The Zapata Times 7/25/2009

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LAW ENFORCEMENT

Sheriff solves crimes By DIANA R. FUENTES THE ZAPATA TIMES

Three adults charged in a burglary spree this week were in the Zapata County Jail on Friday night, thanks to quick work by the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office. While Zapata County logs its fair share of crime, an unusual number of burglaries were reported this week. “We’ve been hit pretty hard,” said Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr. “But we did make some arrests, one was a juvenile and three were adults.” Among those arrested this week on charges related to the burglaries were: Renso Alejandro Buruato, 19. He was charged

SOARING FOR A RECORD

with three counts of burglary of habitation, felony 2; one count of engaging in organized criminal activity, felony 1 and five counts of burglary of vehicle, misdemeanor A. Mario Orlando Garcia, 20. He’s facing the same charges. Jose Everardo Esquivel, 18. He, too, is facing the same charges. All three are from Zapata and have a record of previous arrests. Each of the suspects was still in the Zapata County Jail on Friday night, being held on a total of $225,000 bond — $75,000 on the count of engaging in organized criminal activity; $50,000 on each of two of

See SHERIFF | PAGE 8A

FOOD BANK Photo by Ulysses S. romero | The Zapata Times

TOP: Russell Brown of Florida in a tow plane pulls Ben J. Hering hi a glider during a test run at the Zapata airport as enthusiasts from all over the world in the “World Record Encampment.” ABOVE: Flex wing hang glider pilot Peter Lehmann prepares to be towed Friday at the Zapata airport.

‘World Record Encampment’ hopes to fly faster, farther By JULIETA CHIQUILLO THE ZAPATA TIMES

C Courtesy photo

GrammyAward winning musical group from the 1970s and 80s,America, will be performing at the Empty Bowls funraiser held by The South Texas Food Bank on Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Laredo Entertainment Center.

Empty Bowls fundraiser set for Aug. 13 By SALO OTERO SPECIAL TO THE ZAPATA TIMES

The South Texas Food Bank, which serves Zapata at five pantries, has its annual Empty Bowls fundraiser Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Laredo Entertainment Center. South Texas Food Bank staff and board of directors invite Zapatans to support the event, which includes a concert by the Grammy Award winning musical group from the 1970s and 80s, America. Concert tickets are reasonably priced at $27, $17 and $12. They are available at the LEC box-office and via Ticketmaster, keying in Empty Bowls. The concert starts at 8. America’s top hits include A Horse With No

Name, Sister Golden Hair, Tin Man, Ventura Highway Lonely People, You Can Do Magic, I Need You and The Border. “We’re hoping to sell out the LEC. That’s 7,000 seats,” said Alfredo Castillo, STFB executive director. “It would mean a huge help to the food bank’s mission of feeding the hungry. It’s Zapata’s opportunity to make it a weekend in Laredo and lend a hand. We served 20,000 families in May.” The food bank number is (956) 726-3120. The Web site is www.southtexasfoodbank.org The South Texas Food Bank’s five pantries distributing food in Zapata are:

See FOOD | PAGE 8A

ocooned inside a “pod” harness that fully encloses his legs but not his arms, Pennsylvania resident Pete Lehmann feels just fine despite the triple-digit weather as he hovers a few inches over the Zapata County Airport runway in his hang glider.

‘Exciting’ “Plenty comfortable and kind of exciting,” Lehmann describes his unusual state while he waits for the small tow aircraft to launch him into the wind.

Also sporting a helmet, Lehmann will need the cozy casing when he soars thousands of feet above the ground.

Visiting Zapata Lehmann is one of several hang glider pilots who visit Zapata for about three weeks every summer to try to set a world record during a trip they call “World Record Encampment.” “More world records have been set in hang gliding here in Zapata than anywhere else in the world,” said David Glover, a hang gliding event organizer from Oklahoma City. Meteorology and geology combine

HUNTING AND FISHING SHOW

to create optimum hang gliding conditions in Zapata, Glover said. The southern sea breeze from the Gulf of Mexico and the hot ground generate lifting air early in the morning, he said. Cloud streets, or clouds in parallel rows, are signs of rising air, so pilots try to fly underneath them.x

‘Visual gas stations’ “They’re like visual gas stations for the hang gliding pilots,” Glover said. As the morning progresses, the sun heats up the ground further, warming up the air, which rises in columns called thermals. Pilots fly within the

See GLIDERS | PAGE 8A

TRAGEDY

ZHS grad dies in park LAREDO MORNING TIMES

Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times

David Gonzalez shows his niece Megan Rendon the fish they caught together during the Sixth Hunting and Fishing Show at the Laredo Entertainment Center on Friday. The show contiues today and Sunday.

The body of a popular Zapata High School graduate was found at Huntsville State Park in north Texas on Thursday, according to Walker County officials. An autopsy was ordered for Juan Antonio Martinez, 18. The autopsy was conducted in Dallas; results were not available Friday. Walker County Chief Deputy Butch Davis said Martinez’s death is under investigation and details were not immediately available. The young man’s body was released by the Dallas Medical Examiner’s Office on Friday and was expected to be home today. “He was a very likeable guy, extremely

See DEATH | PAGE 8A


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