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INFRASTRUCTURE
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Roads get the works
Locals vie for UIL honors
Several projects are upgrading highways in county By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Texas Department of Transportation is near the completion of a 3.2-mile long road upgrade and continues to work on other road projects on US 83.
Construction on US 83 from Monterrey Lane to 1,050 feet south of Tepozan County Road started in July and includes a 3.2 mile upgrade from a twolane, bi-directional roadway to a four-lane roadway with a continuous left turn lane, said Marisa
Ramirez, TxDOT area project manager. The 3.2-mile long road upgrade, awarded to Foremost Paving and for nearly $7 million, is expected to be completed the second week of February, Ramirez said.
“The road has been weather permitted and is still pending striping and final riding,” Ramirez said. Foremost Paving continues to work on a road upgrade from
See ROADS PAGE 10A
Elementary students compete in 15 events in district competition
STCADA
BIGGER FACILITY OPENS
renting for a long time and this bigger facility allows for more staff and services. “It’s really a commitment from STCADA to this community and
See AGENCY PAGE 10A
See UIL PAGE 10A
Photo by Daniel Zaragoza | The Zapata Times
Agency’s new building to allow more staff, services THE ZAPATA TIMES
The South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially mark the grand opening of
a newer and bigger facility in Zapata County Wednesday afternoon. STCADA is a non-profit organization serving Webb, Zapata, Jim Hogg, Starr, Cameron and Duval counties.
The organization relocated to accommodate more staff to better serve the community, said Dr. Humberto Gonzalez, chairman of the board. “It’s a tremendous upgrade,” Gonzalez said. “We had been
THE ZAPATA TIMES
Approximately 63 Zapata County ISD students participated in the UIL district competition in La Feria last Saturday. “The participants had an awesome opportunity in getting to know different people as well as showing off their skills in the various events in which they competed,” said Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary UIL coordinator Lydia Garza. The students departed at 4:30 a.m. Saturday morning and returned at 8 p.m., said Principal Carmen Zavala. “We’re very proud of their behavior and their participation,” Zavala said. “They’ve been practicing an hour to an hour and half every week from five to sixty-thirty in the evening.” ZCISD students from A.L. Benavides, Villarreal, Zapata South and Zapata North elementaries attended the one-day competition and competed in 15 events. Events included oral reading, story telling, general math, spelling, art smart, maps, charts and graphs, dictionary skills, and English and Spanish oral divisions. The four elementary schools competed against four other schools from Port Isabel, La Feria, Rio Hondo, and Donna, Zavala said. Nearly 20 students from Zapata South Elementary took firstthru sixth-place ribbons or trophies, according to the final results. “We had quite a few winners,” said Zapata South Ele-
Romeo Rodriguez, Patricio Hernandez, Humberto Gonzalez, Alma Heine, Isidrio Alaniz, Romeo Salinas, Maria Kane, and Graciela Martinez participated in the grand opening of the new STCADA office in Zapata, on Wednesday afternoon.
By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ
By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ
FUNDRAISING
Kids raising funds for Pennies for Patients By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata South Elementary School kicked off its Pennies for Patients campaign last week to raise funds for children with leukemia and to help their families with medical expenses.
The campaign will also benefit cancer research, said Rosie Bigler, Zapata South Elementary librarian. Bigler headed the campaign and encouraged students to collect spare change from home to support the mission to cure leukemia and to improve the lives of
patients and their families, she said. “This is a tremendous opportunity for the children to demonstrate their passion for supporting friends and families in their community,” Bigler said. “They are learning at a young age how important and fulfilling commu-
nity service can be.” Monday morning, Zapata South Elementary received a pleasant surprise from the grandparents of two former students, Ryan and Rebecca Ayers, Bigler said. The Ayers’ now reside in Whiteright and are also helping
their school in the Pennies for Patients campaign and asked their grandparents Mary Lou and Monroe Shelton to visit their school and donate pennies, Bigler said. The Sheltons visited the school on behalf of their grandchildren
See PENNIES PAGE 9A
Zin brief
PAGE 2A
CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, JAN. 29
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Spend the evening at the Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium and explore “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” at 5 p.m., “Violent Universe: Catastrophes of the Cosmos” at 6 p.m. and “Rock on Demand” at 7 p.m. General admission is $5 and $4 for children and TAMIU students, faculty, staff and alumni. Premium shows are $1 more. For additional show times, call (956) 326-DOME or visit tamiu.edu/planetarium. The Tuesday Music & Literature Club will host the Annual Valentine Tea today at 4 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall at 1220 McClelland. The program will be “A Romantic Medley” by Joseph Crabtree and Dana Crabtree, accompanied on the piano by Mikolaj Gorecki. For more information, contact Linda Mott at (956) 206-3033 orlmott@stx.rr.com.
TUESDAY, FEB. 1
The Zapata Chamber of Commerce invites the public to the unveiling of the official 2011 Zapata Visitors Guide at 5:30 p.m. at the Zapata County Courthouse. The keynote speaker will be U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar. Food and refreshments will be provided. RSVP by contacting Celia Balderas at (956) 765-4871 or cbalderas@zapatachamber.com. The Webb County Community Coalition of SCAN, Inc. invites the public to attend the WCCC meeting on Tuesday, February 1, 2011 from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Border Region MHMR Community Center, 1500 Pappas St. The guest speaker will be Agent Michael Wise from the FBI office. If you have any questions or would like to RSVP, call Melissa Belmares-Cavazos or Veronica Jimenez at (956) 724-3177. The Alzheimer’s support group will meet today at 7 p.m. in meeting room 2, building B of the Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 2 Kick off the Laredo Birding Festival with an opening reception today from 6:30-10:30 p.m. in the Philip V Room at La Posada Hotel, 1000 Zaragoza Street. This opening event will feature nature photographer and field expert Larry Ditto with a talk entitled “Big birds, little birds, pretty birds, sneaky birds.” This event is free and open to the public. Laredo Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at 795-2200 or visit www.laredobirdingfestival.com.
THURSDAY, FEB. 3 Texas A&M International University College of Arts and Sciences Center for the Fine and Performing Arts presents “Deep in the Heart…”, an art exhibit and reception featuring the artwork of Janet Krueger, Mary Quiros, Miki Rodríguez, Christina Zorillo Speer and Marilu Flores Gruben. Opening reception is from 5-7:30 p.m. in the CFPA gallery lobby. Admission is free and open to the public. The exhibit will be on display in the CFPA Gallery through March 24. TAMIU Department of Fine and Performing Arts at (956) 326-2654.
FRIDAY, FEB. 4 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “IBMX-Search for the Edge of the Solar System” at 6 p.m. and “Wonders of the Universe” at 7 p.m. General admission is $5, $4 for children, and TAMIU students, faculty, staff and alumni. Premium shows are $1 more. Call (956) 326-DOME.
SATURDAY, FEB. 5 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Star Signs” at 5 p.m., “IBMX- Search for the Edge of the Solar System” at 6 p.m. and “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon” at 7 p.m. General admission is $5, $4 for children and TAMIU students, faculty, staff and alumni. Premium shows are $1 more. Call (956) 326-DOME.
TUESDAY, FEB. 8 The American Cancer Society and United South High School will be hosting a Look Good...Feel Better session at United South High School located at 4001 Presidentes for women undergoing cancer treatment. To submit an item for the calendar, send the name of the event, the date, time, location and contact phone number to editorial@lmtonline.com
Photo by Michael Conroy | AP
Merton Rundell III, Union Bible College official, holds a prayer card given by Sam and Nancy Davis, missionaries working in Mexico. Nancy Davis, 59, died in a McAllen hospital Wednesday about 90 minutes after her husband drove the couple’s truck against traffic across the Pharr International Bridge after the couple were allegedly attacked by gunmen in Mexico.
DPS: Stay out of Mexico ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Citing the death of a missionary earlier this week, the Texas Department of Public Safety has warned Texans to avoid traveling in Mexico. The warning, issued Friday, is the fourth in the last year. Missionary Nancy Davis, 59, was killed shot and killed Wednesday. The DPS also cited the shooting of an American on the Mexican side of Falcon Lake in late September, the killing of a University of Texas-Brownsville student in October and the suspected abduction of four men from San Marcos and a 14-year-old from Chicago who were visiting Nuevo Laredo in late November. Davis died in a McAllen hospital Wednesday about 90 minutes after her husband drove the couple’s truck against traffic
Teen driver arrested in fatal crash ODESSA — Authorities have arrested an 18-year-old West Texas man accused of leading law officers on a chase that resulted in a fatal car crash. Saul Benivides Acosta Jr. was arrested by sheriff ’s deputies earlier this week on charges of theft and evading arrest with a motor vehicle causing death. He was released from jail Friday after posting $26,000 bond.
Dewhurst announces committee assignments AUSTIN — There were no surprises today when Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst announced his Senate committee appointments for the 82nd legislative session. The composition of the 18 committees remained virtually unchanged from Dewhurst’s summer 2010 appointments, with committee leadership remaining largely in Republican hands.
across the Pharr International Bridge, a Pharr Police Department official said. The husband relayed to Texas authorities and U.S. Customs agents a frantic episode of the couple being fired upon in Mexico and then driving at top speed to the border. Police described the couple as missionaries who travel extensively into Mexico. Pharr Police Chief Ruben Villescas said Mexican authorities contacted by his department confirmed the shooting happened near the outskirts of San Fernando, about 70 miles south of Reynosa. The area is heavily controlled by the Zetas drug cartel and is one of Mexico’s most dangerous. "We know that many of our Winter Texans enjoy traveling to Mexico, but they should understand that we cannot guarantee their safety after they cross the border," said Steven C. McCraw, DPS director.
EPA chief says Texas Oil exec gets probation in action ‘not about politics’ Mexican oil scheme SAN ANTONIO — The head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says the long-running dispute between the agency and Texas is about public health and not politics. EPA administrator Lisa Jackson said Friday in San Antonio that her agency isn’t out to cripple businesses with its actions.
Omaha archdiocese settles molestation suit SAN ANTONIO — A teenager who received a $1 million settlement from the Roman Catholic church in a molestation lawsuit has reached another settlement with a Nebraska archdiocese. The Archdiocese of Omaha announced Friday it reached an undisclosed settlement with the alleged victim of John Fiala. The 52-year-old priest is in a Dallas jail facing criminal charges of soliciting someone to kill the teenager.
HOUSTON — A former Texas oil company official has been sentenced to probation for his role in the sale of petroleum products stolen from Mexico. Tim Brink, who was president of Continental Fuels, received his sentence during a hearing Friday in Houston federal court. Brink had previously pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to receive stolen goods.
Dallas police say baby found, not a kidnapping DALLAS — Dallas police say a woman’s report that her friend’s infant was kidnapped was false and the baby turned up safe with the mother. The woman who made the report Friday could face charges. Police issued an Amber Alert when a woman reported a baby girl was in a car that was stolen after she went into a store. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Woman has plea change hearing in terror plot
CONTACT US
PHILADELPHIA — A Pennsylvania woman charged last year in a global terror plot is scheduled for a change of plea hearing next week. Forty-seven-year-old Colleen LaRose of Pennsburg has pleaded not guilty to charges of helping foreign terror suspects intent on starting a holy war in Europe and South Asia.
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Police: Army officer’s wife kills her 2 children TAMPA, Fla. — The wife of a military officer told detectives she fatally shot her teenage son and daughter inside their home because they were being “mouthy,” police said Friday. Police said Julie Powers Schenecker admitted the slayings after officers found her covered in blood on the back porch of her home Friday morning,
Today is Saturday, Jan. 29, the 29th day of 2011. There are 336 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Jan. 29, 1861, Kansas became the 34th state of the Union. On this date: In 1820, Britain’s King George III died at Windsor Castle. In 1843, the 25th president of the United States, William McKinley, was born in Niles, Ohio. In 1845, Edgar Allan Poe’s poem “The Raven” was first published in the New York Evening Mirror. In 1856, Britain’s Queen Victoria introduced the Victoria Cross to reward military acts of valor during the Crimean War. In 1919, the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the Constitution, which launched Prohibition, was certified by Acting Secretary of State Frank L. Polk. In 1936, the first members of baseball’s Hall of Fame, including Ty Cobb and Babe Ruth, were named in Cooperstown, N.Y. In 1963, the first members of pro football’s Hall of Fame were named in Canton, Ohio. Poet Robert Frost died in Boston at age 88. In 1979, President Jimmy Carter formally welcomed Chinese Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping to the White House, following the establishment of diplomatic relations. In 1998, a bomb rocked an abortion clinic in Birmingham, Ala., killing security guard Robert Sanderson and injuring nurse Emily Lyons. (The bomber, Eric Rudolph is serving a life sentence.) Five years ago: ABC “World News Tonight” co-anchor Bob Woodruff and a cameraman were seriously injured in a roadside bombing in Iraq. One year ago: In a remarkably sharp face-to-face confrontation in Baltimore, President Barack Obama chastised Republican lawmakers for opposing him on taxes, health care and the economic stimulus, while they accused him in turn of brushing off their ideas and driving up the national debt. A jury in Wichita, Kan., convicted abortion opponent Scott Roeder of murder in the shooting death of Dr. George Tiller, one of the only doctors to offer late-term abortions in the U.S. Haitian authorities detained 10 U.S. Baptist missionaries who were transporting 33 children to a Dominican Republic orphanage. Today’s Birthdays: Actor Noel Harrison is 77. Author Germaine Greer is 72. Actress Katharine Ross is 71. Actor Tom Selleck is 66. Rhythmand-blues singer Bettye LaVette is 65. Actor Marc Singer is 63. Actress Ann Jillian is 61. Rock musician Tommy Ramone (Ramones) is 59. Rock musician Louie Perez (Los Lobos) is 58. Rhythm-and-blues/ funk singer Charlie Wilson is 58. Talk show host Oprah Winfrey is 57. Country singer Irlene Mandrell is 55. Actress Diane Delano is 54. Actress Judy Norton Taylor (“The Waltons”) is 53. Rock musician Johnny Spampinato is 52. Thought for Today: “Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” — Robert Frost, American poet (18741963).
Photo by Dale Wetzel | AP
North Dakota state Rep. George Keiser, R-Bismarck, right, has introduced legislation that would put new restrictions on teenage drivers in the state.
Ohio Air Force official gets 20 months in prison MASCOUTAH, Ill. — A military jury on Friday sentenced a senior Ohio-based Air Force offi-
cial to a year and eight months in prison and a dishonorable discharge for committing adultery with four married female Air Force subordinates and making unwanted sexual advances toward several others. — 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 29, 2011
Zlocal
PAGE 3A
Schools treat trustees with food, gifts By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County ISD schools showed their appreciation for the board of trustees during the month of January, showering them with gifts and filling them with delicious homemade food and pastries. Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary hosted a special breakfast, while the student council gave a presentation on how appreciative the students were for representing their school, said Principal Carmen Zavala. The school also dedicated a wall to the board, with a banner that included a picture of seven students each resembling a board member with the board member’s names at the bottom, Zavala said. “We’re very grateful for their dedication and commitment to our school and our district,” Zavala said. The banner is to remind the students to aspire to be leaders, Zavala added. Student council also pre-
Courtesy photo
Villarreal Elementary treated school board members to breakfast on Thursday, and presented them with a Green Apples kid representing each one. Pictured are Principal Carmen Zavala; Secretary Dora Martinez; Member Diego Gonzalez; President Jose M. Ramirez III; Vice President Veronica P. Gonzalez, and Superintendent Norma Garica. sented the board with a jar filled with 680 M&Ms, representing each student at the school, plus chocolate kisses representing the staff, to be placed in the board’s executive session room, Zavala said. “This is a reminder for them when they are making decisions to keep us in mind,” Zavala said. At A.L. Benavides Elementary the board enjoyed a luncheon of sirloin, rice, and beans with the staff, said Counselor Blanca V.
Gonzalez. For dessert everyone enjoyed homemade pastries and dipped fresh fruit in a chocolate fountain, Gonzalez said. “Everything they approve is for a good cause, the students,” Gonzalez said. Zapata South Elementary also honored the board with pancakes, gifts, and a parade, said UIL director Jackie Pineda. The board visited every campus and at the high
New guide to be unveiled Wed. By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Zapata Chamber of Commerce invites the community for the unveiling of the official 2011 Zapata County Visitor’s Guide, filled with small-town attractions and traditions. “This is the second edition of the guide and we’ve improved the guide to include more beneficial information and new attractions including, the Zapata County Museum of History,” said Jose F. “Paco” Mendoza, president and chief executive officer of the chamber.
The unveiling ceremony will be held at the Zapata County Courthouse rotunda Wednesday, at 5:30 p.m. The keynote speaker will be Rep. Henry Cuellar. “The purpose of the guide is to promote Zapata and all the attractions that we have to offer,” Mendoza said. The guide will inform the community and visitors of Zapata about the town’s calendar of events, local businesses and restaurants, indoor and outdoor entertainment, and hotels and lodging, Mendoza said. Also in the guide is a
map of the town including the famous International Falcon Reservoir with world class bass fishing, Mendoza added. Food and refreshments donated by International Bank of Commerce-Zapata County will be available after the ceremony. For more information contact Celia Balderas, Chamber of Commerce membership services coordinator, at (956)765-4871 (Ext.12) or via e-mail at cbalderas@zapatachamber.com. (Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be reached at (956)7282557.)
school the trustees received menudo and fruit baskets while the mariachi band played a few songs. More food and gifts awaited the board at Zapata North Elementary, starting with a breakfast.
“We flipped pancakes for them and had bacon, fruit kabobs and a chocolate fountain,” said special education teacher Amy Salinas. “We also had hot chocolate, coffee, juice and rice pudding.” Students also decorated the halls of the school and the meeting room with posters expressing their appreciation for the board, Salinas said. Also student council handed the board gift bags which included an apron monogrammed with each of their names, Salinas said. “We really appreciate that they took the time to come and share with us,” Salinas said. “We understand they have other jobs and family but they still took the time to visit our
school.” Lastly, Zapata Middle School welcomed the board with a breakfast while 15 student organization representatives honored them with a video presentation of each classroom expressing their gratitude, said counselor Marina Alvarez. “Most students commented on our new school, since it’s recently been remodeled,” Alvarez said. Student representatives also presented the board with a basket filled with candy and read a poem aloud, Alvarez said. “In the poem every little candy had a significant meaning,” Alvarez said. The appreciation presentation ended with a few tunes by the eighth-grade mariachi band, Alvarez added.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Obama delays ‘hard choices’ By JONTHAN GURWITZ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
T
he calendar says Tuesday was Jan. 25. But President Obama’s State of the Union address made it seem like Feb. 2 — Groundhog Day. After years of prodigal spending and postponing difficult decisions, “a day of reckoning has arrived,” the president declared. “Now is the time to act boldly and wisely … to build a new foundation for lasting prosperity. Now is the time to jump-start job creation, restart lending and invest in areas like energy, health care and education that will grow our economy, even as we make hard choices to bring our deficit down.”
Back to the past Actually, that flimflammery wasn’t from Tuesday night. That was Obama’s State of the Union address in 2009. The bit about “hard choices” came a week after the president signed the socalled stimulus bill that jump-started job creation by funding a $1.9 million study of ants from Madagascar and boldly built a foundation of lasting prosperity by spending $1 million to give iPods to every student and iPads to every teacher at a Utah high school. Here’s the president again: “Like any cashstrapped family, we will work within a budget to invest in what we need and sacrifice what we don’t. And if I have to enforce this discipline by veto, I will.”
Oops! Wrong year No, wait — that wasn’t Tuesday night, either. That was from Obama’s State of the Union address in 2010, a year in which the federal government sacrificed by spending $3.5 trillion and ran a $1.3 trillion deficit while the president enforced fiscal discipline by exercising exactly zero spending vetoes. So really, here is the president Tuesday night: “In the coming months,” he promised, “my administration will develop a proposal to merge, consolidate and reorganize the federal government in a way that best serves the goal of a more competitive America.” Moreover, he warned lawmakers, “If a bill comes to my desk with earmarks inside, I will veto it.”
Changes, anybody?
Does anyone take this stuff seriously? Does anyone believe the Obama White House has any interest in making the federal government operate any differently, any more efficiently, any less wastefully than it did in 2010 or 2009?
Deficit reduction What makes President Obama’s remarks especially cynical in 2011, however, is that they follow closely on the final report of the bipartisan debt commission he created, one he said “can’t be one of those Washington gimmicks.” It was only last month when the Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform warned that the time for talking about the debt crisis is past: “The problem is real. The solution will be painful. There is no easy way out. Everything must be on the table. And Washington must lead.”
Coupon savings Obama, however, barely even paid lip service to deficit reduction. Oh yes, he did talk about extending a freeze — not a cut — on federal spending at record levels, a freeze that would affect only 12 percent of the budget and which, by his own admission, would only slow the growth of — not reverse — deficit spending and achieve average cuts of $40 billion a year over 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office projects the deficit for 2011 will be a record $1.5 trillion, adding to a national debt that already exceeds $14 trillion. Saving $40 billion by freezing a fraction of the budget is the equivalent of clipping coupons as an exhaustive strategy to avoid foreclosure.
Let’s spend more Rather than embrace the findings of his debt commission, the president took the easy way out and called for more spending — which he euphemistically calls investments — without even hinting at a conceivable plan for deficit reduction. And, by the way, don’t even think about tinkering with Social Security. “The era of debt denial is over,” the commission’s final report says, “and there can be no turning back.” Oh yes there can — and back and back. Change? Nope — just gimmicks, and a lot more of the same.
COLUMN
An old order is finally ending By TRUDY RUBIN THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER
F
or years, many Middle Easterners have operated on the premise that things could continue as in the past. Arab autocrats assumed they could rule forever, and many Israelis thought they could occupy forever. President George W. Bush tried to explode the status quo by imposing democracy on Iraq from above, but we’ve seen where that led. As of this month, we are entering a new era — for Arabs and Israelis — in which past assumptions must be reconsidered. The old order is being shaken in uncontrollable ways. The Tunisian rebellion has unleashed pent-up passions of a generation of angry Arab youths who felt they had no options. Some regimes may be able to suppress these cries of pain temporarily, but they can no longer be silenced. However, the aging autocrats of Egypt, Algeria, Libya and Saudi Arabia have mostly squashed any moderate opposition, thus destroying the likelihood of a smooth passage to representative government. That leaves the field open to Islamists, who can organize in the mosque, or possibly to
populists with military support. Tunisia, with a strong middle class, may have the best chance for a decent transition. In countries riven by sectarianism, such as Lebanon and Syria, large segments of the public may accept leaders they detest rather than contemplate civil war. But the new belief among young Arabs that change is possible — inspired by Tunis and spread on the Internet — will not easily be dampened. Do not confuse their passionate pleas for justice with a new democracy movement; grassroots protests may shake the old order, but there is little reason to hope that democratic governments will emerge. Meanwhile, within Israel and Palestine, recent events also signal that old assumptions are passe. This week, someone leaked internal Palestinian negotiating documents to alJazeera that detail 17 years of peace talks with Israel. They reveal far-reaching concessions offered by negotiators for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in 2008. The talks foundered when then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was forced to resign over corruption allegations. Those who’ve followed the history of Israeli-Palesti-
nian talks were familiar with most of these details. But they were not supposed to be made public before a final accord; neither the Palestinian nor the Israeli public was fully aware of the fine print. What’s significant is that both sides were discussing the nitty-gritty, with even more specifics than during serious Israeli-Palestinian talks in 2000-2001. As has been previously revealed, Olmert proposed that Israel keep about 6 percent of West Bank land, including some Jewish settlements near the 1967 border, in return for which Palestinians would get a land bridge to Gaza and other bits of Israeli land. Palestinians countered with a proposal of a 1.9 percent swap. According to the documents, they would have allowed Israel to keep most of the large suburbs it has built around Jerusalem on onetime West Bank land. In return, Palestinians wanted Israel to dismantle two large settlements, Ariel and Maale Adumim, that protrude dramatically into the West Bank, effectively dividing that already small piece of land. Many Palestinians are stunned at the extent of the concessions their negotiators were considering, especially as Israel continues to
Business is key constituency NEW YORK TIMES
P
resident Barack Obama is smart to extend an olive branch to American businesses. Our economic success depends on businesses investing, growing and creating
new jobs. From expanding exports to improving infrastructure, government and businesses share important goals. From a purely pragmatic political standpoint, reaching an entente with corporate leaders will make it
easer to defuse the hostility he has faced. Some of it has been purely partisan and ideological, from groups like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which deployed millions to unseat Democrats. Still, Obama must take
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 namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
expand settlements on the West Bank. Even though no agreement was reached (and U.S. officials could have done far more to facilitate one), these documents prove that Israel had a partner for peace. Yet the leak, along with the Tunis revolt, will energize the Palestinian grass roots. It may make it impossible for Palestinian negotiators to replicate the 2008 offer, and it could even disqualify their negotiating team. It certainly will decrease the chances for compromise. Meantime, many Israelis now reject the equally dramatic concessions Olmert was willing to consider. Israeli officials are now promoting an “interim” Palestinian state on only 40 percent of West Bank land. This is a fantasy that would be rejected by Palestinians and the international community; many countries are moving to recognize a Palestinian state within the entire 1967 borders of the West Bank and Gaza. The clock can’t be rolled back. The message of 2011 is that Arab and Israeli leaders who don’t get ahead of Mideast events with farreaching ideas will face nasty surprises. That goes for U.S. leaders as well. (E-mail trubin@phillynews.com)
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
care not to let his agenda be taken over entirely by corporate interests. They do not belong to the only constituency he serves. As Obama reaches out to business, corporate interest groups must reach back out to him.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
THE BLOTTER ASSAULT Deputies responded to a verbal argument call in which several people got into a fight Monday afternoon in the 600 block of Miraflores Avenue. The case remains open. Deputies responded to a family dispute call at about 9 p.m. Monday in the 900 block of Laredo Street. According to an incident report, a man assaulted his spouse with his fists.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF Deputies responded to a criminal mischief call at 9:06 p.m. Jan. 22 in the vicinity of Seventh Street and Villa Avenue. The complainant stated that some type of tube was used to strike his vehicle, causing a scratch in the paint.
DWI Alvie Martin was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated around 5:15 a.m. Jan. 23 at the corner of 14th Avenue and U.S. 83. In the same incident, deputies arrested Shannon Martin for public intoxication. Gloria Arambula was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated with a child younger than 15 years of age at 3:06 p.m. Tuesday in Ramireño, off U.S. 83. The woman was taken to Zapata Regional Jail.
POSSESSION A juvenile was detained and charged with possession of marijuana in a drug-free zone around 1 p.m. Jan. 24 at Zapata Middle School, near the corner of 17th Avenue and Carla Street. The juvenile was turned over to juvenile personnel.
PUBLIC INTOXICATION Alejandro Santos Chapa was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 8:30 p.m. Jan. 23 in the Riverview parking lot, off U.S. 83. An incident report states Santos Chapa was found intoxicated in a public place, placing his life and the life of others in danger. The man was taken to Zapata Regional Jail.
THEFT Deputies responded to a theft call at 2:20 p.m. Jan. 25 in the 2400 block of Elm Street. Deputies say a man took items that belonged to his father and pawned them. Jorge Peña was arrested and charged with theft at 5:04 p.m. Jan. 25 at El Tigre Exxon, 1302 U.S. 83. The man was taken to Zapata Regional Jail.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
Sedatives help free whales By RAY HENRY ASSOCIATED PRESS
ATLANTA — Researchers have a new tactic to save endangered whales tangled in fishing line: Get them to calm down with sedatives shot from a dart gun so they can pull closer and cut the potentially fatal gear away. The method was used Jan. 15 off the Florida coast to free a young North Atlantic right whale from about 50 feet of line wrapped through its mouth and around its flippers. A satellite monitor attached to the whale during the rescue attempt this month shows it survived. “It’s a big step for us,” said Michael Moore, a senior research specialist at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts who was on the rescue team. The same team has tried the technique during one other rescue of a freeswimming whale. Wildlife authorities for years have tried different ways to save whales tangled in gear that cuts their flesh, restricts feed-
Man shot accidently at lake is OK By CESAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission | AP
A disentanglement team cuts the remaining ropes wrapped around a young North Atlantic right whale on Jan. 15 after scientists used at-sea chemical sedation off the coast of Cape Canaveral, Fla. Researchers succeeded in using sedatives fired from a dart gun to calm down and free the endangered North Atlantic right whale tangled in fishing line. ing and causes infection and starvation. It’s a major threat to the 300 to 400 critically endangered North Atlantic right whales that remain. They generally migrate seasonally from the Lower Bay of Fundy in Canada during the summer to calving grounds off the Florida coast in the fall and winter. At least two North Atlantic right whales are known to have died from entanglement between 2005 and 2009, although
28 were observed tangled in that same period. Experts say those numbers only include dead or tangled whales that have been spotted, meaning other whales may die unseen. “It’s a very slow, painful death,” said Michael Walsh, associate director of the Aquatic Animal Health Program at the University of Florida. The former SeaWorld veterinarian helped develop the sedative mixture.
Once tangled whales are found, rescue teams generally tie boats and buoys to lines trailing from the animal to slow it down and restrict its movement. Crews then use pole-mounted knives to cut off entangling gear. The techniques are imperfect. Staying behind a whale is safe for humans, but it’s difficult to reach gear wrapped around the front of the animal. Success rates, which vary by species and tangle, are low for right whales.
A man fishing on Falcon Lake was accidentally shot the afternoon of Saturday, Jan. 22, according to Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr. “There was no criminal intent in this case whatsoever,” Gonzalez said. The shooting was reported at about 4:30 p.m. at a ranch off Los Lobos Road. Gonzalez said a rancher was shooting targets on his private property. Two men were fishing on the lake near the area. According to Gonzalez, one man was shot in the arm with a .22-caliber hunting rifle. The man was taken to a hospital in McAllen. His injury was not life-threatening. The sheriff said the rancher did not shoot the fisherman on purpose. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
SÁBADO 29 DE ENERO DE 2011
Agenda en Breve SÁBADO 29 DE ENERO LAREDO — Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y disfrute “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” a las 5 p.m., “Violent Universe: Catastrophes of the Cosmos” a las 6 p.m. y “Rock on Demand” a las 7 p.m. Entrada general es de 5 dólares. Más información en tamiu.edu/ planetarium. LAREDO — Pase la tarde disfrutando la lectura y charla con Roberto Hernandez Jr., autor de Quest for Survival by Hunting and Fishing, en la Biblioteca Pública de Laredo, 1120 E Calton Road. LAREDO — WBCA invita a UETA Jamboozie en el Centro de Laredo de 4 p.m. a 12 p.m. Entrada gratuita antes de las 6 p.m. En preventa el boleto es de 7 dólares y en la puerta, después de las 6 p.m., de 10 dólares. Niños de 12 años y menores entran gratis. SAN ANTONIO — Dentro del ciclo de cine mexicano se presneta la película “El Santo contra Las Lobas” a las 5 p.m. en el Auditorio del Instituto Cultural de México, 600 Hemisfair Park. Entrada gratuita. Reservar al (210) 227 0123.
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 7A
PRESUMEN ROBO COMO CAUSA DE ATAQUE A MISIONERA DE EU
Investigan agresión POR PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
MONTE ALTO — Una pareja de misioneros estadounidenses que fue atacada por hombres armados en México se topó con un retén ilegal en una zona peligrosa del país en la que se han registrado 40 robos de auto en los últimos dos meses, dijo el jueves un funcionario mexicano. Los pistoleros abrieron fuego luego de que el conductor Sam Davis decidió no detenerse, dijo un funcionario de la procuraduría de justicia del estado de Tamaulipas, quien habló en condición de anonimato porque no está autorizado a discutir el caso. La esposa de Davis, Nancy, fue herida en la cabeza por una bala que atravesó
“
El hecho indigna a la sociedad tamaulipeca y en particular a la comunidad mormona del Estado”. GOBIERNO DEL ESTADO DE TAMAULIPAS
el cristal trasero de su camioneta tipo pickup, dijo el jueves el jefe de la policía de Pharr, Rubén Villescas. Sam Davis dijo a investigadores que condujo a toda velocidad hacia la frontera, a 112 kilómetros (70 millas) de distancia, mientras su esposa sangraba en el asiento de al lado. Como había una larga fila de autos esperando entrar en Estados Unidos, decidió cruzar el puente internacional por el carril de sentido contrario.
Nancy Davis, de 59 años, fue llevada a un hospital de McAllen, donde se le declaró muerta a la 1:54 p.m. A través de un comunicado de prensa, el Gobierno del Estado de Tamaulipas condenó la agresión de que fueron víctimas los Davis. “El hecho indigna a la sociedad tamaulipeca y en particular a la comunidad mormona del Estado”, señala el documento. La Procuraduría General de Justicia del Estado ha establecido contacto con
sus contrapartes en EU a fin de ayudar en las tareas para identificar a los responsables del ataque y actuar en consecuencia. Las autoridades dijeron que camionetas como la Chevrolet 2008 de los Davis son codiciadas por organizaciones criminales en México y que los daños observados sugieren que otro vehículo trató de forzarlos a salir del camino. “Conducir este tipo de vehículo llama la atención”, dijo el sargento de la
DEPORTES
SEDENA
Sujeto quería cruzar dólares
MIÉRCOLES 2 DE FEBRERO LAREDO — Hoy inicia el Festival de Aves de Laredo con la ceremonia de apertura de 6:30 p.m. a 10:30 p.m. en el Philip V Room del Hotel La Posada, 1000 Zaragoza Street. Se presentará el fotógrafo Larry Ditto con su exposición “Big birds, little birds, pretty birds, sneaky birds”. El evento es gratuito y abierto al público en general. LAREDO — Cirque Du Soleil se presenta hoy con “Alegria” en Laredo Energy Arena a las 7:30 p.m.
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional emitió un reporte donde detalló la muerte de 4 sospechosos, el decomiso de armas y dinero en efectivo en distintos operativos llevados a cabo en ciudades de Tamaulipas.
JUEVES 3 DE FEBRERO LAREDO — Cirque Du Soleil se presenta hoy con “Alegria” en Laredo Energy Arena a las 7:30 p.m.
Nuevo Laredo Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
El neolaredense Pedro Márquez Villanueva es visto durante su participación dentro del Campeonato Mundial de Atletismo del Comité Paralímpico Internacional en Nueva Zelanda.
VIERNES 4 DE FEBRERO LAREDO — El equipo de béisbol de TAMIU recibe a University of Texas – Permian Basin, a las 12 p.m. y las 3 p.m. en el diamante universitario. La entrada general es de 5 dólares. Más información en el 326-2891. LAREDO — Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y disfrute “IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System” a las 6 p.m. y “The Future is Wild” a las 7 p.m. La entrada general es de 5 dólares. Más información en el 326-DOME. LAREDO — Cirque Du Soleil se presenta hoy con “Alegria” en Laredo Energy Arena a las 7:30 p.m.
SÁBADO 5 DE FEBRERO LAREDO — El equipo de béisbol de TAMIU recibe a University of Texas – Permian Basin a las 12 p.m. La entrada general es de 5 dólares. Más información en el 326.2891. LAREDO — WBCA invita al Festival de Danza Juvenil de 2 p.m. a 5 p.m. en el Auditorio del Laredo Civic Center. Entrada gratuita. LAREDO — Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y explore “Star Signs” a las 5 p.m., “IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System” a las 6 p.m., y Pink Floyd’s ”Dark Side of the Moon” a las 7 p.m. Entrada general es de 5 dólares. Más información en el 326-DOME. LAREDO — No se pierda el Concierto del Festival del Ballet Folklórico de TAMIU hoy a las 7 p.m. en el teatro del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de la universidad. Adquiera su boleto llamando al 326-2654.
policía de Pharr Ray Lara. “Suponemos que quizá no molestan a las personas de la iglesia, pero quieren esos vehículos”. Villescas dijo que planeaba hablar con investigadores mexicanos el jueves. Se negó a dar detalles sobre el paradero de Davis o de su iglesia, por la necesidad de protegerlo. El hijo de la pareja, Joseph Davis, dijo el jueves a The Associated Press que sus padres conocían el riesgo de trabajar en ciertas partes de México, pero que estaban dedicados a su trabajo. “Sería más fácil” contar el número de veces que no fueron atacados durante sus recientes viajes a México, dijo Joseph Davis en su casa de Monte Alto. Los Davis eran misioneros en México desde 1970.
Destaca atleta neolaredense Dos deportistas ponen en alto a Tamaulipas TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CIUDAD VICTORIA — Un neolaredense se ubicó entre los 10 primeros lugares durante su participación en dos pruebas dentro del Campeonato Mundial de Atletismo del Comité Paralímpico Internacional. Pedro Márquez Villanueva se ubicó en la séptima posición mundial en la prueba de 200 metros planos de la categoría T-35 de parálisis cerebral, y en el octavo puesto de la prueba de 100 metros planos. En los 200 metros, Márquez detuvo el cronómetro en 31 segundos y 92 centésimas para finalizar en el séptimo lugar de la prueba. El representante de Sudáfrica, Teboho Mokgalaga-
di se llevó la medalla de oro con un tiempo de 27.59; seguido por Allel Boukhalfa de Argelia, quien con un registro de 27.87 se quedó con la plata; el tercer lugar del podio fue ocupado por Iván Otleykin de Rusia, al cronometrar 27.98. En lo que se refiere a la prueba de los 100 metros planos, Márquez registró un tiempo de 15 segundos 17 centésimas para terminar como el octavo lugar mundial. Mokgalagadi repitió la hazaña y se llevó la medalla de oro con un tiempo de 12.96; la medalla de plata correspondió a Allel Boukhalfa de Argelia, con 13.38, y el bronce para Niels Stein de Alemania, con 13.59. La representante de Tamaulipas en la especialidad de ciegos y débiles visuales, Casandra Guadalupe Cruz Monroy, no logró avanzar a la final de la prueba de los 100 metros planos de la cat-
egoría T-11. Hasta el momento, la delegación de México ocupa el quinto lugar del cuadro de medallas, con ocho preseas; cuatro de oro, dos de plata y dos de bronce. El evento, que tuvo como sede el estadio Queen Elizabeth II en Christchurch, Nueva Zelanda.
Esgrimista Por otra parte, la esgrimista de Ciudad Victoria Úrsula González Gárate, se impusó en el Tercer Selectivo de Mayores que se llevó a cabo el 22 y 23 de enero en la Sala de Armas del Comité Olímpico Mexicano de la Ciudad de México. El evento fue convocado por la Federación Mexicana de Esgrima. En la especialidad de sable, por su posición en la clasificación general González obtuvo el pase auto-
mático en la primera ronda; en los octavos de final se impuso a la representante de Jalisco, Bertha Michel; en la ronda semifinal, a la también tapatía Angélica Aguilar, y en la final del certamen, a la seleccionada mexicana que participó en los Juegos Olímpicos de Beijing, la capitalina Angélica Larios, por marcador final de 15 puntos contra 11. “La participación de Úrsula en los Juegos Panamericanos de Guadalajara 2011 es casi un hecho”, dijo el entrenador Aquiles Ríos. González continuará participando en el proceso selectivo que marca su Federación, y el 2 de febrero estará presente en el control que efectuará este organismo, exclusivo para los mejores 8 clasificados del país en cada especialidad y rama. Posteriormente participar en el Cuarto Selectivo Nacional de Mayores.
NUEVA CIUDAD GUERRERO
Fomentarán empleo temporal TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
La necesidad de crear programas de empleo temporal fue el principal tema analizado entre los gobiernos municipales de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, San Nicolás y Mainero, con la Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (SEDESOL). Al impulsar el empleo temporal, los municipios consideran que se podrán fortalecer proyectos pro-
ductivos y se ampliará la infraestructura educativa. En ése marco, la titular de SEDESOL, Dinorah Blanca Guerra Garza, anunció que para Nueva Ciudad Guerrero serán destinados 350,000 pesos que se emplearán en la contratación de personas desempleadas por el cierre de empresas y negocios. El Jefe de Gobierno Luis Gerardo Hernández
Gómez agregó que la ciudad aportará una cantidad similar. “Limpieza, mantenimiento de áreas públicas, desmonte de áreas verdes, encalado de guarniciones y banquetas así como el remozamiento de oficinas municipales son algunas de las actividades que contempla el proyecto”, dijo Hernández. El presidente municipal de San Nicolás, Manuel
Guadalupe González Villarreal dijo que el apoyo de la federación se utilizará para exportar la piedra laja e impulsar la producción de chile piquín. A su vez, Martín Irineo Tovar González, Presidente Municipal de Mainero, acudió a la SEDESOL para reiterar su compromiso de trabajar en beneficio de su comunidad y plantear solicitudes a esta secretaría.
El 23 de enero, elementos del Ejército Mexicano en el Puente Internacional Juárez-Lincoln, trabajando en conjunto con autoridades del Servicio de Administración Tributaria, localizaron en un autobús, una maleta con 31 paquetes que ocultaban 119.979 dólares americanos. El autobus procedía de los EU y al pasar por los rayos gamma, reveló las irregularidades en una maleta. Una persona fue arrestada al no poder justificar la procedencia del dinero. En un caso similar, el 21 de enero en el Puente I Las Américas, nuevamente elementos del Ejército y SAT descubrieron que una persona que se transportaba en bicicleta hacia Laredo, Texas, llevada 58.000 dólares americanos. También se detuvo a otro individuo que se dirigía a Laredo, Texas y que ocultaba 20.745 dólares. Sospechosos, efectivo y bicicleta, fueron entregados a la autoridad correspondiente para continuar con la investigación.
Díaz Ordaz El 24 de enero, al efectuar reconocimientos en la zona rural del poblado Valadeces, municipio de Díaz Ordaz, soldados fueron agredidos con disparos de armas de fuego por integrantes de la delincuencia organizada. Al repeler la agresión, dieron muerte a cuatro presuntos agresores y aseguraron 300 dosis de cocaína en piedra, 22 dosis de cocaína en polvo, 2 paquetes de marihuana con un peso aproximado de 8 kilogramos, 13 dosis de marihuana, 6 armas largas, 38 cargadores de diferentes calibres, 3 vehículos, cartuchos y 1 máquina para contar dinero.
PAGE 8A
Zentertainment COMING UP
Wisin y Yandel set for arena again The Laredo Energy Arena and AEG Live have booked the “duo dinámico,” Wisin y Yandel, for a return to the arena. The pair is set to perform on Sunday, June 19, at 8 p.m. during its “Los Vaqueros: El Regreso 2011” tour stop. The duo has a new album, titled the same: “Los Vaqueros: El Regreso.” Tickets go on sale today, at all Ticketmaster locations including the LEA box office. Tickets range from $33 to $93, plus facility fees. For more information, call the LEA box office at 523-7700.
El Gigante, others at Papagallos USA El Gigante de America, led by Lupe Esparza, the former frontman for Bronco, will be in Laredo on Saturday. Still often called Bronco, El Gigante de America will be at Papagallos USA on Saturday night. Presale tickets are $20 and are available at Danny’s, La Roca and Tortamex restaurants around town. Other events scheduled at Papagallos USA are Ricky Naranjo y Los Gamblers for Friday, Feb. 4, and El Pega Pega de Emilio Reyna on Saturday, Feb. 5.
Wine Tasting Gala is next Saturday The Boys & Girls Clubs of Laredo is hosting its most ambitious Wine Tasting Gala event to date, as organizers prepare to paint the town “Liquid Blue.” The 13th Annual Wine Tasting Gala will be on Saturday, Feb. 5, at the Laredo Country Club and will feature music by Liquid Blue, a band from San Diego that was named America’s Best Dance Band by the National Music Awards in 2001. Also, wine master Tristen Beamon will be on hand to present an extraordinary selection of fine wines. Live and silent auctions will feature unique items such as luxury stays in Santa Fe, N.M. and Mustang Island; several premier wildlife hunts; a U.S. Open Tennis Tournament Package for two, including tickets to the women’s and men’s finals; original artwork; an eight-day African safari; and several dinner and party packages. A four-day trip for two to either New York City or San
Francisco will also be raffled. Tables of 10 are available for $2500, or $250 per person. The event begins at 7 p.m. For more information or tickets, call C.Y. Benavides III at 763-8973.
Tino Cochino at Karma in February Radio personality-turned-artist Tino Cochino will be in Laredo on Saturday, Feb. 12. Born in Lubbock, Tino Cochino became rather popular after hosting the “Whut it Dew” radio show in San Antonio on Power 106.7 FM. Through that gig, he quickly popularized his name in the music industry. He consistently remixes mainstream music, adding his own verses, to popular tracks such as Enrique Iglesias’ chart-topper “Tonight.” Tino Cochino’s new single, “I Go Hard,” which features rap group Three 6 Mafia, was produced by DJ Frank E, who is also featured on “Tonight.” Another current Tino Cochino single is “Drifting Away” produced by Wyshmaster and features Joey Notez. San Antonio’s A.J. Hernz, born in Laredo as Alberto Hernandez, will open up.
Siggno, Elida y Avante at benefit dance The South Texas Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, known by the initials as STCADA, will have a Pre-Valentine’s Day Benefit Concert featuring the music of Siggno and Elida y Avante. Set for Friday, Feb. 4, at the Casa Blanca Ballroom, the concert/dance begins at 8 p.m. The dance is set from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Tickets are $15 presale and $20 at the door. They are available at Guerra Communications, Casa de Musica Gauadlupe, Southside Grocery, Casa Raul south, STCADA and Laredo Mini Mart. For more information, call Guerra Communications at 724-9800. — The Zapata Times
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
2011 UETA Jamboozie is today By EMILIO RÁBAGO III THE ZAPTA TIMES
More than 20 linear blocks of historic downtown Laredo will be full of live music, lots of food and a Mardi-Gras style atmosphere with the 2011 edition of the UETA Jamboozie. Set to begin Saturday at 4 p.m., the 13th annual outdoor festival will feature a heavy dose of local talent. Forty-two acts have been booked for the event, which will feature six stages with about seven performances each. Headlining the show will be the Grammy Awardwinning Texas Tornados and Laredo’s own Pete Astudillo, who is about to release a new album. Astudillo will be accompanied by Ruido Añejo.
More than 35,000 The UETA Jamboozie, which also features a “Mayor’s March” parade with Laredo Mayor Raul Salinas, is Laredo’s biggest outdoor festival. Organizers dub it “The biggest outdoor festival in South Texas.” More than last year’s total of 35,000 people is expected to attend. Beads, bright colored costumes and a variety of music — with genres ranging from rock and reggae to Tejano and Colombiana — will take over downtown, from the perimeter of San Agustin Plaza to around the Old Mercado block, where the Laredo Center for the Arts is located. The parade begins at 8 p.m., at the corner of Grant Street and San Agustin Avenue, and will wind through the festival grounds, ending again at Grant Street.
A growing festival
New Orleans trip
“Since its inception in 1997, Jamboozie has grown tremendously with the community’s support,” said Sandra Rocha Taylor, executive director of Laredo Main Street. “We’re setting up tables and chairs for people to come and enjoy the music.” Taylor also said bands will have the opportunity to set up their own tables near their respective stage, to be able to sell their merchandise. This year’s lineup will include groups from as far as Honduras, and of course, some from San Antonio, Austin, Corpus Christi and other parts of the Lone Star State. The focus, however, is to display local musicians’ talents. The lineup will include Laredo bands such as Fallen on September, the ¿Qué Pasa? choice for Best Band in the “Best of 2010 Awards.” Other notable local acts include Bacchanalian Bliss, Automatic Week-
Apart from live entertainment, a large selection of food will be available for the party crowd. Taylor said there will be Cajun and Asian food to add some variety this year. New to this year’s Jamboozie will be a free raffle for a two-person trip to New Orleans. The raffle’s grand prize includes airfare for two and a hotel room in the Big Easy. Other prizes will be awarded. To enter, people must fill out a form
end, Kash Kasanova, Minoritee Movement, Randy Tate, La Juventud, the Jolly Ranchers, the Joe Guerra Jazz Band, Joe Castillo’s Zaz y Zaz, Shazz!, Vankuver and Phoebe Marie. Still, many other local bands will perform. “Jamboozie really highlights local talent,” Taylor said. “We want to give them an opportunity to get on stage and get out there.” Taylor estimated that about 15 bands could not get in, simply because time and space didn’t allow it.
and return it to one of the designated downtown stores or to the UETA booths at the event. A spray-paint artist will be at the San Agustin Plaza gazebo. Tickets are $7 presale and $10 at the door. Presale tickets are available at all UETA locations, most IBC branches, La Paletera at HEB Plus and Saunders locations, at 2 Far Gone Tattoos, Lazy Daze and TJ’s Western Grill downtown. Taylor said presale tickets will be sold at those locations until Saturday, or until they run out. The idea is to help alleviate a bottleneck on Saturday. Free parking will be available in front of El Portal, near the Rio Grande. A trolley and bus will be taking people to the Convent entrance. There’s also the BBVA Compass Bank garage as an option, but that runs $10. (Emilio Rábago III may be reached at 728-2564 or erabago@lmtonline.com)
Courtesy photo
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
LAURO GARZA JR. Lauro Garza Jr., 70, passed away Monday, Jan. 24, 2011, at Laredo Medical Center. Mr. Garza is preceded in death by his parents: Lauro and Cidelia Garza and Trinidad and Ines Uribe; and his in-laws: Serapio Jr. and Beatriz Morales. Mr. Garza is survived by his wife of 44 years, Rosalva M. Garza; sons: Lauro (Lydia) Garza and Joe (Tabitha) Garza; daughter, Ana (Joe) Gray; grandchildren: Lily, Laura, Alexis, Joey, T.J. Garza, Krystyna and A.J. Gray; brothers:
Abel (Reda) Garza and Manuel (Amparo) Garza; sisters: Belen (Eliseo) Gutierrez, Martha (Homero) Elizondo, Rosa Maria
MINERVA G. CHAPA Minerva G. Chapa, 70, passed away Friday, Jan. 21, 2011, in Laredo. Ms. Chapa is preceded in death by her husband, Nicanor Chapa; parents: Amador and Florinda A. Garcia; and a brother Amador Garcia, Jr. Ms. Chapa is survived by a son, Mario N. (Aida) Chapa; grandchildren: Andria, Anissa and Matthew Chapa; brothers: Felix (Yolanda) Garcia, Jose Luis (Rosalinda) Garcia and Dr. Edmundo O. (Glenna) Garcia; sisters: Gloria (Marcelo) Ramirez and Amada (Crispin) Gorham; sisterin-law, Aida Garcia; and by numerous nephews, nieces, other relatives and friends. Pallbearers were: Dr. Edmundo Garcia, Felix Garcia, Jose Luis Garcia, Crispin Gorham, Francisco Garcia and Tirso Amesquita. Visitation hours were held Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose
Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Monday, January 23, 2011, at 9:45 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 Highway 83, Zapata.
(Juan Antonio) Guevara and Patricia (Marcial) Gonzales; and by numerous nephews, nieces, and many friends. Mr. Garza served in the U.S. Army from May 23, 1963, to March 30, 1965. He was a member of the American Legion and also a Life Member of V.F.W. Visitation hours were held Thursday, Jan. 27, 2011, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Friday, Jan. 28, 2011, at 9:45 a.m. for a 10
a.m. funeral Mass at Nuestra Señora Del Refugio Mission in San Ygnacio. Burial services followed at Martinez Cemetery in San Ygnacio, including full military honors by the American Legion Post 486 Color Guard. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 Highway 83, Zapata.
Norma Arredondo, 45, passed away Saturday, Jan. 22, 2011, at Laredo Medical Center. Ms. Arredondo is preceded in death by her parents, Pablo I. and Maria E. Arredondo; and her brothers Julian Arredondo, Adan Arredondo and Isabel “Chavelo” Arredondo. Ms. Arredondo is survived by her husband, Joe Benitez; children: Maria Inez (Francisco) Barragan, Ronnie Lee (Mirella) Arredondo, Remigio Eduardo Galvan and Abigail Bettina Benitez; grandchildren: Alejandro Barragan, Daniel Barragan, Janet Barragan, Joel Adrian Arredondo and Aaron Mauricio Arredondo; brothers: Andres Arredondo and Alejandro (Olivia) Arredondo; sisters: Florinda (Eulogio Jr.) Martinez, Anita Arredondo, Diana (Henry) Solis and Delia Arredondo; and by numerous nephews, nieces, and many friends. Visitation hours were Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with
Cassandra Gomez, Alejandro Gonzalez, Carlos Flores, Jr., Daniel Gonzalez, Kassandra Tejada, and Jorge Vela, Bigler said. Also helping in the campaign were third graders Maricruz Quintanilla, Alexa Martinez, Ricardo Ramirez, Rene Del Bosque, Lizbeth Cantu, and Jacob Gonzalez, Bigler said. The campaign ended Friday. (Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be reached at (956)7282557.)
Photo by John Madill/The Herald-Palladium | AP
a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, at 9:45 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services followed at Las Alejandreñas Cemetery in Chihuahua, Texas. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 Highway 83, Zapata.
Arizona wants proof of US birth By PAUL DAVENPORT ASSOCIATED PRESS
27, 2011, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Nuesta Señora Del Refugio in San Ygancio, Texas. Committal services followed at Martinez Cemetery in San Ygancio. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 Highway 83, Zapata.
to drop off approximately $38 in pennies, Bigler added. Bigler has seen a great amount of participation from all the students and hopes to campaign for Pennies for Patients annually to continue to help the cause, she said. Most students were involved in the campaign including third graders Sofia Ramirez, Yasmin Peña, Jaime Chapa, Rey Muñoz, Angel Alaniz, Miguel Salinas, Hannah Gonzalez,
NORMA ARREDONDO
JORGE LUIS NIETO Jorge Luis Nieto, 55, passed away Sunday, Jan. 23, 2011, at Laredo Specialty Hospital. Mr. Nieto is preceded in death by his parents: Agapito and Jacoba Nieto; and his sisters: Maria Gonzalez, Sylvia Guzman and Margarita Soto. Mr. Nieto is survived by his wife, Leana Kay Nieto; sons: Jorge Nieto Jr., Gerald Nieto, Steven (April) Newlin and Ted Moore; daughters: Dora (Fernando) Rodriguez and Misty Newlin-Nieto; grandchildren: Kassandra, Destinee, Sergio, Dayna and Marie Newlin; and a sister Azusena Nieto; and by numerous nephews, nieces, and friends. Visitation hours were held Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Thursday, Jan.
PENNIES Continued from Page 1A
PHOENIX — Arizona legislators have reintroduced legislation aimed at making President Barack Obama prove his U.S. nationality by birth. The measure in the Arizona House would prohibit placing presidential and vice-presidential candidates on the state’s ballot unless they submit specified documentation of their U.S. birth and other constitutional requirements. Hawaii officials have repeatedly confirmed Obama’s birth in that state, but so-called “birthers” contend Obama was actually born in Kenya, his father’s homeland.
The state House narrowly passed a version of the bill in 2010 but it died in the Senate without a vote in the closing days of the legislative session. Secretary of State Ken Bennett had voiced concerns about the 2010 legislation’s provision that would have prohibited his office from placing a candidate on the ballot if documents submitted on behalf of a candidate left reasonable doubt about the candidate’s eligibility. On Friday, Bennett noted that the reasonable doubt wording is not included in the 2011 version; instead, it mandates submissions of specific sworn statements and a copy of a birth certificate with specific information.
In this Wednesday photo, James Henslee attends a prayer meeting at the Hartford Community Center, in Hartford Township, Mich., for his wife, Amy Henslee, who had been missing since Monday. A man was charged with her murder Friday.
Mother, 2nd woman found By TOM COYNE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PAW PAW, Mich. — A man charged Friday with the murders of two women found buried near a blood-splattered trailer in southern Michigan was trying to buy the rural property where the daysold graves were discovered, authorities said. Junior Lee Beebe, 34, was arrested in the slayings of his cousin’s wife, Amy Henslee, and Tonya Howarth, whom Beebe dated on and off for the last few years. Both women were shot multiple times and likely died Monday, the same day Henslee was reported missing, County Prosecutor Juris Kaps said. Investigators didn’t initially suspect foul play, because it appeared Henslee had voluntarily left her home with Beebe. But friends in this small town insisted she would never intentionally abandon her husband and their sons. The women’s bodies were found about five feet deep in a wooded, rural area in Bangor Township, about 60 miles southwest of Grand Rapids, on property that Beebe was trying to buy from his uncle, said sheriff ’s Sgt. David Walker. Investigators don’t
believe Beebe was living in the nearby trailer. “There was blood around the outside of the trailer and there was blood inside the trailer,” Walker said. “The ground had been disturbed and we received information through interviews with the suspect where we’d be able to find the persons.” Henslee’s family brought in a private canine tracking unit that alerted the sheriff ’s office to the trailer, Walker said. The crime scene was about a quarter mile into the wooded property, whose entrance from a rural two-lane highway was guarded by signs warning of dogs and forbidding trespassers. It was unclear whether the women knew each other. Autopsies were scheduled for Friday. Beebe, of Bangor, was arraigned by video Friday morning on two counts of murder and possession of a firearm during a felony during a hearing in District Court in Paw Paw, the county seat. Beebe didn’t enter a plea, but when Judge Robert Hentchel asked him about whether he understood the charges in Henslee’s death, Beebe responded: “Did or didn’t? No, I didn’t.”
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
AGENCY Continued from Page 1A our clients in Zapata.” In service for nearly 20 years, STCADA began in Jim Hogg County and gradually spread to Zapata County, Rio Bravo, Rio Grande City, Weslaco, Laredo, and Hebbronville, said STCADA executive director Romeo Rodriguez, Jr. “Our motto is to help individuals and their families,” Rodriguez said. Zapata was among many communities that were neglected for many years, Rodriguez said. “Unfortunately, problems are not getting better, they’re getting worse,” Rodriguez said. Laredo and Zapata have the highest cases of heroin use among youth today, with some fatalities, Rodriguez said. “I’m sorry these problems are happening in our community,” Rodriguez said. Representatives of several agencies attended the
ceremony in support of the new location, including Border Patrol, Zapata County ISD, Zapata County Chamber of Commerce, Webb-Zapata District Attorney’s Office and other. “Drug addiction and chemical dependency are issues no one agency can handle alone,” said District Attorney Isidro Alaniz. “It takes a community and the efforts of a community and law enforcement as a whole to address this problem.” “This is a new era we live in now where the solution is not merely throwing away the key but to work with these individuals through intervention and prevention programs through STCADA to save one life at a time,” Alaniz added. Three main programs STCADA provides in Zapata are youth prevention services, adult outpatient treatment services and HIV services, said STCADA ex-
ecutive assistant Sonia Adrienne Bernal. The main focus of STCADA is prevention and intervention and the organization now is focusing on newer methods to treat individuals struggling with drug and substance abuse, including Drug Court and family drug court programs, Rodriguez said. The Drug Court program helps individuals on the verge of incarceration receive treatment instead of being incarcerated, Rodriguez said. The family drug court program is in the process of being implemented in Laredo and will help reunite families, Rodriguez said. Drug Court programs are only available in Laredo and will soon be implemented in Zapata, Rodriguez said. (Lorraine L. Rodriguez May Be Reached At (956)7282557.)
ROADS Continued from Page 1A 3.9 miles south of FM 3169 to 1.2 miles south of FM 3169, which includes a 2.7mile upgrade from a twolane, bi-directional roadway to a four-lane roadway with a grass median and includes adjustments of utility elements from the Ramireño Water Supply, Ramirez said. A subcontractor has recently erected a 50,000-gallon elevated water tank in Ramireño, Ramirez said. “It is not operational yet and still needs to be painted,” Ramirez said. Structure work has also been done in the Ramireño project including excavation and embankment of the roadway and the installation of water lines, Ramirez said. The two-year project costs nearly $10 million, Ramirez added. “We still have a year an a half to go on this project,” Ramirez said.
TxDOT awarded two other road upgrade projects on US 83 to Anderson Columbia Co. One of the projects requires a 17.5-mile upgrade on US 83 by way of reconstructing the existing roadway, drainage structures, bridge repairs, and adding passing lanes from the intersection of the Starr and Zapata county lines with the highway to 6.4 miles north of FM 2687, Ramirez said. “The construction company will be installing lateral pipe-crossing under the roadway but are currently not working on that right now,” Ramirez said. The project is estimated at $25.6 million, Ramirez said. The other project includes a 5.8-mile long road upgrade on US 83 which calls for reconstruction of the existing roadway and
drainage structures from 9.5 miles south of FM 3169 to 3.7 miles south of FM 3169, Ramirez said. This project is estimated at $5.8 million, Ramirez said. In other business, TxDOT was pending a meeting with the Zapata County Commissioners Court for solutions on how to remove trash or prevent littering on the last two scenic outlooks. If a plan cannot be worked out, the outlooks will be removed, Ramirez said. The court had suggested several clean-up programs in previous Commissioners Court meetings but have yet to implement anything. TxDOT is giving the court more time to come up with solutions, Ramirez said. (Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be reached at (956)7282557.)
Courtesy photo
Bottom row: Storytelling first place medallion Emilae Hill, Spanish poetry; second place medallion Luis Martinez; storytelling third place medallion and ready writing fourth place ribbon Selene Garza; and ready writing third place medallion Triana Rodriguez. Middle row: Maps, charts and graphs fourth place ribbon Alinna Garcia; oral reading fourth place ribbon Maria Olivares; art smart fourth place ribbon Nancy De Leon; spelling fourth place ribbon Javier Rodriguez; ready writing fourth place ribbon and number sense sixth place ribbon Andrea Nuñez; Top row: Oral reading fifth place ribbon Karla Ramos; art smart sixth place ribbon Juan Angel Barrientos; music memory sixth place ribbon Aaliyah Yameogo; and ready writing sixth place ribbon Annalysia Serna.
UIL Continued from Page 1A mentary UIL director Jackie Pineda. Zapata South fourthgrader Angelee Lopez placed first in English oral reading and fourth-grader Andrea Gonzalez placed first for her perfect paper in music memory. Also for Zapata South, fifth-grader Tisha Nuñez placed first in number sense, and Franco Arce placed first in listening skills. Other winners include third-graders Carlos H. Flores Jr., third in spelling and second place with his perfect paper in music memory, and Sofia Ramirez, third in music memory. Also, among fourthgraders: Rosanna Pineda placed third in English oral reading, Andrea Gonzalez placed second in ready writing, and Andrea Montes placed third in Spanish oral reading. Among fifth-graders: Marian Saenz placed third in Spanish oral reading, Jackie Valadez placed third in art smart, Abram Guerra placed third in number sense, and Carlos
Garcia placed second in maps, graphs and charts. At Zapata North, thirdgrader Claudine Galunza placed first in the spelling category. “She was the only first place winner, but others received second and third places,” said librarian Belia Vela, Zapata North Elementary. “Unfortunately Benavides did not have any first-place winners this year,” said counselor Blanca Gonzalez. Second grader Enrique Solis was Benavides’ only winner and placed sixth in creative writing, Gonzalez said. Lastly, Villarreal stu-
dents Emilae Hill placed first in storytelling, Luis Martinez placed second in Spanish poetry, Selene Garza placed third in storytelling and fourth place in ready writing, and Triana Rodriguez took home third place for ready writing, said Garza. “We’re so proud that they represented our school and that they did very well,” Zavala said. In the overall competition Zapata South placed third, Zapata North placed fifth, Villarreal placed sixth, and Benavides placed seventh. (Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be reached at (956)7282557.)
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors SUPER BOWL XLV
SUPER BOWL XLV
RUNNING WILD
Photo by Mike Roemer | AP
Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson celebrates after sacking Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler during the second half of a football game in Green Bay, Wis, on Jan. 2.
Photo by Keith Srakocic | AP
ABOVE: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall (34) makes a catch during practice in Pittsburgh on Friday. The Steelers will be facing the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV on Feb. 6, 2011 in Arlington. BELOW: Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall runs against the New York Jets during the first half of the AFC Championship game in Pittsburgh on Jan. 23.
Mendenhall keeps Steelers on right track By ROB MAADDI ASSOCIATED PRESS
PITTSBURGH — Rashard Mendenhall walks through the locker room singing out loud, stops to poke fun at a teammate, shares a few laughs with a team employee and settles near his locker. Reporters gather around him, and Mendenhall turns into just another boring athlete. The Steelers running back answers questions in a calm, soft-spoken voice, careful not to say too much or provide any bulletin-board material for opponents. Once the cameras and recorders are turned off, Mendenhall is back to himself. He’s a prankster, a guy who enjoys making his teammates laugh and helps keeps the mood light.
Playing politics Woodson directs Cheeseheads to D.C.
“He’s a very charismatic guy,” right guard Ramon Foster said. “He just does some crazy, stupid stuff. It doesn’t matter when. He’ll do it anywhere. He’s the best movie quoter ever. Any type of Dave Chapelle skit, he knows it. My favorite thing is that ’Plead the fifth’ skit, Rashard does that.” On the field, Mendenhall is all business. He’s a tough runner and a major part of Pittsburgh’s offense. Mendenhall is coming off an outstanding performance against the New York Jets in the AFC championship game. Similar success against the Green Bay Packers would help the Steelers secure their seventh Super Bowl title. Mendenhall scored two touchdowns in a comeback win over the
GREEN BAY, Wis. — For a guy relatively new at giving locker room speeches, Charles Woodson certainly knows how to bring down the house. Immediately after the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears in Sunday’s NFC championship game, Woodson went to the middle of the locker room to address the team. He had been thinking about President Barack Obama’s promise to attend the Super Bowl if his favorite team, the Bears, were playing in it. And after the Packers beat the Bears to earn a trip to the Super Bowl instead, Woodson used the President’s pledge to fire up his teammates. In a video clip posted on the Packers’ website, Woodson is shown in the middle of the locker room. He be-
See STEELERS PAGE 2B
See PACKERS PAGE 2B
By CHRIS JENKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
RUNNING
MLS
Houston gears up for marathon
Dynamo realigned into East Conference
By CHRIS DUNCAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — Top American distance runner Ryan Hall started feeling good vibes even before he arrived in Houston for Saturday’s U.S. half-marathon championships. In 2007, Hall won the Houston half-marathon in 59 minutes, 43 seconds, becoming the first American to finish the distance in under an hour. Later that year, Hall finished the London marathon in 2:08.24, a record for a U.S. debut. “It’s good to be back in Houston,” Hall said. “Just flying in here, I get all reminiscent. I call this the ’Land of Breakthrough,’ because that’s what it was for me four years ago.” Hall is eager to study the course, learning the turns and testing the road surface, as Houston will host the men’s and women’s U.S. Olympic marathon trials next year on the same course. He’s also counting on this race serving as a springboard to a big year. “I come here and I just feel like, ’Ah, yeah, this is comfortable,”’ Hall said. “I just feel at peace here. You can only get that by having a good experience
Patrick Smyth and Brent Vaughn, who finished second and third in last year’s race, are back in the field. Mo Trafeh, who posted the fastest U.S. half-marathon time in New York in 2010 (1:00.39), also is entered. somewhere. It goes both ways. I have other cities, where I go there and I can feel my own heaviness, because I’ve had bad experiences there.” Patrick Smyth and Brent Vaughn, who finished second and third in last year’s race, are back in the field. Mo Trafeh, who posted the fastest U.S. half-marathon time in New York in 2010 (1:00.39), also is entered. “I don’t know what (Saturday) holds,” Hall said. “But with the trials and everything, I think we’re going to see some guys breaking through.” Magdalena Lewy Boulet, the 2009 U.S. half-marathon champion, and Serena Burla, last year’s runner-up, lead the women’s field. Burla, 28, is racing again al-
most a year after having a tumor removed from her right leg. She finished fourth in the New York City Marathon last November. “Running is something that I’ve always loved,” Burla said. “But also, going through what I faced last year, it just opened my eyes to so many important things in life. You have nothing to lose and nothing to fear, because you don’t know when your time is up.” Organizers moved the halfmarathon back to Saturday, so it wouldn’t interfere with Sunday’s full marathon. American Brett Gotcher leads an expected field of about 9,000 for Sunday’s race that starts in front of Minute Maid Park, weaves through a public park and Rice University and wraps up at
the city’s convention center. Gotcher became the favorite when last year’s winner, Ethiopian Teshome Gelana, and Kenyan Felix Keny pulled out because of visa issues. The 26-year-old Gotcher finished seventh last year in 2:10.36, the fourth fastest debut time by an American. “It was really nice last year, being able to come in under the radar, and have very little pressure,” Gotcher said. “The way I look at it, if you want to achieve your ultimate goal of making an Olympic team, you’re going to have to be in the spotlight at some point. Might as well try to get used to it now.” Another contender is Irishman Martin Fagan, a 2008 Olympian. Fagan holds the Irish record for the half-marathon (1:00.57) and trains with Gotcher in Flagstaff, Ariz. Ethiopian Ashu Kasim is the favorite on the women’s side after winning the Istanbul-Eurasia marathon in Turkey last October. Kasim set her personal best time (2:25.49) in Paris in 2009. The top American-born female contender is Stephanie Rothstein, who finished 11th in the half-marathon here in 2008.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Houston is switching to Major League Soccer’s Eastern Conference this season as the league realigns to make room for expansion Portland and Vancouver. The league said Friday that with the Timbers and Whitecaps joining the Western Conference each conference will have nine teams. The 18-team MLS will have a balanced schedule, with each team playing all the others twice. All teams will play 17 home games and 17 road games. The league season starts March 15, with the Los Angeles Galaxy at Seattle. Toronto and Vancouver must have at least three Canadian players on their rosters. The rule will apply to Montreal when it joins MLS for the 2012 season.
PAGE 2B
Zscores Contador fights doping charge
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
Peyton’s Pro Bowl in paradise for relaxation By JAYMES SONG ASSOCIATED PRESS
By PAUL LOGOTHETIS KAPOLEI, Hawaii — People from all over the world come to Hawaii to unwind, celebrate and heal. Peyton Manning is no different. The Indianapolis Colts quarterback is enjoying his 11th trip to the Pro Bowl, but still stinging from the Colts’ abrupt end to the season. Manning didn’t have much to say about the roller coaster year for the defending AFC champs, which ended with a 17-16 loss in the playoffs to the New York Jets. He’s too busy enjoying Hawaii, which is all he really wants to discuss. “This is a great trip. It’s a special week,” he said Friday after team photos and practice. The 34-year-old Manning will have plenty to talk about in the offseason as the Colts try to re-sign the only four-time MVP in
ASSOCIATED PRESS
PUIGPUNYENT, Balearic Islands — Alberto Contador intends to fight a proposed doping suspension, saying he is a victim of a flawed system and insists it’s a “question of honor” to prove he did not cheat to win the Tour de France. An emotional Contador promised to defend his innocence “until the end” as he spoke publicly for the time since learning of the proposed one-year ban from the Spanish cycling federation for a positive clenbuterol test that could cost him his Tour title.
Searching for justice “In the next 10 days I’m going to work and do all I can to receive justice. It’s a question of honor, defending your pride and your innocence,” said the 28-year-old Spaniard, whose watery eyes were replaced by a rebellious glare at the end of the hour-long news conference in Mallorca. “This is about honor.”
Bad cut of meat Contador blames his positive result on eating contaminated meat, and he characterized the Spanish federation’s decision Wednesday to accept his defense yet still sanction him as “shameful.” The reduced ban, instead of the standard two-year penalty, would still leave Contador stripped of the 2010 Tour title and off the starting line of this year’s race. “They are recognizing that I’m innocent and then they give me a oneyear ban,” the three-time Tour winner said. “I can’t explain that. I can’t defend that. I can’t do anything more.” “Of course I feel like a victim — a victim of the system,” he said.
Fighting against time Contador has until Feb. 9 to present more evidence before the Spanish authority’s disciplinary committee renders a final verdict. That decision can be appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport by Contador, the International Cycling Union or the World Anti-Doping Agency. Contador’s voice filled the room as he spoke about an anti-doping system that had dragged him from places such as movie theaters, family dinners and birthday parties more
Photo by Manu Mielniezuk | AP
Cyclist Alberto Contador speaks during a news conference in Puigpunyent, Spain on Friday. Spanish authorities handed Contador a proposed one-year ban, rather than the standard two-year penalty, after accepting his positive clenbuterol test at last year’s Tour came from contaminated meat. than 500 times without incident. “What hurts the most is that all of the scientists know I’m innocent,” said Contador, who vowed to do all he can to see that the rule on clenbuterol is changed. “And this hurts me. This is sad. Very sad.” “To lose everything I’ve achieved until now — now I don’t believe in the antidoping system.”
Plenty of backup Contador appeared at the news conference along with Bjarne Riis, head of his Saxo Bank-SunGard team. Riis said the team and its sponsors were sticking by Contador. “It is extremely important we can distinguish between those who try to cheat on purpose and those who take something by accident,” Riis said. If Contador is stripped of the Tour victory, the title would go to runner-up Andy Schleck of Luxembourg. A one-year ban means Contador would not have to surrender 70 percent of his salary, unlike a two-year ban. Contador would not only miss this year’s Tour if the ban is upheld, he would also miss out on participating in the Spanish Vuelta by three days because the one-year ban would end on Aug. 23. The ban would be retroactive
to Aug. 24 of last year — the day he was informed of the positive control. “To be at the next Tour motivates me even more,” said Contador, who also won Tour titles in 2007 and 2009. Contador says he ate meat contaminated with clenbuterol on a rest day during the tour in July. The case highlights a growing concern that clenbuterol can be consumed unwittingly by eating meat from animals who were fed the drug, which helps burn fat and build muscle. It is on WADA’s zero-tolerance list. Italian cyclist Alessandro Colo received a oneyear ban from Italian authorities after testing positive for clenbuterol from meat consumed in Mexico last year. WADA is not appealing the case while the UCI must decide by Monday whether it goes for a two-year ban. “The rules have to change,” Contador said. “I don’t know when, but this can’t happen to me and to any athlete in a similar situation to me.” Contador is one of only five cyclists to win the Tour, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta. “How can this affect my career any more?” he said. “My career has already been so affected by everything. The (Spanish) committee has to understand that the proposed resolution is not just.”
league history. Team owner Jim Irsay has said he intends to make Manning the NFL’s highest-paid player. Manning helped the Colts reach the postseason for a record-tying ninth time, win a seventh division title in eight years, set a career high in yards (4,700), threw 33 TDs, 17 interceptions and broke the NFL record for completions in a season (450). Back at the Pro Bowl, Manning is the player that every one, including the players, wants to be around and have their picture taken with. “He’s been here for 40 years now, so he kind of runs the show,” Tennessee Titans rookie kick returner Marc Mariani said. In his 13th season, Manning is joining Brett Favre as the only quarterback to be selected to at least 11 Pro Bowls. “It’s always been an honor,” Manning said. “I’ve never taken it for
granted. “Being voted over here by the players, coaches and fans, I’ve played in it every time I’ve been voted in,” Manning said. “(Baltimore Ravens linebacker) Ray Lewis has done the same thing.” Of this year’s players, only Lewis has been to more games than Manning as a 12-time selection. Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzales also has 11 appearances to lead the NFC. “When you look at a guy like Peyton, when you look at a guy like Tony Gonzales, they appreciate it,” Lewis said. “When you get over, there’s a certain brotherhood. The guys you went to war against, now you come here and it’s all about family and sharing and understanding.” The question Lewis and Manning get most often from the younger plays is: What is their magic potion to keep doing what they’ve been doing for so long?
PACKERS Continued from Page 1B gins by talking calmly about the team sticking together as one — and then he cuts loose. “And check this,” Woodson said, his voice rising. “If the President don’t want to come watch us in the Super Bowl, guess what? We’ll go see him!” Amid the shouts from his teammates, Woodson led a cheer: “1-2-3 ... White House!”
Fair play Woodson even found a good-natured way to talk some smack to the President himself this week, autographing a jersey for Obama with the message, “See you at the White House. Go Packers.” It’s the natural next step in Woodson’s evolution as a leader. He was The Associated Press Defensive Player of the Year last season. And several teammates, including cornerbacks Tramon Williams and Sam Shields, have credited him with helping them get better. But he hadn’t been particularly vocal in his leadership until now.
Leading the charge After rotating captains during the regular season, the Packers took a player vote to elect six captains for the playoffs. Woodson was selected, along with Aaron Rodgers, wide receiver Greg Jennings, linebacker A.J. Hawk, special teams standout Jarrett Bush and kicker Mason
Crosby. The other five captains then decided that Woodson should be in charge of talking to the team. “The other captains kind of nominated me without any voting process, they kind of pushed me out there to be the guy to do it,” Woodson said. “And it was fine with me. I feel like I’ve played this game a long time, played it at a high level. I feel like the things I can say to the team are things that mean something to them, and I can give them something that maybe I’ve been through and just shed a little light on this process. So it just kind of happened that way.” Rodgers knew he was the right choice. “Anytime he speaks, I think he’s starting to realize he has a lot of respect in the locker room and guys listen to him, they appreciate what he has to say,” Rodgers said. “And he’s pretty good at it, too.” Outside linebacker Frank Zombo, an undrafted rookie free agent who made the team, said Woodson commands respect in the locker room. “When he goes to speak, he’s got everybody’s attention,” Zombo said. “And you know that’s coming straight from the heart. That’s just a guy who’s been through it all, everyone has a lot of respect for. When he talks, everyone stops and listens.”
Rehearsed chaos Woodson isn’t just wing-
ing it up there. “You don’t want to just go up there and rant,” Woodson said. “You want to give it some thought because you’re talking to your peers, and at the same time you’re talking at a time where the games are bigger than ever.” Defensive lineman Cullen Jenkins said it’s working because Woodson’s act is not over the top. “I mean, he’s still the same person,” Jenkins said. “He’s not running through here every chance he gets trying to make a speech. He doesn’t do it way too often, but when he does do it, guys really listen to it because you know that it has meaning to it.” All that said, Woodson remains one of the guys. Jenkins joked that Woodson’s age (34) is the thing that makes him most qualified. “Anytime you’ve got somebody that’s as old as him, he’s like the senior citizen of the team,” Jenkins said. In all seriousness, Jenkins says Woodson is doing a great job. “He’s a leader of this team,” Jenkins said. “Any time that you look at a guy who’s had as much individual success as he has, for so long, and still seem him motivated to accomplish something as a team, it just rubs off and you can’t help but look up to a guy like that.” Woodson, who went to the January 2003 Super Bowl with the Oakland Raiders and lost to Tampa Bay, said he’s driven to get a ring before he retires.
STEELERS Continued from Page 1B Baltimore Ravens two weeks ago. He had 121 yards rushing and one TD on 27 carries in the 24-19 victory over the Jets and Rex Ryan’s vaunted defense. “Every game is a different game,” Mendenhall said. “You want to take the positives out of last week and try to maximize your performance.” A strong running game has long been a staple in Pittsburgh. From Byron “Whizzer” White to Bill Dudley, John Henry Johnson to Franco Harris, Jerome Bettis to Willie Parker, the Steelers traditionally have won with a grind-it-out rushing attack and a menacing defense. But Ben Roethlisberger’s strong arm and a group of talented receivers made the Steelers more of a passing team the last two years. The days of the Ground Chuck
offense seemed long gone as Big Ben threw for more than 4,300 yards in 2009. Roethlisberger’s fourgame suspension to start this season contributed to a renewed emphasis on the run. Mendenhall had two of his three 100-yard games in the regular season during Roethlisberger’s absence, helping the Steelers to a 3-1 start. After Roethlisberger returned, Mendenhall’s carries went down from an average of 22.3 per game the first four weeks to 18 over the next five. But the Steelers relied more on Mendenhall in the latter part of the season and he finished with 1,273 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns. In two playoff games, he’s carried the ball 47 times for 167 yards and three scores. While most fans in other cities prefer to see their team pass, the black-andgold faithful turn it up a
After Roethlisberger returned, Mendenhall’s carries went down from an average of 22.3 per game the first four weeks to 18 over the next five. notch when Mendenhall gets the ball. “Running the ball and defense are a tradition here,” Mendenhall said. “You can wear down an opponent with the running game and the fans feel it. It’s one of those things where you can hear the crowd and the towels waving.” Mendenhall is quite aware of the Steelers tradition. He has a lot of respect for Harris and Bettis, who’ve spent time talking to him and sharing advice. “From talking to Franco and talking to Jerome, there’s things you learn off the field on how to be a professional, how to carry
yourself in the organization, things like that,” Mendenhall said. “And, you learn about preparing yourself with the spotlight being on you, and taking care of your body in the offseason.” The 23-year-old Mendenhall grew up in Illinois and played for the Illini, but he paid more attention to the Los Angeles Rams than the Chicago Bears because of the Bus. “Jerome was my favorite player when he was on the Rams,” Mendenhall said. “I remember him for being a big guy, his feet and his movement, a lot of people don’t see him being so quick.” The Steelers drafted
Mendenhall in the first round in 2008, even though Willie Parker had just run for over 1,300 yards. However, Mendenhall’s rookie season was a disappointment. He sustained a season-ending shoulder injury after four games and watched from the sideline when the Steelers beat Arizona to win the Super Bowl. Mendenhall couldn’t play because he was hurt. It doesn’t mean he didn’t learn from the experience. “I saw everything it takes to prepare to win,” he said. “It means a lot to be there and be a part of it this time.” Mendenhall credits the offensive line and coaches
for his success running the ball. Against New York, tight end Heath Miller was a dominant blocker. Guard Chris Kemoeatu also was a factor with strong play on the line of scrimmage. “He’s a unique animal at the tight end position,” Mendenhall said of Miller. “A lot of people look at tight ends and look at how many catches they have. He’s a guy that blocks well week in and week out and makes a big impact.” The Steelers had their linemen do some pulling and combination blocking to keep the Jets off-balance and open holes for Mendenhall. “He’s a hard runner and you know he’s gonna try hard to get that extra yard,” Foster said. “You know if you give him a hole, he can break it. It’s fun blocking for him.” For teammates, it’s fun being around him, too.
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS BY | HELOISE Dear Heloise: Regarding the column about pet sitters: One important item is the “PERMISSION TO TREAT.” If you are using a sitting service, you need to write a letter stating that the person doing the sitting has the right to authorize treatment (medical treatment -- Heloise) of the animal. Give this letter to your vet, and give a copy to the sitter. Leave all phone numbers, state that all minor problems shall be treated and that you agree to pay all charges. Indicate that if the problem is more critical, you are to be contacted. Thanks for all your good advice. -- Stephanie, via email Stephanie, excellent point! Give the letter to anyone watching your animals, whether it’s a professional pet sitter, friend, neighbor or family member. And have information about the closest animal emergency clinic handy, too. FYI: In the previous column about bonded, insured and “licensed” pet sitters, of course this means a business license, not necessarily a specialized license. Woof, woof ! -Heloise DOG WALKING 101 Dear Heloise: I have some hints about dog walking, since I walk my three
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HELOISE
dogs every day: Walk the dogs at roughly the same time each day. I walk my dogs on the sidewalks, so they can’t mess up my neighbors’ yards. I make it a fun workout for myself also, by walking briskly. -- A Reader in Texas IT’S IN THE BAG Dear Heloise: I’ve noticed that in your column, readers have advised using “leftover” plastic bags — newspaper bags, shopping bags, etc. — for collecting and disposing of dog waste. Please encourage your readers to purchase biodegradable bags instead. Typical plastic bags can take hundreds of years to disintegrate, and birds and other small animals often ingest them or become trapped in them. The biodegradable bags disintegrate quickly. I know they cost a little more, but it’s the responsible thing to do. Thank you. -- Steven Beckham, via e-mail A smart way to help the environment and all of our animal friends. -- Heloise
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4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JANUARY 29, 2011
Titans, Fisher part ways after 16 seasons By TERESA M. WALKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The atmosphere was so cordial at the Titans’ headquarters Friday it was hard to tell Jeff Fisher that was leaving the team. He stood behind the podium thanking everyone in the building before leaving with a wave. Tennessee’s top executives expressed their gratitude for his work over the years, then discussed how they will replace Fisher after mutually agreeing they had reached a point where “it was time to move on” after 16 full seasons. “It is just time for a change,” owner Bud Adams said Friday by telephone from his Houston office. Fisher declined to address details about the decision, but acknowledged
JEFF FISHER: ousted from Tennessee on Friday after 6-10 season. some differences with the team. He also looked much more relaxed Friday morning than in weeks, calling it the best decision after two difficult seasons. The Titans rebounded from an 0-6 start to finish 8-8 in 2009, then wasted a 5-2 start in 2010 by losing eight of the final 10 games for a 6-10 record. “I’ve been coaching for 24 years, and it’s time. I need a break,” Fisher said. “And I think timing-wise this is a perfect opportunity to do this so the organization can move forward with their plan, and I’ll move forward with whatever happens in the future.” The team announced the split Thursday night, shocking players, assistant
coaches and the rest of the NFL because Adams announced three weeks ago he’d decided to keep Fisher for the final year of his contract. Adams said teams and coaches unfortunately almost always reach a point where change is the best option. “I believe both the team and Jeff will benefit in the long run from this move. Now I’m still confident about our future. I think we have good players. I believe in Steve Underwood and (general manager) Mike Reinfeldt to find our next head coach.” The search to replace Fisher is already under way, and the Titans’ general manager Mike Reinfeldt and Underwood, the senior executive vice president, will handle the process whose only timetable is “as long as it takes.” Underwood said reports of the
coach’s settlement at $8 million were “erroneous” while declining to answer questions about the package. Among the four major U.S. sports, only Jerry Sloan with the NBA’s Utah Jazz has been with the same team longer than Fisher had been with the Titans. Andy Reid of Philadelphia now takes over as the NFL’s longest-tenured coach having finished up his 12th season with the Eagles. Fisher, promoted from defensive coordinator to interim coach in 1994, guided the team’s relocation from Houston to Tennessee and took the Titans to their lone Super Bowl appearance. He also had losing skids of at least five games in five of the last seven seasons. He has coached more NFL games for one fran-
chise than all but six Hall of Famers: George Halas, Tom Landry, Don Shula, Chuck Noll, Curly Lambeau and Bud Grant. He ranks third among active coaches in career wins with a record of 147-126, behind only Bill Belichick (176) and Mike Shanahan (160), and he is 20th in career coaching victories. He could coach again this season. A team executive noted that’s up to Fisher, but the coach wouldn’t speculate when asked if he might work on television for a season. “I think I need the rest. Those that coach 10 years that take a year off are three times better coaches ... in year 11. I’m going to take time,” Fisher said. Reinfeldt noted Fisher’s departure didn’t change the Titans’ decision to either trade quarterback Vince Young or release him
later this offseason. The general manager also noted Fisher just finished his 17th season with this organization and called that unbelievable in a hard job that takes a toll. “He was the face of the franchise for such a long time,” Reinfeldt said. “At the same time, I think change is part of the NFL. You look other places where change has happened, change can be a wonderful thing, and we can use that change to get us to where we want to be.” Fisher eluded to the possibility of a contract extension the day after the season ended, but Adams decided to let his coach work through the final year of his contract. Fisher’s last winning record was 13-3 in 2008 when the Titans wasted the No. 1 seed in the AFC by losing in the divisional round.
NBA’s All-Star dilemma Weighing W’s and L’s vs. numbers in All-Star votes
Photo by Lenny Ignelzi | AP
Tiger Woods hits his tee shot on the second hole of the South Course at Torrey Pines during the second round of the Farmers Insurance Open golf tournament in San Diego on Friday.
By JON KRAWCZYNSKI
Fresh starts at Torrey Pines
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS — Kevin Love is putting up staggering numbers for the Minnesota Timberwolves. Rebounds — 15.7 per game, nearly 21/2 better than the next closest NBA player. Points — 21.6, putting him on track to become the first player since Moses Malone in 1982-83 to average at least 20 points and 15 rebounds per game. Three-point percentage — 44.7, tied for seventh in the league. But there is one number that threatens to prevent him from making his first All-Star team. It’s 10, which is how many victories the Timberwolves have this season. “I feel like I’ve done the best I could to show I’m an All-Star type talent, but I know that wins come at a premium in this league and a lot of coaches are going to look at that,” Love said. “But hopefully, maybe, they can get past that this year and make an exception.” Love isn’t alone in hoping coaches look past wins and make him a reserve for the All-Star game on Feb. 20 in Los Angeles. Golden State guard Monta Ellis, Clippers forward Blake Griffin and Memphis forward Zach Ran-
By DOUG FERGUSON ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin, right, drives past Houston Rockets’ Chuck Hayes during the first half on Wednesday in Houston. dolph are all putting up huge numbers this season while playing for losing teams. The performances are making it tough on Western Conference coaches who vote for the reserves. “There are going to be a lot of hard votes, hard decisions,” Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. Ellis is averaging 25.8 points per game, fourth in the league. Griffin has been the breakout star of the first half with his ferocious dunks. Randolph is putting up a double-double nearly every night to help the improving Grizzlies (22-24) approach the .500 mark. Their numbers are creating a debate among the NBA’s coaches. Is there room in the All-Star game for losers? Love, Griffin, Ellis and Randolph aren’t losers, but their teams have a combined record of
68-113. Love’s Timberwolves (1035) are tied for fewest wins in the West, Griffin’s Clippers (17-28) are still well under .500 despite a solid run of late and Ellis’s incredible scoring has done little to change the fortunes for the Warriors (1926). “I don’t think there’s any formula for it,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “I think that everything should be considered. I think it’s natural for a player on a team with a better record to probably get the attention first. But it does not preclude a player who has been outstanding on a team with a lesser record from being considered. “I think it’s a subjective thing. It depends what people think, how much they respect and value what a specific player has done.” Denver Nuggets coach
Blind driver to debut new technologies at Daytona By KYLE HIGHTOWER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — It’s a cloudy morning at Daytona International Speedway, but Mark Riccobono can’t tell, nor does it really matter to him. He walks up to the driver’s side of a black, Ford Escape Hybrid parked on the start-finish line, opens the door, sits down and adjusts his seat. After a few minutes the car revs up and takes off. None of that’s unusual at one of the meccas of motorsports racing, except for one thing: Riccobono is blind. Saturday, Riccobono will take part in a public demonstration, driving independently with the help of new nonvisual technology and a specially modified car. The event, spearheaded by the the National Federation of the Blind, is part of the pre-race activities of Saturday’s Rolex 24 event at Daytona. Riccobono will
drive a portion of the same course as the drivers in the race. “I pretty much shut out the idea that driving was possible, because I didn’t want to focus on that aspect of something I couldn’t do,” said Riccobono, 34, who has been legally blind since age 5 and was selected from a group of test drivers to be behind the wheel Saturday. “But I think this project is a clear example that when you dream big and put your heart and resources into it, you get to unimagined places.” The NFB, an advocacy group of more than 50,000 members, hatched the idea a decade ago. In 2004 it began the Blind Driver Challenge through its Jernigan Institute. The challenge encouraged partnerships with universities and manufacturers to create technology that would enable a blind driver to safely operate a vehicle.
Saturday’s event has been in the developmental phase for the past three years thanks to the NFB’s partnership with Virginia Tech’s College of Engineering and TORC Technologies. The students developed the equipment Riccobono will use. TORC integrated those into a working vehicle. Several Virginia Tech students teamed with TORC and won $500,000 when they placed third in a 2007 competition put on by the U.S. Defense Department to build a fully robotic vehicle. So when Dr. Dennis Hong, director of Tech’s Robotics and Mechanics Laboratory (RoMeLa), heard about NFB’s challenge, he thought it was a no-brainer to get involved. “We said, ’Hey, we already have a fully-autonomous vehicle, how difficult would it be to put a person inside?”’ Hong said. “We couldn’t have been more wrong.
George Karl, while complimentary of Love’s progression, was a little less diplomatic. “I think his numbers are impressive enough to be considered,” Karl said. “But I like taking guys off the teams that win games.” The star power out West isn’t helping their cause. Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant will start, with the center yet to be determined after the injured Yao Ming was voted in by the fans. That leaves players like Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Russell Westbrook, Steve Nash, Tim Duncan and LaMarcus Aldridge to vie for seven spots on the bench. “The thing I’ll tell you, to be very frank, is that the coaches’ vote is always tipped heavily toward winning,” Carlisle said.
SAN DIEGO — Torrey Pines was supposed to be the perfect place for a fresh start, and it was every bit of that. Just not for Tiger Woods. Sunghoon Kang, a 24year-old from South Korea who had never played a PGA Tour event until this year, handled the North Course with ease Thursday in the Farmers Insurance Open for an 8-under 64. He had a one-shot lead over Rickie Fowler, who last month was voted the rookie of the year, and Alex Prugh, who also was on the 2010 rookie ballot. One shot behind was Chris Kirk, another rookie this year who shot 66 despite getting a cortisone shot in his foot on Tuesday. “There’s a lot of young guys playing well,” Fowler said. “There’s a lot of young guys that are going to be out here pretty soon that you haven’t heard
about or seen on tour yet. So it’s pretty cool to be a part of that movement. And we’re not scared to go out and play, and definitely be in contention.” Woods had few complaints, except for the shots he left above the hole and the putts he didn’t make. He opened with a 3-under 69 on the slightly easier North Course, a stressfree round in which he didn’t make a bogey, but didn’t make a birdie on any of the par 5s that are all reachable in two shots if the drive finds short grass. Woods was in the deep stuff all four times. “I’m happy with the way I played, absolutely,” Woods said. “I could have been a lot better if I took care of the par 5s a little bit more, but obviously, I didn’t do that.” Woods has won seven times as a pro at Torrey Pines, the most of any course he has played. And while he was five shots behind, that was hardly alarming.