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124 pounds of cocaine seized from home Alleged renter arrested by federal, state agents By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S

Robin Jerstad / Texas Tribune

Former Crystal City Mayor Ricardo Lopez, who was indicted along with four of five city councilmen, was voted out of office Saturday.

State and federal authorities seized more than $1.5 million in narcotics at a home in Zapata over the weekend, an affidavit

states. Law enforcement also arrested Jose Manuel Alaniz for allegedly concealing the 124 pounds of cocaine at the property, states the criminal complaint filed Monday.

The arrest and seizure unfolded Friday. Drug Enforcement Administration special agents and the Texas Department of Public Safety conducted surveillance at a home at 105 Illinois St. The residence

was a suspected a stash house, the complaint alleged. Authorities met with a man who identified himself as Alaniz, the renter of the property. Alaniz denied Cocaine continues on A11

Mayor, BILLS COMING DUE FOR two city TROUBLED FOSTER CARE SYSTEM councilmen ousted by recall vote TEXAS

Three incumbents face federal charges By John MacCormack SA N A NT ONI O EX P R E SS-NEWS

After enduring months of scandal, conflict and harsh media attention, Crystal City voters spoke loudly Saturday, recalling three indicted City Council members and electing two new ones, all by landslide margins. Former Mayor Frank Moreno returned to the position he held almost two decades ago, gaining almost two-thirds of the vote in a three-way race. Newcomer Michele Ruiz also was easily elected to the council. The three incumbents targeted for recall — Mayor Ricardo Lopez and Councilmen Roy Mata and Marco Rodriguez, all facing federal charges — were swept out of office by crushing margins. “We were on a mission. We walked the streets. It was a long haul, and history was made here,” said Diana Jimenez, 67, one of the organizers of the recall attempt, which began in October but ultimately required a court order to succeed. “It was very embarrassing to look at all the media, but it’s not fair to say we’re all like that. There are a lot of good people in Crystal City,” she added. The low point for this low-income city 130 miles southwest of San Antonio came in February, when more than 80 federal agents and other police con-

ducted an early-morning raid, seizing documents and arresting city officials. Charged with bribery in a three-year FBI investigation were City Manager James Jonas III, Lopez, Councilmen Roy and Roel Mata, who are brothers, and former Councilman Gilbert Urrabazo. All were accused of taking money from people seeking favors or city business, and all five remain free on bail, awaiting trial. Councilman Joel Barajas, who was not charged and regularly found himself in the minority, remains on the council. Rodriguez, who was not named in the bribery investigation, had been charged earlier with human smuggling. He, too, awaits trial. The bribery arrests followed several years of political friction and council dysfunction, which included council members boycotting meetings and at times a heavy police presence in the council room. Much of the disruption was blamed on Jonas, a former high-flying lobbyist in Austin and Washington, D.C., who improbably reinvented himself in Crystal City as the combined city manager/city attorney, earning $216,000 a year. The reconstruction task that awaits the new council, which will meet for the first time next Tuesday, remains daunting if Recall continues on A11

Photo illustration by Todd Wiseman, Karolina Michalak, Felipe Hadler / Texas Tribune

In a December ruling, U.S. District Judge Janis Jack ordered the state to pay special masters to study ways to improve foster care over a six-month period.

State on the hook for costs of external review By Edgar Walters TEXAS TRIBUNE

Two special masters appointed by a federal judge to oversee reforms to the state’s embattled foster care system have begun visiting with state officials, and their recent two-and-a-

half-day orientation is projected to cost the state roughly $43,000, according to state officials. The cost of the meetings held April 25-27 are just the beginning of an openended tab for court-ordered oversight after U.S. District Judge Janis Jack

ruled last year that Texas’ long-term foster care system treated children inhumanely and violated their civil rights. In that December ruling, Jack ordered the state to pay special masters to study ways to improve foster care over a six-

month period. In March, Jack picked two special masters favored by children’s rights advocates: Francis McGovern, a Duke University law professor, and Kevin Ryan, a partner at the New Jersey nonprofit Public Catalyst, which Bills continues on A11

LAREDO COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Trustees undecided on president Board reaches no consensus on finalists By Philip Balli THE ZAPATA TIME S

Laredo Community College trustees could not reach a consensus Monday evening during a special-called meeting Solis Muñoz regarding the appointment of a new president between four finalists vyfor the institution. ing for the position. Trustees convened in The candidates and their executive session for about current jobs are: an hour-and-a-half, after 1 Anthony Cruz, vice preswhich, board president ident of enrollment manMercurio Martinez said agement and student afthere was absolutely no fairs at Sinclair Communiconsensus and no action ty College in Ohio was taken. 1 Robert Muñoz, vice presTrustees are currently

Cruz

Pedraja

ident of community and industry education at Tarrant County College District in Fort Worth 1 Luis Pedraja, provost and vice president for academic affairs at Antioch University in California 1 Ricardo Solis, dean of academic professional and

technical education at Gateway Community College in Arizona Martinez said trustees skyped with members of the National Association of Community Colleges, asking for their “guidance and advice.” “At the present time, we’re still in the negotiation stages,” Martinez said. Martinez was not able to provide a timeframe in which he expects a candidate will be chosen. Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, MAY 11

A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S

TAMIU Student Film Festival. 1:30–4:30 p.m. TAMIU’s Student Center Auditorium, room 236. Free and open to the public. 1 LEGO Robotics. 6:15–7:15 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Make a LEGO robot and program its movement. Duplo LEGO play available for toddlers. 1 Bible study. 7–9 p.m. Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, 8731 Belize Drive. Every Wednesday. The Word of God has the power to comfort, heal and change hearts. For more information, contact Norma Perez at 251-1784 or normalight1@gmail.com

Today is Wednesday, May 11, the 132nd day of 2016. There are 234 days left in the year.

Today's Highlight in History: On May 11, 1946, the first CARE packages, sent by a consortium of American charities to provide relief to the hungry of postwar Europe, arrived at Le Havre, France.

SATURDAY, MAY 14 1

Garden Club. 11 a.m.–12 p.m. Laredo Public Library – Calton, Multipurpose Room on the first floor. Come share gardening tips, tools and ideas. Keep Laredo Beautiful will be doing a free seed giveaway. Open to everyone. 1 LCC Rio Grande Arts Festival. 2–11 p.m. Fort McIntosh Campus. Free and open to the public. During the festival, local musical acts, artists, dancers, theater groups and filmmakers will showcase their talents and compete for the top spots in seven different arts-themed contests. 1 Laredo Philharmonic Concert. 7:30–9:30 p.m. TAMIU’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall.

Andrew D. Brosig / Tyler Morning Telegraph/AP

Kaylee Holleman, left, school board member Ted Mitchell and Karlee Hopkins plant shrubs in front of a home on Vandal Day of Service in Van, Texas, Tuesday.

PROGRESS IN YEAR AFTER TORNADO

SUNDAY, MAY 15

By Jacque Hilburn-Simmons

TYLER MORNING TELEGRAPH

MONDAY, MAY 16

VAN — School Superintendent Don Dunn’s eyes twinkle as he watches squealing elementary school children scamper around their new gym during physical education class. The structure, one of two completed in recent months, has a light, airy feel with gleaming striped wood floors and the faint aroma of fresh paint. There also is a spiffy new cafeteria, and across campus, efforts are underway to construct a shiny new school, a much

LCC Rio Grande Arts Festival. 2–8 p.m. Fort McIntosh Campus. Free and open to the public. During the festival, local musical acts, artists, dancers, theater groups and filmmakers will showcase their talents and compete for the top spots in seven different arts-themed contests.

Chess Club. Every Monday from 4–6 p.m. LBV – Inner City Branch Library. Free for all ages and skill levels. Basic instruction is offered. For more information call John at 956795-2400 x2520.

TUESDAY, MAY 17

larger version of the old one that was destroyed last spring. “It’s been a long year,” he said. “We’ve worked really hard to get where we are today.” This same time last year, a deadly EF3 tornado plowed through the Van Independent School District, wiping away entire portions of its elementary campus and damaging the administration building. The storm attacked the town with a vengeance on May 10, 2015, Mother’s Day, killing two people and injuring dozens more.

Knitting Circle. 1–3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and knitting needles. For more information, contact Analiza PerezGomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. 1 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 PerezGomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403. 1 Rock wall climbing. 4–5 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Free. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Must sign release form. For more information, contact John Hong at 795-2400 x2521.

WEDNESDAY, MAY 18

30-year-old cat is oldest in the world

Woman, estranged husband dead

Woman who was mauled by dogs dies

MANSFIELD — A Siamese cat born during President Ronald Reagan’s administration has been named by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest living cat. Guinness says Scooter celebrated his 30th birthday on March 26. He lives in Mansfield, Texas. Owner Gail Floyd tells Guinness he keeps busy by traveling and has visited 45 of the 50 states.

SAN ANTONIO — Officials say a gunman crashed his truck into an SUV driven by his estranged wife during a South Texas chase that ended when he fatally shot her, then himself. The man was chasing his wife and eventually crashed his pickup truck into the back of her SUV as she stopped near a grocery store. The man shot his spouse during an argument, then turned the gun on himself.

DALLAS — A woman mauled by a pack of dogs running loose in South Dallas has died a week after the attack. Antoinette Brown, 52, died Monday. She had been hospitalized since the May 2 mauling. Dallas police say animal control officers on Friday seized six dogs suspected in the attack as Brown was walking near a vacant lot. — Compiled from AP reports

On this date: In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor of New Netherland. In 1816, the American Bible Society was founded in New York. In 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union. In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded during a banquet at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. In 1935, the Rural Electrification Administration was created as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal programs. In 1945, the aircraft carrier USS Bunker Hill was attacked and severely damaged by two kamikaze aircraft off Okinawa; according to the U.S. Navy's website, 346 men were killed, 43 were left missing, and 264 were wounded. In 1953, a tornado devastated Waco, Texas, claiming 114 lives. In 1960, Israeli agents captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1973, the espionage trial of Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo in the "Pentagon Papers" case came to an end as Judge William M. Byrne dismissed all charges, citing government misconduct. In 1981, legendary reggae artist Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital at age 36. In 1985, 56 people died when a flash fire swept a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England. In 1996, an Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. Ten years ago: Lawmakers demanded answers after a USA Today report that the National Security Agency was secretly collecting records of millions of ordinary Americans' phone calls; President George W. Bush sought to assure Americans their civil liberties were being "fiercely protected." A priest was convicted in Toledo, Ohio, of murdering a nun; the Rev. Gerald Robinson was immediately sentenced to 15 years to life in prison for the 1980 death of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl. (Robinson died in a prison hospice in 2014 at age 76.) Former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson died in New Paltz, New York, at age 71. Five years ago: Former hedge fund titan Raj Rajaratnam was convicted by a federal jury in New York in an insider-trading case of five counts of conspiracy and nine of securities fraud. (Rajaratnam was sentenced to 11 years in prison.) Two earthquakes struck southern Spain in quick succession, killing at least nine people, injuring dozens and causing major damage to buildings.

LEGO Robotics. 6:15–7:15 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Make a LEGO robot and program its movement. Duplo LEGO play available for toddlers. 1 Bible study. 7–9 p.m. Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, 8731 Belize Drive. Every Wednesday. The Word of God has the power to comfort, heal and change hearts. For more information, contact Norma Perez at 251-1784 or normalight1@gmail.com

THURSDAY, MAY 19 1

Cancer Friends Meet. 6 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center, Tower A, 1st Floor. Having cancer is often one of the most stressful experiences in a person’s life. However, support groups help many people cope with the emotional aspects of cancer by providing a safe place to share their feelings and challenges and learn from others who are facing similar situations. For more information, call the A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center at 956-796-4725.

MONDAY, MAY 23 1

Chess Club. Every Monday from 4–6 p.m. LBV – Inner City Branch Library. Free for all ages and skill levels. Basic instruction is offered. For more information call John at 956795-2400 x2520.

TUESDAY, MAY 24 1

WEDNESDAY, MAY 25 1

LEGO Robotics. 6:15–7:15 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St.

One year ago: Joyce Hardin Garrard, the Alabama woman convicted of running her 9-year-old granddaughter, Savannah Hardin, to death as punishment for lying about candy, was sentenced by a judge in Gadsden to life in prison without the possibility of parole. The NFL came down hard on its biggest star and its championship team, suspending Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady for the first four games of the season, fining the New England Patriots $1 million and taking away two draft picks as punishment for deflating footballs used in the AFC title game.

AROUND THE WORLD Most of Canada’s oil sands production shut down by fire EDMONTON, Alberta — The majority of the oil sands industry has stopped production and will only start back up when it is “absolutely safe” but that should happen soon, Alberta’s premier said Tuesday after meeting with company officials to discuss the impact of a massive wildfire that destroyed more than 10 percent of the homes and buildings in Canada’s main oil sands city. Suncor chief executive Steve Williams, the head of Canada’s largest oil company, said about a million barrels a day went offline but said some of that has already started to come back. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said the massive oil sands mines north of Fort McMurray have not been damaged. But the wildfire that broke out a week ago has forced as much as a third of Canada’s oil

Rachel La Corte / The Canadian Press/AP

Fort McMurray, Alberta, fire chief Darby Allen speaks to members of the media at a fire station, Monday.

output offline and was expected to impact an economy already hurt by the fall in oil prices. Alberta’s oil sands have the third-largest reserves of oil in the world behind Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. Its workers largely live in Fort McMurray, a former frontier outpost-turnedcity whose residents come from all over Canada.

Notley said getting pipelines and electricity operational are priorities. She said getting production back online will be a matter of “days and short weeks.” “The majority of production has stopped, certainly not all of it, but the majority,” Notley said. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Uncle IDs kids killed by their dad HONOLULU — An uncle of two Hawaii children police say were shot to death by their father was given the grim task of identifying their bodies, police said Tuesday. “We were trying to avoid that,” Hawaii Police Capt. Robert Wagner said. “It’s a lasting impression.” But with limited dental records available — none for the

younger child — police asked their mother’s brother for help even though it would be traumatic for him, Wagner said. Police said they were 7-yearold Clara Hoffman and 5-yearold John Hoffman. Their father, John Ali Hoffman, remained held on $2.75 million bail and is also charged with murder in the death of his wife. Earlier, police used fingerprints to identify her as Aracely Hoffman, whose name before marriage was Aracely del Carmen Monroy Urruela. Docu-

Today's Birthdays: Comedian Mort Sahl is 89. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is 83. Jazz keyboardist Carla Bley is 80. Rock singer Eric Burdon (The Animals; War) is 75. Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo is 64. Actress Frances Fisher is 64. Actor Boyd Gaines is 63. Country musician Mark Herndon (Alabama) is 61. Actress Martha Quinn is 57. Country singer-musician Tim Raybon (The Raybon Brothers) is 53. Actor Tim Blake Nelson is 52. Actor Jeffrey Donovan is 48. Country musician Keith West (Heartland) is 48. Actor Nicky Katt is 46. Actor Coby Bell is 41. Cellist Perttu Kivilaaksois 38. Actorsinger Jonathan Jackson is 34. Rapper Ace Hood is 28. Musician Howard Lawrence (Disclosure) is 22. Thought for Today: "Life is 10 percent what you make it, and 90 percent how you take it." — Irving Berlin, American songwriter (born this date in 1888, died 1989).

CONTACT US ments found in their home show they were married in 2008, police said. John Hoffman called police early Friday saying three to four intruders entered the house and shot his wife, according to court documents. Officers who arrived about 1:30 a.m. saw Hoffman driving away in a car with headlights off. They pulled him over, saw a handgun in front passenger seat and blooding dripping from the trunk, police said. — Compiled from AP reports

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The Zapata Times

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 |

STATE

Rep. Cuellar prioritizes health of rural veterans S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Zapata, announced Tuesday the inclusion of language in the Fiscal Year 2017 House Military Construction and Veterans Affairs appropriations bill to increase telehealth options for veterans. The bill also includes the nearly $2.4 billion requested by the president for telehealth. Telehealth is the use of electronic and telecommunications technologies to support remote health care delivery. While in many cases veterans can access a medical office, this often does not extend to the specialty care they need or those who are in very rural areas or are infirm. Within the field of telehealth is telemedicine, which tends to refer specifically to health care services provided remotely via technologies such as the computer, phone or videoconferencing, although the terms are sometimes used interchangeably. The funds and language, which encourages the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to explore innovative ways to use telemedicine to care for rural and infirmed veterans, have to be passed by the full House and Senate before being sent to the President’s desk.

The VA strives to provide the care and services our country’s veterCuellar ans need close to home. Over the years it has implemented programs such as the Veterans Choice Program, which allows veterans who live more than 40 driving miles from the nearest VA medical facility to use local health care providers. With telemedicine, veterans can in some cases dial into a visit from home or videoconference with a VA health care specialist in a remote location from a VA health care facility. In 2015, the VA provided more than 2 million telehealth consultations to over 677,000 veterans, 45 percent of whom were in rural areas. For those veterans who cannot easily access a doctor’s office, Cuellar has embraced the adoption of new innovative technology and the possibilities of delivering highquality medical care through telemedicine. Telehealth can improve veterans’ access to care by increasing the ways veterans receive medical advice and reducing the time and cost of having to travel to receive care.

More than 3 dozen immigrants rescued from Edinburg stash house ASSOCIATED PRE SS

EDINBURG — Investigators say more than three dozen immigrants have been rescued from a South Texas stash house a few miles from the Mexican bor-

der. A Border Patrol statement Tuesday says a U.S. citizen and a Mexican national were arrested in the human smuggling investigation. Authorities say a traffic stop led to discovery

of the stash house in Edinburg where 37 people were located Monday afternoon. Border Patrol officials say the immigrants included three children from Mexico and Honduras. All of the individuals

were transported to the McAllen Border Patrol station for processing. Officials didn’t immediately provide information on charges against the two suspects or further details on the immigrants.

Texas lawmakers champion local control, to a point By David Warren ASSOCIATED PRE SS

DALLAS — Texas leaders have sued the federal government dozens of times, costing millions of dollars, for what they contend are policies that infringe on local control and states’ rights. But when cities across Texas have attempted to pass laws on issues from fracking bans to regulating ride-hailing companies, state lawmakers time and again have moved to quash those efforts, particularly when it’s believed they may hamper the state’s business climate. This week, lawmakers took aim at Austin voters who decided Saturday against overturning city requirements that include fingerprint-based background checks for ridehailing drivers. As a result, both Uber and Lyft suspended their Austin operations Monday. Republican state Sen. Charles Schwertner said in a statement that ridehailing companies “can no longer operate effectively through a patchwork of inconsistent and anti-

Stephen Spillman / AP

In a May 6 photo, Ryan Murphy and Lindsey Jones look for the Uber they requested on 4th Street in Austin, Texas.

competitive regulations.” “As a state with a long tradition of supporting the free market, Texas should not accept transparent, union-driven efforts to create new barriers to entry for the sole purpose of stifling innovation and eliminating competition,” said Schwertner, who pledged to bring legislation meant to legalize ride-hailing services statewide. Iowa on Monday adopted such a measure. Gov. Greg Abbott used a similar argument last year in responding to a ban on hydraulic fracturing passed by voters in

the North Texas town of Denton. The Republican signed a law barring local ordinances that prevent fracking and other oil and natural gas activities harmful to the environment unless they are deemed commercially reasonable. He said at the time that he was protecting private property rights from the “heavy hand of local regulation.” Abbott and some state lawmakers have criticized other municipal measures, too, such as small towns adopting sex-offender residency restrictions, Dallas’ efforts to

ban plastic bags and a Houston anti-discrimination measure. “Legally, they can do this to us, but the question is, should they?” asked Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League. Criticism of overreach by the federal government could hold true for state government, Sandlin said. “You’ve got larger governments micromanaging what we’re doing locally.” Sandlin said he doesn’t agree with those who contend that it’s not viable to have a “patchwork of regulation.” There are some cities, for instance, that may be comfortable with urban oil development, but there are others that aren’t. “Government closest to the people tends to be the most responsive,” he said. The tendency of state lawmakers to slap down local laws goes beyond Texas. The Arkansas Legislature has enacted a law aimed at preventing cities and counties from passing anti-discrimination measures that include sexual orientation or gender identity.

Zopinion A4 | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Putting grit in its place We all know why it exists, but the grade-point average is one of the more destructive elements in American education. Success is about being passionately good at one or two things, but students who want to get close to that 4.0 have to be prudentially balanced about every subject. In life we want independent thinking and risk-taking, but the GPA system encourages students to be deferential and risk averse, giving their teachers what they want. Creative people are good at asking new questions, but the GPA rewards those who can answer other people’s questions. The modern economy rewards those who can think in ways computers can’t, but the GPA rewards people who can grind away at mental tasks they find boring. People are happiest when motivated intrinsically, but the GPA is the mother of all extrinsic motivations. The GPA ethos takes spirited children and pushes them to be hard working but complaisant. The GPA mentality means tremendous emphasis has now been placed on grit, the ability to trudge through long stretches of difficulty. Influenced by this culture, schools across America are busy teaching their students to be gritty and to have “character” — by which they mean skills like selfdiscipline and resilience that contribute to career success. Angela Duckworth of the University of Pennsylvania is the researcher most associated with the study and popularization of grit. And yet what I like about her new book, “Grit,” is the way she is pulling us away from the narrow, joyless intonations of that word, and pointing us beyond the way many schools are now teaching it. Sure, she starts the book by describing grit as persevering through unpleasantness. She describes Beast Barracks, the physical ordeal that first-year West Point cadets have to endure. She writes about high school students who grind away at homework for hours and athletes capable of practicing in the most arduous way possible. And yet Duckworth notes that moral purpose also contributes to grit. People who are motivated more by altruism than personal pleasure score higher on grit scales. She also notes that having a hopeful temperament contributes to perseverance. Most important, she notes that the quality of our longing matters. Grit-

“

DAVID BROOKS

ty people are resilient and hardworking, sure. But they also, she writes, know in a very, very deep way what it is they want. This is a crucial leap. It leads to a very different set of questions and approaches. How do we help students decide what they want? How do we improve the quality and ardor of their longing? The GPA mentality is based on the supposition that we are thinking creatures. Young minds have to be taught self-discipline so they can acquire knowledge. That’s partly true, but as James K.A. Smith notes in his own book “You Are What You Love,” human beings are primarily defined by what we desire, not what we know. Our wants are at the core of our identity, the wellspring whence our actions flow. At the highest level, our lives are directed toward some telos, or vision of the good life. Whether we are aware of it or not, we’re all oriented around some set of goals. As David Foster Wallace put it in his Kenyon commencement address, “In the day-to-day trenches of adult life, there is actually no such thing as atheism. There is no such thing as not worshipping. Everybody worships.” Some worship money, or power or popularity or nursing or art, but everybody’s life is organized around some longing. The heart is both a driving engine and a compass. I don’t know about you, but I’m really bad at being self-disciplined about things I don’t care about. For me, and I suspect for many, hard work and resilience can only happen when there is a strong desire. Grit is thus downstream from longing. People need a powerful why if they are going to be able to endure any how. Duckworth herself has a very clear telos. As she defines it, “Use psychological science to help kids thrive.” Throughout her book, you can feel her passion for her field and see how gritty she has been in pursuing her end. Suppose you were designing a school to help students find their own clear end — as clear as that one. Wouldn’t you want to encourage students to be obsessive about worthy things? In such a school you might even de-emphasize the GPA mentality, which puts a tether on passionate interests. David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.

LETTERS POLICY Laredo Morning Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer's first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the

letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

OP-ED

Sanders still thinks he can win By Albert R. Hunt BL OOMBERG NEWS

Bernie Sanders is still telling supporters he can win the Democratic presidential nomination, but his practical goal is slighter: to win concessions on the party platform and nominating rules for future elections. Sanders, according to people close to him, realizes he’s not likely to be the nominee. He wants to leave a mark on the party and agenda without causing general-election problems for Hillary Clinton,

the presumptive nominee. He’s not interested, they say, in weighing in on her selection of a running mate. Sanders is running competitively in the biggest remaining primary state, California, and may do well in West Virginia on Tuesday and in Oregon on May 17. Clinton, already close to commitments from the majority of delegates, will be favored on June 7 in New Mexico and New Jersey, and will wrap up the contest soon. On the party platform, which usually is drafted

and then forgotten, both sides have reason to be flexible. Clinton needs the enthusiasm of Sanders supporters, who must feel they got something out of the contest. Yet she is wary of being accused of succumbing to unreasonable demands of a Vermont socialist. Sanders is likely to insist that at the party’s July convention in Philadelphia, the Democrats should declare a commitment to a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage. Clinton favors raising it to a lower figure from its

present level of $7.25. Sanders will look for expanded health care coverage, though he knows it will fall well short of the governmentrun universal insurance he has advocated. Those close to him also say he expects a bold climate-change plank and will push for a ban on fracking. Clinton is likely to resist that as it might hurt her in November in important states like Pennsylvania. Sanders wants a carbon tax, which Clinton will probably oppose.

OPINION

Thoughts on microphone thrusters Folks at small town newspapers for any length of time have been subjected to “microphone thrusters” at Friday night football games. Over the years, I have found that small town radio stations are faced with some of the same problems as country newspapers, principally a shortage of help that leads to a lot of double duty. And, despite some natural enmity, bred by the competitiveness to be the best news medium in your town, there comes a natural tendency to latch onto a little help from “the enemy” in certain situations. That enmity never seemed to spill over into real war. Some even conceded that helping each other out never seemed to be impeded by the competitiveness. Having never been eaten up with hearing my own voice, I was taken aback when, early on in my country newspaper career, broadcasters in little towns had no compunction about thrusting a microphone under my nose whenever the “need” struck them. At first, the idea of “aiding the ‘enemy’” was just a tad bothersome, but then when

you view it as a little free publicity and exposure on a competing medium, that somehow makes it palatable, particularly when they let me say, “And, you can re-live the game via a detailed description in The Ol’ Hometown News.” We didn’t have a radio station in my hometown. After two years of college, I returned to Ol’ Hometown to be the news editor of the weekly paper. Prior to my sitting in the editor’s chair there, I became acquainted with a guy who was in the furniture business but was signed up to record a play-by-play of the game and broadcast it via a neighboring town’s radio station on Saturday morning. We sat next to each other in the “press box” at the Friday night game and every so often J. Ernest would suddenly thrust the microphone under my nose with a “tell us what happened on that play, Willis.” He and I got to be pals,

and at each game, he seemed to rely more and more on commentary from me to help flesh out his broadcast. And, I learned to be ready with some descriptive and explanatory comments that began to seem quite natural, that is, after I learned to expect the mike at measured intervals, because J. Ernest’s voice would get tired. In another town in my nomadic newspaper meanderings, a station owner who’d mouthed derogatorily about my newspaper, found himself asking me to explain some play or another because, frankly, he didn’t know enough about football to be broadcasting play-by-play much less sensibly commenting on any aspect of the game. And, I had begun my career writing sports because I wanted to be the World’s Greatest Sportswriter, the next Grantland Rice, acknowledged as The Greatest in the first half of the 20th Century. Early on in my small town publishing career, I found that small town radio station owners had little detailed knowledge about the game…usually just enough to get by

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

calling the contest in a small market. And, many didn’t hesitate to call on almost anyone in the “press box” (a loose description in many little towns) to issue statements about the football game. Ultimately, I did publish in a couple of towns where the station owner/ manager hired someone knowledgeable enough to do play-by-play and also someone who could do analysis and commentary on the grid contest. Part of that was “moving on up” to markets that had a radio station that could do a game broadcast much more professionally and microphones were no longer thrust under my nose for quick commentary. And, just when I thought I’d become professional enough behind the mike to sound like a professional game analyst. Plus, no one ever paid me one thin dime for my “broadcast contributions.” Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor and publisher of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 |

INTERNATIONAL

Annulment in Brazil’s president impeachment drama is reversed By Jenny Barchfield and Mauricio Savarese A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS

RIO DE JANEIRO — The rollercoaster ride that is the impeachment process against President Dilma Rousseff took another hairpin turn Tuesday after the acting speaker of the lower chamber of Congress reversed his own decision from just hours earlier that would have plunged the process into uncertainty. The reversal by Waldir Maranhao put the impeachment process back on track, a day after he sparked chaos and sowed further discord among Brazil’s fractious political class by annulling an April 17 vote by the Chamber of Deputies for impeachment. The move had put in doubt a crucial vote on the matter that was scheduled in the Senate for Wednesday. Debate broke out over the legality of the move, and the head of the Senate declared he intended to ignore Maranhao’s annulment and move full steam ahead with the process. But late Monday, just over 12 hours after the initial announcement, Marahnao’s spokesman Marcos Alberto said the acting speaker had gone back on his decision, for unknown reasons. Such reversals are a staple of Brazilian politics, and the impeachment drama has been filled with such dramatic turns over the last several months. News reports suggested that Marahnao received extreme pressure from members of his Progressive Party who want to see Rousseff impeached. By Tuesday afternoon, leaders of several parties were discussing ways to remove Marahnao from his interim post, underscoring the cutthroat nature of Brazilian politics and high emotions over the

Silvia Izquierdo / AP

A demonstrator holds a sign that reads in Portuguese "Coup" during a protest against the impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Tuesday.

potential ouster of Rousseff. Maranhao took over the reins in the Chamber of Deputies after former Speaker Eduardo Cunha, who was the driving force behind the impeachment effort, was suspended over corruption and obstruction of justice allegations against him. Marahnao’s change of heart cleared the way to restore Wednesday’s vote in the Senate on whether to accept the impeachment case against Rousseff and put her on trial for allegedly breaking fiscal rules in her management of the national budget. If a simple majority of the country’s 81 Senators decides in favor, Rousseff

will be suspended and Vice President Michel Temer will take over until a trial is conducted. Maranhao had argued that the lower house vote last month was riddled with irregularities, including party leaders telling members how to vote. Maranhao had voted against impeachment. Rousseff supporters displayed their frustration on Tuesday, with rallies held in cities in more than a dozen states. Protesters occupied roads and highways, blocked university entrances and burned tires. In Vitoria, about 310 miles (500 kilometers) northeast of

Rio de Janeiro, one protester kicked and swung punches at three local journalists, who were treated for minor injuries. The attacks were caught on camera by Globo news. Police broke up crowds with tear gas, and said the man had been identified and would be arrested. In a last-ditch attempt to stop the process, the government appealed to the Supreme Federal Tribunal, the highest court, on the grounds that last month’s vote in the Chamber of Deputies was riddled with irregularities. While the possibility of court intervention is possible, by the full court or even an individual justice, so

far the court has mostly steered clear of direct involvement in the impeachment process. Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, visited Brazil’s Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski to express concerns with the process. Lewandowski replied that the country’s top court has so far ruled on the formalities of the proceedings, not on its merits. “It would be premature (for the Supreme Court) to make any declarations at this moment,” Lewandowski was quoted as saying on the court’s website. The political fight comes as Brazil is grappling with its worst recession in decades, a continuing corruption probe that already has ensnared top politicians and prominent businessmen, and an outbreak of the Zika virus. At the same time, the country’s showcase city, Rio de Janeiro, is gearing up to host the Olympics in August. Rousseff is battling impeachment over allegations that her government violated fiscal rules, in what critics say was a bid to artificially bolster the country’s flagging economy. Rousseff has said that prior presidents used such fiscal maneuvers and that the impeachment effort amounts to a “coup” aimed at removing her and her left-leaning Workers’ Party, which has governed the country for 13 years. Rousseff’s once-overwhelming public support has eroded with the onslaught of bad news, with her approval ratings dipping into the single digits in recent months. While polls have suggested broad public support for her impeachment, they have also pointed to widespread worry about who might replace her.

Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE STAAR El miércoles 11 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de ciencia a alumnos del 5o y 9o grados; igua lmente el de Algebra II. El jueves 12 de mayo se aplicará el examen STAAR de ciencias sociales a alumnos del 8o grado. El martes 21 de junio se volverá a aplicar el examen de matemáticas a los alumnos del 5 y 8 grados; el miércoles 22 de junio, se reaplicará el examen de lectura para alumnos del 5 y 8 grados. El 11 de julio se aplicará el examen de Inglés I y el 12 de julio el de Biología e Historia de EU. El 13 de julio se hará lo propio con Inglés II y el 14 de julio el de Algebra I. CONCURSO DE DIBUJO El Sistema DIF de Miguel Alemán, México, invita al quinto Concurso de Dibujo sobre Trabajo Infantil. Habrá dos categorías (Categoría A para niños y niñas de 6 a 12 años de edad; y, Categoría B, para niños y niñas de 13 a 17 años de edad). El dibujo se debe realizar en media cartulina blanca (35cm x 50cm), utilizar colores de madera, plumones, óleo, acuarela o colores de cera, y anexar en un sobre una descripción con una propuesta para eliminar las peores formas de trabajo infantil. La propuesta debe ser de dos a cuatro párrafos en letra de molde legible. Incluir al reverso del dibujo su título, nombre completo del participante (como indica el acta de nacimiento), edad, grado escolar, nombre de la escuela, teléfono, domicilio particular, y municipio. La fecha límite para entregar el trabajo es el 13 de mayo en las oficinas del DIF-Miguel Alemán, calle Puerto de Chetumal # 130 en la Colonia Jardines de San Germán. Más información llamando al 972-0155. CONSULADO MÓVIL El Consulado General de México informa que brindará el servicio de Consulado Móvil a los residentes del Condado de Duval, en el Civic Center de la ciudad de San Diego, Texas, ubicado en 510 E. Gravis Ave, de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m., el 14 de mayo. Se proporcionarán servicios básicos como expedición de Matrícula Consular (ID mexicana), Pasaporte, así como prestar asesoría legal y orientación al público en el ámbito de Protección. Además se llevará a cabo una Feria de Salud donde se proporcionarán algunos servicios de salud de manera gratuita (toma de glucosa, presión arterial, índice de masa corporal) y se proporcionará información sobre higiene dental, entre otros temas. Para mayor información comunicarse al teléfono (956) 723-0990 o través del Servicio Mexitel para hacer citas y solicitar requisitos, llamando al teléfono: 1-877-639-4835 Llamando desde Estados Unidos RELEVO POR LA VIDA El evento Relay For Life of Zapata County (Relevo por la vida del Condado de Zapata), se llevará a cabo en la Placita del Condado de Zapata sobre la Carretera 83 y calle 7a., de 6 p.m. a 12 a.m., el 20 de mayo. El tema será “Pinta tu mundo de morado”. REUNIÓN SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA La Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander celebrará su reunión el sábado 21 de mayo a las 2 p.m. en el Zapata County Museum of History. Los oradores invitados para esta ocasión son Del & Marsha Shumway, así como Viqui Uribe, con el tema “Búsqueda Familiar” (Family Search). MEMORIAL DAY La Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Zapata anuncia que el lunes 30 de mayo las oficinas permanecerán cerradas por la celebración de Memorial Day.

JOAQUÍN ‘EL CHAPO” GUZMÁN

Procedería extradición Por E. Eduardo Castillo ASSOCIATED PRE SS

CIUDAD DE MÉXICO — Un juez federal consideró procedente la extradición del líder narcotraficante Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán a Estados Unidos, con lo cual se avanzó un paso más en un proceso que aún debe tener el aval de la cancillería mexicana. El juez consideró que se cumplieron los requisitos legales en el tratado de extradición entre México y Estados Unidos, informó el lunes en un comunicado el Joaquin Consejo de la “El Chapo” Judicatura FederGuzman al. Loera La decisión judicial se anunció dos días después de que el hombre considerado como líder del cartel de Sinaloa fuera transferido a una prisión cerca de la frontera con Texas y desatara especulaciones sobre si el movi-

Foto por Raymundo Ruiz | Associated Press

Elementos del Ejército Mexicano realizan guardia afuera del Cefereso No. 9 en las afueras de Ciudad Juárez, México, el lunes. El líder del Cartel de Sinaloa, Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, fue transferido durante el fin de semana al citado penal.

miento tendía que ver con su posible entrega al país vecino del norte, algo que rechazó el gobierno. La cancillería tiene ahora 20 días para determinar si concede o no la extradición de Guzmán y luego la defensa del capo aún puede interponer un juicio de amparo para intentar frenar su envío, lo cual puede retrasar

semanas o incluso meses su posible entrega a las autoridades de Estados Unidos. La procuradora general de Estados Unidos, Loretta Lynch, dijo el lunes que no es posible decir cuándo podría ocurrir la extradición y que tampoco se ha determinado en qué jurisdicción sería procesado. “No puedo darle un cronogra-

INMIGRACIÓN

ma o una predicción de cuándo podría ocurrir”, dijo la funcionaria a periodistas en Estados Unidos. El narcotraficante enfrenta acusaciones de siete fiscalías federales en Estados Unidos, incluidas las de Chicago, Nueva York, Miami y San Diego. Guzmán fue notificado de la determinación del juez la noche del domingo en la nueva prisión en que se encuentra, dijo a The Associated Press una autoridad judicial, no autorizada a ser identificada por políticas internas que le impiden dar detalles de los procesos en curso. Analistas coincidieron el fin de semana en que no habría ningún vínculo entre el cambio de cárcel y el proceso de extradición. “No reubican de antemano a alguien... El no fue reubicado en Juárez para echarlo al otro lado de la frontera”, dijo el domingo a la AP Michael Vigil, ex jefe de operaciones internacionales de la agencia antidrogas estadounidense (DEA, por sus siglas en inglés).

ELECCIONES 2016

MIGRACIÓN DE MENORES

Expulsan candidatos Cancelan registro TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Foto por Bob Owen / San Antonio Express-News

Marlen Gonzalez, madre de Jennifer Gonzalez, de 4 años, de Guatemala, ha permanecido en el Albergue Senda de Vida en Reynosa, México, durante tres meses, sanando de las heridas de un accidente automovilístico en el que estuvieron involucradas durante su intento por cruzar la frontera a los EU.

Detienen a miles de centroamericanos Por Aaron Nelsen SAN ANTONIO EXPRE SS-NEWS

Nota el Editor: Esta es la primera de dos historias relacionadas a inmigrantes indocumentados y su travesía para cruzar a EU. REYNOSA — Merlen González se situó entre dos filas de literas vacías, mirando como su hija jugaba en el suelo del refugio para inmigrantes. Después de tres meses, González, de 21 años, había perdido la cuenta de las madres y los niños que habían ocupado brevemente las camas del refu-

gio. Tarde o temprano, todos unieron sus destinos a un contrabandista con la promesa de un paso seguro a Texas, mientras que González se quedó atrás. Había confiado en un contrabandista que perdió el control de una camioneta repleta de inmigrantes. Varias personas murieron en el accidente y su hija de 4 años de edad, Jennifer, resultó herida cuando salió expulsada del vehículo. La imagen de verla caer y dar vueltas en una carretera de Tamaulipas quedó grabada en

su memoria. “No podemos regresar, porque no hay nada para nosotros en Guatemala, pero tengo miedo de seguir adelante”, dijo González, cuya hija se está recuperando de las lesiones que incluían una herida en el brazo. Más de 32.000 familias de inmigrantes, la mayoría de ellos procedentes de los países del Triángulo del Norte, conformado por El Salvador, Guatemala y Honduras, fueron detenidos entrando ilegalmente a los EU entre octubre y marzo.

COLUMNA

Nombre de plaza genera polémica Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Nota del Editor: Toda ciudad posee rincones modestos. Estos a veces guardan verdaderos secretos. Una pequeña plaza de forma triangular, con escasos metros cuadrados, es escenario donde ocurre escándalo que sacude la vida política de Tamaulipas. Se ubica a las puertas del viejo casco de Tampico, México, y frente a ella, las calles Altamira y Álvaro Obregón desembocan en la avenida Hidalgo. Cuando crean la plaza la denominan 5 de Mayo, como homenaje al triunfo obtenido en Puebla sobre invasores

franceses. Por la época de que hablamos, el área luce embellecida con prados y plantas de ornato. En la parte central funciona magnífica fuente. Recién concluida, sostiene en lo alto un globo terráqueo. Durante la mañana, el domingo 20 de noviembre de 1927, el presidente Tomás R. Morales, inaugura el nuevo conjunto recreativo. A cargo del mensaje oficial, el regidor Francisco H. Mattar anuncia “que en lo sucesivo el jardín y la fuente inaugurados llevarán el nombre de El Mundo”, periódico que financia las obras. El gobernador tamaulipeco Emilio Portes Gil, se molesta

porque ese órgano de prensa, “que […] publica artículos injuriosos y groseros de Nemesio García Naranjo, de (José) Vasconcelos y de otros escritores”, textos “en que se insulta a la Revolución Mexicana y se calumnia al presidente de la República, es indigno” del proyectado honor remarca en un telegrama. Peor aún, él considera intolerable quitarle al espacio recreativo la denominación que recuerda “una fecha gloriosa para nuestra patria”. Los municipios renuncian al polémico nombre y subsiste como “la plaza del 5 de Mayo”. (Con permiso del autor, publicado en La Razón, el 15 de abril)

Tres candidatos del PRI, quienes buscaban la presidencia municipal de igual número de ciudades en Tamaulipas, fueron expulsados al existir presuntos vínculos con la delincuencia organizada. En un comunicado de prensa emitido durante el fin de semana, el líder del Partido Revolucionario Institucional, Manlio Fabio Beltrones, informó que se procederá a la cancelación del registro ante autoridades electorales de los aspirantes a las alcaldías de Aldape Hidalgo, Mainero y Villagrán, México. “Los tres candidatos que fueron amenazados o comprados por el crimen en Tamaulipas, y que hemos decidido expulsar, Estrella apoyan abiertamente al PAN”, dijo Beltrones durante un evento en Tampico, México. “El PRI no se prestará para dar votos a quienes Zúñiga ceden o están coludidos con el crimen. Los abanderados del PRI eran Reyes Zúñiga Vázquez, para la presidencia municipal de Hidalgo; Gustavo Estrella Cabrera para Villagrán; y, Luis Cesáreo Aldape Lerma, para Mainero. Beltrones también conminó a los demás partidos políticos a actuar en consecuencia y quitarle el registro a aquellos candidatos que no se identifiquen con lo que quieren los tamaulipecos que es la paz y la tranquilidad. De acuerdo con el reporte del PRI, los tres candidatos fueron amenazados o comprados por los delincuentes “para que se pusieran al lado de ellos”. “No queremos tener ningún contubernio con la delincuencia”, agregó Beltrones. “Actuaremos igual en cualquier caso que se presente en todos los estados”. Igualmente sostuvo que el partido preferirá carecer de candidato en las tres ciudades mencionadas. “Preferimos no tener candidatos en ninguno de esos tres municipios a concederles un voto de legitimidad a los 'malos' que están atrás de ellos", concluyó.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 |

BOXING

Boxing's next big fight All signs point to Canelo Alvarez taking on Gennady Golovkin By Tim Dahlberg A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

LAS VEGAS — The good news for boxing fans is the fight they really want to see may actually happen before they grow too old to enjoy it. Even better news is that it has nothing to do with Floyd Mayweather Jr., or newly elected Filipino senator Manny Pacquiao. Circle the date of Alvarez Sept. 17, but don't plan on buying tickets just yet. This is boxing, after all, and a ton of good fights that should Golovkin have happened never have. Still, Canelo Alvarez says he wants it. Count Gennady Golovkin in, too. Two big sluggers with one loss between them for all the middleweight titles they can bring to the ring. "It's one of those fights we can make," said Tom Loeffler, who promotes Golovkin. "Clearly it's the biggest fight that can be made in boxing and it seems pretty clear Canelo wants the fight." That was evident Saturday night when Alvarez

David Becker / Getty Images

After Canelo Alvarez recently knocked out Amir Khan during a WBC middleweight title fight, his focus has shifted to unbeaten fighter Gennady Golovkin, also known as Triple G.

laid out Amir Khan with a vicious right hand, then used the same hand to motion Golovkin, who was watching at ringside, to get in the ring himself. Another interested observer at ringside was Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who would like nothing better than to steal a big fight from Vegas and fill his stadium for the biggest fight since Mayweather and Pacquiao put on a snoozefest last May. "I invited him personally," said Oscar De La

WNBA: DALLAS WINGS

Hoya, who promotes Alvarez. "That's how seriously he takes getting a Canelo fight." Up until Alvarez landed the right hand that flattened Khan and then called out Triple G it seemed like the fight was not going to happen, at least anytime soon. Alvarez is De La Hoya's biggest attraction, and the word among boxing insiders was that he didn't want to risk him in a fight against Golovkin, who has walked through everyone who has gotten in

the ring with him. There also was an issue with weight. Alvarez holds a middleweight title, but fought at a catch weight of 155 pounds against Khan. Golovkin says any title fight he has will be at the 160-pound middleweight limit. But Alvarez and De La Hoya now say weight is not an issue. And the invitation by Alvarez for Golovkin to join him in the ring after the Khan fight dispelled any notion that he wasn't eager to fight.

"I invited him because I'm not afraid," Alvarez said. "And I wanted to prove to him I'm not afraid." De La Hoya reached out to Loeffler on Sunday, and the two planned to begin negotiations Tuesday. Loeffler said he and De La Hoya worked together for Golovkin's fight with David Lemieux last October, and will have no issues working together for a Sept. 17 fight. Adding to the pressure to make the fight is the mandate by the WBC that

Alvarez come to an agreement to fight Golovkin within 15 days of the Khan fight or he will be stripped of the title. "I'm pretty sure we can make a deal," Loeffler said. "There was absolutely no reason for Canelo to invite Gennady into the ring the other night unless he really wanted the fight." The fight should prove attractive, even to casual fans who felt burned by paying $100 to watch Mayweather and Pacquiao in the richest fight ever. It won't do the record 4.6 million pay-perview buys that fight generated, but should do good enough numbers to make both fighters millions. Both fighters are knockout artists, so there is little risk that the fight will be tough to watch like Mayweather-Pacquiao was. "Everyone knows with Gennady's style and Canelo's style people aren't going to be disappointed with the action in the ring," Loeffler said. "They are two machismo warriors." Indeed, it's a fight that sounds almost too good to be true. And, unlike Mayweather-Pacquiao it won't take five years go make. Remember, though, it's still boxing. And that means don't count on it happening until the tickets actually go on sale.

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE: DALLAS STARS

Wings ready How the Stars fought for debut back to force Game 7 By Stephen Hawkins By Mike Heika

A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

ARLINGTON — Plenette Pierson has now been part of all three versions of the three-time WNBA champion franchise that is now called the Dallas Wings. Pierson, who has played in the league 13 years, has two championship rings from her five seasons with the Detroit Shock (2005-09). The 6-foot-2 post player was an All-Star for the first time last season when she rejoined the Shock for the franchise’s final year in Tulsa before it became the first WNBA team in Dallas-Fort Worth. “This is the best market, I think, for the WNBA,” said Pierson, a Texas native who played at Texas Tech. “Just expanding our brand, we want this league to be sustainable, and I think being in Dallas makes this league sustainable.” In its 20th season, the WNBA has made it to North Texas. The Wings will play on a college campus only about two miles from the home stadia of the Dallas Cowboys and Texas Rangers, and about 20 miles from downtown Dallas, where the NBA’s Mavericks play. The 7,000-seat arena on the University of Texas-Arlington campus is halfway between Dallas and Fort Worth, an area with 7 million residents.

Tony Gutierrez / AP

Plenette Pierson and the Wings play Saturday.

One of the guards is third-year player Odyssey Sims, who before being an All-American at Baylor played at nearby Irving MacArthur High. There hasn’t been a high-profile women’s professional basketball team in the area since Olympian and Hall of Famer Nancy Lieberman played for the Dallas Diamonds in their two seasons in the Women’s Professional Basketball League (1979-81). Lieberman was also on Dallas’ team for its lone season in the Women’s American Basketball Association in 1984. The Wings will play their first three games on the road before the home opener May 21 against the WNBA’s other Texas team, the San Antonio Stars. The Detroit Shock was one of the WNBA’s first expansion teams in 1998, and won league titles in 2003, 2006 and 2008.

ST. LOUIS - This series deserves a Game 7. From the intriguing battle of different styles, to the entertaining chatter between the two coaches, to the surges in momentum almost too fast to comprehend, this battle between the Stars and Blues has come to one final game. Dallas grabbed a 3-2 win at Scottrade Center on Monday - the fourth win for a road team in the second round series - and created the need for Game 7 Wednesday at American Airlines Center. "This feels right," said defenseman Jason Demers. "I think this series should go seven games. We’re definitely happy to be going there." The Stars should be happy. They survived a huge push from the Blues and got Kari Lehtonen’s best game of the playoffs. The veteran goalie came up with 35 saves, including 26 in the second two periods when the Stars were sitting in a shell trying to defend a 3-0 lead. "It’s so hard when you do that, because it’s a good and bad thing to be up that quick," Stars center Jason Spezza said. "It’s like the Minnesota game. You tell yourself to not sit on it, but they start pushing hard and you don’t

Dilip Vishwanat / Getty Images

The Dallas Stars won in St. Louis on Monday night 3-2 forcing a deciding Game 7 of their Western Conference Semifinal matchup with the Blues.

want to make a mistake, and it just happens." Dallas got up 4-0 in Game 6 against the Wild in the first round, and then had to hold on for a 4-3 win. It was frantic, and the Stars said they would learn from it. "You think you do," Demers said. "And then you get out there and see what the other team is trying to do." Dallas scored goals 20 seconds apart in the first period and grabbed a 3-0 lead after the opening 20 minutes. The Stars were aggressive at counterattacking and creating chances. Valeri Nichushkin hit Mattias Janmark with a stretch pass for the first goal, and then Colton

Sceviour found Vernon Fiddler at the net for a tip in. It was a bang-bang start fueled by depth players and hunger. "You have to get scoring throughout the lineup," said Fiddler, who scored on his 36th birthday with his parents in the crowd. "We all want to contribute, and we all need to contribute." Spezza then added his fifth playoff goal as he scored on the power play. It was only the second man advantage tally for the Stars in this series, and it proved to be the game-winning goal. That’s because the Stars went into a defensive shell and put just seven shots on goal for the remainder

of the game. The Blues poured on a relentless attack and cut the lead to 3-2 with 11:01 remaining in the third period, but couldn’t get the tying goal. Now, they get what they wanted - a Game 7 at home. Dallas won home ice away from St. Louis on the last day of the regular season, so this is the reward for that accomplishment. "We haven’t been a good team with a threegoal lead . even with a four goal lead," Ruff jokingly said in reference to the Minnesota game. "We’re a team that’s still learning. A lot of players, this is their first kick at this. I think we’ll be better in Game 7."

A8 | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL

Debate over transgender bathroom access spreads nationwide, back to Texas By David Crary A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

There was a showdown in Houston last fall. This spring, North Carolina became the battleground. By now, confrontations have flared across the country over whether to protect or curtail the right of transgender people to use public restrooms in accordance with their gender identity. The upshot, in virtually every case, has been emotional debate over privacy, personal safety and prejudice. Many of those who favor limiting transgender rights contend that expanding anti-bias protections to bathrooms and locker rooms raises the risk of sexual predators exploiting the laws to molest women and girls on those premises. Transgender-rights advocates consider this argument malicious and false. They say that 18 states and scores of cities have experienced no significant public safety problems linked to their existing laws allowing transgender people to use bathrooms based on the gender they consider themselves to be. On Monday, the U.S. Justice Department weighed in, suing to overturn North Carolina’s new law restricting transgender bathroom access and warning that any similar measures elsewhere in the country could also face challenges on grounds they violate federal nondiscrimination rules. North Carolina has sued to keep the law in place. Washington state is among the many jurisdictions with ongoing debate over bathroom access. Conservative activ-

ists are gathering signatures with hopes of putting a measure on the November ballot that would override state and local protections against gender-identity discrimination in public accommodations and require public schools to restrict transgender students’ bathroom and locker room access. “Stand with us as we stand to protect women and children from this dangerous rule,” says a group pushing the ballot measure, in its online appeal for volunteers and donations. The group is called Just Want Privacy, reflecting the view that opposition to the laws goes beyond safety concerns for some. Among those supporting the current rules and opposing the ballot initiative is John Lovick, former sheriff of Snohomish County. “We’ve protected gay and transgender people from discrimination in Washington for 10 years, with no increase in public safety incidents as a result,” he said. “It’s important to remember that indecent exposure, voyeurism, and sexual assault, are already illegal, and police use those laws to keep people safe.” A current sheriff, John Urquhart of the Seattle area’s King County, also defends the existing law. “I’m the father of two daughters. I’m not concerned,” he says. On the other side of the country, similar arguments are percolating in Massachusetts, which — despite its liberal tendencies — is not among the states banning discrimination against transgender people in restrooms and other public accommodations.

Joyce Marshall / Fort Worth Star-Telegram/AP

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick talks to the media before a FWISD Board meeting in Fort Worth, Tuesday.

A bill to do that is advancing through the state legislature this spring. The state’s Republican governor, Charlie Baker, has not committed to signing the bill if it reaches his desk but has said he opposes discrimination in any form. To assuage critics who say male sexual predators might take advantage of the proposed change by claiming to identify as female, language has been added to the House version of the bill to allow legal action against anyone who makes an “improper” claim of gender identity. Some critics of the bill were unimpressed by the addition, citing concerns about privacy. “It still offers no protections to women and children who don’t want to be eyed by or exposed to naked men in locker rooms or other intimate spaces,” said Jonathan Alexandre, legal counsel for the Massachusetts Family Institute. In South Carolina, lawmakers considered — but did not approve — a bill that would have required transgender people to use public bathrooms

based on their biological sex. In opposing the bill, Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said it addressed “a nonissue.” Elsewhere, the bathroom debate has flared on the local level. In the Dallas suburb of Rockwall, city councilors rejected the mayor’s push to block transgender people from using the public bathrooms of their choice. In Oxford, Alabama, the city council approved such a restriction, complete with criminal penalties, then repealed it a week later. The issue jumped into the spotlight last fall, after the Houston City Council adopted a wide-ranging nondiscrimination ordinance that included protections for transgender people using restrooms based on gender identity. Opponents of the ordinance gathered enough signatures for a repeal referendum, then mounted a campaign using the slogan “No Men in Women’s Bathrooms.” By a margin of 61 percent to 39 percent, the anti-bias ordinance was repealed. In March, the North Carolina legislature — reacting to a Houstonstyle nondiscrimination

ordinance adopted by the city of Charlotte — hastily passed a law which limits protections for LGBT people and requires transgender people to use public bathrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificate. The law has been assailed by gayrights groups, businesses, sports leagues and entertainers, and is now the subject of the dueling state and federal lawsuits. Among those defending the new law is Phil Berger, Republican leader of the state Senate, who contends that the Charlotte ordinance was dangerous. “Ill-intentioned, nontransgender individuals, some with criminal pasts, have used similar ordinances elsewhere in the country to gain legal access to changing facilities

and bathrooms of minors of the opposite sex,” Berger wrote in an April 19 letter to business executives. Asked for examples of such cases, Berger’s office provided links to a few recent news articles. One concerned a man who reportedly entered a women’s locker room in a Seattle park, started undressing and said, when asked to leave, “The law has changed and I have a right to be here.” The man eventually left after being confronted by park employees; no charges were filed. Other cases cited by Berger and his allies involve voyeurs and peeping toms who tried to film or photograph women in restrooms or dressing rooms.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 |

BUSINESS

THE MARKET IN REVIEW STOCK EXCHANGE HIGHLIGHTS

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Senators to airlines: Drop bag fees to shorten airport lines By David Koenig A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

DALLAS — Two U.S. senators say one way to reduce long airport security lines this summer is for airlines to drop their fees on checking luggage. It’s the latest suggestion for dealing with what could be a hellish summer at the nation’s airports. Airlines are already warning passengers to arrive at least two hours early to get through security and catch their flights. Massachusetts Democrat Edward Markey and Connecticut Democrat Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday they asked executives at 12 airlines to drop checked-bag fees this summer. The senators say suspending the fees won’t eliminate lines but it’s a start. A spokeswoman for the nation’s largest airlines called the senators’ proposal a misguided attempt to re-regulate airlines and warned it could make airline travel more expensive — fares would rise to offset the loss of income from fees. Jean Medina of Airlines for America said it would be better if the Transportation Security Administration had more staffing at the busiest airports and encouraged more travelers to sign up for PreCheck, a program that lets known travelers zip through security faster without removing shoes, belts, jackets and laptops. Last week her group encouraged travelers to post pictures of long lines on social media with the hashtag (hash)IHateTheWait. Bag fees have grown rapidly since 2008, when American Airlines became the first big carrier to charge for checking even one bag. It was a tool that the then-financially troubled industry used to deal with rising fuel prices. Since then, fuel prices have fallen and airlines have earned record profits. The bag fees have remained; they brought in $3.8 billion last year, according to government figures. Many passengers avoid the fees by carrying more luggage on the plane, leading to competition for limited space in the overhead bins. Markey and Blumenthal said the TSA told them that passengers using checkpoints near airlines that charge bag fees have 27 percent more rolling carry-on bags. Medina, the industry spokeswoman, said her group has seen no data to support the TSA’s claim. TSA declined to comment. Long lines aren’t limited to airports where the main airlines charge bag fees. Recently passengers tweeted pictures of long TSA lines at Baltimore and other airports that are dominated by Southwest Airlines, which does not charge for the first two bags. Spokesmen for American and Delta Air Lines said their airlines were loaning workers to help TSA with non-screening duties like handling bins and managing the lines at checkpoints and even offering recommendations for redesigning checkpoints for better flow.

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MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) MOST ACTIVE ($1 OR MORE) Name

Dow Jones industrials

Prime Rate Discount Rate Federal Funds Rate Treasuries 3-month 6-month 5-year 10-year 30-year

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Last Chg%Chg Name

GenesisHlt 2.03 -.63 -23.7 NewLink StonegtMtg 4.19 -.62 -12.9 Hardinge InvenSense 6.22 -.87 -12.3 SolarCity ChesGranW 2.20 -.30 -12.0 PRA Grp DxSPOGBr s 7.96 -1.07 -11.8 FiestaRst Gap 19.30 -2.51 -11.5 Arotech LendingClb 4.10 -.52 -11.3 ZebraT PrUShBrz s 31.40 -3.77 -10.7 ApldOptoel PumaBiotc 21.87 -2.62 -10.7 Omeros DemndMda 5.65 -.61 -9.7 ArgosTher

LendingClb ChesEng BkofAm NokiaCp ValeantPh Gap Vale SA GenElec WeathfIntl FrptMcM

STOCK MARKET INDEXES 52-Week High Low

NASDAQ

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DAILY DOW JONES

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Yld

Last

AT&T Inc AEP BkofAm B iPVixST Caterpillar ChesEng CCFemsa CmtyHlt ConocoPhil Dillards DirDGldBr EmpIca ExxonMbl FordM GenElec HP Inc HomeDp iShJapan iShEMkts Intel IntlBcsh

1.92 2.24 .20 ... 3.08 ... 1.23 ... 1.00 .28 ... ... 3.00 .60 .92 .50 2.76 .13 .84 1.04 .58

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16 39.31 23 65.05 11 14.30 ... 14.84 18 72.51 ... 4.30 ... 83.11 10 14.09 ... 42.87 10 68.05 ... 1.46 ... .73 29 89.99 6 13.49 39 30.48 11 11.61 25 137.51 ... 11.82 ... 33.03 13 30.14 13 26.10

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Name

Div

Yld

IBM LendingClb Lowes Lubys MetLife MexicoFd Microsoft Modine NokiaCp Penney S&P500ETF SanchezEn Schlmbrg SearsHldgs SonyCp UnionPac USSteel UnivHlthS VanEGold WalMart WellsFargo

5.60 ... 1.12 ... 1.60 1.81 1.44 ... .16 ... 4.13 ... 2.00 ... ... 2.20 .20 .40 .12 2.00 1.52

3.7 ... 1.5 ... 3.6 ... 2.8 ... 3.0 ... 2.0 ... 2.7 ... ... 2.6 1.2 .3 .5 2.9 3.1

Last

YTD Chg %Chg

11 149.97 +2.63 +9.0 46 4.10 -.52 -62.9 23 76.99 +1.15 +1.2 ... 5.05 +.06 +13.0 11 43.91 +.99 -8.9 ... 17.00 +.11 +2.3 36 51.02 +.95 -8.0 ... 10.50 +.20 +16.0 ... 5.31 -.38 -24.4 ... 8.09 -.34 +21.5 ... 208.45 +2.56 +2.2 ... 8.36 -.11 +94.0 27 74.26 +1.49 +6.5 ... 13.47 -.21 -34.5 ... 24.77 +.84 +.7 16 86.10 +1.47 +10.1 ... 16.61 +.38 +108.1 19 135.05 -.02 +13.0 ... 24.40 +.88 +77.8 15 68.79 -.16 +12.2 12 49.40 +.52 -9.1

Stock Footnotes: g=Dividends and earnings in Canadian dollars .h= Doe not meet continued- listings tandards lf = Late filing with SEC. n = New in past 52 weeks. pf = Preferred. rs = Stock has undergone a reverse stock split of at least 50 percent within the past year. rt = Right to buy security at a specified price. s = Stock has split by at least 20 percent within the last year. un = Units. vj = In bankruptcy or receivership. wd = When distributed. wi = When issued. wt = Warrants. Mutual Fund Footnotes: b = Fee covering market costs is paid from fund assets. d = Deferred sales charge, or redemption fee. f = front load (sales charges). m = Multiple fees are charged. NA = not available. p = previous day’s net asset value. s = fund split shares during the week. x = fund paid a distribution during the week. Source: The Associated Press. Sales figures are unofficial.

3.50 3.50 1.00 1.00 .25-.50 .25-.50 0.23 0.34 1.21 1.76 2.61

0.19 0.38 1.25 1.80 2.66

Australia Britain Canada Euro Japan Mexico Switzerlnd

Last

Pvs Day

1.3592 1.4435 1.2927 .8795 109.30 18.0018 .9757

1.3662 1.4411 1.2965 .8780 108.48 18.1170 .9709

British pound expressed in U.S. dollars. All others show dollar in foreign currency.

MUTUAL FUNDS Name AB GlbThmtGrA m Columbia ComInfoA m Eaton Vance WldwHealA m Fidelity Select Biotech d Fidelity Select BrokInv d Fidelity Select CommEq d Fidelity Select Computer d Fidelity Select ConsFin d Fidelity Select Electron d Fidelity Select FinSvc d Fidelity Select SwreITSvcs d Fidelity Select Tech d T Rowe Price SciTech Vanguard HlthCare Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m

Total Assets Obj ($Mlns) NAV WS 474 83.30 ST 2,601 52.93 SH 904 11.24 SH 10,357 169.38 SF 334 59.21 ST 172 27.02 ST 383 63.51 SF 93 11.92 ST 1,416 70.50 SF 1,110 82.46 ST 3,209 120.69 ST 2,922 114.70 ST 2,957 33.10 SH 11,031 202.38 ST 2,983 12.29

Total Return/Rank 4-wk 12-mo 5-year -0.8 -9.4/D +1.1/E -4.3 -1.9/B +9.2/B +1.7 -7.7/B +14.9/D -3.8 -27.6/E +20.8/A +4.7 -18.0/E +5.2/D -2.5 -13.6/E +0.3/E -6.2 -18.6/E +3.7/E +6.1 -7.9/C +10.7/B -3.3 -5.8/D +9.8/A +4.6 -7.5/C +7.1/C +2.1 +7.1/A +14.8/A -1.9 -3.5/C +8.2/C 0.0 -1.6/B +9.0/B +1.2 -4.8/A +16.9/B -1.0 -16.8/E +8.9/B

Pct Min Init Load Invt 4.25 2,500 5.75 2,000 5.75 1,000 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 2,500 NL 3,000 5.75 750

CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -Foreign Large Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, ST - Technology, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others with same objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

Disney reignites investors’ fears as results fall short By Christopher Palmeri BL OOMBERG NEWS

Walt Disney Co. reignited the fears of jittery media investors with second-quarter results that missed analysts’ estimates as profit from the ABC broadcast operation fell and the company shut down its Infinity video-games division. Profit excluding some items totaled $1.36 a share, compared with a projection of $1.40, the average of estimates compiled by Bloomberg. It was the first shortfall against analysts’ projections in five years, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Disney shares fell 4.7 percent to $101.62 in extended trading. Disney’s results renewed investor concern over the outlook for broadcast and cable television companies, which have lost viewers and advertising dollars to online media. Chief Executive Officer Robert Iger is making deals to carry channels like ESPN on online-streaming providers such as Sling TV to make up for declining subscriptions through traditional cable.

Patrick T. Fallon / Bloomberg

Vehicles exit The Walt Disney Co. Studios in Burbank, California, on Monday.

“The miss by the media networks segment plays upon investors concerns for this stock,” said Paul Sweeney, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. “If the pay-TV bundle is fraying and affiliate fees are at risk, then Disney may be the most exposed since ESPN is the highest priced cable network.” ESPN profits While ESPN kept losing subscribers in the quarter, the network’s profits rose because it has been able to demand higher fees from its distributors. The A&E cable networks, in which Disney owns a stake, had smaller

profits than a year earlier because of lower ad sales and higher spending on programming designed to make the channels essential for cable operators to maintain in their lineups. Overall, profit at the company’s cable networks rose 12 percent, in part because ESPN spent less on programming. The sports network carried fewer college football games in the quarter, resulting in lower ad sales and also sharply lower costs. Iger has said his goal is to make ESPN available through many different pay-TV providers, and he

said Tuesday on a conference call with investors that discussions with onlinestreaming companies have been “quite productive.” The company announced a legal settlement Tuesday with Verizon Communications Inc. that lets the telephone carrier continue to market a less- costly basic pay-TV package that doesn’t include ESPN. The company reiterated its forecast for a mid-singledigit rate of growth in cable profit for the four years ending in fiscal 2016. The closing of the Infinity game unit, part of the company’s consumer division, resulted in a $147 million expense as Disney wrote off its investment in the business and recorded costs for job cuts. Infinity combined computer or console game play with collectible figurines. The closing marks a retreat from the company’s efforts to make console games on its own. Iger said on the call with investors that he lost confidence in the video-game business. The division has two more games to release this month and in June.

US stocks make biggest leap since March By Marley Jay ASSOCIATED PRE SS

NEW YORK — U.S. stocks surged to their biggest gain in two months on Tuesday after the Chinese government moved to stimulate the world’s second-largest economy. That gave a big boost to energy, chemicals and machinery companies. For months investors have worried about the state of China’s economy, which is slowing down after a quarter-century of rapid growth. The prospect of greater sales to China lifted companies that make basic building materials, chemicals, building and mining equipment, and aircraft. The price of oil matched a six-month high and companies that drill for oil and refine it also rose. All 10 industrial sectors of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index finished higher. Investors have been taking money out of stocks lately, said Bob Doll, chief equity strategist and senior portfolio manager at Nuveen Asset Management. He said they were glad to see China’s government do something about its economy. “It’s just another small

Richard Drew / AP file

This Dec. 11, 2014 file photo shows Renaud Laplanche, founder & CEO of Lending Club, as he arrives on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

step on the way of China attempting to address the issue,” he said. “This is a ray of sunshine which is needed.” The Dow Jones industrial average jumped 222.44 points, or 1.3 percent, to 17,928.35. The Standard & Poor’s 500 gained 25.70 points, or 1.3 percent, to 2,084.39. The Nasdaq composite index rose 59.67 points, or 1.3 percent, to 4,809.88. Stocks overseas traded mostly higher after China’s cabinet approved measures to boost exports as Beijing struggles to reduce gluts in

many industries and reverse an export decline that threatens to cause job losses. The moves include more bank lending, greater tax rebates, and support for export credits. General Electric picked up 61 cents, or 2 percent, to $30.48 and aerospace giant Boeing rose $2.62, or 2 percent, to $134.72. Companies that make chemicals and other basic materials also rose. Dow Chemical gained 70 cents, or 1.4 percent, to $51.54 and Martin Marietta Materials rose $5.60, or 3.1 percent, to $187.85. U.S. crude rose $1.22, or 2.8

percent, to $44.66 a barrel in New York. Brent crude, the benchmark for international oil prices, gained $1.89, or 4.3 percent, to $45.52 a barrel in London. That canceled out losses for oil on Monday, and U.S. crude matched its highest price in six months. Among energy companies, Exxon Mobil added $1.42, or 1.6 percent, to $89.99 and Hess climbed $3.24, or 5.9 percent, to $57.71. Economic news from the U.S. was mixed. The Labor Department said job openings in March rose by the largest amount in eight months, but total hiring slowed down. The agency said job openings grew 2.7 percent to about 5.8 million. However the slower pace of hiring suggests employers were more reluctant to fill open positions as the economy grew at a slow pace. Amazon reached an alltime high after it launched a self-publishing video platform called Video Direct. The move could make money for Amazon and budding filmmakers in the same way YouTube has created a community of online celebrities. Amazon climbed $23.50, or 3.5 percent, to $703.25.

A10 | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

ENTERTAINMENT

Minnesota doctor saw Prince, prescribed drugs By Amy Forliti A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

CHANHASSEN, Minn. — A Minnesota doctor saw Prince twice in the month before his death, including the day before he died, and prescribed him medication, according to contents of a search warrant that were revealed Tuesday even as authorities revisited the musician’s estate. Dr. Michael Todd Schulenberg treated Prince on April 7 and April 20, and he prescribed “medications and prescriptions” for the musician, according to the warrant, which was filed Thursday in Hennepin County and obtained by at least two news outlets before authorities moved to ensure it was sealed.

Investigators interviewed Schulenberg and searched a suburban Minneapolis hospital where he worked. The warrant did not specify what medications were prescribed for Prince or whether he took them. Contents of the warrant were revealed the same day that authorities returned to Prince’s Paisley Park home and studio in suburban Minneapolis where he was found dead April 21. A sheriff’s vehicle entered through the gates of Paisely Park on Tuesday afternoon, followed by about a dozen unmarked vehicles. Asked why investigators had returned to Paisely Park, Carver County Sheriff’s Chief Deputy Jason Kamerud told The Associated Press by phone that they were

Chris O'meara / AP file

In this Feb. 4, 2007 file photo, Prince performs during the halftime show at the Super Bowl XLI football game at Dolphin Stadium in Miami.

“being thorough.” Kamerud said he could not answer questions about the search warrant that names Schulenberg because it was supposed to be sealed. The warrant was car-

ried out at North Memorial Medical Center in the Minneapolis suburb of Robbinsdale. Lesa Bader, a spokeswoman for North Memorial Medical Center, said Schulenberg was a prima-

ry care physician at its Minnetonka clinic but that he no longer works for the health care system. No one answered the door at the doctor’s home on Tuesday and a phone message left for him wasn’t immediately returned. Schulenberg’s April 7 treatment of Prince came the day he canceled shows in Atlanta citing illness. He played makeup shows April 14, then fell ill on the flight home and was taken by ambulance from the plane during an emergency landing Moline, Illinois. A law enforcement official has told the AP that investigators are looking into whether Prince died from an overdose and whether a doctor was prescribing him drugs in the weeks before his death. The law en-

forcement official has been briefed on the investigation and spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. The search warrant naming Schulenberg seeks “any and all medical records, documents, reports, charts, photographs, prescriptions, doctor notes and medical images for Prince Rogers Nelson.” The warrant, signed by Carver County Sheriff’s Detective Chris Nelson, also seeks any and all legal records attached to those files. Schulenberg told Nelson that tests were performed on Prince and that he had gone to Paisley Park to drop off the results when he came on the death scene.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 |

A11

FROM THE COVER

In case of 43 missing students in Mexico, suspects allege torture By Mark Stevenson A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

MEXICO CITY — Within weeks of the September 2014 disappearance of 43 college students, Mexican authorities had rounded up scores of suspects and announced they had solved the case. At a hastily called news conference, prosecutors showed video of drug gang members confessing to taking the students from police, then slaughtering them and incinerating the bodies at a junkyard and dumping the evidence in a river. Two independent, international teams of experts subsequently cast doubt on the official investigation. Now, the government case has suffered another blow: Accusations of torture. In previously unseen court documents obtained by The Associated Press, 10 of the suspects described a chillingly similar script: First the questions, then the punches, electric shocks and partial asphyxiations with plastic bags; then, finally, the threats to kill their loved ones unless they confessed to stories that backed up the government’s line. Some said they were given planted evidence or prefabricated stories to support the government’s conclusions. Medical reports published last month by the Inter-American Human Rights Commission appear to confirm the allegations of torture. Of the 10 case files obtained by the AP, the group reviewed five, and it found credible evidence of torture in all of them. “They were giving me electric shocks in the testicles and all over my body,” one of the suspects, Patricio Reyes Landa, a gang member who was detained a month after the students vanished, told a judge in July, according to the documents obtained by AP. “All this time, it was about two and a half hours, I was blindfolded and they were hitting me.” “A person came up and took off my blindfold and showed me a photo of my family — my two daughters, my wife and my brother,” he said. “He said if I didn’t do everything they told me to, they were going to rape my daughters. ... I told them I was going to do everything they asked.” Reyes Landa’s testimony is crucial to the government case because he was among the first to confess to killing the students

COCAINE From page A1 any criminal activity at his property and was unaware of previous illicit activity, records state. Alaniz allegedly allowed state and federal agents to search the property. The search yielded packaging materials inside the home and in the garbage bin, records state. “These packaging materials, plastic wrap and tire wheel grease are

BILLS From page A1 advocates for child welfare. Emails obtained by The Texas Tribune show the special masters and their staff arranged meetings with state officials for late April. Jack approved pay for McGovern and Ryan at $345 per hour, according to the court record. Ryan also hired four staff members to assist him: Deborah Fowler, Eileen Crummy, Lisa Taylor and Margaret McHale. McHale received court approval to charge $305 per hour; the other three staff could charge $325 per hour, according to an email from staff at the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. Ryan and McGovern

Rebecca Blackwell / AP file

In this April 26 file photo, family members and supporters of 43 missing teachers college students carry pictures of the students as they march to demand the case not be closed and that experts' recommendations about new leads be followed, in Mexico City.

and burning their bodies at a dump in the town of Cocula, before their charred remains were tossed in the nearby San Juan River. Apart from those confessions and a single bone fragment that was linked through DNA testing to one of the students, the prosecution has almost no other evidence. Under Mexican law a confession obtained by torture is not admissible in court. “If the confessions are tossed out and there is no other evidence, basically there is no case,” said Denise Gonzalez, a specialist in human rights and international law at Mexico’s Ibero-American University. The widely held belief that Mexican security forces use torture in drug crime investigations was reinforced by video of an unrelated case circulated on social media last month. It showed a female soldier and a federal police officer interrogating a young woman while they smothered her with a plastic bag until she nearly passed out. The army confirmed the authenticity of the footage, which it said occurred during a massive February 2015 troop deployment to combat drug cartels. In the case of the missing students, the torture allegations involve federal police or government troops who arrested the suspects on suspicion of ties to the notoriously violent Guerreros Unidos drug cartel. Prosecutors say gang members killed the students after they were

handed over by local police who had arrested them in the city of Iguala. Medical reports among the documents seen by the AP support the torture allegations. One, by prosecution doctors who examined Reyes Landa two months after he was detained, said he had bruises, scrapes, scabs and “lesions made by a pointed object, similar to those caused by the application of electric devices to his abdomen and thighs.” Just as chilling are claims by alleged Guerreros Unidos gang leader Sidronio Casarrubias, who said a detective with the prosecutors’ office abused him for hours after his arrest in February 2015. “This man here was one of the first to torture me,” Casarrubias said, according to the documents as he pointed to the detective, Gabriel Valle Campos. “He sat on my stomach and asphyxiated me with black plastic bags. And he raped me with a metal object,” Casarrubias said. “He threatened to torture my family, my children, the same way he was doing to me.” Eber Betanzos, an assistant prosecutor who is overseeing the government’s case, said he could not comment on the allegations, adding that it’s up to judges to evaluate a battery of psychological and physical assessments undertaken by some 90 suspects who claim they were tortured. A total of 136

suspects were arrested, charged and are undergoing trials. Betanzos said 32 of the cases have enough evidence to start criminal investigations, mostly involving accusations of torture “against arresting agents other than the prosecutors’ office” — meaning federal police or government troops. He said the attorney general’s office has opened nine investigations so far, mostly involving “injuries that leave marks,” including bruises and abrasions. Attention has focused on Agustin Garcia Reyes, the first suspect to identify the San Juan River as the location where the students’ charred remains were dumped — and where the lone piece of physical evidence linked to the students was said to have been found. The international group of experts raised questions about his testimony after videos and photos surfaced showing Garcia Reyes walking around the river with Tomas Zeron, the head of the detectives’ agency, the day before prosecutors said bone fragments were found there. That led to suspicions the evidence was planted. Amid the accusations of dirty tricks, Zeron released a video of his own showing himself at the crime scene with Garcia Reyes but not removing or finding any bones. That was in line with prosecutors’ claims that the remains were found the next day by divers. In the documents obtained by

materials consistently used by narcotics traffickers for concealing narcotics to evade canine detection,” states the complaint. Shortly after, agents discovered a large piece of luggage in the brush beyond the property’s fence line, records state. Authorities said the luggage contained 50 brickshaped bundles containing cocaine worth $1,573,600. Records alleged Alaniz agreed to a custodial interview with authorities.

“Alaniz told agents he was paid $1,000 to utilize his property to house narcotics. Alaniz claimed ownership of the narcotics that were in the luggage behind the property,” states the complaint. “Alaniz also stated that prior to the arrival of law enforcement, an unknown male subject appeared at the residence, took the luggage containing the narcotics from the house and placed it in the brush behind the property to conceal the narcotics.”

RECALL From page A1

declined through a spokesman to comment on this story. “Special masters are not permitted, by court order, to speak with the media without prior court approval,” said Lonny Hoffman, one of the attorneys suing the state, in an email. State officials confirmed the meetings took place, over a total of 22 billable hours. A spokesman for the Department of Family and Protective Services said the agency has not yet been billed for the work. This isn’t the first time the state has been on the hook for the costs of an external review of the state's child welfare system. In 2014, the state paid The Stephen Group to review the operations of the state’s Child Protective Services agency.

The initial $750,000 contract has been renewed twice, for a total cost of $2.7 million. In this case, however, state lawmakers had no choice in approving the cost of the special masters. Lawyers for the state are appealing Jack's ruling but must comply with her orders as the appeal progresses. Republican leaders have challenged Jack’s ruling as an affront to states' rights. A spokesman for Gov. Greg Abbott said the court ruling was forcing the state to spend money it could have otherwise used to improve child safety, such as hiring more staff. Much of Jack’s ruling criticized the state for failing to hire enough caseworkers to keep track of vulnerable children. “It’s unfortunate and disappointing that mil-

the AP, however, Garcia Reyes said he was tortured for hours and coached on what to confess when he was taken to the river about a month after the students disappeared. “They put a bag over my head and they began to hit me, and I told them I didn’t know anything,” Garcia Reyes said in the court document. “They said, ‘You’d better tell us where they are, because if you don’t we’re going to kill your wife, your son and you too.”’ “They took me to the river, and in the truck on the way there they said, ‘Now, you’re going to act like you threw the bags (of remains) into the river, and if you don’t, we’re going to keep hitting you.”’ “We reached the spot and they were taping it, and I acted as if I had thrown the bags into the river, and then they took me to where there were some plastic bags, and I pointed to them as if I was familiar with them.” Despite his accusations of torture, however, Garcia Reyes can be seen walking normally in the prosecutors’ video, without any visible signs of abuse. Gonzalez, the university human rights specialist, acknowledged that it’s possible some suspects might make up stories of torture. But, she added, “in the context of Mexico, where torture is generalized ... every allegation should be investigated because, given the context, it is very possible they are true.”

still very unclear, Moreno said. “No. 1, we need to find out the financial status of the city. No. 2, we have to restore trust and dignity and respect. Not just for the council, but for the city as a whole,” he said. A special election will also have to be set to fill the two council vacancies. Moreno, 73, said he knows of two vendors

who together are owed almost $800,000 by the city but that he has no idea of the city’s other financial liabilities. One of the council’s first tasks will be to hire an interim city manager to replace Jonas. He is currently suspended without pay but has not been fired, for fear of triggering an expensive severance clause. “No one has seen a copy of his last contract worked out by him and the former council. Until we see it, I wouldn’t close

that chapter,” Moreno added. He said the only certainty is that putting the city’s affairs back in order will not be quick or easy. “It’s gonna take time. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. When we find out where we are, we’ll let the community know, and by the same token, the media, which has been very influential about getting the information out about how bad our status was,” he said.

lions of dollars that could have gone to serving youth in the Texas foster care system and hiring more caseworkers will now be spent towards the legally baseless special master process,” Abbott spokesman John Wittman said in a prepared statement. First-year caseworker pay is between $32,000 and $36,000 per year, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The agency estimates it costs about $54,000 to train each caseworker. Democrats have welcomed the court’s involvement, seeing it as a chance to shore up a struggling system. Jack wrote in her ruling that the reforms could save the state money in the long run. State Sen. José Rodrí-

guez, D-El Paso, told colleagues at an April hearing of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee that the state was simply paying on the back end for its failures to offer preventive care. “Every time we have a federal court telling us that we’re not complying, it ends up costing us money. That’s just the way it is,” he said. “I know we’re all concerned about cost, but we always talk about how sometimes, prevention that we could’ve done could’ve saved us a lot of money.” A spokesman for the Department of Family and Protective Services said the $43,000 estimate will likely grow because he expects the agency to be billed for some work prior to the orientation sessions. "The special

masters began their work in earnest on April 1," Patrick Crimmins, the spokesman, said in an email. The estimated cost of the orientation does not include any hours billed for preparation work or travel expenses. Paul Yetter, the lead attorney suing the state, said the special masters were "gathering the information that they need." "I think the process is going very well, and so far both sides are cooperating," he said. "The special masters are making lots of progress." In an email sent April 6 to the court, Yetter wrote that Jack was “hesitant to generate too much in fees” and "expects all involved to avoid excessive lodging/meal expenses."

A12 | Wednesday, May 11, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES