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washington’s birthday 114TH
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PUBLIC EDUCATION
celebration association F EST I VA L
GEORGE AND MARTHA ARE GETTING READY Martha Washington, portrayed by Betty B. Moreno, and George Washington, portrayed by Francis Cullen "Pancho" Averill Jr., show off their costumes, designed by Linda Gutierrez, during the Society of Martha Washington Media Day at the J.C. Martin residence in Laredo, on Wednesday afternoon.
Losing money School district faces loss of up to $8.5M By NICK GEORGIOU THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County Independent School District could lose between $4.9 million and $8.5 million in funding because of the state’s projected massive budget shortfall, according to a leading school finance firm. Exactly how much state funding ZCISD and other school districts will lose remains to be seen. Lawmakers likely will not pass the 2012-13 biennium budget until May. But deep cuts are expected, as both the House and the Senate have proposed slashing public education funding by at least $10 billion over a two-year period. The preliminary budgets have triggered widespread fear, with leaders of public education institutions saying they will have to take drastic measures to absorb the proposed cuts. Those measures would include closing schools, employee furloughs, layoffs and cutting salaries
If ZCISD were to lose between $4.9 million and $8.5 million, that would equal 11 to 20 percent of its general operating revenue budget. and employment contract days. While legislators will hold many hearings before passing the 2012-13 biennium budget, school districts and other state-funded agencies are bracing for the worst and drawing up budget reduction strategies.
See SCHOOLS PAGE 12A
Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times
MEXICO VIOLENCE
WEATHER
3 armed men shot by Army
REVELING IN THE ICE
Weapons, ammo were confiscated by soldiers after battle THE ZAPATA TIMES
Three suspected drug traffickers died in a confrontation with the Mexican Army in Ciudad Mier last weekend, continuing an unrelenting wave of violence across the northern Mexican border. Few details about the Jan. 30 attack were available. The Mexican Department of National Defense issued a news release confirming the deaths but gave no names or information about when or where the confrontation occurred. The department’s statement noted that soldiers confiscated five rifles, 89 clips and more than 1,500 rounds of ammunition. A day later, soldiers arrested four people near Diaz Ordaz during a routine patrol. The defense department’s statement said soldiers found 1.5 kilos of marijuana, two cartridges and a ammo loader. In Nuevo Laredo, the new police chief, Manuel Farfán Carriola, was assassinated in an ambush late Wednesday as he was
See ARMY PAGE 12A
Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times
Eva Mendez and Ernesto I. Guerra enjoy playing with an icy water fountain at the Best Western Inn in Zapata on Friday afternoon.
Cold blows through county, but warmth is on its way THE ZAPATA TIMES
Icy weather gripped Zapata County, turning fountains into frozen artwork and causing several minor accidents, but no major injuries were reported. “We don’t have it this cold very often,”
said Edna Umphres, a retired teacher who has lived in Zapata more than 40 years. “We had ice on the bird bath and the grass was just covered with ice (Friday morning). The ice was just everywhere. It looked like snow in a way, but it was ice. “Last winter was very mild,” she noted.
“This is a little colder than we usually have here.” The cold that settled over South Texas pushed temperatures into the 20s Thursday and Friday, but the sun came out and the
See WEATHER PAGE 12A