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ZAPATA RISING
HERITAGE
Tejanos soon to get monument
Reunion could be largest ever By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
In 2013, Zapata looks to set the Guinness World Record for the largest family reunion. That’s the goal of Zapata Rising, an organization that is planning a threeday event to commemorate the anniversary of the flood that displaced families living in what used to be Zapata and its surrounding communities. A town hall meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Zapata
County Courthouse to introduce the concept to the broader community and lay out the timeline of the project. Organizers set a tentative date for the event in August of next year. They plan to solidify that date Tuesday. The reunion will be a cause for memorializing the events, not celebrating them, said Jose Garcia, who is one of the chief organizers of the project. “There’s a lot of sadness
See REUNION PAGE 7A
FRACKING
No oversight on gas lines: audit By GARANCE BURKE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times
Renato Ramirez, president of IBC Bank Zapata, is an advocate for the Tejano Monument that will be unveiled Thursday at the State Capitol in Austin.
Austin’s the site for unveiling masterpiece By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Just about every day for the past 45 years, Armando Hinojosa has been kneading and pawing at sculpting clay, his fingers molding the material with finesse. More than a decade ago, Hinojosa began work on a piece for all of Texas to feast its eyes upon, one that tells of the origins of his Tejano heritage. Hinojosa’s 11-year project culminates Thursday at the state capitol, where
thousands will gather for the unveiling of the Tejano Monument. When asked about the length of time it took for the project to be completed, those involved say they expected it to be shorter. “I didn’t know whether I was going to be alive or not,” joked the 69-year-old Hinojosa. “Thank God we made it.”
The monument Through
the
monu-
ment — which features a longhorn, a bloomer-donning conquistador, a vaquero on horseback and a mother and child — people associated with the project hope to tell the story of the early settlers of Texas, the Spaniards and the Tejano community which they spawned. The effort started in 2001, when McAllen resident Cayetano Barrera noticed few monuments at the capitol honoring the legacy of Tejanos. Hinojosa said he got on board because he agreed
with Barrera that Hispanic people needed to be acknowledged for their contributions to Texas’s cattle ranching business and popular culture. The mystique that surrounds the cowboy, for instance, owes some of its origins to the Spanish vaquero, he said, pointing to words like rodeo and lariat that came from Spanish words. Negative perceptions of Hispanics have floated around throughout the
See MONUMENT PAGE 7A
SAN FRANCISCO — Government auditors say federal officials know nothing about thousands of miles of pipelines that carry natural gas released through the drilling method known as fracking, and need to step up oversight to make sure they are running safely. Amid the gas-drilling boom, private companies have put in hundreds of small gathering pipelines in recent years to collect new fuel supplies released through the highpressure drilling technique. Nationwide, about 240,000 miles of gathering pipelines ferry the gas and oil to processing facilities and larger pipelines in the major energyproducing states. Many of these pipelines course through densely populated areas, including neighborhoods in Fort Worth. The Government Accountability Office said in its report issued Thursday that most of those miles are not regulated by the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, which means they are not regularly inspected for leaks or corrosion. In some states, officials don’t know where the lines are. Emily Krafjack, who lives in the gas-rich Marcellus Shale formation in
Pennsylvania, said many local residents have no idea that the pipelines near their homes are not overseen by federal regulators. Gathering lines that run in the rural northeastern corner of the state receive no federal oversight if there are fewer than 10 homes within 220 yards of the pipeline. “Who would ever think that they could run something like this next to your home and it wouldn’t have any regulations attached to it?” said Krafjack, a former community liaison for Wyoming County, Pa., on gas issues. Nationwide, there are about 200,000 miles of gas gathering lines and up to 40,000 miles of hazardous liquid gathering lines in rural and urban areas alike, ranging in diameter from about 2 to 12 inches. But only about 24,000 of those miles are regulated, according to the report. The industry is not required to report pipelinerelated fatality, injury or property damage information about the unregulated lines. PHMSA only collects information about accidents on the small subset of gathering lines that the agency regulates, but that data was not immediately available Thursday. The pipeline agency is considering collecting
See FRACKING PAGE 7A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, MARCH 24
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Saturday academies will be held at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School in 3rd-grade math and reading, 4th-grade math and reading and 5th-grade math and reading.
Today is Saturday, March 24, the 84th day of 2012. There are 282 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On March 24, 1765, Britain enacted the Quartering Act, requiring American colonists to provide temporary housing to British soldiers. On this date: In 1832, a mob in Hiram, Ohio, attacked, tarred and feathered Mormon leaders Joseph Smith Jr. and Sidney Rigdon. In 1882, German scientist Robert Koch (kohk) announced in Berlin that he had discovered the bacillus responsible for tuberculosis. In 1932, in a first, radio station WJZ (later WABC) broadcast a variety program from a moving train in Maryland. In 1934, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill granting future independence to the Philippines. In 1944, in occupied Rome, the Nazis executed more than 300 civilians in reprisal for an attack by Italian partisans the day before that had killed 32 German soldiers. In 1955, the Tennessee Williams play “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ” opened on Broadway. In 1958, rock-and-roll singer Elvis Presley was inducted into the Army in Memphis, Tenn. In 1976, the president of Argentina, Isabel Peron, was deposed by her country’s military. In 1980, one of El Salvador’s most respected Roman Catholic Church leaders, Archbishop Oscar Arnulfo Romero, was shot to death by a sniper as he celebrated Mass in San Salvador. In 1989, the supertanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on a reef in Alaska’s Prince William Sound and began leaking 11 million gallons of crude oil. In 1995, after 20 years, British soldiers stopped routine patrols in Belfast, Northern Ireland. In 1999, NATO launched airstrikes against Yugoslavia, marking the first time in its 50-year existence that it had ever attacked a sovereign country. Ten years ago: At the Academy Awards, Halle Berry became the first black actress to win an Oscar for a leading role for her work in “Monster’s Ball,” while Denzel Washington became the second black actor, after Sidney Poitier, to win in the best actor category for “Training Day.” “A Beautiful Mind” won four Oscars, including best picture and best director for Ron Howard. Today’s Birthdays: Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is 93. Fashion and costume designer Bob Mackie is 73. Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire is 65. Fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger is 61. Comedian Louie Anderson is 59. Actress Donna Pescow is 58. Actor Robert Carradine is 58. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is 56. Actor Peter Jacobson is 47. Actress Lara Flynn Boyle is 42. Actress Keisha Castle-Hughes is 22. Thought for Today: “Either you think, or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, American author (1896-1940).
MONDAY, MARCH 26 There will be a staff huddle at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School from 4:15-5 p.m. STAAR testing will take place at Zapata High School.
TUESDAY, MARCH 27 STAAR tests will be given in 4th-grade writing and fifth-grade math at all Zapata County ISD elementary schools. STAAR testing will take place at Zapata High School.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 STAAR tests will be given in 5thgrade reading and 4th-grade writing at all Zapata County ISD elementary schools. STAAR testing will take place at Zapata High School.
THURSDAY, MARCH 29
Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Auboni Champion-Morin talks with her husband Fernando Morin before a status hearing in juvenile court on March 15 in Houston. The Morins’ infant son vanished eight years ago and was recently found to be safe.
Missing boy: 2nd arrest
STAAR testing will take place at Zapata High School.
By MICHAEL GRACZYK
SATURDAY, MARCH 31
HOUSTON — Texas authorities arrested and charged a second woman with kidnapping Friday in the widening case of a Houston boy who disappeared eight years ago and was found earlier this month. Gloria Jean Walker, 50, was arrested at her home in Manor, east of Austin. Walker is the mother of Krystle Tanner, who was arrested two weeks ago in San Augustine in East Texas and also charged with the kidnapping of Miguel Morin when he was 8 months old. Cunningham said the arrest warrant was based on information obtained from Tanner, investigations by child welfare officials and evaluation of the original case handled by Houston police. “We’re still looking for any definitive in-
Saturday academies will be held at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School in 3rd-grade math and reading, 4th-grade math and reading and 5th-grade science. Zapata Falcons vs. Alamo Bandits. Semi-pro football. Time to be announced. The South Texas Collectors Expo returns to the Laredo Civic Center, 2400 San Bernardo Ave., from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It will feature vendors from Austin, Houston, San Antonio, the Rio Grande Valley, Corpus Christi and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. Admission will be $3 per day or $5 for a weekend pass. For more information, visit www.southtexascollectorsexpo.com.
TUESDAY, APRIL 3 TELPAS testing for the 4th grade will take place at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 Easter pictures will be taken at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School, Room 24. Cost is $2. TELPAS testing of the 5th grade will take place at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School.
FRIDAY, APRIL 6 Easter holiday for Zapata ISD students.
MONDAY, APRIL 9 Last day of Easter holiday for Zapata ISD students.
TUESDAY, APRIL 10 The Zapata County Commissioners Court meets today at 9 a.m. in the Zapata County Courthouse. Last day of Easter holiday for Zapata ISD students.
SATURDAY, APRIL 14 Saturday academies will be held at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School for 3rd grade math and reading, 4th grade math and reading and 5th grade science.
SUNDAY, APRIL 15 The 4th annual Falcon Lake Tackle-Bass Blast takes place from 7 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. Call 956-7654866 for more information.
SATURDAY, APRIL 21 Saturday academies will be held at Fidel and Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School for 3rd grade math and reading, 4th grade math and reading and 5th grade science.
TUESDAY, APRIL 24 STAAR testing for 3rd- and 4thgrade math will take place at all Zapata County ISD elementary schools. The trustees of the Zapata County Independent School District will meet a 6 p.m. at the Professional Development Center, 702 E. 1770.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25 STAAR testing for 3rd- and 4thgrade reading will take place at all Zapata County ISD elementary schools.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
formation concerning how Krystle Tanner and her mother, Gloria Walker, came into actual custody of the child,” Cunningham told the AP. He said other people also may be sought in the case. Cunningham said Walker was taken into custody Friday morning and transported to the Travis County Jail for arraignment. He said she was being held under $250,000 bond and would be moved to San Augustine, where her daughter is being held. She has not given a statement, Cunningham said. Cunningham said Walker previously lived in Houston and moved to Travis County at some point. He did not believe she had lived with Tanner in San Augustine. Estella Olguin, a spokeswoman for Child Protective Services in Houston, said Friday officials believed Miguel, now 8, may have spent some time with Walker at her home.
Fort Worth man receives death penalty
Deputies: Texas man fatally shoots brother
Worker rescued after Houston trench collapse
CLEBURNE — A Fort Worth man who killed two people during an eight-day crime spree has been sentenced to death by a Johnson County jury. The panel took only about an hour Friday before giving 30year-old Mark Anthony Soliz the death penalty. Earlier this month, they deliberated just 10 minutes before finding him guilty of capital murder in the robbery and fatal shooting of 61year-old Nancy Weatherly in her Godley home in June 2010.
PLEAK — A Houston-area man has told investigators that he fatally shot his younger brother during a fight over a fence. The Fort Bend County Sheriff ’s Office says the shooting happened early Friday in Pleak. Officials say 63-year-old Santiago Montoya reported he shot his 52-year-old brother. A justice of the peace has declared the shooting a homicide. The sheriff ’s office said no one has been charged and the case will be referred to a grand jury.
HOUSTON — Emergency officials say a construction worker in Houston has been rescued after being buried up to his waist during a trench collapse. The accident happened Thursday night. The man was connecting water and sewer lines in the 20-foot deep trench. Emergency crews dug out and hoisted the worker, who’s been transported to a hospital for treatment of leg injuries.
West Texas cops say remains found are male BIG SPRING — Authorities in West Texas say a medical examiner has determined that remains found near an airport are male. The FBI started collecting and analyzing evidence after some workers found the remains in a pasture Tuesday.
10 arrested in Austin drug investigation AUSTIN — Investigators say 10 people have been arrested in a Central Texas drug and money laundering investigation. The arrests were announced Thursday after officers raided some Austin bars and other businesses.
Endangered historic sites announced AUSTIN — A moveable jail cell has made the Preservation Texas annual list of the state’s most endangered historic places. The nonprofit group announced the sites during a preservation meeting being held through Friday in Austin. The cell served as the Hays County Jail until 1925. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION NM police involved in shootings got checks ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Albuquerque police officers involved in a rash of fatal shootings over the past two years were paid up to $500 under a union program some have likened to a bounty system in a department with a culture that critics have contended promotes brutality. Mayor Richard Berry called Friday for an immediate halt to the practice. Since 2010, Albuquerque police have shot 23 people, 18 fatally. The union said the payments were intended to help the officers decompress from a stressful situation.
Stocks edge up but global economic worries linger NEW YORK — Stocks eked out a small gain at the end of a rough week in which the market was weighed down by prospects
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Republican presidential candidate, former Sen. Rick Santorum, campaigns in West Monroe, La., on Friday. His popularity with rural voters keeps him in the running for the nomination. of a global economic slowdown. The Dow on Friday closed up 34.59 points, or 0.3 percent, at 13,080.73. Financial stocks performed well, led by a 2.6 percent gain for Bank of America. For the week, the Dow Jones industrial average was off 152
points, the worst in a month despite reports of strengthening in the U.S. jobs market and better corporate profits. Investors worried about a slowdown in Asia and Europe and the impact of higher oil prices on spending. — Compiled from AP reports
(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
Crime
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
Woman faces 3 counts By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Deputies say a woman threatening to hurt herself with a knife attempted to bite and kick deputies while she resisted arrest. Lissa Leigh Guerrero, 19, is being charged with three counts of assault of a public servant. She was taken to the Zapata County Jail and held on a $225,000 combined bond.
LISSA LEIGH GUERRERO: In jail facing assult on a public servant. Sgt. Mario Elizondo said deputies responded to a call at 8:17 p.m. March 19 in the 800 block of Elm Street reporting a woman with a knife. Deputies say the woman, later identified as Guerrero, wanted to hurt herself.
Elizondo said Guerrero eventually surrendered the knife to deputies, but she refused to be detained by the deputies and began biting and kicking the lawmen. Assaulting a public servant is a third-degree felony punishable with up to 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine or both. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
THE BLOTTER ASSAULT
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF
PUBLIC INTOXICATION
Joel Arnulfo Vargas, 41, was arrested and charged with assault family violence at about 8 p.m. March 17 in the 1800 block of Hidalgo Boulevard. He is out on bail from the Zapata Regional Jail. Martin Morales-Pascual, 39, was arrested at about 6:30 p.m. March 18 in the 1800 block of Ramireño Avenue. He already served his time at the Zapata Regional Jail. A sexual abuse was reported at 9 a.m. Monday in the 1100 block of Jackson Street. An investigation is ongoing. Clara Lisa Navarro, 19, was arrested and charged with assault family violence at about 2:45 p.m. Tuesday in the 300 block of Second Street. She is out bail from the Zapata County Jail. A man reported Tuesday at Zapata North Elementary in the 1300 block of Glenn Street that a juvenile assaulted his 5-year-old son.
A woman reported at 2:15 a.m. March 16 in the 1500 block of Weslaco Lane that someone broke the windshield of her vehicle.
Juan Jose Mata, 32, was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 1:30 a.m. March 15 at Ocampo and Juarez in San Ygnacio. He is out on bond from the Zapata Regional Jail. Joaquin Cardenas, 50, was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 2 a.m. March 18 at Sixth Avenue and U.S. 83. He is out on bail from the Zapata Regional Jail. Juan Jose Guadalupe Herrera, 59, was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 4:45 p.m. Wednesday at 14th Avenue and U.S. 83. He is out on bail from the Zapata Regional Jail.
BURGLARY A burglary of a building was reported at 5:18 p.m. at the Lakeview Store in the 4800 block of U.S. 83 A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 10 a.m. Wednesday on Irene Drive.
DISORDERLY CONDUCT Mario Alberto Alaniz, 19, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct at about 11:30 p.m. March 16 in the 1800 block of Roma Avenue. He is out on bond from the Zapata Regional Jail. Juana Martha Ramirez, 44, was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct at about 7:30 p.m. March 18 in the 1800 block of Ramireño Avenue. She is out on bond from the Zapata Regional Jail.
DWI Homero Resendez, 23, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated at about 10:30 p.m. March 15 at Seventh Street and Diaz Avenue in the Medina Addition. He is out on bond from the Zapata Regional Jail. Jose Guadalupe de Leon, 44, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated with an open container at about 2:45 a.m. Thursday at First Street and Texas 16. He is out on bond from the Zapata Regional Jail.
TERRORISTIC THREAT Carlos Javier Sanchez Jr., 22, was arrested and charged with terroristic threat of a public servant after a traffic stop at about 9 p.m. March 18 at Fourth Street and Villa Avenue. He was behind bars at the Zapata Regional Jail as of Friday evening.
THEFT A theft was reported at 7:50 p.m. March 17 at America’s Car Wash at 10th Street and Guerrero Avenue.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Deputies arrest one as jewelry recovered By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County sheriff ’s investigators arrested a woman they say is responsible for stealing 17 pieces of jewelry worth about $11,000. The case was reported the first week of March. Sgt. Mario Elizondo HINOJOSA said on Tuesday that deputies served a burglary of a habitation warrant on Margarita Hinojosa, 42. If convicted of the felony charge, she faces up to 20 years in prison and
Courtesy photo
Shown is jewelry allegedly taken in a burglary in early March. a $10,000 fine. Hinojosa is out on bail from the Zapata County Jail. Elizondo said investigators recovered all the jewelry reported stolen and it was returned to the owners. The burglary case was first reported March 3 in the 1000 block
of Hidalgo Boulevard at about 9:40 p.m. The owners of a residence stated they were out of town and came back to find their home burglarized. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
OTHER VIEWS
Oil policy is more like confusion By LLEWELLYN KING HEARST NEWSPAPERS
WASHINGTON — When the Obama administration seeks to explain its oil policy, it changes the subject in mid-sentence. The most frequent practitioner of this verbal contortion is the president’s press spokesman, Jay Carney. It is as though he’s a magician who has promised to pull out a live rabbit from his top hat. This conjurer stands before his audience, recites some incantations and, poof, retrieves not a live rabbit from the hat but a dead chicken. What magician Carney does, as well as other members of the president’s staff and those at the Department of Energy, is to start by talking about oil and switch to talking about ”alternatives.” The alternatives, with the exception of the nettlesome subject of biofuels (nettlesome because they produce little or no energy above what’s invested in producing them), are ways of making electricity. The administration is adept at confusing these almost unrelated subjects. Oil is the stubborn problem. It affects every aspect of life and prosperity, from the balance of payments to war planning, from economic growth to our relationship with China. Worse, it may be in constrained supply for the rest of time as the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India and China) continue to suck up the precious commodity. New finds and new technology relieve this gloom for a while, but as demand rises and supply struggles to adjust, that future is known — even if Washington conservative think tanks and trade groups fight the notion of structural shortage. The United States isn’t short of electricity and has no need ever to be. The electricity problem, if there is one, is an environmental one. Do we continue to burn coal on a massive scale while we search for an environmental fix? Or do we go wholeheartedly for nuclear, despite the fact that the Obama administration has abandoned the Yucca Mountain waste repository in Nevada and has settled for a decision not to decide (maybe in this century) on waste disposal? Solar, wind, geothermal, wave power, even biomass, are technologies that come under the rubric of ”alternatives” — and they’re all electric technologies. Then there’s natural gas, thought to be exhausted in the United States in the 1970s, now in abundance as a result of releasing it from shale with sophisticated technologies in drilling and hydraulic fracturing. That’s
another electricity fuel in abundance. It’s enthusiasm for alternatives (a longtime love affair on the left of the Democratic Party) that has encouraged the confusing White House utterances about a policy of ”all of the above.” It’s this that has spread the public perception that the president can do something about the price of gasoline. It’s this that makes him vulnerable to Republican scorn over debacles like the loan guarantees to solar array manufacturer Solyndra. If Obama’s re-election hopes aren’t to be extinguished at the gas pump this November, he needs to separate oil and electricity — and the future from the present. He can’t affect world oil prices, and he can’t drill enough holes in the United States to change the world oil market. But he can change the debate and push down the price somewhat by taking up arms not against the oil producers but rather against the oil traders, who are the market movers. They are concentrated in the New York Mercantile Exchange, where they daily bid up the price in a spiral that is unrelated to cost. The price of oil is set by traders in the market who use rumor, fear and the knowledge that producers will be silent partners, to jack it up. These are the speculators. They aren’t phantoms. They are real flesh-andblood people who manipulate the markets daily. What’s happening to oil in the New York Mercantile Exchange is what happened to electricity prices in California when Enron traders were running wild. There have even been shenanigans at the Cushing tank farm in Oklahoma — the installation that Obama toured on Thursday. He might do well to read Leah McGrath Goodman’s Fortune magazine article this month on how ConocoPhillips warehoused oil at Cushing. That oil came in by the same pipeline that the new owners have now reversed, she writes, and it’s now flowing to refineries by the very route it came in, but at higher prices. In oil, Goodman knows what she’s talking about. She’s a former Wall Street Journal reporter who wrote ”The Asylum,” the definitive book about the New York Mercantile Exchange and the madness of oil trading. Obama could jawbone the traders while providing more resources and moral support to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission — the poodle trying to do a pit bull’s work. (E-mail: lking@ingpublishing.com)
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.
COLUMN
Stakes high in health case By JONATHAN GURWITZ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
Starting Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a historic legal challenge against Obamacare. Twenty-six states have filed suit against the health care law’s constitutionality. The stakes could not be higher. The Congressional Budget Office’s initial cost estimate for Obamacare was $940 billion over 10 years. But that estimate was based on an illusion created by including expenses for years before the mandate’s full implementation in 2014. As the 10-year estimates begin to capture more of the actual expenses of Obamacare, the cost estimates are rising rapidly. This month, the CBO raised its 10-year estimate to $1.76 trillion, and that still captures only nine years of full implementation. When President Obama pushed the plan through Congress two years ago, he promised it would save families $2,500 in health insurance premiums. But according to the Kaiser Family Foundation and the Health Research and
Educational Trust, premiums for family health plans actually rose $1,300 in 2011, a rate of increase three times greater than in 2010. The president also said repeatedly that people would be able to keep their health care plans. But a survey last year by McKinsey & Co. found that at least 30 percent and perhaps as many as 60 percent of employers will definitely or probably stop offering employer-sponsored insurance after 2014. There are elements of the health care plan that have broad appeal, such as the assurance that people with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage. This string of broken promises and rising costs goes a long way toward explaining why Obamacare, though never popular, is sinking in the polls. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi famously said, ”We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of controversy.” The more people find out, the less they like it. The case that will be argued before the high court, however, has nothing to do with costs, bro-
ken promises or popularity. It has to do with a fundamental change in the relationship between the federal government and the individual, between the federal government and private enterprise and private institutions, and between the federal government and the states. The argument for changing these relationships is that health insurance is a public good. Forcing individuals to buy health insurance and forcing private institutions to pay for types of coverage that violate their conscience serves that good. But if that power can be upheld with regard to health insurance and the provision of contraceptives, it can be applied in a vast array of circumstances that Obamacare supporters would deplore. Unlike health care, which is a public good, the right to bear arms is an enumerated constitutional right. Imagine that in the interest of public safety and national security, a Republican president and Congress decide that every adult citizen of the United States must possess a firearm or pay a fine.
Not just any peashooter, mind you. To meet the requirements of a well-regulated militia, assume that Americans must own a weapon that meets government-defined requirements for firepower. And beyond mere gun ownership, training confers an even greater public good, so private employers must include in their benefits packages a provision that pays for employees to obtain a concealed handgun license — even if it violates their deeply held convictions. Sounds preposterous today, doesn’t it? In 2008, so did the idea that, under the guise of the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, people would have to buy government-defined health care plans, or Catholic institutions would have to provide coverage for drugs they consider to be abortifacients. Our health care system is deeply in need of reform. Obamacare is a cure, however, that is far worse than the disease. Stopping this exercise in constitutional malpractice now rests with the Supreme Court. (Email: jgurwitz@express-news.net)
NFL right to punish Saints NEW YORK TIMES
Commissioner Roger Goodell has taken a good step toward repairing the NFL’s reputation for dirty play, gratuitous violence and neglect of player safety. To punish the New Orleans Saints for tolerating the payment of bounties to players for targeting and injuring opponents, Goodell suspended its head coach, Sean Payton, for a year without pay. He also gave suspensions to other coaches and officials, including the team’s former defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams, who admitted designing and running the bounty program and misleading investigators about it. The team itself will have to
pay a $500,000 fine and lose some future high draft picks, to the dismay of fans. As penalties in professional sports go, these are strong ones, but Goodell’s critics should spare us the handwringing. We all know pro football is a tough game. That’s what the helmets, pads and paramedics are for. But it remains a game whose main purpose is moving or stopping a ball, not snapping bones or ligaments or causing concussions. Football’s innate violence cannot excuse the transgressive brutality of a pay-forinjury scheme. Imagine major-league ballplayers pooling money for pitchers to aim at batters’ heads, the way the Saints aimed to take out the
quarterbacks Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers, Kurt Warner and Cam Newton. This debacle dwarfs Spygate, an earlier scandal — the illegal filming by the New England Patriots of an opponent’s signals. Spygate, too, was aimed at securing competitive advantage. But it did not involve intent to maim. As the NFL grapples with lawsuits involving players’ brain injuries, it needs more convincing actions like this to show that it is serious about safety and integrity. We are glad Sen. Richard Durbin is planning hearings on the bounty program. The more we learn about deliberate violence, the less likely it is to happen.
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Pope to Mexico: Money feeds violence By NICOLE WINFIELD ASSOCIATED PRESS
SILAO, Mexico — Pope Benedict XVI began a pilgrimage to the New World on Friday calling on Mexicans to conquer an “idolatry of money” that feeds drug violence and urged Cuba to leave behind a Marxism that “no longer responds to reality.” Mexican President Felipe Calderón and first lady Margarita Zavala greeted the pope and escorted him along a red carpet amid a clanging of church bells and cheers from a crowd waving Vatican flags. A swelling throng gathered to cheer him along his path from the airport on his first visit to Spanish-speaking Latin America. “Benedict, brother, you are now Mexican,” people shouted from the crowd. He descended the stairs without the cane he had used when he walked to the plane in Rome, the first time he used it in public. Earlier on the plane, the pope said a lust for money was behind the drug violence that has claimed more than 47,000 lives in the country since in 2006. On Monday, Benedict will head for Cuba. He said it is “evident that Marxist ideology as it was conceived no longer responds to reality,” and he urged Cubans to “find new models, with patience, and in a constructive way.” The comment about Marxism, in response to questions from a journalist, was as blunt as anything his predecessor, John Paul II, made during his groundbreaking 1998 trip to Cuba, though the earlier pope is widely credited with helping bring
down socialism in eastern Europe. Benedict cautioned that “this process requires patience and also decisiveness.” Asked about reports that dissidents in Cuba are still routinely harassed and arrested, including in the weeks leading up to his visit, Benedict said that the church wants “to help in the spirit of dialogue to avoid trauma and to help bring about a just and fraternal society, as we want in the whole world.” “We want to collaborate in this sense, and it’s obvious that the church is always on the side of freedom, freedom of conscience, freedom of religion,” the pope said. Benedict said John Paul’s visit to Cuba ushered in a slow process of dialogue and cooperation between church and state on the island. During that trip, John Paul made a clear if cautious call for then-President Fidel Castro to open up Cuban society, take steady if gradual steps toward democracy and give the church a greater voice. He also called for the release of political prisoners while giving Castro what he wanted, a condemnation of the U.S. embargo. Asked about Benedict’s statement, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez said the government respects all opinions. “We consider the exchange of ideas to be useful. Our people have deep convictions developed over the course of our history,” he said, adding that the Cuban system “is a democratic social project ... which is constantly perfecting itself.” In Mexico, Benedict said, violence is destroying
Photo by Alexandre Meneghini | AP
A street vendor sells images of Pope Benedict XVI as he walks by people lining the street awaiting the pope’s arrival in Leon, Mexico, on Friday. Benedict’s weeklong trip to Mexico and Cuba is his first to both countries. the nation’s young. The “great responsibility of the church is to educate the conscience, teach moral responsibility and strip off the mask (from) the idolatry of money that enslaves mankind, and unmask the false promise, this lie that is behind” the drug culture, he said. It is a message that Enrique Abundes, one of thousands lining the papal route, was waiting to hear. The 46-year-old shoe-factory worker and father of five said he believed Benedict would inspire Mexicans to keep their children away from the temptations of organized crime.
Army: PTSD treatable By JULIE WATSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
SAN DIEGO — It is still not known if the soldier accused of killing 17 Afghans was ever diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder — but even if he had been, that alone would not have prevented him from being sent back to war. The Army diagnosed 76,176 soldiers with PTSD between 2000 and 2011. Of those, 65,236 soldiers were diagnosed at some stage of their deployment. Many returned to the battlefield after mental health providers determined their treatment worked and their symptoms had gone into remission, Army officials and mental health professionals who treat troops say. The Army does not track the exact number in combat diagnosed with PTSD nor those who are in combat and taking medicine for it. The case of Sgt. Robert Bales has sparked debate about whether the Army failed in detecting a soldier’s mental instability or pushed him too far. The Army is reviewing all its mental health programs and its screening process in light of the March 11 shooting spree in two slumbering Afghan villages that killed families, including nine children. For some Americans, Bales is the epitome of a soldier afflicted by war’s psychological wounds. Bales’ attorney says he does not know if his client suffered from PTSD but his initial statements appear to be building a possible defense around the argument that the horrific crime was the result of a 10-year military veteran sent back to a war zone for a fourth time after being traumatized. Mental health professionals say it’s reasonable to consider PTSD but it was likely not the sole factor that sent the 38-year-old father from Washington state over the edge. Still, there is much that is not known about the psychological wounds of war and how they can manifest themselves, and even less is known about the impact
Photo by DVIDS/Spc. Ryan Hallock | AP
Sgt. Robert Bales is shown during a training exercise at Fort Irwin, Calif. The Army is reviewing all its mental health programs and its screening process in light of the March 11 shooting spree. of multiple deployments. Military officials say they have to rely on their
experts to decide whether someone is mentally fit to go back into war.
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“The pope’s visit to our city will call attention to the violence and, for us, to be good examples to our children,” he said. The weeklong trip to Mexico and Cuba, Benedict’s first to both countries, will be a test of stamina for the pope, who turns 85 next month. At the airport on Friday in Rome, the pope used a cane, apparently for the first time in public, as he walked about 100 yards to the airliner’s steps. Papal aides, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Benedict has been using the cane in private for about two months because
it makes him feel more secure, not for any medical reason. Last fall, Benedict started using a wheeled platform to navigate the vast spaces of St. Peter’s Basilica during ceremonies. The Vatican has said that device was employed to help the pope save his energy. John Paul II was just 58 when he made the first of five visits to Mexico, where he is literally venerated by many Mexican Catholics. The pope’s plane set down Friday afternoon in Guanajuato, a deeply conservative state in sunbaked central Mexico, and
his route into the city of Leon was thronged with thousands of people eager to get a glimpse of the pontiff. Maria Jesus Caudillo, a stationery story owner in Leon, found a spot early on the Popemobile route with her four nieces and nephews. “John Paul came to Mexico but never to Leon and never this pope,” she said. “It’s a miracle that in all the country, he chose to come to Leon.” Volunteers led the crowds in chants of “Benedicto! Benedicto!” as passing drivers pounded their horns in encouragement.
PÁGINA 6A
Zfrontera
SÁBADO 24 DE MARZO DE 2012
Presentan plan de cultura para Tamaulipas
Agenda en Breve NUEVO LAREDO 03/24 — Estación Palabra presenta “Bazar de Arte” a las 12 p.m.; Festival Infantil “La Poesía” a las 2 p.m.; Taller de Creación Literaria con Jacobo Mina a las 3 p.m. 03/24 — Museo para Niños presenta “Celebración del Día Mundial del Agua” a las 4 p.m. en la Sala de Servicios Educativos del Centro Cultural. 03/25 — “Beatlemanía”, exposición de artículos de colección y presentación del Grupo Flashback a las 6 p.m. en la Sala de Exposiciones de la Antigua Aduana. Entrada libre. 03/25 — Domingo de Teatro Universitario presenta “EL Dilema del Prisionero” a cargo del grupo de teatro Expresión, a las 7 p.m. en el Teatro Lucio Blanco de Casa de la Cultura. 03/27 — Cine Club presenta “Erase una vez en Hollywood” a las 6 p.m. en el Teatro Lucio Blanco de la Casa de la Cultura. Entrada gratuita. 03/27 — Celebrando el Día Mundial del Teatro a las 5:30 p.m. en la Plaza Hidalgo. Entrada gratuita. 03/27 — Centenaria Banda de Música Municipal presenta “Concierto de Primavera ‘La Historia de las Bandas de Música y su Evolución’” a las 7 p.m. en la Sala Sergio Peña. Entrada gratuita. 03/28 — Leo… Luego Existo con la presentación de Pillar Pellicer a las 7 p.m. en Auditorio de Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita. 03/29 — Cine Club presenta “Santa” a las 6 p.m. en el Auditorio de Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita. Exclusivo adolescentes y adultos. 03/29 — Jueves de Teatro presenta “Ser Mujer en el Tiempo” con el Grupo de Teatro Caletre, a las 8 p.m. en el Teatro Lucio Blanco de Casa de la Cultura. Entrada gGratuita. Exclusivo adolescentes y adultos.
LAREDO 03/24 — The Bazaar será hoy de 2 p.m. a 4 p.m. en The French Quarter. 03/24 — Festival y Concierto del Ballet Folklórico 2012 a las 7 p.m. en el Teatro del Center for Performing Arts de TAMIU. Entrada gratuita. 03/24 — “2012: Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” se presentará en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU, a las 5 p.m., 6 p.m., 7 p.m. y 8 p.m. Costo general: 6 dólares; 5 dólares, niños y adultos mayores. 03/25 — La premiada pianista, Sara Daneshpour, ofrecerá un recital a las 3 p.m. en el Center for the Fine and Performing Arts Recital Hall de TAMIU. Entrada gratuita. 03/29 — El autor y activista de los derechos humanos en África, John Prendergast, se reunirá con estudiantes y comunidad en el Student Center Ballroom de TAMIU, a las 6:30 p.m., para compartir sus esfuerzos de paz en Sudán y la República del Congo.
ENCINAL 03/24 — Evento de “Lazar” (Rodeo) a partir de las 9 a.m. en Jordan Arena. Cuota para participantes: 125 dólares. Las ganancias se destinarán a los gastos médicos de Joe Garcia, III.
EL CENIZO 03/30 — Zumbathon programado de 3:15 p.m. a 4:15 p.m. en el Gimnasio de la Escuela Primaria KennedyZapata, 3809 S. Espejo Molina Road. El objetivo es recaudar fondos para el evento Relay for Life.
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto por Andrew Medichini | Asocciated Press
El Papa Benedicto XVI saluda conforme aborda un avión antes de iniciar su viaje de seis días a México y Cuba, en el Aeropuerto Internacional Fiumicino en Roma, el viernes.
Papa condena violencia en México POR NICOLE WINFIELD ASSOCIATED PRESS
A BORDO DEL AVIÓN PAPAL — El papa Benedicto XVI condenó el viernes la violencia del narcotráfico en México, en el comienzo de un peregrinaje al citado país y a Cuba. El pontífice habló ante un grupo de periodistas por la mañana del viernes, después de desayunar a bordo del vuelo especial de Alitalia que aterrizaría más tarde en el centro de México. Las preguntas fueron enviadas al pontífice antes de su viaje. Benedicto dijo que la “idolatría del dinero” es la causa subyacente de la violencia que se ha cobrado más de 47.000 vidas en México desde 2006, cuando el gobierno intensificó su combate al narcotráfico. Consideró que esa violencia destruye en particular a los jóvenes de este país, y que la “enorme responsabilidad de la Iglesia es educar la conciencia, enseñar la responsabilidad moral, arrancar la máscara (de) la idolatría del dinero que esclaviza a la humanidad, y desenmascarar las falsas promesas, esta mentira de-
trás” de la cultura de la droga. La gira de una semana a México y Cuba, la primera de Benedicto XVI a ambos países, será una prueba de resistencia para el pontífice, que cumple 85 años el mes próximo. El viernes, en el aeropuerto en Roma, el Papa usó un bastón, aparentemente por primera vez en público, al recorrer a pie los 100 metros entre el helicóptero que lo llevó a la pista de vuelo y la escalinata del avión. Ayudantes del Papa, que hablaron bajo condición de mantener el anonimato, dijeron que Benedicto XVI ha estado usando un bastón en privado desde hace aproximadamente dos meses porque le hace sentir mayor seguridad, no por algún problema médico. La visita a México traerá a muchos habitantes remembranzas de los viajes significativos que realizó Juan Pablo II. El nuncio apostólico, Christopher Pierre, consideró que la visita permitirá al pueblo mexicano, reconocido por tener una cercanía con su antecesor Juan Pablo II, “descubrir al papa” Benedicto XVI y “su
capacidad de comunicación, su capacidad de hablar profundamente, sencillamente”. El mensaje de Benedicto representaría además un alivio para muchos fieles angustiados por la violencia de las drogas en el país. “Existe una inmensa paz que necesitamos en México debido a la inseguridad”, dijo Marcela Argüello, un ama de casa de 26 años que piensa sumarse a la multitud que jalonará la ruta de la caravana papal en la ciudad de León. México ha sido traumatizado por los miles de decesos atribuidos a la violencia del narcotráfico, y aunque Guanajuato está lejos de las principales rutas de la droga, la sombra de ese conflicto cubre todo el país. “Sí, se habla también de violencia, no hay que esconderlo, pero les puedo decir como representante del Santo Padre... (que) hay mucho más en México que la violencia”, afirmó el nuncio Pierre. (Los periodistas de la AP, Jorge Piña, Michael Weissenstein, E. Eduardo Castillo y Darío López-Mills contribuyeron con este despacho)
A mediados de semana fue presentado el Plan Anual de Cultura para Tamaulipas 2012 en Tampico. “En Tamaulipas construimos una sociedad para la felicidad con cultura”, dijo Libertad García Cabriales, directora general del Instituto TamaulipeGARCÍA co para la Cultura y las Artes (ITCA). Este año, el ITCA se ha dado a la tarea de ampliar y dar continuidad a los proyectos que inició en 2011.
Casas de la Cultura En comunicado de prensa se explicó que durante este año se busca fortalecer la infraestructura cultural en los municipios al restaurar o construir casas de cultura en los municipios de Mier, Guerrero, Díaz Ordaz, San Fernando, Llera y Soto la Marina. “(Es) un inicio positivo para alcanzar la meta de que todos los municipios de Tamaulipas cuenten con su casa de cultura”, dijo García. “Se iniciarán la restauración de sitios emblemáticos de nuestra entidad como la Casa del Conde de Sierra Gorda en Jiménez y la Casa Filizola en Ciudad Victoria”.
Colectivos También se le dará nuevamente impulso a la Red de Colectivos Culturales de Jóvenes para dar continuidad a las acciones que desde las comunidades se llevan a cabo
“
Cultura que nos enseña por qué valemos, qué somos y qué soñamos”. LIBERTAD GARCÍA CABRIALES, DIRECTORA GENERAL ITCA
para el desarrollo cultural de las sociedades. Al momento los colectivos culturales comunitarios se encuentran presentes en quince localidades del estado. La meta será que todos los municipios se vean beneficiados con un grupo de jóvenes que trabaje en el desarrollo cultural de sus comunidades. “(Además) desde el ITCA se instrumentarán las diversas estrategias para la formación de un número cada vez mayor de lectores en nuestra tierra”, explicó García.
Festivales Igualmente los Festivales de Tamaulipas se realizarán del 14 al 21 de abril con la presencia de las diferentes propuestas artísticas que esta vez traerá el Festival del Altiplano Tamaulipeco en los municipios de Bustamante, Jaumave, Miquihuana, Palmillas y Tula, recientemente designada “Pueblo Mágico”. “(Es la cultura que nos une, reafirma nuestra identidad y alienta el amor y la lealtad a la heroica tierra que nos cobija y nos alimenta”, agregó García. “Cultura que nos enseña por qué valemos, qué somos y qué soñamos”.
Decomisan droga; incineran cargamento TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Más de cinco toneladas y media de marihuana fueron confiscadas por elementos del Ejército Mexicano en Miguel Alemán, México, en dos casos. Primeramente, 3 toneladas, 339 kilos de marihuana fueron localizadas en una finca, que parecía abandonada, en Miguel Alemán, detalló un reporte de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena), dentro de la estrategia contra el Narcotráfico y Delincuencia Organizada. La droga fue localizada dentro de 1,482 paquetes, debidamente acomodada. Sedena supone que estaba lista para ser cruzada a los Estados Unidos. No se reportaron arrestos. La marihuana fue puesta a disposición de la Agencia del Ministerio Público Federal, para que la autoridad de PGR continúe con las indagaciones. En un segundo caso, fueron localizadas ocultas dentro de un subterráneo por calle Mante en Miguel Alemán, 2 toneladas 275 kilos de marihuana. Sedena reportó que en el mismo sitio también fueron localizados
2,018 cartuchos y 25 cargadores.
Díaz Ordaz Por otra parte, se reportó que en Díaz Ordaz, elementos militares localizaron 54 paquetes de droga que contenían 450 kilogramos de marihuana. Tampoco en este caso se lograron arrestos.
Quema de droga Igualmenet, Sedena dio a conocer que en la IV Región Militar se confiscaron, de Nuevo Laredo hasta Matamoros, 28 toneladas de marihuana y cocaína. La droga fue incinerada esta semana. De acuerdo al comunicado de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, en los primeros tres meses del año 2012 se habrían confiscado en diferentes operativos: 23 toneladas 633 kilogramos de marihuana, además de cinco toneladas de cocaína. Al mismo tiempo conminan a la comunidad a continuar apoyando a las fuerzas militares a informar anónimamente de las acciones de la delincuencia organizada.
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
El Gobierno de Tamaulipas invita a disfrutar el periodo vacacional de Semana Santa en los pueblos y playas de la entidad.
Listos para Semana Santa POR MIGUEL TIMOSHEKOV TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Los principales centros vacacionales en Tamaulipas serán reforzados con vigilancia integral. El gobierno estatal se encuentra orientando a sus oficiales para que resguarden la integridad y bienes de turistas y residentes en los 43 municipios. “En estas vacaciones de Semana Santa, la Secretaría de Seguridad Pública Estatal (SSPE) se ha coordinado con autoridades federales y municipales”, dijo Rafael Lomelí Martínez, Secretario de Seguridad Publica. “Se implementará un operativo de vigilancia en los lugares recreativos y de esparcimiento”.
Las vacaciones de Semana Santa inician el lunes 2 de abril para concluir el viernes 13 de abril. Las vacaciones de Semana Santa inician el lunes 2 de abril para concluir el viernes 13 de abril. Las clases se reanudarán el lunes 16 de abril. El gobierno se encuentra promoviendo un Tamaulipas seguro donde durante el periodo de vacaciones de Semana Santa se realizarán patrullajes de manera constante por las carreteras que convergen con la entidad. El propósito es garantizar el libre tránsito y la seguridad de las familias tamaulipecas y sus visitantes.
Los oficiales serán desplegados en sitios estratégicos y en los lugares de mayor afluencia turística como son playas, ríos, balnearios y demás centros de atracción turística. A la Policía Estatal Tamaulipas que opera en Nuevo Laredo y la frontera ribereña se les ha girado instrucciones especiales para que actúen con profesionalismo. Igualmente se dio a conocer que si familias requieren auxilio pueden marcar al teléfono de emergencia 066.
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
CONCEPCION M. ‘CONCHITA’ GONZALEZ LOPEÑO — Concepcion M. “Conchita” Gonzalez, 66, passed away Tuesday, March 13, 2012, at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas. Ms. Gonzalez is preceded in death by her husband, Federico Gonzalez; sons Fidel Romero and Ruben Romero; parents: Fernando and Cleofas Monrreal; and a sister Carmela Hernandez. Ms. Gonzalez is survived by her son Carlos (Ana) Romero; daughters: Rosaura Romero, Olga Romero, Maria De Los Angeles Romero and Yolanda (Luviano) Diaz; 15 grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; brothers: Saul Monrreal, Fernando Monrreal, Manuel (Luz) Monrreal and Fernando “Chito” (Ileana) Monrreal; sisters Estela (Antonio) Rios, Isidra Monrreal, Damiana (Mario) Antuna, Ester Perez, Martha (Raul) Barillas and Luz Maria Monrreal; and by numerous nieces, nephews and many friends. Visitation hours were Thursday, March 15, 2012, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a
Radioactive dump gets OKd By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS
rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Friday, March 16, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at San Pedro Mission. Committal services followed at Lopeño Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 U.S. 83 Zapata, TX.
AUSTIN — Radioactive waste from dozens of states could soon be buried in a Texas dump near the New Mexico border after Texas officials gave final approval Friday to rules allowing the shipments. Texas lawmakers in 2011 approved the rural Andrews County site to take the waste and Friday’s unanimous vote by the Texas Low-Level Radioactive Compact Commission cleared a major hurdle to allow the waste burial. Texas already had a compact legal with Vermont to take its waste. Environmentalists have argued against expanding the program to 36 more states, warning it could result in radioactive material rumbling through the state on trucks with few safeguards in case of an accident. They also say a problem at the waste dump could lead to poten-
REUNION Continued from Page 1A involved, so we don’t want to call it a festival,” Garcia said. “It’s nowhere close to that.” The concept came to fruition as people in Zapata complained of the bad publicity the community received in light of an incident on Falcon Lake in which a jet-skier was shot to death and in response to the violent drug war that persists just across the river. That’s when Garcia began to brainstorm ways in which to bring positive attention to Zapata. While at Crystal City’s Spinach Festival, Garcia took note of the family members reuniting during that event. “I said, ‘We can do this on a grander scale,’” he said. More than 6,000 people in five different communities were displaced in the flood that was caused by the con-
struction of Falcon Dam, said Garcia. Those who complied with the government’s wishes for the communities to relocate were spared the trauma of losing everything. Others, as Garcia said, “were forced to flee from their homes, almost overnight, many with only the clothes on their backs.” County Commissioner Jose E. Vela, who was 18 days old when his family moved to what now stands as the Zapata town site, said he hopes the event can serve as a history lesson for the younger generations of Zapatans, some of whom aren’t aware that the current town is the second incarnation of Zapata, he said. “Many youngsters don’t know the history of Zapata,” Vela said. “They think Zapata has been here forever.”
And the attention it draws could bring a boost in tourism, he added. He said that some of the families fled to different parts of the state and, in some cases, different states. The eco-tourism — hunting, fishing and bird-watching — the town offers could even lure some people to return after the event, he said. Through the Zapata Rising reunion, Vela hopes to exhibit the improvements the town has made since its inception almost 60 years ago. “I think this community has come a long ways,” he said. “For (the length of time) we have been in existence, I think we have done a lot.” The town hall meeting is open to the public. (JJ Velasquez may be reached at 728-2567 or jjvelasquez@lmtonline.com)
tial underground water contamination. Dallas-based Waste Control Specialists, which owns and operates the site, insists it will be safe. The waste would be entombed in concrete about 100 feet underground in an area with densely packed clay. The site still needs final approval from state environmental regulators. Applications to bury waste at the Andrews site must be approved by the compact commission on a case-by-case basis. At least three have already been filed, company president Rod Baltzer said. Waste Control Specialists officials say accidents are infrequent when lowlevel radioactive waste is moved. Data from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration show that, from 2003 through 2011, there were 72 incidents involving trucks with radioactive material traveling on highways. One person
died and the accidents caused $2.4 million in damages. That compares with almost 64,000 incidents involving flammable/combustible liquids — the leader in hazardous materials accidents in the nineyear span. Seventy-six people have died in those incidents, which caused $319.5 million in damages. Texas officials say there is no requirement to notify law enforcement of which routes trucks carrying low-level waste will take. Karen Hadden of the Texas SEED Coalition, an environmental group, warned the commission that many rural counties don’t even have professional fire departments in case of an accident. “The magnitude of risk here is huge,” Hadden said. Hadden also said the commission should require independent audits of the shipments to make sure only low-level material is coming in. The Texas
Commission on Environmental Quality has an onsite inspector to monitor shipments and Baltzer said the facility won’t take materials it’s not licensed for. “I’m not sure you can ever do enough to satisfy some people with the number of audits in place,” Batlzer said. Waste Control, which stores, processes and manages hazardous wastes at the site, has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to open the dump. In 2009, the state issued two licenses to the company to bury low-level radioactive waste, making it the nation’s only dump for all classes — A, B and C — of nuclear debris and the first low-level site to open in 30 years. One license pertains to the compact between Texas and Vermont that allows for disposal of radioactive materials from commercial power plants, academic institutions and medical schools.
FRACKING Continued from Page 1A more data on the unregulated gas gathering lines, but the plans are still preliminary and have met with some resistance from the natural gas industry. Agency officials are reviewing more than 100 public comments received about their proposal for gas lines, and also plan to propose a rule that will cover hazardous liquid gathering pipelines by the fall, said Jeannie Layson, a spokeswoman for the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. PHMSA delegates some enforcement of its rules to state-level pipeline safety authorities, who the Government Accountability Office surveyed to understand the array of risks associated with gathering lines. Those state-level agencies told the auditors that construction quality, maintenance practices, unknown locations, and limited or no information on current pipeline integrity all posed safety risks for federally unregulated gathering pipelines. The expansion of hydraulic fracturing, which involves shattering rock thousands of feet underground with a combination of water, sand and chemicals, promises staggering yields, and drilling
also comes with promises of job creation and economic opportunities. But in Fort Worth, where dozens of new gathering lines have been laid in recent years to capture supplies from hundreds of new wells, some residents say there aren’t enough protections from leaks and ruptures due to corrosion. “It’s ridiculous,” said Jerry Lobdill, a retired chemical engineer who lives in a Fort Worth neighborhood near several new gas wells and has several lines running near his home. “The gathering lines are unregulated, the city doesn’t know where they are, and they’re buried so you can’t see them.” The recent surge in drilling also has led California lawmakers to write new laws to increase oversight of the industry. Assemblyman Bill Wieckowski, D-Fremont, is sponsoring a bill now pending before a state Senate committee that would require gas and oil producers to disclose what chemicals they are using when they engage in hydraulic fracturing. “If we’re on this cusp of a boom then maybe we at the very least need to know where these lines are,” Wieckowski said.
MONUMENT Continued from Page 1A years, most recently revolving around the illegal immigration issue. Those involved in the project expressed hope the monument could alter those stereotypes. Jaime Beaman, an Austin architect originally from the Rio Grande Valley, was the lead architect on the project. He said in the weeks leading up to the unveiling, and as installation was underway, scores of people walked by and took photographs. “It’s on a very heavily pe-
destrian pathway,” Beaman said. “Everybody was asking questions. Everybody was truly amazed. Very few people know this story, and it’s time that the story is told.”
Placement By 2005, the project had secured some of its funding, and the construction of the monument had been approved. The next several years involved a legal battle over the placement of the monu-
ment. Renato Ramirez, the Zapatan who chaired the project’s fundraising committee, said capitol officials didn’t think the contributions of Hispanics merited the monument’s orientation in front of the capitol, on the south lawn. “That’s when I said, ‘No, the south lawn is not negotiable,’” Ramirez said. “‘We’re going on the south lawn.’” The organization stood its ground on the placement of the monument, and Ramirez said attitudes
began to change. “I think people finally came to the realization that the history they had been taught was not entirely accurate and certainly not complete,” he said. In 2009, legislators passed a bill that paved the way for the monument’s place on the south lawn. The organization then turned its aim back to fundraising, and Hinojosa worked on finishing the sculptures.
On the horizon
The Laredo native who last taught at Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts before retiring said he learned a lot in the course of the project, from the history of Spanish colonialism to the anatomy of various animals. On Thursday, Hinojosa will exhibit the piece he has labored on the past 11 years. The Spanish explorer in the monument is depicted looking out toward the horizon, a posture Ramirez said is intended to convey
the figure seeing a bright future for Texas and its Hispanic people. He said the impact of the unveiling will be felt in other states. “I think folks in other states are going to look at Texas and say, ‘Hey, we don’t need to take a back seat,’” Ramirez said. “We’re able to lead. We just need the opportunity, and Texas gave us the opportunity. So we’re very grateful for that.” (JJ Velasquez may be reached at 728-2567 or jjvelasquez@lmtonline.com)
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
EXPLORING UT IN AUSTIN
Convicted cousins linked to ‘Barbie’ By ADRIAN SAINZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis jury convicted two cousins Friday of being enforcers for a multi-state drug ring linked with a Mexican cartel. The verdict against Clinton Lewis and Martin Lewis came after five hours of deliberation in a seven-week long federal racketeering and murder-forhire case. The two showed no reaction when the verdict was read. Each faces up to life in prison when sentenced June 29. Several former gang members testified that the Lewises were enforcers for a Memphis-based organization led by drug kingpin Craig Petties that imported cocaine from Mexico and sold it in Tennessee, Texas, Arkansas, Mississippi, Georgia and North Carolina. About 40 members of the ring, including Petties, have been convicted or pleaded guilty to being members of the drug ring from 1995 to 2008. Clinton Lewis was found not guilty of violent crime in aid of racketeering, but he was convicted of six other charges, including kidnapping. He was convicted in the kidnapping of Marcus Turner but acquitted in that man’s killing in September 2006. Martin Lewis was convicted of all four charges against him, including the 2007 slaying of Mario McNeal at a Memphis restaurant. Clinton Lewis was convicted of helping arrange that killing. The gang began as a group of children selling drugs in the Riverside neighborhood, according to testimony. As they grew older, they sold more cocaine and marijuana and established stash houses throughout the area. They eventually built contacts with the Beltran Leyva drug organization in Mexico, which provided cocaine that was shipped to Memphis in semitrailers. Gang members met the trucks at area hotels and picked up the cocaine before breaking it up for distribution. Gang members bought jewelry, multiple homes and vehicles with drug profits. They all had nicknames such as “Killer,” ‘‘White Boy,” and “Meat.” Prosecutor David Pritchard said in his closing arguments that Petties worked directly for Edgar Valdez Villarreal, a Laredo-born man known as “La Barbie.” Valdez is suspected of using extreme violence as he tried to seize control of
the Beltran Leyva cartel following the death of gang leader Arturo Beltran Leyva. He was arrested in 2010. U.S. Attorney Edward Stanton said the verdict marked the end of one of the largest federal drug trials ever in West Tennessee. About 70 witnesses testified and 300 pieces of evidence were admitted. “It was a cancer that spread throughout not only West Tennessee but throughout this region,” Stanton said of the Petties gang. Defense attorneys said they were disappointed with the verdict and they would appeal. During trial, they argued the gang members’ testimony was tainted because they cut sentencing deals with prosecutors. One witness acknowledged he had lied to authorities before. Defense attorneys asked for a mistrial when it was revealed that prosecutors waited until midway through the trial to tell the defense about a critical piece of conflicting evidence. Judge Samuel Mays Jr. let the trial continue. “There are certainly a multitude of issues that have to be raised with the court of appeal,” said Anne Tipton, attorney for Clinton Lewis. The trial provided a close look into a violent drug ring that used Memphis as a home base to distribute cocaine for sale throughout the South. Gang members coldly spoke of stealing drugs from each other, organizing kidnapping plots, and killing suspected snitches and other threats to the organization. After he was indicted in 2002, Petties fled. He was placed on the U.S. Marshals 15 most-wanted list before he was captured in January 2008 in Mexico. In a surprise move, he pleaded guilty in December 2009 to racketeering, money laundering and hiring hit men to kill four people who were threats to the organization. Prosecutors did not publicly announce the guilty plea until February 2011. Petties was on the defense’s list of potential government witnesses, but he did not testify. Prosecutors pointed to Petties as the gang leader even when he was a fugitive. Several gang members said they took orders from Petties on a cell phone while he was in Mexico. Clinton Lewis, also known as “Goldie,” kidnapped Turner because gang members believed he could lead them to someone who had stolen cocaine from the organization.
Courtesy photo
Gifted and Talented students from Fidel & Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary visited The University of Texas in Austin on March 3 for Explore UT, featuring performances, exhibits, lecutures and fun activities.
Court nixes class in suit By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — A federal appeals court on Friday dismissed a class action in a lawsuit challenging Texas’ foster care system, but sent the case back a lower court to try again. The lawsuit by New York-based advocacy group Children’s Rights claims the Texas foster care system is unconstitutional and forces thousands of children to live in poorly supervised institutions, frequently moving them from one place to another and often splitting up siblings. The lawsuit was filed in 2011 on behalf of nine Texas children. A state district judge in Corpus Christi allowed the class action, but Friday’s ruling by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the plaintiffs had not properly established a legal class. Children’s Rights Executive Director Marcia Lowry said the group is confident it can meet the legal standard and will
continue to press its case. “We are not only pursuing it ... we still expect to present our case and get the reforms on behalf of Texas foster children,” Lowry said. Lowry said the appeals court ruled the class action had bundled too many issues together. Those must be separated and better supported by evidence for each, Lowry said. The lawsuit contends that “deficiencies” in the system, including overburdened case workers and poorly supervised contract providers, have led to a number of harmful conditions for the 12,000 children in long-term foster care. It cites statistics showing that, as of 2009, children who had been in the state’s custody more than three years had been placed in an average of 11 different homes or other settings, such as shelters or residential treatment centers. Cycling children through the system in this manner doesn’t comply with “reasonable professional standards,” the
complaint alleges. The lawsuit also is critical of the state’s use of foster group homes that accommodate seven to 12 children. Those homes can be “little more than poorly supervised dormitories,” and provide further evidence of how the Texas system differs from conventional standards, according to the suit. Much of the lawsuit’s narrative was drawn from media accounts, including an Associated Press story detailing how one foster group home in East Texas was a collection of mobile homes and how the state repeatedly ruled out allegations that young girls living there were sexually abused by their foster father until he was arrested on those charges. According to statistics compiled by the agency, the number of caseworkers in Child Protective Services has risen from about 2,950 in 2005 to about 4,660 in 2011. The number of adoptions consummated during that time period also increased dramatically, from 2,512 to 4,803.
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL
Zapata soaring
Zapata, La Feria earn honors By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
The basketball season has been over for a month, but some local talent is still picking up postseason accolades for hard work on the court. District 32-3A coaches selected the All-District team, handing out awards to the best players of the district. After the dust settled, it was La Feria that claimed the district title, while Zapata was runner up. Zapata received one of the top awards, while La Feria picked up three. Zapata junior Kristina De Leon was named the Defensive Player of the Year for anchoring the defense that terrorized opponents. De Leon was smooth with her defensive play, and was the player that
the defense revolved around. The Offensive Player of the Year award went to Rio Hondo’s Ashley Canas. La Feria’s Jennifer Exinia was named Most Valuable Player. Sixth Player of the Year went to La Feria’s Aubri Donaldson. Newcomers of the Year went to Rio Grande City La Grulla’s Michelle Salazar; Port Isabel’s Kelcie Swink and Rio Hondo’s Andrea Rodriguez. La Feria’s Angel Martinez was voted Coach of the Year after leading the Lionettes to the district title. First team honors went to La Feria’s Desiree Serna and Alisha Gonzalez; Port Isabel’s Kim Ceballos; Progreso’s Dulce Ve-
See BASKETBALL PAGE 2B
HIGH SCHOOL POWERLIFTING Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times
The Zapata offense has been a major factor in the team’s undefeated start in district play. The team had 13 hits in a win over Rio Hondo on Tuesday.
Lady Hawk offense leads team early on By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Lady Hawks continue rolling through District 32-3A with big bats that have been very alive through three district games. Zapata carries some big sticks, and Tuesday was no different, when the Lady Hawks unleashed 13 hits to beat Rio Hondo 15-9. “It was a race; both teams had 13 hits, and it just came down to who would play better defense,” Zapata
coach Jaime Garcia said. “It feels good (to be 3-0), but we have seven games left and cannot relax,” Garcia. “We had our challenge Friday when we traveled to La Feria to play another 3-0 team (in La Feria).” Estella Molina (3-0) has only pitched three times this year — all in district play — and has come home with three victories, going the distance on the mound for the Lady Hawks. Molina had three strikeouts Tues-
day, while Jessica Flores relieved Rio Hondo’s Destiny Hernandez in the middle of the fourth inning. Zapata was led at the plate by Jackie Salinas and Daniella Martinez (3-for-4, RBI), who combined for five hits and six RBI. Zapata (3-0, 7-8) came out with the bats from the opening inning, scoring three runs to strike first on the board. Lead off batter Ally Solis (2-for-5,
See SOFTBALL PAGE 2B
NFL
Sanchez, Tebow will both play in New York By DENNIS WASZAK JR. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Bill Kostroun | AP
Mark Sanchez is still penciled in as the New York Jets starting quarterback despite the team’s recent addition of fan-favorite Tim Tebow. Tebow started for Denver last season, leading the Broncos to a first round playoff victory over Pittsburgh in January.
NEW YORK — The quarterback hierarchy has been clearly set by the New York Jets. Mark Sanchez is No. 1. Tim Tebow is No. 2. But how long will it last? In acquiring the popular and electrifying Tebow from Denver, the Jets have created the potential for a really messy situation. Sure, things will be fine when Sanchez, who’s expected to show significant progress this season, has his good moments. But whenever he struggles and Tebow comes in and gets the offense moving, the inevitable question will be: Are the Jets better with Tebow in there all the time? That’s something Sanchez, Tebow, coach Rex Ryan and general manager Mike Tannenbaum must be prepared to address. Because there will be a quar-
Courtesy photo
Zapata senior Michelle Arce came in second in the 165-pound weight class.
Arce among state’s best
terback controversy — just ask Kyle Orton how Tebow worked out for him in Denver. “Personally, you look at this situation, I think for the Jets, this is a disaster,” former NFL offensive lineman Mark Schlereth said on ESPN after the deal. “You already have a quarterback in New York that’s fragile, that’s mentally beat up, that didn’t play well last season. What happens Week 1 when Mark Sanchez throws two picks? You can’t stop the fans from chanting, ‘Tebow! Tebow!’ You can’t stop the pressure as to what’s going to happen to you as a franchise. You can act like you’re not listening. You can think you’re plugging your ears, but it is deafening.” And there’s already plenty of noise. The trade was done late Wednesday, hung up for
Zapata girls’ powerlifting has evolved into a force to be reckoned, sending 16 lifters to the regional meet. Zapata continued its success with four lifters moving on to the state meet in Corpus Christi last weekend. “Our goals were set high from the very first practice day in October; even for the rookies,” Zapata coach Veronica Arce said. “Every practice, every meet got these young ladies prepared, and it was evident as we headed into regionals.” Senior Michelle Arce came in second in the 165pound weight class and was awarded a $500 scholarship on behalf of the Texas High School Women’s Powerlifting Association. Angie Darnell placed fifth in the 97-pound weight class, Jacqueline Garcia placed fifth in the 105, and Klari Salinas placed sixth in the 181 division. Zapata placed fourth among 3A schools, out of the 81 schools that attended the state meet. The future looks bright for Zapata powerlifting, as it only loses two lifters from this banner year.
See FOOTBALL PAGE 2B
See POWERLIFTING PAGE 2B
By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
NFL now has massive year-round following By TIM DAHLBERG ASSOCIATED PRESS
Drew Brees declared himself speechless, so you can only imagine how Sean Payton felt after learning he would be taking a year off without pay.
COMMENTARY
Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano | AP
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi is the team’s all-time leading scorer with 234 career goals. He broke Cesar Rodriguez’s record of 232 goals on Tuesday.
Messi among game’s elite all-time players By JOHN LEICESTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS — Superman is alive, well and playing for Barcelona.
COMMENTARY How else to describe Lionel Messi? All the usual superlatives are no longer enough. Like swimming’s Michael Phelps (eight golds at one Olympics), cycling’s Lance Armstrong (seven consecutive Tour de France victories) or hockey’s Wayne Gretzky (894 goals, 1,963 assists in 1,487 games), Barcelona’s new career scoring leader is setting sports records that will last an awful long time, perhaps forever. The mark Messi shattered on Tuesday night stood for 57 years. It was set by Cesar Rodriguez, who is remembered for his sixth sense of anticipation and ability to score from corners. Cesar notched his 232 Barcelona goals over 13 seasons, from 1942-1955. Barcelona legends like Samuel Eto’o, Africa’s most decorated player, or Rivaldo, Brazil’s 1999 world player of the year, or Hristo Stoichkov, the Bul-
garian star of Johan Cruyff ’s “Dream Team” in the 1990s, also scored by the bucket load for the 113year-old Catalan institution that calls itself “More than a club.” But none of them came within spitting distance of even threatening Rodriguez’s milestone. Messi dismantled it in just seven years, goal by goal, game by game. His record is now 234 goals and counting. Messi’s mark, if it isn’t already, will be unattainable by other mere mortals by time he finishes his career. Messi is still only 24. Since his first Barcelona goal in 2005, he averages more than 30 per season for the club that nurtured him and earned his loyalty by helping to fund the hormone treatment he needed to correct a childhood growth deficiency and grow tall enough to become the larger-than-life football phenomenon he is today. At this rate, Messi could surpass 400 Barca goals if he plays for just five more years. Cloud cuckoo land for others. But Messi makes the impossible seem almost banal. “If he continues like this in the coming years,
he will score so many goals that he will never be surpassed,” said Pep Guardiola, Barca’s coach who long ago ran out of new ways to praise his player. To add to the otherworldly feel of Messi’s latest feat, goal No. 233 that eclipsed Cesar was almost a carbon copy of his first league strike on May 1, 2005, against Albacete. That day, coming on as a late substitute for Eto’o, Messi waited for Ronaldinho’s delicate pass over the defense to bounce once in front of him and then conjured a left-footed lob over goalkeeper Raul Valbuena that put the 17-year-old into Barca’s record books as its youngest scorer of a league goal. On Tuesday evening, Messi again used his left foot to control Dani Alves’ pass and to chip over Granada keeper Julio Cesar. With 234 goals, Messi still appears humble and simple, as though he is the lucky and privileged one to be playing for Barcelona. Frankly, it’s almost unsettling to be faced with someone about whom nothing bad can be said. A bird? A plane? No, it’s Messi. Just super.
SOFTBALL Continued from Page 1B two RBI) got things started with single and ignited Zapata’s bats. Solis eventually scored on a Salinas (2-for-4, five RBI) double, followed by Michelle Arce’s double to score Salinas for an early 3-0 lead. Rio Hondo (1-2, 8-10) was not to be outdone, putting up two runs — to keep
within striking distance — on five hits. The Lady Bobcats knotted the game when Brittany Beltran scored after getting on base on a single. Zapata loosened up its bats, sending bombs to the outfield and garnishing six runs to give the Lady Hawks a 9-3 lead. Zapata was not done at
the plate, adding four runs on Rio Hondo errors to push the score 13-6. Rio Hondo scored three more runs, but the Lady Hawks were able to put two more on the board for the victory. Zapata’s outfield — Liana Flores, Solis, and Gaby Chapa — made key grabs in the game.
Imagine, too, those chilly weeks this fall when Mark Sanchez will be overthrowing receivers, and fans at the Meadowlands just might be chanting Tim Tebow’s name. That will happen just as surely as Rex Ryan will declare that Tebow is the final piece he needs for the Super Bowl run he always guarantees. Nothing really stretches the imagination anymore in the NFL. Not bounties, not stiff suspensions. Certainly not some crazy moves from crazy Rex himself. I mean, raise your hand if you ever thought Peyton Manning would be under center for the Denver Broncos and fans there would happily bid farewell to the last vestiges of Tebowmania. This used to be the time of year when only the most hard-core NFL fans had anything to talk about. And talk they would, spending hours before their computers debating the merits of drafting some obscure lineman with a sixth-round pick or using
it on a running back who might be the next big thing. The draft is as big as ever, even though everyone already knows this year’s No. 1 pick. But the events of the last few weeks have proven one thing. We’re a nation consumed by professional football. Think about it. This weekend we’ll find out which schools will be in the Final Four, and Albert Pujols and his teammates are getting ready for opening day. In the NBA, the playoffs are drawing closer, and teams are scrambling for position even as Linsanity fades away. And all anyone — even the speechless Brees — wants to talk about is the NFL. Brees expressed his dismay over the yearlong suspension of his coach in New Orleans via Twitter, which is probably just as well. After declaring Payton “a great man, coach, and mentor” there wasn’t much else for Brees to say. “I need to hear an explanation for this,” the Saints quarterback said. Commissioner Roger Goodell would be glad to give Brees one. Or he can read the papers or the Internet, which are full of details about how Payton’s team arranged for thousands of dollars in bounties to go to headhunters if they knocked targets — including Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers — out of
crucial games. Some of those details should make Brees cringe. Sticking up for your coach is admirable, but before Brees goes too far he ought to think a bit about how he would see things if the bounty hunters were on another team and were coming after him. Probably be a pretty good price on his head, enough maybe to deliver that one late hit that might make his older years very uncomfortable. Goodell’s sense of timing might be a little off in announcing the suspension of Payton for a year, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis for eight games, and former defensive coordinator Gregg Williams for who knows how long. He could have waited until Tebow left town in Denver or even until Brees got the long term contract he has been agitating for in New Orleans. But that’s about the only thing wrong with it. As head of a league being sued from all sides for failing to protect the health of his players, Goodell had no choice but to come down hard on the Saints and everyone involved in the deplorable practice. The penalties may be the most severe since Paul Hornung and Alex Karras sat out the 1963 season after being suspended indefinitely by Commissioner Pete Rozelle in a gambling probe, but the punishment fits the crime.
POWERLIFTING Continued from Page 1B “Sixteen at regionals with only two seniors gives me great pleasure knowing that Lady Hawk powerlifting has a bright future next year,” Arce said. “Some of them fell short of their ultimate goal, which left them very hungry for a taste of state next year.” With each step the Lady Hawks took, the competition and the judging became harder. “Of course the judging and competition at these levels becomes so — for lack of a better word — harder, tougher. Nonetheless, coach Mario Arce and myself are so very proud of our team and our two seniors whom we will miss deeply,” Arce said. Salinas and Arce leave a long-lasting legacy and leave at the top of their
game. Salinas is a three-year letterman coming off her second appearance at state. Last year she earned a third place finish. “She is a hard working kid,” Arce said. “Both young ladies are very dedicated, hard working, and great role models.” Arce, the coach’s daughter, had to work hard to derail any detractors and proved she belonged — with her best at the state meet. “It’s just so much harder on a coach’s kid, because there are people out there that truly believe that coaches kid’s don’t have to work, that things are handed to them because of who they are — little do they know, we as parent coaches make them work that much harder,”
Arce said. Arce had her pace set at a very young age watching her older sister lift for Zapata, and as a freshman fell short at regional meet. As a sophomore, she won the state title and last year finished third. “She was truly disappointed, but again, we are so very proud of all her lifting accomplishments,” Arce said of Michelle’s second place finish. “In all of ZHS powerlifting history, no one has had a more successful career in powerlifting as Michelle has. “Her, and a few others competed at the national level in the past, but she still treasures her third place finish and the letter that certified her as an alternate lifter at the junior world meet held in Canada last year.”
BASKETBALL Continued from Page 1B lez; Rio Hondo’s Natalie Jaramillo and Janna Jaramillo; and Zapata’s Jackie Salinas and Shelby Bigler. Second team honors went to La Grulla’s Monica Escott; La Feria’s Jasmin Montemayor and Mikayla Johnson; Port Isabel’s Gabby Torres; PSJA Southwest’s Sonia Perez; Rio Hondo’s Belina Oroz-
co; and Zapata’s Estella Molina. Honorable mention honors went to La Grulla’s Priscilla Rios, Emily Gonzalez and Veronica Escott; La Feria’s Connie Ceballos, Sabrina Echavarria, Kayla Olivarez and Karina Villarreal; Port Isabel’s Carolina Perez, Krystal Martinez and Cheynne
Allgood; Progreso’s Adel Alvarado and Indria Garza; PSJA Southwest’s Liz Tenorio, Anna Prado and Veronica Lara; Rio Hondo’s Belinda Orozco, Joann Hervey, Vanessa Hernandez and Samantha Atkinson; Zapata’s Liana Flores, Jacquilene Gutierrez and Rebecca Quintanilla.
FOOTBALL Continued from Page 1B eight hours because of a contract issue, and it won’t be official until Saturday because of a technicality that requires Tebow to sign a rewritten deal. That gives the New York-area tabloids and sports radio hosts plenty of time to embrace Tebowmania and speculate about the effect it will have on Sanchez and the Jets — before the team even introduces Tebow on Monday. In acquiring Tebow, the Jets struck marketing gold. They’ve been the talk of the town since making the trade, with fans and media decidedly split on whether it was a good football move. From a public relations standpoint, owner Woody Johnson probably couldn’t be more thrilled. His team is selling merchandise like hotcakes, with an overwhelming desire for green and white No. 15 Tebow jerseys. Tebow is a rock star, a celebrity unlike any other in New York right now. He has a huge following from his days at the University of Florida, and his Christian beliefs
have made him a role model. But remember, it wasn’t long ago when Sanchez was being compared to Joe Namath as a New York football-playing matinee idol. The Jets certainly showed their confidence in Sanchez by recently giving him a three-year, $40.5 million contract extension. Because that deal includes $20.5 million guaranteed, it’s unlikely the Jets would be able to trade Sanchez even if he’s unhappy about his new teammate. Instead, the Jets are banking on Sanchez being able to handle the pressure, thrive and prove he is indeed “the guy.” For now, the game plan is to have Sanchez start games and then bring Tebow in in certain key situations: wildcat packages, third-and-long, fourth-and-goal. “If our offense is sputtering,” Tannenbaum said during a radio interview, “we have three straight three-and-outs, and we roll (the wildcat) out there, who knows?” But that means Sanchez will have to
come off the field at points during the game, and that’s something he has never been a fan of — even in practice. He was angered when Ryan put in 41-year-old Mark Brunell to take a few snaps, and the coach acknowledged he did it to fire up his young quarterback. The knock on Sanchez is that during his first three seasons, he never had a backup who would keep him in check, make him wonder about his job security. In Sanchez’s rookie season, it was Kellen Clemens — a guy once regarded as the franchise’s quarterback of the future who never panned out. The past two seasons, it was Brunell, who was more a coach and big brother than a true threat to his job. Tebow now becomes the first quarterback who will offer Sanchez some serious competition for playing time. When it comes down to skill level and the ability to play the position, Sanchez is clearly the better pure quarterback. Te-
bow’s mechanics are off, his decision-making is sketchy at times and his execution is unpredictable. But when it works ... watch out. Tebow had an incredible run after he replaced Orton and pulled off one comeback victory after another — after being mostly subpar for the first three quarters of those games. The use of the wildcat offense has faded around the NFL since it was the talk of the league just a few years ago, but the Jets’ new offensive coordinator is Tony Sparano, who was at the forefront of the resurrecting the scheme with the Dolphins. Enter Tebow. “Mark knows he’s the starter, and he knows we all need to improve from last year,” Jets defensive end Mike DeVito said. “I think he’s going to be motivated and driven. I don’t think he’s going to be worried about Tim. I think he’s going to be more excited about having him on the team. I believe they’ll be fine.”
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE Dear Heloise: A wonderful assistant at my eye doctor’s office gave me a small bottle of lens cleaner and an eyeglass-cleaning cloth. She suggested I keep them both at work, instead of at home, and that I should CLEAN MY GLASSES every day while at work. I have made a routine where I clean my glasses daily at work before I eat lunch, and now I have clean eyeglasses (at least) five days a week! Also, by having this new routine, I take my daily medicine at work at the same time. I had sometimes been forgetting to take my pills, but now I just make myself a priority every workday — right before lunch. — Linda R., Columbus, Ohio Linda, marvelous! A new positive routine is the perfect way to take care of yourself. — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Shawna from San Antonio sent in a picture of her 12-year-old corgi mix, Corkie, having a quiet moment lying on the bed. Shawna rescued Corkie from the Humane Society after her previous owner abandoned the dog. That owner’s loss was certainly Shawna’s gain! To see beautiful Corkie and our other Pet Pals, visit www.Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” — Heloise DOGGIE NO-NOS Dear Readers: Some people may like to sneak their dogs a treat from the table now and then. A lot of foods are OK for an occasional treat, but here is a list of just a few foods NEVER to give your pet: Avocados: They contain a fatty acid, called persin, that is known to be toxic to animals. Cherries, plums,
“
HELOISE
peaches and apricots: The leaves, stems and seeds contain a cyanidelike compound that can lead to difficulty breathing and shock. Chocolate: It contains two stimulants, caffeine and theobromine, and is very high in fat content. Always check with your veterinarian about what snacks to feed your dog. — Heloise DENTAL DON’T Dear Readers: A hint for when you go to the dentist: Keep lipstick and gloss to a minimum, and wipe it off for the treatment. Guys, keep facial hair neatly trimmed. Please brush your teeth before the appointment, and skip onions and garlic before an appointment, too. — Heloise EASY CLEAN Dear Heloise: Those pesky cards that fall out of your magazines make great emergency dustpans. Use one to corral crumbs that fall to the floor, and sweep powdered detergent onto one in the utility room. Also, make the cat litter last another day by doing a quick pickup job there with a card! — Ruth in Waco, Texas LIGHTER LOAD Dear Heloise: I have an easy way to carry full reusable grocery bags from the grocery store. When I get home from shopping, I put one over each shoulder, and one in each hand. I can carry four bags of groceries at one time. The heavy bags feel much lighter on the shoulder than in your hands. — Rosary G., Plantation, Fla.
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4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
Astros optimistic after dismal 2011
SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2012
Expectations high for Texas, Darvish
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
By STEPHEN HAWKINS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The Houston Astros lost a franchiseworst 106 games in 2011, so it isn’t a surprise that things were shaken up in the offseason. If Chris Johnson doesn’t win the starting job at third base over Jimmy Paredes, the Astros won’t have a single player starting on opening day in the position they started at last year. “We’ll see how the position changes come out, how guys play together,” Houston manager Brad Mills said. “We’re going to have a whole different lineup than we had a year ago on day one, and these guys need to feel comfortable playing next to each other. New general manager Jeff Luhnow joined the team in the offseason after Ed Wade was fired and vowed that each player would have to earn his starting spot this spring. The first major move of spring training was moving former staff ace Brett Myers into the closer role. Myers closed for the Phillies in 2007, but has spent most of his career as a starter and was Houston’s opening day starter a year ago. He went 7-14 last season. The Astros needed a new closer after trading Mark Melancon to the Red Sox. “We had a bunch of starters in ‘07 and we have a bunch of starters here,” Myers said. “I’ve always considered myself a team player and I’ll do anything to help the team win. If I can help us win ball games every night, we’re going to have a lot of fun around here.” Expectations for the Astros are pretty low after the team didn’t make any big moves to improve on last
ARLINGTON, Texas — Maybe all that attention on Yu Darvish this spring has helped shift some of the focus away from just how agonizingly close the Texas Rangers came to winning the World Series. Even the exciting addition of Japan’s top pitcher, it’s unlikely anyone with the Rangers last season will ever be able to forget being twice within a strike of a series-clinching victory before losing Game 6 in extra innings and then blowing a 2-0 lead in a Game 7 loss to St. Louis. “As hard as it was last year, we have to turn the page,” third baseman Adrian Beltre said. “It’s not easy to get over. I did. It took me a while.” Michael Young, the longest-tenured Ranger going into his 12th season, had to go through plenty of last-place finishes in Texas before playing in the last two World Series and coming up short both times. “It’s different because we know how talented we are as a team. We know what it takes to go and win big games and put ourselves in position to go out and have a lot of success,” Young said. “But at the same time the hunger is still there.” The Rangers committed more than $107 million to get Darvish, the 25-yearold, 6-foot-5 right-hander who was 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA the past seven seasons in Japan’s Pacific League. But their pursuit of a third consecutive American League pennant and that elusive World Series championship isn’t all about Yu. “It seems like people
Photo by Patrick Semansky | AP
Houston ace Wandy Rodriguez will anchor the pitching rotation for an Astros team that looks to bounce back from a franchise-record 106 losses last season. year’s squad. Luhnow, who came to Houston from St. Louis, isn’t deterred. “Most people are going to say we’re not going to compete this year, but I don’t believe it,” he said. “I think we’ve got the players and the staff to come out of the gate strong and come out this year, and if we stay healthy I know we’ve got the talent to do some damage.” New owner Jim Crane bought the team for $680 million after unsuccessful attempts to buy the Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and an earlier attempt to buy the Astros. He, too, is looking for more from Houston in 2012.
“We certainly want to be better than last year,” he said. “Jeff won’t go out on a limb, but I think if everything clicks, the pitching hangs in there and you stay away from injuries, I think we’ll give some teams some very competitive games. We’re shooting to improve considerably over last year, 10 to 20 games could make a big difference.” The sale of the team from Drayton McLane, who had owned it since 1992, was approved in November, months after it was announced. The deal requires that the Astros move from the National League to the American League next season.
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Yu Darvish was 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA during seven years in Japan’s Pacific League before signing a contract with the Texas Rangers. forget to talk about the rest of the team,” said lefthander Derek Holland, the 16-game winner who allowed only two hits pitching into the ninth inning of Game 4 of the World Series. The top-hitting lineup in the major leagues is basically unchanged. When all healthy, opposing pitchers have to face in succession Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Josh Hamilton, Beltre, Young, ALCS MVP Nelson Cruz and Mike Napoli, the catcher coming off a career-best 30 homers. Darvish replaces lefthander C.J. Wilson, who got a five-year deal in free agency from the Los Angeles Angels after winning 31 games the past two seasons. The AL West rivals also added Albert Pujols, the Cardinals’ longtime slugger who is now set to be going against the Rangers in the same division for a decade. “This is 2012. We know
what happened in 2011 and we’ll learn from it, but it’s not going to be the focus,” sixth-year manager Ron Washington said. “We still have a good group of guys together. We lost one guy, C.J. Wilson. That’s not going to take us down.” Washington got a twoyear contract extension through 2014 after the Rangers’ second consecutive AL pennant. He is the first manager in major league history to have his team’s victory total increase four consecutive seasons after his initial year. Texas won 75 games in 2007 after Washington replaced the fired Buck Showalter. The victory total increased each year after that — to 79, 87, 90 and a franchise-record 96 last season. The starting rotation the Rangers broke spring training with last year was intact the entire season, and all five starters won at least 13 games.