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NORTH KOREA TENSION
Residents receive water boil notice
US to test missile next week Kim Jong Un has yet to test his ICBM By Robert Burns ASSOCIATED PRE SS
TCEQ asks locals to boil water before consumption By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
Last weekend’s storm damaged a pump leaving people without water and prompted a water boil notice by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. “Residents of Zapata
County, we had a lightning strike last night that disabled our pumping station on the lake. (The) Waterworks Department has installed an emergency diesel pump and is already operational,” Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell posted on his Facebook on Zapata continues on A11
Courtesy
In this photo, several volunteers help distribute over 5,000 gallons of water.
Missile continues on A11
OUR LADY OF LOURDES CATHOLIC CHURCH
TRUMP/RUSSIA PROBE
Kushner ready for FBI
WASHINGTON — Preparing for North Korea’s growing threat, the Pentagon will try to shoot down an intercontinentalrange missile for the first time in a test next week. The goal is to more closely simulate a North Korean ICBM aimed at the U.S. homeland, officials said Friday The American interceptor has a spotty track record, succeeding in nine of 17 attempts against missiles of less-then-in-
tercontinental range since 1999. The most recent test, in June 2014, was a success, but that followed three straight failures. The system has evolved from the multibilliondollar effort triggered by President Ronald Reagan’s 1983 push for a “Star Wars” solution to ballistic missile threats during the Cold War — when the Soviet Union was the only major worry. North Korea is now the focus of U.S. efforts because its leader, Kim Jong Un, has vowed to field a nuclear-armed missile capa-
LAW ENFORCEMENT HONORED AT BLUE MASS
Investigators look into allegations of harming Clinton’s presidential campaign By Eric Tucker And Eileen Sullivan A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — If the FBI wants to talk to Jared Kushner about his Russian contacts, they won’t have to track down the president’s son-in-law. Amid reports the FBI is scrutinizing Kushner’s encounters, his lawyer says he stands ready to talk to federal investigators as well as Congress about his contacts and his role in Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign. Federal investigators and several congressional Kushner committees are looking into Russia-Trump campaign connections, including allegations that there may have been collaboration to help Trump and harm his Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton. “The FBI tries to be thorough in their investigations,” said defense lawyer Edward MacMahon, who is not involved in the case. “If it’s been publicly reported that he met with Russians, and the investigation has to do with administration officials meeting with Russians, well, then, they’ll probably want to talk to everybody.” Kushner was a trusted Trump adviser last year, overseeing the campaign’s digital strategy, and remains an influential confidant within the White House. One likely area of interest for investigators would be Kushner’s own meetings with Russians, given that such encounters with a variety of Trump associates are at the root of the sprawling probe, now overseen by former FBI director Robert Mueller.
Courtesy / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office
Staff and law enforcement personnel from the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office pose for a photo outside Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church on Tuesday.
First responders, fire and rescue and public safety workers were commended for their service By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S
T
he Zapata County Sheriff’s Office held a Blue Mass on Tuesday at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church in commemoration of National Police Week. Blue Mass is a ceremony
for first responders and people in law enforcement, fire and rescue, and public safety who put their life in harm’s way for the good of the community, according to the Sheriff’s Office. “I want to express my deepest gratitude to every first responder for all the sacrifices you make daily by putting your lives on the line
for your families, citizens and the community,” said Sheriff’s Office Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. “I also want to say ‘thank you’ to Sheriff Alonso M. Lopez and all my brothers and sisters in blue from The Zapata County Sheriff's Office for everything you do for Zapata County. I am hoping people will appreciate you
and your duties and not take you for granted.” Del Bosque added, “We are all human, but we are the few chosen ones that make tremendous sacrifices to serve this great community and the beautiful County of Zapata.” Del Bosque said in the statement he commended those who willingly make the ultimate sacrifice and put their lives on line to save the lives of those in need. “A special ‘thanks’ to our Zapata County Sheriff’s deputies, investigators, detention officers, dispatchers, and all other employee's for their commitment,” he stated.
Zin brief A2 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, MAY 27
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Deceased Veterans Remembrance Ceremony. 7:30 a.m. Catholic Cemetery, 3600 McPherson Ave. American Legion Post 59 is spearheading the placement of the American Flag to all deceased veterans. This event, if necessary, will continue May 28. All veterans are welcome to assist.
Today is Saturday, May 27, the 147th day of 2017. There are 218 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History: On May 27, 1937, the newly completed Golden Gate Bridge connecting San Francisco and Marin County, California, was opened to pedestrian traffic (vehicles began crossing the next day).
MONDAY, MAY 29 Korean War Veterans Day Observance. 8 a.m. Jarvis Plaza, Matamoros Street. All veterans are welcome to attend. Memorial Day Observance Ceremony. 9 a.m. City Cemetery, 3200 N. Meadow Ave. A roll call of all killed in action will be announced. Refreshments will follow. Chess Club. Every Monday, 4-6 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete with other players in this cherished game played internationally. Free instruction for all ages and skill levels. Chess books and training materials are available.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 31 Veterans Luncheon. First Assembly of God Church, 6103 McPherson Ave. Sponsored by Commissioner Jaime Canales, lunch will be offered for all veterans and spouses. LEGO Night. 6:15 p.m. – 7:15 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Free and family friendly. LEGOs, DUPLOs, and LEGO Robotics will be made available to the public for free-play.
MONDAY, JUNE 5 Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting. 6:30—7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month. People suffering from anxiety and depression are invited to attend this free, confidential and anonymous support group meeting. While a support group does not replace an individual’s medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength and hope.
SATURDAY, JUNE 10 The Martin High School Class of 1957 60th Reunion. Embassy Suites, 110 Calle Del Norte. Classmates wishing to attend should register by checking the class website at mhsclassof57.org or calling Irma Perales Mireles at 956-286-6385.
THURSDAY, JUNE 22 Why Invasive Species are So Invasive—An Ecosystem Approach. 6:30 p.m. Lake Casa Blanca International State Park Ranchito. Presented by Stephen Lange, Project Leader, South Texas Ecosystem Project, Chaparral and Daughtrey Wildlife Management Areas. Free and open to the public. For more information, email: brushcountrychapter@gmail.com
MONDAY, JULY 3 Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting. 6:30—7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month.
Jerry Larson / AP
In this May 15 photo, science teacher Teresa Kelm, left, helps student Eyaanna Amos make a slider out of a Styrofoam plate in her classroom, in Waco, Texas.
EDUCATOR USES STAR TREK THEME TO TEACH SCIENCE WACO, Texas — Fifth-grade science teacher Teresa Kelm, or "Capt. Kelm" as she is known to her students, is using the final frontier to keep her Starfleet cadets engaged through exploratory learning. The Waco Tribune-Herald reports that the Texas Medical Association recently named the Connally Elementary School teacher the overall winner of the 2017 Ernest and Sarah Butler Award for Excellence in Science Teaching. When she landed the job at Connally, a friend asked Kelm what theme she would use for her classroom. Her new school's mascot and the name for students in the fictional Starfleet Academy gave her some help. "Well, they're cadets, the Connally Cadets, and I love 'Star Trek,' so I said 'Let's do 'Star Trek,'?" Kelm said. "That's what made me start it." Capt. Kelm is in big bold letters on the outside of the door frame. Inside, each of her four walls serves as a station to her space shuttle, with the labels "Operation
Center" to the right for classroom notices, "Navigation Center" to the left for anchor charts to study, "Communications" in the back for vocabulary words and "Main Viewing Screen" at the front with a projector serving as if it were a starship's windshield. And as if she were portraying William Shatner's Capt. James T. Kirk, Kelm often stands in the center of the classroom giving commands on how to tackle hands-on lessons. "I'm very proud of Capt. Kelm and all that she has done to create an engaging learning environment for our children," Principal Gina Pasisis said. "She truly teaches the whole child by making sure students feel connected and valued as part of a learning community and by providing relevant academic experiences that challenge and inspire. She integrates all disciplines as well as social and emotional skills into her science class." — Compiled from Waco Tribune Herald reports
Texas set to embrace new abortion restrictions
AROUND THE NATION Brewing company creates beer in honor of Cincinnati Zoo’s baby hippo Fiona CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Zoo's prematurely born hippo named Fiona is getting a new beer in her honor. Listermann Brewing Company is releasing a Team Fiona New England-style IPA. The hippo's care team helped brew the beer. And the brewing company says 25 percent of the beer sales proceeds is being donated to the zoo's care team. The brewing company describes the beer as having a soft mouth feel, hazy appearance with a fruit-juice flavor. Fiona was born at the zoo in January, weighing just 29
Chad Yelton / AP
This May 15 photo provided by the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden shows a can for Listermann Brewing Company’s Team Fiona beer, featuring an image of the Nile hippopotamus named Fiona born prematurely Jan. 24, at the zoo in Cincinnati.
pounds (13 kilograms). She now weighs more than 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Zoo caretakers are preparing to move her to a group of hippos that includes
her parents. Listermann's general manager says watching Fiona grow up has been a joy. — Compiled from AP reports
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Legislature approved a sweeping package of new abortion limits Friday, despite the legal challenges they're likely to provoke and nearly a year after the U.S. Supreme Court dismantled a 2013 law that prompted more than half the state's abortion clinics to close. The bill sent to Republican Gov. Greg Abbott includes a measure that federal courts have already blocked in several states. Abbott is still expected to sign what amounts to Texas Republicans' counterpunch to last year's Supreme Court ruling, which struck down tough rules on abortion clinics and doctors and changed the landscape of abortion access in the nation's second-largest state. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD At least 28 killed in ambush attack on Christians in Egypt CAIRO — Masked gunmen ambushed a bus carrying Coptic Christians to a monastery south of Cairo on Friday, killing at least 28 people, and Egypt responded by launching airstrikes against what it said were militant training bases in Libya. President Abdel-Fattah elSissi announced the retaliatory
action hours after the bus was riddled with machine-gun fire on a remote desert road by suspected Islamic State militants riding in three SUVs. "What you've seen today will not go unpunished. An extremely painful strike has been dealt to the bases. Egypt will never hesitate to strike terror bases anywhere," el-Sissi said in a televised address to the nation. The ambush of the bus was the fourth deadly attack against the country's Christians since
On this date: In 1933, the Chicago World's Fair, celebrating "A Century of Progress," officially opened. Walt Disney's Academy Award-winning animated short "The Three Little Pigs" was first released. In 1935, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Schechter Poultry Corp. v. United States, unanimously struck down the National Industrial Recovery Act, a key component of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" legislative program. In 1936, the Cunard liner RMS Queen Mary left England on its maiden voyage to New York. The first Aer Lingus flight took place as a de Havilland Dragon carried five passengers from Dublin to Bristol, England. In 1941, the British Royal Navy sank the German battleship Bismarck off France with a loss of some 2,000 lives, three days after the Bismarck sank the HMS Hood with the loss of more than 1,400 lives. Amid rising world tensions, President Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed an "unlimited national emergency" during a radio address from the White House. In 1957, the single "That'll Be the Day" by Buddy Holly's group The Crickets was released by Brunswick Records. In 1977, the punk rock single "God Save the Queen," the Sex Pistols' sardonic salute to Queen Elizabeth II, was released by Virgin Records. In 1985, in Beijing, representatives of Britain and China exchanged instruments of ratification for an accord returning Hong Kong to Chinese control in 1997. In 1998, Michael Fortier, the government's star witness in the Oklahoma City bombing case, was sentenced to 12 years in prison after apologizing for not warning anyone about the deadly plot. (Fortier was freed in Jan. 2006.) Ten years ago: American forces freed 42 kidnapped Iraqis in a raid on an al-Qaida hideout north of Baghdad. Dario Franchitti won a rain-abbreviated Indy 500. Broadway actress Gretchen Wyler died in Camarillo, California, at age 75. Five years ago: Syria strongly denied allegations that its forces had killed scores of people — including women and children — in Houla, but the U.N. Security Council condemned government forces for shelling residential areas. At the Cannes Film Festival, Austrian director Michael Haneke won the top prize for a second time with his stark film, "Amour." Dario Franchitti won the Indianapolis 500 for the third time. Johnny Tapia, the five-time boxing champion whose turbulent career was marked by cocaine addiction, alcohol, depression and run-ins with the law, was found dead at his Albuquerque, New Mexico, home; he was 45. Today's Birthdays: Pulitzer Prizewinning novelist Herman Wouk is 102. Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is 94. Former FBI Director William Sessions is 87. Author John Barth is 87. Actress Lee Meriwether is 82. Musician Ramsey Lewis is 82. Actor Louis Gossett Jr. is 81. Rhythmand-blues singer Raymond Sanders (The Persuasions) is 78. Country singer Don Williams is 78. Actor Bruce Weitz is 74. Motion Picture Association of America Chairman Christopher Dodd is 73. Singer Bruce Cockburn is 72. Singer-actress Dee Dee Bridgewater is 67. Actor Richard Schiff is 62. Singer Siouxsie Sioux (The Creatures, Siouxsie and the Banshees) is 60. Rock singer-musician Neil Finn (The Finn Brothers) is 59. Actress Peri Gilpin is 56. Actress Cathy Silvers is 56. Comedian Adam Carolla is 53. Actor Todd Bridges is 52. Rock musician Sean Kinney (Alice In Chains) is 51. Actor Dondre Whitfield is 48. Actor Paul Bettany is 46. Rock singermusician Brian Desveaux (Nine Days) is 46. Country singer Jace Everett is 45. Actor Jack McBrayer is 44. Rapper Andre 3000 (Outkast) is 42. Rapper Jadakiss is 42. TV chef Jamie Oliver is 42. Alt-country singer-songwriter Shane Nicholson is 41. Actor Ben Feldman is 37. Actor Michael Steger is 37. Actor Darin Brooks is 33. Actorsinger Chris Colfer is 27. Actor Ethan Dampf is 23. Thought for Today: "Every new opinion, at its starting, is precisely in a minority of one." — Thomas Carlyle, Scottish critic and historian
CONTACT US December. The dead included two little girls, ages 2 and 4, local officials said. Twenty-two others were reported wounded. Trump, in Italy on his first trip abroad as president, blamed the bloodshed on a "thuggish ideology" and said it should bring nations together to crush "evil organizations of terror." There was no immediate word on damage or casualties. The bus attack deepens the woes of the majority-Muslim nation, where El-Sissi's government is struggling not only to
crush a burgeoning Islamic insurgency but to revive the battered economy. The country's Christians have complained that the government is not doing enough to protect them from Islamic extremists, and hundreds of them reacted to the bus attack by staging angry street protests in two provincial cities, destroying at least six cars and briefly cutting off railway lines. "Either we get retribution or die like them," some chanted. — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 27, 2017 |
A3
STATE
Officials apologize for terrorist award given student A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
CHANNELVIEW, Texas — A Houston-area school district has disciplined several teachers after a student received a mock award naming her "most likely to become a terrorist." Certificates given to the 13-year-old girl and other students this week at a junior high school east of Houston were supposed to be lighthearted. But the Channelview Independent School District issued a statement apologizing for
the "insensitive and offensive fake mock awards." The girl's mother, Ena Hernandez, says she was upset by the certificate given to her daughter, particularly in light of the recent deadly bombing at a pop concert in Manchester, England. Channelview spokesman Mark Kramer told KPRC-TV in Houston that the certificates were a "poor attempt to poke fun." The district declined to disclose the punishment the teachers received.
Texas OKs requiring schools to teach sex abuse prevention By Meredith Hoffman A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas children as young as 5 could soon be taught how to better ward off sex abuse. The state Legislature has approved a requirement for all public schools to provide sexual abuse prevention training to students. The measure heads to Gov. Greg Abbott’s desk after final House passage Friday on a 136-9 vote. It mandates that both elementary and second-
ary schools offer ageappropriate, researchbased training to promote self-protection and prevent abuse and human trafficking. The schools must provide the instruction twice a year, and explain the content of course materials both on their websites and in a handbook. The bill is designed to combat an increase in reports of sexual abuse and trafficking in Texas. Abbott can either sign or veto the bill or allow it to become law automatically.
Governor signs Gov. Greg Abbott cracks joke law making Texas gun fees about reporters nation’s lowest ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — Gov. Greg Abbott has visited a gun range to sign a law reducing Texas' fees for licenses to carry handguns to the lowest in the nation. The Republican endorsed Friday a law dropping to $40, from $140, the cost of first-time permits, and from $70 to $40 fees for 5-year-renewals. Ab-
bott then took target practice, as he often does after signing gun bills. The National Rifle Association said Texas' gun carry fees are now America's lowest. It'll cost Texas nearly $22 million in its 2018-2019 budget. Still, supporters argued that Texas' high, past fees made many people travel to other states to obtain cheaper licenses they could use back home.
AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is drawing criticism for cracking a joke about reporters at a gun range. Abbott took some target practice Friday, after signing a bill reducing fees for state handgun licenses. The San Antonio Express-News reported that when he was given his target sheet, Abbott joked he would carry it with him in case he sees any reporters.
The quip came days after Montana Republican Greg Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault when he was accused of bodyslamming a reporter the day before he was elected to Congress. Abbott’s joke drew a rebuke from the national gun control advocacy group Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which called it “dangerous and out of line.” Abbott’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Legislature passes letting first responders carry guns ASSOCIATED PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — A bill allowing volunteer firefighters and first responders to bring their guns into restricted areas has cleared the state Legislature. It pertains to volunteer emergency personnel who have concealed carry licenses, and passed the House on a
final, 136-9 vote Friday. The proposal now heads to Gov. Greg Abbott. He’s expected to sign it, though it will become law automatically without his approval, unless he vetoes it. Proponents say the legislation protects first responders arriving to potentially dangerous scenes, and lets them get there faster since they
won’t have to worry about stashing their guns beforehand. But opponents noted that first responders don’t receive extra training to carry their guns
and worried about unintended consequences. The bill is one of several loosening firearms restrictions this legislative session in Texas.
Zopinion
Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com
A4 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Prayer that Texas lawmakers ‘rot and be blown away’ too much? By Ken Herman COX N EWSPAPE RS
While we’re waiting to see what the Legislature does about bathroom and locker room usage by our transgender neighbors, you might want to know that God has been asked to train his considerable wrath upon those who oppose the so-called bathroom bill. But first, our word of the day: imprecatory. Looks like this one means “to invoke or call down (evil or curses), as upon a person.” So it’s a potentially useful word. I heard it from Steven Hotze of Houston, a longtime player in really, really conservative politics in Houston and Texas. He’s a big backer of Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, a major backer of the bathroom bill you’ve heard too much about. Hotze used “imprecatory” in a recent posting on the Conservative Republicans of Texas News’ website crtxnews.com. Hotze is its publisher, and he is none too happy with Texas legislators who differ with him on issues such as abortion, samesex marriage and which bathrooms transgender folks should use. All of those are issues on which there is plenty of room for reasonable discussion and debate. I bet there are officeholders with whom you disagree from time to time. But have you ever called for an imprecatory prayer against those folks. Probably not. In fact, you’ve perhaps called for a supportive prayer for folks with whom you disagree, because you’re mature enough to realize that, disagree though we do at times, many of us are God’s children and there’s more that unites us and blah, blah, blah. Please keep reading and see if you agree with me that Hotze perhaps has gone a bit too far with his prayer request posted on his website. I think you’ve crossed some line when you pray prayers invoking phrases like “consumed, collapse, rot and be blown away as dust.” That just sounds a bit excessive to my ears. See how it sounds to yours: “There are Texas legislators who call evil good and good evil,” Hotze wrote, “who support the murder of unborn babies,
Please keep reading and see if you agree with me that Hotze perhaps has gone a bit too far with his prayer request posted on his website.
who pervert God’s holy plan for marriage between a man and a woman, who accept, affirm and celebrate those who promote and choose to practice sodomy and other perverse, deviant, wicked and evil sexual behaviors, and who would allow perverted men and boys, who sexually fantasize that they are women, to enter women’s and girls’ bathrooms, showers and locker rooms.” See what I mean? And Hotze has a plan for what should happen to these folks. He asks God to carry out the plan. And he asks that you join him in praying for the carrying out of his plan. “Pray this imprecatory prayer for the wicked state legislators,” Hotze asks. Here’s the imprecation: “In the name of Jesus, I prophesy and declare: May all the individuals serving in the state Legislature, and their staff, who support, promote and practice sodomy and other perverted, sexually deviant lifestyles, who support the killing of unborn babies, and who hate God’s Law and God’s Word, receive just retribution from God for their evil actions. “May they receive what their unfaithful ways deserve. May they be consumed, collapse, rot and be blown away as dust from their current positions because of their wicked works, thoughts and deeds. May people scorn them and nations abhor them. May their punishment lead them to repentance and faith in Christ. May God’s will be done in their lives.” I don’t know. Sounds a bit excessive. I’m generally just good with voting against politicians I don’t like. Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman.
EDITORIAL
It’s time for colleges to cut costs By Jeffrey J. Selingo WASHINGTON P O ST
Traditionally, May 1 is when deposits are due for a spot in next fall’s freshmen class on campuses nationwide. Colleges are pulling out all the stops to recruit students, get them to enroll. But rather than always looking at the revenue side of the ledger by figuring out how to attract more students with marketing gimmicks and constant discounting, colleges should start studying the expense side as well for ways to lower their costs. Many campuses have found their own ways to reduce instructional costs. Even small changes in behavior can yield significant savings. Take the use of classroom space. Elon University
discovered many of those sections weren’t filled to capacity. That’s like an airline flying empty seats. So Elon reduced the number of course sections and ended up saving nearly $1 million in the process. Another strategy to cuts costs is to declare a truce in the amenities arms race. UCF is now planning a “lazy river,” part of a $25 million upgrade to athletic facilities to help recruit star athletes. That echoes what others have done. Last decade, many schools went deep into debt to build state-of-the-art classroom buildings, palatial recreation centers and plush dorms to keep up with competitors doing the same thing. The problem is students and parents remain
willing customers, “happy to have their tuitions raised for better dorms, high-speed internet, and better food,” said Jane Wellman, the former longtime head of the Delta Cost Project. But if Harvard replaced all of its dorms with rooms that were comparable to a jail cell, I doubt students would refuse to go there. “We built the least expensive rooms we could come up with,” said Tim Renick, Georgia State’s vice president for enrollment management and student success. Students signed up in droves. Finally, colleges need to rethink one of the biggest drivers of costs-personnel, particularly the need to have more flexible work forces. Right now, their faculty ranks are
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.
Jeffrey J. Selingo is the author of “There Is Life After College” and the “College (Un)Bound.”
EDITORIAL
A Muslim ban is not constitutional ASSOCIATED PRE SS
On Thursday, a federal appeals court based in Virginia handed President Donald Trump another defeat in his efforts to block immigrants from six nations from entering the United States. It is likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court next. The president would be wiser to recognize he cannot impose a religious-based ban. Trump surrogates have tried to backpedal much of what candidate Trump said as simply rhetoric. But candidate Trump was resolute about wanting a complete ban on Muslims while campaigning. Writing for the majority, Roger Gregory, chief judge of the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, wrote
Trump’s executive order, "speaks with vague words of national security, but in context drips with religious intolerance, animus and discrimination." Ten of the 13 judges participating in the decision supported blocking the ban; three judges dissented. The president first issued an executive ordering banning immigrants from seven nations on Jan. 27; Iraq was included in that executive order. It was blocked by courts. Trump wrote a new executive order and hoped the revised version would pass legal muster. But the president can’t get past his past rhetoric he once called for "a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the U.S." It will be hard to dispel the belief that the
current ban is not religious based when Trump’s words and those of his surrogates, like former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, support the theory that a ban affecting six Muslimmajority nations is a Muslim ban. It is also hard to dismiss the fact that nationals from these six nations are not connected to terrorist attacks on U.S. soil. What we are seeing here and abroad is that citizens are being radicalized either through the Internet or by other sources. The ideology that is twisting minds must be attacked, but a blanket ban on Muslims or Muslims from certain countries will have the opposite effect on fighting the spread of terrorism. Antiterrorist experts across
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
largely immovable because of tenure. Instead of a lifetime guarantee, tenure would be for a specific time commitment-perhaps 20, 25, or 30 years-followed by one-year contracts. Colleges can only discount their prices so much until they are forced to cut actual costs given reduced revenues. If recent news reports are any indication, the pricing strategies that colleges have utilized for several decades to attract students seem to be coming to an end. So college officials will be forced to confront their expenses whether they want to or not.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
the globe continue to state the most effective weapon against a terrorist attack is information from members of the would-be terrorist’s community. That requires trust. Keeping the nation safe is a responsibility of the president. And there is no question U.S. immigration policy should be reformed. That reform should come from within Congress with guidance from the executive branch. Regardless of the Fourth Circuit ruling, the case will likely move to the Supreme Court. There, we hope, justices will see this as an antiMuslim political statement wrapped up as immigration policy. Trump has a responsibility to keep America safe. He also has one to keep America American.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 27, 2017 |
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A6 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CRIME
Miss Black Texas 2016 says she was wrongfully arrested A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
COMMERCE, Texas — An East Texas police chief is on leave pending investigation after he was accused of wrongfully arresting Miss Black Texas 2016. Carmen Ponder tells KXAS-TV that Com-
merce Police Chief Kerry Crews had her arrested Saturday after a confrontation that led to him directing a racial and sexist slur at her. Ponder said she passed a truck and pulled into a WalMart parking lot. The truck pulled up beside
hers and the passenger, who she believes to have been Crews, said he was teaching his 14-year-old daughter to drive. He berated Ponder for passing him, then called her a "black b----" when she told him it was illegal. Her attorney, Lee Mer-
ritt, said she entered the store and when she emerged, several officers in plain clothes confronted her and demanded that she apologize to the chief. When she refused, she was arrested for evading arrest, handcuffed and jailed for 24 hours.
Former nurse accused of killing dozens of kids By David Warren A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
DALLAS — A Texas nurse who is in prison for the 1984 killing of a toddler has been charged with murder in the 1981 death of an infant, and authorities said Friday that they think she may have killed up to 60 young children around that time. Genene Jones, 66, has been serving concurrent sentences at a prison in Gatesville for two 1984 convictions: a 99-year prison sentence for murder in the death of 15month-old Chelsea McClelland, who was given a fatal injection of a muscle relaxant, and a 60-year term for injury to a child for giving 4-week-old Rolando Santos a large injection of the bloodthinner Heparin, which he survived. On Thursday, the Bexar County district attorney’s office announced that a grand jury had returned a murder indictment against Jones in the 1981 death of 11-monthold Joshua Sawyer, who investigators say died of a fatal overdose of an antiseizure drug, Dilantin. During Jones’ time working in hospitals and clinics in San Antonio
and elsewhere in Texas, children died of unexplained Jones seizures and other complications. At a news conference Friday in San Antonio, District Attorney Nico LaHood said investigators believe Jones may have killed some or all of those children because they died under unusual circumstances during or shortly after her shifts. “She’s been suspected in dozens of infant deaths and she’s only been held accountable in one,” he
said. LaHood said the new murder charge is based on fresh evidence that came to light and a review of old evidence. He also said the deaths of some of the other children are being re-examined and that additional charges could be coming. Jones has been consistently denied parole over the years. However, she was due to be released next March after serving one-third of her sentence under a mandatory release law that was in effect when she was convicted. Jones was “emotional” when she was served an arrest warrant Thursday,
LaHood said. “We have every reason to believe that she fully expected to get out next year,” he said. Because of the new charge, Jones will be transferred to the Bexar County jail and held on a $1 million bond while the case is prosecuted.
Agents seize bundles of cocaine in bus toilet ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SARITA, Texas — Law enforcement officers in South Texas discovered 15 bundles of cocaine hidden inside the toilet of a commercial bus in a $1.4 million drug bust. A Border Patrol statement Friday said no one has been arrested as the investigation continues into the drugs confiscated at the Sarita checkpoint. Border Patrol agents on Thursday afternoon
took a second look at a local commercial bus after a drug-sniffing dog alerted the officers. All passengers exited the bus during the search. Agents located and confiscated more than 44 pounds of cocaine, wrapped in black tape and concealed inside the toilet, under the lid. Passengers were allowed to re-board the bus, which continued on from the checkpoint. Sarita is 160 miles southeast of San Antonio.
Public Notice Region 11 of the Department of State Health Services, in partnership with the Texas Military Forces may conduct a health care program called “Operation Lone Star” in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Jim Hogg, Zapata and Webb Counties. Free medical and dental services may be provided for up to one week in late July and/or early August 2019. Questions should be addressed to: Innovative Readiness Coordinator ATTN: MSG Enrique Sanchez JFTX-J7 P.O. Box 5218 Austin, TX 78763-5218 (512) 782-5738 L-40
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Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 27, 2017 |
COMISIÓN DE CALIDAD AMBIENTAL DE TEXAS
A7
PUENTE III
Emiten alerta tras tormenta Pasarían ‘semanas Por César G. Rodríguez TIEM P O DE ZAPATA
La tormenta del fin de semana pasado dañó una bomba de agua en el Condado de Zapata dejando a varias personas sin el vital líquido y provocó que la Comisión de Calidad Ambiental de Texas (TCEQ por sus siglas en inglés) emitiera un aviso de hervir agua. "Residentes del Condado de Zapata, anoche un rayo dañó nuestra estación de bombas de agua. El departamento de obras hidráulicas ha instalado una bomba diesel de emergencia y ya está en funcionamiento", publicó en Facebook Joe Rathmell, Juez del Condado de Zapata. "La presión del agua debe comenzar a mejorar en unas pocas horas, pero mientras tanto, por favor continúe hirviendo el agua". TCEQ recomendó a los residentes de Zapata hervir el agua antes de su consumo.
Foto de cortesía
Más de 5.000 galones de agua fueron repartidos en el Condado de Zapata después que la tormenta dañara una bomba de agua.
Sin embargo, el miércoles, el Departamento de Bomberos del Condado de Zapata publicó en su página de Facebook una "Aviso de retiro de la notificación de hervir agua" del departamento
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE
de obras hidráulicas, diciendo que ya no era necesario hervir agua para beber, cocinar y hacer hielo. Durante la escasez de agua, miembros de la comunidad y
líderes locales combinaron esfuerzos para distribuir más 5.000 galones de agua. “H-E-B donó generosamente un camión lleno de agua para los residentes de Zapata”, dijo Rathmell. H-E-B y el Club de Leones de Zapata unieron esfuerzos para distribuir más de 5.000 galones de agua potable. "Quisiéramos agradecer a todos los voluntarios, a la Oficina del Alguacil y al Departamento de Bomberos. También gracias a la Corte de Comisionados, al Zapata Boxing Club, al ZHS Leo Club y a otros miembros del Club de Leones", dijo el director del Club de Leones Zapata, Aurelio Villarreal, en un comunicado. El jefe de la Oficina del Alguacil, Raymundo Del Bosque Jr., añadió: "Quiero agradecer a todos los voluntarios que hicieron a un lado sus horarios ocupados para venir y ayudar durante estos momentos difíciles”.
CONDADO DE ZAPATA
CELEBRAN ‘MISA AZUL’
PAGO DE IMPUESTOS 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St. PAGO EN LÍNEA 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día. LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL 1 La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza, a un lado del City Hall. Informes en el 956-849-1411. MUSEO EN ZAPATA 1 A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, se sugiere visitar el Museo del Condado de Zapata ubicado en 805 N US-Hwy 83. Opera de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. Existen visitas guiadas. Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983. GRUPOS DE APOYO 1 El grupo de apoyo para personas con Alzheimer se reunirá en su junta mensual, a las 7 p.m., en el Laredo Medical Center, primer piso, Torre B en el Centro Comunitario. Las reuniones se realizan el primer martes de cada mes en el mismo lugar y a la misma hora. 1 El grupo Cancer Friend se reúne a las 6 p.m. el primer lunes del mes en el Centro Comunitario de Doctors Hospital. 1 Grupo de Apoyo para Ansiedad y Depresión Rayo de Luz. En Centro de Educación del Área de Salud, ubicado en 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. El grupo se reúne de 6:30 p.m. a 7:30 p.m. en 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430, cada primer lunes de mes.
Foto de cortesía
La ceremonia conmemoró las acciones de personal de primeros auxilios, miembros de las fuerzas del orden, bomberos e individuos que ponen su vida en peligro para el bienestar de la comunidad.
Conmemoran Semana Nacional de Policía Por César G. Rodríguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
L
a Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata celebró una “Misa Azul” el martes en la iglesia Nuestra Señora de Lourdes para conmemorar la Semana Nacional de la Policía. La “Misa Azul” es una ceremonia para personal de primeros auxilios, miembros de las fuerzas del orden, bomberos e individuos que salvaguar-
dan la seguridad pública poniendo su vida en peligro para el bienestar de la comunidad, de acuerdo con la Oficina del Alguacil. "Quiero expresar mi más profundo agradecimiento a todos el personal de primeros auxilios y de las fuerzas del orden por todos los sacrificios que realizan diariamente poniendo sus vidas en riesgo por sus familias, ciudadanos y la comunidad", dijo Raymundo Del Bosque Jr., jefe de la Of-
icina del Alguacil. "También quiero decir 'GRACIAS' al alguacil Alonso M. López y a todos mis hermanos y hermanas que visten de azul de la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata por todo lo que hacen por el Condado de Zapata. Espero que la gente aprecie su trabajo y sus deberes”. Del Bosque añadió: "Todos somos humanos, pero somos los pocos escogidos que realizan grandes sacrificios para
servir a esta gran comunidad y al hermoso Condado de Zapata". Del Bosque elogió a aquellos que voluntariamente realizan el sacrificio final y ponen sus vidas en peligro para salvar la vida del que lo necesite. "Un especial 'Gracias' a los oficiales, investigadores, agentes de detención, despachadores y todos los demás empleados de la Oficina del Condado de Zapata por su compromiso", señaló.
TAMAULIPAS
Continúa violencia en Reynosa TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Continúa la ola de violencia que azota a Reynosa, México desde hace semanas. El miércoles se suscitó un enfrentamiento entre elementos policiacos y civiles armados. Dos presuntos delincuentes fallecieron, de acuerdo con la Procuraduría General de Justicia de Tamaulipas. Los hechos se registraron durante las primeras horas del miércoles 24 de mayo en el Boulevard Hidalgo y Avenida los Encinos de la ciudad fronteriza, luego que elementos de la Procuraduría de Justicia detectaron
la presencia de personas armadas que se desplazaban en un vehículo color blanco que había sido reportado como robado. Los individuos dentro del vehículo agredieron con arma de fuego a los policías investigadores. En el enfrentamiento fallecieron dos individuos de sexo masculino, aún no identificados. En el lugar de los hechos, se aseguró un arma de fuego larga tipo M4, artefactos metálicos conocidos como ‘poncha llantas’, dos radios de comunicación y un vehículo tipo Vento color blanco.
Persecución mortal Un oficial de la Policía Estatal falleció y cinco más resultaron lesionados, tras la volcadura de la unidad en la que se trasladaban cuando realizaban una persecución en la ciudad tamaulipeca, de acuerdo con la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública de Tamaulipas. Los hechos ocurrieron alrededor de las 7:45 p.m., cuando los efectivos estatales seguían en la colonia Longoria a una camioneta Ford Explorer color verde, desde donde les habían lanzado estrellas metálicas conocidas como
“poncha llantas”, pero al llegar al crucero de las calles Río Mante y Rosalinda Guerrero, la patrulla se impactó en contra de un vehículo Ford Mustang, provocándose la volcadura. En el lugar resultaron lesionados seis oficiales de la Policía Estatal, quienes posteriormente fueron trasladados a hospitales de la localidad. Uno de los oficiales falleció horas después a consecuencia de diversas fracturas. El conductor del vehículo deportivo, ajeno a la persecución, recibió atención médica tras sufrir diversas lesiones.
o más’ antes que tráfico se normalice Por Julia Wallace TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Aunque la actividad en el Puente del Comercio Mundial (Puente III) ha ido aumentado los últimos días, podrían pasar “semanas o más” antes que el puerto terrestre sea completamente reparado y el tráfico vuelva a la normalidad, dijo el jueves Gregory Álvarez, director de CBP en el puerto Laredo. Álvarez y otros oficiales de CBP ofrecieron un recorrido a los medios de comunicación a través de las oficinas administrativas ubicadas en el área de inspección secundaria del Puente III, las cuales fueron dañadas por la tormenta del domingo. Alberto Flores, subdirector del puerto Laredo, hizo un recuento de su visita al edificio la noche del domingo: Parte del cielo falso estaba destruido y varias pulgadas de agua habían inundado las instalaciones que también lucían llenas de escombros. Aunque la energía eléctrica ha sido restablecida y los escombros han sido retirados, partes del tejado aún siguen dañadas y los escritorios permanecen vacíos. La mayoría de los empleados que laboran en esta estación de inspección secundaria han sido provisionalmente transferidos al Puente Colombia-Solidaridad o están trabajando remotamente. Álvarez dijo que la "mayoría de los movimientos" se han centrado en tratar de recuperar procesos administrativos, ya sea en unidades móviles u en otras oficinas de CBP o de la Ciudad de Laredo. CBP está permitiendo que camiones de carga vacíos crucen el Puente del Comercio Mundial en ambos sentidos. Además, algunos camiones CTPAT (certificados de bajo riesgo) que transportan productos no perecederos también han recibido autorización de cruzar hacia Estados Unidos. Por lo tanto, unos 3.000 camiones habrán cruzado el puente el jueves, dijo Flores. Normalmente cerca de 12.000 camiones cruzan el Puente III. El resto del tráfico está siendo desviado hacia el Puente Colombia-Solidaridad, que cuenta con la mitad de los carriles que tiene el Puente III. Actualmente, Colombia-Solidaridad está procesando alrededor del 60 a 65 por ciento del tráfico comercial normal, dijeron las autoridades, y estiman que pronto llegue al 100 por ciento. Aduanas mexicanas anunciaron que estarán operando las 24 horas del día, hasta que el Puente III vuelva a funcionar normalmente. En el lado estadounidense, los carriles abren a las 7 a.m. y cierran cuando llega el último camión. Bradd Skinner, subdirector de CBP para el comercio, dijo que el tiempo de espera en la fila del Puente Colombia-Solidaridad es de 7 a 10 horas. El tiempo de espera promedio en el Puente III oscilaba entre 30 minutos y tres horas.
A8 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 27, 2017 |
A9
BUSINESS
States struggle with oversight of online charter schools By Julie Carr Smyth and Kantele Franko A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
COLUMBUS, Ohio — As U.S. children flock to virtual charter schools, states are struggling to catch up and develop rules to make sure the students get a real education and schools get the right funding. The future of virtual schools is part of the larger schoolchoice debate seeing renewed attention since the installation of Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, an online charter investor and advocate who sees them as a valuable option for students.
While some perform well, the sector has been plagued by accounts of low standards, mismanagement, and inflated participation counts at schools that are reimbursed based on the number of enrolled students. Ohio's largest online charter school, the Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, this month lost the latest round of its battle over $60 million the state says is owed for enrollment that cannot be justified. Findings of underperformance at e-schools have been so prevalent that even supporters have called for policymakers to intervene. "There's overwhelming con-
sensus that these schools are performing terribly poor and yet, you know, nothing's happening," said Gary Miron, a Western Michigan University professor who researches online charters for the National Education Policy Center at the University of Colorado and believes such schools can work, but not under the current model. Nationwide, enrollment in virtual schools has tripled over the past decade, and some 278,000 students as young as kindergarteners were enrolled in 58 full-time online schools across 34 states for the 2015-16 school year, according to data
Tony Dejak / AP
Celiah Aker poses at her desk at home Feb. 6 in Medina, Ohio. Aker is in ninth grade and it is her fifth year at Electronic Classroom of Tomorrow, an online school.
from the policy center. Other groups' estimates put virtual enrollment even higher. Half the virtual schools are charters and the rest are district-run, but charters have most of the students. The schools' supporters say
they fill a gap by meeting the needs of nontraditional students — those with challenging schedules, severe health issues, troubles with focus or bullying, or who are working or traveling or parenting children of their own.
Company faces backlash for pulling Hannity ads By David Bauder A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Financial services firm USAA, facing a backlash to its decision to pull advertising from Sean Hannity's show on Fox News Channel, says it is withdrawing from other opinion-based television programs. The company, which sells insurance and other products to members of the U.S. military, veterans and their families, had cited its aversion to opinionated programming in backing away from Hannity. The veteran talk show host has become a liberal target because of his focus on a discredited story about a murdered Democratic National Committee staffer. Yet the conservative watchdog Media Research Center noted that USAA ads had run in recent weeks on left-leaning shows hosted by Rachel Maddow, Lawrence O'Donnell and Chris Matthews on MSNBC. The ads were placed in error and that mistake is being corrected, said Roger Wildermuth, USAA spokesman. It wasn't clear how the ads could be placed in at least four opinion-based shows in violation of the company's policy; he didn't immediately respond to a question about whether there were more. Since the liberal advocacy group Media Matters for America posted a list of more than 150 of Hannity's advertisers earlier this week,
nine companies have said they no longer wanted to be sponsors. That's only a fraction of the companies that Hannity backed out of the since-fired Bill O'Reilly's Fox show last month after news of settlements paid to women to quiet harassment claims. USAA's decision was particularly disappointing since Hannity has supported veterans organizations, said Brent Bozell, president of the Media Research Center. The decision provoked an angry response. A Memorial Day posting on the company's Facebook page had nearly 500 comments Friday afternoon, many from people protesting the Hannity decision and vowing to move accounts from USAA. One woman wrote: "with one boneheaded move, you've made me start looking for a new house and auto insurance, a new bank, a new investment manager." "It was even more intense than I expected it would be," Bozell said, "and I expected it would be intense." USAA noted that other companies had seen a backlash from their decisions, too. Wildermuth said USAA's decision on Hannity was not the result of outside pressure. "We will continually review our ad placements to ensure we are consistent with our policy," he said.
Wilfredo Lee / AP
A TSA officer looks on as a traveler clears a full-body scanner on May 2 at Miami International Airport in Miami.
New airport scanners could end bans on laptops, liquids By Alan Levin BL OOMBERG NEWS
Manufacturers of airport security equipment have a message for travelers who fear they will have to give up laptops and tablet computers on international flights: They have a solution. At least four of the largest companies making screening devices say they are developing scanners so much better at detecting explosives than existing X-ray machines that passengers could leave laptops, other electronics and even liquids in their
bags, vastly simplifying airport security. “It’s a no brainer,” said Joseph Paresi, chief executive officer of Integrated Defense & Security Solutions Inc., which has developed one of the new scanning machines that has passed initial U.S. government testing. “It’s not if. It’s when it’s going to happen.” But the speed with which U.S., European and other security agencies can put them into widespread use remains an open question. After being burned by attempts to roll out new screening equipment in the past — such
as having to warehouse hundreds of so-called puffer machines designed to detect explosives because they didn’t perform well in real-world conditions a decade ago — the Transportation Security Administration has instituted multiple layers of performance tests. And Congress hasn’t appropriated funds for large purchases of the machines. Adding the devices, which list for several hundred thousand dollars each, at thousands of airport security lines in just the U.S. could cost $1 billion or more.
A10 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT
Damian Dovarganes / AP
In this 2004 file photo, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride at the Disneyland Resort is seen in Anaheim, California.
Disney’s ride reboot exits ‘Twilight Zone’ to enter ‘Galaxy’ By Christopher Palmeri B L OOM BE RG NEWS
Guests at Walt Disney Co.’s California Adventure theme park took their last perilous ride on the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror in January. On May 27, the attraction reopens with Star-Lord, Groot and other characters from the company’s “Guardians of the Galaxy” films. Thrill-seekers in the revamped ride follow Rocket, the machine-guntoting raccoon from the movies, on a mission that includes sudden drops synchronized to six classic pop songs, including Pat Benatar’s “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and “Free Ride,” by the Edgar Winter Group. Guardians of the Galaxy Mission: Breakout! cost about $100 million to build, according to UBS estimates. Disney is in the midst of a major expansion of its resorts, with spending near all-time highs. But even as the world’s largest theme-park company unveils splashy new desti-
nations, such as the $5.5 billion Disney Shanghai Resort that opened last year in China and Pandora the World of Avatar, an estimated $850 million project that debuted this week at Animal Kingdom in Florida, it’s also doing less expensive remodels of existing attractions. “The ride does the same thing, the visuals they’ve added from the movie make it more contemporary,” said Dennis Speigel, a consultant with International Theme Park Services Inc. in Cincinnati. “It’s a great way to add a big new attraction without spending a lot of dollars from the ground up.” The 13-year-old Tower of Terror was one of the most popular attractions at the Anaheim, California, park. Based on the “Twilight Zone,” the classic TV show from CBS Corp., it took guests into a mysterious old hotel and an elevator that rose and fell more than 13 stories. Three other versions continue to operate at other Disney parks.
Chris Cornell remembered as ‘voice of our generation’ By Sandy Cohen ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Music's elite and celebrities remembered Chris Cornell at a somber memorial service Friday that focused on the Soundgarden frontman's love of family and friends as much as it did on his musical achievements as one of rock's leading voices. "Chris was as melodic as The Beatles, as rocking as Sabbath and as haunting as Edgar Allan Poe," said Tom Morello, Cornell's bandmate in the supergroup Audioslave, during his eulogy. Linkin Park's Chester Bennington performed Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" for the crowd of mourners, including Brad Pitt, Pharrell Williams, Christian Bale and numerous members of rock royalty, some of whom were driven to tears. Four large portraits of Cornell were on display on a dais where Morello, actor Josh Brolin and the rocker's Soundgarden bandmates Kim Thayil and Matt Cameron delivered eulogies under overcast skies at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Fans gathered outside the cemetery's gates hours before the start of a public memorial scheduled for 3 p.m. Pacific. The ceremony ended and mourners headed to
Cornell's final resting place in the Garden of Legends section of Hollywood Forever Cemetery. "All Night Thing" by the band Temple of the Dog, which Cornell was a member of, played during the procession. Flowers and several red roses were placed on Cornell's grave marker, which reads, "Voice of our generation and an artist for all time" Cornell is buried near Johnny Ramone, whose headstone includes a statue of the punk rocker
Sandy Cohen / AP
Flowers adorn the grave marker for musician Chris Cornell at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery on Friday in Los Angeles.
playing guitar. Among those who came to pay tribute were Lars Ulrich and James Hetfield of Metallica, Dave Navarro of Jane's Addiction, singer-songwriter Joe Walsh and Bush's Gavin Rossdale. Before the service, Soundgarden music played from a portable speaker outside the cemetery's gates as a group of about a dozen fans gathered outside. By the end of the service, their numbers had grown to about 50 people.
Melody Andrade brought her 4-year-old son Jude to pay their respects to Cornell. The pair wore matching Tshirts that read, "Say Hello 2 Heaven," the title of a Temple of the Dog song written by Cornell. "I feel like this is just as big as the death of Elvis or John Lennon. That's why I had to bring my son," Andrade said. "There will never be another. He's a modern day Freddie Mercury. I needed some closure on this."
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 27, 2017 |
A11
NATIONAL & FROM THE COVER
Native Alaskans New ‘Blue Lives Matter’ laws honored for raise concerns among activists protecting Alaska during World War II By Jim Salter and David A. Lieb ASSOCIATED PRE SS
By Rachel D'Oro A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Officials on Friday posthumously honored more than a dozen members of a largely Native Alaskan citizen militia who protected the U.S. territory from the threat of Japanese invasion during World War II, bringing closure to their families for a service that went unrecognized for decades. Gov. Bill Walker and state veterans affairs officials presented Army discharge papers to the relatives of 16 deceased members of the Alaska Territorial Guard during a ceremony ahead of Memorial Day weekend. The event was an emotional time for Rebecca Czyz, the niece of militia member and Inupiat Eskimo sharpshooter Laura Beltz Wright, who was among just 23 women in the 6,400-member unit. Czyz grew up with her aunt, who died in 1996. She said Wright was an adventurous woman who could outshoot most. She once ran mail by dog sled between villages and later owned a parka shop in Anchorage. She once told her niece that she would be fine with just a tent and a frying pan. Czyz knew her aunt had served in the Territorial Guard but never paid much attention to that part of her life. She became more interested as she got older, and seeing the discharge papers gave her closure, Czyz said. "I just felt very proud," she said. "It would have been an honor for her to be here, but at least her family can accept this award for her." Alaska was still 17 years away from statehood when the militia formed in 1942 after Ja-
MISSILE From page A1 ble of reaching American territory. He has yet to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM, but Pentagon officials believe he is speeding in that direction. Marine Lt. Gen. Vincent Stewart, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, said this week that “left unchecked,” Kim will eventually succeed. The Pentagon has a variety of missile defense systems, but the one designed with a potential North Korean ICBM in mind is perhaps the most technologically challeng-
ZAPATA From page A1 Monday. “Water pressure should start to improve within a few hours but in the meantime please continue to follow the boil water notice.” TCEQ recommended Zapatans to boil their water before consumption. However on Wednesday, the Zapata County Fire Department posted on its Facebook a “Boil Water Notification Withdrawal” from the Waterworks Department saying that boiling water for drinking, cooking and ice making was no longer necessary. During the water shortage, community members and local lead-
pan's attack on Pearl Harbor and points along Alaska's Aleutian Islands. Nicknamed Uncle Sam's Men and Eskimo Scouts, the volunteer members stepped in to watch over the 586,000square-mile territory, which was vulnerable to further attack with the National Guard pressed into federal service. And they did it without pay. The militia disbanded with little fanfare in 1947, almost two years after the war ended. But members were not formally recognized by the Army as military veterans until 2004. Nearly 2,600 discharge papers have been issued since then by the Army, which has worked with the state Department of Veterans and Military Affairs to obtain the documents. Officials at Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage plan to make the ceremony a yearly event as more papers are issued. Mercedes Angerman, deputy director of the state military agency, said obtaining the discharge papers is a lengthy and sometimes challenging process. Surviving relatives can have different last names than the Territorial Guard members. Sometimes families don't realize their relative served in the unit or they don't know the member's date of birth, which is required. "Sometimes it's like catching the wind," Angerman said. She said the goal is to ultimately obtain a discharge for every member. Once families receive the documents, they qualify for a free headstone for the militia members from the National Cemetery Administration.
ing. Critics say it also is the least reliable. The basic defensive idea is to fire a rocket into space upon warning of a hostile missile launch. The rocket releases a 5-foot-long device called a “kill vehicle” that uses internal guidance systems to steer into the path of the oncoming missile’s warhead, destroying it by force of impact. Officially known as the Groundbased Midcourse Defense system, the Pentagon likens it to hitting a bullet with a bullet. The Pentagon’s Missile Defense Agency, which is responsible for developing and testing the system, has scheduled the intercept test for Tuesday.
ers combined efforts to distribute more 5,000 gallons of water. “H-E-B has generously donated a truckload of water to the residents of Zapata,” Rathmell stated. H-E-B and the Zapata Lions Club joined efforts to pass out over 5,000 gallons of drinking water. “We would like to thank all volunteers, the Sheriff’s Office and Fire department. Also thanks to Commissioners Court, Zapata Boxing Club, ZHS Leo Club and fellow Lion members,” said Zapata Lions Club Director Aurelio Villarreal in a statement. Sheriff’s Office Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. added, “I want to thank all the volunteers who put their busy schedules aside to come and help during this time of need.”
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Following a spike in deadly attacks on police, more than a dozen states have responded this year with "Blue Lives Matter" laws that come down even harder on crimes against law enforcement officers, raising concern among some civil rights activists of a potential setback in police-community relations. The new measures build upon existing statutes allowing harsher sentences for people who kill or assault police. They impose even tougher penalties, extend them to more offenses, including certain nonviolent ones such as trespassing in Missouri, and broaden the list of victims covered to include off-duty officers, police relatives and some civilians at law enforcement agencies. Proponents say an escalation of violence against police justifies the heightened protections. "What we're getting into as a society is that
Eric Gay / AP
This photo shows portraits of fallen officers displayed during a a memorial service in Dallas.
people are targeting police officers not by something that they may have done to them, but just because they're wearing that uniform," said Republican state Rep. Shawn Rhoads of Missouri, a former detective. People who have been protesting aggressive police tactics are expressing alarm. "This is another form of heightened repression of activists," said Zaki Baruti, an activist and community organizer from St. Louis County. "It sends a message to protesters that we better not look at police crosseyed."
Police deaths on the job have generally declined over the past four decades, from a recent high of 280 in 1974 to a low of 116 in 2013, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. But they rose last year to 143, including 21 killed in ambushes — the highest number of such attacks in more than two decades. Nearly all states already have laws enhancing the punishments for certain violent crimes against law officers. One year ago, Louisiana became the first state to enact a law adding
offenses against police, firefighters and emergency medical responders to its list of hate crimes. More states began expanding their penalties after last summer, when five officers were killed in a July 7 sniper attack at a protest against police brutality in Dallas, and three more officers were slain in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 10 days later. Penalty enhancements have passed this year in Arizona, Arkansas, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, Nevada, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah and West Virginia, most of which are led by Republicans. Similar bills are under consideration in other states. Some civil rights activists contend such laws will make it more difficult to prosecute officers and easier to charge protesters who confront police. They say such measures could undermine the Black Lives Matter movement that grew out of the 2014 killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and other shootings by police around the country.
Daughter to bury father missing for 50 years in Vietnam By Julie Watson ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SAN DIEGO — More than half a century ago, Deborah Crosby was sent home from the first grade to find military officers in her living room and her mother distraught: Her father's Navy plane had been shot down in northern Vietnam, and he was presumed dead, though his body had not been found. Her mother could never talk about that day, but she gave Crosby and her three brothers a binder with articles about her father's plane zooming low through the clouds on a bomb damage assessment mission before it was gunned down by North Vietnamese ground forces in 1965. The 31-year-old pilot was armed only with cameras, his daughter said. Crosby and her grandmother made a pact to someday bring home the remains of Lt. Cmdr. Frederick P. Crosby and bury him in his hometown of San Diego. A year ago, military investigators found his remains. On Friday, Deborah Crosby fulfilled that promise to her late grandmother by receiving her father's casket at the airport in San Diego. Passengers watched through the windows of a Delta Air Lines jet as the flag-draped casket was removed from the hold by six sailors. Deborah Crosby walked forward, touched the casket and embraced her three brothers. The aviator's elderly sister, Sharon, and brother, David, also hugged, and he wiped an eye. "It's nice to be able to let out the tears and have some relief in our hearts," Deborah Crosby said. The sailors saluted before the casket left in a hearse. On Sunday, Frederick Crosby will be buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery with full military honors and a Navy flyover. Deborah Crosby never
Gregory Bull / AP
Deborah Crosby, center right, hugs her brother John Crosby, right, in front of her father's casket after its arrival to the airport Friday in San Diego.
doubted the fact that her father was killed. But her grief seemed to linger in a deep space inside her until she received news that his remains had been recovered, finally giving her closure. "It just changed my life in so many ways," the energy consultant who lives in New York said earlier in an interview. "It relieved a lot of sadness that I've been carrying around in my heart very quietly." The U.S. military actively searches for missing service members from conflicts worldwide. According to the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, 969 missing service members have been accounted for since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, while the whereabouts of 1,611 remain a mystery. Deborah Crosby called to inquire regularly about the military's progress on her father's case. She attended meetings of the National League, and analyzed where the crash occurred in Thanh Hoa province on Google Earth. She poured over news reels and reports at the Library of Congress and provided a sample of her aunt's blood to the military to have a DNA match on file in case his remains were ever found. Decades passed and
her mother and grandmother both died before investigators got a breakthrough on their third trip to the area when they met Pham Van Truong, a lifelong resident of Nam Ngan ward in Thanh Hoa City. According to a 50-page report given to Deborah Crosby, the 89-year-old man told investigators he couldn't recall the month or year, but he remembered during the war that he was cooking limestone to reinforce his house when he heard gunfire and ran to the nearby levee to investigate. He saw two planes headed toward his house, and one was on fire as it glided toward the levee. He said he could see its wing and tail surfaces were missing. The aircraft rolled as it hit the fish pond in front of his house, splashing Van Truong with water and mud. The other aircraft kept flying toward the sea. Van Truong told investigators that shortly after it crashed, a Vietnamese salvage team had pulled some parts of the plane, including the engine, from the pond and hauled it away. Van Truong, who had helped the salvage team, kept a piece of the plane to use for making a cooking utensil. He also used a piece of its glass to repair a clock. Based on the new
information, U.S. military investigators decided to comb the bottom of the pond in 2015. When they emptied it bucket by bucket, they found bones, pieces of fabric from the pilot's uniform, his chrome lighter and wedding band. Deborah Crosby, 58, still keeps the voicemail on her phone from a year ago when a military official left a message telling her to call for news about her dad. "When I called, he introduced himself and said, 'We have your dad's remains and they've been positively identified,' " she said. "I burst into tears. I basically told him it's almost like that same day I remember when I was 6 years old. It was almost like getting the knock on the door by the military." She felt she could finally shed the tears stored up inside of her. Crosby said her brothers want to keep the fabric, lighter and wedding band. She just wants the flag draped over his coffin. "I think my mom would be very happy that my dad is getting the military honors and the recognition of the hero that he was," she said. "There is so much relief in my heart. I'm so overjoyed that my grandmother's wishes came true and dad is coming home."
A12 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 27, 2017 |
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
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NHL: PITTSBURGH PENGUINS
Texans' J.J. Watt pleased with Mike Vrabel's promotion Keith Srakocic / Associated Press
Vrabel taking over DC position By Aaron Wilson H OUSTON CHRONICLE
When the Texans shuffled their coaching staff by promoting linebackers coach Mike Vrabel to defensive coordinator and defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel to assistant head coach, it was expected to be a seamless transition. So far, the move has been met with wide approval by the Texans' players. That includes threetime NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt. "It's been very good," Watt said. "I think it's
Tim Warner / For The Chronicle
The Texans shuffled their coaching staff by promoting linebackers coach Mike Vrabel to defensive coordinator.
great. I think I've said all along, to have a guy like Mike come in who is so knowledgeable and so experienced is great. It's
very good for us. "But then also to have RAC out there every single day and still coaching and teaching guys –
to have two defensive minds like that, and then with the assistant coaches that we have, we are very fortunate." Vrabel was a versatile All-Pro outside linebacker with the New England Patriots who earned three Super Bowl rings. He was scheduled to interview for the Los Angeles Rams' head coaching job before it went to Sean McVay. He was offered the San Francisco 49ers' defensive coordinator job a year ago and was pursued by the Washington Redskins and San Diego Chargers this offseason. Vrabel was praised by Patriots coach Bill Belichick prior to the Texans' AFC divisional-round playoff loss at Gillette Stadium. "Mike does a tremendous job," Belichick said. "As a player he was very Texans continues on B2
Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby and the Penguins take on Nashville in the Stanley Cup Final.
Penguins ride maturity, resilience back to Stanley Cup By Will Graves ASSOCIATED PRE SS
PITTSBURGH — Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Chris Kunitz stood shoulder to shoulder at center ice as midnight approached, crowd on its feet, Prince of Wales Trophy in hand. Another shot at the Stanley Cup in the offing. On the surface, it could have been a scene ripped from 2008 when the long-
time Pittsburgh Penguin teammates earned their first crack at a championship together, the one that was supposed to be the launching pad for a dynasty. A closer look at the weary, grateful smiles told a different story. This team has learned over the last decade that nothing can be taken for granted. Not their individual greatness or postPenguins continues on B2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
NO SURPRISE: IT’S CAVALIERS AND WARRIORS IN THE NBA FINALS, AGAIN Game 1 takes place on Thursday in Oakland By Tim Reynolds A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
H
ere they go again. For the third straight year, it’s Cleveland and Golden State in the NBA Finals. The 2016 champions versus the 2015 champions . The first “threematch” — rematch of a rematch — in league history. It’s the matchup most expected, the matchup most predicted, and
probably the matchup the Cavaliers and Warriors wanted as well. Let the hype, and the waiting, begin: Game 1 isn’t until June 1. “I’ve been very blessed the last few years to be a part of this league and play on the big stage,” said Cleveland star LeBron James, who has now reached the Finals for the eighth time — including each of NBA continues on B2
Marcio Jose Sanchez / Associated Press file
Cleveland forward LeBron James and the Cavaliers battle Golden State guard Stephen Curry and the Warriors in the NBA Finals beginning on Thursday.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: HOUSTON ASTROS
Jake Marisnick providing value despite sporadic playing time By Jake Kaplan HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Bob Levey / Getty Images
Houston’s Jake Marisnick has only started 17 of the Astros' 48 games but he's been credited with a team-best six defensive runs saved.
Despite garnering by far the least playing time this season, fifth outfielder Jake Marisnick has provided the Astros as much or more value than six of their 12 position players. According to FanGraphs' version of wins above replacement, Marisnick has been worth 0.7 WAR in just 34 games
and 66 plate appearances. That total is the same accumulated by right fielder Josh Reddick and better than Astros regulars like third baseman Alex Bregman (0.3), first baseman Yuli Gurriel (0.0) and designated hitter Carlos Beltran (-0.5). Marisnick is slugging an impressive .559 despite striking out in a woeful 39.4 percent of his plate appearances. Even
though he's started only 17 of the Astros' 48 games, he's been credited with a team-best six defensive runs saved. He's stolen four bases in five attempts. "When guys swing the bat the way that Jake has, it certainly warrants consideration (for more playing time)," manager A.J. Hinch said after Marisnick's eighth-inning homer propelled the Astros to their 7-6 win
over the Tigers on Thursday. "There are some matchups moving forward that I already know that I want for him. "I think everyone dreams of this everyday lineup that plays all the time, but these guys are responding pretty well with how they're being used, and I have all the confidence in the world in Jake and the rest of the bench to come off when needed."
B2 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SPORTS TEXANS From page B1 astute, had a great understanding of his position and technique and how to play his spot and corresponding positions from an overall standpoint. He had a very good grasp of the overall defensive and offensive concepts and how they would attack different fronts. We talked about that. "Of course, I never worked with Mike as a coach. As a player, he certainly showed those qualities. A lot of players understand the game well and have a good awareness, but Mike has good leadership, good communication. He's direct. He gets along with everybody, has a good way of working with people, got good leadership skills. Those things are very important."
PENGUINS From page B1 season success, even for one of the NHL’s marquee franchises. Not the cohesion it takes to survive the crucible of the most draining championship chase in professional team sports or the mental toughness (along with a dash of luck) needed to stay on top once you get there. So Crosby paused in the giddy aftermath of Pittsburgh’s 3-2 victory over Ottawa in Game 7 of the helter-skelter Eastern Conference finals to do something the two-time Hart Trophy winner almost never does. He took stock of the moment, aware of how fleeting they can be. “Every series you look at, the margin for error is so slim,” Crosby said. “We’ve just continued to find ways and different guys have stepped up. We trust in that and we believe in that and whoever has come in the lineup has done a great job. That builds confidence. We’ve done it different ways, which is probably our biggest strength.” And they’ll have to do it one more time in the final against swaggering Nashville if they want to become the first team in nearly 20 years and the first in salary-cap era to win back-toback championships. It’s a daunting task. When the puck drops in Game 1 on Monday night in Pittsburgh, the Penguins will be playing in their 108th game in the last calendar year, and that doesn’t count another half dozen for those who played in the World Cup of Hockey and a handful of exhibition games. Pittsburgh, however, has survived to do something even Chicago and Los Angeles - who have combined for five of the seven Cups awarded since 2010 - could not in putting itself in positon for a repeat. Credit coach Mike Sullivan’s ever-prescient tinkering with the lineups, including his decision to throw Kunitz back into the fray with Crosby as Game 7 wore on, an experiment that ended with Crosby feeding Kunitz for the winner 5:09 into the second overtime . Credit goaltender Matt Murray, thrust back into the lineup when Marc-Andre Fleury’s hot play that helped carry the Penguins through the opening two rounds finally cooled. Credit a maturity - or maybe it’s wisdom - from the team leaders who watched the first half of the decade come and go
NBA From page B1 the last seven years. “But we’re going to enjoy this for a couple more days before we have to lock in on that juggernaut out west.” The Cavaliers and Warriors split their two meetings this season, both winning at home. Cleveland won by one on Christmas Day, Golden State prevailed by 35 on Jan. 16. Golden State led the league with 67 wins this season and is a staggering 27-1 in its last 28 games — including a perfect 12-0 in the Western Conference playoffs, the first time a team has gone this deep into an NBA postseason without losing. Cleveland, which seemed sleepy at times in the regular season, went 12-1 in the East-
Vrabel is regarded as a tough, passionate coach who relates well to his players. The former Patriots standout has a demanding style, but he also communicates well. He's been instrumental in the development of Jadeveon Clowney, Whitney Mercilus, John Simon and Benardrick McKinney with veteran Brian Cushing remaining productive under his coaching tenure. "Coach Vrabel has done an unbelievable job of teaching me where to be, in the right spot," said McKinney, who led the Texans with 129 tackles last season. "He's an unbelievable coach. He loves the game of football. He tells us how much he loves coaching us. He's a great coach. I'd be happy with whatever coach Vrabel decides to do. He's a great guy and a great coach."
with plenty of gaudy regularseason numbers but no Cup banners to join the one they captured in 2009. Pinning down what changed is difficult. General manager Jim Rutherford’s ability to remake the team on the fly to build one of the fastest lineups in the league helped. So did Sullivan’s ability to cut through the noise when he replaced the professorial Mike Johnston in December 2015. Yet the Penguins understand there’s something else at work too, a resiliency and accountability they lacked while falling to lower-seeded teams every year from 2010-14. “I believe that the resolve and the resilience of this team is the strength of this team,” Sullivan said. Both were on full display in Game 7. Kunitz, who missed the firstround series against Columbus with a lower-body injury, returned to see himself bumped from the first line to the fourth, scored his first two goals of the playoffs. Conor Sheary, a blurring revelation last spring who suddenly found himself a healthy scratch in Games 5 and 6 against the Senators, returned to set up Kunitz’s first goal . Justin Schultz, who has assumed the as the minute-hogging, puck-moving defenseman role held by the injured Kris Letang, returned from his own health scare and scored a goahead goal in the third period. If the Penguins were a force of nature last spring while earning the franchise’s fourth Cup, this one is more of a throwback. More blue collar. More anonymous. Some of the key cogs that helped Pittsburgh get to this point - rookie forward Jake Guentzel, 37-year-old playoff newcomer Ron Hainsey and career grinder Scott Wilson weren’t even around last spring. Yet they and so many others not named Crosby or Malkin have become equal partners in pursuit of a title. “This year it’s been back and forth, it’s been tough,” Kunitz said. “We’ve had great individual performances. We had great goaltending. It’s something every night.” It hasn’t been pretty. So what? Perhaps the biggest sign of the team’s growth is it has abandoned the pursuit of style points for something far more tangible. Like a 34-pound piece of hardware, one Pittsburgh has no intention of handing off anytime soon.
ern Conference playoffs that ended with a win over Boston on Thursday night. “Playing in this league, you can’t take anything for granted,” Warriors guard Stephen Curry said. “Thirty teams suit up every year trying to get to this point, and only two teams do. So you have to appreciate it. ... We need to understand the privilege that we have and the opportunity that we have to play in the Finals again, to have the opportunity to win a championship.” Already, the back-andforth is underway. Cleveland coach Tyronn Lue was quoted earlier this week saying he thought Boston’s offense was “harder to defend” than Golden State’s. Countered Golden State acting coach Mike Brown, when asked about
Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press
Dallas head coach Jason Garrett walks off the field with quarterback Dak Prescott after an organized team practice Wednesday at The Star. Prescott is more experienced this time around after completing his rookie season in 2016.
Prescott takes offseason lead for the Cowboys By Schuyler Dixon ASSOCIATED PRE SS
FRISCO, Texas — Dak Prescott chuckled at the thought of watching film from the offseason this time a year ago, when he said he was in charge for two plays in an entire practice. Two. Suffice to say the Dallas quarterback is getting more reps now after one of the best rookie seasons in NFL history kept Tony Romo on the bench, and eventually sent the 10-year starter to the broadcast booth. It’s Prescott’s team now, and there aren’t any more questions about Romo. “Literally, he was splitting reps with the third group last year at this time,” offensive coordinator Scott Linehan said Wednesday after the second offseason practice. “Now he’s taking all the reps with the 1s. That’s a big difference, right?” One thing is the same: Kellen Moore is the backup. Moore’s injury early in training camp last year started the chain of events that led to Prescott guiding the Cowboys to a franchise-record 11-game winning streak and the NFC’s top seed before a divisional playoff loss to Green Bay. The most significant event was Romo’s back injury in a preseason game, which thrust Prescott into the starting role. He’s not one to dwell on how he can improve on such a startling debut. Prescott is already wired to think that way. “I don’t look back on the good,” said Prescott , who was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year as he set several rookie records, topped by a passer rating of 104.9. “The loss motivates you. The loss pushes you forward more than anything.” The Cowboys measure their players with NFL combinetype drills each offseason, and
it Thursday: “That’s his opinion. It’s cute.” And there will be reminders of the Halloween party that James threw for the Cavaliers last fall, with “3-1 Lead” — a nod to what the Warriors lost in last year’s Finals — prominently displayed on the drum set. Much more of that sort of that will likely follow over the next week, filling time before Golden State plays host to Game 1. But there’s also a clear respect level between the clubs as well. “The best team in our league the last three years,” James said of the Warriors. “And they’ve added an unbelievable player in Kevin Durant this year. So it makes it even more difficult. They’re going to challenge us a lot, offensively, defensively, mentally, physically. We have to be
Tony Gutierrez / Associated Press
Prescott helped guide the Cowboys to a 13-3 record during his rookie season.
quarterbacks coach Wade Wilson said Prescott improved in several areas, including strength and speed. Prescott’s intangibles caught the team’s attention long before Romo’s injury, and were part of the reason the Cowboys were willing to let him start until Romo was ready to return. When Romo was ready, the Cowboys didn’t seem to think there was much of a decision to make. “As the year went on last year, he definitely grasped more of the mantle of leadership,” coach Jason Garrett said. “People gravitate toward him. That is one of things that everybody at Mississippi State told us about him right from the start. And we have certainly seen that here.” While Romo, the lead NFL analyst for CBS, prepared for a weekend appearance with his new employer at the PGA Tour event in Fort Worth, Prescott ran a huddle that was missing fellow rookie sensation Ezekiel Elliott. The defending NFL rushing champion was a passenger in a minor car accident Sunday night and is sitting out the
ready for the challenge.” For James, the Finals are an annual rite. For Durant, this trip ends a five-year wait. Durant’s only other time in the Finals was 2012 when he was with Oklahoma City. The Thunder lost to Miami in five games, a series that made James a champion for the first time. At the very moment where the clock ran out in that series, the person James was embracing was Durant — telling the thenThunder star, his offseason workout partner at the time, how proud of him he was. “Hopefully,” James said that night, “I don’t continue to have to run into him.” They’ll collide again, starting next week. Durant’s decision to leave the Thunder for Golden State as a free
first week of offseason practices with mild soreness. Elliott bumped his head, but running backs coach Gary Brown said Elliott doesn’t have a concussion. A year ago, the Cowboys were cautious with Elliott in the offseason because they figured he would be their lead back. They also thought Prescott would be learning as the No. 3 quarterback. “The No. 1 way to get better is number of reps,” Prescott said. “And just me having a good bit of those this offseason is just going to allow me to get better in my footwork. Get better in the reads, get better going through things faster and being more accurate.” Linehan sees the progression coming naturally. “I really don’t say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to do this way different,”’ Linehan said. “You’ve got to be the same player and get better on a daily basis that you were when we left the field last January. We’re knocking on the door. We’ve got to continue to move and get better.” Prescott will certainly have the reps.
agent last summer meant the Warriors went from mere overwhelming favorites to win the West again to super-duperoverwhelming favorites to win the West again. They got a big scare in late February when Durant had a left knee injury, but he’s back and the Warriors have rolled since. “It’s a little different, definitely. I can’t lie,” Durant said, when comparing the 2012 Finals trip to this one. “I went when I was 23 years old, and it felt like the Western Conference Finals was almost like the championship. Just getting to that point, you know how hard it is and how much work you put in to start the season. So it’s a little different now, obviously. We have a bigger goal in mind.” The storylines are many. Can James win his fourth ring? Can Durant
win his first? Will the Warriors be haunted by letting last season’s 3-1 lead slip away? Will they become the first team in NBA history to go undefeated in a postseason? How will Golden State guard Kyrie Irving? How will Cleveland try to contain Curry? There’s also the irony that Brown, the first coach who took James to an NBA Finals in 2007 — Cleveland was swept by San Antonio — will now coach against him, likely in the same leading role he’s had for Golden State since head coach Steve Kerr was forced to take a break because of continued problems with his surgically repaired back. “I don’t care who you’re playing, to make it to the NBA Finals, to win your conference finals, it’s a big task,” Brown said. The biggest task awaits.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, May 27, 2017 |
Dear Readers: A springtime Saturday is the perfect time to check out your PLUMBING MECHANISMS: Tighten loose connections to the washing machine, and check the hoses for signs of wear, like cracks and leakage. The washer tends to get used more in the summer, especially with a busy family, so prevention is a good practice. Every three years is a good interval for replacement of hoses. Next, be careful about what goes down the garbage disposal. Thick summery food waste, like corncobs and husks, watermelon rinds and banana peels, most likely will overtax your disposal. Place these items in your compost pile. Run plenty of cold water with whatever items you do send through the disposal. You always can call your plumber to come
and inspect your sewer lines. Inquire about trees that are close to the house during the inspection. Root growth can be a problem. -- Heloise CHOKE CHAINS Dear Heloise: Choke chains are terrible for dogs. You cannot train a dog using fear and intimidation. Also, the chain can catch on carpet and furniture indoors, and on tree branches and other things in the yard. I don't know why these horrible things were ever designed! If you are training your dog, it is best to use reassurance, encouragement and positive reinforcement. Do you think I've made myself clear on how I feel about this subject? Thanks for your column. -- Mary S., Hammond, Ind. Mary, great information. Yes, choke chains should be avoided. -Heloise
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B4 | Saturday, May 27, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SPORTS
Yi-Chin Lee / Houston Chronicle
Texas A&M football head coach Kevin Sumlin takes questions from the audience during the Touchdown Club of Houston Thursday.
Aggies' Kevin Sumlin offers insight into Texans' Hopkins excited to learn from Wes Welker program at Touchdown Club
Tim Warner / Houston Chronicle
Houston’s offensive and special teams assistant coach Wes Welker runs a drill with Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins this week in practice.
By Aaron Wilson HOUSTON CHRONICLE
By Brent Zwerneman H OUSTO N CHRONI CLE
Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, preparing to speak to the Touchdown Club of Houston on Thursday afternoon, listened as an emcee told a story about then-President Gerald Ford asking then-A&M coach Emory Bellard the backstory of running back George Woodard. A bemused Sumlin then took the podium and offered, "First of all, I don't think Donald Trump is calling me any time soon ..." The coach added Trump has a little more on his plate right now than Aggie football questions. The touchdown club attendees were hungry for updates on Sumlin's program, however, and he offered a handful: 1 Sumlin said all three of his quarterbacks competing for the starting gig – redshirt freshman Nick Starkel, senior Jake Hubenak and true freshman Kellen Mond – are capable of starting. He lauded Hubenak's experience, Mond's scrambling and added that Starkel nearly played last season after then-starter Trevor Knight was hurt in early November. 1 Sumlin said the strength of his defense was the secondary, in particular safeties Armani Watts and Donovan Wilson. Sumlin added that defensive coordinator John Chavis intends to be more multiple upfront than in years past, especially with plenty of talent as part of the interior line.
1 Sumlin called junior Christian Kirk the nation's top punt returner and said for fans to take a long look at the speedster out of Arizona this season, because he'll likely be in the NFL a year from now. 1 Sumlin's program followed the direction of the university concerning the dismissal of receiver Kirk Merritt, he said. Merritt was arrested last fall on charges of indecent exposure to two female tutors, and was ultimately dismissed this spring. The coach added that he can't say much about the Merritt case because it's still a pending legal matter. 1 New secondary coach Ron Cooper, who worked with Chavis at LSU, has "hit the ground running" and made an early impression on his players, Sumlin said. Cooper replaced Terry Joseph, who left for a similar position at North Carolina. 1 The Aggies have a "definite recruiting cycle that we use" and that "June is our month for commitments," according to Sumlin. He offered as much in response to anyone wondering why they haven't received many verbal pledges of late for the class of 2018. 1 Finally, training camp will begin on Aug. 1, about a week earlier than in recent years past. The Aggies open their season on Sept. 3 at UCLA, which is a Sunday night. Or, as Sumlin pointed out, in the same time slot as last year's ballyhooed Notre Dame at Texas game.
When the Texans hired former New England Patriots wide receiver Wes Welker as an assistant coach, they did so with the hope that he would impart a lot of knowledge to their young receiving corps. The five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver has been putting that into practice this week as the Texans opened their organized
team activities. The 35year-old offensive assistant and special-teams assistant is helping receivers coach John Perry work with a talented group headlined by Pro Bowl alternate wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. "It's great learning from a guy like Wes who has had experience in this league, who knows every aspect, not just from a player standpoint but also from a coach as of now," Hopkins said. "He has
played with some of the best, so having his knowledge out here helps a lot." The former Patriots, Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins starter drew heavy praise from New England coach Bill Belichick this offseason as the latest hire by Texans coach Bill O'Brien. "He was actually our backup kicker," Belichick said. "He kicked in a game when we had an injury, but again Wes is a football guy. Whatever we asked
him to do, block, run routes, return kicks, help us out in any way possible, Wes, was a good football player. "He just had a great feel for where the quarterback wanted to throw him the ball, where he should be in the passing game relative to where other people were. I'm sure coach O'Brien recognized that as well from coaching him, and I'm sure he'll do a great job in whatever they ask him to do."
NBA announces the 2019 All-Star game in Charlotte By Steve Reed ASSOCIATED PRE SS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The NBA All-Star game is headed back to Charlotte in 2019, a couple of years later than anticipated. The NBA announced that the All-Star weekend will be held Feb. 15-17 in Charlotte and the game will be played at the Spectrum Center, home of the Charlotte Hornets. The league had selected Charlotte to host the 2017 All-Star game, but later moved the game to New Orleans because of the state law restricting the rights of LGBT people. However, a compromise was struck in March to partially erase the impact of the House Bill 2 law limiting antidiscrimination protections for lesbians, gays, bisexual and transgender people. “While we understand the concerns of those who say the repeal of HB2 did not go far
Chuck Burton / Associated Press file
The NBA All-Star game will be coming to Charlotte in 2019.
enough, we believe the recent legislation eliminates the most egregious aspects of the prior law,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a release. “Additionally, it allows us to work with the leadership of the Hornets organization to apply a set of equality principles to ensure that every All-Star event will proceed with open access and anti-discrimination policies. “All venues, hotels and businesses we work with during All-Star will adhere to these policies as well.”
Despite Silver’s intentions, the Equality NC and the Human Rights Campaign has concerns that no protections for non-discrimination policies for the LGBTQ community have been put in place by the Charlotte or the state. “North Carolina’s discriminatory law prohibits the city of Charlotte from implementing non-discrimination protections for LGBTQ residents and visitors attending the All-Star Game. Nothing has changed that fact,” said HRC senior vice presi-
dent for policy and political affairs JoDee Winterhof. The NBA is the latest sports entity to return events to North Carolina; the NCAA and the Atlantic Coast Conference also are bringing events back to the state after changes were made to the law. The now-repealed House Bill 2 required transgender people to use restrooms corresponding to the sex on their birth certificates in many public buildings. That’s been dropped, but LGBT advocates have denounced the replacement law because state officials took no action barring sexual identity and gender discrimination in workplaces, restaurants and hotels and instead prohibited local governments from acting on their own. Hornets owner and longtime NBA great Michael Jordan said he is “thrilled” the game is coming back to Charlotte.
Chip Kelly accepts analyst job with ESPN By Cam Inman TH E M ERCURY NEWS
Chip Kelly, who won his 49ers coaching debut last season on ESPN, has found a new job with that network as a college football and NFL analyst. Kelly won only one other game, presided over a franchiserecord 13-game losing streak and ultimately got fired along with general manager Trent Baalke after finishing last season with a 2-14 record. "Over the last 30 years, I have experienced football from one perspective - as a coach," Kelly said in a statement released by ESPN. "Working in television will allow me to see the game from a different angle; simultaneously, I’ll provide viewers an insight to the mindset of a coach and team while offering alternative views of various situations." Kelly’s foray into television
will have him working Saturdays on ESPN2’s college football pre-game, halftime and studio shows. He will appear on SportsCenter on Fridays and Sundays for further college insight as well as NFL analysis. Kelly signed a multi-year deal, even though he likely will draw interest once college openings are created. He interviewed this offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars offensive coordinator role that remains Nathaniel Hacket’s. In Kelly’s lone season with the 49ers, players praised him throughout the onslaught of losses, as well as his handling of Colin Kaepernick’s national anthem protest that did not divide the locker room as some outsiders suggested. Kelly enjoyed an amicable relationship with 49ers beat writers, blending his wry humor with instructive answers amid the
carnage of arguably the franchise’s worst season ever. Kelly was fired from the Philadelphia Eagles prior to the 2015 season finale, ending a threeyear tenure there that began with a pair of 10-6 seasons. He spent the previous 22 seasons coaching in the college ranks, most notably at Oregon where his teams went 46-7 from 200912 and reached the 2010 national championship game. "Once I decided to make the move to TV, my familiarity with ESPN, combined with their high-quality production and vital role in college football, it was easily the best network suited for me," Kelly added. Kelly’s unspecified salary from ESPN will be deducted from the amount still owed to him from the 49ers, according to ESPN business reporter Darren Rovell. The 49ers signed Kelly some 16 months ago signed him
Tony Avelar / Associated Press file
Former San Francisco 49ers head coach Chip Kelly is joining ESPN as a studio analyst next season.
to a four-year, $24 million deal. "Chip is one of the most innovative football minds of our generation," said Lee Fitting, ESPN senior coordinating producer. "As a coach, he saw the game from a unique perspective,
never afraid to take an unconventional approach. We want him to bring that mentality to our college football coverage each week, offering fans a varying viewpoint outside of the conventional thought process."