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CONGRESS
ZAPATA COUNTY
Tax deal buys time
More services
Rep. Cuellar foresees more negotiations
Project to expand sewer lines in Pct. 1 continues By MIKE HERRERA IV THE ZAPATA TIMES
Officials and consultants hope the New Year will bring progress on a sewage system expansion in the works since 2007. The project will extend sewage service to areas of the county not currently receiving them, said Manuel Gonzalez, partner and general manager of Laredo-based Premier Engineer-
ing. “The project is going to provide sewer service to some of the areas of the community that don’t currently have it,” said Gonzalez. His firm is just one that’s provided consulting services. Gonzalez said the project will expand sewer lines into subdivisions such as Valeño Falcon Lake Estates and businesses such as the Executive Inn, all areas that now use
septic tanks. Part of the impetus for the project to Pct. 1 County Commissioner Jose Vela is the potential environmental harm of septic tanks. “When you get those connections, you’re no longer using septic tanks for the solid waste,” said Vela. “It leads to a cleaner environment.”
See SEWER PAGE 9A
By ANDREW KREIGHBAUM THE ZAPATA TIMES
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, on Friday said he welcomed a last minute agreement by House Republicans to approve an extension of a federal payroll tax-cut. “Our Republican friends decided to see the light,” he said in an interview. But he said he expected to be back in the same place in two months time, when the tax-cut is set to expire again. To extend the tax-cuts — one component of President Barack Obama’s jobs package — Republicans in the Senate negotiated concessions including a fasttracked decision on the Keystone XL pipeline. Cuellar said the GOP, pushed by Tea Party freshmen, would likely seek to extract additional concessions to extend the tax-cut again. And battles over even larger fiscal issues loom over the next year. The Bush tax cuts are set to expire at the end of 2012, as are $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts included in a deal to raise the debt ceiling this past summer. “This is only a small piece in the big items we’re looking at,” Cuellar said. A pattern of political brink-
CHRISTMAS
LAST-MINUTE SHOPPING
Photo by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times
Several shoppers take advantage of last-minute shopping in downtown Laredo on Friday afternoon as the Christmas holidays near.
See TAX PAGE 9A
REDISTRICTING
Court: Texas districts may be discriminatory By CHRIS TOMLINSON ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — There are “genuine issues” of whether Texas Republicans in the Legislature intentionally discriminated against Hispanics in redrawing the state’s political maps, three federal court judges said in an opinion. The Washington-based court sought to explain why it refused to approve redistricting maps drawn earlier this year by the Legislature. Texas is one of 16 states covered by Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act and must get pre-approval from either the Dept. of Justice of the federal
“
We conclude that there are genuine issues of material fact …” COURT OPINION
district court in Washington before changing any voting laws. The rule applies to states with a history of racial discrimination. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott asked the Washington court earlier this year to approve the new maps, but the Justice Department and Texas minority groups argued that the redistricting plans were discriminatory and asked the
court to put them on hold. The court refused to approve the maps and set a trial date for Jan. 17 to hear more detailed arguments. In a 44-page opinion filed late Thursday, the court explained why. “We conclude that there are genuine issues of material fact regarding whether the plans were enacted with discriminato-
ry intent,” the court wrote. “The ability (of minorities to elect a candidate of their choice) can rarely be measured by a simple statistical yardstick, as is the essence of Texas’s approach (to drawing fair districts).” The groups opposing the maps argue that they are drawn to give whites a majority of seats in the Texas House, Senate and in the Texas congressional dele-
gation, even though, according to the 2010 census, whites only make up 45.3 percent of the population. As an example, the congressional district map drawn by Republican lawmakers made voting-age whites the majority in 25 out of Texas’ 36 districts. In arguments before the court, state lawyers denied any intentional racial bias. They explained that because Republicans control the Legislature, it was only natural that they drew maps that would benefit Republican candidates. The reason Hispanics are not the majority in more districts is because
See REDISTRICTING PAGE 9A
PAGE 2A
Zin brief CALENDAR
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
AROUND TEXAS
TODAY IN HISTORY
Monday, Dec. 26
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Texas A&M International University offices will be closed for the holidays, reopening at 8 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 2, 2012. Registration for Spring 2012 continues 24/7 online at tamiu.edu. Classes begin Jan. 17. In the event of an emergency, contact university police at (956) 326-2100
Tuesday, Dec. 27 The Laredo Public Library invites parents to bring their children to enjoy entertainment and holiday activities over Christmas break. Today’s event, Celebrate with a New Year’s Activity, takes place in the children’s department, 1120 E. Calton Road, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children must not be left unattended at the Laredo Public Library for these or any other activities. For more information, call Diana Gallegos at 795-2400, extension 2247. The League of United Latin American Citizens Council No. 777 meets every second and fourth Tuesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. in American Legion Post 59’s Commander Room, 809 Zaragoza St. Get powered by TAMIU. The Texas A&M International University Spring 2012 schedule is now online at schedule.tamiu.edu. Registration for Spring 2012 continues today at uonline.tamiu.edu. Classes begin Jan. 17. For more information, contact the Office of the University Registrar by e-mail at registrar@tamiu.edu
Wednesday, Dec. 28 The Laredo Public Library invites parents to bring their children to enjoy entertainment and holiday activities over Christmas break. Today’s event, Make a New Year’s Hat, takes place in the children’s department, 1120 E. Calton Road, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children must not be left unattended at the Laredo Public Library for these or any other activities. For more information, call Diana Gallegos at 7952400, extension 2247. Two of Disney’s most popular characters will be at the Laredo Energy Arena when the “Phineas and Ferb: The Best Live Tour Ever!” stops for two performances at the indoor venue at 4 and 6 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 29 The Laredo Public Library invites parents to bring their children to enjoy entertainment and holiday activities over Christmas break. Today’s event, Watch a New Year’s Movie, takes place in the children’s department, 1120 E. Calton Road, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Children must not be left unattended at the Laredo Public Library for these or any other activities. For more information, call Diana Gallegos at 7952400, extension 2247.
Friday, Dec. 30 Texas A&M International University’s men’s basketball team will play Notre Dame College of Ohio at 8 p.m. Admission: is $5 for general admission and $3 for students. Saturday, Dec. 31 TAMIU’s men’s basketball team will face Cedarville University. Time: 4 p.m. Admission: is $5 for general admission and $3 for students.
Monday, Jan. 2 Texas A&M International University offices reopen at 8 a.m. for all services. For additional information, contact the Office of Public Relations, Marketing and Information Services at 326-2180.
Tuesday, Jan. 3 The Alzheimer’s support group will meet Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 7 p.m. in Meeting Room 2, Building B of the Laredo Medical Center. The support group is for family members and caregivers taking care of someone who has Alzheimer’s.
Saturday, Jan. 7 Books and magazines will be for sale in the Widener Room of the First United Methodist Church, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. The public is invited, and admission is free.
Saturday, February 4 Book Sale, 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Widener Room, First United Methodist Church. Public invited, free admission. To submit a calendar entry, visit lmtonline.com/calendar/submit or email editorial@lmtonline.com with the event name, date, time and location and a contact phone number.
Photo by Victor Calzada/El Paso Times | AP
Spc. Devin Warren holds and kisses his son Tydus Warren, 2, as he waits to depart with other soldiers from the 5th Battalion, 52nd Air and Missile Defense Regiment on Tuesday at Fort Bliss, Texas. The soldiers are being deployed to southwest Asia as part of a routine troop rotation.
100 deploy to Mideast By ALEX HINOJOSA EL PASO TIMES
FORT BLISS — Just days after the last convoy returned home from Iraq, about 100 Fort Bliss soldiers were deployed out to the Middle East on Tuesday. Members of the 5th Battalion, 52nd Air and Missile Defense are bound for Bahrain and Qatar, states near Saudi Arabia, for a yearlong deployment. The battalion’s mission will be to maintain a watch over air defense missiles in those regions in support Operation Enduring Freedom. The rotation began more than 10 years ago in Saudi Arabia with the Patriot Task Force. The command’s Patriot missile batteries engage in joint training exercises with and provide defense for allies. About 600 Patriot missile battery soldiers are currently in the Middle East, the same
number of soldiers from Fort Bliss who are currently in South Korea, which has been placed on alert because of the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. Those who deployed on Tuesday are expected to return home in a year. “This is a programmed rotation that didn’t catch anyone by surprise,” said Maj. Kernaa D. McFarlin III, battalion executive officer for the 52nd Air and Missile Defense. “There is no immediate crisis going on. This is just in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and to protect air defense missiles in these areas. And our troops will be deployed there to relieve another unit that was stationed there to protect the air defense missiles.” The deployment is routine, but the timing couldn’t be worse — four days before Christmas.
Some Texans won’t have to dream of white Christmas
150,000 seed balls for wildfire-stricken Bastrop
SPCA finds 4 horses dead; saves 7 emaciated horses
EL PASO — Some parts of Texas won’t be dreaming of a white Christmas. El Paso awoke to snow covered roads and yards Friday while other West Texas cities and the central portion of the state are expected to get their own snowfall by this weekend. The storm system was expected to move through West and Central Texas.
AUSTIN — About 300 groups of children have worked to make sure parts of Central Texas blackened by wildfires get new plants. Officials with Capital Area Master Naturalists in Austin say about 150,000 seed balls will be available to Bastrop residents, whose land was damaged by the fires. The marble-size balls of clay and compost also contain native plant seeds.
DALLAS — Animal welfare officers in Dallas have made a grim discovery, finding four horses dead and seven emaciated on a property in Dallas. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Texas says the situation was reported Wednesday.
Texas death row inmate loses appeal in fire death
EDINBURG — U.S. Border Patrol agents in the Rio Grande Valley Sector say they have seized more than 7 tons of marijuana in five days. Tuesday, agents were working near the Rio Grande when they noticed several people north of the river loading large bundles of marijuana into a Ford Expedition. A helicopter pursued the Expedition before the driver abandoned 1,400 pounds of marijuana near Escobares. —Compiled from AP reports
Exonerated inmate’s dad seeks $1.1 million AUSTIN — The long-estranged father of the first Texas prison inmate to be posthumously exonerated by DNA testing has come forward, claiming he’s entitled to half of the nearly $1.1 million the state awarded to Tim Cole’s family for his wrongful imprisonment. Cole was wrongfully convicted for a 1985 rape but died in prison before he was declared innocent.
HOUSTON — A federal appeals court has refused an appeal from a Bryan man sent to death row for killing his ex-girlfriend by throwing gasoline on the woman and setting her on fire. Attorneys for Carl Henry Blue, 46, argued to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that he’s mentally impaired, making him ineligible for execution.
Border Patrol agents seize 7 tons in 5 days
AROUND THE NATION
Today is Saturday, Dec. 24, the 358th day of 2011. There are seven days left in the year. This is Christmas Eve. Today’s Highlight in History: On Dec. 24, 1814, the War of 1812 officially ended as the United States and Britain signed the Treaty of Ghent. On this date: In 1851, fire devastated the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., destroying about 35,000 volumes. In 1865, several veterans of the Confederate Army formed a private social club in Pulaski, Tenn., called the Ku Klux Klan. In 1871, Giuseppe Verdi’s opera “Aida” had its world premiere in Cairo, Egypt. In 1943, President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower supreme commander of Allied forces in Europe as part of Operation Overlord. In 1951, Gian Carlo Menotti’s “Amahl and the Night Visitors,” the first opera written specifically for television, was first broadcast by NBC-TV. In 1961, the Houston Oilers won the second American Football League Championship Game, defeating the San Diego Chargers, 10-3. In 1968, the Apollo 8 astronauts, orbiting the moon, read passages from the Old Testament Book of Genesis during a Christmas Eve telecast. In 1980, Americans remembered the U.S. hostages in Iran by burning candles or shining lights for 417 seconds — one second for each day of captivity. Ten years ago: Officials said President George W. Bush had created a formal line of succession at several key federal agencies in the event a Cabinet secretary were to be killed or incapacitated. Five years ago: Ethiopia sent fighter jets into Somalia and bombed several towns in a dramatic attack on Somalia’s powerful Islamic movement; Ethiopia’s prime minister said his country had been “forced to enter a war.” Broadcasting pioneer Frank Stanton, CBS president for 26 years, died in Boston at age 98. One year ago: Pope Benedict XVI ushered in Christmas Eve with an evening Mass amid heightened security concerns following package bombings at two Rome embassies and Christmas Eve security breaches at the Vatican the previous two years. Today’s Birthdays: Songwriter-bandleader Dave Bartholomew is 91. Author Mary Higgins Clark is 84. Federal health administrator Anthony S. Fauci is 71. Recording company executive Mike Curb is 67. Rock singer-musician Lemmy (Motorhead) is 66. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., is 65. Actor Grand L. Bush is 56. Actor Clarence Gilyard is 56. Actress Stephanie Hodge is 55. The president of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai (HAH’-mihd KAHR’-zeye), is 54. Rock musician Ian Burden (The Human League) is 54. Designer Kate Spade is 49. Rock singer Mary Ramsey (10,000 Maniacs) is 48. Actor Mark Valley is 47. Singer Ricky Martin is 40. Author Stephenie Meyer (“Twilight”) is 38. “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest is 37. Thought for Today: “Christmas comes, but once a year is enough.” — American proverb.
Obama on political high, but momentum hard
CONTACT US
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama has capped a bruising year by winning a tax cut extension for millions of Americans, but his momentum may be hard to maintain in the coming election year. The president’s victory in a tax fight with House Republicans overshadowed Washington’s deepening dysfunction and the slow progress of the economy on his watch.
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Amid holidays, pickpockets ply ancient trade CHICAGO — It is a dying art on America’s city streets, a bit of sleight-of-hand straight out of Charles Dickens’ London. And yet on the final shopping days before Christmas, Chicago police are stepping up their watch for criminals plying the ancient trade of picking pockets.
Photo by Danese Kenon/Indianapolis Star | AP
Kristopher Rush, 14, shows off the Nike Air Jordan shoes he got for Christmas from his parents Friday, outside the Lafayette Square Mall in Indianapolis, where he waited in line with his father and brother for over three hours.
SC voter ID law rejected by Justice Department COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Justice Department on Friday rejected South Carolina’s law requiring voters to show photo identifi-
cation, saying the law makes it harder for minorities to vote. Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said it didn’t meet the burden under the Voting Rights Act and minorities might not be able to cast ballots. —Compiled from AP reports
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, DECEMBER 24, 2011
Zlocal
PAGE 3A
TALENT SHOW A SUCCESS
ELECTIONS 2012
Unopposed constable seeks to improve office By MIKE HERRERA IV THE ZAPATA TIMES
Courtesy photo
Villarreal Elementary had its second annual talent show on Dec. 20. The opening act, "Tamale Fight," was a special success. It was written by three of the school’s own Student Council members: Jennifer Gonzalez, Emily Torres and Vianey Lara.
LCC registration to start By ROGER SANCHEZ JR. SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
If the hustle and bustle of the holiday season has sidetracked you from securing your class schedule for the Spring 2012 semester at Laredo Community College, there is still time to register for the new term. Late registration for new and returning students will run Monday, Jan. 9 through Friday, Jan. 13 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. at both campuses, and extend into the weekend during a Saturday Open House on Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the LCC Fort McIntosh Campus only. A $10 late registration fee will be assessed. Registration will be available in person or online via PASPort by visiting https://pasport.edu. All new and returning students must first be advised before registering for classes, as self-advisement is no longer an option.
Fort McIntosh Advising and late regis-
tration for all students wanting to enroll at the Fort McIntosh Campus will be held at the Kazen College Center from Jan. 9-13 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Additionally, advisement and registration will be available at the Fort McIntosh Campus on Saturday, Jan. 14 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Memorial Hall. Representatives from several departments will be available to offer services for admissions, advising, registration and payment of tuition and fees in person. The College Bookstore also will be open.
South Campus Advising and late registration at the South Campus will be held Jan. 9-13 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., too. New students and those who are undecided about their major should report to the Student Success Center at the Billy Hall Student Center, room 116 to get advised.
Payment Deadlines Students who register
between Dec. 22 and Jan. 13 have until Friday, Jan. 13 to pay their tuition and fees by 5 p.m. in person at the Bursar’s Office at either campus, or by 11 p.m. online using a credit or debit card through PASPort, available at www.laredo.edu and by clicking on the PASPort logo. After the Jan. 13th tuition payment deadline, late registration will continue through Monday, Jan. 16 via the PASPort system only; LCC will be closed on Sunday, Jan. 15 and Monday, Jan. 16 (for Martin Luther King Day), but advised students will still be able to register via PASPort. The tuition payment deadline for students who register between Jan. 14 and 16 is Monday, Jan. 16 by 11 p.m. via the PASPort system only. Payment in full is required unless the student has signed an installment contract with the Bursar’s Office. For more information, contact the LCC Enrollment and Registration Services Center at the Fort McIntosh Campus at 721-5109 or the South Campus at 794-4110.
For Constable Julian Gutierrez, the road to reelection is “smooth sailing” at this point. “Right now I’m running unopposed,” said Gutierrez, who’s occupied the Precinct 2 slot since being appointed last September. Though he faces no opponent so far, he doesn’t take reelection for granted. Rather, he looks to continue what he feels is a track record of success. “I’ve served every single citation that’s been handed out to me,” he said. “I have not missed out on any citations.” Besides serving citations, other constable duties Gutierrez said he’s successfully carried out
include providing extra security at public functions. “We were at the San Ygnacio festival,” he said, referring to himself and his deputies. “The light parade, I was there also. I’m out there helping (the community) out anytime.” One issue Gutierrez wishes to address more if reelected is truancy. It’s important to him because not only as a constable but because of his day job as a criminal justice teacher at Zapata High School. “I tell the kids the importance of having an education. Not having an education, not being in school brings you down,” he said. “I ask them ‘Do you want a job in the fields, or do you want a job in an office?’ ”
Besides preaching the value of education, Gutierrez feels he’s walked the walk. Before teaching, he spent his youth in law enforcement and by age 30 earned a Texas Master Peace Officers License. This experience, he feels, affords him experience to share with his students. “I tie in my war stories to the lessons,” he said. “That’s what I call things that happened when I’m patrolling, stories of stuff I’ve seen out there. I tell them I’ve seen what happens with narcotics. Kids who thought they were invincible. “I tell them if you do drugs, this will happen to you. I tell them to stay way.” (Mike Herrera IV can be reached at 728-2567 or mherrera@lmtonline.com)
Students bound for Chile SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
A group of 15 Texas A&M International University students will ring in 2012 in a new country. The students, part of TAMIU’s “Reading the Globe” program, are traveling about 4,600 miles to Santiago, Chile. The freshmen students from the university were selected after a competitive essay based on their reading of the university’s campus read selection, “Santiago’s Children: What I Learned About Life at an Orphanage in Chile,” by
writer Steve Reifenberg. While in Chile, the students will visit the orphanage that was the setting for the book. In Santiago, they will attend a series of academic lectures. They will also visit Pablo Neruda’s house, attend lectures at the University of Bio Bio in Concepcíon, learn about Chilean culture, social reality, international relations, history and economics and stay with host families. Students participating in the study-travel project are: Judith Abrego, Carolina Atilano, Alejandra Ortiz-
Caballero, Joseph Dilworth, Uriel Domínguez, Sabrina Espinoza, Lisa Estrada, Selina Fuentes, Katherine Garza, José Jacobo, Leslie Martínez, Margaret Medellín, Francisco Palacios, Norma Nuñez and Daniel Villalobos. In addition to their studies and visits, the students will also be involved in various volunteer service activities. This is the fourth TAMIU student group in the “Reading the Globe” program. Previous study-travel sites have included Poland, Ghana and Cambodia.
PAGE 4A
Zopinion
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR SEND YOUR SIGNED LETTER TO EDITORIAL@LMTONLINE.COM
COLUMN
OTHER VIEWS
Being a Christian at Christmas Extremists get media attention By BILL KING HOUSTON CHRONICLE
T
he time when much of the world commemorates the birth of Jesus of Nazareth is once more upon us. With it come the inevitable. No Christmas season would be complete without some litigation over a manger scene on some public property or the debate over whether it is politically incorrect to wish someone “Merry Christmas.” Then there is the great irony of extravagant, conspicuous consumption to mark the birth of one who once advised a wealthy young man to give away everything he owned. But what strikes me this year about my faith is how, much like our national political life, it is becoming increasingly polarized on the extremes with a large number of us in the middle feeling like we have no spiritual home. Today, it seems that on the surface, at least, Christianity is dominated by two groups.
Watered down faith Members of the first group are a bit embarrassed to say they are Christians for fear any expression of their faith will be seen as politically and/ or socially incorrect. They have watered down what they believe so far that their faith has no moment. At the other extreme are those Christians who seem determined to do whatever they can to insult and alienate anyone who is not a Christian. They are determined that everyone else adopt their exact belief system, even if that means legislating their beliefs into law.
No apologies It seems to me that neither is very Christ-like. Jesus certainly did not apologize for his faith. He spoke openly and directly about mankind’s spiritual nature and its physical reality. Both were highlighted when, asked what the most important thing was, he said simply, “Love God with all your heart and your neighborhood as yourself.” But he also adamantly refused to start a political movement. He famously tossed the Pharisees’ Roman coins back at them, telling to “render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s.” He declared before Pilate that his kingdom was not of this world. He did not form any political action committees or hold any political prayer rallies. He did not foment revolution or cozy up to officialdom. He did not lobby lawmakers to legislate the people’s morality. Instead he appealed directly to our better nature, seeking to change hearts, not laws. So like many Americans who look at both political parties and find that they can identify with neither, so many of us who are Christians look at the extremes of our faith and feel the same way. And there is a growing body of evidence that sug-
Today, it seems that on the surface, at least, Christianity is dominated by two groups. gests that extremists in the Christian faith are eroding the public’s view of the church. Church membership has been stagnant for years and most polling shows a general decline in the public’s favorable rating of Christianity as a religion.
Research Some of the most startling work in this area has been done by a young market researcher named David Kinnaman. Kinnaman is an evangelical Christian who has focused his market research skills on the public’s perception of Christianity. His first book, “Unchristian,” was published in 2007. What he found was that many Americans, and most younger Americans, view Christianity negatively. Several reasons are cited but the two most frequently mentioned were that Christians were too political and too judgmental. It is indeed an irony that a faith whose founder eschewed politics and taught to “judge not, lest you be judged” is now known for the opposite of his principles. The reality is that there are millions of Christians in this country and throughout the world who go about quietly practicing their faith without using it for some political agenda or condemning those who do not see the world as they do. Research has consistently shown that church-going Christians are responsible for the vast majority of contributions to charity, in terms of both time and money. And in just about any visit to any church on a Sunday morning, you will find a group of people that genuinely care for each other.
Extremes sell But as with most aspects of our public life, moderation is not news. It is the extremes that sell media. So there will always be rows of cable news cameras for someone claiming to a Christian minister and wanting to burn the Quran even if his church only has a couple of dozen members. But there is rarely any coverage of thousands upon thousands of refugees who are welcomed to this country by Christian organizations each year, regardless of the refugees’ faiths. So my thoughts and prayers this Christmas season are with those Christians in the great middle, inspired by their faith to quietly go about the business of feeding the hungry, welcoming strangers, ministering to the sick and visiting those in prison. They much more faithfully represent the true spirit of Christmas than the politically motivated religious grandstanders to which we are all too often subjected.
COLUMN
Joy to all, the Lord is come! “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.” Luke 2:10-11 It is with these words that I greet you on this most blessed day as I recall the Christmas of my youth when the enthusiasm of this joyous occasion filled me with excitement and glee then, just as it does today. Part of these familial memories include the wonderful aromas of tamales, hojarascas, champurrado and the like filling my home. Nowadays, the wafting aromas take us down memory lane as we recall the many traditions begun years ago by older generations. And it is during this time of joy and exultation that I remind you, today we celebrate the greatest gift ever given. The birth of the Christchild is cause for grand cel-
“
JAMES TAMAYO
ebrations! His holy birth brings joy and peace to our hearts and enlightenment to our mind. Through this celebration, we demonstrate our gratitude to God for sending us His only Son to live our human condition so that we may one-day live with His Son in his divine presence for all eternity. So as we celebrate Christmas once again, may we welcome Christ among us, may He make his home in us and may he guide us to His perfect light. Also, as many of you know, the life of Jesus serves as the inspiration for my personal motto of Todo Con Amor (All With Love). And Christmas is centered on this greatest love story ever told – the story of God who so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son.
Christmas is the story of God’s greatest gift given to us in the person of Jesus who offers us God’s unconditional love. Christmas, then, is a time of faith, hope and love. The King of Kings wasn’t born in a palace, but in a stable. He wasn’t clothed in fine royal purple, but in poor swaddling clothes. He wasn’t placed in a regal bedroom but in a manger where he was surrounded by barnyard animals. And that was just the beginning. More than two millennia ago, three brave men of faith followed a bright shining star in search of the newborn Prince of Peace. The men known as the three kings, Balthasar, Melchior and Gaspar, brought the Christ Child the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Their quest and veneration for the infant Jesus are examples for us to emulate and this begins by attending Holy Mass. From the beginning to
the end, Jesus’ constant humility showed us His love for the Father and for us. Everyday, we have the opportunity to share in this love and to receive Jesus in our heart through the celebration of Holy Mass. I encourage you to pause and reflect today as you unwrap presents (and tamales) and break bread with your loved ones. Take time today to remember that the reason for the season is the greatest gift ever given. The Christmas story is a tale retold year after year that never loses its majesty nor ceases to fill our hearts with wonder. A tiny baby came into a grim and dark world, shining light across the barren landscape – a light that still invites us to come into the warmth of God’s grace and find faith, hope and love. Come and let us adore him for today Christ is born! Today we celebrate the birth of the one who is love and who invites us to live our life Todo Con Amor!
EDITORIAL
Many win in failed merger SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
Foretold for months, the end of this year’s biggest business merger has thankfully happened. AT&T is dumping a deal to acquire T-Mobile that aimed to reshape — and severely limit — the wireless market.
It’s a defeat for telecom execs and bankers who pushed the $39 billion merger and for a flock of usually successful Washington lobbyists. But it’s a win for consumers, openmarket competition and antitrust lawyers in the Obama administration. The merger was facing
long odds. The Justice Department and Federal Communications Commission were warming up legal challenges. Their thinking was in line with anyone who opens a monthly cell phone bill or endures a dropped call: higher bills and lousier service.
AT&T, which drove the deal, had offered last-minute sweeteners, but it finally gave up. Nothing changed the obvious underlying problem: The merger would have turned the wireless market into a duopoly with two big-dog firms controlling more than 70 percent of the field.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY The Zapata Times does not publish anonymous letters. To be published, letters must include the writer’s first and last names as well as a phone number to verify identity. The
phone number IS NOT published; it is used solely to verify identity and to clarify content, if necessary. Identity of the letter writer must be verified before publication. We want to assure our
readers that a letter is written by the person who signs the letter. The Zapata Times does not allow the use of pseudonyms. Letters are edited for style, grammar, length and civility. No name-call-
DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU
ing or gratuitous abuse is allowed. Via e-mail, send letters to editorial@lmtonline.com or mail them to Letters to the Editor, 111 Esperanza Drive, Laredo, TX 78041.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
THE BLOTTER BURGLARY Deputies responded to a suspicious person call at 1:10 a.m. Dec. 18 in the 700 block of 12th Avenue. There, they arrested Heriberto Navarro Jr., 18, and charged him with burglary of a vehicle. An incident report states the individual stole a car radio among other items. The man was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail. A man reported at 8:42 a.m. Dec. 19 in the 1800 block of Second Street that someone broke into his company’s vehicle and stole his firearm. A man reported at 5:05 p.m. Dec. 19 by Fourth Street and Avenue C in Lopeño that someone broke into his residence and stole hunting rifles and a revolver.
THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A
Mexican army rescues Man behind bars 21 Central Americans By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
Federal officials announced over last weekend that the Mexican army rescued 21 Central Americans allegedly held captive in a Nuevo Laredo colonia near the riverbanks that border with Laredo Community College Fort McIntosh Campus. Soldiers assigned to the eighth military zone of Mexico’s defense ministry, known as Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional or SED-
ENA, arrested three people in connection with the case. One had a firearm, a report states. Their identities and the weapon’s caliber were not released. On Dec. 16, troops combating narcotrafficking and organized crime through Operation Northeast were patrolling Colonia Solidaridad in northwest Nuevo Laredo. Soldiers spotted three men in front of a home. A military report states the men attempted to elude authorities through the back of
the house. Eventually, troops caught up to them. There, military personnel encountered 21 people — 17 men and four women — of Guatemalan and Honduran nationalities. A report states the group of people was “allegedly kidnapped.” Arrestees, the firearm, the people rescued and the home were all turned over to federal authorities for an investigation. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 7282568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
A man landed behind bars on several charges after sheriff’s officials say he wielded and then threw a knife at a deputy last weekend. On Dec. 18 at 7:08 a.m., deputies went out to a domestic assault call at an apartment complex in the 300 block of Glenn Street. On arrival, an incident report states Juan David Chapa, 23, had a folding knife. “Deputies … proceeded to disarm Chapa who was displaying a knife and at one point threw the knife at a deputy,” said Sgt. Mario Elizondo. Elizondo added deputies struggled with Chapa, who resisted arrest. Eventually, deputies seized the black handle
frost cutlery with silver blade and logged it as evidence. “No injuries were reported. The officer who CHAPA was assaulted by the knife was not injured,” Elizondo added. Chapa was charged with two counts of aggravated assault family with deadly weapon, aggravated assault against a public servant and resisting arrest, search or transport. Chapa was taken to the Zapata Regional Jail, where he was given a combined $310,000 bond by Justice of the Peace Anna Guerra. (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonlie.com)
DUI Mario Alberto Alaniz, 18, and Mario Humberto Garza III, 20, were arrested and charged with driving under the influence at about 5:15 a.m. Dec. 18 by Miraflores Avenue and Seventh Street. Both men were taken to the Zapata Regional Jail, where they were later released for future court appearance.
Officers seize shank in jail By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES
DWI Maria Celeste Navarro, 17, was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated at about 10:45 p.m. Dec. 15 by 13th Street and Roma Avenue. An incident report states Navarro struck another vehicle from behind on a four-way stop. She was taken to the Zapata County Jail and held on a $3,000 bond.
RECKLESS DRIVING Victor Javier Ledesma, 18, was arrested and charged with reckless driving at about 4 p.m. Dec. 17 in the intersection of 10th Street and Ramireño Avenue. An incident report states a deputy saw a vehicle executing a doughnut, a maneuver done when a vehicle is driven in a circular motion at a high speed. The man was transported to the Zapata Regional Jail.
During a routine inspection, correctional officers say they found a black metal shank on an inmate arrested on an aggravated assault charge. Zapata County Sheriff ’s officials say the incident took place Monday. At about 9:30 p.m., officers in the Zapata Regional Jail conducted a routine cell search. According to Sgt. Mario Elizondo, officers found a 10-inch long black metal shank on an inmate possession. Authorities identified the man as Osvaldo Valadez, 26. He was charged with deadly weapon in penal institution, a third-degree felony which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and up to a $10,000 fine. Elizondo said Valadez was behind bars on an aggravated assault with a
deadly weapon. The alleged offender remained in custody at the regional jail on a VALADEZ $100,000 bond. Zapata Regional Jail passed its annual inspection for fiscal year 2012 and is currently in compliance with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. An inspection report states the facility was inspected Oct. 27 and “there were no deficiencies noted.” Diana Spiller, a TCJS research specialist, states on an email that, “unfortunately, the discovery of a shank in any county jail is commonplace. In fact, minimum jail standards require jail officials to conduct periodic searches of inmate living areas to detect contraband and/or weapons.” (César G. Rodriguez may be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmtonline.com)
6 guilty in pot case SPECIAL TO THE TIMES
HOUSTON – Six men have entered guilty pleas in a case involving the smuggling of more than a ton of marijuana concealed in pallets of watermelons. Humberto Reyes, 51, of Houston, and Victor Peña, 30, of Roma, entered their pleas Friday to conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute more than 1,000 kilograms of marijuana before United States District Judge David Hittner, while Orlando Ramirez, 41, Lauro Cisneros, 27, both of Roma; Leonel Peña, 34, of Houston; and Roel Reyna, 47, of Rio Grande City, pleaded guilty last Friday. Beginning in June 2011, these men began transporting marijuana via tractor trailer and concealed in pallets of watermelons from McAllen, to a warehouse in Houston, according to a news release issued by United States Attorney
Kenneth Magidson. Once the marijuana reached the warehouse, they would unload the pallets, remove the marijuana and load the marijuana into other vehicles to be delivered for sale. At their respective plea hearings, the government described how agents of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) conducted surveillance of the warehouse on July 28. At that time, Leonel Peña, Victor Pena and Cisneros unloaded pallets of watermelons from a tractor trailer, while Ramirez conducted counter-surveillance in the area around the warehouse. Once the pallets were unloaded and the warehouse doors secured, agents observed Reyes and Roel Reyna drive past the warehouse slowly as Reyna was showing Reyes the location. Reyes returned to the warehouse later in a white panel van which he pulled into the warehouse. Agents then followed the van as it left
the warehouse and stopped it a short time later. Agents discovered 84 bales of marijuana inside, while a search of the warehouse resulted in the seizure of an additional 53 bales of marijuana. The total weight of the marijuana seized was 3,158 pounds. All of the defendants have been in custody since their arrests where they will remain pending their sentencing hearings. Judge Hittner has set sentencing for March 13, at which time they each face a minimum of 10 years and maximum of life in federal prison and a maximum $8 million fine. A seventh defendant, Agapito Lopez, 45, of Roma, Texas, remains a fugitive and a photo of him as attached. Anyone with information as to his whereabouts is asked to contact DEA at 713-6933000. He is presumed innocent unless and until convicted through due process of law.
PAGE 6A
Zentertainment
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
G Lo returns in “I Can Never Do Nuthin” tour By MIKE HERRERA IV THE ZAPATA TIMES
Why you crying? Haven’t you heard? G Lo’s back in town. Funnyman George Lopez returns to the Laredo Energy Arena on Thursday as part of his “I Can Never Do Nuthin” tour. That he’s making his second Laredo appearance in under two years speaks to not only his following in the Hispanic community, but his commitments to the art of stand-up and representing the Latino voice in the industry. “When I first did standup, I only went to the bigger places like San Antonio, Houston, Dallas, when you start to get a
broader audience,” Lopez told Laredo Morning Times in a recent interview. Yet, smaller venues in tight-knit communities help him keep things in perspective. “I still consider myself a real person.” Appearing in feature films and starring in a self-titled sitcom on ABC made Lopez one of most recognizable faces in American comedy. He then took his talents to TBS and with “Lopez Tonight” be-
came the first Latino to host a late night talk show. After cancellation of the show, Lopez started working behind the scenes, developing a new Fox show for fellow comedian Mark Viera. Unlike other entertainers, however, Lopez never fully left what brought him to the dance. “Through all the things I’ve done, I’ve never disconnected from standup,” he said. “I think it was standup that fueled the creative part of writing the sitcom and the talk show.” Through that standup, Lopez irreverently tells the story of his people by relating parts of his life. His 2004 show “Why You Crying?”is replete with gut-busting anecdotes that Mexican audiences can relate to. “She would never buy hot dog buns for whatever reason,” Lopez says in one of many bits referring to his grandmother. “Stas loco. Get a piece of bread and fold it.” “Why You Crying?” also draws laughs from Lopez’s declaration that “nobody can load up a car like an old school Mexican family.” In the
AP photo
George Lopez
fashion of a socially aware and thoughtful comedian, Lopez takes stereotypes of his people and, rather than turn defensive, embraces the stereotype, and relates it with personal anecdote and animated delivery. It gets people to take a humorous look at themselves and their neighbors. “It’s always been a message of ‘No one’s perfect,’” said Lopez. “A lot of the stuff is very intricate to Latino culture.” Attendance at live events all across the country, however, has proven to Lopez that his comedy is enjoyable to any and everybody. Fans from all walks of life recognize themselves in elements of his stand-up. For example, a common theme in his work, prominent in his sitcom and his stand-up, is how parents struggle to raise children in a material culture. “That’s everyone’s culture. Kids that are spoiled and now feel entitled,” said Lopez. What everyone experiences, everyone can laugh at, and that, to him, is how comedy unites. When he takes the stage at the LEA, Lopez will present material fans know and love as well as some they’ve never heard. Audiences can expect Lopez’s characteristic dynamic delivery to bring the material to life. He makes the stage his universe and uses his talent for mimicry to populate it with characters. “America’s Mexican,” his 2007 show, uses this creative power to draw attention to a then-boiling
political issue in the United States: immigration reform. “If the immigration law passed, they say that 1.2 million Mexicans would have to go back to Mexico,” he says. “Sabes que? That’s seven quinceaneras!” Lopez belives stand-up offers him a uniquely direct way to get people, when they stop laughing, to think and talk about these issues. He compares himself in this sense to a politician, albeit an entertaining one. “It’s almost like campaigning,” he said. “I want my material to be on point. For Latinos, there’s nobody else out there who does it with the intention of being heartwarming and being on point.” All this, naturally, remains anchored in the central mission of a comedian. “You want them laughing as hard and for as long as they can. You do whatever you need to do,” he said. Come for a laugh and a hell of a good time; leave with a warmed heart and renewed love for your culture. This is Lopez’s goal. “My stories, they come from somebody who lives that life. It’s honest. It’s real,” he said. “We have to keep telling those stories.” “I Can Never Do Nuthin” starts at 8 p.m. Thursday. Tickets are $45.50 and $60.40. For tickets, visit the Laredo Energy Arena or www.ticketmaster.com. (Mike Herrera IV can be reached at 728-2567 or mherrera@lmtonline.com)
Vazquez Sounds popularity rises By E. NATALIA CANO ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Carrie Antlfinger | AP
In this picture taken Dec. 21, Jack McCarthy, 17, poses with some sweaters in Wauwatosa, Wis. McCarthy, 17, launched UltimateUglyChristmas.com with his 22-year-old sister last month, and he expects to clear $5,000 in profit this year.
Ugly sweaters all the rage By DINESH RAMDE ASSOCIATED PRESS
MILWAUKEE — Oh, the sweater designs are frightful, but the parties are so delightful. So if you’ve got one to wear, let it show, let it show, let it show. If your grandmother ever gave you a cheesy holiday sweater that you never thought you’d wear, be grateful — it’s a hot fashion item now. Gaudy Christmas sweaters have become all the rage. UglyChristmas-sweater parties are so popular that thrift stores and specialty retailers are making sure the kitschy clothing is in stock, and enterprising entrepreneurs are cashing in. One Chicago couple say they’ve sold more than 3,000 sweaters this year from a website they started in 2008, while a pair of Milwaukee siblings expect to clear a $5,000 profit from a new site they launched just last month. Jack McCarthy, 17, and his sister sell sweaters scavenged from thrift stores and yard sales for anywhere from $19 to $45 on UltimateUglyChristmas.com. “People just seem to love outdoing each other in ugliness,” McCarthy said.
“The key is, you want something that’s tacky in a good way. You don’t want ugly like boring, you want something like a piece of art. Something that might look good if it weren’t on a sweater. “Like it might be a good Christmas decoration, but once you put it on yourself that’s where it becomes ugly.” The sweaters’ popularity reflects a common fashion arc: Something trendy goes out of style, only to become cool again decades later. Some people speculate that loud sweaters evoke fond memories of holidays past. Others say it’s just an expression of holiday cheer. Either way, when it comes to Christmas sweaters, uglier is better. Bright and mismatched colors are a plus, as are sequins, beads and fringes. But the clincher is graphics — winter scenes busy and intricate enough to make the viewer cringe. Emily Bell knows ugly when she sees it. The 30year-old from the Milwaukee suburb of St. Francis was determined to win her friend’s ugly-sweater contest. So she scoured thrift stores with one strategy: If a garment could be called tasteful, it wasn’t good
enough. For less than $10 she bought a blue blazer covered in oversized stars, trees and snowmen, along with a bright red sweater showing a Christmas tree trimmed with bulbous red ornaments. “Everyone was horrified and amused,” Bell said of partygoers who awarded her the top prize. “Either piece is ugly on its own, but there’s no one on Earth who could see them together and find them anything but ugly.” Retailers are capitalizing on the demand. Lisa Ritter, director of marketing for Goodwill in St. Paul, Minn., credited a promotion with helping the thrift store’s Twin Cities locations sell hundreds of ugly Christmas sweaters this year. “There’s only one place that got a complaint, a store in a smaller community,” she said. “It was mostly people who were offended because we were making fun of a clothing item that they wear, and wear proudly.” Ugly is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Jennifer Rogalin manages Ragstock, a specialtyclothing store in Madison. She said a lot of their holi-
day items are actually attractive, but so many people ask for ugly sweaters that the store now advertises them that way. “Sometimes I’ll be helping someone who wants something ugly,” she said. “They’ll pick one and I’ll say, ‘Oh, I thought that was cute.’ And they’ll say, ‘Really? I thought it was hideous.’“ Ritter suggested the ugly-sweater craze gets a boost from social media, as more people tweet about ugly-sweater parties and post the pictures on Facebook. Indeed, “ugly sweaters” has been a popular trend on Twitter this week. Some predict the movement will only get bigger. Clarissa Trujillo, 30, said her husband’s company had an ugly-sweater party in 2007, but the couple couldn’t find a sufficient ensemble. So they launched UglySweaterStore.com the next year and business took off. Sales grew from about 500 sweaters in 2008 to more than 3,000 this year, Trujillo said. “I knew we were on the verge of a growing trend, but I can’t tell you how insane it’s been since then,” she said. “Ugly sweaters are huge.”
MEXICO CITY — Tenyear-old Angie Vazquez has become an Internet phenom belting out a soulful cover of Brit pop star Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” In an online video seemingly shot at home, her teenage brothers Abelardo and Gustavo play the keyboard, guitar and drums. The video drew almost 18 million views, interviews on Mexico’s major television networks and a mention on Good Morning America. Within weeks of its Nov. 11 posting, the socalled Vazquez Sounds signed a contract with Sony Music Mexico. They released their first album this week that includes another Internet smash cover, of Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” The online rags-to-riches story evokes the now legendary saga of Canadian ‘tween idol Justin
Bieber, who was discovered after his mother posted online amateur footage of him crooning and strumming. “We make a lot of videos of a lot of things, but my son Abelardo wanted to record this song and share it with friends and family,” said father Abelardo Vazquez in a telephone interview from the family’s hometown of Mexicali, on the California border. “We really didn’t expect the cover to become such a phenomenon on the Web.” Before you call the Vazquez clan Mexico’s version of Bieber-mania, consider this: The elder Abelardo Vazquez is a professional music producer instrumental in creating the sound of well-known Mexican bands such as Reik and Nikki Clan, also from the border. The videos of Angie and her brothers in their home studio are also professionally produced, mixed and lighted, with slick camera work.
SÁBADO 24 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2011
AGENDA EN BREVE MARTES 27 DE DICIEMBRE LAREDO — La Biblioteca Pública de Laredo invita a padres de familia a llevar a sus hijos para disfrutar el entretenimiento y actividades relacionadas a Navidad. El evento de hoy es “Celebra con una Actividad de Año Nuevo”, de 2:30 p.m. a 3:30 p.m. en el departamento infantil de la biblioteca, 1120 E. Calton Road. Niños deben estar acompañados por un adulto.
MIÉRCOLES 28 DE DICIEMBRE LAREDO — La Biblioteca Pública de Laredo invita a padres de familia a llevar a sus hijos para disfrutar el entretenimiento y actividades relacionadas a Navidad. El evento de hoy es “Elabora un Sombrero de Año Nuevo”, de 2:30 p.m. a 3:30 p.m. en el departamento infantil de la biblioteca, 1120 E. Calton Road. Niños deben estar acompañados por un adulto. LAREDO — “Disney’s Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever!” hoy en Laredo Energy Arena a las 4 p.m. y 7 p.m. Costos varían de 16.25 dólares a 42.25 dólares.
Zfrontera
PÁGINA 7A
EU REDUCIRÁ A 300 LOS MILITARES EN LA FRONTERA CON MÉXICO
Un nuevo objetivo “ ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON — El contingente de la Guardia Nacional estadounidense destacado en la frontera con México será reducido el año entrante de 1.200 a menos de 300 efectivos que tendrán moderno equipo de vigilancia, informó el martes el Departamento de Defensa. La disminución comenzará en enero y el costo de la operación de la Guardia Nacional en la frontera sur se reducirá a unos 60 millones de dólares en el 2012, señaló el secretario asistente de defensa para la seguridad nacional, Paul Stockton. Los militares que permanezcan en la región cambiarán sus objetivos. En lugar de realizar patrullajes terrestres en la frontera en busca de contrabandistas e inmigrantes, se dedicarán a efec-
Básicamente vamos a pasar de las botas en la tierra a las botas en el aire”. SUBCOMISIONADO DE LA OFICINA DE ADUANAS Y PROTECCIÓN FRONTERIZA, DAVID AGUILAR
El jefe de la Patrulla Fronteriza, Michael Fisher, dijo que su organismo identifica ahora las “áreas de mayor preocupación” en la frontera, zonas que incluyen a Arizona y el sur de Texas, para colocar a las tropas en consecuencia. El presidente Barack Obama ordenó el año pasado un segundo desplazamiento de fuerzas de la Guardia Nacional a la frontera sur, el cual comenzó en agosto del 2010 en California, Arizona, Nue-
tuar misiones de vigilancia aérea con helicópteros y aviones dotados con radares y otros instrumentos de alta tecnología. Por el momento no se ha decidido sobre dónde exactamente volarán esas tropas ni cuántas aeronaves tendrán, dijo Stockton. “Básicamente vamos a pasar de las botas en la tierra a las botas en el aire”, describió el subcomisionado de la Oficina de Aduanas y Protección Fronteriza, David Aguilar.
GOBIERNO JUEVES 29 DE DICIEMBRE LAREDO — La Biblioteca Pública de Laredo invita a padres de familia a llevar a sus hijos para disfrutar el entretenimiento y actividades relacionadas a Navidad. El evento de hoy es “Disfruta una Película de Año Nuevo”, de 2:30 p.m. a 3:30 p.m. en el departamento infantil de la biblioteca, 1120 E. Calton Road. Niños deben estar acompañados por un adulto. LAREDO — George Lopez se presentará en Laredo Energy Arena. Boletos: 40.50 dólares a 60.50 dólares.
TAMAULIPAS
RECUPERAN ESPACIOS EN Licitan SAN FERNANDO, MÉXICO 650 obras
en 2010 ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
VIERNES 30 DE DICIEMBRE LAREDO — El equipo de baloncesto femenil de TAMIU recibe a Notre Dame College de Ohio a las 8 p.m. en la cancha universitaria. Costo general: 5 dólares; estudiantes pagan 3 dólares. Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas
SÁBADO 31 DE DICIEMBRE LAREDO — El equipo de baloncesto femenil de TAMIU recibe a Cedarville University a las 4 p.m. en la cancha universitaria. Costo general: 5 dólares; estudiantes pagan 3 dólares.
MIÉRCOLES 4 DE ENERO LAREDO — UISD estará aceptando solicitudes para el programa de asistencia para compra de uniformes que beneficie a estudiantes desde pre-k hasta el 12vo grado. El evento será de 8 a.m. a 4 p.m., hoy y el jueves, en el Bill Johnson Student Activity Complex Fine Arts Aulas 1 y 2, 5208 Santa Claudia Lane.
SÁBADO 7 DE ENERO LAREDO — Ayude a recaudar fondos para becas estudiantiles durante el evento “Let’s Move for Scholars Benefit 5K Run or One Mile Walk” SAC Football Field, 5208 Santa Claudia Lane. Costo: 25 dólares por persona. Registro inicia a las 8 a.m. Las ganancias se destinarán a becas escolares.
vo México y Texas. El primer movimiento duró del 2006 al 2008 por instrucciones del entonces mandatario George W. Bush. La nueva fuerza reducida estará en la zona hasta finales del 2012. “Esto nos aporta más flexibilidad para tratar con los persistentes retos que plantean el movimiento transfronterizo y los cruces ilegales”, indicó Stockton. Según la Oficina de Investigación de Contabilidad del Congreso, el Pentágono ha gastado anteriormente unos 1.350 millones de dólares por el despliegue militar con Bush y Obama. Varios legisladores republicanos criticaron la reducción. El presidente de la Comisión Judicial de la Cámara de Representantes, el republicano Lamar Smith, dijo que la decisión de Obama “empeora una frontera ya porosa”.
Familias acudieron a recibir servicios gratuitos por parte de personal de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional, el Gobierno de Tamaulipas y de San Fernando, México, el 20 de diciembre. TIEMPO DE ZAPATA
C
ontinúan dándose los pasos para la recomposición del tejido social entre el Gobierno de Tamaulipas, autoridades municipales y la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional (Sedena). La coordinación, aseguran, fortalece la seguridad pública, la asistencia social y la educación. Los habitantes de San Fernando, México, se vieron favorecidos esta semana con una jornada multidisciplinaria que incluyó servicios médicos, entrega de aparatos funcionales para personas con alguna discapacidad, lentes graduados, limpieza y pintura de escuelas y atenciones en otros rubros sociales. Para el Alcalde Tomás Gloria Requena lo principal está siendo la convivencia familiar y la recuperación de espacios públicos. “Celebramos la coordinación institucional, pero más que nada, que el Gobierno del Estado nos esté apoyando con todo y desde luego, el apoyo que nos brinda el gobierno federal a través de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional”, dijo Gloria Requena en la escuela primaria Juan Escutia. Por su parte, el general Víctor Hugo Aguirre Serna, comandante de la Segunda Brigada de Infantería de la Sedena, expresó que la misión del Ejército Mexicano en esta región es recuperar la paz y tranquilidad de
los ciudadanos, pero sin descuidar la labor social. “Estamos alcanzando una coordinación que se traduce en el esfuerzo mutuo, tanto el gobierno municipal y el gobierno estatal han transmitido la información que requerimos y eso es un punto muy importante para nosotros”, expresó Aguirre. Los elementos de las Fuerzas Armadas iniciaron desde el lunes 19 de diciembre diversas actividades en los centros educativos y el martes, en el Estadio Manuel Cavazos Lerma, ofrecieron la jornada multidisciplinaria con especialistas del Gobierno del Estado, la propia Sedena y el DIF San Fernando. La jornada permitió a cientos de personas ser atendidos gratuitamente por especialistas en ginecología, odontología, pediatría, psicología, medicina general y medicina interna. Aguirre reconoció lo trascendental que son los apoyos para realizar estas jornadas multidisciplinarias con personal médico y de enfermería del Gobierno del Estado, ya que marca un punto importante en el propósito de mejorar la salud de los tamaulipecos. Según un comunicado del Gobierno de Tamaulipas, San Fernando muestra otro rostro y registra una mayor actividad comercial y tráfico de vehículos por la carretera que viene desde la frontera de Matamoros y Reynosa y lleva a Victoria, Altamira, Madero, Tampico y San Luis Potosí, entre otros destinos.
CD. VICTORIA, México — La Secretaría de Obras Públicas (SOP) del Gobierno de Tamaulipas cerró el ejercicio de inversiones del 2011 con una derrama de más de mil 300 millones de pesos para la ejecución de 650 obras licitadas en infraestructura social, así como más de 500 millones de pesos en la terminación de obras en proceso del 2010. El Secretario de Obras Públicas, Manuel Rodríguez Morales, dijo que en materia de licitaciones la respuesta fue satisfactoria al participar más de 881 constructoras, cifra sin precedente en la licitación pública de Tamaulipas. Refirió que esto fue posible gracias a la confianza que los empresarios del ramo, debido a que las licitaciones se realizan con estricto apego a la normatividad y transparencia, así como fortalecen las economías regionales al adjudicarse las obras a empresas locales. Rodríguez detalló que en el 2011 se han licitado 181 obras del ITIFE, en su mayoría aulas escolares con un monto estimado de 158 millones de pesos, mientras que en la CEAT se licitaron 89 obras con inversión global de 287.53 millones de pesos. Del sector salud son ocho obras con inversión de 93.67 millones de pesos; de Seguridad Pública, 11 obras por 42.35 millones de pesos y de Desarrollo Social Estatal se han licitado 44 obras por 37 millones de pesos. En lo que respecta a las obras a cargo de la SOP, el Secretario informó que se han licitado 231 obras por más de 668 millones de pesos. Esta inversión se ha canalizado a conservación periódica y rutinaria de la red carretera estatal, pavimentación, rehabilitación y revestimiento de caminos rurales, así como construcción de puentes y vados rurales en beneficio de los 43 Ayuntamientos del Estado.
DOMINGO 8 DE ENERO LAREDO — Hockey: Laredo Bucks recibe a Allen Americans a las 4 p.m. en el Laredo Energy Arena.
TEXAS
MARTES 10 DE ENERO
Acta: Capo huía de ‘muerte segura’
LAREDO — WWE Smackdown Live hoy en Laredo Energy Arena a las 7 p.m. Costo varía de 40.50 dólares a 60.50 dólares.
VIERNES 13 DE ENERO LAREDO — Feria de Trabajo del “Eagle Ford Shale and Vendor Fair” de 9 a.m. a 4 p.m. en Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 Arena Boulevard, auspiciado por la Ciudad de Laredo, Laredo Development Foundation y Laredo Chamber of Commerce.
DOMINGO 15 DE ENERO LAREDO — “Espinoza Paz”, se presenta en Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 Arena Blvd., a las 8 p.m. Costo varía de: 42 a 92 dólares (más la cuota por las instalaciones).
POR CHRISTOPHER SHERMAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
McALLEN — Un alto capo del Cartel del Golfo huía de una “muerte segura” cuando agentes de la Patrulla Fronteriza lo capturaron y hallaron en su poder una pistola chapada en oro, cocaína y unos 20.000 dólares en metálico, según actas de una corte federal. Las actas, presentadas el lunes, indicaron que José Luis Zúñiga Hernández, alias “Comandante Wicho”, confesó su papel en las operaciones de tráfico de marihuana del cartel. Zúñiga también brindó información importante sobre el cartel a los agentes federales que lo interrogaron en cuatro sesiones prolongadas. Pero el abogado de Zúñiga alegó que los interrogatorios se realizaron bajo coerción. Estos tuvieron lugar en octubre, después que
la patrulla capturó al capo y otros cuatro hombres cerca del río Bravo. “Zúñiga fue aislado, presionado y obligado a responder a las preguntas del interrogatorio”, según su abogado Guillermo Vega. “Zúñiga fue advertido que si no cooperaba y confesaba sería inmediatamente deportado a México y encararía una muerte segura”. A Zúñiga no le permitieron dormir durante horas. Estaba extremadamente agotado, cansado y asustado”. Fiscales señalaron que no hicieron promesas para obtener la cooperación de Zúñiga y que en cinco ocasiones admitió comprender y firmó las advertencias de que cualquier cosa que dijera podría ser utilizada en su contra. El jueves un juez determinó que la evidencia recabada en interrogatorios no fue coaccionada,
por lo que será admisible en la corte. El juez federal de distrito Andrew Hanen determinó lo anterior en Brownsville después de una audiencia de supresión de dos días. Acusado de reingreso ilegal a Estados Unidos y posesión de un arma de fuego por un delincuente, Zúñiga se declaró inocente. La detención de Zúñiga tuvo lugar poco después de la de Rafael Cárdenas Vela, sobrino del ex líder del cartel Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, convicto el año pasado de cargos federales de narcotráfico y condenado a 25 años de prisión. Cárdenas Vela fue detenido en octubre tras una parada de tránsito en Port Isabel y presuntamente vivía desde hace tiempo en el sur de Texas. Los documentos judiciales no
precisan la posición de Zúñiga en el cartel, pero un agente federal que pidió el anonimato por no ser un caso de su organismo, indicó que Zúñiga tenía funciones supervisoras en las operaciones de cartel en Matamoros. A comienzos de la tarde del 26 de octubre fue activado un sensor en una zona rural del Río Bravo, en el condado de Cameron, según una declaración jurada de nueve páginas presentada el lunes por Vega. Un agente de la Patrulla Fronteriza localizó una camioneta pickup negra que se alejaba a toda velocidad del río. Saltaron del vehículo cinco personas y se dieron a la fuga, aunque fueron capturadas todas, entre ellas Zúñiga. El capo llevaba un bolso marrón con una Colt calibre 38 chapada en oro con el nombre de “Wicho”, cuatro bolsitas de cocaína y unos 20.000 dólares en metálico.
National
8A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
U.S. to fly high-tech aircraft along border By STEWART POWELL HOUSTON CHRONICLE
WASHINGTON — Sophisticated surveillance aircraft will be deployed along the nation’s southwest border in coming months to peer as much as six miles into Mexico to spot smugglers, drug traffickers and undocumented immigrants to give armed U.S. Border Patrol agents an edge intercepting intruders as they cross into the United States, Obama administration officials said Tuesday. The plan to operate crewed, high tech aircraft with so-called “over the horizon” technology came to light as the Pentagon and Department of Homeland Security announced the end of the 18-month-old deployment of 1,200 National Guard ground troops who have been helping the U.S. Border Patrol spot illegal border crossers. The phase down of the ground operation over the next two months stems from growing concerns over the cost and effectiveness of the $10 million-amonth National Guard ef-
fort that has provided reassurance along the border and political cover for politicians in Washington but has had limited impact on arrests and drug seizures. The new surveillance operations will be carried out by yet-to-be specified Air National Guard units flying twin-turboprop RC-26 Metroliner and UH-72 Lakota helicopters equipped with sensors that enable the crew to see six miles ahead and oversee as much as 500 square miles of territory beneath the aircraft. Air National Guard personnel also will operate OH-58 Kiowa observation helicopters that can “see” three miles ahead and provide oversight of about 30 square miles beneath the chopper. Unmanned aerial drones such as the Predator already are being used, with some flights veering over Mexican territory in an agreement with Mexican authorities. By using unmanned drones and aircraft operated by the “citizen soldiers” of the National Guard, the Obama administration avoids diplomatic strains
“
They’ll be able to flow (the Border Patrol) to where intelligence suggests that crossers may attempt to be crossing …” PAUL STOCKTON, PENTAGON OFFICIAL
that might arise with Mexico if U.S. military surveillance aircraft flown by active duty armed forces’ pilots were used along the common border. Ricardo Alday, spokesman for Mexico’s embassy in Washington, D.C., said the Mexican government would have no objection to the cross-border surveillance. “The government of Mexico takes note of what is, of course, a sovereign decision of the United States,” Alday said. “As we have said all along, the success and effectiveness of pursuing and guaranteeing security along our common border will depend on our joint efforts, under a para-
digm of shared responsibility.” Under the plan unveiled Tuesday, airborne spotters aboard Air National Guard aircraft will relay the routes of prospective border crossers to U.S. Border Patrol agents, helping U.S. law enforcement “reduce enforcement response time (and) enabling Border Patrol officers to quickly move from one location to another on short notice to meet emerging threats of illegal activity or incursion,” officials said in a statement. The U.S. Border Patrol does not currently have helicopters to deliver agents to remote locations on short notice. But that ca-
pability may be sought in 2012 because “aircraft provide the ability to quickly reach areas in rugged terrain or areas without roads that were previously difficult to access,” officials noted. No more than 300 Air National Guard personnel will be needed for the revamped border security operation at a cost of $60 million through the end of 2012. The strategy clears the way for withdrawal of two-member National Guard entry identification teams that have been deployed since 2010 in California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. The shift away from the “boots on the ground” approach will provide “more flexibility in dealing with the adaptive adversary and the persistent challenges posed by cross-border movement and illegal crossings,” said Paul Stockton, the senior Pentagon official responsible for homeland defense. Aircraft “will be able to look over the horizon far beyond the range of binoculars from fixed (entry
identification teams),” Stockton said. “They’ll be able to flow (the Border Patrol) to where intelligence suggests that crossers may attempt to be crossing to provide for an adaptability and flexibility far above what’s provided by fixed entry identification teams.” Stockton said the exact mix of helicopters and fixed wing surveillance aircraft will be determined in coming weeks. The Bush administration and Obama administration have worked to double the number of U.S. Border Patrol agents along the southwest border from 9,100 on duty in 2001 to 18,200. But border apprehensions have plummeted due largely to fewer people attempting to cross the border during the economic downturn in the United States. David Aguilar, deputy commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, said apprehensions are at a 17 year low, with only 327,577 apprehensions along the 1,969-mile border in the 2011 fiscal year ending last Sept. 30, down by almost one third from 2010.
Arizona judge punishes sheriff By JACQUES BILLEAUD ASSOCIATED PRESS
PHOENIX — A judge overseeing a lawsuit that alleges racial profiling in Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s immigration patrols issued punishments against the agency on Friday for its acknowledged destruction of records in the case. The punishments issued by U.S. District Judge Murray Snow came in the form of “adverse inferences” against Arpaio’s office that the judge may consider when deciding the case’s facts. The judge, for instance, may assume that among the destroyed documents were citizen complaints — some of which were racially charged and didn’t allege actual criminal activity — that requested immigration patrols in spots where the sheriff ’s office later conducted patrols. Tim Casey, one of Arpaio’s lawyers, said he expected the ruling. “I thought that the judge, given the facts, was very fair in his evaluation,” he said. The judge had found grounds in February 2010 to sanction the sheriff ’s office for throwing away or shredding some records of traffic stops made during Arpaio’s immigration patrols, but held off on actually imposing the punishment until Friday. A handful of Latinos who filed the lawsuit have alleged that Arpaio’s officers based some traffic stops on the race of Hispanics in vehicles, had no probable cause to pull them over and made the stops so they could inquire about their immigration status. Arpaio has denied the racial profiling allegations, saying people pulled over in
Photo courtesy of Holman Howe Funeral Home | AP
This photo provided by the Holman Howe Funeral Home shows Avery Cornett of Lebanon, Mo.
Retailers pull formula By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Ross D. Franklin | AP
Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office’s 92 immigration jail officers, who lost their federal power to check whether inmates are in the county illegally, turn in their credentials. the patrols were approached because deputies had probable cause to believe they had committed crimes and that it was only afterward that deputies found many of them were illegal immigrants. During the patrols known as “sweeps,” deputies flood an area of a city — in some cases, heavily Latino areas — over several days to seek out traffic violators and arrest other offenders. Illegal immigrants accounted for 57 percent of the 1,500 people arrested in the 20 sweeps conducted by his office since January 2008. Under other sanctions issued Friday, Snow can infer that the records would have suggested officers didn’t fol-
low a zero-tolerance policy requiring them to stop all traffic offenders and that the documents would have included a higher number of immigration arrests than records documenting ordinary patrol activity. Some sheriff ’s officials have acknowledged deleting their emails about the patrols and throwing away and shredding officers’ records of traffic stops made during the sweeps. The sheriff ’s office said the destruction was an honest error that sprung from a top official not telling others in his office to preserve the documents. The office said the trafficstop records were thrown away after supervisors tabu-
lated statistics from them and that thousands of other documents have been handed over. Those records completed during the sweeps contained the number of contacts with the public, criminal arrests and civil citations, and provided a short narrative section where officers can briefly summarize arrests or other incidents. Some sweeps-related emails that were thought to have been deleted by the sheriff ’s office turned out to have been saved by the county when it was discovered that the county had backed up emails by the sheriff ’s office as part of a routine document-preservation step in an unrelated lawsuit.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Several more national retailers have joined Wal-Mart Stores Inc. in pulling a batch of powdered infant formula from their shelves after a Missouri newborn who consumed it apparently died of a rare bacterial infection, the companies said Friday. Officials at Supervalu Inc., Walgreen Co., Kroger Co. and Safeway said they have removed 12.5-ounce cans of Enfamil Newborn with the lot number ZP1K7G from various stores across the country as a precaution until federal health officials complete tests on the formula. Ten-day-old Avery Cornett died Sunday after getting sick several days earlier in the southern Missouri town of Lebanon. Preliminary hospital tests indicated he died of a rare infection caused by bacteria known as Cronobacter sakazakii. The source of the bacteria that caused the infection hasn’t been determined, but it can be found in dried milk and powdered formula as well as naturally in the environment and in plants such as wheat and rice. “Out of an abundance of caution, we are removing the formula from certain stores,” Supervalu spokesman Mike Siemienas said Friday. “We will hold these products from sale until we receive additional guidance from regulatory authorities and the manufacturer.”
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A
63 school districts file 4th suit against Texas By WILL WEISSERT ASSOCIATED PRESS
AUSTIN — A coalition of school districts that educate more than 1.5 million Texas children filed a fourth lawsuit against the state Thursday over school funding, alleging that the current system doesn’t provide schools enough money and distributes it unfairly. The suit was brought by 63 public school districts and has the financial backing of two more, which collectively represent about a third of the state’s public school enrollment, according to Thompson & Horton, the Houston-based law firm handling the suit. It will be “the most
broad and diverse group of school districts ever to jointly challenge the school finance system,” the firm said in a statement. “The plaintiff group includes the largest and some of the smallest school districts in the state, and many in between.”
Fourth suit Filed in Travis County, which includes Austin, the suit is the fourth of its kind since the Texas Legislature cut $5.4 billion from education funding when devising the state’s two-year budget this summer. In all, more than 500 Texas school districts representing about 3.3 mil-
“
The plaintiff group includes the largest and some of the smallest school districts in the state …”
lion children are now suing the state. Thompson & Horton says Texas is expected to grow by 170,000 students in the next two years and much of that growth will be among economically disadvantaged students who “now make up almost 60 percent of total student enrollment.” Its suit says that for the first time since World War II, Texas lawmakers failed to provide enough funding to
REDISTRICTING Continued from Page 1A most Hispanics vote Democratic, not because of their ethnicity, the Texas attorney general’s office said. The redistricting maps are also under attack in a second federal court case in San Antonio. Minority groups asked that district court to throw out the Legislature’s maps completely, claiming they are drawn to make sure minorities do not win elections. That court decided to wait until there was a resolution in the Washington case and drew up temporary maps for use in the 2012 election pending a resolution. The court created those maps by working off the old districts and accounting for racial factors. Democrats welcomed that map, which gave them greater chances of winning more districts. Abbott, however, said the San Antonio court overstepped its authority by overruling the Legislature’s maps before the
Washington court had made a decision. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear that appeal on Jan. 9. In court papers filed Thursday, Abbott asked the Supreme Court to order the use of the Legislature’s maps until the two pending court cases are decided. If the Supreme Court agrees, the decision would permanently change how the Voting Rights Act is enforced by allowing the use of contested maps before a court can decide if they are discriminatory or not. Meanwhile, the uncertainty has left many politicians in limbo, not knowing what their districts will look like, and therefore, whether or not they have a chance of winning. If the courts can reach an agreement on a map for the 2012 election by late January, the Texas primary is scheduled to take place on April 3.
SEWER Continued from Page 1A Vela used Mexico as an example of the risks posed by inadequate solid waste infrastructure. “Areas there (Mexico), they don’t have the infrastructure, many of those residential areas don’t have sewer,” he said. “They just bury the sewer into the ground. It filters into the creeks and then into the tributaries and into the lakes. It’s so important to have a sewer system.” A $6.4 million loan from the Texas Water Development Board’s The Clean Water State Revolving Fund made the project possible. Zapata County was one of several entities that received a commitment from the board in 2007, and the fact that it did indicates it demonstrated sound fiscal management. “One of the things we look at when rewarding loans or grants is does the system have good FMT. That’s financial and technical management,” said Jeff Walker, director of project management for the board. One of the reasons con-
struction hasn’t started yet is board needs to review proposals from the county’s consultants. Currently, a set of documents submitted by South Texas Development Systems is listed as “under review.” “When they get those finalized, then they go out for bid. Once they get the bid, they accept the best one, and then they start construction,” Walker said. “These projects always take much longer than anyone anticipates,” he added. As Gonzalez explained, water projects on border communities experience further delays because they require clearance from the International Boundary and Water Commission. “A lot of these improvements are around or near the lake’s edge. It takes some time to get approval on,” he said. “That’s what’s taken the longest.” Another step, one Gonzalez said should begin soon in 2012, is acquiring easements from private property owners. An easement, which is a legal right to
limited use of another’s property, is required on several privately owned areas for components of the expansion such as a lift station. Vela, for one, doesn’t think this should be a problem. “We’ve never had a problem with utility easements. Many people just jump into signing up. They know it’s an improvement for them anyway as they will get service,” he said. Once the required agencies approval all plans, the county must advertise the project and undergo a competitive bidding process. After this process, environmentally sound practices will slightly delay the project’s completion further. “The one at Valeño,” said Gonzalez, “the construction might take a while because of the birding season. There’s several months of the year that they won’t be able to work on the project.” (Mike Herrera IV can be reached at 728-2567 or mherrera@lmtonline.com)
cover the costs of student growth, while also eliminating or severely cutting funding for programs designed to help at-risk students. Paying for public schools has been a battle in Texas for much of the last century. Most recently, lawmakers implemented a new tax structure, reducing reliance on property taxes and creating a new business tax. The Legislature adopt-
ed the overhaul during a 2006 special session, under court threat of closing public schools. At the time, the Texas Supreme Court warned that the plan would only be a temporary fix. The suit filed Thursday says, “unfortunately, the Texas Legislature has failed repeatedly to heed the Supreme Court’s warnings. Instead of true structural change, the state has fallen back on temporary fixes that ultimately fail to support the increasing expectations Texas has set for a student population that is rapidly growing and disadvantaged.” The suit also alleges that the current funding system has effectively vio-
lated a Texas constitutional ban on property tax because of the Legislature’s previously approved a cap on how much districts can raise local property taxes without voter approval. Continued lack of state funding has since forced many districts to continually tax at the highest rate possible. “Over time, increased state requirements coupled with reduced state financial support have stripped school districts of any meaningful discretion over local tax rates. Districts have no other choice than to tax at high rates in order to meet state requirements,” the suit says. “Consequently . . . the system now operates as a state property tax.”
Stocks on the rise By DANIEL WAGNER ASSOCIATED PRESS
Stocks rose in quiet, pre-holiday trading Friday. The S&P 500 index turned positive for the year. Traders were relieved by news that Congress extended a payroll tax holiday for workers and emergency unemployment benefits. The programs were set to expire at the end of the year. Stocks have gained steadily for the past three days on hopeful signs about the pace of economic growth in the fourth quarter, which ends next week. New claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to the lowest level since April 2008, long before anyone realized the nation was in a recession. A series of mixed economic reports
Friday failed to derail that optimism. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index added 8 points, or 0.7 percent, to 1,262 as of 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. It started the year at 1,257. Stocks might surge into the new year if the S&P 500 passes a couple of key technical thresholds, said Todd Salamone, research director at Schaeffer’s Investment Research. Fund managers currently hold relatively few stocks, Salamone noted, and many of their funds have underperformed the market and are negative for the year. If the index rises farther above its break-even point for the year or its average over the past several months, fund managers might flood into the market in a last-ditch attempt to improve their annual returns, he said.
TAX Continued from Page 1A smanship has played out in Congress since January over the passage of federal tax and debt bills wherein conservative Republicans have pushed for lower spending in exchange for votes. In April, the federal government nearly came to a halt and plans were made to furlough employees over the passage of a 2011 budget. A similar standoff in August on an otherwise routine vote to raise the debt limit brought the U.S. federal government close to defaulting on its debt. The last-minute deal reached by Congressional leaders led to the creation of a so-called Super Committee of Democrats and Republicans from both houses of Congress. In November, however, the leaders of the 12-member committee announced they were unable to agree on bipartisan budget cuts. Unless a deal is reached next year, $1.2 trillion in cuts will be made to defense spending and Medicare reimbursements. The resolution of the payroll tax drama seemed to offer a novel ending to Congressional observers—Democrats held their ground on the initial deal and Republicans in the House blinked. But the stalemate persisted until they came under pressure from newspaper editorials across the country and fellow Republicans in the Senate. Cuellar said his party could do a better job of reaching out but placed most blame on ineffective Republican leaders
and ideological conservative members. “They think that compromise is giving in on your principles but the whole legislative process is based on compromise,” he said. “These folks, if they don’t get 100 percent (of what they want), they vote no.” Senate Democrats, in negotiating a deal on the payroll tax-cut more than a week ago, made a concession on an unrelated issue that President Obama had hoped to bring forward after the next election. The Keystone XL pipeline extension, a plan to build a pipeline to transport oil from Alberta, Canada to refineries outside Houston, has generated significant protests from environmental activists. In November, President Obama announced a decision on the pipeline permit would be delayed for further environmental review until at least 2013. But language in the payroll tax-cut extension would force the administration to either issue or deny a permit by February. Cuellar acknowledged the stiff resistance to the pipeline among fellow Democrats. But he said he supports the pipeline as an opportunity to create jobs in the U.S. “Like any other pipeline, it has to meet the environmental (regulations) over here,” he said. (Andrew Kreighbaum may be reached at 728-2538 or akreighbaum@lmtonline.com)
10A THE ZAPATA TIMES
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
Mexico port city police infiltrated by Zetas ASSOCIATED PRESS
MEXICO CITY — Police in the Gulf port city of Veracruz were heavily infiltrated by criminal elements, mainly the deadly Zetas drug cartel, an armed forces official said Thursday, leaving authorities no choice but to disband the force — Mexico’s most dramatic step to date in battling corrupt cops. It could take months to replace the 800 officers and 300 administrative employees who were dismissed Wednesday, said the official, who could not be named for security reasons. “It was a fairly high percentage of people infiltrated or in collusion,” he said, though he did not mention specifics. He added that many were threatened into service of the drug cartels and had no choice. About 800 marines, or navy infantry, will patrol the city of 700,000 in the meantime, the official said Thursday. He could not be named for security reasons. Veracruz state government officials, meanwhile, disputed that the firing had to do with corruption. The dismissal was designed to meet a federal requirement to build new police forces certified under stricter standards, said Gi-
Photo by Felix Marquez | AP
Municipal policemen walk past Mexican navy marines after the entire police force was disbanded in the Gulf port city of Veracruz, Mexico, on Wednesday. The navy will be in charge of patrolling the city for the time being. na Dominguez, spokeswoman for Veracruz Gov. Javier Duarte. None of the dismissed employees is under investigation for corruption and all can reapply for their jobs, she said. All applicants will be required to undergo a rigorous new program of testing and background checks. “The police force was created
under previous administrations and the governor wanted to renovate the force with new police certified at a national level that elicit the confidence of citizens,” she said. The change was agreed to Monday by Duarte and federal Interior Secretary Alejandro Poire. President Felipe Calderon, who leaves office in December 2012,
Slain ICE agent’s mom hopes son is not forgotten ASSOCIATED PRESS
BROWNSVILLE — A man accused in the fatal shooting of a U.S. immigration agent in February was extradited to the U.S. from Mexico this week, drawing praise from the slain agent’s mother who feared that her son had been forgotten. Julian Zapata Espinoza pleaded not guilty to charges including murder and attempted murder during an arraignment hearing Wednesday, and he was ordered jailed without bail, according to a spokesman for U.S. District Court in Washington. The charges stem from a mid-day attack Feb. 15 along a Mexican highway that killed U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Jaime Zapata and wounded his colleague Victor Avila. “It had been 10 months already, and we hadn’t heard anything or nothing had been done,” the agent’s mother, Mary Za-
pata, told The Brownsville Herald. “You know you wonder, ‘did they forget about my son?’” Zapata and Avila were driving to Mexico City after a meeting with other U.S. personnel. The shooting in the northern state of San Luis Potosi was a rare attack on American officials in the country fighting violent drug cartels. Espinoza is known by the nickname “El Piolin,” or Tweety Bird, apparently because of his short stature. He was captured along with five other suspected members of the Zeta cartel during an army raid a week after the shooting. Mary Zapata said a federal magistrate called her Wednesday morning to tell her of the suspect’s arrival on U.S. soil. “He is one of several (suspects), and it makes me happy that maybe they are doing things behind the scenes that we are not able to see,” she told The Herald.
has promised to leave a secure police force. To root out corruption, the federal government has been pushing an elaborate process for vetting all of Mexico’s 460,000 police officers. According to federal figures, only 16 percent have been vetted so far, and only 8 percent of the total passed the background checks and tests.
In Veracruz, a state even Calderon conceded had been handed over to the Zetas, 14 percent of state police had been evaluated as of the end of the September, and 6 percent of municipal police. The number who passed was not available. Mexico’s army has taken over police operations several times before, notably in the northern border city of Ciudad Juarez and the northern border state of Tamaulipas, and federal and state governments have made countless unsuccessful attempts to clean up Mexico’s notoriously corrupt police. But Veracruz becomes the first state to completely disband a large police department and use marines as law enforcers. Duarte already had disbanded a police force in the state’s capital of Xalapa, but in that case state agents immediately replaced city police. Veracruz is a common route for drugs and migrants coming from the south. It was first dominated by the Gulf Cartel, and then its former armed wing, the Zetas, took over after the two split. The state saw a rise in crime this spring after a government offensive in neighboring Tamaulipas scared drug criminals into Veracruz.
16 killed in Veracruz ASSOCIATED PRESS
VERACRUZ, Mexico — A group of gunmen attacked three passenger buses in Mexico’s Gulf coast state of Veracruz on Thursday, killing seven passengers in what authorities said appeared to be a violent robbery spree. The Defense Department said in a statement that soldiers chased the five assailants and returned fire whey they were “attacked,” killing all of the gunmen. The army said the gunmen, who were carrying rifles, started the attacks in the pre-dawn hours of
Thursday, killing three people who were loading vegetables into a truck in the town of El Higo, in northern Veracruz. In the same town, they tossed a grenade that killed another person. Later, the gunmen went to a nearby highway, stopped and robbed a bus and killed two of the passengers aboard, according to the army statement. They later stopped another bus and sprayed it with gunfire, killing four passengers. When the driver of a third bus stopped and got off to see what was happening, they killed him too.
Veracruz state government spokeswoman Gina Dominguez said that while the gunmen’s identities and cartel affiliation have not yet been established, the men killed match witness descriptions of the assailants in the bus attacks. The bloody pre-Christmas bus shootings brought up memories of the brutal murder of dozens of bus passengers whose bodies were found in mass graves in the neighboring state of Tamaulipas in April. Almost 200 bodies had been found in 26 graves, and officials say most of those were Mexican migrants heading to the U.S.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM
Sports&Outdoors Different kind of Christmas
BOYS’ BASKETBALL
Season nears
Celebrating the Mexican way
Hawks hoping to hit stride at right time
L
A BIZNAGA, S.L.P., MEXICO – Tonight will be Christmas Eve as people around the world anticipate the opening of gifts that have been sitting underneath the tree for a few weeks, wondering if their loved ones were able to guess the right gift. In the United States, children are full of excitement and cannot wait to go to sleep, because the morning will bring presents that Santa brought during the night. I don’t have those memories as I have celebrated Christmas very differently, more traditional to my Mexican roots that have been passed through many generations. Out of my 39 years of existence, I think that I have spent maybe three years in the United States during Christmas. The rest of my years I have spent Christmas at my parents’ ranch deep in Mexico. Christmas is celebrated differently in Mexico from the traditional posadas to Christmas Eve, so I never did wake up really early in the morning to open presents. Instead I was immersed in the tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation: the posada. The posadas are to recreate when Joseph and Mary were asking people for a place to stay when she was about to give birth to Jesus Christ. No one would give her a place to stay and eventually she wound up in a manor where He was born. In Mexico, they recreate that as people start to gather at a house where they have designated to start the posada procession. Many times it is cold, but that does not keep a few 100 people to start walking down the main street. There are a few houses that are pre selected where the posada procession starts and they knock, asking for a place to stay. Through a series of songs, Joseph and Mary are told that there are no openings and are turned away. When they finally get to the “manger,” people sit around and sing a few prayers while two people prepare the baby Je-
See CHRISTMAS PAGE 2B
By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
Photo by Clara Sandoval | The Zapata Times
Ricky Solis and the Zapata Hawks are headed in the right direction as district play looms.
Zapata boys’ basketball coach Juan Villarreal is slowly starting to see the fruits of his labor and the improvement in his Hawks team, despite only picking up one preseason win. In their last outing against former Hawks in their annual alumni game last Saturday, they were able to outrun and outgun the former players with great precision and determination. The Hawks were more aggressive to the basket as they sliced through the defense. In addition, the Hawks were not afraid to take the wide-open shots from the perimeter with great confidence, something they had been lacking early in the preseason and in many of those
losses. “I saw a lot of hustling and the kids were not afraid of shooting the ball,” Villarreal said. “On offense, we have been more aggressive and taking the ball to the hole.” The Hawks also went allout on defense as they slowed down the much-winded alumni and even took a couple of charges. “The team is getting more comfortable with each other,” Villarreal said. “Hopefully this is the step that the team needs to head off in the right direction.” Villarreal will need to keep his Hawks competitive as they head into the mandatory UIL five-day break December 24-26. “That time is when all our training comes in,” he said.
See BOYS PAGE 2B
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL
Hawks flying hot into Holiday break By CLARA SANDOVAL THE ZAPATA TIMES
Starting off the district season on the right note is important for any team, so when the Lady Hawks handed head coach Hector Garcia Jr. their second straight district win heading into the UIL mandatory five-day holiday break, Zapata was able to accomplish exactly that. The Lady Hawks gave Garcia an early Christmas present when they thrashed Progreso 80-22 for their second district win of the season to stay among the unbeaten teams in the district. Zapata (2-0 District 32-3A, 10-4 overall) controlled the game from the opening tip and never let the Lady Red Ants breathe with their suffocating defense.
The Lady Hawks played a very aggressive in-your-face defense that caused a barrage of turnovers that were quickly converted into points at the other end of the court for an opening lead. Zapata controlled the paint thanks to the presence of senior Shelby Bigler, who has started to make a name for herself with her aggressive defense and her uncanny scoring ability. Bigler pounded the ball in the paint for 21 points to lead all scorers and did it the old fashioned way, working for second opportunities. Also helping out on offense was Liana Flores, who chipped in with 14 points from the perimeter. Junior Kristina De Leon led the Lady Hawks on the boards as she grabbed 11 to
muscle her way into the paint. De Leon also added six points to add to Zapata’s commanding lead. As a team, the Lady Hawks compiled 30 rebounds, with the majority coming on the offensive end. Zapata played one of its best defensive games as it unveiled a variety of defensive schemes, including a halfcourt press, and then moved into a 2-3-zone defense. The press gave the Lady Hawks a 43-14 lead at halftime. “We started off in our halfcourt press and it was too much pressure for Progreso to handle that, so we had to fall back into our 2-3 zone defense,” Garcia said. Jackie Salinas, Estella Molina, Jackie Gutierrez and Liana Flores, who combined for 20 steals, led the Lady Hawks defense.
NFL
Texans in trouble By CHRIS DUNCAN ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo by Michael Conroy | AP
The Houston Texans’ are coming apart at the worst possible time – just before the playoffs.
HOUSTON — The Houston Texans’ season seems to be unraveling at the worst possible time. Rookie quarterback T.J. Yates and the vaunted defense struggled again Thursday night, and the playoff-bound Texans lost 19-16 to lowly Indianapolis, their second straight defeat after seven consecutive victories. Houston (10-5) clinched its first AFC South title and playoff berth on Dec. 11, but has followed up with backto-back poor performances. The Texans lost 28-13 to Cam Newton and Carolina on Sunday, then couldn’t stop Dan Orlovsky from rallying the Colts in the fourth quarter. The Texans wrap up the regular season at home
against Tennessee on Jan. 1. Yates, a fifth-round pick thrust into the starting role less than a month ago, went 13 for 16 for 132 yards in Indy. He did not throw an interception, but was sacked four times and lost a fumble. Coach Gary Kubiak says he’s sticking with Yates as his starter even though the Texans signed veterans Jake Delhomme and Jeff Garcia in recent weeks. “I think T.J. continues to do some good things,” Kubiak said Friday. “I think he continues to get better and like I said, for where we’re heading here, he needs to continue to get better and we just got to trust him and move forward.” Houston has scored 20 points or fewer in five straight games since Matt Schaub went out with a right Lisfranc fracture.
Backup Matt Leinart broke his left collarbone in the second quarter of Texans’ 20-13 win at Jacksonville in Week 12, and Houston has averaged 16 points in the four games Yates has started. Yates is hardly the only one to blame for the recent offensive struggles. Arian Foster ran for 158 yards on 23 carries on Thursday night, but backup Ben Tate was held to minus-1 yard on six carries. Tate was tackled behind the line of scrimmage on consecutive plays in the third quarter, when Houston had the ball inside the Colts 20yard line. Houston also went 1-for-10 on third downs and finished with 283 yards against the Colts’ 28th-ranked defense. Against Carolina, the Tex-
See TEXANS PAGE 2B
PAGE 2B
Zscores
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
Wade and James develop chemistry for year 2 By TIM REYNOLDS ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are known to bicker like brothers. They screamed at one another more than once during Miami Heat playoff games last season. And when they’re on opposite teams in practice, they attack the other like they would any opponent. Now they’re closer than ever. And on the cusp of entering Year 2 together with the Heat, Wade and James opened up about their friendship Friday in an interview with The Associated Press. “I don’t think many players that have the similar games as we have or have done the things that we did in the league can come together this fast and make it work,” Wade said. “That communication is there. I don’t mind him saying something to me. I don’t mind when I have to say something to him. We know how to make it work.”
Nearly twins They have so much in common that both find it almost funny sometimes. Forget the obvious stuff: They’re both among the NBA’s highest-paid players, then make another truckload of money annually in endorsements. They’re both among the league’s best scorers, perennial All-Stars, among the most recognizable athletes in the world. What’s often forgotten is the ties that really bind, like both having difficult times as kids, relying on one parent at a time and soon understanding that basketball was the vehicle for changing their lives. James is 6-foot-8, Wade is 6foot-4. James is from Akron, Wade from Chicago. James loves tattoos, Wade doesn’t have any. James went to the NBA straight out of high school, Wade went to college first. Nonetheless, Wade and James basically look at each other as mirror images. “That had a lot to do with me coming down here,” James said. “There’s nothing that I’ve seen that he hasn’t seen, and vice versa. To be able to be alongside him, be with him every day and basically go through the same things on the court and off the court, it’s great. Sometimes
you’re able to sit back and see things from a different perspective instead of everybody watching you.”
Mirrored mannerisms They take their cues from each other, whether it is fashion, workout regimens or just where to sit sometimes. For Friday’s post-practice interview, Wade slid his body down a wall in a room adjacent to the Heat training facility, slumping to the floor. “Tired,” Wade said. Two minutes later, James entered the room. Even though he didn’t see how Wade took his seat, he did the same thing, putting his back to the wall and sliding to the red carpet. “Tired,” James said. Maybe it’s more than a coincidence. “What’s the saying? Iron sharpens iron. Greatness breeds greatness,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “So you see an example of that next to you. Those guys want to be challenged. Those guys like to be challenged. They do not accept the success that they’ve had and where they are right now. They’re always trying to push to go to the next level. And there’s no better way for them to do that than to have an equal peer next to them, pushing them.”
Finding chemistry The biggest question when Wade, James and Chris Bosh teamed up in July 2010 was will it work? There have been bumps in the road, and likely there will be a few more — but they are making it work. James finished second in the league in scoring, Wade finished fourth. Since 1965, the only other time two teammates were among the NBA’s top four scorers, and played for a team that went to the NBA finals was 2001, when Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did it for the Los Angeles Lakers. Of course, Bryant and O’Neal won the title; Dallas beat Miami in last season’s finals. And James and Wade will get yet another reminder of that defeat Sunday when the Heat open their season against the Mavericks — and watch the new champs raise their title banner.
BOYS Continued from Page 1B “We have done a lot of hustling drills, transition drills, to keep us competitive.” Zapata heads back to the court on Dec. 27-28 when it travels to the Falfurrias Tournament, the last tune-up before the start of the District 32-3A season. Zapata opens tournament play against district foe PSJA Southwest, which was a last minute addition to the tournament, on Dec. 27. PSJA Southwest is only comprised with freshman and sophomores and should be a good test for
Photo by Wilfredo Lee | AP
the Hawks. “They are a district opponent and we should see how we measure up with them,” Villarreal said. The Hawks will have a tough task at hand when they face defending 32-3A champion Rio Hondo in their first district game on Jan. 3. “Rio Hondo has won the district title for the past couple of years and it will be a tough game, not impossible,” Villarreal said. “We just want to be prepared as possible.” (Clara Sandoval can be reached at sandoval.clara@gmail.com).
The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade, right, and LeBron James showed they can flourish playing alongside one another in Miami. Now on the cusp of Year 2, the stars talk to the AP about how their relationship has grown. “For us, getting better is not necessarily going to show in our numbers,” Wade said. “It’s going to show in our leadership. It’s going to show in those moments where we get in those games like the finals where we’re up 10 in the fourth quarter, how do we help our team get that win no matter what’s going on in the game. It’s moreso that, not just how we score the ball, rebound, pass. We’re going to have those numbers. It’s the other things.” Last year in training camp, Wade and James wanted to be on separate teams in practice, trying to set a tone for workouts. This year, with an abbreviated training camp and the core of last year’s Eastern Conference championship team back, the mano-a-mano matchups haven’t happened much, their preference being to keep Miami’s first
of the first 13. “When you’re 1-for-10 (on third downs), you’re going to lose the time of possession,” Kubiak said. “I think we’ve been the top of the league throughout the course of this year in time of possession and the last two weeks, we’ve lost it and we lose both games, so that tells you how important it is.” The defense, which has ranked at or near the top of the league rankings all season, has also developed some issues in the last two games, especially in the fourth quarter. Orlovsky guided the Colts 76 yards in 12 plays in under two minutes for the winning touchdown on Thursday night. The Texans fueled the drive with three penalties, including a questionable roughing-the-passer call on defensive end J.J. Watt.
Family bonds When the Heat got James, the team got a two-time MVP, and both players got — of all things — child-care help. An interesting perk, for certain, but it’s just another tie that binds. James has two sons, Wade has two sons, and the kids are all of relatively similar ages. They hang out often, overnighting and playing together, some-
times going so late that the dads are still a bit sleepy when they arrive for work the next day. It speaks to the level of trust James and Wade have with each other as well. The way they see it, if you can trust a teammate with your kids, you probably can trust him with the basketball with the game on the line, too. “There’s things we knew from afar,” Wade said. “Our moms struggled. We both played this game at a high level. We knew that. But when you’re around each other every day, you get to really learn the ins and outs. Things that LeBron deals with sometimes, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, I got that call yesterday.’ It’s not a lot of things that you’d see that we have in common. But I understand him. And he understands me.”
Concussion suit filed against NFL ASSOCIATED PRESS
MIAMI — Nearly two dozen former NFL players are suing the league over severe and permanent brain damage they say is linked to concussions suffered on the job. The complaint filed Thursday in Miami follows a similar one in Atlanta earlier this week. It is the latest in a series of recent lawsuits against the NFL by ex-players. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of ex-Miami Dolphins teammates Patrick Surtain, Oronde Gadsden
TEXANS Continued from Page 1B ans were 2-for-9 on third downs. Kubiak says the Texans haven’t been productive enough on first- and seconddown plays, and that’s creating too many third-and-long situations. Kubiak also wanted to play it safe on some of the third downs in Indy out of concern for Colts’ defensive ends Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. “We ran the ball very well, but we had some situations, some second-and-8, second-and-9 runs that were negative plays for us and ended up some thirdand-12s,” Kubiak said. “In that place, with those pass rushers and that speed coming off the edge, when you get in those situations, it gets very, very dangerous.” Houston has also been beaten in possession time in the last two games after winning that statistic in 11
unit together as much as possible to get sharp for the season. That’s fine with James and Wade. “I’d rather not go against him,” James said. “We’re two competitors. We go against each other at practice at times. But I’ve found it’s definitely better to have him by my side.”
“I just think somebody’s got to make that play. It’s almost like responsibility and that’s the way I talked to the team,” Kubiak said. “Defensively, you need one interception, one sack, one strip. Somebody’s got to take the responsibility, step up and make that play. We just got to look at ourselves and be willing to step and do those things that would’ve got you out of there with a win. But we didn’t do that.” Houston was called for 11 penalties, a season high. Kubiak questioned about “six or seven” and will send video to the league for review. But he wasn’t using those as excuses. “Obviously I don’t agree with all of them, but that’s neither here nor there,” he said. “Our job’s to keep playing and play through mistakes and play through issues. We had our chances to do that and we didn’t do it.”
and 19 other players. It accuses the NFL of deliberately omitting or concealing years of evidence linking concussions to long-term neurological problems. The NFL denies the charges and says player safety has long been a priority. The players claim the NFL made misrepresentations about the seriousness of their injuries “with the intent of inducing NFL players, including Plaintiffs, to return to play as soon as physically possible after having suf-
fered a football-related concussion and to promote an aggressive style of football that would attract viewers.” According to the lawsuit, following numerous studies on the risks of concussions, the NFL created a committee of researchers and doctors in 1994 to study concussions. The committee was supposed to be independent, but members were affiliated with NFL, the lawsuit said, and the group did not include a doctor specializing in neurology or other brain research.
When the committee published its findings in 2003, it stated “there was no long term negative health consequence associated with concussions,” according to the complaint. The former players are seeking a jury trial and unspecified damages. The lawsuit notes that in 2010, the NFL replaced the leaders of its research committee, and that the new leadership described the data used in the past by the NFL to counter the long-term effects of concussions as “infected” and lacking in science.
CHRISTMAS Continued from Page 1B sus by cleaning him and putting on his night clothes. After many prayers it is time to lay Jesus down as each person offers a prayer in silence to the newborn. They lay down their candle and kiss the Baby Jesus; in return, each person is offered a candy and other goodies. Then all the people are served traditional foods that can range from tamales, posole and enchiladas to flautas. The beverage can range from soda, coffee, and chocolate to hot cinnamon. Many times a piñata is broken and people are given a bag full of goodies called bolos. To end the night, fireworks are lit up and people gather around to enjoy them. “This is just our way to celebrate Christmas and
that is the only way that we have been taught ever since I can remember,” Taide Moreno Rodriguez said. “The posadas are a tradition that has been passed down to us by our parents and their parents and it has become part of who we are.” The posadas are only celebrated from Dec. 16Dec. 24. I even enjoy the traditional ponche, or the fruit punch, that is comprised of sugar cane, cinnamon sticks, tamarindo, chunks of oranges, guayabas and apples. The older folks like to spice it up with tequila to loosen up the night and supposedly keep warm, but I just think they like to party. The people who host the posadas might not have much, but they feel so strongly about hosting one, they save up the
whole year just to have one. I can spend Christmas anywhere that I would like, and have the means to do so, but I always choose to go to my parents’ ranch because I want to attend the posadas that have become part of my DNA. On any given night, three posadas can take place and the entire community attends. As a child, I was more interested in the food, the candy and the fun associated with breaking a piñata, but as an adult I understand the significance of a posada and enjoy every second. Tonight I am scheduled to attend three posadas and will surely enjoy all the festivities. (Clara Sandoval can be reached at sandoval.clara@gmail.com).
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B
HINTS | BY HELOISE Making Vanilla Extract Dear Heloise: Can you please provide the home recipe for making VANILLA EXTRACT? — Cindy, via email Yes, I can, and it’s a fun project to do, too! This is fairly easy to make. Start with a 1-liter bottle of either vodka or white rum and two vanilla beans, which you can find in most stores. The vanilla flavor comes from the seed, not the bean! To expose the seeds, carefully cut open each vanilla bean lengthwise. If they are hard to cut, soak them in the vodka or rum until they become soft. Next, put them in the rum or vodka, seal the bottle and let the mixture cure for at least 30 days. Then taste to see if it is strong enough. If not, let it sit for a few more days until you are satisfied with the flavor. As you use the extract, you can replace the liquid by adding more vodka or rum. Once the flavor is not as strong, use what is left and make a new batch. Enjoy this added flavor in your baked goods or morning coffee. — Heloise PET COLUMN Dear Heloise: I have read your column in various newspapers in the cities we’ve lived in and have very much enjoyed your pet hints. They were very interesting and informative. I learned a lot about animals. Because I am a dog lover, the dog hints were especially useful. I am very disappointed that you have discontinued this column. Please start featuring these hints again for all of us pet lovers. — Barbara Fearn, Baraboo, Wis.
“
HELOISE
Barbara, thanks for the feedback. I didn’t really discontinue the column; the pet hints are now sprinkled throughout the weekly column. The Saturday column still has Pet Pals (see below), so please continue to read my column! — Heloise PET PAL Dear Readers: Paul in Hammond, Ind., sent a photo of a cute and funny white bulldog with its tongue hanging out in the shape of a “W.” Paul just happened to spot him and took the photo opportunity! To see the bulldog, visit my website at www.Heloise.com to check out the Pet of the Week. — Heloise COLORFUL PILLOWCASE Dear Heloise: I like to sleep on my own pillow when we travel, but my white pillowcase tends to blend in with the hotel’s linens, and I have left it behind on occasion. Now I use an old, brightly colored or patterned pillowcase that is difficult to overlook when we are packing up. — Bill and Anita, via email My similar travel hint: I pack two “faux satin” black pillowcases to use can’t miss them! — Heloise LIST INGREDIENTS ON BAKED GOODS Dear Heloise: When I bake and share, a list of ingredients always accompanies the baked goods in order to be on the safe side due to allergies, etc. — Margarette M., Temple, Texas
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College Basketball
4B THE ZAPATA TIMES
For Irish, Sky’s the limit By NANCY ARMOUR ASSOCIATED PRESS
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — When Skylar Diggins was younger, stepfather Maurice Scott used to tell her about Michael Jordan’s famous “Be Like Mike” commercial. One day, he’d joke, she’d have her own ad like that. “I want to be like Sky. Sky’s the limit,” Scott said, recalling his suggested tag lines. “We’d laugh about it.” Funny thing is, he wasn’t too far off. Diggins is the biggest thing going in women’s basketball these days, maybe in all of women’s sports. Her smooth shot and uncanny floor vision carried Notre Dame to the national title game last year, and she’s got the third-ranked Irish poised to make another deep run. Her engaging personality and cover-girl looks have made her a crossover hit, with 130,000plus followers on Twitter and megastar rapper Lil Wayne, one of her biggest fans, rocking her jersey at a concert last spring. All this, and she’s only 21. “I think she’s great for the game,” Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw said. “She’s a great student, she’s a great ambassador when she’s in the community and she’s humble. She’s got charisma. She’s the kind of person that people want to follow. When you point to somebody that’s doing things the right way, you look at her and say she’s got the whole package.” That Diggins was going to be a big deal at Notre Dame was a given. She’s a local kid, having grown up on South Bend’s west side and played for her stepfather at Washington High School. She took Washington to the Class 4A title game all four years, winning it as a sophomore. She averaged
Photo by Joe Raymond | AP
Notre Dame guard Skylar Diggins is the biggest thing in women’s basketball these days, with her 130,000-plus followers on Twitter, Lil Wayne rocking her jersey at a concert and the kind of vision on the floor that can turn a good team into something great. 25.8 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 4.4 steals a game, and walked off with pretty much every award possible her senior year: Indiana’s Miss Basketball. McDonald’s All-American. National high school player of the year. “She’s one of those players that have an ‘X’ factor,” said Irish assistant Niele Ivey, who was Diggins’ favorite player growing up and was in charge of her recruiting. “She has that ability to take over games. I was at games they’d be down 20, 30 points in fourth quarter, and she would will that team back to win. She’d do whatever it took.” Programs around the country wanted her — badly. When the recruiting process was at its height, Dig-
gins got so much mail the carriers would have to take it up to the Scotts’ door. Diggins narrowed her choices to Stanford and Notre Dame, and went to bed the night before signing day thinking she would join the Cardinal. When she woke up, she knew she was going to Notre Dame. “I can’t leave this place,” Diggins said. “I couldn’t imagine myself not being around Notre Dame.” When she announced her decision, Notre Dame’s season-ticket sales skyrocketed. Of the 18 home sellouts the Irish women have had, 12 have come since Diggins arrived. “She’s brought an amazing visibility to our program in town,” McGraw said. “We’ve had great fans and we’ve done pretty well
and people know who we are, but now it’s like one of our own. This is our daughter. Everybody in town is related to her somehow. Or knows somebody that knows her. Really, they feel like she’s one of their own.” But no one imagined Diggins would become such a national phenomenon, too. Witty and gregarious, Diggins embraced Facebook and Twitter as most other college students do. She figured it would help her keep in touch with her high school and AAU teammates, maybe give fans a glimpse of the person she is off the court. “She is extremely, extremely passionate about basketball, and she’s extremely intense,” said her mother, Renee Scott. “And then off the court, she’s totally different. Totally different. She’s like the life of party, joking, laughing, singing, dancing.” When the NCAA tournament began last spring, Diggins had about 5,000 followers on Twitter, a respectable number for a college athlete. But the deeper the Irish went, the more exposure she got. Not only was Diggins the engine driving the Irish — she scored 75 points in the games against Tennessee, Connecticut and Texas A&M — but she’s a striking young woman. By the time the title game was over, Diggins had more than 60,000 followers, including Lil Wayne, who referred to Diggins as his “wife,” and Chris Brown, who called her “a cutie.” She’s more than doubled her followers since then, and Tweetscenter, which measures athletes’ effectiveness on the social media site, has her fifth on its current “Power Rankings and Swag Index,” one spot above NFL receiver Chad Ochocinco. Serena Williams is the only other female athlete in the rankings, at No. 13.
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 24, 2011
Freshman leads at Kentucky By COLIN FLY ASSOCIATED PRESS
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky freshman Michael Kidd-Gilchrist spent the first six weeks of his collegiate career stuck between trying to be a leader and realizing he’s got a lot to learn. When coach John Calipari noticed the 6-foot-7 forward’s initiative in his own early morning workouts, he pushed Kidd-Gilchrist to find a way to get the rest of the third-ranked Wildcats involved. Kidd-Gilchrist was often in the gym by 8:30 a.m., an exceedingly early hour for the average 18-year-old. “Everybody got the text from Mike,” freshman Anthony Davis said. “I knew I was going to show up regardless, whoever texted me. That’s my brother, my little brother, we work out together.” Calipari told Kidd-Gilchrist and his the others about the Chicago Bulls’ breakfast club when Michael Jordan and a handful of teammates began working out together with the NBA great’s personal trainer before eating and heading to practice. Jordan’s efforts following the 1989-90 season led to the Bulls’ dynasty that included six titles in the decade. Kentucky’s version would settle for just one NCAA championship this season before many of the players make the jump to the NBA. “It’s just weights and just shooting and having a good time. That’s what we do,” Kidd-Gilchrist said of the morning rituals before breakfast that will start again after the Christmas break. “It’s a team thing. We just want to get better.” While Davis is considered the top player in Kentucky’s freshman class and Marquis Teague is the dy-
namic point guard, it’s been Kidd-Gilchrist who has been the glue of the group. “I’ll be honest with you, he’s dragging our team, which is great stuff. He’s dragging us. He’s doing it whether it’s rebounding, scoring, making free throws, making 3s when he has to,” Calipari said after Thursday’s win over Loyola (Md.) pushed the Wildcats to 11-1. “In transition if you give it to him ahead of the pack and it’s him and one guy, he’s scoring 99.9 percent of the time or he’s going to get fouled. You know, he drags us in practice, he drags us in morning workouts. He means so much.” Kidd-Gilchrist is averaging 13.1 points and 6.9 rebounds in just over 30 minutes. He’s developed a knack for appearing to be the most intense player among a starting five of three freshmen and two sophomores who could all be playing in the NBA next season. “Michael’s one of those guys when he kind of figures out what he can do and can’t do, then he just goes,” Calipari said. “Sometimes he’ll be tentative trying to figure out what am I supposed to be doing here because this is all new to him. He was playing AAU basketball six months ago, now he’s at a high level with guys that are bigger, stronger, older and just as athletic and he’s having to figure things out.” Kidd-Gilchrist’s extra efforts, Calipari said, are rubbing off on the others who have taken notice of their teammate’s habits. “You can’t be sitting in the ice tub yelling at guys to work hard,” Calipari said. “And so he’s out there and he’s spending that time and he’s doing it and it’s neat to see.