The Zapata Times 8/11/2012

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Sheriff criticism

Balloons take flight over Valley

Vela wants audit of closed checking account

By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Commissioner Jose E. Vela has requested an independent audit and closure of a checking account he said Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez opened without authorization.

Vela said the account had been excluded from the county audit since 2009.

But Gonzalez said he believes the

actions are political posturing by Vela because he did not support his bid for reelection. Vela defeated his opponent, Jose Luis Flores, in the May primary election.

Gonzalez said he wasn’t aware that the account was not being included in the county audit and that he sent monthly account statements to County Treasurer Romeo Salinas, as well as to the county auditor.

“I have no problem with the au-

dit,” said Gonzalez, who added that he has closed the account. “I welcome any audit. Mr. Salinas is getting copies of the statements ever since I’ve been sheriff.”

Commissioners meet Monday at 9 a.m. in the county courthouse to consider approving the independent audit.

The sheriff said the account —

See COMMISSIONERS PAGE 9A

Feds can now keep tabs on rural areas

By STEPHANIE IBARRA THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO — Surveillance blimps took flight Friday in the Rio Grande Valley.

Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola couldn’t say whether the tethered balloon-like devices would ever cross Za-

See BALLOONS PAGE 9A

SHRINERS HOSPITAL CLINIC

REACHING OUT TO CHILDREN Bruni man sets up trip for Shriners

By RICARDO R. VILLARREAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

L

AREDO — Christopher Alvarado, 11, suffers from cerebral palsy and in the past made several trips a year to Houston for treatment. Although the frequency of the trips have tapered to once a year, having the clinic come to Laredo has made life a little easier for Christopher and his mother,

VIDEO: LOOK FOR THE STORY AT LMTONLINE.COM Ashley.

“It’s a huge stress relief not to have to pick up everything and take three days off from work to make the trip to Houston,” Ashley Alvarado said.

Christopher was one of 36 children who were scheduled to be seen Friday by a medical team that traveled to Laredo from the Shriners Hospital for Children in Houston for the first Laredo Pediatric Orthopedic Outreach Shriners Hospital Clinic being held at the Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center.

The medical team is comprised of eight volunteers that include

See CHILDREN PAGE 9A

Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times

Shriners Hospital for Children physician Douglas Barnes examines Amy M. Santana’s prothestic leg Friday morning during the grand opening of the outreach clinic at the the Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center in Laredo.

FEDERAL COURT

Judge seals case involving politician

By JASON BUCH SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Federal prosecutors have closed their case against a Mexican politico accused of using a stolen identity to get a U.S. passport, but a judge sealed the court records and its outcome is secret.

Edmundo Lozano Rendón stood accused in a Laredo court of making false statements to obtain a passport. In court documents, U.S. investigators alleged that the Mexican citizen and convicted felon used the identity of a U.S. citizen who died in the 1960s to get a pass-

“

Usually, sealed orders exist when the federal government still has something ongoing.”

PROFESSOR AT ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF LAW MICHAEL ARIENS

port.

Lozano Rendón is a former spokesman for the Institutional Revolutionary Party in the border state of Tamaulipas and later worked for the state’s thengovernor.

He was arrested in February in the Rio Grande Valley on al-

legations that he hadn’t paid a $7,500 fine from a 1992 money laundering conviction and later was charged with making false statements to obtain a passport, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

His McAllen attorney, Roberto J. Yzaguirre, wouldn’t com-

ment on the case Thursday or explain why it’s sealed. Prosecutors declined to comment as well.

A judge can seal the outcome of a criminal case in some circumstances, but it’s not common and the seals can’t stay in place indefinitely, said Michael

Ariens, a professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law. “Usually, sealed orders exist when the federal government still has something ongoing,” Ariens said.

Lozano Rendón was released on bond in May, and it was unclear Thursday if he faces removal from the country.

His arrest and prosecution came as the PRI in Tamaulipas faces money laundering investigations by U.S. and Mexican authorities.

Three former governors of the state that borders Texas

See COURT PAGE 9A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, AUG. 11

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Back To School Kids Fishing Tournament takes place from 8:30 a.m. through 3 p.m. at Bravo Park, Children ages 3 through 12 can fish.

Children must be accompanied by their parent during the tournament hours. Parent can help cast, but cannot reel in any fish. For more information, call the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce at 956-765-4871. Registration forms can be emailed to customercare@zapatachamber.com or faxed to l956-765-5434 or dropped off at the Chamber office, 601 U.S. 83 North.

Today is Saturday, Aug. 11, the 224th day of 2012. There are 142 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Aug. 11, 1962, Andrian Nikolayev became the Soviet Union’s third cosmonaut to fly in space as he was launched on a 94-hour flight.

On this date: In 3114 B.C., the current cycle of the Mayan “Long Count” calendar began. (By some estimates, the cycle will end, and a new one will begin, on Dec. 21 of this year.)

In 1786, Capt. Francis Light arrived in Penang to claim the Malaysian island for Britain.

In 1860, the nation’s first successful silver mill began operation near Virginia City, Nev. In 1909, the steamship SS Arapahoe became the first ship in North America to issue an S.O.S. distress signal, off North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras.

In 1934, the first federal prisoners arrived at Alcatraz Island (a former military prison) in San Francisco Bay. In 1942, during World War II, Pierre Laval, prime minister of Vichy France, publicly declared that “the hour of liberation for France is the hour when Germany wins the war.”

In 1952, Hussein bin Talal was proclaimed King of Jordan, beginning a reign lasting nearly 47 years.

In 1954, a formal peace took hold in Indochina, ending more than seven years of fighting between the French and Communist Viet Minh.

In 1965, rioting and looting that claimed 34 lives broke out in the predominantly black Watts section of Los Angeles.

In 1984, during a voice test for a paid political radio address, President Ronald Reagan joked that he had “signed legislation that will outlaw Russia forever. We begin bombing in five minutes.”

In 1992, the Mall of America opened in Bloomington, Minn.

In 1997, President Bill Clinton made the first use of the historic line-item veto, rejecting three items in spending and tax bills. (However, the U.S. Supreme Court later struck down the veto as unconstitutional.)

Ten years ago: Dr. Steven J. Hatfill, a bioweapons expert under scrutiny for anthraxlaced letters, fiercely denied any involvement and said he had cooperated with the investigation. (Hatfill was never charged, and the Justice Department ended up agreeing to pay $5.8 million to settle a lawsuit Hatfill had brought against the government for wrongly implicating him.) US Airways filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (US Airways emerged from bankruptcy in 2003, but returned to it in 2004 before re-emerging in 2005.) Karrie Webb won her third Women’s British Open title.

Today’s Birthdays: Actress Arlene Dahl is 84. Rock musician Jim Kale (Guess Who) is 69. Magazine columnist Marilyn Vos Savant is 66.

Computer scientist and Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak is 62. Wrestler-actor Hulk Hogan is 59. Singer Joe Jackson is 58.

Playwright David Henry Hwang is 55. Actor Miguel A. Nunez Jr. is 48. Rock guitarist Charlie Sexton is 44.

Thought for Today: “Don’t wake me for the end of the world unless it has very good special effects.” — Roger Zelazny, American science-fiction writer (1937-1995).

SATURDAY, AUG. 11 LCC will host an Enrollment Open House from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the first floor of Memorial Hall at the Fort McIntosh Campus. Students can get advised, get registered and apply for financial aid. The college will also offer free meningitis vaccines to students who need and qualify for the state-mandated vaccine. For more information, call the LCC Enrollment and Registration Services Center at 956721-5109.

SUNDAY, AUG. 12 The Ride of Heroes starts at 8:30 a.m. at Shiloh Trails. The rules will follow MTB race guidelines, and the race is only open to law enforcement, first responders and military members. Competitors may sign up in the following categories: four-member team relay race; women’s category open to age 19 and over; or kids’ bracket 13–18. Fees to sign up are: $100 for teams; $20 for women’s; and $10 for kids. Pre-registration is at Ciclomania, 7913 McPherson Road, Suite 104. The day of the event, on-site registration will take place from 7 to 7:30 a.m. only, with cash or check accepted only on same-day registration. For more information about the bike race, call Bernie Chapa at Ciclomania at 956-717-1660.

WEDNESDAY, AUG. 15 The “How to Become a Better Communicator” workshop will be today from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 101 of the De La Garza Building on the Laredo Community College Fort McIntosh Campus. For more information call 721-5110.

FRIDAY, AUG. 24 The Bethany House Gala is from 6-11 p.m. at the Laredo Civic Center, 2400 San Bernardo Ave. For more information, contact Elia M. York at 956724-7141 or elia@killamcompanies.com.

SATURDAY, AUG. 25 The Fifth Annual Football Tailgating Cook-off is today from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. at El Metro Park & Ride, on the corner of Hillside Road and Daugherty Avenue. The event will feature food and commercial vendors, arts and crafts, and more. There will also be a steak-eating contest and cook-offs in the following categories: fajitas, finger ribs and chicken. In the open division, first place winners will receive $300; second place winners $200; and third place winners get $100. Admission will be $1 for adults. For more information, call 956-286-9055.

MONDAY, AUG. 27

Photo by McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge | AP

This undated photo provided by the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge shows wildfires burning in the refuge. An official with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says several wildfires have closed the Texas wildlife refuge on the Gulf coast.

Wildfires close refuge

By LINDA STEWART BALL ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORT ARTHUR — Multiple wildfires have closed a Texas wildlife refuge on the Gulf Coast, officials with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Friday.

Four separate fires have started at the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge in the past 12 days, including two beginning in the past 72 hours, and officials decided Thursday to close the refuge to the public until further notice, Park Ranger Tami Schutter said A lightning strike sparked the first wildfire Aug. 8 and another blaze ignited after a series of storms passed through the area the next day, Schutter said.

"The grasses here on the coast are very susceptible to lightning fires," said Jim Stockie, fire management officer for the refuge. "We’ve had a tremendous amount of

lightning these last three weeks."

The 68,000-acre refuge’s grasses were severely impacted by Hurricane Ike, which slammed into the Texas coast in September 2008, submerging the marshes in seawater.

The grasses have grown extremely slowly ever since because of all the saltwater, but were just about recovered to their normal state when the fires struck, Stockie said.

He said the fires mostly are burning in remote portions of the marsh, with the latest scorching more than 4,000 acres. About 15 firefighters from the agency and National Park Service are battling the active blazes.

Stockie said officials hoped to contain the fire and make it safe enough to reopen the refuge Friday afternoon, but said any decision could change with the weather.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if we didn’t get more lightning today," he said.

Officials seize 30,000 marijuana plants in Texas

Woman injured by propeller living by faith

Border authorities to test surveillance balloons

CONROE — A multi-agency task force has removed more than 30,000 marijuana plants growing along a creek bank in the remote woods of Southeast Texas and is in the process of destroying them.

Polk County Sherriff Kenneth Hammack said Friday that there were so many plants it took about 100 people to pull them by hand.

DALLAS — The Dallas fashion editor who lost her left hand and eye when she walked into the propeller of a small plane says she’s no longer hurting.

In a Thursday interview on NBC’s "Today" show, Lauren Scruggs says spiritually, she has "learned to live by faith and not by sight."

The 24-year-old was injured after walking into the propeller of a small plane after taking a flight to view Christmas lights in December.

McALLEN — Something new will be floating in the skies above the Texas-Mexico border soon as federal authorities test aerostats from the military to see if they might help with border surveillance.

Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola says the large, tethered balloon-like devices should probably take flight by Friday in the Rio Grande Valley.

Leaders to discuss Dallas West Nile outbreak DALLAS — Local, state and federal officials are set to meet in Dallas to discuss options for responding to the growing number of West Nile virus cases in North Texas.

The virus has led to nine deaths in Dallas County, more than double the previous high of four in 2006. Three nearby counties have reported one death each.

Border agent admits to drunken-driving death EDINBURG — A U.S. Border Patrol agent has pleaded guilty to intoxication manslaughter in a drunken-driving crash that killed a South Texas man.

Adrian Parada Jr. admitted in court that he was drunk when the crash happened. The Oct. 19 crash killed Abraham Sevilla.

Gas prices up sharply on oil, ethanol costs IRVING — The price for gasoline in Texas has jumped sharply, increasing by 13 cents on what analysts say is pressure from oil prices and a drought-driven boost in the cost of ethanol.

The AAA Texas survey released Thursday said Texans were paying $3.49 on average for a gallon of regular unleaded. The national average is up to $3.66.

— Compiled from AP reports

First day of school for Zapata County Independent School District.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 21 The Sun Country Fishing Tournament begins and runs through Friday, Sept. 28, at Falcon Lake.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 The Bud Light 2012 San Antonio Division tournament takes place at Falcon Lake.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 The Anglers Quests tournaments begin, to run through Sunday, Oct. 21.

SATURDAY, OCT. 27 The Bass Champs South Region Championship takes place today and Sunday, Oct. 28.

SATURDAY, NOV. 17 The Bud Light Tournament Fall 2012 San Antonio Division tournament returns to Falcon Lake.

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

AROUND THE NATION After long fight, opening day for Tenn. mosque MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Muslims in the Tennessee city of Murfreesboro were able to celebrate Friday prayers in a new mosque after more than two years of controversy about the building.

Opponents of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro who sued to try to halt construction were nowhere to be seen. Mosque members have had to deal with public protests, vandalism, arson of a construction vehicle and a bomb threat.

After prayers on Friday, board chairman Essam Fathy said he felt like the hardships they faced over the past two years already to start to dissipate.

Corn estimates drop amid deepening drought ST. LOUIS — The U.S. Agriculture Department on Friday cut

CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Business Manager, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 324-1226 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Managing Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez........... 728-2543 Sports Editor, Adam Geigerman..................728-2578 Spanish Editor ........................................ 728-2569 Photo by Brynn Anderson | AP

An 1873 dime from Carson City, Nev., is displayed Friday in Philadelphia. The dime sold at auction on Thursday to an anonymous buyer for $1.84 million.

its estimate of the nation’s corn crop for the second consecutive month, adding to concern about food price increases as the worst drought in decades deepens.

The USDA predicted the nation’s biggest harvest ever in the spring, when farmers planted

96.4 million acres of corn — the most since 1937. It cut its estimate on Friday to the smallest since 2006.

If that estimate holds, the U.S. will produce 10.8 billion bushels of corn this year.

— 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.

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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

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

Zlocal

THE BLOTTER ASSAULT Deputies responded to a fight in progress call at 1:20 a.m. Aug. 3 in the 2300 block of Alamo Street. Elia A. Nañez, 33, and Gloria I. Valadez, 23, were arrested and charged with assault. Valadez had an additional charge of criminal mischief. She was taken to the Zapata County Jail where she was held on a $35,000 bond. Nañez had a $25,000 bond.

A woman reported at 10:32 p.m. Aug. 4 in the 300 block of Gonzalez Street that a man she knows assaulted her.

An assault family violence incident was reported at 5:59 p.m. Tuesday in the 5300 block of Sean Lane.

BURGLARY A burglary of a habitation was reported at 9:19 p.m. Monday in the 500 block of Third Street.

DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE Carlos N. Gonzalez, 20, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence at about 2 a.m. Aug. 4 at West 23rd Street and U.S. 83. Gonzalez was fined $300. Deputies also arrested Jose G. Cantu, 21, on a public intoxication charge. He too was fined $300. A third person identified as Gerardo Gonzalez, 20, was charged with minor in consumption of alcohol. He was fined $300.

Christopher L. Buentello, 20, was arrested and charged with driving under the influence at about 10 p.m. Monday in the 500 block of U.S. 83. He was released from jail for future court appearance.

DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED Oscar Humberto Villaseñor-Gonzalez, 35, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated at about 2:15 a.m. Aug. 4 at West 11th Avenue and U.S. 83. He had a $5,000 bond at the Zapata Regional Jail.

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Juan Jose Guadalupe Herrera, 59, was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 2:30 p.m. Aug. 3 at East 18th Avenue and Kennedy Street. He was given time already served.

Jose M. Campos, 47, was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 8 p.m.

Sunday in the 2100 block of Retama Lane. He is out on bail.

THEFT A person reported at 4:54 a.m. Sunday at Seventh and Miraflores streets that someone had stolen a 2002 Avalanche back cover.

Session set at TAMIU SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Texas A&M International University Small Business Development Center is sponsoring a workshop on Thursday.

The Art of Customer Service: How to provide continuous and improved customer satisfaction will be offered from 9 to 11 a.m.; classroom location will be provided with registration confirmation. Fee is $20.

Customer satisfaction The workshop’s purpose is to learn the Art of Customer Service using the “CIVIL” framework.

It will help business and organizations experience employee empowerment, repeat business, loyal customers, and an overall satisfactory customer service strategy.

Tina Rodríguez is the instructor.

For more information or to register for this or other workshops, call the TAMIU-SBDC office at (956) 326-2827 or e-mail:sbdc@tamiu.edu Register online at http://sbdc.tamiu.edu.

Tourney is at Bravo Park SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Organizers at the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce say they expect about 300 local children to participate in this year’s Back to School “Kids” Fishing Tournament today.

The tournament and other activities will take place at Bravo Park. It is open to children ages 312.

In addition to prizes for the largest, smallest and most fish caught, registrants in the tournament will receive t-shirts and goodie bags filled with school supplies, as well as food, refreshment, fishing poles and bait.

Other activities will include hair and face painting, waterslide, door prizes and a seasonticket giveaway by the Laredo Lemurs.

The t-shirts given to registrants will feature the winning drawing from a contest earlier this year by the Zapata County Boys & Girls Club.

PAGE 3A

1 jailed; 1 sought

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A chase ended with one arrest, one man at large and property damage to an apartment complex.

On Aug. 2, a deputy attempted a traffic violation stop on a 1999 Ford F-150 in the 2100 block of Brazos Street at 7:53 p.m. According to Sgt. Mario Elizondo, the driver of the vehicle refused to stop and tried to elude authorities.

Elizondo said the pickup crashed into steel poles and a picket fence at the rear of an apartment complex. Damages were estimated at $500. Both driver and passenger ran into a yard next to the complex, he said.

Assisted by U.S. Border Patrol agents, deputies found and arrested the passenger, identified as Nicolas Tovar-Resendez, 47. He was charged

with evading arrest, a Class A misdemeanor punishable with up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine.

Tovar-Resendez remained at the ZapaZEPEDA-CRISTOBAL ta Regional Jail on a $10,000 bond.

The driver could not be found.

Through an investigation, sheriff ’s officials identified the driver as Carlos Zepeda-Cristobal, 36, of TOVAR-RESENDEZ Zapata. Anyone with information on the man’s whereabouts is asked to call the sheriff ’s office at 765-9960 or Crime Stoppers at 765-TIPS (8477).

(César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)

Forum to provide chance to network SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Governor’s Small Business Forum will provide small business owners opportunities to network as they learn the different resources available in Webb County to include how to obtain access to capital, financing for small businesses, training and services.

The forum, scheduled for Thursday, Aug. 23, will take place at the Texas A&M International University Student Center Ballroom in Laredo beginning at 7:30 a.m. It is scheduled to end at 1:30 p.m.

The session is sponsored by the Laredo Development Foundation, Laredo Chamber of Commerce and Texas A&M International University’s Small Business Development Center.

Also included will be an overview of business opportunities from the Eagle Ford Shale. In addition, Texas Workforce Solutions will be presenting business solutions, programs

and services accessible for employers.

According to an agenda accompanying a press release, the luncheon will feature remarks by Texas Secretary of State Hope Andrade.

Area business officials expect that with Eagle Ford Shale oil and gas activity, Webb, Zapata and Jim Hogg counties will experience significant economic growth and prosperity within the next 15-plus years, a press release issued by TAMIU states.

The press release states that the discovery of gas and oil in the region will spur more than $90 billion in capital investment and produce more than 116,000 oil and gas related industry jobs for South Texas.

For more information, contact the Laredo Development Foundation at 956-722-0563 or 800-820-0564, the Laredo Chamber of Commerce at 956-7229895 or the TAMIU Small Business Development Center at 956-326-2827.

Register online at http://sbdc.tamiu.edu.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

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

COMMENTARY

OTHER VIEWS

No reason for mindless hate MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE

The assault on a community of Sikh worshippers in Wisconsin is all the more horrifying for the combination of evil and ignorance it reveals.

The shooter in Oak Creek, Wis., took six lives and wounded three others, fueled by a motive he surely cannot articulate.

At whom did he imagine he was shooting, and why? What threat did this community represent?

Even those who might otherwise bear the excrementitious title “white supremacist” with perverse pride have to won-

der what this gunman was doing in their name.

Sikhs live a close-knit life bound by their religious values and links to family and faith in India, a focal point of tensions between India and Pakistan. They are a minority at home and abroad, with a tenacious commitment to their beliefs.

For all of the ignorant, delusional trash in the shooter’s mind, what did he think he was accomplishing? The horror is dizzying.

All the more grotesque to imagine is the highfives and beer toasts among his pathetic colleagues after the attack.

COLUMN COLUMN Credit not Language is ammo in Iran’s easy for battle against Israel woman, 99

By JONATHAN GURWITZ

By FRANK CERABINO COX NEWSPAPERS

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Can you be too old to get a credit card?

Consider what happened to Madeline Otto, a Tequesta, Fla., woman who was out shopping at a local Stein Mart store recently, picking up a pair of new shoes for her upcoming birthday party — when she will celebrate turning 100 years old.

“When I got to the checkout counter, the cashier said, ‘If you open a charge account today, you will save $10,’” Otto said.

Sounded like a good deal. So Otto handed over her driver’s license, and the cashier entered her information. Moments later, though, the cashier told Otto she was denied credit.

“She said I was too old,” Otto said. “She was so nice. She came around the counter and said she was sorry and gave me a hug.”

Otto was upset, and she contacted me, saying that she was the victim of discrimination against senior citizens.

I never heard of being too old for credit. Neither did Dan Ray. Ray, the editor in chief of CreditCard.com, spends his working days writing about the credit card industry.

“Credit card companies can do business with anybody they want,” he told me. “There’s no right to credit.”

However, he suspected that Otto’s problem wasn’t her age, but her avoidance of debt.

“Seniors are running into a new problem,” Ray said. “The way credit scoring works is that you have to have something on your credit report in order to score. And many seniors are unscorable.”

Elderly people, he said, think of debt as flaw.

They’re proud to have no mortgages, no credit cards, and no car loans.

But this makes them invisible to credit card companies, and by living within their means, some senior citizens are thought of as “deadbeats” in the world of credit.

I called back Otto to break the news.

“My credit is clear,” Otto said. “I owe no one.”

“So you have no credit,” I said. “That’s the

problem.”

“No, I have a Discover card,” she said. “I pay it right off when the bill comes.”

Oops. That was going to be my advice to her.

Ray had suggested that I advise Otto to get a credit card and put a regularly reoccurring charge on it, such as a utility bill. She could pay the card balance off every month without getting charged interest, and it will establish her credit.

But she’s already doing that.

“Are you sure the cashier said you were too old?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said.

So I called Stein Mart’s corporate offices in Jacksonville, Fla., and spoke with company spokeswoman Linda Tasseff, who has a 98-year-old grandmother in Delray Beach, Fla. Tasseff was surprised

by Otto’s story.

“The qualifications go through a standard Master Card credit check,” she said. “I would be surprised if it’s age oriented.”

She said she would look into it.

The mystery was solved a day later, when Stein Mart sent Otto an explanation, an apology and a $50 gift certificate.

It turns out there really was an age issue with Otto’s credit card request.

But it was nothing like she had imagined.

When Otto turned over her driver’s license to the cashier, the credit check system required only the last two digits of Otto’s year of birth. She was born on Oct. 18 in 1912.

The computer registered her year of birth as “12.”

The system made the assumption that it must be 2012, not 1912, and denied her request for credit because people under the age of 18 are unable to get credit cards.

When the cashier saw that Otto was being denied credit because of age, she assumed that the 99year-old woman in front of her was too old, not that the computer system has incorrectly assumed that Otto was a fetus.

So for anybody else out there shopping for your 100th birthday party, you can still put your purchase on a new credit card — just as long as the computer doesn’t think you’re too young.

(E-mail: frank_cerabino@pbpost.com)

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Obsessive critics of Israel frequently make the claim that anti-Zionism is not the same as anti-Semitism. Certainly it is true that one can be an ardent critic of the Jewish State without being a bigot. Internal dissent and domestic criticism are, after all, features of a vibrant Israeli democracy.

But opposing Israeli policies in the West Bank, or criticizing the political influence of ultra-religious groups, is far different from questioning Israel’s legitimacy as a nation or challenging its right to exist. Yet among all the nations — some of which slaughter their own citizens or cause others to simply vanish — it is only Israel that is perennially in the dock, facing boycotts and divestment, and whose existence is questioned.

The language used in the campaign to delegitimize Israel is remarkably similar on both the far left and the far right wing. At the political extremes, there’s a convergence of irrationality. And as Iran’s leaders have recently demonstrated, that language also erases the distinctions between criticism of Israel and existential threats, between a supposed dislike of modern Zionism and

“

The Iranian nation is standing for its cause that is the full annihilation of Israel.”

CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE IRANIAN ARMED FORCES GEN. HASSAN FIROUZABADI

the classical hatred of Jews.

In May, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Gen. Hassan Firouzabadi, declared, “The Iranian nation is standing for its cause that is the full annihilation of Israel.” The same report from Iran’s semiofficial Fars news agency carried this quote from Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei: “The Zionist regime is a real cancerous tumor that should be cut and will be cut, God willing.”

In June, the Islamic Republic’s vice president, Mohammad-Reza Rahimi, addressed an international conference on drug trafficking. The New York Times described it as “a baldly anti-Semitic speech,” with Rahimi elaborating a number of conspiracy theories, including that Jews are responsible for the global illicit drug trade, saying his country would “pay for anybody who can research and find

one single Zionist who is an addict,” and claiming that the Talmud — a primary Jewish text — instructs followers to “destroy everyone who opposes the Jews.”

In a speech this month to ambassadors from Islamic countries, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad repeated traditional anti-Semitic slurs, accusing Jews of running the world for 400 years and controlling international media and financial systems. His official website refers to a call for “all freedom-seeking and justiceseeking nations to adopt a measure to rout the epitome of the Zionist hegemony.”

When the president, vice president, chief of staff and supreme spiritual leader of a nation use the same eliminationist rhetoric, you can understand why Israelis might worry that Iran is working to perfect the development of nuclear weapons. If it

were only words and threats, that would be bad enough and — for all those United Nations and international law enthusiasts — clear violations of Article 2 of the U.N. Charter’s prohibition against “the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”

The Iranian government is, however, using more than explosive rhetoric.

Following car bomb attacks against Israeli diplomats in India and Georgia, a suspected Hezbollah suicide bomber tied to Iran struck a bus of Israeli tourists in Bulgaria last month, killing five. Last week, Israeli security forces rolled up a Hezbollah plot to smuggle high explosives into Israel for bomb attacks — ironically, using Hezbollah’s drug smuggling ties to move the material.

No reliable government would allow the security of its citizens to be threatened in these ways without a forceful response.

Historically, Israeli governments have not permitted such attacks to go unchallenged. The world may be content to let the shadow war of computer viruses and sanctions play out over time. The antagonists in this conflict are on a different schedule.

(Email: jgurwitz@express-news.net)

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National

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

GI details treament

By DAVID DISHNEAU ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Duane A. Laverty/Waco Tribune-Herald | AP

Naser Jason Abdo, riding in a Waco Police vehicle and wearing a facial mask, is taken from the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Waco, on Thursday.

AWOL soldier gets life term for Fort Hood plot

By SARAH KUTA ASSOCIATED PRESS

WACO — Naser Jason Abdo sat alone in court with his hands shackled and a white cloth secured over his mouth and neck.

The soldier who went AWOL and plotted to kill other troops outside a Texas Army post remained defiant Friday as he was sentenced to life in prison, not asking for mercy and vowing to never end what he considers his holy war.

“I will continue until the day the dead are called to account for their deeds,” Abdo said in a low, gravelly voice through the cloth mask.

A federal judge sentenced Abdo, 22, to two life terms plus additional time.

The federal prison system offers no chance of parole.

He was convicted of planning what he claimed would have been a attack on a restaurant filled with troops from Fort Hood.

In court, Abdo referred to Maj. Nidal Hasan — the Army psychiatrist soon to be tried in a deadly shooting rampage at that Army post — as “my brother.” He said he lived in Hasan’s shadow despite “efforts to

outdo him.”

Abdo became a Muslim at age 17.

Outside court, prosecutor Mark Frazier said Abdo had come close to carrying out the attack. U.S. Attorney Robert Pitman compared the plot to recent mass shootings at a movie theatre near Denver and a Sikh temple in suburban Milwaukee.

“In the wake of the tragic events in Colorado and Wisconsin, this is yet another reminder that there are those among us who would use or plan to use violence to advance their twisted agenda,” Pitman said.

Arguing for a life sentence, Frazier had said Abdo still presented a threat.

Abdo’s mouth was covered in court, Frazier said, because he had earlier spat his own blood at agents believing he was infected with HIV. That belief turned out to be wrong.

“He felt it was his duty to take lives, even after incarceration,” Frazier told the court.

Abdo was AWOL from Fort Campbell, Ky., when he was arrested with bomb-making materials last summer at a Fort

Hood-area motel. A federal jury convicted him in May on six charges, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction. Abdo also was found guilty of attempted murder of U.S. officers or employees and four counts of possessing a weapon in furtherance of a federal crime of violence.

Representing himself, Abdo told the court how his effort to become a conscientious objector led him to Fort Hood.

He grew up in Garland, and enlisted in the military in 2009 thinking the service would not conflict with his religious beliefs. But as his unit neared deployment, the private first class applied for conscientious objector status, writing in a letter that accompanied his application that he wasn’t sure “whether going to war was the right thing to do Islamically.”

Abdo’s unit was deployed to Afghanistan without him. He said he would refuse to go even if it resulted in a military charge against him.

But his conscientious objector status was put on hold after he was charged with possessing child pornography in May 2011.

HAGERSTOWN, Md. — A U.S. Army private charged in a massive leak of government secrets claims his harsh pretrial treatment during nine months in a Marine Corps brig was directed from high up the chain of command and warrants dismissal of the entire case, according to documents his civilian lawyer released Friday.

The 110-page motion alleges Pfc. Bradley Manning developed a rash from being forced to sleep beneath a stiff, suicide-prevention blanket and suffered an anxiety attack due to harassment by guards. It repeats well-publicized claims that Man-

ning was forced for several days to surrender all his clothing at night and stand naked in his cell for roll call. For several days in January 2011, he was forbidden to wear his eyeglasses and forced to strip down to his underwear during the day, the motion contends.

The Defense Department has said that Manning’s treatment properly conformed to the “maximum custody” or “prevention of injury” classifications in which he was held in Quantico, Va., from July 29, 2010, to April 20, 2011, when he was moved to medium-security confinement at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

Manning’s lawyers claim there was no legal or medical justification for

the harsh restrictions, and that his custody status contradicted the recommendations of multiple psychiatrists.

Manning’s lawyers intend to have Manning testify about his Quantico experience during a hearing Oct. 1-5 at Fort Meade, according to the document.

Military prosecutors didn’t immediately respond Friday to a request for comment on the motion posted by Manning’s civilian attorney, David Coombs, on his website.

In an accompanying summary, Coombs wrote that he recently became aware of emails revealing that the brig officer who ordered the restrictions was acting on orders from an unidentified, three-star general.

Beastie Boys rapper’s will bars ad use of work

By JENNIFER PELTZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — The Beastie Boys’ Adam Yauch rapped that he wouldn’t “sell my songs for no TV ad.” His will shows he wanted to make sure that held true after his death, too.

“In no event may my image or name or any music or any artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes,” says the will, filed this week in a Manhattan court. Yauch, known for his good nature as well as his raspy voice in one of hip-hop’s groundbreaking acts, died of cancer in May. He was 47.

Also known as MCA, Yauch was a founding member of the Beastie Boys, a group that helped hip-hop gain mainstream attention in the 1980s. As white guys from Brooklyn in a genre with few cred-

ible white performers at the time, they emerged as prankster pioneers and YAUCH scored such hits as “Brass Monkey,” “No Sleep Till Brooklyn” and “(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)”

They had four No. 1 albums and sold more than 40 million records.

It’s not clear whether the provision in Yauch’s will, first reported by Rolling Stone’s website, covers all the Beastie Boys’ output. His lawyer and the group’s spokesman declined to comment Friday.

But the Beastie Boys have signaled that they are keeping a tight rein on commercial use of their work.

The surviving members, Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-

Rock” Horovitz, and Yauch’s widow, Dechen Wangdu Yauch, sued the makers of Monster energy drink Wednesday over what the Beastie Boys say was an unauthorized, 23minute medley of their music in a promotional video.

A representative for Corona, Calif.-based Monster Energy Co. didn’t return a call Friday.

As record sales have declined in the digital age, advertising has become an attractive outlet for many artists — and a source of debate among fans about the line between good business and selling out.

Some artists have openly criticized the practice.

Grammy Award-winning singer Tom Waits has sued advertisers, ad agencies and his former record label over commercials that used his songs or featured people with similar voices singing them.

National

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES This navy sneaker with green neon laces has been hanging out in high school hallways for a while. Neon colors are back again for the new school year. The almost electrifying shades of pink, green, yellow and orange have appealed to teens for quite a while.

Site violates copyrights

By ANTHONY MCCARTNEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — A federal judge ruled Friday that a businessman working with Michael Jackson’s mother has violated copyrights owned by the singer’s estate and should be blocked from future uses of the work.

U.S. District Judge Dean Pregerson sided with the

Photo by The Children’s Place | AP

Hues fuel colorful trend

By SAMANTHA CRITCHELL ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Neon is a fashion trend that might be best suited to the cool kids — or real kids.

Unlike so many looks that trickled down from designer runways to mass retailers and into teenagers’ closets, the almost electrifying shades of pink, green, yellow and orange have been hanging out in high school hallways for a while.

And they’re back again for the new school year.

“Teens stayed with neon because for them, it’s so easy to wear. It taps into youth, emotion and standing out, which they like doing,” says Seventeen senior fashion editor Marissa Rosenblum.

The highlighter colors have evolved this season into accessories, beauty products and outerwear. There are still the T-shirts, colored jeans, hoodies and athletic apparel, but Rosenblum says the way to wear neon is as a single bright pop, not head to toe. (It’s a safe bet that lots of pintsized athletes will buy into the bright footwear that has made Nike’s track and field sneakers one of the most buzzed-about looks of the Olympics.)

“This is the season of color: color on color, color

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

back to neutrals. Neons are just one of the amazing color trends that are important right now,” says Anu Narayanan, vice president of women’s merchandising for Old Navy.

She’d like to see mint green jeans with a yellow neon tank with a gray cardigan. “Neon looks best as a surprise within a look.”

For its largely gradeschool customer, The Children’s Place will pair neon with navy as the cooler weather moves in. The brand started introducing neon through bright accents for its summer products but “you’ll see even more for the holidays,” says TCP senior vice president of design Michael Giannelli. “And it will continue into the spring and probably into next fall. ...

We grabbed onto it because we have more freedom in kidswear to play with bright color.”

He adds, “The children have a sense of humor about their clothes.”

Elena Kiam is creative director and co-owner of the jewelry brand Lia Sophia, which is launching a fashion jewelry collection called Sisters aimed at the tween and teen set. It includes neon, preapproved

by Kiam’s teenage daughters and their friends.

“They can be a tough

crowd. They’re changing all the time, reinventing themselves all the time, trying new things. It’s an age of experimentation, but they’re also a part of the population who knows what’s going on,” she says.

If everyone is wearing neon, they’ll also want it for their accessories, says Kiam, adding that schools with strict dress codes will likely allow superbright friendship bracelets or earrings. Her uniform-wearing girls don’t get a lot of variety in their school-day clothes, so “they change up their jewelry for a little bit of self-expression.”

She expects neon citrus yellow-green to be particularly popular with kids and — as with everything — neon pink.

Neon, however, isn’t just a chick thing. Giannelli points to the 1980s, when it was a staple in every kid’s wardrobe, and he says the skater-snowboarder-surfer look has brought brights back into favor for boys.

“Skater kids and surfer dudes are wearing bright pinks and deep purples, and they’re also getting into orange and banana.”

These colors work surprisingly well in snow gear, particularly fleece, which often is done in one color and trimmed in another, Giannelli says.

singer’s estate in a ruling against Howard Mann and the website www.michaeljacksonsecretvault.com, which appeared to be inactive Friday morning.

The estate sued Mann in January 2011, claiming he was violating copyrights and posed unfair competition to Jackson’s estate. Pregerson ruled that the website improperly used art from the film

“This Is It,” a logo featuring Jackson and the song “Destiny,” as well as other material.

“In light of defendants’ past and present infringement, it is also undisputed that future violations are likely, causing ongoing harm to plaintiffs and misled consumers,” Pregerson wrote.

An upcoming trial will address damages.

SÁBADO 11 DE AGOSTO DE 2012

Agenda en Breve LAREDO 08/11— Fiesta de Verano por el Regreso a Clases, de 8 a.m. a 12 p.m. en Parque Fr. McNaboe, 102 Rancho Viejo. Evento gratuito.

08/11— International Intellligence Security Service Inc. invita al Seminario para Guardia de Seguridad de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m. en 420 E. Saunders. Informes en el (956) 324-1339.

08/11— LCC presenta Enrollment Open House de 10 a.m. a 3 p.m. en el primer piso de Memorial Hall en el Campus Fort McIntosh.

Los estudiantes recibiran consejos, se podran registrar y aplicar para ayuda financiera. El colegio también ofrecerá vacunas gratuitas de meningitis a los estudiantes que las necesiten y califiquen para la vacuna mandada por el estado. Para mas información, llamar al 721-5109.

08/12— “Ride of Heroes” inicia a las 8:30 a.m. en Shiloh Trails, con la participación exclusiva de militares, trabajadores en servicios de emergencia y oficiales policiacos. Cuota de participación: 100 dólares para equipos; 20 dólares para mujeres y 10 dólares para niños.

Inscripciones hoy de 7 a.m. a 7:30 a.m. en el lugar del evento. Informes en el (956) 717-1660.

08/14— Concierto de “Evanescence con Chevelle, Halestorm, New Medicina y Cavo, a las 6:30 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 Arena Blvd. Más información en www.learena.com.

08/15— Taller “How to Become a Better Communicator” (Cómo ser un Mejor Comunicador) es de 9 a.m. a 4 p.m. en el Aula 101 del Edificio De la Garza en Laredo Community College, Fort McIntosh Campus. Más información en 721-5110.

08/15— Laredo Theater Guild International estará realizando audiciones para la puesta en escena de “Blood Wedding/Bodas de Sangre” a las 7 p.m. en el Sam Johnson Black Box Theater. Interesados deben ser bilingües. La segunda prueba será el 16 de agosto alas 7 p.m. en el mismo lugar. La puesta en escena será del 17 al 21 de octubre y del 25 al 28 de octubre.

08/15— El Programa “Viviendo Mejor” de la Ciudad de Laredo invita a las sesiones gratuitas de Grupos de Apoyo de Diabetes, durante cinco miércoles, a partir de hoy a las 6 p.m., en el Centro de Aprendizaje de Salud del Departamento de Salud de la Ciudad de Laredo, 2600 avenida Cedar. El tema de hoy es: Diabetes y Lípidos por Alta Presión Sanguínea.

08/17— La Fundación para el Patrimonio del Condado de Webb en colaboración con Half Spoon LLC, presenta la inauguración de la exhibición "Pureza de Sangre" a las 6 p.m. en el Museo del Patrimonio Fronterizo "Villa Antigua", 810 calle Zaragoza. El evento presenta una historia de la influencia de cripto Judíos en esta región.

08/17— Laredo Independent School District presenta a Leonard Sax con el tema Aulas de Clase para un Solo Genero, de 7 p.m. a 8:30 p.m. en el auditorio de Lamar Middle School, 1818 North Arkansas Ave. Todos los padres de familia están invitados.

08/17— “Liberación” y “Grupo Zaaz” se presentan a las 8 p.m. en Casa Blanca Ballroom, 6402 avenida N Bartlett. Costo en preventa: 15 dólares en Casa de Música Guadalupe, Laredo Mini Mart, San Ramon Record Shop, Casa Raul South.

Zfrontera

PÁGINA 7A

CORTE

EU

Aerostáticos vigilarán Juez sella archivos en caso Edmundo Lozano frontera

En secreto “

POR JASON BUCH

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Fiscales federales han cerrado su caso contra un político mexicano acusado de utilizar una identidad robada para obtener un pasaporte de los EU, pero un juez selló los archivos de la corte y su desenlace es un secreto.

Edmundo Lozano Rendón se mantuvo acusado en una corte de Laredo por realizar declaraciones falsas para obtener un pasaporte. En documentos de la corte, investigadores de EU sostuvieron que el ciudadano mexicano y condenado por delito grave utilizó la identidad de un ciudadano de EU quien había fallecido en la década de 1960 para obtener un pasaporte.

Usualmente, las ordenes selladas existen cuando el gobierno federal aún tiene algo que investigar”.

MICHAEL ARIENS, PROFESOR DE LA ESCUELA DE DERECHO EN ST. MARY’S UNIVERSITY

Lozano Rendón fue vocero para el Partido Revolucionario Institucional en Tamaulipas y posteriormente trabajó para el entonces gobernador del estado. Él fue arrestado en febrero en el Valle del Río Grande por acusaciones de no haber pagado una multa de 7.500 dólares de una condena por lavado de dinero en 1992 y poste-

riormente fue acusado por realizar declaraciones falsas para obtener un pasaporte, lo cual conlleva una pena máxima de 10 años en prisión.

El jueves, su abogado en McAllen, Roberto J. Yzaguirre, no quiso comentar sobre el caso o explicar por qué fue sellado. Igualmente, fiscales declinaron comentar.

Un juez puede sellar el

resultado de un caso criminal en algunas circunstancias, pero no es común y los sellados no pueden permanecer así indefinidamente, dijo Michael Ariens, un profesor de la Escuela de Derecho en St. Mary’s University.

“Usualmente, las ordenes selladas existen cuando el gobierno federal aún tiene algo que investigar”, dijo Ariens.

Lozano Rendón salió libre bajo fianza en mayo, y hasta el jueves era incierto si enfrenta la deportación del país.

Su arresto y acusación surge cuando el PRI en Tamaulipas enfrenta investigaciones por lavado de dinero de las autoridades en EU y México.

Tres ex gobernadores del estado son mencionados en las investigaciones.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

McALLEN — Algo nuevo estará flotando dentro de poco en los cielos de Texas, sobre el límite entre Estados Unidos y México, cuando las autoridades federales prueben aparatos aerostáticos militares para ver si pueden ayudar a vigilar las fronteras.

Los dispositivos, similares a un globo, probablemente despegarán pronto en el Valle del Río Bravo, dijo el vocero de la Patrulla Fronteriza Enrique Mendiola.

Mendiola no pudo precisar cuántos habría ni cuánto tiempo iba a durar la prueba.

Los dispositivos, cedidos por el Departamento de Defensa, usualmente están equipados con cámaras y radares en lugares de batalla.

Mendiola se negó a discutir la tecnología con la que contarían los globos.

La prueba determinará si los aparatos que los militares ya no necesitan podrían ser útiles para la seguridad fronteriza.

DEPORTES

RECORRERÁN ESTADO EN BICICLETA

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Nuevo Laredo

Se tiene detallada ‘La Vuelta Tamaulipas 2012’ que iniciará en Nuevo Laredo, México, el 26 de agosto y concluirá en Ciuidad Madero el 2 de septiembre, cubriendo un total de 1.000 kilómetros.

‘Vuelta Tamaulipas 2012’ visitará ocho ciudades en 7 días POR MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

El pedalismo de Tamaulipas y México participará en “La Vuelta Tamaulipas 2012” que iniciará en Nuevo Laredo, México.

El circuito de siete etapas está programado del 26 de agosto al 2 de septiembre, e incluirá salida de Nuevo Laredo para continuar por Miguel Alemán, Reynosa, Matamoros, San Fernando, Ciudad Victoria, Mante y Ciudad Madero, cubriendo un total de 1.000 kilómetros.

Se anticipa la participación de alrededor de 230 ciclistas.

Una primera etapa contempla recorrer 80 kilómetros dentro de Nuevo Laredo. Así, el 27 de agosto los equipos recorrerán 170 kilómetros hasta Miguel Alemán, en un tiempo aproximado de 4 horas. El 28 de

agosto la meta será Reynosa recorriendo 90 kilómetros con tiempo aproximado de 2 horas y 20 minutos; la siguiente etapa será hasta Matamoros con otros 90 kilómetros.

Los participantes dormirán en Matamoros y serán trasladados a San Fernando para continuar con la Vuelta Ciclista hasta Ciudad Victoria para recorrer 180 kilómetros, con tiempo calculado de 4 horas y 30 minutos.

De Ciudad Victoria se realizará un circuito que arrancará a las 9 a.m. para recorrer 80 kilómetros, para luego continuar a Mante con un recorrido de 140 kilómetros y un tiempo aproximado de 3 horas y 30 minutos. Finalizará el evento recorriendo de Mante a Ciudad Madero con una distancia de 170 kilómetros y 4 horas 30 minutos de tiempo estimado.

“Es importante motivar al turismo y darle valor a este deporte”, dijo el Presidente Municipal de Nuevo Laredo, Benjamín Galván Gómez. “Nos sentimos muy motivados por este proyecto deportivo internacional (ya que) veremos a los mejores del país y de otros puntos que han participado en grandes competencias”.

La bolsa de premios llega a los 300.000 pesos.

Nuevo Laredo. México El circuito de exhibición de la carrera ciclista en Nuevo Laredo para la “Vuelta a Tamaulipas 2012” será el domingo 26 de agosto.

La ruta, será: partiendo del Parque Viveros y sigue hacia el bulevar Adolfo Ruiz Cortines, dobla ha-

cia Paseo Colón, hasta la calle Ocampo donde regresan de nuevo hasta Ruiz Cortines, pasan el Parque Viveros y se desvían por Chimalpopoca hasta dar una vuelta a la rotonda del Monumento a los Niños Héroes para retomar Chimalpopoca y terminar en el Parque Viveros.

Espectadores neolaredenses podrán apostarse en las laterales de estas calles y al término del recorrido de los ciclistas profesionales que participarán en la carrera, habrá una gran verbena popular en el Parque Viveros.

La “Vuelta a Tamaulipas 2012” es una carrera que se reanuda después de 25 años de suspensión en el estado.

(Localice a Miguel Timoshenkov en el (956) 728-2583 o en mramirez@lmtonline.com)

CLIMA

Informe: Empeora sequía en estados agrícolas de EU POR JIM SUHR ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN LUIS — Los estados de las planicies en los que la producción de maíz y soya es crucial están siendo golpeados con más dureza por las excesivas condiciones de sequía tras el mes más caliente del que se tenga registro en Estados Unidos.

El mapa de Monitoreo de la Sequía en Estados Unidos difundido el jueves indica que la zona afectada por la falta de lluvia bajó poco

más del 1% al 78,14% hasta el martes. Pero la extensión aún atenazada por sequedad extrema o excepcional —las dos clasificaciones peores— aumentó al 24,14%, casi dos puntos porcentuales más frente a la semana anterior.

Los agricultores de Iowa —el mayor productor nacional de maíz y soya— vieron cómo empeoraba la situación, ya que la extensión en ese estado de la sequía excepcional o extrema pasó del 30,74% la semana pasada al 69,14% ahora.

“Lo mismo sucedió la semana pasada en las llanuras centrales al persistir el excesivo calor y la sequía, lo que Se amplió la zona afectada en Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma y partes de Texas”, dijo el climatólogo Mark Svoboda, del Centro Nacional de Mitigación de la Sequía, en el informe del jueves.

La sequía impulsó un aumento de 23% el precio del Foto por Torin Halsey | Associated Press maíz y la soya, con un avance del 19% en los mer- Un pescado se observa cerca de la orilla del Lago Wichita, en Wichcados mundiales, según la ita Falls. La sequía extrema ha afectado no solamente a Texas sino a varios estados agrícolas de EU. FAO.

National

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

Nuns under Vatican rebuke to continue talks

By JIM SALTER AND RACHEL ZOLL ASSOCIATED PRESS

ST. LOUIS — An American nuns group rebuked by the Vatican said Friday it would hold talks with the bishops appointed to overhaul the organization but would not “compromise its mission.”

Sister Pat Farrell, president of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, called a Vatican assessment charging the sisters with tolerating dissent a “misrepresentation.” But she said the more than 900 women who attended the group’s national assembly this week decided they would stay open to discussion with three bishops the Vatican appointed to oversee them.

“The officers will proceed with these discussions as long as possible but will reconsider if LCWR is forced to compromise the integrity of its mission,” Farrell

Pat Martens Balke, of St. Louis, rallies with other supporters of The Leadership Conference of Women Religious at a vigil Thursday in St. Louis.

The LCWR, the largest U.S. group for Roman Catholic nuns, is meeting to decide how it should respond to a Vatican rebuke and order for reform.

The organization represents about 80 percent of the 57,000 U.S. sisters.

Photo by Seth Perlman | AP

said at a news conference, where she declined to discuss specifics.

The organization represents about 80 percent of the 57,000 Roman Catholic nuns in the U.S. The St. Louis meeting was the group’s first national gathering

since a Vatican review concluded the sisters had “serious doctrinal problems” and promoted “certain radical feminist themes” that undermine Catholic teaching on allmale priesthood, birth control and homosexuality.

Farrell acknowledged the nuns’ plan going forward was vague, but noted the process was to last five years and had only just started. The board is expected to meet soon with Seattle Archbishop Peter Sartain, who

will be in charge of the overhaul.

“Dialogue on doctrine is not going to be our starting point,” Farrell said. “Our starting point will be about our own life and about our understanding of religious life, and the (Vatican) document’s, in our view, misrepresentation of that, and we’ll see how it unfolds from there.”

The Vatican orthodoxy watchdog, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, undertook the assessment in 2008, following years of complaints from theological conservatives that the American nuns’ group had become secular and political while abandoning traditional faith.

The critique, issued in April, prompted a nationwide outpouring of support for the sisters, including parish vigils, protests outside the Vatican embassy in Washington and a congressional resolution commending the sisters for their service.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

Mosque now open

Colo. suspect impressed neuroscience program

By P. SOLOMON BANDA ASSOCIATED PRESS

DENVER — The Colorado theater shooting suspect left a good impression on people he met in his pursuit of a neuroscience career, with a reference describing him as having a “great amount of intellectual and emotional maturity.”

That account comes in a recommendation letter sent to the University of Illinois neuroscience program as part of James Holmes’ application to the school last year. The names of those who wrote the references letters were blacked out.

The letter and all the university’s documents related to Holmes were provided to The Associated Press on Friday after an open records request.

Holmes declined to attend the highly selective program, and instead attended the University of

Colorado, Denver, studying neuroscience until he dropped out in June. He gave no reason for declining the offer of admission in Illinois, and no reason for dropping out in Colorado.

University of Colorado officials have declined to release Holmes’ records, citing a Colorado judge’s gag order that does not apply to other states.

Holmes is accused of killing 12 people and wounding 58 in the attack during a midnight showing of the new Batman movie. Holmes’ attorneys say that he is mentally ill.

Letters, his resume and a personal statement written by Holmes paint a picture of a bright student who is committed to pursuing a career as a cognitive neuroscientist.

“Researching learning and memory interests me because these are the very cognitive processes which enable us to acquire infor-

mation and retain it,” he wrote in his personal statement.

In recommendation letters, Holmes is described as being in the top 1 percent of his honors classes with a cumulative grade point average of 3.949, making honors list.

“He takes an active role in his education, and brings a great amount of intellectual and emotional maturity into the classroom,” one recommendation letter reads. “James received excellent evaluations from the professor’s and graduate students with whom he worked and was mentored.”

Another letter describes him as “a very effective group leader” on assignments.

That description is a stark contrast to his demeanor in court, where he seems dazed, looking straight ahead and avoiding eye contact with those sitting in the court room.

By TRAVIS LOLLER ASSOCIATED PRESS

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Muslims in the Tennessee city of Murfreesboro said Friday they hope the opening of their new mosque after more than two years of controversy will be a new beginning for relations with the community, particularly their opponents.

Islamic Center of Murfreesboro members include immigrants from Iraq, Egypt, Syria and other countries, as well as American converts. Many of them said that before the opposition to their new building they had always found Murfreesboro to be a welcoming community.

If it were not, the congregation would never have grown to the point where they needed to build a new mosque, they said.

“We are here 30 years and I never had a problem with the people here,” said Safaa Fathy, a member of the mosque’s board of directors. “It only started two

COURT Continued from Page 1A from Laredo to Brownsville are the subjects of money laundering probes in that country, including Lozano Rendón’s former employer Eugenio Hernández.

In the U.S., Hernández’s predecessor, Tomás Yarrington Ruvalcaba, is under scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Yarrington hasn’t been charged with a crime, but in court documents agents have alleged he took millions of dollars in bribes from drug cartels while he was governor from 1999 to 2004, investing the money in San Antonio and across South Texas.

Prosecutors have made similar allegations against PRI officials from Coahuila, which borders parts of South and West Texas, and this week Mexican media reported that other party officials in Tamaulipas are under scrutiny.

Gonzalez welcomed the public to see the checkbook register.

“I’ve got nothing to hide,” he said.

“Any citizen can look at it.”

Gonzalez signed off on disbursements made from the account, he said. He said he was the sole authority who could do so.

But Vela said state code dictates that the county treasurer is the only official who has authority to disburse money and must have another signature, often the county auditor’s.

“I have nothing to do with that account,” Salinas said of the sheriff’s office account. “That’s why Commissioner Vela is requesting that audit be performed there.”

Gonzalez said the sheriff’s office oversees three special accounts — an inmate trust fund, a commissary ac-

count and a training account — that elected officials are permitted by state law to have.

But Vela said the sheriff wasn’t authorized to have an account in his office’s name and should not have been allowed to be the sole person to sign off on transactions.

“This is the first time I’ve encountered something like this as commissioner,” Vela said. “The only person who can disburse or receive monies is the treasurer — nobody else.”

Gonzalez said commissioners approved the account.

“They want to make it sound like it is illegal,” he said. “It’s a political thing.”

(JJ Velasquez may be reached at 728-2579 or jjvelasquez@lmtonline.com)

BALLOONS Continued from Page 1A pata County skies.

“We don’t know at this time. The program is brand new and in testing mode. Based on the results of this evaluation, it may be deployed in other areas,” Mendiola said.

Formally called “aerostats,” the Department of Defense (DoD) re-purposed devices contain sensor equipment that officers can use to monitor activities, said Border Patrol spokesman Efrain Perez.

Neither could disclose the type of technology the aerostats incorporated.

“We are hoping that this will help us in our border environment so we can work more efficiently and effectively between the ports of entry,” Mendiola said.

The agency plans to eval-

uate additional equipment in the coming months.

“I want to help CBP get the word out to South Texans that the shapes they may see in the sky during the testing of these aerostats are not only nothing to worry about — but in fact an example of CBP’s continued efforts to maximize the use of resources that taxpayers have already paid for,” said Rep. Henry Cuellar in a prepared statement.

“During these difficult times of limited budgets, cooperation and coordination between government agencies is especially important, and I thank CBP and DoD for working together.”

(Stephanie Ibarra may be reached at 728-2547 or sibarra@lmtonline.com)

years ago.”

That’s when the Islamic center received permission to construct a new mosque to replace their overcrowded space. Since then they have had to deal with public protests, vandalism, arson of a construction vehicle and a bomb threat. Opponents held a protest rally and then sued the county to stop construction.

Their attorneys claimed in court that Islam was not a real religion deserving

First Amendment protections. They also claimed that local Muslims were part of a plot to overthrow the U.S. constitution and replace it with Islamic law.

They were unable to prove those claims, which were thrown out by the judge, but construction was nearly halted anyway when that judge ruled in May there was not sufficient public notice for the meeting where mosque construction was approved.

ROSA G. GOMES

COMMISSIONERS Continued from Page 1A which was erroneously noted as 114923756, the Zapata National Bank routing number, on the agenda for Monday’s Commissioners Court meeting — was approved by commissioners in March 2009. The Zapata Times was unable to verify that claim by press time.

He said a motion was made by Commissioner Norberto Garza and then seconded by then-commissioner County Judge Joe Rathmell.

Gonzalez said deposits to the account came from sales of soda, donations from the public and money generated from fees charged to owners of impounded vehicles.

He said the account was used to purchase equipment for employees, flowers for employee family members and to pay for travel expenses.

Photo by Mark Humphrey | AP

A woman takes a picture of the Islamic Center of Murfreesboro after midday prayers on Friday, in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

Rosa G. Gomes passed away Tuesday, Aug. 7, 2012, at her residence in Zapata.

Ms. Gomes is preceded in death by her husband, Harold Ray Gomes, Sr.; and her mother, Leonor Gonzalez.

Ms. Gomes is survived by her son, Harold Ray Jr. (Crystal) Gomes; daughters: Cristina (Martin) Pacheco, Mary Gomes, Rosa (Juan Jr.) Cruz and Rachel (Jeremiah) Duggan; twelve grandchildren; father, Samuel Gonzalez; sisters: Celia Gonzalez, Susana (Juan) Rodriguez, Lila Gonzalez and Sandra (Jose) Enriquez; aunt, Maria Lozada; and by numerous nephews,

nieces and many friends.

Visitation hours will be held Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, at 8 a.m. with a rosary at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. A graveside service will follow at 10:30 a.m. at Zapata County Cemetery.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. 83, Zapata.

CHILDREN Continued from Page 1A a doctor, a registered nurse and technicians.

The idea for having the clinic come to Laredo was first conceived a year ago by Laredo Alzafar Shriner Noble Larry Lowe and his wife Sandy, who live in Bruni.

“The costs of having these kids and their families travel kept going up, and it’s tough for kids to travel when they’re sick,” said Larry Lowe. “We were spending $28,000 a year in transportation, so we thought we’d rather take that money and spend it on the kids instead of transportation.

“Most of these kids are already patients of Shriners Hospital, so these will be follow-up visits for them, but some will be seen for the first time,” said Sandy Lowe.

The Lowes thought that establishing a partnership with an established clinic would be

the ideal situation and they contacted Alzafar Shrine Potentate Bob Jones in San Antonio. Jones contacted the Cowl Center and made arrangements.

“We are very appreciative to the Ruthe B. Cowl Rehabilitation Center for their generous contribution,” Jones said.

Cowl Center Executive Director Fay Mainhart said the oneday clinic promotes the center’s legacy to help all in need.

“This is a huge partnership.

Our missions are aligned; they want to treat kids and we want to make sure that people who are in need are seen,” Mainhart said.

Larry Lowe said there is another clinic scheduled for November, and there are plans to conduct at least four a year.

(Rick Villarreal may be reached at 728-2528 or rvillarreal@lmtonline.com)

State

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

Artist makes horses out of anything

By MIKE BAIRD CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES

ROBSTOWN — Jesse Laing whittled his first horse from a chunk of wood before age 10.

Then he crafted a wagon for it from a sardine can.

“I’m crazy about horses,” said Laing, 88, as he swooshed his hand around his comfort chair at dozens of horses carved from wood, cast in bronze, scribed onto objects or ground from slabs of iron he cut with torches and welded together.

His snorting stallions, mild-mannered mares, and miniature ponies are flanked with his collections of ornate bridle bits, silverinlaid spurs, lariats and eight decades of personal photos highlighting his life loving horses.

Laing is most known in local veteran circles as the only World War II survivor of Robstown’s Fighting 36th Division, Company G. He was an Army motorcycle scout, referred to by a former commanding officer as “the best little soldier” ever under his command.

To his family — and veterans invited to visit Laing’s six-acre sanctuary — the equine treasures are as rare as that horse of a different color revered in Oz. “Jesse’s artistic talent is beyond amazement,” said Martin Lopez, Laing’s veteran friend. “He’s from our greatest generation, with the determination and patriotism this country was built on.”

Laing has joined woodcarver associations, he said.

After taking some carvings to craft shows — including inside Memorial

Coliseum, which honored his generation of soldiers — he later regretted selling them. He has given away a few objects to people special in his life, but carving is a passion that’s private, he said. One of his carvings — of a jumping buck — was cast in bronze for display at Nueces County Courthouse, dedicated to William B. Mobley Jr., district attorney of the 105th judicial court from 1969 to 1983. It’s mounted on a pedestal of inlaid stone outside the court clerk’s office, and Laing’s name isn’t on it.

He has shared his love of horses with his 11 children.

He said it came from always being around horses: riding them to town from his childhood home northwest of Robstown; as a bronco buster after the war for $5 each; then riding horseback 16 miles a day for six years on border patrol west of Laredo and later, training his children for horse shows.

For more than 30 years Laing has raised miniature horses to pull youngsters in carts at school and church events. His most tender affection still is expressed daily to Rebel and Mare, his miniature horses — and Bull, a miniature humped-neck South American bull — none taller than

a dining table.

Some of his passion for horses and art has passed to his children, he said.

One son carves miniature people and objects for Scenic Accents — a distributor to toy train collectors; another carves and builds carousel-type rocking horses.

One daughter draws faces and animals.

Laing’s favorite personal carving is whichever one he’s showing someone.

“This is my favorite ...” he says, with each object he identifies — the pocketknife-scribed aluminum safety hard hat he wore for 24 years in refinery work; the colored pencil drawing he stayed up all night making after seeing the 1962 movie “Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” or the 25pound doorstop he welded and grinded into a horse from scrap iron.

All-nighters aren’t uncommon, Laing said.

It took him five years to carve one hunk of wood into two upright stallions fighting. It’s dated March 15, 1978.

Laing carves other images — American Indian faces, eagles, rams, dogs, ducks, and roosters, for his family crest. But whenever possible he weaves a horse into it, too.

One smoking pipe in the

Photo by Rachel Denny Clow/Corpus Christi Caller-Times | AP

Jesse Laing shows off this etched aluminum safety hat in Corpus Christi. Laing whittled his first horse from a chunk of wood before age 10. Then he crafted a wagon for it from a sardine can. stand of his favorites has the face of Disney’s Sleeping Beauty. And she’s not the only female in his repertoire. The back of his hard-hat has a pinup girl,

which garnered a lot of appreciation from his refinery buddies, he said.

Not from his wife.

“I made Jesse stop making pinup girls,” said

Elaine Knutson Laing, his wife of 51 years. “He kept putting my face on them.”

She deserves a purple heart for putting up with him, he said.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

Ready to roll Courtesy photo

The Zapata Lady Hawks cross country team will face challenges at the ninth annual South Texas Stampede in Zapata next week.

Lady Hawks hit ground running Zapata hosts South Texas Stampede

By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

Photos by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

The Zapata Hawks have begun their 2012 football season under new regulations by the UIL, but are doing their best to prepare for the regular season.

Zapata begins practice, gets set for season

By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

T

he sounds of players running through drill early in the morning on Zapata’s practice field means only one thing: football has officially arrived, bringing excitement to Zapata County.

A total of 86 athletes showed up for work outs with a few more freshmen expected to come around once school starts.

The Hawks started drills early Monday morning, followed by a walk through in the afternoon. Head coach Mario Arce is very optimistic of how the team looks through four practices.

“It is early, but we basically pick up where we left off on offense and defense,”

Zapata’s football team returns a total of 11 players from last year’s team and is ready for game action.

See FOOTBALL PAGE 2B

In seven days, Zapata will officially start the 2012 cross country season by welcoming schools to the ninth annual South Texas Stampede in Zapata.

The meet will have six divisions, starting with boys and girls’ divisions for varsity, junior varsity and freshmen divisions.

Zapata will finally test its team to see where it stands in a racing like environment.

This early in the season, times will take a back seat to what coach Mike Villarreal wants from his team.

“We are going into the meet not worrying about times,” Villarreal said. “I want to see how mentally tough this team is and see what our gaps are.”

The course will be 1.7 miles, but do not let the short distance fool you, because it is going to have other elements that cannot be measured.

The course will have hay bales on the course, a mud pit and the a running W — that has the athletes running in a W up and down a hill — to test runners like no other meet.

“I want to see what they are made of; they will get tested,” Villarreal said. “The distance is going to be shorter, but it does not mean it is going to be easier for our team or the rest of the field.”

Villarreal is having a time trial to help him determine the seven runners that will suit up for the varsity team on Aug. 18.

“The time trial helps me in the decision process,” he said. “I don’t like to run freshmen at the varsity level. I give them at least two meets before moving them up.

“This way it gives them an opportunity to pick up some medals.”

See RACE PAGE 2B

HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

Fans play Lady Hawks learn what to important role in work on in scrimmages every game

By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

The sounds of volleyball hitting the floor and the football team running through drills marks the end of summer, as everyone is gearing up for the school year.

Parents have been busy buying their children all the essentials — glue, pencils, markers, folders, crayons, ect. — to start school on the right note.

Athletes are just excited that their seasons are starting after spending the summer getting ready for this moment.

Athletes are like kids who cannot wait to for Christmas morning, with sleep being the last thing on their minds.

While the coaches and athletes are excited about the seasons starting, parents and fans in general are also excited for the first Friday night of games.

Athletes make the game exciting with their moves on the field or the way they pound the ball on the court, but the excitement comes from the fans that let you know if they enjoy the play.

Fans are the ones that cheer in approval of a play or boo

“

CLARA SANDOVAL VAL

when an official blows a call.

But on the other hand, fans can be distracting and must sometimes be removed from the facilities.

As a basketball coach many years ago — about 14 to be exact — all the fans were removed from the facility once.

It was the third quarter and we were ahead when everything went crazy. A fan came out from the crowd and pushed one of our athletes.

In the play before, everyone went all crazy, our athlete dove toward the opponent’s bench to save the ball, which she did but landed on some of the other team’s players.

While she was getting up, one of the players slapped our athlete and she then retaliated.

The officials and coaches

See SANDOVAL PAGE 2B

LAREDO — The Lady Hawks first test on the court came with some mixed emotions for Zapata, as coach Rosie Villarreal still wants to make some adjustments.

Villarreal attempted to find where some of the players excel on the court.

“We were just trying to figure out which positions were going to work out better for some of the girls,” she said. “I had some hitting from the outside and some playing middle against (Laredo) United and Freer.

“I am really impressed at the adjustments being made where I am putting (the girls) and it is just giving me an idea of where they are going play to make our team stronger.”

Zapata is ahead of schedule on some aspects of the game but there is concern in others, but Villarreal is looking forward to addressing those areas in the preseason.

“Definitely yes, I would hate to come in thinking that they all know everything, they know where they are supposed to go

Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

Kristina De Leon will be a team leader for the Lady Hawks this season. and there is nothing to fix. That would be very scary,” Villarreal said. “Right now, we are trying to run the 6-2 instead of the 5-1.

We are trying to figure out what is going to work for us to be competitive. ” In the opening scrimmage at Laredo United, Zapata was pitted against the Lady Longhorns and its defense was tested relentlessly, an aspect that Villar-

real would like to tighten up before hitting the district season.

“We still need to work on our defense,” Villarreal said. “From what I saw, they are overrunning the ball a lot, so the ball is rolling off their arms.

“This is the first time I have actually seen them do that, not even in practice all week.”

Zapata unleashed its own power on the offensive end, with Kristina De Leon and Gina Jasso complimenting each other at the net.

“Right now our offense is really strong,” Villarreal said.

“They are really working hard on the net and getting the ball down.”

De Leon is the reigning district MVP and has continued to add another dimension to her game, as she attempts to lead Zapata through another season.

“Kristina is a one-person team,” Villarreal said. “I tell her that people are going to be gunning for her and that she needs to ignore it and play.

“She just needs to play strong.”

De Leon went toe to toe with

See GIRLS PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

Dwight lands in LA

By TIM REYNOLDS ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Luca Bruno | AP

Mexico’s Giovani Dos Santos will have to sit out the gold-medal match today against Brazil in the London Olympics.

Mexico, Brazil go for gold

By TALES AZZONI ASSOCIATED PRESS

WEMBLEY, England — Brazil hasn’t been this close to the gold medal in football since Romario was a young promising star in the late 1980s.

Many great players have tried and failed after him, including the likes of Rivaldo, Roberto Carlos, Ronaldo and Ronaldinho.

Now it will be up to Neymar, the future of Brazilian football, to try to end decades of frustration and give the nation its first gold, the only trophy missing in football for the five-time world champions.

Brazil is the favorite going into Saturday’s final at Wembley Stadium against Mexico, a team which has had unusual success against its Latin American rival in recent years and will also be looking for its first Olympic gold.

“We arrived for the final very well prepared,” Brazil coach Mano Menezes said Friday. “We arrived the way we wanted to arrive, confident after a solid campaign so far. We respect Mexico, it’s a great national team, but we feel we can beat it because we believe in our potential.”

Anything but the gold will be considered a failure for Brazil, which established the London Games as the team’s priority this year and brought most of its top players for the competition.

The Olympics are also an important test for the players — most of them will also likely be in the team trying to help Brazil win next year’s Confederations Cup and the 2014

World Cup at home.

Victory would give them an extra boost of morale and show fans the national team is on the right track.

Defeat could raise doubts and even cost the job of coach Mano Menezes as criticism will pour in from all across Brazil.

“We all know that we need to win the gold,” Menezes said. “Brazil has to win every tournament it plays, it needs to win every match it plays, even if it’s a friendly. And this time even more because it’s something the nation has never won before.”

Brazil is playing in an Olympic final for the first time since the 1988 Games, when the team led by Romario and Bebeto lost 2-1 to the then Soviet Union.

Brazil also lost the final four years earlier in Los Angeles, and never again made it this close to victory.

Bebeto, Ronaldo, Rivaldo and Roberto Carlos got the bronze at the 1996 Atlanta Games, and Ronaldinho also finished third with Brazil four years ago in Beijing, when the team lost the semifinal to Argentina. Ronaldinho also was in the team eliminated by Cameroon in the quarterfinals of the 2000 Sydney Games. Brazil didn’t qualify for Athens in 2004.

“It’s our third chance to win this gold and hopefully we will learn the lessons from the other finals we played and didn’t win,” Menezes said.

Coaches who tried and never got the gold include Mario Zagallo in 1996, Vanderlei Luxemburgo in 2000 and Dunga in 2008.

The player carrying the team’s expectations this time is 20-year-old Neymar, Brazil’s most talkedabout player in years, touted by some to potentially become the world’s best player in the world.

“We came here for the gold and we are one match away from getting it,” said Neymar, who has been playing up to expectations so far with three goals and several assists in the team’s five victories so far.

“We just have to do our job in the final.”

But Brazil will be facing an opponent which has been creating problems in recent years. Mexico has won six of the last 12 matches against the Brazilians since 1999, including that year’s Confederations Cup final. It lost only four of those games and drew two.

The Mexicans won the last time the teams played, a warmup for the Olympics just a few months ago in the United States. Mexico won 2-0 in a match in which both teams played with many of the players who made it to the London Games.

But Mexico’s task to win its first gold got a bit harder when forward Giovani Dos Santos was ruled out of the final because of a right hamstring injury. ”“It’s very painful for him and sensitive for the team, but at the same time this team has show that it’s very mentally strong and can overcome many adversities,” Mexico coach Luis Fernando Tena told reporters at Olympic Park. The son of a former Brazilian player, Dos Santos will be replaced by Marco Fabian.

GIRLS Continued from Page 1B the Lady Longhorns best hitters and made United’s defense work at the net and on the back row.

Zapata countered just about anything thrown at them with solid play at the net, communication among teammates and elongation the rally points.

In the second game of the scrimmage, Zapata took on Freer. The Lady Hawks took control of the game early behind De Leon’s lead.

With no towering blockers in the front row for Freer, De Leon and Jasso picked apart the defense through the hour-long scrimmage.

Zapata’s defense started to come around against Feeer, making some key plays to stop the Lady Bucs’ rallies.

This morning Zapata will be in Roma for its final tune up before starting the preseason against Laredo Nixon on Tuesday.

LONDON — Dwight Howard got his wish: He’s out of Orlando.

The All-Star center was traded Friday to the Los Angeles Lakers, the last act of his long, drawn-out departure from the Magic.

It took four teams, 12 players, five draft picks and countless rounds of talks with different clubs to get done, but it finally was completed Friday after the NBA reviewed and approved the deal.

So after an offseason where the Magic fired coach Stan Van Gundy and general manager Otis Smith, now they’re truly beginning anew. Howard is gone as well, the second time the franchise has lost a big-man star to the Lakers.

In 1996, the Magic watched Shaquille O’Neal sign as a free agent with the Lakers. At least this time, when they lost someone with the “Superman” nickname, they got something back.

“Well, it looks like Superman has found a home,” Lakers guard Kobe Bryant wrote on his Facebook page.

A lot of players found new homes, including Andrew Bynum, sent by the Lakers to the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers sent Andre Iguodala — part of the U.S. Olympic team, set to play a semifinal game at the London Games on Friday — to the Denver Nuggets.

“I know my best basketball is ahead of me,” Iguodala wrote on Twitter.

Orlando got guard Arron Afflalo and forward Al Harrington from Denver, forward Moe Harkless and center Nikola Vucevic from Philadelphia, and forward Josh McRoberts and guard Christian Eyenga from the Lakers. The Lakers got Howard, guard Chris Duhon and forward Earl Clark from Orlando.

The Magic also traded guard Jason Richardson to Philadelphia.

Orlando also gets five draft picks over five years.

“A primary goal for our basketball team is to achieve sustainability while maintaining a longterm vision. We feel this deal puts us in a position to begin building in that direction,” Magic general manager Rob Hennigan said. “In addition to the six players joining our team, we will be in a position to maximize our salary cap flexibility in the near fu-

Photo by Mark Weber | AP

Dwight Howard’s is a member of the Los Angeles Lakers as part of a four-team, eight-player trade also involving Denver and Philadelphia. ture, as well as utilize the multiple draft picks we have acquired going forward.”

The Lakers pulled off the deal and somehow kept Pau Gasol in the process — something many didn’t expect when the Lakers first started getting mentioned in the Howard trade mix.

The trade was announced during the SpainRussia semifinal matchup at the Olympics. Gasol scored 16 points, helping the Spanish team reach the gold medal game with a 6759 win.

Afterward, that was secondary. He was still with the Lakers, and now has the game’s most dominant big man alongside him.

“That’s big news,” Gasol said. “Huge. I’ve been involved in so many talks and so many rumors. I feel relieved. I’m anxious and excited to be back with our team.”

The Magic said they were also getting a secondround draft pick from Denver next year, a first-round pick from either Denver or New York in 2014, a conditional first-round pick from Philadelphia and a conditional second-round pick from the Lakers in 2015, and a conditional first-round pick from the Lakers in 2017.

Howard averaged 20.6 points and 14.5 rebounds in 54 regular-season games for Orlando last season. In eight seasons with the Magic, he averaged 18.4 points and 13.0 rebounds.

And he would figure to

SANDOVAL Continued from Page 1B quickly controlled the situation and both players were ejected.

While the discussion of how many players were going to be ejected ran on, the opposing girl’s boyfriend came down from the stands and shoved our athlete, sending the gym in pandemonium.

Over 100 of our fans who made the trip to the packed gym because the winner would take sole possession of first place, got up from the stands and crossed the middle of the floor the confront the individual.

Their fans also came down and a riot looked like it was about to erupt.

The first order of business for me was to get my athletes out of harm’s way and they were sent to the locker room with instructions to stay there until a coach came and got them.

With the help of the school police department, who arrived to the gym 10 minutes after they were called, everything was brought back under control.

The boy was escorted out and the decision was to clear the gym.

The visiting fans were told to leave while the home fans were held, in order to keep the two sides separated.

FOOTBALL Continued from Page 1B Arce said. “I am very happy that the kids retained what we learned in the spring and we did not have to do to much re-teaching. We were able to move on, tweaking some things along the way, but we are ahead of schedule compared to last year.”

A few Hawks have already started to distinguish themselves because of the dedication they showed in the offseason and during the summer by spending time in the weight room.

Joey Martinez, a defensive tackle that also stars on both sides of the ball, has really caught the eye of Arce.

“He is a tremendous athlete

that stands 6 foot 4 and is 265 pounds,” Arce said. “Joey will be starting on both offense and defense. Right now he is in unbelievable shape because he did a lot of extra work during the summer on his own.”

Martinez is set to play on both the offensive and defensive lines and is expected to contribute greatly during the season.

“All we really need is for him to get into playing shape, but overall, he looks really good in practice.”

Also catching Arce’s eye was Damien Guajardo, who plays middle linebacker for the Hawks.

“He is doing a good job for

make the Lakers even more of a title contender.

The Western Conference is loaded — Oklahoma City is young, talented and likely to be driven after losing the NBA Finals to the Miami Heat, San Antonio was spectacular last season, the Los Angeles Clippers are rising, and the Nuggets could be much better with Iguodala.

But the Lakers have clearly loaded up to make a run at what would be Bryant’s sixth title next season. Steve Nash was added from Phoenix to run the offense, and now they’ve got Howard to occupy the low post.

“Unreal!” Bryant wrote.

The Nuggets believe Iguodala is a good fit.

“It’s not often you get the opportunity to improve your team by adding an All-Star player like Andre Iguodala,” Nuggets executive vice president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri said. “He’s an Olympian, a great defender and a great all-around player.”

Howard entered last season as the subject of trade rumors, especially since he could have opted out of his deal at season’s end and become a free agent. He decided that he would not exercise that option, then found himself in another firestorm in April when Van Gundy said Howard wanted him fired.

Howard denied it. Ultimately, it didn’t matter.

Van Gundy’s gone, Smith is gone, and now so is Howard.

us and picked up where he left off,” Arce said. “He is able to make reads when he is out there and is like another coach, because he will change things up when he see something the offense is doing.”

Zapata returns four players on offense and seven on defense, and are hard at work in filling the other spots.

Returning on offense is running back Mike Alvarez, slot back Alfonso Gutierrez, tight end Cesar Ramos and Martinez.

On the defensive side, the Hawks return Martinez, Gujardo, Epi Martinez, Danny Martinez, Andy Gonzalez, Ramiro Garcia, and Johnny Fer-

They were given 30 minutes to evacuate the gym and then the home fans were told to leave.

We were left with an empty gym and allowed to have a 10-minute warm up after the hour-and-a-half delay.

The game was not finished until after midnight, because one fan ruined what would have been an exciting game.

Fans are a vital part of the game and they need to understand their place.

And that is in the stands.

(Clara Sandoval can be reached at Sandoval.Clara@Gmail.com)

RACE Continued from Page 1B nandez.

During the first days of practice the Hawks must go through a four-day acclimations period because of UIL guidelines. Zapata was limited to one practice each morning.

Arce put the Hawks through some brush-up drills working on the basic fundamentals of blocking, tackling and catching the ball.

“We just went over the fundamentals and did a lot of drills to get our timing down on different aspects of the game,” Arce said. “Right now, that is the most important thing and they did a great job in the four days.”

A total of nine teams will make the trek to Zapata, including Hebbronville, Falfurrias, McAllen Nikki Rowe, San Diego, St. Augustine, Bruni and Carrizo Springs.

“I expect a few more teams to be calling me this week, but this is going to a good meet and it is going to show us where we stand,” Villarreal said.

Zapata will head north on Highway 83 and run at the Laredo Independent

School District Invitational the next week, where it wants to test itself against the 5A region IV champions, the Alexander Lady Bulldogs.

“We are looking forward to running against Alexander,” Villarreal said.

“Coach (Louie) Mendoza did a tremendous job with that program and we follow the same training procedures for our teams.”

The LISD Meet will be run at Slaughter Park.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

HINTS | BY HELOISE A NEW HOME FOR VHS TAPES Dear Heloise: I have more than 100 VHS tapes (movies, children’s, etc.) that I just can’t bear to TOSS IN THE GARBAGE. I have called some charity thrift stores, but they won’t take them, nor will day-care centers, senior centers, children’s hospitals, etc. We live in a DVD world, it seems. Any suggestions? — Terry G. in Florida Terry, there is a group called Alternative Community Training that will take the tapes. ACT employs folks with disabilities, and they help recycle VHS tapes and other electronic products.

The address is: Alternative Community Training Inc., 2200 Burlington Street, Columbia, MO 65202. You can call ACT at 800-359-4607. — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Regina, via email, sent a picture of her 10-year-old white poodle, Goddie, lying on one of his huge dog beds. Regina says that he has a few beds his size, but he prefers the big bed, because he thinks he is a really big dog! To see Goddie and our other Pet Pals, visit www.Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” — Heloise THE PROCESS OF GRIEVING

“

HELOISE

Dear Heloise: I had to put my dog to sleep because she was suffering from cancer.

She had been by my side for 10 years and was truly my best friend.

When someone is grieving the loss of a pet, just be there for the person and let him or her talk. Ask questions about the animal: funny stories, any quirks or unusual habits of the animal, trips you went on, etc. LISTEN to the person talk about the pet. This is his or her time to grieve. Give the person the gift of your time.

Having you recount stories about pets you’ve lost, I’m sorry to say, is not as helpful as listening. I am very sorry about your loss, but for right now, the only thing I can think about is my own grief. — Sharon in Texas Sharon, it can be devastating to lose a beloved pet.

I’ve been through it many times. Also, I’ve written about it in this column. To read these columns, which I hope will help you and others in this situation, you can visit my website, www.Heloise.com. — Heloise

PARDON MYPLANET

DENNISTHE MENACE

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Football

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 11, 2012

Judge holds off on Vilma vs. NFL ruling

By BRETT MARTEL ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Gerald Herbert | AP

LSU has dismissed Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann Mathieu from its football program for violating school and team rules. Coach Les Miles would not specify the reason Mathieu was kicked off the team.

LSU dismisses Mathieu

By BRETT MARTEL ASSOCIATED PRESS

BATON ROUGE, La. — Heisman Trophy finalist Tyrann Mathieu was kicked off LSU’s football team Friday for breaking an athletic department rule, a blow to the Tigers’ national championship hopes three weeks before their season opener.

The junior defensive back — nicknamed Honey Badger for his tenacious style, small stature (5-foor-9, 175 pounds) and blonde streak of hair — rose from obscurity to become one of college football’s biggest stars last season.

He was a sleeper Heisman candidate as the Tigers won the Southeastern Conference championship and reached the BCS title game. But almost as quickly as Mathieu rose to fame and became the face of LSU football, the Honey Badger phenomenon ended in Death Valley.

“We’ll miss the guy,” coach Les Miles said at a news conference. “The football team’s got to go on.

We’ll have to fill the void.”

Miles would not specify the reason Mathieu was dismissed. His Tigers are still among the favorites to win the national title this year, even without Mathieu.

Athletic Director Joe Alleva said Mathieu, who was suspended for a game in 2011 after failing a drug test, violated an athletic department rule and had his scholarship revoked.

The Times-Picayune of New Orleans, citing an unidentified person close to the player, reported that Mathieu failed another drug test. Several highranking LSU administrators said they either did not know which rule Mathieu had violated or refused to discuss the matter. School policy allows for a player to lose his scholarship even without another positive test if he does not fulfill all the terms of university probation “Being an athlete is a privilege,” Alleva said. “It’s a privilege and you have to follow the rules to take advantage of that privilege.

And unfortunately, he doesn’t have that privilege here anymore.

“He really is a good kid.

It’s a shame. But I told him this morning that he has the rest of his life and his life is still ahead of him. He still has a tremendous opportunity to do good things and I encouraged him to do those good things, and I think he will.”

Alleva said the violation did not involve law enforcement and Mathieu could stay at LSU and pay tuition.

But Alleva said that was unrealistic.

“He’s not going to stay in school,” he said.

The Tigers are No. 1 in the coaches’ preseason poll.

The AP college football poll will be released Aug. 18 The Tigers open the season at home Sept. 1 against North Texas. Their only big nonconference test comes the next week when Washington and star quarterback Keith Price visit Tiger Stadium. LSU opens SEC play on the road Sept. 22 at Auburn and renews its rivalry with Alabama on Nov. 3 in Death Valley.

“I called on the leadership of this team to understand that these things happen,” Miles said.

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge questioned the fairness of the NFL’s bounty investigation of the Saints, then held off on making any rulings while urging all sides to settle the matter on their own.

U.S. District Judge Ginger Berrigan also said the season-long suspension of Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma was excessive and that she would be inclined to rule in his favor if she were certain she had jurisdiction to do so.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has justified his suspension of Vilma by describing him as one of the ringleaders of a program that offered Saints defenders improper cash bonuses for injuring opponents.

The judge could potentially rule at any time on Vilma’s request to be allowed to temporarily return to the Saints while the case proceeds, but during Friday’s hearing, Berrigan urged all parties to come to an agreement rather than wait for the court to make a decision.

“I was surprised by her candor,” said Gabe Feldman, a sports law professor at Tulane University who sat in on the hearing.

Feldman said the judge clearly believed the NFL was “in the wrong.”

“The big issue is whether she has the power to do anything,” Feldman said.

When Vilma left the courthouse, he was greeted by a handful of Saints fans wearing black and gold jerseys and quarterback Drew Brees, who gave his teammate a hug and pat on the back. Brees had just flown in from Foxborough, Mass., after last night’s preseason game against the New England Patriots but he said he didn’t want to miss the op-

Photo by Mark Lennihan | AP

New Orleans Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma is waiting on the judge’s decision on a lawsuit against the NFL. portunity to “support Jonathan Vilma.”

“It really means a lot,” Vilma told his teammate as the two shook hands.

Vilma said he thought Friday’s hearing went as well as could be expected and would not comment on whether he was in settlement negotiations with the NFL. “I didn’t come with any expectations,” he said. “I thought today went as smoothly as it could. That’s all I can ask for.”

Vilma, several teammates and Saints assistant head coach Joe Vitt have testified that Vilma never paid or accepted money for injuring another player.

Vilma was one of four current or former players who have been suspended in connection with the league’s bounty probe of the Saints. Teammate Will Smith, a defensive end, got four games, while defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove, now with Green Bay, was docked eight games.

Linebacker Scott Fujita, now with Cleveland, was suspended for three games.

Smith, Hargrove and Fujita are being represented by the NFL Players Association, which also has

filed suit in federal court in New Orleans seeking to have the suspensions overturned.

The NFL has urged Berrigan to dismiss the case, saying it would set a precedent that would clog the courts with frivolous lawsuits by players refusing to accept the disciplinary process to which their union agreed in the league’s collective bargaining agreement.

Attorneys for Vilma and the NFLPA, however, have sought to persuade Berrigan that this is a somewhat unique case in which the commissioner overstepped his authority, giving her the power to protect the players’ fundamental due process rights.

Vilma’s attorneys have argued that Goodell made biased public statements about the linebacker’s involvement in the bounty scandal well before the process of player discipline began, making it impossible for the commissioner to be an impartial arbitrator as called for in both the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement and federal labor law.

Vilma also is suing Goodell individually for defamation.