The Zapata Times 9/14/2016

TONY ROMO’S RETURN STILL UNKNOWN

WEDNESDAYSEPTEMBER 14, 2016

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TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY

Kids kept out of special education

Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle

Roanin Walker, center, 7, jumps up and down while he plays video games against his father Trevor Walker, right, accompanied by his brother Tiernen, July 23, in Kingwood.

Unelected officials capped services

By Brian M. Rosenthal H OUSTON CHRONICLE

Editor’s note: This is part one of a two-part series.

During the first week of school at Shadow Forest Elementary, a frail kindergartner named Roanin Walker had a meltdown at recess. Overwhelmed by the shrieking and giggling, he hid by the swings and then tried to escape the playground, hitting a classmate and biting a teacher before being restrained.

The principal called Roanin’s mother.

“There’s been an incident.”

Heidi Walker was frightened, but as she hurried to the Humble school that day in 2014, she felt strangely relieved.

She had warned school administrators months earlier that her 5-year-old had been diagnosed with a disability similar to autism. Now they would understand, she thought.

Surely they would give him the therapy and counseling he needed.

Walker knew the law was on her side. Since 1975, Congress has required public schools in the United States to provide specialized education services to all eligible

About 10.2 percent of students in Zapata County ISD received special education services in 2004. Currently, the district’s rate is 30.4 percent lower than in 2004, with 7.1 percent of students receiving special education services in 2015.

children with any type of disability.

But what she didn’t know is that in Texas, unelected state officials have quietly devised a system that has kept thousands of disabled kids like Roanin out of special education.

Over a decade ago, the

officials arbitrarily decided what percentage of students should get special education services — 8.5 percent — and since then they have forced school districts to comply by strictly auditing those serving too many kids.

Their efforts, which started in 2004 but have

never been publicly announced or explained, have saved the Texas Education Agency billions of dollars but denied vital supports to children with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, epilepsy, mental illnesses, speech impediments, traumatic brain

COUNTY LINE

FIRST RESPONDERS APPRECIATION BREAKFAST

Trail ride slated

Zapata Girl Scouts honor law enforcement officials

By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S

Zapatans are welcome to join the first ever Rib Cage Chili Cook Off and Trail Ride in Webb County.

Organizers said it’s the first of its kind. The funds raised will go toward Star of Hope for Our Sacred Heart, a nonprofit organization in Laredo.

The event is slated for Saturday.

It goes from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. in the 3000 block of Jaime Zapata Memorial Highway in Laredo.

Organizers encouraged Zapatans to come ride with La Sita VIP Trail Riders & Cabalgata Internacional La Grande. The trail ride starts at the Webb and Zapata County line. It’s $20 per rider.

Pre-registration for the trail ride begins at 9 a.m.

A negative Coggins test on the horse is required.

For trail ride information, call Rosy Gregory at 956-744-7505 or Cristina Estrada at 956-319-4080.

For chili cook off and vendor space, call Rene Garza at 956-324-8067 or The Rib Cage Smokehouse at 956-568-1563.

By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S

The Zapata Girl Scouts appreciate their first responders.

Recently, they held a First Responders Apprecia-

tion Breakfast at the American Legion Post 486.

Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr., of the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office, was among the law enforcement officials who was present at the event.

“It was an honor to be present at the First Responders Appreciation Breakfast with all our brothers and sisters in blue,” Del Bosque said in a statement.

Scouts continues on A10

ZAPATA COUNTY

Officials combat oil field fire; flames reached up to 12 feet

injuries, even blindness and deafness, a Houston Chronicle investigation has found.

More than a dozen teachers and administrators from across the state told the Chronicle they have delayed or denied special education to disaSpecial continues on A11

FAYETTE COUNTY

Courtesy photo / Fayette County Sheriff’s Office

Sgt. Randy Thumann and K-9 partner Lobos, of the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office, pose for a photo in front of a pick-up truck that allegedly had 109 pounds of pot stashed. The contraband was valued at approximately $50,000.

Zapata man busted for pot stash

By César G. Rodriguez THE ZAPATA TIME S

By César G. Rodriguez A fire was reported Friday at an oilfield site in Zapata County, according to reports.

That afternoon, the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office received reports of black smoke that appeared to be emanating from a south area of the county airport.

Sheriff’s Office deputies met with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department at the scene.

First responders said the smoke was coming from condensation tanks at an oilfield site located south of Airport Road and Texas 16.

Reports alleged the tanks caught on fire. The flames Fire continues on A10

THE ZAPATA TIME S

Courtesy photo / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office

The Zapata County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Zapata County Fire Department worked together to extinguish a fire reported at an oilfield location near the county airport.

A man from Zapata was arrested Monday southeast of Austin for allegedly transporting over 100 pounds of marijuana, according to reports.

The Fayette County Sheriff’s Office identified the suspect as Arturo Pena, 35.

He was charged with felony possession of marijuana.

The case unfolded at about 10:11 a.m. along Interstate 10. A Sheriff’s Office narcotics unit sergeant and his K-9 pulled over a Ford F-150 for a traffic violation.

Pena “During the road side interview, (the sergeant) identified several indicators that the driver was possibly trafficking illegal narcotics,” the Sheriff’s Office said.

Pot continues on A10

Zin brief A2 | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

CALENDAR

AROUND THE WORLD

TODAY IN HISTORY

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 15

ASSOCIATED PRE SS

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.

1 TAMIU’s Hispanic Heritage Month kick-off. 6 p.m. Student Center Rotunda. There will be a celebration of Mexican Independence Day’s “El Grito.” Admission is free and open to the public.

1 Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 6–7 p.m. TAMIU. “Violent Universe” at 6 p.m. and “Led Zeppelin” at 7 p.m. General admission is $5 and $4 for children, TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information, call 326-3663.

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 1

Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 6–7 p.m. TAMIU LBV Planetarium, 5201 University Blvd.

Stars of the Pharaohs at 6 p.m.; Live Star Presentation at 7 p.m. Admission for the presentation is $3. Observing will occur after presentation if weather permits. General admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information call 326-DOME (3663).

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 17 1

Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 2 p.m. TAMIU. “The Little Star That Could,” “Cosmic Adventure,” “Black Holes” and “A Starry Tale.”

General admission is $5 and $4 for children, TAMIU students, faculty and staff. For more information, call 326-3663.

1 First-ever Rib Cage Chili CookOff and Trail Ride. Rib Cage Smokehouse, 3000 Jaime Zapata Memorial Highway. The event starts at 10 a.m. with a trail ride at the Webb-Zapata County Line and ends at the smokehouse. The family-fun festival, starting at 3 p.m. at the Rib Cage Smokehouse, will include a chili cook-off. A car show, pan de campo booths, music, and food vendors also will be available. Proceeds from the event will benefit Star of Hope. For trail ride information, call Rosy Gregory at 956-744-7505 or Cristina Estrada at 956-319-4080. For chili cook-off and vendor space, call Reno Garza at 956-324-8067 or The Rib Cage Smokehouse at 956-568-1563.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 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.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 1

Down Syndrome Laredo Bowl-AThon. 5–8 p.m. Jett Bowl North, 5823 McPherson Road. Come support our children. Wear your blue and yellow for DS awareness. If you would like to purchase a lane, contact Priscilla Garcia at 333-9312.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 1

Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 2 p.m.–5 p.m. TAMIU LBV Planetarium, 5201 University Blvd. The Little Star that Could at 2 p.m.; Cosmic Adventure at 3 p.m.; Black Holes at 4 p.m.; A Starry Tale at 5 p.m.

General Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Admission is $4 for TAMIU students, faculty and staff. The 2 p.m. show is $1 less. For more information call 326-DOME (3663).

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 1

Spaghetti lunch. Noon–1:30 p.m.

Fellowship Hall, First United Methodist Church. No admission fee. Free-will donations accepted.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 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.

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 1

City of Laredo Comprehensive Plan’s Public Design Workshop (Charrette). 6 p.m. Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road. Community-wide kick-off event to mark the official start of a two-week public planning process. From Sept. 26 to Oct. 6, Plan Viva Laredo is hosting a public charrette, which is an intensive planning session where citizens, designers and others can collaborate on their vision for the comprehensive plan.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 1

City of Laredo Comprehensive Plan’s Public Design Workshop (Charrette). Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road. More details to be announced.

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 1

Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium shows. 6–7 p.m. TAMIU LBV Planetarium, 5201 University Blvd.

Violent Universe at 6 p.m.; Led Zeppelin at 7 p.m.

Today is Wednesday, Sept. 14, the 258th day of 2016. There are 108 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Sept. 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry” after witnessing the American flag flying over the Maryland fort following a night of British bombardment during the War of 1812; the poem later became the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

Youssef Karwashan / Getty

Syrian youths sits at a cafe in the government-held area of the northern Syrian city of Aleppo as they celebrate the Eid al-Adha Muslim holiday on Tuesday.

SYRIAN CEASEFIRE HOLDS BEIRUT — A cease-fire brokered by the U.S. and Russia brought calm across much of Syria on Tuesday as residents of the northern city of Aleppo awaited an expected aid shipment.

Insurgent groups have expressed misgivings about the cease-fire, which would allow for strikes against a powerful alQaida-linked group that fights alongside the rebels.

That group, formerly known as the Nusra Front, has condemned the truce, saying the deal is aimed at keeping President Bashar Assad in power.

UN approves Colombia peace mission UNITED NATIONS — The Security Council on Tuesday approved the deployment of a U.N. political mission to monitor a cease-fire between the government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. The resolution unanimously approved authorizes a mission made up of 450 observers and a number of civilians to be de-

The Russian military said U.S.-backed rebels have repeatedly violated the ceasefire, with six people killed and 10 wounded in Aleppo since the truce began. It said two Syrian soldiers were killed and another wounded in a separate attack in Aleppo.

Syrian state media reported nearly two dozen violations by insurgents, mostly mortar attacks and sniper shots. It said insurgents attacked power lines in the southern Quneitra region, causing a province-wide blackout.

— Compiled from AP reports

ployed in 40 widely dispersed locations to oversee the laying down of arms by the FARC and other aspects of the agreement.

Diplomats say the mission should be in place when the two parties sign a formal peace agreement on Sept. 26 in Cartagena and when the deal goes to a national referendum on Oct. 2.

On June 23, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and FARC rebels signed a cease-fire and rebel disarmament deal that moved the country to the brink of ending the 52-year

war.

“Colombians will have the opportunity to open the doors to a better future, with a stable and lasting peace which we have been able to construct with the support of the Security Council and the United Nations,” Colombia’s Ambassador Maria Emma Mejia said, thanking Britain for sponsoring the resolution authorizing the political mission.

British Ambassador Matthew Rycroft congratulated the Colombian government.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND TEXAS

Bob Daemmrich / Texas Tribune

Sid Miller, who was elected agriculture commissioner in November 2014, is shown on June 7, 2014.

Manager Jerry Jones spoke out against kneeling during the national anthem. But he said his boycott of other teams continues.

“I’m a rodeo guy,” Miller said. “You won’t see that happen at the rodeo.”

Miller said football players who kneel during the national anthem were sending the

wrong message to young Texans who are watching football games.

“It’s not about [the players], it’s about being an American and being an example,” Miller said. “I’m going to boycott everybody except the Dallas Cowboys.”

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Arizona sued over denying driver’s licenses to some migrants TUCSON, Ariz. — A single mother battling cancer and a victim of domestic abuse are among the immigrants who qualify for Arizona driver’s licenses but have been illegally denied the chance to drive a car, a group of advocacy organizations said in a new federal

Ten years ago: Authorities advised people to avoid eating bagged fresh spinach, the suspected (later confirmed) source of an outbreak of E. coli illnesses that killed three people.

Three men became the first rabbis ordained in Germany since World War II during a ceremony in Dresden.

Actor-bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, husband of actress Jayne Mansfield and father of actress Mariska Hargitay, died in Los Angeles at age 80.

Five years ago: President Barack Obama urged enthusiastic college students at North Carolina State University to join him in his fight to get Congress to act on his new jobs bill. A government panel released a report saying that BP bore ultimate responsibility for the worst offshore oil spill in U.S. history.

One year ago: Ahmed Mohamed, a 14-year-old Muslim boy, was arrested after bringing a homemade clock to MacArthur High School in Irving, Texas, that was mistaken for a possible bomb; police declined to seek any charges against the teenager.

Agriculture chief boycotts NFL over players kneeling Since San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick first took a knee during the national anthem two weeks ago, several Texas officials have objected to his form of silent protest as the controversy has made ripples around the state.

Kaepernick, who has said he’s protesting racial injustice, has found support in some fellow players. But he’s also drawn the ire of Texas officials who say he and others are disrespecting the nation’s flag and veterans.

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller posted on Facebook last Friday that he would boycott the NFL and not watch any games until the league requires players stand for the national anthem. Miller told The Texas Tribune on Tuesday he’ll still support the Dallas Cowboys since General

On this date: In 1715, Benedictine monk Dom Pierre Perignon, credited with advances in the production of champagne, died in Hautvillers, France, at age 76.

In 1829, the Treaty of Adrianople was signed, ending war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire.

In 1861, the first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off Pensacola, Florida.

In 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, New York, of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin; Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him.

In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice (nees), France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car she was riding in.

In 1941, Vermont passed a resolution enabling its servicemen to receive wartime bonuses by declaring the U.S. to be in a state of armed conflict, giving rise to headlines that Vermont had “declared war on Germany.”

In 1954, the Soviet Union detonated a 40-kiloton atomic test weapon.

In 1964, Pope Paul VI opened the third session of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as “Vatican II.” (The session closed two months later.)

In 1975, Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.-born saint.

In 1982, Princess Grace of Monaco, formerly actress Grace Kelly, died at age 52 of injuries from a car crash the day before; Lebanon’s president-elect, Bashir Gemayel, was killed by a bomb.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy, appeared together on radio and television to appeal for a “national crusade” against drug abuse.

In 1991, the government of South Africa, the African National Congress and the Inkatha Freedom Party signed a national peace pact.

lawsuit.

Denying licenses to some immigrants in the country illegally who have been granted deferred action, or protection from deportation, is unconstitutional, according to the claim filed Monday by the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the National Immigration Law Center and the Ortega Law Firm.

Arizona is the only state that denies licenses to some immigrants who take part in years-old programs that allow

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Zoe Caldwell is 83. Feminist author Kate Millett is 82. Actor Walter Koenig is 80. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 76. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 72. Actor Sam Neill is 69. Rock musician Steve Berlin (Los Lobos) is 61. Country singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman is 60. Actress Mary Crosby is 57. Singer Morten Harket (a-ha) is 57. Country singer John Berry is 57. Actress Melissa Leo is 56. Actress Michelle Stafford is 51.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev is 51. Rock musician Mike Cooley (Drive-By Truckers) is 50. Actor Dan Cortese is 49. Actor-writer-directorproducer Tyler Perry is 47. Actor Ben Garant is 46. Rock musician Craig Montoya (Tri Polar) is 46. Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley is 45. Pop singer Ayo is 36. Actor Sebastian Sozzi is 34. Actor Adam Lamberg is 32.

Singer Alex Clare is 31. Actress Jessica Brown Findlay is 29. Actor-singer Logan Henderson is 27.

Thought for Today: “I venture to suggest that patriotism is not a short and frenzied outburst of emotion but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.” — Adlai E. Stevenson, American statesman (1900-1965).

CONTACT US them to work in the U.S. and avoid deportation for a variety of reasons, said Victor Viramontes, an attorney with the fund. That includes crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement, those who come to the U.S. for humanitarian reasons and survivors of terrorism, among others.

Daniel Scarpinato, a spokesman for Gov. Doug Ducey, said Tuesday that state lawyers were reviewing the lawsuit.

— Compiled from AP reports

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The Zapata Times

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 |

A3

STATE

Court says no drug retests needed for executions

By Michael Graczyk A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

HOUSTON — A federal court rejected a lawsuit by five Texas death row inmates who said the lethal drugs intended for their executions should be retested before their punishments are carried out to ensure they suffer no unusual pain.

Lawyers for the five prisoners argued to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that an agreement between the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and two other inmates to test the pentobarbital for their lethal injections should be extended to them. Failure to do so would violate their constitutional right to equal protection under the law, they said.

The appeals court on Monday agreed with a Houston federal judge’s dismissal of the lawsuit filed a month ago, calling it a “novel and flawed invocation of equal protection doctrine.”

Texas has put 537 prisoners to death since 1982, more than any other state. It replaced its previous three-drug combination for executions in 2012 with a single dose of pentobarbital and the last 32 lethal injections have used pentobarbital from a compounding pharmacy. Attorneys for the five inmates argued the compounded drug created significant risk of unnecessary pain prohibited by the Eighth Amendment and needed to be retested as the punishments neared.

“The reality is that pentobarbital, when used as the sole drug in a single-drug protocol, has

Alyssa Schukar / New York Times

Susan Leopold of the Patawomeck Tribe of Virginia, watches the sun rise over the Sacred Stone Camp, where thousands of Native Americans have gathered.

Pat Sullivan / AP

This May 27, 2008 photo shows the gurney in Huntsville where Texas' condemned are strapped.

realized no such risk,” the appeals court panel said in its 12-page ruling.

The five inmates — Jeffery Wood, Rolando Ruiz, Robert Jennings, Terry Edwards and Ramiro Gonzales — all had execution dates scheduled when their lawsuit against top Texas prison agency administrators was filed Aug. 12 in federal district court in Houston. Since then, Wood, Ruiz and Jennings have received reprieves unrelated to the drug lawsuit. Edwards remains set to die Oct. 19 and Gonzales on Nov. 2.

An order scheduling a July execution for inmate Perry Williams was withdrawn by his trial court judge because the retest of drugs intended for him could not be completed in time for Williams’ attorneys to review. The Texas Attorney General’s Office agreed to the tests to settle a lawsuit filed on behalf of Williams and another inmate that challenged the use of the drugs.

The five prisoners cited that agreement in their lawsuit, contending it created a right to retesting for all prisoners.

Michael Biles, the lead

attorney for the inmates, said he was disappointed with the decision, was considering an appeal to the Supreme court and believed the 5th Circuit had applied the wrong standard to his equal protection claim.

“The state of Texas violated our clients’ rights under the Equal Protection Clause of the U.S. Constitution because the testing that it promised to provide shortly before some, but not all, executions implicates a fundamental right ... to be free from cruel and unusual punishment,” he said. “When the state of Texas promised to provide additional safety measures for some executions, it must provide those same safety measures for all executions.”

Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Jason Clark noted that the agency had carried out the 32 executions using compounded pentobarbital without incident.

“We agree with the 5th Circuit Court’s decision,” he said. “We believe the opinion speaks for itself.”

Two of the five inmates have been on death row for more than two decades.

Dakota Access CEO: Company committed to finishing project

By James MacPherson ASSOCIATED PRE SS

BISMARCK, N.D. — The head of a Texas company building the $3.8 billion Dakota Access pipeline told employees Tuesday that it is committed to the project despite strong opposition and a federal order to voluntarily halt construction near an American Indian reservation in North Dakota.

The memo to employees, which was also released to some media outlets, is the first time in months the company has provided significant details of the four-state, 1,172-mile project.

It came the same day as a planned “day of action” in cities around the U.S. and in other countries.

Authorities also arrested several people for interfering with construction on the pipeline about 70 miles northwest of the main protest site near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North Dakota.

Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren

told employee the pipeline is nearly 60 percent complete and that “concerns about the pipeline’s impact on the local water supply are unfounded.”

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and others argue the project will impact drinking water for thousands of tribal members and millions downstream.

“I am confident that as long as the government ultimately decides the fate of the project based on science and engineering, the Dakota Access Pipeline will become operational ... So we will continue to obey the rules and trust the process,” he wrote.

Standing Rock Tribal Chairman Dave Archambault II said he and the thousands of others who have gathered at an encampment in southern North Dakota to protest won’t budge.

“People are still coming down here and are committed to stopping the project,” he said.

The tribe is challenging the Army Corps of Engineers’ decision to grant

about 200 permits at water crossings for pipeline, which goes through the Dakotas and Iowa to Illinois. The tribe says the project will disturb sacred sites and impact drinking water. Energy Transfer Partners disputes those claims, saying the pipeline would include safeguards and that workers monitoring the pipeline remotely could close valves within three minutes if a breach is detected.

“We have designed the state-of-the-art Dakota Access pipeline as a safer and more efficient method of transporting crude oil than the alternatives being used today,” his memo said.

The tribe’s effort to temporarily block construction near its reservation was denied by U.S. District Judge James Boasberg on Friday. But minutes later, federal officials ordered a temporary halt to construction on Army Corps land around and underneath Lake Oahe — one of six reservoirs on the Missouri River.

Zopinion A4 | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

The avalanche of distrust I’m beginning to think this whole sordid campaign is being blown along by an acrid gust of distrust. The two main candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, are remarkably distrustful. They have set the modern standards for withholding information — his not releasing tax and health records, her not holding regular news conferences or quickly disclosing her pneumonia diagnosis. Both have a problem with spontaneous, reciprocal communication with a hint of vulnerability.

Both ultimately hew to a distrustful, stark, combative, zero-sum view of life — the idea that making it in this world is an unforgiving slog and that, given other people’s selfish natures, vulnerability is dangerous.

Trump’s convention speech was the perfect embodiment of the politics of distrust. American families, he argued, are under threat from foreigners who are as violent and menacing as they are insidious. Clinton’s “Basket of Deplorables” riff comes from the same spiritual place. We have in our country, she jibed, millions of bigots, racists, xenophobes and haters — people who are so blackhearted that they are, as she put it, “irredeemable.”

The parishioners at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina, felt that even the man who murdered their close friends was redeemable, but Clinton has written off vast chunks of her fellow citizens as beyond hope and redemption.

But these nominees didn’t emerge in a vacuum. Distrustful politicians were nominated by an increasingly distrustful nation. A generation ago about half of all Americans felt they could trust the people around them, but now less than a third think other people are trustworthy.

Young people are the most distrustful of all; only about 19 percent of millennials believe other people can be trusted. But across all age groups there is a rising culture of paranoia and conspiracymongering. We set out a decade ago to democratize the Middle East, but we’ve ended up Middle Easternizing our democracy.

The true thing about distrust, in politics and in life generally, is that it is self-destructive. Distrustful people end up isolating themselves, alienating others and corroding their inner natures.

Over the past few decades, the decline in social trust has correlated to an epidemic of loneliness. In 1985, 10 percent of Americans said they had no close friend with whom they could discuss important matters. By 2004, 25

“

DAVID BROOKS

percent had no such friend.

When you refuse to lay yourself before others, others won’t lay themselves before you. An AARP study of Americans ages 45 and up found that 35 percent suffer from chronic loneliness, compared with 20 percent in a similar survey a decade ago. Suicide rates, which closely correlate with loneliness, have been spiking since 1999.

The culture of distrust isn’t the only isolating factor, but it plays a role.

The rise of distrust correlates with a decline in community bonds and a surge of unmerited cynicism. Only 31 percent of millennials say there is a great deal of difference between the two political parties. Only 52 percent of adults say they are extremely proud to be Americans, down from 70 percent in 2003.

The rise of distrust has corroded intimacy. When you go on social media you see people who long for friendship. People are posting and liking private photos on public places like Snapchat and Facebook.

But the pervasive atmosphere of distrust undermines actual intimacy, which involves progressive self-disclosure, vulnerability, emotional risk and spontaneous and unpredictable face-to-face conversations.

Instead, what you see in social media is often the illusion of intimacy. The sharing is tightly curated — in a way carefully designed to mitigate unpredictability, danger, vulnerability and actual intimacy. There is, as Stephen Marche once put it, “a phony nonchalance.”

It’s possible to have weeks of affirming online banter without ever doing a trust-fall into another’s arms.

As Garry Shandling once joked, “My friends tell me I have an intimacy problem, but they don’t really know me.”

Distrust leads to these self-reinforcing spirals. As Alex Tabarrok of George Mason University observed recently, in distrustful societies parents are less likely to teach their children about tolerance and respect for others. More distrust leads to tighter regulations, which leads to slower growth, which leads to sour mentalities and more distrust.

Furthermore, fear is the great enemy of intimacy.

But the loss of intimacy makes society more isolated.

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times.

EDITORIAL

Infinite hope: The Paralympic Games bring out the best PITT SBURGH P O ST-GAZETTE

There are few better examples of bouncing back from life’s difficulties than the athletes competing at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro through next Sunday.

There is U.S. swimmer Brad Snyder, who lost his vision when an IED exploded near him as he patrolled with a Navy SEAL unit in Afghanistan in 2011. A former captain

of the Naval Academy swimming team, he found solace in the pool and won two gold medals at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.

“I didn’t like that everyone was so distraught and so messed up (after his injury). I’m used to having a positive impact on people. Swimming, in the beginning, was a way to turn that on its head,” Snyder told The Washington Post.

Australian rower Erik

Horrie was 7 years old when his parents dropped him off at an orphanage. At 21, he was involved in a head-on accident and was told he would never walk again.

He hasn’t, but he became an elite wheelchair basketball player, a silver medalist in 2012 in the single sculls and, most important, a youth counselor.

Joe Berenyi of Aurora, Ill., lost his right arm and severely injured his knee

COLUMN

Clinton did what women have done for ages — keep working while ill

By Dahleen Glanton CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Hillary Clinton revealed a disconcerting flaw when she fell ill at a 9/11 event Sunday.

She showed us that she is human. Not the superhuman we have demanded she be, only human.

That’s something a woman can’t afford to disclose when she’s competing in a race that always has been dominated by men.

One of the lessons women learn early in life is that they’ve got to be tough in order to succeed.

Fragility can be a fatal flaw that has brought an end to many a promising career. And whatever you do, we’re told, never let them see you cry. The bigger bitch you are at work, the more your peers will respect you.

These are rules from the workplace playbook women memorize before we’re even out of high school.

Now that we have our first female presidential nominee from a major party, we are hearing about other rules that

apply to women seeking the nation’s highest office: Never let them see you cough or take a sip of water to clear your throat, and for God’s sake, don’t stumble while getting into your campaign SUV. Pictures of the wouldbe commander in chief being supported by a staff member as she abruptly left the 9/11 memorial event in New York put Clinton’s health on showcase in her contentious race against Donald Trump. And the video showing her nearly collapsing into the arms of Secret Service agents as she stepped into her vehicle was enough to convince some that she is hiding a serious illness.

The fact that her doctor said later that Clinton had been diagnosed with pneumonia a couple of days before was met with skepticism. Her doctor’s note carried far less weight that the one Trump’s physician quickly scribbled giving him a clean bill of health while the candidate waited outside in a car.

At age 68, Clinton is two years younger than

Trump. But by America’s sexist double standard, she’s the equivalent to 100 while he’s considered to still have the virility of a 30-year-old. As a result, her health is deemed more vulnerable than even the Republican Party’s beloved Ronald Reagan, who was 69 when first elected president.

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani summed up Clinton’s health this way after she attended a recent news conference with New York police officers. She "looked tired" and she "looked sick," he said.

The not-so-subtle point is that Clinton is an old woman, way past her prime and usefulness.

Rather than trying to be president, she should be content sitting at home, spending her twilight years enjoying her grandchildren.

When it comes to electing a female head of state, the U.S. lags behind other countries, even some that are considered far less progressive. At this moment, there are more than a dozen female presidents, ruling countries such as

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in a factory accident in 1994. Now, he is the top Paralympic cyclist in the world.

Martin Luther King Jr. once said: “We must accept finite disappointment, but we must never lose infinite hope.” There are more than 4,350 athletes competing in Rio who have not given into life’s disappointments.

The word “hero” gets used loosely these days. It actually applies to Paralympic athletes.

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Chile, South Korea and Liberia. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel has been calling the shots for more than a decade.

And in Great Britain, Theresa May just took over as prime minister, following a path set by Margaret Thatcher in 1979.

But in the U.S., we are still lukewarm to the idea of having a woman at the helm of our government.

Part of the reason is that many Americans still don’t consider women equal to men.

We work the same jobs as men, but with less pay.

We work as hard as men do, but often don’t get the same opportunities for advancement. And as the recent debacle at Fox News shows, women are still subjected to sexual harassment and often treated as though they are a disposable commodity in the workplace.

So when Hillary Clinton stumbled on Sunday, she let her guard down and showed her weakness, her vulnerability. In that moment, it was easy to forget what an accomplished statesman she is.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 |

A5

NATIONAL

Protections rejected for American pika, other species

By Matthew Brown A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

BILLINGS, Mont. — U.S. officials on Tuesday rejected greater protections for six species including the rabbit-like American pika, which researchers warn is disappearing from areas of the West as climate change alters its mountain habitat.

The pika’s range is shrinking across southern Utah, northeastern California and in the Great Basin that covers most of Nevada and parts of Utah, Oregon, Idaho and California, according to a U.S. Geological Survey study released last month.

Ambient temperatures of 78 degrees Fahrenheit or higher can kill the mountain-dwelling mammals, wildlife officials say.

But the Fish and Wildlife Service said in documents released Tuesday that warmer temperatures don’t necessarily lead to population declines. That’s because pika can seek cooler refuge beneath rock fields during summer months.

The agency also said the most severe effects of climate change are being felt at elevations below 8,200 feet, which is near the lower limit of the pika’s range in the West.

That suggests pika habitat “has not experienced the more substantial changes” of reduced snowpack due to climate change, the agency said.

Shana S. Weber / AP file

This Aug. 17, 2005 file photo provided by the US Geological Survey/Princeton University shows an American pika.

Last month’s USGS study was not available when a student from New York petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in April to protect the animal under the Endangered Species Act, agency spokesman Brian Hires said. That means the findings weren’t considered.

“We always try to use the best available science for our decisions,” Hires said.

The government denied a prior request for pika protections in 2010, saying not all populations were declining.

The wildlife service is unlikely to pursue further action on pikas on its own, officials said, citing a heavy workload of other imperiled species.

President Barack Obama mentioned the plight of the pika this summer when he spoke at Yosemite National Park about the damage inflicted by climate change. He said

the pika was being forced further upslope at Yosemite to escape the heat.

Wildlife officials also rejected petitions Tuesday to protect the Wyoming pocket gopher, two species of Alaskan birds known as eiders, a Caribbean iguana and a salamander found in Arkansas. Further details on those decisions were not immediately available.

Officials said petitions for four species merit further review.

Those are the Florida scrub lizard; the Joshua tree of Arizona, California, Utah and Nevada; an amphibian known as the lesser Virgin Islands skink; and the Lassics lupine, a flowering plant found at high elevations in the North Coast mountains of California.

For those species, the wildlife service invited scientists and others to submit information that could help the agency in its decision.

Northern California officers face discipline in sex scandal

By Paul Elias ASSOCIATED PRE SS

SAN FRANCISCO — A Northern California police department is disciplining several officers implicated in a sex scandal with a self-described teen prostitute.

The Richmond Police announced Monday night that it had investigated 11 current and former officers’ relationship with the teen, whose mother is an Oakland Police dispatcher.

Richmond Police Chief Allwyn Brown said he is attempting to fire some of them while recommending counseling for others. The chief didn’t name the officers nor specify how many faced

discipline, noting that some of those investigated were cleared of wrongdoing.

Richmond is about 11 miles northeast of San Francisco.

The announcement in Richmond comes less than a week after Alameda County district attorney Nancy O’Malley said she plans to charge seven officers from three other agencies with sex crimes and unauthorized access of criminal databases.

O’Malley said she won’t formally file charges until the teen is released from a Florida jail, where she is being held on a misdemeanor assault charge. O’Malley said the 19-year-old is a

key witness in the criminal case whose testimony is crucial if any of the defendants plead not guilty and go to trial.

The teen says she had sex with 30 San Francisco Bay Area officers, four them when she was younger than 18.

The Associated Press generally doesn’t publish the names of sex crime victims.

The Richmond police arranged for the 19-yearold woman to enroll in an in-patient addiction treatment center in Stuart, Florida late last month. O’Malley and others criticized the department’s involvement in sending the teen across the country amid several investigations.

Zfrontera A6 | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

RIBEREÑA EN BREVE FIESTA MEXICANA 1 Se celebrará Gran Fiesta Mexicana en Familia en la Ciudad de Roma el 14 de septiembre, con la presentación de Eliseo Robles y los Bárbaros del Norte.

La cita es en Plaza Guadalupe desde las 6 p.m. Evento gratuito y familiar. Si desea adquirir un puesto para venta de antojitos mexicanos contacte a Blanca Ruiz al 956-849-1411 ó 8441428. Los espacios son limitados.

SOCIEDAD DE GENEALOGÍA 1 La reunión de la Sociedad de Genealogía Nuevo Santander invitan a su reunión el sábado 17 de septiembre de 2 p.m. a 4 p.m. Los conferencistas serán Dr. Javier González, María del Refugrio Ramírez, María del Carmen Carvajal y Luis Lauro González.

La cita es en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata.

TORNEO DE CAMPEONATO 1 La Cámara de Comercio del Condado de Zapata está invitando al Torneo de Campeonato de la Asociación Sun Country Bass, a realizarse del 25 al 30 de septiembre, el cual se llevará a cabo en Falcon Lake.

TAMAULIPAS

Reportan números telefónicos de extorsionadores E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Autoridades tamaulipecas han detectado un total de 91 números telefónicos mediante los cuales presuntos delincuentes de otras entidades pretenden extorsionar a ciudadanos tamaulipecos.

La detección de esos 91 números se ha logrado luego que se activaran los protocolos necesarios, a efecto de impedir que esos delincuentes cometan extorsiones a través de llamadas desde teléfonos celulares, de acuerdo con un comunicado de prensa.

La disposición se emitió después que la policía mexicana detectara llamadas hechas desde el penal de Santa Martha Acatitla, Estado de México y de municipios de entidades como Querétaro, Sonora y Tamaulipas.

En el caso del penal mexiquense, los autores de esas llamadas son delincuentes compurgando penas por diversos

FIRMA DE LIBROS 1 La Dra. Alma González Pérez dictará una conferencia y estará firmando su nuevo libro de poesía en la reunión mensual de la Sociedad de Genealogía Nuevo Santander el sábado 12 de Noviembre en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata.

La cita es a las 2 p.m.

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

SE SUSPENDE JUNTA 1 La Sociedad de Genealogía Nuevo Santander informa a sus socios y a la comunidad en general que debido a las fiestas decembrinas no habrá reunión de la sociedad durante el mes de Diciembre.

Modo de operación Los presuntos extorsio-

nadores llaman para obtener información de las familias, haciéndose pasar por ejecutivos de instituciones bancarias y compañías telefónicas.

Cuando logran la información, vuelven a llamar, pero ahora con alta amenaza verbal y obligan a las víctimas a salir de sus casas o centros de trabajo para que se dirijan a algún hotel o lugar público, donde quedan aislados.

Luego, desde otro teléfono, amenazan a familiares cercanos y exigen dinero a cambio de no dañar a sus seres queridos, de quienes aseguran los tienen privados de la libertad.

Otro recurso de los criminales es usar a jovencitas para que estas digan se encuentran secuestradas, haciéndose pasar como hijas de las personas que son contactadas ya sea en sus teléfonos de casa o celulares.

Las fuerzas federales y

estatales del Grupo de Coordinación recomiendan a los ciudadanos tamaulipecos no caer en pánico cuando reciban una llamada de los números mencionados o de otros foráneos.

Se les recomienda apuntar el número de quien llama, colgar inmediatamente y reportarlo a las autoridades.

Números de teléfonos mexicanos utilizados para extorsionar, según autoridades tamaulipecas: 311-187-8638, 378-7064441, 834-215-7392, 222-3883761, 834-215-5119, 834-2213489, 834-132-1438, 722-1140305, 862-1259-167, 656328-6906, 834-209-8263, 868-262-8872,841-846-6342, 554-785-8746, 554-254-3238, 556-901-0340, 958-115-6053, 834-226-7969, 834-1322699, 662-418-6347, 899899-3020, 899-238-7017, 899-982-0430, 951-180-0217, 899-355-7949, 427-130-1039, 834-252-7072, 476-125-4768,

998-349-5053, 618-171-5739, 618-278-7786, 828-100-7448, 554-676-1800, 553-082-7471, 833-342-7584, 618-111-9948, 653-141-1531, 834-2150-626, 834-215-6891, 834-187-3180, 834-301-3373, 656-3286906, 835-103-9501, 378706-4442, 812-014-3101, 222-820-1199, 667-336-1493, 555-022-0433, 938-180-0213, 444-445-8256, 557-291-8799, 834-146-3997, 834-155-1113, 993-308-9366, 834-2152644, 812-336-9697, 834-2150759, 492-927-2005, 812203-5295, 834-132-0415, 472-130-2180, 833-4368602, 833-366-5242, 868191-9849, 828-100-7448, 951-180-0217, 828-108-8995, 834-257-9153, 899-364-5063, 899-361-1153, 899-361-1000, 557-451-5517, 834-256-8888, 487-107-0084, 461-172-7045, 811-727-9393, 834-256-0672, 834-215-2501, 834-852-3837, 834-215-1077, 868-153-1825, 320-401-1542, 835-107-3540, 828-108-8995, 811-980-2239, 812-336-9771, 998-939-7903, 554-056-7490, 834-3010878, 834-318-1515, 831-1410361.

911

HOMENAJE EN ZAPATA SOUTH

EXHIBICIÓN DE ÁRBOLES FAMILIARES 1 El Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata y la Sociedad de Genealogía Nuevo Santander invitan a la exhibición de árboles familiares y cocina en sartenes de hierro fundido el viernes 21 de octubre y sábado 22 de octubre de 10 a.m. a 2 p.m. El evento se llevará a cabo en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata.

MUSEO EN ZAPATA 1 A los interesados en realizar una investigación sobre genealogía de la región, se sugiere visitar el Museo del Condado de Zapata ubicado en 805 N US-Hwy 83. Opera de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m.

Existen visitas guiadas. Personal está capacitado y puede orientar acerca de la historia del Sur de Texas y sus fundadores. Pida informes en el 956-765-8983.

delitos. Las llamadas hechas desde San Juan del Río, Querétaro, son obra de extorsionadores.

Otras corporaciones como la Policía Federal, Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional y Coordinación Estatal Antisecuestro, también han recibido reportes de estas llamadas con intenciones de extorsionar a quienes viven en Tamaulipas.

El estado de Tamaulipas difundió los números telefónicos para que los ciudadanos tamaulipecos los conozcan y no sean víctimas de los extorsionadores.

Estos números han sido utilizados frecuentemente en intentos de extorsión en los últimos cuatro meses, siendo detectados mediante reportes ciudadanos a las líneas de atención, además de las corporaciones federales y estatales del Grupo de Coordinación.

Foto de cortesía

La escuela primaria Zapata South Elementary realizó la ceremonia “Remembering 9.11” para agradecer a las fuerzas armadas, el personal de emergencia, las fuerzas del orden y a los paramédicos por su servicio.

EDUCACIÓN

COLUMNA

Inicia ciclo escolar Considerarían a chinos como universitario un peligro E SPECIAL PARA TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

CD. MIGUEL ALEMÁN, México— Esta semana arrancó el ciclo escolar 2016 – 2017 en la Universidad Politécnica de la Región Ribereña.

La bienvenida estuvo a cargo de Sonia Mercado Rodríguez, Rectora de la Institución, quien saludó a los invitados especiales, al igual que a todos los alumnos, en especial a los 107 estudiantes de nuevo ingreso.

La Rectora de la Institución felicitó al personal docente y administrativo por su excelente desempeño durante el ciclo que concluyó, por lo que los exhortó a seguir desempeñándose con compromiso y profesionalismo para contribuir en la formación de jóvenes profesionistas.

Informó que derivado de gestiones realizadas para dotar de más y mejor infraestructura, así como de equipo a la institución, ésta ha sido considerada para recibir en 2017 del Fondo de

Aportaciones Múltiples, la cantidad de 20 millones de pesos para la construcción de un nuevo edificio, el Centro de Información y Documentación, que contribuirá con la formación profesional de los estudiantes.

En la ceremonia se hicieron entrega de reconocimientos a los alumnos que obtuvieron Excelencia Académica con un promedio de 10.00 en el cuatrimestre de mayo – agosto 2016.

“La preparación refleja desarrollo, estamos orgullosos de las diferentes opciones que los jóvenes tienen para seguirse preparando, pero sobre todo de esta Universidad, ya que se han hecho logros muy importantes”, expresó Ramiro Cortez Barrera, Presidente Municipal de Miguel Alemán.

Además comentó que se apoyará a la Universidad con alumbrado de la entrada de la institución y para finalizar dio la declaratoria inaugural del ciclo escolar 2016 – 2017.

Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA

Del pasado tamaulipeco parecen aún conservarse expedientes secretos.

Un grupo étnico —los chinos— introducido en buena medida durante el porfiriato, la Revolución Mexicana les depara rudezas. Afloran en Torreón, Coahuila, al ocuparlo tropas maderistas. Fuera de control, ocurren saqueos en propiedades de residentes chinos y 303 de ellos son asesinados. Similares calamidades sufren en Monterrey, Nuevo León, cuando lo toman fuerzas de Pablo González, el 23 y 24 de octubre de 1913.

Con tales antecedentes, dicha comunidad adquiere presencia notoria en importantes municipios de Tamaulipas. Steve Lief Adleson cree que aquella gente termina ahí radicada al serle imposible pasarse a territorio gringo.

Sea lo que fuere, ante el número de personas con la referida ascendencia, en Tamaulipas alcanza el tercer sitio del país en 1921.

A tono con otros estados, los aludidos descuellan en

Foto de cortesía | Picasa

Durante el siglo pasado, hubo propaganda que promovía el rechazo a personas de origen chino en estados como Tamaulipas.

comercios e industrias locales de pequeño o mediano rango. Instalan restaurantes, cafeterías y tiendas, cuyos nombres rememoran las respectivas procedencias: Hong Kong, Shanghái, Cantón.

Habiéndolos destinado a duras faenas –en California sobre todo–, EUA los hace objeto de progresivas discriminaciones.

Concretándolas, promulga la famosa ley de 1882, impidiéndoles el ingreso.

Muchos pasan a México, que a partir de 1915 replica las hostilidades.

“En 1927” –afirma Ricardo Martínez Marín—el “Congreso local […] prohibía” los matrimonios de

“chinos y mujeres mexicanas”.

Siempre a influjos del callismo xenófobo, utilizándose instrumentos corporativos surgen la Liga Nacional Obrera Antichina de Tamaulipas y filiales de la Liga Pro Raza. Las secundan cámaras de comercio y gremios afines. En la zona de El Mante, el gobierno tamaulipeco “lanzó la advertencia a la colonia china […] para que se marchara del lugar en un término de cuatro días”, refiere Jorge Gómez Izquierdo.

Inminente, la Segunda Guerra Mundial incorpora elementos inopinados.

Huestes japonesas se apoderan de Pekín (ahora Beijing). Ello detona gigantesco mitin en Tampico el 3 de octubre de 1937.

Suman 18 mil los asistentes, según La Tribuna, rotativo porteño. Miembro del Chee Kung Tong, Juan Ley figura entre los oradores y conmueve. En vez de auxilios materiales para el remoto terruño, pide abstenerse “de hacer labor antichina; con esto basta y queda satisfecho el pueblo chino”.

Sports&Outdoors THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 |

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

A7

NCAA ATHLETICS

Jones: ‘Nobody but the man upstairs’ knows when Romo will return QB still injured with broken bone in back

By Jon Machota TH E DALLAS MORNI NG NEWS

Tony Romo had X-rays on his back last week.

After Sunday’s game, owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the results revealed no setbacks or reason for concern.

He added that Romo "expects to be back sooner rather than later."

But Tuesday morning, Jones said "nobody but the man upstairs knows when" Romo will actually be able to return.

"And that hasn’t changed," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan’s Shan and RJ show (KRLD-FM).

"But he certainly is getting better. He’ll have progress

by any tangible judgment.

He’ll have progress this week. He’ll have progress next week. What has always been the case is, is it going to be six (weeks), is it going to be 10, is it going to be eight? That’s always out there. That hasn’t changed."

Romo suffered a compression fracture to the L1 vertebrae in Dallas’ third preseason game on Aug. 25. His recovery time was projected at 6-10 weeks.

The Cowboys declined to place Romo on injured reserve because they believe he could return sooner than expected. Had Romo been placed on IR, it would’ve prevented him from playing in the first eight weeks of the season.

David J. Phillip / Associated Press file

The NCAA and president Mark Emmert have moved several events out of North Carolina.

NCAA turns up pressure on North Carolina over state’s bathroom law

By Jonathan Drew And Gary D. Robertson ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Michael Ainsworth / Associated Press

Cowboys injured quarterback Tony Romo talks with Giants QB Eli Manning after Sunday’s game. Dallas owner Jerry Jones said Tuesday that “nobody but the man upstairs knows when” Romo will return from his back injury.

NCAA FOOTBALL: TCU HORNED FROGS

TCU EVALUATES QB MISTAKES AFTER LOSS

Ronald Martinez / Getty Images

TCU quarterback Kenny Hill celebrated a touchdown Saturday but ultimately received a penalty that assisted Arkansas on its way to sending the game into overtime before eventually winning.

Patterson focused on Hill’s play, not gestures

By Jimmy Burch FO RT WORT H STAR-T E LE GRAM

As things stand, TCU football coach Gary Patterson said Tuesday he is more concerned with quarterback Kenny Hill’s future audibles than his future hand gestures impacting the outcome of Horned Frogs’ games.

Patterson said he and Hill have addressed the quarterback’s hand gesture that drew a pivotal unsportsmanlike conduct penalty in the waning moments of last week’s 41-38 loss to Arkansas. Hill’s gesture, which Patterson described as "sign language for honoring the king," involved the player moving his hand across his body near his throat before pointing at the sky.

Game officials interpreted the move as a throat-slash gesture and Hill was flagged, helping improve

Arkansas’ field position before a game-tying drive for a touchdown and two-point conversion that sent the contest into overtime. Patterson said he has urged Hill to simply hand over the football to the referee after future touchdowns but will not forbid future gestures if his players are moved in that direction.

He also said videotape reviews show Hill made the same gesture twice in the South Dakota State game and once earlier in the Arkansas contest without drawing a flag.

"I’m not one to stop somebody from being like that. I understand honoring the man upstairs," Patterson said at Tuesday’s news conference.

What he cannot condone, Patterson said, is Hill’s audible from a run play to a pass when coaches sought to position the ball in the

middle of the field for a game-winning field goal attempt that was blocked with 10 seconds remaining in regulation.

"To be honest with you, what I was upset with him about was the last play before we kicked it. It was a run play and he checked to a pass," Patterson said, noting that the play and the result reminded him of a similar situation with Andy Dalton, TCU’s career recordholder for wins by a starting quarterback (42), during the 2007 season.

In that contest, Dalton checked to a pass against Air Force that was intercepted, setting up the tying score in a game TCU lost in overtime, 20-17.

"It has a lot of similarities," Patterson said of the two plays. "I’ve talked to Kenny and he understands. Just give it to the referee."

RALEIGH, N.C. — The NCAA’s decision to pull seven championships out of North Carolina ratchets up the pressure on this college sports-crazy state to repeal its law on bathroom use by transgender people.

Unlike the recent onetime cancellations by the NBA and various rock stars, the move by college sports’ governing body could make moderate and conservative voters question whether the price tag for the law has finally become too high.

Economic development officials said the effect of the NCAA’s action goes well beyond the projected $20 million in lost revenue from the cancellation of the 2016-17 basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, lacrosse and golf events.

“College sports is part of the fabric of North Carolina. It’s part of the culture. I can say with confidence that there’s no other state in the country that loves its college sports more than North Carolina. That’s why it hits so hard and feels so personal,” said Scott Dupree, executive director of the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, which was coordinating four of the events being moved.

The law passed in March requires transgender people to use restrooms in schools and state government buildings that correspond to the gender on their birth certificate. It also excludes gender identity and sexual orientation from statewide antidiscrimination protections.

The Obama administration is suing the state over the measure, calling it discriminatory. Republican Gov. Pat McCrory and GOP leaders are defending it as a means of protecting the privacy and safety of women and girls.

On Tuesday, Democratic lawmakers urged McCrory and leaders of the GOP-controlled legislature to call a special session to repeal the law.

“This General Assembly and its extremist leadership are playing with people’s livelihoods and the well-being of communities all across our state,” said Sen. Mike Woodard of Durham.

But with weeks to go before Election Day, legislators in campaign mode and no regularly

scheduled session until January, chances are slim the Republicans will act.

GOP legislative leaders, who have veto-proof majorities in both chambers, are committed to costly court fights over the law and contend passing it was the right thing to do.

GOP House Speaker Tim Moore didn’t respond to messages seeking comment, and the office of Republican Senate leader Phil Berger said he was traveling and unavailable.

McCrory, who is locked in a tight race for reelection, issued a statement decrying the NCAA decision and saying the legal system will ultimately decide the issue.

“The issue of redefining gender and basic norms of privacy will be resolved in the near future in the United States court system for not only North Carolina, but the entire nation,” he said.

But in the meantime, Michael Bitzer, a political scientist at Catawba College, said it will be hard for moderate voters who are passionate about sports to ignore the law’s repercussions.

“The blowback may be building up even more with this decision,” he said.

Mac McCorkle, a Duke University professor and former Democratic consultant, said the NCAA’s announcement reinforces the idea that McCrory has allowed the situation to get out of control.

“Put aside the liberal and conservative arguments about the pros and cons,” McCorkle said.

“It’s a mess. It’s a continuing mess and governors are held responsible for messes.”

McCorkle said the removal of men’s basketball tournament games from Greensboro hits hard because college basketball is the “civic religion” in the state that’s home to UNC, Duke, N.C. State and Wake Forest.

The Greensboro area was expected to receive a $14.5 million infusion from the tournament, as well as $1.6 million from the soccer championships in December that are being moved, said Henri Fourrier, CEO of the Greensboro Area Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The soccer, baseball, lacrosse and tennis events taken from Cary will deprive the area of about $2 million, Dupree said.

A8 | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

POLITICS Obama: Clinton ‘steady,’ Trump ‘not fit in any way’ to lead

By Kathleen Hennessey A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

PHILADELPHIA — Accusing Republicans of fanning hate, President Barack Obama on Tuesday stepped in to defend a bruised and temporarily benched Hillary Clinton, hoping to reassure Democrats nervous both about their presidential candidate’s health and her handling of fresh trouble on her campaign.

Speaking at an outdoor rally in a Democratic stronghold, Obama praised Clinton as the most qualified candidate ever to seek the office and

mocked her opponent Donald Trump as “not fit in any way” to lead. He suggested Clinton was again the victim of unfair treatment and a scandal machine that has dogged her throughout her long political career.

“What sets Hillary apart is that through it all she just keeps on going and she doesn’t stop caring and she doesn’t stop trying and she never stops fighting for us even if we haven’t always appreciated it,” Obama said. “I understand, we’re a young country, we are a restless country. We always like the new shiny thing. I

benefited from that when I was a candidate, and we take for granted sometimes what is steady and true. And Hillary Clinton is steady and she is true.”

The remarks were the closest Obama came to mentioning Clinton’s rough weekend, during which she disparaged “half” of Trump supporters and then backtracked somewhat on her remarks. She also was forced to abruptly leave an event because of an illness she had not disclosed.

Clinton was caught on video struggling to stay on her feet. Her campaign later said she been diag-

Trump child care plan breaks with traditional conservative orthodoxy

By Jonathan Lemire and Nicholas Riccardi A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

DES MOINES, Iowa — Donald Trump is rolling out plans Tuesday to make child care more affordable, guaranteeing new mothers six weeks of paid maternity leave and suggesting new incentives for employees to provide their workers childcare, breaking with conservative orthodoxy and wading into topics more often discussed by Democrats.

Trump will unveil the plans in a speech in a politically critical Philadelphia suburb as he tries to build his appeal with more moderate, independent voters — especially women. Child care is one of the biggest expenses many American families face, surpassing the cost of college and even housing in many states.

Trump had said little about child care until his daughter, Ivanka, surprised many at the Republican National Convention in July by promising to make it a centerpiece of a Trump administration.

During a rally in Des Moines Tuesday afternoon, Trump credited Ivanka Trump for his action on the issue. “She is the one who has been pushing for it so hard: ‘Daddy, Daddy we have to do this.’ She’s very smart, and she’s right,” the candidate said.

As part of his speech in battleground Pennsylvania Tuesday, Trump is expected to propose guaranteeing six weeks of paid maternity leave to employees whose employers don’t offer leave already. The campaign says the payments would be provided through existing unemployment insurance — though it has yet to spell out how the system would cover those costs.

Trump’s Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton, has called for 12 weeks parental leave for both mothers and fathers paid for by taxes on the wealthy.

Trump in August proposed reducing child care costs by allowing parents to fully deduct the average cost of child care from their taxes. He is expected to flesh out that plan Tuesday, including expanding the deduction to include costs associated with caring for elderly dependent relatives.

The deduction would apply only to individuals earning $250,000 or less, or $500,000 or less if filing jointly. But because Trump’s proposal is a tax deduction rather than credit, its greatest benefits would go to affluent households. More than 40 percent of U.S. taxpayers don’t make enough money to owe taxes to the federal government, meaning they would not benefit

Steve Pope / Getty

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on Tuesday.

from a deduction. Lowerincome earners would receive child-care spending rebates through the existing Earned Income Tax Credit, the campaign said.

Trump is also expected to propose incentives for employers to provide child-care options at work.

But his proposals to prod businesses and communities into providing childcare and other services are anathema to conservative orthodoxy. Trump has previously touted similar programs at his hotels and golf clubs — but The Associated Press has reported that those options are offered to guests and club members, not employees.

The timing, location and subject matter are no coincidence. Democratic presidential candidates have won Pennsylvania since 1992, but Trump hopes to flip to win the White House in November. And Trump has been trying to soften his image among college-educated women who have been reluctant to support a candidate who has made

many derogatory remarks toward women.

The late timing raised some eyebrows among skeptics.

“Given the late-breaking nature of this policy proposal it’s hard not to feel like it’s a pretty naked attempt to speak to women voters less than 60 days before the election,” said Vivien Labaton of Make It Work Action, which pushes for increased child care access. “If he was really intent on addressing the needs of women and children, the proposals would look quite different.”

Trump will also lay out plans to create “Dependent Care Savings Accounts” that would allow families to set aside money to look after children or elderly parents. The accounts would allow taxdeductible contributions and tax-free appreciation and could be used to pay for child care, after-school programs and school tuition. To help lowerincome parents, the government would match half of the first $1,000 deposited per year.

David Maialetti / Philadelphia Inquirer

President Barack Obama waves goodbye after his speech at Eakins Oval in support of Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign on Tuesday in Philadelphia, Pa.

nosed with pneumonia.

Clinton canceled campaign events this week to recover.

The incident and the campaign’s attempt to keep the diagnosis secret revived long-held concerns about Clinton’s tendency to hunker down during a crisis, making

matters worse.

To an audience of roughly 6,000 supporters in downtown Philadelphia, Obama argued that Clinton has been more transparent in providing health and financial records than her rival, as well as releasing her past tax returns while Trump

refuses to release his.

Obama said the Clinton Foundation has “saved countless lives around the world,” while Trump used his charity to buy “a sixfoot-tall painting of himself,” Obama said, referencing a Washington Post investigation of Trump’s charity.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 |

A9

BUSINESS

Dangerous smartphones: What Note 7 owners should do A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

NEW YORK — Samsung plans a software update for its Galaxy Note 7 designed to prevent the battery in the mobile phone from exploding or catching fire.

The company is also offering replacements for the 2.5 million phones it’s sold globally, but a new Note 7 is not available yet. Here are three things Note 7 owners should do:

By Christopher S. Rugaber and Jesse J. Holland ASSOCIATED PRE SS

Ahn Young-joon / AP

Turn it off Samsung has said that the phone should be turned off immediately.

The company has said that of the 35 known cases where the phone has caught fire, as of Sept. 1, most happened while the phone was charging.

Its latest software update is meant to protect those consumers who are continuing to use the phone. The update for users in South Korea will start Sept. 20, and the company hasn’t said when it will be available in other countries.

Turn it in The company has set up an exchange for people to replace their Note

In this Sept. 8 photo, a Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Note 7 smartphone is displayed at the headquarters of South Korean mobile carrier KT in Seoul, South Korea.

7s. But the replacement phones won’t be available until Sept. 19 in South Korea, and it’s unclear when they’ll be available in the U.S. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has said it’s working with Samsung on an official recall, and the agency is figuring out if the replacement phones are an acceptable replacement for the dangerous ones.

But Samsung says U.S. users can replace Note 7s now with a different model — either a temporary one until the new Note 7 is available or a permanent switch for the

company’s Galaxy series.

Owners should do the swap at the store where they bought the phone or, if bought online, call the company at 1-800726-7864 (that’s 1-800Samsung).

And most of all, do not use on a plane The Federal Aviation Administration has warned passengers not to use the phone or charge it during a flight, and to keep it turned off.

Several airlines have also banned the phone, or asked passengers not to check it with their bags.

US budget deficit totals $107.1 billion in August

By Martin Crutsinger A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS

WASHINGTON — The federal government recorded a deficit of $107.1 billion in August, slightly lower than the July deficit.

But the imbalance through 11 months of this budget year is up sharply from a year ago, reflecting higher spending and lower-than-expected tax revenues.

The Treasury Department said Tuesday that the deficit, with just one month to go in the budget year, totals $620.8 billion, up 17.1 percent from the same period a year ago.

The August deficit was slightly lower than the $112.8 billion imbalance in July.

The Congressional Budget Office last month

Americans got raise last year for first time since 2007

revised its estimate for the 2016 deficit up sharply to show an imbalance of $590 billion. That was up from a March projection of $534 billion. The budget year ends on Sept. 30 and September is expected to show a surplus.

The CBO estimate for the 2016 deficit is close to the $599.9 billion deficit that the Obama administration estimated when it released its mid-session budget review in July.

Both projections are about one-third higher d but it is about one-third higher than the actual deficit in 2015 of $439.1 billion, the lowest deficit in eight years.

Through the first 11 months of this budget year, revenues total $2.91 trillion, a modest 0.9 percent higher than the same period in 2015, while out-

lays total $3.53 trillion, up 3.4 percent from the same period in 2015.

The CBO sees steadily rising deficits over the next decade, reflecting higher Social Security and Medicare payments as baby boomers retire. But because CBO in its latest report projected that economic growth will be slower, it expects that interest rates over the next decade will remain lower as well. That means the government will have to spend less to finance the debt.

CBO projected that deficits over the next decade will be $712 billion lower than it projected in March. That would still add up to $8.57 trillion being added to the national debt over that period.

The debt at present stands at $19.4 trillion.

WASHINGTON — In a long-awaited sign that middle-class Americans are finally seeing real economic gains, U.S. households got a raise last year after seven years of stagnant incomes.

Rising pay also lifted the poorest households, cutting poverty by the sharpest amount in nearly a half-century.

Higher minimum wages in many states and tougher competition among businesses to fill jobs pushed up pay, while low inflation made those paychecks stretch further.

The figures show that the growing economy is finally benefiting a greater share of American households.

The median U.S. household’s income rose 5.2 percent in 2015 to an inflation-adjusted level of $56,516, the Census Bureau said Tuesday . That is the largest one-year gain on data stretching back to 1967. It is up 7.3 percent from 2012, when incomes fell to a 17-year low.

Still, median incomes remain 1.6 below the $57,423 reached in 2007.

The median is the point where half of households fall below and half are above.

The report “was superb in almost every dimension,” Larry Mishel, president of the liberal Economic Policy Institute, said on a conference call with reporters.

“This one year almost single-handedly got us out of the hole.”

Even so, it follows years of tepid pay gains that contributed to widespread political turmoil, driving insurgent presidential candidacies from GOP nominee Donald Trump and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Median household income remains 2.4 percent below the peak it reached in 1999.

The solid gain will likely impact the presidential campaign. Incomes are now higher than in 2009 when President Obama took office.

The Census report shows that the increase was driven by the poorest Americans, who saw the largest increase. Half of the states and Washington, D.C. have increased

David Goldman / AP file

In this June 6, 2015, file photo, a customer, bottom, pays for goods while shopping in Atlanta.

their minimum wages since 2014, according to the EPI. Greater competition for low-wage jobs has also pushed up wages. The unemployment rate fell from 6.2 percent to 5.3 percent last year, and 2.4 million Americans found full-time, year-round jobs. That’s forced restaurants and retail employers to lift pay to attract workers.

WalMart, TJX Cos., which owns T.J. Maxx, and the Gap have all announced pay increases in the past two years.

Starbucks said in July it would boost pay for all its employees by 5 percent later this year.

Income for the poorest 10 percent of households jumped 7.9 percent last year, while for the wealthiest 10 percent, incomes rose just 2.9 percent. That narrowed the gap between the two groups by the largest amount on record.

The proportion of Americans in poverty also fell sharply last year, to 13.5 percent from nearly 14.8 percent. That is the biggest decline in poverty since 1968. There were 43.1 million people in poverty last year, 3.5 million fewer than in 2014.

Other measures of inequality changed little, however. The gap between the wealthiest five percent of Americans and those right in the middle barely shrank and is wider than it was before the recession.

Another factor fueling the big gain was very low inflation: Consumer prices rose just 0.1 percent, held down by plummeting oil and gas costs. That was the smallest increase since 2009, when con-

sumer prices fell.

Low inflation provided an important boost: A typical price increase of around 2 percent would have reduced last year’s earnings gain to roughly 3 percent, rather than 5.2 percent.

Gas prices have recovered a bit and inflation is running closer to 1 percent this year, so that trend is unlikely to be sustained.

Still, most economists expect paychecks will keep rising this year and finally return Americans to pre-recession levels of income.

“It has been a long slog from the depths of the Great Recession, but things are finally starting to improve for many American households,” Chris Christopher, an economist at forecasting firm IHS said.

Analysts at Sentier Research estimate that median household incomes reached pre-recession levels in July of this year.

In 2015, median incomes picked up in all regions of the United States, across all age groups, and for most ethnic and racial groups.

Latino households recorded the biggest increase, up 6.1 percent, followed by a 4.4 percent gain for whites and 4.1 percent for blacks.

Asians, who have the highest median income at $77,166, saw the smallest increase, at 3.7 percent.

Americans are also likely benefiting from an increase in middle-income jobs. Many of the jobs created in the early years of the recovery were in low-paying sectors, such as fast food restaurants and retail.

A10 | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES

FROM THE COVER

Funding to fight Zika is not a done deal, Senate leaders warn

By James Rosen M CCLATCHY WASHINGT ON B UR EAU

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan battalion of political leaders from South Florida, Tallahassee and beyond converged on Capitol Hill on Tuesday in an all-out blitz for Zika prevention and research funds.

Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida and a half-dozen House of Representatives members from across the Sunshine State appeared at a crowd-

ed news conference where they pleaded for Congress to approve $1.1 billion in Zika money after a sevenmonth impasse over partisan politics.

The full-court press came as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, the top Senate Democrat, cast doubt on assertions that a deal had been reached.

“We’re continuing on trying to reach an overall agreement,” the Kentucky Republican leader said.

“We still don’t have an

offer in writing from Republicans,” Reid said.

Rep. Curt Clawson, a Florida Republican, became emotional as he criticized lawmakers for having failed to pass at least part of the $1.9 billion Zika package President Barack Obama sent Congress in February.

“I’m a conservative Republican,” Clawson said. “I support my party.

We can’t spend $1 billion or $2 billion for babies?

Where are our priorities?

This is a big moment in the history of Florida.”

Clawson added: “By God, if there’s one moment that government ought to act and do something, this is the moment.

I want to sleep at night knowing I’ve done everything possible.”

In an impassioned speech on the Senate floor, Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., cited Zika cases in Florida and Puerto Rico in calling for congressional action. He accused Republicans of trying “to cut corners on the funding, which will cost us money in the long term.”

But he also accused Democrats of “inventing excuses, just making it up, in order to oppose it and to do so for political reasons.”

Rep. Frederica Wilson, a Florida Democrat who organized the briefing, said microcephaly, which causes abnormally small brains and heads in newborns, and other birth defects were dire effects of Zika that must be urgently addressed.

“We’re talking about the brain of an unborn child,” Wilson said. “Even

scientists are saying they don’t know what will happen to the adult brain.

Can you really put a price tag on combating this?”

After arriving in Washington to meet with members of the Florida delegation, Gov. Rick Scott called for an end to the political posturing that has stalled Zika funding.

“I’m here because I think the time for politics is over,” Scott told reporters. “We have nearly 800 cases of people who’ve been tested positive for Zika.”

POT From page A1

exterior sweep of the vehicle. Sheriff’s officials alleged the K-9 alerted to the presence of illegal narcotics within the vehicle’s auxiliary fuel tank.

The sergeant then discovered 11 bundles of marijuana weighing 109 pounds. The approximate street value for the contraband was $50,000, authorities said.

Identified as the driver, Pena allegedly allowed authorities to conduct an

Courtesy photo / Zapata County Sheriff’s Office

Local authorities and the Zapata Girl Scouts pose for a photo during the First Responders Appreciation Breakfast.

SCOUTS From page A1

“I want to thank the Zapata Girl Scouts, all the

FIRE From page A1 reached between 10 to 12 feet high, authorities said.

parents and sponsors that made the First Responders Appreciation breakfast possible.”

Del Bosque further added, “I also want to

thank all the agencies local, state and federal that attended the breakfast. Keep up the good work and be safe out there. God bless.”

“The Sheriff’s Office, Texas Parks & Wildlife, and (Zapata County) Fire Department together worked tirelessly to contain and finally extinguish the flames,” said

Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. in a statement.

“The safety of all citizens is our number one priority. We will continue to work together to secure everyone’s safety.”

THE ZAPATA TIMES | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 |

A11

FROM THE COVER SPECIAL From page A1 bled students in order to stay below the 8.5 percent benchmark. They revealed a variety of methods, from putting kids into a cheaper alternative program known as “Section 504” to persuading parents to pull their children out of public school altogether.

“We were basically told in a staff meeting that we needed to lower the number of kids in special ed at all costs,” said Jamie Womack Williams, who taught in the Tyler Independent School District until 2010. “It was all a numbers game.”

Texas is the only state that has ever set a target for special education enrollment, records show.

It has been remarkably effective.

In the years since its implementation, the rate of Texas kids receiving special education has plummeted from near the national average of 13 percent to the lowest in the country — by far.

In 2015, for the first time, it fell to exactly 8.5 percent.

If Texas provided services at the same rate as the rest of the U.S., 250,000 more kids would be getting critical services such as therapy, counseling and one-on-one tutoring.

“It’s extremely disturbing,” said longtime education advocate Jonathan Kozol, who described the policy as a cap on special education meant to save money.

“It’s completely incompatible with federal law,” Kozol said. “It looks as if they’re actually punishing districts that meet the needs of kids.”

In a statement, Texas Education Agency officials denied they had kept disabled students out of special education and said their guideline calling for enrollments of 8.5 percent was not a cap or a target but an “indicator” of performance by school districts. They said state-bystate comparisons were inappropriate and attributed the state’s dramatic declines in special educations enrollments to new teaching techniques that have lowered the number of children with “learning disabilities,” such as dyslexia.

In fact, despite the number of children affected, no one has studied Texas’ 32 percent drop in special education enrollment.

The Chronicle investigation included a survey of all 50 states, a review of records obtained from the federal government, state governments and three dozen school districts, and interviews with more than 300 experts, educators and parents.

The investigation found that the Texas Education Agency’s 8.5 percent enrollment target has led to the systematic denial of services by school dis-

tricts to tens of thousands of families of every race and class across the state.

Among the findings: 1 The benchmark has limited access to special education for children with virtually every type of disability. Texas schools now serve fewer kids with learning disabilities (46 percent lower than in 2004), emotional and mental illnesses (42 percent), orthopedic impairments (39 percent), speech impediments (27 percent), brain injuries (20 percent), hearing defects (15 percent) and visual problems (8 percent).

1 Special education rates have fallen to the lowest levels in big cities, where the needs are greatest.

Houston ISD and Dallas ISD provide special ed services to just 7.4 percent and 6.9 percent of students, respectively. By comparison, about 19 percent of kids in New York City get services. In all, among the 100 largest school districts in the U.S., only 10 serve fewer than 8.5 percent of their students. All 10 are in Texas.

1 Students who don’t speak English at home have been hurt the most.

Those children currently make up 17.9 percent of all students in Texas but only 15.4 percent of those in special education. That 15 percent difference is triple the gap that existed when the monitoring system began.

Spokesmen for numerous school districts, including Humble, Houston and Tyler, said they have not denied special ed to any children with disabilities. Several said their rates had declined because they had used early intervention programs to reduce the number of disabled kids.

Education experts told the Chronicle that there is no evidence that the instructional techniques being used in Texas — which are in classrooms nationwide — lower special education percentages.

A Dallas ISD spokeswoman defended that district’s low percentage by noting it “falls within the Texas state acceptable range of 0%-8.5%.”

After receiving a list of the Chronicle’s findings, a U.S. Department of Education spokeswoman said her office would look into the Texas policy.

“It is important that states carry out their responsibilities under the law to ensure that all children who are suspected of having a disability are evaluated in a timely manner to determine eligibility for special education and related services,” said the spokeswoman, Dorie Nolt. “Once we have more information from state officials, we will determine if further actions are necessary.”

Moving the number There is no agreedupon number for what percentage of kids have a disability that requires special education services.

Marie D. De Jesus / Houston Chronicle

Roanin Walker, 7, walks the park looking for pine cones, July 26, in Kingwood. Walker enjoys learning about science and math, but sometimes it is hard for him to look at people in the eye or learn in large groups settings.

The best approximation may be 15.4 percent. That’s how many U.S. kids ages 2-8 whom doctors have diagnosed with a mental, behavioral or developmental disorder,according to a March 2016 study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The U.S. has never served that many students in special education, but it has inched closer over time as society has become more aware of disabilities.

By 2000, according to data collected by the federal government, 13.3 percent of kids got some form of specialized education services — even if it was just 20 minutes of speech therapy per week.

In Texas, 12.1 percent of kids got services that year, the ninth-lowest rate in the nation.

Nevertheless, the Texas Education Agency decided the percentage was too high, according to interviews with dozens of former agency employees.

Several said the agency was worried about money.

On average, educating a special ed child is twice as expensive, and the federal government pays only one-fifth of the extra costs, leaving the rest to states and school districts — a cost that totaled $3 billion in Texas in 2002.

“There was always a concern about over-identification of special ed students and the costs associated with that,” said Ron McMichael, the deputy commissioner for finance at the time.

The concern grew in 2003, when lawmakers cut the TEA’s budget by $1.1 billion, forcing it to lay off 15 percent of staffers.

The next year, the agency set the target as one part of a new monitoring protocolknown as the Performance-Based Monitoring Analysis System, or PBMAS. The instructions were clear: School districts could get a perfect score on that part of the scorecard by giving special education services to fewer than 8.5 percent of students. If they served more, they would lose points.

Districts that scored poorly on the PBMAS could be fined, visited by regulators, compelled to complete “Corrective Action Plans” or taken

over entirely, the system manual said.

The system was developed under Commissioner Shirley Neeley Richardson, an appointee of then-Gov. Rick Perry.

Richardson said in an interview that the special education target was a “first stab” at addressing the problem of over-identification. She said it was data-based and the product of a collaborative process.

But the TEA did not consult the federal government, Texas Legislature or State Board of Education before implementing the policy, records show.

The agency said in its statement that it convened focus groups while creating the PBMAS. But it was unable to produce any documentation of that. None of the educators and advocates interviewed by the Chronicle remembered focus groups.

The TEA also was unable to produce any records about why 8.5 percent was chosen as the target. It acknowledged in its statement that there is no research that establishes 8.5 percent as ideal.

Four agency officials set the benchmark, former employees said: special education director Eugene Lenz; his deputies, Laura Taylor and Kathy Clayton; and accountability chief Criss Cloudt.

The only one who agreed to speak with the Chronicle, Clayton, said the choice of 8.5 percent was not based on research. Instead, she said, it was driven by the statewide average special education enrollment.

Reminded that the statewide average was nearly 12 percent at the time, Clayton paused.

“Well, it was set at a little bit of a reach,” she said. “Any time you set a goal, you want to make it a bit of a reach because you’re trying to move the number.”

A special child Heidi Walker and her husband, Trevor, first suspected that their fourth child was different when he wandered out of their house early one summer morning in 2011.

He was 2 years old. The sun had just appeared behind the two-story

home on the outskirts of Casper, Wyo., when Heidi heard the front door slam shut.

She found Roanin standing in his diaper on the sidewalk, his brown hair blowing in the wind as he stared into the distance. She called to him.

He didn’t respond.

Heidi was terrified.

Soon, more trouble arose. Roanin constantly chewed on his clothes. He growled at strangers. He rarely made eye contact.

At home, he could be a normal kid. He loved playing Just Dance with his older sisters and Pokémon with his younger brother.

But in crowds and commotion, he broke down, often cowering on the ground and covering his eyes and ears. Sometimes, he became aggressive.

The issues intensified when the Walkers moved to Texas so Trevor could take a job as a maintenance manager at an oil company.

They put Roanin in a church preschool, allowing Heidi to fulfill a dream of starting a photography business. But he struggled.

At the school Christmas show, he got so overwhelmed that he jumped off the top row of the choral riser. A teacher caught him. He refused to let go and lay in her arms for the next hour, wideeyed, rocking back and forth.

Afterward, a teacher suggested the family ask Humble ISD to put him in a therapy preschool.

The district conducted a partial evaluation but deemed his problems too “inconsistent” for the program, school records show.

Eventually, the Walkers took Roanin out of preschool and paid for the therapy they could afford.

A psychologist hired by the family determined Roanin had ADHD, generalized anxiety and “significant sensory processing deficits,” a condition similar to autism, medical records show.

Heidi and Trevor were hesitant to put him on medication. Fearful of side effects, they tried natural remedies, including vitamins, oils and diet changes. Nothing worked.

As kindergarten ap-

proached, Heidi requested a meeting with Shadow Forest Elementary, where Roanin was to attend.

They met early in the summer of 2014, long before the beginning of the school year. Heidi brought medical records, hoping to persuade administrators to give her son extra help.

She did not formally request special ed. She didn’t know she had to.

And the administrators did not offer to evaluate Roanin.

Still, the meeting seemed to go well. The administrators promised they would do everything they could to help Roanin.

Heidi believed them.

An array of tactics Many Texas school districts have interpreted the Texas Education Agency monitoring system as a strict ban on serving more than 8.5 percent of students in special education, teachers and administrators said.

“We live and die by compliance,” said Halcy Martin-Dean, the special education director in Seguin ISD, near San Antonio. “You can ask any special ed director; they’ll say the same thing: We do what the TEA tells us.”

Districts that have resisted the target have been forced to act by the state, which requires some districts with high special ed rates to write “Corrective Action Plans” detailing how they will reduce their enrollments.

In all, more than 96 percent of districts have reduced their special ed rates since 2004.

They have used a broad array of tactics, according to interviews and a review of hundreds of Corrective Action Plans and other district records.

Many districts have discouraged parents from formally requesting special ed eligibility evaluations, in part because federal law states that schools must respond to written requests.

In Marlin ISD, near Temple, for example, district leaders promised the state in a Corrective Action Plan that they would reduce their special ed numbers by creating a brochure telling parents about assistance available outside of special ed.

A12 | Wednesday, September 14, 2016 | THE ZAPATA TIMES