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ZAPATA COUNTY
Man sentenced for human smuggling Cantu pleads guilty to crime, receives 72 months in prison By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
A man was recently sentenced to prison for his involvement in a human smuggling attempt that began at a ranch in Zapata County and ended with a crash that left several people injured near Laredo in December 2015, according to court records.
On June 2, U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen sentenced Leonel Cantu to 72 months in prison. He had pleaded guilty March 4, 2016, to conspiracy to transport undocumented people within the United States and attempt to transport undocumented immigrants for financial gain. Co-defendants Juan Camilo Cortinas and Christian Vargas
also pleaded guilty to the same charges in March 2016. Cortinas was sentenced to 30 months in prison while Vargas received a 35-month sentence. A jury found a fourth defendant identified as Crystal Cantu guilty on all three counts on April 20, 2016, after a two-day trial. She was sentenced to 58 months in prison May 24. All four defendants were
ordered to pay restitution of $157,525.57. Records show Crystal Cantu, Vargas and Cortinas are appealing their sentences and the restitution order. The case At 3:45 p.m. Dec. 15, 2015, U.S. Border Patrol agents observed a Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling south on U.S. 83. The Jeep
then turned around at a nondesignated area with no highway entrance. Agents then observed a blue Volkswagen Jetta that appeared to be driving in tandem with the Jeep. Both vehicles appeared to maintain the same speed. Agents said the Jetta appeared to have one occupant but the back of the vehicle was “noticeZapata continues on A9
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
ZAPATA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE
TEXAS SUPPORTED IN ‘SANCTUARY Two CITIES’ BAN LAWSUIT
wanted criminals arrested By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S
Ricardo Brazziell / AP
Hundreds of protesters line the balconies of the state Capitol rotunda in Austin on May 29, the last day of the legislative session, to protest Senate Bill 4. legislation already passed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott that compels local police to enforce federal immigration law.
Major cities believe the passing of Senate Bill 4 is ‘unconstitutional’ By Maria Sacchetti WA S H INGT ON P O ST
WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions said Friday that the Trump administration “fully supports” Texas’ harsh new ban on sanctuary cities and the Department of Justice will help defend it against a federal court challenge next week.
Lawyers for the tiny border city of El Cenizo, the League of United Latin American Citizens and major cities such as Dallas and Austin say the law requiring them to detain immigrants for federal deportation agents is “patently unconstitutional.” On Monday, they will urge U.S. District Court Judge Orlando Garcia in San Antonio to block the law from taking effect Sept.
1. The state of Texas argues that the government is within its rights to bar localities from interfering with immigration enforcement. Under the law, elected officials could lose their jobs, police chiefs could go to jail, and governments could face fines of up to $25,500 a day if they adopt or enforce policies that prevent law enforcement
officers from asking about a person’s immigration status or complying with requests to detain immigrants, a job that has been chiefly the responsibility of federal agents. “President Trump has made a commitment to keep America safe and to ensure cooperation with federal immigration laws,” Sessions said in a statement. Lawsuit continues on A9
Two people wanted in separate cases have been arrested, according to the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office. The first defendant was allegedly wanted for eluding authorities in a vehicle and then on foot, authorities said. Alberto Jaime, 22, was charged Jaime with evading arrest with vehicle, a state jail felony that carries a punishment of up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine. Custody records show he was behind bars at the Zapata County Regional Jail as of Friday afternoon. On Tuesday, authorities had published on their social media that Jaime was wanted. He was accused of allegedly leading deputies in a vehicle pursuit that began between Fourth Street and Roma Avenue and ended on Miraflores Street. Jaime then allegedly avoided law enforcement by going through residences in the 400 block of Miraflores, according to the Sheriff’s office. Another arrest Sheriff’s Officials also arrestArrested continues on A9
HOUSE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
White House: Trump didn’t record Comey By Alex Wayne B L OOMBE RG NEWS
President Donald Trump didn’t record his conversations with ousted FBI Director James Comey, the White House confirmed in a notice sent to the House Intelligence Committee on Friday. The two-paragraph letter to the committee, signed not by White House Counsel Don McGahn but by Marc Short, assistant to the president for legislative affairs, simply referred the committee to a statement Trump made on Twitter earlier in the week. “In response to the Committee’s in-
quiry, we refer you to President Trump’s June 22, 2017, statement regarding this matter: ’With all of the recently reported electronic surveillance, intercepts, unmasking and illegal leaking of information, I have no idea whether there are “tapes” or recordings of my conversations with James Comey, but I did not make, and do not have, any such recordings,’” the letter’s second paragraph read. The committee is investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election and had demanded the White House turn over any information about recordings of Comey by Friday, after Trump tweet-
ed on May 12 that Comey had “better hope there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations!” Trump issued the tweet three days after firing the FBI director, which he later said was in part because of his displeasure with the FBI’s Russia investigation. “I don’t think tweets are ever official,” Representative Mike Conaway, the Texas lawmaker leading the Russia inquiry, told Politico on Friday. “We’d like something on letterhead.” What they got on letterhead was the tweet. Trump’s disclosure that there are, in fact, no tapes weakens his credibility in
the eyes of investigators probing ties between his associates and Russia and also may expose him to fresh legal jeopardy. Former prosecutors said the tweets could be of interest to Special Counsel Robert Mueller, who is said to be examining whether Trump attempted to obstruct Comey and the FBI’s investigation in his wide-ranging probe. Trump has insisted there was no collusion between his presidential campaign and Russian officials who sought to manipulate the outcome of the election, and he has repeatedly decried the investigation as a “witch hunt” against him.
Zin brief A2 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE NATION
TODAY IN HISTORY
MONDAY, JULY 3
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting.
Today is Saturday, June 24, the 175th day of 2017. There are 190 days left in the year.
6:30—7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month. People suffering from anxiety and depression are invited to attend this free, confidential and anonymous support group meeting. While a support group does not replace an individual’s medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength and hope.
Today's Highlight in History: On June 24, 1947, what's regarded as the first modern UFO sighting took place as private pilot Kenneth Arnold, an Idaho businessman, reported seeing nine silvery objects flying in a "weaving formation" near Mount Rainier in Washington.
SATURDAY, JULY 22 Laredo and South Texas Weather. 2 p.m. TAMIU Student Center, Room 236. Presented by Richard ‘Heatwave” Berler, Chief Meteorologist, KGNS-TV. Free and open to the public. For more information, email: brushcountrychapter@gmail.com
FRIDAY, AUG. 18 South Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls XI. Laredo Energy Arena.
Tex-Mex power rock trio Los Lonely Boys will perform. The event includes a dinner, a benefit concert and a silent auction featuring artworks from local and regional artists. Sponsorship tables of 10 that include dinner and access to silent auction items are available. There are different levels of sponsorship available: Diamond $20,000, Platinum $10,000, Gold $5,000, Silver $2,500 and Bronze $1,500. Individual table tickets are $150. Table tickets are available at the food bank, 1907 Freight at Riverside. Concert only tickets are $10, $15 and $25. Tickets are available at the LEA box office, Ticketmaster.com, select Ticketmaster outlets or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000. Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or 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.
Workers help woman find necklace buried in hospital waste OXFORD, N.J. — A New Jersey woman has been reunited with her special necklace that was thrown in the trash after she went to a hospital, thanks to a group of hardworking sanitation workers. Samantha LaRochelle was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital in Phillipsburg on Saturday after falling unconscious, LehighValleyLive.com reports. Hospital staff removed LaRochelle’s prized dual-pendant and accidentally threw it in the trash. On the customized chain hangs her grandfather’s pendant and a second 14-karat gold pendant containing her late mother’s thumbprint. “This thing means more to me than the world,” said LaRochelle. LaRochelle began her search Monday. She tracked down the sanitation company that handles hospital waste with the help of a Phillipsburg police officer who scanned nine hours of surveillance video. By Wednesday, LaRochelle’s search led her Covanta Energy Plant in Oxford where workers dug through 15 tons of hospital waste to find her necklace. Steve Acierno, a worker at the plant, came up with the necklace after a two-hour search. “She was super-excited to have it back. Just a great start to our day. We were all really happy for her,” Acierno said. LaRochelle treated the sanitation workers to lunch and cake Thursday. She still can’t thank them enough for finding her necklace. — Compiled from AP reports
Butch Dill / AP
Severe weather destroyed several businesses Thursday in Alabama. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey says the threat of severe weather has not concluded as the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy pushes inland.
TROPICAL STORM CINDY’S REMNANTS NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Rain bands reeling away from Tropical Depression Cindy spread drenching rains from the Southeast to the Midwest, triggering flash flood warnings over several states including West Virginia, whose residents on Friday marked the anniversary of deadly floods last June. The storms stretching for hundreds of miles are expected to push river levels higher in coming days as the remnants of a tropical storm cross Tennessee and Kentucky into West Virginia. The severe weather, which was blamed for recent coastal flooding in the Deep South, tornadoes and one death, is rumbling closer to the densely populated East Coast. National Weather Service forecasters said rainfall totals of 2-4 inches (50-100 millimeters) were possible in several states, with up to 6 inches (150 millimeters) in isolated spots. Flash flood watches were issued for much of Kentucky and West Virginia. Last June, torrential rains in West Virginia claimed 23 lives and memories of that disaster remained fresh at somber ceremonies honoring the dead.
A brief ceremony marking last year’s fatal flooding took place Friday at the West Virginia Police Academy in Dunbar, where a bell was rung 23 times, for each who died. U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin traveled to another community, White Sulphur Springs, for the dedication of a memorial for eight victims there. Labeled a 1,000-year flood by the National Weather Service, the storm destroyed more than 2,100 homes statewide and damaged another 2,000. “As time goes on we’re struggling to get through the after effects of what took place in the flood,” John Wyatt, a pastor from Rainelle, told West Virginia Public Broadcasting. He’s still rebuilding his own home. On Friday evening, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice planned to join a candlelight service at Rainelle United Methodist Church in one of his state’s worst-hit flood areas of 2016. Five people in that Appalachian town of 1,500 died in the disaster that piled up water, mud and debris in homes, businesses and streets. — Compiled from AP reports
Toilet charity gets Indian village to take on Trump name
Tsering Topgyal / AP
Indian Muslim children gather around a photograph of U.S. President Donald Trump during the inauguration of Trump Sulabh Village in India on Friday. A toilet charity is leading an effort to rename a tiny, north Indian village after President Donald Trump, saying the gesture is meant to honor relations with the U.S. and draw support for better sanitation in India.
prime minister,” said construction worker Sajid Hussain. Still, he’s happy for the toiletbuilding initiative and hopes it is followed with funding for education, electricity and other improvements. For an inauguration attended by media Friday, organizers coached villag-
ers to shout “Zindabad!” which means “Long live!” each time they shouted Trump’s name. The ceremony was staged just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi heads to Washington, D.C., for a sit-down with Trump. — Compiled from AP reports
KILLEEN, Texas — A Central Texas court official who imposed a whopping $4 billion
Five years ago: The Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi was declared the winner of Egypt's first free presidential election. New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced a settlement that would bring $405 million to victims of Bernard Madoff's historic investment scam.
Today's Birthdays: Rock singer Arthur Brown is 75. Actress Michele Lee is 75. Actor-director Georg Stanford Brown is 74. Rock musician Jeff Beck is 73. Rock singer Colin Blunstone (The Zombies) is 72. Musician Mick Fleetwood is 70. Actor Peter Weller is 70. Rock musician John Illsley (Dire Straits) is 68. Actress Nancy Allen is 67. Reggae singer Derrick Simpson (Black Uhuru) is 67. Actor Joe Penny is 61. Reggae singer Astro (UB40) is 60. Singer-musician Andy McCluskey (Orchestral Manoevres in the Dark) is 58. Rhythm-and-blues/ pop singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett is 57. Actor Iain Glen is 56. Rock singer Curt Smith is 56. Actress Danielle Spencer is 52. Actress Sherry Stringfield is 50. Singer Glenn Medeiros is 47. Actress Carla Gallo is 42. Actressproducer Mindy Kaling is 38. Actress Minka Kelly is 37. Actress Vanessa Ray is 36. Actor Justin Hires ("MacGyver" ''Rush Hour") is 32. Actress Candice Patton is 32. Actress Kaitlin Cullum is 31. Singer Solange Knowles is 31. Actor Max Ehrich is 36. Thought for Today: "I'm sure the universe is full of intelligent life. It's just been too intelligent to come here." — Sir Arthur C. Clarke, British science-fiction author (1917-2008).
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AROUND TEXAS Texas official who imposed $4B bond facing fresh scrutiny
Ten years ago: Ali Hassan al-Majid, Saddam Hussein's cousin known as "Chemical Ali," was sentenced by the Iraqi High Tribunal to hang for his role in the killings of up to 180,000 Kurdish men, women and children two decades earlier. (Al-Majid was executed in Jan. 2010.) Charles W. Lindberg, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first of two American flags on Iwo Jima during World War II, died in Edina, Minnesota, at age 86.
One year ago: President Barack Obama created the first national monument to gay rights, designating the site of the 1969 Stonewall riots in Manhattan. Republican Donald Trump, visiting Scotland, hailed Britain's vote to leave the European Union, drawing parallels to the anger driving his own presidential campaign.
AROUND THE WORLD
MARODA, India — A charity that provides toilets to poor Indians is leading an effort to rename a tiny northern village after President Donald Trump, saying the gesture is meant to honor relations with the U.S. and draw support for better sanitation in India. The new name, Trump Sulabh Village, is not official, and so will not appear on maps. The charity’s name is Sulabh International after the Hindi word for “accessible,” which is meant to describe the simple pit toilets it builds for free across a country that has too few. Many of the 400 villagers said they had no idea who Trump is. But they are delighted that their village elders agreed to the promotional gimmick because it also means they will receive free toilets in each of the village’s 60 or so mud-built houses. “I don’t understand why they couldn’t name it after our own
On this date: In 1497, the first recorded sighting of North America by a European took place as explorer John Cabot spotted land, probably in present-day Canada. In 1509, Henry VIII was crowned king of England; his wife, Catherine of Aragon, was crowned queen consort. In 1793, the first republican constitution in France was adopted. In 1807, a grand jury in Richmond, Virginia, indicted former Vice President Aaron Burr on charges of treason and high misdemeanor (he was later acquitted). In 1908, Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States, died in Princeton, New Jersey, at age 71. In 1939, the Southeast Asian country Siam changed its name to Thailand. (It went back to being Siam in 1945, then became Thailand once again in 1949.) In 1948, Communist forces cut off all land and water routes between West Germany and West Berlin, prompting the western allies to organize the Berlin Airlift. In 1957, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Roth v. United States, ruled 6-3 that obscene materials were not protected by the First Amendment. In 1975, 113 people were killed when Eastern Airlines Flight 66, a Boeing 727 carrying 124 people, crashed while attempting to land during a thunderstorm at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport. In 1987, comedian-actor Jackie Gleason died at his home in Lauderhill, Florida, at age 71. In 1997, the U.S. Air Force released a report on the so-called "Roswell Incident," suggesting the "alien bodies" that witnesses reported seeing in 1947 were actually life-sized dummies. Actor Brian Keith was found dead in his Malibu home, an apparent suicide; he was 75.
bond on a murder suspect is drawing fresh scrutiny after she declined to recuse herself and oversaw a court hearing involving her son. Bell County Attorney Jim Nichols tells the Temple Daily Telegram that Justice of the Peace Claudia Brown may have violated ethics rules by
conducting Thursday’s hearing. Brown arraigned her 55year-old son, setting his bond at $2,000 on a charge of misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. She was unavailable for comment Friday. She’s facing a state com-
plaint after imposing the $4 billion bond early this year in a separate case. Brown said at the time the bond amount was a jab at a “broken” judicial system that sets bonds so high defendants are forced to remain in jail. — Compiled from AP reports
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 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 |
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STATE
Dallas officer charged with assault in death of woman By Claudia Lauer A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
DALLAS — A grand jury has recommended an aggravated assault charge against a Dallas police officer who shot and killed a pregnant woman in a January confrontation involving a stolen car. The Dallas County district attorney announced Friday that Christopher Hess was indicted on a charge of aggravated assault. The charge is related to the January shooting death of 21-year-old Genevive Dawes and is the first time in 43 years that a Dallas Police officer has been indicted for an officer-involved shooting that resulted in death. Daryl Washington, a civil rights attorney representing Dawes’ family, said they were hoping for a murder charge to be brought against the officer. Washington also said the family was hoping a second charge would be brought because of the passenger, Virgilio Rosales, Dawes’ boyfriend, who was also shot at during the incident. He said Dawes was five months pregnant when she died after being struck by at least four bullets. Hess and another officer, who the grand jury did not recommend charges against, had responded to a suspicious persons call, according to police accounts. Dawes and Rosales allegedly ignored commands to get out of the car, reversed the car into a police cruiser, rammed a wooden fence and were reversing away from the fence when police fired, killing Dawes and injuring Rosales.
Former officer allegedly kicked man after shooting him ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Jaime Dunaway / AP
Rubie Saucedo, back left, comforts Mary Dawes, front right, during a news conference Friday in Dallas. Dawes' pregnant daughter, Genevive, was fatally shot by a Dallas police officer in January.
Washington said that account is flawed. He said the couple was sleeping about 5 a.m. in the car when police arrived. He said from the evidence he has seen, Dawes never drove the car toward the officers or tried to hit them. He also said Dawes did not know the car was stolen. Washington said the officers fired 14 times into the car, and that he believed Hess had fired 13 of the shots. “There were a total of 14 shots at a vehicle that was going five miles per hour,” Washington said. “I can 100 percent stand behind the fact that no officers were in danger. No officer at the time that those shots were fired, were behind that vehicle. And I feel comfortable saying that the statements given by the Dallas police officers were inaccurate.” Authorities say Hess, a 10-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, will be placed on adminis-
trative leave pending a review by Internal Affairs investigators. If convicted, Hess faces between 5 and 99 years in prison. It was unclear from court documents if Hess had an attorney. The Dallas County district attorney’s office was scheduled to hold a news conference Friday afternoon to discuss the charges. Dawes’ family members, who gathered to make a statement about the indictment Friday, said she was a goofy and loving woman who would make everyone laugh, once adopted a stray duck and was devoted to her two daughters, Krystinah Rosales, 2 and Cerenity Rosales, 1. “I feel like they tried to make my sister look like a criminal, to sweep it under the table to not even try to get justice for her,” said Alisha Garcia, Dawes’ 26-year-old sister. “She was my only sister. They took her life.”
HOUSTON — Authorities say a former Houston police officer has been charged with assault for kicking a man after shooting him twice for attempting to burglarize his home. The Harris County district attorney’s office said in a statement that a grand jury indicted Bruce Johnson on Thursday on a count of assault and also tampering with evidence. Authorities say a security company alert-
ed Johnson in February of suspicious activity at his home. Johnson was off-duty, but in uniform, when he confronted Derek Carr. Johnson shot Carr once in the back and once in the elbow. Cellphone video captured by a witness showed Johnson kicking Carr as he lay on the ground. Johnson also is accused of hindering the investigation by moving a tool used in the burglary. He has since retired from the force.
Houston Police Department / Courtesy
Bruce Johnson is pictured in his last Houston Police Department staff photo.
Zopinion
Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com
A4 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Woman who made boyfriend commit suicide must pay By Christine Flowers P H ILA D E LPHI A DAI LY NEWS
If you know me, you know someone very close to me committed suicide. If you don’t know me, all you have to do is Google "Christine Flowers" near "suicide" and you’ll have a concise history of my writings on the topic. Lately, I’ve tried to distance myself from the past because it’s not entirely my story to tell. I cannot stand the type of journalist who uses the death of friends or family to make a political point about how we need more mental health centers, better addiction treatments and "stop the bullying" classes. Of course we need these things, because no one should die by their own hands, but using someone’s sad life to advocate for them seems voyeurish. Then again, that’s what we’re all about in the age of social media. Which brings me to the subject of this column, which is only tangentially related to my personal loss. This past week, a Massachusetts court found a young woman guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The case is sui generis, one of a kind, and chilling. Michelle Carter’s boyfriend was clinically depressed and, during the course of their relationship, had often threatened to commit suicide. At the beginning, the then-17year-old tried to help him. But like most people who have to deal with suicidal and desperate loved ones, she got frustrated, tired and, because she was only a teenager, impatient. That’s completely understandable. What is not understandable is what she did next. On July 12, 2014, Carter’s boyfriend, Conrad Roy, texted to tell her that he was going to commit suicide that night and that he was going to do it by filling his truck with carbon monoxide. Instead of calling his parents, 911 or even just pleading with him to reconsider, she actively encouraged him to kill himself. But that’s not even the reason she will spend up to 20 years in jail. After his truck started to fill up with carbon monoxide, the boy actually jumped out and said he didn’t think he could go through
with it. And Carter, who was now speaking to her boyfriend on the phone, told him to "get back in." Roy got back in. And never got out again. The evidence that she told him to finish the job of killing himself comes in her own words, by way of a text she sent to a friend: "I was on the phone with him and he got out of the car because it (the carbon monoxide) was working and he got scared." She said she then instructed him "to get back in." That was enough for the judge to find Carter guilty of involuntary manslaughter, which, under Massachusetts law, requires an unintentional death caused by the "reckless conduct" of the defendant. In this case, Carter’s "reckless conduct" was knowingly urging her troubled boyfriend to kill himself after he had already indicated to her that he couldn’t go through with it. The judge found that her words "get back in" were the proximate cause of his death. The critics argue that if we start making words into weapons, we will endanger free speech. It was suggested, disingenuously, I think, that finding Carter guilty in this case would make it more likely that family members could be criminally charged for counseling their loved ones about end-of-life decisions. That, my friends, is absolute nonsense. This isn’t a case about someone who rendered heartfelt advice about hospice treatment. This is about a young woman who knew that her boyfriend was standing on a ledge, and she used her words and her confidential relationship with him to coax him off it, into the abyss. And here is where I come full circle, back to my experience. I was not there when my brother died. I was miles away, in presence and in thought. But if I had been given the privilege to send him a message in those final moments before irrevocable decisions were made, I would have coaxed him toward the light. That is why we must make Carter pay for her dark act, to remind us of what happens when our humanity is eclipsed. Christine Flowers is a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News.
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 namecalling 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.
EDITORIAL
A case for slashing summer vacation in the United States BL OOMBERG
In America, summer vacation lasts far too long. U.S. students spend about 180 days in school per year, with the vast majority receiving 10 to 12 weeks off in the summer. Regardless of their socioeconomic background, they’ll forget two months’ worth of math instruction from the previous year by the time they return to classes in September. A two-decade-long study of public-school students in Baltimore found that half of the achievement gap between high-income and disadvantaged ninth graders could be attributed to
so-called summer learning loss during elementary school. Those lowerachieving students subsequently had higher high-school dropout rates, were less likely to go to college and had lower lifetime earnings. Contrary to popular belief, students in the U.S. spend as much time in the classroom, on an annual basis, as their peers in the rest of the world do. Yet compared with students in other industrialized countries, Americans consistently perform below average on international assessments in math, science and reading — which suggests that summer learning loss could be
partly to blame. Schools in the U.K., Germany and France take off between six to eight weeks during the summer. In Singapore, the longest break lasts six weeks, from November to January. About 3,000 U.S. schools have ditched the extended summer hiatus in favor of “year-round” calendars, which more closely resemble international school systems. Schools are typically in session for 45 to 60 days, followed by two-week breaks, during which teachers provide voluntary tutoring and enrichment sessions. Summer vacation lasts four to six weeks.
There are some drawbacks to year-round school: It can wreak havoc with family vacation plans, complicate childcare arrangements, and reduce professional development opportunities for teachers. For those reasons, school districts should focus less on radical changes to the school calendar than on making academic instruction available to students earlier in the summer, to limit the impact of learning loss. Schoolchildren, like surfers, may long for an endless summer. Life doesn’t work that way. Better they find out sooner rather than later.
EDITORIAL
Why Republicans will pass the Trumpcare bill Francis Wilkinson BL OOMBERG
No one seems to like the Senate health-care bill. Liberal wonks detest it. At least four Republican Senators claim they aren’t prepared to support it, while other colleagues grumble about it. The White House, whose chief executive promised he wouldn’t cut Medicaid, as this bill does, is balking. But the Senate bill is very similar to the bill passed last month by the House. And the reason for that similarity is pretty basic: Both bills accomplish what Republicans want. Both Senate and House versions will transfer hundreds of millions of dollars from poor and middle-class people, in the form of health care, to rich people in the form of tax cuts. The wealthiest Americans, who have a disproportionate role in managing the economy, have famously awarded themselves a gargantuan share of its gains in recent decades. But Republicans
continue to insist that gargantuan is less than sufficient. According to the liberal Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the House health-care bill would provide the 400 highest-income families in the U.S. with tax cuts worth about $7 million annually. Thus health-care legislation is a vehicle to achieve a preeminent goal of the Republican Party — transferring more wealth to the wealthy. Another paramount goal is destroying Barack Obama’s presidency. Since Republicans were unable to accomplish that in real time, they hope to do it retroactively. The Republican legislation keeps much of the architecture of Obamacare. But by cashing in its funding base, Republicans can seriously damage it. More important, their “repeal” of Obamacare, however compromised in detail or drawn out over multiple election cycles, serves as a repudiation of Obama himself. Argue among yourselves whether the driving force behind
GOP animus is Obama’s liberal, multicultural, cosmopolitanism or something even more atavistic. But after spending years voting to smite Obama symbolically, Republicans are now poised to deliver a blow for the history books. The third goal the Republican legislation accomplishes is the rollback of an “entitlement” and a reversal of the trend toward universal health care. Government support — Medicare, Social Security, Medicaid — tends to go on and on. Historical Republican opposition to all three of those programs long precedes their obsession with high-end tax cuts. If Obamacare laid the track for universal health care, Trumpcare promises to blow up the railroad bridge and send the whole enterprise plunging into a ravine, albeit in slow motion. The Republican Senators currently expressing their displeasure with the plan could easily thwart it. But will they? Majority Leader Mitch McConnell
knows his troops. He knows what they want and, more important, what they will settle for. Opioid treatment funding, maybe, for Sens. Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, whose states have serious addiction problems. Perhaps a more aggressive retreat from Obamacare regulations for Sen. Mike Lee of Utah. The chorus of boos heightens the political drama but it doesn’t stop the play. Concessions are made. Victories are claimed. The legislation moves toward conclusion. How many Republicans will really abandon the twin pillars that have upheld the GOP for nearly a decade -- tax cuts for the rich and the repudiation of Obama? How many will walk away from the cause of multiple generations of Republicans -- rolling back the welfare state? I’m betting fewer than three. Francis Wilkinson writes editorials on politics and U.S. domestic policy for Bloomberg View.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 24, 2017 |
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A6 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
POLITICS
Five GOP senators now oppose health bill By Alan Fram and Regina Garcia Cano ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Elise Amendola / AP
In this April 7 file photo, former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch speaks during a conference on policy and blacks at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Senate seeks Lynch’s role in Clinton probe By Matthew Daly A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee are seeking information about alleged political interference by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch into the FBI’s investigation of Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley of Iowa and other lawmakers sent letters Friday seeking details about communications in which Lynch reportedly assured Democratic operatives that she would keep the FBI’s Clinton investigation from “going too far.” The senators cited stories in The New York Times and The Washington Post about a supposed Russian intelligence document saying Lynch had given assurances to the Clinton campaign about the FBI’s investigation. The Post reported that the FBI considered the document bad intelligence and possibly even a fake sent to confuse the bureau. The questions about Lynch’s conduct are part
of a broader examination of President Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, who led the Clinton inquiry. The senators sent letters to Lynch, a former Clinton campaign staffer and two officials from the Open Society Foundation, a group supported by billionaire and Democratic donor George Soros. The letters are signed by Grassley and Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California, the panel’s senior Democrat, as well as Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I. Graham and Whitehouse lead a crime and terrorism subcommittee. A spokesman for Lynch said Friday that Lynch will cooperate fully with the inquiry and respond directly to the committee. “Ms. Lynch is a committed public servant who has dedicated much of her career to the Department of Justice and led the department as attorney general in the fair and impartial administration of justice,” said spokesman Robert Raben.
WASHINGTON — Nevada Republican Dean Heller became the fifth GOP senator to declare his opposition to the party’s banner legislation to scuttle much of Barack Obama’s health care overhaul on Friday, more than enough to sink the measure and deliver a stinging rebuke to President Donald Trump unless some of them can be brought aboard. Echoing the other four, Heller said he opposes the measure “in this form” but does not rule out backing a version that is changed to his liking. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has said he’s willing to alter the measure to attract support, and next week promises plenty of back-room bargaining as he tries pushing a final package through his chamber. Nonetheless, Heller’s announcement underscores the scant margin of error Republican leaders must deal with. Facing unanimous Democratic opposition, McConnell can afford to lose just two of the 52 GOP senators and still prevail. Besides the five who’ve announced outright opposition, several other GOP senators — conservatives and moderates — have declined to commit to the new overhaul. The measure resembles legislation the House approved last month that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said would mean 23 million additional uninsured people within a decade and that recent polling shows is viewed favorably by only around 1 in 4 Americans. Heller, facing a competitive re-election battle next year, said he was opposing the legislation because of the cuts it
By Lauren Rosenblatt TR IB UN E WASHINGT ON BUR EAU
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump signed into law Friday a bill that will ease restrictions on the discipline and termination of employees from the troubled Veterans Affairs department. The Accountability and Whistleblower Protection Act of 2017 is designed to speed up the process to discipline an employee for misconduct and put more decisionmaking power in the hands of Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin. The act is in response to the 2014 VA scandals involving long wait times for medical care and attempts by VA employees to cover up the delays. Trump, who promised to improve health care
for veterans during his campaign, said the bill was one of the largest reforms to the VA in its history and is "essential to making sure our veterans are treated with respect." The bill passed the House with bipartisan support June 13 and the Senate on June 6. Although the bill is widely supported by veterans advocacy groups, civil servant unions condemn the legislation as a way to get around long-standing protections for government employees and whistle-blowers. The reform, Shulkin said, will not be used as a "tool for mass firings," but rather a way to raise morale throughout the department and attract new employees. "Slow, steady, incremental change isn’t what this organization needs," Shulkin said. "Right now, I believe this is progress."
Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, announced he will vote no on the proposed GOP health care bill at the Grant Sawyer State Office Building on Friday in Las Vegas.
would make in Medicaid. The federal-state program provides health care to the poor, disabled and many nursing home patients. The Senate bill would also erase the tax penalties Obama’s 2010 law imposes on people who don’t purchase insurance. It would allow insurers to cover fewer benefits and repeal tax boosts on wealthier people that help finance the statute’s expanded coverage. The Senate legislation would phase out extra federal money Nevada and 30 other states receive for expanding Medicaid to additional low earners. It would also slap annual spending caps on the overall Medicaid program, which since its inception in 1965 has provided states with unlimited money to cover eligible costs. “I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes insurance away from tens of millions of Americans and tens of thousands of Nevadans,” Heller said. Trump has spoken favorably about both the
House-passed bill and the Senate version unveiled this week, though he declared several times as he ramped up his campaign for the presidency that he would not cut Medicaid. Heller said that to win his vote, GOP leaders would have to “protect Medicaid expansion states” from the bill’s current cuts. “It’s going to be very difficult to get me to a yes,” he said, noting that conservative Republican senators would likely be reluctant to add spending back to the measure. Heller spoke at a news conference in Las Vegas with Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval, a Republican who has also assailed the House and Senate health care bills for cutting Medicaid. The state has added 200,000 more people to its program under the Obama overhaul. Sandoval said the Senate bill “is something that needs to change.” It would be politically difficult for Heller to take a different stance on the measure from the pop-
ular Sandoval. Heller got an opponent for next year when firstyear Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen announced this week she would seek his Senate seat. Just hours after McConnell released the 142-page legislation on Thursday, four conservatives said they opposed it. They were Sens. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, Mike Lee of Utah, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ted Cruz of Texas. Underscoring the sensitivity of the bill, Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, who has not suggested she opposes the measure, declined to comment on its components when asked at a news conference Friday. “It was just released yesterday. So, we have 142 pages to go through,” she said. Asked about the bill’s impact on Medicaid insurance coverage for lower-income Iowans, Ernst said, “I wouldn’t say they are losing it.” Iowa opted to expand, and has added more than 150,000 people to its rolls since 2014.
Democrats face steep challenge to unseat Pelosi By Kevin Freking ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Trump signs VA reform bill
Erik Verduzco / AP
WASHINGTON — A dozen or so House Democrats want Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to go after a dispiriting loss in a Georgia House election. They just don’t know how to make it happen. “We can’t keep losing races and keep the same leadership in place. You have a baseball team that keeps losing year after year. At some point, the coach has got to go, right?” said Rep. Kathleen Rice, D-N.Y., on Friday. The frustrated Democrats met in Rice’s office a day earlier to discuss their options as they face long odds of knocking out the woman who has led the Democratic caucus for nearly 15 years from minority to majority and back, raised tens of millions of dollars and has had multiple legislative successes. Their action plan: Keep talking. Keep raising the concern that something needs to change within the ranks of the party’s leadership. It’s about all they can do. “Right now, what I’m pushing for is a conversation within the caucus,”
Rice said. A defiant Pelosi told reporters Thursday that she was “very confident” about the support that she had from fellow Democrats who now number 193. When it comes to her detractors, Pelosi said “my decision about how long I stay is not up to them.” The main argument against Pelosi from her Democratic detractors is that more than 30 years in Washington and hundreds of millions of dollars in attack ads against her have taken their toll when it comes to public opinion. Millions were spent in Georgia with ads linking Pelosi to Jon Ossoff, who lost to Republican Karen Handel on Tuesday. They argue that Democratic candidates will have a better shot on Election Day if they’re not tied to Pelosi. “The issue I think strategically is that Trump energizes their base and Leader Pelosi energizes their base,” said Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Ohio, who was unsuccessful last year in trying to unseat Pelosi. Said Rice: “The Republican playbook has been very successful. It’s not fair. It’s not accurate in its
J. Scott Applewhite / AP
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, speaks during a weekly news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington on June 9. Democratic Party divisions are on stark display after a disappointing special election loss in a hard-fought Georgia congressional race.
attacks on our leader, but it’s effective. They keep winning and we keep losing.” But it’s also clear that many Democrats in the House, if not the large majority, don’t see it that way. They say voters in Republican-leaning districts are motivated by more than a desire to stop Pelosi and Democrats need to work on developing a message that can win them over. On that point, Ryan agreed that the Democrats need to focus less on President Donald Trump and more on economic issues. “We should stop talking about Trump all the time, and Russia. People in Ohio don’t grab me about Russia at all when I’m home,” Ryan said. Trump seems to enjoy the focus on Pelosi, taking another jab Friday after tweeting about her the day before. “I’d like to keep her right where she is, be-
cause our record is extraordinary against her,” Trump said in a Fox News interview. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., who also attended the meeting, said, “in every corner of our caucus, we’re concerned. And we have one goal: winning in 2018.” Moulton is one of the House Democrats who has been most vocal in calling for a new generation of leadership. The Iraq war veteran endorsed eight veterans running for the House this week, and started a new national security task force with other young veterans within the Democratic caucus. “Of course I’m open to a meeting” with Pelosi,” Moulton said. “We’re a family. We’re going to have those discussions.” Pelosi said that would be fine with her. “I love the arena. I thrive on competition, and I welcome the discussion,” she said.
Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 24, 2017 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE Clínica de vacunación 1 El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de Texas y el Departamento de Servicios de Salud de Texas invitan a la clínica de vacunación abierta para todo público, hoy sábado 24 de junio, de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m. en Zapata Health Clinic, 801 N. U.S. Highway 83, Suite B. Cuota de administración 5 dólares. Los servicios no serán negados por inhabilidad para el pago. TORNEO DE GOLF 1 Boys and Girls Club of Zapata County invitan al 1er. Torneo de Golf que se llevará a cabo el sábado, 24 de junio en Los Ébanos Golf Course. Registro inicia a las 7 a.m. Para mayores informes contacte a Cipriana GonzálezWells al 956-8981365.
Taller para pequeñas empresas 1 BBVA Compass Bank y la Fundación Industrial del Condado de Starr invitan al Taller Gratuito para Pequeñas Empresas Grow Your Small Business, el 28 de junio de 12 p.m. a 2 p.m., se incluye comida. Centro Comunitario de Roma, 502 6th, St., en la ciudad de Roma. Inscripciones en el 956-4872709.
Día de la Independencia 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a la Celebración del 4 de Julio en el Distrito Histórico de Roma de 6 p.m. a 11 p.m.
Pago de impuestos 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St. PAGO EN LÍNEA 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.
CONDADO DE ZAPATA
OFICINA DEL ALGUACIL
Recibe sentencia Acusado recibe pena por contrabando humano Por César G. Rodríguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Un hombre fue recientemente sentenciado a prisión por su participación en un intento de contrabando humano que inició en un rancho en el Condado de Zapata y terminó con un choque que dejó a varias personas lesionadas cerca de Laredo en diciembre de 2015, de acuerdo a registros de la corte. El 2 de junio, el Juez de Distrito George P. Kazen sentenció a Leonel Cantú a 72 meses en prisión. Él se declaró culpable el 4 de marzo de 2016, de conspirar para transportar a personas indocumentadas dentro de los Estados Unidos e intento de transportar a inmigrantes indocumentados por una ganancia financiera. Los co acusados Juan Camilo Cortinas y Christian Vargas también se declararon culpables de los mismos cargos en marzo de 2016. Cortinas fue sentenciado a 30 meses en prisión mientras que Vargas recibió una sentencia de 35 meses. Un jurado encontró a una cuarta acusada identificada como Crystal Cantú culpable de tres cargos el 20 de abril de 2016, después de un juicio de dos días. Ella fue sentenciada a 58 meses en prisión el 24 de mayo. A los cuatro acusados se les ordenó pagar una restitución de 157.525.57 dólares. Los registros muestran que Crystal Cantú, Vargas y Cortinas están apelando sus sentencias y la orden de restitución. El caso A las 3:45 p.m. del 15
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de diciembre de 2015, agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza observaron a un vehículo Jeep Grand Cherokee viajando hacia el sur en la Carretera US 83. El Jeep entonces dio una vuelta en un área no designada sin entrada a la carretera. Los agentes entonces observaron a un vehículo Volkswagen Jetta que parecía estar siendo conducido en conjunto con el Jeep. Ambos vehículos parecían mantener la misma velocidad. Los agentes dijeron que el Jetta parecía tener un ocupante pero que la parte de atrás estaba “notablemente cargada y viajaba extremadamente despacio”, se establece en la querella criminal presentada el 17 de diciembre de 2015. Los agentes activaron su equipo de emergencia cerca de la intersección de la Carretera 83 y el Arroyo Becerra. Cuando el Jetta se detuvo, dos personas se bajaron del vehículo y empezaron a correr y el conductor aceleró. Otros dos ocupantes salieron en el área de Espejo Molina Road y la Carretera 83, de acuerdo a la querella. Los agentes terminaron la peresecución cuando el Jetta aceleró dirigiéndose hacia Laredo. Las autoridades entonces descubrieron que el vehículo había chocado con un poste eléctrico en la intersección de la Carretera 83 y ManganaHein Road. Cinco personas, incluyendo tres inmigrantes, fueron llevados a hospitales locales. Identificado como el conductor, Vargas presentaba lesiones menores mientras que la pasajera, Crystal Cantú, fue lleva-
da a San Antonio en condición grave. Ella fue arrestada más tarde vía una acusación formal en enero de 2016. Los agentes también detuvieron al Jeep mientras intentaban detener al Jetta en el Arroyo Becerra y la Carretera 83. Leonel Cantú era el conductor y Cortinas el pasajero frontal. Un pasajero que viajaba en el asiento trasero fue identificado pero no enfrenta cargos criminales. Rancho La Perla Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional se hicieron cargo del caso. Leonel Cantú, Cortinas y Vargas estuvieron de acuerdo en hablar con las autoridades al momento del incidente. Leonel Cantú declaró que le iban a pagar por alertar sobre las autoridades mientras que su amiga Crystal Cantú recogería a los inmigrantes en el Rancho La Perla, cercano a Zapata. Siete personas salieron de entre los matorrales para subir al Jetta, de acuerdo a documentos de la corte. Cortinas declaró que fue con Leonel Cantú para buscar a las autoridades durante un intento de contrabando humano. Agregó que no iba a recibir pago, de acuerdo a registros. Vargas declaró que no le iban a pagar pero vio a la gente en el lado del camino. Cuando le hicieron señas, se detuvo para ofrecerles un raid a la estación de gasolina más cercana por comida y agua. Vargas dijo a las autoridades, “parecían mojados”, se establece en la querella.
Detienen a uno por evadir aresto Por César G. Rodriguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Dos personas que eran buscadas por casos separados han sido arrestadas, de acuerdo con la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata. El primero acusado era Jaime buscado por eludir a las autoridades en un vehículo y después a pie, dijeron autoridades. Salinas Alberto Jaime, de 22 años de edad, fue acusado de evadir el arresto con un vehículo, una Vela felonía estatal que puede ser castigada con hasta dos años en prisión y una multa de 10.000 dólares. Registros de custodia muestran que se encontraba tras las rejas en la Cárcel Regional del Condado de Zapata el viernes por la tarde. El martes, las autoridades habían publicado en redes sociales que Jaime era buscado.
Él estaba acusado de supuestamente llevar a oficiales en una persecución que comenzó en la calle Fourth y la avenida Roma y terminó en la calle Miraflores. Jaime después supuestamente evitó a las fuerzas del orden al meterse a residencias en la cuadra 400 de Miraflores, de acuerdo con la oficina del alguacil. Otro arresto Oficiales del alguacil también arrestaron a Juan Carlos Salinas, de 28 años de edad. Él fue acusado de allanamiento de edificio, una felonía estatal que puede ser castigada con hasta dos años en prisión y una multa de 10.000 dólares. Hasta el viernes por la tarde, él continuaba tras las rejas, de acuerdo con registros de custodia. Las autoridades habían puesto un aviso de búsqueda para Salinas y Luis Ángel Vela. Vela permanece prófugo. Zapata Crime Stoppers pagará una recompensa financiera a cualquiera que proporcione información anónima que lleve a su arresto. Las personas con información sobre su paradero se pide hable a la Oficina del Alguacil al 956-765-9960 o Zapata Crime Stoppers al 765TIPS (8477).
COLUMNA
El insurrecto Catarino Garza Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
BANCO DE ALIMENTOS DEL SUR DE TEXAS
ENTREGARÁN MANZANAS
Llenado de aplicaciones 1 La Ciudad de Roma ofrece el servicio de llenado de aplicaciones para CHIP, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, Chip, Prenatal y otros. Contacte a Gaby Rodríguez para una cita en el centro comunitario o en su domicilio al 956246-7177.
Laboratorio Computacional 1 La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza, a un lado del City Hall. Informes en el 956-849-1411. MUSEO EN ZAPATA 1 A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, se sugiere visitar el Museo del Condado de Zapata ubicado de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983. Foto por Ulysses S. Romero | Laredo Morning Times
Representantes de HEB y el Banco de Comida del Sur de Texas posan después de descargar las primeras cajas conteniendo 620.000 libras de manzanas Red Delicious que serán entregadas a los 16 bancos de comida en el Banco de Comida del Sur de Texas, el viernes.
Casi tres décadas cubre el porfiriato. Existe la idea de que prevalece sin grandes mortificaciones o conflictos. Graves acontecimientos quitan el sueño al dictador cuando menos lo esperaba. Y en aquellos desvelos Tamaulipas sobresale. “Que ningún mexicano se perpetúe en el poder y ésta será la última revolución”, aduce Porfirio Díaz, quien inicia violenta lucha por la silla presidencial. Muchos creen en la palabra empeñada, pues tras el primer mandato lo releva su compadre tamaulipeco Manuel González. Pero luego reasume el máximo cargo dos turnos continuos, olvidándose del compromiso adquirido. Con estas miras la Carta Magna se modifica a modo. El titular del ejecutivo puede “ser reelecto para el periodo constitucional inmediato”. conceden las enmiendas hechas el 21 de octubre de 1887. Los ciudadanos permanecen aún confiados, dejándole las riendas nacionales. Porque de acuerdo con dicha reforma, una vez concluida la tercera gestión deviene imposible otra, a menos que transcurra cierto tiempo. Sin embargo, el 20 de diciembre de 1890 estas limitantes desaparecen, permitiéndole al caudillo todas las reelecciones consecutivas que le vengan en gana. “Con el fin de satisfacer … ilegítimas ambiciones”, el “autócrata que se dice presidente” de México hace alarde de “audacia y cinismo … al imponer (la) reelección indefinida, después de haber revocado el derecho de no reelección”, por lo que “no reconocemos al general Porfirio Díaz como presidente”, convocándose “al pueblo mexicano a las armas”. Las anteriores líneas forman parte del “Plan revolucionario” suscrito “en el margen del río Bravo, … Estado de Tamaulipas”. Resuelto a proclamarlo, durante los estertores del verano de 1891 traspone la frontera con 60 jinetes Catarino Garza, oriundo de Matamoros. Quiso hacerlo el 15 de septiembre, estropeándole al dictador el cumpleaños número 61. Garza protagonizaría desde Texas cinco incursiones tamaulipecas. La postrera tiene verificativo en abril siguiente, mes dedicado a enaltecer las glorias castrenses del general Porfirio Díaz. La noticia recorre el país y pronto da la vuelta al mundo. Nada efectivo aportan las diatribas segundonas, puesto que a principios de febrero Porfirio Díaz se ve obligado a pronunciarse sobre el particular. Lo “de Garza no es más que una estratagema …, una revolución, por ahora, sería … como jugar … ajedrez sin peones”, declararía a “The World”, periódico de Nueva York. Porfiristas resentidos proporcionan apoyo encubierto a Garza, refugiado en Centroamérica, muere el 8 de marzo de 1895. Hubiera cumplido 36 años de edad. Autodefinido “escritor fronterizo”, Catarino Erasmo Garza Rodríguez se convierte a pulso en auténtico precursor de la Revolución Mexicana.
A8 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
Utah wildfire burns 13 homes after evacuations A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
SALT LAKE CITY — A wildfire menacing a southern Utah ski town for nearly a week flared again, doubling in size for the second night in a row and torching more homes after residents fled the flames, officials said Friday. The blaze was one of several burning in the U.S. West as extreme heat challenges firefighters. The Utah fire that’s charred 43 square miles near the town of Brian Head has destroyed a total of 13 homes, Forest Service spokeswoman Cigi Burton said. No one was injured because the houses were among 400 evacuated a day earlier from the alpine community that is home to the Brian Head Resort and near several national monuments and parks in
Mike Stephens / AP
Clouds of smoke from a wildfire approach Panguitch, northeast of Brian Head, Utah on Thursday.
Utah’s red rock country. Mountain bike and hiking trails, zip line courses and a water tubing hill that lure visitors to the resort in the summer were closed as firefighters try to hem in the flames. At least 700 people have been out of their homes since Saturday, when the blaze was ignited by
someone using a torch to burn weeds, according to authorities. High winds and hot weather have intensified the fire, driving it toward Panguitch Lake, a fishing and recreation spot with more homes. One house burned shortly after the fire started, three others Thursday afternoon and nine more
were scorched overnight, Burton said. The unidentified person accused of starting the blaze could face charges, according to state fire officials. Firefighting costs could rise to more than $1 million, said Jason Curry of the Utah Division of Forestry, Fire and State Lands. In Southern California, firefighters made progress on a 5-day-old forest fire in the San Bernardino Mountains that has burned approximately 21⁄2-square-miles. The fire, northeast of Big Bear Lake, was more than halfway contained Friday. Firefighters mopped up from another California fire burning to the north in Sequoia National Forest. That wildfire, which charred more than 2 square miles, was expected to be fully contained Sunday.
Nebraska official caught on tape criticizing Scalise By Herman Wong WASHINGTON P O ST
A Nebraska Democratic official has been removed from his chairman post after recordings emerged in which he said he was glad that House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., was shot and that he wished he had died. In the recording, Phil Montag, who was the volunteer co-chairman of the Nebraska Democratic Party’s technology committee, criticized Scalise by saying “his whole job is to . . . convince Republicans to (expletive) kick people off (expletive) health care.” “I’m glad he got shot. . . . I wish he was (expletive) dead.” The recording was posted on YouTube and
other sites. The comments surfaced just more than a week after James T. Hodgkinson opened fire on a congressional baseball team in Virginia that included Scalise, the House Majority Whip, who was shot in the hip. Montag could not be immediately reached for comment, but he told the Omaha World-Herald that his statements were taken out of context from a 30-minute to hour-long conversation. “I am hopeful that the entirety of the original, unedited recording will emerge so we can get to the truth of the matter.” Scalise is now in fair condition, according to a post on his official Twitter account. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
California adds more ‘discriminatory states’ to its travel ban By Peter Holley WA S H INGT ON P O ST
Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbot signed controversial legislation into law that allows child welfare providers — including faith-based adoption agencies — to refuse adoptions to hopeful parents based on “sincerely held religious beliefs.” In response to HB 3859, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced Thursday that his state will prohibit state employees from traveling to Texas based on the allegation that the
state has enacted laws that discriminate against LGBT individuals and their families. Texas, home to the nation’s second-largest economy, joins a growing list of states - including Alabama, Kentucky and South Dakota most recently - to which statesponsored travel has been curbed due to similar legislation that went into effect starting in March. “Our country has made great strides in dismantling prejudicial laws that have deprived too many of our fellow Americans of their precious rights,”
Attorney General Becerra said in a statement released by the California Department of Justice. “Sadly, that is not the case in all parts of our nation, even in the 21st century. I am announcing today that I am adding four states to the list of states where Californiafunded or sponsored travel will be restricted on account of the discriminatory nature of laws enacted by those states.” California officials have already banned statefunded travel to Tennessee, North Carolina, Mississippi and Kansas.
Those states were targeted by then-Attorney General Kamala D. Harris. Becerra has the power to enact the ban thanks to AB 1887, a law that went into effect at the beginning of 2017 and which prohibits state-funded travel to states with laws that discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity. The measure was created in response to North Carolina’s notorious “bathroom bill,” a measure that required transgender people use bathrooms that aligned with the gender on their birth certificate, according to
the Los Angeles Times. The law led to an outpouring of anger nationally and prompted business to leave the state and numerous entertainment events to be canceled. “There are conse-
quences to discrimination,” Becerra told reporters at a news conference Thursday in San Francisco, according to the Times. “Restricting statesponsored travel is a consequence.”
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 24, 2017 |
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FROM THE COVER
Health stocks surge despite uncertainty in Washington By Jared S. Hopkins, Tatiana Darie and Bailey Lipschultz B L OOMBE RG NEWS
There’s plenty of uncertainty about health policy in Washington, but on Wall Street, investors have a clear hunger for health stocks. After Republican Donald Trump’s presidential-election victory, the health-care sector trailed the pack as the wider market rallied. Heated cam-
paign rhetoric from Trump and Democratic rival Hillary Clinton made investors wary that Washington would tamp down drug prices and take other steps to radically remake the health-care marketplace. Now, such fears are fading, and health stocks are making up for lost time. The Russell 2000 Healthcare Index has gained about 4.2 percent and the S&P Healthcare Index has gained 2.3 percent since Tuesday. The jump means the sector
has erased the performance gap with the broader market, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Reports in recent days have suggested that an anticipated executive order from Trump on drug prices will be industryfriendly. And the Senate’s version of legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, made public this week, doesn’t go as far as some feared in making changes to current law, analysts said. That’s given some
investors the green light. “I have enough clarity now to invest,” said Jeff Jonas, a portfolio manager at Gabelli & Co., managing about $600 million in health-care assets. “What’s become clear is that we’re going to be sticking with something close to the status quo. The amount of change that the Senate or House bill was proposing is nothing compared to what we went through six or seven years ago when ACA was passed.” Gabelli took advantage of a
health selloff earlier this year, when Trump threatened to have the government negotiate drug costs, to buy shares of Shire Plc, Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc., Jonas said. The firm’s Healthcare & Wellness fund, with $294 million in assets, had a total return of 6.2 percent in the first quarter, compared with 8.4 percent for the S&P 500 health index, according to the fund’s most recent quarterly report.
Ken Ritter / AP
In this April 18 photo, a 2002 Honda Accord involved in a March 3 crash in which an exploding Takata air bag inflator badly injured the driver, Karina Dorado, sits in a driveway in Las Vegas.
Honda denies covering up dangers of Takata air bags By Tom Krisher ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Jerry Lara / San Antonio Express-News
Leroy Peña, of Dallas, joins protesters against SB4 at the State Capitol on May 29.
LAWSUIT From page A1 “Texas has admirably followed his lead by mandating state-wide cooperation with federal immigration laws that require the removal of illegal aliens who have committed crimes.” Luis Roberto Vera, Jr. the national general counsel for the League of United Latin American Citizens, which is a plaintiff in the case, said the Texas law is discriminatory because it primarily targets Hispanics, one of the state’s largest groups. “It’s a continuation of Donald Trump’s war on Mexicanos,” Vera said. “That’s the sad part about this.” The faceoff comes amid rising tensions nationwide over the Trump administration’s crackdown on immigration, and its relentless march forward despite a string of losses in federal courts. On Friday, congressional aides said House
ARRESTED From page A1
ed Juan Carlos Salinas, 28. He was charged with burglary of building, a state jail felony punish-
ZAPATA From page A1 ably weighed down and riding extremely low,” states the criminal complaint filed Dec. 17, 2015. Agents activated their emergency equipment near the intersection of U.S. 83 and Becerra Creek. When the Jetta pulled over, two people got off the vehicle running and the driver accelerated. Two more occupants exited the in the area of Espejo Molina Road and U.S. 83, according to the complaint. Agents terminated the pursuit as the Jetta kept
Republicans are advancing two bills that would withhold some federal grant money from socalled sanctuary cities; give greater legal weight to immigration detainers, which are requests from Immigrations and Customs Enforcement to local jails to hold immigrants who are being targeted for deportation; and shield local governments from lawsuits related to detainers. A second bill would increase penalties against deported immigrants who return illegally. Sponsor Rep. Bob Goodlatte, R-Virginia, said bills, which could be voted on as early as Wednesday, “crack down on dangerous sanctuary policies that needlessly put innocent lives at risk.” But advocates say ICE is arresting many immigrants who do not pose a threat to public safety, such as a Falls Church woman deported to El Salvador last week. Some members of Congress have raised concerns
about spending limited federal dollars to deport otherwise law-abiding immigrants, who are often parents of U.S. citizens. Congresswoman Louise Slaughter, D-New York, criticized the GOPled House for “conjuring up red meat partisan political bills - like deporting immigrants despite the major issues facing this country at this time.” Hundreds of local jurisdictions, from county sheriffs to major cities such as New York, have adopted sanctuary policies that limit their cooperation with ICE, the agency that detains and deports immigrants. Sanctuary cities say aiding immigration agents deters immigrants from reporting crime and could lead to racial profiling and the deportations for minor offenses. In Houston, which sought to join the El Cenizo lawsuit Friday, police noted a sharp decline in reports by Hispanics of sexual assault and violent crime
in the first three months of 2017, compared to the same period last year. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) says the law would enhance public safety by ensuring that sanctuary cities turn over immigrants who have been arrested for crimes. He and others have cited cases in which immigrants have been released and reoffended. As a candidate, Trump campaigned against sanctuary cities. On Jan. 25, days after he took office, he issued an executive order vowing to strip federal funding from those that refuse to enforce immigration law. In April, a federal judge in San Francisco temporarily halted that order after the city and Santa Clara County filed a lawsuit and the Trump administration acknowledged that its crackdown was far narrower than the president and his aides had indicated. Ten states - including Texas - have backed the Trump administration in the San Francisco case.
able with up to two years in jail and a $10,000 fine. He was behind bars as of Friday afternoon, according to custody records. Authorities had put out a lookout Monday for
Salinas and Luis Angel Vela. Vela remains at large. Zapata Crime Stoppers will pay a cash reward to anyone who provides anonymous information leading to his arrest.
People with information on his whereabouts are asked to contact the Sheriff's Office at 956-7659960 or Zapata Crime Stoppers at 765-TIPS (8477).
speeding toward Laredo. Authorities then discovered the vehicle had crashed into an electric pole at the intersection of U.S. 83 and ManganaHein Road. Five people, including three immigrants, were taken to local hospitals. Identified as the driver, Vargas sustained minor injuries while the front passenger, Crystal Cantu, was taken to San Antonio in critical condition. She was later arrested via indictment in January 2016. Agents had also pulled over the Jeep while attempting to stop the Jetta at Becerra Creek and U.S.
83. Leonel Cantu was the driver and Cortinas the front passenger. A rear passenger was identified but did not face criminal charges.
of the brush to enter the Jetta, according to court documents. Cortinas stated he went with Leonel Cantu to lookout for law enforcement during a human smuggling attempt. He added he was to be paid, records show. Vargas claimed he was not getting paid but saw the people on the side of the road. When they flagged him down, he pulled over to offer them a ride to the nearest gas station for food and water. Vargas told authorities, “they looked like wetbacks,” states the complaint.
La Perla Ranch Homeland Security Investigations took over the case. Leonel Cantu, Cortinas and Vargas agreed to speak with authorities at the time of the incident. Leonel Cantu stated he was to be paid for scouting for law enforcement while his friend Crystal Cantu would pick up the immigrants at La Perla Ranch near Zapata. Seven people came out
DETROIT — Honda is going public in an effort to debunk claims by lawyers that it knew about the hazards of exploding Takata air bag inflators nearly two decades ago but covered them up. The automaker issued a statement Friday that outlines its defense against claims that Honda should compensate car owners because the use of Takata air bags caused their vehicles to lose value. The public escalation of Honda’s fight comes just three days before Takata Corp. is expected to file for bankruptcy protection in Japan and the United States. The company’s inflators can explode with too much force, blowing apart a metal canister and hurling shrapnel into drivers and passengers. The faulty inflators have killed at least 16 people worldwide and injured another 180. Many are suing Takata as well as Honda and other automakers over deaths and injuries, and for loss of value of their cars. The problem touched off the largest automotive recall in U.S. history involving 42 million vehicles and 69 million inflators. Unlike other air bag makers, Takata uses the explosive chemical ammonium nitrate to inflate air bags, but it can deteriorate over time and burn too fast. Honda, which for years was Takata’s biggest customer, released an email from a company engineer that seems to show he knew about Takata problems and was afraid to speak up. But Honda says the email is being taken out of context by plaintiffs’ lawyers. It also released an affidavit from the engineer saying he had incorrectly concluded that a 1999 Takata inflator explosion was caused by the same problem that plagues the inflators today. U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno in Miami is overseeing pretrial evidence-gathering in the cases. Honda said it has asked Moreno to admit
Takata’s criminal plea bargain as evidence, a strategy that other automakers will also pursue. Plea documents say Takata concealed the inflator problems and agreed to pay penalties and restitution. Honda also wants to admit deposition testimony of Takata employees that “establishes that Honda was a victim of Takata’s fraud, not a participant.” Attorneys say Honda and at least four other automakers knew the inflators were dangerous, yet continued to use them because they were inexpensive. Automakers have denied the allegations. Lawyers suing Honda want the Japanese engineer to testify. In the 2013 email, the unidentified engineer wrote to a colleague that he is a “witness in the dark” who knows the truth about Takata inflators. The engineer wrote that if he spoke to government safety regulators “it will cause a complete reversal in the auto industry” on Takata. In the affidavit, the engineer says a prototype Takata inflator blew apart when he tested it in October 1999. Takata blamed it on a welding problem, but he didn’t believe Takata did a thorough investigation. When he wrote the email, the engineer believed that the 1999 rupture was caused by deteriorating ammonium nitrate. But the prototype inflator was too new to have deteriorated, he wrote. “I now understand that I was incorrect and the root cause of the (inflator explosions) is not related to the root cause of the October 1999 prototype rupture,” the engineer wrote. Peter Prieto, lead attorney for the Takata plaintiffs, said in a statement that the engineer’s email is one of many that lawyers have uncovered showing that Honda was aware of the safety risks of Takata inflators. “Even after dozens of air bag ruptures killed or seriously injured Honda customers, Honda continued to equip its vehicles with dangerous Takata air bags and waited years to take action to protect consumers,” the statement said.
A10 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT
Lawyers seek to free inmate featured in Netflix series By Todd Richmond and Steve Karnowski A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MADISON, Wis. — Attorneys for a Wisconsin inmate featured in the Netflix series “Making a Murderer” petitioned for his immediate release Friday after a federal appeals court ruled that his confession was coerced. Lawyers for Brendan Dassey filed papers Friday with the Chicago-based 7th Circuit Court of Appeals asking that he be released on his own recognizance, saying Thursday’s decision by a three-judge appeals panel left no reason for further delays. The state is unlikely to prevail in any further appeals or if it retries the case without his confession, they wrote, but said those appeals could prolong Dassey’s time in prison “by months, if not years.” The court gave prosecutors until 5 p.m. Monday to file a response. Dassey was sentenced to life in prison in 2007 in photographer Teresa Halbach’s death on Halloween two years earlier. Dassey told detectives he helped his uncle, Steven Avery, rape and kill Halbach at the Avery family’s Manitowoc County salvage yard. Avery was sentenced to life in a separate trial. Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said earlier Friday that the state would take whatever steps are necessary to keep Dassey
Morry Gash / AP
In a 2006 file photo, Brendan Dassey is escorted out of a Manitowoc County Circuit courtroom, in Manitowoc, Wisconsin. A three-judge panel from the 7th Circuit on Thursday affirmed that Dassey, an inmate featured in the Netflix series "Making a Murderer" was coerced into confessing and should be released from prison.
behind bars. He said it would be dangerous to release him, given the seriousness of the crime. Speaking on WTMJ-AM, Schimel said his initial move would be asking the full 7th Circuit to review the panel’s decision. A federal magistrate judge overturned Dassey’s conviction in August, ruling that investigators coerced a then-16year-old Dassey, who suffers from intellectual challenges, into confessing. That court said Dassey, now 27, should be freed, but put a hold on his release pending the appeal. In a 2-1 decision, the appeals panel affirmed
that court’s ruling, saying “no reasonable court” could have any confidence that Dassey’s confession was voluntary. Avery is pursuing his own appeal in state court. He and Dassey contend they were framed by police angry with Avery for suing Manitowoc County over his wrongful conviction for sexual assault years earlier. Their cases gained national attention in 2015 after Netflix aired “Making a Murderer,” a multipart documentary looking at Halbach’s death and the ensuing investigation and trials. Authorities insisted the series was biased.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 24, 2017 |
A11
INTERNATIONAL LA-area father arrested on suspicion of killing missing son By Andrew Dalton ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Tiziana Fabi / AFP/Getty Images
Pope Francis delivers a speech during an audience to participants at the 75th Serra International Convention for the promotion of vocations to the priesthood and religious life Friday at the Vatican.
Pope asked to clarify divorce-remarriage By Nicole Winfield A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
VATICAN CITY — Four conservative cardinals who publicly questioned Pope Francis’ opening to divorced and civilly remarried Catholics are pressing their case and arguing that the issue is dividing the Catholic Church. In a new letter, the cardinals ask Francis for an audience, noting he never responded to their written request for clarification in September. Francis published “Joy of Love” last year, opening the door to letting civilly remarried Catholics receive Communion. Church teaching says these Catholics must either obtain an annulment of their first marriage or abstain from sex, if they want to receive Communion. Since then, bishops and bishops’ conferences
around the world have issued different interpretations of what Francis wrote. More conservative bishops have reaffirmed traditional church teaching on the indissolubility of marriage; others have taken Francis’ opening and gone further. The bishops of Malta, for example, said sometimes it might be “humanly impossible” for the new couple to abstain from sex. In the new letter, published by the blog of veteran Vatican journalist Sandro Magister, the cardinals lamented: “How painful it is to see this — that what is sin in Poland is good in Germany, that what is prohibited in the archdiocese of Philadelphia is permitted in Malta.” “Faced with this grave situation, in which many Christian communities are being divided, we feel the weight of our respon-
sibility, and our conscience impels us to ask humbly and respectfully for an audience,” said the letter, dated May 6 and signed by Cardinal Carlo Caffarra, emeritus archbishop of Bologna, on behalf of the other three. Francis hasn’t responded, though he has made clear that he wants his church to show a more merciful and less rigid face for Catholics facing difficult family situations. That said, on Wednesday he made clear that marriage is forever. In his weekly Wednesday catechism lesson, Francis noted that the nuptial Mass invokes the help of saints to help newlyweds live as a married couple forever. “Not like some say ‘as long as love lasts.’ No: Forever! Otherwise it’s better to not get married. Either forever or nothing,” he said.
LOS ANGELES — The father of a Southern California 5-year-old who has been missing for two months was arrested Friday afternoon in Las Vegas on suspicion of his son’s murder, authorities said. A Los Angeles County sheriff’s statement said Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35 was arrested in coordination with authorities in Las Vegas and was being held there on $10 million bail. Sheriff’s investigators presented evidence to LA County prosecutors, who deemed it sufficient to arrest Andressian, the statement said. But the department would give no further details on what that evidence was, or what An-
dressian was doing in Nevada. Nicole Nishida, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department, declined to say what evidence led to Andressian’s arrest. A news conference is scheduled for Monday. A message left seeking comment from Andressian’s attorney was not immediately returned. Investigators have been searching for 5year-old Aramazd Andressian Jr. since his father was found passed out in a large park in South Pasadena on April 22. Sheriff’s officials say the father had taken prescription pills and was found in a car doused in gasoline. The father was initially arrested on suspicion of child endangerment, but he was later released.
Authorities say the boy was last seen April 20 with his father, leaving Disneyland in Anaheim. The Sheriff’s Department has been mostly silent on the case since serving a search warrant at the home of Andressian Sr.’s mother nearly a month ago. They have combed Arroyo Seco Park in South Pasadena where the father was found several times in the past few months, using dogs and drones to help in the search. The boy’s mother has publicly pleaded for his safe return. “To my son, this message is for you my love: be brave, honey,” Ana Estevez said through tears on May 18. “I am counting the days until I see you honey and I will never stop looking for you.”
World’s Ugliest Dog Contest awards inner beauty By Linda Wang ASSOCIATED PRE SS
PETALUMA, Calif. — The homely hounds and their humans arrived hours before the show to socialize and size up the competition at the World’s Ugliest Dog Contest Friday, where dog lovers celebrate the imperfections of man’s best friend. Many of the contestants are adopted. Monkey, a 6-year-old Brussel Griffon, and Icky, an 8-yearold unknown breed, were both rescued from a hoarding situation. These dogs — some with acne, others with tongues permanently sticking out — are used to
getting called ugly. But for their owners, it was love at first sight. “He’s my sexy boy,” Vicky Adler, of Davis, California, said of her 8-year-old Chinese Crest named Zoomer. At 16 years old, Moe, a Brussel Griffon pug, is this year’s most senior contestant this year. He has lost his hearing and sight but his sense of smell is strong and he was enjoying all the smells the fairground offered — including funnel cakes and other fried goodies. The pooches will face off in a red carpet walk and “Faux Paw Fashion Show.” The contestants
are judged on first impressions, unusual attributes, personality and audience reaction. A blind ChihuahuaChinese Crested mix named Sweepee Rambo bested 16 other ugly entries in last year’s competition and waddled away with $1,500, a trophy and a flight to New York with her owner for media appearances. Besides the main crown, the Spirit Award is presented to a dog and owner who have overcome obstacles or provide service to their community, organizers said. This is the 29th year the contest is being held at the Sonoma-Marin Fair.
Monarch butterflies tagged in Texas for migration research By Erinn Callahan A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
QUINTANA, Texas — A burst of color welcomes visitors to Quintana Beach County Park, orange-and-black butterflies dotting the vibrant hues of red, pink and purple that make up the pollinator garden. The Facts reports the microscopic monarch butterfly eggs aren’t easy to spot among the flowers, but Patty Brinkmeyer has an eye for this sort of thing. “Once you’ve looked for them so many times, you can pretty much find them,” the park director said, gingerly picking an egg from the leaves of a seedling. Brinkmeyer is doing her part to conserve an important piece of the Gulf Coast’s ecological puzzle by raising monarch butterflies and tagging them in order to check their migration patterns after she releases them into her pollinator garden. Once the latest monarch caterpillar hatches and emerges from its chrysalis, Brinkmeyer will attach a weatherproof tag with a unique serial number to its wing before releasing it into her garden. “You use a special kind of glue that will stick and not harm the butterflies,” Brinkmeyer explained as she demonstrated the process. “It doesn’t impede their flight.” All the butterflies kept
in a special tent in Brinkmeyer’s office are part of a monarch tagging program that tracks the winged creatures’ migration. Monarchs funnel through Texas on their way to Canada and Mexico in both the fall and the spring, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website. “From what we’ve found, it takes four generations to get to North America,” Brinkmeyer said. “The fourth generation makes the whole trip, so they live much longer.” Only 5 percent of monarch eggs make it to the butterfly stage, Brinkmeyer said, which is why she began raising the insects three years ago. “There’s been a big decline, mainly because of loss of habitat and pesticides. A lot of milkweed grows wild and if they develop the land, that’s gone,” she said. “They don’t have a long lifespan anyway but if you release them as a butterfly instead of letting something eat them while they’re an egg or caterpillar, they have a lot better chance.” In addition to tracking migration, Brinkmeyer has partnered with Oklahoma State University graduate student David Berman for his three-year study on the role Texas plays in the monarch migration, as well as the effect of certain parasites on the population. He has sample sites all over Tex-
as, including in Abilene, Kerrville and Rockport, he said. “Texas does play an important role, that’s indisputable,” Berman said. “One thing I’m hoping to clear up is where the conservation efforts should be focused. We do have to prioritize because we have limited resources toward conservation.” Brinkmeyer takes a few sample scales from each butterfly’s abdomen in order to test them for the OE parasite, which can burrow beneath the monarch’s scales. Berman frequently takes trips to the Gulf Coast to see what her work has uncovered. “OE isn’t fatal to butterflies but it does decrease their lifespan and make them weaker in general,” Berman said. “They might not actually be able to migrate and keep up the long distance.” With an already dramatic reduction in monarch population levels, it’s important to study any and all mitigating factors, including habitat loss and pesticides, Berman said. As a native pollinator, the monarchs play an important role in the overall ecosystem, he said. “A lot of plants native to the United States didn’t evolve with honeybees as their primary pollinator. There are still plants that don’t get pollinated as well by honeybees,” Berman said. “Native pollinators have evolved with
Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph / AP
Joel Enge poses for a portrait with monarch butterflies at Kingdom Life Academy's garden in Tyler, Texas. Monarchs funnel through Texas on their way to Canada and Mexico in both the fall and the spring, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s website.
Chelsea Purgahn/Tyler Morning Telegraph / AP
Hadassah Chapman, left, laughs as Michalah Garrett, right, tries to touch a monarch butterfly while Joel Enge holds a mesh laundry basket full of monarch butterflies over her head at Colonial Hills Baptist Church in Tyler, Texas. Monarchs funnel through Texas on their way to Canada and Mexico in both the fall and the spring, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.
these plants, so they do it much better.” Berman’s reasons for helping conserve monarch butterflies aren’t
purely ecological. Watching the butterflies converge in the sky on their way to Canada is a sight to behold, he said.
“It’s pretty dramatic to see,” Berman said. “It’d be a shame to lose a dramatic natural phenomenon like that.”
A12 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 24, 2017 |
NFL: COWBOYS
Matt Rourke / Associated Press file
Dallas running back Darren McFadden is happy with his backup role after the emergence of Ezekiel Elliott last season.
McFadden embracing backup role at RB RB had no interest in leaving Dallas By Drew Davison FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM
FRISCO, Texas — Darren McFadden didn’t care about chasing money. He didn’t have any reservations being relegated to a backup role yet again. McFadden simply wanted to stay with the Dallas Cowboys. His family lives here. He’s comfortable with the offense. And, oh yeah, the Cowboys are among the favorites to contend for a Super Bowl this season. "This is where I wanted to be, so I didn’t even get into negotiations with other teams," said McFadden, who re-signed a oneyear deal for the veteran minimum for $980,000. "I’d rather be comfortable and at home at this point in my career than chasing some money. A few hundred thousand extra dollars to me don’t make a difference." McFadden, who turns 30 in August, has made more than $48 million in his career, according to the salary website spotrac.com. But even though McFadden is content financially, that doesn’t mean he views himself as a lesser player. McFadden still feels as though he is in the prime of his career. The fourth overall pick in the 2008 NFL draft is only two years removed from being the league’s fourth-leading rusher. McFadden rushed for 1,089 yards on 239 carries in 2015, overtaking the starting job from Joseph Randle midway through the season. He played in only three games a year ago, though, fracturing his elbow before training camp. But McFadden served as a valuable mentor to rookie Ezekiel Elliott, who went on to lead the league in rushing. McFadden also accepted his role as the No. 2 back behind Elliott and contributed on special teams. That’s the type of role he envisions going into the 2017 season. "Obviously I’m going to be a backup guy," McFadden said. "Whatever they need me to do, I’m going to do it. If it’s special teams or whatever, I’m up for it. Cowboys continues on B2
B1
NBA: HOUSTON ROCKETS
NBA: SPURS
Hartenstein brings future versatility
Spurs select Colorado’s White in 1st round
Rockets get German big man
By Raul Dominguez ASSOCIATED PRE SS
By Jonathan Feigen HOUSTON CHRONICLE
If there is anything Isaiah Hartenstein believes he can bring to the Rockets, he said it is many things. In a three-minute conversation, Hartenstein – the Rockets' second-round pick on Thursday – said the word "versatile" five times. That versatility, he said, can do everything from allow him to help a team in a variety of ways to distinguish him from the player to whom he is most often compared, former Rockets forward/ center Donatas Motiejunas. "I can do a lot of things on the court," Hartenstein said. "Whatever teams need me to Rockets continues on B2
Associated Press file
The Rockets selected German Isaiah Hartenstein with their first pick of the NBA draft in the second round Thursday night.
SAN ANTONIO — Surreal. That is the only way Derrick White could describe his ascension from a high school player with 1 1/2 college scholarship offers to becoming a first-round pick of the vaunted San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio selected White with the No. 29 pick in the NBA draft on Thursday night. “It’s crazy to be a part of the Spurs organization,” White said. “They have a great history and Coach Pop (Gregg Popovich) has done an amazing job there. I just want to get there and join the Spurs way.” The 6-foot-5 combo guard averaged 18.3 points in his lone with the Buffaloes. Primarily a point guard, he shot 40 percent on 3-pointers and averaged 4.3 assists in 32.9 minutes. White started his career at Division II Colorado-Colorado Springs before transferring for his senior season. “He’s a good basketball player,” Spurs general manager R.C. BuSpurs continues on B2
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: DALLAS MAVERICKS
MAVS GET THEIR MAN IN NC STATE PG SMITH JR.
Ellen Ozier / Associated Press file
The Dallas Mavericks selected North Carolina State point guard Dennis Smith Jr. at No. 9 Thursday night in the NBA draft.
Smith Jr. the first No. 9 pick for Dallas since Nowitzki By Schuyler Dixon ASSOCIATED PRE SS
DALLAS — North Carolina State freshman point guard Dennis Smith Jr. was still available when the Dallas Mavericks came up at No. 9 in the NBA draft — the same spot that led them to Dirk Nowitzki nearly 20 years ago.
Coach Rick Carlisle described "thunderous" applause in the Dallas draft room Thursday night. President of basketball operations Donnie Nelson may have lost count of the chest bumps. "This is the guy that we were after," said Nelson, who said before the draft that point guard was the team's biggest need. "And if we would have drafted a lot
higher, he was the guy that we had circled." Carlisle projected Smith as a starter, with the obvious caveat that the job won't be handed to the 19-year-old who left the Wolfpack after his freshman season, barely a year removed from tearing a knee ligament as a high school Mavs continues on B2
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
Texans’ O'Brien gives QB Watson high marks for poise, confidence By John McClain HOUSTON CHRONICLE
Steve Gonzales / Houston Chronicle file
Texans coach Bill O'Brien credited rookie QB DeShaun Watson for his work this offseason.
During a lengthy interview this week on the state of the Texans after their offseason program, coach Bill O'Brien talked about how impressed he's been with rookie quarterback Deshaun Watson. O'Brien praised the Clemson coaches for Watson's development in
college, providing him with a solid foundation for the NFL. "He had to learn a pretty sophisticated offense at Clemson," O'Brien said. "He had to do a lot of things at the line of scrimmage. I think he was trained really well. That's a credit to the Clemson staff. "He'd already been in some big games when he got here. When he came
here, he put his head down and came to work every day." Not only has O'Brien been impressed with Watson's talent and ability to excel in big games like the national championship victory over Alabama, but he loves the quarterback's demeanor, including his confidence. "He's a very poised guy," O'Brien said. "I like the way he carries him-
self. I like the way he operates. He's a rookie, and he's not nearly where he needs to be to be a full-time starter in this league, but you can tell he's got a lot of qualities you like. "For being a rookie, he's wise beyond his years. He asks great questions in the morning meeting, and you can tell he's studied the night Texans continues on B2
B2 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SPORTS
Spurs shopped Aldridge, Green on NBA draft night By Tom Orsborn SA N A N TONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO – Spurs general manager R.C. Buford indicated the club did indeed try to trade up in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft on Thursday night. Reports surfaced before the draft began that the Spurs were shopping power forward LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Danny Green. After the Spurs' bid to pull off a blockbuster failed, they used the 29th overall pick to select Colorado guard Derrick White. In the second round, they chose Clemson forward Jaron Blossomgame with the 59th overall pick. "This was a particularly talented draft, so there is always all kind of discussions going on," Bu-
SPURS From page B1 ford said. “He’s not really a point guard, he’s not really an off guard. He’s a guard and he can shoot the ball. We think he can defend at a higher level than he has up until this point. When you have to do so much for the team like he did at Colorado, he couldn’t get in foul trouble, he needed his energy to score.” White credits the move to Division I for his first-round selection. Coming out of Legend High School in Parker, Colorado, Parker only received a scholarship offer from a junior college in Wyoming and a partial scholarship to Colorado Springs. “It just drove me to get better each time,” White said of the limited opportunities. “You have the doubters, you just put a little chip on your shoulder. It was humbling at times, but it made me work harder just to keep that chip on my shoulder to continue to never be satisfied.” San Antonio also se-
MAVS From page B1 senior. If Smith does start, he'll be the rare case of a draft pick to do so in Dallas. Nowitzki did it for about half the season in 1998-99, after the Mavericks used the sixth pick to get Robert Traylor for Milwaukee and had the Bucks take the 7-foot German with the ninth choice. That's the last time Dallas entered the draft with a top 10 pick. The addition of Smith means four of the five starting spots are filled, because if he doesn't start, he'll likely be behind Yogi Ferrell. The former Indiana guard had a dazzling debut in Dallas that earned the undrafted rookie earned a two-year deal after joining the team on a 10-day contract. But the Mavericks believe Ferrell is a better fit as a backup, with veterans J.J. Barea and Devin Harris also available to play point. The other three starters under contract are Nowitzki, shooting guard Wesley Matthews and forward Harrison Barnes. Dallas is likely to match offers for center
ford said. "You never know what is real and you never know where you are going to get. But we were excited where we were and are excited to get the guys (White and secondround forward Jaron Blossomgame,) in here and get it going with them." Aldridge, who reportedly asked for a trade, has two years left on the fouryear, $84 million contract he signed in summer 2015. The deal includes a player option for the 2018-19 season, but Aldridge has remained non-committal when it comes to pledging to a long-term relationship with the Spurs. In his first season with the team, he earned his fifth All-Star nod. But his per-game averages of 17.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in 2016-17 were his lowest
Edward A. Ornelas / San Antonio Express-News file
San Antonio shopped forward LaMarcus Aldridge and guard Danny Green on draft night but didn’t find the right deals for either.
conference finals," Buford said. "We are happy with the group we have. If we can make it better, we will do it at any opportunity we can. But it's more than just players. It's the fit for
our group. Our goals for this team are to continue to compete for championships and LaMarcus helps us do that. That's where we sit with LaMarcus."
since his rookie season in Portland. On top of that, he struggled at times in the playoffs. Buford was asked to address reports that Aldridge, 31, had asked to be
traded. His answer covered all the bases and did not deny that such a request was made. "We have a team that has won 128 games (with Aldridge), been to the
lected Clemson senior Jaron Blossomgame with the 59th pick late in the draft. The 6-foot-7 small forward averaged 17.7 points and 6.3 rebounds for the Tigers. Blossomgame and White will both take part in the Spurs’ summer league schedule. “To become a professional, there’s a certain maturity level that comes with that,” Spurs assistant general manager Brian Wright said of the two four-year players. “With older guys, guys that have been through it and have had to work their way through it, I think they come in with a different level of maturity and understanding of what it takes to be a pro.” The draft selections are the first step in what could be a frenzied offseason for the Spurs. San Antonio is reportedly interested in adding All-Star point guard Chris Paul through free agency, but would have to clear salary cap space to do so. That possibility has led to trade speculation about LaMarcus Aldridge and fellow
starter Danny Green. “The thing I’d say is we’ve got a team that’s won 128 games (over the past two seasons) and been in the conference finals,” Buford said. “We’re happy with the group we have. If we can make it better, we’ll do it at any opportunity we can. But it’s more than just players, it’s the fit for our group. Our goals for this team are to continue to compete for championships and LaMarcus helps us do that. So, that’s where we sit with LaMarcus.” The Spurs must also decide whether to resign free agents Patty Mills, Jonathon Simmons, Dewayne Dedmon and David Lee. Pau Gasol is a free agent after declining his $16.2 player option for next season, but wants to remain in San Antonio on a longer deal that will provide the team with more cap flexibility. The Spurs are also awaiting a decision by veteran guard Manu Ginobili on whether he will retire or return for a 16th season.
TEXANS From page B1
COWBOYS From page B1
before. Every practice isn't perfect. He knows he needs to get a lot better. And he did get better every day during the spring. It's no pads, of course. It's not real football, but he did improve in his knowledge of the offense.” O'Brien's system gives the quarterback a lot of freedom at the line of scrimmage. "We put a lot on his plate during the spring, and he handled it very well," O'Brien said. "He made mistakes, and he corrected them. You don't see him make the same mistake twice. "He can do a lot of things. He can operate our running game and in our passing game. He's got a lot of athleticism. I don't think we'll have to limit him. Training camp and preseason games will be a big test."
At the end of the day, it’s a team sport. I’m a team guy. That’s what I love about the game." But isn’t it hard for a guy who entered the game as a top pick to settle for a backup role? McFadden was the Oakland Raiders’ lead back for much of his eight years there, and then had success in that role for the Cowboys. "It’s tough, you know what I’m saying, but at the same time it’s a team sport," McFadden said. "I’ve been around the game long enough to know that eventually someone is going to come in who is going to try to run you out. "I’m blessed to be 10 years in the league as a running back still playing. It’s one thing I’m very happy about." McFadden hasn’t lost his confidence in his abilities, either. If something were to happen to Elliott, McFadden feels he could step in and have similar production behind the Cowboys’ offensive line. "At the end of the day, I still can run the ball," McFadden said. "I don’t feel like I’ve lost a step. I don’t feel like I’ve slowed down anything at all. I can still run the ball.
Nerlens Noel, a restricted free agent. The Mavericks acquired him at the trading deadline last season when they were retooling the roster to get younger after a woeful start led to a 33-49 finish. It was just the second time in the past 17 seasons that Dallas has missed the playoffs. "This is a historic night for us," Carlisle said. "Playmaking is an especially important part of the NBA game now, that having guys like Dennis Smith Jr. that can create simply on their own, and on pick and rolls, pick and rolls with Dirk, is a great blessing for us to have." Smith enrolled early at NC State in January 2016 after the high school injury so he could play as a freshman. He's the only Atlantic Coast Conference player to record two triple-doubles in the same season, and he averaged 18.1 points per game. Smith led ACC freshmen in scoring, assists and steals. His only season with the Wolfpack was challenging because of the in-season announcement that coach Mark Gottfried wouldn't re-
turn as the team struggled to a 15-17 finish. Nelson figures that's part of the reason Smith was still around when it was the Mavs' turn. "I can use it as fuel to the fire," said Smith, who set NC State's freshman scoring record and was the school's first top 10 pick since Tom Gugliotta went sixth to Washington in 1992. "I've been underrated my whole life. That's perfectly line with me. I'm accustomed to it." Carlisle said the Mavericks didn't bring in Smith for an individual workout because they didn't think he would be available. The club recently sent a couple of representatives to his pro day in Raleigh, North Carolina, and Smith had a video phone conversation with Nelson, Carlisle and former Dallas guard Michael Finley, now a member of the front office. "This is one we had to get right and one what we had to get lucky with," Nelson said. "We feel both of those things kind of fell in place. You don't want to get too excited about players, but he's got all the right stuff."
ROCKETS From page B1 do, I can do. Being very mobile for my height, I can put the ball on the floor, defend different positions. Me being very versatile helps me a lot." There would seem some similarities with Motiejunas. Hartenstein is also a left-handed professional in Europe with a well-rounded offensive game. He has had some back issues, though he said he is "perfectly fine" and did not miss a game or practice last season. Motiejunas is from Lithuania and Hartenstein, a German who was born in Oregon, played in Motiejunas' hometown of Kaunas last season. They even share the same agent, B.J. Armstrong. The most immediate similarity could be that Hartenstein, like Motiejunas, will spend his first season after the draft overseas, Rockets general manager Daryl Morey said. "He's already playing at a good level professionally," Morey said. "Guys who play overseas, 7footers like that, they are very skilled and fit well with coach (Mike) D'Antoni's system. We're excited for him. Fans will have to wait a little bit. Some of the guys we've drafted in the past are going to be on the team next year." The Rockets intend to sign Zhou Qi, last season's second-round pick, next month. They also reached an agreement on a largely unguaranteed
contract with undrafted Nevada forward Cameron Oliver. The Rockets traded the rights to their other second-round pick on Thursday, Oregon's Dillon Brooks, for the worst of Memphis' three second-round picks – their own, Charlotte's and Miami's – next season. Morey said the Rockets had expected Hartenstein to have been taken earlier and had scouted him in Lithuania. "A potential two-way player," Morey said. "As usual, was very surprised he was available. Was a target for us for a while. "Born in the U.S., moved to Germany when he was 11. Mobile. A 7footer. Really skilled. Another lefty. We really like his potential." For all the similarities, Hartenstein is bigger than Motiejunas at 7-0, 250, and said his game is different. "We're kind of different players," Hartenstein said. "I'm probably more versatile than he was. He was a really good player in general. Me coming in, I can pass the ball a little better. I'm a little more physical, I think." Though he will not be with the Rockets next season, Hartenstein did believe he is well prepared to make the jump. "I mean, definitely just being in different situations in my life, coming from Eugene to Germany then to Lithuania really helped me mature as a player and as a person, and I think I was really ready for this step, and I think now just getting
picked where I got picked, I think now I'm just coming in with another chip on my shoulder," Hartenstein said. "Being around my dad (Florian) really helped me a lot. I mean, I've been around professionals since I was 11, practicing already when I was 15." Though his father played at Oregon before a professional career in Germany, Hartenstein said he models his game after current NBA stars. "Anthony Davis, how versatile he is," Hartenstein said. "Draymond Green, does all the little stuff, how good a passer he is. Also, Kevin Love outlet passes I think I can do that, also." The Rockets will not expect all that, but Hartenstein did believe there is a good fit with what he can do and the team he hopes to join. He averaged 20.2 points and 12 rebounds last season. "It's definitely a good organization," Hartenstein said. "Coming into a winning team is a good plus. I love winning. Coming in and doing the little stuff, I think I'm very versatile, do a lot of things on the court, shoot the ball, pass the ball, rebound. Then on defense I play against different positions. I think I help the team a lot. Whatever the team needs me to do, I'll do. "I mean, in my career I just want to be a winner. That's just being a champion at the end of my career, that people know I'm a champion. That's probably the biggest thing."
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, June 24, 2017 |
Dear Readers: * Strawberries were cultivated in ancient Rome. • They are not really a fruit or a berry but the enlarged receptacle of the flower. • Strawberries are a member of the rose family. • They're high in Vitamin C, potassium and antioxidants. • They were used for medicinal purposes in the 13th century. -- Heloise MICROFIBER CLOTHS Dear Readers: I've been asked how to clean microfiber cleaning cloths, so here are the instructions: • First, separate the microfiber cloths from the rest of your laundry, because these will be washed separately. • If stains on your microfiber cloths bother you, pre-treat them with whatever you use to pre-
treat your regular laundry. • Use your regular laundry soap, but DO NOT use a fabric softener on microfiber. • You can use your dryer to dry the microfiber, but use medium heat, or better yet, dry on a line outside, weather permitting. -- Heloise EASY POTATO DINNER Dear Heloise: Here is an easy and quick onepot dinner using leftovers that tastes delicious and can serve 4 to 6 adults. You'll need: 4-5 average-size white potatoes 1 large yellow or white onion, sliced 6-8 mushrooms, sliced Salt and pepper to taste
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B4 | Saturday, June 24, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
SPORTS
Discrimination lawsuit by ex-Texas coach can go ahead By Jim Vertuno ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Associated Press file
Massachusetts prosecutors are appealing a court ruling that erased Aaron Hernandez’s 2013 murder conviction following his suicide.
Prosecutors appeal Hernandez’s voided murder conviction A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
BOSTON — Massachusetts prosecutors on Friday appealed a court ruling that erased former NFL star Aaron Hernandez’s murder conviction in the 2013 killing of a semiprofessional football player. Hernandez’s conviction in the fatal shooting of Odin Lloyd was voided after the former New England Patriots player killed himself in prison. Under a long-held Massachusetts legal principle, courts typically erase the convictions of defendants who die before their direct appeals can be heard. Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn III filed an appeal with a single justice of the Supreme Judicial Court on Friday. He called the rule “archaic” and said it “does not serve the public interest.” “A defendant who commits suicide should not be able to manipulate the outcome of his post-conviction proceedings to achieve in death what he would not be able to achieve in life,” Quinn said. Hernandez’s appellate attorneys, John Thompson and Linda Thompson, could not immediately be
reached for comment. A message was left at their office in Springfield. Hernandez took his own life in April days after he was acquitted in a separate, 2012 double slaying in Boston. The legal principle known as abatement ab initio, or “from the beginning,” holds that a conviction should not be considered final until an appeal in the criminal case can determine whether mistakes were made that deprived the defendant of a fair trial. In their appeal Friday, prosecutors argue that some states have moved away from automatically erasing convictions when defendants die before appeals can be heard. More than a dozen states allow appeals to continue even after death and only dismiss convictions when the appellate court finds that a new trial would have been warranted. Prosecutors said courts should strike a balance between the rights of defendants and the rights of victims. Lloyd’s mother fought back tears after a judge voided Hernandez’s conviction in her son’s killing.
AUSTIN, Texas — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday refused to block a sex and race discrimination lawsuit filed against the University of Texas by former women’s track coach Bev Kearney, who was forced out after the school learned of a romantic relationship with one of her athletes a decade earlier. Kearney’s lawsuit claims that as a black woman, she was held to a tougher standard than a white male coach or other school officials who she alleges were in relationships with subordinates. Shortly after Kearney resigned under pressure, Texas revealed that former football assistant Major Applewhite was reprimanded, but not fired, for a relationship with a female student trainer on a 2009 bowl trip. Applewhite is now the head coach at Houston. Kearney’s lawyers say they will press forward with their lawsuit and will seek testimony from several current and former Texas officials, including former football coach Mack Brown, former men’s athletic director DeLoss Dodds, former school President Bill Powers and current women’s athletic director Chris Plonsky. “This means Ms. Kearney’s case will be coming back to life,” said Kearney’s attorney, Jody Mask. “Absolutely, we will be seeking those depositions as soon as we are allowed.” Two lower courts had allowed Kearney’s case to proceed before the school appealed to the state Supreme Court, which did not issue an opinion with its decision to reject the school’s request. Texas can ask the state Supreme Court to reconsider its decision, although such motions are rarely granted. Mask said Kearney is willing to meet with university officials to consider a settlement. Texas has
Ralph Barrera / Associated Press file
Former Texas women’s track coach Bev Kearney’s sex and race discrimination lawsuit filed against the University of Texas was not blocked by the Texas Supreme Court on Friday.
already paid private attorneys more than $400,000 to defend the lawsuit, according to financial records obtained by The Associated Press. More than $200,000 was paid to the law firm of attorney David Beck, who left the case when he was named to the Texas Board of Regents in early 2015. A university spokesman said the school would not comment on Kearney or the lawsuit. School officials have said in the past that Kearney “crossed the line” of behavior for a coach and that the school acted appropriately in forcing her out. All evidence gathering and witness interviews have been on hold since the university pushed the case into the appeals courts in late 2014. That move came shortly after Kearney’s lawyers first informed Texas they would seek depositions from several former and current school officials. Applewhite is the only person deposed so far. His interview and documents previously released to Kearney’s lawyers were sealed by a court order, requested by the university on the grounds that it was
needed to protect private student information. Mask said he will also ask the trial court to lift the protective order. “There are a host of documents we believe the public, media and taxpayers should have access to,” Mask said. Kearney was one of the most successful women’s track coaches in the country and was considered for a significant raise in 2012 until the 2002 relationship with one of her runners was reported to school officials. She resigned in January 2013 under threat of being fired. She now lives in California. Current track coach Mario Sategna took a personal leave last year and was later placed on administrative leave as the school conducted an ethics and conduct investigation. The reason for the investigation was never made public and Sategna was allowed to return to work in January after the school said its concerns had been addressed. The state attorney general’s office has ruled school officials can keep the results of that investigation secret.
Raiders reward QB Carr with $125M deal By Josh Dubow A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
ALAMEDA, Calif. — Derek Carr and general manager Reggie McKenzie never doubted the two sides could reach a longterm contract agreement to keep the quarterback with the Raiders before Carr’s self-imposed training camp deadline. Carr was open about how much he wanted to spend his entire career with the organization and after a decade searching for a franchise quarterback the Raiders weren’t about to let a player they drafted and developed leave just as he was becoming a star. So the two sides were able to agree on a fiveyear, $125 million extension that makes Carr the NFL’s richest player, at least temporarily, and won’t hinder the team’s ability to give its other young stars like AP Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack, receiver Amari Cooper and guard Gabe Jackson new contracts before they hit free agency. “I think that both sides wanted it to get done,” Carr said Friday. “It was two family members just figuring out how to get along, and we did. We figured out a way to do it so that we have the opportunity to sign the other guys that I think are important to this organization. That was
really important to me, not just to take every single dime that we could.” Carr will still get plenty. The $25 million per year in new money is the richest contract ever in the NFL, beating out the $24.8 million a year Andrew Luck got from Indianapolis. That could be surpassed with Detroit’s Matthew Stafford and Washington’s Kirk Cousins in line for new deals soon. But Carr is not worried about that and the Raiders are pleased to have the face of their franchise under contract through 2022 as they prepare to move to Las Vegas in 2020. “From the outset, both sides wanted the deal done, and I felt our guys did a great job getting together and hammering it out,” McKenzie said. “We both wanted the same thing. That part was easy. We could tell that Derek wanted to be here. And we let him know, without a doubt, that we wanted him here.” Carr has transformed the Raiders from a perennial loser into a contender after being drafted in the second round in 2014. He was part of a stellar draft class with Mack and Jackson that has been key to Oakland’s turnaround. Carr has helped the Raiders go from an 0-10
start his rookie season to 12 wins and the franchise’s first playoff berth since 2002 last year to possible Super Bowl contenders this season. Last year’s run was derailed when Carr broke his leg in the second-tolast game of the regular season and the Raiders then lost their first playoff game in Houston. But with Carr healthy, most of the other key players back and Marshawn Lynch providing a boost at running back, the Raiders are hoping for even bigger things this season. Carr has thrown for 11,194 yards in his first three seasons and ranks fourth all-time with 81 touchdown passes through three years, trailing only Dan Marino, Luck and Peyton Manning. He has shown dramatic improvement each season in his career and was at his best last year when he led seven fourth-quarter comebacks while completing a career-high 63.8 percent of his passes. He threw for 3,937 yards with 28 touchdowns and only six interceptions. “I think I’ve set a standard for myself, the organization and for this team, personally, that no amount of money is going to matter. It doesn’t matter,” he said. “You can give me a dollar, you can give me $25 million, it doesn’t matter to me. My
Dan Honda / Bay Area News Group file
Derek Carr set an NFL record with the $25 million per year in new money in a five-year extension he finalized with the Raiders Thursday.
goal is that I make sure I give everything I have to this organization. There’s no pressure, there’s no, ‘We’ll be on the 1-yard line and I won’t give it to Marshawn, I’ll throw it.’ None of that stuff. I don’t care about the stats, that’s not my No. 1 objective.” Carr has no extravagant plans for his newfound riches. He wants to eat some Chick-fil-A, buy something nice for his
wife, Heather, and donate money to his church and charity groups in places like Haiti that are important to him. His teammates had other ideas. Cornerback Sean Smith suggested he buy a fancy European sports car, tackle Donald Penn had a list of gifts he wanted, but mostly his teammates congratulated him on the deal. “All of my teammates
to a man said, ‘Man you work your tail off, you deserve it,”’ Carr said. “I don’t feel like I deserve it. But just them saying that grabbed my heart because they’re the ones I go to battle with, they’re the ones I work with every single day. What they have to say really matters to me. I do know I will have to owe them all a big dinner. That will be fun.”