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DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Unrelated cases
Ranchers, farmers to get help
FBI: No link between man, slain BP agent By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
McALLEN — A man held in the Edinburg jail on charges he threatened a South Texas sheriff had nothing to do with the 2010 killing of a U.S. Border Patrol agent in Arizona, according to the sheriff and the FBI.
In an interview with the Spanish language network Univision, a man identified as Gustavo Lozano Cruz claims to be a Mexican drug hit man responsible for agent Brian Terry’s death. The man spoke to Univision in an interview in Monterrey, Mexico, before he turned himself in to U.S. author-
ities in Texas. His face was obscured during the interview, but Univision said a crew followed him to the border as he surrendered. Terry was mortally wounded on Dec. 14, 2010, in a firefight north of the Arizona-Mexico border between U.S. agents and five men who had sneak-
ed into the country to rob marijuana smugglers. The killing figures in the Fast and Furious gunwalking scandal because two rifles found at the scene were linked to that botched federal investigation. James Turgal Jr., head
See LINK PAGE 9A
Federal drought aid now available SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The United States Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency has declared all counties in the
28th Congressional District a disaster area due to extreme drought, including Zapata County. As a result of this desig-
See ASSISTANCE PAGE 9A
ORGAN DONOR
TRANSPLANT FAMILIES MEET
Photo by John Rhodes/Fort Worth Star-Telegram | AP
Nancy Suarez Lee, right, of North Richland Hills, hugs Ellen DuVernay, second from right, of Gulfport, Miss., near the Baggage Claim at Love Field in Dallas on Thursday. DuVernay’s other daughter Kortney, left, hugs Lee’s daughter Jessica, second from left. When DuVernay’s daughter Brittany Lynn DuVernay Saucier died in a accident, the family donated her lungs to Lee, saving her life.
Donor, recipient meet each other after one life saves another
By ALEX BRANCH FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM
DALLAS — Nancy Suarez Lee waited anxiously at Dallas Love Field baggage claim Thursday morning. She had never met the
family arriving on Southwest Airlines flight 1643, but the North Richland Hills woman felt like she knew them. They had communicated for months through telephone calls, text messages and Facebook.
Sixteen months earlier, Lee, 54, underwent a lifesaving double-lung transplant at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. The lungs, she learned more than a year later, came from Brittany Saucier, a
26-year-old wife and mother who died in an accident in Gulfport, Miss. Thursday, Saucier’s mother, younger sister and godmother were trav-
See TRANSPLANTS PAGE 9A
FEDERAL COURT
Brothers plead not guilty in pot case By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO — Two Roma brothers arrested Dec. 14 in southern Zapata with more than $800,000 worth of marijuana pleaded not guilty Thursday in federal court in Laredo. An indictment dated Jan.
8 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 distribute 100 kilograms or more of marijuana. Court records state both men waived their presence
at the arraignment but entered a written not guilty plea. The punishment range per each count ranges from five to 40 years in prison, according to the indictment. Both men are out on bail. A final pretrial conference is set for 1:30 p.m. Feb. 11 in Courtroom 3C before U.S. Magistrate Judge Guil-
lermo R. Garcia Jury Selection has been tentatively set for Feb. 15. The brothers had 1,009.2 pounds of marijuana worth $807,360, a criminal complaint dated Dec. 17 states. On Dec. 14, agents assigned to a temporary checkpoint on U.S. 83 in southern Zapata followed a
dark blue 2006 Chevrolet Silverado after it exited the primary inspection lane and made a U-turn. Agents pulled over the driver shortly after. A complaint alleges Marco Antonio Ramirez had 377.90 pounds of marijuana in his vehicle. Moments later, agents detained a Ford
F-150 that had been driving in tandem with the Silverado. Agents identified Daniel Ramirez as the driver. He had bundles of marijuana adding up to 631.30 pounds of marijuana. A complaint alleges they are brothers. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Saturday, Jan. 19 United South High School, 4001 Los Presidentes Ave., will host an open, non-rated chess tournament for students K-12, from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Registration is from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. The first round is 10:30 a.m., with an awards ceremony at 3 p.m. Entry fee is $7 if pre-registered or $10 at the door. For more information, call Dan Navarro at 956-722-4600. 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. For more information, 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. El Centro de Laredo Farmers’ Market will be held from 9 a.m. to noon at Jarvis Plaza. Local growers will bring fresh grapefruits, cilantro, basil, salad mix, papayas, pomegranates, onions, products made from Texas-grown lavender, handmade candles, bird feeders, soaps, skincare and natural beauty products. There is free parking at El Metro with a market purchase. For more information, email laredofarmersmkt@att.net or call 956-523-8817.
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. For more information, call the LCC Economic Development Center at 721-5110 or visit www.laredo.edu/edc.
Thursday, Jan. 24 Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club will meet at the Laredo Country Club from 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call Beverly Cantu at 7270589.
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 are usually on tap. New members are welcomed. For info, call Memo Cavazos at 956-337-2266.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Joyce Marshall/Fort Worth Star-Telegram | AP
In this Sept. 24 photo, Terry Lee studies with Bruce Sledge at TCC South Campus in Fort Worth. Lee and Sledge meet three to four days a week at the South Campus library. Both, 50, they are among the nearly 50,000 unemployed veterans nationally who have been approved for the Department of Veterans Affairs’ new job-training and education program.
Jobless rate in decline ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The jobless rate slipped to 6.1 percent in December, marking the fourth straight month of declines, the Texas Workforce Commission announced Friday. The December figure was down from 6.2 percent in November and compares to a 7.4 percent rate a year ago. However, the Rio Grande Valley had the highest rate of unemployment in the state, with the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission and Brownsville-Harlingen areas at 10.3 percent unemployment. Laredo had a 6.1 percent unemployment rate. Midland had the lowest December unemployment rate in the state at 3.1 percent. Odessa came in second at 3.7 percent, and Amarillo was third at 4.1 percent.
The commission said Texas employers added 4,100 nonfarm jobs in December for a total of 260,800 jobs added over the year. Six of 11 major industries added jobs in December, led by 13,300 added in professional and business services. Commission chairman Andres Alcantar said 2012 was a strong year for the Texas economy with overall annual growth of 2.5 percent. “With those positive strides and 11,800 private-sector jobs added in the past month, 2012 was a strong year for Texas, and my hope is that the Texas economy will build on that success in 2013,” Alcantar said. Manufacturing added 3,000 jobs between November and December and another goodsproducing industry, mining and logging, expanded by 1,600 jobs during that time, according to the commission.
Diver slightly hurt, school bus in pool
Doctor pleads guilty in drug case
2 immigrants report rapes smugglers
SAN ANTONIO — A school bus driver has been slightly hurt after the vehicle went out of control and crashed into a motel swimming pool. Officials say the driver was alone on board Thursday afternoon. He was about to start his route picking up students after classes ended for the day.
MIDLAND — A doctor faces at least 10 years in prison for writing fake prescriptions for hydrocodone and sometimes not even seeing those patients. Investigators in Midland say Dr. Barrett Doyle Whitefield of Odessa pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiring to possess with intent to distribute and distributing controlled substances.
MCALLEN — The U.S. Border Patrol says two Central American women have reported being raped by human smugglers in two separate incidents. A Honduran woman apprehended Tuesday in the said she was raped Jan. 6 near Hidalgo. A woman from El Salvador said two smuggling guides had separated her from a group of illegal immigrants and raped her at gunpoint, also on Jan. 6.
Houston-area man gets 45 years in child porn cases Temple house fire kills 1, space heater in home HOUSTON — A Houston-area man has been sentenced to 45 years in prison in a child pornography investigation in which he described himself as a “monster.” A federal judge in Houston on Thursday afternoon sentenced 37-year-old D.J. Christopher Lowe, who in 2011 pleaded guilty to possession, distribution and production of child pornography. Investigators say Lowe exploited six children, including a toddler.
TEMPLE — A Central Texas house fire has claimed one life and investigators are trying to determine whether a space heater sparked the blaze. Temple Fire & Rescue officials say the apparent accidental fire broke out early Friday in a small wood-frame home. A body discovered in a bedroom has been sent to Dallas for an autopsy. Further details on the victim weren’t released.
School district to train teachers carry guns UNION GROVE — A small school district has become at least the second in Texas to implement a policy to allow select teachers and staff to carry concealed firearms on campus for school security. The Union Grove school board voted unanimously Thursday evening to enact the policy. — Compiled from AP reports
Thursday, Jan. 31 Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club will meet at the Laredo Country Club from 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call Beverly Cantu at 7270589.
Friday, Feb. 1 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show "Force 5: Nature Unleashed" at 6 p.m. and "Wonders of the Universe" at 7 p.m. General admission is $4 for children and $5 adults. Premium shows are $1 more. For more information, call 956-326-3663.
Saturday, Feb. 2 First United Methodist Church will hold a used book sale from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1220 McClelland Ave. Hardback books are $1, paperback books 50 cents, and magazines and children’s books 25 cents. Women’s City Club steak plate sale will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Dr. Ike’s parking lot. Tickets are $5 each. Contact Nancy de Anda at 763-9960 for ticket information.
AROUND THE NATION ACLU drops challenge to Kansas abortion law WICHITA, Kan. — The American Civil Liberties Union has dropped its legal challenge to a Kansas law restricting private health insurance coverage for abortions. A court filing Friday shows the parties have agreed to dismiss all remaining claims. The agreement follows a federal judge’s Jan. 7 ruling that the ACLU failed to prove that the Legislature’s chief goal in passing the 2011 law was to impede access to abortions.
Jury hears terror suspect’s takedown PORTLAND, Ore. — An Oregon jury heard a recording of the dramatic takedown of a terrorism suspect seconds after he attempted to detonate a bomb at Portland’s busy Christmas treelighting ceremony.
Today is Saturday, Jan. 19, the 19th day of 2013. There are 346 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 19, 1953, CBS-TV aired the widely watched episode of “I Love Lucy” in which Lucy Ricardo, played by Lucille Ball, gave birth to Little Ricky. (By coincidence, Ball gave birth the same day to her son, Desi Arnaz Jr.) On this date: In 1807, Confederate general Robert E. Lee was born in Westmoreland County, Va. In 1853, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Il Trovatore” premiered in Rome. In 1861, Georgia became the fifth state to secede from the Union. In 1937, millionaire Howard Hughes set a transcontinental air record by flying his monoplane from Los Angeles to Newark, N.J., in 7 hours, 28 minutes and 25 seconds. In 1942, during World War II, Japan invaded Burma (Myanmar). In 1955, a presidential news conference was filmed for television for the first time, with the permission of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. In 1960, the Treaty of Mutual Cooperation and Security between Japan and the United States of America was signed by both countries in Washington, D.C. In 1970, President Richard M. Nixon nominated G. Harrold Carswell to the Supreme Court; however, the nomination was defeated because of controversy over Carswell’s past racial views. In 1977, in one of his last acts of office, President Gerald R. Ford pardoned Iva Toguri D’Aquino, an American convicted of treason for making wartime broadcasts for Japan. In 1981, the United States and Iran signed an accord paving the way for the release of 52 Americans held hostage for more than 14 months. In 1992, German government and Jewish officials dedicated a Holocaust memorial at the villa on the outskirts of Berlin. Ten years ago: President Fidel Castro and millions of other Cubans voted in parliamentary elections where all 609 candidates ran uncontested. The Oakland Raiders won the AFC title game, beating the Tennessee Titans 41-24. The Tampa Bay Buccanneers took the NFC Championship game, defeating the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10. At the Golden Globe Awards, “Chicago” won best musical-comedy and “The Hours” claimed best drama. Today’s Birthdays: Former U.N. Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar is 93. Actress Jean Stapleton is 90. Actor Fritz Weaver is 87. Actress Tippi Hedren is 83. Former PBS newsman Robert MacNeil is 82. Movie director Richard Lester is 81. Singer Phil Everly is 74. Actor-singer Michael Crawford is 71. Actress Shelley Fabares is 69. Country singer Dolly Parton is 67. ABC newswoman Ann Compton is 66. TV chef Paula Deen is 66. Rock singer Martha Davis is 62. Singer Dewey Bunnell (America) is 61. Actor Desi Arnaz Jr. is 60. Actress Katey Sagal is 59. Comedian Paul Rodriguez is 58. Conductor Sir Simon Rattle is 58. Reggae musician Mickey Virtue (UB40) is 56. Rock musician Jeff Pilson (Foreigner) is 55. Thought for Today: “Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality.” — Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849).
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Business Manager, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 324-1226 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Managing Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez........... 728-2543 Sports Editor, Adam Geigerman..................728-2578 Spanish Editor ........................................ 728-2569 Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/file | AP
Alicia Keys performs at the People’s Choice Awards in Los Angeles on Jan. 9. Keys will perform the national anthem before the NFL championship game on Feb. 3 in New Orleans. The audio from November 2010 recorded by an undercover FBI agent captured Mohamed Mohamud’s desperate attempt to dial numbers into a cell phone that he thought would set off the bomb. The bomb was a fake provided
by the FBI. The recording follows Mohamud dialing once and stepping out of a car. The undercover agent, posing as a member of al-Qaida, says “dial it again.” — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Thefts spur help call By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Investigators are asking the community for information regarding theft of motor vehicle accessories, sheriff ’s officials announced Friday. Sgt. Mario Elizondo said deputies responded to a theft report Sunday in the 5400 block of Romeo Lane in the Siesta Shores Subdivision. The complainant stated someone had stolen the driver’s
side mirror from a 2005 Ford F-250. The property stolen was valued at $250. Elizondo recalled how side mirrors and motor vehicle emblems, logos had been popular in the past among thieves. No suspect has been named on the case. People with information on the case are asked to call the sheriff ’s office at 765-9960. All callers may remain anonymous. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
Juveline accused in rifle theft By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A juvenile has been detained accused of stealing a hunting rifle from a vehicle parked in the Medina Addition. Zapata County Sheriff ’s Sgt. Mario Elizondo said the juvenile was charged with theft of a firearm, a state jail felony.
Deputies were alerted to a theft call Jan. 13 in the 700 block of Miraflores Street. The complainant stated a .270 Savage rifle with a Leupold scope was missing from a Chevy Tahoe parked outside. Elizondo said the stolen rifle had an estimated value of $800. An investigation yielded enough probable cause to detain the juvenile,
according to sheriff ’s officials. The juvenile was taken to the Webb County Youth Village. However, deputies have not been to locate the rifle and the scope. Anyone with information on the case is asked to call the sheriff ’s office at 765-9960. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
THE BLOTTER ACCIDENT A minor accident was reported at 6:29 p.m. Jan. 13 by Seventh Street and Medina Avenue.
ASSAULT An assault, family violence incident was reported at 12:37 a.m. Monday in the 1700 block of Bravo Avenue.
BURGLARY A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 2:08 p.m.
Jan. 9 at the Falcon Mesa Subdivision. Deputies responded to a burglary of a vehicle at 8:59 p.m. Jan. 11 in the 100 block of First Street. A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 5:52 p.m. Jan. 12 in the 1900 block of Elm Street.
CREDIT CARD A credit/debit card abuse incident was reported at 8:45 a.m. Wednesday in the 1400 block of 11th Street.
TERRORISTIC THREAT A terroristic threat was reported at 6:51 p.m. Jan. 11 in the 5200 block of Cuellar Lane.
THEFT A theft was reported at 5:08 p.m. Jan. 10 in the 200 block of Papaya Drive. A theft was reported at 8:13 p.m. Jan. 11 at Stripes Convenience Store on 102 N. U.S. 83.
Watch for these as earnings news rolls in By DANIEL WAGNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
With fourth-quarter earnings seasons hitting its stride, investors are returning to the familiar comfort of cold, hard numbers — the press releases, conference calls and spreadsheets that provide a real view of corporate America’s performance. Trading has been dominated for months by speculation about news events: Washington’s perpetual state of gridlock, the impact of Superstorm Sandy, the international economic slowdown. Earnings give professional marketwatchers something tangible to analyze. “A lot of people like to trade around earnings because there are a lot of short-term opportunities there,” says Randy Frederick, managing director of active trading and derivatives at Charles Schwab. “We’re just starting to get into earnings in a big way this week, so there are plenty of ways to do that.” This week will bring answers to questions that have hung over the market for months: Will slower growth in China put a dent in big U.S. companies’ income? Will new housing numbers come in strong enough to keep homebuilders flying high? How much did Superstorm Sandy cost big insurers? Here’s a guide to some of the big stories that professional investors will be watching as the earnings news arrives: THE CHINA QUESTION: Big U.S. companies are increasingly reliant on sales to China, and growth there appears to be slowing. This round of earnings will shed light on how hard the slowdown is hitting American companies. The messages so far are mixed. When Alcoa announced its results on Jan. 8, executives said they expect
sales to grow by 7 to 10 percent in 2013, thanks to “the wealthier middle class” and “the general uptick in the Chinese economy.” Announcing its fiscal second quarter results last month, however, Nike said China was the only region where revenue declined. Executives said they expect lower income from China in the coming quarters as they work to build a strategy around Chinese consumers. “You’ve got to look at what these companies are seeing in Asian markets,” says John Butters, senior earnings analyst at FactSet, a research and data firm. “There seems to be an expectation of improvement in China as we progress through 2013,” he said. Traders will learn more from earnings announcements by companies like McDonald’s (on Wednesday) and 3M (on Thursday). In 2011, 3M generated 41 percent of its operating income in the Asia Pacific region, compared with 26 percent in the U.S. McDonald’s generated 22 percent of its revenue in the region that includes Asia, compared with 32 percent in the U.S. HOUSING RALLY: HOW LONG? The government said Thursday that U.S. builders started work on homes in December at the fastest pace in 4 1/2 years, and that last year was the best year for residential construction since the early stages of the housing crisis. It was the latest announcement to lift homebuilder stocks, which have been on a tear as evidence mounts that the housing market has finally regained some momentum. Homebuilders in the Standard & Poor’s 500 index have shot up 23 percent since their recent low on Nov. 14. Already this month, seven homebuilders have hit 52-week highs on heavy trading volume.
Yet some have been reluctant to trust the turnaround in the housing market. In an earnings call with analysts last week, Citigroup Chief Financial Officer John Gerspach said his bank won’t start to release billions in reserves held against mortgage losses until it’s clear that the trend is sustainable. This week brings more data on sales of new and existing homes in December. If the numbers look weak, analysts say, homebuilder stocks may appear overbid and the rally may pause until earnings results arrive from big players like D.R. Horton Inc. (Jan. 29) and PulteGroup Inc. (Jan. 31). HOW SUPER, STORM SANDY? Superstorm Sandy had broad, negative economic effects, like keeping holiday shoppers home and wiping out disposable income. But its most direct impact was on insurers. This quarter’s earnings will give traders their first look at how hard Sandy hit the major property and casualty insurance companies. Analysts have been reducing their expectations for the financial industry’s performance mainly because of insurers, Butters said. Reporting on Friday, auto insurer Progressive Corp. said Sandy cost it about $15 million in December, contributing to a decline in net income of 3 percent from the same quarter a year earlier. The Travelers Cos. Inc., one of the 30 stocks in the Dow Jones industrial average, reports its results on Tuesday. ACE Ltd. reports on Jan. 29. TECH TROUBLE: Tech companies have been vocal about the challenges they face. Of the 32 tech companies that gave earlier guidance about their fourth-quarter performance, more than 90 percent were negative, Butters says. The usual number is closer to 50 percent, he said.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Perry takes aim at higher ed By BILL KING HOUSTON CHRONICLE
O
ne of the high profile, high stakes battles currently being waged in the Texas capital is over what higher education in Texas will look like in the future. Gov. Rick Perry declared the war by concluding that the state’s major universities, and the University of Texas and Texas A&M in particular, were in need of serious reform. The intellectual fuel for Perry’s ideas of reform come from the Texas Public Policy Foundation, a conservative Austin think tank that devotes a substantial portion of its efforts proposing solutions to what it believes are inefficiencies and waste in state government.
Many changes TPPF and its allies have been advocating a menu of changes to the way higher education is managed. It believes those changes would bring down the costs for students and, nearer to its heart, taxpayers. TPPF’s proposals attempt to create some accountability for higher education’s productivity. But there is where the rub begins. To measure productivity, we must not only know the input costs, but what it is that we are trying to produce. So what is it exactly that we expect our universities to produce? Well, that depends on who you ask. TPPF and its allies think higher education should mostly be about producing young Texans with college degrees, something that academics see as only part of their mission. One place where this battle is playing out is in what would otherwise be the mundane area of accounting for higher education costs. Higher education has traditionally made little attempt to segregate its costs. TPPF and its allies are pressing for higher education to account separately for instructional and research costs. They believe that such segregation would allow some judgments as to the efficacy and efficiency of each.
Attack on research As you can imagine, the traditional academy sees this as nothing less than an all-out assault on a university system that has existed for centuries. They see such attempts at quantification as the first steps down a slippery slope that would undermine support for basic research and liberal arts generally, not to mention various academic privileges such as tenure. Now it may seem that reform of higher education is not exactly in Perry’s wheelhouse. But it may actually be very shrewd politics. And notwithstanding his embarrassing foray into presidential politics, Perry’s raw political instincts should never be underestimated.
Costly college The average Texas family has seen astronomical increases in the costs of
“
We are going to force the boards of the universities to increase tuition on the students instead.” COLUMNIST BILL KING
sending their children to college. Until 2003, the Texas Legislature set the tuition that state universities could charge their students. Then in 2003, faced with growing funding demands from the universities, the Legislature ”deregulated” tuition rates. This was really just code for “We don’t have the guts to increase taxes so we are going to force the boards of the universities to increase tuition on the students instead.” And that is exactly what happened. Since 2003, the tuition and fees to attend the state’s fouryear universities have more than doubled, far outpacing the rate of inflation.
No alma maters On top of that, many families have seen their own children denied access to their alma maters because of the ”10 percent rule” guaranteeing admission to the top students in Texas high schools and increasing competition for college slots. Together these two developments are a pretty good mix to breed discontent among the rank and file against the traditional academic community. And my guess is that a lot of families in this situation are going to be white suburbanites generally voting in the Republican primary. But those who favor the traditional model of higher education have begun to push back. A group of well-heeled Texans has organized the Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education and begun raising money. It will be an interesting issue to follow through the Legislature and over the next couple of years, both to see what effect it will have on higher education and whether Perry can use the issue to resuscitate his moribund approval ratings. Education, at all levels, is one of our most change-resistant institutions. It is hard to imagine that the breakthroughs in information technology that have brought revolutionary changes to so many industries and institutions are not going to leave their mark on the traditional academic model for higher education. All of that remains to be seen, but I will make one prediction. Perry’s assault on UT guarantees that anyone who decides to take him on in the primary or general election next year will have burntorange campaign cash to burn. Some things in Texas never change. (Email: weking@weking.net; on twitter.com/ weking.)
COLUMN
Pro-Life Rosary Walk is Sun. I
nfanticide, the deliberate killing of infants, was a horrible practice in ancient Rome. The head of the Roman family had the right to decide whether to raise a baby born into that family or to leave that child outside to die. But the followers of Christ resisted this terrible practice of a “Culture of Death”. Dating back to the first 100 years of Christianity and known as the “Teaching of the 12 Apostles,” the Didache stated clearly that Christians must be opposed to the killing of babies. Ancient sources tell us that early Christians would often rescue babies who had been abandoned to die. In doing this, they were proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus, the Gospel of Life, which states God, loves all human persons and their lives are sacred. The need to protect vulnerable babies continues in our present time. Forty years ago today, all
“
JAMES TAMAYO
50 states in our country had laws protecting the lives of prenatal babies. But on January 22, 1973, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled in “Roe vs. Wade” that those laws were unconstitutional. This opened the way for practically unlimited abortion in our country. An average of over 3,000 prenatal children are deliberately killed each day in the United States. This is a “Culture of Death” which we must oppose by proclaiming the Gospel of Life. We cannot close our eyes and our hearts to these children and to their parents. Jesus told us very clearly, “Whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers, that you did unto me.” (Mt. 25:40) This means that if we ignore those
threatened by abortion, Jesus will consider it as if we were ignoring Him. As followers of Christ, we must work to stop abortions and to help parents who are experiencing difficulties in bringing their children to birth, just as the Christians of ancient times rescued babies who had been left to die. We must also strive to help those parents who may be experiencing the guilt of having participated in an abortion. Let us bear witness to them that God is our loving Father who longs to forgive us when we are truly sorry for our sins, regardless of how bad those sins were. “Come now, let us set things right, says the Lord: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow . . .” (Is. 1:18). For Catholics, this means we should seek forgiveness in the sacrament of mercy, which is called Reconciliation or Confession.
I invite all people in the Diocese of Laredo to participate in the 13th Annual Pro-Life Rosary Walk, which will begin at 2:30 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Boston Street and Santa Ursula Avenue in Laredo. Participants will peacefully walk about two miles to the Cathedral of San Agustin as they pray for an end to abortion and for respect for the sanctity of every human life, from conception to natural death. Upon the conclusion of the walk, all are also invited to participate in Sanctity of Life Holy Hour in the Cathedral. A “March for Life” will also be held in Eagle Pass at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, the actual anniversary of the Supreme Court ruling. Let us follow the example of the early Christians, to protect babies who are in danger of death, and to stand up to a culture of death by proclaiming the Gospel of Life—Todo Con Amor.
COLUMN
The president’s license plate THE WASHINGTON POST
A
mong the many statements that President Obama will make during the upcoming week’s inaugural events will be a small but significant one about the continuing second-class ci-
tizenship of those who live in the nation’s capital. Obama’s decision to use District of Columbia license plates with the words "Taxation Without Representation" on all presidential vehicles is an encouraging sign of his support for the city. "President Obama has
lived in the District now for four years, and has seen first-hand how patently unfair it is for working families in D.C. to work hard, raise children and pay taxes, without having a vote in Congress," the White House said in a statement about the decision. Use of the plates will start this
weekend. No doubt the use of the license plates is mainly symbolic. The president’s second term gives him a second chance to do right by the District and its 630,000 residents. We hope that will mean more than symbols and promises.
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 our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-call-
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
ing 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.
State
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
District to train teachers to carry guns By TERRY WALLACE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — A small, mostly rural school district in East Texas will allow some teachers and administrators with training to carry concealed weapons, making it at least the second school system in the state to implement such a policy. The seven-member board of the Union Grove Independent School Dis-
Boy’s death jails woman By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
McALLEN — Attorneys for a South Texas woman convicted three decades ago of killing her boyfriend in California were at a loss Friday to explain her indictment this week on a capital murder charge after her 6-year-old stepson drowned during a beach outing. Court records indicate a Nueces County grand jury indicted Laura Lee Day, 47, of Corpus Christi Thursday on three charges: capital murder, injury to a child with intent to cause serious bodily injury and child endangerment. “I was taken by surprise by it,” Gabi Canales, one of Day’s attorneys, said Friday. “We intend to defend the charges.” Day could face execution or life in prison if convicted in the Oct. 5 death of Taylor Syring. She was held in the Nueces County jail Friday. Asked if he thought Day’s 1982 second-degree murder conviction in California would have played a role in the indictment, Canales’ co-counsel, Les Cassidy, said, “I don’t believe that figures into this case at all.” Canales and Cassidy declined to comment further on Day’s case, but said they expected her to be arraigned next week. The Nueces County district attorney did not return a call for comment. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Division of Juvenile Justice confirmed Friday that Laura Lee Feist, sharing the same birthdate with Laura Lee Day, was convicted in Orange County in 1982 of second-degree murder and sent to juvenile detention until she was 25. The Los Angeles Times reported at the time that the then-17-year-old girl fatally shot her 21-year-old boyfriend in Laguna Beach after he told her he wanted to end the relationship. She then turned the gun on herself. She survived and was tried as an adult. Court records in Maryland also show that Day, then using the married name Laura Lee Marsden, was convicted in 1993 of one count of bigamy for marrying a man while still married to another. Her six-month sentence was suspended. In 1996, Laura Lee Bush was convicted in Maryland of insurance fraud after setting her car on fire and reporting it stolen to collect the insurance, according to court records. Bush was Day’s mother’s name, according to the Los Angeles Times account of her murder case, and the birthdate on the case matches Day’s. Corpus Christi police say Day brought her unconscious 6-year-old stepson to the emergency room on the evening of Oct. 5. Attempts to revive the boy were unsuccessful. Day told police she watched Taylor play in the water and allowed him to take his life jacket off while he was in the shallow water. She said at some point he disappeared.
trict voted unanimously Thursday evening to enact the policy, Superintendent Brian Gray said Friday. Residents asked that faculty and staff be allowed to carry guns after the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., that left 26 dead. “We wanted it, our community supported it, and it’s a local decision,” Gray said. The district has about 750 students at its two ad-
“
We wanted it, our community supported it, and it’s a local decision.” SUPERINTENDENT BRIAN GRAY
joining campuses near Gladewater, about 110 miles east of Dallas.
Officials haven’t decided how many faculty and staff members will be trained to
carry weapons or whether the district will provide them with guns, Gray said. Texas law bans guns in schools unless the school has given written authorization. The state doesn’t track which schools allow them, said a spokeswoman for the Texas Education Agency. The Texas Association of School Boards helps local school boards draft policies. Association spokeswoman Shelley Stoll said at
least two Texas districts have policies for concealed weapons, but there could be more. The Harrold school district, about 160 miles northwest of Dallas, implemented such a policy in 2007. The school board decides which teachers and staff members can carry guns on campus. Those teachers must take additional training on shooting accuracy, hostage situations and how to clear a classroom.
National
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
Overcharged batteries eyed in 787 mishaps By JOAN LOWY ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — It’s likely that burning lithium ion batteries on two Boeing 787 Dreamliners were caused by overcharging, aviation safety and battery experts said Friday, pointing to developments in the investigation of the Boeing incidents as well as a battery fire in a business jet more than a year ago. An investigator in Japan, where a 787 made an emergency landing earlier this week, said the charred insides of the plane’s lithium ion battery show the battery received voltage in excess of its design limits. The similarity of the burned battery from the All Nippon Airways flight to the burned battery in a Japan Airlines 787 that caught fire Jan. 7 while the jet was parked at Boston’s Logan International Airport suggests a common cause, Japan transport ministry investigator Hideyo Kosugi said. “If we compare data from the latest case here and that in the U.S., we can pretty much figure out what happened,” Kosugi said. In the case of the 787 in Boston, the battery in the plane’s auxiliary power unit had recently received a large demand on its power and was in the process of charging when the fire ignited, a source familiar with the investigation of the 787 fire in Boston told The Associated Press. The plane had landed a short time earlier and was empty of passengers, although a cleaning crew was working in the plane. The source spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. The Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency order Wednesday temporarily grounding the six 787s belonging to United Airlines, the lone U.S. carrier operating Boeing’s newest and most technologically advanced airliner. The Japanese carriers already had grounded their 787s, and airlines and civil aviation authorities in other countries followed suit, shutting down all 50 Dreamliners that Boeing has delivered so far. Boeing said Friday it will stop delivering new 787s to customers until the electrical system is fixed. However, production is not stopping. The plane is assembled in Everett, Wash., and North Charleston, S.C. The aircraft maker has booked orders for more than 800 of the planes from airlines around the world attracted by its increased fuel efficiency. A battery fire in a Cessna Citation CJ4, a business jet, prompted the Federal Aviation Administration in October 2011 to issue an emergency order requiring the lithium ion batteries in all 42 of the jets in operation at that time to be re-
Photo by National Transportation Safety Board | AP
Seen is the burned auxiliary power unit battery from a JAL Boeing 787 that caught fire Jan. 7, at Boston’s Logan International Airport. placed with a conventional nickel-cadmium or leadacid battery. The fire occurred while the plane was hooked up to a ground power station at Cessna’s aircraft completion center in Wichita, Kan. Normally, that would cause an aircraft battery to automatically start charging, experts said. A letter from Cessna to CJ4 owners after the incident cautioned: “Do not connect a ground power unit to the airplane if you have reason to believe the battery may be in a depleted state ... Do not leave the aircraft unattended with a ground power unit connected.” The Citation was Cessna’s first business jet with a lithium ion battery as its main battery, and the 787 is the first airliner to make extensive use of lithium ion batteries. But the two are vastly different in size and in other respects, including their electrical systems, making comparisons difficult. Their batteries also came from different makers. The reasons they overcharged are likely to be different, experts said. However, the three incidents — the two burned 787 batteries and the Citation fire — underscore the vulnerability of lithium ion batteries to igniting if they receive too much voltage too fast, experts said. Other types of batteries may overheat in those circumstances, but they are far less susceptible to starting a fire, they said. “Other batteries don’t go this wrong when you treat them this badly,” said Jay Whitacre, an associate professor of materials science and engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. “The overall story here is these batteries are full of flammable electrolyte and they will burn if they are mistreated and something goes wrong.” There was one lithium ion battery fire during testing of the batteries while Boeing was working with FAA on certification of the 787, said Marc Birtel, a spokesman for the aircraftmaker. However, that fire was
due to problems with the test rather than the batteries themselves, he said. “There are multiple backups to ensure the system is safe,” Birtel said. “These include protections against over-charging and over-discharging.” But John Goglia, an safety expert and former National Transportation Safety board member, said, “It certainly sounds like based on what has been released so far that we have an issue of the battery charger or some other source providing too much energy to the battery.” He said too-rapid charging might cause the electrolyte fluid in the batteries to overheat, leak and catch fire. If the incidents are due to overcharging batteries, that might be good news for Boeing, Goglia said. A flaw in the aircraft’s electronics that permits overcharging would likely be much easier to fix than having to replace the aircraft’s lithium batteries with another kind of battery, he said. Another possibility is a manufacturing defect in the batteries themselves, Whitacre said. More than other types of batteries, lithium ion batteries rely on very thin sheets of material internally to separate the negative and positive poles. The slightest flaw can cause a short circuit, overheating the flammable electrolytes. “It’s a delicate ecosystem that you are creating inside it and you have to manufacture it with perfect integrity,” Whitacre said. “Then you have to keep it in the right voltage range and be very safe with its environmental conditions.” The attraction of lithium batteries is that they are significantly lighter than other types of batteries. That saves fuel, which is airlines’ leading expense. They also charge faster and contain more energy. And they can be molded to fit into odd space on airplanes, which most other batteries cannot. The only other airliner using lithium batteries is the Airbus A380.
Photo by M. Spencer Green/file | AP
Volunteers pass through the first full body scanner installed at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, in 2010. The Transportation Security Administration says the scanners will be gone by June.
Invasive body scanners to be out of airports By RON NIXON NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON — After years of complaints by passengers and members of Congress, the Transportation Security Administration said Friday that it will begin removing the controversial full-body scanners that produce revealing images of airline travelers from airports beginning this summer. The agency said it canceled a contract, originally worth $40 million, with the maker of the scanners, Rapiscan, after the company failed to meet a congressional deadline for new software that would protect passengers’ privacy. Since going into widespread use nearly three years ago, the scanners have been criticized by
passengers for being too invasive and are the subject of lawsuits from privacy groups. The TSA began deploying the scanners in 2010, after a 2009 Christmas Day attempt by Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, a Nigerian citizen, to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines flight by setting off explosives hidden in his underwear. The TSA said 174 of the machines are being used at airport checkpoints around the country. Another 76 are housed at a TSA storage facility in Texas. Rapiscan will be required to pay all the costs to remove the scanners. In a statement, Deepak Chopra, the company’s president, said the decision to cancel the contract
and remove the scanners was a “a mutually satisfactory agreement with the TSA.” The company said scanners would be used at other government agencies. The removal of the Rapiscan scanners does not mean that all full-body scanners will be removed from airport security checkpoints. A second type of full-body scanner does not produce revealing images. Instead, it makes an avatar-like projection on security screens. The TSA said those machines, which should be in airports by June, will allow quicker scans than those using X-rays. “This means faster lanes for the traveler and enhanced security,” the agency said.
SÁBADO 19 DE ENERO DE 2013
Agenda en Breve
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 7A
ECONOMÍA
Préstamos para agricultores
SÁBADO 19 DE ENERO LAREDO — El Mercado Agrícola “El Centro de Laredo” se lleva a cabo de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m. en Plaza Jarvis. Algunos de los productos que habrá son: toronjas, cilantro, perejil, ensaladas, papayas, granadas, cebollas, lavanda, velas, jabones, productos para el cuidado de la piel y de belleza. Estacionamiento gratuito en El Metro, con la compra de algún producto. LAREDO — Décima octava edición del Menudo Bowl anual de Crime Stoppers, de 11 a.m. a 7 p.m. en LIFE Grounds sobre Carretera 59. Entrada: 5 dólares para adultos; niños de 12 años y menores entran gratis. Estacionamiento gratuito. Habrá concurso de Menudo, música en vivo, motocicletas, cabalgata, participación de los luchadores del LWA, juegos infantiles, y comida variada. LAREDO — Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta: “The Little Star That Could” a las 3 p.m.; “Black Holes”, a las 4 p.m.; “The Wall”* a las 5 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares, niños; y 5 dólares, general. “The Wall” es 1 dólar más. LAREDO — LTGI y TAMIU presentan “Magnolias de Acero” de Robert Harling, a las 3 p.m. y 8 p.m. en el Teatro Experimental Sam Johnson de TAMIU. Boleto: 15 dólares (general), 10 para estudiantes y adultos mayores. Otra función el domingo a las 3 p.m. NUEVO LAREDO, México — Estación Palabra presenta: “Bazar de Arte” a las 12 p.m.; y, Festival Infantil “Homenaje a Guadalupe Posadas” con Taller de Grabadi a las 12 p.m.; Lectura en Voz Alta a la 1 p.m.; y, Lotería de Calaveras, a la 1:30 p.m.; también se presentará “Hip Hop Vs Drugs” que imparte Greogo San (Becario del PECDA 2013) de 4 p.m. a 5 p.m. Entrada libre.
DOMINGO 20 DE ENERO NUEVO LAREDO, México — La compañía de danza “Raices de Arte Español”ofrecerán un concierto a las 3 p.m. en el teatro Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center, en el Campus Fort McIntosh del Laredo Community College. Costo: 5 y 10 dólares. Ganancias se destinarán a becas estudiantiles.
MARTES 22 DE ENERO LAREDO — El monólogo “Moliere than Thou” se presenta a las 7:30 p.m. en el teatro del Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center del campus Fort McIntosh. Costo: 10 dólares, al público; 5 para estudiantes y adultos mayores.
JUEVES 24 DE ENERO LAREDO — Primera Campaña Anual “Boliche para Kindergartners”, a partir de las 5:30 p.m. en Jett Bowl North, 5823 McPherson Road. Donación: 150 dólares. Fondos ayudarán a la organización sin fines de lucro “Help Educate Texas Children, Inc.” Informes con Michael Puig al 763-1522.
VIERNES 25 DE ENERO LAREDO — Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta: “Force5” a las 6 p.m. y “The Future is Wild” a las 7 p.m. Costos: 4 y 5 dólares. LAREDO — Cuarta campaña de recaudación de fondos para becas escolares “Noche de Agave”, de la Asociación de Abogados del Condado de Webb-Laredo, y el WBCA, a las 8 p.m. en Paseo Real, 2335 Endeavor Dr. Música a cargo de Banda Show International. Costo: 100 dólares por persona.
POR MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Fue anunciado un préstamo para apoyar a los agricultores de Webb, Zapata y otros 205 condados de Texas, a fin de ayudarles a resarcir los daños que les ha ocasionado la sequía. James B. Douglass, Director Ejecutivo Interino del Texas Farm Service Agency (Agencia de Servicio a Agricultores de Texas— FSA, por sus siglas en inglés), que depende del Departamento de Agricultura de Estados Unidos (USDA), hizo el anuncio de los préstamos a través de un comunicado de prensa esta semana. Douglass explicó que se trata
de condados declarados en desastre el 9 de enero pasado, debido a la sequía o calor utilizando el nuevo proceso simplificado del ‘Secretarial Disaster DeGONZALES signation’. George L. Gonzales, Agente de Extensión del Condado-Recursos Naturales y de Agricultura, del AgriLife Extension de TexasA&M, dijo que es imposible cuantificar los daños por la sequía, o la cantidad de rancheros afectados. “La razón es que muchos han vendido su ganado, otros diversificaron su actividad con el Eagle
Ford Shale, así como unos más fraccionaron su tierra y vendieron”, dijo Gonzales. “Los rancheros realizaron medidas preventivas o de conservación, así como dejaron descansar la tierra”. Los interesados en el préstamo deben presentar una solicitud a más tardar el 9 de septiembre en la oficina del ‘Farm Service Agency’, del 7902 E. Saunders, o bien llamar a (361) 668-8361. El préstamo tendrá una tasa de interés del 2.25%, pudiendo tener acceso a un máximo de 500.000 dólares, dependiendo de la calificación que se le otorgue. Deben hacer sido afectados por la sequía en un periodo de al menos ocho semanas, o deben haber
perdido más del 30% de la cosecha o de sus hatos ganaderos, explica Douglas en el comunicado. Una vez que la solicitud sea recibida, un representante de crédito viajará a la ciudad para entrevistar a los solicitantes. El solicitante deberá llevar a la cita documentos que acrediten su propiedad. A decir de Douglas cada solicitud de préstamo debe generarse teniendo en cuenta la magnitud de las pérdidas, la seguridad disponible y capacidad de pago. Más información visitando www.fsa.usda.gov. (Localice a Miguel Timoshenkov en (956) 728-2583 o en mramirez@lmtonline.com)
GOBIERNO
RESPUESTA A PETICIÓN
Foto por Eric Gay | Associated Press
La bandera de Texas es vista en el campo previo al Alamo Bowl NCAA a finales de diciembre en San Antonio. La petición de 125.000 personas para que Texas deje de ser un estado y se convierta en un país, fue rechazada por la Casa Blanca.
Casa Blanca: Texas no puede separarse de EU POR JUAN CARLOS LLORCA ASSOCIATED PRESS
E
L PASO — Malas noticias para las miles de personas que desean que Texas forme un nuevo país: el estado sigue siendo parte de Estados Unidos. A una solicitud de que se permita la independencia de Texas, la Casa Blanca respondió que los llamados Padres Fundadores de la nación “no concibieron el derecho de separarse de ella”. Más de 125.000 personas firmaron la petición, presentada pocos días después de que el presidente Barack Obama ganó la reelección. La Casa Blanca se comprometió a responder antes de 30 días cualquier solicitud que recabe más de 25.000
firmas. Jon Carson, director de la Oficina de Compromiso Público de la Casa Blanca, respondió a la petición con una cita del primer discurso de toma de posesión de Abraham Lincoln y con una opinión de la Corte Suprema al término de la Guerra Civil. En la respuesta dijo que Estados Unidos fue creado como una “unión perpetua” que permite a la gente con creencias diferentes debatir sus problemas. “La democracia puede ser ruidosa y controvertida”, dijo Carson. “El debate libre y abierto es lo que permite el funcionamiento del país, pero por mucho que valoremos un debate saludable, no permitimos que ese debate nos divida”,
agregó. La petición fue presentada por Micah Hurd, miembro de la Guardia Nacional de Texas y estudiante de ingeniería en la Universidad de Texas en Arlington. Hurd no estuvo disponible para opinar sobre el asunto. En la solicitud para que se permitiera a Texas separarse del país se argumentó las “dificultades económicas (por las que atraviesa Estados Unidos) derivadas del descuido del gobierno federal para reformar el gasto interno y externo”. En la petición se expuso que dada la dimensión de la economía de Texas y debido a que el estado tiene un presupuesto equilibrado, sería “prácticamente factible para Texas separarse de la unión”.
COLUMNA
Benito Juárez y la firma del Tratado McLane-Ocampo Nota del Editor: La siguiente es una columna especial acerca de la historia de México.
POR RAUL SINENCIO
Al cabo de varias propuestas y contrapuestas, en las descritas circunstancias el 14 de diciembre de 1859 estuvo listo el Tratado McLane-Ocampo.
ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Suelen formularse a don Benito Juárez serios reproches. Mucho destaca el relativo al Tratado McLaneOcampo. Corría la guerra de Reforma. Del lado conservador figuraba el ejército, que junto con los jerarcas eclesiásticos defendía privilegios corporativos. Consiguieron así imponerse militarmente a los defensores del orden constitucional, apoyados en milicias populares. En indudable golpe de audacia, el presidente Juárez y su gabinete se instalaron en el puerto de Veracruz. Frente al enclave, sin embargo, España, Francia, Inglaterra y EU mantenían
fuerzas navales. Dichas naciones reconocieron ipso facto a las autoridades golpistas, nomás por ocupar la Ciudad de México. El 26 de septiembre de 1859, París consintió asimismo la firma del Tratado Mon-Almonte, en que a nombre de México los conservadores pactaron con Isabel II de Borbón pagarle cuantioso adeudo, en buena medida fraudulento.
Bombardeo Veracruz Sin cuidar las formas, el embajador de la reina hispana en nuestras tierras propuso que su Armada bombardeara Veracruz. No
obstante, las aludidas potencias insistieron en ofrecerse como mediadoras. Ante los hechos, don Benito recelaba, mas algunos colaboradores eran partidarios de tomarles la palabra y alcanzar una paz negociada. Renuente la reacción a cederle territorio, EU rompería con ella. Como Washington le hiciera igual planteamiento, aprovechó el futuro Benemérito de las Américas para conseguir en abril de 1859 el reconocimiento diplomático estadounidense. Fracasaba mientras tanto el primer sitio de Miguel Miramón a la plaza jarocha. De parte juarista hubo enseguida
negociaciones con la embajada angloamericana, que el canciller Melchor Ocampo prolongó de audaz forma casi todo el año.
Represalias bélicas Tras alegar invasiones desde estos confines, durante el ínterin los americanos movilizaron tropas a su frontera sureña. Comandante de la corbeta Saint Mary, amagó H. C. Porter con represalias bélicas porque a varios compatriotas suyos los habían expulsado de Sonora. El presidente James Buchanan adoptaría posiciones hostiles. Al cabo de varias pro-
puestas y contrapuestas, en las descritas circunstancias el 14 de diciembre de 1859 estuvo listo el Tratado McLane-Ocampo. Con determinadas limitantes, el acuerdo permitiría a EU cruzar suelo patrio, algo concedido ya por el Tratado de La Mesilla, que Antonio López de Santa Anna firmara en 1853. A cambio, aceptó el reticente vecino del norte brindar respaldo al gobierno legítimo de México en caso necesario. Aun firme, del Tratado Mon-Almonte ningún provecho concreto sacaron las elites conservadoras. En contraste, el Tratado McLane-Ocampo nunca llegaría a ratificarse. Pero los protagonistas de la Reforma le sacaron gran provecho sin dañar intereses supremos. (Con autorización del autor, según fuera publicado en La Razón, Tampico, el 7 diciembre 2012)
National
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
1 American dies in Algeria Papers takes down gun permit data
By BRADLEY KLAPPER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — One American worker at a natural gas complex in Algeria has been found dead, U.S. officials said Friday as the Obama administration sought to secure the release of Americans still being held by militants on the third day of the hostage standoff in the Sahara. How Frederick Buttaccio, a Texas resident, died was not noted in a statement from State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland. A spokesman for the Buttaccio family in the Houston suburb of Katy declined to comment. “We express our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” Nuland said. “Out of respect for the family’s privacy, we have no further comment.” It was not immediately clear whether Buttaccio was the only American killed in the standoff. U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Buttaccio’s remains were recovered Friday. Officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she spoke by telephone with Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal to get an update on Americans and others in danger at the sprawling Ain Amenas refinery 800 miles south of Algiers. She said the “utmost care must be taken to preserve innocent life.” Clinton talked to reporters after the Obama administration confirmed that Americans were still being held hostage, even as some U.S. citizens were
By JIM FITZGERALD ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Canal Algerie via Associated Press TV | AP
An unidentified rescued hostage receives treatment in a hospital in Ain Amenas, Algeria, in this image taken from television Friday. being flown out of the country for recovery in Europe. The Algerian state news agency reported that 12 hostages had been killed since Wednesday’s start of an Algerian rescue operation, and world leaders steadily increased their criticism of the North African country’s handling of the attack. Clinton, however, defended Algeria’s action. “Let’s not forget: This is an act of terror,” she told reporters in Washington. “The perpetrators are the terrorists. They are the ones who have assaulted this facility, have taken hostage Algerians and others from around the world as they were going about their daily business.” Earlier Friday, Algeria’s state news service reported nearly 100 of the 132 foreign workers kidnapped by Islamic militants were free. That number of hostages at the remote desert facility was significantly
Colo. judge tells reporter to testify By CATHERINE TSAI ASSOCIATED PRESS
DENVER — A judge on Friday ordered a Fox News reporter to testify about who gave her information about a notebook that the man accused of killing 12 people in a Colorado theater had sent to his psychiatrist. A July 25 article by Jana Winter on FoxNews.com cited unnamed law enforcement sources in describing the contents of a notebook James Holmes sent to Dr. Lynne Fenton. Attorneys for Holmes, who also is accused of injuring 70 other people in the July 20 attack, say the information has jeopardized Holmes’ right to a fair trial, and Winter’s notes are needed to determine who leaked it. In his order, Arapahoe County District Judge William Sylvester said he’s requiring Winter to testify in Colorado. He said Holmes’ attorneys will pay for her travel from New York. Fox News said Friday that it can’t comment on pending legal matters. Two days before the Fox News article was published, Sylvester had issued a gag order on parties in the case and law enforcement, in an effort to avoid prejudicing the criminal proceedings against Holmes. “The potential violation of this Court’s orders is a serious issue,” Sylvester wrote. Law enforcement officials who had contact with the notebook have denied in testimony and in affidavits that they shared information with the media. Holmes had sent a package containing the notebook and burnt paper money Fenton, shortly before the shooting, according to previous testimony. Authorities haven’t described the notebook’s contents. Winter’s article said
it contained details about how he was going to kill people. In December, Aurora police Detective Alton Reed testified that he thumbed through the notebook to see if any burnt currency remained inside but didn’t stop to look at any of the pages and wasn’t able to make out any writing. Authorities said they learned of the notebook only after Holmes’ attorneys contacted Fenton after the shooting and asked for it back. The package was then found, undelivered, in the university mail room. Former Colorado prosecutor Karen Steinhauser said the ruling was very unusual and likely means the judge believes the case is an exception to the state’s shield law protecting journalists from revealing their sources. In Colorado, journalists can be ordered to reveal their sources if they have information directly related to court proceedings, if the information can’t be obtained by other means, and if the interests of the party seeking the information — in this case, the defense — outweigh the interests of the journalist. If they refuse, they can be held in contempt and jailed until they reveal the source. Steinhauser said the identity of the source and the notebook touch on several important issues in Holmes’ prosecution, including whether any potential law enforcement witnesses have committed perjury, Holmes’ right to a fair trial and the possible violation of the judge’s gag order.
higher than any previous report, but questions remained about the fate of more than 30 other foreign energy workers. BP evacuated one American, along with other foreign workers, to Mallorca, Spain, and then to London. And an American official said a U.S. military C-130 flew a group of people, including some lightly wounded or injured, from Algiers to a U.S. facility in Europe on Friday. The official wasn’t authorized to speak publicly. In London, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta met with British Prime Minister David Cameron at No. 10 Downing St. to assess their governments’ understandings of the situation. At King’s College, Panetta said the U.S. is “working around the clock to ensure the safe return of our citizens” and that terrorists should be on notice they will find no sanctuary in Algeria or North Africa.
The White House said President Barack Obama was being briefed Friday by his national security team. His top aides were in touch with Algerian officials as well as BP’s security office in London. BP jointly operates the natural gas plant. U.S. officials have refused to confirm the number of Americans still captive or unaccounted for because they say that might compromise their safety. Still, the U.S. flatly rejected an offer by the militants to free two American hostages in exchange for the release of Omar Abdel Rahman, a blind sheikh convicted of plotting to blow up New York City landmarks and considered the spiritual leader of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, and Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani scientist convicted of shooting at two U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan. Both are jailed in the United States.
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. — A suburban New York newspaper that outraged gun owners by posting the names and addresses of residents with handgun permits removed the information from its website Friday. The Journal News took down the data just three days after the state enacted a gun control law that included privacy provisions for permit holders. The provisions were a reaction to interactive maps the newspaper published on LoHud.com that pinpointed thousands of permit holders in Westchester and Rockland counties. Gun rights activists had immediately complained that permit owners’ privacy was being violated. They said the map could guide burglars to their homes while police groups claimed the map could lead ex-convicts to the officers who had put them away. The addresses of some Journal News staffers were posted online, and threats were called in to the newspaper’s offices. The newspaper hired armed guards in response. Janet Hasson, president and publisher of The Journal News Media Group, said in an emailed statement, “While the new law does not require us to remove the data, we believe that doing so complies with its spirit.”
She said the maps had been viewed nearly 1.2 million times since they were published Dec. 23. The newspaper sought the records under the state Freedom of Information Law after the Dec. 14 elementary school shooting in Newtown, Conn. The maps remained online late Friday but could no longer be manipulated to find names and addresses. State Sen. Greg Ball, the most vocal opponent of the posting, said, “Thank God The Journal News has finally realized the error in their judgment and done the right thing. ... I am proud to have passed legislation keeping The Journal News from doing this ever again.” On Tuesday, as part of a gun control bill, the state Legislature passed and Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed new regulations that give permit holders several ways to opt out of the public record. Applicants can ask to be exempted because they are police officers or served on criminal-case juries or are victims of domestic violence. They also can just say they might be subjected to harassment. Hasson said Friday, “One of our core missions as a newspaper is to empower our readers with as much information as possible on the critical issues they face, and guns have certainly become a top issue since the massacre in nearby Newtown, Conn.”
Husband, sons eulogized By JIM SUHR ASSOCIATED PRESS
WATERLOO, Ill. — The widow of an Air Force veteran who died with two of their young sons during a Missouri hike told mourners Friday she’s comforted knowing her husband and boys were loved and “together until the very last moment.” Standing near the three caskets inside an Illinois funeral home, Sarah Decareaux tried hard to find the words to say and not cry. “I just love my boys. I love their daddy,” she said of David, 36, and their inquisitive Cub Scout sons, Dominic, 10 and Grant, 8. “I know they’re resting in peace, and I know they’re all together.” David Decareaux’s flagdraped casket was flanked by the boys’ tiny white ones during the service, which was marked by a moment that brought many of the 200 mourners to tears: Dominic and Grant being posthumously named honorary Eagle Scouts. The Millstadt, Ill., father set out last Saturday with his sons on the narrow Ozarks Trail in southeast Missouri during a family outing to the Mark Twain National Forest. The three got lost and never returned. Their bodies were found the next day on the trail just a mile from where the rest of the family waited.
Photo by family/Belleville News Democrat | AP
David Decareaux, 36, and his sons, Grant, 8, and Dominic, 10, died while hiking on Jan. 13. Authorities said they died of hypothermia from temperatures that dropped from nearly 60 degrees to below freezing. Two inches of rain also dumped on the area, and that combined with loss of sunlight turning the forest pitch black made the bonechilling conditions even more threatening to the hikers, who wore only light clothing. Hiking experts have suggested such tragedies
are preventable if trekkers pay close attention to forecasts and dress for the weather. But on Friday, there was no second-guessing as relatives and friends in the Illinois town of Waterloo, just southeast of St. Louis, reflected on the close-knit, spiritual and adventurous family. Several photos of Sarah, David and their five children were displayed in an area just outside the par-
lor where the funeral was held. Some showed the family enjoying the outdoors, others in portrait settings. Dominic and Grant’s scouting shirts also were hanging nearby. And there was a memory book, its cover bearing loving tributes by the boys’ sister who created it. “Dad, I hope you are having fun in heven. I love you,” the girl scrawled. Those who spoke about David Decareaux at the funeral described him as a loyal, smart man whose chance meeting with Sarah left him love-struck, with their five-week, whirlwind romance culminating in marriage. Decareaux, who was all business when it came to his work in the Air Force and more recently for the Pentagon’s Defense Information Systems Agency at a nearby air base, was known for his lighter side as well. He enjoyed a good prank and taught himself how to play guitar, his Bible never far away. Brittany Raborn, 11 years younger than brother David, recalled relentlessly pestering her brother growing up. “Because I wanted to be just like you,” she said, directing her words to her brother in spirit and to mourners. “I followed your every move.” Once, in middle school, she even passed off David’s intricate artwork as her own.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
Hill mulls Senate hearings in ‘Anita’ By SANDY COHEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARK CITY, Utah — Anita Hill made national headlines in 1991 when she testified that then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas had made sexually inappropriate comments toward her, giving prominent exposure to the idea of sexual harassment. Hill was verbally attacked, and Thomas was confirmed. More than 20 years later, director Freida Mock explores Hill’s landmark testimony and the resulting social and political changes in the documentary “Anita,” premiering Saturday at
the Sundance Film Festival. “It was the right time for me because I just realized that, since I work with young people at a university, I realized how their orientation was so visual — visual in the sense of moving pictures,” Hill said in an interview Friday, “and this was really an opportunity to have a story told in a way that was going to continue and be available and informative to people of a new generation.” Mock said the 20th anniversary of Hill’s testimony was the perfect time to “benchmark the event.” “It offered kind of a
Photo by Victoria Will/Invision | AP
Anita Hill poses at the Sundance Film Festival on Friday, in Park City, Utah. “Anita” premiers today at the Sundance Film Festival. great bookend to look at the story: Her personal story as well as our country’s
story, and what’s happened socially and politically from what Anita did in
terms of raising that issue about sexual misconduct,” the director said. The two women spent more than three years making the film, which goes back further than the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings to Hill’s childhood. It also looks forward, exploring the young activists working to eradicate gender discrimination. Hill’s testimony changed the course of her career. “What ultimately happened was I realized the issue did not just shrink,” she said. “Even just explaining what sexual harassment laws are did not shrink the issues. It was al-
ASSISTANCE Continued from Page 1A nation, ranchers and farmers are eligible to apply with the FSA for assistance due to losses. As part of the assistance program, those affected can apply for crop loss, livestock loss, and damaged farm property loss. Under crop loss, disaster programs include Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program to cover production losses for crops when federal insurance is not available; Supplemental Revenue Assistance Payments Program for crop losses in counties de-
clared a disaster by the Secretary of Agriculture; and Tree Assistance Program for tree losses. Four disaster programs are available under livestock loss, including Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program for livestock not covered by LIP, for grazing losses not covered by LFP, for farm-raised fish and honeybee death, and for feed losses; Livestock Forage Disaster Program for grazing losses; Livestock Indemnity Pro-
gram for livestock deaths; and Emergency Haying and Grazing of Conservation Reserve Program acreage may be authorized to provide relief to livestock producers in areas affected by a severe drought or similar natural disaster. For damaged farm property, those affected may apply for Emergency Conservation Program that helps rehabilitate farmland damaged by natural disasters and for carrying out emergency water conservation measures. Meanwhile, those affected by all the three types of losses
most like it was an onion: You started peeling at one layer and then you realized there were all these different layers.” After receiving a call from a stranger who revealed that he had been sexually abused, Hill was determined to continue the national conversation. “At that point, I realized that this was an issue that resonated with women. It was an issue that resonated with men. It was an issue that was about sexual harassment. It was an issue about sexual abuse and sexual violence, and it just kept going from there,” she said.
LINK may qualify for two programs. The EM program provides emergency loans to restore or replace essential property damaged in the disaster, finance production losses to crops and livestock, and helps fund essential family living and farm operating expenses or refinances certain debts. The DA program, also known as Disaster Set-Aside, is for producers who have direct loans with FSA and are unable to make scheduled payments. For more information on the disaster program, visit http:// disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
Continued from Page 1A of the FBI office in Phoenix, said Lozano Cruz acknowledged to FBI agents in Texas that he lied about being involved in Terry’s death to draw attention to himself. When asked about the Lozano Cruz’s purported link to Terry’s killing, FBI spokesman Manuel Johnson in Phoenix said Friday “that information is inaccurate” but declined to elaborate. Lozano Cruz was arraigned Thursday on two counts of making a terroristic threat against Hidalgo County Sheriff Lupe Treviño, who said he has no evidence Lozano Cruz was involved with Terry’s killing.
TRANSPLANTS Continued from Page 1A eling from Mississippi to meet Lee and her family for the first time. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time,” Lee said. “I am about to meet the mother of my lungs. So that’s just really kind of an amazing thing.” On the airplane, Ellen DuVernay, Saucier’s mother, experienced similar feelings. The day before she left for North Texas, she had said she was excited about the meeting but also was preparing for the emotions it would stir for both of them. “I am sure we will both do some crying,” DuVernay said. “But I feel like I am about to meet family.” Lee was born with Hermansky-Pudlack Syndrome, a genetic, metabolic disorder that causes albinism and can lead to pulmonary fibrosis, which causes the lungs to become damaged or scarred and stop functioning properly. In 2010, her lungs started to fail. Lee, who worked in human resources and has three adult children and a stepson, lost her energy and required oxygen. Simply showering was difficult and walking up a set of stairs out of the question.
By June 2011, she was on the waiting list for new lungs at UT Southwestern Medical Center. Her husband Dave and her children stayed upbeat in her presence. But Lee was considered the matriarch of the family and, without her, her husband worried they could fall apart. Lee was still on the waiting list on Sept. 20, 2011. On that day, in Gulfport, Miss., DuVernay, Saucier and Saucier’s 4year-old daughter Mackenzie were at DuVernay’s home on a golf course in their subdivision. Saucier had long brown hair, green eyes and, her mother said, a beautiful smile. She worked for an after-school care program at an elementary school. She was best friends with her sister, Kortney, 19. She had been married for six years, and she loved to paint with her daughter. “She was just wonderful,” DuVernay said. “She was a fantastic mom, and her life revolved around that child.” That day, DuVernay, Saucier and Mackenzie rode a golf cart to the clubhouse to pick up sandwiches for lunch. On the slow drive home, Saucier
“
She was just wonderful. She was a fantastic mom, and her life revolved around that child.” ELLEN DUVERNAY, MOTHER OF TRANSPLANT DONOR
slipped from the back of the cart, striking her head on the street. She had a seizure — an image that still gives DuVernay nightmares — and was rushed to the hospital. When it was clear that Saucier would not survive, DuVernay and her husband Larry learned that their daughter was an organ donor. “She had always been so generous to others,” DuVernay said. “And she was that way until the day she died.” Hours later, surgeons were transplanting Saucier’s lungs into Lee. The young woman’s liver went to a father in Georgia. Her kidneys went to two men in Mississippi. Lee knew nothing about her donor and transplant officials suggest that, if organ recipients want to
contact a donor’s family, they wait at least a year. Patricia Kaiser, a clinical nurse specialist the UT Southwestern Heart and Lung Transplant Clinic, said she encourages organ recipients to write letters to the families of organ donors. Often, discussing the subject is emotional for patients. “I tell them very directly that this person did not die because they needed an organ,” she said. “But this is a way to give thanks to the family of someone who has given them a gift of life.” As the year passed, Lee composed letters in her head. But the words felt insufficient, too small to express her gratitude. In Mississippi, however, DuVernay was writing a letter of her own. She wanted to tell the recip-
ients about her daughter and wish them well. Lee got the letter in October. At dinner that night, 13 relatives joined her at New York Pizza Pasta in Valley Ranch. She read silently, tears in her eyes, sharing snippets aloud. “She was a female ... Her name was Brittany ... She had a little girl,” she told them. By the end, everyone at the table was in tears. Lee wrote back almost immediately. This time, she found the words. “I have always felt sad that someone had to lose their life and a family lose a loved one in order for me to live. But I was especially struck by your letter because Brittany was so young, because she left Mackenzie behind, and because your description of your relationship with her reminds me so much of my relationship with my daughters. I thank God every day, as I know that I would not be here today were it not for your selfless gift.” At the airport, Lee’s daughter Jessica, 24, spotted their guests arriving from their gate. Near the same age as Saucier when she died, Jessica and Kortney, like their mothers,
built a friendship through text messages and Facebook. The families rushed toward each other. No words were spoken. Lee and DuVernay wrapped themselves in a long, tearful hug. Jessica and Kortney did the same. Saucier’s godmother, Cheryl Yeargin, told a story from the airplane, how the family told a flight attendant why they were visiting. Soon, the captain made an announcement in the cabin asking other passengers to stay seated and let the DuVernays deplane first. When they landed, a man in the front row stood up and a flight attendant politely asked him to wait, she said. Both families, wiping tears, laughed. “I’m overwhelmed,” DuVernay said. “I’m so glad you’re here,” Lee told her. A full weekend together awaited them. Lee planned a reception so all her family and friends could meet the DuVernays, followed by a dinner. Arms still around one another, the two families turned and walked away together.
NAtional
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
Old home ‘meeting place with history’ By BENJAMIN WERLUND AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN
LEANDER — Carolyn Meihaus remembers summertime trips to her grandparents’ farm in Leander. Back then, neighbors were few — she remembers only three other houses that could be seen from the farmhouse. “We could make all the noise we wanted to because there was nobody we could disturb,” Meihaus, an Austin resident, said. “I remember how quiet at night it was out there. It was dark. I remember my grandfather always telling us about the constellations.” That was in the 1950s, when the Mason Homestead was already nearing the end of its first century. Now, the homestead — anchored by one of the first houses in Leander, built soon after the Civil War by a Confederate colonel — is surrounded by hundreds of modern homes in subdivisions bearing the family name, like Mason Creek and Mason Creek North. “It’s all part of the family farm,” Parks and Recreation Director Stephen Bosak said. “It’s part of our heritage.” After six years of work and about $120,000 in renovations, the city opened the home — which
Photo by Ricardo Brazziell/Statesman.com | AP
Stephen Bosak, the city parks director, talks about the Mason Homestead on Jan. 8, in Leander. The house is one of the oldest buildings in town and is now owned and operated by the city, which will rent the space for weddings and other events. was donated by the Mason family in 2005 — to the public as a “meeting place with history,” a sort of mix between an event venue and museum that’s the first and only one of its kind in Leander. For $100, residents can rent the space for a day. Non-residents can rent it for $150. The city is marketing the space as a poten-
tial venue for weddings, reunions and other events. “We haven’t got anything like it in Leander,” Bosak said. Though the fees “won’t pay the bills” for the city, he said he hopes they will cover the operating expenses. Nobody had lived in the home for years. The last owner was
Christine Mason, the granddaughter of C.C. Mason, who built the home sometime after 1865. She lived in Liberty Hill and donated the wood frame structure to the city in 2005. It needed a new roof, plumbing and electricity. Termites had eaten about a third of the wood in the house, Bosak said.
“It was one step forward, two steps back,” Bosak said. “We tried to put on a new roof and found out there was no foundation . It was sitting on cedar posts for over 100 years.” The home still features several pieces of furniture — a rocking chair, bed, several chests, an armoire — that belonged to Christine Mason when she lived there. The entryway features small exhibits with older artifacts, including C.C. Mason’s walking stick, spectacles and wallet, a letter from Christine Mason to the city and a bit of history she wrote from memory. “It was always a meeting place for family and friends alike, especially on Sunday when all family members came back home,” Christine Mason wrote. “My mother was a good cook and always had food. She was especially known for her ‘hot pies.’ When she heard someone was coming she would rush and make a coconut or chocolate pie. It wouldn’t have time to completely cool so it was it was eaten while hot.” According to Christine Mason’s written history, C.C. Mason and his wife Mary Jane moved to Leander from North Carolina around 1854. Christine Mason wrote that she was one of 12 children in two generations to be born in the house.
Ex-Marine fights mental illness head on By CHRISTINE BROUSSARD THE DAILY SENTINEL OF NACOGDOCHES
NACOGDOCHES — No one would assume by looking at him that Scott Massey, 46-year-old Nacogdoches resident and Mental Health and Mental Retardation county employee, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. Following recent shootings in Colorado and Connecticut, the debate over mental health options and awareness have increased. For Massey, the stigma that comes with having a mental disorder and its treatment can best be addressed through education. “Educating is very important. Educating and insight. The more education you have, the more insight you have. The more insight, the quicker people will get well. As long as people know what’s going on, it’s not a mystery.” Like most mental illnesses, Massey’s PTSD is controlled through a series of medications, self-relaxation therapy and monthly checkups. Although stabilized, his fight is constant and required a very long, bleak period of adjustment. Massey’s childhood was simple, but unique. The son of a Chickasaw Indian, Massey lived with his biological father in Oklahoma as a member of the Chickasaw Nation. After his mother remarried, she and her husband moved with Massey to a ranch near Canton, Texas. “I grew up on a ranch and was a pretty normal kid. I never had drug or al-
Photo by Andrew D. Brosig/The Daily Sentinel | AP
In this Jan. 5 photo, Scott Massey, a former Marine turned peer counselor through the county mental health department, walks at his home in Nacogdoches. Massey, 46, and a MHMR county employee, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disorder. cohol issues. After trying college, and it didn’t work out for me, I joined the service.” Serving 12 years of active duty, nine of those in the Marines, Massey experienced a world he never had been introduced. “I had several significant combat incidents while I was in (the service). A few years ago, when I was in an operation in North Africa, I had a flashback,” Massey said. “It’s just a really nice, neat way to say psychotic break. I can nearly tell you the day and almost the time that my entire life changed. At that moment something broke in my head, and my brain chemistry changed and nothing has been the same.” Although the incidents Massey encountered while serving in the military altered his state of mind, he noted the difficulty of pinpointing exactly what event altered his brain’s chemis-
try. “It was probably the stress of things (in the Marines) and not even the combat. One of the incidents that troubles me the most was probably the least violent. People are hardwired differently. You never know what’s going to affect one person over the other. I had no idea what was wrong with me. I never had any mental health problems before. I was just falling apart.” Massey began seeing a psychologist who specialized in PTSD and would ultimately diagnose him. After returning to the United States, his condition showed no improving. “I got so profoundly depressed I was almost catatonic. They tried the traditional medications on me, and they didn’t work. As a last-ditch effort, they put me through ECT (Electric Convulsive Therapy). Electric shock therapy is what
it is. It’s not at all what the movies portrayed. You don’t twitch or flinch.” Shortly after ECT, he began to respond to medications, allowing them to put him on mood stabilizers. “It elevated my mood enough where I came up out of the depression long enough that I was able to respond to cognitive therapy,” he said. “That is where the road started.” Coming to terms with his altered state of mind was Massey’s first fight. “Even as sick as I was, I remember walking in the first time I had an appointment with the psychologist. There was a sign-in log, and I sat there and could not write my name, because the minute I put my name down and signed in to be seen, I was admitting I was crazy. “The other big turning point for me was when they handed me pills,” he said. “The stigma itself will
make you resistant to treatment, and it’s really difficult to get over that.” Massey fought hard against the idea that he needed mental guidance, but his psychologist proved to be even more stubborn. “I came in to see my psychologist, and was in a real bad mood. And she said, ‘I’m not going to waste your time, and you’re not going to waste mine. So I’m going to leave you with this. Life is all about choices. You are where you are today because of choices you made. If you don’t like where you’re at today, make different choices and you’ll be somewhere different tomorrow.”’ At odds with his condition, and frustrated with the struggle, Massey walked out of her office in a huff. But her words slowly began to instill a sense of hope that Massey had lost long before. After a long night of suicidal thoughts,
Massey made a decision to fight. “I made up my mind that if she told me to go home and drink Kool-Aid and stand on my head and recite the pledge of the allegiance, I would be a standing-on-my-head, Kool-Aiddrinking, allegiance-reciting individual. “I have a very profound thanks for the doctors, nurses, therapists, social workers — everyone that does what they do. If it wasn’t for them, I would have been dead a long time ago.” Life had pitched Massey a severe curve ball, but he soon realized the only person who could help him was himself, so he got to work. “I’d always wanted to be a Marine. When all of this happened to me, it was humbling. I was going to be a career Marine, and literally in a moment it was all gone,” Massey said. “Because it was so humbling and life altering, it affected me profoundly. At first, it was just an attempt to get myself well. Next thing you know, I’m taking a job (as a peer provider). The truth to getting well is you’ve got to be willing to put out the effort. If a person is not prepared to do the work, then they’re not ready to get well yet.” Massey now has a passion for helping those in the position he found himself in years ago. His experience with psychotic breaks and the bipolar disorder that developed out of his PTSD gives him a strong presence in the treatment of patients.
Students learn the craft of watchmaking, repairs By DIANE JENNINGS THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
FORT WORTH — Hunched over workbenches eight hours a day, a handful of students in white lab coats toils with 21st-century tools to learn a 16th-century craft. Their technique must be precise, like the products they fashion. “It’s perfect for me, because it’s a combination of so many different things that I want to do,” Bennie Hernandez said. “I get to be a scientist and a surgeon (and) a mathematician.” Hernandez is part of a tiny class at one of the few watchmaking schools in the country, the prestigious North American Institute of Swiss Watchmaking.
At its Fort Worth school, only six students are selected for each year’s class and competition is fierce — as many as 100 applicants for each slot, said John Sokol, the school’s director. They come from a variety of backgrounds, from all over the country. Tuition and supplies are free, but students must pay their living expenses. The school is run by Richemont, the parent company of numerous luxury goods retailers, including prestigious watchmakers such as Cartier and Vacheron Constantin. Sister schools are in Hong Kong and Shanghai to ensure a well-trained labor force for the industry, Sokol said. Hernandez, 24, is a fairly typical student at the Fort
Worth school, which opened four years ago, Sokol said. “Passion is key here,” the director said. Hernandez has it. “What I find so intriguing and exciting is that there’s this tradition of practices and techniques,” Hernandez said. “Just a tradition that’s been passed down from generation to generation of watchmakers.” Sokol, 55, has had that same fascination for the intricacies of gears, springs and balance wheels since high school. Passion is necessary, Sokol said, because the twoyear certification course follows the rigorous Watchmakers of Switzerland Training and Education Program curriculum. The
intensive program can be grueling. Students face 3,000 hours of study, classroom work, projects and testing. Final exams are graded by Swiss watchmakers who journey to Fort Worth from Europe. After students complete the program, prospects are good, said Jim Lubic, executive director of the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute. Many graduates go to work at Richemont’s Fort Worth service facility. Starting salaries are around $45,000 and can go into six figures over time. Opportunities also are plentiful elsewhere, Lubic said, because only eight schools in the country — including one in Paris, Texas — provide certified watchmaking instruction.
Photo by Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News | AP
In this Jan. 10 photo, second year student Yen Vo, of Grand Prairie, lubricates a watch during a class in Fort Worth.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Hockey is back Dallas Stars seek to end playoff drought By SCHUYLER DIXON ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by LM Otero | AP
Dallas Stars defenseman Stephane Robidas (3) listens to right wing Jaromir Jagr (68) during training camp in Frisco, Texas, on Tuesday.
DALLAS — Brenden Morrow played for the Dallas Stars back when short seasons were the ones that ended in the conference finals. The Stars are a long way from playoff relevance after four straight years without a postseason trip, unthinkable when Morrow was a rookie in 2000 and Dallas was in the middle of a four-
year stretch that included 73 playoff games. Ending the drought will require the Stars to navigate the NHL’s version of a short season — a 48-game schedule trimmed by the 113-day lockout. Whether it takes one game or a hundred, Morrow just wants back in the playoffs. The long-delayed opener is Saturday night at home against Phoenix. “First year, go to the Stanley Cup final and think that’s going
to happen every year,” said Morrow, now a team captain who turned 34 three days before his 12th season. “You do take it for granted a little bit. Now you see the parity in the league and how tough it is to get back and you have to take advantage of the opportunity.” The Stars think they created an opportunity with several offensive additions, including a pair of 40-
See STARS PAGE 2B
NCAA FOOTBALL
CYCLING
ARMSTRONG ADMITS Photo by Michael Conroy | AP
In this Oct. 20, 2012, file photo, Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o chases the action against BYU in South Bend, Ind.
Te’o yet to speak out about hoax Photo by George Burns | Courtesy of Harpo Studios, Inc.
In this Monday file photo provided by Harpo Studios Inc., talk show host Oprah Winfrey, right, interviews Lance Armstrong during taping for the show "Oprah and Lance Armstrong: The Worldwide Exclusive" in Austin, Texas.
Anti-doping officials want further details By EDDIE PELLS ASSOCIATED PRESS
For anti-doping officials, Lance Armstrong’s admission of cheating was only a start. Now they want him to give details — lots of them — to clean up his sport. Armstrong’s muchawaited confession to Oprah Winfrey made for riveting television, but if the disgraced cyclist wants to take things further, it will involve sever-
“
There’s always a portion of lies in what he says, in my opinion. He stayed the way I thought he would: cold, hard.
al long days in meetings with anti-doping officials who have very specific questions: Who ran the
doping programs, how were they run and who looked the other way. “He didn’t name
names,” World Anti-Doping Agency President John Fahey told The Associated Press in Australia. “He didn’t say who supplied him, what officials were involved.” In the 90-minute interview Thursday night with Winfrey — the first of two parts broadcast on her OWN network — Armstrong said he started doping in the mid-1990s, using the
See ARMSTRONG PAGE 2B
Notre Dame AD Jack Swarbrick encourages him to talk publicly By TOM COYNE ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick says the school has encouraged linebacker Manti Te’o to speak publicly — and soon — about being the victim of a hoax involving a dead girlfriend who never existed. Swarbrick said during the taping of his weekly radio show, which airs regionally on Saturday but was posted online as a podcast on Friday, that Te’o has to explain exact-
ly how he was duped into an online relationship with a woman whose “death” was then faked by the perpetrators of the hoax. “I don’t have any specific knowledge as to how and when, but I can’t fathom a circumstance where it doesn’t (happen). I sort of share everybody’s view that it has to happen. We are certainly encouraging it to happen. We think it’s important and we’d like to see it happen sooner rather
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NATIONBAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Phoenix and coach Alvin Gentry agree to part ways By BOB BAUM ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns say the team and coach Alvin Gentry have “mutually agreed to part ways.” Gentry had coached the Suns since replacing the fired Terry Porter at the All-Star break of the 2008-09 season, compiling a 158-144 record. His 2010 squad, led by Steve Nash, went 54-28 and advanced to the Western Conference finals.
But Nash left and the team underwent what has been a disastrous rebuilding effort. The Suns have lost 13 of 15 and four straight at home. Their 9894 loss to Milwaukee on Thursday night snapped the Bucks’ 24-game losing streak in Phoenix. The Suns’ 13-28 record is the worst in the Western Conference and fourthworst in the NBA. Only Cleveland, Charlotte and Washington are worse. The Suns said in a news
release that an interim coach would be named within the next 24 to 48 hours. Gentry, who was in the final year of his contract, has been in coaching for three decades, including stints as head coach of the Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers and Miami Heat. He came to the Suns as an assistant to then-coach Mike D’Antoni, then stayed on the staff of new coach Terry Porter when D’Anto-
ni left for the New York Knicks. After Porter was fired, Gentry was named interim head coach, immediately restoring the uptempo style that D’Antoni had championed. Phoenix, under the ownership of Robert Sarver, never recovered when power forward Amar’e Stoudemire turned down a deal to return to the Suns and left for the Knicks. When Nash became a
See PHOENIX PAGE 2B
Photo by Ross D. Franklin | AP
Former Phoenix head coach Alvin Gentry, left, talks with Markieff Morris at the bench Thursday in Phoenix.
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
Cardinals hire Arians to be head coach By BOB BAUM ASSOCIATED PRESS
TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals have filled the NFL’s final head coaching vacancy by hiring Indianapolis offensive coordinator Bruce Arians. The team confirmed the hiring in a release Thursday night, saying Arians received a four-year contract with a club option for a fifth year. The 60-year-old longtime assistant went 9-3 as Colts interim head coach while Chuck Pagano was undergoing treatment for leukemia last season. Arians arrived in Arizona on Wednesday night, had dinner with top team officials, then interviewed on Thursday and met with reporters to indicate his interest in the job. He was offered and accepted the job Thursday night. Arians also was a finalist for the Chicago job that went to Marc Trestman. Arians was the sixth known candidate interviewed to replace Ken Whisenhunt, who was fired after six seasons. Whisenhunt was introduced on Thursday as the offensive coordinator for new head coach Mike McCoy in San Diego. The Cardinals said Arians would be introduced as coach at a 3 p.m., EST (1 p.m. local time) news conference on Friday. The team posted a photo of Arians getting a congratulatory call from Cardinals wide receiver Larry
Fitzgerald, who is vacationing in Belize and undoubtedly will welcome anyone who can do something to revive a dreadful offense. In his meeting with reporters earlier Thursday, before he was hired, Arians said his stint as Pagano’s replacement “answered all questions I ever had” about whether he could succeed as an NFL coach. “I hope it answered all the questions everybody else has had for all these years,” he said. It apparently did for the Cardinals, who lost 10 of 11 this season to finish 511 for the second time in three years. Arians said there are young coaches for teams still in the playoffs that will be denied a chance to be a head coach now because of their teams’ success. “Maybe I was a victim of that a couple of times,” he said. “Hey, I’ll take the Super Bowl ring and look back later. You can’t worry about why you never got one or why have you got one this time. I’m just happy it happened, and I look forward to seeing what’s made of it and what turns out.” Arians has been a football coach since his days as a graduate assistant at Virginia Tech in 1975 and he has 20 years of experience as an NFL assistant. He also was head coach at Temple for five seasons. Wearing a Super Bowl ring from his days in
Photo by Darron Cummings | AP
FILE - In this Dec. 30, 2012, file photo, Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator Bruce Arians watches the first half against Houston. Pittsburgh prominently on his right hand, he said his stint as head coach in Indy taught him that being a head coach is “not as hard as it’s supposed to be.” “It’s really not,” Arians said. “I think it’s all about building relationships. Coaching is all about relationships. As long as it’s built on trust, loyalty, and respect, anything is possible.” When the Jacksonville Jaguars hired Seattle defensive coordinator Gus Bradley on Thursday, Arizona’s job was the only one still open.
Arians was wide receivers coach in Pittsburgh and he succeeded Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator there. He was Steelers offensive coordinator when Pittsburgh beat Whisenhunt’s Cardinals in the 2009 Super Bowl. Arians left the Steelers to become Pagano’s offensive coordinator last year, taking over as interim coach when Pagano left for treatment for leukemia. “It has been an unbelievable 12 months for me personally,” Arians said. McCoy was among those interviewed by Car-
ARMSTRONG Continued from Page 1B blood booster EPO, testosterone, cortisone and human growth hormone, as well as engaging in outlawed blood doping and transfusions. The doping regimen, he said, helped him in all seven of his Tour de France wins. His openness about his own transgressions, however, did not extend to allegations about other people. “I don’t want to accuse anybody,” he said. But he might have to name names if he wants to gain anything from his confession, at least from anti-doping authorities. Armstrong has been stripped of all his Tour de France titles and banned for life. A reduction of the ban, perhaps to eight years, could allow him to compete in triathlons in 2020, when he’s 49. Almost to a person, those in cycling and anti-doping circles believe it will take nothing short of Armstrong turning over everything he knows to stand any chance of cutting a deal to reduce his ban. “We’re left wanting more. We have to know more about the system,” Tour de France race director Christian Prudhomme told the AP. “He couldn’t have done it alone. We have to know who in his entourage helped him to do this.” U.S. Anti-Doping Agency chief Travis Tygart, who will have the biggest say about whether Armstrong can return to competition, also called his confession a small step in the right direction.
“But if he is sincere in his desire to correct his past mistakes, he will testify under oath about the full extent of his doping activities,” he said. Pierre Bordry, the head of the French Anti-Doping Agency from 2005-10, said there was nothing to guarantee that Armstrong isn’t still lying and protecting others. “He’s going in the right direction, but with really small steps,” Bordry said. “He needs to bring his testimony about the environment and the people who helped him. He should do it before an independent commission or before USADA and that would no doubt help the future of cycling.” It’s doubtful Armstrong could get the same kind of leniency today as he might have had he chosen to cooperate with USADA during its investigation. But in an attempt to rid cycling of the doping taint it has carried for decades, USADA, WADA and the sport’s governing body aren’t satisfied with simply stopping at its biggest star. They still seek information about doctors, team managers and high-ranking executives. Tyler Hamilton, whose testimony helped lead to Armstrong’s downfall, says if Armstrong is willing to provide information to clean up the sport, a reduction in the sanctions would be appropriate, even if it might be hard to stomach after watching USADA’s years of relentless pursuit of the seven-time Tour de France winner. “The public should accept
dinals President Michael Bidwill. Other known Arizona candidates were Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton, Seattle offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley and Cincinnati offensive coordinator Jay Gruden. Horton has a year left on his contract and his future with the organization was in question. Asked Thursday afternoon if he would keep Horton as defensive coordinator if he got the Arizona job, Arians declined to discuss the prospect. “Right now it’s way too early in the process,” Arians said. “Obviously, I know Ray. I’ve got a history with Ray. But all those things would be way down the road. Guys are under contract. You can’t really comment on staff members at this point in time.” Horton was defensive backs coach with the Steelers when Arians was offensive coordinator there. The Cardinals had the worst offense in the NFL, and Arians downplayed any similarities to his offensive scheme and the one used by Whisenhunt. He said that after Whisenhunt left the Steelers for Arizona, he and Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat down and simplified the playbook. Arians said his offense has some similarities, but many differences from the one implemented by Whi-
HOAX Continued from Page 1B
that,” Hamilton said. “I’m all for getting people to come clean and tell the truth. I’m all for doctors, general managers and everyone else coming forward and telling the truth. I’m all for anyone who crossed the line coming forward and telling the truth. No. 1, they’ll feel better personally. The truth will set you free.” The International Cycling Union (UCI) has been accused of protecting Armstrong and covering up positive tests, something Armstrong denied to Winfrey. “I am pleased that after years of accusations being made against me, the conspiracy theories have been shown to be nothing more than that,” said Hein Verbruggen, the president of the UCI from 1991-2005. “I have no doubt that the peddlers of such accusations and conspiracies will be disappointed by this outcome.” But Verbruggen was among the few who felt some closure after the first part of Armstrong’s interview with Winfrey. The second was set for Friday night. Most of the comments either urged him to disclose more, or felt it was too little, too late. “There’s always a portion of lies in what he says, in my opinion,” retired cyclist and longtime Armstrong critic Christophe Bassons said. “He stayed the way I thought he would: cold, hard. He didn’t let any sentiment show, even when he spoke of regrets. Well, that’s Lance Armstrong. He’s not totally honest even in his so-called confession. I think he admits some of it to avoid saying the rest.”
than later,” Swarbrick said. Swarbrick added that before Deadspin.com broke the news with a lengthy report on Wednesday, Te’o and his family had planned to go public with the story Monday. “Sometimes the best laid plans don’t quite work, and this was an example of that. Because the family lost the opportunity in some ways to control the story,” he said. He said the university doesn’t have anything more to add. “It is in the Te’o family’s court,” he said. “We are very much encouraging them. I hope by the time people are listening to this they have made themselves available to explain and to take questions, because we think that’s in everybody’s interest. It’s certainly our expectation at Notre Dame that they would do that.” Swarbrick said again he is confident Te’o is the victim and did not back away from the strong support he gave the All-American during a news conference Wednesday night, when the AD said an investigation done by a firm hired by the school turned up evidence that supports Te’o’s claim he was not involved. Swarbrick said he will continue to believe that until given “compelling evidence to the contrary.”
STARS Continued from Page 1B year-olds who went through the NHL’s last 48-game season in 199495 — Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney. Who knows how older legs will respond to a compressed schedule — Jagr already noticed Dallas has seven games in the first 11 days — but the experience of having done it should count for something. “We had our team meal where our veteran core got up there and spoke,” second-year Dallas coach Glen Gulutzan said. “They voiced what they thought needed to be done here, and I thought it was real good for our young guys and good for all of us.” While Morrow returns, Dallas changed its leadership by sending pesky fan favorite Steve Ott to Buffalo for Derek Roy and center Mike Ribeiro to Washington in a draft-day deal. The Ribeiro trade ended the Dallas tenure of a player who never quite was the “next
Mike” the Stars hoped he would be when they moved on without Mike Modano two years ago. Modano rejoined the franchise this week in a front office role. Roy had a similar legacy of underachieving with the Sabres, but last season he played through a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. He benefited from the lockout because he probably wouldn’t have been ready if the season had started in October. The Stars need him, too, because they’re still without top center Jamie Benn, a restricted free agent who missed the abbreviated training camp while contract negotiations dragged on. “Very fortunate to be starting the season with (Roy) completely healthy,” Gulutzan said. “The way he can play the game on both ends of the ice provides for our offense. Without him and Jamie would be two big holes.”
The Stars return points leader Loui Eriksson (71) and top goalscorer Michael Ryder (35). Goalie Kari Lehtonen is coming off career bests of a 2.33 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage, and the core of the defense in front of him is the same with Alex Goligoski, Trevor Daley and Stephane Robidas. Daley and Robidas were part of the last Dallas playoff team in 2008, when the Stars lost to Detroit in the Western Conference finals. It was only the third time that Dallas got out of the first round since consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup finals in 1999 and 2000. The Stars beat Buffalo for the title in 1999 and lost to New Jersey a year later. “We’ve got to be a harder team to play against,” Robidas said. “Last year at times we were hard to play against and at times we weren’t. We’ve just got to be re-
senhunt. Arians emphasized the importance of building a close relationship with the quarterback. “As a head coach or an offensive coordinator, you’re tied to that guy,” Arians said. “Your future is him. You better realize that, and you better have a heck of a strong relationship so that when it’s really tough in the game, he’s telling you what he’s seeing, not what he thinks you might want to hear.” Quarterback is a major problem for Arizona. The only one of the four who got a start in the Cardinals’ 5-11 season that had any success was Kevin Kolb, and he went down with a rib injury in Week 6 and never returned. Arians said the Cardinals must either improve what they have at the position or find a new one behind what he called “Door No. 2.” He said he would call the plays as head coach “until I can find someone who is going to do it better than me. I haven’t found him yet.” He said he would not leave Indianapolis for just any head coaching job. “I said early when some teams contacted my agent about setting up interviews,” he said, “I’m going to have a heck of a feeling about that organization, owner, general manager, team, to leave where I am right now.” Did he have that feeling with Arizona? “Yes,” he said. “I do.”
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Sometimes the best laid plans don’t quite work, and this was an example of that.
He said he understands why some people are skeptical about Te’o’s story. “They have every right to say that,” Swarbrick said “Now I have some more information than they have. But they have every right to say that. I don’t feel any sort of ill will toward that position. If I was on the outside of this presented with the only facts I have at this point — and importantly at the time we’re recording this Manti has yet to speak publicly — I think that skepticism is easy to understand. I just ask those people to apply the same skepticism to everything about this. “I have no doubt the perpetrators have a story they will yet spin about what went on here. I hope skepticism also greets that when they’re articulating what that is.”
PHOENIX lentless.” Jagr is coming off career lows in goals (19) and points (54) for Philadelphia after playing three years in Russia. The five-time scoring champion is the active leader in goals, assists and points. He will play a prominent role in trying to improve a power play that was the worst in the league last season. “At the end of my career I just want to be somewhere I feel like the team wants me there,” said Jagr, who won consecutive Stanley Cup titles alongside Mario Lemieux with Pittsburgh in his first two NHL seasons in 1991 and 1992. “On the other side, it’s kind of a motivation to prove to people that they made the right choice.” The Stars most certainly will think they did if Jagr helps end by far their longest playoff drought since the franchise moved to Dallas 20 years ago.
Continued from Page 1B free agent after last season and, in a mutual decision with the Suns management, signed with the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix blew up its roster under the leadership of Lon Babby, vice president of basketball operations, and general manager Lance Blanks. The rebuilt team lacked a goto scorer and struggled with depth as Gentry continuously tried new lineups. He had said recently that the team, with the season obviously headed south, might simply turn to its younger players and look to the future. Meanwhile, crowds at the once boisterous US Airways Center have grown meager. The Suns don’t play again until Wednesday, when they face the Kings in Sacramento.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE ARE YOU LIT UP? Dear Readers: A letter from a reader about the importance of CHECKING VEHICLE LIGHTS by yourself brought some follow-up comments. Here are a few: John in Atlanta says: “If you do not have a second person to inspect the lights, do what I do: Wait until dusk and pull into the parking lot of a glass building (e.g., office building, shopping center, etc.). Use the windows as a mirror to check your lights, turn signals, reverse lights and license-plate lights. Just be careful to keep an eye out for traffic or pedestrians in the parking lot, and be aware of your surroundings.” Frances in Arkansas says: “To test your car lights in 10 seconds, get in your car in the closed garage. Turn the ignition switch to the ‘on’ position, but DON’T start the motor. Test the lights to see if the reflection is correct. The taillights will show up on the garage door when you step on the brakes. You do
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HELOISE
not even need to get out of the car.” C.M. in South Carolina says: “If you choose to pay for full service when gassing up your car, don’t be afraid to ask the service attendant to check the lights along with your oil while filling up. If you’re paying extra for the gas, you might as well get the ‘full’ out of the service.” These are all good hints to use. Thanks! — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Susan House of Anchorage, Alaska, sent a photo with her two 6-month-old Boston terrier brothers, Gus and Pete. She lovingly refers to them as “double trouble,” and they are always on squirrel patrol. To view the brothers on patrol, visit my website, www.Heloise.com, and click on “Pets.” — Heloise
DENNIS THE MENACE
FAMILY CIRCUS
PEANUTS
GARFIELD
DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:
DILBERT
Sports
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 19, 2013
Championship Sunday ASSOCIATED PRESS
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Tony Gonzalez remembers talking to Michael Strahan after the former New York Giants defensive lineman won a Super Bowl title in his final game. Talk about going out in style. “That’s the way you want to do it,” Gonzalez said Thursday. “That’s every athlete’s dream. I don’t care what sport it is. You’d love to win a championship and leave. That’s where I’m at now.” It took him 16 years to finally win a playoff game. Now, he’s two victories away from a Super Bowl championship with the Atlanta Falcons, two wins away from going out the same way Strahan did. “There’s no doubt I could play this game another three years if I wanted to, and at a high level too,” the 36-year-old Gonzalez insisted. “But there comes a point in your career where you’ve gotten everything you ever wanted from this game.” Everything except a ring. “Really, the only reason I played the last couple of years was for an opportunity like this,” Gonzalez said. “Now that it’s presented itself, I feel closure coming on. But there’s more closure to take care of. It’s about winning this week, and winning the Super Bowl.” The top-seeded Falcons (14-3) will host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC championship game, looking to reach the Super Bowl for just the second time in franchise history. Even though Gonzalez has not fully committed to retirement, there’s a definite sense in the Atlanta locker room of wanting to give him the ultimate going-away gift. He’s given so much to
Photo by Rebecca Blackwell | AP
A cooling tower at Soccer City stadium is seen against the skyline of downtown Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday.
South Africa left with $50M By GERALD IMRAY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by John Bazemore | AP
Atlanta tight end Tony Gonzalez (88) makes the catch under Seattle middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during the second half of the NFC divisional playoff game on Sunday in Atlanta. the game, catching more passes than anyone in NFL history except Jerry Rice. He’s given so much to the Falcons over the last four years, working with younger players and setting an example that all were encouraged to follow. “We know what he’s capable of doing on the football field,” Falcons coach Mike Smith said. “But Tony is a mentor to so many players in that locker room. He’s not a guy of many words, but when he comes to work, he comes to work.” Gonzalez’s influence has surely rubbed off on players such as receiver Julio Jones, already a Pro Bowler in just his second season. Even Roddy White, who already was one of the NFL’s better receivers when Gonzalez was acquired by the Falcons after a dozen seasons in Kansas City, has picked up a thing
or two since No. 88 arrived. “I’d like to think I’ve helped them with their routine,” Gonzalez said. He’ll encourage them to settle on some well-defined goals — say, catching 50 balls before practice, 50 balls during the workout, and 50 balls afterward. Whatever works, make it a habit. And keep looking for ways to make the program even better. Even at his age, Gonzalez still tweaks his regimen if he comes upon something new that might give him an edge. The 49ers (12-4-1) will have their hands full trying to defend everyone in what Gonzalez calls the PYP offense — Pick Your Poison. But the ageless tight end could be even more of a factor Sunday, facing a defense that doesn’t stray far from its base packages and relies heavily on its linebackers
in coverage.
AFC Championship FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Home sweet home. Sure works for the Patriots in the AFC title game. New England gets a chance to extend its mastery in the final step to the Super Bowl on Sunday against Baltimore, the team the Patriots beat a year ago for the conference crown. That win made them 4-0 in home conference title games. Although they were more vulnerable at home than usual during the 2012 regular season, losing to Arizona and San Francisco and having tight games with Buffalo and the Jets, the Patriots (13-4) are happy not to be heading to Baltimore (12-6) this weekend. Or anywhere else.
JOHANNESBURG — Nearly three years after Spain won the 2010 World Cup final, South Africa’s football association was left with $50 million from world body FIFA to develop the game in the former host country. Danny Jordaan, the World Cup’s former head organizer, said Friday that 56 million South African rands ($6 million) of that legacy fund had already been allocated to development programs after the final board meeting of the 2010 World Cup Legacy Trust, which was attended by FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke. The remainder would be invested between three South African banks “to make sure that this money lasts for as long as possible,” former organizing committee chief executive Jordaan said. Youth leagues, women’s football and education and medical projects would be some of the first to receive the money left over after the first World Cup in Africa was paid for and the money remaining given to South Africa by FIFA. “The funds will be put to good use,” Nematandani said. The South African gov-
ernment spent over $3 billion on hosting the World Cup, it said in its final report on the historic tournament in November. FIFA’s contribution was $1.298 billion, although the world football body also reported income of $3.65 billion from 2010 World Cup contracts. Valcke said that the legacy fund money was always intended for grass-roots football in South Africa because “you cannot build a national team from nowhere.” South African organizers had initially been left with around $78 million for the association, but had already spent the difference on buses and cars for football teams and administrators. Jordaan defended South Africa’s World Cup legacy, with the national team arguably worse off now on the eve of its hosting of the African Cup of Nations than it was in 2010. Questions have also been raised over the fate of some of the World Cup stadiums, which were South Africa’s biggest expense when it prepared to host the world’s biggest football tournament. The Cape Town Stadium, the most expensive of the new venues, is rarely used and won’t be part of the upcoming African Cup. “I am convinced that 2010 was a blessing,” said Jordaan.”