THREE’S COMPANY
SATURDAY JULY 7, 2012
FREE
LADY HAWKS VOLLEYBALL WANTS DISTRICT THREE-PEAT, 1B
DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
ON THE BORDER
ZAPATA COUNTY
Huge seizure by CBP
Court mulls monthly meets
Counterfeit watches found By STEPHANIE IBARRA
By JJ VELASQUEZ
THE ZAPATA TIMES
THE ZAPATA TIMES
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers announced the confiscation of the largest counterfeit seizure in monetary value in the port’s history Friday morning. Approximately 1,120 Louis Arden and Audemars Piguet replica watches and more than 3,000 watches used to mask the transportation of the counterfeit items were seized. Joe Uribe, Laredo port of entry assistant port director, said had the 1,120 watches been genuine, they’d be worth an estimated $28.7 million. The seized watches varied in aesthetic authenticity, with some displaying plastic faceplates meant to resemble Audemars Piguet’s trademarked brushed and polished surfaces that display hexagonal screws encircling the brushed bezel. Uribe said though the batch had no Audemars Piguet markings and were not made of the same quality materials, Audemars intellectual property rights are protected via the faceplate’s trademarked design. Items that infringe on trademark, copyrights and patents are considered theft of intellectual property, said Nancy Becker, Laredo field operations acting director. On a national level, Becker says the production and transportation of counterfeit items “threaten America’s economic vitality and international security. “Trading these illicit goods funds criminal activities and elicits crime. To protect both
During County Judge Rosalva Guerra’s term from 2006 to 2010, Commissioners Court went from meeting twice a month to once. On Monday, commissioners will consider adding another meeting to the monthly docket as a way to streamline county payments, as well as to pre-approve payments before invoices are brought to the court. The commissioners meet regularly on the second Monday of every month. If approved, the measure would add a meeting on the
See SEIZURE PAGE 10A
See COMMISSIONERS PAGE 10A
LOCAL CRIME
Deputies find pot on truck By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times
Import Specialist Enforcement Team at U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Laredo Port of Entry display a shipment of counterfeit watches combining a value of $28.7 million on Friday afternoon at the World Trade Bridge conference room during a press conference. CBP seized 10 boxes containing 1,120 watches on June 29..
A routine traffic stop in Lopeño, off U.S. 83, landed a Zapata teenager in jail and yielded more than 1,600 pounds of marijuana Friday morning. For now, Mario Alberto Esquivel, 19, is facing a possession of marijuana charge, a second-degree felony punishable with two to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. However, Zapata
See BUST PAGE 10A
PRESIDENTIAL VOTE
Mexico confirms Peña Nieto win By ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — The official count in Mexico’s presidential election concluded on Friday with results showing that former ruling party candidate Enrique Peña Nieto won by a 6.6 percentage-point margin, almost exactly the same lead as a vote-night quick count gave him. The final count by the country’s electoral authority, which included a ballot-by-ballot recount at more than half of polling places, showed Peña Nieto getting 38.21 percent of votes in Sunday’s election. Leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, got 31.59 percent. Lopez Obrador said he will file a formal legal challenge to the count in electoral courts next week, based on the allegation that Peña Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary
Party, or PRI, engaged in vote-buying that illegally tilted millions of votes. PRI officials deny the charge. “Rivers of illicitly obtained money were used to buy millions of votes,” Lopez Obrador told a news conference Friday. He also claimed that the recount of ballots at more than half of polling places had not been carried out as thoroughly as promised. Josefina Vazquez Mota of the conservative National Action Party got 25.41 percent of votes cast, and the small New Alliance Party got 2.29 percent, barely passing the two-percent barrier needed to preserve the party’s place on future ballots. Almost 2.5 percent of ballots where voided; while some voters in Mexico void their ballots as a form of protest,
See PEÑA NIETO PAGE 10A
Photo by Alexandre Meneghini | AP
A man protests against major Mexican TV network Televisa in front of the Democratic Revolution Party headquarters where Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, presidential candidate, gave a news conference, in Mexico City, on Friday.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, JULY 7
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Red Cross will host “Learn How the Red Cross Helps Communities during Disaster” today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library’s Multipurpose Room, 1120 E. Calton Road. Find out how to connect with local Red Cross staff and volunteers. There will be refreshements and door prices. The event is free and open to everyone. For more information, contact Isela Sanchez at 956-726-4778 or isela.sanchez@redcross.org. The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Earth, Moon, and Sun” at 5 p.m., “Seven Wonders” at 6 p.m. and “2012: Ancient Skies Ancient Mysteries” at 7 p.m. General Admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows are $1 more. For more information, call 956-326-3663.
Today is Saturday, July 7, the 189th day of 2012. There are 177 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On July 7, 1937, the Second Sino-Japanese War erupted into full-scale conflict as Imperial Japanese forces attacked the Marco Polo Bridge in Beijing. (The end of the fighting coincided with the conclusion of World War II.) On this date: In 1846, U.S. annexation of California was proclaimed at Monterey (mahn-tuh-RAY’) after the surrender of a Mexican garrison. In 1865, four people were hanged in Washington, D.C., for conspiring with John Wilkes Booth to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. In 1887 (New Style calendar), artist Marc Chagall was born in Vitebsk (vee’-tehpsk) in present-day Belarus. In 1898, the United States annexed Hawaii. In 1919, the first Transcontinental Motor Convoy, in which a U.S. Army convoy of motorized vehicles crossed the United States, departed Washington, D.C. (The trip ended in San Francisco on Sept. 6, 1919.) In 1930, construction began on Boulder Dam (later Hoover Dam). In 1941, U.S. forces took up positions in Iceland, Trinidad and British Guiana to forestall any Nazi invasion, even though the United States had not yet entered the Second World War. In 1952, the Republican National Convention, which nominated Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower for president and Sen. Richard Nixon for vice president, opened in Chicago. In 1969, Canada’s House of Commons gave final approval to the Official Languages Act, making French equal to English throughout the national government. In 1981, President Ronald Reagan announced he was nominating Arizona Judge Sandra Day O’Connor to become the first female justice on the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1983, 11-year-old Samantha Smith of Manchester, Maine, left for a visit to the Soviet Union at the personal invitation of Soviet leader Yuri V. Andropov In 1987, Lt. Col. Oliver North began his long-awaited public testimony at the IranContra hearing, telling Congress that he had “never carried out a single act, not one,” without authorization. Ten years ago: Afghanistan’s vice president, Abdul Qadirwas buried with full military honors a day after being assassinated. Texas Gov. Rick Perry saw by helicopter the devastation days of torrential rain had brought to central and southern Texas. Lleyton Hewitt crushed David Nalbandian in straight sets in the Wimbledon final to win his second Grand Slam title. Today’s Birthdays: Musician-conductor Doc Severinsen is 85. Pulitzer Prize-winning author David McCullough is 79. Rock star Ringo Starr is 72. Singer-musician Warren Entner (The Grass Roots) is 69. Pop singer David Hodo (The Village People) is 65. Olympic silver and bronze medal figure skater Michelle Kwan is 32. Thought for Today: “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.” — Booker T. Washington, American educator and author (18561915).
MONDAY, JULY 9 The Zapata Commissioners Court will have its regular meeting today at 9 a.m.
WEDNESDAY, JULY 11 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Attack of the Space Pirates” at 4 p.m. and “Star Signs” at 5 p.m. General admission is $3. For more information, call 956-326-3663. The American Cancer Society and Doctors Hospital will offer I Can Cope today from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Doctors Hospital’s Women’s Center Conference Room. I Can Cope is a series of classes that helps patients meet the challenges of cancer by clarifying cancer facts and myths. Classes are free and open to the public. To RSVP or for more information, call Diana Juarez at 723-9682.
SATURDAY, JULY 14 The Laredo Specialty Hospital’s free CEU seminar for Parkinson’s disease is today from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a lecture and hands-on training. Seminar has approved CEUs for PTs and OTs. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Certificates of completion will be given at the end of the seminar. Space is limited. To reserve a space, contact Nick Nilest at 956-7648381 or nicknilest@ernesthealth.com. The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System” at 5 p.m., “Violent Universe” at 6 p.m. and “2012: Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” at 7 p.m. General admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows are $1 more. For more information, call 956-326-3663.
MONDAY, JULY 16 The Area Health Education Center is hosting the Youth Health Service Corp Training for high school students interested in a health care-related field from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at UT Health Science Center Laredo Campus. The event provides hands-on activities that highlights health careers and motivates students to pursue a higher education. For more information, call AHEC at 956712-0037 or mrgbaheccoord@stx.rr.com.
SATURDAY, AUG. 11 The Back To School Kids Fishing Tournament takes place today.
MONDAY, AUG. 27
Photo by Bell County Sheriff’s Department via The Temple Daily Telegram | AP
This undated photo shows Nidal Hasan, the suspect in the Fort Hood killings. A military judge was to decide Friday whether to further delay the trial of Hasan.
Lawyers eye jurors By ANGELA K. BROWN ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT HOOD — Less than two months before the high-profile murder trial of the Army psychiatrist charged in the 2009 Fort Hood shooting rampage, defense attorneys Friday continued questioning the jury screening process but received access to some documents. At the pretrial hearing, the judge, Col. Gregory Gross, gave Maj. Nidal Hasan’s attorneys access to some government documents, including background information on hundreds of Fort Hood soldiers who didn’t end up in the jury pool. However, Gross denied a defense request for the same information on those from other Army posts who could be eligible to be jurors. The court-martial is to start Aug. 20 on the Texas Army post. Hasan, an American-born
Muslim, faces the death penalty if convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder in the November 2009 shootings. Jurors must be of Hasan’s rank or higher, and they will be brought from Fort Hood and Army posts across the country. Death penalty cases in the military require at least 12 jury members, more than in other cases. And unlike other trials, their verdict must be unanimous in finding guilt or assessing a sentence. Hasan’s attorneys on Friday also said they want to interview Fort Hood’s commanding general and staff judge advocate separately about their initial screening process for potential jurors. Gross is allowing defense attorneys to question the officials together, but a separate interview for the staff judge advocate is being considered.
Ex-South Texas deputy Family of 20 flees Mexico, admits to drug conspiracy seeks asylum
Fort Worth crime lab to resume DNA testing
SAN ANTONIO — A former Bexar County deputy has pleaded guilty to charges related to what prosecutors say was a conspiracy with a fellow jailer to protect drug shipments in exchange for money. Hector Franco pleaded guilty Friday to a conspiracy count and two of trying to distribute cocaine. The plea deal with prosecutors would call for five years in prison followed by five years on parole.
EL PASO — Twenty members of a family of Mexican businessmen and politicians are seeking asylum in the U.S. after two were recently murdered in their small northern Mexican town. They fled after unknown gunmen killed Rodolfo Porras on June 17. His son, Jaime, was fatally shot two days later. Rodolfo’s brother, Hector, says they were targeted by extortionists linked to the ruling local political party. He says Rodolfo was killed when they reported the threats.
FORT WORTH — The Fort Worth police crime lab will resume DNA testing a decade after questions were raised about whether its tests were valid. The lab stopped DNA tests in October 2002 after prosecutors did not seek the death penalty in a capital murder case due to concerns raised about one of the lab’s scientists. An investigation later found widespread problems at the lab.
Antonio nightclub and was hit by a car as a person in a gorilla costume who’d heard him threaten suicide chased after him. The incident happened in the pre-dawn hours Friday outside Coco Bongo, a bar near San Antonio International Airport.
TYLER — A retired East Texas dentist says he regrets fatally shooting his wife of 26 years. Dr. Bobby Nichols said on Friday that he misses and loved his wife. He said, "We just got in a fight and I screwed up and killed her with a gun."
ed in his home country for homicide and aggravated assault. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says in a statement Friday that Carlos Alberto Tobar-Guevara was deported Thursday. — Compiled from AP reports
ICE deports El Salvador Man chased by person in man wanted for homicide gorilla costume hit by car Texas man says he regrets SAN ANTONIO — ImmigraSAN ANTONIO — Police say authorities say they have dekilling his nagging wife tion a man fled a tropical-themed San ported an El Salvador man want-
First day of school for Zapata County Independent School District.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 21 The Sun Country Fishing Tournament begins and runs through Friday, Sept. 28, at Falcon Lake.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 The Bud Light 2012 San Antonio Division tournament takes place at Falcon Lake.
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 The Anglers Quests tournaments begin, to run through Sunday, Oct. 21.
SATURDAY, OCT. 27
AROUND THE NATION George Zimmerman leaves Fla. jail on $1M bond ORLANDO, Fla. — Neighborhood watch leader George Zimmerman was released from jail Friday for a second time while he awaits his second-degree murder trial for fatally shooting Trayvon Martin. Zimmerman left the Seminole County Jail a day after Circuit Judge Kenneth Lester granted a $1 million bail with strict conditions.
The Bass Champs South Region Championship takes place today and Sunday, Oct. 28.
Midwest can’t get relief from oppressive heat
SATURDAY, NOV. 17
DETROIT — The National Weather Service said the recordbreaking heat that has baked the nation’s midsection for several days was slowly moving into the mid-Atlantic states and Northeast. Excessive-heat warnings remained in place Friday for all of Iowa, Indiana and Illinois as well as much of Wisconsin, Michigan,
The Bud Light Tournament Fall 2012 San Antonio Division tournament returns to Falcon Lake. To submit an item for the calendar, send the name of the event, the date, time, location and contact phone number to editorial@lmtonline.com.
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Business Manager, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 324-1226 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Managing Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez........... 728-2543 Sports Editor, Adam Geigerman..................728-2578 Spanish Editor ........................................ 728-2569 Photo by Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel | AP
In this June 29 photo, George Zimmerman, left, appears before Circuit Judge Kenneth R. Lester Jr. during a bond hearing in Sanford, Fla. A Florida judge on Thursday granted Zimmerman bond for a second time. Bail was set at $1 million. Missouri, Ohio and Kentucky.
Conn. family selling Lou Gehrig’s home run ball NEW HAVEN, Conn. — The 84-year-old baseball has been sit-
ting in Elizabeth Gott’s drawer for years, but now she’s hoping it will pay off her son’s medical school debt. New York Yankees slugger Lou Gehrig smashed the ball during the 1928 World Series. — 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, JULY 7, 2012
Texas health care ‘worst’ By CHRIS TOMLINSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Texas ranks worst in the nation in health care services and delivery, according to an annual scorecard issued by the federal Agency for Health Care Research and Quality. In nine out of 12 categories, Texas rated weak or very weak. The only area where Texas earned the above average ranking of “strong” was in maternal and child health care measures. Out of a possible 100 points, Texas earned 31.61, while Minnesota, the highest ranking state, scored 67.31. The agency identified 155 areas where it could compare the quality of health services across the country, such as infant mortality and obesity rates. Researchers used that data to generate both national and regional averages for each area, and they then compared each state to the national and regional averages to generate a score. The report is designed to help politicians, policy makers, private insurers and state and federal agencies identify strengths and weaknesses in state health care programs.
“
Late last year Texas received approval for a new effort that will help fund innovative local projects.” TEXAS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES COMMISSION SPOKESWOMAN STEPHANIE GOODMAN
Stephanie Goodman, spokeswoman for the Texas Health and Human Services Commission, said Thursday that the report goes far beyond what state agencies control, but she said it demonstrates the need to improve access to preventive health care. “Late last year Texas received approval for a new effort that will help fund innovative local projects,” she said. “Hospitals and other health care providers have come together to form regional partnerships, and they’ll soon be sending the state their plans for making better use of Medicaid funds to expand access to preventive services and reduce the need for expensive emergency room care.” Texas scored particularly poorly in the home health care category, with the study finding that the state provided little sup-
port to the elderly and disabled who chose to live at home. Texas also ranked weak or very weak in preventive, acute and chronic care delivery. The state’s scores slipped from last year in treating cancer and diabetes patients. The Texas Medicaid law for the disabled and poor offers one of the most limited health care programs in the nation, and more than 25 percent of Texans do not have health insurance of any kind, which is the highest uninsured rate in the nation. The poor state of the Texas health care system has particular relevance as state lawmakers begin to consider how to respond now that President Barack Obama’s federal health care overhaul has been upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court. Republicans, who control every statewide office
and represent a majority in the Legislature, have rejected the new federal law, which calls for almost every eligible U.S. citizen to get health insurance. Some have pledged to block any effort to expand Texas Medicaid, which is a joint state and federal program, in order to get more people insured. Last year, Texas lawmakers underfunded Medicaid by more than $4 billion and that bill will come due when they meet again next year. Top officials have estimated that the Legislature will need to find at least $10 billion in new funding for Medicaid at a time when Gov. Rick Perry has pledged not to increase state spending. Democrats have called on the state to close tax loopholes to raise more money for both health care and education programs.
‘Skies’ on tap at TAMIU SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Science Center Planetarium will take a look at “Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” with shows today and Sunday. The film looks to the heavens and how ancient cultures worked to interpret and understand the sky’s movements and patterns. Some developed calendars, some predicted
the future, and some worshipped what they considered magical objects in the sky. Other shows this weekend are “Earth, Moon and Sun” at 5 p.m., “Seven Wonders” at 6 p.m. and premium showings of “Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries,” at 7 p.m. General admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows are $1 more. Session II of the planetarium’s summer offering of an “Intro to Ro-
botics Workshop” for ages 6-10 will begin Friday, July 20. Family Movie Day is scheduled Saturday, July 21, and will feature showings of the animated feature “Bolt” at noon, 2, 4 and 6 p.m. For more information on planetarium programs, call 956.326.3663 or visit tamiu.edu/planetarium. University summer hours are 8 a.m. through 6 p.m. Monday-Thursday and from 8 a.m. through noon on Fridays.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
THE BLOTTER ASSAULT
TERRORISTIC THREAT
An assault was reported at 12:02 a.m. June 30 at the Falcon Motel, 106 S. U.S. 83 An assault was reported at 12:22 a.m. July 1 at Seventh Street and Guerrero Avenue. An aggravated assault with deadly weapon was reported at 4:08 p.m. Thursday in San Ygnacio.
A person threatened to harm a family member at 11:36 p.m. July 1 in the 1800 block of Villa Avenue. A terroristic threat report was filed.
BURGLARY A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 8:45 a.m. June 28 in the 400 block of Miraflores Avenue. A burglary of a building was reported at 11:06 a.m. Monday in the 200 block of Sixth Street. A burglary of a habitation was reported at 5:55 p.m. Monday at Tierra Blanca Ranch in southern Zapata County.
THEFT A misdemeanor theft was reported at 3:35 a.m. June 28 at the Family Dollar at Ninth Avenue and U.S. 83. A theft was reported at 7:14 p.m. June 28 in the 1800 block of Brazos Street.
RECKLESS DRIVING A reckless driving incident was reported at 11:18 p.m. June 29 in the intersection of Fifth Avenue and U.S. 83.
Zapara gets federal grant SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has awarded Zapata County $441,999 under Operation Stonegarden, an initiative to fund the enhancement of localized law enforcement border security operations, according to a Monday announcement. These funds will support the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office’s efforts to coordinate with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to saturate specific areas of interest with law enforcement presence. “Especially during this era of budget cuts, grants like these are crucial investments in our region and its future,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar, ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Border
and Maritime Security. “These Operation Stonegarden funds will help our local law enforcement members continue their good work to keep our border strong and maintain the safety of our border communities.” In fiscal year 2012, DHS awarded $46,600,000 in grants nationally, including $15,688,632 in grants to Texas. Zapata County began receiving Operation Stonegarden funds in 2008, and since that time has received a total of $5,788,249 in Operation Stonegarden funds. In past Stonegarden operations, the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office participated in joint ventures to increase visibility and patrol to decrease criminal activities along the border in pursuit of strengthening an elevated level of homeland security.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
OTHER VIEWS
If you agree with Perry, pay him A “
USTIN — Gov. Rick Perry is predictably torqued about the U.S. Supreme Court’s OK of Obamacare. I, too, am unhappy about some parts of the ruling, but I’m just a guy who types for a living. Perry is the Greatest State Ever’s governor for life (exciting plans are being made for the upcoming Jubilee) and was a leading presidential contender until he decided to run. Perry was not shy about venting in the wake of the June 28 Supreme Court ruling. “I am more concerned than ever about the direction of our country,” he told supporters in an email. “The court’s decision, dressed up in legalese, is simply a betrayal of our constitutional liberties.” Not only that, Perry wrote, the high court ruled you can be taxed “for not purchasing an insurance product.” (I’m with you, governor, and I’m joining the pitchfork brigade when the feds order me to buy auto insurance from that annoying Flo lady on TV.) “In other words, you can be fined for exercising freedom,” our governor wrote. “If you’re mad, please know I share your anger.” At this point, we probably should get somebody to work with our governor on the difference between being mad (mentally disturbed, deranged, insane, demented) and being angry (feeling or showing anger or strong resentment). “Yesterday,” Perry, mad and/or angry, wrote a day after the decision, “we paid the highest price yet for surrendering our majority for a few short years.” And, as usual, our governor has a plan of action. It involves your money. He wants you to send him some of it. “Well, I say it’s time to take our country back,” he wrote. “If you agree, I ask for a contribution of $250, $100, $50 or $25.” I like the way he thinks, so much so that I may adopt his strategy. Pending approval from my bosses, I’m thinking about ending my columns with Perry’s words: ”If you agree, I ask for a contribution of $250, $100, $50 or $25.” What, one might ask, does our governor plan to do with the money he collects in response to his pitch? “I’m not on the ballot this November,” he wrote, now comfortable with the rejection of his attempt to get on it, “but I will be campaigning like I am because we can’t afford four more years of a president
KEN HERMAN
who wants to abridge our freedom on the altar of bureaucracy.” Perry says he would spend your money on repealing “every last word of Obamacare, and to reinstitute both a love and respect for the 10th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States.” It’s uncertain how much that would cost. Sounds expensive. And your money could help Perry take the campaign to other states, maybe some in which it could help for him to have friends should he decide to run for president again in 2016. Another Perry note: This week, he appointed Austin lawyer James L. “Jim” Bayless to the three-member Texas State Cemetery Committee. Bayless replaces Mike McKinney, longtime lobbyist for the Wholesale Beer Distributors of Texas, who died in February and now is buried in the cemetery. Bayless brings an impressive resume, including a degree from SMU’s Dedman School of Law. I think it’s great that we have a cemetery committee member educated at a place named for a Dedman. If you agree, I ask for a contribution of $250, $100, $50 or $25. Nonsense out of the way, let’s talk about my Fourth of July column in which I joked that the key moment in the Revolutionary War came when the Brits agreed to march in straight lines, wear red coats and bang drums while the colonists slithered around and hid behind rocks. Two readers with good comedy memories told me that was a Bill Cosby joke. They are correct. It’s on a recording of a 1963 Cosby performance. I’ve been using the line for years and have no specific memory of its genesis. I could’ve heard it directly from Cosby a half-century or so ago or I could’ve picked it up from a fellow amateur who heard it from Cosby. Either way, the column should have attributed the line to Cosby. My thanks to the two readers who pointed this out and my apologies to Mr. Cosby, who, to the best of my knowledge, has never used any of my lame lines. (Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. Email: kherman@statesman.com.)
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No namecalling or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
COLUMN
Did Roberts get tricky? By JONATHAN GURWITZ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
In the days following the Supreme Court ruling on Obamacare, a consensus developed to explain the motivation of Chief Justice John Roberts in the landmark decision. Roberts’ vote with the four liberal justices on the court and the opinion he authored for the majority was as much informed by politics as jurisprudence. On the left, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote that Roberts “was inspired by a simple noble leadership impulse at a critical juncture in our history — to preserve the legitimacy and integrity of the Supreme Court.” The New Yorker’s Jonathan Chait commented, “Striking down the law at this moment would have brought the Court to a tipping point.” By abandoning his conservative philosophy, Roberts “averted an immediate crisis of legitimacy.” On the right, Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson said, “Roberts’ desire to defer, particularly on a divisive issue in the mid-
dle of a presidential election, is the right tendency, the correct Burkean instinct.” Charles Krauthammer, his colleague at the Post, summarized Roberts’ thinking this way: “Law upheld, Supreme Court’s reputation for neutrality maintained.” Perhaps. Such analyses go a long way in explaining the Roberts ruling’s legalistic contortions. But for the chief justice’s newfound admirers, especially the progressive ones who only a few weeks ago considered Roberts to be a right-wing automaton, it’s worth considering a different explanation. If a chief justice renders decisions according to a political barometer rather than the letter of the law, perhaps he’s even wilier than the conventional wisdom gives him credit for being. After Bush vs. Gore and Citizens United, a Supreme Court ruling that struck down the Affordable Care Act could have generated a backlash that would have propelled Democrats and President Obama through November. By casting the
decisive vote to uphold Obamacare, Roberts has given that impetus to Republicans and challenger Mitt Romney. Rather than taking one for the country, as Friedman put it, maybe Roberts was giving one to fellow conservatives — and doing so prior to a presidential election that may well determine the fate of four Supreme Court nominations. Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg are all 73 or older. Ginsburg has also been treated for pancreatic cancer. Either way it was decided, this decision was bound to highlight the power of presidential appointments. By conceding the Obamacare battle — in effect, throwing it — Roberts may have enhanced the prospects of victory in the war for conservative control of the court. Or perhaps the Roberts ruling is just a bad decision — a train wreck of political and judicial forces. In one section Roberts writes, “The Affordable Care Act does not require that the penalty for failing to com-
ply with the individual mandate be treated as a tax” and, therefore, the Anti-Injunction Act does not apply. Pages later, he holds that it “may for constitutional purposes be considered a tax,” elsewhere that it “may reasonably be characterized as a tax,” and elsewhere still that “no one would doubt that this law imposed a tax.” Roberts compares the individual mandate to a tax Congress might impose on homeowners who fail to comply with a hypothetical law requiring them to purchase energy-efficient windows. As with governmentmandated health care, the windows analogy appeals to liberal sensibilities. But imagine a different Congress imposing a tax on homeowners who fail to comply with a hypothetical law requiring them to keep and bear arms as a necessity of securing a free state — a concept that is actually enshrined in the Constitution. Maybe then, some of its enthusiasts might recognize the Roberts decision’s intellectual muddle and the political peril it contains.
Prayer rule law not inspiring By FRANK CERABINO COX NEWSPAPERS
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — I had no idea how inspired I’d feel about Florida’s new “inspirational message” law. The law, which went into effect this week, allows student volunteers to deliver an “inspirational message” at public school assemblies. “School personnel may not participate in, or otherwise influence any student in, the determination of whether to use prayers of
invocation or benediction,” the new law says. Get it? Our extremely holy state legislature and governor have imagined that they’ve pulled a Jesus out of the hat by calling prayers “inspirational messages” and thereby skirting long-established constitutional land mines. They went as far as making sure the law says that “this act is not intended to advance or endorse any religion or religious belief.” Even though it clearly does.
The Florida chapter of Americans United for Separation of Church and State wrote a letter to Gov. Rick Scott, asking him not to sign the inspirational message bill into law. Scott ignored the letter. It doesn’t matter. The school-prayer law has already been pronounced a symbolic heap of nothing. “We are highly recommending that no school do anything to enact this legislation,” said Wayne Blanton, the executive director of the Florida School
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
Boards Association. “We don’t need to go there,” he said. But state lawmakers apparently do. They need to imagine that they’re inspiring Floridians with their Christian godliness. In the end, it’s bound to lead to a lot more prayer — even if it’s just praying that we elect a more inspirational bunch the next time. (Frank Cerabino writes for The Palm Beach Post. E-mail: frank(underscore) cerabino@pbpost.com.)
State
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Texas wastewater plant goes solar By ELIZABETH FINDELL THE MONITOR
WESLACO — The 1,316 solar panels at Weslaco’s southern wastewater treatment plant gleamed in the heat June 27 — their second day on the job. When the panels were officially plugged in last week, the facility went from being an energy consumer to a self-supporting energy generator. Photo by Michael Ainsworth/The Dallas Morning News | AP
Bob Russell, right, and his wife, Cyndy, pose in front of their 1967 Austin Healy, outside their Southlake home on Thursday. The car was stolen from Russell more than 40 years ago.
Retiree recovers car after 42-year search By JAMES RAGLAND THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DALLAS — This was hardly a joyride for Bob Russell. But nearly 42 years after someone stole his 1967 Austin Healey 3000 from a Philadelphia apartment complex, the Southlake sleuth is back in the driver’s seat. “That was quite the knockdown-dragout,” Russell said of the decades-long search that finally turned up his British sports car at a California car dealership in mid-May. Russell, 66, a retired sales manager, spent years surfing the Internet looking for his car and eyeing similar Healeys on the road. Still, he didn’t hold out much hope of ever finding the vehicle he paid a friend $3,000 for back in 1968, only to find it stolen the morning after taking his future wife out on their second date. “The fact that the car still exists is improbable,” he said. “It could have been
junked or wrecked.” Instead, it was listed for sale by a dealer in an online auction, which is where a restless Russell came across it when he rolled out of bed a few weeks ago and wandered onto eBay. “Ever since eBay showed up, I’d check it periodically,” Russell said. “I checked it on Friday, May 11, and there it was.” He immediately called the dealer, the Beverly Hills Car Club, and sounded the alarm. “I hate to sound indelicate,” Russell told the unsuspecting dealer, “but you’re selling a stolen car.” The last bid on the vehicle was $19,700, which didn’t meet the reserve, Russell said, and the car didn’t sell. Russell said the car’s vehicle identification number matched that of his Healey. In addition, he still had the original key and car title, as well as signed affidavits from friends, including the original owner, indicating that Russell had never sold
the auto. But one legal roadblock remained: He didn’t have a copy of the stolen-car report he filed back in 1970. So the two sides stalled, with the dealer telling Russell it bought the car from a man who claimed it had been in his family since 1970, Russell said. “Well,” Russell responded, “the car was stolen in 1970, so you can draw your own conclusion. They either stole it or bought it from the guy who stole it.” The dealer did not return a call for comment. After four weeks of haggling with the dealer, which initially offered to sell the car back to him for about $24,000, Russell asked law enforcement agencies in Philadelphia and Los Angeles for help, he said. Turns out the original stolen-car report he filed in Philadelphia wasn’t showing up at the National Crime Information Center because one VIN letter was entered incorrectly into the FBI’s computerized index of crimes.
Payback “We did see the meter turn backward here — when you’re producing more energy than you’re using and your energy company will pay you back,” said Eric Kay, technician specialist and master electrician with Meridian Solar, which installed the panels. That result was exactly what city leaders were aiming for when they secured a $1.8 million grant from renewable energy stimulus funds to build the solar energy system. The panels will absorb enough energy to power the entire plant — saving $75,000 per year — and still feed extra into the power grid. “Over 26 years we’ll get (the grant) money back,” City Manager Leo Olivares said. “We’re running our plant and also making electricity.”
Recoup in savings The city spent $412,000 as a match for the project, money it can expect to recoup in savings in about five to six years. Mark Begert, executive director at Meridian, said the system will produce 397,289 kilowatt hours during its first year, the equivalent of powering about 35 homes for a year, according to data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. “I would say that it’s one of the 10 biggest systems in Texas,” Begert said. “Probably one of the top five municipally owned ground-mount systems.” The system is now powering the plant with 20 to 50 kilowatts extra per day. It’s typical for systems to lose some 0.5 percent of productivity each year and last at least 30 to 40 years, Begert said.
Large consumer “It’s important to note that water treat-
ment plants are one of the largest consumers in a city’s infrastructure, so to use renewable energy for a consumer hog like a water treatment plant is very clever and something we’re seeing all across the United States,” he said. Those involved in the project also noted that the plant now has three possible energy sources: traditional electricity from the grid, on-site solar power and a backup generator. That diversification can provide an extra buffer if the utility itself is ever in a bind. “If you have a day like yesterday — which set a new record for June power demand — we have a diesel generator here that is capable of powering the plant, so to prevent rolling blackouts you could put solar energy back on the grid,” Kay said. For Weslaco, the push for solar began when the city realized money was available for green systems and began to explore the possibility of making its downtown municipal headquarters sun-powered.
Started small “It started as a roof project for City Hall, but then we realized we could do a more ambitious project,” Olivares said. “It morphed into something bigger.” The wastewater treatment plant was a site with land to spare and a 2.5 milliongallon-per-day treatment system to selfpower, said Public Utilities Director David Salinas. He said the city hoped to launch a website that would educate the public on how the system worked. Weslaco has tried to step up its environmental efforts recently with city energy audits and campaigns to expand litter prevention and recycling. “We have a very ‘green’ culture here,” the city manager said. Those in the industry called grants for sustainability projects one reason why solar endeavors seemed to be on the rise. “It’s only economical if you get a grant,” Salinas said. “If you pay for it yourself it takes too long.” The State Energy Conservation Office’s Distributed Renewable Energy Technology Program distributed the federal stimulus funds for Weslaco’s solar project. It was one of 45 Texas cities that received money from the program, 30 of them for solar projects, according to the office’s website.
National
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Hall of Fame statue honors rock writer ASSOCIATED PRESS
CLEVELAND — The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum has unveiled a memorial honoring a late Cleveland newspaper reporter known for covering the institution, rock music and the industry. The Plain Dealer reports the bronze statue of its former rock reporter Jane Scott features her sitting on an oak bench while wearing her signature red
eyeglasses and holding a notebook. The statue is by sculptor David Deming. It was unveiled in the Hall’s lower lobby on Thursday. Scott’s family and friends were there. Scott retired from the Plain Dealer in 2002 after 50 years there. She died last year at age 92. Scott’s family has donated some of her belongings including 4,000 LP records and 300 notebooks to the Hall’s library and archives.
Bledsoe back in ‘positive’ show By STACEY PLAISANCE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW ORLEANS — Actress Tempestt Bledsoe says she’s thrilled to be returning to network television on a show that portrays “a positive black family” similar to the long-running hit sitcom she was a part of for roughly eight years — “The Cosby Show.” “That show was my childhood,” said Bledsoe, who played middle child Vanessa in the show that also starred Bill Cosby, Phylicia Rashad, MalcolmJamal Warner, Lisa Bonet and Keshia Knight Pulliam. “It did so many things. It greatly influenced the kinds of projects I did. It helped form my core values, like my work ethic.” Bledsoe and actor Anthony Anderson spoke Friday at the Essence Music Festival about a new show they’re starring in, “Guys with Kids,” which premieres this fall on NBC. In an interview after their public appearance, the co-stars told The Associated Press they were thrilled the show will spotlight a “positive black family on network television.” “We just don’t have that right now, not on network television,” said Anderson, who has two children of his own. “Like the Cosby Show, this will be an opportunity to see the love, support, humor and beauty of a black family on TV.” The show, produced by Jimmy Fallon, is about three 30-something new dads trying to hold on to their youth. “Guys With Kids” will also star JamieLynn Sigler of “The Sopranos” and actors Zach Cregger and Jesse Bradford. One of the characters is a single dad, another is a working father and Anderson’s character is a stay-athome dad raising four young sons. Bledsoe, who plays Anderson’s working wife, chuckled as she spoke
about his character’s daily challenges wrangling the children, including a set of twins under the age of two. “There’s nothing funnier,” Bledsoe said. “This role was tailor-made for Anthony.” Anderson said he was drawn to the role for several reasons, including his strong feelings about the importance of having a father figure and the fact his character “chooses” to stay at home with his children rather than being forced to do so because he lost his job. He said he also recognized that in these tough economic times that more dads are choosing to stay home in part because of child care costs. “A lot of them get funny looks because it’s not what people are used to seeing, and this show reflects this new dynamic in the American family,” he said. Other celebrities appearing at the festival included actor Russell Hornsby, who played on “Lincoln Heights” and currently stars in the NBC supernatural drama “Grimm”; Bern Nadette Stanis, who played Thelma on the hit 1970s show “Good Times”; comedian and “Think Like a Man” author Steve Harvey; and Malik Yoba, who stars on the SyFy network’s drama “Alphas.” On Saturday, Essence planned to screen Viola Davis’ newest film, “Won’t Back Down.”Also stars The movie also stars Marianne Jean-Baptiste, who is known for her role in “Without a Trace.” Later Friday, singer and “Desperate Housewives” actress Vanessa Williams was to participate in a discussion with her mother, Helen, about relationships.
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
Mag: All shapes great By LEANNE ITALIE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Score one for girl power. A 14-year-old Maine ballet dancer who led a crusade against altered photos in Seventeen magazine now has a promise from top editor Ann Shoket to leave body shapes alone, reserving Photoshop for the stray hair, clothing wrinkle, errant bra strap or zit. And when Shoket or her staff do manipulate images, she vowed in the August issue, they’ll post before and after shots on the magazine’s Tumblr page for full transparency. Shoket’s promises are included in a “body peace treaty” that also commits the magazine to always feature healthy girls and models regardless of clothing size. The young activist, Julia Bluhm, said Friday from her summer camp she’s “really excited.” “I didn’t think it would get this big,” she said. Julia and her mom, Mary Beiter, sat down with Shoket in New York in early May to discuss the thousands of signatures on the Waterville girl’s online petition at Change.org. Julia declared victory after Shoket’s announcement, ending with more than 84,000 signatures. Now, two of her fellow bloggers from SPARK Summit, a group of girls and young women trying to end the sexualization of girls in the media, are targeting Teen Vogue to make the same commitment. They’ve collected more than 15,000 signatures since Tuesday. Shoket did not identify Julia by name in her fullpage declaration, which also denied the magazine ever changed the shapes of bodies and faces. She had no further comment Friday. The editor did cite the support of the National Eating Disorders Association. The group’s president, Lynn Grefe, lauded the effort as a first step but said far more must be done to promote positive body image and a more attainable standard of health and beauty in magazines and other media. “I’m not saying it’s a total victory,” Grefe said. “Seventeen, Teen Vogue, Vogue, Cosmo, every magazine still has ads for diet
Photos by Leanne Italie | AP
In this May 2 photo, Julia Bluhm of Waterville, Maine, holds up a copy of “Seventeen” magazine. Bluhm urged editors to publish one spread a month of model photos that have not been altered. products and other things that we find problematic, but in terms of the Photoshopping stuff, I believe that Ann is sincere and wants to really educate the consumer and work with the girls and show them what has been Photoshopped and how to recognize that.” Julia’s mother also was pleased but agreed: “Certainly there’s probably more that they could do, but these things probably come in stages, and something is something. Something is good. It opens the door. That’s always the biggest hurdle.” Julia had asked Seventeen to run at least one unaltered photo spread a month, saying Seventeen and other magazines put pressure on girls to emulate perfect-looking models without realizing images have been doctored. Manipulated images, Grefe said, contribute to eating disorders, depression and low self-esteem among girls as young as 8. Grefe noted that 40 percent of newly identified cases of anorexia are in girls and young women 15 to 19 years old. She cited research showing more than half of teen girls and nearly one-third of teen boys use unhealthy weight control behaviors, such as skipping meals, fasting, smoking cigarettes, vomiting and taking laxatives. Girls who diet frequently are 12 times as likely to binge as girls who don’t diet, Grefe said, noting that most fashion models
In this May 2 photo, Julia Bluhm holds petitions to “Seventeen” magazine as she leads a protest outside Hearst Corp. headquarters in New York. Bluhm delivered the petition of about 25,000 names to the magazine. are thinner than 98 percent of American women. Izzy Labbe, a 13-year-old from Waterville who collaborated with Julia on the Seventeen petition, was thrilled at Shoket’s response but agreed she could have gone further. Audrey Brashich, a for-
mer teen model and editor of the now-defunct teen magazine YM, said the Seventeen pledge has far more potential for immediate, tangible changes in the minds of girls than a vow from Vogue editors around the world to ban models under 16.
SÁBADO 7 DE JULIO DE 2012
Agenda en Breve LAREDO 07/07 — Venta de libros usados de 8:30 a.m. a 1 p.m. en First United Methodist Church, 1220 avenida McClelland. Libros de pasta dura a 1 dólar; libros pasta sencilla a .50 centavos; libros infantiles a .25 centavos y revistas a .25 centavos. 07/07 — Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presneta “Earth, Moon, and Sun” a las 5 p.m., “Seven Wonders” a las 6 p.m. y “2012: Ancient Skies Ancient Mysteries” a las 7 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares para niños y 5 dólares para adultos. 07/08 — La Arrolladora Banda Limón se presenta a las 9 p.m. en Casa Blanca Ballroom. 07/09 — Hoy es la Junta de la Corte de Comisionados del Condado de Webb a las 9 a.m. en el Palacio de Justicia (Courthouse) del Condado de Webb, 1000 calle Houston. 07/11 — The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Attack of the Space Pirates” at 4 p.m. and “Star Signs” at 5 p.m. General admission is $3. For more information, call 956-3263663. 0712 — Laredo Theater Guild International (LTGI) presenta “Cinderella” en el Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU, a las 8 p.m. Costo: 20 dólares, general; 10 dólares, adultos mayores y estudiantes con identificación; 5 dólares, niños de 10 años y menores. Otras funciones el 13 de julio y el 14 de julio a las 8 p.m. y el 15 de julio a las 3 p.m. 07/14 — Seminario gratuito sobre la enfermedad de Parkinson, de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m. en Laredo Specialty Hospital. Habrá una conferencia y entrenamiento. Se proveerá desayuno y comida, así como certificado. Espacio limitado. Reserve al (956) 764-8381 o escriba a nicknilest@ernesthealth.com. 07/14 — Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta “IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System” a las 5 p.m., “Violent Universe” a las 6 p.m. y “2012: Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” a las 7 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares (niños), 5 dólares (adultos). 07/18 — Décimo-quinto Concierto anual Supply Our Students (S.O.S.) a las 6 p.m. en Estadio Uni-Trade. Se producirá en vivo el programa ‘Live Johnny Canales Show’ y participarán 12 bandas populares de Tejano, incluyendo Signo y Solido. Costo: 3 artículos escolares por persona. 07/18 — Laredo Theater Guild International (LTGI) presenta “Cinderella” en el Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU, a las 8 p.m. Costo: 20 dólares, general; 10 dólares, adultos mayores y estudiantes con identificación; 5 dólares, niños de 10 años y menores. 07/19 — Laredo Theater Guild International (LTGI) presenta “Cinderella” en el Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU, a las 8 p.m. Costo: 20 dólares, general; 10 dólares, adultos mayores y estudiantes con identificación; 5 dólares, niños de 10 años y menores. 07/20 — 10th Annual Sister Cities Festival, taking place at the Laredo Energy Arena from Friday, July 20 – Sunday, July 22, 2012. 07/20 — Laredo Theater Guild International (LTGI) presenta “Cinderella” en el Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU, a las 8 p.m. Costo: 20 dólares, general; 10 dólares, adultos mayores.
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 7A
Instituto confirma resultado
Triunfa PAN
POR ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON ASSOCIATED PRESS
POR MELVA LAVÍN-CASTILLO TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Tamaulipas se pintó de azul, o al menos seis de sus ocho distritos electorales. El Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) prácticamente arrasó con las Diputaciones Federales y las Senadurías, derrocando al ParSALINAS tido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) que durante décadas ha dominado los procesos electorales en esa entidad mexicana. En el Senado, a Tamaulipas lo representarán dos panistas, Francisco Javier García Cabeza de Vaca y Maki Esther Ortiz Domínguez. En cuanto a la Diputación Federal, por el Distrito I, que incluye a Nuevo Laredo, Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Ciudad Mier, Miguel Alemán y Ciudad Camargo, el representante será Glafiro Salinas Mendiola. La última vez que un representante del PAN ganó el cargo para el Primer Distrito, que se prolonga por tres años, fue del 2000-2003 con Arturo San Miguel Cantú. Salinas, según conteos preliminares, obtendría el triunfo por dos votos a uno.
PAN obtuvo el triunfo en el Distrito I con 73,795 votos; en el Distrito II con 60,372; en el Distrito III con 75,346 votos; en el Distrito 4 con 56,493; en el Distrito VII con 61,276 votos; y en el Distrito VIII con 71,698 votos. En declaraciones a medios de comunicación, aseguró que se trabajará unidos. “Sé cómo resolver problemas. Nos vamos a formar un equipo. Tenemos que hacer mucho”, aseguró. En las cifras más recientes dadas a conocer, el PAN obtuvo el triunfo en el Distrito I (cabecera Nuevo Laredo) con 73,795 votos; en el Distrito II (cabecera en Reynosa) 60,372; en el Distrito III (cabecera Río Bravo) 75,346 votos; en el Distrito 4 (cabecera en Matamoros) 56,493; en el Distrito VII (cabecera Madero) 61,276 votos; y en el Distrito VIII (cabecera Tampico) 71,698 votos. Los dos distritos donde el PAN no se colocó a la delantera, y que los ganó el PRI fueron, el Distrito V (cabecera Ciudad Victoria) 65,683 votos; y, Distrito VI (El Mante) 56,711.
El Presidente del Comité Directivo Estatal del PAN, José Alberto López Fonseca, agradeció a la “ciudadanía tamaulipeca por haber ejercido su derecho al voto y, con ello, hacer valer la voluntad del pueblo, a fin de elegir a los candidatos de su preferencia”. Se trato de una ‘jornada ejemplar’ según varios representantes políticos, incluido el Gobernador de Tamaulipas, Egidio Torre Cantú. “Nuestra obligación es trabajar con todos los tamaulipecos y para todos los tamaulipecos (…) lo que los tamaulipecos digan, es lo que nosotros hacemos”, sostuvo. Datos del Instituto Federal Electoral indican que en el proceso del domingo participó el 63.17% del padrón electoral a nivel nacional y el 58.49 en Tamaulipas.
MÉXICO — El conteo final oficial de las elecciones mexicanas confirmó el viernes el triunfo de Enrique Peña Nieto, pero su principal contendiente no admitió su derrota y afirmó que impugnará en los próximos días por lo que reclama fue compra de votos y falta de recuento del sufragio. El cómputo oficial de la elección presidencial de México dio la victoria al candidato del Partido Revolucionario Institucional que volverá al poder después de una pausa de 12 años. Pero la consistencia entre los resultados finalizados el viernes y los que fueron anunciados el domingo, día de la elección, no calmó sospechas y denuncias entre los partidos. El candidato Andrés Manuel López Obrador, que se colocó en un segundo lugar con seis puntos menos que el triunfador, dijo que denunciará las elecciones ante los tribunales electorales la próxima semana para “limpiar la elección”. “Se usó dinero a raudales de procedencia ilícita para comprar millones de votos”, dijo López Obrador el viernes en rueda de prensa. Dijo que el Instituto Federal Electoral no
llevó a cabo un recuento justo como había prometido el miércoles cuando autoridades anunciaron que se contarían de nuevo más de la mitad de los votos ante inconsistencias detectadas en las actas. “Se negó en muchas partes la apertura de paquetes”, dijo López Obrador. El tribunal federal es el órgano encargado de validar al ganador luego de analizar y desahogar las diversas impugnaciones que se hagan y tiene como plazo hasta septiembre para declarar presidente electo. Según el conteo final, Peña Nieto conquistó un 38,21% de la votación, seguido de López Obrador, con 31,59% de los sufragios. La candidata del oficialista Partido Acción Nacional (PAN), Josefina Vázquez Mota, se mantuvo en la tercera posición con 25,41% de la votación y Gabriel Quadri, del minoritario Nueva Alianza, en cuarto lugar con 2,29%. Las impugnaciones ante el tribunal federal electoral podrán presentarse una vez que certifiquen el cómputo final el domingo. De validarse los resultados, el PRI volverá a la presidencia tras 12 años de que por primera vez la perdiera a manos del PAN.
Buscan reducir cupones, subsidios POR JIM ABRAMS ASSOCIATED PRESS
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
Autoridades de salud están enviando el mensaje para que las personas busquen conducirse con precaución dentro y fuera del hogar, sobre todo con las vacaciones de verano a la vuelta de la esquina.
CIFRA ALARMANTE Tamaulipas busca prevenir accidentes TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CD. VICTORIA, México — En Tamaulipas se registran cerca de 1.000 accidentes al año provocados en su mayoría por error humano. Pero además, son los accidentes viales la principal causa de muerte entre la población menor de 15 años, informó el Consejo Estatal de Prevención de Accidentes (COEPRA) dependiente de la Secretaría de Salud en Tamaulipas. En lo que va del año el COEPRA ha registro más de 300 accidentes, de los cuales 91 fueron por vehículo de motor, le siguen 39 peatones lesionados en
accidentes automovilísticos. “Esto coloca a este tipo de percances como la segunda causa de muerte entre los jóvenes de 15 a 35 años de edad”, indica un comunicado de prensa del Gobierno de Tamaulipas. En el 2012 también se han presentado 39 ahogamientos por sumersión, cinco envenenamientos accidentales, cuatro caídas y cuatro exposiciones al fuego. Debido a la cercanía del periodo vacacional de verano, la COEPRA está insistiendo en su mensaje para evitar accidentes tanto en la vía pública como en el hogar.
El comunicado estima que cerca de 50% de los accidentes mortales están asociados con el consumo del alcohol, lo que influye negativamente en la conducción, reduce el campo visual, pérdida de los reflejos, disminución de la capacidad de reacción y hace más difícil el cálculo de las distancias y la velocidad. Otros accidentes que reporta el COEPRA son las caídas de ciclistas y motociclistas, por no considerar los señalamientos de tránsito y no tomar las debidas precauciones al conducir; caídas en caballo, accidentes en transportes de agua, tranvía o aéreo.
“La posibilidad de que se presente un accidente está más cerca de lo que pensamos si no se toman las medidas preventivas necesarias para evitarlo, como usar el cinturón de seguridad al conducir, no manejar en estado de ebriedad, utilizar la silla porta infantes, no utilizar el celular al conducir, entre otras recomendaciones”, agrega el comunicado de prensa. Concluye insistiendo que en el hogar se deben cuidar las instalaciones eléctricas, reparar los desperfectos en escaleras, no dejar que los niños jueguen en las azoteas y sobre todo cuidar las actividades que realizan.
WASHINGTON — La Comisión Agraria de la Cámara de Representantes presentó el jueves su propuesta para una iniciativa agrícola y alimentaria de largo plazo que reduciría el gasto en 3.500 millones de dólares anuales, casi la mitad derivada de recortes al programa federal de cupones de alimentos. La iniciativa legislativa considera reducir las proyecciones del gasto actual en cupones de alimentos en 1.600 millones de dólares anuales, cuatro veces la cantidad de los recortes incorporados en el proyecto de ley agrícola de medio billón de dólares durante cinco años que aprobó en junio el Senado. Los cupones de alimentos, conocidos formalmente como el Programa Asistencial de Nutrición Suplementaria, se perfilan como el punto de mayor controversia cuando comience el miércoles la votación sobre la iniciativa en la Comisión Agraria y cuando se remita a debate en el pleno de la Cámara de Representantes. Con seguridad, los conservadores en la Cámara de Representantes, que encabezan los republicanos, exigirán mayores reducciones al programa de cupones de alimentos, que conforma casi 80% del gasto anual por aproximadamente 100.000 millones de dólares en conformidad con la iniciativa de ley agrícola. También con seguridad los demócratas en el Senado se opondrán a mayores recortes a un programa que contribuye a la fecha a alimentar a 46 millones de personas, uno de cada siete estadounidenses. “Es irresponsable e inhumano quitar recursos a este programa”, señaló Rosa DeLauro, defensora en la cámara baja de los cupones de alimentos.
National
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
GOP critics attack Romney’s safe approach By STEVE PEOPLES ASSOCIATED PRESS
WOLFEBORO, N.H. — A chorus of prominent conservative voices is worrying aloud that Republican candidate Mitt Romney’s playit-safe strategy is jeopardizing his chance to win the presidency. As President Barack Obama’s campaign intensifies criticism of Romney’s background, influential Republicans — right-leaning leaders in business and the media — charge that Romney’s message on the economy and other issues is short on detail and muddled at best. Romney dismissed the negative attention as he faced reporters Friday to respond to another weak federal jobs report. “I don’t say much to critics,” he said. In an editorial Thursday, The Wall Street Journal said the Romney campaign is “slowly squandering an historic opportunity.” “The Romney campaign thinks it can play it safe and coast to the White House by saying the economy stinks and it’s Mr. Obama’s fault,” the newspaper said. “We’re on its email list and the main daily message from the campaign is that ‘Obama isn’t working.’ Thanks, guys, but Americans already know that. What they want to hear from the challenger is some understanding of why the president’s policies aren’t working and how Mr. Romney’s policies will do better.” The harsh critique
comes as Romney nears the end of a weeklong vacation at his New Hampshire lakeside home, where he has been almost totally out of the public eye, except for a brief Fourth of July appearance. Polls show Obama slightly leading Romney nationally and in several states that are critical in the hunt to reach the 270 electoral votes needed to win the Nov. 6 election. Romney has consistently criticized Obama’s handling of the economy, health care, domestic spending and foreign policy, but he has offered few specific prescriptions for what he would do differently. The strategy is reflective of a campaign that hopes to make the election a referendum on Obama — in particular his handling of the economy — as economic indicators suggest the pace of the nation’s recovery is slowing. “I put out 59 steps for how I’d get the economy going. And I don’t think I’ve seen any from the president that show what he’s planning on doing,” Romney said Friday from a local hardware store not far from his vacation home. “I’ve laid out my 59 steps. Take a look at them. I think you’ll find them very specific.” The federal government released a June jobs report on Friday that could have major political ramifications with the election four months away. U.S. employers added only 80,000 jobs in June, a third straight month of weak hiring that shows the economy is struggling. The Labor Department says the
Photo by Charles Dharapak | AP
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney drives his boat out of his vacation home in Wolfeboro, N.H., on Thursday. Voices in the GOP have criticized him for a “safe” approach to campaigning. unemployment rate was unchanged at 8.2 percent. The economy has added just 75,000 jobs a month in the April-June quarter. That’s one-third of 226,000 a month created in the first quarter. Job creation is also trailing last year’s pace through the first six months of 2012. Despite the numbers, conservatives say Romney still needs to better explain his plans. There is concern that Democrats are successfully weakening Romney’s business career at Bain Capital, a private equity firm that invested in companies who helped shift American jobs overseas in some cases. “Adopting a prevent defense when it’s only the sec-
ond quarter and you’re not even ahead is dubious enough as a strategy,” William Kristol, editor of the conservative Weekly Standard, wrote Thursday. The Romney campaign says the former Massachusetts governor has been laser-focused on the economy since he launched his campaign a year ago. And they suggest their critics are misguided. “I think they have to recognize that we’re in a campaign mode where simple, tough, declarative sentences are required, that this is not a campaign to be won on nuance but to be won on making sharp distinctions with the failure of the Obama administration economically, the loss of jobs and
the pain that Americans across the country are feeling,” former New Hampshire Gov. John H. Sununu, a key Romney surrogate, said on CNN. Conservative critics include media mogul Rupert Murdoch, who took to Twitter recently and charged that Obama’s Chicagobased team “will be hard to beat unless he drops old friends from team and hires some real pros. Doubtful.” Murdoch, the CEO of News Corp., which owns The Wall Street Journal and Fox News, has also jabbed Romney for playing it safe. Some of Romney’s longtime political advisers go back to his days as Massa-
chusetts governor. And there is no sign of a major shakeup among his senior staff, despite the addition of some communications staffers who will be taking on more responsibility in some cases. “Governor Romney respects the team that he has and he has full confidence in them,” said spokeswoman Gail Gitcho. The criticism has intensified in the days since the Romney campaign offered seemingly contradictory messages on the Supreme Court’s health care ruling. The court ruled that the socalled individual mandate in Obama’s signature law is constitutional, in part, because of the federal government’s taxing authority. Republicans seized on the explanation and accused Obama of raising taxes. But that raised questions about Romney’s health care overhaul in Massachusetts, which also forces people to purchase health insurance. A day after a Romney senior adviser declared that the mandate was not a tax, Romney went on TV to say it was. Romney on Friday refused to address the apparent contradiction directly when asked. “I’ve spoken about health care from the day we passed it in Massachusetts,” he said. “And people said, ‘Is this something you’d apply at the federal level?’ And I said, No. I said the right course for the federal government is to allow states to create their own plans.”
Murdoch steps up profile in US politics By BETH FOUHY ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Mel Evans | AP
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses a crowd on March 29 in Manchester, N.J. Last month, Christie branded a lawmaker “one arrogant S--” at another town hall meeting.
What did that politician say? By JENNIFER PELTZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — What the $?&(! is going on with our politicians? The mayors of New York and Philadelphia and the governor of New Jersey let loose with a few choice vulgarities over the past two weeks in otherwise G-rated public settings, including a town-hall meeting and a City Hall event. And all three men knew full well the microphone was on. While foul language has been uttered in politics before, the blue streak is making some wonder whether it reflects the coarsening effects of pop culture in this realityTV era of “Jersey Shore” and “The Real Housewives,” a decline in public discourse, a desire by politicians to come across as average Joes, or just a really hot summer. First there was famously blunt New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie branding a lawmaker “one arrogant S.O.B.” at a town hall last month (and using some stronger epithets in discussing his passion for the music, though not the politics, of Bruce Springsteen in an interview published in The Atlantic this month.) Then New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, apparently having trouble stomaching a slew of puns in his prepared remarks for Tuesday’s contestant weigh-in at City Hall before the Fourth of July hot dog-eating contest, chuckled, “Who wrote this s---?” to guffaws from the crowd. Then it was Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter’s turn on Thursday at a news conference at which he discussed a shooting a few blocks
from the center of the city’s July Fourth celebration. He said he wasn’t going to let the city’s image be harmed by “some little ass---- 16year-old.” “My sense is: Because they want to appear to be in tune with popular culture, politicians feel free to express themselves in profane ways,” said Rutgers University political scientist Ross K. Baker. “I honestly do believe that, in aping the coarseness of popular culture, people in public life are really dragging us into a discourse of fang and claw.” President Harry S. Truman was criticized for his use of such salty language as “hell” and “damn.” And many Americans were shocked by Richard Nixon’s liberal use of profanities on the Watergate tapes, which made “expletive deleted” a pop-culture catchphrase. In more recent years, George W. Bush was caught on what he didn’t realize was a live microphone describing a reporter as a “majorleague ass----,” and Vice President Dick Cheney hurled the F-word at Vermont Sen. Patrick Leahy. In 2010, Vice President Joe Biden was heard using the F-word on live television in a whispered congratulation to President Barack Obama at the signing of his health care bill. The seeming proliferation of political swearing reflects changes in both social norms and the media landscape, said Robert Thompson, director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University. Offhand remarks that might once not have been reported now get captured on video and posted online.
“Politics has been nasty” for years, Thompson said. “The difference is we now have media that show this stuff.” Nutter, who has used vulgarities before in response to street violence, has described his language as an “honest, clear, direct response.” Christie has built his political career on his brash style. His warning to people to “get the hell off the beach” as Hurricane Irene approached last year appeared in big front-page headlines around the state. As for the lawmaker who was the target of the Republican governor’s salty remark last month, he’s not complaining. “He actually gave me national attention,” Democratic state Sen. Paul Sarlo said. “The term is more of an insult to my mom, who is not politically involved.” Still, Sarlo saw the comment as unbecoming of a governor who has been mentioned as a possible vice presidential contender. The biggest problem with political figures using bad language is that it crowds out whatever they were actually trying to say, said etiquette expert Lizzie Post of the Emily Post Institute. “The words we’re focusing on are probably not the ones they want us to,” she said. And what of the average citizens politicians are trying to reach — or, perhaps, emulate? Kristina Klimovich, for one, doesn’t like to hear them swear. “I think there’s always a line, and as a public servant there are certain standards they have to adhere to,” said Klimovich, of New York.
NEW YORK — Rupert Murdoch has never been shy about voicing a political opinion, using his worldwide empire of television and newspaper outlets to promote conservative causes. Now, with a raft of complaints about Republican Mitt Romney, the billionaire media baron is signaling that he intends to boost his visibility in U.S. politics_even if it comes at the expense of the man conservatives hope can defeat President Barack Obama. Murdoch is the founder and CEO of the global media conglomerate News Corp. which owns several outlets popular with conservatives in the U.S., including Fox News Channel, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Post. Until now, Murdoch has been far less influential in U.S. politics than he has in his native Australia and until recently in England, where a phone hacking scandal involving several Murdochowned newspapers has shaken his status as a fearsome power broker. The hacking scandal forced the departure of many Murdoch’s deputies, peeling away a protective layer around him while also liberating him to take such risks as openly criticizing Romney, some who know him say. Murdoch, 81 and a naturalized U.S. citizen, chose to launch his critique of Romney on Twitter, the social networking site where information is exchanged in 140-character blasts known as tweets. “When is Romney going to look like a challenger? Seems to play everything safe, make no news except burn of Hispanics,” Murdoch tweeted from his iPad on June 24. “Easy for Romney to spell out restoration of the American dream and bash incompetent administration. But not a word!” he said later that day. “Tough O Chicago pros will be hard to beat
unless (Romney) drops old friends from team and hires some real pros. Doubtful,” Murdoch tweeted on July 1. On Monday, Murdoch appeared to acknowledge his tweets might be causing consternation for the Romney campaign. “Romney people upset at me! Of course I want him to win, save us from socialism, etc but should listen to good advice and get stuck in!” The Wall Street Journal’s editorial page followed Murdoch’s lead Thursday, unleashing a surprisingly harsh attack on the Romney campaign’s response to the Supreme Court’s affirmation of President Barack Obama’s health care law. News Corp. purchased the Journal in 2007 and the paper’s editorial page is viewed as an authoritative voice among conservatives. The Journal responded to mixed messages from the Romney campaign about whether the mandate to buy health insurance constituted a tax as the court suggested, calling the confusion “politically dumb.” The paper also urged Romney to shed staff and offer more detailed policy proposals. And it dinged him for playing into Democrats’ “rich-guy” caricature by jet-skiing this week at his New Hampshire lakeside retreat. “Mr. Romney promised Republicans he was the best man to make the case against President Obama, whom they desperately want to defeat. So far Mr. Romney is letting them down,” the Journal said. The former Massachusetts governor couldn’t even catch a break in The Weekly Standard, a conservative magazine Murdoch launched. “Is it too much to ask Mitt Romney to get off autopilot and actually think about the race he’s running?” asked Bill Kristol, the magazine’s editor. Romney advisers have taken note of Murdoch’s public comments, though they decline to discuss them publicly.
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
CARLOS Z. ‘CHALE’ CAVAZOS JR. LAREDO — Carlos Z. “Chale” Cavazos Jr., 44, passed away on Wednesday, June 27, 2012 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Mr. Cavazos is preceded in death by his father, Carlos Z. Cavazos; maternal grandparents: Ruben and Trinidad Salazar; paternal grandparents: Antonio and Bertha Cavazos; and an uncle Hector V. Cavazos. Mr. Cavazos is survived by his daughters: Geneva E. (Javier) Villarreal, Tara C. Cavazos and Carly Cavazos; mother, Norma (Ignacio) Arce; brother, Luis H. (Nora L.) Cavazos; nephews: Luis D. “Danny,” and Esteban and Marco Cavazos; maternal aunts and uncles Ruben E. (Irma) Salazar, Noelia (Roberto) Villarreal, Nilda (John) Albright, Heberto J. (Blanca) Salazar and Maria Del Carmen (Francisco) Davila; friend, Michael (Connie) Mungia and family; paternal aunt Juanita I. Cavazos; and Cavazos aunts and uncles; and by numerous cousins and many friends. Honorary pallbearers were: Luis Daniel Cavazos, Mitchell Mungia, Marco L. Cavazos, Armando Yruegas, Edgar Vasquez, Jorge Vasquez, Ricardo Verduzco, Francisco S. Davila, Robert Villarreal Jr., Roy Villarreal, Robert J. Albright and Joey Aguilar. Pallbearers were: Ruben
By CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER AND PAUL WISEMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
E. Salazar, Heberto J. Salazar Sr., Luis E. Cavazos, Heberto J. Salazar Jr., Juan H. Salazar, Micheal Mungia, Felipe Aleman and Luis H. Cavazos. Visitation hours were Sunday, July 1, 2012, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Monday, July 2, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Refuge Mission in San Ygancio, Texas. Committal services followed at Panteon Del Pueblo Cemetery in San Ygnacio, Texas. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. 83, Zapata, TX.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Investors abandoned stocks Friday after the U.S. government reported that only 80,000 jobs were created in June, the third straight month of weak hiring. The Dow Jones industrial average fell 124.20 points to close at 12,772.47. The loss wiped out the Dow’s gain for the week. The reluctance of U.S. employers to add jobs shows that the economy is still struggling three years after the recession officially ended. An average of just 75,000 jobs were created every month in the AprilJune quarter, far below the 226,000 created every month in the first three months of the year. “It shows the U.S. economy is losing momentum,” said Sharon Stark, chief market strategist at the brokerage firm Sterne Agee. “It’s a sign of everyone waiting to see what’s next.”
WASHINGTON — The American job machine has jammed. Again. The economy added only 80,000 jobs in June, the government said Friday, erasing any doubt that the United States is in a summer slump for the third year in a row. “Let’s just agree: This number stinks,” said Dan Greenhaus, chief global strategist at the investment firm BTIG. It was the third consecutive month of weak job growth. From April through June, the economy produced an average of just 75,000 jobs a month, the weakest quarter since July through September 2010. The unemployment rate stayed at 8.2 percent — a recession-level figure, even though the Great Recession has technically been over for three years. The numbers could hurt President Barack Obama’s odds for reelection. Mitt Romney, the presumed Republican nominee, said they showed that Obama, in three and a half years on the job, had not “gotten America working again.” “And the president is going to
have to stand up and take responsibility for it,” Romney said in Wolfeboro, N.H. Obama, on a two-day bus tour through the contested states of Ohio and Pennsylvania, focused on private companies, which added 84,000 jobs in June. “Businesses have created 4.4 million new jobs over the past 28 months, including 500,000 new manufacturing jobs,” the president said. “That’s a step in the right direction.” The Labor Department’s report on job creation and unemployment is the most closely watched monthly indicator of the U.S. economy. There are four reports remaining before Election Day, including one on the Friday before Americans vote. No president since World War II has faced re-election with unemployment over 8 percent. It was 7.8 percent when Gerald Ford lost to Jimmy Carter in 1976. Ronald Reagan faced 7.2 percent unemployment in 1984 and trounced Walter Mondale. Patrick Sims, director of research at the consulting firm Hamilton Place Strategies, said that “time has run out” for unemployment to fall below 8 percent by Election Day. That would require an average of
219,000 jobs a month from July through October — more like the economy’s performance from January through March, when it averaged 226,000 per month. Few economic analysts expect anything close to that. “The labor market is treading water,” said Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute. She called it an “ongoing, severe crisis for the American work force.” The Labor Department report put investors in a sour mood. The Dow Jones industrial average dropped 124 points. Industrial and materials companies, which depend on economic growth, were among the stocks that fell the most. The price of oil fell $2.77 per barrel to $84.45. Money flowed instead into U.S. Treasurys, which investors perceive as safer than stocks when the economy is weakening. The yield on the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury note fell to 1.54 percent, from 1.59 percent on Thursday. Investors were already worried about a debt crisis that has gripped Europe for almost three years and recent signals that the powerhouse economy of China is slowing.
Yahoo, Facebook in alliance By BARBARA ORTUTAY ASSOCIATED PRESS
US stocks plunge after June jobs report By PALLAVI GOGOI
Job machine jammed
Of the 30 stocks in the Dow average, only five rose, including McDonald’s and AT&T. The world’s largest producer of aluminum, Alcoa, and Caterpillar, the construction equipment maker, were among the hardest-hit Dow stocks with declines of about 3 percent each. Materials and industrial companies are the most likely to suffer if the economy weakens. The anemic jobs report led investors to shift money into low-risk assets. The price of the 10-year Treasury note rose, sending its yield down to 1.55 percent from 1.60 percent late Thursday. The dollar rose against the euro. The sluggish growth in American jobs comes at a time when the global economy is also losing pace. Central banks in Europe and China took action Thursday to prop up their sliding economies. The new signs of economic sluggishness around the world sent commodities prices lower.
SAN FRANCISCO — Facebook and Yahoo have agreed to settle a patent dispute, averting a potentially lengthy battle over the technology running two of the Internet’s most popular destinations. In dropping the lawsuits, the companies agreed to license their patents to each other. They are also agreeing to an advertising alliance that expands their existing partnership. The advertising alliance could help Yahoo recover some of the revenue that it has been losing as marketers shift more of their spending to a larger and more engaged audience on Facebook’s online social network. Friday’s settlement involves no exchange of money and comes after a months-long patent squabble between the two Internet icons. The truce ends a conflict provoked by Yahoo’s short-lived CEO, Scott Thompson, who was dumped from the job two months ago after misinformation on his official biography raised questions about his integrity. Under Thompson, Yahoo filed the patent lawsuit in March, wielding it as a weapon against a company that Thompson believed had been prospering from the ideas of its older rival. The complaint alleged that Facebook infringed on 10 Yahoo pat-
Photo by Paul Sakuma | AP
Yahoo and Facebook have agreed to settle a patent dispute on Friday, averting a potentially bitter battle over the technology running two of the Internet’s most popular destinations. ents covering Internet advertising, privacy controls and social networks. Yahoo Inc. added two more patents to the lawsuit later. But Thompson’s attack on Facebook Inc. quickly turned into a public-relations disaster. Much of the technology industry railed against Yahoo’s tactics. Critics viewed the lawsuit as a financial shakedown by a desperate company whose well of innovation had run dry. New York venture capitalist Fred Wilson summed up the enmity toward Yahoo in an acerbic blog post that ended with this denouement: “I am writing this in outrage at Yahoo. I used to care about that company for some reason. No more. They are dead to me. Dead and gone. I hate them now.” When Yahoo replaced Thompson in May with interim CEO Ross Levinsohn, it opened the door for the company to settle
the dispute under a reshuffled board of directors. Six of Yahoo’s 11 directors joined the board after Yahoo sued Facebook on March 12. Yahoo’s legal assault had exposed Facebook’s vulnerability to patent claims as it prepared to complete the biggest initial public offering of stock by an Internet company. Facebook insulated itself by buying 750 patents from IBM Corp. and spending $550 million to acquire an additional 650 patents that one of its biggest shareholders, Microsoft Corp., had purchased from AOL Inc. Armed with its own arsenal of intellectual property, Facebook signaled that it wasn’t backing down and filed its own lawsuit against Yahoo in April for patent infringement. With the agreement, Yahoo and Facebook revert to the amicable relationship that they had been
fostering before the lawsuit. And it appears the antagonism is dissolving into a partnership that could benefit both companies. Yahoo already has been tying many of its services and content to Facebook before the lawsuit was filed. Now it plans to crosspollinate some of its advertising. Although it has been growing at a robust clip, Facebook is still trying to win over skeptical investors. Doubts about the company’s revenue potential have weighed on Facebook’s stock, which has remained well below its IPO price of $38. The stock gained 26 cents, or nearly 1 percent, to close Friday at $31.73. Yahoo is trying to snap out of a long-running financial funk brought up by Facebook’s success and Google Inc.’s dominance of Internet search and advertising. As revenue fell, Yahoo has gone through four fulltime CEOs in five years in hopes of engineering a turnaround. The foibles have depressed Yahoo’s stock, frustrating shareholders still angry about a squandered opportunity to sell the entire company to Microsoft in May 2008 for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share. The stock dipped 7 cents to close at $15.78. The Facebook pact could improve Levinsohn’s chances of being anointed as Yahoo’s permanent CEO.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
SEIZURE Continued from Page 1A the private industry and consumers, CBP has made intellectual property rights a priority.” Uribe noted that trademarks include such things as the Nike swoosh, which accounted for the port’s single largest counterfeit goods confiscation in terms of volume in August 2006. “A total of 15 containers containing 172,000 pairs of athletic shoes found to be infringing on the Nike trademark were seized. The shoes had a manufacturers suggested retail price (MSRP) of $14.7 million,” said Rick Pauza, CBP spokesman. Pauza said the Nike seizure was a part of a national case involving more than 80 containers. According to information provided by the CBP public affairs officials, watches
were the seventh most-seized commodity, by domestic value, in 2011. Footwear ranked at number two. The load reportedly entered the U.S. via a port in California from Hong Kong. It was destined to exit the U.S. to Mexico via a Laredo port if the perpetrators had been successful. Becker said the journey wasn’t uncommon, as goods from China accounted for more than 60 percent of total domestic value of all intellectual property right seizures in 2011. No charges have been filed against the driver of the truck nor the company behind the import. Becker said the matter remains under investigation. (Stephanie Ibarra may be reached at 728-2547 or sibarra@lmtonline.com)
BUST Continued from Page 1A County Sheriff ’s Office Sgt. Mario Elizondo said Friday evening the case could merit federal charges based of the amount of contraband seized. At about 10:30 a.m., deputies conducted a traffic stop on a tractor-trailer near Lopeño. Elizondo said deputies inspected the flatbed trailer and found 1,659 pounds
of marijuana. The contraband had an estimated street value of $862,000. The vehicle’s origin and destination is still being investigated, Elizondo said. No other information was available as of press time. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
COMMISSIONERS Continued from Page 1A fourth Monday of the month. The extra meeting would place more attention on expenditures in a time when dwindling oil and gas revenues have steered the county toward fiscal conservatism. County officials are in the midst of producing the annual budget, with public budget hearings expected to come in a matter of weeks. “This is coming about due to that,” said Commissioner Jose E. Vela, referring to the budget shortfall. He said it would ease the process of issuing payments but also allow the court to more carefully review invoices. County Treasurer Romeo Salinas, who recommended returning to
twice-monthly meetings, said having a second meeting every month would allow him to issue out payments twice a month instead of every 30 days. Salinas said he believes the move would also reduce the length of Commissioners Court meetings. “I approached (County Judge Joe Rathmell) and told him we needed to go back,” Salinas said. But he said the additional meeting won’t just be for approving invoices. Additional items could also be placed on the agendas for those meetings. By law, Commissioners Court must approve invoices before the treasurer issues payments. If commissioners want to table an item for next meeting or need more in-
formation before approving a payment, they won’t have to wait another month to deliberate on that item, Salinas said. He said he doesn’t foresee any additional costs associated with an increase in monthly meetings. In a potential cost-saving measure, the court will consider consolidating this month’s runoff voting polls to one site, the Zapata County Courthouse. Vela said the county expects low turnout because only state races are on the ballot. Incumbent Adalberto Mejia and Gabriel Villarreal were set for a runoff in the constable, Precinct 1 race, but Mejia withdrew from the race. (JJ Velasquez may be reached at 728-2579 or jjvelasquez@lmtonline.com)
PEÑA NIETO Continued from Page 1A some also simply make mistakes in marking them. The final vote count must be certified in September by the Federal Electoral Tribunal. The tribunal has declined to overturn previously contested elections, including a 2006 presidential vote that was far closer than Sunday’s. Accusations of vote-buying began surfacing in June, but sharpened early this week as thousands of people rushed to grocery stores on the outskirts of Mexico City to redeem prepaid gift cards worth about 100 pesos ($7.50). Many said they got the cards from PRI supporters before Sunday’s elections. Lopez Obrador said millions of voters had received either pre-paid cards, cash, groceries, construction materials or appliances. Lopez Obrador would not rule out street protests, like the one he led in 2006 to protest alleged fraud in the presidential elections of that year, which he narrowly lost to President Felipe Calderón. But he said Thursday that his challenge of the results would be channeled through legal venues, like the electoral institute and courts. “We have acted and we will continue to act in a responsible way, adhering to the legal procedure. Nobody can say we are violating the law,” Lopez Obrador said. Leonardo Valdes, the president of the Federal Electoral Institute, said he doesn’t see any grounds for overturning the results. “I do not see any justification for rejecting the entirety of the election results,” Valdes said. “Rejecting the results would be like rejecting the effort of those 50 million voters.” However, he said the institute, Mexico’s chief electoral watchdog agency, had begun an investigation into the gift cards, and had requested that the PRI and the grocery store chain that issued the cards turn over
Photo by Marco Ugarte | AP
Election officials and party representatives recount votes at an electoral institute district council in Mexico City on Thursday. Of the 143,000 ballot boxes used during last Sunday’s general elections, more than half of the total will be opened and the votes recounted. information. In an interview with the newspaper Excelsior published Friday, Calderón said “electoral authorities have an obligation, of course, to give us an answer” about the allegations, adding “what we need, in any case, are legal and institutional reforms, so that (these) kind of accusations don’t arise again.” Simply giving away such gifts is not illegal under Mexican electoral law, as long as the expense is reported to electoral authorities. Giving gifts to influence votes is a crime, though is not generally viewed as grounds for overturning an election. While Vazquez Mota is not challenging the results, she also said Thursday that campaign spending violations had marred the vote. “We need electoral authorities to conduct a detailed review of campaign spending that obviously ex-
ceeded legal limits, and that was also associated with vote buying,” Vazquez Mota said. “In this election there were clear circumstances of inequity that had a decisive effect on the vote results.” Vazquez Mota said that while the complaints wouldn’t invalidate the election results, they should motivate changes in electoral laws to prevent such practices in the future. PRI spokesman Eduardo Sanchez said Thursday that the gift-card event had been “a theatrical representation” mounted by the left. Sanchez claimed supporters of Lopez Obrador took hundreds of people to the stores, dressed them in PRI T-shirts, gave them gift cards, emptied store shelves to create an appearance of panic buying, and brought TV cameras in to create the false impression that the PRI had given out the cards.
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
CLARA SANDOVAL VAL
Building on success Lady Hawks’ eyes set on three-peat By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
T
he volleyball season will officially get under way Aug. 6th when teams across the state of Texas hit the court. The season could not get here fast enough for the Lady Hawks, who have been itching for the upcoming season to arrive after winning back-to-back titles the past two years. The Lady Hawks have been working hard during the long summer months to make it three in a row and the team knows it’s going take everyone doing their part during the off-season to realize that goal. Expectations are high at Zapata despite high profile graduations in May. New faces will replace the likes of Estella Molina, Jackie Salinas and Shelby Bigler, who played a big part in the Lady Hawks’ run to their district title last year. On the plus side, Zapata returns AllDistrict hitter Kristina De Leon, who became the queen of the court last season with her offensive prowess. De Leon is expected to produce big things for Zapata, but she can’t do it alone. Others will have to step up their game as well. The lack of a Laredo Boys and Girls Club summer volleyball league this year came as a setback to the Lady Hawks, who traditionally made the trip up I-35 to play in the league. No summer league means it’s going to take coach Rosie Villarreal longer than usual to determine what’s his the best combination on the court and find that winning attitude that will be vital in the season. She will have only three days to evaluate her team before the first scrimmage of the preseason arrives. “Not having that league just makes it a little more difficult time-wise to see where we are as a team and who fits where better,” she said. “This is just going to make it hard. “I am going to only have three days instead of four weeks, the duration of the summer league.” In lieu of the summer league, the Lady
See VOLLEYBALL PAGE 2B
“
Zapata softball a tribute to effort
Y
Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times
Zapata’s Kristina De Leon, seen in this file photo, is expected to be an important piece of the Lady Hawks’ volleyball team when it pursues a district title three-peat this year.
ou don’t need a weatherman to tell you summer has arrived, but you don’t need to step into the sweltering heat either. The rise of numerous summer camps spells plain enough that the dog days of summer have arrived, and they offer a plethora of activities for local youths to pass their days with. The local Boys and Girls Club of Zapata is always full of activities. It is centrally located to allow the children of Zapata a place to enjoy indoor games in a cool environment. There are also a slew of AllStar Little League teams from Zapata advancing through their summer seasons and preparing to play in sectional tournaments. The success of these teams depends on the sum of their parts. Players, coaches and parents play a vital role in guiding them to victory. The little league players drop the joysticks and video games to spend their summers playing a game they love. Parents become a taxi service, shuttling their kids back and forth practice to games. They commit to hours of practice a day to get ready for the AllStar tournaments. I would like to take this time to also thank the coaches who volunteer their time to lead these teams. They should be lauded for their efforts. Many Little League baseball and softball coaches aren’t making their first trip to the rodeo — they’ve been volunteering for years and enjoy what they do. They come from all walks of life and truly enjoy coaching their teams year in and year out. When I interviewed Javier Ramirez, who coaches Zapata’s All-
See COLUMN PAGE 2B
LITTLE LEAGUE ALL-STAR SOFTBALL
HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY
Zapata makes history, reaches C.C. sectionals
Lady Hawks step up the pace during summer workouts
By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Zapata junior All-Stars (13-14 years old) little league softball team made history last week when they beat Laredo’s Gateway little league All-Star team to earn their first District 34 title. The accomplishment, which was four years in the making, advances Zapata to the sectional tournament that starts Monday in Corpus Christi. The Zapata All-Stars face the Brownsville All-Stars in the opening round of the double elimination tournament, which features five teams: Zapata, Brownsville, Alice, Kingsville and Corpus Christi. The winner of the tournament earns a trip to Waco, the site of the state tournament. First pitch for Zapata is 8 p.m. at National Little League Park in Corpus Christi. “We really don’t know what to expect and we know that we are going to be up against some good teams,” said Zapata
All-Star coach Javier Ramirez. “Everyone at this tournament is solid, and so are we.” Just because Zapata made history by making it this far doesn’t mean they’re ready to head home yet. The All-Stars want to go out there and put their best effort forward. “This is just a great group of girls that has worked hard to be where they are today,” Ramirez said. “I am really proud of the team, and we want to continue and it is going to take us playing smart on the field.” All five of the sectional tournament’s teams emerged from similar tournaments at Zapata to reach Corpus Christi. In a field void of weaknesses, victory will come down to who commits the fewest errors. “At this point of the season, everyone is good,” said Zapata pitcher Selissa Lopez. “It is going to some down to great pitching, hitting and who can make less errors on the field.”
See SOFTBALL PAGE 2B
By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
The pace has been pushed for the girl’s cross country team in Zapata as the season approaches. The first test for the Lady Hawks came in the form of a timed mile to see where they stood. Twelve runners were running a six-minute mile, a great indication for the season. “I like for the girls to be at least 20 seconds away from their fastest times, and these girls did a great job so early in the season,” said Zapata coach Mike Villarreal. “These girls are 15 seconds away from their best time, so that looks very promising so early.” The Lady Hawks are one of the best cross-country programs in the area and have been a constant fixture at the state meet. When the team only sent one athlete to state last year, it was a disappointment. They’re focused on sending the whole team back this year. Jazmine Garcia has become the face of Zapata crosscountry. It isn’t unusual to see her in front of the pack at any meet, so now the question is who is going to follow her lead.
Courtesy photo
The Lady Hawks cross country team runs its daily timed mile early in the morning. Kathy Peña showed a very promising timed mile and is right on pace to help support Garcia on the course. The fight heats up when looking at the next five spots, which eight girls are battling for. “That is great that we have eight girls going out there and pushing each other for those spots,” Villarreal said. “Everyday everyone is challenging each other.” Villarreal also noted the progress of Janette Chapa, who was
last year’s No. 6 runner on the team. “She is starting to come along,” Villarreal said. “Last year was only her first year in cross country.”
CrossFit training In order to get his team back to the highest level, Villarreal decided to incorporate a form of
See CROSS COUNTRY PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
U.S. men’s Olympic team set for camp By BRIAN MAHONEY ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS — LeBron James won a championship. Deron Williams became nearly $100 million richer. Kobe Bryant got Steve Nash as his backcourt partner. See, it hasn’t been all bad news for the U.S. men’s basketball players. But overall it’s been a rough year so far, and the impact will be obvious Friday when the Americans open training camp with about three weeks until their Olympic opener. The Americans planned to arrive with their 12-man squad already selected, keeping the focus entirely on the road to London. Instead, their plans, just like their roster, have been wrecked by injuries. When practice opens on the campus of UNLV, the top priority will be determining who among the players still standing get the last available spots. The Americans will finally select their team Saturday night. “We would have already made the decision if it wasn’t for the injuries and the length of the NBA season,” U.S. coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “We have a
pretty good idea of who will be on the team, but the last one or two spots, you’re not sure of, so you want to see the guys physically and talk to them.” “They’re not trying out; all of them are good enough to be on the team. It’s where are they at right now, and how do they complement the nine or 10 guys that you already pretty much know are already on the team?” Krzyzewski said the Americans were deeper now than the squads he led to gold medals in the 2008 Olympics and 2010 world basketball championship, and the team has needed every bit of that depth. NBA All-Stars Dwight Howard, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, who would have made up one-third of the team, all have been lost to injuries. Lamar Odom, who still had a shot despite his miserable NBA season, opted not to play. Anthony Davis’ health is uncertain after the No. 1 pick sprained an ankle working out with the New Orleans Hornets. All the injuries forced the Americans to scrap their plans to name their 12-man roster June 18. They’ve lost some of their size and explosiveness, fi-
guring they still have plenty left to defend their Olympic title. “While it is unfortunate to have lost the players we have, Coach Krzyzewski and I remain extremely confident with the group of players we’ll have at our training camp in Las Vegas. We believe that we will still have an outstanding collection of talent and that ultimately we will have another team that all Americans will be excited about and proud of,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said in a statement this week announcing Odom’s withdrawal. The Americans are left with five players from Beijing: James, Bryant, Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony and Williams, who agreed this week to a five-year extension with the Nets that will pay him about $98 million. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Tyson Chandler and Kevin Love return from the young squad that won gold in Istanbul two summers ago. Blake Griffin would seem to have a good chance if he’s recovered from some knee trouble that slowed him in the playoffs, because the Americans could use his size. Beyond that, questions remain.
Photo by Isaac Brekken | AP
Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of Team USA’s Olympic basketball team, has a tough task ahead of him as he fills the final roster spots on the nation’s Olympic team in the coming days. Is Davis healthy enough and talented enough to overcome his inexperience? Is there room for Andre Iguodala as a defensive specialist? Does Wade’s absence open a spot for a scorer such as Eric Gordon or James Harden off the bench? Can Rudy Gay be an answer at power forward? Krzyzewski didn’t want to make any assumptions until he had his players on the floor. “We’re hoping that everyone that we have on the roster now is able to play and wanting to play,” he said. “You don’t know that until you actually get to Vegas, because there’s always
OFF TO SECTIONALS
concerns on my part for injuries, family matters and contractual stuff. Over the seven years I’ve done it, those three things have eliminated certain guys from being on the team.” The Americans will announce the roster during an NBA TV special Saturday night. They will train against a select team of young players each day of camp before playing an exhibition against the Dominican Republic on July 12. Though no longer as talented, perhaps the Americans will be more focused after their run of bad luck. Colangelo has said the toughest task for the Americans might be regaining the edge they had four years ago, when they were
trying to get back to the top of the basketball world. Maybe being a little weaker will make them sharper. “If you don’t prepare and have the proper mindset to do this, you’re going to be more susceptible to losing,” Krzyzewski said. “I don’t think any of the guys would do it or need to do, but sometimes you can assume based on being a little bit tired or being distracted by the season that you just had or the fact that we’ve won, we’ve won the last two major competitions, the worlds and the Olympics. “You still have to take the necessary steps to win this one and that’s our job as a coaching staff to make sure that we do that.”
Federer ties record with eighth final By CHRIS LEHOURITES ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times
Zapata Little League All-Stars catcher Victor King (33) gets a hit in the first inning of the championship game against Laredo’s American Little League All-Star team Monday at Slaughter Park. Zapata won the game, 15-7, to advance to sectionals where it will face Brownsville on Monday.
COLUMN Continued from Page 1B Star junior softball team, I could hear his passion for the sport in his voice. Ramirez had been coaching little leaguers for more than 20 years. He started with his son, who is now 23 years old. Ramirez gradually moved over to softball because his daughter, Norma Ramirez, was also showing an interest in the diamond. Naturally, he wanted to teach her the fundamentals of the game. The past four years, Ramirez and the AllStar team had been attempting to get past the Laredo All-Star teams, and they were finally able to accomplish that goal this year when they beat Gateway in the championship. As the game was winding down, Ramirez thought back to all the times his girls were sent home in years as the opposing team celebrated its victory.
This year, it was the Zapata All-Stars doing the celebrating. But, like a true coach, Ramirez postponed his cheer to check on Gateway’s catcher Roxy Galvan, who had been injured during the game. “Once we knew that Roxy was going to be OK, that is when I started celebrating,” Ramirez said. “Winning that game was one of the best things that has happened to me while coaching the All-Stars. “This is the first time in history that we have come this far, and it feels great because these girls have been out here in the hot sun practicing hard and we were finally able to come home with a championship.” Thank you, Zapata County Little League coaches for your dedication to the youth of Zapata and volunteering your time. (Clara Sandoval can be reached at sandoval.clara@gmail.com)
CROSS COUNTRY Continued from Page 1B training that’s been sweeping the nation the last few years and he’s already seen great results. CrossFit training focuses on different muscles of the body through circuit training. After the first month of adding the CrossFit regime to the Hawks’ usual jogging workout, positive results have started to surface. “I have really researched
CrossFit training and talked to many coaches to see how they incorporated in their cross country program,” Villarreal said. In the past, Villarreal allowed his cross country runners rest after finishing their normal running workout. “I have already seen the benefits and having the girls 15 seconds away from their best time at this point
of the season is great,” he said. In June, Villarreal wanted the runners to run five miles without worrying about time as a factor. In July, the pace has been picked up and time is now taken into consideration. The Lady Hawks are working toward making a trip to state and know these next few months will be vital to their success.
WIMBLEDON, England — For Roger Federer, it’s Wimbledon final No. 8. For Andy Murray, it’s No. 1 — and the first for a British man since 1938. Federer, a 16-time Grand Slam champion, beat defending champion Novak Djokovic 6-3, 3-6, 6-4, 6-3 Friday under the closed roof at Centre Court to reach a modern-era record eighth final at the All England Club. He is now one victory from equaling Pete Sampras’ record of seven titles. “I have one more match to go. I’m aware of that,” said the 30-year-old Federer, who is 6-1 in Wimbledon finals. “Still, it’s always nice beating someone like Novak, who has done so well here last year, the last couple years.” The next challenge will come Sunday against Murray, who is the first British man to even reach the Wimbledon final since Bunny Austin 74 years ago. Murray, also trying to become the British man to win the Wimbledon title since Fred Perry in 1936, beat Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 6-3, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 in the second semifinal. If Federer does win Sunday in his 24th Grand Slam final, he would also take the No. 1 ranking from Djokovic and equal Sampras’ record of 286 weeks as the topranked player. “There’s obviously a lot on the line for me in terms of winning here, the all-time Grand Slam record, world No. 1,” Federer said. “I’m also going into that match with some pressure, but I’m excited about it. That’s what I play for.” Federer and Djokovic went for winners on almost every point. But it was Federer who got the key points when they mattered in the third set. “It’s hard to fire bullets the whole time, so you try to also find some range. If he tees off first, it’s hard to defend obviously,” said Federer, now 1-0 against Djokovic on grass. “It’s just not as easy to
Photo by Anja Niedringhaus | AP
Roger Federer returns against Novak Djokovic during a semifinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, on Friday. take that many balls out and come up with amazing shots time and time again. That’s why I kept on attacking.” At 4-4, Djokovic had his chance with only his third break point of the match. Federer held with three service winners. Moments later, while serving to stay in the set — and, essentially, the match— Djokovic gifted Federer a pair of break points by blasting an overhead long with much of the court open. He saved one, but Federer’s overhead smash on the second gave the Swiss great the third set, and put him on the way to the final. “(I) had unfortunately a bad service game on 5-4, and obviously he uses his opportunities when they’re presented,” said Djokovic, who had reached the last four major finals. “So you have to be always consistent. I wasn’t.” The win improved Federer’s semifinal record at the All England Club to 8-0. His only loss in the final came in 2008, when Rafael Nadal beat him 9-7 in the fifth set. “I hope I can keep my nerves,” said Federer, looking toward the final. “I’m sure I can. Then hopefully win the match. But we’ll see about that.” William Renshaw and Arthur Gore also played in eight Wimbledon finals but that was when the defending champion received a bye into the following year’s title match.
SOFTBALL Continued from Page 1B This bodes well for Zapata, as the local All-Star team is built on a solid defense that keeps errors to a minimum. Their victory over Gateway-Laredo came in large part thanks to focused defensive play. As the competition ramps up, so do the nerves. Zapata will have to make it so it doesn’t get rattled by Brownsville
on the field.Zapata has all the tools to succeed: pitching, batting and defense. The potential for a great run at sectionals is there, so long as they don’t come out star struck in the opening game. “We have to do our job on the mound as pitchers and we need to hit the ball,” Lopez said. “We just need to come and play hard from the start.”
VOLLEYBALL Continued from Page 1B Hawks have participated in local camps, open gyms and the summer’s strength and conditioning program, but it’s just not the same. The Lady Hawks have taken to scrimmaging some of the local towns around Zapata — they hit the road to Roma this past
week — to experience some competition since open gym can sometimes be taken away. “Roma wanted to scrimmage, and we said yes,” Villarreal said. “This is a good way for the girls just to be in game mode.”
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE Hey, Heloise: When my old microwave broke, I wondered what I could do with the GLASS PLATE AND TURNTABLE — it seemed like they would be good for something. After they sat in my basement for a year, I finally came up with the perfect use: a plate for a heavy potted plant. The lip of the plate protects the floor or table below from overwatering. The turntable allows me to easily spin the plant so that all sides can get equal sunshine. Now my plant grows straight instead of bending in one direction toward the light. I can’t wait for my current microwave oven to break so I can have another! — Charles W., Plainfield, N.J. A great use! Readers, what other uses do you have for a microwave plate? Send your hint to Heloise(at)Heloise.com, or fax to 210-HELOISE (435-6473). — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Carol in Michigan sent us a picture of her 1-year-old, black-andwhite short-haired cat, Calli, hiding in a box of shredded paper. She is inviting Carol to play hide-and-seek! Can you spot Calli? To try to find Calli, visit www.Heloise.com, and click on “Pets” on the left-hand side of the page. —
“
HELOISE
Heloise HEY, LOOK ME OVER Dear Heloise: There is one rule that needs to be made when dressing: Where can you see yourself, your whole self ? If possible, there should be a full-length mirror in the bathroom, if not in the bedroom, where you can see yourself — not only from waist up, but from waist down. — Inez S. in Wisconsin LOTIONS AND POTIONS Dear Heloise: Cosmetics and lotions are expensive, and there is always some left in the bottom of the bottle. I cut open the bottle to get to the last of the product, but it would dry out before I could use it all up. I bought the little storage jars you can get for travel. After I cut open the almostempty bottle, I scrape out the product and put it in one of these jars. It keeps fine until I can use it! Thank you for all of your helpful hints — I keep the ones I need in a notebook for easy reference. — Susan, via email
PARDON MYPLANET
DENNISTHE MENACE
JUDGEPARKER
REXMORGANM.D. DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES | HERE’S HOWTO WORK IT:
FORBETTERORWORSE
Sports
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 7, 2012
Shuffle up and deal, it’s hold’em time By KEN RITTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
LAS VEGAS — The legends of Amarillo Slim, Benny Binion and Gentleman Jack Keller will be in the air, and several recent champions will be in the seats when play begins in the marquee Main Event of the 2012 World Series of Poker. The four most recent winners — Peter Eastgate of Denmark, Joe Cada of Michigan, Jonathan Duhamel of Canada and Pius Heinz of Germany — will have the proverbial chip and a chair when the $10,000 buy-in No Limit Texas Hold’em World Championship begins this weekend in Las Vegas, event spokesman Seth Palansky said. Amateurs, celebrities and pros from dozens of countries begin 10 days of play at noon Saturday, with opening rounds continuing Sunday and Monday. The tournament field will narrow until July 16, when a final table of nine players will emerge with a chance to share in a prize pool topping $60 million. They’ll resume play Oct.
28, with a winner to be crowned late Oct. 30 or early Oct. 31. The number of entrants determines the size of the prize. This year’s winner could take home almost $9 million and a coveted championship bracelet like the one awarded to Johnny Moss in the event that Binion started with one table of invited players at his Binion’s Horseshoe casino in 1970. The tournament, now owned by Caesars Entertainment Inc., moved in 2005 to the Rio All Suite Hotel & Casino. Palansky said other past winners who’ll play this year include Poker Hall of Famer Phil Hellmuth and 2003 champ Chris Moneymaker. They’ll be trying to top a field of perhaps 7,000 players to become repeat champions. No one has done that since Johnny Chan won in back-to-back years, 1987 and 1988, in tournaments attracting fewer than 170 players — most of whom he had faced before. Since then, a poker playing boom made card-dealing terms like “flop,” “turn,” and “river” widely
Photo by Isaac Brekken | AP
The 2010 World Series of Poker champion Jonathan Duhamel poses with his winnings on Nov. 8, 2010, in Las Vegas. known to television audiences. Fields at the World Series of Poker have exploded. “The odds of a repeat now, because of the field size, are very long,” Palan-
sky said. The largest field for the WSOP Main Event was just under 8,800 players in 2006, when Jamie Gold won about $12 million. Heinz, at age 22, topped a field of
Kenseth wins pole at Daytona By MARK LONG ASSOCIATED PRESS
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — There’s a new favorite at Daytona International Speedway, and it’s not Hendrick Motorsports or Richard Childress Racing. Roush Fenway Racing has become the team to beat at restrictor-plate tracks, with drivers Greg Biffle, Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth enjoying the turnaround as they prepare for Saturday night’s 400-mile Sprint Cup race at Daytona. Jack Roush’s team won the last two Cup races at Daytona and has 17 topfive finishes at the famed superspeedway since July 2008. That’s an impressive stretch for an organization whose drivers remember coming to Daytona as mostly also-rans not too long ago. “When we talked about restrictor-plate races five or six years ago, we’d come in after practice and say, ‘Man, this car is slow,’ and then say, ‘It’ll draft fine. Once the race starts, none of that matters,”’ Edwards said. “I guess we didn’t really take it seriously to the extent that maybe some of the other teams did. We didn’t really, really focus on these races and it seems like there’s been a very active effort to go out and be better at these tracks.” Strong results followed. David Ragan notched his first Cup victory last
more than 6,800 to win a little more than $8.7 million in 2011. Players last year hailed from 85 nations and ranged in age from 21 to 91. More than 240 were women.
Sailing siblings set for port Olympics By BERNIE WILSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Terry Renna | AP
Matt Kenseth, right, laughs with Carl Edwards, left, after winning the pole position for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series at Daytona International Speedway, on Friday in Daytona Beach, Fla. July at Daytona, with teammate Kenseth finishing second. Edwards and Biffle swept the front row for in Daytona 500 qualifying in February, and Kenseth capped Roush’s resurgence with his second victory in the “Great American Race.” Biffle finished third and Edwards was eighth. They were nearly as good at Talladega, where Kenseth finished fourth and Biffle fifth. Kenseth kept things rolling Friday by winning the pole for Saturday’s race. Biffle qualified fifth, and Edwards was 13th. It’s a welcome change for the Roush drivers. “We used to come here and we’d be slotted between 15th and 30th all the time,” Biffle said.
“That was a little frustrating because we were a good company, we had fast cars everywhere and then we’d come here and we’d struggle a little bit. We’re found some speed secrets. I don’t think we have the best cars, but we’re certainly right at the top, on a pretty level playing field, with ... all those (top plate-racing) guys.” Roush needed 13 seasons at the Cup level to win its first plate race — Jeff Burton won the July race at Daytona in 2000 — and had to wait two decades to claim its first Daytona 500 with Kenseth in 2009. In the six Cup races at Daytona since, Roush drivers have had a dozen top-10s. Edwards has five of
those. Kenseth has four, and Biffle two. Kenseth credited Doug Yates, saying the well-respected engine builder has been the differencemaker in a series that maintains strict standards on car chassis. “A decade ago was a lot different with the rules on the cars,” said Kenseth, who announced last week that he is leaving Roush at the end of the season. “I think the cars are just incredibly close to being the same at these plate races. Horsepower and aerodynamic drag are the two things that make your cars go fast or slow when you come to Daytona and Talladega. And Doug Yates does a great job with all that stuff.”
Ex-Raider faces murder charges By GREG RISLING ASSOCIATED PRESS
LOS ANGELES — Anthony Wayne Smith spent seven years as a menacing defensive end for the Oakland and Los Angeles Raiders whose mission was to put quarterbacks on the turf. Authorities believe that penchant for a game of violence turned into something more sinister shortly after Smith departed professional football. Already awaiting retrial for a murder four years ago, Smith was charged this week with three additional murders, including the slayings of two brothers who prosecutors said were kidnapped and robbed by men posing as police officers. The most recent charges paint a portrait of a man who authorities say turned to brazen crime, but leaves the question of why he needed to after a somewhat successful career. Smith, now 45, was drafted 11th overall by the Raiders in 1990 and amassed 57 1/2 sacks and 190 tackles while as a defensive end in the NFL. In 1993, Smith had 12 1/2 sacks, helping put the Raiders in the playoffs. The team lost in the AFC divisional round to Buffalo 29-23. Smith retired in 1998 and accord-
ing to authorities took part in the murders of Kevin and Ricky Nettles in November 1999. The siblings were kidnapped from a car wash in Los Angeles by two men posing as police officers, and they were later found shot to death, said Sandi Gibbons, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office. The victims’ bodies were dumped about eight miles apart from one another. Smith also was charged in the June 2001 killing of Dennis Henderson, who, along with another man, was kidnapped in Los Angeles by several gunmen, Gibbons said. The victims were put in separate cars, and while the other man was let go, Henderson’s body was found in a rental car. Authorities said Henderson was beaten and stabbed to death. Los Angeles police detectives began working on the trio of old murders in April 2011. Several search warrants were served and witnesses were interviewed, said police Cmdr. Andrew Smith. Investigators wouldn’t say if Smith knew the Nettles brothers but said the former NFL player lived next door to Henderson’s brother. “We believe these were robberies, but we don’t know the motive behind
them,” said Smith, who has no relation to the suspect. Defense attorney Michael Evans declined comment about the new charges, saying he hasn’t seen the evidence against his client. In a court filing, prosecutors said all three victims were tortured. Smith also faces three counts of kidnapping, and along with special circumstances, is eligible for the death penalty. Prosecutors will make a decision on whether to seek capital punishment at a later date. Meanwhile, Smith is jailed awaiting retrial on a murder charge in the 2008 killing of Maurilio Ponce. A jury failed to reach a verdict in April, splitting 8-4 in favor of guilt. Prosecutors contend Smith lured Ponce to an Antelope Valley desert highway where the mechanic was beaten, stomped and shot over a business deal gone wrong. Evans argued at trial that there was no physical evidence linking his client to the crime and Smith had no reason to kill Ponce. Smith will be retried with a co-defendant. A third man, Eric Honest, was convicted of second-degree murder in April and is awaiting sentencing. Smith’s next court date is July 17.
Thomas “Amarillo Slim” Preston Jr., died in April. Keller, winner of the 1984 main event, died in 2003. Binion died in 1989. Each is a member of the Poker Hall of Fame.
When it’s time to line up to march into the stadium for the opening ceremony of the London Olympics, Zach Railey will make sure little sister Paige is at his side. It’s the moment the sailing siblings from Clearwater, Fla., have been waiting years for. “It will sink in for us when we walk in together at the opening ceremony,” Zach Railey said. “That’s what we’ve always dreamed about, a brother and sister standing next to each other walking in. It’s a dream come true.” Zach Railey, 28, knows the drill. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing, winning the silver medal in the Finn class. Paige didn’t make those Olympics. She flipped her boat in the trials and lost to Anna Tunnicliffe, who went on to win the gold medal in the Laser Radial class. “It was incredibly exciting for me to go in 2008, but it was also incredibly disappointing for Paige.” Zach Railey said. “We think of ourselves as a team. So we were successful in me going, but we were unsuccessful in Paige going. That’s always been what it’s about, the two of us going together and the two us being successful at the Olympics. We learned from that experience in 2008 and we came back and didn’t let it beat us, and now we’re going in 2012 and we can’t wait.” Both are strong medals contenders, although Zach Railey has the difficult task of being in the same class with British star Ben Ainslie, who will be trying for his fourth straight Olympic gold medal and fifth medal overall. “We’ve always been a key support system for one another, so to go to the Olympics together is one of the best things in the world,” said Paige Railey, 25. “We’re going to do everything we can to be there for one another and bring home those medals for the country.” The Raileys grew up as self-described water rats. Sailing just happened to be the sport they excelled at. “We were pretty much those tan little hippie babies with bleach-blond hair running around with their mom down at the beach,” Paige Railey said.
“It just seemed like a natural thing for us to go into a sport that was associated with the water. Our whole life was based around the water.” When Zach was 8, their family dentist suggested that his mother, Ann, enroll him in a summer sailing program. Three years later, it was Paige’s turn. They both fell in love with the sport and began winning regattas. “You look back to when we were 14, 15, 16 years old, we were traveling around together, we were going to the gym together, we were going through the same experiences,” Zach Railey said. “We experienced the ups and downs together. You form a relationship outside of just being a brother and sister. That is what has brought us together, closer than just having a family relationship, is that we also have an athletic relationship. “When you understand the time and the commitment that goes into it, you want each other to do well,” he said. That’s what made it so difficult when, on the same day in October 2007, Zach Railey qualified for the Beijing Olympics and Paige didn’t. While Zach won his trials — only one boat per class per country qualifies for the Olympics — Paige’s chances ended in a split second when she caught her life jacket in the boom and flipped her boat. “Not only was that a race for the Olympic berth, but it was very widely known around the world that whoever won that event was going to be a medal contender at the Olympics,” Zach Railey said. Sure enough, Tunnicliffe won the gold medal. Tunnicliffe then moved into the women’s match racing class and will be seeking her second gold medal at Weymouth on the English Channel. “It was so gut-wrenchingly disappointing,” Zach Railey said. "It was an emotional, emotional, emotional time for our family. But I think that our family is so close and we’re incredibly strong and we support each other, that we got through it. But it was tough, it was really, really tough. It was tough on all of us. I can tell you it’s much better this time around with both of us going.”