SEC SHOWDOWN
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
FREE
NO. 1 ALABAMA TRAVELS TO NO. 6 TEXAS A&M, 1B
DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
CARTEL VIOLENCE
FEDERAL COURT
Zeta seller busted
Man accused of smuggling marijuana
Agents trace Z-40s rifle to ex-federal prisoner By GUILLERMO CONTRERAS
“
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
SAN ANTONIO — An assault rifle seized during the July arrest of one of Mexico’s most violent drug lords — Miguel Angel “Z-40” Treviño Morales — has been traced to a gun seller whose Spring Branch home was searched last week and netted what authorities said was a “small arsenal.” The seller, Manuel “Manny” Rodriguez, an ex-con who served almost four
This gun was recovered from Miguel Treviño, Z-40, along with other firearms and some cash during his arrest.” ATF SPECIAL AGENT CHRISTOPHER BENAVIDES
years in a federal prison for selling machine guns and other firearms without a license in California, had ob-
tained the rifle from a “cooperating citizen” in San Antonio, then resold it at a gun show.
It then made its way south of the border to the Zetas. “This gun was recovered from Miguel Treviño, Z-40, along with other firearms and some cash during his arrest,” ATF special agent Christopher Benavides testified at a bail hearing for Rodriguez. “Z-40 was head of the Zetas at the time.” In the raid last week, agents found more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition, 76 guns and $15,000 in
See ZETA GUNS PAGE 9A
Court documents connect him to 480 pounds of illegal substance By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
LAREDO — A Laredo man was arrested in Zapata this week for allegedly transporting 480 pounds of marijuana, according to federal court documents. John Paul Lopez, 25, knowingly and unlawfully
possessed with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a criminal complaint filed Thursday states. U.S. Border Patrol agents patrolling U.S. 83 observed a black Chevrolet Tahoe parked on the side of U.S.
See MARIJUANA
PAGE 9A
TROPICAL WEATHER
HEAVY RAIN’S HEADED THIS WAY Forecast calls for 70% chance By RODRIGO SOBERANES SANTIN ASSOCIATED PRESS
VERACRUZ, Mexico — Heavy rains lashed Mexico’s Gulf Coast on Friday as Tropical Storm Ingrid formed over water about 60 miles away, threatening more damage in a state where landslides and flooding have killed dozens of people in recent weeks. At least three major rivers in the eastern state of Veracruz were flooding or close to overflowing their banks and hundreds of people were evacuating low-lying areas, officials said. A bridge collapsed near the northern city of Misantla, cutting off the area from the state capital. Meanwhile, in Zapata, the forecast for the area, according to the National Weather Service, calls for a 40 percent chance of scattered showers today with a high of 90 degrees, and a 30 percent chance of scattered shows tonight, with a low of 73. Heavy rains are expected to begin Sunday, with a 60 percent chance of heavy rain during the day, and a 70 percent chance Sunday night, with highs in the mid-80s and lows in the mid-70s. The weather service states more heavy rain is expected Monday and Tuesday, with highs in the mid-80s, and lows in the mid-70s for the Zapata ar-
Photo by Weather Underground | AP
This NOAA satellite image taken early Friday morning shows clouds in the lower left corner that eventually developed into Tropical Storm Ingrid later Friday. Residents of Zapata and the area can expect heavy rain as the storm moves inland over the weekend into early next week. Heavy rains lashed Mexico’s Gulf Coast on Friday as Ingrid formed over water about 60 miles away, threatening more damage in a state where landslides and flooding have killed dozens of people in recent weeks. ea. Showers are expected to taper off starting Tuesday night. Tropical Storm Ingrid’s maximum sustained winds early Friday were near 45 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. It was nearly stationary, entered about 40 miles east-northeast of the port city of Veracruz, but forecasters said it was likely to advance north and curve into the coast near Tampi-
co during Mexico’s long Independence Day weekend. A tropical storm warning was in effect for Mexico’s coast from Coatzacoalcos to Cabo Rojo and the system and it was expected to dump 10 to 15 inches of rain over a large part of eastern Mexico with 25 inches in some places. On the other side of the country, Tropical Storm Manuel prompted Mexico’s government to issue warn-
ings for the Pacific coast from Acapulco to Punta San Telmo. Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center in Miami say Manuel had sustained winds Friday afternoon of 40 mph and the center was located about 150 miles south-southwest of Zihuatanejo. It was moving west slowly and should be near the coast of southwestern Mexico by late Saturday or early Sunday. The storm is expected
to produce 10 to 15 inches of rain over parts of the Mexican states of Oaxaca and Guerrero. Tropical storm conditions are expected to begin in the warning area by midday Saturday. Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are likely. Thirteen people died when a landslide buried their homes in heavy rains spawned by Tropical Depression Fernand on Mon-
day. State officials imposed an orange alert, the highest possible, in parts of southern Veracruz. Meanwhile far out over the Atlantic, Humberto weakened to a tropical storm and did not threaten land. Gabrielle weakened to a tropical depression and remained well off the U.S. East Coast on a track toward Canada’s Atlantic seaboard.
SENTENCING
Trial in Reyes case delays another one By MATTHEW NELSON LAREDO MORNING TIMES
LAREDO — Javier Reyes, the former coach accused of indecency with a child, had his trial in Wilson County moved back Monday until a separate criminal case is settled, his attorney, Joe Turner, said. Reyes’ case in Wilson, southeast of Bexar County, was set for trial Monday, but was resche-
duled for Nov. 12 to allow for the resolution of his other case in Williamson County, north of Austin. At one time, Reyes was a coach in the Zapata Consolidated Independent School District. Reyes, 55, is set for sentencing in Williamson on Oct. 7. In August, an agreement was reached in which he pleaded guilty to attempted indecency with a child by contact, a third-degree felony.
He was arrested in January for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15year-old girl in 2005 in her Round Rock home. The plea agreement settled upon could mean no jail time for Reyes. Instead, he would receive 10 years probation, pay a $2,500 fine and undergo treatment in Williamson County’s Sex Offender Caseload Program. Under the agreement, Reyes surrendered his teaching license for life and must
avoid all contact with the victim. Once the plea in Williamson is dealt with, Reyes will have a trial in Wilson to face the felony charge of indecency with a child by exposure. He is alleged to have touched the private parts of a child younger than 17 years old in July 2004. Reyes taught at United Independent School District schools for more than a decade and coached basketball and cross
country teams to titles during his tenure. In 2012, claims emerged alleging Reyes harassed and touched girls on the Alexander basketball team. An investigation into the claims led to a reprimand, placement on a job improvement plan and his eventual resignation in February. (Matthew Nelson may be reached at 728-2567 or mnelson@lmtonline.com
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, SEPT. 14
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium: “One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure” at 2 p.m.; “The Future Is Wild” at 3 p.m.; “Destination Saturn” at 4 p.m.; and “Lamps of Atlantis” at 5 p.m. General admission $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows $1 more. Call 326-3663. Lulac Council #12. 2nd Annual Run for Scholars (5k Run). 8 a.m. Lake Casa Blanca. Pre-registration can be done at Ciclomania n Performance Run, Lulac12.org or at 7 a.m. the day of the event. $20 entry fee any day prior to the event and $25 day of the event. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place trophies will be awarded along with 42 medals for participants. For more information, call Amando Chapa at 235-4424.
Today is Saturday, Sept. 14, the 257th day of 2013. There are 108 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Sept. 14, 1814, Francis Scott Key was inspired to write a poem, “Defence of Fort McHenry,” after witnessing how an American flag flying over the Maryland fort withstood a night of British bombardment during the War of 1812; the poem later became the words to “The Star-Spangled Banner.” On this date: In 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte’s troops entered Moscow following the Battle of Borodino to find the Russian city largely abandoned and parts set ablaze. In 1829, the Treaty of Adrianople was signed, ending war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire. In 1861, the first naval engagement of the Civil War took place as the USS Colorado attacked and sank the Confederate private schooner Judah off Pensacola, Fla. In 1901, President William McKinley died in Buffalo, N.Y., of gunshot wounds inflicted by an assassin. Vice President Theodore Roosevelt succeeded him. In 1927, modern dance pioneer Isadora Duncan died in Nice (nees), France, when her scarf became entangled in a wheel of the sports car she was riding in. In 1941, Vermont passed a resolution enabling its servicemen to receive wartime bonuses by declaring the U.S. to be in a state of armed conflict, giving rise to headlines that Vermont had “declared war on Germany.” In 1963, Mary Ann Fischer of Aberdeen, S.D., gave birth to four girls and a boy, the first known surviving quintuplets in the United States. In 1964, Pope Paul VI opened the third session of the Second Ecumenical Council of the Vatican, also known as “Vatican II.” (The session closed two months later.) In 1975, Pope Paul VI declared Mother Elizabeth Ann Bayley Seton the first U.S.born saint. Ten years ago: Swedes rejected adopting the European common currency in a referendum overshadowed by the killing of Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, an ardent euro supporter. Five years ago: Carlos Zambrano pitched the first nohitter for the Chicago Cubs in 36 years, striking out 10 in a 5-0 win over Houston in a game relocated to Milwaukee because of Hurricane Ike. One year ago: A French gossip magazine’s publication of topless photos of Prince William’s wife, Kate, prompted an immediate lawsuit from the royal couple and statements of outrage from palace officials. Today’s Birthdays: Actress Zoe Caldwell is 80. Feminist author Kate Millett is 79. Actor Walter Koenig is 77. Basketball Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown is 73. Singer-actress Joey Heatherton is 69. Actor Sam Neill is 66. Actor Robert Wisdom is 60. Thought for Today: “America has been called a melting pot, but it seems better to call it a mosaic, for in it each nation, people or race which has come to its shores has been privileged to keep its individuality, contributing at the same time its share to the unified pattern of a new nation.” — King Baudouin (bohdoo-AHN’) I of Belgium (19301993).
WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 18 Laredo Toastmaster’s evening meeting. Public speaking and leadership are focus. Meetings held at third Wednesday of each month. http://laredotoastmasters.toastmastersclubs.org. Contact Humberto Vela at humbertovela@sbcglobal.net or 740-3633.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 19 Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. Call 727-0589.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 21 Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium: “Zula Patrol: Down to Earth” at 2 p.m.; “Earth, Moon and Sun” at 3 p.m.; “Attack of the Space Pirates” at 4 p.m.; and “Pink Floyd’s The Wall” at 5 p.m. General admission $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows $1 more. Call 326-3663.
THURSDAY, SEPT. 26 Los Amigos Duplicate Bridge Club. 1:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. Laredo Country Club. Call 727-0589. Book-signing with Beatriz de la Garza, author of “From the Republic of the Rio Grande.” 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Villa Antigua Border Heritage Museum, 810 Zaragoza St. Books available for sale. Call 727-0977.
SATURDAY, SEPT. 28 Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium: “The Little Star that Could” at 2 p.m.; “Force 5: Nature Unleashed” at 3 p.m.; “Violent Universe” at 4 p.m.; and “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon” at 5 p.m. General admission $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows $1 more. Call 326-3663.
SATURDAY, OCT. 5 First United Methodist Church will hold a used book sale, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1220 McClelland Ave. Hardback books are $1, paperback books 50 cents, and magazines and children’s books 25 cents.
FRIDAY, OCT. 11 Registration for the Texas Team Trail Championship will take place at the Zapata Community Center, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY, OCT. 16 Laredo Toastmaster’s evening meeting. Public speaking and leadership are focus. Meetings held at third Wednesday of each month. http://laredotoastmasters.toastmastersclubs.org. Contact Humberto Vela at humbertovela@sbcglobal.net or 740-3633. International Bank of Commerce 2013-2014 Keynote Speaker Series, featuring Dr. Shannon K. O’Neil, senior fellow for Latin American Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations in Washington, D.C. 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. TAMIU Student Center Ballroom (SC 203). O’Neil will present “Two Nations Indivisible: Medico, the United Sates, and the Road Ahead.” Contact Amy Palacios at 326-2820 or cswht@tamiu.edu.
SATURDAY, NOV. 2 First United Methodist Church will hold a used book sale, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., at 1220 McClelland Ave. Hardback books are $1, paperback books 50 cents, and magazines and children’s books 25 cents.
Submit calendar items at lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or by emailing editorial@lmtonline.com with the event’s name, date and time, location and purpose and contact information for a representative. Items will run as space is available.
Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
A surfer heads into the water near the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier in Galveston on Wednesday. The pier was home to a hotel before Hurricane Ike struck five years ago, destroying most of it. Galveston officials attribute the city’s recovery in part to repairing hotels and other tourism infrastructure and investing more than $125 million in new attractions.
City makes comeback By JUAN A. LOZANO ASSOCIATED PRESS
GALVESTON — Like many communities along the Southeast Texas Gulf Coast, Galveston suffered the wrath of Hurricane Ike when it came ashore in 2008 and became the state’s costliest natural disaster. A storm surge as high as 20 feet and winds of up to 110 mph damaged 80 percent of the island city’s homes, flooded its historic downtown district and washed away many sections of its beaches, which are an important part of Galveston’s tourism-based economy. Five years after Ike, tourism to the island and economic development are at levels higher than before the storm as beaches have been replenished and homes, businesses and other structures have been repaired. While construction projects still dot the
landscape and the city’s population is down nearly 11,000 residents, Galveston leaders and residents said Thursday they believe their city has rebounded well from Ike’s devastation. “I think Galveston was wonderful before Ike but I think everyone is pulling together to make it a better place,” Mayor Lewis Rosen said. Ike made landfall near Galveston in the early morning hours of Sept. 13, 2008. The storm ended up causing more than $29 billion in damage and was responsible for more than 100 deaths, including 12 in Galveston and Chambers counties in Texas. Galveston officials attribute the city’s recovery in part to repairing hotels, restaurants and other tourism infrastructure and investing more than $125 million in new attractions.
Whooping cases up in week since health alert
Woman accused of ricin letters held in jail
Perry gives $3M in state funds for research center
AUSTIN — Dozens more whooping cough cases have been confirmed in Texas in the week since state officials issued a health alert. The Texas Department of State Health Services reports 2,160 pertussis cases this year as of Tuesday. Spokesman Chris Van Deusen said Wednesday that whooping cough has been relatively widespread with no big area of concentration.
TEXARKANA — The East Texas woman accused of mailing poison-laced letters to President Barack Obama and others has been ordered to remain behind bars until her trial. A federal magistrate denied Shannon Guess Richardson’s request for bond at a Wednesday detention hearing in Texarkana. Richardson is charged with two counts of threat by mail and one of threatening the president.
HOUSTON — A new biotechnology research center is launching behind a $3 million investment from the state’s Emerging Technology Fund. Gov. Rick Perry announced Friday that the taxpayer dollars will help create the Center for Cell and Organ Biotechnology. The research will tackle chronic diseases in both human and veterinary health care.
Carmaker saves West Texas drive-in theater
Detectors to remain rest of year at Texas school
GRAHAM — An automaker has presented a West Texas drive-in theater with a digital projector, saving the establishment from an end to distribution of 35mm films. A Friday statement by Honda says its Project Drive-In chose the Graham Drive-In as the third of five U.S. outdoor theaters to be chosen.
SPRING — Metal detectors will remain in use for the rest of the school year at a suburban Houston school where a student was fatally stabbed last week. A statement from the Spring school district Wednesday also says clear backpacks have been handed out to students as part of stepped up security at Spring High School.
Former executive for fruitcake bakery indicted DALLAS — A federal grand jury has indicted the former controller of a fruitcake bakery who’s accused of embezzling nearly $17 million. Sandy Jenkins was indicted Wednesday on 10 counts of mail fraud. Court documents say Jenkins managed to defraud the Collin Street Bakery by writing almost 900 fraudulent checks. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Lafayette man arrested for defacing 9/11 monument LAFAYETTE, La. — Police have arrested a 35-year-old Lafayette man who allegedly placed two cardboard cutout images of crashing planes at the 9/11 Memorial in downtown Lafayette. Lafayette Police Cpl. Paul Mouton says Salvador Perez was booked Wednesday on a charge of criminal damage to a historic building and criminal trespassing. He faces up to $1,000 in fines and two years in jail if convicted. Police say the graffiti was apparently placed at the monument earlier Wednesday.
Man in critical condition after boulder hits him FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — An Arizona man was in critical but stable condition a day after a boulder slid onto a mountain road and landed on him. The 27-year-old, unidentified
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 Kevin Poirier/The Kenosha News | AP
A pair of water spouts form on Lake Michigan southeast of Kenosha, Wis. on Thursday. A water spout is basically a tornado over water, meteorologist Ed Townsend said. Phoenix man and four others were headed to the top of Mount Elden to work on a radio tower on Tuesday morning. The 30-ton boulder slid about 20 feet downhill and hit the man as the group was trying to move another rock that had blocked their path, au-
thorities said. The workers were able to remove the man from underneath the boulder within 15 minutes. The man remained in intensive care Wednesday with injuries to his pelvis and legs. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
Local
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
ELEMENTARY STUDENT RECEIVES ASSISTANCE
THE BLOTTER Assault
Courtesy photo
The Zapata Lions Club helped a child obtain a hearing aid. From left to right are 1st Vice President Jose E. Gonzalez, President Aurelio Villarreal, Past President Jaime A. Gonzalez, Zapata North Elementary student Dayana Valadez Martinez, 2nd Vice-President Steve Sanchez and North Elementary Principal Gerardo Garcia. Lions credited North Elementary Counselor Blanca Gonzalez for her efforts.
Charges dropped in woman’s fed case By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Charges have been dropped against a woman recently arrested for allegedly smuggling 13 illegal immigrants through the San Ygnacio area, according to court documents. On Sept. 5, a prosecutor filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Raquel Solis-Esquivel, 40. The motion asked court to “dismiss without prejudice” the criminal complaint filed against Solis Esquivel in the interest of justice. U.S. Magistrate Judge
Diana Song Quiroga granted the motion to dismiss the complaint Sept. 6. A U.S. Attorney’s Office spokeswoman said she could not provide details on the case “as our prosecutorial discretion.” SolisEsquivel’s attorney could not be reached for comment. Solis-Esquivel was being charged with bringing in and harboring people, a complaint filed Aug. 20 states. A Zapata County Sheriff ’s deputy pulled over a vehicle driven by her and another vehicle driven by a juvenile in an area within the county
Aug. 18. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrived to conduct an immigration inspection on the occupants of both vehicles and they determined the people were illegal immigrants. SolisEsquivel allegedly dropped off illegal immigrants in a brush area. She then led the agents to an area where more immigrants were found. Court documents state Solis-Esquivel was to be paid $125 per immigrant. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
A 16-year-old juvenile was deat 8:41 a.m. at the Zapata County tained and charged with resisting arCemetery in the 600 block of FM An assault, family violence 496 Road that several pots for floral rest following a verbal dispute at incident was reported at 1:33 p.m. arrangements were stolen. about 5:15 p.m. Wednesday in the Sept. 7 in the 700 block of Park 400 block of Papaya Drive. He was Drive. taken to the Webb County Youth VilHarassment Manuel Mauro Galvan-Gomez, lage. A 45-year-old woman was re34, was arrested and charged with assault, family violence at about 9 ported at 3:47 a.m. Thursday in the Theft p.m. Sept. 7 in the 1700 block of 1400 block of Ramireño Street that A light meter was reported Bravo Avenue. He is out on bond. a person she knows has been hastolen at 11:59 p.m. Sept. 5 in the rassing her. 200 block of Madison Avenue. Burglary A person reported at 6:20 MIP A burglary of a habitation p.m. Sept. 8 in the 1100 block of HiLaura Y. Garcia, 17, was arrest- dalgo Boulevard that someone stole was reported at 7:55 a.m. Sept. 8 in the 200 block of Irene Drive. A ed and charged with minor in pos- an air conditioning window unit val32-inch flat screen television val- session of alcohol at about 2:30 ued at $100. a.m. Sept. 7 in the intersection of ued at $300 was stolen. A 56-year-old woman reported 10th Street and Mier Avenue. She at 9:49 a.m. Thursday in the 400 was taken to the Zapata County Jail. block of Elm Street that someone Criminal mischief stole 8 feet of chained-link fence valA 50-year-old man reported Resisting arrest ued at $100.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
WORST WEEK IN WASHINGTON
OTHER VIEWS
2 with eyes on mayor’s office fail By CHRIS CILLIZZA THE WASHINGTON POST
Here is my favorite philosopher, Jim Morrison, on the week had by Anthony Weiner and Eliot Spitzer: “This is the end/ My only friend, the end/ Of our elaborate plans, the end.” When Weiner, the disgraced former congressman, and Spitzer, the disgraced former governor, announced their plans to resurrect their political careers this fall, they undoubtedly viewed being elected, respectively, as New York City mayor and comptroller as a steppingstone back into the national spotlight. Immediately after their splashy entrances into previously ho-hum contests, both Weiner and Spitzer soared in polls. Stories about how the American public — or at least New York City voters — had moved beyond caring about what politicians did in their private lives were rampant. Not quite. Revelations that Weiner had not stopped the sexting that drove him from Congress
turned a story of redemption and second chances into a tawdry novel no one wanted to read. Spitzer’s once-sizable lead over Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer disappeared amid searing attacks against the former governor’s ethics. “Integrity and high ethical standards, maybe it is out of fashion, but it’s how he rolls,” a Stringer spokeswoman explained to the New York Observer. Weiner’s chances of a political comeback were over long before voters affirmed his irrelevance Tuesday. He finished fifth with a meager 5 percent of the vote. And this is his fifth time getting The Washington Post’s “worst week in Washington” nod. Spitzer came far closer in his race, losing to Stringer, 52 percent to 48 percent. Anthony and Eliot, for forgetting that the past is always prologue, you had the worst week in Washington. Congrats, or something. Cillizza covers the White House for The Washington Post.
COMMENTARY
Most of U.S. hasn’t earned war-weariness By ELIOT A. COHEN SPECIAL TO THE WASHINGTON POST
It is the phrase of the moment, dropping from the lips of television reporters and radio commentators, salting the columns of pundits, earnestly being spoken by furrow-browed politicians of serious mien. The families of the fallen are entitled to warweariness. So are those wounded in body or spirit, and their loved ones. The mother who has sent her son to war has a right to war-weariness, as does the father who prepares to send his daughter to battle again and again. But for the great mass of the American public, for their leaders and the elites who shape public opinion, “war-weariness” is unearned cant, unworthy of a serious nation and dangerous in a violent world. The average American has not served in the armed forces, as a diplomat or intelligence agent in a war zone. Neither have his or her children. No one has raised our taxes to pay for war. Americans can change the channel if they find the images too disturbing. “I am not going to send your children to fight this misbegotten war,” or words like that, come from politicians who know full well that our country has an all-volunteer force. Service members or public servants who have served in combat, and had enough of it, have every right to be war-weary. They also have a right to resign their commissions or appointments — and should, because they are
probably well on the way to becoming ineffective. In my experience, they are proud of their service and rather wish the rest of us would stop treating them like victims. When retired generals, claiming to speak for active-duty troops, talk about war-weariness, they do not help American diplomacy. They hurt it, because the surest way for a president to negotiate credibly, and thus avoid war, is to have at his side a growling mastiff on the leash — not a tired bloodhound that looks as though it has had, for the moment, enough tussles with the other canines. Above all, a president has no business confessing to war-weariness. Sending soldiers to war is a hard business. But President Barack Obama knew he was going to be a war president; if that duty was too trying for him, he should not have run for re-election, because he might have to fight new wars and not merely end old ones. For a president to confess to war-weariness is to confess weakness. It is the business of the commander in chief to inspire, either with tempered optimism or grim determination. He fails in his duty if he tells his subordinates, his people and the world that he is weary of the burden that he sought. In their dark moments, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who presided over infinitely more consequential and bloodier wars than Barack Obama, were undoubtedly warweary. Can anyone imagine them proclaiming it to the world?
COLUMN
Little excitement in Dell’s bid to keep company from buyers ROUND ROCK — So that’s it? That’s how a bigtime, big-league corporate takeover fight ends? This being my first rodeo, I’m not sure what I was expecting. Maybe Michael Dell entering the room through a haze of fog and phalanx of semiappropriately clad cheerleaders. Maybe some trash talk. Maybe Dell defiantly doing the Johnny Football finger-rub money thing and pointing at the scoreboard. (There was no scoreboard. And maybe I’m watching too much college football.) I would have done this with a bit more panache. Maybe that’s why I’m not a captain of industry. I’m not even qualified to be a corporal of industry. Instead of choreography and bluster, we were treated to three men in suits at a table with microphones and scripts. Dell, smiling and with a cup of coffee in his left hand, was seated in the front row. The whole thing took less than 20 minutes, including a brief recess during which we saw a company video that asked “What if you had the power to change the world?” But at least this time something happened, unlike the previous three attempts during which things were postponed as Dell worked to get the votes he finally got Thurs-
“
KEN HERMAN
day. Most of the votes were submitted and counted in advance. A handful were cast at the meeting. At about 9:15 a.m., Alex Mandl, chairman of the special committee empanelled to oversee the transaction, still on script, said: “The preliminary vote tally shows that the transaction was approved by the holders of a majority of outstanding shares as required by Delaware law.” And that was about it. A press release was distributed, the meeting was adjourned, and Dell, still smiling, accepted congratulations and well wishes as he stood near his frontrow seat The intrigue, of course, evaporated earlier this week when Carl Icahn threw in the towel and admitted defeat, a capital capitulation that robbed us of The Big Dramatic Moment when we’d find out if Dell would lose control of the business he legendarily founded during recess when he invented computers while his fellow preschoolers were eating crayons. Dell folks signaled their confidence the vote would
go their way by hosting a Wednesday evening “media reception” at Gloria’s on West Sixth Street. Nothing fancy, just drinks and light hors d’oeuvres for the company’s “media friends.” “We thought a fourth Special Dell Shareholder meeting this week represented an excellent opportunity for us to spend a little time unwinding a bit the evening prior,” said the invitation, which said the Dell communications team would be available for “relaxed conversation, cocktails and, of course, any backgrounding we can provide.” The conversation indeed was relaxed, but on message as I heard about the excitement about Dell’s upcoming rollout of its “Venue” line of tablets. Other tidbits picked up during the relaxed conversation included one communications team member’s acknowledgement that some members of his or her family use Apple products, though he or she personally remains fiercely Dell-only. Another team member told of shareholders — at another company, not Dell — famous for showing up with plastic bags at shareholder meetings to turn the on-site buffet into a take-out line. FYI, the Thursday morning buffet at the shareholders meet-
ing included breakfast tacos, bagels and a nice assortment of pastries. (Memo to the out-of-town reporter I overheard discussing the buffet: They’re breakfast tacos, not breakfast burritos.) Having won the vote, Dell — the man and his company — now must confront big challenges as it transitions into something other than what made it famous and made lots of Central Texans employed and some wealthy — at least those who bought low and sold high. PC World captured part of the challenge in a Thursday headline about Dell’s new tablets: “Dell to revive Venue mobile brand with new Windows 8.1 tablet.” The story noted that Venue “is a brand name for mobile devices the PC maker abandoned when it discontinued shipment of smartphones early last year.” Having won a hardfought fight for his business life, Michael Dell must move on to the challenge of transforming his company. It kind of has that feel of when a dog catches the car he’s been chasing. Now what? Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. Email: kherman@statesman.com.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The
phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-call-
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
ing or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
State
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Energy conference held By JAMIE STENGLE ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Former President George W. Bush addressed members of a Thursday conference on energy regulation, saying that what’s at issue is how to best harness energy for the “common good in a reasonable way.” “The question is: Can these energy sources be exploited in safe and sound ways?” he asked. “That’s what the debate is about. ... We at the Bush
Center think so.” The conference at the George W. Bush Institute, part of the George W. Bush Presidential Center that includes his presidential library and museum, included panel discussions on topics ranging from coal regulation to how environmentally friendly policies and growth policies can go hand-in-hand. The conference was billed on the institute’s website as “a bold effort to determine the cost that
misguided regulation imposes on growth.” Bush, a Republican, spoke before a panel on how to achieve energy growth that also included Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback, both Republicans, along with Canadian Finance Minister James Flaherty. Flaherty said he’s disappointed that the U.S. has not yet approved the Keystone XL pipeline, which would carry oil from Canada to Texas.
Ed board discusses lesson plan service By CHRIS TOMLINSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — A State Board of Education committee has appointed 175 teachers, parents and experts to review a controversial social studies curriculum system designed to help teachers meet state standards, board member Marty Rowley said Friday. Conservatives contend the lesson plans included material that is too-liberal or anti-American. Supporters defended the system as critical for small school districts that lack the resources to develop their own lesson plans. Thomas Ratliff, a Republican board member from Mount Pleasant, has accused conservative and tea party political candidates of ginning up outrage over the system best known as CSCOPE to gain support ahead of the Republican primaries. While the board has authority over textbooks, it has no legal authority over lesson plans, Rowley acknowledged Friday. But he said the results of the
CSOPE review will be made available to school districts, which do have a legal obligation to review curriculum systems before teachers can use them. CSCOPE was developed by the state’s education service centers to provide teachers with lesson plans that ensure students are taught all of the information necessary to pass state standardized tests. Individual districts decided whether to participate in what was a proprietary online system and pay a subscription fee. Some parents mobilized to protest the system when they discovered a lesson plan that called for a discussion on whether the Boston Tea Party could be labeled a terrorist act. Another activity talked about how socialist nations used symbolism in designing their flags and recommended that teachers allow students to design their own socialist flags as an exercise. Both lessons have been removed and CSCOPE, which is now free and publicly available for review online. Concerned parents tes-
tified Friday that most of the material they found offensive had been removed from the system, but they complained that the updating process was not transparent. “What CSCOPE was yesterday is not what it is today, and it’s not what it will be tomorrow. It seems to change every day,” said Ginger Russell, a conservative activist from Magnolia. Board member Mavis Knight, D-Dallas, said she felt the process was working because people are pointing out errors, and administrators are correcting them. Randy Willis, superintendent of Granger Independent School District, said 95 percent of students in districts that use CSCOPE pass the social studies standardized test, a sign the system is successful.
Photo by Mayra Beltran/Houston Chronicle | AP
SWAT officers enter a home where a suspect was in a stand off with police in Brookshire, on Friday. Police found 54-year-old Gregory Robinson dead of a self-inflicted gunshot to the head.
Man kills wife, himself ASSOCIATED PRESS
KATY — A man gunned down and killed his estranged wife in the parking lot of a suburban Houston high school, then engaged officers in a standoff that ended when he turned the gun on himself and committed suicide, authorities said Friday. Fort Bend County sheriff ’s deputies arrived at Tompkins High School in Katy, west of Houston, to find two coaches performing CPR on Valerie Robinson in a rear parking lot of the school shortly after 6 a.m. Friday. Robinson was a cafeteria worker at the school and was shot as she arrived for work. She was taken to a hospital but died from her wounds. Superintendent Alton Frailey said in a message posted on the school district web-
site that Robinson was a longtime employee of the district. Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. John Sampa said witnesses saw an armed man flee in a white pickup. A state trooper found that pickup just west of Katy at a home in the small town of Brookshire, he said. The suspected shooter, identified as 54-year-old Gregory Robinson, lived at the home along with his wife’s father, Sampa said. When additional officers arrived, the father walked out of the home to see what they wanted, Sampa said. The unidentified man was taken by authorities for questioning and appeared to be unaware of the shooting. Sampa said the standoff lasted about 3 1/2 hours before a Waller County sheriff ’s tactical team went into the home about
10:30 a.m. Gregory Robinson was found dead in a bedroom from a single gunshot to the head. A .22caliber rifle was recovered. School officials said on the district website that classes at Tompkins High were not disrupted but that parents had the option of retrieving their children if they wanted. They said regularly scheduled events will be held through the weekend but that “heightened security measures” will be in place. Calls to a Katy district spokesman were not returned. Brookshire police Chief Brandal Jackson said Valerie Robinson had recently moved out of the home in an effort to end the relationship. “There was some domestic violence there in the past that was not reported to police,” Jackson said.
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
Cops oust striking Mexico City teachers By MARK STEVENSON AND ADRIANA GOMEZ LICON ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — Thousands of striking teachers briefly seized control of the historic heart of Mexico City on Friday, blockading the Zocalo plaza armed with metal pipes and wooden clubs. Minutes after a late-afternoon government deadline, riot police started pushing into the area, firing tear gas and ducking hurled rocks in a confrontation culminating weeks of protests against an education reform. The teachers used steel grates and plastic traffic dividers to block the streets leading into the Zocalo, home to the Metropolitan Cathedral, Templo Mayor and National Palace, some of the city’s best-known tourist attractions. Hundreds of Mexico City and federal riot police massed on the other sides of the barriers, then swarmed into the square past the famed Aztec temple, chasing down and arresting protesters. Mexico’s government promised that Independence Day celebrations, including the traditional presidential shout of independence from a balcony overlooking the square, would take place in Zocalo Sunday and Monday. The president’s office pointed-
Photo by Marco Ugarte | AP
Riot police detain a protester during a mass eviction of striking teachers from the Zocalo, Mexico City’s main plaza, on Friday. Minutes after a late-afternoon government deadline passed, riot police moved in, firing tear gas. ly released an official schedule in the middle of the protests, noting that the independence “shout” would take place at the National Palace at its usual time Sunday night. Manuel Mondragon, the head of the federal police, warned on national television that police would move in at 4 p.m. local time. The teachers, many veterans of battles with police in the poor southern states where they live, promised not to
move from the square where they have camped out for weeks, launching a string of disruptive marches around the city. Shortly after the deadline, the police swarmed in, shooting tear gas from specially equipped fire extinguishers and tossed flash grenades. Protesters hurled sticks and chunks of pavement broken from the street. Within a half hour, police had cleared the Zocalo, and much of
the surrounding historic center, of virtually all protesters. Union organizers said they would reassemble away from the plaza. The teachers have disrupted the center of one of the world’s largest cities at least 15 times over the last two months, decrying a plan that aims to break union control of Mexico’s dysfunctional education system. President Enrique Peña Nieto dashed the teachers’ hopes of
blocking the overhaul when he signed the new system into law Tuesday. On Wednesday, the protests began turning violent, as protesting teachers scuffled with riot police after officers set up a line to keep protesters from blocking one of the city’s main expressways. City officials reported 15 police hurt as protesters seized some plastic riot shields from officers. The teachers say blocking the reform itself is no longer the point. They say they are now trying to maintain pressure to protect their rights and privileges as the government puts the labor reforms into effect and reduces union control over teacher hiring and assignment. As federal police helicopters swooped low overhead Friday, teachers struck tents they have been living in for weeks and burned garbage and plastic traffic barriers, filling the Zocalo with thick, acrid smoke. A group of battle-hardened teachers said clearing the tents was a tactical move to allow them maneuvering room for any possible clash. In echoes of the Oaxaca clashes of 2006, a group of Oaxaca teachers said they had already commandeered a bulldozer from road works in the Zocalo and had moved it to the front lines, to use against a possible police attack.
Fire slams 2 towns damaged by storm By WAYNE PARRY ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEASIDE PARK, N.J. — They were the kind of places that made for family memories of french fries and ice cream, but also created some raucous reality TV, like the time Snooki was laid out by a barroom sucker punch. They included an arcade where New Jersey’s governor played Skee Ball with his wife and kids, and a shop where he ate pizza (at least before his recent weight-loss surgery). There were three frozen custard
shacks, games of chance, and stores where tourists could buy naughty T-shirts. And now they’re gone, reduced to smoldering ruins by a spectacular fire that engulfed more than four blocks of a Jersey shore boardwalk that had been rebuilt just five months ago after being destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. “We’re wiped out again. It’s just unimaginable,” said Daniel Shauger, manager of Funtown Arcade, which reopened June 1 — and struggled all summer — after Sandy’s floodwaters
ruined game machines and other equipment. The cause of Thursday’s blaze was under investigation, though prosecutors said they had seen no evidence it was suspicious. Sending giant orange and red fireballs rolling 50 feet into the sky, the fire brought a painful sense of déjà vu to the side-by-side communities of Seaside Park and Seaside Heights, which rely on the boardwalk and beach for their economic survival. Three police officers leaving the fire scene were injured Friday morning
Race to honor man who knew Wright By SCOTT SONNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
STEAD, Nev. — Bob Hoover is an aviation legend who was once friends with Orville Wright, Charles Lindbergh and Chuck Yeager and spent 16 months in a German prison camp after his plane was shot down during World War II. The 91-year-old also witnessed the tragic crash that killed a pilot and 10 spectators two years ago during the Reno National Championship Races, and he described it as one of the worst things he has seen outside of his war years. He thought at the time that the crash would spell the end of the event. “I did not believe for one minute that we would be here now,” Hoover said on the eve of the five-day event that features flight demonstrations, stunts and highspeed races in which specially modified planes fly at more than 500 mph wing tip to wing tip barely 100 feet above the tarmac. But organizers kept the event going, and they are embracing this year’s 50th anniversary of the races as they try to put the tragedy behind. Hoover, listed by the Smithsonian Institution as one of the 10 greatest contributors to aviation history, is among those being honored Saturday night at the event. Hoover said he’s overjoyed that the racing community rallied to support the continuation of the Reno races that began in 1964 and are now host to the only competition of its kind with multiple aircraft classes, including the fastest jets and fighters. It’s part of an effort to ensure the future of an event that looked like a longshot before race officials satisfied the Federal Aviation Administration with added
safety precautions last year, and persuaded state tourism officials to pony up sponsorship money to cover a doubling of insurance costs. “It was important to get last year’s event under our belts, part of a healing process,” said Mike Houhgton, president and CEO of the Reno Air Racing Association. Houghton expects as many as 75,000 people to visit the 2013 competition through Sunday, for a weeklong, overall attendance of 200,000, compared to about 190,000 last year. During World War II, Hoover’s Mark V Spitfire was shot down off the coast of Southern France. He was imprisoned in a German camp before stealing a plane and flying to freedom under fire from allied troops who mistook him for the enemy. Four years after his dramatic 1945 escape from Nazi Germany, Hoover was sitting on the roof of a hangar on Labor Day weekend in Ohio watching what would be the last National Air Racing Championships at Cleveland Municipal Airport when he saw pilot Bill Odom lose control of a P-51 Mustang, veer off course and into a home, killing him and two others on the ground. “The plane snapped and went into a house and that ended the Cleveland Air
Races,” Hoover said. He had the same sinking feeling two years ago when he witnessed another vintage P-51 slam into the apron of the grandstand at Reno-Stead Airport, killing longtime Hollywood stunt pilot Jimmy Leeward and 10 people on the ground and seriously injuring scores more. “We all watched the whole thing as it happened, just appalled at what we were seeing — just devastating,” said Hoover, who was in a golf cart near the carnage on the tarmac. Hoover admits he never thought the competition would get off the ground when Bill Stead — a World War II flying ace, wealthy Nevada rancher and hydroplane champion — first approached him about trying to help persuade casino mogul Bill Harrah and others to revive the competition that hadn’t run since the Cleveland crash in 1949. Stead owned more than 1,000 acres north of Reno that he thought would be the perfect place to build a race course, but Hoover told him Reno wasn’t big enough to support such an event. “I said Reno is just too remote. It wouldn’t be financially successful,” he recalls. Stead told him, “It will catch on.” “And now,” Hoover said, “we’ve got them coming from all over the world.”
when they fell from an emergency vehicle; two suffered head injuries. Their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Gov. Chris Christie, as he did just after the Oct. 29 storm, vowed the two towns would rebuild. “I will not permit all the work we’ve done over the last 10 months to be diminished or destroyed by what happened last night,” he said, standing across the street from a still-smoldering pizza shop and a gutted arcade that he used to patronize with his family. He added: “We will make
new memories, because that’s what we do.” President Barack Obama praised the first responders who helped fight the fire and pledged support for state and local efforts to rebuild and recover again. Christie said about 30 businesses were destroyed, although authorities in the two towns said Thursday night more than 50 businesses had been wrecked, including 32 in Seaside Park and more than 20 in Seaside Heights. Paul Schneider, who owns three small boardwalk stands, was stunned.
“Everything’s gone. I can’t believe this is happening again,” said Schneider, who had to rip out damaged electrical wiring and replace sodden merchandise after Sandy. Seaside Park officials began planning Friday morning to rebuild their part of the boardwalk, at the southern end, where the fire began near a frozen custard stand. Most of the boardwalk shared by the two towns was still intact. Bob Martucci, borough administrator, said it will cost $600,000 to rebuild the borough-owned boardwalk.
SÀBADO 14 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2013
Agenda en Breve LAREDO 09/14— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta “One World, One Sky Big Bird’s Adventure” a las 2 p.m.; “The Future is Wild” a las 3 p.m.; “Destination Saturn” a las 4 p.m.; y, “Lamps of Atlantis” a las 5 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares, niños; 5 dólares, adultos. 09/14— The Artisans y Enactus invitan a ‘The Bazaar’, de 6 p.m. a 10 p.m. en The French Quarter, 1605 Del Mar Blvd. Entrada gratuita. 09/20— La guitarrista Lily Afshar ofrecerá un concierto a las 7:30 p.m. en el teatro del Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez Fine Arts Center del Campus Fort McIntosh en Laredo Community College. Entrada gratuita. 09/20— El Circo Alzafar Shrine se presenta en Laredo Energy Arena a las 8 p.m. Las puertas abren una hora y media antes del evento. Costo: 18 dólares, general; 28 dólares junto a la pista. Circo continúa hasta el domingo con funciones a las 2 p.m. y 8 p.m. 09/ 21— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta: “Zula Patrol: Down to Earth” a las 2 p.m.; “Earth, Moon and Sun”, a las 3 p.m.; “Attack of the Space Pirates”, a las 4 p.m.; “Pink Floyd’s The Wall” a las 5 p.m. Costos varían de 4 a 6 dólares.
NUEVO LAREDO, MÉXICO 09/14— Cuento teatralizado “Cenicienta” se presenta en Estación Palabra, a las 3 p.m. Entrada libre. 09/14— Expomex 2013 presenta en el Teatro del Pueblo a “Genitálica”. Charreada a partir de las 6:30 p.m. en el Lienzo Charro Nuevo Laredo. En el Palenque se presentará “Duelo”. También el atractivo Serpencoatl, Mini Golf y el Pabellón de las Águilas. 09/15— El grupo de Teatro Laberintus presenta la obra de teatro infantil “Hansel y Gretel”, del clásico de los hermanos Grimm, a las 12 p.m. en el teatro del IMSS, en Reynosa y Belden. Costo 20 pesos. 09/15— Función de Compañía de Danza Nuevo Laredo para recaudar fondos de apoyo para las bailarínas que representarán a la ciudad y Tamaulipas durante el Festival Internacional de Danza Cordobá 2013 y eliminatoria del Youth America Grand Prix. El evento será a las 4 p.m. en el Teatro Experimental del Centro Cultural NL. Cuota de apoyo: 30 pesos. 09/15— Expomex 2013 presenta en el Teatro del Pueblo a “Tania Mendoza”. 09/16— Expomex 2013 presenta en el Teatro del Pueblo al grupo “Contacto”. 09/17— Expomex 2013 presenta en el Teatro del Pueblo a “Trío Los Tres Reyes”. 09/17— El grupo de Teatro Laberintus presenta la obra de teatro “Arrojados al mundo sin cobertor de lana”, de Mario Cantú Toscano a las 7 p.m. en el teatro del IMSS, en el sector centro (entre las calles Reynosa y Belden). Obra apta para adolescentes y adultos. Costo 20 pesos. 09/18— Expomex 2013 presenta en el Teatro del Pueblo a “Los Claxons”. 09/19— Expomex 2013 presenta en el Teatro del Pueblo a ‘La Auténtica Santanera’. En el Palenque se presentará “Banda Calibre 50”. 09/20— Expomex 2013 presenta en el Teatro del Pueblo a ‘Hermanos Carrión’. En el Palenque se presentará “Gloria Trevi”.
— Tiempo de Zapata
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 7A
ARRESTO
TXDOT
Sustancia controlada
Proponen grava para caminos
John Paul López, de 25 años de edad, supuestamente trasportaba 480 libras de marihuana POR CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ
Agentes descubrieron varios paquetes grandes que parecía ser marihuana, indica la querella criminal.
TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Un hombre de Laredo fue arrestado en Zapata esta semana por supuestamente trasportar 480 libras de marihuana, de acuerdo con documentos de una corte federal. John Paul López, de 25 años, de manera conciente e ilegal poseía, con intención de distribuir, una sustancia controlada, señala una querella criminal presentada el jueves. Agentes de Aduana y Protección Fronteriza (CBP, por sus siglas en inglés) que patrullaban sobre U.S. 83 observaron una camioneta Chevrolet Tahoe, color negro, estacionada a un costado de U.S. 83 cerca de Zapata y el Condado Starr, alrededor de las 2:55 p.m. del martes. Los agentes intentaron acercarse al vehículo pero dejó la zona. Se observó a varias personas correr por el área donde la camioneta negra parecía estar estacionada, se lee en la querella criminal. Los agentes descubrieron varios paquetes grandes de lo
que parecía ser marihuana en el área de la maleza. Los agentes enviaron la información a sus compañeros acerca de la Tahoe dirigiéndose de U.S. 83 a Zapata y les indicaron que detuvieran el vehículo, de acuerdo con documentos de la corte. Las autoridades federales detuvieron la Tahoe e identificaron al conductor como López. Agentes de Drug Enforcement Administration respondieron a la es-
cena para investigar. Un perro de detección de narcóticos alertó a los agentes sobre narcóticos ilegales que se encontraban en el área del compartimiento central de la Tahoe. López desistió de sus Derechos Miranda y accedió a hablar con los agentes. López estaba viajando de Houton a Laredo para recoger a un amigo. “López indicó que estuvo teniendo problemas con el motor de su vehículo y decidió salir de la carretera al momento en que fue detenido”, de acuerdo a documentos de la corte. Después el interrogatorio concluyó. Los agentes decomisaron 480 libras de marihuana con un estimado de 360.000 dólares. López tiene una examinación preliminar y una audiencia de detención programada para el 17 de septiembre a las 10 a.m. en la sala de la corte 3C ante el Juez Magistrado Guillermo R. García. (Localice a César G. Rodriguez en 728-2568 o en cesar@lmonline.com)
POR ALDO AMATO TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
Cientos acudieron el martes a escuchar a los funcionarios estatales discutir los planes para las carreteras de los condados que participan en Eagle Ford Shale. La senadora Judith Zaffirini, (D-Laredo), Phil Wilson, director ejecutivo del Departamento de Transportación de Texas (TxDOT) y otros oficiales se reunieron junto a residentes en A.B. Alexander Convention Center en Cotulla. El enfoque principal del panel fue discutir las alternativas para la desición de TxDOT de convertir las carreteras pavimentadas en carreteras con grava. “Entendemos el compromiso de TxDOT para mantener la seguridad”, dijo Zaffirini. “Pero también les pedimos que mantengan su compromiso de tener carreteras pavimentadas. Si eligen utilizar grava, les pedimos que consideren repavimentarlas algún día”. Zaffirini dijo que la desición de convertir las carreteras vendría a disminuir el financiamiento por parte de los autoridades estatales en Austin. TxDOT esperará 60 días antes de convertir cualquier otra carretera pavimentada en varios condados, a una superficie de grava. Wilson dijo que si el departamento tuviera los recursos financieros adecuados, convertir las carreteras pavimentadas a grava no habría sido la primera opción.“Estudiamos diferentes opciones con las autoridades locales antes de llegar a esta desición”, dijo. “Nuestra esperanza es que
cuando el tráfico disminuya, seremos capaces de repavimentarlas”. El Juez del Condado de La Salle, Joel Rodríguez, dijo que desearía que los oficiales de TxDOT hubieran sido más transparentes con los residentes. “Creo que si el público hubiera sabido de la conversación, estoy seguro de que hubieran hablado”, dijo. Los condados que participan en el Eagle Ford Shale vieron un aumento del 40 por ciento en fatalidades viales conforme se incremento el tráfico. Wilson dijo que entiende la frustración de los residentes, pero que la prioridad del departamento es garantizar un sistema para conducir de manera segura. “Estos caminos pueden ser un poco más duros, pero serán mucho más seguros para conducir”, dijo. “Serán más anchos y los viajeros tendrán que reducir la velocidad debido a la dureza del camino”. Funcionarios de TxDOT dijeron que planean reunirse con funcionarios del gobierno del condado durante la moratoria para discutir alternativas. Sin embargo, la Juez del Condado de Atascosa, Diana Bautista dijo que TxDOT es responsable de encontrar formas alternativas para reducir los costos. “Es inaceptable que en ésta época, las carreteras se están convirtiendo de nuevo en grava”, dijo. “Creo que definitivamente TxDOT debe encontrar otras fuentes de financiamiento”. (Localice a Aldo Amato en 728-2538 o en aamato@lmtonline.com)
DEPORTES
ORGULLO Y EJEMPLO
Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
El equipo Fundadores de Nuevo Laredo está integrado por Luis Fernando Pérez Álvarez, Javier del Río Jiménez, Eugenio Hernández Reyes, Francisco Tovar Esparza, Vicente Ramírez Sánchez, Francisco de la Rosa Lara y Raúl Gasca Rodríguez. Los dirige José Santos Garza Flores y su auxiliar, Francisco Tovar Méndez.
Son campeones nacionales de Baloncesto en Silla de Ruedas TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
El equipo Fundadores de Nuevo Laredo se coronó campeón nacional del Torneo de Baloncesto en Silla de Ruedas Cuarta Fuerza que se llevó a cabo del 5 al 8 de septiembre en el Centro Paralímpico Olímpico Mexicano de la Ciudad de México. De acuerdo a lo informado por la Presidenta de la Asociación Estatal de Deporte sobre Silla
de Ruedas, Idalia Amaya Nava, con este título, el baloncesto de esta especialidad en Tamaulipas, asciende de cuarta a tercera división nacional. Fundadores de Nuevo Laredo, en baloncesto sobre ruedas, está integrado por Luis Fernando Pérez Álvarez, Javier del Río Jiménez, Eugenio Hernández Reyes, Francisco Tovar Esparza, Vicente Ramírez Sánchez, Francisco de la Rosa Lara y Raúl Gasca Rodríguez. Los dirige José Santos Garza Flores y su auxiliar, Francisco Tovar
Méndez. Fundadores de Nuevo Laredo se llevó el título de campeón al derrotar en la final a la representación de Aguascalientes por marcador de 56 puntos a 14. Ellos se impusieron al equipo de Irapuato 45 tantos a 14; venció a Aguascalientes 38 a 15; derrotó a Michoacán 44 a 14; a Durango por marcador de 64 puntos a 14; y, en la semifinal venció a Chiapas por marcador de 28 puntos a 26.
ECONOMÍA
Déficit presupuestario en nación baja 35% POR CHRISTOPHER S. RUGABER ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — El gobierno federal informó que el déficit presupuestario fue menor en agosto en comparación con el mismo período del año pasado, lo que mantiene el déficit anualizado en camino a ser el menor en cinco años. El déficit de agosto fue de 147.900 millones de dólares, informó el Tesoro el jueves, lo que hace que el déficit anualizado durante los primeros 11 meses sea de 755.000 millones de dólares, 35% menos que los casi 1,2 billones en el mismo pe-
ríodo del año pasado. El año presupuestario concluye el 30 de septiembre. La Oficina de Presupuesto del Congreso pronostica que el gobierno tendrá un superávit este mes, lo que reduciría el déficit anual a 642.000 millones de dólares. Ese sería el primer déficit anual por debajo de un billón de dólares en cinco años. El crecimiento económico sostenido ha hecho que más personas se reincorporen a la vida laboral y ha mejorado las ganancias empresariales. Por otra parte, el impuesto del Seguro Social aumentó a principios
de año, conjuntamente con los impuestos a los ingresos de las personas que más ganan. Las dos tendencias han hecho aumentar los ingresos por concepto de impuestos. La recaudación fiscal del gobierno en agosto fue de 185.000 millones de dólares, un aumento de 4% en comparación con el mismo mes del año pasado. El déficit federal representa la diferencia anual entre el gasto del gobierno y el dinero recaudado por concepto de impuestos. La deuda nacional en estos momentos asciende a 16,7 billones de dólares.
Foto por J. Scott Applewhite | Associated Press
Varios legisladores bajan la escalinata de la Cámara de Representantes en el Capitolio, en Washington, en una imagen de agosto.
National
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
Residents plucked from floodwaters By P. SOLOMON BANDA AND MEAD GRUVER ASSOCIATED PRESS
LYONS, Colo. — By truck and helicopter, thousands of people stranded by floodwaters came down from the Colorado Rockies on Friday, two days after seemingly endless rain turned normally scenic rivers and creeks into coffee-colored rapids that wrecked scores of roads and wiped out neighborhoods. Authorities aimed to evacuate 2,500 people from the isolated mountain community of Lyons by the end of the day, either by National Guard convoys or airlifts. One of them, Mary Hemme, recalled hearing sirens going off in the middle of the night and her husband saying they needed to leave. They stepped outside their trailer and into rushing water that nearly reached their knees. She got in her car and tried to drive away. “But I only got so far, because the river was rushing at me, so I threw it in reverse as fast as I could,” Hemme said. “I was so afraid that I was going to die, that water came so fast.” Others were less fortunate. The body of a woman who had been swept away was found Friday near Boulder, raising the death toll to four. National Guard troops aided by a break in the weather started airlifting 295 residents from the small community of Jamestown, which has been cut off and without power or water for more than a day. Dean Hollenbaugh, 79, decided to take one of the helicopters after officials warned electricity and water could be disrupted for weeks.
Photo by Michael Ciaglo/The Colorado Springs Gazette | AP
Dave Jackson closes a mailbox with his foot after delivering the mail to a home surrounded on three sides by a flooded Cheyenne Creek on Friday, in Colorado Springs, Colo. Floodwaters transformed normally scenic rivers and creeks into fast, unforgiving torrents. “Essentially, what they were threatening us with is ‘if you stay here, you may be here for a month,”’ Hollenbaugh said as he waited for his son to pick him up from the Boulder airport. “I felt I was OK. I mean I’ve camped in the mountains for a week at a time.” Airlifts also were taking place to the east in Larimer County for people with special medical needs. The relentless rush of water from higher ground turned towns into muddy swamps, and the rain returned Friday afternoon after brief lull. In at least one community, pressure from the descending water caused sewer grates to erupt into huge black geysers. Damage assessments
were on hold with many roads impassable and the rain expected to continue. “This one’s going to bring us to our knees,” said Tom Simmons, president and co-owner of Crating Technologies, a Longmont packing service that had its warehouse inundated. “It’s hoping against hope. We’re out of business for a long time.” About 90 miles of Interstate 25 were closed Friday from Denver to Cheyenne, Wyo., because of flooding from the St. Vrain, Poudre and Big Thompson rivers, transportation officials said. Hundreds of people were forced to seek emergency shelter up and down Colorado’s heavily populated Front Range, which has received more than 15 inches of rain this
week, according to the National Weather Service. That’s about half the amount of precipitation that normally falls in the foothills near Boulder during an entire year. Boulder County officials said 80 people were unaccounted for Friday. But, they noted, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are missing. “It means we haven’t heard back from them,” county spokesman James Burrus said. Two backpackers became stranded on Longs Peak, one of Colorado’s highest mountains, after the weather turned. Suzanne Turell and Connie Yang of York, Maine, last sent a text message Thursday with their GPS coordinates, but their cellphones went dead, said
Turell’s mother, Barbara. The pair hiked off the mountain themselves as the National Park Service was organizing a rescue effort. The park service closed Rocky Mountain National Park and was escorting visitors and residents of Estes Park on a trail over the Continental Divide. In Lyons, residents took shelter on higher ground, including some at an elementary school, before National Guard convoys could push through the water and into the isolated town. The convoys carried 15 people at a time to buses beyond the roadblocks, past cheering crowds. Dawn Lundell and John Johnson decided not to wait, instead hiking from the town through 200
yards of water in a canal. They described a “calm, reasonably festive” atmosphere among those who remained. “Nobody minds roughing it a little bit in Lyons. We’re all outdoorsy people. We call it Mayberry. Everybody helps each other and everybody loves each other so we’re all helping each other out,” Lindell said. In the town of Drake, the Big Thompson River was more than 4 feet above flood stage. The Big Thompson caused the deadliest flash flood in state history in 1976, when about a foot of rain fell in just four hours, killing 144 people. Between the Big Thompson and Little Thompson rivers, Jose Ayala spent Friday morning picking through what was left of his family’s possessions in their twostory farmhouse near Berthoud. He and his sons watched the waters rise all Thursday evening, finally making the decision to flee at 11 p.m. with some documents and a computer. “The rest is in the house. All gone, basically,” Ayala said. Some of the flooding was exacerbated by wildfire “burn scars” that have spawned flash floods all summer in the mountains. The flames strip away vegetation that normally helps absorb excess water and leave a residue behind that sheds water. One person was killed when a structure in Jamestown collapsed. Another man drowned in floodwaters north of Boulder while trying to help the woman whose body was found Friday. To the south, Colorado Springs officers conducting flood patrols found the body of a 54-year-man in a creek.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
JESUS DOMINGUEZ FEB. 9, 1986 – SEPT. 9, 2013 Jesus Dominguez, 27, passed away Monday, Sept. 9, 2013, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo. Jesse is preceded in death by his father, Fernando Alvarez; brother, Jose Isaac Alvarez and grandparents, Jose and Maria C. Dominguez. Jesse is survived by one son and one daughter; parents, Alma R. and Wilfredo Molinar; brothers, Miguel (Bertha Y.) Alvarez, Gerardo Cantu;
sister, Alma Alvarez (Rafa Rendon Jr.); nephews, Miguel Alvarez Jr., Fernando Morales,
Brandon Alvarez, Alexis Alvarez, Jazmine Alvarez, Joshua Alvarez, Brihanna Garcia and by numerous uncles, aunts, friends and other family members. Visitation hours were held Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2013, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Wednesday, Sept. 11, 2013, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our
Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy. 83, Zapata.
Photo courtesy of Janice “Lokelani” Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele | AP
Janice “Lokelani” Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele and her late husband are seen in Hawaii in 2008. Hawaii can only fit part of her name on a driver’s license.
MARIJUANA 83 near the Zapata and Starr County line at about 2:55 p.m. Tuesday. Agents attempted to approach the vehicle but it departed the area. Several people were seen running away from the area where the black Tahoe was previously parked, a criminal complaint reads. Agents discovered several large bundles of suspected marijuana in the brush area. Agents relayed information to their peers about the Tahoe heading toward U.S. 83 to Zapata and instructed them to stop the vehicle, court documents state. Federal authorities caught up to the Tahoe and identified the driver as Lopez. Drug Enforcement Administration agents responded to the scene to investigate. A narcotics detection dog alerted agents to the scent of illegal narcotics originating from a compartment within the Tahoe. Lopez waived his Miranda Rights and agreed to talk to agents. Lopez was traveling from Houston to Laredo to pick up a friend. “Lopez stated that he was having engine issues with his vehicle and decided to pull off to the
Continued from Page 1A
“
Lopez stated that he was having engine issues with his vehicle.” DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENTS
By AUDREY MCAVOY side of the highway at the time of the detainment,” according to court documents. The interview was then terminated. Agents seized 480 pounds of marijuana with an estimated street value of $360,000. Lopez has a preliminary examination and detention hearing set for 10 a.m. Sept. 17 in courtroom 3C before U.S. Magistrate Judge Guillermo R. Garcia. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmonline.com)
ZETA GUNS Continued from Page 1A cash at Rodriguez’s home. Agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Homeland Security Investigations also found some of Rodriguez’s customers were supplying the Zetas with assault rifles and were specifically seeking sellers like Rodriguez. Rodriguez, agents found, had been selling guns from various tables at SAXET gun shows by exploiting the so-called “gun show loophole.” By posing as a private seller disposing of his “personal” collection, he was circumventing rules that required him to get a license and to conduct background checks on his buyers, authorities contend. And, they argue that because he is a convicted felon, Rodriguez should not have had guns in the first place. He’s charged, for the moment, with being a felon in possession of a firearm. “A cooperating witness indicated he and others would go to Manuel Rodriguez and his son to buy AK-47s from them,” Benavides testified. “They would then give (the weapons) to others who would smuggle them to the Zetas.” When Assistant U.S. Attorney Jay Hulings asked if that was the only link to the Zetas that agents found, Benavides dropped the bombshell. Benavides said he and another
Long name doesn’t fit on driver’s license
agent traced a “Century Arms AK-47 variant” recovered during Z-40’s arrest in Mexico to the unnamed San Antonio man. That person, Benavides said, had sold the gun to Rodriguez’s son, and Rodriguez is believed to have sold it to someone else at one of the gun shows. In July, a Mexican navy helicopter tracked the 40-year-old Zetas leader, known by his radio call sign “El 40,” “Z-40” “Cuarenta” and other variants of the number in Spanish, on a rural road near the Texas border outside Nuevo Laredo. He was arrested and is being held in a Mexican jail. Under cross-examination by Rodriguez’s lawyer, Benavides said he had no evidence that Rodriguez knew any of his guns would wind up in the hands of the Zetas or make their way to its leader, who had reportedly ordered hits in Laredo and whose bloodthirstiness was known on both sides of the border. During an investigation that lasted several months, agents watched, then videotaped Rodriguez at the gun shows in San Antonio and Austin. In an undercover sting, an agent bought an Intratec 9mm from Rodriguez for $650 at an Austin gun show, Benavides said. During last week’s raid, agents intercepted Rodriguez as
he and his son left home towing a trailer to another gun show, Benavides said. There were numerous guns in the trailer, and several more were found in the home — almost half of them assault-style rifles — along with ammo and a safe with $15,000, Benavides testified. In a pitch to keep Rodriguez locked up, prosecutor Hulings told U.S. Magistrate Judge John Primomo that Rodriguez “has been in and out of jail” since he was 22 for a variety of crimes including assault, and “has a lot of trouble complying with the law.” Hulings added that Rodriguez owes more than $260,000 in child support in California — so much that the Texas attorney general has tried to garnish his wages — yet hid $15,000 in suspected proceeds from the sale of guns. “He’s well aware he cannot possess guns,” Hulings argued. “He was selling to people without checking where (the guns) were going. He was in possession of a small arsenal.” The arguments did little to sway the judge, until Primomo learned Rodriguez was on probation on an unrelated offense last year while selling guns. “I was ready to release him on bond until I heard that,” Primomo said. The judge ordered Rodriguez held pending trial.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HONOLULU — A Hawaii woman’s last name is a real mouthful, containing 36 characters and 19 syllables in all. And it’s so long that she couldn’t get a driver’s license with her correct name. Janice “Lokelani” Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele is in the midst of a fight with state and local officials to ensure that her full name gets listed on a license or ID card. Her name is pronounced: KAY’-ee-hah-nah-EE’-cooCOW’-ah-KAH’-hee-HOO’-lee-heheh-KAH’-how-NAH-eh-leh. The documents only have room for 35 characters. Her name has 35 letters plus a mark used in the Hawaiian alphabet, called an okina. So Hawaii County instead issued her driver’s license and her state ID with the last letter of her name chopped off. And it omitted her first name. The 54-year-old Big Island resident wrote her mayor and city councilwoman for help, but the county said the state of Hawaii computer system they used wouldn’t allow names longer than 35 characters. Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele got the name when she married her Hawaiian husband in 1992. He used only the one name, which his grandfather gave him. The name came to his grandfather in a dream that also told him he would have a grandson. Her husband died in 2008, but he had similar problems when he was alive, she told The Associated Press. The name has layers of meanings. One, she said, is “When there is chaos and confusion, you are one that will stand up and get people to focus in one direction and come out of the chaos.” It also references the origins of her and her husband’s family. Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele was compelled to bring attention to the issue after a policeman last month gave her a
“
I’ve had this name for over 20 years. I had to grow into this name. It’s a very deep spiritual path.” JANICE “LOKELANI” KEIHANAIKUKAUAKAHIHULIHEEKAHAUNAELE
hard time about her driver’s license when he pulled her over for a traffic stop. She wrote Honolulu television station KHON for help, and her story started getting more attention. “I said wait a minute, this is not my fault. This is the county’s fault that I don’t have an ID that has my name correctly,” she said. The police officer suggested she could use her maiden name. “I said, how disrespectful to the Hawaiian people because there’s a lot of meaning behind this name. I’ve had this name for over 20 years. I had to grow into this name. It’s a very deep spiritual path,” she said. Caroline Sluyter, state Department of Transportation spokeswoman, said Thursday the state is working to increase space for names on driver’s licenses and ID cards. By the end of the year, the cards will allow 40 characters for first and last names and 35 characters for middle names, she said. Keihanaikukauakahihuliheekahaunaele, who practices shoreline fishing in the Hawaiian tradition as a profession, said she’s happy the publicity about her situation has prompted many people to have badly needed discussions. “If you’re going to require people to have picture IDs to identify them, they have to be correct,” she said.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors NFL: DALLAS COWBOYS
NCAA FOOTBALL: NO. 6 TEXAS A&M AGGIES
SEC Blockbuster No. 1 Tide, No. 6 A&M square off Photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP
By RALPH D. RUSSO
Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr put the nail in the Giants coffin in week one with a late interception for a touchdown.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The last blockbuster of the summer is set in Texas. No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 6 Texas A&M. Johnny Football trying to derail the Crimson Tide dynasty. Who is the hero and who is the villain depends upon your perspective. And, of course, it’s a sequel. The Tide (1-0) and Aggies (2-0) meet Saturday in the most anticipated and talked-about game of the season. Just how big is this game, Tide coach Nick Saban? “Obviously this is an exciting game for our team, the players in our program,” Saban said. OK, so Saban isn’t much for hype, but there’s no doubt this is huge. Looking online for a last-minute ticket to Kyle Field? Be prepared to shell out $700, give or take a hundred. A hotel room in town? Better have a plan B. Most of the space was booked not long after the Aggies upset Alabama 29-24 last November in Tuscaloosa. Texas A&M was expecting a crowd of around 50,000 at the stadium for midnight yell practice Friday night, the Aggies’ unique version of a pep rally, which will be televised by ESPN.
Cowboys D moves on to face KC Dallas defense looking to impress again after strong season opener By DAVID MOORE MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
File photo by Dave Martin | AP
Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron and the top-ranked Crimson Tide are looking to avenge a loss last season to No. 6 Texas A&M. Last year’s victory propelled A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel to the Heisman Trophy. For the Tide, the loss was a detour on the
way to a second straight national championship. Saban’s team is try-
See A&M PAGE 2B
TEXAS BACKS BROWN President Bill Powers: ‘Mack has my support’ ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — University of Texas President Bill Powers said Friday he supports coach Mack Brown amid speculation that Brown’s job is on the line after three sub-par seasons and an embarrassing loss at BYU. Powers spoke briefly with The Associated Press before Saturday’s game against No. 25 Mississippi (2-0). Powers called last week’s 40-21 loss to BYU a “bad week” and says Brown is “trying to fix it.” Brown fired defensive
Photo by Eric Gay | AP
University of Texas president Bill Powers gave head coach Mack Brown his vote of confidence on Friday. coordinator Manny Diaz the day after the defeat. “Mack’s our coach. He
gets we had a bad week and he’s trying to fix it,” Powers said.
Powers dismissed the idea that Brown faces a minimum standard of wins or a Big 12 championship to keep his job, saying there have been no discussions about ultimatums for the coach. Brown won the 2005 national championship and is in his 16th year at Texas. “Mack has my support,” Powers said. Powers and Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds are key allies for Brown amid growing fan unrest over Texas’ fall from Big 12 powerhouse. Since playing for the national championship at the end of the 2009 season, Texas is 23-17 since 2010, including an 11-9
See TEXAS PAGE 2B
Texas Tech upsets TCU Freshman QB Webb impresses
See TECH PAGE 2B
Photo by Jason Hirschfeld | AP
Jeff Gordon became the 13th member of the Chase after two incidents this week.
Gordon added to Chase After two attempts to manipulate Chase, NASCAR reacts By JENNA FRYER
By CHUCK CARLTON
Photo by Stephen Spillman | AP
Texas Tech quarterback Baker Mayfield suffered a fourth-quarter injury, opening the door for backup Davis Webb’s heroics.
See COWBOYS PAGE 2B
NASCAR
ASSOCIATED PRESS
MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE
LUBBOCK — Texas Tech fans came to Jones AT&T Stadium in love with one freshman quarterback and left raving about another. Actually, Texas Tech’s 20-10 win Thursday over TCU sparked all kinds of discussion from the resurgent Red Raiders defense to the blocking and catching of Bradley Marquez to, yes, the Big 12 officiating crew.
IRVING — If there is a problem in forcing six turnovers and scoring two defensive touchdowns to open the season, it’s this: What do the Cowboys do for an encore? The defense will continue to be opportunistic. But it’s unlikely that Kansas City will be anywhere near as accommodating as the New York Giants. Jamaal Charles is no David Wilson. The Cowboys can’t count on the
Chiefs’ outstanding running back to lose two fumbles the way his Giants counterpart did. Alex Smith won’t swashbuckle his way to 450 yards the way Eli Manning did five short days ago. But he’s not the sort of quarterback to throw three picks, either. This is a Kansas City team that didn’t turn the ball over to open the season. So again, the question: What can the Cowboys do
JOLIET, Ill. — NASCAR added Jeff Gordon to the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship field Friday, a stunning and unprecedented step in the fallout from at least two attempts to manipulate the results of the regular season-ending race at Richmond last weekend. Chairman Brian France expanded the field to 13 drivers for the first time since the format was implemented in 2004. Front Row Motorsports appeared to ask for a deal from Penske
Racing in the closing laps at Richmond as part of an apparent request from Penske to give Joey Logano pivotal track position he needed to earn a spot in the Chase. Logano passed Front Row driver David Gilliland, who then seemed to slow down by at least 1 mph, according to an Associated Press review of radio communications and data. France said NASCAR could not determine there was a bargain between Front Row and Penske, but still believed the move was necessary to protect the integrity
See NASCAR PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
TEXAS Continued from Page 1B mark at home. In an interview with the Austin AmericanStatesman this week, Dodds said “Mack’s fine.” Brown is under contract until 2020. He will earn about $5.4 million this year with annual raises built into his contract. Brown has said he has no plans to retire and said before the season he would not be fired while praising his support from school leadership. He also predicting he has his best team in years, one capable of winning the Big 12 and returning to national prominence. Texas starts its Big 12 schedule next week against Kansas State. But an embarrassing loss in the second game of the season, where Texas gave up a school record 550 yards rushing, led Brown to fire Diaz and install former assistant Greg Robinson as his defensive coordinator. ASH RULED OUT Texas quarterback David Ash will miss Saturday’s game against No. 25 Mississippi. Ash has been held out of practice since leaving in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss against BYU with head and shoulder injuries. The school said senior Case McCoy will start. Texas coach Mack Brown had said Ash could be a game-time decision. Longhorns athletic trainer Kenny Boyd announced in a statement that Ash will not play. Ash has accounted for seven touchdowns for the Longhorns (1-1). Freshman Tyrone Swoopes will backup McCoy.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B for an encore? "Try to top that and be consistent week in and week out," defensive end DeMarcus Ware said. "Getting turnovers like that doesn’t happen every game. So let’s say not getting a goose egg in any one of those categories." Too many goose eggs have been laid in recent years. It took six weeks for the Cowboys to force six turnovers last season. But the players gave a tantalizing indication that a reversal of fortune could be underway with Monte Kiffin. The defensive coordinator and his staff harped on the importance of forcing turnovers and backed that up with one drill after another during the off-season and training camp. "A tackle is not good enough," cornerback Morris Claiborne said repeating the mantra. "Get the ball out. "A sack is not good enough. You need a sack/ fumble." All of this fell into place for the Cowboys in the opener. Another bedrock principle did not. Prevent the big play. The Cowboys defense allowed gains of 70 and 57 yards. The Giants busted the Cowboys for four plays from 20 to 26 yards. That means New York collected 218 yards of offense in just six plays. It should come as no surprise that the coaching staff has mentioned those six plays more in the days leading up to the Kansas City game than the six turnovers. "We gave up big plays, and as coach (Jason) Garrett said, that’s a recipe for losing," linebacker Sean Lee said. "That’s what we talk about all the time. Turnovers, effort and not giving up big plays." New York’s receivers carved up the Cowboys secondary with simple slant patterns. Kansas
Photo by Layne Murdoch | AP
Dallas defensive end DeMarcus Ware and the Cowboys defense forced six turnovers and scored two touchdowns against New York. City’s Dwayne Bowe and Donnie Avery can’t wait to see what sort of damage they can inflict. Claiborne said the Cowboys secondary must do a better job of squeezing the receivers at the line of scrimmage. The Chiefs, meanwhile, are sure to test Claiborne and a dislocated shoulder
NASCAR Continued from Page 1B of the series. He said both teams had been placed on probation for the rest of the season. “Too many things altered the event and gave an unfair disadvantage to Jeff and his team,” France said. “More than anything it’s just the right thing to do. There were just too many things that went on Saturday night.” Gordon goes into the Chase as the 13th seed, 15 points behind leader Matt Kenseth when the 10-race series begins Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway. Truex, in his first comments since he was
knocked out of the Chase on Monday, said it’s been a surreal week. An unwitting victim of his teammates’ efforts to help him, he lost his Chase bid after driving the last two weeks with two broken bones in his wrist and a cast on his right arm. “Well, my team deserves to be in this Chase as much as any of those teams. If they’re going to start putting people back in, they ought to consider us, too,” Truex said. But Truex is still out, punishment for his teammates’ working so hard to help him get in. NASCAR
will hold a mandatory team and driver meeting Saturday to clarify “the rules of the road” moving forward. France would not specify what won’t be tolerated going forward. “Obviously we drew a line with the penalties with Michael Waltrip Racing,” France said. “We’re going to make sure that we have the right rules going forward, so that the integrity of the competitive landscape of the events are not altered in a way or manipulated.” The entire mess began a mere seven laps from the finish Saturday night with
TECH Continued from Page 1B But the relief performance of Tech’s Davis Webb had everybody’s attention. His 19-yard scoring pass to Marquez in the corner of the end zone with 3:48 remaining gave Tech the goahead score. The Red Raiders won their conference opener and improved to 3-0 in the Kliff Kingsbury era. No. 24 TCU fell to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in the Big 12. "That’s about as ugly as you can win, but we’ll take it," Kingsbury said on the field after the game with Tech students on the field. Webb, a former Prosper standout, replaced fellow freshman Baker Mayfield in the fourth quarter when Mayfield suffered an apparent leg injury. After projected starter Michael Brewer had aggravated a back injury, Webb had lost the preseason quarterback competition to Mayfield. Mayfield had blossomed, ranking second nationally in total offense for the first two games with Webb just a name on the depth chart, Now, in a tie game in front of 58,702 fans and a national TV audience, his time arrived on the 75-yard scoring drive. "I couldn’t be more proud," Kingsbury said. "He stepped up in the right way and was ready for that moment." Actually, Webb delivered twice. He appeared to give had apparently given Tech the lead when DeAndre Washington turned a tipped pass in the flat into a 50yard touchdown. But the officiating crew - in one of a series of strange calls ruled that Washington had dropped the ball just before crossing the goal -line. Coupled with an unsportsmanlike penalty, Tech retained possession but at its 16yard line. Ward found Marquez behind the TCU defense on third-and-14. Marquez had set up Tech’s first score, a 50-yard
that restricts the range of motion in his left arm and requires that he wear a harness. "They’re going to see can I work with it," Claiborne said. "Can I actually move with the brace on? "I have to prepare myself for that and be ready when it happens." Kansas City poses a much different challenge. No back ran for more than 23 yards against the Cowboys in Week 1. Charles can break off a run that long at any moment. Slowing Charles and the ground game is the first step toward slowing the Chiefs offense. "You definitely have got to stop the run," Kiffin said. "This is a big-time back. He’s very, very explosive. "He’s a special back, now. There’s no doubt." It’s been an interesting few days. Critics who once howled that the Cowboys didn’t force enough turnovers now point to the 478 yards they allowed against the Giants and postulate the defense is on shaky ground. Those same critics would find fault with someone who, after being lost in the desert for 72 hours, settled for tap water when he stumbled upon civilization instead of requesting Evian. Are the big plays a concern? Sure. But the turnovers the Cowboys forced altered the game’s complexion. Four of those six plays of more than 20 yards came in the fourth quarter after the Cowboys held a 30-17 lead. No one expects the Cowboys to force six turnovers against the Chiefs. That doesn’t mean they won’t try. "We’re going out there with the same mentality, that is go and get the ball out whether it’s in the air or someone is carrying it," Claiborne said. "Just try to strip the ball and punch at it or get it out anyway we can."
Texas Tech’s Davis Webb provided the go-ahead score as the Red Raiders upset No. 24 TCU on Thursday night. quick pregame appearance on the new widescreen video board at Jones AT&T Stadium. A real live fox made a cameo appearance behind the TCU bench. Mayfield, the nation’s most celebrated walk-on freshman quarterback, was good early and then encountered reality in the form of the TCU defense. He completed seven straight passes spanning the first and second drive. before finishing struggling like the offense. After 100 consecutive attempts without an interception, Mayfield threw two on his next six at-
gain late finishing positions to bump Gordon out of the Chase to aid Truex. Among the penalties levied against MWR was a $300,000 fine and the indefinite suspension of general manager Ty Norris. Bowyer, Truex and Brian Vickers were docked 50 points each, and their crew chiefs were placed on probation through the end of the year. Once NASCAR singled out that action, a Pandora’s box was opened and the apparent bargaining between Penske and Front Row became dicey.
A&M Continued from Page 1B
File photo by Stephen Spillman | AP
touchdown pass from Mayfield to Kenny Williams, with a hard block on TCU’s Sam Carter. TCU had tied the score game 10-10 earlier in the fourth quarter on a 69-yard drive, capped by a 17-yard run drive by B.J. Catalon. Trevone Boykin, starting in place of the injured Casey Pachall, ran for 101 yards on 20 carries but struggled throwing. He finished 22-of-36 for 194 yards with two interceptions. A blackout - with smidges of red - raised the intensity. Even former Tech standout Wes Welker, now a Denver Bronco, made a
Newman en route to a victory that would have given him the final spot in the Chase. MWR driver Clint Bowyer spun, bringing out a caution and setting in motion a chain of events that cost Newman the win and a Chase berth. It also cost Gordon a Chase berth and put Truex and Logano into the final two spots. It later became clear that Bowyer’s spin was deliberate — although NASCAR has said it can’t prove that — and that Bowyer and teammate Brian Vickers allowed Logano to
tempts. One was clearly his fault, a forced pass over the middle that was picked off by Chris Hackett. On the other, TCU’s Kevin White wrestled the ball away from Bradley Marquez on a well-thrown ball. Tech led, 10-0, at halftime, the first time the Red Raiders had blanked a Big 12 opponent in the first 30 minutes since Kansas State in 2009. And yes, Mike Leach was still coaching in Lubbock back then. TCU’s defense and Red Raiders mistakes combined to keep the Horned Frogs from getting buried early.
ing to become the first to win three straight titles. The Aggies have championship aspirations, too. In a couple of tuneup games leading into Saturday’s Southeastern Conference opener for both teams, Manziel has looked better than ever (six TD passes and 520 yards), showing no signs that an offseason in the spotlight has had any adverse effects on his game. Alabama’s only game was a 35-10 victory against Virginia Tech that — by Tide standards — was almost a letdown. Five things to know about the latest SEC Game of the Century: HOLD THE LINE Alabama’s rebuilt offensive line was one of the few areas of concern for the Tide coming into the season. The Virginia Tech game did nothing to soothe the worry warts. The Tide didn’t crack 100 yards rushing against Hokies. “After Virginia Tech everybody is talking about being disappointed in us,” guard Anthony Steen said, “and we’ve got a chip on our shoulder ... and we’re ready to prove something.” REINFORCEMENTS Texas A&M’s defense has been leaky against Rice and Sam Houston State. To plug the holes, the Aggies get back four key players — linebacker Steven Jenkins, defensive end Gavin Stansbury and cornerbacks Deshazor Everett and De’Vante Harris — after they missed much or all the first two games because of various suspensions. Jenkins is one of the few seniors on defense. “Just to have that confidence out there on the field, that swag, was permeating throughout the team yesterday in practice,” Aggies defensive coordinator Mark Snyder said earlier this week. THE OTHER QB AJ McCarron is no
Johnny Football, but Alabama fans aren’t complaining. The senior has two national championship rings and is one of the best quarterbacks in the country. One of his few mistakes last season was an interception near A&M’s goal line late in the fourth quarter. The best-laid plans for Alabama probably don’t involve getting into a high-scoring game with A&M’s super charged, up-tempo offense. But if it goes that route, McCarron and the Tide’s myriad playmakers should be up to the task. JOHNNY CAM Yes, CBS will have a camera on Manziel all day. Coach Kevin Sumlin was not pleased. And he doesn’t want Johnny Football to play with any less passion. “The intensity and emotion that he plays with is part of his game,” Sumlin said. “I don’t think that anybody around college football that watches him play denies that. Our job is to channel that type of emotion into a positive way of doing things.” SO, HOW DO YOU STOP MANZIEL? Saban and defensive coordinator Kirby Smart are about as good it gets when it comes to mixing defensive fronts and coverages, but Manziel is a game-plan wrecker. And A&M is loaded with talented tailbacks and receivers, so it’s not like he’s doing it on his own. “I think that he’s going to make some plays,” Saban said. “And I think athletically he extends a lot of plays but he extends a lot of plays to pass. It’s not like he’s just a runner that only extends the play scrambling and takes off running. You’re not going to make him a pocket passer, because if someone is not open, he’s not going to throw them the ball.”
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE BACON LOVER Dear Heloise: We love bacon at our house but don’t eat it often. I used to throw a lot away because it would go bad. Now when I buy bacon, I put a layer of wax paper on a cookie sheet. Then I lay single bacon slices across the cookie sheet (being careful that they don’t overlap). I put another layer of wax paper and continue until all of the bacon is on the cookie sheet. I cover the last layer of bacon with wax paper and put it in the freezer. About a day later, the bacon goes into a gallon zippered bag and is returned to the freezer. This makes every slice separate. I can use one slice to put in green beans, or as many as I want, and have no waste. — Dorothy N., Tyler, Texas PET PAL Dear Readers: Richard Behringer of Hill City, S.D., sent in a photo of his black, mixed-breed dog, Cerberus, sporting a bright-red bandana and
nifty goggles while riding in the sidecar of Richard’s motorcycle. He says, “Cerberus likes to ride in the sidecar, no matter the weather!” To see Cerberus riding in the motorcycle sidecar, visit my website at www.Heloise.com and click on “Pets.” — Heloise MEDICATION IN AN EMERGENCY Dear Heloise: I read you every day in The (Canton, Ohio) Repository. I keep medications in a plastic craft case with a handle at all times. This way, it is ready to go in case of a tornado warning, family emergency, etc. I even keep my vitamins and pain relievers in there — everything I may take on a daily basis. It struck me how easy this is after watching the news reports on tornadoes. It might take at least a week to get a new prescription. — Paula W., Alliance, Ohio Paula, this is a very good hint, especially if a person lives in an area that is prone to natural disasters. Don’t forget your pets, too! — Heloise
DENNIS THE MENACE
FAMILY CIRCUS
PEANUTS
GARFIELD
DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it:
DILBERT
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2013