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FEDERAL COURT
ECONOMY
Sentenced to life
Jobless rate drops sharply
Alleged Zeta hitman gets lengthy term on fed charges THE ZAPATA TIMES
An alleged Zeta hitman was sentenced to life and 40 years in prison Friday in federal court. Gerardo Castillo Chavez — known by his nickname “Ca-
GERARDO CASTILLO CHAVEZ: Gets life plus 40 years on several charges. chetes,” Spanish for “cheeks” — entered Judge Micaela Alvarez’s courtroom Friday after-
noon, his frame diminished from 2006 photos. Castillo Chavez was convicted in January on a drug conspiracy charge, two firearms charges and two racketeering charges. According to prosecutors, he was part of a group of Zeta hit-
men sent to take out Jesus Maria “Chuy” Resendez, a local drug trafficker. In April 2006, prosecutors said, they and another group of hitmen allegedly killed Resendez and his 15-year-old ne-
See HITMAN PAGE 11A
THIRD ANNUAL LAREDO ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMIT
CALL TO GET INVOLVED
Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times
Oscar Medina IV, keynote speaker at the Third Annual Laredo Environmental Summit, shares his ideas on how to recycle and volunteer during a session at the Texas A&M International University Ballroom on Thursday afternoon. Medina organized the Clean Up Club, and is a Jeffferson Award winner.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The unemployment rate in Texas fell sharply to 6.8 percent in September, down from 7.1 percent in the largest one-month drop in nearly 30 years, according to state job figures released Friday. The Texas Workforce Commission said the state added 21,000 nonfarm jobs, led by a gain of 13,600 jobs in professional and business services. The McAllen-Edinburg-Mission area still has the highest rate in the state at 10.5 percent, but that figure has dropped nearly 2 percent since July. The last time the Texas jobless rate dropped three-tenths of a percentage point in one month was October-November 1983, when it fell to 7.0 percent, according to commission data. “Thanks to low taxes, a sensible regulatory environment and an entrepreneurial spirit, Texas remains the No. 1 state in America to do business,” said Tom Pauken, the commission’s former chairman who is now the commissioner representing employers. Seven of the 11 major industries in Texas expanded in September. After professional and business services, the next biggest increase was in trade, transportation and utilities, which grew by 9,100 positions. The largest decrease was in mining and logging, which dropped by 4,200 jobs. “It is clear that employers are benefiting from the available skilled workers in our state,” said Ronny Congleton, the commissioner representing labor. The national unemployment rate for September was 7.8 percent. Unemployment rates are adjusted for seasonal trends in hiring and firing, which most econ-
See JOBS PAGE 11A
WAR ON DRUGS
Man in $11.4M pot bust: I could be killed if I speak By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
A 36-year-old man detained Oct. 11 with more than 14,300 pounds of marijuana said he would not speak to DEA agents because he could get killed, a criminal complaint released Tuesday states. Enrique Morin Jr., 36, of Alice, was charged with knowingly and unlawfully possessing
with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He is accused of transporting 14,353 pounds of marijuana. The contraband is worth $11,482,552, according to Border Patrol officials. “This significant seizure illustrates the vigilance and hard work of our Border Patrol agents. Laredo Sector is committed to protecting our communities by continuing to disrupt transnational criminal or-
ganizations operating within the South Texas Corridor,” said John C. Esquivel, acting chief patrol agent of the Laredo Sector. On Oct. 11, at about 7 a.m., U.S. Border Patrol agents detained Morin near Dolores Creek on U.S. 83. A federal criminal complaint states agents made a vehicle stop to conduct an immigration inspection on the occupant(s) of the
truck. An agent observed a red Mack tractor driven by Morin hauling a flatbed trailer with a large square metal container. Agents observed Morin making a “hasty” U-turn approximately 8 to 9 miles before reaching the Laredo South Border Patrol checkpoint located 10 miles north of Laredo. “It appeared as though Morin had made a decision at the last
minute to turn around and drive southbound on U.S. 83. Agents also observed Morin pulling over to the shoulder as if he wanted the agent to pass him. Morin drove erratically and kept swerving on the road until the agent stopped him.” During questioning, Morin said he was responsible for the vehicle he was driving and add-
See MARIJUANA PAGE 11A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
SATURDAY, OCT. 20
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Anglers Quests tournaments continue through Sunday. Laredo Main Street will celebrate the second anniversary of El Centro de Laredo Farmer’s Market from 9 a.m. through noon. There will be a pumpkin patch, a pumpkin decorating contest, carrot cake, Halloween treats and All Things Pumpkin. The farmer’s market is held every third Saturday of the month. Riofest 2012 is from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Los Dos Laredos Park. There will be a free "army challenge" obstacle course, high school art displays, a 33-mile kayak race, and 7-mile kayak race on the river that starts at Father McNaboe Park. The fee is $60, which includes rental of the kayak. To enter the kayak race, call 956-9490840. For more information, contact Hilda Falciola at 956-0444 or hilda.falciola@kpartnersusa.com. 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.
Today is Saturday, Oct. 20, the 294th day of 2012. There are 72 days left in the year. Today’s Highlight in History: On Oct. 20, 2011, Moammar Gadhafi, 69, Libya’s dictator for 42 years, was killed as revolutionary fighters overwhelmed his hometown of Sirte (surt) and captured the last major bastion of resistance two months after his regime fell. On this date: In 1740, Maria Theresa became ruler of Austria, Hungary and Bohemia upon the death of her father, Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. In 1803, the U.S. Senate ratified the Louisiana Purchase. In 1903, a joint commission ruled largely in favor of the United States in a boundary dispute between the District of Alaska and Canada. In 1944, during World War II, Gen. Douglas MacArthur stepped ashore at Leyte (LAY’tee) in the Philippines, 21/2 years after saying, “I shall return.” In 1947, the House UnAmerican Activities Committee opened hearings into alleged Communist influence and infiltration in the U.S. motion picture industry. In 1964, the 31st president of the United States, Herbert Hoover, died in New York at age 90. In 1967, seven men were convicted in Meridian, Miss., of violating the civil rights of three slain civil rights workers. In 1968, former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy married Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis. In 1972, President Richard M. Nixon signed into law the General Revenue Sharing Act, which allocated $30 billion over five years to state and local governments. In 1973, in the so-called “Saturday Night Massacre,” special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox was dismissed and Attorney General Elliot L. Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William B. Ruckelshaus resigned. In 1981, a bungled armored truck robbery carried out by members of radical groups in Nanuet, N.Y., left a guard and two police officers dead. In 1987, 10 people were killed when an Air Force jet crashed into a Ramada Inn hotel near Indianapolis International Airport after the pilot, who was trying to make an emergency landing, ejected safely. Ten years ago: With a U.S. invasion looming, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein issued an amnesty decree releasing everyone from pickpockets to political prisoners from prison. The Anaheim Angels evened the World Series in Game 2 by beating the San Francisco Giants 11-10. Today’s Birthdays: Singer Tom Petty is 62. Retired MLB All-Star Keith Hernandez is 59. Movie director Danny Boyle (“Slumdog Millionaire”) is 56. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is 55. Actor Viggo Mortensen is 54. Rock musician Jim Sonefeld (Hootie & The Blowfish) is 48. Rock musician David Ryan is 48. Rock musician Doug Eldridge (Oleander) is 45. Singer Dannii Minogue is 41. Actor Sam Witwer is 35. Actor John Krasinski is 33. Thought for Today: “Next to ingratitude, the most painful thing to bear is gratitude.” — Henry Ward Beecher, American clergyman (1813-1887).
SUNDAY, OCT. 21 The Anglers Quests tournaments conclude.
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 956-7120037 or mrgbahecadm.stx.rr.com.
SATURDAY, OCT. 27 The Bass Champs South Region Championship takes place today and Sunday, Oct. 28. The Area Health Education Center will host the 28th Annual Update in Medicine Conference at the UT Health Science Center Laredo Campus from 8 a.m. to 5:45 p.m. The conference will provide continuing education credits to physicians, nurses, social workers, dieticians and all community members. For more information, contact 956-7120037 or mrgbahecadm.stx.rr.com. For the Dia del Rio 2012 celebration, cactus collector John Maxstadt will present “Cactus and Succulents: Desert Beauties & Water Conservation” at the Laredo Farmers Market, Jarvis Plaza, from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The talk is free and open to the public. 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.
MONDAY, NOV. 5 Catholic Social Services will host its 4th Annual Medical Mission from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at San Luis Rey Church Hall, 3502 Sanders Ave. Medical, dental and vision care will be provided. General medical check-ups will be provided; general dental services will be provided such as cleaning and extractions; and general vision care will be offered for those needing reading glasses. The services are on a firstcome, first-serve basis and free. For more information, call 956-722-2443.
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.
Photo by LM Otero | AP
The burned remains of Big Tex stand at the State Fair of Texas on Friday in Dallas. Fire destroyed Big Tex on Friday, leaving behind little more than the metal frame of the 52-foot-tall metal-and-fabric cowboy that is an icon of the State Fair of Texas.
Fire destroys Big Tex By DANNY ROBBINS ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — Big Tex, the metal cowboy whose slow drawl of “Howdy, folks!” made him an icon of the State Fair of Texas for 60 years, was destroyed Friday when flames engulfed his 52-foot-tall frame. Some material that made up Big Tex’s hands and sleeves could still be seen as firefighters gathered around the scorched area. This year’s fair, which closes Sunday and had been celebrating the towering structure’s birthday, went on despite the fire — just as Big Tex would want it. “Big Tex is a symbol of everything the state fair stands for,” fair spokeswoman Sue Gooding said. “Big Tex is where my parents told me, ‘If you get lost, meet at Big Tex.’“ The cowboy always was easy to spot, with his 75-gallon hat and 50-pound belt buckle.
Gooding said she didn’t know what caused the fire, but noted that electrical controls move Big Tex’s mouth and head. A Dallas fire spokesman didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment. Bill Bragg, the voice of Big Tex who read scripts from a trailer while the giant cowboy’s mouth moved, said someone came in and told him the structure was on fire. He stepped outside and watched Big Tex burn. “It was a quick end,” said Bragg, who is a radio engineer outside the three weeks a year that he works at the fair. Big Tex backers say he will return next year, including Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who tweeted that the icon would be rebuilt “bigger and better for the 21st Century.” “My job is safe and secure,” said Bragg. “They’re telling me, ‘Take the rest of the day off and we’ll see you next year.’”
AG formally files redistricting appeal
Last of 3 brothers charged in drug case pleads
Feds to monitor early voting in 2 counties
AUSTIN — Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has formally filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court asking for the state’s Republican-drawn voting maps to be approved. The state’s appeal Friday had been expected since a federal court threw out the maps passed by the Legislature last year. A three-judge panel in Washington ruled that those maps violated the Voting Rights Act and discriminated against minorities.
AUSTIN — A member of a family that ran a number of downtown Austin nightspots until they were accused of using them to launder proceeds from drug sales has pleaded guilty to a drug charge. A Justice Department statement says Mohammed Ali “Steve Austin” Yassine has agreed to a sentence of a year and a day in federal prison followed by deportation to the Ivory Coast.
AUSTIN — The U.S. Justice Department says it will monitor portions of the early voting period for the Nov. 6 general election in Dallas and Harris counties to ensure compliance with the Voting Rights Act. The department deploys hundreds of observers every year to monitor elections across the country.
Record number of Texans register to vote AUSTIN — The Texas Secretary of State’s office has announced that a record 13.64 million Texans have registered to vote. The state’s chief election officer said that is up from the previous total of 13.5 million. The state has about 18.2 million people of voting age.
Deceased state senator honored in Capitol AUSTIN — Deceased state Sen. Mario Gallegos Jr. lay in state in the Senate Chamber of the Texas Capitol. State troopers carried the Houston lawmaker’s casket through the east entrance of the Capitol. A memorial service was scheduled for Friday afternoon. Gallegos died Tuesday from complications of liver disease.
Video of student’s shooting is private BROWNSVILLE — The state attorney general has ruled that a prosecutor does not have to release video of police fatally shooting a student in a middle school hallway in January. Attorney General Greg Abbott’s office ruled that all records and documents pertaining to juveniles are confidential. Brownsville police officers shot Jaime Gonzalez Jr., 15, at Cummings Middle School. — Compiled from AP reports
AROUND THE NATION Phoenix man pleads not guilty in terrorist hoax PHOENIX — A Phoenix man accused of dressing his 16-yearold nephew in a sheet on July 28, sending him into a busy street with a fake grenade launcher, and filming the teen as he pointed the phony weapon at passing cars has pleaded not guilty. A Maricopa County Superior Court spokesman says 39-yearold Michael D. Turley entered the plea Thursday to falsely perpetuating a terrorism act. The film was then posted on YouTube. In it, a narrator says he wanted to see how long it took authorities to respond.
Mich. ‘Batman’ says not guilty of obstructing cops PETOSKEY, Mich. — A northern Michigan man charged with obstructing the police while dressed as Batman has pleaded not guilty.
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Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, left, U.S. Transportation Sec. Ray LaHood, center, and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., celebrate after the Amtrak train they are riding reached 110 mph during a test run between Dwight and Pontiac, Ill. See story, Page 10A. Troopers arrested 33-year-old Mark Wayne Williams on Sept. 29 because he wouldn’t leave them alone while they searched for a driver who had fled an accident. Williams was charged with resisting and obstructing police in an investigation.
The Petoskey News-Review reports that Williams pleaded not guilty Thursday in District Court in Petoskey. He’s due back in court Nov. 21. Williams has said he had good intentions. — Compiled from AP reports
SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY (956) 728-2555 The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000 households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the Laredo Morning Times and for those who buy the Laredo Morning Times at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted. The Zapata Times is free. The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129, Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500. The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Avenue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mail thezapatatimes.net
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
Local
Dance to raise funds
Banker Ramirez now on KLRN-TV board SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
The Zapata County Helping Hands Food Pantry will sponsor a fundraising dance on Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Zapata County Community Center. The event will benefit more than 1,000 families which are served every month. Proceeds from the first annual benefit dance will be used to purchase food commodities from the South Texas Food Bank for local residents in need. Opening the entertainment will be Zapata’s own Juan Dominguez y Los 5 de Zapata, followed by the renowned recording band Solido. Pre-sale tickets are $12 and are available at the Helping Hands Food Pantry, 765-9327; the Zapata County College Transportation Department, 7659519; or at the Zapata County Treasurer’s Office, 765-9925. Tickets will also be on sale at the door for $15. The dance will take place from at 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and prizes will be raffled. “Join us for a fun-filled night and help us support your local food pantry. This is a worthy cause and we certainly need the support of our community,” said Laura Guerra, president of the Zapata County Helping Hands Food Pantry. The food pantry is a 501c3 charity organization and donations are tax deductible.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A
Courtesy photos
Renowned recording band Solido headlines the Zapata County Helping Hands Food Pantry entertainment on Oct. 27.
IBC Bank-Zapata CEO Renato Ramirez has been named to a three-year term on the KLRN-TV board of directors. KLRN is a public television station in San Antonio operated by the Alamo Public Telecommunications Council. The station is a member of the Public Broadcasting Service and also serves as the PBS member station for the Laredo market. KLRN reaches viewers in 30 counties.
Unanimous pick Ramirez was unanimously selected by the APTC during its Septem-
Opening the Zapata County Helping Hands Food Pantry entertainment on Oct. 27 will be Juan Dominguez y Los 5 de Zapata.
RENATO RAMIREZ: Now on the KLRN-TV board of directors. ber meeting; his tenure began this month. “KLRN enriches the lives of south central Texans by providing high quality programming that promotes the arts, education, culture and community,” Ramirez said. “I look forward to being a part of a group of individuals that will help guide the station through the next three years.” IBC Bank-Zapata is a member of International Bancshares Corporation, an $11.6 billion, multibank financial holding company headquartered
in Laredo with 210 facilities and more than 335 ATMs serving 88 communities in Oklahoma and Texas.
Honors IBC Bank-Zapata was the first recipient of the Corporate Citizen of the Year Award by the Bee County Chamber of Commerce in 2009 and was awarded Group of the Year by the Starr County Fair in 2010. International Bancshares Corporation was named one of the nation’s 100 most trustworthy companies by Forbes in 2012. More information is available at www.ibc.com.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Nobel prize committee errs again By JONATHAN GURWITZ SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS
If you can, as the Nobel Committee did in 2009, accept the nomination of a world leader for a peace prize only 10 days after he was sworn into office. If you can award that leader the prize less than nine months later, having done nothing to advance the cause of peace. And if — after three years — you can contain your snickers when reflecting on his record of expanding a borderless drone war of extrajudicial executions that has claimed the lives of hundreds and perhaps thousands of innocent civilians. If you can do all this, then you can award the Nobel Peace Prize to anyone. Or anything. So, in 2012, the members of the Nobel Committee once again did as they pleased. The same esteemed group that found a way to bestow a peace prize on Yasser Arafat but not on Pope John Paul II, that managed to commend Mikhail Gorbachev but not Ronald Reagan, acclaimed the European Union for ”the advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe.” Given Europe’s bloody history, keeping the peace is no small accomplishment. Then again, a NATO-led force with a large American contingent has been keeping the peace in Kosovo since 1999, and a NATO bombing campaign ended ethnic cleansing in the Balkans in 1995. Next to NATO’s humanitarian achievements, the E.U.’s ability to tamp down hostilities between the likes of Belgium and Luxembourg doesn’t seem so impressive. There’s an irony here. Norway’s Parliament appoints the five-member Nobel Committee. While these Norwegian politicians obviously think the European Union is wonderful, the people of Norway — a country that is by any geographical or historical definition European — have twice voted down referendums on joining the union. There’s a tragedy to
this year’s Nobel Peace Prize as well. In addition to a gold medal and a monetary award of $1.2 million, the prize confers two more things a club of wealthy European nations doesn’t need: international attention and legitimacy. For political dissidents, human rights advocates and those who labor for human dignity in some of the more remote corners of the Earth, the prize can mean the difference between life and death. Such benefits are trifling for the 500 million residents of the European Union’s 27 member states. They would be priceless to Malala Yousufzai, the 14year-old Pakistani girl who took a bullet in the head from the Taliban for daring to suggest that girls should be educated alongside boys. In a television interview in December, she said, “Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong, that education is our basic right.” They would be priceless to the imprisoned Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, who last year told a reporter: “My voice is not for me. Every time I make a sentence I think how many people for how many generations had a voice that no one could hear. At most they will be remembered as numbers; in many cases, even numbers don’t exist.” They would be priceless to Middle East dissidents Kareem Amer, Maikel Nabil, Ahmad Batebi, Hadeel Kouki and Ahed al Hendi, who recently wrote in the Wall Street Journal: “Our jailers — in Egypt, Iran and Syria — believed they were stronger than us. We stand as a testament to the indomitable power of freedom to overcome tyranny. Dictatorships are inherently unstable. The world must know this.” More people might know this — except for the exceptionally low standards set by the Nobel Committee in recent years. Even by those standards, the award of the 2012 peace prize to the European Union is blunder. (jgurwitzexpressnews.net)
COLUMN
Lance should apologize By KIRK BOHLS COX NEWSPAPERS
AUSTIN — Now that Lance Armstrong has been completely disgraced and his entire cycling career has been trashed for overwhelming evidence he cheated, Austin’s favorite son should borrow from his former sponsor, Nike, and “Just Do It.” He should apologize. To the world. To the international cycling community that revered him. To the millions of Livestrong survivors he inspired and maybe still does. To his family who stood by him. To himself. Armstrong owes everyone that much. But he owes himself, too. Let’s hope he has enough integrity like other discredited superstars like Ma-
rion Jones and Andy Pettitte and admits he was wrong, admits he was duplicitous, admits he put himself and his personal gain above all else to make the Tour de Farce his personal playground. There’s been no bigger athletic hero, no greater symbol of courage and comeback, no larger-thanlife survivor than Lance. No reasonable person who read the thousand pages of testimony from 11 teammates and other insiders could come away with any doubts that Armstrong was not only a cheater, but a bully who directed the most sophisticated doping system in sports history. He cannot right the wrongs he committed. But he can just do it now, atone for his arrogance and say he’s sorry.
COLUMN
An unlikely tale of a fake doc
A
USTIN — Let’s scan headlines and see what’s up around the state. From San Antonio: “Sheriff to unveil upgrades aimed at jail suicides.” Hmm, interesting. Here’s a sad one in Dallas: “Bystander fatally shot during robbery outside North Dallas bar.” In Houston: “Houston girl, 13, thwarts burglar with butcher knife.” Good for her. And this from East Texas: “Woman accused of faking being a doctor online and tricking woman into a lesbian relationship.” Excuse me? Huh? Let’s thank Lufkin Daily News reporter Jessica Cooley for this gem. After I navigate us through the Lufkin arrest affidavit, we’ll have but one question: Who’ll play these women in the movie?
The plot The characters are Angela Buchanan, 30, now charged with online impersonation, and a 51year-old woman we’ll call Bubbette. They’ve been friends for seven years, and Bubbette was told by Buchanan that Buchanan had breast cancer in 2008 and was under a Lufkin doctor’s care. Bubbette chatted online with the doctor — “Doc” — about Buchanan’s progress. “(Bubbette) advised that ‘Doc’ advised that the
“
KEN HERMAN
pre-cancerous mass in Buchanan’s breast could possibly be delayed or cured by an increase in certain hormone production,” the affidavit says. “‘Doc’ advised that this hormone production could be stimulated by sexual intercourse. ‘Doc’ began to recommend to (Bubbette) that she participate in sexual activity in order to bolster this hormone production and possibly save her friend’s life.” Doc, of course, was Buchanan. Back to the affidavit: “(Bubbette) advised that initially she was reluctant to do this due to her religious convictions. (Bubbette) advised that ultimately she decided to make this sacrifice as it might benefit Buchanan’s medical condition.” So same-sex sex happened. (FYI, the affidavit says Bubbette “advised that she had a lesbian sexual orientation” since the age of 13 but “now felt it was morally wrong.”) The sex, Bubbette told cops, “was done under the (online) direction of ‘Doc’ and was supposed to be therapeutic in nature.” The “frequency, nature and duration” of it was guided by “Doc,” working with blood tests Buchanan supposedly was un-
dergoing. At some point, Bubbette talked Buchanan into a mastectomy and reconstructive surgery to curtail the cancer. Together, they went to a doctor (not “Doc”) who performed the surgery, or something like it. “(Bubbette) advised that following the surgery she asked this doctor about the pre-cancerous growth and that the doctor denied any knowledge of anything other than a breast augmentation,” the affidavit says. “Doc,” according to the affidavit, told her the other doc “removed the growth ‘under the table’ and that he had to deny knowledge of it to her as there were cameras in the waiting room.” Bubbette was good with that explanation.
Another twist Have I told you about the twins? Buchanan, while in another same-sex relationship, had them last December through invitro fertilization. She told Bubbette the twins were the subject of a custody battle with Buchanan’s ex-partner. Buchanan said a lawyer told her marrying Bubbette would help in that battle. There apparently was no lawyer. But there was a wedding. In August, Buchanan and Bubbette flew to Petestown, Mass., for it. At least that’s what the af-
fidavit says. I find no evidence there is a Petestown, Mass. At some point, Bubbette, spurred by her stepdaughter’s suspicions about Buchanan, checked with the office of the real Lufkin doctor in whose name Buchanan set up the phony online “Doc” account. It didn’t take long for Buchanan’s story to crater. So let’s sort this out, as best we can tell: There is no “Doc.” There was no breast cancer in 2008. There are twins, but there was no custody battle. And Buchanan and Bubbette may still be legally married in Massachusetts. And there may or may not be a Petestown, Mass. (It’s been noted to me that it’s probably Provincetown, Mass., commonly known as Ptown to lots of folks other than the Lufkin PD.) “Buchanan advised that during these (online) conversations, she convinced (Bubbette) to participate in an intimate relationship,” the affidavit says. “Buchanan advised that had she not convinced (Bubbette) to do this while portraying herself as (Doc), (Bubbette) would not have participated in the relationship.” If you know of a similar tale in your hometown, please let me know. (Ken Herman is a columnist for the Austin American-Statesman. Email: kherman@statesman.com.)
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phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
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ing or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
6A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
Bar sues ex-DA in wrongful conviction By MICHAEL GRACZYK ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — The State Bar of Texas is suing a former prosecutor who is now a state district judge, accusing him of withholding memos and other written evidence in the case of a man who served nearly 25 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. Ken Anderson was the prosecutor in 1987 when Michael Morton was sentenced to life in prison for the slaying of his wife at their home in Williamson County, just north of Austin. A year ago, DNA evidence cleared Morton and he was freed. Another man now faces a murder trial in his wife’s death. A disciplinary panel for the state lawyers’ association contended in a lawsuit filed earlier this month that Anderson, now a judge, knew about the evidence but didn’t disclose it to Morton’s lawyers. “Before, during and after the 1987 trial, (Anderson) knew of the existence of several pieces of evidence and withheld same from defense counsel,” according to the lawsuit. Friday, Anderson’s attorney said he and his client “respectfully disagree” with the bar’s claims. “Incorrect allegations that were first made by attorneys representing Mr. Morton have unraveled over time and will continue to do so,” attorney Eric Nichols said. “We will defend against these allegations in the public forum of a court of law.” John Raley, an attorney for Morton, said he was confident Anderson would “be held accountable.” The State Bar an-
nounced a year ago that it was investigating Anderson, who has until Nov. 5 to respond to the lawsuit. It could be up to six months before the suit goes to trial. The Texas Supreme Court appointed a judge whose judicial territory is 350 miles west of Williamson County to oversee the case. If the judge or a jury sides with the bar, the judge would decide a penalty ranging from public reprimand to disbarment. According to the bar’s lawsuit, Anderson violated professional conduct rules by withholding five items. They include a memo to the sheriff ’s lead investigator in the case regarding a tip that a check made out to the victim was cashed nine days after she was killed; a phone message to the investigator that the victim’s credit card was recovered in San Antonio; and a sheriff ’s department report from neighbors de-
scribing a man parking a van on the street behind the Mortons’ home several times before the August 1986 killing. The bar also alleges he withheld the transcript of a taped interview between the investigator and Morton’s mother-in-law; and a condensed transcript of the taped interview. The taped interview included the victim’s mother saying her 3-year-old grandson told her that he witnessed the killing, gave details about it and said his father wasn’t home at the time. Morton, who was convicted on circumstantial evidence, maintained he was working when the murder took place and that an intruder was responsible for his wife’s death. “(Anderson) affirmatively told the trial court that he had no evidence favorable to the accused,” the lawsuit said. “That statement was false.”
SÁBADO 20 DE OCTUBRE DE 2012
Agenda en Breve LAREDO 10|20— Mercado Agrícola El Centro de Laredo celebra su Segundo Aniversario, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m. en Plaza Jarvis. Además de productos frescos para comprar, habrá parcela de cabalazas, música de Mariachi, pastel de zanahoria elaborado por Laredo Job Corp, charla sobre la conservación del agua por el Centro Internacional de Estudio del Río Grande. A las 10 a.m. se presentará John Maxstadt, quien hablará sobre el cactus. Estacionamiento gratis al comprar en el mercado agrícola. 10|20— UIL Marching (competencia anual de Marchas) a las 10 a.m. en Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex de UISD. Costo: 5 dólares. 10|20— Planetario Lamar Bruni Vergara de TAMIU presenta “Ghostbusters” en el Día de Película Familiar, a las 12 p.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. y 6 p.m. Costo: 4 dólares. Informes en: (956) 326-3663. 10|20— La Iglesia Católica St. Patrick invita a su Jamaica Anual, de 2 p.m. a 10 p.m. en terrenos de la Parroquia, 555 Del Mar Blvd. Rifa: 5 dólares; habrá comida y juegos. 10|20— “Oktoberfest 2012” es hoy en L.I.F.E Down Pavilion, Carretera US 59, donde podrá disfrutar más de 200 diferentes muestras de cerveza. Parte de las ganancias se destina a las Becas STARS. Costo: 35 dólares (VIP) o 20 dólares. Puertas abren a las 5 p.m. 10|20— 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 domingo a las 3 p.m. 10|20— LTGI presenta “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. Otra función el domingo a las 3 p.m. 10|21— iNation Gamgin invita a Super Smash Brawls Tournament para Xbox360 y Nintendo Wii en Cold Brews Bar, 4520 avenida San Bernardo, a partir de la 1 p.m. Todas las edades son bienvenidas, y no se venderán bebidas alcohólicas. Más información en www.inationgaming.weebly.com. 10|25— Venta de artículos usados, de 9 a.m. a 5 p.m. en el Fellowship Hall de First United Methodist Church, 1220 avenida McClelland. Entrada gratuita. Continúa el fin de semana, mismo horario. 10|25— Series de Cine Clásico en Cinemark-Mall del Norte, presenta a las 2 p.m. y 7 p.m. “20.000 Leagues Under the Sea”, clasificada G. Adquiera su boleto en www.cinemark.com. 10|25— La violinista YuMei Huang, catedrática en TAMIU, y la pianista Rebecca González de Anderson, se presentan a las 7:30 p.m. en el Recital Hall del Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. Evento gratuito. 10|25— El Taller de Ópera de LCC presenta la comedia musical “9 a 5: El Musical”, a las 7:30 p.m. en el teatro del Guadalupe and Lilia Martínez Fine Arts Center en el Campus Fort McIntosh. Costo: 10 dólares. Ganancias se destinarán a becas estudiantes y producciones.
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 7A
MIGUEL ALEMÁN-ROMA
Reactivar puente “ TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
MIGUEL ALEMÁN, México — La Secretaría de Desarrollo Económico y Turismo del Estado (Sedet) emprenderá acciones paran reactivar el comercio exterior a través del Puente Internacional Roma, en Miguel Alemán, México. El pasado 15 de octubre, la titular de Sedet, Mónica González García se reunió 15 con el Alcalde de Miguel Alemán, Ramón Edmundo Rodríguez Garza, y los representantes del sector comercial, aduanal y logístico de esta localidad. González sostuvo que el Gobierno Estatal apoyará al Puente Roma-Miguel Alemán con la promoción de sus ventajas competitivas a nivel nacional.
Yo creo que vamos a hacer más promoción en el uso de esta aduana, es una aduana que tiene una infraestructura moderna”. MÓNICA GONZÁLEZ GARCÍA, TITULAR DE SEDET
Con un cruce internacional como el de Roma, que marca un tiempo de 10 a 15 minutos para el despacho de mercancías, importadores y exportadores del país tienen una opción competitiva para sus operaciones, agregó ella. “Yo creo que vamos a hacer más promoción en el uso de esta aduana, es una aduana que tiene
una infraestructura moderna, hablamos con el administrador, que tiene una operación de 10 a 15 minutos de exportaciones e importaciones de carga”, dijo González. “Bueno, esa es una ventaja para quien esta dedicado a la logística, a los tiempos que son muy importantes”. Ella espera que Tamaulipas em-
piece a ser promovido a nivel federal o con las autoridades de Texas, para llegar a un acuerdo de coordinación para ofrecer servicios aduanales eficientes y competitivos en ambo lados de la frontera. González expresó que existe un espíritu de entendimiento con el Alcalde de McAllen, Richard Cortés, “y este es el signo que se observa con otras autoridades tejanas para trabajar en temas comunes”. En la agenda además se tocaron temas de infraestructura e inversiones. En materia de inversión extranjera, la Sedet promoverá la instalación de manufactura ligera en Miguel Alemán y sus poblaciones cercanas, con el fin de reactivar la actividad económica de la zona e impulsar el empleo.
CULTURA
GOBIERNO
BORDER EFÍMEROS
Investigan participación de Patrulla Fronteriza POR BRIAN SKOLOFF ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX — Investigadores gubernamentales están revisando las políticas de uso de fuerza letal de la Patrulla Fronteriza en medio de un incremento de los tiroteos fatales a lo largo de la frontera en años recientes, incluyendo el que causó la muerte de un adolescente que según los agentes arrojaba piedras en su contra desde el otro lado de una reja en México. Desde 2010, al menos 18 personas han muerto a manos de agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza, ocho en circunstancias donde según autoridades federales los agentes habían dicho que eran atacados con piedras, un acto común a lo largo de la frontera mexicana, dijo Vicki Gaubeca, directora del Centro Regional de Derechos Fronterizos, de la Asociación Nacional para la Defensa de los Derechos Civiles, en Las Cruces, Nuevo México. La investigación que lleva a cabo la oficina del inspector general, del Departamento de Seguridad Nacional, involucra una revisión de acusaciones de brutalidad y fuerza excesiva como funciona para determinar si se han implementado reformas.
Preocupante
Foto por Melissa Santillana | Laredo Morning Times
“Danza sin Fronteras: Festival de Danza Contemporánea se presenta diriamente hasta el 26 de octubre, de forma simultánea, en Matamoros, Reynosa y Nuevo Laredo, México. En Nuevo Laredo, el programa incluye una clase magistral de 3 p.m. a 5 p.m.; talleres, de 5 p.m. a 7 p.m.; y la función estelar a las 7 p.m. en el Centro Cultural. En la imagen, Alicia Ledezma y Alejandro Escobedo, interpretan “Bordes Efmeros”.
SALUD
Hallan base en brote de meningitis POR MIKE STOBBE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NUEVA YORK — El hongo hallado en viales de esteroides contaminados es el mismo que causó el brote nacional de meningitis que ha dejado a 20 personas muertas, dijeron el jueves autoridades federales de salud. El resultado del análisis confirma el lazo entre el brote y el productor de esteroides, la farmacia especializada New England Compounding Center, en Framingham, Massachusetts. La farmacia ha estado en el centro de una investigación federal y estatal sobre más de 250 casos de meningitis micótica. El saldo de muertes se elevó a 20 el jueves. Las víctimas del brote habían recibido todas inyecciones de esteroides producidas por la farmacia. El mes pasado, la compañía retiró tres lotes del esteroide producidos desde mayo. Más
adelante cerró sus operaciones y retiró todos los medicamentos que produce. El hongo fue hallado en un lote de esteroide producido en agosto, de acuerdo con la Administración Federal de Alimentos y Drogas y los Centros de Control y Prevención de Enfermedades. Los CDC dijeron que todos los casos de meningitis han sido vinculados a un mismo lote. El retiro inicial involucró unos 17.700 viales de esteroides enviados a clínicas en 23 estados. Hasta 14.000 personas recibieron inyecciones de los tres lotes. La FDA y los CDC dijeron el jueves que continúan los análisis de los otros lotes. La farmacia prepara una declaración. El hongo en los viales —Exserohilum rostratum— es el mismo detectado en al menos 40 personas enfermas con meningitis, dijo Mary Brandt, de los CDC, cuyo laboratorio realizó los análisis.
La investigación, referenciada en un breve reporte de 100 páginas dado a conocer este mes, fue lanzada luego de que 16 miembros del Congreso expresaron su preocupación sobre la muerte de un inmigrante no armado en San Diego, en 2012. Ellos pidieron al Departamento de Seguridad Nacional que determinara si el incidente era “emblemático de un mayo problema cultural” dentro de la agencia. “Está en desarrollo”, dijo el jueves Arlen Morales, portavoz de la oficina del inspector general, y declinó ahondar en el tema, aunque dijo que podría tomar hasta un año para quedar terminada. La Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza de Estados Unidos tampoco quiso hacer comentarios, aunque el portavoz Michael Friel dijo que la agencia había cooperado totalmente en la investigación. En el tiroteo de San Diego, Anastasio Hernández, de 42 años, murió en mayo de 2010 luego de haber sido herido con una pistola aturdidora por un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza en el puerto de entrada de San Ysidro. Múltiples demandas por muertes injustas han sido interpuestas por familias mexicanas y al menos en un caso, un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza fue acusado de asesinato en México. El agente no ha sido extraditado. En el caso más reciente de la semana pasada, las autoridades mexicanas dijeron que un joven de 16 años de edad fue muerto por un agente que le disparó a través de una verja en Nogales, Arizona. La Patrulla Fronteriza reconoció que al agente le arrojaban piedras, aunque sólo ha dicho que “al parecer alguien había sido herido”. Las investigaciones están en proceso en ambos lados de la frontera. Un funcionario mexicano con conocimiento directo de la investigación dijo a la AP que al joven le dispararon en múltiples ocasiones por la espalda. La persona aún no tenía autorización para hablar sobre los detalles, por lo que guardó el anonimato. La Secretaría de Relaciones Exteriores mexicana emitió un comunicado en el que “condenó enérgicamente” el tiroteo, y dijo era “un serio problema bilateral”.
State
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
Victims demanding benefits By ANGELA K. BROWN ASSOCIATED PRESS
FORT WORTH — Nearly three years after the Fort Hood shooting, a group of soldiers and their families is pressing the Department of Defense to make victims of the rampage eligible for the Purple Heart and other benefits. About 160 people affected by the Nov. 5, 2009, shooting released a video this week describing the attack on the sprawling Army post. “The victims are being forgotten and it’s frustrating,” Kimberly Munley, one of the first two officers who arrived at the shooting scene, said. Maj. Nidal Hasan, an American-born Muslim who officials believe was
inspired by a radical Islamic cleric, faces death if convicted of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder. While several government reports have described the rampage as an act of terrorism, soldiers and their relatives say the only way Fort Hood victims and their families will get the same benefits as troops killed or injured in combat is if the defense secretary specifically designates the shooting a “terrorist attack.” Pentagon press secretary George Little said Friday that the Department of Defense “will not, at this time, further characterize” the shooting because it is committed to the integrity of
the ongoing court-martial proceedings against Hasan. There are concerns that formally changing the designation could affect the legal proceedings. Little said survivors of the shooting are “eligible for medical benefits as any service member.” Staff Sgt. Shawn Manning, who was shot six times that day, said his injuries prevented him from continuing to serve. But he won’t receive the same benefits as those severely wounded on the battlefield because an Army medical evaluation board didn’t deem his injuries to be combat-related, he said. An October 2011 letter on behalf of Defense Secretary Leon Panetta was sent to U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman,
chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, saying “the department is dealing with the threat of violent Islamist extremism in the context of a broader threat of workplace violence.” But the National Counterterrorism Center’s 2009 Report on Terrorism called the Fort Hood shooting a “high fatality terrorist attack.” The shooting also was mentioned in the State Department’s “Country Reports on Terrorism 2009.” Witnesses have said that after lunch on Nov. 5, 2009, a gunman wearing an Army combat uniform opened fire after shouting “God is great!” in Arabic inside a Fort Hood medical building where deploying and re-
Photo by Bell County Sheriff’s Department via The Temple Daily Telegram/file | AP
Nidal Hasan is seen in this Bell County Sheriff’s Department photo. In a video released Thursday, many of those affected by the shooting rampage urged the government to declare it a terrorist attack, saying victims otherwise won’t receive appropriate benefits. turning soldiers received vaccines and other tests. A Senate report released last year said the FBI missed warning signs about Hasan, an Army psychiatrist who was to deploy to Afghanistan the following month. The report said
he had become an Islamic extremist before the rampage at Fort Hood. Officials also say Hasan exchanged emails with Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical U.S.-born Islamic cleric killed in Yemen last year by a drone strike.
State
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
State Supreme Court upholds franchise tax By PAUL J. WEBER ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — The Texas Supreme Court on Friday upheld the state’s muchmaligned business tax that provides the second-biggest source of general revenue, preserving current rules for now before lawmakers potentially overhaul the law next year. The high court rejected
a challenge by Nestle USA Inc. that had been closely watched by business groups and political observers.
Not constitutional The company argued that the tax runs afoul of the Texas Constitution’s mandate that taxes be applied equally to all.
The tax is expected to bring in about $4 billion this fiscal year, second to only the sales tax in terms of revenue. Yet the law doesn’t sit well with politicians in either party: Democrats complain that the tax has never brought in as much money as projected since the 2006 overhaul of the law, and Republicans say it hurts business.
No bomb found at A&M ASSOCIATED PRESS
COLLEGE STATION — Texas A&M University’s campus was shut down for about five hours Friday after an emailed bomb threat prompted an evacuation of more than 50,000 people and a building-by-building search. A&M Police Lt. Allan Baron said officials were still searching some buildings late Friday afternoon, but no bombs had been found and people were being allowed to come back on campus to retrieve personal belongings and their cars. Evening activities on the campus, about 100 miles northwest of Houston, were set to go on as planned. The threat also would not prompt extra security for Saturday’s football game between sixth-ranked LSU and No. 20 A&M. “We’re not preparing for a high influx of problems. We’re treating it like any other game that is sold out,” Baron said. High-traffic buildings and facilities, including dining and residence halls, had been cleared by police, Baron said, adding that he didn’t know how many more buildings still needed to be searched. Baron said the bomb-
Photo by Jon Eilts | AP
Texas A&M students wait for the campus to reopen while authorities investigate a bomb threat Friday, in College Station. No bomb was found, and the campus reopened five hours later. threat email was sent around 11 a.m. Friday to the university’s computing information services center. Campus police were notified 15 minutes later and
officials made the decision to evacuate by 11:30 a.m. The threat indicated there was a bomb on campus but did not specify where it was located.
Nestle paid more than $8 million under the tax this year. The food giant argued that it shouldn’t be subject to the 1 percent tax rate applied to producers because it only sells in the state. Nestle, which is headquartered in Glendale, Calif., claimed the higher rate discriminates against interstate commerce. The court disagreed in a 6-2 decision.
“The manufacturing rate is fairly related to the services provided by Texas,” Justice Nathan Hecht wrote for the majority opinion in the 27-page ruling. Nestle USA did not immediately comment on the decision. Also known as the margins tax, the franchise tax is levied on a company’s revenue. That can some-
times result in unprofitable companies still having to pay the tax. Business executives and industry groups called the business tax mediocre at best and disastrous at worst during a legislative hearing this summer. Both parties have shown an appetite for reforming the tax, fueling speculation that the Legislature will make changes next year.
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
BENITA RAMON SAN YGNACIO — Benita Ramon passed away Sunday, Oct. 14, 2012, at Laredo Medical Center in Laredo. Ms. Ramon is preceded in death by her husband, Bernabe Ramon; and a brother, Pablo Villarreal. Ms. Ramon is survived by her son, Juan A. (Raquel) Ramon; daughter, Claudia (Jose) Salazar; grandchildren, Jerika, Jesika Salazar, Juan F. Ramon and Ana E. Ramon; brothers, Juan, Oscar, Jose and Gumercindo Villarreal; sister, Dora Villarreal; and by numerous nephews, nieces and friends. Visitation hours were Monday, Oct. 15, 2012, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. A chapel service was held Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2012, at 10 a.m. at Rose Garden Funeral Home. Committal services
followed at Panteon Del Pueblo. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Rose Garden Funeral Home, Daniel A. Gonzalez, funeral director, 2102 N. U.S. 83, Zapata.
Photo by Charles Rex Arbogast | AP
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn, left, points out the speed of the Amtrak train that he and U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood are riding as it reaches 111 mph on a test run between Dwight and Pontiac, Ill., on Friday, in Pontiac, Ill.
Amtrack train hits 111 mph By JASON KEYSER ASSOCIATED PRESS Photo by Rogelio V. Solis | AP
Confederate Col. Joe Grosson of Brentwood, Tenn., shows how to properly handle a musket on Friday, in Raymond, Miss. Reenactors are marking the 150th anniversary of Civil War battles in the area.
Mississippi to host 3 Civil War battles By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS ASSOCIATED PRESS
RAYMOND, Miss. — John Saporito was raised in the South and has Confederate ancestors, but he proudly wears the blue uniform of the Union as he travels to Civil War sites to help re-enact battles from America’s deadliest war. “I cannot bring myself to wear the gray,” Saporito, 37, said Friday with an intense look in his eyes. “I don’t believe in secession.” Saporito, who lives in Monogahela, Pa., is among more than 1,600 history buffs who traveled to the central Mississippi town of Raymond this weekend to recreate Civil War battles in the rolling hills south and west of the capital city of Jackson. Military and civilian reenactors came from Wisconsin, Illinois, Missouri, Texas, Pennsylvania and other states. Some pulled trailers with cannons. Others brought horses or teams of massive red oxen.
The Battle of Raymond and the Battle of Champion Hill took place in May 1863. People are marking their 150th anniversaries several months early because of larger Civil War sesquicentennial events taking place in other states next spring. They include re-enactments expected to draw tens of thousands to Gettysburg, Pa. This weekend’s gathering in Raymond includes the re-enactment of a battle that actually took place more than 30 miles to the west, in Vicksburg. The Mississippi River town was under siege 47 days before Confederate forces surrendered on July 4, 1863. Although Vicksburg will have events next year to commemorate the siege, re-enactors say they’re not allowed to stage battles at Vicksburg National Military Park. School groups took field trips to Raymond on Thursday and Friday, and the re-enactments take place Saturday and Sunday.
JOLIET, Ill. — For the first time on a key Midwestern route between Chicago and St. Louis, an Amtrak passenger train topped 110 mph Friday, ripping through fogshrouded farm fields and blowing past cars on a parallel highway. The test run on a special train packed with journalists, politicians and transportation officials was a milestone in President Barack Obama’s vision of bringing highspeed rail to the United States and transforming the way Americans travel. It also was a welcome morale booster for high-speed rail advocates who have watched conservatives in Congress put the brakes on spending for fast train projects they view as expensive boondoggles. “Four years ago we were nowhere. Illinois and the country was a wasteland when it came to high speed rail,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, among those celebrating onboard the train. “This is a dream come true today.” The silver five-car, twoengine train held the high speeds for about five minutes along a 15-mile stretch of track between the central Illinois cities of Dwight and Pontiac before braking back below its usual top speed of 79 mph. Paying passengers on the route will start experiencing the faster speed on that short segment by Thanksgiving. Most of the route will get the higher speed by 2015.
The goal was to hit 110 mph, and for a moment the speedometer that officials were watching ticked up to 111. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn pumped his fist in the air and gave a thumbs-up. He and the other dignitaries cheered, shook hands and congratulated one another. Away from the celebrations, some rail and policy experts questioned whether the route could become profitable, pose serious competition to air and automobile travel, or ever reach speeds comparable to the bullet trains blasting across Europe and Asia at 150 mph and faster. Kristina Rasmussen, vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute, said she thinks it’s very unlikely the route ever will make money. For one thing, she said, there will be political pressure to keep fares low, dimming prospects that Amtrak will take in enough to recoup maintenance and operating costs. “We’re yoking ourselves to trains that will obligate taxpayers to provide billions of dollars in future subsidies,” she said. Advocates say Midwest routes from Chicago hold the most immediate promise for high-speed rail expansion outside Amtrak’s existing, much faster Acela trains between Boston and Washington, D.C. They say it will give a growing Midwest population an alternative to rush-hour gridlock and overburdened airports, while promoting economic development along the
route and creating manufacturing jobs. In first announcing his plans in 2009, Obama said a mature high-speed rail network also would reduce demand for foreign oil and eliminate more than 6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide emissions a year — equivalent to removing 1 million cars from the roads. He set aside $8 billion in stimulus funds, directing the first round of money to speeding up existing lines like the one across Illinois and calling it a down payment on an ambitious plan to change the way Americans travel. Even the short-term goals have run into trouble. Governors in Wisconsin, Ohio and Florida turned down hundreds of millions of dollars in stimulus funds, arguing not enough people would ride the trains and that states would be hit with too much of a financial burden for future operations. Things could get worse for high-speed plans and for Amtrak if Mitt Romney wins the presidency next month. Romney and Republicans are calling for an end to $1.5 billion in yearly federal subsidies to money-losing Amtrak. Nonetheless, proponents were cheered by Friday’s test ride. LaHood said in an interview on the train that it was just the start of a decades-long endeavor to put in place “the next generation of transportation.” “We have the safest aviation system in the world. We’ve got a great highway system and a great bridge system,” he
said. “What we need to do is to provide transportation for the next generation.” Amtrak ridership hit a record 30 million passengers nationwide last year — some of them pulled in by high gas prices, others by the convenience of not having to put down their electronic gadgets during a long journey. “Driving is just wasting my time,” said Isaac Gaff, a 37-year-old music and arts director at a church who uses train time to plow through email on his laptop. He was waiting to get on the Amtrak line Thursday in Chicago to head home to Normal, in central Illinois. As the infrastructure currently is laid out, there is virtually no chance trains will go much faster than 110 mph on the route, primarily because trains on Midwestern routes have to share the lines with the freight companies that own the tracks. Work to upgrade the track began in 2010 and has included the installation of new premium rail and concrete ties as well as the realignment of curves to support higher speeds. Safer gates and new signals were installed at some highway crossings. After another three years of upgrades, the $1.5 billion in improvements are expected to shave about an hour off the 284mile journey between Chicago and St. Louis, which now takes about 5 1/2 hours. Future plans aim to shrink the time to under four hours.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A
HITMAN Continued from Page 1A phew, Mariano Resendez, as the Resendezes were stopped in a pickup at Zapata Highway and Santa Maria Boulevard. Alvarez sentenced Castillo Chavez after hearing arguments from his defense attorney, Roberto Balli, and after assistant U.S. attorney Jose Angel Moreno summarized evidence presented during the trial. Balli told The Zapata Times after the hearing that he objected to the sentence, which he said was excessive. “We think that the sentence in this case is disproportionate to the one Osiel Cardenas Guillen received,” he said. “We think our sentence should be much lower.” Cardenas Guillen is the former leader of the Gulf drug cartel. In 2010, he was convicted of money laundering, drug trafficking and homicide and sentenced to 25 years in prison. Balli said his defense team planned to file an appeal of the decision Friday. During Moreno’s review of the evidence, calls between Castillo Chavez and his then-girlfriend were brought up. His girlfriend noted in phone calls that her home was in Piedras Negras, where Castillo Chavez was alleged to be involved in the Zetas presence.
The calls were used to corroborate witness testimony from former members of the organization that he was indeed involved in the drug cartel. Moreno noted the change in tone in later conversations. Where his girlfriend had previously seemed to love Castillo Chavez, she was later “disillusioned” by what she read in newspaper articles about him, he said. Before she sentenced Castillo Chavez, Alvarez noted the change. “The sound of her voice is like someone who has been told her whole life is a lie,” she said. Alvarez said the alleged Zeta hitman carried out crimes with “no regard for human life.” Earlier in the proceedings, Balli argued Castillo Chavez’s status in the cartel should get him a shorter sentence because fewer years in prison would be more proportionate to sentences that others who were higher up in the organization received. Alvarez, however, denied his objection. “We have to consider the role, and Mr. Castillo’s role was to kill people and indiscriminately kill people,” Alvarez said.
JOBS Continued from Page 1A omists believe gives a more accurate picture of the job market. Without the seasonal adjustment, the jobless rate in Texas was 6.3 percent in September, down from 7 percent in August.
The preliminary local jobless rates for Valley cities in September, with revised August numbers in parentheses, were: Brownsville-Harlingen 10.2 (11.1); El Paso 8.7 (9.5); Laredo 6.4 (7.0), and McAllen-Edin-
burg-Mission 10.5 (11.7). The Midland area has by far the lowest unemployment rate in Texas at 3.3 percent. Nearby Odessa is second at 3.9 percent. Local rates are not seasonally adjusted.
MARIJUANA Continued from Page 1A ed his “boss” hired him two days ago. Morin said he was driving the container to a ranch north of Laredo but he did not the name of the ranch, according to the complaint. He further stated he turned and began driving south because his boss called him and told him to turn back, a complaint states. A K-9 sniffed the tractor, trailer and container. “Morin stated he did not have a problem with the agents searching the container and if they found anything inside the container, it was because he had been set up,” Morin told agents. The K-9 alerted agents to the possible presence of contraband inside the container. Agents observed an electrical box
with “fresh tool marks” and scratches that led them to believe that someone had attached it or removed it, the complaint states. Behind two trap doors, agents found several bundles wrapped in cellophane plastic. A complaint states the bundles contained a green leafy substance which tested positive for marijuana. In a post-arrest interview with DEA agents, Morin invoked his right to an attorney. However, the complaint states Morin stated on his own free will, “If I tell you all stuff now, I will probably go to jail and someone will kill me.” (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
Pay freeze keeps fed workers underpaid By ERIC YODER THE WASHINGTON POST
White-collar federal employees are underpaid on average by about 35 percent compared with the private sector, a widening of the “pay gap,” which stood at about 26 percent last year, an advisory group said Friday. The Federal Salary Council based that number on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that by law are supposed
to be used in setting annual General Schedule pay raises.
Two years Federal workers have had their pay frozen for two years. In August, President Barack Obama announced plans to extend the freeze until April. He has proposed a 0.5 percent increase afterward. Members of the council, composed of union leaders
and outside pay experts, attributed the wider gap to the freeze and to changes in the methods that BLS uses in comparisons. “This clearly shows that there is a pay gap and that federal employees are underpaid,” said J. David Cox, president of the American Federation of Government Employees and a council member. “Hopefully, we can get back to reasonable cost-ofliving adjustments and work on the pay gap.”
12A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
Bodark trees a sign of fall in Arkansas By CHRISTIE STORM ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It’s a tree with many names — bodark, hedge apple and yellow wood to name a few. And, as fall deepens in the Natural State, the bright chartreuse fruit of the Osage orange has ripened and started falling to the ground. The hardy, drought-resistant tree is native to Arkansas, Texas and Oklahoma but can now be found in much of the eastern half of the United States, as well as in the Midwest and in coastal states of the West. Renowned for its beautiful wood, the tree is a member of the mulberry family. And although the knobby round fruit resembles an orange from a distance, the two are not related.
Slowed the wind The tree was used as a windbreak during the Depression era, said Gerald Klingaman, a horticulture expert and director of operations at the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks. Planted close together, the
trees served as a hedgerow to prevent soil erosion. “During the Dust Bowl days the government made available seedlings and they planted it for seed breaks,” Klingaman said. “In Oklahoma, Kansas, you’d see half-mile rows of it.”
“
The Indians give an extravigant account of the exquisite odour of this fruit when it has obtained maturity.” PETER CHOTEAU, IN DESCRIBING THE OSAGE FRUIT
Confining the cows Not only was the tree effective as a windbreak, in the days before barbed wire, bodark trees could also be used to hem in livestock or separate neighboring properties. “They would plant it together and craft the branches together to make this giant, real thorny, living fence,” said Theo Witsell, a botanist with the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Services includes an account of the northward migration of the trees, stating it was brought north by Jonathan Turner, a biology professor at Illinois College. He touted the tree’s fencing capabilities, describing it as “horse high, bull strong and pig tight.”
Even after the invention of barbed wire, fence posts made of bodark were popular because the wood resisted decay. “As a wood it’s almost indestructible,” Klingaman said. “It will last 50 or 60 years in the ground.”
ing the Osage tribe, to make bows. French explorers called the trees Bois d’Arc or “wood of the bow” and it was prized among bow makers.
Tough wood
Explorer Meriwether Lewis learned about the tree while in St. Louis in 1804, just before embarking on his famous expedition with William Clark. According to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Lewis wrote a letter to President Thomas Jefferson detailing his find and including a few clippings from a tree at the home of Peter Choteau, a man who had lived “for many years with the Osage nation.” Lewis referred to the tree
According to an old news clipping from the Arkansas Parks and Tourism Department, wood from Arkansas Osage orange trees was sent to northern states for use in making sidewalks in the mid to late 19th century. The sturdy wood also was used in making wagon wheels. Klingaman said the wood was also used by American Indians, includ-
Lewis-Clark connection
as Osage apples and plums and described what he had been told: “The Indians give an extravigant account of the exquisite odour of this fruit when it has obtained maturity, which takes place in the latter end of summer, or the beginning of Autumn.” Although the fruit smells appealing, it isn’t meant for human consumption, Witsell said. Various written accounts say the fruit is slightly toxic but some animals do eat it, including horses, which gave rise to another name for it — horse apples. Squirrels and birds will also eat the seeds of the fruit as it decomposes. Witsell said scientists think the fruit was eaten by much larger animals in the ancient past. “The obvious answer as
to why did it have that big fruit was that it was to be eaten by large animals, giant ground sloths or some other extinct animal,” he said. Witsell said today he commonly sees Osage orange in small stream valleys in Arkansas. “There were prairies in parts of southwest Arkansas, black land prairies with chalky soil, and in those areas the hills were treeless but the little valleys were open woodlands. They had a lot of those bodark or Osage orange trees ... now you see them all over.” Victor Ford, director of the University of Arkansas Southwest Research and Extension Center in Hope, said the wood of the bodark is beautiful. “It has this orange color,” he said. “It reminds me of black locust or mulberry.” As for Klingaman, he is so fond of the bodark, he thinks it ought be the state tree of Arkansas instead of the pine. “I think every schoolyard ought to have one of them,” he said. “You can tell story after story and talk about everything from economics to history to natural history.”
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
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Sports&Outdoors NCAA FOOTBALL
NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Nowitzki out Photo by Rogelio V. Solis | AP
In this Oct. 6, 2012, file photo, Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel throws a short pass against Mississippi in Oxford, Miss.
A&M offense faces strong LSU defense ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Markus Schreiber | AP
Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki drives against Alba Berlin’s Deon Thompson during an exhibition game in Berlin on Oct. 6, 2012.
Mavericks star forward to miss six weeks ASSOCIATED PRESS
DALLAS — The second makeover of the Dallas Mavericks in as many seasons just got tougher. Star forward Dirk Nowitzki had arthroscopic surgery on his ailing right knee Friday and the 11-time
All-Star isn’t expected to resume on-court activities for about six weeks. Dallas opens the regular season in 11 days at the Los Angeles Lakers. “It’s never going to be easy to lose a game-changer for six
weeks,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re going to have to make up for it in other areas.” The 34-year-old Nowitzki has experienced swelling in the knee most of the preseason, twice hav-
COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Sixth-ranked LSU and No. 20 Texas A&M don’t have a lot in common. The Tigers (6-1, 2-1 Southeastern Conference) are known for their tremendous defense and the Aggies (5-1, 2-1) succeed with a prolific offense. When the two meet on Saturday, they’ll be out to prove they deserve to be talked about among the nation’s best teams despite losses to No. 3 Florida — something they do have in common. The winner will keep pace with No. 1 Alabama and No. 15 Mississippi State in the SEC West. “When you lose a game close like that it hits you hard and especially it being Florida,” LSU linebacker Kevin Minter said. “I felt like with that it’s made us a lot better as far as preparations. I feel like nobody on this team wants to feel that again. I know I don’t. Hopefully that was a momentum swing for the rest of the season.” Texas A&M’s three-point loss to Florida came in the Aggies’ opener and they’ve reeled off five straight wins since then thanks in large part to freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel. He is second in the nation in total offense with more than 392 yards a game and the dual-threat player has been responsible for 24 points a game for the Aggies. “He’s progressing,” Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin said. “He’s only played six games as a college player. His progression has been steady. On things that we couldn’t get done in the first game, we’ve really made some strides.” LSU will be the biggest test for Manziel since facing the Gators in his first college game. Coach Les Miles said he is concerned about dealing with Manziel, but he’s also confident in his defense which is allowing just over 219 yards a game — the second fewest in the country.
See NOWITZKI PAGE 2B See A&M PAGE 2B
NCAA FOOTBALL
NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Felix Jones to start for Dallas ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Michael Mulvey | AP
Texas quarterback David Ash (14) looks to pass as Oklahoma defenders close in during the first half on Oct. 13, 2012, in Dallas.
Longhorns defense looks to improve against Baylor ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN, Texas — The Baylor Bears have a chance to do something Texas fans could have hardly imagined not all that long ago: beat the Longhorns three years in a row. That has never happened over 101 meetings dating to 1901. Texas holds such a lopsided edge in the Big 12 rivalry (73-
24-4) that Baylor has seldom beaten the Longhorns even twice in a row. But here come the Bears (3-2, 0-2) on Saturday night, looking to drive a stake into Texas’ season that now looks so fragile after a 4-0 start. The Longhorns (4-2, 1-2) have lost two in a row, including last
See LONGHORNS PAGE 2B
IRVING, Texas — Felix Jones finally gets a chance to be the first option again for the Dallas Cowboys. The fifth-year running back and former first-round pick certainly had to be patient. Jones had only three carries the first four games this season. That included one game when he fumbled away the opening kickoff and later tripped while running alone after catching a short pass on the final play. With DeMarco Murray out because of a sprained left foot, Jones is set to start Sunday when the Cowboys visit Carolina. “For me, it’s just being patient. I know my opportunities are going to come,” Jones said. “I just had to wait for it and when it came, just maximize it.” When Murray broke his right ankle late last season, Jones responded with consecutive 100yard games. Murray got hurt again last week after 14 carries for 93 yards at Baltimore. Jones finished that game with 18 rushes for 92 yards with a 22-yard touchdown. The Cowboys had 227 yards rushing, the most ever allowed by the Ravens and 99 more than Dallas had in its previous three
Photo by Nick Wass | AP
This Oct. 14, 2012 file photo shows Cowboys running back Felix Jones running against the Ravens. games combined. Jones missed much of this past offseason after shoulder surgery. He was then one of three players who started training camp by failing the initial conditioning test, a series of timed sprints. Still, Jones said he felt like he was 100 percent coming into the season, but just “had to show my
team that I was ready.” Garrett said weight was “never really” an issue for the 5foot-10, 215-pound Jones. The coach said the biggest issue was the injury that forced him to miss the offseason. “Difficult for him to run and get himself in the condition that
See COWBOYS PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
Photo by Rainier Ehrhardt | AP
NASCAR driver Ryan Newman is all smiles after his qualifying attempt at the Talladega Superspeedway on Oct. 6, 2012.
Photo by Chris Young | AP
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, center, leaves the NHLPA offices with Assistant Commissioner Bill Daly (left) and NHL lawyer Bob Betterman following collective bargaining in Toronto on Thursday.
NHL cancels third week ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — The NHL wiped out the third week of the regular season Friday as the lockout dragged on, leaving no more wiggle room if the league hopes to play a full 82-game schedule. A day after the NHL turned down three counterproposals from players, the league canceled 53 more games. A total of 135 games through Nov. 1 have been scratched, which amounts to 11 percent of the season. In its third lockout since 1994, the NHL is sticking to its most recent proposal that stated a full 82game-per-team schedule could be played if the season begins by Nov. 2. The league says a deal must be reached with the union by next Thursday for that to happen. Two weeks ago, the league called off 82 games from Oct. 11-24. On Thursday, the union rejected
the NHL’s proposal made two days earlier that offered a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenues and ensured a full regular-season schedule. In brief talks, the players countered with their trio of offers that were, in turn, quickly dismissed by the league. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said he was “thoroughly disappointed” as he and the league delegation left union headquarters in Toronto. Bettman said that the owners’ proposal was the “best that we could do” and added that the sides are still far apart. “None of the three variations of player share that they gave us even began to approach 50-50, either at all or for some long period of time,” Bettman said Thursday. “It’s clear we’re not speaking the same language.” No new talks are scheduled. If next Thursday’s deadline passes, more games will likely be cut,
and the New Year’s Day Winter Classic will be the next big event in danger of being lost. The Detroit Red Wings are slated to host the Toronto Maple Leafs in the outdoor extravaganza at Michigan Stadium. Union executive director Donald Fehr said two of the union’s proposals would have the players take a fixed amount of revenue, which would turn into an approximate 5050 split over the term of the deal, provided league revenues continued to grow. The third approach would be a 50-50 split, as long as the league honored all existing contracts at full value. None of it made any positive impression on the NHL. “This is not a good day,” Fehr said Thursday. “It should have been.” The players’ association didn’t have any immediate comment following the latest cancellations.
LONGHORNS Continued from Page 1B week’s 63-21 debacle against Oklahoma. “We are definitely going to bring it to them,” Baylor offensive tackle Cyril Richardson said. Both teams are struggling and all but out of the Big 12 title chase with two league losses already. The Longhorns badly need a win to shore up confidence in a defense that has allowed at least 31 points in four consecutive games. Of course, the only team in the Big 12 playing worse defense than Texas right now is Baylor. Baylor hoped to keep up the momentum created by former quarterback Robert Griffin III’s Heisman Trophy-winning season last year, but hasn’t been able to match that run so far. The Bears lost a 70-63 thriller at West Virginia, then had six turnovers last week in a home loss to TCU. Like Texas, the Bears give up touchdowns at a crazy rate and need their offense to score at every opportunity. “That’s six possessions that we could have scored on and that we gave back to them. We can’t allow that to happen,” Bears quarterback Nick Florence said. Florence leads an offense that can pile up points in a hurry when not giving the ball away. Florence ranks No. 1 nationally in total offense with 404 yards per game. His top receiver is Terrance Williams, who averages 166 yards per game and 22 yards per catch with eight touchdowns.
The last time Texas saw firepower like that, West Virginia’s Geno Smith popped the Longhorns for four touchdown passes. But Texas is facing problems all over a defense that has dropped to No. 99 in the nation. Longhorns players sounded the alarm this week, publicly airing a lack of confidence with suggestions that not everyone was playing hard and some players still struggle to know where to line up six games into the season. Senior safety Kenny Vaccaro called the dismal play lately “embarrassing.” “There’s got to be a point where we get everything together. We’ve got the players. We’ve got the talent,” Vaccaro said. Texas fans are starting to call for second-year defensive coordinator Manny Diaz to be fired. Head coach Mack Brown said he still has confidence in Diaz and says he’s determined to get Texas’ season turned back around. “When you get kicked in the face like that (against Oklahoma), you’re competitive and you’re determined to make sure that you don’t let that happen again,” Brown said. Texas quarterback David Ash is expected to play despite a wrist injury to his non-throwing arm that knocked him out of the game against Oklahoma. He has passed for 1,389 yards this season with 11 touchdowns and three interceptions.
right now. It gives you a boost of confidence to go out there and play.” Jones said it felt good to be a little sore and banged up, and that he was ready for another heavy workload. Phillip Tanner will fill in as the No. 2 running back, and rookie Lance Dunbar could take over Jones’ kickoff return duties. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a co-captain for the 1964 Arkansas team that went undefeated, had never drafted a Razorbacks player before using one of the Cowboys’ two firstround picks in 2008 on Felix Jones. He then became the first rookie in Cowboys history to score
touchdowns in his first three games, including a 98-yard kickoff return and a 60-yard run. When Marion Barber wasn’t re-signed, Jones was the starting tailback last season before spraining an ankle. Murray ran for a franchise-record 253 yards, including a 91-yard touchdown, in the first game Jones missed. After 601 yards in that fourgame span, Murray kept the starting job until breaking his ankle. After their rushing breakthrough against Baltimore, the Cowboys face a Carolina team ranked 23rd in the NFL in rush defense (127 yards per game). “It’s huge. ... We want to be consistent with it,” offensive guard Mackenzy
ASSOCIATED PRESS
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Ryan Newman will soon be reunited with the crew chief who guided him to 12 career victories. Under a restructuring at Stewart-Haas Racing announced Friday, vice president of competition Matt Borland will also be crew chief of the No. 39 Chevrolet beginning next week at Martinsville. Borland and Newman spent five seasons together from 2002-2006 at Penske Racing, where they won 12 races and 37 poles. “Matt Borland has had great success as a crew chief, and much of it came when he and Ryan Newman worked together,” competition director Greg Zipadelli said. “Matt and Ryan both have engineering backgrounds and they have similar mindsets. It’s a pairing that produced some very good results and there’s no reason why it can’t produce similar results now that they’re back together. Their
four races together this year will position them very well for 2013.” Tony Gibson will move to the No. 10 team to crew chief for Danica Patrick. Gibson will get a jump on the 2013 season by overseeing Patrick in her final two Sprint Cup starts of the season, at Texas and Phoenix. Team co-owner Tony Stewart and crew chief Steve Addington are not changing. “We have a lot of talented people at Stewart-Haas Racing and as we grow, it’s important to place people in the proper roles to get the best out of everyone,” Zipadelli said. “Tony Gibson has been with Stewart-Haas Racing from the beginning and knows what it takes to build a team. His experience will be crucial to developing the No. 10 team and Danica, and the rapport he already has with Matt Borland and Steve Addington will make the communication between all three of our teams seamless.”
A&M Continued from Page 1B “Hopefully we can contain, that’s the first piece,” Miles said. “The good thing is that our defense will be one of the fastest he will have seen. Hopefully we will use a style of pressure that’s most effective. At times it’s going to be coverage and keeping him in the pocket, and other times, hopefully we can get to him ... it will certainly be a mix of weapons.” The Tigers are coming off a big 23-21 win over South Carolina, but weren’t thrilled to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns once inside the red zone against the Gamecocks. LSU has come away empty in seven of its 32 trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line this season, and come away with field goals instead of touchdowns 10 times. “The red zone issues are, simply put, that we have to take care of our responsibilities,” Miles said. “If we do our job, we’ll be fine. We can’t turn the ball over, and we certainly have to execute well. Really, there are a number of pieces there.” LSU knows that will be even more important this week as they face a team that is averaging 47 points a game. “Texas A&M wants to put up points, so we have to put up points,” LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger said. “We have to help our defense by controlling the ball and not having turnovers.” The Aggies are known more for their
COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B he needs to get into to play running back in the National Football League. But that was a long time ago,” Garrett said. “He worked his way back through training camp and got some opportunities (Sunday) and showed us what he can do.” Garrett said Jones was explosive and ran hard inside and outside, while breaking tackles and finishing runs. Jones has been on the field for about 100 plays this season. Half of those came against the Ravens. “It makes you know that you’re going to go out there and provide help for your team, so you got to be ready,” he said. “I was ready when I was coming in and even more ready
Newman and chief reunited
offense, but they also have a solid group of defenders. Junior end Damontre Moore is tied for the national lead in tackles for losses with 15 and tied for second in sacks with 8 1/2. “They have not only one, but several really talented pass rushers,” Miles said. “We’re going to be challenged as we have in the past and use our hands, get our sets and be prepared. I think this late in the season, we’re getting more accustomed to that challenge and looking forward to it.” Texas A&M hasn’t forgotten a comment Miles made in the offseason when asked how newcomers Texas A&M and Missouri would fare in their first season in the SEC. “I would say, ‘Strap it up,”’ Miles said then. “They’re going to really not enjoy their welcoming to this conference.” After the close loss to Florida in their only other game this season against a ranked SEC opponent, Texas A&M is eager to make a statement in this one. “We plan to prove people wrong. During the offseason we decided we were going to work harder to prove people wrong,” Texas A&M offensive lineman Patrick Lewis said. “We came together as a team. We didn’t come to the SEC to just to be a doormat. We want to compete and win championships. We’ve grown up and competed all of our lives. We want to win.”
NOWITZKI Continued from Page 1B Bernadeau said. “People see that we can run the ball. We’ve just got to be more consistent with it.” Fullback Lawrence Vickers said nothing changes with Jones filling in for Murray, who could be out only this week. Jones is the final season of his rookie contract. So while trying to prove himself to the Cowboys with every opportunity, he could also be showing other teams what he can do heading into his potential free agency. “I’m just focused on today. Focused on getting ready for the Carolina Panthers,” Jones said. “I can’t look too far ahead because I’ll lose focus of what’s going on right now.”
ing the knee drained since training camp started Sept. 29. The knee didn’t improve after rest, ice and light conditioning work, leading to the decision to have surgery. The 2011 NBA finals MVP played just one preseason game — the opener in his native Germany. The Mavericks already have the challenge of working five new players into the rotation, and one of them can play Nowitzki’s position — 13-year veteran Elton Brand. Vince Carter, another veteran who joined Dallas last season, also could slide into that spot. The Mavericks were never much of a threat to defend their 2011 title last season after deciding not to bring back several key con-
tributors. On top of the roster shuffling, Nowitzki had conditioning trouble and a sore right knee early in the season and eventually sat four games. He didn’t miss any more time after that. This is likely to be the most extended absence of Nowitzki’s career. He’s never missed more than nine games in a season. “I’m sure you’re all not expecting us to be good now, so where is the pressure?” Carter said. “Nobody’s giving us a chance with or without him, so for us we’ve just got to play and let the chips fall where they may.” Nowitzki is the franchise’s career leader in points and has averaged 22.9 points and 8.3 rebounds in 14 seasons.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE Dear Readers: In response to a reader who said that her towels were coming out of the washer and dryer with “MYSTERY” BLEACH SPOTS, I asked readers for input if they had this issue. Wow! Lots of replies came in, and here are just a few of them: Carol in Texas says the spots on her towels were caused by a cleaner (that included bleach) that wasn’t being completely rinsed off the shower walls. When her family would wipe the walls after showering, the cleaner would get on the towels. Once she started rinsing the walls thoroughly, the problem went away. Bill G. in Boca Raton, Fla., says that an acne medication caused the bleached-out spots on the towels. Mia C. in Freehold, N.J., says that the bleach dispenser on her washing machine was the culprit. She spoke to a washingmachine serviceman, who said that those dispensers don’t always release all the bleach that’s in them. Sometimes they release the rest of it into the next load. Once she
“
HELOISE
stopped using the dispenser, there were no more problems. Linda P. in South Dakota says she believes it is not how the towels are used, but the poor-quality coloring at the factory. J. in Kansas says that if you are adding the towels to the washer before the detergent is diluted, this could cause the problem with bleachstained wash. Make sure the detergent is totally diluted in your washer before adding any towels. Thanks to all who took the time to drop us a line and share their experiences. — Heloise POWDERED-DRINK-MIX CONTAINERS Dear Heloise: The big containers that powdered drink mix comes in make great containers to take along on a trip for your pets. You can put water or food in them, and you will always have the lid to use as a bowl! — Linda C., via email
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4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2012
Bo Porter wants to bring winning back ASSOCIATED PRESS
HOUSTON — New Houston manager Bo Porter inherits a team that has been the worst in baseball the past two seasons. But he remembers the excitement in the city just a few years ago when Houston went to its only World Series, and is determined to get the Astros back into contention as soon as possible. Turning around a team that lost 100 games in each of the last two seasons won’t be easy, but he’s confident it can be done. Porter is the former third base coach for the Nationals, who went from losing 93 games in 2010 to a major league-best 98 wins this regular season. “When you come into a situation and you feel like you can make an impact and you can improve a situation, that’s challenging,” he said. “But when you see the pieces that you are going to have around to do that, it makes you feel like ... it’s going to be great.” Porter was hired last month, but joined the team this week after finishing up Washington’s season. “Bo’s very impressive,” owner Jim Crane said. “We went through a very tedious process of interviewing a lot of candidates and Bo impressed all of us. I think he’ll do a great job of energizing our young team and young players.” The Astros fielded one of the youngest teams in baseball this season after shedding all of their highpriced veterans over the last few years to restock a depleted farm system. They believe their minor league system now has the prospects in place to help build this team from with-
Photo by Bill Kostroun | AP
In this Sept. 5, 2012, file photo, Commissioner Roger Goodell gestures to fans before a game between the Giants and the Cowboys in East Rutherford, N.J. Photo by Pat Sullivan | AP
Astros’ new manager Bo Porter, right, with owner Jim Crane, answers questions during a news conference on Oct. 18, 2012, in Houston. in. Houston is moving from the National League to the American League West for the 2013 season. Porter likes the plan Crane and general manager Jeff Luhnow have for their rebuilding effort. “From day one our vision was completely in line with each other,” Porter said. “Developing a young team and sustaining that excellence for a long time is something I look forward to.” Houston interviewed many candidates to take over the job left vacant when Brad Mills was fired this summer. But Luhnow said Porter set himself apart from the beginning of the process. “He’s exactly the right guy to lead this team into the future,” Luhnow said. Porter played football and baseball at Iowa before playing parts of three major league seasons with Texas, the Chicago Cubs and Oakland. He said he plans to reach out to each player on Houston’s 40-man roster over the next few weeks and hopes to get the
players who are in Houston together soon to begin to develop a relationship with his new team. “When you talk about changing the culture, the first thing you want to do is change the way they think,” Porter said. “You want to change the information that’s being put in their minds. There’s a lot of things were going to do from an organizational standpoint to address those issues. But I think the players will be completely open to that because they want to be successful.” Though the Astros lost a franchise-worst 107 games last season, Porter was encouraged by the development of some of Houston’s young players. He believes many of them have the potential to be good players for a long time to come, and he wants to work to have them play up to their potential. “I’m all in. This is not a stepping stone,” he said. “This is where I want to be and I want to see this organization go to the height which we all believe it can.”
Goodell appoints Tagliabue to appeals ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell appointed predecessor Paul Tagliabue to hear the appeals of four players suspended in the Saints bounty scandal. Goodell said Friday he notified Jonathan Vilma, Will Smith, Scott Fujita and Anthony Hargrove, as well as the players’ union, that Tagliabue would be the hearing officer to “decide the appeals and bring the matter to a prompt and fair conclusion.” The union and the four players had asked Goodell to recuse himself, contending he could not fairly rule. Their second set of appeals will be heard Oct. 30. Vilma was suspended for the 2012 season and Smith was banned four games for his role in the bounties program. Fujita, now with the Browns, was barred three games, since reduced to one. Hargrove
is a free agent whose suspension was reduced from eight games to seven. “I have held two hearings to date and have modified the discipline in several respects based on my recent meetings with the players,” Goodell said. “I will have no role in the upcoming hearings or in Mr. Tagliabue’s decisions.” “Paul Tagliabue is a genuine football authority whose tenure as commissioner was marked by his thorough and judicious approach to all matters,” he added. “He has many years of experience in NFL collective bargaining matters and an impeccable reputation for integrity.” Tagliabue was NFL commissioner from 19892006 and is a lawyer. For part of that time, Goodell was the league’s general counsel. Goodell said he consulted with NFL Players Association executive direc-
tor DeMaurice Smith before asking Tagliabue to hear these appeals. The collective bargaining agreement with the union that was reached to end the lockout in August 2011 gave Goodell exclusive authority to hear appeals of discipline for conduct detrimental or to appoint someone to hear and decide an appeal. Goodell periodically has appointed others to hear appeals for club fines, personal conduct suspensions and for matters concerning drug and steroid policy. “To be clear, I have not consulted with Paul Tagliabue at any point about the Saints matter, nor has he been any part of the process,” Goodell said. “Furthermore, under our process the hearing officer has full authority and complete independence to decide the appeal and determine any procedural issues regarding the hearings.”