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HURRICANE HARVEY
Community drive underway Donations being collected for Harvey victims By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T IME S
The community of Zapata is coming together for the disaster relief for Hurricane Harvey victims. Today, people are welcomed to stop by at the Zapata Com-
munity Drive at the International Bank of Commerce at 908 N. U.S. 83 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. People are asked to bring cleaning supplies, such as bleach, face masks, gloves, large trash bags, multipurpose cleaner and sponges.
Recently, the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office also took part in collecting donations for the victims and taking the items to them in affected areas. Chief Raymundo Del Bosque Jr. stated on Facebook that the job is not over. “Zapata citizens please keep
on bringing canned foods, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and insect/mosquito repellent to the Zapata County Sheriff's Office. Our mission is not over. It just started. We will keep heading out to the affected areas and counties as soon as we can,” Del Bosque stated.
HOUSTON, TEXAS
IMMIGRANTS HIT WITH DACA DECISION Many scramble to complete paperwork amid hurricanes By Nomaan Merchant A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — As Harvey struck Houston, Esti Garza fled her home with a change of clothes, a Bible and her immigration paperwork. Days later, she brought several manila envelopes containing the documents to a Houston office where lawyers and immigrants sat in pairs around a long conference room table. Having just survived Harvey, she had moved on to the next urgent matter in her life: rushing to get her application renewed for a program protecting DACA continues on A10
Chelsea Purgahn / AP
In this Tuesday file photo, Karina Fraga, a DACA recipient, closes her eyes in prayer as she holds a sign during a silent vigil in honor of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) in Tyler, Texas.
House passes $15B aid By Thomas Kaplan NEW YORK TIME S NEWS SERVICE
WASHINGTON — The House on Friday gave final approval to a fiscal deal that raises the debt ceiling and keeps the government funded until December, while also providing $15 billion in hurricane relief, despite considerable opposition from Republicans. The House vote, 316-90, with all of the no votes cast by Republicans, came a day after the Senate passed the measure and about 48 hours after President Donald Trump abruptly sided with Democratic congressional leaders to support a short-term debt limit extension, jolting Republicans on Capitol Hill. Conservatives in the House had already been frustrated that the Trump administration and Republican leaders in Congress were moving toward raising the debt ceiling without also putting in place spending cuts or other conservative policy changes. House Republicans vented Friday morning at a closed-door meeting attended by the Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, and the president’s budget director, Mick Mulvaney, himself a former House member. “What you have is two competing things,” Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and the chairman of the hard-line House Freedom Caucus, said after the meeting. “You’ve got a compassionate heart that House continues on A10
TEXAS WORKFORCE YOUTH CAREER EXPO
High school seniors attend state employment event By César G. Rodriguez TH E ZAPATA T I ME S
Zapata High School seniors went to the Texas Workforce Youth Career Expo in Laredo. There, they had an opportunity to visit with multiple employers and universities for information and requirements for employment.
Sgt. Conrad J. Hein, of the Texas Department of Public Safety, was one of the presenters. “I was there representing DPS, talking to high school kids about the agency. I asked them if they knew the difference between commitment and interested,” he said. “People who are committed will get the job done no
matter what. People that are interested will only do things when it is convenient for them.” Hein said DPS is looking for individuals who are committed to public safety. “Our job as state troopers comes with a lot of responsibility, which requires us to do our very best no matter what we face. The training is in-
tense and not for everyone,” he said. Hein added that DPS teaches aspiring troopers to be mentally and physically strong. “It was nice seeing kids from my hometown eager and actively asking about my job. I told them Zapata is where I started my career as a deputy sheriff in 2006 and left to DPS in 2008,” he said.
Courtesy
Zapata High School seniors pose for a photo with DPS Sgt. Conrad J. Hein during the Texas Workforce Youth Career Expo in Laredo. Students visited with multiple employers and universities for information and requirements for employment.
Zin brief A2 | Saturday, September 9, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
CALENDAR
AROUND THE WORLD
TODAY IN HISTORY
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 13
ASSOCIATED PRE SS
First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
Today is Saturday, Sept. 9, the 252nd day of 2017. There are 113 days left in the year.
Today's Highlight in History: On September 9, 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the first civil rights bill to pass Congress since Reconstruction, a measure primarily concerned with protecting voting rights and which also established a Civil Rights Division in the U.S. Department of Justice.
MONDAY, SEPT. 18 Ray of Light Anxiety and Depression Support Group Meeting in Spanish. 6:30 p.m. - 8 p.m. Spanish group meets every 3rd Monday of the month. Holding Institute, 1102 Santa Maria Ave., classroom #1. Ray of Light Anxiety and Depression Support Group provides a forum for people with anxiety and/or depression to meet, talk, share experiences and learn more about the conditions. Support groups can help individuals make connections with others facing similar challenges. While a support group does not replace an individual's medical care, it can be a valuable resource to gain insight, strength, and hope. The support group welcomes adults suffering from anxiety and/ or depression to participate in free confidential support group meetings and social events. Contact information for a representative: Anna Maria Pulido Saldivar, gruporayitodeluz@gmail.com, 956-307-2014
Pedro Pardo / AFP/Getty Images
This photo shows the damage caused in Juchitan de Zaragoza on Friday where buildings collapsed after an 8.2 earthquake that hit Mexico's Pacific coast overnight.
60 DEAD AFTER EARTHQUAKE IN MEXICO
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 20 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 23 Joe A. Guerra Public Library and Villa Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society sponsor speaker Renee Laperriere; The Gutierrez Family of Ocampo, Tamaulipas. 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. Multipurpose room, Joe A Guerra Public Library off Calton. Open to the public. For more info, call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810. Monte Mucho Audubon Society Open House. 2-4 p.m. Laredo Public Library, 1st floor multipurpose room. Learn about our local colorful birds, how to set up feeding stations, and using binoculars. Free event; public is invited. Target audience: adults.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 27 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 28 Spanish Book Club. 6 - 8 p.m. Joe A Guerra Public Library off Calton Road. For more info, call Sylvia Reash a 763-1810.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 30 Walk to End Alzheimer’s. Texas A&M International University. On-site registration begins at 7:30 a.m. in the walkway between the Student Center and the TAMIU’s Fine and Performing Arts Center. The walk begins at 9:30 a.m. after a brief opening ceremony at 9 a.m. Those who wish to register online and establish a fundraising team with family, friends, or co-workers can go to alz.org/walk and follow prompts to the Laredo walk.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 4 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
SATURDAY, OCT. 7 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 8:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 11 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions. The 32nd Distinguished Business Awards banquet. 6 p.m. Laredo Country Club. The Laredo Chamber of Commerce announced the selection of Ermilo Richer Jr. and Ermilo Richer III as Laredo 2017 Businesspersons of the Year. For ticket and sponsorship information, call 956-722-9895 or email miriam@laredochamber.com .
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 First United Methodist Church Used Book Sale. 10 a.m. - noon. 1220 McClelland Ave. Hard cover $1, paperback $0.50, magazines and children’s books, $0.25. Public is invited. Proceeds are used to support the church’s missions.
MEXICO CITY — Mexico on Friday raised the death toll across three states to 60 people after an 8.2-magnitude earthquake that struck a day earlier in the waters off the country’s south-west coast. Forty-five of the deaths occurred in the state of Oaxaca, 10 in Chiapas and three in Tabasco, according to tallies from Mexico’s National Emergency Committee, wrote Luis Felipe Puente, the head of Mexico’s national emergency services, on Twitter. The quake - declared by President Enrique Pena Nieto to be the strongest to hit
Mexico’s ex-leader Fox wants to run for US president The United States just elected an outsider president, and now Vicente Fox is hoping it will elect a Mexican. The former Mexican president announced his spoof candidacy in the 2020 U.S. presidential election on Thursday, in a five-minute video statement shellacking President Donald Trump with profanity and mariachis belting out his “Vicente for Presidente”
Mexico in nearly a century - struck at a depth of 36 miles under the Pacific Ocean at 11:49 p.m. Thursday, when many people had retired for the evening. Mexico has since suffered more than 260 aftershocks, Pena Nieto said. At least 200 people had been injured, and 1,800 soldiers had been dispatched to provide aid, he added. Some of the strongest aftershocks registered a magnitude of 6.1, with many over magnitude 5. Pena Nieto warned that some might reach a magnitude of 7. — Compiled from AP reports
campaign song. “Donald, every time I make fun of you, which I do a lot, people say, ‘Why can’t you be our president?’” said Fox, who emerged last year from a sleepy post-presidency on his ranch in central Mexico to become an Internet sensation as one of Trump’s most consistent and brutal comedic critics. “America, I feel your pain. We all do. And that is why today I am proud to announce my candidacy for president of the United States,” said Fox, who pulled on a Trump-style
campaign red cap that read: “Always ask before grabbing a pussy.” Fox, president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006, re-emerged into the public eye last year when he gave interviews to The Washington Post and another media outlet ripping Trump over his proposed border wall. He said Mexico would never pay for the wall, deploying very un-presidential and headlinegrabbing F-bombs to punctuate his anger. — Compiled from the Washington Post
AROUND THE NATION Irma eyes long-feared path straight through Florida MIAMI — Irma aimed its sights on millions of homes and businesses in Florida and officials warned that time was running out to evacuate ahead of the deadly hurricane, which was headed Friday on a longfeared path right through the heart of the peninsula. By early Friday evening, Irma had maximum sustained winds of 155 mph (250 kph) — just below the highest Category 5 status — and is forecast to remain at about that strength when it comes ashore someplace south of Miami on Sunday morning. Forecasters predicted it would regain the coveted Category 5 status as it approached Key West and they adjusted the storm’s potential track more toward the west coast of Flori-
Scott McIntyre / NYT
A hotel guest watches news coverage of Hurricane Irma in Miami on Friday.
da, away from the Miami metropolitan area of 6 million people. “Overall, I think it’s a less costly, a less deadly storm on the west coast than the east coast, mostly because there’s fewer people,” University of Miami researcher Brian McNoldy said. Either way, the storm prom-
ises to be a big test for a state that has undergone rapid development and more stringent hurricane-proof building codes in the last decade or so. Irma killed at least 20 people in the Caribbean and left thousands homeless as it devastated small resort islands known for their warm, turquoise water. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND TEXAS Discovery of body ends Harvey mystery With Harvey’s floodwaters rapidly flowing into the Houston hotel where she worked, Jill Renick reportedly made a frantic cellphone call to a fellow employee: “I’m in an elevator. The water is rushing in. Please help me!” Those words were among the few clues Renick’s family and friends had to go on for a
On this date: In 1776, the second Continental Congress made the term "United States" official, replacing "United Colonies." In 1850, California became the 31st state of the union. In 1893, Frances Cleveland, wife of President Grover Cleveland, gave birth to a daughter, Esther, in the White House; it was the first (and, to date, only) time a president's child was born in the executive mansion. In 1919, some 1,100 members of Boston's 1,500-man police force went on strike. (The strike was broken by Massachusetts Gov. Calvin Coolidge with replacement officers.) In 1926, the National Broadcasting Co. (NBC) was incorporated by the Radio Corp. of America. In 1942, during World War II, a Japanese plane launched from a submarine off the Oregon coast dropped a pair of incendiary bombs in a failed attempt at igniting a massive forest fire; it was the first aerial bombing of the U.S. mainland by a foreign power. In 1956, Elvis Presley made the first of three appearances on "The Ed Sullivan Show." In 1967, the comedy show "Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In" aired as a onetime special on NBC; its success led to a regular series beginning in January 1968. In 1971, prisoners seized control of the maximum-security Attica Correctional Facility near Buffalo, New York, beginning a siege that ended up claiming 43 lives. In 1976, Communist Chinese leader Mao Zedong died in Beijing at age 82. JVC unveiled its new VHS videocassette recorder during a presentation in Tokyo. In 1986, Frank Reed, director of a private school in Lebanon, was taken hostage; he was released 44 months later. In 1997, Sinn Fein, the IRA's political ally, formally renounced violence as it took its place in talks on Northern Ireland's future. Actor Burgess Meredith died in Malibu, California, at age 89. Ten years ago: Seemingly taunting Osama bin Laden, President George W. Bush's homeland security adviser, Frances Fragos Townsend, said in Sunday talk-show appearances that the fugitive al-Qaida leader was "virtually impotent" beyond his ability to hide away and spread anti-American propaganda. Five years ago: Shannon Eastin became the first woman to officiate an NFL regular-season game, serving as a line judge in the St. Louis RamsDetroit Lions game. One year ago: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton, speaking at an LGBT fundraiser in New York City, described half of Republican Donald Trump's supporters as "a basket of deplorables," a characterization she ended up expressing regret over. Today's Birthdays: Actress Sylvia Miles is 83. Actor Topol is 82. Rhythmand-blues singer Luther Simmons is 75. Singer Inez Foxx is 75. Singer Dee Dee Sharp is 72. Rock singer-musician Doug Ingle is 71. Rock musician John McFee (The Doobie Brothers) is 67. Actor Tom Wopat is 66. Actress Angela Cartwright is 65. Musician-producer Dave Stewart is 65. Actor Hugh Grant is 57. Actor-comedian Charles Esten (formerly Chip) is 52. Actress Constance Marie is 52. Actor David Bennent is 51. Actor Adam Sandler is 51. Rock singer Paul Durham (Black Lab) is 49. Actress Julia Sawalha is 49. Model Rachel Hunter is 48. Actor Eric Stonestreet is 46. Actor Henry Thomas is 46. Actor Goran Visnjic is 45. Pop-jazz singer Michael Buble is 42. Latin singer Maria Rita is 40. Actress Michelle Williams is 37. Actress Julie Gonzalo is 36. Neo-soul singer Paul Janeway (St. Paul & the Broken Bones) is 34. Actress Zoe Kazan is 34. Author-motivational speaker-businessman Farrah Gray is 33. Contemporary Christian singer Lauren Daigle is 26. Country singer-songwriter Hunter Hayes is 26. Thought for Today: "Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off the goal." — Hannah More, English author and social reformer (1745-1833).
CONTACT US week and a half, when repeated searches of the Omni Houston Hotel failed to turn up any sign of her and desperate calls to shelters and hospitals were similarly fruitless. Worst fears were confirmed with the discovery of a body in the ceiling of the hotel basement near elevators Thursday, and police say they believe it to be that of the 48-year-old Renick. “We are heartbroken. To know Jill is to have loved her,” her sister, Pam Eslinger, said in
a statement issued on behalf of the family. “She could light up a room just by walking in and adored life.” Renick’s disappearance had been among the most baffling mysteries in the wake of Harvey, which has killed at least 74 people after hitting the Texas coast Aug. 25 and dropping more than 51 inches of rain. At least 22 people in Houston remain missing. — Compiled from AP reports
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THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, September 9, 2017 |
A3
STATE
Residents complain as emissions spike after Harvey By Frank Bajak and Michelle Minkoff ASSOCIATED PRE SS
Brandon Wade / AP
Maura Davies of the SPCA of Texas comforts a local pet in need at the organization Saturday in Dallas.
Dallas shelter to house hundreds of pets displaced by Harvey A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
DALLAS — Hundreds of animals whose owners have been displaced by Harvey are being housed this week at a shelter in Dallas. The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said in a statement Friday that additional personnel are being sent to provide assistance at the emergency animal shelter in Dallas. The ASPCA says about 150 pets were there Friday and another 250 are expected by week’s end. The additional pets are being moved to Dallas from the Louisiana cities
The animals include many dogs and cats, but also birds and reptiles. of Alexandria and Shreveport where their owners were staying at shelters before being relocated. The animals include many dogs and cats, but also birds and reptiles. People displaced by Harvey are staying at the Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas and the animal shelter has been set up at a parking garage just two blocks away.
GALENA PARK, Texas — Cindy Sanchez began to feel ill while barbecuing just before Harvey’s torrents started pelting this city just east of Houston, along a corridor with the nation’s highest concentration of petrochemical plants. “I started getting really, really bad headaches,” said Sanchez, a 32-yearold housewife. “I never get headaches.” “My husband’s eyes were burning,” she said. “He actually had a napkin that was wet over his eyes.” The sewage-like stench chased the couple indoors and Sanchez, sick to her stomach, lay down. Petrochemical corridor residents say air that is bad enough on normal days got worse as Harvey crashed into the nation’s fourth-largest city and then yielded the highest ozone pollution so far this year anywhere in Texas. The Houston metro area was ranked 12th in the nation for worst ozone pollution by The American Lung Association this year, although its air was better than the Los Angeles and New York regions. Plants owned by Shell, Chevron, Exxon-Mobil and other industry giants reported more than 1.5 million pounds of extraordinary emissions over eight days beginning Aug. 23 to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality in Harris County, which encompasses Houston. That amounted to 61 percent of this year’s largely un-
Frank Bajak / AP
This photo shows the Petrobras oil refinery plant in Pasadena, Texas. Plants owned by Shell, Chevron, Exxon-Mobil and other industry giants reported more than 1.5 million pounds of extraordinary emissions over eight days beginning Aug. 23, to the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality in Harris County, which encompasses Houston.
permitted emissions for the county and five times the amount released in the same period in 2016. Of the known carcinogens released during Harvey, more than 13 tons were benzene. Inhaling it can cause dizziness and even unconsciousness and long-term exposure can trigger leukemia. People complained of headaches, nausea, itchy skin and throats — classic symptoms of industrial chemical exposure — as plants and refineries raced to burn off compounds that could combust in extreme weather or power loss. Asked about the health effects of the dra-
matic emissions spike, state environmental commission spokeswoman Andrea Morrow said “all measured concentrations were well below levels of health concern” and “local residents should not be concerned about air quality issues related to the effects of the storm.” The federal Environmental Protection Agency issued a similar statement. Yet most air monitors were knocked out or offline during Harvey’s wrath, making measurement difficult. Texas sets fines low for industrial polluters— at $25,000 per day for federal clean air violations. Big plants tend
to delay shutdowns for as long as possible when a hurricane is coming — then restart quickly afterward — triggering another spike in unhealthy emissions, said Daniel Cohan, a Rice University environmental scientist. “These (plants) are three and four decades old, beasts that are meant to operate all the time.” Asked if emissions could have been reduced by winding down plant operations sooner, American Petroleum Institute spokesman Reid Porter said: “We are still gathering information and making assessments.”
Ricardo Ramirez President
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Zopinion
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A4 | Saturday, September 9, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
COMMENTARY
OTHER VIEWS
Hurricanes are proof that climate change is real By Michael E. Mann, Susan J. Hassol and Thomas C. Peterson WA S H INGT ON P O ST
As we begin to clean up from Hurricane Harvey, the wettest hurricane on record, dumping up to 50 inches of rain on Houston in three days, and await landfall of Irma, the most powerful hurricane on record in the open Atlantic Ocean, people are asking: What is the role of humaninduced climate change in these events, and how else have our own actions increased our risks? Fundamental physical principles and observed weather trends mean we already know some of the answers - and we have for a long time. Hurricanes get their energy from warm ocean waters, and the oceans are warming because of the human-caused buildup of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere, primarily from the burning of coal, oil and gas. The strongest hurricanes have gotten stronger because of global warming. Over the past two years, we have witnessed the most intense hurricanes on record for the globe, both hemispheres, the Pacific and now, with Irma, the Atlantic. We also know that warmer air holds more moisture, and the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere has increased because of human-induced global warming. We’ve measured this increase, and it has been unequivocally attributed to human-caused warming. That extra moisture causes heavier rainfall, which has also been observed and attributed to our influence on climate. We know that rainfall rates in hurricanes are expected to increase in a warmer world, and now we’re living that reality. And global warming also means higher sea levels, both because ocean water expands as it warms and because ice in the mountains and at the poles melts and makes its way into oceans. Sea level rise is accelerating, and storm surge from hurricanes rides on top of higher seas to infiltrate further into our coastal cities. Heavier rain and higher sea levels can combine to compound flooding in major hurricanes, as the deluges cause flooding that must drain to the sea but can’t do so as quickly because of storm surges. Sadly, we saw this effect in play in the catastrophic flooding from Harvey. We don’t have all of the answers yet. There are scientific linkages we’re still trying to work out. Harvey, like Hurricane Irene before it in 2011, resulted in record flooding, because of a combination of factors. Very warm ocean temperatures meant more moisture in the atmosphere to produce heavy rainfall, yes. But both storms were also very slow-moving, nearly stationary at times, which means that rain fell over the same areas for an extended period. Cutting-edge climate science suggests that such stalled weather patterns could result from a slowed jet stream, itself a
consequence - through principles of atmospheric science - of the accelerated warming of the Arctic. This is a reminder of how climate changes in far-off regions such as the North Pole can have very real effects on extreme weather faced here in the Lower 48. These linkages are preliminary, and scientists are still actively studying them. But they are a reminder that surprises may be in store and not welcome ones when it comes to the unfolding effects of climate change. Which leads us, inevitably, to a discussion of policy - and, indeed, politics. Previous administrations focused on adapting to climate change, with an eye to what the planet would look like in the future. But events such as Harvey, and probably Irma, show that we have not even adapted to our current climate (which has already changed because of our influence). The effects of climate change are no longer subtle. We are seeing them play out before us here and now. And they will only worsen if we fail to act. The Trump administration, however, seems determined to lead us backward. In recent months, we have witnessed a dismantling of the policies put in place by the Obama administration to (a) incentivize the necessary move from climate-change-producing fossil fuels toward clean energy, (b) increase resilience to climate change effects through sensible regulations on coastal development, and (c) continue to fund basic climate research that can inform our assessments of risk and adaptive strategies. Ironically, just 10 days before Harvey struck, President Trump rescinded flood protection standards put in place by the Obama administration that would take sea level rise and other climate change effects into account in coastal development plans. And as Trump kills policies that would reduce the risks of climate disasters, our nation continues to support policies that actually increase our risks. For example, without the taxpayer-subsidized National Flood Insurance Program, banks would be less likely to provide mortgages for rebuilding houses in locations that have been flooded before, sometimes repeatedly. And the flood insurance program is itself underwater: badly in debt and set to expire at the end of this month unless Congress finds a way to keep it afloat, just as billions of dollars in claims from Harvey come pouring in. Harvey and Irma are sad reminders that policy matters. At a time when damage from climate change is escalating, we need sensible policy in Washington to protect the citizens of this country, both by reducing future climate change and preparing for its consequences. We should demand better of our leaders.
OP-ED
DACA is unconstitutional, as Obama admitted By Hans A. von Spakovsky THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION
President Donald Trump has caught a lot of heat for rescinding the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program with a six-month winddown. Few people seem aware that he’s ending an administrative amnesty for illegal aliens that President Barack Obama lacked the constitutional and legal authority to implement. How do we know? Because even Obama admitted it - repeatedly. Responding in October 2010 to demands that he implement immigration reforms unilaterally, Obama declared, "I am not king. I can’t do these things just by myself." In March 2011, he said that with "respect to the notion that I can just suspend deportations through executive order, that’s just not the case." In May 2011, he acknowledged that he couldn’t "just bypass Congress and change the (immigration) law myself... That’s not how a democracy works." Yet in 2012, he did it anyway. He put DACA in place to provide pseudolegal status to illegal aliens brought to the U.S. as
minors, including as teenagers. He promised them that they wouldn’t be deported and provided them with work authorizations and access to Social Security and other government benefits. And he did this despite the fact that the immigration laws passed by Congress do not give the president the ability to do this. Indeed, Congress specifically rejected bills to provide such benefits. As Attorney General Jeff Sessions pointed out this week, DACA "contributed to a surge of unaccompanied minors on the southern border that yielded terrible humanitarian consequences." Since most DACA beneficiaries are now adults, "it also denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same jobs to go to illegal aliens," Sessions said. The unconstitutionality of Obama’s actions were confirmed when Obama tried to implement a second, similar program in 2014 called the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents program, or DAPA. Like DACA, DAPA provided an administrative amnesty for illegal aliens who came
to the U.S. as adults and gave them work authorizations and access to government benefits. The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a nationwide injunction against DAPA, which the Supreme Court allowed to stand. As the Fifth Circuit said, the fact that the president declined to enforce the law and remove illegal aliens "does not transform presence deemed unlawful by Congress into lawful presence and confer eligibility for otherwise unavailable benefits based on that change." Under our Constitution, Congress has plenary authority over immigration. The president only has the authority delegated to him by Congress and Congress has never given the president the power to provide a pseudo-amnesty and government benefits to illegal aliens. The DACA program suffers from exactly the same constitutional infirmities as DAPA. A number of states have threatened to sue the administration to stop the DACA program. In the face of that threat, Trump really had no choice. General Sessions’ legal conclusion was that DACA "is
vulnerable to the same legal and constitutional challenges that the courts recognized with respect to the DAPA program." The place to have the debate about what to do about illegal aliens who were minors when they came to this country is in the halls of Congress, not the White House. Failure to correct this unilateral, unconstitutional overreach would set a dangerous precedent that weakens our constitutional balance of powers. As law professor Jonathan Turley said, "If a president can claim sweeping discretion to suspend key federal laws, the entire legislative process becomes little more than a pretense." When it comes to immigration, Attorney General Sessions was correct when he said that the "compassionate thing is to end the lawlessness, enforce our laws, and, if Congress chooses to make changes to those laws, to do so through the process set forth by our Founders in a way that advances the interests of the nation." That is essential to preserving our constitutional republic. Hans A. von Spakovsky is a senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation.
EDITORIAL
Fischer’s exit will allow Trump to entirely remake Federal Reserve BL OOMBERG
Even more than before, President Donald Trump now has the chance to entirely reshape the Federal Reserve. Janet Yellen’s term as chair ends early next year, and her deputy, Stanley Fischer, has just resigned, citing personal reasons. Soon Trump will be able to appoint a new person to the top job and three other positions on the seven-member board — not counting the one he’s already given to Randy Quarles. Fischer’s departure,
coming months earlier than expected, is a serious loss. His combination of intellect, experience and collegiality is virtually irreplaceable. One of the world’s most distinguished macroeconomists, he conducted influential research while a professor at MIT, coauthored standard texts, and was a revered teacher. He held the top economics jobs at both the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, was a vice chairman of Citigroup, and between 2005 and 2013 was the notably
LETTERS POLICY Laredo Morning Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer's first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity.
The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We
successful head of Israel’s central bank. A luminary among central bankers, Fischer was amply qualified to run the Fed. That he was content to serve as No. 2, acting as Yellen’s close ally, attests to his lack of vanity. His hallmarks as a communicator of the Fed’s thinking, a role he recognized as crucial, were clarity and open-mindedness. All these traits will be sorely missed. The case for reappointing Yellen, which Trump hasn’t yet ruled out, just got stronger. Fischer’s exit
raises the premium on continuity, expertise and experience, and the current Fed chair embodies all three. History’s verdict on presidents rests more than they might wish on the competence of the Fed during their time in the White House. When it comes to those other Fed appointments, the president would be smart to reflect on what made Fischer such a good choice and strive, for his own sake as well as everybody else’s, to choose as wisely.
want to assure our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. Laredo Morning Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. This space allows for public debate of the issues of the day. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and
civility. No name-calling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Also, letters longer than 500 words will not be accepted. Via email, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, September 9, 2017 |
A5
CRIME & MORE
2 arrested for human smuggling A S S O CIAT E D PRE SS
EDINBURG, Texas — U.S. Border Patrol agents in South Texas say they’ve arrested a Mexican national and an American in two separate incidents involving
a total of 48 people entering the country illegally inside tractor trailer trucks. Authorities say agents at a checkpoint in Sarita, about 50 miles southwest of Corpus Christi, opened a refrigerated
tractor trailer Friday and found 14 people hidden among cargo. A short time later at a checkpoint about 20 miles to the west in Falfurrias, a detection dog alerted agents who found 34 people hiding in a simi-
lar trailer. Border Patrol officials say the people inside the trailers have declined offers of medical attention. Both sites are about 70 miles north of the TexasMexico border.
4 plead Federal prison escapee guilty resentenced to 30 months in fraud scheme ASSOCIATED PRE SS
A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — Four men have pleaded guilty to participating in a fraud and money laundering scheme that used a network of call centers in India. Acting U.S. Attorney Abe Martinez in Houston says individuals at call centers in Ahmedabad, India, impersonated Internal Revenue Service and immigration authorities and threatened victims around the U.S. to use gift cards or wire money to make payments they contended were owed to the government. U.S.-based “runners” then would liquidate or launder the fraudulent proceeds. Three men — 26-yearold Nisarg Patel, of Flemington, New Jersey; 30-year-old Dilipkumar Patel, of Ocala, Florida; and Rajesh Kumar, 39, of Mesa, Arizona — pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Houston. Another man, 38-yearold Dipakkumar Patel, of Pennsylvania, pleaded before a federal judge in Georgia. All are in custody awaiting sentencing.
LUBBOCK, Texas — A Colombian man arrested earlier this year after being a fugitive for nearly 24 years since escaping from a federal detention center has been sentenced again to federal prison. Federal prosecutors say 47-year-old Juan Carlos Marin-Cardona was
sentenced Friday by Senior U.S. District Judge Sam Cummings in Lubbock to 30 months in prison for escaping from federal custody. The sentence is in addition to the nearly six-year sentence he must serve from 1993 for his conviction on cocaine charges. Prosecutors say MarinCardona went missing in
Suspect charged for 6 sexual assaults in San Antonio ASSOCIATED PRE SS
SAN ANTONIO — San Antonio authorities say an 18-year-old man believed responsible for multiple sexual assaults and robberies of women in the city’s medical center over two years has been indicted. A Bexar County grand jury Thursday returned six indictments against Anton Jamail Harris. Prosecutors say Harris became a suspect after he matched a description
provided by one of his victims. Detectives obtained a DNA sample from him and he was arrested in June, two years after the first attack. Police say Harris would follow victims and force him way into their homes or just knock on their doors. Then he’d threaten them with a gun or knife, sexually assault them and steal property. He’s held in the Bexar County Jail under bonds totaling $775,000 while awaiting trial.
November 1994 from the Eden Detention Center in Eden, Texas, about 160 miles northwest of Austin in November 1994. Federal marshals determined he was living in an undisclosed foreign country and he ultimately was arrested last March at a Houston airport.
ZAPATA COUNTY BLOTTER ACCIDENT 1 Mario Alberto Alaniz, 24, was arrested and charged with accident involving death and reckless driving on Aug. 29. ASSAULT 1 Amado Rufino Martinez Jr., 32, was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with deadly weapon on Aug. 29. 1 Ruben Lee Paredes, 32, was arrested and charged with assault on Aug. 30. 1 Gilberto Soto, 43, was arrested and charged with assault and having a liquor violation on Sept. 2. BURGLARY 1 Rolando Brian Olivares, 18, was arrested and charged with burglary of a building and criminal mischief on Aug. 28. DUI 1 Lee Roy Gonzalez, 19,
was arrested and charged with driving under the influence on Sept. 3. FALSE REPORT 1 Norma Idalia Gonzalez, 37, was arrested and charged with making a false report to police on Aug. 29. POSSESSION 1 Roxanne Arroyo, 24, was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 31. 1 Ricardo Flores, 52, was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 31. 1 Gabriela Marisol Ramirez, 22, was arrested and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia on Aug. 31. STRIKING A FIXTURE 1 Jesus Gonzalez, 31, was arrested and charged with striking a fixture on Sept. 2.
A6 | Saturday, September 9, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NATIONAL
Boarding school owner charged with abusing students Edward Lea / AP
By Ryan J. Foley A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The owner of a boarding school for teenagers coerced one student into a sexual relationship, had girls undress during “body image therapy” sessions and put some students in solitary confinement for days, Iowa prosecutors alleged Friday. Former Midwest Academy director Benjamin Trane, 39, pleaded not guilty to charges of thirddegree sexual abuse, sexual exploitation by a counselor and child endangerment. A judge ordered that he be held at the Lee County Jail on a $500,000 cash-only bond. The charges come after a 19-month investigation into alleged abuse at the private, for-profit boarding school in Keokuk, in Iowa’s southeastern corner. The school, which enrolled about 100 students from mostly well-off families across the United States, closed in January 2016 after investigators served search warrants there. Division of Criminal Investigation special agent Joe Lestina alleged in criminal complaints that Trane abused his power to pursue sexual relationships with students while putting others at risk by keeping them in isolation. Trane performed multiple sexual acts on one girl throughout 2015, coercing her to engage in them “in order for her to successfully participate and ‘level up’ in the program and to be able to contact her family mem-
bers,” Lestina wrote. Trane held counseling sessions that included Trane “body image therapy” in which girls would undress and stand in front of a mirror to discuss their bodies, the complaint said. Trane engaged in sexually explicit conversations with students, made them answer written questionnaires about sex and had physical contact with some “for the purpose of sexual arousal, gratification and attempted grooming,” Lestina wrote. Trane also enforced policies that “created a substantial risk to the students’ physical, mental or emotional health and/ or safety, including but not limited to solitary confinement for extended periods of time,” he wrote. Former students have said that they were forced to stay in small concrete “isolation boxes” for days or weeks at a time. Former student Kennedy Thayer, who was at the academy in 2015 and interviewed multiple times by investigators, said she was relieved Trane was charged and jailed. “He might finally understand a little bit of what we went through,” said Thayer, now a 19year-old cheerleader at Nebraska Wesleyan University. “But jail is nothing compared to that place. It was horrible.” She recalled Trane commenting on the shape of her body, taking three
of her younger classmates shopping for lingerie at Victoria’s Secret, and forcing her to answer a questionnaire about her sexual history and fantasies. Thayer said she reported some of Trane’s actions to her mother, who called to complain. “He flipped out and said, ‘you can’t do things like that because I can make you stay longer’,” Thayer said. Trane had been living in Idaho Falls, Idaho, since the school’s closure and told the court he’s unemployed. He’s married and has several children. Several former students have filed a lawsuit seeking damages for their treatment from Trane, his company and Midwest Twister LLC, which is owned by Utah businessman Robert Lichfield. Midwest Twister owned the academy’s campus, and leased it to Trane’s corporation in exchange for payments based on student enrollment. Lichfield, who has a long history of involvement in controversial boarding schools, argues his company had no control over the academy’s operations and is asking to be dismissed. David Ferleger, the students’ attorney, said Friday’s charges back up their claims that they were abused for years in a facility that had no state oversight and charged families $5,000 per month. “It’s a great blessing for the kids that the FBI and state police took it over and freed them from this awful abuse,” he said.
Drifter admits killing 6; bodies buried behind a strip mall By Dave Collins A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HARTFORD, Conn. — An East Coast drifter who authorities say killed seven people in Connecticut during a 2003 series of slayings and sexual assaults while driving a van he called the Murder Mobile pleaded guilty on Friday in connection with six of Howell the slayings. William Devin Howell pleaded guilty to six counts of murder during a hearing in New Britain Superior Court. Howell, who’s 47 years old, is expected to be sentenced in November to 360 years in prison. The Hampton, Virginia, native previously was convicted of manslaughter in one victim’s death and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. The guilty pleas Friday confirmed that he is the most prolific serial killer in Connecticut history — not including the killers in mass shootings such as the Newtown school massacre. The bodies of all seven victims were found buried in a wooded area behind a strip mall in New Britain. Three bodies were found in 2007, and the other remains were discovered in 2015 when authorities went back to the site. Howell’s lawyers said his guilty plea avoids a trial and saves taxpayers nearly $1 million. “By pleading guilty today, William Howell wanted to spare the victims’ families further
All seven victims disappeared in 2003, when Howell was mowing lawns and working other odd jobs.
emotional pain through a lengthy and drawn out trial that would have taken several weeks, if not months,” the lawyers, Jeffrey Kestenband and William Paetzold, said in a statement. New Britain State’s Attorney Brian Preleski praised a task force of local, state and federal authorities that investigated the killings and expressed “our deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of these innocent victims.” All seven victims disappeared in 2003, when Howell was mowing lawns and working other odd jobs. They were identified as Joyvaline Martinez, 24, of East Hartford; Diane Cusack, 53, of New Britain; Mary Jane Menard, 40, of New Britain; Melanie Ruth Camilini, 29, of Seymour; Marilyn Gonzalez, 26, of Waterbury; Danny Lee Whistnant, 44, of New Britain; and Nilsa Arizmendi, 33, of Wethersfield. Howell was arrested in May 2005 in Hampton, Virginia, in connection with Arizmendi’s death and later pleaded guilty to manslaughter. He sexually assaulted three of the women and kept one of the bodies in his van for two weeks, sleeping next to the body and calling the victim his “baby,” according to an arrest warrant affidavit. He also told a cellmate there was a monster inside him, described himself as a “sick ripper” and called his van the Murder
Mobile, according to the warrant. Howell told the cellmate the first person he killed was a woman he raped in his van, the warrant said. The cellmate, who described his conversations with Howell to authorities, said Howell told him he strangled the woman and hit her in the head with a hammer, the warrant said. Howell also told the fellow inmate he kept the woman’s body wrapped up in his van because it was too cold outside to bury her, the warrant said. He said he cut off the tips of her fingers, dismantled her bottom jaw and disposed of the body parts in Virginia, the document said. Authorities said they found in the van blood that matched the blood of one of the victims, along with videotapes of Howell having sex with women. Police said drug use was a main connection among most of the victims. Howell called the burial site his “garden” and said the victims should have known they were going to die because of the lifestyles they led, the warrant said. The seven killings topped the Connecticut body count of serial killer Michael Ross, who killed six women in eastern Connecticut and two in New York and was executed in Connecticut in 2005. Connecticut no longer has the death penalty.
Miss America 2018 contestants walk the stage during the second night of preliminaries at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey on Thursday.
Miss America hopefuls speak out on politics, arts education By Wayne Parry ASSOCIATED PRE SS
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — Political civility, arts education and even why pro athletes are more than just fantasy team components have been among the topics tackled by Miss America hopefuls this week during preliminary competition. The third night of the Miss America competition was to begin Friday evening, with contestants having one last chance to impress the judges and score points before Sunday’s nationally televised finale in Atlantic City. Over the first two nights, contestants used their onstage interviews to promote causes that are important to them. Miss Wisconsin McKenna Collins said Americans of differing political stripes need to speak civilly with each other, even though they don’t agree on the issues. She said she has a meeting scheduled with U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican and fellow Wisconsinite, later this month to discuss the
topic. “I’m hoping I’ll be having that meeting as Miss America because I really believe it’s the first thing we should be talking about as a country,” she said. Miss Tennessee Caty Davis recounted how her family has had three generations of addiction and how her father took his own life after abusing alcohol and opioids. She urged families to lock their medicine cabinets or securely store prescription drugs. “Addiction is not a choice or a moral failing,” she said. “It is a disease that alters brain chemistry. Don’t be an accidental drug dealer; lock up your prescription drugs.” Miss Pennsylvania Katie Schreckengast promoted adoption by recounting how she was adopted from South Korea as an infant. “My incredible parents raised me to see my story as unique and wonderful,” she said. And Miss Ohio Sarah Clapper said that when a professional athlete is injured, the public
should care about athletes as human beings, not just as components of a fantasy sports team. “Their life could be changing forever, and we need to support them through that transition,” she said. Miss Texas Margana Wood won the swimsuit competition on Wednesday, and Miss Utah JessiKate Riley won the talent portion with a classical violin performance on a 115-year-old instrument she has named Sam. On Thursday, Miss Louisiana Laryssa Bonacquisti won the swimsuit competition, while Miss Minnesota Brianna Drevlow won the talent portion, playing “Rhapsody in Blue” on the piano. On Saturday, contestants will show off their state-specific footwear in the annual Show Us Your Shoes parade on the Atlantic City Boardwalk. In Sunday’s finale the contestants will be vying to succeed the outgoing Miss America, Savvy Shields, who won the crown last year as Miss Arkansas.
Christmas comes early for boy with terminal cancer ASSOCIATED PRE SS
WICHITA, Kan. — Christmas trees are popping up in a small Kansas town as residents prepare to celebrate the holiday early for a 3-yearold boy with terminal cancer. Lebo residents will celebrate Christmas on Sunday as a tribute to Christian Risner, who was placed in hospice care last month, the Wichita Eagle reported . Christian, who graduated from preschool on Thursday, has Rhabdoid kidney cancer, which has created tumors in his kidneys and lungs. Doctors say he has less than three months to live. His hometown in southern Kansas has rallied around him. Santa will make an appearance
during Sunday’s events, brining toys to a community potluck hosted by the Lebo Baptist Church. A horse-drawn sleigh will take Christian to look at the array of trees and holiday lights residents and businesses put up around town. “He loves Christmas and we have told him Christmas comes on Sunday,” said his mother, Sarah Risner. Lebo resident Kelly Freund said she saw Christian’s struggles in fighting cancer and wanted to help. She said the idea of ensuring he sees one more Christmas “has taken off like wildfire.” “I have gotten so many messages from people from so many different states. It’s pictures of people putting Christmas trees up in support of
Christian,” she said. A silent auction will take place at the church Sunday, with proceeds going to help with the family’s medical expenses. Richard Odum, pastor at the church, said was moved watching Christian’s fight over the last year and half with an incurable cancer, adding: “It is a hard deal to know he is hurting.” Christian went into hospice after undergoing a procedure that drained 16 ounces of fluid from his lungs. “Some days are good, some aren’t,” Risner said. “I don’t know why God has chosen my child. I accept he needs him more than I need him, and I don’t like it. But I am grateful I get to be his mom.”
Zfrontera THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, September 9, 2017 |
RIBEREÑA EN BREVE SOCIEDAD GENEALÓGICA 1 La Sociedad Genealógica Nuevo Santander invita a su reunión el sábado 9 de septiembre a las 2 p.m. en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata. Moisés Garza, Somos Primos/We Are Cousins, presentará: “Recursos para obtener el máximo de su ADN”. Admisión 5 dólares. Evento gratuito para miembros de la sociedad.
GRUPO DE APOYO ENFERMEDADES MENTALES 1 NAMI Capítulo Laredo ofrece grupos de apoyo para familiares de personas con enfermedades mentales cada segundo jueves de mes, a las 6 p.m., en la Iglesia San Martín de Porres. Informes al 956-235-2359
NOCHE MEXICANA 1 La Ciudad de Roma invita a la Noche Mexicana que se celebrará el 14 de septiembre de 7 p.m. a 11 p.m. Disfrute de bailes folclóricos y antojitos mexicanos en la Plaza Guadalupe de la Ciudad de Roma.
ROMA FEST 2017 1 Festival Roma Fest 2017 “Decades”, el domingo 8 de octubre desde las 5 p.m. Desfile inicia en el Citizens State Bank.
FESTIVAL NUEVO SANTANDER 1 La Sociedad Genealógica Nueva Santander invita al Festival Nuevo Santander el 13 y 14 de octubre de 10 a.m. a 4 p.m. en el Museo de Historia del Condado de Zapata.
EPICENTRO SE UBICA EN COSTA SUR
HURACÁN HARVEY
Tiembla en México
Exhortan a ayudar a víctimas Por César G. Rodríguez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Foto por Rebecca Blackwell / Associated Press
Escombros por el terremoto de 8.2 grados, yacen en el interior de la iglesia Templo del Señor del Calvario, que data del s.XVII, en Chiapa de Corzo, Chiapas, el viernes.
Suman 60 muertos por terremoto Por Mark Stevenson ASSOCIATED PRE SS
CIUDAD DE MÉXICO— México fue sacudido por uno de los terremotos más fuertes de su historia, que mató al menos a 60 personas. El sismo ocurrió a las 23:49 del jueves frente a la costa sur del país y derribó viviendas y negocios, además de provocar pánico a más de 1.000 kilómetros de distancia. Según el Servicio Geológico de Estados Unidos (USGS, por sus siglas en inglés) el epicentro estuvo a 165 kilómetros (102 millas) al oeste de Tapachula, en el estado sureño de Chiapas, a 69,7 kilómetros (43,31 millas) de profundidad. La magnitud fue de 8,1, algo más que el temblor de magnitud 8 de 1985 que devastó Ciudad de México y mató a miles de personas. El viernes por la tarde, Luis Felipe Puente, Coordinador Nacional de Protección Civil, escribió en su cuenta de Twitter que el Comité Nacional de Emergencias reportó 45 fallecidos en Oaxaca, 10 en Chiapas y 3 en Tabasco. Una hora después, el secretario de Protección Civil de Chiapas, Luis Manuel Moreno García, confirmó a The Associated Press que el número de fallecidos en
ese estado subió a 12 con base en su último recuento de la evaluación sobre los daños del terremoto, con lo que el total de muertos se elevó a 60. Durante la madrugada, el gobernador de Chiapas, Manuel Velasco, pidió a la gente que vive cerca de la costa que dejara sus casas por su seguridad y dijo que tenía reportes de daños en hospitales, escuelas, puentes y carreteras, aunque no dio más detalles. En Tabasco, el gobernador Arturo Núñez detalló que dos de los fallecidos eran niños: uno murió al caérsele una barda y otro más en un hospital, donde se apagó el ventilador que lo ayudaba a respirar. La ciudad más afectada hasta el momento es Juchitán, Oaxaca. Imágenes de video mostraban que casi la mitad de las estructuras se habían colapsado y entre pilas de escombros las autoridades informaron que al menos 17 de los fallecidos pertenecían a esta localidad. Desde Colombia, donde realiza una visita oficial de cinco días, el papa Francisco expresó: “En estos momentos deseo manifestar mi cercanía espiritual a todos los que sufren a conse-
cuencias del terremoto que ha afectado a México... provocando muertos y cuantiosos daños materiales. Mi oración por los que han perdido la visa y también a sus familias”. Cientos de edificios se derrumbaron o sufrieron daños, alrededor de 1,8 millones de personas sufrieron apagones de electricidad y las autoridades cancelaron las clases en al menos 11 estados para verificar los daños en las escuelas. Las autoridades mexicanas evacuaron las localidades de Tonalá y de Puerto Madero, en Chiapas, como precaución debido a una alerta de tsunami, según anunció la agencia de protección civil del estado, que compartió en Twitter fotos de vecinos bajando de un camión y entrando en lo que parecía ser un refugio. No se ofrecieron más detalles. De manera paralela, el país se preparaba para otra emergencia en el extremo oriental del territorio. Se esperaba que el huracán Katia llegara el sábado por la mañana a la costa del estado de Veracruz, en el Golfo de México, según el Centro Nacional de Huracanes de Estados Unidos. Katia podría provocar inundaciones peligrosas como tormenta de categoría 2.
CAMINATA CONTRA CÁNCER 1 Walk All Over Cancer! en su cuarta caminata anual. Inscripciones en el Ayuntamiento llamando al 956-8491411 x 9241 o en el 956-844-1428. Caminata iniciará en Citizens State Bank o en el Centro Comuniario de Roma el sábado 21 de octubre.
TEXAS WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS
EXPO DE CARRERAS Y EMPLEOS
PAGO DE IMPUESTOS 1 Desde diciembre, los pagos por impuestos a la propiedad de la Ciudad de Roma deberán realizarse en la oficina de impuestos del Distrito Escolar de Roma, localizado en el 608 N. García St. PAGO EN LÍNEA 1 La Ciudad de Roma informa a sus residentes que a partir de ahora el servicio del agua puede pagarse en línea a cualquier hora las 24 horas del día.
LLENADO DE APLICACIONES 1 La Ciudad de Roma ofrece el servicio de llenado de aplicaciones para CHIP, Medicaid, SNAP, TANF, Chip, Prenatal y otros. Contacte a Gaby Rodríguez para una cita en el centro comunitario o en su domicilio al 956-246-7177.
A7
Foto de cortesía / ZCISD
Estudiantes de la preparatoria Zapata High School visitaron la exposición de carreras y empleos Texas Workforce Youth Career Expo. Los estudiantes tuvieron la oportunidad de entrevistarse con múltiples empleadores y universidades para conocer sobre empleos y carreras universitarias.
La comunidad de Zapata se ha unido para dar alivio a las víctimas del Huracán Harvey. Hoy, se invita a la comunidad a contribuir con donativos para la campaña Zapata Community Drive en el International Bank of Commerce en 908 N. U.S. 83 de 9 a.m. a 3 p.m. Se les pide a las personas traer artículos de limpieza, como cloro, tapabocas, bolsas grandes de basura, limpiadores multiusos y esponjas. Recientemente, la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata, tam-
bién participó en la recolección de donativos para las víctimas y llevó los artículos a las áreas afectadas. El jefe Raymundo Del Bosque Jr., publicó en Facebook que el trabajo no ha terminado. “Ciudadanos de Zapata por favor continúen trayendo alimentos enlatados, artículos de limpieza, artículos de tocador, repelentes de mosquitos/ insectos a la Oficina del Alguacil del Condado de Zapata. Nuestra misión no ha terminado. Acaba de empezar. Seguiremos yendo a las áreas y a los condados afectados tan pronto como podamos”, declaró Del Bosque.
COLUMNA
Juárez sufre hondo pesar Por Raúl Sinencio Chávez TIEMP O DE ZAPATA
Por las goteras de Monterrey, Nuevo León, avanza modesto carruaje. En trechos cortos, algunos chiquillos corren detrás y entre ladridos de perros hambrientos el vehículo se pierde de vista. Raudo, bamboleante, marcha rumbo al vecino Estado de Tamaulipas. A bordo viaja doña Margarita Maza de Juárez. El país vive momentos aciagos. Napoleón III está resuelto a imponernos el imperio de Maximiliano de Habsburgo. Vencidos en la reciente guerra de Reforma, con desfachatez los conservadores sirven de traidores. Francia cree facilona la aventura. Pronto topa con pared. Ignacio Zaragoza sostiene exitosa batalla en Puebla. Al morder los polvos de la derrota, el invasor recibe luego refuerzos tremendos. Dispareja la balanza, los enemigos ocupan la Ciudad de México y salen tras el presidente Benito Juárez, en funciones tierra adentro. Lejos de intimidarse o titubear siquiera, don Benito los combate. “La autoridad … es … un depósito que la Nación me ha confiado … para su honor … y no lo pondré jamás a discreción del … extranjero, antes bien sostendré … la guerra … hasta obligarle a reconocer la justicia de nuestra causa”, promete. Sereno ante los nubarrones que dominan el panorama, atiende con valentía la palabra empeñada. En la capital nuevoleonesa logra reunirse la familia Juárez Maza. Vive a salto de mata, víctima del acoso intervencionista. Aun en medio del peligro, surgen motivos para alegrarse con dos nuevos retoños: el último hijo del mandatario, que llega al mundo el 13 de junio, sumándose el 12 de julio su nieto primigenio. Transcurre el verano de 1864. Pero don Benito debe reconcentrarse en asuntos bastante serios. Encabeza patriótica resistencia. Disputan ahora el noreste, fuente de codiciados recursos y asiento del gobierno legítimo. De por sí complejo el cuadro, Juárez aún encara numerosos problemas en filas republicanas. Le preocupa que las pugnas tamaulipecas continúen. Aunque ocurren defecciones, rebeldías y pleitos internos, resuelve cada
Foto de cortesía /
Benito Juárez y Margarita Maza de Juárez
reto con astucia. En vez de amilanarse, prevalece ecuánime y mantiene su presidencia errante. Por desgracia, las circunstancias apremian dolorosa separación de la familia, alejándola del conflicto todo lo posible. Doña Margarita abandona en consecuencia la Sultana del Norte. Con hijas e hijos, parte el 27 de julio de 1864. La acompaña José, El Negrito, que ronda los doce meses de edad, y Antonio, nacido pocas semanas atrás en Saltillo, Coahuila. Al yerno Pedro Santacilia toca cuidarlos. Van escoltados por tropas del general Jesús González Ortega. Preludio de las próximas lluvias, imperan calores sofocantes cuando toman el incierto camino a Matamoros, Tamaulipas. Allá cruzan las aguas fronterizas del río Bravo y desembarcan en Texas. Muy a tiempo. Bloqueándolo primero, los franceses al fin capturan el mencionado puerto tamaulipeco. Llenos de carencias, arriban los perseguidos a Nueva York, donde mucho padecen. Siguen amargos días. Escaso de ejército y falto de recursos económicos, remonta el presidente desérticos parajes, replegándose al Paso del Norte, Chihuahua. Le informan que El Negrito fallece de grave enfermedad; Antonio muere después. “No me extiendo … porque bajo la impresión del profundísimo pesar que destroza mi corazón por la muerte del hijo a quien más amaba, apenas he podido trazar las líneas que anteceden”, escribe don Benito el 26 de enero de 1865 en carta oficial a Matías Romero, secretario de Hacienda. Cualquiera hubiese desistido frente a tantas calamidades. Juárez en cambio restaura la República y consolida la independencia de México. Los reaccionarios lloran el trágico fin de Maximiliano, callándose los sufrimientos que el monarca desata.
Sports&Outdoors A8 | Saturday, September 9, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
NCAA
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS
Texas QB will be a game-day NFC East rivals open decision season in Arlington
Elliott in for Cowboys opener
By Nick Moyle
SA N A N TONI O E XPRE SS-NEWS
By Schuyler Dixon AUSTIN — Texas coach Tom Herman has never started a true freshman at quarterback, either as a head coach or a coordinator. That could change Saturday against San Jose State (1-1). Sophomore quarterback Shane Buechele (shoulder) remained unable to throw during Thursday's practice. He once again acted as Sam Ehlinger's shadow, standing about five yards behind the Austin Westlake product as he ran the offense. Herman said Buechele is "getting better," but believes Buechele's status will not be determined until just before the 2:30 p.m. kickoff at RoyalMemorial Stadium. Herman and offensive coordinator Tim Beck said Buechele's inability to fully practice wouldn't preclude them from naming him the starter in a must-win game. They both were pleased with Ehlinger's progress Despite being injured Buechele, who set career highs in attempts (34), completions (52) and passing yards (375) against Maryland, has been a bit more than silent silhouette behind Ehlinger. Herman said he's been in the newcomer's ear.
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ARLINGTON — A month ago, the Dallas Cowboys figured to be without star running back Ezekiel Elliott for the opener while facing the New York Giants and dynamic receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Now it appears the opposite will be true. Elliott, the 2016 NFL rushing leader as a rookie, is still facing a six-game suspension over a domestic violence case, but will play Sunday night because of the timing of an appeal that was rejected, and an ongoing court fight to try to overturn the NFL’s decision. Beckham hasn’t played since spraining his left ankle in a preseason game against Cleveland on Aug. 21, and didn’t practice the early part of game week. So Eli Manning could be without his top receiver for his 200th consecutive start, but will have a new one in six-time Pro Bowler Brandon Marshall, who signed as a free agent. The Giants are trying to win their fourth straight against the Cowboys after sweeping the NFC East champions last year. “They got weapons now,” Dallas defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. “Beckham, he’s special obviously. Those are
really good receivers. We know that. They’re stocked up pretty well.” Dak Prescott lost his debut as a rookie quarterback to the Giants in last year’s opener before leading the Cowboys to a franchise-record 11 straight wins. The streak ended in a 10-7 loss at New York that was easily the worst game for the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Dez Bryant was shut down as well, getting one catch in each loss. But now Dallas’ top receiver is coming off his first full offseason since his AllPro year in 2014, which his teammates and coaches believe will make a difference. “Two different teams than we were last year,” Giants receiver Sterling Shepard said. “So, you kind of have to flush that down the toilet and move on.” Some key story lines for the fifth Giants-Cowboys opener in six seasons: ELLIOTT SAGA He was suspended by Commissioner Roger Goodell on Aug. 11 after the NFL concluded he had several physical confrontations with Tiffany Thompson, his girlfriend at the time, last summer in Ohio. Prosecutors didn’t pursue the case. Elliott is seeking an in-
Al Bello / Getty Images file
Ezekiel Elliott will play in Week 1 of the NFL season against the Giants Sunday night despite his looming six-game suspension. New York star wideout Odell Beckham Jr. is doubtful.
junction to delay the punishment and force a hearing. His status beyond the opener is up in the air. BECKHAM FACTOR The 24-year-old had a career-best 101 catches last season for 1,367 yards and 10 touchdowns and has made the Pro Bowl all three seasons. Beckham has five TDs against Dallas, including that famous one-handed catch as a rookie. Roger Lewis Jr. and Tavarres King are the backups, but a more likely scenario would be a bigger role for first-round draft pick Evan Engram and fellow tight end Rhett Ellison. DEFENSIVE UNKNOWNS Dallas linebacker Jaylon Smith should make his debut after missing his rookie season with a col-
lege knee injury. The Cowboys aren’t sure what they have in someone who likely would have been a top 10 pick before the injury. They also have high hopes for rookie cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis, but both have missed almost all of the preseason. GIANTS UP FRONT The major question for the Giants is the offensive line. The only change is right tackle Bobby Hart replacing Marshall Newhouse, who signed with Oakland as a free agent. This line didn’t open holes for the running backs, but it did put Manning under constant pressure last season. Giants management felt another year together would help the group, especially left tack-
le Ereck Flowers. WITTEN AND ELI Cowboys tight end Jason Witten, in his 15th season, needs 17 yards receiving to break Hall of Famer Michael Irvin’s club record of 11,904 yards. He will tie Ed “Too Tall” Jones for the most games in franchise history at 224. Manning is set to join Brett Favre (297) and brother Peyton Manning (208) as the only quarterbacks with at least 200 straight starts. SHARED FATES Both teams made the playoffs last season, and both lost postseason openers to Green Bay. The Giants lost 38-13 in a wildcard game, and the topseeded Cowboys fell at home 34-31 after twice tying the NFC divisional game in the final minutes.
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: HOUSTON TEXANS
TEXANS HOSTS JAGS AS HOUSTON RECOVERS FROM HURRICANE made him the team’s kicker. Fairbairn signed with Houston last season after going undrafted and spent all year on injured reserve. He doesn’t expect to be nervous Sunday because of the preparation he’s put in since joining the Texans. “Just keep stuff simple. Make kicks,” he said. “That’s the name of the game, making my kicks.”
Savage takes the reins as Houston’s Game 1 starting QB By Kristie Rieken A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
HOUSTON — Hurricane Harvey made football an afterthought in Houston. On Sunday when they open the season against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Texans know a city just beginning to rebuild after the storm will be looking for them to provide a boost. “We know it’s a hard time here in Houston right now,” running back Lamar Miller said. “We’re just trying to do anything to make this city proud this upcoming Sunday. And for us to do that, everybody has to do their assignment, play fast and just put on a show.” The Texans last took the field for a preseason game against the Saints on Aug. 26. They spent several days in Dallas before their last preseason game was cancelled after the storm. Houston looks to extend its winning streak against the Jaguars to seven games in a matchup that will feature the return of superstar defensive end J.J. Watt. He missed the final 13 games of last season following his second back surgery. Watt has become the celebrity face of the storm after a fundraiser he started has raised
Brett Coomer / Houston Chronicle file
Quarterback Tom Savage and the Texans open the season in Houston against divisional foe Jacksonville two weeks after Hurricane Harvey struck the city.
more than $29 million (and counting) for hurricane relief. He’s been overwhelmed by the outpouring of support he’s received from around the country and can’t wait to play Sunday to help provide the fans an escape. Watt was also quick to note his teammates have also pitched in to help out in the days since the storm. “Our guys understand how big this city is for us,” Watt said. “We wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for these incredible fans and these incredible people supporting us, and our guys have been unbelievable about trying to give back and do whatever they can. It’s been really cool to have their support behind all of this.” While the Texans move into their season after the storm, the Jaguars will have to leave their family and friends behind to
head to Houston as Hurricane Irma approaches Florida. Coach Doug Marrone said they’ve had long discussions about how the team will deal with it, but declined to provide any details on their plans. “We’re going to handle that all internally of what we’re doing with all of our plans and trying to make sure we keep everyone in mind as this is going on, because this is a difficult thing for the people that work here,” he said. “It’s a difficult thing for the people in Jacksonville. ... We just got to do the best job at this time for the families and the people that are involved.” Some things to know about the Jaguars-Texans game: READY TO GO? Jacksonville quarterback Blake Bortles was listed on the
injury report (right wrist), but said Wednesday that it wasn’t a concern and he’d be ready to go on Sunday. Sunday will be his 46th straight start, and after facing the Texans often he knows Sunday will be another challenge. He tries not to dwell on the things that went wrong in his first three seasons. “I try to leave it in the past,” he said. “None of it was any good, I don’t think. I think there’s obviously stuff you can learn from and from different situations ... but I’d rather not think about it. ... As of now it’s focus on how can we beat the Texans and how can I help us be as efficient as possible.” KICKING OFF Ka’imi Fairbairn will make his NFL debut after the Texans cut veteran Nick Novak and
BOUYE’S RETURN Cornerback A.J. Bouye signed with the Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and spent his first four years with the team before signing a $67.5 million contract to join the Jaguars this offseason. As he prepared for the first meeting against his former team, Bouye reflected how much going against Houston receiver DeAndre Hopkins in practice every day aided his development. “It helped out a lot, definitely, going against one of the best receivers in the league,” Bouye said. “He had plays on me, I made plays on him, and one thing I tried to do was see what I could do better ... just trying to make myself better as a player to help the team win at the time.” FOURNETTE’S DEBUT Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette is expected to make his debut after missing the last three preseason games with a foot injury. Jacksonville is hoping the fourth overall pick in the draft, who ran for 3,830 yards in his career at LSU will beef up a running game that ranked 22nd last season.
THE ZAPATA TIMES | Saturday, September 9, 2017 |
A9
BUSINESS
Oil tumbles as Irma imperils gasoline demand By Jessica Summers BL O O MBE RG
Oil declined the most since July as Hurricane Irma threatened to slash energy demand that had only just begun to recover from the wrath of Harvey. Futures slid 3.3 percent in New York. While Valero Energy Corp. and other refiners resumed fuel production after Harvey roared ashore two weeks ago, demand for gasoline and other transportation fuels may falter across much of the southeastern U.S. if Florida and neighboring states take a direct hit from Irma. Flor-
ida burns more gasoline than any other state except California and Texas. Uncertainty has traders “pulling in their horns ahead of the storm,” Phil Flynn, senior market analyst at Price Futures Group Inc. in Chicago, said by telephone. “They are worried about demand destruction.” The most recent data from the Energy Information Administration showed last week’s rise in U.S. crude stockpiles was the largest since March. Meanwhile, deliveries of foreign crude to the Gulf Coast fell to the lowest in records going back to 1990
as Harvey’s wind and rain shut every major port in the region. “People are thinking we’ve had the worst of the refinery outages and that’s behind us,” Michael Lynch, president of Strategic Energy & Economic Research Inc. in Winchester, Massachusetts, said by telephone. “The refineries will be starting up and absorbing more crude.” West Texas Intermediate for October delivery declined $1.61 to settle to $47.48 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Total volume traded was about 26 per-
cent above the 100-day average. Prices were up 0.4 percent for the week. Brent for November settlement fell 71 cents to end the session at $53.78 a barrel on the Londonbased ICE Futures Europe exchange. The global benchmark traded at a premium of $5.72 to November WTI, the largest since 2015. The market also “seems to be a little technically heavy,” Flynn said. “When you don’t know how exactly the fundamentals are going to play out, the computers are just going to play the charts.”
Businesses brace for Irma’s impact
Starbucks / AP
The coffee chain is selling what some people call a "sushi burrito" in limited locations.
Starbucks attempts to sell sushi burrito By Abha Bhattarai WASHINGTON P O ST
By David Koenig A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
After knocking down parts of the vital tourism industry in the Caribbean, Hurricane Irma is spinning toward Florida, another vacation haven. Tourism accounts for 1.4 million jobs in the Sunshine State, where more than 112 million people visited last year and spent $109 billion. Resorts and hotels there could suffer instant destruction from Irma’s winds or lingering damage if vacationers stay away. “We will still have our beaches after Irma, but some people who were planning to come to Florida will change those plans,” said Sean Snaith, an economics professor at
Lionel Chamoiseau / AFP/Getty Images
This Thursday photo shows damage in Orient Bay on the French Carribean island of Saint-Martin, after the passage of Hurricane Irma.
the University of Central Florida. “They may postpone, or change destinations.” In the Caribbean, at least 21 people were killed when Irma slammed into the islands as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever. Heavy damage was reported on St. Martin, St. Barts and other famous beach destina-
tions. Roads and airports will need to be repaired or even rebuilt, and it’s uncertain whether that can be done in time for the winter high season on the hardest-hit islands. Wealthier islands with more private insurance will fare better, said Gabriel Torres, an analyst for Moody’s Investors
Service who has studied the effect of storms in the Caribbean. “It has an impact on tourism because some hotels will decide not to rebuild or take a long time to rebuild, and that’s lost revenue,” Torres said. “That can take years to recover.” Torres said St. Martin, which is divided into Dutch Sint Maarten and French Saint-Martin, will benefit as their European patrons provide aid for rebuilding. If there is any consolation, it may be that “the damage to tourism is going to be less than feared because a great many popular islands have been spared,” including Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao, said Arthur Frommer, the founder of Frommer’s travel guides.
Miami shoppers outpace Houston in pre-hurricane buying By Anne D’innocenzio A S S OCIAT E D PRE SS
NEW YORK — As Hurricane Irma heads toward Florida, shoppers in the Miami area increased their spending on gas, food and plywood to board up their homes at a higher rate than Houston residents did before Harvey, according to payment technology company First Data Corp. The company’s experts, who track online and in-store payments on debit and credit cards, say it’s possible people learned a lesson from Harvey. Rishi Chhabra, vice president of information
and analytics at First Data, said that around Miami, gas spending spiked almost 80 percent this past Monday and Tuesday compared to the same days a year ago. He says building supplies like plywood are seeing similar increases. Hurricane Irma is expected to reach Florida over the weekend. Harvey initially came ashore in South Texas on Aug. 25 as a Category 4 hurricane, then went back out to sea and lingered off the coast as a tropical storm for days. In the week before Harvey hit the Houston area, Aug. 18-24, spending on gas was up 13.4 percent from the year-ago period,
Chhabra noted. In the Houston area, overall spending — which includes gas, restaurants and leisure activities like movies — dropped nearly 30 percent for the week of Aug. 25 to Aug. 31 compared to a year ago. Retail spending, which excludes gas spending but includes categories like clothing and home furnishings, was down even more, at 43.7 percent, according to First Data, which tracked data from more than 78,000 merchants in and around Houston, the fourth-largest U.S. city. Chhabra say it remains to be seen how much of their losses retailers will recoup from both hurri-
canes. Planalytics, a weather research firm that works with retailers, estimates that retailers and restaurants will not be able to recoup about $1 billion in sales losses related to Harvey. For Irma, it raised its estimate for that loss to $2.75 billion from its original projection of $.145 billion earlier this week. The week before Harvey hit Texas, overall spending rose 2.8 percent compared to the year-ago period. In data that tracks though Monday, First Data said it is seeing spending rebound in areas like food, building materials, electronics and gas.
Starbucks has tried it all: First came cake pops, then truffle mac and cheese, and earlier this year, avocado toast. Now the coffee giant is banking on another food fad to drum up lunch and dinner business: The sushi burrito. The chicken maki roll — which the company says, is “a classic California burrito with a twist” — comes with cooked chicken, pickled cabbage and avocado, and is rolled in sushi rice and wrapped with seaweed. It is currently part of the Mercato lunch menu at a handful of stores in Chicago and Seattle, where Starbucks is based. But first it has to overcome a substantial hurdle: Convincing customers its food is worth eating. Despite repeated efforts, analysts say Starbucks has yet to find much success hawking meals alongside its coffee. The challenges are logistical — Starbucks stores don’t have kitchens, for example — as well as behavioral. Over the past four decades, Starbucks has trained its customers to run in, grab coffee and run out. Getting them to think beyond beverages, or linger for a meal, has proven more difficult, particularly as modern customers demand locally sourced, freshly made food. “It’s been decades, but Starbucks is still trying to figure out food,” said Stephen Dutton, an analyst for market research firm Euromonitor International. “The short answer is, Starbucks food is never going to be better than the hot, made-toorder meals you’re going to get at a place like McDonald’s or Dunkin Do-
nuts.” The company’s new Mercato menu includes grilled cheese sandwiches with burrata, and chicken and quinoa soup. “It’s all about providing higher-quality, fresh food at lunch,” Scott Maw, the company’s chief financial officer, told CNBC in June. But analysts say the offerings raise a number of questions: Selling croissants with coffee is one thing, but how do you premade customers to pair their afternoon lattes with pre-made sushi? And how willing are customers to shell out $10 for lunch when they could just as easily go elsewhere? “Nobody goes to Starbucks to buy food,” Dutton said. “When they do buy something, it’s usually because they’re like, ‘I’m starving and I have to get to work, so I’m going to pick up this yogurt.’” But that’s not to say customers aren’t shelling out, especially for breakfast. Roughly 20 percent of Starbucks’s revenue — which last year was $21.32 billion — comes from food sales, up from 16 percent five years ago. In recent years, the company has been successful in beefing up sales of breakfast foods, thanks in part to its purchase of La Boulange bakery for $100 million in 2012. But analysts say growth has plateaued as the company struggles to break into fiercely competitive lunch and dinner markets. “There is a perception that Starbucks is selling an inferior product,” said Nick Seytan, an analyst for Wedbush Securities. “Customers are saying, ‘How good can that salad or sandwich be if you’re not making it in front of me?’”
A10 | Saturday, September 9, 2017 | THE ZAPATA TIMES
FROM THE COVER DACA From page A1 young immigrants that the White House began dismantling this week. “You’re just trying to cope with everything all at once,” said the 20-yearold Garza, whose family was forced out of their home for a week due to the flooding. “First your residence, and now your legal status.” President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that his administration would begin phasing out the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that grants a temporary reprieve from deportation to nearly 800,000 immigrants brought to the U.S. as children. The program will no longer take new applicants, but current participants whose permits are set to expire in the next six months are allowed to submit renewal applications by Oct. 5. The deadline set off an immediate scramble for tens of thousands of immigrants to renew their applications over the next four weeks, most dramatically in Houston and Miami as they deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey and threat of Hurricane Irma. In Texas, Harvey displaced thousands of people, flooded roads, destroyed homes and shut down many lawyers’ offices for several days. Irma is threatening to do the same to Florida. Texas has about 124,000 DACA recipients, and Florida more than 30,000.
HOUSE From page A1 wants to deal with hurricane relief, and you’ve got a number of very principled people who
“The window of time is extremely short already without this natural disaster,” said Sui Chung, an immigration lawyer in Miami. In Houston, Catholic Charities is assisting people at its open sessions for immigrants seeking legal aid — known as “charlas,” or chats in Spanish. The charity is helping them replace documents lost in Harvey’s floodwaters, apply for federal emergency aid and expedite applications under the deferred action program. Juan Leija pointed to a pile of debris outside his partly flooded-out home. The pile was full of things he had saved up to buy. But he had been sure to pack his paperwork in a backpack before evacuating. The 21-year-old said he doesn’t know what will happen with the program, and “that scares me because I don’t know what is to come,” he said. Similar events are happening in other cities, albeit under less chaotic circumstances. Mexican consulates are ramping up free legal services, while a leading immigration group in Arizona started an online fundraiser to help applicants pay the $495 fee required to renew under the program. Another is holding three DACA “drives” in which volunteer attorneys plan to help applicants fill out paperwork. Around one-quarter of DACA recipients — about 200,000 people — have permits that will expire
before December, according to government figures. Renewing under DACA requires several forms, a copy of an applicant’s previous work authorization under the program, and the filing fee. Some immigrants hire lawyers to help with the process. People who lost their work authorization form in the floods might be able to get a copy from their lawyer’s office or their school or employer. Participants in the program must be employed or taking classes. “If you had to recreate it from scratch, I don’t know if you could pull it off in less than a month,” said Ruby Powers, a Houston attorney. “I think that would be quite difficult.” A spokesman for U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the federal agency that processes program applications, said its field offices in Texas and Florida would expedite the replacement process for anyone who lost their previous work authorization, but it would not grant extra time beyond the Oct. 5 deadline. Catholic Charities has scheduled 13 sessions in Houston for DACA recipients before Oct. 5. Among the people helping Thursday was Esau Vargas, a 34-year-old Catholic Charities employee who is part of the program himself. “I used to work in a restaurant. Now I work as a legal caseworker,” Vargas said.
realize we’re bankrupting our country by continuing to raise a debt ceiling and not doing anything about spending.” House members, like their colleagues in the Senate, wanted to move
quickly to ensure that the government could continue to respond to the devastation of Hurricane Harvey in Texas. The threat of Hurricane Irma only added urgency to the matter.
Montgomery Gentry singer dies in helicopter crash ASSOCIATED PRE SS
LUMBERTON, N.J. — Troy Gentry, one half of the award-winning country music duo Montgomery Gentry, died Friday in a helicopter crash just hours before a conGentry cert, according to a statement from the band’s website. He was 50. Authorities said the helicopter crashed in a wooded area while approaching the Flying W Airport in Medford hours before Montgomery Gentry was due to perform at a resort that is also housed at the airport.
The band’s website called Gentry’s death “tragic” and said details of the crash are unknown. “Troy Gentry’s family wishes to acknowledge all of the kind thoughts and prayers, and asks for privacy at this time,” the website said. Police got a call at around 1 p.m. of a helicopter that was in distress, said Joel Bewley, a spokesman for the Burlington County prosecutor’s office. Authorities said crews were able to remove Gentry, the passenger, from the wreckage, but he died on the way to a hospital. The pilot died at the scene, and crews were working to remove his body, Bewley said. The National Transportation Safety Board is
headed to the crash scene, Bewley said. Gentry was born on April 5, 1967, in Lexington, Kentucky, where he met bandmate Eddie Montgomery and formed a group based off their last names. Montgomery Gentry had success on the country charts and country radio in the 2000s, scoring No. 1 hits with “Roll With Me,” “Back When I Knew It All,” “Lucky Man,” “Something to Be Proud Of” and “If You Ever Stop Loving Me.” Some of the songs even cracked the Top 40 on the pop charts. The band mixed country music with Southern rock. It was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009. The group released their debut album, “Tattoos & Scars,” in 1999.
University sues over Donald Trump’s immigrant decision SAN FRANCISCO — The University of California has sued the Trump administration over its decision to end a program protecting hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation. The lawsuit filed on Friday in federal court in San Francisco includes
university president Janet Napolitano as a plaintiff. Napolitano was Homeland Security secretary under the Obama administration and helped implement its Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. The program protected about 800,000 people who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children or came with families who
overstayed visas. The lawsuit says the university will lose students and employees because of President Donald Trump’s decision to end the program. An email sent to the U.S. Department of Justice seeking comment was not immediately returned. Fifteen states have sued separately over the president’s decision.
The House vote capped a week that tested the patience of conservative members and put House Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin in an unenviable position. On Wednesday morning, Ryan
flatly rejected a proposal by Democratic congressional leaders to tie a three-month increase in the debt limit to hurricane relief, calling the idea “ridiculous and disgraceful.”
But by midday, Trump had embraced that very idea, siding with the House Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi of California, and her counterpart in the Senate, Chuck Schumer of New York.
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2017 MITSUBISHI MIRAGE G4
13,690
$
2016 HYUNDAI SONATA
$
17,488
2015 RAM 3500 4X4 CREW CAB
51,900
$
2011 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
13,850
$
2017 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN
$
18,998
2016 BMW M4 2-DR COUPE
61,870
$
8811 IH-35 SOUTH, Exit 147 (Somerset Rd.)
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