DIRK RETURNING
WEDNESDAYJULY 6, 2016
FREE
NOWITZKI BACK IN DALLAS, DIAW AND WEST ON THEIR WAY OUT OF SAN ANTONIO, 7A
DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
MEXICO
RUNGE, TEXAS
Oil patch schools suffer Many districts facing budgetary difficulties By Kiah Collier TEXAS TRIBUNE Damian Dovarganes / AP file
A street vendor sells chocolates in Mexico City. A study published Tuesday, shows that Mexico's 8-percent tax on high-calorie snacks has been successful in reducing junk food purchases, but only by a small amount and only among poor and middle-class households.
Junk food tax has little impact
In December 2014, the week Pam Seipp became interim superintendent of Runge schools, the tiny South Texas district held a symbolic groundbreaking for schools and sports facilities to be paid for by a $22 million bond that local voters
overwhelmingly approved just as oil prices began to slip. Seipp’s main responsibility since then? “The bearer of bad news,” she says. Four months into the job, she had to inform the board of trustees that local property values were expected to drop by Oil patch continues on A11
Robin Jerstad/Texas Tribune
Pam Seipp, interim superintendent of Runge schools, looks over ongoing construction of a new football stadium.
EDUCATION
Purchases cut by 5.1 percent among the poor, middle-class By Mark Stevenson A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
MEXICO CITY — Mexico’s 8 percent tax on high-calorie snacks has been successful in reducing junk food purchases, but only by a small amount and only among poor and middle-class households, a study said Tuesday. The report published in the online journal PLOS-Medicine showed
an average reduction of 5.1 percent in purchases of items subject to the tax, which was implemented in 2014. The reduction equaled only about 25 grams (0.88 ounces) per month per person. Poorer households bought 10.2 percent less junk food, while medium-income households bought 5.8 percent less, according to bar code
TEXAS SCHOOLS TO GAIN PRE-K GRANTS
Food continues on A11
SAN ANTONIO
Seniors turn to speed dating to find spark By Richard A. Marini SA N ANT ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — Dating at any age can be stressful, exhausting, even hazardous to one’s selfesteem. Now imagine wading into the dating pool when you’re past retirement age. Fireworks are rare for those who date during their so-called golden years, especially for women, who significantly outnumber their male counterparts. To help right this imbalance, some seniors are borrowing a strategy from younger generations and trying speed dating in hopes of again feeling that spark of attraction. “It’s hard meeting a
man who’s single,” said Sandy Camero, 69, who attended a recent event at the Igo Branch Library designed for seniors who wanted to meet new people. “They’re either too old and don’t ever want to do anything, or, if they’re my age, they’re looking for someone younger.” While we as a society often obsess over the physical needs of the elderly, we rarely talk about the emotional desires for friendship, intimacy, even love and sex that don’t evaporate upon receipt of an AARP membership card. “You’ll hear a family say, ‘But we fill grandma’s time,’ " said Kelley Kelch, Dating continues on A11
Marjorie Kamys Cotera / Texas Tribune
In this photo, Gov. Greg Abbott signs HB4, which adds funding for pre-K, into law at the Anita Uphaus Early Childhood Center in Austin on May 28, 2015. The state will divvy up $116 million among 578 school districts and charter schools to bolster high-quality pre-kindergarten programs.
$116M said to be spread among 579 districts By Kiah Collier TEXAS TRIBUNE
Texas will divvy up $116 million among 578 school districts and charter schools to bolster highquality pre-kindergarten programs, Education Commissioner Mike Morath announced Tuesday. State lawmakers approved the grant program during last year’s leg-
islative session after Gov. Greg Abbott named early education as his top legislative priority, though some critics argued that the grants didn't go far enough. The funding will reach nearly half of the state's more than 1,200 school districts and charters. Qualifying districts will receive up to $1,500 per student, meaning larger
districts are getting bigger grant awards. The Houston school district, for example, will receive $9.2 million total while many smaller ones will receive just over $3,600. The awards will be paid out in two installments: the first one coming immediately to retroactively cover the 2015-16 school year, and another this fall for the upcoming school year.
"Implementation of this important grant program, which remains a priority of Gov. Abbott, provides important educational support to our youngest Texans," Morath said in a statement. "By working to ensure and expand high quality prekindergarten programs across our state, we take an important step toward ensuring every Pre-K continues on A11