percent of the official poverty level for individuals, Rosenbaum said.

Congressional aides and food policy experts said they saw no immediate prospect that Congress would step in to extend any relief. In any event, states have discretion over whether to seek a waiver of the time limits, and some have chosen not to do so, even though they could qualify.

Concannon, the federal official, said it was unwise for states to reimpose time limits in places where adults seeking work could not find jobs because of economic conditions.

More than 1 million people received assistance last year in an employment and training program for SNAP recipients. But some states returned federal money to the government, and 21 states did not use any of the federal funds that were available to them in the program, federal officials said.

In a recent notice to childless adults subject to the time limits, the Obama administration said, “To keep getting SNAP benefits, you must work halftime or do 80 hours per month of educational or training activities.”

Participation in the SNAP program more than doubled from 2003 to 2012. In December, 45.2 million people were receiving SNAP benefits.

The number has fallen by 2.6 million since reaching a peak in December 2012.

(The Zapata Times contributed to this report.)

VATICAN Continued from Page 1A "under duress" when he signed it. He had signed the agreement with the Brothers of St. John.

Kincl said Tamayo’s statement that he was under duress was “ridiculous.”

“That’s a lie,” he said.

“A bishop has total and full authority. Bishop Tamayo had promised them in a signed statement that he would support this project. So he has an obligation to fulfill that contract with the Brothers of St. John.”

The Brothers of St. John, led by Fr. Michael Therese Scheerger, told Laredo Morning Times on Friday a statement on the issue is forthcoming.

Tamayo has yet to release a statement regarding his decision.

His failure to fulfill his obligation would be a violation of canon law, according to Kincl.

Canon law of the Catholic Church is the system of laws and legal principles made and enforced by the hierarchical authorities of the church to regulate its external organization and government and to order and direct the activities of Catholics toward the mission of the church.

Kincl said Tamayo is violating Canon 1294.2 of the Code of Canon Law, which states, “money received from the alienation is either to be invested carefully for the advantage of the church or to be expended prudently according to the purposes of the alienation.”

Alienation is the action of taking money from an account or fund, according to Kincl.

“In not fulfilling his part of the contract, what Tamayo has done is forced the brothers to alienate $200,000 from their bank account, which could have been used for other worthy projects” Kincl said.

“In essence, what he has done is stolen $200,000 from them. That is just a terrible act of injustice on the part of Tamayo.”

Laredo ties In 1993, Kincl worked as commander in charge of clergy at the U.S. Navy. He retired from the Navy in 1995, after more than 25 years of service.

Kincl said he received his canon law degree in 1997.

When the diocese was first formed in Laredo in 2000, Kincl said Tamayo did not have any canon lawyers.

At the time, Kincl was a member of the Diocese of Austin.

“He called my bishop, Bishop Gregory Aymond, and asked if I could come down once a month to review all the canon law cases,” Kincl said.

Tamayo appointed Kincl judicial vicar for the Diocese of Laredo.

“I would drive down, spend a week in Laredo and then drive back every month to review the cases,” Kincl said. “I worked with the tribunal, in peace, for the next five years.”

According to Kincl, all that ended once the diocese hired its new chief financial officer.

Kincl described his departure from the Diocese of Laredo as a mutual decision between him and Tamayo.

“I started filing complaints against the new CFO and thought, ‘it’s time for me to get out of here,’” he said. “Around the same time, Tamayo called me and told me they would no longer need me.”

Kincl said although his experience in Laredo did not end well, he keeps up with a lot of people in the community.

Student center beginnings The Brothers of St. John, along with Tamayo, started to build upon the idea of the project in 2006.

In October 2012, the Brothers of St. John told

LMT it had raised $2.3 million, or half the funds needed to build a church and campus ministry center.

Among the original features of the project were a chapel that seats 300 people, a five-stories-tall bell tower, a student lounge, a dormitory for eight student residents and a student-run café.

The agreement between the brothers and the diocese stated the brothers would be in charge of the ministry and then conveyed to the diocese five years after the completion of construction, with the brothers continuing to oversee and implement campus ministry on a long-term basis.

What excited Scheerger most about the Catholic Student Center is the infrastructure it would provide Laredo for the next 200 to 300 years.

A groundbreaking ceremony was held in fall 2013. Tamayo was not in attendance.

On the eve of construction, Tamayo, for reasons unknown, stopped the project.

Currently, the money for the project is being held in a quasi-endowment fund, according to Keck, who stated it “will be able to grow and perhaps sustain limited student scholarships or programming.”

Kincl said if, for any reason, Tamayo were to tap into the quasi-endowment fund and use the money for any other purpose, he would be violating another canon law.

Specifically, it would be in violation of Canon 1267.3, which states, “Offerings given by the faithful for a certain purpose can be applied only for that same purpose.”

What can be done?

Several donors and supporters of the project have provided their stance on its inexplicable halt. Others have refused to com-

ment publicly one way or the other.

If Tamayo continues down this path, the only recourse Kincl suggested is canonical action being taken against him.

Kincl put forward the name of Robert Flummerfelt, a Las Vegas-based canon lawyer whom he lauded as “the best in the United States.”

“The president of the university or one of the donors could easily consult with Robert Flummerfelt and give him the details of the case,” he said.

Kincl also mentioned the St. Joseph’s Foundation, a group of canon lawyers that will go to bat for lay people.

“They are not on the good side of most bishops, but I applaud their work,” Kincl said. “The foundation was formed to help people who are not priests to address issues of corruption by their bishops.

They will take a case to Rome against the bishop.”

The case would then be taken to the Apostolic Signatura, the supreme court of the Catholic Church based in Rome.

“They could easily come down really hard on Tamayo for alienating the property of the Brothers of St. John,” Kincl said.

Kincl speculated so far as to say there is potential for Tamayo’s removal as bishop of the Diocese of Laredo.

Kincl said the old days, in which a bishop or a pastor could say anything and it be accepted, are gone.

“That’s not the case anymore,” he said. “If you can’t preach the gospel and be a kind and good bishop, then you need to leave. Tamayo has shown that he simply doesn’t care. This kind of stuff has been going on far too long in the Catholic Church and it has got to stop, and I think Pope Francis knows this.”

(Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

Ford to build Mexico plant

By TOM KRISHER ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — Ford Motor Co. plans to build a new $1.6 billion auto assembly plant in Mexico, creating about 2,800 jobs and shifting smallcar production from the U.S. at a time when moving jobs south of the border has become a major issue in the U.S. presidential campaign.

The company announced the plant in the San Luis Potosi state Tuesday without saying specifically what cars it will build there. But the United Auto Workers union has said Ford plans to shift production of the Focus compact and C-Max small gas-electric hybrid from suburban Detroit to Mexico, where the cars can be made at lower cost and more profitably.

The UAW’s new four-year contract with Ford, signed last year, guarantees new vehicles for the Wayne, Michigan, assembly plant and a $700 million investment that preserves the plant’s 3,924 jobs. Union members have said they expect the factory to get a new version of the Ranger small pickup and a new small SUV called the Bronco.

The announcement came on the day of the key Wisconsin primary and drew a strong response from Republican front-runner Donald Trump, who called Ford’s move “an absolute disgrace.” Trump has railed about corporate America moving jobs to Mexico to take advantage of what he calls a lopsided trade deal

Photo by Alan Diaz | AP file

In this Jan. 5, 2015, file photo, the Ford logo shines on the front grille of a 2014 Ford F-150, on display at a dealership in Hialeah, Fla. and has vowed to rewrite the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement, tax imports and punish U.S. companies including Ford.

Trump said in a statement that transactions like Ford’s will not happen when he is president. “Cheap goods are not cheap when you consider the cost of lower wages and higher unemployment,” he said, adding that he would enforce trade rules and reduce the incentive for companies to send business elsewhere.

In response, Ford highlighted its investments in the U.S., saying that the company spends more than 80 percent of its capital in the U.S. and has committed to spending another $8 billion to $9 billion in the next four years.

“Since 2011 we’ve invested over $10 billion in our facilities. We’ve hired over 25,000 people” in the U.S., CEO Mark Fields said last month at the New York auto show.

Auto and other manufacturing jobs having been moving south for years.

Mexican auto production more than doubled in the

past decade, and the consulting firm IHS Automotive expects it to rise another 50 percent to just under 5 million vehicles by 2022. U.S. production is expected to increase only 3 percent, to 12.2 million vehicles, in the next 7 years.

Joe Hinrichs, Ford’s president of the Americas, said Ford is a global company that builds cars where it makes the most financial sense. He confirmed new plant would build small cars starting in 2018. “We’ve talked about improving our small-car profitability and this is an important part of that,” he said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

Under the new UAW contract, Ford factory workers get about $60 per hour in wages and benefits, while auto workers in Mexico average about $8 per hour, according to the Center for Automotive Research, a Michigan industry think tank.

Trump began criticizing Ford last summer after the company said it planned to invest $2.5 billion in engine and transmission plants in Mexico. Hinrichs said the

timing of Tuesday’s announcement had nothing to do with the presidential race.

Trump hasn’t only targeted Ford. He has, for example, pledged to give up Oreos after Nabisco’s parent, Mondelez International, said it would shift production from Chicago to Mexico.

Other candidates have criticized trade deals such as NAFTA, but Trump has gone further. He’s threatened to slap a 45 percent tariff on Chinese imports, and pledged to tax auto parts and other equipment made in Mexico.

The U.S. has long been an open economy, and specific trade deals like NAFTA have not had a major effect on jobs, economists say. The huge wage gap between the U.S. and developing countries and the increasing use of machines to replace workers have had a far bigger impact.

Most of the cars built at Ford’s new Mexican plant would be sold in North America, with the bulk being exported to the U.S., the region’s largest market.

The decision was criticized by the UAW. “Companies continue to run to low-wage countries and import back into the United States. This is a broken system that needs to be fixed,” union President Dennis Williams said in a statement.

While Trump has singled out Ford, nearly all other automakers have Mexican assembly plants including General Motors.

Stocks end low, Disney slumps

By KEN SWEET ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks fell for a second day on Tuesday, as the head of the International Monetary Fund sounded downbeat on the outlook for the world economy.

Disney fell after the company’s expected successor to CEO Bob Iger announced he was leaving the company. Allergan plunged after the Treasury Department announced tax rules that would make its merger with Pfizer more difficult.

The Dow Jones industrial average fell 133.68 points, or 0.8 percent, to 17,603.32.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 20.96 points, or 1 percent, to 2,045.17 and the Nasdaq composite fell 47.86 points, or 1 percent, to 4,843.93.

Stocks opened lower and remained down all day. Investors moved into traditional areas of safety, including gold and U.S. government bonds.

The market is coming off a mul-

ti-week rally that erased nearly all of its losses from earlier in the year.

The yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 1.72 percent from 1.76 percent.

Gold rose $10.30 to $1,229.60 an ounce.

After last month’s big rally, investors are waiting to see how quarterly results from companies come in. Earnings season starts next week with Alcoa, the aluminum company, as well as the big banks like JPMorgan Chase.

“The market has been expected this quarter’s earnings to be lousy so if earnings come in better than expected, it might provide some support to the market,” said Scott Wren, senior global equity strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.

Christine Lagarde, the head of the IMF, warned in a speech that “the recovery remains too slow, too fragile.” She said the world economy isn’t in a crisis but that slow growth risks becoming ingrained as a

“new mediocre.” She noted the outlook for the next six months has weakened, suggesting the IMF may be revising its forecasts lower.

Lagarde’s comments helped cause European and Asian markets to close broadly lower.

Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 index lost 2.4 percent, hit hard by a rise in the yen.

South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.8 percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng sank 1.6 percent. In Europe, Germany’s DAX fell 2.6 percent, France’s CAC-40 fell 2.2 percent and the U.K.’s FTSE 100 fell 1.2 percent.

Among individual companies, Allergan fell $41, or 15 percent, to $236.55. The U.S. Treasury Department announced new tax rules to discourage what are known as corporate inversions, which is when a U.S. company mergers with a foreign company for tax purposes. Allergan was currently in the process of doing an inversion with U.S. drug giant Pfizer.

Shares of Pfizer rose 64

cents, or 2.1 percent, to $31.36.

Disney fell $1.68, or 1.7 percent, to $97. The media giant said late Monday that Tom Staggs, the heir apparent to the company’s current CEO, would depart. Iger said he plans to retire in 2018.

Benchmark U.S. crude edged up 19 cents to close at $35.89 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Brent crude, used to price international oils, rose 18 cents to close at $37.87 a barrel in London.

The euro inched down to $1.1385 from $1.1397, while the dollar fell to 110.49 yen from 111.26 yen.

In other energy commodities, heating oil fell 1 cent to $1.075 a gallon, wholesale gasoline was unchanged at $1.378 a gallon and natural gas fell 4 cents to $1.954 per thousand cubic feet.

In other metals trading, silver rose 17 cents to $15.12 an ounce and copper fell less than 1 cent to $2.138 a pound.

Photo by Richard Drew | AP file

In a Nov. 18, 2014 file photo, Halliburton Chairman, President and CEO David Lesar rings the New York Stock Exchange bell.

US expected to sue Halliburton

By ERIC TUCKER AND DAVID KOENIG ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Justice Department is expected to sue this week to stop Halliburton Co. from acquiring rival Baker Hughes Inc., according to a person familiar with the matter.

The person spoke on condition of anonymity Tuesday because the lawsuit had not yet been announced.

Representatives of Halliburton and Baker Hughes declined to comment.

The $35 billion deal would combine two of the world’s three leading providers of oilfield services to oil and gas companies and create a bigger rival to the industry leader, Schlumberger Ltd. Halliburton and Baker Hughes announced their plan to combine in November 2014, shortly after oil prices began to fall. Few, however, predicted the depth and duration of lower prices caused by a global oversupply of oil.

The glut has slowed demand for drilling services and crushed the stock price of both companies.

The Justice Department

indicated its concern about the acquisition in a lawsuit that it filed Monday against ValueAct Capital, a hedge fund that had bought more than $2.5 billion in stock of Halliburton and Baker Hughes.

The department said in the lawsuit that a Halliburton-Baker Hughes merger “threatens to substantially lessen competition in numerous markets.”

Some investors have questioned the deal for different reasons.

“The timing of the deal was not ideal and many shareholders have questioned the richness of the $19 per share cash component” and a long process to combine the two companies, Evercore analyst James C. West said in a note to clients.

Low oil prices have led oil and gas companies to seek price concessions from the services companies, which in turn have cut jobs. When Halliburton completes layoffs announced in February it will have eliminated about 26,000 jobs since its workforce peaked above 80,000 in 2014.

Halliburton shares rose 40 cents to close at $34.40.

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 2016