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KARNES CITY, TEXAS
EAGLE FORD SHALE
Child-care license granted to center ICE looking to change how it houses families By Juan A. Lozano A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — One of the nation’s largest detention centers for families caught crossing the southern U.S. border has received a temporary residential child-care license amid discussions over whether the federal government will keep using such facilities. The Texas Department
of Family and Protective Services granted the six-month license last week to the 500-bed facility in Karnes City, southeast of San Antonio, agency spokesman Patrick Crimmins said Tuesday. The private prison firm that runs the facility for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had requested it after a federal judge said last year that kids
couldn’t stay in the centers because they weren’t approved to care for children. GEO Group Inc. obtained its license for the Karnes City facility as apprehensions of unaccompanied immigrant children along the southwest border increased by 78 percent for the period from Oct. 1 through March 31 compared to a year earlier, and the number of apprehensions of families more than doubled. “Licensure of the Karnes County Residential Center ... repre-
Callie Richmond / Texas Tribune
sents an important step forward in ICE’s commitment to enhancing oversight and transparency of its family residential centers, which play an important role in maintaining the integrity of our immigration system,” ICE spokeswoman Jennifer Elzea said in an email Tuesday. The Karnes City facility and a 2,400-bed facility in Dilley, also located south of San Antonio, opened in 2014 in response to the arrival of tens of thousands of mothers and children Families continues on A11
OTUMBA, MEXICO
A UNIQUE MAY DAY FESTIVAL FOR BURROS
A sign protesting a proposed waste dump near the South Texas town of Nordheim is shown in 2014.
Town's residents disgusted by waste site's approval By Jim Malewitz TEXAS TRIBUNE
On Tuesday morning, roughly 10 percent of Nordheim residents (population 316 at last count) once again pulled on their yellow “Concerned About Pollution” T-shirts, drove two hours north to Austin and told Texas regulators that they did not want to live next to an oil and gas waste site roughly half their town’s size. Many in the rural DeWitt County community had done some version of this exercise several
times over the past two or three years. They say their way of life would be threatened by a proposed 143-acre facility that would be used to store waste including drill cuttings, oil-based muds, fracking sand and other toxic oilfield leftovers. Most of the residents figured they’d return home officially defeated. They were correct. The Texas Railroad Commission on Tuesday voted 3-0 to allow San Antonio-based Pyote Reclamation Systems to build the facility, effecWaste continues on A11
2016 ELECTION
Joe Raedle / Getty
Donald Trump speaks during a campaign stop in Carmel, Indiana.
Rebecca Blackwell / AP
A competitor falls from his donkey during a prelimary race at the annual donkey festival in Otumba, Mexico State, Mexico.
Small town holds annual donkey fair By Leslie Mazoch A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
OTUMBA, Mexico — This is a place where every donkey will have its day — a small town just north of Mexico City that gives the beasts of burden a chance on May Day to kick up their hooves. The annual donkey fair in Otumba attracts up to 40,000 people who come to see the animals compete in costumes and race around a track with jockeys on their backs. Tourists squeeze through the jammed fairgrounds wearing donkey ears and munching on classic fair cuisine, including the local version of burritos
— a dish popular both north and south of the Mexican border that borrows the Spanish word for donkey. Costume themes for the animals ranged from the ride-sharing Uber to preHispanic temples, and Donald Trump was a category in of itself this year. Four families dressed their donkeys in likenesses of the U.S. presidential candidate who has vowed to build a border wall to keep out Mexican immigrants he’s called “rapists.” Adolfo Garcia Aguilar, who works on a cattle farm, said his family pitched in to dress his Donkey continues on A11
Denny Simmons / AP
Ted Cruz visits with supporters in Evansville, Indiana, Tuesday.
Trump dashes Ted Cruz’s hopes Donald Trump on his way to Republican nomination By Julie Pace and Scott Bauer ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Rebecca Blackwell / AP
A mural outside the "Burrodromo" donkey racetrack advertises the "National Donkey Festival," in Otumba, Mexico State, Mexico.
INDIANAPOLIS — Donald Trump took a major step toward sewing up the Republican presidential nomination Tuesday with a victory in Indiana’s primary election, dashing the hopes of rival Ted Cruz and other GOP forces who fear the brash businessman will doom their party in the general election. Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were vying for victory in the Democratic primary,
though it was too early to call the race as votes were being tallied. Clinton already is 91 percent of the way to her party’s nomination. While Trump can’t mathematically clinch the GOP nomination with his victory in Indiana, his path now becomes easier and he has more room for error in the remaining primary contests. The real estate mogul will collect at least 45 of Indiana’s 57 delegates, and now needs less than 200 more in upcoming contests. Election continues on A11
Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE WORLD
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
1
South Texas Food Bank Cinco de Mayo Fiesta. 6–11 p.m. Hal’s Landing, 6510 Arena Blvd. Fundraiser donation is $10 per person. Tickets at door. Music by Ross and Friends, plus three other local bands: Grupo Kharma, Contacto and Los Folkloricos. More than $1,000 in door prizes. For information, call Salo Otero, 3242432.
Today is Wednesday, May 4, the 125th day of 2016. There are 241 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History: On May 4, 1916, Germany, responding to an ultimatum from President Woodrow Wilson, agreed to limit its submarine warfare. (However, Germany resumed unrestricted submarine warfare the following year.)
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Screen Free Week: Petting Zoo & Pony Rides. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Celebrate Screen Free Week by visiting the petting zoo and riding a pony at the library.
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Bible study. 7–9 p.m. Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, 8731 Belize Drive. Every Wednesday. The Word of God has the power to comfort, heal and change hearts. For more information, contact Norma Perez at 251-1784 or normalight1@gmail.com
THURSDAY, MAY 5 1
Cancer Friends Meet. 6 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center, Tower A, 1st Floor. Having cancer is often one of the most stressful experiences in a person’s life. However, support groups help many people cope with the emotional aspects of cancer by providing a safe place to share their feelings and challenges and learn from others who are facing similar situations. For more information, call the A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center at 956-796-4725.
Heng Sinith / AP
In this March 21 photo, a tourist, left, takes photographs of Angkor Wat temple, in Siem Reap province, about 199 miles north of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
CARS BARRED NEAR ANGKOR WAT ASSOCIATED PRE SS
1
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia — The main road alongside Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat temple is now off-limits to cars as authorities seek to ease traffic jams at the site that draws 2.1 million tourists a year. “From now on, only tourists walking by foot or riding bicycles are allowed to travel on the road in front of Angkor Wat temple,” Prime Minister Hun Sen said in a Facebook post Tuesday that announced the measure. The new rule applies to a 985-foot stretch of road in front of Angkor Wat.
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Brazil attorney general seeks probes of ex-president Silva
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Preschool Read & Play. 11 a.m.–12 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Story time and crafts for preschoolers. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.
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Family Story Time & Crafts. 4-5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. For more information, contact Priscilla Garcia at priscilla@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.
SATURDAY, MAY 7 Karina M. Villarreal Scholarship 5k Run/Walk. 8 a.m. TAMIU. Sponsored by the Laredo Builders Association as a Parade of Homes kick-off event. Those who sign up in advance online will receive a dri-fit shirt as a thank you for their support. The cost to run/walk is $20.
Book sale. 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. No admission charge. Everyone is invited.
1 Laredo Northside Farmers Market. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. North Central Park. The market is held at the playground behind the trailhead facility. This month's theme is Mother's Day. A raffle for Mother's Day gifts will be held. 1
Screen Free Week: Family Game Day & Pizza Party. 12–1 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Celebrate Screen Free Week by playing board games and eating pizza with your family members at the library. Pet adoption available.
MONDAY, MAY 9 1
Laredo Stroke Support Group. 7 p.m. San Martin de Porres Church, Family Life Center. Meetings are held the second Monday of each month and are open to all stroke survivors, family and caregivers. Everyone is welcomed to share their story, encourage and support others, and hear informative speakers. For more information on the support groups, call 956-286-0641 or 956-763-6132.
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Chess Club. Every Monday from 4–6 p.m. LBV – Inner City Branch Library. Free for all ages and skill levels. Basic instruction is offered. For more information call John at 956-795-2400 x2520.
TUESDAY, MAY 10 1
Knitting Circle. 1–3 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and knitting needles. For more information, contact Analiza PerezGomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.
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Crochet for Kids. 4–5 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Please bring yarn and a crochet needle. For more information, contact Analiza Perez-Gomez at analiza@laredolibrary.org or 795-2400 x2403.
SAO PAULO — Brazil’s Supreme Court said Tuesday that the attorney general has asked it to authorize investigations of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva over alleged involvement in corruption at state oil company Petrobras. The court’s press office said Attorney General Rodrigo Janot also wants to investigate Social Communications Minister
Cars and tourist vans are still permitted on other roads in the Angkor Archeological Park, a 160-square mile complex with dozens of ancient temples. Long Kosal, spokesman of the Apsara Authority, a government agency that oversees the Angkor complex, said a new parking area has been built near the main temple. He said the volume of traffic near the temple has increased so dramatically in recent years it raised concerns that vibrations caused by the vehicles could harm the temples, built between the 9th and 15th centuries.
Edinho Silva, Political Affairs Minister Ricardo Berzoini and Jaques Wagner, who heads the office of President Dilma Rousseff. On Monday, Janot asked Brazil’s highest court to authorize an investigation of opposition presidential candidate Aecio Neves for alleged involvement in the Petrobras bribery scheme. Neves narrowly lost the 2014 election to Rousseff. Brazilian media reported that Janot is also targeting top officials in the opposition PMDB party, including party chief Sen.
Romero Juca, but the attorney general’s office did not confirm that information. Under Brazilian law, the Supreme Court must give permission for any investigations of high government officials and lawmakers. The court also must authorize any trial of such officials. Janot based the requests on testimony in a plea bargain by Sen. Delcidio do Amaral, who was ensnared in the sprawling corruption probe. — Compiled from AP reports
Author says he now thinks father wasn’t Iwo Jima flag-raiser
Joe Rosenthal / AP file
In this Feb 23, 1945 file photo, U.S. Marines raise the American flag atop Mt. Suribachi, Iwo Jima, Japan.
“My father raised a flag on Iwo Jima,” Bradley told The Associated Press. “The Marines told him way after the fact, ‘Here’s a picture of you raising the flag.’ He had a memory of him raising a flag, and the two events came together.” AP photographer Joe Rosenthal shot the photo on Feb. 23, 1945, on Mount Suribachi, only
Ten years ago: A federal judge sentenced Zacarias Moussaoui to life in prison for his role in the 9/11 attacks, telling the convicted terrorist, "You will die with a whimper." Five years ago: President Barack Obama said he had decided not to release death photos of terrorist Osama bin Laden because their graphic nature could incite violence and create national security risks. Officials told The Associated Press that the Navy SEALs who'd stormed bin Laden's compound in Pakistan shot and killed him after they saw him appear to lunge for a weapon. One year ago: Former technology executive Carly Fiorina and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson joined the rapidly expanding 2016 Republican presidential class, casting themselves as political outsiders in underdog campaigns, eager to challenge the elite of both parties.
AROUND THE NATION
DES MOINES, Iowa — The author of a best-selling book about his father and other men who raised a U.S. flag at Iwo Jima during World War II said Tuesday he no longer believes his father was in an iconic photograph of the event. James Bradley, who wrote the book “Flags of Our Fathers,” said in a telephone interview that questions raised about the photo by two amateur historians, which have prompted a Marine Corps investigation, led him to think back on comments his father made about the 1945 flag-raising. Those comments by John Bradley, who died in 1994, now lead James Bradley to believe his father participated in an earlier flag-raising, but not the one captured in the famous picture.
On this date: In 1776, Rhode Island declared its freedom from England, two months before the Declaration of Independence was adopted. In 1886, at Haymarket Square in Chicago, a labor demonstration for an 8-hour work day turned into a deadly riot when a bomb exploded. In 1904, the United States took over construction of the Panama Canal from the French. In 1932, mobster Al Capone, convicted of income-tax evasion, entered the federal penitentiary in Atlanta. (Capone was later transferred to Alcatraz Island.) In 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea, the first naval clash fought entirely with carrier aircraft, began in the Pacific during World War II. (The outcome was considered a tactical victory for Imperial Japan, but ultimately a strategic one for the Allies.) In 1959, the first Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Domenico Modugno won Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)"; Henry Mancini won Album of the Year for "The Music from Peter Gunn." In 1961, the first group of "Freedom Riders" left Washington, D.C. to challenge racial segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals. In 1970, Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire during an anti-war protest at Kent State University, killing four students and wounding nine others. In 1976, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser announced that "Waltzing Matilda" would serve as his country's anthem at the upcoming Olympic Games. In 1980, Marshal Josip Broz Tito, president of Yugoslavia, died three days before his 88th birthday. In 1994, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat signed an accord on Palestinian autonomy that granted self-rule in the Gaza Strip and Jericho. In 2001, Bonny Lee Bakley, wife of actor Robert Blake, was shot to death as she sat in a car near a restaurant in Los Angeles. (Blake, accused of Bakley's murder, was acquitted in a criminal trial but found liable by a civil jury and ordered to pay damages.)
days into a bloody battle with the Japanese that would stretch on for weeks. The picture was displayed on front pages of newspapers across the U.S., later was used in a war bond sale and was depicted in the Marine Corps War Memorial in Arlington, Virginia. — Compiled from AP reports
Today's Birthdays: The former president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, is 88. Opera singer Roberta Peters is 86. Katherine Jackson, matriarch of the Jackson musical family, is 86. Jazz musician Ron Carter is 79. Political commentator George Will is 75. Country singer Stella Parton is 67. Actorturned-clergyman Hilly Hicks is 66. Irish musician Darryl Hunt (The Pogues) is 66. Singer Jackie Jackson (The Jacksons) is 65. Rhythm-andblues singer Sharon Jones is 60. Violinist Soozie Tyrell (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band) is 59. Country singer Randy Travis is 57. Actor Will Arnett is 46. Rock musician Mike Dirnt (Green Day) is 44. Contemporary Christian singer Chris Tomlin is 44. TV personality and fashion designer Kimora Lee Simmons is 41. Rock musician Jose Castellanos is 39. Sports reporter Erin Andrews is 38. Singer Lance Bass ('N Sync) is 37. Rapper/ singer Jidenna is 31. Actor Alexander Gould is 22. Country singer RaeLynn is 22. Actress Amara Miller is 16. Thought for Today: "Goodness, armed with power, is corrupted; and pure love without power is destroyed." — Reinhold Niebuhr, American theologian (1892-1971).
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Rock wall climbing. 4–5 p.m. LBV-Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Free. Take the challenge and climb the rock wall! Fun exercise for all ages. Must sign release form. For more information, contact John Hong at 795-2400 x2521.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 11 1
LEGO Robotics. 6:15–7:15 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Make a LEGO robot and program its movement. Duplo LEGO play available for toddlers.
1 Bible study. 7–9 p.m. Lighthouse Assembly of God Church, 8731 Belize Drive. Every Wednesday. The Word of God has the power to comfort, heal and change hearts. For more information, contact Norma Perez at 251-1784 or normalight1@gmail.com
AROUND TEXAS Prison ban on beards ruled illegal DALLAS — A federal appeals court panel has upheld a Texas prison inmate’s right to a beard and skullcap as required by his religious beliefs. In a 32-page opinion filed Monday, a three-judge 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel in New Orleans unanimously upheld a lower-court ruling that David Rasheed Ali should be allowed to grow a 4-inch
CONTACT US beard and wear a knit skullcap, called a kufi, as his faith demands. Ali is a Muslim inmate at the state’s Michael Unit in East Texas near Palestine, where he is serving four concurrent 20-year prison sentences for arson, criminal mischief and aggravated robbery. The opinion written by Appeals Judge Edward Prado said that the Texas ban on inmates having 4-inch beards and religious headwear outside a cell or religious service violates a 2015 U.S. Supreme Court ruling
in an Arkansas inmate’s case. Texas officials had argued that its ban was needed for security purposes, that beards and caps could facilitate the smuggling of contraband and distort the identities of inmates and potential escapees. The Texas Department of Criminal Justice, which operates the prison system, is reviewing the ruling, said spokesman Jason Clark. The department declined further comment. — Compiled from AP reports
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SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Wednesdays and Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata and Jim Hogg counties. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times in those areas at newstands, The Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas, 78044. Call (956) 728-2500.
The Zapata Times
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 |
A3
LOCAL & STATE
Educator job fair set for Edinburg in June
Three kidnapped Americans freed in northern border state ASSOCIATED PRE SS
S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
The Region One Education Service Center, which encompasses seven counties, including Zapata, will host its Annual Educator Job Fair on Tuesday, June 7. The fair will be held at the Region One Education Service Center, 1900 W. Schunior, in Edinburg from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. for those interested in seeking a teaching or an administrative position in a Region One school district. There is no fee to attend the conference for those seeking employment with a school district. Participants are asked to pre-register for the job
fair at esc1.net/staffdevelopment using Workshop #52226. Pre-registration will expedite the process for the participant and will help the participant to avoid long lines. Local school districts and charter school systems have been invited to attend. Region One area school district principals and personnel directors will be on hand, prepared to interview applicants, and in some cases offer teaching contracts on the spot. The Region One area encompasses Cameron, Hidalgo, Willacy, Webb, Jim Hogg, Zapata and Starr counties. Prospective teacher candidates are encouraged to bring multiple copies of their resumes,
certificates, transcripts, evaluations and recommendations to share with school district representatives. For those interested in pursuing a career in education, representatives from alternative certification programs will be on hand to provide program information. For those interested in becoming a substitute teacher, Region One will have information regarding the SubHub, substitute teacher management system. In addition to the job fair, applicants can also search the teacher recruitment web site at www.schoolwork.esc1.net for applications and job information.
CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico — Mexican authorities say they have rescued three American citizens who were kidnapped in the northern state of Tamaulipas, which borders Texas. The Tamaulipas state government says the
victims were freed from captivity Monday from a criminal band’s camp along the highway between Ciudad Victoria and Zaragoza. It says the alleged leader of the band was killed in the operation and two suspects were detained. The Tamaulipas government said Tuesday
that the Americans are members of the same family and are of Mexican descent. The three adults are said to be from Dallas and are described as in good condition. They were abducted April 13 while driving to a relative’s funeral in the central state of San Luis Potosi.
Man kills Good Samaritan ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ARLINGTON, Texas — A young soldier shot and wounded his wife outside a Dallas-area store and then gunned down a father of three who grabbed his own gun and tried to make a citizen’s arrest, authorities say.
Arlington police say Anthony “T.J.” Antell Jr., 35, saw Ricci Bradden shoot Bradden at the feet of his wife during an argument Monday out-
side of a Walgreens where she works, striking her once. She fled inside the store to call for help. Antell retrieved a handgun from his vehicle and confronted Bradden in an attempt to make a citizen’s arrest, but Bradden slapped it away and then fatally shot Antell.
Zopinion A4 | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
OTHER VIEWS
COLUMN
Loaded with talent An ad brought her to my office. She was tall, pushing 50, red-haired, freckled and had a prominent overbite. Yet, there was something very different about the woman with the ordinary name Helen Smith. My widely cast net in the summer of 1971 called for someone to recreate our then-labeled “society” pages in the Conroe Courier. We were looking for a talent that could brainstorm with us and change the coverage and tone of the newspaper section. Our idea and vision of the “new” section was to reflect the diverse woman emerging from the shackles of housewifedom, swirling about looking for a challenging place in a rapidly changing social and employment world for the “fairer sex.” The section, we decided, must reflect the woman’s emergence from keeping house, raising kids and waltzing from the “ladies” garden club to the grocery store to preparing a dinner for her husband’s business clients. A little later in my nomadic journalist’s life, I met a younger, beautiful version of Helen and married her. Helen charmed me immediately with her intellect, her confidence, her ability and her instant grasp of what I envisioned as The Courier’s version of women’s news. When I described for her the vision I had of an expanded coverage, she exuded a controlled excitement about my ideas and gave an immediate but brief summary of her ideas on the conversion. I was sold. She came to work and after a brief instruction on how to produce the last few “society” pages while planning the debut of news for the modern woman. Her combination of talent, charm and confidence captivated her fellow newsroom editors and writers. Helen’s Women’s News lead page debut showcased a feature story, written extraordinarily well and enhanced by a magazine-style layout with large, dramatic pictures rather than the staid block layout of engagements, weddings, teas and clubs. That news moved to the section’s inside pages and the Courier had launched into a new concept heretofore only applied by our larger brethren, er, sisters in the newspaper world. The response was overwhelmingly favorable, with a few exceptions of stiffly corseted biddies from old money society, whose boring cookiecutter sameness club “news” had dominated the page previously. Phone calls of approval
poured in, a significant number of them from men. A bank president waved me into his office soon after Helen’s debut and raved to me about how impressed he was with our new format. “I turn to that page first when I get the paper now,” he confessed. He was not alone in the impressive masculine reception and approval of the page. Negativism came from only a few of the aforementioned stiff-upper lip social mavens. Ultimately, there was a selfishly motivated, oneman uprising in the newsroom. A talented, but arrogant and self-centered photographer, did most of Helen’s lead page pictures. Once he told Helen he had a conflicting assignment with when she’d arranged her feature photos and that she’d have to reschedule. Enterprising Helen was not about to upset the subjects of the already-working feature so she did the shoot herself and turned in the film. Side note: her pictures were, not surprisingly, excellent. When Mr. Arrogance returned from his conflicting shoot and saw Helen’s pictures, he chewed her out so roughly that a usually unflappable Helen was in tears. To do that in the manner he did and, to my new “star,” cocked and springloaded me in the tickedoff position. Arrogance steamed into my office, leaned across my desk and growled, “It’s her or me!” I performed a physical feat I cannot to this day explain. I leaped, executing two 90-degree turns in one move, and came down nose-to-nose with Arrogance and shouted, “It’s you, Stupid! You’re fired.” Helen’s tenure lasted only a few months more when her Gulf Oil Co. executive husband was transferred to Atlanta. That news caused me to fight back tears. Helen went straight to the large and revered Atlanta Constitution and Journal and nailed down a job that quickly led to a front page position for her column. She had star quality, packaged in a quiet, confident but reserved way. Helen was great and I “discovered” her. Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor-publisher of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net
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.
COLUMN
The choice explosion LANSING, W.Va. — A few years ago, social psychologist Sheena Iyengar asked 100 American and Japanese college students to take a piece of paper. On one side, she had them write down the decisions in life they would like to make for themselves. On the other, they wrote the decisions they would like to pass on to others. The Americans filled up the side for decisions they want to decide for themselves. Where to live. What job to take. The other side was almost blank. The only “decision” they commonly wanted to hand off to others was, “When I die.” The Japanese filled up the back side of the sheet with things they wanted others to decide: what they wore; what time they woke up; what they did at their job. The Americans desired choice in four times more domains than the Japanese. Americans have always put great emphasis on individual choice. But even by our own standards we’ve had a choice explosion over the past 30 years. Americans now have more choices over more things than any other culture in human history. We can choose between a broader array of foods, media sources, lifestyles and identities. We have more freedom to live out our own sexual identities and more religious and nonreligious options to express our spiritual natures. This opening has pro-
“
DAVID BROOKS
duced much that is wonderful. But making decisions well is incredibly difficult, even for highly educated professional decision-makers. As Chip Heath and Dan Heath point out in their book “Decisive,” 83 percent of corporate mergers and acquisitions do not increase shareholder value, 40 percent of senior hires do not last 18 months in their new position, and 44 percent of lawyers would recommend that a young person not follow them into the law. It’s becoming incredibly important to learn to decide well, to develop the techniques of self-distancing to counteract the flaws in our own mental machinery. The Heath book is a very good compilation of those techniques. For example, they mention the maxim, assume positive intent. When in the midst of some conflict, start with the belief that others are well intentioned. It makes it easier to absorb information from people you’d rather not listen to. They highlight Suzy Welch’s 10-10-10 rule. When you’re about to make a decision, ask yourself how you will feel about it 10 minutes from now, 10 months from now and 10 years from now.
People are overly biased by the immediate pain of some choice, but they can put the short-term pain in long-term perspective by asking these questions. The Heaths recommend making deliberate mistakes. A survey of new brides found that 20 percent were not initially attracted to the man they ended up marrying. Sometimes it’s useful to make a deliberate “mistake” — agreeing to dinner with a guy who is not your normal type. Sometimes you don’t really know what you want and the filters you apply are hurting you. They mention our tendency to narrow-frame, to see every decision as a binary “whether or not” alternative. Whenever you find yourself asking “whether or not,” it’s best to step back and ask, “How can I widen my options?” In other words, before you ask, “Should I fire this person?” Ask, “Is there any way I can shift this employee’s role to take advantage of his strengths and avoid his weaknesses?” The explosion of choice means we all need more help understanding the anatomy of decision-making. It makes you think that we should have explicit decision-making curricula in all schools. Maybe there should be a common course publicizing the work of Daniel Kahneman, Cass Sunstein, Dan Ariely and others who study the way we mess up and the tech-
niques we can adopt to prevent error. This is probably especially important for schools that serve the less fortunate. The explosion of choice places extra burdens on the individual. Poorer Americans have fewer resources to master decision-making techniques, less social support to guide their decisionmaking and less of a safety net to catch them when they err. As researchers Sendhil Mullainathan and Eldar Shafir have shown, the stress of scarcity itself can distort decision-making. Those who experienced stress as children often perceive threat more acutely and live more defensively. A school principal I met in Pittsburgh observed that living in an area of concentrated poverty can close down your perceived options, and comfortably “relieve you of the burden of choosing life.” It’s hard to maintain a feeling of agency when you see no chance of opportunity. In this way the choice explosion has contributed to widening inequality. It’s important to offer opportunity and incentives. But we also need lessons in self-awareness — on exactly how our decision-making tool is fundamentally flawed, and on mental frameworks we can adopt to avoid messing up even more than we do. David Brooks is a columnist for The New York Times.
COMMENTARY
Lucifer and the age of insults in politics By Joshua J. Whitfield THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
Politics in America has never really been for the thin-skinned, but always a rather rambunctious and disrespectful game.
And so in that sense I’m not bothered at all by former House Speaker John Boehner calling Sen. Ted Cruz "Lucifer." It was actually kind of funny. And it cleverly expressed in one word what many
think of this particular presidential candidate, whose faults and qualities have been overlooked because of our focus upon his reality TV rival. Boehner’s barb is simply part of the tradition.
But in another sense, I am disturbed by the insult. I’m disturbed because it seems part of a political discourse, a political process, and a political community turned toxic.
CLASSIC DOONESBURY (1986)| GARRY TRUDEAU
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 |
A5
ENTERTAINMENT Wilmore says his ‘tone didn’t fit room’ at White House By David Bauder A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Comic Larry Wilmore says his “tone didn’t fit the room” at his much talked-about White House Correspondents Association speech but believes his use of a provocative term to address President Barack Obama may open an important dialogue for the country. The Comedy Central host said in an interview Tuesday that he’s willing to take the heat for his performance over the weekend, which skewered media figures and politicians. The so-called nerd prom is a big Washington event in Washington, and Wilmore’s roast, which followed Obama’s final address at the event as president, was televised across the country. “I may have underestimated the tone of how I was telling the jokes,” the “Nightly Show” host said, although he said “all of these revelations you realize after the fact.” Still, he wasn’t taking back the most-discussed moment of the speech, which came at the end. Wilmore, who is black and, at 54, the same age as Obama, said words didn’t do justice to the idea that he could live at the same time a black man could be leader of the free world. He concluded: “Yo Barry, you did it, my n——a. You did it.” Wilmore’s use of the phrase shed light on a debate among many in the black community: those who feel it is an offensive slur and shouldn’t be used in any context, and others — including Wilmore — who feel that using it as a
Broadway musical ‘Hamilton’ does what it always does — stuns By Mark Kennedy ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Susan Walsh / AP file
In this April 30 file photo, Larry Wilmore speaks at the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner.
term of endearment among blacks robs the word of its negative power. “I knew that it would be provocative and yes, I was taking a big chance,” Wilmore said. “But you know what, it was just a creative expression that I made at the time. I don’t know if I would take it back.” He said that “at this point, I think it may open up a dialogue that at the end of the day is probably pretty good. And if I have to take the heat for it, that’s OK. Part of my job is to take the heat. I certainly dished out a lot of stuff.” He recalled that as a child, the police broke into a neighbor’s home and that he heard them shout, “freeze, n—-er, dead.” He was completely dehumanized by the phrase, and he and his friends would use it in humor to strip that pain away. Wilmore said the president was “very kind and very warm” to him and the White House said Monday that Obama wasn’t offended by use of the phrase. Others were, including civil rights activist Al Sharpton, who was at the dinner and criticized it later.
NEW YORK — The Tony Awards are being nicknamed this year the “Hamil-Tonys” in recognition that “Hamilton” is the show to beat. That was proven again Tuesday. Lin-Manuel Miranda’s hip-hop-flavored biography about the first U.S. treasury secretary earned 16 Tony Award nominations, breaking the 15-nominations record held jointly by “The Producers” and “Billy Elliot the Musical.” “Hamilton” earned nods in all 13 categories it was eligible. “I feel really grateful that they kind of spread the wealth,” Miranda told The Associated Press. “Theater requires collaboration and I’m lucky to be working with some of the best people in their respective fields alive right now.” The awards will be handed out June 12, with James Corden playing host from the Beacon Theatre. “Hamilton” will be hoping to break another record: The musical with the most Tonys is “The Producers” with 12. At that ceremony, “Hamilton " will compete for Broadway’s biggest crown — best new musical — with “Bright Star,” “School of Rock,” “Shuffle Along” and “Waitress.” The other top nominees Tuesday were “Shuffle Along,” a show that explores a groundbreaking
95-year-old musical starring, written and directed by African-Americans, which got 10 nominations, and the revival of “She Loves Me,” which earned eight. “Hamilton” earned seven acting nominations — Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr., Phillipa Soo, Daveed Diggs, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson and Renee Elise Goldsberry. It also earned nominations for best musical, scenic design, costumes, lighting design, direction, choreography, orchestrations, best book and best original score. The musical has already won the Pulitzer Prize for drama, a Grammy, the Edward M. Kennedy Prize for Drama Inspired by American History and a MacArthur Foundation “genius” grant. The loudest screams in Miranda’s house Tuesday morning were for the announcement of Jackson, who plays George Washington. Jackson was one of the first people to audition for the show in New York in 2002. “To see him get recognized got a particularly loud scream from my parents and my wife and I,” Miranda said, laughing. Goldsberry earned her first Tony nomination after appearing in four previous Broadway shows and said she will go to the theater Tuesday night holding aloft the banner of “Hamilton.”
Joan Marcus / The Public Thearter/AP
This image released by The Public Theater shows Lin-Manuel Miranda, foreground, with the cast during a performance of "Hamilton," in New York.
“The 16 of us represent every single person that worked on this show and we’re really grateful to get to do that,” she said. But first, the mother of two will celebrate with a nap. “I’m going to nap with the happiest smile on my face.” There were a few surprises Tuesday, including Jennifer Hudson being overlooked in “The Color Purple” and only a costume design nomination for “Tuck Everlasting,” a well-received musical based on the 1975 book by Natalie Babbitt. Also, the hit show “On Your Feet!,” which follows the lives of Gloria and Emilio Estefan, earned just a choreography nod. And “American Psycho,” an adaptation of the novel by Bret Easton Ellis about a materialistic serial killer, only captured nominations for scenic design and lighting. Its actors and songs by Duncan Sheik were snubbed. “Waitress ,” a musical with songs by singersongwriter Sara Bareilles that is adapted from a 2007 film about a waitress trapped in a small-town diner and a loveless marriage, earned four nominations. “I’m so grateful to have found my way back toward the theater community. I grew up doing theater. It’s how I learned to listen to music,” said Bareilles, who got a nod for music and lyrics.
“This experience of working on ‘Waitress’ has so changed my life in personal ways and professional ways.” “School of Rock ,” the adaptation by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Julian Fellowes of the Jack Blackled movie about a wannabe rocker who enlists fifth-graders to form a rock group, earned four nominations, including best musical, book, original score and best leading man in Alex Brightman. “It’s a funny season this one, isn’t it,” said Lloyd Webber from London. “As you know, it’s the ‘HamilTonys.’ We’ve gotten everything we could have hoped for — and that’s all we’ll get. But it’s lovely in this season of all seasons to get score and musical and book. We’re terribly pleased.” “Bright Star ,” a complex love story set against the American South by comedy god Steve Martin and Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Edie Brickell, earned five nominations and few were more pleased than Martin, who earned his first Tony nod. “This is very, very exciting to me. It’s almost, like your emotions betray you, you don’t allow yourself to know how excited you are but then when it happens, the body just takes over and you think, ‘Gee, I must have really been nervous about this!’ So I am so pleased,” he said.
Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
Ribereña en breve FESTEJOS 1 Durante toda esta semana, y hasta el viernes 6 de mayo se celebra la Semana Nacional de Agradecimiento al Maestro. Igualmente el viernes será el Día Nacional de la Enfermera, así como el día del Héroe de la Comida Escolar.
STAAR 1 Hoy se aplicará el examen STAAR en Historia de EU; y el jueves se aplicará el examen STAAR en Biología.
MISA AZUL 1 La Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata invita a la Misa Azul para orar por la seguridad de los hombres y mujeres dedicados a la aplicación de la ley, el rescate en incendios y la seguridad pública, quienes ponen su vida en riesgo en pro del bienestar de la comunidad. La misa se celebrará el viernes 6 de mayo, a las 10 a.m., en la iglesia Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, ubicada en 1609 Glenn St., en Zapata.
TAMAULIPAS
Derrame de violencia Ciudades se paralizan ante ola de enfrentamientos Por Aaron Nelsen SAN ANTONIO EXPRE SS-NEWS
REYNOSA, México — Una ola de tiroteos entre autoridades mexicanas y carteles de la droga se ha extendido por esta ciudad recientemente. La violencia se ha derramado a tal punto en las calles que forzó a los residentes a buscar refugio detrás de los mostradores de una tienda. Hace una semana, después de dos días de escaramuzas, la violencia
provocó que infantes de marina en un helicóptero dispararan contra los grupos criminales en una zona de la ciudad, mientras que en un incidente separado, la marina se enfrentó con miembros del cartel en un centro comercial, atrapando a cientos de personas en el interior en medio del tumulto. Durante casi dos horas, el centro comercial fue bloqueado mientras la balacera provocaba estragos durante la tarde. La
dueña de una tienda había planeado asistir a la firma de un acuerdo de ciudades hermanas entre McAllen y Reynosa; en cambio, estaba atrapada en el interior, paralizada por el miedo. El enfrentamiento, que iniciara en las calles, estalló en el centro comercial de forma inesperada, y para evitar cualquier escape, las salidas estaban cerradas con los compradores dentro, dijo ella. Autoridades mexicanas informaron de al menos 10 presuntos delincuentes muertos en tiroteos ocurridos en dos días. Dueños de negocios no son los únicos que temen
por su seguridad y la de su familia. Los residentes de toda la ciudad están cada vez más preocupados por los continuos brotes de violencia en zonas pobladas, especialmente al acercarse las elecciones para gobernador de Tamaulipas. La seguridad pública ha dominado el primer mes de la temporada de campaña, con ciudadanos ansioso de salir a votar el 5 de junio. La policía local de la ciudad fue disuelta por orden del gobierno federal por cargos de corrupción; se siente ahora una paz precaria resguardada por los convoyes de la policía
SERVICIO COMUNITARIO
INMIGRACIÓN
VOLUNTARIO DEL AÑO
RELEVO POR LA VIDA 1 El evento Relay For Life of Zapata County (Relevo por la vida del Condado de Zapata), se llevará a cabo el 20 de mayo, en la Placita del Condado de Zapata sobre la Carretera 83 y calle 7a., de 6 p.m. a 12 a.m.. El tema será “Pinta tu mundo de morado”.
SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA 1 La Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander celebrará su reunión el sábado 21 de mayo a las 2 p.m. en el Zapata County Museum of History. Los oradores invitados para esta ocasión son Del & Marsha Shumway, así como Viqui Uribe, con el tema “Búsqueda Familiar” (Family Search).
MEMORIAL DAY 1 La Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Zapata anuncia que el lunes 30 de mayo las oficinas permanecerán cerradas por la celebración de Memorial Day.
Temor lleva a trámites Por Sergio Bustos ASSOCIATED PRE SS
CONSULADO MÓVIL 1 El Consulado General de México realizará un Consulado Móvil en San Diego, Texas, del Condado de Duval, el 14 de mayo, de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m. en el 510 E. Gravis Ave. Se proporcionarán servicios básicos como expedición de Matrícula Consular (ID mexicana), pasaporte, asesoría legal y orientación al público en el ámbito de protección. Además se llevará a cabo una Feria de Salud donde se proporcionarán algunos servicios de salud de manera gratuita que incluirán toma de glucosa, presión arterial, índice de masa corporal, e información sobre higiene dental, entre otros temas. Para mayor información comunicarse al teléfono (956) 723-0990.
militar y del estado que fuertemente armados deambulan por la ciudad. Tamaulipas dio vida al cártel del Golfo y los Zetas, pero la caída de los jefes del crimen organizado en los últimos años ha dividido sus rangos en grupos más pequeños con cambios de alianzas, causando brotes de violencia en todo el estado, en ciudades pequeñas y grandes. Meses de relativa calma terminaron en marzo con nuevos enfrentamientos entre grupos rivales del cártel y las autoridades que paralizaron áreas de Reynosa, Matamoros y Ciudad Victoria. Para poner fin a la violencia, el ejército desplegó 900 tropas al estado, que comparte casi 350 millas de frontera con el sur de Texas.
Foto por Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times
Luis Salazar, seca una lágrima después que Alma Boubel terminara de leer una carta de agradecimiento por parte del Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas. Salazar fue reconocido como Voluntario del Año.
Reconocen labor de quienes dan sin esperar algo a cambio TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
L
as organizaciones sin fines de lucro, como el Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas (STFB) requieren de los voluntarios para poder realizar su misión A fin de agradecer su labor, la semana pasada, el organismo ofreció una cena en las oficinas ubicadas en 1907 de la calle Freight, de Laredo, donde reconocieron al voluntarios del año, al grupo voluntario del año, y al premio excelencia en voluntariado. “Gracias. Este año hemos tenido 55.000 horas donadas por los voluntarios”, dijo Erasmo A. Villarreal, presidente de la junta directiva del Banco de Alimentos del
Sur de Texas. “Es más de medio millón de dólares en tiempo”. Luis Salazar fue nombrado el voluntario del año. Salazar, se retiró del negocio de restaurantes tras estar ahí alrededor de 40 años. Él trabaja con la recepcionista, Hope Zúñiga. “En todos mis años de servicio nunca había recibido un premio como éste”, expresó el homenajeado. De la misma forma, Alma Boubel, directora ejecutiva para el STFB, expreso que Salazar es un hombre quien “religiosamente” acude a las oficinas como voluntario diariamente de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m., incluidos los sábados. “Es una bendición para nuestra misión”, sostuvo
Boubel. El grupo varonil ACTS en Español de la iglesia St. Patrick’s Church fue reconocido como el grupo voluntario del año. Sus integrantes acuden “fielmente” un sábado al mes para ayudar en el llenado de bolsas con frijol y arroz, las cuales son distribuidas a 27.000 familias mensualmente, de acuerdo con un comunicado de prensa del STFB. Ellos son comandados por Alejandro González. El premio fue aceptado por Alfredo Lozano. “Nos encanta la misión del Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas”, dijo Lozano. “Gracias por permitirnos ayudar”. Finalmente, Charlie Romo recibió el premio de excelencia en volunta-
riado. “Charlie Romo disfruta el dar”, dijo el director del programa del banco de alimentos, Mike Kazen. “Él juega un papel importante con nuestros voluntarios. Él es entusiasta y motiva a los demás”. Con una actual tasa de pobreza de más del 30 por ciento, el Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas, proporciona alimentos suplementarios a las personas desempleadas, sub empleadas y a aquellos viviendo con ingresos fijos. Atiende a un área de ocho condados desde Del Río a Río Grande City. El STFB recibe donativos deducibles de impuestos. Para conocer más acerca del organismo visite southtexasfoodbank.org.
MIAMI — En todo el país, los migrantes están entre las decenas de miles de personas que han solicitado la ciudadanía, en un año en el que la migración ha tomado un lugar central en la campaña electoral, especialmente en las primarias republicanas. En todo el país, las solicitudes de naturalización subieron un 14% en los últimos seis meses de 2015 en comparación con el mismo periodo de 2014, según el gobierno. El precandidato Donald Trump, el favorito de la carrera republicana, ha prometido deportar a los aproximadamente 11 millones de personas que viven en Estados Unidos sin permiso de residencia, entre otras medidas. Legisladores y activistas defensores de los migrantes afirman que esa retórica ha llevado a muchos residentes nacidos en el extranjero a solicitar la ciudadanía. “Hay un temor a una presidencia de Trump”, dijo María Ponce, de iAmerica Action. Y el grupo de futuros ciudadanos es grande. Casi 9 millones de personas con permiso de residencia o de trabajo pueden reclamar la ciudadanía. De ellos, unos 4 millones son hispanos. Para ser aptos, los migrantes deben haber estado en el país cinco años, completar una solicitud de 21 páginas, toma de huellas, pasar un examen cívico y de inglés y pagar casi 700 dólares en cuotas.
COLUMNA
Escudo de Tamaulipas tuvo complicaciones Nota del Editor: Durante el Siglo XX, las entidades federativas crean sus escudos representativos, los cuales sintetizan la realidad de cada una. Por Raúl Sinencio TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Tamaulipas posee un escudo propio. Del origen y sus sucesivas innovaciones existe una versión oficial que suprime detalles interesantes. Marte R. Gómez Segura era el gobernador de Tamaulipas. Sentía que ha-
bía que proporcionar a la entidad “su escudo de armas”, hoy el más antiguo en la frontera norte del país. Según lo previsto, debe usarse “en documentos gubernamentales, en propiedades del estado o en trofeos”. Lo anterior, “siempre como signo de pertenencia o distinción”. El escudo se divide en diversos segmentos, el modelo condensa una muestra de los recursos productivos del estado. El emblema se instituyó el 9 de marzo de 1939. En el Periódico Oficial se
publica el ordenamiento relativo. Del lado superior izquierdo –se estipula –, “en campo de gules o rojo, figurarán varios animales, señalándose así la característica abundancia ganadera”, mientras que al extremo opuesto “aparecerán plantas de maíz y algodón”, símbolos de la “riqueza agrícola”. El gobernador incumple empero la norma que él mismo avala y promulga. Sin atender lo prevenido, invierte la secuencia, de modo que primero se muestra la “riqueza agrí-
cola”, seguida de la “abundancia ganadera”. Al cabo de 39 años hay cambios en la materia que propiciaban corregir el tropiezo de manera discreta. Sin embargo, lo ocurrido de nueva cuenta estremece. Nos referimos a las enmiendas publicadas el 27 de septiembre de 1978. Asombrosamente, se reitera que en la mano izquierda, arriba, figuran “animales, señalándose la característica abundancia ganadera”, y enfrente “aparecerán plantas […]
fuentes principales de nuestra riqueza agrícola”. A casi media siglo de instituido, el emblema registra segundas reformas. Dictadas en abril de 1984, hasta el 13 de junio siguiente las difunde el Periódico Oficial. “Las fuentes principales […] del auge […] agrícola”, van en “la parte superior izquierda”, y “la parte superior derecha” se reserva a “la producción pecuaria”. Con permiso del autor, según fuera publicado en La Razón de Tampico, México.
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 |
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NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: SAN ANTONIO SPURS
Missed calls in Game 2
Tom Reel / San Antonio Express-News
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 41 points as the Spurs lost 98-97 to the Thunder in Game 2 Monday in the franchise’s second home loss of the 2016 season.
NBA: 5 incorrect non-calls at the end of Spurs-Thunder Game 2 By Brian Mahoney A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — The NBA said Tuesday there were five incorrect noncalls on the wild final sequence in San Antonio, including a foul on Oklahoma City’s Dion Waiters that referees earlier had already acknowledged they missed. The league agreed with the refs that Waiters should’ve been whistled for knocking Manu Ginobili back with his elbow to create space to throw an inbounds pass, but also ruled in its Last 2 Minute report that Ginobili first committed a delay-of-game violation by stepping on the sideline as he was defending. The inbounds play began a frenzied final 13.5 seconds in the Thunder’s 98-97 victory over San
Antonio on Monday in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals. The Spurs ended up stealing Waiters’ pass to Kevin Durant to start a fast break but couldn’t score, leaving the Western Conference semifinal tied at 1-1. Referee Ken Mauer, the crew chief, said after the game that upon seeing a review of the play, there should have been an offensive foul on Waiters. On Tuesday, the referees union wrote on Twitter that it had never seen the play before and would incorporate it into its training moving forward. “Waiters foul on Ginobili was the worst missed call in playoff history,” Hall of Famer Magic Johnson wrote on Twitter after the game. But the problems didn’t stop there.
The league determined that the Spurs’ Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills grabbed and held Thunder players, affecting their movement and ability to get open to catch the inbound pass. Once the Spurs came up with it, Mills ended up getting a jumper from the corner that missed. The Spurs couldn’t get off a clean attempt on the offensive rebound, and the league determined that was because the Thunder’s Serge Ibaka grabbed LaMarcus Aldridge’s jersey and affected his attempt. Had that been called, Aldridge — who scored 41 points and made all 10 free throws — would have attempted two shots from the line to win the game. Game 3 is Friday in Oklahoma City.
Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News
Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs were involved in a crazy finish with the Thunder Monday featuring plenty of admitted missed calls by the officials.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Morris knows what RB pick means Crowded backfield in Dallas after Ezekiel Elliott pick By Charean Williams FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
Alex Trautwig / Getty Images File.
Former Washington running back Alfred Morris signed a free-agent deal with Dallas in the offseason but instead finds himself in a crowded group led by No. 4 overall draft pick Ezekiel Elliott.
ARLINGTON — Alfred Morris was watching the NFL draft when the Dallas Cowboys selected Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick. Morris welcomes the Ohio State running back despite what it might mean for him. The addition of Elliott creates a crowded running backs room with veterans Morris, Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar fighting for what might end up being three jobs behind Elliott. "I’m used to it," Morris said. "It’s a business at the end of the day. Com-
petition only makes us better, so I get excited about it. It’s definitely going to be a big challenge, but I’m excited. Looking forward to it. The only sad part, the downside to it, is that one of us guys is going to be gone. "We already have a good group of guys who are there, and they’re going to add one to that. It’s going to change. The room’s going to change. I’m sure it’s already changed a lot since last year. It’s going to change even more now adding another first-round guy like that to the room." Morris made his first appearance as a member of the Cowboys, joining
several teammates at the team’s 12th annual Taste of the NFL to tackle childhood hunger. He has no regrets about signing a two-year deal with the Cowboys in free agency. "None at all," Morris said. "This is where I’m supposed to be, and I’m excited about the opportunity and looking forward to it." Morris was coming off his third consecutive 1,000-yard season a year ago when the Redskins drafted Florida running back Matt Jones in the third round. Morris ended up splitting snaps with Jones and Chris Thompson, a fifth-round pick in 2013. Last season, Morris got 385 offensive snaps, Jones 340 and Thompson 274. "Two years in a row. I’m used to it," Morris
said with a chuckle. The Cowboys kept four running backs on their active roster most of last season, though the names kept changing. McFadden was the team’s only running back on the roster all 16 games. Now, they have new names with Morris and Elliott. "We’re going to promote competition on our football team," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Sunday night. "To have a guy like Zeke Elliott available to us to draft him, we think that helps our team. But to also have Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris and Lance Dunbar and some of the other guys there, it’s a really healthy running back room, and we’re excited about all those guys."
A8 | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
Afeni Shakur, mother of rapper Tupac Shakur, dies By Kristin J. Bender A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SAN FRANCISCO — Afeni Shakur, the former Black Panther who inspired the work of her son, rap icon Tupac Shakur, and fostered his legacy for decades after he was slain, has died of an apparent heart attack, authorities said Tuesday. She was 69. Responding to a 911 call to Shakur’s home in Sausalito Monday night, deputies and firefighters performed CPR, rushed her to a hospital and tried to revive her for about an hour, but “she had in fact died from what is believed to be some kind of cardiac event,” Marin County Sheriff’s Lt. Doug Pittman said. Born Alice Faye Wil-
liams, Shakur changed her name when she became politically active in the 1960s and joined the Black Panther movement. By 1971, she was pregnant and behind bars, accused of conspiring to bomb New York City landmarks. She said the charges were brought after the Panthers took over a school to make a point about continuing to educate children during a teacher’s strike in 1968. Recalling the case years later, she said they were accused of conspiring to commit murder and arson, to blow up the Bronx Botanical Garden and the Abercrombie & Fitch and Macy’s department stores, and even police stations. All the charges were ultimately dismissed, and her
son was born soon after she left jail. She named him Tupac Amaru, after the last Incan emperor, who led a rebellion and refused to surrender to Spanish conquistadors. As Afeni Shakur bounced from New York City to Baltimore to California, she became addicted to drugs and struggled as a single mother. Still, she managed to enroll Tupac in arts schools and other programs where he honed the musical and acting skills that would make him a hip-hop icon. “Arts can save children, no matter what’s going on in their homes,” she told The Associated Press in a 2005 interview. “I wasn’t available to do the right things for my son. If not for the arts, my child
would’ve been lost.” But Afeni Shakur left a deep impression on her son, helping to shape a world view that later made him stand out among other young rappers, with songs reflecting his own rebellious attitude toward racism, poverty, violence and other social problems. Tupac, in turn, revered his mother, praising her in his 1995 elegy, “Dear Mama,” a hit song many fans recalled Tuesday in tweets and posts. “You are appreciated,” he says, rapping about the sacrifices she made for him and his sister, Sekyiwa Shakur. “Ain’t a woman alive that could take my mama’s place.” Tupac Shakur died in a still-unsolved drive-by shooting in 1996, at age 25.
Conspiracies about his killers flourished. His mother considered them a waste of time. “We decided to deal with the living. This is justice for me,” she said in 2005. “I need to do what God has put in front of me to do, and it ain’t trying to figure out who killed Tupac.” For the last two decades of her life, Afeni Shakur focused on keeping her son’s legacy alive while managing his musical catalog. She opened the Tupac Amaru Shakur Center for the Arts in Georgia — a project focused on helping at-risk youth that is now defunct. She also co-produced a Broadway musical, “Holler If Ya Hear Me,” that used his songs — includ-
ing “Me Against the World,” ‘’California Love” and “Keep Ya Head Up” — to tell an original story by Todd Kreidler about two young men dealing with life and tragedy in a Midwestern industrial city. It closed quickly in 2014 after playing just 38 performances. And she served as executive producer on a film about Tupac Shakur’s life, “All Eyez on Me,” which is set to be released in the fall with Demetrius Shipp Jr., playing her son. Seven years ago, she donated a collection of her son’s writings, including rough drafts of lyrics and poems and a photocopy of his contract with Suge Knight and Death Row Records, to the Robert W. Woodruff Library at Atlanta University Center.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 |
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BUSINESS
$28 billion takeover called off By David Wethe B L OOMBE RG NEWS
Halliburton Co. and Baker Hughes Inc. wasted no time making clear they will take different paths after the termination of their merger. “Our strategy has not changed,” Halliburton CEO Dave Lesar told investors and analysts on a conference call Tuesday. His statement came minutes after Baker Hughes wrapped up a separate conference call in which CEO Martin Craighead repeatedly said the company was going to change its focus be “more selective” in where it does business. The $28 billion takeover was called off Sunday in the face of stiff resistance from global regulators over antitrust concerns. Halliburton’s Lesar blamed “elongated regulatory scrutiny” and the drop in oil prices for making the deal uneconomic. While expressing disappointment with the failed bid, Lesar said he’s not backing away from more deals and still sees selective acquisitions as
Mira Oberman / AFP/Getty file
This file photo taken on April 8, 2011 shows a Halliburton facility in Port Fourchon, Louisiana.
part of the company’s growth plan. Larger, more complicated mergers are struggling to get timely approvals, Lesar said. Remaining a full-service provider continues to be key for Halliburton despite the downturn. “It’s way better to be in every basin with every product line,” he said on the call. Baker Hughes, meanwhile, said it will simplify its organizational structure and pull back its pressure-pumping
business to only two basins in North America to weather low prices. All other businesses will be reviewed as it looks for added cost cuts. “Every product line has to earn its right,” Craighead said. More than half of the pressure-pumping equipment available for fracking in the U.S. is not being used, according to industry consultant IHS Inc. Prices charged for fracking, which blasts water, sand and chemicals underground to free
trapped hydrocarbons, are estimated to have fallen as much as 40 percent since the downturn began in late 2014, IHS said. There will be very little ability for fracking providers to force the sale of other associated services, known in the industry as bundling, over the next two to three years, Craighead said. Outside the U.S. and Canada, the “asset-light” plan by Baker Hughes calls for offering certain of its products to local
suppliers in select countries. Growing its international business “doesn’t necessarily have to have Baker Hughes coveralls on all the rigs running these tools and instruments,” Craighead said. “I just see it as a massive opportunity and we expect that we’re going to own that channel.” Halliburton announced the Baker Hughes takeover in November 2014 in a bid to better compete against industry leader Schlumberger Ltd. as oil prices first began to drop from above $100 a barrel. The oil services industry is operating at a loss in North America, home to the world’s largest market for hydraulic fracturing. Schlumberger lost $10 million in the U.S. and Canada, excluding taxes, during the first three months of the year. Halliburton, the world’s largest provider of fracking services, recorded first-quarter costs of $378 million, or 44 cents a share, related to the Baker Hughes bid, according to a statement Tuesday. That’s higher
than the $79 million, or 9 cents a share, acquisitionrelated costs in the final three months of 2015. The charges were one of the factors of Halliburton reporting that its first-quarter loss widened to $2.4 billion, or $2.81 a share, from a loss of $643 million, or 76 cents, a year earlier. Excluding certain items, profit was 7 cents a share, higher than the 4-cent average of 36 analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg. The company also eliminated 6,000 more jobs in the quarter to reduce costs, according to a statement April 22. The second- and thirdlargest oil-service firms had set a deadline for the end of April to complete the deal or walk away. The U.S. Justice Department heard concerns from dozens of companies and filed a lawsuit in early April to stop the merger, saying it threatened to eliminate headto-head competition in 23 products and services used in oil exploration. The government ultimately concluded that the deal was “not fixable at all,” David Gelfand, deputy assistant attorney general, told reporters Monday on a conference call.
Honda, Nissan break records as auto sales stay hot By Tom Krisher and Dee-ann Durbin A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
DETROIT — America’s love of trucks and SUVs helped push most automakers to healthy sales gains last month as Honda and Nissan reported best-ever April sales. Ford posted record SUV sales, while Toyota broke a record for SUV and truck sales. Honda led major automakers with a 14.4 percent sales increase as both its cars and SUVs sold well, while Nissan’s sales rose 12.8 percent. Fiat Chrysler was up 6 percent on record Jeep sales, and Ford rode an April record for SUV sales to a 4 percent increase. Toyota sales rose 3.8 percent largely because of the RAV4 small SUV, which broke a monthly record with sales up nearly 32 percent . General Motors, Volkswagen and Hyundai were the only major automakers to report sales declines. GM blamed its 3.5
percent drop on a strategy of cutting low-profit sales to rental car companies. VW sales fell almost 10 percent as its emissions-cheating scandal continued. Hyundai sales were off 8.5 percent from a record April last year. Ford Motor Co. said it sold more than 65,000 SUVs, the best April in company history, led by the Explorer with a 22 percent increase. At Nissan Motor Co., cars and SUVs pushed sales up, while Fiat Chrysler was led by a 17 percent increase in sales of Jeep SUVs. It was FCA US LLC’s best April since 2005. Analysts expect U.S. sales of new cars and trucks to be up 4 percent over last April when companies are done reporting figures on Tuesday. Car-buying site Edmunds.com predicts April sales of more than 1.51 million, beating the previous record for the month set in 2005. “I think it’s full-steam ahead,” said Rebecca
Ross D. Franklin / AP file
In this Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2014, file photo, Mike Johnson, a sales manager at a local Honda car dealership, walks past a row of Honda CRVs in Tempe, Ariz.
Lindland, senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book who doesn’t see any economic forces that would cause car sales to slow. Lindland says consumers are pulling sales up, and automakers aren’t creating demand with wild incentives or crazy lease deals like they have in the past. KBB is forecasting sales to be flat from last year’s record 17.5 million, but Lindland says they could even fall off a bit as GM and other automakers reduce sales to rental
car companies. Still, she says retail sales to individual buyers would be up, and that is healthy for the auto industry. Regardless of whether sales keep growing, the overall pace of growth is slowing. Two years ago, for example, April sales jumped 8 percent, or double last month’s expected pace. J.D. Power and Associates predicted that April sales this year would run at an annual rate of 17.6 million. For now, the sales outlook is still sunny.
Consumers are on track to spend more than $36.9 billion on new vehicles in April, surpassing the previous record for the month set last year, according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. But there are some worrying trends for the industry. Buyers are flocking to SUVs and trucks, which might force manufacturers to discount cars to move them off lots. That’s good for buyers in the short term, but incentives can flood the market with cars and hurt resale values. At Fiat Chrysler, car sales fell 8 percent for the month. Sales of the Chrysler 200 midsize car tumbled 60 percent to around 7,600. Ford’s car sales fell 12 percent. Hyundai’s two top-selling cars, the compact Elantra and midsize Sonata, each saw big sales declines. Elantra sales were down 44 percent while the Sonata was off 15 percent. Although car sales are dropping overall, Lindland doesn’t see big
price wars developing because many auto factories can now switch easily from cars to SUVs. Many SUVs are built on the same underpinnings as cars. Some cars bucked the downward sales trend. Sales of GM’s all-new Chevrolet Malibu and Honda’s new Civic each rose nearly 25 percent. Sales to individual consumers also appear to be slowing, so automakers are relying more on less profitable sales to rental-car companies and other fleets. J.D. Power expected April sales to individual buyers to rise 4 percent, while sales to fleets were expected to jump 8.7 percent. John Humphrey, senior vice president of J.D. Power, said consumers will spend more on new cars and trucks than any other April on record. But he said slowing growth, the shift away from cars and rising fleet sales “pose significant challenges to manufacturers as they compete in the marketplace.”
A10 | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL Mom gets Detroit teachers jail for to return to assaulting classroom after toddler By Jennifer Sinco Kelleher
2-day sick-out
A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HONOLULU — A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced a Hawaii mother to a month in jail and three months under home confinement for assaulting her 15-month-old daughter on a flight from Alaska. Samantha Leialoha Watanabe declined to speak at her sentencing hearing. A jury convicted her of assault after last year’s trial where prosecutors alleged she cursed at her daughter, smacked her in the head, hit her in the face with a stuffed doll and yanked out tufts of her hair during the May 2015 Alaska Airlines flight. Defense attorneys argued the allegations were fabricated by judgmental passengers who didn’t like how Watanabe looked and dressed her child. Watanabe didn’t do anything beyond permissible parental discipline during a long flight with a fussy toddler, her attorneys said. Prosecutors alleged she was unreasonably rough with the generally well-behaved girl. In arguing for no jail time, public defender Alexander Silvert told the judge Watanabe is breastfeeding a baby she gave birth to prematurely last month. It’s her seventh child. She agreed to let the boy’s father have custody, but she sees the infant frequently enough for nursing, Silvert explained. She doesn’t have custody of her six other children, including the girl she was traveling with when she was arrested. Watanabe has led a hard life of drugs and homelessness, Silvert said. But since her arrest, she has made improvements to her life — from anger management to mental health and drug treatment, he said. Silvert asked the judge not to condemn her for that life. “It was poor parenting skills that got us where we are today,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Marc Wallenstein said in requesting the judge sentence her within a guideline range of four to 10 months. “No one in any socio-economic class is allowed to assault a 15-month-old child.” In finding her guilty, jurors had to determine that an act of striking, occurred, but it’s not known which one they agreed upon. It could have been a pinch, or a slap or something else, Silvert said: “We have no idea what the jury convicted her of.”
By Corey Williams and David Eggert ASSOCIATED PRE SS
DETROIT — Teachers who closed Detroit schools for two days by calling out sick announced Tuesday that they would return to the classroom after receiving assurance from the district’s manager that they would be paid. The move by the Detroit Federation of Teachers came hours after Michigan lawmakers advanced a $500 million plan to restructure Detroit public schools by creating a new district. The vote was intended to ease teachers’ fears that they might not get paid if the district runs out of money. But the union quickly blasted the legislation endorsed by the House Appropriations Committee. It would forbid existing labor agreements from transferring to the new district and restrict collective bargaining over work schedules and school calendars. Terrence Martin, the union’s executive vice president, said the union was “truly outraged” by the proposal. He said the measures heading to the full House “feel like and look like anti-teacher bills” and differ radically from legislation approved in March by the Senate that he described as “workable.” “It’s just a testament to how far apart lawmakers are right now. ... “(It’s) very discouraging to our membership,” Martin
said. “We’ll continue to fight.” The union said it would encourage members to go back to school Wednesday based on discussions with the district’s state-appointed transitional manager, Steven Rhodes. The sick-out idled 45,000 children and presented yet another crisis with racial overtones for a governor and Legislature already engrossed in the water emergency in Flint, a majority-black city like Detroit, where many residents have complained about being treated like second-class citizens. “Teachers, you’re going to get paid,” Republican House Appropriations Committee Chairman Al Pscholka said before the panel approved the plan over objections that it would not be enough money and also hurt the teachers union. The proposal that passed mostly along party lines would retire the district’s enormous debt by 2023 and launch a new district in July. It would spend less than a $700-plus million plan approved by the Senate in March. The GOP-led House could vote on the idea later this week. But big differences would still need to be resolved with the Republican-controlled Senate. It was unclear how quickly that could occur before the Legislature adjourns for the summer in mid-June. On Tuesday, the district closed 94 of its 97
Carlos Osorio / AP
Detroit Federation of Teachers President Ivy Bailey addresses teachers outside the school district's headquarters, Tuesday in Detroit.
schools — the same number that canceled classes on Monday, when more than 1,500 teachers did not show up for work. “We want to be in school teaching children,” said Randi Weingarten, national president of the American Federation of Teachers, the union that represents Detroit teachers. “But you cannot in good conscience ask anybody to work without a guarantee they’re going to be paid.” The district — considered the worst academically of its size in the country — has been under continuous state oversight since 2009. It has been led by a series of financial managers who have confronted debt and enrollment that has declined to a third of what it was a decade ago. Current transition manager and former federal judge Steven Rhodes, who oversaw the city’s bankruptcy, warned over the weekend that nearly $50 million in emergency spending that the state approved in March will run out by June 30. Teachers opting to have their pay spread over 12 months instead of the course of the school
year would not receive paychecks in July and August without more help from the state. The seven-bill plan aims to ensure that the newly created district could spend more on academics if freed of debt payments equaling $1,100 per student. But Republicans and Democrats remain at odds over issues such as how much state money is needed and how to create a special commission to open and close schools, including publicly funded charters. Also unresolved is the question of when an elected school board would take power and if a financial oversight commission would have a say in hiring a new superintendent. Rep. Henry Yanez, a Democrat, characterized the legislation as “baldfaced union busting.” Other Democrats questioned why it would provide only $33 million for start-up costs and cash flow when $200 million is required. The mass sick-outs that started late last year with just a small group of teachers, however, angered Republicans who complained that the protest did not help their efforts to pass the bills.
Four bills won approval on narrow 15-14 votes. Rep. Earl Poleski of Jackson, who voted for the legislation, called the work stoppages “reprehensible.” “Their actions have been grossly unprofessional,” he said. But one parent who was missing work because her daughter has been shut out of class said the blame for the district’s financial maladies falls on the shoulders of the state, not the teachers. Teachers “have been doing the best that they can with the resources that they have,” said Monique Baker McCormick, whose daughter is an 11th-grader at Cass Tech. “They’re just trying to survive themselves off of what little they get. So I don’t blame them at all for fighting for what they deserve.” Asked if President Barack Obama supports the sick-outs, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Tuesday that he was “deeply concerned” that students were not being educated and urged teachers and local officials to “resolve their differences so that kids can get back to school.”
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 |
commodate up to 1,000 beds “which could be provided at a single location, but would ideally be comprised of several service locations with up to 500 beds at each facility.” Asked during a congressional hearing in March if her agency would stop using Karnes and Dilley for family detention in fiscal year 2017, ICE director Sarah Saldaña said it probably would convert Karnes into housing for adult males and possibly also children. She said the facility at Dilley “will continue to exist.” An inspection at the Karnes facility in March before the temporary license was granted found six deficiencies. Those included: on one occasion observing a child in a bedroom without his or her mother or a staff member present, and discovering that an employee was not qualified for their position. The deficiencies were corrected before the tem-
porary license was issued, Crimmins said. He said during the sixmonth term of the temporary license, at least three unannounced inspections of Karnes would take place. If any problems are found, they would need to be addressed before a permanent license could be issued. A similar application for a child-care license for the Dilley facility, which is run by Corrections Corporation of America, is still pending, Crimmins said. An inspection in April of that facility found 12 deficiencies. Those included: all playgrounds showing worn AstroTurf and exposed seams creating a potential tripping hazard, and unsecured medical supplies such as scalpels and used syringes seen on top of counters. No temporary license for the Dilley facility will be issued until these problems are corrected, Crimmins said.
“Thank you Indiana, we were just projected to be the winner,” Trump wrote on Twitter. “We have won in every category. You are very special people — I will never forget!” Cruz, who hasn’t topped Trump in a month, campaigned vigorously in Indiana, securing the endorsement of the state’s governor and announcing businesswoman Carly Fiorina as his running mate. But he appeared to lose momentum in the final days of campaigning and let his frustration with Trump boil over Tuesday, calling the billionaire “amoral” and a “braggadocious, arrogant buffoon.” Trump responded by saying Cruz “does not have the temperament to be president of the United States.” Earlier Tuesday Trump had rehashed unsubstantiated claims that the Texan’s father, Rafael Cruz, appeared in a 1963 photograph with John F. Kennedy’s assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald — citing a report first published by the National Enquirer. Cruz has vowed to stay in the race through the final primaries in June, clinging to the possibility that Trump will fall short of the 1,237 delegates he needs and the race will go to a contested convention. But he now could face pressure from donors and other Republicans to at least tone down in attacks on Trump in an attempt to unite the GOP heading into the general election.
Whether a united Republican Party is even possible with Trump at the helm remains highly uncertain. Even before the Indiana results were finalized, some conservative leaders were planning a Wednesday meeting to assess the viability of launching a third party candidacy to compete with Trump in the fall. One outside group trying to stop Trump suggested it would shift its attention to helping Republicans in other races. Rory Cooper, a senior adviser to the Never Trump super PAC, said the group will help protect “Republican incumbents and downballot candidates, by distinguishing their values and principles from that of Trump, and protecting them from a wave election.” Only about half of Indiana’s Republican primary voters said they were excited or even optimistic about any of their remaining candidates becoming president, according to exit polls. Still, most said they probably would support whoever won for the GOP. Clinton, too, needs to win over Sanders’ enthusiastic supporters. The Vermont senator has cultivated a deeply loyal following in particular among young people, a group Democrats count on in the general election. Sanders has conceded his strategy hinges on persuading superdelegates to back him over the former secretary of state. Superdelegates are Democratic Party insiders who can support the candidate of their choice, regardless of how
their states vote. And they favor Clinton by a nearly 18-1 margin. Exit polls showed about 7 in 10 Indiana Democrats said they’d be excited or at least optimistic about either a Clinton or Sanders presidency. Most said they would support either in November. The exit polls were conducted by Edison Research for The Associated Press and television networks. A fall showdown between Clinton and Trump would pit one of Democrats’ most experienced political figures against a first-time candidate who is deeply divisive within his own party. Cruz and other Republicans have argued that Trump would be roundly defeated in the general election, denying their party the White House for a third straight term. Republican leaders spent months dismissing Trump as little more than an entertainer who would fade once voting started. Cruz was among those who actively tried to align themselves with Trump and called him “terrific.” As Trump began to pick up wins, Cruz became more critical of his rival’s policies. Still, his torrent of attacks Tuesday was by far the most pointed and personal of the campaign to date. Trump has now won seven straight primary contests and has 80 percent of the delegates needed to secure the GOP nomination. With his victory in Indiana, Trump now has at least 1,041 delegates. Cruz has 565 and Ohio Gov. John Kasich has 152.
ically get rid of that waste by sending it to be injected into disposal wells deep underground. But operators must send solid waste like drill cuttings, oil-based muds, fracking sand and other toxic substances to above-ground sites. That’s the type of waste Pyote’s facility would handle. The facility would include a mix of lined disposal pits and land treatment cells where more benign waste would be scattered and allowed to mix with soil. The company says thick clay lies beneath the land, providing an extra layer of protection for the groundwater underneath. Wommack said the spot in question is ideal for waste disposal. It sits in prime Eagle Ford drilling acreage, not far from the highway. And plenty of nearby drillers still need a spot to unload their waste — even amid the industry’s epic slowdown over the past two years. But Nordheim doesn’t want it. Over the past
two years, more than 200 people — including local state lawmakers and DeWitt County Judge Daryl Fowler — urged the commission to reject the permit. State Rep. Geanie Morrison, R-Victoria, stood with her constituents throughout the longwinding protest. The waste site would “cause this community great problems,” she told the commissioners. Still, she recognized the agency’s narrow jurisdiction and vowed to work during the 2017 legislative session on plugging such regulatory gaps. The Railroad Commission is already set to undergo particular scrutiny next year, as lawmakers consider recommendations from the state Sunset Advisory Commission. “I want to offer to work with you during the sunset process,” she said to the commission. “Help me make this a better process.” The acknowledgements and promises did not make Nordheim resi-
dents feel any better. “My roadrunners are going to be gone, my jackrabbits are going to be gone, and my brother and nephew [who live next to the site] are going to be gone,” Paul Baumann, a retiree of the DuPont chemical company who owns ranchland bordering the site, told the commissioners. After the vote, he told the Texas Tribune that he was “really disappointed.” “Disgusted” is the word that Lynn Janssen kept using. Her ranch house sits just down a dirt road from the soonto-be waste site. “What recourse do people have? This is it,” she said. “To think that they can permit something that they don’t like, there’s something wrong with that.” Will Nordheim, with its aging population, survive the new development? “No,” Janssen said. “People won’t send their kids to school there. They’ll go somewhere else.”
FAMILIES From page A1
Rebecca Blackwell / AP
In this May 1 photo, a man dresses a donkey in a Donald Trump costume, in preparation for the costume competition event at the annual donkey festival in Otumba.
Donkeys have their day From page A1
burro in a red tie, black boots and a blond wig. “We’ll see how we do — if they kick us out, donkey and all,” Aguilar joked before Sunday’s costume competition. Other Trump-decked donkeys featured signs that declared: “Impostor! I’m the real Donald Trump!” and “If I win the 12,000 peso prize, I’ll put a wall between Otumba and Teotihuacan,” referring to the famed pre-Aztec city of pyramids nearby. None of them won much favor with the audience at the 51st annual donkey fest, though. Audience applause chose the winners: donkeys emulating a Smurf, a firefighter and an Uber ride. Zeus Laredo, a physics teacher who attended the fair with friends, said he backed the eventual winner: a donkey dressed up as the papa Smurf who was attended by an entourage of people in Smurf costumes. Otumba was an important donkey market during Spanish colonial times, standing at the crossroads of major roads leading to Mexico City, where the beasts pulled heavy loads and carried travelers. Today, however, farm-
A pig wearing a wig and suit to resemble Donald Trump rides in a cart pulled by a similarly-dressed donkey, as a team mocking the U.S. presidential candidate parades during the costume competition event at the annual donkey festival in Otumba, Mexico State, Mexico.
ers use tractors and pickup trucks, and the donkey population is in decline. The animal that won the jockey race is more a pet than a worker. The 12-year-old winning jockey, Wilfrido Lemus Corona, learned to ride his donkey, Veso, when his grandfather plopped him on top when he was just 6 to carry him across the fields, his mother Patricia Corona Espinosa said. Family and friends threw the tiny jockey into the air Sunday after he scored his third consecutive win. He also took home 12,000 pesos in cash, about $700. With donkey numbers declining, Otumba’s Flores family decided to open a donation-funded sanctuary they named “Burro-
landia,” or Donkeyland. It currently hosts 30 donkeys that German Flores said would otherwise have ended up at the slaughterhouse. Here they live out the rest of their days grazing and can be visited by tourists on weekends. Flores said the majority of their donkeys came from farmers who either couldn’t afford them anymore or who no longer had room after moving away from their farms. Fair organizer Juan Carlos Chavez said Otumba hopes its annual festival creates awareness about the animals. “Donkeys are wonderful animals,” he said. “People say they don’t understand, but they do.”
Rebecca Blackwell / AP
In this May 1, 2016 photo, men from a donkey racing team stand beside the track entry ahead of a race heat, at the annual donkey festival in Otumba.
WASTE From page A1 tively ending one of the first organized protests against industry activity in South Texas’ Eagle Ford Shale. “That’s what you call a little town getting shit on,” 80-year-old Kermit Koehler, who lives a few miles outside of Nordheim, said minutes after the vote. In the end, the case highlighted gaps in bureaucracy that prevented the commission, charged with only evaluating groundwater effects, from taking into account residents’ other qualityof-life concerns. Those include the site’s possible foul smell, new trucks expected to rumble down already cracked local roads, and the facility’s proximity to a school. “I’ll be candid — I don’t like the site,” said Commissioner Ryan Sitton, who met with Nordheim residents last fall in an unpublicized visit. He was the lone commissioner to weigh in at Tuesday's open
from Central America. The policy of detaining children has faced criticism from immigrant advocates, who cite reports of inadequate medical care and other issues as reasons the state shouldn’t issue child-care licenses to the facilities. Immigrant advocates also say minimum standards have been lowered in order to license these detention centers and the facilities don’t provide good environments for promoting child welfare. But ICE has indicated in recent months that it’s looking to change how it houses families and children caught along the U.S.-Mexico border. It has sought potential service providers to run state-licensed residential care facilities for families and children held by the agency, ideally in Arizona, California, New Mexico and/or Texas. ICE asked for information for facilities that could ac-
ELECTION From page A1 Rebecca Blackwell / AP
meeting. He added, however, that he had no other choice because experts at the agency determined that safeguards at the facility would properly protect groundwater in the area, and because they could not evaluate other concerns. The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, the state’s air regulator, has limited jurisdiction over such facilities, and only those with certain types of equipment require air permits to operate. Once the facility is up and running, however, it could be subject to air nuisance laws. No state or local agency has authority to address the land use and traffic concerns. The facility would border Nordheim but not sit within city limits. Shortly before approving the permit, Sitton issued an unusual warning: “Because they’ve chosen to build this site so closely to residents, the margin of error is exceptionally small,” he told an attorney for the
waste company. “Don’t screw this up.” CEO George Wommack told The Texas Tribune that his company’s facility is “best in class” and “the most highly engineered” such landfill that the commission has ever permitted. “We care very much about these people,” he said. The commission ultimately required Pyote to beef up groundwater safeguards so that the waste won't flow out of retention ponds on site during worst-case flooding scenarios. Grant Chambless, who manages the agency’s environmental permits and support staff, said he "was very confident that the risks have been addressed." Wommack said Pyote would iron out the additional quality-of-life concerns with local residents. “Now is the time that we can get some stuff figured out.” Drilling and fracking a well leaves operators liable for vast amounts of liquid waste. They typ-
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A12 | Wednesday, May 4, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES