The Zapata Times 9/25/2010

ZAPATA CROSS COUNTRY

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

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VIOLENCE

ZAPATA COUNTY ISD

Garcia hired She wants her schools to be ‘exemplary’

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Photo by Carlos Jasso | AP

Soldiers guard the crime scene where Prisciliano Rodriguez, mayor of the Doctor Gonzalez municipality, was shot dead by gunmen at his ranch 31 miles east of Monterrey, Mexico, on Thursday. Rodriguez is the fourth mayor in northern Mexico to be murdered in little more than a month.

Gangs target small-town mayors

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ ASSOCIATED PRESS

SANTIAGO, Mexico — Bladimiro Montalvo has one of the most dangerous jobs in this colonial town, and in all of Mexico. He’s the mayor.

The soft-spoken 67-year-old teacher distributes school supplies, organizes a job fair and works on improving the library.

He also tries to avoid ending up like his predecessor, who authorities say was kidnapped and shot to death last month by his own police officers, linked to the Zetas drug gang.

Three other small-town mayors in northeastern Mexico have been killed in the last month — the latest on Thursday, raising the total number

killed in border states this year to at least seven. On Friday, the mayor-elect of Gran Morelos, a town the border state of Chihuahua, was shot and critically wounded.

Mexican drug cartels have increasingly targeted such officials as they fight the government and each other, seeking control of drug markets and routes to the United States.

They use isolated, lightly patrolled towns to hide and to stash kidnap victims, weapons and drugs. They must co-opt or eliminate authority figures like mayors to assert control over both residents and police.

Santiago, a scenic town of 40,000 nestled against the Sier-

Zapata County ISD board of trustees selected Dr. Norma Garcia as superintendent Tuesday, and have now entered a mandatory waiting period before signing a contract with her.

Since the resignation of Romeo Rodriguez, the previous ZCISD superintendent, Garcia has been carrying the responsibilities of interim superintendent

and as chief instructional officer.

“It has been a tough act to balance, (but) I have managed quite well because I have excellent leaders to rely on,” Garcia wrote in e-mails to The Zapata Times.

“I will continue to lead the district in curriculum, instruction, and assessment, especially since this is a critical year for all Texas districts.”

Garcia will have to wait 21 days to sign a contract, as required by state law, attorney

FOOD, FUN AND GAMES Students enjoy probaditas, dancing

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

A

See MAYORS PAGE 10A

Museum duties clarified THE ZAPATA TIMES

After the decision to merge the Zapata County Museum of History with the Chamber of Commerce, both entities were still uncertain as to who would be responsible for specific duties, and to resolve the issue Commissioners Court signed a resolution at a special meeting Tuesday, assigning duties to start in January.

“It very well explains the duties of each of the entities and gives clarification, real concrete guidelines on how to operate the museum,” Commissioner Jose E. Vela said.

The resolution may be modi-

fied by the Commissioners Court at a later time, Vela added.

The resolution addressed concerns both the Chamber of Commerce president and chief executive officer, Jose F. “Paco” Mendoza, and the museum board of directors president, Hildegardo Flores, presented as priorities before the grand opening of the museum.

“It’s good to have something on paper stating what our responsibilities are,” Mendoza said. “My greatest concern was our (staffing), but I was very happy and satisfied with the resolution. It’s going to help keep

See MUSEUM PAGE 9A

See GARCIA PAGE 10A

HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH

ZAPATA COMMISSIONERS

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ

Juan Cruz said.

“The contract will be negotiated and on Oct. 19, the next regular school board meeting, (school board members) will agree on the terms and approve employment,” he said.

Garcia wrote in the e-mails to The Times that she created systems and procedures in order to communicate effectively with all departments, as well as with the

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

A variety of Mexican food items and desserts awaits students in a kindergarten class at A. L. Benavidez Elementary in San Ygnacio Friday afternoon as they participate in Hispanic Heritage Month activities.

.L. Benavides Elementary and other Zapata County ISD campuses celebrated Hispanic Heritage month by adding traditional food and games to the curriculum last week.

“We’re celebrating Hispanic Heritage month by bringing ‘probaditas’ and dancing to Mexican music,” said Leticia Muñoz, a kindergarten teacher at the school.

“Probaditas” are small portions of traditional Mexican food and pastries.

“Some parents brought tamales, enchiladas, flautas, cemitas, aroz de leche, ojarascas, and beans,” Muñoz said.

Before savoring the traditional treats, students danced to “la vibora de la mar,” la bamba, and other Mexican music.

When dancing “la vibora de la mar” (the snake of the sea), two students will hold hands to make a bridge and other students will hold hands to make a snake and travel under the human bridge.

Muñoz also taught her class about the Hispanic culture by explaining to her students the meaning of the word “Hispanic,” she said.

“I told them Hispanic is for people that come from countries where the Spanish language is

See HERITAGE PAGE 10A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, SEPT. 25

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Monte Mucho Audubon bird watching trip takes place at the Corpus Christi Hawk Watch in Hazel Bazemore Park, just north of Robstown, from 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The annual hawk migration is a true spectacle of the natural world. An average of 700,000+ raptors is counted each fall; expect to see at least 10,000+ on an average morning. Do not miss this event as it is truly a miracle of nature. Beginning birders and public are always welcomed. A car pool will depart from Laredo, call for details.

Visit www.meetup.com/montemucholaredo/calendar/14479839/ or call Raul Delgado at 763-7624.

FRIDAY, SEPT. 24 Billboard’s Number 1 recording artist, Daddy Yankee, will perform at the Laredo Energy Arena as part of his Mundial Tour. Concert is scheduled to start at 8 p.m. Visit learena.com or call Ticketmaster at 1-800745-3000.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 25 The Women’s City Club will host “Dancing with the Stars, Laredo Style” today at the Laredo Country Club, 1415 Country Club Drive. Dinner will be at 6:30 p.m., with the show beginning at 8 p.m. A table of eight costs $600. For reservations, call Esther Degollado at (956) 337-2523, Nancy de Anda at (956) 763-9960, Cindy Reyes at (956) 220-3187 or Molly Martinez at (956) 724-2300.

Unitrade presents Asian Night 2010 “Moon Festival.” This year’s spectacular event will feature music, a fashion show, live and silent auctions, cultural dances, traditional Asian food, and artistic performances.

Moon Festival will begin at 6 p.m. and will be held at the Laredo Energy Arena. For ticket information, call 2514351.

SUNDAY, OCT. 2 There will be a calf raffle drawing to be held today at the American Legion Post #486 fall dinner. The calf was donated by post commander Chale Guerra. Tickets are $2 each or $5 for three tickets. For more information, contact Beto Arambula at (956) 337-5117.

Funny man Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias returns to Laredo Energy Arena tonight, ready to knock the socks off the audience with his Comedy Central Live, The Fluffy Shop, Comedy Tour. Tickets are on sale now at all Ticketmaster locations, including the LEA Box Office, H.E.B. stores or charge by phone at 1-800-745-3000.

Call (956) 791-9192.

40th Annual Ladies State Chili Championship and 3rd Annual Open Barbeque Cookoff is scheduled at Yett Memorial Park, 1813 US Hwy 281 S., Blanco, from 11 to 11 p.m. Admission is free and proceeds benefit the Breast Cancer Resource Center. The event promises to be a day full of family fun as women chili cooks from all corners of Texas compete for the opportunity to wear the crown and claim the title of 2010 Texas Chili Queen. The top three winners qualify to cook at the prestigious Original Terlingua International Frank Tolbert – Wick Fowler Championship Chili Cookoff in November. The barbeque competition is open to cooks of both genders. The Girly Man Beauty Contest starts at 11 a.m. Chili samples for public tasting at 1 p.m. Moby Slick will be live at 7 p.m. Call Susie Higgins at 512-558-1321 or visit ladiesstate.org for details and entry forms.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 6 Shakira, one of the most exciting and successful global artists in recent history, with more than 214 global award nominations and more than 50 million albums sold worldwide, will perform in Laredo tonight at the Laredo Energy Arena. For more information, call (956) 791-9192 Saturday, Oct. 9 The Laredo Firefighters Association proudly presents Firefest 2010 with Ramon Ayala, Solido and Duelo scheduled to perform. The event will be hosted at the Laredo Energy Arena and is scheduled to begin at 5 p.m.

Pre-sale tickets are $15 and $25 at the door. Get your tickets at LEA box office windows, Danny’s Restaurant, Tortamex Restaurant, La Roca locations, Central Fire Station and Casa Raul South. For more information, call Roger Gonzalez at 956-744-5495.

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

Photo by Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman | AP

Texas State Board of Education member David Bradley challenges Brian Spears of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State to find the phrase "separation of church and state" in the U.S. Constitution during a meeting of the board to discuss Islam and Christianity in textbooks in Austin on Friday.

Ed board: Limit Islam

By APRIL CASTRO ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — The Texas State Board of Education adopted a resolution Friday that seeks to curtail references to Islam in Texas textbooks, as social conservative board members warned of what they describe as a creeping Middle Eastern influence in the nation’s publishing industry.

The board approved the one-page nonbinding resolution, which urges textbook publishers to limit what they print about Islam in world history books, by a 7-5 vote.

Critics say it’s another example of the ideological board trying to politicize public education in the Lone Star State. Kathy Miller, president of the Texas Freedom Network, which advocates religious freedom, questioned why the resolution came at a time of anti-Muslim rhetoric.

“It’s hard not to conclude that the misleading claims in this resolution are either based on ignorance of what’s in the textbooks or, on the other hand, are an example of fearmongering and playing politics,” Miller said.

Future boards that will choose the state’s next generation of social studies texts will not be bound by the resolution.

“This is an expression of the board’s opinion, so it does not have an effect on any particular textbook,” said David Anderson, the general counsel for the Texas Education Agency, when asked by a board member what weight the resolution would carry.

“So this is a cosmetic exercise?” asked board member Mavis Knight, a Democrat from Dallas.

The resolution cites books no longer used that it says devoted more lines to Islamic beliefs and practices than Christian ones.

DA tracks down murder suspect after 21 years

Ex-police officer gets prison for faking camp

Group asks court to look at arson case

HOUSTON — A murder suspect who disappeared from a Houston courtroom just before his trial was to begin 21 years ago has been arrested in New York, where he had been living and working under an alias.

Theodore Emerson Dominguez, 57, is accused of stabbing and killing 24-year-old Camilo Sanchez in 1988 after the two fought over a woman.

HOUSTON — A jury has sentenced a former Houston police officer to 16 years in prison after she was convicted of attempting to steal more than $400,000 through a bogus basketball camp for hurricane evacuees.

Tracie Denise Bell also was fined nearly $10,000 for the scheme in which she contracted to put on a nonexistent summer basketball camp for children.

Librarian sexually assaulted in library

FBI: Family ran guns and drugs from home

DALLAS — The Innocence Project is asking a Texas court to “restore the reputation” of a man it says was wrongly executed after being convicted of killing his three children in a fire.

The group filed a petition in state district court in Austin on Friday, asking a judge to hold a hearing examining whether fire investigators were wrong in ruling that arson was the cause of a 1991 fire that killed Cameron Todd Willingham’s three daughters. He was executed in 2004.

DALLAS — Police say they are searching for a man who sexually assaulted a woman in the public library where she works in southeast Dallas.

Dallas police spokesman Kevin Janse said the attack occurred before the library opened Thursday morning.

The woman, who was injured, did not know her assailant, police said.

HENDERSON — A federal SWAT team this week raided an east Texas property belonging to a family accused of selling drugs, firearms, prostitutes and fake identification documents.

Victor Hernandez Hernandez, 30, faces a charge of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamines. His attorney said the charges could change after a federal grand jury meets.

Woman on cell phone hit by 2nd train dies TORNILLO — A school principal talking on her cell phone died Thursday afternoon when she drove around a crossing gate near a stopped first train and was hit by a second train.

The victim was 38-year-old Stephanie Segura of El Paso.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Judge halts criminal proceedings

CONTACT US

PLACERVILLE, Calif. — A judge suspended criminal proceedings Friday against the man accused of kidnapping Jaycee Dugard when she was a child and holding her prisoner for 18 years, citing concerns about the defendant’s mental state.

The judge did not halt proceedings against Garrido’s wife, Nancy, who faces similar counts.

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Judge clears way for 1st execution since ’06 SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge cleared the way Friday for California’s first execution since 2006, citing the state’s efforts to revise its lethal injection procedure amid court concerns that it had amounted to cruel and unusual punishment.

A judge said in his ruling the execution of convicted killer and rapist Albert Greenwood Brown

Today is Saturday, Sept. 25, the 268th day of 2010. There are 97 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Sept. 25, 1789, the first United States Congress adopted 12 amendments to the Constitution and sent them to the states for ratification. (Ten of the amendments became the Bill of Rights.)

On this date: In 1513, Spanish explorer Vasco Nunez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and sighted the Pacific Ocean.

In 1690, one of the earliest American newspapers, Publick Occurrences, published its first — and last — edition in Boston.

In 1775, American Revolutionary War hero Ethan Allen was captured by the British as he led an attack on Montreal.

(Allen was released by the British in 1778.)

In 1919, President Woodrow Wilson collapsed after a speech in Pueblo, Colo., during a national speaking tour in support of the Treaty of Versailles.

In 1956, the first trans-Atlantic telephone cable went into service.

In 1957, nine black students who’d been forced to withdraw from Central High School in Little Rock, Ark., because of unruly white crowds were escorted to class by members of the U.S. Army’s 101st Airborne Division.

In 1970, German-born American novelist Erich Maria Remarque, author of “All Quiet on the Western Front,” died in Locarno, Switzerland at age 72.

In 1978, 144 people were killed when a Pacific Southwest Airlines Boeing 727 and a private plane collided over San Diego.

In 1979, the Andrew Lloyd Webber-Tim Rice musical “Evita,” starring Patti LuPone as Eva Peron, opened on Broadway.

In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was sworn in as the first female justice on the Supreme Court.

Ten years ago: In Yugoslavia, opposition presidential candidate Vojislav Kostunica claimed victory in weekend elections over incumbent Slobodan Milosevic. In Sydney, Australia, Cathy Freeman became the first Aborigine to win an individual Olympic gold medal, capturing the women’s 400 meters. Michael Johnson of the United States became the first man to defend a 400-meter title.

Five years ago: President George W. Bush wrapped up a three-day trip designed to convey hands-on leadership during the Gulf Coast hurricanes, promising to act on military leaders’ request for a national search-and-rescue strategy.

Today’s Birthdays: Broadcast journalist Barbara Walters is 81. Folk singer Ian Tyson is 77. Rhythm-and-blues singer Joe Russell is 71. Defense Secretary Robert Gates is 67. Actor Robert Walden is 67. Actor-producer Michael Douglas is 66. Model Cheryl Tiegs is 63. Actress Mimi Kennedy is 61. Actor-director Anson Williams is 61. Actor Mark Hamill is 59. Basketball Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo is 59.

Thought for Today: “The richer your friends, the more they will cost you.” — Elisabeth Marbury, American writer (1856-1933).

Photo by Ted S. Warren | AP

Margaret Witt, center, and her partner, Laurie McChesney, left, leave the federal courthouse in Tacoma, Wash., on Friday. A federal judge ruled Friday that Witt, discharged from the Air Force for being gay, should be given back her job. could proceed Wednesday.

Stocks reignite a rally as economic woes fade NEW YORK — Stocks rose sharply Friday, giving the market

its fourth straight week of gains, after a big increase in orders for manufactured goods shook off the doldrums.

The Dow Jones industrial average jumped nearly 200 points, its first gain in three days.

— Compiled from AP reports

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted.

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The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500.

The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

VILLARREAL STUDENTS OF THE WEEK

STUDENTS READING AND ACHIEVING

Courtesy photo

Villarreal Elementary School Students of the Week for Sept. 20-4 are pictured recently. In the bottom row, left to right, are: Biannca Del Bosque, Kaylee Moreno, Darlenne Torres-Saenz, Pedro Vaughn and Dagoberto Solis III. In the second row, left to right, are: Gavin Martinez, Mariana Nino, Leslie Ubaldo, Benita Alvarez, Pamela Flores, Kaylah Jackson and Gaby Nino. In the third row, left to right, are: Erik Santos, Alan Lamoglia, Jessica Barrera, Mia Arias, Raul Garza, Gustavo Rodriguez and Jesse Fernandez.

In the top row, left to right, are: Selene Garza, Estefania Lamoglia, Katarina Montes, Evelyn Briseno, Malissa Solis, Sonia Garcia, Perla Garza, Edgar Hernandez and Luis Poblano.

Courtesy photo

Villarreal Elementary School students Eric Chapa, Rolando Martinez and Cindy Zuñiga work in a hands-on reading center in Liliana R. Martinez’s third-grade classroom recently.

READY TO SERVE HIS PRECINCT

Mexican mayor slain in small town

By MARK WALSH ASSOCIATED PRESS

Courtesy photo

Zapata County Judge Rosalva Guerra swears in Julian Gutierrez as constable for Precinct 2 on On Sept. 13.

Journalists talk cartels, censorship

By KATHERINE CORCORAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEXICO CITY — The threats, four or five of them, came to reporters at Imagen, a daily newspaper in the once-quiet state of Zacatecas where drug cartels have taken over in just the last few years. Then editor Patricia Mercado got a phone call ordering her to print a prepared article or she would be kidnapped.

Mercado ran the story — verbatim — of an innocent young man killed by the army, which was committing human rights abuse.

“If it’s a question of life or death, I have no trouble making a decision. The lives of my reporters are most important,” she said,

after telling a group of Mexican journalists Thursday that traffickers from the Zetas cartel have “almost become the news editors.”

Her colleagues from across the country told similar stories of attacks, intimidation and self-censorship in a rare public debate days after El Diario de Juarez wrote a stunning editorial calling drug cartels the de facto authorities in Ciudad Juarez and saying, “Tell us what you want.”

President Felipe Calderón said Wednesday he would push legal reforms to protect journalists and create a security plan after he met with the Committee to Protect Journalists and

THE BLOTTER BURGLARY Deputies responded to a burglary call at Rogelio’s Taqueria at about 11 a.m. Sept. 19 near the intersection of Eighth Avenue and Texas 16.

Deputies responded to a burglary call around 7 p.m. Sept.

19 in the 600 block of Miraflores Avenue. A woman told officers a man she knows entered her residence and stole a computer part.

PUBLIC INTOXICATION Deputies arrested Elpidio Vallejo on charges of public intoxication at 2:16 a.m. Sept. 19 in the intersection of 24th Avenue and Elm Street. A deputy found the man highly intoxicated and hiding behind a utility pole, according to an incident report.

The man was booked and taken to Zapata Regional Jail.

THEFT Deputies responded to a theft call at 12:30 p.m. Monday in the 100 block of Madison Avenue. An employee of L.C.A. Oil Field Rental and Services said someone he knows stole an alligator jack.

Deputies responded to a theft call around 10 a.m.

Wednesday in the 600 block of Papaya Drive. The complainant stated that someone stole two weed eaters from the location.

the Inter American Press Association, which sponsored Thursday’s conference.

At the same time, the Attorney General’s office announced the first lead in the 2008 killing of El Diario crime reporter Armando Rodriguez, saying soldiers had detained a suspect who described how Rodriguez was killed and said the journalist was targeted because of his work.

El Diario editor Pedro Torres, who ran the provocative editorial after a second of his journalists, 21year-old photographer Luis Carlos Santiago, was killed

last week, said he was skeptical about the arrest, given its timing.

“Every time there is pressure … they find an escape valve. They present someone, an important arrest,” Torres told The Associated Press. In two years, he has yet to be interviewed about Rodriguez’s death. “It’s very hard to believe in an investigation that is carried out this way,” Torres said.

El Diario’s editorial dominated the public discourse all week in a country the U.N. called the most dangerous place for journalists in the Americas.

MONTERREY, Mexico — Gunmen killed a town mayor near the drugplagued industrial city of Monterrey, authorities said Friday, the fourth mayor in northern Mexico to be murdered in little more than a month.

Prisciliano Rodriguez Salinas was gunned down late Thursday as he was leaving his house with a personal employee in the town of Doctor Gonzalez, about 30 miles east of Monterrey, the Nuevo Leon state Attorney General’s office said.

The employee, Eliseo Lopez Riojas, who was picking up equipment from the mayor’s house, was also killed when gunmen in a white car waiting outside started firing.

Investigators found 19 shells from two weapons at the scene. The mayor was shot seven times.

Drug gangs warring for territory and smuggling routes in northern Mexico have increasingly targeted political figures in the region, though the attorney general said aspects of Rodriguez’s killing were uncharacteristic of gangs.

“The act, in terms of

waiting for the mayor outside his house … is not a very common tactic for organized crime,” state Attorney General Alejandro Garza y Garza said.

“So we’re not ruling out any line of investigation.”

Garza y Garza said he was unaware of any threats against the mayor.

Town clerk Reinaldo Campos also told The Associated Press that he knew of no threats.

Police officers from the town were taken to Monterrey for questioning about the killings, though Garza y Garza said none were under arrest.

Hermenegildo Linares Robledo, assistant to the town clerk, said normal activities at the town hall had been suspended and confirmed that state police were patrolling the streets, though there were no soldiers in view.

“There are very few people in the streets,” he told the AP. “Right now the mood is tense and quiet.”

Nuevo Leon Gov. Rodrigo Medina said that his administration “will not be intimidated, that we do not give in.”

President Felipe Calderón condemned the attack and sent his condolences to the family.

Zopinion

PAGE 4A

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

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COLUMN

OTHER VIEWS

Using fear as a campaign tactic

By GARY ANDRES HEARST NEWSPAPERS

W

ASHINGTON — Voter interest in the November elections continues its staggered crescendo. For candidates and consultants the long opus nears its denouement. But nonpoliticos — who react to different rhythms — are just now beginning to stir.

As they listen more intently they will hear a familiar score — echoes of campaigns past with a hint of desperation in the Democratic Party’s musicianship.

Similar ideas I spent the last week canvassing strategists and party activists about the policy and tactical themes candidates will highlight this fall. A number of common themes emerged.

First, Democrats’ biggest worry is turnout.

All the energy this year is on the conservative side of the ledger. Tea partiers are just the tip of this motivational asymmetry.

A Republican House leader who has traveled throughout the country summed it up this way: “I literally have people come up to me everywhere I go and say, ‘I just can’t wait to vote.’ That’s never happened before in my political career.”

Polling numbers support his experience. Gallup reported in late August that Republicans were twice as likely to be “very enthusiastic” about voting compared to Democrats, opening the largest lead the GOP had held on that indicator all year.

Try fear Second, Democrats believe that the antidote to the enthusiasm gap is fear — fear GOP House leader John Boehner, fear Sarah Palin, fear the tea party.

If 2008 hyped “hope,” 2010 will hammer horror.

A GOP political strategist reinforced this point.

“We’re seeing it all across the country in Democratic incumbent ads,” he said. “And there’s more coming.

They are trying to raise fears about issues like Social Security privatization and protecting the ‘rich’ over the middle class. It’s not like we haven’t heard this stuff before.”

These attacks will intensify over the next few weeks as well-funded incumbents try to raise the fear factor through paid advertising.

Questions And here’s a third theme: Persuasion is not the goal. These fear fusillades are all about mobilization — trying to scare traditional Democratic voters into action.

But will it work?

The evidence here is mixed. Social scientists have tried to understand the complicated interplay between motivation and action when it comes to political participation.

One unique study that explores this connection was reported in a 2004 article in the

journal Political Psychology titled “Threat as a Motivator of Political Activism,” by political scientists Joanne M. Miller and Jon A. Krosnick.

The authors found that policy “threat” (this particular study focused on possible changes in abortion policy) induced citizens to make financial contributions to interest groups more than other motivators (like perceptions of policy change opportunities).

But the authors also found that fear motivates some types of political action more than others.

In this study, it led to more contributions, but not other modes of involvement — like signing post cards. The study didn’t explore the impact of fear on turnout.

The power of fear is most likely mitigated by other emotions, like disappointment. Organized labor is a case in point this year. While some union members may perceive threat from a Republican takeover of the House or Senate, more seem to feel the pinch of a stagnant economy and disillusionment with Democrats’ accomplishments.

Unemployment that comes precariously close to double digits doesn’t help. Neither does the fact that unions have not realized many of their goals in Congress or at the National Labor Relations Board, and many labor members felt legislation like cap-and-trade only aggravated a deteriorating jobs outlook in the Midwest.

Not a lot for a shop steward to write home about.

Down on Dems New York Times reporter Steven Greenhouse, in a story titled “Unions Find Members Slow to Rally Behind the Democrats,” underscores this point. He quotes Gerald McEntee, president of the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, expressing the rank and file’s collective funk.

“They’ve been disappointed that the House and Senate haven’t done more, especially to create jobs.”

Another nationally known political analyst speaking on background put it more bluntly, telling a group that when labor organizers knock on the doors of union households these days, trying to find people to hit the streets for the Democrats, instead they confront “a lot of people watching Glenn Beck.”

Already used Using fear as a political mobilizing tool is clearly not a new tactic.

Its roots run deep in the forest of electoral methods. Expect to hear a lot of scary messages in the next six weeks.

But there is also an irony in the strategy. The fear-based attacks themselves are motivated by another kind of dread — Democratic panic that a lethal dose of disappointment, complacency, and rank-and-file anger will conspire to kill their congressional majority.

That’s a song Democrats don’t want to hear.

COLUMN

No changes after Afghanistan

By JONATHAN GURWITZ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The Aug. 9 issue of Time magazine seemingly posed a simple question: What happens if we leave Afghanistan? Only, there was no question mark.

The phrase wasn’t a question. It was a statement: THIS is what happens if we leave Afghanistan.

On the cover, Time printed a disturbing portrait of a beautiful 18-year-old Afghan girl. She had run away from her husband’s house where she said she was abused by her in-laws.

After she was caught, her husband and in-laws delivered the punishment decreed by the local Taliban commander — they cut off her nose and ears and left her to bleed to death.

Problems Many things have gone confoundingly wrong in Afghanistan. Corruption is rampant. The opium trade is flourishing. Areas of the country that had been cleared of the Taliban have once again fallen under its brutal control.

After nine years, nearly 1,300 Americans have lost their lives in Afghanistan.

Thousands more have been

injured. With American casualties rising, President Obama faces increasing pressure to stick to — or accelerate — his announced deadline to begin withdrawing troops next July. That pressure comes not only from the anti-war left, but also from critics of nation building on the right.

Better lives One thing has gone unquestionably right in Afghanistan, however. Half of the nation’s population — its women and girls — has a better life, a better opportunity to obtain a basic education and a better chance to become productive members of a society that, by the way, no longer serves as a training camp for international terrorism.

“If we withdraw completely,” Mavis Leno told me, “we will be exactly where we were before the war — exactly the same, as if the war had never been fought.” For Leno, the wife of comedian Jay Leno, the plight of Afghan women is not some newfound Hollywood cause celebre.

Clinton success A lifelong feminist, Leno

assumed leadership of the Feminist Majority Foundation’s Campaign to Stop Gender Apartheid in Afghanistan in 1997, one year after the Taliban took power in Kabul and four years before 9-11. Her first major success was in helping convince President Bill Clinton to withdraw support for an oil pipeline that would have provided the Taliban with hard currency.

Again and again Now Leno is worried that a bipartisan consensus that emerged over the Clinton and Bush years on Afghanistan is falling apart.

“What is horrific is,” she says, “I don’t doubt that we will be back there fighting the same war in 10 or 15 years.”

I spoke on a conference call last week with Army Capt. Janis Lullen and 1st Sgt. Kristin J. Norton from Kabul. Lullen and Norton, from the 95th Training Division, are preparing to graduate the first class of 29 women officer candidates for the Afghan National Army. The women had to be high school graduates and pass a series of tests to be considered for the course. About 20 percent have college degrees

or some level of college education.

Challenges As women, the officers will face immense challenges in a traditional society impoverished by decades of war. But their ability to face those challenges in Afghanistan would have been unimaginable only a few short years ago.

“I just wanted to ... let the people know that this is something that I felt very honored to come out here to do,” Lullen said. “This is making history with another country, bringing women into the military. It’s a huge feat.”

Power hungry The United States and the West walked away from Afghanistan once before.

When we did, the country became a base for religious fanatics who made the execution of women a sporting event and who eventually exported their violent ideology to American shores.

You can despise war and nation building all you want. But if those fanatics take power again, they won’t be content to simply cut off the noses of disobedient Afghan women.

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

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

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

We want to assure our

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

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

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

ing or gratuitous abuse is allowed.

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

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

PAGE 6A

Zentertainment

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

NL prepares statewide festival XXII Festival Internacional Tamaulipas kicks off next weekend

By MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV Courtesy photo

LAREDO MORNING TIMES

NUEVO LAREDO — The northern Mexican state of Tamaulipas will be full of culture during 11 October days when the XXII Festival Internacional Tamaulipas kicks off Saturday, Oct. 2.

This year’s festival will have fewer international artists than previous editions, but organizers said in a recent press conference that they have not lowered the quality of the performances.

The festival will feature 46 events in Nuevo Laredo, some in outdoor venues and others at the Centro Cultural de Nuevo Laredo, located on the city’s southeast side.

The performances include artists from different disciplines: dance, music, literature, theater and art.

Due to his intense work and dedication to Mexican culture, the late school-

Rosana Saenz, Christina Cuellar, Catherine Cuellar and Daniela Barrera wear traditional Asian attire at last year’s Asian Night, held at TAMIU. This year’s event will be Saturday at the arena.

Arena hosts Asian Night 2010 Courtesy photo

The Ballet Folklorico de Mexico de Amalia Hernandez, above, will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 7, at Centro Cultural de Nuevo Laredo on the city’s southeast side. Tickets are $15 to $25. teacher Sergio Peña will be honored. Peña died early this year.

“Despite having such an international career, Pena spent his last years in the city he was born (in),” said Elvia Mendoza-Hinojosa, the Festival de Tamualipas president. “He worked hard, and he left a cultural stamp to many generations of young artists who were born in this city.”

Lupita Bello, of the festival’s organizing commit-

tee, said the festival will also pay tribute to Ramoncita Esparza Gonzalez, the well-known owner of local television stations.

Festival officials said the festival is being organized by many people, giving it “a colorful feel” and “motivating the community.”

The festival will feature many artists performing across the city, with some events free.

One of those events in-

cludes “La Mantra,” of Veracruz, performing at the Lucio Blanco theater inside the Casa de la Cultura on Sunday, Oct. 10.

The 11 days will be full of various events, and organizers said tickets are available for purchase for events that aren’t free at the Centro Cultural.

A pass for the whole festival is about $150, while single-event tickets range from $15 to $25. The Centro Cultural’s capacity is 1,200.

Maroon 5 still searching for sound

By JOEY GUERRA HOUSTON CHRONICLE

Maroon 5 sounds a bit like ’N Sync, a little like Jason Mraz and, fleetingly, like Michael Jackson on its new disc, “Hands All Over.”

This is not necessarily a compliment.

Let’s be blunt: Maroon 5 has never really sounded like Maroon 5 (whatever that groove might be). The band boasts a handsome (at times too-thin) lead singer and just enough pop polish

to hook radio. But its sound is an afterthought, somewhere between fashionshow backdrop and sportsbar annoyance. There’s nothing unique or particularly memorable throughout any of its albums.

“Hands All Over,” online and in stores Tuesday, was produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lange, whose arsenal includes monumental albums from AC/DC, Def Leppard and ex-wife Shania Twain. But this, to quote Twain, don’t impress

REVIEW me much. It likely won’t take up quality residence in that rocket-fueled canon.

Lange smooths out Maroon 5’s faux funk, dance and rock edges, and he seems to have gotten a handle on Adam Levine’s famously nasal delivery. But it never really goes anywhere. The songs are pristine but bloodless, and too much of it feels disjointed.

(It’s easy to imagine “Just a

COMING UP Gabriel Iglesias, Shakira tickets still available Tickets to comedian Gabriel Iglesias’ performance and superstar Shakira’s concert at the Laredo Entertainment Center are still available.

Iglesias, known as “Fluffy,” is set to perform Saturday, Oct. 2 at the LEA. Tickets to Fluffy’s 8 p.m. show are $38.50, plus facility fees.

Superstar Shakira’s concert is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 6, also at the LEA. It will mark the first time Shakira has visited the Gateway City since February 2003, when she sold out back-to-back, weekday shows at the venue.

Tickets to Shakira are $39.50 to $149.50, plus fees, and are available through Ticketmaster.

‘Menudo Bowl’ seeks new logo After 15 years, Laredo Crime Stoppers, Inc. is retiring the current “Menudo Bowl” logo, and is holding a contest to find a new logo. A $250 cash prize will be presented to the designer of the winning entry.

The past 15 years have seen the “Crime Stoppers Menudo Bowl” grow and change, so the board of directors is looking for a new, dynamic and vibrant logo to reflect the Menudo Bowl and all of its components. All submissions are due by 5 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 1.

Rules, regulations and application for the logo competition are available at the Laredo Crime Stoppers, Inc. office at 1200 Washington, Laredo, TX, or online at www.laredocrimestoppers.org. Applicants may also ask for an application to be sent to by e-mail at crimestoppers@bizlaredo.rr.com. For more information, call 7241876.

‘The Lion in Winter’ at TAMIU The Laredo Theatre Guild International presents “The Lion in Winter” at the Texas A&M International University fine arts theater.

Scheduled for Oct. 14-17 and Oct. 21-23, “The Lion in Winter” is directed by Carllyn Walker. Written by James Goldman in 1966, the comedy is about King Henry II, his wife, Eleanor, and their three sons, John, Richard and Geoffrey, who are battling to succeed their father.

Set around Christmas in 1183, the play also involves King Phillip II of France and his sister Alais, according to Walker.

Tickets will go on sale in the next two

Courtesy photo

Austin-based trance music duo DJ/producers Tritonal will perform at F Ultra Lounge on Friday, Oct. 1. The performance will feature live vocals from Christina Soto, a singer who has been featured on many of Tritonal’s hits. Presale tickets for the show are limited. For more information, call Rey Gonzalez at 235-0504. weeks.

Pageant at Mall del Norte looks for Cover Miss, Cover Boy Mall del Norte will host a beauty pageant for girls aged 0 to 25 and for boys aged 0 to 6.

The America’s Cover Miss and Cover Boy USA contest is seeking applicants for the 27th consecutive year.

There will be eight age divisions for girls and three age divisions for boys. Winners will be eligible to compete for prizes such as crowns, sashes and trophies, plus savings bonds and gifts.

Fee is $40 and anyone can enter.

Registration begins at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 15. The contests start at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, call (972) 552-9954 or visit www.txcovermiss.com

Bellas Artes quartet at TAMIU Thursday As part of Mexico’s Bicentennial Celebration, TAMIU will host the quartet from the Palacio de Bellas Artes, the historic and famous cultural arts hall in Mexico City.

The concert is presented by the Instituto Cultural Mexicano de Laredo and the Mexican Consulate in Laredo.

Scheduled for 7 p.m. Thursday, the concert will be at the TAMIU recital hall at the school’s Center for the Fine and Performing Arts.

Tickets are free and available for pickup at the Univision studios, TAMIU’s fine arts center and the Laredo Center for Arts.

— Laredo Morning Times

Feeling”’s gauzy candlelight groove sung by Twain, who would have given it some much-needed fizz.)

So much tinkering makes several of the songs — “I Can’t Lie,” “Runaway,” “Get Back in My Life” — oddly generic, as if they could be slightly altered for dozens of other acts. More bass and beat?

Give it to Jason Derulo. A touch more mopiness?

Hand it over to the Script or the Maine.

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Laredo Asian Association will celebrate Asian Night 2010 at the Laredo Energy Arena on Saturday.

The significance of this date is the celebration of the Moon Festival, a centuries-old Asian tradition.

Now in its fourth year, Asian Night has been getting more support from sponsors, patrons and the entire community after last year’s extravaganza.

This year marks the fourth year Asian Night — an event enjoyed by the city’s culturally diverse community — has been presented in Laredo.

Asian Night is a unique celebration that will feature artistic performances, a runway show with elaborate traditional costumes and de-

lectable ethnic food from several Asian regions.

The highlight will be an eclectic fashion show, which will include traditional attire from more than 15 countries.

The evening will also feature a silent auction, including jewelry, artwork, and unique packages, such as San Antonio Spurs tickets, boxing gloves autographed by Manny Pacquiao, collector’s edition gold coins from the 2008 Beijing Olympics and a weekend stay at Hotel Valencia in San Antonio.

Tickets are $75 and are available at Tokyo Garden on Del Mar Boulevard.

They include entertainment and food. For more information, call Anselmo Castro at 206-8200 or Hector J. Chapa at 2514351.

SÁBADO 25 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2010

Agenda en Breve SÁBADO 25 DE SEPTIEMBRE LAREDO — La Sala de Usos Múltiples H-E-B de la Biblioteca Pública de Laredo (1120 E. Calton Road) se transformará en un estudio de arte hoy de 11 a.m. a 3 p.m. durante el evento H-E-B One City, One Book Art Fest.

Aunque el evento es gratuito y abierto al público en general, se sugiere traer cinco artículos no perecederos que serán donados al Banco de Alimentos del Sur de Texas.

Se proveerá de artículos de arte a los participantes.

LAREDO — Pase la tarde en el Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU y explore “The Zula Patrol: Under the Weather” a las 5 p.m., “Seven Wonders” a las 6 p.m., y “Rock on Demand” a las 7 p.m. Entrada general es de 5 dólares. Más información en el 326-DOME. LAREDO — Unitrade presenta Asian Night 2010 “Moon Festival” con música, un desfile de moda, y una subasta en vivo y en silencio, danzas culturales, comida tradicional de Asia y presentaciones artísticas. El evento inicia a las 6 p.m. en el Laredo Energy Arena. Para boletos llame al 251-4351.

NUEVO LAREDO — Hoy a la 1 p.m. es el casting para actores de “Estampas de la Historia de México, según Posada”, un espectáculo del grupo Percha Teatro de Monterrey, Nuevo León, en el Teatro “Lucio Blanco” de la Casa de la Cultura.

NUEVO LAREDO — Festival Infantil de la Independencia, III Parte, recibe a Agustín de Iturbide y Vicente Guerrero con cuentos, dinámicas y presentación de mural a las 2 p.m. en Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita.

NUEVO LAREDO — Cine Club Infantil presenta “Las Locuras de Kronk” a las 3:30 p.m. en Estación Palabra. Entrada gratuita.

NUEVO LAREDO — Sábados de Museos para Niños presenta “El Mundo de los Insectos” a las 4 p.m. en el Museo Reyes Meza. Entrada gratuita.

NUEVO LAREDO — Hoy, en el Concierto Rock Plaza, se presenta el Grupo Breed Society a las 7 p.m. en la Plaza Juárez. Entrada gratuita.

Zfrontera

PÁGINA 7A

Luchan por región fronteriza Gobernador habló acerca de la urgente necesidad de recursos TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Al participar en la Séptima Sesión Plenaria de Ciudades Fronterizas del Norte de México, en San Diego, California, el presidente municipal de Nuevo Laredo, Ramón Garza Barrios, pugnó por la creación de una Comisión Intersecretarial e Intergubernamental en la materia, que dé respuestas a las necesidades que viven las ciudades de la región.

Garza Barrios, quien encabeza la mesa de Relaciones Internacionales, mencionó que dicha comisión debe contar con la representación de todas las secretarías de Estado, así como de la Cámara de Diputados y la de Senadores involucrados en la temática fronteriza.

Esta reunión es la primera que se da en carácter binacional, ya que participan por primera vez alcaldes del sur de los EU. Como anfitrión de la sesión estuvo el Alcalde de San Diego, Jerry Sanders.

Entre los temas que se abordaron figuran los relacionados a la

Seguridad Pública, Migración, Municipalismo, Desarrollo Económico, Relaciones Internacionales, Medio Ambiente, Salud e Infraestructura y Desarrollo Urbano.

Entre los acuerdos que se establecieron en la mesa de Relaciones Internacionales figuran revisar el Artículo 9-A de la Ley de Coordinación Fiscal, a fin de que se incremente el porcentaje de recursos que se destinan a los municipios fronterizos.

Garza Barrios propuso que se haga una estrategia en la Dirección General de Aduanas, para fortalecer el programa SIAVE, que afecta todas las fronteras, en el flujo de los cruces internacionales de personas que vienen del extranjero.

También se acordó darle atención a las necesidades de la frontera en el tema de la repatriación de connacionales, a fin de apoyarlos para que regresen a sus ciudades de origen.

Presentes en la reunión estuvieron los alcaldes José Reyes Ferriz,

de Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua; José Ángel Hernández Barajas, de Nogales, Sonora; Jorge Ramos Hernández, de Tijuana, Baja California; así como representantes de otros municipios de ambos lados de la frontera.

En este marco, se firmó el acta constitutiva de la Asociación de Municipios Fronterizos en el Norte de México A. C.

Respaldo estatal La semana pasada, el Gobernador de Tamaulipas Eugenio Hernández Flores también expuso durante la XXVIII Conferencia de Gobernadores Fronterizos en Santa Fé, California, la necesidad de plantear la urgente necesidad de canalizar mayores recursos adicionales a los proyectos de desarrollo fronterizo de la región norte de México.

“Los estados Fronterizos somos fuente de empleo, de productividad y competitividad, pero en muchas ciudades a disminuido la cal-

CIUDAD MIER, PUEBLO MÁGICO

PASADO Y ORGULLO

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

NUEVO LAREDO — Casa de la Cultura Extramuros presenta al Grupo de danza folklórica “Mextli” a las 7 p.m. en la Plaza Comercial Paseo Reforma. Entrada gratuita.

NUEVO LAREDO — Hoy, en el Concierto Rock Plaza, se presenta el Grupo Breed Society a las 8 p.m. en la Alameda de la Mujer.

Entrada gratuita.

Foto de cortesía | La del Miernes

LUNES 27 DE SEPTIEMBRE

En esta foto del recuerdo, bandas de guerra posan frente a la Capilla de San Juan en Ciudad Mier, Tamaulipas, durante la celebración del XIV Certamen Estatal de Bandas de Guerra.

SÁBADO 2 DE OCTUBRE LAREDO — El comediante Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias regresa esta noche al Laredo Energy Arena . Adquiera sus boletos en Ticketmaster.

LAREDO — Creater Southwest Texas presenta la CFC Trailride – Cabalgata de 6 millas.. Los registros serán a partir de las 7 a.m. en Hwy 59 rest Area. La salida será a las 9 a.m. para llegar al Life Downs. La donación es de 10 dólares por cabalgante y de 5 dólares por carreta. El comité de CFC proveerá el desayuno y comida.

Hacen colecta para Veracruz POR MIGUEL TIMOSHENKOV

DOMINGO 26 DE SEPTIEMBRE

NUEVO LAREDO — El Comité Estatal para la Conmemoración del Bicentenario de la Independencia y el Centenario de la Revolución presenta: “¡Tamaulipas Entrañable!, un concierto con Viola Trigo, a las 7:30 p.m. en la Antigua Aduana. Entrada libre.

idad de vida de muchas familias debido al crecimiento acelerado por los flujos migratorios y la incidencia en la inseguridad”, dijo Hernández Flores.

El pleno de la Conferencia de Gobernadores acordó que acudirán a la Cámara de Diputados Federales para exponer el proyecto de desarrollo que reconozca el papel estratégico de la región norte del país. “(En la frontera) ya se perciben los rezagos en los servicios educativos, salud, congestionamiento vial, transporte obsoleto, escasa infraestructura urbana, disminución de la disponibilidad de agua, incremento en los niveles de inseguridad y la falta de espacios para la recreación la cultura y el deporte”, agregó Hernández.

Agregó que actualmente no existe una política específica y permanente de fomento a la inversión y el desarrollo social en la frontera norte, por lo que se hace necesario establecer un paquete de medidas que incrementen la inversión en esta región.

NUEVO LAREDO — La Cruz Roja Mexicana, el Gobierno Municipal, el Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, partidos políticos y sociedad civil se unieron en una colecta para socorrer a familias damnificadas por el Huracán Karl en Veracruz.

Según cifras oficiales, más de un millón de personas resultaron afectadas en 86 municipios, y tienen necesidad de alimentos, ropa y artículos de aseo.

“Ellos han perdido todo”, dijo el Jefe de Gobierno, Ramón Garza Barrios. “Necesitan de nuestra solidaridad en estos momentos de aflicción”.

Desde el miércoles inició la colecta en la Explanada Esteban Baca Calderón, designado el centro oficial de acopio. Estará operando de 8 a.m. a las 8 p.m., todos los días de la semana, hasta el 30 de septiembre.

“Nos preocupa su salud, sus necesidades”, dijo la Presidenta del Sistema para el Desarrollo Integral de la Familia, Rebeca Canales de Garza. “Los Dos Laredos siempre han mostrado su solidaridad, los convoco a estar junto a estas familias en desgracia”.

Entre los principales artículos que se están solicitando se encuentran: artículos no perecederos, comida enlatada, papel higiénico, toallas sanitarias, pañales, artículos desechables, agua purificada.

En representación de la comunidad Veracruzana, Pablo Buenaventura Gómez Mar dijo que Nuevo Laredo destaca como la primera ciudad en todo el país que acude y muestra la solidaridad por la población en desgracia.

El Presidente del Patronato de la Cruz Roja Mexicana, Francisco Cervantes Ramírez, exhortó a la comunidad, asociaciones, instituciones y organizaciones civiles a sumarse al esfuerzo en pro de los damnificados de Veracruz.

En el caso del Partido Revolucionario Institucional, un organismo político, también se encuentran recaudando ayuda en sus instalaciones.

“Este es el mejor ejemplo de unidad que hay en el PRI, nos unen las elecciones, nos unen las fiestas y nos une el amor por nuestras hermanos para ayudarlos en sus desgracias”, dijo el Presidente del Comité Municipal Ramiro Ramos Salinas.

Colchones, agua, ropa, comida enlatada es en estos momentos con lo que el PRI ya cuenta para integrarlo a Protección Civil y hacer un envío masivo.

“El personal del Comité se pasa casi todo el día abriendo los paquetes de ropa para separarla y hacer los paquetes de envío por prendas, para hombre, mujer, jóvenes y niños”, dijo Ramos. “De esta manera será una ayuda más eficaz”.

(Localice a Miguel Timoshenkov en el (956) 7282583 ó en mramirez@lmtonline.com)

Construirán 401 viviendas en Nuevo Laredo POR MGUEL TIMOSHENKOV

Flores. “Con la construcción de estas viviendas, ponemos al alcance de cientos de familias de bajos ingresos, NUEVO LAREDO — El Frac- una vivienda digna y con esto hacecionamiento El Progreso tendrá mos realidad también uno de los en breve 401 nuevas familias. sueños más sentidos y a los que mi El Gobernador de Tamaulipas gobierno está dando la más alta priEugenio Hernández Flores y el oridad”.

Jefe de Gobierno Ramón Garza El Fraccionamiento El Progreso Barrios dieron inicio a la con- cuenta con escuelas, parques deporstrucción de las viviendas de in- tivos, áreas verdes, centros de esparterés social. cimiento y cumple con los normatiDel total de viviendas, 300 fam- vidad urbana. ilias ya cubrieron un perfil social “Es un patrimonio para la famque los hizo beneficiaros y que ilia”, dijo Gabriela Magaña Ibarra, podrán ingresar a vivir a su vi- uno de los beneficiados. “No podíavienda para el mes de diciembre. mos imaginarnos, pero ahora sentiLas 101 restantes son para las mos que amamos esta colonia, hubo familias afectadas por los efectos voluntad de la autoridad para ayudel Huracán “Alex”. darnos”.

Las viviendas constarán de Garza Barrios dijo que Tamaulidos recamaras, un espacio de pas se ha caracterizado por la conusos múltiples, cocina, baño y los strucción de viviendas. servicios básicos.

“Ustedes ahora deben sentirse felices (porque) al finalizar el año ustedes estarán extremando una En otro evento, 168 familias recivivienda”, dijo Hernández TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Entrega de escrituras

bieron escrituras de sus viviendas en la Colonia Las Torres, fundada hace 22 años.

Hernández consideró que contar con el patrimonio y la certeza jurídica es un anhelo de las familias.

“Diferentes causas surgieron para darle certeza jurídica a la colonia, ahora con esas escrituras no tendrán más sobresaltos”, dijo Hernández.

Agregó que la base del patrimonio familiar es la vivienda, porque con una casa propia motiva la integración familiar, se realizan proyectos que dan fuerza para ser mejores en el futuro.

Durante la administración de Hernández, que concluye en diciembre, en Nuevo Laredo se han realizado más de 4,000 acciones relacionadas a lotes regularizados, escrituras entregadas y liberación de gravámenes.

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

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Nuevo Laredo

El gobernador de Tamaulipas Eugenio Hernández Flores y el Jefe de Gobierno Ramón Garza Barrios pusieron en marcha la construcción de 401 viviendas en el Fraccionamiento El Progreso.

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

Accelerant found on 2 home invasion victims

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Flammable liquid was spilled on or around two girls in their bedrooms before they died with their mother in a Connecticut home invasion, a fire investigator testified Friday.

Paul Makuc of the state fire marshal’s office testified at the New Haven trial of Steven Hayes, one of two men charged with capital felony murder, sexual assault and other crimes in the 2007 deaths of Jennifer Hawke-Petit and her daughters, 17-year-old Hayley and 11-year-old Michaela. The girls died of smoke inhalation. Their mother was strangled.

Prosecutors say Hayes and a co-defendant, Joshua Komisarjevsky, who is still awaiting trial, tied the girls to their beds and poured gasoline on or around them before burning the house.

Makuc described evidence of an accelerant around Michaela’s bed and on her body as jurors were shown a photo of the girl.

“The pour pattern of the ignitable liquid went across Michaela’s body,” Makuc said.

He said a similar pattern of poured liquid was found on the floor of Hayley’s room and on her bed as he described distinct and unusual lines of fire leading into the girl’s bedrooms from a hallway. During his testimony, jurors were shown a picture of Hayley’s charred mattress with rope tied to the bedpost.

A partly melted plastic container was found under Hayley’s body in a hallway where she fled.

“Her body protected that container from melting further,” Mukuc said.

Makuc said another container was found nearby, but he did not testify about the contents of the containers. A state police detective testified earlier that Hayes told him he went to a gas station to fill containers the men found at the house.

Dr. William Petit, the girls’ father, who was severely beaten with a baseball bat during the attack but managed to escape,

Judge OKs Calif. executions

By PAUL ELIAS ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO — A federal judge cleared the way Friday for California’s first execution in nearly five years, citing the state’s efforts to revise its lethal injection procedure and a Supreme Court ruling making it more difficult for condemned inmates to delay their death.

Barring successful appeals to other courts, convicted murderer and rapist Albert Greenwood Brown is scheduled to die on Wednesday, after U.S. District Court Judge Jeremy Fogel refused to block the execution.

Brown failed to show “a demonstrated risk of severe pain” as required by a 2008 U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding Kentucky’s lethal injection process, the judge said in his ruling.

Brown’s execution would be the first in the state since Fogel placed a de facto moratorium on capital punishment in California and ordered prison officials to overhaul the

Photo Eric Risberg | AP

This is the death chamber of the new lethal injection facility at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, Calif. Death row inmate Albert Greenwood Brown is scheduled to die at San Quentin on Wednesday for the rape and murder of a 15-year-old Riverside County girl abducted on her way home from school in 1980 process in 2006.

The attorney general’s office told Fogel this week the state has complied with his order by building a new death chamber at San Quentin State Prison, revising training and adopting new lethal injection regulations.

Fogel gave Brown the option of choosing a onedrug injection of sodium thiopental instead of a three-drug cocktail used

by the state to put condemned inmates to death.

The judge said it appeared the one-drug lethal injection was less risky than the three-drug cocktail when it came to causing pain.

“The fact that nine single-drug executions have been carried out in Ohio and Washington without any apparent difficulty is undisputed and significant,” Fogel wrote.

Photo by Connecticut Judicial Branch | AP

This July 2007 police photo released Friday by the Connecticut Judicial Branch as evidence in the Steven Hayes trial in New Haven, Conn., Superior Court, shows the upstairs hallway and the entrance into the charred bedroom of Hayley Petit, one of the victims killed during a home invasion July 23, 2007. tapped his right foot rapidly in court during Makuc’s testimony. Petit initially did not look at photos of his house when they were first displayed Friday.

The fire was so intense it burst through windows and skylights and drove back firefighters with flames “rolling over their heads,” Makuc said.

Earlier Friday, a state forensic scientist, John Schienman, testified that DNA evidence linked the victims with the two men.

Hayes is accused of sexually assaulting Hawke-Petit. Schienman said Hayes’ DNA was found on her body. He testified Komisarjevsky’s DNA was found on Michaela, whom Komisarjevsky is charged with sexually assaulting.

Schienman said a bat and Komisarjevsky’s sweat shirt bore Petit’s blood.

Komisarjevsky’s attorney, Jeremiah Donovan, made a rare statement about the case outside of

court, saying it did not violate a court imposed gag order and he was trying to clear up a misunderstanding of some evidence by relatives of the victims. He said Komisarjevsky gave a detailed confession to authorities after the crime in which he said he ejaculated on Michaela.

“We are deeply sympathetic to the sadness of the Petit family and I realize this is probably just a very small solace,” Donovan said.

Dr. Petit’s sister, Johanna Chapman, said she was outraged by Donovan’s statement.

“We don’t need his sympathy, we don’t want his sympathy,” Chapman said.

Dr. Petit said he hopes Donovan will be cited for contempt of court.

Donovan was kicked out of court by the judge Friday after his phone rang.

Jurors were given Monday off, with the trial to resume Tuesday.

Extreme paddler arrives in Maine

By DAVID SHARP ASSOCIATED PRESS

PORTLAND, Maine — An extreme paddler who launched a cross-country canoe trip in Portland, Ore., traveled 3,500 miles through rivers, lakes and other waterways before arriving Friday in Portland, Maine.

Alexander Martin said he also carried his 30pound Kevlar canoe around 800 miles over land to cover parts of the country that aren’t connected by water. The 24year-old from Kensington, Conn., completed the trip in three segments adding up to six months and said he encountered only four other paddlers during his coast-to-coast journey because he was paddling in the offseason.

“The Boundary Waters canoe area in northern Minnesota is the most popular canoeing place on Earth, and I paddled it for 16 days and didn’t see another person,” he said.

Martin and a friend al-

Photo by Joel Page | AP

Alexander Martin, 24, of Kensington, Conn., carries his canoe Friday in Portland, Maine after completing a 4,300-mile cross-country canoe trip from Portland, Ore. to Maine. Martin towed the canoe by bike over some segments of the trip. ready hold the record for completing the 740-mile Northern Forest Canoe Trail from Old Forge, N.Y., to Fort Kent, Maine, having done it in 32 days.

Attempting to paddle a

canoe across the country is uncommon. Martin said he’s aware of only one or two others who have had similar success in doing so. But there are no comprehensive records for cross-country paddles, said Chris Stec of the American Canoe Association in Fredericksburg, Va. Martin, a Bates College graduate, said he had intended to complete the entire trip in a six-month stretch but ended up doing it in segments. He ran out of money at one point and had to return to work at the National Outdoor Leadership School before completing the final leg.

Powered by paddle and pedal, Martin achieved his goal of a human-powered journey, either paddling in his canoe or using a bicycle to pull his canoe from one waterway to the next.

Martin said he plans to spend a few weeks with his family before departing for New Zealand, where he’ll lead whitewater trips.

Ahmadinejad says Iran may end higher enrichment

By ALI AKBAR DAREINI AND JOHN HEILPRIN ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Iran would consider ending higher level uranium enrichment, the most crucial part of its controversial nuclear activities, if world powers send Tehran nuclear fuel for a medical research reactor, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad told reporters Friday.

Addressing a press conference in a New York hotel, Ahmadinejad also said Iran was prepared to set a date for resumption of talks with six world powers to discuss Tehran’s nuclear program, saying October would be the likely time for the two sides to meet.

Ahmadinejad also defended his remarks at the

IRANIAN PRESIDENT MAHMOUD AHMADINEJAD: May end enrichment.

U.N. a day earlier in which he claimed most people in the world believe the United States was behind the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks and again challenged the United Nations to set up a commission to probe the attacks.

“I did not pass judgment, but don’t you feel that the time has come to have a fact finding committee?”

Ahmadinejad asked.

Ahmadinejad said Iran had no interest in enriching uranium from around 3.5 percent to 20 percent purity but was forced to do so after the world powers refused to provide nuclear fuel that is needed for a

Tehran reactor that produces medical isotopes for patients. He did not indicate that Iran would stop enriching at low levels.

That level is far below the more than 90 percent purity needed to build a nuclear weapon, but U.S. officials have expressed concern Iran may be moving closer to an ability to reach weapons-grade level.

Tehran began higher enrichment in February after talks stalled over a U.N.brokered proposal that the United States hoped would — at least temporarily — leave Iran unable to pro-

duce a warhead. The U.S. and its allies accuse Iran of seeking to build a nuclear weapon, a claim Iran denies.

“We were not interested to carry out 20 percent enrichment. They (the U.S. and its allies) politicized the issue. We were forced to do it to support the (medical) patients,” Ahmadinejad said in response to a question from The Associated Press. “We will consider halting uranium enrichment whenever nuclear fuel is provided to us.”

Ahmadinejad said pressure was counterproduc-

tive, but respectful talks will bear fruit.

“The era of following a policy of carrot and stick is over. Even such words are insulting to nations. It’s only good for cowboys and those of retarded people.

Definitely it has no effect,” he said. “They issued resolutions as talks were underway. Still, we are ready for talks.”

The Iranian leader said an Iranian representative will probably meet with members of the five permanent members of the Security Council — the U.S., Britain, France, Russia and

China, as well as Germany, in October.

He suggested that a specific date could be set should European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton contact Iran.

“Probably in October; we are ready for talks. The doors are open for talks within the framework of justice and respect,” he said.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

CHRISTOPHER LOUIS MARTINEZ ZAPATA — Christopher Louis Martinez, 23, passed away Friday, Sept. 17, 2010, in Zapata.

Chris is preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Eulogio Perez, and his paternal grandfather, Louis Martinez.

Chris is survived by his father, Sgt. Louis Martinez; mother, Ninfa (Leo) Solis; brothers, Bobby Lee Martinez and Jaime Luis Martinez; maternal grandmother, Viola L. Perez; paternal grandmother, Brenda Martinez; and by numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and many friends.

Chris graduated from Zapata High School and was an outstanding athlete.

Visitation hours were held Sunday, Sept. 19, 2010, from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a wake at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

By JUAN A. LOZANO ASSOCIATED PRESS

A chapel service was held Monday, Sept. 20, 2010, at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home.

Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com.

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

JUANITA VILLARREAL MUÑOZ ZAPATA — Juanita Villarreal Muñoz, 64, passed away Aug. 19, 2010, in Maricopa, Ariz.

Mrs. Muñoz is preceded in death by her husband, Hector R. Muñoz; son, Mario A. Muñoz; parents, Enrique (Catarina B.) Villarreal; brothers, Andres Villarreal and Pedro Villarreal.

Mrs. Muñoz is survived by her daughters, Velia (Jose) Segura, Christine (James) Reid, Desiree (Julio) Casillas; grandchildren, Vanessa, Mario, Moses, Jonathan, Matthew and Marisa; brother, Guadalupe (Maria) Villarreal; sisters, Maria Villarreal, Sylvia Villarreal; and by many friends.

A Funeral Mass was held at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 23, 2010, at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic

Probation for 2 in Mexican scheme

Church. Her wishes were to be cremated. Interment of cremains followed at Zapata County Cemetery.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.rosegardenfuneralhome.com.

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

HOUSTON — Two Texas oil company officials were sentenced Friday to probation for their roles in the sale of petroleum products stolen from Mexico.

Donald Schroeder, the former president of Houston-based Trammo Petroleum, and oil and natural gas broker Jonathan Dappen, of McAllen, had faced up to five years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to receive stolen goods.

Schroeder said in a previous court hearing he arranged for Trammo Petroleum to buy and later sell stolen Mexican condensate, a liquid hydrocarbon that refiners can blend with crude oil to produce fuel and other products.

Dappen, who worked for the south Texas company Petro Salum, helped deliver stolen petroleum condensate to Continental Fuels, which has an office in Houston, according to court documents.

U.S. District Judge Ewing Werlein Jr. sentenced both men to three years of probation and fined each of them $10,000 after prosecutors and defense attorneys requested the men receive probation.

Their sentencings were part of a binational investigation into smuggled oil that was stolen from Mexico’s state oil monopoly Petroleos Mexicanos, or Pemex, transported across the border and sold to U.S. refineries.

The Mexican government has said drug cartel members and other criminals are responsible for many of the oil thefts.

They tap remote pipelines,

and sometimes build pipelines of their own, siphoning off hundreds of millions of dollars worth of oil each year.

Before being sentenced, both Schroeder and Dappen expressed remorse.

“I’d just like to get back in society and try to make amends for what I’ve done,” said Schroeder, 61, who had previously agreed to pay a separate $2 million fine to the U.S. government.

His attorney, Ronald Woods, said Schroeder has worked in the energy industry for 35 years as a legitimate businessman and his purchase of the stolen petroleum products was a one-time “horrible mistake.”

Dappen’s attorney, Edward Rodriguez, blamed his client’s actions in part on his youth. Dappen is 30.

“I realize the mistake I made in getting involved in this business has offended my wife and parents and the beliefs they taught me,” Dappen, a U.S. citizen raised in Mexico City, said in Spanish.

Prosecutor James McAlister said he did not ask for jail time for either of the men because they were not selling something dangerous, such as drugs or guns. McAlister said Schroeder’s cooperation helped in the prosecution of other defendants in the case. Three other Texas oil executives and brokers arrested in the probe are scheduled for sentencing in October and November.

The investigation began in 2007 when Pemex contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to report suspicions that its products were being smuggled into the U.S.

Hispanic businesses on the rise ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — As the number of Hispanics has grown in Texas, so too has the number of Hispanic-owned businesses, the Census Bureau reports.

Texas is ranked third nationally, behind California and Florida, when it comes to number of Hispanic-owned businesses, according to new figures.

The number of Hispanicowned businesses in Texas grew by 40 percent between 2002 and 2007, reaching 447,000.

The Austin AmericanStatesman reported Wednesday that Texas was also No. 3 in percentage of businesses that are Hispanic-owned, with 21 percent.

David Hinson, national director of the Commerce Department’s Minority Business Development Agency, said he was “highly encouraged” by the growth data but said the Hispanic business community’s full potential still has not been realized.

“The average Hispanic firm is too small,” said Hinson. “What we have to do is work hard to make the investment that these firms can grow larger so they can create more jobs and have more economic output for the nation.”

The data are especially encouraging in Texas, said Gabriel Sanchez, Dallas-based regional census director for Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi.

“These trends ... are completely self-evident, I

think, to anyone who has spent time driving around Texas and going to different areas. You see tremendous growth in Hispanicowned businesses,” said Sanchez. “In these times when people are so concerned about jobs, businesses create jobs, so growth of any businesses is good overall.”

Hispanic business growth in the Austin area is a good example of the trends that have helped Texas weather the recession, said Sanchez.

The number of Hispanic-owned businesses nationwide jumped by nearly 44 percent, reaching 2.3 million, compared to the national rate of 18 percent growth during the same five-year period.

Hispanic-owned businesses in Texas took in $62 billion in revenue in 2007 and employed almost 400,000 people, according to the Census Bureau.

The survey is conducted every five years as part of the nation’s economic census. The 2007 survey collected data from a sample of more than 2.3 million businesses, the Census Bureau said. The survey defines Hispanic-owned businesses as those in which Hispanics own 51 percent or more of the equity, interest or stock.

Census Bureau estimated population figures Wednesday listed Texas at nearly 24.8 million, with persons of Hispanic or Latino origin making up nearly 37 percent of the overall figure.

MUSEUM Continued from Page 1A everybody organized.”

The resolution drafted by the museum board of directors covers wording on the exterior sign, telephone answering protocol, hours of operation, mandatory training for all employees and volunteers, and an entrance fee schedule.

According to the new resolution, the Chamber of Commerce will have to provide monthly progress and financial reports. Another section notes that the gift shop will operate exclusively for the benefit of the museum.

Chamber of Commerce staff had no input in the resolution, Vela said.

The wording on the exte-

rior sign of the museum would read “Zapata County Museum of History” and then “by Zapata County Chamber of Commerce,” according to the resolution.

Some of the items in the resolution were vague, according to Commissioner Eddie Martinez. He had those items revised or removed. One of the items in question included the hours of operation.

The final draft states that the museum’s weekday hours of operation shall be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Chamber staff will be responsible for operating the museum during those hours. Weekend hours are 1-5 p.m. Sat-

urday and Sunday. Museum volunteers will staff the museum on the weekends.

Two essential elements for the operation of the museum were left out of the resolution, including a budget and maintenance, according to Flores “We don’t know at this point who’s going to maintain the building and the grounds,” Flores said. “It is reasonable to assume that Zapata County will be responsible.”

Flores reflected on a comment made by Mendoza in a previous Commissioners Court meeting, that if and when Mendoza was made museum director, “he was not afraid to get down and

dirty,” pertaining to the maintenance of the building and grounds.

“But it is not part of the resolution,” Flores added.

A budget was also not included in the resolution, Flores said.

“The only thing we have in the budget is $1,500 for supplies and $500 for museum accreditation fees, but nothing for maintenance or staff for maintenance,” he said. Staff training also is not budgeted, he added.

“Nothing is free,” he said.

“There’s no permission to travel and if the Commissioners Court decided to assign a staff that is not trained or familiar with a museum, we have to train

staff so they can know how to carry out the museum’s program.”

The museum board of directors will be responsible for providing a list of existing building concerns to the Chamber of Commerce staff prior to occupation of the museum.

Water had been leaking into the building through the doors and an architect had to be notified about the issue and will be working on the leaks soon, according to Vela, .

Other issues included cracks in the foundation that will be covered with carpet. Funds to purchase the carpet were approved during the last regular

Commissioners Court meeting.

Overall, both entities are operating the museum and are responsible for their own personnel matters.

The Chamber of Commerce will be responsible for evaluation, reprimands, hiring, and terminating employees pertaining to the chamber’s scope of duties, but the Museum of History board of directors will evaluate performance of duties pertaining to the operation of the museum and will make appropriate recommendations to Commissioners Court.

(Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be reached at (956)7282557.)

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

MAYORS Continued from Page 1A

HERITAGE Continued from Page 1A

Photo by Carlos Jasso | AP

Bladimiro Montalvo, mayor of the town of Santiago, in Nuevo Leon state, northeastern Mexico, poses for a photograph during an interview with the Associated Press at his office Friday. Montalvo, a 67-yearold teacher, tries to avoid ending up like his predecessor, who authorities say was kidnapped and shot to death last month by his own police officers, linked to the Zetas drug cartel. ra Madre mountains, is in the state of Nuevo Leon, which borders Texas. It sits on an older, less-traveled highway that drug gangs use to reach Tamaulipas.

Authorities said Montalvo’s predecessor, 38-yearold Edelmiro Cavazos, was killed by his own security guard and other police in retaliation for his attempts to oust corrupt officers.

“The slogan of Edelmiro Cavazos was ’the best part of Santiago is its people,’ and it was his people who turned him over,” said Montalvo, who has armed guards outside his city-hall office door.

“At first there was a lot of sadness because Edelmiro was a good man with a big heart who wanted to do good things for his town.

And now there is fear. People are afraid.”

On Thursday, gunmen killed Mayor Prisciliano Rodriguez Salinas and a personal aide in the town of Doctor Gonzalez, about 30 miles east of Monterrey.

Hidalgo Mayor Marco Antonio Leal Garcia was gunned down in August while driving with his 10year-old daughter, who was wounded.

El Naranjo Mayor Alexander Lopez Garcia was shot to death by hooded gunmen on Sept. 8. San Luis Potosi Gov. Fernando Torazo said the mayor had asked for help cleaning out

corrupt police officers.

More than 28,000 people have been killed in drug-related violence since President Felipe Calderon launched his war on drug cartels in late 2006. In northeast Mexico, where the most recent mayor killings happened, violence surged this year after the Zetas broke ranks with their former employer, the Gulf cartel.

In the face of such bloodshed, mayors simply ignore drug problems, even as their towns are overtaken.

“Sometimes it’s better not to know,” said Mayor Raul Mireles of Sabinas Hidalgo, a hamlet of farmers and cattle ranchers on the highway leading to Laredo, Texas.

Gunmen have lobbed grenades twice at Sabinas’ police headquarters and drive openly in caravans on the dirt roads. Earlier this year, soldiers rescued 16 people held hostage by the Zetas at a ranch in Sabinas.

“We see them here riding in their big cars and one can tell they are bad people,” said one Sabinas housewife who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal. “At night, if you don’t have to go out it is better to stay home.

We live with fear here.”

Mireles, as he spent a recent afternoon working on preparations for the town’s

annual fiesta, insisted drug trafficking is “the federal government’s problem.”

High-ranking officials and mayors of larger cities have well-armed security details and armored cars but most also consider organized crime a federal problem and few get involved in combating it.

Mauricio Fernandez, the outspoken mayor of San Pedro Garza Garcia in Nuevo Leon, is an exception.

With the support of wealthy constituents, Fernandez has fired dozens of officers suspected of drug ties, bought state-of-the-art patrol cars and improved training in his city of about 122,000. He pays his officers $1,000 a month plus benefits — three times the average salary — to keep them from working for drug gangs for extra money.

“I didn’t want things in San Pedro to keep getting worse because you let things run and before you know it all your officers are working for organized crime,” Fernandez said.

While running for mayor, Fernandez set off a national debate over ties between politicians and gangsters when Mexican news media broadcast a recording of him telling supporters that he knew top drug traffickers lived in the town and had an interest in keeping it quiet.

spoken,” she said.

Other classes also learned about the language, music, and games, before sharing their homemade Mexican treats, but Irasema Gutierrez’s thirdgrade class brought a piñata.

Gutierrez taught her students about birthday traditions, such as the piñata, and compared it to how other cultures celebrate birthdays,” she said.

As Gutierrez continued her lesson, she asked her students to name some traditional Mexican fruits.

The students raised their hands and responded “Mango.”

After the lesson they were able to sit with their friends and enjoy the food prepared or bought by their parents.

Briana Soliz, a student in Gutierrez’s third-grade class, said her mother makes the food they learned about at home regularly.

ZCISD will continue lessons on the Hispanic culture through October.

(Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be reached (956)7282557.)

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

Miguel Alcocer, a third grade student at A. L. Benavides Elementary in San Ygnacio, smiles as he holds some tamales that were prepared by his grandmother for his classmates as they participate in Hispanic Heritage Month activities Friday afternoon.

GARCIA Continued from Page 1A school board.

“The last few months have given me an opportunity to develop a wonderful professional working relationship with the board of trustees,” Garcia wrote. “I am fortunate to work with a united team of dedicated individuals who take their role(s) as board members very seriously. I have also demonstrated my leadership capabilities.”

The Texas Education Association rated ZCISD and several of its schools as “recognized” last school year, and Garcia plans to raise the district and its campuses to exemplary status, she wrote.

“We started the year celebrating our accomplishments, and all the schools are showing intense focus and enthusiasm,” she wrote. “I am thrilled to be a part of yet another school

ZCISD has been undergoing several renovation projects, including the construction of a new building for Zapata Middle School. reform program.”

Other goals include maintaining the finance department’s superior first rating, and to meet and exceed all federal and state mandates, Garcia wrote.

ZCISD has been undergoing several renovation projects, including the construction of a new building for Zapata Middle School.

Garcia also plans to continue renovations with Zapata North Elementary, and the demolition of the old Zapata South Elementary, she wrote.

As ZCISD transitions from one accountability system to another, replacing the TAKS test with the STARR/EOC test, teachers must learn and implement the new standards this school year, Garcia wrote.

“I welcome the challenge the state has placed upon us,” she wrote. “Our students will definitely benefit from this enormous paradigm shift in teaching and learning.”

(Lorraine L. Rodriguez may be reached at (956)7282557.)

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors CROSS COUNTRY

Elite runs Zapata girls running at a higher level of competition

By CLARA SANDOVAL ZAPATA TIMES

Courtesy Photo

Zapata’s Marlena Garcia, front right, and teammate Clari Villarreal started out amongst the leaders at last weekend’s UTSA Invitational cross country meet.

Adversity has always been a part of sports, and those that overcome it are regarded as courageous.

It has been said that a person’s true character shines when they are faced with a challenge.

Four years ago, the Zapata girls’ cross country team captured the coveted 3A division of the University of Texas-San An-

tonio annual invitational after five years of trying.

The following year, the team decided it wanted to be challenged and insisted to run the elite division against 5A, 4A and other top-ranked teams from all over the state.

That year, the Zapata girls finished a surprising third place and also went on to capture their first regional title in school history.

See CROSS COUNTRY PAGE 2B

VOLLEYBALL

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

Hawks romp La Feria

13 YEARS AFTER “ROUT 66” Passions still high for Longhorn faithful

By JIM VERTUNO

By CLARA SANDOVAL

ASSOCIATED PRESS

ZAPATA TIMES

The Zapata volleyball team is having a banner year. With their No. 14 ranking in Class 3A by the Texas Girls Coaches Association, the Lady Hawks are working hard to obtain their first goal: a district title.

The Lady Hawks got a little closer to that when they passed one of their biggest tests, La Feria, with flying colors.

Both teams strolled into Tuesday’s much-anticipated matchup with unblemished district records.

Zapata brought in its 4-0 record. La Feria was 5-0.

It was the Lady Hawks who remained flawless, as they took possession of first place in District 32-3A with a sweep (25-12, 25-13, 25-15) of La Feria.

Senior Brandi King put up MVP numbers with her 22-kill performance to match her 22 digs, two blocks and two aces.

Shelby Bigler and Kristina De Leon have also become offensive standouts for the Lady Hawks and combined for 18 kills to give Zapata another offensive threat.

See VOLLEYBALL PAGE 2B

Photo by George Bridges | AP

In this Sept. 13, 1997, file photo, UCLA tailback Keith Brown (1) follows the lead of offensive tackle Kris Farris (71) for a 29yard run against Texas during a game in Austin. Texas defensive tackle Chris Akins is at left. UCLA won 66-3. The Bruins come back to Austin today. The current Longhorns were hardly in grade school in 1997, but fans and former players will always remember the day UCLA jammed a big ol’ stick right into the eyes of Texas.

AUSTIN — The Texas players say they don’t remember anything about the rout. How could they? They were hardly in grade school at the time.

Texas fans won’t ever forget it.

In 1997, a winless UCLA team rolled into Austin on a steamy September afternoon and flattened the No. 11 Longhorns 66-3 in the most humiliating home loss in Texas history.

The Bruins (1-2) will be back in Austin for the first time since then today. And while the No. 7 Longhorns (3-0) are heavy favorites, the memories of the game 13 years ago promise to make it a pulsing, passionate affair for about 98,000 Texas fans still looking for revenge.

“They sat here and watched them beat us to death in 1997,” said Texas coach Mack Brown, who was still at North Carolina at the time.

It wasn’t long before Brown was on a plane to Texas.

The UCLA game, infamously dubbed “Rout 66,” began a sea-

See LONGHORNS PAGE 2B

NFL

Texans win games, not hearts Cowboys remain state’s favored team despite 0-2 start

By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — Clad in a white Tony Romo jersey, Melissa Tellez was posing for a picture on the steps of the Texas Capitol when she was asked which NFL team is No. 1 in the Lone Star State.

She rolled her eyes and didn’t answer. Instead, she illuminated her cell phone to display the

screensaver with images of players for the Dallas Cowboys.

Deep in the heart of Texas, and pretty much everywhere else in the state, the Cowboys are king and the Houston Texans aren’t much more than an afterthought outside the city where they play.

Never mind that the Texans are 2-0 and the Cowboys are 0-2 heading into Sunday’s matchup in Houston. This nine-year-old expansion team can’t compete with the popularity the Cowboys have gained in an illustrious 50year history filled with larger-

See NFL PAGE 2B

Photo by Victor R. Caivano | AP

In this Nov. 14, 2002, file photo, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, right, and Houston Texans owner Bob McNair pose for photographers after a news conference at a Mexico City hotel. This nine-year-old expansion team can’t compete with the popularity the Cowboys have gained in an illustrious 50-year history filled with figures that are ingrained in the fabric of this state.

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

NFL Continued from Page 1B than-life figures who are ingrained in the fabric of the state.

Texans owner Bob McNair understands that and knows the best way to change things is by winning, something Houston didn’t do much of during its first few seasons.

“We think it’s an opportunity here in Texas to have a great rivalry that creates a lot of interest for football, and the NFL,” McNair said. “Frankly, the more we beat the Cowboys, the more interest there will be. We’re the new kid on the block, and we have to prove ourselves. The quicker we do that, the more fun everybody in Houston is going to have.”

Cowboys fill void Photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP

Baylor linebacker Chris Francis, right front, sits with teammates on the bench in the closing minutes of a game against TCU on Sept. 18, in Fort Worth. TCU won 45-10.

Baylor sets sights on Owls

By KRISTIE RIEKEN ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON — Baylor coach Art Briles didn’t want to rehash all the problems the Bears had in a 45-10 loss to No. 4 TCU last week.

He preferred to look ahead to what his team needs to do against Rice on Saturday.

“I don’t know what good it would do to sit around and talk about everything that went wrong last Saturday when we have a game this Saturday,” he said. “We’ve got to get ready to go play Rice and go into Houston and get a win. That’s all that we have in front of us, so that’s what we will take care of.”

The Bears called the

loss to TCU embarrassing and they want to start erasing the memory.

“Frankly, we’re better than we played Saturday,” sophomore defensive back Chance Casey said. “We need to show that ... definitely (this) Saturday. We need to be living up to our potential.”

Baylor (2-1) is shooting for its first winning season since joining the Big 12 in 1996 and has high hopes with star quarterback Robert Griffin returning after missing most of last season with a knee injury. He has thrown for 703 yards and is responsible for eight of the Bears touchdowns this season.

But he’s completing just 55 percent of his passes and hasn’t made many long throws.

“We would certainly like to see more of it,” Briles said of the deep throws. “The thing about the long ball is a lot of times, percentage-wise, it’s not up there where you would like for it to be.

There are some opportunities during the games to take shots down the field.”

Griffin is 6-9 in his starts for Baylor and the Bears are just 2-11 on the road under Briles heading into this final non-conference tuneup for both teams.

The Owls (1-2) know they’ll have to account for Griffin at all times.

“Everybody in Texas whether they are in the Big 12 or Conference USA, you know about Baylor and their quarterback Robert Griffin,” Rice line-

backer Justin Hill said.

“He is a great athlete. We are going to have to do our best to try and contain him.”

They believe dealing with another running quarterback last week in Northwestern’s Dan Persa could help in preparing for Griffin.

“He (Persa) was a great runner,” Hill said. “I think that is going to give us a little bit of an advantage because we are not going to be caught off guard or surprised by seeing a dualthreat quarterback.”

The Owls are coming off a tough 30-13 loss to Northwestern. Despite the final score, Rice coach David Bailiff was encouraged by his team’s defense against the Wildcats but is looking for more from the offense.

CROSS COUNTRY Continued from Page 1B This year, the Lady Hawks once again passed up the opportunity to bring home a sure victory in the 3A division to run in the very stacked 4A division.

“What drives a team to run in a division or run a race where they know they are not winning? The answer is simple: Stepping up to a challenge and knowing that the bigger picture is state,” Zapata coach Mike Villarreal said.

The Lady Hawks put their best 12 athletes on the line to see how their best stacked up against the best from around central and south Texas.

A total of 32 schools and over 250 runners competed

Continuing to impress and turn heads were freshmen Cassie Pena (13:06), Erica Hernandez (13:10), Clarissa Villarreal (13:18) and Kristina Garcia (13:20). in the 4A division.

Freshman standout Jazmine Garcia and senior Marlena Garcia drew a lot of attention from coaches; onlookers and colleges, especially UTSA, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Incarnate Word University, were amongst the colleges that inquired about the dynamic duo.

Jazmine and Marlena started out amongst the leaders and remained there for the majority of the race.

Jazmine landed in third place with a time of 11:44, while Marlena earned fifth place honors after being leaned out at the finish in 12:02.

The Lady Hawks fin-

ished ninth overall behind names like Boerne Champion, Cedar Park, Vista Ridge, Gregory Portland and Calallen; all standout 4A teams.

Continuing to impress and turn heads were freshmen Cassie Pena (13:06), Erica Hernandez (13:10), Clarissa Villarreal (13:18) and Kristina Garcia (13:20).

The top seven runners from Zapata were Joyce Garcia, Alexandra Garcia, Daniella Soto, Evelin Huerta, Norma Ramirez, Norma Cepeda and Alma Perez.

The girls will be running in Corpus Christi this morning as they hit the middle part of their season.

There were six years where Houston didn’t have an NFL team after the Oilers left, leaving no other option than to pull for the Cowboys for fans wanting to be loyal to their state. And the Texans might not even rank second, since there is a fanatical following for the Texas Longhorns throughout much of Texas.

Loyalty to the Longhorns run so deep that many locals vowed never to support Houston after the team drafted defensive end Mario Williams instead of Vince Young with the first overall pick in the 2006 draft.

“They really messed up in passing up Vince Young,” said Richard Raymond, a state lawmaker from Laredo. “It’s still hard for me to forgive them for that. I would have certainly liked the Texans a lot more had they gone with Vince Young. They let that one get away.”

Houston is also oddly still competing with a team that left the state 14 years ago. Bum Phillips, who coached the Oilers during their “Luv Ya Blue” heyday in the late ’70s, thinks Houston’s success this season could finally win over fans who soured on the NFL when Bud Adams moved the Oilers to Tennessee after the 1996 season. That team is now the Titans and they happen to be led

by Young.

“The Oilers and the city tied together so great during a long period of time that when they left a lot of people just really lost interest in football,” Phillips said. “It took a while, it took what the Texans are doing now, which is winning, to get them back excited and back to football again.”

The state’s team

LONGHORNS Continued from Page 1B son-long implosion for a Texas team that won the Big 12 championship in 1996. Texas finished 4-7 in what became known as the “Tear Down the Goalposts Tour” — teams that hadn’t beaten Texas in a while were ripping down their uprights seemingly every week.

Texas fired coach John Mackovic the day after the season ended and hired Brown, who 13 seasons later has Texas a national title contender every year.

For current Longhorns players, a game 13 years ago might as well have been 100 years ago.

“Looking at the numbers alone (66-3), we have an idea what it was like,” Texas senior wide receiver James Kirkendoll said.

“But that was then. This is now.”

The win in 1997 started a 20-game win streak for the Bruins but the program hasn’t been the same since with just four winning seasons since 2000.

Second-year coach Rick Neuheisel is 5-10 with the Bruins.

Texas, meanwhile, has been on a decade-long long

“

Our offense is a work in progress.

That’s not an excuse.

That’s a fact.”

TEXAS COACH MACK BROWN

run of success, winning the national championship in 2005 and playing for another last season. The Longhorns are 28-2 over their last 30 games.

But this Longhorns team is missing something from previous seasons: offensive firepower.

After rolling up big scores behind quarterbacks Vince Young and Colt McCoy the last six seasons, Texas is having trouble finding the end zone through the first three games of 2010. The newly emphasized running game has stalled and sophomore quarterback Garrett Gilbert has thrown just two touchdown passes.

The Texas rushing attack, the focus of attention through spring drills and

fall training camp, has been a disappointment.

The Longhorns have changed starting tailbacks three times in three games and Texas averaged just 2.2 yards on 43 carries in a 24-14 win last week at Texas Tech.

“Our offense is a work in progress. That’s not an excuse. That’s a fact,” Brown said.

Even with those struggles, Gilbert is undefeated as a starter after taking over for McCoy and the Longhorns defense is ranked No. 2. The Longhorns gave up less than 150 total yards against the Red Raiders.

UCLA comes to Austin on a roll after an impressive win over then-No. 23 Houston last week. The Bruins defense knocked

out the Cougars’ top two quarterbacks and their new pistol offense finally showed some life.

After a 35-0 loss to Pac-10 rival Stanford, the Bruins cranked up a rushing attack powered by 158 yards and three touchdowns from Johnathan Franklin.

“There was a measure of confidence when we took the field and we played fast,” Neuheisel said.

“That’s what we have to do.”

Thirteen years ago, the Bruins hit the field so fast the Longhorns fans were stunned by the string of touchdowns. UCLA led 38-0 by halftime. Many Texas fans left in disgust and the stadium was practically empty at the end of the game.

This week, Brown asked one of his staff members who was at Texas back then what it was like that day. He asked him how many fans stuck around to the bitter end.

“Turn around and look out there right now,” the assistant told Brown, pointing to an empty stadium. “It was about the same.”

It was Bum who, at the height of the Oilers’ success, famously said of the Cowboys: “They may be ’America’s Team,’ but we’re Texas’ team.” He still believes it.

“They are the state’s team,” he said of the Texans. “As far as I’m concerned they’ve always been the state’s team. The thing I thought that made the Oilers the state’s team is the effort they put out ... that’s what inspired Houston to get behind them and the Texans are doing that right now.

They are laying it all on the line every game.”

Gov. Rick Perry, not surprisingly, expressed

support for both teams and their “competitive spirit.”

“While these two teams have gotten off to very different starts, nobody participating in this game needs to be reminded how quickly things can turn around in the NFL,” he said.

Still, as a Texas A&M graduate living and working in Austin, Perry has to understand how it feels to root for the other guy.

His Aggies, of course, trail the Longhorns in popularity.

Raheel Ramzanali grew up in Houston and hosts a local radio show. He said he’s never seen Texans fans more excited.

“The Houston Texans always have the little brother syndrome because they are the newer team,” he said. “There’s not many Texans fans outside of Houston. It’s a Dallas state where everybody roots for the Cowboys. No matter what they do, big brother’s going to get more attention ... they’re proud of the Texans, but yet they always feel like they’re disrespected no matter what happens.”

Geographical influence In some cases, the reach of the Cowboys might be a product of geography, with the cities closer to Dallas latching on to the team in their vicinity. However, some of the most ardent supporters of the Cowboys live in the Rio Grande Valley, which is much closer to Houston. Of course, the Cowboys training in San Antonio, as they did this year, allows fans easier access to their favorite team.

Raymond, the South Texas lawmaker, thinks his region’s love for the Cowboys can be traced to Tom Landry, who coached the team from its 1960 inception through the 1988 season, winning two Super Bowls along the way.

“I think it’s safe to say that the Cowboys will have more folks cheering for them in Laredo than the Texans will,” Raymond said. “Tom Landry, who was their first coach, is from down in the valley, from Mission. So I guess historically there’s always been a strong connection to the Dallas Cowboys in part because of that.”

But it isn’t just South Texas and Austin where the Cowboys rule. In Amarillo, College Station, El Paso and almost every city in between — including the Houston suburb of Katy — there is an official Cowboys shop with team gear. There are six of those stores scattered throughout the sprawling Dallas-Fort Worth airport alone.

Fans looking for a similar Texans store outside of Reliant Stadium are out of luck. One opened in The Woodlands suburb in 2008, but has already closed. And while many Cowboys games are broadcast nationally, Texans games aren’t always shown in some parts of Texas; during Houston’s franchise-worst 2-14 season in 2005, a game was being shown in the Panhandle but the network switched to another game after the Texans’ fell far behind early in the third quarter.

VOLLEYBALL Continued from Page 1B King is making a strong run for the District MVP award and the Lady Hawks are making a strong statement for the district title.

Zapata (5-0, 15-3) took a while to get its offensive machine going, but when it did manage to start putting up points on the board, all La Feria could do was watch helplessly as the game slipped away from its grasp.

The Lady Hawks will be playing La Grulla in Rio Grande City today with the freshmen at 10 a.m., junior varsity at 11 a.m. and varsity at noon.

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

HINTS BY | HELOISE A NECKERCHIEF QUILT Dear Heloise: Let me begin by saying that I enjoy your column. Our dog goes for grooming and comes back with a NECKERCHIEF each time. So, in a couple of years we’ve collected quite a variety. I was wondering what I could do with them.

Then I hit on the idea of making a little quilt for him. I took the neckerchiefs and cut squares or pieced them together (with the smaller ones to make the squares), used flannel for the backing and cotton batting to quilt. I sewed, edged and hand-stitched it. Then I took crochet yarn and stitched a knot in the center of each square. The quilt is really cute, and he sleeps on it at the foot of our bed.

-- Terry Clary, San Antonio Terry, love this hint! How darling, and recycling, too!

Who wouldn’t like his or her own quilt? Woof, woof !

-- Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Mel and Barbara Mosher of Amsterdam, N.Y., sent a photo of their miniature schnauzer, Abigail, with their daughter’s cocker spaniel, Zoe, standing at the top of the cellar stairs waiting for someone to come up.

To see the stair-watching duo, visit www.Heloise.com.

-- Heloise

“

HELOISE

RABBIT THANK-YOU Dear Heloise: Thank you so much for the great advice on pet rabbits. I have had pet rabbits for many years. Here is a great tip: Rabbits are very sensitive to hot weather. I take halfgallon and gallon plastic milk jugs and fill them about three-quarters full with water, then freeze. I put the milk jug in my rabbit cage during the heat of the day. It’s an automatic air conditioner! My Miss Harold snuggles up against the frozen jug and stays very cool. She loves it! -- Jenny in San Antonio CAT WHISKERS Dear Readers: Does your cat have long whiskers?

Have you ever wondered if you should cut them?

Our research says do NOT cut or trim cat whiskers. They help cats gauge space so they can maneuver without bumping into things. The whisker length is determined by your cat’s body size. Small, thin cats usually have short whiskers, while a heftier one will have longer whiskers. So, don’t trim those whiskers! -Heloise

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Sports

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2010

Technically technical, NBA to call more fouls

By BRIAN MAHONEY ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Lucy Nicholson | AP

China’s Yao Ming looks around during his world basketball championships game against Greece in Saitama August 27, 2006.

Rocket’s Yao Ming’s status an uncertainty

By CHRIS DUNCAN ASSOCIATED PRESS

HOUSTON — Just call Yao Ming the Houston Rockets’ “Big Unknown.”

The All-Star center said Friday, the day before the Rockets open training camp, that he’s still not sure what to expect from himself this season after foot surgery in July 2009 sidelined him all of last year.

“After one year away, I keep telling myself, ’Be patient, be patient,”’ Yao said. “This injury cannot be helped by one day. Last night, I was thinking, ’This season is about to start.’ It’s time to go.”

Yao was cleared by team doctor Tom Clanton to resume basketball activities a month ago. His reconstructed left foot has held up fine in individual workouts and scrimmages, but the true tests will come when the Rockets start playing exhibition games. Houston opens its preseason against Orlando on Oct. 5.

“I haven’t played in a real game yet,” Yao said. “I don’t know how it might react to the intensity. Hopefully, we can learn as soon as possible.”

Coach Rick Adelman and general manager Daryl Morey are as eager as anyone to find out. Following doctors’ orders, the Rockets will limit Yao to 24 minutes per game, and it’s up to Adelman to decide how those minutes are divided.

In the meantime, Adelmam said it’s up to Yao to build his conditioning to the point where he can even endure 24 minutes.

“Yao is the big unknown,” Adelman said. “I don’t think it’s fair to say he’s going to play 24 minutes. It’s got to be something that he feels comfortable with, and it’s going to benefit our team, in the long run. It’s something we just have to gauge.”

Morey says the 24 minutes are a “hard number” for now, but added that the Rockets will confer with doctors throughout the season to see if Yao might be able to play more.

“As he progresses and as the doctors get more info, we may get new guidance on how he may be used,” Morey said.

“Right now, it’s something we’ll sort of take day-to-day, what’s best for the team, what’s best for Yao Ming?

“Our constant focus is, we need him to help us win the regular season, more importantly, we need him to help us win in the playoffs if we can get there,” Morey said. “Also, for his career, we’re obviously taking a cautious approach.”

The Rockets went 42-40 and missed the playoffs with Yao on the sidelines last season. Chuck Hayes, at 6-foot-6, played center, and Houston relied on an

Yao missed at least 25 games with injuries in three straight seasons between 2005-08, and ranks this ongoing recovery as the most challenging of his career. up-tempo offensive style to win games.

Adelman said the main directive in training camp is to improve defensively, and the players know it’ll help to have their 7-foot-6 center back patrolling the lane, even in limited action.

“It’s going to take a while for the big fella to get in shape and get back into the flow of things,” forward Shane Battier said. “But he’ll get there eventually, and when he does, he’s going to really help us.”

Point guard Aaron Brooks, who averaged 19.6 points last season, said Yao’s presence will open opportunities for the perimeter players on the offensive end, as well.

“From the time he gets on the floor, he’ll definitely be a focal point,” Brooks said. “We had a couple of games last year, where we went about five minutes without scoring a basket. We need him, he’s going to help us. I’m just looking forward to playing with him again. I’ve played a couple of pickup games, and I’d forgotten how easy it was to play with the guy.”

Yao has averaged 19.1 points and 9.3 rebounds in seven seasons since the Rockets drafted him with the No. 1 overall pick in 2002. He turned 30 on Sept.

12, and says he’s fought the urge to push himself too hard as he tries to regain his old form.

Yao missed at least 25 games with injuries in three straight seasons between 2005-08, and ranks this ongoing recovery as the most challenging of his career.

“Some of the days, I’m out of patience, I just want to do something,” he said. “I would like to push myself a little bit faster, but in that situation, overdoing it will slow you down. You have to really manage yourself mentally, and keep yourself in a very good attitude. I’m not used to that.”

While Yao will practice with his team on Saturday, his backup will not. Brad Miller, signed in July, sprained his left ankle during a workout on Tuesday, and is expected to miss 10 days to two weeks.

Spurs hire veteran Vaughn ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN ANTONIO — Retired NBA veteran Jacque Vaughn is joining the San Antonio Spurs as an assistant coach.

Vaughn played the final three seasons of his 12year career with the Spurs, who announced the move Friday. He was point guard Tony Parker’s backup when San Antonio won the NBA title in 2007.

The former Kansas star spent his first four seasons with the Utah Jazz, who took him with the 27th pick in the 1997 draft. He also played for Atlanta, Orlando and New Jersey, averaging 4.5 points and 2.5 assists in 776 career games. He retired in 2009.

Vaughn is No. 2 on the all-time assists list at Kansas with 804 over four years.

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

San Antonio Spurs guard Jacque Vaughn (11) is blocked by Utah Jazz forward Matt Harpring (15) during the fourth quarter of their Western Conference Finals basketball game in San Antonio, May 20, 2007. San Antonio won, 108-100.

NEW YORK — Tired of players complaining, the NBA plans to crack down this season on “overt” gestures, such as swinging a fist in the air in anger.

Also, players can be called for technical fouls even if those actions weren’t directed at a referee.

The league wants more respect for the game and for its officials, so it’s expanding the list of unsportsmanlike actions that will be punishable.

“Why are we doing this?

We just want to have everyone take ownership of how our game looks and the image of our game, and send a message that we want player complaining to be minimized and for everyone to have respect for the game,” executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson said Friday during a conference call.

Apparently, the calls to cut out the complaining go beyond the league office.

“Our fan research shows that people think NBA players complain too much and they do so much more than players in other leagues,” Jackson said. “But that aside, in reviewing our games, what we have observed is an excessive amount of complaining to referees’ calls or non-calls.”

So for the second time in four years, the NBA is warning players that more technical fouls could be coming if the complaining doesn’t stop. The crackdown during the 2006-07 season ignited a feud with the players, who eventually filed an unfair labor practice charge against the league with the National Labor Relations Board.

Jackson doesn’t expect this one to be as tense, as he

“

The best mindset for everyone to take in a player’s mind is really abstinence, and that is to not complain.”

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF BASKETBALL OPERATIONS STU JACKSON

emphasized this is not a “zero-tolerance policy” and that players will still be permitted to have discussions with referees if done so courteously.

Players may have a different feeling once they see some of what could earn them a technical foul and the automatic fine that goes with it — which Jackson said may increase this season.

On Thursday night, executives from the referee operations department showed videos of some plays that would warrant technicals this season to officials and media during the referees’ training camp in Jersey City, N.J. In one play, Carlos Boozer swings his arm in anger after a missed shot, likely believing he was fouled. However, there was not a referee nearby, leaving open the possibility that Boozer was perhaps angry with himself and not yelling at an official.

In another, LeBron James hurries across the court with his arms raised to question a call that went against him, but not in a particularly menacing manner.

That doesn’t matter. Jackson said actions like those slow the game down and won’t be tolerated.

“The best mindset for everyone to take in a player’s mind is really abstinence,

and that is to not complain,” Jackson said.

“Again, the focus here is to just play the game. We have a great game, great players and we have a great product. And let’s focus on executing offense and defense, and being highly competitive, because complaining doesn’t have a part in our game and complaining has never changed a noncall to a call, or a call to a non-call. So focus on playing the game.”

Besides punching the air, other examples of punishable offenses this season that Jackson listed include: —Waving off an official as a sign of disrespect —Running up to an official from across the court —Waving arms in disbelief, or jumping up and down in disbelief —Clapping sarcastically at an official Coaches were already told of the new enforcement plans, along with another point of emphasis this season: There will be an “almost zero-tolerance policy” on assistant coaches yelling at the referees.

Players will learn the details in a preseason memo, and also during a clinic given to their teams by referee operations officials.

“Player complaining is not really needed in our game and has no place in the game,” Jackson said.

NASCAR’s Bowyer on defensive

By DAN GELSTON ASSOCIATED PRESS

DOVER, Del. — Clint Bowyer’s car flunked inspection and few around the garage are buying his alibi.

Bowyer is sticking to his story.

He gave a defiant defense of his Chase-opening victory on Friday, saying he “wouldn’t cheat” to win a race after his car failed a follow-up inspection. If anything should be blamed for the infraction, he told reporters, it’s a tow truck.

“We have a lot more integrity for myself and our race team at RCR,” Bowyer said.

Richard Childress, his owner, was united with his driver in blaming a wrecker for wrecking Bowyer’s championship run. The defense: The wrecker hit the rear bumper when it pushed the No. 33 car into the winner’s circle at New Hampshire.

“I don’t think anyone could look us square in the face and say without a shadow of a doubt that the wrecker couldn’t have moved that car sixty-thousandths” of an inch, Childress said.

Bowyer said he’s looking for answers about why NASCAR levied harsh penalties against him that crippled his chances at winning the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

Bowyer was penalized 150 points after Sunday’s win at New Hampshire and fell from second to 12th in the standings, though he is appealing the ruling.

NASCAR also fined crew chief Shane Wilson $150,000 and suspended him for six Sprint Cup races, car chief Chad Haney was suspended six races and Childress was docked 150 owner points.

Wilson was at the track Friday because the penalties are under appeal, set for next week.

Bowyer said his team was “triple sure” his car was legal after receiving a warning following the previous race at Richmond.

Other drivers weren’t so sure.

Photo by Chuck Burton | AP

NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer pauses during a sponsorship event in Charlotte, N.C., Wednesday. NASCAR was scrutinizing Bowyer’s race-winning car from New Hampshire on Wednesday in an inspection process that could derail his championship chances.

Points leader Denny Hamlin, who starts fourth on Sunday at Dover, blasted Bowyer’s illegal car. Hamlin was runner-up last week and said he knew he had “the fastest legal car,” and that there was no way the push of a tow truck could flunk a car at inspection, especially considering the beating it takes over several hundred grueling miles of racing.

“They’re just trying to salvage their season basically, and they’re going to do everything they can,” said Hamlin, who has a 45-point lead over Kevin Harvick — instead of Bowyer — for second with nine races left in the Chase.

NASCAR said the No. 33 Chevrolet from Sunday’s race had been altered and did not meet its strict specifications. Childress said the penalty was handed down because the car was out of tolerance “less than 1-16 of an inch,” but added that he wouldn’t be “dumb enough”

to bring an illegal car to the track shortly after the warning at Richmond.

“All I’m going to ask for is a fair appeal,” Childress said.

Bowyer’s car passed an initial inspection at New Hampshire on Sunday, but was taken by NASCAR back to its North Carolina research and development center for a more thorough exam. It was there that NASCAR found the rear end of the car had been manipulated.

NASCAR vice president of competition Robin Pemberton said RCR brought Bowyer’s Dover car to the center on Wednesday for another examination.

“It was strictly to measure it, let them take their sheet away and compare it to the numbers that they have back at their facility,” Pemberton said.

He added it “remains to be seen” if NASCAR will inspect Bowyer’s car again next week.