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DRUG CARTEL VIOLENCE
Killers dissolved 12 victims in acid
DEFERRED ACTION FOR CHILDHOOD ARRIVALS
SUIT MAY PUSH DACA TO SUPREME COURT
Additional DNA found at crime scene A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MEXICO CITY — A drug cartel's assassins who killed three film students apparently mistaken for members of a rival gang and dissolved their bodies in acid did the same thing to nine other people, authorities said. Interior Secretary Alfonso Navarrete said investigators had detected DNA from 12 separate people in residual fats found at a location where one of the killers confessed to having dissolved bodies in sulfuric acid. Navarrete did not say whether any of the DNA profiles matched those of the three film students who were abducted March 19 on the outskirts of the western city of Guadalajara. He did say that three of four suspects in the students' abduction and killing had been arrested. The three students were unwittingly working on a film project for school at a house that was apparently being watched by members of the Jalisco New Generation drug cartel. The house had once been used by a rival drug gang, and the Jalisco
cartel apparently suspected the students were part of that gang. One suspect said the cartel killed the students after interrogating them and then dissolved their bodies. The DNA findings lent more credence to the tale told by a young rapper who said he had been employed by the cartel to dissolve bodies. That suspect, Christian Omar Palma Gutierrez, is a 24-year-old rapper who built a YouTube channel with more than a halfmillion views based on songs describing an anguished, violent life of drugs and crime. Palma Gutierrez confessed to working for the Jalisco New Generation cartel, Mexico's fastestgrowing and most violent gang, as what the gang calls a "cook." By his account, for 3,000 pesos a week, he dumped bodies head-first into acid baths set up in water tanks in the yard of a cartel safe house. He would come back after two days — after the acid had done its work — and open drain valves to release the fluid into the storm drain, and remove Acid continues on A5
Andrew Harnik / AP
In this Jan. 23, 2018, file photo, immigration advocates hold a rally on Capitol Hill in Washington. Three judges have ordered the Trump administration to continue a program that has shielded hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. Now, a lawsuit filed last week in Texas seeks to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and may create a legal clash that could speed the issue’s path to the Supreme Court.
Experts say motion filed by state may create legal clash By Jessica Gresko ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Three judges have ordered the Trump administration to continue a program that has shielded hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. Now, a lawsuit filed last week in Texas seeks to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program and may create a legal clash that could speed the issue's path to the Supreme Court. President Donald Trump's decision in September to phase out the Obama-era program, called DACA, resulted in protests and a failed
OIL & GAS
congressional effort to salvage it. Experts say it's a matter of when, not if, the Supreme Court will rule on the program. It could be the second opportunity for the high court to weigh in on a high-profile decision of the president's, with a ruling on Trump's travel ban expected before the end of June. Josh Blackman, a professor at South Texas College of Law Houston, said the Texas lawsuit filed May 1 tees up "a fast pass to the Supreme Court." If Texas and six other states persuade a judge to issue a nationwide order barring the government from continuing DACA, that decision could conflict with existing judges' orders telling the govern-
ment it must partially continue the program. That's the kind of conflict the Supreme Court generally steps in to address. The high court has already finished hearing arguments ahead of its summer break at the end of June, and it's rare for the court to hear arguments again before October. But if judges issue conflicting orders on what the government must do with DACA, the court might be asked to make an interim, procedural decision, said Stephen Yale-Loehr, who teaches immigration law at Cornell University's law school. The Texas lawsuit "creates even more uncertainty in what is going to happen," he said. DACA continues on A5
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE
Stalled oil market recovery Judge hears complaints leaves many Texans jobless about settlement over
heat in prison
A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — Skilled workers in Texas are still looking for jobs as U.S. employment in the oil and gas industry continues to lag behind rising oil prices. Job seekers hoping for an oil market recovery will likely have to continue waiting before companies increase hiring, the Houston Chronicle reported. The country's oil and gas extraction industry has recovered fewer than 6,000 of the nearly 60,000 jobs lost in the 2014 oil bust, according to the U.S. Labor Department. Oil extraction companies shed an additional 2,000 jobs in Houston in March compared with a year earlier, the agency said. Oil field workers are
By Michael Graczyk ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Gary Fountain / Associated Press
A May 1, 2018 photo shows a general view of the exhibition floor at a recent Offshore Technology Conference held at NRG Park, Houston, Texas. Skilled workers in Texas are still looking for jobs as U.S. employment in the oil and gas industry continues to lag behind rising oil prices.
finding jobs easily in the booming shale plays of West Texas, but scientists, engineers and other knowledge-based professions are finding more trouble.
Thousands of job seekers attended the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston this month to network, hand out resumes and meet with oil Jobs continues on A5
HOUSTON — About 1,300 inmates who'd been sweltering in the Texas summer heat and humidity are getting air conditioning in their housing areas as a federal judge heard objections to a settlement of a lawsuit over their treatment. The tentative settlement, announced in February, resolved a lawsuit filed in 2014 by six inmates who contended the oppressive heat at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Wallace Pack Unit, about 95 miles (153 kilometers) northwest of Houston, was unconstitutionally cruel
Rose Baca / Associated Press
It is officially swelter season in Texas, and for most of the 150,000 inmates in the state's prison system, it means another summer of cells where temperatures can climb north of 100 degrees.
punishment. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison on Tuesday considered objections to the agreement from about 20 inmates at what's known as a fairness hear-
ing, according to Jeff Edwards, the lead attorney for the prisoners who filed suit. Ellison would make a formal ruling in the case Prison continues on A5
In Brief A2 | Saturday, May 12, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, MAY 12
A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S
Chess Tournament. 8511 McPherson Road, 2nd floor. 9 a.m. Five rounds with time control of G 30/5. There are three USCF rated sections of under 800, under 1400, and open. Also a non USCF rated section. Trophies and medals will be awarded. Pre registration fee is $15, or $20 on site. If you have any questions please text 956-717-8384.
TUESDAY, MAY 15 Tiny Toes Prenatal Class – English. 6-7:30 p.m. This class gives mothers-to-be the most important information to help them deliver a healthy, full-term baby from the start of labor until birth. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes. Veterans Conference…A new beginning. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 Bustamante, Laredo, Texas, 78041. Call Gerardo Alvarado for more information at (956) 794-3089. This conference is open to all veterans and their families
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Joint Replacement Surgery Seminar. 6 p.m. Learn more about this innovative program, offered by the Laredo Bone and Joint Center at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956-796-3009 or 7963223. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar. 6:30 p.m. Learn more about this innovative program, offered by the Laredo Bone and Joint Center at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956-796-3223.
THURSDAY, MAY 17 Healthy Lifestyle Luncheon. 12 p.m. Laredo Medical Center invites adults who are 50 or better to have lunch and listen to a presentation on stroke by the city’s newest neurosurgeon, Dr. Scott Robertson. To reserve a space, call 956-796-2007 or stop by the Senior Circle at LMC, Tower B. Tiny Toes Prenatal Class – Spanish. 6-7:30 p.m. 1700 East Saunders. Tower B, 1st floor. This class gives mothers-to-be the most important information to help them deliver a healthy, full-term baby from the start of labor until birth. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes. Celiac Support Group Meeting. 7:15 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, 1700 East Saunders, Tower B, 1st floor. The Laredo Chapter of the Celiac Disease Foundation invites the community to attend. For more information, email laredo@celiac.org.
SATURDAY, MAY 19 Laredo Spring Alzheimer’s Educational Symposium. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 Bustamante, Laredo, Texas, 78041. Call Ginny Funk for more information at (210) 822-6449 Ext. 8102. An informational symposium regarding Alzheimer’s. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church loteria. 6:30 p.m. 1718 San Jorge Ave., in the church hall. $20 for four cards. Open to the public.
TUESDAY, MAY 22 Tiny Toes Virtual Tour – English. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. 1700 East Saunders. Tower B, 1st floor. The virtual tour gives mothers-to-be detailed information about what to expect upon arrival and during their stay at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25.
THURSDAY, MAY 24 Healthy Woman Luncheon. 12 p.m. Laredo Medical Center invites women between the ages of 21 and 54 to have lunch and listen to a presentation on stroke by the city’s newest neurosurgeon, Dr. Scott Robertson. To reserve a space, call the LMC Healthy Woman program at 956796-2222.
FRIDAY, MAY 25 Special Needs Transition Conference. 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Joe E. Guerra Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Rd. Call Area Health Education Center for more information at (956) 712-0037. A conference for parents seeking information about their child’s transition into independent adulthood.
SATURDAY, MAY 26 Mexico Lindo 2018. Laredo Little Theater, 4802 Thomas Ave. 7 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 years of age or younger. Submit calendar items by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location, purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.
Derrick James / AP
Emergency vehicles block a street in downtown Talihina, Okla., on Friday after a large fire began when search warrants were being served in the small Oklahoma town.
SHOOTOUT LEAVES 4 HURT, ONE DEAD TALIHINA, Okla. — Four Oklahoma troopers were struck by gunfire or shrapnel while serving a warrant early Friday at a man's home that may have been booby-trapped to spark a large fire, authorities said. The blaze has consumed several buildings in downtown Talihina, a town of about 1,100 people that's about 150 miles (240 kilometers) southeast of Oklahoma City. The suspect was shot and has been pronounced dead, Oklahoma Highway Patrol Capt. Paul Timmons said. The four troop-
Border Patrol agent to be retried in cross-border killing PHOENIX — A U.S. Border Patrol agent who was acquitted of second-degree murder while jurors deadlocked on lesser counts will be retried, an attorney for the family of the rock-throwing teen killed in a border shooting in Arizona said Friday. Attorney Luis Parra said he was in a federal courtroom in Tucson when U.S. prosecutors
ers are expected to recover. Local authorities had requested help from state troopers to execute a drug-related warrant because the man had a "violent criminal history," Timmons said. A fifth trooper who was wearing a protective vest was also struck in the chest area by gunfire, but escaped any injury because of the vest, Timmons said. Firefighters were still working at midday Friday to contain the blaze, which destroyed two historic buildings that were about 100 years old, Talihina Police Chief Rodney Faulkenberry said.
announced they would retry agent Lonnie Swartz for manslaughter. The news was met with joy by the family of 16-year-old Jose Antonio Elena Rodriguez, who was shot in 2012 on a street just south of the border in Nogales. The jury in the first trial declared a mistrial last month after they acquitted Swartz of murder and deadlocked on verdicts involving voluntary and involuntary manslaughter. Elena Rodriguez was killed when Swartz fired 16 shots through a 20-foot fence on an
embankment above Calle Internacional. Prosecutors acknowledged during the monthlong trial that the teen was lobbing rocks across the border during a drug smuggling attempt but said he did not deserve to die. Defense attorneys countered that Swartz was justified in using lethal force against rockthrowers and shot from the U.S. side of the border in selfdefense. The new trial was set for Oct. 23. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD South Africa probes 'extremism' element in mosque attack JOHANNESBURG — South Africa's elite police unit said Friday it was investigating an "element of extremism" in a mosque attack in which one person died after three people's throats were slit following midday prayers. "You can see elements of hatred to a certain religion" in Thursday's attack in the mosque's worship space, Hawks spokesman Simphiwe Mhlongo told The Associated Press. But Mhlongo said police could not yet say whether the assault on the Imam Hussein mosque in the eastern town of Verulam, just north of Durban, could be called a terror attack. The three attackers were still at large. "They definitely had a religious motive," the mosque's cleric, Ali Nchinyane, said in
South African Police Services via AP
Paramedics attend to an injured man after attackers entered a mosque in Verulam, Durban, South Africa on Thursday.
footage posted online by broadcaster EWN. "These people, they were not robbers. ... They strictly wanted to kill us." "If I did not fight back I would have been dead," Nchinyane said. Worshippers went ahead with Friday prayers in a house next to the mosque. The attack came shortly
ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins around May 16. Many people have expressed shock at the kind of attack rarely seen in this country. South Africa has not been a target for militant attacks of the kind that occur in some other African nations. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE STATE Mishandled housing program could cost Dallas $1.3M DALLAS — Federal auditors want Dallas officials to repay $1.3 million in federal funds for mishandling a program meant to renovate dilapidated houses for low-income homeowners, according to a report. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Office of Inspector General released a report this
week examining more than a dozen homes remodeled by Dry Quick Restoration, The Dallas Morning News reported. The report found the homes had defective workmanship and long construction delays. The report criticized the city for general mismanagement and not properly vetting the company's experience and financial situation when issuing contracts in 2015. A March newspaper investigation found the company's owner, Kenneth Williams,
Today is Saturday, May 12, the 132nd day of 2018. There are 233 days left in the year. Today's Highlights in History: On May 12, 1943, during World War II, Axis forces in North Africa surrendered. The two-week Trident Conference, headed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, opened in Washington. On this date: In 1932, the body of Charles Lindbergh Jr., the 20-month-old kidnapped son of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, was found in a wooded area near Hopewell, New Jersey. In 1937, Britain's King George VI was crowned at Westminster Abbey; his wife, Elizabeth, was crowned as queen consort. In 1949, the Soviet Union lifted the Berlin Blockade, which the Western powers had succeeded in circumventing with their Berlin Airlift. In 1958, the United States and Canada signed an agreement to create the North American Air Defense Command (later the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD). In 1978, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said that hurricanes would no longer be given only female names. In 1982, in Fatima, Portugal, security guards overpowered a Spanish priest armed with a bayonet who attacked Pope John Paul II. (In 2008, the pope's longtime private secretary revealed that the pontiff was slightly wounded in the assault.) In 1997, Australian Susie Maroney became the first woman to swim from Cuba to Florida, covering the 118-mile distance in 24 1/2 hours. In 2003, the Texas House ground to a standstill after 51 Democratic lawmakers left the state in a dispute over a Republican congressional redistricting plan. (The Democrats returned four days later from Oklahoma, having succeeded in killing the bill.) Ten years ago: A devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China's Sichuan province left more than 87,000 people dead or missing. Irena Sendler, credited with saving some 2,500 Jewish children from the Holocaust, died in Warsaw, Poland, at age 98. Five years ago: Pope Francis gave the Catholic Church new saints, including hundreds of 15th-century martyrs who were beheaded for refusing to convert to Islam, as he led his first canonization ceremony before tens of thousands of people in St. Peter's Square. Nineteen people were wounded in a gang-related shooting during a Mother's Day parade in New Orleans. One year ago: Dozens of countries were hit with a huge cyberextortion attack that locked up computers and held users' files for ransom at a multitude of hospitals, companies and government agencies. A gunman killed Kirkersville, Ohio, Police Chief Steven Eric DiSario as well as two employees at a nearby nursing home before taking his own life; authorities said one of the employees was the gunman's ex-girlfriend. Pope Francis urged Catholics to "tear down all walls" and spread peace during a visit to Fatima, Portugal, as he marked the 100th anniversary of one of the most unique events of the 20th-century Catholic Church: the visions of the Virgin Mary reported by three illiterate shepherd children. Today's Birthdays: Critic John Simon is 93. Composer Burt Bacharach is 90. Actress Millie Perkins is 80. Rhythm-and-blues singer Jayotis Washington is 77. Country singer Billy Swan is 76. Actress Linda Dano is 75. Actress Lindsay Crouse is 70. Singermusician Steve Winwood is 70. Actor Gabriel Byrne is 68. Actor Bruce Boxleitner is 68. Singer Billy Squier is 68. Blues singer-musician Guy Davis is 66. Country singer Kix Brooks is 63. Actress Kim Greist is 60. Rock musician Eric Singer (KISS) is 60. Actor Ving Rhames is 59. Rock musician Billy Duffy is 57. Actor Emilio Estevez is 56. Actress April Grace is 56. Actress Vanessa A. Williams is 55. TV personality/chef Carla Hall is 54. Country musician Eddie Kilgallon is 53. Actor Stephen Baldwin is 52. Actor Scott Schwartz is 50. Actress Kim Fields is 49. Actress Samantha Mathis is 48. Actress Jamie Luner is 47. Actor Christian Campbell is 46. Actress Rhea Seehorn is 46. Actor Mackenzie Astin is 45. Country musician Matt Mangano (The Zac Brown Band) is 42. Actress Rebecca Herbst is 41. Actress Malin Akerman is 40. Actor Jason Biggs is 40. Actor Rami Malek is 37. Thought for Today: "Dissent is not sacred; the right of dissent is." — Thurman Arnold, American lawyer (1891-1969).
CONTACT US has ties with local housing official Carl Wagner, who helped manage the mishandled program. Wagner is now suspended pending an internal probe. Dallas shouldn't have to repay the funds because the money went into the homes, said T.C. Broadnax, the city manager. The city plans to hire an engineer to examine the homes, as well as a contractor to make repairs, Broadnax said. — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 12, 2018 |
A3
STATE
Texas teacher barred for showing photo of her wife By Christine Hauser A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
At the start of the term at Charlotte Anderson Elementary School in Arlington, Texas, last year, Stacy Bailey, an art teacher, introduced herself to her new fourthgrade students with a slide show of her life. There were photographs of her family, friends and childhood. There was also one of her partner of seven years, Julie Vazquez, who Bailey explained was her future wife. They were dressed in fish costumes from the film “Finding Nemo.” That image set off a sequence of reactions from parents and school district officials that Bailey, 31, says amount to discrimination, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in federal court in Dallas. She says her
career was damaged when she was accused of showing inappropriate imBailey ages to children, put on leave and told she would be transferred. All for one main reason, the lawsuit says: “Plaintiff is lesbian/gay and was born that way.” The Mansfield Independent School District, named as a defendant in the lawsuit along with two district officials, sees it differently. “There has never been an issue with her open sexual orientation until this year,” the district said in a statement. “That’s when her actions in the classroom changed, which prompted her students to voice
concerns to their parents.” It said the issue was whether Bailey had followed district guidelines that require “controversial subjects be taught in ‘an impartial and objective manner.’ Teachers shall not use the classroom to transmit personal belief regarding political or sectarian issues.” It denied the allegations of discrimination and said the district has been an “inclusive, supportive environment for LGBT staff for decades.” Bailey has been a teacher at the elementary school since 2008, and she was voted teacher of the year twice during that time. On Tuesday, she appeared silently with Vazquez, who is now her wife, at a news conference with her lawyer, Jason Smith, to announce the legal action.
She is seeking a jury trial, reinstatement at the school and possible damages. Vazquez said in an interview Thursday that since Bailey was placed on paid administrative leave in September, she has been instructed by the district not to speak about the case or attend events on school grounds. “The isolation is extremely heartbreaking,” Vazquez said. “She has really missed out.” The lawsuit says that shortly after Bailey gave the slide show presentation at the end of August, the principal told her that a parent had complained she was promoting a “homosexual agenda” in class. The principal told her he did not believe she had done anything wrong, the lawsuit says.
Bailey was told the same parent had complained after she spoke to her class about artist Jasper Johns, and mentioned that the students had just learned in the previous term about his partner, artist Robert Rauschenberg. Kimberly Cantu, an assistant superintendent and one of the defendants, told Bailey that the parent had said Bailey had shown the children “sexually inappropriate” images, according to the lawsuit. It also says other parents made complaints after they were “enlisted” by the first one. Bailey was asked to resign in October but she refused, the lawsuit says. Some parents and community members have been supportive of the couple, Vazquez said. Smith, the lawyer, said the case highlights a
cultural divide in the district, which lies between Dallas and Fort Worth. “Local leaders tend to be old Mansfield, while the population is tending to be more diverse,” he said. “She used age-appropriate terms,” he said, describing Bailey’s classroom presentation. “She never used the term ‘gay’ or ‘lesbian.’ She used the term, ‘this is my future wife.’ She never talked about sex or anything inappropriate.” Vazquez said she and Bailey have been together since 2011 and were married in March. “The whole situation is just a little mind-boggling,” she said. “The bottom line is that our family has a right to talk about our family just the same as any other family.”
Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com
A4 | Saturday, May 12, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Concentrated power inevitably leads to political backlash By Jonah Goldberg TR IB UN E NEWS SE RV ICE
During almost every Supreme Court nomination battle, I try to make the same point: These fights wouldn’t be nearly so ugly if we didn’t invest so much power in the Supreme Court it shouldn’t have in the first place. Until the Robert Bork nomination in 1987, Supreme Court fights were remarkably staid affairs. But by the late ’80s, the court had become a bulwark for all sorts of policies and laws that should rightly be in the portfolio of the legislative or executive branch, or, better, left to the various states. As a result, on any number of issues - most conspicuously abortion policy - the court became more important than the presidency or Congress. No wonder fights over Supreme Court appointments started to look more and more like political campaigns than debates over the finer points of judicial philosophy. Why bring this up now, when there’s no Supreme Court fight at the moment? Because the power we invest in the court doesn’t warp and bend our politics solely during confirmation battles. "One of the things Trump has decided is that he is going to give the court to the base of the party," CNN legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin told an audience at the University of Chicago’s Institute of Politics this week. "Donald Trump can have sex with Stormy Daniels from now until the end of time and the evangelicals will stick with him because of the courts." This could use a bit more nuance. But it is certainly true that if Trump didn’t appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court he would lose a lot of support on the right. I have done more than my share of criticizing members of my ideological tribe for abandoning many of the arguments they made about the importance of good character and morality in political leaders, so I am happy to stipulate that this "bargain" is shot through with hypocrisy. But perhaps liberals could take a few moments to reflect on why conservatives think such transactionalism is justified. It’s reasonable to assume that if the court had stuck to its traditional role and not become a parallel legislative branch, this grand bargain with President
Trump would feel less imperative. In my debates with liberals about my new book, "Suicide of the West," one of the biggest complaints I get is over the idea that Trump was elected in large part as a backlash against the excesses of liberals. "We didn’t elect the guy, so we did nothing wrong." But that’s not how politics works. Barack Obama was elected as a backlash against George W. Bush’s presidency, specifically the Iraq War. Bush in turn was elected in no small part because he promised to end the tawdriness of the scandal-ridden Clinton era. And so on. Politics has always been dialectical in this fashion. The backlash that propelled Trump to the White House was by no means solely about the Supreme Court. Progressivism’s investment in identity politics, its lunge leftward on immigration and the Democrats’ insistence on reinstating the Clinton political dynasty played important roles too. But my point about the court still stands. It’s doubtful Trump could have galvanized the support of conservatives if he hadn’t promised to hand over the nomination process to the Federalist Society. (And let me be clear: I’m glad he did.) The founders’ chief concern when writing the Constitution was to prevent the concentration of unchecked power in any branch of government or faction, because they understood that concentrated power was inherently threatening to liberty, no matter who wielded it. That’s the whole point of checks and balances; every player on the board has a vested interest in not letting a rival player get too powerful. Since the beginning of the 20th century, progressives have repeatedly tried to invest as much power as possible in whatever branch of government they controlled at the moment. And every time, they dismissed concerns about what might happen when their opponents grabbed control of that institution. Liberals cheered, for instance, when President Obama ruled like a monarch via executive orders with his "pen and phone." Now, they get to watch as President Trump erases Obama’s work (the Iran deal, the Paris climate accord, etc.). I shudder to think what liberals will do if they replay the same gambit when the inevitable Trump backlash comes.
COLUMN
Deal or no deal? America wants a new Iran By Markos Kounalakis TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
The rift between America and Iran is currently as unbridgeable as the Persian Gulf. Iran and the United States are in a fullfledged battle to exert more influence over the Middle East, control the flow and price of energy, and to effect Israel’s status and survival. With President Donald Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the next phase of this battle has just begun. Relations between the two nations are complex and will be forever colored by the 1979 Iranian Revolution that filled American TV screens with images of a helpless nation held hostage. Violent images are seared into the American mind of blindfolded U.S. embassy personnel in Iran and American flag-burning student protesters shouting, "Death to America." President Jimmy Carter’s failed attempt at a hostage rescue resulted in a crashed helicopter and more death. Fear, anger and hate grew between Tehran and Washington. Iran’s current Islamic theocratic government was born of this revolution and is the direct inheritor of this violent legacy. Iran’s historic grievances with the U.S. range from a 1953 CIA-led coup overthrowing its legitimate government to install the Shah of Iran, supporting his domestic terrorizing SAVAK secret service, and exploiting Iran’s substantial oil resources. Crippling and effective economic sanctions enforced during the Obama administration added stress to the relationship and provided pressure for Iran to come to the nuclear negotiating
Donald Trump and his most vocal regional allies in Israel and Saudi Arabia do not believe in Iranian reform or accommodation. Never did. For them, the only acceptable and desirable outcome is Iranian regime change. Obama was for reform. Trump is for regime change. The contrast in style, approach, policy, and practice could not be more pronounced. table, where Iran did its best to run out the diplomatic clock, using the countdown to the 2016 U.S. presidential race as temporal leverage. Enter the new chapter of this ongoing saga and long simmering battle between the U.S. and the Islamic Republic. President Trump has made good on his promise to shred the Iran nuclear deal, returning relations to a heightened state of tension after a brief Obama lull. Nuke deal opponents rightly stated that the deal did nothing to curb Iran’s regional ambitions or conventional capacities, gave it renewed access to global financial and energy markets, and allowed for the further development of missile delivery technology. But that was never the point. The unstated goal of the JCPOA deal was to keep nukes out of the hands of Iran’s religious autocrats long enough to buy time, supply cash and provide organizational support for Iranian youth and reformers to slowly change their government and its foreign policies. The nuclear deal was President Obama’s big bet on reform in Iran. Donald Trump and his most vocal regional allies in Israel and Saudi Arabia do not believe in Iranian reform or accom-
modation. Never did. For them, the only acceptable and desirable outcome is Iranian regime change. Obama was for reform. Trump is for regime change. The contrast in style, approach, policy, and practice could not be more pronounced. The one constant is Iran. Even under the deal, Iran was busy destabilizing Yemen and feeding a tragic and disastrous Houthi-led civil war that also fired missiles into Saudi Arabia. Iran’s military arm, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), remains active in neighboring Shiite-dominated Iraq, Russian-bolstered Syria, and tightly allied with the just strengthened Hezbollah leadership in Lebanon. Donald Trump and his newly reconstituted foreign policy and national security team are not only highly suspect of organic reform in Iran, they have become hellbent on regime change in Tehran. Ripping-up the JCPOA deal makes this policy choice clear. Naturally, Trump’s reneging on the deal has multiple consequences and opportunities, many of which are hard to know at this stage. But some will be immediate. For one, oil prices are likely to go up with certain growing instability and uncertainty in the Gulf. That should help
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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.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Saudi Arabia and Russia financially as they get more money per barrel of crude on the international spot markets. Rising energy prices may even goose U.S. shale oil production. For the average American, however, it will cost more to fill-up a tank of gas. Other consequences? The Iranian government will probably crackdown further on domestic dissent, political reform, and governing moderates while strengthening the IRGC at home. Tehran may at first be cautious outside its borders because any direct confrontation between Iran and American naval forces, for example, or against American-backed regional allies would likely provoke a violent reaction and create the conditions for international condemnation and response. In short, if Iran is suckered into restarting its nuclear weapons program or reacting militarily to Trump’s withdrawal, it will not only aggravate existing U.S - Iran tensions, it will light the regional powder keg. Iran is more likely to bide its time before directly confronting the U.S. in the Persian Gulf with speedboats at chokepoints or by sending armed drones and missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia. It will instead play the international victim card and seek pseudo-alliances and trade agreements with Russia, the EU, and China. All the while, Iran will likely also increase support for its proxies in Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon to harass and hurt American allies. In 2018, Iran and America are entering a new phase of their everstrained relationship and it seems never to work out for the best.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 12, 2018 |
A5
FROM THE COVER DACA From page A1 DACA, created in 2012, has provided protection from deportation and work permits for about 800,000 young people who came to the U.S. as children and stayed illegally. A person enrolled in the program gets protection from deportation that lasts two years and can be renewed. Judges in California and New York have ruled that the Trump administration must allow current DACA participants to renew their enrollments, but the government doesn't have to process new applications. A ruling by a judge in the District of Columbia would require the government to also process new applications, but it has been put on hold until late July. While these lawsuits challenged Trump's decision to wind down DACA, the lawsuit filed by
JOBS From page A1 companies. "There's a perception of recovery, but there's really no recovery at this point," said Ramesh Anand, president of American Personnel Resources in Houston. Oil companies are
PRISON From page A1 once the objections "from people who have the right to object to it" were heard, Edwards said. Ellison last summer ruled the nation's largest prison system was "deliberately indifferent" to the heat risks and subjected inmates at the Pack Unit to "a substantial risk of serious injury or death." He ordered the agency to come up with a plan to keep the heat index, the combination of temperature and humidity, no higher than 88 degrees (31.11 Celsius) at the Pack Unit. Evidence presented to Ellison showed the heat index at the prison topped 100 degrees (38 Celsius) during 13 days in 2016, and was between 90 degrees (32.22 Celsius) and 99 degrees (37.22 Celsius) on 55 days. The agreement covers only the Pack Unit, and Edwards said it was immediately unclear if other uncooled Texas prisons would get air conditioning. Including Pack, Texas has 29 air-conditioned prisons. Another 75 are either partially cooled or have no cooling. About 32,000 beds overall are considered air-conditioned. Texas had 145,210
Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Nebraska, South Carolina and West Virginia aims to end it. The states argue the creation of the program was unlawful, an overreach by President Barack Obama, a conclusion the Trump administration agrees with. And the states filed the case in a way to put it before a potentially sympathetic judge, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen in Brownsville, Texas. Hanen criticized the Obama administration for lax enforcement of immigration laws. And in 2015 he ruled against an expansion of DACA by Obama as well as a program that would have protected the parents of children who are in the country legally. His ruling blocking the programs was upheld by an appeals court. The Supreme Court, short a member after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, was divided 4-4 on the case in
2016, leaving the lower court's ruling in place. University of Texas law professor Stephen Vladeck said the Texas case "increases the likelihood of conflicting orders to the government and conflicting substantive conclusions about DACA's legality." If Hanen sides with the states, he could order the government to immediately stop processing new DACA applications or renewing old ones, which would contradict the existing orders. That would create a "pretty chaotic" situation that the Supreme Court would likely want to resolve, Vladeck said. Beyond what happens in Texas, two courts of appeal are readying to weigh in on DACA, too. Arguments before the San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit are scheduled for Tuesday. And arguments before the New York City-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the
hesitant to increase hiring due to concern that crude prices could quickly drop again, according to analysts. Companies are instead using robotics, data analysis, artificial intelligence and other technology to employ fewer workers. Anand said he's seen geologists give up on the industry, switching to
financial adviser careers or pursuing master's degrees in business. "There's a perception of recovery, but there's really no recovery at this point," he said. "It hurts me to see exceptionally qualified PhDs who were talking to me two years ago still meet me today looking for a job."
inmates as of Tuesday. Prison officials had argued unsuccessfully to the judge that they provided the Pack Unit inmates with showers, fans and ice water, other ventilation, unlimited rest periods in air-conditioned areas and education concerning heat precautions. Under the agreement, temporary air conditioning units will be used between April 15 and October 15 to keep the heat index at the Pack Unit no higher than 88 degrees. The temporary
units will be replaced with a permanent system within two years if state lawmakers approve spending for the project. Pack inmates who are over the age of 65 or have health conditions like heart disease or hypertension are considered "heat sensitive." According to the judge's order, they're entitled to more rights, like being moved in an air-conditioned vehicle if they're transported from the unit. If Pack inmates are moved, they must be taken to an air-conditioned prison.
2nd Circuit are expected this summer. There is also the possibility that the Trump administration could issue a new memo, replacing one from September, with a fuller explanation of why it chose to wind down DACA, a move that would lead to another flurry of legal filings. The fact the administration hasn't yet done that, though, suggests it may be reluctant to do so. The Trump administration has seemed eager to get the issue to the Supreme Court quickly. Earlier this year it took the unusual step of asking the high court to hear the California case before a federal appeals court had ruled on it. The high court declined to do so in late February, but it may not be able to avoid the issue for long. "We're moving toward the Supreme Court," Vladeck said. "How quickly depends on what happens next."
Eduardo Verdugo / AP
In this April 24, 2018 file photo, a protester holds up a piece of cardboard with marked with a -3, in reference to the three film students killed by drug cartel assassins, in Mexico City. Mexican authorities said Thursday that investigators had found DNA from 12 separate people in residual fats found in tanks where one of the killers of the film students confessed to having dissolved bodies in acid.
ACID From page A1 remaining sludge to dump it in fields.
However, some sludge remained in the bottom of the tanks, and that is apparently where investigators found the DNA.
Frontera A6 | Saturday, May 12, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE TORNEO DE SOFTBOL
1 Torneo de Softbol “Nadie lucha solo”, a beneficio de Vicky García, el 12 de mayo. Cuota de entrada 150 dólares. Mayores informes con Mague García al (956) 334-5653; Lucas García (956) 337-5540 y Mario “Joe” Martínez al (956) 2515790. CLÍNICA VACUNA CONTRA RABIA
1 Clínica de vacuna contra la rabia en Rio Grande City, el 12 de mayo, de 8 a.m. a 12 p.m. Mayores informes al 956-487-0672. CONCIERTO DE BANDA
1 La escuela secundaria Ramiro Barrera Middle School invita a su Concierto de Banda el 14 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD. RECITAL BAILE FOLCLÓRICO
1 La escuela preparatoria Roma High School invita a su Concierto de Baile Folclórico el 16 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD.
ACCIÓN DIFERIDA PARA LOS LLEGADOS EN LA INFANCIA
Demanda en Texas Jueces ordenan a gobierno de Trump continuar con programa Por Jessica Gresko ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Ya son tres los jueces que le ordenan al gobierno de Donald Trump continuar con el programa que protege de la deportación a cientos de miles de jóvenes inmigrantes. Ahora, una demanda presentada en Texas que busca poner fin al programa podría crear un enfrentamiento judicial que agilizaría la llegada del caso a la Corte Suprema. El programa, llamado Acción Diferida para los Llegados en la Infancia (DACA por sus siglas en inglés), fue promulgado por Barack Obama. Prevé la suspensión temporal de
las deportaciones de jóvenes que residan sin autorización legal _que llegaron a Estados Unidos cuando niños, traídos por sus familiares_, siempre y cuando no hayan sido condenados por haber cometido delitos graves y siempre no se trate de personas que representen una amenaza a la seguridad pública. La decisión de anular el programa provocó protestas y un fallido intento del Congreso para salvarlo. Expertos opinan que el máximo tribunal se pronunciará sobre el tema inevitablemente, y que es sólo cuestión de tiempo. Josh Blackman, profesor de derecho del South Texas College of Law
Houston, estimó que la demanda de Texas, presentada el 1 de mayo, abre “una vía rápida para llegar a la Corte Suprema”. Si Texas, junto con otros seis estados, convencen a un juez de emitir una orden a nivel nacional impidiéndole al gobierno seguir con el DACA, ello contradiría las órdenes actuales de los magistrados de que el gobierno debe parcialmente seguir respetando el programa. Ese es el tipo de conflicto que generalmente dirime el máximo tribunal. El tribunal ya ha terminado de escuchar argumentos antes de que comience su receso veranie-
ROMA INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
go, y es poco común que reabra los debates antes de octubre. Pero si interviene, podría emitir instrucciones interinas de carácter procedimental, dijo Stephen Yale-Loehr, profesor de derecho migratorio de la Universidad de Cornell. La demanda presentada en Texas crea “más incertidumbre sobre lo que va a ocurrir”, comentó. El DACA, creado en el 2012, ya ha protegido a unos 800.000 jóvenes inmigrantes que vinieron cuando niños a Estados Unidos y se quedaron en el país ilegalmente. Los beneficiados del programa reciben protección por dos años, que puede ser prorrogada.
Jueces en California y Nueva York han determinado que el gobierno tiene que aceptar las renovaciones solicitadas por los participantes actuales, pero no está obligado a recibir participantes nuevos. Un juez en el Distrito de Columbia falló que el gobierno sí debe recibir solicitudes nuevas, pero ese fallo ha quedado en suspenso hasta fines de julio. Si bien estas demandas desafiaron la decisión del gobierno de Trump de descontinuar el DACA, la demanda presentada por Texas, Alabama, Arkansas, Luisiana, Nebraska, Carolina del Sur y Virginia Occidental busca ponerle punto final.
PATRULLA FRONTERIZA
TOROS VISITAN ESCUELAS DE RISD
CONCIERTO DE CORO
1 El distrito escolar Roma Independent School District invita a su Concierto de Coro el 17 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD.
Foto de cortesía / Border Patrol
Agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza Sector Laredo rescataron a cinco personas indocumentadas que se aferraban a una rama en la orilla del Río Grande.
Continúan esfuerzos de rescate
FUN RUN/WALK
1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a la carrera/caminata Fun Run/Walk 5K & 1K por el Día de las Fuerzas Armadas, que se llevará a cabo el 19 de mayo desde las 8 a.m. La carrera iniciará en Roma Guadalupe Plaza.
E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE
PREMIOS TELEVISIVOS
1 La preparatoria Roma High School invita a la entrega de premios Roma High School Gladiator Television Network Awards el 24 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD. AVIARIO
1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a visitar el aviario Roma Bluffs World Birding Center en el distrito histórico de Roma. El aviario estará abierto desde el jueves a domingo de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. hasta enero. Mayores informes al 956849-1411 BOTES DE BASURA
1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a la comunidad que sólo estará recolectando basura contenida en botes propiedad de la ciudad. Informes al 849-1411
ZAPATA
Foto de cortesía / RISD
Algunas de las escuelas pertenecientes al distrito escolar Roma ISD recibieron la visita de las bailarinas y la mascota del equipo de fútbol Toros del Valle del Río Grande para desear buena suerte a los estudiantes antes del inicio de los exámenes STAAR.
COLUMNA
Quiosco morisco, tesoro arquitectónico Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Magníficos tesoros arquitectónicos reúne la Ciudad de México. En la colonia Santa María la Ribera, destaca el quiosco morisco. El diseño es de Ramón Ibarrola. Libros especializados lo mencionan, pero omiten elementales datos biográficos del aludido personaje. Tomemos como punto de partida la nota periodística que a principios de 1844 aparece en Tampico, Tamaulipas. “Fondeó fuera de la barra” del río Pánuco –consigna—“el vapor paquete inglés Forth”. Entre los pasajeros
en tránsito menciona a Ramón Ibarrola Salgado, empresario mercantil de la metrópoli capitalina. Allá nace el 10 de julio de 1841 su primogénito, Ramón Ibarrola Berruecos. Destaca luego en la Asociación de Ingenieros y Arquitectos de México. Durante la dictadura porfiriana, que moderniza la infraestructura del país, se desempeña en la Secretaría de Fomento. Más adelante le confían el proyecto que mayor reconocimiento le proporciona. Hablamos del quiosco morisco. Diseñado para la Feria Internacional de Nueva Orleáns, celebrada en 1884. Las escalinatas frontales permiten acceder por tres enormes arcos, que en
la parte superior lucen el antiguo escudo del águila y la serpiente. Tiene además la peculiaridad de ser desarmable. Ello posibilita trasladarlo a la Feria Mundial de París en 1889. Lo recibe después la Ciudad de México. Ya a manera de quiosco, por breve periodo distingue el perímetro sur de la Alameda Central, desplazándolo el Hemiciclo a Benito Juárez. Hacia 1908 pasa en forma definitiva a la alameda de Santa María la Ribera. El mural ‘Sueño de una tarde dominical en la Alameda Central’, que el muralista Diego Rivera concluye en 1948, deja ver la cúpula del quiosco morisco de Ramón Ibarrola.
El 9 de mayo, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza de la Estación Norte Laredo rescataron a una persona indocumentada en un rancho al noroeste de Laredo. El sujeto decidió llamar a la Patrulla Fronteriza para solicitar ayuda y declaró que llevaba perdido tres días sin agua o comida. Los agentes pudieron localizar al sujeto y lo encontraron con ampollas severas en su pie. El sujeto fue evaluado y tratado por un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza certificado como Técnico Médico de Emergencias. Se determinó que el sujeto rescatado es originario de Guatemala. El 10 de mayo, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza con la Unidad Marina del Sector Laredo rescataron a cinco personas indocumentadas cerca de la orilla del río en Laredo. Los cinco sujetos habían sido cruzados de contrabando por el río y fueron abandonados por un contrabandista insensible. Los cinco sujetos fueron dejados sosteniéndose de una rama a la orilla del río y se enfrentaban a condiciones de fuertes corrientes y aguas profundas en el Río Grande.
Agentes con la Unidad Marina del Sector Laredo pudieron rescatar a los cinco individuos y subirlos a bordo de la embarcación para su seguridad. Se determinó que los sujetos rescatados provienen de Guatemala. “Estos eventos ilustran cómo los hombres y las mujeres de la Patrulla Fronteriza de Estados Unidos no solo prestan su servicio para proteger nuestras fronteras, sino también están comprometidos con la preservación de la vida y ayudar a aquellos en necesidad”, dijo el Agente en Jefe Asistente de Patrulla, Gabriel H. Acosta. La Patrulla Fronteriza Sector Laredo continuará advirtiendo de los peligros a los que se enfrenta la gente que cruza ilegalmente a los Estados Unios a través de condiciones ambientales peligrosas. Nuestra Iniciativa de Seguridad Fronteriza (BSI por sus siglas en inglés) es una estrategia humanitaria, binacional diseñada para reducir las muertes de los extranjeros, educar e informar de los peligros potenciales y los riesgos al cruzar la frontera ilegalmente, y responder a aquellos que se encuentran en situaciones donde la vida se vea amenazada.
Sports&Outdoors
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 12, 2018 |
A7
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: HOUSTON ROCKETS
Rockets a really good team Warriors should have little trouble handling Golden State is playing its best basketball heading into clash with Houston By Dieter Kurtenbach TH E M ERCURY NEWS
Back in June, when the Rockets traded for Chris Paul, the basketball world collectively marked their calendars 11 months in advance for a Golden State-Houston showdown in the Western Conference finals. We did not have to break the date. The matchup gets underway Monday, with one of the best offenses in NBA history - the Rockets’ - going up against the presumptive champions the Warriors. In many ways, this Houston team represents the Warriors’ strongest intra-conference opponent since the Kevin Durantled 2016 Oklahoma City Thunder. But I don’t expect a thrilling seven-game series like that Western Conference finals two years ago. No, instead I’m thinking that the series will be over a full week before the NBA Finals start, the result of a Golden State gentleman’s sweep. Because the more I look at this series and the
paths the two teams took to get to it, the less I think it’s going to be an epic affair between two worthy adversaries. The reason is simple: The Rockets haven’t faced the best the Warriors have to offer yet. In three matchups in the regular season, the Warriors never used their Death Lineup against the Rockets. Injuries, rest, and disinterest all played a role in the Warriors holding back, and knowing that, it should come as no surprise that Houston won two of three games. But the Warriors appear to be rounding into their best form just as we head into the most important series of the year, and that stellar play is spearheaded by the Death Lineup - the unit that played a major role in the Warriors’ 16-1 postseason run last year. The Death Lineup can get buckets in bunches, but it’s also one of the best defensive lineups in the NBA. In fact, it’s almost tailor-made to stymie the Rockets’ offense, as it can switch defensive assignments at all five positions, swarm in the paint, close
down passing lanes, and protect at the rim. With Draymond Green at center and Andre Iguodala on the floor with Klay Thompson, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry, the Death Lineup presents a super smart, wickedly adaptable unit that boasts incredible defensive instincts. Rockets coach Mike D’Antoni’s dynamic offenses were the impetus for the pace-and-space revolution, and the Warriors’ Death Lineup defense has proven to be an incredible foil to those kinds of fast-paced attacks and a trendsetter in its own right. Only the Rockets shouldn’t be considered all that dynamic anymore. This postseason Houston has attempted nearly 100 fewer passes per game than the Warriors and they’ve moved less than any other NBA team. (Yes, there’s a statistic for distance traveled.) That makes the Rockets somewhat predictable D’Antoni might have some wrinkles he’ll toss out every now and again, but their offense is pretty basic: A ton of 1-5 pick-
NBA: TORONTO RAPTORS
Ezra Shaw / Getty Images file
The Rockets will play a Warriors team in the Western Conference finals that’s rounding into their best form.
and-rolls and isolations. (More than 50 percent of the Rockets’ offensive plays this postseason have been isolations or pickand-rolls, by far the highest percentage of any team in the league.) We saw this simplicity in the Rockets’ secondround series with the Jazz, who had one of the best defenses in the NBA in the regular season. The Rockets ran pick-and-roll after pick-and-roll, trying to get a mismatch on the perimeter with 7-foot-1 center Rudy Gobert.
When the Jazz countered by dropping Gobert into the lane (a la the Spurs in last year’s second-round win over the Rockets), D’Antoni became a pragmatist - going fiveout with three shooters on the weak side, moving the center (typically Clint Capela) into the strongside corner, and running isolations with his point guards. It worked - Gobert was rendered a liability, and when Utah’s one perimeter defender who was able to keep Harden in
from to him, Dante Exum, hurt his hamstring in Game 4, the series was over. It was a smart coaching adjustment, but it was a simple one that didn’t change the core dynamic of what has been an undynamic offense. Houston has gotten away with it being slow and methodical and basic because it has two of the best on-ball creators in the game in Harden and Paul. But against the Warriors’ Death Lineup, I doubt that simplicity will play.
NFL: HOUSTON TEXANS
Raptors fire coach Dwane Casey after another sweep by Cavs A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
TORONTO — The Toronto Raptors fired Dwane Casey on Friday after the team was swept in the playoffs by the Cleveland Cavaliers for the second straight season. Toronto President Masai Ujiri said the move was a “very difficult but necessary step.” The 61-year-old Casey led the Raptors to a franchise-record 59 wins and a top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time. He posted a 320238 record in seven seasons and is the franchise’s winningest coach. The Raptors won four Atlantic Division titles and advanced to the postseason five consecutive seasons. But Toronto could not get past the puzzle of the Cavaliers and LeBron James in the playoffs. “As a team, we are constantly trying to grow and improve in order to get to the next level,” Ujiri said in the statement released by the team. Ujiri thanked Casey for what he’s done for the organization, saying Casey was “instrumental in creating the identity and culture of who we are as a team.” The Raptors will hold a news conference Friday afternoon and are expected to provide more details on the deci-
Tony Dejak / Associated Press file
The Toronto Raptors fired Dwane Casey, the franchise’s winningest coach, on Friday after seven seasons with the team.
sion to part ways with Casey. The move comes two days after Casey was honored as coach of the year by the National Basketball Coaches Association. Uriji and Casey met for two hours Wednesday, after which Uriji said the Raptors were “absolutely disappointed” at their playoff exit. He had demanded a “culture reset” last spring, leading a greater emphasis on ball movement, depth and 3-point shooting. Kyle Lowry was equally dejected by the playoff performance, calling it a “wasted year” Tuesday when players were cleaning out their lockers. “We felt like we could
possibly make the NBA Finals,” Lowry said. “That was our goal.” Both Lowry and teammate DeMar DeRozan spoke glowingly of Casey this week. DeRozan credited Casey with all of his success and Lowry said he was “one of the best coaches out there.” Casey said Wednesday “the gap is closing” between the Raptors and Cavaliers, who ousted Toronto from the postseason for the third year in a row. “A lot of folks have run up against Cleveland in the last few years and had the same challenge and it went down the same way,” he said. “That’s the mountain this organization has to climb.”
Getty Images file
Texans rookie Duke Ejiofor is expected to be fully recovered from his torn labrum by training camp.
Texans rookie Duke Ejiofor remaining patient By Aaron Wilson HOUSTON CHRONICLE
As grateful as Duke Ejiofor is to be playing for his hometown Texans, only one thing could make the Alief Taylor graduate even happier. The sixth-round outside linebacker from Wake Forest can't wait until he's fully recovered from a torn labrum so he can start practicing. He's expecting to be ready by training camp. "Just being patient," Ejiofor said Friday as the Texans launched their rookie minicamp. "Trying
to get healthy is the first and foremost goal. I'm just ready to get the pads on and get working." For now, Ejiofor is focused on the preparation of absorbing an NFL playbook and getting healthy. "I'm just getting in the playbook and trying to get down as much as I can mentally," Ejiofor said. "When I'm ready to go physically, I can go full speed." Ejiofor recorded 50 tackles, 17 for losses, 10 1/2 sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles as a junior. The former Chronicle top 100 selection
dealt with the shoulder injury last season. Now, he's playing in the NFL close to his childhood home. "It's an awesome feeling," Ejiofor said. "I stayed home and I get to represent my hometown." Besides adapting to operating primarily out of a two-point stance as an outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme, Ejiofor has the challenge of deciding how to allocate his tickets to family and friends. "I'm not sure," Ejiofor said. "I'm going to go with the flow and whatever happens, happens."
A8 | Saturday, May 12, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
BUSINESS
Parts shortage that hit Ford spreads to more companies By Tom Krisher A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
DETROIT — A fire that damaged a Michigan auto parts supply factory is causing production problems at Ford, Fiat Chrysler, BMW and General Motors, but it's too soon to tell yet whether dealers will run short of vehicles. So far Ford has been hit hardest by parts shortages. The company has had to temporarily lay off 7,600 workers as it cuts production of the F-Series pickup truck, the topselling vehicle in America. But General Motors has been forced to stop producing full-size vans at a factory in Missouri, and production of Fiat Chrysler's Pacifica minivan has been curtailed in Windsor, Ontario. BMW says it expects some production interruptions at its SUV
plant near Spartanburg, South Carolina. It's all because of a May 2 fire that severely damaged the main plant at the Meridian Magnesium Products of America factory in Eaton Rapids, Michigan, near Lansing that makes structural parts, about one-third of which goes to Ford. Multiple automakers have turned to Meridian to produce parts made of the lightweight metal as they try to shed pounds to meet government fuel efficiency standards. On Wednesday, Ford announced that it was suspending F-150 and Super Duty pickup production in Kansas City, Missouri; Dearborn, Michigan; and Louisville, Kentucky. The temporary layoffs took place in Kansas City and Dearborn, while workers in Louisville, Kentucky, who
made the Super Duty will switch to large Lincoln and Ford SUVs that also are made at the plant. Ford says it's working with suppliers to limit the impact on production. "We're confident that any impacts will be shortterm," Joe Hinrichs, executive vice president and president of Global Operations, said in a statement. The company said it still has an ample selection of trucks at U.S. dealerships. At the current sales rate, Ford Motor Co. has enough trucks to last 84 days. The company said Wednesday that the parts shortage and production cuts will have a shortterm impact on earnings, but Ford is sticking with full-year guidance of adjusted earnings per share of $1.45 to $1.70. While the auto industry has a history of working
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around parts shortages from natural disasters and fires, it may be more difficult this time because there are few companies that produce magnesium parts, said Kristen Dziczek, vice president of the Center for Automotive Research's Industry, Labor & Economics Group. "There's a lot of demand for these lightweighting materials," she said. "Everybody needs it. Everybody wants it, and the supply chain isn't mature yet for this kind of volume." Equipment that wasn't damaged will have to be relocated and automakers will have to find another place to get magnesium castings, Dziczek said. Meridian has other buildings in Eaton Rapids and another magnesium plant
Matthew Dae Smith / AP
The fire that damaged the auto parts supply factory is causing production problems at Ford, Fiat Chrysler and General Motors.
in Ontario, but it's unclear how much volume they can pick up, she said. Fiat Chrysler confirmed that Pacifica production had been affected but said no workers had been laid off. Instead, they'll make more of an older minivan as the company works with Meridian to get more Pacifica parts. But a union official at a
Jeep Wrangler SUV plant in Toledo, Ohio, say it's possible some weekend overtime shifts could be cut due to parts shortages. Mark Epley, Jeep unit chairman for United Auto Workers Local 12, said Thursday they've got parts and still are running 10-hour shifts. "This weekend may be a different story," he said.