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BORDER PATROL
Arrests of Bangladeshi nationals soar Number of apprehensions has surpassed last fiscal year’s By César G. Rodriguez ZA PATA T I ME S
The number of apprehensions of Bangladeshi nationals in this area has
soared, federal authorities said. “The Laredo Sector Border Patrol continues to have the highest apprehension of Bangladeshi
Nationals compared to other Border Patrol Sectors. Currently, the Laredo Sector Border Patrol has apprehended 224 Bangladeshi Nationals since the
U.S. CONGRESS
start of fiscal year 2018,” the agency said in a statement. Recent apprehensions occurred between April 29 and May 3 in south Laredo, where agents arrested a total of 15 Bangladeshi nationals in four enforcement actions. Their intentions are not known, said Jason D.
look at an unaccompanied child who is 8 years old and discern his or her intention because they are coming to reunite with their family. “When you have somebody that makes the trek from a country like Bangladesh and they go through all the things they
Owens, acting chief patrol agent for Laredo Sector Border Patrol, which includes Zapata. “This year, of all of the Bangladeshi nationals apprehended in the United States Border Patrol, Laredo Sector accounts for roughly 60 percent of those,” he said. Owens said it is easy to
Arrests continues on A6
TAMAULIPAS
$1.7 billion secured for border security Henry Cuellar: Measures should be cost-effective S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S
Congressman Henry Cuellar announced the inclusion of over $1.7 billion in funding for border security provisions, along with many other measures he helped secure, in the fiscal year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations Bill, which recently became law. “As a longtime advocate for tighter border security, I support 21st century border security investments that represent the most cost-effective use of taxpayer money, such as unmanned aerial systems, aerostats, fixed and mobile video surveillance systems, and ground sensors,” Cuellar said. “It is absolutely necessary that we make these investments in order to make our borders, and the surrounding communities, safer.” The legislation also includes: 1 Language hiring at least 100 new immigration judge teams, which includes judges, support staff, technology and work space, Cuellar along with many other security measures to help process immigration cases and increase efficiency at the border 1 Language setting a goal for immigration cases to be processed in 60 days if the individual is detained, and in 365 days if the individual is not detained 1 Language instructing the National Guard to implement public-private partnerships with state and local governments to construct facilities along our southwestern border that can support border security Border security measures – Texas’ 28th District As part of his work on the Appropriations Committee, Cuellar said he fought for necessary border security projects and programs that will improve the 28th district. Highlights include: 1 Directive language requiring CBP to provide an update on its integrated strategy for controlling Carrizo cane along the Rio Grande in Texas Border security measures – nationwide The omnibus bill also reflects, according to a news release, Cuellar’s longtime advocacy for smart, proven-effective security tools and technologies across the entire southern border. Highlights of the provisions include: 1 $49,738,000 for border road construction 1 Language to improve CBP Air and Marine support for CBP 1 $55 million for law enforcement canines and inspection technology to assist in the detection and seizure of controlled substances and other contraband along the border 1 Language to streamline hiring for Homeland Security 1 Language to adequately staff land ports of entry to facilitate legitimate trade 1 Language to ensure family unity is a primary factor in CBP and ICE processing decision 1 $177,700,000 for Alternatives to Detention; 1 $240,000,000 for State Criminal Alien Assistance Program Funding continues on A10
Tamir Kalifa / For the San Antonio Express-News
Martha Castillo Olmedo, who lost five children and two grandchildren during the drug war, is pictured at her hotel in Miguel Alemán in Tamaulipas, Mexico on May 2.
BRINGING CLOSURE Hundreds killed in drug war to be exhumed
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By Aaron Nelsen SAN ANTONIO EXPRE SS-NEWS
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IGUEL ALEMÁN, Mexico — As a bloody drug war engulfed this hardscrabble border city in 2010, unclaimed dead were buried in a mass grave at the edge of town, week after week, month after month. In the first project of its kind in the state of Tamaulipas, archaeologists and forensic anthropologists are now exhuming the remains of an estimated 350 people buried in the grave in an effort to identify them and bring closure to some families. In a state dotted with mass graves and the highest number of disappearances in Mexico — officially 5,989, though many say the actual number is far higher — the project has rekindled hope and stirred traumatic memories. “My daughter probably isn’t here,” said Graciela Pérez Rodriguez, whose 13-year-old daughter, brother and three nephews disappeared in a distant corner of Tamaulipas in 2012. “What’s important is that the exhumations continue.” For years, families searching for their missing in Tamaulipas have done so amid warring drug cartels and authorities indifferent to their plight and sometimes complicit in the disappearances. As the victim totals mounted, local authorities often buried unidentified victims in municipal cemeteries. But under the administration of Gov. Francisco García Cabeza de Vaca, authorities in January 2017 quietly broke ground in Miguel Alemán, a town of around 30,000 residents across the border from
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Roma, and built 50 storage units in the ground, each with the capacity of 10 sets of remains. “It’s work that has no precedent (in Tamaulipas) and has only been done a few times in the country,” Irving Barrios Mojica, the Tamaulipas attorney general, said in an interview this year. “You have to remember the history of Tamaulipas, above all in 2010, 2011 and 2012. It obliges us to address the matter of bodies and common graves in the most diligent manner, following the recommendations of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.” The exhumations began in mid-April at the Vanished continues on A6
In Brief A2 | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE WORLD
TODAY IN HISTORY
THURSDAY, MAY 10
THE ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Tiny Toes Super Milk Class – Spanish. 6-7 p.m. This class offers mothers-to-be all the information they need before their baby’s birth to ensure a successful breastfeeding experience. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 9 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, MAY 12 Chess Tournament. 8511 McPherson Road, 2nd floor. 9 a.m. Five rounds with time control of G 30/5. There are three USCF rated sections of under 800, under 1400, and open. Also a non USCF rated section. Trophies and medals will be awarded. Pre registration fee is $15, or $20 on site. If you have any questions please text 956717-8384.
TUESDAY, MAY 15 Tiny Toes Prenatal Class – English. 6-7:30 p.m. This class gives mothersto-be the most important information to help them deliver a healthy, fullterm baby from the start of labor until birth. To reserve a space, call 956796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes. Veterans Conference…A new beginning. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 Bustamante, Laredo, Texas, 78041. Call Gerardo Alvarado for more information at (956) 794-3089. This conference is open to all veterans and their families
WEDNESDAY, MAY 16 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions. Joint Replacement Surgery Seminar. 6 p.m. Learn more about this innovative program, offered by the Laredo Bone and Joint Center at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956-796-3009 or 7963223. Weight Loss Surgery Seminar. 6:30 p.m. Learn more about this innovative program, offered by the Laredo Bone and Joint Center at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956796-3223.
THURSDAY, MAY 17 Healthy Lifestyle Luncheon. 12 p.m. Laredo Medical Center invites adults who are 50 or better to have lunch and listen to a presentation on stroke by the city’s newest neurosurgeon, Dr. Scott Robertson. To reserve a space, call 956-796-2007 or stop by the Senior Circle at LMC, Tower B. Tiny Toes Prenatal Class – Spanish. 6-7:30 p.m. 1700 East Saunders. Tower B, 1st floor. This class gives mothers-to-be the most important information to help them deliver a healthy, full-term baby from the start of labor until birth. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes. Celiac Support Group Meeting. 7:15 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, 1700 East Saunders, Tower B, 1st floor. The Laredo Chapter of the Celiac Disease Foundation invites the community to attend. For more information, email laredo@celiac.org.
SATURDAY, MAY 19 Laredo Spring Alzheimer’s Educational Symposium. 8 a.m.-2 p.m. UT Health Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 Bustamante, Laredo, Texas, 78041. Call Ginny Funk for more information at (210) 822-6449 Ext. 8102. An informational symposium regarding Alzheimer’s. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church loteria. 6:30 p.m. 1718 San Jorge Ave., in the church hall. $20 for four cards. Open to the public.
TUESDAY, MAY 22 Tiny Toes Virtual Tour – English. 11 a.m.-12 p.m. 1700 East Saunders. Tower B, 1st floor. The virtual tour gives mothers-to-be detailed information about what to expect upon arrival and during their stay at Laredo Medical Center. To reserve a space, call 956-796-4019 or visit www.laredomedical.com/tiny-toes.
Manuel Balce Ceneta / Associated Press
In this May 5, 2018 photo, President Donald Trump speaks during a roundtable discussion on tax reform at Cleveland Public Auditorium and Conference Center in Cleveland, Ohio.
TRUMP TO EXIT NUCLEAR ACCORD WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump plans to follow through on his campaign threat to pull out of the landmark nuclear accord with Iran, according to two people familiar with his thinking, dealing a profound blow to U.S. allies and potentially deepening the president's isolation on the world stage. Trump's decision means Iran's government must now decide whether to follow the U.S. and withdraw or try to salvage what's left of the deal. Iran has offered conflicting statements about what it may do — and the answer may depend on
Police: Up to 7 girls could be buried in Michigan woods Authorities excavating woods in southeastern Michigan for the remains of a 12-yearold girl last seen in 1979 also could be looking for the bodies of up to half a dozen others who have been reported missing over the years. Digging resumed Tuesday in Macomb Township, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from downtown Detroit. The search
THURSDAY, MAY 24 Healthy Woman Luncheon. 12 p.m. Laredo Medical Center invites women between the ages of 21 and 54 to have lunch and listen to a presentation on stroke by the city’s newest neurosurgeon, Dr. Scott Robertson. To reserve a space, call the LMC Healthy Woman program at 956-796-2222. Submit calendar items by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location, purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.
started Monday for the remains of Kimberly King, but Warren Police Commissioner Bill Dwyer told WJBK-TV that there could be others buried in the area. "We have probable cause to believe that (Kimberly) is buried there," Dwyer said. "We also believe that there's maybe four to six other girls that have been reported missing that are buried there. We certainly are convinced we have the right area. It's just a sad type of situation." Dwyer did not give the
names of the other missing girls. In 2008, the remains of 13year-old Cindy Zarzycki were found near the same area. Zarzycki disappeared in 1986 after being lured to a Dairy Queen north of Detroit. Arthur Ream was convicted of first-degree murder in her slaying. He later was temporarily released from prison to lead police to Zarzycki's body. He told investigators that Zarzycki's body was buried near a creek. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Iran-Contra figure Oliver North named president of the NRA ATLANTA — Retired Lt. Col. Oliver North, the gung-ho Marine at the center of the Iran-Contra affair three decades ago, was named president Monday of the National Rifle Association, giving it star power as it faces a powerful backlash over the massacres in Florida and Las Vegas. North, 74, will be the biggest celebrity to lead the 5-millionmember gun lobby since Hollywood leading man Charlton Heston, who famously declared in 2000 that his guns would have to be taken "from my cold, dead hands." North was picked by the NRA's board of directors, which elects a president every two years, and is expected to assume office within the next several weeks.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 23 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 1220 McClelland Ave. 10 a.m. to noon. Hard cover $1, paperbacks $0.50, magazines and children’s books $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
exactly how Trump exits the agreement. The 2015 pact itself does not contain any provisions for leaving, but Trump was expected to re-impose most, if not all, of the sanctions on Iran that were eased under the deal. That would erase the economic benefits promised to Iran under the deal and be tantamount to the United States walking away. It wasn't immediately clear which sanctions would be slapped back on Iran and how quickly. — Compiled from AP reports
Sue Ogrocki / AP
Oliver North gives the invocation at the NRA-Institute for Legislative Action Leadership Forum in Dallas in early May.
He succeeds Pete Brownell, who did not seek a second term. North was a military aide to the National Security Council during the Reagan administration in the 1980s he emerged into the spotlight for his role in arranging the secret sale of weapons to Iran and the diversion of the proceeds to the
anti-communist Contra rebels in Nicaragua. He was convicted in 1989 of obstructing Congress during its investigation, destroying government documents and accepting an illegal gratuity. Those convictions were overturned in 1991. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND TEXAS Judge reviewing lawsuit settlement over hot Texas prison HOUSTON — About 1,300 inmates who'd been sweltering in the Texas summer heat and humidity are getting air conditioning in their housing areas under settlement of a civil rights lawsuit under review Tuesday by a federal judge who's already accepted it.
Today is Wednesday, May 9, the 129th day of 2018. There are 236 days left in the year. Today's Highlight in History: On May 9, 1958, "Vertigo," Alfred Hitchcock's eerie thriller starring James Stewart and Kim Novak, premiered in San Francisco, the movie's setting. On this date: In 1814, the Jane Austen novel "Mansfield Park" was first published in London. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson, acting on a joint congressional resolution, signed a proclamation designating the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day. In 1926, Americans Richard Byrd and Floyd Bennett supposedly became the first men to fly over the North Pole. (However, U.S. scholars announced in 1996 that their examination of Byrd's flight diary suggested he had turned back 150 miles short of his goal.) In 1945, with World War II in Europe at an end, Soviet forces liberated Czechoslovakia from Nazi occupation. U.S. officials announced that a midnight entertainment curfew was being lifted immediately. In 1961, in a speech to the National Association of Broadcasters, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Newton N. Minow decried the majority of television programming as a "vast wasteland." In 1978, the bullet-riddled body of former Italian prime minister Aldo Moro, who had been abducted by the Red Brigades, was found in an automobile in the center of Rome. In 1994, South Africa's newly elected parliament chose Nelson Mandela to be the country's first black president. In 2012, President Barack Obama declared his unequivocal support for same-sex marriage in a historic announcement that came three days after Vice President Joe Biden spoke in favor of such unions on NBC's "Meet the Press." Ten years ago: Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama picked up the backing of nine superdelegates, all but erasing Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-imposing lead. Jury selection began in the Chicago trial of R&B superstar R. Kelly, accused of videotaping himself having sex with a girl as young as 13. (Kelly was later acquitted on all counts.) Journalist-feminist Nuala O'Faolain, who gained international fame with her outspoken memoir "Are You Somebody?" in 1966, died in Dublin, Ireland, at age 68. Five years ago: Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who had irked Washington with his frequent criticism of U.S. military operations in his country, said his government was ready to let the U.S. have nine bases across Afghanistan after the withdrawal of most foreign forces in 2014. A 72-foot-long, high-tech catamaran sailboat capsized in San Francisco Bay while practicing for the America's Cup races, killing English Olympic gold medalist Andrew "Bart" Simpson. One year ago: President Donald Trump abruptly fired FBI Director James Comey, ousting the nation's top law enforcement official in the midst of an FBI investigation into whether Trump's campaign had ties to Russia's meddling in the election that sent him to the White House. Today's Birthdays: Actor Albert Finney is 82. Actress-turned-politician Glenda Jackson is 82. Producerdirector James L. Brooks is 81. Musician Sonny Curtis (Buddy Holly and the Crickets) is 81. Singer Tommy Roe is 76. Singer-musician Richie Furay (Buffalo Springfield and Poco) is 74. Actress Candice Bergen is 72. Pop singer Clint Holmes is 72. Actor Anthony Higgins is 71. Singer Billy Joel is 69. Blues singer-musician Bob Margolin is 69. Rock singer-musician Tom Petersson (Cheap Trick) is 68. Actress Alley Mills is 67. Actress Amy Hill is 65. Actress Wendy Crewson is 62. Actor John Corbett is 57. Singer Dave Gahan (GAHN) (Depeche Mode) is 56. Actress Sonja Sohn is 54. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is 50. Rapper Ghostface Killah is 48. Country musician Mike Myerson (Heartland) is 47. Actor Chris Diamantopoulos is 43. Rhythm-and-blues singer Tamia (tuh-MEE'-ah) is 43. Rock musician Dan Regan (Reel Big Fish) is 41. Actor Daniel Franzese is 40. Rock singer Pierre Bouvier (Simple Plan) is 39. Actress Rosario Dawson is 39. Rock singer Andrew W.K. is 39. Figure skater Angela Nikodinov is 38. Actress Rachel Boston is 36. TV personality Audrina Patridge is 33. Actress Grace Gummer is 32. Thought for Today : "A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch." — From "Mansfield Park" by Jane Austen (1775-1817).
CONTACT US The tentative settlement, announced in February, resolved a lawsuit filed in 2014 by six inmates who contended the oppressive heat at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice Wallace Pack Unit, northwest of Houston, was unconstitutionally cruel punishment. U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison considered objections to the agreement from about 20 inmates at a hearing Tuesday. "Most of the objections, frankly, were not actual objections to the settlement but
were just complaints that really aren't precluded one way or the other from the settlement," Jeff Edwards, the lead attorney for the inmates, said. "It's not really objections, but just clarifications or misunderstandings or something like that." Ellison last summer ruled the nation's largest prison system was "deliberately indifferent" to the heat risks and subjected inmates at the Pack Unit to "a substantial risk of serious injury or death.” — 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.
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 |
A3
LOCAL Ranchers invited to duck workshop S P ECIAL TO THE TI ME S
Monte Mucho Audubon Society (MMAS) and the Río Grande International Study Center (RGISC) are asking ranchers in Zapata and Webb counties for access to ponds that may be home to the prized Muscovy Duck. Prior to being photographed for the past two years at two ranches near San Ygnacio, the Muscovy was known to make its northernmost home in Mexico’s tropical rivers, ponds, and marshes. Much sought by birders, the Muscovy, a large black duck with white markings, has been a recent sensation at sightings during the last two annual Laredo Birding Festivals co-sponsored by
MMAS, RGISC, and the City of Laredo. According to Daniel Perales, president of MMAS, “Our low impact visit to ranches will be simply to document if the Muscovies are nesting there.” Ranchers are invited to a May 10 workshop on the Muscovies at the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center on the LCC Campus. The workshop, which begins at 9 a.m., will feature habitat conservationists and Muscovy experts Jack Eitniear of Austin and Monterrey biologist Eduardo Carrera Gonzalez. They will focus on establishing a management plan for Muscovy habitat on area ranches. Eitniear is the founder of the Center for the
Study of Tropical Birds, which is devoted to bird conservation in the American tropics. He has written extensively on the ecological requirement of the White-collared Seedeater along the Río Grande near Zapata. He has conducted earthwatch expeditions to Mexico and is currently writing a book on the waterfowl of the New World Tropics. Carrera, who joined Ducks Unlimited de Mexico (DUMAC) as a field biologist in 1984, has served as its national executive director and CEO since 1998. He facilitates collaboration with national and international organizations to develop wetland conservation and management projects, and to promote capacity building in Mexico.
“Zapata County is the best starting point for the first phase of our Muscovy project,” said Raul Delgado of MMAS. He added, “We would very much appreciate that birder-friendly ranchers allow us access to ranch ponds.” He said that a Muscovy sighting was once and long ago documented in Laredo, but that the recent sighting of a pair five miles north of San Ygnacio and repeat sightings four miles northeast of San Ygnacio make Zapata County a natural choice for beginning research for a management plan for the Muscovies. At the May 10 workshop, Eitniear and Carrera will begin their presentations at 9 a.m., break for lunch at noon, and then head
Courtesy photo
Muscovy ducks are pictured.
out to visit ranches in Zapata County. They will also share specifications for building nesting boxes for the Muscovies. The workshop is free and open to all area ranchers and duck aficionados. Eitniear will bring a mated pair of Muscovies for residence at the Lamar Bruni Vergara Environmental Science Center. “The Muscovy establishing a presence north of the border could have national implications for the ever-growing world of birding, which has replaced hunting as the number one source of revenue in the great out-
doors. It will certainly be a draw for our annual birding festival, which in addition to taking birders to local sites, also takes them to ranches in both counties,” said Tricia Cortez, executive director of RGISC. “We will do all possible to help the Muscovy establish a home in Zapata and Webb counties. To that end, Monte Mucho Audubon, RGISC, and ranchers can work together to place nesting boxes at stock ponds,” she said. For further information, call Daniel Perales at (956) 764-0531 or Tricia Cortez at (956) 718-1063.
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A4 | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Settlements were a smart move, but when is settling not enough? By Dahleen Glanton CH ICAGO T RIBUNE
It was nice to hear that the two young men whom police led away from a Philadelphia Starbucks in handcuffs last month were able to reach such an amicable settlement with the city. Taxpayers in Philadelphia may have dodged a huge financial bullet when officials agreed to spend $200,000 to help young entrepreneurs and a $1 payment each to the men who were hauled off to jail for basically refusing to order a cup of coffee. But Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson aren’t stupid. The two 23-yearolds are by no means walking away from this unfortunate incident empty-handed. And there is no reason they should. The men reached a separate agreement with Starbucks that includes a confidential "financial settlement as well as continued listening and dialogue," according to the company. We may never know how much Starbucks is on the hook for. But whatever it is, those men deserve every cent of it. In addition to money, Nelson and Robinson also were offered a chance to obtain their undergraduate degrees through a corporate program that pays online college tuition for its employees. No doubt, all of this will take them a long way in life. While Starbucks has done an admirable job taking responsibility for its shortcomings, nothing affects future behavior as much as hitting a corporation where it hurts - the pocketbook. The men, who were waiting for a third person to join them for a business meeting involving a real estate deal, were just sitting in the Starbucks minding their business when police arrived and started questioning them. The Starbucks manager had summoned police after she declined one of the men’s request to use the rest room and became concerned that neither had ordered anything. A customer recorded the exchange with police, and the video that went viral showed them being led from the premises. They were later released from custody with no charges filed. Though no one incurred any physical injury, the emotional pain and suffering already had been done. In an interview a week later on ABC’s "Good Morning America," the men said they wanted to make sure this situation does not happen again. "What I want is for a
young man or young men to not be traumatized by this; and instead, motivated and inspired," Robinson said. While it might not happen again anytime soon at a Starbucks, you can bet it’s going to happen someplace else. We can only hope that businesses everywhere are paying close attention. Starbucks is paying heavily to make sure Nelson and Robinson get what they deserve from the company. In addition to the financial settlement, market experts predict that Starbucks could lose $12 million in revenues when it closes 8,000 stores on the afternoon of May 29 so that its employees can undergo anti-bias training. That figure may pale, however, compared with the losses Starbucks could have suffered had there been a nationwide boycott as many advocated. I’m not trying to burst the glistening bubble that many seem to have encased Nelson and Robinson when their settlement with the city was announced. Indeed, this entire episode has proved them to be upstanding young men, both in the way they responded to the police at the time of the arrest and in the aftermath. At a time when the public was angrily looking for someone to blame, Nelson and Robinson emitted an air of respectability, accountability and calm. The rest of us were forced to follow their lead. No one should think any less of the men for taking advantage of an opportunity to cash in on this spectacle that brought much-needed attention to the biases that AfricanAmericans, especially black men, endure routinely in this country. There is nothing wrong with reparations. Other victimized groups have successfully obtained such payments throughout history. But when black people attempt to get compensated for being habitually mistreated, society tends to turn up its nose. In this case, taxpayers in Philadelphia will not be left holding the bag for any mistakes that may have been made on the part of the police. While some argue that the officers were simply doing their job when they confronted the men, they must take responsibility for their decision to take the men away in handcuffs when they obviously had done nothing wrong. The agreement assures that the public will never know for sure whether that would have been a liability for the city and by extension, the Police Department.
COLUMN
Making a move? BBB offers advice on hiring a reputable moving company By Miguel Segura SPECIAL TO THE TIME S
May is National Moving Month—one of the busiest times of the year for people to move homes, or even businesses. There are hundreds of moving companies to choose from, so where do you start? Unfortunately, fake and dishonest moving companies exist, causing a financial and emotional toll on people who have their belongings lost or damaged. In 2017, Better Business Bureau received more than 7,500 complaints against moving companies. One of those companies was even the subject of a recent BBB investigation. Earlier this year,
Better Business Bureau serving the Heart of Texas conducted an investigation into Presidential Moving and Storage, LLC. Consumers of the Arlington-based company said they were charged thousands more than the agreed upon price. Complaints also alleged the company failed to deliver their goods by the stated arrival date and had trouble getting updates when contacting the company. Based on complaint data, consumers lost an average of $3,200. According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, Presidential Moving’s status is now listed as “out-of-service.” BBB offers the following tips for hiring a trust-
worthy moving company: 1 Do your research. Do some comparison shopping online, and use reputable sources, such as bbb.org when looking for a mover or professional moving company. Check that the company is licensed as required by the State of Texas, and that they have a valid TxDMV and USDOT number. 1 Get three free estimates. Make sure the estimates are in writing, by email or as an attachment, and never accept a verbal quote or agreement. 1 Read the contract carefully. Read every document of the contract carefully before you sign anything. Also, get a copy of everything you sign, and don’t sign any blank
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.
Miguel Segura is the regional director for the Better Business Bureau.
OP-ED
Cal Thomas: The exhaustion factor By Cal Thomas TRIBUNE CONTENT AGENCY
The "wall of protection" conservative media has erected around President Trump may be crumbling. Fox News Channel, whose opinion programs - especially Sean Hannity’s - have been staunch defenders (some critics say mouthpieces) for the president, and The Wall Street Journal, which editorially has been generally supportive of the president’s policies, last week went on the attack. In a lengthy commentary, Fox News anchor Neil Cavuto directly addressed the president, noting he had "promised to drain the swamp, but you are muddying the waters." The reference was to Trump’s admission that he authorized a $130,000 payoff to adult film star "Stormy Daniels" to secure her silence
about an alleged onenight stand she had with him. This after vehemently denying the incident ever happened. Cavuto also cited numerous other false claims, comments, charges and accusations made by the president. A lead editorial in last Friday’s Wall Street Journal addressed those who say they don’t care about the president’s personal life, but are only interested in his policies, which they see as working: "But Mr. Trump’s public deceptions are surely relevant to his job as president, and the attempted cover-up has done greater harm than any affair would have. Mr. Trump asked Americans, not least his supporters, to believe his claims about the payments. They were false and conveniently so in putting the onus on (attorney Michael Cohen).
Now, as more of the story has emerged, he wants everyone to believe a new story that he could have told the first time." Does Trump sound like Chicken Little, who cried, "the sky is falling" so many times that no one believed him when the sky actually did fall? The Journal ends on this disturbing note: "Mr. Trump is compiling a record that increases the likelihood that few will believe him during a genuine crisis - say, a dispute over speaking with special counsel Robert Mueller or a nuclear showdown with Kim Jong Un. Mr. Trump should worry that Americans will stop believing anything he says." This is all so unnecessary. So many good things are happening. For the first time since December 2000, the U.S. unemployment rate has
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
forms. BBB also advises people to watch out for the following red flags: 1 The company has no physical address and/or the trucks don’t have their licensing displayed. 1 The company isn’t willing to come to your home for an estimate 1 The company requires a large upfront payment or cash only. A reputable mover takes credit cards. 1 The mover can’t answer your questions and they seem uncertain. For more consumer tips, head to bbb.org. To report a scam, go to our BBB Scam Tracker page at BBB.org/scamtracker.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
fallen below 4 percent, black and Hispanic unemployment rates hit record lows in April, there is rising consumer confidence, the forthcoming meeting with Kim Jong Un and a new Rasmussen Reports poll showing the president’s approval rating at 51 percent. Conservatives can argue with some credibility that the media and the rest of the establishment hate the president and want to see him impeached, but he is increasingly giving them the rope to hang him. Will this matter to hardcore Trump supporters? And what about the evangelicals who so strongly supported - and mostly continue to support - the president? These were the ones who said character matters. I’m betting their hatred of Washington, the media and Democrats will remain virulent.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 |
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A6 | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER VANISHED From page A1 Panteon Municipal Unidos por el Recuerdo, with a team of 49 specialists from the Tamaulipas attorney general’s office, human rights observers and consultants from the German Agency for International Cooperation and the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation. Work is expected to be completed in the summer, and exhumations will continue later this year in Reynosa, followed by projects in Nuevo Laredo and Ciudad Victoria. Pérez hopes a fifth site, which has not been determined, will be near Mante in the southern part of the state, where her family vanished on their way home to San Luis Potosí. Dozens of families from across the state and north of the international border have visited the cemetery. Most arrive with
ARRESTS From page A1 go through to cross the border, what is their intent? What are coming into this country for? What do they have in mind?” Owens said. “When you start looking at people from these other countries that are adult males in their early 20s, it's a little more difficult to discern their intention and the possibility of them having bad intent is definitely higher than you wind in a family unit or an unaccompanied child.” A Bangladeshi national can pay anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000 to be smuggled into the Unites States, authorities said. Cartels could be the ones cashing in on that money. “Whether it’s the Zetas or the Gulf Cartel, whoever has control of those plazas to the south of us are absolutely the ones
photos of their disappeared and a few documents chronicling their search. Tetanus shots and a psychologist are available at the site for those who want to put on a mask and scrubs to observe the exhumation work up close. They also have blood drawn for genealogical data that will be compared with the genetic material of the exhumed. Pérez, who is a founding member of the Forensic Citizen Science project, a citizen bio bank of DNA of relatives of disappeared, has spent years in Tamaulipas sifting through debris left by cartels on ranches and in abandoned buildings, at considerable risk to her safety. But standing over forensic specialists raising bodies from the sandy loam one recent day, she found herself disturbed by the thought that her daughter, Milynali, may have been unceremoni-
responsible for every ounce of illicit traffic coming across our borders,” Owens said. He added, “When we talk about border security, we don’t just talk about the amount of traffic flowing across our borders. We have to look at the type of traffic that’s flowing across our borders. Border Patrol encourages the community to report suspicious activity, such as human and drug smuggling, to 1-800-3431994.
ously buried in a municipal cemetery in plain sight. “This should have been done years ago,” Pérez said. “This isn’t an achievement. It’s a wake.” For many, the significance of the project is easily obscured by the painful reminder that most will not find closure here. Marisela Valdez’s son, Roberto, 28, was taken in 2014. He prepared food that Valdez, 58, sold to factory workers in Reynosa’s maquiladora sector. When she refused to be extorted by cartel members, she and her son were kidnapped. Valdez was savagely beaten and left for dead on the side of a highway. It would require months of therapy before she could walk again. Still, the threats continued until she fled with her daughter to Mexico City. “They took my son, our house, they took everything,” Valdez said. “The cartel controls everything here.” Around 32,000 people have been reported missing in Mexico since 2006, according to government data, yet authorities fail to investigate many cases, leaving families such as the Valdezes to search for answers on their own. Late last year, Mexico’s Congress passed and President Enrique Peña Nieto signed into law the General Law on Disappearances, creating a national commission to track and investigate disappearances. In Tamaulipas, forensic
scientists are building a database with genetic material from the exhumed bodies and DNA samples taken from families. The database, which has around 6,000 family DNA samples, will also cross-reference results with a national DNA database. “It’s important that they’re actually starting somewhere, and if this works, great,” said Maureen Meyer of the Washington Office on Latin America, a human rights advocacy group. “It’s a huge undertaking. At a minimum, it could lead to some closure for families.” Valdez is skeptical of government efforts. One recent morning, she and Martha Castillo Olmedo, a 54-year-old mother of five missing children and two grandchildren, ranging in age from 5 to 25, pressed Miguel Alemán officials for answers. Why had 350 people been buried with no apparent effort to identify them? “Here they tried to hide the problem?” Valdez
said. “They lied and deceived the victims. They didn’t search for our sons, they made us suffer.” It was a harrowing time, explained Ricardo Rodríguez García, city secretary. The Gulf Cartel and its former enforcers Los Zetas were at war for the lucrative trafficking corridor. Gunbattles raged through the night, and the dead were delivered to the only funeral home in town, Funeraria Rodriguez. “There were times we’d receive a call in the middle of the night of a death from natural causes,” said Jorge Rodriguez, manager of Funeraria Rodriguez. “We had to tell the families to wait until the following morning. Everyone understood.” Rodriguez had neither the money nor the facility to store the dead. After a few days, they were buried, a practice that started in 2010 and continued through 2016, state officials said. Security has improved in the area, but the violence remains. During the
second week of exhumations here, news of kidnappings in town spread fear across the cemetery. By the third week of exhumation, only a handful of stalwart mothers, representing collectives of families of disappeared from across the state, could be found at the cemetery. While Valdez is voluble, Castillo is painfully quiet. The women share a hotel room where several mothers and government forensic specialists retire at the end of each day. The work is emotionally taxing, and Castillo rubbed her temples at the end of a long day. She carries the photos of her missing children and grandchildren, which are taped together, folded accordion style, in her purse. One son went missing in 2013; the others vanished in 2014. The mere mention of her loss still lays bare her pain. “They took them,” Castillo, tears welling up in her eyes.
Frontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE CONCIERTO DE BANDA 1 1 El distrito escolar Roma Independent School District invita a su Concierto de Banda el 9 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD.
MIGUEL ALEMAN, TAMAULIPAS
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SEDENA
Exhuman cuerpos
EVENTO CONTRA LUPUS 1 3er. evento anual contra Lupus, el 10 de mayo en el parque Bravo. Mayores informes con Gilda Jasso al 956-2379456 y 956-2088390. Foto de cortesía
CONCIERTO CRISTIANO
Arma cubierta en oro se encontraba en arsenal.
1 La Iglesia Nueva Belén de Roma invita a disfrutar la música de Samuel Hernández, desde las 7 p.m., el 10 de mayo, en el Salón V.F.W. Mayores informes con el pastor Eladio Palacios al 956-437-4986 y 956-353-9264.
Un psicólogo le muestra a Marisela Valdez, cuyo hijo se encuentra desaparecido, el sitio en Miguel Alemán donde el gobierno estatal comenzó la exhumación de cientos de cuerpos.
SE APLAZA REUNIÓN
Por Aaron Nelson
1 La Junta Directiva del distrito escolar Roma Independent School District ha cambiado la fecha de su reunión al viernes 11 de mayo, a las 5 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas de Roma ISD. CONCIERTO DE BANDA 1 La escuela secundaria Ramiro Barrera Middle School invita a su Concierto de Banda el 14 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD. RECITAL BAILE FOLCLÓRICO 1 La escuela preparatoria Roma High School invita a su Concierto de Baile Folclórico el 16 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD. CONCIERTO DE CORO 1 El distrito escolar Roma Independent School District invita a su Concierto de Coro el 17 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD. FUN RUN/WALK 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a la carrera/ caminata Fun Run/ Walk 5K & 1K por el Día de las Fuerzas Armadas, que se llevará a cabo el 19 de mayo desde las 8 a.m. La carrera iniciará en Roma Guadalupe Plaza. PREMIOS TELEVISIVOS 1 La preparatoria Roma High School invita a la entrega de premios Roma High School Gladiator Television Network Awards el 24 de mayo desde las 6:30 p.m., en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Roma ISD.
Tamir Kalifa / The San Antonio Express-News
Arqueólogos buscan 350 personas desaparecidas RIO GRANDE VALLEY BUREAU
MIGUEL ALEMAN, México — Mientras una sangrienta guerra azotaba la ciudad fronteriza en 2010, semana con semana, mes con mes, cadáveres no identificados fueron enterrados en una fosa común a las afueras de la ciudad. En el primer proyecto de este tipo en Tamaulipas, arqueólogos y antropólogos se encuentran exhumando los restos de aproximadamente 350 personas con el objetivo de identificarlos y proporcionar a los familiares una conclusión a este trágico capítulo. En un estado repleto de fosas comunes y el mayor número de desapariciones en México — oficialmente 5.989, aunque muchos aseguran que el número es mucho más elevado— el proyecto ha reavivado la esperanza y los recuerdos traumáticos. “Mi hija probablemente no está aquí”, dijo Graciela Pérez Rodríguez cuya hija de 13 años, hermano y tres sobrinos desaparecieron en un rincón remoto del estado en 2012. “Lo importante es que continúen las exhumaciones”. Durante años, las personas que han buscado a sus familiares desaparecidos en Tamaulipas han tenido que lidiar con cárteles de la droga y autoridades indiferentes, y a veces cómplices de las desapariciones. Mientras el número de víctimas continuaba aumentando, autoridades locales comúnmente enterraban a víctimas no identificadas en cementerios municipales. Pero en 2017, autoridades comenzaron a construir 50 unidades de
Soldados liberaron a 5 Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Dos personas se enfrentan a cargos criminales por su supuesta participación manteniendo un arsenal en operaciones separadas en Nuevo Laredo, México, dijo el Fiscal General recientemente. La semana pasada, soldados con la Secretaria Nacional de la Defensa (SEDENA), liberaron a cinco personas que se encontraban detenidas en contra de su voluntad en la Colonia Madero al este de Nuevo Laredo. En la casa, los soldados encontraron 32 rifles de asalto, 806 cartuchos, 30.338 rondas de municiones, dos granadas y un lanza granadas. Los soldados también incautaron 152 pastillas de Clonazepam y dos vehículos. Las tropas arrestaron a un hombre identificado solamente como Alfredo en conexión al caso. Una segunda persona nombrada como Antonio fue acusada de almacenar 44 rifles de asalto, 143 cartuchos y 29 rondas de munición en otra casa en Nuevo Laredo. Las autoridades dijeron que él también se encontraba en posesión de 725 gramos de metanfetamina y alrededor de cuatro libras de heroína. Los soldados también confiscaron dos vehículos. Los arrestados fueron entregados a una instalación de detención en el estado mexicano de Veracruz.
Desconocen intensión de bangladesís
AVIARIO
Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
1 La Ciudad de Roma sólo estará recolectando basura contenida en botes propiedad de la ciudad.
Castillo Olmedo, una madre de 54 años con cinco hijos y dos nietos desaparecidos, presionó a las autoridades locales para obtener respuestas. ¿Por qué enterraron a 350 personas sin hacer ningún esfuerzo aparente por identificarlos? “Aquí intentaron esconder el problema”, señaló Valdez. “Mintieron y engañaron a las víctimas. No buscaron a nuestros hijos, nos hicieron sufrir”. Fueron tiempos horribles, explicó Ricardo Rodríguez García, secretario de la ciudad. El Cártel del Golfo y su brazo armado Los Zetas estaban disputándose la plaza. Los tiroteos se escuchaban durante la noche, y los fallecidos eran llevados a la única funeraria en la ciudad, la Funeraria Rodríguez. “Hubo veces en las que recibimos una llamada en medio de la noche por una muerte de causas naturales”, dijo Jorge Rodríguez, gerente de la Funeraria Rodríguez. “Teníamos que decirle a las familias que esperaran hasta la mañana. Todos entendieron”. Rodríguez no tenía la capacidad de espacio ni financiera para almacenar los cadáveres. Después de unos días eran enterrados, una práctica que comenzó en 2010 y continuó hasta 2016, de acuerdo con autoridades estatales. El trabajo es emocionalmente agotador, y Castillo se frotó las sienes al final de un largo día. Ella lleva las fotos de sus hijos desaparecidos y sus nietos, que están pegadas con cinta adhesiva, estilo acordeón, en su bolso. Uno de sus hijos desapareció en 2013, los otros desaparecieron en 2014. La mención de su pérdida aún pone al descubierto su dolor. "Se los llevaron", dijo Castillo, con lágrimas en los ojos.
PATRULLA FRONTERIZA
1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a visitar el aviario Roma Bluffs World Birding Center en el distrito histórico de Roma. El aviario estará abierto desde el jueves a domingo de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. hasta enero. BOTES DE BASURA
almacenamiento, cada una con capacidad para 10 cadáveres, en Miguel Alemán, una ciudad de aproximadamente 30.000 habitantes en la frontera con Roma, Texas. Las exhumaciones comenzaron a mediados de abril en el panteón municipal Unidos por el Recuerdo con un equipo de 49 especialistas de la Procuraduría de Justicia del Estado, defensores de los derechos humanos así como consultores alemanes y guatemaltecos. El proyecto continuará a finales de año en Reynosa, seguido de Nuevo Laredo y Ciudad Victoria. Decenas de familias de todo el estado y del país vecino han visitado el cementerio. La mayoría llega con fotos de sus familiares desaparecidos y documentos que contienen registros de su búsqueda. Las autoridades proporcionan vacunas antitetánicas y facilitan consultas psicológicas a todos aquellos que deseen observar el proceso de exhumación de cerca. También se toman muestras de sangre para obtener información genealógica que será comparada con el material genético exhumado. Pérez Rodríguez, quien es una de las fundadoras del proyecto Ciencia Forense Ciudadana, un banco ciudadano con muestras biológicas de las víctimas, ha pasado años poniendo en riesgo su seguridad buscando entre los escombros dejados por los cárteles en ranchos y edificios abandonados de Tamaulipas. Pero mientras observaba recientemente a especialistas forenses levantar cuerpos de una franja arenosa, se sorprendió al pensar que su hija, Milynali, podría haber sido
enterrada en una fosa común a la vista de todos. “Esto se debió haber hecho hace años”, dijo Pérez Rodríguez. “Esto no es un logro. Es un velorio”. Para muchas personas, el significado del proyecto se oscurece por el doloroso recordatorio de la mayoría que no encontrará respuestas. El hijo de Marisela Valdez, Roberto, de 28 años, desapareció en 2014. Él cocinaba platillos que Valdez, de 58 años, vendía a trabajadores de maquiladoras en Reynosa. Ella y su hijo fueron secuestrados cuando ella se negó a ser extorsionada por miembros de un cártel. Valdez fue salvajemente golpeada y dada por muerta en una carretera. Ella necesitó terapia ocupacional por meses antes de volver a caminar. Sin embargo, las amenazas continuaron hasta que huyó con su hija a la Ciudad de México. “Se llevaron a mi hijo, mi casa, se llevaron todo”, dijo Valdez. “El cártel controla todo aquí”. Cerca de 32.000 personas han sido reportadas como desaparecidas en México desde 2006, de acuerdo con datos del gobierno, sin embargo las autoridades no investigan muchos de los casos, dejando a familias como los Valdez buscando respuestas por sí mismos. En Tamaulipas, científicos forenses están construyendo una base de datos con material genético de cuerpos exhumados y muestras de AND tomadas de las familias. La base de datos tamaulipeca, la cual cuenta con 6.000 muestras de ADN de familiares, también contrastará los resultados con la base de datos nacional. Valdez se mantiene escéptica de las iniciativas del gobierno. Una mañana reciente, Valdez y Martha
Arrestan dos en conexión a arsenal
El número de detenciones de nacionales bangladesís en el área se ha intensificado, dijeron autoridades federales. “El Sector Laredo de la Patrulla Fronteriza continua teniendo el mayor número de detenciones de ciudadanos bangladesís comparado con otros sectores de la Patrulla Fronteriza. Actualmente, el Sector Laredo de la Patrulla Fronteriza ha detenido a 224 ciudadanos de Bangladesh desde el comienzo del año fiscal 2018”, dijo la agencia en una declaración. Las detenciones recientes ocurrieron entre el 29 de abril y el 3 de
mayo en el sur de Laredo, donde agentes arrestaron a un total de 15 bangladesís en cuatro acciones diferentes. Sus intenciones no son conocidas, dijo Jason D. Owens, jefe interino de la agencia en el sector Laredo. “Este año, de todos los ciudadanos de Bangladesh detenidos en los Estados Unidos, aquellos detenidos en Laredo son el 60 por ciento del total”, él dijo. Owen dijo que es fácil ver a un menor sin compañía que tiene ocho años y discernir sobre sus intenciones porque viene a reunirse con su familia. “Cuando tienes a alguien que hace un viaje desde un país como
Bangladesh y pasan por todas las cosas que tienen que pasar para cruzar la frontera, ¿Cuál es su intención? ¿A qué vienen a este país? ¿Qué está pasando por su mente?, preguntó Owens. “¿Cuándo empiezas a ver personas de estos otros países que son hombres adultos de veintitantos, es un poco más difícil discernir su intención y la posibilidad de que tengan una mala intención es definitivamente más alta de lo que encuentras en una unidad familiar o un menor que no viaja acompañado”. Una persona de Bangladesh puede pagar entre 20.000 y 50.000 dólares para ser contrabandeada a los Estados Unidos,
dijeron las autoridades. Los cárteles pueden ser los que están cobrando ese dinero. “Ya sean los Zetas o el Cártel del Golfo, quien sea que tenga control de esas plazas al sur de nosotros son absolutamente los responsables por cada onza de tráfico ilícito que llega a nuestras fronteras”, dijo Owens. Él agregó, “cuando hablamos de seguridad fronteriza, no solo hablamos de la cantidad de tráfico que cruza por nuestras fronteras. Tenemos que ver el tipo de tráfico que está pasando por nuestras fronteras”. La Patrulla Fronteriza alienta a la comunidad a reportar actividad sospechosa al 1-800-343-1994
A8 | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
BUSINESS
Unemployment rate for area remains at 4.1 percent S P ECIAL TO THE TI ME S
The South Texas service delivery area (Webb, Zapata, and Jim Hogg counties) adjusted unemployment rate remained at 4.1 percent in March, the same rate as it was in January and February, and it also shows a 0.7 percent decrease from the same month in 2017. “As we move into the second quarter of the year we will continue to coordinate with our job seekers, training providers,
and businesses in the three counties to prepare for the expected increase in hiring for the summer months,” said Rogelio Trevino, executive director for Workforce Solutions for South Texas. Two industries added jobs in March. Once again, the leisure and hospitality industry added 100 jobs, reporting a total of 11,600 employees; and the government industry added another 100 jobs in March, reporting a total of 23,600 employees.
The only industry to show a decrease for the month was the education and health services, which dropped by 300 jobs. During March, the trade, transportation, and utilities industry remained as the industry with most people employed at 30,900, followed by government with 23,600 jobs; education and health services is at 16,400; leisure and hospi-
tality have 11,600, and professional and business services has 10,000 people employed. The only industry to show a decrease for the month was the education and health services, which dropped by 300 jobs. “Overall our area con-
tinues to maintain historic levels of low unemployment rates. The Workforce Solutions for South Texas system will continue to offer training and job referrals for the labor force of South Texas,” Trevino said. “We remain committed to partnering with our local education and training partner in order to prepare our labor force to have the skills our local employers demand.” When comparing February 2018 to March 2018, several local industries
showed no change, such as the mining, logging and, construction (4,100 jobs), manufacturing (700 jobs), information (800 jobs), financial activities (3,900 jobs), and the professional and business services (10,000 jobs). The civilian labor force in the South Texas service delivery area stands at 123,601 of which 118,520 are employed and 5,081 reported as unemployed, making South Texas unemployment rate 4.1 percent.
Sports&Outdoors
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 |
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NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
Texans excited for Covington’s return Covington played seven games in 2017 before tearing biceps against Seahawks By Aaron Wilson HOUSTON CHRONI CLE
When Texans defensive lineman Christian Covington tore his biceps last season, it took away one of the most versatile players on the defense. Covington is capable of lining up at defensive end or inside. The former sixthround draft pick from Rice started two of seven games played before
injuring his arm against the Seattle Seahawks. He finished the season with 16 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble. “It is very important, "Texans general manager Brian Gaine said. "No. 1, he is a contributing player in both our base and our sub packages so the versatility, No. 1, is critically important in terms of what we do on first down and on third down, but it’s also his versatility to align at
different positions. "He can align at a traditional end position. He can play the 3, he can play the 1, and he can do that both on first down and on third down depending on what we’re doing.” Covington is excited about the Texans' offseason conditioning program and upcoming organized team activities. "I'm perfect," Covington said. "I'm ready. I'm 100 percent. I can't wait to get going again. I feel like a kid again. It's like taking the training wheels off a bike. I love it. "It's been a good past couple months being healthy. I've been putting in that work. I've been cleared for a long time. It
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
feels good to be healthy and know that football is upon us." In three NFL seasons and 38 career games with seven startss, the native of Canada and former All-Conference USA selection has recorded 50 tackles, four sacks. Covington is on a quest for self-improvement, honing and sharpening his techniques and building his strength and speed. "That's been my goal since I entered this league," Covington said. "I've been trying to improve my craft every year. I think the numbers and play speak for itself. I can't wait to put what I'm capable of out on the field."
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle file
Texans defensive end Christian Covington says he’s ‘100 percent’ following last season’s biceps injury.
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS
“BIG SEXY” IS STILL HAVING FUN
Darron Cummings / Associated Press file
Rodney Hood won’t be disciplined for refusing to play in the fourth quarter of the Cavaliers’ Game 4 victory over Toronto on Monday.
AP source: Cavs won’t discipline Hood for refusal to play By Tom Withers A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
CLEVELAND — Rodney Hood’s playoff problems now extend to off the court. Hood, who has seen his role reduced during his first postseason with Cleveland, will not be fined or suspended for refusing to enter Monday night’s Game 4 blowout win over the Toronto Raptors in the fourth quarter, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press. Hood feels bad about the incident that happened with 7:38 left in the fourth quarter, and he expressed remorse on Tuesday to team officials about becoming a distraction, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation. The person said disciplinary actions against Hood “were never a consideration.” The Athletic first reported that Hood had angered teammates and others in the organization by rejecting coach Tyronn Lue’s instruction to enter the game. With Cleveland leading 11080 and on its way to sweeping the series, the Cavs called timeout to replace superstar LeBron James. Lue told Hood to check in but he refused, and guard Jose Calderon peeled off his warmup and jogged to the scorer’s table. The AP observed at least one assistant coach shouting toward Hood.
Earlier in the game, rookie Cedi Osman came in with the second unit and played the minutes that had been going to Hood in Lue’s rotation. The 25-year-old Hood is averaging 4.6 points in 17 minutes in the postseason. His playing time dropped in the second round — he began the playoffs against Indiana in the starting lineup — as he struggled with his shot and looked uncomfortable on the floor. Hood scored just 2 points on 1-of-9 shooting in three appearances against the Raptors. The Cavaliers acquired Hood at the Feb. 8 trade deadline from Utah. A first-round pick in the 2014 draft, he averaged 16.8 points with the Jazz, but the 6-foot-8 left-hander has never found his rhythm with Cleveland, which is back in the Eastern Conference finals for the fourth straight season. Lue said he spoke with Hood at Sunday’s practice and that he understood his role. “It’s been tough circumstances as far as the first round and playing now and getting spot minutes more than anything,” Lue said. “He could be better, he knows that. Just need him to be aggressive.” Hood started Game 1 against Indiana, but after the Pacers beat the Cavs by 18, Lue changed his lineup. He swapped Hood with Kyle Korver and Cleveland regrouped, going 8-2 since the change. Hood will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Richard W. Rodriguez / Associated Press file
Rangers pitcher Bartolo Colon has still been finding success in the Majors at age 44, holding a 3.29 ERA with a 1-1 record so far this season.
Colon has 241 career wins, 533 starts By Stephen Hawkins ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ARLINGTON, Texas — When Bartolo Colon took the mound for the Texas Rangers in his last start, the big right-hander had pitched against Boston coaches more than twice as much as the current Red Sox players. No player in the majors is older than Colon, who turns 45 on May 24. And no active pitcher has as many as his 241 career wins or 533 starts, the firsts of both which came for Cleveland in 1997. Still, the portly pitcher with the nickname of “Big Sexy” is having a blast — and still success — in his mid-40s and with his 11th different major league team. “I feel great. I feel proud,” Colon said through a translator. “He should,” said Detroit manager Ron Gardenhire, whose Tigers are in town for Colon’s next scheduled start Wednesday. “Pitching this late in your life, it’s not easy to do on this level. It takes a special person to even want to put in the work. He’s a pretty special baseball player.” While Colon (1-1, 3.29 ERA) is pleasant yet somewhat oblivious to reporters, he loves being around the game. He is constantly chatting with teammates in the clubhouse, in the dugout and on the field. And he often interacts with opponents, and even umpires. Red Sox first base coach Tom Goodwin was heading back to the Boston dugout in the middle of the sixth inning last Friday night when he noticed Colon coming directly toward him. “I was just walking and Bart comes up to me and just says ‘Hey, my neck hurts.’ That, and
then he slapped me on the back and he kept going,” Goodwin said with a chuckle recalling the encounter soon after Colon had given up his third leadoff homer in the game. When Colon was pitching for the New York Mets from 2014-16, Goodwin was coaching there. “He was a joy. I wish I would have played with him,” Goodwin said. “But to have him on the Mets team, I know he helped our young guys out, just kind of relax, and “Hey, it’s not the end of the world.’ Have fun, enjoy what you’re doing. Nobody does it more than he does.” Nothing seems to bother him. Colon often nonchalantly tosses the ball up in the air while waiting for retired batters to get back to the dugout, or during stoppages of play. Even when he took a perfect game into the eighth inning April 15 on the road against the defending World Series champion Astros in a duel of former AL Cy Young winners with Justin Verlander pitching for Houston. Colon is two wins shy of tying Hall of Fame pitcher Juan Marichal for the most by a player born in the Dominican Republic. He needs four wins to match Nicaragua’s Dennis Martinez for the most by a native of Latin America. After retiring the first 21 Houston batters last month, Colon walked Carlos Correa to start the eighth before Josh Reddick lined a double into the right-field corner. Opposing fans in Houston gave Colon a standing ovation, and he clapped his bare hand softly against the outside of his glove looking toward Reddick, his former teammate in Oakland. When Colon was removed
from the game with two outs and the game tied at 1, after throwing 66 of 96 pitches for strikes, he had a grin on his face when he glanced at Reddick on third base and the two shared some words. In losing his last game against Rick Porcello, another former Cy Young winner, Colon struck out four without a walk in seven innings against the Red Sox and the only runs came on four solo homers. He threw 91 pitches, with only 22 balls while facing 26 batters. No longer the hard-throwing pitcher he was a decade ago, Colon has adapted and is still getting hitters out. “He’s made some incredible adjustments over the years, from being a really hard thrower now to manipulating the baseball,” Texas pitcher Doug Fister said. Red Sox manager Alex Cora was watching the national TV broadcast of Colon’s near perfect game against the Astros. “That was unreal, the way he’s using that back-door sinkers to righties. It starts in the other dugout, and comes back for a strike,” said Cora, his teammate with Boston in 2008. “He’s pitching a lot different than the norm right now. Usually it’s north-south, he’s still going east to west and he’s still getting people out. And he enjoys the game, which is great.” Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus had faced Colon many times before they became teammates. “He amazes you. You know what he’s going to throw, you know his game plan, he’s still dealing,” Andrus said. “As he’s aged, you see the desire that he’s got to continue to play this game with that passion is just unbelievable.”
A10 | Wednesday, May 9, 2018 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER
Jeff Sessions says border crossers will face prosecution A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SAN DIEGO — U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Monday that the Department of Homeland Security had agreed to refer anyone who enters the United States illegally on the Mexican border to his office for prosecution. "And the Department of Justice will take up as many of those cases as humanly possible until we
FUNDING From page A1 1 Language calling on ATF to establish a system to aid in preventing gun trafficking at the Southwest border 1 $19 million for National Guard Southwest Border Operations 1 $8 million for National Guard State Partnership Program 1 $201,353,000 for National Guard CounterDrug Program 1 $98 million for FEMA National Domestic Preparedness Consortium 1 $500 million for Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter Public Notice Region 11 of the Department of State Health Services, in partnership with the Texas Military Forces may conduct a health care program called “Operation Lone Star” in Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr, Jim Hogg, Zapata and Webb Counties. Free medical and dental services may be provided for up to one week in late July and/or early August 2020. Questions should be addressed to: Innovative Readiness Coordinator ATTN: MSG Enrique Sanchez JFTX-J7 P.O. Box 5218 Austin, TX 78763-5218 (512) 782-5738 L-37
Sandy Huffaker / Getty Images
Border Patrol agents patrol the area near where Jeff Sessions addressed the media during a news conference Monday in San Ysidro, California.
get to 100 percent," Sessions said in remarks prepared for a speech at a law enforcement conference in Arizona. Sessions said he has sent 35 prosecutors to the region to work on these cases, which will include people who allegedly smuggle children across
the border or who lie to immigration officers. The remarks were published on the department's website as Sessions prepares to hold a news conference in San Diego with Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan. Sessions' visit to South-
ern California comes about a week after hundreds of Central American migrants traveled to the U.S. border seeking asylum following a monthlong caravan through Mexico. President Donald Trump and Cabinet members tracked the caravan and called it proof that more must be done to secure the border with Mexico, including building a wall. Sessions called the caravan "a deliberate attempt to undermine our laws and overwhelm our system." A month ago, Sessions ordered a "zero tolerance" policy aimed at people entering the United States illegally on the Mexican border.
Man wanted in wife's death found in Mexico ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SILVER SPRING, Md. — A man wanted in connection with his wife's murder has been arrested in Mexico. News outlets cite a Montgomery County police statement saying they were notified Sunday that Mexican authorities arrested 30year-old Ruel Francis Dempster II. He was found in Nuevo Laredo. Dempster was wanted on a first-degree murder charge in the death of 34-year-old Alice Mino Dennis. She was found dead on the kitchen floor of their Washington-area apartment with trauma
to the upper body on April 18. Police had conducted a welfare check after a family member couldn't get in touch with Dempster and Dennis. Police said many of Dempster's belongings were gone from the home. A release from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection says CBP officers took custody of Dempster mid-bridge at the Gateway to the Americas International Bridge in Laredo on Monday. It's unclear how long he was in Mexico. It's unclear whether he has a lawyer.