The Zapata Times 7/27/2016

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Obama expanding refugee program for Central Americans

Easier access to birth certificates

Effort combats illegal immigration

By Alicia A. Caldwell ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Eric Gay / AP

In this photo taken July 7, 2015, immigrants from El Salvador who entered the country illegally stand in line at a bus after they were released from a family detention center in San Antonio.

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration will soon expand efforts to help Central American families and children legally immigrate to the United States amid another surge of migrants caught crossing the border illegally.

White House Deputy Homeland Security

Adviser Amy Pope said Tuesday that the administration will expand in-country refugee processing for families coming from Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala and launch an effort to temporarily relocate some families facing the greatest threats to Costa Rica.

The government is also broadening a nearly two-year-old program to Refugee continues on A11

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

CLINTON STEPS INTO HISTORY AS 1ST WOMAN WHITE HOUSE NOMINEE

Deal reached for immigrant kids

By Paul J. Weber ASSOCIATED PRE SS

AUSTIN, Texas — Parents who entered the U.S. illegally from Mexico and Central America will have an easier time getting birth certificates for their children born in Texas following a lawsuit settlement with the state, lawyers for immigration advocates said on Monday.

The deal for now ends a legal fight that erupted last year when Texas was accused of denying “birthright” U.S. citizenship amid heightened national debate over immigration. U.S. District Judge Robert Pitman signed an order that sets aside the lawsuit so long as Texas lives up to the agreement.

State health officials contended the deal makes no changes to existing policies, but attorneys for families insisted otherwise, saying Texas will now accept more forms of Birth continues on A11

EMPTY BOWLS

Cuate Santos / The Zapata Times file

South Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls committee board chairs Leslie Benavides and Kevin Romo stand next to a poster promoting Empty Bowls X set for Friday, Aug. 19 at the Laredo Energy Arena.

David T. Foster III / Charlotte Observer

Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, addresses the 117th annual VFW National Convention at the Charlotte Convention center on Monday in Charlotte, N.C.

Boost from Sanders helps make it official, shows party unity

Food Bank slates concert SPECIAL TO THE TIME S

By Julie Pace and Catherine Lucey ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Sean Simmers / AP

Former President Bill Clinton, front center, applauds as former Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is announced during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Monday.

PHILADELPHIA — Breaking a historic barrier, Hillary Clinton triumphantly captured the Democratic nomination for president Tuesday night, the first woman ever to lead a major political party into the general election.

Delegates erupted in cheers as Clinton’s primary rival, Bernie Sanders, helped make it official when the roll call got

to his home state of Vermont — an important show of unity for a party trying to heal deep divisions.

“I move that Hillary Clinton be selected as the nominee of the Democratic Party for president of the United States,” Sanders declared, asking that it be by acclamation.

It was a striking parallel to the role Clinton played eight years ago when she stepped to the microphone on the convention floor in Denver

The South Texas Food Bank is holding its major fundraiser of the year, Empty Bowls X, on Friday, Aug. 19 at the Laredo Energy Arena.

The event honors the South Texas Outreach Foundation for its contribution to the South Texas Food Bank mission of feeding the hungry. The event also features a concert by 1970s, 80s and 90s group Grand Funk Railroad The American Band.

The announcement was made by the South Texas Food Bank board; Erasmo Villarreal, president; and the Empty Bowls committee co-chairs Kevin Ro-

Clinton continues on A11

Concert continues on A11

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

THURSDAY, JULY 28

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

1 Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 1–5 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 2867866 to arrange for a different delivery time.

1 Retired school employees social. 4–6 p.m. John and Polly Stabile residence, 9003 Cornell Drive. The Laredo Area Retired School Employees Association cordially invites all retired school employees to a social gathering and information sharing event.

1 Spanish Book Club. 6–8 p.m.

Laredo Public Library–Calton. For more information, call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.

Today in History Today is Wednesday, July 27, the 209th day of 2016. There are 157 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On July 27, 1996, terror struck the Atlanta Olympics as a pipe bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park, directly killing one person and injuring 111. (Anti-government extremist Eric Rudolph later pleaded guilty to the bombing, exonerating security guard Richard Jewell, who had been wrongly suspected.)

FRIDAY, JULY 29 1 Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 1–5 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 2867866 to arrange for a different delivery time.

SATURDAY, JULY 30 1 South Texas Blood & Tissue Center blood drive. 10 a.m.–3 p.m.

Jett Bowl North, 5823 McPherson Road. All presenting donors will receive a certificate for a free game at Jett Bowl and a T-shirt.

1 Eckankar bilingual discussion.

1–2:30 p.m. Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road. Discover how past lives, dreams and soul travel can help you experience God. 1 Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 1–5 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 2867866 to arrange for a different delivery time.

1 7th annual Cat Appreciation Day Cat Contest. 2 p.m. Petco, 2450 Monarch Dr. There will be a contest for live cats and photos of cats. $1 for each category. All donations will go toward projects to protect community cats, including a trap, neuter and return program for Laredo. Cats will be available for adoption. Sponsored

by Gateway Gatos of Laredo.

1 Chicken Plate Sale. Shiloh Variety Meat Mart/TKO parking lot. Sponsored by Best Friends For Life. Proceeds go to help spay and neuter the cats and kittens they rescue. Tickets are $5 and available for purchase at Puppy Palace, 517 Shiloh, or LAPS.

SUNDAY, JULY 31 1 Elementary chess tournament. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Free. For 4th and 5th-grade students. Must register in-person. First 40 players. Tournament is non-rated and trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers.

Free snacks will be available for children.

1 Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 1–5 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 2867866 to arrange for a different delivery time.

Darrin Phegley / AP file

In this July 30, 2015 photo, St. Mary's and Safe Kids Coalition uses a wireless monitor to record the temperature outside and inside of a closed vehicle in Evansville, Indiana.

RECENT DEATHS OF KIDS IN HOT CARS DALLAS — The deaths of four children in hot cars in recent days has brought the number across the U.S. this year to at least 23, nearly matching the total for all of last year and prompting experts to plead for vigilance and warn parents that it can happen to anyone.

“It just breaks your heart,” said Janette Fennell, founder and president of KidsAndCars.org , a national child safety nonprofit based in Philadelphia. “We’ve done so much to try to get the word out and maybe that’s why last year was down a bit but this year is not looking very

Suspect sought in death of Texas journalist, investor DALLAS — A longtime Texas journalist whose death got the attention of UNESCO and journalism advocacy groups may have been killed over a disagreement in his separate real estate business, police said Tuesday.

Police in the Dallas suburb of Garland announced they had identified a suspect in the death of Jacinto “Jay” Torres Hernan-

good.”

Four-year-old Samaria Motyka died on Friday in Williamsport, Pennsylvania after her caregiver drove to work instead of taking her to day care. In Dallas, 2year-old Boi Lei Sang died after being left in a hot car in a parking lot Sunday while his family was in church. Fennell, whose organization tracks such deaths, said the number began dramatically rising in the 1990s with the passing of laws requiring that young children be placed in the back seat to avoid air-bag injuries.

— Compiled from AP reports

dez, whose body was found June 13 in the backyard of a Garland home.

Detectives believe the suspect, 23-year-old Anibal Edilfredo Chirino Mejia, had lost money in a real estate transaction with Torres and intended to sue him, police spokesman Lt. Pedro Barineau said.

In addition to writing hundreds of articles for Fort Worth newspaper La Estrella, the 57-year-old was an active investor who purchased properties in Dallas and surrounding areas through a holding com-

pany. His son, Gibran Torres, said Tuesday that his family had found a demand letter Mejia had sent Jay Torres. The total amount Mejia wanted was less than $5,000, Gibran Torres said in a phone interview.

“I was really upset because it wasn’t worth killing him,” he said. “It wasn’t even worth putting a gun on somebody.”

Police examining Jay Torres’ phone after his death found communications between Torres and someone else that led them to Mejia, Barineau said.

— Compiled from AP reports

MONDAY, AUGUST 1 1 Family Gardening Club. 10–11 a.m.

McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Free and for all ages. Fun gardening activities and gardening science.

1 Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 1–5 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 2867866 to arrange for a different delivery time.

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.

1 Ray of Light anxiety and depression support group meeting.

6:30–7:30 p.m. Area Health Education Center, 1505 Calle del Norte, Suite 430. Every first Monday of the month. People suffering from anxiety and depression are invited to attend this free, confidential and anonymous support group meeting. While a support group does not replace an individual's medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength and hope.

AROUND THE NATION Arizona sheriff: 3 slain in possible murder-suicide PHOENIX — Authorities found the bodies of a mother and her two children inside a home in suburban Phoenix in what could be a case of murder-suicide, authorities said Tuesday.

Deputies were awaiting autopsy results before making a final determination on the deaths, Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said at a news conference.

Deputies found a handgun near the woman’s body, according to Arpaio.

“We’re leaving a little part open just in case someone else could have caused these three deaths,” the sheriff said.

Arpaio said a neighbor reported seeing a car backed up to a home Monday night in an unincorporated area of Gilbert, east of Phoenix. A hose attached its exhaust pipe went

1 Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 1–5 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 2867866 to arrange for a different delivery time.

Economy still sliding in Latin America, Caribbean SANTIAGO, Chile — Plummeting economies in Venezuela and Brazil are expected to drag Latin America into negative growth again this year, the U.N.’s Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reported Tuesday.

The commission projected a 0.8 percent slide in the region’s overall gross domestic product

Ten years ago: Floyd Landis’ stunning Tour de France victory just four days earlier was thrown into doubt when he tested positive for high levels of testosterone during the race. (Landis was stripped of his title for doping.)

Five years ago: A Russian space official (Vitaly Davydov) said that once the mammoth International Space Station was no longer needed, it would be sent into the Pacific Ocean. Julio Lugo scored from third base on a blown umpire’s call at the plate, giving the Atlanta Braves a post-midnight 4-3 win in 19 innings over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Ervin Santana pitched the first solo nohitter for the Angels in nearly 27 years, striking out 10 and leading Los Angeles over Cleveland 3-1. Former New York Yankees pitcher Hideki Irabu, 42, was found dead of an apparent suicide in the affluent Los Angeles suburb of Rancho Palos Verdes.

One year ago: President Barack Obama, during a visit to Ethiopia, unleashed a blistering and belittling rebuke of Republican White House hopefuls, calling their attack on his landmark nuclear deal with Iran “ridiculous if it weren’t so sad.” The Boy Scouts of America ended its blanket ban on gay adult leaders while allowing church-sponsored Scout units to maintain the exclusion for religious reasons.

Matt York / AP

A Maricopa County sheriff deputy exits the home where multiple bodies were found, Tuesday, in Gilbert, Ariz.

into a window of the two-story, A-framed home, he said.

Arriving detectives found the two children upstairs and the mother’s body in another undisclosed area.

The sheriff identified the woman as Lisa Gerhart, saying she was 45 or 46. Her son was 17, and her daughter was 12.

Arpaio did not name the chil-

dren.

Arpaio said it’ll be up to the county medical examiner’s office to determine if the children died from gunshot wounds or carbon monoxide from the car fumes.

Authorities have contacted the children’s father.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE WORLD THURSDAY, AUGUST 2

On this date: In 1789, President George Washington signed a measure establishing the Department of Foreign Affairs, forerunner of the Department of State.

In 1866, Cyrus W. Field finished laying out the first successful underwater telegraph cable between North America and Europe (a previous cable in 1858 burned out after only a few weeks’ use).

In 1921, Canadian researcher Frederick Banting and his assistant, Charles Best, succeeded in isolating the hormone insulin at the University of Toronto.

In 1946, American author, poet and publisher Gertrude Stein, 72, died in Neuilly-sur-Seine (NU’-yee-suhrsehn), France.

In 1953, the Korean War armistice was signed at Panmunjom, ending three years of fighting.

In 1960, Vice President Richard M. Nixon was nominated for president on the first ballot at the Republican national convention in Chicago.

In 1967, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed the Kerner Commission to assess the causes of urban rioting, the same day black militant H. Rap Brown said in Washington that violence was “as American as cherry pie.”

In 1974, the House Judiciary Committee voted 27-11 to adopt the first of three articles of impeachment against President Richard Nixon.

In 1976, Air Force veteran Ray Brennan became the first person to die of so-called “Legionnaire’s Disease” following an American Legion convention in Philadelphia.

In 1980, on day 267 of the Iranian hostage crisis, the deposed Shah of Iran died at a military hospital outside Cairo, Egypt, at age 60.

In 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial was dedicated in Washington by President Bill Clinton and South Korean President Kim Youngsam.

In 2003, comedian Bob Hope died in Toluca Lake, California, at age 100.

for 2016 , a bit worse than last year’s 0.5 percent dip.

It said global growth remains slow, with low prices for Latin American commodities and financial uncertainty fed in part by the United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union.

The worst performers are expected to include troubled Venezuela, with an 8 percent contraction, and Brazil, down 3.5 percent. The commission forecast a decline of 2.5 percent for Ecuador and Trinidad and

Today’s Birthdays: TV producer Norman Lear is 94. Actor Jerry Van Dyke is 85. Sportscaster Irv Cross is 77.

Actor John Pleshette is 74. Actressdirector Betty Thomas is 69. Olympic gold medal figure skater Peggy Fleming is 68. Singer Maureen McGovern is 67. Actress Janet Eilber is 65. Comedian-actress-writer Carol Leifer is 60.

Country singer Stacy Dean Campbell is 49. Rock singer Juliana Hatfield is 49. Comedian Maya Rudolph is 44.

Singer-songwriter Pete Yorn is 42.

MLB All-Star Alex Rodriguez is 41.

Actor Seamus Dever is 40. Actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is 39. Actor Blair Redford is 33. Actress Taylor Schilling is 32. Singer Cheyenne Kimball is 26. Golfer Jordan Spieth is 23.

Thought for Today: “We are always the same age inside.” — Gertrude Stein (1874-1946).

CONTACT US Tobago and a 1.5 percent dip in Argentina. It said South American economies overall will likely shrink by 2.1 percent due to reduced internal and global demand for their products and deteriorating terms of trade: costlier imports and cheaper exports.

Low petroleum prices have hit especially hard in Venezuela, which has failed to diversify its economy away from near total dependence on oil exports.

— Compiled from AP reports

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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 |

A3

LOCAL & STATE

Sanders backer’s swipe at Clinton sparks Texas skirmish

By Will Weissert A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN, Texas — A Bernie Sanders delegate from North Texas sparked a shouting match Tuesday among his state’s delegation to the Democratic National Convention by condemning Hillary Clinton, but later said he misspoke in “a moment of passion.”

During the delegation’s breakfast in Philadelphia, Russell Lytle took the stage with fellow backers of the Vermont senator.

He expressed concern about the direction of the party before telling the crowd, “We are currently condemning our currently presumptive nominee.”

That caused an uproar, with shouting among backers of both Sanders and Clinton. Texas Democratic Party Chairman Gilberto Hinojosa briefly suspended the proceedings.

Tensions between the two factions have made the Democratic convention rowdy at times. On Monday, Sanders delegat-

es booed some of the speakers from the convention floor.

After the breakfast, Lytle of Denton, Texas, released a statement he signed by hand. “In a moment of passion, while reaching out to my fellow members of the Texas delegation,” it read, “I spoke one sentence that did not reflect my intention of promoting productive dialogue.”

Lytle also said he had voluntarily withdrawn his convention credentials, a largely symbolic move.

John Locher / AP

Texas delegates cheer during the first day of the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Monday.

State Rep. Rafael Anchia from Dallas, a Clinton superdelegate, shrugged off the chaotic scene. He recalled in 2008, when he was a Barack Obama delegate to that year’s Democratic National Convention, there was

concern Clinton supporters would never unify behind the party’s thennominee.

“I don’t recall any booing, per se, but there were people who were in the ‘never Obama’ camp,” Anchia said.

He added that he expects all intra-party bitterness to be overshadowed by the end of the convention.

“In the end, the old proverb of ‘the enemy of my enemy is my friend’ will prevail,” Anchia said.

AgriLife Last charges dropped in case Extension has over Planned Parenthood videos new office

By Michael Graczyk ASSOCIATED PRE SS S P ECIAL T O T HE T I ME S

The Zapata County Chamber of Commerce announced Tuesday the new physical location for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension in Zapata County.

Extension Education is located in the Zapata County Courthouse, 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 249.

The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service is a unique education agency with a statewide network of professional educators, trained volunteers and county offices.

It reaches into every Texas county to address local priority needs. Some of their major efforts are in mitigating drought impacts; conserving water use in homes, landscapes and production agriculture; improving emergency management; enhancing food security; and protecting human health through education about diet, exercise, and disease prevention and management.

Their Zapata office can be reached at 7659820.

HOUSTON — Texas prosecutors on Tuesday dropped the last remaining charges against two California anti-abortion activists who made undercover videos of themselves trying to buy fetal tissue from Planned Parenthood, agreeing with the defense’s argument that the grand jury exceeded its authority by investigating the activists after clearing Planned Parenthood of wrongdoing.

District Judge Brock Thomas dismissed the tampering with government records charges against David Daleiden, 27, and Sandra Merritt, 63, at the request of the Harris County prosecutor’s office.

“The grand jury took the

investigation where the facts led it, however Texas law limits what can be investigated after a grand jury extension order is issued,” District Attorney Devon Anderson said in a statement. “In light of this and after careful research and review, this office dismissed the indictments.”

Anderson, a Republican who ran as a “proud, prolife Texan mother of two” during the 2014 election, supported the charges when they were handed down in January, stressing at the time that at the outset of the investigation, she stated that “we must go where the evidence leads us.” That didn’t sit well with many members of her party.

Defense attorneys said the activists never should

have been charged. And Merritt and Daleiden, who founded a group called the Center for Medical Progress, had rejected plea deals offering them probation.

“I’m glad the First Amendment rights of all citizen journalists have been vindicated today,” Daleiden said after the hearing. “And I would just note that Planned Parenthood is still under investigation by the United States Congress, as they should be, because they are the real criminals in this matter.”

Prosecutors alleged that Daleiden, from Davis, California, and Merritt, from San Jose, California, used fake driver’s licenses to conceal their identities from Planned Parenthood during the 30-month undercover

video operation. They said the two posed as representatives of a fake biomedical company and sought to show that Planned Parenthood illegally sold parts of aborted fetuses to researchers.

Texas authorities initially began a grand jury investigation of Planned Parenthood after the undercover videos were released last August. But the grand jury cleared Planned Parenthood of misusing fetal tissue and instead indicted Merritt and Daleiden, who said he was working undercover as a journalist to expose illegalities in the handling of fetal tissue.

Merritt wasn’t at the hearing. Asked if the dismissal could be considered to be based on a technicality, her lawyer said it didn’t matter.

Zopinion

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

A4 | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

My inexperience in management led to hiring doofusses In the early years of my country editor career, I encountered some “help” situations that just about made me cry or tear all my hair out.

True journalists, particularly those who choose to work at small town newspapers, are there because they love this business, or at least most are. There are some who are at the “little” papers because they don’t have enough experience to get a job with a large paper with frequent shots at major headline stories.

As someone thrust into the publisher-editor slot at a small weekly newspaper at a very young age, I learned quickly that I should have taken some business management courses, particularly with regard to interviewing job candidates. Oh, well, nothing like on-the-job training through the trial-and-error method.

Even skilled personnel managers can make a mistake and hire the wrong person.

My experience was gained in hiring a great many doofusses — the aforementioned trial and error method. That’ll test your commitment to the newspaper business in a hurry and in many different ways. Oh, well, at least it’s given me a few war stories with which to regale unsuspecting visitors.

In the rural counties, where I gained my experience, one of the most important events every year is the county fair.

That usually produces lots of photos and numerous stories. Your joy at having so much is often reduced to disappointment or worse, particularly if the “important” photos are missed and you know your two competitors are going to have them. This was the case for me in Rosenberg in the mid-1960s.

That was about as competitive a situation as I have ever encountered.

But, as a 25-year-old whippersnapper, shucks, I figured ‘we can lick these guys.’ So, they’re older, more experienced and better financed and equipped. No hill for a stepper.

It was county fair time and as everyone knows, that’s perhaps the biggest story of the year. That’s “story” as in multiple stories and tons of pictures, a major undertaking. County fair coverage will pretty well fill up that week’s edition.

I had spent the better part of my day covering a lot of fair events and had set things up for the new editor to have a prime assignment in shooting the queen’s contest that

evening. I figured that would inspire him.

And, I informed a couple of key people involved in the pageant that my editor would be doing the honors that evening.

Imagine my great shock when about 15 minutes before the pageant, one of my friends called and said, “Are you or your editor going to cover the queen’s pageant?”

I told them the editor was supposed to be there but I decided I’d better check for myself. I knew where he lived, so I made a beeline for his house as soon as I cradled the phone.

I knocked politely and gave it five seconds before grabbing the door knob and blowing into the house and straight to the bedroom where, sure enough, there lay a sleeping editor. The noise of my entry awakened him and he rolled over on his elbow and peered at me through sleep-glazed eyes as I roared, “Why aren’t you covering the queen’s contest?”

“Well, uh, I was pretty tired and thought I’d catch a nap before going,” he mumbled through sleep-numbed lips.

“You can keep on sleeping right into the unemployment line!” I yelled loud enough to wake the dead.

I whirled and hightailed it to the fairgrounds a couple of blocks away and shot the queen’s pageant myself.

The editor showed up at the office the next morning as the locksmith was changing all the locks and wanted to know about his “severance pay.”

“You’re lucky I don’t sever your head,” I said in a voice not quite at yelling level. “You’re terminated for cause — disobeying orders and failing to do an assigned task — so you get no severance. Now get out of my sight before I change my mind about taking off your head.!”

Yeah, I was young and fiery-tempered.

Age takes care of lots of things though. I wouldn’t yell now.

Willis Webb is a retired community newspaper editor and publisher of more than 50 years experience. He can be reached by email at wwebb1937@att.net.

COLUMN

Hillary, this is why Democrats are struggling PHILADELPHIA — Dear Hillary, Donald Trump has presented you with an amazing opportunity to become a world historical figure! If you crush him in this election, you could create a new Democratic majority and reduce the GOP to an ever-declining rump of ethnic nationalism. On the other hand, if you fail to beat Trump, you will go down as America’s most hapless political loser and be vilified forever for enabling an era of American Putinism.

No pressure! Have fun in Philadelphia!

To end up on the right side of this equation you’re probably going to have to resist three natural tendencies, two of them your party’s and one your own.

First, you’re going to have to fight your party’s

“

DAVID BROOKS

materialistic mind-set.

This is 2016, not 1992.

Over the past few years, economic and social anxiety has metastasized into something spiritual and existential.

Americans are no longer confident in their national project. They no longer trust their institutions or have faith in their common destiny. This is a crisis of national purpose.

It’s about personal identity and the basic health of communal life. Americans’ anger and pessimism are more fundamental than anything that can be explained by GDP statistics.

Many Democrats have trouble thinking in these

terms. When asked to explain any complex phenomenon, they instinctively reduce it to a materialist cause. If there’s terrorism there must be lack of economic opportunity. If marriage is declining it must be because of joblessness.

This materialistic mind-set means that many Democrats are perpetually surprised by events that involve cultural threats and national identity. Why don’t working-class Kansans vote for us? We offer them more programs. Why did the Brits leave the EU? It’s against their economic interest.

The mind-set is also reductionist. There’s a tendency to break national problems into small, interest-group-size chunks and then deliver pandering policy promises.

Look at your website.

As Oren Cass points out in The City Journal, every demographic or interest group gets its own pander. If you’re a horse lover, the Clinton campaign vows to crack down on “horse soring, in which chemicals or other inhumane methods are applied to horses’ limbs to exaggerate their gait.”

To stand a chance, Secretary Clinton, you’re probably going to have to talk as adeptly about threats to personal dignity as you do about day care.

You’re probably going to have to talk bluntly about the American civic religion. You’re going to have to show you understand the way members of your class have slighted people who are less educated and less cosmopolitan.

great lengths to try to shield their children from.

It’s heartbreaking to imagine what those girls have probably heard and seen.

“Our motto is: ‘When they go low, we go high,’” Michelle Obama said. Let those words sink in a minute.

That’s the definition of grace and dignity. When people are cruel or negative, don’t wallow in the muck with them. This is the foundation on which many of us were raised.

It’s a message we all needed to hear right here and right now.

Many political observers pointed out correctly that Michelle Obama stole the show on the DNC’s first night. It’s a given that people will throw partisan rocks and pick apart each word of her speech. Her candidate is not their candidate. That’s fair game.

But I urge people to carefully listen to that speech again no matter who you favor in November.

Michelle Obama spoke of a country of people who have overcome obstacles. Of the greatness of a country in which a black family has lived in the White House for eight years that was built by slaves. Of inclusiveness and accepting differences.

Of listening to each other when crisis strikes. Of gender equality.

No wonder she’s so popular. Quite frankly, she’s an optimistic breath of fresh air. She’s been a steadfast advocate for women, children and veterans.

Democrat or Republican, she’s represented all of us well. Here’s hoping we’ll still hear lots from her — even after she’s left 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

COLUMN

Michelle Obama’s speech rises above muck, mire of this political season

By Leona Allen THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS

I already miss first lady Michelle Obama.

Her inspiring speech at the Democratic National Convention Monday night was one of the few times in this long chaotic political season that I actually felt hopeful that somehow, some way this country might actually rise above the hateful rhetoric and tragic pall we’ve been under.

Clearly, she was there to try to get Hillary Clinton elected. Yes, she spoke in support of protesters

and police officers.

But in about 14 minutes, she eloquently got to the heart of what we all have in common: wanting the very best future for our children.

The words that resonated the most were about how she and President Barack Obama have had to teach their daughters not to listen to the hateful things people have said about their father’s citizenship and faith.

And boy have people said some vile and racist things about both their parents. Crazy disrespectful stuff people go to

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.

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 |

A5

NATIONAL

Homes on edge of the wilderness complicate wildfire efforts

By Keith Ridler and Christopher Weber Randall Benton / AP

A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

SANTA CLARITA, Calif. — When Pat Telleria saw the wind-driven flames sweeping across the grass foothills toward his dream home, he picked up the phone.

In the middle of the night, he called 911. “I’m next. It’s coming right at me!’ he told dispatchers.

“And they said, ‘You’re out of luck. All the resources are allocated.”’ That’s when the wall of fire came at them “and it was humming.”

Telleria’s home near Boise stands on the edge of the wilderness in a landscape that offers pastoral serenity but is also susceptible to wildfires.

Some 44 million homes have been built in similar areas of the lower 48 states, making the properties expensive to protect from flames and draining resources that might otherwise be used to defend forests, rangeland and wildlife habitat.

“I fly back and forth across the country and I see it,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell told the nation’s top wildfire managers during a meeting in May at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. “We should be holding these people accountable, and we’re not.”

Most of the homes have been erected in recent decades. More examples can be found in Santa Clarita, California, where a wildfire in mountains north of Los Angeles recently forced 20,000 people from their homes.

Most residents were

Six-year-old Ethan Dean, who was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at two weeks old, rides in a waste truck as his wish to be a garbage man came true for a day.

Wish granted: Six-year-old boy is garbage man for a day Ringo H.W. Chiu / AP

A burned home is seen near Iron Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, Calif., Monday.

By Darcy Costello ASSOCIATED PRE SS

cleared to return on Tuesday, but the flames kept burning in the rugged terrain where many houses are tucked into canyon lands.

Laurent Lacore evacuated on Saturday, the last of his family to leave.

“The flames were right behind our backyard,” he said.

He returned Monday to find the house and everything around it had been saved. He could see a line of red fire retardant that had been dropped from the air to halt the fire’s approach.

“Everything is fine,” he said. “Even all of the trees are there.”

Firefighters saved about 2,000 homes in the fire’s first three days, Los Angeles County Deputy Fire Chief John Tripp said.

In 2015, the U.S. Forest Service set aside more than half of its budget for fire suppression. In one week in August, it spent $243 million fighting fires, much of it to protect homes. By September, all the firefighting money had been spent, and the agency began using money initially intended for re-

creation and other projects.

Besides the financial burden, there’s also a human cost. Three firefighters died in Washington state last year and 19 perished in Arizona in 2013 while battling fires in the area that scientists call the wildland-urban interface.

“We find that funerals for firefighters are always well attended,” said Larry Sutton, assistant director of operations for the Forest Service at the fire center. “To me, the best tribute to firefighters is a fire-adapted community.”

What he mostly sees is the opposite, he said, including areas destroyed by wildfire that get rebuilt with little regard for the next blaze.

“It may be just the mistaken belief that we’re always going to be able to show up and save the day,” said Sutton, one of the seven members of the National Multi-Agency Coordinating Group, which decides where to deploy limited firefighting resources. “But nothing would be able to stop some of these firestorms.”

SACRAMENTO, Calif.

— Ethan Dean has always dreamed of being a garbage man. Tuesday, the 6-year-old lived that fantasy: riding shot gun in a booster seat through Sacramento in a truck labeled “Ethan’s Garbage Truck.”

Ethan, garbage man for the day, made a series of stops in Sacramento to collect trash and recyclables from places like the fire station and CalEPA, where his father works. It wasn’t a chore for Ethan, who has cystic fibrosis. When asked at one stop what his favorite part of the day had been, he said it was “cleaning up garbage.”

Throughout his trip, he wore a cape that said “Hero Ethan” and a big smile.

When Ethan visited the Make-A-Wish Foundation in February, he was asked a series of questions: What do you want to be?

Who do you want to meet? What do you want to have? Where do you want to go?

In 2013, Make-A-Wish transformed San Francisco into Gotham for a 5-

year-old boy who had battled leukemia for years and dreamed of being Batkid. Miles Scott traveled from one crime scene to another, rescuing a damsel in distress and thwarting the plans of The Riddler and The Penguin, as crowds of people cheered him on.

Ethan’s dream is being a less fantastic, more everyday superhero — almost all of his answers were garbage truck-related, said Jennifer Stolo, CEO of the local chapter of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He really, really wants to be a garbage man when he grows up.

It meant the wish he’d be granted wasn’t too mysterious.

“We pretty much knew it was going to be about garbage trucks,” said Ethan’s dad, Ken Dean, laughing. He’s been watching them come down the street since he first learned how to crawl, his dad said.

Ethan’s uncle, Tim Dean, said it means a lot to the family to have people who don’t even know him come out to celebrate.

He too had a feeling Ethan’s wish would be

about being a garbage man.

Ethan has a garbage truck bedspread and pillow. He has garbage truck toys. He’s had a garbage truck birthday party.

“Every time I go and visit him, the first thing he asks me to do is, ‘Wanna go play with my garbage trucks?’ Dean said. “He just loves it.”

After being surprised at his Rancho Cordova elementary school, Ethan and his garbage truck made five stops, recycling and getting rid of waste at each.

Sam Thurman, who drove Ethan’s garbage truck for the day, has worked for Waste Management in Sacramento for 35 years. When he agreed to drive Ethan, he said he had no idea how big it was going to be.

And as for Ethan?

“He can’t wipe that grin off his face,” Thurman said. “He looks like it’s Christmas morning and he’s unwrapping his first present.”

At least 500 people gathered at the Capitol for at the end of Ethan’s day for a press conference and VIP lunch.

Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE OPERATION LONE STAR 1 Operation Lone Star, con la clínica gratuita de vacunación y evaluaciones físicas para deportes se realizarán hasta el jueves de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m. y viernes, de 8 a.m. a 2 p.m., en LISD Civic Center, 2400 avenida San Bernardo, en Laredo. Para información de servicios en condados vecinos llame a 2-1-1.

ENCUESTA PARA PADRES 1 Zapata County ISD pide a los padres de familia, cuyos hijos estudiarán el Pre-K 4 en el ciclo escolar que inicia en agosto, que respondan una encuesta. Los padres de familia pueden responder la encuesta visitando el sitio surveymonkey.com/ r/6VPWSHJ TALLER DE GENEALOGÍA

NARCOTRÁFICO

Responde a rumores ASSOCIATED PRE SS

El narcotraficante mexicano prófugo Rafael Caro Quintero negó que esté tratando de regresar al mundo del tráfico de drogas o que intente entrometerse con las operaciones del cártel de Sinaloa, según una entrevista publicada el domingo.

La DEA ofrece una recompensa de hasta cinco millones de dólares por información que conduzca al arresto y condena de Caro Contero.

Después de que las autoridades mexicanas lo pusieran en libertad y ordenaran recapturarlo, Caro Quintero fue entrevistado en su condición de prófugo por la revista noticiosa Proceso.

1 A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, el Museo del Condado de Zapata y la Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander, están invitando al Taller de Genealogía, donde podrá aprender las habilidades básicas de investigación para empezar su árbol genealógico y ampliar su historia familiar al digitalizar sus hallazgos. El taller se llevará a cabo el jueves 28 de julio desde la 1:30 p.m. Cupo limitado.

Los participantes deben inscribirse previamente. El museo se ubica en 805 N US-Hwy 83.

Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el (956) 7658983.

El personaje dijo que “la preocupación mía es muy grande” Caro ante las versiones de prensa según las cuales se estaba peleando con el Cártel de Sinaloa.

“En primer lugar yo no tengo problemas con ningún cártel”, declaró Caro Quintero, quien vestía ropa sencilla cuando fue entrevistado en una vivienda humilde.

Jorge González, fiscal general del estado de Chihuahua, en el norte del país, había dicho a principios de mes que tenía información de que Caro Quintero intentaba

“Ni organicé, ni secuestré, ni maté al señor Camarena”.

Rafael Caro Quintero

regresar al negocio del narcotráfico y disputarle territorio al cártel de Sinaloa.

La zona limítrofe entre los estados mexicanos de Sinaloa y Chihuahua ha registrado en las últimas semanas un aumento en hechos de violencia.

Caro Quintero, quien se cree tiene 63 años, dijo que “yo fui narcotraficante hace 31 años”, pero señaló que dejó esa actividad ilícita en 1984 después de una operación contra grandes plantíos de marihuana que tenía en un rancho en Chihuahua. “Dejé de ser nar-

cotraficante y le vuelvo a repetir: de favor, que me dejen en paz”.

Caro Quintero fue uno de los miembros fundadores de una de las primeras y más grandes organizaciones narcotraficantes, el cártel de Guadalajara.

Contribuyó a establecer un poderoso cártel en el estado de Sinaloa, en el noroeste de México, que después se dividió en algunas de las organizaciones narcotraficantes más grandes del país, entre ellas los cárteles de Sinaloa y Juárez.

En la entrevista, Caro

ZCISD

INMIGRACIÓN

CAMPAMENTO DE TEATRO

Otorgan derecho de acta para bebés Por Paul J. Weber ASSOCIATED PRE SS

LABORATORIO COMPUTACIONAL 1 La Ciudad de Roma pone a disposición de la comunidad el Laboratorio Computacional que abre de lunes a viernes en horario de 1 p.m. a 5 p.m. en Historical Plaza, a un lado del City Hall. Informes en el 956-849-1411.

FIN DE SEMANA LIBRE DE IMPUESTOS 1 Los compradores locales podrán disfrutar de un fin de semana libre de impuestos sobre las ventas locales y estatales del 5 al 7 de agosto. Como en años anteriores, la ley exenta de impuestos a artículos como ropa, calzado, útiles escolares y mochilas. Un listado completo de los artículos está disponible a través del sitio de Internet de Texas Comptroller.

ACADEMIA PARA PADRES 1 Zapata County ISD invita a los padres de estudiantes desde Prekinder hasta 12avo. Grado a la Academia para Padres que se llevará a cabo el jueves 18 de agosto, de 5 p.m. a 7 p.m. en las instalaciones de Zapata High School, 2009 State Highway 16.

Todos los participantes recibirán una caja de útiles escolares mientras duren las existencias. mcharur@ lmtonline.com

Quintero niega haber participado en el asesinato de Camarena.

“Ni organicé, ni secuestré, ni maté al señor Camarena”, afirmó. “Estuve en el lugar equivocado”.

Sin embargo, Caro Quintero pidió perdón a la familia de Camarena y señaló que “estoy muy arrepentido, y si cometí algún error, pido perdón”.

Un funcionario mexicano dijo el sábado que el gobierno estudia una petición para conceder el arresto domiciliario a otro jefe narcotraficante condenado por el homicidio de Camarena debido a su avanzada edad y porque se encuentra enfermo.

Foto de cortesía | Zapata County ISD

Del 5 al 25 de junio, estudiantes del último grado en Zapata High School participaron en un Campamento de Teatro ofrecido por el Texas State University. En la imagen, Sami Jo Ochoa, Marla Gutiérrez, Andie Núñez, Rosanna Pineda y Kaleb Cooper. Durante el campamento los alumnos recibieron talleres por parte de artistas de Broadway y cátedras por parte de maestro de teatro en TSU. Las clases incluyeron las áreas de actuación, canto, danza, audiciones y cómo prepararse para audicionar al colegio y a carreras en el teatro musical.

AUSTIN — Un abogado de mujeres mexicanas que viven sin autorización en Texas y a cuyos hijos nacidos en territorio estadounidense les fueron negados los certificados de nacimiento dijo que el estado facilitará el trámite a las familias de conformidad con un convenio judicial.

Un juez federal aceptó el lunes el acuerdo alcanzado entre Texas y los abogados que defienden los derechos de los inmigrantes. El estado fue acusado de endurecer las normas para extender los certificados de nacimiento.

El abogado Efrin Olivares dijo que Texas estuvo de acuerdo en aceptar más formas de identificación y documentos de las familias a fin de que obtengan un certificado de nacimiento.

Las autoridades estatales de salud dijeron que el acuerdo permitirá a las personas autorizadas obtener los certificados de nacimiento en una manera tal que “se preserve la seguridad de los registros de nacimientos”.

Los padres inmigrantes afirmaron que el estado negó la ciudadanía estadounidense por nacimiento a sus hijos nacidos en Texas, como lo garantiza la Constitución de Estados Unidos.

ARC/PLC

Registro garantizará beneficios TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

El martes 1 de agosto vence el plazo para inscribirse en los programas de Cobertura de Riesgo de Agricultura (ARC, por sus siglas en inglés), y/o Cobertura de Pérdida de Precio (PLC, por sus siglas en inglés para el año de cosecha 2016.

“Los productores ya han elegido ARC o PLC, pero deben inscribirse para el año de cosechas 2016 firmando un contrato antes del plazo del 1 de agosto para recibir los beneficios del progra-

“Se exhorta a los productores a contactar a su oficina de FSA local para programar una cita para inscribirse”.

Judith A. Canales, Directora Ejecutiva del FSA para USDA

ma”, dijo Judith A. Canales, Directora Ejecutiva de la Agencia de Servicios de Agricultura de Texas (FSA por sus siglas en inglés) del Departamento de Agricultura. “Se exhorta a los productores a contactar a su oficina de FSA local para programar una cita para inscribirse”.

Los programas impulsan protecciones

financieras para los productores agropecuarios cuando las fuerzas del mercado causan caídas sustanciales en los precios de la cosechas o en los ingresos, de acuerdo con un comunicado del USDA. Agrega que a nivel nacional, se espera que más de 1,76 millones de granjeros y granaderos firmen contratos para

inscribirse en ARC o PLC. Los programas de cobertura incluyen cebada, canola, garbanzos, maíz, linaza, sorgo, lentejas, semilla de mostaza, avena, cacahuate, chícharo, arroz, cártamo, soya semilla de girasol y trigo entre otros productos.

Canales agregó que desde el 2009, el Departamento de Agricultura ha trabajado para forta-

lecer y apoyar la agricultura americana. Se trata de una industria que apoya uno de cada 11 empleos, proporciona a los conusmidores americanos con más del 80 por ciento de la comida quese consume, asegura que los consumidores americanos gasten menos de su sueldo en comestibles, y apoya a los mercados por materiales y energía renovable propia.

Para más información acerca de los programas se puede visitar www.fsa.usda.gov o la oficina de la localidad.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 |

A7

NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Parker: Spurs can have ‘great team’ without Tim Duncan Spurs PG looks towards the future

By Tom Orsborn SAN ANTONIO EXPRE SS-NEWS

David J. Phillip / AP file

After the retirement of future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan, right, Tony Parker believes the Spurs can still field a “great team” next season.

SAN ANTONIO – Despite the loss of Tim Duncan and an influx of youthful newcomers, the Spurs “are still going to have a great team” next season, Tony Parker believes.

“Obviously, we are going to miss him a lot,” the veteran point guard said of Duncan.

“You can’t replace a guy like Timmy. But we will try to do our best to keep the Spurs going and to keep winning.”

Speaking Tuesday at his youth basketball camp at the Alamo City Sportsplex, Parker said he is still trying to come to terms with the loss of Duncan to retirement after 19 seasons as the team’s linchpin player.

“He was the greatest power forward of all time and he made my job easy every night,” Parker said.

With Duncan gone, Parker,

NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS

34, is now the senior Spur with 15 seasons. Manu Ginobili has logged 14 seasons with the Silver & Black.

“I’m just going to try to be a good leader and welcome all the new guys and try to help them as much as I can and just show them the Spurs culture and what we do here,” Parker said.

In addition to Duncan, the Spurs will also be without Parker’s longtime friend Boris Diaw, who was traded to Utah.

“It’s definitely going to be a big change, definitely going to miss them,” Parker said of Duncan and Diaw. “It’s definitely going to be a different season next year.”

The newcomers to the team will include veteran center Pau Gasol, who Parker called a “great basketball player with a lot of knowledge.”

“I think he’s a perfect fit for our team,” Parker said of Gasol.

Other newcomers include 19-year-old point guard Dejounte Murray, the club’s first round pick who transitions to the NBA after one season at the University of Washington.

Parker said he talked to Murray after the club drafted him in June.

“I can’t wait to get to camp and see what he can give us,” Parker said.

Other new faces include sharpshooting big man Davis Bertans, shot blocker Dewayne Dedmon and forward Livio Jean-Charles, who played for Parker’s French-owned team.

“I think it’s going to be a lot different because we have a lot of young guys, so it’s going to take us some time for us to jell,” Parker said. “But they are great basketball players and they have some knowledge and they know how to play. Hopefully, they can get it fast and we can have another great season.”

2016 OLYMPIC GAMES

Cowboys’ Gregory fails drug test, may not play in 2016

By Clarence E. Hill Jr. FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has failed another drug test, per multiple sources and may not play at all in 2016.

Gregory was already suspended for the first four games of the 2016 for violating in the NFL substance abuse policy.

Per a source, he was getting treatment and checked out of the facility for a weekend, resulting in another failed test.

He now faces a longer suspension from the NFL. The next stage of the league’s substance abuse program calls for a 10-game suspension. But a source believes Gregory won’t play at all this season.

He is back in a treatment facility and not expected to be in Oxnard, Calif., when the Cowboys report to training camp July 28.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett declined comment on Gregory when asked about him Tuesday at the Dallas Cowboys annual coaches clinic.

He was asked three straight questions and shot them all down.

On Gregory getting treatment, Garrett said "I don’t want to comment on that."

Will Gregory be with you Thursday?

"I don’t want to make any comment on that," Garrett answered.

Was it another violation of drug policy?

"Yeah, I’m not going to comment on Randy Gregory," Garrett concluded.

The terms of the original four-game suspension allows Gregory to practice and play with the Cowboys in preseason.

As of now, he is not reporting to training

Bob Leverone / AP file

The International Modern Pentathlon Union says that Ilia Froloy and other Russian athletes allegedly had positive tests covered up by Russian authorities.

At least 105 Russian athletes banned so far

By James Ellingworth ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Michael Zito / AP file

Already suspended four games, Dallas defensive end Randy Gregory failed another drug test and may miss the entire 2016 season.

camp.

It’s the continuation of a bad run for Gregory since coming to the Cowboys in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft.

A first-round talent of Nebraska, Gregory fell the second round because he failed a drug test before the 2015 NFL scouting combine.

He subsequently failed two more tests as a rookie, prompting the fourgame suspension.

Gregory was setback on the field as rookie because of a high ankle sprain, recording zero sacks in 12 games in 2015.

As recently as two weeks ago, owner Jerry

Jones still had high hopes for Gregory, calling him the team’s most talented pass rusher and one could develop into a special player.

Now he may not be available to deliver at all in 2016.

It’s another huge setback and disappointment for a Cowboys defense that also without defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence for the four games of the season because of repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

Middle linebacker Rolando McClain is serving a 10-game suspension to open the season.

MOSCOW — At least 105 athletes from the 387-strong Russian Olympic team announced last week have been barred from the Rio Games in connection with the country’s doping scandal.

International federations in canoeing, sailing and modern pentathlon ruled out eight on Tuesday, including an Olympic gold medalist.

Rowing added 19 more athletes to three that had previously been announced. Swimming has also barred some athletes. Some appeals are likely.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian media that Putin had discussed the doping issue with his national security council.

“The topic of the recent International Olympic Committee ruling relating to Russian athletes was raised ahead of Putin’s planned meeting tomorrow with the Russian Olympic team,” Peskov was quoted as saying.

The vast majority of the Russian athletes who miss out are in track and

field, where 67 athletes were ruled out when a ban on the Russian team was upheld at the Court of Arbitration for Sport last week.

While Russia avoided a blanket ban from the International Olympic Committee, it has lost several medal contenders to new IOC rules imposed Sunday banning Russia from entering athletes who previously doped.

Alexander Dyachenko, an Olympic champion in 2012, was among five canoeists ruled out after being named in a recent report by World AntiDoping Agency investigator Richard McLaren alleging a state-sponsored doping cover-up.

McLaren’s report last week specifically detailed how Russian state officials allegedly intervened to cover up hundreds of failed drug tests.

Dyachenko won gold in the men’s double kayak 200 meters at the 2012 London Games.

“The ICF will continue its strong zero-tolerance stance and remove all athletes that contravene its rules in anyway,” said Simon Toulson, the International Canoe Federation’s general secretary.

“If you step out of line you won’t make the start line.”

The four other banned canoeists are Alexei Korovashkov - a 2012 bronze medalist in the C2 1,000 meters event - Andrei Kraitor, Elena Anyushina and Nataliya Podolskaya.

The ICF also said that Russia would not be allowed to enter boats in four events in which the excluded athletes would have raced. Therefore, Austria, Germany, Sweden and Iran are in line to receive their places.

World Sailing said Pavel Sozykin, who had been due to race in the 470 class, would be excluded because he was mentioned in the McLaren report. Russia’s other six sailors were approve and Russia is able to nominate a replacement for Sozykin, the federation said.

Meanwhile, the International Modern Pentathlon Union named the two Russians it had suspended as Maxim Kustov and Ilya Frolov, saying they both featured in the McLaren report. Kustov’s place in the men’s event passes to a Latvian athlete, while Frolov had only been entered for Rio as a reserve.

A8 | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

ENTERTAINMENT

After nearly a decade, Matt Damon is ‘Bourne’ again

By Lindsey Bahr A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

LOS ANGELES — It’s a sweltering afternoon in Hollywood and Matt Damon has just gotten out of couple’s therapy.

Don’t worry, it was just with Jimmy Kimmel — a continuation of the fake feud that started over 10 years ago before the two had even met.

“It takes a really surreal turn because we got a real therapist and we play it totally straight,” said Damon seated in the green room of Kimmel Studios. After “therapy,” Damon had about 10 minutes to do a photo shoot, film an intro for a festival he can’t attend and scarf

down a salad. This is life on the blockbuster circuit.

Damon, 45, is promoting “Jason Bourne,” a film that nine years ago both he and director Paul Greengrass thought would never happen.

After three movies exploring the story of the super spy created by Robert Ludlum, the last two of which were directed by Greengrass, and a particularly difficult shooting experience with “The Bourne Ultimatum,” Damon was done.

The name would come up often, though, in meetings and from fans. In 2009, around the time Damon and Greengrass did “Green Zone,” they flirted with getting anoth-

er one going but there just wasn’t a story. Universal Pictures, meanwhile, moved on, expanding the Bourne universe with a film focused on another agent played by Jeremy Renner. It did well enough, and a sequel was in the works. Then, in 2014, Greengrass and Damon took a look at the world and realized how much had changed.

“Paul called and said that the first set piece would be an austerity riot in Athens,” Damon said.

“I’m like, ‘OK, we’re back.”’

But they made sure to structure their production schedule so they weren’t coming up with the script while they were

Universal Pictures / AP

In this image released by Universal Pictures, Matt Damon appears in a scene from "Jason Bourne."

shooting — as was the case with “Ultimatum.”

“When you’re in production, you’re lighting money on fire and you can feel it. What (co-writers) Paul (Greengrass) and Chris (Rouse) did this time, which is great, was they took a whole year and showed up with 120 pages that you want to shoot,” Damon said. “We knew once we said we were going to do it, that we were going to get a release date, so we just got all of our ducks in a row.”

And it worked. For

“Ultimatum,” they shot for 138 days. “Jason Bourne” was a trim 95.

The film, out Friday, is partially about the world of government surveillance, introducing CIA agents played by Tommy Lee Jones and Alicia Vikander. The high octane hunt takes Bourne to the requisite international locales and even a few domestic ones — including Las Vegas, where one set piece features a SWAT vehicle plowing through cars on the strip. It’s eerily reminiscent of the recent incident in France.

The marketing team pulled the scene from European ads immediately, he said.

“That was just horrific,” Damon said. “None of us felt like it was a copycat thing, but we didn’t want to be insensitive with those images out there.”

It makes him think of the objections to the posters showing him wielding a gun — a sentiment he keenly understands.

“Movies are a tool for empathy. I wouldn’t do them if I didn’t believe that,” he said.

Democratic convention ratings give CNN, Brian Williams and Democrats bragging rights

By David Bauder A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

CNN, Democrats and Brian Williams can all claim some bragging rights in the ratings from the first night of the Democratic convention.

CNN was seen by 6.29 million viewers between 10 and 11:30 p.m. EDT, during the main speeches when all the networks competed. It was the first time the network has beaten everyone — cable and broadcast networks alike — during a night of convention coverage,

according to the Nielsen company.

Democrats can claim the first night of their convention was more popular among viewers than the first night of the Republicans last week, by a significant margin.

Between the three commercial broadcasters, PBS and cable news outlets CNN, Fox News Channel and MSNBC, a total of 28.55 million people watched. Last Monday for the same seven networks covering the GOP, it was 24.28 million.

MSNBC’s coverage,

anchored by Williams, beat NBC News’ broadcast, which was led by Williams’ replacement, Lester Holt. The 4.64 million who watched MSNBC on Monday was more than double the audience it had received last Monday with the Republicans. Similarly, CNN was up from the 3.94 million who watched the Republicans last Monday.

Fox News Channel’s primarily Republican audience had considerably less interest in the Democratic convention.

Nielsen said 3.33 million people watched the first night of the Democrats on Fox, compared to 6.35 million for the GOP’s comparable night.

NBC had 4.29 million viewers on Monday, ABC had 4.11 million, CBS had 3.21 million and PBS had 2.68 million, Nielsen said.

Loyal opposition: Fox News Channel, which bragged in newspaper ads Monday about being the most-watched network during the GOP convention, set itself up to offer its viewers the opposing

viewpoint. Minutes after the convention shut down on Monday, Fox brought in Republican Donald Trump and former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for an interview with admitted Trump supporter Sean Hannity.

Common ground: It almost sounded like a Republican convention.

Bernie Sanders unleashed huge cheers by bashing the media.

Shrill: NBC commentator Tom Brokaw provoked a Twitter protest when he discussed Clinton’s speak-

ing style on MSNBC. “It will be interesting to see what her demeanor is on this stage,” Brokaw said, “because in big events she’s often quite shrill and hectoring people. If she becomes a softer Hillary, it might help her.” Chuck Todd tried to walk him back, noting that Clinton, as a woman, was sometimes held to different standards as a speaker than men. The damage was done. One media critic, Jennifer Pozner, dinged Brokaw on Twitter for “choosing lazy sexism.”

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 |

A9

BUSINESS

Twitter still struggling to grow as rivals race ahead

Tesla opens Gigafactory to expand battery production, sales

By Dee-Ann Durbin

By Michael Liedtke

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

SAN FRANCISCO — Twitter is in danger of becoming the next internet company forced into a desperation sale if it cannot find a way to start luring people and advertisers back to its sometimes-befuddling messaging service.

The 10-year-old company’s second-quarter report, released Tuesday, provided another sobering snapshot of Twitter stuck on a treadmill, as other digital communications channels such as Facebook and Snapchat are racing ahead in the battle for people’s attention and allegiance.

Twitter averaged 313 million users a month in the April-June period, a gain of just 3 million from the previous quarter. Even more telling, Twitter has added only 9 million monthly users since the San Francisco company brought back co-founder Jack Dorsey as CEO a year ago.

Dorsey has tried to shake things up by rolling out a “Moments” feature that bundles messages about current events, loosening the 140-character on tweets and showing tweets in the order most

Richard Drew / AP file

This Nov. 6, 2013 photo shows the Twitter logo on a post on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange.

likely to appeal to each person’s perceived interests, rather than a chronological fashion.

The ineffectiveness of those measures have spurred speculation that Twitter might be bought by a suitor that prizes its still-sizeable audience and the insights that its service provides into the hot topics that people are talking about around the world.

Industry analysts believe the prospect of a Twitter takeover is the main reason that the company’s stock had climbed 34 percent from its alltime low of $13.73 leading into the second-quarter earnings report. The shares reversed course after the disappointing report came out, shedding $2.11, or 11 percent, to $16.34 in extended trading. Twitter’s stock has lost more

than half its value since Dorsey’s return as CEO. In a conference call Tuesday to discuss the quarterly results, Dorsey said he believes Twitter is building a “company and business of importance” when asked about whether selling might more sense than remaining independent.

“We’re making the right decisions on our product and it gives us a foundation for future growth,” Dorsey said at another point in the call.

Little or no growth often culminates in acquisitions in internet industry.

Years of stagnation finally prodded internet pioneer Yahoo Inc. to conduct an auction that resulted in Monday’s $4.8 billion deal to sell its online operation to Verizon.

SPARKS, Nev. — It’s Tesla Motors’ biggest bet yet: a massive, $5 billion factory in the Nevada desert that could nearly double the world’s production of lithium-ion batteries.

Tesla officially opened its Gigafactory on Tuesday, a little more than two years after construction began. The factory is about 14 percent complete but when it’s finished, it will be about 10 million square feet, or about the size of 262 NFL football fields. That will make it one of the largest buildings in the world.

The factory is key to the future of Palo Alto, California-based Tesla.

The 13-year-old electric car company, which has never made a full-year profit, wants to transition from a niche maker of luxury vehicles to a fullline maker of affordable cars, pickups and even semi-trucks. It also runs Tesla Powerwall, a solar energy storage business for homes and businesses.

The company says making its own lithiumion batteries at the scale the Gigafactory will allow will reduce its battery costs by more than a third.

Rich Pedroncelli / AP

Construction continues at Section F of the new Tesla Gigafactory during a media tour in Sparks, Nevada.

Most immediately, Tesla needs the batteries for its fourth car, the Model 3 sedan, which is scheduled to go on sale at the end of next year. At a starting price of around $35,000, the Model 3 will be Tesla’s least expensive vehicle, partly because of battery cost reductions.

Tesla unveiled the Model 3 at the end of March. Within a week, more than 325,000 people had put down a $1,000 deposit to reserve the car.

After seeing that level of demand, Tesla moved its production plans forward. The company now says it will make 500,000 vehicles per year by 2018, two years earlier than scheduled.

To meet that goal, Gigafactory construction is proceeding at a furious pace. Inside the factory, Tesla’s partner, Panasonic Corp., is installing machines in sealed, humidity-controlled rooms that

will start making battery cells before the end of this year.

Panasonic is also shipping cells from Japan to the Powerwall business, which is operating in another section of the factory. Robots are used to place battery packs into home and office units, which store energy from solar panels and allow users to tap it during peak periods.

Outside, nearly 1,000 workers are laying the groundwork for the factory’s expansion, digging trenches and erecting steel supports in the hot, dusty valley. By the second quarter of 2017, 31 percent of the factory will be completed.

The factory’s name stems from “giga,” a unit of measurement that represents billions. One gigawatt hour is the equivalent of generating one billion watts for one hour.

As iPhone sales sag, Apple touts apps and services instead

By Brandon Bailey A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

SAN FRANCISCO — You can expect to hear a lot more from Apple about the virtues of mobile apps and online services in coming months.

And for good reason: They’re just about the only part of Apple’s business that’s growing right now.

Apps and services have always been key to the appeal of Apple products.

But with iPhone sales down for the second quarter in a row — and speculation that a major redesign won’t arrive until late next year — Apple is talking up its online business, promoting it with new kinds of ads and even sponsoring an upcoming reality TV show called “Planet of the Apps.”

The giant tech company sold 40.4 million iPhones in the last quar-

ter — 15 percent fewer than a year ago, according to its earnings report Tuesday. Analysts say consumers just aren’t as excited about the newest iPhone models. As a result, Apple’s overall revenue fell 15 percent to $42.4 billion for the three months ending June 30.

Apple also sold fewer iPad units, Mac computers and Apple Watches in the last quarter, although iPad revenue increased, thanks to the introduction of higher-priced iPad Pro models. And a modestly better forecast for the current quarter sent Apple shares up nearly 7 percent in late trading, after closing at $96.63.

But the biggest bright spot in the company’s report was a 19 percent sales jump for the segment that includes iTunes, Apple Music, the App Store and services like Apple Pay and iCloud storage. That seg-

ment produced nearly $6 billion in sales — more than Apple pulled in from quarterly sales of either iPads or Macs.

For services rendered Apple makes money from online services by taking a percentage whenever users pay to download a song from iTunes, buy an app from the App Store or subscribe to a streaming service like Apple Music.

It keeps 30 cents of every dollar spent in the App Store , for example, and passes 70 cents to the app developer. Apple also collects fees from people who buy extra iCloud storage and from banks when customers use their credit cards with Apple Pay. Since growth is what Wall Street likes to see, Apple executives are increasingly touting the purchasing power of the company’s massive cus-

tomer base — nearly 600 million owners of Apple devices who spend an average of $68 a year on apps, music and other services, according to estimates by Credit Suisse.

“We expect this business will continue to grow” even if Apple sells fewer devices in a particular quarter, Chief Financial Officer Luca Maestri told The Associated Press. “It’s becoming a very meaningful portion of what we do.”

Apple’s still optimistic about the iPhone, CEO Tim Cook assured analysts on a conference call.

But he also boasted that Apple’s online services will produce as much revenue as a Fortune 100 company by next year.

Reality or bust That’s where shows like “Planet of the Apps” come in. Apple is partnering on the project with

a team of veteran Hollywood producers and musician/entrepreneur will.i.am.

Though it’s expected to be something like a “Shark Tank” competition for app developers, Apple has kept a tight lid on details such as who will host or when it will air. But it will undoubtedly promote the App Store.

It also demonstrates Apple’s desire to create original programming as a way of drawing more people to purchase music and videos on iTunes and Apple TV. Apple also announced Tuesday that it’s sponsoring another unscripted video series based on the popular “Carpool Karaoke” segments hosted by talk-show host James Corden.

Separately, Apple has been tweaking the App Store itself. In one change, Apple is reducing its commission on apps

that are sold on a subscription basis. That could lower its revenue in the short term, but experts say Apple benefits in the long run if more developers adopt a sales model that requires consumers to renew every year — since Apple gets a slice of every renewal fee.

In another change, Apple has begun selling App Store ads to developers, so iPhone owners who search for new apps will now see a paid listing along with other results.

The not-so-shiny side Some of Apple’s online ventures are facing challenges, however. Music sales in the iTunes store are being undercut by the growing popularity of streaming apps like Spotify. Apple’s own streaming music service is growing, Maestri said, but it still lags Spotify in paying subscribers.

A10 | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

INTERNATIONAL

IS group claims attack that killed 85-year-old French priest

By Sylvie Corbet and Lori Hinnant A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

SAINT-ETIENNE-DUROUVRAY, France — The Islamic State group crossed a new threshold Tuesday in its war against the West, as two of its followers targeted a church in Normandy, slitting the throat of an elderly priest celebrating Mass and using hostages as human shields before being shot by police.

It was the extremist group’s first attack against a church in the West, and fulfills longstanding threats against “crusaders” in what the militants paint as a centuries-old battle for power. One of the attackers had tried twice to leave for Syria; the second was not identified.

“To attack a church, to kill a priest, is to profane the republic,” French President Francois Hollande told the nation after speaking with Pope Francis, who condemned the killing in the strongest terms.

The Rev. Jacques Hamel was celebrating Mass for three nuns and two parishioners on a quiet summer morning in SaintEtienne-du-Rouvray when the attackers burst in and forced the 85-year-old priest to his knees before slicing his throat, according to authorities and a nun who escaped.

The nun described seeing the attackers film themselves and give a sermon in Arabic around the altar before she fled.

Paris prosecutor Francois Molins said the other hostages were used as human shields to block police from entering. One 86-year-old parishioner was wounded.

The two attackers were killed by police as they rushed from the building shouting “Allahu Akbar,” Molins said. One had three knives and a fake explosives belt; the other carried a kitchen timer wrapped in aluminum foil and had fake explosives in his backpack.

One of the assailants was identified as Adel Kermiche, a 19-year-old who grew up in the town and tried to travel to Syria twice last year using family members’ identity documents, but was arrested outside France and handed preliminary terrorism charges.

Kermiche was put under house arrest with an electronic surveillance bracelet after a judge overruled prosecutors and agreed to free him, Molins said. However, the bracelet was deactivated for a few hours every morning as part of the surveillance agreement, Molins said — hours that corresponded to the time of Tuesday’s attack.

A statement published by the IS-affiliated Amaq news agency said Tuesday’s attack was carried out by “two soldiers of the Islamic State” who acted in response to calls to target nations in the U.S.led coalition fighting the extremist group in Iraq and Syria.

Haras Rafiq, managing director of the Quilliam Foundation, described the attack as a turning point.

“What these two people today have done is ... shifted the tactical attack to the attack on Rome ... an attack on Christianity,” he said.

He warned that it could “radicalize people from both sides of the communities. Muslim and non-

Jacques Hamel

Muslim.”

As Europe becomes painfully inured to a summer of repeated bloodshed, the extremists are looking for greater ways to shock, Rafiq said. "This is going into a house of God. This is attacking and killing a priest.”

“We’ve been talking about the danger of the global jihadist insurgency.

This is what it looks like,” he said.

The increasing speed with which IS has claimed responsibility and the growing number of attacks this summer have left Europe alarmed and fearful.

Targeting a church in the rural Normandy heartland resonated with France’s leadership and Christians across Europe.

While France is officially secular and church attendance is low, the country has deep Catholic roots.

Islamic State extremists have urged followers to attack French churches and the group is believed to have planned at least one earlier church attack that was foiled when the assailant shot himself in the leg.

The slain priest had been at the church for the past decade and “was always ready to help,” said Rouen diocese official Philippe Maheut.

“His desire was to spread a message for which he consecrated his life,” Mahut told The Associated Press. “And he certainly didn’t think that consecrating his life would mean for him to die while celebrating Mass, which is a message of love.”

A nun who escaped said the priest was forced to the ground before his throat was slit. “They forced him to his knees.

He wanted to defend himself. And that’s when the tragedy happened,” said the woman, identified as Sister Danielle, speaking

on BFM television.

She said the attackers filmed themselves. “They did a sort of sermon around the altar, in Arabic. It’s a horror.”

One person, a minor, was arrested in the investigation. Molins said he is believed to be the 16year-old younger brother of someone wanted by authorities for trying to go to Syria or Iraq in 2015.

Hollande, visiting the scene of Tuesday’s slaying, denounced what he called “a vile terrorist attack” and one more sign that France is at war with the Islamic State group, which has claimed multiple attacks on France over the past year and a half, and two in Germany over the past week.

The pope condemned the attack in the strongest terms. The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said in a statement that Pope Francis expressed his “pain and horror for this absurd violence, with the strongest condemnation for every form of hatred and prayer for those affected.”

The town’s mayor, Hubert Wulfranc, tearfully denounced the “barbarism. Let us together be the last to cry.”

A somber quiet surrounded Saint-Etiennedu-Rouvray, a suburb of the medieval city of Rouen composed of genteel residential neighborhoods and working-class quarters with massive apartment blocks.

Hassan Tarchich, a former resident of Moroccan descent, returned Tuesday night to pay his respects, laying flowers and a candle outside the slain priest’s home. “You don’t kill in the name of God,” he said. “He was a man of peace.”

The cluster of towns outside Rouen has been linked to the Islamic State group before. A micro-cell of recruits from the area included a Frenchman seen cutting the throat of a Syrian soldier in a November 2014 video. Maxime Hauchard was among at least four people who met at a local mosque and later left to join the extremists.

The violence appears unlikely to slow soon because IS reaps benefits even when attackers have no particular connection to the extremists fighting and losing territory in Iraq and Syria.

Rebecca Blackwell / AP

In this July 21 photo, fireflies light up in sync in the woods of Piedra Canteada, near Nanacamilpa, Tlaxcala state, Mexico.

Mexican farmers using fireflies to save forest

By Lulu Orozco ASSOCIATED PRE SS

NANACAMILPA, Mexico — In the village of Nanacamilpa, tiny fireflies are helping save the towering pine and fir trees on the outskirts of the megalopolis of Mexico City.

Thousands of them light up a magical spectacle at dusk in the oldgrowth forests on reserves like the Piedra Canteada park, about 45 miles (75 kilometers) east of Mexico’s sprawling capital city.

Piedra Canteada in Tlaxcala state isn’t a government-run park, but a rural cooperative that has managed to emerge from poverty and dependence on logging with the help of the fireflies.

For years, economic forces, including low prices for farm produce, forced rural communities like Piedra Canteada to cut down trees and sell the logs. Then, in 1990, community leader Genaro Rueda Lopez got the idea that the forest could bring tourism revenue from campers.

Business was slow for years. Then in 2011, community members realized the millions of fireflies

that appear between June and August could draw tourists from larger cities where few people have seen them in significant numbers. Indeed, around the world, deforestation and urban growth are threatening the over 2,000 species of fireflies with extinction.

Five years later, the park’s cabins and camp spaces are sold out weeks in advance, with the attraction especially popular among families with young children and couples seeking a romantic setting.

“The amount of fireflies you see is impressive,” said Carlos Landa, a Mexico City native who visited Piedra Canteada this week. “Something that I also find quite impressive is their synchronicity: To turn off and turn on, that is something really spectacular. It’s like Christmas in the forest.”

The cooperative of 42 families still cuts some trees, but has preserved over 1,560 acres.

“We log, we live from the forest, from cutting trees, but in an orderly way,” said Rueda Lopez, one of the cooperative’s founders. “It’s like a garden, you have to remove

the branches yourself, the dry parts, the parts with diseases to really grow.”

He said they have plans to plant over 50,000 pine trees in the areas they log each year.

The idea has spread to nearby places in largely rural Tlaxcala, like Granja Interactiva Salma, whose primary business is still crops like corn, wheat, broad beans and peas. But they say firefly tours are a much-needed source of extra income.

“We are trying to treat the whole area here with no herbicides, because it’s logical if we have insecticides, that could affect the fireflies,” said Hugo Brindis, a certified guide at Granja Salma. “We are talking to biologists and the people who make these chemicals to see which have less of an effect on fireflies and the forest.”

He said their operation is a reservation-only ranch and they are trying to reduce the amount of people who visit the area, 250 maximum on the weekends, to maintain a sustainable space in the forest.

In Piedra Canteada, the fireflies are now the main source of income.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 |

A11

FROM THE COVER

Texas attorney general took $100,000 gift while investigating company

By Paul J. Weber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is under indictment on felony charges of duping investors in a tech startup, accepted $100,000 for his criminal defense from the head of a medical imaging provider while his office investigated the company for Medicaid fraud.

Dallas-based Preferred Imaging LLC settled a $3.5 million whistleblower lawsuit in a case handled by the U.S. Justice Department and Paxton’s Texas Civil Medicaid

Fraud Division, the head of which co-signed the agreement in June.

Paxton spokesman Marc Rylander said Tuesday federal prosecutors took the lead on the case and that the attorney general had no personal involvement. James Webb, the president of Preferred Imaging who gave Paxton the donation, did not immediately return an email and phone message.

The donation underscores the potential conflicts that Paxton, a Republican, is navigating as Texas’ top prosecutor while the state prosecutes

him on two counts of felony securities fraud.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Ethics and legal experts say Paxton’s accepting the money while his office investigated Webb’s company was not a clear violation of Texas’ loose ethics laws. But they said the donation at least had the appearance of conflict.

Webb is the most generous supporter of Paxton’s legal defense, covering nearly one-third of the $330,000 that two dozen people donated last year. Paxton cannot use taxpayer dollars or campaign funds to pay for his criminal case, and is in-

Brendan Smialowski / Getty

Delegates hold up signs in support of Hillary Clinton on Day 1 of the Democratic National Convention at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Monday.

CLINTON From page A1 in support of her former rival, Barack Obama.

In November, she will take on Donald Trump, nominated last week at the Republican convention in Cleveland.

Tuesday night wasn’t all sweetness and light.

Moments after Clinton claimed the nomination, a group of supporters exited the convention and headed to a media tent for what they said was a peaceful demonstration protesting being shut out of the Democratic Party.

In the main hall, the second night of the convention was featuring former President Bill Clinton, who was taking the stage to deliver a personal validation for his wife. Former presidents often vouch for their potential successors, but never before has that candidate also been a spouse.

Clinton’s landmark achievement saturated the roll call with emotion and symbols of women’s long struggle to break through political barriers. A 102year-old woman, born before women had the right to vote, cast the ballots for Arizona.

Martha McKenna, a Clinton delegate from Maryland, said the night felt like a celebration for Sanders’ campaign as well as Clinton’s. But the mother of two young girls said she was most excited to see Clinton officially named.

“The idea that I’m going to be here when the first woman president is nominated is overwhelming,” she said.

Clinton’s campaign hoped the night of achievement, personal stories and praise could chip away at the deep distrust many voters, including some Democrats, have of the former

secretary of state, senator and first lady. Much of the convention’s second night was being devoted to introducing voters to Clinton anew, including three hours of speakers highlighting issues she has championed for years, including health care and advocacy for children and families.

“Tonight we will make history, about 100 years in the making,” said Karen Finney, a senior adviser for Clinton’s campaign.

“What we’re really going to focus on tonight is telling that story, and telling her story, talking about the fights of her life.”

The stories were being told by a long list of lawmakers, celebrities and advocates. Among those pledging support for Clinton were the “mothers of the movement” — several black women whose children were victims of gun violence. Clinton has met privately with the mothers and held events with them, and they’ve become an emotional force for her campaign.

Clinton aides believe a focus on policy is another way to rally Sanders’ supporters, especially those who threatened to stay home or vote for Republican Trump. While the opening night was interrupted by boos and chants of “Bernie,” there were fewer signs of discord Tuesday.

Still, several hundred people gathered at Philadelphia’s City Hall under a blazing sun Tuesday chanting “Bernie or bust.”

Trump cheered the disruptions from the campaign trail. In North Carolina, he told a convention of the Veterans of Foreign Wars that, “our politicians have totally failed you.”

When Trump mentioned Clinton’s name, the group answered with shouts of “Lock her up!” an echo of the chants at last week’s Republican

convention.

Trump has been a frequent target at the Democratic gathering, where several videos featured his comments about women and the disabled, and tried to discredit the real estate mogul’s business record.

First lady Michelle Obama was a star of opening night, making an impassioned case for Clinton as the only candidate in the presidential race worthy of being a role model for the nation’s children. President Barack Obama and Vice President Joe Biden will speak Wednesday, along with Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine, Clinton’s new running mate.

Bill Clinton had the spotlight Tuesday night.

The former president has campaigned frequently for his wife during the White House race, but mostly in smaller cities and towns, part of an effort by the campaign to keep him in a more behind-the-scenes role.

During Hillary Clinton’s first presidential campaign in 2008, her husband angered some Democrats with dismissive comments about Obama. He’s had flashes of frustration this year, particularly when his own record on trade and law enforcement has been challenged by the party he once led, but has largely stuck to the campaign’s messages.

The stakes for him are particularly high following his much-criticized decision to meet privately with Attorney General Loretta Lynch in the middle of the FBI’s investigation into his wife’s email use at the State Department.

The roll call this year, when each state announced its delegate totals from the primary season, affirmed a nomination Clinton locked up weeks ago.

Eric Gay / AP file

In this July 29, 2015, file photo, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks during a hearing in Austin, Texas.

stead using an exemption under Texas bribery law that allows gifts to public servants when there is a “personal, professional, or business relationship” that is independent of their official duties.

Both the Justice Department and Justin Sumner, a Dallas-based attorney for the whistleblower who brought the

lawsuit, said the state was involved in the investigation of Preferred Imaging.

“The Texas Attorney General’s Civil Medicaid Fraud Division worked on the investigation,” said Kathy Colvin, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Dallas.

In an emailed statement, Paxton’s spokesman said federal prosecu-

tors negotiated the settlement “on everyone’s behalf.” He said they took the lead, and he did not go into detail about the role the state’s unit had in the case.

“We trust the U.S. Attorney’s Office to handle these cases with professionalism and ensure that a fair settlement is reached,” Rylander said.

BIRTH From page A1

began cracking down on birth records starting around 2013.

Lawyers for the families contend that prior to 2013 they were able to present ID cards from the Mexican consulates, as well as foreign passports without U.S. visas in them, and obtain birth certificates in Texas.

“That’s the milliondollar question,” Olivares said. “What prompted those changes, why and who, we never got a final answer.”

The Texas Department of State Health Services said in a statement the agreement maintains “the security of birth records.”

“The purpose of the identification requirement is to ensure that individuals requesting birth certificates are who they say they are,” the agency said.

Olivares said the deal

allows immigrant families to go back to court if problems resurface over the next nine months.

Immigration attorneys have suggested Texas only got serious about enforcement after women and children from Central America began pouring over the border.

President Barack Obama a short time later announced executive actions on immigration that sought to temporarily shield from deportation up to 4 million people in the U.S. illegally, although his plan was blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.

The parents in the lawsuit entered the country illegally from Mexico and Central America, but the U.S. Constitution’s 14th Amendment guarantees the right of citizenship to children born here.

Since the start of the budget year in October, more than 51,100 people traveling as families and more than 43,000 unaccompanied children have been caught illegally crossing the Mexican border. The number of such immigrants has been steadily rising this year after significant decreases between the 2014 and 2015 budget years.

The Obama administration first launched the effort to allow child immigrants to legally come to the U.S. in December 2014. More than 600 have moved to the United States since then. Mayorkas said 2,884 kids have been approved for the program and more than 9,500 applications are pending.

In January, the administration first announced that the United Nations High Commissioner for

Refugees would prescreen would-be refugee families. U.S. officials will now handle more in-country processing for those families.

Pope said refugee programs in Central America are being expanded because “current efforts to date haven’t been sufficient.” The new programs, she said, are designed to help “promote safe and orderly immigration and border security.”

Pope said it is unclear how many families and children may benefit from the enhanced programs but officials expect requests for help to steadily increase as the programs get underway in the coming months.

In the meantime, Costa Rica will also soon start accepting up to 200 people in immediate need of refuge at a time for up to six months.

der the auspices of H-E-B as the Laredo Webb-County Food Bank, distributing supplemental food to the unemployed, under-employed and those living on fixed incomes especially the elderly.

The STFB, member of Feeding Texas and the national organization Feeding America, now serves an eight-county area from Del Rio (Val Verde County) to Rio Grande City (Starr County), helping an average of 28,000 families, 7,000 elderly and 500 adopt a family.

An average of 1,500 children are served, including 2,500 meals Monday through Friday in the Kids Café program at 19 sites — 15 in Laredo-Webb County. One of the Kids Cafés is at the Zapata Boys and Girls Club. Ramiro Hernandez is the director.

Sixty percent of the annual STFB budget comes from government sources and the other 40 percent from grants, pri-

vate donations and fundraisers.

Villarreal highlighted the importance of fundraisers like Empty Bowls.

“For the past 26 years, the South Texas Food Bank has been providing food assistance to the needy,” he said. “The STFB is blessed to receive grants, corporate donations and individual gifts.

Our ability to provide assistance also depends largely on the kindness of good-hearted patrons. As a nonprofit organization, fundraising plays an important part.”

Sponsorship tables of 10 that include dinner and access to silent auction items are available. The tables are Bronze ($1,500), Silver ($2,500), Gold ($5,000), Platinum ($10,000) and Diamond ($20,000). Individual table tickets are $150. Table tickets are available at the South Texas Food Bank office, 1907 Freight at Riverside, or by calling 7263120 or 324-2432.

identification and supporting documents that are easier for people in the country illegally to obtain.

Although ID cards issued by Mexican consulates still won’t be accepted as many wanted, Texas will now accept valid Mexican voter ID cards that can now be obtained at consulates in the U.S., said Efrin Olivares, a lead attorney on the lawsuit for the Texas Civil Rights Project.

It is unknown how many parents were denied a birth certificate for their Texas-born children. Olivares said the deal was struck while trying to get those numbers from the state, and said the settlement talks never answered the question of why Texas

REFUGEE From page A1 allow some Central American children to reunite with parents already legally living in the United States.

Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that program will now allow some unmarried siblings, in-country parents and other caregivers to move to the U.S. with a child approved for the program.

The efforts are designed in part to combat the crush of tens of thousands of families and unaccompanied children caught crossing the border illegally this year. But it is unclear how quickly the expanded efforts may impact the flow of immigrants trying to make their way to the United States illegally.

CONCERT From page A1 mo and Leslie Benavides.

The South Texas Food Bank serves Zapata County. Romeo Salinas is a valued member of the STFB board, which is urging Zapata residents to attend the Grand Funk concert.

Tickets are $10, $15 and $25. They are available at the LEA boxoffice or via ticketmaster.

“Zapata and Laredo have always had a special connection,” said South Texas Food Bank spokesperson Salo Otero, retired sports editor of the Laredo Morning Times. “The South Texas Food Bank is urging Zapata residents to take that short road trip to Laredo on Aug. 19, attend the concert and help one of the most important nonprofits in the area in the most crucial mission of feeding the hungry.”

The South Texas Food Bank opened in 1989 un-

A12 | Wednesday, July 27, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES