The Zapata Times 8/20/2011

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ECONOMY

DISTRICT COURT

County eyes diverse funding

99 years in prison Jury says San Ygnacio man guilty in stabbing death

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A San Ygnacio man was sentenced to 99 years in prison and fined $5,000 Wednesday after being found guilty of stabbing another person to death at a party in September.

Town hall meeting to discuss survey ideas

The Webb County District Attorney’s Office says the jury deliberated for about 30 minutes before finding Rene Daniel Villarreal, 25, guilty of killing 23-year-old Christopher Louis Martinez.

RENE DANIEL VILLARREAL: Deputies accused him of stabbing a person to death at a party last year.

See STABBING PAGE 9A

BACK-TO-SCHOOL

By MIKE HERRERA IV THE ZAPATA TIMES

Though the oil and gas industry fuels Zapata’s economy, county officials think it’s time to look elsewhere, and they want your suggestions.

The results of a county-wide survey on economic diversification will be discussed at a special town hall meeting Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Taking place at the Zapata County Courthouse, the meeting will shed light onto where Zapatans think their economy needs to go.

“We’ve got to look at another source of revenue,” said Zapata County Treasurer Romeo Salinas. “The majority of our budget is from the tax base of the oil and natural gas industry.”

When a county’s economy gets so intertwined with one industry, explained Salinas, problems occur when fluctuations in that industry aren’t so fortuitous.

“The price of natural gas is low, that’s why we don’t get much revenue,” he said.

Since the 2008 recession, overall natural gas prices have been in a rut, with reports of a fivemonth low in the natural gas futures market released last Thursday after the U.S. Energy Information Administration reported higher-than-expected inventories.

It’s enough to make a community look elsewhere — Mexico, for example.

One item on the survey is an international port of entry project, which would (literally) bridge Zapata and Mexico.

“It’s something that is worth looking into,” said County Judge Joseph Rathmell about the possibility of Zapata receiving and international bridge. He said the Commissioners’ Court turned to the engineering and infrastructure firm, Raba-Kistner Consultants, Inc. To study the feasibility of a bridge, RabaKistner worked through its partner, Austin, Copeland and Reyes, to conduct the survey. Through the survey, which was printed in English and Spanish, the Commissioners’ Court can gauge where the public stands.

“It’s something we wanted to make sure we involved the public and get their opinions before we proceed,” he said, adding that, if given the green light, the project will not happen overnight.

“It’s a long process,” he said.

See COUNTY PAGE 10A

TAX HOLIDAY WEEKEND

Photo by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times

Natalie Lopez, in the purple shirt, and Ingrid Lopez, in the black blouse, shop Friday afternoon during the first day of the tax-free weekend in the back-to-school section at Target Greatland on San Dario Avenue in Laredo.

Shoppers can save $8 for every $100 they spend

By MIKE HERRERA IV THE ZAPATA TIMES

States all over the country benefit from a back-to-school, taxfree shopping period and, for

Texas, the time is here.

This weekend Lone Star shoppers can take advantage of wide sales tax exceptions that Texas Comptroller Susan Combs told the Associated Press she esti-

mates will save about $62 million in state and local sales taxes.

Shoppers this weekend will save a little more than $8 per $100 of approved merchandise purchased.

Academy One place in Laredo ready for the busy weekend is Academy

See TAX HOLIDAY PAGE 9A

HYDRAULIC FRACTURING

Scientist: Keep an eye on drillers

By ANDREW KREIGHBAUM THE ZAPATA TIMES

Drilling companies such as Halliburton and Texas academic researchers are leading the way in producing technology for clean hydraulic fracturing and recycling water in drilling operations.

But a Flower Mound scientist said Wednesday it is up to landowners to police drilling on their properties — especially emissions.

“Some people are quality producers such as Halliburton,” said Alisa Rich, who has conducted air quality tests near drilling sites in North Texas.

“Others are not.”

While praising Halliburton’s commitment to cleaner technologies, she said drilling near densely populated areas in the Barnett Shale had created health problems for North Texas residents and livestock.

Rich joined Stephen Ingram, a technology manager at Halli-

burton, as well as water and emissions experts from Texas A&M College Station and Texas A&M Kingsville on Wednesday night for the second town hall organized by the Laredo Safe Fracking Coalition.

Ingram said Halliburton in-

See FRACTURING

PAGE 10A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, AUG. 20

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Laredo Organized Volunteers for the Elderly and Disadvantaged will hold its annual school supplies giveaway at 11 a.m. today at 1115 Chihuahua St. while supplies last. The child must be present to receive school supplies.

The American Cancer Society needs volunteer drivers to help transport people in the community. An orientation meeting is from 10 a.m. to noon today at the ACS office, 9114 McPherson Road, Suite 2520. To reserve a seat or for more information, call 956-723-9682.

THURSDAY, AUG. 25 The Texas Historical Commission and the Webb County Heritage Foundation will host a reception and commemoration of the sesquicentennial of the American Civil War featuring a photo exhibit and presentations on the Palmito Ranch Battlefield and the Civil War on the Texas-Mexico border at 6 p.m. today at the Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St. For more information, call the Webb County Heritage Foundation at (956) 7270977 or visit www.webbheritage.org.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 3 A book sale will be held in the Widener Room of the First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited, and admission is free.

Donated books and magazines are accepted. Call 722-1674 for more information.

MONDAY, SEPT. 5 The Bola Blanca Chamber Classic, a golf tournament, is from 7:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. today at the Laredo Country Club, 1415 Country Club Drive.

For more information, call the Laredo Chamber of Commerce at 956-7229895.

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 21 The 18th annual Logistics and Manufacturing Association Symposium begins at 1 p.m. today and runs until 8 p.m. today, then 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Thursday and 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Friday. The theme is “Mexico’s Top Manufacturing and Consuming Regions Utilizing Port Laredo.” The symposium will focus on attributes that govern a port’s ability to become a leader in facilitating global supply chains, in addition to finding the right balance for future port capacity and infrastructure.

For more information, call 956-7220563 or 1-800-820-0564 or email info@ldfonline.org.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 25 First United Methodist Church will host an all-you-can-eat spaghetti lunch from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, 1220 McClelland Ave. The public is invited; there is no admission fee, but free-will donations are accepted.

SATURDAY, OCT. 1 A book sale will be held in the Widener Room of the First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited, and admission is free.

Donated books and magazines are accepted. Call 722-1674 for more information.

Photo by LM Otero | AP

In this Aug. 15 photo, a line of job seekers, waiting to see recruiters, twists through a hotel lobby during a career fair in Plano, Texas. The jobless rate in Texas is at its highest in 24 years.

Texas jobless rate soars

By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — The unemployment rate in Texas jumped to 8.4 percent in July, hitting the highest level since 1987 while climbing at the fastest pace since the state was stuck in a recession two years ago, according to employment figures released Friday.

The increase in the rate came despite a 10th consecutive month of job growth, according to Texas Workforce Commission.

Texas added 29,300 nonfarm jobs in July, and the state still remains below the national unemployment rate of 9.1 percent.

Yet the Texas rate continued ticking upward, and the latest numbers came as Gov. Rick Perry wrapped up the first week of his Republican presidential campaign that is staked on job creation.

“Texas continues to feel the effects of a stagnant national economy,” Texas Workforce Commission Chairman Tom Pauken said in a statement.

The jobless rate in Texas increased from 8.2 percent in June, and after being at 8.0 in May, the rate has risen 0.2 in consecutive months for the first time since 2009.

Texas is now at its highest unemployment rate in 24 years, back when the state was reeling from the energy, real estate and banking crisis of the late 1980s.

Nationwide, unemployment rates rose in more than half the states for the second straight month, evidence that job growth remains weak in much of the U.S.Despite that sluggishness, Texas still added jobs in nearly every sector in July.

The preliminary local jobless rates for July for Laredo is 8.8.

Texas wildfires burn in drought-plagued state

Dogs saved after man’s heat-related death

Life term for man who killed stranger at bar

FORT WORTH — Wildfires destroyed more than a dozen homes in Texas towns this week.

Officials say the droughtplagued state’s worst wildfire season shows no signs of stopping — even after nine months.

That’s because the state is in the grips of its second most severe drought with bone-dry grasses and little rain on the horizon. Blazes have already destroyed 5,400 square miles across Texas since mid-November. A record 250 of the state’s 254 counties are now under burn bans.

STONEBURG — More than 85 dogs in pens have been rescued after their owner was found dead in his North Texas mobile home during the excessive heat.

The body of 73-year-old Jack Dempsey Beasley was discovered Wednesday at a residence near Stoneburg. Concerned relatives had contacted the sheriff ’s department to check on Beasley.

DENTON — A man who used a knife to slit the throat of a stranger at a North Texas bar has been sentenced to life in prison.

Joshua Timothy Logan on Monday pleaded guilty to murder in the death of 57-year-old Terry Baird of The Colony.

No motive was given for the killing, in which Logan was accused of coming behind the victim and slashing his throat.

Firefighters rescue llama stuck in pond RED SPRINGS — Some East Texas firefighters have used their rescue skills to save a llama stuck in a muddy pond for at least a day.

Red Springs volunteer firefighters freed the llama at midday Friday.

Ex-champ gets probation over sex misconduct MARSHALL — An ex-rodeo champion known as the “Texas Kid” has been sentenced to five years of probation for sexual misconduct with a girl in his specialty act.

A federal judge in Marshall on Thursday sentenced 44-year-old Rodney Ray Hayes of Linden.

Hayes in April pleaded guilty to transportation of minors with intent to engage in illicit sexual activity.

Last suspect guilty in Facebook holdup bragging HOUSTON — A bank robbery suspect caught after the words “IM RICH” appeared on his Facebook page has pleaded guilty.

Prosecutors say 19-year-old Ricky Gonzalez pleaded guilty Thursday to bank robbery and embezzlement of bank funds.

Investigators say about $62,000 was stolen.

— Compiled from AP reports

THURSDAY, OCT. 27 First United Methodist Church will hold a rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, 1220 McClelland Ave. The public is invited, and admission is free.

FRIDAY, OCT. 28 First United Methodist Church will hold a rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, 1220 McClelland Ave. The public is invited, and admission is free.

SATURDAY, OCT. 29 First United Methodist Church will hold its “a dollar a bag” day for its rummage sale from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Fellowship Hall, 1220 McClelland Ave. The public is invited, and admission is free.

SATURDAY, NOV. 5 A book sale will be held in the Widener Room of the First United Methodist Church, 1220 McClelland Ave., from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited, and admission is free.

Donated books and magazines are accepted. Call 722-1674 for more information.

AROUND THE NATION Dems hold lead in Senate committee fundraising WASHINGTON — The Senate campaign arms for both parties say they raised about $2.7 million apiece in July. Democrats hold about a 2-to-1 advantage in cash on hand.

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee says it raised $2.74 million in July and ended the month with $9.2 million in the bank.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee raised $2.72 million in July and ended the month with $4.14 million in the bank.

The money is used by the parties to support Senate races in key states.

New Mexico hero who saved girl says he’s illegal ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — The man who chased down a suspected child abductor and saved a 6-

Today is Saturday, Aug. 20, the 232nd day of 2011. There are 133 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlights in History: On Aug. 20, 1911, The New York Times sent a message around the world by regular commercial cable to see how long it would take; the dispatch, which said simply, “Times, New York: This message sent around world.

Times,” was filed at 7 p.m. and returned to its point of origin 161/2 minutes later.

On this date: In 1833, Benjamin Harrison, 23rd president of the United States, was born in North Bend, Ohio.

In 1866, President Andrew Johnson formally declared the Civil War over, months after fighting had stopped.

In 1882, Tchaikovsky’s “1812 Overture” had its premiere in Moscow.

In 1910, a series of forest fires swept through parts of Idaho, Montana and Washington, killing at least 85 people and burning some 3 million acres.

In 1920, pioneering American radio station 8MK in Detroit (later WWJ) began daily broadcasting.

In 1940, during World War II, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill paid tribute to the Royal Air Force before the House of Commons, saying, “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.”

In 1955, hundreds of people were killed in anti-French rioting in Morocco and Algeria.

In 1968, the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact nations began invading Czechoslovakia to crush the “Prague Spring” liberalization drive.

In 1977, the U.S. launched Voyager 2, an unmanned spacecraft carrying a 12-inch copper phonograph record containing greetings in dozens of languages, samples of music and sounds of nature.

In 1981, Michael Devine, a member of the Irish National Liberation Army, died after a 60-day hunger strike at the Maze Prison in Northern Ireland; he was the tenth and last hunger-striker to die that year.

Ten years ago: Nikolay Soltys (NIK’-oh-ly SOHL’-tihs), a 27-year-old Ukrainian immigrant in Sacramento, Calif., fled after killing his wife and five other relatives. (Soltys was later captured, but ended up committing suicide in his jail cell.) Sir Fred Hoyle, the astronomer who coined the term “Big Bang” but never accepted that theory for the origin of the universe, died in Bournemouth, England, at age 86. Actress Kim Stanley died in Santa Fe, N.M., at age 76.

Today’s Birthdays: U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is 78. U.S. Rep. Ron Paul, RTexas, is 76. Former MLB AllStar Graig Nettles is 67. Broadcast journalist Connie Chung is 65. Musician Jimmy Pankow (Chicago) is 64. Rock singer Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) is 63. TV weatherman Al Roker is 57. Actress Joan Allen is 55. Rock musician Brad Avery is 40. Actor Ben Barnes is 30.

Actor Andrew Garfield is 28.

Actress Demi Lovato is 19.

Thought for Today: “Justice is conscience, not a personal conscience but the conscience of the whole of humanity.”

— Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Russian author (1918-2008).

CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Business Manager, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 324-1226 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Retail Adv. Manager, Raul Cruz................... 728-2511 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Managing Editor, Julie Silva ...................... 728-2565 City Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez .................. 728-2543 Sports Editor, Dennis Silva II......................728-2579 Entertainment Editor, Emilio Rábago III ....... 728-2564 Spanish Editor, Melva Lavín-Castillo............ 728-2569

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY Photo by Susan Montoya Bryan | AP

In this Tuesday photo, Antonio Diaz Chacon stands outside his home as reporters prepare to interview him about his efforts to save a 6-year-old girl who was abducted in Albuquerque, N.M. year-old girl from what could have been a horrible fate was honored as a hero Friday. But he is also gaining a new kind of celebrity: as a poster child of sorts for immigration rights in state and national immigration debates.

Antonio Diaz Chacon, 23, is married to an American and has been in the country for four years. But Chacon says he abandoned attempts to get legal residency because the process was difficult and expensive.

— Compiled from AP reports

(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 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 20, 2011

Zlocal

PAGE 3A

Representative gets honor Texas Deer Association shows its appreciation for work with a plaque SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Courtesy photo

State Rep. Ryan Guillen, left, receives recognition for his work on behalf of the state’s deer herds from the Texas Deer Association by association President David Hayward at the organization’s annual convention luncheon on Aug. 12 in San Antonio. TDA is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of Texas deer herds.

State Rep. Ryan Guillen was recognized as a friend and supporter of the Texas Deer Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the quality of Texas deer herds.

Guillen was presented the award by TDA President David Hayward at the annual convention luncheon on Aug. 12 in San Antonio.

“Deer breeding and hunting in Texas are multi-million dollar industries that positively affect our state’s economy and attract avid hunters and wildlife enthusiasts from across the world and creates jobs,” said Guillen, chairman of the House Committee on Culture, Recreation, and Tourism. “It was a

pleasure working in conjunction with the Texas Deer Association during the state’s past legislative session to ensure an even brighter future for these important industries.”

Hayward recognized Guillen for his leadership on deer-related legislation throughout the past legislative session as well as his continuing commitment to support the needs of the industry as a viable contributor to the Texas economy.

“Chairman Guillen has been a guiding force supporting due process for deer permit holders as well as many legislative and regulatory changes having a positive impact on the sound management of deer-breeding and deer-

Agency trustees OK name change SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Border Region Mental Health/Mental Retardation Community Center is changing its name to Border Region Behavioral Health Center.

This change is being made to reflect a goal of erasing the stigma attached to intellectual disabilities.

In its role as the local authority on mental health and intellectual and developmental disabilities, Border Region Behavioral Health Center has the responsibility to appropriately respond and advocate for the individuals it serves, specifically as it relates to language that is stigmatizing or discriminating.

The decision to change

the name of the agency is in support and compliance with recent state and federal legislation, eliminating the term “mental retardation” and replacing the term with “intellectual disability.” Most recently, Senator Judith Zaffirini’s legislation to remove the term mental

retardation from state statutes was passed by the House and Senate. The change was also made with the passage of “Rosa’s Law” at the federal level out of respect for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families.

In considering the new

name, the Border Region Board of Trustees wanted to affirm the primary focus of the agency on mental health and developmental disability services, as well as to serve as an effective system of care for citizens living in Webb, Jim Hogg, Zapata and Starr counties.

hunting industries,” Hayward said.

The Texas Deer Association’s primary goal is to increase quality hunting opportunities. To achieve this goal, the TDA advocates wise management practices, promotes research and technology re-

garding improvements to deer herds through the practice of controlled breeding and recognizes that hunting and wildlife management are lifelong enterprises. For more information, visit http:// www.texasdeerassociation.com.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

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

YOUR OPINION

OTHER VIEWS

State has approved sewer utilities project for new Flores Addition II suddivision To the editor: This letter serves to inform the public in regards to Zapata County’s latest notification of award, initiating another infrastructure project funded by the State of Texas. Zapata County consultant, Mr. Carlos Colina Vargas, called us today and announced the good news for those residents from Precinct 1, living in the new Flores Addition II subdivision, south of Highway 16.

Back in June, Zapata County Commissioners approved an application for a sewer utilities project to expand public utility service in this new residential area. Mr. Manuel Gonzalez Jr., from Premier Engineering, Inc. provided the required preparation of the plans and specifications needed to meet eligibility for the grant application.

Along with this project, two previous grants pending completion are the 24-inch water transmission line funded last year through the Texas Water Development Board and the Texas Rural Development Agency, and replacing a 16-inch waterline together with a

36-inch storm drainage pipe needed at Alamo Street in Precinct 4.

Rathmell Engineers, Inc., a Laredo firm, prepared the necessary engineering plans for these two additional projects. A Zapata County local contractor, Juarez & Guzman Backhoe Service, has been awarded both contracts after submitting the lowest bid proposals on these two projects.

I am really proud to be part of a continuous journey to help Zapata County become a better place for our community to enjoy. The combined dollar amount for these three projects total approximately $1.5 million that will be generated into our local economy. I would like to thank Judge Joseph Rathmell and the Zapata County Commissioners Court for their efforts and support to bring needed jobs to the Zapata County constituents. For additional information regarding this notice, please do not hesitate to call me at 956285-9496.

Signed, Jose Emilio Vela Zapata County Pct. 1 Commissioner

COLUMN

Perry makes liberals crazy

By JONATHAN GURWITZ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

A

specter is haunting liberal America.

Progressive voters who hoped that years of therapy had finally relieved them of the debilitating effects of Bush Derangement Syndrome are suffering new bouts of apoplexy.

What’s causing this sudden outbreak of political neurosis? Rick Perry.

He has the look. He has the sound. He has the boots and the swagger.

He’s a Republican governor from Texas. He … he’s another George W. Bush!

Only he’s not. Those susceptible to the Bush vapors will find Perry to be far more noxious.

Bush was born in New Haven, Conn. Perry was born in Haskell County.

Try to find it on a map.

Bush came into affluence, a scion of the political gentry that set down in Midland. Perry grew up in a house without indoor plumbing, the son of tenant farmers.

Bush schooled at Phillips Academy and then Yale. Perry graduated in a class of 13 at Paint Creek High School and went on to Texas A&M. Bush spent two years in the Texas Air National Guard. Perry served four years in the Air Force. And on and on.

In short, for all the haters who claimed Bush was a phony, that he was all hat and no cattle, Rick Perry is the authentic article, a by-the-bootstraps story of climbing the rungs of political power — first as a conservative Democrat, then as a Republican — to become the longest-serving governor in Texas history.

But biography isn’t the only difference between Bush and Perry. As governor, Bush was leader of a state that was bipartisan, a friend and ally of the late Bob Bullock, lieutenant governor and Democratic powerbroker, and former House Speaker Pete Laney.

As president, he reached across the aisle to work with the late Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., on his sig-

nature education reform.

Perry’s tenure as governor has coincided with the reddening of Texas. Republicans have controlled both houses of the Texas Legislature since 2002. Bipartisanship and pragmatism, far from being favorable terms, are words of derision in the Perry political lexicon.

If Rick Perry is not George W. Bush, he also is not Fred Thompson, another talented politician with a Southern drawl. In 2007, Thompson flirted for months with a GOP presidential run, generating publicity and popularity in the process. Like Perry this year, he made a late entrance at the top of the Republican field. Then his campaign fizzled.

The post-mortem on the Thompson ’08 campaign was that it lacked focus and organization, and Thompson himself lacked the desire to win. Perry’s candidacy may implode, but not over issues such as these.

He and his staff have been carefully plotting his run for months, if not years. Perry is a tenacious and disciplined campaigner.

If there is one politician who Perry most resembles, if only in mirror image, it is the candidate who in his first legislative race used bare-knuckle tactics to disqualify all of his Democratic primary opponents. The candidate who in 2008 destroyed his Democratic establishment adversary using the same hardball politics along with a superior organization and the powerful message of a political outsider — Barack Obama.

In the first major public opinion poll since he officially entered the race for the GOP presidential nomination, Perry — the hardhitting, organized outsider — had a solid lead over the presumed favorite, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. With President Obama’s job-approval rating hitting a new low in the latest Gallup Poll, progressives have good reason to feel the heebie-jeebies.

COLUMN

Bishop urges unity in diocese T

wo weeks ago, I greeted and welcomed 8,000 faithful to the Laredo Energy Arena for the Mass of Thanksgiving, concluding the Diocesan Year.

During my homily, I reminded the congregation that on Aug. 9, 2000, we met as strangers. People for the Archdiocese of San Antonio and people from the Diocese of Corpus Christi stood before me as sheep gathered around the shepherd.

Now, on Aug. 6, we are the Diocese of Laredo.

Our family extends through seven counties along the U.S.-Mexico border. This includes Eagle Pass, El Indio, Seco Mines and Quemado in Maverick County; Crystal City, La Pryor and Batesville in Zavala County; Asherton, Catarina, Big Wells and Carrizo Springs in Dimmit County; and to the north, Cotulla and Encinal in LaSalle County. We also include Laredo, Rio Bravo, El Cenizo and Peñitas West in Webb County.

To the east, we have Hebbronville, Mirando City, Oilton and Bruni in Jim Hogg County and in Zapata County to the south we have the communities of Zapata, San Ygnacio, Falcon and Lopeño.

More than 200,000 Catholics are our brothers and sisters in the Diocese of Laredo.

We are farmers and we are ranchers. We are customs brokers, importers and exporters. We are

“

JAMES TAMAYO

first responders, health professionals and educators.

We are a people who work collaboratively with our city, county, state and federal officials.

We are construction workers, sales people, engineers and office workers.

We are young, we are parents and we are grandparents.

We are single, married, divorced and widowed.

We are the Diocese of Laredo.

During my homily, I also reminded the diocesan family that in order to faithfully and actively carry out the mission of Christ, I directed listening sessions to be held throughout our diocese.

Through these listening sessions, you spoke and I have heard you.

This process showed me the need for the Church to be a sign of hope and encouragement.

More than ever, I was reminded that leaders whose hearts are filled with compassion for the poor, who build solidarity with the suffering and who establish a personal presence with those who have lost their way are needed.

Together we must be living signs of hope to all

those entrusted to our care.

As I continued with my homily, I explained that God has a plan for all of us. God brought us together to remind us of why the Diocese of Laredo exists. This is what I call our sacred purpose, the reason we exist as a diocese.

“As the family of God in the Diocese of Laredo, we are called to serve one another with the love of Christ.”

What does this mean?

It means we love!

Amid diversity and difficulty, amidst possibility and promise, we serve!

This means how we behave, act and decide are the responsibility of each of us so as to better reflect the life and ministry of Jesus Christ in our lives.

Over the next five years, let us dedicate ourselves to our mutually shared vision statement of building unity within our diocesan community.

How will we accomplish this?

We will be building unity within our diocesan community by utilizing four fundamental core values that describe how we will communicate, act and decide as a diocese.

The first core value is faithfulness. In worship and service, and all we do, we are faithful to Jesus Christ and his church.

The second core value is respect. In word and action, we profoundly respect every person.

Our third core value is joy. Living and serving with a hopeful and welcoming spirit we share with God’s joy with others.

And our fourth core value is unity. United through the Holy Spirit, we collaborate to heal divisions and build community.

I believe that as we live out our sacred purpose on a daily basis applying our four fundamental core values, we will fulfill our mutually shared vision statement.

As I lead you into the future, I will be faithful, I will respect you, I will promote unity and I will serve you with joy.

I ask that each of you embrace these values with me. I want us to believe in them and to practice them in our homes, in our parishes, in our ministries and in all that we do.

With this vision for the Diocese of Laredo, we can develop a pastoral plan of action with specific priorities, goals and objectives to guide our ministries over the next five years.

Where we are going is just as important as why we exist.

As your bishop, I seek to be of one mind and one heart with Christ the Good Shepherd so that I may lead the beloved people of the Diocese of Laredo into building unity within our diocesan community — Todo Con Amor.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters.

To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The

phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication.

We want to assure our

readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms.

Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-call-

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

ing or gratuitous abuse is allowed.

Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

2 alleged hit men get prison time HÉCTOR ENRIQUE ZAPATA ESCAMILLA: Sentenced to 10 years in prison.

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Two men believed to be top assassins working for the Gulf Cartel were sentenced to federal prison Wednesday in Reynosa, the Tamaulipas town across the border from McAllen.

Héctor Enrique Zapata Escamilla was sentenced to 10 years in prison after being found guilty of possession of firearms, a federal violation in Mexico.

Zapata Escamilla, 23, known as “El Chisqueado,” is an alleged hit man for the Gulf Cartel. A release from the Procuraduría General de la República or PGR, Mexico’s attorney general’s office, states he was also in charge of monitoring the Mexican authorities’ patrol routes.

José Alfredo Guerrero Villalpando will serve eight years. He too violated federal laws when he was found in possession of firearms, officials say. Guerrero Villalpando, 40, known as “El Arlin,” was a hit man for the Gulf Cartel, according to Mexican federal officials.

Zapata Escamilla and Guerrero Villalpando were taken to the Reynosa prison

JOSÉ ALFREDO GUERRERO VILLALPANDO: Will serve 8 years in prison.

Centro de Ejecución de Sanciones.

A PGR report states the men were captured in December after a special investigation made by federal police on Boulevard Del Maestro and Calle Río Frío in Colonia Las Fuentes in Reynosa.

An anonymous tip indicating organized crime members would arrive at a restaurant in a Ford Lobo Triton and a Nissan Sentra mobilized authorities. Federal police officers set up an operation and detained the men shortly after they exited the place.

A PGR report states officers seized two firearms and two radios during the arrests. Inside the men’s vehicles, officials found 10 ammo clips for assault rifles and one grenade.

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

Deputies responded to an assault family violence call at 9:27 p.m. Monday in the 800 block of Medina Street. The victim was pushed, causing her to fall and bump her head, she said.

A fight was reported at 2:55 a.m. Friday in the 900 block of Medina Street.

intoxication at approximately 2:45 a.m. Aug. 14 near Seventh Street and Roma Avenue in the Medina Addition.

Iris Yesenia Hernandez was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 3:30 a.m. Aug. 14 near Seventh Street and Falcon Avenue in the Medina Addition. She was taken to the Zapata County Jail.

DUI

THEFT

Luis Javier Hernandez, Omar Lopez and Jesus Fernando Rivera were arrested at about 4:45 a.m.

Aug. 12 near Third Street and Bravo Avenue. After a motor vehicle stop, the driver and passengers were arrested and charged with driving under the influence and public intoxication. All three men were taken to the Zapata Regional Jail.

Deputies responded to a theft call at 11:35 a.m. Monday in the 5200 block of Victoria Lane. The complainant stated that someone stole a boat from his house.

DWI A person identified as MejiaSanchez on a sheriff’s office report was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated at about 8 p.m. Tuesday near Seventh Street and Villa Avenue. Mejia-Sanchez was taken to jail.

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Derly Guzman was arrested and charged with public intoxication at about 11:30 p.m. Aug. 13 near Seventh Street and Guerrero Avenue in the Medina Addition. The alleged offender was taken to Zapata Regional Jail.

Antonio Uvalle-Guzman was arrested and charged with public

Lawsuit: Accused priest is employee of the Vatican

By TIM FOUGHT ASSOCIATED PRESS

THE BLOTTER ASSAULT

Responsibility for abuse PORTLAND, Ore. — The Vatican insisted Friday that an Oregon priest accused of sexually abusing young people was not its employee, as it released hundreds of pages of documents — many of them written in Latin — in response to a ruling by a federal court judge here.

The documents are a step toward bringing the nearly decade-old case closer to resolving a core question: whether the Vatican can be held responsible under U.S. and Oregon law for the abuse alleged in the Washington state man’s lawsuit.

If a federal judge decides that under Oregon law the Vatican was effectively the employer of the Rev. Andrew Ronan in the mid-1960s — when he was assigned to Portland — and is alleged to have abused the young man, the case against the Holy See

could go forward.

An employee relationship could allow an exception to a federal law that otherwise generally prohibits suits against foreign sovereign entities such as the Vatican.

The suit filed by Minnesota lawyer Jeff Anderson on behalf of the man identified as John V. Doe names the Vatican as a defendant, along with Ronan’s religious order and U.S. archdioceses in Chicago and Portland. Cases of Anderson’s in Wisconsin and Illinois also name the Holy See, but they are not so far advanced.

The Vatican’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lena, called on Anderson to drop the suit against the Vatican, saying the responses show the theory that Ronan was a Vatican employee is spurious.

Anderson said Friday he’s reviewing the material and wouldn’t comment on it, but he said the Vatican’s compliance with the ruling of Judge Michael Mosman was “groundbreaking.”

Two sets of documents this week elaborate on the Vatican’s defense that

it had minimal involvement in Ronan’s career and no knowledge of his misdeeds until shortly before he left the priesthood. The Vatican posted about 70 pages of documents related to Ronan on Wednesday, followed by the larger release on Friday.

It is the first time the Vatican has provided documents in response to a sex abuse lawsuit.

Ronan died in 1992. He left the priesthood in 1966 shortly after the Portland archdiocese began a proceeding against him.

The Vatican didn’t hire or pay Ronan, Lena said in a statement Friday, nor was it involved in his training or transfers from Ireland to Chicago and eventually to Portland. Nor did it know of

his actions until the archbishop of Portland moved against Ronan in early 1966. “... the written responses confirm that the Holy See was not involved in Ronan’s transfers and had no prior knowledge that Ronan posed a danger to minors,” Lena said.

Mosman’s ruling, though, suggests that even one link could be enough to establish an employer relationship.

Wednesday the Vatican released documents that showed Ronan’s order, the Friar Servants of Mary, knew about his actions as early as 1959 and worried about the possibility of a scandal as they transferred him twice.

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

SÁBADO 20 DE AGOSTO DE 2011

Agenda en Breve SÁBADO 20 DE AGOSTO LAREDO — El monólogo “I’m Sorry”, de Katia Lidsky, se presentará en Laredo Center for the Arts, hoy a las 8 p.m. “I’m Sorry” es un evento sin fines de lucro que beneficiará a la Congregación Agudas Akim y el Laredo Animal Shelter. Boletos a la venta en LCA. LAREDO — Los equipos de fútbol soccer varonil y femenil de TAMIU serán anfitriones de una exhibición amistosa internacional hoy en la cancha Dustdevil, durante la primer “Annual RLC Border Friendship Cup” con México. El primer encuentro será a las 5:30 p.m. entre las Dustdevil y el equipo Corpus Christi Fuel. Posteriormente los Dustdevils recibirán a los Bravos de Nuevo Laredo a las 8 p.m.

LAREDO — Presentación de Everardo Ramírez y Grupo La Voz en Oasis Tequila Grill, 2115 Suanders, a las 9 p.m.

NUEVO LAREDO, México — “De la Calle Fest” a partir de las 12 p.m. en Maquila Creativa. Habrá expograffitti, muestra de arte urbano, pared para aplicar stencil, pared de tags o firmas de los asistentes, urban toys, fotografía urbana y música hip-hop para ambientar.

NUEVO LAREDO, México — Cynthia Rodríguez Leija, de Mujeres de Tinta, estará hoy a las 7 p.m. en Cafrebrería, Reynosa y Coahuila, leyendo reinos y relámpagos.

HOUSTON — Marco Antonio Solís y Ana Gabriel se presentan en el concierto “Haciendo Historia” en el Toyota Center.

DOMINGO 21 DE AGOSTO LAREDO — Everardo Ramírez se presenta hoy a las 3 p.m. en Santa Fe Village por la Carretera a Zapata.

DALLAS — Marco Antonio Solís y Ana Gabriel se presentan en el concierto “Haciendo Historia” en el Verizon Theater.

MIÉRCOLES 24 DE AGOSTO LAREDO — El Show de Mara Escalante “Doña Lucha” se presenta hoy en el Laredo Civic Center, 2400 San Bernardo, en dos funciones, a las 6:30 p.m. y 8:30 p.m. Boleto a 20 y 25 dólares. Informes en el (956) 794-1700.

LAREDO — “The Bands Battling against Cancer” será hoy a partir de las 7:30 p.m. en The Whiskey Still, 8602 Mcpherson, Ste. 101, detrás de “Chocolateka”.

Participan Umano Aché, Mobil Rock, Los FoxY’s, The Jolly Ranchers, Ruben Requena, Robek, LoBO, Dj Juiceman, entre otros. Costo del boleto: 15 dólares.

JUEVES 25 DE AGOSTO Proyección del documental “Visa al Paraíso” de la cineasta mexicana Lillian Liberman, a las 6 p.m. en el Teatro del Centro para las Artes de TAMIU. 5201 University Blvd. Evento gratuito.

Informes al (956) 723-0990.

VIERNES 26 DE AGOSTO NUEVO LAREDO, México — En el marco del JazzTam Fest se presenta “Yehuda en concierto” a las 7 p.m. en la Sala Sergio Peña del Espacio Cultural Antigua Aduana. Entrada gratuita.

AUSTIN — Bailongo con Umano Aché a las 9 p.m. en “Esquina Tango”, 209 Pedernales St.

SÁBADO 27 DE AGOSTO NUEVO LAREDO, México — En el marco del JazzTam Fest se presenta “FAS Trío en concierto” a las 7 p.m. en la Sala Sergio Peña del Espacio Cultural Antigua Aduana. Entrada gratuita.

Zfrontera

PÁGINA 7A

MEXICANOS VAN A TEXAS EN AVIÓN POR TEMOR

Cambio de ruta “

POR CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN

to.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MCALLEN — Ante el aumento de la violencia del narcotráfico, cada vez más mexicanos pudientes, que suelen ir de fin de semana a Texas, optan por hacerlo en avión a fin de no viajar por tierra hasta la frontera por las zonas más peligrosas de su país.

Hasta hace menos de dos años, eran tan habituales los viajes desde el centro industrial de Monterrey a McAllen para visitar a algún pariente o alguna tienda que incluso había surgido un modismo en español: “vamos a mcallear”.

Sin embargo, cuando los carteles del narcotráfico comenzaron a protagonizar una guerra por el control de las rutas más lucrativas hacia Estados Unidos, el trayecto en línea casi recta de dos horas y media por una carretera de peaje sin tráfico se convirtió en una travesía peligrosa que cambió el modo de pensar de la gente: ¿qué vale más, la vida o la diversión? Para los mexicanos con recursos, el

La seguridad en México está fuera de control”.

FRANCISCO GARCÍA, PROPIETARIO DE GID EXPRESSS avión pasó a ser una alternativa popular.

“La seguridad en México está fuera de control”, dijo Francisco García, propietario de GID Expresss, una compañía de vuelos fletados con sede en McAllen y cuyos aparatos de 12 pasajeros transportan a familias pudientes de las ciudades mexicanas de Monterrey, Tampico y Ciudad Victoria a ciudades fronterizas estadounidenses.

En el Aeropuerto Internacional Miller de McAllen, los pasajeros que llegan en aviones privados o fletados desde México aumentaron más de 60% en el 2010, casi 13.500 personas en el primer semestre de 2011, en comparación con los 8.300 del año anterior. En el Aeropuerto

Internacional South Padre Island, de Brownsville, Texas, el director de aviación Larry Brown dijo que los vuelos en aviones privados desde México aumentaron este año 70% en relación con el 2010.

Estas cifras aumentaron a la par de la exacerbación de la violencia de los grupos narcotraficantes a principios de 2010 en Tamaulipas, en un fenómeno que también alcanzó a Monterrey, Nuevo León, y derredores de esta entidad.

AeroMéxico, la aerolínea comercial más grande del país, abrió en julio una nueva ruta entre Monterrey y Brownsville con aviones de 50 plazas que en la temporada de vacaciones de verano (boreal) efectúan vuelos con cupo casi comple-

Aeromar, otra empresa mexicana, comenzó en junio vuelos entre Ciudad Victoria, capital de Tamaulipas, y Reynosa.

La ruta de AeroMéxico convierte a Brownsville en la única ciudad fronteriza de Texas con vuelos comerciales directos a México.

“Fácilmente la mitad de las inversiones en South Padre Island proviene del norte de México”, dijo Gilberto Salinas, vicepresidente del consejo de Desarrollo Económico de Brownsville.

Quienes viajan por aire buscan evitar la violencia del narcotráfico, la cual, según cifras oficiales, ha dejado en México 35.000 muertos desde 2006. Otras fuentes, como la prensa local, aseguran que la cifra de muertos es de 40.000. El gobierno no ha actualizado desde diciembre la cifra de muertos.

En Tamaulipas, las muertes relacionadas a la violencia del narcotráfico alcanzaron en 2010 un total de 1.209, cifra que excedió por mucho las 76 de 2009, según el recuento de las autoridades.

CULTURA

POR INICIAR JAZZTAMFEST 2011 TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Del 21 al 28 de agosto el JazzTamFest 2011 se llevará a cabo en las ciudades de Nuevo Laredo, Reynosa, Matamoros, Ciudad Victoria y Tampico, México.

En Nuevo Laredo, la sede será la Sala Sergio Peña en el edificio de la Antigua Aduana, en César López de Lara y Arteaga.

El objetivo es “el enriquecimiento de la oferta artística y de la sociedad al brindar apoyo a una de las manifestaciones musicales más sólidas y reconocidas en el panorama internacional desde los inicios del siglo XX”, indica un comunicado de prensa del Gobierno de Tamaulipas.

El JazzTamFest permite la alternancia de ensambles tamaulipecos con ensambles e instrumentalistas de otras latitudes y, en esta primera edición, contará con la participación de importantes artistas de renombre internacional como son Iraida Noriega, Los Dorados y Jakob Dinesen.

También ofrecerá seis talleres instrumentales, clases de armonía e improvisación, así como clases de ensamble de jazz, haciendo un total de 180 horas de instrucción académica a cargo de especialistas de reconocido prestigio.

Al finalizar la semana de instrucción, los alumnos participantes ofrecerán un concierto público en el que mostrarán las habilidades desarrolladas.

Foto de cortesía | JazzTam Fest

David Sánchez, Jorge Fernández y Remi Álvarez, integrantes de Fas Trío serán una de las agrupaciones que se presentarán en Nuevo Laredo, México, durante el JazzTamFest 2011.

El festival se trata de la tercera oferta estatal que presenta el Instituto Tamaulipeco para la Cultura y las Artes (ITCA) en el nuevo formato del Festival Internacional Tamaulipas (FIT), después del Festival del Altiplano Tamaulipeco y de la Academia Musical de Verano Musicorum Reynosa 2011.

El JazzTamFest 2011 cuenta con

el apoyo del Consejo Nacional para la Cultura y las Artes (Conaculta), a través de su Dirección General de Vinculación Cultural, con la colaboración de la Dirección de Cultura de Nuevo Laredo.

La programación está disponible en http://jazztamfest.tamaulipas.gob.mx/ El calendario de actividades pa-

ra Nuevo Laredo, México, contempla: 26 de agosto: Yehuda en concierto a las 7 p.m.

27 de agosto: Fas Trío en concierto a las 7 p.m.

28 de agosto: Clínica de Jazz con Musinetwork a las 3:30 p.m.

28 de agosto: Rafael Alcalá en concierto a las 7 p.m.

TAMAULIPAS

EDUCACIÓN

Convocan a Premio Estatal de la Juventud

Diputado apoya cursos de valores

ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

En el marco de la celebración del Día Internacional de la Juventud, el Instituto de la Juventud Tamaulipeca (IJT) dio a conocer la convocatoria del Premio Estatal de la Juventud 2011.

Según datos del IJT, casi un millón de tamaulipecos son jóvenes entre 12 y 29 años de edad.

En la edición 2011 del Premio Estatal de la Juventud 2011 los jóvenes podrán ganar de manera individual o en equipo, premios de 50,000 pesos en ocho categorías: logro académico; ingenio emprendedor; expresiones artísticas; méritos cívicos; labor social; protección al ambiente; discapacidad e integración; derechos humanos.

El IJT trabaja con 12 coordinadores regionales pa-

ra que el programa sea todo un éxito.

Algunos son: Jesús Arturo Vargas Flores, Región V (Reynosa, Guerrero, Camargo, Mier, Miguel Alemán y Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, con sede en Reynosa).

Melissa Tafolla BessOberto, Región VI (Nuevo Laredo).

Claudia Adela González Gámez, Región VII (El Mante, Antiguo Morelos, Nuevo Morelos, Gómez Farías, Ocampo y Xicoténcatl, con sede en Mante).

Carlos Alfredo García Reyna, Región XI (Río Bravo).

Laura Idalia Soberón Aguirre, Región X (Valle Hermoso).

Julio César Valenzuela Castillo, Región VIII (San Fernando, Burgos, Cruillas y Méndez, con sede en San Fernando).

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

En las aulas escolares se empezarán a retomar temas como los valores y buenos modales.

El objetivo es incrementar el respeto, la armonía, la prudencia y la tolerancia, para evitar conflictos interpersonales y de grupo, tanto en escuelas, como en las familias y la convivencia social.

Será el Diputado Adolfo Víctor García Jiménez quien ofrecerá los cursos a niños y jóvenes de los municipios de Miguel Alemán, Nueva Ciudad Guerrero, Mier, Camargo, Díaz Ordaz y la zona poniente de Reynosa.

García, legislador por el cuarto Distrito Electoral, con cabecera municipal en Miguel Alemán destacó que los cuales podrán ser tomados también por adultos, con el objeto de reafirmar los valores y buenos

ADOLFO V. GARCÍA JIMÉNEZ: Dijo que padres pueden participar. modales.

Con oportunidad se informará el lugar, la fecha y la hora en que se llevarán a cabo los mencionados cursos, mismos que serán impartidos por especialistas en la materia.

Gestorías García dijo que en su oficina atiende diariamente a decenas de personas, que acuden en busca de apoyos en asuntos como: trámites de documentos diversos, asesorías legales, becas, útiles escolares, atención médica y medicinas.

Tan solo en el tema de salud se apoya a personas que necesitan trasladarse a otros sitios para su atención médica, con los costos

de transportación y con gestiones ante las autoridades competentes de los municipios, para ayudar a los ciudadanos que tienen este y otro tipo de necesidades.

Recientemente llevó a cabo jornadas de donación de ropa a personas de escasos recursos económicos, gracias a gestiones que hizo con diversas casas comerciales de la región y grupos de personas de otros sectores de la sociedad, que aportaron lotes de vestimentas para niños, jóvenes y adultos de ambos sexos.

También está promoviendo y fomentando el deporte, como un instrumento de canalización de energía para niños, jóvenes y personas mayores, dotando de uniformes y equipamiento a grupos que practican disciplinas como: fútbol, basquetbol, volibol y béisbol, entre otras.

State

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

Company accused of diluting gasoline ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — The Texas attorney general filed a lawsuit Thursday accusing a gas station company of diluting medium- and premium-grade fuel with regular unleaded at 143 stations.

The lawsuit filed by Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott against Petroleum Wholesale L.P. and related defendants says they falsified octane levels, defrauded customers and violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. “Attorney General Greg Abbott is attempting to protect Texas taxpayers’ pocketbooks,” said Abbott spokeswoman Lauri Saathoff.

The state is seeking a temporary and permanent injunction against the defendants to stop such activities. The state is seeking civil penalties of up to $20,000 for each violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act. Saathoff said it has not yet been determined how many penalties against the company.

The lawsuit said the attorney

general’s office found that the defendants diluted fuel in more than 1,000 instances, with the majority of such “cross-dumping” incidents happening in and around Houston.

The incidents happened between 2005 and 2008. Abbott said in a news release that as of Thursday, the defendants haven’t provided the state with documents after 2008.

The defendants operate Sunmart Travel Centers & Convenience Stores and about 80 other service stations licensed by the state to sell fuel under branding agreements with three major fuel companies.

The state also found the defendants were selling unbranded fuel at branded stations, where brandname products with performanceenhancing additives are advertised.

Abbott said the defendants hid this from the branded fuel providers.

Abbott’s office also found the defendants were improperly selling conventional fuel instead of the reformulated fuel intended to reduce carbon-monoxide emissions required by the federal Clean Air Act.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

GETTING READY FOR SCHOOL

Photo by LM Otero | AP

Caprock Elementary School Principal Angie Nayfa, center, speaks to teachers Wednesday in the school library as they prepare for the first day of school at the Keller Independent School District in Fort Worth. As schools across the stateprepare to start classes Monday, most have planned reductions in the face of the state Legislature cutting $4 billion from the two-year budget cycle for public education.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

GLADYS ANN BROWNELL Gladys Ann Brownell, 83, passed away Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, at her residence in Zapata. Gone but not forgotten, in memory of a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend to all that knew her.

For several years she fought a courageous battle with cancer, never giving in to her pain. She was an adventurous woman and there was nothing she couldn’t accomplish when she set her mind to it. No chore was big nor small.

She taught all of her children the important lessons and values of life.

She enjoyed and cherished her time fishing,

hunting, bingo gambling and spending time with her family, especially the love of her life, Robert, her husband of 60 years.

Mrs. Brownell is preceded in death by her

daughters, Jacklyn and Linda Colonna; parents: Anna and Earl of Wisconsin; two grandchildren, Susie and Doug; and two great-grandchildren, Levi and Jayden.

Gladys leaves behind her husband, Robert Jack Brownell of Zapata; daughters Marie Hudson from Wisconsin and Mary (Randy) Bishop from Utah; three brothers: Ervin, Robert and Dickie Wills from Wisconsin; 11 grandchildren; 25 greatgrandchildren; 11 greatgreat-grandchildren; and extended family and numerous cherished friends.

ISIDRO CAMPOS Gladys will be missed by all but will live forever in our hearts.

AT Gladys’ request, no services will be held. Donations can be made in her name with the American Cancer Society.

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

BELINDA FAYE DUNCAN Belinda Faye Duncan, 68, born Aug. 14, 1943, passed away Tuesday, Aug. 16, 2011, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo.

Linda was born in Macon County, Georgia, and moved to California as a teenager with her mother.

Linda was a mover and a shaker, working her way through a variety of jobs from assembly line worker in a spring factory to cocktail waitressing in California and Las Vegas, then on to bookkeeping. By far her most loved job was as a truck driver. Linda was very proud of her many safety awards as a driver. She and

Steve settled in Zapata, where they turned a house into a home, building, planting, planning, barbecuing, and enjoying life. Linda was always happiest when cook-

ing for or doing for someone else, especially around the holidays. There was always a feast to be found at her table. Linda will be missed by many, but we know that she has returned home to her rightful place in heaven.

Linda is survived by her mother, Willie Belle Rahn; husband, Steve Williams; sister, Cathy Rahn; brothers: Dennis Rahn (Stevie Rahn) and Carl Rahn; daughter, Sherry Shaw (Tom Shaw); son, James W. Mainard (Kathleen Mainard); and seven grandchildren in age order: Jonathon Taylor (Diane Taylor), Michael Taylor (Alexis Taylor), Steven

Taylor, Madison Mainard, Cooper Mainard, Allison Taylor and Jackson Mainard.

A memorial service will be held Sunday, Aug. 21, 2011, at 5 p.m. at King’s Way Church.

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

TAX HOLIDAY Continued from Page 1A Sports and Outdoors.

Known to the community for its broad selection of sports, exercise and outdoor equipment, Academy also boasts a wide variety of school uniforms, backpacks and shoes. Both Laredo stores — 5720 San Bernardo and the corner of Loop 20 and International — are fully stocked.

More than 100 styles of kids’ footwear are available in popular brands including Nike, Adidas, Puma, Converse and Sketchers.

Footwear under $40 includes children’s Nike TRun running shoes at $29.99 and children’s New Balance 553 running shoes for the same price. More than 200 backpacks are available for under $30, including the Austin Clothing Company’s Classic Mesh and the Nike Team Train-

ing Air.

Mall del Norte In addition to Academy, Mall Del Norte’s various stores also have a lot to offer, including J.C. Penney.

Opening at 7 a.m. today, J.C. Penny offers Red Zone Clearance items at 80 percent off final markdowns and new markdowns at 5070 percent off (selections vary by store). A wide variety of backpacks originally at $29.99 will be offered at $14.99, and select juniors’ tops are buy one, get one free for $1. From 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. today, the store will offer doorbusters, select items for great savings. Arizona denim for guys will be $14.99 and juniors’ denim and twill will be $19.99.

And for “The Style of

Your Life,” there’s Dillard’s, which this year offers you a chance to take an apple to school. The Take an Apple Back to School Contest offers students a chance to win an Apple iPad2 (details in store).

School supplies In addition to all the taxfree clothing, school supplies are also exempt this year.

Among the stores stocked with school supplies is HE-B, which offers a Gear-Up School Guide to its offerings of notebooks, rulers, glue, pens, pencils and more. Several types of backpacks are available under $10, including the Trailmaker Mesh Backpack and girls’ book totes, both for $8. .

Walmart, Target, and other stores will observe taxfree weekend for school supplies and apparel.

Before heading out this weekend, it behooves shoppers to review what is and what isn’t tax exempt this weekend. School supplies priced at under $100 are exempt. These include composition books, calculators, index cards and other educational paraphernalia.

Lunchboxes also qualify.

Clothing not exempt includes backpacks not intended for elementary and secondary school (camping backpacks for example), work or climbing boots and accessories.

For a complete list of exempt and non-exempt items, visit the Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts website: http:// www.window.state.tx.us/.

STABBING Continued from Page 1A Villarreal and Martinez were acquaintances and were at the party of a mutual friend, states a news release from the district attorney’s office.

Villarreal was intoxicated and got into a scuffle with another party guest.

When asked to leave, he began arguing with Martinez.

“Martinez proceeded to

remove his shirt when Villarreal took out a butterfly knife and stabbed Martinez six times,” the release states.

Martinez, ran to a Zapata County sheriff ’s deputy seeking help while the official was responding to another call at 11:30 p.m. in the 600 block of Miraflores Avenue.

A sheriff ’s office official

said the man “was covered in blood.”

A preliminary investigation indicated a verbal altercation led to the fight.

Deputies called in Zapata EMS first responders, but Martinez died shortly after at the scene.

A justice of the peace pronounced the man dead shortly after the attack.

According to prosecutor

Pedro “Pete” Garza, the victim’s heart was punctured by the knife.

The man had also sustained a puncture wound under the left side of his chest and a wound to the inner part of his right bicep, deputies say.

Villarreal was arrested not far from the scene after a brief foot chase into a brush area.

Isidro Campos, 86, passed away Thursday, Aug. 18, 2011, at his residence in Zapata.

Mr. Campos is preceded in death by his wife, Angelita Amador de Campos; and a daughter-in-law, Irene Campos.

Mr. Campos is survived by his sons: Rogelio Campos, Jesus (Natividad) Campos, Ruben (Leticia) Campos, Francisco (Abigail) Campos, Isidro Jr. (Araceli) Campos and Martin (Jemima) Campos; daughters: Virginia (Joel) Rodriguez, Julia (Maurilio) Sanchez, Carmela (Aurelio) Chapa and Rosa Reyes; 26 grandchildren; numerous great-grandchildren; and other family members and friends.

Visitation hours will be held Friday, Aug. 19, 2011, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

The funeral procession will depart Saturday, Aug. 20, 2011, at 9:45 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at

Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services will follow at Zapata County Cemetery.

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

RUBILIO SALDIVAR FALCON — Rubilio Saldivar, 86, passed away peacefully Friday, Aug. 12, 2011, at Doctor’s Hospital in Laredo, surrounded by his children.

Mr. Saldivar is preceded in death by his loving wife, Irene Garza Saldivar; parents: Pedro and Manuela Saldivar; and brothers-in-law Hipolito Flores, Jose Garza, Ramiro Garza, Adolio Garza, Rogelio Garza, Alejandro Garza and Alberto (Antonia) Garza.

Mr. Saldivar leaves behind to cherish his memory his beloved children: Dora O. (Henry Jr.) Martinez, Irene (Agustin) Leyva, Rubilio Jr. (Maricela) Saldivar, Reynol (Minnie) Saldivar, Maria Etelvina (Joe) Guerra, Araceli (Carlos) Hurtado; grandchildren: Dora A. (Rigoberto) Sendejo, Vanessa L. (Rolando Jr.) Gutierrez and Henry (Wencho) Martinez III, Agustin (B.J.), Ernesto (Ernie), and Lynda L. Leyva, Rubilio III, Ismael, Orlando, Reynol Jr., Emily and Roberto Saldivar, Joe Brian, David and Ruben Guerra, Marlen J., Andrea M. and Carlos E. (C.J.) Hurtado Jr.; great-grandchildren: Delinda, Brianna, Rigoberto Jr., Natalie Sendejo, Justin Martinez, Melissa, Rolando Jr. and Larissa Gutierrez; brother, Ramiro (Procorita) Saldivar; sisters: Elvira Flores, Sara (Luis) Chapa, Cira (Manuel) and Irene (Virgilio) Gar-

za; brothers-in-law Carlos (Alicia) Garza and Armando (Armandina) Garza; and sisters-in-law: Carolina (Raul) Montemayor, Mirta (+ Ernesto) Montemayor, Maria de los Angeles Garza, Eva Garza, Estela Garza, Maria Garza, and Natalia Garza.

Visitation hours were held Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home, and Monday, Aug. 15, 2011, from 8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m.

Mass at the Santa Ana Mission in Falcon.

Burial services followed at Falcon Cemetery in Falcon.

Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 Highway 83, Zapata.

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

COUNTY Continued from Page 1A On this point, county leaders agree, including Salinas.

“More studies have to get done; both countries have to agree to it,” he said.

Paco Mendoza, president of the Zapata Chamber of Commerce, estimates it would take at least 10 years before ground is broken on a new bridge, but believes it would be worth it.

“I think the project is worthwhile. I think we need to diversify our tax base,” said Mendoza. “We became dependent on the oil and gas industry.”

Possible benefits of a port of entry include more Mexican nationals coming in and through Zapata as well as port security employees who would live, eat and shop in Zapata.

“It would create a lot of jobs,” said Salinas, who al-

“

It’s something we wanted to make sure we involved the public and get their opinions before we proceed.”

COUNTY JUDGE JOSEPH RATHMELL

so cautions that for the county to reap maximum benefit from the port, it needs be cautious of outside investors.

On Friday, the Chamber of Commerce reported that 50 of the mailed-out surveys had been mailed back. The Zapata Times received a sample of 11 of the anonymous responses, which showed various responses on the port of entry issue. Several checked “Strongly Disagree” to the question “The lack of a Port of Entry in Zapata County is negatively impacting Zapata County’s

economic development.”

Most of those who agreed the lack of a port is a negative for the county also reported they would use it were it constructed.

Question 13, which asks respondents to write any comments they desire to share, yielded a variety of comments on Zapata’s ecological resources, a sector some in the county wish to expand.

“Falcon Lake is one of our primary assets,” said Peggy Moffett, president of the Zapata County Economic Development Council. “It provides wonderful

FRACTURING vests millions of dollars each year on new technologies. Those efforts start with multiwell pads that allow a large number of wells to be drilled with less impact on the surrounding land.

But Ingram said Halliburton is also the first company to develop fracking fluid with benign ingredients, minimizing the fallout from any potential spills.

“Every aspect of this fluid system you can find in your refrigerator,” he said. “It doesn’t taste very good. But it’s a big step forward.”

Hydraulic fracturing involves releasing gas by shooting massive amounts of water, mixed with sand and chemical compounds, into well sites. The technology has engendered controversy, caused by fears over the safety of those chemicals.

Ingram said each new

chemical the company creates is not brought to the market unless its environmental and health impact is lower than what it replaced.

The Eagle Ford Shale surpassed 200 drilling rigs for the first time this week, Ingram said.

Those rigs mean massive amounts of water used by industry, said David Burnett, the director of technology at the Global Petroleum Institute at Texas A&M University in College Station.

A typical gas well in the Eagle Ford can require about 7.5 million gallons of water for a fracking operation.

Burnett said university labs like his are developing technology to recycle and reuse water from one frack job to the next.

“We’ve got to address clean fracturing fluids now,” he said.

Rich said emissions

opportunities for investment and job creation.”

Moffett says she believes in place-based economic development, which focuses on maximizing a region’s existing qualities.

Zapata’s natural gifts also appear in the survey, which asks respondents if they would use a lakeside resort.

The results of the survey will be discussed in further detail at the town hall on Wednesday.

(Mike Herrera IV can be reached at (956) 728-2567 or mherrera@lmtonline.com)

Continued from Page 1A

could be a more immediate problem for shale play residents.

Residents of towns such as Dish in North Texas have suffered from headaches, nausea and other effects from exposure to gas emissions.

A federally appointed panel released findings last week that endorsed shale gas drilling but questioned the effectiveness of federal and state regulations.

Rich said residents

should push local leaders to enact ordinances to prevent health effects suffered in other regions.

Elected officials from Laredo were largely absent from the June town hall meeting, but several attended Wednesday night.

“It’s your livelihood, it’s your land; protect it,” Rich said.

(Andrew Kreighbaum may be reached at 728-2538 or akreighbaum@lmtonline.com)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors FOOTBALL

Hawks almost ready Zapata football coach Mario Arce hopes to have his roster settled by today.

Arce hopes to finalize spots, team today

By DENNIS SILVA II THE ZAPATA TIMES

The Zapata Hawks won their scrimmage 5-3 against TulosoMidway last weekend.

It was a good sign for coach Mario Arce.

“I was pleasantly surprised,” Arce said. “We’ve got three new guys playing in the backfield – only our quarterback is returning – and we’re still trying to determine who our fullback will Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

See FOOTBALL PAGE 2B

CROSS COUNTRY

their pocket.

“We just did not come out to play,” Zapata coach Rosie Villarreal said. “Nothing was working for us against United South.”

Zapata (3-2) was led by the offensive force of Kristina De Leon, who recorded 15 kills to go along with one service ace, four digs and three blocks.

Shelby Bigler backed De Leon’s offense

See VOLLEYBALL PAGE 2B

See SANDOVAL PAGE 2B

VOLLEYBALL

Zapata’s Jazmin Garcia will be one of the top runners wearing a Lady Hawks uniform this season.

Zapata XC kicks off season

By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

Zapata’s Jackie Salinas goes up for the ball while teammate Kristina De Leon (11) looks on during a recent match.

BACK TO WORK FOR LADY HAWKS Zapata hopes to learn from defeat

By CLARA SANDOVAL LAREDO MORNING TIMES

The Lady Hawks would like to forget the game against Laredo United South as they could not get their offense and defense on the same page.

After starting strong on Monday, Zapata relaxed and allowed United South to roll off three straight games, 25-15, 17-25, 21-25 and 21-25 to leave the gym with the victory in

T

he fall sports are in full swing and many Zapata fans will soon flock to Hawk Stadium to support their favorite football team or pack the gym to support the Lady Hawks volleyball team.

Fans are an important part of sports and they can help a team shift momentum its way when a game is tight. Many times, they give athletes that extra burst of energy to push through a tough race.

Fans cheer a good play and boo when an official misses a call during the game. It’s a part of life and what makes sports so much fun.

But lately it has been anything but that.

In the past few months, the headlines have been filled with the happenings of a case in which a Giants fan was beaten at a Los Angeles Dodgers game earlier this spring.

This past summer, I was able to head over to San Francisco for my vacation and naturally I took in a Giants game.

I never bothered to check who the Giants played on that particular day and did not think twice about taking my favorite jacket, a blue American Eagle jacket that has ‘Los Angeles 1974’ on the back, to the game because, in San Francisco, the temperature can drop to 50 degrees during the night.

You can probably guess who they played.

As I was walking to the stadium with my cousin Brad, he tells me that I should cover up my jacket because the Dodgers and the Giants historically hate each other.

Now the question becomes if should I take off my jacket and freeze, or buy a Giants tshirt to cover it up.

I bought the Giants t-shirt, and that was a good thing because some Dodgers fans around us got booed relentlessly throughout the game.

Fans need to understand that this is only a game, but some people beg to differ.

I have witnessed some crazy fans at high school football and volleyball games that get out of control and have to be removed by security.

Parents, unnecessarily, sometimes make the worst fans, shouting out language that would make their kids’ grandparents blush.

Fans should be there to support their children and not make themselves part of the game.

In recent years, games have gotten so bad that the University Interscholastic League decided to put out a manual for parents that includes a section on how fans should behave during a UIL event.

On page 7, it clearly states: “Behavior Expectations of Spectators and here are a few of the important points: 1. Remember that you are at the contest to support and yell for your team, and to enjoy the skill and competition, not to intimidate or ridicule the other team or its fans.

2. Remember that school athletics are a learning experience for students and that mistakes are sometimes made.

Praise student-athletes in their attempt to improve themselves as students, as

Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

After months of running around the streets of Zapata, the cross country teams will put their best foot forward early this morning as the season officially gets under way on the grounds of Zapata High School.

The Hawks and the Lady Hawks will compete at the South Texas Stampede and welcome 11 out-of-town teams.

The meet kicks off with the varsity boys at 8:30 a.m., followed by the varsity girls.

The underclassmen, the junior varsity boys and the junior varsity girls, are next on the agenda while the freshmen boys and girls are the last event.

“We are anxious to get out there and see what we have,” Zapata coach Mike Villarreal said. “We have a lot of new runners, but we are ready to put on our spikes and hit the course.”

The teams will be subjugated to one of the toughest courses in South Texas, as the runners will have to deal with some sand along the way.

“The heat has really dried out our grass and 80 percent of the course has sand,” Villarreal said. “It is going to be a tough course.”

The Hawks hit the ground running ranked second in the state by the Cross Country Coaches Association of Texas, while the Lady Hawks, for the first time since 2005, are not ranked.

Zapata returns the majority of the team that went to state last year and is led by seniors Rafael Benavides and Juan Rangel, juniors Jose Garcia and Jerome Cabugos, and sophomores Carlos Rodriguez, Luis Garza and Heriberto Perez.

“This has been our long-term goal since they were in middle school. It’s a great preseason motivator to build on our last year’s sixth-place team finish at state,” Zapata boys’ coach Luis Escamilla said. “Our goal is to win the state title. But we have to take care of business at regional against Liberty Hill before getting to the Promised Land.”

On the girls’ side, the Lady Hawks return Jazmin Garcia, who came in ninth at the state meet last year, and Erica Hernandez and Kasandra Pena.

Currently nine girls are battling for the sixth and seventh spots on the team and only 20 seconds separates them after Tuesday’s time trial.

“Right now, we have them battling but we are just looking at improving every week,” Villarreal said.

Calling all sports fans

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

3 enshrined into Ring of Honor ASSOCIATED PRESS

ARLINGTON — Drew Pearson, Charles Haley and Larry Allen are headed for enshrinement in the Dallas Cowboys’ Ring of Honor.

NFL TEXAS ROUNDUP The trio will expand the membership to 20. They will be honored Nov. 6, when the Cowboys play the Seattle Seahawks.

They will be the first additions since Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin went in together in 2005. The ceremony will be the first held at Cowboys Stadium.

Pearson was Roger Staubach’s favorite target in the 1970s, and his name will go on the side of the stadium featuring other players from the coach Tom Landry era. Allen, a dominant offensive lineman, and Haley, a powerful defensive lineman, will see their names alongside contemporaries Aikman, Smith and Irvin.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is the sole selector of the Ring.

Kubiak eager for Texans to test Saints defense HOUSTON — Houston coach Gary Kubiak says the New Orleans Saints will give the Texans a valuable look at a defense they don’t see much in practice anymore.

The Saints visit Reliant Stadi-

Photo by Bob Owens | San Antonio Express-News

Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Larry Allen tosses a football with a teammate at practice in the Alamodome at San Antonio, Texas, Wednesday, Aug. 14, 2002. Allen is enshrined into the Cowboys’ Ring of Honor. um on Saturday night, marking the fourth straight year the teams have met in the preseason. The teams, from cities separated by only 350 miles, have also held joint practices in years past, but opted not to this year because of the lockout.

The Texans have been learning

the 3-4 scheme under new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

Kubiak said the unit will benefit from facing the Saints’ 4-3 alignment.

Houston beat the New York Jets, another team that plays a 3-4 defense, in its preseason opener.

“We’ve got a lot of experience

against the 4-3,” Kubiak said.

“Our whole division (the AFC South) is a 4-3. That is the difference in our team this year. We work (in practice) against a 3-4, so our 4-3 reps have to be carded and orchestrated. It’s a little bit different and this one’s a tough one and a quick turnaround. We

Astros sale unaddressed ASSOCIATED PRESS

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Major League Baseball has concluded two days of meetings with no action on the proposed sale of the Houston Astros, and commissioner Bud Selig said he was confident the game was holding its own in the shaky economy.

“I told the clubs I feel pretty good today. There are a lot of encouraging signs given the economy and given what’s happened in the last 90 days,” Selig said. “I really think the last three years, given everything that’s gone on, baseball has really, really proven its popularity.

“I was concerned three or four years ago. This is a sport where you need families to come a lot. I feel good. We have great races for the most part. We are at 55.5 million this morning. Pretty good.”

According to figures compiled by Baseball Reference.com, average attendance was down about 100 per game through Wednesday night, with 16 of the 30 franchises showing increases.

Selig said the Astros sale wasn’t even addressed by the owners. He announced Monday that the vote to approve the sale for $680 million from Drayton McLane to Jim Crane was going to be delayed. He said his office was doing its due diligence and wouldn’t comment further.

Selig also declined to talk about the Los Angeles Dodgers. The Dodgers sought bankruptcy protection in Delaware in June, blaming Major League Baseball for refusing to approve a multibillion-dollar TV deal Frank McCourt was counting on to keep the troubled franchise afloat.

Selig did address the release by the Colorado Rockies of minor leaguer Mike Jacobs, who received a 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball for taking a performance-enhancing substance. Jacobs, the first player suspended

by Major League Baseball for a positive HGH test, said he took human growth hormone to overcome knee and back ailments.

“We have a program in place and it did what it was supposed to do,” said Selig, adding he wants to get the rule to apply to major leaguers, too. “We don’t duck the issue.”

Rob Manfred, MLB exec-

really get 2 1/2 days of practice to play this game, so we’re just trying to get them fresh and ready to go.”

Kubiak and Saints coach Sean Payton plan to play their starters for most, if not all, of the first half on Saturday. New Orleans beat San Francisco 24-3 in its exhibition opener last week.

“You want to see progress week to week. I think it is always important,” Payton said. “You want to play well. You want to improve from the things you didn’t do well the week before. It will be nothing different than the second week the last four or five years in preseason.

Saints cornerback Tracy Porter (left knee) will sit out Saturday’s game, but Payton said safety Malcolm Jenkins (right knee) will play, even though he’s been limited at practice this week.

Quarterback Drew Brees went 1-for-4 in the preseason opener, but he’ll get a boost this week from the return of Marques Colston, the Saints’ leading receiver in 2010. Colston skipped the 49ers game to rest his surgically repaired right kneecap.

The Saints’ first-string offense will offer a formidable challenge to the Texans’ defense, which showed signs of improvement in the opener after ranking last in the league against the pass in 2010. The Texans produced seven sacks, and the secondary broke up several passes against the Jets.

FOOTBALL Continued from Page 1B be. Both played well.

“They all played well, as far as first scrimmages go.”

Sophomore Mike Alvarez and junior Felipe Medina are battling for the fullback spot. Alvarez scored in the scrimmage.

Arce said he hopes to have everything settled by today following Friday’s scrimmage against United South at the SAC at 7:30 p.m.

“We’ll look more at throwing the ball and seeing where we stand there,” Arce said. “Defensively we’ll look at some kids.

“Other than that, we’re pretty much set with what we have.”

Defensively, Arce was very happy with what he saw.

“Defensively, our kids played well,” he said. “We had a few missed assignments, but we pretty much shut down Tuloso-Midway.

They scored a couple of times when we played 10 plays in the red zone and they scored once in the real scrimmage.”

Junior cornerback Andy Gonzalez and junior linebacker Damien Guajardo were particular standouts.

VOLLEYBALL Continued from Page 1B with seven kills and three service aces.

Despite De Leon and Bigler’s efforts, Zapata could not find any breathing room in the matches.

United South (4-1) continued to find the weakness at the net that took advantage of some missed assignments on defense.

On defense, Jackie Salinas took care of the back row with 15 digs and even contributed at the net with six kills.

Controlling the offense fell into the hands of setters Gabby Gutierrez (16 assists, two service aces) and Estella Molina (eight assists, two kills and 16 digs).

At the Zapata Volleyball Tournament last Saturday, the Lady Hawks earned a trip to the championship

game against Laredo Cigarroa.

After a tough match, Cigarroa prevailed as the Lady Hawks left with the runner-up trophy.

Being named to the alltournament team were De Leon and Salinas.

The Lady Hawks are currently playing in the Port Isabel tournament and opened play against Donna Quest. Their second game of the evening will be against PSJA Southwest before finishing off with Lyford.

“We just need to come and play,” Villarreal said.

“It has to start from the first ball serve and we need to keep that intensity throughout the game.”

Zapata will play against Hebbronville on Tuesday.

SANDOVAL Continued from Page 1B

Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP

The Houston Astros’ Brian Bogusevic (19) is congratulated by Jose Altuve (27) after hitting a walkoff grand slam to beat the Chicago Cubs 6-5 in the ninth inning Tuesday in Houston. A sale of the Astros team is pending. utive vice president, labor relations and human resources, said baseball has looked carefully at what other sports are doing in the area of drugs.

“All sports have the same problems and the same issues,” Manfred said. “We’ve made a proposal on blood testing for HGH and we’ll see how it turns out.”

HGH testing was one of the items under negotiation between the NFL and the players union as the

sides put the finishing touches on the 10-year labor accord they reached last month to end the lockout.

Selig also said he still believed in the annual amateur draft, but that spending was a concern.

At a dinner Wednesday, Selig was caught off guard when Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark unveiled the Allan H. “Bud” Selig Center for the Archives of Major League Baseball Commissioners.

The new, permanent addition to the Hall of Fame library features a private research space that celebrates the role of the Office of the Commissioner and pays tribute to the nine commissioners who have guided Major League Baseball since Kenesaw Mountain Landis was named the game’s first one in 1920.

“When Jane announced it, I cannot tell you how much it meant to me,” Selig said. “It was extremely emotional.”

athletes, and as people, just as you would praise a student working in the classroom.

3. A ticket is a privilege to observe the contest, not a license to verbally assault others or be generally obnoxious. Learn the rules of the game, so that you may understand and appreciate why certain situations take place.

4. Show respect for the opposing players, coaches, spectators and support groups.

5. Respect the integrity and judgment of game officials. Understand that they are doing their best to help promote the student-athlete, and admire their willingness to participate in full view of the public. Recognize and show appreciation for an outstanding play by either team.

6. Use only cheers that support and uplift the

teams involved.

7. Be a positive role model at events through your own actions and by censuring those around you whose behavior is unbecoming.

8. Parents and spectators should be aware that the school can (and should) remove them from the premises and can prohibit them from attending future contests due to undesirable behaviors.

9. There is no such thing as a “right” to attend interscholastic athletics. Interscholastic athletics are considered a “privilege” and the spectator who avails themselves of it is expected to conduct himself or herself accordingly.

If we can keep all these things in mind, then games will become more enjoyable for everyone involved, on and off the field or court.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

HINTS BY | HELOISE PET PAL Dear Readers: Speaking of pet toys, Sharon in San Antonio emailed a picture of her rescued Chihuahua, Daisy, taking a snooze with her favorite toy, her Pink Pig, which is a rather dingy shade of pink from being played with so much! To see Daisy and her Pink Pig, as well as our other Pet Pals, go to www.Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” Do you have a picture of your pet playing with a favorite toy? Send it to us: Heloise/Pets, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000.

— Heloise WRAP IT UP Dear Heloise: We have a bay window with two chairs

“

HELOISE

and a table with a lamp on it.

When our two Jack Russell terriers see a squirrel in the backyard, they run excitedly between the chairs and the windows. On several occasions, they have pulled over the lamp when they got tangled in the cord. I tried wrapping the cord around a leg of the table, leaving just enough cord to reach the socket, and there hasn’t been a lamp accident since! — Betty Peterson, Keller, Texas

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:

FAMILY CIRCUS

DENNIS THE MENACE

Sports

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, AUGUST 20, 2011

A look at rivalries

‘Death penalty’ for Miami?

By RALPH D. RUSSO ASSOCIATED PRESS

By MICHAEL MAROT

The Alabama-Auburn rivalry is about as hot as it gets.

With both teams sporting relatively new championship rings and routinely bringing in topnotch recruits, the Tigers and Crimson Tide could regularly be playing games with national title implications for years to come.

So where does that leave all those other big games, the ones coaches and fans circle on the calendar months in advance? A look at the state of some of the nation’s other heated rivalries.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MICHIGAN-OHIO STATE State of the rivalry: Boring, but about to get better.

Surely no Buckeye would agree with this, but Ohio State’s domination of the Wolverines — seven straight victories and the last four haven’t been particularly competitive — has turned the Big Ten’s big game into a snooze. But the turmoil and turnover at Ohio State, combined with a new regime at Michigan, should make things interesting again — as soon as this season.

OKLAHOMA-TEXAS State of the rivalry: Swinging Sooners.

Bob Stoops’ Sooners beat Mack Brown’s Longhorns five straight times from 2000-04. Texas then won four of five behind Vince Young and Colt McCoy. Oklahoma looks primed to make it two straight this season, and the big question is how quickly Brown can get the ‘Horns back to the

AP Photo

In this March 21 photo, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops oversees the first day of spring football practice in Norman, Okla. Stoops and the Sooners curremtly have the upper hand in their rivalry with Texas.

Sooners’ level after his first losing season in Austin.

NOTRE DAME-USC State of the rivalry: Irish eyes are smiling.

Brian Kelly’s first season as Notre Dame coach was highlighted by the end of the Trojans’ eightgame winning streak against the Fighting Irish. The harshest effects of NCAA sanctions haven’t even kicked in for USC, so if the Trojans don’t win in the next couple seasons, the Irish are primed to rip off a streak of their own.

FLORIDA-FLORIDA STATE State of the rivalry: Sunny.

Urban Meyer and Tim Tebow helped push Bob-

by Bowden into retirement as Florida won six straight in the Sunshine State rivalry from 2004-09.

The Seminoles ended that streak in their first season under Jimbo Fisher.

But don’t expect the Gators and new coach Will Muschamp to be down for long. This rivalry could quickly get back to its mid-1990s hey-day, when both were national title contenders.

PITTSBURGH-WEST VIRGINIA State of the rivalry: Less brawling, more scoring.

The Backyard Brawl rivals have been stuck in the same rather unsatisfying place the past few seasons. Both have been solid but not good enough to win the Big East. Enter Dana Holgorsen to coach West Virginia and Todd Graham to take over

Pittsburgh. Both bring offensive schemes that have put up big numbers in their previous stops.

ARMY-NAVY State of the rivalry: Strong.

Navy has won nine straight games, taking advantage of one of the worst periods in the history of Army football.

The Cadets are getting better under coach Rich Ellerson and they should be able to make this series competitive again.

But that’s only small part of the story of this rivalry. The Army-Navy game is still one the best events in all of sports, embodying all that is good about college football. And it looks even better against the backdrop of the sordid scandals that have tarnished the sport the past two years.

INDIANAPOLIS — NCAA President Mark Emmert says he’s willing to back up his tough talk on punishing rule-breakers — even using the “death penalty” as a deterrent.

With salacious allegations swirling around Miami’s football program, and one week after Emmert joined with university presidents to discuss toughening sanctions against cheating schools, the NCAA’s leader said he believed the infractions committee should make the harshest penalty an option.

“If, and I say if, we have very unique circumstances where TV bans and death penalties are warranted, then I don’t think they are off the table and I would be OK with putting those in place,” Emmert told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Friday.

Emmert later said the “death penalty,” which prohibits a school from competing in a sport, should only be used in rare cases.

He was quick to distance his comments from the Miami case.

Convicted Ponzi scheme architect Nevin Shapiro has said he provided improper benefits to 72 Hurricanes football and basketball players from 2002-10 and that a handful of coaches in both programs were aware of the infractions. Yahoo Sports first reported the allegations following an 11-month investigation in which it said it audited thousands of business and financial documents and spent more than 100 hours interviewing Shapiro.

The NCAA has already spent five months investigating Miami and calls speculation about penalties for an ongoing case prema-

ture.

“I will say that the university is being extremely cooperative and that is extremely helpful,” Emmert said.

If the allegations are true, it would be the ugliest scandal in college sports in years and the worst during a 18-month span in which the NCAA has looked into football programs at Southern California, Auburn, Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, North Carolina, LSU, Tennessee and Georgia Tech and basketball programs at Southern California and Connecticut. Miami makes both lists.

The scope of the allegations has already created widespread debate over bringing back the “death penalty,” which has been used only once — when the NCAA canceled SMU’s 1987 football season because of a pay-for play scandal. The school decided not to play in 1988, either, as it tried to recover.

Schools with two major infractions cases during a five-year period are eligible for the sanction, though the NCAA says the timeframe can be expanded if it determines there was a willful intent to break the rules.

What happened at SMU has made the NCAA hesitant to use its toughest penalty again.

The Mustangs posted only one winning record over the next 20 years, didn’t reach another bowl game until 2009 and the sanction is believed to have played a part in the breakup and eventual dissolution of the Southwest Conference.

Today, the implications could be even worse.

In an era when conferences have so many tie-ins to bowl games, along with lucrative television contracts, all the schools in a league could lose revenue.