WEDNESDAYSEPTEMBER 23, 2015

FREE

DELIVERED EVERY SATURDAY

A HEARST PUBLICATION ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

TO 4,000 HOMES

COWBOYS MOVING ONDALLAS TRIES TO STAY AFLOAT AFTER INJURIES TO ROMO AND BRYANT, 5A

PIEDRAS NEGRAS,Mexico — Members of aspecial state police forcegrabbed Billy Martinez lastyear as he left home to vis-it his girlfriend, and henever was seen again, hissister said.

That same police forcedragged Victor ManuelGuajardo Rios, 37, out ofhis house in 2013, then de-nied ever arresting him,Guajardo’s mother said.

And 11 members of theTapia de la Garza family,including five children ag-es 12 to 19, disappearedfrom their house in 2012 af-ter a birthday party for theyoungest, relatives said.

This border city, acrossthe Rio Grande from Eagle

Pass, has seen an epidemicof forced abductions thathuman rights advocatessay are just as often car-ried out by criminals asthey are by the heavilyarmed police unit senthere to fight the drug car-tels.

“The government knowsall about this; the press,too,” said María HortensiaRivas Rodríguez, Guajar-do’s mother and the presi-dent of a group that advo-cates on behalf of the fam-ilies of the disappeared.“They know what’s hap-pening, but they don’t doanything to stop it. There’sno security in Piedras Ne-gras.”

Disappearances at thehands of drug traffickersand authorities, and some-times the two acting in

concert, are a problemacross Mexico. The borderstates of Tamaulipas, Nue-

vo León, Chihuahua andCoahuila, where PiedrasNegras is located, are

among the worst in thecountry, Mexico’s Ministryof Government reports.

Coahuila authoritiessaid municipal police offi-cers aided traffickers in amass abduction from atown near here, and thestate government hasblamed local officials fordisappearances in south-ern Mexican states.

Of the more 25,000 peo-ple the Mexican govern-ment says have gone mis-sing since 2007, more than5,000 — the most of anystate — are from Tamauli-pas, which borders Texasfrom Laredo to the Gulf ofMexico. In Coahuila, whichstretches along the RioGrande from just west ofLaredo to the Big Bend,1,400 people are missing,the federal government’s

database of missing per-sons shows.

Ariana García, a humanrights lawyer who workswith Rivas’s group, saidthe numbers are likelymuch higher. Families areafraid to come forward, shesaid, and those that do of-ten face roadblocks to re-porting disappearances.Across the country, fam-ilies are in limbo, wonder-ing what happened to theirloved ones and unable togrieve and move on withtheir lives.

In Piedras Negras, Rivassaid about 190 familieshave come forward andjoined her group FamiliesUnited in the Search andDiscovery of DisappearedPersons, or Familias Uni-

Thousands disappearSince 2007, Tamaulipas has seen more than 5,000 people go missing

By JASON BUCHSAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

Luis Ruben Izquirdo Franco, 8 years old, holds a photo of his father,Luis Alejandro, in Piedras Negras, Mexico, on Aug. 30.

Photo by Jerry Lara | San Antonio Express-News

See TAMAULIPAS PAGE 9A

MEXICO VIOLENCE

Zapata County resi-dents are encouraged totake advantage of the ser-vices that will be offeredSaturday.

Hands & Feet MedicalMissions by Baptist Stu-dent Ministries and theUniversity of Texas Med-ical Branch Health willprovide a free health careclinic on Saturday from10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at theZapata County Pavilionat 23rd Avenue andGlenn Street.

For appointments, call956-728-0210.

The clinic will offer pe-diatric and adult physi-cian consultations, occu-pational and physicaltherapy consultations, vi-sion consultations andfree eye glasses, medica-tions, blood pressurescreenings and glucosescreenings.

Free gun locks will al-

so be available throughProject Child Safe, an ini-tiative whose purpose isto promote safe firearmshandling and storagepractices among all fire-arms owners, states theproject’s website.

In addition, the DrugEnforcement Administra-tion and the ZapataCounty Sheriff ’s Officewill be collecting un-wanted, prescribed medi-cation as part of the Na-tional Prescription DrugTake Back Day.

Joe Peña, a Sheriff ’sOffice representative, en-couraged the communityto bring their unwantedmedication to avoid themisuse of the prescribeddrugs.

“The reason why thisis so significant is be-cause we’ve been able tolink the abuse of theseprescription drugs to her-oin use,” Assistant DEA

ZAPATA COUNTY

A volunteer places medication into a safe container to be de-stroyed later during a pill take back event in Laredo in 2013.

The Zapata Times file photo

Upcominghealth clinic,

pill driveBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

See HEALTH CARE PAGE 9A

A man from Zapata wasarrested near Laredo forhuman smuggling, accord-ing to court records ob-tained this week.

Hugo Jaquez Ramos wascharged with transportingundocumented immigrants.A criminal complaint filedSept. 18 alleges that Ramoswas driving three immi-grants from Honduras and

El Salvador.In court statements, Ra-

mos told agents he wastransporting immigrantsfrom Rio Grande City fromLaredo for financial gain.

“He was to get paid $400… per person and they wereto be dropped near Guada-lupe (Street) next toChurch’s Chicken,” recordsstate.

Ramos then invoked hisright to an attorney.

U.S. Border Patrol agents

encountered Ramos onSept. 15 while performingtheir duties on Zapata High-way near Laredo. Agentssaid they conducted an im-migration inspection on theoccupants of a 2014 DodgeRam.

Identified as the driver,Ramos allegedly had hischildren and three adults aspassengers. Ramos wasthen referred to secondaryinspection.

Agents said they discov-

ered that the three adultsdid not have legal documen-tation to be in the country.They were citizens fromHonduras and El Salvador,records allege.

“The passengers in the(pickup) all stated they werepicked up at a house by Hu-go Jaquez Ramos and weregoing to be taken to Laredo…” states the complaint.

(César G. Rodriguez maybe reached at 728-2568 or ce-sar@lmtonline.com)

US BORDER PATROL

Man arrested for smugglingBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

WASHINGTON — PopeFrancis arrived Tuesday onthe first visit of his life tothe United States, bringinghis humble manner and his

“church of the poor” to arich and powerful nation po-larized over economic in-equality, immigration andequal justice.

According a rare honor tothe pontiff, President BarackObama and his wife anddaughters met Francis at the

bottom of the stairs on thered-carpeted tarmac at An-drews Air Force Base in Ma-ryland after the pope’s char-tered plane touched downfrom Cuba. Presidents usual-ly make important visitorscome to them at the WhiteHouse.

Emerging from the planeto boisterous cheers from acrowd of hundreds, the smil-ing 78-year-old pontiff re-moved his skullcap in thewindy weather and made hisway down the steps in his

SIX-DAY VISIT TO US

POPE FRANCIS ARRIVES

President Barack Obama walks across the tarmac with Pope Francis upon his arrival at Andrews Air Force Base, Md., Tuesday.

Photo by Andrew Harnik | AP

Pontiff faces a nation polarized over inequalityBy NICOLE WINFIELD

AND RACHEL ZOLLASSOCIATED PRESS

See POPE FRANCIS PAGE 9A

PAGE 2A Zin brief WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

Thursday, September 24Spanish Book Club meets from

6-8 p.m. at the public library on Cal-ton Road. Call Sylvia Reash at 763-1810.

TAMIU Lamar Bruni VergaraPlanetarium shows. 6 p.m.: ExtremePlanets; 7 p.m.: Stars of the Phara-ohs. General Admission is $4 for chil-dren and $5 for adults. Admission is$4 for TAMIU students, faculty andstaff. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

Saturday, September 26Free Health Care Clinic. 10 a.m.

to 4 p.m. Zapata County Pavilion,23rd Avenue at Glenn Street, Zapata.Appointments: 728-0210.

TAMIU Lamar Bruni VergaraPlanetarium shows. 2 p.m.: AccidentalAstronaut; 3 p.m.: Cosmic Adventur-es; 4 p.m.: Extreme Planets; 5 p.m.:Led Zeppelin. General Admission is$4 for children and $5 for adults.Admission is $4 for TAMIU students,faculty and staff. Matinee Shows are$1 less. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

LCC’s 2nd annual Rio GrandeArts Festival at the Winners Show-case. From 7:30 p.m. to midnight atthe Guadalupe and Lilia Martinez FineArts Center theater on West EndWashington Street. Award-winningperformances by this year’s RioGrande Arts Festival Winners. Generaladmission is $10. Senior citizens andstudents with a valid ID are $5.

Spiritual Wisdom of ConqueringFear, 1–2:30 p.m., Room A. LaredoPublic Library, 1120 E. Calton. Se ha-bla español. For more info please call210-831-7113 or go to www.Eckankar-Texas.org.

Sunday, September 27All you can eat spaghetti lunch

sponsored by the United MethodistMen, noon to 1:30 p.m. at FellowshipHall, First United Methodist Church,1000 Guadalupe at 1220 McClelland.No admission fee.

Crochet Club of the First UnitedMethodist Church will hold its annualpre-holiday sale from noon to 1:30p.m., Fellowship Hall, FUMC. In con-junction with the Spaghetti Lunch. Noadmission fee; public invited.

Monday, September 28Chess Club meets at the LBV–

Inner City Branch Library from 4–6p.m. Free for all ages and skill levels.Basic instruction is offered. Call Johnat 795-2400, x2521.

Tuesday, September 29TAMIU Lamar Bruni Vergara

Planetarium shows. 6 p.m.: ExtremePlanets; 7 p.m.: Stars of the Phara-ohs. General Admission is $4 for chil-dren and $5 for adults. Admission is$4 for TAMIU students, faculty andstaff. Call 956-326-DOME (3663).

The Elysian Social Club mem-bers will celebrate its 75th anniver-sary at the International Bank ofCommerce, 1200 San Bernardo Ave.6–9 p.m.

Take the challenge and climbthe Rock Wall. Free. All participantsmust bring ID and sign release form.4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at LBV–InnerCity Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St.Call 795-2400, x2520.

Wednesday, September 30Laredo A&M Mothers’ Club

monthly meeting will be held at 6:30p.m. at Los Patios, 4653 Casa BlancaRd. Mothers who have children atTexas A&M in College Station are in-vited to attend.

Sunday, October 46th Annual “Blessing of All Ani-

mals” from 4 to 5 p.m. at St. Peter’sPlaza. All animals should be on aleash, harness or in a cage. St. Fran-cis of Assisi medals and T-shirts willbe available for a donation. All dona-tions received will go toward projectsto protect community cats includinga Trap, Neuter, and Return Programfor Laredo. Call Birdie at 286-7866.

Monday, October 5Chess Club meets at the LBV–

Inner City Branch Library from 4–6p.m. Free for all ages and skill levels.Basic instruction is offered. Call Johnat 795-2400, x2521.

Tuesday, October 6Take the challenge and climb

the Rock Wall. Free. All participantsmust bring ID and sign release form.4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. at LBV–InnerCity Branch Library, 202 W. Plum St.Call 795-2400, x2520.

CALENDARASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Wednesday, Sep-tember 23, the 266th day of2015. There are 99 days left inthe year. Autumn arrives at4:21 a.m. Eastern time.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On September 23, 1952, inwhat became known as the“Checkers” speech, Sen. Rich-ard M. Nixon, R-Calif., sal-vaged his vice-presidentialnomination by appearing liveon television to refute allega-tions of improper campaignfundraising.

On this date:ard sank two days later.In 1780, British spy John

Andre was captured alongwith papers revealing Bene-dict Arnold’s plot to surrenderWest Point to the British.

In 1806, the Lewis and Clarkexpedition returned to St.Louis more than two years af-ter setting out for the PacificNorthwest.

In 1846, Neptune was identi-fied as a planet by German as-tronomer Johann GottfriedGalle.

In 1939, Sigmund Freud, thefounder of psychoanalysis,died in London at age 83.

In 1955, a jury in Sumner,Mississippi, acquitted twowhite men, Roy Bryant andJ.W. Milam, of murderingblack teenager Emmett Till.(The two men later admittedto the crime in an interviewwith Look magazine.)

In 1957, nine black studentswho’d entered Little Rock Cen-tral High School in Arkansaswere forced to withdraw be-cause of a white mob outside.

In 1962, “The Jetsons,” ananimated cartoon series abouta Space Age family, premieredas the ABC television net-work’s first program in color.

In 1973, former Argentinepresident Juan Peron won alandslide election victory thatreturned him to power; hiswife, Isabel, was elected vicepresident.

In 1987, Sen. Joseph Biden,D-Del., withdrew from theDemocratic presidential racefollowing questions about hisuse of borrowed quotationsand the portrayal of his aca-demic record.

Ten years ago: HurricaneRita, down to Category 3,steamed toward refinerytowns along the Texas-Louisia-na coast, creating havoc evenbefore it arrived; levee breakscaused new flooding in NewOrleans, and 23 people werekilled when a bus carryingnursing-home evacuees caughtfire in Texas.

Five years ago: The U.S.delegation walked out of aU.N. speech by Iranian Presi-dent Mahmoud Ahmadinejadafter he said some in theworld had speculated that theU.S. staged the September 11,2001 attacks in an attempt toassure Israel’s survival.

One year ago: In the firstinternational test for his cli-mate-change strategy, Presi-dent Barack Obama pressedworld leaders at the UnitedNations to follow the UnitedStates’ lead on the issue.

Today’s Birthdays: SingerJulio Iglesias is 72. Rock starBruce Springsteen is 66. Ac-tress Rosalind Chao is 58. Gol-fer Larry Mize is 57. Actor Ja-son Alexander is 56. Recordingexecutive Jermaine Dupri is43. Actor Kip Pardue is 39.Tennis player Melanie Oudinis 24.

Thought for Today: “Icannot endure to waste any-thing as precious as autumnsunshine by staying in thehouse.” — Nathaniel Haw-thorne, American author(1804-1864).

TODAY IN HISTORY

WAXAHACHIE — Officials say an evacua-tion order remains in place for a North Tex-as neighborhood a day after an explosion de-stroyed a house and left a sister and brotherhospitalized.

A statement Tuesday afternoon by Waxa-hachie city officials said that although thegas utility Atmos Energy had said therewere no threats from gas leaks, other haz-ards continued to pose safety threats.

Atmos had said its inspection for possiblenatural gas leaks after the Monday morningexplosion found evidence of third-party dam-age to a line near the home. Atmos did notelaborate and said the investigation contin-ues to determine the cause of the blast.

Adele Chavez and Jaymie Rodriguez wereimproving Tuesday at Parkland Memorial

Hospital in Dallas. A spokesman says Chavezwas in fair condition and Rodriguez was ingood condition.

Photos and video from the scene showedall that appeared intact in the tangledmound of debris was a garage with a car in-side.

Mosie Mallard, who lives a few doorsdown from the blast site, said he was in hishouse when it happened.

“I opened up my back door. Debris wasfalling. I could see from where I was stand-ing at my back door that there was some-body sitting in the debris,” Mallard told theWaxahachie Daily Light.

“I ran out, jumped over my fence, ran overand helped the guy up,” he said.

Neighbors rounded up fire extinguishersto attack flames that were starting to takehold on the shattered timbers of the house.

AROUND TEXAS

Workers walk around a house that exploded on Monday in Waxahachie. A statement Tuesday afternoon by Waxahachie cityofficials said that although the gas utility Atmos Energy had said there were no threats from gas leaks, other hazards con-tinued to pose safety threats.

Photo by Scott Dorsett/The Waxahachie Daily Light | AP

Explosion destroys houseASSOCIATED PRESS

2 Del Rio officers resign, 7 suspended in shooting

DEL RIO — An internal af-fairs investigation into a fatalshooting by Del Rio police hasled to the resignation of two pro-bationary officers and the sus-pension of seven police officers.

According to court documents,50-year-old Pedro Saldivar was fa-tally shot after his semitrailermoved toward Del Rio police offi-cers and members of the ValVerde County Sheriff ’s Office.

Father, son get prisonover marijuana farm

BROWNSVILLE — A fatherand son from Mexico have beensentenced to prison in the U.S.for running a marijuana farmwith about 9,000 plants.

Miguel Echevarria Zuniga andhis son, Miguel Echevarria Gui-zar, in April pleaded guilty tomanufacturing marijuana. The51-year-old father was sentencedTuesday to 3 1⁄2 years in federalprison.

Trooper fatally shootsman near hospital in Paris

PARIS — A trooper in North-east Texas has fatally shot a com-bative man during a fight thatleft the officer hurt.

The trooper saw a man sittingon the concrete barrier in thecenter of U.S. 82. The troopertried to check on 21-year-old Ste-ven McKenney of Austin, but thesuspect became belligerent.

The trooper feared for his lifeand opened fire.

Woman arrested with runaway boy, 14

DALLAS — Prosecutors say aWisconsin woman has been ac-cused of meeting a 14-year-oldTexas boy through online gam-ing and having sex with him.

His parents reported him mis-sing Sept. 12. That’s when Jennif-er Lynn Dougherty flew to Dal-las, she and the boy had sex at ahotel then both flew to Wisconsinwhere they continued sexual re-lations.

Officials: Grizzly beareuthanized at Houston Zoo

HOUSTON — The HoustonZoo has said goodbye to its lastgrizzly bear that officials say waseuthanized due to complicationsfrom arthritis.

Bailey was euthanized Mon-day morning. Officials said hewas suffering from chronic ar-thritis and had been receivingtreatment for his condition sincehe arrived at the zoo with hisbrother, Boomer, in 2007.

Longview policeinvestigating death

LONGVIEW — East Texas po-lice say they are investigatingthe case of a man’s body foundlying by a road in a neighbor-hood as a homicide.

Longview police arrived at thescene early Sunday morning af-ter a witness reported seeing thebody.

His body has been sent for anautopsy.

— Compiled from AP reports

Brian Williams returns toTV for pope coverage

NEW YORK — Brian Williamsreturned to the airwaves ofMSNBC to anchor coverage ofthe visit of Pope Francis to theUnited States on Tuesday, hisfirst day back at work followinghis suspension from NBC Newsand demotion for misleadingviewers about his role in newsstories.

Dressed in a suit and bluestriped tie, Williams made nomention of his absence. He an-chored the network’s coveragefrom 2 to 4 p.m. CDT, stationed ina Manhattan studio.

All business at first, Williamsseemed to loosen up as his two-hour shift moved along.

$1 million lottery ticketfound among old mail

KENTWOOD, Mich. — A Mi-chigan woman who won a $1 mil-lion lottery prize didn’t know

about it for months, after leavingthe ticket in a pile of mail.

Lottery officials say LindaTuttle of Kentwood stepped for-ward Tuesday with a winningticket from the May 26 Mega Mil-lions drawing. Tuttle told offi-cials she recently found the tick-

et at home among some old mail.She didn’t search until a clerk ata local store mentioned that ithad sold a $1 million winner inMay. Tuttle plans to use somemoney to visit former exchangestudents in China.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

In this Nov. 5, 2014 file photo, Brian Williams speaks at the 8th Annual Stand UpFor Heroes, presented by New York Comedy Festival and The Bob Woodruff Foun-dation in New York.

Photo by Brad Barket/Invision | AP file

Publisher, William B. Green........................728-2501Account Executive, Dora Martinez ...... (956) 765-5113General Manager, Adriana Devally ...............728-2510Adv. Billing Inquiries ................................. 728-2531Circulation Director ................................. 728-2559MIS Director, Michael Castillo.................... 728-2505Copy Editor, Nick Georgiou ....................... 728-2565Sports Editor, Zach Davis ..........................728-2578Spanish Editor, Melva Lavin-Castillo............ 728-2569

SUBSCRIPTIONS/DELIVERY(956) 728-2555

The Zapata Times is distributed on Saturdays to 4,000households in Zapata County. For subscribers of the LaredoMorning Times and for those who buy the Laredo MorningTimes at newsstands, the Zapata Times is inserted.

The Zapata Times is free.The Zapata Times is published by the Laredo Morning

Times, a division of The Hearst Corporation, P.O. Box 2129,Laredo, Texas 78044. Phone (956) 728-2500.

The Zapata office is at 1309 N. U.S. Hwy. 83 at 14th Ave-nue, Suite 2, Zapata, TX 78076. Call (956) 765-5113 or e-mailthezapatatimes.net

CONTACT US

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 Local & State THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

The Zapata CountyMuseum of History willbe hosting two majorevents this October.

On Oct. 9 the museumwill participate in the36th Annual Texas StateHispanic Genealogicaland Historical Confer-ence by hosting a tour ofthe museum. On Oct. 30they will be hosting theDistrict 1 Texas RetiredTeachers AssociationFall Convention.

Both events will bringapproximately 100 peo-ple to Zapata fromthroughout the state,plus local members.

The museum is pre-paring welcome bags forvisitors to introducethem to the community.The museum extends anoffer to local businessesto include their promo-tional items. Any contri-butions are greatly ap-preciated.

Larger items will beused to create gift bas-kets as door prizes forthese and future events.

Please let AmparoMontes Gutiérrez, cura-tor at the Zapata CountyMuseum of History,know when she cancome by to pick up theseitems. Businesses thatwill be delivering theiritems may drop them offat the Zapata CountyMuseum of History anyday during regularhours of operation,which are Tuesdaythrough Friday, 10 a.m.to 4 p.m. The museum islocated at 805 N. U.S.Hwy 83.

Feel free to contactMontes for more infor-mation at 956-765-8983.

Museumto host

Octoberevents

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

AUSTIN — Top staffersat the Texas General LandOffice routinely collectedcash bonuses worth tens ofthousands of dollars de-spite earning annual sala-ries exceeding $100,000 un-der its former commission-er — and many remainedin powerful posts until amajor staff shakeup in re-cent weeks, according todocuments obtained by TheAssociated Press.

Such “one-time merit in-crease” bonuses are com-mon throughout Texas gov-ernment, but in other agen-cies are often small paybumps for employees whoaren’t otherwise highlycompensated.

Beginning when JerryPatterson became landcommissioner in January2003 through fiscal year2015, his office paid morethan $6.5 million in one-time merit bonuses, accord-ing to data obtained viaopen records requests. Thatincluded more than $1.2million just in Patterson’sfinal months, after he ranunsuccessfully for lieuten-ant governor.

“We used it quite a bit to

give people essentially bo-nuses for a good job as op-posed to a pay raise sincethat raise stays there thefollowing year, when theymay not do such a goodjob,” Patterson said.

His successor, George P.Bush, whose grandfatherand uncle were presidentand whose father is cam-paigning for the WhiteHouse, took office Jan. 2and has led an agency “re-boot,” vowing to impose fis-cal conservativism. Morethan 100 staff membershave been fired or volunta-rily left since then, 26 ofwhom accepted $15,000 pay-ments to retire early.

General Land Officespokeswoman Brittany Ecksaid Sunday that “the ma-jority if not all” of the staff-ers receiving large previ-ous bonuses under Patter-son had left the agencyafter the latest round of dis-missals, retirements ortransfers that occurred justin the last two weeks.

Bush has nonethelesspaid about $200,000 in bo-nuses this fiscal year, butthe agency says most werehonoring Patterson’s agree-ments.

“Incentives should belimited and awarded only

in cases of exceptionalwork,” Bush told the AP ina statement. He also notedthat he’s instituting zero-based budgeting, requiringeach part of the agency tojustify its funding every cy-cle.

The General Land Of-fice’s many duties includeleasing public land for oiland natural gas explora-tion, meaning it generatesmore state revenue than itspends. The Legislaturenonetheless distributesfunding by “strategy,” orbased on the different pro-grams each agency sectortackles.

Section managers thenhave discretion on howthat money is spent, includ-ing on hiring more employ-ees or bonuses for existingones. That makes it diffi-cult to show funding for bo-nuses not otherwise goingto efforts like battling ero-sion on public beaches.

Patterson noted that,during his tenure, theagency brought in $8.1 bil-lion in revenue for the Per-manent School Fund,which covers some publiceducation costs — morethan the combined $7.9 bil-lion the office deposited inthe fund during the previ-

ous nearly 130 years. He ac-knowledged that rising oilprices helped, but said hiskey lieutenants also grewstate revenue in otherways, including via smartinvestments of publicfunds.

“I’m proud of the factthat we were leading in giv-ing people bonuses,” Patter-son said. “My regret is Iwish I could’ve paid themmore.”

Patterson added thatBush’s agency downsizingwill ultimately mean gener-ating less state revenue,calling his successor a “for-mulaic conservative.”

“He wants to able to tellpeople, ’I cut 20 percent ofX,” Patterson said “withoutdescribing, ’Ok, how didthat impact my revenues.”’

According to TexasComptroller data, all stateagencies spent a combinedaround $230 million on one-time merit increases be-tween fiscal years 2006 and2014. But that’s inflated bybuyouts offered to employ-ees who agreed to retireearly. The land commis-sioner’s office bonus totalsdon’t include retirementbuyouts.

The largest bonus recip-ients at the General Land

Office and elsewhere wereofficials who handle invest-ments of state funds andgot extra pay for generat-ing positive returns. Manyagencies also spent moreon bonuses than the landoffice under Patterson andBush, including the Attor-ney General’s Office andthe Health and Human Ser-vices Commission. Butthose are far larger thanthe land commissioner’s of-fice, which is capped ataround 650 employees andfalling to less than 600 un-der Bush.

The comptroller data al-so showed that merit bo-nuses across Texas stategovernment are oftenworth $2,000 or less andpaid sparingly to non-man-agers. Many of the largestGeneral Land Office bonus-es were worth $20,000-plusapiece, and went repeatedlyto officials who workedclosely with Patterson, in-cluding at least a dozen ofhis deputy commissioners.

Patterson’s No. 2, DeputyLand Commissioner andChief Clerk Larry Laine,collected nearly $125,000 inbonuses between 2003 and2014, despite an annual sal-ary topping out at $220,000-plus.

Top staffers got big, frequent bonusesBy WILL WEISSERTASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — The familyof a 14-year-old Muslimstudent who got in trou-ble over a homemadeclock mistaken for a pos-sible bomb withdrew theboy Monday from his sub-urban Dallas high school.

Ahmed Mohamed’s fa-ther, Mohamed El-HassanMohamed, said he haspulled all of his childrenfrom their Irving Inde-pendent School Districtschools. Mohamed saidthe family is still decid-ing where to send the

children to school.Ahmed has said he

brought the clock hemade to MacArthur HighSchool in Irving lastweek to show a teacher.Officials say he was ar-rested after anotherteacher saw it and be-came concerned. Ahmedwasn’t charged, but hewas suspended fromschool for three days.

“Ahmed said, ‘I don’twant to go to MacAr-thur,”’ Ahmed’s fathertold The Dallas MorningNews. “These kids aren’tgoing to be happy there.”

News of the arrestsparked an outpouring of

support for Ahmed, in-cluding from PresidentBarack Obama.

The turmoil surround-ing Ahmed’s case has hada harmful effect on theteen, Mohamed said, add-ing that his son has losthis appetite and is notsleeping well.

“It’s torn the familyand makes us very con-fused,” Mohamed said.

Numerous schools haveoffered to enroll Ahmed,his father said. But Mo-hamed said he wants togive his son a breatherbefore making a decision.

He said his entire familyplans to fly to New Yorkon Wednesday, whereUnited Nations dignitar-ies want to meet his son.Then, if the appropriatevisas can be obtained,Mohamed wants to takehis son on a pilgrimageto the holy city of Meccain Saudi Arabia.

“I ask Allah to blessthis time. After that, we’llsee,” Mohamed said.

When they return, avisit to the White Houseand a meeting with Oba-ma is in the works, hesaid.

Boy withdraws from school over clockASSOCIATED PRESS

In this Sept. 17 file photo,Ahmed Mohamed gestures ashe arrives at his family’s homein Irving, Texas.

Photo by LM Otero | AP file

PAGE 4A Zopinion WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

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

One of Pope Francis’ fa-vorite novels is “The Be-trothed” by AlessandroManzoni. It is about twolovers whose longing tomarry is thwarted by acowardly and morally me-diocre priest and a grasp-ing nobleman. A good sim-ple friar shelters the suffer-ing couple. Then a plaguehits the country, remindingeveryone of their mortalityand vulnerability, and alsobringing about a moralreckoning.

As the doctors serve inhospitals for the body, thegood people in the churchserve in hospitals for thesoul. One cardinal remon-strates the cowardly priest.“You should have loved, myson; loved and prayed.Then you would have seenthat the forces of iniquityhave power to threaten andto wound, but no power tocommand.” In the endthere are heart-wrenchingscenes of confession, for-giveness, reconciliation andmarriage.

I mention Francis’ favor-ite novel, which he’s readfour times, because we inthe media are about toover-politicize his visit toAmerica. We’re comfortabletalking about our ideologi-cal disputes, so we’ll closelyfollow and cover whateverhints he drops on abortion,gay marriage, global warm-ing and divorce.

But this visit is also aspiritual and cultural event.Millions of Americans willdisplay their faith in public.Francis will offer doctrinalinstruction for Catholics.But the great gift is theman himself — his manner,the way he carries himself.Specifically, Francis offers amodel on two great ques-tions: How do you deeplylisten and learn? How doyou uphold certain moralstandards, while still beingloving and merciful tothose you befriend?

Throughout his lifeFrancis’ core message hasbeen anti-ideological. AsAusten Ivereigh notes inhis biography “The GreatReformer,” Francis has con-sistently criticized abstractintellectual systems thatspeak in crude generalities,instrumentalize the poorand ignore the rich idiosyn-cratic nature of each souland situation. He has writ-ten that many of our politi-cal debates are so abstract,you can’t smell the sweat ofreal life. They reduce every-thing to “tired, gray car-toon-book narratives.”

Francis’ great gift, bycontrast, is learningthrough intimacy, not justto study poverty but to liveamong the poor and feel itas a personal experiencefrom the inside. “I see thechurch as a field hospitalafter battle,” Francis toldthe interviewer Father An-tonio Spadaro. “The thingthe church needs most to-day is the ability to healwounds and to warm thehearts of the faithful; itneeds nearness, proximity.… Heal the wounds, healthe wounds. … And you

have to start from theground up.”

That closeness teachesyou granular details but al-so arouses a sense of re-spect. “I see the sanctity ofGod’s people, this dailysanctity,” Francis has said.“I see the holiness in thepatience of the people ofGod: a woman who is rais-ing children, a man whoworks to bring home thebread, the sick, the elderlypriests who have so manywounds but have a smileon their faces.”

We practice moral andintellectual elitism, lookingupward for status and spe-cialized and de-spiritual-ized knowledge. Francisemphasizes that differentkinds of knowledge comefrom different quarters. Ashe put it, “This is how it iswith Mary: If you want toknow who she is, you askthe theologians; if youwant to know how to loveher, you have to ask thepeople.”

These days some reli-gious people believe theyneed to cut themselves offfrom the corruptions of adecadent modern culture.But Francis argues thatyou need to throw yourselfin the world’s diverse liv-ing cultures to see God inhis full glory and you needfaith to see people in theirfull depth. He is fond ofquoting Dostoyevsky’s linefrom “The Brothers Kara-mazov,” “Whoever does notbelieve in God will not be-lieve in the people of God.… Only the people andtheir future spiritual pow-er will convert our athe-ists, who have severedthemselves from their ownland.”

Francis’ whole approachis personal, intimate andsituation-specific. If youare too rigorous and justapply abstract rules, he ar-gues, you are washingyour hands of your respon-sibility to a person. But ifyou are too lax, and justtry to be kind to everybody,you are ignoring the truthof sin and the need to cor-rect it.

Only by being immersedin the specificity of thatperson and that myste-rious soul can you strikethe right balance betweenrigor and compassion. On-ly by being intimate andloving can you match theauthority that comes fromchurch teaching with thedemocratic wisdom thatbubbles from each individ-ual’s common sense.

Francis is an extraor-dinary learner, listenerand self-doubter. The bestpart of this week will bewatching him relate to peo-ple, how he listens deeplyand learns from them, howhe sees them both in theirgreat sinfulness but alsowith endless mercy andself-emptying love.

COLUMN

Pope’s visit aspiritual,

cultural event

“DAVID BROOKS

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Times doesnot publish anonymousletters.

To be published, let-ters must include thewriter’s first and lastnames as well as aphone number to verifyidentity. The phone num-ber IS NOT published; itis used solely to verifyidentity and to clarifycontent, if necessary.Identity of the letterwriter must be verifiedbefore publication.

We want to assure our

readers that a letter iswritten by the personwho signs the letter. TheZapata Times does notallow the use of pseudo-nyms.

Letters are edited forstyle, grammar, lengthand civility. No name-calling or gratuitousabuse is allowed.

Via e-mail, send lettersto editorial@lmton-line.com or mail them toLetters to the Editor, 111Esperanza Drive, Laredo,TX 78041.

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Traveling for a livingwas never any fun for me.

As a very young man, Ispent the better part of twoyears on a magazine jobtraveling around Texaswriting about towns andthe business and industrywithin that city. While itwas educational, this smalltown boy didn’t like driv-ing all over the state in or-der to accomplish it.

That’s right, driving, ex-cept once. I was assigned todo an issue on El Paso andwas told I didn’t have todrive.

Yea! But … I couldn’t fly,I had to go by train. Notbad, I thought, dreaming ofa room with a bed, mealsand such.

Wrong. Coach car. A 17-hour trip. The seatwouldn’t recline. Groan.

Pack a lunch or buysandwiches to be eaten, ofcourse, sitting in that mi-serable coach seat … thatwouldn’t recline.

And, upon arriving, Ihad to not only gather thematerial from which to dothe story, including a coverphoto, drawing or paintingof some kind, but sell the

ads and design many ofthem as well. But, I wasn’tallowed to “woo” the bigadvertisers with lunch ordinner or anything thatcost money. I was expectedto “hold” my own meal ex-pense to a minimum,which meant a lot of sand-wiches or burgers. Nosteaks and certainly no re-laxing libation of any kind.

Oh, and room accommo-dations meant some hotelthat was desperate enoughfor business to trade out adspace in the magazine topay for the cheesy room. InWichita Falls, the hotel waspretty run down.

A bellman helped mecarry my luggage to theroom and as we got on theelevator I suppose my longface communicated my mi-sery. He said, “Lonesome,huh?” I told him I was. Hesmiled then got me situatedin my room.

In a few minutes, therewas a knock at my door. I

opened it to find a reason-ably attractive but cheapwoman in a much-too-tightskirt and an equally“close” sweater displayingitems that beauty queensand swim suit modelswould die for. As sheleaned against the doorjamb, popping her chewinggum, she said, “I under-stand you’re lonely.”

“Yeah, but not that lone-ly,” as I quickly closed thedoor.

The next morning I no-ticed the bellman wasn’tsmiling. Missed a commis-sion, I suspect.

I was required to not on-ly wear a suit and tie dur-ing business hours at thehome office and on theroad, but carry an attachécase, an umbrella and weara hat.

When I left work eachday and when I was on theroad, the hat and umbrellawent into the trunk of thecar and I appeared the nor-mal human being I cravedto be.

In analyzing why my edi-tor required those items, Iconcluded that she was liv-ing in 1930s and ‘40s mov-

ies where the businessmanwas attired in just thatmanner. Really cool Madi-son Avenue stuff. Hmph.

While hurrying homeone Friday night from abusiness trip, the hood ofmy 1960 Morris Minor wasapparently loose and thewind bent it up over mywindshield. A sympatheticolder man stopped when hesaw my plight, helped meget the hood down to wherehe could take some hay-bal-ing wire from his car andtie down my greatly dam-aged hood so I could drivesafely.

After two years of suchmisery, I returned to therelatively safe climes ofsmall towns to edit andpublish community news-papers.

I knew I was not cut outto be a traveling man. Well,maybe for pleasure, in anairplane or on a boat butnever as a way to make aliving.

Willis Webb is a retiredcommunity newspaper edi-tor-publisher of more than50 years experience. He canbe reached atwwebb1937@att.net.

COLUMN

Being a traveling man is no fun

On Monday, WisconsinGov. Scott Walker an-nounced that he is sus-pending his campaign forthe Republican presidentialnomination. Readers of thiscolumn know this comes asno surprise to me.

Walker’s failure to mas-ter policy issues beyond hisstate, his uninspiringspeaking style, his frequentflip-flops (likely born of in-decision about policies hedid not know well), his mis-taken effort to race to theright to catch Donald

Trump and his decliningfortunes in must-win Iowacontributed to a flop com-parable to former Texasgovernor Rick Perry’s 2008effort. Unlike Perry, howev-er, Walker did not have oneiconic, horrible momentforever preserved on video.He can go back to Wiscon-sin, complete his term,work hard for the partyand perhaps give it anothertry down the road.

That said, one can learnpolicy but it is hard to re-wire one’s personality. Inthis race, Walker was sortof the un-Carly Fiorina.She has been serious,

strong, witty and aggres-sive, delivering splendid de-bate performances. Walkerwas none of those things.He seemed small, skittishand out of his depth. View-ers could see it. Not everygovernor of a small Mid-west state has what it takesto be president, particular-ly at a young age. Andsome people never are ableto project that largeness ofspirit and sense of com-mand.

In this case Walker’sproblems were heightenedby an underwhelming cam-paign team, which fell inlove with early, largely ir-

relevant polls numbers andspent too much moneyearly on, sent its candidateout when he was not ready(e.g. his trip to London,where he punted on evolu-tion and other matters),and telegraphed its strate-gy, making him seem aboutas authentic as HillaryClinton.

It is a warning to others:Be ready before you run.Get the best staff. Have pol-icy objectives and goalsfirmly in mind. And if youdon’t have what it takes,stay home. That’s one les-son Walker seemed to final-ly figure out.

COLUMN

A lesson learned the hard way:Walker suspends campaign

By JENNIFER RUBINTHE WASHINGTON POST

Sports&OutdoorsWEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

IRVING — Tony Romowon’t be back for at leasttwo months because of abroken left collarbone, andmaybe closer to three withthe way the schedule fallsfor the Dallas Cowboys.

His All-Pro receiver, DezBryant, will be sidelinedperhaps through the endof October because of abroken right foot.

The defending NFCEast champions are aloneatop the division at 2-0 af-ter a 20-10 victory at Phila-delphia that cost themtheir quarterback a weekafter Bryant’s injury inthe opener.

And yet the biggestquestion is whether they’llstill be in contention bythe time Romo and Bryantare on the field togetheragain.

The first start-to-finishtest without both star play-ers is Sunday at homeagainst Atlanta (2-0).

“There is pressure oneveryone in this organiza-tion,” said Brandon Weed-en, the backup responsiblefor keeping the Cowboysafloat while their four-time

Pro Bowl quarterback isout.

“So I am not going toput any added pressure onmyself. I know what is atstake. I know we have agood team. So hopefullywe can all rally and keepthis going in the right di-

rection.”Coach Jason Garrett

said Monday that tests re-vealed no ligament dam-age for Romo after the sec-ond broken collarbone ofhis career. The other wasin 2010, when he missedthe final 10 games of the

(Miami). If he goes on theinjured list with the optionof returning, the visit tothe Dolphins would be thefirst possible return date.

And if he’s not ready foreither of those games, Ro-mo’s absence could ap-proach three months if he

skips a short week for theThanksgiving home gameagainst Carolina and re-turns Dec. 7 at Washing-ton.

Owner Jerry Jones hassaid Bryant’s broken foot,sustained in the fourthquarter against the NewYork Giants, will need sixweeks to heal. That wouldput his earliest return dateat Nov. 1 at home againstdefending NFC championSeattle. And he will miss avisit from Super Bowlchampion New Englandon Oct. 11.

“We have a lot of weap-ons, a lot of good weap-ons,” Weeden said. “So myjob is to make it easy onthose guys, let them dotheir jobs, get them thoseone-on-one matchups, andlet them do what they dobest.”

Weeden threw a clinch-ing 42-yard touchdownpass to Terrance Williamsin the fourth quarteragainst the Eagles after re-placing Romo.

But the 31-year-old haslost his past eight gamesas a starter, including Ari-zona last year when Romowas out with a back inju-ry.

season. However, Dallaswas out of playoff conten-tion before he could havereturned.

The most optimistictime frame for Romo’s re-turn is during a two-gameFlorida swing on Nov. 15(Tampa Bay) and Nov. 22

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE: DALLAS COWBOYS

Cowboys moving on

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo is expected to be sidelined eight weeks with a broken left collarbone.Photo by Matt Rourke | AP

Dallas tries to stay afloat without Tony Romo and Dez BryantBy SCHUYLER DIXON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PEACE OF MIND FOR SENIORS WITH A MORTGAGE:

Many seniors are escaping theirmonthly mortgage burden andcashing in on their home equity tax-free with a Reverse Mortgage loan…while still owning their home!

AAG-0136

Any senior can requestthis FREE Kit simply

by calling toll-free1-800-791-8843

Senior homeowners are thrilled with the cash

“My AAG Reverse Mortgage Pro-fessional went through the wholeprocess with me. Her kindness andthoughtfulness was amazing and Itruly appreciate it. I don’t have to paya mortgage payment each month,and I got some cash on top of it. I feltlike I had nothing to worry aboutand that everything would be takencare of, and it was!”

- John H., PA

“I was down to nothing, but the

reverse mortgage allowed me topay o� my mortgage when I wasabout to be foreclosed on. My Re-verse Mortgage Specialist was sogreat and explained everything tome so I could understand. Now Ican even set aside money for a rainyday and not worry. I got to keepmy house, �x it up nicely, and haveextra money in the bank. I’m verysatis�ed and happy with the reversemortgage. “

- �eodore C., NY

RatedA+

U.S.A.’s No.1Reverse Mortgage Company

These materials are not from HUD or FHA and were not approved by HUD or a government agency.

NMLS# 9392 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org). American Advisors Group (AAG) is headquartered at 3800 W. Chapman Ave., 3rd & 7th Floors, OrangeCA, 92868. AAG conducts business in the following states: AK (Alaska Mortgage Broker/Lender License No. AK9392), AL, AR, AZ (MB_0911141), CA (CALoans made or arranged pursuant to a California Finance Lenders Law license (603F324) and Licensed by the Department of Business Oversight underthe California Residential Mortgage Lending Act (4131144), CO (Regulated by the Division of Real Estate; to check the license status of your mortgage loanoriginator, visit http://www.dora.state.co.us/real-estate/index.htm), CT, DC (District of Columbia Mortgage Dual Authority License No. MLB9392), DE, FL,GA (residential Mortgage Licensee #22849), IA, ID, IL (Illinois Residential Mortgage Licensee; Illinois Commissioner of Banks can be reached at 100 WestRandolph, 9th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60601, (312)814-4500), IN, KS (Kansas Licensed Mortgage Company MC. 0025024), KY, LA MD, ME (SCM11356), MI,MN, MO, MS (Licensed by the Mississippi Department of Banking and Consumer Finance), NC, ND, NE, NJ (Licensed by the N.J. Department of Bankingand Insurance), NM, NV, NY (Mortgage Banker License #B500998 – NYS Department of Financial Services), OH, OK, OR (ML-4623), PA (Licensed by thePennsylvania Department of Banking 28356), RI (Rhode Island Licensed Lender), SD, SC, TN, TX (Mortgage Banker Registration), UT, VA (Licensed by theVirginia State Corporation Commission MC – 5134), VT (Vermont Lender License No. 6384), WA (Consumer Loan # CL-9392),WV, WI, WY (WY-DBA AAGReverse Mortgage Lender/Broker License No. 2331).

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES - PLEASE READ*If you qualify and your loan is approved, a HECM Reverse Mortgage must pay off your existing mortgage(s).With a HECM Reverse Mortgage, no monthly mortgage payment is required. Borrowers are responsible forpaying property taxes and homeowner’s insurance (which may be substantial). We do not establish an escrowaccount for disbursements of these payments. Borrowers must also occupy home as primary residence andpay for ongoing maintenance; otherwise the loan becomes due and payable. The loan must be paid off whenthe last borrower, or eligible non-borrowing surviving spouse, dies, sells the home, permanently moves out, ordoes not comply with the loan terms. Call 1-800-791-8843 to learn more.

A reverse mortgage increases the principal mortgage loan amount and decreases home equity (it is a negative

process your request for a reverse mortgage, AAG may forward your contact information to such lenders foryour consideration of reverse mortgage programs that they offer.

There is no cost or obligation to call.

It’s a great time in America forsenior homeowners. Why?Because home values are up.And FHA-approved HomeEquity Conversion Mortgages(HECMs) are at their peak ofpopularity.�at’s why more and moreseniors are taking advantageof HECM Reverse Mortgageprograms to supplement theirretirement income, whileeliminating a burdensomemortgage payment.It is estimated that millions moresenior homeowners could stillbene�t from this type of FHA-insured loan if only they wereaware.Many think that this “retirementsecret,” signed into law byPresident Ronald Reagan,and endorsed by former U.S.Senator and paid spokesperson

for AmericanAdvisors Group,Fred �ompson,seems too goodto be true.But it really is not.�e simple factis, with a ReverseMortgage, thehomeowner getsneeded cash outof their home andthe eliminationof monthly

mortgage payments*, while stillowning and living in their home.In fact, the very �rst reversemortgage was written to help awidow stay in her home despitethe loss of her husband’s income.Today, reverse mortgagescontinue to help individuals stayin their home.And there is no catch. �at’swhy millions of seniors havemade this choice. �e law thathas governed HECMs for the

last 25 years remains in placespeci!cally for the purpose ofhelping senior citizens remainin their homes without theusual burden of a monthly loanpayment.Some people mistakenly perceivereverse mortgages as “scams”due to rumors they’ve heard. As aresult, many senior homeownerswho could bene�t from a cash-rich reverse mortgage don’t evenget the information they need tomake an informed decision.Seniors who:

May be struggling to maketheir mortgage paymentsNeed cash to make neededhome repairsWould like more money totravel and enjoy retirement

... are perfect candidates for areverse mortgage.Today, reverse mortgages arehelping over a million seniorsenjoy a more secure retirement.A recent survey by AmericanAdvisors Group (AAG), thenation’s number one reversemortgage lender, found that 97%of their clients were satis�edwith their reverse mortgages.While Reverse Mortgages arerelatively simple in nature, itis best to be well-informedbefore making a decision. �at’swhy AAG has created a FREEinformation kit with 3 bookletsand a CD narrated by formerU.S. Senator, Fred �ompson.

More seniors today are taking advantage of HECMReverse Mortgages to enjoy their Golden Years.

President Reagan

Former U.S. SenatorFred Thompson

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES National WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

DURHAM, N.C. — ANorth Carolina sheriff ’sdeputy says he heard wail-ing in the darkness andplunged into an apartmentcomplex’s pond at night torescue two young girls who,police say, had been thrownthere to drown by their fa-ther.

Durham County Sheriff ’sDeputy DavidEarp was offduty and sayshe rushed outwith littlemore thanhis depart-ment T-shirt,badge andflashlight af-

ter the apartment managercalled him at home around9 p.m. Sunday to reportsome kind of trouble.

“I heard something aboutchildren, that they mightpossibly be in trouble,”Earp said in an interviewTuesday with The Associat-ed Press. “And after I wasinformed that there werekids involved, instinct tookover just to go out there andrescue them.”

Earp, who lives aroundthe corner from the pond,spotted the girls in the darkwith his flashlight and sawa 5-year-old floating and cry-ing. Her 3-year-old sisterwas fully submerged. Earpsays he charged into waterabout 5 feet deep andscooped them up, holdingone in each arm.

He took no notice of thegirls’ father, Alan TysheenEugene Lassiter, 29, of Ra-leigh — the man who waslater charged with trying todrown his kids. In the heatof the moment, Earp was fo-cused on just one thing: try-ing to save the girls’ lives.

Earp said they wereabout 10 feet from the bank,which slopes sharply downto the pond that stretchesabout the length of a foot-ball field. After pulling thegirls to land, Earp said hetook the 5-year-old to a near-by gazebo and asked theproperty manager and herson to watch over her.

“I knew she was terrifiedand I just took her off anddidn’t want her to bearound her sister,” Earpsaid.

The 5-year veteran of thesheriff ’s department said heand the arriving officersfrom the Durham police de-partment performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation onthe 3-year-old for about 15minutes until medical helparrived.

Police said the youngergirl was in critical conditionTuesday and the older girlin good condition.

According to authorities,Lassiter threw the girls intothe pond surrounded byapartment buildings.

Lassiter said so himself,during a 911 call Sundaynight. Between expletive-la-den rage and distraughtsobs, he told a dispatcherthat officials had tried totake away his children as hedealt with a personal prob-lem. He can be heard on thecall telling the complex’sproperty manager, “I justdrowned my two daughtersin the lake back there.”

Sylvia Scott, the propertymanager for five years, saidshe called Earp after a ten-ant reported a man walkingaround the complex lookingfor a son he said had beenkidnapped. Scott quicklyfound Lassiter talking onthe phone with the 911 dis-patcher. Lassiter also toldScott his missing son hadbeen kidnapped. In fact, theboy had run away from hisfather and was seeking help,police said.

Earp, who frequentlydrives through the complexin his marked patrol car, ar-rived seconds later. As thedeputy retrieved the girls,Lassiter was standing near-by smoking a cigarette, thenbecame distraught, saying“what have I done?” andstarted crying, Scott said.

Lassiter did not live atthe apartment complex, andDurham Police Chief JoseLopez said he apparentlywent there at random.

Lassiter was chargedwith three counts of at-tempted murder.

Deputysaves 2 kids

By EMERY P. DALESIOASSOCIATED PRESS

EARPANCHORAGE, Alaska

— Fossils from a uniqueplant-eating dinosaurfound in the high Arctic ofAlaska may change howscientists view dinosaurphysiology, say Alaska andFlorida university re-searchers.

A paper published Tues-day concluded that fossil-ized bones found alongAlaska’s Colville Riverwere from a distinct spe-cies of hadrosaur, a duck-billed dinosaur not con-nected to hadrosaurs pre-viously identified in Cana-da and Lower 48 states.

It’s the fourth speciesunique to northern Alas-ka. It supports a theory ofArctic-adapted dinosaursthat lived 69 million yearsago in temperatures farcooler than the tropical orequatorial temperaturesmost people associate withdinosaurs, said GregoryErickson, professor of bio-logical science at FloridaState.

“Basically a lost worldof dinosaurs that we didn’trealize existed,” he said.

The northern hadro-saurs would have enduredmonths of winter darknessand probably snow.

“It was certainly notlike the Arctic today upthere — probably in the40s was the mean annualtemperature,” Ericksonsaid. “Probably a goodanalogy is thinking aboutBritish Columbia.”

The next step in the re-search program will be totry to figure out how theysurvived, he said.

Mark Norell, curator ofpaleontology at the Amer-ican Museum of NaturalHistory in New York, saidby email that it was plau-sible the animals lived inthe high Arctic year-round, just like muskoxenand caribou do now. It’shard to imagine, he said,that the small, juvenile di-nosaurs were physicallycapable of long-distanceseasonal migration.

“Furthermore, the cli-mate was much less harshin the Late Cretaceousthan it is today, makingsustainability easier,” hesaid.

Most of the fossils werefound in the LiscombBone Bed more than 300miles northwest of Fair-banks and a little morethan 100 miles south of theArctic Ocean. The bed isnamed for geologist RobertLiscomb, who found the

first dinosaur bones inAlaska in 1961 while map-ping for Shell Oil Co.

Liscomb thought theycame from mammals.They remained in storagefor about two decades un-til someone identified thefossils as dinosaur bones,said Pat Druckenmiller,earth sciences curator atthe University of AlaskaMuseum.

Researchers over thenext 25 years excavatedand catalogued more than6,000 hadrosaur bones, farmore than any other Alas-ka dinosaur. Most werefrom small juveniles esti-mated to have been about9 feet long and 3 feet tall atthe hips.

“It appears that a herdof young animals waskilled suddenly, wiping outmostly one similar-agedpopulation to create thisdeposit,” Druckenmillersaid.

They initially werethought to be Edmonto-saurus, a hadrosaur well-known in Canada and theU.S., including Montanaand South Dakota. Theformal study of the Alaskadinosaur, however, re-vealed differences in skulland mouth features thatmade it a different species,Druckenmiller said.

Researchers havedubbed the creature Ugru-naaluk kuukpikensis (oo-GROO’-nah-luk KOOK’-pik-en-sis). The namemeans “ancient grazer”and was chosen by scien-tists with assistance fromspeakers of Inupiaq, thelanguage of Alaska InupiatEskimos.

The dinosaurs grew upto 30 feet long. Hundredsof teeth helped them chewcoarse vegetation, re-searchers said. They prob-ably walked primarily ontheir hind legs, but theycould walk on four legs,Druckenmiller said.

The Liscomb Bone Bedduring the Cretaceous Pe-riod was hundreds ofmiles farther north inwhat’s now the ArcticOcean, Druckenmillersaid.

University of AlaskaFairbanks graduate stu-dent Hirotsugu Mori overfive years completed hisdoctoral work on the spe-cies. The findings werepublished Tuesday in “Ac-ta Palaeontologica Poloni-ca,” an international pale-ontology quarterly jour-nal.

Researchers are work-ing to name other Alaskadinosaurs.

Scientists have discovered some 10,000 bones from the duck-billed dinosaur in Alaska.

Photo by Pat Druckenmiller/The Washington Post | AP

New dinosaurfound in Alaska

By DAN JOLINGASSOCIATED PRESS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 National THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

WASHINGTON — Hill-ary Rodham Clinton’s planto rein in prescription drugprices by reshaping howdrugmakers do business isbeing met by skepticismwithin the industry.

Pharmaceutical expertsare mostly shrugging off theproposal from the Demo-cratic presidential candi-date, which she outlinedTuesday at a forum in Iowa.They point out that some ofthe ideas have been rejectedrepeatedly by Congress overthe last 20 years.

The Clinton plan in-cludes a combination of pro-posals long pursued byDemocrats, such as cheaperdrug imports from abroadand permitting Medicare tonegotiate drug prices withcompanies. It adds somenewer ideas, including re-

quiring drugmakers to in-vest a set portion of profitsinto research, rather thanTV and print advertise-ments.

The announcementcomes amid growing con-sumer worries about pre-scription medication costs,which grew an estimated12.6 percent last year, ac-cording to the federal gov-ernment.

More than 70 percent ofAmericans think drug costsare unreasonable and favor

limiting what drug compa-nies can charge for medi-cines that treat serious ill-nesses, according to a recentpoll from the nonpartisanKaiser Family Foundation.

But even with broad pub-lic support, industry expertssay price restrictions areunlikely to make their waythrough Congress, which isexpected to remain in Re-publican hands.

“You have to look at thisas a rhetorical statement be-cause these are proposalsthat have been roundly re-jected by the Congress re-peatedly,” said Dan Mendel-son, president of Avalerehealth consultants, whoserved in the Clinton WhiteHouse during the 1990s. Oth-er industry watchers saidthe plan appeared aimed atneutralizing competitionfrom Clinton’s chief rival forthe Democratic nomination,Bernie Sanders.

Clinton touts drug plan

CLINTON

By MATTHEW PERRONEASSOCIATED PRESS

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa — Re-publican presidential candi-date Jeb Bush said Tuesdaythat multiculturalism is badfor the United States, addingthat immigrants who closethemselves off from Americanculture deny themselves accessto economic rewards.

The former governor ofFlorida, who speaks fluentSpanish and often touts hissuccess winning Latino votesin a party that badly needsthem, addressed the issue in apacked northern Iowa diner ashe met people in the crowd.

A young woman approachedthe candidate and asked howthe federal government couldhelp refugees better incorpo-rate into U.S. society.

“We should not have a mul-ticultural society,” Bush said,before beginning a longer ex-planation of his views of whatcomprises culture in the U.S.

“When you create pockets ofisolation — and in some placesthe process of assimilation hasbeen retarded because they’veslowed down — it’s wrong,” headded. “It limits people’s aspi-rations.”

A multicultural societygives all cultures equal promi-nence, but they remain sepa-rate.

Bush’s remarks appeared toconflict with the way he haspresented himself throughoutthe campaign and hew towardother GOP presidential hope-fuls who are hoping to appealto the party’s core supporters.

But Bush said later heviewed multiculturalism asnot aspiring to an Americanideal. “You have to have peopleassimilate into society. Butthat doesn’t mean we have amonolithic, homogeneous pop-ulation. To the contrary,” hetold The Associated Press be-fore headlining a legislativefundraiser in Cedar Rapids.“The power of America is a setof shared values with a verydiverse population embracingit.”

Led by billionaire developerDonald Trump, other GOPpresidential hopefuls haveaired urged newcomers to assi-milate. Some have suggested

it’s their duty.Recently, in South Carolina,

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio wasinterrupted by applause whenhe said legal status for immi-grants should be determinedby what they could contributeand “whether they want to livein America or whether theywant to be American.”

Trump has climbed to thetop of national Republican

preference pollsin part by usingstronger lan-guage. He’s de-scribed illegalimmigrants oftenas violent, preda-tory criminals,vowing to deportthem by the mil-

lions and proposing to build awall between the United Statesand Mexico.

The approach clashes withthe Republican Party’s effort toattract support from the in-creasingly influential Hispaniccommunity, which the GOPhas named as critical to theparty’s successes. The nationalGOP is hosting events acrossthe country to mark HispanicHeritage Month.

Compared to most of his Re-publican rivals, Bush’s person-al story gives his credibilitywith Latinos. His wife, Colum-ba, is a Mexican native. Bushsometimes campaigns in Span-ish and is fond of relating de-tails that highlight the influen-ce of Hispanic culture at home.

“We eat Mexican food in thehome. My children are Hispan-ic in many aspects. We don’ttalk about it, but the Hispanicinfluence is an important partof my life,” Bush said in a Julyinterview with Telemundo.

Bush even took a shot atTrump on the issue, mockingthe frontrunner’s credibility.

“Mr. Trump says that I can’tspeak Spanish,” Bush, speak-ing Spanish, told supportersrecently in Miami. “Pobrecito”(poor guy).

Yet Bush has used the term“anchor babies” to describe in-fants whose parents come tothe United States specificallyso the children are born in theUnited States and granted au-tomatic citizenship. The termis considered offensive in theHispanic community.

Bush condemnsmulticulturalism

BUSH

By THOMAS BEAUMONTASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Senate Dem-ocrats thwarted a Republican ef-fort to ban late-term abortions onTuesday as GOP leaders strainedto avoid a government shutdownin eight days over the dispute —all against a tangled backdrop ofpresidential politics.

Up next, in the first of a seriesof choreographed steps, SenateMajority Leader Mitch McConnell,R-Ky., set up a showdown vote forThursday on stopgap legislationthat would keep the governmentoperating through Dec. 11.

But it would also block PlannedParenthood’s federal funds for ayear, and Democrats are expectedto block that measure, too, settingup subsequent votes on must-passbills to keep the government openfree of the dispute over PlannedParenthood and abortion.

Abortion politics is roiling Con-gress and the White House cam-paign as well. A number of Repub-licans, outraged over Planned Par-enthood’s procurement of fetaltissue for scientific research, aredemanding definitive action fromGOP leaders.

“If Senate Republicans cannotdefund Planned Parenthood rightnow, there is no point in callingthem Republicans,” LouisianaGov. Bobby Jindal, a candidate forthe GOP nomination, tweeted lastweek.

President Barack Obama andcongressional Democrats stand asthe chief obstacles, with Demo-crats repeatedly blocking any leg-islation that undermines abortionrights.

“I just don’t think that there are60 votes in the Senate for that ap-proach, which will then say to theHouse that we really need a clean(funding bill) if we’re going toavoid a shutdown,” said moderateGOP Sen. Susan Collins of Maine.

On Tuesday, Senate Democratsblocked a GOP measure to prohib-it most late-term abortions. TheSenate voted 54-42 to move aheadon the legislation, but that fell sixvotes short of the 60 needed tocrack a filibuster mostly led byDemocrats.

Tuesday’s vote was the secondtime since this summer’s releaseof videos involving Planned Par-enthood that Senate Democratshave derailed an abortion-relateddrive by the GOP. It was held lessthan 48 hours before a first-everpapal address to Congress by PopeFrancis, who leads a Roman Cath-olic Church that rejects abortion.

Some Republicans were unwill-ing to back down in the face of theDemocratic opposition.

“We should stand for our prin-ciples, and our principles shouldnot be surrendering to the Demo-crats,” another presidential candi-date, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, saidTuesday.

But some other Republicans in-sisted that an abortion fight thatleads to a government shutdownwould make no sense.

“I’m tired of the people on myside of the aisle who have beenpushing this strategy, even thoughthey know they don’t have thevotes,” said Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., up for re-election in a stateObama carried twice. “Therefore,they can’t answer the question,‘What’s the endgame for successhere?”’

Ultimately, McConnell’s movesappeared aimed at delivering atemporary government-wide fund-ing bill to the House, where abor-tion politics seems to have GOPleaders flummoxed.

GOP leaders in the House havestaged several votes on anti-abor-tion legislation, but the moveshaven’t satisfied a handful of GOPhardliners who are insisting thatthe must-pass budget measure in-clude language stripping taxpayerfunding for Planned Parenthood.

McConnell has promised that afederal shutdown — which Repub-lican leaders fear that voterswould blame on the GOP — willnot happen.

The showdown is reminiscentof a failed Cruz-led attempt twoyears ago to use a must-pass stop-gap measure to try to block imple-mentation of the health care law.That led to a 16-day partial shut-down that GOP leaders are keento avoid this time, especially as

the presidential election drawscloser.

Hanging over it all is the weak-ened political standing of HouseSpeaker John Boehner, R-Ohio,who is under fire from some teaparty conservatives who say he isnot tough enough in battling Oba-ma. Some Republicans, includingHouse Majority Leader KevinMcCarthy of California and NewJersey Gov. Chris Christie havecalled on Senate Republicans tochange Senate rules to make iteasier to move legislation pastDemocratic filibusters.

“We appreciate all the good ad-vice we’re getting from membersof the House of Representativesand candidates for president abouthow to run the Senate,” McCon-nell said icily. “That will obviouslybe a decision we make ourselves.”

Another issue, little noticed sofar, is that delivery of food stampbenefits to the poor could be cutoff next month. That’s a changefrom shutdowns in 2013 and 1995.

Abortion foes say videos showPlanned Parenthood has violatedfederal prohibitions against profit-ing from fetal tissue sales orchanging some abortion proce-dures to maximize the harvestingof fetus organs. Planned Parent-hood says it’s broken no laws andsays the videos were manipulatedto distort the recorded conversa-tions.

In Tuesday’s debate, McConnelldescribed human features visiblein fetal sonograms and said scien-tists say that fetuses can feel pain20 weeks into development. Demo-crats have noted that the Ameri-can Congress of Obstetricians andGynecologists has said fetal painis unlikely until a pregnancy’sthird trimester. That begins sever-al weeks after the 20-week mark.

Government shutdown looms

Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., center, speaks to the media with members of the Re-publican leadership on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday.

Photo by Jacquelyn Martin | AP

By ANDREW TAYLOR AND ALAN FRAMASSOCIATED PRESS

FIT 2015NUEVO GUERRERO

— “Trova Son para Siem-pre” se presenta el 25 deseptiembre a las 8 p.m. enla Plaza Principal; “Carro deComedias de la UNAM” sepresenta el 27 de septiem-bre a las 7 p.m. en el Par-que de la Comisión; “BaúlTeatro” se presenta el 1 deoctubre a las 7 p.m. en Pla-za Ruíz Cortinez; “ColectivoTrueque” se presenta el 2de octubre a la 1 p.m. enSecundaria # 61; “Juan Ro-gelio y Familia Ruiz” se pre-sentan el 4 de octubre alas 7 p.m. en Teatro delPueblo. Eventos gratuitos.

CIUDAD MIER —“Tayer” se presenta el 24de septiembre a las 8 p.m.en Plaza Juárez; “Tropa Ca-chivaches” se presenta el25 de septiembre a las 7p.m. en Plaza Juárez; “Gru-po Marimbístico ‘Al Pie delCañón’” se presenta el 25de septiembre a las 8 p.m.en Plaza Juárez; “Carro deComedias de la UNAM” sepresenta el 26 de septiem-bre a las 8 p.m. en PlazaJuárez; “Artistas Indepen-dientes” se presentan el 27de septiembre a las 8 p.m.en Plaza Juárez; “Baúl Tea-tro” se presenta el 28 deseptiembre a las 11 a.m. enEscuela Club de Leones No.1; “Artefactum CaravanaCultural” se presenta el 1de octubre a las 8 p.m. enPlaza Juárez; “Ran RataplánTeatro” se presenta el 4 deoctubre a las 8 p.m. en Pla-za Juárez. Eventos gratuitos.

MIGUEL ALEMÁN —“Adelmar Moreno” se pre-senta el 24 de septiembre alas 2:33 p.m. en Casa de laCultura; “Cerouno” se pre-senta el 24 de septiembre alas 5 p.m. en Plaza Princi-pal; “Trova Son para Siem-pre” se presenta el 26 deseptiembre a las 5 p.m. enPlaza Principal; “GerardoContreras” se presenta el27 de septiembre a las 5p.m. en Plaza Principal’“Manuel Alaffita” se presen-ta el 2 de octubre a las 5p.m. en Plaza Principal; y,“En Blanco y Negro” se pre-senta el 3 de octubre a las5 p.m. en Plaza Principal.

CIERRE CONSULADOSEl viernes 9 de octu-

bre, debido a una actualiza-ción de los sistemas consu-lares, las operaciones con-sulares de la embajada deEU en la Ciudad de Méxicoy los nueve consulados entoda la República Mexicana,permanecerán cerrados alpúblico. Ciudadanos esta-dounidenses que requierenasistencia de emergenciadeben llamar al 867-714-0512 extensión 3128 de 8a.m. a 5 p.m., o al 867-727-2797 después de horas deoficina.

DESFILEROMA — El Roma

Fest Parade, con el tema“250 Years of Culture andHeritage” será el domingo11 de octubre a partir delas 3 p.m. La alineación departicipantes será en NixStreet (detrás del CitizensState Bank). Los contingen-tes continuarán hasta USHwy 83 (Garcia St.). Intere-sados en participar puedellamar al Ayuntamiento dela Ciudad de Roma en el(956) 849-1411. Entrada esde 10 dólares para empre-sas y gratis para organiza-ciones sin fines de lucro.

SEMANA DE LISTÓN ROJOEn el marco del Mes

de Prevención de Uso deNarcóticos a nivel Nacional,se celebrará el evento “RedRibbon Week” del 23 al 31de octubre.

El evento representa uncompromiso nacional paracrear conciencia y evitar eluso de narcóticos, entre es-tudiantes.

Agendaen Breve

WASHINGTON — La PatrullaFronteriza efectuó en agosto casi10.000 arrestos de niños solos y fa-milias que cruzaron ilegalmente lafrontera desde México, un incre-mento de 52% sobre el mismo mesdel año anterior, según estadísticasdifundidas el lunes por la agencia.

Desde el comienzo del año fiscalen octubre, los agentes fronterizoshan detenido a más de 35.000 me-nores que viajaban sin compañía ymás de 34.500 migrantes que ibanen familia, en su mayoría madrescon hijos.

La cifra total de arrestos en loque va del año fiscal ha bajado ca-si 50% en comparación con el añopasado, aunque los agentes fronte-rizos informaron que desde julioaumentaron las detenciones.

La Patrulla Fronteriza dijo queen agosto de 2014 arrestó a 6.424personas, entre niños inmigrantesque viajaban solos y familias, encomparación con las 9.790 de agos-to de 2015.

El incremento de agosto se daun año después de que una oleadade más de 68.000 menores sin com-pañía entraron en Estados Unidospor la frontera con México. Mu-

chos intentaban escapar de la vio-lencia en Honduras, El Salvador oGuatemala.

Durante los meses siguientes, elnúmero de cruces ilegales por par-te de familias y niños, había sidomucho menor con respecto al añopasado, hasta que se registró unincremento en julio y agosto.

Se desconoce con exactitud porqué habían disminuido los arres-tos fronterizos de familias y meno-res, sin embargo México ha inten-sificado la vigilancia en su fronte-ra sur.

El portavoz de la Casa Blanca,Josh Earnest, dijo que se trata deun “sorprendente incremento” yde una “preocupación” para el go-bierno. Earnest no dio motivos pa-ra el aumento, pero recalcó que lacifra contrasta con el descenso delos cruces ilegales fronterizos quese registra generalmente en agos-

to.Adam Isacson, experto en temas

fronterizos y analista de la Oficinasobre América Latina en Washin-gton, dijo que la detención de 4.632niños en agosto en la fronteraconstituye la cifra más alta paraese mes que la Patrulla Fronterizaha registrado desde 2009.

Isacson dijo que históricamente,los cruces fronterizos desciendendespués de la primavera boreal,cuando se tienen las cifras más al-tas. Sin embargo, en julio se incre-mentaron, y ahora la cifra de me-nores detenidos al cruzar solos aEstados Unidos en agosto se acer-ca bastante a las de principios y fi-nales de esa marea humana en elaño pasado.

Isacson señaló que esto podríaindicar el principio de otra oleada,porque también aumentó el mespasado el número de personas de-

tenidas que viajaban en familia.“Este incremento quizá no sea

permanente”, afirmó. “Pero la ten-dencia es al alza”.

El gobierno se vio sorprendidopor el repentino aumento en la lle-gada de menores y familias en2014. La administración abrió cen-tros para la detención de familiasque pueden albergar a miles depersonas en lo que esperan sus au-diencias de deportación.

Un juez federal en California de-terminó el mes pasado que la de-tención de familias por parte delDepartamento de Seguridad Nacio-nal violaba un añejo acuerdo legalque obliga a que no se retenga amenores migrantes en centros dedetención que no cuentan con laautorización para atender niños.

El gobierno apeló el viernes esefallo y Jeh Johnson, secretario deSeguridad Nacional, dijo que loscentros de detención comenzarona convertirse en centros de proce-samiento para entrevistas e inves-tigación.

Earnest dijo que Estados Unidosmantendrá su advertencia a laspersonas que consideren cruzar lafrontera en forma ilegal o que pre-tendan ayudar a que sus hijos lohagan, sobre los peligros que con-lleva la travesía.

CRUCES FRONTERIZOS

Sorpresa y preocupaciónPOR ALICIA A. CALDWELL

ASSOCIATED PRESS ““Este incremento quizá no sea permanente.Pero la tendencia es al alza”.ADAM ISACSON, EXPERTO EN TEMAS FRONTERIZOS Y ANALISTA DE LA OFICINASOBRE AMÉRICA LATINA EN WASHINGTON

PÁGINA 8A Zfrontera MIÉRCOLES 23 DE SEPTIEMBRE DE 2015

Más de 1.100 tomasclandestinas de hidrocar-buros han logrado serdeshabilitadas por autori-dades mexicanas en cincomunicipios del estado deTamaulipas.

El combate al robo decarburantes forma partede la segunda fase de laEstrategia de Seguridadque impulsa el Gobiernode México y el Gobiernodel Estado.

Según datos a conocerpor el Grupo de Coordina-ción Tamaulipas, 1.119 to-mas clandestinas de hi-

drocarburos han sido de-tectadas y deshabilitadasen un periodo de 19 me-ses, en los municipios deAltamira, González, Rey-nosa, Matamoros y RíoBravo.

Del primero de enero al31 de diciembre del 2014,se neutralizaron 588 to-mas clandestinas; del pri-mero de enero al 10 deseptiembre del 2015, se hi-zo lo mismo con 531.

De acuerdo a la Procu-raduría General de la Re-pública han sido asegura-dos 7 millones 17.137 litrosde hidrocarburo, de loscuales 4 millones 889.067

litros fueron aseguradosen el 2014, mientras en loque va del presente año elaseguramiento llega a 2millones 128.070 litros decombustible.

Igualmente han sido de-tenidos 301 probables res-ponsables del delito de ro-bo de hidrocarburos yhan asegurado 197 tracto-camiones, informó el Gru-po de Coordinación Ta-maulipas. También fueronasegurados 962 vehículosterrestres, se contabiliza-ron 298 autotanques; y sehan confiscado 3.569 bido-nes (recipientes de plásti-co).

SEGURIDAD

Deshabilitan más de1.000 tomas ilegales

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Este fin de semana, elConsulado General de Mé-xico en Estados Unidos enconjunto con la Comisiónde Servicios de Salud y Hu-manos de Texas estará rea-lizando clínicas de saludgratuitas en Zapata y enLaredo.

Las clínicas de saludofrecerán a los residentesde ambas ciudades consul-tas médicas para niños yadultos, tales como terapiafísica y ocupacional, exá-menes de la vista y lentesen caso de ser necesarios.Además se proporcionarán

medicamentos, tomas depresión arterial y glucosa.

Los servicios estarándisponibles tanto para ni-ños como para adultos.

El sábado la clínica desalud se instalará en Zapa-ta County Pavilion, ubicadoen la calle Fresno y la ave-nida 23 en la ciudad de Za-pata en un horario de 10a.m. a 4 p.m.; mientras queel domingo será en el Hol-ding Institute CommunityCenter, ubicado en 1102 dela avenida Santa María enLaredo, de 9 a.m. a 12 p.m.

Los teléfonos para hacercita son: Zapata (956) 728-0210 y en Laredo al (956)718-2070.

SALUD

Habrá clínicas desalud gratuitas

POR MALENA CHARURTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Nuevas oportunidades de inver-sión en la región ribereña harán deésta un polo de desarrollo económi-co, aseguró la titular de la Secreta-ria de Desarrollo Económico y Tu-rismo.

Dentro de los alcances de la Re-forma Energética, planteados en laAgenda Energética de Tamaulipas,los municipios que se verán benefi-ciados con mayor crecimiento yempleo son Guerrero, Mier, MiguelAlemán, Camargo y Gustavo DíazOrdaz.

“Una de las visiones de esta Ad-ministración Estatal es diversificarel asentamiento industrial de la re-gión norte de Tamaulipas”, aseguró

Mónica González García, Secretariade Desarrollo Económico y Turis-mo.

Por ejemplo, en Miguel Alemánse logró invertir 124 millones de pe-sos en el sector de confección, conla instalación de la planta T.T.Blues, una empresa especializadaen la ropa para dama.

T.T. Blues generará hasta 800 em-pleos directos, dijo González Gar-cía.

La región ribereña cuenta con69.820 habitantes, y en Miguel Ale-mán se concentra 42 por ciento dela población, con un crecimientopoblacional anual de 1.7 por ciento.

Su ubicación le permite una fácilconectividad que puede atraer másinversiones, siendo apoyo para el

crecimiento industrial en NuevoLaredo y Reynosa, de acuerdo conel Gobierno de Tamaulipas.

“La ribereña sin duda será unpunto de atracción para los inver-sionistas ya que esta región de lafrontera cuenta con cuatro crucesinternacionales y se convierte enun punto de desahogo comercial”,sostuvo González García. “Ademásde ser una zona donde convergenlas cuencas de Burgos y Sabinas,esta también colinda con la cuencaEagle Ford en Texas, una cualidadque beneficiara aún más a estosmunicipios para una actividad in-dustrial más activa”.

Dentro de las característicasprincipales de la región destaca quecuenta con dos campos de gas de

PEMEX, uno en los municipios deMiguel Alemán y Mier, y el otro, enCamargo y Díaz Ordaz. Actualmen-te está en proceso la construcciónde la primera fase Gaseoducto LosRamones. Igualmente esta zona esla principal vía de distribución delgas de lutitas que se extraiga en laregión.

En la Ronda Cero, a PEMEX se leasignaron reservas por 425 millonesde barriles de petróleo crudo, por loque la zona se promueve para nue-vos desarrollos con miras a un am-plio crecimiento industrial a futuro,sostuvo González García.

“El potencial de actividad indus-trial que se planea hoy para dejarlas bases sólidas de forma ordena-da”, concluyó.

FRONTERA

DESARROLLO ECONÓMICO

IZQUIERDA: A través de los alcances que supone la Reforma Energética, autoridades planean que la región Ribereña de Tamaulipas se convierta en un polo de desarrollo eco-nómico al abrir nuevas oportunidades para la inversión. DERECHA: Un aumento en la expansión y empleos en los municipios de Guerrero, Mier, Miguel Alemán, Camargo yGustavo Díaz Ordaz, México, serán una realidad tras las inversiones planteadas por la Agenda Energética de Tamaulipas, anunció el vecino Estado.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

Aseguran habrá oportunidades de inversión en Ribereña TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

das. She thinks there are thou-sands more.

On Aug. 30, the InternationalDay of the Disappeared, about 50relatives of the disappearedmarched through Piedras Negrasto call attention to the their lovedones. They carried pictures of themissing and chanted messagessaying their children aren’t for-gotten, and demanding justicefrom the government.

The families, led by a munici-pal police escort, wound theirway from City Hall to the riverwalk that runs between thiscity’s two international bridges.A priest there read the names of120 disappeared.

Before the march, Rivas turnedher ire toward Coahuila’s govern-ment and the state’s SpecialArms and Tactics Group, knowby its Spanish acronym GATE,which she said took her son andhas been accused of detainingwithout charges young peoplewho subsequently disappear.

“Here we are, demanding theauthorities return to us our chil-dren,” she said. “Tell us wherethey are prisoners and if theycommitted an offense, why theyare hidden, why they disappear.This is what we demand of theauthorities.”

A spokesman for the state ofCoahuila didn’t respond to ques-tions for this report. During aninterview last year in the statecapital of Saltillo, then-Secretaryof State Armando Luna said Coa-huila’s government was makingan “unprecedented investment insecurity” that included hiringmore than 1,000 new police offi-cers a year.

Among the state’s priorities,said Luna, who now is a con-gressman, is providing protectionto the 50,000 U.S. residents whotravel through Coahuila everyChristmas to visit family for theholidays. The state reduced hom-icides by a third, he said.

The government has created aspecial prosecutor to investigateforced disappearances and built adatabase of the missing, Lunasaid. He said investigators werein Piedras Negras last spring col-lecting DNA samples from vic-tims’ family members.

Last year, the disappearance of43 students who were protestingin the southern state of Guerreromade international headlines.The Mexican government saidthey were kidnapped by local po-lice then handed over to gang-sters who executed them, an ac-count that has been disputed.The students’ parents were betterorganized and better at drawingattention than those in PiedrasNegras, Rivas said.

Four years ago, Piedras Negrasand its outlying communitieswere the scenes of a mass disap-pearance that, by some counts,involved several hundred people.Yet that massacre, carried out bymembers of the ruthless Zetasdrug cartel, received scant atten-tion for years.

Allende MassacreThe trouble for Ana Maria

Sandoval’s son started in earlyMarch 2011, when he was arrest-ed by municipal police wherethey lived in the town of of Al-lende.

Allende, population 22,000,along with Morelos, Nava, VillaUnión and Zaragoza, make upthe Cinco Manantiales, or FiveSprings region, in the brushlandoutside of Piedras Negras. Like

many in the area, Sandoval andher family work at nearby indus-trial parks.

Jose Willyvaldo Martinez Sand-oval, known as “Willy,” was ar-rested on a public intoxicationcharge, which Sandoval said wasjust a pretext. The police heldWilly for several days she said,then turned him over to a localorganized crime leader known as“El Canelo.”

When he finally showed up attheir house, Sandoval said, herson was badly beaten and run-ning a fever.

“He told me the police officersallowed El Canelo to beat him upin prison,” Sandoval said earlierthis year, standing outside herhouse in Allende. “Then theytook him to work. He said, ‘Theybeat me and then they took me soI escaped.’”

Sandoval said she slept by herson’s bedside that night, thenwent to work in the morning.When she returned that evening,Willy and another son, Luis An-gel, were missing. Family mem-bers and neighbors describedhow El Canelo and two of histhugs beat Luis Angel with apipe, grabbed hold of the deliri-ous Willy and dragged them bothaway.

The next day a police officer, acousin of Sandoval’s, showed upwith Luis Angel. He too was beat-en, she said, and his feet hadbeen burned.

“I asked, ‘Where is my otherson?’” she said. The cousin“didn’t answer me. My son toldme, ‘Don’t bother looking for Wil-ly. He’s already dead.’”

Willy was killed during a peri-od of extreme violence in PiedrasNegras, Cinco Manantiales andeven as far away as MelchorMúzquiz, a two-hour drive south-west.

“My case is not the only one. Iknow somebody who had four(family members) disappeared,”Sandoval said. “It was the mostdifficult time that we’ve lived.There was no security. El Canelowas running the town and every-one was afraid of him. He had to-tal control of the town.”

Four years after the abduc-tions, it’s still unclear what hap-pened or how many were killed.

‘Lots of deaths’In a report to the state legisla-

ture earlier this year, the Coahui-la attorney general’s office saidthe killings happened over oneday in mid-March 2011. The Ze-tas, working with the help of mu-nicipal police, kidnapped 28 peo-ple, the prosecutors said.

During a 2013 money launder-ing trial in Austin, trafficker Ma-rio Alfonso Cuellar and his lieu-tenant Hector Moreno describeda much more gruesome sequenceof events.

The leaders of the ruthlessdrug gang the Zetas were upsetabout an unusually large numberof drugs being seized, Morenotestified.

“Lots of deaths,” Moreno saidwhen a prosecutor asked him todescribe the Zetas’ response.“They even started killing fam-ilies in Allende and Piedras Ne-gras and Múzquiz and Sabinas.”

Moreno said he fled across theborder with his family and turn-ed himself in to U.S. authorities.”

“Because of this, they killed(200 or) 300 people in Allende,Coahuila,” he testified.

Cuellar, too, surrendered toU.S. authorities and pleadedguilty during a secret hearing ina North Texas courtroom. Wordleaked back to the Zetas, he said,after U.S. anti-narcotics agentstold their counterparts in Mexi-co.

“They knocked everythingdown, just broke it into littlepieces, the houses, the apart-ments,” Cuellar testified. “Theystole my horses. Everything thatI had, they took away from me.And they killed a lot of people.”

The burned-out buildings, in-cluding one across the streetfrom a grade school, still can beseen in Allende.

In its presentation to the legis-lature, the Coahuila state prose-cutors said they arrested one per-son and issued warrants forthree others, including two for-mer Allende police officers. Twoother suspects have been killed.

Of the 28 people who the statesays went missing, 11 are con-firmed dead. The whereabouts ofthe other 17 are unknown. Stateofficials say they found morethan 3,000 bone fragments as partof their investigation into the Al-lende Massacre, but could re-trieve DNA from fewer than 500of those.

Only 30 families from the Cin-co Manantiales area have comeforward, said García, the civil

rights lawyer, but she believesthere are others who are afraid totalk. Some families have fled toEagle Pass and San Antonio.

Piedras Negras has seen thesame type of drug-related vio-lence that has hit other border ci-ties. The fighting peaked in 2012with grenade attacks and streetfighting so bad that on one occa-sion the international bridgewith Eagle Pass was shut down.

Since then, things have beenmore quiet, in part because of theheavily armed security forces pa-trolling the street. Because thestate relies heavily on foreign in-vestment in the manufacturingindustry, the government hascracked down on the cartels.

“But they’re doing it the wrongway,” García said. “They lost con-trol of what they’re trying to do.They thought (the GATEs) wouldcome here to clear the area, butin fact what they’re doing is cre-ating the same organized crimethat existed.”

‘Dead while living’Among those whose family

members say they were taken bythe GATEs are U.S. citizens. JuanRios said his brother Salvadorwas one of the lucky ones — he’sin a prison in the Pacific coaststate of Nayarit.

In December, Salvador Rios, aresident of Eagle Pass, and sever-al friends were arrested by theGATEs, Juan Rios said. Theywere taken to a ranch and beatenand then, while the others werereleased, the police tortured hisbrother, said Juan Rios, whothinks police targeted his brotherbecause he was driving a nicepickup.

His family made frantic calls tothe U.S. Consulate in Nuevo Lare-do, trying to get out word aboutSalvador Rios’s arrest before hecould disappear. He eventuallywas charged with possession ofguns and drugs, allegations hisfamily says are false.

Since then, his brother hasbeen held in inhumane condi-tions, Juan Rios said. Earlier thismonth, Salvador Rios went ontrial. Now his family is waitingfor the judge’s decision.

“I can only imagine there areso many people that are not ableto do anything because of theirresources, or lack of,” Juan Riossaid. “We’re fortunate enough to

have some people in Mexico whoare family members, some herein the States (who can help).Without that, there’s no way youcould lend any sort of help withthat person who’s going throughthat.”

Earlier this month, a U.S. StateDepartment official told a con-gressional panel that last year,146 U.S. citizens were kidnappedin Mexico and 100 killed. So farthis year, 64 U.S. citizens havebeen reported kidnapped and 89killed, said Sue Saarnio, the dep-uty assistant secretary for West-ern Hemisphere affairs.

When the GATEs detain some-one in Piedras Negras, FamiliasUnidas puts the word out on so-cial media and messenger apps.Members converge on the unit’sheadquarters, hoping to publicizethe arrest and force the police tomake formal charges, much likethe Rios family did.

García said about 70 peoplehave been released since 2013.The strategy doesn’t alwayswork.

Rivas, the group’s president,said she watched as a pickup car-rying her son, his head floppingside-to-side as if he were uncon-scious, drove through the sallyport at the GATEs headquartersthe night he was taken from hishome while his family watchedin July 2013. The police deniedever having arrested him, andshe hasn’t seen him since.

“It’s like being dead while liv-ing,” Rivas said. “I don’t know ifhe’s alive or dead, or if he’s hun-gry, if he’s cold. And the hourspass, the despair, and you don’tknow what’s happening. It’s theworst thing that can happen to amother, to have a son disappearand the authorities won’t giveyou any information.”

For some families, their mainprovider has disappeared. To ad-dress that issue, the Coahuila leg-islature last year passed a lawthat gives the state the ability todeclare someone absent, but Gar-cía said government officials of-ten put up barriers and claimmissing people actually are inhiding.

For the families of the disap-peared, their lives are put onhold. The new state law protectsthe rights of the disappeared, butcan work against the people leftbehind, García said.

“While they’re missing, they’represumed to be alive,” she said.“Their spouses can’t divorcethem or have them declareddead.”

In most of Mexico, there’s nopublicly available record of who’sbeen arrested, and most policedon’t have cameras on their vehi-cles or GPS trackers showingwhere they’ve been, García said,creating a system rife for abuse.

She said the government at alllevels in Mexico needs to aban-don the use of secretive specialpolice forces, devote more re-sources to finding those who aremissing, protect the rights notonly of the disappeared but oftheir families and make create asafe, secure process for reportingdisappearances.

“The truth is, this is somethingvery difficult for the families,”she said. “The governmentdoesn’t listen when they go tomake a report, the governmentdoesn’t look for their disap-peared. The government does nothelp them feed their children.”

(Photographer Jerry Lara andStaff Writer Bill Lambrecht inWashington, D.C., contributed tothis report.)

TAMAULIPAS Continued from Page 1A

Yesenia Tapia holds a poster with the names and photos of 11 missing family members as families of missing persons gath-ered for a "Peace March," in Piedras Negras, Mexico, Aug. 30. The event was organized by Familias Unidas en la Busqueda yLocalizacion de Personas Desaparecidas to commemorate the International Day of the Disappeared.

Photo by Jerry Lara | San Antonio Express-News

Special Agent in ChargeJames Reed told a group ofpeople during a Webb

(César G. Rodriguez maybe reached at 728-2568 or ce-sar@lmtonline.com)

where they become addict-ed to this relatively safeproduct.”

think, ‘It’s a pill. It’s legal.It has to be safe’ … Ulti-mately, they get to the point

ple who start to experimentwith these prescriptiondrugs and (they) may

County Community Coali-tion meeting held Sept. 1.

“Sometimes we have peo-

HEALTH CARE Continued from Page 1A

white robes.He was welcomed by a military

honor guard, chanting schoolchil-dren, politicians, and Roman Cath-olic clerics in black robes and viv-id sashes of scarlet and purple.Joe Biden, the nation’s first Catho-lic vice president, and his wifewere among those who greetedhim.

Eschewing a limousine, thepope climbed into the back of asmall charcoal-gray Fiat andpromptly rolled down the win-dows, enabling the cheering,whooping crowds to see him ashis motorcade took him to theVatican diplomatic mission inWashington, where he will staywhile in the nation’s capital. Thechoice of car was in keeping withhis simple habits and his anti-con-sumerism message.

During his six-day, three-cityvisit to the U.S., the pope will meetwith the president on Wednesday,address Congress on Thursday,speak at the United Nations inNew York on Friday and take partin a Vatican-sponsored conference

on the family in Philadelphia overthe weekend.

The Argentine known as the“slum pope” for ministering to thedowntrodden in his native BuenosAires is expected to urge Americato take better care of the environ-ment and the poor and return toits founding ideals of religious lib-erty and open arms toward immi-grants.

During the flight, Francis de-fended himself against conserva-tive criticism of his economicviews. He told reporters on theplane that some explanations ofhis writings may have given theimpression he is “a little bit moreleft-leaning.”

But he said such explanationsare wrong and added: “I am cer-tain that I have never said any-thing beyond what is in the socialdoctrine of the church.” Jokingabout doubts in some quartersover whether he is truly Catholic,he said, “If I have to recite theCreed, I’m ready.”

He is the fourth pope ever to vis-it the United States.

Francis’ enormous popularity,propensity for wading into crowdsand insistence on using an open-sided Jeep rather than a bullet-proof popemobile have complicat-ed things for U.S. law enforcement,which has mounted one of the big-gest security operations in Ameri-can history to keep him safe.

The measures are unpreceden-ted for a papal trip and could makeit nearly impossible for many ordi-nary Americans to get anywhereclose to Francis. For anyone hop-ing to get across town when thepope is around, good luck.

For all the attention likely to bepaid to Francis’ speeches, includ-ing the first address from a pope toCongress, his more personal ges-tures — visiting with immigrants,prisoners and the homeless —could yield some of the most mem-orable images of the trip.

“What the pope does in the Unit-ed States will be more importantthan what he says,” said MatSchmalz, a religious studies profes-sor at Holy Cross college in Wor-cester, Massachusetts. “There are a

lot of things he will say about cap-italism and about wealth inequal-ity, but many Americans and poli-ticians have already made up theirminds on these issues. What Iwould look for is a particular ges-ture, an unscripted act, that willmove people.”

In Cuba, Francis basked in theadulation of Cubans grateful tohim for brokering the re-establish-ment of diplomatic relations be-tween the U.S. and the communistisland.

On the plane, though, he told re-porters he will not use his speechto Congress to call specifically forthe U.S. to lift the Cold War-eratrade embargo against Cuba.

He arrives at a moment of bitterinfighting across the country overgay rights, immigration, abortionand race relations — issues thatare always simmering in the U.S.but have boiled over in the heat ofa presidential campaign.

Capitol Hill is consumed by dis-putes over abortion and federalfunding for Planned Parenthoodafter hidden-camera videos

showed its officials talking aboutthe organization’s practice of send-ing tissue from aborted fetuses tomedical researchers. While Fran-cis has staunchly upheld churchteaching against abortion, he hasrecently allowed ordinary priests,and not just bishops, to absolvewomen of the sin.

Francis’ visit comes threemonths after the U.S. SupremeCourt legalized gay marriage, put-ting U.S. bishops on the defensiveand sharply dividing Americansover how much they should ac-commodate religious objectors.The pope has strongly upheldchurch teaching against same-sexmarriage but adopted a welcom-ing tone toward gays themselves,saying, “Who am I to judge?”when asked about a supposedlygay priest.

Americans are also wrestlinganew with issues of racism. A se-ries of deaths in recent years ofunarmed black men at the handsof law enforcement has intensifieddebate over the American crimi-nal justice system.

POPE FRANCIS Continued from Page 1A

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES International WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015

OUAGADOUGOU, Burki-na Faso — Burkina Faso’scoup leader is expected tohand power back onWednesday to the transi-tional president he over-threw as regional leadersstepped up the pressureand soldiers opposed to thecoup converged on the cap-ital from around the coun-try.

The Economic Commu-nity of West African Statesalso called on coup sup-porters to lay down theirarms and for the militarynot to attack junta mem-bers as the regional blocprepares to put the transi-tional leader, Michel Kafan-do, back into power.

There was a tense stand-off in the capital Tuesdayafter Burkina Faso’s coupleader, Gen. Gilbert Dien-dere, refused to heed adeadline for his men to laydown their arms even after

troops opposing the take-over poured into the capitalOuagadougou.

Diendere instead said hewould hand over powerwhen requested by WestAfrican leaders of the re-gional economic blocknown as ECOWAS whomet in Nigeria Tuesday.

The heads of states of Se-negal, Togo, Benin, Niger,Ghana and Nigeria arenow expected in Ouagadou-gou on Wednesday, ECO-WAS said after its summit.

ECOWAS commissionchairman Kadre DesireOuedraogo and United Na-tions representative Mo-hamed Ibn Chambas willtravel with the leaders, saidthe spokeswoman for Dien-dere’s office, Yolande Kal-woule.

The regional body calledon all parties to maintainorder and to not take anyactions that would upsetthe fragility of the situationin Burkina Faso.

Soldiers from all overthis West African nation

arrived in Ouagadougou ina show of force to convincethe troops backing the coupto lay down their arms.Residents cheered thetroops’ arrival early Tues-day before they were askedto return to their homes.

As the deadline set bythe military for the presi-dential guard, which

mounted the coup lastweek, to return to theirbarracks by 10 a.m. (1000GMT) passed, the streetswere deserted with fearfulresidents staying home.

Diendere told The Asso-ciated Press in a telephoneinterview on Tuesday thathe was waiting for the re-sults of talks on the crisis

being held in Nigeria’s cap-ital by the ECOWAS lead-ers.

“I will hand over powerto a civilian on the daterecommended by the ECO-WAS summit. I do not wantto play a particular role inthe transition,” the formercommander of the presi-dential guard said. “I donot want to be prime min-ister.”

Diendere said he wantsto avoid fighting betweenrival military units.

“We will find a solutionbetween brothers in armsto avoid confrontations,” hetold a news conference onTuesday.

Government troops loyalto the transitional govern-ment had assembledaround the national radioand television stations andaround barracks.

“I call on the populationof Burkina Faso to remaincalm and to have confi-dence in the NationalArmed Forces who havereaffirmed their unfailing

commitment to preservethe unity of the nation,”Gen. Pingrenoma Zagresaid in a statement.

The transitional govern-ment was installed afterlong-term President BlaiseCompaore was ousted in apopular uprising last Octo-ber. Elections were to havebeen held next month butDiendere, who led the pres-idential guard and was anadviser to Compaore, hadsaid that’s too early.

West African mediatorswant Kafando to be rein-stalled until elections canbe held. Kafando hassought shelter at the resi-dence of the French ambas-sador in Ouagadougou.

An electoral code passedearlier this year hadbanned members of Com-paore’s party from takingpart in the election. Theformer ruling Congress forDemocracy and Progressparty said one of its lead-ers, Achilles Tapsoba, wasarrested in the south of thecapital.

Burkina Faso coup leader to hand power back

In this photo taken Monday, a protestor holds a Burkina Faso na-tional flag during a protest against a recent coup in Ouagadougou.

Photo by Theo Renaut | AP

By BRAHIMA OUEDRAOGO AND BABA AHMEDASSOCIATED PRESS

BRUSSELS — Deeply di-vided European Union min-isters agreed Tuesday to re-locate 120,000 asylum-seek-ers to ease the strain onGreece and Italy, which areon the front line of the mi-grant flood. But a senior Eu-ropean leader conceded themove was only a small steptoward resolving one of theworst crises ever faced bythe 28-nation bloc.

Four eastern Europeancountries — the Czech Re-public, Slovakia, Romaniaand Hungary — votedagainst the plan, and it’s un-clear if they will even imple-ment it. Those nations haveresisted accepting the forcedresettlement of refugees ontheir territory.

Slovakia would ratherbreach the measure “thanaccept such a dictate,” saidPrime Minster Robert Fico.

His Czech counterpart,Bohuslav Sobotka, added:“It’s a bad decision, and theCzech Republic did all itcould to block it.”

EU leaders will gatherWednesday evening in Brus-sels to try to adopt a unifiedapproach to the crisis thathas seen 477,906 peoplestream into Europe fromthe Middle East, Africa andAsia, according to estimatesby the U.N. refugee agency.Some European countrieshave reinstated border con-trols to stem the flood, andHungary has built a fencetopped with razor wire onits frontier with Serbia.

EU Commission FirstVice President Frans Tim-mermans insisted that allmember states “respect theoutcome” of the relocationplan, which he said showedthe bloc is “capable of tak-ing decisions even if, forsome member states, theseare very difficult decisions.”

But even Timmermansconceded it was only asmall step, and plenty moreremains to be done.

“In and by itself, the deci-sion we took today is not go-ing to solve the refugee cri-sis,” he said. “The refugeecrisis can be brought undercontrol, but make no mis-take it will take a tremen-dous amount of effort, itwill take a long time, and itwill take many steps inmany areas.”

The office of the U.N.High Commissioner for Ref-ugees urged the EU toquickly set up facilities inGreece, where tens of thou-sands have arrived aftermaking the hazardous seacrossing from Turkey.

This may be “the last op-portunity for a coherent Eu-ropean response,” said Me-lissa Fleming, a spokeswo-man for the UNHCR.

Tuesday’s deal did not setmandatory quotas for eachnation — one of the mostcontentious aspects of theproposed plan. It said that66,000 asylum-seekers willbe relocated from Greeceand Italy, and 54,000 more ina year’s time.

Amnesty International’s

Europe Director, John Dal-huisen, cautioned thatagreed-upon numbers “arestill too low, given the im-mensity of the current cri-sis.”

“At long last, this is a stepin the right direction, butEU leaders need to be look-ing 10 steps ahead, not one,”he said.

Timmermans said theEU has to do a better job ofprotecting its borders, regis-tering arriving migrants,quickly returning those in-eligible for asylum, and“providing hope and per-spective” for those in con-flict-torn countries.

“Maybe something willchange,” said RomanianPrime Minister Victor Pon-ta, who hoped that his coun-try won’t be obliged to takein more than the 1,785 refu-gees it has offered to absorb.The Romanian news agencyreported the country wouldhave to take an extra 2,475refugees.

German Interior MinisterThomas de Maiziere, whosecountry is absorbing mostof those pouring into Eu-rope, said Germany wouldtake more than 30,000 of the120,000 asylum seekers.

“We are doing this out of

solidarity and responsibility,but also in our own inter-est,” he said. “At the mo-ment, something like 50 per-cent of those who are arriv-ing in Greece are coming toGermany. With a quota of 26percent, fewer of this groupwould come.”

De Maiziere said the dealalso aims to cut “secondarymigration,” in which thoseseeking asylum move fromone European country toanother.

“If people are distributedin Europe, then they can’tchoose what country theygo to. They have to stay inthe country they were dis-tributed to,” he said.

Along the migrant trailthrough the Balkans insoutheastern Europe, thecrisis continued and drewold foes into a new dispute.

Serbia gave Croatia an ul-timatum to reopen its bor-der, threatening unspecifiedcountermeasures. Croatiashut all but one of its cross-ings with Serbia last weekto block the migrant influx,which has reached 34,900 injust a few days. But the ac-tion has crippled the econo-my in Serbia, a conduit forcargo across Croatia to Eu-rope.

EU ministers agree torelocate 120K refugees

Croatian police officers control a crowd of migrants in front of a re-ception center close to Croatia’s border with Serbia on Tuesday.

Photo by Zoltan Balogh/MTI | AP

By MIKE CORDER AND DANICA KIRKAASSOCIATED PRESS

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015 THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

BERLIN — VolkswagenAG’s smog-test troubles es-calated Tuesday as the com-pany acknowledged puttingstealth software in millionsof vehicles worldwide. Thescandal has now cost VWmore than 24 billion euros($26 billion) in market val-ue.

Volkwagen stunninglyadmitted that some 11 mil-lion of the German carmak-er’s diesel vehicles containsoftware that evades emis-sions controls, far morethan the 482,000 identifiedby the U.S. EnvironmentalProtection Agency as violat-ing the Clean Air Act.

Volkswagen also warnedthat future profits could beaffected, and set aside aninitial 6.5 billion euros ($7.3billion) to cover the fallout.

CEO Martin Winterkornapologized for the deceptionunder his leadership andpledged a fast and thoroughinvestigation, but gave noindication that he might re-sign.

“Millions of peopleacross the world trust ourbrands, our cars and ourtechnologies,” Winterkornsaid Tuesday in a videomessage. “I am endlesslysorry that we have disap-pointed this trust. I apol-ogize in every way to ourcustomers, to authorities

and the whole public forthe wrongdoing.”

“We are asking, I amasking for your trust onour way forward,” he said.“We will clear this up.”

VW has yet to explainwho installed the software,under what direction, andwhy.

“I do not have the an-swers to all the questions atthis point myself, but weare in the process of clear-ing up the background re-lentlessly,” Winterkorn said.

The damage to Volkswa-gen’s reputation was reflect-ed in the market’s response.Volkswagen’s ordinaryshares fell 20 percent Tues-day to close at 111.20 euros.They’re down 31 percentsince the crisis began.

The EPA said Friday thatVW faces potential fines of$37,500 per vehicle, and thatanyone found personally re-sponsible is subject to$3,750 per violation.

The U.S. Justice Depart-ment has joined the investi-gation, and on Tuesday,New York Attorney Gener-al Eric. T. Schneidermanannounced that he’ll collab-orate with other states toenforce consumer and envi-ronmental protections inthe case.

After blaming unrelatedissues for more than a year,the company finally toldU.S. regulators on Sept. 3that it installed software

that switches engines to acleaner mode during offi-cial emissions testing. Thesoftware then switches offagain on the road, enablingcars to drive more power-fully while emitting asmuch as 40 times the legalpollution limit.

“Let’s be clear about this.Our company was dishon-est. With the EPA, and theCalifornia Air ResourcesBoard, and with all of you.And in my German words,we have totally screwedup,” the head of Volkswa-gen’s U.S. division, MichaelHorn, said Monday whileunveiling a new Passatmodel in New York.

“We must fix those carsto prevent this from everhappening again, and wehave to make things right.With the government, thepublic, our customers, ouremployees, and very impor-

tantly, with our dealers.”The shockwaves were felt

across the sector as traderswondered who else may getembroiled. Germany’sDaimler AG, the maker ofMercedes-Benz cars, wasdown 7 percent Tuesday,while BMW AG fell 6 per-cent. France’s Renault SAwas 7.1 percent lower.

“Brands are all abouttrust and it takes years andyears to develop. But in thespace of 24 hours, Volkswa-gen has gone from one peo-ple could trust to one peo-ple don’t know what tothink of,” said Nigel Currie,an independent U.K.-basedsponsorship and brandingconsultant.

Volkswagen said the“discrepancies” related tovehicles with Type EA 189engines actually involvesome 11 million vehiclesworldwide — more than the

10 million or so cars it soldlast year.

“Manipulation at Volks-wagen must never happenagain,” Winterkorn said inhis video message. He saidVW’s employees are “build-ing the best vehicles for ourcustomers,” and said “itwould be wrong to placethe hard and honest workof 600,000 people under gen-eral suspicion because ofthe grave mistakes of afew.”

The company said the 6.5billion euros it is settingaside this quarter will cov-er necessary service mea-sures and “other efforts towin back the trust” of cus-tomers. Even these costsare “subject to revalua-tion,” it said, and 2015 earn-ings targets will be adjust-ed. It didn’t specify by howmuch.

The statement didn’tmention possible fines orpenalties. The violations de-scribed by the EPA could,in theory, total about $18billion.

Christian Stadler, profes-sor of strategic manage-ment at the Warwick Busi-ness School said companiesrarely pay maximum finesunder U.S. regulations.

“I don’t think this is alife-threatening event, butit’s clear it’s going to be ve-ry expensive,” he said.

The company hasn’t re-vealed the results of inter-

nal investigations, althoughit has said that the softwarein question was installed inother vehicles with dieselengines, and asserted thatin most cases, it “does nothave any effect.”

It also said new vehicleswith EU 6 diesel enginescurrently on sale in the Eu-ropean Union comply withlegal requirements and en-vironmental standards.

“I hope that the facts willbe put on the table asquickly as possible,” Ger-man Chancellor AngelaMerkel said in Berlin.

Before the scandal, Win-terkorn, CEO since 2007,was hoping to have hisstewardship of the compa-ny extended at a boardmeeting Friday. Earlier thismonth, Volkswagen said itplanned to give Winterkorna two-year contract exten-sion which would keep himin charge through the endof 2018.

Other authorities lookinginto VW’s actions includeGermany, where the trans-port minister announced acommission of inquiry todetermine whether VW’sdiesel vehicles comply withGerman and Europeanrules; the French govern-ment, which demanded thatits automakers “ensure thatno such actions are takingplace in France,” the SouthKorean government, andthe European Commission.

Volkswagen CEO says he is ‘endlessly sorry’

A woman watches a statement by Volkswagen CEO Martin Win-terkorn on the company’s website in Hanover, Germany, Tuesday.

Photo by Julian Sratenschulte | AP

By GEIR MOULSON AND PAN PYLASASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Another boutof turbulence swung the U.S.stock market to a loss Tuesdayas raw-material producers sankalong with prices for oil andcopper. The selling swept acrossevery industry, with all 10 sec-tors of the S&P 500 taking a fall.

JJ Kinahan, TD Ameritrade’schief strategist, said lingeringuncertainty over China’s slow-down and the timing of the Fed-eral Reserve’s first interest-ratehike in nearly a decade hasmade investors skittish.

“I think it’s really just thefact that nobody knows what todo,” Kinahan said. “Whenthings are this uncertain, the re-action is sell first and see whathappens later.”

Without any big news to drivetrading, the indexes slumpedthroughout the morning, bot-tomed out in the afternoon andthen spent the rest of the day re-covering their losses.

The Standard & Poor’s 500 in-dex dropped 24.23 points, or 1.2percent, to 1,942.74.

The Dow Jones industrial av-erage fell 179.72 points, or 1.1percent, to 16,330.47, and theNasdaq composite declined 72.73points, or 1.5 percent, to 4,756.72.

Mounting concerns aboutslowing growth in China and

around the world have batteredfinancial markets throughoutthe summer. The S&P 500, themost widely used measure ofU.S. investments, has lost morethan 8 percent in three months.

Investors will get anotherlook at China’s economy onWednesday when Caixin’s man-ufacturing index comes out.Last month, it hit a six-year low.Federal Reserve officials citedChina’s slowdown as one reasonit decided to delay raising inter-est rates last week.

The scandal at VolkswagenAG, the world’s top-selling car-maker, deepened after it saidsome 11 million of its diesel ve-hicles worldwide were fittedwith software to cheat U.S. emis-sions test. The company said itwas setting aside around 6.5 bil-lion euros ($7.3 billion) to coverthe fallout. Its U.S.-listed sharesplunged $4.66, or 15 percent, to$25.44, extending Volkswagen’slosses to 30 percent over twodays.

In Europe, markets across thecontinent closed with big losses.Germany’s DAX dropped 3.8 per-cent, and France’s CAC-40dropped 3.4 percent. Britain’sFTSE 100 index closed with aloss of 2.8 percent.

Major indexes in Asia endedhigher, with Hong Kong’s HangSeng up 0.2 percent and main-land China’s Shanghai Compos-

ite Index up 0.9 percent. Marketsin Japan remain closed for athree-day holiday.

Back in the U.S., ConAgraFoods tumbled 7 percent afterposting a $1.2 billion quarterlyloss. Sales for the maker of ChefBoyardee, Hebrew National hotdogs and other packaged food al-so fell short of analysts’ fore-casts. ConAgra’s stock sank $3to $39.40.

After the market closed onMonday, Mosaic said it wouldcut production of its fertilizersas falling prices for crops havehurt the company’s sales. Mo-saic pointed to swings in curren-cies and financial markets asother culprits. Its stock lost$2.56, or 7 percent, to $33.88.

U.S. government bond pricesjumped, knocking the yield onthe 10-year Treasury note downto 2.13 percent, from 2.20 percentlate Monday.

In commodity trading, mostindustrial and precious metalssettled with steep losses. Copperlost 9 cents, or 4 percent, to fin-ish at $2.30 a pound. Golddropped an even $8 to $1,124.80an ounce, and silver sank 47cents to $14.76 an ounce.

Benchmark U.S. crude oil fell85 cents to close at $45.83 a bar-rel in New York. Brent Crude,an international benchmark,rose 16 cents to close at $49.08 abarrel in London.

US stocks drop as oil sinksBy MATTHEW CRAFTASSOCIATED PRESS

A Texas-based oilfield service gi-ant has agreed to pay nearly $18.3million in back overtime wages tomore than 1,000 U.S. employees, fol-lowing a federal investigation.

The U.S. Department of Laborannounced Tuesday that Hallibur-ton will pay up after investigatorsfound the Houston-based companyerroneously categorized workersin 28 positions as exempt fromovertime, meaning that field ser-vice representatives, pipe recoveryspecialists, drilling tech advisersand others were not properly paidwhen they worked more than 40hours in a week.

The agency said those errors —and the company’s failure to keepaccurate records of those employ-ees’ hours — violated the 77-year-old Fair Labor Standards Act.

More than 380 Texans will getmore than $6.54 million in backwages, the agency said.

“This settlement will put mil-lions of dollars where they belong— in the pockets of hardworkingpeople and their families,” U.S.Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Pe-rez said in a statement. “Employ-ers who don’t pay their employeesthe wages they have earned don’tjust hurt their workers, they un-

dercut employers who play by therules.”

Halliburton discovered duringa self-audit that some of its jobswere misclassified as exempt, acompany spokeswoman said.

“The company re-classified theidentified positions, and through-out this process, Halliburton hasworked earnestly and cooperative-ly with the U.S. Department of La-bor to equitably resolve this situa-tion,” the spokeswoman, SusieMcMichael, wrote in an email.

The government investigationwas part of a larger federal effortto crack down on oil and gas com-panies who aren’t properly payingtheir workers — a common prac-tice on the drilling fields of Texasand beyond.

Halliburton to payback $18.3 in wages

In this April 15, 2009, file photo, anunidentified worker passes a truckowned by Halliburton in Rulison, Colo.

Photo by David Zalubowski | AP file

By JIM MALEWITZTEXAS TRIBUNE

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2015