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FEDERAL COURT
ZETAS DRUG CARTEL
Couple faces 10 years
Caught in the middle
Both indicted on smuggling charges By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A couple who picked up illegal immigrants in San Ygnacio was recently indicted in a Laredo federal court, records state. In June 23, Clarissa Villarreal and Jose David Arrecis-Andrade were charged with one count of conspiracy to transport undocumented people and three counts of attempt to transport undocumented people for financial gain. Each count is punishable with up to 10 years behind bars, records state. Villarreal is out on bond while Arrecis-Andrade remains in federal detention. The case occurred May 25, when Laredo police requested the assistance of U.S. Border Patrol regard-
Man unknowingly sold copter to capo By JASON BUCH SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
When a longtime customer of Miguel Andrade’s truck and equipment sales business came to him in late 2013 and asked for help buying a pair of helicopters, Andrade didn’t think much of it. His customer and a group of partners would wire money from Mexico to buy the helicopters, and they would be registered in the name of Andrade’s company. He was supposed
to get a commission, Andrade said. He agreed, and although he never got the promised commission, he didn’t think about the purchase again for more than a year. Then, in March, as he watched television news reports about a drug lord arrested in Mexico, Andrade saw one of the helicopters on the screen. “I got sick to my stomach,” said Andrade, 50, a native of Mexico who’s
See ZETAS PAGE 10A
Photo by Kin Man Hui/San Antonio Express-News | AP
Miguel’s Trucks & Trailers Sales on the south side of Bexar County was implicated in the purchase of a helicopter for Zeta leader Omar Treviño. The helicopter was seized by federal authorities in McAllen.
BOLIVAR PENINSULA
TREASURES IN THE SAND
See SMUGGLING PAGE 10A
MEXICO
Troops told to kill Criminals killed on orders by army By MARK STEVENSON AND E. EDUARDO CASTILLO Photo by Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News | AP
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In this photo taken on June 23, beachcombers Ange Scheibel, from left, Linda McCauley, Margaret Lindow and Tracy Barnett search at the waters edge at Crystal Beach. MEXICO CITY — A human rights group said Thursday that military documents show high-ranking officers had given Mexican soldiers standing orders to kill criminals ahead of an army mass slaying of suspected cartel members after they surrendered. The documents, shared with The Associated Press by the Miguel Agustin Pro human rights center, appear to be the first evidence that soldiers involved in the alleged execution killing of at least 12 civilians on June 30, 2014, could argue they were following orders. “Soldiers should operate on a mass scale at night and reduce daytime activities, with the aim of kill-
See MEXICO PAGE 10A
Beachcombers find shells, unique objects By SHANNON DAUGHTRY GALVESTON COUNTY DAILY NEWS
C
Photo by Jennifer Reynolds/The Galveston County Daily News | AP
In this photo taken on June 23, beachcomber Margaret Lindow collects lighters that she finds on the beaches of the Bolivar Peninsula, in Texas.
RYSTAL BEACH, Texas — Every tide brings a new adventure for the hundreds of people who roam the shoreline near Crystal Beach every day in search of treasure. What’s considered to be a treasure differs with each beachcomber, but the activity is special for everyone who participates. Beachcombing is an activity many do but may not realize they’re doing it. It’s an activity many find ther-
apeutic that involves looking for things, not just seashells, on the beach that are of value or just unique in general. It can be done on any beach, anywhere in the world. But for a Facebook group of beachcombing enthusiasts from all across the Bolivar Peninsula, right here in Galveston County is one of the best places to find treasures, they said. “The beach is God’s thrift store,” Margaret Lindow, who is retired and
See TREASURES PAGE 10A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
MONDAY, JULY 6
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The first-ever LaReDo Music Festival, a three-day event that will include performances by classical and chamber ensembles. Guest musicians from across the United States, including Iowa, Michigan, and Texas are expected to perform. Monday and Tuesday performances will be held at the Visual and Performing Arts Center, room 102 and will begin 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
Today is Saturday, July 4, the 185th day of 2015. There are 180 days left in the year. This is Independence Day. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by delegates to the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia. On this date: In 1802, the United States Military Academy officially opened at West Point, New York. In 1831, the fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, died in New York City at age 73. In 1845, Henry David Thoreau began his two-year experiment in simpler living at Walden Pond, near Concord, Massachusetts. In 1872, the 30th president of the United States, Calvin Coolidge, was born in Plymouth, Vermont. In 1912, the 48-star American flag, recognizing New Mexico statehood, was adopted. In 1939, Lou Gehrig of the New York Yankees delivered his famous farewell speech in which he called himself “the luckiest man on the face of the earth.” In 1959, America’s 49-star flag, recognizing Alaskan statehood, was officially unfurled. In 1960, America’s 50-star flag, recognizing Hawaiian statehood, was officially unfurled. In 1976, Israeli commandos raided Entebbe airport in Uganda, rescuing almost all of the passengers and crew of an Air France jetliner seized by pro-Palestinian hijackers. In 1982, the space shuttle Columbia concluded its fourth and final test flight with a smooth landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. In 1995, the space shuttle Atlantis and the Russian space station Mir parted after spending five days in orbit docked together. Ten years ago: President George W. Bush, during an Independence Day visit to Morgantown, West Virginia, urged resolve in the war in Iraq and said that “the proper response is not retreat. It is courage.” . Five years ago: Gen. David Petraeus formally assumed command of the 130,000-strong international force in Afghanistan, declaring “we are in this to win One year ago: Germany summoned the U.S. ambassador in Berlin after the arrest of a man reported to have spied for the United States, heightening friction between the two countries over alleged U.S. eavesdropping in Germany. Today’s Birthdays: Actress Eva Marie Saint is 91. Playwright Neil Simon is 88. Singer Bill Withers is 77. Broadcast journalist Geraldo Rivera is 72. Vietnam War veteran and peace activist Ron Kovic is 69. Rhythm-and-blues musician Ralph Johnson (Earth, Wind and Fire) is 64. Country musician Teddy Carr is 55. Tennis Hall of Famer Pam Shriver is 53. Actor-playwright-screenwriter Tracy Letts is 50. Actor Al Madrigal is 44. TV personality Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is 33. Rhythm-and-blues singer Melanie Fiona is 32. Thought for Today: “All progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions.” — Adlai E. Stevenson, American diplomat and politician (1900-1965).
TUESDAY, JULY 7 The Alzheimer’s support group will meet at 7 p.m. in meeting room 2, building B of the Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s. For information, please call 956-693-9991. Community Conversation on Teen and Young Adult Mental Health held from 6 – 8 p.m. The Area Health Education Center, Border Region Behavioral Health Center and the Texas Department of State Services Office of Border Health invite the community to attend an informal forum to learn more about mental health issues concerning teens and young adults. Mental health professionals will be present to answer questions and provide information about services available. The event will be held at the UTHSC Regional Campus Laredo, 1937 E. Bustamante. For additional information call Area Health Education Center at 7120037. The first-ever LaReDo Music Festival, a three-day event that will include performances by classical and chamber ensembles. Guest musicians from across the United States, including Iowa, Michigan, and Texas are expected to perform. Tuesday performances will be held at the Visual and Performing Arts Center, room 102 and will begin 6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Origins of Life; 5 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663). Les Amies Birthday Club will meet at the Ramada Plaza at 11 am. The honorees are: Cristina Garza, Lely Garza, Consuelo Lopez, Rebecca Martinez, Maria Teressa Ramirez, Teresa Saenz and Irma Velasquez. The hostesses are Lidia Linarez, Luisa Pena and Alicia Zuniga.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Origins of Life; 5 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663). The first-ever LaReDo Music Festival, a three-day event that will include performances by classical and chamber ensembles. Guest musicians from across the United States, including Iowa, Michigan, and Texas are expected to perform. The festival ends on Wednesday with a Symphony Concert Program at the Kazen Student Center beginning at 7 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public.
THURSDAY, JULY 9 Inspire Social Business Club meeting at Northtown Professional Plaza, 6999 McPherson Rd. Suite 211, at 6:30 p.m. The public can discuss ideas, hear keynote speakers and support one another in business ventures. Contact Victor Navarro at vnavarro@texaslakeinc.com. The Laredo A&M Mothers’ Club will hold its Annual Membership Drive at the Commerce Bank, 5800 San Dario from 6:30 – 8 p.m. New students who will be attending A&M in College Station and their parents are invited to attend. Contact any club member for information or call 956-7446691 or 956-2369549 Planetarium shows at TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium from 3 to 5 p.m. 3 p.m.: Little Star that Could; 4 p.m.: Origins of Life; 5 p.m.: Cosmic Adventures. General admission is $3. Call 956-326-DOME (3663). Register now for the Brush County Chapter of the Texas Master Naturalist Program. Registration deadline is July 9. For those who would like to find out more about the plants, animals, and other nature of South Texas. We will be holding our first training classes July through December. The chapter registration fee is $200 and will cover course materials. For registration or more information, please contact Alberto Sandoval, chairperson and decretary at alberto@rgisc.org or 718-1063.
Photo by Eric Gay | AP file
In this Jan. 5 file photo, Ken Paxton speaks after he was sworn in as Texas attorney general in Austin, Texas. Special prosecutors heading the investigation of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says a Paxton spokesman’s statement calling the investigation a “political hit-job” ignores the facts of the case.
Paxton’s case scrutinized ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Special prosecutors heading the investigation of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton says a Paxton spokesman’s statement calling the investigation a “political hit-job” ignores the facts of the case. The statement issued Thursday by special prosecutors Kent Schaffer and Brian Wice was in response to Paxton spokesman Anthony Holm’s statement that prosecutors were trying the case in the news media. On Wednesday, Schaffer said he planned to present evidence of first-degree felony securities fraud against Paxton to a Collin County grand jury in the next few weeks. A first-degree felony is punishable by up to life in prison. “This appears to be a politically motivated effort to ruin the career of a longtime
public servant,” Holm said in a statement Thursday. He noted that the Texas State Securities Board and the Travis County and Dallas County district attorney’s offices had reviewed the matter and chose not to pursue criminal charges. “Not only do they appear inexperienced as prosecutors, they are from Houston. Meanwhile, thousands of experienced prosecutors and former prosecutors are in the Dallas area,” Holm said. In their statement Thursday, Schaffer and Wice noted that neither the securities board nor the two district attorney’s offices “have looked at the matters which we have been tasked with investigating through the same prism as we have, or with the benefit of the evidence being assembled by the Texas Rangers that none of these agencies had before them.”
Couple wanted daughter’s boyfriend killed
Man killed by alligator during late-night swim
Ex-judge accused of making fake sex ads
WICHITA FALLS — Police have arrested a Wichita Falls couple on charges they tried to hire someone to kill their daughter’s boyfriend in a dispute over money. Fifty-eight-year-old Jeffery Peyton was being held without bond Friday at the Wichita County jail while his wife, 39year-old Christina Peyton, was being held on a $1 million bond. Police said in a statement that the couple paid an undercover officer $500 to kill the boyfriend.
ORANGE — A man has died after being attacked by an alligator during a late-night swim at a Southeast Texas marina. Police in Orange, near the state line with Louisiana, say the unidentified 28-year-old man was swimming in a bayou with a woman early Friday morning when the attack occurred. His body was found nearby about two hours later during a search by Orange County sheriff ’s deputies.
GALVESTON — A former Galveston County judge has been arrested and charged with two counts of online harassment after police say he created fake online ads saying two ex-girlfriends were available for sex-for-hire. Galveston County sheriff ’s office spokesman Col. Ray Tuttoilmondo says former County Court-at-Law Judge Christopher Dupuy was arrested Thursday and is being held on $600,000 bail.
September arguments set for school finance case
Dallas police see spike in killings in June
Thief drives away with band’s equipment
AUSTIN — The Texas Supreme Court has set a September 1 date to hear the massive school finance case that has entangled the Legislature and hundreds of school districts for several years. A state district judge last year ruled that the way the state pays for public schools is unconstitutional.
DALLAS — Police say there were 20 killings in Dallas last month, representing a sharp spike following a general decline in homicides. The increase coincides with a rise this year in violent crime and police say the root of nearly all killings are other crimes such as domestic violence, robberies and drug use.
AUSTIN — A trailer containing $30,000 worth of music equipment has been stolen from a St. Louis-based band following a performance in Austin. The theft occurred during a cross-country tour by the group Foxing. The band had to cancel a performance planned for Thursday. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Solar-powered plane lands in Hawaii, breaks record KAPOLEI, Hawaii — A plane powered by the sun’s rays landed in Hawaii Friday after a recordbreaking five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean from Japan. Pilot Andre Borschberg and his single-seat aircraft landed at Kalaeloa, a small airport outside Honolulu. His nearly 118-hour voyage from Nagoya broke the record for the world’s longest nonstop solo flight, his team said. Borschberg flew the Solar Impulse 2 without fuel. Instead, its wings were equipped with 17,000 solar cells that charged batteries. The plane ran on stored energy at night.
‘Inside Out’ celebrates edge over ‘Magic Mike’ LOS ANGELES — Even with the flashy competition of Terminators and male strippers, the little feelings inside a young girl’s
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Solar Impulse 2, a plane powered by the sun’s rays and piloted by Andre Borschberg, approaches Kalaeloa Airport near Honolulu, Friday. His 120-hour voyage from Nagoya, Japan broke the record for the world’s longest nonstop solo flight. head proved to be more of a draw for moviegoers going into the holiday weekend. Disney and Pixar’s “Inside Out” earned a chart-topping $7.7 million on Thursday. The animated film has grossed $216.1 million to date and could become
the first film since “Argo” to climb to No. 1 during its third weekend in release. “Inside Out” had been trailing the gargantuan grosses of “Jurassic World” for two weeks, but might have the edge finally. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
State
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
LCC offers ESL classes in Zapata, Laredo SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Whether it is learning the English language or aspiring to earn a high school equivalency certificate, assistance is available to eligible adults via Laredo Community College’s Adult Education and Literacy Department. Courses are offered through funding by the Texas Workforce Commission and include English as a Second Language, Workforce and Family Literacy, Civics, and GED Preparation. The General Education Development (GED) Test is a computerbased assessment of four sections: Mathematical reasoning, Social Studies, Science, and Reasoning through Language Arts (Reading and Writing). Sandra Cortez, director of Continuing Education and Adult Education and Literacy, explains that this program is for those desiring to improve their English language proficiency
Photo by Danny Zaragoza | Laredo Morning Times file
In this undated file photo, LCC Student Arlene Teniente sits at a computer as she tries out the software available during the free self-paced English Instruction Lab in the De La Garza Building at Laredo Community College. or acquire their GED to further their education through Career Pathways and Integrated Education training. “Participants will also have the opportunity to receive occupational skills training and/or transition to post-secondary educa-
Registration open for 5K SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Zapata County Chamber of Commerce is hosting its 3rd annual PFC Ira “Ben” Laningham IV 5K Memorial Run on Saturday, July 18. Pre-registration is $15 at the Boys and Girls Club at 302 W. 6th Ave. and same day registration is $20. Online registration is at active.com. The race will start at 8 a.m. in front of the Court House on 7th Avenue and Hidalgo Street. There will also be a 10 and under kids
run at 7:50 a.m. Age divisions are as follows: 14 and under 15 – 19 20 – 24 25 – 29 30 – 34 35 – 39 40 – 44 45 – 49 50 – 54 55 – 59 60 – 64 65 and over Law enforcement The top three winners in each age category will be awarded and the overall male and female winners will receive a trophy.
tion or into the workforce,” added Cortez. Day and evening classes are offered year-round at both campuses, and offcampus sites are available through several partnerships LCC has established with local entities, including the Webb County com-
munity centers, Laredo Housing Centers, and locations provided by LISD and UISD school districts, as well as Zapata County. LCC is currently recruiting interested participants for classes to be held at the Laredo Public Library, Workforce Solutions, and Jim
Hogg ISD. Guidelines by the TWC specify that the eligible student must be a resident of Texas, be at least 18 years of age, and may not be enrolled in a secondary education. A valid photo ID and proof of residency are required before enroll-
ment. Candidates who are 16 years of age must have a court order, parental/ guardian permission, and an official withdrawal form from school to attend classes. Applicants who are 17 years in age only require written parental/ guardian permission and an official withdrawal form from school. These exceptions must be discussed with program personnel. Fort McIntosh’s Adult Education and Literacy offices are located at the Eloy Garcia Building, room 111. The South Campus offices are at the Academic & Advanced Technology Center (AAC), room 126. Both locations are open Monday– Thursday from 8 a.m. through 9 p.m. and on Friday from 8 a.m.–12 p.m. For more info on the Adult Education and Literacy Department, call the Fort McIntosh office at 7215436 or the South Campus site at 794-4436.
Grassroots board dissolves ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The grassroots advisory board Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick set up as a sounding board for his tea party constituency is dissolving after a legislative session that left the leadership of that constituency dissatisfied. “Chair JoAnn Fleming and I have mutually agreed to dissolve the grassroots advisory board and work together as we have for the last several years on a less formal basis,” Patrick said in a statement Friday. The Texas tea party network is the nation’s strongest, with four dozen major conservative groups representing thousands of active members.
During the recent legislative session, the board of tea party activists that advised Patrick described a major bipartisan pre-K initiative championed by Gov. Greg Abbott as socialist and keeping children in a “Godless environment.” The initiative passed, including in the Texas Senate over which Patrick presides, and Abbott signed it into law. Also late in the session, leading tea party activists signed a letter warning lawmakers that they were dissatisfied by the meager results the Legislature gave to the tea party agenda. It singled out Abbott, Patrick and House Speaker Joe Straus, saying if these “liberty-advancing, government-restraining bills die, once
again, we will get excuses rather than results.” Among issues unresolved according to the letter: securing the Texas-Mexico border, stricter immigration policies, tougher anti-abortion restrictions and “school choice,” or voucher programs funneling public money to private schools. Among other tea party initiatives that failed was a bill to exempt Texas from daylight saving time, which was sidelined amid concerns that refusing to roll back the clocks could leave Texans choosing between church services and watching Dallas Cowboys games on fall Sundays. Also dropped was a proposal banning the Alamo from falling under the control of the United Nations.
The backlash was greatest over lawmakers’ passage of the pre-K expansion and their failure to repeal Texas’ 2001 law offering in-state tuition to some college students in the country illegally and to pass school vouchers. Many signing the letter were members of Patrick’s tea party citizen advisory board, including Fleming, a state tea party leader who heads Grassroots America — We the People. “Several members of the grassroots advisory board have expressed a desire for greater independence,” Patrick said. Fleming said in the statement that “maintaining our independence is necessary for the credibility of the growing Texas grassroots movement.”
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Trump had the worst week By AARON BLAKE THE WASHINGTON POST
It’s the joke that writes itself. Donald Trump, the man most synonymous with hastily terminating the employment of others, is suddenly very much on the other end of that exchange. Trump, of course, is the real estate mogul who built an even bigger brand for himself by telling people “You’re fired” on his NBC reality show, “The Apprentice.” Now that the bloviating, uber-wealthy TV star is running for president, he’s getting a taste of his own medicine. The controversy began basically the moment Trump entered the race for the Republican nomination. He said in his announcement speech last month that many Mexicans coming across the border illegally are very bad people, drug dealers and even “rapists.” (“Some,” he admitted, might be “good people.”) Soon afterward, Spanish-language TV network Univision said it was canning him and his Miss Universe and Miss USA franchises. Then this past week, NBC Universal cut ties with the “Apprentice” host, as did Macy’s, which carries Trump’s brand of men’s suits, dress shirts,
ties and even (yes, really) a fragrance called “Success.” A few hours later, Trump made a statement that it was he who wanted to nix the relationship, in part because the clothes were made in China. It was unclear why he hadn’t thought about that before. Suddenly, almost everything that had made Trump a celebrity rather than just a businessman was gone. Trump is actually rising in the polls. He’s now at 12 percent — second place in the GOP field — in a CNNOpinion Research poll conducted as Univision was ending its relationship with him. But surveys also show that Trump is hugely disliked overall, even inside the GOP. About six in 10 Iowa Republican voters said in a Des Moines Register poll in May that they would never vote for him. All of which means that this little exercise in futility and ego is going to cost Trump much more than just the GOP nomination. Donald Trump, for running a presidential campaign like a reality show, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something. (Blake covers national politics and writes regularly for The Washington Post’s The Fix, its politics blog.)
COLUMN
Housing rights are civil rights By ORSON AGUILAR TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
The recent U.S. Supreme Court decision striking a blow against housing discrimination is a significant civil rights victory. This keeps open an important path to closing the growing racial wealth gap, which is fueled by discriminatory housing laws and policies. In Texas Department of Housing v. Inclusive Communities Project, the court held that what are called “disparate impact” claims are valid under the federal Fair Housing Act. In plain English, that means that if the real-world effect of a housing policy or law is discriminatory, you don’t have to prove that anyone intended to discriminate. That’s key here, because intent can be difficult, even impossible, to prove. You often can’t know someone’s state of mind. But real-life impacts are easy to see. Had the ruling gone the other way, it not only would have overturned decades of settled law, it would have made it much, much harder to fight housing discrimination. This ruling allows families — whatever they look like — to have an equal op-
portunity to seek a home and fair treatment in any neighborhood. And it helps all of us to reach our full potential in this diverse nation. Researchers from Harvard and University of California, Berkeley have found that lower- and middle-income families who live in more segregated communities have a harder time climbing the economic ladder than families in more integrated neighborhoods. Justice Anthony Kennedy zeroed in on the essential point in his majority opinion, writing that “since the passage of the Fair Housing Act in 1968 and against the backdrop of disparate-impact liability in nearly every jurisdiction, many cities have become more diverse. The Fair Housing Act must play an important part in avoiding the Kerner Commission’s grim prophecy that ‘our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white—separate and unequal’” As President Barack Obama recently stated, you don’t necessary have to say the N-word to be a racist. The Supreme Court’s decision allows us to fight more subtle forms of racism.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata 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. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
A Declaration of conflicts By DANIELLE ALLEN THE WASHINGTON POST
This Fourth of July, like the preceding weeks, will be painful, following the Charleston massacre — a devastating example of the lofty ideal of human equality’s failure to take root in a human heart. Many would say, as many have said to me, that taking the ideals of the Declaration of Independence too seriously is a mistake, because the men who signed it didn’t. These folks say that I should be more clear-eyed about revolutionary hypocrisy. I counter that we should be more cleareyed about how the Declaration launched two political traditions in this country: one for broad equality, and one for an equality limited to whites. As the men of 1776 approached their fateful break from Britain, they argued over the proper orienting ideal for government: property or happiness? On the side of happiness were John Dickinson, the only slave owner in the Continental Congress to free his slaves after the summer of 1776, and John Adams, who never owned slaves, who considered slavery wrong and whose wife, Abigail, hired free black laborers in the spring of 1776. On the side of property were the Virginians, among them Thomas Jefferson. In the fall of 1775, Virginia’s royal governor, Lord Dunmore, proclaimed that any slave who escaped and fought for the British would earn freedom. The Virginians had been slower to tip toward revolution, and Dunmore’s proclamation radicalized them. They castigated the British for an alleged violation of the “right of property” entailed by the promise of freedom to their slaves. When the Virginians began work on their Constitu-
tion in May 1776, they compromised. George Mason’s Virginia Declaration of Rights invoked both property and happiness. But when it came to the Declaration of Independence itself, happiness won. This was a compromise of a different order — a suppression of the pro-slavery position. We can assume the language worked, because happiness is an open-ended term. Advocates of the proslavery position will have had to imagine themselves included in it. And yet the absence in the Declaration of the core term of their defense, a right to property, constituted a pregnant silence. Abolitionists recognized this immediately. In Boston in January 1777, Prince Hall, a free African-American, submitted a petition to the Massachusetts Assembly seeking abolition in Massachusetts. Building on the language of the Declaration, he wrote: “Negroes have, in common with all other Men, a natural and unalienable right to that freedom, which the great Parent of the Universe hath bestowed equally on all Mankind.” Their enslavement, he wrote, was a “violation of the laws of nature and of nation.” Hall was not alone. As literary historian Eric Slauter argued at a recent National Archives conference, in the years after 1776, quotation of the Declaration’s resounding celebration of rights of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness was generally the province of abolitionists. Indeed, the first legal moves to abolish slavery relied on the language of the Declaration. In 1777, Vermont wrote in its constitution: “All men are born equally free and independent, and have certain natural, inherent, and unalienable rights, amongst which are the enjoying and defending life
and liberty: acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining happiness and safety. Therefore, no male person, born in this country, or brought from over sea, ought to be holden by law, to serve any person, as a servant, slave, or apprentice, after he arrives to the age of twenty-one years; nor female, in like manner, after she arrives to the age of eighteen years.” Having accepted full human equality and explicitly rejected the use of the property right to defend slavery, Vermont’s legislators could embrace property as well as happiness. Massachusetts did the same in its 1780 Constitution, which also drew on the Declaration’s language. Its constitution supported a successful 1781 suit for freedom by the aptly named Elizabeth Freeman. A few months later, Massachusetts Chief Justice William Cushing instructed a jury that the state constitution had outlawed slavery, an interpretation the state’s Supreme Court affirmed in 1783. Yet a pro-slavery states’ rights position also flowed out of the Declaration. The latter, pro-slavery tradition was incorporated into the union by means of the famous compromises in the Constitution but also through similar moves in the drafting of Declaration. Congress cut from the committee’s draft of the Declaration a condemnation of King George for protecting the slave trade. The stark contrast between the two traditions reached its apex with the Civil War, when Lincoln reached back to the Declaration in his Gettysburg Address to rededicate the country to the cause of equality. The Confederacy took the opposite stance, vigorously repudiating the Declaration. Alexander Stephens, vice
president of the Confederacy, wrote both that the original union “rested upon the assumption of the equality of the races,” and that the Confederacy “is founded upon exactly the opposite ideas: its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man.” It’s a mistake to paint the whole of the tradition of the Declaration in the colors of one interest. To see that there is an anti-slavery tradition emanating from the Declaration as early as 1777 is not, however, the end of the matter. With his petition, Prince Hall, who fought at Bunker Hill, sought not freedom merely but political equality. Following the full logic of the Declaration’s self-evident truths, he sought his rights not only to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness but also to participate as a member of “the people” in instituting government to secure society’s safety and happiness. In 1786, he offered to supply Massachusetts’ governor with 700 men to help quash Shay’s Rebellion but was rebuffed. Two months later he submitted a very different kind of petition to the assembly, this time seeking assistance for himself and 65 other African-Americans to leave their “very disagreeable and disadvantageous circumstances” and to return to Africa. For 18th-century AfricanAmerican freedom seekers, freedom alone was never the whole goal; equal empowerment was and is the promised land. This is the opposite of what the signs of the Confederacy stood and stand for. This country has many traditions. Some should be discarded. (Allen is a political theorist at Harvard University and a contributing columnist for The Post.)
CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Nation
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Military recruits’ shoe issue By PHILIP MARCELO ASSOCIATED PRESS
BOSTON — New Balance thinks the U.S. military is dragging its feet. Last April, the Department of Defense announced military recruits would start using athletic shoes 100 percent made and manufactured in America, in recognition of a law Congress passed in 1941 requiring the department give preference to American-made goods. Over a year after the announcement, the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines have still not purchased a single sneaker that meets the exacting standards of the 1941 law, known as the Berry Amendment. Matthew LeBretton, New Balance’s vice president of public affairs, is convinced the delays are deliberate “payback” for companies like New Balance that have been vocally lobbying for the change for years. “We’ve pushed and pushed to the point where we’re at now, and we’re still encountering tremendous resistance,” he said. “They’re not used to being pushed that way and I think that’s engendered this animosity.” Mark Wright, a spokesman for the Department of Defense, said the department is simply continuing to test Berry-compliant sneakers. “We’ve moved right along since the new policy went into effect last year,” he said. “I don’t think this is being slow-rolled at all. We’re trying to respond to the needs of our forces.” To date, one variant of Boston-based New Balance’s proposed 950v2 sneaker has passed the military’s testing, after a previous version failed last year. Two other styles of the same shoe — covering the different foot and gait types that the military requires shoe companies offer — are still being tested. No other shoe brand ap-
Photo by Stephan Savoia | AP
In this photo taken Wednesday, workers, under ultraviolet light, apply cement to the midsole of a military tested New Balance sneaker. pears to be going through the testing; Saucony, another Massachusetts-based footwear company, said it’s developing a sneaker that eventually could be considered for military use. Matthew Priest, president of the Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America, doesn’t believe there’s anything nefarious going on, despite New Balance’s concerns. “The military is a bureaucracy like any other agency in the federal government,” he said, stressing that his association is remaining “neutral” in the fight because some of its members benefit from the policy change while others don’t. “Things just take time.” Others see the delays as concerning. Juanita Duggan, president and CEO for the American Apparel and Footwear Association, said in a recent letter to Defense Secretary Ashton Carter that the “sluggish and drawn-out process” is preventing domestic shoemakers from hiring and retaining U.S. workers for their factories. U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, a Massachusetts Democrat whose district includes one of New Balance’s five American factories, says the Defense Department needs to step up. “There have been signs of movement in the ap-
proval process, but it is time for (the department) to make more significant progress and reconcile what they perceive as challenges to moving forward,” she said. New Balance and Saucony suggest part of the problem lies in an inefficient testing regimen. Wright said the process involves an inquiry to assure that all shoe components are sourced, made and assembled in the U.S., followed by a “wear test” that lasts roughly 90 days in which soldiers put them through the paces and then fill out a report on how they felt. “We know it won’t change overnight,” said David Costello, a spokesman for Wolverine Worldwide, Saucony’s parent company. “The wheels of government tend to move slowly.” Frank Kendall, an Under Secretary of Defense, said in a March letter to Tsongas that the tests are being done one shoe type at a time because of a limited number of testers. He expects evaluations of New Balance’s three shoe variants to be done by September. LeBretton said the testing is the most protracted the company, which is already the sole provider of sneakers for the Navy, has ever been involved in. The U.S. Coast Guard, he notes, has already
moved to comply with the Berry Amendment even though it doesn’t fall under the Pentagon’s revised policy. The Coast Guard, which is overseen by the Department of Homeland Security, recently tapped New Balance, which it had a previous contract with, to provide thousands of American-made sneakers for its recruits. “It’s mind-boggling,” LeBretton said. “It certainly highlights that there is this institutional slowdown” at the Pentagon. Wright, of the Department of Defense, stresses the military is committed to honoring the “spirit” of the Berry Amendment even as it maintains sneakers are technically not part of a soldier’s officially issued uniform and shouldn’t be subject to the rule. Currently, most recruits are given a one-time voucher to purchase sneakers at military supply stores that have met certain standards. Among the brands offered recruits are Asics, Brooks and New Balance. New Balance and its supporters maintain the Berry Amendment should still apply, whether or not the military “issues” the sneakers or gives recruits a stipend to purchase them. “The bottom line is that the law is the law and the military needs to follow the law,” LeBretton said. At New Balance’s factory in Boston, plant manager Tim Luke said the company remains at the ready. It’s already invested in new equipment and training and begun ramping up production of “tens of thousands” of pairs of its Berry-compliant model. “There’s a huge pride factor in this. We recognize where these shoes are going to go,” Luke said during a recent factory tour. “By now, we have the process completely defined and refined so when the chance finally comes, we’re ready to go.”
Photo by Frank Franklin II | AP
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams watches as Joey Chestnut, left, weighs in during a news conference Friday.
Eager hot dog eaters weigh in ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Four avid eaters have hit the scales ahead of the annual July Fourth hot dog eating contest at Coney Island’s Nathan’s Famous. Reigning champion Joey Chestnut joined past winners at the weigh-in Friday ahead of the 99year-old Independence Day boardwalk tradition. The dogs will be served Saturday morning. Chestnut tipped the scales at a hearty 230 pounds while Michelle Lesco ranked the lightest competitor at 112 pounds. New Zealand native Nela Zisser says she can out-eat her male counterparts. She previously won
a pizza eating contest. The event also featured a ceremonial stare down between the competitors. Repeat runner-up Tim Janus says he got into competitive eating to face off at Nathan’s. He conceded Chestnut would be tough to beat but vowed to do his best. Chestnut broke a world record in 2013 when he scoffed down 69 soggy dogs in 10 minutes. As an eight-year champion, he holds the Mustard Yellow International Belt after eating 61 hot dogs at last year’s contest. This year, he’ll face off against former champ Takeru Kobayashi. More than 30,000 people are expected to pack Coney Island for the annual feeding frenzy.
Nation
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
Mixed response to Trump’s ‘idiocy’ By STEVE PEOPLES ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Hispanic leaders are bristling at the largely tepid response by Republican presidential candidates to Donald Trump’s characterization of Mexican immigrants as rapists and drug dealers. Several 2016 contenders have brushed off Trump’s comments while others have ignored them. Marco Rubio, a Florida senator who is Hispanic, denounced them as “not just offensive and inaccurate, but also divisive,” after declining for two weeks to address the matter directly. Another Hispanic in the race, Ted Cruz, said Trump is “terrific,” “brash” and “speaks the truth.” It’s an uncomfortable moment for Republicans, who want more votes from
the surging Latino population. And it could be a costly moment if more candidates don’t go beyond their Donald-will-be-Donald response and condemn him directly, said Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican who leads the American Principles Project’s Latino Partnership. “The time has come for the candidates to distance themselves from Trump and call his comments what they are: ludicrous, baseless and insulting,” said Alfonso Aguilar, a Republican who leads the American Principles Project’s Latino Partnership. “Sadly, it hurts the party with Hispanic voters. It’s a level of idiocy I haven’t seen in a long time.” So far, Trump has paid less of a political price than a commercial one. The leading Hispanic tel-
Photo by Jim Cole | AP
In this June 30 photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump waves as he arrives at a house party in Bedford, N.H. evision network, Univision, has backed out of televising the Miss USA pageant, a joint venture between Trump and NBC, which also cut ties with Trump. On Wednesday, the Macy’s department store chain, which carried a Donald Trump menswear line, said it was ending its relationship with him. Other retail-
ers are facing pressure to follow suit. In his speech last month marking his entry into the Republican race, Trump said Mexican immigrants are “bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people.” The businessman has refused to back down, al-
though he insists his remarks were misconstrued. “My statements have been contorted to seem racist and discriminatory,” he wrote in a message to supporters on Thursday. “What I want is for legal immigrants to not be unfairly punished because others are coming into America illegally, flooding the labor market and not paying taxes.” His original comments, though, did not make a distinction between Mexicans who came to U.S. legally and those here illegally. His rhetoric may resonate with some of the Republican Party’s most passionate voters, who have long viewed illegal immigration as one of the nation’s most pressing problems. But the 2016 contest brings opportunity for the party to make inroads with Hispanics, with several La-
tino candidates and a former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, who has deep Latino ties and speaks Spanish and hasn’t been shy about using it in the campaign. Even so, Bush has said little more about Trump’s comments than that they were “wrong.” “Maybe we’ll have a chance to have an honest discussion about it onstage,” Bush said last weekend while campaigning in Nevada, referring to Republican presidential debates. Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, is paying keen attention to how the candidates respond to Trump’s “xenophobic rhetoric.” “We’re listening very, very closely, not just what candidates say but what they don’t say — the sins of commission and the sins of omission,” he said.
Clinton says she takes a ‘backseat to no one’ By KEN THOMAS ASSOCIATED PRESS
HANOVER, N.H. — Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she takes a “backseat to no one” on championing liberal causes, presenting herself as a standard-bearer for Democrats as primary challenger Bernie Sanders generates large, energetic crowds. Clinton addressed 850 people at an outdoor amphitheater at Dartmouth College, a last-minute venue change made to accommodate a larger audience. Days earlier, Sanders spoke before about 10,000 people in Madison, Wisconsin. The former secretary of state made no mention of Sanders but warned that Republicans would unravel President Barack Obama’s policies if they recaptured the White House, including the repeal of his signature health care overhaul. “I take a backseat to no one when you look at my record of standing up and fighting for progressive val-
ues,” Clinton said on a sundappled kickoff to the Fourth of July weekend in Hanover, New Hampshire, across the Connecticut River from Sanders’ home state of Vermont. The Democratic presidential front-runner portrayed herself as a candidate of continuity to Obama and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, praising the Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding health care subsidies under the overhaul. She said if the nation elected a Republican president, “they will repeal the Affordable Care Act. That is as certain as I can say.” She said Obama and her husband had both inherited a series of economic headaches when they entered office and urged voters to elect another Democrat “to continue the policies that actually work for the vast majority of Americans.” Clinton said at the end of her husband’s two terms, the economy had generated 22 million jobs, a balanced
Photo by Elise Amendola | AP
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton waves as she arrives for a campaign event, Friday in Hanover, N.H. budget and “a surplus that would have paid off our national debt if it had not been rudely interrupted by the next administration.” The former New York senator’s team has been wary of likening her to the equivalent of Obama’s third term but her acclaim for the president’s policies highlighted a string of recent victories by the White House in its defense of the health care law, the Su-
preme Court’s ruling allowing gay marriage and steady economic numbers. In a rare discussion of foreign policy, Clinton spoke supportively of Obama’s efforts to reach an agreement with Iran to curb the country’s nuclear program, talks that she helped set in motion as secretary of state. Previewing next week’s deadline for negotiations, Clinton said she hoped the U.S. would “get a deal that
puts a lid on Iran’s nuclear weapons program” but said it was “too soon” to know if that was possible. Seeking the Democratic nomination, Clinton’s focus has been on economic issues, the driving force behind Sanders’ recent rise in polls. The senator describes himself as a democratic socialist and has won elections in Vermont as an independent. He has drawn large crowds around the country and reported raising $15 million since late April, about one-third of the $45 million Clinton has brought in. Sanders said on Friday in an email to supporters that he would release a series of policy proposals in the next few weeks “to address the major issues facing our nation.” The campaign is seeking to ramp up its volunteer base and planning to hold organizing meetings across the nation on July 29. Clinton’s allies have sought to lower expectations despite her early com-
mand of the primary field. During a stop at an ice cream shop in Lebanon, New Hampshire, Clinton told reporters “I always knew this was going to be competitive” and said she was looking forward to a “great debate.” Some of the people who came to see Clinton at Dartmouth said Sanders could ultimately have a positive influence on her in the nation’s first primary state. “I think he’s pushing her to address some issues and I think that will be all for the good,” said Sybil Buell, a Norwich, Vermont, resident who attended the Clinton event. Buell said she was “on the fence” over whether to support Clinton or Sanders in the early stages of the campaign. “There’s a little feeling of inevitability with her,” said Chuck Manns, of Lebanon, New Hampshire, who backed Clinton in 2008. He said Sanders was a “curiosity right now,” but predicted Clinton’s electability would shine through.
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Greek campaigns reach dramatic finale By DEREK GATOPOULOS AND MENELAOS HADJICOSTIS ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATHENS, Greece — Greeks packed city squares for dueling rallies late into the night Friday, as polls showed a dead heat between the ‘yes’ and ‘no’ camps ahead of a bailout referendum Sunday that could be Greece’s most important vote since it joined the European Union. More than 40,000 people gathered at the two rallies, half a mile (800 meters) apart, before Sunday’s vote on whether to accept creditors’ proposals for more austerity in exchange for rescue loans, or reject the deal as a show of defiance against years of harsh economic austerity. “This is not a protest. It is a celebration to overcome fear and blackmail,” Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras told a crowd of 25,000 in front of parliament, who were chanting “oxi, oxi” — “no, no.” Tsipras angered Greece’s creditors by calling the referendum and is urging Greeks to vote no. Meanwhile, police said about 17,000 people gathered outside the nearby Panathenian stadium for the “yes” rally, waving Greek and European Union flags and chanting “Greece, Europe, Democracy.” Rallies for both campaigns were also held in 10 other Greek cities Friday. Tsipras is gambling the future of his five-month-old left wing government on Sunday’s snap poll — insisting a “no” vote will strengthen his hand to negotiate a third bailout with better terms. But the high-stakes standoff with lenders this week saw Greece default on debts, close banks to avoid their collapse, and lose access to billions of euros as an existing bailout deal expired. At the “no” rally, Athens
Photo by Manu Fernandez | AP
People hold banners reading, “No to the Troika, I support Greece” during a pro Greece demonstration in Barcelona, Spain, Friday. resident Maria Antiniou held a handmade sign, reading “oxi.” “We have to strengthen Tsipras. It’s not his fault we are bankrupt,” she said. “He doesn’t have the mandate to take tougher measures and now we are giving that to him. It’s not true this is a vote on the euro. It’s a vote to change course and stay in the euro, and Tsipras is our best hope,” she said. That is a message the “yes” voters refuse believe. Evgenia Bouzala, a Greek born in Germany, said she was considering shutting down her olive oil export business because of the financial turmoil. “I don’t think we can keep going. Look at what happened in the last three days. Imagine if that lasts another six months,” she said. “A ‘yes’ vote would bring a caretaker government and that would probably be better ... We have to start over.” The drama remained high in the final hours of campaigning. The country’s top court stayed in session till the late afternoon before rejecting a petition to declare the referendum illegal, while party leaders, personalities, and church elders weighed in with impassioned pleas to vote “no” or “yes” on the airwaves and social media.
In a rare public declaration, 16 former armed forces leaders wrote an appeal to citizens to show “calm and national unity.” A series of polls published Friday at the end of a frantic weeklong campaign showed the two sides in a dead heat, with an incremental lead of the “yes” vote well within the margin of error. But they showed an overwhelming majority of people — about 75 percent — want Greece to remain in the euro currency. Much of the ambiguity arises from the complicated question on the ballot paper: “Must the agreement plan submitted by the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund to the Eurogroup of 25 June, 2015, and comprised of two parts which make up their joint proposal, be accepted? The first document is titled ’reforms for the completion of the current program and beyond’ and the second ’Preliminary debt sustainability analysis.”’ Voters are asked to check one of two boxes: “not approved/no” and — below it — “approved/yes.” “People don’t even understand the question,” Athens Mayor George Kaminis told supporters at the “yes” rally.
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
SÁBADO 4 DE JULIO DE 2015
Ribereña en Breve RECUPERAN VISAS El Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas informó que la tarde del jueves fue abandonada una camioneta de reciente modelo conteniendo en su interior 23 cajas de cartón con más de 9.000 mil visas del gobierno de Estados Unidos reportadas como robadas, en el municipio de Matamoros. Dichas visas eran transportadas en un vehículo de carga que fue robado el pasado 7 de junio en la carretera Matamoros-Nuevo León. La unidad, de una empresa especializada en paquetería, cruzó la frontera entre Brownsville y Matamoros para llevar los documentos a la ciudad de Monterrey.
HORARIO DE EXÁMENES
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 9A
TAMAULIPAS
Muere menor POR ALFREDO PEÑA ASSOCIATED PRESS
CIUDAD VICTORIA, México — El niño de 7 años que recibió un disparo en la cabeza cuando presuntos miembros de un grupo criminal atacaron un convoy militar en la ciudad norteña de Matamoros ha fallecido, informaron el jueves autoridades estatales. La salud de Kevin Medina “no era nada favorable, ya que al sa-
carlo de cirugía le hicieron un coma inducido pero por desgracia su estado se complicó y no soportó la mortal herida”, afirmó un funcionario del estado de Tamaulipas que habló a condición de guardar el anonimato porque carece de autorización para hacer declaraciones a la prensa. El niño viajaba el martes con su padre y su hermana de 13 años en un vehículo cuando los presuntos delincuentes comenza-
ron a disparar contra un convoy militar que transitaba por Matamoros, limítrofe con Brownsville. Los civiles armados viajaban en una camioneta y al ver el convoy “empezaron a golpear otros vehículos para escapar”, al tiempo que accionaron sus armas contra los soldados, agregó el funcionario, que dijo que los militares no repelieron la agresión “para no lastimar a personas inocentes”.
No se informó a qué grupo criminal pertenecerían los atacantes, aunque las autoridades han señalado que en Matamoros tiene predominancia una facción del cártel del Golfo. Tamaulipas es un estado que ha padecido olas de violencia en varios momentos, sobre todo a partir del 2010, cuando los cárteles del Golfo y Los Zetas se dividieron y comenzaron a luchar entre sí.
EDUCACIÓN
CORTE
GRADUACIONES
Dictan cargos formales
El Zapata County Independent School District anunció los exámenes para estudiantes de Zapata High School. El examen de Inglés 1 será el 6 de julio; mientras tanto el examen de Álgebra I, tendrá lugar el 7 de julio; el 8 de julio, se presentará Inglés II; mientras que el examen de Biología será el 9 de julio; y el 10 de julio se presentará el examen de Historia. Todos los exámenes comenzarán a las 8 a.m. En caso de dudas o preguntas puede llamar a Irma Guerra al 765-0280 o escribir a iguerra@zcisd.org.
POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
DESFILE DE MODAS MIGUEL ALEMAN — Damas representantes de la Fundación “Vive en Paz y Haz el Bien” invitan a un Desfile de Modas que se llevará a cabo el 8 de julio en el Casino Milenium. La fundación que lucha contra el cáncer, espera que con el desfile de modas se recauden fondos que les permitirán continuar con su misión.
CORTE DE COMISIONADOS La corte de comisionados se reunirá el lunes 13 de julio, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m., en el Palacio de Justicia de la Ciudad. Para más información pude llamar a Roxy Elizondo al (956) 765-9920.
CAMINATA Se realizará la Tercer Carrera Anual “5K Memorial Run”, el 18 de julio a partir de las 8 a.m., frente a al Palacio de Justicia sobre 7th y calle Hidalgo. El costo de inscripción anticipada es de 15 dólares, mientras que el día del vento se podrá inscribir, de 7 a.m. a 7:45 a.m., por un costo de 20 dólares. La inscripción a la carrera para niños costará 5 dólares. Para inscribirse en línea puede ingresar a active.com; para inscribirse en persona acusa a Boys and Girls Club en 302 de avenida 6th. La carrera contará con las siguientes divisiones: carrera de 5 kilómetros, caminata de dos millas y carrera para niños, de 10 años y menores.
Foto cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
La Presidenta del Patronato Estatal del Sistema del Desarrollo Integral de la Familia (DIF) Tamaulipas, María del Pilar González de Torre, al centro, felicita a una estudiante de uno de los 151 centros de Atención Infantil Comunitario (CAIC), durante la ceremonia de graduación celebrada en Altamira, Tamaulipas, México.
CIUDAD MIER, MX
Combate deja muerto y heridos TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Una persona muerta, y dos detenidas, una de éstas resultando lesionada, fue el saldo de un enfrentamiento ocurrido el martes 30 de junio en la zona centro del municipio de Ciudad Mier, Tamaulipas. El Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas dio a conocer a través de un co-
municado de prensa que elementos de Fuerza Tamaulipas realizaban un recorrido cuando en el crucero de las calles Hidalgo Norte y Rómulo Garza se encontraron con unos civiles armados que iban a bordo de una camioneta Chevrolet Tahoe, sin placas de circulación. Al marcarles el alto, los sospechosos atacaron a los
La corte de comisionados se reunirá el lunes 27 de julio, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m., en el Palacio de Justicia de la Ciudad. Para más información pude llamar a Roxy Elizondo al (956) 765-9920.
TORNEO El Torneo Anual de Pesca Infantil ‘Back to School’ organizado por la Cámara de Comercio de Zapata, en su quinta edición, se realizará el sábado 22 de agosto. El evento se realizará de 7 a.m. a 3 p.m. en Bravo Park Pond. Se están aceptando patrocinadores desde 300 dólares hasta 2.000 dólares.
comunicado de prensa. Otra persona resultó lesionada siendo trasladada a un hospital de Ciudad Mier. El tercer hombre quedó detenido y fue puesto a disposición de las autoridades correspondientes. En el lugar de los hechos, oficiales aseguraron armas largas, cargadores, cartuchos y otros objetos.
TEXAS
Cinco estados logran acuerdo tras desastre TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CORTE DE COMISIONADOS
oficiales en un intento por escapar. Los agentes de Fuerza Tamaulipas repelieron la agresión, muriendo uno de los sospechosos en el lugar. La camioneta se impactó contra la barda de una casa abandonada. La víctima fue identificada como Jesús Geovani Aran Cobos, de 24 años de edad, originario de Reynosa, México, de acuerdo al
Una pareja que recogió inmigrantes indocumentados en San Ygnacio, recientemente fue acusada formalmente en una corte federal de Laredo, señalan registros. El 23 de junio, Clarissa Villarreal y José David Arrecis-Andrade, fueron arrestados con un cargo por conspiración para transportar personas indocumentadas y tres cargos por intentar el transporte de personas indocumentadas a cambio de un pago. Cada cargo es castigado con hasta 10 años en prisión, señalan registros. Villarreal salió libre bajo fianza, mientras que Arrecis-Andrade continúa en detención federal. El caso ocurrió el 25 de mayo, cuando la policía de Laredo solicitó la asistencia de Patrulla Fronteriza en relación a un supuesto intento de tráfico de personas. LPD dijo a agentes que recibieron un reporte sobre un vehículo sedan, color gris, sospechoso, en el estacionamiento de Burlington Coat factory, ubicado en 4500 de avenida San Bernardo. Registros señalan que el vehículo tenía siete ocupantes. Una persona fue encontrada dentro de la cajuela señala una querella criminal presentada el 27 de mayo. Autoridades identificaron al conductor como Villarreal, de Zapata, y a Arrecis-Andrade. Arrecis-Andrade y cinco inmigrantes fueron detenidos por estar en el país de manera ilegal. Agentes especiales de Investigaciones de Seguridad Nacional respondieron a la investigación.
AUSTIN — Cinco estados, entre ellos Texas, y el gobierno federal, lograron un acuerdo de aceptación mediante el cual BP resuelve todos los reclamos del gobierno en contra de la empresa que se originaron del desastre de Deppwater Horizon en 2010. La porción de Texas del acuerdo anunciado el jueves suma más de 788 millones de dólares, dijo el Procurador General de Texas Ken Paxton. En combinación con el dinero de acuerdos anteriores, en total Texas recibirá más de mil millones de dólares que serán destinados a la restauración de recursos del Golfo de Texas. “Este acuerdo representa un logro importante en la continua recuperación de la costa del Golfo, y las familias y empresas que fueron impactadas por este derrame”, declaró Paxton. “Al proporcionar fondos para los proyectos de restauración grandemente ne-
“
Tengo la esperanza que esto va a traer un poco de finalidad a las personas que, aún hoy, sufren las consecuencias de este terrible accidente”. KEN PAXTON, PROCURADOR GENERAL DE TEXAS
cesarios en la costa, tengo la esperanza que esto va a traer un poco de finalidad a las personas que, aún hoy, sufren las consecuencias de este terrible accidente”. El valor total del acuerdo ascenderá a un total de 20.2 mil millones de dólares. Bajo el acuerdo, BP pagará 5.5 mil millones por sanciones civiles bajo la Ley Federal de Agua Limpia (Clean Water Act, CWA), 8.8 mil millones de dólares por daños a los recursos naturales (NRD),
4.9 mil millones de dólares por a los cinco estados del Golfo y hasta 1 mil millones de dólares por daños económicos a entidades gubernamentales locales dentro de los estados del Golfo. Estas cantidades incluyen intereses. Un estimado de más de 400 millones de dólares por sanciones bajo la ley federal de agua limpia estará disponible para proyectos de restauración en Texas conforme a la Ley RESTORE. Además, 238 millones de dólares de los 8.8
mil millones por daños a los recursos naturales han sido asignados para proyectos de restauración en Texas. A Texas también le han sido asignados 150 millones de dólares por daños económicos. El dinero será pagado en plazos durante 15 años por las sanciones de la Ley de Agua Limpia y daños a los recursos naturales iniciando en 2017, y durante 19 años por los daños económicos. Este acuerdo finaliza una serie de acuerdos previos y acuerdos ante la corte con otras partes responsables del desastre, incluyendo el acuerdo de Texas con MOEX, el acuerdo de Transocean por sus sanciones bajo la Ley de Agua Limpia con los Estados Unidos, y acuerdos penales federales logrados por BP y Transocean. A través de estos acuerdos previos, una cantidad adicional de 275 millones de dólares está disponible para proyectos de restauración en Texas.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
SMUGGLING Continued from Page 1A ing an alleged human smuggling attempt. LPD told agents they had received a report of a suspicious gray sedan at the Burlington Coat factory parking lot, 4500 San
Bernardo Ave. Records state the vehicle had seven occupants. One person was found inside the trunk, states the criminal complaint filed May 27. Authorities identified
the driver as Villarreal, of Zapata, and Arrecis-Andrade. Arrecis-Andrade and five immigrants were determined to be illegally in the country. Homeland Se-
curity Investigations special agents responded to investigate. Villarreal allegedly waived her rights and opted to speak to special agents. She stated she had
picked up the group near the brush in San Ygnacio, records show. Arrecis-Andrade also agreed to speak to authorities. He claimed Villarreal had the immigrants in the
vehicle when she went to pick him up at friend’s house in San Ygnacio, states the complaint. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
find,” Barnett said. For Barnett, it’s arrowheads and sharks teeth. Lindow gets a rush when she finds tires — big or small — seabeans and lighters. Linda McCauley enjoys searching for seabeans and sea glass. And Scheibel has a real eye for finding even the tiniest sharks’ teeth and unique turtle fossils, her friends said. “We have had to train our eyes to look past the garbage,” Lindow said. Besides hunting for their favorites, some of the most common finds along the
beach are jewelry, toys and even money, Scheibel said. But every so often beachcombers will find something truly unique like designer sunglasses or a message in a bottle all the way from the Bahamas. “It had been sent from four fisherman in a boat from the Bahamas,” Lindow said. Just the other day Schiebel found a wallet with $20 inside and no driver’s license, she said. “You really have no idea what you’ll come across,” Schiebel said. “You just have to get out there and look.”
vid Norton, a Dallas lawyer who specializes in aviation law. One is that U.S. maintenance standards are among the highest in the world. “That’s a much nicer pedigree than an airplane that’s been maintained in some other country that doesn’t have as much regulatory oversight,” Norton said. “So it’s a much higher value airplane.” The other: “It’s a lot easier to get in and out of the United States if it’s a U.S. registered airplane.” It’s illegal to file false reg-
istration paperwork with the FAA, and it’s illegal to fly an aircraft with a revoked registration, Norton said. Andrade’s customer was too afraid to speak with a reporter Thursday, Andrade said. Andrade’s said he is scared too, and worried about the impact the investigation will have on his business. “I didn’t know they were bad people,” Andrade said. “I didn’t know anything.” “We work to get our money,” he added later. “We’re not involved in bad things.”
many people were inside the warehouse.” A National Human Rights Commission investigation found that between 12 and 15 of the victims were killed unarmed or after surrendering. Three
women who survived the attack later came forward to say that agents of the Mexico State prosecutor’s office had tortured them to support the army’s version that soldiers had killed in self-defense.
TREASURES Continued from Page 1A lives near Crystal Beach, told the Galveston County Daily News. “There are so many treasures to find.” Through the Facebook page, many of the Bolivar Beachcombers are residents of the small community, while others have frequented it for years for weekend getaways and other vacations. The beachcombers often share photos of their finds or even post pictures asking for help in identifying their unique finds from the day. They try to get out to the beach as often as possible, because every day is a new chance to find something
they’ve never seen before. Last week, one woman posted about losing her iPhone that was later found and returned when a beachcomber was combing along the coast later that day. But a lost iPhone isn’t the strangest thing a beachcomber has found. Lindow has many of her treasures displayed at her home including more than 350 seabeans, close to 40 different pairs of sunglasses, a vast number of fishing lures and bobbers and a plethora of children’s toys. Lindow, an artist by trade, sees the beauty in everything she finds and tries
to find interesting ways to display everything she’s found. That includes adding a neon green dinosaur toy to a succulent arrangement or having a large bowl of angel wing shells on display on her coffee table. Where she and other beachcombers find these treasures is along the shoreline, specifically near big shell beds, or wrack lines, said Tracy Barnett, who lives on the beach with her husband. The wrack lines are the faint lines along the beach where you can see where the tide came in last, she
said. “It’s one of the best places to find sea beans,” said Ange Scheibel, a member of the Bolivar Beachcombers. And while you can recover unique finds any time you’re on the beach, some of the best combing happens right after a high tide, which would put the wrack line almost all the way up to the dunes, the ladies said. Which is subjective to everyone, she said. Something that’s a treasure to one person may not be worth picking up for another. “We all have our own forte of what we like to
ZETAS Continued from Page 1A lived in San Antonio for more than 20 years and is a legal permanent resident. He said he went to authorities to clear his company’s name. Last month, federal prosecutors in McAllen filed a lawsuit to seize the other helicopter registered to Andrade’s business, Miguel’s Trucks and Trailer Sales Inc. Paperwork submitted to the Federal Aviation Administration in December 2013 names his company as the purchaser of two Eurocopters, but the $2 million
to buy the helicopters came from Mexico, according to the lawsuit. Foreigners can’t own U.S.-registered aircraft unless they’re legal permanent residents, according to the FAA. Certain foreignowned corporations are allowed to register their aircraft in the U.S. as well. “In or about January 2014, after the wire transfers from Mexico, documents were submitted to the FAA in order to falsely register both the defendant helicopter and the other helicopter in the name of
Miguel’s Trucks and Trailers Sales Inc.,” the lawsuit alleges. One helicopter was seized in April in McAllen. The other was seized by Mexican authorities during the March arrest of Omar Treviño Morales, believed to be the leader of the Zetas drug cartel, according to news reports in that country. That’s when Andrade said he went to the police. A spokesperson for Homeland Security Investigations would only say that “this is part of an ongoing
criminal matter.” The man who asked him to help buyer the helicopter had been a customer for many years, Andrade said, and owned an aircraft himself. Andrade said he never met his customer’s partners in the purchase. He wouldn’t have been able to afford the helicopters, Andrade said, and showed a reporter bank records recording wire transfers to his account that he used to pay for the aircraft. There are a couple advantages to having aircraft registered in the U.S., said Da-
MEXICO Continued from Page 1A ing criminals at night,” read standing orders signed June 11 by Lt. Col. Sandro Diaz Rodriguez, on behalf of the command of the 102 Infantry Battalion. At the same time, the orders told soldiers that “operations should be carried out with strict respect for human rights.” The documents also indicate high-ranking military officials knew immediately that something had gone wrong in the incident a year ago at a rural warehouse, during which a total of 22 suspected gang members were killed, according to a report by the human rights group. The documents show the army opened a criminal investigation the same day of the incident, yet issued a news release saying all 22 dead had been killed during a fierce gunbattle that
began when the suspects fired on soldiers. The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. But in an interview Monday with the newspaper El
Universal, the defense secretary, Gen. Salvador Cienfuegos, cast doubt on the alleged human rights violations. “People and groups who perhaps don’t like what the army is doing have already
convicted the soldiers,” he said. “They talk about people being forced into submission. I don’t understand how they could have been forced into submission when there were eight soldiers who didn’t know how
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
NORMA M. RAMIREZ March 27, 1958 – July 1, 2015 Norma M. Ramirez, 57, passed away on Wednesday, July 1, 2015 at University Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Mrs. Ramirez is preceded in death by her parents, Juan E. and Gabriela Meza. Mrs. Ramirez is survived by her husband, Adrian Ramirez IV; son, Javier O. Gutierrez Jr.; daughter, Norma “Betty” (Carlos) Garcia; step-children, Sinai Ramirez, Adrian Ramirez V; grandchildren, Javier De Los Santos III, Keilani Garcia, Giuliani Garcia, Javier O. Gutierrez III, Maya A. Gutierrez; brothers, Juan Jose (Lupita) Meza, Crisanto (Edith) Meza; sisters, Beatriz (Juan) Longoria, Dubelza (Joe) Orengo, +Elma M. (Joel) Guzman and by numerous other family members and friends. Visitation hours was held on Friday, July, 3, 2015, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.
Aetna agrees to acquire rival By CHAD BRAY NEW YORK TIMES
A Mass will be held on Saturday, July 4, 2015 at 9:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83 Zapata, Texas.
The health insurer Aetna said Friday that it had agreed to acquire its smaller rival Humana for $37 billion in cash and stock, signaling the start of what may become a flurry of consolidation in the sector. The deal would bring together two of the biggest U.S. health insurers. The combined company would have estimated operating revenue of $115 billion this year and more than 33 million consumers. The merger could be the first in a series of deals as the U.S. health insurance industry grapples with rising medical costs and seeks growth to create better pricing power in negotiations with health care providers and pharmaceutical companies. That push for mergers received a jump-start last week after the Supreme Court upheld a central
Job market’s new normal By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER AND JOSH BOAK ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — Even after another month of strong hiring in June and a sinking unemployment rate, the U.S. job market just isn’t what it used to be. Pay is sluggish. Many part-timers can’t find fulltime work. And a diminished share of Americans either have a job or are looking for one. Yet in the face of global and demographic shifts, this may be what a nearly healthy U.S. job market now looks like. An aging population is sending an outsize proportion of Americans into retirement. Many younger adults, bruised by the Great Recession, are postponing work to remain in school to try to become more marketable. Global competition and the increasing automation of many jobs are holding down pay. Many economists think these trends will persist for years despite steady job growth. It helps explain why the Federal Reserve is widely expected to start raising interest rates from record lows later this year even though many job measures remain far below their pre-recession peaks. “The Fed may recognize that this is a new labormarket normal, and it will begin to normalize monetary policy,” said Patrick O’Keefe, an economist at accounting and consulting firm CohnReznick. Thursday’s monthly jobs
report from the government showed that employers added a solid 223,000 jobs in June and that the unemployment rate fell to 5.3 percent from 5.5 percent in May. Even so, the generally improving job market still bears traits that have long been regarded as weaknesses. Among them: A shrunken labor force. The unemployment rate didn’t fall in June because more people were hired. The rate fell solely because the number of people who had become dispirited and stopped looking for work far exceeded the number who found jobs. The percentage of Americans in the workforce — defined as those who either have a job or are actively seeking one — dropped to 62.6 percent, a 38-year low, from 62.9 percent. (The figure was 66 percent when the recession began in 2007.) Fewer job holders typically mean weaker growth for the economy. The growth of the labor force slowed to just 0.3 percent in 2014, compared with 1.1 percent in 2007. “It is highly unlikely that we are going to see our (workforce) participation rate move anywhere near where it was in 2007,” O’Keefe says. This marks a striking reversal. The share of Americans in the workforce had been steadily climbing through early 2000, and a big reason was that more women began working. But that influx plateaued in the late 1990s and has drifted downward since.
The retirement of the vast baby boom generation. The aging population is restraining the growth of the workforce. The pace of retirements accelerated in 2008, when the oldest boomers turned 62, when workers can start claiming some Social Security benefits. Economists estimate that retirements account for about half the decline in the share of Americans in the workforce since 2000. From that perspective, the nation as a whole is beginning to resemble retirement havens such as Florida. Just 59.3 percent of Floridians are in the workforce. Younger workers are starting their careers later. Employers are demanding college degrees and even postgraduate degrees for a higher proportion of jobs. Mindful of this trend, teens and young people in their 20’s are still reading textbooks when previous generations were punching time clocks. The recession “basically told everybody that they need an education to get better jobs,” says John Silvia, chief economist at Wells Fargo. “So how would young people respond? They stayed in school.” Fewer than 39 percent of 18- and 19-year-olds are employed, down from 56 percent in 2000. For people ages 20 to 24, the proportion has fallen to 64 percent from 72 percent. The number of parttimers who would prefer full-time work remains high.
Photo by Sasha Maslov/New York Times | AP file
Mark Bertolini, the chief executive of Aetna, at the insurer’s headquarters in Hartford, Ct., Feb. 25. part of the Obama administration’s health care overhaul, which has delivered a lift to the insurance industry. Insurers also are feeling pressure as consumers, who are being asked to shoulder more of the burden of health care costs, are becoming more price conscious. Under the deal, Humana shareholders would receive the equivalent of $230 a share, which is almost 29
percent higher than before news reports emerged that it was considering a sale. “The acquisition of Humana aligns two great companies and will significantly advance our strategy of more effectively serving members in a rapidly changing health care industry,” Mark T. Bertolini, the Aetna chairman and chief executive, said in a news release. “This combination will allow us to con-
tinue to invest in excellent service for our members and strengthen our partnerships with providers to deliver high quality care at an affordable price.” News that a deal was close emerged late Thursday. The transaction is subject to shareholder and regulatory approval and is expected to close in the second half of 2016. Under the terms of the offer, Humana stockholders would receive $125 in cash and 0.8375 Aetna shares for each share they hold in Humana. After the transaction, Aetna shareholders would own about 74 percent of the combined company, while Humana shareholders would own the remaining 26 percent. Aetna previously received a preliminary takeover approach from UnitedHealth, the largest U.S. health insurer, and Anthem is pursuing a merger with Cigna.
Teens working less By PATRICIA COHEN AND RON LIEBER NEW YORK TIMES
Ice cream still needs scooping, beaches still need guarding and campers still need counseling. But now, there are way fewer teenagers doing it all this summer. Since 2000, the share of 16- to 19-year-olds who are working has plummeted by 40 percent, with fewer than a third of American teenagers in a job last summer. Their share of the overall workforce has never been this low, and about 1.1 million of them would like a job but can’t find one, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Experts are struggling to figure out exactly why. “We don’t know to what extent they’re not working because they can’t find a job, or aren’t interested, or are doing other stuff — like going to summer school, traveling, volunteering, doing service learning,” said Martha Ross, a fellow at the Brookings Institution, a research organization based in Washington. What is clear is that those who need a job the most are often the least likely to get one. To a large extent, the higher a household’s income, the more likely a teenager is to get a job. Suburbanites have a better shot than city dwellers, and white teenagers face far better odds than blacks, in part because of disappearing federal support for summer jobs. One factor that affects all teenagers equally is that summer quite literally isn’t
Photo by Mark Makela/New York Times | AP
Nasir Mack, 16, who has a summer job at the Office of Housing and Community Development, in Philadelphia, July 1. what it used to be. With the proliferation of standardized tests and intense pressure to meet national academic standards like the Common Core, more students are attending summer school than ever before. At the same time, education districts around the country have cut into the number of weeks available to work full time by moving up their start dates before Labor Day so they can provide more instructional time. Add year-round practices for serious athletes and parents who make the annual family vacation mandatory, and working barely seems worth it, even if employers are willing to put teenagers to work for just six or eight weeks. Still, for any teenager to work, the openings have to exist in the first place. Although the proportion of teenagers in a job has inched up from its low point during the depths of the recession in 2009, a slug-
gish recovery continues to take a toll. Adults, desperate for second and third jobs to make ends meet, may be crowding out many teenagers. In the meantime, the decline in government support for summer jobs programs has been steep. In New York City, for example, federal funds made up 82 percent of the summer jobs program’s budget in 1999, compared with 11.5 percent in 2005, according to a report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This year, that contribution is zero, said Andre White, the city’s acting assistant commissioner of youth work force development. “The federal government has walked away from summer jobs nationally,” White said. Cities like Chicago are responding by trying to fill the gap in funds and cooperating with private companies and researchers who can help make the case for even more paid work.
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION: DALLAS MAVERICKS
MLB
Jordan picks Dallas File photo by Jeff Roberson | AP
St. Louis owner Bill DeWitt Jr. watches his team during spring training. The federal hacking investigation of the Cardinals could take longer if high-level executives are implicated in the breach of the Astros’ database.
Cards probe ongoing Photo by Danny Moloshok | AP
By JUAN A. LOZANO AND JIM VERTUNO
Former Clippers center DeAndre Jordan has chosen the Mavericks over returning to Los Angeles after Dallas also signed swingman Wesley Matthews from Portland.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews to join Mavericks By SCHUYLER DIXON AND JON KRAWCZYNSKI ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — DeAndre Jordan has chosen the Mavericks over the Los Angeles Clippers in what turned into a tense boomor-bust wait for Dallas in pursuit of the free-agent
center. Two people familiar with the deal tell The Associated Press that the NBA rebound leader agreed to terms Friday. One said the deal was worth $80 million over four years. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because no deals can be completed and
signed until Thursday. This is the biggest freeagent pickup in Mark Cuban’s 15 years as Dallas owner, after three straight summers of losing out on the big names. The deal comes two days after the Mavericks lost their backup plan when last season’s starter, Tyson Chandler,
bolted for Phoenix. The last of Jordan’s four meetings was with the Clippers. But coach Doc Rivers couldn’t persuade the Texas native to stick with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and the franchise that drafted him seven years ago. Jordan, who turns 27
MLB: TEXAS RANGERS
this month, led the NBA in rebounding the past two seasons and is coming off career-best averages of 11.5 points and 15.0 rebounds. Since the Clippers drafted the Texas A&M star with the 35th overall pick in 2008, Jordan has averaged
HOUSTON — The federal hacking investigation of the St. Louis Cardinals could take longer if highlevel executives are implicated in the breach of the Houston Astros’ database, according to legal experts. The investigation is likely several months old, with much of the comput-
See MAVERICKS PAGE 2B
See HACKING PAGE 2B
MLB: NEW YORK YANKEES
Hamilton faces Angels A-Rod gets 3K hit ball By STEPHEN HAWKINS
By RONALD BLUM
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARLINGTON — Josh Hamilton insists he has no extra emotions facing the Angels for the first time since Los Angeles traded him back to Texas. The slugger said Friday the only significance of the weekend series is limited to his return to the lineup this week following a month on the disabled list. “It’s just another baseball game,” Hamilton said before facing the team he played for the past two seasons. Hamilton said he has moved forward since he was traded to Texas on April 27, rejoining the franchise the former AL
NEW YORK — Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees settled their dispute over a marketing payment with a deal announced Friday that gives $3.5 million to charitable groups, saves the team $5.5 million and gets A-Rod the home run ball from his 3,000th hit. At the time Rodriguez and the Yankees signed their $275 million, 10year contract in December 2007, they reached a separate marketing agreement. It called for $6 million each for up to five milestone accomplishments in exchange for marketing rights, such as using A-Rod’s
See HAMILTON PAGE 2B
Photo by Patrick Semansky | AP
Texas outfielder Josh Hamilton, left, will face his former Angels team for the first time.
See A-ROD PAGE 2B
Photo by Julie Jacobson | AP
Zack Hample, left, presents Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez his 3,000th career hit ball during a news conference Friday.
TENNIS: WIMBLEDON
Serena survives Watson ASSOCIATED PRESS
LONDON — Twice, Serena Williams stood merely two points from a loss at Wimbledon against a British opponent buoyed by a roaring, flag-waving Centre Court crowd. Twice, Williams was oh-soclose to the end of her bid for a fourth consecutive major title and for the third leg of a calendar-year Grand Slam. And twice, pushed to the precipice, Williams regrouped, resisted and wound up winning, as she so often does. Stomping her foot after misses, alternately screaming in delight or despair, even wagging
her finger at fans who booed her, the No. 1-seeded Williams overcame a surprisingly staunch challenge from 59th-ranked Heather Watson and emerged with a 6-2, 4-6, 7-5 victory in the third round Friday. "I honestly didn’t think I was going to win," said Williams, who trailed 3-0 and 5-4 in the final set. "How I pulled through, I really don’t know." Her 24th victory in a row at Grand Slam tournaments sets up a showdown Monday against another five-time Wimbledon champion, her older sister Venus. "We’ve been facing each other a long time," said the 16th-seeded
Venus, who eliminated 82ndranked Aleksandra Krunic of Serbia 6-3, 6-2. This will be the 26th all-Williams matchup, and first at a major since Serena beat Venus in the 2009 Wimbledon final. "It’s unfortunate that it’s so soon," Serena said. Other women’s fourth-rounders Monday: 2004 champion Maria Sharapova vs. Zarina Diyas; Victoria Azarenka vs. Belinda Bencic; and French Open runner-up Lucie Safarova vs. CoCo Vandeweghe of the U.S., who had never been this far at a major. Men’s matchups: defending
See WIMBLEDON PAGE 2B
Photo by Kirsty Wigglesworth | AP
Serena Williams celebrates after defeating England’s Heather Watson on Friday in London at Wimbledon.
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
MAVERICKS Continued from Page 1B 8.0 points and 9.0 rebounds. The 6-foot-11 Houston native figures to have a more prominent role in Dallas after being mostly an alleyoop and second-chance option behind Paul and Griffin in Los Angeles. His best season helped the Clippers get within a victory of their first trip to the Western Conference finals. But Los Angeles collapsed in the second half of a Game 6 loss at home with a chance to close out Houston and dropped the deciding game on the road. Now Jordan’s job will be to get the Mavericks out of the first round for the first time since they won the franchise’s only championship in 2011. The first step to landing Jordan might have come late Thursday when shooting guard Wesley Matthews agreed to a four-year contract with terms that were going to depend on whether
Jordan decided to join the former Portland player in Dallas. Before Matthews’ commitment, the only starters returning for the Mavericks were 37-year-old star Dirk Nowitzki, going into his 18th season and no longer the top scoring option, and forward Chandler Parsons. The 26-year-old Parsons was the closest thing Dallas had to a young building block after the failed December trade with Boston for point guard Rajon Rondo, who clashed with coach Rick Carlisle and was banished two games into a firstround playoff loss to Houston. Rondo is a free agent. The Mavericks also let shooting guard Monta Ellis go to Indiana after he led them in scoring — the first player other than Nowitzki to do that since 2000. Dallas didn’t contact Ellis in free agency, and he agreed to a four-year, $44 million deal
with Indiana on Thursday. Parsons promised to be the primary recruiter in free agency the day after losing to his former team in a five-game series. He missed all but the first game because of a right knee injury that required surgery after the season. And Parsons followed through, dining with Jordan frequently in the days before free agency opened. That included an impromptu dinner along with Cuban and president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson late Tuesday night in Los Angeles, and another long meeting Wednesday. Ultimately, the Mavericks succeeded with Jordan where they failed with the likes of Deron Williams, Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony over the past three summers. All were targets, some more realistic than others, after Cuban chose salary-cap space over
keeping key pieces of his championship team. Chandler was among those who didn’t return four years ago, signing a four-year deal with the New York Knicks. He returned in a trade for the final year of that contract, but is leaving again on another four-year deal with the Suns after the Mavericks decided to pursue Jordan first. The loss of Jordan, who also met with the Lakers and Knicks, leaves the Clippers looking for a center. Jordan’s backup, Glen Davis, also is a free agent. Had Chandler not agreed on his four-year, $52 million deal with the Suns, the Clippers could have pursued a sign-and-trade agreement with Dallas involving the 7footer who went to high school in the Los Angeles area. The Clippers drafted Chandler second overall in 2001 but traded him to Chicago on draft night.
Photo by Tim Sharp | AP
27 year old DeAndre Jordan is coming off career-best averages of 11.5 points and 15.0 rebounds.
HACKING Continued from Page 1B er forensics work likely already complete, said Philip Hilder, a Houston criminal defense attorney and former federal prosecutor. Much of that forensics work would include scouring Astros servers for information about who logged on and whether any IP addresses - numbers that identify a particular computer on the Internet - lead back to someone inside the Cardinals organization. "At this stage in the investigation it will be key to determine, as to where the trail goes, who may have ordered or was aware of the activity," Hilder said. "If the trail ends at rogue employees, obvious-
ly the investigation will conclude quicker," Hilder said. "If they implicate higher-ups, there will have to be a fair amount of corroboration and that may take a while." Cardinals chairman Bill DeWitt Jr. has blamed the alleged hack on "roguish behavior" by a handful of individuals. An attorney for the team has said highlevel executives were not involved in the scandal. The team said Thursday that they fired scouting director Chris Correa, but declined to say why. Investigators will use information they’ve gathered - including possibly emails, texts and other communications between workers within the Cardi-
nals’ organization - to help guide interviews with employees and figure out who ultimately was behind the security breach, said Michael Zweiback, a Los Angeles defense attorney and former federal prosecutor. But investigators won’t get to ask whether highlevel executives were involved unless they first connect someone to the keystrokes that set the alleged crime in motion. Zweiback said that when he served as chief of the cyber and intellectual property crimes section with the Los Angeles U.S. attorney’s office, he investigated cases which "would have tremendous forensic evidence that would lead to a specific computer but
would run into dead ends because we did not have information to show the user who was accessing it." "What we found was that even the most highly sophisticated had a tendency sometimes to make mistakes," Zweiback said. "The assumption that the people doing this are highly sophisticated is not an assumption that usually bears out." Once the investigation has concluded, prosecutors will likely pursue charges under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which carries sentences of up to 10 years in prison for a first-time offense. The act was initially
created in 1986 to protect information on government computers but "over time, the protected computer has been expanded to computers generally because of the impact of the Internet on commerce," said Joe Pitts, a law school lecturer at Stanford University. "We don’t think of corporate espionage as happening in professional sports. We don’t think of it extending to mom, baseball and apple pie," Pitts said. While more difficult to prove, those implicated could be charged for stealing trade secrets if prosecutors can determine the Astros’ database held more than simply proprie-
tary information, Zweiback said. Hilder said that even though the hacking investigation is focused on the national pastime rather than national security, authorities are still taking the probe very seriously, particularly in the shadow of the recently publicized U.S.-led investigation of FIFA officials on allegations of bribery and racketeering. "People want to believe that sport competitions are evenhanded and the fact that the fix may be in or one team wants to get an advantage over the other (shows) it’s important to look into this to ensure the integrity of the game," Hilder said.
with as far as getting better on the field,” Scioscia said. “It hasn’t really been a topic of conversation. Really, Josh is more a Ranger than anything else. We faced him for 5 years in a Rangers uniform, so I don’t think it’s going to be anything any different.” Hamilton said he asked Dipoto and team president John Carpino multiple times when he was struggling if he could meet with Moreno and let the owner know he was working hard to get better.
“Each time, denied,” Hamilton said. “They said they would pass along the message. I take it as they passed along the message. If they didn’t, it’s on them, but I put it out there.” Asked about when the Rangers go to Los Angeles for a series in three weeks, Hamilton said his focus has been on coming back from his hamstring injury. “I can’t imagine it being much worse than when I came back here with the Angels,” he said. “I’ll get through that.”
give up the ball,” Hample said earlier in the day at his Manhattan apartment. “It’s the centerpiece of my collection. The thing I really wanted was the ball, more than any other memorabilia. But it’s going for a good cause. That was the main part of this, so it all turned out well.” The Yankees will donate $2.5 million to the MLB Urban Youth Foundation, to be used in programs to increase youth participation in baseball, with a focus on urban areas. Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred will pick the ini-
tiatives after speaking with Rodriguez, and Manfred promised to consider charitable activities the player has focused on. In addition to saving $2.5 million — the difference between the $6 million originally called for and the charitable payments the team agreed to make— the Yankees will save $3 million in luxury tax, since Rodriguez will not be receiving the money personally. New York pays at a 50 percent rate on the portion of its payroll above the $189 million threshold.
HAMILTON Continued from Page 1B MVP led to a pair of World Series appearances. “There’s no searching or closure for me. It’s over. I’ve moved on. I’m in Texas now,” he said. “I’ve got a great group of guys here. I had a great group of guys in Anaheim.” Hamilton batted fifth and played left field in the series opener, the first time he has played consecutive games since being activated Tuesday from the disabled list after a strained left hamstring. The Angels traded Hamilton after an offseason
that included shoulder surgery and a self-reported substance abuse relapse. “I gave them to the best of my ability, worked as hard as I could to try to be the player I was in Texas, in Anaheim. They all knew that. They saw the work I put in,” Hamilton said. “Stuck with needles and cortisone shots and everything else to go out there and play. I gave them what I had when I was there.” In two seasons with the Angels after signing a
$125 million, five-year contract in December 2012, Hamilton hit .255 with 31 homers and 123 RBIs. He played only 89 games for Los Angeles last year because of injuries. The Angels are paying $105 million for those two seasons, and Texas is responsibile for $6 million through 2017 after Hamilton agreed to give up $14 million he was due from the original deal. Los Angeles manager Mike Scioscia has said that the slugger lacked “accountability” to his
teammates after leaving and that he was hopeful Hamilton would publicly take an opportunity to thank teammates that supported him and reach out to Angels owner Arte Moreno. Scioscia’s tone was a bit different before Friday’s game, when the Angels played their first road game since the resignation this week of general manager Jerry Dipoto. “We haven’t really thought about Josh much. We’ve got a lot of things that we’re trying to deal
A-ROD Continued from Page 1B name and image in selling licensed goods. The first was to be for A-Rod’s 660th home run, tying Willie Mays for fourth on the career list. The club’s relationship with Rodriguez deteriorated during 2013, when he was a target of Major League Baseball’s Biogenesis drug investigation. That led to A-Rod’s suspension for the entire 2014 season after then-Commissioner Bud Selig concluded he violated the sport’s drug agreement and labor contract. Rodriguez sued MLB, the players’ union
and the Yankees’ team physician, then dropped the litigation. When the 39-year-old hit No. 660 on May 1, New York said it had the discretion not to make the payment and declined to do so, saying his marketing rights did not have any worth. MLB and the players’ association stopped the clock on the time to file a grievance as negotiations continued. Under the deal, the Yankees will split $1 million among the Special Operations Warrior Foundation, the Boys & Girls
Club of Tampa and Pitch In For Baseball. The team has been a longtime funder of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation and the Boys & Girls Club of Tampa. Zach Hample, the fan who retrieved Rodriguez’s 3,000th hit at Yankee Stadium on June 19, supports Pitch In For Baseball, which says its mission is to assist children around the world through baseball. The charity was to receive $150,000, he said. “I think it’s a wonderful gesture on the Yankees’
part to really go to work on getting the 3,000th hit for Alex,” New York manager Joe Girardi said. “Relationships that get strained in life are really meant to get fixed again.” Hample was to give Rodriguez the ball at a news conference before New York played Tampa Bay on Friday night. Hample has collected more than 8,100 balls during batting practice and games. Along with the donation, Hample will get a signed Rodriguez jersey and other perks. “It’s definitely hard to
WIMBLEDON Continued from Page 1B champion Novak Djokovic vs. Kevin Anderson; French Open champion Stan Wawrinka vs. David Goffin; Richard Gasquet vs. Nick Kyrgios. Denis Kudla, an American wild-card entry, reached the second week at a major for the first time and awaits the winner of U.S. Open champion Marin Cilic against American John Isner, whose match was suspended because of darkness at 10-all in the fifth set. It harkened back to Isner’s record 70-68 fifthset victory spread over three days in 2010, but he
and Cilic have a looooong way to go to equal that marathon. Nothing in that match, or any other Friday, offered up the tension and drama provided by Williams vs. Watson. Especially once Watson - playing steadily, if unspectacularly - appeared on the verge of a significant upset. "She just did everything so well. I wasn’t able to keep up. You know, sometimes you just don’t have your day," said Williams, who lost in the third round at Wimbledon last year. "I thought maybe today just
wasn’t my day." Sure looked that way when Watson took six straight games to go up two breaks in the third set. Then came an epic, 18point game that began Williams’ comeback. Watson twice was a point from leading 4-0, but she looked a bit tight, shanking a forehand about 5 feet long, then pushing a forehand wide to get broken. Still, she broke Williams at love for a 5-4 edge, moving within a game of by far the biggest victory of her career. At the ensuing change-
over, Union Jacks of various sizes flapped in the swirling wind while chants of "Heather!" reverberated through the nearly centuryold arena. When play resumed, yells came during points, and Williams complained to the chair umpire, drawing jeers. "It was really intense today," Williams said. "I’ve never heard boos here." At deuce, potentially two points from the end, Williams produced a forehand winner. Moments later, again at deuce, again two points from defeat, Williams conjured up another
big forehand. "When she needs to hit the line or needs to hit a winner, she’ll just do it," Watson said, "and that’s what she did." That began a match-closing run of three consecutive games for Williams, who held at love for a 6-5 lead with four unreturned serves. "I don’t know where she found this strength today to win it," said Williams’ coach, Patrick Mouratoglou, "because she was so far mentally at a certain point." Williams broke Watson
to finish things, yet even that didn’t come easily. Williams needed three match points, cashing in the last with a backhand return that forced a miss by Watson. There weren’t all that many unforced errors from Watson: She totaled 11; Williams 33. "She couldn’t play better," Mouratoglou said about Watson. "She played the perfect match." At the moment, even that is apparently not enough to beat Williams. Now her older sister will give it a try.
SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015
Dear Readers: Happy JULY FOURTH to each of you reading this today. Please take a minute to think what July Fourth is really about. Yes, red, white and blue, hot dogs, hamburgers and fireworks. It’s time for family and friends to get together. Play safe, be safe and have fun! – Hugs, Heloise IT’S IN THE BAG Dear Heloise: When I give my dog a bath, I no longer get wet. I solved the problem by cutting head and arm openings in the closed end of a large yard leaf bag. It slips on easily and keeps me dry. It’s on a hanger near the laundry tub where he gets his bath. – Mary Lou, Beavercreek, Ohio HOT DOGS Dear Heloise: When we barbecue for family outings, I use my oblong slow cooker to keep the hot dogs and hamburgers hot by setting the temperature to "WARM" while the family is arriving. – Barbara M., Terre Haute, Ind. COMPOST PILE Dear Readers: Have you
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been thinking about starting a compost pile? Here are a few things to consider before you start one. What goes in a compost pile? How much time will it take? Alternate layers of BROWN and GREEN items. You can color-code your compost! In a small spot in the yard, start with a base of fruit peels and vegetable trimmings. Then add a layer of soil, eggshells, coffee grounds and used tea bags. Then sprinkle a SMALL amount of water till moist. Next, a green layer: grass, weeds and yard clippings. Then brown again: old cardboard boxes, wood chips and other brown items as listed above. In a week or so, everything starts to break down. Turn the pile with a shovel or pitchfork after about two weeks. When it looks like mulch, it’s ready to use for your flower beds and garden. Start small until you get the hang of tending the pile. What DOESN’T go in the compost pile: meat, dairy and grease. – Heloise
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SATURDAY, JULY 4, 2015