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Arrests made as thousands rally Protesters assemble across the country By Lisa Baumann and Steve Peoples ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Steven Senne / AP
Demonstrators display placards and chant slogans during a May Day rally Monday in Chelsea, Massachusetts.
SEATTLE — Tens of thousands across the country peacefully chanted, picketed and protested Monday against President Donald Trump's immigration and labor policies on May Day, despite a small pocket of violent unrest in the Pacific Northwest. Peaceful protesters flocked to the streets in Chicago. At the White House gates, they demanded "Donald Trump has got to go!" But police shut down a protest in Portland, Oregon, that they said had become a riot, after marchers began
Ted S. Warren / AP
Seattle Police officers make an arrest Monday during a May Day protest in Seattle.
Arrests continues on A12
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF INSURANCE
TEXAS PAGEANT
PROTESTERS CHARGED FOR TRESPASSING
Courtesy
Vanessa Cantu poses for a photo as Little Miss Globe Texas.
Jay Janner / AP
A Department of Public Safety trooper removes the cuffs on a woman after she was arrested at the Texas Department of Insurance building in Austin, Texas on Monday.
Over 100 demonstrators denounced the proposal against ‘sanctuary cities’ By Meredith Hoffman A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
A
USTIN, Texas — Around 20 people were charged with criminal trespassing Monday evening after staging an hours-long sit-in at a state building to protest a Texas bill
compelling local police to enforce federal immigration law. The demonstration began in the late morning, when 100plus protesters — many wearing T-shirts or waving signs and banners denouncing the proposal against "sanctuary cities" — marched to the state Trespassing continues on A11
Zapatan wins second state title Cantu will now compete at nationals SPECIAL TO THE TIME S
Meredith Hoffman / AP
A group of protesters rally during a sit-in at the Texas Department of Insurance building in Austin, Texas on Monday.
Zapatan Vanessa Cantu has yet again won her second state title representing Texas. The Miss Globe South Texas pageant was held Saturday, Pageant continues on A12
Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 3
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
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.
Today is Wednesday, May 3, the 123rd day of 2017. There are 242 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History: On May 3, 1952, the Kentucky Derby was televised nationally for the first time on CBS; the winner was Hill Gail, ridden by Eddie Arcaro.
THURSDAY, MAY 4 Library hosts Star Wars Celebration. 4 p.m.-7p.m. Joe A Guerra Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road. Star Wars family friendly event, celebration in honor of the 40th anniversary of the release of “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope.” McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library End of Year Celebration. 4 p.m.-5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Free and family friendly. Refreshments will be served.
FRIDAY, MAY 5 2017 Laredo Open. May 5-7. Laredo Country Club. $150 registration fee, which includes live music, food, drinks and raffle prizes. Guest fee: $20 per day. Registration deadline: May 2 at midnight. Sponsor and player packet pickup and party is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 3 in the Rosewood Room. Sign up today at tennislaredo.com or at the LCC Tennis Pro Shop.
SATURDAY, MAY 6 Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, no admission fee. 2017 Laredo Open. Laredo Country Club. $150 registration fee, which includes live music, food, drinks and raffle prizes. Guest fee: $20 per day. Registration deadline: May 2 at midnight. Sponsor and player packet pickup and party is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 3 in the Rosewood Room. Sign up today at tennislaredo.com or at the LCC Tennis Pro Shop. Health and Wellness Fair 2017. 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Joe A. Guerra Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road. The fair will have free screenings for blood pressure, fitness and nutrition demos, a puppet show and reading time, giveaways and door prizes.
SUNDAY MAY 7 2017 Laredo Open. Laredo Country Club. $150 registration fee, which includes live music, food, drinks and raffle prizes. Guest fee: $20 per day. Registration deadline: May 2 at midnight. Sponsor and player packet pickup and party is set for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 3 in the Rosewood Room. Sign up today at tennislaredo.com or at the LCC Tennis Pro Shop.
MONDAY, MAY 8 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 10 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, MAY 15 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 17 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.
SATURDAY, MAY 20 Harry Potter Book Club. 3 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Free and family friendly. Children and adults are welcome. We will discuss “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” by J.K. Rowling.
MONDAY, MAY 22 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 24 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.
THURSDAY, MAY 25 Landscaping with Native Plants. 6:30 p.m. Lake Casa Blanca International State Park Ranchito. Presented by George Altgelt, Sr., Soil Scientist, and Danny Gunn, Sr., Master Gardener. Free and open to the public. For more information, email: brushcountrychapter@gmail.com. Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society regular meeting. 3-5 p.m. Joe A Guerra Public Library, second floor. Speaker: Judy Jordan, "When It Rains It Pours; The Story of the Jordan Family.” For more information, call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.
Marcio Jose Sanchez / AP
In this 2012 file photo, Efanye Chibuko touches a photo of his wife Doris Chibuko, a victim of a shooting at the university, during a memorial service at Oikos University in Oakland, California.
EX-STUDENT PLEADS TO CALIFORNIA SCHOOL RAMPAGE SAN FRANCISCO — A disgruntled former nursing student pleaded no contest Tuesday to killing seven people at a Northern California vocational college and will spend the rest of his life in prison. He will be formally sentenced to seven life sentences without the possibility of parole in July. Goh was eligible for the death penalty. Goh walked onto the school campus April 2, 2012, with a .45-caliber handgun and took the school receptionist hostage. He took her to a classroom where
Toxic mine pollution halted near scenic Washington lake SPOKANE, Wash. — Toxic mine pollution is no longer flowing into Washington state's picturesque Lake Chelan for the first time in nearly 60 years because of a $500 million cleanup to contain contamination from the a mine, officials said this week. The payoff of the mine clean-
he fatally shot her and six students and wounded three others. He then stole a car belonging to one of his victims and drove to a nearby grocery store and surrendered to employees, who called police. Criminal proceedings were halted when Goh, 48, was found mentally unfit to stand trial in early 2013 and sent to a staterun psychiatric hospital for criminals and suspects where he received treatment for paranoid schizophrenia. — Compiled from AP reports
up means that clean water now flows into a creek that feeds the lake, a prime recreation destination, said Kari Grover Wier, district ranger for the Wenatchee National Forest, where the lake is located. "This is an important milestone and a significant win for aquatic species, wildlife species, and humans that depend on water from Railroad Creek and Lake Chelan," Wier said Monday. The metals created a hazardous, hard orange coating on the creek's streambed. Unstable
waste rock and tailings piles from about 10 million tons of mined ore further compounded the problem, the U.S. Forest Service said. The cleanup took five years and was paid for by the Australian-British Rio Tinto Group mining company. No taxpayer funds were used, the Forest Service said. Pollution from the mine is now "controlled for future generations," said Mike Steele, a Republican state lawmaker from the resort community of Chelan alongside the lake. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD Paparazzi on trial over topless photos of British royal Kate NANTERRE, France — Three photographers appeared in a French court Tuesday over topless photographs of the Duchess of Cambridge, an alleged invasion of privacy that outraged Britain's royal family. The photos were published in a French gossip magazine in 2012, the year after Kate Middleton married Prince William. The couple subsequently filed a court complaint, but didn't attend the trial outside Paris. The pictures of Kate were taken with telephoto lenses while she and her husband apparently were sunbathing on a patio at a private luxury estate in France's southern Provence region. The owner and executive editor of celebrity magazine Closer also were tried along with the former publisher of a French regional newspaper that also ran the photos. None
Martin Meissner / AP
In this file photo, Britain's Prince William and Kate, Duchess of Cambridge, stand outside of Westminster Abbey in London.
of the executives attended. Defense lawyer François Blistene, who is representing photographers Cyril Moreau and Dominique Jacovides, claimed his clients are innocent and said he is certain they will be cleared of any wrongdoing. "The investigation was botched," Blistene said. "They
were looking for scapegoats, they found these two. But the elements in the court file show that they are not involved." The lawyer added, "Like Shakespeare might put it: 'Much ado about nothing.'" A verdict is expected on July 4. — Compiled from AP reports
On this date: In 1515, Pope Leo X promulgated the bull "Inter sollicitudines" allowing the Catholic Church to review and censor books. In 1791, the Commonwealth of Poland-Lithuania adopted a constitution. In 1802, Washington, D.C., was incorporated as a city. In 1916, Irish nationalists Padraic Pearse, Thomas Clarke and Thomas MacDonagh were executed by a British firing squad; they were among 16 people put to death for their roles in the Easter Rising. In 1937, Margaret Mitchell won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel, "Gone with the Wind." In 1947, Japan's postwar constitution took effect. In 1960, the Harvey Schmidt-Tom Jones musical "The Fantasticks" began a nearly 42-year run at New York's Sullivan Street Playhouse. In 1979, Conservative Party leader Margaret Thatcher was chosen to become Britain's first female prime minister as the Tories ousted the incumbent Labor government in parliamentary elections. In 1986, in NASA's first post-Challenger launch, an unmanned Delta rocket lost power in its main engine shortly after liftoff, forcing safety officers to destroy it by remote control. In 1987, The Miami Herald said its reporters had observed a young woman spending "Friday night and most of Saturday" at a Washington townhouse belonging to Democratic presidential candidate Gary Hart. Ten years ago: British girl Madeleine McCann vanished during a family vacation in Portugal nine days before her fourth birthday; her disappearance remains unsolved. Britain's Queen Elizabeth II arrived in Virginia for the commemoration of Jamestown's 400th anniversary. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem of U.S. concerns about his country's porous border with Iraq in the two nations' first Cabinet-level talks in years. The Florida Legislature gave its final approval to moving the state's 2008 primary from early March to Jan. 29. Ten Republican presidential candidates held their first debate of the 2008 race at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, California. Astronaut Wally Schirra died in La Jolla, California, at age 84. Five years ago: U.S. officials published online a selection of letters from Osama bin Laden's last hideaway; the documents portrayed a network that was weak, inept and under siege — and its leader seemingly near wit's end about the passing of his global jihad's supposed glory days. One year ago: In a stunning triumph for a political outsider, Donald Trump all but clinched the Republican presidential nomination with a resounding victory in Indiana that knocked rival Ted Cruz out of the race. A funeral was held for six of the eight family members killed in rural southern Ohio as authorities continued chasing leads in the slayings. Today's Birthdays: Actor Alex Cord is 84. Singer Frankie Valli is 83. Sports announcer Greg Gumbel is 71. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is 68. Pop singer Mary Hopkin is 67. Singer Christopher Cross is 66. Country musician Cactus Moser (Highway 101) is 60. Rock musician David Ball (Soft Cell) is 58. Former Sen. David Vitter, R-La., is 56. Country singer Shane Minor is 49. Actress Amy Ryan is 49. Actor Bobby Cannavale is 47. Music and film producer-actor Damon Dash is 46. Country musician John Driskell Hopkins (Zac Brown Band) is 46. Country-rock musician John Neff (formerly of Drive-By Truckers) is 46. Country singer Brad Martin is 44. TV personality Willie Geist (TV: "Today") is 42. Actress Christina Hendricks is 42. Actor Dule Hill is 42. Country singer Eric Church is 40. Actress Tanya Wright is 39. Dancer Cheryl Burke is 33. Soul singer Michael Kiwanuka is 30. Actress Jill Berard is 27. Actress Zoe De Grand Maison is 22. Rapper Desiigner (cq) is 20. Thought for Today: "Nobody is bored when he is trying to make something that is beautiful, or to discover something that is true." — William Inge, American author and playwright (born this date in 1913, died 1973).
CONTACT US AROUND TEXAS Texas youth elected by peers as mayor of Boys Town, Nebraska BOYS TOWN, Neb. — A Texas youth has been elected Boys Town's new mayor. Jason Landin, 16, of Laredo, Texas, was elected Tuesday as
the 117th mayor of the incorporated village of Boys Town, on the western edge of Omaha. The new vice mayor is TiJaih Davis, of Baltimore. Landin runs track and cross country and is a member of student council. Davis is a football captain and runs track. The Rev. Edward Flanagan, who founded Boys Town, con-
ceived the self-government system in 1926 as a tool to build character, citizenship and a sense of community. The process was made famous in the 1938 movie "Boys Town." Mickey Rooney portrayed Whitey Marsh, a tough young boy who turns his life around and becomes mayor of Boys Town. — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 |
A3
LOCAL & STATE Planned Parenthood reopens abortion clinic in Texas
Texas police chief: More solid hate crime data needed ASSOCIATED PRE SS
By Paul J. Weber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — Planned Parenthood has reopened its first abortion clinic in Texas since the U.S. Supreme Court last year struck down regulations that prompted more than half of the state's abortion facilities to close. Clinics in rural and midsized Texas cities were among the first to close after Republicans in 2013 passed a sweeping anti-abortion bill later ruled unconstitutional. The announcement Tuesday puts
an abortion provider back in Waco. Republicans are now pushing new anti-abortion measures toward Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's desk. But time is running out in the Texas Legislature, and some conservatives are growing restless. Several Republican lawmakers on Tuesday called for a House vote on banning a second-trimester abortion procedure known as dilation and evacuation. It's similar to laws courts have blocked in Alabama, Oklahoma and other states.
Suspect sought in Fort Worth slaying kills self during chase A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
TEMPLE, Texas — Investigators say a Fort Worth murder suspect being chased by officers fatally shot himself as traffic slowed in a construction area on Interstate 35 in Central Texas. Temple police on Tuesday identified the suspect as 45year-old David Bailey. Fort Worth police on Monday were dispatched to a parking lot at Ridgmar Mall on a report of shots fired. Officer
Brad Perez says a wounded woman, who was found in a vehicle, died at a hospital. Perez says the shooting appeared to be a domestic-related attack. Officers from several agencies Monday night pursued a vehicle matching an alert for a murder suspect. Police say Bailey was northbound on I-35 in Temple when traffic slowed and he fatally shot himself. Fort Worth police didn't immediately release the victim's name.
WASHINGTON — A North Texas police chief says a lack of solid data on hate crimes is one of the greatest barriers to fighting the problem. Will Johnson, the police chief in Arling-
ton, Texas, told a congressional panel that both law enforcement agencies and victims need better training and education on the importance of collecting and reporting hate crime figures. Johnson spoke before
Three get prison terms for having immigrants held hostage
the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on religious hate crimes. He says more agencies need to provide their crime data to the FBI, which keeps figures that are undercount because reporting is voluntary. Johnson also says law
enforcement officials struggle with when to classify an offense as a hate crime because motive can be tricky to prove. And building relationships among officers and communities can help improve information-sharing.
Texas House approves 3 bills loosening gun regulations By Meredith Hoffman ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LAREDO, Texas — Three South Texas men have been hit with lengthy prison sentences for conspiring to kidnap and hold hostage immigrants who have entered the United States illegally. Forty-two-year-old Jose Israel Diaz, 20year-old Angel Alexis Diaz and 42-year-old Julio Osorio pleaded guilty last September to conspiracy to kidnap the immigrants. U.S.
District Judge Marina Garcia Mamolejo sentenced Jose Diaz to 30 years in federal prison, Alexis Diaz to 21 years and 10 months in prison, and Julio Osorio got a prison term of 24 years and four months in prison. Eight Mexican migrants said to authorities that they had arranged to be smuggled into the United States at Laredo, where the Diazes and Osorio held them for ransom from the migrants' families.
AUSTIN, Texas — Lawmakers in gun-loving Texas are making it even easier to carry firearms, with a trio of bills before the state House. The chamber voted 111-30 on Tuesday to decrease gun licenses to $40, down from $140 for first-time permits and $70 for renewals. The move has already cleared the Texas Senate and now needs only a final House vote before Gov. Greg Abbott can sign it into law. The decrease should cost Texas nearly $22 million over the next two years alone, but supporters said current, high fees had Texans traveling to neighboring states to get cheaper licenses to use back home. Also passed was a proposal allowing volunteer firefighters to bring guns into restricted areas, while nearing approval was one letting license applicants take handgun proficiency courses online.
Zopinion
Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com
A4 | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
OTHER VIEWS
OP-ED
Five ways Donald Trump has damaged democracy By Brian Klaas WA S H INGT ON P O ST
In just 100 days, President Trump has damaged American democracy while simultaneously accelerating democracy’s global decline. First, he has undercut the integrity of U.S. elections. Trump falsely claimed that millions of people voted illegally last year. That’s not true. Every serious study into voter fraud has concluded that it is a minuscule problem. North Carolina conducted a vote audit for 2016, and found one case of in-person voter impersonation -- out of millions of ballots cast. And yet tens of millions of Americans now wrongly believe that millions voted illegally. That is a serious challenge to public faith in the bedrock of American democracy. Trump also actively solicited and took advantage of Russian meddling in U.S. elections. He invited Russia to hack and publish Hillary Clinton’s emails. He mentioned WikiLeaks 164 times in the final month of the campaign. The hacking of the Democratic National Committee was a brazen cyberattack on U.S. democracy and yet Trump has consistently been an apologist who plays down the hack rather than working to ensure it never happens again. Second, he has attacked democratic institutions such as the free press and the independent judiciary. He has repeatedly dismissed credible, corroborated, truthful reporting as “fake news.” But Trump has also maligned judges in highly personal and reckless ways simply because they ruled against his administration. His White house claimed that some judges provided a “gift to the criminal gang and cartel element in our country.” He has called others “so-called judges” and claimed that it would be the fault of the courts if a terrorist attacked occurred during his presidency. This incendiary language is unacceptable and erodes public trust in checks and balances that are at the core of the U.S. democratic system. Third, he has brazenly violated basic standards of transparency and government ethics. Democracy requires transparency. If citizens are not informed about the workings of their government, they cannot hold it accountable. Just take his continuing refusal to release his tax returns. At first he used the extraordinarily flimsy excuse of an audit, but now he has even aban-
doned that fig leaf. Until Trump issues his tax returns, we don’t know whether he is governing for American interests or his bank account. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has announced that it won’t release White House visitor logs so nobody can see who is coming and going to meet the president. Is there an endless stream of lobbyists? Or perhaps some high-profile foreign agents, like the ones he previously hired for his campaign? We have no clue. This lack of transparency also bleeds into ethics violations and conflicts of interest that have gone unpunished. Fourth, Trump has hurt democracy abroad by leaving pro-democracy reformers out in the cold. When protesters took to the streets in Belarus and Russia demanding democratic reforms, Trump said nothing. That was a strategic mistake. These were protests in favor of democracy and against regimes that oppose the United States, so it should have been a no-brainer. Instead, Trump stayed silent as protesters were beaten in the streets. It was a missed opportunity and a gift to the forces that seek to undermine democratic reform abroad. Fifth, Trump has endorsed and applauded dictators and despots, giving awful rulers a free pass to destroy democracy and violate human rights. He uncritically embraced President Abdel Fatah al-Sissi of Egypt, a military dictator who routinely tortures dissidents. He called to congratulate President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey on winning a rigged referendum that dismantled democracy in a NATO member state. Those signals have certainly not been lost on authoritarian rulers around the world who recognize that Trump does not care about democracy or human rights abroad. As a result, a decade of decline for democracy around the world will almost certainly accelerate. Donald Trump is a unique threat to democracy in a way that we haven’t experienced before. Initial fears may have been overblown, but it’s clear that he already is slowly but meaningfully eroding democracy at home and abroad. We must be vigilant. There are 1,361 days left. Klaas is a fellow in comparative politics at the London School of Economics and author of “The Despot’s Accomplice: How the West is Aiding & Abetting the Decline of Democracy.”
LETTERS POLICY Laredo Morning Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer's first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the
letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
OP-ED
Working retail is the best business school out there By Jim Sollisch CHICAGO TRIBUNE
J.C. Penney, American Apparel, Radio Shack, Abercrombie & Fitch, The Limited. All closing stores in 2017. This is creative destruction, led by the growth of e-commerce giants like Amazon. It’s the dance of progress: two steps forward and one step back. We’ve been doing it since the Industrial Revolution began. More automation leads to lower costs and fewer jobs. The New York Times reports 89,000 brick-andmortar retail workers have been laid off since October. That’s more than the number of people who work in America’s entire coal industry. But let’s be optimistic and assume they’ll find other jobs. Even so, I grieve for the high school kids who will never get to go to the best business schools in the world, and get paid minimum wage to attend, as I did at the Meyer Miller shoe store in Cleveland. I arrived on the sales
floor in 1974 just as the revolution was hitting. Not the sexual revolution - the Ugly Shoe Revolution, which liberated men, temporarily, from black or brown, ties or loafers. This was the period of 6-inch stack heels in purple or green alligator and yellow patent-leather boots. Franco Harris was said to have had a pair of shoes with a live goldfish in the heel. We still stocked a few styles of Allen Edmonds and Florsheim wingtips for the older Jewish men who had shopped at Meyer Miller for years and who now bent down to tie their wingtips next to young black men who might ask if I had that boot in a brighter shade of green. I learned more about the business world that summer than I learned in my first 10 years in advertising. Practical lessons. Like you can’t sell someone something they don’t want. You could pay to attend a seminar titled "Closing
the Sale." They’d teach you that when someone’s ready to buy, you have to stop selling and let them. Jerry, a 70-year-old shoe salesman, taught me this lesson for free. He cut me off midsentence and took my customer to the cash register. When the customer left, he told me, "Shut up already and let the guy buy the shoes." My fellow salesmen were older Jewish men, semiretired, many of them immigrants or sons of immigrants. They talked about the American Dream in prose, not poetry, telling me stories of moving in and out of old Cleveland neighborhoods on their way through the various levels of the working class. They taught me the politics of the checkbook not the value-based kind my liberal parents talked about. I listened, and I learned that America is filled with admirable people who do the most ordinary of jobs. People I might not have met had I not left my sheltered
world and gotten a summer job. They showed me how the real world worked, something we baby boomer managers wish our millennial employees knew more about. They showed me how you could move the ugliest of shoes just drop the price low enough. And they showed me that you could still have dignity while forcing a size 12 on the foot of a 300-pound guy who insists he doesn’t need a 13. Young job candidates need more real-world experience, not more fancy internships. They need to learn how to read people, not emojis. They need practice showing up on time, not just logging on. They need to hear practical advice, like I heard from Jimmy, a salesman’s salesman: "ABC. Always be charming." Jim Sollisch is creative director at a marketing communications agency in Cleveland. He wrote this for the Chicago Tribune.
OP-ED
How an abortion policy erodes doctor-patient trust By Priya Rajan CHICAGO TRIBUNE
My patient’s unborn baby had been diagnosed with a complex heart defect making the baby’s prognosis uncertain, with a significant chance of dying before birth or soon after delivery. Throughout the pregnancy my patient and her partner met with many doctors, including pediatric cardiologists, maternal-fetal medicine specialists, neonatologists and surgeons. This couple felt that support and collaboration during the delivery of their baby. That’s the win. As a high-risk pregnancy physician for 12 years, I’ve observed that in most of medicine there are multiple unknowns, and the outcome is something over which we have minimal control. The sometimes fragile relationships we establish with patients are critical to helping them navigate that ambiguity. Trust is a crucial component. Patients need to believe their physicians are honest and will provide them with the best available medical informa-
tion. That’s why the recent spate of laws and bills interfering with the interactions between patients and doctors is so disheartening and destructive. In Texas, state Senate Bill 25 would prevent patients from suing their physicians if they deliver a child with a disability if the doctor knew of the disability and did not disclose it. The bill language presumes that the only reason a physician would tell a patient about an anomaly in the fetus is for the purpose of termination. Yet it is only one of multiple reasons that prenatal diagnosis of an anomaly is of use, including planning delivery location or arranging prenatal consultations. And while it is difficult to find an accurate estimate of the number of wrongful-birth cases in this country, it is generally accepted as infrequent. The likelihood that doctors would lie to their patients or knowingly give them incorrect information is remote. Such behavior is antithetical to the sense of duty doctors feel to their patients. But this bill would create that
uncertainty in the mind of a patient. A law passed recently in Arkansas requires doctors to inform patients that pregnancy termination for sex selection is illegal. There is limited evidence that patients commonly seek pregnancy termination for gender selection in the United States. Such statutes place the ethical construct of paternalism over autonomy, counter to the general direction of health care in this country. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which it would be acceptable for a physician to withhold a diagnosis of an illness, such as HIV or cancer, from a patient out of fear for how he or she may respond to the diagnosis. Multiple studies have demonstrated that the vast majority of women who seek abortion are certain of their decision, even in the face of such unnecessary hurdles as waiting periods and ultrasound imaging, making discussion regarding reversal irrelevant and offensive. Such misinformation as
in Utah may mislead patients who are uncertain about their wishes into thinking that there is no harm in starting the termination process while they are deciding because the effects can be reversed. Furthermore, enforcement of such laws would be technically challenging and costly. Legislators introduce these bills under the guise of protecting life, when they are merely restricting women’s rights. They wrongfully invade territory that is the purview of a patient and her physician. They are a waste of taxpayer money and a ploy to gain publicity by manufacturing problems. It is time for policymakers to stop this interference. Whatever popularity or visibility these laws may gain is certainly a loss for many women. And it perpetuates a loss of trust in the doctor-patient relationship I have spent my career protecting. Dr. Priya Rajan is a maternal-fetal medicine physician and an assistant professor at Northwestern University. She wrote this for the Chicago Tribune.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 |
A5
CRIME
Police: Man killed roommate, then shot neighbor, paramedic By David Warren Claudia Lauer A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
DALLAS — A 36-year-old man with a criminal history killed his roommate, shot his neighbor and opened fire on responding paramedics in a Dallas neighborhood during an attack that prompted police to barricade the area for hours, investigators said Tuesday. Derick Lamont Brown was acting erratically at his home before he forced his 67-year-old roommate into a back room and fatally shot him Monday, said Randy Blankenbaker, Dallas's police assistant chief of investigations. The gunshots prompted a neighbor to go outside, where Brown shot him. Armed with a semi-automatic rifle, Brown then fired at emer-
gency responders trying to help his neighbor, critically wounding a paramedic, Blankenbaker said. Brown also fired at police officers, including one officer who sustained an injury to his calf, possibly from gunfire, the assistant chief said. Officers exposed themselves to gunfire as they carried the injured paramedic into a squad car and rushed him to a hospital, the commander said. When Brown pointed his rifle at an approaching officer, another officer shot and injured Brown, who then retreated into his home, Blankenbaker said. "All of these officers' actions are more than commendable. They should be considered heroic," Blankenbaker said during a news conference. The paramedic, William An, and the neighbor, whose name
hasn't been released, were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The shooting was initially reported as a possible suicide, which added to the confusion as officers arrived, Blankenbaker said. The attack prompted police to block access to the area until a police robot searched Brown's home. The robot found Brown and his roommate dead. Police believe Brown died of a selfinflicted gunshot wound. The paramedic underwent surgery Monday and was in critical but stable condition Tuesday at Baylor University Medical Center, Blankenbaker said. Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said during a news conference Monday that the paramedic "is going to have to undergo extensive medical treatment to get him back up to par."
LM Otero / AP
Dallas Police guard an area of a neighborhood where a shooting took place in east Dallas on Monday.
Police said the paramedic is a 10-year veteran of Dallas FireRescue and a married father of a 3-year-old child, with another child on the way. Police didn't provide an update on the neighbor's condition Tuesday. Blankenbaker said Brown's criminal history includes charges of aggravated assault, driving while intoxicated and illegal gun possession. Police said Brown was well-known by law enforcement because of his "excessive arrest history." Dozens of police vehicles swarmed the mostly residential
area after the shooting was reported near a local Fire Training Academy. FBI agents and other federal officers also were in unmarked vehicles waiting at intersections in the neighborhood. Several people from a nearby neighborhood and some relatives of people who live in the barricaded area gathered at a nearby gas station to await updates from police. Among them was 33-year-old Brenda Salazar, who told The Associated Press that her mother lived in the neighborhood and saw SWAT teams arrive Monday.
Suspect in Texas stabbings allegedly had mental health trouble, according to police By Jim Vertuno A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — The man suspected of stabbing four people at the University of Texas, one fatally, suffered from mental health troubles and had been involuntarily committed for treatment in another city, authorities said Tuesday. University Police Chief David Carter said Kendrex J. White was "obviously" suffering from some kind of mental difficulties, but he did not elaborate on his condition or treatment. "This was not a conspiracy. This was not a person that had a vendetta against any particular group," Carter said. White, 21, who was enrolled at the Austin
campus, was armed with a large hunting knife. He was described by former classmates as intelligent and easygoing and was active in a student group for black professionals. Two of the students wounded in Monday's attack have been treated and released from hospitals while a third remains hospitalized, University of Texas President Greg Fenves said. The student who was fatally stabbed was identified as freshman Harrison Brown. Brown was a talented musician who had not yet decided on a major, Fenves said. Witnesses described a sudden and seemingly random assault on strangers the middle of one of the nation's largest univer-
Joshua Guerra / AP
Law enforcement officers secure the scene of a stabbing attack on the University of Texas campus.
sities. Rachel Prichett said she was standing in line at a food truck outside a gym when she saw a man with a knife resembling a machete approach the person standing behind her. "The guy was standing
next to me," Prichett said. "He grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved the knife in it. I just started running as fast as I could." Carter described the weapon as a "Bowie-style" hunting knife. He said the
stabbings occurred within a one-block area. Before the attacks, White was seen in the student activity center "appearing normal." After he left there, he kicked a woman as if to get her out of his way, the police chief said. White then fatally stabbed Brown and walked up to a male student sitting at a picnic table and stabbed him in the back of the head, Carter said. Another male student was stabbed while waiting in line at a food truck before White stabbed a fourth victim. The shocked students "saw the police officers coming and pointed in the direction of the suspect," Carter said.
White walked into a dormitory still holding the knife in his hand but did not attack anyone else before he was apprehended. Carter said police were on the scene about 90 seconds after the first call, a response that officials believe possibly saved others. At the university, student Ray Arredondo said he was walking to his car when a mass of students near the gym started running. "They were just screaming, 'Run! Get out of here!'" Arredondo said. The attack occurred in the central campus, just a short walk from the administration building and the landmark clock tower that was the scene of a mass shooting in 1966.
Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE 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. CAMINATA/ CARRERA 5 K
1 La Ciudad de Roma invita al Tributo a las Fuerzas Armadas con Caminata/Carrera 5K iniciando en Guadalupe Plaza, el sábado 20 de mayo a las 8 a.m. a 12 p.m. 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 956765-8983. 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. Padecer cáncer es una de las experiencias más estresantes en la vida de una persona. Sin embargo, los grupos de apoyo pueden ayudar a muchos a lidiar con los aspectos emocionales de la enfermedad. 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.
FBI EN LAREDO
FRONTERA
Cabildo vota por abogado
Foto de cortesía
El Casino Juega Juega de Nuevo Laredo, México fue clausurado por autoridades tamaulipecas.
Por Julia Wallace TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
El Cabildo de la Ciudad de Laredo votó el lunes por la noche por contratar un abogado externo que ayude a la ciudad a evitar una situación similar a la que ocurrió la semana pasada. El pasado miércoles, el FBI ejecutó órdenes de cateo en varios departamentos de la ciudad y el condado, incluyendo todo el Ayuntamiento Municipal, para recolectar documentos en relación con los contratos de Dannenbaum Engineering, un despacho de ingeniería civil que ha asegurado varios contratos de alto perfil en Laredo y el Condado de Webb. Las noticias se esparcieron rápidamente en el estado, puesto que las oficinas de Dannenbaum en Houston, San Antonio y McAllen también fueron cateadas por el FBI. ‘Las cosas son diferentes’ Después de lidiar con las repercusiones de la semana pasada, el Alcalde Pete Sáenz propuso el lunes contratar asesoría externa para asistir a la ciudad evitar futuros inconvenientes. “El hecho de que el FBI llegó a nuestra ciudad y básicamente interrumpió nuestras operaciones —siento que tiene que tener un impacto”, dijo Sáenz. “Las cosas son diferentes. Las cosas han cambiado”. La Abogada Interina de la Ciudad Kristina
Autoridades cierran casino en N. Laredo Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Cuate Santos / Laredo Morning Times
Regidores presentes en la junta regular del cabildo el lunes 1 de mayo. De la izquierda, Roberto Balli, Distrito 8; George J. Altgelt, Distrito 7; Nelly Vielma, Distrito 5; Alberto Torres Jr., Distrito 4; Alejandro Pérez, Distrito 3 y Vidal Rodríguez, Distrito 2.
Hale indicó que los contribuyentes no pueden pagar por un abogado externo para representar a regidores específicos. Sáenz clarificó que esta asesoría sería contratada para ayudar a asesorar los roles del administrador de la ciudad, el cabildo, el abogado de la ciudad y el personal. “Está el elemento de confianza pública. Pienso que ellos querrían ver los pasos específicos de nuestra parte para traer alguien de afuera”, dijo Sáenz. El Regidor George Altgelt presentó la idea de que esta asesoría legal externa podría ser usada para marcar el inicio de un nuevo set de reglas para el Cabildo de la Ciudad, reconsiderando la manera en la que tratan con cabilderos, contratistas y vendedores. Hasta ahora, mientras no
haya quórum, estas interacciones no necesitan ser grabadas. Esto también establecería futuras iteraciones al Cabildo de la Ciudad para que no tengan que pasar por algo como lo que la ciudad experimentó la semana pasada, dijo Altgelt. El Regidor Vidal Rodríguez fue el único regidor que votó en contra de la moción. Él no quería agobiar los contribuyentes pagando por una asesoría legal externa con algo por lo que deberían lidiar individualmente, él dijo. “No necesitamos asesoría externa para decirnos lo que está bien y lo que está mal. Eso lo hace nuestra consciencia”, dijo Rodríguez. Varios integrantes del público se presentaron a favor de ese punto.
Tres personas murieron durante el fin de semana en incidentes diferentes que pudieran estar relacionados con actividad de cárteles en Nuevo Laredo, México, de acuerdo con autoridades. Además, las autoridades tamaulipecas allanaron el casino Juega Juega localizado en 3136 de la avenida Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, al este de Nuevo Laredo. El primer incidente fue reportado alrededor de las 10:30 p.m. el viernes. Hombres armados supuestamente dispararon a marinos mexicanos en la Calle Héroe de Nacataz y la avenida César López de Lara. Uno de los asaltantes falleció. Las autoridades dijeron que un civil falleció en el fuego cruzado, de acuerdo con reportes. Las autoridades indicaron que el sospechoso usaba ropa con camuflaje tipo militar. Las tropas no identificaron a los fallecidos. El domingo, las autoridades respondieron a un reporte de una persona fallecida alrededor de las 9 a.m. en la avenida Pa-
seo Loma Real, cruzando la calle de la Escuela Normal Cuauhtémoc. El cuerpo fue encontrado afuera de Suspiros Pastelerías. Fotos circularon en redes sociales mostrando a un hombre con signos de tortura. Él se encontraba atado de manos. El tercer incidente ocurrió el sábado. El departamento de la Secretaria de Finanzas de Tamaulipas incautó 394 maquinitas en el casino Juega Juega. Las autoridades dijeron que las maquinas habían estado operando con “irregularidades”. Oficiales de Fuerza Tamaulipas asistieron en el allanamiento. No se reportaron arrestos. Arturo Soto Alemán, el subsecretario de ingresos en Tamaulipas, dijo a los medios mexicanos que el estado tenía una iniciativa de verificar las reglas y regulaciones en cuanto a los casinos. Las autoridades alegaron que las maquinitas fueron importadas ilegalmente. Soto Alemán indicó a los dueños que tenían 10 días para probar que las maquinitas fueron importadas legalmente.
TAMAULIPAS
CAMPAÑA POR CULTURA DE PAZ Buscan restaurar tejido social E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
REYNOSA, México— Para fomentar una cultura de paz y restaurar el tejido social, el Gobernador Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca y la presidenta del sistema DIF Tamaulipas, Mariana Gómez de García Cabeza de Vaca, arrancaron aquí la entrega de 24.000 mochilas escolares del programa “Yo decido un TAM sin miedo”, para alumnos de primarias en polígonos de alta incidencia delictiva e inauguraron el parque Jarachina Norte un espacio multifuncional para recuperar las relaciones solidarias y con ello la armonía social. Durante su gira por esta franja fronteriza García anunció que el DIF Estatal que preside su esposa, a través de las Secretarías de Bienestar Social y Educación, orientarán acciones en aquellas áreas más conflictivas donde se ha incrementado la violencia y en esas escuelas poder ampliar los horarios de actividades deportivas, culturales y alimenticias y así beneficiar a familias
Foto de cortesía
Orientarán acciones en Tamaulipas en aquellas áreas más conflictivas donde se ha incrementado la violencia y en esas escuelas poder ampliar los horarios de actividades deportivas, culturales y alimenticias.
en las que tanto padre como madre trabajan. “Le he pedido a todos mis secretarios, que alineemos todas las acciones del gobierno, de todas las secretarías con una finalidad, poder reestablecer el tejido social, poder dar oportunidad a esos niños que no tuvieran quienes le inculcaran los valores iniciales, como con los que fuimos no-
sotros educados, el valor de la honestidad, del respeto, de la tolerancia”, subrayó el gobernador de Tamaulipas. Ante el alumnado de la primaria “Escudo Nacional”, el mandatario explicó el sentido del eslogan “Un Tamaulipas sin miedo” decidiendo los tamaulipecos mismos vivir en paz y en armonía. Reiteró que esta lucha
se lleva a cabo junto, sociedad y gobierno, para pacificar a la entidad, asegurando que se va a ganar porque lo hace la niñez que no solamente son el futuro, sino el presente de Reynosa y Tamaulipas. Por la tarde también inauguró un nuevo parque de Bienestar en la colonia Villa de San José y unas canchas de futbol
en la colonia Aquiles Serdán. Las obras inauguradas este viernes representan una inversión cercana a los 12 millones de pesos, y un beneficio para más de 30 mil personas. El gobernador anunció que despachará hasta el 20 por cierto de su tiempo en Reynosa, dado la importancia en materia poblacional y económica.
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 |
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: MIAMI MARLINS
A7
NBA: SAN ANTONIO SPURS VS. HOUSTON ROCKETS
Popovich has decisions to make for Game 2
Wilfredo Lee / Associated Press file
Yankees great Derek Jeter would be in charge of baseball operations for the Miami Marlins if his group, led by Jed Bush, finalizes a deal to purchase the team. Eric Gay / Associated Press
Jeb Bush optimistic he and Jeter can close deal for Marlins By Steven Wine A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MIAMI — Jeb Bush says he is optimistic he can close a deal to buy the Miami Marlins, with his partner Derek Jeter taking charge of baseball operations. “Given the interest we have inside Miami and among people that are potential partners, I’m really excited about it,” Bush said, speaking publicly for the first time about his efforts to purchase the team from Jeffrey Loria. “It’s a sport that has huge potential in Miami. I’m excited about the community aspects of this.” The former Florida governor, who lives in Miami, made his comments Tuesday during a discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles. Jeter and Bush were part of rival efforts to buy the Marlins before joining forces. Jeter was a 14-time All-Star shortstop who retired in 2014 after 20 seasons with the Yankees. “Derek Jeter is a phenomenal guy, a person of incredible integrity,” Bush said. “I get to meet famous people all the time, and sometimes they don’t match up to what their reputation is. Jeter is the exact opposite. He has this incredible, impeccable reputation he earned, and in person he’s maybe even better. He’s humble, really smart and totally focused on this. “We have had to make some tough decisions that would require a little conflict. He has made them in a way that has made me feel really good to be his partner, so we’re really excited.” Jeter has no front office experience, and he would be taking over a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2003. Bush said they agree a free agent spending spree is not the best path forward. “There is no correlation between high sala-
ries and winning,” Bush said. “The sport is different maybe from others in that regard.” Bush and Jeter lead one of multiple groups that have submitted bids for the Marlins. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said last week none had yet been accepted. Bush said he expects a decision “pretty soon,” but completion of any sale could take months and would require approval by at least 75 percent of the major league teams. More than half of the winning bid could involve cash because of MLB’s debt service rule, meaning the Bush-Jeter group would need to raise a lot of money. Their bid is for $1.3 billion, Bloomberg reported. It is not known who might be joining Bush and Jeter as partners. Bush said he wants to expand the reach of the franchise and MLB in Latin America. Loria, 76, became unpopular in Miami in part because of the Marlins’ perennially small payrolls, and Bush didn’t sound as though he’ll be a big spender, either. “Losing money along the way is not the plan,” Bush said. “Baseball doesn’t have a salary cap. You have to have the discipline to identify players the right way. Be patient about it, and use data and analytics the right way. “Derek is going to be in charge of the baseball. He fully appreciates the need to do this in a patient way.” Bush, 64, served two terms as governor from 1999-2007 and was an unsuccessful candidate last year for the Republican nomination for president. His brother, former President George W. Bush, was controlling owner of the Texas Rangers from 1989 until he became governor of Texas in 1995. Jeter, 42, lives in Tampa and has long talked of his desire to own a team.
San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich saw his team beaten handily on Monday losing 126-99 at home against Houston to open the Western Conference semifinals.
Notoriously stubborn coach Gregg Popovich may have to make some changes to compete with Rockets Tim Bontemps WASHINGTON P O ST
It would be easy to look at Monday night’s opening game of the Western Conference semifinal between the Rockets and Spurs — a 126-99 thrashing by Houston in San Antonio — as an aberration, and write it off as a bad night at the office for the Spurs’ machine. In many ways that is true: San Antonio shot 36.9 percent against a porous Houston defense, and the Rockets went 22-for-50 from three-point range. A swing like that won’t likely happen when they meet again Wednesday night for Game 2. But dismissing everything that went wrong for the Spurs Monday night as nothing more than a correctable series of errors would be a major mistake. Houston exposed several key flaws in San Antonio’s rotation — flaws that were evident before the series began. The question, though, is whether the Spurs’ famously stubborn coach, Gregg Popovich, will make the necessary changes before it’s too late. Popovich has earned his reputation as one of the best coaches in the history of the sport, presiding over 20 consecutive 50-win seasons (or, in the case of the 50-game season in 1999, a season well ahead of a 50-win pace),
winning five championships and reaching six NBA Finals. But Popovich has never been known as a coach who makes drastic changes during playoff runs. If anything, when things start to go south for San Antonio in a playoff series, they tend to remain that way. Take last season against the Oklahoma City Thunder, for instance. By dominating San Antonio inside with multi-big lineups featuring Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka and Enes Kanter, the series was crying out for Popovich to deploy Kawhi Leonard at power forward and play small. Popovich finally made this switch in the second half of Game 6, after the Spurs had fallen hopelessly behind in what turned out to be the final game of their season. That example is instructive when examining what took place Monday night. As in that series, San Antonio had serious lineup flaws. In the opening minutes of the game, as the Spurs found themselves being blown out, Popovich twice called timeouts to berate his starting center, David Lee, for defensive mistakes defending Houston’s lethal pick-and-roll offense. Here’s the problem: Blaming Lee — who has worked to improve his defense, but is subpar at best — for defensive mis-
cues is like giving a child a cookie and them blaming him for eating it. It simply isn’t fair, particularly when Lee is being put into the blender that is trying to shut down James Harden, who had 20 points and 14 assists in 31 minutes, expertly running Mike D’Antoni’s vaunted offensive system. This was only the beginning of San Antonio’s problems. Danny Green, an excellent perimeter defender, got yanked after just a couple of minutes after being screamed at by Popovich for a defensive miscue, and played just 21 minutes. This cannot happen. If Green is going to guard Houston’s many deadly perimeter players, he has to be playing close to 40 minutes a game, so he and Leonard can team up to attempt to limit the Rockets’ offense. With Green on the bench, that left the Spurs relying heavily on Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Patty Mills — all of whom are significant defensive downgrades from Green. Meanwhile, Popovich insisted on playing two big men together through large portions of the game. That meant Lee, Pau Gasol and LaMarcus Aldridge were all in space trying to guard defenders on the perimeter, which helped free up the Rockets for one open look after another. This was particularly true for Ryan Anderson, who had 14 points on 4-for-10 shooting from behind the arc, and who created so much spacing with his ability to shoot from deep that San Antonio’s defense couldn’t handle it.
The fact Leonard played just two minutes as a small-ball power forward — against a team that spends so much time playing small to begin with — was something that seemed like an obvious fix. So, too, was playing Dewayne Dedmon, easily San Antonio’s best defensive big. Instead, Dedmon was glued to the bench until long after the game was decided (and then he came in and scored six points in seven minutes before getting ejected for picking up a pair of technicals). What’s clear is that, even with San Antonio’s structural defensive issues (and particularly against Houston, which has the shooting and athleticism to exploit the usual suspects in the Spurs’ rotation), Popovich can adjust going into Game 2 and beyond to give his team a chance to regain its footing. Doing so, however, would go against Popovich’s usual nature, which is to trust in what his team does and believe things will properly balance out with better execution, as he hinted Monday. “I don’t think we executed in a very wise manner,” Popovich said. “We disobeyed a lot of basic basketball rules that they can take advantage of.” As usual, Popovich is correct. But that isn’t the only issue plaguing the Spurs. And if he isn’t willing to address those other issues, an already difficult task to climb back into this series after Monday’s blowout loss will be that much harder.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
Texans invite Boston College QB Patrick Towles to minicamp By Aaron Wilson HOUSTON CHRONICLE
The Texans have invited Boston College quarterback Patrick Towles to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He played for Boston College last season as a graduate transfer, previously playing at Kentucky. He passed for 1,730 yards, 12 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Towles rushed for 294 yards last season and also caught two passes, one for a touchdown on a
trick play against Maryland. Towles was a two-year starter at Kentucky who passed for 5,099 yards, 24 touchdowns and 24 interceptions before losing his starting job. He rushed for 353 yards and 11 scores. Towles was a Parade Magazine All-American in high school, Mr. Football in Kentucky and the Gatorade Player of the Year in his state. His grandfather is Hall of Fame pitcher and U.S. Senator Jim Bunning.
Carlos Osorio / Associated Press file
Boston College quarterback Patrick Towles has been invited to the Texans’ preseason minicamp. Houston drafted Clemson’s Deshaun Watson in the first round of the NFL Draft and had Tom Savage and Brandon Weeden already on its roster.
A8 | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
INTERNATIONAL
Venezuelans block roads to protest Maduro constitution call By Hannah Dreier A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
CARACAS, Venezuela — Caracas residents blocked streets with broken concrete and twisted metal and flaming piles of trash Tuesday to protest the socialist president's bid to rewrite the constitution amid a deepening political crisis. President Nicolas Maduro signed a decree Monday to begin the process of rewriting the country's charter. Opposition leaders called the planned constitutional assembly a ploy to put off regional elections scheduled for this year and a presidential election that was to be held in 2018. Polling suggests the socialists would lose both those elections badly at a time of widespread anger over triple-digit inflation and shortages of food and other goods. Speaking hours after yet another big anti-government march ended in rock throwing and tear gas, Maduro said a new constitution was needed to restore peace. "This will be a citizens' assembly made up of workers," the president said Monday. "The day has come brothers. Don't fail me now." "I am no Mussolini," he added. The president was vague about how members of the constitutional assembly would be chosen. He hinted some would selected by voters, but many observers expect the selection process to favor the socialists. If the constitutional process goes forward, opposition leaders will need to focus on getting at
Fernando Llano / AP
A woman rests on a tire outside her home in El Hatillo's municipality in Venezuela on Tuesday.
least some sympathetic figures included in the assembly. That could distract them from organizing the near-daily street protests that have kept up for four weeks, political analyst Luis Vicente Leon said. "It's a way of calling elections that uses up energy but does not carry risk, because it's not a universal, direct and secret vote," Leon said. "And it has the effect of pushing out the possibility of elections this year and probably next year as well." Venezuela's constitution was last rewritten in 1999, early in the 14-year presidency of the late Hugo Chavez, who launched a socialist revolution in the oil-exporting nation. Chavez called his new constitution the best in the world, and promised it would last centuries. He carried around a blue pocket-sized version of the document, and would often whip it out and say, "This is our Bible. After the Bible, this." At the height of his popularity, people would mob him to ask that he sign their copies. The opposition imme-
diately seized on Maduro's proposal for a new charter as evidence that his mentor's revolution lies in shambles. The president of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, Julio Borges, called a constitutional assembly a "giant fraud" by Maduro and his allies designed to keep them in power. Borges said it would deny Venezuelans the right to express their views at the ballot box, and he urged the military to prevent the "coup" by Maduro. "What the Venezuelan people want isn't to change the constitution but to change Maduro through voting," he said. The opposition called for another major demonstration Wednesday. In Washington, a senior State Department official expressed "deep concerns about the motivation for this constituent assembly, which overrides the will of the Venezuelan people and further erodes democracy." "What President Maduro is trying to do yet again is trying to change the rules of the game," said the deputy assistant secretary of state for Western
Hemisphere affairs, Michael Fitzpatrick. Police repressed scattered protests Tuesday with tear gas, as they have nearly daily for weeks. At least 29 people have died in the unrest of the past month and hundreds have been injured. On Tuesday, the government suspended for 180 days the right to carry guns. Meanwhile, a bus carrying government supporters back from a Monday demonstration crashed into another vehicle in Bolivar state, southeast of Caracas. Gov. Francisco Rangel said 13 people died and dozens were injured. The wave of unrest began in reaction to an attempt to nullify the opposition controlledcongress, but has become a vehicle for people to vent their fury at Venezuela's economic ruin and violent crime. Residents manning the barricades that choked streets across the capital Tuesday vowed to protest until Maduro leaves office. "Unlike some of these young people, I remember a time before the socialists. Now is not the time for fear," said 36 year-old chauffeur Ricardo Herrera as he arranged trash and pieces of concrete into a street barricade in front of his apartment building. Herrera had so far sat out the protests because he had to get to work, but decided after Maduro's announcement that he could no longer stand by. "No one is going to work today. If we back down now, we'll be under their boot for the rest of our lives," he said.
Marco Ugarte / AP
Security agents escort a vehicle carrying Damaso Lopez after his capture on Tuesday.
Mexican soldiers arrest one of the apparent successors to ‘El Chapo’ Guzman By Joshua Partlow WASHINGTON P O ST
MEXICO CITY — One of the successors to captured drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was arrested in a high-rise tower in a wealthy neighborhood here on Tuesday morning, in another blow to a drug-running cartel that has been fighting to maintain its dominance. Damaso Lopez, a leader of the Sinaloa cartel and considered the right-hand man to Guzmán before the drug lord’s extradition to New York earlier this year, was hauled out of the apartment building by masked Mexican soldiers. While the high-profile arrest is a win for the Mexican government, it could also lead to further clashes between members of the Sinaloa cartel or between its members and outside rivals who want to seize power. Some drug war experts consider that competition, as well as the rise of the powerful Jalisco New Generation cartel, major factors in the steep increase in violence in Mexico over the past two years. Lopez, 51, known as “El Licenciado” - a term for college graduates -
worked at Guzmán’s side for years and helped him escape federal prison twice, the last time in 2015, through a mile-long tunnel out of Mexic’s highest-security prison. Earlier in his career, Lopez had been a policeman and a top official at the Puente Grande prison, where he helped Guzmán make his first escape in 2001. Since Guzmán’s recapture last year and subsequent extradition on drug-trafficking charges, experts say, the Sinaloa cartel has been led by Ismael Zambada García, known as “El Mayo,” as well as by famed drug lord Rafael Caro Quintero, one of Guzmán’s sons and Lopez. Factions of the group have reportedly been fighting for supremacy, including those led by Lopez and Guzmán’s son, Ivan Archivaldo Guzmán. Some U.S. officials believe that Joaquín Guzmán’s extradition has had a limited effect on violence in Mexico. But other experts consider it a driving force in the recent spike in homicides across the country, in states such as Sinaloa, Colima, Nayarit and Baja California.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 |
A9
BUSINESS
Stocks struggle as slowing auto sales worry Wall Street By Marley Jay A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — U.S. stock indexes are slightly higher Tuesday as industrial companies including engine maker Cummins rise after posting strong first-quarter results. Ford, General Motors and Fiat Chrysler are falling after they said their sales shrank in April and energy companies are down after oil fell to its lowest price in almost six months. The Standard & Poor's 500 index dipped 1 point to 2,387 as of 2:50 p.m. Eastern time. The Dow Jones industrial average added 8 points to 20,921. The Nasdaq composite lost 5 points, or 0.1 percent, to 6,086 after it set a record high Monday.
While strong earnings reports from companies continued to roll in, there were hints investors were concerned the weak auto sales are a warning sign about the U.S. economy. Those same worries hurt stocks a month ago, when automakers reported their March sales. The Russell 2000 index of small-company stocks sank 10 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,397. Industrial companies made some of the biggest gains. Cummins reported a far bigger profit and better sales than analysts expected, and its stock climbed $8.63, or 5.7 percent, to $159.96. The company said demand from construction and mining sales grew compared with the same period a year ago, but it said truck produc-
CNN won’t run Donald Trump’s ‘fake news’ ad
Richard Drew / AP
Specialist Michael Pistillo, left, works with traders at his post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange onTuesday.
tion in North America fell. Airlines including Delta, United and American all rose. Car makers reported sharp declines in sales, a strong sign that demand for cars, trucks and SUVs is starting to slow. Ford's sales were down 7 percent in April as car sales plunged and GM's sales slid 6
A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump's supporters are accusing CNN of censorship for not airing an advertisement touting the president's accomplishments, which the network said Tuesday it rejected because it was its own form of fake news. The ad from Trump's campaign — he became a declared candidate for reelection in 2020 on Jan. 19 — says that "America has rarely seen such success" and lists a series of actions from the first 100 days of his presidency. "You wouldn't know it from watching the news. America is winning, and President Trump is making America great again," the ad says. The faces of NBC's Andrea Mitchell, CNN's Wolf Blitzer, MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, ABC's George Stephanopoulos and CBS' Scott Pelley are shown onscreen behind the phrase "fake news." CNN said it requested the campaign remove the "false graphic." "The mainstream media is not fake news, and therefore the ad is false and per policy will be accepted only if that graphic is deleted," CNN tweeted in response.
Michael Glassner, executive director of Trump's campaign said that "CNN is trying to silence our voice and censor our free speech" because it doesn't fit the network's narrative. The campaign is refusing to change its ad, which is running on Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network. Trump's team is spending $1.5 million to spread its message. One of Trump's campaign committees quickly dispatched a fundraising pitch tied to the ad flap. "Your support made it all possible," the email says, before asking for contributions of $5 or more. "But the FAKE NEWS MEDIA refuses to tell the truth about our many achievements." CNN has been a frequent target of Trump's criticism, both during the campaign and during his young presidency. In tweets, he's called CNN "fake news" and "unwatchable." Criticizing media coverage has been in the Republican campaign playbook long before Trump even emerged. The campaign changed its ad to remove an image of H.R. McMaster, the national security adviser. Although not illegal, the Department of Defense strongly discourages use of such officials in political advertising.
$1.01, or 3 percent, to $33.19 while Fiat Chrysler skidded 51 cents, or 4.4 percent, to $10.91. Car suppliers and rental companies like AutoNation and BorgWarner slipped as well. Some investors see car sales as an important indicator of how much consumers are willing to spend overall.
New ‘50 Best Places to Work’ list for new dads By Michael Alison Chandler
By David Bauder
percent as it sold fewer pickup trucks. Vehicle sales have set records the last few years and analysts are worried the streak is ending and car companies are relying too much on discounts and incentives to keep their sales numbers high Ford lost 51 cents, or 4.5 percent, to $10.91 and GM gave up
WASHINGTON P O ST
Up to a year of paid leave. On-site child care. Flexible work schedules. These are some of the paternity benefits that top companies offer employees, according to a list released Tuesday of the “50 Best Places to Work for New Dads.” These companies are angling to attract and retain a new generation of male employees that, research shows, are taking on more child-care responsibilities at home and making work-family balance a bigger priority. The ranking, published by the parenting website Fatherly, was led by Netflix, which offers up to 52 weeks of paid time off for all new parents. Coming in second was Etsy, the online platform that links customers to craftspeople, which offers 25 weeks of paid leave. Rounding out the top five: American Express, which offers five months of paid leave, flextime and a “Caregiver of the Year Award”; Spotify, which provides six months of paid leave and a gradual return back to full-time status; and Facebook, which provides 17 weeks of paid leave and a financial benefit to defray baby-related expenses. Three years ago, when
Fatherly published its first list, the average paternity leave was four weeks. This year, only one company on the list has a four-week leave. The rest have expanded their family leave policies. The change shows a major shift in how corporate America is viewing the needs of fathers and their families, said Simon Isaacs, co-founder and chief content officer for Fatherly, a site geared to millennial dads. The United States is the only developed country without a national policy providing paid leave for new parents. Federal law ensures that workers at companies with 50 or more employees can take up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave. Only 14 percent of private-sector workers have access to any paid family leave, and most plans are focused on maternity leave. While only a small fraction of Americans work in major companies, the impact of employers’ policies on paternity leave can have widespread influence, Isaacs said. “These companies are sending a very important signal to smaller businesses and to policymakers that supporting workers in this way is good business,” Isaacs said, noting that these are successful com-
panies with aggressive earning goals. To compile the list, Fatherly worked with the Wharton Work/Life Integration Project; Scott Behson, a business professor at Fairleigh Dickinson University; and PL+US: Paid Leave for the United States, an advocacy group that publishes information about employers’ paid-leave policies. The ranking is limited to companies that have at least 1,000 employees and offer a minimum of four weeks of paid paternity leave. They were evaluated based on a list of criteria, including availability of corporate flex-time, access to on-site child care and job security for parents. Technology firms have in recent years dominated the benefits race in efforts to recruit and retain talented employees, but this list of dad-friendly workplaces also includes law firms and companies in retail, finance, and other industries. New York-based Deloitte - number 10 on the list - offers an average of four months of paid leave and covers child-care expenses, including for summer programs and before- and after-care. Discovery Communications offers 12 weeks of paid paternity leave and classes in “baby basics”
and infant CPR. And yogurt-maker Chobani -number 47 -- offers six weeks of paid leave and an on-site “Crew Kids Ahoy day camp” on days that school is closed. Many companies offer financial assistance for adoption, fertility treatments, or surrogacy costs. Some companies, including Starbucks and Amazon, have begun to extend benefits to their hourly workers, though they tend to be more limited. Nearly all the companies on the list offer flexible work policies that enable employees to work off-site, and about half provide some kind of subsidy for child care. About 15 percent, including Patagonia, offer child care on site. Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, a Washingtonbased law firm, offers six weeks of paid leave to fathers and also has an on-site child-care center that is managed by the firm. The firm ranked 38 on the list. Such benefits have been a particularly helpful retention tool for new dads, said Geoffrey Michael, a partner at the firm. “Becoming a parent is a huge life change, and it can be very disruptive to your work,” he said. “If these policies can keep someone happy, they will be more likely to stay and be more productive.”
A10 | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT
Luis Miguel surrenders to authorities on arrest warrant By Michael Balsamo A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — Authorities say Mexican singer Luis Miguel is in custody after he surrendered to U.S. marshals Tuesday in a case involving a dispute with his former manager. Deputy US Marshal Matthew Cordova says the singer, whose full name is Luis Miguel Gallego Basteri, is scheduled to appear Tuesday afternoon before a federal
Miguel
judge in Los Angeles who has held him in contempt
for failing to appear at court hearings. The five-time Grammy winner does not have an attorney listed in the court case. A message to his publicist was not immediately returned. Miguel was ordered to pay his former manager, William Brockhaus, more than $1 million in July 2016 by a federal judge in New York. Brockhaus' attorneys sought to enforce the judgment in Los Angeles, where Miguel owns a home.
Jimmy Kimmel recounts son’s heart surgery By Lynn Elber A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
LOS ANGELES — A tearful Jimmy Kimmel turned his show's monologue into an emotional recounting of his newborn son's open-heart surgery — and a plea that all American families get the life-saving medical care they need. "It was a scary story and before I go into it, I want you to know it has a happy ending," Kimmel assured ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live" studio audience Monday as he detailed how his son's routine birth April 21 suddenly turned frightening. Several hours after his wife, Molly, gave birth to
William John, a "very attentive" nurse at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center alerted the couple and doctors to the baby's purple-ish color and an apparent heart murmur, the host said. The baby's lack of oxygen was either due to a lung problem or heart disease, Kimmel said, and it was found to be his heart. "It's a very terrifying thing," he said. He was surrounded at the hospital by very worried-looking people, "kind of like right now," he told the audience, one of the jokes he managed despite choking up and having to pause at times. A test showed his son had a birth defect called tetralogy of Fallot with
pulmonary atresia — a hole in the wall separating the right and left sides of the heart and a blocked pulmonary valve, Kimmel said. The baby, nicknamed Billy, was taken by ambulance to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles to undergo surgery to open the valve. "The longest three hours of my life," Kimmel said. Billy will have another open-heart surgery within six months to repair the hole and then a third procedure when he's a young teen, but he came home six days after the surgery and is "doing great," Kimmel said. He shared photos of him with his wife, their 2year-old daughter Jane and a smiling Billy.
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Musician collapses during concert and dies By Jacob Jordan and Jeff Martin ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ATLANTA — When Col. Bruce Hampton slowly fell to his knees during the finale of his star-studded birthday concert, fans and musicians alike thought it was another one of his quirky performance acts. Fourteen-year-old guitar phenom Brandon "Taz" Niederauer tore into a blistering solo as the 70-year-old man lay motionless just feet away, his arm draped over a speaker. For several more minutes, dozens of musicians — including John Popper of Blues Traveler, Warren Haynes of The Allman Brothers Band and John Bell of Widespread Panic — jammed away to one of Hampton's favorite songs "Turn On Your Love Light." The fans danced and the musicians smiled as they waited for him to get up. But Col. Bruce never did. The eccentric guitarist and singer known as the forefather of the jam band scene died after collapsing Monday night at the end of the show billed by Atlanta's Fox Theatre as "Hampton 70: A Celebration of Col. Bruce Hampton." He had turned 70 a day earlier. "As I played tonight, I had a joy that I've never had ... But it was eerie," banjo player the Rev. Jeff Mosier said in a tearful Facebook post. "And then at the end, Bruce looked like he was jokingly worshipping that young guitar player. And he got down on his knees and I was getting ready to do the same thing. ... I was lucky to know him and I
Melissa Ruggieri/AJC / AP
Col. Bruce Hampton performs at his all-star jam celebration of his 70th birthday Monday in Atlanta.
was lucky to be there." Hampton founded several bands, including the Hampton Grease Band and the Aquarium Rescue Unit, and had a knack for surrounding himself with talented musicians, including Derek Trucks of the Tedeschi Trucks Band and Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic. While wealth and fame eluded him, he was widely acknowledged as an influence on other leading musicians. He also played the role of a songwriting band manager in Billy Bob Thornton's 1996 film "Sling Blade." Thornton joined Hampton on stage for the "Love Light" encore and beamed as Hampton belted out the first part of the tune with his bluesy growl. Hampton paced across the stage and teased the audience by pretending to leave before he re-emerged. Then he fell to his knees. When people began to realize this was no stunt, the band abruptly ended the song and a hush fell over the crowd. Stunned fans looked at one another and asked, "What just happened?"
The Fulton County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the death to The Associated Press. The Tedeschi Trucks Band, also on the lineup, posted a statement on its official Facebook page from Hampton's family. "After collapsing on stage surrounded by his friends, family, fans and the people he loved Col. Bruce Hampton passed away. The family is asking for respect and privacy at this difficult time," the statement said. Hampton showed no sign anything was amiss before his collapse. He appeared on stage early in the four-hour night, conducting and singing with a band. Later, he played and sang several tunes, including "I'm So Glad" as well as "Fixin' to Die," a song he had performed many times before. This time, though, the lyrics turned out to be prophetic: Feeling funny in my mind, Lord I believe I'm fixing to die Well, I don't mind dying But I hate to leave my children crying
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 |
A11
NATIONAL & FROM THE COVER
Mother of 3 killed in shooting at San Diego pool party By Julie Watson Sue Ogrocki / AP
In this April 18 file photo, Carol Mersch holds a copy of a microfilm Bible that flew in orbit around the moon on Apollo 13 during an interview in her home in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Oklahoma author awarded ownership of microfilm lunar Bibles By Justin Juozapavicius A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
TULSA, Okla. — A Texas state agency has withdrawn its ownership claim to 10 microfilm Bibles that Apollo astronauts took into space, ceding them to an author who says they were left to her by a NASA chaplain who helped send the tiny books into the heavens, court records show. The Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services dropped its claim to the so-called first lunar Bibles last week, ahead of a Wednesday hearing that would have decided who got to keep the valuable books. Judge Linda G. Morrissey ordered the artifacts turned over to Tulsa author and businesswoman Carol Mersch in a court document filed Friday. The postage stampsized Bibles, including eight that made it onto the surface of the moon inside a pouch carried by astronaut Edgar Mitchell during NASA's 1971 Apollo 14 mission, had been locked away in the Tulsa courthouse while the legal fight dragged into its sixth year. Mersch said Tuesday that she is relieved and that she plans to pick up the Bibles on Wednesday. "Having your civil liberties restored after a protracted legal battle that never should have begun in the first place is hardly a victory," Mersch said. "It's like being happy that someone stopped finally beating you." A spokeswoman for
the Texas agency declined to comment on the case Tuesday. Shooting the scriptures into space was the brainchild of the Apollo Prayer League, co-founded by the late NASA chaplain John M. Stout to pray for the success of the space program. Mersch befriended Stout in 2009 while working on a book about the prayer group and efforts to land a Bible on the moon, and said the late chaplain gave her the Bibles while she wrote it. But Texas attorneys argued that Stout's son, Jonathan Stout, should inherit the Bibles. They said Stout and his wife became wards of the state in their later years after their son raised concerns about their deteriorating mental and physical wellbeing. Jonathan Stout didn't reply to a Tuesday phone message seeking comment. Mersch vowed if she won, she would donate some of the Bibles to museums or seminaries around the world, per the chaplain's wishes. "I believe Carol is the best person to have control of these and have possession of them to decide where they should best go," said Cathy Anello, the niece of legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Anello said she was prepared to attend Wednesday's hearing to lend the family name to Carol's cause. "She will get (the Bibles) to places where they can be observed and honored," Anello said.
2 sickened by mail package, taken to Maryland hospital By Kasey Jones A S S OCI AT E D PRE SS
BALTIMORE — Police in Maryland say two people have been sickened after opening a package that they received in the mail. Frederick Police Lt. Clark Pennington says the two went to a hospital for treatment and brought the package with them, and the hospital was considered a hazmat scene. Pennington says when the people opened the package about noon Tuesday, they began to
feel burning and had difficulty breathing. Pennington says they took the package to Frederick Memorial Hospital. Decontamination tents were set up outside the emergency room. Hospital, spokeswoman Melissa Lambdin says by phone that operations were back to normal Tuesday afternoon, except for a small area of the emergency department. She says no hospital staff were hurt. Pennington says preliminary tests indicate the substance was a household cleaning product.
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SAN DIEGO — A 35year-old mother of three children was the lone person killed by a despondent gunman who police said shot seven people at a poolside birthday bash in San Diego after a breakup with his girlfriend. A childhood friend said he will miss the infectious smile of victim Monique Clark, who was devoted to her daughters, ages 2 to 13. "She had such a great personality," said Vincent Howard, who met Clark in high school. "She was always smiling. She was always with her kids and everyone else's kids. She was like a mother to them all." Clark also helped homeless people, volunteering often at food drives. Entertainer Nick Can-
non, a childhood friend of Clark, tweeted, "my heart hurts with great sadness." Authorities say Clark was shot and killed Sunday by 49-year-old Peter Selis, who was angry over the recent breakup and called his ex-girlfriend during the attack so she could hear him shooting strangers. Officers killed Selis in a shootout at the upscale apartment complex that owners describe as a Mediterranean village with playgrounds, pools, deli and other facilities. The six other victims were expected to survive Clark's family could not be reached for comment. Her mother, Michelle Fuget, wrote on the GoFundMe website that her daughter was beautiful, funny and feisty. Howard said he'll miss Clark's friendship most "and being able to get that pat on the back when you need it."
Julie Watson / AP
A police officer stands outside the pool area at an apartment complex Monday where a deadly shooting occurred Sunday.
The pool party to celebrate the host's 50th birthday was in full swing when Selis, reclining in a lounge chair with a blank expression, pulled a gun from his waistband and began shooting. Bodies fell on the pool deck and people ran for their lives. Selis was white and all but one of the victims were black or Latino. Police Chief Shelley Zimmerman said there was "zero indication" race was a motive for the shooting. Instead, it seemed to be driven by the split-up with the woman who Selis called after he shot his first two victims. "It is apparent that Selis wanted his ex-girlfriend to listen in as he carried out his rampage," Zimmerman said. "These victims were just in his vicinity when he committed this terrible tragedy." The shooting began after the party's host approached Selis, who stood out from the crowd
In a blow, influential Republican a ‘no’ on health care bill By Alan Fram ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WASHINGTON — A respected moderate Republican lawmaker dealt a significant blow Tuesday to the languishing GOP health care bill by saying he opposed it. House leaders sought holdouts' support in hopes of pushing the measure through the chamber this week, but remained short of votes. Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who until this year chaired the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said he was against the legislation. He said it would undermine insurance protections current law gives people with pre-existing illnesses, a view disputed by supporters of the legislation. The bill is a top priority for President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., since it embodies a long-standing GOP pledge to annul much of former President Barack Obama's health care law. They'd like to resurrect a revised version of the bill that collapsed in March and send it to the Senate before a weeklong House recess slated to begin this weekend. Upton's defection is important because at a moment when every vote counts, opposition by the 16term House veteran could make it easier for other uneasy moderates to vote no. So far, GOP leaders are short of the 216 votes they will need to prevail, and despite White House prodding have said a vote will occur only once they can succeed. Upton told The Associated Press that the bill's treatment of people with pre-existing illnesses "does not fit" with comments Trump made in an interview last weekend. The president said "Pre-existing conditions are in the bill." "Can there be a fix? Maybe, but it is not part of the equation before us," Upton said. Upton pointedly noted that the bill's language on pre-existing conditions was backed by the House Freedom Caucus, most of whose deeply conservative members now support the legislation. In a radio interview earlier Tuesday on "WHTC Morning News" in Holland, Michigan, Upton made similar remarks and said "a good number of us have raised real red flag concerns" about the bill to leaders. The issue seeped into popular culture late Monday when late night talk show host Jimmy Kimmel delivered an emotional 13-minute monologue describing the recent birth of his son, who had heart disease that required immediate surgery that proved successful. Kimmel said before Obama's law took effect, many such infants could die because they'd be uninsured because
of their pre-existing condition. "If your baby is going to die and it doesn't have to, it shouldn't matter how much money you make," Kimmel said. He added, "We need to make sure that the people who are supposed to represent us, people who are meeting about this right now in Washington, understand that very clearly." Kimmel's remarks inspired Obama to weigh in on Twitter. "Well said, Jimmy. That's exactly why we fought so hard for the ACA, and why we need to protect it for kids like Billy. And congratulations!" he wrote, referencing his Affordable Care Act. Trump briefly referenced the health care measure with remarks during a White House ceremony honoring the Air Force's football team, asking lawmakers in the audience how the bill was faring. "I think it's time now, right?" he said. "They know it's time." A senior Trump adviser said the White House counts them as being five votes short on the bill, a number that could drop to zero or grow to 15. The official signaled that the White House would pin the blame for falling short on GOP leaders, saying "Let's see if the hill can deliver." Ryan said leaders are "making very good progress" in winning support. The legislation would lose if 22 Republicans vote no, assuming all Democrats vote against it. Since last week, 21 Republicans have said they oppose the legislation, according to a count by The Associated Press. At least 11 others have said they are undecided. Those numbers are subject to change as the White House and House leaders pressure rank-and-file lawmakers to back the legislation. Under Obama's 2010 law, insurers may not charge seriously ill customers higher premiums than healthy ones. The latest revised GOP bill bars insurers from limiting access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. But states can obtain federal waivers letting insurers raise premiums on people with pre-existing illnesses, though only if the customer has let their coverage lapse during the previous year. The state must also have a high-risk pool or another mechanism to help such people afford a policy. Supporters of the GOP legislation say it protects people with preexisting conditions and that the exclusion would affect only a small proportion of them. Opponents say it diminishes their protections by letting insurers charge unaffordable prices. They also say high-risk pools have a mixed record of effectiveness, often because the government money provided to finance them proves inadequate.
of about 35 people as he sat alone by the pool gate wearing a heavy black jacket on a hot day, said Demetrius Griffin, a guest at the party. Griffin assumed the party's host, who was always welcoming, invited the man to join the fun. Instead, Selis shot the host twice in the torso and then opened fire on the party, Griffin said. "It was very eerie, to say the least," Griffin said. "He didn't stand up. He didn't say anything. He just opened fire." Selis, a father who worked as a mechanic at a Ford dealership, left no hint that he was planning an attack, police said. He filed for federal bankruptcy protection in October 2015, listing $14,000 in assets and $108,000 in liabilities, according to court records. Efforts to reach his family and ex-girlfriend were unsuccessful.
TRESPASSING From page A1 Capitol, then to the nearby Department of Insurance building. They sat in the lobby, vowing to remain until Republican Gov. Greg Abbott rejects the bill, which hasn't yet cleared the Legislature. The governor has an office in the building but wasn't present. Both the Texas Senate and House have passed strict measures designed to prohibit so-called "sanctuary cities" where local police don't inquire about immigration status when detaining someone — but each chamber's version must now be reconciled before Abbott can sign them into law. The protesters spent hours rallying and chanting in English and Spanish. Some eventually locked arms to block entrances to the building, preventing some state employees from coming and going. Police refrained from intervening throughout the day but ordered protesters to leave around 5 p.m., when the building was set to close. Most complied, though about 20 refused. An arriving judge entered the building to read those remaining their rights collectively, and they were issued trespassing citations. Six attorneys also turned up to assist those inside but were barred by authorities from entering the building — something they argued violated the law. "The Sixth Amendment says you have the right to an attorney ... the only thing they need to know is that I'm a lawyer," said lawyer George Lobb, who presented the police with a list of clients inside the building. He said of being denied accesses: "It's unconstitutional." State troopers used plastic zipties to handcuff those cited. Once they were outside the building, though, officers cut the restraints off and left the protesters free to go with orders to show for upcoming court dates — some of which have yet to be scheduled. They then staged a raucous rally nearby. Among those charged was Austin City Council member Greg Garcia, who said he saw some people were placed in metal handcuffs while still inside the building. "What I think he hasn't realized is that people in this community around the state are going to rise up ... the day he signs the bill," Garcia said of Abbott, adding that the measure actually becoming law "is only the beginning of the real fight." Pastor Jim Rigby of St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, is a leading member of Austin's sanctuary network of churches housing immigrants to protect them from deportation. He too was cited for trespassing. "Please know if you're undocumented that we love you and we want you here in Austin," Rigby told the crowd after leaving the building. "If today means anything to you I hope you know that."
A12 | Wednesday, May 3, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER ARRESTS From page A1 throwing smoke bombs and other items at officers. Police said they made more than two dozen arrests as a group of anarchists wearing black bandanas and ski masks grew unruly, reportedly breaking windows at businesses, setting fires on downtown streets and damaging a police car. Five people in Seattle were arrested, one for hurling a rock as pro- and anti-Trump demonstrators faced off. In the Washington state capital of Olympia, police ordered protesters to disperse, calling them "members of a mob" as some threw bottles, used pepper spray and fired marbles from slingshots at officers. Objects struck nine officers and nine
people were arrested, according to Olympia Police Chief Ronnie Roberts. In Oakland, California, at least four were arrested after creating a human chain to block a county building where demonstrators demanded that county law enforcement refuse to collaborate with federal immigration agents. Despite the West Coast clashes, most nationwide protests were peaceful as immigrants, union members and their allies staged a series of strikes, boycotts and marches to highlight the contributions of immigrants in the United States. "It is sad to see that now being an immigrant is equivalent to almost being a criminal," said Mary Quezada, a 58-yearold North Carolina woman who joined those marching on Washington.
She offered a pointed message to Trump: "Stop bullying immigrants." May 1 is International Workers' Day and protesters from the Philippines to Paris celebrated by demanding better working conditions. But the widespread protests in the United States were aimed directly at the new president. Trump, in his first 100 days, has intensified immigration enforcement, including executive orders for a wall along the U.S.Mexico border and a ban on travelers from six predominantly Muslim countries. In Chicago, 28-year-old Brenda Burciaga was among thousands of people who marched through the streets to push back against the new administration. "Everyone deserves dignity," said Burciaga, whose mother is set to be
ras with an American flag draped around his shoulders, took the day off from his job waxing casino floors to protest. "We hope to get to be respected as people, because we are not animals, we are human beings," said Martinez, who moved to Los Angeles 14 years ago fleeing violence in his country. The White House did not respond to requests for a response to the May Day demonstrations. Several protesters, like 39-year-old Mario Quintero, outed themselves as being in the country illegally to help make their point. "I'm an undocumented imigrant, so I suffer in my own experience with my family," said Quintero at a Lansing, Michigan, rally. "That's why I am here, to support not only myself but my entire community."
deported after living in the U.S. for about 20 years. "I hope at least they listen. We are hardworking people." In cities large and small, the protests intensified throughout the day. Teachers working without contracts opened the day by picketing outside schools in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Activists in Phoenix petitioned state legislators to support immigrant families. Thousands of union members and activists marched in the shadow of some of the biggest resorts on the Las Vegas Strip, including a hotel that bears the president's name. In a Los Angeles park, several thousand people waved American flags and signs reading "love not hate." Selvin Martinez, an immigrant from Hondu-
In Miami, Alberto and Maribel Resendiz closed their juice bar, losing an estimated revenue of $3,000, to join a rally. "This is the day where people can see how much we contribute," said Alberto Resendiz, who previously worked as a migrant worker in fields as far away as Michigan. "This country will crumble down without us." He added, "We deserve a better treatment." In Providence, Rhode Island, about the same number of people gathered at Burnside Park before a two-hour protest that touched on deportation, profiling and wage theft. In Oakland at a later march, more than 1,000 people marched peacefully representing labor groups along with Mexican, Vietnamese, Chinese, Filipino and other immigrants.
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PAGEANT From page A1 April 29 at the Edinburg Auditorium. Cantu will now be competing at nationals in South Padre Island in September as Little Miss Globe Texas. She has previously won a national title of Tiny Miss American Beauty in Florida and Belleza & Hollywood Princess in Los Angeles, California. The Globe South Texas pageant is a preliminary pageant to the Miss Globe
United States Pageant. The Miss Globe United States is part of the Miss Globe International. The Miss Globe U.S. Pageant will be held Sept. 22-24 in South Padre Island. Areas of competition include interview, on stage introduction, fun fashion and evening gown. Vanessa also won most photogenic award, best high fashion and best evening gown, attaining the highest score in her division. Vanessa is 7 years old and in the second grade. She enjoys
reading, writing and tumbling. She has won UIL District in Spanish Poetry and is in the straight A honor roll at Zapata North Elementary School. Her goal is to become a dentist to teach the importance of dental hygiene. Vanessa auditioned for Glitz 'N Glamour in McAllen and was selected as part of the casting models. The main and final event will be held in September in McAllen. She will also star in a Spanish play for a Mother's Day program on May 11 at the local Catholic Parish Hall.
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