COWBOYS CENTRAL
SATURDAY DECEMBER 11, 2010
FREE
JONES WANTS ROMO TO RETURN THIS SEASON, 1B
DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY
TO 4,000 HOMES
A HEARST PUBLICATION
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
ADVANCE EDUCATION CENTER
IMMIGRATION
Brand new problems
New status for some
Commissioners face serious situation at ed center By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The newly built Advance Education Center is a cause for concern, with several building code violations found by newly hired AEC Director David Brown that will have to be addressed promptly at the next regular Commissioners Court meeting on Monday, among other county project requirements and ordinances.
“The building inspector found not structural but very serious safety violations that present danger to the public in the main stair well,” Brown said. “The stairwell is only halfway completed.” The stairwell includes three dangerous drops that are very likely to cause injury to the public, Brown said. The roof is another cause for concern, as the view from US 83
is a grassy hilltop; the roof of the building is under the hilltop, Brown said. “The building has no barrier or railing above the grass,” Brown said. Brown was concerned and could not sleep the day before the county Christmas parade and lighting of the county tree, he said, due to the fact that the parade took place in front of the AEC and children attending the
event would most likely be climbing the hill with no barriers and could likely fall two stories down to concrete. “I just can’t imagine the building was left in such a dangerous condition with a complete drop,” Brown said. “Barriers were put up for the parade,” he added. The design of the roof camou-
Advocates lobby for ‘protected status’
See COMMISSIONERS PAGE 10A
By SUSAN CARROLL HOUSTON CHRONICLE
ZAPATA COUNTY
VISITING HISTORIC HOUSES Also on tap: parade, tree lightings By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
The Christmas spirit is everywhere in Zapata County as residents first gathered in San Ygnacio on Sunday for the annual Historic House Tour and tree lighting and then met once again along US 83 for the Christmas Parade and the lighting of the county Christmas tree at Bravo Park Wednesday night. The cheerful but chilly parade Wednesday was sponsored by the Zapata County Chamber of Commerce for the second consecutive year. “The purpose of the parade and lighting is for the community to come together and celebrate the spirit of Christmas,” said Jose F. “Paco” Mendoza, president and chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce. That night the whole community waited anxiously on the edge of newly remodeled Bravo
See CHRISTMAS PAGE 10A
Photo by Cuate Santos | The Zapata Times
Dora and Henry Martinez, as Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, ride in the San Ygnacio Christmas Parade with a group of children from A.L. Benavides Elementary.
It’s a potentially explosive idea being circulated on petitions in Houston’s Latino supermarkets and lobbied for in Chicago’s Hispanic neighborhoods, and now it’s landing on the front pages of the Spanish-language press. With more than 30,000 dead in the last four years from drug violence in Mexico, some immigrant advocates are starting to lobby the U.S. government to grant millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico “Temporary Protected Status,” a kind of temporary reprieve from deportation generally reserved for countries ravaged by natural disasters or destabilized by war. “There is a big chance of getting kidnapped and killed over there right now. It is extremely, extremely violent,” said Victor Ibarra, president of the Houston advocacy organization Alianza Mexicana. “That is why we’re asking for temporary protection.” Ibarra said volunteers had collected more than 1,000 signatures in support of TPS since starting a petition drive in Houston on Nov. 4. He said 15 immigrants rights organizations in Texas, including several in Dallas, Austin and San Antonio, were planning to participate in the petition drive. Nationally, he said, he’s been talking with organizations in California, Arizona and Chicago about making a more unified push for TPS. But the idea, which would require the approval of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, is highly controversial and, many say, unlikely to happen in the foreseeable future. Matthew Chandler, a DHS spokesman, said DHS is not considering TPS for
See STATUS PAGE 9A
ZCISD
ZMS construction set to finish by Friday By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Zapata County Independent School District held a planning and decision-making committee meeting to update all members on construction projects and technology initiatives. The committee meets monthly
to discuss district planning, budgeting, curriculum, staffing patterns, and school organizations. The first item on the agenda was an update on the Zapata Middle School construction project by Superintendent Norma Garcia. The district facilities committee, along with other key mem-
bers of the construction process, organized a walk-through of the finished product, Garcia said. “We noticed our middle school is looking great,” Garcia said. “It is going to be like a brand new school and should last us about 30 or 40 years.” Some of the technology installed in the school is still not
found in newer schools, Garcia said. The middle school is projected to be finished by Dec. 17, Garcia added. “We were set back because there are still some things we were not aware of but things are still a go,” Garcia said. Zapata Middle School teachers
are scheduled to move into the campus Dec. 20 and 21. These days are unofficial, Garcia added. “We want to make sure the teachers have enough help,” Garcia said. “People are excited and they want to be ready for the
See ZCISD PAGE 10A