The Zapata Times 7/2/2016

FREE AGENCY OPENS

SATURDAY JULY 2, 2016

FREE

NBA, NHL TEAMS MAKE BIG MOVES EARLY ON

DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY

TO 4,000 HOMES

A HEARST PUBLICATION

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

ZAPATA NATIONAL BANK

Suspects in fraud scheme sentenced Two women ordered to prison for stealing more than $800,000 TH E ZAPATA T IME S

Two women have been sentenced to prison for stealing more than $800,000 from Zapata National Bank.

Petra Del Bosque and Anita Arredondo, both 55, were sentenced Wednesday to 36 months in federal prison.

Arredondo and Del Bosque pleaded guilty in February and

January 2015, respectively. They admitted that the loss as a result of the bank fraud scheme totaled more than $800,000.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo handed both women their sentence, each to be followed by five years of supervised release. The court also ordered they owe $615,681 in restitution.

Unaccounted funds Marmolejo found that neither defendant had been truthful with the court in accounting for the whereabouts of the remainder of the stolen money.

Arredondo and Del Bosque had returned some money at the time of their arrests and later submitted expense reports to the court purporting to show

how they had spent the remaining funds.

However, Marmolejo did not find their reports credible and there is nearly $200,000 in unaccounted for stolen funds.

In addition, the court noted the neither defendant seemed to grasp the significance of the case, seeming to focus on how the sentence would affect them rather than acknowledge the

harm they had done to important employers in their community, a news release states.

Del Bosque is a former employee of Zapata National Bank, while Arredondo worked for a Zapata-based construction company as a clerk in the accounts payable department and had responsibility for issuing company checks.

Scheme continues on A10

MISS FALCON LAKE

USDA

2016 PAGEANT CONTESTANTS Contest set for Monday

Courtesy photo

The Mexican fruit fly was detected in Webb and Zapata counties.

THE ZAPATA TIME S

The Miss 2016 Falcon Lake Pageant is set to begin Monday, July 4, 2016 at 3 p.m. in the Zapata Community Center.

This year’s categories and contestants are as follows:

Fruit fly detected in both Webb, Zapata

Miss Baby Falcon Lake 1 Audrina Nicole Saenz 1 Alianna Martinez 1 Miss Tiny Falcon Lake 1 Aubriana Martinez 1 Lilanie Daniella Pena 1 Kiveli Montserrat Jasso 1 Yamilexi M. Santos 1 Aleeah Lynn Gonzalez

Could harm citrus trade

Miss Little Falcon Lake 1 Andrea Ideliza Martinez 1 Camila De Leon 1 Dielka Sanchez 1 Sofia Isabella Paredes

TH E ZAPATA T IME S

A public service announcement has been released in light of the Mexican fruit fly detected in Webb and Zapata counties, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

This pest is not a threat to humans or animals, but can potentially cause harm to the citrus industry in south Texas.

"Please cooperate with USDA survey teams who need to inspect trees, hang traps and remove fruit," the USDA said in a public service announcement.

The USDA says residents of south Texas can further help by double-bagging unused or fallen fruit and throwing it

1 Miss Jr. Falcon Lake 1 Mia Garcia 1 Katelyn Nierah Gonzalez 1 Jannel R. Esquivel 1 Jenitza Trevino 1 Jozlynn Garza Miss Pre-Teen Falcon Lake 1 Eryn Ashley Granger 1 Alicia Faye Jimenez 1 Yaretzi Y. Landa Miss & Teen Falcon Lake 1 Lyanna Aileen Gomez 1 Priscilla Elizondo 1 Pricilla Siordia

Fly continues on A10

ZAPATA COUNTY

Law enforcement get $450,000 in federal funding Money to be used toward new equipment and over-time pay S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S

Congressman Henry Cuellar recently announced that Zapata County has received $450,000 in federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security’s Stonegarden program to support local law enforce-

ment for equipment and overtime pay.

Statewide, Texas received over Cuellar $21 million in law enforcement funding of the $55 million nationwide.

“These additional funds will help support local law enforcement as they work with the federal government to help protect our southern border. As a Member of the Appropriations Committee, I worked to ensure that the hardworking men and women serving and protecting

our community have the resources and support they need. I would like to thank Zapata County Sheriff, Alonso M. Lopez, and all of the men and women who secure our communities,” said Congressman Cuellar.

Zapata County has received in total over $5.4

million in federal funding from Operation Stonegarden since 2009.

The FY 2016 Operation Stonegarden (OPSG) program provides $55,000,000 to enhance cooperation and coordination among local, tribal, territorial, State, and Federal law enforcement

agencies in a joint mission to secure the United States’ borders along routes of ingress from international borders to include travel corridors in States bordering Mexico and Canada, as well as States and territories with international water borders.

Zin brief A2 | Saturday, July 2, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE WORLD

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, JULY 2

A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S

1

Book sale. 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. No admission charge.

Everyone is invited.

1 Laredo Northside Farmers Market. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. The market will be held at the playground behind the trailhead facility at North Central Park on International Boulevard. The market will feature the usual vendors plus two new vendors. Local yoga instructor Beverly Boling will make a presentation on yoga.

Today is Saturday, July 2, the 184th day of 2016. There are 182 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On July 2, 1937, aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared over the Pacific Ocean while attempting to make the first round-the-world flight along the equator.

MONDAY, JULY 4 1

Chess Club. 4–6 p.m. Every Monday. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete in this cherished strategy game played internationally.

Free. For all ages and skill levels.

Instruction is offered.

1 Cancer Friends Meet. 6 p.m. Every first Monday of the month. Doctors Hospital at the Community Center.

Having cancer is often one of the most stressful experiences in a person’s life. However, support groups help many people cope with the emotional aspects of cancer by providing a safe place to share their feelings and challenges and learn from others who are facing similar situations. For more information, call Nancy Santos at 956-285-5410.

Tara Todras-Whitehill / AP

Game of Thrones star Lena Headey, right, talks with young Syrian children at Cherso refugee camp in northern Greece.

ACTRESS VISITS WITH MIGRANTS

TUESDAY, JULY 5 1

Take the challenge and climb the Rock Wall. 10 a.m.–12 p.m. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Fun exercise for all ages and it's free. Must sign release form. For more information call 956-795-2400 x2520.

1 Community conversation on teen and young adult mental health. 6 p.m.–8 p.m. Border Region Behavioral Health Center, 1500 Papas St. Everyone is invited to attend. The purpose of this event is to encourage the community to voice concerns, ask questions and share information on available resources to help those afflicted with a mental illness or a substance abuse problem. Join others in the community for an informal conversation on mental health presented by Area Health Education Center, Border Region Behavioral Health Center and Texas Department of State Services Office of Border Health. For additional information, call 712-0037 or email hmedellin@mrgbahec.org 1 Alzheimer’s Disease Support Group. 7 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, 1st Floor, Tower B in the Community Center. Meetings are open to individuals who have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, as well as family, friends and caregivers of Alzheimer’s disease patients. For more information, call Melissa Guerra at 956-6939991.

THURSDAY, JULY 7 1

Cancer Friends Meet. 6 p.m.

Laredo Medical Center, A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center, Tower A, 1st Floor.

Having cancer is often one of the most stressful experiences in a person’s life. However, support groups help many people cope with the emotional aspects of cancer by providing a safe place to share their feelings and challenges and learn from others who are facing similar situations. For more information, call the A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center at 956-796-4725.

FRIDAY, JULY 8 1

Sister Cities Festival. Opening ceremony: 9 a.m. Expo: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.

Laredo Energy Arena. The LEA is transformed over the three-day event to hold such exotic items as beautiful artisan produced and hand-crafted wooden furniture, leather goods, jewelry, pottery and home goods and accessories, clothing for the whole family and food from across the Mexican republic. Information on the Sister Cities Festival may be obtained by calling the Laredo Convention and Visitors Bureau at 795-2200 or 800361-3360 or by logging onto www.visitlaredo.com.

SATURDAY, JULY 9 1

Sister Cities Festival. 10 a.m.–7 p.m. Laredo Energy Arena. The LEA is transformed over the three-day event to hold such exotic items as beautiful artisan produced and hand-crafted wooden furniture, leather goods, jewelry, pottery and home goods and accessories, clothing for the whole family and food from across the Mexican republic.

SUNDAY, JULY 10 1 Sister Cities Festival. 10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Laredo Energy Arena. The LEA is transformed over the three-day event to hold such exotic items as beautiful artisan produced and hand-crafted wooden furniture, leather goods, jewelry, pottery and home goods and accessories, clothing for the whole family and food from across the Mexican republic.

MONDAY, JULY 11 1

Chess Club. 4–6 p.m. Every Monday. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete in this cherished strategy game played internationally.

Free. For all ages and skill levels.

Instruction is offered.

1 Laredo Stroke Support Group. 7 p.m. San Martin de Porres Church, Family Life Center. Meetings are held the second Monday of each month and are open to all stroke survivors, family and caregivers.

By Derek Gatopoulos A S S O C I AT E D P R E S S

ATHENS, Greece — As the world watched Cersei Lannister unleash devastating revenge on her enemies, the actress who plays the brooding Game of Thrones villain was in Greece displaying a far more compassionate side.

Lena Headey went to Lesbos, the island at the heart of Europe’s refugee crisis, and two migrant camps in northern Greece to visit refugees stranded by Europe’s closed-door policies.

Co-stars Maisie Williams and Liam

Cunningham joined her on the trip organized by the U.S.-based relief agency, the International Rescue Committee.

More than a million migrants and refugees have traveled from the shores of Turkey to Greek islands since early 2015.

Families crossed in dinghies and unsafe boats and continued to mainland Europe during the crisis, which triggered border closures across the continent.

Headey described Europe’s treatment of people fleeing war in Syria and other countries as “utterly ridiculous.”

AROUND THE WORLD Mexico official to protesting teachers: End blockades now MEXICO CITY — A top Mexican official on Friday demanded an immediate end to roadblocks by protesting teachers in restive southern states that have caused chaos and resulted in eight deaths.

Interior Secretary Miguel Angel Osorio Chong said the unrest has hurt millions in

Oaxaca and Chiapas, keeping people and commerce from circulating freely, harming small businesses and preventing children from going to school.

Osorio Chong and other officials have been in talks with representatives of the teachers, who oppose recent education reforms that the government says are now the law and cannot be reversed.

But now, “the blockades and damages to the citizenry must

end,” Osorio Chong said in a strongly worded message before journalists in Mexico City.

“Therefore the necessary decisions will soon be taken to allow transit on strategic roads and the supply of provisions to communities.”

“The time is up,” he added, a phrase he repeated twice for emphasis.

Members of the teachers union are angry over elements of the reforms.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Four children fatally stabbed; mother in custody MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Four young children were stabbed to death in a gated apartment complex in suburban Memphis on Friday, and police took their mother into custody for questioning. She has not been charged.

Deputies were called to the complex in unincorporated Shelby County shortly before 1 p.m., said county Sheriff Bill Oldham, who did not specifically allege that the mother had stabbed the children.

“This is an egregious act of evil that has shocked us to our core,” Oldham said. “I will never understand how anyone can do this.”

Officials have not released the ages of the children, but sheriff’s office spokesman Earle Farrell said deputies responding to the scene called them “babies.”

Mark Weber / AP

Deputies work the scene where four young children were fatally stabbed at the Greens of Irene apartment in Memphis, Tenn.

“What can you say?” said neighbor Sean Ahearn. “It’s just a terrible, terrible thing.”

Ahearn said he didn’t know the family by name, but that he often saw the children, who all appeared to be under age 6, playing in the front yard. They liked to pet his dog when he was taking it for a walk, he said.

“From what I saw, they were very open and friendly kids,” he said. “You never imagine that this kind of thing could happen.”

The investigation is in a very preliminary stage and investigators do not know if the mother had any mental health issues, Oldham said.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND TEXAS Mexican man on death row loses federal appeal HOUSTON — A federal appeals court has rejected an appeal from a Mexican man on death row in Texas for the slayings of his wife and two children at their Rio Grande Valley home more than 24 years ago.

The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling that said

On this date: In 1566, French astrologer, physician and professed prophesier Nostradamus died in Salon.

In 1776, the Continental Congress passed a resolution saying that “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States.”

In 1881, President James A. Garfield was shot by Charles J. Guiteau at the Washington railroad station; Garfield died the following September. (Guiteau was hanged in June 1882.)

In 1926, the United States Army Air Corps was created.

In 1955, “The Lawrence Welk Show” premiered on ABC-TV under its original title, “The Dodge Dancing Party.”

In 1961, author Ernest Hemingway shot himself to death at his home in Ketchum, Idaho.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed into law a sweeping civil rights bill passed by Congress.

In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Gregg v. Georgia, ruled 7-2 the death penalty was not inherently cruel or unusual.

In 1986, ruling in a pair of cases, the Supreme Court upheld affirmative action as a remedy for past job discrimination.

In 1991, actress Lee Remick died in Los Angeles at age 55.

In 1996, electricity and phone service was knocked out for millions of customers from Canada to the Southwest on a record-hot day.

Seven years after they shot-gunned their parents to death in the family’s Beverly Hills mansion, Lyle and Erik Menendez were sentenced to life in prison without parole.

In 2001, Robert Tools received the world’s first self-contained artificial heart in Louisville, Kentucky. (He lived 151 days with the device.) Vice President Dick Cheney returned to work two days after receiving a new pacemaker.

Ten years ago: Conservative freetrader Felipe Calderon defeated leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador by just 234,000 votes in Mexico’s presidential election. Comic Jan Murray died in Beverly Hills, California, at age 89.

Five years ago: Petra Kvitova beat Maria Sharapova 6-3, 6-4 to become the first left-handed woman to win the Wimbledon title since Martina Navratilova in 1990.

One year ago: Trying to close the books on the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history, BP agreed to provide billions of dollars in new money to five Gulf Coast states in a deal the company said would bring its full obligations to an estimated $53.8 billion. A Philippine ferry, the Kim Nirvana, capsized after leaving port in Ormoc City, killing about 60 people.

Today’s Birthdays: Former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos is 87.

Jazz musician Ahmad Jamal is 86.

Actor Robert Ito is 85. Actress Polly Holliday is 79. Racing Hall of Famer Richard Petty is 79. Former White House chief of staff John H. Sununu is 77. Former Mexican President Vicente Fox is 74. Writer-directorcomedian Larry David is 69. Luci Baines Johnson, daughter of President Lyndon B. Johnson, is 69. Actor Saul Rubinek is 68. Rock musician Roy Bittan (Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band) is 67. Rock musician Gene Taylor is 64. Actress Wendy Schaal is 62. Actress-model Jerry Hall is 60. Actor Jimmy McNichol is 55. Country singer Guy Penrod is 53.

Rock musician Dave Parsons (Bush) is 51. Actress Yancy Butler is 46.

Contemporary Christian musician Melodee DeVevo (Casting Crowns) is 40. Actor Owain Yeoman is 38. Race car driver Sam Hornish Jr. is 37. Singer Michelle Branch is 33. Actress Vanessa Lee Chester is 32. Figure skater Johnny Weir is 32. Actor Nelson Franklin is 31. Actress-singer Ashley Tisdale is 31. Actress Lindsay Lohan is 30. Actress Margot Robbie is 26.

Thought for Today: “Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. The soul that knows it not, knows no release from little things.”

— Amelia Earhart (1897-1937?).

CONTACT US Robert Moreno Ramos, 62, can’t file another appeal claiming he wasn’t told he could get legal help from the Mexican government under an international treaty when he was arrested for the 1992 killings.

Ramos’ lawyer also argued he had deficient legal help at trial and in subsequent appeals.

In 2004, the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, found that Ramos, from Aguascalientes, Mexico, and more than four dozen other Mexican citizens

awaiting execution in the United States weren’t advised of their consular rights under the Vienna Convention when they were arrested. The international court urged new hearings in the courts where those people were convicted to determine if consular access would have affected their cases. President George W. Bush agreed and directed states to reopen the cases.

Ramos does not yet have an execution date.

— Compiled from AP reports

Publisher, William B. Green .....................................728-2501 General Manager, Adriana Devally ..........................728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................................728-2531 Circulation Director ..................................................728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo..................................728-2505 Managing Editor, Nick Georgiou ..............................728-2582 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ........................................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo.......................728-2569

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Wednesdays and Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata and Jim Hogg counties. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times in those areas at newstands, The Zapata Times is inserted.

The Zapata Times is free.

The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas, 78044. Call (956) 728-2500.

The Zapata Times

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, July 2, 2016 |

STATE

Actor McConaughey to teach filmmaking course at UT this fall A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN, Texas — Matthew McConaughey is heading back to school this fall to teach a course on filmmaking at the University of Texas at Austin.

The university says in a social media post that the Oscar winner will teach at his alma mater alongside “Hunger Games” director Gary Ross.

The university tells the San Antonio ExpressNews that the actor will take 30 students behind the scenes of McConaughey and Ross’ latest film, “The Free State of

Ross D. Franklin / AP file

The University of Texas announced that Matthew McConaughey is teaching a filmmaking course.

Jones” through recorded videos. The school says McConaughey will make at least one visit to campus for the class.

The 1993 Texas grad has a home in Austin and has been seen on the sidelines at Longhorns football games.

A3

Zopinion

Letters to the editor Send your signed letter to editorial@lmtonline.com

A4 | Saturday, July 2, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Fear of a female administration?

By Mary Sanchez TH E KA NSAS CI T Y STAR

Is America ready for a two-woman presidential ticket?

It certainly seems the Clinton campaign is considering the question.

Hillary Clinton has made a high profile public appearance recently with Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. They clicked so well that the Washington Post called them the "it" couple of Democratic politics.

At a rally in Ohio, Sen. Warren spoke with her customary sassy brilliance as Clinton looked on warmly. Warren for weeks has taken to Twitter to aim her quick wit and sharp invective at the presumptive GOP nominee, Donald Trump. She showed she can play the role of the mean girl against the bully. She goaded Trump for his "goofy" hat, his simplistic sloganeering and his elite birth. Women cheered at the display of saucy sisterhood.

The public display of friendship seems to be a trial balloon, and many wondered when it would be burst by the pinprick of reality.

Two women? Could voters possibly be progressive enough to support such an estrogenheavy ticket?

Some turned the question around: Who secondguesses a ticket with two men? Nobody, because we’ve been doing it that way for centuries.

True. But sexism is a fact of American politics.

It will be front and center with Trump in the presidential race. The man cannot shape-shift into a gentleman no matter how much the GOP establishment works to improve him.

The unsettling reality is that Donald Trump can get elected to the White House by being a jerk.

Hillary Clinton cannot.

Voters need to like female candidates more than they do male candidates. They can dislike a man running for office and still regard him as qualified and electable.

Likeability is not a litmus test for men. It tends to be for women, according to research by Celinda Lake, a Democratic pollster. And many people, even Democraticleaning women, do not like Clinton all that much.

Another finding is that voters seldom think that woman candidate wins a debate with a male opponent. That might have something to do with assumptions about presentation - how a man can be viewed as tough and strong, whereas a woman with similar posturing will be viewed in a negative light. A man is still

the model for what people view as a politician. Both genders tend to be more questioning of the qualifications of female candidates.

The 2016 presidential race exemplifies this. The idea that a virtual political nobody like Trump can be held on the same plane as a person like Clinton, with a long and distinguished record of public service, is offensive.

These are the unfair headwinds Hillary Clinton has to face.

Yet there are promising signs for her. Eighty percent of unmarried women support Clinton, according to polls, and she has a substantial lead among women voters generally. In fact, 2016 will be the first time that a majority of vote-eligible women are projected to be unmarried.

Those numbers could easily turn the election in all states, according to Celinda Lake.

But alas, polling can only predict so much.

Lake emphasizes that demography is not destiny.

Voters have to turn out.

To some extent, this campaign can be about challenging sexism. But it would be foolish to underestimate the extent to which such bias persists and will motivate voters.

The same goes even if Clinton wins the White House. Women and girls will not suddenly be viewed as equals and treated with respect any more than African-Americans felt racial bias and discrimination lift from their lives with the election of Barack Obama. In fact, racism became in many ways more overt after Obama was inaugurated.

One need only consider the widespread belief among white Republicans that Obama has divided the nation racially. (No, his presence in the White House just held the mirror up to America.)

Sexism will be similar for Clinton. It’s dying, slowly. Women are certainly far better off in work and home life than they were decades ago. But gender bias affects women and girls every minute of the day - in subtle digs, unrecognized effects of long-held beliefs as well as blatant verbal attacks. It’s not fair. It’s not right. But it is America, 2016. And it will impact the election.

Lake has another prediction: When the big money gets out and civility returns to American politics, you’ll see more women running for office. And more women candidates may also bring out more women voters.

The problem is that we are not there yet. We live in a time when Donald Trump can be seriously considered as a candidate to lead the greatest nation on Earth. We clearly have work to do.

COLUMN

A transgender view on the restroom debate

By Gracie Bonds Staples COX NEWSPAPERS

I want to share with you the story of Raquel Willis, an African-American transgender woman born and raised in Georgia.

I know what it’s like to be a woman. I know what it’s like to be AfricanAmerican. I also know, because I grew up in segregated Mississippi and because access to public restrooms has been a divisive issue long before now, what it’s like to be barred from public restrooms and even doctor’s offices because of my skin color.

Having said that, I’ve been struggling with the ongoing debate over which public restrooms transgender people and those who are gendernonconforming should be allowed to use.

It’s the Obama administration’s view that homosexual, bisexual and transgender individuals should be afforded equal treatment under the law.

And in keeping with that, the U.S. Justice and Education departments told schools they must allow transgender students access to school restrooms “consistent with their gender identity.”

Several states, notably North Carolina, Georgia and my home state of Mississippi, are challenging that ruling.

So I asked Raquel who is right?

“The president,” she said. “If you identify as a woman, you should be using the woman’s restroom. I think the fear of trans people or people pretending to be trans to get into restrooms to assault women and children is bunk. I think transgender people are being used as pawns to

halt societal progress.

“I think a lot of conservative people are not happy about our country becoming more inclusive of marginalized individuals, and I think that a lot of this is a backlash to marriage equality and portrayals of transgender people in the media and in general this feeling of privileged people losing their grip on how everyone lives.”

Raquel is 25 and has thought long and hard about this. Her opinion is the difference between me and so-called experts spouting off about the issue.

I’ve read stories about that time when women joining the labor force for the first time had to fight to get employers to provide restrooms in workplaces that had historically been dominated by men.

I easily relate to those issues as I’m sure many of us do, but there’s much I don’t understand about being transgender. It’s why I wanted to talk to Raquel, to hear her story.

She remembers people telling her as a child that she was “feminine for a boy,” and they called her slurs like “sissy,” treated her like an outcast.

“For a long time, I thought I was gay,” she said. “I liked boys, but I never felt like that fit completely.”

She often wished she were a girl and, in her dreams, that’s who she was. No matter how hard her dad tried, and he tried a lot, she didn’t fit any stereotypical male role. She wasn’t interested in sports. She didn’t act like a boy, and she felt discomfort being referred to as a boy.

“That didn’t really feel right for me so with that and growing up in a very Catholic, Southern black

household, it was a struggle to be so different,” she said. “Neither my mom nor my dad had this language or means to try to understand or give me space to grow the way I needed. There’s no fault because I also didn’t have that language.”

For one thing, the word “transgender” wasn’t mainstream in the ‘90s and certainly not here in the South where Raquel grew up with her two older siblings.

Despite their differences, she and her father were able to forge a meaningful relationship until his death in 2011.

“When he died, it was difficult because I felt like I wanted to prove to him I could make it being myself,” she said. “I wanted him to see me blossom into the person I wanted to be, but it also freed me to understand how short life is and how important it was for me to live my life on my terms.”

By December of that year, Raquel realized she needed therapy to figure out her feelings. With the help of her mother, she was able to retrace her history. She recalled secretly playing with her mother’s makeup and sharing with her mom that she didn’t feel like a boy.

And so in 2012, after she met other transgender people at the University of Georgia, she realized that people who really cared about her would take the time to understand and support her decision to live life authentically.

“I started using different pronouns and different names, trying it out to see if it worked, how it felt,” she said. “Eventually I found ‘Raquel.'”

She finally embraced her truth, but she didn’t know how to move for-

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.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

ward. She considered having surgery to fully transition, but she was on the fence. Then she traveled to Milan, Italy, for a social media marketing internship, she retreated back into the closet because it was easier and safer.

But inside she was more determined to be herself. As soon as she returned home, she sent a detailed email to her mother and siblings. She was done hiding and decided to start the physical transition with or without their support.

On July 6, she began hormonal treatments.

“My body started changing. The way I felt changed,” she said. “It didn’t matter people didn’t understand. I felt more real. I felt more at home, emboldened to be outspoken and stronger in my convictions.”

She was at the University of Georgia pursuing a degree in journalism when she used the women’s bathroom for the first time. She worried someone would yell at her to get out but nothing happened.

“I did what I needed to do and left,” she said.

After graduating in 2013, Raquel spent a year working at the Walton Tribune.

Her life has gotten easier. She moves through society with more confidence, no longer feeling she has to hide who she really is. At the same, she can’t help being concerned about all the things that come with being black, being woman and being transgender.

“I have spent my entire life being called things I wasn’t and being talked to in damaging ways,” she said. “I am not about to let what people say or do keep me from being my authentic self.”

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, July 2, 2016 |

A5

A6 | Saturday, July 2, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL

California governor signs stringent gun bills

By Jonathan J. Cooper ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Alan Rogers / AP file

A grizzly bear cub rests near a cabin a few miles from the entrance to Yellowstone National Park.

Man killed by bear was experienced in wilderness

By Matt Volz and Matthew Brown A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HELENA, Mont. — The Montana man killed by a bear near Glacier National Park was intimately familiar with both the beauty and the danger of the vast, wild forest that spreads from the shadows of the park’s rugged peaks.

But there was seemingly nothing that former park ranger and longtime U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officer Brad Treat could do when he surprised the bear while riding his mountain bike along a trail in that forest minutes from his home.

Wildlife officials came up empty Thursday and Friday in their search for the bruin that killed Treat the day before, and they were not even certain what kind of bear it was or whether it was still in the area. A state wildlife response team set up traps, installed wilderness cameras and flew over the area in a helicopter, but it was not clear how long the search would continue.

“We’re taking it one day at a time, seeing what results we get,” Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks spokesman John Fraley said. “You just can’t predict what a bear is going to do.”

Wildlife officials planned to release an update on Saturday, including their plans to continue the search if the bear hasn’t been found, Fraley said.

Treat, 38, was a local boy, having grown up in nearby Kalispell, where he was a standout distance runner in high school. He returned home after attending college in Washington state and Missoula and worked as a seasonal park ranger in Glacier from 1999 to 2001.

He married a local girl, a photographer named Somer Hileman, and became a Forest Service law enforcement officer in 2004. He spent the last 12 years stationed at the remote Hungry Horse District in the Flathead

National Forest, whose territory stretches into the untamed Great Bear Wilderness.

“He was quite a guy by what everyone says, a big-time hiker, backcountry traveler who had a lot of experience,” Fraley said.

Treat still loved to run as an adult, and he came in eighth in the Spokane Marathon in 2013. His childhood and college friend, Miles Mason, described Treat as “ultracompetitive” and said he used to get awakened by his friend every morning to go run.

“He was always the runner I aspired to be, and as I got to know him, the friend I aspired to be and later the husband I aspired to be. An amazing person,” Mason said.

Treat was knocked off his bike Wednesday after he and another rider apparently surprised the bear while riding along a Flathead National Forest trail less than a mile from his home, authorities said. The other rider, a relative of Treat’s whose name was not released, went to get help and was not hurt.

His death has hit the tight-knit community of Forest Service employees in northwestern Montana hard, Flathead National Forest spokeswoman Janette Turk said.

“They are traumatized and affected by this, grieving the loss of a comrade,” she said.

Forest Service officials were working with the family on funeral arrangements, she said Friday.

Bears that attack humans are killed if it is found that they displayed predatory behavior, such as stalking the person or consuming their victim.

In this case, officials said is too soon to say what will be done to the bear if it is found. They are trying to determine if the animal was a mother with cubs, was protecting a food cache or simply reacted to the sudden appearance of the bikers, wildlife department spokesman Ron Aasheim said.

Fugitive in FBI’s ‘most wanted’ list arrested A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS

MILWAUKEE — The FBI says a Milwaukee woman added to its “10 Most Wanted Fugitives” list this week has been arrested in North Carolina.

Twenty-four-year-old Shanika Minor is accused of fatally shooting Tamecca Perry and her unborn child last March in Milwaukee.

FBI Special Agent Jennifer Walkowski says

Minor was arrested Friday morning at a motel near the airport in Fayetteville. Walkowski did not immediately have details of the arrest.

Authorities say Minor shot Perry, who was nine months pregnant, following a confrontation over loud music at the duplex where Minor’s mother also lived. Minor fled after the shooting.

The FBI offered a $100,000 reward in the case.

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

— Gov. Jerry Brown signed six stringent guncontrol measures Friday that will require people to turn in high-capacity magazines and mandate background checks for ammunition sales, as California Democrats seek to strengthen gun laws that are already among the strictest in the nation.

Brown vetoed five other bills, including requirement to register homemade firearms and report lost or stolen weapons to authorities.

The Democratic governor’s action is consistent with his mixed record on gun control. Some of the enacted bills duplicate provisions of a November ballot measure by Democratic Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom. Some of the vetoed measures also appear in Newsom’s initiative.

“My goal in signing these bills is to enhance public safety by tightening our existing laws in a responsible and focused manner, while protecting the rights of law-abiding gun owners,” Brown wrote in a one-sentence message to lawmakers.

Gun control measures have long been popular with the Democratic lawmakers who control the California Senate and Assembly. But they stepped up their push this year following the December shooting in San Bernardino by a couple who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group.

The bills angered Republicans and gun-rights advocates who say Democrats are trampling on 2nd Amendment rights, creating new restrictions that won’t cut off the flow of guns to people intent on using them for nefarious purposes.

“On the eve of Independence Day, independence and freedom and liberty in California has been chopped down at the knees and kicked between the legs,” said Sam Paredes, executive director of the advocacy group Gun Owners of California.

Lawsuits challenging the new laws are likely

Damian Dovarganes / AP file

A variety of military-style semi-automatic rifles are displayed at Los Angeles police headquarters. Gov. Jerry Brown signed six stringent gun-control measures that will require people to turn in high-capacity magazines.

once they take effect next year, Paredes said.

Brown’s action will require people who own magazines that hold more than 10 rounds to give them up. It extends a 1999 law that made it illegal to buy a high-capacity magazine or to bring one into the state but allowed people who already owned them to keep them.

In an attempt to slow gun users from rapidly reloading, the governor signed a bill outlawing new weapons that have a device known as a bullet button. Gun makers developed bullet buttons to get around California’s assault weapons ban, which prohibited new rifles with magazines that can be detached without the aid of tools. A bullet buttons allows a shooter to quickly dislodge the magazine using the tip of a bullet or other small tool.

People will be allowed to keep weapons they already own with bullet buttons, which are often referred to as “California compliant.”

Brown also endorsed a bill making another attempt to regulate ammu-

nition sales after a law passed in 2009 was struck down by a Fresno County judge who said it was too vague. The new law will require ammunition sellers to be licensed and buyers to undergo background checks.

Transactions will be recorded.

He also opted to require a background check before a gun can be loaned to someone who isn’t a family member.

“Strong gun laws work. ... What we’re doing in California is a better job of keeping guns out of dangerous hands,” said Amanda Wilcox, a spokeswoman for the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, whose daughter was killed by a shooter using a highcapacity magazine.

The governor vetoed an effort to expand a sixmonth-old program that allows courts to temporarily restrict gun ownership rights for people suspected of being dangerous and decided against restricting all firearm purchases to one per month, a limitation that already applies to handguns.

Another bill he vetoed

would have asked voters to strengthen penalties for stealing a gun, which voters will already be deciding it through Newsom’s initiative. The ballot measure also will ask voters to require reporting of lost and stolen firearms — an idea Brown rejected Friday and has rejected at least twice before.

“I continue to believe that responsible people report the loss or theft of a firearm and irresponsible people do not; it is not likely that this bill would change that,” he wrote in a veto message.

Newsom’s initiative has put a spotlight on the lieutenant governor as he campaigns for governor in 2018. He’s been at loggerheads with Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, a Los Angeles Democrat who tried unsuccessfully to persuade Newsom to drop the ballot measures in favor of legislative action.

Brown’s vetoes protected Newsom’s initiative from becoming moot. A spokesman for Brown, Evan Westrup, said voters “will have a chance to go even further in November, if they choose.”

Court OKs trial for girl who texted boyfriend urging suicide

By Denise Lavoie ASSOCIATED PRE SS

BOSTON — A teenager who sent her boyfriend dozens of text messages encouraging him to take his own life and told him to “get back in” a truck filled with carbon monoxide fumes must stand trial for involuntary manslaughter, the state’s highest court ruled Friday.

The Supreme Judicial Court ruled Friday that a grand jury had probable cause to indict Michelle Carter, then 17, in the 2014 death of Carter Roy III, 18.

Carter’s lawyer had argued that her texts were free speech protected by the First Amendment and didn’t cause Roy to kill himself.

But the court, in a strongly worded decision, said the grand jury heard evidence suggesting that Carter engaged in a “systematic campaign of coercion” that targeted Roy’s insecurities and that her instruction to “get back in” his truck in the final moments of his life was a “direct, causal link” to his death.

“In sum, we conclude

that there was probable cause to show that the coercive quality of the defenCarter dant’s verbal conduct overwhelmed whatever willpower the eighteen year old victim had to cope with his depression, and that but for the defendant’s admonishments, pressure, and instructions, the victim would not have gotten back into the truck and poisoned himself to death,” Justice Robert Cordy wrote for the court in the unanimous ruling.

The case drew national attention after transcripts of text messages Carter sent to Roy were released publicly, showing her urging him to follow through on his plan to kill himself and chastising him when he expressed doubts.

“I thought you wanted to do this. The time is right and you’re ready, you just need to do it!”

Carter wrote in one message.

“You can’t think about it. You just have to do it.

You said you were gonna

do it. Like I don’t get why you aren’t,” she wrote in another message.

The teens had met in Florida two years earlier while visiting relatives.

Their relationship largely consisted of text messages and emails. They hadn’t seen each other in more than a year when Roy died, even though they lived only about 50 miles apart in Massachusetts, Carter in Plainville, and Roy in Mattapoisett.

Roy’s grandmother Janice Roy said the family is happy Carter can be put on trial.

“He was very vulnerable at that stage,” she said.

Carter’s lawyer, Joseph Cataldo, argued that Roy was a depressed teenager who had previously tried to take his own life and was determined to finish the job this time. He also argued that Carter shouldn’t have been charged with manslaughter because Massachusetts doesn’t have a law against encouraging or assisting suicide.

On Friday, Cataldo said he was surprised and disappointed by the court’s ruling. But he noted that the court

didn’t weigh in on Carter’s guilt or innocence, but merely found there was enough evidence for the case to proceed to trial.

“At trial, it’s proof beyond a reasonable doubt, which is a much higher standard, and I’m confident that ultimately, after trial, Michelle Carter will be acquitted,” he said.

In addition to the text messages, prosecutors focused on a phone conversation Carter had with Roy while he was in his truck inhaling carbon monoxide fumes.

Prosecutors said Carter sent a text to one of her friends after Roy’s death and told her that while she was on the phone with Roy, he got out of his truck because he became frightened. She said she told him to “get back in.”

Gregg Miliote, a spokesman for Bristol District Attorney Thomas Quinn III, said prosecutors appreciate the court’s decision to uphold a lower court’s denial of Carter’s motion to dismiss the charge against her. They now will focus on preparing for trial, he said.

Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, July 2, 2016 |

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE Beneficio veteranos 1 La Procuraduría General de Texas dio a conocer que la Corte Federal de Apelaciones para el Quinto Circuito ratificó la Ley de Hazlewood de Texas, que concede el derecho a veteranos con licenciamiento honroso a ser exentos de la colegiatura en universidades estatales públicas. Para calificar para el crédito de 150 horas de colegiatura gratuita, los veteranos deben haberse inscrito en el servicio militar en una localidad en Texas, haber sido residentes de Texas al inscribirse, o haber declarado el estado como su lugar de residencia en sus documentos militares.

Próximos deportistas 1 Estudiantes interesados en participar en deportes en Zapata Middle School y Zapata High School deberán acudir al examen físico de atletismo el martes 28 de julio. Para el nivel preparatoria será a la 1 p.m. en el gimnasio de ZHS. Para el nivel secundaria (7o y 8o grados) será a las 3 p.m. en el gimnasio de ZHS. El costo es de 20 dólares.

Para cualquier información llame a Roni Arce en el Departamento de Atletismo de ZCISD en el 956-765-0280, extensión 3517.

A7

ZAPATA NATIONAL BANK

Pasarán 3 años en prisión ZAPATA

ordenó se pagará 615.681 dólares en restitución.

Petra Del Bosque y Anita Arredondo, ambas de 55 años de edad, fueron sentenciadas el miércoles a 36 meses en una prisión federal.

Arredondo y Del Bosque se declararon culpables en febrero y enero de 2015, respectivamente. Ellas admitieron a un fraude bancario de 800.000 dólares.

La Juez del Distrito de los EU Marina García Marmolejo sentenció a las dos mujeres, cada una deberá pasar también cinco años en libertad condicional después de cumplir con su sentencia. La corte también

Fondos no contabilizados Marmolejo encontró que ninguna de las acusadas había sido honesta con la corte al rendir cuentas del resto del dinero robado. Arredondo y Del Bosque habían regresado dinero al momento de sus arrestos y después entregaron un reporte de gastos a la corte para mostrar cómo habían gastado el resto del dinero.

Sin embargo, a Marmolejo no le pareció fidedigno el reporte financiero y hay alrededor de 200.000 dólares en fondos robados por

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE

los que no se han rendido cuentas.

Además, la corte notó que ninguna de las acusada parecía tener un entendimiento de la gravedad del caso, al parecer se enfocaban más en como la sentencia les afectaría a ellas, en lugar de reconocer el daño que habían hecho a empleados importantes dentro de la comunidad, indica un comunicado de prensa.

Del Bosque es ex empleada del Zapata National Bank, mientras que Arredondo trabajaba para una compañía de construcción con base en Zapata, como secretaria del departamento de contabilidad y era re-

sponsable de emitir los cheques de la compañía.

El fraude Durante dos años, Arredondo emitió varios cheques falsos de la compañía pagables a contratistas que no habían realizado el trabajo por el que los cheques se estaban emitiendo.

Arredondo admitió a endorsar los cheques falsos al falsificar las firmas de los contratistas y después entregar los cheques a Del Bosque en el Zapata National Bank. Del Bosque hacía creer a los cajeros del banco que ella estaba cobrando los cheques de parte de los contratistas que no po-

dían ir al banco ellos mismos y que ella entregaría los fondos de los cheques cobrados. Sin embargo, ella en realidad se quedaba con el dinero y se dividía la ganancia del fraude con Arredondo.

Ambas fueron ordenadas a permanecer bajo custodia previamente y permanecerán pendientes de su traslado a una instalación del Buró Federal de Prisiones que será determinada en el futuro cercano.

El FBI investigó el caso, el Fiscal Asistente de los EU Robert S. Johnson y el ex Fiscal Asistente de los EU Sanjeev Bhasker formaron el caso.

VERANO

LISTOS DESTINOS TURÍSTICOS

Laboratorio Computacional 1 La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza, a un lado del City Hall.

Informes en el 956-8491411.

Día de Independencia 1 La Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Zapata anuncia que el día 4 de julio las oficinas permanecerán cerradas por la celebración del Día de la Independencia .

1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a su celebración del 4 de julio en la Plaza Histórica de Roma desde las 7 p.m. Habá música en vivo y diversión para toda la familia. Exhibición de juegos pirotécnicos a partir de las 11 p.m. Entrada gratuita.

Caminata/Carrera 1 La Cuarta Caminata/ Carrera y Competencia Infantil Anual de 5K PFC Ira “Ben” Laningham IV se realizará el sábado 16 de julio desde las 8 a.m. con salida del Palacio de Justiciadel Condado de Zapata.

Habrá trofeos para ganadores en cada categoría. Cuota de participación 15 dólares, si se inscriben con anterioridad visitando active.com o 20 dólares el mismo día. Precio especial para estudiantes y niños.

Aseguran inmirantes en Miguel Alemán 1 Autoridades de la Fuerza Tamaulipas aseguraron a 31 inmigrantes de diferentes nacionalidades en Miguel Alemán el pasado miércoles. Los migrantes fueron detectados en la central camionera de ese municipio fronterizo, entre los cuales se encontraban 8 menores de edad, 8 mujeres y 15 varones de diferentes nacionalidades, siendo trasladados a las instalaciones del INM.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

El gobierno de Tamaulipas indica que sus Pueblos Mágicos como Tula y Mier, las playas La Pesca, la Barra del Tordo y Miramar y la Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo, ubicado en Gómez Farías están listos para el disfrute de los vacacionistas de verano.

E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

CD. VICTORIA, Tamaulipas.- Se acerca el periodo vacacional de verano, donde los destinos turísticos de Tamaulipas se encuentran listos para recibir a cientos de familias que buscan disfrutar de nuevas experiencias en sus Pueblos Mágicos de Tula y Mier, en sus playas como La Pesca, la Barra del Tordo y Miramar y de sus ríos, presas y bosques, entre

otros, donde destaca por su variedad de paisajes naturales, la Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo, ubicado en Gómez Farías.

“Con una oferta hotelera de más de 100 habitaciones, la Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo es la opción ideal para que los amantes del turismo de naturaleza, disfruten de escenarios majestuosos en este lugar único en el mundo”, mencionó Rafael Ángel Ortiz Salazar, encargado de Despacho de la Secretaría de Desar-

rollo Económico y Turismo.

Los municipios de Gómez Farías, Ocampo, Llera y Jaumave, son reconocidos por la UNESCO como patrimonio de la Humanidad, debido a su gran diversidad de flora y fauna silvestre única que incluye a 92 especies de mamíferos, 430 especies de aves residentes y migratorias, 25 especies de anfibios, 60 especies de reptiles, mil 128 de plantas, 66 especies de or-

quídeas, más de 924 especies de insectos y 481 especies de hongos.

El Cielo es ideal para el ecoturismo y el turismo de aventura, dentro de éste se puede practicar el senderismo y observación de flora y fauna, rappel, kayakismo, ciclismo de montaña, exploración de cavernas y el campismo, entre otras actividades.

Además, El Cielo cuenta con el Centro Interpretativo Ecológico (CIE) ubicado al pie de la Sierra

Madre, que enseña al visitante acerca de la importancia de la conservación del medio ambiente, así como el respeto y la protección de la vida silvestre.

Con el paso del tiempo, la Reserva de la Biosfera El Cielo se ha convertido en el área natural protegida más representativa en el país debido a su gran diversidad de flora, fauna silvestre y ecosistemas que lo colocan como un destino turístico único por excelencia.

Sin embargo, la máquina de marras también sigue hasta ahí distinta ruta de acercamiento.

“El que suscribe” manifiesta “al público que está dispuesto a servir a las personas que deseen retratos por el daguerrotipo […] entregando la lámina [revelada] en sus respectivo cuadro” exhibidor, participa Francisco Cervantes a través de “El Sol de Tamaulipas”, impreso en Tampico el 26 de mayo de 1842.

Indica que la “operación [la] ejecutará en el brevísimo espacio de 45 a 60 segundos, y por el módico precio de ocho pesos”.

Basada en dichos procedimientos, cierta fotografía de antiquísima factura nos muestra la villa de Mier. Vestido con uniforme de gala, su destacamento militar ocupa la Plaza de Armas, mientras al fondo destaca el inmueble parroquial del municipio. La estampa forma parte del voluminoso libro “Recuerdos de un viaje por América, Europa y África”, que publicaría en 1884 el general tamaulipeco Ignacio Martínez Elizondo.

Con autorización del autor, publicado en La Razón el 1 de julio

COLUMNA

Imágenes de luz Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Muy populares resultan ahora la fotografía y el video. Hacer esto posible ha requerido de largo camino. Sus primeros tramos nos conducen por Tamaulipas en remotas fechas.

A partir de investigaciones realizadas por Nicéphore Niepce, en 1839 Louis Daguerre presenta ante los parisinos revolucionario artefacto, que mediante sustancias químicas fija imágenes en planchas metálicas.

Aquel invento terminaría llamándose daguerrotipo.

Se propaga rápido, pues las autoridades francesas adquieren los correspondientes derechos y permiten fabricarlo libremente.

“El Cosmopolita”, periódico de la Ciudad de México, apenas meses adelante promociona la “rifa de un ‘daguerreotipe’ completo”, bajo el compromiso de “que se demostrará todo el mecanismo”. Lo complementan “ochenta láminas de plaqué y varios utensilios e ingredientes”, añadiéndose que “está [disponible] otro aparato de venta”. Aparecido sin firma el 26 de febrero de 1840, el anuncio remite al

mismo sitio donde Louis Prélier acababa de abrir la primera tienda dedicada a este tipo de retratos.

Todavía, en Chapultepec al siguiente año madame Calderón de la Barca toma “vistas con el daguerrotipo que” su esposo recibe “de Boston, enviado por nuestro amigo Mr. [William H.] Prescott”, asevera la escritora.

Théodore Tiffereau llega a México en busca de rostros y paisajes distintivos, provisto de lo necesario visita diversas zonas. Pisa suelo tamaulipeco y consigue al parecer algunas panorámicas.

A8 | Saturday, July 2, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, July 2, 2016 |

A9

BUSINESS

Stock indexes end strong week with tiny gains

By Alex Veiga ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Chris O'Meara / AP file

Auto sales through June were up 1.5 percent to 8.65 million, eclipsing last year’s record of 8.5 million.

Auto sales hit record in first six months

By Dee-Ann Durbin A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

DETROIT — U.S. auto sales may be slowing, but they still set a record in the first six months of this year.

Sales through June were up 1.5 percent to 8.65 million, eclipsing last year’s record of 8.5 million, according Autodata Corp.

That was partly due to a strong June, which saw sales rebound after a disappointing May. Sales rose 2.5 percent to more than 1.5 million. Ford, Honda, Fiat Chrysler, Hyundai, Subaru and Nissan all reported gains for the month. Sales were down at General Motors, Toyota and Volkswagen.

After six straight years of growth — and record sales of 17.5 million last year— U.S. sales are beginning to plateau. In the first six months of last year, for example, sales were up 4 percent, or more than double the pace of this year. But low gas prices, low interest rates, enticing new vehicles and strong consumer confidence should keep them at a very high level.

“As long as economic conditions — like low unemployment and easy access to credit — continue, the industry will be in a strong position through the busy summer sales months,” said Jessica Caldwell, director of industry analysis for the car shopping site Edmunds.com.

General Motors Co. said its sales dropped 2 percent to 255,210, due in part to ongoing cuts in low-profit sales to rental car companies. GM said its rental sales are down 37 percent so far this year.

Cadillac sales were up 6 percent and Chevrolet sales were flat compared to last June, but Buick and GMC sales were down.

Ford Motor Co.’s sales rose 6 percent to 240,109.

Sales of its F-Series pickup — the nation’s bestselling vehicle — jumped 29 percent to nearly 71,000 vehicles, or more than one every minute.

But car sales fell 12 percent thanks to Americans’ growing preference for SUVs. Sales at Ford’s luxury Lincoln brand were up 6 percent.

Toyota Motor Corp.’s sales fell 6 percent to 198,257. The company said short supplies of Toyota SUVs were partly to blame, along with weak sales of cars like the hybrid Prius, which saw sales slump 27 percent.

Sales of the company’s luxury Lexus SUVs were up 11 percent.

Fiat Chrysler said its June sales rose 7 percent to 197,073. Jeep sales jumped 17 percent and Ram truck sales were up 14 percent. But car sales suffered. Chrysler brand sales fell 20 percent, while Fiat sales dropped 19 percent.

Honda Motor Co.’s sales rose 3 percent to 138,715 vehicles. The Honda brand saw increases in both car and truck sales, but sales at the company’s luxury Acura brand dropped 27 percent.

Nissan Motor Co.’s sales jumped 13 percent to 140,553. Sales of its new Maxima sedan more than doubled over last year.

Hyundai Motor Co. sold nine more vehicles this June compared to last June, for a total of 67,511.

Sales of its new Tucson SUV nearly doubled from a year ago, but all of its cars saw lower demand.

Subaru said its sales rose 5 percent to 46,598.

Subaru’s best-seller, the Outback SUV, saw a 23 percent jump in sales.

Volkswagen brand sales dropped 22 percent to 23,809, the victim of the company’s diesel emissions cheating scandal.

U.S. stock indexes marked their fourth consecutive gain Friday, an upbeat finish for a week that got off to a turbulent start as investors fretted about Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

In the days since the two-day market tumble ended on Tuesday, the U.S. stock market came close to regaining all the ground lost since the vote last week. It ended the week up 3 percent, its biggest weekly gain since November.

The main stock indexes in Europe posted even bigger gains this week, with British stocks recouping all their losses along the way.

At the same time, demand for U.S. Treasurys surged this week, driving bond prices sharply higher. That pulled down the yield on the 10-year Treasury note to 1.44 percent Friday, close to its record low.

Investors also bid up the price of gold, another traditional safe-haven.

“Clearly there is still an underlying sense of nervousness,” said JJ Kinahan, chief strategist at TD

Richard Drew / AP

Trader Jonathan Corpina, center, works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

Ameritrade. “No reasonable economic theory would be telling you to buy bonds with this kind of yield. It’s more ‘I don’t care if I don’t make yield, I want my money back.”’

The Dow Jones industrial average gained 19.38 points, or 0.1 percent, to 17,949.37. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index added 4.09 points, or 0.2 percent, to 2,102.95. The Nasdaq composite rose 19.89 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,862.57.

The major stock indexes in Europe got a boost Friday as traders anticipated a coordinated central bank response to soothe volatility in the wake of Britain’s vote to leave the European Union.

The British government said it would abandon its goals of achieving a budget surplus by the end of the decade, which would free up more money for the economy. The announcement came a day after the Bank of England said it would likely offer more monetary stimulus to the British economy to help it cope with the drop in business activity it is experiencing in the days since last week’s vote to leave the EU. All told, Britain’s FTSE 100 rose 1.1 percent Friday, while Germany’s DAX gained 1 percent. France’s CAC 40 added 0.9 percent.

In the U.S., consumerfocused companies rose more than the rest of the

market Friday. Netflix climbed $5.19, or 5.7 percent, to $96.67. HarleyDavidson led the gainers in the S&P 500 index, climbing $8.95, or 19.8 percent, to $54.25.

Financial and utilities stocks were the biggest laggard.

Several automakers reported growth in sales for June, giving a boost to shares in several autorelated companies. Ford Motor, which posted a 6 percent increase in sales for the month, rose 15 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $12.72. General Motors added 59 cents, or 2.1 percent, to $28.89, even though the company posted a 2 percent decline in sales due a large drop in rental sales. Auto supplier BorgWarner also got a lift, rising 77 cents, or 2.6 percent, to $30.29.

Investors flocked to stocks in the face of narrowing choices for investments amid low or negative interest rates on many bonds.

Expectations of more financial stimulus from central banks, which lowers returns on fixedincome investments like bonds, have pushed investors into buying stocks.

Fatal Tesla crash spurs criticism

By Jeff Plungis and Dana Hull BL OOMBERG NEWS

Tesla Motors Inc. says the self-driving feature suspected of being involved in a May 7 fatal crash is experimental, yet it’s been installed on all 70,000 of its cars since October 2014.

For groups that have lobbied for stronger safety rules, that’s precisely what’s wrong with U.S. regulators’ increasingly anything-goes approach.

“Allowing automakers to do their own testing, with no specific guidelines, means consumers are going to be the guinea pigs in this experiment,” said Jackie Gillan, president for Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a longtime Washington consumer lobbyist who has helped shape numerous auto-technology mandates. “This is going to happen again and again and again.”

Tesla’s use of tech-

nology still in development, while common in its Silicon Valley home, contrasts with the cautious method of General Motors Co. and other automakers that have restricted their semiautonomous cars to test tracks and professional drivers. It’s permitted because U.S. regulators have taken an intentionally light approach to encourage innovation.

DVD player The May crash under investigation involved a 40-year-old Ohio man who was killed when his 2015 Model S drove under the trailer of an 18-wheeler on a highway near Williston, Florida, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The truck driver told the Associated Press that he believes the Ohio man may have been watching a movie. Authorities recovered a portable DVD player but don’t know whether it was playing at the time of the crash.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that it is investigating the crash, which comes as the regulator says it is looking for ways to collaborate with the industry. The agency negotiated an agreement to speed the introduction of automatic emergency braking earlier this year, frustrating safety groups who say they had no input and said carmakers’ pledges to install the technology couldn’t be enforced by law.

NHTSA is expected to announce guidelines as soon as this month that will set some parameters for self-driving cars on U.S. roads. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters Wednesday the agency would be as exact as it could without being overly prescriptive.

“We’re crafting a Declaration of Independence, not a Constitution,” Foxx said.

For a Bloomberg primer

on driverless car technology, click here In January, Foxx and NHTSA chief Mark Rosekind announced in Detroit that they’d allow automakers to demonstrate the safety of autonomous vehicles and apply for exemptions to existing safety rules. They said the government shouldn’t stand in the way of technological progress.

In the Florida crash, Tesla’s "Autopilot" semiautonomous driving feature failed to detect the white side of the tractor trailer against a brightly lit sky, so it didn’t hit the brakes, according to the company.

The company says the cars are safer than conventional ones. In a blog post, Tesla said the May accident was the first known fatality in more than 130 million miles of Autopilot driving. That compares with one fatality in every 94 million miles among all U.S. vehicles, according to Tesla.

A10 | Saturday, July 2, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

FROM THE COVER FLY From page A1 away.

"In order to ensure a successful eradication of this destructive and invasive pest, it is imperative that we have the cooperation of local residents and businesses,"

SCHEME From page A1 The scheme For two years, Arredondo issued numerous false company checks made payable to contractors who had not performed the work that was the alleged basis for the checks.

Arredondo admitted to endorsing the false checks by forging the signatures of the contractors and then delivering the checks to Del Bosque at Zapata National Bank. Del Bosque led Zapata National Bank tellers to believe she was

says a news release by the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Mexican fruit flies affect over 40 types of fruit, and if they become established in the United States, they could eliminate the ability to produce fruit in south Texas, USDA said.

cashing the checks on behalf of the contractors who were unable to come to the bank themselves and that she would deliver the funds from the cashed checks. However, she actually pocketed the money and split the proceeds of the fraud with Arredondo.

Both were previously ordered into custody where they will remain pending transfer to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future. The FBI investigated the case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Robert S. Johnson and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sanjeev Bhasker prosecuted the case.

Lawmakers launch last-ditch effort to block Medicaid cuts

By Julie Chang COX NEWSPAPERS

AUSTIN, Texas — In a last-ditch effort to stave off $350 million in cuts to a state Medicaid program that provides therapy to disabled children, federal and state lawmakers are asking the federal government to intervene.

Families that have sued the state to stop the cuts before they go into effect July 15 have also asked the Texas Supreme Court to block the cuts by next Friday.

“While Texas has considerable discretion in the administration of what is already a stingy Medicaid program, these cuts go way over the line in limiting child therapy services,” U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, told the Austin American-Statesman. “I hope federal authorities will recognize the

damage being done to these children and their families.”

Doggett and U.S. Rep. Gene Green, D-Houston, sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asking the federal agency to review the impact of the cuts to ensure that access to care isn’t affected.

In April, the state 3rd Court of Appeals in Austin dismissed a lawsuit filed by a group of home health providers and families that rely on their services who wanted to stop the state from cutting Medicaid reimbursement rates to physical, occupational and speech therapists.

Opponents of the cuts argued that the reduced rates would cut revenue by 18 to 28 percent and force providers to close their doors, interrupting vital services to an esti-

mated 60,000 disabled Texas children.

The appeals court ruled that the complainants had no vested right to “a particular level of reimbursement” for Medicaid services, lifting a previous temporary injunction that had blocked the cuts.

State Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, chairwoman of the Senate Finance Committee, has defended the cuts, saying they were based on information showing that Texas’ rates were well above Medicaid reimbursement rates in other states.

“The commission is moving forward with the Legislature’s thoughtful approach to achieve appropriate rates while also maintaining access to care,” said Bryan Black, spokesman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

“HHSC will closely monitor the ability of clients to receive medically necessary services as the reimbursement rates are adjusted.”

The group that sued the state has hired former Texas Supreme Court Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson, who petitioned the high court to stop the cuts.

The loss of services “for all of our state’s most vulnerable is frightening,” said Dena Dupuie, an Austin-area mother whose daughter has disabilities and is among those suing the state.

The state health commission plans to soon submit an amended plan to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services outlining the cuts.

Doggett and Green’s letter, asked the federal agency to determine if the new rates reduce access.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, July 2, 2016 |

NBA FREE AGENCY

B1

NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE FREE AGENCY

NHL teams make splashes on first day Milan Lucic signs with Oilers

By Larry Lage ASSOCIATED PRE SS Carlos Osorio / AP

The Pistons signed Andre Drummond to a five-year maximum contract offer on Friday.

NBA players cash in Increasing salary cap inflates contracts

By Brian Mahoney A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

All-Stars Andre Drummond and DeMar DeRozan are staying put, as are Hassan Whiteside and Nicolas Batum.

Many more players are on the move — and some are getting paid like they never could have imagined.

Chandler Parsons, Evan Turner and Timofey Mozgov were among the players cashing in Friday during the first day of free agency — and really, of a new era — in the NBA. With revenues rising and the salary cap soaring right along with it, good players were being paid like All-Stars, while All-Stars were getting contracts that used to go only to superstars.

And the players at the top of the class haven’t even started agreeing to deals yet. Kevin Durant and Al Horford probably can’t wait to see what they get after watching what lesser players on the market have already received.

For example: Parsons — four years, $94 million from Memphis.

Turner — four years, $70 million from Portland.

Mozgov — four years, $64 million from the Lakers.

Their timing was even better than their play, as they became free agents at the ideal moment.

With the NBA’s national TV contracts worth more

than $2.6 billion beginning with next season, the salary cap that’s tied to revenues will soar well beyond its previous record to between $90-95 million.

Some players didn’t have to wait long to claim their share of it.

Drummond’s five-year maximum contract to stay in Detroit will be worth $130 million, just a share more than the $128 million Bradley Beal got to remain in Washington. DeRozan will do a little better in Toronto and Charlotte kept Batum for about $120 million.

But the Hornets lost a couple of key players from their 48-win team, as Jeremy Lin got a threeyear, $36 million contract from Brooklyn, and the Pacers lured Al Jefferson to Indiana with a threeyear, $30 million contract.

None of the contracts can be signed until July 7, after next season’s salary cap is set and the moratorium is lifted.

Missing out on the money was O.J. Mayo, the former No. 3 overall pick who finished last season in Milwaukee and was a free agent. But he was dismissed and disqualified from the NBA on Friday for violating the terms of the league’s anti-drug program, the first player to receive that punishment in a decade.

He will be eligible to apply for reinstatement in two years.

His old team was busy, NBA continues on B2

Milan Lucic and Kyle Okposo, two of the NHL’s top free agents, took full advantage of two of the league’s worst teams eager to pair a veteran with a young star.

The 28-year-old wingers each got $42 million, seven-year contracts Friday even though neither is a proven or prolific scorer.

Okposo, coming off a 22-goal year with the New York Islanders, moved upstate to join the Buffalo Sabres, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2011 or finished higher than seventh in their division in three years.

Lucic, who scored just 20 times last season with the Los Angeles Kings, is following the money to play for the lowly EdNHL continues on B2

Jonathan Hayward / AP file

Milan Lucic, who scored just 20 times last season with the Los Angeles Kings, is following the money to play for the lowly Edmonton Oilers.

WIMBLEDON CHAMPIONSHIPS

SERENA SURVIVES AT WIMBLEDON, RACKET DOESN’T

Ben Curtis / AP

Top-ranked Serena Williams edged Christina McHale 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4 for a thrill-a-minute victory at a tournament so rain drenched this week that matches will be scheduled on the middle Sunday.

Beats Christina McHale in second round

By Howard Fendrich ASSOCIATED PRE SS

LONDON — Dismayed at dropping the first set after being a single point from taking it, Serena Williams sat in her Centre Court sideline chair and cracked her racket against the turf once,

twice, three times, four.

Then she casually flung the racket, hurling it so far behind her that it landed in the lap of a TV cameraman filming her second-round match against 65th-ranked American Christina McHale.

Williams recovered to

force a third set, only to fall behind yet again Friday, perilously close to what would have been the six-time champion’s earliest exit in 17 Wimbledon appearances.

But as she herself declared afterward: “Mentally, no one can break me.”

Eventually, the topranked Williams did indeed come through, edging McHale 6-7 (7), 6-2, 6-4 for a thrill-aminute victory at a tournament so rain drenched this week that matches will be scheduled on the middle Sunday for only Tennis continues on B2

COLLEGE WORLD SERIES: COASTAL CAROLINA CHANTICLEERS

Chanticleers’ title brings closure First national title in school history

By Eric Olson ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Ted Kirk / AP

Coastal Carolina beat Arizona 4-3 in Game 3 of the NCAA College World Series Thursday afternoon.

OMAHA, Neb. — Until this week, Gary Gilmore didn’t know if he would ever have as good a Coastal Carolina team as he did in 2010. That 55win club was the No. 4 national seed for the NCAA Tournament but lost a pair of one-run games to South Carolina in super regionals.

For six years, Gilmore was dogged by memories of watching the Gamecocks celebrate on his

home field before they went on to win the first of two straight national championships.

“Losing in 2010 was the hardest gut-wrenching loss of my life,” he said.

On Thursday, Gilmore was holding the championship trophy. He and his Chanticleers won their school’s first national title in any sport, validation for a baseball program that ranks eighth in wins since 2000 but until this year couldn’t break through to make the College World Series.

Their 4-3 victory over Arizona in the deciding Game 3 of the finals was their 41st in 50 games and gave them a nation-leading 54 wins against 18 losses.

Though Gilmore liked this team coming into the season, he didn’t necessarily see a national championship coming.

“I didn’t think we were where we were in just sheer talent in 2010,” Gilmore said, “but I thought we were probably the second most talented team I had

coached at Coastal Carolina at that point in time.”

The 2010 team had five players who were drafted in the first 10 rounds, five others who were drafted and a free agent who made it to the major leagues.

This year, only shortstop Michael Paez and third baseman Zach Remillard were taken in the first 10 rounds, and four others were selected between the 27th and 34th rounds.

“Our motto has been CWS continues on B2

B2 | Saturday, July 2, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

SPORTS

D-Day remembered as Tour de France kicks off in Normandy

By Andrew Dampf A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

SAINT-LO, France — The landing beaches.

The war cemeteries. The museums. The first towns that were liberated more than 70 years ago.

The D-Day and World War II history that is embedded in the culture of Normandy is earning extra spotlight this weekend when the Tour de France opens with two stages in the region.

Saturday’s opening leg starts at Mont-SaintMichel, a World Heritage Benedictine abbey perched on a rock off the coast, and ends at Utah Beach, one of the key landing sites for Allied troops on June 6, 1944.

The first stage also passes through SainteMere-Eglise, where American paratrooper John Steele dangled from a clock tower after his parachute got caught during the invasion, and survived. The town is now home to the Airborne Museum.

Stage 2 on Sunday finishes in CherbourgEn-Cotentin, site of the Battle of Cherbourg.

Tejay van Garderen, the BMC rider who re-

NHL From page B1 monton Oilers.

“It’s about time this team starts heading in the right direction,” he said of the Oilers, who want to surround Connor McDavid with experienced talent.

NHL teams didn’t waste time making a flurry of deals on the first shift of free agency. None involved a superstar player, not after Steven Stamkos decided to stay in Tampa Bay with an eight-year, $68 million contract agreed to earlier this week.

Two days later, Tampa Bay may have made the best series of moves overall in a bid to stay near the top in the Eastern Conference. The Stanley Cup contender signed standout

TENNIS From page B1 the fourth time in 139 years.

The dramatics of Williams’ match, which concluded with the main stadium’s retractable roof closed, were equaled by those of her older sister Venus: She had to wait out three rain delays, including one of more than an hour that arrived, of all times, right as she held a match point.

But Venus, owner of five titles at the All England Club, persevered, too, barely getting past 29thseeded Daria Kasatkina 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 to become one of only two women already into the fourth round.

“You see a winner go by you, and a lob go in, and you’re like, ‘My god, what’s next?”’ said Venus, who at 36 is the

CWS From page B1 ‘selfless and relentless’ for the last two years. It’s on the carpet in our locker room,” pitcher Alex Cunningham said. “Coach Gilmore, he’s literally the epitome of that. He embodies it in everything he does.”

This year’s team ran away with the Big South

a long way.”

The favorites for overall victory in the threeweek race are two-time winner Chris Froome of Britain, two-time runner-up Nairo Quintana of Colombia, and twotime champion Alberto Contador of Spain.

After Saturday’s stage, a group of American,

British, Canadian, French, and German riders will lay white roses in front of Utah Beach’s Peace Monument to commemorate the Allied landings.

“We will celebrate cycling as a peace symbol,” Tour director Christian Prudhomme said. “The only thing that prevented the Tour de France taking place was world war, twice.”

Started in 1903, the Tour is beginning its 103rd edition. The only years it wasn’t held came from 1915-18 and 1940-46.

French rider Thomas Voeckler, whose grandfather fought during WWII, volunteered to take part in the ceremony, along with German sprinting standout Andre Greipel and Van Garderen.

Amael Moinard, a French member of BMC, was born in Cherbourg and knows all about D-Day. “Growing up here, I’ve been into it from an early age because all our school trips were related to D-Day commemorations: Utah Beach, the Sainte-Mere-Eglise museum, the Caen memorial,” Moinard said. “Then

the 50th D-Day anniversary was something big for me, with all the presidents from countries across the world coming to Normandy. It’s nice to start here.”

Like the paratroopers before him, Moinard has a deep understanding of the winds in La Manche, as this area of Normandy is called. The way he sees it, the seven kilometers (four miles) of exposed road along the coast with 30 kilometers to go in the opening stage will evoke more fear about the wind — which has the potential to split the peloton in two — than the wind itself.

“As soon as you see the sea on the map each rider will say, ‘It’s going to be windy, tricky,”’ Moinard explained. “It’s going to make everybody nervous, and for sure a crash will happen. So all of the leaders and sprinters will want to be in the front.

“But then we take a much more protected road for the last 25K,” Moinard added. “So it’s more telling them, ‘Just be relaxed. Everything is going to be OK, hopefully.”’

“The McDavid factor changes it all,” Lucic said.

Lucic was also lured to Edmonton in part because of his relationship with Chiarelli, who was his general manager when he played for the Boston Bruins. Chiarelli said 12 teams tried to sign Lucic, indicating one of them was the Kings, the only franchise that could’ve offered him an eight-year deal under the NHL’s collective bargaining agreement.

“He was offered a longer term,” Chiarelli said.

“He was offered more money.”

Like Lucic, Okposo will get a chance to play with one of the league’s most promising players, 19-yearold center Jack Eichel.

“He knows Jack’s a great, young player,” Sabres general manager Tim

Murray said.

Here’s a look at some of the other notable moves on the opening day of NHL free agency: 1 The New York Islanders signed forwards Andrew Ladd (seven years, $38.5 million) and Jason Chimera (two years, $4.5 million) after losing Okposo and Nielsen.

1 The Vancouver Canucks signed winger Loui Eriksson (six years, $36 million) coming off his 30-goal, 33-assist season in Boston.

1 The Detroit Red Wings signed center Frans Nielsen (six years, $31.5 million) to address a need with the departure of Pavel Datsyuk and resigned center Darren Helm (five years, $19.25 million) before he could have been on the market.

1 After spending his

entire, 10-season career in St. Louis, David Backes (five years, $30 million) bolted to play for the Bruins.

1 The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Alexander Radulov (one year, $5.75 million) to play in the NHL for the first time since he was with the Nashville Predators during the 2011-12 season.

1 The Calgary Flames signed forward Troy Brouwer (four years, $18 million) hoping he can bring some success he helped St. Louis and Chicago have in the postseason.

1 The San Jose Sharks added forward Mikkel Boedker (four years, $16 million) and defenseman David Schlemko (four years, $8.4 million) to bolster their chances of getting back to the Stanley

Cup Finals.

1 The Florida Panthers, stockpiling goaltenders, signed James Reimer (five years, $17 million) with Roberto Luongo and Reto Berra on the roster.

1 The Toronto Maple Leafs, who probably dreamed of bringing Stamkos back home, had to settle for signing winger Matt Martin (four years, $10 million) to perhaps play on their fourth line.

1 The Philadelphia Flyers signed forward Dale Weise (four years, $9.4 million) to address one of the team’s needs.

1 The Minnesota Wild signed center Eric Staal (three years, $10.5 million) four years after making a splash by giving Zach Parise and Ryan Suter 13-year, $98 million contracts.

oldest woman in the field and has played about 6 1/2 hours of tennis in the past two days, including singles and doubles.

Of the way things went for her Friday, including the interruption at match point while she led 5-4 in the third and Kasatkina served at 30-40, Venus said: “It was like a Hollywood script.”

Serena’s mood soured when she had a set point in the first and appeared to have converted it, until McHale — who’s never been past the third round at a major — successfully challenged the call that her shot landed out.

From there, McHale played aggressively, and when she grabbed that set, 21-time Grand Slam champion Serena took out her frustration on her racket.

“I was just really, really, really angry. I had a lot of chances,” said Serena,

who acknowledged she faces a fine for her display and joked that she needed to reach her racket-smashing quota for the season. “She got really lucky on some shots.”

Despite all that went on in the siblings’ matches — they overlapped, so their mother, Oracene Price, hustled from No. 1 Court, where she saw Venus win, across the way to catch the end of Serena’s victory — the most shocking development Friday was what was going on in Novak Djokovic’s third-rounder against 28th-seeded Sam Querrey of the U.S. before it was suspended because of showers in the evening.

Djokovic, owner of a 30-match Grand Slam winning streak that includes the past four major titles, allowed Querrey to seize the first two sets 7-6 (6), 6-1 during

their 72 minutes of action. Given the way things were going for the No. 1-seeded Djokovic, he had to be thrilled that the match was halted, giving him a night to rest and regroup.

Only one man managed to move his way into the fourth round: Roger Federer. He got to play in the main stadium, with the roof overhead, and easily beat Britain’s Daniel Evans 6-4, 6-2, 6-2.

Four other third-round men’s matches were suspended in progress.

Worst of all, from a scheduling standpoint, one second-round men’s match is still not finished, with No. 24 Alexander Zverev locked in a fifth set against Mikhail Youzhny. And three second-round women’s matches are also pending.

That is why officials decided to scrap the traditional rest day on the

first Sunday, something that was done only in 1991, 1997 and 2004.

“I might take a day off tomorrow, just because I can,” the 34-year-old Federer said with a smile.

“Yeah, I can. I’m sorry, I can. I have to take them when I can. I’m an old guy.”

Among the other winners Friday was 2009 U.S. Open champion Juan Martin del Potro, who has had three operations on his left wrist since he last participated at Wimbledon in 2014. He eliminated fourth-seeded Stan Wawrinka, a two-time major champion, 3-6, 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 to reach the third round.

“My hands (are) shaking,” del Potro said after being regaled with a lengthy ovation at Centre Court. “It’s a great sensation for me, because I’m playing tennis again — and I feel alive.”

NBA From page B1

Conference title but had to make some narrow escapes to reach Omaha.

The Chanticleers were down to their last strike in the regional final at North Carolina State before finishing a ninth-inning comeback to advance.

Second baseman Seth Lancaster, who delivered the winning hit in the regional final, was lost for the season in the super regional at LSU because

of a torn knee ligament.

The Chanticleers swept the Tigers in one of the toughest venues in the country on Paez’s walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth.

Then it was on to Omaha, where Coastal had to win four elimination games en route to the winner-take-all final Thursday.

The Chanticleers led the nation in home runs

but had just two in eight games at TD Ameritrade Park. They found other ways to win, taking advantage of the spacious outfield to hit 14 doubles, moving runners along with the bunt and getting the timely hit.

They leaned heavily on a pitching staff whose competitiveness trumped its lack of elite talent and depth.

CWS Most Outstanding

Player Andrew Beck, who led the nation with 15 wins, pitched two complete games in bracket play and started Game 3 of the finals. Mike Morrison stepped out of his closer’s role to make his first start of the season in Game 2 of the finals and struck out 10 in 6 2/3 innings, both career highs.

Zack Hopeck was a hardluck loser in a finals opener in which the Chanti-

cleers couldn’t solve JC Cloney, who pitched a complete-game shutout.

“This group just somehow found a way to do something that two or three of the other teams that were in the same position weren’t able to do,” Gilmore said. “They made a pitch. They made a play. We got a hit. We did something that enabled us to do it.”

presents the United States’ best hope for overall victory in the Tour, was wide eyed as he took a look around this week.

“It really puts into perspective what we’re doing here,” Van Garderen said on Friday. “We always say that we’re soldiers going to war and then you see the real soldiers and you’re like, ‘OK, maybe this is just bike racing.”’

Teams were driven into the official team presentation in SainteMere-Eglise on WWIIera jeeps and trucks on Thursday.

“I like the way organizers and the local people here have put together the appropriate historical reminders, that teams have been accompanied on the jeeps by the local people in costumes,” said Brian Cookson, the British president of the International Cycling Union.

A legacy of the war was freedom, underlined by the diversity of the Tour teams.

Van Garderen, who was in third place when he had to abandon last year’s Tour in tears due to illness four stages

from the end, shares the BMC leadership with Australian standout Richie Porte. They are backed by riders from Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, and Belgium.

“We’re such an international team,” Van Garderen said. “It shows that the world has come

defenseman Victor Hedman to a $63 million, eight-year extension and goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy to a $10.5 million, three-year extension.

“It’s been a good week for us,” Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said.

It has been a bad decade for the Oilers, who haven’t made the playoffs since they lost Game 7 of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals to the Carolina Hurricanes and had the fewest points in the Western Conference last season for the second time in three years.

Lucic said two people, Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli and the 19-year-old McDavid, were the reason he joined a franchise that most highly touted free agents have ignored in recent summers.

Christophe Ena / AP

The Tour de France opens with two stages this weekend in the Normandy region.

as the Bucks agreed to terms with free agent shooter Mirza Teletovic on a three-year deal worth $30 million, and also agreed to terms on a four-year, $38.4 million offer sheet with restricted free agent Matthew Dellavedova. The Cleveland Cavaliers have the option to match that deal.

Durant had his first discussions with another team, meeting with the Golden State Warriors.

He met with his Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday, before free agency opened, as the former NBA MVP decides whether to remain with the franchise that selected him with the No. 2 pick in 2007.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, July 2, 2016 |

Dear Readers: Pet dogs and children can be the perfect match, but maybe not. Teach your children (and grandchildren) the basics of being SAFE AROUND DOGS. Here are some hints.

Tell children: >Hands off a dog you've never met before -don't reach out to pet or play. > Don't scream in delight, wave your arms or lunge toward the animal. > Ask before you pet someone's dog. > Don't interrupt a dog when eating or sleeping.

(Ask the child how they would feel if someone woke them up!) aggression.

Even when visiting someone's home where you may know the dog, don't leave young or active children alone with a dog. It takes only a few seconds of "fun" play, such as pulling on the dog's tail or ears, to go amiss. -- Woof, woof, Heloise

TOO MUCH PEFUME Dear Heloise: A friend in our car was soaked in perfume, and the odor remained after a week. I am sensitive to fragrance.

Every time I sit in the car, I have to wash my clothes! The worst of it is on the seat belt. What can I do to get rid of the fragrance? -- Mary Anna A., Omaha, Neb. Mary Anna, one person's favorite fragrance can be another's headache. Fill a spray bottle with half water and half vinegar (white or apple cider). Place a bath or hand towel behind the seat belt and spray away, being sure to soak both sides. Let sit until dry.

The vinegar should neutralize the odor, and the smell should be gone! —Heloise

B3

B4 | Saturday, July 2, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES