The Zapata Times 8/3/2016 by The Zapata Times

TEXAS AIMS HIGH

WEDNESDAYAUGUST 3, 2016

FREE

RANGERS MAKE WORLD SERIES PUSH WITH LUCROY, BELTRAN ADDITIONS, 7A

DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY

TO 4,000 HOMES

A HEARST PUBLICATION

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

DOUBLE HOMICIDE AT LAKESIDE SUBDIVISION

TEXAS

Person of interest sought Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman / AP

University of Texas at Austin anthropology professor Pauline Strong posts a sign prohibiting guns at her office on the first day of the new campus-carry law Monday, Aug. 1.

Campus carry already tested

Investigation reports shed light in case of young couple’s death in Laredo By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S

LAREDO — After a young couple were found dead June 26 in an empty lot in a north Laredo neighborhood — their bodies naked and heads wrapped in plastic bags — police searched a nearby home owned by a popular Tejano artist and his wife. When police arrived at the residence on Shark Bay Road, located about 1.5 miles from the crime scene in the upscale Lakeside Subdivision, they said they encountered two male workers replacing carpet in the home. After an initial sweep to ensure no additional victims or suspects were in the residence, a detective spotted possible bloodstains on a carpet upstairs, according to an affidavit filed by the Laredo Police Department.

LPD said in the court record that the home is owned by Teresa Martinez. Her son, Francisco “Frankie” Villarreal, a convicted felon, is a potential person of interest in the slaying of the couple. The couple were identified as George O. Rodriguez, 20, and Alondra Arroyo Gutierrez, 19, who were common-law husband and wife. Webb County appraisal district records state that Martinez’s husband, Rene O. Martinez, a founding member of popular Tejano group Intocable, also owns the home. Laredo Morning Times did not receive a response to several emails sent to the band’s management. LPD said Rodriguez was last seen June 13 with Villarreal, who was released from prison in February after serving a seven-year

Francisco Villarreal

Courtesy Courtesy

George O. Rodriguez and Alondra Arroyo Rodriguez were last seen by their parents June 13. Their bodies were discovered June 26 in an empty lot in Lakeside.

Teresa and Rene Martinez are pictured in this photo posted on Facebook in February 2014. The home that they own on Shark Bay Road was searched by police after two bodies were found in an empty lot in Lakeside.

Homicide continues on A11

Cesar G. Rodriguez / Laredo Morning Times

Laredo police searched a home in the 5100 block of Shark Bay Road after the bodies of a husband and wife were discovered June 26 in an empty lot in the Lakeside subdivision.

Professors sue to overturn law By Jim Vertuno ASSOCIATED PRE SS

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas’ new law allowing concealed handguns in college classrooms, buildings and dorms has barely started and already faces a legal challenge seeking to block it before students return for the fall semester. Three professors at the University of Texas sued July 6 to overturn the law, claiming it is unconstitutional and is forcing colleges to impose “dangerously-experimental gun policies.” The 50,000-student Austin campus has been a flashpoint of opposition to the law among faculty and students. The law took effect Monday, the 50th anniversary of Charles Whitman’s sniper attack from the top of the University of Texas campus clock tower, a shooting spree that eventually claimed 17 lives and has come to be accepted as the nation’s first mass shooting. U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel had previously scheduled a preliminary injunction hearing for Thursday in Austin. Classes at the University of Texas start Aug. 24. Texas has allowed licensed concealed handguns in public since 1995 but had previously made college buildings off limits. The new law makes Texas one of eight states with laws that allow weapons on campus Guns continues on A11

WASHINGTON, D.C.

Donald Trump is ‘unfit’ to be president, Obama says, challenging Republicans to end support By Julie Pace A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — In a searing denouncement, President Barack Obama castigated Donald Trump as “unfit” and “woefully unprepared” to serve in the White House. He challenged Republicans to withdraw their sup-

port for their party’s nominee, declaring “There has to come a point at which you say ‘enough.”’ While Obama has long been critical of Trump, his blistering condemnation Tuesday was a notable escalation of his involvement in the presidential race. Obama

questioned whether Trump would “observe basic decency” as president, argued he lacks elementary knowledge about domestic and international affairs and condemned his disparagement of an American Muslim couple whose son was killed while serving the U.S. Army in

Iraq. A chorus of Republicans has disavowed Trump’s criticism of Khizr and Ghazala Khan and the Republican nominee’s calls to temporarily ban Muslims from coming to the U.S. But Obama argued that isn’t enough. “If you are repeatedly

having to say, in very strong terms, that what he has said is unacceptable, why are you still endorsing him?” Obama asked during a White House news conference. “What does this say about your party that this is your standardbearer?” No prominent Republican lawmaker

responded to Obama’s challenge. Instead, it was Trump stunningly withholding his support from top GOP lawmakers, including House Speaker Paul Ryan. In an affront to his party’s top elected official, Trump told The Washington Post he Obama continues on A11

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 3

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

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

Today is Wednesday, Aug. 3, the 216th day of 2016. There are 150 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Aug. 3, 1966, comedian Lenny Bruce, whose raunchy brand of satire and dark humor landed him in trouble with the law, was found dead in his Los Angeles home; he was 40.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 4 1

Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 2867866 to arrange for a different delivery time. 1 Cancer Friends Meet. 6 p.m. Laredo Medical Center, A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center, Tower A, 1st Floor. Having cancer is often one of the most stressful experiences in a person’s life. However, support groups help many people cope with the emotional aspects of cancer by providing a safe place to share their feelings and challenges and learn from others who are facing similar situations. For more information, call the A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center at 956-796-4725.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 5

Deborah Cannon / AP

National Transportation Safety Board member Robert Sumwalt talks about power lines, left, during a news conference at the scene of Saturday's hot air balloon crash near Lockhart, Texas.

FAA IGNORED SAFETY DIRECTION

SATURDAY, AUGUST 6 1

Greens of Guadalupe Rummage Sale. 8 a.m.–3 p.m. Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, 1700 San Francisco Ave. Donations in good condition are needed, but anything and everything will be accepted. Call Birdie at 286-7866 to arrange for a different delivery time. 1 Book sale. 8:30 a.m.–1 p.m. Widener Book Room, First United Methodist Church. No admission charge. Everyone is invited. 1 Laredo Northside Farmers Market. 9 a.m.–1 p.m. North Central Park playground behind the trailhead facility. The market will feature the usual vendors plus three new vendors as well. Two adult gift baskets and five pre-K to kindergarten backpacks with school supplies and five elementary backpacks with school supplies will also be raffled. 1 Chess Tournament for middle/ high school age students. 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Players must register in person, and the tournament is open to the first 40 players. The tournament is non-rated and trophies will be awarded to the top three finishers. Free snacks will be available for children. For more information, call 795-2520.

MONDAY, AUGUST 8

An internal Federal Aviation Administration report urged greater safety oversight of the hot air balloon tour industry three years before the agency’s head rejected similar recommendations from a federal accident investigations board. The 2012 report by an FAA safety official strongly urges agency officials to impose the same level of oversight to the commercial balloon industry as is applied to airplane and helicopter tour companies. The report cites a high accident rate and significant economic incentives for balloon companies to take safety risks.

Texas AG tries again to end his criminal case AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is trying one last time to have his criminal indictment on securities fraud charges dismissed, likely ruling out the possibility of the Republican standing trial this year. Whether or not Paxton may face a jury is now in the hands of the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which is controlled by

The National Transportation Safety Board made the same recommendations a year later. But FAA Administrator Michael Huerta rejected the recommendations in 2015, telling the board the risk posed by balloon tours is “low.” Sixteen people were killed Saturday in a fiery balloon tour crash in Lockhart, Texas. A team from the National Transportation Safety Board is collecting the last of the wreckage from the hot air balloon. Investigators don’t know why the balloon flew into electric wires about 140 feet above the ground.

elected Republicans and is the same panel that cleared former Gov. Rick Perry of criminal charges earlier this year. Paxton, who faces 5 to 99 years in prison if convicted on two felony counts of securities fraud, was indicted in July 2015 and has pleaded not guilty. Two lower courts previously rebuffed his attempts to dismiss charges that accuse him of duping investors in a tech startup years before becoming Texas’ top prosecutor. Paxton attorney Bill Mateja said in a statement Tuesday

they’re taking the case to the state’s highest criminal court “to end this improper prosecution.” Special prosecutors must still file their response, and with a court decision on whether to accept the case likely weeks out, a trial for Paxton is unlikely this year even if the indictments are upheld. Brian Wice, one of the special prosecutors, said the attorney general’s request for a “do-over” in his final appeal falls short. — Compiled from AP reports

Family Gardening Club. 10–11 a.m. McKendrick Ochoa Salinas Branch Library, 1920 Palo Blanco St. Free and for all ages. Fun gardening activities and gardening science. 1 Chess Club. 4–6 p.m. Every Monday. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete in this cherished strategy game played internationally. Free. For all ages and skill levels. Instruction is offered. 1 Laredo Stroke Support Group. 7 p.m. San Martin de Porres Church, Family Life Center. Meetings are held the second Monday of each month and are open to all stroke survivors, family and caregivers. Everyone is welcomed to share their story, encourage and support others, and hear informative speakers. For more information on the support groups, call 956-286-0641 or 956-763-6132.

MONDAY, AUGUST 15 1

Chess Club. 4–6 p.m. Every Monday. Inner City Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St. Compete in this cherished strategy game played internationally. Free. For all ages and skill levels. Instruction is offered.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 18 1

Cancer Friends Meet. 6 p.m. Every third Thursday of the month. Laredo Medical Center, A.R. Sanchez Cancer Center, Tower A, 1st Floor. Having cancer is often one of the most stressful experiences in a person’s life. However, support groups help many people cope with the emotional aspects of cancer by providing a safe place to share their feelings and challenges and learn from others who are facing similar situations. For more information, call Nancy Santos at 956-285-5410.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 19 1

South Texas Food Bank Empty Bowls X fundraiser. 6–11 p.m. Laredo Energy Arena. Concert by Grand Funk Railroad The American Band. Tickets are $10, $15, $25 at the LEA box office or ticketmaster.com.

MONDAY, AUGUST 22 1

AROUND THE WORLD Syrian government and rebels trade gas attack accusations BEIRUT — Syrian rebels accused government forces of launching toxic gas attacks on civilians in a town southwest of Aleppo on Tuesday. The government rejected the claim and accused the rebels of using chemical weapons themselves. Rebel sources provided video of people receiving treatment who they say were among the victims of a gas attack, but the images were not conclusive and neither of the gas attack claims by the rebels or the government could be independently verified. The accusations on both sides came amid heightened fighting around the contested northern city that killed at least 20 people, activists and government media reported. Rescuers and doctors in rebel-held Saraqib, a town in the northwestern Idlib prov-

Aleppo Media Center / AP

This Sunday photo shows Syrians helping an injured man, center, after airstrikes hit Aleppo, Syria.

ince, about 25 miles southwest of Aleppo, reported dozens of cases of severe breathing difficulties, saying the symptoms pointed to a chlorine gas attack. A neurologist, Dr. Ibrahim al-Assad, said he treated 16 of the 29 cases brought to his hospital on Monday night, most of whom were women and children. One elderly man

needed critical care but most of the casualties were suffering from breathing difficulties, red eyes and wheezing, al-Assad said. He said first responders smelled the gas at the site of the bomb attack, which he described as a busy shopping area near an ice cream shop. — Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION NYC’s top cop stepping down after challenging tenure NEW YORK — New York City Police Commissioner William Bratton is leaving the nation’s largest police force, after getting credit for keeping crime down but grappling with tension between officers and minority communities. Bratton, whose departure was announced Tuesday, will leave next month to become a

risk and security adviser at Teneo, a consulting firm. James O’Neill, the department’s top chief, will succeed him as commissioner. During five years spanning two stints as the city’s top cop, Bratton has had an outsized impact on the New York Police Department. He noted that he was leaving at “a challenging time for police in America and New York, even though all indicators are pointing in the right direction.” He said no department is

On this date: In 1492, Christopher Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, on a voyage that took him to the present-day Americas. In 1807, former Vice President Aaron Burr went on trial before a federal court in Richmond, Virginia, charged with treason. (He was acquitted less than a month later.) In 1914, Germany declared war on France at the onset of World War I. In 1916, Irish-born British diplomat Roger Casement, a strong advocate of independence for Ireland, was hanged for treason. In 1921, baseball commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis refused to reinstate the former Chicago White Sox players implicated in the “Black Sox” scandal, despite their acquittals in a jury trial. In 1936, Jesse Owens of the United States won the first of his four gold medals at the Berlin Olympics as he took the 100-meter sprint. In 1949, the National Basketball Association was formed as a merger of the Basketball Association of America and the National Basketball League. In 1958, the nuclear-powered submarine USS Nautilus became the first vessel to cross the North Pole underwater. In 1972, the U.S. Senate ratified the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty between the United States and the Soviet Union. (The U.S. unilaterally withdrew from the treaty in 2002.) In 1981, U.S. air traffic controllers went on strike, despite a warning from President Ronald Reagan they would be fired, which they were. In 1994, Arkansas carried out the nation’s first triple execution in 32 years. Stephen G. Breyer was sworn in as the Supreme Court’s newest justice in a private ceremony at Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist’s Vermont summer home. Ten years ago: In Afghanistan, 21 civilians were killed in a suicide car bombing near Canadian military vehicles in a town market in Kandahar province; U.S. forces killed 25 Taliban in a raid in Helmand province. Elisabeth Schwarzkopf, a soprano who’d won global acclaim for her renditions of Mozart and Strauss, died in Schruns, Austria, at age 90. Five years ago: Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied all charges against him as he went on trial for alleged corruption and complicity in the deaths of protesters who’d helped drive him from power. (Mubarak is currently being retried for the killings of protesters; he and his sons were convicted of graft and have already served their sentences for that crime.) One year ago: Seeking to clamp down on power plant emissions, President Barack Obama unveiled a federal plan that would attempt to slow global warming by dramatically shifting the way Americans get and use electricity; opponents denounced the proposal as egregious federal overreach that would send power prices surging, and vowed lawsuits and legislation to try to stop it. Today’s Birthdays: Football Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy is 91. Singer Tony Bennett is 90. Actor Martin Sheen is 76. College and Pro Football Hall of Famer Lance Alworth is 76. Lifestyle guru Martha Stewart is 75. Singer Beverly Lee (The Shirelles) is 75. Rock musician B.B. Dickerson is 67. Movie director John Landis is 66. Actress JoMarie Payton is 66. Actor Jay North (TV: “Dennis the Menace”) is 65. Hockey Hall-of-Famer Marcel Dionne is 65. Country musician Randy Scruggs is 63. Actor Isaiah Washington is 53. Country musician Dean Sams (Lonestar) is 50. Rock musician Stephen Carpenter (Deftones) is 46. Hip-hop artist Spinderella (Salt-NPepa) is 45. Country musician Jimmy De Martini (Zac Brown Band) is 40. NFL quarterback Tom Brady is 39. Actress Evangeline Lilly is 37. Actress Mamie Gummer is 33. Country singer Whitney Duncan is 32. Actor Jon Foster is 32. Actress Georgina Haig is 31. Actress Tanya Fischer is 31. Poprock musician Brent Kutzle (OneRepublic) is 31. Thought for Today: “Let me tell you the truth. The truth is what is, and what should be is a fantasy. A terrible, terrible lie that someone gave to the people long ago.” — Lenny Bruce (1925-1966).

CONTACT US better prepared to confront “the crises of race in America, crime in America, the threat of terrorism” and the divisiveness of the presidential election. The announcement by Mayor Bill de Blasio took New Yorkers by surprise. Bratton, 68, said last week he would leave by the end of 2017 “when I find the right time,” though the mayor said Tuesday that Bratton had actually disclosed his plans more than three weeks ago. — Compiled from AP reports

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

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Wednesdays and Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata and Jim Hogg counties. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times in those areas at newstands, The Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas, 78044. Call (956) 728-2500.

The Zapata Times

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 |

LOCAL & STATE

Annual Back to School Kid’s Fishing Tournament S P ECIAL TO THE TI ME S

The Zapata Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual Back to School Kid’s Fishing Tourna-

ment this month. The Family Fun Fest will be Aug. 20 from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Bravo Park. The tournament is for

children ages 3-12. Registration begins at 7 a.m. A fishing rod and bait and provided, but it is first come, first serve.

Schedule 1 Fishing: 8 a.m.-10 a.m. 1 Vendors: 10 a.m.-12

p.m. 1 Lunch for kids: 12 p.m.-1 p.m. 1 Backpacks for kids on site: 1 p.m.-2 p.m.

1 Awards presentation: 2 p.m.-3 p.m.

Laredo residents oppose toxic landfill proposal By Aneri Pattani TH E TEXAS TRI BUNE

LAREDO — Since Alejandro Obregón moved to a colonia along the Texas-Mexico border 20 years ago, he has fought for basic necessities like clean water and paved roads. Now a private developer wants to build a landfill just a few miles from his backyard, and Obregón is fighting again for the interests of his family and hundreds of colonia residents. Local ranch owner Carlos “C.Y.” Benavides III and his family’s company have asked the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality for permission to build a 660-acre landfill about four miles south of the colonias and 20 miles east of Laredo. It would become one of the seven largest capacity landfills in the state, accepting trash and some toxic refuse from across Texas, other states and Mexico. Obregón fears winds will blow toxic waste from the landfill into his neighborhood's homes, and he worries about residents, many impoverished and lacking regular access to medical care, getting respiratory illnesses. He will fight “because it’s my life. It’s my kids’ lives. It’s my wife’s life,” Obregón said, and is even considering a hunger

strike to protest. The application calls for the landfill to accept Class 1 industrial waste, which the state considers toxic but non-hazardous. That includes waste like coal ash from power plants, residual grit from sandblasting and liquid waste from oil and gas production, including fracking. The toxins in these materials could prove hazardous at higher levels, but on a smaller scale don't pose a threat to public health or the environment, TCEQ said. The application estimates the facility will take in about 750 tons of nonhazardous industrial waste each day, but does not specify a limit on the amount of Class 1 waste it can accept. Class 1 waste “may pose a substantial present or potential danger to human health or the environment” when handled improperly, the commission said. Fourteen of the 198 active landfills in Texas accept Class 1 waste, according to a TCEQ report released in 2015. That prospect has locals on edge, and they say the landfill will make their community a dumping ground for toxic waste from around the country and Mexico. But Benavides argues the proposed facility is more isolated than existing landfills and would provide a one-stop shop for

Robin Jerstad / The Texas Tribune

Alejandro Obregon and his wife, Rocio, stand in front of their home near the site of a landfill proposed by developer C. Y. Benavides, about 20 miles east of Laredo. Their daughter, Abigail, is at right.

waste disposal, preventing more neighborhood landfills from cropping up in the future. The facility would be nearly three times the size of the average Texas landfill, according to a TCEQ report. Taking in one to two million tons of waste per year, it would join the ranks of only six other landfills of similar capacity in Texas. While Benavides says the landfill would focus on in-state waste, the permit application includes permission to bring in waste from other states and U.S. factories in Mexico. Landfill opponents claim that proposing its construction near a poor, Hispanic-majority community is no coincidence. “If there were white people here, they wouldn’t put [the landfill]

here,” Obregón said. Laredo city Councilman George Altgelt, who voted for a resolution opposing the landfill, called it an instance of institutional and environmental racism. While the state does not consider the socioeconomic or racial status of the surrounding community when evaluating landfill applications, TCEQ said it “has made a strong policy commitment to address environmental equity.” Benavides says claims of racism are unfounded, since he is also Hispanic. It is “disingenuous” for locals to protest his landfill, he added, since there are already two in Webb County much closer to residential areas. Shacklike homes border the city owned landfill, and a

private facility is just two miles outside Laredo. The city isn’t even visible from the site of Benavides’ proposed landfill. But Elva Jordan, a member of the community group Citizens Against Laredo Landfill said “it wouldn’t be remotely the same. Landfills that are closer to the city serve the needs of the city and they don’t take in industrial waste at the scale this one is proposing.” Even if the waste isn’t stored in Laredo, it will pass through on roads and railways, Jordan added. Spills and crashes could release toxic waste inside city limits. Benavides says he's hired experts to oversee every aspect of the landfill. The family has invested $5 million in the project to date. A self-proclaimed environmentalist who championed the plastic bag ban in Laredo and houses endangered wildlife on his ranch, Benavides says the landfill will include an advanced recycling facility. “Our goal is you don’t landfill everything you get,” he said. “You actually try to reuse, repurpose and recycle.” The capacity of the facility will eliminate the need for other landfills, Benavides added. “This is the last project that will ever have to be built in Texas south of

San Antonio,” he said at a recent presentation to the Laredo Rotary Club. But these arguments have done little to assuage fears about public health and environmental hazards. Even a high-tech facility can be subject to natural disasters, said Tricia Cortez, executive director of the local environmental group Rio Grande International Study Center. Sixty percent of the proposed landfill sits on a 100-year floodplain that includes two tributaries of the San Juanito Creek system that runs south into the Rio Grande. That means there is a potential to contaminate the river, Cortez said. Benavides has a plan — approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency — to remove the floodplain problem by building dams and diversion structures. But that's created another point of contention, as some of the dams would be built on land co-owned by Benavides and his cousins. The cousins have sued Benavides in Webb County court opposing the use of that land. These issues are all set to be discussed at a public meeting in Laredo on Aug. 11. TCEQ said it will consider public comments before making its final decision on the landfill application, which could be months away.

Zopinion A4 | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

OTHER VIEWS

COLUMN

How artists change the world As usual, there were a ton of artists and musicians at the political conventions this year. And that raises some questions. How much should artists get involved in politics? How can artists best promote social change? One person who serves as a model here was not an artist but understood how to use a new art form. Frederick Douglass made himself the most photographed American of the 19th century, which is kind of amazing. He sat for 160 separate photographs (George Custer sat for 155 and Abraham Lincoln for 126). He also wrote four lectures on photography. Douglass used his portraits to change the way viewers saw black people. Henry Louis Gates Jr. of Harvard points out that one of Douglass’ favorite rhetorical tropes was the chiasmus: the use of two clauses in a sentence in reversed order to create an inverse parallel. For example, Douglass wrote, “You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man.” And that’s what Douglass did with his portraits. He took contemporary stereotypes of AfricanAmericans — that they are inferior, unlettered, comic and dependent — and turned them upside down. Douglass posed for his portraits very carefully and in ways that evolved over the years. You can see the progression of Douglass portraits in a new book called “Picturing Frederick Douglass,” curated by John Stauffer, Zoe Trodd and CelesteMarie Bernier, and you can read a version of Gates’ essay in the new special issue of Aperture magazine, guest edited by Sarah Lewis. In almost all the photographs, Douglass is formally dressed, in black coat, vest, stiff formal collar and bow tie. He is a dignified and highly cultured member of respectable society. But within that bourgeois frame there is immense personal force. Douglass once wrote, “A man without force is without the essential dignity of humanity.” Douglass’ strong features project relentless determination and lionlike pride. In some early portraits, starting when he was around age 23, his fists are clenched. In some of the pre-Civil War photos he stares directly into the camera lens, unusual for the time. And then there was his majestic wrath. In 1847 he

“

DAVID BROOKS

told a British audience that when he was a slave he had “been punished and beaten more for [my] looks than for anything else — for looking dissatisfied because [I] felt dissatisfied.” Douglass brought that look of radical dissatisfaction to the studio. When he was a young man, his stares were at once piercing, suspicious and solemn. As he got older, his face took on a deeper wisdom and sadness while losing none of his mountainous solemnity. He was combining moral depth and great learning. Douglass was combating a set of generalized stereotypes by showing the specific humanity of one black man. (The early cameras produced photographs with great depth of field revealing each pore, hair and blemish.) Most of all, he was using art to reteach people how to see. We are often under the illusion that seeing is a very simple thing. You see something, which is taking information in, and then you evaluate, which is the hard part. But in fact perception and evaluation are the same thing. We carry around unconscious mental maps, built by nature and experience, that organize how we scan the world and how we instantly interpret and order what we see. With these portraits, Douglass was redrawing people’s unconscious mental maps. He was erasing old associations about blackness and replacing them with new ones. As Gates writes, he was taking an institution like slavery, which had seemed to many so inevitable, and leading people to perceive it as arbitrary. He was creating a new ideal of a just society and a fully alive black citizen, and therefore making current reality look different in the light of that ideal. “Poets, prophets and reformers are all picture makers — and this ability is the secret of their power and of their achievements,” Douglass wrote. I never understand why artists want to get involved in partisanship and legislation. The real power lies in the ability to recode the mental maps people project into the world. David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.

LETTERS POLICY Laredo Morning Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer's first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the

letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

EDITOR’S NOTE

Saying goodbye to a favorite columnist Dear readers, For over a year now, we have run columns by Willis Webb every Wednesday in The Zapata Times. His charming stories and life lessons have been a joy to edit,

and I hope The Zapata Times readers have enjoyed reading his words as well. Sadly, Willis died on Monday, July 18. His wife, Julie, said a funeral was held for him

July 30 in Wimberly, Texas. “I was with him when he left and he died knowing complete love and acceptance,” she said. “Willis loved story telling and all of you

gave him an avenue to continue writing when his body would allow him little else.” May he rest in peace. Sincerely, The Zapata Times staff

COLUMN

Trump’s repugnant attacks on family show us his true nature By Dahleen Glanton CHICAGO TRIBUNE

There is no doubt that U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan was a noble young man. His courage was obvious in the way he died at a military compound in Baquoba, Iraq. When Khan saw a taxicab crash through the gates of the base, he quickly ordered his men to take cover. But instead of running away, the 27-year-old soldier stepped toward the vehicle. And the bomb went off. Khan’s actions that day in 2004 saved the lives of other soldiers, and posthumously, he was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. Pakistani immigrants Khizr and Ghazala Khan introduced us to their son at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia. And from his grave, the brave soldier showed us something that too many Americans refuse to see: that patriots come in every race, color and creed. Before then, most of us had never heard of Khan. Some of us, I suspect, were surprised to learn that Muslims even served in the military. But according to the Pentagon, there are more than 5,000 of them. After the United States invaded Afghanistan in retaliation for the 9/11 terrorist attacks, I interviewed several Muslims serving in our armed forces. They talked about

their unusual position of having to balance their faith and their duty to service. But like the troops who served alongside them, they expressed an unwavering sense of patriotism for a country that is as much theirs as anyone’s. In 2001 - after the first major terrorist attack occurred on U.S. soil - Muslim troops told me that they had done a lot of soul searching. Ensign Ahmed Aslam, then a U.S. Navy officer in the 2nd Medical Battalion at Camp Lejeune, a Marine Corps base about 40 miles north of Wilmington, N.C., said he looked to the Quran for answers. He found peace, he said, in its message and in prayer. So at noontime, Aslam would make his way to a small chapel on the base, transformed for an hour every Friday into a mosque. He removed his pressed camouflage shirt, hung it on a metal folding chair and placed his shiny black combat boots beneath a table in the back of the room. Then he knelt alongside a half-dozen other men on the linoleum floor covered with Persian-like throw rugs and camouflage print mats. Facing Mecca, Aslam would close his eyes, lift his cupped hands to his face and pray to Allah. The Quran was clear, he said, that terrorism has no place in Islam. So for him, there was no conflict in going to war. "It is simple," he told me. "A Muslim looks at what is right and wrong

and fights against injustice. What the terrorists did was wrong." Some Americans have bought into the bigoted suggestion, promoted by Donald Trump, that Islam is synonymous with terrorism. They look at every Muslim with suspicion and argue anyone who practices the religion should be banned from entering our country. They believe that though Muslims may be American citizens, they are innately un-American. Most Americans, however, know such assumptions are ridiculous. But for anyone who wasn’t 100 percent sure, Humayun Khan and his parents should have eliminated any doubt. Khizr Kahn’s eloquent speech pierced our core. He showed us up close what it feels like to lose a son to war. Those of us who paid attention saw that his grief was no different from any other American who has suffered the same fate. Humayun Khan, who was born into Islam, had undivided loyalty to his country, his father told us. He dreamed of becoming a military lawyer and an advocate for veterans. Like many Americans, he decided to join the military to pay for law school. The suggestion that his son perhaps did not even deserve to be in America certainly must have added another layer to his pain. His words about Trump were piercingly accurate.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

"It if was up to Donald Trump, (Humayun) never would have been in America," Kahn said. "Donald Trump consistently smears the character of Muslims. He disrespects other minorities, women, judges, even his own party leadership. He vows to build walls and ban us from this country." But rather than acknowledge the pain and heartbreak of the family of a slain veteran, Trump chose to go on the defensive. For days, he has tried to defend a position that has no reasonable defense. In the process, he has disparaged the parents of a fallen soldier, said U.S. Sen. John McCain, a Republican and former prisoner of war in Vietnam. But more than that, he has disrespected the valor of Humayun Kahn and others who dutifully serve their country. He crossed the line in suggesting that Humayun Kahn’s mother stood silently by her husband’s side because under Islam, women are silenced. He refused to acknowledge that most likely her silence represented the quiet strength of a heartbroken mother. Trump’s petty attacks on the Khan family prove that he wouldn’t recognize a true American hero if he saw one. And that, in itself, is truly un-American. Dahleen Glanton is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 |

ENTERTAINMENT

Golden Globes pick Fallon as host

Parents sue over crash that killed ‘Star Trek’ actor Anton Yelchin Amanda Edwards / Getty

By Anthony McCartney By Brooks Barnes

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

N EW YORK T I ME S

LOS ANGELES — A kinder, gentler Golden Globes? NBC said Tuesday that one of its biggest homegrown stars, Jimmy Fallon, the host of “The Tonight Show,” would serve as the next Golden Globe Awards emcee, Fallon taking the baton from Ricky Gervais. “Jimmy’s playful, disarming comedic brilliance makes him the ideal host to enhance and elevate the sense of fun and irreverence,” Robert Greenblatt, chairman of NBC Entertainment, said in a statement. Last year, when Greenblatt announced that Gervais, the acerbic British comedian, would return for a fourth turn as the show’s host, he put Hollywood on notice, saying “fasten your seat belts.” But the selection of Fallon signals a turn away from Gervais’ celebrity potshots and toward the wackier antics exhibited by hosts like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey, who anchored three Golden Globes ceremonies starting in 2013. Speaking to reporters at a gathering of television critics in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Greenblatt added of Fallon’s expected style: “Will it be satirical and biting? I don’t think so.”

LOS ANGELES — The parents of “Star Trek” actor Anton Yelchin filed a wrongful death lawsuit Tuesday against the makers of Jeep Grand Cherokees, claiming the company manufactured unsafe gear selectors that led to their 27-year-old son being crushed in his own driveway. The actor’s 2015 Chero-

kee rolled backward down a driveway of his home on June 19, pinning him between a mailbox and a security fence. The suit contends the defective gear selector was poorly designed and manufactured. “Anton Yelchin was crushed and lingered alive for some time, trapped and suffocating until his death,” the lawsuit states. Victor and Irina Yelchin filed the wrongful death

Actor Anton Yelchin's parents Irina Yelchin and Viktor Yelchin hold a press conference regarding the accidental death of their son in Beverly Hills.

and product liability lawsuit in Los Angeles. Fiat Chrysler extended its sympathies to Yelchin’s parents but said it could not comment on the lawsuit because it had not yet been served with the legal action. The Cherokee model was among 1.1 million vehicles recalled in April after regulators said its

gear shifters have confused drivers, causing the SUVs to roll away unexpectedly and leading to dozens of injuries. A government investigation into the gear shifters found 266 crashes that had injured 68 people as of late June. Fiat Chrysler has said it is speeding its recall of the vehicle. Both the company

and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration have urged drivers of vehicles subject to the recall to set their parking brakes before getting out of their SUV. The suit does not say how much Yelchin’s parents are seeking in damages, but their attorney said they want the company to be punished.

Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE Inscripciones 1 Zapata County ISD se encuentra realizando el periodo de inscripciones de los grados PK al 12 en las escuelas respectivas. Se requiere la siguiente documentación: prueba de residencia (factura de servicios), certificado de nacimiento, tarjeta del número de seguro social, identificación con fotografía del padre o tutor. Hoy miércoles 3 de agosto, en las primarias y preparatorias de 1 p.m. a 7 p.m.; secundarias de 9 a.m. a 12:30 p.m. y de 2 p.m. a 6:30 p.m.. Jueves 4 de agosto, las escuelas primarias y preparatorias de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. y de 2 p.m. a 4 p.m.; secundarias estará cerrado.

Vacunas 1 El Departamento de Servicios de Salud estará administrando vacunas para todos los estudiantes hoy miércoles 3 de agosto desde las 8:30 a.m. hasta las 3 p.m. en el PDC del distrito localizado junto a la secundaria Zapta Middle School, ubicado en 702 E. 17th Street.

HOMICIDIOS EN LAREDO

SOUTH TEXAS FOOD BANK

Persona de interés Por César G. Rodríguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Un ex convicto podría ser una posible persona de interés en el caso sobre la muerte de una pareja, cuyos cuerpos fueron encontrados el 26 de junio en un lote baldío en la Subdivisión Lakeside, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte. La querella indica que una de las víctimas, George O. Rodríguez, de 20 años de edad, fue visto por última vez junto con Francisco Villarreal, un hombre que saliera de prisión en febrero. Independientemente de una llamada telefónica, las autoridades aún no han interrogado a Villarreal, a quien las autoridades catalogaron como “evasivo”, indica la querella. Siguiendo la ejecución de una orden de cateo,

Rodríguez y Arroyo

relacionado al doble homicidio, los investigadores descubrieron lo que ellos piensan son manchas de sangre en una residencia ubicada en la cuadra 5100 de Shark Bay Road, una propiedad a nombre de la madre de Villarreal, Teresa Martínez, de acuerdo con la orden de cateo. Autoridades hablaron acerca de un tiroteo ocurrido el 13 de junio. La policía dijo que ése día Villarreal y Rodríguez fueron a la cuadra 3600 de

calle Galveston. Ahí, Villarreal supuestamente disparó en la pierna a un hombre identificado como Esteban Yruegas, de 22 años. Villarreal y Rodríguez tienen órdenes de arresto activas por agresión con agravantes con un arma de fuego, de acuerdo con la policía de Laredo. Inicialmente, Yruegas dijo a la policía que ambos “estaban demandando un pago por vender drogas o una ‘cuota”, indica la querella. Anterior al incidente, Rodríguez carecía de arrestos y/o convicciones previas. Más recientemente se dijo que Yruegas es un sospechoso fugitivo en el homicidio de César Javier Sarmiento, de 44 años, reportado el 26 de julio, en la cuadra 3300 de calle Guerrero. Villarreal carece de una

orden de arresto activa por el tiroteo del 13 de junio. “Mi hijo no tuvo nada qué ver con el tiroteo o lo que sea que había entre (Villarreal e Yruegas). Lo único que él hizo fue llevar a (Villarreal)”, dijo Brenda Rodríguez, la madre de Rodríguez. Familiares dijeron al Laredo Morning Times que después del tiroteo del 13 de junio, Rodríguez corrió de regreso a su Chevy Tahoe y Villarreal corrió tras él y abordó la camioneta. A las 2:30 a.m. del 26 de junio, oficiales fueron a la cuadra 200 de Crater Lake, donde la Tahoe de Rodríguez fue localizada. Esa tarde, familiares reportaron que Rodríguez, quien había sido visto con Alondra Arroyo Gutiérrez de 19 años, nunca regresó a casa.

DPS

SEGURIDAD FRONTERIZA

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

Cambio de domicilio 1 La Extensión Educativa de Texas A&M Agrilife Extension en el Condado de Zapata ha cambiado sus oficinas a 200 E. 7th Avenue, Suite 249, Zapata County Courthouse. Tel.: (956) 765-9820. Fax (956) 765-8627.

Fiebre de Garrapata 1 Texas A&M Agrilife Extension en el Condado de Zapata está invitando al público a asistir a la sesión del Programa de fiebre de garrapata para el ganado vacuno, el jueves 11 de agosto, en el que se tratarán temas relacionados con la prevención y control de esta fiebre. Las personas interesadas deberán registrarse el 8 de agosto. Charlas inician a las 9 a.m., en Zapata County Pavillion, 405 E. 23rd. Ave.. Evento tiene costo.

Backpack Bash 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa que el Backpack Bash se realizará el jueves 11 de agosto a partir de las 9 a.m. en Roma Guadalupe Plaza. Evento gratuito.

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

Foto de cortesía | Oficina del Gobernador

El gobernador de Texas Greg Abbott se reunió a finales de julio con el Director del Departamento de Seguridad Pública Steve McCraw para discutir las operaciones sobre seguridad fronteriza en el estado. McCraw informó sobre los planes de seguridad y reclutamiento de personal adicional en o cerca a la frontera Texas-México.

Invitan a evento Empty Bowls X E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE LAREDO

El evento de mayor recaudación de fondos del Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas, Empty Bowls, que en esta ocasión celebra su décima edición, se realizará el viernes 19 de agosto en Laredo Energy Arena. El evento dará homenaje a la organización South Texas Outreach Foundation por sus contribuciones a la misión del Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas de alimentar a los necesitados. También se presentará un concierto de música de las décadas de 1970 a 1990 por el grupo Grand Funk Railroad The American Band. El 60 por ciento del presupuesto anual de STFB procede de recursos gubernamentales y el otro 40 por ciento se obtiene de subvenciones, donaciones privadas y eventos de recaudación. La directora ejecutiva de STFB, Alma Boubel, expresó la urgencia de alimentar a los necesitados. La banda Grand Funk Railroad The American Band se originó en Flint, Michigan en 1969. Su nombre deriva del ferrocarril regionalmente conocido en su estado. Su presentación inicial fue el 4 de julio de 1969 cuando tocaron para 180.000 personas en el festival Atlanta Pop Festival. Firmaron con Capitol Records y su primer sencillo fue “Time Machine” del álbum On Time. Los boletos para el concierto están disponibles en las taquillas de LEA o a través de Ticketmaster. Mesas de patrocinadores para 10 personas que incluye cena y acceso a la subasta silenciosa están disponibles en las oficinas de STFB, 1907 Freight en Riverside. Informes al (956) 726-3120 o al (956) 32-2432.

CULTURA

Autor cuenta historia de filme rodado en 1981 Nota del Editor: Este es el inicio de una serie de columnas basadas en un documento escrito por Enrique T. de la Garza en relación a su experiencia durante la filmación de una película. Hacer una película no es una tarea fácil. Lo que vemos en el cine es una historia generalmente sobre las vidas de las personas, pareciera que fluyeran a un mismo ritmo pero su filmación es diferente de lo que se ve en la pantalla. Muchas cosas pueden salir mal. En 1981 se filmó en Laredo la película Eddie Macon's Run. El filme trata de un hombre sentenciado por unas infracciones menores. Él escapa de prisión en Huntsville y huye a Laredo donde espera cruzar hacia México para reunirse con su esposa y y su hijo. Fui afortunado de ser parte de esta película y este escrito es acerca de

cómo se realizó la misma. El formato utilizado (en la presente) es similar ala manera en que el libreto fue escrito. La historia no está escrita en la secuencia de la película sino parecido a la manera cómo se fue filmando la película. Al final de cada día el director y la gente clave se reunían para planear las siguientes escenas. La filmación se llevó a cabo en siete meses aproximadamente. Estas líneas hacen un intento de contar lo que pasó tras las cámaras en la filmación de Eddie Macon's Run. Empezaré por contar cómo conocí al productor y al director. Un viernes a medio día, a finales de diciembre, me dirigí al edificio de la Cámara de Comercio en Laredo para vistar a Conrado Cruz, el entonces presidente de la cámara. Ese día, Leticia Palacios, la secretaria ejecutiva de Cruz, hablaba por teléfono.

“No tengo a nadie ahora que le pueda mostrar la ciudad Sr. Stroller”, decía Palacios, cuando volteó y me vio. “Espere. Hay alguien aquí que podría mostrarle la ciudad. Permítame preguntarle”. Entonces, Palacios me dijo que tenía en la línea a un productor de Universal Pictures que quería hacer una película en Laredo y que quería ver la ciudad. Ella me preguntó si yo estaría disponible a lo que contesté afirmativamente. Ese mismo día conocí a Lou Stroller, productor ejecutivo de la película Eddie Macon's Run de Universal Pictures y a Jeff Kanew, director de lapelícula. Después de las introducciones de rigor salimos a recorrer Laredo. En el camino, Stroller me contó la historia. “La película que haremos está basada en un libro escrito por James McLendon. Él vino a

Foto de cortesía

La imagen de cortesía muestra uno de los carteles oficiales para promocionar la película Eddie Macon's Run, que fuera filmada en Laredo.

Laredo los fines de semana y se hospedó en el hotel LaPosada para escribir su libro titulado 'Eddie Macon's Run'. Por

supuesto que McLendon recorrió las calles de Laredo para conocer los alrededores y escribir su libro”, señaló Stroller.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 |

NBA: SPURS

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS

Rangers improve with trade deadline deals Texas happy to land All-Star Lucroy, Beltran By Stephen Hawkins AP SP ORT S WRITER Jim Cowsert / Associated Press file

San Antonio officially signed former Dallas forward David Lee on Tuesday.

Spurs make signing of David Lee official By Nick Moyle SA N ANT ONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS

The Spurs made the signing of veteran forward David Lee official Tuesday. The deal, first reported Thursday, is worth $3.2 million and includes a player option for the second year. It was Lee's reverence for coach Gregg Popovich and general manager R.C. Buford that ultimately led the two-time All-Star to San Antonio. "He's thrilled," Lee's agent, Mark Bartelstein said. "Honestly, at the end of the day, that's what made this deal happen." Despite being presented with more attractive financial opportunities elsewhere, Lee opted to sign with the cash-strapped Spurs. "He had other opportunities that economically would have been better for him, but Pop and R.C. did a great job articulating their vision for him and telling him how important he would be to the Spurs," Bartelstein said. "This was an opportunity he couldn't pass up." Lee, 33, owns career averages of 14.2 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists. nmoyle@express-news.net Twitter: @NRmoyle

ARLINGTON — The Texas Rangers are still trying to win a World Series five years after twice coming within a strike of their first title. With another non-waiver trade deadline looming, and the cost of acquiring another starting pitcher apparently too steep, general manager Jon Daniels and his group “audibled a little bit.” Instead of adding to the rotation led by Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish, the AL Westleading Rangers traded Monday for someone to catch the two aces and another to relieve them, getting two-time All-Star catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer Jeremy Jeffress from Milwaukee. That was after Texas had already acquired All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran, the 39-year-old switch-hitter who had been the top offensive player for the New York Yankees. “We as an organization, a front office, really believe in this team,” Daniels said. “This is a rare opportunity with some of these players on the market where we wanted to back the club up and put us in a better position to win.” The Rangers, who have an AL-high 62 wins, on Monday traded away five prospects and a player to be named later— including four pitchers and three former first-round draft picks. Another former first-rounder, a minor-league infielder, was sent to Atlanta last week for right-hander Lucas Harrell and reliever Dario Alvarez. But Daniels quickly dismissed the growing widespread notion that the Rangers went “all in” to win in 2016 by trading away so much

Gail Burton / Associated Press

The newest members of the Rangers in Jonathan Lucroy, right, and Carlos Beltran were acquired this year at the MLB Trade Deadline.

young talent in a short period. “All in, to me, means you push all your chips on the table and you’ve got nothing left for the next hand. I don’t view it that way at all,” the GM said. “A lot of young guys on this team are going to be here for a long time, and we have a lot of other young players in the system.” Even while adding two All-Stars to their lineup Tuesday night at Baltimore, the Rangers still have Jurickson Profar, Nomar Mazara and Rougned Odor — young 20somethings who have been at the top of the order. They didn’t have to give up young slugging prospect Joey Gallo either, though he went back to Triple-A in the roster shuffling necessitated by the trades. Plus, the 30-year-old Lucroy has a contract with a $5.25 million team option for 2017 and Jeffress won’t be eligible for free agency until 2020. Beltran has been to the playoffs with Houston, the New York Mets, St. Louis and the Yankees. But he remains in search of his first World Series title, as do the Rangers

— who lost in five games to the San Francisco Giants in 2010 before their seven-game series against the Cardinals in 2011. “It’s fun, honestly,” Beltran said of joining Texas in a pennant chase. “Hopefully, this is the year. And if it’s not, it might be the next one.” Beltran hit .304 with 22 homers and 64 RBIs in New York and is expected to hit in the middle of the Rangers lineup. “These kind of players, they’re difference-makers down the stretch, and hopefully beyond that,” Daniels said. Like All-Star lefty Hamels last season, Lucroy nixed a deadline deal to another team before being acquired by the Rangers. The 30-year-old Lucroy, hitting .299 with 13 homers and 50 RBIs in 95 games, blocked a trade Sunday that would have sent him to AL Central-leading Cleveland. On his Twitter account after Monday’s deal to the Rangers, Lucroy wrote, “let’s take this bad boy to the ‘ship! Really excited.”

Hamels last year voided a proposed trade that would have sent him from Philadelphia to Houston. Hamels is since 19-3 with 3.15 ERA in 33 starts for the Rangers, and his three-hitter on the final day of the 2015 regular season clinched the division title. Darvish is the scheduled starter for Lucroy’s expected debut with Texas on Tuesday night, and Hamels starts Wednesday. Harrell went six innings to beat Kansas City in his Rangers debut Sunday, Nick Martinez is coming his best start of the season, and A.J. Griffin (4-1) is regaining his form since coming off the disabled list in late June. The Rangers also anticipate the return in late August or early September of right-hander Colby Lewis (strained right lat) and lefty Derek Holland (shoulder inflammation). “We were prepared to acquire a starter if the right deal was there, but didn’t feel we had,” Daniels said. “In part, because we’ve gotten good reports on those guys coming back.”

2016 OLYMPIC GAMES: UNITED STATES BASKETBALL

Unbeaten US basketball teams ready for Rio Olympics By Brian Mahoney A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HOUSTON — They have crisscrossed the country, delivering basketball blowouts from coast to coast. Now the U.S. Olympic teams can finally take the only flight they really want. They were to depart together Tuesday night for Brazil, a trip that’s expected to lead to gold. “This is the exciting part, knowing that we’re about to go to Rio,” men’s star Carmelo Anthony said. “We’re about to just lock in in just one location, and we can just really focus on playing basketball and getting better individually and as a group.” Anthony, at 32 the old man of the U.S. team, wasn’t a fan of the early morning flights that the Americans took during their exhibition tour, as evidenced by DeMar DeRozan’s Instagram video of a team singalong during one trip. Now the teams can drop anchor and stick around in one spot — they’re staying on a cruise ship along one of Brazil’s

beautiful beaches. “I’m excited to see (Kevin Durant), DeMarcus Cousins, all the guys. I like them all, and it’s a great group of guys,” Angel McCoughtry of the women’s team said following its final exhibition in New York. “I’m ready to get to know them better and continue to hang out with these girls and have a good time in Rio. This is the Olympics, it’s a positive thing and we’re ready to go in there and have some fun.” The men finished off their exhibition tour here Monday with a 110-66 rout of Nigeria, a game attended by the women’s team after it arrived earlier in the day. After unveiling their team in New York in late June, the men reported three weeks later to training camp in Las Vegas and also played exhibition games in Los Angeles, Oakland and Chicago. They went 5-0, averaged 102.8 points and overwhelmed their opponents by 43 per game. The road to Rio was easy, but coach Mike Krzyzewski insists the Olympics won’t be. “The competition is going to get better. I mean, really good,” Krzyzewski

said. “We play two games against teams that we’ve beaten, but they’ll be a little bit different, in China and Venezuela. And then we play Australia, who is very good. They’ll probably start five NBA players. And then you play Serbia, and we know them from the world championships, with (Milos) Teodosic and their big guys. And then you play France, who will probably have eight or nine NBA players. So it goes up. It goes up, and we have to react accordingly.” The U.S. crushed China, the opponent in its opener Saturday, 106-57 and 107-57. The Americans beat Venezuela 80-45. The women played higher-caliber opponents during their tour, which started in Los Angeles before moving to the Northeast for victories over France, Canada and Australia. They are a heavy favorite to win a sixth consecutive gold medal in Rio and have won 41 consecutive Olympic contests, with the last loss coming in the 1992 semifinals. They gathered on July

23 and coach Geno Auriemma said Tuesday was the first real practice they’ve had. He plans another Wednesday after they arrive in Rio. “So we’re not as good as we’re going to be, and that’s kind of the way it’s been for us at the Olympics,” Auriemma said. “We get better as the week goes on and that’s certainly been the case since the 23rd.” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo visited the women’s team at practice and addressed the players afterward, wishing them luck in Rio. Durant and Anthony are the only players on the men’s team who have played in the Olympics, while the women have much more experience playing together — some even as college teammates under Auriemma at Connecticut. But there was still plenty of learning to do on and off the court during the tour, with more still come when the games start to count. “I think there’s a level of comfort now that you can tell that we have from our first game to our last warmup game,” Maya Moore said.

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

Carmelo Anthony and the United States are preparing to compete at the Rio Olympics as overwhelming favorites.

A8 | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

NATIONAL

‘Little ninja’: Zika-spreading mosquito puts up tough fight By Jennifer Kay A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

MIAMI — The mosquitoes spreading Zika in Miami are proving harder to eradicate than expected, the nation’s top diseasefighter said Tuesday as authorities sprayed clouds of insecticide in the ground-zero neighborhood, emptied kiddie pools and handed out cans of insect repellent to the homeless. Dr. Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said the mosquitocontrol efforts in the bustling urban neighborhood aren’t achieving the hoped-for results, suggesting the pests are resistant

to the insecticides or are still finding standing water in which to breed. “We’re not seeing the number of mosquitoes come down as rapidly as we would have liked,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. Mosquito control experts said that’s no surprise to them, describing the Aedes aegypti mosquito as a “little ninja” capable of hiding in tiny crevices, sneaking up on people’s ankles, and breeding in just a bottle cap of standing water. Fifteen people have become infected with Zika in Miami’s Wynwood arts district, officials said Tuesday. These are believed to be the first mos-

quito-transmitted cases in the mainland U.S., which has been girding for months against the epidemic coursing through Latin America and the Caribbean. On Monday, the CDC instructed pregnant women to avoid the neighborhood, marking what is believed to be the first time in the agency’s 70year history that it warned people not to travel somewhere in the U.S. The Zika virus can cause severe brain-related defects, including disastrously small heads. At the same time, U.S. health authorities have said they don’t expect major outbreaks in this country, in part because of

better sanitation and the use of air conditioners and window screens. On Tuesday, MiamiDade County mosquito control inspectors toting backpack blowers released white clouds of bug spray in Wynwood. They also went door to door, handing out information, checking tires and other objects for standing water, and dipping cups to take water samples from vacant lots, building sites and backyards. In one lush yard, an inspector tipped over a kiddie pool and a cooler full of water. Daily aerial spraying for adult mosquitoes and larvae has been approved

Lynne Sladky / AP

Lorenzo Ward, 45, is given a can of insect repellent by Miami police officer James Bernat.

for the next four weeks over a 10-square-mile area around Wynwood, county officials said. The city of Miami said it is running more street sweepers in Wynwood to remove the litter and stagnant water that can serve as breeding grounds, and police officers handed out 50 cans of bug spray to homeless people in the neighborhood. “Be sure that you use it,” Officer James Bernat said as he gave repellent to several people who had

been sleeping on the street. Dozens of pregnant women streamed into Borinquen Medical Center, a clinic just outside Wynwood where doctors said they were getting more and more nervous requests for Zika testing. On the sidewalk outside, eight-months-pregnant Gabriella Acevedo said she would rush back to her Wynwood home. “I’m going to put the AC on blast and try not to go outside,” she said.

Highway pole rips through bus in California crash, killing 5 By Scott Smith and Christopher Weber A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

ATWATER, Calif. — Leonardo Sanchez was sleeping peacefully on a bus carrying him to Oregon to pick blueberries when he was suddenly thrown face first into the back of the seat in front of him, awakening him to a horrific scene of chaos and death. The bus carrying Sanchez and about 30 others on a pre-dawn journey through California’s agricultural rich San Joaquin Valley had somehow plowed head-on into a highway pole that nearly sliced it in half. Five people died and at least 18 were hurt, including six listed in either serious or critical condition. “There was lots of

screaming and crying,” Sanchez told The Associated Press hours after Tuesday’s crash. He said only about eight people, including himself, escaped the bus largely unscathed. “The rest of them, the police and ambulances arrived to get them out. And the dead,” he added solemnly in Spanish. Merced County Sheriff Vern Warnke said rescuers pulled “bags of body parts” from the bus along with survivors. He said some victims were thrown from the vehicle and landed in a ditch. The bus, operated by Autobuses Coordinados USA, was heading to Washington state. It was approaching Livingston, a farming and industrial town of about 13,000, where it had been scheduled to change drivers.

Scott Smith / AP

Authorities investigate the scene of a charter bus crash on northbound Highway 99, Tuesday.

Apparently running late for its 1:30 a.m. driver switch, the bus veered off the highway shortly before 3:30 a.m. It was no more than a couple miles from its scheduled stop when the crash occurred. The accident sliced the bus from front to back, with the vehicle coming to a stop when its first rear

axle hit the pole. That was when Sanchez was violently tossed awake to discover a scene of chaos and carnage filled with the screams of trapped and injured people. “We couldn’t pull people out because there was shattered glass everywhere, seats destroyed,” he said.

Lesser injured like himself climbed out on their own, fearful the bus might catch fire. The 55year-old farmworker said he was left with pain in his stomach and a bruised jaw and mouth. “It was too much. It was a very ugly accident. Thanks to God that I got out of there alive,” he said. When emergency workers arrived they climbed through the shattered windows to pull the trapped passengers out. Five people were killed, and at least five others were airlifted to hospitals, California Highway Patrol Officer Moises Onsurez said. Doctors Medical Center in Modesto received five patients, including two men and one woman in critical condition and two women in serious condi-

tion, said hospital spokeswoman Carin Sarkis. She said her hospital also was expecting the arrival of a crash victim whose condition was not immediately available. Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock said earlier it was transferring a man in serious condition to the Modesto facility. In all, at least 18 people were injured, according to officials with four area hospitals. Three taken to Emanuel Medical Center were treated and released, said hospital spokeswoman Pennie Rorex. Four others were admitted to Memorial Medical Center in Modesto in fair condition, said spokesman Craig Baize. Mercy Medical Center in Merced received five patients, said spokeswoman Lindsey Wine.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 |

BUSINESS

Samsung’s new jumbo phone unlocks with iris scanner By Anick Jesdanun A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — You’ll be able to unlock Samsung’s new phone by just looking at it. The Galaxy Note 7 will come with an iris scanner, which matches patterns in your eyes with what was detected by your phone during setup. It offers an alternative to fingerprint ID, which doesn’t work well when fingers are wet. Of course, the four-digit passcode will still work. “We challenged our engineers to design a security system that’s convenient and safe at the same time,” said Justin Denison, a senior vice president for product strategy at Samsung. “It took five years to perfect, but it only takes a glance to unlock your phone.” Samsung isn’t first, though. Microsoft’s Lumia 950 phones had it. Beyond that, the updates in the Note 7 are mostly enhancements, such as a stronger glass screen and more storage — 64 gigabytes, or double what Samsung usually offers, plus a slot to add more. The Note 7 comes with

Richard Drew / AP

In this July 28 photo, Jonathan Wong shows the iris scanner feature of the Galaxy Note 7.

a better camera — but it’s the same one that the smaller Galaxy S7 phones got in March, save for interface enhancements to access settings and switch between the front and rear cameras more easily. Samsung had lost its mojo after Apple matched the company on size with the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus in 2014, but thanks to the popularity of the S7, Samsung just reported its best quarterly financial results in two years. The new Note 7 phone comes weeks before Apple is expected to announce new models. Samsung typically releases its regular-size phones in the spring and jumbo phones in August.

July US auto sales rose slightly on weaker demand By Dee-Ann Durbin ASSOCIATED PRE SS

DETROIT — U.S. auto sales wilted in July, as hot weather and softening demand kept many buyers at home. Sales rose less than 1 percent over last July, to just over 1.5 million new cars and trucks, according to Autodata Corp. Sales were strong at the beginning of the month thanks to Independence Day promotions, but weakened after that, Kelley Blue Book senior analyst Alec Gutierrez said. General Motors’ sales fell 2 percent while Ford’s U.S. sales fell 3 percent. Toyota’s sales slipped 1 percent. Fiat Chrysler’s sales were flat. Volkswagen’s sales fell 8 percent. Several automakers eked out sales increases. Hyundai’s sales were up 6 percent and Honda’s sales rose 4 percent. Nissan’s were up 1 percent. After six straight years of growth — and record sales of 17.5 million new vehicles last year— U.S. auto sales are beginning to plateau. In the first six months of last year, for example, sales were up 4 percent, or more than double the pace of this year. Still, analysts say low gas prices, low interest

Brennan Linsley / AP file

In this Sept. 24, 2015, file photo, Volkswagen cars for sale are on display on the lot of a VW dealership.

rates, enticing new vehicles and strong consumer confidence should keep them at a very high level. If sales stayed at the same pace they were in July, they would reach 17.9 million this year, Autodata said. “We’re still at a healthy level as an industry,” Ford’s U.S. sales chief Mark LaNeve said Tuesday. “We’ll adjust our plans according to the reality and temper our expectations somewhat.” Plateauing sales could be a good thing for consumers, since automakers are dialing up the discounts in order to hold on to their market share. TrueCar said industry incentives were up 5 percent over last July to an average of $3,225 per vehicle. Ford, Volkswagen, BMW and Fiat Chry-

sler had the biggest increases over last July, TrueCar said. But incentives are a dangerous game for automakers, since they hurt profits and resale values and artificially inflate demand. Gutierrez said automakers are approaching a level of incentive spending last seen during the recession, and that’s risky. “The sky isn’t falling just yet, but we are on an unhealthy path,” he said. General Motors Co. said its sales fell 2 percent to 267,258 vehicles. Chevrolet sales dropped but Cadillac, Buick and GMC all saw gains for the month. Sales of GM’s best-seller, the Chevrolet Silverado pickup, were down 4 percent, but sales of the smaller Colorado pickup were up 27 per-

cent. Ford’s sales fell 3 percent to 216,479. Sales were down for both its Ford and Lincoln brands. The Ford Escape SUV, a perennial best-seller, saw a 10 percent sales decline; Ford said inventories were low as it prepares to launch the revamped 2017 Escape. F-Series trucks sales were also down 1 percent as Ford prepares to launch a new Super Duty pickup. Toyota’s sales fell 1 percent to 214,233. Toyota division sales were flat but Lexus sales were down 6.5 percent. Toyota’s SUVs, like the RAV4 and Highlander, saw double-digit percentage increases, but low gas prices continued to hurt its cars. Sales of the hybrid Prius were down 29 percent. Fiat Chrysler’s sales were flat at 180,727. Jeep and Ram sales both rose around 5 percent, but Dodge, Fiat, Alfa and Chrysler brand sales fell. One bright spot was minivans: Fiat Chrysler sold nearly 8,000 new Pacifica minivans and sales of the Dodge Caravan — which will eventually be discontinued — were up 28 percent. Fiat Chrysler said its sales numbers conformed to its new reporting standards.

Paid family leave benefits rising in some sectors, regions By Damian Troise and Matt Ott A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — The call for paid family leave on the Democratic party platform is the most ambitious attempt by a major party in years to reverse the United States’ status as the only industrialized nation without any standard for paid time off for new parents. But over the last five years a handful of states and some industries have been quietly increasing this benefit. Last week’s convention put paid family leave on the list of workplace election issues along with the minimum wage and equal pay. The Democrats say they will try to secure up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave to care for a new child. While the Republican platform makes no specific refer-

ence to paid family leave, the GOP in 2015 called for establishing a “flexible credit hour program” in which workers could exchange overtime hours worked for future leave time. While Americans generally support paid family leave — a poll conducted this spring by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research found that 72 percent of Americans 40 and older support the benefit — efforts to adopt a national standard haven’t gone anywhere. Advocates are now more hopeful. “It’s taken on an inevitability,” said Ellen Bravo, executive director of Family Values (at) Work, an advocacy group. “Not that it will happen by itself, that it will take work. It took a decade to get the first three states.” More reason for opti-

mism is that a few states and several competitive industries have slowly been bolstering paid parental leave laws and policies. Here’s a look at the current best and worst industries and regions with regard to paid family leave benefits. Best industries The technology sector leads the private sector in parental leave offerings. About 30 percent of tech workers had access to paid family leave, up from 23 percent in 2011, a Bureau of Labor Statistics survey from March 2015 found. That’s nearly triple the average of all industries. About 12 percent of workers overall had access to paid family leave in 2015, up just slightly from 11 percent in 2011. Netflix made a media splash last year when it

changed its policy to allow new mothers and fathers up to a year off. Etsy gives new parents up to 26 weeks off, while Google offers 12 weeks of paid time, and Microsoft has expanded its offering to 20 weeks. Facebook offers 16 weeks of paid leave to new parents, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made headlines when he took two months off to care for his new daughter. The industries that shine tend to compete for workers globally where other nations and companies offer generous benefits. “For many companies, this is a business issue,” Bravo said. “It’s about retaining and attracting talent.” Such industries include the financial sector. Bank of America, Merrill Lynch and Citi all offer more than 12 weeks of paid

parental leave. Recently, Ernst & Young boosted its paid parental leave to 16 weeks from 12 weeks and made the entire amount available to both men and women. The company’s benefits also include a career and family transition program that gives new moms and dads a coach to help them better balance work and family. Lindsay Abt, a partner in the company’s audit practice, cited its leave policy as a key asset in helping her adjust to being a new parent. “As a new mom, you’re trying to figure out what that means along with a new schedule. With the leave I took, by the time I went back to work, I felt I was in a good routine,” she said. Best places California allows work-

ers to receive 55 percent of their pay for up to six weeks, through a state insurance program funded by workers. A new San Francisco law requires private employers within the city to make up the remainder of a new parent’s full pay for six weeks. Starting in 2018, New York workers will become eligible to take up to 12 weeks paid time off to care for a new child or sick relative. The benefit will be funded by worker payroll contributions and will start at 50 percent of an employee’s weekly wage up to the statewide average. New Jersey law allows new parents to receive two-thirds of their average weekly wage for up to six weeks during a 12 month period or until benefits equal to one-third of total wages during their base year.

A10 | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

Gregorio Borgia / AP file

In this Saturday photo, Pope Francis delivers his message during a prayer vigil on the occasion of the World Youth Days, in Brzegi, near Krakow, Poland.

Pope: It’s ‘terrible’ children taught they can choose gender By Frances D’Emilio A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has lamented that children are being taught at school that gender can be a choice, adding that his predecessor, Benedict XVI has labeled current times “the epoch of sin against God the Creator.” Francis weighed in with his view on gender and what he said was that of the emeritus pontiff while meeting privately last week with bishops from Poland during his pilgrimage there. The Vatican released a transcript Tuesday of those closed-door remarks. The pope said he wanted to conclude his remarks by reflecting on this: “We are living a

moment of annihilation of man as image of God.” Francis said: “Today, in schools they are teaching this to children — to children! — that everyone can choose their gender.” Without specifying, he blamed this on textbooks supplied by “persons and institutions who donate money.” The pope blamed what he called “ideological colonizing” backed by “very influential countries” which he didn’t identify, adding “this is terrible.” One such “colonization” he said — “I’ll say it clearly with its first and last name — is gender.” The “colonization” theme is one he has railed against before, including during an Asian pilgrimage in 2015. This time, though, he volunteered that he has

discussed the gender issue with Benedict, who has lived at the Vatican since retiring in 2013. “Speaking with Pope Benedict, who is well, and has a clear mind, he was telling me: ‘Holiness, this is the epoch of sin against God the Creator.’ He’s intelligent! God created man and woman, God created the world this way, this way, this way, and we are doing the opposite,” Francis told the Polish bishops Wednesday shortly after his arrival in Krakow at the start of a five-day pilgrimage. Francis’ ended by telling the Polish bishops he wanted them to reflect on this: “We must think about what Pope Benedict said — ‘It’s the epoch of sin against God the Creator.”’

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 |

A11

FROM THE COVER

Clintons break from campaign to attend funeral

In blow to GOP unity, Trump refuses to back Ryan, McCain By Jonathan Lemire A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida — Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump said Tuesday that he is refusing to endorse House Speaker Paul Ryan and Sen. John McCain just two weeks after pledging to bring the fractured GOP together at the party’s nominating convention. He also ripped into New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte in the same interview with the Washington Post. All three have primary challengers, and all three disapproved of Trump’s criticism of the Muslim American parents of an Army captain killed in Iraq. Trump’s refutation of Ryan, the nation’s most senior elected Republican, carried particular derision. “I’m just not there yet,” Trump said in the interview. Those are very close to the words Ryan used in the long months before he endorsed

Trump, telling CNN on May 6, “I’m not there right now.” Ryan Trump never sought Trump’s endorsement, his spokesman said. “Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump’s endorsement,” said Zack Roday, Ryan’s campaign spokesman. “And we are confident in a victory next week regardless.” The billionaire celebrity famous for retaliating when he feels insulted also refused to endorse McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam who Trump previously derided for having been captured. “I’ve never been there with John McCain because I’ve always felt that he should have done a much better job for the vets,” Trump told the newspaper Tuesday. “So I’ve always had a difficult time

GUNS From page A1 and inside buildings, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Another 23 let their campuses or governing boards decide. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Tuesday called the lawsuit “frivolous” and urged its dismissal. Gun rights advocates say it’s a key self-defense measure that is protected under the Second Amendment right to bear arms. “I’m confident it will be dismissed because the Legislature passed a constitutionally sound law,” Paxton said. The Texas law allows schools to set some gun limits, such as banning weapons from campus hospitals or labs with dangerous chemicals. The University of Texas rules allow professors to ban weapons from their private offices and places some restrictions on dorms. The lawsuit by sociology professor Jennifer Lynn Glass, creative writing professor Lisa Moore and English professor Mia Carter says allowing guns into classrooms could be dangerous when discussions can wade into emotionally and politically charged topics such as gay rights and abortion. “Compelling professors at a public university to allow, without any limitation or restriction, students to carry concealed guns in their classrooms chills their First Amendment rights to academic freedom,” their lawsuit says. The lawsuit also challenges claims that the law is protected by the Second Amendment right to bear arms and says it violates the Constitutional equal protection

clause. Texas’ Republican-majority Legislature passed the law in 2015 over similar objections from student and faculty groups, most notably at the Austin campus. University of Texas System Chancellor, former Retired Adm. William McRaven, a former Navy SEAL who coordinated the raid that killed Osama bin Laden, urged lawmakers not to pass the law, telling them allowing guns would make campuses less safe. University of Texas administrators and faculty have warned the law will make it difficult to attract and retain top students, teachers and researchers. University of Texas School of Architecture dean Fritz Steiner cited the law as a reason to leave the school for a job at the University of Pennsylvania. But those worries haven’t resonated statewide. At Texas A&M University, Chancellor John Sharp supported the law and professors there won’t be allowed to ban weapons from their offices without special permission from the administration. Supporters of the campus carry law say its impact is overstated, because most students won’t be old enough to legally carry concealed weapons. Texas law requires handgun license holders to be 21 years old (18 if active military), have clean criminal records and pass classroom and gun range training, although training requirements have been reduced in recent years. Texas recently passed 1 million handgun license holders. The law does not allow open carry of handguns in college buildings and all weapons must remain out of sight.

HOMICIDE From page A1 stint for aggravated robbery. Villarreal called a detective June 22 after his mother told him police were looking for him. But the call was brief and Villarreal refused to meet with police in person. LPD said it hasn’t seen or heard from him since. Shooting on Galveston Villarreal and Rodriguez were both wanted by police following a shooting June 13 outside a home in the 3600 block of Galveston Street. The two had arrived at the residence in Rodriguez’s Tahoe and met with Esteban Yruegas, 22. Police recounted in the affidavit that Yruegas said they were demanding he pay them a quota. A quota is a tax on a drug dealer who sells illegal narcotics. Yruegas told police that the man Rodriguez was with opened fire a few minutes after they arrived at his house. He was shot twice in his leg, police said. Yruegas said to LPD that the attack was odd

with John for that reason, because our vets are not being treated properly. They’re not being treated fairly.” As for Ayotte, who is running for a second Senate term and skipped the Republican National Convention, Trump said: “You have a Kelly Ayotte who doesn’t want to talk about Trump, but I’m beating her in the polls by a lot.” “We need loyal people in this country,” Trump added in the interview. “We need fighters in this country. We don’t need weak people.” McCain is a locked in a three-way race ahead of an August 30 primary. The primary for Ryan’s House seat is next week and Ayotte’s primary is next month. All three have said they would support Trump as the GOP presidential nominee. All three chided Trump for engaging in a flap with Khizr and Ghazala Khan, the parents of U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan.

Yruegas

because Rodriguez is a good friend of his. He added that he could not identify the man Rodriguez was with but that he did recognize him. “He thinks that Rodriguez somehow betrayed him,” an LPD detective recounted in the affidavit. “He stressed that it was odd that Rodriguez would set him up and bring the male subject to his house and be a part of the extortion.” LPD later issued warrants charging Rodriguez and Villarreal with aggravated assault with a firearm. According to police, Rodriguez had no prior criminal record. “My son had nothing to do with the shooting or whatever it was going on between (Villarreal

By Michelle R. Smith ASSOCIATED PRE SS

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Hillary Clinton took a break from the presidential campaign on Tuesday to attend the funeral in Rhode Island of her longtime friend, Mark Weiner, a major Democratic donor and fundraiser. Former President Bill Clinton delivered the eulogy, saying he was there to represent the “much despised and maligned political class, those of us who wouldn’t have gotten as far in life — and certainly wouldn’t have had half as much fun — if it hadn’t been for Mark Weiner.” Hillary Clinton didn’t speak at the funeral, but her husband remembered Weiner as “forever young, forever exuberant, always just a little too much.” Weiner provided campaign buttons and other merchandise to Democratic presidential campaigns since 1980 and held leadership positions

OBAMA From page A1 wasn’t “quite there yet” on an endorsement for Ryan in his primary next week. Trump’s refusal to back Ryan exposed anew the deep divisions within the GOP and underscored that the businessman rarely plays by the traditional political playbook. Ryan has been among those urging Republicans to rally around Trump, despite concerns about his candidacy. Ryan’s campaign said, “Neither Speaker Ryan nor anyone on his team has ever asked for Donald Trump’s endorsement. And we are confident in a victory next week regardless.” Trump also said he was not supporting Sen. John McCain in his primary in Arizona, and he dismissed Sen. Kelly Ayotte as a weak and disloyal leader in New Hampshire Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton sees those GOP concerns about Trump as an opportunity to reach out to party moderates — particularly women — who may be so upset by the nominee that they’re willing to look past policy differences and questions about Clinton’s character. The president — who is enjoying heightened popularity in his eighth and final year in office — plans to campaign robustly for

and Yruegas). The only thing he did is give (Villarreal) a ride,” said Rodriguez’s mother, Brenda Rodriguez. Relatives told Laredo Morning Times that after the shooting, Rodriguez ran to his black Chevy Tahoe and Villarreal went after him and boarded the vehicle. They said Rodriguez was not involved in criminal activity and described him as a hard worker loved by many. Yruegas is now a suspect in a homicide reported Tuesday in the 3300 block of Guerrero Street, located about four blocks from where the shooting occurred on Galveston. He and Pedro Vasquez, 29, are accused of gunning down 44year-old Cesar Javier Sarmiento. Both are wanted by police on a murder charge. LPD said there is no connection between Sarmiento’s death and the slaying of Rodriguez and Arroyo. Couple goes missing Following the June 13 shooting, officers went to Rodriguez’s home in the 100 block of Laredo Ranchettes Road, located

Elise Amendola / AP

Former President Bill Clinton rides in the back seat as a car pulls out from Temple Beth-El.

throughout the party. He died last week at 62 after a yearslong battle with cancer. He was preparing to travel to the Democratic National Convention to hear Bill Clinton speak when he died. The crowd at his funeral was filled with Democratic players that also included the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe, former national security adviser Tom Donilon and political consultants James Carville, Paul Begala and Tad Devine. Other attendees included Hollywood producer Steve Bing, the former president of base-

Clinton through Election Day. He and first lady Michelle Obama spoke at last week’s Democratic convention in Philadelphia. The Khans also appeared at the convention, with Khizr Khan telling the story of his son, U.S. Army Capt. Humayun Khan, who was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star and Purple Heart after his death in 2004. Khan criticized Trump’s position on Muslims and asked whether the real estate mogul had read the Constitution. For most politicians, tangling with a bereaved military family would be out of bounds. But Trump dove in, questioning why Ghazala Khan did not speak, implying her religion prevented her from doing so, and saying he was “viciously attacked” by Khizr Khan. Trump’s criticism was part of a familiar pattern: He can’t let go of a perceived slight, no matter the potential damage to his presidential campaign or political reputation. Those who have worked with him say that in private meetings he can often appear amenable to putting a controversy aside. But the businessman can quickly be drawn back in by an interview, especially if he believes he’s already answered a question, or if he grows irritated by commentary on cable television.

off Texas 359. But he was not there. At 2:30 a.m. June 14, police were dispatched to the 200 block of Crater Lake, where an officer spotted Rodriguez’s Tahoe. Police towed the vehicle to LPD headquarters for processing. Later that day, relatives told police that Rodriguez never returned home and that he was last seen with Arroyo. Court records also state that one of Rodriguez’s relatives, worried about his safety, drove down every street in Lakeside until he saw the Tahoe at Emerald Lake and Crater Lake drives. The relative then called Rodriguez. But he didn’t answer. “(The relative) also recalled his father saying that he spoke to Rodriguez and when he was asked how he was doing, he said ‘nothing’s OK, dad!’ and then hung up.” During the investigation into the shooting, police said they received information indicating that Rodriguez was associating with a man identified as “Frankie,” or Francisco Villarreal. Rodriguez’s relative described Villarreal as “crazy,” according to police.

On June 15, the relative reported to police that Rodriguez was still missing and that he knew he had been with Villarreal the day of the shooting on Galveston. Searching for Villarreal After learning Villarreal’s listed address was in the 5100 block of Shark Bay, detectives went to the home but no one answered the door. A detective left his business card. On June 22, Martinez, who identified herself as Villarreal’s mother, called police saying she had moved her son to Houston after he was released from prison. “She claimed she did so in order to get her son away from trouble in Laredo,” court documents state. About two hours later, Villarreal called an investigator. “(He) … refused to meet in person,” the detective wrote in the affidavit. “He asked to speak over the phone and did not see what the difference was. He further stated that (the) detective ... was not a judge and did not see

ball’s National League, Leonard Coleman Jr., and drummer Max Weinberg. Weiner became close friends with the Clintons in 1976, when he worked with Hillary Clinton on Jimmy Carter’s presidential campaign. He worked on every presidential campaign since that year. Bill Clinton told mourners that Weiner was a fierce competitor in business and politics. He said Weiner would do anything for his friends, but also performed kindnesses for strangers. Weiner would give someone a tip for seating him in an empty restaurant.

Trump’s unwillingness to let the matter subside sparked outrage Monday from several Republicans. Sen. John McCain, RArizona, a former prisoner of war, said Trump did not have “unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us.” Rep. Mike Coffman, a vulnerable Republican in a competitive Colorado district, said he was “deeply offended when Donald Trump fails to honor the sacrifices of all of our brave soldiers who were lost in that war.” Missouri Sen. Roy Blunt said the Khans “deserve to be heard and respected.” Obama argued those denunciations “ring hollow” as long as Republicans continue to back Trump in the White House race. Trump’s response? On Twitter, he said, “President Obama will go down as perhaps one of the worst president in the history of the United States!” Sen. Mark Kirk, who is facing a tough re-election fight in Illinois, rescinded his endorsement of Trump in June after the GOP nominee criticized an American-born judge’s Mexican heritage. Others, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Ryan, have broken with the nominee on individual issues but continue to back his candidacy.

why he should meet with him. “Villarreal was being elusive. The call was terminated.” At about noon June 26, a man called police reporting he had discovered two naked bodies with plastic bags over their heads. They were in an accelerated state of decomposition, according to court documents. The bodies were later identified as Rodriguez and Arroyo. “Two beautiful lives were taken away. We want justice,” a relative of Rodriguez said. Based on information obtained earlier, crimes against persons detectives executed a search warrant at the home on Shark Bay. Police said they saw “brownish” stains on a carpet upstairs. “The stains were consistent with the characteristics of blood,” the affidavit states. To provide information on the case, call police at 956-795-2800. Calls made to Laredo Crime Stoppers are anonymous and eligible for a cash reward if the tip leads to an arrest. The number is 727-TIPS (8477).

A12 | Wednesday, August 3, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES