The Zapata Times 4/11/2009

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Bridge Court eyes budget cuts to get upgrade

By TARYN WHITE

THE ZAPATA TIMES

By NICK GEORGIOU THE ZAPATA TIMES

The international bridge at Falcon Dam near Zapata is one of 43 crossing facilities to receive upgrades thanks to funding that U.S. Customs and Border Protection received from the Economic Recovery Act. “As far as infrastructure, it’s way overdue,” Zapata County Commissioner Jose JOSE EMILIO VELA “As far as infrastructure, Emilio Vela said it’s way overdue.”

Friday. “I’ve never seen any improvements done at that border station.”

CBP announced Wednesday that $720 million of the Economic Recovery Act was dedicated to upgrade port facilities, some of which were built before World War II. The upgrades address the national security and trade and travel facilitation needs, CBP said. Of the $720 million funded for land ports of entry construction projects, $420 million is for improvements spanning from major construction to minor repairs at the ports.

Anticipating a smaller operating budget next year, the Zapata County Commissioners Court will consider combining the Environmental Health Service and Safety and Risk Management Department and the Animal Control Shelter at Tuesday’s meeting.

The Environmental Health Service and Safety and Risk Management Department was previously run by Juan Garza, who retired after 30 years, on March 31.

Since then, Martin Saenz, director of Animal Control, has taken over Garza’s duties.

“His department has been doing the work of both departments,” said Pct. 1 Commissioner Jose Vela. “Rather than hire someone else, we just want to get him certified and keep it running like it is.”

Vela added the county will continue to

eliminate positions through attrition in the coming year.

“We will be operating on approximately $5 million less than this year,” Vela said “We need to look at what we can cut back on.”

In the spirit of combining positions, the Commissioners Court will also vote on appointing Zar Rodriguez, code enforcement officer, with the duties of managing the Romeo T. Flores Park and swimming pool over the summer.

“This will be adding more duties to his job,” Vela said. “I think by doing things like doubling up on duties we will be able to make the cuts we need to.”

Vela said, the court plans on doing everything it can before even considering laying anyone off.

Also on Tuesday: The court will hear a monthly report from the Zapata Medical Group on the Zapata Medical Clinic.

Vote on purchasing a boring ma-

chine Vote on installing speed humps in the following locations: 812 Roma Street, 804 Medina Street, between 10th and 13th on Zapata Street, between Seventh and 10th on Zapata street, between 16th and 19th on Ramireno Street, between Seventh and 10th on Miraflores Street.

Vote on installing security lights at 4085 N. US 83 in Ramireno, 201 Matamoros Street and 208 Matamoros Street in San Ygnacio, 1601 Zapata Boulevard and between Seventh and 10th street on 711 Villa Street.

Approval of fees for Architectural Services proposed by Cotera and Reed Architects regarding the planning of the Zapata County property located on 17th Avenue to 26lh Avenue between Glenn and Fresno Streets and Lots 6 through 43 inclusive, Block 200 of the Manuel Medina Addition

See CUTS | PAGE 10A

IMPROVING STREETS

Targeting investments “CBP will target Recovery Act investments toward land port facilities struggling with the most urgent operational deficiencies,” the agency said. “Preceding land port construction, CBP and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will conduct site surveys for planning and due diligence beginning in early April.

“Construction will range in scope from renovations and alterations to full facility replacement.”

According to the Texas Department of Transportation Web site, the two-lane Falcon Dam crossing needs

See FUNDS | PAGE 10A

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times

Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times

Construction of the new Arturo L. Benavides Elementary School in San Ygnacio is proceeding at a steady pace in anticipation of its opening in time for the 2009-10 school year.

Zapata County Commissioner Gabriel Villarreal stands in front of a historic home at the corner of Grant Avenue and Hidalgo Street in San Ygnacio on Friday morning. Villarreal and the Zapata County Commissioners have a contractor ready to start improvement of sewer and streets in this historic community.

Two get honors

BY ERIKA LAMBRETON

Work ready to begin in San Ygnacio

By TARYN WHITE THE ZAPATA TIMES

A

fter a year of meetings and amending plans, the Zapata Commissioners Court will be moving forward with the street and drainage improvement plan in San Ygnacio within the month.

The project, which was originally

THE ZAPATA TIMES

ROSALVA GUERRA With a strong commitment to education and the betterment of her students, fifth grade teacher Susie Benavides was honored with the “Teacher of the Year” Award.

“It feels fantastic,” said Benavides. “It felt really good to represent (the school).”

Benavides, a Zapata native, has been teaching for more than 30 years, and said her passion for her profession had its beginnings while she was a child playing school with her cousins.

Her earlier years In her earlier years, Benavides taught fourth graders; however after 17 years requested a transfer to fifth grade to be closer to one of her four children. The difference between the two grades, she said was vast.

“The kids are more mature and wonderful to work with,” Benavides said.

The award came as a surprise to Benavides. She credits her co-workers and students for making the past 30 years a rewarding experience.

“I want to thank (the staff and) my family, my husband, four daughters and three grandchildren.”

Also honored was Mrs. Elida Silva-Hernandez, who received Instructional Assistant of the Year.

“I was shocked, (and) surprised that I was the one that (who) was chosen,” Hernandez said. It is an honor.”

See TEACHER | PAGE 10A

Zapata County Judge, “We are excited this is going to happen.”

approved about a year ago, will run about five miles of underground pipe and a little more than one mile of lineal storm sewer pipes under the town’s roads.

On March 24, the Commissioners Court accepted a bid from REIM Construction as a last step before breaking ground.

“We are excited this is going to happen,” said County Judge Rosalva Guerra said. “Right now if it rains, there are puddles. The water just stops there and doesn’t go anywhere.”

But, prior to having the go-ahead, the plan faced a few roadblocks that slowed down its execution.

“The engineer needed to get their plans approved by the Texas Historical Commission,” Guerra said.

Because San Ygnacio is considered a historical district due to its quantity of early 19th-century buildings, any construction done in the town has to be looked at carefully, according to

While most of the streets in San Ygnacio will undergo improvements, this section of Uribe Avenue might be left intact to preserve the historical value of the properties.

Sharon Fleming, architect with the Texas Historical Commission.

“It is the largest concentration of Mexican-period buildings in Texas that reflect the design and construction of Spanish Colonial architects,” Fleming said.

Fleming said there was never any worry how the construction would affect the buildings, but rather, what it would do to the historical sidewalks lining the streets.

“Our primary concern was that they avoid impacting the historic sidewalks,” Fleming said. “The sidewalks are one of the defining features of the town.”

The new plans place all curbs two feet away from the sidewalks, and also excludes certain historical streets.

“Both sides have been very cooperative and responsive,” Fleming said.

“The plans were only changed a couple of times with slight modifications.”

Fleming added the Historical Society was also initially concerned about how construction could have affected the Treviño Fort.

“We didn’t know what impact heavy equipment working adjacent to the fort would have on it since it is fairly fragile,” Fleming said. “But, the fort was recently stabilized so it is in much better shape.”

Now, with the Texas Historical Society’s seal of approval, within the month construction on the San Ygnacio streets will begin and last for about a year.

PAGE 2A

Zin brief

SATURDAY,APRIL 11,2009

AROUND TEXAS

CALENDAR

TODAY IN HISTORY ASSOCIATED PRESS

SATURDAY,APRIL 11 Falcon Lake Big Bass Tournament is set to start today.Planning is underway for live entertainment and food sponsors.More details to come.

For more information please call the Zapata Chamber of Commerce at 765-4871

SUNDAY,APRIL 12 Today is the start of National Library Week. The San Ygnacio Public Library and the County Public Library will celebrate with what is called AmnestyWeek.This means no late fees will be charged on any book.

The event runs though April 18. For more information, call 765-5351

MONDAY,APRIL 13 Easter Monday.No classes today for Zapata Independent School District students

SATURDAY,APRIL 18 Today is the last day of Amnesty Week hosted by the San Ygnacio Public Library as part of its celebration of National LibraryWeek.

For more information, call 765-5351 The Zapata County Chamber of Commerce will host a fishing tournament for bass champs today at the Zapata County public boat ramp.

For more information please call the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce at 765-4871.

The Boys and Girls Club of Zapata invites you to the Inauguration ceremony for the Devon Energy Soccer Field and Open Pavilion today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The celebration will also be honoring club directors, past presidents, and club contributors.There will be fun, food, and games. For more information please call the Boys and Girls club at 956765-3892.

SUNDAY,APRIL 19 The Laredo Entertainment Center is proud to present Michael Flatley’s “Lord of the Dance”today at 3 p.m. The international sensation that has broken box office records in more than 30 countries is returning to North America for an expansive tour. Audiences across the United States, Canada and Mexico will have a chance to experience the extravaganza that has helped catapult Irish dancing into the global spotlight and created a new wave of Celtic dance mania. For ticket information, visit www.BroadwayinLaredo.com or call the toll-free Broadway Series Hotline at (888) 512-BWAY (2929).

TUESDAY,APRIL 21 The public is invited to take part in the groundbreaking ceremony for the Ramiro T. Flores Public Park today. For more information please call the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce at 765-4871.

THURSDAY,APRIL 30 The Laredo Entertainment Center proudly announces “Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey,” beginning today at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the LEC Box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 712-1566.

FRIDAY,MAY 1 The Laredo Entertainment Center continues their presentation of “Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey,” at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the LEC Box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 712-1566.

SATURDAY,MAY 2 “Disney On Ice presents Mickey and Minnie’s Magical Journey,” continues today at 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.Tickets are on sale now at the LEC Box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 712-1566.

Photo by Harry Cabluck | AP

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, center, speaks in favor of a House Concurrent Resolution that supports states’ rights during a news conference Thursday, in Austin. Rep. Brandon Creighton, R-Conroe, left, and Sen. Robert Nichols, R-Jacksonville, right, are House and Senate sponsors of the measure affirming Texas’sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Rep.Angie Chen Button, R-Garland, and Rep. Chuck Hopson, D-Jacksonville are on the far right.

$180 billion budget to take center stage in House AUSTIN — After months of waiting, the most important bill of the legislative session takes center stage in the Texas House this week.

The $178 billion, two-year House budget proposal — including $11 billion in federal stimulus funds for 2010-2011 — is set to be debated in the House on Friday. The plan also includes more than $3 billion in debt payments, a 25 percent increase from the last budget.

The debt payments in the House budget are still less than the 34 percent hike approved earlier this month in the Senate version.

The debt payments go toward bonds the state has used to build roads, bring running water into colonias and fight cancer, among other things.

“It’s important to pay the debt to service the bonds very kindly and not let them get into a situation where they’re paying interest only,” said former Rep. Talmadge Heflin, who now serves as director of the Texas Public Policy Foundation’s Center for Fiscal Policy.

“I don’t see that as an increase that’s out of line.”

But before the massive budget is up for consideration, the 150-member chamber will take up a $3 billion plan to help state agencies meet higher-than-expected costs over the remaining months of the 2009 fiscal year.

Former drug cartel leader back in Mexico

Doctor in Ala.murder case stands by autopsy

EL PASO — A former top lieutenant in Mexico’s Gulf Cartel was deported to Mexico on Friday morning.

Jose Manuel Garza Rendon, 56, was released from a detention center in Pecos after serving a nearly nine-year federal prison sentence for a drug conviction. He was taken into ICE custody.

Friday morning he was handed over at the border to authorities in Ciudad Juarez. Garza is wanted in Mexico on charges of organized crime, attempted murder, and possessing firearms used exclusively by the Mexican army.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The doctor whose bungled autopsy of a baby led to a murder charge that was dropped this week against an Alabama mother maintains the findings were correct, the medical examiner’s lawyer said Friday.

Six experts disagreed with the autopsy report by Dr. Corinne Stern, now medical examiner in Webb County (Laredo), who ruled that a newborn was suffocated in 2006. The experts’ opinion that the baby boy was stillborn led a judge to dismiss the charge Thursday against the mother.

— Compiled from AP reports

By APRIL CASTRO ASSOCIATED PRESS

AROUND THE NATION Experts: Possible ransom may protect U.S.hostage BOSTON — An American hostage held by armed Somali pirates in a tiny lifeboat may be protected by a lucrative — and possibly growing — ransom on his life, experts said Friday.

The possible payout for Capt.

Richard Phillips would be the pirates’ top priority and could trump any desire for payback after his recent escape attempt, experts said. The 53-year-old Phillips jumped out of the boat Friday before being forced back in by automatic weapons fire.

Tornado kills 2, injures 41 in Tenn.

Photo by Sue Ogrocki | AP MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — A tornado killed a woman and her 9week-old infant and also injured dozens Friday in central Tennessee as a line of storms lifted homes, ripped off roofs and dumped hail in the Southeast.

Elsewhere, a tornado touched down in southwestern Kentucky, injuring two people and destroying homes.

At least 41 people were hurt in Rutherford County, Tenn., four of them critically, in the aftermath of a storm system that killed three in western Arkansas a day earlier.

Burnt bark hangs from a tree in Choctaw, Okla., on Friday, following wind-driven grass fires that moved through the area Thursday. Firefighters mopped up hot spots Friday from the fires that injured at least 34 people in western and central Oklahoma and destroyed more than 100 homes.

Man was at pond where body found TRACY, Calif. — A police cadet said Friday that he saw someone “acting real strange” at an irrigation pond three days before an 8year-old girl’s body found in a suitcase pulled from the water.

Stephen Memory, a 19-year-old

AROUND THE WORLD

SUNDAY,MAY 3 Today is the last day to catch “Disney on Ice” at the Laredo Entertainment Center. ShowTime is 2:30 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at the LEC Box office, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or charge by phone at 712-1566

To submit an item for the daily calendar, send the name of the event, the date, time, location and a contact phone number to editorial@lmtonline.com

who lives near the pond where Sandra Cantu’s body was found, said he spoke to the FBI about what he saw.

Memory saw a pickup truck parked on the shoulder of the road facing in the wrong direction on the afternoon of April 3. Sandra’s body was found April 6.

— Compiled from AP reports

Pope sees Way of the Cross procession

5 soldiers,2 Iraqis killed in Mosul

ROME — Pope Benedict XVI presided over a torch-lit Way of the Cross procession at the Colosseum on Good Friday and said he was praying so that people who suffered losses in Italy’s devastating quake can see the light of hope in their dark hour.

Tens of thousands of faithful, clutching prayer books and candles in paper lanterns, turned out for the traditional Holy Week appointment at the ancient Roman arena.

BAGHDAD — A suicide truck driver detonated a ton of explosives near a police headquarters in the northern city of Mosul on Friday, killing five American soldiers.

The U.S. military said Iraqi police were the bomber’s target and that the Americans were caught up as bystanders.

The horrific blast is likely to increase pressure on Iraq’s prime minister to ask American combat troops to stay in Mosul after the June 30 deadline.

— Compiled from AP reports

Today is Saturday, April 11, the 101st day of 2009. There are 264 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On April 11, 1970, Apollo 13 blasted off on its ill-fated mission to the moon. (The astronauts managed to return safely).

On this date: In 1689, William III and Mary II were crowned as joint sovereigns of Britain.

In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte abdicated as Emperor of the French and was banished to the island of Elba.

In 1898, as tensions with Spain continued to rise, President William McKinley asked Congress to authorize military intervention in Cuba.

In 1899, the treaty ending the Spanish-American War was declared in effect.

In 1945, during World War II, American soldiers liberated the notorious Nazi concentration camp Buchenwald in Germany.

In 1989, Mexican officials began unearthing the remains of victims of a drug-trafficking cult near Matamoros; one of the dead was University of Texas student Mark Kilroy, who had disappeared while on spring break. (Several cult members were later convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison.)

In 2001, ending a tense 11-day standoff, China agreed to free the 24 crew members of an American spy plane.

Ten years ago: The Justice Department reported that more than a third of the women in state prisons and jails said they were physically or sexually abused as children. Jose Maria Olazabal won the Masters by two shots over Davis Love III. F i v e y e a r s a g o : President George W. Bush defended his response to a briefing memo from August 2001 about possible terrorist plots against the United States, saying he was “satisfied that some of the matters were being looked into” and that there were no specific threats against New York and Washington. Pope John Paul II celebrated Easter Mass with calls for world leaders to resolve conflicts in Iraq, the Holy Land and Africa.

Phil Mickelson’s agonizing pursuit of a major ended at the Masters when he made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole.

One year ago: Group of Seven financial officials meeting in Washington pledged to strengthen their regulation of banks and other financial institutions while anxiously hoping the credit crisis in the United States would be a short one. French troops captured six pirates after the pirates released 30 hostages who were aboard the French luxury yacht Le Ponant when it was seized off Somalia’s coast.

Today’s Birthdays: Former New York State Gov. Hugh Carey is 90.

Ethel Kennedy is 81. Actor Johnny Sheffield is 78. Actor Joel Grey is 77.

Actress Louise Lasser is 70. Syndicated columnist Ellen Goodman is 68.

Movie writer-director John Milius is 65. Actor Peter Riegert is 62. Actor Meshach Taylor is 62. Movie director Carl Franklin is 60. Actor Bill Irwin is 59. Country singer-songwriter Jim Lauderdale is 52. Songwriter-producer Daryl Simmons is 52. Rock musician Nigel Pulsford is 48. Actor Lucky Vanous is 48. Country singer Steve Azar is 45. Singer Lisa Stansfield is 43. Rock musician Dylan Keefe (Marcy Playground) is 39. Actor Johnny Messner is 39. Actor Vicellous Shannon is 38. Rapper David Banner is 35.

Actress Tricia Helfer is 35. Rock musician Chris Gaylor (The All-American Rejects) is 30. Singer Joss Stone is 22.

Thought for Today: “We think in generalities, but we live in detail.” — Alfred North Whitehead, British philosopher (1861-1947).

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The Zapata Times is published by Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, PO Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956)728-2500 The Zapata office is at 1309 N. US Highway 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2; Zapata, TX, 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes@att.net

The Zapata Times

PAGE 3A

Zlocal

SATURDAY,APRIL 11,2009

Deputy collector Lopez is tops in her profession

HELPING THE COMMUNITY

BY DORA MARTINEZ

COLUMN

Alma C. Lopez, a Zapata native, has been a deputy tax collector for 27 years.

She has climbed the ladder to the highest level for her profession: she is certified by the Texas Board of Tax Professional Examiners, and has been for 10 years.

She is the daughter of Adelfa and the late Antonio Cuellar. Her mother is in her 80s and is doing quite well. Alma’s husband, Nicolas Lopez, works for the Zapata County Independent School District.

Alma’s pride and joy are her three children: Nicolas Jr., Noe Arturo and Iris.

Nicolas Jr., a graduate of UT Austin, works for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Noe Arturo is a welder who received his certification from the Texas State Technology College in Harlingen; his wife, Veronica, is vice president at Zapata National Bank. Iris graduated from Texas State Universi-

ty in San Marcos and is a bilingual teacher in Austin.

Alma was elected by the Zapata County Democratic Party as a delegate to the state convention last year.

She’s currently the Democratic chair of Precinct 1.

Active in her church, she is a past president of the OLOL Sacred Heart Society, is a choir member and enjoys playing the guitar. In her spare time, she organizes out-of-town trips to Mexico to visit religious institutions to learn about the history of the church.

In addition, Alma has received her certification as a real estate agent.

She recalls many good times with her parents and friends. She’s a cancer survivor who enjoys life and thanks the Lord for being with her.

(A native of Zapata, Dora Martinez was publisher of Hispanic News in San Antonio for 21 years. Reach her at thezapatatimes@att.net)

Photo by Annabel Alvarez/Villarreal Elementary | Special to the Times

The fourth-grade classes at Villarreal Elementary raised “Pennies for Tennies.�This activity was part of their service learning for the community.The money raised will be used to purchase tennis shoes for students. Shown are participating students, including Cristina Rodriguez, Laura Garza, Arlina Saenz, Fulissa Chapa,Alejandra Gavilanes, Natalile Mendoza, Samantha Charo,Yulissa Carmona,Jorge Perez, Mateo Mendoza and Israel Cisneros.

Zapata’s Conrad Hein now state trooper SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

CONRAD HEIN

Zapata native Conrad J. Hein graduated last month from the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Training Academy in Austin. “DPS is a vital organization in protecting the citizens of Texas,� said State Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, keynote speaker a the graduation. “Texas will be a safer place thanks to the men and women before me today. I am humbled by their commitment to serve and protect the people across the state. I thank them for choosing this challenging career, and wish

them the best of luck in the future,� he said.

The troopers began the 28week training academy in September.

Instruction covered more than 100 subjects, including counter-terrorism, traffic and criminal law, arrest and control procedures, accident reconstruction, first aid and Spanish. They also received extensive use of force, com-

munication skills, firearms, driving, criminal interdiction, cultural diversity and physical fitness training.

Hein has been assigned to the Texas Highway Patrol in Zapata.

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Zopinion

SATURDAY,APRIL 11,2009

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

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

OTHER VIEWS

Just let KFC fill potholes

By JOHN KELSO COX NEWSPAPERS

T

he City of Austin may or may not be one of 14 U.S. cities that have requested funds from Kentucky Fried Chicken to fill up potholes.

A KFC spokesman in Louisville, Ky., named Austin as one of the places that applied for the money. But Sara Hartley, spokeswoman for Austin’s Public Works Department, didn’t seem to think the city had actually done that.

“We just submitted kind of a biography of our street and bridge department,” Hartley said. “It was a very informal process. (KFC) sent out an e-mail with very little detail.

“The conditions of that grant may be something that we don’t want to agree with,” she added.

Here’s the deal The conditions: In exchange for $3,000 for pothole repairs in each city selected for the marketing program, KFC will get to put a chalk KFC logo on top of each fixed pothole. I can understand the city’s reluctance. A measly $3,000 seems like a poultry sum — make that a paltry sum — for street work in exchange for having a company’s name plastered on the road all over town.

The logo says, “Re-Freshed by KFC.” KFC says the logo — part of a KFC marketing campaign — will wash away in a couple of days. In this drought? I don’t think so.

I just hope that if Austin takes the money, KFC doesn’t use original recipe to fill up our potholes or we’ll have grease-related fender-benders all over town. I think extra crispy would provide better traction.

This all started March 25 when Roger Eaton, KFC president up in Louisville, sent out a letter to U.S. mayors coast to coast telling them about the chicken chain’s new pothole offer.

Hartley says Mayor Will Wynn’s office forwarded the letter to Public Works. The letter doesn’t mention the logo part of the deal specifically. It says, “Every patched pothole comes with the Colonel’s very own stamp of approval.” Isn’t that enough of a clue, though?

“It is estimated that U.S. roads are riddled with more than 350 million potholes nationwide — that’s one for every man, woman and child in America!” Eaton’s letter says.

The letter added that “because of the financially tough times” that KFC is “here to help!”

A novel idea “In honor of our ‘Fresh Tastes Best’ campaign, we want to come and ‘Re-Fresh’ your roads!” Apparently KFC headquarters is suffering from an exclamation point glut.

To kick off the program, KFC filled about 500 potholes in Louisville, said Rick Maynard, a KFC spokesman. He added that four other cities will be picked to get $3,000 each from KFC for pothole repairs.

Maynard said Austin was one of 14 cities that asked for the money. Hartley is hedging on that.

“We just sent ‘em basically a onepager and thought, ‘We’ll see what happens,”’ Hartley said. Wynn could not be reached for comment. Maybe he eats at Burger King.

So what would the KFC potholes be filled with?

“We’re experts in frying chicken, we’re not experts in filling potholes,” Maynard said. “So we leave that to the individual cities. We just provide the funding. And the city crews fill the potholes.”

I’d suggest filling the potholes with several cubic yards of Wolf Brand chili. That stuff holds up like cement.

Or a dump truck full of McRib sandwiches from McDonald’s. Talk about a lab experiment gone bad.

(To reach John Kelso, who writes for the Austin American-Statesman, e-mail jkelso@statesman.com)

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EDITORIAL

Senate gives super-rich a break NEW YORK TIMES

L

ast week, as the unemployment rate hit a 25-year high and nearly one in 10 Americans was receiving food stamps, 10 Democrats in the Senate joined all 41 Republican senators to cut estate taxes for the wealthiest families.

The provision would funnel an additional $91 billion over 10 years to the heirs of megafortunes, money that would otherwise have been paid in federal taxes or donated to charity.

With economic pain and suffering on the rise, how do the senators justify a big tax cut for mul-

timillionaires? By asserting that an estate tax cut is just what struggling Americans need.

Sen. Blanche Lincoln, D-Ark., co-sponsored the measure with Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. She said it was critical to creating jobs through small businesses. “With all the money we’ve spent to help the economy, very little of it has filtered down to Main Street and family-owned businesses,” she said.

The implication is that upon the death of an owner, estate taxes typically devastate small businesses and the jobs they provide.

That is swill.

Under today’s estate tax,

which is retained in both the House version of the budget and in President Barack Obama’s version, 99.8 percent of estates will never owe any estate tax. That’s because the tax applies only to estates that exceed $7 million per couple or $3.5 million for individuals, and a vast majority of American families are not and never will be that wealthy.

Of the tiny number of estates that are taxable, almost none are small businesses. A new analysis by the Tax Policy Center found that under 2009 law, only 100 small businesses and family farms would owe any estate tax in 2011. And almost all such es-

tates are able to pay the tax bill without having to sell business assets, according to a report by the Congressional Budget Office.

The Lincoln-Kyl tax cut would raise the estate-tax exemption to $10 million per couple ($5 million for singles) and, in an even bigger giveaway to the superrich, lower the top rate from 45 percent to 35 percent.

That sure would enrich the heirs of America’s biggest fortunes. It would not jump-start job creation on Main Street.

Texas Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchison, both Republicans, voted in favor of the estate tax cut.

COLUMN

People, people - just take it easy W

hat if everybody just took a timeout? Now there’s a concept for a TMI-addled nation.

It isn’t only Too Much Information, but the pitch and tenor of delivery that have us in a persistent state of psychic frenzy.

From cable news to microblogs to the latest — “Fox Nation” — life’s background music has become one prolonged car alarm.

Too much noise The market’s up! The Dow plunges! Obama fired the GM CEO! Greta’s husband helped Palin!! OMG, Obama’s taking 500 people to Europe and Merkel doesn’t like his new deal and they’re taking our assault weapons and we’re all going to be communists!!

But first, if your erection lasts more than four hours, contact your physician immediately.

The phrase “too much information,” a now-cliched talk-tothe-hand deflection, isn’t just a gentle whack at someone who tells you more than you want to know about his Cialis experience.

It’s a toxic asset that exhausts our cognitive resources while making the nonsensical seem significant.

TMI may indeed be the despot’s friend. Keep citizens so overwhelmed with data that they can’t tell what’s important and eventually become incapable of responding to what is. Our brains

“

KATHLEEN PARKER

simply aren’t wired to receive and process so much information in such a compressed period.

In 2006, the world produced 161 exabytes (an exabyte is 1 quintillion bytes) of digital data, according to Columbia Journalism Review. Put in perspective, that’s 3 million times the information contained in all the books ever written. By next year, the number is expected to reach 988 exabytes.

The massive explosion of information has made us all a little batty. Just ask the congressional assistants who field frantic phone calls from constituents.

“Everybody’s come unhinged,” one told me recently.

“They think we’re going to hell in a handbasket. And maybe we are.”

Who knows?

Lack of trust The unknowingness of current circumstances, combined with a lack of trust in our institutions, may partly be to blame for our apparent info-insatiability.

People sense that they need to know more in order to understand an increasingly complex world.

And, of course, it’s fun. The urge to know and be known is a

uniquely human indulgence. Being connected to friends and colleagues without having to inconvenience one’s gluteus maximus surely must stimulate our pleasure center, or else we wouldn’t bother.

Yet, with so much data coming from all directions, we risk paralysis. Brain freeze, some call it.

More important, we also risk losing our ability to process the Big Ideas that might actually serve us better.

Ah, daydreaming It isn’t only Jack and Jill who are tethered to the twittering masses, after all. Our thinkers at the highest levels are, too.

Consider: Who didn’t want to surrender his BlackBerry?

In fact, brain research shows that we do our best thinking when we’re not engaged and focused, yet fewer of us have time for downtime. (If you have to schedule relaxation, is it still relaxing?)

Daydreaming, we used to call it. Ask any creative person where they got their best ideas and they’ll say, “Dunno. Just came to me out of the blue.” If you’re looking for Eureka — as in the Aha! moment — you probably won’t find it while following David Gregory’s tweets. Or checking Facebook to see who might be “friending” whom. Or what George Orwell is ...

More likely, the ideas that save the world will present themselves

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

in the shower or while we’re sweeping the front stoop. What the world needs now isn’t more, but less. The alternative to mindless activities for the mindful won’t be a less-informed nation, but a dumber one.

Unchecked “infomania” — yes, there’s even a term for this instapathology — can lead to a lower IQ, according to a 2005 Hewlett-Packard study. The research, conducted by a University of London psychologist, found that people distracted by e-mail and phone calls lost 10 IQ points, more than twice the impact of smoking marijuana — or comparable to losing a night’s sleep.

Given that the brain is apparently more receptive when less focused, might our myriad problems stand a better chance of creative solutions were we more unplugged? In the literal sense, that is.

Turn the thing off Back in the day, Timothy Leary urged boomers to “turn on, tune in, drop out,” which was his snappy way of encouraging the mind-expanding benefits of LSD. (It came to him in the shower, natch.)

A more-apt mantra today might be “turn off, tune out, drop in.” Turn off the switch, tune out the noise, drop in on a friend.

Can’t hurt. Might help.

Hitting pause now ...

(To reach Kathleen Parker, email kparker@kparker.com)

PAGE 5A

Zlifestyle

SATURDAY,APRIL 11,2009

WEDDING

Estrada-Perez

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

Delia Whilfield,left,president of the United Methodist Women and Hortense Offerle,chair for the upcoming Flower and Art Show pose with featured artisit Mona Mendoza, third from left and gardener Gloria Guajardo who will provide flowers for the show.

FUMC sets Annual Flower and Art Show

By DENNIS KRIEWALD SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

I

n the spring of 1950, the women of Laredo’s First Methodist Church held their first-ever Flower and Art Show to showcase Laredo’s beautiful springtime flora, present the works of a guest artist and raise funds to support the church’s mission activities.

Ever since then, without missing a year, the United Methodist Women have held this traditional event in Laredo.

And on Saturday and Sunday, April 18 and 19, the United Methodist Women will again host their Annual Flower and Art Show, now in its 59th year, from 1 to 6 p.m. in the First United Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall, 1000 Guadalupe St. at 1200 McClelland Ave. United Methodist Women President Delia Whitfield is inviting the public to this popular event. Tickets are $3

each; they may be purchased at the Fellowship Hall door.

“The United Methodist Women will serve light refreshments on both afternoons, and door prizes, donated by local merchants, will be drawn for at 6 p.m.

Sunday, April 19,” she said.

“Winners need not be present to win.”

Chairwoman Hortense Offerle said that the Flower and Art Show will include a number of special tables. Always a favorite with Flower and Art Show-goers, the special tables, set up in the center of the Fellowship Hall, reflect the show’s theme.

Throughout the hall will be floral displays from Laredo’s loveliest gardens, and as in years past, the church ladies, with the assistance of El Patio nursery, will transform part of the Fellowship Hall into a splendid springtime scene with shrubbery and blooming plants.

The United Methodist Women will arrange donated flowers from local gardens.

Offerle said that anyone wishing to donate flowers may call the office, 722-1674, or her home at 724-4297.

She welcomes flower arrangers as well for Saturday morning, April 19.

For the artistic aspect of the show, the UMWomen have named talented local painter Mona Mendoza as the 2009 guest artist. As such, she will strategically exhibit her paintings throughout the Fellowship Hall.

Mendoza joins a long list of prominent artists, among them being Gloria Zuñiga, Linda LaMantia, Barry Reed, Janet Krueger, Cristina Salinas Castillon, Mary L. Quiros, the late Charley Bruni, the late Genevieve Richter, LCC art students, Armando Hinojosa, LeJeune Whitworth and last year’s guest artist, Nina Peña, among others.

Teresa Maria Perez, daughter of Eliseo and Alma Perez, of Zapata, and Erick Alberto Estrada, son of Carlos and Dolores Estrada, of El Paso, were recently united in marriage.

Teresa graduated from Zapata High School in 2001, and continued her education at the Texas A&M University College Station, earning her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in 2005. She is employed as a process engineer for Samsun in Austin, where she is also a semiconductor.

Erick graduated from Franklin High School in 1997, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts in 2002 from Texas State University. He is pursuing a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Phoenix. He is also employed as the enrollment manager for the University of Phoenix at Austin campus.

The happy couple celebrated their March 21, 2009, wedding with a religious ceremony officiated by Father Joel McNeil at Saint Williams Catholic Church in Round Rock, followed by an intimate reception at the Villa Antonia at Lake Travis. The music was provided by DJ Kit K. Christina Ramirez, of Zapata, served as the maid of honor; Anna and Corina Ramirez of Katy, Texas,

MR. AND MRS. ERICK ALBERTO ESTRADA served as the flower girls.

Benjamin Garza, of San Antonio, served as the ringbearer, while Eloy Gamboa, of Las Vegas, served as the best man. Padrinos included Anita and David Garza,

Maricia and Emilio Rodriguez, and Becky and Martin Ramirez.

After a honeymoon in New Orleans, the happy couple now resides in Pflugerville, Texas.

LCC to unveil new library exhibit SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

An art exhibit launches the celebration of National Library Week at Laredo Community College on Tuesday, April 14, at 10:30 a.m. in the Yeary Library.

Students, faculty, staff and the public are invited to join library staff at the ribbon-

cutting ceremony and reception for the exhibit.

Hosted by the Yeary and Zaffirini libraries of LCC, the exhibit is based on the NLW theme, “Worlds Connect @ Your Library.”

“The artwork is from a poster contest featuring the talents of 23 LCC art students,” said Bill Wisner, reference librarian.

6A | THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, APRIL 11,2009

Zlife GREAT STUDENTS ATVILLARREAL ELEMENTARY

EDUCATORS OF THE YEAR

Photo by Claudia Garza/Villarreal Elementary | Special to the Times Courtesy photo

Zapata North Early Childhood Center recently recognized kindergarten teacher Raquel G. Martinez as Teacher of the Year for the 2008-2009 and Rosita Morales as Instructional Assistant of the Year. Martinez has served the children of Zapata County for 22 years and has been in education for 23 years.

Morales has served the children of Zapata County for 27 years.

Students of the Week for the week of March 12 were honored recently at Villarreal Elementary. Shown here are the winners: Bottom row, left to right, are Alexander Guzman, Anibal Salinas, Angel Luna, Natalie Guerra, Sonia Garcia, Lourdes Guzman and Jorge Flores; middle row, left to right, are Delisa Rodriguez, Aaron Fuentes, David Gutierrez, Naomi Trejo, Enid Lopez and Arlene Garcia; top row, left to right, are Pedro Medina and Ismael Rodriguez.

Easter Sunday is a time to renew faith A

lleluia! He is risen! Tomorrow, I will greet you with these words of unbridled joy and enthusiasm in anticipation of Easter Sunday.

Many of you will gather tomorrow in celebration of Easter.

The smoke from backyard barbecues filling the air with the intense aroma of mesquite, the shrieks of children chasing after each other with colorful cascarones and the laughter of family and friends enjoying quality time bring to mind fond memories of Easter Sunday celebrations past.

And in Laredo, some of you might even head to another tradition-filled destination for your familial celebration — Lake Casa Blanca.

As the spiritual leader of

“

JAMES TAMAYO Todo Con Amor

this community, I invite you to remember that all our traditions during this time of the year have faith connotations.

Take, for example, the cascarones. These pastel-colored eggs filled with confetti engage and inspire young and old alike to partake in an afternoon of revelry.

The egg symbolizes new life. The confetti reminds us of how Jesus was buried in the tomb and hidden from the world. As the colorful confetti surprises Easter revelers, it should remind us of the glorious resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ, who

offers us the gift of eternal life.

Christ’s resurrection erases the despair in our life and replaces it with an opportunity for eternal salvation with our Father in heaven.

The Resurrection also serves as an opportunity for a new beginning in our life.

However, the seed to start a new life needs to be planted and nurtured in our faithfilled sanctuaries. If not, the opportunity to start anew can be swept away like the confetti during the postcelebration cleanup.

Each Easter egg reminds us to reflect on the true meaning and source of this joyous celebration.

We should never forget that He offered His life for our eternal salvation.

When that seed is cultivat-

Laredo’s first choice for comprehensive heart care. And Juan’s.

“I am grateful for the professionalism of Laredo Medical Center for giving –Juan Riojas me one more opportunity to enjoy my life to the fullest.”

ed and we develop a relationship with God, it lasts beyond this lifetime. As in the Christian tradition, when someone passes from this earth, we are reminded that life does not end but changes.

On Easter Sunday, we gather around the family table to break bread together.

Whether we are indoors or outdoors, warmth and laughter spill over as we share our bounty and stories.

Another wonderful way, then, to begin the Easter celebration is with our brothers and sisters in our communities of faith who gather at the table of the Lord.

Every Sunday is Easter Sunday as a community gathers to commemorate the resurrection of our redeemer, our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Every Sunday is a celebration of joy and resurrection.

Every Sunday is an opportunity for us to bring our families together in unity with our brothers and sisters in faith to honor the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

And in our Catholic tradition, every Mass is an opportunity to witness the transfiguration of bread and wine into the body and blood of Christ. This miracle is the sustenance of our souls. Believers throughout the world renew and strengthen their relationship with God and serve as witnesses to Christ’s death and resurrec-

tion when we participate in holy Mass.

It also serves as a time to reconcile with the Father and to unite us as one family of love.

With all this in mind, I encourage and invite you to discover the deeper meaning of Easter. I urge you to join me in drawing closer to God through active participation in worship services.

And I extend my blessing to you during this glorious and most holy Easter season.

May you and your loved ones discover the joy of living life in union with our Holy Redeemer, Todo Con Amor.

When he first started having chest pain, Juan Riojas didn’t think it could be a heart problem. Then, shortly after a visit with his doctor, he was admitted to Laredo Medical Center for a heart catheterization.

That was in 1988, and it was the first of five catheterizations Juan would undergo.

His last one, performed at an out-of-town hospital, resulted in complications and, not wanting to take another chance, Juan came back to Laredo Medical Center where our staff got him back to his old self, and back to his family.

Juan can rest easy knowing that, should he need us again, we’ll always be here with a warm welcome. And the area’s most comprehensive heart program.

To learn more about the region’s most comprehensive cardiac program, visit laredomedical.com today.

Quality Care. Right Here.

1700 E. Saunders • (956) 796-5000 www.laredomedical.com

PAGE 7A

Zentertainment

SATURDAY,APRIL 11,2009

Margarita Rocks is back

By KIRSTEN CROW LAREDO MORNING TIMES

Prepare to be shaken and stirred as the Laredo Firefighter’s Association readies to slam Laredo with a tidal wave of ‘80s hits at the upcoming Margarita Rocks music festival.

Announced Monday, the lineup includes a number of hair bands that elicited wild fanaticism back in the day, including Trixter, L.A. Guns, Great White, Dokken, Ratt, Firehouse and Skid Row. That is, of course, in addition to a crowd-pleasing margarita “taste-off.”

Photo by Peter Sorel/Warner Bros. | AP

In this image released by Warner Bros., Anna Faris, left, and Seth Rogen are shown in a scene from "Observe and Report."

‘Observe and Report’ should cease, desist

By CHRISTY LEMIRE

Concert details Slated to begin at 4:30 p.m. May 2 at the El Metro Park and Ride, 5290 Daugherty Ave., the concert will boast not only great bands, but also an excellent opportunity to help local firefighters give back to the community, said David Gonzalez, president of the association.

“It builds up money to give back to the community, and also gives the City of Laredo good, quality entertainment,” he said.

Charitable contributions Proceeds from the event will benefit the organization’s burn victims fund, as well as charitable contributions to local nonprofits and scholarships.

Following the successful Firefest, which focused on Tejano and norteño music, the association decided to bring Margarita Rocks back for a second round after a yearlong layover, Gonzalez said. This year, though, is meant to be bigger and better — and it was determined that a lineup of 1980s staples would appeal to more people.

The rock market “There’s nothing here in

Photo by Ricardo Segovia | Laredo Morning Times

Representatives from Border Media and members of the Laredo Firefighter’s Association announced the upcoming Margarita Rocks lineup Monday afternoon during a press conference at Old No. 2.

Laredo for the rock market,” he said. “We’re bringing in something that covers over two decades — or a decade and a half — of music from the late ‘70s to the early ‘90s.”

And although the focus is on more well-known bands this time, that doesn’t mean local talent won’t play an important role, Gonzalez continued.

The Old No. 2 In that vein, Old No. 2 will be the site of a Battle of the Bands contest on April 18 and April 25, where local groups will vie for a spot on the Margarita Rocks lineup.

“We wanted to give at least one or two bands (the opportunity) to play on stage for an event of this magnitude,” Gonzalez

said.

There is no charge to enter the contest, but spaces are limited. To register, sign up at Old No. 2, 313 W. Village Blvd.

Presale tickets for Margarita Rocks are $40; they are available at Old No. 2, Fire Station No. 1, Torta-Mex, Danny’s Restaurants, the Border Media offices and La Roca.

Admission will be $45 at the gate.

For more information, call 237-0533 or 645-7475.

(Kirsten Crow may be reached at 728-2543 or by email at kirsten@lmtonline.com)

THE 411 WHAT: Margarita Rocks WHEN: 4:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 2

WHERE: El Metro Park and Ride, 5290 Daugherty Ave.

COST: $40 presale; $45 at the gate WHAT: Battle of the Bands Contest

WHEN: April 18 and 25 WHERE: Old No. 2, 313 W. Village Blvd.

COST: Free registration — limited spaces available

ASSOCIATED PRESS

REVIEW

The most charitable thing we can say about the otherwise insufferable “Observe and Report” is that it shows Seth Rogen has some range.

He’s not just the self-deprecating cutup, the stoner teddy bear we’ve come to know and love in movies like “Knocked Up,” “Superbad” and “Pineapple Express.” Apparently, he also has some pent-up rage in him, which he unleashes in spectacularly wild fashion as the head of security at a suburban shopping center.

(Don’t call him a mall cop, although the superficial similarities to the PG-rated Paul Blart are unmistakable. Later on, though, as Rogen’s character sinks deeply into his self-appointed role as vigilante, he will also resemble Travis Bickle. It’s as odd a combination as it sounds.)

Like Blart, Rogen’s Ronnie Barnhardt takes his job far too seriously, but he’s forced to spring into actual action when a flasher starts antagonizing the shoppers — and, more importantly, blond bimbo Brandi (Anna Faris), the cosmetics clerk for whom he’s long lusted.

But there’s little about Ronnie that makes you root for him to succeed personally or professionally; writer-director Jody Hill has created yet another singularly unlikable character, as he did in his debut last summer, “The Foot Fist Way.” “Observe and Report,” a Warner Bros. Pictures release, is rated R for pervasive language, graphic nudity, drug use, sexual content and violence. It is playing at Cinemark Mall Del Norte and Hollywood Theaters.

PÁG.8A

Zfrontera

Agenda en Breve

Retiran pistaches

Avisos

LAREDO —Las oficinas administrativas del Condado de Webb estarán cerradas el lunes 13 de abril. El cierre incluye a las oficinas de la recolectora/asesora de impuestos del Condado de Webb. El Departamento del Alguacil continuará con su servicio regular. Las oficinas del Condado de Webb reabrirán el martes 14 de abril a las 8 a.m.

Los comisionados del Condado de Webb se reunirán el martes 14 de abril a las 9 a.m. en el Palacio de Justicia ubicado en el 1000 de Houston Street.

LAREDO —Los campuses y oficinas administrativas de LISD reabren el lunes 13 de abril para entrenamiento de desarrollo y reuniones. El lunes no habrá clases, éstas se reanudan hasta el martes 14 de abril.

LAREDO —Todas las oficinas de TAMIU se encuentran abiertas el lunes 13 de abril. Las clases serán igualmente en su horario habitual.

Actividades

LAREDO — Venga el sábado 11 de abril al Lago Casa Blanca y vea algunas de las hermosas aves de Laredo. Será un caminata de 1 milla que se prolongará aproximadamente 90 minutos,saliendo de Rock Barn a las 8:30 a.m. y caminando hacia Ranchito Road y de regreso, guiados por un oficial del parque.Venga con preguntas,binoculares y cámaras y vestir según el clima. No hay costo por el evento, pero la entrada al parque de 4 dólares sí se aplicará.

LAREDO — El Departamento de Parques y Recreación de la Ciudad de Laredo tendrá una Cacería de Cascarones de Pascua el sábado 11 de abril de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m. en los terrenos del Centro Cívico de la Ciudad de Laredo. Se invita a niños de tres a 15 años. Los cascarones tendrán premio en su interior.

Habrá algo de comida y bebidas, juegos, mascotas y mucha diversión. Más información llamando al 794-1760.

NUEVO LAREDO —El Zoológico Regional de Nuevo Laredo invita el domingo 12 de abril al evento “Disfruta la Coneja en el Zoológico” de 10 a.m. a 6 p.m..

Habrá música de ambientación y los niños podrán tomarse la foto con la botarga de la coneja del parque. Igualmente los asistentes podrán conocer a las nuevas especies recibidas: tres búfalos asiáticos, tres cerdos vietnamitas, tres cocodrilos moreletti, así como una llama y cebra recién nacidos. El costo es de 5 pesos para niños de 1 a 5 años; adultos pagan 20 pesos.

LAREDO — Pase la tarde del viernes 17 de abril en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y explore “The Great Space Race” a las 6 p.m. y “The Future is Wild” a las 7 p.m. La entrada general es de 5 dólares; en tanto que niños, estudiantes, personal y ex alumnos de TAMIU pagan 4 dólares.

El viernes, compre un boleto y obtenga otro gratis.

Cultura

LAREDO — El TAMIU Story Telling se realizará el sábado 11 de abril y todos los sábados de abril de 2 p.m. a 3 p.m. en la Biblioteca Pública de Laredo. Se contarán historias y habrá manualidades para todas las edades.

Más información llamando a la biblioteca en el 795-2400.

NUEVO LAREDO — La Dirección de Cultura del Gobierno de Nuevo Laredo invita el sábado 11 de abril de 2 p.m. a 5 p.m. al “Festival de Pascua” en la Sala Infantil de Estación Palabra donde estará un cuentacuentos y habrá el talle de elaboración de cascarones con frases y personajes de historias clásicas. La entrada es gratuita.

NUEVO LAREDO — La Dirección de Cultura de Nuevo Laredo invita el domingo 12 de abril a escuchar a un cuentacuentos en el Museo de Historia Natural (Centro Cultural Nuevo Laredo por Boulevard Colosio) de 4 p.m. a 6 p.m., con entrada gratuita.

Para informar acerca de eventos y actividades envíe el nombre, fecha, hora y dirección, y un número de contacto a tiempo@lmtonline.com

SÁBADO 11 DE ABRIL DE 2009

Por XOCHITL MORAGARCIA ESPECIAL PARATIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El Departamento de Salud de la Ciudad de Laredo (CLHD, por sus siglas en inglés) continúa recibiendo notificación de la Food and Drug Administration (FDA, por sus siglas en inglés) acerca de una investigación que están realizando relacionada a contaminación de Salmonela en productos de pistache vendidos por Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc, California.

Se sospecha que han sido exportados a México.

La compañía ha detenido toda distribución de pistaches procesados y ha emitido un comunicado para retirar voluntariamente aproximadamente 1 millón de libras de su producto. Debido a que los pistaches fueron utilizados como ingredientes en una variedad de comidas, pudiera ser que este retiro impacte en muchos productos.

En Tamaulipas igualmente se lanzó un alerta sanitaria por la federación sobre la comercialización de probables pistaches contaminados.

Además, la investigación en la compañía sigue en proceso y pudiera lelvar a retiros adicionales de productos de pistache.

En respuesta a esto, e Laredo, la CLHD `revisó todos los vendedores comerciales para los pistaches retirados y productos conteniendo pistaches fabricados por Setta Pistachio of Terra Bella, Inc, Calif.

Por su parte, el Comisionado Estatal de Protección contra Riesgos Sanitarios, Roberto Hernández Báez dijo que ya realizan las verificaciones necesarias a dulcerías, tiendas de abarrotes, tiendas de autoservicio, mercados públicos, entre otros, para descartar la presencia del producto en la entidad.

“Desde el pasado 6 de abril la COFEPRIS emitió la alerta a todas las entidades federativas, ya que estos productos son comercializados en nuestro país”, dijo Hernández Báez.

Actualmente ninguno de estos productos

“

(Peso) pondría en riesgo salud de estudiantes.

SENADORA MARÍA ELENA ORANTES LÓPEZ

Desean mochila menos pesada ESPECIAL PARATIEMPO DE ZAPATA

La Secretaría de Educación de Tamaulipas (SET, por sus siglas), atenderá el exhorto la Cámara de Senadores, para el diseño de una norma oficial que obligue a las escuelas públicas y privadas a solicitar sólo los útiles escolares necesarios por día, con lo cual se busca cuidar la salud de los menores, al hacerles menos pesadas las mochilas que cargan en sus espaldas.

El Secretario de Educación en el Estado, José Manuel Assad Montelongo, dijo que la propuesta presentada por la senadora María Elena Orantes López, dirigida a las secretarías de Educación y de Salud, considera la conveniencia de realizar una valoración respecto del volumen y peso de los útiles escolares que llevan los alumnos al salón de clases.

Según Orantes López, en muchas ocasiones los niños cargan un peso que, aunque no ha sido identificado todavía como un problema de salud pública, sí pondría en riesgo la salud de los estudiantes, principalmente en aquellos menores de 12 años.

En el documento, los integrantes de la comisión de educación de la Cámara de Senadores, consideran la necesidad de que la autoridad educativa federal y la local, emitan disposiciones dirigidas a los maestros y directores de los planteles educativos para que, con la colaboración plena de los padres de familia, vigilen que los alumnos lleven únicamente los útiles escolares que correspondan a la jornada escolar de cada día, misma que oportunamente se debería comunicar a los alumnos y padres.

Assad Montelongo reconoció que esta es, sin duda alguna, una medida a favor de la salud de la niñez.

están en cualquier vendedor comercial principal de Laredo ó Tamaulipas, sin embargo, se está enviando el mensaje para que el público sepa que si cualquiera de estos productos son encontrados (Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc.) se debe llamar al departamento de salud inmediatamente.

Hernández Báez dijo que al momento de que se llegue a detectar la existencia de este producto en territorio tamaulipeco se procederá a su inmediato aseguramiento como medida precautoria.

Sugerencias Aunque las autoridades de salud locales informaron que localmente no ha habido un incremento en casos reportados de Salmonela, dieron a conocer las siguientes precauciones: No consuma productos que han sido retirados del mercado. Deshágase de ellos de una manera que prevenga a otros de comerlos.

Personas que crean que pudieran estar enfermas por comer pistaches deben acudir a su médico inmediatamente.

Más información visitando la página de internet en http://www.fda.gov/pistachios/#search ó llame al departamento de salud local en los teléfonos 795-4938 ó 795-4951 ó contacte a los Servicios de Salud ambiental en el 795-4904.

Diagnóstico La salmonela hace que la persona desarrolle diarrea, fiebre y dolores abdominales en un lapso de 12 a 72 horas de la infección y usualmente se prolonga por 4 a 7 días. La infección usualmente se diagnostica por muestras de cultivo de deposiciones.

Aunque la mayoría de las personas se recuperan con tratamiento, pueden ocurrir infecciones severas especialmente en menores de edad, personas de edad avanzada y aquellos con sistema inmunes dañados.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Ciudad Mier

Dania Aguillón Ramos, a la izquierda, recibe un reconocimiento de manos del presidente municipal de Ciudad Mier,José Iván Mancías.

Aguillón participó en pruebas de atletismo rumbo a las olimpiadas nacionales.

Destaca atleta de Ciudad Mier ESPECIAL PARATIEMPO DE ZAPATA

CIUDAD MIER — Dania Aguillón Ramos es una atleta de esta ciudad quien participó recientemente en las Olimpiadas Prenacionales celebradas en Monterrey, rumbo a la Olimpiada Nacional que se llevará a cabo en los meses de mayo y junio.

Aguillón, considerada orgullo tamaulipeco, obtuvo dos primeros lugares en las pruebas de 100 y 200 metros planos.

Igualmente en el 2008 obutvo el segundo lugar nacional de atletismo en los 75 y 150 metros lineales.

“Aguillón es una de las favoritos para ganar dos medallas de oro en las olimpiadas nacionlaes”, dijo su padre y entrenador, Mauro A. Aguillón.

A inicios de abril viajó a Saltillo donde hubo un campamento de entrenamiento organizado la Dirección de Deportes del Gobierno del Estado.

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2009

Zbusiness

Saws cut telephone service in California’s Silicon Valley

By PETER SVENSSON and JASON DEAREN ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — Forget, for a moment, computer viruses and sophisticated cybercrimes. A hacksaw and a few other tools were probably all it took for someone to sever eight fiber-optic cables in Silicon Valley this week, knocking out cell phone, landline and Internet service.

The attack was a reminder of the fragility of the telecommunications networks that are increasingly important in our lives. Yet physical sabotage of the networks is extremely rare, and far overshadowed by natural disasters like hurricanes. Security experts were unable to recall a similar incident.

Cables were cut early Thursday in San Jose and nearby San Carlos, wiping

out telecom service to tens of thousands of homes and businesses. Some people were still able to place local calls, but 911 service disappeared.

A woman in Gilroy was forced to flee her home during a robbery because she couldn’t call 911. She rushed to a nearby firehouse to report the crime, city spokesman Joe Kline said.

Services returned later Thursday as repairs progressed.

Police in San Jose have received leads from potential witnesses, Sgt. Ronnie Lopez said, and FBI spokesman Brian Hale said the incident had no connection to terrorism. He did not elaborate on how that determination had been made.

Lopez said that whoever cut the cables knew how to use the proper tools to remove a heavy manhole cover

and slice through the thick cables, which are protected by a heavy plastic sheath.

Still, it wasn’t clearly an inside job. In San Carlos, where four fiber-optic cables were severed, Police Cmdr. Rich Cinfio cautioned people not to conclude the crime required detailed knowledge of the system’s workings.

“You can get the tools needed to do this at any local hardware store,” Cinfio said.

AT&T Inc., which owns six of the severed cables, posted a $100,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, then raised that to $250,000 on Friday “as the full scope of the vandalism became more clear.”

Sprint Nextel Corp. said one of its cables, which provided Internet access for large business customers, was cut, too.

Boeing cites 777th 777’s significance ASSOCIATED PRESS

SEATTLE — Say this seven times fast: Boeing has delivered its 777th 777.

The aerospace company Friday turned over the new 777-300ER jetliner to longtime customer Air France, which operates one of the larger fleets of the widebody twinjet in

the world.

So far, Boeing Co. said, 56 customers have ordered more than 1,100 777s. Boeing launched the airplane program in 1990, with the first plane entering service in June 1995.

Air France has taken delivery of 40 777s out of 59 it has ordered.

THE ZAPATA TIMES | 9A

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2009

10A | THE ZAPATA TIMES

TEACHER Continued from Page 1A Hernandez, who for the past nine years substituted, has worked as an instructional assistant for more than a year and said she hopes to return to college, finish her degree and become a full-time elementary school teacher.

She added she prefers to stay within first and third grades because young minds are fragile and need to be molded for the better, and aspires to positively impact as many children as possible.

“Watching each child bloom, even if it’s juts a little bit, it makes it all worth it,” said Hernandez.

Photo by Annabel Alvarez/Villarreal Elementary | Special to the Times

Fidel & Andrea R. Villarreal Elementary School honored its Teacher of the Year Susie Benavides, left, and Instructional Assistant of the Year Elida Silva-Hernandez. Benavides teaches fifth-grade.

FUNDS | Continued from Page 1A flashing beacons and improved lighting.

The crossing facility, used by many Zapata residents, was built in 1960, seven years after Falcon Dam construction ended.

“Ever since I was a kid, we used to go

to Guerrero,” Vela said. “But I haven’t seen any improvements since I was very young when we used to cross to go shopping and visit the doctors and the dentists.”

The other facilities in Texas to receive upgrades include the Amistad

Dam near Del Rio and the Los Ebanos crossing in The Valley.

U.S. Congressman Henry Cuellar told the Laredo Morning Times last week that Laredo is not slated to get any funds for border infrastructure from the Economic Recovery Act.

CUTS | Continued from Page 1A To approve Grant application for Recovery Act Funds for Juvenile Probation Department To approve the use of the Zapata County Fairgrounds as the starting point for the Zapata/Laredo Fun Race charity to benefit Casa La Esperanza, crisis pregnancy center To use the Oswaldo & Juanita Ramirez Show Barn for the Relay for Life on May 8 To concur with the Finding of No Significant Impact for the environmental assessment on the Ramireno Water Tower Relocation Project To approve the bid for materials to be used on Lake Front Road Bond Paving Pet. # 3 Project To award the contract for the Construction Manager at Risk contract for the construction of the ORCA and EDA grant Higher Education Center.

To approve the final design phase for the Higher Education Center following the recommendations of the partners that will be using

the facility.

To approve Zapata County Cemetery Plot Policy To hire LeeAnn Gonzalez for 6 months temporary warrant clerk position for the Justice of the Peace Offices To approve the hiring of Ruben G. Pena Jr. as a treatment operator trainee at the Wastewater Treatment Plant for slot-9, vacant position, at a salary of $8.80/hr To approve the purchase of a boring machine with possible Siesta Shores purchase participation. A price quotation breakdown is included for discussion and funding.

The hiring of Armando del Bosque, Jr. for the Recycling Department under the budget of Commissioner Garza To allow Master Fibers to make a proposal to service the Recycling Department To appoint Mr. Zar Rodriguez, IV as Zapata County Director/Manager for the newly constructed Romeo T. Flores Park including management of the public swimming pool

To approve change order requested by Rigney Construction Co. to finalize contract with Zapata County for the completion of Romeo T. Flores Park Project- Phase I. Approve reimbursement to Mr. Victor Guerra, local rancher, for incurred expenses while keeping livestock away from County Landfill area when constructing the new perimeter fence.

To approve a change order for the Precinct 3 Road Bond Paving Project Phase I To appoint interim director for the Environmental Health Service and Safety and Risk Management Departments To approve transfer of the Environmental Health Service and Safety and Risk Management Department to the Animal Control Shelter (effective immediately).

Approval of Cardboard Recycling Center as presented by Mr. Raul Maldonado To approve lease/purchase agreement for a bulldozer and a scraper for the landfill in order to maintain standards required by TCEQ.

The Zapata Times SATURDAY,APRIL 11,2009

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors Chapa to hold court in regionals

WEIGHTYMATTERS ATNATIONAL

By CLARA SANDOVAL SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Zapata tennis team continued its winning ways at the District 32-3A Tournament last week in Harlingen.

The Hawks captured the runnerup trophy, and senior Gerry Chapa captured the runner-up trophy in the boys singles, punching his ticket to the regional tournament.

“I am happy with the team’s performance,” Zapata coach Robert Alvarez said. “We are a young team and this meet was a huge learning experience for them. This team from top to bottom is one of the best I have had at Zapata.”

Stellar performance In the boy’s singles, Chapa who was seeded third was stellar as he hustled through the two-day tournament.

In the first round Chapa took on La Feria’s Jeremy Wisdom in his quarterfinal match to start his quest for a district title.

Things looked grim for Chapa as he found himself down 5-2 and faced many match points.

Pulling double duty Chapa, who pulls double duty as he also runs track, stormed back and won the next five games to win the match 6-2, 2-6, 7-5.

Next on the agenda was Ben Salander from Port Isabel. Chapa quickly dispose of Salander 6-4 and 6-3 to propel him into the championship game and a shot at the title.

See TENNIS | PAGE 4B

Courtesy Photo

The Zapata powerlifting team went to the national meet in Killeen last week. Seen here is Zapata coach Veronica Arce with three of her team members.

Three Lady Hawks’ lifters earn medals from Killeen

By CLARA SANDOVAL SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

T

he Lady Hawks’ powerlifting team sent seven members to the national meet in Killeen last week, bringing back three medalists.

The seven earned their way to the national meet due to their accomplishments in the regional or state meet.

Zapata competed with lifters from Louisiana, Iowa, Michigan, Idaho and many other states.

“It was a great experience for my girls and for me and the two other coaches that assisted me, Mario Arce and Lupe Hernandez,” Zapata weightlifting coach Veronica Arce said.

The national competition lifts are measured in kilo-

grams so Arce and her staff had the task of converting into kilograms.

“At this level of competition, we were having to convert pounds into kilograms.

Boy was that keeping us busy,” Arce said.

Senior Christina Treviño (594.7 lbs.) finished in third place to conclude her high school career.

Freshmen Michelle Arce (749 lbs.) placed second in the junior division (freshmen), which allowed her to get a fourth place team trophy.

Senior Lizette Mendoza (660 lbs.) placed fifth.

“Next year’s national meet will be held in Wisconsin.

Hopefully we will get more girls in and have lots of fundraisers,” Arce said.

Lady Hawks closing in on district lead

By CLARA SANDOVAL

Hawks still soar high in 32-3A

By NINO CARDENAS LAREDO MORNING TIMES

The Zapata Hawks baseball team is in the midst of a fantastic season in district 32-3A. The Hawks (9-0, 15-5) appear well on their way to a postseason spot, but even more importantly are in control of their own destiny.

The Hawks can add a district championship to their program’s wall of fame if they continue playing the way they have all season.

So far so good, two games into the defining second round of district play the Hawks completed the season sweep of Lyford and La Feria.

Impressive What has been impressive about this Hawks team has been that of the nine district wins, five have been called by the fifth inning due to the 10-run rule.

The Hawks know the remaining journey won’t be quite as complacent, “The thing is every time you play a team twice the second time is going to be tougher. We might’ve taken people by surprise in first round, not anymore,” Zapata coach Rene Alvarez said.

Up next is a struggling Progresso (1-8) team and an important tilt against a playoff hopeful in Port Isabel (5-4). Both games are out of town.

“Of the next five games we have three away with two away games this week, PI is always a tough place to play. The wind blows in. They really have home

See BASEBALL | PAGE 4B

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

In their first meeting in March, Coach Jaime Garcia knew that his Lady Hawks did not play to their potential and La Feria took advantage of Zapata’s miscues with a 7-3 victory.

The Lady Hawks understood what was at stake when La Feria rolled into town Tuesday night in the second round of district 32-3A. A victory would put Zapata in a very good position heading into the last stretch of district. A loss would make things difficult for the play off picture.

Ripping a hard single In the bottom of the seventh inning with two outs and the game tied at two apiece, Senior Tessa Moss, who has been stellar at the plate all season long, ripped a hard single down the middle to score Crystal Del Bosque for the gamewinning run and give the Lady Hawks a 3-2 victory over the defending 32-3A champion La Feria at the Zapata softball field.

“When Crystal touched home plate everyone, from the players, coaching staff and the crowd went crazy,” Garcia said. “It was a real good game. The defense just made the plays.”

On the mound Senior Lynda Leyva, a workhorse on the mound, went the distance with five K’s and one walk.

The Lady Hawks and La Feria were even at the plate with six hits apiece but Zapata capitalized at the plate bringing runners home when it counted.

Seniors Myra Alaniz (2-for-3, one RBI) and Moss (2-for-3, game winning hit and RBI) made critical hits to give the Lady Hawks the victory, led Zapata’s offensive surge.

Also adding a hit of her own was Selina Mata (1-for-3).

The victory throws Zapata into a four-way tie for first place with Raymondville, La Feria and Lyford as they all have identical 6-2 district records with four games left in the season.

“At the beginning of the season

Courtesy Photo

Zapata catcher Tessa Moss goes up for the ball during a recent district contest. everyone counted us out because of the record that we had last year,” Garcia said. “The four senior on the team really want it and they have taken over this team with their leadership. They just want to win.”

them the game and the district lead.

The Lady Lionettes scored in the first inning to take an early lead.

Poised

In the bottom of the first inning Alaniz ripped a hard single down the middle to score Moss to even up the game at one apiece.

The second, third and fourth innings became a defensive effort as both teams were shut out.

“On defense Myra and Amanda (Sanchez) were playing well and throwing out the runners,” Garcia said.

The Lady Hawks retook the lead on a hit by Jessica Garcia (1-for-2, one RBI) to score Leyva and another runner but the second run was retracted due to a controversial call by the plate umpire.

La Feria faced a very poise and error free Zapata team that came to lay everything on the line.

In their first meeting in La Feria, Zapata committed errors in critical moments of the game and dug themselves in a hole that they did not climb out from.

“The key to the game Tuesday night was that we were hitting the ball very well and we did not make any errors,” Garcia said.

In Tuesday night’s contest La Feria was making the errors late in the game that eventually cost

A defensive effort

La Feria scored in the sixth inning to even up the game and set the stage for Moss’s heroics in the seventh inning.

The Lady Hawks will face Port Isabel on Tuesday night as they continued their drive towards a district title.

They will then face Raymondville and Hidalgo on the road and finally face Rio Hondo at home for the regular season finale.

Despite beating the Lady Tarpons 24-6 in their first meeting Garcia will keep his team focused and ready Tuesday night.

“We have to play every single game with a high intensity and cannot take anyone lightly,” Garcia “Right now we are not looking at anyone else except P.I. and we are just going to take one game at a time.

“It exciting to be competing for a playoff spot,” he said.

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY,APRIL 11,2009

FRIENDLY RIVALRY KICKS OFF CANCER RELAY

Photo by Marlen Guerra/ALBES | Special to the Times

A.L. Benavides Elementary School recently had a fun fundraiser to kick off this year’s Cancer Relay. ABOVE LEFT: Fourth- and fifth-grade students race around the A.L. Benavides Gym in a spirited game of gym hockey, which was attended by many parents who stopped by to watch their kids play. ABOVE RIGHT: Students from the fourth and fifth grades, who competed against each other in the friendly game, gather for a portrait.The students were taught how to play by Coach Sergio Perez, this year’s Teacher of the Year at ALBES. CHL Playoff Glance FIRST ROUND (Best-of-3) Northern Conference Bossier-Shreveport 2, Rocky Moun tain 1 Monday, March 23: Rocky Mountain 4, Bossier-Shreveport 3 Wednesday, March 25: BossierShreveport 5, Rocky Mountain 4, OT Thursday, March 26: BossierShreveport 5, Rocky Mountain 3, Bossier-Shreveport wins series 2-1 Southern Conference Rio Grande Valley 2, Corpus Christi 1 Monday, March 23: Rio Grande Valley 5, Corpus Christi 1 Wednesday, March 25: Corpus Christi 6, Rio Grande Valley 2 Thursday, March 26: Rio Grande Valley 3, Corpus Christi 0, Rio Grande Valley wins series 2-1 CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS (Best-of-7) Northern Conference Colorado 4, Bossier-Shreveport 0 Sunday, March 29: Colorado 4, Bossier-Shreveport 3 Monday, March 30: Colorado 4, Bossier-Shreveport 3 Thursday, April 2: Colorado 3, Bossier-Shreveport 2, OT Monday, April 6: Colorado 4, Bossier-Shreveport 3, OT, Colorado wins series 4-0 Mississippi 4, Oklahoma City 2 Wednesday, March 25: Oklahoma City 2, Mississippi 1, OT Thursday, March 26: Mississippi 5, Oklahoma City 3 Wednesday, April 1: Mississippi 4, Oklahoma City 3 Thursday, April 2: Mississippi 2, Oklahoma City 1 Saturday, April 4: Oklahoma City 5, Mississippi 4 Monday, April 6: Mississippi 3, Oklahoma City 1, Mississippi wins series 4-2 Southern Conference Texas 4, Rio Grande Valley 0 Saturday, March 28: Texas 4, Rio Grande Valley 2 Sunday, March 29: Texas 5, Rio Grande Valley 4 Wednesday, April 1: Texas 6, Rio Grande Valley 2 Friday, April 3: Texas 3, Rio Grande Valley 1, Texas wins series 4-0 Odessa vs. Laredo Friday, March 27: Laredo 3, Odessa 2, OT Saturday, March 28: Laredo 5, Odessa 1 Wednesday, April 1: Odessa 4, Laredo 3, OT Friday, April 3: Odessa 4, Laredo 3, 2OT Saturday, April 4: Odessa 2, Laredo 1 Tuesday, April 7: Odessa 4, Laredo 3, OT, Odessa wins series 4-2 CONFERENCE FINALS (Best-of-7) Northern Conference Colorado vs. Mississippi Wednesday, April 15: Mississippi at Colorado Friday, April 17: Mississippi at Colorado Tuesday, April 21: Colorado at Mississippi Thursday, April 23: Colorado at Mississippi Friday, April 24: Colorado at Mississippi, if necessary Sunday, April 26: Mississippi at Colorado, if necessary Monday, April 27: Mississippi at Colorado, if necessary Southern Conference Texas vs. Odessa Friday, April 10: Odessa at Texas Saturday, April 11: Odessa at Texas Tuesday, April 14: Texas at Odessa Thursday, April 16: Texas at Odessa Saturday, April 28: Odessa at Texas, if necessary Thursday, April 23: Texas at Odessa, if necessary Saturday, April 25: Odessa at Texas, if necessary RAY MIRON PRESIDENT’S CUP FI NALS (Best-of-7) TBD

NBA EASTERN CONFERENCE Atlantic W L Pct GB y-Boston 59 19 — x-Philadelphia 40 38 19 New Jersey 32 46 27 Toronto 30 48 29 New York 30 49 29½ Southeast W L GB y-Orlando 58 20 — x-Atlanta 45 34 13½ x-Miami 41 37 17 Charlotte 35 43 23 Washington 18 61 40½ Central W L GB y-Cleveland 63 15 — Chicago 39 40 24½ Detroit 38 40 25 Indiana 34 44 29 Milwaukee 32 47 31½ WESTERN CONFERENCE Southwest W L GB x-Houston 50 28 — x-San Antonio 50 28 — x-New Orleans 48 30 2 x-Dallas 47 31 3 Memphis 22 56 28 Northwest W L GB x-Denver 53 26 — x-Portland 50 28 2½ x-Utah 47 31 5½ Minnesota 24 55 29 Oklahoma City 21 57 31½ Pacific W L GB z-L.A. Lakers 62 16 — Phoenix 43 35 19 Golden State 28 50 34 L.A. Clippers 18 60 44 Sacramento 16 61 45½ x-clinched playoff spot y-clinched division z-clinched conference

.756 .513 .410 .385 .380

Pct .744 .570 .526 .449 .228

Pct .808 .494 .487 .436 .405

Pct .641 .641 .615 .603 .282

Pct .671 .641 .603 .304

Wednesday’s Games Orlando 81, Memphis 78 Indiana 130, Toronto 101 Portland 95, San Antonio 83 Cleveland 98, Washington 86 Boston 106, New Jersey 104 Detroit 113, New York 86 Atlanta 113, Milwaukee 105 Phoenix 105, New Orleans 100 Denver 122, Oklahoma City 112 Dallas 130, Utah 101 Minnesota 105, Golden State 97 Thursday’s Games Chicago 113, Philadelphia 99 Houston at Sacramento, 10 p.m.

Denver at L.A. Lakers, 10:30 p.m.

Friday’s Games Cleveland at Philadelphia, 7 p.m.

Indiana at Atlanta, 7:30 p.m.

Miami at Boston, 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Memphis, 8 p.m.

New York at Orlando, 8 p.m.

Washington at Toronto, 8 p.m.

New Jersey at Detroit, 8 p.m.

Charlotte at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m.

Utah at San Antonio, 8:30 p.m.

New Orleans at Dallas, 8:30 p.m.

L.A. Lakers at Portland, 10 p.m.

Houston at Golden State, 10:30 p.m.

Sacramento at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Saturday’s Games Detroit at Indiana, 7 p.m.

Orlando at New Jersey, 7:30 p.m.

Phoenix at Minnesota, 8 p.m.

Charlotte at Chicago, 8:30 p.m.

Oklahoma City at Milwaukee, 8:30 p.m.

Golden State at Utah, 9 p.m.

Portland at L.A. Clippers, 10:30 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Dallas at New Orleans, 1 p.m.

Boston at Cleveland, 3:30 p.m.

New York at Miami, 6 p.m.

Philadelphia at Toronto, 6 p.m.

San Antonio at Sacramento, 9 p.m.

Memphis at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 p.m.

American League All Times EDT East Division W L

.795 .551 .359 .231 .208

3

1

.750

2

1

.667

2

1

.667

2

2

.500

1

2

.333

Central Division W L Pct GB Kansas City — Minnesota — Detroit ½ Chicago ½ Cleveland 1½

2

2

2

2

.500 .500

2

3

.400

1

2

.333

0

3

.000

West Division W L

Pct

GB Texas — Oakland ½ Seattle 1 Los Angeles 1½

3

1

.750

2

1

.667

2

2

.500

1

2

.333

Thursday’s Games Toronto 6, Detroit 2 Seattle 2, Minnesota 0 Tampa Bay 4, Boston 3 N.Y. Yankees 11, Baltimore 2 Kansas City 2, Chicago White Sox 1 Texas 12, Cleveland 8 Oakland at Los Angeles, ppd., death of nick adenhart Friday’s Games Detroit 15, Texas 2 Toronto at Cleveland, 4:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees 4, Kansas City 1 Tampa Bay at Baltimore, 7:05 p.m.

Minnesota at Chicago White Sox, 8:11 p.m.

Boston at L.A. Angels, 10:05 p.m.

Seattle at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

Saturday’s Games Toronto (Halladay 1-0) at Cleveland (Cl.Lee 0-1), 1:05 p.m.

Texas (Harrison 0-0) at Detroit (Verlander 0-1), 1:05 p.m.

Seattle (F.Hernandez 1-0) at Oakland (Outman 0-0), 4:05 p.m.

Boston (Penny 0-0) at L.A. Angels (Loux 0-0), 4:10 p.m.

Minnesota (Liriano 0-1) at Chicago White Sox (Colon 0-0), 4:10 p.m.

Tampa Bay (Niemann 0-0) at Baltimore (Guthrie 1-0), 7:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Sabathia 0-1) at Kansas City (H.Ramirez 0-0), 7:10 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Toronto (Purcey 0-0) at Cleveland (A.Reyes 0-0), 1:05 p.m.

Texas (Millwood 1-0) at Detroit (E.Jackson 0-0), 1:05 p.m.

Tampa Bay (J.Shields 0-1) at Baltimore (Eaton 0-0), 1:35 p.m.

Minnesota (Blackburn 0-0) at Chicago White Sox (Buehrle 0-0), 2:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees (Chamberlain 0-0) at Kansas City (Meche 0-0), 2:10 p.m.

Boston (Beckett 1-0) at L.A. Angels (Saunders 1-0), 3:35 p.m.

Seattle (Bedard 0-0) at Oakland (Braden 0-1), 4:05 p.m.

Monday’s Games Chicago White Sox at Detroit, 1:05 p.m.

N.Y. Yankees at Tampa Bay, 7:08 p.m.

Baltimore at Texas, 8:05 p.m.

Toronto at Minnesota, 8:10 p.m.

Cleveland at Kansas City, 8:10 p.m.

Boston at Oakland, 10:05 p.m.

National League All Times EDT East Division W L

.269

Pct

Pct

GB Toronto — Baltimore ½ Tampa Bay ½ New York 1 Boston 1½

Pct

GB Florida — Atlanta 1 New York 1 Philadelphia 2½ Washington 3

3

0

1.000

2

1

.667

2

1

.667

1

3

.250

0

3

.000

Central Division W L Pct GB

Chicago — Milwaukee — Pittsburgh — St. Louis — Cincinnati ½ Houston ½

2

2

.500

2

2

.500

2

2

.500

2

2

.500

1

2

.333

1

2

.333

West Division W L

Pct

GB Colorado — San Francisco ½ Los Angeles 1 San Diego 1 Arizona 1½

3

1

2

1

.750 .667

2

2

.500

2

2

.500

1

2

.333

Thursday’s Games Cincinnati 8, N.Y. Mets 6 St. Louis 2, Pittsburgh 1 San Diego 4, L.A. Dodgers 3 San Francisco 7, Milwaukee 1 Friday’s Games Milwaukee 4, Chicago Cubs 3 Colorado 10, Philadelphia 3 N.Y. Mets at Florida, 7:10 p.m.

Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, ppd., rain Washington at Atlanta, 7:35 p.m.

Houston at St. Louis, 8:15 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

San Francisco at San Diego, 10:05 p.m.

Saturday’s Games Pittsburgh (Maholm 0-0) at Cincinnati (Cueto 0-0), 1:10 p.m.

Houston (Oswalt 0-1) at St. Louis (Wainwright 0-0), 4:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (L.Hernandez 0-0) at Florida (Nolasco 1-0), 6:25 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Zambrano 1-0) at Milwaukee (Bush 0-0), 7:05 p.m.

Washington (Lannan 0-1) at Atlanta (Kawakami 0-0), 7:10 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Stults 0-0) at Arizona (Petit 0-0), 8:10 p.m.

Philadelphia (Myers 0-1) at Colorado (De La Rosa 0-0), 8:10 p.m.

San Francisco (J.Sanchez 00) at San Diego (Peavy 0-1), 10:05 p.m.

Sunday’s Games Pittsburgh (Snell 0-1) at Cincinnati (Harang 0-1), 1:10 p.m.

N.Y. Mets (Santana 1-0) at Florida (Jo.Johnson 1-0), 1:10 p.m.

Washington (Olsen 0-1) at Atlanta (Jurrjens 1-0), 1:35 p.m.

Houston (W.Rodriguez 0-0) at St. Louis (Lohse 1-0), 2:15 p.m.

Philadelphia (Park 0-0) at Colorado (Cook 0-0), 3:10 p.m.

San Francisco (Lincecum 0-0) at San Diego (C.Young 1-0), 4:05 p.m.

L.A. Dodgers (Wolf 0-1) at Arizona (Haren 0-1), 4:10 p.m.

Chicago Cubs (Dempster 0-0) at Milwaukee (Suppan 0-1), 8:05 p.m.

Monday’s Games Houston at Pittsburgh, 1:35 p.m.

Colorado at Chicago Cubs, 2:20 p.m.

Philadelphia at Washington, 3:05 p.m.

San Francisco at L.A. Dodgers, 4:10 p.m.

San Diego at N.Y. Mets, 7:10 p.m.

Cincinnati at Milwaukee, 8:05 p.m.

St. Louis at Arizona, 9:40 p.m.

NFL Free Agent Signings ARIZONA CARDINALS—Signed Anthony Becht, TE; Mike Leach, LS; Rodney Leisle, DT; Keith Lewis, S; Bryant McFadden, CB; and Donovan Raiola, C. Re-signed Ben Graham, P; Clark Haggans, LB; Brian St. Pierre, QB; Kurt Warner, QB; and Dan Kreider, FB. Agreed to terms with Bertrand Berry, DE; Elton Brown, OL; Ralph Brown, CB; and Jason Wright, RB. ATLANTA FALCONS—Signed Mike Peterson, LB; and C Brett Romberg. Re-signed Chauncey Davis, DE; Jamal Fudge, S; Tony Gilbert, LB; Jason Jefferson, DT; Justin Peele, TE; Ben Wilkerson, OL; and Coy Wire, LB. BALTIMORE RAVENS—Signed Chris Carr, CB/KR; Domonique Foxworth, CB; and L.J. Smith, TE. Agreed to terms with Matt Birk, C; and Ray Lewis, LB. Re-signed Samari Rolle, CB. BUFFALO BILLS—Signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB; Drayton Florence, CB; Geoff Hangartner, OL; and Terrell Owens, WR. Re-signed Kirk Chambers, OL; and Corey McIntyre, FB. Agreed to terms with Pat Thomas, LB. CAROLINA PANTHERS—Resigned Jordan Gross, OT. CHICAGO BEARS—Signed Josh Bullocks, S; Glenn Earl, S; Marcus Hamilton, DB; and Frank Omiyale, OL. Agreed to terms with Kevin Jones, RB; Kevin Shaffer, OT; and Orlando Pace, OT. CINCINNATI BENGALS—Signed Laveranues Coles, WR; and J.T. O’Sullivan, QB. Re-signed Cedric Benson, RB; Darryl Blackstock, LB; Chris Crocker, S; DeDe Dorsey, WR; and Jamar Fletcher, CB. Agreed to terms with Tank Johnson, DT. CLEVELAND BROWNS—Signed Eric Barton, LB; David Bowens, LB; Noah Herron, RB; Corey Ivy, CB; C.J. Mosley, DT; David Patten, WR; Hank Poteat, CB; Robert Royal, TE; John St. Clair, OL; and Floyd Womack, T. Resigned Mike Adams, S. DALLAS COWBOYS—Signed Keith Brooking, LB; Igor Olshansky, DE; Gerald Sensabaugh, S; and Matt Stewart, LB. Re-signed Cory Procter, G; and Stephen Bowen, DE. DENVER BRONCOS—Signed J.J. Arrington, RB; Correll Buckhalter, RB; Andra Davis, LB; Brian Dawkins, S; Ronald Fields, DT; Jabar Gaffney, WR; Andre’ Goodman, CB; Renaldo Hill, S; LaMont Jordan, RB; J’Vonne Parker, DT; Lonie Paxton, FS; Kenny Peterson, DL; Darrell Reid, DT; and Scott Young, OL. Re-signed Jeb Putzier, TE. Agreed to terms with Chris Simms, QB. DETROIT LIONS—Signed Phillip Buchanon, CB; Grady Jackson, DT; Bryant Johnson, WR; Eric King, CB; Maurice Morris, RB; Will Heller, TE; and Cody Spencer, LB. Agreed to terms

with Daniel Loper, OL. Re-signed Aveion Cason, RB; Damion Cook, OL; Jason Hanson, K; and Stephen Peterman, G. GREEN BAY PACKERS—Signed Duke Preston, OL; and Anthony Smith, S. Agreed to terms with Mike Montgomery, DE. Re-signed Tory Humphrey, TE. HOUSTON TEXANS—Signed LB Buster Davis; LB Cato June; Shaun Cody, DT; Darrell McClover, LB; Dan Orlovsky, QB; and Antonio Smith, DE. Re-signed Joel Dreessen, TE; Nick Ferguson, S; Chris White, C; Eugene Wilson, S; and Rashad Butler, T. INDIANAPOLIS COLTS—Signed Adam Seward, LB. Re-signed Lance Ball, RB; Buster Davis, LB; Dan Federkeil, OL; Kelvin Hayden, CB; and Jeff Saturday, C. JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS— Signed Sean Considine, S; and Tra Thomas, T. Re-signed Brad Meester, C; Scott Starks, CB; and Joe Zelenka, LS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS— Signed Monte Beisel, LB; Bobby Engram, WR; Mike Goff, G; Terrance Copper, WR; LS Tanner Purdum; and Rodney Wright, WR. Agreed to terms with Travis Daniels, CB; C.J. Jones, WR; Corey Mays, LB; Jon McGraw, S; and Darrell Robertson, LB. MIAMI DOLPHINS—Signed Joe Berger, G; Eric Green, CB; and Jake Grove, C. Re-signed Yeremiah Bell, S; Vernon Carey, OT; and Channing Crowder, LB. MINNESOTA VIKINGS—Re-signed Heath Farwell, LB; Jimmy Kennedy, DT; Jim Kleinsasser, TE; Benny Sapp, CB-OTis Grigsby, DL; and Fred Evans, DT. Signed Cedric Griffin, CB; Glenn Holt, WR; and Karl Paymah, CB. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS— Signed Chris Baker, TE; Leigh Bodden, CB; Joey Galloway, WR; Nathan Hodel, LS; Al Johnson, C; Shawn Springs, CB; and Fred Taylor, RB. Resigned Matt Cassel, QB (f), and traded him to Kansas City; re-signed Eric Alexander, LB; Wesley Britt, OL; Chris Hanson, P; Russ Hochstein, OL; James Sanders, S; Ray Ventrone, S; Mike Wright, DL; and Tank Williams, S. NEW ORLEANS SAINTS—Signed Darnell Dinkins, TE; Heath Evans, FB; Jabari Greer, CB; Nick Leckey, C; Pierson Prioleau, S; Paul Spicer, DL; Rod Coleman, DT; Darren Sharper, S; and Dan Campbell, TE. Re-signed Joey Harrington, QB; Devery Henderson, WR; Courtney Roby, WR-KR; Jon Stinchcomb, T; Jonathan Vilma, LB; and Troy Evans, LB. NEW YORK GIANTS—Signed Rocky Bernard, DT; Michael Boley, LB; C.C. Brown, S; Chris Canty, DE; and Lee Vickers, TE. Re-signed David Carr, QB; and Brandon Jacobs, RB (f).

NEW YORK JETS—Signed Marques Douglas, DE; Howard Green, DT; Larry Izzo, LB; Jim Leonhard, S; Bart Scott, LB; and Donald Strickland, CB. Re-signed Ahmad Carroll, DB; Jay Feely, K; Brandon Moore, G; and Tony Richardson, FB. OAKLAND RAIDERS—Signed Jeff Garcia, QB; Khalif Barnes, T. Resigned Nnamdi Asomugha, DB; Cooper Carlisle, G; Isaiah Ekejiuba, LB; Shane Lechler, P; and Justin Miller, CB. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES— Signed Stacy Andrews, OT; Rashad Baker, S; and Sean Jones, S. Re-signed Tank Daniels, LB; Joselio Hanson, CB; and Nick Cole, OL. Agreed to terms with Leonard Weaver, FB. PITTSBURGH STEELERS—Resigned Keyaron Fox, LB; Willie Colon, T; Chris Kemoeatu, G; Max Starks, T (f); Andre Frazier, LB; Trai Essex, T; Fernando Bryant, CB; and Arnold Harrison, LB. ST. LOUIS RAMS—Signed Kyle Boller, QB; Jason Brown, OL; James Butler, S; and FB Mike Karney. Resigned Ron Bartell, CB; and Mark Setterstrom, G. SAN DIEGO CHARGERS—Agreed to terms with Kevin Burnett, LB. Resigned Kynan Forney, G. SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS—Signed Demetric Evans, DE; Damon Huard, QB; and Brandon Jones, WR; and ; Marvel Smith, T. Re-signed Moran Norris, FB; Allen Rossum, CB-KR; and Takeo Spikes, LB. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS—Signed Colin Cole, DT; T.J. Houshmandzadeh, WR; and John Owens, TE. Re-signed Ray Willis, OL. Agreed to terms with D.D. Lewis, LB. TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS— Signed Angelo Crowell, LB; Mike Nugent, K; and Derrick Ward, RB. Resigned Michael Clayton, WR; Cortez Hankton, WR; Luke McCown, QB; Jermaine Phillips, S; and Jerramy Stevens, TE. TENNESSEE TITANS—Signed Jovan Haye, DT; Mark Jones, WR/KR; Patrick Ramsey, QB; and Nate Washington, WR. Re-signed Rob Bironas, K; Kerry Collins, QB; Vincent Fuller, DB; Justin McCareins, WR. Agreed to terms with Craig Hentrich, P. WASHINGTON REDSKINS— Signed Derrick Dockery, G; Dominique Dorsey, KR; Albert Haynesworth, DT; Dirk Johnson, P; Dave Rayner, K; and Renaldo Wynn, DE. Re-signed Ethan Albright, LS; Phillip Daniels, DE; Reed Doughty, S; Alfred Fincher, LB; DeAngelo Hall, CB; and Shaun Suisham, K. f-franchise player Remaining Unrestricted Free Agents Unsigned free agents with more than four years of NFL experience: ARIZONA — Karlos Dansby (f); Scott Peters, OL; Terrelle Smith, FB; Jerame Tuman, TE. ATLANTA — Wayne Gandy, OT; Lawyer Milloy, S; Marcus Pollard, TE. BALTIMORE — Todd Bouman, QB; Lorenzo Neal, FB; Chad Slaughter, OL; Matt Stover, K; Terrell Suggs, DE/LB (f); Daniel Wilcox, TE. BUFFALO — Melvin Fowler, OL; Teddy Lehman, LB; J.P. Losman, QB; Jason Whittle, OL. CAROLINA — Donte’ Curry, LB; Jason Kyle, LB; Julius Peppers, DE (f); Darwin Walker, DT. CHICAGO — Mike Brown, S; Rex Grossman, QB; Brandon Lloyd, WR; Brandon McGowan, S; Fred Miller, OL; Cameron Worrell, S. CINCINNATI — Eric Ghiaciuc, OL; Shayne Graham (f); John Thornton, DT. CLEVELAND — Lennie Friedman, G/C; Kris Griffin, LB; Daven Holly; CB; Willie McGinest, LB; Seth McKinney, G; Shantee Orr, LB. DALLAS — Brooks Bollinger, QB; Keith Davis, S; Carlos Polk, LB; Zach Thomas, LB. DENVER — Tatum Bell, RB; Ebenezer Ekuban, DE; Darrell Jackson, WR; Marlon McCree, S; Tom Nalen, C; Michael Pittman, RB; Edell Shepherd, DB; Nate Webster, LB. DETROIT — Keary Colbert, WR; George Foster, OT; Rudi Johnson, RB; Paris Lenon; LB; Andy McCollum, G/C; Shaun McDonald, WR; Langston Moore, DT; Ryan Nece, LB; Stanley Wilson, CB. GREEN BAY — Mark Tauscher, T. HOUSTON — Mark Bruener, TE; DeMarcus Faggins, CB; Scott Jackson, OL; Bryan Pittman, OL; Dunta Robinson; CB (f); Cecil Sapp, RB; Jimmy Williams CB; Jeff Zgonina, DT. INDIANAPOLIS — Matt Giordano, S; Tyjuan Hagler, LB; Keiwan Ratliff,

CB; Dominic Rhodes, RB; Hunter Smith, P; Josh Thomas, DE. JACKSONVILLE — Chris Naeole, G; Reggie Williams, WR. KANSAS CITY — Jason Babin, LB; Rocky Boiman, LB; Oliver Celestin, S; Adrian Jones, G. MIAMI — Tab Perry, WR; Derek Smith, LB. MINNESOTA — Kenderick Allen, DT; Michael Boulware, S; Napoleon Harris, LB; Marcus Johnson, T; Dontarrious Thomas, LB; Ellis Wyms, DT. NEW ENGLAND — Rosevelt Colvin, LB; Rodney Harrison, S; Deltha O’Neal, CB; Lewis Sanders, CB; Junior Seau, LB; Kenny Smith, DT; Barry Stokes, OL. NEW ORLEANS — Mark Campbell, TE; Aaron Glenn, CB; Martin Gramatica, K; Terrence Holt, S; Antwan Lake, DT; Mike Lehan, CB; Matt Lehr, G; James Reed, DT; Aaron Stecker, RB. N.Y. GIANTS — John Carney, K; Jerome McDougle, DE; R.W. McQuarters, CB/KR; Grey Ruegamer, G/C; Rich Scanlon, LB; Amani Toomer, WR; Anthony Wright, QB. N.Y. JETS — Jesse Chatman, RB; Bubba Franks, TE; Ty Law, CB; J.R. Reed, S. OAKLAND — Drew Carter, WR; William Joseph, DT; Ashley Lelie, WR; Marques Tuiasosopo, QB; Sam Williams, LB. PHILADELPHIA — Jon Runyan, T. PITTSBURGH — Charlie Batch, QB; Mitch Berger, P; Byron Leftwich, QB; Orpheus Roye, DE. ST. LOUIS — Oshiomogho Atogwe, S (f); Fakhir Brown, CB; Jason Craft, CB; Anthony Davis, OL; La’Roi Glover, DT; Adam Goldberg, G; Brandon Gorin, OL; Dante’ Hall, WR/KR; Nick Leckey, OL; Dane Looker, WR; Ricky Manning Jr., CB; Travis Minor, RB; Rob Pettiti, OL; Gary Stills, LB; Cory Withrow, OL. SAN DIEGO — Marques Harris, LB; Jeremy Newberry, C; Darren Sproles, RB/KR (f).

SAN FRANCISCO — Billy Bajema, TE; Damane Duckett, DT; DeShaun Foster, RB; Roderick Green, DE; Jamie Martin, QB; Sean Ryan, TE. SEATTLE — Charlie Frye, QB; Chris Gray, G; Leroy Hill, LB (f); Wesly Mallard, LB; Steve McKinney, G; Jeff Robinson, TE; Koren Robinson, WR. TAMPA BAY — Will Allen, S; Antonio Bryant, WR (f); Kevin Carter, DE; Patrick Chukwurah, LB. TENNESSEE — Reynaldo Hill, CB; Tyrone Poole, CB; Bo Scaife, TE (f).

WASHINGTON — Ryan Boschetti, DT; Khary Campbell, LB; Jason Fabini, OL; Mike Green, S; Pete Kendall, G.

Masters Scores Friday At Augusta National Golf Club Augusta, Ga. Purse: TBA Yardage: 7,435- Par: 72 (36-36) (a-amateur) Second Round Chad Campbell 65-70-135 Kenny Perry 68-67-135 Angel Cabrera 68-68-136 Todd Hamilton 68-70-138 Tim Clark 68-71-139 Anthony Kim 75-65-140 Rory Sabbatini 73-67-140 Shingo Katayama 67-73-140 Jim Furyk 66-74-140 Sergio Garcia 73-67-140 Steve Stricker 72-69-141 Hunter Mahan 66-75-141 Nick Watney 70-71-141 Stephen Ames 73-68-141 Henrik Stenson 71-70-141 Vijay Singh 71-70-141 Geoff Ogilvy 71-70-141 Phil Mickelson 73-68-141 John Merrick 68-74-142 Aaron Baddeley 68-74-142 Graeme McDowell 69-73-142 Tiger Woods 70-72-142 Sandy Lyle 72-70-142 Dustin Johnson 72-70-142 Lee Westwood 70-72-142 Padraig Harrington 69-73-142 Camilo Villegas 73-69-142 Larry Mize 67-76-143 Rocco Mediate 73-70-143 Ken Duke 71-72-143 Miguel Angel Jimenez 70-73-143 Mike Weir 68-75-143 Ian Poulter 71-73-144 Bubba Watson 72-72-144 Sean O’Hair 68-76-144 Andres Romero 69-75-144 Paul Casey 72-72-144 Dudley Hart 72-72-144 Ben Curtis 73-71-144 Luke Donald 73-71-144 Justin Rose 74-70-144 Steve Flesch 71-74-145 D.J. Trahan 72-73-145 Robert Allenby 73-72-145 Trevor Immelman 71-74-145 Rory McIlroy 72-73-145 Kevin Sutherland 69-76-145 Ross Fisher 69-76-145 Ryuji Imada 73-72-145 Stuart Appleby 72-73-145

Failed to Qualify Fred Couples 73-73-146 Richard Sterne 72-74-146 Jose Maria Olazabal 71-75-146 Adam Scott 71-75-146 Jeev Milkha Singh 71-75-146

Retief Goosen 75-71-146 Ernie Els 75-71-146 Soren Kjeldsen 76-71-147 Y.E. Yang 73-74-147 Robert Karlsson 73-74-147 Martin Kaymer 71-76-147 Stewart Cink 69-78-147 a-Reinier Saxton 75-72-147 Greg Norman 70-77-147 a-Jack Newman 72-76-148 K.J. Choi 76-72-148 Briny Baird 73-75-148 Justin Leonard 75-73-148 Soren Hansen 72-76-148 Oliver Wilson 73-75-148 Boo Weekley 73-76-149 Ian Woosnam 74-75-149 a-Drew Kittleson 78-72-150 Zach Johnson 70-80-150 Brandt Snedeker 76-74-150 Ryo Ishikawa 73-77-150 Louis Oosthuizen 73-77-150 Bernhard Langer 70-80-150 Mathew Goggin 74-77-151 Mark O’Meara 75-76-151 Lin Wen Tang 77-74-151 Chez Reavie 75-76-151 Craig Stadler 77-74-151 Billy Mayfair 77-75-152 Alvaro Quiros 78-75-153 a-Steve Wilson 79-75-154 Pat Perez 75-79-154 Prayad Marksaeng 70-84-154 Carl Pettersson 75-79-154 a-Danny Lee 74-81-155 Fuzzy Zoeller 79-76-155 Michael Campbell 80-75-155 Ben Crenshaw 73-83-156 Tom Watson 74-83-157 Raymond Floyd 79-79-158 Gary Player 78-83-161

Fight Schedule National TV in parentheses April 11 At Osaka, Japan, Nobuo Nashiro, Japan, vs. Konosuke Tomiyama, Japan, 12, for Nashiro’s WBA super flyweight title.

At Guadalajara, Mexico, Raul Garcia, Mexico, vs. Ronald Barrera, Colombia, 12, for Garcia’s IBF minimumweight title.

At Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Las Vegas (HBO), Paul Williams, Augusta, Ga., vs. Winky Wright, St. Petersburg, Fla., 12, for the interim WBO light middleweight title; Chris Arreola, Riverside, Calif., vs. Jameel McCline, West Palm Beach, Fla., 12, for Arreola’s NABF heavyweight title.

April 17 At Star of the Desert Arena, Primm, Nev. (SHO), Yuki Gamboa, Miami, vs. Jose Rojas, Venezulea, 12, for the interim WBA featherweight title; Selcuk Aydin, Germany, vs. Said Quali, Las Vegas, 12, for Aydin’s WBC International welterweight title.

April 18 At Roma, Italy, Krzysztof Wlodarczyk, Poland, vs. Giacobbe Fragomeni, Italy, 12, for Wlodarczyk’s WBC cruiserweight title.

At Johannesburg, South Africa, Yonnhy Perez, Santa Fe Springs, Calif., vs. Silence Mabuza, South Africa, 10, IBF bantamweight eliminator.

April 19 At Manila, Philippines, Nonito Donaire, San Leandro, Calif., vs. Raul Martinez, San Antonio, 12, for Donaire’s IBF-IBO flyweight titles; Ulises Solis, Mexico, vs. Brian Viloria, Waipahu, Hawaii, 12, for Solis’ IBF light flyweight title.

April 24 At Panama City, Panama, Celestino Caballero, Panama, vs. Jeffrey Mathebula, South Africa, 12, for Cabellero’s WBA-IBF super bantamweight titles.

At UIC Pavilion, Chicago (ESPN2), Antonio Escalante, El Paso, Texas, vs.

Gary Stark, Jr., New York, 12, super bantamweights.

April 25 At Bayamon, Puerto Rico (HBO), Juan Manuel Lopez, Puerto Rico, vs.

Gerry Penalosa, Philippines, 12, for Lopez’s WBO super bantamweight title; Lamont Peterson, Memphis, Tenn., vs. Willy Blain, Germany, 12, for the interim WBO light welterweight title.

At MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods, Mashantucket, Conn. (SHO), Carl Froch, Britain, vs. Jermain Taylor, Little Rock, Ark., for Froch’s WBC super middleweight title.

At Krefeld, Germany, Felix Sturm, Germany, vs. Koji Sato, Japan, 12, for Sturm’s WBA middleweight title.

May 1 At Chumash Casino, Santa Ynez, Calif. (SHO), Luis Carlos Abregu, Argentina, vs. Irving Garcia, Puerto Rico, 10, welterweights.

May 2 At Bremen, Germany, Anselmo Moreno, Panama, vs. Wladimir Sidorenko, Germany, 12, for Moreno’s WBA bantamweight title.

At the MGM Grand, Las Vegas (PPV), Steven Luevano, La Puente, Calif., vs. Bernabe Concepcion, Philippines, 12, for the vacant WBO featherweight title; Ricky Hatton, Britain, vs.

Manny Pacquiao, Philippines, 12, for Hatton’s IBO junior welterweight title.

May 9 At El Paso, Texas, Jorge Linares, Tokyo, vs. Josafat Perez, Mexico, 12, for Linares’ WBA super featherweight title.

At the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas (HBO), Chad Dawson, New Haven, Conn., vs. Antonio Tarver, Tampa, Fla., 12, for Dawson’s IBF-IBO light heavyweight title.

May 16 At Planet Hollywood, Las Vegas, Ron Johnson, Las Vegas, vs. John Johnson, Memphis, 12, for the vacant WBF light heavyweight title.

June 20 At London, Wladimir Klitschko, Ukraine, vs. David Haya, Britain, 12, for Klitschko’s IBF-WBO-IBO heavyweight titles.

Photo by Victor R. Caivano/file | AP

In this March 23 photo Lance Armstrong rides in the first stage of the Vuelta de Castilla y Leon, Spain.

France’s anti-doping agency accused Lance Armstrong of violating its rules Thursday for not fully cooperating with a drug tester and says it could punish the seven-time Tour de France champion.

Armstrong: France may ban me from Tour de France

By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN, Texas — Lance Armstrong believes French doping officials may ban him from riding in this summer’s Tour de France over a report that he violated protocols during a recent drug test.

“There’s a very high likelihood that they prohibit me from riding in the Tour,” a somber Armstrong said Friday in a video statement posted on his Web site. “It’s too bad. The tour is something I love dearly.”

France’s anti-doping agency, known as AFLD, has said the American did not fully cooperate with a drug tester when he showed up at Armstrong’s home in France to collect blood, urine and hair samples from the cyclist on March 17.

Although no banned substances were found, the dispute revolves around a 20minute delay when Armstrong went inside the house and took a shower while his assistants checked the tester’s credentials.

The seven-time Tour winner said he asked the tester for permission to go inside and it was granted. The AFLD says Armstrong “did not respect the obligation to remain under the direct and permanent observation” of the tester.

According to Armstrong, the tester wrote “no” on the section of the official paperwork that asks if there was anything irregular about the test.

Murder charge filed in pitcher’s death

By GILLIAN FLACCUS ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANTA ANA, Calif. — A 22-year-old man was charged with three murder counts and drunken driving Friday in the crash that killed Los Angeles Angels rookie pitcher Nick Adenhart and two others.

Andrew Thomas Gallo ran a red light in his minivan early Thursday and broadsided a car carrying Adenhart and three friends, police said.

“At the time of the crash, Mr. Gallo’s bloodalcohol content is estimated to be almost three times the legal limit,” Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said.

Gallo could receive almost 55 years to life in prison if convicted of all charges, Rackauckas said. Adenhart died at a hospital, hours after pitching six scoreless innings in his season debut against Oakland. He was to be remembered before the start of Friday night’s Angels game against the Boston Red Sox. Fullerton police Lt. Kevin Hamilton said homicide detectives interviewed Gallo for nearly four hours Thursday. “There was a lot to talk about,” Hamilton said, without disclosing details.

zapata041109

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SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2009

THE ZAPATA TIMES | 3B

Sports

ADVICE | HELOISE Dear Heloise: One of your recently printed pet pointers (from a vet) said that a VET'S OFFICE is not a place or a time for your children to ask questions. Perhaps that vet's office is run this way, but the office of my vet is different.

During the 23 years I took my dogs to my vet for regular shots and check-ups, I often had schoolage children with me. This excellent vet never discouraged them from asking a few questions. In fact, even on a busy schedule, he would invite them to help with weighing or would ask them about any observations they had. He explained procedures and outcomes at their level of understanding.

They always came away from a visit to the vet knowing more about our dog and about a vet's life and work.

July 2008 was our old dog's last appointment, and a 15-year-old female friend, who had known him most of his life, wanted to be with him to the end. The vet, whom she knew well by that time, gently explained everything to her, and she felt it was a privilege to hold and talk to the dog as he was euthanized. It was a visit that our young friend will never forget, and she was relieved to discover that it was not a frightening thing at all. She was a stronger person for being a participant in this transition. We admire her for being present and compassionate, and for crying with us over the loss of a lovely, sweet-natured companion whose time to say goodbye had arrived.

I offer this as an instructive example of what can happen in a vet's office that goes far beyond it

“

HELOISE

being a business of cool efficiency and professional animal doctoring. -- Candy Watson, Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada Candy, the majority of vets certainly are willing to answer children's questions and treat all clients with respect. However, my sense is that the vet who wrote the letter meant that while in the exam room and under stress to keep appointment running on time or with an animal that may react badly, it's not the best situation to answer questions from a child. -- Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Katy Novak of Canyon Lake, Texas, sent a photo of the love of her life, Zara, a miniature red smooth dachshund, hiding under the pillows.

Katy said Zara will be 6 years old and loves to jump on the bed in the spare bedroom and hide under the pillows.

To see the photo of Zara, visit www.Heloise.com. -- Heloise HANDY DISPOSAL BAGS Dear Heloise: In the baby department in stores, they sell diaper disposal bags. They come in boxes of 50 or 100 and are compact in narrow boxes. They are inexpensive, convenient and a perfect size for litter scoops and picking up after your dog. Purchase at a store that sells things for a dollar. - Jean Milici, Torrington, Conn.

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:

Zclassified

DENNIS THE MENACE

FAMILY CIRCUS

BY PHONE: (956) 728-2527

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

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4B | THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, APRIL 12, 2009

Sports

Student warned over Facebook site wooing prospect

By JUSTIN POPE ASSOCIATED PRESS

RALEIGH, N.C. — College sports fans, be careful of the company you keep on Facebook.

You might get yourself — and the program you support — in trouble.

That was the lesson this week for Taylor Moseley, a North Carolina State freshman who expressed a common-enough opinion on campus when he started the Facebook group called “John Wall PLEASE come to NC STATE!!!!”

More than 700 people signed up for the group encouraging Wall — a local standout and the nation’s No. 1 basketball recruit — to pick the Wolfpack by national signing day next week.

But the NCAA says such sites, and dozens more like them wooing Wall and other top recruits, violate its rules. More than just cheerleading boards, the NCAA says the sites are an attempt to influence the college choice of a recruit.

Moseley got a cease and desist letter from N.C. State’s compliance director, Michelle Lee, warning of “further action” if he failed to comply.

In an interview Friday, Lee said that people who act as boosters but fail to follow recruiting guidelines could face penalties such as being denied tickets or even being formally “disassociated” from the athletic program.

Adam Kissel, director of the Individual Rights Defense Program at the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, said the NCAA can impose rules on its member colleges. But universities — especially public ones — can’t enforce them if it means punishing students in any way for expressing an opinion.

“A student doesn’t lose First Amendment rights because of a contract the university signs with (the NCAA),” he said.

Moseley, the student, didn’t respond to a request for comment, but the group has been renamed

“Bring a National Title back to NC STATE!” and features a photo of Wall.

Though Lee sent Moseley the tough warning, even she finds the rule exasperating. The NCAA, she says, simply isn’t keeping up with the technology reality.

“I think nationally the NCAA needs to address further Facebook and how these groups play a part in recruiting,” she said. “Is it realistic for us to be able to monitor them?

What harm is a group like this causing? But as the legislation stands right now, this is the position we have to take.”

NCAA spokesman Erik Christianson said the group considers its rules “technology neutral.” A Facebook page is simply a hightech way to try to influence recruits.

The NCAA’s concern is “intrusions into a high school student’s life when they’re trying to decide where to go to college,” he said.

He said the NCAA is keeping up with technology, noting new rules on text-messaging from coaches.

Christianson said the NCAA expects institutions to act as N.C. State did, reaching out to the creators of such groups to “educate” them about the rules. He added he was not aware the NCAA had ever initiated any action related to a Facebook group or notified an institution about one.

But dozens of Facebook groups are still up in plain site for current recruits, including Wall, and other top undecided basketball players such as Xavier Henry and Lance Stephenson.

Wall, a 6-4 playmaker, averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists for Raleigh Word of God this past season. He’s the No. 1ranked recruit in the country by both Rivals.com and Scout.com, and among the last top players yet to commit. A Facebook search reveals groups including “Bring John Wall to Baylor,” “John Wall Belongs at UNC” and “John Wall, come to DUKE!!”

Courtesy photo

Members of the 2009 Zapata tennis team are shown here in the official team photo.

TENNIS | Continued from Page 1B In the final he met Mathew Lasbrook of Rio Hondo but the twoday tournament took a toll on Chapa as he lost.

Second was up for grabs but Chapa received good news when Lasbrook beat Salander propelling Chapa into the regional tournament.

“I have had kids with more natural ability than Gerry but he is tenacious and has worked very hard,” Sanchez said. “He has learned to keep better control mentally and he will just outlast people.”

In varsity boys doubles third seeded Angel Ortiz and Estevan Garcia were attempting to join Chapa at the regional tournament with a victory of their own but Anthony Pritchet and Travis Moss from La Feria beat them in the semifinals.

Ortiz and Garcia then faced

Zeke Martinez and P.J. Garcia of Lyford in the third-place game.

They beat them soundly 6-3 and 6-1 and set up a match against Roy Randall and Troy Chadick for true second.

The Hawk duo played a great match but eventually fell in three sets1-6, 6-3 and 3-6.

“Ortiz and Garcia were thrown for a loop when the mother of one of their best friends died of cancer,” said Alvarez. “They were not able to make many practices this week, and I think it showed but I was pleased with their performance overall.”

In varsity girls doubles the team of Gabriela Molina and Cristina Mendoza lost a heartbreaker in the quarterfinals to Jacquelyn Guevara and Jane Hervey of Rio Hondo 6-3, 1-6 and 7-5.

“The girls played an outstand-

ing second set but were unable to put some games together in the third set,” Alvarez said. “Every game went to deuce numerous times.”

The future looks bright for the Hawks as the junior varsity team came away with a handful of medals. The girl’s team captured the runner up trophy by a slim margin. They were 2.5 points away from the district championship.

The highest finish for the young Hawks came in the mixed doubles team of Javier Zapata and Isabella Martinez who were crowned champions in the junior varsity division.

The girl’s doubles team of Kassie Flores and Daniela Molina captured second place and Shelby Bigler and Paola Jasso placed third

BASEBALL | Continued from Page 1B field advantage because of the familiarity. Also they have good athletes and they compete well. They’ve been in the playoff the last two or three years,” Alvarez said.

Right behind the Hawks are the Hidalgo Pirates (81) who are looking for the Hawks to slip up. Barring any letdowns the Hawks and Pirates should be on track for a showdown in Hidalgo on April 24.

The Hawks though aren’t getting ahead of themselves as Alvarez makes it quite clear their biggest game of the season is always the next in line.

“We try not to look forward like that. Our biggest game is Tuesday right now. Without taking care of business first that game would be meaningless. We are selling the kids on that. They know our biggest game is our next game,” Alvarez said.

A big reason for the Hawks success has been the production he gets from his entire roster.

On the mound the Hawks count on senior Luis Ar-

turo Flores (5-0, 1 save district, 7-1 overall).

The senior has been a consistent force for two years now and looks to be only improving.

“Last year he was pretty much the same. He got a little bit stronger and he’s matured into a real good pitcher. Hopefully he has three more good starts in district,” Alvarez said.

If Flores can’t go the team doesn’t skip a beat with senior Isaac Patterson (3-0), sophomore Rogelio Campos (1-0), sophomore Luis Jaime Gonzalez, senior Rene Garcia, senior Mike Garza or junior Jerry Gutierrez on the mound.

The same can be said at the plate where a number of Hawks have come up big in different games.

“We’ve been going up and down the lineup. Different people have been stepping it up. It’s hard to pinpoint one guy. One through nine, it has pretty much been everybody. They all have contributed in some form or fashion,” Alvarez said.

<DATE>

HOMES FOR SALE 61 House for Sale by owner, 1509 Sarazen (Plantation) 3bd/2.5ba. 2,477 SqFt per WCAD. $275,500 www.buymyhouselaredo.com Please Call for an appt.

956-723-9705 Negotiable, 2922 Hemingway (Alexander) 4/2/2, w/ heated pool. Granite, new S.S. appliances, his/hers walk-in closets. $229,000 .Serious inq. only!

Call:(956) 220-3450

San Isidro, over 2,400sqft., 3bd/2.5ba/2cg, $236,500. Great deal!

Call:(956)401-0259

LAREDO MORNING TIMES | 1B

LOTS FOR SALE

70

Lote al sur de Laredo. $25,000 OMO Inf: 744-3299 North Laredo. 1.3 Acres on Loop 20 near TAMIU, next to Khaledi Heights on Blue Quail St. $12.50 Per SqFt Neg. Can be sold separately Call 956-333-0122 or 011-52-867-714-1502

Must Sell, Moving Out, negotiable, 2bd/1.5ba, 2803 Bayard.

Brand new, south Laredo. For sale by owner.

Call Dr. Rendon 011-52-867-714-1502 or 956-333-0122

3 Lots,10 Apts $330,000 OBO. Call:722-4447.

We Finance! 8% Apts. for sale, 4-plex, near elementary school, 608 Okane.

All rented! $206,000.

Call:(956)286-4653 Great investment!

4 acres @ Rancho Las Lomas for $40,000.00 Owner finance with $10,000 down.

Call:(956)645-9664 11.5 acres, mile 18 hwy 35, in Bonanza Hills sbdvn. Next to Los Botines, $10,000 per acre.

(956)220-9010

42 acres mile 60 HWY35 6 blks from HWY.$2700 p/ac We Finance. Call 722-4447

PETS & SUPPLIES 128

EASTER chicks,* Gallos, gallinas, patos, ganzos, cockenas, palomas, conejos, cabritos, y guajolotes $25 a mas,

PETS & SUPPLIES 128

Se vende perritas, Blue Healers, $125 cada uno.

2915 Chesnut, 333-8836

*T-cup, tiny Chihuahua, Cocker Spaniel, Pekingese & Poodle Puppies M/F $180

LIVESTOCK & SUP PLIES 130

326-7482

AKC ROTTWEILERS : (German)2 females,5 wks., $600 ea.Call 285-1691

Registered 2 year old paint horse stallion for sale, Champion blood lines Sorrel Overo with blue eyes.Asking price $1,700 or will trade for a registered quarter horse mare.

Call:645-1655 or 693-8669

ARTICLES FOR SALE 136 Juego de mezas antiguas, $400. Inf(956)337-9134 Pair of wooden stools, $100, Call:(956)237-2949

ARTICLES FOR SALE 136

857-2408; 326-7482 Schnauzer, 2 months, w/ clipped tail & shots. $350.

Call:(956)333-0546

& UP.Call857-2408;

MISCELLANEOUS

Chihuahua (m) 3mths. old, $120 Parents on Site. 725-8782

PETS & SUPPLIES

ACREAGE FOR SALE 76

CONDOS FOR SALE 64 1 Condo $60,000 OBO

COMMERCIAL INVESTMENT 79

Sala de 3 piezas, $350.

Inf(956)337-9134

TRANSPORTATION

3 pc. living room set, two end tables and a cocktail table, brand new, $3,500.

Call:(956)337-6358 70 boxes: 10 pieces per box Super Saltillo tile. $7ea. box.

(956)235-7494 5pc. Ashley breakfast table, $150, Call:(956)237-2949

BOATS

190

Comedor, meza con 8 sillas $490 Inf(956)337-9134

2003 Kawasaki STX 1100 Jet ski, $4800, 33 hrs of use, Call 236-6909

Crib/bed, white, 2 drawers & mat tress, like new, $200 Call:(956) 206-8088

AUTOMOTIVE PARTS 194

Kenmore appliances, frig, stove, dishwaher, washer & dryer Platinum series. Starting at $200 CASH. (956)774-3962

Diesel engines Chevy 6.6 Ford 7.3 & Cummins 5.9 Remanufactured w/warranty will deliver, $2,950.

713-918-5811.

MOTORCYCLES

196

TRUCKS FOR SALE 198

CARS FOR SALE

Honda 250 DIRT BIKE 2004, built last year for track/trail $2,500 obo. 956-693-8105

GMC Suburban ‘95, never wrecked, fully equipped, dual a/c, $975.

Call:(956)744-5015

Dodge Stratus ‘04, all power, white, good condition, $6,900 Call:(956)334-2166

corta,good conditon $2000 OBO 326-7482; 857-2408

Van Voyager ‘92 $850 OBO 326-7482; 857-2408 CARS FOR SALE 200

Chevrolet Suburban ‘99, 3 seats, a/c, real good condition, $4,500. Call:(956)722-6239; (956)744-6239 Chevy Suburban ‘95, 4x4, good condition, plates & sticker, $2,500 obo.

220-9594

Jaguar x type 06, Red on beige interiors, 9,000 miles great conditions, women owner $11,500 info 956 337-6668

Chevrolet MG 1972, convertible, original classic condition, fully functional, blue title, $6,000 Call:(956)763-8378; 956-722-4890

TRUCKS FOR SALE 198 ‘81 Chev Silverado caja

Dodge Ram 1500 ‘02, great condition, $7,800 obo.

Call:(956)401-9642 Ford Explorer ‘03, A/C. $6,300 obo.

Call:(956)753-0668; Nextel I.D. # 52*1765*14*15 Ford F-150 ‘03, ext. cab, all pwr., a/c, 4x4, low mi., excellent condition, $7,250 Call:(956)235-3695

Chevy Cavalier ‘02, good condition,new tires, $2,600 Call:(956)725-1972.

Dodge Magnum RT ‘05, 5.7 Hemi, leather interior, satelite radio & navigation, new tires, 23k mi., $12,500 obo.

Call:(956)236-8702

200

Jaguar x type 06, Red on beige interiors, 9,000 miles great conditions, women owner $11,500 info 956 337-6668 Mercury Grand Marquis ‘99, very good condition, a/c, 91k mi., blue title, $4,000 Call:(956)236-3792; 242-9361

Pontiac Grand Am ‘98, fair condition, $1,000 obo.

Call:(956)740-5062