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RANGERS ACE INJUREDTEXAS PLAYING IT SAFE WITH DARVISH INJURY, 1B

The South Texas FoodBank will host more than100 people at its annualmember agency confer-ence on Tuesday, March 17at the International Bankof Commerce Annex onJacaman Road and Loop20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. inLaredo.

Attending are agencycoordinators and assist-ants. Representatives fromWebb, Zapata, Jim Hogg,Starr, Dimmitt, Maverick,Val Verde and KinneyCounties will attend.Among the Zapata Countyattendees will be foodbank board member Ro-meo Salinas; Alma de losSantos, Norma Mendoza

and Andicia Peña of Help-ing Hands pantry; and Ni-dia Cruz and Mary Pulidoof Shepherd’s Pantry.

The Rev. Paul Frye, pas-tor of Laredo’s ChristChurch Episcopal will de-liver the invocation.Christ Church Episcopalis one of the largest agen-cies in Laredo, servingmore than 400 families per

month. The South TexasFood Bank serves an aver-age of 27,000 families,7,000 elderly, 7,000 childrenand 500 veterans and theirwidows per month.

Villarrreal and SouthTexas Food Bank boardpresident Anna BenavidesGalo will welcome thegroup. Speakers will in-clude a motivational talk

by Laredo ISD superin-tendent Dr. A. Marcus Nel-son. There will be infor-mational presentations byLaredo Health Depart-ment director Dr. HectorGonzalez on food safety,Feeding Texas disasterawareness coordinatorGaylynn Bailey, TexasA&M International Uni-versity Agri Life staffer

Cristana Mussett on nutri-tion and South Texas FoodBank Kids Café directorDr. Jesse Olivarez on civilrights.

The South Texas FoodBank, distributes food tothe needy of Zapata Coun-ty. Elia Solis, agency di-rector for the South Texas

SOUTH TEXAS FOOD BANK

STFB holds conferenceMembers from Helping Hands, Shepherd’s pantries represent Zapata

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

See FOOD BANK PAGE 11A

As state lawmakers de-bate spending millions ofdollars on border securi-ty, doing away with in-state college tuition forsome undocumented stu-dents and other contro-versial immigration is-sues, they lack a funda-mental set of informationthat could affect their de-cisions — what impact doundocumented Texanshave on the state econo-my?

It’s been nine yearssince anyone undertook acomprehensive study tofind out whether undocu-mented immigrants helpor hurt the state. A bor-der lawmaker wants tofill that information vac-uum by requiring thestate comptroller to as-sess the economic impact

of illegal immigration forlawmakers each year.

House Bill 2416 by stateRep. César Blanco, D-ElPaso, would require regu-lar updates to a 2006study conducted by for-mer Comptroller CaroleKeeton Strayhorn.

That study estimatedthat deporting the ap-proximately 1.4 millionundocumented immi-grants living in Texas in2005 would have cost thestate about $17.7 billion ingross domestic product. Italso showed that the statecollected more in taxesand other revenues —about $1.6 billion in 2005— than the $1.16 billion itspent to provide themwith state services. Butthe study also concludedthat local governmentsweren’t reim-

IMMIGRATION

Rally for Immigration Reform protestors walk on Feb. 22, 2013.

Photo by Marjorie Kamys Cotera | Texas Tribune file

Lawmakerwants to

know impactIt has been nine years since anyoneundertook a comprehensive study

See IMPACT PAGE 11A

By JULIÁN AGUILARTEXAS TRIBUNE

A speechless and proud14-year-old was recentlycrowned Zapata CountyFair Queen for 2015.

Ninth-grader PriscillaElizondo, along with hercourt, says she is honor-ed to be crowned queen.

“It feels amazing,” shesaid. “It’s been a great ex-perience.”

This is not Elizondo’sfirst time competing at apageant. She has alsoparticipated in Miss Pre-Teen South West, Junior

Miss Laredo, Miss FalconLake, and the 2014 TexasTeen USA pageant.

Elizondo said her du-ties for queen include be-ing a good role model andpromoting the fair.

Next to her, a smiling17-year-old Rebecca Vil-larreal proudly took thehonor of being namedThe People’s ChoiceAward by Zapata commu-nity members.

Villarreal is also firstrunner-up for the court.

She said being part ofthe court is an accom-plishment itself.

“I’ve been around thefair since the thirdgrade,” Villarreal said. “Iwanted to represent thefair as I finish my highschool years.”

She said her proceedswent to the Boys andGirls Club in Zapata. Aformer member herself,she picked the club as aform of gratitude.

“I wanted to give backeverything they gave tome when I was younger,”Villarreal said.

The Miss CongenialityAward was given to Ra-quel Adriana Almaguer,

runner up of the court.She was voted by the

royalty court, because ofher friendliness and easy,approachable attitude.

The 17-year-old, whoseachievements include theNational Honor Societyand Varsity Cross-Coun-try and track, wasspeechless as shethanked the court for theaward.

Ashley Ibarra, 16-year-old runner up, whose ac-complishments includeMiss Falcon Lake for

ZAPATA COUNTY FAIR

MEET ROYALTY

From left, the 2015 Zapata County Fair queens and her court: Ashley Ibarra, runner-up; Rebecca Villarreal, first runner up; Priscilla Eli-zondo, 2015 ZCF queen; and Raquel Almaguer, runner-up pose at The Zapata Times offices on Friday afternoon.

Photo by Victor Strife | The Zapata Times

Local high school students honoredBy JUDITH RAYO

THE ZAPATA TIMES

See ROYALTY PAGE 11A

AUSTIN — A new reportsays the state’s populationwill double by 2050 if mi-gration into Texas contin-ues at the same rate that itdid in the last decade.

The analysis issuedThursday by the Office of

the State Demographerprojects the state’s popula-tion will be about 54.4 mil-lion if current immigra-tion, both legal and illegal,and migration levels aresustained.

The study also projectspopulation in Texas age 14and under would increase

from 5.7 million in 2010 to10.2 million in 2050. The 15-64 population would in-crease from 16.8 million to34.7 million, and the 65 andover population would risefrom 2.6 million to 9.4 mil-lion.

The Austin American-Statesman reports an in-

crease in population couldhave broad implications forthe state’s economy, qualityof life, water and transpor-tation infrastructure,schools and politics.

“Beginning in 2005, Tex-as has experienced thelargest annual populationgrowth of any state,” wrotethe state demographer,Lloyd Potter.

Austin has set the pacefor the state. Its populationgrew 37 percent in the dec-ade ending in 2010.

According to demogra-phers, migrants tend to beyounger, and can helpmaintain a high worker toretiree ratio.

William Frey, a demogra-pher with the BrookingsInstitute, said that it is un-

likely that Texas will beable to maintain thegrowth rate is has had thiscentury, which benefitedfrom a strong economythat was largely unbatteredby the recession. Frey alsosaid Texas received a one-time population bumpfrom people leaving Loui-siana after Hurricane Ka-trina.

OFFICE OF THE STATE DEMOGRAPHER

Report: Texas populationcould double by 2050

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Beginning in 2005, Texas has experienced the largestannual population growth of any state.

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

SATURDAY, MARCH 7Texican CattleWomen’s Steak-a-

Rama. In memory of Mary Kay & GeneWalker. Steak dinner with all the trim-mings. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Laredo Inter-national Fair & Exposition on Hwy. 59.Donation: $7. Tickets from any Cattle-Woman member, LIFE Office (U.S.Highway 59), Guerra Communications(6402 N Bartlett Ave. at JacamanRoad) or Primped Style Bar, 7718McPherson).

The Laredo Northside MarketAssociation will hold its March marketday by the playground at North CentralPark from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Arts andcrafts tent for boys and girls and aspecial drawing for boys and girlsprizes. See Laredo Northside Market atfacebook.com.

TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Sci-ence Center Planetarium. The LittleStar that Could, 2 p.m. Earth, Moonand Sun, 3 p.m. Black Holes, 4 p.m.Led Zeppelin, 5 p.m. Admission is $4for children and $5 for adults. Admis-sion is $4 for TAMIU students, facultyand staff. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

Volunteer training with RGISC.Laredo Public Library. 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.RGISC invites all volunteers to learnhow to prepare Laredo for its switchfrom single-use plastic bags to reusa-ble bags.

MONDAY, MARCH 9The Laredo Stroke Support

Group will be holding its monthlymeeting at 7 p.m. at the San Martinde Porres Church Family LifeCenter.www.laredostrokesupport.com.

TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Sci-ence Center Planetarium. Spring BreakShows: The Little Star that Could, 2p.m. Earth, Moon and Sun, 3 p.m.Black Holes, 4 p.m. Admission is $3.Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

Greens of Guadalupe are accept-ing donations for a rummage sale fromMarch 9 to 12, from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.in the Our Lady of Guadalupe Churchhall on 1700 San Francisco Avenue .Clothing, furniture, jewelry and moreaccepted. Contact Birdie at 286-7866.

Community Emergency Re-sponse Training (CERT) for high schoolstudents. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. UTHSC Re-gional Campus Laredo. Qualified stu-dents will receive training, materialsand certification. Call AHEC at 712-0037.

TUESDAY, MARCH 10TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Sci-

ence Center Planetarium. Spring BreakShows: The Little Star that Could, 2p.m. Earth, Moon and Sun, 3 p.m.Black Holes, 4 p.m. Admission is $3.Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

Community Emergency Re-sponse Training (CERT) for high schoolstudents. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. UTHSC Re-gional Campus Laredo. Qualified stu-dents will receive training, materialsand certification. Call AHEC at 712-0037.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11Community Emergency Re-

sponse Training (CERT) for high schoolstudents. 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. UTHSC Re-gional Campus Laredo. Qualified stu-dents will receive training, materialsand certification. Call AHEC at 712-0037.

FRIDAY, MARCH 13Cesar Chavez Memorial Alliance

Art Competition Exhibit, 6 p.m. LaredoCivic Center meeting rooms. $5 forstudents and $10 for adults. $500 incash prizes for art competition win-ners. Manuel Bocanegra at 775-7027 orAnna Marie at 508-9255.

Greens of Guadalupe GreensRummage Sale from 8 a.m. till 1 p.m.at the Virgin of Guadalupe Church Hall,1700 San Fransicso. Call Birdie at 286-7866.

SATURDAY, MARCH 148th Anniversary of the Guada-

lupe Greens Rummage Sale from 7a.m. till 1 p.m. at the Virgin of Guada-lupe Church Hall, 1700 San FranciscoAve. Call Birdie at 286-7866.

TUESDAY, MARCH 17TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Sci-

ence Center Planetarium. The Secret ofthe Cardboard Rocket, 5 p.m. ExtremePlanets, 6 p.m. Call 956-326-DOME(3663).

FRIDAY, MARCH 20TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara Sci-

ence Center Planetarium. ExtremePlanets, 6 p.m. Live Star Presentation,7 p.m. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

CALENDARASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Saturday, March 7,the 66th day of 2015. There are299 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On March 7, 1965, a marchby civil rights demonstratorswas violently broken up at theEdmund Pettus Bridge in Sel-ma, Alabama, by state troop-ers and a sheriff ’s posse inwhat came to be known as“Bloody Sunday.”

On this date:In 1793, during the French

Revolutionary Wars, Francedeclared war on Spain.

In 1876, Alexander GrahamBell received a patent for histelephone.

In 1926, the first successfultrans-Atlantic radio-telephoneconversations took place be-tween New York and London.

In 1936, Adolf Hitler orderedhis troops to march into theRhineland, thereby breakingthe Treaty of Versailles andthe Locarno Pact.

In 1955, the first TV produc-tion of the musical “PeterPan” starring Mary Martinaired on NBC.

In 1975, the U.S. Senate re-vised its filibuster rule, allow-ing 60 senators to limit debatein most cases, instead of thepreviously required two-thirdsof senators present.

In 1994, the U.S. SupremeCourt unanimously ruled thata parody that pokes fun at anoriginal work can be consid-ered “fair use.” (The rulingconcerned a parody of the RoyOrbison song “Oh, PrettyWoman” by the rap group 2Live Crew.)

In 1999, movie director Stan-ley Kubrick, whose films in-cluded “Dr. Strangelove,” “AClockwork Orange” and “2001:A Space Odyssey,” died inHertfordshire, England, at age70, having just finished editing“Eyes Wide Shut.”

Ten years ago: PresidentGeorge W. Bush nominatedJohn Bolton to be U.S. ambas-sador to the United Nations,an appointment which ran in-to Democratic opposition,prompting Bush to make a re-cess appointment.

Five years ago: The Iraqwar thriller “The Hurt Lock-er” received six AcademyAwards including best picture,with Kathryn Bigelow accept-ing the first directing Oscarawarded to a woman.

One year ago: Russia wasswept up in patriotic fervor inanticipation of bringing Cri-mea back into its territory,with tens of thousands of peo-ple thronging Red Square inMoscow chanting, “Crimea isRussia!”

Today’s Birthdays: Pho-tographer Lord Snowdon is 85.TV personality Willard Scottis 81. International Motor-sports Hall of Famer JanetGuthrie is 77. Rock singer Pe-ter Wolf is 69. Actor BryanCranston is 59. Actress DonnaMurphy is 56. Actor NickSearcy is 56. Golfer Tom Leh-man is 56. International Ten-nis Hall-of-Famer Ivan Lendlis 55. Opera singer DenyceGraves is 51. Comedian WandaSykes is 51. Actor Peter Sars-gaard is 44. Actress RachelWeisz (wys) is 44. Classicalsinger Sebastien Izambard (IlDivo) is 42. Actress JennaFischer is 41. Actress SarayuRao is 40. Actress Audrey Ma-rie Anderson is 40. ActressLaura Prepon is 35.

Thought for Today: “His-tory and experience tells usthat moral progress cannotcome in comfortable and incomplacent times, but out oftrial and out of confusion.” —Gerald R. Ford, 38th Presidentof the United States (1913-2006).

TODAY IN HISTORY

DALLAS — Officials in North Texas saidlessons learned from two winter storms thatlargely paralyzed the region in recent yearshave helped them handle a recent string ofsnow and ice. Some of the changes made in-clude transportation crews having their ownsnow plows and a different salt solution be-ing used to pretreat roads.

“Every winter storm is a learning oppor-tunity,” said Tony Hartzel, a Texas Depart-ment of Transportation spokesman for theDallas area. The Dallas area — which theNational Weather Service says usually getsabout 1 inch of snow a year — has seen near-ly 6 inches so far this winter, but the effectseach time lasted only a day or two, with tem-peratures soon rising.

Officials say that among storms they’ve

drawn lessons from are two in recent years:a winter storm hit the area during the 2011Super Bowl week and a December 2013storm that left 4 to 6 inches of ice on Inter-state 35 north of Dallas, stranding motorists.

But Jodi Hodges, a Texas Department ofTransportation spokeswoman for the FortWorth area, said that even with more strate-gic thinking, they are still at the mercy ofMother Nature. “When you get a lot of accu-mulation all at once, the materials are onlyso effective,” Hodges said.

Almost a year after the 2011 Super Bowl,the Texas Department of Transportation an-nounced that the Dallas-Fort Worth areawould get its own snow plows that can behooked up to dump trucks. In the past, offi-cials had waited for plows to arrive from col-der parts of the state. The Dallas area nowhas 18 snow plows, Hartzel said.

AROUND TEXAS

Mackenzie Bobbitt, left, Anslie Allen and Madison Bobbitt, right, got out early Thursday morning to use mats and plastic lidsto slide down the side of the Lake Wichita dam in Wichita Falls. A cold front brought a sleet and snow mix to North Texas onWednesday evening.

Photo by Torin Halsey/Times Record News | AP

Texas copes with snowBy JAMIE STENGLEASSOCIATED PRESS

Teacher placed on leaveafter profane lecture

DALLAS — A Dallas teacherhas been placed on administra-tive leave after a 12-year-old stu-dent recorded him delivering anearly seven-minute profanity-laced lecture. The middle-schoolstudent played the cellphone re-cording for her mother Mondayafter school.

Besides the profanity in theseven-minute lecture, the teacherrefers to his own genitals.

Man gets 99 years inestranged wife’s slayingMARSHALL — An East Texas

man was sentenced to 99 years inprison after pleading guilty to fa-tally stabbing his estranged wife.

A jury Thursday sentenced 36-year-old Brad Dunn in the 2013death of Kari Dunn in a Mar-shall hotel room. He was accusedof dragging Kari Dunn into abathroom and fatally stabbingher. Her daughter tried to call911 but was unsuccessful.

Bodies identified asmissing Baytown teensBAYTOWN — Authorities

have identified two bodies foundin a Southeast Texas bayou asteenagers who had gone missingtwo weeks ago.

Authorities have charged a 20-year-old with capital murder inthe case. The suspect is not yetin custody. Alex Chavez, 18, andJarvis Morgan, 17, both highschool students in Baytown, haddisappeared Feb. 19. Their bodieswere found on Thursday.

Austin police arrest 2after liquid meth foundAUSTIN — Austin police say

two people have been arrested af-ter authorities found between 8and 10 gallons of liquid metham-phetamine hidden in a car thatofficers stopped along Interstate35. Lt. Frank Dixon says if theliquid was turned back into crys-tal, it would weigh about morethan 60 pounds and have a streetvalue of up to $3 million.

Lawsuit claims sexualabuse in Catholic Diocese

FORT WORTH — A man isseeking over $1 million in dam-ages in a lawsuit against the FortWorth Roman Catholic Diocese,alleging he was sexually assault-ed by a now deceased priest inthe 1990s. The man, who nowlives near Spokane, Washington,said priest John Sutton was hisseventh-grade history teacher atNotre Dame Middle-High Schoolin Wichita Falls.

Constable charged in fatalmotorcycle crash

HOUSTON — Authorities saya Montgomery County deputyconstable is charged with intoxi-cation manslaughter in the deathof a sheriff ’s deputy after themotorcycle they were riding oncrashed. Police say James EarlSelmser III, 26, had twice the le-gal limit of alcohol in his systemwhen he crashed his motorcycleat about 3 a.m. on Jan. 29.

— Compiled from AP reports

NASA spacecraft on firstvisit to dwarf planet

LOS ANGELES — After anearly eight-year journey, a NA-SA spacecraft on Friday flawless-ly slipped into orbit around Cer-es in the first visit to a dwarfplanet.

The robotic Dawn craft willcircle the dwarf planet for morethan a year, exploring its surfaceand unraveling its mysteries.

“It went exactly the way weexpected. Dawn gently, elegantlyslid into Ceres’ gravitational em-brace,” said Marc Rayman, chiefengineer for the $473 millionmission.

Ceres is the second and finalstop for Dawn, which launchedin 2007. ter vapor continue tovent.

Motion filed asking Ala. toissue marriage licensesMOBILE, Ala. — A group of

civil rights organizations has fil-

ed a motion asking a federaljudge to order Alabama probatejudges to issue marriage licensesto same-sex couples and to addplaintiffs to the suit challengingthe state’s gay-marriage ban.

The motion filed in Mobile onFriday includes the American

Civil Liberties Union of Alaba-ma, the National Center for Les-bian Rights and others. The mo-tion asks for Alabama judges toissue marriage licenses regard-less of a couple’s sexual orienta-tion and to give equal protection.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

This March 1 photo provided by NASA shows Ceres is seen from NASA’s Dawnspacecraft just a few days before the mission achieved orbit around the previous-ly unexplored dwarf planet to begin a 16-month exploration.

Photo by NASA | AP

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SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 Local THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

The time has finally ar-rived once again to draw to-gether with family andfriends at the annual Zapa-ta County Fair and enjoythe fresh new assortment ofmusic, entertainment andlivestock to be celebratedfor the 43rd time in thecounty’s history.

Known as “The BiggestLittle Town Fair in Texas,”visitors from the regionand surrounding areas jointogether with friends andfamily who eagerly planyear-round in preparationfor the best entertainmentof the season in South Tex-as.

The tradition and cul-ture carried throughout thegenerations are preservedin the people of ZapataCounty and are hospitablyshared for all to experiencethe beautiful sights and themouth-watering aroma ofcuisine local to the region.

The heritage remainsalive as award-winning live-stock are exhibited at thecounty fairgrounds. As lo-cal 4-H and FFA exhibitors

compete with the best ofthe best, who have investedcountless hours of hardwork and dedication insearch of the coveted topaward.

VisitorsSpectators from near and

far are drawn to the locallivestockshow which hascome to be known for show-casing the best livestock inthe area.

Aiming to please theyoung and the not-so-young,the customs of the past arecarried over to the modernand blend comfortably withthe carnival lights and fes-tive sounds of the finest en-tertainment around, de-signed to please all those

joining in on the fun!The age-old tradition of

the Zapata County FairTrail Ride sets off theevents that promise to offerexhibits, vendor booths, artand music for all ages.Headlining this year areDustin Lynch on Fridayand Los Traileros del Norteon Saturday. Spectatorsdon their finest boots, hatsand belts to honor the lega-cy of their predecessorswho have left behind morethan just memories, but al-so great community andfamilial principles and be-liefs.

Whether it is the parade,livestock, music, food orfun, there is a never-endingadventure for all in discov-ering Zapata and the sur-rounding area.

From left the 2015 Zapata County Fair Jr Royalty Pageant court: Carissa Gonzalez, Tiny Miss; Jannel Es-quivel, Little Miss; Andrew Sanchez, Little Cowboy; Yaretzi Landa, Junior Miss; and Lyanna Gomez, MissTeen pose at The Zapata Times offices on Friday afternoon.

Photo by Victor Strife | Laredo Morning Times

Lots to do at theZapata County Fair

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Spectators from near and far aredrawn to the local livestockshowwhich has come to be known forshowcasing the best livestock inthe area.

The Zapata Countyfair is presenting NorthAmerican Midway: TheLargest and Most Mod-ern Rides ever in Zapata.The event will take placeThursday from 5 to 10p.m. at the ZCF Carnival.

Advance tickets are$18 at the Boys & GirlsClub at 302 W. 6th Street,which is open Monday toThursday 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.and Friday from 9 a.m. to6 p.m. Call 765-3892.

Tickets at the gate are$23.

Tickets now on salefor ZCF Carnival

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

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

Ever since the Is-lamic State swept into fill the void left byPresident Obama’swithdrawal of all U.S.troops from Iraq, thedebate over how torespond to this newthreat has centeredon two false andoverly simplisticchoices: Are air-strikes alone enoughto do the job, or willit take a major com-mitment of U.S.“boots on theground”?

At one extreme,the president com-plained last monththat his critics wouldhave him put “tens ofthousands” of U.S.troops back into Iraq.Yet no serious propo-nent of using U.S.ground forces tocounter the IslamicState has suggestedthat any such re-sponse should de-mand that manycombatants. On theother side of the de-bate, no serious advo-cate of an air-centricalternative has sug-gested that U.S. air-power can suffice un-aided by a groundpresence. What re-mains unexplored inearnest in this re-gard is the appropri-ate mix of air andland involvement toleverage our strong-est comparative ad-vantages from the airwithout risking a re-turn of our troops tohigh-intensity closecombat on theground.

By continuing toresort to just piece-meal attacks, theObama administra-tion has been system-atically squanderingour nation’s asym-metric airpower ad-vantage. Its half-mea-sures have also al-lowed our greatestcombat edge, whichhas a proven recordof effectiveness dat-ing to Operation Des-ert Storm in 1991, toget a bad rap — as at-tested to by all thosewho use the lack ofmuch visible pro-gress so far in rollingback the IslamicState to charge thatairpower isn’t the an-swer to the challenge.

In fact, airpowerhasn’t yet been put toa full and proper testin the fight. Thispoint has been lost inthe back and forthover how a congres-sional authorizationfor the use of forceshould be wordedand whether an at-tempted ground pushby proxy Kurdishand Iraqi troops toretake Mosul is theright next step.

Sad to say, we’vebeen here before.Nearly two decadesago, the UnitedStates and NATOlikewise dithered byusing only limitedair attacks to counterSerbian humanrights abuses againstethnic Albanians atthe start of their airwar for Kosovo in1999. Only after themost important tar-gets in Belgrade werestruck with full forcetoward the end ofthat 78-day campaignwas Serbian strong-man Slobodan Milo-sevic finally driven to

end his atrocities.That early experi-

ence over Serbia isbeing replayed todaywith our meager dai-ly airstrikes againstthe Islamic State,proving yet againthat hard-learnedwartime lessons areoften soon forgotten.

To better counterthe Islamic State, wedon’t need to returnlarge numbers of U.S.ground troops to Iraqto engage in casual-ty-intensive closecombat. Rather, weshould use as a tem-plate the ground-en-abled precision air-strikes carried out inlate 2001 during theinitial phase of thewar in Afghanistan.For that, we firstneed an adequate re-introduction of U.S.Special Operationsforces and ground-based forward aircontrollers. Just asthey allowed U.S. air-power and the indig-enous Afghan North-ern Alliance to driveout the Taliban inless than threemonths, destroyingal-Qaida’s sanctuaryin Afghanistan, suchforces can empowerthe able Kurdishpesh merga by identi-fying and designatingworthwhile IslamicState targets for ae-rial attacks in largeenough numbers tomake a difference.

Second, we needmore intelligence,surveillance and re-connaissance air-craft, such as the U-2and the remotely pi-loted Predator, to lo-cate enemy targetsfor the pesh mergafighters and forwardair controllers to as-sess and recommendfor air attack. Rightnow, we’re operatingonly a small fractionof the number ofsuch platformsagainst the IslamicState as are currentlyin use in Afghani-stan.

Third, and mostimportant, instead ofthe anemic daily air-strikes that continueto hamper our pro-fessionally conductedbut otherwise desul-tory effort againstthe Islamic State, weneed a more robustair-centric and land-enabled campaignalong the lines of theone that worked sosuccessfully in themajor combat phaseof Operation Endur-ing Freedom in Af-ghanistan in 2001.U.S. airpower madepossible the attain-ment of that cam-paign’s immediategoals without theneed for any U.S.ground troops to en-gage in frontal com-bat with enemyforces.

We have thewherewithal to re-peat an effective vari-ation on that superbair-land performanceagainst the IslamicState today. The onlything preventingsuch an effort is theneeded leadershipand resolve to makemore intelligent useof our unique air ad-vantage in pursuit ofmore decisive results.

The writer is a se-nior fellow with theCenter for Strategicand Budgetary As-sessments.

COLUMN

US wastesedge over

Islamic StateBy BENJAMIN S. LAMBETH

WASHINGTON POST

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Times does notpublish anonymous letters.

To be published, lettersmust include the writer’s firstand last names as well as aphone number to verify iden-tity. The phone number IS

NOT published; it is usedsolely to verify identity andto clarify content, if neces-sary. Identity of the letterwriter must be verified beforepublication.

We want to assure our

readers that a letter is writ-ten by the person who signsthe letter. The Zapata Timesdoes not allow the use ofpseudonyms.

Letters are edited for style,grammar, length and civility.

No name-calling or gratuitousabuse is allowed.

Via e-mail, send letters toeditorial@lmtonline.com ormail them to Letters to theEditor, 111 Esperanza Drive,Laredo, TX 78041.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

Life Mate’s purse often feelsheavy enough to be able toprovide for an overnight stay,two road trip meals or any-thing else of similar volume.

At any given time, herpurse contains a coin purse, acheckbook, a wallet, car keys,house keys, manicure items(scissors, file, emery board,polish), perfume-cologne, ad-dress book, cell phone, tissues,comb and I don’t know whatall. And, being the literateSweet Thang that she is, theremight be an iPad completewith novels tucked in there aswell, not to mention a handylittle camera.

However, as I have acknowl-edged to her: “You ain’t gotnothin’ on me, darlin’.” Whenyou consider the contents thatfill a woman’s purse, analyzeeverything in a man’s pocketsplus, nowadays in particular,whatever devices are clippedonto a belt, then analyze thetwo collections, men justmight have the edge in num-ber of items as well as weightof such boogeying-about neces-sities.

None of this is written or

said with a goofy, good ol’ boygrin, because I’m not pokingfun at women’s purses, espe-cially not Life Mate’s hand-bags.

And, the reason is that peo-ple who live in glass housesshouldn’t hurl rocks. In otherwords, the “stuff” (men are ex-perts on that subject) in mypockets would move me up anotch in boxing’s weight clas-sification — from heavyweightto super-heavyweight.

Like my ol’ cowboy daddy, Iprefer the two-pocket styleshirt. His entire business filingsystem was contained in hisshirt. That enabled him to be amoving cow-binniss tycoon 24hours a day and be hands-freeas much as was needed to nav-igate.

Of course, I eschewed the“ol’ cow binniss” as he wouldlabel it, because I hated every-thing a cow could and did do

to me: step on my foot, lacer-ate my shin with hoof, buttme, gore (almost) me, buck meoff (just once), and chase meout of a pasture.

So, I chose writing-newspa-pering as a career for two rea-sons: 1) I love it, and 2) I hatedthe ol’ cow binniss even morethan I love the writing binniss.

But, I found that I wentabout keeping the “tools” ofthe writing binniss and thatnecessitated four or five jeanpockets, two-pocket shirts and/or a jacket-coat with lots ofpockets, all containing somenecessity.

A skin allergy preventsmost wrist watches, so thatmakes a pocket watch neces-sary. Like most jean-clad Tex-ans, I keep a handkerchief, awallet, car keys, house keys,office keys, pocket knife, nailclippers, coins, occasionally acomb and, of course, the writ-ing tools themselves: a coupleof pens and a note pad.

Then I carry a case with mycell phone clipped onto mybelt (western with all kinds ofmetal adornments), plus aneye-glass case, with spare

glasses, that clips on.With all that metal in my

pockets plus a hip replacementwith a solid steel shaft into myfemur, I’m a real stitch in air-ports. I’ve been strip-searched.Aggravating and plumb inva-sive is what it is. One guardadded insult to injury bylaughing during that invasionof my privacy. I almost calledhim what he is but discretiontopped valor in this case, be-cause I didn’t want to be hand-cuffed and hustled off to jail.

Women’s purses are justplaced on a conveyor belt andscoped as they pass through,revealing the contents. But,those guards just have tosearch men.

I’d suggest we carry “bags”or valises-attache cases, butthat never has caught on realwell with us country boys whoare usually not the “importantbusiness executive” type at all.

So, pockets it is, strip searchindignities and all.

Willis Webb is a retired com-munity newspaper editor-pub-lisher of more than 50 years ex-perience. He can be reached byemail at wwebb@att.net.

COLUMN

Purses vs. pockets is no contest

Management theory says,“Stick to what you know. Don’tstray from you core business.”

That’s all well and good, butwhat happens when the coreis changing and it’s no longera reliable source of profit andcontinuity?

At the top of my list of com-panies that didn’t make chang-es fast enough is one that isstill around, but is far differ-ent from the ubiquitous giantit used to be: Western Union.

Until change swept away itscore business, this was thecompany that had an iron gripon the business of leasedwires, cables and telegrams.Western Union was the com-munications giant of its day,but it was overwhelmed bydisruptive technology — tech-nology it failed to grasp.

Gone are the days when itwas a household word and

anyone who wanted to moveanything electronically, fromnewspaper copy to birthdaywishes, used Western Union.Today it’s a money transferservice.

Western Union could nothave foreseen the Internet, butit could’ve grasped it. What’smore, the telegraph businessbegan to falter just about thetime the overnight packagebusiness exploded.

So here’s the question: Whydidn’t Western Union, whichalready blanketed the countrywith offices and messengers,gravitate to the parcels deliv-ery business?

The answer is that the his-tory of old-line companies ad-justing to new realities is notgood. Being willing to changeand changing are not thesame thing.

These are issues that arebeginning to buffet the na-tion’s electric utilities, as theyface the disruptive effects of

new technologies. So far thewinds of change are blowinglightly, just a zephyr.

A conference in Washingtonon April 9-10, organized byPublic Utilities Fortnightly,will examine the issue of thedisruptions that are trans-forming the industry. Ken Sil-verstein, editor in chief, says,“My own research is showingthat people at all levels of allutilities are thinking about thenew energy paradigm. Butthinking about it and actingare two different things.”

The immediate agents ofchange encroaching on theelectric utilities are rooftop so-lar, installed by homeowners,and microgrids, where agroup of alternative genera-tors are linked together andhook into the utility grid asone entity.

Rooftop solar generation isgrowing exponentially, pushedby tax advantages, politics andthe preference of individuals

to embrace green alternatives. Large vendorshave made a

business of leasing rooftop col-lectors to homeowners. Self-generation often makes eco-nomic sense, particularly ifsurplus electricity can be soldback to the electric grid: apractice called “net-metering.”

But net-metering is distress-ing to the utilities because theself-generators have becomecustomers of convenience anddon’t contribute to the mainte-nance of the grid on which ev-eryone relies. Long term thismeans high rates for thosewho can’t go solar, like apart-ment dwellers.

The question for the utili-ties: Can they adjust fastenough to save the economicsof the grid and honor theirobligations to serve? Theymight want to ponder thewords of David Lloyd George,the British prime minister,who said: “It is dangerous toleap a chasm in two bounds.”

COMMENTARY

Electricity supply changing its waysBy LLEWELLYN KING

HEARST NEWSPAPERS

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 Nation THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

WASHINGTON — Demo-cratic Sen. Bob Menendez,under federal investigationfor his relationship with aFlorida doctor and politicaldonor, is expected to facecriminal charges in thecoming weeks, a person fa-miliar with the matter saidFriday.

The disclosure came asMenendez, a New JerseyDemocrat, said he will givea statement to reporters inhis home state after his of-fice issued a statement say-ing all of his actions havebeen appropriate and law-ful.

The person discussed theexpected filing of charges oncondition of anonymity be-cause the investigation ispending.

The Justice Department’sdecision to move forwardwith a criminal case wasfirst reported by CNN. At-torney General Eric Holder,in South Carolina withPresident Barack Obama onFriday, declined to say

whether he has authorizedcriminal charges againstthe senator.

Menendez, who servedfor more than a decade inthe House of Representa-tives before his election tothe Senate in 2006, is the topDemocrat on the Senate For-eign Relations Committee.He is critical of the Obamaadministration’s negotia-tions with Iran on its nucle-ar program and outspokenin opposition to normalizingrelations with Cuba.

He has been dogged formore than two years byquestions about his ties toDr. Salomon Melgen, a Flor-ida ophthalmologist as wellas a friend and political do-nor whose medical officewas raided by Florida au-thorities two years ago.

In particular, Menendezhas faced questions abouttrips he took to the Domin-ican Republic aboard Mel-gen’s private plane. He hasacknowledged taking sever-al actions that could haveappeared to benefit Melgen,including contacting theMedicare agency to urge

changes to a payment policythat had cost Melgen mil-lions.

His failure to reimburseMelgen for flights betweenNew Jersey and the Domin-ican Republic on the eyedoctor’s Canadair Challen-ger 600s luxury jet was thefirst serious signal of Me-nendez’ legal troubles inearly 2013. Menendez andMelgen had flown at leasttwice in 2010 between NewJersey to the Dominican Re-public, but the trips wentwithout reimbursement formore than two years.

The flights were one ves-tige of the close relations be-tween Menendez, who tookover the powerful SenateForeign Relations Commit-tee in 2013 when previouschair John Kerry left to be-come Secretary of State, andMelgen, a multimillionairewho was willing to lavishcampaign donations on hisfriend and allied causes.

The two men often ap-peared together at Demo-cratic Party and Latino po-litical functions from Wash-ington to Miami.

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., right, is pursued by reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Feb. 25.Menendez, under federal investigation for his relationship with a Florida doctor and political donor, isexpected to face criminal charges in the coming weeks.

Photo by Lauren Victoria Burke | AP

Fed charges expectedagainst Dem senator

By ERIC TUCKERASSOCIATED PRESS

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. —Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutch-inson is working with law-makers and the Depart-ment of Human Services topotentially change stateadoption procedures aftera House member gave hisadopted daughters to aman who later admitted tosexually abusing one ofthem.

Hutchinson met withtwo legislators after theyfiled bills this week tocriminalize “re-homing,”an informal term for trans-ferring an adopted child toan unrelated family with-out state oversight. Thelawmakers acted after theArkansas Times newspa-per reported that theadopted daughter of Rep.Justin Harris of West Forkwas abused.

Harris said Friday thatthe children had behavior-al problems and profes-sionals recommended thetransfer.

Only a handful of stateshave enacted laws to regu-late “re-homing,” accord-ing to the National Confer-ence of State Legislatures.Colorado and Wisconsinregulate the advertising ofadopted children, whileLouisiana and Floridahave criminalized the “re-homing” practice. Ohiohas safeguards againsttrading money or goods inreturn for an adoptedchild.

Harris’ attorney, Jennif-er Wells, said the lawmak-er and his wife adopted the6- and 3-year-old girls inMarch 2013 at the requestof the children’s mother.Seven months later, Wellssaid, he gave the girls to alongtime family friend whohad worked at Harris’ fam-ily-owned preschool. Wellssaid the wives of Harrisand Eric Francis had

known each other for 20years and that the Francisfamily had passed back-ground checks for interna-tional adoptions.

Harris, joined by hiswife and Wells at a newsconference, said one of hisadopted daughters threat-ened family members andone harmed a pet. A psy-chiatrist, pediatrician andtherapist all recommendedthey be moved, he said.

A Human Services em-ployee he didn’t identifysaid he would be chargedwith abandonment if hegave the girls back to thestate, Harris said, and hesaid officials didn’t takesteps that could have pre-vented the abuse.

“We were failed byDHS,” Harris said. “WhenDHS fails adopted parents,they fail the children evenmore.”

Harris, who took only alimited number of ques-tions after making hisstatement, also said he andhis wife adopted an oldersister of the girls, who wastransferred to another fam-ily by the department be-fore her sisters were givento Francis.

The state’s Democraticparty leader called on Har-

ris to resign. Wells saidHarris broke no laws andis “not planning on resign-ing at the moment.”

Francis, 39, pleadedguilty in November tothree counts of sexual as-sault in the second degree,which involved the 6-year-old and two underage girlsFrancis knew throughchurch. He was sentencedto 40 years in prison withan additional 20 years sus-pended and is being held atthe Benton County Jail.The jail didn’t list a lawyerfor Francis and an attor-ney listed in court recordsdidn’t immediately respondto a request for comment.

Another family hassince adopted the two sis-ters, said Benton Countyprosecutor Nathan Smith.

Representatives GregLeding, a Democrat fromFayetteville, and DavidMeeks, a Republican fromConway, have both filedbills to prohibit most trans-fers of adopted children tonon-relatives without courtapproval.

Leding wouldn’t com-ment on Harris’ situation,but said most lawmakerspreviously didn’t know giv-ing away children was le-gal.

Adoption ruleseyed after incident

Rep. Justin T. Harris, R-West Fork, questions a witness during ameeting of the House Committee on Education at the Arkansasstate Capitol in Little Rock, Arkansas, on Feb. 26. The state is toreview adoption procedures after Harris gave his adopted daugh-ters to a man who admitted to sexually abusing one of them.

Photo by Danny Johnston/file | AP

By ALLEN REEDASSOCIATED PRESS

CABALGATAEl día de hoy se rea-

lizará una Cabalgata comoparte de los eventos de laZapata County Fair Associa-tion, a partir de las 7 p.m.con un desayuno para losparticipantes en BustamanteRoping Arena. A las 8 a.m.la cabalgata comenzará enel área de Bustamante Do-ping.

TORNEO DE PESCAEl torneo de pesca

de bagre Falcon Lake Babe—International Catfish Se-ries— para damas solamen-te, en su ronda de campeo-nato se llevará a cabo elsábado 7 de marzo.

La serie de cinco torneosque se realizan mensual-mente desde noviembre fi-nalizará con una ronda decampeonato este sábado.

El torneo es un eventoindividual que permite hastatres concursantes por em-barcación. Las participantesdeberán pagar la cuota departicipación en los cincotorneos para tener derechoa la ronda de campeonato.

Las inscripciones se rea-lizan el viernes anterior alsábado del torneo en Bea-con Lodge Rec. Hall. Lacuota de inscripción es de20 dólares por persona.

Para mayores informescomuníquese con Betty Or-tiz al (956) 236-4590 o conElcina Buck al (319) 2395859.

JUNTA DE COMISIONADOSEl lunes 9 de marzo,

los Comisionados de la Cor-te del Condado de Zapatarealizarán su junta quincenalen la Sala de la Corte delCondado de Zapata, a partirde las 9 a.m. a 12 p.m.

Para mayores informesllame a Roxy Elizondo al(956) 765 9920.

FERIA DEL CONDADOA partir del jueves 12

de marzo y hasta el sábado14 de marzo, tendrá lugar laFeria del Condado de Zapa-ta, en Zapata County Fair-grounds.

El viernes 13 se presen-tarán Dustin Lynch Band, LaLeyenda, Grupo Siggno, en-tre otros.

El sábado se presentaránGrupo Palomo, Los Palomi-nos, Los Traileros Del Norte,entre otros grupos.

DESFILESe invita a todos los

negocios, iglesias, clubes,escuelas, organizaciones yoficiales electos a participaren el Zapata County FairParade 2015, que se cele-brará el 14 de marzo. Seentregarán trofeos a las me-jores flotas de las diferentescategorías. El desfile estáprogramado para comenzara las 9 a.m., sin embargolos participantes deben pre-sentarse antes de las 8:30a.m.

El desfile comenzará en3rd Ave., y continuará haciael norte sobre U.S. Hwy 83,para después tomar hacia laizquierda en 23rd St. y ter-minar en los jardines de laferia.

Para inscribirse debepresentar su solicitud en lasoficinas de la Cámara deComercio del Condado deZapata ubicadas en 601 N.U.S. Hwy 83 o enviarlas porcorreo electrónico a cbalde-ras@zapatachamber.com.

Puede descargar la soli-citud en www.zapatacount-yfair.com.

JUNTA DE COMISIONADOSEl lunes 23 de marzo,

los Comisionados de la Cor-te del Condado de Zapatarealizarán su junta quincenalen la Sala de la Corte delCondado de Zapata, a partirde las 9 a.m. a 12 p.m.

Para mayores informesllame a Roxy Elizondo al(956) 765 9920.

Agendaen Breve

Cinco hombres armados murie-ron tras dos enfrentamientos consoldados en dos municipios del Es-tado fronterizo de Tamaulipas, deacuerdo con funcionarios de segu-ridad.

El jueves, el Grupo de Coordina-ción Tamaulipas (GCT), informó, através de un comunicado de pren-sa, que una patrulla militar fue ata-cada en Ciudad Mier el martes porla mañana por un convoy de cuatrovehículos.

“Al repeler el ataque, los milita-res abatieron a cuatro de los delin-

cuentes, entre ellos una mujer”, in-dicó el comunicado. “Los hoy occi-sos, que aún no han sidoidentificados, utilizaban armas lar-gas y vestían uniformes… tipo mi-litar”.

Durante varios años CiudadMier ha sido escenario de una lu-cha territorial sostenida por loscárteles del Golfo y los Zetas.

A finales de 2010, los enfrenta-mientos por el control del pueblo seintensificaron al grado que la ma-yoría de sus 6.000 habitantes optópor buscar refugio en el vecino mu-nicipio de Miguel Alemán.

Miguel AlemánAsimismo, también el jueves,

GCT anunció que una persona, su-puestamente armada, murió la tar-de del martes en el municipio deMiguel Alemán, México, despuésde que se registrara una agresiónpor parte de civiles armados, dije-ron las autoridades.

El hoy occiso es un hombre quetenía de 30 a 35 años de edad y noha sido identificado.

El incidente se registró alrede-dor de las 5 p.m. en el kilómetro9+100 de la carretera Miguel Ale-mán-Arcabuz, cuando los policías

estatales realizaban labores de pa-trullaje en dos unidades, señala elreporte.

En ese punto se toparon conhombres armados que se desplaza-ban en una camioneta Journey co-lor negra. Los delincuentes abrie-ron fuego en contra de los policíasestatales, al tiempo que se interna-ban entre la maleza, de acuerdocon el reporte.

Igualmente autoridades asegura-ron la camioneta, un arma larga,una fornitura, 17 cargadores y car-tuchos útiles de diferentes calibres.

(Con información de AssociatedPress y del Gobierno de Tamaulipas)

FRONTERA

Mueren cincoTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

PÁGINA 6A Zfrontera SÁBADO 7 DE MARZO DE 2015

Una semana de operativos por parte de la Se-cretaría de la Defensa Nacional dio como resulta-do el arresto de tres sospechosos y el decomisode más de 5.000 kilogramos de narcóticos, armas,municiones, vehículos y otros artículos que sonutilizados por elementos criminales, dio a cono-cer el Grupo de Coordinación Tamaulipas (GCT).

Ocho operativos, ejecutados del 26 de febreroal primero de marzo arrojaron la incautación de5.940 kilogramos de marihuana, 29 armas largas,356 cargadores, 10.326 cartuchos útiles de diver-sos calibres, una granada, un cohete, tres vehícu-los, 50 poncha llantas de metal. Tres personasfueron arrestadas.

OperativosEl jueves 26 de febrero, el municipio de Ca-

margo, México, se identificó una fosa cubiertacon ramas y madera. En el interior se descubrie-ron 305 paquetes con 1.500 kilogramos de mari-huana. En esta misma fecha, pero el municipiode Miguel Alemán, se localizaron 146 paquetescon 900 kilogramos de marihuana, entre la male-za del poblado Las Peñas. Asimismo, también enMiguel Alemán, se encontró una fosa con 466 pa-quetes, que dieron un total de 3.000 kilogramosde marihuana.

Fue el viernes 27 de febrero, se realizó elarresto de tres personas con cinco armas largas,57 cargadores y 912 cartuchos, en la carreteraRío Bravo-Valle Hermoso. Mientras tanto, en elmunicipio de Díaz Ordaz, México, se localizaron15 armas largas, 3.873 cartuchos y 130 cargado-res, entre la maleza del ejido Lucio Blanco.

La colonia Las Fuentes del municipio de Ma-tamoros, México, fue donde se localizó un vehí-culo con reporte de robo. De su interior se asegu-raron siete armas largas, 77 cargadores y 1.884cartuchos de diferentes calibres, el sábado 28 defebrero. Este mismo día, pero en el municipio deCamargo, México, localización entre la maleza de56 paquetes conteniendo 540 kilogramos de mari-huana.

Para finalizar la serie de operativos, el domin-go, en las inmediaciones de la aeropista del mu-nicipio de Mier, se identificó un vehículo abando-nado, en cuyo interior había dos armas largas, 92cargadores, 3.657 cartuchos, una granada, un co-hete y 50 poncha-llantas metálicos.

TAMAULIPAS

Incautanarmas,

narcóticos ymuniciones

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

De algún tiempo a la fe-cha, los cocodrilos del su-reste de Tamaulipas exhi-ben ciertas peculiaridades.Asoman en parajes ruralesy sitios urbanos. Tiende aconsiderárseles advenedi-zos, aunque poseen raícesdomésticas.

DefiniciónEl Río Tamesí aporta

pistas, ya que recorre los

confines meridionales de laentidad y tributa en la de-sembocadura del Río Pánu-co, fronterizo con Veracruz.En lengua huasteca, Tame-sí proviene de “tam” y“ahin”, vocablos que signi-fican lugar y lagarto, res-pectivamente. Es decir, lu-gar donde hay lagartos ococodrilos.

Esta presencia abarcaotros puntos del rumbo, no-tándose en calendas virrei-nales. Pedro Martínez deLoayza, capitán y presiden-te de la provincia de Pánu-co, refiere a principios delsiglo XVII que en las proxi-midades de la homónimavilla del norte veracruzanohabita el caimán. Ocupadode Pueblo Viejo, frente aTamaulipas, Martínez deLoayza indica también:

“Hay gran cantidad de cai-manes, que (no) son de (la)hechura de (los) lagartosde España, sino que sonmuy grandes”.

Apreciamos, pues, quelos saurios rebasan el Ta-mesí. Fray Antonio Váz-quez de Espinosa da ideade cómo persisten, “Hay enPueblo Viejo enorme canti-dad de caimanes”, refrendael misionero.

TestimoniosTras la independencia,

México se abre al mundo.El inglés George FrancisLyon remonta en 1826 labocana del Pánuco y a pocodescubre “cinco o seis co-codrilos (…) dentro delagua”, testimonia.

Detrás viene FrancesErskine Inglis, que en losalbores de 1842 avanza Pá-nuco arriba, desde la ba-rra. “Descubrimos —escri-be la escocesa—un cocodri-lo de aspecto bonachón,con sus fauces abiertas enuna como inconscientesonrisa, dulce y burlona,cual si estuviera cazandomoscas”.

Antes de concluir vaya-mos al interior de Tamauli-pas. El municipio de Alta-mira, “Esteros está situadaal borde de una extensa la-guna en que abundan loslagartos grandes”, asegurael británico Robert Phi-llips.

El coronel Lewis A. Nor-ton, invasor gringo, en 1847sube por el Tamesí rumboa Tancasneque y anota:

“Los lagartos se asoleabana lo largo de las orillas” y“rodaban al agua en cuan-to nos acercábamos, ha-ciendo gran chapaleo”.

ReportesEl periódico español

“ABC” publica en 1949:“Numerosos lagartos enor-mes, han aparecido enTampico”. “Se dice que tie-ne por causa el haber baja-do el nivel de una laguna”.“Una vecina vio un lagartode más de tres metros ymedio de largo muerto conmachetes, palas y otras ar-mas que esgrimieron […]en su socorro los vecinos”.

(Publicado con permisodel autor según aparece enLa Razón, Tampico, México)

COLUMNA

Visitantes narran encuentros con lagartosEl autor narra un recorri-

do por diferentes lugares deTamaulipas donde la presen-cia de lagartos o cocodrilossorprendió a visitantes ex-tranjeros.

POR RAÚL SINENCIO TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Una joven de 14 añosde edad reciente-mente fue coronadacomo Reina de la

Feria del Condado de Zapata2015.

Priscilla Elizondo, de no-veno grado, junto con su cor-te, dijeron sentirse honradascon sus reconocimientos.

“Se siente increíble”, dijo.“Es una gran experiencia”.

Esta no es la primera vezque Elizondo compite. Entrelos otros concurso en los queha participado están MissPre-Teen South West, JuniorMiss Laredo, Miss FalconLake, y Texas Teen USA2014.

A su lado, una sonrienteRebecca Villarreal, de 17años, orgullosamente ocupael nombramiento “The Peo-ple’s Choice Award”, recono-

cimiento otorgado por inte-grantes de la comunidad deZapata.

Villarreal también es pri-mera dama de la corte, locual dijo es un logro.

“Quiero representar a laferia conforme termino lapreparatoria”, dijo.

El reconocimiento a Seño-rita Simpatía fue otorgado aRaquel Adriana Almaguer,dama de la corte. La joven de17 años de edad, cuyos lo-gros incluyen National Ho-nors Society y Varsity Cross-Country, no tenía palabras

para agradecer a la corte porel reconocimiento.

Ashley Ibarra, finalista de16 años de edad, cuyos lo-gros incluyen Miss FalconLake 2014, dijo que para serelegible y participar en elconcurso, las jóvenes tienenque mantener un buen pro-medio escolar y ser residen-te Zapata.

La Feria del Condado deZapata 43 tendrá lugar del 12al 14 de marzo. Entre las ac-tividades habrá un desfile,cabalgata, carnaval, músicay subasta de ganado.

LOCAL

FERIA DEL CONDADO

De izquierda, la corte de la Feria del Condado de Zapata 2015, Ashley Ibarra, dama; Rebecca Villarreal, primeradama; Priscilla Elizondo, reina 2015; y Raquel Almaguer, dama, posan para la fotografía en las oficina de LMT,el viernes por la tarde.

Foto por Victor Strife | Laredo Morning Times

Realeza habla de sus experienciasPOR JUDITH RAYOTIEMPO DE ZAPATA La Feria del Condado de Zapata 43

tendrá lugar del 12 al 14 de marzo.Entre las actividades habrá undesfile, cabalgata, carnaval, música ysubasta de ganado.

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 State THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

Two big cities are review-ing their ethics policies af-ter The Associated Press re-ported on how their policechiefs were closely linked toa company that won con-tracts to supply officerswith body cameras.

Officials in Salt Lake Cityand Fort Worth said theirchiefs’ relationships withTaser International didn’tviolate current policies, butthat they highlight potentialshortcomings. The TexasPolice Chiefs Association al-so will look into such rela-tionships, saying they likelyviolate its ethics code.

The reviews come afterthe AP reported Tuesdaythat Taser Internationalwas building financial tiesto current and former po-lice chiefs who promote thecompany’s body camerasand video storage system.The company is paying forairfare and hotels for chiefswho travel to speak at tech-nology summits and appearin company materials prais-ing its products. Somechiefs have become Taserconsultants after retiring.

“It’s caused a lot of enti-ties to rethink this,” saidTom Cowan, chairman ofthe Texas chiefs associ-ation’s ethics committee.“It’s extremely importantfor us to have public confi-dence and respect, and to betransparent when dealingwith public funds.”

Salt Lake City MayorRalph Becker directed staffto review whether the ruleson relationships with cityvendors should be updatedafter facing questions aboutChief Chris Burbank’sspeeches at Taser-sponsoredevents and online promo-tional video.

“He recognizes that inretrospect some of that par-ticipation maybe wasn’t thebest decision to make,”

Becker spokesman Art Ray-mond said of Burbank.

Fort Worth City ManagerDavid Cooke said the city isreviewing whether its codeshould be strengthened toaddress perception prob-lems, including vendor-fund-ed travel and product en-dorsements. He noted thatmany professional groupshave stricter rules.

Records show that FortWorth’s then-police chief,Jeffrey Halstead, workedlast year to complete a con-tract worth $2.7 million for400 cameras and storage be-fore a quarterly deadline,telling Taser “someoneshould give me a raise.” Hal-stead later accepted Taser-funded trips to Boston, Mia-mi and Phoenix. After retir-ing in January, he said heplanned to become an “offi-cial consultant” before trav-eling to Australia and AbuDhabi for Taser events.

Cowan said Halstead like-ly violated the Texas associ-ation’s ethics code, which

says chiefs and subordinatesshouldn’t endorse productsor accept perks intended toinfluence or reward.

The decision by Memo-rial Villages, Texas, policechief J.D. Sanders to allowhis newly hired assistantRay Schultz to work on theside as a Taser consultantalso “runs counter to thecode,” Cowan said. The eth-ics committee will discussthe matter April 1 and mayissue guidance remindingmembers about the provi-sions, Cowan said.

Schultz is the formerchief in Albuquerque, whereofficials are reviewing a$1.95 million no-bid contracthe backed for Taser bodycameras in 2013 before step-ping down. Reports shouldbe completed in April, thecity said Thursday.

Sanders, whose city issurrounded by Houston, dis-missed the Albuquerquequestions as “old news” andsaid Schultz had done noth-ing wrong.

Ethics questionedover ties to Taser

By RYAN J. FOLEYASSOCIATED PRESS

Retired Fort Worth Police Chief Jeffery Halstead speaks at a confer-ence hosted by Taser International at the California Highway PatrolHeadquarters in Sacramento, California, on Feb. 19.

Photo by Rich Pedroncelli/file | AP

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 International THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

BAGHDAD — IslamicState extremists truckedaway statues as they dam-aged the irreplaceable re-mains of an ancient Assyr-ian capital, a local resi-dent and a top UN officialtold The Associated PressFriday.

Nimrud, a nearly 3,000-year-old city in present-day Iraq, included monu-mental statues of wingedbulls, bearded horsemenand other winged figures,all symbols of an ancientMesopotamian empire inthe cradle of Western civi-lization.

The discovery that ex-tremists removed somestatues before using heavyequipment to destroymuch of the site Thursdaywas cold comfort as out-rage spread over the extre-mists’ latest effort to erasehistory.

United Nations Secreta-ry-General Ban Ki-Moonconsiders the destructiona war crime, his spokes-man said in a statement.

Iraq’s most revered Shi-ite cleric, the Grand Aya-tollah Ali al-Sistani, saidin his Friday sermon thatthe extremists are savag-ing Iraq, “not only in thepresent but also to its his-tory and ancient civiliza-tions.”

“I’m shocked andspeechless,” said Zeid Ab-dullah, who lives in near-by Mosul and studied atthe city’s Fine Arts Insti-tute until the extremistsshut that down. “Only peo-ple with a criminal andbarbaric mind can act thisway and destroy an artmasterpiece that is thou-sands of years old.”

A farmer from a nearbyvillage told the AP Fridaythat militants began carry-ing tablets and artifactsaway from the site twodays before the attack,which began Thursday af-ternoon. The militantstold the villagers that theartifacts are idols forbid-den by Islam and must bedestroyed, the farmer said,speaking anonymously forfear of reprisals.

But the group also isknown to have sold offlooted antiquities as asource of revenue.

Some statues were “puton big trucks, and wedon’t know where theyare, possibly for illicit traf-ficking,” UNESCO Direc-tor General Irina Bokovasaid.

UN officials have seenimages of destroyed Assyr-ian symbols including stat-ues with the head of aman, the torso of a lion

and wings of an eagle.These symbols were re-ferred to in the Bible andother sacred texts, shesaid.

“All of this is an appall-ing and tragic act of hu-man destruction,” shesaid.

UN officials were study-ing satellite imagery of thedestruction, since it re-mains too dangerous to ap-proach the site, she said.

These violent Sunni ex-tremists have been cam-paigning to purge ancientrelics they say promoteidolatry that violates theirinterpretation of Islamiclaw. A video they releasedlast week shows themsmashing artifacts in theMosul museum and inJanuary, the group burnedhundreds of books fromthe Mosul library and Mo-sul University, includingmany rare manuscripts.Many fear Hatra, anothernearby ancient site couldbe next.

Iraqi authorities werestill trying to assess Fri-day exactly how badly theancient site was damagedThursday.

“The destruction ofNimrud is a big loss toIraq’s history,” Qais Mo-hammed Rasheed, the dep-uty tourism and antiqui-ties minister, told The As-sociated Press on Friday.“The loss is irreplaceable.”

UNESCO previouslywarned that the group wasselling ancient artifacts onthe black market for prof-it. Rasheed said author-ities have not ruled out thepossibility that the mili-tants could try to sellthese, too.

Bokova already wrote

the International CriminalCourt about a possible warcrimes prosecution, andplans to alert INTERPOL,major museums, auctionhouses and Middle Eastgovernments to recoverany trafficked artifacts.

“Somebody is going tobuy these,” said Iraq’s U.N.Ambassador, Mohamed Al-hakim.

Nimrud, also known asKalhu, was the 9th centu-ry B.C., capital of Assyria,an ancient kingdom thatswept over much of pre-sent-day Iraq and the Le-vant. The site spans 3.3square kilometers on theTigris River, and boastedthe remains of temples,palaces and a ziggurat pyr-amid as well as the hugestatues.

Many artifacts fromNimrud were moved tomuseums in Mosul, Bagh-dad, London and Paris.

In the 1980s, archaeolo-gists discovered a trove ofhundreds of gold itemsfrom Nimrud’s royaltombs — considered one ofthe 20th century’s mostsignificant archaeologicalfinds. The “treasures ofNimrud” were kept in abasement safe of the Cen-tral Bank in Baghdad foryears until they were “re-discovered” in 2003, andnow most of it is in theBaghdad Museum.

Nimrud was already onthe World MonumentFund’s list of most endan-gered sites due to extremedecay and deteriorationbefore it was captured inJune as extremists tookover nearby Mosul, Iraq’ssecond-largest city.

Last year, the militantsdestroyed the mosque be-

lieved to be the burialplace of the Prophet You-nis, or Jonah, as well asthe Mosque of the ProphetJirjis — both revered an-cient shrines in Mosul.They also threatened todestroy Mosul’s 850-yearold Crooked Minaret, butresidents surrounded thestructure, preventing themilitants from approach-ing.

In July, they removedthe crosses from Mosul’s1,800-year old Mar Beh-nam monastery and thenstormed it, forcing themonks and priest to flee orface death.

A U.S.-led coalition hasbeen striking the IslamicState group since Augustand is preparing a large-scale operation to retakethe city of Mosul. But U.S.and Iraqi officials havebeen cautious about set-ting a timeline for prepar-ing Iraq’s embattled mili-tary for the campaign.

Meanwhile the battle torecover Saddam Hussein’shometown of Tikrit pro-gressed Friday with Iraqigovernment forces takingback the town of Dawr, 10miles (15 kilometers) southof the city. Raed al-Jabou-ri, the provincial governor,said security forces shouldreach Tikrit by Sunday.

The Tikrit campaignlaunched Monday hasbeen stalled because extre-mists lined strategic roadsinto the city with explo-sives and land mines, mil-itary officials said.

Dawr is the hometownof Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri,Saddam’s former deputy,who has been suspected ofcollaborating with the Is-lamic State militant group.

Extremists take statues

In this March 1 file photo, Aaman at Iraq’s National Museum in Baghdad walks past two ancient Assyr-ian winged bull statues. Islamic State militants "bulldozed" the renowned archaeological site of the an-cient city of Nimrud in northern Iraq on Thursday, using heavy military vehicles, the government said.Nimrud was the second capital of Assyria, an ancient kingdom that began in about 900 B.C., partiallyin present-day Iraq, and became a great regional power. The city, which was destroyed in 612 B.C., is lo-cated on the Tigris River just south of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul.

Photo by Karim Kadim | AP file

By VIVIAN SALAMA AND CARA ANNAASSOCIATED PRESS

SEOUL, South Korea —Police on Friday investi-gated the motive of the an-ti-U.S. activist they sayslashed the U.S. ambassa-dor to South Korea, asquestions turned towhether security was ne-glected.

The attack Thursday onMark Lippert, whichprompted rival North Ko-rea to gloat about “knifeslashes of justice,” leftdeep gashes on his faceand hand. It also raisedsafety worries in a citywith a reputation as a rel-atively low-risk diplomaticposting, despite regularthreats of war from NorthKorea.

While an extreme ex-ample, the attack is thelatest act of political vio-lence in a deeply dividedcountry where some pro-testers portray their caus-es as matters of life anddeath.

Lippert, 42, was recover-ing well but complainingof pain in the wound nearhis left wrist and a finger

where doctors repairednerve damage, SeveranceHospital official Yoon Do-Heum said in a televisedbriefing. Doctors plan toremove the 80 stitches onLippert’s face on Mondayor Tuesday and expecthim to be out of the hospi-tal by Tuesday or Wednes-day. Hospital officials sayhe may experience senso-ry problems in his lefthand for several months.

Seoul Central DistrictCourt granted a police re-quest for the formal arrestof the suspect, Kim Ki-jong, 55, who could facecharges including attempt-ed murder, assaulting aforeign envoy, obstruction,and violating a controver-sial law that bans praiseor assistance for NorthKorea, police officials said.

Police searched Kim’soffices and house andseized hundreds of docu-ments, books and comput-er files. Police also ob-tained Kim’s telecommu-nication and financialtransaction records to helpinvestigate how the attackwas planned and whetherothers were involved, po-lice officials said.

In this Thursday image taken from video by Yonhap News TV,U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Mark Lippert, second from left,arrives at Severance hospital after undergoing surgery.

Photo by Yonhap News TV | AP

Security eyedin probe of

envoy’s attackBy KIM TONG-HYUNG AND FOSTER

KLUGASSOCIATED PRESS

CARACAS, Venezuela— Early morning fire-works burst over Venezue-la’s capital Thursday for acommemoration of HugoChavez on the second an-niversary of his death,even as economic crisisthreatens to undo his lega-cy of lifting many out ofpoverty.

President Nicolas Ma-duro, Chavez’s tearfuldaughters and othermourners gathered laterin the day at his tomb in aformer military barracksperched atop a hillsideslum. Chavez died in 2013after a long battle withcancer, but the exact na-ture of the cancer has nev-er been revealed.

While the socialist lead-er is still revered by many

poor Venezuelans, supportfor Maduro, his hand-picked successor as presi-dent, has plunged almostas quickly as the price ofoil on which the economydepends.

The economy has beensuffering for months fromwidespread shortages ofbasic goods that contribut-ed to 68 percent inflationlast year, the highest in theworld. And poverty, whichhad fallen under Chavez,has been steadily increas-ing, a rise that began evenbefore the economy start-ed to contract last year, ac-cording to the United Na-tions.

More bad news could beon the way, with analystspointing to a precipitousdrop of Venezuela’s cur-rency on the black marketas a sign that inflationcould hit triple digits soon.

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and first lady Cilia Florestouch the tomb of Venezuela’s late President Hugo Chavez asthey gather to mark the second anniversary of Chavez’s death.

Photo by Ariana Cubillos | AP

Venezuelanshonor Chavez

By FABIOLA SANCHEZASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW DELHI — A mobof thousands stormed a jailin the northeastern Indiancity of Dimapur, seized aprisoner accused of rape,paraded him through thestreets and beat him todeath before they could bestopped by police gunfire, apolice official said Friday.

The dead man, identifiedby the authorities as SyedSirf Khan, was accused bylocals of being an illegalmigrant from Bangladeshand had been arrested onFeb. 24 on suspicion of rap-ing a woman from a Nagatribal community the daybefore.

How the mob was able toovercome armed police offi-cers Thursday at the jail inDimapur, the commercialhub of Nagaland state, wasnot clear Friday. The toppolice official in Nagaland,L.L. Doungel, said that be-cause there were a numberof students wearing uni-forms in the crowd, the po-lice did not want to resortto violence.

"There would have beena lot of casualties. That wasone reason," Doungel said."The mob was in the thou-sands."

Video of the assault thataired on the Indian newschannel NDTV showedthrongs outside the centraljail photographing theevent on smartphones. Itthen cut to blurred images

of Khan, apparently naked,being marched down astreet.

It was also not clear Fri-day how far he was takenbefore the police stoppedthe procession, althoughDoungel said that it was"quite a distance" from thejail. Eventually, the policefired on the crowd, killingone protester and wound-ing several others. But bythe time Khan was reco-vered, he was dead.

A curfew was imposedafter the lynching and con-tinued through Friday, withthousands of security offi-cials and state police offi-cers deployed in Dimapurand surrounding areas, ac-cording to Doungel.

The attack in Dimapurcomes in the same weekthat a BBC documentaryabout a 2012 gang rape andmurder in New Delhi wasaired in Britain. After in-cendiary comments by one

of the men convicted werereleased as part of a public-ity campaign, the Indiangovernment banned thefilm, although it still re-ceived a wide audience on-line.

But Friday’s attack ap-pears to have more to dowith local tensions over mi-grants than it does withany mounting outrage overviolent sexual assault in In-dia. Residents in severalstates in India’s fractiousand isolated northeast,where much of the popula-tion is tribal, have sparredin recent years with an ap-parently growing nontribalpopulation, many of whomare accused of having mi-grated illegally from Ban-gladesh.

Nagaland’s population isclose to 90 percent tribal,according to recent censusdata. The local news mediareported on Friday thatresidents had been de-

manding that unauthorizedmigrants be forced out ofthe state after the accusa-tions of rape against Khancame to light.

Doungel said that al-though a law had been in-voked Wednesday night toprevent large-scale demon-strations and gatherings,the authorities had beenassured that a peacefulmarch was being plannedfor Thursday, so the law’senforcement was relaxed.

The protesters, includingthe Naga Students’ Federa-tion, were peaceful at first,and some submitted amemorandum to district of-ficials asking for the au-thorities to revoke the trad-ing licenses of any illegalmigrants who had set upbusinesses in the state,among other demands. Butsome of the marchers laterturned violent.

The chief minister of Na-galand, T.R. Zeliang, toldNDTV that an investigationof Thursday night’s eventshad been ordered.

Akum Longchari, the ed-itor of the Dimapur-basednewspaper The MorungExpress, said Friday thatgroups in Nagaland weremistaken in focusing onthe nationality of Khan.

"It’s just very disturb-ing," Longchari said. "Fornow, we must concentrateon the complete failure yes-terday of the state machin-ery and how this incidentwas allowed to happen inthe manner that it did."

Indian mob kills accused rapist

In this Thursday photo, members of a mob raise their hands to takephotos of a man, top center, accused of rape after he was lynchedand hung in the city landmark Clock Tower in Dimapur.

Photo by Imojen I Jamir | AP

By NIDA NAJARNEW YORK TIMES

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

Jesus M. Gutierrez, Jr.,39, passed away on Thurs-day, March 5, 2015 at LaredoMedical Center in Laredo,Texas.

Mr. Gutierrez is precededin death by his father, JesusM. Gutierrez.

Mr. Gutierrez is survivedby his wife, Claudia Gutier-rez; daughter, Amanda Ma-rie Gutierrez; mother, Nor-ma P. Gutierrez; brother,Charles (Susan) Charo; sis-ters, Becky Ann (Alejandro)Castillo, Annette Blanco; in-laws, Armando Sr. and Ma-ria Soto; brothers-in-law,Armando Jr. (Maritza) Soto,Alejandro (Mary Ann) Soto;sister-in-law, Sandra De Le-on and by numerous aunts,uncles, cousins, other fam-ily members and friends.

Visitation hours will beheld on Sunday, March 8,2015, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.with a rosary at 7 p.m. atRose Garden FuneralHome.

The funeral processionwill depart on Monday,March 9, 2015, at 9:30 a.m.for a 10 a.m. funeral Mass

at Our Lady of Refuge Cath-olic Church in San Ygnacio,Texas.

Committal services willfollow at Panteon Del Pueb-lo in San Ygancio, Texas.

Funeral arrangementsare under the direction ofRose Garden Funeral HomeDaniel A. Gonzalez, funeraldirector, 2102 N. U.S. Hwy 83Zapata, Texas.

JESUS M. GUTIERREZ, JR.

Jan. 31, 1976 – March 5, 2015

Elia M. Uribe passedaway peacefully on themorning of March 3, 2015 inLaredo at the age of 92.

Elia was a decedent ofBernardo Gutierrez de Laraand Bartolome Martinez,colonizers of Nuevo Santan-der (New Spain, South Tex-as). She was a graduate ofOur Lady of the Lake Uni-versity in San Antonio. Shethen taught and educatedyoung minds for over 40years, in Laredo, San Anto-nio, and San Ygnacio, Tex-as, and was rememberedwell by her students wher-ever she went.

She is preceded in deathby her husband Romeo A.Uribe, Sr.; parents, Enriqueand Margarita Martinez;her sister Antonieta Juarez,and brother Juan E. Marti-nez.

She is survived by herchildren, Romeo II, MariaElia Hayes (Mark), and Ro-lando; her grandchildren,Maggie Uribe, RolandoUribe, Jr., Emily (Michael)Manley, Justin (Jeannette)Hayes, and Victoria Hayes,and her great-grandson Ja-len Manley.

Visitation was held onFriday, March 6, 2015, from5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Joe Jack-

son Heights Funeral Chap-els, 719 Loring at Cortez.The first Rosary was recitedat 6:30 p.m. by the membersof Sacred Heart Society ofOur Lady of RefugioChurch, San Ygnacio, ofwhich she was also a mem-ber. A second Rosary was re-cited at 7 in the evening.

Funeral services will beconducted on Saturdaymorning, March 7, 2015 atSt. Joseph Catholic Churchfor a Mass of ChristianBurial at 10 a.m. Everyoneis encouraged to meet atchurch.

Interment will follow atthe family plot in the UribeCemetery in San Ygnacio,Texas.

You may extend your con-dolences online at: www.joe-jackosnfuneralchapels.com

Arrangements are underthe direction of the funeralservice professionals at JoeJackson Heights FuneralChapels, 719 Loring at Cor-tez, Laredo, TX 78040, 956-722-0001.

ELIA M. URIBE

Jan. 15, 1923 – March 3, 2015

bursed by the state forabout $1.4 billion in healthcare and law enforcementcosts.

That study is no longeravailable on the comptroll-er’s website.

An updated study wouldensure that lawmakershave accurate informationwhen considering legisla-tion on hot-button issueslike immigration and en-forcement, Blanco said ina statement.

"We owe it to the publicmake decisions that affectthem based on accurateinformation," he said. "Itis a disservice to make im-portant policy decisionsbased on groundless state-ments, especially whentaxpayer funding is in-volved. I’m hopeful thatthis study will arm law-makers and state agencieswith invaluable informa-

tion moving forward."The study issue is steep-

ed in politics. In 2006,Strayhorn unsuccessfullychallenged former Gov.Rick Perry, and lawmakershave speculated that shehoped to peg Perry as softon illegal immigration.The report’s net-gain anal-ysis dashed those efforts.

In June 2013, formerU.S. Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine, asked then-Comp-troller Susan Combs to up-date the study, arguingthat it would be “vital tothe 38 Texas members ofCongress, and to otherelected officials and deci-sion-makers as they grap-ple with immigration re-form.” (Blanco previouslyserved as Gallego’s chiefof staff in Washington.)

Combs didn’t bite andtold Gallego, who servedin the Texas House for 20

years before going toWashington, that staffingand budget issues, alongwith changes to state andfederal laws, rendered thetask too difficult to try.

“Updating the report,thus, would take monthsto complete and would re-quire the commitment ofresources that our office isunable to allocate to sucha project at this time,” shewrote to Gallego.

While running for theseat, current ComptrollerGlenn Hegar said in 2013that he supported updat-ing the study, or conduct-ing a new one.

“In order for Texas totruly understand the costsof illegal immigration toour state, we do need up-dated numbers. Whether itis updating that specificstudy or conducting a sim-ilar one, is something my

administration will do,”he said.

As of Thursday after-noon, Hegar hadn’t seenBlanco’s proposal, spokes-woman Lauren Willissaid. But she said Hegarthinks "it’s an issue that isimportant to Texans" andthe office will move for-ward after lawmakersmake a decision on thebill.

The closest thing Tex-ans have to an updatedanalysis is a 2013 studyperformed by the Migra-tion Policy Institute, aWashington-based immi-gration think tank. Itfound that Texas wouldlose $69.3 billion in eco-nomic activity, $30.8 bil-lion in gross state productand approximately 403,174jobs if the state’s undocu-mented immigrant popula-tion were deported.

IMPACT Continued from Page 1A

Food Bank, is the orga-nizer for the event, whichis mandatory in coopera-tion with USDA and Feed-ing America. The foodbank relies on more than80 agencies to distributesupplemental food to theunemployed, under-em-

ployed and those livingon fixed incomes in animpoverished eight-coun-ty area from Rio GrandeCity to Del Rio, whichhas a 30-plus percent pov-erty rate. Tax deductibledonations are accepted.They can be sent to 1907

Freight, Laredo, Texas,78041.

The STFB receivesproduct from USDAthrough membership inthe Feeding Texas FoodBank Network and na-tional Feeding America.

For agency and any

other information call theSouth Texas Food Bank956-726-3120 or check thewebsite www.southtexas-foodbank.org. The foodbank, which opened in1989, is located in westLaredo, 1907 Freight atRiverside.

FOOD BANK Continued from Page 1A

2014, said to be eligible toparticipate for the con-test, girls should be ingood standing in schooland must be a Zapata res-ident.

The 43rd annual ZapataCounty Fair will takeplace March 12-14.

Activities include a pa-rade, trail ride, carnival,music, and a livestock

auction.Residents will also get

to enjoy music from Dust-in Lynch Friday nightand Los Traileros DelNorte Saturday night.

“It will be fun,” Elizon-do said. “Come over andhave fun!”

(Judith Rayo may bereached at 728-2567 orjrayo@lmtonline.com)

ROYALTY Continued from Page 1A

The dollar climbed the most inmore than three years after a reportshowing strength in the U.S. labormarket bolstered the case for theFederal Reserve to raise interestrates as global peers embrace mone-tary stimulus.

The greenback rose against mostmajor counterparts as U.S. employ-ers added more jobs than forecastand the unemployment rate fell tothe lowest since 2008. Traders boost-ed wagers on a rate rise by Septem-ber. While the Fed has said it will be“patient” on increasing borrowingcosts, Chair Janet Yellen said lastweek timing will depend on econom-ic data.

“We could see the dollar continueto trend upward, especially if U.S.data continues to be strong,” saidKate Warne, a St. Louis-based invest-ment strategist at Edward D. Jones& Co., which manages $870 billion.“Companies are feeling more com-

fortable adding to their workforce.”The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index,

which tracks the U.S. currencyagainst 10 major peers, gained asmuch as 1.2 percent — the biggestjump since November 2011 — andclosed at 1,198.93, the highest inmore than 10 years. The gainscapped a third weekly increase.

The U.S. currency reached thestrongest level against the eurosince September 2003, appreciatingas much as 1.7 percent to $1.0840 be-fore closing at $1.0844 at 5 p.m. NewYork time. The dollar rose 0.6 per-cent to 120.83 yen and touched 121.28yen, the highest this year.

Rate SpeculationThe odds the Fed will raise bor-

rowing costs by September rose to 60percent, from 49 percent Thursday,trading in futures contracts showed.

“It’s definitely a strong series” interms of job creation, said RobertTipp, chief investment strategist for

Prudential Financial Inc.’s fixed-in-come division in Newark, New Jer-sey. The division oversees $534 bil-lion in bonds. “Apparently there’sstill enough room to go on the posi-tioning side to very easily perpetu-ate the momentum in the strong dol-lar trade.”

Hedge funds and other large spec-ulators pared bets on the dollar ver-sus eight of its major counterpartsfor a fourth consecutive week in theperiod through March 3. The differ-ence between wagers on dollar gainsversus those on losses slipped to403,062. So-called long positions wereat a record 448,675 in the week end-ing Jan. 13.

June IncreaseU.S. employers added 295,000

workers in February, and the unem-ployment rate fell to 5.5 percent, La-bor Department figures showed.Economists surveyed by Bloombergprojected an increase of 235,000.

Dollar rallies most since2011, labor market strong

By RACHEL EVANSBLOOMBERG NEWS

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES State SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

MIDLAND — Look upduring the next few weeks,and you might catch a gi-ant commercial jet doingits training runs over theWest Texas area.

Officials at Midland In-ternational Air & SpacePort say the jet is no causefor worry, just practice forpilots of American AirlinesBoeing 787-8 Dreamliner.The jets, far larger than theSouthwest 737 planes thatcommonly fly to and fromthe airport, are designed tohaul 226 passengers andtouted for their fuel effi-ciency and comfort.

The first flight was Feb.14. They are expected tolast for about two months.

The Dreamliner can landat the airport if needed, butthat’s not anticipated,

“You should not seethem on the ground at all,”said Justin Millican, the op-erations manager at MAF,who said there was no setschedule for the plane’sflights in the area apartfrom live tracking moni-tors. “It’s not like it’s goingto stop here, get fuel or stayfor a couple of days. Theyare mainly doing touch-and-goes and patternwork.”

A “touch-and-go” is ex-actly what it sounds like —a maneuver where the pilottouches the wheels of theaircraft on the runway foran instant before pullingback up into the sky.

The Dreamliner repre-sents the first in FortWorth-based American Air-lines’ fleet. The airline gotthe jet last month, withplans to add 42 more. None

will service MAF, but thelocal airport does offer con-nector flights to DFW,where the Dreamliners willcall home.

So that means months oftraining to get pilots, so farmostly practiced on flightsimulators, acclimated.

“Several hundred” pilotswill undergo the training,accompanied by “check air-men” already trained onthe aircraft, American Air-lines spokesman Matt Mill-er told the Odessa Ameri-can. There are “several doz-en” check airmen. They

leave each morning and re-turn each night.

The reason for the seem-ing randomness of theDreamliner visits aboveOdessa and Midland is thatthere are no flight plans,according to the airline.

Instead, each pilot picks

where they will fly but gen-erally pick out west, Millersaid. That is in part be-cause the internationalroutes from DFW will gowest.

“They will do that on thefly,” said Matt Miller, anAmerican Airlines spokes-man.

Reports of Dreamlinersightings also emergedfrom El Paso, where a pilotalso performed a touch-and-go,

The jet will go into ser-vice on May 7 with runs be-tween Dallas-Fort Worth In-ternational Airport andChicago O’Hare Interna-tional Airport. But thelong-term plan is to ceasedomestic flights of the 787in favor of internationaltravel.

In June, American Air-lines will begin nonstopBoeing 787 flights fromDFW to Beijing. A separateservice would fly to BuenosAires, Argentina.

Boeing first rolled outthe Dreamliner on July 8,2007. But the project was

beset by a series of costlydelays.

The maiden flight of the787-8 variation happened onDec. 15, 2009. It was certi-fied in August of 2011 andwas first delivered to anairline later that year, AllNippon Airways, whichstill maintains the biggest787 fleet.

A commercial jet as bigas the 787 is unusual forthe area. There is not arental or other paymentagreement between the air-line for the training flights,Millican said. (If the planeends up landing, the air-port would receive a fee).

But using West Texas forflight training is not un-common. Sometimes themilitary uses the area forthat purpose, and occasion-ally calls on MAF tochange a flight crew.

“We’ve got a long enoughrunway and the air space isnot real congested like it isin DFW or Houston,” Milli-can said. “It’s just a goodplace to go. We have a lot ofsunny days every year.”

Dreamliner pilots train over West TexasBy COREY PAUL

ODESSA AMERICAN

American Airlines pilots Bill Elder, left, and Jim Dees work inside a Boeing 787 flight simulator withNew York’s JFK airport gate scenery, in Fort Worth, on May 9, 2014.

Photo by LM Otero/file | AP

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

INDIANAPOLIS — The Coltshave announced they will not re-sign veteran wide receiver ReggieWayne.

Indianapolis’ longtime stand-out has been part of a club-record143 wins and ranks second infranchise history in receptions(1,070), yards receiving (14,345)and touchdown catches (80). Hewas Indy’s first-round draft pickin 2001 and has never played foranother team. But after tearingthe ACL in his right knee in Oc-tober 2013 and injuring his left el-bow in October 2014, Waynedidn’t look the same.

In a statement issued Friday,general manager Ryan Grigsoncalled Wayne the “catalyst” to theColts’ turnaround.

Team owner Jim Irsay says thedecision was made in the “bestinterests of the team.”

Wayne will become an unre-stricted free agent Tuesday.

Jets agree to acquire Brandon Mar-shall from Bears

NEW YORK — A person famil-iar with the deal says the NewYork Jets have agreed to acquirestar wide receiver Brandon Mar-shall from the Chicago Bears,pending a physical exam.

The trade Friday, the first bynew Jets general manager MikeMaccagnan, is for an unspecifieddraft pick, according to the per-son who spoke to The AssociatedPress on condition of anonymitybecause neither team had an-nounced the deal.

The trade cannot become offi-cial until the NFL’s new leagueyear begins next Tuesday.

Marshall, who turns 31 onMarch 23, has played the lastthree seasons with the Bears. Hehad 61 catches last season, hislowest total since his rookie yearwith Denver in 2006 while dealing

See NFL PAGE 2B

NFL: OFFSEASON

ReggieWayneleaving

IndyASSOCIATED PRESS

Ryan and Simone Manuel are as closeas two siblings can be, even though theyattend college in different parts of thecountry. They chat or text almost everyday, doing their best to keep up with whatthe other is doing.

Simone jokingly gets on her big brotherto make his free throws.

Ryan provides words of encouragementto his little sister before a big swim meet.

In all likelihood, these Houston-area na-tives will have a lot to talk about over thenext few weeks.

Simone, one of the top freshman swim-mers in the country at Stanford, will becompeting at the NCAA championshipsbeginning March 19. Her brother is a se-

nior guard at SMU, which is ranked No. 22and probably will make the field forMarch Madness.

It’s going to be tough keeping up withthe Manuels, that’s for sure.

“It should be a fun experience,” Ryansaid. “Hopefully I’ll make my first NCAAtournament. Hopefully for my sister, itwill be the first of many.”

Ryan and the family’s oldest child,Chris, both played college basketball. Si-mone was inspired to follow in her broth-ers’ athletic footsteps, but she decided ona different path.

“I remember it like it was yesterday,”said Ryan, looking back to age 5. “I hadthe water running and was sitting in thetub. Out of nowhere, my little sister comesaround the corner and jumps in the tubwith all her clothes on. I think that’s when

my parents knew she wanted to be aswimmer.”

Her brothers both swam in a summerrecreational league, and Simone startedpestering her mother to join them by thetime she was 4. Sharron Manuel insistedher daughter take swim lessons first, butby the second day she was paddling fromone side of the pool to the other.

Simone played plenty of other sports,including basketball, but she never sharedher brothers’ love of hoops.

“I played basketball one year at thisclub program, and I hated it,” she re-called. “I was the tall one on the team, so Ihad to play the post position. Well, I wasalways getting elbowed or hit in the face.”

There was something else, too.

NCAA DIVISION I COLLEGE BASKETBALL

All in the family

Ryan and Simone Manuel were always close. They still talk just about every day, even though they attend college in different parts of the country.

Photo by Jessica Hill | AP

Manuel brothers win in different parts of the countryBy PAUL NEWBERRYASSOCIATED PRESS

See BROTHERS PAGE 2B

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The folksin the Rangers front officewould be forgiven for feeling alittle bit uneasy these days. Af-ter an injury-plagued 2014 sea-son, even minor injuries arecause for major concern.

Especially when one of themhappens to the staff ace.

Three-time All-Star Yu Dar-vish was headed for an MRI ex-am Friday after leaving hisspring training debut the previ-ous day with tightness in hisright triceps. Darvish experi-enced the pain while warmingup in the bullpen and it did notgo away over the course of 12pitches.

“We had a rough season lastyear in terms of injuries, butthere’s no sentiment of ’here wego again,”’ assistant generalmanager Thad Levine said. “Weknow we’re going to have an in-jury at some point and it’s prob-ably going to be a very goodplayer, because we have a lot ofthem.”

Texas set a record last seasonfor active players on a 25-manroster during its snake bitten

campaign. Forty different pitch-ers were used, including threeposition players. Fourteen dif-ferent pitchers started a gameand nobody in the rotationmade more than 25 starts.

Among those who wound upon the disabled list was Dar-vish, who began the seasonthere with tightness in hisneck, then ended it there withinflammation in his right elbow.

Levine said the tightnessDarvish experienced Thursdaywas in a different place thanthe inflammation he had lastseason, and does not think theyare related. But it won’t be untilteam physician Dr. Kevin Meis-ter can look over the MRI examresults that they will know forsure.

That might not be until lateFriday or early Saturday.

“We’re going to leave nostone unturned. He’s too impor-tant to the team,” Levine said.“He had an injury last year andwe just want to have every pieceof information we possibly canhave before we make the nextdecision on him.”

Darvish went 10-7 with a 3.06

ERA last season, pitching wellwhen he was available. He’s ex-pected to anchor a starting rota-tion that could be solid if it re-mains healthy.

“We know as long as thisgame is played — there is 162games — there is always achance players are going misstime,” Rangers manager JeffBanister said. “It’s an opportu-nity to move through adversity,move past it and galvanize aball club and bring us all to-gether.”

Darvish is hardly the only in-jury concern already in springtraining.

The Rangers had to scratchfellow starter Derek Hollandfrom an intrasquad game lastSunday due to shoulder sore-ness. Levine said he will be ex-amined by Meister on Friday aswell before the team determinesthe next step in his return tothe mound.

Shortstop Elvis Andrus hasbeen hobbled by a sore kneethat has limited him to infielddrills the past couple days. Hewill also be re-examined on Fri-day.

MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL: TEXAS RANGERS

See RANGERS PAGE 2B

Rangers playing it safewith Darvish

Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish exited his spring training debut with tightnessin his arm. The Rangers staff is taking every precaution with their ace.

Photo by John Sleezer | AP

By DAVE SKRETTAASSOCIATED PRESS

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015

with injuries.Panthers sign OT Oher to replace BellCHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Pan-

thers have signed free agent of-fensive tackle Michael Oher to atwo-year contract.

The move was announced Fri-day but terms were not immedi-ately available.

Oher, the subject of the popularmovie The Blind Side, gives thePanthers an experienced optionat left tackle. Carolina has al-ready informed last year’s start-ing left tackle Byron Bell he willnot be re-signed.

The 6-foot-4, 315-pound Oher isa veteran of six NFL seasons. Hestarted 11 games last season forthe Titans.

In his first five seasons withBaltimore, Oher started all 80regular season games he playedand helped the Ravens win SuperBowl XLVII after the 2012 season.He has started 10 postseasongames.

Panthers coach Ron Riverasays in release that Oher is “apro who understands what ittakes to win.”

Chicago Bears, quarterback JimmyClausen agree to extension

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chi-cago Bears and quarterback Jim-my Clausen have agreed to a one-year contract extension through

the 2015 season.The Bears announced the move

on Friday.Clausen appeared in four

games and made one start forChicago late last season after for-mer coach Marc Trestmanbenched Jay Cutler. He completed26 of 48 passes for 223 yards, hadtwo touchdowns and one inter-ception.

Clausen went 183 of 347 for

1,781 yards, had five touchdownsand 10 interceptions in 17 appear-ances for Carolina (2010-13) andChicago (2014).

Chargers sign wide receiver/kickerreturner Jacoby Jones

SAN DIEGO — The San DiegoChargers on Friday signed Jaco-by Jones, the wide receiver andkicker returner who was a majorcontributor to the Ravens’ lastSuper Bowl championship but

who was cut by Baltimore lastweek.

Chargers general managerTom Telesco said in announcingJones’ two-year deal that one ofSan Diego’s offseason goals wasto upgrade its return game.

Said Telesco: “We feel Jacobybrings a dynamic aspect to ourkick and punt returns that weneed and he also has solid experi-ence playing wide receiver.”

The 30-year-old Jones playedthree seasons with Baltimore af-ter a five-year run with Houston.

Seattle releases TE Zach Miller afterfailed physical

RENTON, Wash. — Tight endZach Miller was released by theSeattle Seahawks on Friday.

Miller had his contract termi-nated with the designation of“failed physical.”

Miller played in just threegames last season before under-going ankle surgery in late Sep-tember. He was placed on injuredreserve in November after com-plications slowed his recovery.

Miller spent four seasons withthe Seahawks after signing as afree agent in 2011. He provedmore important as a blocker thana pass catcher in Seattle’s offen-sive system. Miller restructuredhis contract before the 2014 sea-son to remain with Seattle.

NFL Continued from Page 1B

The Colts have announced they will not re-sign veteran wide receiver ReggieWayne.

File photo by Darron Cummings | AP

Michael Kirkman, who is try-ing to win a bullpen job, hasbeen dealing with an impinge-ment in the back of his shoul-der. He was scheduled to throwa bullpen session Friday or Sat-urday.

“Every team faces adversity,”Levine said. “What we’ve beenvery in tune with, nobody feelssorry for anybody. HunterPence just broke his arm, he’sgoing to be out six to eightweeks. We’re not going to feelsorry for any teams; we’re notgoing to feel sorry for our-selves.”

RANGERSContinued from Page 1B

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The NCAAdenounced one of the country’smost decorated basketball pro-grams Friday, suspending Syra-cuse coach Jim Boeheim for nineconference games next year andoutlining a decade-long series ofviolations that included academicmisconduct, improper benefits,and drug-policy failures.

The governing body, saying theschool lost control of its athleticdepartment, placed Syracuse onprobation for five years for break-ing with the “most fundamentalcore values of the NCAA.”

The bulk of the violations con-cerned athletic department offi-cials interfering with academicsand making sure star playersstayed eligible.

The basketball team must va-cate wins in which ineligible play-ers participated. Those playerscompeted during five seasons:2004-2007 and 2010-2012.

“The behavior in this case,which placed the desire to achievesuccess on the basketball courtover academic integrity, demon-strated clearly misplaced institu-tional priorities,” the NCAA said.

Boeheim, the second-winnin-gest coach in Division I historywith 966 victories, has coached atSyracuse for 39 years, havingplayed at the school as well. The70-year-old coach has been an as-sistant on the last two U.S. Olym-pic champion teams.

The punishment includes finan-cial penalties and the reduction ofthree men’s basketball scholar-ships a year for four years.Recruiting restrictions will be en-forced for two years. Boeheim’ssuspension will sideline him forhalf of the Atlantic Coast Confer-ence next season.

The four-year investigation alsorevealed violations by the footballprogram and women’s basketball,although most were in men’s bas-ketball.

In anticipation of the report,Syracuse chancellor Kent Syverudhad announced a postseason banfor this year for the men’s basket-ball team. The NCAA acceptedthe ban and indicated the schoolcould delay the loss of scholar-ships for one year. Boeheim has a

stellar class coming next fall,rated the best in his long tenure.

Syverud said the school doesnot agree with certain aspects ofthe ruling and is considering apossible challenge. Syverud saidBoeheim may choose to appealthe part of the decision that af-fects him personally.

“Should he decide to do so, wewould support him in this step,”Syverud said in a statement.

Boeheim was en route with theteam to North Carolina and couldnot be immediately reached forcomment. The exact number ofvictories Boeheim will lose hasnot yet been determined, accord-ing to Syracuse University spokes-man Kevin Quinn.

The NCAA said Boeheim didnot promote an atmosphere ofcompliance and failed to monitorthe activities of those who report-ed to him regarding academicsand boosters.

The NCAA said several viola-tions involved students and staff.The report added that academicviolations stemmed from the di-

rector of basketball operations,who was hand-picked by Boeheimto address academic matters.

“The rule’s pretty clear,” saidBritton Banowsky, chief hearingofficer for the NCAA. “The headcoach has a duty to monitor activ-ities in his program. Jim Boe-heim did dispute that he shouldbe held accountable. There wascontroversy over that. It (thecharge) was not effectively rebut-ted at all.”

The report said the former di-rector of basketball operations,whose job primarily consisted ofmonitoring academic perform-ance of basketball student-ath-letes, became overly involved. Hecollected and maintained student-athletes’ usernames and pass-words and provided them to oth-ers, including student-athlete sup-port services.

The report said the directorand members of the support staffregularly accessed student-ath-letes’ network and email accountsin an effort to monitor academicprogress, tracked course respon-

sibilities and scheduling as wellas incoming communicationsfrom professors regarding coursework and class status. As part ofthe routine, they also accessedand sent emails from student-ath-letes’ accounts and correspondeddirectly with professors and in-cluded attached course work,which was necessary to maintainthe required grades for the stu-dent-athletes to remain eligible,the report said.

In 2012, former center Fab Melowas declared ineligible for theNCAA tournament days before itstarted. NCAA spokesman ErikChristianson said the universitydeclared Melo ineligible. Melo alsomissed three Big East games dur-ing the season because of an aca-demic issue.

In the 2012-13 season, formerforward James Southerland satout six games for an academic is-sue related to a term paper butplayed in the NCAA Tournamentand helped lead the Orange to theFinal Four.

In its decision, the committee

specifically addressed academicintegrity.

“Improper institutional involve-ment and influence in a student’sacademic work in order to gain ormaintain eligibility is a violationof NCAA rules and a violation ofthe most fundamental core valuesof the NCAA and higher educa-tion,” the committee wrote.

The committee also found thatfrom 2001-09 the school did not fol-low its own written policies andprocedures for students who test-ed positive for banned substances.NCAA rules require that ifschools have a drug-testing policy,it must include substances on thebanned list and the school mustfollow its policy. Syracuse had awritten policy, but both Boeheimand athletic director Daryl Grossacknowledged they did not followit.

In addition to the one-year post-season ban for the men’s basket-ball team, the university an-nounced it also had self-imposedother penalties, including elimina-tion of one scholarship for men’sbasketball for the 2015-2016 season,vacating 24 men’s basketball wins(15 in 2004-05 and nine in 2011-12)and 11 football wins from 2004-07under former coaches Paul Pas-qualoni and Greg Robinson.

The school must return to theNCAA all funds it has receivedthrough the former Big East Con-ference revenue sharing for its ap-pearances in the 2011, 2012 and2013 NCAA men’s basketball tour-nament.

The 94-page NCAA report saida booster developed relationshipswith men’s basketball and footballplayers and members of the men’sbasketball staff. In some instanc-es, the report said the basketballstaff encouraged students to devel-op relationships with the booster,which resulted in rule violations.

The investigation also foundthat the booster provided morethan $8,000 in cash to three foot-ball and two men’s basketball stu-dents for volunteering at a localYMCA. Additionally, the boostergave money to basketball staffmembers for appearances or as-sistance at YMCA events, andthose payments were not reportedto the school as outside income orsupplemental pay, as NCAA rulesrequire.

Boeheim suspended nine conference gamesBy JOHN KEKIS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

The NCAA suspended Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim Friday for nine games for academic, drug and gifts violations committedprimarily by the men’s basketball program.

File photo by Nick Lisi | AP

“I hate sweating. Whenyou’re running up anddown the court, you’resweating so much,” Simonesaid with a chuckle. “Be-sides, I really enjoyed tell-ing my brothers what todo, but I didn’t like themtelling me what I was doingwrong on the court.”

Simone emerged in thelast couple of years as oneof the top U.S. sprinters.She earned a gold medal atthe 2013 world champion-ships from the prelims ofthe 400-meter freestyle re-lay. She will compete inboth the 50 and 100 free,and at least one relay, atthis summer’s worlds inKazan, Russia. She will be

a leading contender tomake the Rio Olympics.

Her college coach, GregMeehan, thinks the long-term potential is even moreexciting. He believes Si-mone will be even faster bythe time the 2020 Olympicsroll around.

“You can just tell this kidis different,” Meehan said.“She’s got something spe-cial in her. She’s swimmingwell because of what shedoes on a daily basis. She’sincredibly consistent. To beconsistent in her events,the sprint-oriented events,that’s hard. It’s hard to beconsistent because of theintensity that’s asked fromthem on a daily basis.”

While Simone’s collegecareer is off to a flyingstart — she’ll compete inthe 50, 100 and 200 free atthe NCAAs in Greensboro,North Carolina, along withseveral relays — her broth-er endured a few bumpsalong the way at SMU.

Larry Brown took overas coach when Matt Doher-ty was fired after Manuel’sfreshman season. Brownwanted the 6-foot-4 Ryan totake on more of a pointguard role, which didn’t ex-actly come naturally.

“When I got him, it waslike taking a power for-ward and trying to makehim a point guard,” Brownsaid. “It was a tough transi-

tion. But every day, he getsbetter.”

Sharron Manuel beamswith pride at the way herson handled his up-and-down career.

“Every year, thingschanged more for him thanhe would have liked, butwe encouraged him to stickwith it,” the mother said.“I used to tell him, ’It’s notgoing to rain every day.There will be sunshine.Just keep working at it.”’

Things definitely bright-ened up as a senior. Moorehas started 24 games forthe Mustangs (23-6), whohost Tulsa in their regular-season finale on Sunday. Heis averaging 6.6 points, 3.4

rebounds and ranks secondon the team in assists.More important, SMU hasa shot to make the NCAAtournament for the firsttime since 1993.

“When you’re trying tohelp build a program, toget to the level we hope toget to, you need qualitykids, high-character kids.Ryan is at the top of thelist,” Brown said, beforejokingly adding, “The onlynegative is Ryan’s sisterswimming at Stanford andnot here.”

As an African-American,Simone is an anomaly in asport that remains predom-inantly white, despite theinroads made by Olympic

swimmers such as CullenJones.

For her family, though, itdidn’t seem all that unusu-al. The pool was a popularplace to be during thosehot Texas summers, andSharron Manuel arrangedswimming lessons for allthree of her children at ayoung age. Ryan, in fact,was pretty good at thesport, “but I didn’t likethose Speedo outfits,” hesaid.

Simone would love to seemore African-Americansheading to the pool.

“I always loved the wa-ter,” she said. “I’m tryingto let my swimming inspireother people.”

BROTHERS Continued from Page 1B

SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

Dear Heloise: I am hop-ing you can assist me witha question about my cat,Patches. She is an IN-DOOR/OUTDOOR CAT,and we are moving to anew home to take care ofin-laws. I would prefer herto be strictly indoors, sothat she would always besafe. She is 13 years old.

Can I train her to stay in-side and become an indoorcat? My vet said to just doit, and eventually she willquit crying when she learnsI’m not going to let her out.

Can you give me anypointers on how to makethis easier for both Patchesand me? –– Cheryl in SanAntonio

“Meow” to Patches and“Hi” to you! Moving for anypet (or human) can be up-setting and a stressfulchange. As far as her“wanting” to be outside, ofcourse she wants to! Shehas been doing so, and nowshe can’t! You’re a lovingand responsible owner,knowing it could be danger-ous for her outside. Shemay not come back.

Do set up some “distrac-tions” for her: a scratching

post and new toys. An ele-vated, carpet-lined perch bya window will let Patcheslook outside and keepwatch about what is goingon. I once saw a large mo-tor home with a pop-out“cat window.” The ownershad attached a large wirecage, with carpet on thebottom, to the window. Thecat went through the win-dow “outside” to sit andwatch the world go by, butwas safe! You could trysomething like that forPatches.

She may try to sneak outwhen a door is open, so dobe sure that everyone in thehouse keeps an eye on her.Maybe distract her whenyou leave. She will fuss andmake noise, but you muststay the course.

Indoor cats generally arehealthier and live longer, soshe most likely will havemore happy years with you.–– Heloise

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, MARCH 7, 2015