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ZAPATA COUNTY FIRE DEPARTMENT
Emergency service positions available EMT, firefighter and paramedic jobs vacant By César G. Rodriguez LAREDO MORNING TIME S Carolyn Kaster / AP
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky speaks during a news conference in Washington on Tuesday. President Donald Trump blasted congressional Democrats and "a few Republicans" over the collapse of the GOP effort to rewrite the Obama health care law.
The Zapata County Fire Department announced recently they are looking for people to serve the community. On Saturday, officials said
they will be accepting applications for the following positions: EMT, EMT-I, paramedic, EMT firefighter, EMT-I firefighter and paramedic firefighter. Those interested in applying can pick up an application with Nellie Treviño at the Zapata
County Courthouse. “The primary mission of the department is to provide emergency services within the County of Zapata and to respond to other incidents as required; the protection of life within Zapata County, and to establish a public
safety education program for the children and elderly residents of Zapata County while working in conjunction with other county departments to provide a better place for the residents of Zapata County,” the department’s website states.
SAN YGNACIO, TEXAS
Donald Trump: Let Obamacare fail By Erica Werner and Alan Fram A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump declared Tuesday it’s time to “let Obamacare fail” after the latest GOP health care plan crashed and burned in the Senate, a stunning failure for the president, Republican leader Mitch McConnell and a party that has vowed for years to abolish the law. In a head-spinning series of developments, rank-and-file Republican senators turned on McConnell and Trump for the third time in a row, denying the votes to move forward with a plan for a straight-up repeal of “Obamacare.” This time, it was three GOP women — Susan Collins of Maine, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia — who delivered the death blow. All had been shut out of McConnell’s initial all-male working group on health care. McConnell, who could afford to lose only two votes in the narrowly divided Senate, had turned to the repeal-only bill after his earlier repeal-andreplace measure was rejected on Monday. That had followed the failure of an earlier version of the bill last month. The successive defeats made clear that despite seven years of promises to repeal former President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, Republicans apparently cannot deliver. Nonetheless, McConnell insisted he would move forward with a vote on his measure to repeal the law, effective in two years, with a promise to work — along with Democrats — to replace it in the meantime. The vote could come as soon as Wednesday. It appears doomed to fail, but GOP leaders want to put lawmakers on record on the issue and move on. At the White House, Trump appeared to recognize defeat, at least for the moment, while insisting he bore none of the blame. “I think we’re probably in that position where we’ll just let Obamacare fail,” the president said. “We’re not going to own it. I’m not going to own it. I can tell you that the Republicans are not going to own it. We’ll let Obamacare fail and then the Fail continues on A11
Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times
This June 27 file photo shows an exterior view of Meg Guerra's ranch home in San Ygnacio, Texas.
MEG GUERRA’S CALLING The ranch is where she goes to get work done By Julia Wallace LAREDO MORNING TIME S
O
n a June morning at her ranch outside San Ygnacio, Meg Guerra makes a pot of coffee but doesn’t drink it. She’s sitting where she will sometimes work, on a bench at a folding table she has set up in her freestanding porch, looking out on screenedin 360-degree views. There’s the main house with the blue trim and the yellow hearth, the books and the wall of photos depicting her family through the years at this ranch. There’s the casita where her grandchildren sleep when they visit, with peaceful Guerra white walls. There’s the horse, and there’s the monte, and there’s the entrance to Santa Maria Ranch. This is where Guerra likes to write, but it’s also where she likes to work with her hands. “The ranch has always been a place where you just got to work out whatever it was that was in your heart or on your conscience,” she said. Guerra, by the way, is impossibly eloquent. She says things like this off the cuff: “There’s something about working in silence. And I’m
Danny Zaragoza / Laredo Morning Times
This photo shows the interior view of Meg Guerra's ranch home in San Ygnacio, Texas on June 27.
talking about being outside, doing physical work, fixing a fence, tending to an animal, painting a gate. Whatever it is, there’s this inner dialogue, this unwinding of the thing you’re being beset with. And it’s the birdsong, it’s the coyotes in the evening. Whatever it is, there’s a way that this place just works on you and tries to make you whole.” This unwinding at Santa Maria takes place in Guerra’s writing too. This ranch is where she wrote much of LareDOS, the infamous alternative newspaper that served Laredo for 20 years, from 1994 to 2014. LareDOS was a monthly publication best known for taking on the city’s political and
environmental foibles with biting humor and unrestrained reporting. Guerra’s stories almost always graced the front page, though less prominently once she got more contributors on board. Her headline on LareDOS’ first issue was “Drugs, Lies & Videotape in Zapata,” the story of how former County Judge Jose Luis Guevara was brought down by the FBI and DEA. Guevara was caught redhanded facilitating a cocaine transport through Zapata’s airport, and even filled up the plane’s gas tank himself, Guerra said. The county sheriff and county clerk were arrested as well. Guerra tackled a wide range
of topics over the years, from LISD’s questionable spending habits (“Splendid LISD expenditures may forge policy change,” June 1995) to numerous instances of negligence or malevolence regarding the local environment (“Enjoy Lake Casa Blanca before development degrades this eco-treasure,” September 2004). But there were also human interest stories, and articles about volunteer groups or artists or soldiers doing good things for their community. “We used cartoons for years to kind of roast people. If they were being pompous, we showed them as such. And of course we recognized good people too. We weren’t just about slapping people around,” Guerra said. Wanda Garner Cash, former associate director at the UT School of Journalism and past president of the Texas Press Association, grew up with Guerra in Laredo and roomed with her while they were both attending the University of Texas. They remain lifelong friends, and have both written prolifically along the way. Cash was actually the editor of their high school newspaper, The Pony Express, the year after Guerra’s editorship. Guerra said that as children the two were “the most ‘traviesas’ people ... we were skunks.” Meg continues on A11
Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, JULY 22
A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S
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
Today is Wednesday, July 19, the 200th day of 2017. There are 165 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History: On July 19, 1961, TWA became the first airline to begin showing in-flight movies on a regular basis as it presented "By Love Possessed" to first-class passengers on a flight from New York to Los Angeles.
Homebuying 101 Class. 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco. Free class. Registration required. For more information, call Angelina York or Patricia Ayala at NeighborWorks 956-712-9100 or email nwl@nwlaredo.com.
THURSDAY, JULY 27 Spanish Book Club. 6 - 8 p.m. Joe A. Guerra Public Library. For more information, call Sylvia Reash at 7631810.
SATURDAY, JULY 29 Habitat for Humanity Laredo-Webb County fundraiser The Hottest Golf Tournament in Texas two-man scramble. 8 a.m. Casa Blanca Golf Course. $125 per golfer. Texas Community Bank is the title sponsor. Other sponsorships are available. Proceeds benefit local victims of May 2017 storm. For more information, call Carol Sherwood or Cindy Liendo at 724-3227 or email resource@habitatlaredo.org
SATURDAY, AUG. 5 Brightwood College Back to School Event. 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. 6410 McPherson Road. Event is free and open to the public. Will feature refreshments, a moonwalk, face painting, a bike show, a Taekwondo exhibition, a photo booth, a variety of food booths, campus tours, program demonstrations and a school supplies drive for which everyone is invited to bring and donate supplies. Attendees will be entered to win prizes such as Amazon gift cards and backpacks filled with school supplies.
FRIDAY, AUG. 18 South Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls XI. Laredo Energy Arena. TexMex 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.
SATURDAY, AUG. 26 Football Tailgating Cook-Off. 2 p.m. - 11 p.m. Uni-Trade Stadium. Event will feature cook-off competitions, brisket tasting/sampling for People's Choice from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., car show, live music, food vendors, arts & crafts and merchandise vendors and much more. For more information, contact LULAC Council 14 at 956-286-9055
Louis DeLuca / AP
In this file photo, mourners hold the commemorative program as they emerge from the funeral service for 15-year-old, Jordan Edwards, in Mesquite, Texas.
EX-OFFICER INDICTED ON MURDER CHARGE DALLAS — A white former police officer has been indicted on a murder charge in the April shooting death of a black teenager who was a passenger in a car that was leaving a party in suburban Dallas. The grand jury’s indictment of Roy Oliver also charges him with four counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon by a public official related to the other four teens who were in the car with 15year-old Jordan Edwards. Oliver, 37, was fired from the Balch Springs Police Department in May for violating department policies. Body cam-
Woman surprised when traffic stop leads to proposal GRAPEVINE, Texas — A Texas police dispatcher recently arranged to have his girlfriend stopped by an officer under the ruse that her car was reported stolen so that he could surprise her with a marriage proposal. Grapevine dispatcher Stephen Smith earlier this month told his girlfriend Amanda Radican that he left his cellphone at home and needed her to bring it to him at
era footage of the incident showed Oliver shooting his rifle into a car that was moving away from him and another officer. Edwards, his two brothers and two other teens were leaving the party where police had arrived to investigate an underage drinking complaint. Officers heard unrelated gunshots and spotted the vehicle leaving. Shots from Oliver’s rifle pierced the front passenger window, hitting Edwards in the head as he sat in the front seat. An attorney for the teen’s family, Lee Merritt, said Oliver getting indicted is “one step on the road to justice.”
work. He was with an officer in a patrol vehicle northwest of Dallas when he used an app to track the phone and locate Radican so that the officer could make a traffic stop. The officer claimed Radican’s car was reported as stolen, nearly bringing the woman to tears. Smith then walked up behind her, got down on a knee and proposed. A surprised Radican accepted Smith’s proposal. — Compiled from AP reports
Police identify suspect fatally
shot by officer SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police have identified a suspect who investigators say was fatally shot by an officer responding to a domestic violence call. Police on Tuesday identified the man as 37-yearold Jose Casares. A police statement says the officer who shot Casares, while responding Monday to a call about a man with a gun threatening to shoot someone at a house, has been put on administrative duty. The officer’s name wasn’t released. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE WORLD Bodies found in Swiss glacier may unlock 75-year-old mystery The mystery has haunted a sleepy village in the Swiss Alps for 75 years: What happened to Marcelin and Francine Dumoulin, who left home on Aug. 15, 1942, possibly to milk their cows, and were never seen again? An answer may have surfaced last week, when a ski resort worker came across two mummified bodies, buried in ice and dressed in well-preserved clothes from the World War II era, near the 2-mile-long Tsanfleuron glacier in the western Alps. Although DNA tests were being conducted to verify the identities of the bodies, Marceline Udry-Dumoulin, 79, one of the couple’s two surviving children, expressed certainty that
Glacier 3000 / NYT
In an undated image, mummified remains found in a Swiss glacier, thought to be a farming couple who vanished in 1942.
her parents had at last been found. “You can’t understand the relief this means for me,” she said in a phone interview. “I didn’t know my parents; I was 4 years old. But to know where they were was always a ques-
tion in my mind.” All she remembers of the day her parents disappeared, she said, was her aunt weeping at the bottom of the stairs in their house. “She took me in her arms and held me tight and she was crying,” Udry-Dumoulin
recalled. After two months, the children — five boys and two girls — were divided among families in the neighborhood. The eldest brother, then 13, went to work for a baker; a second brother went to work for a shoemaker and later became a priest, spending decades in Madagascar; two became stone masons; and a fifth worked as a restaurant chef. All five sons have died. Udry-Dumoulin lived with her aunt, and when she married she moved to another village about 40 minutes away. The siblings were never close, she said. “They were busy with their own lives,” she said. Each Aug. 15, to mark the disappearance, some of the siblings would climb the glacier to pray, she recalled. “For us, our parents were always beside us when we were up there,” she said. — Compiled from the New York Times News Service
MIAMI — A 10-year-old boy from a drug-ridden Miami neighborhood apparently died of a fentanyl overdose last month, becoming one of Florida’s littlest victims of the opioid crisis, authorities said Tuesday.
But how he came into contact with the powerful painkiller is a mystery. Fifth-grader Alton Banks died June 23 after a visit to the pool in the city’s Overtown section. He began vomiting at home, was found unconscious that evening and was pronounced dead at a hospital. Preliminary toxicology tests showed he had fentanyl in his system, authorities said. “We don’t believe he got it at
Ten years ago: "Mad Men," a cable TV series about a New York advertising agency, premiered on AMC. Five years ago: A controversy pitting gay rights against religious freedom began as a cake shop owner in Lakewood, Colorado, refused to make a wedding cake for a same-sex couple; the case has since reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which has agreed to hear arguments. Omar Suleiman, 76, Egypt's former spy chief, died in Cleveland, Ohio. Sylvia Woods, 86, founder of the famed soul food restaurant in New York's Harlem district that carries her name, died in Mount Vernon, New York. One year ago: Republicans meeting in Cleveland nominated Donald Trump as their presidential standardbearer; in brief videotaped remarks, Trump thanked the delegates, saying: "This is a movement, but we have to go all the way." Today's Birthdays: Actress Helen Gallagher is 91. Country singer Sue Thompson is 91. Singer Vikki Carr is 77. Blues singer-musician Little Freddie King is 77. Country singer-musician Commander Cody is 73. Actor George Dzundza is 72. Rock singermusician Alan Gorrie (Average White Band) is 71. International Tennis Hall of Famer Ilie Nastase is 71. Rock musician Brian May is 70. Rock musician Bernie Leadon is 70. Actress Beverly Archer is 69. Movie director Abel Ferrara is 66. Actor Peter Barton is 61. Rock musician Kevin Haskins (Love and Rockets; Bauhaus) is 57. Movie director Atom Egoyan is 57. Actor Campbell Scott is 56. Actor Anthony Edwards is 55. Country singer Kelly Shiver is 54. Actress Clea Lewis is 52. Percusssionist Evelyn Glennie is 52. Country musician Jeremy Patterson is 47. Classical singer Urs Buhler (Il Divo) is 46. Actor Andrew Kavovit is 46. Rock musician Jason McGerr (Death Cab for Cutie) is 43. Actor Benedict Cumberbatch is 41. Actress Erin Cummings is 40. TV chef Marcela Valladolid is 39. Actor Jared Padalecki is 35. Actor Trai Byers is 34. Actor Steven Anthony Lawrence is 27. Thought for Today: "I want to live my life, not record it." — Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, American first lady (1929-1994).
CONTACT US
AROUND THE NATION Powerful opioid suspected in 10-year-old Miami boy’s death
On this date: In 1553, King Henry VIII's daughter Mary was proclaimed Queen of England after pretender Lady Jane Grey was deposed. In 1848, a pioneering women's rights convention convened in Seneca Falls, New York. In 1903, the first Tour de France was won by Maurice Garin. In 1941, Britain launched its "V for Victory" campaign during World War II. In 1944, the Democratic national convention convened in Chicago with the nomination of President Franklin D. Roosevelt considered a certainty. In 1952, the Summer Olympics opened in Helsinki, Finland. In 1967, the movie "Up the Down Staircase," an adaptation of the Bel Kaufman novel starring Sandy Dennis as an idealistic schoolteacher, opened in Los Angeles. In 1979, the Nicaraguan capital of Managua fell to Sandinista guerrillas, two days after President Anastasio Somoza fled the country. In 1980, the Moscow Summer Olympics began, minus dozens of nations that were boycotting the games because of the Soviet military intervention in Afghanistan. In 1989, 111 people were killed when United Air Lines Flight 232, a DC-10 which suffered the uncontained failure of its tail engine and the loss of hydraulic systems, crashed while making an emergency landing at Sioux City, Iowa; 185 other people survived. In 1990, President George H.W. Bush joined former presidents Ronald Reagan, Gerald R. Ford and Richard M. Nixon at ceremonies dedicating the Nixon Library and Birthplace (since redesignated the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum) in Yorba Linda, California. In 1992, anti-Mafia prosecutor Paolo Borsellino was killed along with five members of his security detail in a car bombing in Palermo, Sicily.
his home,” Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said. “It could be as simple as touching it. It could have been a towel at the pool.” She added: “We just don’t know.” The case has underscored how frighteningly prevalent fentanyl has become — and how potent it is. Exposure to just tiny amounts can be devastating. Investigators said Alton may
been exposed to the drug on his walk home in Overtown, a poor, high-crime neighborhood where Assistant Miami Fire Chief Pete Gomez said he has seen a spike in overdoses in the past year and where needles sometimes litter the streets. “There is an epidemic,” Gomez said. “Overtown seems to have the highest percentage of where these incidents are occurring.” — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 |
A3
STATE Remains of monks moved to new crypt By Mike Wilson TH E DALLAS MORNI NG NEWS
DALLAS — The Rev. Damian Szodenyi rose slowly from the grave, his earthly remains hoisted by the chug and thunk of the big machine interrupting his long rest. Buried since 1998, his remains were soon carried to a maintenance area,
Officials warn of foodborne illness A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — State health officials are warning of an increase in Texas in the number of people who’ve contracted a food-borne illness often linked to imported produce. The Department of State Health Services says 68 cases of cyclosporiasis have been reported in the last month and officials are asking health care providers to pursue testing and report any additional cases. There are more than 250 different food-borne diseases, but cyclosporiasis is among the most common that are closely tracked by health agencies. It often spreads when human feces contaminated with the cyclospora parasite come into contact with water or produce. Those sickened can suffer from diarrhea, cramps, fatigue and vomiting. Health officials recommend thoroughly washing all produce, but cyclospora can be difficult to wash off. Cooking will kill the parasite.
away from public view. In life, he had been a Hungarian immigrant, a teacher, a headmaster, a University of Dallas dean and an artist. But above all, he had been a Cistercian monk. Cistercians take a vow of stability that commits them to their brothers, and to one place, for life. This unusual promise binds the men together as
they seek God in their lives. But for years, Cistercian Abbey Our Lady of Dallas had no cemetery or mausoleum on its Irving campus. In June, after years of praying and planning, the abbey dedicated a new, $1.5 million crypt, built largely with donations from alumni of the allmale Cistercian Prepara-
tory School. The monks are bringing their brothers back to the abbey, all 20 of them, in reverse order of death. Eleven have already been moved and entombed in the crypt. “Not even death separates us from the community to which we took vows as young men,” said the Rev. Peter Verhalen, the Cistercian abbot.
Smiley N. Pool / AP
In this June 28 photo, Rev. Paul McCormick, left, and Rev. Joseph Van House watch workers as they exhume the graves of Rev. Rudolph Zimanyi and Rev. Damian Szodenyi at Calvary Hill Cemetery in Dallas.
Texas begins special session highlighted by ‘bathroom bill’ By Paul J. Weber and Will Weissert ASSOCIATED PRE SS
AUSTIN, Texas — A special legislative session in Texas ordered by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott began Tuesday with loud protests over a revived “bathroom bill” targeting transgender people, renewed hostilities about a crackdown on immigration and GOP infighting that could keep demands of influential social conservatives again out of reach. Frustrations ratcheted quickly in a likely sign of things to come over the next 30 days, during which Abbott says he will be “establishing a list” of who’s with him and who’s not. Conservatives in the state Senate upended decades of precedent by swiftly advancing a regulatory bill that must pass before the Legislature can work on anti-abortion measures, school vouchers and defanging local ordinances in Texas’ big and liberal cities. Democrats chafed at the break in protocol but only were able to stall it for about an hour. Later, in the sweltering heat outside the Texas Capitol, many joined protesters in denouncing Abbott’s determination to pass 20 measures this summer that would nudge America’s
Eric Gay / AP
Peace Washington stands on the Texas seal as protesters enter the Texas Capitol while lawmakers begin a special legislative session called by Republican Gov. Greg Abbott in Austin, Texas on Tuesday.
biggest red state even further rightward. Most attention is on Texas’ version of the “bathroom bill” that’s similar to what North Carolina passed last year, only to partially repeal it following economic and political backlash. Corporate behemoths including Apple, Amazon and AT&T are continuing to pressure Abbott to reject a bill that collapsed in May under opposition from the moderate Republican House leader who called it bad for the state’s economy. There are no signs of House Speaker Joe Straus budging this time, which means the proposal’s second chance is already on shaky ground. That fact has widened a rift
with Republican Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the powerful conservative Senate leader, whose escalating criticism of Straus has included comparing an ambitious but previously stalled House school funding measure to a Ponzi scheme. Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, urged protesters in a state that hasn’t elected a Democrat statewide since 1994 to spend the next month fighting. “I don’t understand your state because I thought a special session meant there were extraordinary circumstances,” Perez told a crowd of a few hundred people. Standing nearby was former state Sen. Wendy Davis, who lost the gover-
nor’s race to Abbott by 20 points in 2014. Abbott launched his re-election campaign Friday with nearly $41 million already on hand and no Democratic opponent in sight. He is taking a more aggressive posture for the special session after facing criticism for staying on the sidelines earlier. Speaking at a conservative think tank in Austin on Monday, Abbott made clear he was watching. “I’m going to be establishing a list. You all, or other organizations, may be establishing a list,” Abbott said during the Texas Public Policy Foundation event. “We all need to establish lists that we publish on a daily basis and call people out. Who
is for this, who is against this, who has not taken a position. No one gets to hide.” His comments were aimed at Republicans, since Democrats are too outnumbered to block any legislation on their own. One Democrat filed a bill to repeal a “sanctuary cities” ban signed in May that lets police ask people during routine stops whether they’re in the U.S. legally. The repeal effort has no chance of passing but the ban, known as SB4, continues stirring tensions. On the final day of the regular session in May, Republican state Rep. Matt Rinaldi said he reported protesters in the Capitol holding signs suggesting they were in the country illegally to federal immigration agents. He then was involved in a scuffle in which a Democratic lawmaker admitted he pushed the Republican and Rinaldi responded by saying he would use a gun in self-defense if needed. Things stayed civil Tuesday and both chambers adjourned after less than two hours of work. Lawmakers could as quickly as Wednesday pass the regulatory bill needed to keep some state offices running before taking up more contentious issues.
Zopinion
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A4 | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
What Aristotle and friends would say about the age of Trump By Danielle Allen WA S H INGT ON P O ST
Sometimes, to cope with the consternating whirlwind that American political life has become, I commune with my friends from distant antiquity and even not-sodistant antiquity to ask them what they think. Pericles, Demosthenes and Cicero. Heraclitus, Plato and Aristotle. John Adams, Abigail Adams, James Wilson, James Madison and Cesare Beccaria. I ask them: Tell me, old friends, when you look at all this hullabaloo from a very great distance, what do you see? They tell me three things. Remember that you and your fellow citizens face a challenge that no one has previously faced. Remember the difference between principles and tactics. And remember, always lay down a pattern of the good. What’s that?, I say. Explain yourselves, O ancient men and woman. Luckily, they respond fulsomely. Here’s 18thcentury Italian jurist Beccaria. “Well, have you stopped to notice that the population of the world exploded in the wake of the Industrial Revolution? Not one of us had to design political institutions for a population of more than a few million, at the high end. Not one of us lived in a world with more than a billion people. Your world has more than 7 billion people, and 2 billion of them are talking to each other on Facebook. Friends, you have a tough job ahead if you want to build and keep democratic republics. It’s not at all clear that the tools we built for you are all the tools you’ll need. You’ll have to think the matter through for yourselves.” Then the Americans jump in. They have a sense of ownership, after all, of the modern versions of democratic-republics. Here’s Wilson. “Hey, guys, we gave you an owner-operator manual, you know. Haven’t you been paying attention? We laid it all out for you in that document we called our unanimous declaration and that you call the Declaration of Independence. You’ve got to lay a foundation on such principle and organize the powers of government in such form as you think is most likely to bring about your safety and happiness. Go back and read it again. Principle must be linked to institutional form; values to policies; clear ethical beliefs to tactics. I rather fear you haven’t paid much attention to us lately. “We hang our heads in disappointment. For this
we risked our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor?” Happily, at this low and dark point in the conversation, the truly ancient ancients, the Greeks and Roman, chime in. “Friends, don’t be so morose. Remember, you can never step in the same river twice, but that doesn’t mean it’s not the same river!” “Say, what, Heraclitus?” I say. And he responds, “You may feel as though everything is massively in flux and changing at unimaginable rates, but beneath that change there is still great stability. You are still the American people. You may pretty much hate each other’s guts right now, but you ought to be able to fix it because at least for now, you’re still the same old river of proud free people who have trouble getting your heads round equality. I recognize you.” The river talk prompts Aristotle to speak up. “Heraclitus, my old friend, I always thought you got those water metaphors wrong. I think the one we need for this circumstance is the ripple metaphor. Every step you take in a pond or lake sends ripples outward. That’s what matters here. People’s ethical intentions reverberate, they set patterns in motion. Get the ripples going in the wrong way and there may be some nasty downstream effects. And by the way, on the subject of equality, it’s high time they figured it out, no?” Now Plato interjects: “There you go again, Aristotle, bringing them down with your highfalutin virtue talk and your lofty aspirations. We can make things simpler. Here’s what the Yankees need to hear: All is not lost. At the end of the day, this stuff is simple. Every day, day after day, every human being makes choices: Do good or do bad. Every day, with these choices, we lay down the pattern for what will emerge after us in this world. Leave a pattern for the good. Embrace truth, fairness and human decency. “We didn’t get it all right. We screwed up on slavery and patriarchy. (After all, I’m pretty much the only person who argued that women should be politically equal.) But strip habits of domination from your ethics, and you’ll be improving on what we left. You can do it. Build a path of good, day after day, in your individual actions, even within the chaos, and you lay a foundation on which to rebuild your republic and restore the health of your society.” Danielle Allen is a contributing columnist for The Post.
LETTERS POLICY Laredo Morning Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer's first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the
letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COMMENTARY
These Obama voters snubbed Hillary Clinton and ‘don’t regret what they did’ By Jonathan Capehart WASHINGTON P O ST
“What we clearly see in the focus groups is they don’t regret what they did.” “They” are millennials of color who either didn’t vote or voted third party. And for Cornell Belcher, the president of Brilliant Corners Research & Strategies, who was the pollster for the Democratic National Committee under then-Chairman Howard Dean and for both of Barack Obama’s campaigns for the White House, this makes them the new swing voters the Democratic Party should be trying to win over. Belcher came to this conclusion after conducting focus groups, commissioned by the Civic Engagement Fund, in Milwaukee and Fort Lau-
derdale, Fla., in May. The goal was to find out why young voters who previously voted for Obama either sat out the 2016 election or voted for one of the third-party candidates. The results were sobering. “They are so outraged at the broken politics that they see on both sides,” Belcher told me in the latest episode of “Cape Up,” “that they really think that them protesting their vote . . . makes both parties have to pay attention.” And there is pointed ire at the Democratic Party. One participant was particularly blunt. “You’re damn right, I don’t have any loyalty to Democrats,” a person of color said in a focus group in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. “If Republicans want to get real about s- that’s happening
in my community I would vote for every one of them. Then maybe Democrats would take us serious too.” The Democratic Party had better be paying attention now. When you look at the third-party vote margins in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, the missed opportunity jumps off the page. “They’re not necessarily Democratic voters,” Belcher told me, “but they are Obama voters.” This is an echo of what former Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele said about Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on the podcast immediately after the election. “There’s no connection to her. Black folks have not had a connection to her. They’ve not had a real substantive feel for
her,” Steele said. How could that be when she is the wife of the still-revered former president Bill Clinton and was the secretary of state for the beloved Obama? Steele broke it down. “If I have a connection with your friend over here in the corner through you,” he said, “it’s not the same as my connection with you.” “We spend a lot of time talking about blue-collar white voters and Reagan Democrats. Reagan Democrats are dead,” said Belcher, who believes effort should be placed on winning back millennials of color and young progressive whites. “Bringing that coalition back together would seem to make a lot more sense to me than try to, in fact, bring in voters who have not been voting Democrat for quite some time.”
COMMENTARY
McConnell’s health-care Hail Mary By Marc A. Thiessen WASHINGTON P O ST
To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of the death of Republican health-care reform are greatly exaggerated. Far from throwing in the towel, as some have reported, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is actually throwing a final Hail Mary pass in an effort to pass the Senate Republicans’ Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). And he’s found an extremely clever way to do it. Understanding McConnell’s strategy requires some insidebaseball knowledge of how the Senate works. To get to a vote on the BCRA, the Senate must first vote on what’s called a “motion to proceed.” If such a motion passes, then there are up to 20 hours of debate (10 hours on each side) and unlimited amendments. McConnell’s biggest challenge was getting 50 Republican senators to agree to vote for a “motion to proceed” on a bill that they disagreed with - knowing that it was unlikely to be amended in ways that would make a difference to their final votes given the split between Republican conservatives and moderates and given the Democrats’ refusal to cooperate.
Instead of cooperation, Republicans would have to endure an onslaught of politically toxic Democratic amendments, as Senate Democrats forced them to cast one vote after another designed to make them look like monsters come Election Day. It is generally assumed that after getting on tothe bill, and after enduring all that pain from Democrats, Republican senators would ultimately want to emerge with some sort of legislative victory. The announcement by Sens. Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Jerry Moran, R-Kan., Monday night that they would not vote for a motion to proceed - combined with Sens. Rand Paul’s, R-Ky., and Susan Collins’, R-Maine, earlier announcements - killed the chances of getting on to McConnell’s repealand-replace bill directly. So McConnell is now trying to get on to the bill indirectly by forcing a vote on the Republicans’ 2015 clean repeal bill, letting it fail, and then moving to the repeal-and-replace” legislation. This is a shift in tactics, not a concession of defeat. How can Lee and Paul vote “no” on a motion to proceed on a clean repeal bill? And because all current Republican sena-
tors (except Collins) who were in office at the time voted for the clean repeal in 2015, moderate Republicans will be put in an awkward position if they vote against a motion to proceed on the same bill now. Granted, they voted “yes” back then because they knew President Barack Obama would veto the bill, so they were not firing real bullets. The vote was more than a political statement, however: It allowed Senate Republicans to probe the parliamentarian to see how much of Obamacare could be repealed under the reconciliation rules with a simple majority. But since it had zero chance of being enacted, no one cared about whether what was left in the wake of repeal would result in a functioning insurance market. (It wouldn’t.) Of course, if moderates vote “yes” on the motion to proceed, they will eventually have to flip-flop on their 2015 votes anyway - because clean repeal would send the failing Obamacare exchanges into a full meltdown and Medicaid expansion would be terminated, as would the cost-sharing reduction payments for low-income Americans. In other words, the full repeal
goes against everything the moderates have been fighting for. Where does a failed “clean repeal” vote leave McConnell? In a pretty good position. He will have proved to the conservatives that full repeal can’t pass and that the BCRA is the only hope for any kind of repeal. He can then bring the BCRA up for a vote. When he does, there will be increased pressure on the moderates, including from the White House, to vote yes - and pass a bill. In other words, this is a tactical move to force a vote on the BCRA. The question is whether moderate Republicans will go for it, and what they will ask for in exchange in the final bill. Right now, three moderates - Collins, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska - have indicated they will vote “no” on the motion to proceed. Collins won’t change her vote under any circumstances. McConnell has to negotiate changes to the BCRA with the others to get them back, including added protections to make sure that the Medicaid expansion populations in their states are not harmed. It’s a Hail Mary, to be sure. But it just might work.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 |
CRIME Truck crashes along Hidalgo Boulevard
A5
Authorities seize drugs during routine traffic stop By César G. Rodriguez
By César G. Rodriguez
THE ZAPATA TIME S
TH E ZAPATA T IME S
A white pickup crashed along Hidalgo Boulevard early Friday, according to reports. Zapata County Fire Chief J.J. Meza said paramedics responded to reports of an accident in the area of the 1200 block of Hidalgo. The male driver, who was inside a Zapata County Sheriff’s Office patrol car, refused treatment, according to first responders. A picture obtained by The Zapata Times shows the vehicle with heavy front damage. A marked unit with its emergency lights on can be seen parked next to the pick-
Courtesy
First responders said the driver of the damaged vehicle seen in this photo refused treatment.
up. It’s not clear which law enforcement agency is investigating the crash. The Texas Department of Public Safety confirmed they are not looking into the case. The Sheriff’s Office did not respond for request to comment.
Investigators found more than potato chips inside a bag of Lay’s after a traffic stop Monday in Zapata County. Authorities said they found 15.85 ounces of marijuana. Gomez The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office additionally seized $4,550. The driver, Adolio Homero Gomez, was charged with possession of marijuana, a state jail felony that carries a punishment of up to two years in prison. Gomez, 22, was released
Zapata County Sheriff’s Officials said they found marijuana inside a bag of chips following a traffic stop Monday.
on bond Tuesday. On Monday, Gomez was traveling driving a passenger car on Fourth Street and Flores Avenue when he allegedly disregarded a stop sign. During the stop, authorities said they detected a strong odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. They allegedly
Zapata County Sheriff’s Office / Courtesy
A traffic stop Monday yielded 15.85 ounces of marijuana and $4,550. Authorities took custody of the driver.
also observed a silver scale on the front passenger seat. Gomez allegedly allowed authorities to search the vehicle. “The search rendered a weigh scale, a Lay’s potato chip bag which contained a clear in color vacuum
sealed bag containing marijuana, weighing approximately 15.85 ounces, two Food Saver vacuum seal rolls, and a clear vacuum sealed bag containing … ($4,550.00) in U.S. currency,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
Prosecutor Ex-corrections officer punished for sentenced for taking bribes lewd remarks ASSOCIATED PRE SS
A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — A senior official with the Harris County district attorney’s office has been disciplined for making inappropriate comments about the appearance of female prosecutors working under his supervision. An office memo obtained by the Houston Chronicle shows Nathan Beedle, head of the misdemeanor division, was reprimanded and ordered to complete two online sexual harassment classes. As chief of the division, Beedle oversees more than 45 prosecutors in the county’s 16 misdemeanor courts.
The district attorney’s office in March began investigating claims made against Beedle. A county human resources official says in the memo that the female prosecutors wanted Beedle “to learn about appropriateness and boundaries in the workplace.” The district attorney’s office in March began investigating claims made against Beedle. He declined to comment on the findings against him.
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A South Texas man has been sentenced to prison for accepting bribes as a corrections officer to smuggle contraband into a
federal prison facility. Twenty-three-year-old Stephen Salinas of Edcouch was sentenced Tuesday to 1.5 years in prison. He had pleaded guilty in January to accepting bribes as a public
official. Federal prosecutors say Salinas received an extended sentence because he accepted more than one bribe and used his high-level position to bring contraband into the
Management and Training Corp.’s Willacy County Regional Detention Center. Authorities say in 2015 and 2016 he accepted the bribes to smuggle alcohol and phones to prisoners.
Murder charge dropped in fatal stabbing of Houston boy By Juan A. Lozano ASSOCIATED PRE SS
HOUSTON — Prosecutors have dropped a murder charge against a homeless man accused of fatally stabbing an 11-yearold Houston boy as the child walked home from
school last year. The Harris County District Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday DNA tests prosecutors received this week were inconclusive and there wasn’t enough evidence to try 28-year-old Andre Timothy Jackson Jr. for mur-
der. First Assistant District Attorney Tom Berg said Jackson is still a suspect in the May 17, 2016, slaying of Josue Flores but that authorities are essentially starting over with their investigation. Jerome Godinich, Jack-
son’s attorney, said he was not surprised by the decision from prosecutors as he believed his client was not responsible for the boy’s killing. Jackson, who’s been jailed since his arrest, was expected to be freed later Tuesday.
Sports&Outdoors A6 | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: SAN ANTONIO SPURS
PGA TOUR: BRITISH OPEN
Sources: Spurs' Manu Ginobili nearing deal to return to Spurs The veteran guard has played 15 years in the NBA Alastair Grant / Associated Press
By Jeff McDonald SAN ANTONIO EXPRE SS-NEWS
George Bridges / Associated Press file
San Antonio guard Manu Ginobili is nearing an agreement that would return him to San Antonio for at least another season, league sources said Tuesday.
For Manu Ginobili, retirement can apparently wait. The Spurs star is nearing an agreement that would return him to San Antonio for at least another season, league sources said Tuesday. Ginobili, who turns 40 on July 28, has spent the offseason debating whether to come back for a 16th NBA season or follow fellow Spurs legend Tim Duncan into retirement. A vacation last week on the Spanish island of Ibiza was enough to clear his thoughts. A four-time NBA cham-
pion and now a key member of the Spurs' bench, Ginobili will remain the second-oldest player in the league in 2017-18 behind Vince Carter. Ginobili averaged a career-low 7.5 points and shot 39 percent last season, and otherwise posted some of lowest numbers of his Hall of Fame-bound career. Still, he remained a vital locker room guy. It is a role Ginobili should continue to fill in the season to come, especially with point guard Tony Parker expected to miss at least the first half of the year while recovering from a torn quadriceps tendon.
NCAA FOOTBALL: TEXAS LONGHORNS
TEXAS COACH TOM HERMAN CHANGING CULTURE BY MAKING LOSSES INTOLERABLE
LM Otero / Associated Press
Texas head football coach Tom Herman inherits a team that posted a 16-21 record over the past three years under predecessor Charlie Strong.
The Longhorns are coming off a year where they went 5-7 By Jimmy Burch FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM
FRISCO, Texas — Texas’ firstyear coach Tom Herman, who made a national impact by posting a 22-4 record in two seasons at Houston, has not won any of those games for the Longhorns. Yet his new team, coming off a 5-7 record and three consecutive losing seasons, is regularly listed in preseason projections as a Top 25 contingent and Big 12 title contender, rising as high as No. 13 in Athlon magazine’s preseason rankings. In Tuesday’s updated win projections by Bovada Sports Book, Texas checked in with an over/under of 7.5. The total matched TCU and Baylor for most among the state’s Big 12 programs and exceeded the projection for Texas A&M (7). Herman shrugged off any numerical goals Tuesday, explaining that his primary goal for the 2017 Longhorns is to make losing feel "so distasteful that they can’t even fathom going down that road." "People, they love to throw on their burnt-orange sunglasses and have all these crazy expectations," said Herman, who inherits a team that posted a 16-21 record over the past three years under predecessor Charlie Strong. "I think losing has to be awful. You can never get used to losing. One of the biggest downfalls of a lot of teams is you get used to losing." Herman stopped short of saying he inherited a team crippled by that mind-set under Strong, who suggested in December that the Longhorns were on the cusp of a major turnaround because of two consecutive strong recruiting classes he signed during his tenure in Austin. During Strong’s introductory news
conference after landing the job at South Florida, he said: "I baked the cake at Texas. Now, it’s Tom Herman’s job to put icing on the cake and win a lot of games." Herman intends to win lots of games during his Texas tenure, perhaps even this season. He seeks to break Texas’ first streak of three consecutive losing seasons since 1936-38. But that won’t happen, said the coach who posted a 13-1 record in his debut season at Houston (2015), unless he can get his message about a genuine distaste for losing to take root in the minds of all players. Efforts to make that happen, he said, are ongoing in coaches’ reactions to drills, meetings and other endeavors. Whether it’s about academics or athletics, Herman wants players competing on a daily basis and reaping the rewards or consequences that follow. "Everything from offseason conditioning drills, where we have winners and losers . to student of the week," Herman said. "The winners get to eat a better meal. There’s also tangible consequences for losing. Losing is awful. It’s not just, ’Oh, well, we’ll get them next week.’ No, this is like the sky-isfalling-type stuff. We’re going to make sure that the people that don’t win . feel awful about it because that’s what happens on Saturdays. "So we train for chaos, and we put our guys through some extremely chaotic situations throughout offseason drills so that on Saturdays, hopefully, the games will be easy and that losing will be something that is so distasteful that they can’t even fathom going down that road." From Herman’s perspective, the
approach worked at Houston. Before that, it reaped dividends at Ohio State, where Herman served as offensive coordinator for the Buckeyes’ 2014 national championship team. Ohio State coach Urban Meyer said Herman is "ready for the task" at Texas because of his football smarts and status as "a great person and family man." Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby identified Herman, who will earn $5.25 million this season in his first year of a five-year contract, as a "superstar in his own right" in coaching circles. This season, the Longhorns’ success will depend on the learning curve of two young quarterbacks (Shane Buechele, a sophomore from Arlington Lamar, and Sam Ehlinger, a freshman from Austin Westlake) new to Herman’s offensive system. With only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, receiver Jerrod Heard looms as the third option. Herman stressed Tuesday that Buechele, the incumbent, must stay healthy and "take the next step in his growth and lead the culture of the team" to maximize Texas’ win total in 2017. Herman credited Buechele with doing "a marvelous job of trying to be more of a leader" during summer drills but remains puzzled about this team’s potential until he gets a better handle on its psyche in fall camp. "We don’t know how to win really well right now," Herman said. "These guys don’t want that to be their legacy. They want to be remembered as the team and the group that turned this thing around." With each punish-the-loser drill in practice, Herman pushes them toward that goal on a daily basis.
Jordan Spieth is looking sharp enough to be listed as a co-favorite with Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world.
Spieth feeling rested, sharp in pursuit of another major By Doug Ferguson ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SOUTHPORT, England — With a chance to close out the match, Jordan Spieth fired his second shot into the par-5 15th at Royal Birkdale and it never left the flag, bounding onto the green about 20 feet behind the hole. His partner Tuesday was Justin Thomas, who watched the flight of the ball and said, “I like having him on my team when he’s playing like this.” Everyone is on their own when the British Open begins on Thursday, and Spieth is looking sharp enough to be listed as a co-favorite with Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world. Spieth is coming off his second victory of the year last month at the Travelers Championship. And when his putter is working — it really hasn’t been this year — he is regarded as a favorite at just about any tournament. Still to be determined is how much he thrives on links courses like Royal Birkdale. What stands out is St. Andrews in 2015, when the 23-year-old Texan was going for the third leg of the Grand Slam and missed the playoff by one shot. Even so, he hasn’t finished higher than 30th in the other three British Opens he has played. So much of his mystique is built around that 2015 season — the Masters and U.S. Open, five victories, the FedEx Cup. So many of the expectations of Spieth now are measured against that season. Those are rare even for the greatest players, and it might be Spieth’s bad luck that it happened to him so early in his career. He still wouldn’t trade it. Asked to measure his game now compared with two years ago, Spieth said his long game is better, but he hasn’t been making putts. Such is golf. “I recognize that being five years in now ... and five years doesn’t make me a veteran, but it helps me realize kind of how things go,” he said. “And last year I was pretty caught in 2015. This year I’m not. Hopefully, we can have another one or two like that. But if we keep on trying to improve each part of the game, stick to the process, then we’ll have the results we want.” Tuesday brought more sunshine to the Lancashire Coast and only a light wind that came out of a different direction. The course is fast, and balls are bouncing high when landing, which is links golf at its best. In any conditions, Birkdale is not a course that
leads to low scoring, certainly not like what Henrik Stenson had last year at Royal Troon when he set the major championship record of 264 in his brilliant duel with Phil Mickelson. The lowest score ever at Royal Birkdale was 272 by Ian Baker-Finch in 1991. Spieth still referred to the course as among the fairest he has seen in his limited experience at golf’s oldest championship. And when he looks around the landscape, he sees more balance of power than ever before. Just two years ago, Spieth was considered part of the modern version of a “Big Three” that included Rory McIlroy and Jason Day. And then along came Johnson, rising to No. 1 in the world in February and leaving everyone well behind. But now Johnson hasn’t won since March, slowed by his slip down the stairs at the Masters. McIlroy and Day haven’t won at all. “The younger generation, you look at how many good players there are,” U.S. Open champion Brooks Koepka said. “You look at how it was at Erin Hills. Everyone up there hadn’t won a major — Rickie (Fowler), Justin (Thomas), Hideki (Matsuyama).” No matter who wins this week, Spieth doesn’t see that changing. His big season in 2015 gave him a taste of it. The next two years, even with two victories in each one, gave him an appreciation of how Tiger Woods dominated for so long. He was asked the chances of there being another dominant force in golf. “I wouldn’t get your hopes up,” Spieth replied. “What Tiger has done ... having experienced a year like he continued to do for years, it just takes a lot out of you. It’s very tough to do. And you have to have a lot of things go right at the right times. “I think it’s going to be a very exciting time going forward of guys that are going to be playing and battling against each other,” he said. “You’ll see a group of 10 to 12 guys over the next 15, 20 years that are going to have a lot of competition that comes down the stretch with each other.” As for that streak of seven first-time winners in the majors? Spieth spent only three semesters at Texas, though he used plenty of logic when he said that the 156-man field at Royal Birkdale has more players who haven’t won a major than who have. “Chances are, it’s going to be somebody that hasn’t won one,” he said.
Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE REGRESO A CLASES 1 El distrito escolar Zapata County Independent District invita a los padres de familia a inscribir a sus hijos para el ciclo escolar 2017-2018 del 1 al 3 de agosto de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. y de 2 p.m. a 4 p.m. Las inscripciones se realizarán en cada campus; evento de arranque del año escolar , el 10 de agosto y el primer día de clases se realizará el 28 de agosto. FERIA DE SALUD COMUNITARIA 1 El Condado de Zapata junto con organismos y entidades públicas invita a la Primera Feria Anual de Salud Comunitaria, el 16 de agosto, de 5 p.m. a 7 p.m.; Club Boys & Girls, 302 6th Avenue. Habrá regalos para los primeros 500 niños. 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.
CABILDO DE LA CIUDAD SE UNE A DEMANDA EN CONTRA DE LEY ESTATAL
Laredo contra SB 4 Público recibe moción con ovación de pie Por Julia Wallace TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Un grupo de ciudadanos de Laredo habló en contra de la Ley del Senado 4 (SB 4) durante la junta de cabildo del lunes, diciendo que dañaría la economía local, haría que algunos residentes temerían llamar a las agencias de las fuerzas del orden y se inmiscuiría en las prioridades del día a día de los departamentos policiacos. El Cabildo de la Ciudad
de Laredo estuvo de acuerdo y votó unánimemente para unirse a la demanda en contra la ley. La cual permite y pide que oficiales de paz locales detengan personas o las arresten basándose en su estatus migratorio, pero además castiga a los funcionarios locales que detengan a la policía de realizar esta tarea. La discusión del cabildo sobre si unirse o no duró dos horas, con 13 integrantes del público testificando, incluyendo a
la ex Alcalde Betty Flores y el Alcalde del El Cenizo Raúl Reyes, uno de los primeros en firmar la demanda contra la ley. Solamente dos personas no pidieron al Cabildo de la Ciudad que votara para unirse a la demanda, la cual ya ha sido promovida por ciudades como San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, Austin y El Paso. Cuando el cabildo apoyó la moción, los presentes en la cámara del cabildo dieron una ovación de pie.
Foto por Julia Wallace | Laredo Morning Times
Los presentes en la reunión del Cabildo de la Ciudad de Laredo el lunes dieron una ovación de pie después de que los regidores votaran para unirse a la demanda en contra de la Ley del Senado 4.
MEG GUERRA
ABRE LAS PUERTAS DE SU HOGAR
Nota del editor: Esta serie de artículos sobre la historia de Ciudad Guerrero, México, fueron escritos por la guerrerense Lilia Treviño Martínez (1927-2016), quien fuera profesora de la escuela Leoncio Leal.
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 956-2467177.
MUSEO EN ZAPATA 1 A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, se sugiere visitar el Museo del Condado de Zapata ubicado en 805 N US-Hwy 83. Opera de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. Existen visitas guiadas. Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983. GRUPOS DE APOYO 1 El grupo de apoyo para personas con Alzheimer se reunirá en su junta mensual, a las 7 p.m., en el Laredo Medical Center, primer piso, Torre B en el Centro Comunitario. Las reuniones se realizan el primer martes de cada mes en el mismo lugar y a la misma hora. 1 Grupo de Apoyo para Ansiedad y Depresión Rayo de Luz. En Centro de Educación del Área de Salud, ubicado en 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. El grupo se reúne de 6:30 p.m. a 7:30 p.m.
Estalla Revolución Mexicana TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
LLENADO DE APLICACIONES
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.
GUERRERO AYER Y HOY
Por Lilia Treviño Martínez
PAGO EN LÍNEA 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.
LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL
A7
Foto por Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times
Vista interior del rancho de Meg Guerra en San Ygnacio, Texas.
Por Julia Wallace TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Regresa publicación LareDOS
E
n una mañana de junio en su rancho en las afueras de San Ygnacio, Meg Guerra hace una jarra de café pero no lo bebe. Ella está sentada donde en ocasiones trabaja, una banca en una mesa plegable que ella ha puesto en su galería independiente, con una vista al exterior de 360 grados. Está el caballo, y está el monte, y está la entrada al Rancho Santa María. Aquí es donde a Guerra le gusta escribir, pero también donde le gusta trabajar con sus manos. “El rancho siempre tiene algo en lo que tienes que trabajar ya sea en tu corazón o en tu conciencia”, dijo Guerra. Este rancho es donde ella escribió mucho de LareDOS, el periódico alternativo que dio servicio a Laredo desde 1994 a 2014. La publicación mensual mejor conocida por criticar las debilidades políticas y medioambientales de la ciudad con humor mordaz y reportajes irrestrictos. “Utilizábamos dibujos animados durante años para criticar a la gente. Si eran pretenciosos, los mostrábamos tal cual. Y, por supuesto, también reconocimos a la gente buena. No nos limitábamos a abofetear a la gente”, dijo Guerra. Wanda Garner Cash, ex directora asociada de la
Escuela de Periodismo de la Universidad de Texas y ex presidenta de la Asociación de Prensa de Texas, creció junto a Guerra en Laredo y fueron compañeras mientras ambas asistían a la Universidad de Texas. “Creo que LareDOS le dio a la comunidad el poder de recuperar el sistema político en Laredo. De repente se dieron cuenta de que los ciudadanos tenían el derecho de exigir responsabilidad a sus funcionarios electos”, dijo Cash. “Creo que lo mejor que hizo LareDOS fue capacitar a la gente para hacer que el gobierno rindiera cuentas”. Cuando LareDOS terminó en septiembre de 2014, Guerra estaba enferma de cáncer, aunque todavía no lo sabía. Pero también tenía intereses fuera del periodismo, y nietos, y sólo decidió que era un buen momento para terminar con el periódico. Después de su diagnóstico, los tratamientos y las
transfusiones de sangre la devolvieron a la vida, dijo Guerra, pero cuando se recuperó, LareDOS ya estaba cerrado. Cuando Guerra comenzó a sentirse mejor, Cash dijo que su amiga empezó a inquietarse. Dijo que Guerra necesitaba tomar esa nueva energía y volver a lo que mejor sabe hacer: informar. Cash recomendó a Guerra llevar a LareDOS a una publicación en línea por lo que no tendría que lidiar con la logística y los costos de impresión y distribución, que Guerra dijo que eran muy difíciles de manejar. Así que alrededor de febrero de este año, LareDOS debutó en línea. Hay columnas de invitados, reseñas, historias, incluso ficción, y por supuesto noticias, de las cuales Guerra escribe la mayor parte. “Lo que realmente me gusta hacer es contar una historia mayor. Puedo darte datos y hechos en una historia, pero creo que lo que realmente intento hacer es atraer al lector a la reflexión”, dijo. LareDOS regresó justo a tiempo para cuando el FBI cateara un puñado de edificios del gobierno de la ciudad y del condado a finales de abril como parte de una investigación de corrupción pública. Guerra fue la primera fuente de noticias en informar sobre el contenido de la orden de registro. En sus años reportando sobre la ciudad, el conda-
do, los distritos escolares y en general sobre lo que sucedía en Laredo, Guerra no está segura de que su obstinada cobertura haya provocado un cambio real, aunque admite que estas entidades “dejaron de hacer esas cosas escandalosas”, como la malversación explícita y registrada en LISD que reportó en los años 90. El área donde Guerra siente que hizo el mayor impacto es en el ambiente local. Cuando LareDOS comenzó, el Río Grande era esencialmente un basurero donde la gente vaciaba camiones de cemento y lanzaba neumáticos, dijo Guerra. Cuando todo esté dicho y hecho, Guerra quisiera escribir sus memorias. Y hay dos cosas sobre las que quiere escribir: el rancho Santa María y LareDOS. “Simplemente me encantan las palabras. Me encanta lo que sucede cuando las juntas. Me encanta contar cuentos. Cuando era pequeña pensé que sería como una gran periodista. Estaría mostrando caminos a través de grandes noticias. Pero me gusta lo que hago —es tan humano. Sí, habría sido agradable estar a la vanguardia de un gran escándalo político a nivel nacional, pero de alguna manera, eso no era un salto que iba a hacer. Así que me metí y encontré mi ‘nicho’, mi lugar. Y me gusta mi nicho. Es un buen lugar para estar”.
El gobierno de Porfirio Díaz se prolongó más allá de lo que el pueblo mexicano esperaba y aunque la economía del país prosperó y el auge ferrocarrilero favoreció el desarrollo de varias actividades, la base popular estaba inconforme, y el estallido revolucionario no se hizo esperar. Díaz abandonó el país en 1911 y Madero ocupó la Presidencia. En 1913 fueron asesinados él y el vicepresidente, José María Pino Suárez y el poder gubernamental fue detentado por el General Victoriano Huerta. Ante esta situación, el gobernador de Coahuila, Venustiano Carranza, se levantó en armas contra el usurpador, nombrando jefe de la División Constitucionalista del Noroeste al General Pablo González, quien dispuso que la Brigada del General Jesús Carranza quedara en la línea fronteriza, desde Matamoros hasta Nuevo Laredo y Piedras Negras. Jesús Carranza ocupó Guerrero, lugar donde se entablaron combates, pues el Jefe huertista General Gustavo Guardiola atacó Guerrero desde Nuevo Laredo, rechazando a Jesús Carranza, que cruzó el Río Salado hacia el sur, emplazando sus cañones en las Lomas de la Piedra de la Virgen. Por su parte, Guardiola ocupó la Loma del Degüello y se entablaron combates con artillería cuyos disparos volaban sobre la Ciudad. Ya para estas fechas de 1914, gran parte de las familias habían abandonado sus propiedades en Guerrero y habían cruzado el Río Bravo en busca de protección. Fue una etapa muy difícil para los guerrerenses, pues la ciudad quedó bajo gobierno militar, según relato de algunas valerosas familias que prefirieron permanecer en sus casas. Hubo persecuciones, aprehensiones, saqueos y hechos de sangre, porque la guerra siempre es cruel, y está no fue la excepción.
A8 | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
Chipotle closes Virginia store after reports of illness By Candice Choi A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — Chipotle’s efforts to move past its food scares have been complicated by fresh reports of illnesses, which prompted it to temporarily close a restaurant this week. The company said Tuesday that it closed the restaurant in Sterling, Virginia after it became aware of a “small number” of reported illnesses consistent with norovirus. The news sent its shares down more than 4 percent as skittish investors worried about the
chain’s past food scares. Chipotle noted that norovirus, which can cause nausea and diarrhea, does not come from its food supply and said it is safe to eat at its restaurants. But the company has previously said that given its history, any food safety incidents could have an outsized negative impact on its sales, even if reports turn out to be erroneous or stem from factors outside its control. Its shares fell $17.02 to close at $374.98, after Business Insider reported the closure. The company said it planned to reopen the
restaurant, which is in a suburb of Washington, D.C., on Tuesday after a “complete sanitization,” but did not provide a specific time. Chipotle has been working to bounce back from food scares that included an E. coli outbreak in the fall of 2015 and a norovirus case in Boston later that year. It subsequently said that it made tweaks to cooking methods and added training for employees to tighten its safety measures. The Denver-based company also gave away coupons for free burritos and stepped up market-
Officers from around the nation attend trooper’s funeral A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
LATROBE, Pa. — Hundreds of police officers from as far away as Colorado, Utah and Texas came to the funeral and procession to honor a Pennsylvania state trooper killed when his cruiser collided with a garbage truck last week. Trooper Michael Stewart III, 26, was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash about 2:20 a.m. Friday near Ligonier, about 50 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The cause is still under investigation. “You always know that when you get an early call like that, you know it’s not going to be good,” said the Rev. Robert Byrnes, the chaplain of the Greensburg barracks where Stewart was stationed. Byrnes, speaking at Tuesday’s funeral in Latrobe, said Stewart was “truly dedicated to his oath of office.” Two Texas troopers gave a flag that flew over that state’s Capitol to Stewart’s family. “We’re all state troopers. When one of us falls, we all fall,” said Texas Trooper Joshua Sneed. Stewart died a week before his 27th birthday, not far from where he grew up. He graduated from Greater Latrobe High School in 2008 and Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2012. He became a trooper in 2014 and was assigned to the Chambersburg area before transferring to Greensburg, whose troopers patrol the general area where he was raised. Drums, bagpipes and hundreds of officers were part of a formal procession leading to a private
interment service. Stewart’s partner, Trooper Travis November, suffered a concussion and a hairline pelvic fracture in the crash. He attended the funeral. Amanda Dzambo was among the
citizens who watched the procession. “I think it’s amazing seeing them all together walking up the street. I have chills to see so many people come out for another officer,” she said.
ing to win back customers. Sales had been showing improvement against a low bar of comparison. For the first three months of this year, sales were up 18 percent at established locations. That followed a 20 percent decline for all of 2016. Despite its efforts, Chipotle has said it may still be at higher risk for food-borne illnesses than others because of its greater use of fresh produce and meats. David Goodfriend, director of the Loudoun County Health Department in Virginia, said his office was contacted by Chipotle on Monday and
Gene J. Puskar / AP
This Jan. 12 photo shows a sign on a Chipotle restaurant. Chipotle says it temporarily shut down a restaurant in Virginia on Monday after becoming aware of reports of illnesses.
told the company had voluntarily closed the location for a cleaning. Goodfriend said the health department also had been contacted by a couple doctor’s offices and residents who reported symptoms. While he isn’t certain that the restaurant was the cause of the illnesses, Goodfriend said people were associating their symptoms with the chain.
Norovirus is the leading cause of illness and outbreaks from contaminated food in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infected employees are frequently the source of the outbreaks, the CDC says, often by touching foods such as raw fruits and vegetables with their bare hands before serving them.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 |
A9
BUSINESS
Clean energy is trouncing oil, gas and coal in Trump era By Joe Ryan, Christopher Martin and Brian Eckhouse B L OOMBE RG NEWS
President Donald Trump took office vowing to revive the coal industry’s fortunes. So far, the smart money has been on clean energy. An index of 40 publicly-traded solar companies, wind-turbine component makers and others that benefit from reduced fossil fuel consumption is up 20 percent this year. That’s more than double the S&P 500’s 9.8 percent gain. And better than the 8.3 percent rise by an index of leading coal companies. The eco-friendly stock rally -- which comes as oil and natural gas-focused shares have dipped
-- stems from a constellation of factors, including a Nevada law to boost rooftop solar, China’s mass-transit policy and optimism that Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. might deliver its Model 3 sedan on time. In short, Trump’s pro-fossil fuel agenda hasn’t damaged investor support for clean energy. “Nothing dreadful has happened, and these companies continue to execute,” said Jenny Chase, Bloomberg New Energy Finance’s lead solar analyst. As clean-energy stocks climb, investors have pumped more money into wind and solar. U.S. investments totaled $14.7 billion during April, May and June, up 51 percent from the previous quarter to mark the highest
level since 2015, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance. European investments rose 10 percent, to $8.8 billion. “We are seeing catalysts for these markets driven by the fact that people increasingly realize clean energy is more profitable than conventional energy,” said David Richardson, an executive director at Impax Asset Management, which focuses on sustainability and has about $8.7 billion under management, up 32 percent this year. Solar stocks are performing especially well under Trump. Sunrun Inc., the largest independent U.S. rooftop panel installer, is up 32 percent, closing Monday at $7.01. That rally has been fueled in part by a Nevada law passed in June to
make solar more affordable for the state’s homeowners. Nevada gets more sunshine than almost anywhere in the nation, but it’s been a dead-zone for solar since regulators slashed rooftop panel subsidies in 2015. The new legislation largely restored those credits. Solar manufacturers are rallying, too. First Solar Inc., the largest American panel maker, has gained 33 percent, to $42.72. Average panel prices, which plunged 35 percent last year, have begun to stabilize, falling just 8 percent since December, to 33 cents per watt. The market shift stems from solar developers aggressively stocking up on panels, fearing that a pending federal trade case could lead to
Perry touts energy exports, awaits study on electric grid By Matthew Daly A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is pushing for increased exports of natural gas and other energy sources as it seeks U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market, Energy Secretary Rick Perry said Tuesday. He and President Donald Trump have offered a “comforting” message to energy companies seeking to export liquefied natural gas, or LNG at huge terminals in Texas, Louisiana and other states, Perry said: “If you meet the rules, here’s your permit.” Perry also said he has not seen a widely expected department study into the reliability of the electric grid. A draft version leaked to news outlets indicates that renewable power and federal regulations have had little impact on reliability. “There are lots of people breathlessly waiting to read that” report, Perry said — and he is among them. In a speech at the National Press Club, Perry called LNG exports a “major driver” of jobs and energy production and a key way to reduce global emissions of greenhouse gases that cause global warming. “We can have a cleaner environment and a strong, prosperous nation,” Perry said. “We do not need to sacrifice one
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
Energy Secretary Rick Perry speaks during a news conference Tuesday at the National Press Club in Washington.
for the other; nor will we follow the course other allies have taken to their detriment.” Perry cited a drive for renewable energy in Germany that he said has forced electricity costs to record highs. “That is not the direction the United States plans to take under the Trump administration,” he said. Perry also touted increased U.S. oil and coal exports as part of a strategy to boost energy production and jobs. Trump has heralded an “energy revolution” that he says celebrates American production on American soil, noting that the U.S. is on the brink of becoming a net exporter of oil,
gas and other energy resources. Trump signed an executive order in April to expand oil drilling in the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, reversing restrictions imposed by President Barack Obama. Trump has also pushed to revive U.S. coal production after years of decline and to boost energy production on federal lands. U.S. coal exports rose sharply in early 2017 amid increased demand in Asia and Europe, the Energy Department said Tuesday. Exports were up by 8 million tons through March, a 58 percent jump over the same period last year.
Top destinations for U.S. coal were the Netherlands, South Korea and India. Despite the increase, volumes remain well below what the industry anticipated when it announced plans over the past decade to build or expand coal ports in Oregon, Louisiana, Washington state and California. On the grid study, Perry said critics on all sides were “throwing jell-o at the wall” on a report that is not yet finished. “I haven’t seen it yet,” he said. A draft version leaked to news outlets indicates that renewable power and federal regulations have had little impact on reliability. The draft report cites declining demand and plunging costs of natural gas for early retirements of traditional coal and nuclear power plants. The Energy Department has said the draft study is out of date and a new version could have different conclusions. Renewable energy advocates, including some Republicans, have expressed concern that the report could be used to undermine support for wind and solar power. The report is expected to be made public this month, but Perry offered no firm timetable. “Like you, I’m breathlessly waiting to get my hands on it,” he said.
tariffs on imported equipment. “It created some tailwind for the manufacturers,” said Sophie Karp, an analyst at Guggenheim Securities. Some of the biggest clean-energy gainers include fuel cell manufacturers, which use liquid hydrogen to generate electricity through a chemical process that emits only water. While hydrogen-powered engines have been slow to catch on in cars -- largely because of a lack of fueling stations -- China has been pushing to use the technology in buses. As Beijing has beefed up investments this year, fuel cell maker Hydrogenics Corp. has nearly doubled, to $8.70. Ballard Power Systems Inc. is up 73 percent, to $2.86.
Electric car maker Tesla is up 50 percent this year as the company has begun limited production of its Model 3 sedan, its cheapest vehicle yet. Musk says he expects production to reach 20,000 cars a month by December. In the end, some of the clean-energy gains may be fleeting. The trade case that’s driving up solar panel prices may ultimately lead to tariffs that analysts warn could slow overall demand. Fuel cell companies have a long history of ephemeral rallies. And Tesla’s stock has been slipping since its June 23 peak after a troubling quarterly sales report and ongoing concern about its ability to mass produce. It closed down 2.5 percent Monday, at $319.57.
Target sounds alarm on pullback by Hispanic shoppers By Matt Townsend and Spencer Soper BL OOMBERG NEWS
Target Corp. Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell is sounding alarm bells over the state of Hispanic shoppers in the U.S. -- a key growth demographic for many retailers and consumer brands. “The Hispanic consumer in the U.S. is shopping much less,” Cornell said at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech event Tuesday in Aspen, Colorado. “They are staying home. They are going out less often.” Cornell didn’t mention President Donald Trump by name, but he talked about a shift in behavior this year and mentioned “border towns” — where retailers for years have depended on shoppers from northern Mexico for higher revenue. Trump took office in January after promising to crack down on undocumented immigration, especially from Mexico. Purchases by Hispanics at U.S. retailers in categories tracked by researcher NPD Group have fallen 8 percent this year. “There’s clearly been a pullback” since Trump was elected, said Marshal Cohen, an analyst at NPD. “There’s concern about going out in an environment where you could be deported.” As the number of U.S.
Hispanics has grown over the past decade, the group’s spending power has increased and made it an in-demand demographic. Two years ago, Target began a campaign geared at Hispanics called Sin Traduccion — without translation, that featured words with no English equivalent. Other retailers like J.C. Penney Co., restaurant chains such as McDonald’s Corp., and consumer brands as diverse as Yoplait, Hershey and Johnnie Walker are all courting a group that now makes up about 20 percent of the population. Apparel and accessories have also been hurt, according to NPD data through March. Food and small appliances, though, haven’t been affected, Cohen said. The decline in purchases among Hispanics comes as U.S. consumer spending overall has increased amid rising confidence, low unemployment and wage gains. Sneakers are taking a hit with purchases by Hispanics declining at a high-teen percentage this year, according to Matt Powell, also an analyst at NPD. He said that’s after growth last year in the mid-teens range. The brands seeing the biggest impact are VF Corp.’s Vans, Nike, Skechers and Nike’s Jordan brand, according to NPD.
A10 | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
ENTERTAINMENT
Helen Sloan/HBO / TNS
Lena Headey and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in ‘Game of Thrones’ season 7.
‘Game of Thrones’ returns to record ratings By Jeremy Egner N EW YORK T I ME S NEWS S ERVIC E
Winter is popular. Sunday’s Season 7 premiere of “Game of Thrones,” which kicked off the show’s final stretch, brought record ratings for the series and HBO. As of Monday the episode had been watched by 16.1 million people across all platforms, including traditional cable, streaming and on-demand viewing. This is a 50 percent increase from last year’s Season 6 kickoff episode, making it the most-watched premiere ever for both “Game of Thrones” and HBO. Those numbers will
Season 6 of the fantasy epic ultimately averaged 25.7 million viewers per episode. “Game of Thrones” is HBO’s most-watched series ever.
climb this week, as more people stream the episode or watch on-demand. Season 6 of the fantasy epic ultimately averaged 25.7 million viewers per episode. “Game of Thrones” is HBO’s most-watched series ever. Sunday’s episode also brought HBO the highest number of concurrent viewers across its streaming services, HBO Go and HBO Now. The Season 7 premiere
was arguably the most hotly anticipated episode in the show’s history, coming after a longerthan-usual hiatus between seasons. “Game of Thrones” seasons have traditionally debuted in April, but the show required a longer production period this time. After Sunday’s premiere, the fantasy epic has 12 episodes remaining — six more this season, and a final six in Season 8.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 |
A11
FROM THE COVER FAIL From page A1 Democrats are going to come to us and they’re going to say, ‘How do we fix it?”’ Despite the current law’s problems, most health care experts do not believe it is at immediate risk of outright failure, and Democratic cooperation to adjust the law is far from assured. Nor does it appear likely that Republicans can escape owning the problems with the law and the health care system overall, now that they control the House, Senate and White House, partly on the strength of campaigning against the law. “They seem to have this notion that they can be a majority party, and have control of the White House, and not be responsible for bringing down the health care system,” said Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois. “It doesn’t work that way.” Asked how he would justify the GOP’s failure on health care to voters, McConnell responded: “Well, we have a new Supreme Court justice” — suggesting inaction on health care would be forgiven because of that success along with some regulatory roll-backs. As the day began Tuesday, McConnell was hunting for votes to open debate on a revived version of legislation Congress sent to Obama’s desk in 2015 that would have
MEG From page A1 Cash wasn’t living in town during LareDOS’ heyday, but heard plenty about the publication from miles away. Some said Guerra was a troublemaker, others that she was a crusader, a watchdog or an advocate for the disenfranchised. Cash said she thinks all these things are true. “But more than that I think LareDOS gave the community the power to take back the political system in Laredo. They suddenly realized because of Meg’s reporting that citizens had a right to demand accountability from their elected officials,” Cash said. “I think the best thing LareDOS did was empower people to hold government accountable.” When LareDOS ended in September 2014, Guerra was sick with cancer, though she didn’t know it yet. But she also had interests outside journalism, and grandchildren, and she just decided that it was a good time to end the paper. “Something was happening to my energy that I wasn’t sure about. So the paper changed as I changed. I’ve never stopped loving writing. I’ve never stopped wanting to write good stories. I’ve always been engaged when I’m writing. But I think I was seeing that there were other things in the world that I wanted to be interested in,” Guerra said. After her diagnosis, treatments and blood transfusions brought her back to life, Guerra said, but by the time she was getting healthy again, LareDOS was already shuttered. With many of her larger life decisions, Guerra will admit she needs someone to push her through the door. To bring LareDOS back as an online publication, that pusher was Cash. “I gave her a swift kick in the butt in the nicest way possible,” Cash said. When Guerra began feeling better, Cash said her friend became restless. She said Guerra needed to take her newfound energy and get back to what she does best: reporting. Cash recommended Guerra take LareDOS
repealed major portions of Obamacare, with a two-year delay built in. He had turned to that approach after getting stunned Monday night by defections by Sens. Mike Lee of Utah and Jerry Moran of Kansas on a repeal-and-replace bill. Many Republicans support the repeal-only approach, and they questioned how senators who voted for the legislation two years ago could oppose it now. “We’re going to find out if there’s hypocrisy in the United States Senate in the next few days I’m afraid,” said Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia. But for others, the implications were too severe now that the bill could actually become law with a Republican president in the White House ready to sign it. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that more than 30 million people would lose insurance over a decade under the legislation. Collins voted against the legislation in 2015 while Murkowski and Capito both supported it. Murkowski told reporters Tuesday that repealing the Affordable Care Act without the promise of a replacement would cause uncertainty and chaos. “To just say repeal and ‘Trust us, we’re going to fix it in a couple of years,’ that’s not going to provide comfort to the anxiety that a lot of Alaskan families are feeling right now,”
she said. Said Capito: “I did not come to Washington to hurt people.” What’s next? Go back to the committee room and work on a bipartisan basis “in a way that the public feels that we are really working toward their best interests,” Murkowski said. “It’s where we should have started. ... And yes, this is hard.” Sure enough, later in the day health committee chairman Sen. Lamar Alexander of Tennessee announced he planned hearings on the issue in the next few weeks, a step Senate Republicans have not taken to date. The GOP’s struggles over the latest measures came down to differences between moderates who feared the implications of a full-blown repeal, and conservatives who wanted nothing less. Speaker Paul Ryan managed to bridge those divides in the House in May, barely passing a bill that would have eliminated the coverage mandates and tax hikes in the Affordable Care Act, while unwinding the Medicaid expansion and removing insurance coverage for millions. But the GOP bills polled poorly, and Trump never tried to sell them to the country. Meanwhile, Obama’s law grew steadily more popular in polls, and Republicans learned anew that a benefit, once given, is hard to take away.
online so she wouldn’t have to deal with the logistics and costs of printing and distributing, which Guerra said were very cumbersome. She remembers times when the paper was finished and ready for publication, but they had no money to get it out. So around February of this year, LareDOS[redux] debuted online. Much like LareDOS’ first iteration, the online publication has lots of Guerra in it. She has also rounded up some of her old writers and other people who are interested in contributing. There are guest columns, reviews, histories, even fiction, and of course news, which Guerra writes most of. Recently she reported on the city’s demolition of two downtown properties to build metered parking lots. But the story also explored the surrounding block: the historic Southern Hotel next door, and the conversion of a nearby property into affordable housing for the elderly. Guerra said that she doesn’t consider what she does journalism, unless she is truly only going over data. “What I really like doing is telling a larger story. I may give you data and facts in a story, but I think what I really intend to do is to engage the reader in thinking, ‘Well how do I feel about this? What am I going to do about it?’” she said. LareDOS came back just in time for the FBI to raid a handful of city and county government buildings at the end of April as part of a public corruption probe. Guerra was the first news source to report on the contents of the search warrant for City Hall, which included a list of elected officials and others named as “target subjects,” and laid out the FBI’s intention to gather records relating to Dannenbaum Engineering, a firm that has worked with the city on several multimillion-dollar contracts. LareDOS is infamous for its unforgiving political cartoons and collages. The day she published the story about the search warrants, Guerra also uploaded a photo of City Hall with an illustrated Christmas tree planted in front, titled “O Dannenbaum, O Dannenbaum.”
The colorful ornaments on the tree say things like “No RFQs,” “Make a deal” and “Christmas year round.” Below the tree is a giant brown rat with a looming cartoon thought bubble: “Why wasn’t I a target subject?” Guerra’s relationship to city business changed soon after she ended LareDOS’ print run. In April 2015, Guerra’s son, attorney George Altgelt, won a special election for City Council District VII. His predecessor was recalled from office for allegedly offering cocaine to an off-duty Border Patrol agent at a northside bar. Altgelt spearheaded the recall election. Guerra conceded that it is odd to write about city business while her son serves on council. She’s careful not to write about him, but in May, when he proposed that the city’s park personnel stop maintaining baseball and softball fields for the local Pony League, and he was subsequently berated by parents and coaches for an hour, Guerra said she had to write about it. “But he’s his own guy,” she said. “I think he does a lot of good things for his district and for the city. I think he’s smart that way. Yeah, I’m real careful. I don’t want to quote him and make him sound like the smartest person on the council. There are other smart people on the council — not too many, but there are others.” In her years covering the city, county, school districts, and general Laredo goings-on, Guerra isn’t sure that her stubborn coverage provoked any real change, though she admits these entities “stopped doing that outrageous stuff,” like the explicit and recorded malfeasance at LISD that she reported on in the ‘90s. “At the end of 2014 when I closed it, I had a moment of looking back and trying to understand if anything had really changed. I know I had changed — I had changed a lot. But I can’t say that business as usual shut down everywhere and that people, because we were there, behaved better with public money. I can’t say that at all. I hope they did,” Guerra said. Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
Russell Contreras / AP
A new textbook on indigenous healing is shown on Monday at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque during the school's annual course on curanderismo indigenous healing methods from the American Southwest and Latin America.
Native American healing sparks health textbook By Russell Contreras ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Laughter can combat trauma. Spiritual cleansings could be used to fight an opioid addiction. Cactus extract may battle diabetes and obesity. These insights are from curanderismo — traditional Native American healing from the American Southwest and Latin America. University of New Mexico professor Eliseo “Cheo” Torres’ has included these thoughts in a new, unique textbook connected to his internationally-known annual course on curanderismo. “Curanderismo: The Art of Traditional Medicine Without Borders,” released last week, coincides with Torres’ annual gathering of curandero students and healers around the world at the University of New Mexico. For nearly 20 years, healers and their students have come to Albuquerque to meet and exchange ideas on traditional healing that for many years were often ignored and ridiculed. Torres, who Is also the university’s vice president for student affairs, said the popularity of the annual course and a similar
online class he teaches convinced him that there needed to be a textbook on curanderismo. “This textbook came out of the experience of this class and the ideas that have been shared through the years,” Torres said during a special morning ceremony with Aztec dancers on campus. “From healers in Mexico to those in Africa, many have long traditions of healing that are being rediscovered by a new generation.” Curanderismo is the art of using traditional healing methods like herbs and plants to treat various ailments. Long practiced in Native American villages of Mexico and other parts of Latin America, curanderos also are found in New Mexico, south Texas, Arizona and California. Anthropologists believe curanderismo remained popular among poor Latinos because they didn’t have access to health care. But they say the field is gaining traction among those who seek to use alternative medicine. “I believe people are disenchanted with our health system,” Torres said. “Some people can’t afford it now, and they are looking for other ways to empower themselves to
heal.” The textbook gives a survey of medicinal plants used to help digestive systems and how healers draw in laugh therapy to cope with traumatic experiences. Ricardo Carrillo, a licensed psychologist and a healer based in Oakland, California, said he’s seeing younger people look to curanderismo to help with challenges like addiction and physical pain. “Yes, you have to go through detox and do all that you are supposed to do to get yourself clean,” said Carrillo, who came to the Albuquerque workshop to speak. “Curanderismo can give you the spiritual tools to keep yourself clean and look to a higher power.” Among the ailments curanderos treat are mal de ojo, or evil eye, and susto, magical fright. Mal de ojo is the belief that an admiring look or a stare can weaken someone, mainly a child, leading to bad luck, even death. Susto is a folk illness linked to a frightful experience, such as an automobile accident or tripping over an unseen object. Those who believe they are inflicted with susto say only a curandero can cure them.
Summer Slim Down Sleeve Special JULY AND D AUGUST ONLY! If you’re at least 80 pounds overweight, have a BMI greater than 30 and have tried diets, exercise and medications, you may be a candidate for weight-loss* surgery.
Sleeve Slim Down Doctors Hospital of Laredo is a nationally accredited weight-loss program that offers gastric sleeve surgery. The surgeon removes a portion of the stomach and creates a thin vertical sleeve, which can be done as a minimally invasive procedure. Altering the stomach anatomy decreases hunger and increases the feeling of fullness. The procedure has less nutritional concerns compared to gastric bypass surgery and patients experience 67% of excess body weight at one year with resolution of obesity related chronic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia (high cholesterol)**.
Special Pricing Special pricing is available to self-pay patients who are eligible for the gastric sleeve procedure and undergo surgery between July 1 and August 31. To view a FREE educational video series about weight-loss surgery at Doctors Hospital, go to ichoosedoctorshospital.com/videoseminar.
Call Doctors Hospital Weight Loss and Wellness Center at 956-693-5025 to learn more.
www.ichoosedoctorshospital.com *Individual results may vary. There are risks associated with any surgical procedure. Talk with your doctor about these risks to find out if bariatric surgery is right for you. **Surg Laparosc Endosc Percutan Tech. 2017 Jun 5 [Epub ahead of print]. Physicians are independent practitioners who are not employees or agents of Doctors Hospital of Laredo. The hospital shall not be liable for actions or treatments provided by physicians. Doctors Hospital of Laredo is directly or indirectly owned by a partnership that includes physician owners, including certain members of the hospital medical staff. 172016 7/17
A12 | Wednesday, July 19, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL Man who killed stepdaughter, abused corpse won’t OK divorce A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
EASTON, Pa. — A man convicted of killing his stepdaughter and having sex with her corpse is contesting the terms of a divorce from her mother. Appearing in court via video feed from his Pennsylvania prison cell, 55year-old Gregory Graf said Monday that he never agreed to terms that would give him 25 percent of the assets shared with his longtime wife. Graf’s attorney, Jack McMahon, told The (Allentown) Morning Call that Graf was happy with the agreement when it was reached in February. But Graf says he felt abandoned by McMahon, claiming the lawyer didn’t give him the proper in-
formation. “I don’t know what is going on,” Graf said. “I’m not a legal person.” McMahon, who sent another attorney to Monday’s hearing in his place, said he doesn’t know why Graf is unhappy with the settlement. Graf was convicted in 2014 of fatally shooting 33-year-old Jessica Padgett and recording video of himself abusing her corpse. A jury viewed that video at trial and convicted Graf of first-degree murder after only a few minutes of deliberation. McMahon didn’t deny that Graf killed Padgett, but argued instead that “something snapped” and the shooting was not premeditated. Graf is serving a life sentence in prison.
Winter storms fuel Western wildfires, forcing evacuations By Scott Smith and Scott Sonner ASSOCIATED PRE SS
FRESNO, Calif. — Tall grass from a deluge of winter rains is fueling wildfires throughout the Western U.S., damaging more than a dozen homes in Nevada and forcing residents from communities on the outskirts of Yosemite National Park in California, authorities said Tuesday. Flames threaten more than 300 homes and buildings in mountain communities southwest of Yosemite, clearing out the small town of Mariposa. The fire burning for two days also puts power lines providing electricity to the park at risk, and it has closed roads traveled by tourists, officials said. Record rain and snow-
fall in the mountains this winter was celebrated for bringing California’s fiveyear drought to its knees, but it has turned into a challenge for firefighters battling flames feeding on dense vegetation, officials said. “There’s ample fuel and steep terrain,” said California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection spokeswoman DeeDee Garcia. “It makes firefighting difficult.” Smoke from the fire in Mariposa County has drifted more than 150 miles away to Reno. In a remote northeastern corner of Nevada, roughly 14 homes were damaged or destroyed by a wildfire that started Monday. Officials have lifted an evacuation advisory, allowing hundreds of people to return home
Merced County Sheriff’s Office / AP
Merced and Mariposa County Sheriff's Office members gather during a wildfire in Mariposa County, California on Tuesday.
and assess damage, authorities said. Record rain and snowfall drenching California and Nevada this winter have caused grassland to thrive throughout the region, also creating more opportunity for the fire as temperatures this summer spike. In Nevada, wind is driving the flames through invasive cheat grass — growing twice the norm, U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Greg Deimel said. “It is very thick, very dense,” he said. “You get the winds and the density of the grass, the fire just
goes.” This summer’s high temperatures follow a very wet winter that dumped more than 60 feet of snow at ski resorts in the Sierra west of Reno. The California blaze near Lake McClure east of Modesto, has charred more than 24 square miles. Officials report having it 5 percent contained. It’s burning near Highway 49, a historical route winding its way up California foothills of the western Sierra Nevada dotted with communities and landmarks that sprouted up during the state’s Gold Rush.