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Ring fun aids grads
Two-county chase Pot-filled pick-up gets man jailed By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
By ERICA MATOS THE ZAPATA TIMES
On Saturday, muscled men threw each other across the ring, slammed opponents into guardrails and made “creative” use of chairs for a good cause. The Laredo Wrestling Alliance (LWA), a non-profit organization founded by Rey Chavarria in October, hosted its Independence Day Battle Royal at the Oswaldo H. & Juanita G. Ramirez Exhibition Hall. The proceeds went to scholarships for the 2012 graduates of Detachment 6412 of the Marine Corp League. The event ran from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., with a teeming crowd of close to 500 people — teenagers, families, old wrestling aficionados and tiny screaming fans — crowding the stands well into the
Courtesy photo
Pictured are some of the more than 600 pounds of marijuana found in a pickup truck driven by a Mexican national after deputies used spikes to stop the vehicle.
Deputies from Zapata assisted in arresting a man accused of running from the law after a Webb County deputy tried to get him to pull over during a traffic stop. The lawmen later found more than 600 pounds of marijuana in the driver’s truck. The case unraveled Friday at 10 a.m. when a Webb County deputy activated his emergency lights for a traffic violation near Rio Bravo on U.S. 83 north. Webb County Sheriff Mar-
MANUEL GARCIA CASTAÑEDA: Faces several charges after capture. tin Cuellar said the individual made a U-turn and headed south on U.S. 83. Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, U.S. Border Patrol agents and Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens followed close behind for assistance. Zapata County sheriff ’s Sgt. Greg Gutierrez said the man reached speeds of
See CHASE PAGE 5A
RELIGION
See WRESTLING PAGE 10A
MEXICO
Gun gets man 8 years By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times
THE ZAPATA TIMES
A Mexican federal judge sentenced a man to prison for taking part in a firefight in April in Ciudad Mier, a Tamaulipas border town about eight miles northeast of Miguel Alemán, across from Roma. The Procuraduría General de la República, Mexico’s attorney general’s office, announced Tuesday that a Seventh District Judge sentenced Juan Manuel Castillo Platas to eight years in prison for violating federal laws by possessing a firearm exclusively used by the Mexican armed forces.
See MIER PAGE 10A
James A. Tamayo, bishop of the Diocese of Laredo, speaks about the Mass scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 6, at the Laredo Energy Arena to mark the 10th anniversary of the establishment of the diocese.
BISHOP’S 10-YEAR PLAN Tamayo to reveal his pastoral vision in special Aug. Mass By VALERIE GODINES FITZGERALD LAREDO MORNING TIMES
When developing its pastoral vision for the next 10 years, the Diocese of Laredo decided to go to the parishioners in its seven counties for insight. They heard that parishioners
need to know more about the diocese, which, according to Bishop James A. Tamayo, “sometimes works too quietly.” Parishioners wanted to know what services were available in their communities. How is the diocese part of their local community? On Saturday, Aug. 6, at a special
Mass of Thanksgiving, the bishop will have some answers in the pastoral vision he will reveal for the next 10 years. The Mass will be held at the Laredo Energy Arena where residents from the diocese’s seven counties — Maverick, Dimmit, Webb, La Salle, Zapata, Jim Hogg
and Zavala — are invited to celebrate. “These seven counties are going to come together and celebrate our identify. All these people praying are part of my family,” said Tamayo.
See BISHOP PAGE 10A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
MONDAY, JULY 11
ASSOCIATED PRESS
A two-day camp for high school students interested in health careers is from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. today and Tuesday at the UT Health Science Center Regional Campus, DD Hachar Building, 1937 Bustamante St. Students will be tought the basics of health care, become certified in CPR and get 50 hours of community service for completing the camp. Big Apple Adventure Vacation Bible School will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. today through Friday at United Baptist Church, 811 International Blvd. The school is for children as young as 5 and as old as having completed sixth grade. It will have snacks, crafts, music, games and more. It is free. Registration is under way. For more information, call United Baptist Church at 956-727-7729.
TUESDAY, JULY 12 The local chapter of AARP meets every second Tuesday of the month at 2 p.m. at the Laredo Public Library, 1120 E. Calton Road, 956-795-2400. The meeting is open to AARP members. Discussions are held regarding health, Social Security, Medicare and keeping safe. For more information, call Jorge Castillo, local president, at 956-722-5307.
Photo by Hans Maximo Musielik | AP
An unidentified relative of Texas death row inmate Humberto Leal reacts in Guadalupe, Mexico, on Thursday after hearing news of his execution. Relatives of Leal gathered to pray and hope that Texas governor Rick Perry would spare the convicted murderer’s life.
Perry defends execution By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 13 The Laredo Little Theatre’s traditional summer children’s play is the musical “Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel.” The book is by Karen BoettcheTate, with music and lyrics by Scott DeTurk. Performances are today, Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m. On Saturday, performances will be at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. The final performance will be a matinee at 3 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5. The Laredo Little Theatre is located at 4802 Thomas Ave. The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) will host its 2011 Border Summit: Empleos, Empresas y el Desarrollo Económico (A Focus on Solutions for the Border Economy) in McAllen, Texas today. Featured speakers include Mercedes Marquez, Assistant Secretary, Community Planning and Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Donna Gambrell, Director, Community Development Finance Institutions, U.S. Department of Treasury. For more information on the Border Summit and to register, visit www.nalcab.org.
FRIDAY, JULY 15 Open Art Studio will host Sundown Story Hour from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., during which Mystery Storyteller reads a fun book and attendees take home a craft. Attendance is free, but space must be reserved at www.open2art.com. For more information, contact Victoria Ortega at openart@rocketmail.com. Mia’s Boutique, located at 408 Shiloh Dr. Ste 1, will be having a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Gina Palma with the Laredo Chamber of Commerce at (956) 722-9895.
SATURDAY, JULY 16 The South Texas Food Bank will hold its 5K Run/Walk for Hunger awareness today at 9 a.m. at North Central Park in North Laredo. Registration is at 8 a.m. Fee is $15 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. Age groups include 14 and under to 50+ for boys, girls, men and women. Registration forms are available at Rudy’s on McPherson Road or Fudducker’s on Hillside Road. For information, call Zelina Ruiz with South Texas Food Bank at (956) 568-3673 during business hours Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Proceeds go to the South Texas Food mission of feeding the hungry.
FRIDAY, JULY 22 Open Art Studio will host Sundown Story Hour from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., during which Mystery Storyteller reads a fun book and attendees take home a craft. Attendance is free, but space must be reserved at www.open2art.com. For more information, contact Victoria Ortega at openart@rocketmail.com.
FRIDAY, JULY 29 Open Art Studio will host Sundown Story Hour from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., during which Mystery Storyteller reads a fun book and attendees take home a craft. Attendance is free, but space must be reserved at www.open2art.com. For more information, contact Victoria Ortega at openart@rocketmail.com.
HOUSTON — Gov. Rick Perry rebuffed criticism Friday from the United Nations and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for Texas’ execution of a Mexican man whose lawyers said he was not informed he could have sought legal help from the Mexican government after he was arrested for the murder of a San Antonio teenager. “If you commit the most heinous of crimes in Texas, you can expect to face the ultimate penalty under our laws,” Perry’s spokeswoman Katherine Cesinger said a day after Humberto Leal was put to death. In Geneva, the U.N.’s top human rights official said Leal’s execution amounted to a breach of international law by the U.S. The Texas governor has the authority in execution cases to issue a one-time 30-day re-
prieve, an authority Perry and other governors in the nation’s most active capital punishment state rarely have invoked. “After reviewing the totality of the issues that led to Leal’s conviction, as well as the numerous court rulings surrounding the case, including the most recent Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, Gov. Perry agreed that Leal was guilty of raping and bludgeoning a 16-year-old girl to death,” Cesinger said. Adria Sauceda was killed in a gruesome attack in which her head was bashed with apiece of asphalt and she was raped, strangled, bit and then left nude on a dirt road From the Texas death chamber Thursday evening, Leal, 38, took responsibility for the slaying, asked for forgiveness and wrapped up his comments by twice shouting: “Viva Mexico!”
Asylum seeker files petition against Mexico
Feds arrest former ICE agent in beating
Judge to decide who owns ‘Jackie letter’
EL PASO — A Mexican journalist seeking asylum in the U.S. says he has asked the Organization of American States human rights commission to find that the Mexican government is unable to protect its citizens from the army. Emilio Gutierrez says he fled Mexico in 2008 after receiving death threats from military officers displeased with his articles denouncing abuses by the army.
BROWNSVILLE — Federal agents have arrested a former supervisor at a South Texas immigrant detention center on charges of excessive force, obstruction of justice and lying to a federal agent about the 2009 beating of a detainee. The U.S. attorney’s office says Raul Leal kicked detainee Richard Palomo-Solarzano in the face, breaking his orbital bone. He told investigators the detainee injured himself when his face inadvertently hit his knee at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement-run facility.
DALLAS — A federal judge will decide who owns a note Jacqueline Kennedy wrote to her widowed sister-in-law following Robert Kennedy’s 1968 assassination, after one of the former senator’s children raised concerns it might have been stolen. The letter has changed hands several times over the years and sold for as much as $25,000
PNM says utility gets OK for meter surcharge DALLAS — PNM Resources Inc. said Friday that regulators will let its Texas electricitytransmission utility levy a surcharge on customers to pay for advanced meters. The Texas subsidiary, TNMP, plans to start installing 240,000 so-called smart meters beginning this year and working through 2016.
Smitherman appointed to Railroad Commission AUSTIN — Gov. Rick Perry has appointed Barry Smitherman to an open seat on the Texas Railroad Commission. Smitherman will fill the seat left open by Michael Williams, Perry’s office said Friday.
Assessor, deputy charged with giving alcohol AUSTIN — State authorities have brought charges against a county tax assessor and a deputy sheriff for providing alcohol at a high school graduation party. McCulloch County Tax Assessor Silvia Campos, Concho County Deputy Felipe Bernal Jr. and a third adult, Rosario Botello, were charged with a Class A misdemeanor. The charge is punishable by a fine or jail time. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Wildfires burn in remote Nevada nuclear test site LAS VEGAS — One lightningsparked wildfire was contained and firefighters were battling a second Friday in a remote undeveloped part of the federal nuclear testing reservation formerly known as the Nevada Test Site, a National Nuclear Security Administration official said. Officials said no structures, roads, power lines or other facilities in the sprawling federal nuclear proving ground were threatened. Air monitors detected no release of radiation, said Dante Pistone, an NNSA spokesman in North Las Vegas.
For Strauss-Kahn accuser, suing could be an avenue NEW YORK — The maid who accused Dominique StraussKahn of rape her wants her day in court, her lawyer has said.
Today is Saturday, July 9, the 190th day of 2011. There are 175 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: July 9, 1951, President Harry S. Truman asked Congress to formally end the state of war between the United States and Germany. (An official end to the state of war was declared in Oct. 1951.) On this date: In 1540, England’s King Henry VIII had his 6-monthold marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, annulled. In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was read aloud to Gen. George Washington’s troops in New York. In 1816, Argentina declared independence from Spain. In 1850, the 12th president of the United States, Zachary Taylor, died after serving only 16 months of his term. (He was succeeded by Millard Fillmore.) In 1896, William Jennings Bryan delivered his famous “cross of gold” speech at the Democratic national convention in Chicago. In 1918, 101 people were killed in a train collision in Nashville, Tenn. The Distinguished Service Cross was established by an Act of Congress. In 1947, the engagement of Britain’s Princess Elizabeth to Lt. Philip Mountbatten was announced. In 1974, former U.S. Chief Justice Earl Warren died in Washington, D.C., at age 83. In 1982, a Pan Am Boeing 727 crashed in Kenner, La., killing all 145 people aboard and eight people on the ground. In 1986, the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography released the final draft of its report, which linked hardcore porn to sex crimes. Ten years ago: A divided court in Chile ruled that Gen. Augusto Pinochet could not be tried on human rights charges because of his deteriorating health and mental condition, a ruling that effectively brought the 85-year-old former dictator’s legal troubles to an end. Wild-card entrant Goran Ivanisevic (ee-van-EE’-seh-vihch) won the men’s title at Wimbledon by beating Patrick Rafter 6-3, 3-6, 6-3, 2-6, 9-7. Today’s Birthdays: Actorsinger Ed Ames is 84. Actor Brian Dennehy is 73. Actor Richard Roundtree is 69. Author Dean Koontz is 66. Football Hall-of-Famer O.J. Simpson is 64. Actor Chris Cooper is 60. TV personality John Tesh is 59. Rhythm-and-blues singer Debbie Sledge (Sister Sledge) is 57. Actor Jimmy Smits is 56. Actress Lisa Banes is 56. Actor Tom Hanks is 55. Singer Marc Almond is 54. Actress Kelly McGillis is 54. Actress-rock singer Courtney Love is 47. Actor Scott Grimes is 40. Actor Enrique Murciano is 38. Musician/producer Jack White is 36. Rock musician Dan Estrin (Hoobastank) is 35. Actor-director Fred Savage is 35. Country musician Pat Allingham is 33. Actress Megan Parlen is 31. Rhythm-and-blues singer Kiely Williams (3lw) is 25. Actor Mitchel (cq) Musso is 20. Actress Georgie Henley is 16. Thought for Today: “A good storyteller is a person who has a good memory and hopes other people haven’t.” — Irvin S. Cobb, American humorist (1876-1944).
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Business Manager, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 324-1226 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Retail Adv. Manager, Raul Cruz................... 728-2511 Classified Manager, Jesse Vicharreli ........... 728-2525 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Managing Editor, Julie Silva ...................... 728-2565 City Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez .................. 728-2543 Sports Editor, Dennis Silva II......................728-2579 Entertainment Editor, Emilio Rábago III ....... 728-2564 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavín-Castillo............ 728-2569 Photo by A.E. Araiza/Arizona Daily Star | AP
Jimmy Sands signals a ladder truck from Tucson’s Northwest Fire/Rescue District to continue raising the National 9/11 Flag in a Safeway parking lot on Friday in Tucson, Ariz. where Rep. Gabrielle Giffords was shot six months ago. She still could get it, even if prosecutors decide to drop the criminal case amid doubts about her trustworthiness. Regardless of what happens in the criminal case, the woman could pursue her claim in a civil lawsuit, a route taken by some
after criminal cases ended without a conviction. While the housekeeper’s credibility would still be a significant issue, different legal standards for cases could give her claims a greater chance of prevailing. — 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 9, 2011
Retired teachers honor officers, volunteers
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
PLAYING ‘ROSEMARY’ IN A MUSICAL PERFORMANCE
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
Members of the Zapata County Retired School Employees welcomed Sue Bennett to the May 10 meeting held at the Holiday Restaurant. Bennett was president of District I, Texas Retired Teachers Association prior to being selected district treasurer. Bennett installed new officers for the 2011-2013 term. The officers retiring in May were Avon Hatfield, Dahlia Lopez, Cruz Torres, Mary Morales and Aida Garcia. Bennett presented a floral arrangement to Avon Hatfield, retiring president, and complemented her leadership as president. Hatfield presented certificates of appreciation and community service awards to Dahlia Lopez, Most Volunteer Hours; Olga Flores, Most Volunteer Hours; Kar-
Courtesy photo
Courtesy photo
Avon Hatfield, left, president of Zapata County Retired School Employees Association, and Sue Bennett, District I Treasurer of Texas Retired Teachers Association, are seen at the May 10 meeting during an awards presentation. ran Westerman, Communication; George Umphres, Photography; Renato Ramirez, Community Service; Cruz Torres, Community Service; Norberto Lopez,
Most Steps and Community Service; Ramiro Torres, Special Service Award. The next Retired School Employee meeting will be in September.
ZAPATA YOUTH ATTEND CONFERENCE
Courtesy photo
The Zapata Youth Coalition Force attended the Youth Leadership Conference in Laredo on June 28. The conference was sponsored by S.C.A.N., Inc. and the Webb County Community Coalition. The workshop was designed for Youth Coalition members who would like to become better leaders in their community. The Zapata coalition is under the direction of Sonia Sanchez-Montes, program director, and Nina V. Gutierrez, program coordinator. Pictured left to right are Eustorgio Villarreal III, Vielka Gutierrez, Karina Flores, Chelsea Garcia, Jesus Aranda and Samuel Camacho. Also attending was Angelabel Garza.
Vielka Gutierrez has been cast to play Rosemary in the summer musical “Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel” in Laredo. Gutierrez, a former fifth grader at Zapata South Elementary, is the daughter of Toti and Nina Gutierrez. Gutierrez auditioned and was cast for the play in early June. “This experience is great. I’ve had the opportunity to learn about acting, timing and theater etiquette. I’ve also made new friends in Laredo,” Gutierrez said. Performances begin July 13 at the Laredo Little Theatre, 4802 Thomas Ave., Laredo.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Sheriff Gonzalez offers details in response to letter-writing critic To the editor: In response to the letter sent in by Renato Ramirez printed last Saturday, I would like to respond to his very unfounded information contained in his letter. First of all, Mr. Ramirez has apparently misread the news article and, not surprisingly, has engaged his mouth before engaging his brain. Now, I would like to clear up the matter about “bashing” beautiful Falcon Lake and Zapata County. Everywhere that I go I make it a point to mention that Falcon Lake is still the best bass fishing lake in the nation, as long as fishermen stay on the U.S. side of the border. I am firm on these comments because of intelligence information that is received by my office, of which Mr. Ramirez is not aware of. My obligation to the residents of Zapata County and its visitors is safety. Mr. Ramirez mentions that my office has the worst relationship with federal and state agencies in the history of the department. The Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office, not now, but from 1989 to 1994, had the worst relationship with all law enforcement agencies when his brother, Romeo R. Ramirez, was sheriff and was arrested for corruption and went to prison. Additionally, my office has been the recipient of over $10 million in “border security” federal and state grants in just the last 5 years. This is attributed to a good relationship with local, state, and federal agencies. As to the issue of Sec-
retary Napolitano that Renato mentions in his letter, it is apparent to me that Renato didn’t have his reading glasses on when he read the article. I never mentioned, nor does the article mention, that I am more credible than Secretary Napolitano. In closing, I wish to reiterate that Zapata County is a safe community. Have we had moments that have caused us to react to “spillover” violence? Of course we have. Do we have threats related to “spillover” violence? Of course we do. Will I keep my mouth shut when there is an imminent threat? Hell, no! I was not elected by the voters of Zapata County to be a puppet for Renato Ramirez or any other self-serving person. Mr. Ramirez started a campaign against me on Dec. 15, 2009, when he sent me an insulting email and I responded. Renato was irritated that a sheriff ’s deputy responded to the call where he was a suspect. Renato is used to insulting and threatening people with his arrogance. I did not back down but responded to his e-mail. If anyone wants a copy of the series of e-mails between Renato and myself, feel free to send me a request for such to my e-mail address at sigig@sbcglobal.net and I will gladly send you the series of e-mails exchanged between him and me. The time has come for Zapata County residents to know the truth about Renato. Signed, Sheriff Sigi Gonzalez Jr. Zapata County
EDITORIAL
Raise debt ceiling, or else MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE
The following editorial appeared in the Kansas City Star on Thursday. ——— It shouldn’t be this hard for the two parties to agree on raising the debt ceiling to avoid a default after Aug. 2. The broad outlines of a settlement were apparent as early as late last year, when a presidential commission issued a report calling, among other things, for a reformed tax system with fewer loopholes and lower top rates. This approach drew support from key members of both parties. More recently, former President Bill Clinton seized on it in suggesting that it can help leverage a debt-ceiling deal and improve the competitiveness of American business.
Adjustments Currently, America’s top corporate tax rate stands at 35 percent and is one of the highest in the world. But the tax fails to pull in revenue anything close to that proportion of corporate income. Clinton has borrowed from the debt commission’s approach, suggesting that loopholes be eliminated and the rate lowered to the mid-20s. It’s a fine idea and it could open the door to settling other issues. At least in principle, the two sides have already agreed
on close to $2 trillion in spending cuts over the next decade.
Agreement a must As the stakes rise and the deadline approaches, both sides should accept the need for compromise. President Barack Obama should accept that if loopholes are to vanish, the rates must fall. Republicans should accept that new revenue has to be a part of any settlement. The debt commission proposal of last year cut loopholes and lowered rates, but it also called for more revenue. Nevertheless, it still won the endorsement of fiscal hawks such as Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma.
Tax adjustments Coburn and others endorsing the plan recognized that the nation’s fiscal position is truly dire, that major steps must be taken to avoid the trap into which countries like Greece have fallen. If our tax code can be made more competitive as part of the process, that’s all to the good. Raising the debt ceiling is a must-do imperative. So it would help greatly if the players on both sides would start focusing less on Election Day in November 2012 and more on Aug. 2, when we run the risk of an unprecedented default on the national debt.
COLUMN
Fracking benefits the economy By JOHN E. SUNUNU THE BOSTON GLOBE
E
nlightened moments in politics are few and far between. Populism has a lot to do with it; playing to fear, anger, and other emotions is a safe move politically, and what the media love most. That’s why New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s decision to lift a ban on hydraulic fracturing — also known as ”fracking” — should be celebrated as a victory for rational thought. His administration is now preparing regulations allowing access to 85 percent of the shale gas beneath the state. This has members of the hard-core environmental lobby gnashing their teeth. Their dramatic, and often misleading, claims drove last year’s ban in the first place. Cuomo’s move also strikes a blow for states’ rights and encourages a balanced approach to energy policy — and highlights some cool engineering as well. Fracking uses highpressure fluid to crack open shale rock formations thousands of feet below the surface. The resulting fractures allow gas and oil to flow more freely and be recovered economically. In their effort to stop the practice, environmental groups raised the specter of drinking-water contamination, excessive wa-
ter use, and other supposed risks. The hyperbole about this method comes somewhat unexpected, given that the process has been around for over 50 years. Almost three decades ago, I spent the summer in a hydraulic fracture lab in a musty basement a stone’s throw from the Charles River. As a rookie, I mostly cast cement blocks used to simulate the shale formations. Researchers injected fluid into the blocks at high pressure and measured the speed at which cracks would grow. Over months of trial and error, we learned to predict and even control the direction of the cracks by putting pressure on the outside of the cement blocks. For a few weeks each year, the professor supervising the lab would head out to the field to conduct larger-scale tests on working wells. Back then, high operating costs coupled with low oil prices meant that fracking was limited to specific, high-yield areas. About five years ago, however, improvements in horizontal drilling finally came together with better simulation and monitoring of crack growth to make the entire process a big economic winner. The results have been dramatic for production of both oil and gas. During the past three years, proven reserves of shale gas have more than tripled. Estimates of recoverable
reserves in the United States have soared to over 800 trillion cubic feet — roughly 35 times America’s annual consumption — from shale gas alone. North Dakota’s Bakken oil field, a marginal producer five years ago, now pumps 400,000 barrels per day. And yet the full potential of reserves such as the Marcellus shale beneath Pennsylvania and New York still haven’t been fully measured. In New York, rhetoric came face to face with hard facts. Despite decades of use, fracking fluids — which typically contain small amounts of acids, anti-microbials, petroleum distillates, and other chemicals — have never been found to contaminate groundwater. That’s because the shale formations are typically thousands of feet down, far below aquifers and isolated by impermeable rock. Over 99 percent of the fluid used is water, but to address the potential for surface spills, most states regulate its transportation and now disclose its contents. The environmental records of both the process and the gas it produces are pretty strong, but the economics are even more compelling. Job creation and tax collections in Pennsylvania counties producing shale gas have increased significantly during the past three years. Their neighbors have not fared so well. Gov. Tom Corbett
calls the investment boom, started under Democratic Gov. Ed Rendell, ”the foundation of a new economy.” New York could either ignore the economic development occurring in its own back yard or participate. Above all, this transformation is a lesson that energy policy shouldn’t pick winners and losers. No Senate committee or presidential order declared natural gas ”the energy of the future” (that would be hydrogen, cellulosic ethanol, carbon-free coal, and unicorn tears). Gas is cleaner than coal or oil, but as a fossil fuel, it still makes purists wince. Some critics even use today’s low natural gas prices as a knock against fracking. In other words, high fossil fuel prices are a reason to subsidize renewable energy production, but low fossil fuel prices are a reason not to invest in fossil fuel production. Please, let them invest. Against these odds, a mostly sensible outcome has been reached. Fracking will go forward in New York. The industry will continue to innovate, improve productivity, and reduce production costs. Consumers will benefit, the economy will grow, and America will use more natural gas. And that, in the end, will drive the environmental lobby crazy. (John E. Sununu is a former US senator from New Hampshire.)
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 name-call-
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
ing 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.
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Former first lady Betty Ford dies By MIKE HOUSEHOLDER ASSOCIATED PRESS
DETROIT — Betty Ford, the former first lady whose triumph over drug and alcohol addiction became a beacon of hope for addicts and the inspiration for her Betty Ford Center, has died, a family friend said Friday. She was 93. Mrs. Ford’s death was confirmed by Marty Allen, chairman emeritus of the Ford Foundation. He did not comment further, and said he expected the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum would release information later. Betty Ford, whose husband, Gerald, died in December 2006, had undergone surgery for an undisclosed ailment in April 2007. During and after her years in the White House, 1974 to 1977, Mrs. Ford won acclaim for her candor, wit and courage as she fought breast cancer, severe arthritis and the twin addictions of drugs and alcohol. She also pressed for abortion rights and the Equal Rights Amendment. But it was her Betty Ford Center, a desert oasis
AP file photo
In this Jan. 4, 1949 photograph, Rep. Gerald R. Ford Jr. of the Fifth Michigan District and his wife Betty Ford stand on the inaugural stands in Lansing, Mich. A family friend said Betty Ford died Friday at the age of 93. that rescued celebrities and ordinary people from addiction, that made her famous in her own right. She was modest about that accomplishment. “People who get well often say, ‘You saved my life,’ and ‘You’ve turned my life around,”’ she recalled.
CHASE Continued from Page 1A up to 90 mph through San Ygnacio. Zapata County deputies set up spikes in an area near Ramireño. The spikes caused the fleeing driver to veer off road onto private property, not far from Arroyo Zopilote. “Due to the deployment of spikes, we were able to disable the vehicle and capture the individual,” Gutierrez said. Left with no choice, the driver abandoned his truck and tried running into the brush. But Zapata County deputies caught up to him minutes later, Gutierrez said. No injuries were reported during the chase. Upon further investigation, a Webb County sheriff ’s K-9 unit alerted to the odor of narcotics, which were located in an exterior
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fuel tank in the rear of the truck. Deputies discovered 120 bundles of marijuana concealed inside the tank. The bundles had a total weight of 603 pounds and an estimated street value of $108,540. Officials identified the man as Manuel Garcia Castañeda, 32, of Camargo, in the state of Tamaulipas, Mexico, across the border from Rio Grande City. He was charged with evading arrest with a vehicle, aggravated assault of a public servant using a motor vehicle and possession of marijuana. The man remained at the Webb County Jail under no bond. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
“They don’t realize we merely provided the means for them to do it themselves and that’s all. “That’s a God-given gift as far as I’m concerned. I don’t take any credit for providing anything that wasn’t provided to me.” After the former presi-
dent died Dec. 26, 2006, at age 93, his widow said: “His life was filled with love of God, his family and his country.” They had been married in 1948, the same year he was elected to Congress. As she and their children led the nation in
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mourning him, Americans were reminded anew of her own contributions, as well as his. It was calculated then that the Betty Ford Center had treated 76,000 people. “It’s hard to imagine a more important figure in the substance abuse field than Mrs. Ford,” Rick Rawson, associate director of the integrated substance abuse program at the University of California at Los Angeles, said at the time. She and her husband had retired to Rancho Mirage after he lost a bruising presidential race to Jimmy Carter in 1976. She went to work on her memoirs, “The Times of My Life,” which came out in 1979. But the social whirlwind that engulfed them in Washington was over, and Betty Ford confessed that she missed it. “We had gone into the campaign to win and it was a great disappointment losing, particularly by such a small margin,” she said. “It meant changing my whole lifestyle after 30 years in Washington, and it was quite a traumatic experience.”
THE BLOTTER DWI Anthony Charo Flores was arrested July 1 and charged with driving while intoxicated, refusal. The man was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail. Eduardo Isidro Benavides was arrested July 2 and charged with driving while intoxicated. He was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail. Juan Garcia Garcia was arrested July 2 and charged with driving while intoxicated. Deputies took the man to Zapata Regional Jail.
POSSESSION Raul Rene Villarreal was arrested Wednesday and charged with possession of drug paraphernalia. The man was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail.
PUBLIC INTOXICATION Mario Medina was arrested Wednesday and charged with public intoxication. He was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail.
TERRORISTIC THREAT Rafael Rendon Jr. was arrested and charged with terroristic threat Thursday. He was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail.
Zentertainment
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
Karma hosts Urban fest Sunday By EMILIO RÁBAGO III THE ZAPATA TIMES
Just like in the word urban, “u” is the first letter of unity, something DJ 2 Dope Dave is doing Sunday during the 2nd Annual Urban Festival. Since he was in high school, DJ 2 Dope Dave — known to his family as David Perez — set his mind to bring new things to Laredo and changing the culture a bit. The mall store owner is organizing a large-scale, “new-age” festival aimed at highlighting current trends, local talent and uniting people. Sunday’s Urban Festival, set for inside and outside Karma Lounge and Señor Toros, 9802 McPherson, will merge several urban cultures by bringing together different artists — musicians and otherwise. “There’s no separation of crowds anymore,” he said. “Nowadays, it’s OK to wear tight pants and listen to hip hop. You can skate and listen to reggaeton.” As he sees it, Laredo is growing and becoming more open-minded about many things, including subcultures. The event will include a variety of attractions, including a car show, live rock music, rap performances, live graffiti, skateboarding, dance crew performances, a rap battle, a B-Boy competition and local clothing lines on display.
Photos by Hugo Muñoz | Special to the Times
Sunday’s 2nd Annual Urban Festival at Karma Lounge, 9802 McPherson, will feature a cross of urban cultures with live rock and hip hop music, live graffiti artists, a car show, skateboarders and food.
Special host Hosting the festival will be Houston’s Chingo Bling, the rapper/comedian known for his outrageousbut-funny commentary and songs. The “Tamale Kingpin,” as he calls himself, hosts events across Texas and will during the entire festival. “He’s going to be interacting with the crowd and perform as well,” Perez said. Chingo Bling promoted the festival on the social networking site Twitter, as well as with a video on YouTube. “Laredo, the ‘Ghetto Vaquero’ will be there,” he says on the video. Bling normally wears his unique Nike ostrich boots and cowboy hat, coupled with a big gold chain and T-shirt — an outfit that has become
his signature. Bling will be upstairs at Karma, along with the rap artists and booth vendors. The car show will be outside, as will the skateboarding and live art, while three DJs spin the latest music. The rock bands will perform at Señor Toros.
Family fun “We encourage families to come out and see what the kids are doing these days,” Perez said. “I just want to encourage kids to follow their passion, whether it be skating, rockin’, rapping, creating art, deejaying, break dancing, or fixing up a car.” He said the festival will highlight merging lifestyles, demonstrating the money, time and effort these artists have invested
in their hobbies and dreams. “This is the way kids express themselves on the streets,” Perez said. The parking area of the shopping center will be closed off, housing numerous show cars, including classics and newer models. Food booths will be set up both inside and outside. “We’re here to motivate the kids so they can stay on it,” he said. “Hobbies like these are just as important as joining a sports team.” The festival is open to all ages. It starts at noon and ends at 7 p.m. (Emilio Rábago III may be reached at 728-2564 or erabago@lmtonline.com. You can follow him on Twitter: @3milio956)
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
COMING UP John Michael Montgomery in Laredo? Country music superstar John Michael Montgomery is set to perform in Laredo in August, according to Pollstar.com. He is known for his hits such as “I Swear,” a country single of the year in 1994, and “Sold,” also a year’s best in 1995. The Kentucky native will perform at the Laredo International Fair and Exposition Grounds/Pavilion. Other popular songs by Montgomery are “I Love the Way You Love Me,” “I Can Love You Like That,” “The Little Girl” and “Be My Baby Tonight.” His website also has the Friday, Aug. 19, date listed after some tour stops in California.
‘Rapunzel’ starts Wednesday at LLT The Laredo Little Theatre announced that this year’s traditional summer children’s play will be “Let Your Hair Down Rapunzel.” The musical is based on the book written by Karen Boettche-Tate, and the music and lyrics are by Scott DeTurk. Performance dates are set for July 13, 14 and 15 at
8 p.m. On Saturday, July 16, performances will be at 3 p.m. and at 8 p.m. There will be one final performance, a matinee slated for 3 p.m. Sunday, July 17. Maria Eugenia Lopez is directing, with Alma Rangel as assistant director. The Laredo Little Theatre is at 4802 Thomas. For more information, call 723-1342.
‘Annie’ is next LTGI play The Laredo Theatre Guild International is gearing up for its summer production, which will be “Annie,” the Tony Awardwinning musical. The production begins Thursday, July 14, at the Laredo Community College’s Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center Theatre. “Annie,” a famous Broadway musical, will be directed by Vernon Carroll and produced by Joe Arciniega, and will feature Andrea “Andy” Diaz as “Annie.” Show dates are Thursday, July 14 to Saturday, July 16 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, July 17 at 3 p.m. The shows will be repeated at 8 p.m. July 21-23 and 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 24. For more information, call 319-8610. — The Zapata Times
SÁBADO 9 DE JULIO DE 2011
Agenda en Breve SÁBADO 9 DE JULIO LAREDO — Diócesis de Laredo invita a la XXI Conferencia Católica Carismática de Evangelización de 8 a.m. a 10 p.m. en el Auditorio del Centro Cívico de Laredo, 2400 San Bernardo. Donación: 15 dólares para mayores de 16 años; 7 dólares, para menores de 15 años. Evento continúa el domingo 10 de julio de 8 a.m. a 5 p.m. LAREDO — Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y disfrute “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” a las 5 p.m., “Earth, Moon, and Sun” a las 6 p.m. y “Stars of the Pharaohs” a las 7 p.m.Costo: 5 dólares. NUEVO LAREDO, México — Musicorum presenta la película “El Violinista que vino del mar” a las 4 p.m. en Estación Palabra. NUEVO LAREDO, México — El Pastor John Henry “El Chino” Millan , ex sicario de Pablo Escobar en Colombia, ofrecerá una conferencia hoy a las 7:30 p.m. en el Parque de Béisbol de la Nueva Ciudad Deportiva. Entrada gratis. Otra presentación el 10 de julio, misma hora y lugar.
DOMINGO 10 DE JULIO LAREDO — Nora Velázquez “Chabelita” se presenta a las 8 p.m. de hoy en el auditorio del Laredo Civic Center. Informes al (956) 222-2687. Boletos a la venta en: San Ramon Record Shop, Guadalupe Music Store, y en el Civic Center de Laredo.
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PÁGINA 7A
CARRETERAS SON PROYECTO PRINCIPAL DE GOBIERNO ESTATAL
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Ampliando conexiones
Familiares reciben cuerpos de migrantes
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
CD. VICTORIA, México — Dos magnas obras para el sistema carretero de Tamaulipas mejorarán las rutas terrestres de la entidad. Por un lado está el denominado “Corredor Económico Interoceánico del Norte” y el segundo es la ampliación del corredor metropolitano Reynosa-Río Bravo. La Secretaría de Obras Públicas anunció la semana pasada que con inversión de 31 millones de pesos se continuarán los trabajos para ampliar 2.15 kilómetros de la carretera Reynosa-Río Bravo, mediante lo cual se detonará el desarrollo de la región fronteriza. Se trata de recursos del Fondo Metropolitano. El Subsecretario de Transporte de la Secretaría de Obras Públicas, Genaro Torres Taboada, dijo que la ampliación será de seis a 10 carriles en el tramo comprendido entre la carretera salida a Ciudad Victoria y el entronque a la salida al puente internacional Reynosa-Pharr. “En breve se iniciará la segunda etapa que sumada a la etapa anterior, representa un avance del 90 por ciento”, dijo
EGIDIO TORRE CANTÚ: Mostró optimismo ante corredor Mazatlán-Matamoros. Torres Taboada. “Con ello serán casi cuatro kilómetros en la ampliación de este corredor metropolitano, el cual agilizará el tráfico vehicular”. Según el reporte de la SOP, se estima que por este tramo pasan un promedio de 20,000 vehículos diarios, mientras que con la ampliación a 10 carriles (cinco de ida y cinco de regreso), se brindará mayor fluidez y seguridad a los automovilistas. En cuanto al “Corredor Económico Interoceánico del Norte” se trata de hace realidad una ruta Mazatlán-Matamoros, según se acordó dentro de la Conferencia Nacional de Gobernadores. El corredor, que busca impulsar el desarrollo regional, está siendo analizado por un grupo de trabajo conformado por los gobernadores Rodrigo Medina de la Cruz, de Nuevo León; Jorge Torres López, de Coahuila; César Duarte Jáquez, de Chihuahua; Miguel Alonso Reyes, de Zacatecas; Jorge Herrera Caldera, de Durango; Mario López Valdez, de Sinaloa y Egidio
GENARO TORRES TABOADA: Dijo se ampliará carretera Reynosa-Río Bravo. Torre Cantú, de Tamaulipas. El corredor conectará los mercados de Asia vía el puerto de Mazatlán con los mercados de la Zona del Tratado de Libre Comercio de América del Norte, a través del puerto de Matamoros, así como con el puerto de Altamira por el Golfo de México. “Aquí hay dos cosas destacables y para la mí la más importante es la visión integral regional de los siete Gobernadores”, dijo Torre. “Estamos hablando de que queremos potenciar a nuestros Estados y queremos tener una sinergia, una alianza, para compartir lo que tenemos, nuestras virtudes y también nuestras carencias”. Con el plan Torre también espera otras acciones incluyendo la obra física, convenios, intercambio comercial, entre otros. La primera etapa contempla la mega-carretera Mazatlán-Durango. “Es la hora de poder conectarnos también a través del puerto de Mazatlán con ese gran sector que es Asia”, dijo Torre.
EDUCACIÓN
MIÉRCOLES 13 DE JULIO LAREDO — Hoy es el Barney’s Bithday Bash en Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 Arena Boulevard, a las 10:30 a.m. y 6:30 p.m. Costo: 15 y 20 dólares. Boletos en taquilla de LEA. LAREDO — Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y disfrute “The Future is Wild” a las 4 p.m. y “IBEX: Search for the Edge of the Solar System” a las 5 p.m. Costo: 3 dólares. LAREDO — Laredo Little Theatre presenta el musical “Let Your Hair Down, Rapunzel” hoy a las 8 p.m. en el 4802 avenida Thomas. Costo: 5 dólares. Otra presentación el 14 de julio y viernes 15 de julio a la misma hora y lugar. NUEVO LAREDO, México — Musicorum presenta la película “Violines en el cielo” a las 6 p.m. en Estación Palabra.
JUEVES 14 DE JULIO LAREDO — Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y disfrute “The Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” a las 4 p.m. y “New Horizons” a las 5 p.m. Costo: 3 dólares. LAREDO — Laredo Theater Guild International presenta la obra de teatro “Annie” hoy a las 8 p.m. en el teatro Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez del Laredo Community College. Costo: 15 dólares general; 10 dólares para estudiantes con ID y adultos mayores. Otra presentación el viernes 15 de julio, a la misma hora y lugar.
VIERNES 15 DE JULIO NUEVO LAREDO, México — Musicorum presenta la película “El Solista” a las 6 p.m. en Estación Palabra.
SÁBADO 16 DE JULIO LAREDO — Mercado Agrícola Centro de Laredo, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m. en Jarvis Plaza. LAREDO — El grupo duranguense Patrulla 81 se presenta hoy en Papagallos USA, 5920 San Bernardo, a las 9 p.m.
Fueron identificadas dos de las 193 víctimas de fosas. ASSOCIATED PRESS
MÉXICO — Autoridades entregaron a sus familiares los cuerpos de dos de 193 víctimas localizadas en fosas clandestinas en Tamaulipas, con lo cual suman 20 los cadáveres identificados. La Procuraduría General de la República (PGR) informó en un comunicado que los últimos dos cuerpos identificados corresponden a personas procedentes del Estado de México y de Guerrero. En abril las autoridades comenzaron a excavar fosas clandestinas en la municipalidad de San Fernando, Tamaulipas, donde encontraron 193 cadáveres, entre los que se cree había migrantes mexicanos que buscaban cruzar a Estados Unidos. Las primeras investigaciones han señalado que las víctimas eran pasajeros de autobuses que fueron secuestrados cuando se dirigían hacia la frontera norte mexicana, en un hecho atribuido al cartel de las drogas de Los Zetas. Hasta ahora han sido detenidos 81 presuntos delincuentes involucrados en los secuestros y asesinatos. La semana pasada fue detenido un presunto sicario de Los Zetas, quien declaró que uno de los propósitos de detener a las personas en los autobuses era para identificar a posibles miembros del cartel rival del Golfo. En agosto de 2010 fueron asesinados en el mismo municipio de San Fernando 72 migrantes, en su mayoría centro y sudamericanos. Los Zetas también fueron responsabilizados del crimen. El hallazgo de fosas clandestinas se ha incrementado en los últimos meses, sobre todo en el norte del país, en medio de la lucha contra el narcotráfico que mantiene el gobierno federal. La violencia atribuida al crimen organizado y el narcotráfico ha dejado más de 35.000 muertos desde diciembre del 2006.
TAMAULIPAS
Reportan actividad en frontera ASSOCIATED PRESS
Foto de cortesía | Laredo Community College
El Presidente de LCC, Juan L. Maldonado, entrega un certificado a Raquel Cervantes en Zapata Middle School el 30 de junio. Observan el Decano de LCC Sur Luciano Ramon y la instructora de Jump-Start Avon Hattfield.
PREPARADOS Alumnos se acercan a vida colegial a través de programa de LCC en Zapata POR STEVE TREVIÑO ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un grupo de 46 estudiantes de preparatoria en Zapata están un paso más cerca de estar listos para la vida en el colegio, gracias a una sociedad entre Laredo Community College y el Distrito Escolar Independiente del Condado de Zapata (ZCISD, por sus siglas en inglés). Los preparatorianos, que varían de nuevos alumnos hasta próximos a graduarse, participaron en la iniciativa JumpStart Zapata, un programa preparatorio al colegio que se prolonga durante un mes del verano, y durante el cual recibieron reforzamiento en Inglés, lectura y matemáticas. Durante tres veranos, los estudiantes se beneficiarán del curso ofrecido a través del programa Jump-Start para ayudarlos a estar listos para un curso de nivel colegio para su tercer o cuarto año. Los estudiantes concluyeron
el programa a finales de junio en la Secundaria Zapata con una ceremonia donde oficiales de ZCISD y LCC entregaron a cada participante un certificado por haber concluido el programa, además de un obsequio.
Apoyo Establecido en 2008, JumpStart es posible gracias a la Fundación Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez. La fundación ha respaldado al programa completamente por los pasados cuatro años. En la ceremonia de premios de este año, oficiales del colegio anunciaron que la fundación Martinez ha donado 125.000 dólares para continuar apoyando el programa durante el ciclo escolar 2011-2012. “Agradecemos a la fundación por el notable incremento que el programa ha recibido desde la donación del año pasado de 120.000 dólares”, dijo el Presidente de LCC, Juan L.
Maldonado. El decano de LCC del Sur, Luciano Ramon, y quien encabeza el proyecto, destacó que Jump-Start no es todo acerca de libros y estudiar. Durante la duración del programa, los estudiantes pasaron por varios días de campo incluyendo un viaje a Corpus Christi, donde visitaron al USS Lexington Museum en la Bahía y al Texas State Aquarium y antes de concluir su gira vieron un encuentro de béisbol de los Corpus Christi Hooks. Zapata County ISD y LCC tienen un acuerdo para ofrecer cursos de colegio a estudiantes de preparatoria quienes han alcanzado los requisitos para entrar al colegio. Fondos para la Fundación Martinez también apoyan la compra de libros de textos para estudiantes tomando cursos de doble crédito. Para más información acerca del programa Jump-Start, los estudiantes de Zapata pueden visitar al consejero escolar.
La Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena) emitió comunicados sobre diferentes hechos ocurridos en la primera semana de julio, en la frontera norte de Tamaulipas. El 5 de julio, en el poblado Guardados de Debajo de Miguel Alemán, México, fueron localizados 387 paquetes con cuatro toneladas 510 kilogramos de marihuana dentro de una maleta encontrada a la entrada de un pozo subterráneo. La droga fue asegurada. El 3 de julio, en la colonia Bugambilias de Reynosa, México, fueron asegurados tres automóviles, 12 armas largas, 14 armas cortas, 529 cargadores para diversas armas, 75,084 cartuchos de diferentes calibres, cuatro ontadoras de billetes, 224.776 dólares y 316.150 pesos, así como 4,699 dosis de cocaína en polvo y 4,500 dosis de cocaína en piedra, con costo aproximado en la calle de más de 1.3 millones de pesos. En un hecho independiente, el 2 de julio, un sacerdote murió durante un tiroteo en Matamoros, al recibir el impacto de una bala perdida mientras conducía su auto, informó Gabriel López Ordaz, secretario de Seguridad Pública de la ciudad. La diócesis de Matamoros expresó su “profunda consternación” por la muerte de Marco Antonio Durán Romero, párroco de la iglesia de San Roberto Belarmino. Durán fue trasladado a una clínica para ser sometido a una operación de emergencia, pero “debido a lo severo de las lesiones falleció poco después”, dijo López. Por otra parte, en un comunicado de la Secretaría de Marina (Semar) se informa que el 4 de julio en el municipio de Valle Hermoso, México, fueron asegurados dos presuntos infractores de la ley, por posesión de 2 armas largas, 920 cartuchos, cuatro granadas de fusil cal. 40 mm, 47 cargadores, 2 vehículos, 15.000 pesos, 500 dólares, equipo de comunicaciones, vestuario con las siglas C.D.G., 10 alhajas aparentemente de oro, pertrechos y otros efectos. Personas y posesiones fueron puestos a disposición del Ministerio Público. (Con información de Associated Press)
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
Four guilty of murder Victims were teens at a party By RICARDO CHAVEZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Moyses Zuniga | AP
CIUDAD JUAREZ, Mexico — Mexican judges on Thursday convicted four men of killing 15 people in a shocking attack that prompted President Felipe Calderón to alter the government’s anti-drug strategy in the area. The victims of what became known as the Villa Salvarcar massacre were mainly teenagers at a birthday party in a working-class part of Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso. At least eight others were wounded in the attack on Jan. 30, 2010. The three judges will
sentence Juan Alfredo Soto, Aldo Fabio Hernandez, Jose Dolores Arroyo and Heriberto Martinez on Monday. Prosecutors are seeking more than 100 years in prison each. Three suspects remain at large. The conviction was reached at the end of an oral trial, which is rare in high-profile legal cases in Mexico, where most murder cases go unsolved. Witnesses and relatives said armed men in two trucks blocked off a dead end street in Villas de Salvarcar, a neighborhood of modest cinderblock homes, and opened fire at three houses. They ended their rampage at a home where young people had been gathered for a party.
People who saw the gunmen open fire were initially afraid to testify and had to be convinced to do so by social workers. The shooting sparked an outcry, with Ciudad Juarez’s mayor saying the victims were “good kids” and the parents saying they had no ties to drug gangs. Calderón visited Juarez days after the massacre to announce that he was increasing public funding in schools, hospitals and other social programs as part of a shift from a purely law-enforcement approach. But drug violence continues to ravage Ciudad Juarez, considered the epicenter of Calderón’s drug war. More than 3,100 people were killed in 2010 in
the sprawling border city. Gunbattles between security forces and criminal gangs take place often in violence-plagued regions of Mexico. In the western state of Michoacan, federal police said late Thursday that presumed drug gang members shot at officers, who repelled the attack and killed four alleged criminals and wounded another in the city of Apatzingan. Police said the gunmen were members of the Knights Templar, a criminal organization that split off from La Familia cartel, a cult-like drug gang. After the confrontation, drug gang members set fire to trailers, buses, pickup trucks and other vehicles to block highways.
A man stands next to two pre-Hispanic stone sculptures that were recently found in the archeological site of Tonina near Ocosingo, Mexico, on Wednesday. The 1,300-year-old limestone sculptures could shed light on the alliances and wars among Mayan citie.
Mexico finds two Mayan statues By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — Mexican archaeologists have found two 1,300-year-old limestone sculptures of captured Mayan warriors that they say could shed light on the alliances and wars among Mayan cities during the civilization’s twilight. The life-size, elaborate sculptures of two warriors sitting cross-legged with hands tied behind their backs were found in May in the archaeological site of Tonina in southern Chiapas state along with two stone ballgame scoreboards. The 5-foot tall sculptures have hieroglyphic inscriptions on their loincloths and chest that say the warriors belonged to Copan. Archaeologist Juan Yadeun Yadeun said the discovery proves warriors from Copan helped those in Palenque during the city’s’ 26-year war against Tonina for control of the Usumacinta river. “The finding of the two captives of Copan is physical evidence that corroborates (the city’s) alliance with Palenque in its fight against Tonina,” he said. Yauden said that from A.D. 688 to 714 Tonina and Palenque fought over watershed that fed the Usumacinta river, which marks the boundary between Mexico and Guatemala. Many experts have pointed to internal warfare between Mayan city states or environmental degradation as possible causes of the Maya’s downfall starting around A.D. 820. One of the warrior sculptures is complete and the figure has fabric strips in its ears instead of the traditional earmuffs warriors wore, a characteristic element of carvings of prisoners. The other warrior is missing its head, Yauden said. Archaeologists found the sculptures and scoreboards at the southern end of Tonina’s ballcourt. The inscriptions also show the captive warriors were used as offerings along with fire and incense smoke during a celebration at the field around A.D. 695, Yadeun said. The Maya believed temples had a life of their own and were “born” when they were inaugurated and that
is why blood had to be spilled during the opening ceremony to mark their birth, the archaeologist said. “The Copan prisoners were possibly used during the inauguration ritual of the second phase of adorning the ballcourt so they could give ‘life’ to the structure,” Yadeun said. It was around the time of conflict with Palenque that Tonina’s Maya leaders consecrated the ballcourt to battles fought and victories won and new scoreboards were made, Yauden said. The scoreboards found also have inscriptions that refer to Copan’s kingdom, Yauden said. Archaeologists not connected with the dig heralded the finding, but expressed caution about concluding the sculptures are proof that distant Copan was a direct player in the battles between Palenque and Tonina. “Although Tonina is known for the virtuosity of its sculptors in depicting the human form and for its many images of captives, this new discovery ... is extraordinary,” wrote Susan Gillespie, an archaeologist at the University of Florida. “These texts and the sculptures themselves are helping to write a history of the various allegiances, battles, defeats, acts of capture and sacrifice that embroiled the competitive Maya capitals in the Late Classic period.” David Stuart, a specialist in Mayan epigraphy at the University of Texas at Austin who saw photos of the sculptures, disagreed with Yauden’s conclusions. “Copan is not being referenced in any way,” Stuart wrote. “Perhaps there’s more evidence I’m still unaware of, but these two statues refer to prisoners already known from other Tonina inscriptions, and I suspect they are more local to the Chiapas region,” he added. Stuart said the main purpose of the sculptures was to commemorate a dedication of the ballcourt at Tonina on June 27, 696. “The prisoner depicted in the well-preserved portrait was captured on Oct. 2, 692. I see this as good evidence that he, like other important elite captives, was probably kept around for a time before being sacrificed,” Stuart added.
Photo by David J. Phillip | AP
Jamie Leigh Jones, center, listens to a question along with her husband, Kallan Daigle, right, and attorney Todd Kelly, left, outside the federal courthouse Tuesday in Houston. Opening statements began Tuesday in the civil lawsuit filed by Jones, a female ex-contractor who claims she was raped by co-workers in Iraq in 2005 while employed by a former Halliburton Co. subsidiary and then held against her will when she tried to report the assault.
Woman loses suit against KBR ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — A woman says she is “devastated and shocked” upon losing her lawsuit against military contractor KBR Inc. after telling jurors she was drugged and raped in Iraq. A Houston federal jury on Friday rejected the claims by Jamie Leigh Jones. She said she was raped in 2005 while working for KBR at Camp Hope in Baghdad. She sued KBR, its former parent Halliburton Co., and a former KBR firefighter she identified as one of her attackers. Jones told The Associated Press the civil trial
wasn’t a fair fight. Jones said she felt she lost because the jury wasn’t allowed to hear details of her attacker’s past. That man said the sex was consensual, and jurors agreed. The case was investigated but no criminal charges were filed. The woman’s attorney told a federal jury Thursday that KBR turned a blind eye toward sexual harassment by its contract workers in Iraq, leading to the rape of one of its female workers. Jones sued the Houstonbased military contractor, its Houston-based former parent Halliburton Co., and Charles Bortz, whom
she named as the man who led an attack in Baghdad in 2005. The Houston Chronicle reported her attorney, Ron Estefan, asked jurors to award her up to 5 percent of KBR’s net worth in actual or punitive damages — more than $114 million. “It’s a lot of money, but it’s a lot of harm that was caused,” he told jurors. Estefan also said during closing arguments that KBR failed to enforce sexual harassment policies for years, and that neglect led to the rape of his client. Attorneys for KBR and Bortz told jurors Jones fabricated the allegations. “I know it might make a
better manuscript ... to tell the story that Jamie was gang-raped and locked in a shipping container, but I am asking you to reject that fiction,” defense attorney Joanne Vorpahl told jurors Thursday. Bortz and his attorney, Andrew T. McKinney, asserted that Bortz and Jones had consensual sex. McKinney said Jones fabricated the account of being drugged and raped out of fear of gossip among camp co-workers. “The beauty of having no memory is that you don’t have to explain what you did and why you did it,” McKinney told jurors Thursday.
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
JOSE GUADALUPE GARCIA Jose Guadalupe Garcia, 83, passed away Monday, July 4, 2011, at Laredo Medical Center. Mr. Garcia is preceded in death by a grandson, Severo Villarreal III; brothers Fabian (Maria Luisa) Garcia, Victoriano Garcia, Dionicio Garcia and Reymundo Garcia; sisters Rosaura (Juan) Sandoval, Maria (Raul) Barrera, Otalia (Manuel) Barrera, Herminia (Efrain) Guerra; and a brother-in-law, Reynaldo De La Cruz. Mr. Garcia is survived by his wife, Maria Juana B. Garcia; sons: Jose Guadalupe Jr. (Oralia) Garcia, Manuel E. (Martha) Garcia and Javier R. (Rhonda) Garcia; daughters: Sanjuanita (Oscar) Torres, Margarita (Severo Jr.) Vil-
larreal, Carmen (Jerry) Fasci and Maria (Lorenzo) Guerra; 25 grandchildren; 13 great-grandchildren; brother Eduardo Garcia; sisters Paula (Librado) De La Cruz and Juanita De La Cruz; and by numerous nephews, nieces and many friends. Visitation hours were
PEDRO NAVARRO
Wednesday, July 6, 2011, from 6 to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Thursday, July 7, 2011, at 9:30 for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Refuge Catholic Church in San Ygnacio. Committal services followed at Panteon Del Pueblo in San Ygnacio. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 Highway 83, Zapata.
Pedro Navarro, 63, passed away Monday, July 4, 2011, at Laredo Medical Center. Mr. Navarro is preceded in death by his brothers Fernando (Beatriz) Navarro, Santiago Navarro and Baldomero Navarro; and sisters, Adelina N. Cacique and Sylvia N. Ramirez. Mr. Navarro is survived his sons: Rogelio Navarro and Pedro Navarro Jr.; daughters: Maribel (Johnny) Gonzalez, Maria Elena Navarro and Jessica (Guillermo III) Ramirez; grandchildren: Rogelio Jr. (Lucy) Navarro, Alex, Brandon, Ayleen, Arnoldo, Carlitos, Natalia Navarro, Pedro III (Erika) Navarro, Crystal, Albert Navarro, Jerry Guzman
Jr., Johnny Jr., Xander, Kaelynn Gonzalez, Andrea Gonzalez, Jorge, Delisa Rodriguez, Alyssa and Guillermo IV Ramirez; great-grandchildren: Rogelio Roel Navarro and Janalie Navarro; brothers Raul Navarro and Zaragoza Navarro; brothers-inlaw: Raul Cacique and Ra-
miro Ramirez; sister-inlaw, Manuela Navarro; and by numerous other family members. Visitation hours were held Wednesday, July 6, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. with a Mass at 10:30 a.m. at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 Highway 83, Zapata.
‘Light this fire’ says shuttle chief at liftoff By MARCIA DUNN ASSOCIATED PRESS
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — With a cry from its commander to “light this fire one more time,” the last shuttle thundered into orbit Friday on a cargo run that will close out three decades of both triumph and tragedy for NASA and usher in a period of uncertainty for America’s space program. After some last-minute suspense over the weather and a piece of launch-pad equipment, Atlantis and its four astronauts blasted off practically on schedule at 11:29 a.m., pierced a shroud of clouds and settled flawlessly into orbit in front of a crowd estimated at close to 1 million, the size of the throng that watched Apollo 11 shoot the moon in 1969. It was the 135th shuttle flight since the inaugural mission in 1981. “Let’s light this fire one more time, Mike, and witness this great nation at its best,” Atlantis commander Christopher Ferguson told launch director Mike Leinbach just before liftoff. Atlantis’ crew will dock with the International Space Station on Sunday, deliver a year’s worth of critical supplies to the orbiting outpost, and bring the trash home. The shuttle is scheduled to land back on Earth on July 20 after 12 days in orbit, though the flight is likely to be extended to a 13th day. After Atlantis’ return, it will be lights out for the shuttle program. Thousands of workers will be laid off within days. The spaceship will become a museum piece like the two other surviving shuttles, Discovery and Endeavour. And NASA will leave the business of building and flying rockets to private companies while it turns its attention to sending humans to an asteroid by about 2025 and Mars a decade after that. It will be at least three years — possibly five or more — before astronauts are launched again from U.S. soil. Leinbach said that as Atlantis disappeared in the clouds, he and a friend in the control center put
Photo by Chris O’Meara | AP
their arms around each other and said: “We’ll never see that again.” Inside the room, “it seemed like we didn’t want to leave,” Leinbach said. “It was like the end of a party, and you just don’t want to go, you just want to hang around a little bit longer and relish our friends and what we’ve accomplished. So it was very special, lots of pats on the back today.” The space shuttle was conceived even as the moon landings were under way, deemed essential for building a permanent space station. NASA brashly promised 50 flights a year — in other words, routine trips into space — and affordable service. Shuttle crews built the International Space Station, repaired
The space shuttle Atlantis lifts off from the Kennedy Space Center on Friday in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Atlantis is the 135th and final space shuttle launch for NASA. several satellites in orbit and, in a feat that captured the public’s imagination, fixed the Hubble Space Telescope’s blurry vision, enabling it to see deeper into the cosmos than ever before. But the program suffered two tragic accidents that killed 14 astronauts and destroyed two shuttles, Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003. NASA never managed more than nine flights in a single year. And the total tab was $196 billion, or $1.45 billion a flight. The space shuttle demonstrates America’s leadership in space, and “for us to abandon that in favor of nothing is a mistake of strategic proportions,” la-
mented former NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, who led the agency from 2005 to 2008. In a pep talk Friday to his launch control team, the current NASA chief, former shuttle commander Charles Bolden, said: “We know what we’re doing. We know how to get there. We’ve just got to convince everybody else that we know what we’re doing.” After days of gloomy forecasts full of rain, lightning and heavy cloud cover, Atlantis lifted off just 2 1/2 minutes late but was visible for only 42 seconds before vanishing into the clouds. In the final minutes of the countdown, NASA bent its own rules regarding rain in the vicin-
ity to allow the launch to go forward. In the end, the liftoff was delayed not by the weather but by the need to verify that a piece of launch pad equipment was retracted all the way. Spectators jammed Cape Canaveral and surrounding towns for the emotional farewell. Kennedy Space Center itself was packed with shuttle workers, astronauts and 45,000 invited guests. Among the notables on the guest list: a dozen members of Congress, Cabinet members, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, four Kennedy family members, singers Jimmy Buffett and Gloria Estefan, and two former NASA chiefs.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
MIER Continued from Page 1A A PGR report states soldiers arrested Castillo Platas on April 8 after an armed confrontation on a rural road near Los Arcos and a pond called Las Blancas, northeast of Ciudad Mier. Reports did not specify if anybody got hurt or killed. According to reports, Castillo Platas had a loaded .223-caliber firearm. Federal authorities say they seized an armored vehicle, other firearms, ammo clips, a bulletproof vest and grenades. All items seized were used as evidence and later used to obtain the sentencing of Castillo Plata. He is expected to serve his sentence in the Reynosa prison Centro de Ejecución y Sanciones. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
WRESTLING Continued from Page 1A night. “I’m surprised at how long they’ve been able to hold the crowd’s attention,” remarked spectator Mike Herrera. The wrestlers put on an uproarious show for the dedicated fans. Tensions ran high as wrestlers resurrected old rivalries and confronted new betrayals. “I lost my title to a cheater who was my friend!” yelled one wrestler, Madness, to the crowd about former partner Nikon. Spartan and Nikon, having forged a new partnership, showed no mercy for those caught in their path of destruction. When event organizer Mike Delgado, chaplain for the Marine Corp League, stepped into the ring to referee a match, he was greeted by shouts of “U.S.A.! U.S.A.!” After returning from his refereeing duties, Delgado, who was in the Army, discussed his eagerness to join
the Marine Corp League upon realizing he could be an associate member. That was three years ago. “I’ve always been very patriotic,” he said. Based on the chorus of chants, his fans are as well. A highlight of the evening was the vicious match between Psycho and Madness, who took their rage outside the ring with Psycho throwing his opponent into the metal guardrails and Madness throwing Psycho into the chairs where fans cheered. During intermission, children lined up to take pictures with their favorite wrestler. Though the fans’ dedication to their favorite wrestler was obvious, what may not have been so obvious was that the wrestlers themselves are fans. “Everyone has their own inspiration … I grew up more lucha libre … like Rey Mysterio. Character-wise? The Rock and Stone Cold,”
said Ponchis, one wrestler who inflicted his share of pain in the ring. “There’s no way anyone would do this if they didn’t love wrestling. It takes passion, heart and dedication.” This definitely translated to the crowd in a match between Ace and Iron Storm that had even the most placid viewer up on his feet in disbelief. The opponents gave “outside the ring” a new meaning as Ace dragged Iron Storm into the bleachers with their fans. In retaliation, Iron Storm beat Ace with a small fan’s toy. The night ended with a fight the crowd had been waiting for — the Battle Royal, with all the wrestlers. In addition to those mentioned, they included Panda, El Vampiro Rojo, Texas Joe, Cowboy and many more, joining in on the rampage inside the ring. When the night drew to a close, the wrestlers, always appreciative, took pictures
with the real reason LWA exists: the community. Chavarria founded the LWA after helping Laredo organization De Anda Productions as a way to give back to the community. He, like all the LWA wrestlers, has been a wrestling fan since he was young. “My dad was actually the one who turned on the TV one day. I remember it was the Road Warriors,” Chavarria said. This is where his passion for wrestling began. The LWA lets wrestling fans have a shot at making the dream come true. “We’re nobody to tell you ‘no.’ We’re not going to deny your opportunity to live your dream,” Ponchis said. “If you want to try it, get in the ring.” LWA has three female wrestlers, and Ponchis said the organization is looking to recruit more. “(We’re) not going to get anything out of it but
pride,” Chavarria elaborated. Delgado met Chavarria through the VA Clinic, where Chavarria works as a security guard. Chavarria asked Delgado about the funds raised from 2010’s Marine Relay Race. When Delgado mentioned they hadn’t raised much, he volunteered to host a show in Zapata and split the funds with him. “He said, ‘Find me a building, and we’ll do a show,’” Delgado said. The county lent the building for free. The response to the event, as the 500-person attendance shows, was tremendous. “We’re trying to bring them down again. The community’s been asking for them since the day afterwards,” Delgado said. Delgado plans to bring LWA back to Zapata within the next three months, and Chavarria has the next event planned for July 30.
brick and mortar space in a location, one location. We need that, but the church — the people of God — are the living stones who I am trying to say, ‘Look and see, it is you, it is me, it is the Diocese of Laredo.’ “And those living stones don’t stay in one place. They go to the workplace, live in neighborhoods, have a home and a family, and those stones need to be strengthened and made strong. When you see a
building come together, you find strength and support when it is supporting one another. That shows the works in construction are visible. When we, the living stones, the people of God, stand side by side and come together for a major mass like this one, all of us together can say with God, all things are possible.” (Valerie Godines-Fitzgerald can be reached at 7282557 or at vfitzgerald@lmtonline.com)
BISHOP Continued from Page 1A Mass begins at 10:30 a.m. but doors open at 9 a.m. At 9:30 a.m. there will be music. The event is free. The slogan for the event is “10 for 10.” “I am using that as a good catch phrase because we are concluding the 10th anniversary year and as followers of Jesus, he told us to go out to all the world and share the good news and tell them of God’s love. I am saying to people as disciples, invite 10 of your friends, family members, coworkers to celebrate our anniversary so they recognize the joy, the faith, the love that I celebrate is not just for me but all of God’s people,” the bishop said. The Diocese of Laredo was founded on July 3, 2000. According to the diocese’s website, it has a Catholic population of 289,415, including 52 priests, 32 deacons, and 32 parishes. When Zapata was part of
the Diocese of Corpus Christi years ago, the altar servers couldn’t participate as much in diocesan activities because the diocese was so far away, recalls Fred Lopez, who belongs to Our Lady of Lourdes Church in Zapata. “Being part of the Laredo Diocese is much nicer and better because we can take over 90 percent of our altar servers to the altar server mass in Laredo. Very few would go to the mass in Corpus Christi. It was too far away,” Lopez said. And Zapata has more in common with Laredo, he noted. “We’re here on the border, and in Corpus Christi, on the coastal bend, they just couldn’t relate,” he said. Last year on Aug. 9, the diocese celebrated 10 years and during that time, the bishop declared a diocesan year to focus on unity and identity.
This past year, the diocese had listening sessions throughout the seven counties — one-time sessions that lasted close to two hours. “We heard the people as they spoke of their dreams, their hopes for being a church, for being a diocese, the challenges that they face in their life and as people of faith and believers,” Tamayo said. “A lot of what the people were saying is, ‘We need to know the diocese.’ The diocese sometimes works too quietly. It doesn’t toot its own horn. It is present but they don’t sometimes see and observe and they want to know what benefits we receive from the diocese, how is the diocese a part of our local community. “We want to try and renew that unity and that sense of oneness with those communities by reminding our staff and myself as bish-
op that we need to be out there. “Laredo is the name of where the bishop lives and where the cathedral is but the diocese is seven counties and the bishop needs to be in seven counties and the services of the diocese needs to be in those counties. That is what I heard,” the bishop said. Parishioners also talked about cultural challenges of the day — maintaining family values and keeping the church current for the youth, who inquired how the church could better communicate through tools such as Facebeook and Twitter. “With all of the things we listened to we have developed a vision that can carry us into the next 10 years, the next five years as a diocesan family,” said Tamayo. “The church is known by many people as the building, but that is a concrete
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors ATHLETICS
MLB
FAN DIES AFTER FALL
The Zapata Times photo
Zapata ISD athletic director Mario Arce says the district’s athletic department has not been too drastically affected by recent state budget cuts.
Zapata tightens budget AD says student impact will be light
Photo by Jeffery Washington | AP
Police and fans look over the railing where a fan fell from the stands during the second inning of a baseball game between the Texas Rangers and the Oakland Athletics, Thursday, in Arlington. Shannon Stone, a 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood, died at a hospital Thursday night, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said.
Rangers still in shock after accident ASSOCIATED PRESS
A
RLINGTON — Reigning AL MVP Josh Hamilton grabbed the foul ball that ricocheted into left field and tossed it into the stands, as he has countless times before. Shannon Stone caught the ball but tumbled over a railing and plunged 20 feet onto concrete below, right in front of his 6-year-old son
“
As an organization, and as our team members and our staff, we’re very heavy-hearted about this, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.” TEAM PRESIDENT NOLAN RYAN
By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
The school budget has been on everyone’s mind this year due to the recent announcement that they are going to have their budgets cut by millions of dollars by the state government. School districts are no longer going to receive the normal amount they have grown accustomed to and will be looking to slash their budgets in all departments. High school sports budgets are not immune to the cash shortages for the upcoming year, and some school districts have cut equipment budgets, traveling out of town and even taken away a student-athlete’s meal money per athletic outing. Some districts have gone as far as only allowing 12 varsity players for a volleyball team to travel to out of town games and have limited the number of junior varsity and freshmen players to 10. Zapata ISD, just like every other school district, has
See RANGERS PAGE 2B
NBA
Yao announces retirement Oft injured Rockets star calls it quits ASSOCIATED PRESS
See BUDGET PAGE 2B
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Hawks take to the air in Laredo’s 7-on-7 league
Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
The Houston Rockets’ Yao Ming (11) has announced his retirement from the NBA, according to a Yahoo! Sports report.
HOUSTON — Houston Rockets center Yao Ming is retiring, according to a report by Yahoo! Sports. The 7-foot-6 Chinese star, plagued by lower-body injuries in the second half of his career, has informed the league office that his playing career is over, the website reported. The Rockets declined to comment on the report because of the lockout, and the NBA has not received official retirement paperwork from Yao. Yao’s contract expired after last season, and the Rockets said they were interested in re-signing him if he came back healthy. Yao said in April in China that his professional future depended on his recovery from a stress fracture in his left ankle. John Huizinga, one of Yao’s American agents, would not confirm the report during a phone interview on Friday. He said Yao’s recovery was “on track,” but Yao’s future with the Rockets has been uncertain
See YAO PAGE 2B
By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO – With the 2011 high school football season rapidly approaching, the Zapata Hawks are diligently working on an aspect of the game of which they are not known for on the gridiron. Traditionally, Zapata has been known around the 3A circles as a running team under the guidance of head coach/athletic director Mario Arce. Under Arce, the Hawks have been one of the best 3A teams in the area and have been a constant fixture in the playoffs the past few years. Now the Hawks are working to add another aspect to their game plan whenever the situation calls for it on the field. Zapata joined the Laredo 7-on-7 summer football
See FOOTBALL PAGE 2B
TENNIS
Zapata hosts second tennis camp THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata High tennis coach Robert Alvarez will host a second summer tennis camp. The camp will run from Monday to Thursday. The camp cost will be $20. All proceeds will go to the Zapata High School and Middle School
tennis activity accounts. Incoming fifth graders and below will meet from 9-10 a.m. This camp will feature beginning skills, drills and games. Campers will also be introduced to the Quick Start tennis program developed by the United States Tennis Association. Incoming 8th-9th graders will
meet from 10-11 a.m. This camp will feature instruction on ground strokes, volleys, serve, overhead, tennis drills and match play. Incoming 6th-7th graders will meet from 6-7 p.m. Beginning instruction of forehand, backhand, serving, volleys and match play will be featured.
PAGE 2B
Zscores
Cavendish wins Tour’s 7th stage By GREG KELLER ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHATEAUROUX, France — Mark Cavendish captured the crashmarred seventh stage Friday in the same town where three years ago he won a Tour de France stage for the first time. Thor Hushovd kept the leader’s yellow jersey. A pileup toward the end of the 135-mile course across the Loire River valley cost British champion Bradley Wiggins any shot of a topthree finish in Paris. Team Sky’s leader crashed out of the race with what the team said was a broken collarbone. Cavendish, who rides for HTC-Highroad, sprinted out of the speeding pack in the last few hundred yards, beating fellow sprint specialists Alessandro Petacchi and Andre Greipel to the finish. Cavendish also won the sprint in Chateauroux in 2008, the first of
his 17 Tour de France stage victories. “It’s a very special day for me ... it’s a very sentimental moment,” Cavendish said. “I have to thank the guys for all their work today, it was a hard windy day, and the guys rode hard for me all the way through. They were marvelous.” Wiggins went down along with a few dozen other riders, 23 miles from the finish. Twentyfour hours earlier Wiggins and his Sky teammates were celebrating Norwegian Boasson Hagen’s stage victory, the first in team history. Wiggins was competing in his fifth tour and, after winning the pretour warm up Criterium du Dauphine in June, had been considered a top contender for the Tour. “He was in the form of his life, I really believe he would have done something here,” Cavendish said of his fellow countryman.
All-Star game missing its stars By BEN WALKER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Shane Victorino became the latest All-Star scratches, further threatening to turn baseball’s big show into the All-Scar game. Shortly after Jeter pulled himself Friday to rest an injured calf, his New York Yankees teammate joined him. The club announced Rodriguez would be absent because of a sore knee. That made it three Yankees who won’t play for the American League on Tuesday in Phoenix. Closer Mariano Rivera will sit out to heal his right triceps. “Unfortunately, I won’t be able to go,” Jeter said before Friday night’s game against Tampa Bay. Earlier in the day, Andre Ethier of the Los Angeles Dodgers replaced injured Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies in a switch of NL outfielders. New York Mets shortstop Jose Reyes previously was excused because of a hamstring problem that put him on the disabled list. Los Angeles Angels rookie closer Jordan Walden is replacing Rivera. More roster changes are
expected, too, with some pitchers starting this weekend and other players nursing injuries. Among those hoping to get in: St. Louis slugger Albert Pujols, who recovered much quicker than expected from a broken wrist. Jeter was two hits away from 3,000 going into Friday night’s game. The 12time All-Star was elected by fans to start. Jeter came off the disabled list this week after recuperating from his calf problem. Yankees manager Joe Girardi said it was totally Jeter’s decision to skip the All-Star game. Jeter talked it over with Girardi, general manager Brian Cashman and trainer Gene Monaghan. “It’s probably best not to push it because it’s most important to be ready for the second half. That’s where my focus has to be,” Jeter said. “It’s unfortunate because you know how much I enjoy going to All-Star games.” “I’m trying to be smart about it. I know I can be stubborn a lot of times with injuries,” he said. Rodriguez was getting an MRI for knee trouble that had seemingly sapped his power. The 14time All-Star had been elected to start at third base.
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
FOOTBALL Continued from Page 1B league – a part of football that specifically exploits the talents at the skill positions – this summer in order to expand its offensive attack. The Hawks have been working on their aerial attack against two 5A schools known for their fireworks show with the ball, United and Alexander. They drive every week to Laredo in hopes of perfecting that one aspect of the game and have come close to earning a victory. “We (generally) don’t throw the ball a lot,” Arce said. “Traditionally we are a running team, so this works on our throwing game. When we mix in a pass with our offense, we are ready to execute.” Returning senior quarterback Manuel Salinas
They drive every week to Laredo in hopes of perfecting that one aspect of the game and have come close to earning a victory. has been under center and taking the snaps for the Hawks the past two years. During the summer league, Salinas has been steadily working with his receivers and they all have shown progression with every game. “This is to work on our passing game and fine tune it,” Arce said. “Our quarterback and receivers have been working great.” While no wins have come the Hawks’ way this year in the summer league, a few individuals have started to turn some
heads. On offense, Salinas looks poised to lead the Hawks into another banner year with the help of receiver Justin Gutierrez. “At this point, all the kids are looking good,” Arce said. “Manuel and Justin have been able to move the ball.” Defense is an area that needed to be addressed last year as they struggled at points of the game and that is something Arce and his coaching staff will tackle when August rolls around. The highflying aerial at-
tack of the 7-on-7 league has tested the Hawks’ secondary to no end and they have shut down a few plays by their opponents. “This league has really worked on our corners and that is good,” Arce said. “When we face a team that throws a lot, we will be ready for them.” At the moment, corner Andy Gonzalez has kept pace with the 5A receivers and has started to make a name for himself. The Hawks have been working to the first Monday in August, the official start of football season.
BUDGET Continued from Page 1B had to make tough choices from the reduction of work force to trimming the fat on other areas in order to get ready for the upcoming school year. The athletic department has been fortunate when it comes to the athletes in regard to meal money and travel schedule. “At this point, when it comes to the kids, the answer is no,” Zapata ISD athletic director Mario Arce said about the department’s budget being affected by the recent cuts. “We
have been working with the administration to ensure that our kids get the best possible opportunity on the athletic field.” Some areas that will be affected in Zapata are the numbers on the teams and eliminating the “B” team at the middle school level in all team sports. They will only be carrying one team per grade instead of the normal two, so kids will be experiencing tryouts this coming year. With the recent cuts of some of the work force in
Zapata, the athletic department has not been affected with losing a member of the coaching staff. The coaches who left the district on a voluntary basis will be replaced with someone from the school district and no out-of-district applicants are being accepted. Golf coach David Saenz, for instance, stepped down from his position and will be replaced with someone in the staff. “We had a few coaches who left for a variety of
reasons and we should be able to replace them with someone in the district,” Arce said. Arce credits the administration with planning ahead in order to lessen the blow to the athletic department. “Our administrators did a great job of planning for the future,” he said. “They are trying to figure out now what we can cut out so it does not affect the athletes. “They have been working really hard.”
RANGERS Continued from Page 1B and a handful of fans. The 39-year-old firefighter from Brownwood died at a hospital a short time later, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office said. Shannon Stone’s mother, Suzann Stone, told The Associated Press that her son and young Cooper had gone to the game in hopes of catching a ball in the stands. They even stopped on the way to Arlington to buy a new glove for the boy, whose favorite player is Hamilton. “I always told him if he wasn’t my son I would want him as my best friend,” Suzann Stone said, choking back sobs. “He was so good, so caring of everybody.” Oakland reliever Brad Ziegler was in the visitor’s bullpen in left-center field, not far from where Stone fell. When Stone was put on a stretcher, Ziegler said, the firefighter told his tenders that his son was “up there by himself” and asked them to check on the boy. “He had his arms swinging. He talked and was conscious,” Ziegler said. “We assumed he was OK. But when you find out he’s not, it’s just tough.” Stone is survived by his wife, 36-year-old Jenny, and the boy, according to Melanie Larose, a family friend who released a statement on behalf of the family Friday. “The Stone family is dev-
astated by this tragedy,” Larose said. “The family appreciates your thoughts, kind words and prayers and asks that you respect their privacy during their difficult time.” Ronnie Hargis was sitting next to Stone in the first row of seats in left field and the men had been talking before the accident. Hargis said he reached out to try to grab Stone, who fell headfirst through a gap of several feet that is between the seats and the 14-foot-high outfield wall. “He went straight down. I tried to grab him, but I couldn’t,” Hargis said. “I tried to slow him down a little bit.” There was an audible gasp in the stands at Rangers Ballpark when Stone tumbled over the rail, sliding awkwardly between the wall and seats has a handful of fans watched him fall. The little boy, like his dad wearing a cap in the bright sun, was behind the firefighter as he tipped over the railing. The accident was eerily similar to one almost exactly a year earlier. Another firefighter fell about 30 feet from the second-deck of seats down the right-field line while trying to catch a foul ball on July 6, 2010. Tyler Morris, a firefighter from the Lake Cities Fire Department near Dallas, fractured his skull and sprained an
ankle last year when he dropped onto seats where other fans were sitting. It was the second fatal fall at a major league stadium this season. In May, a 27-year-old man died after he fell about 20 feet and struck his head on concrete during a Colorado Rockies game. Witnesses told police that the man had been trying to slide down a staircase railing at Coors Field and lost his balance during a game against Arizona. Major League Baseball said it was saddened by the latest incident and said “we will carefully review this incident with our clubs to continue to ensure a safe environment for our fans.” Arlington Fire Department officials said Stone, who witnesses said was conscious after the fall, “went into full arrest” while being transported by ambulance. He was pronounced dead at a Fort Worth hospital less than an hour after he fell. “We had a very tragic accident tonight and one of our fans lost their life reaching over the rail trying to get a ball,” team president Nolan Ryan said somberly after the Rangers’ 6-0 victory over Oakland. “As an organization, and as our team members and our staff, we’re very heavyhearted about this, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.”
Stone was a lieutenant and had been with the Brownwood Fire Department nearly 18 years, said City Manager Bobby Rountree. Brownwood is about 150 miles southwest of Arlington. Safawna Dunn, who was sitting nearby, said Stone was calling for Hamilton to throw him the ball. Dunn said the victim was conscious when he was taken away on a stretcher. Ryan described Hamilton as being “very distraught over this, as the entire team is.” The Rangers’ clubhouse was closed to reporters after the game. Former President George W. Bush, who used to be the team’s managing general partner and often attends games, was sitting in the front row with Ryan near the Texas dugout when the accident happened. Ryan left moments later while Bush remained in the seats. Ryan said Bush was aware of what was happening. “It’s just devastating. I don’t even know what to say. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “It filtered into our dugout. ... I made a little announcement to the team after the game. Certainly baseball is not very important in light of something like that.”
entire 2009-10 season. He lasted only five games at the start of the 2010-11 season, before breaking his left ankle. He underwent surgery in January, and was lost for the season again. Yao, who turns 31 in September, missed a total of 250 regular-season games over the past six seasons due mostly to injuries to his left foot and leg. The Rockets missed the playoffs for the second straight season in 2010-11, parted ways with coach Rick Adelman and hired Kevin McHale. McHale said Yao’s future with the team was contingent on his health. “We’d all be really happy if Yao comes back to play, and I hope he can,” McHale said. “I think he’ll give it his best shot. His body is
going to dictate if he can come back and play. That’s all going to be laid out in the future.” Ganis said the NBA’s popularity in China may never be the same without Yao. “There was a fascination, with Yao Ming and the Chinese fans,” Ganis said. “It was almost like the Michael Jordan effect. The casual fans that Jordan brought to the NBA, when he retired, they simply disappeared. “That doesn’t mean there isn’t interest, that doesn’t mean there isn’t significantly higher, long-term interest in the NBA there. But the numbers the NBA attracted, in Yao Ming’s heyday, will never be reached again — unless there’s another Yao Ming around the corner.”
YAO Continued from Page 1B for some time. “He’s really enjoyed his time in Houston,” Huizinga said. “If he feels that he’s recovered enough to play, and if the lockout ever ends, and if the Rockets are interested in him, then there’s certainly a good chance he’ll stay in Houston. “But there are a whole lot of ‘ifs’ in that statement.” An eight-time All-Star selection, Yao averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds in his eight seasons, but his impact on the league goes far beyond the numbers. Yao single-handedly expanded the NBA’s reach throughout Asia, spiking merchandise sales and TV ratings for games after the Rockets made him the top overall pick in the 2002
draft. Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based consultancy SportsCorp, said Yao’s worldwide impact on the league will probably never be duplicated by another player. “There’s never been anything like him before,” Ganis said, “and I doubt we’ll ever see anything like him again.” Ganis said Yao became an iconic symbol of China’s growth and status. He carried the Olympic torch through Tiananmen Square and proudly carried his country’s flag during the opening ceremonies in Beijing in 2008. He also donated $2 million and set up a foundation to rebuild schools in the wake of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan.
“He was the embodiment of the cultural aspirations of the Chinese society,” Ganis said. “He always talked about ‘team,’ always talked about sacrifice, always talked about those who needed help.” Yao was already a largerthan-life national hero in China when he joined the Rockets. He played for the Chinese national team in the six summers before he joined the NBA. Skeptics doubted Yao was ready for the league, but he made the All-Rookie team after averaging 13.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.74 blocks in 82 games. He was the only rookie to lead his team in both rebounds and blocks, and the only rookie to rank in the top 20 in three statistical categories.
Yao helped the Rockets reach the playoffs in the next two seasons. Houston acquired versatile star Tracy McGrady before the 2004-05 season, and the franchise envisioned the duo as the cornerstones of a championship team. The Rockets lost firstround series in seven games in both 2005 and 2007. Yao and McGrady both started encountering injury problems in the seasons that followed. Yao played in 77 games in the 2008-09 season and with McGrady sidelined, helped Houston reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997. But Yao broke his left foot in a postseason game against the Lakers, and underwent complex surgery that sidelined him for the
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS BY | HELOISE Cremation Questions Dear Heloise: When a pet guardian wants to CREMATE a beloved companion, I would encourage the person to visit the facility first, because the equipment can be outdated or used for multiple animals, or the cremation may be outsourced to another clinic. Inspect the crematory yourself, because significant questions demand significant answers. Do not let the passing of a loved one, human or nonhuman, bring more heartache and pain. Thank you. — Margarette M., via email Cremation is one choice when a pet dies. We have had our past three dogs cremated. It can be comforting to have the remains of your pet in an urn at home. It is to us. One pet crematorium said it allows the family to actually “walk through the process” of cremation, if wanted. There also is a group, the International Association of Pet Cemeteries and Crematories (www.iaopc.com), that provides good information on its website. It addresses issues such as going through the grieving process and the many choices you have about burial and cremation. If you don’t have a computer, speak with your veterinarian about cremation choices. — Heloise
PET PAL Dear Readers: Lois Pocque of Windsor, Maine, sent a picture of her granddaughter, Meagan, giving her toy poodle Shadow a big bearhug. To see Meagan and Shadow and our other Pet Pals, go to www.Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” — Heloise
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HELOISE
LETTER OF LAUGHTER Dear Heloise: I let my Lab puppy in from the backyard and then hurried into the bathtub. I sat up when she came bounding into the room, doing her proud wiggle, with a 4-footlong snake in her mouth! I screamed as she brought me her wonderful “gift” and deposited it into the tub! Luckily, it turned out to be my son’s rubber toy, which she had found in the yard, but I sure couldn’t tell that it wasn’t real! — Nanci, via email
MAT PLAN Dear Heloise: My family and I have a dog, and we feed her only once a day. No one can ever remember if the dog has been fed. I bought a place mat to put under the dog bowl and used colored tape to spell out “Fed” on one side and “Not Fed” on the other. Each time the dog is fed, we turn up the “Fed” side. Before we go to bed, we turn it to the “Not Fed” side. Now our dog does not get overfed. — Harper in Florida We use a yellow 3by-5-inch card that says “Fed” on one side and “Not Fed” on the other. It’s used to note whether Cabbie has had her meal. — Heloise
TUBE REUSE Dear Readers: Have lots of paper-towel and bathroom-tissue rolls? Have a gerbil? Place a tube or two in the animal’s enclosure. After using them as fun tunnels, gerbils will chew them and make nesting material. — Heloise
DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:
FAMILY CIRCUS
DENNIS THE MENACE
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, JULY 9, 2011
Buckeyes vacate all wins from 2010 ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State is vacating its wins from the 2010 football season, including its share of the Big Ten championship and the Buckeyes’ victory over Arkansas in the 2011 Sugar Bowl. Responding to the NCAA’s investigation of a memorabilia-for-cash scandal that cost former coach Jim Tressel his job and led to star quarterback Terrelle Pryor leaving school, the university also said Friday it is waiving a $250,000 fine imposed on Tressel and changing his resignation to a retirement. Through the school, the ex-Buckeyes coach said that he is taking responsibility for the NCAA inquiry, which developed after it was learned Tressel failed to report players receiving improper benefits. Tressel will attend Ohio State’s Aug. 12 hearing before the NCAA infractions committee, the former coach’s attorney said Friday. The university also is putting the football program on probation for two years, which means there
Photo by Patrick Semansky | AP
Ohio State has voluntarily vacated its wins from the 2010 season, including a 31-26 victory over Arkansas in the Sugar Bowl, pictured above, in a bid to ward off a harsher punishment when the NCAA hears Ohio State’s case in August. Ohio State has been implicated in a memorabilia-for-cash scandal that has already cost former coach Jim Tressel his job. would be harsher penalties if any further wrongdoing is discovered. The response to the NCAA doesn’t mean Ohio State’s woes are over. The governing body for college sports could still im-
pose tougher sanctions, such as a ban on post-season play and a reduction in scholarships in the wake of the August hearing. Athletic Director Gene Smith wouldn’t speculate
on what else the NCAA might do, but he called the university’s actions significant. Not only is the entire 2010 season wiped out along with the Sugar Bowl, but so is the university’s seven-game
winning streak over rival Michigan. “That’s a significant impact to those who participated, and some of them are still here today,” he said. Smith said the universi-
Immigration fight goes All-Star By JOHN MARSHALL ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX — Sports and politics became intertwined when civil rights activists targeted one of the biggest sporting events in the world as they fought Arizona’s refusal to observe the Dr. Martin Luther King holiday. The Super Bowl, already awarded to the state, turned into a political pawn, one that moved in the activists’ favor when then NFL decided to shift the 1993 game to California and the Rose Bowl. Arizona managed to land another Super Bowl three years later — after voters approved the holiday — but the damage had been done, costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from the game and lost conventions. Two decades later, Arizona is again caught in a tangle of balls and bills, the focal point this time Major League Baseball’s All-Star Game. The Midsummer Classic, to be played Tuesday at Chase Field, has turned into a welllighted stage for activists to voice their displeasure with SB1070, the polarizing immigration law they say promotes racial profiling. “We’re using this All-Star game to remind people what’s happening in Arizona and using it as a platform to talk about injustices this law creates and to find better solutions to this,” said Luis Avila, president of the Phoenix-based Hispanic civil rights group Somos America. “We have been getting calls and emails the past two weeks as to what kind of documentation they should bring to the All-Star game because they’re concerned about being pulled over. That’s not the country that we live in. We shouldn’t be afraid and worrying about what documents we should be carrying with us.” SB1070 was signed into law by Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer on April 23, 2010 as a way to curb the influx of illegal immigrants into the state. The law requires all immigrants to obtain or carry immigration registration papers and requires police, while enforcing other laws, to question people’s immigration status if there is a reasonable suspicion they’re in the country illegally. One of the strictest anti-illegal immigration measures in recent U.S. history, SB1070 set off a series of protests, boycotts and legal challenges almost immediately after Brewer put down her pen. Baseball became an easy target for protesters, in part because of this year’s All-Star game, but also because roughly 30 percent of the players in the majors are Latino. Activists initially called for baseball to move the game from the state and a handful of demonstrators delayed Arizona Diamondbacks games, at home and on the road, by waving anti-immigration law
ty will overhaul how it manages its football players, from the cars they drive to where they live, to the bars and restaurants they visit. “A lot of different strategies,” he said. Smith said he felt betrayed by Tressel when the coach informed him he’d known for months that players had sold memorabilia or traded them for tattoos and cash at a local tattoo parlor without telling anyone at the university, as required under his contract and NCAA rules. “In the moment, yes, I felt betrayed. Why not bring that to me?” Smith said. “But I’ve gone on.” Originally, five players including Pryor were suspended for the first five games of this year. But Pryor left to try his luck in the NFL soon after Tressel quit in May, and now an unidentified player has been added to the list. Another player will miss one under a previously announced sanction. The scandal initially broke shortly before the Sugar Bowl, though the Buckeyes involved were still allowed to suit up.
Appeals court backs NFL lockout By BARRY WILNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Ross D. Franklin | AP
Arizona is no stranger to immigration related controvery. In this 2010 photo, Washington Nationals’ Josh Willingham (16) walks through the outfield as protestors cause a stop in play by hanging a banner against Arizona immigration law SB1070 during a game in Phoenix, Ariz. signs, including a pair who ran out onto the field during a game at Washington. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig declined to move the game, however, refusing to get involved in what he said was a political issue, so opponents of the law shifted their focus by asking players, coaches and fans to boycott the game as part of a wider call for companies to stop doing business with the state. “We find the talk of boycotts completely wrong because what you end up doing is you end up taking out your agenda against people, especially in the tourism industry, who have nothing to do with passage of the law,” said Garrick Taylor of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
“That’s why we find that particularly offensive.” Several baseball players spoke out against the law when it was initially signed and a handful said they might skip the All-Star game if picked, including Boston Red Sox first baseman Adrian Gonzalez. The furor has abated somewhat since a federal judge put the most controversial parts of the law on hold less than a day before it was to take effect so the courts could take a closer look. Brewer has said she plans to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court. None of Arizona’s Latino players would comment about the law and there are no indications any players or coaches will skip the game, including
Gonzalez, a starter for the American League. The Major League Players Association initially said it opposed SB1070 and would consider additional measures to protect the interests of its members if the original version of the law went into effect. Players’ association president Michael Weiner has since issued a statement saying the organization will not ask players to refrain from participating in the Midsummer Classic since key portions of the law have been deemed unlawful. “Our nation continues to wrestle with serious issues regarding immigration, prejudice and the protection of individual liberties,” Weiner said Friday.
NEW YORK — The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday threw out a judge’s order lifting the NFL lockout, handing the league a victory as players and owners spent another day negotiating. The ruling was issued shortly after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith opened a second straight day of labor talks at a law firm in Manhattan. The discussions lasted about nine hours before breaking up. The court vacated an April 25 decision by U.S. District Judge Susan Richard Nelson that the lockout should be lifted because players were suffering irreparable harm. The appeals court had already put that order on hold and said in its ruling that Nelson ignored federal law in reaching her decision. “While we respect the court’s decision, today’s ruling does not change our mutual recognition that this matter must be resolved through negotiation,” the league and NFLPA said in a joint statement. “We are committed to our current discussions and reaching a fair agreement that will benefit all parties for years to come, and allow for a full 2011 season.” During negotiations Friday the rookie wage scale and finalizing the free agency rules were discussed, according to a person familiar with the talks who requested anonymity because details are not being announced publicly. Owners want to increase the number of unrestricted free agents on which they can exercise the right of first refusal. “We’re going to break for the weekend, get back to work next week. We continue to work hard to get something done,” Smith said. “I know our fans want us to get something done as quickly as possible.” The appeals court ruling allows the players’ antitrust lawsuit to move forward, but the court did take issue with the NFL Players Association’s decision to decertify on March 11, a move that cleared the way for players to file their still-pending antitrust lawsuit against the league. “The league and the players’ union were parties to a collective bargaining agreement for almost eighteen years prior to March 2011,” the appeals court said in its 2-1 decision. “They were engaged in collective bargaining over terms and conditions of employment for approximately two years ... Then, on a single day, just hours before the CBA’s expiration, the union discontinued collective bargaining and disclaimed its status ....” “Whatever the effect of the union’s disclaimer on the league’s immunity from antitrust liability, the labor dispute did not suddenly disappear just because the players elected to pursue the dispute through antitrust litigation rather than collective bargaining.” Judges Steven Colloton and Duane Benton backed the league Friday, just as the two Republican appointees did in two earlier decisions. Judge Kermit Bye, appointed by a Democrat, dissented both times, favoring the players, and he did so again Friday. Bye had urged settlement of the dispute to avoid a ruling “both sides aren’t going to like.”