The Zapata Times 8/26/2015

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ZAPATA COUNTY

FEDERAL COURT

Off to prison

Man receives 10-month jail sentence

Two men sentenced for transporting immigrants

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Two men were recently sentenced to prison for transporting illegal immigrants in Zapata County, according to court documents.

On Aug. 21, Senior U.S. District Judge George P. Kazen sentenced Roy Ramirez to eight months in prison and Adolfo de la Cruz Jr. to six months.

Both men pleaded guilty April 30 to transporting illegal immigrants for financial gain.

The allegations date back to March 12, when a Texas Department of Public Safety trooper requested the assistance U.S. Border Patrol.

The trooper had requested the assistance of agents during a traffic stop on U.S. 83 and Mesa Salinas Road, south of Za-

pata.

Ramirez was identified as the driver and de la Cruz as a front passenger, states the criminal complaint filed March 16.

Agents said they arrived at the location and determined that five people in the backseat were in the country illegally.

De la Cruz told agents Ramirez had asked him to travel with him to Zapata to pick up immi-

grants, records state.

“Ramirez told de la Cruz that they would pick up the (immigrants) in Zapata, Texas and then transport them to another location in Laredo, Texas,” states the complaint.

De la Cruz further stated that Ramirez allegedly asked him for help because Ramirez did not

See PRISON PAGE 9A

Pearsall man has ties to Zapata County human smuggling organization

By PHILIP BALLI THE ZAPATA TIMES

A Pearsall man linked to a human smuggling organization that operates out of Zapata County received a 10-month prison sentence

Tuesday in federal court in Laredo.

Luis Daniel MendozaMendoza was arrested in March along with co-defendant Laura Zavala of Zapata

See SMUGGLING PAGE 9A

49TH DISTRICT COURT

JURY FINDS AMAYA NOT GUILTY

Photo by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times file

Rio Bravo citizens gather outside of the Webb County Water Treatment Plant in late August 2013 to announce they will continue to boil their water even after the boil water alert was lifted.

Former official apologizes to people of El Cenizo, Rio Bravo

By JUDITH RAYO AND GABRIELA A. TREVIÑO THE ZAPATA TIMES

AMAYA

Johnny Amaya, the former Webb County water utilities director accused of endangering residents in El Cenizo and Rio Bravo by covering up poor water quality, was found not guilty late Monday afternoon.

Amaya and seven other

water plant employees, three of whom testified against Amaya last week in the 49th District Court, were indicted in October after the Texas Rangers arrested them on three counts of tampering with a governmental record and one count of engaging in organized criminal activity.

After deliberating for about five hours Monday — the fifth day of the trial —

the jury, consisting of seven men and seven women, found Amaya not guilty on all counts.

Amaya began to cry following the verdict.

“I’m overwhelmed,” he said. “I have always told my lawyer that I am innocent of all charges. I have never done anything wrong. It was a very unfortunate accident that happened.”

He also apologized to Rio Bravo and El Cenizo residents, who have long dealt with water quality problems. Those problems culminated in August 2013 when a boil water alert was issued for the two small cities.

“It’s time for the water plant to be repaired 100 percent,” Amaya said.

A teary-eyed Fausto Sosa, Amaya’s attorney, said

he was confident his client would be found not guilty.

“I feel great,” Sosa said.

“We believe justice has prevailed.”

District Attorney Isidro R. Alaniz said he did not expect a verdict of not guilty.

“The public is very well aware of the problems that were occurring in Rio Bra-

See NOT GUILTY PAGE 9A

BIRTH CERTIFICATE LAWSUIT

Mexico weighs in on case

By JULIÁN AGUILAR TEXAS TRIBUNE

Photo by Jennifer Whitney | New York Times file

A Border Patrol agent reads the birth certificate of Alejandro, 8 — the only thing he brought with him as he and others crossed the Rio Grande near McAllen on June 18, 2014. The Mexican government said that the denial of birth certificates to U.S. citizen children born to immigrant parents jeopardizes their well-being.

The denial of birth certificates to U.S. citizen children born to immigrant parents not only jeopardizes their dignity and well-being, but it could also threaten the unique relationship between Mexico and Texas, the Mexican government said in a brief tied to a lawsuit filed against the state.

The Mexican government filed its amicus brief late Monday in support of a coalition of undocumented parents who are suing the state of Texas after they were denied birth certificates

for their children.

The brief says that “friendly nations” have a history of accepting foreign passports or government-issued IDs to facilitate the identification of a foreigner.

“Conversely, expressions of doubt about the integrity of documents issued by a friendly country introduce a troublesome and discordant element into binational or transnational relations,” the 19-page court document states.

Attorneys with the Texas Civil Rights Project and Texas RioGrande Legal Aid filed the lawsuit against the Department of

State Health Services on behalf of six U.S. citizen children and their parents, who are undocumented immigrants from Mexico, Honduras and Guatemala.

The original complaint was filed in May and has been amended twice to include more than 30 families. La Unión Del Pueblo Entero, or LUPE, an immigrant rights group with about 7,000 members, has also joined the lawsuit.

At issue is the refusal by local county registrars’ offices to accept the parents’ foreign passports without a valid U.S. visa

See MEXICO PAGE 9A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Groundwork Laredo is hosting an introductory meeting from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at PILLAR, 1403 Seymour St. Mission is to support the LGBT community in Laredo. The public is invited to join and learn more about the organization and its plans.

Today is Wednesday, August 26, the 238th day of 2015. There are 127 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, guaranteeing American women’s right to vote, was certified in effect by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

On this date: In 1883, the island volcano Krakatoa began cataclysmic eruptions, leading to a massive explosion the following day.

In 1939, the first televised major league baseball games were shown on experimental station W2XBS: a double-header between the Cincinnati Reds and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field. (The Reds won the first game, 5-2, the Dodgers the second, 6-1.)

In 1958, Alaskans went to the polls to overwhelmingly vote in favor of statehood.

In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson was nominated for a term of office in his own right at the Democratic National Convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

In 1972, the summer Olympics games opened in Munich, West Germany.

In 1978, Cardinal Albino Luciani of Venice was elected pope following the death of Paul VI. The new pontiff took the name Pope John Paul I. (However, he died just over a month later.)

In 1985, 13-year-old AIDS patient Ryan White began “attending” classes at Western Middle School in Kokomo, Indiana, via a telephone hook-up at his home after school officials had barred Ryan from participating in person.

In 2009, authorities in California solved the 18-year disappearance of Jaycee Lee Dugard after she appeared at a parole office with her children and the Antioch couple who’d kidnapped her when she was 11.

Ten years ago: Utility crews in South Florida scrambled to restore power to more than 1 million customers blacked out by Hurricane Katrina, which continued to churn in the Gulf of Mexico.

Five years ago: The government of Chile released a video of the 33 miners trapped deep in a copper mine; the men appeared slim but healthy as they sang the national anthem and yelled, “Long live Chile, and long live the miners!”

One year ago: In a speech to the American Legion’s national convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, President Barack Obama defended his administration’s response to Veterans Affairs lapses that had delayed health care for thousands of former service members, but conceded more needed to be done to regain their trust.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Francine York is 79. Former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge is 70. Broadcast journalist Bill Whitaker is 64. Country musician Jimmy Olander (Diamond Rio) is 54. TV writer-actress Riley Weston is 49. Actress Melissa McCarthy is 45. Latin pop singer Thalia is 44. Actor Macaulay Culkin is 35. Actor Chris Pine is 35. Country singer Brian Kelley (Florida Georgia Line) is 30. Actress Keke Palmer is 22.

Thought for Today: “While we read history we make history.” — George William Curtis, American authoreditor (1824-1892).

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 Spanish Book Club from 6 to 8 p.m. at Laredo Public Library-Calton Road. Contact Sylvia Reash at 7631810.

Azteca Economic Development presents a series of small business workshops. Classes are free and in English at the Goodwill on I-35 and Mann Road from 6–8 p.m. Call 7264462 to register or for more information.

The Webb County Heritage Foundation opening reception for “New Spain: The Frontiers of Faith,” featuring photographic reproductions of rare documents, engravings, paintings and artifacts concerning the conquest and colonization of Mexico and its northern territories, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St. Webb County Heritage Foundation, 956-727-0977 or visit www.webbheritage.org.

Photo by Esteban Felix | AP

Members of the Nicaraguan Human Rights Center, CENIDH, hold signs against the execution in the U.S. of Nicaraguan Bernardo Aban Tercero in Managua, Nicaragua, Monday. Tercero was sentenced to death in October 2000 in connection with the March 1997 fatal shooting of Robert Berger, 38, a Reagan High School English teacher.

Man set to be executed

By MICHAEL GRACZYK

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28

ASSOCIATED PRESS

“Imitate Jesus!” is the theme for this year’s convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Corpus Christi at the American Bank Center, 1901 N Shoreline Blvd., will begin at 9:20 a.m. with the English Convention. The keynote address is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. and is entitled “Concealed in Him Are All the Treasures of Wisdom.” The convention is open to the public; no admission fee.

HUNTSVILLE — With his 3-year-old daughter in tow and his wife in the car outside, high school teacher Robert Berger walked into a Houston dry cleaning shop and into a holdup that cost him his life.

Now, a Nicaraguan man who prosecutors say was in the United States illegally when Berger was gunned down more than 18 years ago is set for execution this evening for shooting the 38-year-old during the robbery in which two men fled with about $400 from the cash drawers.

Bernardo Tercero, 39, would be the 11th prisoner put to death this year in Texas, which carries out capital punishment more than any other state. His attorneys asked a federal court Monday to halt the punishment, contending Tercero was delusional

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 Spiritual Wisdom in Health and Healing at the Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton, 2nd floor, Classroom A. Free Bilingual Book Discussion and HU Chant. Se habla español. Presented by the Texas Satsang Society, Inc. For more info call 210-831-7113.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 30 Loteria Mexicana at the Holy Redeemer Church at 3 p.m. Prizes. If you have any questions please call Amparo Ugarte at 286-0862.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 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.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 The Villa San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society will meet from 3 to 5 p.m. at St. John Neumann to discuss the state conference. Call Sanjuanita-Martinez Hunter at 722-3497 or visit vsalgs.org for conference info.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 Martin High School Class of ’75 40th year reunion from 7 p.m. to midnight at 105 Regal Drive. Contact Yolanda Gonzalez-Robbins at 286-4627 or yolandarobbins@hotmail.com.

and mentally incompetent for execution.

State attorneys opposing a reprieve argued that reports of Tercero’s mental illness didn’t surface this year until his execution order was signed in May. A prison interview last week with a Spanish-language Univision station in which Tercero talked about the crime and his case shows he is “well aware of his impending execution and has more than a rational understanding of his situation and the reason for the execution,” an assistant attorney general, Jeremy Greenwell, said in a court filing. A prisoner’s awareness and understanding of the punishment are criteria established by the U.S. Supreme Court to allow a convicted killer’s execution.

Tercero’s case has attracted attention in his home country, where a clemency plea from Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega was forwarded to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.

Border Patrol agent stole grandmother’s benefits

Man on Texas Most Wanted list caught

6 hurt in Houston apartments fire

LAREDO — A Border Patrol supervisor in South Texas faces up to 10 years in prison for stealing his late grandmother’s Social Security benefits. Prosecutors say James Doran’s grandmother died in 2000, but he didn’t report her death and her Social Security widow’s benefits continued to be paid. The funds were deposited into a bank account that the 54-year-old Doran shared with his late relative, adding up to nearly $109,000 paid by 2011.

AUSTIN — A Houston-area convicted felon on the Texas Department of Public Safety 10 Most Wanted list has been captured in Florida.

DPS on Tuesday announced 46-year-old Michael Thomas Osborn of Deer Park was caught at a motel in Lantana, Florida.

Prosecutors say Osborn in June cut off an ankle monitor he was wearing after recently bonding out of jail on two counts of indecency with a child.

HOUSTON — Officials say six people have been hurt in a fire at a Houston apartment complex.

The Houston Fire Department says the blaze broke out before dawn Tuesday at a complex in the northwest part of the city.

Three people were treated at the scene. Three others were transported to a hospital, as a precaution, for treatment of smoke inhalation.

Investigators are trying to determine what started the blaze.

Officials confirm Dallas resident died of West Nile

Man was ‘obsessed’ with woman, corpse missing

Drug dealer pleads guilty over death

DALLAS — Health officials say a Dallas resident who contracted the West Nile virus has died. A city statement Tuesday announced the death, but did not provide patient details such as age, gender or date of death. The person lived in the 75214 Zip code, an area just west of White Rock Lake.

SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio police trying to find a woman’s corpse stolen from a casket say a man “obsessed” with her was the last to leave her funeral.

A preliminary police report released Tuesday mentions the man amid the search for the body of 25-year-old Julie Mott.

Mott died Aug. 8.

DALLAS — A drug dealer from California has pleaded guilty to his role in the 2014 Texas overdose death of an apparent first-time heroin user.

Jimison Erik Coleman of Los Angeles pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin.

— Compiled from AP reports

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 Martin High School Class of ’75 40th year reunion from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at The Mirage, 5411 McPherson Rd. Contact Yolanda Gonzalez-Robbins at 286-4627 or yolandarobbins@hotmail.com. RSVP required.

Used book sale at First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave. Hardcovers $1, paperbacks $.50, magazines and children’s books $.25.

Open from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is welcome.

8th Annual Football Tailgating Cook-Off at L.I.F.E. Downs from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cook-off teams in finger ribs (money prizes and trophies), chicken thighs (jackpot prize) and spare ribs (jackpot prize). Also, a showmanship contest for best decorated team (truck, tent and members), live music, food vendors, a car show, Webb County Trail Riders, Ranch Rodeo and Team Roping and more. $2 per person at gate, age 12 and under free.

Call 956-286-9055 to participate in cook-off or as a vendor.

Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location and purpose.

AROUND THE NATION Boy survived in woods by curling up in warm rocks SALT LAKE CITY — A 10year-old boy found safe after more than a day alone in remote eastern Utah backcountry said Tuesday he remembered the survival skills his father taught him and curled up between rocks still warm from the sun to survive the cold mountain night.

“It was weird not having anybody with me, but I just kept going. I knew I had to make it back or my family would be really sad,” Malachi Bradley said.

Malachi had been learning about wild mushrooms, and he wandered deep into the woods searching for new specimens after a hike with family to a mountain lake.

Prosecutors review fatal crash involving Jenner LOS ANGELES — Prosecutors on Tuesday began reviewing evi-

CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by Ravell Call/The Deseret News | AP

Malachi Bradley, center, smiles at his brother Levi as he is reunited with his family, Monday, in Uintah County, Utah, after being lost near the Wyoming border on Sunday. dence and considering whether charges should be filed against Caitlyn Jenner in a traffic collision that killed a woman on a coastal California highway.

The case was being examined by the Los Angeles County district attorney’s major crimes di-

vision. There was no timetable for when prosecutors will decide whether to file charges.

Authorities said Jenner was driving a sport utility vehicle on Feb. 7 when it slammed into two cars on Pacific Coast Highway.

— Compiled from AP reports

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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

Local & State

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Jury Texas shrugs off low oil prices Rio Grande indicts City Zapata concert man

By JIM MALEWITZ TEXAS TRIBUNE

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A man from Zapata who tried smuggling illegal immigrants through the Hebbronville area was recently indicted in court, records state.

On Aug. 18, a grand jury charged Felipe SantiagoCarrasquillo with conspiracy to transport undocumented people within the United States and attempt to transport undocumented people for money.

Santiago-Carrasquillo expected a $900 payment for guiding four immigrants from El Salvador, states the criminal complaint filed July 30. If convicted, he could serve up to 10 years in prison.

His arrest happened July 22. That morning, agents assigned to the Hebbronville Station said they noticed footprints in the area of FM 3073, about 1 mile south of Hebbronville.

Agents followed the footprints until they encountered five people hiding in the thick brush, records state.

Four people allegedly told agents they were in the country illegally. One man identified himself as Santiago-Carrasquillo, a Zapata resident who was born in Puerto Rico.

Records revealed that Santiago-Carrasquillo had a prior arrest for human smuggling in 2009, but the case was not prosecuted, according to court documents.

Santiago-Carrasquillo allegedly agreed to speak to agents following his arrest.

“Santiago-Carrasquillo admitted that he was guiding four undocumented (immigrants) from El Salvador through the brush,” states the complaint. “Santiago-Carrasquillo claimed that he and an acquaintance picked up the (undocumented immigrants) from a trailer home in Zapata, Texas and drove north on (Texas) 16 until arriving to Farm to Market Road 3073, where they were dropped off.”

Santiago-Carrasquillo remained detained on a $75,000 bond. He has arraignment Thursday.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

Just one short year ago, Texas drilling country rumbled with activity and high expectations that the good times would last a long while.

So much for that.

Amid a plunge in oil prices, the bonanza has paused at the very least, wiping out thousands of jobs in the oilfields and communities dependent on them.

A barrel of West Texas crude is selling near $40 these days, the lowest since 2009, when Texas was struggling to shake the effects of the global financial crisis. The state lost nearly 340,000 jobs that year, and its unemployment rate skyrocketed

to levels unseen in more than two decades.

Though anything can happen in the volatile world of oil trading, all signs point to a downturn that will be longer than many expected – including state revenue estimators.

But state officials aren’t sweating. The phenomenon has undoubtedly walloped oil-dependent communities in South and West Texas. But across the rest of the state, other business sectors are picking up the slack for an industry that no longer dominates the economy. And increases in production have kept oil and gas taxes flowing into Austin for now, even as prices drop.

“The comptroller does not want to diminish the impact that this has had

on people’s communities and people’s lives,” said Chris Bryan, a spokesman for Comptroller Glenn Hegar.

But statewide?

“You’re still seeing job growth, you’re still seeing revenue growth in sales tax, you’re still seeing people moving here,” he said.

“And I think that is part of that story of Texas being not just an oil and gas state anymore.”

The stats back up the comptroller. The state economy is growing, though more slowly than it did amid the drilling boom.

In March, the state lost 25,400 jobs, ending a remarkable streak of 53 months of growth, according to state and federal data. Yet Texas turned

around and added 33,200 jobs in May, and added more in each month since.

Last June, the state collected less sales tax revenue than it did in June of 2014, ending a 62-month growth streak. But in July, it edged out collections from a year earlier.

Oil and mineral-related revenue makes up 10 percent of the state’s total tax collections but less than five percent of the Texas budget, according to state records.

“The revenue estimate is the sum of various parts, and what we’re seeing with oil and gas is, it’s not doing real well, but the other parts are doing very well,” said Dale Craymer, president of the businessbacked Texas Taxpayers and Research Association.

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Rio Grande City is celebrating the Hispanic heritage of many of its residents with a free concert event called Viva Mexico!

The concert will take place Saturday, Sept. 12 at the Kiosk on Britton Avenue and 2nd Street from 6– 10 p.m.

Inkieto and Nuevo Reto will be performing.

For more information, go to cityofrgc.com or call 956-487-0672.

2 lawyers banned from detention center

By SETH ROBBINS ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — Attorney Kim Hunter received a letter earlier this month from immigration authorities telling her she’d been banned from a family detention center in South Texas for being “belligerent” in demanding the release of her clients one late July night.

Andrew Free learned Aug. 3 that he’d also been banished from the country’s largest such facility after the attorney marched into a courtroom trailer 10 days before to ask why U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials were meeting with his clients without his knowledge.

ICE says the two violated visitation standards, but a coalition of immigration attorneys says the bans are unprecedented and is fighting to rescind them as part of its ongoing effort to improve access to the immigrant mothers and their children who are

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

A child’s artwork is seen as Cristian, 6, and Alexus, 11, immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally with their mothers from Guatemala, eat breakfast at a respite house on Aug. 18 in San Antonio. in the U.S. without legal permission and being held at the facility.

“I have never encountered the constant unrelenting drum beat of ways to interfere with access,” said Hunter, who arrived in late July from St. Paul, Minnesota, to perform pro bono work.

She is one of about 500 lawyers from around the country who have volunteered a week at a time at

the 50-acre, 2,400-bed facility in Dilley, which currently holds some 1,000 immigrants. The center has faced intense political and legal opposition after the U.S. government opened it and another Texas center in response to tens of thousands of Central American mothers and children who illegally crossed the U.S.-Mexico border last year. On Friday, a federal judge or-

dered the rapid release of the children, along with their mothers when possible — something lawyers for Homeland Security had been fighting and could appeal.

The volunteer attorneys say their representation is vital in helping the women pass interviews that are the first hurdle in seeking asylum. Stephen Manning, an attorney involved in the pro-bono pro-

jects, says that of the 5,000 immigrants who’ve had representation, he’s seen only 10 denials.

But the lawyers say immigration authorities are increasingly hindering their ability to represent clients. They gave examples such as citing security concerns as a way to deny access to counsel, limiting access to courtrooms, keeping out psychologists who’ve received clearance and sudden rule changes, such as not allowing cellphones to be left in lockers, meaning the lawyers must keep the phones locked away in hot cars.

ICE officials did not respond to all of the lawyers’ allegations, but said those psychologists had their access revoked because they were “conducting an unauthorized survey.”

ICE spokeswoman Gillian Christensen said the agency is in “frequent communication” with lawyers for the immigrants and responds to their concerns.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM

COMMENTARY

OTHER VIEWS

How the GOP should address climate change

By BOB INGLIS AND MARK REYNOLDS THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER

The Republican talking point on climate change is evolving, thankfully, from “I’m not a scientist” to “Let’s solve it through innovation.” That’s good news for the nation and generations of Americans to come. After all, the first step to solving a problem is to admit that you have one, and that’s now happening.

Jeb Bush, the presumptive candidate to beat for the Republican presidential nomination, said last month, “Ultimately, there’s going to be a person in a garage somewhere that’s going to come up with a disruptive technology that’s going to solve these problems, and I think markets need to be respected in this regard.”

Another candidate, Carly Fiorina, offered a similar observation: “I think the answer to this problem is innovation, not regulation.”

It’s a very nuanced position. In one breath, they acknowledge there’s a problem we must solve and attack the regulatory solution currently leaving the station. There’s just one problem: Suggesting that innovation without market reform will solve climate change is more wishful thinking than a serious policy proposal.

The truth is that we cannot afford to wait for “a person in a garage” to come up with a magic bullet. The technologies that can wean society off polluting fuels already exist.

What we need is the economic incentive — money talks — to bring those technologies to scale.

To be sure, there are technologies yet to be invented that will have a game-changing impact on

our ability to undo the damage accrued from burning fossil fuels for the past two centuries. But investors are more likely to fund the research and development for these new technologies if they are assured a market that values them and thus a reasonable return on their investment.

What would give them such assurance? A predictable, steadily rising fee for carbon pollution.

For those who worry that pricing carbon will drag down our economy, here’s the other part of the equation: Return the revenue from the carbon fee back to the people, either through direct payments or by lowering taxes.

A study by Regional Economic Models Inc. looked at this type of policy, factoring in an annual increase of $10 per ton on the carbon dioxide content of fossil fuels. REMI found that after 20 years, emissions would be reduced by 52 percent. More impressive, though, was that the policy would add 2.8 million jobs over 20 years because of the carbon-fee revenue being recycled into the economy.

In previous standoffs, public opinion proved very harsh for the GOP. With opinion polls showing twothirds of Americans supporting the new EPA rules, attacking them seems like a strategy that’s all risk and no reward.

The problem is that congressional Republicans haven’t come to the table on the climate issue, and if you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu. By not being engaged, the GOP has ceded climatechange policy to an executive branch that is imposing more government regulations, the least desirable solution Republicans can imagine.

EDITORIAL

Off-target on student debt THE WASHINGTON POST

For some students, college debt can be a disincentive to attend or a crushing burden afterward. For others, many of whom are starting classes now, it is a reasonable investment in a degree that will lead to increased lifetime earnings. As they look for crowd-pleasing solutions to the college debt “crisis,” the Democratic candidates aren’t making the right distinctions.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, IVt., for example, would make public higher education free, an expensive proposition that would subsidize a lot of rich people. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton’s plan is smarter but also imperfectly targeted.

Ms. Clinton starts by taking on President Barack Obama’s idea of offering everyone free community college, regardless of financial need, when such generosity simply isn’t necessary to bring education within everyone’s reach. Then she would slash the interest rate on new federally subsidized student loans, which are taken by students before they’ve chosen a career and started earning mon-

ey, even though some of that help would certainly go to future millionaires.

She would also allow all Americans with student debt to refinance their loans at a lower rate. Her campaign insists that the education secretary would have the flexibility to refuse the refinancing deal to, say, investment bankers and others who can afford to pay at a higher rate. But it’s unclear how effective that discretion would be in practice.

The marquee proposal in Ms. Clinton’s plan is to pour money into public colleges on the condition that they ask no student or family to make any more than an “affordable and realistic family contribution” toward tuition.

This would reduce sticker shock, which can deter teenagers from pursuing education, and it would blunt the incentive to drive up tuition that schools currently have because students can resort to taxpayer-subsidized loans.

It would keep college affordable enough that no one would have to take out loans. Is that worth the expense — about $175 billion over 10 years just for the public college portion?

COLUMN

University of Houston ‘saved’ lots of us working folks Hundreds, probably thousands, of people have been able to gain a college degree by taking advantage of the Houston job market and attending the University of Houston in pursuit of that diploma.

Two of those sheepskins have a permanent place of honor in my household — Life Mate’s and mine.

Of course, what I write here is based on my experiences and knowledge in nearly eight decades of living.

Some of the jobs I worked had drawbacks that included teasing, but I wasn’t going to be deterred. That trip toward a diploma was extremely important.

My particular journey actually began at another school — what was then Sam Houston State Teachers College, which had a 1955 enrollment of 1900, give or take a couple of dozen. I had a meager scholarship and landed a first semester job as an evening cook at the Club Café across the street from the campus.

My luck soared at the beginning of the second semester when I got a job as Sam Houston’s sports publicity director. It was a

time-consuming job but was in line with my journalism major and my interests. Anyway it got me out of the kitchen.

I managed, with just a little help from my parents, to get in two years there before running out of money, so I took a job as news editor of my hometown paper. After a year there, I managed to save a little and buy a five-yearold car, which I left with my mother since they’d stumbled upon some hard times. I went off to the University of Houston, where I gained two $500 scholarships (one for each semester of my junior year). I knew I’d still have to work so I landed a job as secretary-receptionist in the UH Journalism and Graphic Arts Department.

In 1958, that drew snickers from some people, including a dean of the school who failed to identify himself when I answered his phone call: “Ho, ho, ho! I didn’t know they had a male secreta-

ry!” which drew a slammed down phone.

Fortunately, I didn’t lose my $1-an-hour job, my $5 a week spot as copy editor of the weekly student newspaper or the scholarship.

The second semester brought a better job, that as general manager of a small weekly newspaper in suburban Galena Park.

Mom and Dad helped me get a rusted-out 1952 Chevrolet coupe which carried me back and forth between my room at my aunt and uncle’s house, work and the UH campus, where I’d become a full nighttime student. Oh, and it finally got me off those dang city buses.

Heck, I got to where I was feeling flush and I went to a good Galena Park auto dealer advertiser and traded my rusty Chevy for a brand spanking new 1960 Morris Minor two-door coupe. I was introduced to the great American way of financing and monthly payments. That British Motor Corp. vehicle, their answer to the German Volkswagen “bug,” got me through college and beyond.

Three months before

graduation, I landed a magazine associate editor’s job at Texas Industry, the official publication of what was then the Texas Manufacturers Association, a lobby group for business.

And, that little Morris put in considerable mileage with traveling around the state to do issues of the magazine on Texas cities and their industries.

Plus, it enabled me to finish UH, listen to a droning graduation speech from Oveta Culp Hobby, then publisher of the Houston Post daily newspaper, and the first U.S. Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare.

I love both Sam Houston and the University of Houston and it gives me the distinction of rooting for two colleges earnestly.

However, UH finished imbuing in me what my parents had started — an appreciation for a college education and for the opportunities to work and support myself while I was attending school.

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

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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-call-

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Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS

Mallett loses starting job Texans’ QB stung by second string nod

By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Patric Schneider | AP

Houston’s Ryan Mallett was beaten out by former Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer for the Texans’ starting job.

HOUSTON — Ryan Mallett was still seething on Tuesday, a day after Brian Hoyer beat him out to earn Houston’s starting quarterback job.

“Am I disappointed?

Yeah. Angry? Little bit,” Mallett said. “Thought I did enough to deserve the job. But it was not seen that way so I’ll do what’s best for the team.”

Coach Bill O’Brien, who announced the decision on Monday, said he wouldn’t expect Mallett to be happy about losing the job.

“When you name a starter and the other guy happens to be the No. 2 guy, that guy’s not going to be happy. Especially if he’s a competitor,” O’Brien said. “That’s what you want. You don’t want a guy jumping around doing back-springs when he gets named the backup.”

The Texans played four quarterbacks last season because of injuries. Mallett, who started two

games last season before a season-ending pectoral injury, thinks he’ll get a chance to play.

“I’m just going to wait until my turn gets called,” Mallett said. “At some point it’s going to happen this year.”

Mallett had just finished practice when he spoke on Tuesday. His hulking 6foot-6 frame looked tense as he grabbed the sides of the podium as he spoke.

“I thought I had a pretty good camp,” he said. “I thought I was consistent in my completion percentage every day. Didn’t turn the ball over. Three incompletions so far in the preseason so I thought I was playing all right.”

Aside from his two starts last season, Mallett has been a backup his entire career, spending three years behind Tom Brady in New England before joining the Texans last August.

“I don’t know what else to do but work my (butt) off so that’s what I’m going to keep doing,” he said.

Nation

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Ashley Madison users sue website over breach

By AMANDA LEE MYERS ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Eight people across the U.S. who registered to use Ashley Madison are suing the website for cheaters after hackers released personal and detailed information of millions of users, including financial data and sexual proclivities.

The lawsuits were filed between last month and Monday by Ashley Madison users in California, Texas, Missouri, Georgia, Tennessee and Minnesota. They all seek class-action status to represent the estimated 37 million registered users of Ashley Madison.

The lawsuits, which seek unspecified damages, claim negligence, breach of contract and privacy violations. They say Ashley Ma-

dison failed to take reasonable steps to protect the security of its users, including those who paid a special fee to have their information deleted.

Last month, hackers infiltrated Ashley Madison’s website and downloaded private information. The details — including names, emails, home addresses, financial data and message history — were posted publicly online last week.

“Needless to say, this dumping of sensitive personal and financial information is bound to have catastrophic effects on the lives of the website’s users,” according to a lawsuit filed Friday on behalf of an anonymous Los Angeles man who created an account with Ashley Madison in March 2012.

“As a result of (Ashley

Photo by Lee Jin-man | AP file

A June 10 file photo shows Ashley Madison’s Korean website on a computer screen in Seoul, South Korea.

Madison’s) unfair, unreasonable and inadequate data security, its users’ extremely personal and embarrassing information is now accessible to the public,” according to the lawsuit, filed by the Baltimorebased firm of Hammond Law.

Attorney Julian Hammond, who says his firm has litigated class-action lawsuits against companies like Google, Apple and Hulu, said the Ashley Madison breach is unprecedented in his experience.

The website’s users are worried not only about

identity theft but about the embarrassment of the release of intimate sexual preferences. Even registering for the site without having an actual affair could put marriages in jeopardy.

“I haven’t seen anything like it,” Hammond said Tuesday.

A spokesman for Avid Life Media, the Torontobased company that owns Ashley Madison, referred to previously released statements by the company calling the hack malicious and an “act of criminality.”

Avid Life on Monday began offering a $500,000 Canadian (US $378,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of members of a group that hacked the site.

“We will not sit idly by and allow these thieves to force their personal ideology on citizens around the

world,” the company said in a statement last week.

The U.S. litigation follows a $578 million lawsuit filed in Canada last week, also seeking class-action status.

The hackers who took responsibility for Ashley Madison’s data breach have said they attacked the website in an effort to close it down as punishment for collecting a $19 fee without actually deleting users’ data.

On Monday, Canadian police said the hack has triggered extortion crimes and led to two unconfirmed reports of suicides.

The credit-card information of U.S. government workers — some with sensitive jobs in the White House, Congress and the Justice Department — was revealed in the breach.

Last inmate moved from decrepit jail Doctors

By BRIAN WITTE ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Maryland moved the last inmates out of the dangerously decrepit men’s section of the Baltimore City Detention Center on Tuesday, state officials said, completing the closure of the notorious facility.

The jail pre-dates modern penal facility standards, with some of its walls dating to the 19th century. It has been known for its hazardous conditions, including blind corners and dark corridors. It

also has been the target of reform attempts for decades.

“The final closure of this detention center removes a stain on the reputation of our state and Maryland’s correctional system,” Hogan said in a statement announcing the removal of all detainees by 5 p.m. Tuesday. “For years, corruption, criminal activity, and deplorable conditions have plagued this facility, but that ends today.”

In June, the American Civil Liberties Union and Public Justice Center asked a federal judge to reopen a

lawsuit against the state over what they said were conditions so substandard it brings “shame to this city.” Attorneys cited moldy showers and cells infested with mice and cockroaches.

They also said medical care was poor or nonexistent.

Hogan, a Republican, announced plans July 30 to close the state-run jail, where a sweeping federal indictment in 2013 exposed a sophisticated drug- and cellphone-smuggling ring involving dozens of gang members and correctional officers. The investigation also exposed sexual rela-

tions between jailhouse gang leader Tavon White and female guards that left four of them pregnant.

Forty of the 44 defendants charged in the racketeering conspiracy were convicted, including 24 correctional officers. Thirtyfive defendants pleaded guilty; eight defendants went to trial and one defendant died. White pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Hogan said the closure would save the state $10 million to $15 million annually. Soon after the announcement, officials be-

gan moving about 1,100 inmates and detainees to other Baltimore-area detention centers, keeping them in proximity to local courts.

Maryland lawmakers say they have yet to be informed where exactly the inmates and detainees have been moved, and they have questions about the administration’s long-term plans to house the detainees and inmates.

The state has created a customer service phone line to help family members of detainees locate their relatives.

Mom could face death penalty

By ANDREW WELSH-HUGGINS ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLUMBUS, Ohio — A woman accused of killing her three young sons over a 13-month period out of jealousy at the attention her husband paid them was indicted Tuesday on aggravated murder charges that carry the possibility of a death sentence.

The charges against Brittany Pilkington in Bellefontaine, in western Ohio, about 55 miles from Columbus, include capital punishment factors of multiple victims and victims under 13.

Logan County Prosecutor William Goslee had previously said death penalty charges were unlikely given the circumstances, which included what he said was Pilkington’s abusive childhood and life with her controlling husband, who previously was her mother’s boyfriend.

He described a troubled woman who wanted “to eliminate male children” so her husband would have more time for her and her daughter.

“To imagine a jury that would say that this is a person with a depraved heart that should die at

Photo by Andrew Welsh-Huggins | AP

Brittany Pilkington, right, listens as a judge sets a $1 million bond in the case in which Pilkington is accused of suffocating her three sons over 13 months on Aug. 20 in Bellefontaine, Ohio. the hands of some chemistry, I don’t think that’s likely,” Goslee said Aug. 19, referring to Ohio’s lethal injection process. A message was left seeking comment.

Pilkington, 23, is in jail on $1 million bond. She didn’t speak at a brief court hearing last week and wasn’t required to enter a plea on the murder charges against her.

Her mother, Lori Cummins, said Pilkington told her in a brief jailhouse phone call last week that she’s innocent. A message was left with Pilkington’s attorney Tuesday after the indictment.

But police and prosecu-

tors say Pilkington confessed Aug. 18, the day her third son, 3-month-old Noah, was found dead.

Goslee has said authorities didn’t have any evidence of a crime in the earlier deaths and no one could have predicted Pilkington would kill her remaining son.

Authorities were unsure what caused the July 2014 death of 3-month-old Niall, which was attributed to sudden infant death syndrome. After 4-year-old Gavin died in April, a daughter and the newborn boy, Noah, were taken into custody by the Logan County Children’s Services agency pending an investigation.

During a hearing, a doctor speculated that the boys might have had a genetic defect. But the doctor also said there were signs of neglect.

A judge allowed Noah to be returned home because there wasn’t conclusive evidence the first two boys had been killed. The judge, Dan Bratka, said he couldn’t comment about the Pilkingtons because the family’s child services case is pending in his court.

Authorities now believe Pilkington used each boy’s comfort blanket to suffocate him in his crib or bed because she wanted her husband to pay more at-

Student with gun took hostages

By JONATHAN MATTISE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILIPPI, W.Va. — A 14year-old boy with a handgun held several students and a teacher hostage in a West Virginia high school classroom Tuesday afternoon before he let them go after negotiations and surrendered, State Police said.

No injuries were reported.

State Police Lt. Michael Baylous said in a statement that the male student had taken a pistol into a second-floor classroom Tuesday at Philip Barbour High School in the north-central part of the state.

Local authorities received a call about a report of someone with a gun about 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, and said the school was placed on a lockdown, and students elsewhere in the school were moved to a

Photo by Ben Queen | AP

Students wait on the football field bleachers at Philip Barbour High School in Philippi, W.V., after being evacuated Tuesday. nearby football field, accounted for and sent home by school bus.

After initial negotiations, the suspect agreed to release the students and teacher, then eventually put

the gun down and surrendered without further incident, Baylous said.

The suspect has been taken to a hospital for evaluation and a local prosecutor will decide “the appro-

priate course of action,” Baylous added in the statement.

Steve Saltis was among several anxious parents who went to the school and waited outside an area cordoned off by police tape while waiting for students to be released. Saltis said by phone that his daughter attends the school and that “a lot” was going through his mind while he waited for her to head home.

Saltis said many students had been sitting in the school’s football stadium after the school was evacuated and that he was able to talk to his daughter.

But Saltis said law enforcement officials told parents nothing while the suspect was still in the school.

Philippi is a town of 3,000 residents about 115 miles south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

tention to her and their 3year-old daughter, Goslee said.

Goslee said Pilkington was dominated and isolated by her 43-year-old husband, Joseph Pilkington, who had been Cummins’ live-in boyfriend before marrying Brittany Pilkington in 2010. He isn’t a suspect in the case. Relatives say he hasn’t been seen since his wife’s arrest. He hasn’t returned messages from The Associated Press.

Police and prosecutors have noted that Brittany Pilkington did not seem affected or emotional about her sons’ deaths.

Cummins said that her daughter was always good with the children and that Joseph Pilkington favored the 4-year-old son over the 3-year-old daughter. This bothered Brittany Pilkington, who said the children should be treated equally, Cummins said.

The county prosecutor has alleged Brittany Pilkington was physically abused as a child by her father. Her father, Ed Cummins, said he wasn’t present when she grew up and he regrets it. But Cummins, 41, said he never harmed her.

study peanut allergy

By LINDSEY TANNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

CHICAGO — A pediatricians’ group is recommending that infants at high risk of peanut allergies be given foods containing peanuts before they turn 1.

The interim guidance is in response to a major allergy study published earlier this year that found that exposure to peanuts in infancy seemed to help build tolerance — contrary to conventional thinking.

Baby-suitable foods used in the study included smooth peanut butter, peanut soup and finely ground peanuts mixed into yogurt and other foods.

The advice comes in a consensus statement that the American Academy of Pediatrics helped prepare and endorsed in June along with the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and several foreign allergy groups.

The academy is releasing the statement online Monday in the journal Pediatrics.

Allergy tests are recommended before exposing atrisk infants to peanut-containing foods between 4 months and 11 months of age.

These are youngsters who’ve had skin reactions to eating eggs or a severe eczema skin rash, which suggests a possible food allergy.

The recommendations are meant to serve as interim guidance while more extensive guidelines are prepared by the National Institute of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology and the European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Those are expected by next year, the consensus statement said.

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Nation

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

Bush hit from both sides on ‘anchor babies’

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI AND SERGIO BUSTOS ASSOCIATED PRESS

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Jeb Bush came to the Veterans of Foreign Wars post to talk about veterans’ affairs but two words hung over the town hall event in a Denver suburb Tuesday: anchor babies.

That’s the loaded term that Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump has used to refer to U.S.born children of people who come to the country illegally. The babies have automatic U.S. citizenship under the first section of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, something that Trump and other foes of high immigration levels decry.

As Bush has detailed his position — supporting birthright citizenship but concerned about the “birth

tourism” industry that flies predominantly wealthy Asian mothers to the U.S. for childbirth — he’s been questioned more than the reality show star. In response to a query at the town hall, Bush showed his frustration.

“When I was 17 years old, I fell in love with Columba Garnica de Bush,” he said, referring to his Mexicanborn wife. “It’s going to be really hard for me to get lectured to by anybody about the politics of immigration.”

Last week, after Bush used the term “anchor babies” to say he was concerned about some possible abuses of birthright citizenship, he came under fire from the left. On Monday, Bush said he was talking about some “Asian people” rather than the vast majority of immigrants having children in the U.S. That drew another round of crit-

Photo by Brennan Linsley | AP

Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush speaks during a town hall style campaign stop in Englewood, Colo., Tuesday. icism from Democrats.

On Tuesday, Bush elaborated even further: “I was talking about a very narrow system of fraud in which people are bringing in pregnant women to have babies to exploit birthright citizenship.”

Bush is describing a real

Iran deal momentum

By ERICA WERNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — A key Republican committee chairman acknowledged Tuesday that the White House lobbying campaign for the Iran nuclear deal has generated results, and said he doesn’t know if opponents of the deal can prevail. The comments from Sen. Bob Corker of Tennessee, who chairs the Foreign Relations Committee and is a leading voice against the deal, came as supporters of the agreement claimed growing momentum. A 29th senator, Democrat Patty Murray of Washington, came out in favor of the deal on Tuesday.

That put supporters within reach of the 34 votes required to uphold a presidential veto of a resolution disapproving of the agreement struck by the U.S., Iran and five world powers. The deal aims to dismantle most of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for billions in

sanctions relief, but opponents say it makes perilous concessions to Iran.

Some supporters have now begun aiming to get 41 votes, which would allow Democrats to kill the disapproval resolution outright in the Senate and protect President Barack Obama from having to use his veto pen.

Corker said he didn’t know if opponents could stop that effort. But he criticized Democrats’ attempts to filibuster the disapproval resolution and block a final vote, given that Congress overwhelmingly endorsed hard-fought legislation giving lawmakers the right to weigh in on the deal.

“I find that stunning that the leader, the Democratic leader, is proposing that,” Corker told The Associated Press in a phone interview.

“All but one senator voted in favor of having the right to vote on the final deal, so then to turn right around and filibuster it to me is very inconsistent and I think would be confusing to the

people they represent.”

As for whether Republicans who control Congress and unanimously oppose the deal could thwart such a filibuster, Corker said: “I don’t know, I don’t know.”

“I don’t think there’s any question but the lobbying effort by the administration certainly has generated results, and I have no idea what the final vote is going to be but certainly they’ve picked up some support on the Democratic side,” Corker said.

He declined to speculate as to why lobbying by opponents, including the powerful American Israel Public Affairs Committee, has not gotten more traction. Israel says the deal poses a threat to its very existence.

Only two Senate Democrats — New York’s Chuck Schumer and New Jersey’s Bob Menendez — have announced that they will vote against the agreement, though several key Democratic senators have yet to announce their position.

phenomenon that has drawn concern from the Obama administration. Earlier this year, federal authorities served search warrants on three dozen homes in California as part of an investigation into three businesses that fly Chinese expectant mothers to the Unit-

ed States, put them up in special hotels and deliver their children. Authorities filed charges against 10 Chinese nationals who violated federal court orders in the case and fled the country.

The size of the “birth tourism” business is unknown. The Center for Immigration Studies, a Washington think-tank that favors greater restrictions on immigration, has estimated that about 40,000 babies are born to birth tourists, most of whom legally enter the country, annually.

Still, Democrats continued to hammer Bush for the statements, indicating that the party considers him a more likely eventual Republican nominee than Trump, despite the real estate mogul’s lead in the polls. In a hastily organized conference call Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Judy Chu, D-Calif., did not mention Trump

but called on Bush to apologize to Asian Americans.

Rep. Mike Honda, D-Calif., who represents the nation’s only majority-Asian congressional district, called Bush’s statement “a slur against all immigrants.”

Bush’s own strong ties to immigrant communities — he speaks fluent Spanish — threatens Democrats’ edge with Hispanics and Asians.

In Colorado, many of the several dozen people at the town hall asked Bush about immigration. One asked him to describe the difference between his stance and Trump’s, a contrast Bush has been increasingly trying to make. “Mr. Trump believes you can just round people up,” said Bush, calling that idea contrary to American values and not “practical.” Bush favors a path to legal status for many of the people in the country illegally.

PÁGINA 8A

Zfrontera

Ribereña en Breve CONGRESO DE ESTUDIO DE AVES La Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Medio Ambiente, participa en la organización de la 14ª edición del Congreso para el Estudio y Conservación de las Aves en México (CECAM) el cual se llevará a cabo en las instalaciones del Centro Interpretativo Ecológico CIE, de la Reserva de la Biósfera El Cielo, en Tamaulipas.

Los investigadores que deseen participar en el Congreso aún pueden enviar sus trabajos hasta el 28 de agosto, al Comité Científico del XIV CECAM (cecam2015@ipicyt.edu.mx), utilizando el formato enviado en la convocatoria inicial, mismo que pueden consultar en la liga electrónica http://seduma.tamaulipas.gob.mx/cecam/.

TEMPORADA DE CAZA Tamaulipas comenzó con la temporada de caza de la Paloma Ala Blanca, anunciaron autoridades del Estado.

La temporada concluirá el 18 de octubre.

Igualmente, de acuerdo al calendario aprobado para la práctica de ésta actividad deportiva, también inició el periodo de caza de la Paloma de Collar y la temporada de caza de la Paloma Huilota.

La temporada de caza de la Paloma Collar termina el 18 de octubre, mientras que la temporada de la Paloma Huilota, terminará el 8 de noviembre.

MIÉRCOLES 26 DE AGOSTO DE 2015

ICE

Arrestan a 61 POR CÉSAR G. RODRÍGUEZ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Funcionarios federales en Laredo arrestaron a cuatro inmigrantes condenados como parte de una operación de tres días, dijeron las autoridades el jueves.

Oficiales de Ejecución de Aduanas e Inmigración (ICE por sus siglas en inglés) y Operaciones de Ejecución y Remoción (ERO por sus siglas en inglés), arrestaron en total a 61 personas en el centro y sur de Texas. Todos son criminales quienes son elegibles para deportación, dijeron las

autoridades.

En Laredo, los oficiales arrestaron a cuatro inmigrantes criminales, de acuerdo a Nina Pruneda, vocera de ICE. Un hombre era un mexicano de 34 años de edad, quien fue condenado por conducir mientras estaba intoxicado y por agresión causando lesiones corporales a un miembro de una familia, dijo Pruneda.

El arresto tuvo lugar el lunes sin ningún incidente. El hombre, quien no fue identificado, permanece bajo custodia federal, pendiente de los procesos de remo-

ción.

ICE dijo que en la operación participaron oficiales de San Antonio, Austin, Waco, el Valle del Río Grande y Laredo.

“Al enfocarnos en estas amenazas para la comunidad aseguramos que los recursos de ICE sean utilizados efectivamente mientras apoyamos la seguridad pública y prevenimos crímenes futuros”, dijo Enrique M. Lucero, de la oficina de campo de ERO San Antonio. “Al sacar a estos individuos de las calles y removerlos del país, hacemos que nuestras comunidades sean más seguras

para todos”.

ICE dijo que de las 61 personas arrestadas, 21 tenían condenas por crímenes y 14 tenían condenas por crímenes agravados por robo, agresión sexual a un menor, agresión agravada y posesión de drogas.

Cerca de 26 personas tenían condenas por delitos menores, tales como violencia doméstica, agresión, hurto, y violaciones de armas, de acuerdo a las autoridades federales.

(Localice a César G. Rodríguez en el 728-2568 o en cesar@lmtonline.com)

EDUCACIÓN

U.S. MARSHALS

REGRESO A CLASES

Arrestan sujeto ‘más buscado’ ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

RESCATE Del 17 al 23 de agosto, autoridades federales y del Estado de Tamaulipas lograron el rescate de 218 inmigrantes indocumentados, se dijo en una reunión del Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas.

De acuerdo con reportes, seis inmigrantes son originarios de la India.

El rescate de 142 personas estuvo a cargo del Instituto Nacional de Migración a través del operativo Contención Migratoria; Fuerza Tamaulipas aseguró 49 personas y la Policía Federal a 27, señala un comunicado de prensa.

La Policía Federal liberó a 11 personas secuestradas y puso a disposición a 10 probables secuestradores y homicidas ligados con el Cártel del Golfo, quienes supuestamente operaban en los límites entre Tamaulipas y Veracruz, señaló el Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas.

La Policía Federal realizó la acción tras recibir denuncias por parte de familias los estados de Tabasco, Chiapas o Veracruz, que indicaban sus familiares habían sido secuestrados.

Elementos de la División de Investigación de la Policía Federal tomaron el caso. Fue en la Colonia Anáhuac del municipio de Pueblo Viejo, Veracruz, donde se encontró una vivienda con 11 personas recluidas, señala el comunicado.

De los 11, 10 hombres eran originarios de Tabasco, Chiapas y Veracruz. Había una persona de nacionalidad sudamericana.

Tras el operativo se arrestó a Jesús Iván Robles Pérez, apodado “El Muecas”, de 29 años de edad; Juan Carlos Castellano Telésforo, de 23 años; Longino Martínez Rico, de 31; Nicolás Armando Antimo Vilchis, de 40; Luis Alberto Herrera González, de 20; Elsa Laura Aguirre Reséndiz, de 29 años; Eva Ramírez Bautista, de 34 y Francisco Javier Cervantes Martínez, de 20 años.

Además dos menores de edad, quienes serán turnados a la autoridad competente.

Uno de ellos se 17 años y otro de 15, indican reportes.

Foto de cortesía

El Gobernador de Texas, Greg Abbott, visitó Zavala Elementary School en Austin, donde convivió con los niños de educación inicial e instó a los maestros a fomentar el éxito de los estudiantes.

Gobernador visita a estudiantes de primaria TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El lunes, durante el inicio del ciclo escolar 2015-2016, el Greg Abbott visitó y se reunió con estudiantes de educación inicial.

Abbotto, visitó y habló con los niños de jardín de niños, de primer y segundo año en Zavala Elementary School en Austin.

Tras su visita, él agradeció a los maestros y administradores por su trabajo y preparación.

“El Estado de Texas debe asegurarse de que los niños tengan el mejor comienzo en educación temprana y lo hacemos al inspirar a nuestros estudiantes a crecer, innovar y tener éxito en el salón de clases”, dijo Abbott.

En su discurso solicitó que las iniciativas que el Estado de Texas tomó durante la pasada sesión de legislación, se implementen para elevar el sistema de educación y se ubique entre los mejores de la nación.

Foto de cortesía

“El futuro de Texas depende del éxito de nuestros niños, y trabajando con los padres de familia, maestros y personal administrativo, continuaremos fortaleciendo los fundamentos de la educación temprana que hará

que nuestros estudiantes tengan prosperidad. Quiero dar la bienvenida a clases a los estudiantes y les deseo la mejor de las suertes en el comienzo del nuevo ciclo escolar”, finalizó.

AUSTIN – Michael Thomas Osborn, de 46 años, uno de los 10 Fugitivos Más Buscados de Texas, se encuentra en custodia después de haber sido capturado el viernes 21 de agosto en Florida.

Osborn era buscado por dos cargos de indecencia con un menor. El arresto fue resultado de información proveída en OSBORN una llamada anónima, y se entregará recompensa de 7.500 dólares.

Agentes del Equipo Especial que busca a Agresores Violentos del U.S. Marshals Service Gulf Coast, en coordinación con el U.S. Marshals Service Florida/ Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force realizó operativo para arrestar a Osborn en un motel en Lantana, Fla. Sus antecedentes criminales incluyen posesión de pornografía de un menor y agresión sexual con agravantes contra un servidor público.

En lo que va del 2015, DPS y otras agencias han arrestado a 22 de los Fugitivos Más Buscados de Texas y Agresores Sexuales, incluyendo a 16 agresores sexuales. También se han pagado 53.500 dólares en recompensas.

Se recomienda no intentar aprehender a los fugitivos, son considerados armados y peligrosos.

TAMAULIPAS

Buscan evitar cobro de cuotas en escuelas TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Foto de cortesía | PAN

Rafael Pedraza Domínguez, dirigente del PAN de Nuevo Laredo, México, y Enrique Rivas Cuellar, coordinador regional de los diputados locales del PAN, solicitaron a la comunidad denunciar el cobro de cuotas escolares.

Con el regreso a clases se exhorta a los padres de familia a evitar abusos y cobros de cuotas en las escuelas, señaló un comunicado del Partido Acción Nacional (PAN).

Rafael Pedraza Domínguez, dirigente del PAN de Nuevo Laredo, México, dio a conocer los números de denuncia durante una conferencia de prensa. Estos son 712.5334 y 189.8036.

“Estaremos dando seguimiento a las denuncias ciudadanas referentes al cobro de las cuotas escolares, además de que no estamos de acuerdo en que la permanencia de los estudiantes en los planteles educativos esté supeditada a ningún pago. La

educación es gratuita” señaló Pedraza.

Enrique Rivas Cuéllar, coordinador regional de los diputados locales del PAN, quien también estuvo en la conferencia manifestó que las autoridades educativas y los maestros deben sumarse a este esfuerzo de apoyo a las familias.

Rivas también hizo mención del teléfono (867) 189-8036 de la Oficina de Gestión y Enlace Legislativo.

Para evitar el cobro de cuotas hay un respaldo legal apegado a los párrafos 1º, 2º y 3º del artículo 3º de la Constitución Política de los Estados Unidos Mexicanos, la Ley General de Educación y la Ley General de Educación para el estado de Tamaulipas, señaló el comunicado.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

France train suspect watched jihadi video

By THOMAS ADAMSON AND GREG KELLER ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARIS — Minutes before he slung an assault rifle across his chest and walked through a high-speed train, the Moroccan suspect in the foiled attack watched a jihadi video on his cellphone, the French prosecutor said in formally opening a terrorism investigation Tuesday.

The actions by Ayoub ElKhazzani on the Amsterdam-to-Paris train Friday night and information from other European authorities on his travels and apparent links to radical Islam prompted the investigation, said prosecutor Francois Molins.

El-Khazzani, 26, was tackled and tied up by five passengers, including three Americans and a Briton, averting what President Francois Hollande said “could have degenerated into monstrous carnage.”

During questioning by

authorities, El-Khazzani said he had no terrorism plans and had found a bag of weapons Thursday in a Brussels park and planned to use them to rob passengers, Molins said. But the suspect grew less and less lucid as he gave his explanation, the prosecutor added, and eventually stopped talking to investigators altogether.

One reason investigators suspect a premeditated attack was that El-Khazzani, who claimed to be homeless and living in a Brussels park, used a first-class ticket, Molins said. The suspect refused to take an earlier train, he added, although there were seats available — “the sign of a planned project.”

He boarded the train Friday at a Brussels station.

Besides the assault rifle, El-Khazzani had 270 rounds of ammunition, a pistol, a box-cutter and a bottle of gasoline, Molins said.

Prosecutors also said they found a small explo-

ed to file numerous preliminary charges against El-Khazzani, including multiple counts of attempted murder in connection with terrorism, possession of weapons in connection with terrorism, and participation in a terrorist conspiracy.

The suspect had traveled through several European countries and had been repeatedly incarcerated in Spain and flagged for surveillance in France, Molins said. After five to seven months in 2014 in France, he lived in Brussels, Cologne and Vienna.

French surveillance helped authorities spot the suspect on a May 10 flight from Berlin to Istanbul, then a return flight from Antakya, Turkey, to Tirana, Albania, via Istanbul, Molins said. El-Khazzani denied going to Turkey.

He may also have tried to go to Syria.

The train incident has highlighted growing difficulties in protecting public

Photo by Staff Sgt. Sara Keller/U.S. Air Force | AP

In this Aug. 24 picture, Air Force Airman 1st Class Spencer Stone, right, meets Chief Master Sgt. Phillip Easton in Germany. sive like those used in the tips of missiles hidden in the glass box containing the hammer used to break train windows in case of emergency. They did not elaborate.

“El-Khazzani watched a video of Islamic preaching onboard” on YouTube on his mobile phone shortly before he got up to start walking through the train with the weapons, Molins told reporters at a news

conference. The suspect’s phone was found in a bag left on the train.

The gunman was subdued by a group of three American friends and a British businessman. Another man who tried to stop him — a French-American named Mark Moogalian — remained hospitalized with a gunshot wound.

With the formal investigation opened, investigating magistrates are expect-

SMUGGLING Continued from Page 1A for conspiring to smuggle eight illegal immigrants.

An indictment filed March 31 charges both individuals with conspiracy to transport illegal immigrants and two counts of transport and attempt to transport illegal immigrants for financial gain.

The human smuggling charges are each punisha-

ble by up to 10 years in prison.

“Laura Zavala has been identified by the Zapata Border Patrol intelligence unit as a facilitator/organizer/scout operator for the Zavala smuggling organization,” states a criminal complaint dated March 13.

Authorities alleged in March that the Zavala

smuggling organization was considerably affecting the following areas in Zapata County: Las Lajas, Las Tortolas, Clareno and Blanca Vela.

Mendoza-Mendoza accepted a plea agreement April 28 and pleaded guilty to one count of transporting illegal immigrants for financial gain.

Zavala pleaded guilty to the same count after accepting a plea agreement May 13.

U.S. District Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo ordered Mendoza-Mendoza to 10 months in prison to be immediately followed by one year of supervised release.

He will also be deported.

spaces from individual attackers.

In his speech Tuesday, the French president said the country remains “exposed” to violent extremism, and “this aggression is new proof that we should prepare ourselves for other assaults.”

Hollande did not elaborate on a specific threat, although France has been on high alert for attacks all year. He stressed his commitment to counterterrorism efforts at home and abroad against extremists.

The prosecutor said ElKhazzani boarded the train on Friday at a Brussels station.

Investigators in Brussels searched two buildings in the Molenbeek-Saint-Jean neighborhood where the suspect may have stayed, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office said in a statement. No one was detained, although investigators said they seized “some objects” for further examination. The statement did not elaborate.

PRISON In a post-arrest interview, Mendoza-Mendoza told Border Patrol agents Zavala calls him to go pick up immigrants in Zapata to drive them to Laredo.

Zavala is set to be sentenced Sept. 2 by Marmolejo.

(Philip Balli may be reached at 728-2528 or pballi@lmtonline.com)

Continued from Page 1A have a car.

Records state the men were going to be paid $200 per immigrant. They had planned to split the money, according to court documents.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

NOT GUILTY Continued from Page 1A vo and the water plant,” he said.

Alaniz added that he has no regrets in initiating the case.

“The people of Rio Bravo matter to the District Attorney’s Office. They matter to me,” he said. “What was happening to the water plant was wrong. Lives were being endangered. Today the jury spoke and we respect their decision.”

Closing arguments Co-defendant Luis Camacho was on trial with Amaya last week. Four days into the trial, he reached a deal with prosecutors and pleaded guilty to each charge. He will be sentenced to 10 years probation. The other defendants’ cases are ongoing in court. None have pleaded guilty to any charges.

The tampering with governmental records charges related to turbidity levels written on water quality reports. Turbidity, a key measure of water quality, is the cloudiness or haziness of a fluid caused by individual particles that are generally invisible to the naked eye. According to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, samples for turbidity must be 0.3 Nephelometric Turbidity Units or less in at least 95 percent of the samples in any month.

The average turbidity level recorded at the Rio Bravo plant, however, was between 0.8 and 0.9, Camacho testified. Instead of writing the actual values, employees would write 0.3 or lower, according to testimony heard at the trial.

A TCEQ investigator testified that before the boil water alert was issued for Rio Bravo and El Cenizo,

she had a water sample that had a turbidity level of over 7.0.

Amaya, who resigned as water utilities director in August 2013 amid the boil water alert, was accused of directing employees to lower the turbidity levels on the reports. Two of the codefendants who testified against Amaya — Camacho and Gabino Cerda — said he ordered them to falsify the reports. A third co-defendant, Jose Alfredo Vasquez Jr., claimed that Camacho had directed him to falsify reports and that he did not have any interaction with Amaya.

Sosa argued that his client did not alter any documents, rather he just signed them.

‘Systemic problem’ “Here is where me and the prosecution differ. …

It’s undisputed, and I think that (Texas) ranger came and proved it, that Amaya did not change (the documents),” Sosa said.

Sosa also described the many problems at the water plant as a systematic failure.

“The state of Texas owns the water plant,” he said.

“The state of Texas has a regulatory scheme, and the state of Texas knew through Alicia Diehl, (TCEQ drinking water expert), that the plant was failing. … That’s the systemic problem that the state and the county has, and they need to fix it.”

“This is a systemic failure of the county government, not Mr. Amaya,” Sosa said last week.

Prosecutor Ana De La Rosa, in her closing argument Monday, predicted what defense attorneys would say in their closing

arguments.

“Equipment was not functioning,” she said.

“That may be true and that might have contributed to the water quality. All we’re talking about today are the documents. “(Amaya) never gave anyone a chance to help (get the plant back in working order).”

De La Rosa brought up the evidence submitted to jurors.

“Compare the monthly operating report with the daily worksheets. Almost nothing matches,” she said.

“No readings for that whole month of July (2013) were above a 0.3.”

This was the month before the boil water alert was issued.

Camacho testified Friday that Amaya instructed him to change the turbidity levels on the reports so as to be in compliance with TCEQ standards. But Sosa noted that the documentation was incomplete and therefore unreliable.

In reference to a September 2013 monthly operating report, Sosa said Amaya should be acquitted on the third count of tampering with a governmental record because he had already retired before the signage and reporting of the document. Additionally, they used Amaya’s license number when they submitted the document to TCEQ even though he was no longer employed by the county.

“They filed it with whose license?

With John Amaya’s license,” Sosa said. “Who is doing the tampering with the governmental documents when he wasn’t there? That is a question you should ask yourself.”

Co-defendants’ testimony Vasquez, a co-defendant who remains an employee at the water plant, testified Wednesday that employees were “supposed to put less than 0.3.” A report dated Aug. 7, 2013 with Vasquez’s signature included an NTU that did not match what had been handwritten in the comments section of the report.

The comment described a NTU level of 2.81, citing that it was “high.”

“So why didn’t you put it on the actual sheet?” a prosecutor asked.

Vasquez responded: “So we wouldn’t get in trouble. … (I was afraid) they would get after us or something. … Like five months after I started working, it started going up and they told us not to put more than .3.”

Vasquez claimed Camacho had told him to write in 0.3.

Cerda, a co-defendant, testified that Amaya asked to make changes to the documents.

“Mr. Amaya instructed Luis (Camacho) to make changes on the (reports). …

I want to tell the truth. If anybody knows it, it’s me,” Cerda said.

Cerda said the plant had long had issues of the turbidity levels being too high.

He described one occasion in which Amaya allegedly instructed him to sign a report with false information. “(Camacho) took it to my office because he didn’t have the license to sign the report. I said, ‘No,’” Cerda said. “I called Mr. Amaya, and he asked if I can sign it. (Again,) I said, ‘No.’ I told him I would take it to wherever he was at.

“I think he was at a (La-

The boil water alert was issued for Rio Bravo and El Cenizo after water quality problems were reported and a sample tested positive for E. coli.

Elsa Hull, a TCEQ investigator, said complaints had been called into the TCEQ office by residents of El Cenizo and Rio Bravo in regards to a foul odor and strange taste in their tap water. These complaints occurred in early August 2013, she said. Initially, TCEQ sent an investigator who sampled the water and determined it was fine.

However, the complaints continued, and Hull went to Rio Bravo to conduct an investigation. After taking a sample, she concluded that there was not enough chlorine in the water and that there were bacteria

present.

“After I left the plant, I stopped by several residences. … There was not enough disinfectant in the water and the turbidity was high,” she said.

Her investigation concluded that the plant met the criteria for a boil water alert to be issued.

De La Rosa asked if the plant is required to report the high turbidity levels it had experienced.

“Yes … immediately,” Hull said.

Hull also said the plant did not have a functioning supervisory control and data acquisition system since 2009.

“How long is a water plant allowed to have a … system that is not functioning,” De La Rosa asked.

According to Hull, a plant has 14 days to get in compliance and fix the issue in the system. The Rio Bravo Water Treatment Plant had apparently been offline for four years.

A portion of an email between Webb County Engineer Luis Perez-Garcia and Hull was read aloud in court. In the correspondence, Hull said incompetent and untrained staff was not an excuse for the plant’s failure to be in compliance with TCEQ. “Perez-Garcia’s response to everything was, ‘Well, they’re not trained. They’re not competent,’” Hull said.

The jury was instructed to disregard her comment.

The boil water alert was lifted on Aug. 30, 2013, three weeks after it was issued.

“Everything was not fine, but the boil water notice was lifted,” Hull said.

In spring 2014, the District Attorney’s Office asked the Texas Rangers to conduct an investigation into the alleged mishandling of the water plant.

claims to Mexican citizenship. A child born to Mexican parents has that right but must show proof of identity. Infringing on that is a violation of international law, the brief states.

On Monday, Consul Carlos González Gutiérrez from the Mexican Consulate General’s office in Austin said the matrícula contains biometric technology that makes it more secure than driver’s licenses in some U.S. states.

He also said a passport —

even without a current U.S. visa — should be valid proof of one’s identity.

Whether someone is in the country legally should not matter when a parent is trying to obtain a birth certificate, he added.

“We think that they are not immigration authorities,” he said. “The passport is the official way to identify oneself.”

González gave a sworn affidavit attesting to the validity of the Mexican documents that was included in Monday’s filing.

redo Independent School District) board meeting at the time. He told me to go ahead and sign it. I remember Luis being stressed out in my office. He didn’t want to do it. … I guess I didn’t have the guts to tell him not to do it.”

Camacho testified Friday that the plant’s turbidity levels were higher than what they should have been “most of the time.”

He said he would take the plant’s monthly operating reports to Amaya for his signature prior to sending them to the TCEQ. “He told me to change the numbers, to lower them. Otherwise, he would not sign the report,” Camacho said.

He claimed that Amaya told him to make sure the reports matched the daily logs, “so that we wouldn’t get into trouble with TCEQ.”

Water quality issues

MEXICO Continued from Page 1A or consular identification cards as a valid form of identification. The families claim the state has violated the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause by denying the documents and is also violating the Supremacy Clause by enforcing federal immigration laws.

The Texas attorney general’s office, which is representing the health services department, has asked the court to dismiss the lawsuit, claiming the agency is protected from

the litigation by the 11th Amendment. Under its sovereign immunity provision, the state cannot be sued in federal court because it has not waived that right, according to court documents.

Legal experts have called that strategy predictable and commonplace, but also say it’s likely to fall short and predict the case will proceed.

The state health services department has said repeatedly that matrícula

cards — issued by the Mexican consulate offices throughout Texas — was never considered a secure document for the purposes of obtaining a vital record. Some counties were accepting the IDs until recently however. They have been ordered to stop by the department.

The Mexican government’s brief specifies that it supports the plaintiffs’ request for an emergency injunction to require the state to name two forms of ID that are “reasonably

and actually accessible” for the parents. That request was made Friday.

“Our argument isn’t ‘yes matrícula, no matrícula,’” said attorney Jennifer Harbury, who represents the families. “The argument is ‘what will you take that people can actually get.’ They have to take something. [The children] were born here.

They are U.S. citizens.”

The amicus brief also claims that by denying the birth certificates, the children are also denied their

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

Butterfly reserve suffers

By MARK STEVENSON ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEXICO CITY — Illegal logging more than tripled in the monarch butterfly’s wintering grounds in central Mexico, reversing several years of steady improvements, investigators announced Tuesday.

Almost all of the loss occurred in just one rural hamlet in the state of Michoacan. Loggers cut down 47 acres (19 hectares) of trees in San Felipe de los Alzati since last year’s gathering of butterflies. A total of 52 acres (21 hectares) of forest in the reserve were lost overall, including losses due to drought or pests.

That’s the highest figure since 2009, well above the 20 acres (8 hectares) lost in 2014, according to the announcement by the World Wildlife fund and the Institute of Biology of Mexico’s National Autonomous University. The 2014 loss was about 12 acres (5 hectares) due to logging and 8 acres (3 hectares) to drought.

Photo by Rebecca Blackwell | AP file

In this Jan. 4 file photo, a kaleidoscope of Monarch butterflies hang from a tree branch near Valle de Bravo, Mexico.

Illegal logging fell to almost zero in 2012, and experts stressed that 31 of the 32 communities in the reserve had kept logging down to very, very low levels.

The forest canopy is a sort of blanket against cold for the masses of orangeand-black butterflies that form huge clumps on tree branches during their winter stay in Mexico.

Loss of that habitat is just one of the threats to the butterflies’ amazing mi-

gration across Canada and the United States to Mexico. The migration is an inherited trait: No butterfly lives to make the full round trip, and it is unclear how they find the route back to the same patch of pine forest each year. Some scientists suggest the butterflies may release chemicals marking the migratory path and fear that if their numbers fall too low, the chemical traces will not be strong enough for others to follow.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

Stocks extend losses after rally

By ALEX VEIGA ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Shuji Kajiyama | AP file

In this June 25 file photo, Japanese seat belt and air-bag maker Takata Corp. Chairman and CEO Shigehisa Takada gestures in Tokyo.

Americans sick of car recalls

By TOM KRISHER ASSOCIATED PRESS

DETROIT — Americans are less happy with their cars and trucks than at any time in more than a decade, and it’s largely because they’re getting sick of dealing with recalls.

The 2015 American Consumer Satisfaction Index, an annual survey that involved 4,300 consumers, found that satisfaction with automobiles dropped for the third straight year to the lowest level since 2004. High new-car prices also were a factor.

“While it is true that all cars are now much better than they were 10 to 20 years ago, it is alarming that so many of them have quality problems,” said Claes Fornell, chairman and founder of the survey.

Last year automakers recalled a record 64 million

vehicles for problems such as exploding air bags and ignition switches that can unexpectedly cause engines to stall. The problems can be deadly. So far General Motors has agreed to compensate families of 124 people who died in crashes caused by the faulty switches. Eight more people have died worldwide after being cut by shrapnel from exploding Takata air bag inflators.

Rising prices also contributed to the consumer frustration. Car prices are up 11 percent since 2010 and hit records all year, rising to an average $32,932 in July, according to the Edmunds.com auto website. The index’s automobile satisfaction score this year dropped nearly 4 percent to 79 out of 100. In 2004, the last time the score was that low, the industry set the previous annual record for recalled vehicles at 30.8 million.

Just when it looked as if the bleeding had stopped, it started up again.

A rally in U.S. stocks evaporated in the minutes before the closing bell Tuesday, sending the Dow Jones industrial average down more than 200 points and extending Wall Street’s losing streak to six days — the longest such stretch in more than three years.

Where the market might bottom out is anyone’s guess — not exactly comforting news to anyone whose retirement savings or down payment on a house are tied up in stocks.

The rally came after China lowered interest rates to try to boost its slowing economy. Other world markets surged on the news out of Beijing, and for a while, it looked as if U.S. stocks would follow suit and the global sell-off might stop.

Stocks also got a lift from economic reports showing a rebound in U.S. consumer confidence and sales of new American homes.

At one point Tuesday, the Dow was up as much as 441 points. But sell orders began pouring in in the last 15 minutes of trading, and stocks swung abruptly from positive to negative territory.

The Dow ended with a loss of 204.91 points, or 1.3

Photo by Richard Drew | AP

A screen above the trading floor of the NYSE shows the closing number for the Dow Jones industrial average on Tuesday. percent, at 15,666.44. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 25.60 points, or 1.4 percent, to 1,867.61. The Nasdaq composite declined 19.76 points, or 0.4 percent, to 4,506.49.

“The return to a more traditional stimulus from China helped excite many investors,” said Jeff Kleintop, chief global investment strategist at Charles Schwab. “But, in fact, this is more likely the start of a longer-term period of volatility.”

The three major U.S. indexes have now lost ground six days in a row, with the Dow falling about 1,900 points over that period.

The S&P 500 is down 12 percent from its record close of 2,130.82 on May 21.

That puts it in what Wall Street calls a “correction” — a drop of at least 10 percent from its most recent high. It is the S&P’s first correction in nearly four

years.

The last time the S&P declined six days straight was July 2012.

China, the world’s second-largest economy, cut its interest rates for the fifth time in nine months in a renewed effort to shore up growth. The central bank also increased the amount of money available for lending by reducing the reserves banks are required to hold.

A slowdown in China has the potential to significantly crimp demand for oil and other commodities, a ripple effect that could dampen global economic growth.

“The Chinese economy is going to be on this bumpy road for a while, and it will have ebbs and flows that will no doubt have a serious impact on the global economy,” said Kamel Mellahi, professor at the Warwick Business School.

“What we are seeing now

is a dress rehearsal of things to come.”

Beyond China, traders are waiting for clarity from the Federal Reserve, which has signaled it could begin raising its key interest rate from near zero for the first time in nearly a decade as early as this year. The Fed isn’t expected to deliver a policy update until it wraps up a meeting of policymakers in mid-September.

European markets recovered almost all their losses from Monday’s sell-off.

Germany’s DAX jumped 5 percent, while France’s CAC-40 rose 4.1 percent.

The FTSE 100 index of leading British shares gained 3.1 percent.

China’s central bank took action hours after the country’s main stock index closed sharply lower for a fourth day. The Shanghai stock index slumped 7.6 percent, on top of Monday’s 8.5 percent loss.

Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 also closed lower, sliding 4 percent. But other markets in Asia posted modest recoveries, including Hong Kong and Sydney.

Energy company Pepco Holdings declined the most in the S&P 500 on Tuesday after regulators in Washington rejected its proposed merger with Exelon. Pepco stock shed $4.44, or 16.5 percent, to $22.51.

Best Buy recorded the biggest gain in the index, climbing 12.6 percent.

Despite fall, financial health of many still solid

By JOSH BOAK ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Many Americans have just absorbed a financial beating — at least as measured by their stock holdings. It’s the kind of blow that can feed a sense of helplessness about retirement, college savings and higher-than-expected bills.

But take a look at other gauges of Americans’ financial health, and a more nuanced picture emerges: Hiring and home values are up. Gas prices and mortgage rates are down.

Inflation is low. The pace of layoffs has dwindled.

Add it up, and the evidence suggests that many Americans — though certainly not all — are doing comparatively well.

Even the stock-market swoon can be put in perspective: Yes, the Standard & Poor’s 500 stock index has tumbled 7 percent over the past week. Since the end of 2008, though, the S&P index has jumped nearly 123 percent.

For some, the stock selloff has been an occasion to take a breath, recall previous down markets that eventually recovered and summon the patience to wait for their investments to rebound.

“Hell, yes, I am worried,” said Shannon Miller, a 27year old digital content manager in St. Louis. “But what goes down ... will probably go back up.”

Here’s a look at key measures of Americans’ financial well-being:

Jobs This is a clear bright spot. Employers have added a total of 11.5 million jobs over the past 58 months. All that hiring has helped cut the unemployment rate to 5.3 percent from a peak of 10 percent in 2009. And just about everyone who has a job is getting to keep it: Applications for unemployment aid, which reflect the pace of layoffs, has hit a 15year low.

It’s true that the solid

hiring has yet to provide meaningful pay raises for most people. Average hourly earnings are up a subpar 2.1 percent over the past 12 months.

But there’s evidence that the job market is being retooled for occupations and college graduates who command higher pay. Nearly 44 percent of the jobs added during the recovery paid a median income of more than $53,000, according to a report from the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. The economy includes a greater proportion of these jobs now than in 2008, after having shed “middle-wage jobs” — those that paid $32,000 to $53,000.

“The surge in hiring is not concentrated in deadend McJobs,” the report concluded.

Investments No doubt the latest stock market plunge has dealt a setback to many retirement accounts.

But plenty of people have diversified their portfolios, as they should, so that stocks don’t represent an outsized portion of their holdings. And many individuals have richly profited from the most recent bull market. A thousand dollars invested in an S&P 500 index fund at the end of 2008 would now be worth $2,230.

The investment company Vanguard reported in June that clients with retirement accounts at the end of 2009 had enjoyed a median gain of 137 percent over five years, reflecting both market returns and additional contributions.

Consider: An Associated Press analysis last week found that Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would have multiplied his fortune more by investing in a generic stock index than in heavilybranded luxury real estate.

Gas prices Prices at the pump haven’t been this low at this

time of year since 2004, according to the American Automobile Association.

The average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $2.58 a gallon, down from $3.44 at this point in 2014.

Analysts expect prices to fall further after summer.

The price decline has slowed economic growth because energy companies have slashed their drilling activity and equipment orders to manufacturers.

Yet for individual Americans, falling gas prices are a windfall: Families have more cushioning in their household budgets and can direct some of their gas savings to pare debt, invest or spend.

Home values The housing market has solidly recovered from the depths of the recession, when defaults on subprime mortgages caused a crushing wave of foreclosures and depressed prices.

The S&P/Case-Shiller 20city home price index is up

5 percent from a year earlier. And the National Association of Realtors said last week that sales of existing homes in July reached an annual rate of 5.59 million, the strongest pace since 2007.

Homeowners are also behaving more prudently: Mortgage debt remains about $1.3 trillion below the 2008 peak, according to the Federal Reserve.

“While the stock market can fluctuate wildly, real estate is slow and steady and has returned to very healthy conditions,” said Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Realtor.com.

Mortgage rates The Fed’s low-rate policies have kept mortgage rates near historic lows for much of the recovery. And even as stocks have tumbled, it’s become cheaper for homebuyers to borrow.

The average 30-year fixedrate mortgage dipped to 3.93 percent last week from 4.09 percent in mid-July.

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26, 2015