The Zapata Times 10/13/2012

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MEXICO VIOLENCE

ZAPATA COUNTY INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT

2 shots to head killed Lazcano

$1,000 payment

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MEXICO CITY — An autopsy carried out on the body of drug cartel leader Heriberto Lazcano before his body was stolen shows he died of six gunshot wounds, including two to the head, according to a forensic report released Thursday.

The Coahuila state prosecutors’ office said the autopsy determined Lazcano died of brain injuries, hemorLAZCANO rhaging, shock and blood loss.

Lazcano, known as “El Lazca,” was a founder and one of two top leaders of the brutal Zetas drug cartel and was one of Mexico’s most-wanted drug lords.

The head wounds stood out, given navy reports indicating Lazcano was shot at a distance of as much as 300 yards by marines during a confrontation in northern Coahuila state Sunday.

The autopsy report said Lazcano was shot once in the side or top of the skull and once in the back of the head.

The four other wounds were in the buttocks, chest and arm.

Masked men stole his body from a funeral home early Monday. State forensic experts performed the autopsy at the funeral home Sunday evening, before the body was stolen.

Teachers, librarians get ‘retention incentive’ payment

By RICARDO R. VILLARREAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

Classrooms teachers and librarians in the Zapata County Independent School District will receive salary increases plus a one-time $1,000 “retention incentive” payment, the district’s board of trustees decided Tues-

day.

All other full-time district employees also will receive the onetime payment.

The salary increases are in line with the district’s step program.

Board members extended Superintendent Norma Garcia’s contract after an evaluation in

executive session. They also approved a salary increase and the one-time payment for her. Neither board members nor administrators stated what Garcia’s salary increase would be during the meeting.

Among other actions taken during the meeting: Approval of the purchase of

two vehicles for the child nutrition program and two buses for the transportation department.

Class size waivers from 22:1 for two schools, Benavides Elementary (third grade) and Zapata South Elementary (kindergarten).

See BOARD PAGE 9A

DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY CRIME LAB

FIGHTERS AGAINST CRIME

Theft reveals his importance Mexico’s navy said its personnel had no idea they had killed the leader of the country’s most-feared drug cartel until after his body was stolen. By law, military personnel in Mexico cannot keep or examine suspects or corpses, but must turn them over to civilian prosecutors. In areas where morgues are in short supply, medical examiners sometimes perform autopsies at funeral homes.

The navy says Lazcano was killed after marines tried to search a group of suspicious men in a truck outside a baseball stadium, after receiving a tip there were armed men in the area. The men fired when the marines stopped the truck. One suspect died where the truck was stopped, but the man later identified as Lazcano fled across a field, where he was reportedly cut down by marine fire.

Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times

Federal, state and local officials and law enforcement authorities along with TxDOT officials were on hand for the ground-breaking ceremony of the Department of Public Safety Laredo Criminal Laboratory next to DPS offices in Laredo on Tuesday afternoon.

$6.1M crime lab expected to aid area law enforcement

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO — Soon, Zapata County Sheriff ’s Office will have access to a Department of Public Safety Crime Lab to examine DNA and ballistic evidence that’s closer to home.

In Laredo, local law enforcement and politicians broke ground Tuesday on Laredo’s own DPS Crime Lab. The 81st Texas Legislature approved the $6.1 million for the 17,143-

square-foot facility.

State Rep. Richard Raymond, who helped secure the money for the future state-of-art building, says the one thing people care about the most is public safety. Once built, the facility will be an important part of helping prosecutors and local law enforcement, he said.

“When a crime occurs and there are victims … that family and those victims deserve for us to proceed swiftly, in a just fashion,” Raymond said.

On the federal side, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar helped secure $250,000 in funding for lab equipment, including firing range equipment to provide safe and secure testing of firearms and a walk-in freezer for storage and preservation of DNA samples.

Having tools and technology at reach helps law enforcement and prosecutors to seek justice quicker, Cuellar said.

“You have to provide the justice. You can’t just be waiting for that evidence to be brought

… to Webb County,” he added.

Isidro “Chilo” Alaniz, district attorney for Webb and Zapata counties, talked about the killing of 21-month-old Devian Bluntson and 6-year-old Jayden Thompson allegedly at the hands of Demond Bluntson, who is behind bars facing capital murder charges in Laredo.

“This crime lab could’ve not come in a better time as we start preparing for the case,” he

See CRIME LAB PAGE 9A

PAGE 2A

Zin brief CALENDAR

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

AROUND TEXAS

TODAY IN HISTORY

SATURDAY, OCT. 13

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Planets Quest” at 2 p.m.; “Star Signs” at 3 p.m.; “Wonders of the Universe” at 4 p.m.; and “Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries,” at 5 p.m. It will be Girls and Boys Scouts Day. Members who wear their uniforms will receive 50 percent off admission ticket. General admission is $4 for children and $5 adults. Premium shows are $1 more. For more information, call 956-326-3663.

The public art project “Inside Out: Somos Hermanos” is from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the French Quarter’s Bazaar, Del Mar Boulevard. The project uses black and white photographic portraits to discover, reveal and share the untold stories and images of people around the world. Laredoans next to Nuevo Laredoans will be featured in an effort to promote peace among the sister cities. The cost to participate is $30, which includes converting each portrait into a large-scale (90 cm x 130 cm) black and white poster that will be pasted in a public location. For more information, email giftslaredo@yahoo.com.

Today is Saturday, Oct. 13, the 287th day of 2012. There are 79 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 13, 1962, Edward Albee’s searing four-character drama “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf ?” opened on Broadway with Arthur Hill as George, Uta Hagen as Martha, George Grizzard as Nick and Melinda Dillon (whose 23rd birthday it was) as Honey.

On this date: In A.D. 54, Roman Emperor Claudius I died, poisoned apparently at the behest of his wife, Agrippina (ag-rih-PEE’nuh).

In 1307, King Philip IV of France ordered the arrests of Knights Templar on charges of heresy.

In 1775, the United States Navy had its origins as the Continental Congress ordered the construction of a naval fleet.

In 1792, the cornerstone of the executive mansion, later known as the White House, was laid during a ceremony in the District of Columbia.

In 1843, the Jewish organization B’nai B’rith (buh-NAY’ brith) was founded in New York City.

In 1845, Texas voters ratified a state constitution.

In 1932, President Herbert Hoover and Chief Justice Charles Evan Hughes laid the cornerstone for the U.S. Supreme Court building in Washington.

In 1944, American troops entered Aachen, Germany, during World War II. In 1960, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon held the third televised debate of their presidential campaign (Nixon was in Los Angeles, Kennedy in New York).

In 1972, a Uruguayan chartered flight carrying 45 people crashed in the Andes; 16 survivors who resorted to feeding off the remains of some of the dead in order to stay alive were rescued more than two months later.

In 1981, voters in Egypt participated in a referendum to elect Vice President Hosni Mubarak (HAHS’-nee moo-BAH’rahk) the new president, one week after the assassination of Anwar Sadat.

In 2010, rescuers in Chile using a missile-like escape capsule pulled 33 men one by one to fresh air and freedom 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground.

Ten years ago: Serbia’s first presidential elections since the ouster of Slobodan Milosevic failed because of a low voter turnout.

Today’s Birthdays: Former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher is 87. Singer-musician Paul Simon is 71.

Actor Demond Wilson is 66.

Singer-musician Sammy Hagar is 65. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., is 54. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer is 52. Actress Kelly Preston is 50. Classical singer Carlos Marin (Il Divo) is 44.

Olympic silver-medal figure skater Nancy Kerrigan is 43.

Classical crossover singer Paul Potts (TV: “Britain’s Got Talent”) is 42. Actor Sacha Baron Cohen is 41. Olympic gold medal swimmer Ian Thorpe is 30.

Thought for Today: “There are some things one can only achieve by a deliberate leap in the opposite direction. One has to go abroad in order to find the home one has lost.” — Franz Kafka, Austrian author (1883-1924).

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 17 Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas and Americas Society in Washington, D.C., will speak as part of the International Bank of Commerce 2012-2013 Keynote Speaker Series, from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the TAMIU Student Center Ballroom (SC 203). Farnsworth will be presenting “Reviving Hemispheric Policy: An Agenda for the Next Administration.” This event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 326-2820 or visit http://freetrade.tamiu.edu/whtc_services/whtc_speaker_series.asp.

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

SATURDAY, OCT. 20 The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Ghostbusters” for Family Movie Day at noon, 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. General admission is $4. For more information, call 956326-3663.

The U.I.L. marching band contest is today at the Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex, 5208 Santa Claudia Lane. The first band takes the field at 10 a.m. and awards are announced at noon. The public is invited.

Tickets are $5 for general admission and children 5 and under get in free.

FRIDAY, OCT. 26 The Area Health Education Center will host the 28th Annual Update in Medicine Conference at the UT Health Science Center Laredo Campus from noon to 6:15 p.m. The conference will provide continuing education credits to physicians, nurses, social workers, dieticians and all community members. For more information, contact 956-712-0037 or mrgbahecadm.stx.rr.com.

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

The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will be host “Our Saturday in Space: Make-Your-Own-Robot” from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Space is limited. Entry is $20 and includes a child ticket. For more information, call 956-326-2463.

The Texas A&M International University Lamar Bruni Vergara Planetarium will show “Destination Saturn” at 2 p.m.; “Secret of the Cardboard Rocket” at 3 p.m.; “Violent Universe” at 4 p.m.; and “2012: Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries” at 5 p.m. Matinee shoes is $4 and general admission is $4 for children and $5 for adults. Premium shows are $1 more. For more information, call 956-326-3663.

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

THURSDAY, MARCH 21 The Falcon Slam Bassmaster Elite Tournament returns to Falcon Lake. The tournament will run through Sunday, March 24.

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 Tony Gutierrez | AP

In a Thursday photo, the words on an overhead display written by prosecutor Eren Price, left, are shown in court as an emotional Elizabeth Escalona, 23, responds to a line of questioning during the sentencing phase of her trial in Dallas. Escalona was sentenced Friday to 99 years in prison for beating her toddler and gluing the child’s hands to a wall.

Mom gets 99 years

By NOMAAN MERCHANT ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — A Dallas woman who beat her 2-year-old daughter and glued the toddler’s hands to a wall was sentenced Friday to 99 years in prison by a judge who described his decision as a necessary punishment for a brutal, shocking attack.

Elizabeth Escalona did not immediately react as State District Judge Larry Mitchell pronounced the sentence at the end of a fiveday hearing. Prosecutor Eren Price, who originally offered Escalona a plea deal for 45 years, had argued that she now thought the 23-year-old mother deserved life.

Mitchell said his decision came down to one thing.

“On Sept. 7, 2011, you savagely beat your child to the edge of death,” Mitchell said.

“For this you must be punished.”

The beating left Jocelyn Cedillo in a coma for a couple of days.

Escalona’s other children told authorities their mother attacked Jocelyn due to potty training problems. Police say she kicked her daughter in the stomach, beat her with a milk jug, then stuck her hands to an apartment wall with Super Glue.

Jocelyn suffered bleeding in her brain, a fractured rib, multiple bruises and bite marks, a doctor testified. Some skin had been torn off her hands, where doctors also found glue residue and white paint chips from the apartment wall.

Escalona pleaded guilty in July to one count of felony injury to a child.

Price said Escalona would be eligible to apply for parole in 30 years.

Mitchell could have sentenced Escalona to anywhere from probation to life in prison.

Senator hospitalized in grave condition

10-year-old boy wounds sister, fatally shoots self

TxDOT adding thousands of left lane passing signs

AUSTIN — A campaign official says state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. is hospitalized in grave condition near Houston for undisclosed reasons. Campaign consultant Harold Cook says Gallegos is surrounded by his family, who asked for privacy.

A Democrat, Gallegos has represented Houston’s Senate District 6 since 1995. Before that he served two terms in the House.

Gallegos faces Republican R.W. Bray in the November.

HUNTSVILLE — Southeast Texas authorities say a 10-yearold boy shot and wounded his 15year-old sister before fatally shooting himself.

The siblings were taken by helicopter to a Houston hospital about 70 miles to the south. The boy was pronounced dead. His sister underwent surgery. She was listed Friday in critical but stable condition.

AUSTIN — Thousands of signs are going up to remind drivers in Texas of “Left Lane for Passing Only” laws on highways with 75 mph or higher speed limits.

The Texas Department of Transportation on Friday announced plans to post about 3,400 additional signs by next summer in a renewed safety effort.

DPS says 3 die in helicopter crash FREDERICKSBURG — The Texas Department of Public Safety says three people are dead after a helicopter crashed in rural Central Texas.

The DPS says authorities discovered the wreckage and bodies Friday morning in northeast Kendall County. Names of the victims haven’t been released.

Mass resignations at state cancer agency AUSTIN — At least seven scientific reviewers have resigned in protest from the state’s embattled $3 billion cancer-fighting effort over allegations that the agency is charting a new “politically-driven” path.

The scientists, who include a Nobel laureate, resigned in letters sent to the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas this week.

San Antonio truck wreck spills pinto beans SAN ANTONIO — A trucker has spilled the beans.

San Antonio police say nobody has been hurt in the one-vehicle accident early Friday involving a truck hauling 50-pound bags of pinto beans.

Police say the 18-wheeler apparently blew a tire and went off a highway ramp. The truck ended up on its side and part of the cargo spilled.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION Elvis’ Beverly Hills estate up for sale MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The former Beverly Hills home of the late Elvis Presley and his wife Priscilla is up for sale for a cool $12.9 million.

Real estate website operator Trulia says the home hit the market Wednesday.

According to Elvis Presley Enterprises, Presley first rented the house before the couple bought it in 1967. It was sold in 1973, the same year Elvis and Priscilla divorced. The estate was formerly available for $25,000 a month.

Portrait Gallery features faces of nation’s poets WASHINGTON — America often knows the names but not the faces of its great poets. Now the National Portrait Gallery is introducing dozens of 20th century poets to Washington visitors.

“Poetic Likeness: Modern

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Endeavour sits in a mall near Los Angeles International Airport on Friday. Endeavour’s 12-mile road trip kicked off shortly before midnight Thursday as it moved from LAX en route to the California Science Center. See story, Page 5A. American Poets” opens Friday and will be on view through April.

Curator David Ward says he wanted to open a poetry exhibit for years because it’s a way America defined itself as a culture. Ward says poetry is the lan-

guage we turn to when something is important.

The show explores biographies of Robert Frost, Langston Hughes, E.E. Cummings, Allen Ginsberg, Marianne Moore and others.

— Compiled from AP reports

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

Video helps in 2 men’s arrests

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

Two men were arrested and accused of burglarizing a pickup after surveillance video played a key role capturing the men’s movements, according to Zapata County sheriff ’s officials.

Just before 9 a.m. Oct. 4, deputies responded to the 1800 block of Second Street for a burglary call. Accord-

MARIO GARCIA: Charged with burglary of a vehicle on Second Street. ing to Sgt. Mario Elizondo, deputies obtained private surveillance footage owned by the victim.

Review of the video showed two men in the garage area rummaging inside a pickup, according to Elizondo. Through an investigation, detectives

MARIO ALANIZ: Faces up to one year in jail, and a $4,000 fine. identified the men caught on video burglarizing the home.

Authorities identified the men as Mario A. Alaniz, 19, and Mario O. Garcia, 23. Justice of the Peace Jose C. Gutierrez issued arrest warrants for the men. Information on how

the arrest occurred was not immediately available.

The men are being charged with burglary of a vehicle, a Class A misdemeanor punishable with up to a year in jail and/or a $4,000 fine. Alaniz and Garcia remained at the Zapata Regional Jail as of Friday evening on a $25,000 bond.

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

LIONS CLUB MEMBERS DONATE DICTIONARIES

THE BLOTTER ASSAULT An assault was reported at 1:32 a.m. Oct. 4 in the 1800 block of Delmar Street.

An assault was reported at 9:34 a.m. Oct. 4 in the 1000 block of Glenn Street.

Deputies responded to an assault call at 8:13 p.m. Oct. 4 in the 700 block of Villa Avenue.

An aggravated assault was reported at 3:13 p.m. Tuesday at Grande and Siesta lanes.

An assault was reported at 1:02 a.m. Thursday in the 2200 block of Carla Street.

BURGLARY

A burglary of a vehicle was reported at about 8:53 a.m.

Oct. 4 in the 1800 block of Second Street.

A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 3:52 p.m. Oct. 4 in the 1800 block of Alamo Street.

A burglary of a vehicle was reported at 7:53 a.m. Thursday in the 2300 block of Fresno Street.

THEFT A theft was reported at 10:56 p.m. Oct. 5 at the Valero, off U.S. 83. The property stolen was valued at less than $50.

Cancer center marks 25th anniversary THE ZAPATA TIMES

LAREDO — A quarter of a century milestone of cancer treatment service was celebrated at Doctor’s Hospital on Friday.

Cancer survivors were joined by community leaders, physicians and staff to give thanks for the regional cancer treatment center, which has made it possible for Laredoans and South Texans to receive chemotherapy and infusion treatments closer to home.

Numerous services

Courtesy photo

Villarreal Elementary third grade students received student dictionaries from the Lions Club. Books were distributed by Jaime A. Gonzalez, Lions Club president, Aurelio Villarreal, secretary/treasurer, and Jose Luis Morales, member.

The facility, located on the hospital’s west end, houses clinical programs, research, support and educational services for outpatient radiation therapy.

The regional cancer remains the only cancer program south of San Antonio to be accredited by the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer.

PAGE 4A

Zopinion

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

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

OTHER VIEWS

Reforming biz tax may aid workers

By DEVIN NUNES In November 2007, Americans had 146.6 million jobs; now, we have just 143 million. Then, 66 percent of working-age Americans had a job or were looking for one; as of September, that figure was 63.6 percent, the second-lowest result in three decades.

Recent Federal Reserve statistics highlighted a core problem hindering our economy: Liquid assets held by U.S. corporations total $1.73 trillion, up from around $1 trillion a decade ago.

That sum and the vast liquid assets held by non-corporate businesses show that, instead of investing and expanding, U.S. companies are keeping their money on the sidelines.

tially, tax deductions for business investment — is allowed under the current tax code but is subject to innumerable and ever-changing conditions and limits; what a company can expense depends on a firm’s size and industry, the type of asset bought and its cost, the amount of time over which the firm can deduct costs (“depreciation”) and whether the business is entitled to “bonus depreciation” measures.

By replacing this convoluted system with a uniform rule of 100 percent expensing, the ABC tax reform would quickly spark economic growth. Simply put, the more a company invests and expands, the more it reduces the percentage of its income that is taxed.

Tax laws

Substantial changes

Considering all the regulatory uncertainty they face and our punishing, indecipherable tax code, who can blame them?

Were it invested, this private-sector wealth could kick-start our economy. But that’s unlikely to happen under current conditions. In fact, Blue Chip Economic Indicators said in August that it had found that almost nine out of 10 top analysts expect overall U.S. business investment to drop further this year.

Tinkering with tax rates won’t encourage firms to take more risk and put this money in play. We need to dramatically change the tax code so that investing is not only easier for businesses but becomes a far better option than not investing.

The current debate over tax policy focuses on whether we should raise taxes and, if so, whether to raise them on individuals making more than $200,000 a year or on millionaires. We need to talk about the bigger picture: what it takes to get people and businesses to invest their money and create jobs.

To boost growth even further, non-expensed income for all businesses would be taxed at one low, globally competitive rate — 25 percent — and all credits, special deals and loopholes on the business side would be eliminated. Because all businesses, whether a mom-and-pop grocery or a billion-dollar conglomerate, would be subject to the same clear rules and rate, special interests and big business would no longer be able to manipulate the tax code.

The ABC tax reform would have something for everyone. Small businesses would be put on equal footing with corporations, while corporations would profit from a lower tax rate and 100 percent expensing as long as they invest here in the United States.

Meanwhile, Democrats and Republicans alike should support a reform that levels the playing field for all businesses, brings certainty and clarity to the tax code, disempowers special interests, incentivizes the return of money parked in foreign tax havens and gets the economy moving.

The ABC reform would also enable more Americans to become entrepreneurs. Right now it’s difficult for most people to open a business.

It’s hard to scrape together the capital, and the tax code is nearly impossible to comprehend. But under the ABC reform, potential entrepreneurs would understand their tax burden precisely. What’s more, people with a good idea for a business would be encouraged to take risks to realize their dream because they would be able to expense big initial investments, as would any firm that invests in an entrepreneur’s start-up.

THE WASHINGTON POST

Reforming taxes That is what the American Business Competitiveness tax reform, which I intend to introduce in Congress, would achieve.

Designed to complement current congressional efforts on tax reform, the ABC tax reform would replace the business tax structure with a new form of consumption tax.

Many macroeconomists recognize consumption taxes as the best tax system for encouraging capital investment and economic growth.

Most of the world’s consumption taxes are sales taxes or value-added taxes (VATs). The ABC tax reform is different — it would encourage business investment by allowing 100 percent expensing in the current year. This means that companies of any size, no matter how they’re organized, would pay no taxes on any of their spending for personnel, equipment, property or other expenditure related to the operation of their business in the United States.

Expensing — essen-

Major changes Adjusting current rates a few percentage points one way or another won’t eliminate the tax system’s structural inefficiencies and perverse incentives.

We should do something that actually works: advance a comprehensive overhaul that supercharges economic growth and job creation.

COLUMN

Laws keeping couple apart

A

USTIN — Today, a sad tale of intercontinental love interrupted

by Texas law. It involves a couple who’ve seen each other only once since marrying 21 months ago.

For a while, there was a request for Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott’s opinion on the matter.

Then I got involved and the request was withdrawn. I feel bad about that, though the request seemed destined for an opinion adverse to the couple.

I’m hoping for a happy reunion, as should you.

Sravan, the groom, married Sravya, in their native India on Feb. 13, 2011.

Sravan, 28, who asked that their last names not be used, has lived in Houston since going there in 2006 for grad school. Since 2008, under a temporary worker visa, he’s been a computer guy for a beauty products company.

After the wedding, Sravya, now 25, sought a visa allowing her, as his spouse, to join him in Houston. The plan was blocked four months after the wedding when U.S. officials in Chennai, India, told her she’d have to prove the marriage is legal in Texas. The only time they’ve been together since the wedding was when he visited India in February of this year.

Here’s the hitch about the hitched couple: They

“

KEN HERMAN

are first cousins, and U.S. officials told Sravya she must produce a Texas AG opinion stating such marriages are legal in Texas.

The U.S. State Department’s Foreign Affairs Manual says marriages “considered to be void under state law ... cannot be recognized for immigration purposes even if the marriage is legal in the place of marriage celebration.”

Certain prohibitions In a Sept. 25 opinion request, state Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, wrote that Texas law says you can’t marry an ancestor or descendant, your brother or sister, your aunt or uncle, or your niece or nephew.

“First cousins, however, are not included in this list,” Gallego told Abbott.

Happy ending? Not so fast. The National Conference of State Legislatures says 19 states allow firstcousin marriages and 25 states, including Texas, ban such unions. (Six states conditionally allow them, with a common condition being that one of the cousins not be able to reproduce.)

Texas got on the banned

list through a 2005 amendment Rep. Harvey Hilderbran, R-Kerrville, added to a Texas Family Code overhaul after the big mess at the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints compound in Eldorado, where folks held nontraditional (that’s a nicer word for creepy, isn’t it?) views on relationships.

In 2009, Hilderbran told The New York Times: “Cousins don’t get married just like siblings don’t get married. And when it happens, you have a bad result. It’s just not the accepted normal thing.”

It is, however, the accepted normal thing where Sravan and Sravya were wed in a family-arranged marriage. Hilderbran told me their dilemma is “an unintended consequence” of his amendment, which was aimed at FLDS-like situations, “but it’s not one I feel bad about.”

On Tuesday, Gallego said the opinion request was handled by his staff and he knew very little about it. A day later, he said he’s withdrawing it because “it didn’t go through the usual vetting in my office.” You should also know that Gallego is trying to unseat U.S. Rep. Francisco “Quico” Canseco, R-San Antonio, in a district that could include some cowboys who might not cotton to a candidate

trying to help an Indian, first-cousin couple navigate our immigration laws.

It fell to me to tell Sravan about Gallego’s decision.

“I cannot express my disappointment as I pinned all my hopes on this opinion,” he told me.

“I don’t know what I am going to do next.”

‘Heartbroken’ Pershant Mehta, Sravan’s boss, says the couple is devastated.

“He has a home here.

He has his whole life here in America,” he said. “In a way, it’s going to bankrupt him if he is going to have to start all over again and go back to India.”

“She is heartbroken,” Mehta said. “He is heartbroken.”

Gordon Quan, Sravan’s lawyer, says the only answer might be for his client to move to a state where first-cousin marriage is legal.

C’mon Texas. We offer all kinds of benefits to foreigners who choose to disobey our laws and live here illegally. Can’t we find a way to help a productive foreigner who is here legally?

(Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman.

Email: kherman@statesman.com.)

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DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

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National

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

Romney criticizes Biden

By DAVID ESPO AND KASIE HUNT ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Mark J. Terrill | AP

Vivianne Robinson Crowds poses in front of the Space Shuttle Endeavour before it is moved through Los Angeles, on Friday.

Endeavour’s destination is the California Science Center. The 12-mile road trip kicked off shortly before midnight Thursday.

Endeavour creeps to new home

By ALICIA CHANG ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — It’s a surreal sight residents won’t soon forget: A hulking space shuttle strutting down city streets, pausing every so often to get its bearings as it creeps toward retirement.

Endeavour’s terrestrial journey began before dawn Friday when it departed from the Los Angeles International Airport, rolling on a 160wheeled carrier past diamond-shaped “Shuttle Xing” signs.

Hundreds of cameratoting spectators, some with pajama-clad children in tow, gaped as the 170,000-pound Endeavour inched by with its tail towering over streetlights and its wings spanning the roadway.

Over two days, it will trundle 12 miles at a top speed of 2 mph to its final destination — the California Science Center, where it will be the centerpiece of a new exhibit.

After an initial bumpy ride and a brief delay, the shuttle pulled off a massive feat of parallel parking by backing into a shopping center parking lot for a layover as crowds cheered on.

“This is unlike anything we’ve ever moved before,” said Jim Hennessy, a spokesman for Sarens, the contract mover.

Spectators flocked to the parking lot in the Westchester neighborhood to get a glimpse of Endeavour, which was guarded by an entourage of police, private security and construction crews.

Janet Dion, a family therapist from nearby Manhattan Beach, marveled at the shuttle, its exterior weathered by millions of miles in space and two dozen re-entries.

“You can sense the magnitude of where it’s been,” Dion said, fixated on the heat tiles that protected the shuttle during the return to Earth.

James Nieuwdorp, a technician for a transit

agency, saw Endeavour’s aerial victory lap around California last month and traveled to see it again before it becomes a museum piece.

He enjoyed how the shuttle brought strangers together. There was “lot of camaraderie — something that’s hard to be seen these days,” he said.

After a nine-hour layover, Endeavour hit the streets Friday afternoon toward the suburb of Inglewood, home of the iconic Randy’s Donut shop. As it rolled past front lawns, some homeowners climbed on their roofs for a better view.

The shuttle will take another hours-long break as crews re-route power lines, causing temporary outages to several hundred homes. It will later be transferred to a special dolly towed by a Toyota pickup truck for the move over Interstate 405. The automaker received a permit to film a commercial.

Shuffling a five-storytall shuttle through urban streets was an undertaking that took a year to plan. Because the 78-foot wingspan hangs over sidewalks in some locations, police enforced rolling street and sidewalk closures along the route.

The limited access frustrated some businesses that counted on huge crowds lining the curbs to boost business.

Saturday is typically the busiest day for James Fugate, who co-owns Eso Won Books in South Los Angeles. But with Endeavour expected to pass through, Fugate braced for a ho-hum day in sales.

“We don’t close because we’re slow. That’s when you pull out a book to read,” he said.

The baby of the shuttle fleet, Endeavour replaced Challenger, which exploded during liftoff in 1986, killing seven astronauts.

It thundered off the launch pad 25 times, orbited Earth nearly 4,700 times and racked up 123 million miles.

RICHMOND, Va. — Broadening his attack on administration foreign policy, Mitt Romney accused Vice President Joe Biden on Friday of “doubling down on denial” in a dispute over security at a diplomatic post in Libya that was overrun by terrorists who killed the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans.

“The vice president directly contradicted the sworn testimony of State Department officials,” the Republican presidential candidate said, eager to stoke a controversy that has flared periodically since the attack on Sept. 11 “... American citizens have a right to know just what’s going on. And we’re going to find out.”

President Barack Obama had no campaign appearances, leaving it to White House press secretary Jay Carney to defend Biden’s assertion in a campaign debate Thursday night that “we weren’t told” of an official request for more security at the site.

The spokesman rejected Romney’s claim of a contradiction. Biden “was speaking directly for himself and for the president. He meant the White House,” Carney said.

With his accusation, Romney once again pushed foreign policy to the forefront of a campaign dominated for more than a year by the economy, which has been painfully slow to recover from the worst recession in more than a half century.

The Republican challenger was campaigning across a pair of battleground states during the day, first in Virginia, which has 13 electoral votes, and then in Ohio, which has 18 electoral votes and where running mate Paul Ryan joined him. It takes 270 electoral votes to win the White House.

Biden was in Wisconsin, Ryan’s home state, and one where polls give Obama a narrow lead despite a debate performance last week that was so poor it fueled a Republican comeback nationally and sent shudders through the ranks of Democratic partisans.

More than a week later, officials in both parties describe a race that has largely returned to the competitive situation in effect last summer, before the national political conventions and the emergence of a videotape in which Romney spoke dismissively of nearly half the country propelled the president to significant gains in the polls.

Now, many of the same surveys show a very tight race nationally and in most of the competitive states, although the president holds a small lead in public and

Charles Dharapak | AP

Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney greets his vice presidential running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., at Port Columbus International Airport in Columbus, Ohio, on Friday. Romney accused Vice President Joe Biden on Friday of denial in a dispute over security at a diplomatic post in Libya. private surveys in Ohio and Wisconsin.

Still struggling to blunt or reverse Romney’s rise in the polls, Obama’s campaign launched two new ads in several of the contested states. One shows the Republican being asked in a “60 Minutes” interview if it’s fair that he paid federal tax of about 14 percent last year on income of $20 million, while a $50,000 wage-earner paid a higher rate. “I think it’s the right way to encourage economic growth,” he says, and the narrator adds: “Lower tax rates for him than us. Is that the way to grow America?”

The second commercial appears aimed at recent comments Romney made suggesting he might not make opposition to abortion a priority. “Maybe you’re wondering what to believe about Mitt Romney,” it says, then shows him pledging to eliminate

federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

With control of the Senate and all 435 House seats at stake along with the White House, outside groups that spent months stockpiling money were now in a race to spend it.

American Crossroads, a group backed by former White House strategist Karl Rove, announced this week it was spending $7.4 million in the presidential race, while an allied organization, Crossroads GPS, put down $4 million to help Republicans in five Senate races and another $8.1 million for 11 House campaigns — a total of nearly $20 million.

Some candidates seemed to be showing signs of campaign fatigue.

In a California House race between two Democrats, Rep. Brad Sherman seized the shoulder of Rep. Howard Berman during a debate, yanked him toward

his chest and shouted, “You want to get into this?” The two men stood nose to nose before a sheriff ’s deputy moved between them.

“I should not have done that,” conceded Sherman, 57, on Friday.

Said his 71-year-old rival: “It was like in the eighth grade, ‘You want to go over to the park on the corner and fight this out?’”

The Democrats are pitted against each other because California advances the top two vote-getters in a primary to the general election, regardless of party.

In the presidential race, Romney began the campaign week with a speech that criticized the Obama administration for showing a lack of leadership around the globe, particularly in the Middle East.

And he chose to end it with a direct challenge to Biden’s candor about the attack on the consulate in Benghazi, Libya.

National

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES

Authorities: Body is that of missing girl

By P. SOLOMON BANDA ASSOCIATED PRESS

WESTMINSTER, Colo.

— A body found in a suburban Denver park was identified Friday as that of a missing 10-year-old girl, as anxious parents kept close watch over their children because of a potential predator in their midst, authorities said.

The body of Jessica Ridgeway was found Wednesday about 7 miles southwest of her home. Authorities said it was not intact, but they did not explain further.

“Our focus has changed from the search for Jessica to a mission of justice for Jessica,” Westminster Police Chief Lee Birk said.

“All our efforts now are in search of her abductor,” he said. “We recognize there is a predator at large in our community.”

Ridgeway began a short walk from her home to Witt Elementary School on the morning of Oct. 5 but never arrived. A massive search by hundreds of law enforcement officers did not start until hours later because Jessica’s mother works nights and slept through a call from school officials saying Jessica wasn’t there.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez | AP

Police search near an area where a body was found Wednesday in Parttridge Park, in Arvada, Colo., during the ongoing search for missing 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway on Thursday. Authorities said Friday the body is that of the missing girl.

The FBI has warned residents that she may have been abducted by someone they know and is asking them to be alert for people they know who might have suddenly changed their appearance or uncharacteristically missed work or appointments.

“It could be your boss, it could be your friend, and ultimately it could be your family member,” FBI spokesman Dave Joly said earlier. “We suspect someone in the community knows this individual.”

Jim Yacone, FBI special agent in charge of the Denver division, said investigators would continue neigh-

borhood searches. The U.S. Marshals Service, immigrations officials and state Department of Corrections have been reviewing registered sex offenders in the area, he said without elaborating.

Investigators received more than 1,500 tips from the public, roughly 800 of which have been covered, Yacone said. Authorities also have searched more than 500 homes and more than 1,000 vehicles but still need the public’s help.

“We want you to look for changes of habits, patterns, peculiar absences of those around you and report it to law enforcement,” he said.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Files detailed ways to kill

By GREG RISLING ASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — A teacher arrested at Los Angeles International Airport wearing a bulletproof vest and with checked bags containing knives, body bags, a smoke grenade and other weapons also had files on his computer detailing how to kidnap and kill people, federal authorities disclosed Friday.

In addition, Yongda Huang Harris had files revealing he has a “strong interest” in sexual violence against girls, including a video titled “Schoolgirls in Cement,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Melissa Mills said.

One publication was entitled “Man Trapping” and showed how to hunt and trap humans, she said.

The prosecutor detailed the discoveries during a court appearance by Harris, 28, a Boston University graduate who had been working in Japan as a junior high school teacher.

The bespectacled Harris was shackled in handcuffs and wore a white prisonissued jumpsuit, along with a blue surgical mask over his mouth due to a throat infection.

Before the detention hearing, he crossed and rubbed his arms, appearing to be cold. He often turned and spoke with his

Photo by Los Angeles Police Department | AP

This photo shows material seized from the luggage of Yongda Huang Harris while trying to enter the United States at Los Angeles International Airport. A detention hearing was held Friday for Harris where he was remanded back into custody. attorney Steven Seiden.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul Abrams declared Harris to be a flight risk and ordered him held without bond until he stands trial.

Harris is charged with one count of transporting hazardous materials, for the grenade, and could face up to five years in prison if convicted. He did not enter a plea.

Seiden said the weapons Harris was carrying were meant for protection and necessary because Harris was once attacked on the streets of Boston.

Seiden described Harris as scared and timid. Harris carried some of the items to defend himself, Seiden said.

“He may have interests that are not of the norm, but that doesn’t mean he’s carrying out any type of harm to anyone,” Seiden said.

Seiden also said Harris didn’t have any previous psychological issues.

Harris was arrested on Oct. 5 wearing the bulletproof vest under a trench coat along with fire-resistant pants and kneepads.

His attire attracted the attention of law enforcement, and when his luggage was checked the weapons cache was found, authorities said.

On the computer was a document with schedules for schools in Japan showing when students arrived and left.

SÁBADO 13 DE OCTUBRE DE 2012

Agenda en Breve LAREDO 10|13— “Shoot for the Cure” es a las 8 a.m. en el Complejo de Tiro del Sur de Texas. Costo: 150 dólares.

Las ganancias se destinarán a pacientes locales con cáncer de seno. Más información en (956) 796-2222 o (956) 796-2007.

10|13— Fútbol soccer: el equipo femenil de TAMIU recibe a McMurry University a las 12 p.m.; y el equipo varonil de TAMIU recibe a McMurry University a las 3 p.m. Ambos particos en la Cancha de Soccer Dustdevil de la Universidad.

10|13— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta, el Día de los Niñ@s Exploradores, con: “Planets Quest” a las 2 p.m.; “Star Signs” a las 3 p.m.; “Wonders of the Universe” a las 4 p.m.; y “Ancient Skies, Ancient Mysteries,” a las 5 p.m. Niños que acudan portando su uniforme recibirán un descuento del 50% en el boleto. Costo: 4 dólares, niños; y, 5 dólares, adultos.

10|13— Caballeros de Colón, Concilio 2304 de Laredo, invita al Baile del Día de Colón, a partir de las 8 p.m. en el Salón de Baile del Laredo Civic Center. Tocará OnMusicBand. Costo: 15 dólares por persona; 150, mesa para 10. Boletos llamando al (956) 206-1098 y 286-8592.

10|13— Festival de Teatro Chicano presenta: “El Sombrero” de Carmen Gámez; “Tu Amor Secreto” de Laurence Wensel; “Canary in the Mine” de Ramón Serrano; y, “Bridges” de Luis E. Flores, a las 8 p.m. en Laredo Little Theater, 4802 avenida Thomas. Costo: 10 dólares (adultos); estudiantes con identificación y personas menores de 14 años, pagan 5. Otra función el 14 de octubre, a las 3 p.m. y el 19 de octubre a las 8 p.m.

10|13— Primer Baile Anual para la Cura del Cáncer, a las 8 p.m. en Vaquero Country Club, 1406 Jacaman Rd. Un 25% de las ganancias se destinarán al “Relay for Life’ de la Sociedad Americana del Cáncer. Costo en pre-venta: 10 dólares. Informes en 774-1710.

10|14— El pianista ruso Alexandre Moutouzkine ofrecerá un rcital en el Recital Hall del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU, de 3 p.m. a 5 p.m. Entrada gratuita.

10|16— La Doceava Misa Roja (Red Mass) para profesionales legales será a las 6 p.m. en la Catedral de San Agustín.

10|17— Olimpiadas Especiales del Área 21 de Texas invita a la Competencia de Boliche, de 8:30 a.m. a 1 p.m. en Jett Bowl North. Informes en el (956) 712.2144.

10|17— Series de Cine Clásico en Cinemark-Mall del Norte, presenta a las 2 p.m. y 7 p.m. “Mary Poppins”, clasificada G. Adquiera su boleto en www.cinemark.com.

10|17— Misa para los Profesionales al Cuidado de la Salud, por la Fiesta de San Lucas, a las 7 p.m. en Catedral de San Agustin.

Más información en el 7963657.

10|18— Presentación de la obra “El Moscas y Los Pesticidas” de Nephtali De León, a las 6 p.m. en el Auditorio del Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex. Evento gratuito patrocinado por UISD, EPA y Estudiantes Migrantes en Acción.

10|18— LTGI presneta “Blood Wedding” de Federico García Lorca, a las 8 p.m. en el Teatro del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts de TAMIU. Costo: 15 dólares; 10, para estudiantes y adultos mayores. Informes en (956) 319-8610.

Zfrontera

PÁGINA 7A

MÉXICO: DAVID HARTLEY MURIÓ A MANOS DE ORGANIZACIÓN CRIMINAL

Hartley: vindicación POR LYNN BREZOSKY SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

BROWNSVILLE — Para Tiffany Hartley, el arresto por parte del gobierno mexicano de un líder de un cartel trajo consigo una muy esperada vindicación.

Fue la primera vez que oficiales mexicanos reconocieron que su esposo, David, murió por miembros del cartel.

“Nunca aceptaron eso en dos años, y para ellos el finalmente aceptar que David fue asesinado en México por los carteles, por el cartel de Los Zetas, para mí es inmenso”, dijo ella el 9 de octubre.

Hartley, quien reside en Colorado, dijo que el anuncio deberá satisfacer a sus críticos: “Las personas quienes pensaron que yo tuve algo que ver con ello, finalmente se pueden decir, ‘Pero México está admitiendo que tuvieron algo que ver con lo sucedido’”.

Oficiales mexicanos reportaron el 8 de octubre que fuerzas militares capturaron a Salvador Alfonso Martínez Escobedo, de 31 años de edad, un miembro del cartel de Los Zetas acusado de haber estado al frente de una serie de crímenes.

Los cargos en su contra inclu-

yen homicidios en masa y tanto el homicidio de David Hartley en 2010, así como del comandante de la policía investigando la muerte de David Hartley.

DAVID HARTLEY La cabeza del oficial posteriormente fue enviada al Ejército Mexicano dentro de un maletín.

El cuerpo de David Hartley nunca fue recuperado.

TIFFANY HARTLEY Para cuando ocurrió el arresto de Martínez, alias “La Ardilla, el sábado en Nuevo Laredo, México, había un millón dólares como recompensa por su cabeza.

MARTÍNEZ La historia de Tiffany Hartley de que sicarios mataron a su esposo el 30 de septiembre del 2010, mientras ambos vacacionaban en el Lago Falcón, atrajo la atención internacional acerca de que la guerra de las drogas estaba intensificándose en la frontera de Texas.

Su historia también trajo escep-

ticismo, conforme expertos y críticos criminales escudriñaban para encontrar discrepancias y analizaban su lenguaje corporal para signos de deshonestidad.

La Secretaria de Seguridad Nacional Janet Napolitano dijo previamente que “la especulación es injustificada” hacia Tiffany Hartley.

El Alguacil del Condado de Zapata Sigifredo González dijo que estaba frustrado por la manera en que el gobierno mexicano la trató.

“Ella no fue entrevistada, sino interrogada”, dijo él.

David Hartley había estado trabajando para una compañía de servicios en campos petroleros en Reynosa, México, y la pareja se estaba preparando para regresar a Colorado ese Otoño. Ellos pasaron uno de sus últimos días como turistas en la frontera de Texas. Una de las cosas que deseaban ver es la parcialmente sumergida iglesia en Antigua Ciudad Guerrero, en el lado mexicano del lago.

Unos meses antes, oficiales recibieron reportes de “piratas” armados sobre el lago, robando a pescadores de EU a punta de pistola.

El Alguacil González dijo el 9 de octubre que la historia de Tiffany

era, desde el principio, consistente con esos reportes.

Dijo que su propia investigación sobre la muerte dio con cinco nombres de sospechosos de miembros del cartel. Aunque los nombres no incluían al de Martínez, dijo que Martínez probablemente fue arrestado como líder del grupo.

“Estoy seguro que el Ejército Mexicano no va a mentir acerca de esto”, dijo González. “Estoy seguro que él estuvo involucrado de alguna manera, aunque no fuera quien mató con sus manos a Hartley”.

El que oficiales mexicanos hayan considerado la muerte de Hartley como el de una víctima, es “muy importante”, dijo.

Tiffany Hartley dijo que ella aún desea más información para asegurarse de que el gobierno ha arrestado al hombre responsable por la muerte de su esposo.

“Pero, tú sabes, de cualquier forma, él es un miembro del cartel, de cualquier manera él forma parte del cartel de Los Zetas”, dijo ella. “Él ha lastimado a muchas personas y ha matado a muchas personas”.

(Escriba a Lynn Brezosky a lbrezosky@express-news.net)

ECOLOGÍA

EDUCACIÓN

FRONTERA 2020

ZCISD aprueba aumentos POR RICARDO R. VILLARREAL TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Foto de cortesí | Semarnat

El mapa, cortesía de la Secretaría del Medio Ambiente y Recursos Naturales de México, muestra algunas de las ciudades que actualmente participan en el Programa Frontera 2020, cuya más reciente reunión fue celebrada el jueves en Laredo.

Reiteran compromiso para desarrollo sano TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

C

on sede en Laredo, fue llevada a cabo la Cuarta Reunión Regional del “Programa Binacional Frontera 2020”.

Teniendo como sede el Centro de Desarrollo Ambiental, el programa busca “mantener a las poblaciones fronterizas de Coahuila, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas y Texas en condiciones de mejoramiento ambiental para un desarrollo sano y limpio de las comunidades”, informa un comunicado de prensa del Gobierno de Tamaulipas.

Los participantes, entre ellos representantes de la Secretaría de Desarrollo Urbano y Medio Ambiente de Tamaulipas (SEDUMA), plasmaron las condiciones y estrategias que cada uno realiza para abatir los problemas que más aquejan y afectan a sus comunidades.

Los interesados dijeron que buscan “el mejoramiento de la calidad del aire, calidad del agua y mejorar acciones para la disposición inadecuada de residuos sólidos y especiales, ampliando la educación ambiental”, indica el comunicado.

Compromisos “Estamos muy al pendiente de todos los avances de cada una de las áreas y constantemente le damos seguimiento e inspección a los trabajos encomendados, coordinando acciones con las autoridades fed-

“

En Tamaulipas se busca impulsar e incentivar el uso y aprovechamiento de fuentes renovables de energía y la energía alterna a través de un plan de acción e impulso de nueve proyectos de energía eólica”.

TITULAR SEDUMA-TAMAULIPAS, SALVADOR TREVIÑO GARZA

erales y municipales”, dijo el titular de SEDUMA del Gobierno de Tamaulipas, Salvador Treviño Garza. “En Tamaulipas se busca impulsar e incentivar el uso y aprovechamiento de fuentes renovables de energía y la energía alterna a través de un plan de acción e impulso de nueve proyectos de energía eólica, para lo cual los avances de la información van por muy buen camino”.

Tamaulipas también espera fortalecer el Sistema Estatal de Monitoreo Atmosférico, el cual deberá estar funcionando al 100 por ciento para el año 2014.

Por su parte, el Subsecretario de SEDUMA, Heberto Cavazos Lliteras, reiteró el compromiso estatal de velar por el cumplimiento de las normas ambientales que exigen las autoridades federales de ambos países.

“Realizamos talleres para la conservación del agua, revisamos los proyectos de colectores

pluviales y sanitarios, activamos programas y estrategias para reducir la contaminación por sustancias grasas y lubricantes e impulsamos una nueva cultura para el manejo adecuado de los residuos electrónicos contaminantes”, explicó Cavazos.

El programa de Frontera 2012 está compuesto por 29 municipios del lado mexicano y 168 ciudades de EU. Otros asistentes fueron el Alcalde de la Ciudad de Laredo, Raúl G. Salinas; Pedro Benavides Benavides, Coordinador General de Protección Civil de Tamaulipas; Fernando Miranda, Secretario del Ayuntamiento de Nuevo Laredo, México; Carlos Montiel Saeb, gerente de la Comapa Nuevo Laredo; David Negrete Arroyo, de la Comisión Internacional de Límites y Aguas México y Osvaldo Valencia, director de Ecología y Medio Ambiente de Nuevo Laredo.

Entre las acciones tomadas durante la junta de administración del Distrito Escolar Independiente del Condado de Zapata (ZCISD) estuvo la aprobación de recomendaciones para incrementar los salarios de los maestros en las aulas de clase y los bibliotecarios, junto con un pago de incentivo por retención de mil dólares, por una sola ocasión.

La reunión mensual de ZCISD fue celebrada el martes por la tarde en el Centro de Desarrollo Profesional del distrito.

Entre otras decisiones tomadas, se determinó que todos los otros empleados de tiempo completo del distrito recibirán también un pago de una sola ocasión; la aprobación de compra de dos vehículos para el Programa de Nutrición Infantil y dos autobuses para el departamento de transportación, así como la exención de clases para dos escuelas.

Durante la misma participaron Anselmo Treviño, Norberto López, Diego González, y Ricardo Ramírez. Así como Dora Martínez, secretaria de la junta; Verónica P. González, vice-presidenta; José Ramírez, presidente y Norma Garza García, superintendente.

En otra acción tomada por la junta administrativa se incluyó la aprobación de la evaluación de la Superintendente García, la cual fue discutida en sesión cerrada por la junta. El contrato de García también fue extendido hasta junio del 2014 y su salario también fue incrementado junto con el de otros empleados del distrito.

Por otra parte, y de acuerdo con la designación de octubre como el Mes Nacional de Directores por la Asociación Nacional de Directores de Escuelas Secundarias y la Asociación Nacional de Directores de Escuelas Primarias, seis directores de ZCISD fueron reconocidos por la junta administrativa y recibieron certificados de agradecimiento.

Fueron reconocidos Gerardo García, Zapata North Elementary; Pedro Morales, Zapata High School; Marlen Guerra, Arturo L. Benavides Elementary; Cynthia Villarreal, Zapata South Elementary; y, Norma Arellano, Zapata Middle School.

Ellos estuvieron ante la junta conforme escucharon la proclamación del Gobernador Rick Perry, en voz de Verónica González.

“Los directores son más que solo cuidadores de sus escuelas. Se espera que los directores sean líderes en la educación, partidarios de la disciplina, constructores comunitarios, voceros, analistas de presupuesto y guardianes de los mandatos políticos e iniciativas. Los directores imponen el tono académico para sus escuelas y trabajan en colaboración con maestros para mantener amplios estándares en materias escolares, desarrollan misiones e imponen objetivos para resultados”, indica la proclamación.

International

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Fidel Castro’s son reportedly says father is OK

By PETER ORSI ASSOCIATED PRESS

HAVANA — Fidel Castro’s son reportedly has said his father is in good shape despite nearly four months of public silence that in recent days set the Twitterverse aflame with speculation about the 86year-old former president’s health.

“The Comandante is well, going about his daily life, reading, doing his exercises,” Alex Castro was quoted as saying by Arlin Alberty Loforte, a reporter for the Venceremos weekly newspaper in the eastern city of Guantanamo.

The exchange came at an exhibition of portraits that the younger Castro, a photographer, has taken of

his father since 2010. It was reposted by a prominent pro-government blogger known as Yohandry Fontana, and state news agency AIN also reported Alex Castro’s comments.

Speculation about Fidel Castro’s purported decline, which seems to surface every few months, hit the rumor mill again this week when he did not publicly congratulate ally Hugo Chavez on winning re-election in a hard-fought Venezuelan presidential race.

“Does anybody know if #FidelCastro has sent congratulations to #HugoChavez?” dissident blogger Yoani Sanchez tweeted earlier this week. “Because some silences are resounding.”

Castro has not been seen in public since video imag-

es showed him greeting a visiting Pope Benedict XVI in late March, and the last of his essays, known as “Reflections,” was published June 19.

The most recent of those had taken on a brief, esoteric nature that left Cubans and analysts alike scratching their heads, and exiles in Miami speculating about his grasp on reality.

Castro has been mostly out of sight since he left office in 2006 due to a lifethreatening intestinal condition. His health and location are secret, and at times the only word on how he’s doing comes in rosy assessments from his close friend Chavez.

On Oct. 4, Chavez told reporters Castro had been in touch to remark on TV

coverage he’d seen earlier of a massive campaign rally in Caracas.

“Fidel sent a message, Fidel says from Havana that he has never seen anything like what he saw here today under the rain. ...

Thank you Fidel,” Chavez said, “for your message and for the many messages that have arrived.”

The latest round of rumors, which apparently originated Wednesday on a Florida exile website that did not identify its source, spread like wildfire on Twitter.

Fidel was brain-dead, early versions had it. Then, he had died. No, he was on life-support. Traffic for the FidelCastro hashtag boomed as exiles rejoiced, Castro-backers pooh-

Photo by Alexandre Meneghini/file | AP

Alex Castro, son of Cuban leader Fidel Castro, reportedly says his father is in good shape despite a long public silence that has again fueled speculation about the 86-year-old former president’s health. poohed the rumors and most simply asked whether anyone could confirm it was true.

Venezuelan journalist Nelson Bocaranda added fuel Thursday when he

wrote that an announcement of Castro’s death would come within the next 72 hours.

Cuban officials did not reply directly to a request for comment this week.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

REBECA H. SALINAS Rebeca H. Salinas passed away Monday, Oct. 8, 2012, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo.

Mrs. Salinas is preceded in death by her father, Raul Hinojosa; and her in-laws, Octavio and Carolina D. Salinas.

Mrs. Salinas is survived by her husband of 46 years, Ricardo Salinas; son, Ricardo Jr. (Cynthia) Salinas; daughters, Maria Adela (Rene) Alvarez and Celina I. (Daniel) Canales; grandchildren, Adela Renee Alvarez, Rene Eli Alvarez Jr., Celinda Carolina Canales, Daniel Eden Canales Jr., Eduardo Gonzalez and Orlando Gonzalez; mother, Rebeca M. Hinojosa; brother, Pedro C. Hinojosa; sister, Naomi Hinojosa Davis; and by numerous nephews, nieces and friends.

Becky was a devoted wife, loving mother, sister and daughter who always cared for and looked after her family. She leaves a legacy of respect and admiration to all who knew and loved her. Mrs. Salinas retired from Zapata National Bank as vice president/assistant cashier after 30 years of service. She will be greatly missed.

“He who believes in Him shall not perish, or die but

By SARA BURNETT AND TAMMY WEBBER ASSOCIATED PRESS

dwell in the House of the Lord forever.”

Visitation hours were Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2012, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with a rosary at 7 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. The funeral procession departed Thursday, Oct. 11, 2012, at 9:30 a.m. for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church.

Committal services followed at Zapata County Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. 83 Zapata.

Comic hopes to tell story in new way

By MATT MOORE ASSOCIATED PRESS

PHILADELPHIA — Offset is more than just comics, it’s a laboratory.

That, says boss Ivan Brandon, is why he sees the endeavor as more a “giant, amorphous experiment” that tackles storytelling from a “100 percent creative declination” and discards the traditional rules of entertainment.

“As children we have an enormous scope of talent and ambition that we allow the world to talk us out of,” the creator of “Viking” and writer of comics said this

Chicago schools get new boss

week ahead of the start of New York Comic Con. “We become less and less ambitious.”

But thanks to the proliferation of digital comics as a medium, people — whether readers, creators, comics fans or others — no longer have to worry about rules like 22 pages in a comic or a certain number of colors or even the size of a page on which to draw.

“People don’t have all those weird hang-ups, they don’t have all those rules,” Brandon said. “That’s our inspiration. We want to get outside of all the old habits and old rules.”

CHICAGO — Just three weeks after Chicago teachers returned to the classroom following a bitter strike, Mayor Rahm Emanuel replaced his schools’ CEO with a veteran educator and administrator who he said had the experience to take Chicago school reforms “to the next level.”

Emanuel said at a news conference Friday that Chicago Public Schools CEO Jean-Claude Brizard resigned by mutual agreement after “constant questions” about his leadership became a distraction to the mayor’s reform goals.

Emanuel moved quickly to name a permanent replacement: Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who had been serving as Chicago’s interim chief education officer and played a more visible role than Brizard in the teacher contract negotiations.

Byrd-Bennett, 62, started her career as a teacher in New York schools, and served as an administrator there before taking the job as CEO in Cleveland Public Schools.

She later served as chief academic and accountability auditor for Detroit Public Schools, where she was in charge of implementing a teaching and learning plan and auditing academic programs.

Emanuel said the new teacher contract, which included a longer school day, gives the nation’s thirdlargest school district the chance to push further on reforms.

To do that, he said, “you have to have the right person who has experience in front of class as a teacher, a person who also has the experience as a principal being held accountable for the results of that school building ... (and) you also need a person who understands how to manage a major school system.”

The mayor’s office announced Thursday night that Brizard was stepping down, just 17 months after Emanuel picked for him the job. The resignation was first reported by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Rumors had circulated for weeks that Emanuel was unhappy with Brizard’s performance, but the mayor denied it, saying just after the strike ended that “J.C. has my confidence.” Still, Brizard’s first performance evaluation by the school board raised concerns about his communication and decision-making skills.

A native of Haiti, Brizard came to Chicago last April from Rochester, N.Y., where he had a frosty relationship with teachers and more than 90 percent of them gave him a vote of no-confidence.

CRIME LAB Continued from Page 1A added, noting the case will require evidence examination.

“To have that in our backyard, as a prosecutor I can tell you it’s going to be a big advantage and it’s going to cut down on the time we currently have to wait.”

Authorities at the groundbreaking said testing results sent to an out-of-town lab can take up to a year to return.

But with the crime lab, authorities here can expect an answer in three, fourth or six months, Alaniz said.

On Friday, Zapata County Sheriff Sigifredo Gonzalez Jr. echoed Laredo’s law enforcement community that sometimes evidence gets backed up in other labs, thus having a waiting period of almost a year. The lab’s proximity to Zapata will be a plus to get evidence examined quicker, Gonzalez added.

Currently, when a certain type of crime is committed, deputies transport the evidence to McAllen or San Antonio. But with the crime lab closer to town, it’ll be a

plus to the office.

“Anything that’s going to be able to assist us is good,” Gonzalez said. Laredo’s crime lab will include DNA testing. Having DNA evidence is crucial in cases such as sexual assault cases and burglaries, Gonzalez said.

Laredo’s crime lab will be the 13th established in the state. The crime lab is expected to be operational by September 2013.

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

Photo by M. Spencer Green | AP

Newly appointed Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett speaks, accompanied

by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, at a news conference Friday. Emanuel replaced his embattled public schools chief with Bennett, a veteran educator and administrator.

Chicago School Board President David Vitale said Brizard initiated the discussion that led to his resignation, telling Vitale he was concerned he could no longer be effective. Vitale then went to the mayor.

“He was constantly questioned about his leadership. ... He ultimately concluded that it wasn’t going to work,” Vitale said.

He said one of those repeated questions was who was actually in charge: Brizard or Emanuel?

“The mayor was not running the system. The board was overseeing the work of (Brizard). And if there was confusion about that, it’s unfortunate, and it may in fact have been part of the problem why JeanClaude didn’t feel he could be successful,” Vitale said.

Emanuel later made a point of saying he wasn’t running things.

“I am clear about what our goals are, I monitor and hold people accountable to achieving them,” the mayor said. “But I don’t do the dayto-day work.”

Emanuel praised Brizard’s professionalism and said he should be proud of the work he did, including laying the groundwork for the longer school day and school year. The mayor dismissed the idea that he had misjudged Brizard when he hired him.

Byrd-Bennett said her 44 years in education have prepared her for the Chicago job and she’s here “for the long haul.”

She said her first phone call after learning she was being promoted was to Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, for whom she has “great respect.”

“We need to do this work together

... (and) I plan to build the necessary coalitions,” Byrd-Bennett said.

Lewis, who was critical of Brizard when he was hired, said Byrd-Bennett is “highly qualified” and called her appointment “a good beginning.”

“She has a reputation of doing well in labor-management relationships,” said Lewis, who said ByrdBennett played a key role in helping to settle the seven-day strike that idled 350,000 students.

Brizard did not participate in negotiations, but Lewis said that’s not unusual in Chicago.

Lewis said she and Byrd-Bennett did not discuss exactly how they will work together, “but the doors are both open, so I’m hopeful.”

A good relationship could be vital as the district starts talking about closing dozens of schools that are half empty. One of the biggest issues during the teacher strike was ensuring that teachers from shuttered schools have a fair shot at other teaching positions in the district.

Other union leaders praised ByrdBennett as knowledgeable and experienced.

Adam Urbanski, president of the Rochester teachers union that clashed with Brizard, said he and Byrd-Bennett served as co-chairs of an American Federation of Teachers advisory board and she understands both teachers and unions.

“I think she has a more promising track record of being able to work more collaboratively with teachers,” Urbanski said. “I’m hopeful that her experience in Chicago will help to stabilize the relationships and figure out ways to move forward together.”

BOARD Continued from Page 1A Recognized six principals during National Principals Month, which is October. They include: Gerardo Garcia, Zapata North Elementary; Pedro Morales, Zapata High School; Marlen Guerra, Arturo L. Benavides Elementary; Cynthia Villarreal, Zapata South Elementary and Norma Arellano, Zapata Middle School. The principals were given certificates of appreciation.

A proclamation by Gov. Rick Perry was

read during the meeting.

“Principals are more than just care-takers of their schools. Principals are expected to be educational leaders, disciplinarians, community builders, spokesmen, budget analysts and guardians of policy mandates and initiatives.

Principals set the academic tone for their schools and work collaboratively with teachers to maintain high curriculum standards, develop mission statements

and set performance objectives,” the proclamation stated.

Board members present were Anselmo Treviño, Norberto Lopez, Diego Gonzalez, and Ricardo Ramirez. Also present were, Dora Martinez, board secretary; Veronica P. Gonzalez, vice-president; Jose Ramirez, president and Garcia.

(Rick Villarreal may be reached at 956 7282528 or rvillarreal@lmtonline.com)

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Photographers show two views of city

By MIKE BAIRD CORPUS CHRISTI CALLER-TIMES

CORPUS CHRISTI — Then and now.

That’s what Ron Randolf is comparing by photographing some of the same images taken decades ago by John F. “Doc” McGregor, Corpus Christi’s most notable photographer.

“I enjoy taking pictures, but Doc was almost obsessive,” said Randolf, 65, who has tended the McGregor archive at Corpus Christi Museum of Science and History for 25 years. “There’s no meat in some of them, he just photographed everything. I honestly don’t know how he had time for his family in the 1930s and 40s.”

Paired photos of significant local landmarks are the focus of an upcoming exhibit early next year featuring the chiropractor photo guru’s work.

It’s like walking in McGregor’s footprints, Randolf said.

McGregor took a photo of Pompeo Coppini’s “Queen of the Sea” sculpture and fountain, at Lower Broadway between Schatzell and Peoples streets. Randolf believes McGregor climbed atop the entry roof of the Driscoll Hotel, on the bluff.

The hotel is gone, so Randolf needed a tall ladder to get in the same position. He considers several elements to reproduce the best possible black and white image, including angle, elevation, lighting, time of day and focal length of the lens. At 5 p.m. Thursday, he replicated a shot McGregor took in 1936 looking north on Chaparral Street.

“Ron has the eye Doc had,” said Jesenia Guerra, archivist for the museum. “He’s a perfectionist who does an excellent job and is an absolute asset to the collection.”

McGregor’s images form a comprehensive history of the city’s business and cultural life, said Jillian Becquet, exhibit project manager for the mu-

Photo by George Gongora/Corpus Christi Caller-Times | AP

Ron Randolf holds a photo made in the 1930s by Doc McGregor showing Chaparral Street in Corpus Christi on Sept. 26 while he stands in the same spot. Randolf is trying to shoot photos from the same locations in Corpus Christi as McGregor’s. The paired photos of significant local landmarks are the focus of an upcoming exhibit early in 2013 featuring McGregor’s work. seum.

“The exhibit will offer many chances for stories to be told by visitors as the images bring to mind their own experiences,” Becquet said.

Visitors’ stories will be recorded for posting alongside the paired photographs, she said. It also will allow an increasing number of McGregor photos to be added to the museum’s database, which can be accessed at http:// ccmuseum.pastperfect-online.com/.

“This is a great way to share one of our greatest local treasures, and it would be impossible without Ron’s unmatched darkroom skills,” Becquet said. “He has preserved not only Doc McGregor’s photographs, but also the darkroom techniques that make black and white photography an art form.”

Randolf has handled — with white cotton gloves — most of the collection’s more than 250,000 black and white negatives, many of which deteriorated and he recreated from original McGregor prints.

“Ron has been toiling meticulously for years,” said Rick Stryker, museum director. “He’s an excellent photographer who is very talented at creating high-quality finished images.”

Each negative is tucked into a clear plastic sleeve, slipped into a white paper envelope, then stored in a closed box for one of about 300 categories. The largest category group is “news photos,” which fill several shelves in one aisle of the museum’s library — McGregor was a CallerTimes freelance photographer through the 1940s.

Randolf generates about

$9,500 annually to help maintain the collection, by enlarging black and white prints for businesses, industry and the private sector, Stryker said.

He hand paints imperfections to create the highest possible quality image on photo paper capable of lasting hundreds of years.

The Taft native, who now resides in Corpus Christi, began making photo prints in his bathroom as a teen. His interest in darkroom techniques led Randolf to complete an associate degree in photography at Amarillo Junior College in 1972.

He’s been a part-time employee of the museum since 1987, tending to McGregor’s collection about 20 hours a week. On his time, Randolf is a freelance photographer for hire.

McGregor’s work still is

a mystery, because Randolf is still finding negatives not yet categorized.

One surprise he found was personal — a wedding photo of Randolf ’s parents, taken by McGregor in 1936. Randolf remembers visiting McGregor’s studio as a child, with his father, for chiropractor services. At that time he never expected he would dedicate decades to preserving the mans’ photography work.

Randolf ’s mesmerized by the volume of difficult photos taken by McGregor.

“What Doc did is amazing, with equipment primitive by today’s standard,” Randolf said. “He would strap himself into the seat of a biplane, and hang out in the wind with a camera the size of a breadbox to get some of the aerial shots in the collection.”

The darkroom development McGregor did is a vanishing art in today’s digital world, he said, adding that he’s honored to handle the films Doc handled.

“Some have thumbprints in the corners I see in the red light,” he said.

“It’s Doc’s thumbprint, left when he pulled a negative out of developer, looked at it and if not finished sloshed it back into the solution.”

A couple hundred years from now, only artists and history buffs likely will pursue darkroom reproduction, Randolf said.

“It’s neat to watch an image come up in a tray of chemicals,” he said.

“It’s the magic that hooked me, and probably what hooked Doc too. As long as I’m here, the McGregor collection will stay in OK shape.”

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

Sports&Outdoors “

HIGH SCHOOL CROSS COUNTRY

CLARA SANDOVAL VAL

Zapata in Top 10

Time to think pink in October

Both cross country teams enter rankings

By CLARA SANDOVAL LAREDO MORNING TIMES

W

The rankings just keep coming for Zapata after two local teams are among the top 10 in Texas.

Last week, the volleyball team was ranked No. 25 but now both the boys and girls cross country teams have vaulted into the top 10.

The boys cross country team moved to No. 9 in the rankings by the Cross Country Coaches Association while the girls are ranked No. 10.

Coming into the season, the Hawks weren’t sure how they would fare after the departure of longtime coach Luis Escamilla.

The foundation that Escamilla left behind is still going strong, however, as the Hawks have flourished under new coach Roel Ibanez.

Ibanez has been able to maintain that high level of competition, pushing the team for greatness with each passing week.

The Hawks have responded and are now counted among the best of in Texas with each passing week.

“It is great for the kids to get some recognition,” Ibanez said. “These kids have worked very hard for months and it gives them a sense of achievement.

“I think it can help the team with confidence or if you’re not careful it could come back to hunt you, when the kids get overconfident and stop working hard. At the end, rankings don’t matter if you do not perform the day of the meet.”

Zapata is on everyone’s radar heading into the District 31-3A meet and will battle with Progreso for the title.

“I think that the kids will be ready. We have a good chance of repeating as district champs, but you never know,” Ibanez said.

“We are in a new district and most of the teams have stayed under the radar by avoiding big meets. Teams will be coming at us hard and we just need to perform and run our race.”

The Hawks have been led all season long by junior Luis Garza who has been able to capture some big meets including the UTSA 3A division.

See TOP 10 PAGE 2B

Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

e are in the middle of October, which is known as Breast Cancer Awareness month, and it is the time that everyone goes pink, including the sports world.

Pink is in, and everyone wants to pitch in by wearing pink to bring light to this disease, but most people wrongly mistake breast cancer with a female cancer and that is not the case.

Men also get breast cancer, which astonishes many people when asked whom does it affect.

Knowledge is a very powerful tool, and the more you know the better to make an informed decision on what is going on with your body.

Many women, and a few men, are the ones that found the breast cancer through a selfbreast exam, and it saved their lives because the quicker it is detected the higher the survival rate.

It had been nice to see the young people of Laredo get into wearing pink, and one of the local school districts even designated Oct. 12 as pink-out day where students were allowed to wear a pink top to school only on that day.

Everyone was sporting the pink color in support of Breast Cancer Awareness month, from the elementary to the high school level.

I challenge Zapata to do the same next year. Have the school district set one day aside next year when everyone is allowed to wear pink to school. Just for that one day, let’s unite together as one against a problem that affects one of eight women.

All the local volleyball teams in Laredo are wearing pink

Zapata cross country runner Luis Garza is leading the Hawks who are ranked No. 9 in the state.

See SANDOVAL PAGE 2B

HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL

HIGH SCHOOL VOLLEYBALL

Hawks rolled by Zapata stays perfect in district Port Isabel in 49-21 loss at home

By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES

Zapata’s outing against Port Isabel didn’t go as they would have hoped as the Tarpons scored every quarter in a 49-21 victory Friday night. The matchup was Zapata’s last tune up before the start of district play.

Port Isabel was able to score in double figures each quarter, jumping out to a big lead against Zapata as the Hawks struggled to put points on the board the first half.

In the opening quarter, Port Isabel put 13 points on the board and Zapata was able to punch in a touchdown by Mike Alvarez to keep the Tarpons close.

Port Isabel led 28-7 at halftime and did not let up, scoring two more touchdowns in the third quarter to extend their lead 42-7.

The Zapata defense was tested from the get-go as the Tarpons didn’t take long to move the ball on the opening drive.

Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

Mike Alvarez rushed 15 times for 232 yards against Port Isabel.

Port Isabel wore down the defense as the Tarpons started to settled in with their running game.

Zapata had a hard time containing Port Isabel’s Javier (10 carries, 131 yards, 2 TDs) and Isaiah Martinez (6 carries, 70 yards, 2 TDs) as they combined for four touchdowns and

See FOOTBALL PAGE 2B

The second round seems to be getting harder for the Zapata Lady Hawks volleyball team as they were stretched by Kingsville Tuesday night.

Zapata had an unusually slow start against the Lady Brahama but managed to pull out a 3-1 (16-25, 25-14, 25-20, 25-22) victory to keep their perfect District 31-3A record intact.

“We started out flat and couldn’t get any breaks,” Zapata coach Rosie Villarreal said. “Even when Kingsville was giving up points, we still couldn’t manage to capitalize on their mistakes. We made some adjustments and started playing our game.”

Senior hitter Kristina De Leon is having an outstanding season as she continues to make a strong case for district MVP. De Leon helped the Lady Hawks stay at the top of the district standings with 23 kills that kept Zapata afloat in the game as they pulled off the victory.

De Leon was not shy about working the entire court and took what the defense gave, sometimes even bullying her way through the Kingsville offense as she slammed the ball down the middle of the floor.

She was also sensational with her play at the net on defense as she had a block party that included six on the night.

Helping out at the net were Vanessa Martinez and Liana Flores with one block each.

Celia Rathmell (five kills) is also starting to emerge for the Lady Hawks along with Martinez (two kills) and provided another offensive dimension to Zapata.

When the opposing defenses key on De Leon, Rathmell and Martinez are able to come in and grab a few kills to force the defense to widen their play at the net.

Flores (four kills) and Jeana Jasso (two kills) also

Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times

Zapata coach Rosie Villarreal has the Lady Hawks undefeated in district 31-3A play after a 3-1 victory Tuesday over Kingsville. provided some offense for Zapata to complete the offensive attack for the Lady Hawks.

One aspect of game that Zapata has really started to take control over and has been burning defenses with is their service game.

The Lady Hawks picked up eight points on how much power they were able to provide behind their serves.

See HAWKS PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B

Zscores

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Photo by Chuck Burton | AP

Dale Earnhardt Jr, right, talks about missing the next two races with his second concussion in the past six weeks.

Earnhardt Jr. to miss two races with concussion ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by Peter Dejong | AP

Lance Armstrong, who won seven straight Tour de France races, is facing the loss of each of the wins. The Tour de France would have no official winner if it were to occur.

Armstrong report ‘damning’ ASSOCIATED PRESS

PARIS — The Tour de France will have no official winner for the seven races from 1999-2005 if Lance Armstrong is stripped of his victories by the International Cycling Union.

In an interview with The Associated Press on Friday, Tour director Christian Prudhomme called the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency’s report on Armstrong “damning.” It raises doubts, he said, about “a system and an era.”

Tour officials are still waiting on the UCI’s decision on whether to go along with USADA’s decision to ban Armstrong for life and erase his racing results. A spokesman for the sport’s governing body, Enrico Carpani, said it was “too early to say” what would happen. The UCI must decide by the end of the month whether to appeal USADA’s ruling.

UCI President Pat McQuaid declined to comment on USADA’s re-

port but defended his organization’s efforts to catch drug cheats.

The report cost Armstrong’s former team manager, Johan Bruyneel, his job as general manager of RadioShack Nissan Trek. The team said Friday the decision was taken by “mutual agreement” and that Bruyneel “can no longer direct the team in an efficient and comfortable way.”

The Belgian has his own legal battle with USADA and has opted for arbitration to fight charges that he led doping programs for Armstrong’s teams.

If Armstrong’s Tour victories are not awarded to other riders, that would leave a gaping seven-year black hole in Tour de France record books. It would also mark a shift in how Tour organizers treated similar cases in the past.

When Alberto Contador was stripped of his 2010 Tour victory for a doping violation, organizers held a ceremony to award the race winner’s yellow jersey to Luxembourg’s Andy

Schleck. In 2006, Oscar Pereiro was awarded the victory and a place in the record books after the doping disqualification of American rider Floyd Landis.

Prudhomme wouldn’t address the differences in approach.

McQuaid said inadequacies in the anti-doping system were failing to catch drug-using athletes. The UCI tests athletes repeatedly for doping, he said, but the federation can do little if the results are negative. He insisted the anti-doping system had improved since the 19982009 period of Armstrong’s career examined in the report.

For Frankie Andreu, the report offered relief. A former Armstrong teammate, he had previously admitted doping.

“We’re kind of getting to the end of this, where we can have some closure on this,” Andreu said. “There’s more riders, more people out there, talking about what happened in the past.”

TOP 10 Continued from Page 1B Top seven varsity runners are juniors Garza, Carlos Rodriguez , Heriberto Perez and seniors Jose Garcia, Sammy Camacho, Romeo Morales and Jerome Cabugos. Also making the team as alternates are senior Luis Lerma and juniors Omar Alfaro and Jose Hernandez.

The Lady Hawks return to familiar territory cracking the top 10 in the state after last year’s performance.

“Being ranked to a coach is merely a compliment from the coaches from around the state saying ‘Hey we see what you’re doing and we have our eye out for you all,’” Zapata girls cross country coach Mike Villarreal said. “As an athlete to be considered top 10 in the entire state is an honor.

“This team has worked extremely hard to redeem themselves and gain respect once again.”

The Lady Hawks varsity team is comprised of Jaz Garcia, Joyce Garcia, Raquel Almaguer, Cassie Pena,

FOOTBALL Continued from Page 1B

Erica Hernandez, Jannet Chapa and Sara Pena. Norma Ramirez and Angela Darnell are also in the mix for a spot and have been working hard all season long.

Garcia is a two-time state qualifier and is searching for her third straight trip to the state meet.

As a freshman, she placed in the top 15 at the state meet and had a stellar performance her sophomore year. A third trip to state would put an exclamation point on the great season that the Lady Hawks are having this year.

Before Zapata can think of getting back to state, however, they must first get through the district meet that will be run on Oct. 22 at Rio Grande City La Grulla High School.

“As far as district is concerned we have bigger goals and that is to get back to the state meet in round rock,” Villarreal said. “District is a formality before regionals.”

ranked up most of the Tarpons offense.

Port Isabel had a total of 501 yards on offense with 411 coming on the ground.

The Tarpons moved the offense up and down the field and had 16 first downs while Zapata had too many threeand-outs as the Hawks had just eight first downs on the night.

The bright spot for the Hawks was the play of Alvarez who has been an iron horse for Zapata with his running and his ability to slip through small seems in the defense.

Alvarez had 15 carries for

SANDOVAL Continued from Page 1B socks, pink shoes laces or pink warm up tops.

I have even seen some teams in the Rio Grande Valley sporting those pink socks.

It is great to see the Lady Hawks volleyball team wearing pink bows and socks to show their support.

On Sept. 30, our parent paper, the Laredo Morn-

ing Times, went pink for a second year in a row.

The extra dollar that LMT charged was donated to many worthy causes, and it is a great way to kick off Breast Cancer Awareness month.

I personally just love the pink paper and have the first edition neatly put away because that was a historical day last year.

When it was announced that LMT would be holding the pink edition again, I could not wait and literally woke up around 6:30 am just to go and get the pink paper. I read that paper from the first page to the last page a few times that Sunday morning.

Pink is in, and Zapata should embrace it with arms wide open. I would

CHARLOTTE, N.C. NASCAR’s most popular driver, Dale Earnhardt Jr., will sit out at least the next two Sprint Cup Series races after suffering a second concussion within six weeks.

Earnhardt’s neurosurgeon, Dr. Jerry Petty, notified him Wednesday he would not be cleared to race in Saturday night’s Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

"I trust his opinion.

That’s why I went to see him. He’s been a good friend of mine for a long time and has helped me through a lot of injuries before," Earnhardt said of Dr. Petty.

"I believe when he tells me I don’t need to be in the car and I need to take a couple weeks off that that’s what I need to do."

Earnhardt said he first felt symptoms nearly six weeks ago after a hard wreck at Kansas Speedway during a tire test. He was seen by medical staff at the track but did not go into detail about his symptoms then or immediately afterward.

"I decided to just try to push through and work through it. I’d had concussions before and knew exactly kind of what I was dealing with," Earnhardt said.

When Earnhardt was still suffering from headaches this week following his involvement in last Sunday’s last-lap wreck at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, he decided to reach out to his sister, Kelley, and ended up meeting with Dr. Petty.

Dr. Petty put Earnhardt through an impact test and magnetic resonance imaging test, both of which were clear. But because of Earnhardt’s lingering symptoms, Dr. Petty declined to clear him to race.

"The one test, the one

symptom that is more important than all the tests is headache, and as long as there’s any headache, the brain is not healed," Dr. Petty said.

"Until that’s healed and had some time to rest and then you provoke it again and can’t make it happen again, then you feel like you’re on the road to recovery."

Team owner Rick Hendrick said he admired Earnhardt for speaking up this week about his health.

"I think a lot of guys would try to play hurt, but when the doctor tells you if you get hit again like right away, it could be catastrophic, so I think this deal has worked out extremely well as it could," Hendrick said.

"I mean, we were so happy yesterday that the MRI was completely normal, no damage. We don’t have a problem there."

While Earnhardt was already going to have a difficult road to a championship - he trails leader Brad Keselowski by 51 points with six races left - the decision to get out of the car will end any titles hopes for 2012.

Due to the structure of the Chase, Earnhardt cannot finish lower than 12th in the series standings.

"It’s frustrating. I really didn’t get to make the decision. I left it in the hands of the docs, and I’m going to do what they tell me to do," Earnhardt said. "But it’s frustrating; I just enjoy driving cars week in and week out."

Driver Regan Smith, who was recently released from Furniture Row Racing, will drive Earnhardt’s No. 88 Chevrolet in the next two races.

Earnhardt doesn’t plan to be around the track during his hiatus.

"I think that I’d be more of a distraction to the team and their efforts in the race," he said.

232 yards against the Tarpons and accounted for more than half of Zapata’s total offensive yards on the night.

Zapata had 326 total yards of offense and they all came on the ground. Alvarez accounted for two of Zapata’s touchdowns and Brandon Alvarez had one on the night.

Also getting the ball on the ground was Juan Fernandez, who made the most of his three carries as he ran for 42 yards to ease some of the offensive load.

Danny Hinojosa carried the ball twice and grabbed 16 yards.

HAWKS Continued from Page 1B like to see businesses with some sort of pink bow displayed somewhere and even let employees wear pink for the month of October.

Come on Zapata, let’s go pink for next year; the ball is in your court.

(Clara Sandoval can be reached at sandoval.clara@gmail.com)

Setter Sessy Mata led the team with six aces on the night and was followed by Anissa Garcia who had two.

When Mata was not torching the Lady Brahmas with her serves, she was busy feeding the ball to the Zapata hitters and recorded 23 assists with the majority going to her main target, De Leon.

Gaby Gutierrez added 12 assist to help run the Zapata offense.

The usual suspect in the back row was running the show as libero Abby Aguilar had 28 digs to ensure that the Zapata had every opportunity to succeed.

Lending a hand on defense was Anissa Garcia with eight digs and De Leon with six digs.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

HINTS | BY HELOISE Dear Readers: I asked you, my readers, which way TOILET PAPER should be hung — out and over or back and around.

Wow! Lots of comments on this question. Here is what just a few of you had to say: Kathy Rickard of Johnsonburg, Pa., says: “We always put the paper on with the back-andaround method. The reason: If the paper was out and over, my 2-year-old brother made a game of spinning the roll, and paper would tumble all over the floor.”

Gerry in Oregon says: “If the roll is close to the toilet, it’s more convenient to roll the paper from the back. If the roll is a distance away, it is easier to roll from the front.”

Roberta in Iowa says: “The roll of toilet paper should have the end against the wall. Why have it dangling in front?”

Gloria in Maine says, “I’ve been a housekeeping manager at a hotel, and I prefer the roll over the top, and I taught my girls that the pointed fold stays much better coming from the top of the roll.”

“

HELOISE

Ruth Thompson in Brandon, Miss., says: “When we moved into our house, I was shocked to see the toilet paper down at ankle level. At that level, over the top is the only appropriate way it can be reached.”

Jerry in Rapid City, S.D., says: “It’s harder to find the end if it’s on the backside. Embossed rolls must hang in front, or you will see the backside of the tissue hanging down.”

Joe in Texas says: “There is no wrong or right way to hang toilet paper. However, if you have felines in your house and your toilet paper is hanging over the top, they tend to slap at it until it’s all on the floor.”

Joni in Gary, Ind., says, “Whoever changes the roll gets to put it on the way he or she wants.”

So, the great how-tohang-the-toilet-paper debate still “rolls” on! More comments are welcome. — Heloise

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Football

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Texas takes on rival Sooners

By JEFF LATZKE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — Consider it a sign of how much Bob Stoops and Mack Brown have raised the bar in the Red River Rivalry when Oklahoma and Texas are playing each other without any real national title implications.

For the first time since 1999, when Stoops was in his first season coaching the Sooners and Brown was in Year 2 at Texas, neither team will be ranked in the top 10 for Saturday’s clash at the Cotton Bowl.

It’s just the second time in 15 years that both teams will arrive already with a conference loss — both at home, no less.

Yet there’s still plenty on the line when the No. 13 Sooners (3-1, 1-1 Big 12) and No. 15 Longhorns (4-1, 1-1) square off for the 107th time in one of college football’s most colorful rivalries.

First of all, it’s a struggle for Big 12 survival with No. 5 West Virginia (which beat Texas) and No. 6 Kansas State (which beat Oklahoma) already leading the pack. And maybe, just maybe, the winner keeps the glimmer of hope alive that enough teams lose to make a national championship a possibility.

Even if all players had to look forward to was the incomparable feeling of putting the Golden Hat trophy on their heads, that would be enough.

“All the games are fun for me, but this one hits me deep,” Texas safety Kenny Vaccaro said. “This is a good rivalry. It’s rich. I think just the tradition throughout the many years, the battles back and forth.”

Since Stoops and Brown have been around, the rivalry has reached a new level — such that a game pitting two top-15 teams is a tiny bit of a letdown. But before 2000, it had been 16 years since both teams came in ranked in the top 15. Since then, eight out of 11 games have featured at

Photo by Rogelio V. Solis | AP

Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans (13) leaps past a fallen teammate as Mississippi defensive back Cody Prewitt (25) tries to tackle him in a 30-27 win last week.

File photo by Mike Fuentes | AP

Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones (12) and the 13th ranked Sooners take on No. 15 Texas today at 11 a.m. in the 107th annual Red River Rivalry. least one team in the top 5, with both teams ranked that high four times.

“It’s one of the biggest games of the season. We all look forward to this game,” Sooners defensive end David King said. “The atmosphere, there’s nothing like it.”

Let King tell you a little about it.

For participants, the experience starts with a bus ride to the stadium, inside the State Fair of Texas.

Fans from both teams will surround the buses, hardly holding back their opinions.

“You get so many middle fingers it’s ridiculous,” King said.

The atmosphere inside the Cotton Bowl is as colorful as outside of it, with the fair’s traditional corny dogs and funnel cakes. The stands are split along the 50-yard line with all of Texas’ burnt orange on one side and Oklahoma’s crimson on the other.

Just walking down the tunnel to the field is a lifelong memory for most who play. It’s a chance to stare down your bitter rival while the most boisterous of fans rain down a mix-

ture of insults and praise.

“You come out, you’re on the OU side and you run down the field and you go take your knee, say your prayer and you’re right in a sea of orange,” King said. “You know they’re just saying some of the most inappropriate things. But I’m sure our fans are saying inappropriate things to the Texas players when they’re walking out.”

And that’s all before the game even gets started.

The Sooners have won the last two meetings. The Longhorns had claimed four of the previous five showdowns.

Brown’s Longhorns were also off to a promising start a year ago when Oklahoma delivered a reality check by scoring three defensive touchdowns in a 55-17 blowout. Texas scuffled to another mediocre season, by its standards, but emerged from the Holiday Bowl with David Ash appearing as though he has finally stabilized the quarterback position.

So far this season, he’s been far from the biggest problem for the Longhorns. He’s third in the na-

tion in passing efficiency and has thrown for 11 touchdowns with only one interception. It’s been a talented defense that hasn’t lived up to expectations, and the placekicking has been a question mark, too.

For Oklahoma, quarterback Landry Jones is on the brink of setting the school record for wins.

He’s 32-8 in his career and his next victory will push him past Steve Davis, who went 32-1-1 and won two national championship in the 1970s. Jones can also become the fourth Sooners QB to go 3-0 as a starter against Texas. He also relieved an injured Sam Bradford in the 2009 loss.

Whether Jones performs like the school’s winningest quarterback or is turnover-prone, as he was in the loss to Kansas State, could go a long way toward determining the outcome.

“They’re going to get their shots, we’re going to take our hits and it’s just going to be who keeps swinging is going to win this game,” Sooners defensive end R.J. Washington said. “Who wants to fight more than anyone else?”

Manziel leads Aggies into makeup game ASSOCIATED PRESS

Texas A&M and Louisiana Tech were supposed to meet to open the season, when neither team was ranked in the Top 25.

On Saturday in Shreveport, La., when the Aggies and Bulldogs play their game that was postponed on Aug. 30 because of Hurricane Isaac, both teams are ranked and ready to move up.

For No. 22 A&M (4-1), freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel has become a breakout star who leads one of the nation’s top offenses. No. 23 Louisiana Tech (5-0), meanwhile, has earned a national ranking for the first time since 1999 thanks to its best start since 1975.

The Bulldogs are looking for their first win over the Aggies after losing all 10 games in the series.

“I see a better team,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said when asked to compare Louisiana Tech from the first time they were scheduled to play until now. “They are not go-

ing to be intimidated by us one bit and they shouldn’t be ... they’ve played in big football games and this is a chance for them to make a statement on national TV so we are going to get their best shot.”

Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes has worked to keep his team, which has a nation-best 12-game regular-season winning streak, from looking ahead to the Aggies. Now that it’s here, he thinks the Bulldogs are ready for the challenge.

“Our guys have some confidence and we know what is ahead of us Saturday and I do not think any of us are afraid of Texas A&M,” Dykes said. “We understand we are going to have to play well, but that is in our hands.”

It’s likely to be a shootout with these teams combining to average more than 1,000 yards of offense a game.

Louisiana Tech’s top task will be trying to contain Manziel. The dualthreat quarterback is averaging 356 yards of total offense.

Cushing looks ahead after injury ASSOCIATED PRESS

Photo by LM Otero | AP

Dallas running back DeMarco Murray (29) gets past Tampa Bay linebacker Mason Foster (59) during the second half in a 16-10 win in Arlington.

Dallas struggles in running game ASSOCIATED PRESS

IRVING — DeMarco Murray and the Dallas Cowboys’ running game have been stuck in neutral since an impressive start.

The unit that ran for 143 yards in a season-opening victory is now 29th in the NFL, averaging just 68 yards per game. And the only reason the Cowboys (2-2) are even that high is because of what they did against the New York Giants in that first game.

Coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday there are a lot of different reasons for the struggles, and that the Cowboys have to get better to be more balanced offensively.

Murray missed the final three games of his impressive rookie season with a broken right ankle, but came back healthy this year. There were also the additions of two veteran guards (Mackenzy Bernadeau and Nate Livings) providing more bulk up front and veteran fullback Lawrence Vickers.

Murray had 131 yards on

20 carries in the opener, the first time the restructured offensive line played together. Since then, he has just 106 yards on 41 carries.

That includes two 11-yard carries, one for his only touchdown.

“Frankly, we haven’t blocked as well as we need to and we haven’t run as well as we need to,” Garrett said.

Murray averaged 5.5 yards on his 164 carries last season, but is down to 3.9 yards per carry this year. Take out a 48-yard run against the Giants and his two 11-yard gains since, and he is averaging only 2.9 yards his other 58 rushing attempts.

Outside of Murray, the Cowboys have 18 rushing attempts for 34 yards.

Not including end-ofgame or end-of-half situations the last two games, Dallas had negative yards on eight first-down rushing carries and no gain on two other such attempts.

Dallas plays Sunday at Baltimore, the first of four road games the next five weeks.

HOUSTON — Texans linebacker Brian Cushing is focused on his recovery in the wake of a seasonending knee injury.

Cushing, Houston’s leading tackler, was hurt in the Texans’ 23-17 win over the New York Jets on Monday night on a low, rolling hit by guard Matt Slauson. He was placed on injured reserve with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee.

Cushing had a protective black sleeve over his left knee when he walked into the locker room on Friday. Tim Dobbins will start in his place when the Texans (5-0) play Green Bay (2-3) on Sunday night.

“It’s all part of the game,” Cushing said.

“The next step is just to get healthy, get back on the field as fast as I can.”

A first-round draft pick in 2009, Cushing has no timetable for the necessary surgery or a return to football activities. He plans to attend as many team meetings and practices as possible while he recovers.

“I want be around, I want to be here for the guys, and help them the best I can, whether it’s in spirit, or coaching tips or whatever,” said Cushing, one of the team’s emotional leaders. “I’ve got a new role now, and I’ve accepted it.”

Slauson was not flagged on the play, but he was fined $10,000 this week by the NFL. Cushing wouldn’t say if he thought Slauson’s hit crossed the line.

“Whether it was or it wasn’t, I’m not playing for a while,” Cushing said. “That’s not going to change my opinion on anything. I’m not a guy that’s going to look back

Photo by Jack Dempsey | AP

The Houston Texans inside linebacker Brian Cushing (56) was lost for the season after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament this week in a 23-17 win over the Jets. at the past and see what I could’ve done differently.

I’m going to look into the future and see how I can improve.”

Cushing has only missed four games in three NFL seasons, and that was to serve a suspension in 2010 for a positive test for a banned substance. His last major injury came during his junior season at Southern California, when he missed three games with a sprained left ankle.

“When you sign up for this game, I understand this is part of it,” Cushing said.

The Texans’ defense ranks third overall (275.6 yards per game), and Cushing has been its top playmaker under secondyear coordinator Wade Phillips. He led the team with 114 tackles in 2011 and had an interception and a forced fumble to go along with his 38 stops

this year.

He vowed to return in a confident proclamation on Twitter on Wednesday — and added a bold guarantee.

“Trust me when I say I’ll be back better than ever,” Cushing wrote. “I appreciate all the love and want u to know WE are STILL winning THIS year’s Super Bowl.”

Cushing acknowledged on Friday that the tweet drew “a lot of mixed reactions,” but he was only trying to send a positive message to his teammates.

“Whatever I can do to help these guys, I’m going to do it,” he said.

Houston was crippled by injuries to key players in 2011 and still won the AFC South with a 10-6 record. Cushing thinks navigating through last season’s issues will help the Texans now.

“We definitely dealt

with a lot of adversity last year, especially from an injury standpoint,” Cushing said. “This is a mentally strong team that’s built with a lot of depth.

I’m not too concerned about that.”

Houston coach Gary Kubiak said this week that Dobbins was “the best option” to take over Cushing’s role. Dobbins played his first four NFL seasons with San Diego, including one season under Phillips.

Cushing doesn’t think Dobbins will need much 1-on-1 mentoring moving forward.

“Tim’s played a lot of football, he’s been in every single meeting I’ve been in,” Cushing said.

“He’s learned all the same stuff as me. He’s a good player and I have a lot of confidence in him and if he has any questions, I’ll be sure to answer them.”