The Zapata Times 1/12/2013

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FEDERAL COURT

FORMER ZAPATA TEACHER

Zapata man pleads guilty

Assault arrest

Jose Daniel Mercado charged with conspiracy

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO — A Zapatan known to be a cocaine dealer in the area has pleaded guilty in federal court here, according to court records released Monday.

Jose Daniel Mercado agreed to plead guilty to count one of

MERCADO

the superseding indictment filed Sept. 25, which charges Mercado with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute, according to a plea

See COCAINE PAGE 11A

Javier Reyes faces sexual assault charge

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO — A Laredo high school teacher who once taught in the Zapata County schools and was wanted on a sexual assault warrant in Williamson County, north of Travis County, was arrested Wednesday.

JAVIER REYES: Booked on the sexual assault charge Wednesday in Williamson County.

Javier Reyes, 55, was booked on the sexual assault charge Wednesday at the Williamson County Sheriff ’s Office in Cen-

tral Texas. He was held under a $100,000 bond, according to the county’s district clerk’s office.

He later posted bail.

Reyes, a teacher at Alexander High School and a former girls’ basketball coach, is on paid administrative leave until the case

See REYES PAGE 11A

PUBLIC HEALTH

FLU SPREADING FAR AND WIDE 122 dead as flu spreads to 47 states

By MIKE STOBBE ASSOCIATED PRESS

N

EW YORK — Flu is now widespread in all but three states as the nation grapples with an earlier-than-normal season. But there was one bit of good news Friday: The number of hard-hit areas declined.

The flu season in the U.S. got under way a month early, in December, driven by a strain that tends to make people sicker. That led to worries that it might be a bad season, following one of the mildest flu seasons in recent memory.

The latest numbers do show that the flu surpassed an “epidemic” threshold last week. That is based on deaths from pneumonia and influenza in 122 U.S. cities. However, it’s not unusual — the epidemic level varies at different times of the year, and it was breached earlier this flu season, in October and November.

And there’s a hint that the flu season may already have peaked in some spots, like in the South.

Still, officials there and elsewhere are bracing for more sickness In Ohio, administrators at Miami University are anxious that a bug that hit employees will spread to students when they return to the Oxford campus next week.

“Everybody’s been sick. It’s miserable,” said Ritter Hoy, a spokeswoman for the 17,000-student school.

By Paul Carter/The Register-Guard | AP

Seventeen-month-old Sophia Stricker momentarily loses her composure as she endures a flu shot from Nurse Katy Whitman on Friday, at Eugene Urgent Care in Eugene, Ore. The clinic reported a steady stream of vaccination patients through the day. Sophia visited the clinic with her mom, Catherine Schmidt.

See FLU SEASON PAGE 11A

FEDERAL COURT

Two indicted for half-ton of marijuana

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Two Roma brothers arrested Dec. 14 in southern Zapata with more than 1,000 pounds of marijuana have been indicted on drug trafficking charges, court records released this week state.

An indictment dated Tuesday charges Daniel Ramirez and Marco Antonio Ramirez with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana and possess with intent to distrib-

ute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana.

The penalty per each count is anywhere from five to 40 years in prison, the indictment states. Both men are out on a $150,000 bond. Daniel and Marco Antonio Ramirez had 1,009.2 pounds of marijuana worth $807,360 when arrested, a criminal complaint states.

On Dec. 14, agents manning a temporary checkpoint along U.S. 83 in southern Zapata began following a dark blue 2006 Chevrolet Silverado that

exited the primary inspection land and made a Uturn.

Agents activated their patrol lights and stopped the driver shortly after. A criminal complaint states Marco Antonio Ramirez had bundles of marijuana weighing 377.90 pounds.

Moments later, agents detained a Ford F-150 that had been driving closely behind the Silverado. A complaint states agents identified the driver as Daniel Ramirez. He had sever-

See COURT PAGE 11A

Courtesy photo

Marijuana found in this vehicle has led to conspiracy charges against brothers from Roma.

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, JAN. 12 The Laredo Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program is offering a free tax-training course at the Goodwill Job Help Center. Training classes consist of two Saturday trainings starting 8:30 am to 5:30 p.m. Call 726-4462 to register for the free training. Community volunteers train to attain IRS volunteer tax preparer certification for the 2013 tax season. VITA volunteers do free tax preparation at no cost to families or individuals making up to $50,000.

The United Independent School District will host its second annual Let’s Move for Scholars 5K Run and Walk at the Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex, 5208 Santa Claudia Lane.

On-site registration will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The event is slated to start at 9 a.m. Registration is $25 for adults and $15 for students.

Those who register will get a T-shirt, certification of participation and entrance to the zumbathon and health fair. All proceeds to benefit UISD students with scholarships to college.

TUESDAY, JAN. 15 Kiwanis Club of Laredo meets weekly from noon to 1 p.m. Guest speakers usually are on tap. New members are welcomed. For info, call Memo Cavazos at 956-337-2266.

THURSDAY, JAN. 17 The Relay For Life 2013 Kick Off is 6 p.m. at Rudy’s Country Store and BBQ, 7305 McPherson Road. For more information, call Stephanie Gonzalez at 334-9249, Alma Jasso at 744-3029 or Ayda Rodriguez at 489-2340.

The Webb County Heritage Foundation and President of the Republic of the Rio Grande Renato Ramirez will host a Membership Cocktail Party, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St. The public is invited to renew or initiate memberships. Candlelit tours of the Republic of the Rio Grande Museum will be available for all members until 7:30 p.m. For more information, contact the Webb County Heritage Foundation at 956-727-0977 or visit us at www.webbheritage.org and on Facebook.

SATURDAY, JAN. 19 The 18th Annual Crime Stoppers Menudo Bowl is from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at L.I.F.E. Fair Grounds on State Highway 59. There will be a menudo cookoff, live music, performances by the Vidal M. Treviño Magnet School band, team cattle roping, a motorcycle ride, brush country trail ride, Laredo Wrestling Alliance, children’s activities and more. Contact Laredo Crime Stoppers at 956-724-1876 or crimestoppers@bizlaredo.rr.com; or come by the office located at 1200 Washington St. at Convent Avenue.

TUESDAY, JAN. 22 Kiwanis Club of Laredo meets weekly from noon to 1 p.m. Guest speakers usually are on tap. New members are welcomed. For info, call Memo Cavazos at 956-337-2266.

Gain new insights on how to maximize on-the-job effectiveness during Laredo Community College’s “Managing Multiple Projects, Objectives & Deadlines” workshop from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the De la Garza Building, Room 101. Registration is $159. Group discounts are available for groups of five or more. For more information, call the LCC Economic Development Center at 721-5110 or visit www.laredo.edu/edc.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Ralph Barrera/statesman.com/file | AP

Gov. Rick Perry speaks during a news conference Oct. 31 in Georgetown. A judge refused to allow Planned Parenthood to temporarily rejoin a health program for low-income women on Friday, saying the organization would unlikely win its court fight to get around a new law that disqualifies health clinics with any affiliation to abortion providers.

Group loses appeal

By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — A judge refused to allow Planned Parenthood to temporarily rejoin a health program for low-income women on Friday, saying the organization would unlikely win its court fight to get around a new law that disqualifies health clinics with any affiliation to abortion providers.

Planned Parenthood was one of the largest chains of health clinics in the Texas Women’s Health Program, which provides cancer screenings, contraceptives and other basic health services to more than 110,000 eligible women statewide. Planned Parenthood offers abortion services at some of its U.S. clinics, but not at any of its Texas facilities.

State District Judge Steve Yelenosky acknowledged that excluding Parent Parenthood would likely to impact women who de-

pend on the program’s free services. But the judge said the organization would likely to lose if its lawsuit went to trial.

Yelenosky previously sided with Planned Parenthood in November — but that was before federal funding stopped paying for 90 percent of the program on Jan. 1. Federal officials severed ties with the program because of the new rules, saying it was illegal to deny a woman the right to choose her own doctor.

“In this suit, because there are no federal funds at issue, the successful argument in the first case isn’t availing,” Yelenosky said Friday.

Yelenosky’s ruling does not exhaust Planned Parenthood’s legal option, but it is a blow to the organization’s two-year fight to rejoin the program. Attorneys for Planned Parenthood declined to say Friday whether they would press for a trial.

Calif. man pleads guilty in 3 boot camp workers eyes Ponzi scheme in stun gun case FORT WORTH — A California man has pleaded guilty in federal court to two counts of securities fraud for running a more than $40 million Ponzi scheme.

Jeffrey Sykes entered his guilty plea during a court hearing Friday in Fort Worth.

Prosecutors say Sykes used his Redlands, Calif.-based private equity company to solicit investors to participate in a T-Bill trading program.

At least 6 kids have died from flu in state DALLAS — A 6-year-old North Texas girl who died of the flu has been laid to rest.

The Dallas County medical examiner confirmed that Tahlia Johnson’s death was flu-related.

Five other children’s deaths were also flu-related since last fall.

At a Dallas funeral home Friday, Tahlia’s white coffin was adorned with flowers.

ABILENE — The police chief said three workers at a boot camp that disciplines children with stun guns and handcuffs are being investigated.

The Abilene police chief said Friday no one has been arrested.

The Taylor County District Attorney’s Office is reviewing the case.

Standridge says five victims have been identified.

Teen pleads guilty in 2011 stabbing deaths TEXARKANA — A teen accused in the 2011 stabbing deaths of a woman and her two children in the East Texas town of Redwater has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder.

Rachel Pittman entered the plea Friday. District Judge Leon Pesek sentenced her to two life sentences to run concurrently.

She’ll be eligible for parole in 30 years.

Dewhurst calls for gun training for teachers AUSTIN — Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst called Friday for statefunded, specialized firearms training for teachers and administrators to guard against school shootings.

Dewhurst said school districts would nominate who they wanted to carry weapons on campus.

The training would be more extensive than what is currently required for a Texas concealed handgun license.

2 wanted convicted sex offenders caught AUSTIN — Two of the Department of Public Safety’s 10 Most Wanted Sex Offenders have been caught in Texas and Louisiana.

DPS in Austin on Friday announced the arrest of 52-year-old Edward Dwin Jackson and 42year-old Jimmy Ray McMillan.

Jackson was arrested Thursday night in Houston.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

FRIDAY, JAN. 25 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Force5” at 6 p.m. and “The Future is Wild” at 7 p.m. General admission is $4 children and $5 adults. Premium shows are $1 more.

For more information, call 956-3263663.

SATURDAY, JAN. 26 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Attack of the Space Pirates” at 3 p.m.; “Extreme Planets” at 4 p.m.; and “Wonders of the Universe” at 5 p.m. General admission is $4 children and $5 adults. Premium shows are $1 more. For more information, call 956-326-3663.

TUESDAY, JAN. 29 Kiwanis Club of Laredo meets weekly from noon to 1 p.m. Guest speakers usually are on tap. New members are welcomed. For info, call Memo Cavazos at 956-337-2266.

Mindset of terrorism defendant debated at trial PORTLAND, Ore. — Lawyers for a man accused of planning a terrorist attack during a Christmas tree lighting ceremony is building its case during his trial’s opening statements, saying he was the victim of manipulation by undercover FBI agents.

Defense attorney Steve Sady said Friday Mohamed Mohamud was an impressionable 18-yearold who talked big about carrying out terrorism plots but had neither the means nor the experience to do so.

Former NASA manned spaceflight director dies MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Family members say Dyer Brainerd Holmes, 91, director of manned space flight for NASA when Americans were making their early forays into space in the early 1960s, has died.

Today is Saturday, Jan. 12, the 12th day of 2013. There are 353 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 12, 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Sipuel v.

Board of Regents of University of Oklahoma, ruled that state law schools could not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race.

On this date: In 1519, Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I died.

In 1773, the first public museum in America was organized in Charleston, S.C. In 1828, the United States and Mexico signed a Treaty of Limits defining the boundary between the two countries to be the same as the one established by an 1819 treaty between the U.S. and Spain.

In 1912, textile workers at the Everett Mill in Lawrence, Mass., (most of them immigrant women) walked off the job to protest wage cuts.

In 1915, the House of Representatives rejected, 204-174, a constitutional amendment giving women the right to vote.

In 1932, Hattie W. Caraway became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate after initially being appointed to serve out the remainder of the term of her late husband, Thaddeus.

In 1959, Berry Gordy, Jr. founded Motown Records (originally Tamla Records) in Detroit.

In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson said in his State of the Union address that the U.S. should stay in South Vietnam until Communist aggression there was ended.

In 1969, the New York Jets of the American Football League upset the Baltimore Colts of the National Football League 16-7 in Super Bowl III, played at the Orange Bowl in Miami.

In 1971, the groundbreaking situation comedy “All in the Family” premiered on CBS television.

In 1987, Anglican Church envoy Terry Waite arrived in Lebanon on his latest mission to win the release of Western hostages; however, Waite ended up being taken captive and wasn’t released until 1991.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Luise Rainer is 103. Country singer Ray Price is 87. Singer Glenn Yarbrough is 83. The Amazing Kreskin is 78. Country singer William Lee Golden (The Oak Ridge Boys) is 74.

Rock musician Cynthia Robinson (Sly and the Family Stone) is 69. Singer-musician George Duke is 67. Actor Anthony Andrews is 65. Movie director Wayne Wang is 64. Radio commentator Rush Limbaugh is 62. Actress Kirstie Alley is 62.

Writer Walter Mosley is 61.

Country singer Ricky Van Shelton is 61. Radio-TV personality Howard Stern is 59.

Writer-producer-director John Lasseter is 56. Broadcast journalist Christiane Amanpour is 55. Rock musician Charlie Gillingham (Counting Crows) is 53. Actor Oliver Platt is 53.

Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins is 53. Entrepreneur Jeff Bezos is 49. Actor Olivier Martinez is 47. Rapper TBird (B-Rock and the Bizz) is 46. Model Vendela is 46. Actress Farrah Forke is 45. Actress Rachael Harris is 45.

Rock singer Zack de la Rocha is 43. Rapper Raekwon (Wu Tang Clan) is 43. Singer Dan Haseltine (Jars of Clay) is 40.

Thought for Today: “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.” — Daniel Patrick Moynihan, U.S. politician and diplomat (19272003).

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Nissan Manufacturing plant manager Dan Bednarzyk speaks to reporters Thursday about Nissan’s adding 400 jobs to its current total of about 5,200 at the Canton, Miss., facility during a 10th anniversary celebration.

Suspect in ecoterrorism fires pleads not guilty GRANTS PASS, Ore. — A woman who turned herself in after a decade as a fugitive in the

largest ecoterrorism investigation in U.S. history has pleaded not guilty to conspiracy and arson charges in federal court.

Rebecca Rubin, 39, was ordered to remain in custody during the hearing Friday.

— Compiled from AP reports

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The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Burglary charges filed

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A traffic violation led authorities to arrest a man accused of breaking into area homes and buildings.

Aaron Villarreal, 30, was arrested Jan. 3 at about 5 a.m.

A Zapata VILLARREAL County Sheriff’s deputy pulled Villarreal over for a traffic stop. According to Sgt. Mario Elizondo, a search and investigation revealed that he was a suspect for several burglaries.

For now, Villarreal faces charges of burglary of a building and burglary of habitation, a state jail felony and second-degree felony re-

Courtesy photo

Aaron Villarreal, 30, faces burglary charges. He is accused of taking these Pancho Villa portraits, as well as other items. spectively.

He is out of Zapata County Jail on bond. Elizondo said investigators are gathering victims, owners of the items found in his vehicle and are looking into other burglary cases. Deputies recovered Walt Disney chairs,

Mexican Revolution icon Pancho Villa portraits and a CD stereo, among other items. For more information on the case, call the sheriff’s office at 765-9960.

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

Pot found in U.S. mail

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Authorities in Webb County are investigating the shipment of a package containing marijuana worth $15,028 that originated in Zapata, Webb County Sheriff’s authorities announced Tuesday.

The case began Dec. 18 when deputies spotted a white 2006 International Van commit a traffic violation along U.S. 83 South.

Webb County Sheriff’s deputies identified the driver as an employee of a company subcontracted by the U.S. Postal Service to transport mail, the news release states. During the investigation, a K-9 unit alerted to a large box to the possible presence of narcotics.

Deputies seized the box and obtained a federal warrant in conjunction with federal postal inspectors.

The warrant was served Jan. 7 and the package was opened. Sheriff’s deputies

Courtesy photo

Authorities found packages wrapped in aluminum foil containing 29.7 pounds of marijuana in a box being mailed to New York. identified three large packages wrapped in aluminum foil that contained 29.7 pounds of marijuana.

Kristina Guerra, sheriff’s spokeswoman, said the pot had an estimated street value of $15,028. According to Guerra, the package originated from Zapata County and had New York as destination. The case remains under investigation.

“This is the first package

of the year that we have encountered with narcotics being attempted to be shipped via U.S. Postal Service. However, it is clear that if attempted, law enforcement personnel will work together to identify the packages immediately,” Webb County Sheriff Martin Cuellar states in an email.

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

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

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

COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

2 men who wished to be elsewhere AUSTIN — Notwithstanding the gentle jabs I take at them (always with love), I have great respect for folks willing to enter the cruel arena of politics.

Something in their DNA (absent in us noncombatants who heckle from the sidelines) allows them to risk rejection of the most public kind. I’m glad somebody is wired that way.

Image repair I had that in mind Wednesday when Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Joe Straus gathered for a Capitol news conference.

We don’t know how Straus reacts to rejection (the ballot-box kind; I don’t know how he did with the ladies in high school). But Perry and Dewhurst, whose long winning streaks ended ugly last year, now are in political rehab. ”Good morning,” Perry said at the news conference. ”We’re glad to be here with you. ...”

Somewhere else He sounded sincere, as did Dewhurst. But that room at that moment was not where those two wanted to be.

Back when he was a poll-topping contender for the GOP presidential nomination, Perry probably figured by now he’d be putting finishing touches on his inaugural address.

And back when he was the heavy favorite to win the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retiring Kay Bailey Hutchison, Dewhurst probably figured by now he’d be in week two of a six-year term in D.C. Sometimes the voters have other plans. ”I laid out my ideas, and they weren’t acceptable,” Perry on Tuesday told The Associated Press about his White House bid. Dewhurst’s Senate campaign (including about $20 million of his own) fell victim to a tea party wave that carried previously littleknown Ted Cruz to an easy GOP runoff win and into the Senate.

In control So here were Perry and Dewhurst, the state government’s top two elected officials, back in the saddle at the Texas Capitol and speaking ill of the city in which they had hoped to be working now. ”We’re all three committed to keeping Texas both fiscally and politically the complete opposite of Washington, D.C.,” said Dewhurst, who later told me being back at the helm of the Texas Senate

“

KEN HERMAN

now seems more attractive than being a freshman in the minority of the highly partisan U.S. Senate.

Perry talked about ”the intriguing side” of what he hopes will happen at the Texas Capitol this year: ”At the federal level, you have Washington that is raising taxes, that is creating programs costing the people of this country more money. What a stark contrast it can be over the next 130-plus days that Texas is sending the absolutely opposite message.”

Eying the future For Perry and Dewhurst, those 130-plus days will be crucial. Dewhurst, undefeated in four previous statewide elections until last year’s loss, says he’s running for re-election in 2014. In his wins, Dewhurst’s money helped scare off some potential opponents. In his loss, potential 2014 challengers saw vulnerability.

Perry won’t say what, if anything, he’s going to run for in the future. Perry, like Dewhurst, could face serious GOP opposition if he seeks re-election. Attorney General Greg Abbott is thinking about it. And George P. Bush is raising money to run for something; land commissioner is oft-mentioned, but who knows? A battle between Perry and the Bush family would be fine spectator sport.

‘Skins coach had bad week Didn’t we almost have it all, Shanny?

After enduring two years of criticism over his inability to turn the Washington Redskins into a competitive team, head coach Mike Shanahan had reason to smile last Sunday at FedEx Field.

RGIII goes down The Skins had won seven straight games, captured the NFC East title and were hosting a playoff game for the first time since 1999. And when quar-

Looking back And then there’s the notion of President Perry.

For public consumption, he seems undeterred by what was a pretty spectacular, largely self-inflicted crash and burn last year.

Perry is too good a politician to really think all that happened was he ”laid out my ideas, and they weren’t acceptable.” ”Oops” happened, and he knows it. The damage was bad. And the lingering national impression of Perry might be worse.

One wonders if he has a friend or relative brave enough to tell him that, deserved or not, he might be in Dan Quayle territory with many folks in America.

As Quayle found out in his short-lived 2000 presidential bid, not many people come back from Dan Quayle territory.

(Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. Email: kherman@statesman.com.)

our readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms.

Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed.

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

terback Robert Griffin III led the Redskins to a quick 14-0 lead over the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter, the Shanahan self-satisfaction meter — always high — probably went off the charts.

Bad knee, bad field Then everything went wrong. It became apparent to anyone watching — except Shanahan, it seems — that there was a serious problem with RGIII’s knee.

And it also became apparent that the field at FedEx

resembled nothing so much as a gravelly parking lot painted green.

Players slipped, slid and fell.

Still, Griffin remained in the game even as the Seahawks came from behind to tie and then take the lead. By the time the quarterback’s knee buckled in stomach-churning fashion in the fourth quarter, the game wasn’t in doubt anymore, and the only thing at risk was next season.

The happy talk that Griffin’s reconstructed knee — he had two ligaments repaired Wednesday — could be ready for the start of the

2013 season did little to quell the fury directed at Shanahan for his decision to risk the franchise on a single game.

Reports of an apparent dispute between the coach and renowned surgeon James Andrews over whether Griffin had been cleared to return to an earlier game in which the initial injury occurred added to the "What is Shanahan doing?" story line.

Mike Shanahan, for knee-ding to win at all costs, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something.

COLUMN

Movie critics hate ambiguity

By JONATHAN GURWITZ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters.

To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication.

We want to assure

WORST WEEK IN WASHINGTON

The nationwide premier of ”Zero Dark Thirty” didn’t occur until Jan. 11.

But that didn’t stop an unusual group of critics from giving the movie a unanimous thumbs-down weeks ago — and for the most unusual reasons. ”I thought it was terrible,” one commentator told The Hill after a pre-screening in mid-December. ”It is a combination of fact, fiction and Hollywood in a very dangerous combination.”

The critic was Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.

No word yet on whether the senator considers movies such as ”Fahrenheit 9/ 11”, ”W.”, ”Frost/Nixon” or ”Game Change” to be equally dangerous.

Sens. Carl Levin, DMich., and John McCain, R-Ariz., joined Feinstein in seeking to protect the American public from this particular motion picture peril. On Dec. 19, they sent a letter to acting CIA Director Michael Morell requesting ”information and documents related to the CIA’s cooperation with the mak-

ers of the film.”

The bipartisan group said they were motivated by concern over the film’s implication that ”coercive interrogation techniques” played a critical role in locating bin Laden. They know that isn’t true, they wrote, because Feinstein and Levin read it in a study presented to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence.

On the same day, Siskel and Ebert . . . make that Feinstein, Levin and McCain sent a not-so-subtle letter to the chairman of Sony Pictures, the movie’s distributor. ”You have a social and moral obligation to get the facts right,” they wrote while acknowledging the film is fiction. ”Please consider correcting the impression that the CIA’s use of coercive interrogation techniques led to the operation against Osama bin Laden.”

Setting aside the issue of chilling effects, it’s a matter of orthodoxy among some people that ”coercive interrogation techniques” never provide accurate information and that, even if they did, intelligence ends never justify torturous

means. That dogma rests on the assumption that CIA officers are modern-day Torquemadas.

Jose A. Rodriguez, a 31year CIA veteran who headed the agency’s clandestine operations and was intimately involved in what he calls its ”enhanced interrogation” program, has a different criticism. Contrary to the movie’s depiction, the techniques employed by the CIA are to thumbscrews what openheart surgery is to bloodletting. ”I left the agency in 2007 secure in the knowledge not only that our program worked — but that it was not torture,” Rodriguez wrote in a Washington Post op-ed. ”The truth is that no one was bloodied or beaten in the enhanced interrogation program which I supervised.”

Morell, the acting CIA director, has a more nuanced view. ”The truth is that multiple streams of intelligence led C.I.A. analysts to conclude that bin Laden was hiding in Abbottabad,” he wrote in a Dec. 21 message to CIA employees. ”Some came from detainees subjected to en-

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

hanced techniques.”

Amid all the murky assertions of truth and falsehood, one thing is clear: In the fight against terrorists determined to inflict massive civilian casualties, those who claim to know with absolute certainty what should or should not be done, what they would or would not do in a position of responsibility are deluding the public and themselves.

Morell gets to the heart of the dilemma faced by members of a civilized society when confronted by enemies bent on their destruction: ”Whether enhanced interrogation techniques were the only timely and effective way to obtain information from those detainees, as the film suggests, is a matter of debate that cannot and never will be definitively resolved.” That discerning statement earned Morell another threatening letter from the D.C. trio demanding to know what role the CIA played in helping shape a morally ambiguous movie about a morally ambiguous subject. (jgurwitzexpressnews.net)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

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SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

THE BLOTTER BURGLARY A burglary of a building was reported at noon Jan. 4 in the 2100 block of North of U.S. 83.

A burglary of a habitation was reported at 2:24 p.m. Jan. 4 in the 5400 block of Pascual Lane.

Deputies responded to a burglary of a vehicle at 10:08 p.m. Jan. 6 in the 2500 block of Brazos Street.

THEFT

Deputies responded to a theft call at 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 4 at La Perla Ranch by the 6300 block of North U.S. 83.

A theft was reported at 4:41 a.m. Monday at the S.O.S. Yard.

Deputies responded to a theft call at 9:39 p.m.

Monday n the 1200 block of Medina Avenue in the Medina Addition.

A boat was reported stolen at 7:29 p.m. Tuesday in the 100 block of Loma Verde Circle.

Photo by Brad Doherty/The Brownsville Herald | AP

Police investigate a package explosion at a home in Brownsville on Friday. A mother, father and their 5year-old daughter were seriously injured when they opened the package inside their home.

3 injured in bomb blast

By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

BROWNSVILLE — Three people were seriously injured Friday when a package they opened inside their South Texas home exploded, police said.

Richard Solis was drinking a cup of coffee in his driveway two doors down when he heard a loud “boom.” He ran toward the two-story stucco home as flames and a plume of smoke poured out.

Solis heard a woman screaming and saw a badly burned man and little girl run out the front door. He said it didn’t look like the girl had skin left on her face and one side of the man’s face appeared seriously burned. The man held what appeared to be a ball of fire in one hand and threw it out the door, Solis said.

“The guy yelled, ‘the package said to the addressee,’" Solis recounted. Solis said he seemed in shock.

Brownsville police spokesman J.J. Treviño said the family found the package outside their home and opened it early Friday morning.

All three victims — a mother, father and their 5-year-old daughter — received extensive burns, he said. Police are not re-

leasing their names. Additional explosive devices in the package that did not explode were later detonated by the bomb squad.

“This hit too close to home,” said Solis, a postal worker, who did not know the family.

The motive or whether the family had received earlier threats was unknown, Treviño said. He said there was extensive damage inside the home and police were working closely with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

The Brownsville Herald reports the girl was airlifted to Shriners Hospital for Children in Galveston. Her parents were airlifted to Brooke Army Medical Center burn unit in San Antonio.

Late Friday, Treviño said he did not have information on the condition of the victims.

Police kept the street closed for a block in both directions Friday and said it would likely remain that way late into the night as the investigation continued.

The tall, two-story beige and orange stucco home was one of the larger ones in the suburban neighborhood on the north side of Brownsville.

Holmes plea delay disturbs families

By DAN ELLIOTT AND THOMAS PEIPERT ASSOCIATED PRESS

CENTENNIAL, Colo. — A stunned silence settled over a courtroom Friday after the father of a woman killed in the Colorado theater shootings loudly cursed defendant James Holmes, prompting a sympathetic but firm warning from a judge.

Steve Hernandez, whose 32-year-old daughter Rebecca Wingo was among the dead, shouted, “Rot in hell, Holmes!” moments after Judge William Sylvester gave Holmes two months to enter a plea.

The outburst capped an emotional week of often gruesome testimony about the July 20 shootings and came as the nation debates gun control and struggles to find ways to stop mass shootings.

In Washington, Vice President Joe Biden met with the stepfather of one of the Aurora victims as part of a push for gun control by the White House.

In Denver, Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has called for new measures to keep guns away from mentally ill and dangerous people.

Despite the procedural wrangling in the theater shooting case, there may be few options for Holmes. If, as many anticipate, he enters a plea of not guilty by insanity, he would undergo lengthy evaluations at a state mental hospital before trial.

If the case goes to trial and he’s found not guilty by reason of insanity, Holmes could conceivably be released from a mental hospital someday if he is deemed to have recovered, but that is considered an unlikely possibility.

A guilty plea or conviction could mean life in prison or the death penalty.

Holmes, 25, was ordered late Thursday to stand trial on charges of murder and attempted murder after 2 1/2 days of testimony from police and federal agents who provided excruciating details about the attack.

Sylvester called Holmes back to court on Friday for an arraignment hearing to enter a plea, but defense attorneys requested the delay, saying they would not be ready to do that until March.

That prompted a murmur of disbelief among about 40 survivors and family members of the victims in the gallery.

Sylvester granted the delay, saying he wanted to avoid giving the defense any opening to later appeal the case. Immediately after Sylvester adjourned the hearing, Hernandez shouted at Holmes.

Deputies took Hernandez aside and Sylvester reconvened the proceedings.

“

I’m terribly sorry for your loss and I can only begin to imagine the emotions that are raging.”

JUDGE WILLIAM SYLVESTER

“I’m terribly sorry for your loss and I can only begin to imagine the emotions that are raging,” Sylvester told Hernandez, saying he could watch the proceedings by video if he could not contain himself.

Hernandez apologized and promised to remain silent at future hearings.

Sylvester then addressed other onlookers in the courtroom.

“I really, really do not want to have any outbursts,” he said.

Holmes is charged with 166 felony counts, mostly murder and attempted murder, in the killing of 12 people and injuring of 70 others during a midnight showing of “The Dark Knight Rises” in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

Defense attorneys did not give a reason for requesting the delay in entering a plea, but prosecutors suggested to Sylvester that his lawyers might want time to build an insanity defense.

The case now moves to a new phase dealing less with the bloody details of the shooting and more about what went on inside Holmes’ head. His attorneys have said he has a mental illness, and it is widely expected they will argue he is not guilty by reason of insanity.

“Insanity is what this case is going to turn on,” said Denver criminal defense attorney Dan Recht, who is not involved in the case. “This is not a whodunit.”

Before the shooting, Holmes was seeing a psychiatrist at the University of Colorado, Denver, where he was a firstyear neuroscience graduate student.

The psychiatrist became alarmed, but Holmes left the graduate program shortly after failing a year-end exam in June. Holmes was apparently never contacted by law enforcement.

During the hearing, witnesses testified that Holmes spent weeks amassing an arsenal and planning the attack, and that he took photos of himself hours before the shooting, including one that showed him grinning with a handgun.

SÁBADO 12 DE ENERO DE 2013

Agenda en Breve SÁBADO 12 DE ENERO LAREDO — Jornadas Sabatinas 2013 del Consulado de México en Laredo se realiza de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. Se tramitan pasaportes, matrículas consulares, y se ofrece asistencia consular en el ámbito de protección.

LAREDO — Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta: a las 3 p.m., “The Zula Patrol”; a las 4 p.m., “Stars of the Pharaohs”; a las 5 p.m., “Dark Side of the Moon”*. Costo: 4 dólares, niños; 5 dólares, adultos. (*) 1 dólar más.

LAREDO — La exhibición “Algorithm” de David Berrones, se presenta a partir de las 8 p.m. en Caffé Dolce, 1708 Victoria. Además será la fiesta de lanzamiento de la línea de ropa “Algorithm Art&Apparel”, que diseñan Berrones y Erika Skyles-Berrones. Habrá refrigerios y música en vivo a cargo de Archer Crab and Jewels in the Sky. LAREDO — “Josh Abbott Band” y “Smokin’ Dirt Band” se presentan a las 8 p.m. en Casa Blanca Ballroom. Evento para todas las edades. Costo: 25 dólares en la puerta.

LAREDO — Gira Mundial de WWE “RAW”, a las 7:30 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena. Costos de 15, 25, 35, 50 y 95 dólares, más el costo de las instalaciones. Adquiera boletos en taquilla de LEA. NUEVO LAREDO, México — Baloncesto: Toros vs Córdoba (Mex) en Gimnasio de la Nueva Ciudad Deportiva a las 7:30 p.m.

Zfrontera SUR DE TEXAS

Prevenir ante gripe “ POR MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Autoridades de salud identifican localmente una condición generalizada de influenza (gripe) y enfermedades respiratorias, lo cual no es diferente a lo que ocurre en Texas o el resto de EU. Héctor González, Director del Departamento de Salud de la Ciudad de Laredo, dijo que la principal herramienta contra la gripe estacional es vacunarse.

Desde septiembre de 2012, la oficina de salud local ha recibido más de 2.000 informes de enfermedades similares a la gripe a través del sistema de vigilancia, dijo González en un comunicado.

El 50 por ciento de los casos fueron niños en edad escolar, quienes se recuperaron pero que, al estar enfermos, exponen a otras personas, dijo.

“Nuestra insistencia se centra en precauciones para evitar un periodo de influenza extendida”.

HÉCTOR GONZÁLEZ, DIRECTOR DEL DEPARTAMENTO DE SALUD DE LA CIUDAD DE LAREDO

Igualmente, reveló que se han confirmado alrededor de 60 casos de influenza. De esos, 43 han sido influenza tipo B, y 17 del tipo A. “Los años pasados los casos confirmados fueron menos de una docena”, dijo González. “Nuestra insistencia se centra en precauciones para evitar un periodo de influenza extendida”.

Insistió en la importancia de extremar precauciones en mujeres embarazadas, bebes de 6 meses y menores de 5 años, y personas que padecen diabetes, del corazón y del riñón, asma, cáncer o VIH. Síntomas González urgió a las personas acudir al médico al presentar síntomas como: fiebre de 100,4; dolor

TEXAS

ENCUENTRO

Economía sigue en mejoría ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

Winter Texans participaron en el International McAllen Travel Show esta semana. En el lugar pudieron conocer información sobre Tamaulipas, como servicios médicos y turísticos.

Promueven a Tamaulipas en McAllen ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

MIÉRCOLES 16 DE ENERO LAREDO — El club de libros de misterio “Scene of the Crime” se reúne a las 6 p.m. para analizar dos libros, “Creole Bell” de James Lee Burke, y “Never Tell” de Alafair Burke. La cita es en la Biblioteca Pública de Laredo, 1120 E. Calton Road. Entrada gratuita.

LAREDO — LTGI y TAMIU presentan “Magnolias de Acero” de Robert Harling, a las 8 p.m. en el Teatro Experimental Sam Johnson de TAMIU. Boleto: 15 dólares (general), 10 para estudiantes y adultos mayores.

NUEVO LAREDO, México — Cine Club presenta “La Costilla de Adán”, dirigida por George Cukor, a las 6 p.m. en Auditorio de Estación Palabra. Entrada libre.

M

cALLEN — Cientos de Winter Texans visitaron el módulo de Tamaulipas durante los dos días del International McAllen Travel Show, donde el Gobierno de Tamaulipas y quienes integran los clúster de salud de las ciudades fronterizas, ofrecen información sobre la infraestructura y los servicios de la zona.

“La amplia infraestructura con que cuenta la frontera tamaulipeca, así como la calidad de los servicios, especialmente en el rubro de salud, son un atractivo para los miles de winter texans que vienen año con año del sur de Canadá y del norte de Estados Unidos”, dijo Rubén Valero, funcionario de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico y Turismo.

Indicó que el International McAllen Travel Show es una

plataforma para dar a conocer las ventajas competitivas que ofrece el estado a este sector del turismo estadounidense y canadiense.

“Estamos maravillados de la calidad en los servicios que nos ofrecen en los hospitales de la frontera, hemos ido varias ocasiones y consideramos que tienen todo para seguir atrayendo a más turistas que requieren atención médica”, dijo Sheila Brown, una jubilada originaria de Canadá.

Javier Guerra, quien radica en el Valle de Texas, dijo que con la promoción que están realizando, se va convencido de visitar Nuevo Progreso en Río Bravo para recibir los servicios de salud.

Para Maggie Thompson, quien viene de Alabama, Tamaulipas es un estado maravilloso, porque año con año su esposo y ella viajan desde Ontario, Canadá, y cruzan a Reynosa,

JUEVES 17 DE ENERO LAREDO — La Fundación para el Patrimonio del Condado de Webb y Renato Ramírez, Presidente de la República del Rio Grande, invitan a una Fiesta de Cocktail para Miembros, el jueves de 6 p.m. a 8 p.m. en el Museo Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 calle Zaragoza.

NUEVO LAREDO, México — Asamblea-cena mensual de la Sociedad Histórica de Nuevo Laredo, A.C., a las 6 p.m. en Dr. Mier 3522.

VIERNES 18 DE ENERO LAREDO — Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta: “Destination Saturn” a las 6 p.m.; “Secrets of the Sun”, a las 7 p.m.

de cabeza, tos seca, dolor de garganta y dolor muscular extremo.

“Es importante que la persona utilice pañuelos desechables, se lave las manos después de toser, y limpie su nariz”, dijo él. “Pero principalmente vacunarse contra la gripe ayuda a reducir el riesgo de propagación del virus”.

También dijo que al toser la persona debe hacerlo hacia el codo o manga de su ropa, así como evitar tocarse los ojos, la nariz o la boca ya que los gérmenes se propagan de esa manera.

Para vacunarse contra la gripe puede acudir al Departamento de Salud de la Ciudad de Laredo, en 2600 avenida Cedar. El costo de la vacuna es de 8 dólares para niños (18 años y menores); y 20 dólares para el resto.

(Localice a Miguel Timoshenkov en el (956) 728 2583 o en mramirez@lmtonline.com)

TURISMO

MARTES 15 DE ENERO LAREDO — Hoy es la inauguración de la exposición fotográfica “Mexican Revolution and Beyond: Mirada y Memoria”, a las 6 p.m. en la Galería Rosalie Goodman del Laredo Center for the Arts, 500 San Agustín. Son imágenes del archivo fotográfico de Agustín Victor Casasola (México: 1900-1940). Estará vigente hasta el 1 de febrero.

NUEVO LAREDO, México — Cine Club “Alicia Caro” presnta “El Inspector General”, dirigida por Henry Koster, a las 6 p.m. en Casa de la Cultura. Entrada libre.

PÁGINA 9A

Nuevo Progreso y Matamoros para disfrutar de los servicios y atractivos que ofrece esta región.

“Me siento muy confortable y segura al cruzar a México, lo he hecho mucho tiempo y pienso seguir haciéndolo”, dijo Thompson.

Javier Guerrero, por parte del hospital CEMQ de Matamoros, dijo que están integrados en el clúster con hospitales, clínicas, médicos y prestadores de servicios diversos, quienes realizan campañas de difusión de manera conjunta.

“Estamos muy contentos de que el Gobierno del Estado apoya esta actividad y vemos cómo de manera gradual el turismo médico va en aumento en nuestra ciudad, principalmente los latinos y ahora vamos enfocados a la atracción de los anglosajones, por ello el motivo de nuestra participación en este evento”, enfatizó Guerrero.

GOBIERNO

México espera EU regule armas POR ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON ASSOCIATED PRESS

MÉXICO — El nuevo embajador de México en Estados Unidos confía que Estados Unidos logre un cambio en la regulación de armas después de un tiroteo en Connecticut que resultó en la muerte de 26 en una escuela primaria. El recién juramentado diplomático Eduardo Medina Mora dijo el jueves que eso ayudaría a frenar el flujo de armas ilegales hacia México.

Medina Mora, quien prestó juramento, como embajador el miércoles dijo que el control de armas era uno de los temas prioritarios para la representación de México en el país, ya que México ha visto decenas de miles de muertos desde que lanzó una ofensiva armada contra la delincuencia organizada.

Medina Mora dijo que México es respetuoso de la Segunda Enmienda de la constitución estadouni-

dense, según la cual no se puede limitar el derecho del pueblo a poseer y portar armas, pero señaló que el vencimiento de la prohibición de venta de fusiles de asalto en 2004 se tradujo en mayor violencia para México. El diplomático dijo que confía MEDINA en que funcionarios estadounidenses tengan una mejor comprensión del problema de la violencia armada a partir del tiroteo en Newtown, Connecticut donde 20 niños y seis adultos fueron asesinados por un joven que portaba un fusil estilo militar.

Medina Mora dijo que México tiene la “esperanza” de una regulación “más sensata”.

“Ojalá que se catalice un apoyo social a un cambio de regulación que sea más favorable a los intereses que para nuestro país implica esta circunstancia”, dijo el embajador.

AUSTIN — Texas empieza a recuperarse, o al menos así lo indica un reporte de la Contralora de Texas.

Susan Combs publicó el Estimado de Rentas Bienales del estado que proyecta sumar a 101.4 mil millones disponibles para gastos de propósito general durante el bienio de 2014-15.

“Texas ha experimentado una fuerte recuperación de una severa recesión”, dijo Combs.

Ella aseguró que la recuperación le permitió al estado recaudar rentas “mejor de lo esperado”.

Se recuperó en impuestos tales como: sobre las ventas, producción de petróleo y gas natural e impuestos sobre las ventas de vehículos.

“La perspectiva para la economía y las rentas del estado continúa en expansión”, dijo Combs. “Así como la rápida recuperación económica continúa dando paso a un crecimiento sostenido y moderado”.

Inclusive, el reporte anticipa que el desempleo continuará a la baja. Durante la recesión el desempleo se ubicó en 8.2 por ciento, y se espera que llegue al 6 por ciento para el 2015.

Bienio Las recaudaciones del estado en rentas generales de recursos de impuestos, las cuotas y otros ingresos se calcula ser de 96.2 mil millones para el bienio del 2014-15, de los cuales aproximadamente 3.6 mil millones serían apartados como parte del fondo de reserva conocido como Rainy Day Fund, dejando aproximadamente 92.6 mil millones en rentas generales netas.

El informe agrega que, aunado a esto, se encuentra una proyección de 8.8 mil millones en el balance final para el bienio actual, dejando así a la Legislatura unos 101.4 mil millones para gastos de propósito general para el próximo bienio.

La economía de Texas, en términos de ajustes por la inflación, está proyectada a aumentar 3.4 por ciento en el año fiscal 2013, otro 3.4 por ciento en el año fiscal 2014 y 3.9 por ciento en el año fiscal 2015, expone el reporte de Combs.

“El mayor recurso estatal es el impuesto sobre la venta, lo que resulta en más de la mitad en rentas generales del estado”, dijo ella. “Se anticipa que genere aproximadamente 54.9 mil millones durante el bienio de 2014-15, un aumento de 9.4 por ciento del bienio actual”.

“Mientras que la economía de Texas le está yendo bien, deberemos estar conscientes de los factores que ensombrece nuestra economía,” dijo Combs.

“Los problemas económicos y financieros que persiguen a Europa continúan y la poderosa economía China se ha hecho más lenta. Mientras tanto, el gobierno federal continúa paralizado en varios temas. La incertidumbre económica y regulativa, incluyendo la posibilidad de un incremento de impuestos, puede demorar las decisiones de compras por parte de los negocios y familias.”

Las rentas estatales para todos los propósitos se calcula ser de 208.2 mil millones para el bienio 2014-15, lo cual incluirá aproximadamente 112 mil millones en recibos federales y otros ingresos.

National

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

Abducted boy’s mother lived in car

By KYLE POTTER AND AMY FORLITI ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLARISSA, Minn. — In 2006, an 18-year-old Minnesota man legally changed his name to Michael Jeff Landers. Six years later, authorities determined Landers was really the Indiana child who had been abducted by his paternal grandparents in 1994.

Richard Wayne Landers Jr., was reportedly abducted when he was 5 years old. The 24-year-old Michael Landers now lives in the small central Minnesota town of Browerville, the Todd County Sheriff ’s Office said Friday.

Sheriff Peter Mikkelson said the investigation is ongoing and the case will be forwarded to federal authorities for possible charges.

It’s unclear what Landers knew about his history, but authorities said he had lived with his grandparents since birth.

Change of name According to court records, Landers applied for the name change himself in November 2006, just a couple weeks after he turned 18. The application doesn’t say why he requested the change, and it wasn’t immediately clear how long he had used the name Michael.

A home phone number for Landers could not be found. Telephone and social networking messages left with him and his wife were not immediately returned.

In July 1994, after a custody dispute between Landers’ mother and the grandparents, the grandparents fled from Wolcottville, Ind., about 50 miles southeast of South Bend.

“I’m not sure that they (the grandparents) ever had legal custody,” said John R. Russell, who spent several months investigating the disappearance with the LaGrange (Ind.) County Sheriff ’s Department.

Lived in a car The mother and stepfather were unemployed and lived in a car, Russell recalled.

“These people (the grandparents) were nice people. It was wrong for them to do it, but I can understand why,” he said.

“But I also didn’t think the child would be in any danger at all with them.”

Landers’ stepfather, Richard Harter, did not respond to phone calls Friday. A phone number for Landers’ mother, Lisa Harter, could not be located. Indiana State Police spokesman Sgt. Ron Galaviz said it appears Landers’ father was never in the picture.

Indiana attorney Richard Muntz has worked with Lisa Harter in her 19-year search and told the Star Tribune that child welfare services stepped in because she has some developmental disabilities and the grandparents had temporary custody.

Muntz said after a judge granted Harter custody for a trial period, the grandparents took $5,000 out of a home equity line and left town.

Cold case The grandparents were charged with misdemeanor interference with custody, which was bumped up to a felony in 1999. But the charge was dismissed in 2008 after the case went cold.

Investigators reopened the case in September when Richard Harter turned over Landers’ Social Security card to an Indiana State Police detective. That

Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP

Cadet Commander Fernando Aguilera, center, and his squad stand at ease during ceremonies marking the reactivation of Corps of Cadets Squadron 6 at Texas A&M University on Friday.

Photo by Jim Mone | AP

The home of Michael Jeff Landers, left, is seen outside Browerville, Minn. Authorities have determined he was abducted by his paternal grandparents when he was 5 years old.

Perry, Sharp mark revival of old unit

By MICHAEL GRACZYK

turned up a man with the same Social Security number and birthday with an address in Long Prairie, about 100 miles northwest of Minneapolis.

Indiana State Police then contacted Minnesota law enforcement agencies, which began investigating along with the FBI and the Social Security Administration.

Identity Minnesota officials say the grandparents — now living in Browerville under the assumed names Raymond Michael Iddings and Susan Kay Iddings — verified Landers’ identity. They were known as Richard E. and Ruth A. Landers at the time of the abduction.

A woman who answered a phone number associated with the Iddingses declined a request for an interview.

A couple who answered the door at their home declined to identify themselves and also refused an interview.

A spokeswoman with the U.S. Attorney’s office in Minnesota, Jeanne Cooney, said charges in such a case could be related to non-custodial kidnapping, whether the child was exploited, abused, trafficked or being used to obtain benefits.

Living conditions Michael Landers and his wife, who police say are expecting a child, share a plot of land with his grandparents a few miles outside of Browerville. There are two houses and two deteriorating barns on the property, and a few toys were scat-

tered in front of one of the houses Friday. Ten cars sat in the shared driveway.

Landers works at an auto parts store in Long Prairie, but wasn’t at the store Friday and an employee declined an interview.

Heardsman Raymond Iddings has worked since 1999 as a herdsman at Twin Eagle Dairy in nearby Clarissa, where owner Patrick Lunemann described him as a “dedicated, faithful” employee. Lunemann said he was in shock when he read a story about the case.

He said Iddings plays guitar at his church, and recalled a day last summer when the couple brought their instruments to play for dairy workers. He said he knew Michael slightly, saying he stopped on occasion — perhaps to drop off Iddings’ lunch if he had forgotten it. “(Landers) works at an auto parts place. That fits him perfectly, because Ray is kind of a motorhead and Michael is the same way,” Lunemann said.

Big news The town buzzed with the news, though. Rich Wall, a retired jeweler, said some residents speculated that some people knew of Landers’ history but kept quiet. He said it was the most notable news since a grisly triple homicide there in 2003.

“My grandson called last night and said, ‘Long Prairie made the news again,’ “ Wall said.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

COLLEGE STATION — Gov. Rick Perry and his former Texas A&M classmate and now System Chancellor John Sharp welcomed the reactivation Friday of their old Corps of Cadets squadron.

Squadron 6 — known as “Savage Six Flying Tigers” — was one of two Aggie Corps squadrons brought back to life on the College Station campus, the result of growing student interest. The corps squadrons are the vestiges of the previously all-male school’s military foundations.

Squadron 6 was disbanded in 1992 as corps membership slipped, but A&M officials say membership in the recent fall semester was 2,303 students — the highest in 15 years. So, for the second straight year, two former squadrons are being reactivated.

“I think what this university is about is service,” Sharp said after ceremonies. “The kind of kids we have tend to gravitate toward an organization that is principally and foremost about service.

And plus, just being in the corps is just special.

“It just works. It produces captains in industry and generals in the military.”

Joe Ramirez, a retired brigadier general who is now commandant of the Corps of Cadets, credited

efforts to emphasize, especially with parents, the corps’ focus on academics and professionalism to prepare students “for today’s very competitive environment.”

About half the Corps members move on to join the armed forces. Squadron 6 is among about three-dozen corps companies at A&M, each comprising from about 35 to 65 cadets. Texas A&M is among the nation’s largest universities, with about 50,000 undergraduate and graduate students combined.

“It is a relatively small percentage of the student population and civilian students are just as important and just as much Aggies,” Perry said. “But the Corps of Cadets will always be perceived, and in reality, is the real heart and soul of Texas A&M.” In 1968, only a couple years after corps membership stopped being compulsory and women were admitted to the university, Perry and Sharp were among 58 freshman members of Squadron 6. By their senior year in 1972, Perry had been elected yell leader for the entire school and Sharp was student body president.

“I think you could say Texas A&M and BryanCollege Station was a little different from the rest of America and maybe a little different from other college campuses you would step foot on in the late 1960s and early ’70s,”

Perry told several hundred people outside a museum devoted to the corps. “This is a place that changes lives forever.”

Perry said that in the corps, “service and sacrifice became a very real value, a very real experience in my life — that being part of this brotherhood, this fraternity, this entity, was more than about yourself.”

Fernando Aguilera, 23, an aerospace engineering senior originally from Santa Cruz, Bolivia, was given command of the reactivated squadron. Aguilera, who went to high school in Edinburg, said he “fell in love” with A&M when he first visited.

“They were something special,” he said of the lure of the 137-year-old corps. “I wanted something more. I wanted something different from the regular university experience. It’s best decision I’ve made in my life.”

Perry told members of the squadron that they were “part of a legacy, a part of a history.”

“It’s good to see the Tiger flying again,” he said, referring to the nickname the squadron adopted in 1964 in honor of World War II volunteers who served in China.

As squadron members past and present gathered for a group photo, Perry — forever the yell leader — lead the group in the unit cheer: “Savage Six, best damn outfit on campus!”

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

ERICO SALINAS-SANCHEZ Erico Salinas-Sanchez passed away Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013, at Falcon Lake Nursing Home in Zapata.

Mr. Salinas-Sanchez is preceded in death by his parents, Isabel and Elvira Salinas and sister, Elvira Arredondo.

Mr. Salinas-Sanchez is survived by his daughters, Rosa Maria (R. Romeo) Gonzalez, Maria Guadalupe Garza, Anna Salinas (David Villarreal); grandchildren, Roel R. Gonzalez, Johana Tejada, Rosa Vela, Randy Gonzalez, Rodrigo Castro, Jeanette Alaniz, Marco Villarreal; 15 great-grandchildren; sister, Olga (Derly) Rodriguez; nephews, Ermilo Arredondo, Derly Rodrigez, Jr. and Leticia Arredondo; and by numerous other family members.

Visitation hours were held Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, from 6 to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession departed Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, at 9:30 a.m.

for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 Zapata.

FLU SEASON Continued from Page 1A Despite the early start, health officials say it’s not too late to get a flu shot.

The vaccine is considered a good — though not perfect — protection against getting really sick from the flu.

Flu was widespread in 47 states last week, up from 41 the week before, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday. The only states without widespread flu were California, Mississippi and Hawaii.

The number of hard-hit states fell to 24 from 29, where larger numbers of

people were treated for flulike illness. Now off that list: Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina in the South, the first region hit this flu season.

Recent flu reports included holiday weeks when some doctor’s offices were closed, so it will probably take a couple more weeks to get a better picture, CDC officials said Friday. Experts say so far say the season looks moderate.

“Only time will tell how moderate or severe this flu season will be,” CDC Direc-

tor Dr. Thomas Frieden said Friday in a teleconference with reporters.

The government doesn’t keep a running tally of adult deaths from the flu, but estimates that it kills about 24,000 people in an average year. Nationally, 20 children have died from the flu this season.

Flu vaccinations are recommended for everyone 6 months or older. Since the swine flu epidemic in 2009, vaccination rates have increased in the U.S., but more than half of Ameri-

cans haven’t gotten this year’s vaccine.

Nearly 130 million doses of flu vaccine were distributed this year, and at least 112 million have been used.

Vaccine is still available, but supplies may have run low in some locations, officials said.

To find a shot, “you may have to call a couple places,” said Dr. Patricia Quinlisk, who tracks the flu in Iowa.

In midtown Manhattan, Hyrmete Sciuto got a flu shot Friday at a drugstore.

REYES Continued from Page 1A is resolved by the courts, said David Garcia, United Independent School District assistant superintendent of human resources.

Reyes could not be immediately reached for comment Wednesday night.

Reyes, who has spent 13 years with the district after stops at Roma and Zapata County independent school districts, taught a computer class called Odyssey that allowed students to receive course credit.

Once a girls’ and boys’ basketball coach, Reyes had not been coaching at the district when the arrest came to light, Garcia said.

“The allegations … come from an area outside UISD, so that’s about as much as I can affirm regarding the matter,” he said.

He said a determination on Reyes’ employment status would be made after the conclusion of his case.

“We will weigh our options to determine what is

in the best interest of our high school and our kids,” Garcia said.

Details on the case were not available Wednesday.

The Williamson County Sheriff ’s Office did not return calls for comment.

Reyes resigned in June from his position as Alexander girls’ basketball coach after five successful years with the program.

Reyes won 154 games, four district titles, five bi-district championships and four ar-

ea championships in five years.

Before taking the reins of the girls’ basketball team, he coached Alexander track for five years. “(A) little bit at a time, (I’ll) withdraw from the school system,” Reyes told Laredo Morning Times in June.

(LMT staff reporter JJ Velasquez contributed to this report. Cesar Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or crodriguez@lmtonline.com)

ALEJANDRA V. ZAPATA In loving memory of a wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.

Alejandra V. Zapata, 96, passed away Jan. 8, 2013; joined her husband, Juventino Zapata, Sr. of 63 years of marriage. She was surrounded by her family as she joined our Lord in Heaven.

Alejandra V. Zapata was born in Uribeño on May 20, 1916. She and her husband Juventino opened and operated the Lone Star Meat Market in 1950. She excelled in business as this was her passion. She retired in 1980, but continued going to the ranch and taking care of her rental properties. At home she embraced get-togethers with her children; in her leisure time, she enjoyed cooking, sewing and gambling.

She believed in working hard and having strong family ties. She stood her ground at all times making her a great role model. She helped countless of people in the community and she will be greatly missed.

Alejandra’s unique character, strength and her values made a lasting impression on the lives she touched.

Ms. Zapata is preceded in death by her husband of 63 years, Juventino Zapata Sr., parents, siblings and parents-inlaw.

Ms. Zapata is survived by her loving children, Oralia (Juan) Garza, Yo-

ALFREDO PRUNEDA-MALDONADO

landa (Ricardo) Soliz, Juventino Jr. (Maria Nury) Zapata and Javier (Debbie) Zapata; loving grandchildren, Marissa Y. Garza, Liza A. Soliz, Raziel (Abygail) Soliz, Tatiana (Eduardo†) Villarreal, Juventino III (Laura) Zapata, Marco A. Zapata, Sebastian Zapata and by six greatgrandchildren.

Visitation was Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, from 6 to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession departed Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.

Alfredo Pruneda-Maldonado, 91, passed away Wednesday, Dec. 26, 2012, at his residence in Zapata.

Mr. Pruneda is survived by his wife, Maria Del Refugio Borjas; sons, daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-greatgrandchildren and by numerous other family members.

A funeral Mass was held Friday, Dec. 28, 2012, at 4 p.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.

HIGINIO CASTILLO Higinio Castillo, 83, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2013, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo.

Visitation was held Friday, Jan. 11, 2013, from 6 to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession will depart Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.

COCAINE Continued from Page 1A agreement filed Jan. 4.

In September 2010, the Federal Bureau of Investigations received information that Mercado “was known to be the biggest cocaine dealer in the area and had been steadily selling up to one kilogram of cocaine per week in small personaluse amounts for several years,” according to court documents.

An FBI-led undercover investigation on Mercado showed that from Sept. 23, 2010, to March 4, 2011, the FBI conducted 13 controlled drug buys from Mercado.

Amounts varied from 2.7 grams for $100 to 68 grams for $2,000. During the purchases, agents identified seven people, known as runners, who delivered cocaine for Mercado.

Angel Javier Cuellar, Martin Emilio Pacheco, Lucia Guadalupe Hinojosa, Magda Ramos have

pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute less than 500 grams of cocaine. In a superseding indictment, prosecutors dropped conspiracy and cocaine possession charges on Leonardo Cortez and Javier Molina Balderas on Nov. 27.

Sentencing dates for all defendants are pending.

Prosecutors alleged that during the time of the conspiracy, Mercado purchased property — 10 acres of land at $35,000 and 55 acres of land at $50,000. “(Mercado) now judicially admits that these real properties were purchased in whole or in part with proceeds from his illegitimate drug trafficking activities,” court documents state.

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

COURT Continued from Page 1A al bundles marijuana adding up to 631.30 pounds of marijuana.

“It was determined that both Marco Antonio Ramirez and Daniel Ramirez were traveling in tandem and it was also discovered that both are brothers,” the complaint states.

Arraignment in the brothers is set for 11 a.m. Jan. 17 in Courtroom 2C before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker.

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

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors MLB

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Bringing the boom Photo by Gene J. Puskar | AP

The San Francisco Giants’ Barry Bonds was not inducted into the Hall of Fame despite his historical numbers because of the cloud of steroids surrounding him.

Photo by John Bazemore | AP

The Atlanta Falcons will welcome the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, as the NFL’s Divisional round of the playoffs kicks off today.

Divisional games boast NFL’s big boys

By BARRY WILNER ASSOCIATED PRESS

T

he records are gaudy. The star power is high.

Here come the NFL’s big boys.

Denver, Atlanta, New England and San Francisco host divisional playoff games this weekend. They’re a combined 49-14-1, and their rosters are filled with such headline grabbers as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Tony Gonzalez and Patrick Willis.

Their home-field advantages could be

formidable, too. The Broncos, who have won 11 straight games, and Falcons each went 7-1; the 49ers were 6-1-1 and the Patriots 6-2.

None of which makes the Ravens, Seahawks, Texans or Packers quake in their cleats.

“That’s not in my mind at all going up to Denver,” said the Ravens’ Joe Flacco, the only quarterback to win a playoff game in his first five seasons. “We feel confident, and I think we should.”

Baltimore at Denver opens the weekend’s action, followed by Green Bay at

San Francisco on Saturday night.

Sunday, Seattle is at Atlanta, then Houston goes to New England.

Ravens (11-6) at Broncos (13-3) For all those impressive numbers, here’s a baffling one: four-time league Manning is a mere 9-10 in postseason games. Those wins and losses were compiled with the Colts, with whom he nev-

See PLAYOFFS PAGE 2B

HEALTHY IN HOUSTON Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt (99) will lead a healthy defense against the New England Patriots this week.

Texans take on Patriots with full strength defense

By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Karen Warren | Houston Chronicle

HOUSTON — The first time Houston faced the Patriots, top cornerback Johnathan Joseph played while still struggling to get healthy, and outside linebacker Brooks Reed sat out with an injury.

That game turned into an embarrassing 42-14 loss to New England. Now both are back to full strength, and the Texans

believe that makes their defense much stronger this time around.

“Right now, I can probably say this is the best I’ve felt all year,” Joseph said.

He was slowed by a hamstring injury that kept him out the two games before the first matchup against the Patriots.

“Obviously, back then I was good enough to play but I wasn’t at my best,” he said.

See TEXANS PAGE 2B

Cowboys replace Ryan with Kiffin ASSOCIATED PRESS

IRVING — The Dallas Cowboys hired former Tampa Bay defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin as the replacement for Rob Ryan on Friday.

The team announced the move on its website a day after the 72-year-old Kiffin was at team headquarters to interview with coach Jason Garrett and owner Jerry Jones.

The hiring of Kiffin means the Cowboys will switch back

to the 4-3 defense after going to the 3-4 under Bill Parcells in 2005. The most notable switch will be Pro Bowl linebacker DeMarcus Ware becoming a defensive end, and Anthony Spencer could make the same move if the Cowboys re-sign him.

Kiffin hasn’t coached in the NFL since ending a 13-year run in Tampa in 2008. He spent the past few years

See DALLAS PAGE 2B

Photo by Mark J. Terrill | AP

Monte Kiffin, right, was hired by the Dallas Cowboys as the replacement for Rob Ryan, the team announced on Friday.

Litke: HOF will call Bonds, Clemens will get enshrined eventually

By JIM LITKE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens will get into the Hall of Fame someday, and without using the side entrance, either.

It won’t be because people forget, or even forgive, but because they won’t care anymore. Everybody in every sport will be on some kind of performance-enhancer by then, the way they’re all on “approved” supplements already. That day hasn’t arrived, but you can see it from here.

Everything is out in the open today in a way it wasn’t just a decade ago, when baseball’s supersized era was full-on. Back then, nobody felt sufficient heat to do anything about it. There were suspicions, and outrage, too. But they were papered over by the profits flowing into baseball’s front offices, or buried on the inside pages of the sports section.

Just imagine if there had been a photo of that bottle of Androstenedione sitting on the shelf of Mark McGwire’s locker back in 1998 to accompany The Associated Press story, the way there almost certainly would be these days. The story that hung over baseball like a dark cloud for a decade would have gone through the media wringer in a matter of days, and everybody would have gone off in search of the next thing to argue about. That’s what’s going to happen, soon enough, to the anger that stretched from the top of the Hall of Fame ballot Wednesday all the way down to the bottom.

Decide for yourself whether that’s a good thing. The 24/7 environment isn’t just shrinking our attention spans, it’s diminishing our sense of outrage, too.

The soaring popularity of the NFL in the age of social media is proof of that. Everybody who watches football knows there’s a concussion problem always lurking in the background, and most of us suspect the players are a lot bigger than they should be.

But we overlook those until somebody drops the photograph-

See LITKE PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

Junior sparks wreck at Daytona testing

By MARK LONG ASSOCIATED PRESS

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — New cars, same results at Daytona International Speedway.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. started a 12car accident at Daytona on Friday that essentially shut down a threeday test session designed to hone NASCAR’s redesigned cars.

Stock-car racing’s most popular driver was trying to bump draft with Marcus Ambrose on the back straightaway when he lifted Ambrose “like a forklift” and turned him into the wall. Ambrose’s Ford bounced back across the track and triggered a pileup that collected a host of others.

“It was a big mess and tore up a lot of cars down here trying to work on their stuff,” Earnhardt said. “Definitely the drafting is not like it used to be. You can’t really tandem certain cars; certain cars don’t match up well.”

Two of Earnhardt’s Hendrick Motorsports teammates, Jeff Gordon and Kasey Kahne, also were involved. So were defending Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski, new teammate Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, Kyle Busch, Jamie McMurray, Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola and Regan Smith.

There were no injuries, but the wreck caused several teams to leave Daytona. At least 10 teams, including Michael Waltrip Racing, Penske Racing and Richard Petty

Photo by John Raoux | AP

Dale Earnhardt Jr. stands by his car in his garage after he started a wreck involving a group of cars during NASCAR testing at Daytona International Speedway on Friday in Daytona Beach, Fla. Motorsports, packed up their haulers and headed back to North Carolina.

“It is unfortunate, but sometimes you have to wreck them to learn,” Keselowski said. “The sport is rewinding. That is the important thing to say. The sport advanced to the two-car tandem three or four years ago, and there were certain things you could do then that you couldn’t do in the past without wrecking.

“Now the rules package is back to where we were in the early 2000’s when the fans enjoyed the racing better. We as drivers have

to rewind to how we used to drive these cars. This is how you do it.

You make mistakes and learn and that is part of it. I might be the guy who makes the mistake next time, so I can’t be mad about it.”

Manufacturers Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota are using new cars in 2013, ones that have unique front ends that make race cars more closely resemble those on the streets and in the showroom.

The new cars have considerably less downforce than their predecessors and perform differently on the track. The previous models had identical designs that made it

LITKE Continued from Page 1B ic evidence in our lap, tsk-tsk for a while and go back to watching the games. It wasn’t that long ago, remember, that former Chargers linebacker Shawne Merriman got busted for steroids, sat out a four-game suspension, and still managed to finish third in balloting for Defensive Player of the Year.

There’s no question that baseball has been disproportionately punished for a problem that afflicts just about every sport. Maybe that’s because the game was so slow to acknowledge it, and then put in place a program credible enough to do something about it. Whatever the reason, taking another year off to assess where Bonds and Clemens and just about every other great ballplayer from a compromised era fits in the history of the game isn’t that big of a deal. The only real shame in what happened Wednesday is that Craig Biggio and Jack Morris, two guys who strung together long and apparently drug-free careers, couldn’t gather enough votes from a skeptical electorate to get in. Here’s hoping it’s sorted out in time so that the same thing doesn’t happen to Greg Maddux and Frank Thomas, who will be similarly positioned at the head of next year’s class.

There’s plenty of confusion out there about who did what, and how much? We always knew the “clean” players — and who knows how many of them existed in any sport — were going to suffer in comparison to the rulebreakers. That hasn’t changed and probably won’t. We were outraged by McGwire’s use of Andro — even though it was allowed

under baseball rules in place at the time — and only subsequently found out about the much more sophisticated and performance-enhancing substances that players kept in refrigerators and medicine cabinets back home.

Based on the way fans have voted with their feet and remote controls in this age of (mostly) full disclosure, most quit caring sometime ago. In that sense, the people who cast ballots for the Hall of Fame are throwbacks, determined to defend a standard that applied when they began covering the game, but is hardly as unambiguous today. The truth is that rules have always been bent. Check out how many scoundrels of different stripes are in the Hall already, from Ty Cobb to Tom Yawkey. That tells you how the voters decided things in accordance with the prevailing attitude.

Now we know how performance-enhancers work, along with a growing sense of how to use them, even if the claims their being “safe” sounds more like a prediction than a guarantee. Yet you can’t watch a game without taking in a host of commercials that promise some pill or other will enable you to do something better. Athletes might be the last group of people left in our society who can’t bring them to the workplace. That will change in a few years, too. Then Clemens and Bonds and a few of their sidekicks from this year’s class won’t have to spring for a ticket to visit the game-worn jerseys, baseballs and assorted other artifacts they’ve already sneaked past the guardians of the moment.

easier for bump drafting because the front and rear bumpers lined up squarely.

But with redesigned parts in low supply as vendors try to keep up with demands, many teams came to Daytona without backup cars. Drivers took a cautious approach to the test, trying to gain information about speed and handling while hoping to avoid the kind of huge wrecks typically associated with racing in tightknit packs at nearly 200 mph.

NASCAR asked teams to simulate race conditions Friday by forming the large drafting packs,

PLAYOFFS Continued from Page 1B er had a defense like the one the Broncos possess.

That defense made a big difference when Denver won 34-17 at Baltimore in Week 15. A 98yard interception return by Chris Harris at the end of the first half turned it into a rout.

“I really haven’t made a whole lot of comparisons, but our defense has been outstanding all year,” Manning said.

“Our offense has fed off of our defense. I think that’s one of the best things this team has done. If the offense was in a rut, defense picked us up. The defense was bending a little bit, the offense picked them up.

That’s what you’ve got to have, to me, as a team.”

The Manning-Ray Lewis matchups through the years have been intriguing, and this will be the final one. Baltimore’s emotional leader announced his retirement days before he had 13 tackles in his last home game, a 24-9 wildcard victory over Indianapolis.

“They are always classic,” Lewis said. “It’s just one of those chess matches. He knows me very well. I know him very well. ... But at the end of the day, it’s not about me and me and Peyton. It’s about their team against our team. I love our team right now.”

Packers (12-5) at 49ers (11-4-1) Another rematch, but from so long ago: San Francisco won 30-22 in the opener, at Lambeau Field.

The Packers have the edge in

this postseason series, 4-1.

They would seem to have the edge on offense with top-rated passer Aaron Rodgers and a deep crew of receivers.

And the Niners would have the advantage on defense, having yielded 63 fewer points in the regular season.

A key will be whether Green Bay, which beat Minnesota 2410 last week, can protect Rodgers after allowing 51 sacks. The 49ers’ Aldon Smith had 19 1-2 himself.

“We understand that it’s going to be up to us to keep Aaron clean, let him make some plays back there in the pocket,” left guard T.J Lang said.

“That’s going to be a huge factor in how this game turns out.”

Seahawks (12-5) at Falcons (13-3) Those road woes that plagued the Seahawks can be forgotten. They’ve won three in a row away from home, including the 24-14 wild-card victory at Washington that was their first on the road in the playoffs since 1983.

With six straight wins overall, they’re a confident bunch as they head to the Georgia Dome.

“We’ve grown and become more together and more in tune with our QB and what he can do and all that,” Carroll said, referring to rookie Russell Wilson. “We’re a pretty hard team to beat right now.”

Atlanta has been easy to beat in its last three playoff appear-

TEXANS Continued from Page 1B “Right now I can say I’m 100 percent.”

Joseph, who often shadows the opponent’s best receiver, knows that he and the rest of the secondary will have their hands full. Not only must they deal with New England’s wide receivers, but also its tight end duo of Aaron Hernandez and Rob Gronkowski. Gronkowski didn’t play in the first game against Houston.

“They can place the ball on his back side or throw it up top and those guys both have great hands where they can make the difficult catch in traffic,” Joseph said. “For us, it will be a task, but I think that we have the guys here that are up for the challenge. It’s just about making plays.”

Reed, a second-year player, started 12 games in the regular season. Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips called him a “physical force.”

“He’s obviously a good player, but I think just his physicality really helps us as far as our mental toughness overall as a defensive unit,” Phillips said.

A frustrated Reed had to watch the team struggle against the Patriots and not be able to help out.

“Now, it’s a little bit different,” he said. “So I’ll be out there and try to make plays of my own.”

Reed had a sack last week against the Bengals; he now has at least one in each the three postseason games in

and there were 18 cars on the track when Earnhardt triggered the big one. “ You can’t push, which I think is a good thing,” Gordon said.

“The bad thing is you can still get to the guy’s bumper, but the cars just don’t line up very well. ... It’s something that is going to have to be dealt with very carefully. You are going to have to be cautious when you do it and do it with the right guys, but most of the time you’re going to need to stay away from it. That is certainly something we learned.”

Backing up Gordon’s sentiments, Earnhardt said the nose of his Chevrolet slid under the rear bumper of Ambrose’s Ford.

“It’s going to take a lot more care and concentration and just knowing kind of what is at stake,” Earnhardt said. “Certain cars you line up OK with and can push fine and for whatever reason mine and Marcus’ car didn’t line up good.

We got our bumpers together and it hooked him. For whatever reason, you’ve got to be careful who you are working with.”

One driver who avoided the melee was five-time series champion Jimmie Johnson. He and crew chief Chad Knaus decided before the session to stay.

“It doesn’t make any sense to go out there and draft,” Johnson said before the crash. “You don’t learn anything. You’re just taking a chance of ruining your best race car.”

HOUSTON (13-4) AT NEW ENGLAND (12-4) SUNDAY, 3:30 P.M., CBS OPENING LINE — Patriots by 9 1/2 RECORD VS. SPREAD — Houston 10-7; New England 9-7 SERIES RECORD — Patriots lead 3-1 AP PRO32 RANKING — Texans No. 8; Patriots No. 2 LAST MEETING — Patriots beat Texans 42-14, Dec. 10, 2012 LAST WEEK — Texans beat Bengals 19-13; Patriots had bye.

TEXANS OFFENSE — OVERALL (7), RUSH (8), PASS (11) TEXANS DEFENSE — OVERALL (7), RUSH (7), PASS (16) PATRIOTS OFFENSE — OVERALL (1), RUSH (7), PASS (4) PATRIOTS DEFENSE — OVERALL (25), RUSH (9), PASS (29)

Texans history. His best playoff performance came last season against the Ravens when he had 21/2 sacks.

Joseph appreciates Reed’s versatility.

“He can play the run and the pass, so he’s a two-sided guy,” Joseph said. “I think he had just experience from last year coming in ... so just having Brooks back and those guys rotating and whatever they’re doing up front, I think it just helps those guys from a health standpoint and just being fresh all the time.”

Houston is hoping to build on last week’s dominant defensive performance in its 19-13 wild-card win over the Bengals. The Texans limited them to 198 yards, which was the lowest yardage total in the first round of the playoffs, and only 53 before halftime.

They also cleaned up their problems on third down, not allowing Cincinnati to convert any of its nine third-down chances.

This week the Texans know they must get pressure on Tom Brady and make him uncomfortable in the pocket.

They’ll look to defensive star J.J. Watt to lead that charge. Watt led the NFL with a franchise-record 201/2 sacks in the regular season. He also had 107 tackles, including 39 for losses, 16 passes defended and forced four fumbles.

In Watt’s rookie season, the Texans lost to the Ravens in the divisional round.

“We were happy to make it as far as we did, but this year, new year, new goals,” he said. “Biggest goal of them all, Super Bowl, and this is a big step for us, and we’re really excited about the challenge.”

Phillips, who began coaching in the NFL in 1976, believes Watt is clearly the best defensive player in the NFL this season.

“He had the best season ever,” Phillips said. “I mean, nobody has had a season like that. Nobody has made that many tackles, that many sacks, that many pass breakups and that many tackles for loss or tackles for no gain in the history of football. Nobody has had a year like that. It’s the best I’ve ever seen, sure.”

ances, something quarterback Matt Ryan dismisses as a factor for this game.

“We’ve proven we can go out there and be successful. You have to buy into that. You have to believe in that. I feel more comfortable with the guys around me.”

Texans (13-4) at Patriots (12-4) Yet another rematch, this from Dec. 10 when the Texans flopped in Foxborough, 42-10.

That was the beginning of a fade in which they dropped three of four and sank from top AFC seed to No. 3.

Houston recovered somewhat last week in a 19-13 wildcard victory over Cincinnati.

This is a much tougher task.

“If you want to move on, you’ve got to bring a sense of attitude and nastiness with you to go out and dominate your opponent on every play,” said QB Matt Schaub, who got his first postseason win last week.

Tom Brady has 16 postseason wins and needs one win to break a tie with Joe Montana.

“He’s won a lot of regularseason games, won a lot of playoff games,” coach Bill Belichick said. “What he does on a day-to-day basis, how he performs on the practice field, how he performs in games — whether they’re preseason, regular season, postseason, whatever it is — he’s pretty consistent. I think you see that during the week, so it shows up on Sunday.”

DALLAS Continued from Page 1B coaching in college with his son, Lane Kiffin, at Tennessee and Southern California.

At Tampa, Kiffin’s defenses frequently were among the league’s best, and the Buccaneers won the Super Bowl with him after the 2002 season. That unit was the first in the league since the champion Chicago Bears in 1985 to lead the NFL in total defense, points allowed and interceptions.

Ryan was fired Tuesday after two seasons.

His defenses were inconsistent pressuring the quarterback and didn’t force many turnovers.

In 2011, the Cowboys allowed the second-most passing yards in franchise history. This season’s injury-plagued unit couldn’t stop New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees and rookie Washington running back Alfred Morris in season-ending losses that kept Dallas out of the playoffs for the third straight year.

Jones also said in a taped interview being aired this weekend that he wasn’t pleased with some of the early-season performances before key defenders started getting hurt. Garrett said in a statement announcing the firing of Ryan that the team was going in a different philosophical direction.

The Buccaneers finished in the top 10 in total defense 11 times in 13 years under Kiffin and had streaks of 69 straight games with a sack and 54 with at least one turnover during that stretch. Tampa had 31 interceptions the year it won the Super Bowl, nine more than the Cowboys have the past two seasons combined.

Kiffin turns 73 next month.

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

HINTS | BY HELOISE SOCKET SOLUTION Dear Readers: Here are some hints about REMOVING A BROKEN LIGHT BULB from a socket. Wearing garden gloves, use a (rubber) jar opener, slowly reach in and twist and jiggle back and forth to gently remove the base that is left behind. Be sure no glass remains in the socket. Here are some other hints from readers: Elaine V. in Spokane, Wash., says: “I have two ways of removing a lightbulb base that remains stuck in a socket after the glass bulb has broken off: “Take a pair of needlenose pliers (Turn off the circuit breaker before doing anything. — Heloise) and grab the edge of the metal base. Gently turn the metal counterclockwise, holding the outside of the socket.

“Or you can open up the pliers inside the metal base and press the tips firmly against the sides of the metal. Twist the pliers slowly counterclockwise, keeping a strong, steady pressure on the pliers. Voila! Out pops the bulb base.”

Karen M. of Colorado Springs, Colo., says: “Broken-off light bulb? Make a wad of duct tape; push it on the exposed base and turn.

Works every time.”

“

HELOISE

At one time, using a raw potato was the solution for a stuck light-bulb base. That is no longer a recommended solution, as the moisture from the potato could cause a short. — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Donna, via email, sent a photo of her dog, 2-year-old Riley, a miniature schnauzer who looks like my miniature schnauzer, Cabbie! Donna says: “Riley is the most handsome guy ever! I have to say that when I saw your adorable schnauzer, Cabbie, I thought it was Riley. We would love to see our boy in your pet section of your website, and thank you in advance. I’m certainly a big fan of yours — always the highlight of reading the paper daily.”

Donna, Riley does look like our own Cabernet! It’s amazing how miniature schnauzers look a lot alike, but any owner knows how charming and mischievous they can be. To see Riley or Cabbie, visit my website, www. Heloise.com, and click on “Pets.” — Heloise

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4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, JANUARY 12, 2013

Traditional powers fall short in rankings

By AARON BEARD ASSOCIATED PRESS

Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA are all unranked together for the first time in more than two decades.

The tradition-rich programs with 24 NCAA championships between them are still seeking an identity after falling from the Top 25 due to inconsistent nonconference play fueled by inexperience, players in new roles and injuries.

The Wildcats and Bruins have shown signs of figuring things out now that league play has begun, but the Tar Heels’ struggles have worsened.

UCLA started the year with eligibility concerns over star freshman Shabazz Muhammad and a home loss to Cal Poly, though it has won eight straight. Kentucky lost three times in the first month and its latest freshman haul is still adjusting to college. UNC has started 0-2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“They’ve all got new pieces,” said Jay Bilas, a player on Mike Krzyzewski’s first Final Four team at Duke and now an ESPN analyst. “Kentucky is completely new. North Carolina is basically all new. Even the guys coming back are in different roles. ... It’s a lot different being the first guy on the scouting report than being the sixth or seventh guy.”

Before this season, the last time that Kentucky, UNC and UCLA were all out of The Associated Press Top 25 in the same week was March 12, 1990, according to STATS LLC. But Kentucky and UCLA — both counting on touted freshmen like Muhammad and Nerlens Noel —

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

San Antonio Spur Manu Ginobili has been referenced several times on the Looney Toons, adding unique fame to the Argentenian’s resume.

Ginobili finds unique fame

By DAN MCCARNEY Photo by Jae C. Hong | AP

Kentucky, North Carolina and UCLA are all unranked together for the first time in more than two decades. were out of the poll by the start of December; North Carolina dropped out the day before Christmas.

Of the trio, the Tar Heels (10-5) are on the shakiest ground.

North Carolina started at No. 11 and reached ninth in Top 25, but they lost at Virginia over the weekend then at home to Miami on Thursday night. And while the last UNC team to start 0-2 in the ACC won the NCAA championship in 2009, this year’s group hasn’t shown similar promise.

The Tar Heels are replacing four NBA firstround draft picks from last year’s team, which has put a bigger burden on 6-foot-9 sophomore James Michael McAdoo.

But he’s struggling with the transition to a leading role after returning to school instead of entering the NBA draft.

In the Bluegrass State, the Wildcats (10-4) started at No. 3 despite losing six players to the NBA draft from last year’s national championship team, in-

cluding No. 1 pick Anthony Davis and No. 2 pick Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

But the Wildcats fell to No. 8 after an early loss to Duke then slid out of the rankings after consecutive losses to Notre Dame and Baylor in which they failed to score 60 points.

Kentucky has only lost once in the past seven games, and that 80-77 at then-No. 4 Louisville. The Wildcats won their Southeastern Conference opener Thursday night at Vanderbilt, though they blew a 16-point second-half lead before winning 60-58.

The Bruins, who started the year at No. 13, got behind when Muhammad missed two weeks of preseason practice with a shoulder injury then missed the first three games due to improper benefits before the NCAA cleared him to play.

But UCLA (13-3, 3-0 Pac-12) hasn’t lost since falling to San Diego State on Dec. 1, including Thursday night’s 57-53 win at Utah in its first road game this year.

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

SAN ANTONIO — Tim Duncan was lounging at home, idly watching a cartoon with his two young children when something caught his ear.

He couldn’t be positive, but he was fairly certain Lola Bunny, Bugs Bunny’s animated girlfriend on the Looney Tunes Show, had just uttered the name of Spurs teammate Manu Ginobili.

Duncan rewound the clip to make sure he’d heard correctly. He indeed had, prompting a call to Ginobili.

“He told me, ‘You finally made it,’” Ginobili said. “At first I thought it was Argentinian, someone had (dubbed my name). It was fun to see. Unexpected, very unexpected.”

It happened again late last month, with Lola assigning the role of Ginobili to Speedy Gonzalez in a play. Santa Claus then popped through the Warner Brothers logo and bellowed Manu’s name at the end of the credits.

As is so often the case on the court, Ginobili’s instincts proved correct. The references are a tribute from Alamo Heights gradu-

ate Hugh Davidson, the Looney Tunes Show’s head writer and a passionate Spurs fan dating back to their ABA days.

Davidson said a fourth mention, in which Lola Bunny explains the roots of her Ginobili infatuation, was cut. But there is no editing Davidson, who rates Ginobili as his favorite player.

“He’s under-appreciate for how great he is,” said Davidson, 43. “It’s madness watching him play. I think he’s the most entertaining player to ever put on a uniform. His brain is not like anyone else’s.”

It’s hardly surprising that Lola — voiced by former Saturday Night Live star Kristen Wiig, who needed help pronouncing Ginobili’s name — would have a crush on a baller.

The beautiful blonde bunny made her debut in the 1996 Michael Jordan vehicle “Space Jam.” Living in Los Angeles has been essential for Davidson’s career as a professional writer. In addition to helping re-boot Looney Tunes as a contemporary version of the classic cartoon, he shared multiple Emmy Awards for his work on Robot Chicken.

As a basketball fan, how-

ever, it’s been hell. Adrift on an endless sea of purple and gold, Davidson is only too happy to fly the hometown flag in enemy territory.

“The Lakers are the antithesis of the Spurs,” he said. “They throw money at everything, they’re lazy. I can’t bear it.”

Davidson is only slightly irritated that the Spurs didn’t start to win big until he left town.

Davidson has converted fellow Looney Tunes writer Rachel Ramras, a Phoenix native with whom he lives in L.A. She and Davidson had been waiting for some sort of feedback, which they finally received when Ginobili acknowledged his affinity for Speedy Gonzalez via Twitter.

It only took four championships, but the Spurs’ Q score might finally be taking off. In addition to Ginobili’s Looney Tunes love, an Israeli rap group produced a track in Gregg Popovich’s honor last summer.

“We’re the Spurs,” said Duncan, who was referenced in the Adam Sandler comedy “Grown Ups.” “We don’t get it a whole lot. But every once in a while you get something like that. It’s pretty cool.”