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SEXUAL ABUSE CHARGES
SHERIFF’S OFFICE
Reyes review
Missing tires draw request
Agency looks at teaching certificate By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO — The Texas Education Agency is reviewing a former Zapata High School coach’s teaching certificate in light of two charges that he sexually abused children, an agency spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday. “Beyond that, that’s all I can
JAVIER REYES: Has July trial in Wilson County in connection with a 2004 incident. say,” said DeEtta Culbertson, TEA spokeswoman. “We do have that man under investigation.” Culbertson said TEA action against the teaching certificate of Javier Reyes, 55, could be tak-
en after his criminal cases in Williamson and Wilson counties are resolved. Reyes resigned from Laredo’s Alexander High School in the United Independent School District in February after being proposed for termination earlier this year. He is set for a July trial in Wilson County, about 35 miles
See TRIAL PAGE 11A
Sheriff asking public for help regarding theft of 792 tractor tires worth about $332,000 By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata authorities are asking the community to come forward with information regarding the theft of 792 tractor-tires from a local energy producing company, a Zapata County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said Friday.
On May 3, deputies responded to Key Energy Services in the 3000 block of U.S. 83, a mile north of the town of the Zapata, for a theft report. Management staff reported to deputies that tires and rims worth approximately $332,000 were missing.
See TIRES PAGE 11A
MILITARY VETERANS
WORLD WAR II VETS HONORED
Judge Ben Morales of County Court at Law #1 presents a plaque and a book to World War II veteran Jose Perez on Friday afternoon. Photos by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times
World War II veteran Jose Perez shakes hands with great-grandson Carlos Enriquez on Friday afternoon after a ceremony honoring World War II veterans at County Court at Law #2
Judge in Laredo has recognition ceremony By RICARDO R. VILLARREAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
L
AREDO — World War II veterans were honored and recognized for their service Friday afternoon in the courtroom of Webb County Court at Law Judge Jesus “Chuy” Garza. Present for the ceremony were veterans Hilario Cavazos Jr., Joe Rodriguez,
Jose Perez, Cayetano Tijerina Jr., and Edmundo Duarte. They were each presented with a plaque and a U.S. flag. Co-sponsoring the ceremony was the American Legion Honor Guard. “This is a very special day for us as citizens of a country that has seen a lot of suffering from soldiers who have given their life and have been hurt both
physically and mentally. WWII veterans are in a class of their own,” said emcee Abraham Rodriguez from American Legion Post 59. Rodriguez said the culture and the values of those that served during WWII transcend time. “This generation was united not only by a common purpose but also by a common value, duty, hon-
or, economy, courage, service, love of family and country and, above all, responsibility for ourselves,” Rodriguez said. Judge Jesus Garza said those of us who did not serve in the military owe it to our veterans to let them know how important a job it was that they did. “Honoring veterans only
See VETERANS PAGE 11A
Judge Jesus "Chuy" Garza of County Court at Law #2 hands a plaque and a flag to World War II veteran Hilario Cavazos.
CLICK IT OR TICKET CAMPAIGN
No seatbelt could result in ticket, fine SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Law enforcement officers will be out in full force throughout Texas from May 20 to June 2 during the Click It or Ticket campaign, citing drivers and passengers for not wearing their seatbelts or not properly buckling up their children. The Texas Department of Transportation kicked off its statewide seatbelt awareness campaign this week. This year’s campaign could result in more citations than ever before, TxDOT says, adding that many drivers and passengers are still unaware of
safety belt requirements enacted into law in 2009. All passengers in back seats must now be buckled up, and children younger than 8 years old have to ride in a child safety seat or booster seat unless they are taller than 4 feet 9 inches. Fines range from $25 to $250 per individual not buckled up, including court costs. What’s more, TxDOT is also hoping to change the behavior of pickup drivers, who account for a quarter of all registered vehicles in Texas and lag behind the state average with respect to safety belt use.
More functional than fashionable, life-saving seatbelts first debuted 45 years ago when Lyndon B. Johnson’s National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act and The Highway Safety Act went into effect, mandating that all automobiles have seatbelts as a standard feature. To honor Johnson’s pioneering dedication to safety, TxDOT launched its 12th annual Click It or Ticket campaign at the LBJ Library in Austin with a car show demonstrating the progression of seatbelts through the ages. “The cost of not wearing
seatbelts is far greater than a ticket or fine,” said Phil Wilson, TxDOT executive director. “Simply put, a seatbelt could save your life. Public awareness is working, but we still see some teenagers, pickup truck passengers and rural Texans who aren’t buckling up.” When the Click It or Ticket campaign began in 2002, only 76 percent of Texans buckled up. Today, 94 percent are wearing seatbelts. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates the Click It or Ticket campaign has saved nearly 3,700 lives and prevented more than 50,000
serious injuries since its launch. The increase in seatbelt usage also has saved an estimated $10 billion in wages and productivity losses, medical expenses, insurance premiums, taxes and other costs. Despite an increase in seatbelt compliance, there is more work to be done, with the lives of Texans at stake. Initial TxDOT data from 2012 indicates trafficrelated fatalities in Texas are up by 11 percent. In 2012, there were 3,400 fatalities due to traffic crashes across the state. Data also shows that only 82 percent of pickup passen-
gers are buckled up when riding compared to more than 91 percent of passengers riding in cars. Pickups also are more likely than passenger cars to roll over or eject unrestrained occupants in a crash. As part of the Click It or Ticket initiative, law enforcement officials across the state will be looking for and ticketing unbuckled drivers and passengers in an effort to raise safety awareness and prevent fatalities. Last year, more than 21,200 seatbelt citations were issued during the Click It or Ticket campaign.
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Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, MAY 11
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show: “The Zula Patrol: Down to Earth” at 3 p.m.; “Lamps of Atlantis” at 4 p.m.; and Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon” at 5 p.m. Matinee show is $4. General admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows are $1 more. Call 3263663.
Today is Saturday, May 11, the 131st day of 2013. There are 234 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On May 11, 1973, the espionage trial of Daniel Ellsberg and Anthony Russo in the “Pentagon Papers” case came to an end as Judge William M. Byrne dismissed all charges, citing government misconduct. On this date: In 1647, Peter Stuyvesant arrived in New Amsterdam to become governor of New Netherland. In 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state of the Union. In 1862, during the Civil War, the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia was scuttled by its crew off Craney Island, Va., to prevent it from falling into Union hands. In 1927, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was founded during a banquet at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles. In 1935, the Rural Electrification Administration was created as one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs. In 1943, during World War II, U.S. forces landed on the Aleutian island of Attu, which was held by the Japanese; the Americans took the island 19 days later. In 1950, President Harry S. Truman formally dedicated the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington state. In 1953, a tornado devastated Waco, Texas, claiming 114 lives. In 1960, Israeli agents captured Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1981, legendary reggae artist Bob Marley died in a Miami hospital at age 36. The Andrew Lloyd Webber musical “Cats” opened in London. In 1985, 56 people died when a flash fire swept a jam-packed soccer stadium in Bradford, England. In 1996, an Atlanta-bound ValuJet DC-9 caught fire shortly after takeoff from Miami and crashed into the Florida Everglades, killing all 110 people on board. Ten years ago: The United States declared Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party dead. Lithuania became the first ex-Soviet republic to approve entry into the European Union as voters completed a weekend referendum. Canada beat Sweden 3-2 in Finland to win its first hockey world championship in six years. Today’s Birthdays: Comedian Mort Sahl is 86. Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan is 80. Rock singer Eric Burdon (The Animals; War) is 72. Actress Shohreh Aghdashloo (SHOH’-reh ahg-DAHSH’-loo) is 61. Actress Frances Fisher is 61. Actor Boyd Gaines is 60. Country musician Mark Herndon (Alabama) is 58. Actress Martha Quinn is 54. Country singer-musician Tim Raybon (The Raybon Brothers) is 50. Actor Tim Blake Nelson is 49. Actor Jeffrey Donovan is 45. Country musician Keith West (Heartland) is 45. Actor Nicky Katt is 43. Actor Coby Bell is 38. Cellist Perttu Kivilaakso (PEHR’-tuh KEE’-wee-lahksoh) is 35. Actor-singer Jonathan Jackson is 31. Actor Cory Monteith is 31. Thought for Today: “Ability hits the mark where presumption overshoots and diffidence falls short.” — Golda Meir, Israeli prime minister (1898-1978).
TUESDAY, MAY 14 A South Texas Food Bank fundraiser is from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Hal’s Landing, 6510 Arena Blvd., featuring music by Laredo’s Ross and Friends. Donations are $10, including several raffle prizes. Call 324-2432.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 15 The Laredo Public Library will stream “An Evening of Codes, Symbols and Secrets,” with author Dan Brown live, from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m., at the H-E-B Multi-Purpose Room, 1120 E. Calton Road. Brown will be live in New York and streaming across the county, speaking about his new novel, which goes on sale the night before. Journalism/CTE students at the Vidal M. Trevino School of Communications and Fine Arts will hold an opening reception, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., for their 17th Annual Photography Exhibition at the Laredo Center for the Arts, in the LACF Community Gallery. Show will run through June 1. Contact Mark Webber at 273-7800 or mwebber@elisd.org.
FRIDAY, MAY 17 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “The Zula Patrol: Down to Earth” at 6 p.m. and “Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” at 7 p.m. General admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows are $1 more.
SATURDAY, MAY 18 An open non-rated chess tournament for student K-12 is from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Muller Elementary, 4430 Muller Memorial Blvd. Registration is from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m., with first round at 11:30 a.m. The entry free is $7 if pre-registered and $10 at the door.
SUNDAY, MAY 19 Zapata High School will compete at state One Act Play and academics in Austin through Wednesday.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 22 he Genealogical Family Trees Exhibition will be presented by the Villa de San Agustin de Laredo Genealogical Society, from 5 p.m. to 7 pm., at Gallery 201, 513 San Bernardo Ave. Sixteen members and friends will share their family history in addition to poetic contrast readings by Raquel ValleSenties and Olga Valle-Herr. SCAN will offer free anxiety and depression screenings, from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., at their main office, 2387 E. Saunders St. Screenings will be provided on a walk-in basis by licensed professional counselors. SCAN licensed professional counselors will provide adolescents and adults participating an individual screening session with appropriate referrals for counseling services if needed.
Photo by Rudy Gutierrez/The El Paso Times | AP
In this 2010 photo, owner Jose Treviño Morales, center, acknowledges the crowd as he stands with the trophy after Mr. Piloto won the All American Futurity horse race at Ruidoso Downs, N.M. A federal jury found Treviño guilty Thursday of money laundering for the Los Zetas drug gang.
Jury: Treviño guilty By MICHAEL BRICK ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — A brother of two top leaders for one of the most powerful drug cartels in Mexico was convicted Thursday of buying racehorses to hide illegal drug profits. A federal jury that deliberated for about nine hours over two days found Jose Treviño Morales, 46, guilty of conspiracy to commit money laundering. Treviño faces up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors say his older brothers, Miguel Angel and Oscar Omar Treviño Morales, are the leaders of the Zetas, a Nuevo Leon-based organization that has expanded beyond the drug trade to become the biggest criminal group in Mexico. The verdict represents an important step in curbing the violence and corruption generated by the cartels, said U.S. Attorney Rob-
ert Pitman. "The government was able to show how the corrupting influence of drug cartels has extended into the United States, with cartel bosses using an otherwise legitimate domestic industry to launder proceeds from drug trafficking and other crimes," Pitman said. Jose Treviño Morales was one of five defendants in the three-week trial, each charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering. Three other defendants also were found guilty. A fifth was found not guilty. Several defendants remain at large, including Treviño’s brothers. His wife and daughter have pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Treviño watched silently Thursday as jurors delivered their verdict and were polled to confirm it. Several people in the gallery could be heard crying.
Cops: Mom checked website after son shot
Man sentenced for sexually assaulting infant
Rains flood portion of College Station City Hall
SANTA FE — A woman is facing a felony charge for allegedly delaying hospital treatment of her teenage son’s gunshot wound until she researched treatment options online Tuesday evening in Santa Fe. Deborah Tagle delayed seeking hospital treatment for hours until she researched gunshot wounds on the WebMD website Tagle was arrested Friday.
FORT WORTH — A jury has sentenced a man to 45 years in prison for sexual assault of an infant believed to be one of the youngest victims ever seen by North Texas authorities. Derek Wryan Wilson, 40, was convicted Thursday of aggravated sexual assault of a child under 6. Authorities say he assaulted his girlfriend’s 10-week-old daughter.
COLLEGE STATION — Officials say rains flooded a portion of the College Station City Hall after a clogged drain caused water to accumulate in an outdoor atrium and then pour into hallways and offices, including those of the city manager and mayor. The water peaked at about 18 inches in the atrium. City spokesman Jay Socol says an emergency restoration firm started cleanup work Thursday.
Hidalgo commissioner pleads no contest
Truck driver dies after March wreck that killed 5
EDINBURG — A former Hidalgo County commissioner has pleaded no contest to public corruption charges related to a phantom employee program. Sylvia Handy entered the no contest plea Thursday in state district court to an eight-count indictment accusing her of theft of more than $200,000. Sentencing is set for July 18.
AMARILLO — An Amarillo truck driver who suffered severe burns in a fiery West Texas crash in March that killed five teens in another car has died. Ezequiel Garcia died Thursday morning at University Medical Center in Lubbock. The wreck happened just northeast of Dumas. — Compiled from AP reports
White supremacist leader admits racketeering guilt HOUSTON — A leader of the Aryan Brotherhood of Texas has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy and admitted to participating in a systematic use of murder, robbery, arson, kidnapping and drug trafficking to support the gang. The plea in federal court in Houston on Friday could mean a life sentence for Charles Lee Roberts.
SATURDAY, MAY 25 The 10th Annual Juvencio de Anda Memorial Golf Tournament will be held at the Laredo Country Club. Tee time is 8 a.m. The tournament will honor the late Alfonso “Lefty” Valls.
SATURDAY, JUNE 1 The Bass Champs South Region Fishing Tournament is set for 7 a.m. through 4 p.m. at the Zapata County Public Boat Ramp. The race starts at the Zapata County Courthouse.
SATURDAY, JULY 20 The PFC Ira “Ben” Laningham IV 5K Memorial Run is set for 8 a.m. through 5 p.m. There will also be a 200m Kids Fun Run. Early registration through Sunday is $8; from Monday through July 19, $10; and late registration on race day is $15. Registration for the Kids Fun Run is $5. Those who wish to participate may register at Zapata Boys & Girls Club, 306 6th St.; Zapata County Chamber of Commerce, 601 N. U.S. 83; Momentum Running Co., 1202 E. Del Mar Blvd., Ste. 103, Laredo.
AROUND THE NATION Cardinal skipping BC commencement BOSTON — Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley said Friday that he won’t attend Boston College’s graduation because the Jesuit school’s commencement speaker, Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny, supports legislation to permit abortion. The bill allows abortion if a doctor authorizes it to save a women’s life. Opponents say the bill would lead to widespread abortion by also allowing it if a woman threatens suicide. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has asked Catholic institutions not to honor officials who promote it. Kenny is set to receive an honorary degree at the May 20 commencement.
Report: US winter wheat production forecast down WICHITA, Kan. — The winter wheat crop is expected to be far
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In this May 1 photo, Kansas farmer Ben McClure examines a wheat stalk in a Reno County wheat field. The Agriculture Department forecast U.S. farmers will harvest a far smaller winter wheat crop this season than a year ago. smaller this season, particularly for hard red varieties used in bread, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Friday. The National Agricultural Statistics Service estimated winter wheat production will be down 10 percent to 1.49 billion bushels,
due to fewer acres — 32.7 million — and a 1.8-bushel decrease in average yields, to 45.4 bushels per acre. The government’s forecast comes amid a season marked by drought and late spring freezes. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
Local
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
Cuellar has phone town hall with south Texans SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Henry Cuellar joined residents from Atascosa, Bexar, Hidalgo, La Salle, McMullen, Starr, Webb, Wilson, and Zapata counties for a telephone town hall recently. The congressman hosted the event to facilitate a question and answer session with people throughout the district about issues facing their communities, particularly matters related to Social Security and Medicare. Sylvia Serrano, district manager at the U.S. Social Security Administration, accompanied Cuellar. Cuellar uses this sort of
event to connect with constituents while he is in Washington, D.C. during weeks that Congress is in session. More than 4,000 constituents participated in the phone call. “This telephone town hall was designed to focus specifically on addressing the issues and inquiries the people and our community have about Social Security and Medicare,” said Cuellar. “I am very grateful to Social Security Administration District Manager Sylvia Serrano for joining us during the call and sharing her expertise on these issues. I wanted to be able to hear from residents in the area,
in their own voice, about how I could provide them with a response to their inquiries related to Social Security and Medicare.” During the call, Cuellar conducted a poll with the callers, asking if they believed in increasing the full retirement age further to help close Social Security’s funding gap. Sixty-nine percent of respondents said the retirement age should remain the same, while 31 percent said the retirement age should change. Cuellar’s congressional office in Washington D.C. plans to hold several telephone town halls throughout the year.
Dodier re-elected to conservation board SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
TEMPLE — José O. Dodier Jr. of Zapata was reelected Tuesday to serve a two-year term on the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. Dodier represents the board’s District Three, which consists of 50 counties in South Texas. District Three encompasses 46 soil and water conservation districts. Prior to his service on the board, Dodier served three years as president of the Association of Texas Soil and Water Conservation Districts and as immediate past president for three years. He is chairman of the Zapata SWCD, of which he has been a member for 22 years. Dodier, who has been a member of the state board since May 2005, is a partner in the Don Jose Land & Cat-
tle Company in Zapata County, which the Dodier family has been operating for 79 years. The ranching enterprise is a cow-calf and wildlife management operation. Dodier is also a private oil and gas gauger, providing measurement services to royalty owners. At the national level, Dodier is a former member of the board of directors of the National Association of Conservation Districts, which he served for eight years, as well as having served on the NACD executive board. The Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board administers Texas’ soil and water conservation law and delivers coordinated natural resource conservation programs through the state’s 216 soil and water conservation districts. Additionally, the board is the in planning, implement-
ing, and managing programs for preventing and abating agricultural and silvicultural nonpoint sources of water pollution. The agency also administers a water supply enhancement program through the targeted control of water-depleting brush. The board also acts to ensure that the state’s network of 2,000 flood control dams are protecting lives and property by providing operation, maintenance, and structural repair grants to local government sponsors. The agency also facilitates the Texas Invasive Species Coordinating Committee. The board of directors is comprised of five elected members and two governor appointees. The five members are elected in a convention-style election by SWCD directors in the state district which the member represents.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Judge: Men pulled from Rio Grande drowned By CESAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A local judge said Wednesday the two men pulled from the Rio Grande in Zapata last week drowned. Pct. 3 Justice of the Peace Fernando Muñoz pronounced the men dead May 1 at 4:52 p.m. and 7:07 p.m., respectively. Investigators also found a backpack in the area and investigations are underway to determine if it belonged to one of the deceased. Sara Melendez, a U.S. Border Patrol spokeswoman, said agents were alerted to the macabre discovery when a fisherman notified them about the incident. Given that the bodies were recovered not far from each other, this could lead federal authorities to a possible human smuggling attempt. But Melendez said agents
manning that area did not receive reports of smuggling attempts. She added that agents notified the Zapata County Sheriff’s Office. Deputies responded at 4:21 p.m. May 1 to the Rio Grande off mile marker 11 of U.S. 83 for a drowning victim. At 6 p.m. that same day, deputies responded to a second drowning near mile marker 12 of U.S. 83. Sheriff’s Sgt. Mario Elizondo said one man had identification. His name is being withheld, pending the notification of family members. The second person did not have identification. Since the investigation began, authorities maintained there was no suspected foul play on the men. The investigation continues. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
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Zopinion
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
No traffic for Obama By KEN HERMAN COX NEWSPAPERS
AUSTIN — The Austin that Barack Obama could see Thursday from his presidential limo was pretty much like the Austin you see most every day, except, of course, for the rain. Yes, Obama saw traffic. But as a president of the United States of America, he didn’t sit in it. He caused it. As the motorcade headed from the airport to Manor to downtown and to Applied Materials, Obama could see the signs of a vibrant town on the grow. He saw a city preparing for a changing world, both in highway construction to carry the traffic and high school students preparing to carry the future. The motorcade in which I traveled started at the airport and headed toward Manor in a decidedly unscenic part of town. On Texas 130, upon scanning the undeveloped terrain on either side, Obama could well have been wondering something the locals wonder about: Who built this road in the middle of nowhere? “Keep moving. We’ll bill you,” said the sign as the motorcade passed toll scanners. We did keep moving, topping out at near the 80-mph speed limit. I’m not sure where the toll bills will go. Because there’s not much along Texas 130, Obama saw few people there. At one exit, some folks stood on top of their trucks and SUVs, waving frantically as the highspeed motorcade highspeeded by. I rate it as a good thing that Americans will wait a good while alongside a road for a fleeting glimpse of a presidential motorcade. And it’s just as good when people do that to respectfully express their displeasure at a particular president’s motorcade. On Thursday, I saw little to none of the latter, but we were moving pretty quickly.
In Manor, Obama saw a high school — New Tech — that we locals see as impressive certification of a small town’s transition from its past to everybody’s future. As impressive as the school’s achievements is the diversity of its student body. Obama saw students who look like America. Heading back to Austin on U.S. 290, the presidential limo sped by the signs of growth on that side of town, as well as reminders that some things endure (I guess we’ll always need the Austin Country Flea Mart). As folks waved and pointed cameras from a 7Eleven parking lot east of town, a reporter in my van wondered aloud about what these people do with videos and photos of “some cars in the distance flashing by.” When we turned south on I-35 toward downtown (and Stubbs’ BBQ), the presidential limo passed this impersonal, non-specific greeting on the Capital Inn: ”Welcome to Austin. From $49.99.” Got to be about the cheapest housing in town. Another sign told us it would take 24-27 minutes to get downtown. It took us four. Austin, I have found the answer to your commuting problem: Get yourself elected president. At Stubbs’, Obama sat at a corner table chatting with four locals. I and others in the pool covering the day’s events were ushered in and then out in about three minutes. Somebody with a heart brought some brisket to the van in which we waited. It disappeared quickly. In the end, Obama’s latest visit to Austin went smoothly. He said he likes our town. And, for many of us, he’s the kind of visitor we like. He came to town, caused a little economic activity and went home. Thank you, Mr. President. Y’all come back. Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. E-mail: kherman@statesman.com.
EDITORIAL
Talk about pot missed THE SEATTLE TIMES
In their meeting last week, President Obama and Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto had a chance to consider marijuana legalization. Millions of Americans are ready for this, at least as an option for the states. Mexicans have suffered 60,000 drug-related murders in the past seven years and should be open to such a policy. But Obama and Peña Nieto made no move to consider it. Obama was elected five years ago as a reformer, but has done little to end marijuana prohibition. Peña Nieto, who took office Dec. 1, is 46, five years younger than Obama and appears to be following the same cautious path. Speaking to the German magazine Der Spiegel earlier this year, Peña Nieto ruled out change in the treatment of America’s most popular illegal drug. To call cannabis a "gateway drug" is to at-
tach to it the properties of other drugs that are more troublesome. This rhetorical bait-and-switch implicitly suggests that legalizing marijuana is the same as legalizing methamphetamine, cocaine, etc. But it has different properties than those drugs and should be treated under different laws. Last November, the voters of Colorado and Washington decided to legalize cannabis. Washington state is setting up a regime of growing, processing and retailing entirely within the state, with the growing entirely indoors. That is bad news for smugglers and good for the U.S. government, which will see less coming over the border. Obama should acknowledge and accept what the Evergreen State is doing. Legalize and regulate is good policy. It is good politics. It is also good international relations, because it begins to solve, at least partly, a very large problem for the United States and Mexico.
COLUMN
Common decency is to allow the dead to be buried By DERRICK Z. JACKSON THE BOSTON GLOBE
The body of Boston Marathon bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev has finally been buried, in a Muslim cemetery in Virginia. But coming nearly three weeks after his death, the resolution does not answer the original question. If we’re so ”Boston Strong,” how could one corpse scare common sense to death? Not one major political figure in Massachusetts had the guts to say the obvious as Tsarnaev lay in suspended non-animation at a funeral home in Worcester. He could hurt no one any more. All he was since April 19 was rotting flesh, crumbling into dust. As the late comedian Richard Pryor noted in a memorable 1975 routine, the “ultimate test” is whether you can survive death. “So far,” Pryor said, “don’t nobody we know has passed the ultimate test.” Nor did Tsarnaev. But everyone else failed the test of recognizing this fact, behaving like Tsarnaev was a zombie headed back to Boylston Street with another backpack of explosives and nails. Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy said there would be no
burial in their towns. Tsarnaev was a Cambridge resident; Healy said the ”turmoil” of burying him there would prevent a “return to peaceful life.” No spine was spotted in higher offices. Governor Deval Patrick verbally put up his index fingers in a cross to scare away curses, saying, “This isn’t a state or federal issue.” US Representative Bill Keating repeated that line and US Representative Ed Markey, running to replace John Kerry in the Senate, hid behind “the people,” saying they “have a right to say that they do not want that terrorist to be buried on the soil of Massachusetts.” Rather than lead, our most powerful politicians catered to the hysteria of those who said they would leave Massachusetts if Tsarnaev was buried here, or that they would dig up the body if it was buried anywhere in the United States. This contrasts with the relatively quiet burials of the worst criminals in American history, including accused Boston Strangler Albert DeSalvo and serial child molester John Geoghan, who are buried in Peabody and Brookline, respectively. By catering to the worst instincts of some people — a desire for revenge that even included scattered
physical and verbal attacks on area Muslims — our so-called leaders took some of the luster off the most inspiring acts in Boston’s living memory: the first responders rushing to the bombing scene; amputee soldiers visiting hospitals to cheer up the maimed; people staging fundraisers to provide bombing victims with generous financial support. Nothing said in this column is meant to take away from those displays of fearless action and thoughtful caring. But a hysteria that was loud enough to paralyze politicians is a sobering reminder of how an otherwise understandable posttraumatic reaction can take a sour, self-absorbed turn. At that point, we have to challenge our feelings. As tragic as the Marathon bombings were, can we really argue that the sense of trauma they engendered was greater than those generated by the Newtown and Columbine shootings, or the killing of a president of the United States? Lee Harvey Oswald is buried in Fort Worth, Texas, less than an hour from where he shot John F. Kennedy. A reason for the political cowardice over the body was that in the otherwise cleansing atmosphere of heroism, caring, and
global outpouring, we fell into a subtle trap. We came to view the Marathon bombing as a unique event, and Tsarnaev as uniquely evil, which justified a sense of anger so vast that it was self-poisoning. Being Muslim probably made Tsarnaev seem just that much more “evil” in post-9/11 America. Instead of suggesting a quick, secret burial, political leaders stoked the anger by figuratively kicking the body around the state. The only person making sense was the unlucky Worcester funeral home owner who was stuck with the body. Peter Stefan said, “If they had asked me to bury Adolf Hitler, I would have buried him.” Because even a dead Hitler can’t hurt anyone anymore. The battle over Tsarnaev’s body brought to mind Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1967 differentiation between disliking and hating an enemy. “I can’t like anybody who would bomb my home,” King said. But he added, “I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate ... hate is too great a burden to bear.” We just witnessed how great that burden was. No politician in Massachusetts knew what to do with it. Derrick Z. Jackson can be reached at jacksonglobe.com.
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SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
State
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
Lawyer: Supect is glad nobody died By JUAN A. LOZANO ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The mental state of a Texas man accused of stabbing more than a dozen people last month at a Houston-area college has improved but he continues to grapple with what his role was, his attorney said Friday. Dylan Quick made his first court appearance since his arrest right after the April 9 attack at Lone Star College in Cypress that injured 14. Quick, 20, dressed in an orange prison uniform, showed little emotion during his arraignment. He only said “Yes ma’am” when state District Judge Maria T. Jackson asked him if he understood the charges and what his rights are. Quick will continue being held without bond on three aggravated assault counts. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in prison. Prosecutors declined to comment after Friday’s hearing. “He told me and I can tell you guys this, that he is glad that nobody died,” Quick’s attorney, Jules Laird, told reporters after the brief court hearing. “That is something that tells me he is pro-
Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Prosecuting attorney Joshua Phanco talks to the media Thursday in Houston. Phanco will represent the state against Dylan Quick, alleged to have wounded more than a dozen people at a Houston area Lone Star College campus. gressing a little bit better.” But Laird said Quick is still coming to terms with what he is accused of doing. Authorities allege Quick used a razor utility knife to slash at his victims on two floors of the college’s health science building. They have said students tackled Quick and held him down outside
the building until police arrived. “I think he’s still trying to figure out in his own mind what happened as far as he’s concerned,” Laird said. Laird said he prefers that Quick remain in the Harris County Jail’s mental health unit, where he continues to be evaluated. While Laird suggested his cli-
ent is dealing with some sort of mental illness, he declined to offer a diagnosis, as he has yet to review Quick’s medical records or see a conclusion from doctors. Investigators say Quick told them he had fantasized about cannibalism and necrophilia and about cutting off people’s faces and wearing them as masks.
They say he had researched mass stabbings on his home computer about a week before the attack and had read numerous books about mass killings and serial killers. According to a search warrant affidavit, investigators seized various items from his home, including an animal dissection kit and one listed as “Hannibal Lecter Mask.” Hannibal Lecter is the cannibalistic serial killer from the 1991 movie “The Silence of the Lambs.” Laird said that Quick has been taking medication since being jailed but declined to comment on what kind Quick is taking. “He tells me that the medication seems to help him ... and as long as it makes him feel better, that is a step for us,” Laird said. After his arrest, Quick was put on suicide watch. But Laird said while jail guards still periodically check on Quick, there is no longer a concern he’ll harm himself. Laird has said Quick had been home-schooled for most of his life and that he had been enrolled at Lone Star in part so he could be around other people. Quick’s next court hearing is set for June 10.
BP agent hit with assault charge By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Ricardo Brazziell/Austin American-Statesman | AP
Charter school students march with parents, teachers and supporters to the steps of the Texas state Capitol in Austin, on Wednesday, during a rally to support a bill that will expand charter schools in Texas.
House bills dead—for now By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The final gun for passing legislation proposed by lawmakers in the Texas House sounded Friday, killing hundreds of bills, most of which never even made it to the floor for debate. While bills still have a few more days to win approval in the Senate or be revived as a last-minute amendment, many measures that once seemed vitally important now lie among the considerable legislative carnage. Chief among the victims is the so-called “Texas Solution” to Medicaid expansion. The state has the highest rate of uninsured in the nation, with about 6.2 million residents lacking health care coverage. Advocates claim extending Medicaid as directed under the White House-backed health care reform law could have provided up to 1 million Texans with some coverage. But Gov. Rick Perry and top Republicans in the Legislature opposed expansion, and a bipartisan House plan that would have allowed Texas to negotiate with the federal government to issue a block health care grant for the state ran out of time. The governor, though, also saw one of his pet projects lose out: a proposed ban of abortions after 20
weeks of pregnancy. That’s the point at which antiabortion activists claim a fetus can feel pain, though opponents note there is no science to support such claims. For House bills to be resurrected, they must be tacked on as amendments to legislation that originated in the Senate and therefore can still be passed, or to measures that have already made it through the House. But that means finding surviving bills that are generally related to the same topic, or at least similar enough to survive any challenge from opponents who can raise parliamentary objections if amendments aren’t sufficiently germane. That’s why the deadline, which came at midnight Friday, was important. In the final seconds, per tradition, a lawmaker from El Paso — Democratic Pep. Joe Pickett — joked about shifting the chamber’s business to the time zone in his district, where it was an hour earlier. “I would like to make a motion to pass all bills related to El Paso since it’s only 11 p.m. there,” Pickett told the House. “Can I filibuster for an hour?” The answer, just like it is every year, was no. That doomed a muchwatched effort to more strictly regulate payday loans with steep interest rates that could hurt con-
sumers and a proposal celebrated by some conservatives to let individual school districts around Texas opt out of the state public education curriculum, standardized testing requirements and nearly every other kind of classroom oversight. Tea party-backed initiatives that fizzled included efforts to criminalize deliberate and excessive touching by security officials during airport screenings, a proposed constitutional referendum on all tax increases, an effort to make English the official state language and demands that $1 billion in gold bars owned by the University of Texas’ investment fund be stored on Texas soil rather than a federal reserve vault in New York. The House, meanwhile, found time to pass a parade of gun bills, but one that missed the mark would have exempted firearms made and sold in Texas from federal regulations. Though immigration was a major focus the last time lawmakers descended on the state Capitol in 2011, it barely came up this time. That was bad news for a bill that would have extended special driving permits to immigrants who are not in the United States legally. Then, there was the firstof-its-kind House subcommittee on transparency for state operation, which debuted to much fanfare but
only referred three bills for consideration by the full House. Two passed, both calling for state agencies to disclose more information on websites. When Kaufman County District Attorney Mike McLelland and his wife were shot and killed in March — just two months after the county’s assistant prosecutor, Mark Hasse, was slain — it sent shockwaves through the state. But a House bill that would have mandated the death penalty for those convicted of killing a prosecutor stalled, especially after the chief suspect turned out not to be drug smugglers or white supremacists, but the county’s former justice of the peace and his wife. And an ambitious plan to transfer $2 billion from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to pay for a long-term plan to boost drought-plagued Texas’ water stocks collapsed on the House floor. It appeared to have little opposition early, but sank on a parliamentary technicality led by Democrats who were angry that their Republican colleagues wouldn’t also tap the same reserves for increased public education funding.
MCALLEN — A South Texas Border Patrol agent remained in jail Friday, two days after being arrested on a sexual assault charge for an alleged incident with a woman he was guarding in a Corpus Christi hospital. According to the complaint, Philip Westerman, 42, was guarding a woman who had entered the country illegally at Christus Spohn Hospital Corpus Christi-Memorial on April 28 when the alleged assault occurred. U.S. Marshals arrested Westerman in McAllen on Wednesday on a charge of second-degree sexual assault, said Nueces County First Assistant District Attorney Gail Loeb. He remained in the Hidalgo County Jail Friday on $150,000 bond, said jail spokeswoman Rosa Ybarra. It was not immediately known if Westerman had an attorney. Westerman, who will have been with the Border Patrol for three years in August, was assigned to the Falfurrias station, agency spokesman Henry Mendiola said. Westerman was placed on administrative leave with
pay pending the outcome of the investigation, Mendiola said. The FBI, Corpus Christi Police and Department of Homeland Security’s Office of the Inspector General are investigating the alleged assault. Border Patrol agents are routinely assigned to guard immigrants who have entered the country illegally while they receive medical treatment. The alleged assault occurred in the patient’s hospital room, where she had been recovering from an arm injury since April 18, according to the complaint. Westerman told Corpus Christi police that he had no sexual contact with the woman, but said he had masturbated in her bathroom to explain the presence of his semen. The woman told police Westerman said he would take her to Mexico if she told anyone. She waited until the following morning to report the incident to the attending nurse, because she feared she wouldn’t be believed. Steven Alford, a spokesman for Christus Spohn Health System, said the hospital would not comment because it is an ongoing legal issue.
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A
Local
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SUMMER READING FOR JESSICA CAVAZOS’S CLASS
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
IRS warns about charity scams SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Courtesy photo
Zapata County Retired School Employees Association visited Villarreal Elementary on May 2 with books to give to the second grade students, for summer reading. Jessica Cavazos’s second grade class: Bottom row, Dago Soliz, Helen Buruato, Brando Aguilar, Juan Luna, Arturo Navarro, Viririana Meza; middle row, Jazmin Garcia, Hugo Martinez, Claudia Garza, Yaritza Landa, Yaretzi Landa, Rodolfo Vargas, Manuel Grimaldo; top row, Samantha Caballero, Darian Buruato, Lithzy Alvarez, Alverto Peña, Brandon Garza, Pedro Vaughn, Daniel Gamez, Andy Ramirez; standing (adults) Patty Saldaña (assistant principal) Jessica Cavazos (second grade teacher), Annabel Alvarez, Jaime A. Gonzalez, Hildegardo Flores, Mrs. Flores, Jose Emilio Vela, Mrs. Morales, Mrs. Umphres and Ana Mariela Martinez (principal).
MRS. CRUZ’S CLASS GETS BOOKS TO READ
It’s sad but true. Following major disasters and tragedies, scam artists impersonate charities to steal money or get private information from well-intentioned taxpayers. Fraudulent schemes involve solicitations by phone, social media, email or in-person. Scam artists use a variety of tactics. Some operate bogus charities that contact people by telephone to solicit money or financial information. Others use emails to steer people to bogus websites to solicit funds, allegedly for the benefit of tragedy victims. The fraudulent websites often mimic the sites of legitimate charities or use names similar to legitimate charities. They may claim affiliation with legitimate charities to persuade members of the public to send money or provide personal financial information. Scammers then use that information
Scam artists use a variety of tactics. to steal the identities or money of their victims. The IRS offers the following tips to help taxpayers who wish to donate to victims of the recent tragedies at the Boston Marathon and a Texas fertilizer plant: Donate to qualified charities. Use the Exempt Organizations Select Check tool at IRS.gov to find qualified charities. Only donations to qualified charitable organizations are tax-deductible. You can also find legitimate charities on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Web site at fema.gov. Be wary of charities with similar names. Some phony charities use names that are similar to
familiar or nationally known organizations. They may use names or websites that sound or look like those of legitimate organizations. Don’t give out personal financial information. Do not give your Social Security number, credit card and bank account numbers and passwords to anyone who solicits a contribution from you. Scam artists use this information to steal your identity and money. Don’t give or send cash. For security and tax record purposes, contribute by check or credit card or another way that provides documentation of the donation. Report suspected fraud. Taxpayers suspecting tax or charity-related fraud should visit IRS.gov and perform a search using the keywords “Report Phishing.” More information about tax scams and schemes is available at IRS.gov using the keywords “scams and schemes.”
BLOTTER ASSAULT
Courtesy photo
Zapata County Retired School Employees Association visited Villarreal Elementary on May 2 with books to give to the second grade students, for summer reading. Elizabeth Cruz’s second grade class: Bottom row, Miguel Sanchez, Sashely Arujo, Anika Alaniz, Emily Guerrero, Daniel DeLeon, Juan Lara Jeannie Palacios; middle row, Miriana Niño, Alondra Guerrero, Carlos Flores, Freddie Gonzalez, Carlos Melo Nadia Velasquez, Miguel Sanchez; top row, Ivan Pichardo, Yeyda Zapata, Jose Hernandez, Abel Lara, Yesenia Banda, Carlos Garcia, Servando Garcia; standing (adults) Patty Saldaña (assistant principal) Jessica Cavazos (second grade teacher), Annabel Alvarez, Jaime A. Gonzalez, Hildegardo Flores, Mrs. Flores, Jose Emilio Vela, Mrs. Morales, Mrs. Umphres and Ana Mariela Martinez (principal).
TAMMY RODRIGUEZ’S CLASS WILL READ THIS SUMMER
Deputies responded to a domestic altercation at 2:03 a.m. Sunday in the 400 block of South U.S. 83. No one was arrested. An investigation is underway. A 25-year-old man reported at 7:18 a.m. Monday at the Stripes in the 100 block of U.S. 83 that someone assaulted him. Homero Resendez, 25, was arrested and charged with assault, family violence and two counts of assault shortly before noon Monday at the Stripes in the 100 block of U.S. 83. He was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail, where he was held on a $45,000 bond.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF Marco Antonio Martinez, 28, was arrested and charged with criminal mischief and reckless driving at about 9:45 p.m.
Courtesy photo
Zapata County Retired School Employees Association visited Villarreal Elementary on May 2 with books to give to the second grade students, for summer reading. Tammy Rodriguez’s second grade class: bottom row, Uriel Alaniz, Lithzy Hernandez, Lorena Hernandez, Roselin Guzman, Javier Garza; middle row, Devanhi Guillen, Alyssa Ramirez, Karen Sierra, Gilbert Treviño, Yahir Muñoz, Samantha Rodriguez, Brianna Villarreal; top row, Leyda Sarmiento, Jennifer Tovar, Kaylee Moreno, Daniel Rodriguez, Norberto Lozano, Ashley Mendoza, Jose Griffin; standing (adults) Patty Saldaña (assistant principal) Jessica Cavazos (second grade teacher), Annabel Alvarez, Jaime A. Gonzalez, Hildegardo Flores, Mrs. Flores, Jose Emilio Vela, Mrs. Morales, Mrs. Umphres and Ana Mariela Martinez (principal).
Monday in the 400 block Miraflores Avenue. He was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail.
intoxication at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday at 20th Avenue and Fresno Street. He was released for future court appearance.
DISORDERLY CONDUCT Maria Navarro, 18, and Fernando Villarreal III, 28, were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct in a public place at about 3 p.m. Tuesday at 10th Street and Zapata Boulevard. They were released for future court appearances.
DWI Jose Luis Zamora, 39, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated, refusal, at about 2 a.m. May 4 on Alamo Street. He had a $3,000 bond at the Zapata Regional Jail.
PUBLIC INTOXICATION Leonardo Zuñiga, 35, was arrested and charged with public
POSSESSION Daniel Sanchez Jr., 20, was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana at about 2 a.m. Thursday in the Siesta Shores neighborhood. In addition, deputies served him with a warrant charging him with endangering a child. He had a $27,500 bond at the Zapata Regional Jail.
THEFT A 56-year-old man reported at 8:26 p.m. Monday in the intersection of Grande and Siesta that someone stole a welding machine from the back of his pickup. Investigators said the item was valued at about $7,000. An investigation is underway.
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
State launches criminal probe into blast By ANGELA K. BROWN AND RAMIT PLUSHNICK-MASTI ASSOCIATED PRESS
WACO — Texas law enforcement officials on Friday launched a criminal investigation into the fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 people last month, after weeks of largely treating the blast as an industrial accident. The announcement came the same day federal agents said they found bomb-making materials belonging to a paramedic who helped evacuate residents the night of the explosion. Bryce Reed was arrested Friday on a charge of possessing a destructive device, but law enforcement officials said they had not linked the charge to the April 17 fire and blast at West Fertilizer Co. “It is important to emphasize that at this point, no evidence has been uncovered to indicate any connection to the events surrounding the fire and subsequent explosion ... and the arrest of Bryce Reed by the ATF,” the McLennan County Sheriff ’s Office said in a statement. Texas Department of Public Safety said earlier Friday the agency had instructed the Texas Rangers and the sheriff ’s department to conduct a criminal probe into the explosion. The agencies will join the State Fire Marshall’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Photo by Kye R. Lee/The Dallas Morning News | AP
Shona Jupe, a resident of the apartment destroyed by the fertilizer plant explosion, hugs her friend as they meet while she visits the site in West, on Friday. Jupe was at the front door when the West Fertilizer Co. explosion happened. Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which have been leading the investigation and never ruled out that a crime may have been committed. “This disaster has severely impacted the community of West, and we want to ensure that no stone goes unturned and that all the facts related to this incident are uncovered,” DPS Director Steven McCraw said. McLennan County Sheriff Par-
nell McNamara said residents “must have confidence this incident has been looked at from every angle and professionally handled.” The statement did not detail any further reasons for the criminal investigation and said no additional information would be released. Reed, meanwhile, was in federal custody. A criminal complaint unsealed Friday afternoon said
he was arrested after McLennan County deputies were called earlier this week to a home in Abbott, a town about five miles from West, and found bomb-making materials — including a galvanized metal pipe, canisters filled with fuses, a lighter, a digital scale and a variety of chemical powders. “After further investigation, it was determined that the resident had unwittingly taken possession
of the components from Reed on April 26,” says the complaint signed by ATF special agent Douglas Kunze. An ATF explosives specialist and a chemist examined the items and agreed the “combination of parts can be readily assembled into a destructive device,” the complaint says. Reed made an initial appearance in federal court in Waco on Friday, but did not enter a plea. Officials have largely treated the West explosion as an industrial accident, though investigators still searching for the cause of a fire that preceded the blast have said they would treat the area as a crime scene until all possibilities were considered. The State Fire Marshal’s Office released a statement Friday saying it decided to continue pursuing a criminal probe because roughly 250 leads have developed and more than 400 people have been interviewed. Authorities have focused on ammonium nitrate, a chemical commonly used as a fertilizer as the cause of the explosion. Reed was one of several paramedics who helped evacuate residents from nearby apartments after the fire erupted and shortly before the explosion. He said he was devastated by the explosion, which he said killed one of his closest friends, Cyrus Reed.
Man who doesn’t stop charged with felony
TWO VEHICLE ACCIDENT
By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Courtesy photo
A two vehicle accident occurred on FM 496 on the afternoon of May 6. A white tractor trailer turning east onto FM 496 and a black F-350 traveling west caused the vehicles to collide. Zapata County EMS arrived at the scene but no injuries were reported.
Sheriff ’s deputies said a simple traffic stop turned into a chase when a man refused to stop for authorities May 1 in Zapata. Ovidio Navarro Jr., 22, was arrested and charged with evading arrest with a vehicle, a state jail felony punishable with 180 days to two years in jail. Custody records showed Navarro remained behind
bars as of Friday evening. During the late hours of May 1, sherNAVARRO iff ’s deputies attempted a traffic stop on a maroon Hyundai. Sgt. Mario Elizondo said the vehicle refused to stop for deputies and accelerated. The driver, later identified as Ovidio, disregarded stop signs and the pub-
lic’s safety, according to deputies. Ovidio suddenly abandoned his car and took off running. Deputies were able to arrest him with no further incident. “Instead of what might have been a possible ticket, (Navarro) was charged with evading arrest/detention with vehicle,” Elizondo pointed out. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
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Agenda en Breve LAREDO 05/11— Celebrando el 258 aniversario de la fundación de Laredo, el Webb County Heritage Foundation tendrá su ‘Comida del Día de los Fundadores’ a las 12 del mediodía en el Student Center Ballroom de Texas A&M Internacional University. 05/11— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta: “The Zula Patrol: Down to Earth” a las 3 p.m.; “Lamps of Atlantis” a las 4 p.m.; “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon” a las 5 p.m. Costo varía entre 4 y 5 dólares. 05/12— Vigésimo-tercer Concierto Anual por el Día de las Madres en el teatro del Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center, del Campus Fort McIntosh de LCC, a las 3 p.m. Presentación especial del LCC Spanish Traditional Group. Evento gratuito. 05/12— Hoy es el Recital de Jóvenes Pianistas en el Salón de Recitales del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU, a las 3 p.m. Entrada gratuita. 05/14— Campaña para recaudación de fondos del Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas en Hal’s Landing Restaurant and Bar, 6510 Arena Blvd., de 6 p.m. a 11 p.m., presentando a “Ross and Friends” de Laredo. Donación: 10 dólares. Más información en 324-2432. 05/15— Décimo séptima Exhibición Anual de Fotografía de Estudiantes de Periodismo/CTE del Vidal M. Treviño School of Communications and Fine Arts se lllevará a cabo de 6 p.m. a 8 p.m. en Laredo Center for the Arts. La exhibición continuará hasta el 1 de junio. Entrada gratuita. 05/15— “Una tarde de Códigos, Símbolos y Secretos” presenta la Biblioteca Pública de Laredo, cuando se presente al autor Dan Brown en vivo desde el Lincoln Center. El evento está programado a las 6:30 p.m. en la Sala de Usos Múltiples H-E-B, 1120 East Calton Road. Evento gratuito. 05/17— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta: “The Zula Patrol: Down to Earth" a las 6 p.m. y “Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” a las 7 p.m. Costo varía de 4 y 5 dólares. 05/17— Laredo Heat SC recibe a FC Dallas WTU U-23’s a las 8 p.m. en TAMIU Soccer Complex. 05/17— El grupo mexicano de techno-pop “Moenia” se presenta a las 8 p.m. en el Club Annex de Laredo Energy Arena. Costo: 25 dólares (con todas las cuotas incluidas). Reserve llamando al (956) 724-4117.
NUEVO LAREDO, MX 05/11— Estación Palabra presenta “Bazar de Arte” a las 12 p.m.; Festival Infantil “Cuentos de la Era Medieval: Caballeros, Princesas y Dragones” a las 2 p.m. en el área infantil; Lecturas antes de abordar “Tribus Urbanas: Confrontando ideas” a las 3 p.m. Entrada gratuita a todos los eventos. 05/12— Matinée Cultural Infantil “La Cultura” a las 11 a.m. en el Teatro Lucio Blanco de Casa de la Cultura. Entrada gratuita. 05/12— El Grupo de Teatro Laberintus presenta la obra “Alicia en el país de las maravillas”, del Clásico de Lewis Carroll, dirigida por Luis Edoardo Torres, a las 12 p.m. en el teatro del IMSS, Reynosa y Belden, Sector Centro. Costo 20 pesos. 05/12— Domingos de Teatro Universitario presenta “El Drama de la Risa” con el Grupo Tiempo y Espacio a las 6 p.m. en el Teatro Lucio Blanco de Casa de la Cultura. Entrada libre.
SÁBADO 11 DE MAYO DE 2013
GOBIERNO
Firma de acuerdo Oaxaca y Tamaulipas coordinan auxilio para repatriados de EU TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El Instituto Tamaulipeco para los Migrantes firmó con el Gobierno del Estado de Oaxaca un convenio de colaboración mediante el cual se otorgará apoyo a los oaxaqueños repatriados por la frontera tamaulipeca por parte de las autoridades migratorias de Estados Unidos. El director general del ITM, Juan José Rodríguez Alvarado, dijo que con este convenio los gobiernos de Tamaulipas y Oaxaca reconocen la importancia de sumar esfuerzos a favor de los migrantes y establecer mecanismos de coordinación. “Tamaulipas es un Estado con una intensa movilidad territorial”, dijo Rodríguez. “Es tránsito, destino y origen de un importante número de migrantes nacionales y extranjeros”. Actualmente Tamaulipas ocupa el segundo lugar como entidad re-
ceptora al recibir el 30 por ciento de ese universo de mexicanos, con respecto a los mexicanos que son deportados por las autoridades migratorias estadounidenses, Durante el 2012, casi 130.000 mexicanos fueron repatriados por la frontera tamaulipeca, de los cuales sólo el nueve por ciento eran de Tamaulipas. Para el 2013 la cifra pudiera ser mayor, dijo Rodríguez. Por su parte, la Subsecretaria de Derechos Humanos de la Secretaría General de Gobierno, Mariana Rodríguez Mier y Terán, explicó que con este convenio se garantiza el otorgamiento de apoyo a los oaxaqueños y sus familias repatriadas por el gobierno de Estados Unidos, para su traslado en autobús a su lugar de origen o, en su defecto, al lugar más próximo. “Este tipo de convenios de colaboración redundarán en acciones benéficas para nuestros ciudadanos, particularmente en este caso para los migrantes oaxaqueños y la población de las ciudades fronterizas de Tamaulipas”, dijo Rodríguez Mier y Terán. El convenio se suscribió durante un acto oficial celebrado en el auditorio del Archivo General e His-
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
El director general del ITM, Juan José Rodríguez Alvarado y la Subsecretaria de Derechos Humanos de la Secretaría General de Gobierno, Mariana Rodríguez Mier y Terán, encabezaron la ceremonia de firma de convenio entre los gobiernos de Tamaulipas y Oaxaca para apoyar a oaxaqueños repatriados por la frontera tamaulipeca. tórico del Estado de Tamaulipas. También estuvo presente el director general del Instituto Oaxaqueño de Atención al Migrante, Rufi-
no Esteban Domínguez Santos. Tamaulipas ya tiene un programa similar con el Estado de Guerrero.
EDUCACIÓN
TEXAS
AVANCE EN UPR
José O. Dodier Jr. es re-electo en consejo ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
Una plataforma/elevador para uso de personas con discapacidad fue instalado en la Universidad Politécnica de la Región Ribereña en Miguel Alemán, México.
Personas con discapacidad reciben ayuda
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TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
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e realizó la inauguración de un elevador exclusivo para personas con discapacidad en las instalaciones de la Universidad Politécnica de la Región Ribereña (UPR) en Miguel Alemán, México. La decisión fue tomada por parte de autoridades de la UPR, “consciente(s) de que los miembros de la comunidad universitaria tienen los mismos derechos sin ningún tipo de distinción y promoviendo la integración de todos quienes forman parte de la institución”, indica un comunicado de prensa del Gobierno de Tamaulipas. El elevador facilitará el desplazamiento entre las plantas inferior y superior del edificio; el elevador consistirá en un sistema electromecánico para transportar
La intención de este proyecto es que los alumnos con alguna discapacidad, no tengan ningún problema para desplazarse por las instalaciones”. SONIA MERCADO RODRÍGUEZ, RECTORA DEL UPR
a una persona ya sea en silla de ruedas o de pie con muletas. La plataforma abierta fue adquirida con fondos Federales del Convenio “Construcción de Infraestructura para grupos vulnerables y personas con discapacidad”. La inversión total fue de 200.000 pesos. Sonia Mercado Rodríguez, rectora del UPR, informó que la intención de este proyecto es que
los alumnos con alguna discapacidad, no tengan ningún problema para desplazarse por las instalaciones y que lo hagan de una manera segura. La UPR, dijo Mercado, también cuanta con rampas en todos los edificios. “El elevador será de uso único y exclusivo para personas con discapacidad”, concluyó Mercado.
TEMPLE — José O. Dodier Jr. de Zapata fue re-electo para cumplir un término de dos años en el Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board (Consejo de la Conservación del Suelo y el Agua del Estado de Texas). Dodier representa el Distrito Tres del Consejo, el cual consiste de 50 condados en el Sur de Texas. El Distrito Tres abarca 46 distritos de conservación del suelo y agua. Actualmente es presidente del Zapata Soil and Water Conservation District, del cual ha sido miembro durante 22 años. Dodier, quien ha sido miembro del consejo estatal desde mayo del 2005, es un socio del Don Jose Land & Cattle Company en el Condado de Zapata, el cual ha operado la familia Dodier durante 79 años. El Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board administra las leyes de conservación de suelo y agua en Texas y hace llegar programas de conservación de recursos naturales coordinados a través de los 216 distritos de conservación de suelo y agua. Además, el consejo es quien planifica, implementa y administra programas para prevenir y abatir la contaminación por fuentes difusas del agua. La agencia también administra un programa de mejora en la entrega de agua a través de control selectivo de repaso del agua de ozono. El consejo también actúa para asegurar que el sistema del estado de 2.000 presas para control de inundaciones protejan vidas y propiedades por medio de proveer operación, mantenimiento y subsidios para reparaciones estructurales a patrocinadores del gobierno local. El consejo está compuesto de cinco miembros electos y dos designados por el gobernador.
MIGUEL ALEMÁN, MÉXICO
Implementan programa para erradicar tiraderos TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El Gobierno Municipal de Miguel Alemán, México, llevó a cabo un programa cuyo objetivo fue erradicar los basureros clandestinos en el Municipio. El director de Ecología, Jaime García, mencionó que en base a las denuncias de los vecinos se logró detectar los lugares que eran utilizados como basureros. En tales sitios se empezaron a
En base a las denuncias de los vecinos se logró detectar los lugares que eran utilizados como basureros. instalar los anuncios que aclaran al basurero clandestino como clausurado. García dijo que una vez colocados los anuncios se mantendrá una
estrecha vigilancia a fin de evitar que en estos espacios se vuelvan a tirar desechos sólidos. Durante la limpieza y clausura de los tiraderos participaron cua-
drillas de la Dirección de Servicios Primarios y del Programa Temporal de Empleo a la Gente (PROTEGE). Con la creación de basureros clandestinos viene luego la proliferación de plagas que ponen en riesgo la salud de las familias, así como enfermedades y olores pestilentes, dijo García, de ahí que se iniciara el programa para su erradicación. (Fuente: HT Agencia)
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
JAIME GARZA Jaime Garza, 42, passed away Wednesday, May 8, 2013, at McAllen Medical Heart Hospital in McAllen. Mr. Garza is preceded in death by his mother, Juana Santos. Mr. Garza is survived by his wife, Maria S. Garza; sons, Jaime Garza Jr., Eduardo Garza, Luis Garza and Mark Garza; grandchild, Jaime Garza III; stepfather, Aide Santos; sisters, Ofelia Bustamante and Ricarda Sariñana; brothers, Zaragoza, Roberto, Baldemar, Javier Garza, Rafael Bustamante and Tomas Bustamante; and by numerous other family members and friends. Visitation hours will be Friday, May 10, 2013, from 6 until 9 p.m. with a wake at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. A chapel service will be held Saturday, May 11, 2013, at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.
Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. 83, Zapata.
Photo by Joe Holley/Houston Chronicle | AP
Noel and Cecilia Benavides, descendants of early Roma families, are seen in their store. Benavides, 70, and Cecilia own the J.C. Ramirez Department Store and can tell you how things changed 177 years ago, when Sam Houston’s army routed Santa Anna’s troops.
Roma is on drug war front line By JOE HOLLEY HOUSTON CHRONICLE
TIRES Continued from Page 1A “The tires were unaccounted for at the yard,” said Sgt. Mario Elizondo. No official suspects have been named. But investigators are following leads, Elizondo added. Since the property stolen is valued at more than $200,000, the people responsible for the theft could
face first-degree felony charges. The crime is punishable by five to 99 years in prison. People with information on the case are asked to call the sheriff’s office at 765-9960. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
TRIAL Continued from Page 1A southeast of San Antonio, in connection with a 2004 incident there. Reyes is alleged to have touched the genitals of a child younger than 17 years old on July 1, 2004. He was indicted in January on a charge of indecency with a child by contact. The former coach also faces a charge in Williamson County, north of Austin, of sexual assault. He has yet to be indicted on that charge. Additional documents Laredo Morning Times received Wednesday through the Texas Public Information Act detail further discipline Reyes faced in the wake of a 2012 claim he touched a female athlete’s lips while serving as head coach of girls’ basketball. Alexander Principal Dolores Barrera issued a letter of reprimand to the coach on March 26, 2012, after an internal investigation confirmed the inappropriate touching, along with other allegations. “It was further witnessed that you touched the knee of this same athlete during summer weight training which made the athlete and others feel uncomfortable,” Barrera wrote. “Lastly, several athletes confirmed that you had in fact called one of the girls a loser and
the other girl stupid during the basketball season.” Three months later, Reyes resigned from his head coaching post. In an earlier incident, a female student told administrators Reyes hugged her, his hand between her sweater and polo shirt, then smelled her neck and said, “You always smell good,” according to a 2009 letter of concern. In the letter to Reyes, Barrera wrote that the coach denied telling the student she smelled nice and told the principal the hug was “very professional.” The principal directed Reyes to refrain from hugging, touching or making comments students may find demeaning or unpleasant. Upon completing its investigation, the TEA may recommend to the State Board for Educator Certification a number of punitive actions. The board may place restrictions, such as an inscribed reprimand, on Reyes’ certificate. It may also suspend or revoke his certification, the latter of which may be for a set term or permanently. (JJ Velasquez may be reached at 728-2579 or jjvelasquez@lmtonline.com)
ROMA — I’m standing on a high sandstone bluff above the Rio Grande at the foot of Roma’s long main plaza, a National Historic Landmark District. The only other person in sight on the plaza, framed by boarded-up old buildings and the historic Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church, is a Border Patrol agent parked on the bluff under a mesquite tree. His green-and-white SUV is angled toward the river. On the opposite bank on this cloudy weekday afternoon, residents of Ciudad Miguel Alemon are setting up picnic tables and portable barbecue grills for a weekend celebration. A brown Shetland pony grazes in their midst. Spanned by the only remaining suspension bridge across the Rio Grande, the river is wide here — wide enough for a heavily wooded island in the middle. “When I was a kid, we’d swim over there and go fishing,” Roma native Noel Benavides told the Houston Chronicle later. Like most Roma residents, his family has numerous relatives across the river, and until the Mexican drug wars made it unwise, they traveled back and forth easily and often. He hasn’t been across in four years. Benavides, 70, who with his wife, Cecilia, owns the J.C. Ramirez Department Store, as well as a perpetual-care cemetery, knows a lot about Roma, its past and its present. He can tell you how things changed for the community on a spring afternoon 177 years ago, when Sam Houston’s ragtag army routed Santa Anna’s troops. He also can tell you how things have stayed the same in this town that woke up one morning and found itself on the wrong side of el rio — or the right one.
The earliest of the sandstone, brick and stucco buildings — a couple of them were featured in Elia Kazan’s 1952 film “Viva Zapata!” with Marlon Brando and Anthony Quinn — were constructed in the 1840s, but most Hispanic settlers arrived much earlier. They had migrated from Nuevo Leon, settled by the Spanish at the end of the 1500s. The original families, most of them Sephardic Jews, were ranchers. Roma itself was founded in 1848, a week after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the Mexican War and ceded much of Mexico’s northern territory to the United States. A dozen years later, the American Civil War transformed the little town. By 1863, when the Union closed the lower stretches of the Rio Grande to the Confederacy’s all-important cotton trade, Roma’s plaza and wharves were crowded and bustling. The town was the farthest upstream that steamboats could travel and the closest border crossing to Monterrey, 90 miles to the south. The wartime border trade made millionaires out of several Anglo interlopers, including a New Englander named Charles Stillman who came to Matamoros as a young man in the 1820s. He founded Brownsville in 1849, and during the war secured contracts to move and supply American troops up and down the river on the steamboats. He also ferried cotton for the Confederacy to warehouses in Matamoros and the Gulf Coast port of Baghdad. In 1866, Stillman moved to New York and invested his Valley profits in the National City Bank. His son James (whose two daughters both married Rockefellers) made the bank the world’s first billion-dollar corporation. Citibank, anyone? “The millions of Americans who carry Citi credit cards today may
not know anything about places like Roma,” historian Benjamin Heber Johnson has written, “but Citigroup’s financial empire would not have been possible without the countless bales of cotton that came through those border towns.” In the years after Texas gained its independence, Anglo merchants and settlers took control of most towns along the border. Early settlers lost their land, homes and voting rights, but Roma resisted. Descendants of the town’s founding families formed a corporation called la masa de heredores (the group of heirs) and managed to hang on. “Many of those families never left, and they never relinquished their property,” Benavides said. He noted that descendants of the early families still live in the area, nine generations after their ancestors settled the land. “These were well-educated people,” he said. “They had studied business, agriculture. I’ve always said that with education, people are not intimidated. They were not intimidated.” That’s likely why he’s so proud of the handsome Roma High School campus on the western edge of town. Benavides gets a little touchy when you ask him about Roma’s reputation for harboring drug dealers; what he would rather talk about is Roma’s belief in education. Driving around the campus, he points out a performing arts center, a beautifully manicured baseball field, a golf course. He tells me about the high school’s nationally known mariachi program, its winning basketball tradition, its committed educators. “It’s true, we’ve gotten a black eye, but the people in this community are good people,” he said. “We’ve got a lot more good than bad.”
VETERANS Continued from Page 1A on Veterans Day is not enough. We should honor veterans every single day, in every possible way, because if it wasn’t for them, specifically veterans of WWII, we would not enjoy the privileges, rights and benefits we do as American citizens,” Garza said. The documentation and inter-
views of WWII veterans from Laredo were on display in the courtroom. The ongoing project has been undertaken by Doug Alford and includes more than 100 binders of information. The collection is housed in the historical and rare documents section on the second floor of the
main Laredo Public Library. Rodriguez said Friday’s ceremony was the first in a series that will subsequently recognize U.S. veterans who have fought in all military conflicts since WWII. (Rick Villarreal may be reached at 728-2528 or rvillarreal@lmtonline.com)
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL TRACK
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
The lone Hawk Garza represents Zapata By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
Junior Luis Garza is the lone Zapata representative at the 3A state track and field meet in Austin. Garza is scheduled to run this morning at 8:20 a.m. at Mike A. Myers Stadium on the grounds at the University of TexasAustin. He placed second at the 3A regional meet in Kingsville two weeks ago and became just the third Zapata athlete to punch his ticket to the state meet. "I was very proud of him and in all honesty I’m holding back tears," Zapata long distance coach Roel Ibanez said. "I knew that he had just accomplished something very special. In Zapata, this does not happen very often. "I am just so happy and excited for him and blessed to have been able to have an athlete like him." Heading into the state meet, Garza has the fifth fastest time going in. "I told him once you’re in there anything can happen and times don’t mean a thing," Ibanez said. "It’s who is on that morning." Garza’s success this year isn’t limited to individual honors. He also helped lead the Hawks to the state meet in cross country. "Luis has been running great this year — it started in cross country and it just continued into track," Ibanez said. "He had been running low tens in the 3200 meter run all season and was able to win the district meet with that time, however, going into regionals we knew he was going to have to break 10
Photo by Melissa Phillip | Houston Chronicle
Texans first round pick DeAndre Hopkins was the top pick for Houston this year.
Hopkins stands out for Texans First round draft pick looks to prove himself in Houston By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — DeAndre Hopkins has been doing a lot of talking as the Houston Texans’ first-round pick. On Friday, the Clemson wide receiver got to what he really likes to do and he didn’t disappoint anyone.
Hopkins made several good plays as rookie camp began, but really wowed the coaches when he went up over a defender and snagged a pass with one hand. “It was just kind of instinct,” he said. “I couldn’t
See HOPKINS PAGE 2B
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times
Luis Garza is representing Zapata in the 3A state track and field meet in Austin. See ZAPATA PAGE 2B
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
MLB suspends umpires Photo by Sharon Ellman | AP
By BEN WALKER
Former safety Gerald Sensabaugh signed a one-day contract with Dallas so that he could retire a Cowboy after an eight-year career.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball suspended umpire Fieldin Culbreth for two games on Friday because he was in charge of the crew that allowed Astros manager Bo Porter to improperly switch relievers in the middle of an inning. Culbreth and the rest of his crew — Brian O’Nora, Bill Welke and Adrian Johnson — were also fined an undisclosed amount, after MLB admitted its umps goofed for the second straight day. “The rule covering pitching changes was not applied correctly by the umpiring crew,” MLB said in a statement. The problem in Houston came a day after Angel Hernandez and his crew in Cleveland failed to reverse a clear-cut home run after looking at a video review. MLB vice president Joe Torre said the umpires made an “im-
Sensabaugh retires a Cowboy Turns down free agency after an eight-year career By CLARENCE E. HILL JR. MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Angels manager Mike Scioscia questions the umpires on a Houston Astros pitching change on Thursday in Houston. proper call.” It’s recently been a rough run for umps. Crew chief Tom Hallion was fined earlier this month after getting into a verbal spat with Tampa
Bay pitcher David Price. The latest trouble occurred in the seventh inning at Minute Maid Park. And while baseball does have video replay for some hard-to-tell calls —
and has talked for a couple of years about expanding its scope — there was no mistaking what umpires saw.
See UMPRIES PAGE 2B
ARLINGTON — Safety Gerald Sensabaugh signed a one-day contract on Thursday, allowing him to retire as a Dallas Cowboy. Also on Thursday, the Cowboys released quarterback Aaron Corp, and defensive tackle Brian Price was waived (injured).
Sensabaugh was released by the Cowboys in March for salary cap reasons. He decided to retire rather than continue to seek employment as a free agent. He said he has drawn interest from a couple of teams but was no longer interested in playing football, bringing his
See COWBOYS PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
ZAPATA
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
UMPIRES Continued from Page 1B
Continued from Page 1B
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I told him once you’re in there anything can happen and times don’t mean a thing. It’s who is on that morning. -ZAPATA COACH ROEL IBANEZ
minutes.” Garcia did break that 10 minute barrier, running a 9:55 and punching his ticket to state. He and Ibanez laid out the race plan which helped him qualify for state. "We knew that the competition was going to be tough," Ibanez said. "Our plan was for him to stay with the top tier and let them do the work throughout the race. With 800 meters to go, the pace picked up and four runners were battling out for the top two spots." Garza stayed with the lead group and was able to overtake two of the runners with 200 meters left as he outran the two runners. With 200 meters to go, Garza turned it on and outran them all for the victory. Clara Sandoval can be reached at sandoval.clara@gmail.com
Photo by Ben Margot | AP
Major League Baseball suspended umpire Fieldin Culbreth for two games after the Astros improperly switched relievers in the middle of an inning.
HOPKINS Continued from Page 1B
Photo by Melissa Phillip | Houston Chronicle
Texans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins was the 27th overall pick this year out of Clemson in the NFL Draft. get my other hand on it, so I just kind of put one hand up there and it stuck in it.” It was exactly the kind of start the Texans were looking for from Hopkins, who they drafted 27th overall in hopes of finally adding a big-time playmaker to line up opposite star Andre Johnson. He’s the first receiver they’ve drafted in the opening round since Johnson, now 31, was taken third overall in 2003. Coach Gary Kubiak was impressed. “He’s very competitive, that’s No. 1 and we knew that,” Kubiak said. “Has tremendous hands, big hands, so he has no problem with the ball. I loved the competitive nature of him just watching him out here today.” Hopkins was glad to get to work after a whirlwind couple of weeks filled with appearances and interviews. “It felt great just to put on the helmet,” he said. “I’ve been doing a bunch of talking, and I felt like a president almost being up on podiums and talking. So it felt great just to come out here just doing what I love.” The Biletnikoff Award semi-finalist led Clemson with 82 receptions for 1,405 yards and 18 touchdowns as a junior last season. His 24 catches of 20 yards or more were the most in the ACC. The Texans need him to contribute immediately after cutting veteran Kevin
Walter after the season and because of an injury to DeVier Posey, a third-round pick a year ago. Posey started contributing on offense late last season, but tore his Achilles tendon in Houston’s playoff loss and is likely to miss a lot of time this season. Houston further reinforced its receiving corps by adding Alan Bonner in the sixth round of the draft. Kubiak was eager to get a look at his new players before the entire team gets together for practice in a couple of weeks. “We’ve got a lot of spots to fill from the standpoint of young guys helping our football team,” Kubiak said. “So it gives us a three-day head start.” Kubiak said that Hopkins and Bonner, who played at Jacksonville State, share some of the same qualities that he looks for in receivers. “I like guys that know what they want to do with the ball before they catch it,” Kubiak said. “And you can watch (Hopkins) and Bonner and before they go to put their hands on a ball they’re ready to go do something with it. We need to get better with our yards after the catch with our group, so these guys should give us a chance to do that.” Hopkins knows that the transition from college to the NFL won’t be easy, but he believes studying the playbook and asking for help from veterans will
make the process much smoother. He is very confident and feels like he’ll start for Houston from Day 1. “Of course, that’s what I expect,” he said. “I hope that’s what everybody expects.” One Texan who certainly wasn’t surprised by the performance of Hopkins on Friday was safety D.J. Swearinger. Swearinger, Houston’s second-round pick this year, got an upclose look at Hopkins’ skills when the receiver was a freshman. Hopkins had seven receptions for 124 yards and beat Swearinger for a touchdown in a game that South Carolina won 29-7 in 2010. “My sophomore year, his freshman year he got me with a double move and scored the first and only touchdown of that game,” Swearinger said. They’ve become friends since then, but it didn’t stop the two from getting a bit intense during practice Friday. “He made one big catch today and when he came back on the sideline he was sort of staring me down,” Swearinger said with a laugh. “But it’s all good. We’re going to talk trash, but we’re boys.” Notes: Houston signed draft picks Bonner, T David Quessenberry, NT Chris Jones and TE Ryan Griffin to contracts on Friday. They also signed 23 undrafted free agents.
With two outs and the Astros ahead 5-3, Houston reliever Wesley Wright came in from the bullpen and threw several warmup pitches from the mound. Porter, a first-year manager, then ran onto the field to stop him and brought in another reliever, Hector Ambriz. Angels manager Mike Scioscia argued, correctly contending Wright was required to pitch to at least one batter. But the umpires permitted Ambriz to stay in and Scioscia put the game under protest — it became moot when the Angels rallied to win 6-5. Pinch-hitter Luis Jimenez was on deck when Wright entered. Once Ambriz took over, Scott Cousins came up as a pinch-hitter. On Friday Porter was upset that he caused the problem. “Personally I want to apologize to their whole crew for putting them in that position,” he said. “It’s unfortunate for the game of baseball.” Culbreth provided little clarification after the game. “Well, the only thing I can tell you is that all matters concerning protests are handled through the league office,” he said. Porter said he spoke with Culbreth after the game and apologized to him when he realized he was wrong. But he wanted he still wanted to make a public apology. “There are some repercussions, and again as I sit here today, it’s more that I feel sorry for the crew chief and the crew for having to wear what it is that happened last night,” Porter said. Wright, one of the pitchers involved in the fiasco, thinks it’s unfortunate that Culbreth was suspended. He said when it happened; he figured he was going to have to stay in to face a batter. “When they told me I was out of the game I was just kind of like: ’Maybe I don’t understand the rule,”’ he said. “It was just one of those weird situations.” A day earlier, a mistake in Cleveland caused a lot of commotion. Adam Rosales and the Athletics were certain he’d hit a game-tying home run in the ninth inning against the Indians. Three umpires went to a video review and instead upheld the original call on the field that the ball didn’t clear the left-field wall. Oakland manager Bob Melvin was ejected and was later contacted with MLB officials. The mistake drew attention all over the majors. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle said he’d never before seen an obvious miss despite replay. “This is the first one where there definitely is a line drawn where you go, ’Wow,”’ he said.
COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B eight-year career to an end. Sensabaugh was drafted in the fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005 out of North Carolina. He stayed there for four years before joining the Cowboys in 2009. He started 84 of 112 games, posting 469 tackles, two sacks, six tackles for loss, 43 pressures, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 14 interceptions in eight years in the league. Sensabaugh had 62 tackles in 15 games with the Cowboys last year, but he had no interceptions and just two in the past two years combined. The Cowboys saved $1.5 million by releasing him in March while hoping to upgrade the position with more playmaking ability. Safety, however, still remains a concern for the team after the draft and after free agency as they have yet to replace Sensabaugh with a proven upgrade, but they do have cheaper options in veteran Will Allen, second-year man Matt Johnson and rookie third-round pick J.J. Wilcox. Corp didn’t last a week in Dallas. The former Southern California and Richmond quarterback signed Tuesday to throw in voluntary practice sessions this week but was waived. Price’s stay with the Cowboys didn’t last much longer. Price was signed after the season in hopes he could regain the form that made him a second-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2010. But he was waived with a shoulder problem. Price, who had required pelvic surgery, was out of the league last season after the Chicago Bears traded for him and then cut him.
Austin protecting hamstrings For two seasons, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin has been hamstrung. He missed six games with injuries to both hamstrings in 2011. Last season, Austin played in every game but missed training camp and practice time during the season with tight hamstrings. To that end, Austin has made changes to his off-season workouts to try and prevent a recurrence. "I’m definitely strengthening my hamstrings a lot more than I have been, just doing a different routine, a couple of extra exercises on our leg days," Austin said at a charity event in Arlington. "I’m just running hard and trying to compete at a high level. That way it doesn’t shock your muscles when you actually do it for real." Coach Jason Garrett has mentioned that the Cowboys sometimes need to hold Austin back because Austin works too hard. But Austin said his work habits won’t change. "I can’t be the player that I am and not practice hard or do those (extra) things (after practice)," Austin said. "I’m going to continue to do those things. So we’ll see." Austin, who turns 29 this summer, had only two 100-yard games in 2012. He finished with 943 yards. His last 1,000-yard
Photo by Brandon Wade | AP
Cowboys former safety Gerald Sensabaugh chose retirement instead of heading to free agency. season came in 2010, the last time his hamstrings held up all year.
Top pick out to ’prove some people wrong’ Travis Frederick is ready to prove he’s worth the first-round pick the Dallas Cowboys used to get him. He figures he first has to prove he’s worthy of a starting job. The former Wisconsin center opened rookie minicamp Friday by saying he’s “going to have to fight” for a spot on the Dallas offensive line. Plenty of eyes will be watching because critics say Dallas didn’t get enough value in trading down to get Frederick. He says he thinks he “can prove some people wrong.” The 6-foot-3, 317-pound Frederick spent most of his first Cowboys workout at center. Dallas still wants the flexibility of him at guard, which he played earlier in his college career.
Cowboys sign 6th-rounder, 15 rookie free agents The Dallas Cowboys have signed linebacker DeVonte Holloman, their sixthround draft pick, to a four-year contract. Holloman’s deal was announced Friday along with the signings of 15 undrafted rookie free agents, including Akron quarterback Dalton Williams. The Cowboys had four new linebackers for the first day of rookie minicamp in Brandon Magee of Arizona State, Cameron Lawrence of Mississippi, Deon Lacey of West Alabama and Taylor Reed of SMU. Three rookie cornerbacks are on the roster in Xavier Brewer of Clemson, Dustin Harris of Texas A&M and Devin Smith of Wisconsin. Dallas also added safeties Jakar Hamilton of South Carolina State and Jeff Heath of Saginaw Valley State and a pair of receivers in Greg Herd of Eastern Washington and Eric Rogers of Cal Lutheran.
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE PAINTING PARTY Dear Heloise: I wanted to share this really cute idea that my daughter did when she was planning my granddaughter’s birthday party. She decided to have a PAINTING PARTY for several little girls she had invited. She went to a crafts store and bought small, individual canvases for each child. Then she covered the outside patio table with some newspaper and set up each little girl at the table with a canvas in front of her. When the little girls were done, my daughter had them sign the back of the canvas. Then my daughter kept all the canvases. When they were dry, she framed them, and on the back of each masterpiece she wrote when it was painted and that it was for my granddaughter’s party. — Judy Malik, Seguin, Texas Darling! This is a fun idea for folks of any age. — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Cathy Schmidt of San Antonio sent a photo of her “large,” brown, 7-year-old tabby cat, Chooch, casually sitting
(legs wide apart and tummy roll showing) and waiting for some attention. To see Chooch, go to www.Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” — Heloise EASY-SEE OXYGEN TUBING Dear Heloise: My husband is on oxygen. Clear tubing is difficult to see on our floor, so I cut about a half-inch of red duct tape and wrapped it around the tubing about every 8 to 10 inches. Easier to see it, and less danger of getting feet tangled up and possibly falling. — Wanda in Texarkana, Ark. LID REMOVAL Dear Heloise: To make lid removal easier, I use a leather glove on my hand so the lid can’t slip. — James in Oregon Sometimes the lids on jars or other containers can be a pain (literally) to remove, especially when they’re opened for the first time. Don’t forget the old hint of tapping the side of the lid with a wooden spoon to help to break the air seal. When in desperation, my favorite thing to do is to let someone else open it. — Heloise
DENNIS THE MENACE
FAMILY CIRCUS
PEANUTS
GARFIELD
DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:
DILBERT
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, MAY 11, 2013