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Crime stats now complete
Facing budget cuts
By MIKAELA RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County is now up to snuff after its criminal prosecution offices were found to be falling short with the Texas State Auditor’s reporting standards. Law enforcement agencies and prosecutors are required to file dispositions and information relating to arrests, sentencing and prosecution under Texas law. Up-to-date records filed on time within the Criminal Justice Information System facilitate thorough background checks for public and private employers, ultimately ensuring the safety of the public, said Lucy Nashed, spokesperson for the Criminal Justice division of the Governor’s Office. Complete records also provide vital information for judges in criminal sentencing. A September 2011 State Auditor’s Office report showed Zapata County filed dispositions for six out of 614 criminal arrests, placing its records at a 0.9 percent completion rate. The county received a notice from the state in December stating it had a deadline of Sept. 1 to bring completion of disposition filings to 90 percent, or lose eligibility to apply for federal Justice Assistance Grants. “Once we knew the importance of the funding that was at stake, we all got to work on it,” said Zapata County Judge Joe Rathmell. One entity, the Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office, relies on state funding for equipment and overtime, among other uses. Rathmell said “lots and lots” of Department of Justice funds simply cannot be matched by the county. According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, Zapata County now boasts an 89 percent
See RECORDS PAGE 11A
30 jobs proposed for elimination include 15 layoffs By JJ VELASQUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
About 30 positions will be slashed from the county payroll next fiscal year if Zapata County commissioners adopt the proposed 2012-13 budget without making any changes. Half of the removals call for layoffs. The other half would account for vacated positions to be
cut from the budget, said County Judge Joe Rathmell. The payroll and benefits reductions would remove about $1 million from the county’s expenses, Rathmell said. “I didn’t have any good choices in front of me,” said Rathmell, adding he endured many sleepless nights drafting the budget. “We’ve had two consecutive years with nearly $400 mil-
lion lost in taxable values. Basically, all I have left is reductions in personnel and benefits.” The county courthouse will host a public hearing Monday at 9 a.m., where department heads may announce amendments to the budgets they have requested. After the hearing, the Commissioners Court will convene to consider adopting the budget
as well as the tax rate for next fiscal year. Rathmell said the budget proposes a little more than a cent increase in the tax rate. He said the increase would amount to an additional $30 in taxes paid for an owner of a $100,000 home. Declining mineral values, which are determined by oil
See BUDGET PAGE 11A
THE BORDER
SKY HIGH BORDER EYE
Photo by Christopher Sherman | AP
A 72-foot-long helium-filled balloon flies 2,500 feet above the border on Wednesday, near Roma. The Border Patrol is testing the surveillance balloons on loan from the Defense Department to see if they could be as effective spotting illegal immigrants and drug smugglers as they were spotting insurgents in war zones.
US testing surveillance balloons over the Rio Grande By CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
ROMA — Floating 2,500 feet above scrub-covered U.S. ranchland near the Mexican border, the payload of hightech cameras onboard a bal-
loon being used by the Border Patrol can easily see a cluster of reporters and the make, model and color of their vehicles a couple of miles away. In Iraq or Afghanistan, where the technology has already proven effective at spot-
ting attackers, such balloons provide surveillance around bases. U.S. officials think they could be equally helpful in tracking drug smugglers and illegal immigrants along a rugged stretch of the Rio Grande that doesn’t have any
segments of border fence. The Border Patrol is testing two blimp-shaped, heliumfilled balloons, which are on loan from the Defense Department. Congressional staff
See BALLOONS PAGE 11A
MEXICO
Police fire on US Embassy car By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican Navy said Friday that federal police opened fire on a U.S. Embassy vehicle carrying two U.S. government employees, after the vehicle entered an area where the Mexican officers were conducting anti-crime operations. The two U.S. Embassy employ-
ees were hospitalized, one with a wound to the leg and the other hit in the stomach and hand, according to a government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The U.S. Embassy said it could not release details of the shooting or the names of the victims. The Navy said at least four vehicles opened fire on the Americans’ sport utility vehicle on a
road south of Mexico City, but did not make clear if any of the four carried federal police officers. The shootings appeared to have been the result of a confused running gunbattle that broke out on a rural road in a mountainous area that has been used by common criminals, drug gangs and leftist rebels in the past.
See EMBASSY PAGE 11A
Photo by Alexandre Meneghini | AP
Military guards stand in front of an armored U.S. Embassy vehicle attacked by unknown assailants on the highway leading to the city of Cuernavaca, near Tres Marias, Mexico, on Friday. Two U.S. government employees were shot and wounded in the attack.
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, AUG. 25
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Fifth Annual Football Tailgating Cook-off is today from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. at El Metro Park & Ride, on the corner of Hillside Road and Daugherty Avenue. Admission will be $1 for adults. Zapata High School cross country team meets Laredo at home. Time to be announced. ZHS volleyballers play in the Port Isabel Tournament.
Today is Saturday, Aug. 25, the 238th day of 2012. There are 128 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Aug. 25, 1537, King Henry VIII granted a royal charter incorporating the Honourable Artillery Company, the oldest regiment in the British Army. On this date: In 1718, hundreds of French colonists arrived in Louisiana, with some settling in presentday New Orleans. In 1825, Uruguay declared independence from Brazil. In 1916, the National Park Service was established within the Department of the Interior. In 1921, the United States signed a peace treaty with Germany. In 1943, U.S. forces liberated New Georgia in the Solomon Islands from the Japanese during World War II. In 1944, Paris was liberated by Allied forces after four years of Nazi occupation. In 1958, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a measure providing pensions for former U.S. presidents and their widows. In 1960, opening ceremonies were held for the Summer Olympics in Rome. In 1981, the U.S. spacecraft Voyager 2 came within 63,000 miles of Saturn’s cloud cover, sending back pictures of and data about the ringed planet. In 1982, Archbishop Joseph L. Bernardin was installed as head of Chicago’s Roman Catholic archdiocese. In 1985, Samantha Smith, 13, the schoolgirl whose letter to Yuri V. Andropov resulted in her famous peace tour of the Soviet Union, died with her father in an airliner crash in Auburn, Maine. In 2009, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy died at age 77 in Hyannis Port, Mass. Ten years ago: China set Nov. 8, 2002, as the date for its long-awaited Communist Party national congress. Louisville, Ky., beat Sendai, Japan, 1-0 to win the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pa. Former Swedish diplomat Per Anger, who’d worked with Raoul Wallenberg in shielding thousands of Hungarian Jews from Nazi death camps, died in Stockholm, Sweden, at age 88. Acclaimed bass-baritone William Warfield, best known for his rendition of “Ol’ Man River” in the musical “Show Boat,” died in Chicago at age 82. Today’s Birthdays: Game show host Monty Hall is 91. Actor Sean Connery is 82. TV personality Regis Philbin is 81. Actor Tom Skerritt is 79. Rock singer-actor Gene Simmons is 63. Rock singer Elvis Costello is 58. Movie director Tim Burton is 54. Actor Christian LeBlanc is 54. Actress Ashley Crow is 52. Actress Ally Walker is 51. Actress Joanne Whalley is 51. Rock musician Vivian Campbell (Def Leppard) is 50. Actor Blair Underwood is 48. Actor Robert Maschio is 46. Actor David Alan Basche (BAYSH) is 44. Television chef Rachael Ray is 44. Actor Cameron Mathison is 43. Model Claudia Schiffer is 42. Country singer Brice Long is 41. Actor Eric Millegan is 38. Actor Jonathan Togo is 35. Actor Kel Mitchell is 34. Actress Rachel Bilson is 31. Actress Blake Lively is 25. Actor Josh Flitter is 18. Thought for Today: “History is the sum total of the things that could have been avoided.” — Konrad Adenauer, German statesman (1876-1967).
MONDAY, AUG. 27 First day of school for Zapata County Independent School District.
TUESDAY, AUG. 28 ZHS volleyball travels to Hebbronville. Game times at 5, 6 and 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, AUG. 29 The Texas A&M International University – Small Business Development Center and the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid: Legal Assistance to Microenterprise Project will provide a free seminar designed to assist business owners with legal issues from 9 a.m. to noon. Classroom location will be provided with registration confirmation. For more information or to register for any of these workshops, contact 956326-2827 or sbdc@tamiu.edu. Register online at http://sbdc.tamiu.edu.
THURSDAY, AUG. 30 The ZHS ninth and junior varsity football teams play Laredo in Laredo. Times to be announced. “Managing Cash: the Small Business Owner’s Guide to Financial Control” workshop is from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Registration is $20, which includes a workbook. Classroom location will be provided with registration confirmation. For more information or to register for any of these workshops, contact 956-326-2827 or sbdc@tamiu.edu.
FRIDAY, AUG. 31 The ZHS varsity football team plays Cigarroa at home at 7:30 p.m.
Photo by Rodger Mallison/The Fort Worth Star-Telegram | AP
David Lee Wiggins, center, walks out of the courthouse in Fort Worth with, from left, attorney Nina Morrison, from the Innocence Project, brother Duane Wiggins and sister Candy Berg, on Friday. Wiggins was exonerated in a 1989 rape case by DNA testing.
DNA clears FW man By ANGELA K. BROWN ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT WORTH — A man who spent more than two decades behind bars was freed Friday after DNA evidence cleared him in the rape of a 14-year-old Fort Worth girl. David Lee Wiggins was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 1989, although neither of the two fingerprints found at the scene matched his. The girl, whose face was covered during most of the attack, picked Wiggins out of a photo lineup and then a live lineup, saying he looked familiar. But DNA testing earlier this month excluded Wiggins as the person who committed the crime. Tarrant County prosecutors said DNA evidence demonstrated his innocence. State District Judge Louis Sturns in Fort Worth freed Wiggins on a personal bond af-
ter approving a motion to overturn his conviction. Before the crime is officially cleared from his record, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals must accept the judge’s recommendation or the governor must grant a pardon. Either step is considered a formality after the judge’s ruling. "I hold no bitterness," Wiggins said in court after the judge’s ruling. "I’m thankful to Jesus Christ. He said he could move mountains, and surely this was a mountain. ... And to the victim: I’m not mad at you. I don’t hold you responsible." The packed courtroom then erupted into applause and people rose to their feet. Wiggins later hugged his relatives and some other men who have been freed from prison after DNA evidence exonerated them in recent years. About a dozen of them attended the court hearing to support Wiggins.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 1 ZHS volleyball against United at United. Time to be announced.
TUESDAY, SEPT. 4 ZHS volleyball against Crystal City in Crystal City. Game times at 5, 6 and 7 p.m. The Alzheimer’s support group will meet at 7 p.m. at Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s. For more information, 956-693-9991.
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 5 Ninth and JV football versus Alexander at home. Game times at 5 and 7 p.m.
THURSDAY, AUG. 6 Varsity football versus Alexander in Laredo at 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY, SEPT. 21 The Sun Country Fishing Tournament begins and runs through Friday, Sept. 28, at Falcon Lake.
France honors WWII vets with Legion of Honor
San Antonio lawyer accused of forgery, theft
US Attorney: 30 charged in alleged meth network
EL PASO — The French government has awarded that nation’s highest decoration to four West Texas veterans for their service during the liberation of France in World War II. The French consul in Houston, Frederic Bontems, traveled to El Paso decorate Lt. Col. Bob Chisolm, Staff Sgt. Armando Sambrano and Pfc. Angel Romero with the Legion of Honor. First Lt. William Elger was unable to attend the ceremony due to health reasons.
SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio lawyer has been charged in a forgery and theft investigation involving legal payments and signatures of judges. Bexar County District Attorney Susan Reed on Thursday announced the indictment of 51year-old Hilda Valadez of San Antonio. Valadez says she’s innocent and has tried to cooperate with authorities.
PLANO — Thirty people have been indicted in what federal prosecutors say is a Texas-based scheme to distribute Mexicanproduced methamphetamine. U.S. Attorney John Malcolm Bales announced the indictment Friday in Plano. The people indicted were allegedly part of a network that sold methamphetamine in Greenville, about 50 miles northeast of Dallas.
Riders of Texas Eagle can get free audio tour
Artist preps Rockport’s new big blue crab
SAN ANTONIO — A new interpretive tour of the Amtrak Texas Eagle line allows riders to listen to a history of the route as they travel. The podcast featuring the 1,300-mile route is available free and can be downloaded before boarding. The information highlights more than 100 points of interest.
ROCKPORT — A new and improved big blue crab is being set up in South Texas after the original 1950s artwork succumbed to weather. Workers on Thursday laid out pieces of the fiberglass and aluminum body, pinchers and crab legs at the entrance to Rockport Beach Park. — Compiled from AP reports
Lon Morris College suspends fall semester JACKSONVILLE — The oldest junior college in Texas, which has filed for bankruptcy, says it’s suspending its fall semester as it seeks a new financial partner. Officials say the suspension follows a U.S. Department of Education decision to not allow federal aid to students there.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 22 The Bud Light 2012 San Antonio Division tournament takes place at Falcon Lake.
FRIDAY, OCT. 12 The Southeast Texas Bass Federation will host a tournament through Saturday, Oct. 13.
AROUND THE NATION Teen charged with snatching baby
SATURDAY, NOV. 17
PITTSBURGH — A 19-year-old woman who falsely claimed to be pregnant was arraigned Friday on charges she kidnapped a 3day-old infant from a hospital after pretending to be a nurse and sneaking the boy out inside a zippered handbag, police said. The newborn was found with the kidnapping suspect, Breona Moore, of McKeesport, early Thursday night and was reunited with his parents unharmed at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.
The Bud Light Tournament Fall 2012 San Antonio Division tournament returns to Falcon Lake.
Couple marries while hovering over Calif. beach
Grant Engler and his new wife, Amanda Engler, wear jet pack suits after being pronounced married at their wedding ceremony on Thursday in Newport Beach, Calif. The couple arrived at the site by flying in in jet pack suits.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — Here comes the bride, all dressed in a jet pack that’s zipping down a California beach. Amanda Volf and Grant Engler donned water-powered packs Thursday to be married in New-
port Beach. The 25-year-old former wedding planner from Grand Rapids, Mich., says she wanted a unique ceremony. So the couple donned the $90,000 contraptions on their backs, along with a wetsuit for the groom and white board
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18 The Anglers Quests tournaments begin, to run through Sunday, Oct. 21.
SATURDAY, OCT. 27 The Bass Champs South Region Championship takes place today and Sunday, Oct. 28.
THURSDAY, MARCH 21 The Falcon Slam Bassmaster Elite Tournament returns to Falcon Lake. The tournament will run through Sunday, March 24.
CONTACT US Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501 Business Manager, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 324-1226 General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510 Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531 Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559 MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505 Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565 Managing Editor, Mary Nell Sanchez........... 728-2543 Sports Editor, Adam Geigerman..................728-2578 Spanish Editor ........................................ 728-2569 Photo by Lenny Ignelzi | AP
shorts and a rash-guard shirt for the bride. The jetpacks from Jetlev Southwest helped the couple hover a few feet above the water, to the cheers of their wedding guests. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Senators debate school choice By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Top education leaders in the Texas Senate on Friday debated offering state-funded vouchers for private schools and expanding the number of charter schools statewide, an opening salvo in what should be a long fight over the future of public education when the Legislature reconvenes in January. Members of the Senate Education Committee heard from advocates for programs that allow parents to take a portion of what the state would spend to educate their children in public schools and use it to cover tuition at private ones. They also listened to groups wanting to ease the current cap of a maximum 215 charter schools licensed to operate in Texas. “We need to look at this as more of a free market system,” said Andrew Erben, president of the Texas Institute for Education Reform, who compared today’s schools to a ball bearing factory where authorities establish a single set of regulations and hope all kids come out the same. Erben, whose group represents business interests, added: “We need to let parents and students decide by giving them more options.” Sen. Royce West, a Dallas Democrat, noted that Erben’s institute has called for an end to bilingual education programs and scrapping a stateimposed maximum of 22 students per elementary school classroom, and believes that Texas already spends more than enough on public education. Erben replied that “spending nearly $50 billion in the aggregate is more than adequate” to which Royce shot back, “We cut about $5 billion from our school finance system. You still think it’s adequate?”
In 2011, state lawmakers cut $4 billion from public school funding and $1.4 billion from grant programs, even though Texas’ booming population means enrollment is surging. Fellow Democratic Sen. Wendy Davis of Fort Worth said private schools can pick which students they want to accept, meaning greater school choice may ensure that the only students left in traditional schools are those who will be rejected by private ones or whose parents are too poor to help pay for schooling. Sen. Dan Patrick, a Houston Republican, supports legislation to expand charter schools and programs allowing students to attend private schools with some state funding. He ran Friday’s meeting and may become Education Committee chairman during the 2013 session because the current chairwoman, Republican Sen. Florence Shapiro, is retiring. “I would argue that now, people with money can just move to another neighborhood for a better school,” Patrick said. Joseph Bast, president of the Heartland Institute, a conservative, Chicago-based think tank, said an unsuccessful bill introduced in Texas in 2011 would have allowed parents to be reimbursed up to 60 percent of what the state spends educating their child in public schools, or around $5,200, on private school tuition. He said that under such a program, about 6 percent of the 5 million Texas children currently enrolled in public schools would likely jump to private ones in the first two years alone, saving the state about $2 billion. Bast said the program would provide enough money for elementary school students to attend private schools free, but that the parents of
older kids would have to pay thousands out-of-pocket. He said perhaps private foundations could help sponsor low-income students. Proponents of applying free-market principles to public education also support charter schools, arguing they are more efficient and cost-effective than their traditional counterparts and that, while they aren’t subject to the same state accountability requirements, poorly performing charters go out of business because parents stop sending their children there. David Dunn, executive director of the Texas Charter Schools Association, said tens of thousands of students statewide are languishing on charter school waiting lists. Dunn called for easing the state’s cap to allow 20 new schools per year. But critics point to existing charter schools that have underperformed. Greg Richmond, president of the National Association of Charter School Authorizers, said that while nationwide 400 to 500 new charter schools now open per year, only about 7 percent of those up for renewal close, meaning many sub-par schools continue to operate. Rita Haecker, president of the Texas State Teachers Association said, “so-called ‘choice’ programs offer no real choice for the overwhelming majority of students.” “Voucher plans benefit only a few students while enriching profiteers at the expense of public schools,” Haecker said in a statement. In written testimony to the committee, Kathy Miller, president of Texas Freedom Network, said ideas on restoring funding to cash-starved state public schools “must once again take a back seat to a political experiment that has failed to deliver on any of its promises.”
Mom of 1st quintuplets looks back By JAMES RAGLAND THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS
DALLAS — Back then, she was an oddity — the first woman to give birth to quintuplets in Texas, the eighth in the U.S. and just the 11th in the world. Now, 37 years later, Debbie Knox, remarried and reborn as a successful Southlake real estate broker, is ready to offer timetested advice to a Duncanville couple who recently had quintuplets. “The important thing I’d like to say is that every stage we were in, I thought it would last forever,” said Knox, 57. “And it was like, you blink your eye and it’s over.” “So it’s important that they cherish the moments — the diaper stage, the hugging stage, the toddler stage, because they won’t last forever.” Her ex-husband, Jerry Davis, quickly grew tired of all the attention the quintuplets drew to their doorstep. Now, he said, he doesn’t know where the time went. “It went by pretty quick,” said Davis, 59, who owns a trucking company. “It doesn’t seem like they’re 37.” His advice to Carrie and Gavin Jones, the missionary workers whose quintuplets were born on Aug. 9, is part divine, part down to earth. “The first thing is you need to have a lot of faith,” said Davis, who also is remarried and lives in East Texas. “And you have to have a system and stick with it, because if you don’t, everything gets turned upside down.” The Davis quintuplets are all grown up with kids of their own. Three live in East Texas, one in the Houston area and another in Little Rock, Ark. They get together about three or four times a year — a feat that Knox said is getting more difficult to pull off now that they are juggling careers and kids of their own. For now, the Joneses’ biggest concern is getting all five of their babies home, which temporarily is Carrie’s parents’ place in Duncanville. “We are a bit concerned about Seth ... He and Grace are on ventilators,” said Gavin, 35, a pilot who does missionary work in Papua New Guinea for Orlandobased Wycliffe Bible Translators. “The other three — Will, David and Marcie — are doing really well.”
Photo by Brad Loper/The Dallas Morning News | AP
Debbie Knox, the first woman in Texas to give birth to quintuplets, the Davis quintuplets of Lewisville, holds a photograph of the children at nine months at her Haslet home on Friday. He said all the newborns are in stable condition in the neonatal intensive-care unit at UT Southwestern Medical Center. “It’s wonderful to have my wife back from the hospital,” said Gavin. “We can share the load and take care of our other (8-yearold) son. But we’re kind of helpless because the babies are being monitored 24/7. So that’s hard.” If there’s one thing the Jones and Davis couples had in common before their quintuplets were born, it’s impatience. The Joneses, who had
been trying to have another baby for five years, decided to take advantage of a ninemonth furlough to the U.S. Carrie began taking fertility shots last fall.
In March, they got a surprise. Carrie, 34, learned she was getting a lot more than she’d bargained for. “I’m still trying to get my head around it,” she said last week. But if you ask Debbie Knox and Jerry Davis, who were living in Lewisville when their quintuplets were born, the Joneses are much more prepared than they were. “I married at 17, scared to death that I’d never get married,” said Knox. “I wanted to have a baby the first year, and it didn’t happen. So I went to a doctor at 19 to get hormone shots.” She was given a prescription for a fertility drug that “had never caused more than twins, ever — except with me.”
THE BLOTTER ASSAULT An aggravated assault was reported at 11:37 p.m. Aug. 15 at Fourth Avenue and Lincoln Street. Deputies responded to a domestic disturbance at 11:18 a.m. Aug. 19 in the 300 block of Third Street. An assault report was filed.
BURGLARY A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 1:26 p.m. Aug. 15 in the 400 block of Morelos Street in San Ygnacio. A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 10:39 p.m. Aug. 15 in San Ygnacio. A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 5:17 p.m. Aug. 17 in the 800 block of Guerrero Avenue.
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF
A criminal mischief incident was reported at 2 a.m. Aug. 19 in the 800 block of Guerrero Avenue. A criminal mischief was reported at 2:27 p.m. Aug. 19 in the 1100 block of Roma Avenue.
FAKE MONEY Deputies seized fake money at 10:14 a.m. Aug. 18 at Valero off U.S. 83.
TERRORISTIC THREAT A terroristic threat was reported at 9:46 p.m. Aug. 21 in the 1500 block of Mier Street.
THEFT A theft was reported at 2:16 a.m. Aug. 21 at First Street and U.S. 83.
College nixes fall semester ASSOCIATED PRESS
JACKSONVILLE — The oldest junior college in Texas will suspend its fall semester as it seeks a purchaser or new financial partner after filing for bankruptcy last month. Lon Morris College, a 158-year-old United Methodist school in East Texas, said in a news release Friday that the suspension follows a U.S. Department of Education decision to not allow students to use federal aid there. A few years ago, the two-year college reinstated its football team after a nearly 70-year hiatus in hopes of saving it from mounting debt by increasing enrollment and building excitement. Instead the school was burdened with waves of new students who couldn’t pay their bills and overwhelming football expenses.
About 100 students had been expected to attend Lon Morris this fall, Dawn Ragan, the college’s chief restructuring officer, told The Associated Press. The college said in the news release that the Education Department would not permit students to use federal aid there because of the bankruptcy filing. Federal statutes disqualify schools that file for bankruptcy. Ragan said in the news release that the Education Department’s “action to cancel all federal financial aid is justified by bureaucrats quoting policy, noting they are powerless to use judgment to provide reasonable or practical accommodations.” “We understand we would literally need an act of Congress to ensure this does not continue to happen to other schools in the same predicament,” she said in the news release.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Religious freedom gets attention
L
ast month, people of faith in the Diocese of Laredo joined millions of Catholics throughout the United States in partaking in the Fortnight for Freedom — an effort to call attention to and to raise awareness of religious liberty in our country. Here in our seven-county diocese, the Fortnight for Freedom began with a Mass at San Agustin Cathedral on June 22. In the days following the Mass, Cimarron “Cim” Gilson, an attorney and a current seminarian of Diocese of Laredo, spearheaded numerous activities during the Fortnight for Freedom that concluded on July 4, American Independence day. Cim helped shed light on the religious liberty guaranteed to all Americans via the First Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America. The events began with prayer and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Some fasted while others watched various faithbased movies with a similar religious liberty theme, such as “For Greater Glory.” There were peaceful rallies and PowerPoint presentations. There was also a dissemination of religious liberty information via www.dioceseoflaredo.org, Facebook, La Fe Magazine and KHOY 88.1 FM. And then there was the humble text message. Who would’ve thought that something so simple could have such a big impact? Well, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops did. Jayd Henricks, the USCCB Director of Government Relations, recognized the potential and the power of the text message. The USCCB website describes Henrick’s department as representing, “the
“
JAMES TAMAYO
USCCB before the U.S. Congress on public policy issues of concern to the bishops. GR coordinates and directs the legislative activities of the USCCB staff and other church personnel to influence the actions of the Congress. A specific set of issues is assigned to each congressional liaison staff person, who in turn, works in collaboration with particular policy departments at the USCCB.” In this case, Henrick and his staff were in charge of helping get the word out for the Fortnight for Freedom. I take great pride in congratulating Cim, the diocesan staff and all of you for accomplishing something special. According to Henrick, no one had more people register and forward religious liberty text messages than Texas. Legend says that everything is bigger in Texas and in this case it’s true. You may think that a simple text message doesn’t mean much. But it does. This was an impressive accomplishment for our communication efforts and for helping others begin to understand what is at stake and what we are defending. This was possible because of your help and the help of our diocesan communications and technology personnel in sharing the bulletin announcements, emails and website postings about the text messaging campaign in parishes across the state. I extend my gratitude to you, the faithful of the Diocese of Laredo, on defending religious liberty, enlightening others and doing so — Todo Con Amor!
COLUMN
Words abort Akin’s career By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST
WASHINGTON — It took just two words for Todd Akin, the Republican nominee for Senate in Missouri, to wreck his political future. The two words — “legitimate rape” — were uttered during a local TV interview last weekend as part of a longer (and kooky) argument by Akin that many women who have been raped don’t become pregnant. “If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try and shut that whole thing down,” he said. A national firestorm ensued, with nearly every prominent Republican in the country — up to and including presidential candidate Mitt Romney — calling on Akin to step aside so he wouldn’t cost the party a very winnable race against Sen. Claire McCaskill (D). But Akin let a Tuesday deadline to remove him-
self from the ballot pass, even as groups such as the National Republican Senatorial Committee were pulling millions out of the contest, where their hopes for victory were fading fast. By week’s end, Akin had turned from apologetic to defiant, blasting the GOP establishment and the media in a series of tweets. One sample: “The media is against us. The Washington elites are against us. The party bosses are against us.” Akin has become the political equivalent of those Japanese soldiers who continued to fight World War II after their side conceded. He’s a political dead man walking, and everyone seems to know it. Everyone, that is, but Akin. Todd Akin, for not grasping that “legitimate rape” totally delegitimized your candidacy, you had the worst week in Washington.
COLUMN
Official is in the words again
A
USTIN — Jerry Patterson alert! Jerry Patterson alert! Everybody’s favorite current Texas land commissioner — state government’s most candidly entertaining voice — is Pattersoning again, God love his quotable self. This time it’s the commish versus those he’s dubbed “slacktivists” over their response to a decision by the three-member School Land Board, chaired by Patterson, not to release $300 million in education funds. A group called Progress Texas — a bunch of Democrats “communicating progressive values in Texas” (good luck with that) — wants the money released. I don’t know who or what is right. I prefer to focus on Patterson’s fullfrontal response to Progress Texas’ tactics, which he called “slacktivism.” Looks like the term’s been around awhile, and Patterson used it Wednesday to refer to the 3,000-plus, auto-generated emails drummed up by Progress Texas. “On Aug. 21, Jerry Patterson and the School Land Board will meet again,” Progress Texas says on its website. “Sign the letter below and we will make sure Patterson and other board members hear your voice before the
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KEN HERMAN
meeting. Let’s tell Patterson to stop playing political games and release the $300 million to public schools we already approved in last November’s election.” By clicking “Take Action” on the group’s website and inserting name, email address and ZIP code, folks can email Progress Texas’ form letter to Patterson. The letter ends with “Sincerely, (Your Name).” I assume your name is inserted. “Jerry Patterson hoards $300 million from Texas students,” the Progress Texas website says above a doctored-up photo of Patterson hugging a bunch of money and a photo of a school kid face down on his desk. The commish was unimpressed. “Dear Concerned Texan,” he said in response to each sender, “Thank you for clicking ‘Take Action’ on www.progresstexas.com and emailing the auto-generated letter to me. I appreciate your interest in Texas public education finance.” Patterson then went into a detailed defense of the school funds decision and why, in his view, Progress
Texas is wrong about it. You can see his side of the story in the press releases section of www.glo.texas.gov. You can see Progress Texas’ version at www.progresstexas.com. Me, I want to focus on form letters, not substance. Patterson’s form letter wrapped up by telling those who sent the Progress Texas form letter to him that they had wasted their time. “An erroneous, autogenerated mass email generated by an uninformed ‘campaign’ — no matter the quantity — has little effect and no credibility when we form our decisions,” he wrote. “Funding for public schools is complicated and important enough for you to spend the time to get the facts straight. By participating in Progress Texas’ ‘slacktivist’ campaign, you allowed them to put your name on a letter that is erroneous, misguided and pointless. I encourage you to dig deeper, get involved and don’t let some thirdparty organization do your civic duty for you.” In a Wednesday news release, Patterson said slacktivism — which he defined as “use of instant, auto-generated, mass emails” — is a troubling trend. “People ought to take the time to get informed and think for
themselves,” he said. Good luck with that. The battle continued Thursday when Progress Texas urged folks to call Patterson’s office and say, “I am a slacktivist that believes you should fund public schools.” This came from Progress Texas’ Matt Glazer, identifying himself as “Professional Slacktivist Organizer.” On Wednesday, Progress Texas, in a statement blasting Patterson for a “misleading attack,” included a wrong word (“agreements” instead of ”arguments”). “Sorry for the typo,” said the group’s Phillip Martin. “It’s busier than you’d think being a slacktivist.” Yes, I told him, slacktivism is hard work. “No kidding,” Martin joked, “I hope (Patterson) knows ‘Jeopardy’ starts in nine minutes.” I’ll go with Texas state officials for $1,000, Alex: “This land commissioner is an endless source of entertaining combativeness and candor and should remain in statewide office for the remainder of his natural life.” Even slacktivists should know the correct question. (Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. Email: kherman@statesman.com.)
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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-
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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 25, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
State
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
UT System OKs incentive pay plan By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Michael Zamora/Corpus Christi Caller-Times | AP
Seniors Ricky Sanchez, left, and Nathan Powell check out a new iPad placed at each lab station Wednesday as they tour the two new science labs at Premont High School in Premont.
Students seem in awe of new science labs By RHIANNON MEYERS CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES
PREMONT — Walking into their new science labs for the first time, the wideeyed Premont High School seniors ran their fingers along the smooth countertops and stared in awe at the rows of glass beakers. “Look! There are iPads for each station!” senior Mariela Navarro said. “The water works!” Senior Nathan Powell stared at an iPad, fresh from its plastic wrapper, not sure he should touch it. Not even sure how to turn it on. “We never had stuff like this before,” he said. And the microscopes. Nathan temporarily forgot the word. “You know, the thing with the slides?” he asked. He had never seen so many before. In the past, his entire class shared one. The district on Wednesday unveiled two science labs paid for with donations in what is perhaps the most apparent sign yet that a transformation is well under way at Premont ISD. “It’s symbolic of the potential,” Principal Rick Ruiz said. “At the expense of sounding hokey, it’s kind of like the analogy ... of a phoenix rising out of the ashes. This is the top of the phoenix, popping out of the ashes.” A year ago, Premont ISD faced state-mandated closure after years of failing test scores, dwindling bank accounts and crumbling campuses. Then the state in a surprise move in December offered the district a one-year reprieve if it met certain requirements,* including conducting a facilities assessment by July 1 and opening
two fully functioning science labs by Aug. 1. In a district where survival seemed questionable a year ago, people now bristle at the characterization of the district as troubled and long-struggling. The district had made such drastic progress toward accomplishing the state’s mandates, Superintendent Ernest Singleton is asking the Texas Education Agency to review its progress two months early in October. While the district has accomplished other state goals, the science labs may be the most tangible evidence of its quick progress. “It’s indicative of what the future can hold here,” Ruiz said. “Who would’ve thought two years ago we would’ve been here? Nobody. Nobody even thought the district would’ve been open.” When school starts Monday, it will be the first time in years Premont High School students have access to working science labs. Nathan and Mariela last used labs three years ago as freshmen, but the water and gas didn’t work. Cabinets were locked. They weren’t allowed to touch the defunct lab stations or visit the storage room where equipment was kept because of fears it had been contaminated. The district sealed off the dilapidated labs but never gutted them. Mold grew, and the Texas Education Agency noticed. Among the state-required mandates for Premont to stay open was the district had to clean the campus of mold and open two science labs. Short on cash, the district’s plight captured national attention and by spring, schoolchildren, foundations, businesses and
anonymous donors had donated $315,000 to help Premont ISD. Those donations paid for the construction of two new labs — biology and chemistry — with money left over to renovate a third room for the district’s new certified nursing assistance program. “I’m just really proud and happy for Premont,” said Lynn Burton, superintendent of Orange Grove ISD, where students donated $2,550 for the labs. “It doesn’t matter where a child is born or where their ZIP code is because every child should have a quality education. I’m just so impressed with what this community has come together and done.” It wasn’t easy. The labs had to be gutted from ceiling to floor. Contractors crawled underneath the high school’s foundation, dig out the aging plumbing and replace it, said contractor Bill Gavit, of Construction Project Management in Corpus Christi. Debris clogged the old, cast iron pipes. Salvage shops rejected them, he said. Construction took five weeks. When workers finished, the labs were unrecognizable from the musty classrooms sealed behind locked doors last year. With their glossy tile, interactive white boards and shiny chrome spigots, the labs look out of place in Premont High School, like someone carved the science wing off a new campus and dropped it into the center of the aging school. Ruiz plans to show off the labs again Monday when students return to school. He wants to bring them in group by group to impress upon them how much the district has progressed.
Cuts may pose hazards By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — Texas prison officials warned Thursday that the 10 percent budget cut recommended by state leaders would cost thousands of jobs in the nation’s largest prison system and likely threaten public safety. Department of Criminal Justice officials unveiled a roughly $6.3 billion proposed budget for fiscal 2014 and 2015, up from about $6.1 billion in the previous two-year spending cycle. Officials noted that the system is already short about 2,750 workers and competing with higher-salaried oil jobs in some parts of the state. Department of Criminal Justice Executive Director Brad Livingston said he was optimistic he could convince lawmakers, who will start working on the budget in January, to fully fund the budget request. “We will work hard to put the message out what the impacts will be,” he said during the Board of Criminal Justice meeting where the budget plan was unveiled. Gov. Rick Perry and other top state officials have asked all state agencies to offer contingency plans with 10 percent cuts. But corrections officials said a 10 percent cut would eliminate 4,800 jobs, including 3,200 corrections officers and parole staff. “Gosh! How many prisons would have to close?” board member Terrell McCombs asked. “No way it would not impact public safety.” Although it’s unclear how many prisons would be threatened, the cuts pose a public safety risk, Jerry McGinty, director of the prison agency’s business and finance division, replied. The budget request amounts to a little more than $3.15 billion for each year, and anticipates that the number of Texas prisoners will remain stable at about 150,000
inmates statewide. Though it expects a slight growth in the number of felony probationers and increases in supervised parolees to more than 85,000 by 2015, which would require hiring nearly 70 more parole workers to maintain caseloads. Prison officials said they also need $141 million for department health care costs, including university health care providers, staff salary adjustments and “critical capital equipment needs.” At the same time, the department is facing a staffing shortage at prisons in South and West Texas where prison job recruiters are competing with companies involved in the oil shale boom and other energy-related industries that can offer more attractive salaries and benefits. Livingston said he wants to build 80man dormitories outside several prisons in those regions to provide housing for corrections officers where housing is in short supply or extremely costly. The department also has doubled hiring incentive bonuses to $3,000. “We will continue working extraordinarily hard in terms of recruitment and retention,” he said. The department’s 2,750 job vacancies is an improvement from 2007 when there were about 4,000 openings, he added. The governor’s office and the nonpartisan Legislative Budget Board sent agencies a letter in June advising them to hit the same reduction target as the one prior to last year’s legislative session. That’s when Republicans pushed through about $11 billion in budget cuts they said were necessary belt-tightening in tough times. The legislative budget board, which keeps track of how much money lawmakers have to spend, will make recommendations later this year on the proposed budgets of various state agencies. But the Legislature will have the last say.
AUSTIN — Presidents at the University of Texas System’s 15 campuses will be able to earn bonuses for increased graduation rates or donation hikes under an incentive plan approved Thursday that’s more commonly seen in the corporate world than the academic one. The Board of Regents voted to begin implementing the pay-for-performance initiative, which calls for university leaders to be eligible to earn an additional 10 percent on top of their base salaries if they meet certain goals. Officials now have 60 days to figure out the details.
Others included The plan would also offer bonuses to all three of the system’s executive vice chancellors and its six vice chancellors. The Board of Regents chancellor and general counsel may also be eligible to participate. Describing the plan a day before the vote, Scott Kelley, the system’s executive vice chancellor for business affairs, said offering monetary incentives tied to on-the-job performance was common among businesses but less so at universities — though the UT Medical Branch at Galveston is already using similar performance-based initiatives.
Other goals Presidents would be eligible if their universities
can increase four-year graduation rates or philanthropic giving rates. Other goals include the ability to attract more sponsored research grants and implement certain cost-cutting measures.
Perry supports it Republican Gov. Rick Perry has been a vocal supporter of increasing accountability in higher education across the state. A spokeswoman for his office, Lucy Nashed, said Thursday that “the governor supports the concept of incentive pay.” “It creates a climate of people doing their best,” Nashed said. “He’s all for institutions doing that.” Others have criticized the plan as part of the UT system’s increased focus on business-oriented approaches to education, including ongoing efforts to more closely scrutinize faculty productivity by measuring class sizes and the number of research grants awarded. “There appears to be a heavy emphasis on quantification,” said Gordon Appleman, a prominent Fort Worth attorney and longtime advocate for the system’s flagship Austin campus.
Challenges “There’s a lot of stuff about education and quality and excellence that’s difficult to quantify,” said Appleman, who is on the operating committee of the nonprofit Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education. “Metrics are good where they apply and where they are
meaningful. That doesn’t mean that everything can be statistically, numerically scaled.”
Business-like Running universities more like businesses can be a positive thing, Appleman said, but such efforts have to be tailored to individual campuses to ensure that education quality and academic reputation don’t suffer. He also expressed concern about “an atmosphere of top-down, rather than bottom-up decision-making.” Others worry about a potential conflict of interest. Presidents and other top university officials are already instrumental in fundraising efforts and critics say they now stand to benefit financially from activities that were already part of their jobs.
Risks Also, grade inflation or making curriculums less strenuous to ensure graduation rates don’t slip might become more prevalent. Nashed said, “Those are things that the institutions need to address individually.” “You can’t have innovation or improvement anywhere if you never try anything new,” she said. “With any reforms in higher education, the point is, ‘Where can we be trying new things to see what works?’”
Water District Notice of Public Hearing on Tax Rate The SIESTA SHORES WATER CONTROL IMPTS, will hold a public hearing on a proposed tax rate for the tax year 2012 on 09/10/2012 at 2:30 PM at 5229 N. Siesta Lane, Zapata, TX 78076. Your individual taxes may increase or decrease depending on the charge in the taxable value of your property in relation to the charge in taxable value of all other property and the rate that is adopted. FOR the proposal:
Jose A. Dodier - President Larry Link - Director Irma Richter - Director
AGAINST the proposal: PRESENT and not voting: ABSENT: Janie DeLaGarza - Vice President Ramiro O. Vela - Sec./Treasurer The following table compares taxes on an average homestead in this taxing unit last year to taxes proposed on the average residence homestead this year. Last Year
This Year
Total tax rate (per $100 of value)
$0.239500/$100 $0.318200/$100 Adopted Proposed Difference in rates per $100 of value +$0.078700/$100 +32.86% $54,750 $37,348 General exemptions available (excluding senior citizen’s or disabled person’s exemptions) $10.593 $21,757 $44,157 $35,531 Average taxable value Tax average residence homestead $105.76 $113.22 Annual increase/decrease in taxes if proposed tax rate is adopted (+/-) +$7.46 and average percentage of increase (+/-) -7.06%
NOTICE OF TAXPAYERS’ RIGHT TO ROLLBACK ELECTION If taxes on the average residence homestead increase by more than eight percent, the qualified voters of the district by petition may require that an election be held to determine whether to reduce the operation and maintenance tax rate to the rollback tax rate under Section 49.236(d). Water Code.
SÁBADO 25 DE AGOSTO DE 2012
Agenda en Breve LAREDO 08/25— El quinto concurso annual ‘Football Tailgating Cook-off’ es hoy de 4 p.m. a 11 p.m. en El Metro Park & Ride, Hillside Road y avenida Daugherty. Habrá venta de comida y manualidades, entre otras cosas, como el concurso de carne asada. Costo: 1 dólar para adultos. Interesados en participar pueden comunicarse al (956) 286-9055. 08/25— La Sociedad Protectora de Animales de Laredo y G7 Athletics invitan a la Campaña Salva una Vida Donando/Adoptando, de 12 p.m. a 3 p.m. en G7 Athletics, 6425 Polaris Drive, Suite 1. Habrá perros y gatos para adopción, o bien se aceptarán donaciones. LAPS también estará vendiendo pañuelos, pulseras, camisetas e identificaciones para mascotas. 08/25— Venta de artículos usados en Blessed Sacrament Church, 2219 calle Galveston, de 9 a.m. a 1 p.m. Habrá ropa para toda la familia, zapatos, electrónicos, muebles, accesorios y más. Las ganancias se destinarán a los retiros para mujeres y hombres que se llevarán a cabo en octubre. También se aceptan donaciones. 08/29— “Series Clásicas de Otoño” en Cinemark presenta “High Noon” a las 2 p.m. y 7 p.m. en Cinemark Mall Del Norte. 09/03— El Torneo Clásico de Golf Bola Blanca de la Cámara es hoy de 7:30 a.m. a 2 p.m. en Laredo Country Club, 1415 Country Club Drive. Más información con Lupita Vogel en (956) 7229895. 09/04— Baloncesto: Toros vs Fuerza Regia en Laredo Energy Arena a las 7:30 p.m. Más información en (956) 717-TORO. 09/06— “Series Clásicas de Otoño” en Cinemark presenta “Doctor Zhivago” a las 2 p.m. y 7 p.m. en Cinemark Mall Del Norte. 09/06— Toros vs Lechugeros en Laredo Energy Arena a las 7:30 p.m. Más información en (956) 717TORO. 09/07— Exhibición “Las Bodas de Nuestros Antepasados” es hoy de 7 p.m. a 10 p.m. en Gallery 201, patrocinada por la Sociedad Genealógica The Villa San Agustine de Laredo. Habrá cuadros de Bodas de Laredo a inicio del 1900. 09/07— Concierto “Gigant3s” con Marc Anthony, Chayanne y Marco Antonio Solís a las 8 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena. Más información en www.learena.com.
Zfrontera MÉXICO: LÍDER DE ZETAS ES BLANCO DE AUTORIDADES Y BANDAS RIVALES
Cambio de poder POR MARK STEVENSON Y E. EDUARDO CASTILLO ASSOCIATED PRESS
MÉXICO — Una división en el mando del cártel mexicano de Los Zetas hizo ascender a Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, un hombre tan temido que un rival convocó a una gran alianza para enfrentar al jefe criminal a quien se le achaca una nueva ola de derramamiento de sangre en los estados centrales del país donde había una relativa calma. Treviño, un ex asesino a sueldo del cártel que al parecer ha arrebatado el liderazgo de Los Zetas a su fundador Heriberto Lazcano Lazcano, es calificado por autoridades y capos rivales como un brutal asesino al que le gusta deshacerse de sus enemigos metiéndolos en contenedores de aceite, rociarlos con gasolina y prenderles fuego, una práctica conocida como “guisar”. Las autoridades confirmaron que Treviño al parecer asumió el control de Los Zetas, la organización criminal más violenta del hemisferio, que ha sido culpada de parte importante de las decenas de miles de muertes en la lucha contra el narcotráfico en México, aunque
otros grupos delictivos también han cometido masacres en varias ocasiones. “Se habló mucho de que él estaba presionando muy fuerte a Lazcano y que básiTREVIÑO camente estaba tomando el control de Los Zetas porque tenía la personalidad, era el muchacho que estuvo ahí peleando en las calles contra los militares”, dijo Jere Miles, experto en dicha organización criminal y agente especial del Servicio de Inmigración y Control de Aduanas de Estados Unidos que estuvo el año pasado en México. “Al principio se puede decir que Lazcano estaba encantado de quedarse sentado y de que Treviño hiciera lo suyo, pero no creo que él entendiera cómo funciona eso en el bajo mundo”, indicó Miles. “Cuando le permites a alguien asumir tanto poder y poner así al frente, muy rápido las personas comienzan a darle su lealtad al otro y no a Lazcano”. Su ascenso ha alarmado tanto que al menos un capo ha convocado a pandillas, cárteles de la droga,
grupos civiles e incluso al gobierno a formar un frente unido contra Treviño, conocido como el “Z-40”. “Hacemos un llamado... para que nos unamos y hagamos un frente común para luchar en contra de Los Zetas, especialmente en contra del Z-40, Miguel Angel Treviño Morales, ya que esta persona con su desmedida ambición ha propiciado tanto terror y tanta confusión social en nuestro país”, dijo un hombre identificado como Servando Gómez, líder del cártel de los Caballeros Templarios, en un video que se conoció el martes en internet. Un oficial de seguridad que no estaba autorizado a dar declaraciones indicó que la grabación al parecer es auténtica. “Es el primordial causante de todo lo que está sucediendo en México: robos, secuestros, extorsiones... Se le está invitando a todos (los) grupos... a que hagamos un frente común para atacar al Z-40 y acabar con él”, agrega el video. Treviño está en la lista de los más buscados de México y se ofrecen 30 millones de pesos (2,28 millones de dólares) por información que lleve a su captura. Raúl Benítez, experto en seguri-
dad de la Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, dijo que los Zetas son “un cártel inestable”, con una gran capacidad de violencia y posiblemente de más si comienzan las disputas internas. “Yo lo que creo es que Los Zetas sí están teniendo problemas y no hay un mando central”, opinó. Samuel Logan, director de la firma de análisis de seguridad Southern Pulse, señala que las personalidades de Treviño y Lazcano “no podrían ser más diferentes”, y que a su parecer desean llevar al cártel por diferentes direcciones. El resultado de la disputa podría tener repercusiones en todo México: Lazcano se cree que es más constante, más un sobreviviente que pudiera tener interés en mantener al cártel como una organización estable. “Lazcano tal vez es alguien que puede llevar a Los Zetas a una dirección donde representen una molestia menor para el nuevo gobierno”, indicó Logan en referencia al presidente electo Enrique Peña Nieto. “En contraste, Treviño es alguien que quiere dar la pelea”. (Michael Weissenstein colaboró con este despacho)
CAMARGO
SALUD
RECORRIDO
Alerta por Virus del Nilo POR ANDREW KREIGHBAUM TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Foto de cortesía | Ayuntamiento de Camargo
El domingo 19 de agosto, el Gobierno Municipal de Camargo, Tamaulipas, organizó un Recorrido en Cuatriomoto. La Presidenta Municipal, María del Carmen Rocha Hernández encabezó el evento donde participaron miembros de diversos clubes de la región. El paseo incluyó a representantes de Miguel Alemán y Díaz Ordaz.
NUEVO LAREDO, MX 08/25— Estación Palabra presenta “Bazar de arte” a las 12 p.m.; “Lecturas antes de abordar: A la manera de Borges” a las 2 p.m.; y, Festival infantil (cuentos medievales) a las 2 p.m. 08/25— Museo para Niños presenta “Artesanía Textil para Niños” a las 4 p.m. en la Sala de Servicios Educativos del Centro Cultural Nuevo Laredo. Entrada libre. 08/26— Domingo Cultural con la presentación del grupo 180° Grados. Grupos invitados: Cokorreto, Love K, Grupo Jazz y Zeoul K, a las 11 a.m. en el Centro Cultural Nuevo Laredo. Entrada libre. 08/28— Laberintus Arte y Cultura, A.C. presenta “El Gordo, La Pájara y el Malo” (de Sabina Berman) a las 7 p.m. en el Teatro del IMSS (Reynosa y Belden, Sector Centro). Costo: 20 pesos. Obra para adolescentes y adultos. 08/29— Cine club presenta “Annie, la reina del circo” a las 6 p.m. en Auditorio de Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita.
PÁGINA 7A
ECONOMÍA
Desempleo sigue influyendo ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — El desempleo en Texas llegó por segundo mes consecutivo al 7.2 por ciento en julio, pese al continuo crecimiento laboral, de acuerdo a cifras de desempleo estatales dadas a conocer. Las cifras de la Comisión para la Fuerza Laboral de Texas muestran que el estado agregó 17.800 empleos no relacionados a la agricultura en julio. Pero no fue suficiente para mantenerse con el crecimiento poblacional, causando que las tasas de desempleo se ubicaran en 7 por ciento en junio. La tasa de desempleo en Laredo bajó al 7.8, lo cual es undécimo de un por ciento de la tasa porcentual del 7.9 en junio. El revés llega después que Texas tuviera ocho meses consecutivos cayendo en el desempleo desde abril. A nivel nacional, la tasa de desempleo es de 8.3 por ciento y solamente subió el mes pasado. Pese al incremento del desempleo en meses anteriores en
Los servicios educativos y de salud fueron para siete de cada 10 nuevos empleos en Texas el pasado mes. El sector de entretenimiento y hospitalario tuvieron el golpe más grande, perdiendo 6.500 empleos. Texas, oficiales de la fuerza laboral del estado proclamaron que julio marca dos años continuos de obtención de empleos. “Nuestro estado posee la mejor promesa para encontrar un empleo y lograr el éxito”, dijo Ronny Congleton, comisionado que representa al trabajo en la agencia. Los servicios educativos y de salud fueron para siete de cada 10 nuevos empleos en Texas el pasado mes. El sector de entretenimiento y hospitalario tuvieron el golpe más grande, perdiendo 6.500 empleos. Las tasas de desempleo son ajustadas debido a tendencias
de temporadas en contratos y despidos, lo cual la mayoría de los economistas consideran brinda una imagen más exacta del mercado laboral. Sin los ajustes de temporada, la tasa de desempleo en Texas hubiera sido del 7.5 por ciento en junio. Un nuevo crecimiento del petróleo en el Oeste de Texas continúa dando a Midland la tasa de desempleo más baja en el estado con 4.2 por ciento. El lugar más difícil para encontrar trabajo sigue siendo el área de McAllen, donde se ha deslizado al 12.3 por ciento. Las tasas locales no son ajustadas por temporada.
Aunque el sur de Texas no ha recibido algún reporte por casos humanos con el Virus del Nilo Occidental (West Nile), en el Departamento de Salud de la ciudad de Laredo se confirmó que recientemente se confirmaron dos casos del virus en perros. Esto incrementa la preocupación para el riesgo potencial. El Departamento de Salud urge al público a extremar las precauciones para evitar un posible brote. Las medidas más básicas para evitar el virus son deshacerse de agua estancada y protegerse de picaduras de mosquitos al estar en el exterior. Los residentes deben limpiar y vaciar el agua de los floreros, platos de comida y agua de las mascotas y las albercas. El Departamento de Salud está solicitando que cualquiera que vea una alberca abandonada, un tiradero clandestino de llantas o llantas almacenadas de manera inapropiada, deben reportarlas con sus autoridades respectivas. El Director del Departamento de Salud en Laredo, Héctor González, dijo que las llantas son la amenaza más grande para la salud pública. “Las personas simplemente tiran las llantas ilegalmente. Esa es la mejor fuente de reproducción para el mosquito”, dijo. Cuando se esté en el exterior, se debe utilizar un repelente para insectos conteniendo DEET y utilizar camisas de manga larga y pantalones, conforme sea posible. Los residentes deben evitar actividades en el exterior a primera hora de la mañana y en la tarde, que es cuando los mosquitos están más ocupados. Solamente tres casas humanos del Nilo del Occidente han sido confirmados en Laredo desde 2007 a la fecha, el más reciente en 2010. El último caso humano confirmado de dengue fue en 2008. “Los mosquitos están aquí”, dijo González. “Es su hábitat natural”. El Departamento Estatal de Servicios de Salud de Texas anunció en un comunicado de prensa que hay 640 casos humanos de enfermedad del Nilo Occidental confirmados por el estado en lo que va del año, incluidas 23 muertes relacionadas”. Del total de muertes, 10 ocurrieron en el Condado de Dallas, tres en Tarrant, y una en cada uno de los siguientes: Bell, Concho, Denton, Ellis, Gregg, Harris, McLennan, Travis, Wharton, y Williamson. El comunicado agrega que las fumigaciones se mantienen especialmente en el área de Dallas. “Las áreas de fumigación se establecen a partir de la preferencias municipales y el número de casos de la enfermedad y seguirán un patrón cuadriculado definido para la eficiencia de vuelo”, concluye.
Nation
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
Romney to feature personal side at convention By THOMAS BEAUMONT AND KASIE HUNT ASSOCIATED PRESS
TAMPA, Fla. — Mitt Romney is about to get personal. The GOP’s presidential nominee-to-be wants to use his four-day party next week in Florida to play up his life story following a summer filled with a barrage of TV ads — courtesy of President Barack Obama and his allies — that cast him as a ruthless and outof-touch businessman. He’ll surround himself with his five sons, five
daughters-in-law and 15 of his 18 grandchildren. Romney’s wife, Ann, will play her biggest role yet. A parade of athletes Romney met as an Olympic organizer, such as hockey legend Mike Eruzione, will be on hand. So will doting parishioners he helped as a lay pastor in the Mormon Church in Boston. From the stagecraft to the speakers’ roster, the agenda for the convention that starts Monday is carefully crafted toward one goal: introducing Romney to the country on his own terms while projecting him
as the leader the country needs in tough economic times — and Obama as a failure on that front. “We go to a convention and for the first time define Mitt a little bit better,” said Ron Kaufman, a top Romney adviser.
No repair needed Aides dismiss the notion that the former Massachusetts governor needs to repair a damaged image after a summer of negative ads and a recent string of missteps.
“No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate,” Romney joked at a rally in the suburbs of Detroit while visiting his native state. “They know that this is the place that we were born and raised.” Just a day earlier, Romney caused himself another potential headache when he said big business was “doing fine” due to offshore tax havens. It was a comment that echoed a claim similar to one he had criticized Obama for making, and it also reminded voters of Romney’s own overseas accounts.
2 killed in building shooting By COLLEEN LONG AND TOM HAYS ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — A laid-off clothing designer fatally shot an executive at his former company outside the Empire State Building on Friday, setting off a chaotic showdown with police in front of one of the world’s bestknown landmarks. Officers killed the gunman and at least nine others were wounded, some by stray police gunfire, authorities said. The gunshots rang out on the Fifth Avenue side of the building at around 9 a.m., when pedestrians on their way to work packed sidewalks and merchants were opening their shops. “People were yelling ‘Get down! Get down!’” said Marc Engel, an accountant who was on a bus in the area when he heard the shots. “It took about 15 seconds, a lot of pop, pop, pop, pop, one shot after the other.” Afterward, he saw the sidewalks littered with the wounded, including one person “dripping enough blood to leave a stream.” Wearing an olive suit and tie and carrying a briefcase, Jeffrey Johnson walked up to the import company vice president, Steven Ercolino, put a gun to his head and fired without saying a word, authorities said. A witness told investigators that Johnson shot Ercolino once in the head and, after he fell to the sidewalk, stood over him and shot him four more times.
Photo by Julio Cortez | AP
An official inspects evidence near the Empire State Building in New York following a shooting Friday. Police say a man shot a former colleague to death near the skyscraper. “Jeffrey just came from behind two cars, pulled out his gun, put it up to Steve’s head and shot him,” said Carol Timan, whose daughter, Irene, was walking to Hazan Imports at the time with Ercolino. The gunman walked away and calmly turned up 5th Avenue, where he blended in with the crowd, police said. A construction worker who saw the shooting followed Johnson and alerted two police officers, a detail regularly assigned to patrol city landmarks like the 1,454-foot skyscraper since the 9/11 terror attacks,
officials said. There were conflicting accounts about whether Johnson fired at the police officers or just pointed the gun at them. Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly initially said the officers were fired upon, but later said police were investigating. Johnson can be seen on video reaching into a bag, pulling out a .45-caliber pistol and pointing it at officers, Kelly said. The two officers drew their weapons and fired 16 rounds, killing Johnson, Kelly said. “These officers ... had absolutely no choice,” Kelly said. “This individual took a gun out very close to them and perhaps fired at them.” Kelly said investigators believe police may be responsible for some of the injuries, based on the gunman’s weapon. Johnson’s semi-automatic weapon was equipped to fire at least eight rounds; at least one round was left in the clip, police said. Another loaded magazine was in his briefcase. Johnson legally bought the gun in Sarasota, Fla., in 1991, but he didn’t have a required permit to possess the weapon in New York City, police said. “New York City, as you know, is the safest big city in the country, and we are on pace to have a record low number of murders this year,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said. “But we are not immune to the national problem of gun violence,” he said about the shooting.
In the coming days, Romney’s team will put the finishing touches on a program that — whether acknowledged by the campaign or not — is intended to turn the page from a difficult summer. Among his hiccups: a foreign trip marred by self-inflicted troubles. The convention will be Romney’s most consequential shot yet to send a precise message to Americans: that he has the experience and resolve to strengthen the economy and the nation. But Romney’s challenge
is that most people have an opinion about him. Just 8 percent of people in a new Associated Press-GfK poll say they don’t know how they feel about him. “We look to tell all parts of the governor’s story,” said Russ Schriefer, a top Romney adviser who has overseen the details of the convention. “We can show that Gov. Romney is uniquely qualified to take on the problems that this country’s facing.” The first three nights of the convention will be aimed at building the case against Obama.
General: We hacked enemy By RAPHAEL SATTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S. military has been launching cyberattacks against its opponents in Afghanistan, a senior officer says, making an unusually explicit acknowledgment of the oft-hidden world of electronic warfare. Marine Lt. Gen. Richard P. Mills’ comments came last week at a conference in Baltimore during which he explained how U.S. commanders considered cyber weapons an important part of their arsenal. “I can tell you that as a commander in Afghanistan in the year 2010, I was able to use my cyber operations against my adversary with great impact,” Mills said. “I was able to get inside his nets, infect his commandand-control, and in fact defend myself against his almost constant incursions to get inside my wire, to affect my operations.” Mills, now a deputy commandant with the Marine Corps, was in charge of international forces in southwestern Afghanistan between 2010 and 2011, ac-
cording to his official biography. He didn’t go into any further detail as to the nature or scope of his forces’ attacks, but experts said that such a public admission that they were being carried out was itself striking. “This is news,” said James Lewis, a cyber-security analyst with the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. He said that while it was generally known in defense circles that cyberattacks had been carried out by U.S. forces in Afghanistan, he had never seen a senior officer take credit for them in such a way. “It’s not secret,” Lewis said in a telephone interview, but he added: “I haven’t seen as explicit a statement on this as the one” Mills made. Pentagon spokesman Lt. Col. Damien Pickart declined to elaborate on Mills’ comments, saying in an email that “for reasons of security, we do not provide specific information regarding our intentions, plans, capabilities or operations.”
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
Zapata County Independent School District Committed to Excellence
Transportation Department
The Transportation Department’s mission is to transport students to and from school and on extracurricular activities on the safest way possible. It is our concern to provide a secure and efficient service for all eligible students. The following rules apply to all eligible students that ride a school bus.
Eligible students: Reside two (2) miles away from their campus Reside on a hazardous area (need to cross a five (5) lane Highway; example: Highway 16 & Highway 83)
*Students that have transferred from one campus to another, due to physical address changes or by choice, will not be eligible for transportation.
Stops have been created for all eligible areas in Zapata and surrounding areas. Students from Pre-k4 thru 5th grade will ride together on the Elementary routes Students from 6th grade thru 12th grade will ride together on the Secondary routes All eligible students regardless of grade level will be pick up and drop off at the assigned bus stops Students need to be on the bus stops five (5) minutes before pick up time. For information on times, please call the Transportation Department.
A reminder to all students: No cell phones are allowed inside a school bus Any loose items need to be inside a backpack No food nor drinks are allowed inside a school bus Students please follow the ten (10) rules posted inside the school bus We ask for students and parents cooperation. Thank you.
For any questions regarding Transportation, please call our office at your convenience: (956) 765-9786. SIESTA SHORES SUBDIVISION North Siesta Shores Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #35 NSS2 Campus ZSE Bus #37 NSS1 Stop #2 - Falcon/Mission Lanes Stop #1 - Falcon/Davis Lanes Stop #3 - Falcon/Grande Lanes Stop #4 - Falcon/Vicki Lanes Stop #6 - North Siesta/Victoria Lanes Stop #5 - North Siesta/Juan Lanes Stop #7 - North Siesta/Mission Lanes South Siesta Shores Campus ZSE Bus #12 SSS1 Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #6 SSS2 Stop #1 - Monterrey/Atwood Lanes Stop #2 - Monterrey/Vicki Lanes Stop #3 - Monterrey/Juan Lanes Stop #4 - Monterrey/Rio Lanes Stop #6 - Monterrey/Pharr Lanes Stop #5 - Monterrey/Cuellar Lanes Stop #8 - Monterrey/Gary Lanes Stop #7 - Monterrey/Davis Lanes Stop #9 - Monterrey/Kenneth Lanes FALCON LAKE ESTATES EAST & WEST/BLACK BASS SUBDIVISION Falcon Lake Estates East Campus ZSE Bus #14 FLEEW1 Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #19 FLEEW2 Stop #1 - Park/Retama Drives Stop #2 - Papaya/Mango Drives Stop #4 - Wild Olive/Park Drives Stop #3 - Papaya/Wild Olive Drives Stop #6 - Yucca/Senisa Drives Stop #5 - Willow Cove/Senisa Drives Falcon Lake Estates West Stop #7 - Sunset/Lakeshore Drives Stop #8 - Vista Hermosa/County Road Stop #9 - Cerrito/West Monte Drives Stop #10 - Cerrito Drive/County Road Stop #11 - Vista Hermosa/Lago Vista Drives Stop #12 - Vista Hermosa (Mid-Point Stop #13 - Vista Hermosa/Vista Linda Drives Stop #14 - Vista Hermosa(Circle) Black Bass Subdivision Stop #15 - Texas/Ohio Streets Stop #16 - Illinois/Nebraska Streets FALCON MESA/SUNSET VILLA/BEACON LODGE LAKEFRONT LODGE/LINDA VISTA/HAZARDOUS AREA/MADISON Hazardous (West 22nd Avenue - West 13th Avenue) Campus ZNE Bus #15 LFM1 Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #11 LFM2 Stop #1 - Kennedy Street/West 20th Avenue Stop #2 - Kennedy Street/West 16th Avenue Sunset Villa/Beacon Lodge Stop #3 - Dilly/Military Roads Stop #4 - Lakeshore Drive/Catfish Circle Stop #5 - Catfish Circle/South Jab Street Stop #6 - Bluff Drive/West Penguin Loop Falcon Meza Subdivision Stop #8 - Eagle Street/Robin Avenue Stop #7 - Eagle Street/Crow Avenue Stop #10 - Crane Street/Oriole Avenue Stop #9 - Crane Street/Faloon Drive Stop #11 - Lake /Cardinal Drives Stop #12 - Cardinal/Water Streets Lakefront Lodge/Linda Vista Stop #13 - Oak/1st Streets Stop #14 - Oak/Olmos Streets Stop #15 - Oak Street/Cactus Avenue Stop #16 - Riverside Drive Hazardous Area (West 13th Avenue - West 1st Avenue) Stop #17 - Jackson StreetWest 12th Avenue Stop #18 - Lincoln Street/West 11th Avenue Stop #19 - Lincoln Street/West 6th Avenue Stop #20 - Lincoln Street/West 4th Avenue Madison Sub-Division Stop #21- Ann Drive/Buena Vista Avenue Stop #22 - Ann Drive/Monterrey Avenue Stop #23 - Madison Street/Santa Maria Avenue Stop #24 - Madison Street (Loop) Stop #25 - Madison Street/Guadalupe Avenue RAMIRENO/URIBENO/SAN YGNACIO/NORTH HIGHWAY 83 - MIDWAY North Highway 83/Midway;/La Selva/Ramireno/Las Palmas Campus ALBES/ZNE/FARVES/ZMS/ZHS Bus #13 SYT1 Stop #2 - North Highway 83/3 G’s/Cowboy Ranch Stop #1 - NorthHighway 83/HC 60 Stop #3 - North Highway 83/Santa Maria (SYT Library) Stop #4 - Morelos/Martinez Avenues Stop #5 - Mina/Guerrero Streets Stop #6 - Juarez Street/Highway 83 Stop #7 - Las Canteras Road Entrance 7A Mid-Point 7B Exit Stop #8 - Old San Ygnacio Road Stop #9 - North Highway 83/Ramireno Stop #10 - Las Palmas Road/Las Palmas Loop Stop #11 - North Highway 83/Villarreal Ranch San Ygnacio Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #38 SYT2 Stop #1 - Farm Road 3169/LaSelva Ranch Stop #2 - Lincoln Avenue/Morelos Street Stop #3 - Ocampo/Hidalgo Avenues Stop #4 - Laredo Street/Matamoros Avenue Stop #5- Grant/Trevino Streets Stop #6 - Trevino/Uribe Streets Stop #7 - North Highway 83/Valle Verde Road RAMIRENO/URIBENO/SAN YGNACIO/NORTH HIGHWAY 83 - SAN YGNACIO North Highway 83/Ramireno/Las Palmas Campus ALBES Bus #18 ABES Stop #1 - West 21st Avenue/Kennedy Street Stop #2 - Las Palmas Road/Las Palmas Loop Stop #3 - North Highway 83/Ramireno Stop #4 - Old San Ygnacio Road Stop #5 - Las Canteras Road Entrance 5A Mid-Point 5B Exit BUSTAMANTE/ESCOBAS/EAST HIGHWAY 16/FLORES ADDITION NICHOLSON ADDITION/HAZARDOUS AREA EAST HIGHWAY 16/BUSTAMANTE Campus ZSE/FARVES/ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #1 - East Highway 16/Moss Mud Pit (El Nino Feliz) Stop #2 - East Highway 16/Embark Pit Stop #3 - East Highway 16/Ussll Road Stop #4 - East Highway 16/Bustamante Stop #5 - East Highway 16/Caliche Ranch Stop #6 - Airport Drive FLORES ADDITION Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #7 - 3rd Street/Flores Avenue Stop #8 - Carla Street/East 12th Avenue HAZARDOUS AREA (EAST 12TH AVENUE - EAST 1ST AVENUE Campus ZSE/FARVES/ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #9 - Fresno Street/East 10th Avenue Stop #10 - Delmar Street/East 9th Avenue Stop #11 - Delmar Street/East 7th Avenue Stop #12 - Elm Street/East 4th Avenue NICHOLSON ADDITION Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #13 - Medina (Flores)/Villarreal Avenues Stop #14 - Medina (Flores)/Martinez Avenues Stop #15 - Flores Steet/Fqaalcon Shores Drive Stop #16 - Falcon Shores Drive Stop #17 - Falcon Shores Drive/MartinezAvenue Stop #18 - Falcon Shores Drive/VillarrealAvenue EL TAPOZAN/CHIHUAHA/LOPENO I & II/FALCON FALCON Campus ZSE Bus #17 FAL1 Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #21 FAL2 Stop #1 - East Farm road 2687/El Huisache Ranch Stop #2 - South Highway 83/4873 Stop #3 - South Highway 83/Guerra Residence Stop #4 - South Highway 83/Across Shamrock/8002 Stop #5 - 5th/Ramireno Streets Stop #6 - 4th/East Streets Stop #7 - 3rd/Ramireno Streets Stop #8 - 1st/Ramireno Streets Stop #9 - South Highway 83/Lakeview Trailer Park Lopeno II Stop #10 - Pena/3rd Streets Stop #11 - 2nd/Ramirez Streets Lopeno I Stop #12 - Avenue D/ 3rd Street Stop #13 - Avenue A/1st Street Stop #14 - Avenue B/2nd Street Stop #15 - Avenue B/3rd Street Chihuahua Stop #16 - Farm Road 2687/Guerra Residence Stop #17 - Farm Road 2687/Rodriguez Residence Stop #18 - Farm Road 2687/Garcia Residence MEZA SALINAS/EL TEPOZAN/SOUTH HIGHWAY 83 Stop #19 - Las Palmas Grocery Stop #20 - South Highway 83/La Herradura Ranch Stop #21 - South Highway 83/El Tepozan Road Entrance 21A Mid-Point Stop #22 - South Highway 83/Cabeza De Vaca Ranch
Zapata County Independent School District Comprometido Con La Excellencia
Departamento de Transporte La misión del departamento de Transportación es transportar estudiantes de y para la escuela además en actividades extras, con la mejor seguridad posible. Nuestro mayor deber es dar un seguro y eficiente servicio a los estudiantes que son elegibles para transportación. Las siguientes reglas aplican a estudiantes que se les da el servicio de transportacion escolar.
Estudiantes elegibles: Vivir 2 millas de retirado del campo escolar Vivir en una área peligrosa (cruzar un camino grande de 5 carriles; ejemplo Highway 16 y Highway 83)
*Estudiantes que han requerido un cambio de campo escolar por cambio de direcion fisica or por gusto personal no serán elegibles para transportación.
Se han asignado paradas para el autobús escolar en Zapata y áreas vecinas. Estudiantes de Pre-k4 a 5to grado irán juntos en el autobús de escolar elemental Estudiantes de 6to a 12e grado irán juntos en el autobús de escolar secundario Todos los estudiantes elegibles a pesar de grado se les va levantar y dejar en la parada asignada Estudiantes necesitan estar en las paradas del autobús 5 minutos antes del tiempo regular de la parada. Para mas información sobre los tiempos de las paradas, por favor llame a el departamento de Transportación.
Un recordatorio para todo estudiante: No se permiten teléfonos celulares dentro de un autobús escolar Artículos sueltos necesitan estar dentro de la mochila No se permite comida o bebidas dentro de un autobús escolar Estudiantes por favor sigan las 10 reglas que están anunciadas dentro del autobús Pedimos la coperacion de los estudiantes y los padres. Muchas Gracias.
Para alguna pregunta de Transportación, por favor llame a nuestra oficina: (956) 765-9786. SIESTA SHORES SUBDIVISION North Siesta Shores Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #35 NSS2 Campus ZSE Bus #37 NSS1 Stop #2 - Falcon/Mission Lanes Stop #1 - Falcon/Davis Lanes Stop #4 - Falcon/Vicki Lanes Stop #3 - Falcon/Grande Lanes Stop #5 - North Siesta/Juan Lanes Stop #6 - North Siesta/Victoria Lanes Stop #7 - North Siesta/Mission Lanes South Siesta Shores Campus ZSE Bus #12 SSS1 Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #6 SSS2 Stop #2 - Monterrey/Vicki Lanes Stop #1 - Monterrey/Atwood Lanes Stop #4 - Monterrey/Rio Lanes Stop #3 - Monterrey/Juan Lanes Stop #6 - Monterrey/Pharr Lanes Stop #5 - Monterrey/Cuellar Lanes Stop #8 - Monterrey/Gary Lanes Stop #7 - Monterrey/Davis Lanes Stop #9 - Monterrey/Kenneth Lanes FALCON LAKE ESTATES EAST & WEST/BLACK BASS SUBDIVISION Falcon Lake Estates East Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #19 FLEEW2 Campus ZSE Bus #14 FLEEW1 Stop #1 - Park/Retama Drives Stop #2 - Papaya/Mango Drives Stop #4 - Wild Olive/Park Drives Stop #3 - Papaya/Wild Olive Drives Stop #6 - Yucca/Senisa Drives Stop #5 - Willow Cove/Senisa Drives Falcon Lake Estates West Stop #7 - Sunset/Lakeshore Drives Stop #8 - Vista Hermosa/County Road Stop #9 - Cerrito/West Monte Drives Stop #10 - Cerrito Drive/County Road Stop #11 - Vista Hermosa/Lago Vista Drives Stop #12 - Vista Hermosa (Mid-Point Stop #13 - Vista Hermosa/Vista Linda Drives Stop #14 - Vista Hermosa(Circle) Black Bass Subdivision Stop #15 - Texas/Ohio Streets Stop #16 - Illinois/Nebraska Streets FALCON MESA/SUNSET VILLA/BEACON LODGE LAKEFRONT LODGE/LINDA VISTA/HAZARDOUS AREA/MADISON Hazardous (West 22nd Avenue - West 13th Avenue) Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #11 LFM2 Campus ZNE Bus #15 LFM1 Stop #1 - Kennedy Street/West 20th Avenue Stop #2 - Kennedy Street/West 16th Avenue Sunset Villa/Beacon Lodge Stop #3 - Dilly/Military Roads Stop #4 - Lakeshore Drive/Catfish Circle Stop #5 - Catfish Circle/South Jab Street Stop #6 - Bluff Drive/West Penguin Loop Falcon Meza Subdivision Stop #7 - Eagle Street/Crow Avenue Stop #8 - Eagle Street/Robin Avenue Stop #9 - Crane Street/Faloon Drive Stop #10 - Crane Street/Oriole Avenue Stop #12 - Cardinal/Water Streets Stop #11 - Lake /Cardinal Drives Lakefront Lodge/Linda Vista Stop #13 - Oak/1st Streets Stop #14 - Oak/Olmos Streets Stop #15 - Oak Street/Cactus Avenue Stop #16 - Riverside Drive Hazardous Area (West 13th Avenue - West 1st Avenue) Stop #17 - Jackson StreetWest 12th Avenue Stop #18 - Lincoln Street/West 11th Avenue Stop #20 - Lincoln Street/West 4th Avenue Stop #19 - Lincoln Street/West 6th Avenue Madison Sub-Division Stop #21- Ann Drive/Buena Vista Avenue Stop #22 - Ann Drive/Monterrey Avenue Stop #23 - Madison Street/Santa Maria Avenue Stop #24 - Madison Street (Loop) Stop #25 - Madison Street/Guadalupe Avenue RAMIRENO/URIBENO/SAN YGNACIO/NORTH HIGHWAY 83 - MIDWAY North Highway 83/Midway;/La Selva/Ramireno/Las Palmas Campus ALBES/ZNE/FARVES/ZMS/ZHS Bus #13 SYT1 Stop #2 - North Highway 83/3 G’s/Cowboy Ranch Stop #1 - NorthHighway 83/HC 60 Stop #3 - North Highway 83/Santa Maria (SYT Library) Stop #4 - Morelos/Martinez Avenues Stop #5 - Mina/Guerrero Streets Stop #6 - Juarez Street/Highway 83 Stop #7 - Las Canteras Road Entrance 7A Mid-Point 7B Exit Stop #8 - Old San Ygnacio Road Stop #9 - North Highway 83/Ramireno Stop #10 - Las Palmas Road/Las Palmas Loop Stop #11 - North Highway 83/Villarreal Ranch San Ygnacio Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #38 SYT2 Stop #1 - Farm Road 3169/LaSelva Ranch Stop #2 - Lincoln Avenue/Morelos Street Stop #3 - Ocampo/Hidalgo Avenues Stop #4 - Laredo Street/Matamoros Avenue Stop #5- Grant/Trevino Streets Stop #6 - Trevino/Uribe Streets Stop #7 - North Highway 83/Valle Verde Road RAMIRENO/URIBENO/SAN YGNACIO/NORTH HIGHWAY 83 - SAN YGNACIO North Highway 83/Ramireno/Las Palmas Campus ALBES Bus #18 ABES Stop #1 - West 21st Avenue/Kennedy Street Stop #2 - Las Palmas Road/Las Palmas Loop Stop #3 - North Highway 83/Ramireno Stop #4 - Old San Ygnacio Road Stop #5 - Las Canteras Road Entrance 5A Mid-Point 5B Exit BUSTAMANTE/ESCOBAS/EAST HIGHWAY 16/FLORES ADDITION NICHOLSON ADDITION/HAZARDOUS AREA EAST HIGHWAY 16/BUSTAMANTE Campus ZSE/FARVES/ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #1 - East Highway 16/Moss Mud Pit (El Nino Feliz) Stop #2 - East Highway 16/Embark Pit Stop #3 - East Highway 16/Ussll Road Stop #4 - East Highway 16/Bustamante Stop #5 - East Highway 16/Caliche Ranch Stop #6 - Airport Drive FLORES ADDITION Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #7 - 3rd Street/Flores Avenue Stop #8 - Carla Street/East 12th Avenue HAZARDOUS AREA (EAST 12TH AVENUE - EAST 1ST AVENUE Campus ZSE/FARVES/ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #9 - Fresno Street/East 10th Avenue Stop #10 - Delmar Street/East 9th Avenue Stop #11 - Delmar Street/East 7th Avenue Stop #12 - Elm Street/East 4th Avenue NICHOLSON ADDITION Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #16 BDN Stop #13 - Medina (Flores)/Villarreal Avenues Stop #14 - Medina (Flores)/Martinez Avenues Stop #15 - Flores Steet/Fqaalcon Shores Drive Stop #16 - Falcon Shores Drive Stop #17 - Falcon Shores Drive/MartinezAvenue Stop #18 - Falcon Shores Drive/VillarrealAvenue EL TAPOZAN/CHIHUAHA/LOPENO I & II/FALCON FALCON Campus ZSE Bus #17 FAL1 Campus ZMS/ZHS Bus #21 FAL2 Stop #1 - East Farm road 2687/El Huisache Ranch Stop #2 - South Highway 83/4873 Stop #3 - South Highway 83/Guerra Residence Stop #4 - South Highway 83/Across Shamrock/8002 Stop #5 - 5th/Ramireno Streets Stop #6 - 4th/East Streets Stop #7 - 3rd/Ramireno Streets Stop #8 - 1st/Ramireno Streets Stop #9 - South Highway 83/Lakeview Trailer Park Lopeno II Stop #10 - Pena/3rd Streets Stop #11 - 2nd/Ramirez Streets Lopeno I Stop #12 - Avenue D/ 3rd Street Stop #13 - Avenue A/1st Street Stop #14 - Avenue B/2nd Street Stop #15 - Avenue B/3rd Street Chihuahua Stop #16 - Farm Road 2687/Guerra Residence Stop #17 - Farm Road 2687/Rodriguez Residence Stop #18 - Farm Road 2687/Garcia Residence MEZA SALINAS/EL TEPOZAN/SOUTH HIGHWAY 83 Stop #19 - Las Palmas Grocery Stop #20 - South Highway 83/La Herradura Ranch Stop #21 - South Highway 83/El Tepozan Road Entrance 21A Mid-Point Stop #22 - South Highway 83/Cabeza De Vaca Ranch
National
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
Official: Fasting causes troop attacks By ROBERT BURNS ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — American and Afghan officials are expanding the range of explanations for a surge in “insider attacks” on U.S. troops, adding on Wednesday the theory that the burden of fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan combined with the summer heat may have prompted more Afghan soldiers and police to turn their guns on their American partners. Whatever the underlying reasons, the attacks are taking a toll and raising questions about the risk of American and other coalition troops working side by side with Afghan troops as advisers, mentors and
trainers. The close contact is an essential element of the U.S. strategy for putting the Afghans in the lead combat role as the U.S. prepares to pull out its last combat troops at the end of 2014.
Ramadan fasting The top commander of coalition forces in Afghanistan, Marine Gen. John R. Allen, said Thursday that while the reasons for the killings are not fully understood, the effect of Ramadan fasting is likely among the causes. “The idea that they will fast during the day places great strain on them,” Allen said, adding that the stress may have been com-
pounded by Ramadan falling during the heat of summer and the height of the fighting season. He acknowledged that hunger and heat are not the primary causes for the killings, but they are among many “different and complex reasons for why we think this may have increased” lately. He also cited Taliban infiltration of Afghan security forces and personal Afghan grievances against U.S. troops, who Afghans have in some cases accused of being brutish and insensitive to local culture and customs. Insider attacks have been a problem for the U.S.-led military coalition for years, but it has exploded recently into a crisis. There have
been at least 32 attacks so far this year, killing 40 coalition members, mostly Americans. Last year there were 21 attacks, killing 35; and in 2010 there were 11 attacks with 20 deaths. August has been especially worrisome, with at least 10 insider attacks by Afghans, killing 10 Americans. And they have happened across the country; in the far western province of Farah on Aug. 17, killing two members of a Marine special operations unit; in the southwestern province of Helmand on Aug. 10, killing a total of six Marines in two separate shootings, and in the province of Paktika on Aug. 7, killing one American. The latest was Sunday in Spin Boldak, in southern Kandahar prov-
ince, where an Afghan police officer opened fire inside a police station, killing a U.S. soldier. The Afghan government asserted on Wednesday that the attacks are the result of Afghan soldiers and police being brainwashed by agents of foreign intelligence services. Allen, speaking from Afghanistan to reporters in Washington, said he had yet to see evidence of that. “I’m looking forward to Afghanistan providing us with the intelligence that permits them to come to that conclusion so that we can understand how they’ve drawn that conclusion,” Allen said. Ramadan, during which observant Muslims forgo food and drink in daylight
hours, is based on a lunar calendar and covers a slightly different period each year. Prior to its start this summer, U.S. officials made no mention, at least publicly, of its potential to raise the security risk for U.S. and other coalition troops working alongside their Afghan counterparts. Allen said U.S. officials took precautions during Ramadan and will review what adjustments should be made in the future. “We were very careful, actually, during Ramadan this year to undertake operations during those times that would not place great physical strain on the troops — their troops, as well as ours— given the partnership requirements,” he said.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
JOSE CONRADO ‘CONDIS’ MONTES Jose Conrado “Condis” Montes, 88, passed away Thursday, Aug. 23, 2012, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo, Texas. Mr. Montes is preceded in death by his parents: Manuel and Petra Motes; brother, Juan M. Montes; and sisters: Jacobita, Ernestina Montes, Maria “Cuca” (Jose M.) Peña and Petra (Faustino) Bustamante. Mr. Montes is survived by his nephew, Abel Peña; niece, Susie (Elmo) Benavides; special friends, Leonardo (Canti) Flores; and by numerous nephews, nieces and friends. Cremation arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez,
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Contract
EL PASO — A federal judge has sentenced an attorney and a former official to prison for involvement in a public corruption scheme. U.S. District Judge Frank Montalvo sentenced attorney Luther Jones to six years and three months in prison and former El Paso County District Clerk Gilbert Sanchez to two years in prison.
Both conspired to fraudulently securing a multimillion-dollar health care services contract between the Ysleta Independent School District and Access Health Source, a health insurance company. Both had been sentenced in 2011 to six years in prison for participating in a scheme to secure a mul-
Other guilty pleas They and eight other defendants have pleaded guilty. Jury selection for an 11th defendant, Guillermo Gandara, is set for Sept. 4.
RECORDS Continued from Page 1A filing completeness percentage. District Attorney Isidro Alaniz said the rate likely reached the statemandated 90 percent Thursday. “This is intelligence that’s critical when you’re talking about law enforcement,” Alaniz said. “It also justifies and quantifies what type of state assistance is needed.”
Zapata County systems’ lack of up-to-date technology may have played a role in the initial lapse in filing criminal information, Alaniz said. Other counties have struggled to reach the desired database completion as well; the State Auditor’s Office reported more than 7 percent of
criminals the Texas Department of Criminal Justice processed in 2010 had incomplete or missing arrest and prosecution records within the Computerized Criminal History System. (Mikaela Rodriguez may be reached at 957-728-2567 or mrodriguez@lmtonline.com)
BUDGET Continued from Page 1A Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.
and gas activity, continue to ail county finances. Mineral valuations, which are significant when taxable revenues are budgeted, have fallen by approximately $400 million in consecutive years because of faltering oil industry growth in the county. Rathmell told The Zapata Times in June that decreasing mineral values were the primary factor causing the county’s budget shortfall. He said the county was facing a $4 million shortfall at the
EMBASSY Continued from Page 1A The Navy said the embassy personnel were heading down a dirt road to a military installation when a carload of gunmen opened fire on them and chased them, along with a Navy officer accompanying them. The Americans’ vehicle tried to escape, but three other cars joined the original vehicle in pursuing them down the road. Occupants of all four vehicles opened fire, and the Navy captain called for more help. Federal police officers and Mexican army troops then showed up on the road. The statement does not make clear whose bullets injured the U.S. workers. The U.S. vehicle appeared to have been armored and had diplomatic plates. The government official said the wounded were not agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration or FBI, but did not identify which agency they work for. “We are working with Mexican authorities to investigate an incident this morning in which two em-
timillion-dollar contract between the county and one of Jones’ clients.
funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. 83, Zapata, Texas.
BABY ALYSSA JOELI PRESAS-MURILLO Baby Alyssa Joeli Presas-Murillo passed away Wednesday, Aug. 15, 2012, at Driscoll Children’s Hospital in Corpus Christi. Baby Alyssa Joeli is survived by her parents: Brenda L. Murillo and Erika Presas; sister, Amanda A. Garcia; grandparents: Griselda Moreno and Leonel and Rosa Presas; and by numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. A chapel service was held Friday, Aug. 17, 2012, at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com.
New sentences in El Paso case
“
We are working with Mexican authorities.” VICTORIA NULAND, A STATE DEPARTMENT SPOKESWOMAN
ployees of our Embassy in Mexico City came under attack by unknown assailants. They are receiving appropriate medical care and are in stable condition. We have no further information to share at this time,” said Victoria Nuland, a State Department spokeswoman in Washington. The Mexican naval captain in the vehicle was not injured. The vehicle was riddled with bullets, most concentrated around the passenger-side window, indicating possible involvement by experienced gunmen. The scene of the shooting was cordoned off and guarded Friday by more than 100 heavily armed marines and soldiers, and the highway was closed. Inves-
tigators examined what appeared to be shell casings left at the scene. Attacks on diplomatic personnel in Mexico were once considered rare, but this is the third attack in two years. In 2011, one U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent was killed and one wounded in a drug gang shooting in northern Mexico. A drug-gang shooting in 2010 in the border city of Ciudad Juarez killed a U.S. consulate employee, her husband and another man. While Mexico City has largely been spared the drug violence that hit other parts of the country, Cuernavaca has been the scene of drug gang turf battles involving remnants of the Beltran Leyva cartel.
time. In 2008, mineral value represented 84 percent of the county’s taxable value. Preliminary numbers indicated they will make up 64 percent of taxable value this year. In order to produce last year’s revenues, Rathmell said the county would have to raise taxes by about 16 cents. “I think that’s impossible for us to continue to tax our residents and taxpayers, so I chose not to do that,” Rathmell said. “And
I think we’re just going to have to cut back.” Rathmell warned that if revenues don’t improve in the coming years, these cutbacks could be a sign of things to come. He said he hopes the drawbacks this year will help prevent further detriment to the county’s finances. The county will try to keep all of its services, Rathmell said, but he asked for patience from residents as they work with less personnel.
In choosing whom to lay off, Rathmell went with a last-person-in-first-to-go approach. He said department heads and elected officials will have the last say on whether to let those people go. Rathmell said he counts among the cuts some lifelong friends. “I’m not proud of this budget, but I basically have no other choices,” he said. (JJ Velasquez may be reached at 728-2579 or jjvelasquez@lmtonline.com)
BALLOONS Continued from Page 1A members joined Homeland Security and Defense Department officials Wednesday near the border town of Roma, about 260 miles south of San Antonio, to see what the aerostats can do. Members of the media were given a more limited glimpse of the devices’ capabilities. The two aerostats — one about 55 feet long, the other 72 feet — being tested along the border are made in North Carolina by TCOM, a company with its headquarters in Maryland. At the altitude displayed Wednesday, the white, 72-foot-long balloon is small but visible. Near where it’s tethered, operators inside a windowless shipping container outfitted with air conditioning and three banks of video monitors scan the area, zoom in on vehicles a couple of miles away, switch to infrared and quickly pick up a vehicle moving through a parking lot. The balloons’ cameras
can easily reach across the river to Mexico, but Border Patrol spokesman Henry Mendiola said that isn’t the intent. “Especially in this area upriver from La Joya where we have no infrastructure, we have no technology, everything down here is still being done by boots on the ground, and so this type of technology would make our job a little more efficient,” he said. The 72-foot model can stay airborne for at least 14 days. While the aerostats can’t cover nearly the range of a helicopter or drone, they are far less expensive to operate and can be moved if needed. Since the testing began Aug. 10, the balloons have already assisted agents patrolling the area. “We have seen some successes off of the aerostat in the testing phase,” Mendiola said, declining to give details. On the border, agents already employ an arsenal of surveillance tools
that includes airplanes, helicopters, drones, boats, ground-based sensors and agents equipped with night-vision goggles. Last year, the U.S. government dumped SBInet, a yearslong attempt to build a “virtual fence” along the border that cost nearly $1 billion. The aerostats, however, as well as an 80-foot tower with similar surveillance capabilities also being tested at the border, reflect an attempt to make use of the vast inventory of equipment that’s been used in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Border Patrol tested a similar balloonmounted surveillance system in Arizona in March, and a variety of other Defense Department devices are also expected to be tested at the border in coming months. The agency doesn’t have a set end date for the testing period in Texas, Mendiola said.
International
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
21 years for Norway gunman By KARL RITTER ASSOCIATED PRESS
OSLO, Norway — It was during breaks between marathon video game sessions in his mother’s apartment in Oslo that Anders Behring Breivik drafted his complicated and chilling plan. He would kill indiscriminately with explosives and guns, surrender to authorities if he survived, then prove himself sane in court — all to publicize a manifesto accusing Muslims of destroying European society. By any account, the attack went exactly as he intended. A court ruled Friday that Breivik was sane when he killed 77 people, most of them teenagers, in attacks that shook Norway to its core. “His goal was to be declared sane, so on that point he is satisfied,” said Breivik’s defense lawyer, Geir Lippestad. The Oslo district court found the 33-year-old rightwing extremist guilty of terrorism and premeditated murder for the twin attacks on July 22 last year. Breivik first bombed government headquarters, killing eight people, before going on a shooting massacre on Utoya island that left 69 dead at a summer camp for young members of the governing Labor Party. Prosecutors had asked for an insanity ruling, which Breivik rejected as an attempt to deflate his radical anti-Muslim views. He smiled with apparent satisfaction when the fivejudge panel declared him sane and sentenced him to a 21-year prison sentence that can be extended for as long as he’s considered dangerous to society. Legal experts say that likely means he will be locked up for life. “He has killed 77 people, most of them youth, who
Photo by Alexandre Meneghini | AP
A city worker sells eggs at government-subsidized prices as people line up in Mexico City, on Friday. The Mexican government is battling an egg shortage and hoarding that have caused prices to spike in a country with the highest per-capita egg consumption on earth.
Photo by Heiko Junge/NTB scanpix/pool | AP
Confessed mass killer Anders Behring Breivik smiles as he arrives in the courtroom Friday, in Oslo, Norway. A Norwegian court sentenced Anders Behring Breivik to prison on Friday, denying prosecutors the insanity ruling they hoped would show that his massacre of 77 people was the work of a madman, not part of an anti-Muslim crusade. were shot without mercy, face to face. The cruelty is unparalleled in Norwegian history,” Judge Arne Lyng said. “This means that the defendant even after serving 21 years in prison would be a very dangerous man.” In his final words, Breivik regretted not killing more people, apologizing to other “militant nationalists” for not achieving an even higher death toll. He said he wouldn’t appeal the ruling because that would “legitimize” a court he said got its mandate from a political system that supports multiculturalism. Prosecutors also said they would not appeal, bringing the legal process for Norway’s worst peacetime massacre to an end and providing closure for victims’ families and survivors, who have had to endure weeks of testimony from Breivik describing the victims as traitors for embracing immigration. “I am very relieved and happy about the outcome,” said Tore Sinding Bekkedal, who survived the
Utoya shooting. “I believe he is mad, but it is political madness and not psychiatric madness. He is a pathetic and sad little person.” From Europe’s far right, the reaction was mixed. Some argued that Friday’s verdict played into their core beliefs, though they have spoken out against his violent rampage. “It was obviously wrong what he did, but there was logic to all of it,” said Stephen Lennon, the 29-yearold leader of the English Defense League, an antiMuslim group. “By saying that he was sane, it gives a certain credibility to what he had been saying. And that is, that Islam is a threat to Europe and to the world.” Frank Franz, a spokesman for the German farright party NPD, distanced his party from Breivik. “We consider his deeds to be those of a murderer. It’s as simple as that,” Franz said. “For us, it had nothing to do with politics.” During the trial, Breivik said his massacre was
meant to draw attention to a manual of far-right terrorism that he released on the Internet just before the attacks. In it, he predicted that the government would try to cast him as an “insane, inbred, pedophile Nazi loser” if brought before a court. Breivik’s lawyers say he is planning to write new books from Oslo’s high-security Ila Prison, where he has been held in isolation since his arrest and where he will likely also serve his sentence. He has access to a computer there but no Internet connection. His lawyers say he has already exchanged letters with supporters, but prison staff said they can stop mail encouraging illegal acts or the creation of criminal networks. Asked whether he thought Breivik had achieved his desired outcome, prosecutor Svein Holden said: “I don’t think Breivik’s wishes have had an impact on the court.” Since Breivik admitted to the attacks, his sanity was the key issue to be decided by the trial.
Mexicans scrambling in egg shortage By MICHAEL WEISSENSTEIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government is battling an egg shortage and hoarding that have caused prices to spike in a country with the highest per-capita egg consumption on Earth. A summer epidemic of bird flu in the heart of Mexico’s egg industry has doubled the cost of a kilo (2.2 pounds), or about 13 eggs, to more than 40 pesos ($3), a major blow to working- and middle-class consumers in a country that consumes more than 350 eggs per person each year. That’s 100 more eggs per person than in the United States. Egg prices have dominated the headlines here for a week, spurring Mexico City’s mayor to ship tons of cheap eggs to poor neighborhoods and the federal government to announce emergency programs to get fresh chickens to farms hit by bird flu and to restock
supermarket shelves with eggs imported from the U.S. and Central America. The national dismay over egg prices has revealed the unappreciated importance of a cheap, easy source of protein that’s nearly as important to Mexican kitchens as tortillas, rice and beans. Added boiled to stewed chicken, raw to a fruit-juice hangover cure and in every other conceivable form to hundreds of other foods, the once-ubiquitous eggs have disappeared from many street-side food stands and middle-class kitchens in recent days. “Eggs, as you know, are one of Mexicans’ most important foods and make up a core part of their diet, especially in the poorest regions of the country,” President Felipe Calderón said Friday as he announced about $227 million in emergency financing to restore production and replace about 11 million chickens slaughtered after the June outbreak of bird flu.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY
Perfection Courtesy photo
The Zapata Lady Hawks cross country team, including (from left) Raquel Almaguer,Norma Ramirez,Alma Perez, Corina Martinez, Kassy Galvan,Maria Rodriguez, Brianna Gonzalez, Daniela Vela ran well at the South Texas Stampede last weekend.
Lady Hawks soar at Stampede By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
perfect score of 15 points and winning the meet.” When the Hawks started the race, the team quickly separated itself from the rest of the group and stayed together as a pack through the first two miles. Garza emerged as the leader and never let up as he raced to first place. Ibañez was happy to start the season on the right foot, but the bigger picture of a state qualification is still what he has his sights on. “I am pleased with the results, but we are not were we need to be,” he said. “If we want to go to state,
The Lady Hawks did not waste anytime setting the tone for the 2012 season at the ninth annual South Texas Stampede. Nine schools from the surrounding areas, along with Zapata, ran a course that featured a mud pit, sandy straights, a winding hill and jumped several hay bales along the way. The Lady Hawks did well and fell short by just six points to first place finisher McAllen Nikki Rowe Two-time state qualifier Jazmine Garcia, a junior, led the team with a second place individual finish. Fellow junior Jannet Chapa, who started to turn heads, has taken hold of the No. 2 position on the team, and finished in seventh overall. Senior Erica Hernandez followed with an eighth place finish. Sara Peña, Cassie Peña and Angela Darnell finished four seconds apart from each other in 10th-12th places, respectively. Also medaling for the varsity squad were Alexandra Garcia (14th) and Bianca Ponce (19th). The junior varsity team ran away with the individual and team tittles. Zapata captured the top three individual spots and was led by freshman Raquel Almaguer’s performance.
See BOYS PAGE 2B
See GIRLS PAGE 2B
Courtesy photo
The Zapata Hawks cross country team ran to a perfect score of 15 points at the South Texas Stampede last weekend.
Zapata boys run to 15 points at Stampede By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
Perfect scores are what teams strive to obtain, but perfection rarely strikes. The Zapata boys obtained a perfect score of 15 points, sweeping the South Texas Stampede last Saturday to start the season. The Hawks also captured the junior varsity and freshmen divisions to take a clean sweep of the meet. Zapata was lead by Luis Garza, who ran away with the individual title and beat teammate Jose Garcia. Coming in third place was Sammy Camacho followed by Romeo Morales (fourth), Heriberto Perez (fifth), Luis
CYCLING
Armstrong stripped of his glory By JIM VERTUNO ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency erased 14 years of Lance Armstrong’s career Friday — including his record seven Tour de France titles — and banned him for life from the sport that made him a hero to millions of cancer survivors after concluding he used banned substances. USADA said it expected cycling’s governing body to take similar action, but the InternationARMSTRONG al Cycling Union was measured in its response, saying it first wanted a full explanation on why Armstrong should relinquish Tour titles he won from 1999 through 2005. The Amaury Sport Organization that runs the world’s most prestigious cycling race said it would not comment until hearing from the UCI and USADA, which contends the cycling body is bound by the World Anti-Doping Code to strip Armstrong of one of the most incredible achievements in sports. Armstrong, who retired a year ago, said Thursday that he would no longer challenge USADA and declined to exercise his last option by entering arbitration. He denied again that he ever took banned substances in his career, calling USADA’s investigation a “witch hunt” without a shred of physical evi-
See ARMSTRONG PAGE 2B
Lerma (sixth) and Jerome Cabugos (seventh). Carlos Rodriguez did not run as he recovers from an injury he sustained last week. Prior to the meet, head coach Roel Ibañez met with the team and reassured them that the meet was only for practice purposes. “I met with the team before the race and asked them to run as they felt and not to worry so much about their times or splits,” Ibañez said. “This was our fist meet and we just wanted to have fun and run away injury free. “To my delight, all of my runners felt great and finished the race placing one through seven, earning a
HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL
Zapata spikes United South in Laredo By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO — Zapata continues rolling through its non-district schedule as they traveled to Laredo to take on an up-andcoming volleyball program at United South. Zapata (4-1) pulled out a victory over United South (25-11, 25-13, 24-26, 24-26, 15-6) at the Judy McKinney Gymnasium. Zapata, behind the offensive of Kristina De Leon and Vanessa Martinez, was off and flying in the first two matches. Zapata executed its game plan on offense and distributed the ball equally among De Leon, Martinez and Celia Rathmell, jumping out to a 13-4 lead in the first match and cruising to a 25-13 win in the opening match. The Lady Hawks were relentless on defense, not allowing United South any momentum and playing tough at the net. No one stood out in the back row quite like senior libero Abby Aguilar. Aguilar withstood offensive attack after attack by United South and became a key component down the stretch when Zapata got in trouble in the third and fourth matches. Aguilar was stellar on defense, getting to balls that seemed out of reach and giving life to the team. The Lady Hawks enjoyed the momentum as South had a hard time getting the ball to their offense. After taking a 2-0 lead in the game, match number three and fourth tested the Lady Hawks as they were succumbing to the lack of air conditioning at United South. United South (3-2) fought in game three and, when the game was knotted up, the Lady Panther took it to another gear and finally broke the 24-all tie when Zapata’s Va-
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CLARA SANDOVAL OVAL
Starting school off with strength
T
nessa Martinez hit the ball out. The heat in the gym started bothering Zapata, as the upbeat team that took the floor and had a 2-1 lead was nowhere to be found. “It had to do with the heat,” Zapata coach Rosie Villarreal said. “It was a little bit hot and the girls were just complaining.
he start of school is just around the corner and parents are busy navigating WalMarts and HEBs to obtain school supplies necessary to ensure their child starts off on the right foot. Parents are always happy to get their child back to school and out of the house where they lounged around all summer. If their child is an athlete, they probably spent the summer in the weight rooms or in open gyms, understanding the requirements to get ready for upcoming seasons. The other day, while waiting for my haircut, I overheard the lady next to me complaining that the summer was too long and the kids only needed one month off and they should be back in school. With education in my background I thought that this lady was really invested in her child’s education and wanted her child in school as much as possible. Boy was I wrong. As she proceeded with the conversation she stated that her kids were
See ZAPATA PAGE 2B
See SANDOVAL PAGE 2B
Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times
The Zapata Lady Hawks’ Abby Aguilar helped lead her team to a five-game victory over United South in Laredo.
PAGE 2B
Zscores
Luck vs. RG3 adds element
U.S. Open features drama
By JOSEPH WHITE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By HOWARD FENDRICH
WASHINGTON — Even in the era of inflated ticket prices, it’s a bit of a stretch to say there’s $35 worth of entertainment value in a typical NFL preseason game. But put together the top two picks in the draft — both quarterbacks — and schedule it for the third week — the game considered the dress rehearsal for the preseason — and the teams involved figure it’ll not only be worth the price of admission, it’ll be worth a $35 T-shirt. The Indianapolis Colts and Washington Redskins have been pushing “QB Showdown” T-shirts featuring Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III ahead of their game Saturday, feeding on a frenzy of hope and hype surrounding two rebuilding franchises and the thought of witnessing the beginning of a match-up that could only flourish in
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Somehow, it seemed so easy for so many people to write off Roger Federer. He was past his 30th birthday, they would point out. About 21/2 years went by without any additions to his Grand Slam trophy case, the thinking went. First Rafael Nadal, then Novak Djokovic, overtook Federer in the rankings and as the man to beat at major tournament after major tournament. Well, look at the guy now. Wimbledon champion, once again, stretching his record total to 17 Grand Slam championships. Ranked No. 1, once again. And — heading into Monday’s start of the U.S. Open — the favorite to reach the final, once again. “I’m out of the business of predicting Federer anymore,” said Andre Agassi, a two-time U.S. Open champion and runner-up to Federer in 2005. “He’s continually surprised me with his achievements; he no longer surprises me. I think he has a lot more tennis in him. He looked as comfortable as I’ve ever seen him on the tennis court in England. He maybe needs one or two things
Photo by Al Behrman | AP
Roger Federer looks to play well entering the U.S. Open later this week. to fall for him to knock down a few more (Grand Slam titles) at this stage of his career, but he’s certainly as capable of it as anybody I’ve ever seen.” Federer’s pursuit of a sixth U.S. Open title at age 31 will certainly be among the main angles to keep track of on the hard courts of Flushing Meadows. Another key question is what sort of effect there will be from the short turnaround and shift to hard courts after the grass-court London Games. “There’s no doubt about it: This is not an ideal preparation,” said Federer, routed 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 by Murray in the Olympic final on Aug. 5, less than a month after beating him in four sets on the same court in the Wimbledon final.
years to come. “People will make a buck off everything,” Redskins defensive end Stephen Bowen said. Hope is about the only commodity on hand when one team is coming off of a 2-14 season and the other just went 5-11. Fans of the two-win Colts (No. 32 AP Pro32) want Luck to be the next Peyton Manning, while supporters of the five-win Redskins (No. 25) figure there’s no way Griffin turn into another Ryan Leaf. “They’re two good players, but they have a long road ahead of them,” Washington defensive lineman Kedric Golston said. “There’s definitely going to be a buzz in the stadium because of those two guys, but ultimately it is just the third preseason game. You want to go and put your best stuff out there and let the chips fall where they may. The reason everybody’s excited is because they want to have a conclusion
Photo Richard Drew | AP
Andrew Luck, left, and Robert Griffin III, will face off when the Washington Redskins face the Indianapolis Colts. on these two guys’ careers in their third game.” Reviews after training camp and two preseason games have been generally positive for both rookies. Luck has more polish because he played in a prostyle offense at Stanford, while Heisman Trophy winner Griffin from Baylor has shown the speed and arm strength that could make him one of the game’s most dynamic players. Luck is 26 for 41 for a league-high 363 yards with
two touchdowns and two interceptions. Griffin has completed 9 of 14 passes for 119 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. That said, both have been playing vanilla August football, running basic schemes with limited game-planning as they prepare for the games that count starting next month. Saturday will give the quarterbacks their most extended work yet, with both expected to play into the third quarter, but it will still be preseason fare.
GIRLS Continued from Page 1B Norma Ramirez and Maria Rodriguez captured second and third places, respectively, followed Almaguer. Also placing for the JV team were Daniela Vela (seventh), Brianna Gonzalez (10th), Corii Martinez (11th), Alma Perez (14th) and Kassy Galvan (15th). The freshmen and the bronze squad was also crowned team champion with Alondra Lara’s second place performance leading the team. Andrea Reyes (fifth), Melina Juarez (sixth), Casey Hinojosa (seventh) and Kayla Hinojosa (ninth) rounded out the medal winners. “The Stampede was a great success, but it could not have been possible without all the help our program received,” Zapata coach Mike Villarreal said. “A special thank you to the Volunteer Fire Department for watering our course, Mr. Joey Gutierrez for the hay bales and Mr. Rick Garza from Zapata Roadrunners for his endless support and assistance at every home meet. “The Lady Hawks have been training since the first week of summer and were glad to finally get a chance to compete. The girls are hoping to rebound from a sub-par 2011 and, thus far, the season is off to a good start.”
BOYS Continued from Page 1B which is our team goal, we need to continue to work hard and work on our speed and kick at the end of our race.” Early this morning the Hawks are traveling to the LISD Invitational meet to
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
take on the Laredo schools and 5A powerhouse Eagle Pass, who made a trip to state last year. “We will face great competition and it’s going to help us continue to improve,” Ibañez said.
Zapata will next be in action on Saturday at Slaughter Park in Laredo.
Middle school news Zapata Middle cross country will have its first practice of the season on the first day of school. Practice will begin at 6 p.m. at the visitor’s side of Hawk Stadium. Middle school volleyball tryouts will also start Aug. 27 at 4:30 p.m. Merlin football will also start the on the first day of school. Students need to remember to bring a t-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes. Students must have a physical in order to practice or tryout. Volleyball tryouts will only last a couple of days, so girls must have their physical before Monday. Students that had a physical done at the end of the 2012 school year are ready to go.
SANDOVAL Continued from Page 1B driving her crazy and she could not do anything with them at home. At the end of the day she was exhausted and just wanted time to herself so she could hear herself think. Really? The child’s education was the furthest thing from this woman’s mind and she just wanted the kiddos to go back to school so someone else could take care of her child. So are teachers baby sitters just there all day to make sure her child does not get lost? No. Teachers are there to teach and must find a way to teach. Parents can help teachers by being involved in their edu-
cation and many parents are, but some are not. Ask you child what they are doing in school and communicate with the teacher. Together, the parent and the child can help the child succeed and it is going to take both of them. At home make sure your child does their homework early and not in the middle of the night. Doing that could cause the child to be tired. The school year is about to begin and the teacher along with the parent can help the child succeed. (Clara Sandoval can be reached at sandoval.clara@gmail.com)
ZAPATA Continued from Page 1B They are used to our cold gym. “The (United South) crowd had a lot to do with it and I was just trying to get them focus on what they were doing. They kept fighting.” Zapata kept its composure down the stretch and reverted to what gave them a 2-0 lead at the inception of the game, attacking at the net and a steady defense. Zapata put it all together in the fifth game and jumped out to a 5-1 lead and never looked taking the fifth match 15-6 and walking away with a victory.
ARMSTRONG Continued from Page 1B dence. He is now officially a drug cheat in the eyes of his nation’s doping agency. “Nobody wins when an athlete decides to cheat with dangerous performance-enhancing drugs, but clean athletes at every level expect those of us here on their behalf, to pursue the truth to ensure the win-at-all-cost culture does not permanently overtake fair, honest competition” said USADA chief executive Travis Tygart. “Any time we have overwhelming proof of doping, our mandate is to initiate the case through the process and see it to conclusion as was done in this case.” Tygart said the UCI was “bound to recognize our decision and impose it.” “They have no choice but to strip the titles under the code,” he said. The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who should prosecute allegations against Armstrong. The UCI event backed Armstrong’s failed legal challenge to USADA’s authority, and it cited the same World Anti-Doping Code in saying that it wanted to hear more from the American agency. “As USADA has claimed jurisdiction in the case the UCI expects that it will issue a reasoned decision” explaining the action taken, the Switzerland-based organization said in a statement. It said legal procedures obliged USADA to fulfill this demand in cases “where no hearing occurs.” The International Olympic Committee said Friday it will await decisions by USADA and UCI before taking any steps against Armstrong, who won a
bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Games.. Besides the disqualifications, Armstrong will forfeit any medals, winnings, points and prizes, USADA said, but it is the lost titles that will be part of his legacy. Every one of Armstrong’s competitive races from Aug. 1, 1998, have been vacated by USADA, recognized by Congress as the official anti-doping agency for Olympic sports in the United States. Its staff joined a federal criminal investigation of Armstrong that ended earlier this year with no charges being filed. USADA, which announced its investigation in June, said its evidence came from more than a dozen witnesses “who agreed to testify and provide evidence about their first-hand experience and/or knowledge of the doping activity of those involved in the USPS conspiracy,” a reference to Armstrong’s former U.S. Postal Service cycling team. The unidentified witnesses said they knew or had been told by Armstrong himself that he had “used EPO, blood transfusions, testosterone and cortisone” from before 1998 through 2005, and that he had previously used EPO, testosterone and Human Growth Hormone through 1996, USADA said. Armstrong also allegedly handed out doping products and encouraged banned methods — and even used “blood manipulation including EPO or blood transfusions” during his 2009 comeback race on the Tour. In all, USADA said up to 10 former Armstrong teammates were set to testify against him. Included in the case were e-mails sent by Floyd Landis, who was stripped of the 2006 Tour de
strong’s teams. Armstrong clearly knew his legacy would be blemished by his decision. But he said he has grown tired of defending himself in a seemingly never-ending fight against charges that he doped while piling up more Tour victories than anyone ever. He has consistently pointed to the hundreds of drug tests that he passed as proof of his innocence during his extraordinary run of Tour titles. “There comes a point in every man’s life when he has to say, ‘Enough is enough.’ For me, that time is now,” Armstrong said Thursday night, hours before the deadline to enter arbitration. “Today I turn the page. I will no longer address this issue, regardless of the circumstances,” he said. “I will commit myself to the work I began before ever winning a single Tour de France Photo by Christophe Ena | AP title: serving people and families Lance Armstrong, whose stirring victories after his comeback from cancer helped affected by cancer, especially him transcend sports, chose not to pursue arbitration in the drug case brought those in underserved communiagainst him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. ties.” Although he had already been France title for doping, describ“I’m disappointed for Lance crowned a world champion and ing an elaborate doping program and for cycling in general that won individual stages at the on Armstrong’s Postal Service things have reached a stage Tour de France, Armstrong was teams, and Tyler Hamilton’s in- where Lance feels that he has still relatively unknown in the terview with “60 Minutes” claim- had enough and is no longer U.S. until he won the epic race ing had personal knowledge of willing to participate in USADA’s for the first time in 1999. It was Armstrong doping. campaign against him,” Bruy- the ultimate comeback tale: Had Armstrong chosen to pur- neel wrote on his personal web- When diagnosed with cancer, sue arbitration, USADA said, all site. “Lance has never with- doctors had given him less than the evidence would have been drawn from a fair fight in his life a 50 percent chance of survival available for him to challenge. so his decision today underlines before surgery and brutal cycles “He chose not to do this know- what an unjust process this has of chemotherapy saved his life. ing these sanctions would imme- been.” Armstrong’s riveting victories, diately be put into place,” the The Belgian, who manages the his work for cancer awareness statement said. Radioshack Nissan-Trek team, and his gossip-page romances Armstrong’s longtime coach, has his own legal battle with with rocker Sheryl Crow, fashion Johan Bruyneel, came to his de- USADA. He has opted for arbitra- designer Tory Burch and actress fense and said he was the victim tion to fight charges that he led Kate Hudson made him a figure doping programs for Arm- who transcended sports. of an “unjust” legal case.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE Dear Readers: At the end of a busy summer, it is time to take care of yourself for the coming busy fall! Adjusting your lifestyle by losing weight, working out more or quitting smoking is a struggle for most, but it can be done! Here are some hints to KEEP YOU MOTIVATED, from my most recent book, “Handy Household Hints From Heloise”: It is easier to manage several small goals instead of one large one. Try to get through just one day without smoking or binging on sweets and fat-laden foods. Reward yourself for small successes. Catch the latest film you’ve wanted to see, book a spa appointment or lounge in a warm bath. If you slip up, don’t punish yourself. It is normal to have an off day. Just keep pushing forward, and don’t give up! Goals are easier to reach if you have a good support system. — Heloise P.S.: Know that I’m with you! Every day really is a new day to get started or start over. FILL THE GAP Dear Heloise: I dropped
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HELOISE
a pen between my car seat and the console. This prompted me to figure out a way to prevent a recurrence. At the hardware store, I discovered pipe insulation. It cost less than $4 for 6 feet. I cut two pieces off and pushed one between the driver’s car seat and console, and the other between the passenger’s seat and the console. The material is darkish-gray foam and is flexible, and the color blended with my car’s interior. — Linda H., Omaha, Neb. PET PAL Dear Readers: Dennis in San Antonio sent in a picture of his 5-month-old foster Labrador retriever, Bella. Bella is a snuggle bug who loves to play with her squeaky toys. She was rescued from a full shelter. To see a picture of Bella and our other Pet Pals, visit www.Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” — Heloise P.S.: Bella found a wonderful and loving home!
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4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, AUGUST 25, 2012
Posey picks up his pace in Houston By TANIA GANGULI HOUSTON CHRONICLE
When the Texans drafted DeVier Posey, they knew his development would be different from other receivers. Given his talent, however, that didn’t stop the Texans from taking the rookie out of Ohio State in the third round of April’s draft. “We believe in his talent,” Texans coach Gary Kubiak said. “That’s why we drafted him, and I know he’s going to be able to help this team. We’ve just got to get him up with everyone else.” So far this preseason, Posey hasn’t had as many opportunities as the Texans’ other young receivers, in part because he is a little bit rustier than even other rookies. He missed 10 college games last year due to NCAA suspensions. And while Posey won’t use that as an excuse, the organization is being patient with his development. “Everything happens for a reason,” Posey said. “I really believe in that. I just try to take every day as a new experience no matter what happens. If I have a good day or bad day, I’ve just got to understand that. I’m a rookie; I’m not a Pro Bowler yet. So to get to Andre Johnson status, you’ve got to just work every day.” Last season, Posey received a five-game suspension for accepting cash and tattoos from a tattoo shop owner in Columbus, Ohio. Then the NCAA handed Posey another five-game suspension, saying he was overpaid by $728 for a summer job. The penalties nearly wiped out Posey’s final
Photo by Denis Poroy | AP
The Dallas Cowboys’ running back DeMarco Murray will face off against former college teammate Sam Bradford when the Cowboys host the St. Louis Rams tonight.
Photo by Brett Coomer | Houston Chronicle
Houston Texans wide receiver DeVier Posey (11) has been making strides in the Texans’ preseason, hoping to earn a spot on the team. college season. He played in only three games and caught 12 passes for 162 yards. “For the most part, at the time I thought it was right,” Posey said. “I was in a different place then.” Posey said that experience taught him not to take shortcuts in trying to reach his goals. During the pre-draft process, every team he met with asked about his suspensions. The lack of playing time gave teams less information on Posey and made some wary. The Texans, however, looked past that. He showed them quickly he was willing to work. “Football is a repetition sport, and then all of a sudden you get away from repetition,” Kubiak said. “You’ve got to get back in the groove and doing it every day — make a mistake and getting it corrected. I think that’s been part of his process. His attention to detail has been good. His work has been good. But he’s had a little bit
further to go than a couple of those players.” Throughout training camp, Posey stayed after practices to work with the JUGS machine. He has sidled up to Johnson as often as possible to learn from him. Just as the Texans suspected it might, it’s taking time. “Our system is not that easy; it takes a while to get that, “offensive coordinator Rick Dennison said. As the Texans sorted through a large crop of talented young receivers, Posey was targeted only once in each of the first two preseason games and so far has no catches. The Texans gave Keshawn Martin and Lestar Jean first-team reps in those games. “I know I haven’t plateaued as a player,” Posey said. “It’s going to happen, and when it does, I think it’s going to be great for me. I can help this team, and so that’s really what I’m trying to do as a player.”
Murray, Bradford meet again tonight By STEPHEN HAWKINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
ARLINGTON — DeMarco Murray and Sam Bradford were college teammates at Oklahoma who have had some similarities in the NFL. Both had standout rookies seasons, though a year apart — running back Murray with the Dallas Cowboys last fall after St. Louis Rams quarterback Bradford’s impressive debut as the NFL’s offensive rookie of the year in 2010. There were also the ankle injuries that hampered both last season. They will play in the same game for the first time since their days with the Sooners in a preseason game Saturday night at Cowboys Stadium. Bradford was hurt when the Rams played there last October, on the day that Murray got his first start and set a Cowboys single-game record with 253 yards rushing in
a 34-7 victory. Murray opened with a 91-yard touchdown run. In two preseason games so far, Murray has only five carries for 12 yards. Expect him to get some more touches against the Rams. “It will still be a limited number,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We don’t want him banging away at there for too long in this game. At the same time, we want to make sure to give him enough chances to get in the rhythm he needs to. ... You don’t want to put him in a situation where he is leaving it all out there on a preseason game field.” Garrett plans for quarterback Tony Romo and the starting offense to get their most extensive action in the preseason. The coach said the game situation could dictate exactly how much to make sure they get quality work. The Cowboys (No. 15 in the AP Pro32) will be
without seven-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten (spleen) along with receivers Miles Austin (hamstring) and Dez Bryant (right knee tendinitis). A week after Bradford produced touchdowns his first two drives, Steven Jackson ran for 49 yards on seven carries and the line kept their young quarterback upright, the Rams (No. 28, AP Pro32) anticipate increasing the playing time for starters only a bit this week. New coach Jeff Fisher is taking a different approach than most coaches, planning to play his starters into the second half in the final preseason game at home Thursday against Baltimore. And Fisher isn’t worried about his players being satisfied with their 31-17 win over Kansas City last week. “There were enough mistakes in that game to correct to keep their attention, keep them focused,” Fisher said.