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For a town such as Zapata togrow and flourish economically,it needs an influx of new busi-nesses to sprout up … even dur-ing these tough times.

Fortunately, growth is takingplace in the area with a numberof new entities opening theirdoors, according to PeggyUmphres, president of the Zapa-ta County Economic Develop-ment Center.

“We’re the only county in theState of Texas which has thepowers of a municipality, so it’sa very historic event and it’s go-ing to enable us to better directgrowth, support business devel-opment, entrepreneurialship and

educational opportunities,”Umphres said. “It’s really an ex-citing time for the county.”

Consider these latest addi-tions to Zapata’s economic sky-line:

Revilla Realty, a real estateoffice

LIFELINE Ambulance Ser-vices and ProCare AmbulanceServices

Convenience stores HawkQuick Pik and La Esquinita

Norma’s Crystal and SilveryJewelry, a retail business

Fashion One, a retail cloth-ing and shoes store

restaurants La HaciendaDel Rey and Mi Tierra.

“The benefit to doing businessin Zapata County is your devel-opment and operation costs are

lower due to less regulation andtaxes,” Umphres said.

“There are many opportuni-ties for small business in Zapata.A lot of that revolves around ser-vice business, such as informa-tion technology. We also haveservice, retail and entertainmentbusiness opportunities, too.”

Umphres said a lot of compa-nies are coming from out oftown, so there are a lot of busi-ness opportunities.

“In today’s economy, we reallyhave to rethink our strategiesbecause it’s also about retainingexisting businesses,” she said.“Keeping the jobs that are thereis equally important as is jobcreation, so we’re trying to bringin opportunities for existingbusinesses also to be sustaina-

ble, grow and expand. That’s asequally important, too, becausethere are existing businesseswhich fill in those gaps.

“There are definitely retail op-portunities and entertainment,both for youth and adults,”Umphres said.

The Zapata County EDC willbe hosting a number of work-shops geared toward specificneeds which the local small busi-ness industry has in the city,such as marketing.

“We want to help people whodon’t have Web sites to have anopportunity to develop andmaintain them,” she said.

Another workshop will be ameet-and-greet event held in

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Business boomingSeveral new stores, restaurants open in Zapata despite tough economy

By JOE RUTLANDTHE ZAPATA TIMES

See BUSINESS PAGE 7A

While Zapata residentsmourned the lost of a son and fa-ther, Laredo Police Departmenthad a busy week pinpointing thealleged offenders in the shootingdeath of Daniel Perez Jr.

Perez was shot dead in anearly morning attack on Oct 24.Dr. Corinne Stern, Webb Countymedical examiner, ruled thedeath a homicide, making it Lare-do’s 17th of the year.

According to Stern, Perez diedof two gunshot wounds and toxi-cology results revealed his sys-tem was drug-free.

LPD’s first arrest in the caseoccurred Wednesday.

Jose Alfonso Pedraza, 35, wascharged with murder, aggravatedassault, engaging in organizedcriminal activity and failure toreport a felony. Each charge has a$300,000 bond.

LPD arrested two more menThursday afternoon in connec-tion with the shooting death ofPerez.

Jessie Ancira, 26, turned him-self in to authorities Thursdayaround 5:30 p.m.

He was charged with murder, afirst-degree felony; aggravated as-sault, a second-degree felony; en-gaging in organized criminal ac-tivity, a first-degree; and fail to re-port a felony, a Class Amisdemeanor. Each charge has a$300,000 bond.

Also Thursday, Ivan Santos, 22,was identified by police as theman wearing a black T-shirtshown in footage releasedWednesday. Santos was knownonly as “Sortilegio” at the timebefore officials received severalcalls identifying Santos, the thirdsuspect in the case.

“We appreciate the public’shelp. As for the intricacies of thecase, it is open due to the pend-ing prosecution, where all will berevealed in a court of law,” saidInvestigator Joe E. Baeza, LPDspokesman, on Thursday

Santos turned himself inaround 6:45 p.m. Thursday. He ischarged with murder, aggravatedassault and engaging in orga-nized criminal activity. Santoshas a $1.6 million combinedbond.

Police say Santos, Pedraza andAncira were with Perez and anunidentified man at a local bar inthe 55100 block of McPhersonAvenue in Laredo on Saturday.

Perez and his companion even-tually left for a get-together in the8500 block of Rock Spring Circle.

Santos, Pedraza and Ancira al-so drove up to the same address,where they had an argumentwith Perez, police said. Later, a

CRIME

Gunfireclaims

ZapatanBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

See GUNFIRE PAGE 7A

The American Legion 15th District started itsannual convention Friday with registration, abotana and music at a lively event at the Amer-ican Legion Post 486 hall on U.S. 83.

“We’re getting crowded,” said Alonzo Garcia,manager of the Post’s headquarters, as thesounds of merriment and excitement swirledaround him Friday night. “It looks good.”

While registration continues this morning,there will also be business meetings and a jointmeeting at 2 p.m. The barbecue dinner is set tobegin at 6 p.m., followed by a dance at 8 p.m.

“It’s all like a big family,” said Jane Siler, apast 15th District ALA president and past presi-dent of ALA Unit 486. “We all enjoy visiting

VETERANS

Congressman Henry Cuellar, left, stands with Alberto J.Arambula of American Legion Post 486 of Zapata,when the mobile medical unit was unveiled Oct. 12.

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

AmericanLegion

convenesBy DIANA R. FUENTES

THE ZAPATA TIMES

See AMERICAN LEGION PAGE 7A

As ZCISD tries to get two un-derperforming campuses back ontrack, Superintendent Romeo Ro-driguez said Friday that the dis-trict is not currently consideringany major reassignments.

“We’re just trying to be compet-itive and equitable with schoolsdistricts and trying to meet ac-countability (standards),” he said.

Rodriguez’s comments comeseveral days after the ZapataCounty Independent School Dis-

trict trustees had a special calledmeeting to discuss personnel.

Tuesday’s agenda item read,“…The board will discuss resigna-tions, retirements, leaves of ab-sence, new employment, new per-sonnel positions, return fromleave of absence and contract re-newal for teachers.”

Once back in open session, theboard took no action on the item,which usually appears at all theboard’s regular monthly meetings.If action is taken, it would happenat the Nov. 17 board meeting, Ro-driguez said.

Under the federal government’saccountability system, called Ade-quate Yearly Progress (AYP), Zapa-

ta Middle was under Stage 2 sanc-tions for the 2009-2010 school year.

The campus did not meet AYP

standards because of the LimitedEnglish Proficiency (LEP) stu-dents’ performance on the mathportion of the Texas Assessmentof Knowledge and Skills.

Zapata High met AYP standardsin 2009, but remained under Stage1 sanctions because it “takes twoyears to get in, two years to getout,” he said.

Earlier this year, the state ratedfour ZCISD campuses as academ-ically acceptable. Benavides Ele-mentary was rated exemplary.

(Reach Nick Georgiou at 728-2582 or nickg@lmtonline.com)

EDUCATION

ZCISD board considers changes to improveBy NICK GEORGIOU

ZAPATA TIMES “We’re just trying to be competitive andequitable with schools districts and tryingto meet accountability (standards).”SUPERINTENDENT ROMEO RODRIGUEZ

CREEPY CRAWLERS

Giant spiders crawl over this home at 217 Washington St. in Laredo, decked out in Halloween finery.Witches, ghosts and goblins also are part of the spooky, eye-catching decorations.

Photo by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009

Saturday, Oct. 31Registration continues this

morning at American Legion Post 486,2213 S. U.S. 83, for the American Le-gion 15th District Convention. Busi-ness will be conducted today, with ajoint meeting at 2 p.m. The AL Auxilarywill be having installation of new mem-bers at 10 a.m. Dinner begins at 6p.m., followed by a dance at 8 p.m.Registration is $35 per person, whichincludes the dinner-dance event. Formore information, call 765-6071

Registration for the MonsterBash Team Roping, a unique costumedroping event for kids, begins at 8 a.m.at the Nick Gutierrez 4H Arena. Ropingstarts at 10 a.m. sharp. Booths of-fering delicious menudo and othergoodies are scheduled to open at 8a.m. There will be a costume contestand candy for the kids during trick-or-treating toward evening, There also willbe a horse given away to benefit OurLady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Tick-ets for the giveaway are $5 each orthree for $10. For more information,call 333-8425.

The First United MethodistChurch’s annual rummage sale con-cludes today at the Fellowship Hall,1220 McClelland. It’s open from 9 a.m.to 2 p.m. The event is free and open tothe public.

Grossology, the Imaginarium’sHalloween celebration, with mysteryboxes, slimy solutions, costume con-test, face-painting and more family-friendly, fun activities, is today from 3p.m. to 8 p.m. All activities are freewith admission, and all activities arecandy-free. Every child in costume re-ceives a treat!

Sunday, Nov. 1American Legion 15th District

Convention continues today, the lastday of the annual event. Breakfast willbe at 7 a.m., followed by a memorialservice at 8 a.m. and business at 9a.m. Awards will be presented. Theconvention is expected to wrap up atnoon.

Monday, Nov. 2The Curriculum and Instructional

Committee of the Zapata County Inde-pendent School District Board of Trust-ees will meet today at 6 p.m. at theProfessional Development Center ,17thAvenue and Carla Street. The agendaincludes a discussion of benchmark re-sults, attendance and failure reportsand the on-site TEA visit.

Tuesday, Nov. 3Election Day. There are 11 pro-

posed constitutional amendments onthe ballot. Polling places will be open 7a.m. to 7 p.m. For information aboutthe polling sites, call the CountyJudge’s office.

Saturday, Nov. 9American Legion Auxiliary Unit

486 will be distributing red crepe pa-per poppies today during its annualfundraising event, collecting donationsto assist local veterans. The womenwill be at the U.S. Post Office, Super S,the Zapata National Bank and otherplaces throughout the day, giving outthe poppies for whatever donation youcan give.

Saturday, Nov. 14The Marine Toys for Tots pro-

gram will be collecting unwrapped toysfor boys and girls today at the MarineCorps League, 22nd and Hidalgo, start-ing at about 11 a.m. There will also bea plate sale to raise money for the pro-ject. For more information, call ManuelGarcia at 337-4917.

Friday, Dec. 42009 Annual Christmas Parade

and Lighting of the Plaza heralds thestart of the holiday season in Zapata.Events begin at 6 p.m. The paradestarts at 17th Avenue, head south onU.S. 83 and end on 6th Avenue at theplaza. The event is sponsored by theZapata County Chamber of Commerceand the Zapata County News.

Sunday, Dec. 13There will be a dance at The Pa-

vilion at the Zapata County Fair-grounds to benefit the local MarineToys for Tots drive. Music will be by LosMizmos from Rio Grande City and LosCinco de Zapata, among others. Tick-ets are expected to be on sale in earlyNovember.

To submit an item for thedaily calendar, send the nameof the event, the date, time, loca-tion and a contact phone num-ber to editorial@lmtonline.com

CALENDARToday is Saturday, Oct. 31,

the 304th day of 2009. There are61 days left in the year. This isHalloween. A reminder: Day-light saving time ends Sundayat 2 a.m. local time. Clocks goback one hour.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On Oct. 31, 1517, MartinLuther posted the 95 Theses onthe door of the Wittenberg Pal-ace church, marking the startof the Protestant Reformationin Germany.

On this date:In 1864, Nevada became the

36th state.In 1926, magician Harry

Houdini died in Detroit of gan-grene and peritonitis resultingfrom a ruptured appendix.

In 1941, the Navy destroyerUSS Reuben James was torpe-doed by a German U-boat offIceland with the loss of some100 lives, even though the Unit-ed States had not yet enteredWorld War II.

In 1959, a former U.S. Ma-rine showed up at the U.S. Em-bassy in Moscow to declare hewas renouncing his Americancitizenship so he could live inthe Soviet Union. His name:Lee Harvey Oswald.

In 1968, President Lyndon B.Johnson ordered a halt to allU.S. bombing of North Viet-nam, saying he hoped for fruit-ful peace negotiations.

In 1984, Indian Prime Minis-ter Indira Gandhi was assassi-nated by two Sikh securityguards.

In 1996, a Brazilian Fokk-er-100 jetliner crashed in SaoPaulo, killing all 96 people onboard and three on the ground.

In 1998, a genetic study wasreleased suggesting PresidentThomas Jefferson did in factfather at least one child by hisslave Sally Hemings.

Ten years ago: EgyptAirFlight 990, bound from NewYork to Cairo, crashed off theMassachusetts coast, killing all217 people aboard.

Five years ago: In the clos-ing hours of their bitter cam-paign, President George W.Bush and challenger Sen. JohnKerry charged through thecritical battlegrounds of Flor-ida and Ohio, going fromhushed Sunday church servic-es to raucous campaign rallieswith promises to keep Ameri-ca safe.

One year ago: PresidentGeorge W. Bush signed an ex-ecutive order restoring the Li-byan government’s immunityfrom terror-related lawsuitsand dismissing pending com-pensation cases. Pulitzer Prize-winning author Studs Terkeldied in Chicago at age 96.

Today’s Birthdays: AuthorDick Francis is 89. Movie criticAndrew Sarris is 81. Formerastronaut Michael Collins is79. Former CBS anchormanDan Rather is 78. Actress SallyKirkland is 68. Actor David Og-den Stiers is 67. Actor StephenRea is 63. Actress Deidre Hallis 61. Talk show host Jane Pau-ley is 59. Actor Brian StokesMitchell is 51. Movie directorPeter Jackson is 48. Rock musi-cian Larry Mullen is 48. ActorDermot Mulroney is 46. Rockmusician Mikkey Dee (Motor-head) is 46. Rock singer-musi-cian Johnny Marr is 46. ActorRob Schneider is 45. Rap per-former Vanilla Ice (aka RobVan Winkle) is 41. Rock musi-cian Frank Iero (My ChemicalRomance) is 28.

Thought for Today:“There are very few monsterswho warrant the fear we haveof them.” — Andre Gide,French author and critic (1869-1951).

TODAY IN HISTORY

WASHINGTON — The Occupational Safe-ty and Health Administration on Friday im-posed a record $87 million fine against oil gi-ant BP PLC for failing to correct safety haz-ards after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workersat its Texas City refinery.

The fine — the largest in OSHA’s history— comes after a six-month inspection re-vealed hundreds of violations of a 2005 settle-ment agreement to repair hazards at the re-finery.

BP officials formally contested the fine,saying they believed the company had fullycomplied with the settlement agreement.

OSHA said the company also committedhundreds of new violations at the nation’sthird largest refinery by failing to follow in-dustry controls on pressure relief safety sys-

tems and other precautions.Labor Secretary Hilda Solis said BP failed

to live up to the terms of its commitment toprotect employees. If the problems are notaddressed, Solis said it “could lead to anoth-er catastrophe.”

“An $87 million fine won’t restore thoselives, but we can’t let this happen again,” So-lis said. “Workplace safety is more than aslogan. It’s the law.”

The deadly explosion at the company’sTexas City refinery, about 40 miles southeastof Houston, also injured more than 170 peo-ple.

In a statement, the company said most ofthe alleged violations relate to an ongoingdisagreement between OSHA and BP that isalready pending before the OccupationalHealth and Safety Review Commission, abody that is independent of OSHA.

AROUND TEXAS

Steam released from the BP oil refinery floats across part of the plant in Texas City on March 25, 2005. The OccupationalSafety and Health Administration on Friday issued a record $87 million fine against oil giant BP PLC for failing to correctsafety hazards after a 2005 explosion killed 15 workers and injured 170 at its Texas City refinery.

Photo by Tony Gutierrez | AP

OSHA fines BP $87MBy SAM HANANELASSOCIATED PRESS

Three indicted in El Pasocartel killing

EL PASO — An El Paso Coun-ty grand jury has indicted threemen, including a federal inform-ant, on capital murder chargersin the contract killing of a fellowinformant.

Court records show 31-year-oldRuben Rodriguez Dorado, a Jua-rez cartel hit man and U.S. Immi-gration and Customs Enforce-ment informant, U.S. Army Pfc.Michael Jackson Apodaca, 18,and Christopher Duran, 17, wereindicted on a capital murder in-volving payment charge.

The records show that Rodri-guez is a Juarez cartel hit manand U.S. Immigrant and CustomsEnforcement informant.

The three, along with a juve-nile and another man, are ac-cused of fatally shooting fellowcartel lieutenant and ICE in-formant Jose Daniel GonzalezGaleana. An arraignment hasn’tbeen scheduled.

The three have been jailedsince their August arrests.

Texas getting at least 2million swine flu dosesAUSTIN — Texas has been al-

located about 2 million swine fluvaccine doses from the U.S. Cen-ters for Disease Control and Pre-vention.

The Texas Department ofState Health Services on Fridaysaid the agency continues to or-der the state’s full allocation ofthe H1N1 vaccine as quickly aspossible.

More than 1.5 million doses ofthe 2 million had been orderedas of Thursday.

Man arrested in San Juanon weapons charges

SAN JUAN — A man arrestedon felony weapons charges inSan Juan where ritualistic bonesand blood were found faces a de-tention hearing next week.

Ruben Ambrosio Fonseca Jr.had his initial appearanceThursday in federal court.

A spokeswoman for the U.S. at-torney’s office, Angela Dodge, on

Friday told The Associated Pressthat Fonseca is charged with be-ing a felon in possession of fire-arms and ammunition.

Bond was denied for Fonseca,who was arrested Wednesdayand returns to court Nov. 4.

Police Chief Juan Gonzalezsays a former officer, whosebadge was stolen years ago andfound at the scene, has been lo-cated alive and well. Police be-lieve bones at the residence werefrom a business that legally sellsskeletal remains.

Comptroller Combs shiftson tuition refunds

AUSTIN — Texas ComptrollerSusan Combs, in a policy revers-al, will urge a state oversightboard next week to keep a gener-ous refund formula for thosewho want to cancel their pre-paid college tuition plans.

Combs says she’ll urge theTexas Prepaid Higher EducationTuition Board on Nov. 5 to cancelnew rules that would cut the val-ue of the refunds.

— Compiled from AP reports

Body encased in cementfound in Mexican city

TIJUANA, Mexico — Author-ities say a woman’s body wasfound buried headfirst in a plas-tic container of cement in drug-plagued Tijuana.

Cristina Perez of the Baja Cali-fornia state prosecutor’s officesays someone spotted the wom-an’s leg protruding from the con-tainer on a hillside.

The woman died at least amonth ago and showed signs shesuffered blows to the head, Perezsaid Thursday.

Firefighters extracted thebody, but officials have yet toidentify it, she added.

Tijuanalocated along the Cali-fornia border, has seen some ofMexico’s worst drug killings.

UK drug adviser firedafter marijuana comments

LONDON — Britain’s top drugadviser, David Nutt, was fired

Friday after saying that marijua-na, Ecstasy and LSD were lessdangerous than alcohol.

Nutt’s comments have embar-rassed the British government,which toughened the penaltiesfor possessing marijuana earlierthis year over prominent British

scientists’ protests.Nutt said he was disappointed

by his sacking, telling Sky Newstelevision it might have some-thing to do with the upcominggeneral election, which must becalled by the middle of next year.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE WORLD

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, center, walks before meeting with localpeople in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Friday. Clinton came face-to-face with Pakistanianger over U.S. aerial drone attacks in tribal areas along the Afghan border.

Photo by Irfan Mahmood | AP

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009 Zlocal PAGE 3A

CRIMINAL TRESPASSNoel Zamora, 19, was arrested

on charges of criminal trespass,class B misdemeanor, about 10:25a.m. Oct. 23 in the 2400 of ElmStreet. He was booked and trans-ported to Zapata Regional Jail wherehe was held on a $5,000 bond.

BURGLARYA 53-year-old man reported at

11 a.m. Oct. 23 in the 600 block ofGlenn Street that his 2005 ChevyTahoe and a 2001 Silverado hadbeen broken into. Unknown peoplestole $7 in spare change. Accordingto the report, there were no signs offorced entry on either of the vehi-cles.

A 78-year-old man reportedthat someone had attempted tobreak into his 1990 Chevy pickupand 1995 Ford Crown Victoriaaround 11:10 a.m. Oct. 25 in the5400 block of Victoria Lane. Accord-

ing to the sheriff’s report, nothingwas stolen.

A 43-year-old woman reportedaround 8 a.m. Oct. 26 that TripleDiamond Amusement Center on22nd block of U.S. 83 was ran-sacked. Zapata Sheriff Investigatorsrecovered surveillance video. Thesheriff’s department has an open in-vestigation on the case.

A male juvenile reportedaround 3:30 p.m. Oct. 26 thatsomeone broke into his Dodge pick-up vehicle while it was parked out-side Zapata High School. A stereosystem valued at $1,700 was taken.

THEFTA 37-year-old man reported

around 1 p.m. Oct. 23 in the 1300block of U.S. 83 at the D and D TireShop that three five-gallon bucketswere missing from the shop andthat two water hoses were cut. Ac-cording to the sheriff’s report, it was

Oct. 25 in the Rhoda Maria Sub-division. Martinez was booked andtransported to Zapata Regional Jailwhere he was held on a combinedbond of $10,000.

Juan Carlos Garcia, 31, wasarrested on charges of possession ofa controlled substance around 1:41a.m. Oct. 28 in the U.S. 83 by VeleñoBridge after a traffics stop. He wastransported to Zapata Regional Jailwhere he was held on a $15,000.

A 48-year-old woman reportedaround 10:30 a.m. Oct. 26 that $149worth of assorted brisket, turkeyand pizza were stolen from her out-side freezer in the 400 of LincolnStreet. The incident happened onOct. 24.

POSSESSIONGerardo Martinez, 19, was ar-

rested on charges of possession ofmarijuana and theft around 2 p.m.

concluded that gas was taken froman out-of-service vehicle.

A 68-year-old man reportedthat three goats were stolen fromhis property around 9 a.m. Oct. 25in the 5200 block of Victoria Lane.Each goat had a $100 value.

A 53-year- old woman report-ed around 1 p.m. Oct. 25 that herlawnmower was stolen in the 400block of Third Street. The item isvalued at $150.

THE BLOTTER

Zapata County Sheriff ’sOffice deputies placed aman under arrest for alleg-edly endangering a boywhile speeding.

Raul Angel Garza, 31,was arrested around 12:45a.m. Oct. 24 after deputiesinvestigated a domestic dis-pute in the 1000 block ofBravo Avenue.

According to Sgt. MarioElizondo, when deputies ar-rived at the residence, Gar-za had already left.

Garza had thrown twobeers cans at the complai-nant, according to reports.

Deputies then issued alook-out for a 2001 ChevyTahoe, the vehicle in whichhe had allegedly left theresidence with a 5-year-oldboy.

Later that night, deputiesconducted a traffic stop onTexas 16 and 16th Street.

“When deputies spottedthe vehicle, he was drivingat a high rate of speed,” Eli-zondo said.

Deputies also noticed the5-year-old boy was not in achild seat or wearing a safe-ty belt, he said.

The complainant wascalled to pick up the boy.

No injuries were report-

ed to the child or the com-plainant.

Though the complainantdid not want to file chargesagainst Garza, deputies ar-rested him for not havingthe child restrained.

Garza was charged withendangering a child, crimi-nal negligence, a state jailfelony.

He was booked andtransported to Zapata Re-gional Jail where he washeld $10,000 bond.

Elizondo reminded driv-ers that Texas law now re-quires a child up to the ageof 5 to be restrained in asafety seat.

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

Police say manput boy, 5, in

jeopardyBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES “When deputiesspotted thevehicle, he wasdriving at ahigh rate ofspeed.”SGT. MARIO ELIZONDO

Perhaps wanting to invoke the“Power of Grayskull,” a man pulled asword on Zapata County Sheriff ’s Of-fice deputies last week, according to asheriff ’s report.

Jesse Sanchez, 17, was arrested oncharges of aggravated assault againsta public servant, a first-degree felony;assault on a public servant, a third-degree felony; and resisting arrest, aclass-A misdemeanor.

Deputies respondedto a call around 10:40a.m. Oct. 24 in the 700block of Villa Avenueabout a domestic dis-turbance or possiblefight in progress.

According to Sgt.Mario Elizondo, depu-

ties arrived on scene and witnessed aphysical struggle between the com-plainant and Sanchez outside the res-idence.

Elizondo said when Sanchez saw

the deputies, he ran inside the home,and deputies went after him.

Suddenly, Sanchez reappeared, dis-playing a deadly weapon, describedas a sword, Elizondo said.

The size and length of the sword isundetermined, Elizondo said.

According to Elizondo, deputieswere able to quickly subdue Sanchez.

No injuries were reported to eitherparty, Elizondo said.

Sanchez was booked and trans-ported to Zapata Regional Jail wherehe was held on a $160,000 bond set byJustice of the Peace Juana Maria Gu-tierrez.

(César G. Rodriguez may bereached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmton-line.com)

Swordplay results in arrestZapata deputies charge teen after alleged

involvement in disturbance at local residenceBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

SANCHEZ

VISIT TO SPIRITUAL LANDMARK

Courtesy photo

Zapata and San Ygnacio participants in a recent TouriMax Tours trip to the Hill Country stop in front of San Fernando Cathedral indowntown San Antonio. The group also visited Bandera, Fredricksburg and Gruene.

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009

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

There hasn’t been awhole lot of publicityabout Tuesday’s constitu-tional amendment elec-tion, and it’s true thatthere aren’t any jaw-drop-ping, eye-popping itemson the ballot.

Nevertheless, voting isa hard-won privilege thatwe should never take forgranted.

Tuesday’s ballot in-cludes 11 constitutionalamendments covering ev-erything from standardiz-ing appraisals for proper-ty taxes to allowing thestate to join the federalgovernment in buildingmedical facilities for ourveterans.

A complete list of the 11propositions along withpros and cons presentedduring legislative debateover the proposed amend-ments can be found onlineat www.tlc.state.tx.us/pub-sconamend/analyses09/analyses09.pdf. The TexasLegislative Council doesan excellent job of provid-ing a synopsis of eachmeasure.

There are several pro-posed amendments thatare of particular note:

Prop. 3 calls for pro-viding for uniform stan-dards and procedures forthe appraisal of propertyfor ad valorem tax pur-poses. There have beenrumors spread via Inter-net that this measurecalls for a statewide prop-erty tax. That’s not true.In fact, the proposedamendment specificallywould not affect the lawthat prohibits statewideappraisal of real propertyfor ad valorem taxation.However, it could be ar-gued that setting up a sin-gle, state-approved systemof appraising propertycould be the first step to-ward a statewide propertytax in the future. Butthat’s a long shot, and theauthor of the amendment,dyed-in-the-wood Republi-can Sen. Tommy Williamsof The Woodlands, hasemphasized that is not theintent of his bill.

University moneyProp. 4 calls for estab-

lish a national researchuniversity fund to helpturn more of our stateuniversities into high-cali-ber, national-level re-search universities, draw-ing money from the dor-mant Permanent HigherEducation Fund. Current-ly, only the University ofTexas at Austin and TexasA&M University (at Col-

lege Station) are national-ly recognized, tier one re-search institutions. Underthis proposition, thosetwo universities wouldnot be eligible for moneyfrom this special fund. Ifyou believe Texas needsmore first-class, national-level research institutions,then you should vote forthis proposition. If you be-lieve that the state shouldconcentrate its funding onthe two institutions thatalready have nationalprominence (the UT andA&M flagships), then vote“no” on this amendment.

Prop. 8 would allowthe state to help build andoperate medical facilitiesfor veterans. This is onethat would help ourneighbors. The closest vet-eran hospital to the RioGrande Valley is AudieMurphy in San Antonio,which can be a prettylong trip for the folks indeep South Texas, espe-cially for someone who’sill. If Prop. 8 passes, thestate could work with theU.S. Department of Veter-an Affairs to build a hos-pital in the Valley.

Property rightsProp. 11 would pro-

hibit the taking of privateproperty by means of emi-nent domain laws simplyfor “economic develop-ment” and expanding thetax base. It would prohibita government from takingwell-maintained propertyby calling it “blighted”just because other parcelsof land around it havebeen abandoned. Texanshave long been fiercelyprotective of their proper-ty, and voting “yes” onthis measure would helpput that protection intothe Texas Constitution.

Early voting ended Fri-day with barely 1 percentturnout reported state-wide.

We’re all busy thesedays, and it does take ex-tra effort to schedule atrip to your polling site tocast a ballot. But onceyou’re there, this onewon’t take long and youwill feel better about yourrole as a U.S. citizen.

You’ve heard it before:there are many peoplearound the world whodon’t have the freedom tovote for their leaders or todecide how they will begoverned. We in the Unit-ed States continue to havethat freedom, in large partdue to the ultimate sacri-fice made by many ser-vicemen and women overthe years. Don’t let it go itto waste.

Make timeto vote Nov. 3

THE ZAPATA TIMES

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Times doesnot publish anonymousletters.

To be published, lettersmust include the writer’sfirst and last names aswell as a phone numberto verify identity. The

phone number IS NOTpublished; it is used sole-ly to verify identity andto clarify content, if nec-essary. Identity of the let-ter writer must be veri-fied before publication.

We want to assure our

readers that a letter iswritten by the person whosigns the letter. The Zapa-ta Times does not allowthe use of pseudonyms.

Letters are edited forstyle, grammar, lengthand civility. No name-call-

ing or gratuitous abuse isallowed.

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

SAN ANTONIO — Lifehas its eternal mys-teries, never to be

solved by mere mortals (oreven newspaper column-ists). These would includethe BCS college footballsystem and who put AlSharpton in charge of any-thing.

Then there are the peri-odic mysteries that pop upevery four years or so.

Here’s one.Does Kinky Friedman:A. Sell books to run for

governor; or,B. Run for governor to

sell books (and cigars andconcert tickets)?

Hawking expertIn search of an answer, I

went to a Barnes & Noblein San Antonio last weekbecause Friedman’s cam-paign Web site lured methere for a book-signingevent where he seamlesslyalternated between cam-paigning and hawkingbooks and cigars.

Author Friedman notedthat his “Heroes of a TexasChildhood” book includesBarbara Jordan and SamRayburn, “who believedthat politicians should beheld to a higher standardthan the rest of us.”

Politician Friedman hadsome trouble with one ofthose higher standards —accuracy — while answer-ing an audience questionabout the State Board ofEducation.

Just guessing

“I think there’s 16 or 17members. I think the gov-ernor has appointed 15 or16 of that bunch in the 10years he has been gover-nor,” Friedman said.

“The problem here is,I’ve been told, that of the15 or 16 Perry appointees,none of them have everhad a kid in publicschool,” he said.

It’s possible Friedmanhad “been told” that. Butas a candidate it’s probablehe should have checkedthis out prior to passing iton to voters.

The SBOE has 15 mem-bers, elected from districts.Governors make appoint-ments to fill vacancies.Governors select the chairfrom among the electedmembers. Perry has ap-pointed no members.

If Friedman has a prob-lem with the SBOE, heshould be complaining to— as opposed to mislead-ing — the voters.

Friedman ventured intoglass-house territory bycasting stones about ethicsreform. His campaign Website notes it is a “politicalad paid for by Texans forKinky,” which reported$62,750 in contributionsand $33,537 in expendi-tures in the first half of2009.

The contributions, wewill assume, came frompeople (bless their hearts)who think Friedmanwould be a fine governor.The expenditures, we willassume, went toward thatgoal.

Here’s the problem withthe latter assumption. Thecampaign Web site pro-motes Friedman’s busi-nesses. His cigars, the Website assures us, “feature a

beautiful Habano wrappergrown in Honduras fromCuban seed with a medi-um-bodied filler of Hondu-ran and Nicaraguan tobac-cos and Costa Rican bind-er.”

Nothing wrong withprofit. And nothing wrongwith a politician having aday job. But isn’t theresomething wrong with us-ing political money topump up the day job’s bot-tom line?

Let’s try it this way. Sayan oilman ran for governorand used political contribu-tions to buy ads saying,“Buy my oil.” That wouldbe bad. Same with books,cigars and concert tickets.

The Texas Election Codebars using contributionsfor “a use that primarilyfurthers individual or fam-ily purposes not connectedwith the performance ofduties or activities as acandidate for or holder of apublic office.”

Troubling trendThis is not a major of-

fense, one of the few inTexas not carrying thedeath penalty. But Fried-man’s mingling of politicsand profit is troubling.

Sounding more crankythan Kinky, Friedman de-clined to discuss this withme. Colin Strother, hiscampaign’s general con-sultant, said Tuesday thereis nothing wrong with thecampaign Web site, which,he said, got the Texas Eth-ics Commission OK in2006. FYI, Tim Sorrells, thecommission’s assistantgeneral counsel, told me hefound no record of that ev-er happening. Later Tues-

day, Strother called to cor-rect himself, saying thecommission merely offered“guidance” in 2006.

Strother said plans havebeen under way for a newcampaign Web site thatwill continue to promoteFriedman’s public appear-ances — political or pro-motional — but will droplinks to Friedman’s busi-nesses.

“We publicize and pro-mote all of Kinky’s publicappearances becausewhat’s good for Kinky isgood for the campaign,”Strother said.

We’re talking aboutsmall bucks here. The cam-paign pays $54.95 a monthfor Web hosting. Comparethat, Strother said, withwhat Perry spends in tax-payer money to promotehimself around the state.Fair enough.

A final wordSo back to the mystery

of Friedman’s campaign:Political campaign or busi-ness venture? Let’s givehim the benefit of thedoubt and say we’ll keepan eye on it.

And let’s give him the fi-nal words. These, offered atBarnes & Noble and re-counting his opening linein a review of a JimmyBuffet book, somehow —in a Kinkyesque way —seem appropriate.

“There’s a fine line be-tween fiction and nonfic-tion, and I believe JimmyBuffett and I snorted it in1976.”

(Reach Ken Herman of theAustin American-Statesmanvia e-mail at kher-man@statesman.com)

COLUMN

Kinky’s troubling ethics issueBy KEN HERMAN

COX ENTERPRISES

To the editor:I want to thank our

Congressman, Mr. HenryCuellar, for being on theside of his constituentswho demand that the en-tire health care bill beplaced online 72 hours be-fore it goes for a vote.

With his voice he isshowing that he respectsus and recognizes that weare intelligent people whocan discern, read betweenlines and understand se-mantics. He is truly show-ing the opposite of the bro-ken promises of PresidentObama who promised a“transparent government.”

I respectfully ask ourCongressman to vote “no”to including abortion,which I can assure will bedisguised as somethingelse. However, we pro-lifersknow what it is when wesee it. Abortion is nothealth care. It is murder,plain and simple.

In his latest address to

Congress, when PresidentObama briefly addressedtort reform, saying that “itwould be studied,” I felt asif it were a bone thrownout to the dogs to distractthem. I knew he only saidit to appease, but he reallyhas never meant it be-cause he would be hurtinghimself, his wife and allthe lawyers in the Senateand in Congress. How hyp-ocritical!

By opposing efforts toplace the entire bill onlineand only publish whatthey want us to know,President Obama, HouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi, et.al., believe that We, ThePeople, need to be fed Ger-ber food instead of givingus the whole steak. Iwould like to tell them thatwe are adults, we have in-tellect and and, yes, we dohave teeth and know howto chew!

Signed,Marcia Jovel

YOUR OPINIONKudos to Congressman Cuellar for

supporting online viewing of health bill

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009 Zlifestyle PAGE 5A

you’ve tapped out, thinkagain. Vasquez announceseach quitter by ringing abig fire bell, which thecrowd now responds to byshouting “quitter!”

Special eventsBut for tonight, the mad

scientists have added anumber of special, sinistertouches, noted Vasquez.

For one, there will beabout 75 actors, 50 percentmore than the typicalnight. Proprietors alsohave opened up about 2,000more square feet to unfoldtheir nightmares.

In the parking lot, therewill be a children’s cos-tume contest at 4 p.m. andan adult’s costume contestat 9 p.m. DJ Manny will al-so be spinning outside tokeep the anticipated crowdentertained.

Also, on Sunday, thehouse will feature a “glowstick night,” where all thelights will be turned offand groups of six will beforced to use a solitaryglow stick to make theirway through — and hope-fully out — of the house.

Are you afraid of thedark? …Or perhaps justthe things that residethere?

It’s as much about thebrief, terrifying flashes ofwhat you can see as whatyou don’t, explained onehaunted house designer. Itmay be unknown, but ofcourse you know it’s there,because you can feel it,maybe hear it. And thisweekend, potential victimsacross the city will beseeking out their maso-chistic, macabre compul-sions for adrenaline rush-es and scream fests in thedarkened hallways of TheAsylum.

The scream sceneIn the few weeks the hot

spot has been open, thelargest haunted house inTexas — 22,000 square feet— has been creating quitea buzz around town, rack-ing up the numbers ofthrillseekers who couldn’tquite stomach the first fewscenes before calling itquits.

Framed around the sto-ry of a homicidal psychiat-ric patient who offs hisdoctor and frees his fellowresidents to run The Asy-lum, visitors travelthrough its terrifying cor-ridors to the dormitories,morgue, nurse’s station,

chapel. graveyard and doc-tor’s office, where evidenceof his demise is… well, ev-erywhere. And if therewere any doubt what, ex-actly, happened to the gooddoctor, that’s effectivelyand disturbingly portrayedin all its diabolical gloryin a spot that it’s least ex-pected.

Organized and run byfour Laredo firefighters —Edgar Vasquez, RandallManning, Joey Lopez Jr.and Anthony Chandarlis— The Asylum is designedin such a way that visitorsmust go through, and be-come a part of, the 24scenes, including one thathas become famed for dis-orienting its victims witha sort of “maze” of choos-ing the correct exit of ascene from a series ofdoors. There are also por-

tions that are pitch-blackand must be “felt”through.

Throughout its run, thehouse has featured about50 actors per night in pro-fessional makeup and sili-con masks that conform tothe face, mimicking its ex-pression for a ghoulishlyvisceral, realistic effect.

Tales from survivorswho have emerged fromthe house involve some ofthe visitors getting lost inits darker, more confusingportions.

There have also been re-ports of — ahem — incon-tinence, asthma attacksand fainting. Additionally,there have also been 437victims who quit beforethey finished the house,Vasquez said.

But if you think you’vesuffered the last of it when

A bloody good time: Hauntedhouse looking to lure new victims

By KIRSTEN CROWLAREDO MORNING TIMES

Pictured above is one of The Asylum’s creepy characters.

Photo by Ricardo Segovia | Laredo Morning Times

THE 411What: The AsylumWhere: Mall Del NorteWhen: 2 p.m. to midnighttonight and 1 to 10 p.m. SundayCost: Tickets are $13 tonightand $15 on Saturday

The Laredo Center forthe Arts will be opening itsdoors to commemorate Diade Los Muertos during itsAnnual Dia De Los Muer-tos Cultural Event sched-uled for Sunday, Nov. 1,from 1 to 5 p.m.

Dia De Los Muertos is atraditional Mexican holi-day in which the livinghonor and reunite withtheir beloved ancestors,family and friends. Dia delos Muertos is a celebra-tion that honors both thelives of the deceased as wellas the continuation of life.

LCA’s Dia de los Muertosis a community-orientedcelebration of culture thatwill include chalk art, facepainting, music, perform-ances and many more fun-filled activities.

On exhibit will be tradi-tional altars, the heart andsoul of Dia de Los Muertos.The altares this year havebeen created by several lo-cal organizations, schoolsand individuals. This year’sparticipants are Our Ladyof Guadalupe School, OpenArt, Mexican Cultural In-stitute, Renee La Perriere,

Laredo Art League, Las Da-mas de Cultura de Oro,Gateway Academy, LCA’sBethany House Art Class,the Santos/Garcia Familyand Sandra Rocha Taylor.

This family-orientedevent is free and open tothe public. Organizers en-courage visitors to comedressed in their finest cala-ca or skeleton costume.

The Laredo Center forthe Arts, 500 San AgustinAve., coordinates, pro-motes, encourages and sup-ports the arts in the Laredoand South Texas area. Thecenter, an independent non-profit organization, re-ceives support from privateand public sources includ-ing members, the City ofLaredo, the County ofWebb and the Texas Com-mission on the Arts.

Pictured here is a traditional Dia de los Muertos altar, used to honora deceased loved one, on display at the Laredo Center for the Arts.

Courtesy photo

LCA to celebrateDay of the Dead

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

Cravings for sweettreats will be satisfied andcultures enriched duringthe first ever Day of theDead cake contest at theLaredo Community Col-lege South Campus onMonday from noon to 1:30p.m. at the Billy Hall Stu-dent Center.

Local bakeries willshowcase their baking tal-ents by creating a cakewith Day of the Dead astheir theme.

At 1 p.m., students andthe public will have an op-portunity to sample someof the baked goods.

A‘sweet’celebrationfor Day ofthe Dead

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

SÁBADO 31 DE OCTUBRELAREDO - Hoy es el

último día de la venta degarage en el Fellowship Hall,First United MethodistChurch, 1200 McClellandAve., de 9 a.m. a 2 p.m. Laentrada es gratuita.

LAREDO - Hoy es elGrossology, la celebración deHalloween del Imaginariumof South Texas. Habrá cajasmisteriosas, concurso de dis-fraces, pinta-caras y muchasactividades para toda la fa-milia, de 3 p.m. a 8 p.m. To-das las actividades son gra-tuitas, previo pago de la en-trada. Las actividades noincluyen dulces.

LAREDO - El PlanetarioLamar Bruni Vergara de Te-xas A&M International Uni-versity admitirá gratuitamen-te a niños de 2 a 11 añosdisfrazados a cualquier pro-yección. Las presentacionesde hoy incluyen “The Futureis Wild” a las 2 p.m.; “Ka-luoka’hina the Enchanted Re-ef” a las 3 p.m. “SevenWonders” a las 4 p.m. Laentrada general tiene costode 3 dólares. Todos los ni-ños recibirán nieve gratis.

DOMINGO 1 DE NOVIEMBRELAREDO - La Serie de

Recitales de Órgano de Te-xas A&M International Uni-versity continúa hoy con lapresentación de Clive Dris-kill-Smith a las 4 p.m. en elCenter for the Fine and per-forming Art Recital Hall. Laentrada es gratuita.

LAREDO - El LaredoCenter for the Arts (Centropara las Artes de Laredo)presentará hoy su interactivoFestival del Día de los Muer-tos con altares, comida y ar-te con gis en las banquetasdel Centro ubicado en el500 San Agustin de 1 p.m. a5 p.m.

LUNES 2 DE NOVIEMBRELAREDO - Logistics

and Manufacturing Associa-tion llevará a cabo el día dehoy un torneo de golf pararecaudar fondos para becasde 8:30 a.m. a 7 p.m. Lacena de premiación será enel Laredo Country Club. Másinformación llamando a Ma-rilyn O’Donnell al 791-2173 óescribiendo alma@stx.rr.com.

MIÉRCOLES 4 DE NOVIEMBRELAREDO - Hoy es el

American Pop Music Concerta las 7 p.m. en el teatro delCenter for the Fine and Per-forming Arts de Texas A&MInternational University. Laentrada es gratuita y abiertaal público en general. El pro-grama consiste de cancionesde la época del swing, músi-ca soul, folk, doowop, in-fluencias latinas, 1970 ycountry.

JUEVES 5 DE NOVIEMBRELAREDO - Hoy es la

primera presentación de Se-same Street Live: When El-mo Grows Up en el LaredoEntertainment Center.

VIERNES 6 DE NOVIEMBRELAREDO - Los Junior

Bucks invitan hoy a su baileen Vaquero’s Country Bar(1406 Jacaman) de 6 p.m. a2 a.m. La hora feliz será de6 p.m. a 8 p.m. y la bandaempezará a las 9:30 p.m. Elcosto de entrada es de 5dólares. Más información lla-mando al 645-3899.

SÁBADO 7 DE NOVIEMBRELAREDO - El Departa-

mento de Parques y Servi-cios de Entretenimiento dela Ciudad de Laredo invita asu 4ta. Carrera Anual A.L.S.de 5K a llevarse a cabo hoya partir de las 8 a.m. Puedeinscribirse hoy mismo de 7a.m. a 8 a.m. La donaciónes de 10 dólares a la Aso-ciación A.L.S. Las categoríasson: varonil/femenil 14 ymenores, 15-19, 20-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60 y más.

Agendaen Breve

PÁGINA 6A Zfrontera SÁBADO 31 DE OCTUBRE DE 2009

La Agencia Ambiental de Ta-maulipas tiene planeado tener enfuncionamiento hasta cinco nue-vos rellenos sanitarios para el2010.

El encargado de la agencia Sal-vador Treviño Garza explicó quese trata del Proyecto Integral deResiduos Sólidos.

Treviño destacó que cada relle-

no sanitario tiene un periodo devida que puede variar dependien-do del diseño del mismo, proyec-tando que mínimo deben de serutilizados por 10 años.

En cuanto al nuevo relleno sani-tario en Nuevo Laredo, se está enespera de la licitación para sunuevo sitio.

Acerca del relleno sanitario enla zona Ribereña, Treviño informóque éste ya se construye.

Para el relleno de Rio Bravo seespera la certificación de la CO-CEF y el NADBank.

En lo que respecta al rellenosanitario de Ciudad Victoria, estápor culminarse el proyecto ejecuti-vo para iniciar la construcción delsitio con las especificaciones y ca-racterísticas necesarias para estetipo de áreas de confinamiento.

Puntualizó que el relleno sani-tario en Ciudad Victoria tendrá

una inversión de hasta 25 millonesde pesos, con lo que se garantizasu construcción para el próximoaño.

En relación a San Fernando,González y Aldama están ya traba-jando de cerca con BANOBRASpara que este mismo año deter-minen su situación, dijo Treviño.

Otro relleno será ubicado enMante el cual está ya en procesode licitación.

Construirán 5 rellenos sanitariosESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

CIUDAD MIER – Melis-sa Hernández Montes deMatamoros fue designadacomo “Señorita Frente Ju-venil Tamaulipas” en suedición 2009.

El certamen contó con laparticipación de 27 repre-sentantes de distintaspartes del Estado quienesdesfilaron ante más de 600personas.

La Plaza Hidalgo de éstaciudad fue el escenario dedistintas facetas de la pasa-rela, incluidas conocimien-to, desenvolvimiento, cultu-ra general, belleza y orato-ria.

Previo al certamen, fue-ron recibidas y atendidaspor los presidentes munici-

pales de Ciudad Mier JoséIván Mancillas Hinojosa yde Miguel Alemán Servan-do López Moreno loscuales las acompañaron endesfiles por ambas ciu-dades.

El jurado estuvo integra-do por Mariluz SalinasDíaz Directora de Turismodel municipio, Ciara TeránGarza Secretaria Generaldel C.D.E. del F.JR.; la mod-elo profesional Brenda Be-renice y María del CarmenPeña, consultora de belle-za.

Melissa, de 17 años deedad, quien estuvo acom-pañada de sus padres Ja-cinto Hernández Rodríguezy Laura Montes Rivera, re-cibió su corona y banda asícomo 10 mil pesos.

Miguel Cavazos Guerre-ro, presidente del ComitéDirectivo Estatal del FrenteJuvenil Revolucionario(FJR) fue el encargado decoronar a la “SeñoritaFrente Juvenil Tamaulipas2009” y premiar al resto delas ganadoras.

Brenda Valenzuela Ro-dríguez de San Fernando,obtuvo el segundo lugar yClaudia Maribel GonzálezElizondo de Ciudad Victo-ria, el tercero.

Diana Laura Juárez Ra-mírez, de Abasolo, fue de-signada Señorita Simpatía;Brenda Zambrano Cama-rillo, de Hidalgo, como Se-ñorita Fotogenia y KarlaGómez Gómez, de Soto laMarina, Señorita Elegan-cia.

La conducción del even-to estuvo a cargo de la con-ductora de programas es-peciales en Televisa Méxi-co Alma Saint Martin ycomo invitados especialeslos presidentes de comitésmunicipales del FJR y delPartido Revolucionario In-stitucional. Igualmente sedestacó la participación enla organización del eventode Magda Leysly BarreraRamírez, Dirigente del FJRen Ciudad Mier.

La presentante de Ciu-dad Mier Mariana GuerraBarrera quedó entre lasprimeras diez finalistas.

El certamen fue el se-gundo evento estatal que selleva a cabo en CiudadMier en un lapso de dosaños.

Melissa Hernández Montes de Matamoros, segunda de izquierda a derecha, fue designada "Señorita Frente Juvenil Tamaulipas" 2009.Le acompañan en la imagen, de izquierda a derecha, la Srita. FJR Ciudad Mier Mariana Guerra Barrera; la Primera Dama Isabel CristinaTreviño de Mancillas, el Alcalde José Iván Mancillas Hinojosa y la Conductora del Certámen Alma Saint Martin.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Ciudad Mier

Matamoros gana certamen FJRESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

NUEVO LAREDO - Lim-pieza total, abatización yretiro de enjambres fueronlabores que se desarrolla-ron ya en los panteonesmunicipales.

Los camposantos ya es-tán listos para ser visitados

el fin de se-mana conmotivo delDía de losFieles Difun-tos, ceremo-nia tradicion-al que se de-sarrolla losdías primero

y 2 de noviembre de cadaaño a nivel nacional.

“La limpieza está al 100por ciento, las cuadrillas dela Dirección de Imagen Ur-bana comenzaron desde el25 de septiembre hasta estasemana y laboran ya sóloen detalles”, mencionó Héc-tor Gaucín Rodríguez, jefede Panteones Municipales.

Más de 60 mil personasse espera que visiten esteaño los cementerios, aquienes se les ofrecerá per-manentemente una buenaatención a través de la Di-rección de Imagen Urbana,Protección Civil, SeguridadCiudadana y SeguridadVial para evitar incidentes.

Actualmente cerca de 17mil 500 tumbas en ochohectáreas se ubican en elPanteón Municipal Anti-guo; y son 30 mil sepulcrosen 13 hectáreas de terrenolos que hay en el PanteónMunicipal Nuevo.

Tumbaslistas

para ellunes

ESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

GAUCÍN

CARROS ALEGÓRICOS

Foto de cortesía | Nueva Ciudad GuerreroLa Alcaldesa de Nueva Ciudad Guerrero Olga Elizondo, saluda, conforme acompaña a alumnosdel Jardín de Niños Herlinda T. de Balboa, quienes ocuparon el segundo lugar con el carro ale-górico “Tradición del Día de Muertos” durante las celebraciones del 56 Aniversario de la ciu-dad. El primer lugar fue para la Primaria Leoncio Leal con el tema de Chichen-Iitza, Séptimamaravilla del mundo; el tercero fue para la Secundaria Oscar González Blackaller con el temade la influenza.

CD. VICTORIA - A pesar de losseveros recortes presupuestalesaplicados en este año por la Fed-eración a Tamaulipas y las condi-ciones vulnerables de las finan-zas de sus 43 municipios deriva-das de esos ajustes, el Gobiernodel Estado no creará nuevos im-puestos ni elevará los ya exist-entes, anunció el gobernador Eu-genio Hernández Flores.

“Insistimos: en Tamaulipasnuestra prioridad es proteger a la

gente y familias en general, im-pulsando oportunidades de em-pleo y no vamos a lesionar sueconomía con nuevos gravá-menes”, apuntó Hernández.

En ese sentido destacó que laadministración a su cargo tienemuy claro que el mejor caminopara superar la problemática eco-nómica que afecta al país esabriendo opciones de trabajo queconduzcan a su vez a mayores ni-veles de bienestar. Por eso, dijo,“los esfuerzos del gobierno esta-tal están encaminados a contin-

uar con las inversiones en in-fraestructura”.

Actualmente Tamaulipas seubica como el primer estado enel país en el renglón de inversiónen obra pública, según Hernán-dez.

Agregó que para no crear im-puestos nuevos ni incrementarlas que operan actualmente, to-das las dependencias del gobier-no estatal aplican una rigurosapolítica de austeridad para lo-grar un gasto racional y optimi-zar los resultados en sus respect-

ivos ámbitos, sin afectar su efi-ciencia ni su competitividad.

Hernández dijo que en materiaeconómica al igual que en otrasacciones, siempre se ha manteni-do comunicación permanentecon el gobierno federal para su-mar esfuerzos.

“Sólo así, con esa voluntadpermanente de trabajar juntos demanera coordinada, el Estado hapodido salir adelante a pesar deque el déficit presupuestario alterminar este año alcanzará losmil 400 millones de pesos”, dijo.

Hernández: no se lesionará economíaESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

LAREDO - Los antojospor algo dulce serán com-placidos y las culturas se-rán enriquecidas duranteel primer concurso de pas-teles por el Día de losMuertos en el LaredoCommunity College, cam-pus del Sur, el lunes 2 denoviembre de 12 p.m. a1:30 p.m. en el Centro Es-tudiantil Billy Hall.

Pastelerías locales hansido invitadas a mostrarsu creatividad y cocinartalentos por medio decrear un pastel con el te-ma del Día de los Muertos.

El evento fue concep-tualizado por la estudiante

de LCC Martha Reyes,quien es presidenta delClub de Revolutionary Artand Cultural Empower-ment (RACE). El club esanfitrión del concurso.

“La idea surgió de nues-tra presiden del club quiena la vez se inspiró de laprogramación del canal decomidas que involucracompetencias con decora-ción de pasteles”, dijo laco-asesora del club MarySue Galindo.

“El Club RACE consid-eró que era una forma ún-ica y emocionante de in-troducir este evento cul-tural a nuestro cuerpoestudiantil.

Los ganadores seránanunciados a la 1 p.m.

Invitan a concursode pasteles en LCC

POR STEVE TREVIÑOESPECIAL PARA TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

Carmen Ramirez - Rathmell, D.D.S.“Let your smile be

a sign of happiness& good health”

1520 Corpus Christi StreetTelephone (956) 726-0160

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009 LAREDO MORNING TIMES 7A

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AT&T Inc NY 1.64 25.67 -.06 -0.2 -9.9AEP NY 1.64 30.22 -.59 -1.9 -9.2BkofAm NY .04 14.58 -1.64 -10.1 +3.6CIT Gp NY ... .72 -.42 -36.8 -84.1Caterpillar NY 1.68 55.06 -2.54 -4.4 +23.3Citigrp NY ... 4.09 -.37 -8.3 -39.0CCFemsa NY .51 53.94 -.37 -0.7 +24.0CmtyHlt NY ... 31.28 -3.63 -10.4 +114.5ConocPhil NY 2.00 50.18 -1.29 -2.5 -3.1Dell Inc Nasd ... 14.45 -1.03 -6.7 +41.1Dillards NY .16 13.62 -1.30 -8.7 +243.1DirFBear rs NY ... 22.94 +3.57 +18.4 -93.6EmpIca NY ... 8.72 -1.71 -16.4 +30.1ExxonMbl NY 1.68 71.67 -1.90 -2.6 -10.2FordM NY ... 7.00 -.63 -8.3 +205.7GenElec NY .40 14.26 -.94 -6.2 -12.0HewlettP NY .32 47.46 -1.10 -2.3 +30.8HomeDp NY .90 25.09 -1.18 -4.5 +9.0iShEMkts NY .59 37.57 -3.19 -7.8 +50.5Intel Nasd .56 19.11 -.67 -3.4 +30.4IntlBcsh Nasd .34 14.85 -1.66 -10.1 -32.0IBM NY 2.20 120.61 +.25 +0.2 +43.3

Lowes NY .36 19.57 -1.14 -5.5 -9.1

Lubys NY ... 3.57 -.05 -1.4 -14.8

MetLife NY .74 34.03 -2.92 -7.9 -2.4

MexicoFd NY 2.18 20.07 -1.77 -8.1 +32.0

Microsoft Nasd .52 27.73 -.29 -1.0 +42.6

Modine NY ... 10.30 +.99 +10.6 +111.5

Penney NY .80 33.13 -2.90 -8.0 +68.2

PwShs QQQ Nasd .18 40.96 -2.17 -5.0 +37.7

RadioShk NY .25 16.89 +1.23 +7.9 +41.5

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SonyCp NY .13 29.39 +.48 +1.7 +34.4

SPDR NY 2.42 103.56 -4.52 -4.2 +14.8

SPDR Fncl NY .38 14.05 -1.05 -7.0 +12.2

TelMexL NY .67 16.61 -.43 -2.5 -20.7

UnionPac NY 1.08 55.14 -2.59 -4.5 +15.4

USSteel NY .20 34.49 -6.38 -15.6 -7.3

UnvHlth NY .32 55.65 -6.92 -11.1 +48.1

WalMart NY 1.09 49.68 -.76 -1.5 -11.4

WellsFargo NY .20 27.52 -1.80 -6.1 -6.6

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52-Week Wk Wk YTD 12-moHigh Low Name Last Chg %Chg %Chg %Chg

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Last Pvs Week

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Alliance Bernstein GlTmtcGA m WS 888 60.59 -3.6 +34.9/A +3.1/C 4.25 10,000

Eaton Vance WldwHealA m SH 748 8.36 -6.3 +5.5/D +3.4/B 5.75 1,000

Fidelity Select Biotech d SH 1,136 58.40 -12.1 -1.9/E +1.8/D NL 2,500

Fidelity Select BrokInv d SF 695 47.13 -5.0 +38.3/A +5.9/A NL 2,500

Fidelity Select CommEq d SC 360 19.02 -5.7 +48.3/A +1.8/B NL 2,500

Fidelity Select Computer d ST 478 40.16 -4.3 +38.0/B +4.6/B NL 2,500

Fidelity Select Electron d ST 1,146 34.73 -8.7 +36.0/B +0.1/D NL 2,500

Fidelity Select FinSvc d SF 524 56.74 -4.5 +7.3/B -6.5/C NL 2,500

Fidelity Select HomeFin d SF 74 10.30 -5.8 -12.5/E -23.1/E NL 2,500

Fidelity Select SoftwCom d ST 788 67.67 +1.5 +34.4/B +7.2/A NL 2,500

Fidelity Select Tech d ST 1,744 65.92 -2.7 +51.1/A +3.8/C NL 2,500

Seligman ComInfoA m ST 2,522 35.30 -1.0 +39.1/A +8.9/A 5.75 2,000

T Rowe Price SciTech ST 2,304 19.97 -4.4 +38.6/B +2.4/C NL 2,500

Vanguard HlthCare d SH 11,311 112.65 -1.9 +16.1/A +5.6/A NL 25,000

Waddell & Reed Adv SciTechA m ST 2,036 8.50 -3.7 +27.0/D +7.8/A 5.75 500

Total Assets Total Return/Rank Pct Min InitName Obj ($Mlns) NAV 4-wk 12-mo 5-year Load Invt

CA -Conservative Allocation, CI -Intermediate-Term Bond, ES -Europe Stock, FB -Foreign Large Blend, FG -Foreign LargeGrowth, FV -ForeignLarge Value, IH -World Allocation, LB -Large Blend, LG -Large Growth, LV -Large Value, MA -Moderate Allocation, MB -Mid-Cap Blend, MV - Mid-Cap Value, SH -Specialty-heath, WS -World Stock, Total Return: Chng in NAV with dividends reinvested. Rank: How fund performed vs. others withsame objective: A is in top 20%, E in bottom 20%. Min Init Invt: Minimum $ needed to invest in fund. Source: Morningstar.

NYSE6,739.45 -327.35

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PwShs QQQ6002084 40.96 -2.17ETrade 4354143 1.46 -.20Microsoft 4000810 27.73 -.29Intel 3830106 19.11 -.67Cisco 2352253 22.81 -1.36Oracle 1549815 21.10 -.95HuntBnk 1373804 3.81 -.39DryShips 1269535 6.04 -.99Yahoo 1266922 15.90 -1.32Apple Inc 1181334188.50-15.44

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Sypris 3.10 +1.01 +48.3IntrntGold 12.70 +3.66 +40.5CllctUnv 7.48 +1.98 +36.0012Smile 13.96 +3.45 +32.8HilandHld h 3.14 +.76 +31.9Corel g 4.01 +.84 +26.5MillIndia 2.08 +.43 +26.1HilandPt 9.83 +2.03 +26.0OrionEngy 3.81 +.71 +22.9WasteSv g 6.56 +1.21 +22.6

Name Last Chg %ChgTranscept n 5.49 -8.55 -60.9IBC Cap pf 6.06 -6.72 -52.6PrivateB 9.13 -9.87 -51.9CmclVehcl 4.73 -2.86 -37.7HrtgeCo 2.64 -1.32 -33.3ChinaTInfo 6.97 -3.03 -30.3Cytokinet 3.19 -1.38 -30.2Fst M&F 2.03 -.87 -30.0ProvCmB h 2.10 -.90 -30.0SuperiorBc 2.12 -.88 -29.3

DIARYAdvanced 450Declined 2,431New Highs 142New Lows 96Total issues 2,945Unchanged 64

12,521,673,145

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Citigrp 25243163 4.09 -.37BkofAm 13544306 14.58 -1.64SPDR 11617702103.56 -4.52iShEMkts 6284835 37.57 -3.19SPDR Fncl 5781464 14.05 -1.05DirFBear rs 5141958 22.94 +3.57GenElec 5014928 14.26 -.94SprintNex 4056088 2.96 -.29FordM 3910262 7.00 -.63iShR2K 3791441 56.33 -3.73

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Revlon 8.43 +2.66 +46.1SwESPRet10 4.32 +.88 +25.7DirxEMBear 7.31 +1.35 +22.7PitnB pr 418.08 +69.61 +20.0DirxSCBear 14.28 +2.32 +19.4AlldCap47 15.59 +2.45 +18.6DirFBear rs 22.94 +3.57 +18.4DirMCB3x rs 34.71 +5.31 +18.1ProUShPac 22.70 +3.35 +17.3ProSUSSilv 5.40 +.73 +15.6

Name Last Chg %ChgK-Sea 12.14 -11.23 -48.1StdRegis 4.77 -3.46 -42.0CIT Gp pfC 2.89 -1.61 -35.8ZaleCp 4.73 -2.33 -33.0BoydGm 7.36 -3.57 -32.7BkIrelnd 10.29 -4.92 -32.3StMotr 8.36 -3.97 -32.2AsburyA 9.74 -4.56 -31.9LithiaMot 8.34 -3.42 -29.1GaGulf rs 14.37 -5.84 -28.9

DIARYAdvanced 379Declined 2,812New Highs 216New Lows 27Total issues 3,209Unchanged 18

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dd dd

Daniel Perez, Jr. 32,passed away on Saturday,Oct. 24, 2009, in Laredo,Texas.

Danny is preceded indeath by maternal grandfa-ther, Antonio Cuellar, andpaternal grandparents,Adalberto and Felipa Perez.

Danny is survived by hiswife, Rebecca H. Ramirez;daughters, Abigail M. Pe-rez, Alexandria D. Perez;mother, Susie Cuellar (Hec-tor) Vela; father, Daniel Pe-rez; sisters, Dora (Francis-co) Garcia, Christina(Homero) Martinez; broth-er, Antonio Perez; maternalgrandmother, Adelfa Cuel-lar; and by numerous neph-ews, nieces and manyfriends.

Visitation hours wereheld on Monday, Oct. 26,2009, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.with a rosary at 7 p.m. atRose Garden FuneralHome.

The funeral processiondeparted on Tuesday, Oct.27, 2009, at 9:45 a.m. for a 10a.m. funeral Mass at Our

Lady of Lourdes CatholicChurch. Committal servic-es followed at Zapata Coun-ty Cemetery.

Condolences may be sentto the family at www.rose-gardenfuneralhome.com

Funeral arrangementswere under the direction ofRose Garden Funeral HomeDaniel A. Gonzalez, Funer-al Director, 2102 HWY 83Zapata, Texas.

DANIEL PEREZ JR.

man pulled out a gun, shotand killed Perez andwounded the unidentifiedman, according to a newsrelease.

Baeza could not confirmwho police believe was thealleged shooter.

Perez is survived by hiswife Rebecca H. Ramirezand daughters Abigail M.Perez and Alexandria D.

Perez ,among other familyrelatives.

Family members did notanswer calls for comment.

Messages in English and

Spanish were posted on theRose Garden Funeral HomeWeb site. Some offer condo-lences; one offered comfortbecause the person also

had lost a close relative.“As a sister who has also

lost a brother, I can tell youthat no words, acts or deedswill ease the pain that will

words to help you. One daywe will all be reunited inour eternal life.”

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

endure in your life forever,”a Zapata resident posted onthe Web site. “I will joinduring this time of grief on-ly to hold you because Iwill not be able to find the

GUNFIRE Continued from Page 1A

conjunction with the Small BusinessDevelopment Center at Texas A&MInternational University. In addition,there will be a business-to-businessprogram created which will help lo-cal businesses be aware of productsand services which they can get lo-cally. Plus, the ZEDC has developed apartnership with the Texas Depart-ment of Agriculture’s “Go Texan”program and will look to facilitate

local businesses to become mem-bers.

Umphres is aware of the 12.4 per-cent unemployment rate currentlyin Zapata.

“That’s a lot of the oil and gas in-dustry, which has been hit hard,”she said. “The impact of that is feltcounty-wide.”

She did note there was a lot of“sales leakage where people leave

Zapata and go to either Laredo orthe Rio Grande Valley.”

“One of our EDC goals is to workwith the existing businesses, to as-sist them in meeting those needs be-cause I saw new opportunities forjob creation through expansion. Weare identifying critical needs from abusiness perspective.”

(Joe Rutland can be reached at728-2529 or jrutland@lmtonline.com)

BUSINESS Continued from Page 1A

and spending time with each other.”Women in American Legion Auxil-

iary Unit will be initiating newmembers at 10 a.m. today.

“The new members will bepinned,” explained Karran Wester-man, new president of ALA Unit 486and publisher of Zapata CountyNews. “We’re working to have a goodevent.”

About 100 to 150 people are expect-ed for the event.

“It’s been quite a while since it’sbeen in Zapata,” Siler said. “Peoplehave been wanting to have it in Zapa-

ta for some time.”Siler noted that there will be sever-

al notable district leaders in attend-ance at the convention, includingDistrict Commander George Solis ofRaymondville and ALA DepartmentPresident Barbara Kundert of Alva-

rado, among others.Sunday will see a memorial ser-

vice at 8 a.m. and an awards ceremo-ny.

(To reach Diana R. Fuentes, call728-2581 or e-email dfuentes@lmton-line.com)

AMERICAN LEGION Continued from Page 1A

ALA Unit 486 President Jane Siler said therewill be several notable leaders in attendanceat the Zapata convention.

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

The Zapata Lady Hawksare in the state volleyballplayoffs.

After a one-year absencefrom the playoff scene, theLady Hawks are backwhere they feel more com-fortable in the season.

The Lady Hawks willplay Aransas Pass in theirbi-district game in Falfur-rias on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

The Zapata communityis highly encouraged to

come out and support theLady Hawks on their questfor a bi-district title.

For more information onthe game, please contactthe athletic department.

Getting thereIn order to have an op-

portunity to play in theplayoffs, Zapata had to beatLyford in the regular sea-son finale.

Both teams strolled inwith identical district re-

cords, but only one wouldleave with a playoff spot inits pocket and a shot at abi-district title.

Behind a team effort, theLady Hawks defeated theLyford Lady Bulldogs infour games, 24-26, 25-22, 25-23 and 25-22 to earn theirpostseason berth.

“It was a great victory,”Zapata coach Rosie Villar-real said. “The girls did agreat job staying focused.

“It was determinationfrom everyone on the teamthat kept them fighting for

each point.”

Net powerThe Lady Hawks’ offen-

sive machines went towork on the court as theyslowly took control of thenet.

Brandi King led all hit-ters with 25 of the team’s 43kills. Adriana Peña (ninekills), Lexi Garza (six kills)and Ashley Martinez com-bined for 18 kills.

In the first game, nerves

and the implication of thisgame could be seen on theslow pay of both teams.

The Lady Bulldogs drewfirst blood and scored thefirst point of the match.

King and company didall they could to keepahead of Lyford.

The score went back andforth until the Lady Bull-dogs’ Nelda Salinas putthem ahead 8-6.

Zapata came back to tiedthe score at 14 apiece andkeep its chances of win-ning the first game alive.

Coming backThe Lady Hawks had the

opportunity win the firstgame and only needed onepoint with the score at 24-23, but Lyford scored threestraight points to take thefirst game, 26-24.

Zapata rebounded in thesecond game and scoredthe first points of thematch before a pesky LadyBulldogs squad took thelead at 6-3.

Storming into the playoffsLady Hawks’ volleyball team clinches postseason spot with victory in final game of regular season

By CLARA SANDOVALSPECIAL TO THE TIMES

See VOLLEYBALL PAGE 2B

The long drive to Harlin-gen on Monday morningfor the District 32-3A crosscountry meet had no im-pact on the Zapata LadyHawks.

Zapata raced around theHarlingen Sports Complexto successfully defend itsdistrict title and check offthe first goal from a longchecklist that includes areturn trip to the statemeet.

“Before the race, I knew

it was going to be closesince there are only twoteams battling for the ti-tle,” Zapata coach MikeVillarreal said. “Defendingthe title is a nice accom-plishment, but we nowhave a bigger race aheadwith regionals and state

looming close.”The regional meet will

be held on Saturday, Nov. 7,in San Antonio.

Repeat performanceFor the second year in a

row, the Lady Hawks edgedout their closest opponentby three points and scored26 points to beat La Feria(29 points) for the teamchampionship.

Last year, Zapata scored

ZAPATA SWEEPS 32-3A CROSS COUNTRY MEET

Members of Zapata High School’s cross country teams pose with their hardware after sweeping the District 32-3A meet in Harlingen on Monday.

Courtesy photo

Girls defend their district title with first-place finishBy CLARA SANDOVAL

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

See GIRLS XC PAGE 2B

NEW YORK — Kate Hudsonwas talking to Kurt Russell whenshe suddenly stopped, leaned for-ward in a second-row box seatand clasped her hands together.

Moments later, she kickedback and shook her head. Themighty A-Rod had struck out —

again.A beast in the AL playoffs,

Alex Rodriguez has become abust in his first World Series.

Totally out of whack, swingingat shadows, his performance atthe plate in Game 2 Thursday

night mirrored his output in theopener. So far: 0 for 8 with sixstrikeouts.

“I’m not concerned,” the NewYork Yankees star said. “The factthat I’m 0-fer in this Series andwe’re 1-1 makes me feel good.”

Hudson sure didn’t seem to en-joy watching her boyfriend strug-gle against the Philadelphia Phil-

lies during the Yankees’ 3-1 win.The actress grimaced when Ro-

driguez flailed at a changeupfrom Pedro Martinez in the sixthinning — Rodriguez flipped hisbat after his body bent out ofshape chasing the pitch. Sheedged closer to a TV monitor towatch a replay after he wascalled out on strikes in the

eighth.“I’ve missed some pitches,

fouled some off,” Rodriguez said.Rodriguez seemed ready to put

all his October failures behindhim after hammering his waythrough the first two rounds, hit-ting a combined .438 with five

A-Rod still awaiting first World Series hitASSOCIATED PRESS

See WORLD SERIES PAGE 2B

NOTEBOOK

The Zapata Hawks boys’cross country runners fol-lowed their female coun-terparts’ lead on Monday,as they captured the Dis-trict 32-3A boys’ title tocomplete the Zapatasweep.

The Hawks punchedtheir ticket to San Anto-nio and the regional crosscountry meet that will beheld on Nov. 7 on thegrounds of UTSA with afirst-place finish at thedistrict meet.

Ten points evenly sepa-rated the top three teams.

Zapata scored 43 pointsto run away with the Dis-trict 32-3A team title,while Rio Hondo came insecond with 53 points.

Rounding out the topthree was Progreso with63 points.

Battle on topThe race for first place

came down in the last 100

Boys wintheir

divisionBy CLARA SANDOVAL

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

See BOYS XC PAGE 2B

STILLWATER, Okla. —Mack Brown’s mastery ofOklahoma State has beenuncanny.

Eleven years, 11 wins —all the while keeping theCowboys from becoming atrue contender in the Big12 South. Texas has done itwith big-time blowouts and,more recently, with mas-sive comebacks that haveprovided OSU with a glim-

mer of hope, only to rip itaway in crunch time.

“Everybody will talkabout the past,” Brownsaid. “These kids won’t. Itwill not be about the last 11years. It will be about theteam that plays better onSaturday night.”

Similar setupThe No. 3 Longhorns

(7-0, 4-0 Big 12) visit BoonePickens Stadium trying to

avoid the same Halloweenweekend pitfall that costthem a chance to play forthe Big 12 and nationalchampionships last season:a road game against a divi-sional rival on the rise.

Last year, it was TexasTech that spoiled the runfor Colt McCoy and his fel-low Longhorns. This year,Oklahoma State gets ashot. And the 13th-rankedCowboys (6-1, 3-0) have yet

’Horns look to continuesuccess against Cowboys

In this Oct. 25, 2008, file photo, Texas running back Vondrell McGee scores a touchdown against Okla-homa State during the first half of their game at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin.

Photo by Edward A. Ornelas | San Antonio Express-News

By JEFF LATZKEASSOCIATED PRESS

See TEXAS PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009

The Lady Hawks’ KatGarcia served and tied thegame at 20.

On the ensuing play, Pe-ña scored two points toinch Zapata into its firstgame victory. Garza fin-ished the game by addingtwo more points to even upthe score.

The third game wasidentical to the second asZapata was the aggressorbut had to come from be-hind for the victory.

The score see-sawed backand forth and eventuallyknotted up at 22 apiece.

Garza continued to addto her heroics and scored

three straight points togive the Lady Hawks a 2-1game lead heading intowhat proved to be the finalgame of the match.

Strong finishIn the fourth game, with

the Lady Bulldogs leading22-20, Peña strolled to theservice line and scored fivestraight to send Zapata in-to the playoffs.

“The game was very in-tense,” Villarreal said.“The score went back andforth all night long.

“We had some very good

rallies. Both teams werefighting for every point.”

Seniors playing their lastgame of the regular seasonfor the Lady Hawks includ-ed Liz Davila, Kat Garcia,Lexi Garza, Ashley Marti-nez, Adriana Peña, LoralyRivera, Amanda Sanchezand Clari Solis.

ZAPATA STATS: Brandi King(25 kills, 1 ace, 27 digs, 5blocks), Adriana Pena (9kills, 1 ace, 7 digs), KatGarcia (4 kills, 1 ace, 4 digs,2 blocks), Ashley Martinez(3 kills, 1 ace, 1 dig), LexiGarza (6 kills, 29 assists 3digs), and Clari Solis (18digs).

VOLLEYBALL Continued from Page 1B

30 points to La Feria’s 33points for the title.

The Hidalgo Lady Piratescame in third with 94points

The Lady Hawks wereled by the legs of MarleneGarcia, who captured theindividual title with a timeof 12:34.

“Marlena winning the in-dividual title was sweet, be-cause it keeps the title inZapata,” Villarreal said.“She follows Jessica Marti-nez (2006-2007) and Mi-chelle Garcia (2008) as ourpast individual winners.”

Teammate Michelle Gar-cia came in third with atime of 12:48 and was fol-lowed by Melissa Martinez(sixth place, 13:04), MaritzaGarcia (seventh place,13:08) and Kristina Garcia(ninth place, 13:17).

Tight raceThe battle for the title

came down to each team’sfifth runner as Kristina

Garcia edge out La Feria’sBrianna Atkinson for ninthplace.

“The team won the race,but Kristina outkicked a LaFeria runner to seal thedeal,” Villarreal said.“Thoae two battledthroughout the entirecourse.”

The top 10 spots were allowned by the Lady Hawksand La Feria, as each teamhad five runners filledthose positions.

All of Zapata’s seven run-ners finished in the top 13places.

La Feria’s top finisherwas Brianna Villarreal,who finished second indi-vidually with a time of12:40.

Work paying offThe Lady Hawks made

the race looked easy but itwas an accumulation of allthe hard work that theyhave invested in the longsummer months and

throughout the season.“The girls have made it

look easy, but it is some-times good to look backand reflect on what all theyhave accomplished and thehard work it took to gethere,” Villarreal said.

With district loomingaround the corner lastweek, the Lady Hawks con-tinued their normal work-outs despite having the dis-trict meet on a Monday.

“We didn’t go easy theweek of district,” Villarrealsaid. “We actually contin-ued to work hard all week.

“Our seniors ran togeth-er for a majority of therace, and it was reminis-cent of their middle schoolyears when you neverknew who was going towin the race betweenthem.”

Race reactionVillarreal immediately

knew that the team suc-cessfully defended their ti-

tle because he had his mid-dle school coach, Laura Vil-larreal, who also happensto be his wife, keep thescore.

“I found out immediatelythat we had won the title,”he said. “The girls were ex-cited; at first it seemed likeit was no big deal, but itmeans a lot when you havea streak going.

The Zapata senior classbecomes the first class towin four straight district ti-tles in a row.

The Lady Hawks startedthe race well and main-tained their targeted pacesfor the most part.

“The course was slightlylonger and was very plainwith long straights,” Villar-real said. “The weathercould not have been better;it was a cool and cloudyday.”

Individual results1. Marlena Garcia, Zapa-

ta, 12:34

2. Briana Villarreal, LaFeria, 12:40

3. Michelle Garcia, Zapa-ta, 12:48

4. Clarissa Hernandez,La Feria, 12:57

5. Johanna Reygozo, LaFeria, 13:02

6. Melissa Martinez, Za-pata, 13:04

7. Maritza Garcia, Zapa-ta, 13:08

8. Samantha Loredo, LaFeria, 13:13

9. Kristina Garcia, Zapa-ta, 13:17

10. Brianna Atkinson, LaFeria, 13:18

Sub-varsity reportVillarreal was happy to

report that the sub-varsitygroups also had an excel-lent day on the course asthe junior varsity and thefreshmen teams capturedthe runner-up trophy.

“Most of these girls hadnever run cross-country be-fore so I am extremelyproud of their efforts all

season long,” he said.“They raced hard becausethey knew that the topthree finishers would be al-ternates on the varsity forthe rest of the post season.”

Erica Hernandez wonthe individual title to makea sweep of the varsity andJV first-place individualmedals.

Wendy Medina and Lau-ren Mendoza will be join-ing the team on the questfor a state medal.

The middle school teamshad an undefeated seasonas they swept the seventh-and eighth-grade girls divi-sion.

Runners for the seventh-grade team include MariaRodriguez, Nadya Mercado,San Juanita Gonzalez,Alexandra Garcia, IselaGonzalez, Cheyenne Rodri-guez and Gaby Garcia.

The eighth-grade teamincludes Jazmine Garcia,Joyce Garcia, Clarissa Vil-larreal, Cassandra Pena,Sara Pena, Daniella Sotoand Christina Garza.

GIRLS XC Continued from Page 1B

yards between Progreso’s Eduar-do Cortez and the Hawks’ KeithCobb.

Cortez won the individual titlein a time of 16:33, edging out thesecond-place winner by threeseconds.

Zapata’s highest finish was re-corded by Cobb, who crossed thefinish line in second place witha time of 6:36.

Rounding out the top threewas Tony Jaramillo of Rio Hon-do with a time of 16:46.

Coming in second in theHawks’ team standings wasJuan Alvarado in seventh place.

Alvarado was clocked at 17:11to give Zapata the edge in theteam standings.

The third Hawk runner tocross the finish line was Daniel

Garcia in 10th place with a timeof 17:42.

Team results1. Zapata2. Rio Hondo3. Progreso4. La Feria5. Port Isabel

6. Hidalgo7. Lyford

Boys individual results1. Eduardo Cortez, Progreso,

16:332. Keith Cobb, Zapata, 16:363. Tony Jaramillo, Rio Hondo,

16:46

4. Victor Perez, Progreso, 16:515. Jose Gomez, La Feria, 17:006. Hugo Flores, Rio Hondo,

17:067. Juan Alvarado, Zapata, 17:118. Luis Aguilera, Port Isabel,

17:209. Armando Fierro, Port Isa-

bel, 17:2210. Daniel Garcia, Zapata,

17:42

BOYS XC Continued from Page 1B

to get past Texas. The Longhorns over-

came deficits of 16-7 in2003, 35-7 in 2004 and 28-9in 2005 before erasingOSU’s 35-14 lead with 12minutes left to win in theirlast visit to Stillwater twoyears ago.

In last year’s 28-24 loss inAustin, OSU mounted asecond-half comeback buthad to settle for a field goalon one promising fourth-quarter drive and thencouldn’t mount a game-winning drive on two latepossessions that started in-side its own 10-yard line.

“We’ve been really close,and it’s been frustrating

we haven’t been able to fin-ish it off,” quarterback ZacRobinson said. “But I don’tthink we’re going to puttoo much pressure on our-selves. We’re just going tokeep having fun and stay-ing loose. That’s been themain thing the last fewweeks is we’ve just beenplaying loose.”

Moving upOklahoma State has

gone 4-0 without injuredtailback Kendall Hunterand ineligible All-Americareceiver Dez Bryant, whothis week was ordered by

the NCAA to sit out the re-mainder of the season.Hunter could return, al-though coach Mike Gundysaid it would only be on alimited basis — perhapseight to 10 carries — if heplays.

The absence of those twoplayers and a series of oth-er injuries and defectionshave overshadowed apromising season thatstarted with a landmarkwin against Georgia.

“It’s something that getstalked about all the timenow,” Gundy said. “Atsome point as a coach,you’d like to say I don’twant to talk about injuries

or adversity anymore. Iwant to talk about the fu-ture and the upcominggame. But I think thatwe’re kind of out there in asociety now where that be-comes a topic.”

Close contestsNo matter what, the

Cowboys have made it ahabit to at least give theLonghorns a scare in re-cent years. OSU was in themidst of a 4-7 season in2005 when it built the 19-point lead on a Texas teamthat would go on to winthe national championship.

Vince Young had an 80-yard scramble to spark therally that year.

“It just makes us want tofocus on the task at handand focus on finishing, be-cause we haven’t done thatagainst them in previousyears,” said Keith Toston,who has filled in for Hun-ter as the Cowboys’ start-ing tailback.

South controlThe winner of the game,

which features the onlytwo Big 12 teams without aconference loss, takes con-trol of the South Division.

Texas hasn’t played for theconference title since 2005,and Oklahoma State hasnever done so.

“Of course, that wouldbe huge for the programand the fans,” OSU tightend Cooper Bassett said.“But all that aside, beatingTexas this year would beawesome just because Tex-as is such a great team, itwould elevate us to a goodchance at winning the Big12 South and just be awe-some for our season.

“So, as much as I’d liketo say that’d be great forour program, I’d like to sayit’d be even better for ourseason this year.”

TEXAS Continued from Page 1B

homers and 12 RBIsagainst Minnesota and theLos Angeles Angels.

But after striking outthree times in a game onlytwice all year, he’s done itin each of the first twogames against the Phils.Cliff Lee got him onWednesday night, thenMartinez and Ryan Mad-son stopped him.

“I think they’re beingcareful,” Rodriguez said.

Unlikely starsJerry Hairston Jr. and

Jose Molina stepped upwhen two of the Yankees’biggest stars struggled inGame 2.

Hairston started a sev-enth-inning rally with aleadoff single and Jose Mo-lina had a solid night be-hind the plate to help New

York beat the PhiladelphiaPhillies.

“It does feel good. Some-times, you’ve got to scrap,”said Hairston, who re-placed struggling NickSwisher in right field. “Ihaven’t started too manygames the last two monthsor so.”

With Molina subbing forJorge Posada, A.J. Burnettthrew seven sparkling in-nings. Molina, who hascaught each of Burnett’spostseason starts, alsopicked off Jayson Werthwith a snap throw to firstin the fourth.

Star powerJay-Z and Alicia Keys

fired up the Yankee Stadi-um crowd before Game 2,performing a clean versionof “Empire State of Mind”

from the rapper’s hit al-bum.

The two New Yorkerswere originally scheduledto perform Wednesdaynight but were pushedback because of rainyweather. There was someconcern about some of thesong’s raw language butJay-Z kept it PG.

The rap king — wearinga Yankees hat and jacket —and Keys got a loud ovationwhen they walked throughan opening in the outfieldwall in left-center to thestage behind second base.Keys, in a black and hotpurple outfit, played key-board before joining Jay-Zin the center of the stagefor the end of the song.

Yankees shortstop DerekJeter, who uses a snippet of“Empire State of Mind” forhis at-bat music, bobbedhis head during the per-

formance.

Not againThere was another blown

call by the postseason um-pires in the seventh inningof Game 2.

With one out and run-ners on first and second,Johnny Damon hit a smashto Philadelphia first base-man Ryan Howard. UmpireBrian Gorman, standingbehind the 6-foot-4 Howard,immediately threw his armup to indicate the ball wascaught in the air, but TVreplays indicated itbounced into Howard’sglove.

“Did I catch it?” Howardsaid. “Well, he called himout.”

Howard took a few stepstoward first before throw-ing to shortstop Jimmy

Rollins, who tagged JorgePosada to complete the in-ning-ending double play.Posada stood on second fora few moments beforebounding off the base toprotest the call, and manag-er Joe Girardi came out ofthe dugout to argue.

The umpires gathered inthe infield after the playersreturned to their dugouts,but the ruling stood.

A series of umpiring mis-takes during the playoffshas led to calls for expand-ed use of instant replay, butcommissioner Bud Seligsaid he still thinks it’s notnecessary.

Top spotRuben Amaro Jr. was

one of Pat Gillick’s top lieu-tenants when the Phillieswon the World Series last

season.This time, he’s in charge.Amaro took over as gen-

eral manager when Gillickretired following last sea-son, ascending to the topspot after 10 years as an as-sistant in Philadelphia. Theclub hasn’t skipped a beatunder his leadership, win-ning the NL East and thepennant for the second con-secutive year.

“What is really prettycool about this being hereright now is the fact thatit’s the big stage, it’s NewYork,” Amaro said beforePhiladelphia’s 3-1 loss inGame 2. “It’s the historyand we’re playing clearlyone of the best teams inbaseball.

“To be able to match upwith this storied franchiseand to be in this situationis pretty gratifying. It’spretty neat.”

WORLD SERIES Continued from Page 1B

PRO HOCKEYCHL Glance

NORTHERN CONFERENCEW L OTL Pts GF GA

Tulsa .................................. 3 1 0 6 15 13Rapid City ......................... 3 2 0 6 20 17Mississippi ....................... 3 3 0 6 21 23Colorado ........................... 2 0 1 5 13 7Bossier-Shreveport ........ 2 2 0 4 11 15Wichita .............................. 2 3 0 4 13 17

Missouri ............................ 0 5 0 0 9 25SOUTHERN CONFERENCE

W L OTL Pts GF GAAmarillo ........................... 5 1 0 10 24 16Odessa ............................. 4 1 1 9 32 14Allen ................................. 4 0 0 8 14 9Laredo .............................. 2 1 1 5 17 13Corpus Christi ............... 1 2 1 3 9 9Texas ................................ 1 2 1 3 10 15Arizona ............................ 1 3 1 3 14 20Rio Grande Valley ......... 1 2 0 2 5 13

Tuesday’s gamesTulsa 5, Rapid City 4Odessa 8, Missouri 1

Friday’s gamesTexas at Bossier-Shreveport, 7:05 p.m.Tulsa at Mississippi, 7:05 p.m.Missouri at Wichita, 7:05 p.m.Odessa at Corpus Christi, 7:05 p.m.Amarillo at Laredo, 7:30 p.m.Arizona at Rio Grande Valley, 7:35 p.m.Rapid City at Colorado, 8:05 p.m.

Saturday’s gamesAmarillo at Rio Grande Valley, 1:05 p.m.Bossier-Shreveport at Mississippi, 3:05 p.m.Arizona at Corpus Christi, 3:05 p.m.Allen at Texas, 7:05 p.m.Missouri at Wichita, 7:05 p.m.

TRANSACTIONSBASEBALL

American LeagueOAKLAND ATHLETICS: Sent OF Matt Carsonand RHP Chad Reineke outright to Sacra-mento (PCL).

National LeagueHOUSTON ASTROS: Named Al Pedrique benchcoach and Bobby Meacham first base coach.Declined its 2010 contract option on RHPDoug Brocail, making him eligible to becomea free agent.

BASKETBALLNBA

WASHINGTON WIZARDS: Exercised the 2010-11 contract options on G Nick Young and C Ja-Vale McGee for the season.

FOOTBALLNFL

TENNESSEE TITANS: Signed RB Alvin Pear-man to a two-year contract.

HOCKEYNHL

LOS ANGELES KINGS: Assigned F Trevor Lewisto Manchester (AHL).

NASHVILLE PREDATORS: Re-assigned F CalO’Reilly to Milwaukee (AHL).NEW YORK RANGERS: Recalled F Dane Byersfrom Hartford (AHL).PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Recalled RW DavidLaliberte from Adirondack (AHL).VANCOUVER CANUCKS: Called up C MarioBliznak from Manitoba (AHL). Sent LW SergeiShirokov to Manitoba.

AHLPROVIDENCE BRUINS: Signed F Jimmy Fraser.

ECHLCHARLOTTE CHECKERS: Announced F MattFord has been loaned to Lake Erie (AHL).

THE ZAPATA TIMES | 3BSATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009

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Classified

Dear Heloise: Thank you foryour recommendations about ar-ranging for pet care in the eventof a PERSONAL EMERGENCY.As someone who now lives alonewith two dogs and a cat, I’ve of-ten wondered how my house-mates would be cared for in theevent that I’m stricken whileaway from home.

I’m fortunate to have a neigh-bor who cares for the pets whenI’m away for extended periods.But how would anyone know tocontact him if I’m incapacitatedor worse?

I have a hint I’d like to passon. Most of us are aware of theimportance of the ICE code (itstands for "In Case of Emergen-cy" -- Heloise) on our cell phones.What do you think of promulgat-ing a similar EPC code ("Emer-gency Pet Care") for our phones?If that code were publicized andput into practice, our helpfulneighbors could be contactedand asked to come to the rescue.-- Mike B., Omaha, Neb.

You have a good pet hint thatI’m happy to publicize. -- Heloise

PET PALDear Readers: Ruth Ferry of

Torrington, Conn., sent a photoof her 3-year-old domestic short-haired cat, Sam, standing on hishind feet gazing longingly out a

window. To get a look at Sam, visit

www.Heloise.com. -- HeloiseUNIQUE NAMESDear Heloise: Many years ago

when I lived with my family inthe country, a cat showed up atour door and would not leave, soshe became our cat. She was ve-ry playful, so we named her Hap-py. A few months later, on Oct.31, another cat showed up andwould not leave. Because of thedate we first saw her, we namedher Halloween. Both cats becamepart of our family. They spent alot of time outdoors, but alwayscame in when I called them, ei-ther to feed them or in the eve-ning when it was cold outdoors.It took me some time to realizehow strange it must sound toanyone within hearing distancewhen I called "Happy, Hallow-een." -- Stella R., Manchester,N.H.

And Happy Halloween to you!We just love unique pet names. Ifyou have one, please send it in sowe can pass it along. -- Heloise

HINTS BY HELOISE

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES College Football SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2009

COLLEGE STATION —Iowa State and Texas A&Mwent on the road last weekand grabbed the biggestwins of their seasons.

One of them will followup with another importantvictory at Kyle Field onSaturday.

The Cyclones (5-3, 2-2Big 12) are putting togeth-er their best season since2005, when they finished7-5. They beat Nebraska 9-7last Saturday, their firstwin in Lincoln since 1977,and a victory this weekwould give them two con-ference road wins for thefirst time since 2004.

Iowa State came into theseason on a 10-game losingstreak, and first-year coachPaul Rhoads has restoredbelief in his players by fo-cusing on each day of prac-tice, rather than the seasonas a whole or failures ofthe past.

“The 2009 team isn’t re-sponsible for the losses in2008 or 2007, or howeverfar you want to go back,”Rhoads said. “I didn’t gointo this season just want-ing to win three games, orwin one Big 12 game, orwin one road game. We’vegone about our business,trying to win every game.Our preparation has beenexcellent and hopefully, itwill continue to be.”

Aggies’ triumphThe Aggies (4-3, 1-2)

routed then-No. 21 TexasTech 52-30 last Saturday inLubbock, A&M’s first winthere since 1993. It was astunning reversal after a62-14 loss at Kansas Statethe previous week.

“The way we lost, it wasa challenge to stand upand be a man,” senior safe-ty Jordan Pugh said. “Youget knocked down, you’vegot to get back up. Theway we wanted to re-bound, the way we wantedto come back, it showed onSaturday.”

A&M allowed 232 rush-

ing yards against KansasState and stalling theground game run will be akey against Iowa State,which comes in with theBig 12’s top rushing of-fense (204 yards per game).

Big numbersArnaud threw for a ca-

reer-high 371 yards in theCyclones’ 49-35 loss to theAggies in Ames last year.A&M ranks last in the Big12 in pass defense (259.4yards per game) and totaldefense (412 ypg).

“We’ve got a huge taskat hand,” A&M defensivecoordinator Joe Kines said.“If we don’t improve ourtackling, it’s not going tomatter anyway. We missedenough tackles in thegame last Saturday to losefive or six games.”

A&M counters with thenation’s third-ranked of-fense, averaging 489 yardsper game. Junior quarter-

back Jerrod Johnson leadsthe Big 12 in total offense(338 yards per game) andhas four 300-yard passinggames this season, alreadya school record.

Sophomore receiver JeffFuller, the Aggies’ top play-maker, is likely to have amore expanded roleagainst Iowa State aftermissing four games with abroken right leg.

Johnson threw for only238 yards against TexasTech, but A&M rushed fora season-high 321 yards.Sophomore Cyrus Grayran for 131 yards andfreshman Christine Mi-chael ran for 121, the firsttime the Aggies had tworunning backs top 100yards rushing since 2003.

“I see a team that is ab-solutely loaded on offense,with talent and ability toproduce points and yar-dage, you name it,” Rhoadssaid. “They’re going togive us a lot to preparefor.”

A&M wants a streakBy CHRIS DUNCANASSOCIATED PRESS

Texas A&M running back Cyrus Gray scores a touchdown duringthe first quarter of the Aggies’ 52-30 upset of the Texas Tech RedRaiders last Saturday in Lubbock.

Photo by Mike Fuentes | AP

SAN ANTONIO — Afterthe last six weeks, No. 25Notre Dame may haveearned a little getaway toTexas.

And woeful WashingtonState is a longshot to spoilit.

Notre Dame booked theAlamodome tonight to re-capture their barnstormingroots, but after six consec-utive weeks of going downto the wire, the bigger up-side for the Fighting Irish(5-2) may be an at-long-lastbreather against the Cou-gars.

All signs point to aNotre Dame cakewalk. The281/2-point line. A crowd ofabout 60,000 that will over-whelmingly be uprootedIrish fans in Texas savor-ing a rare visit. Washing-ton State (1-6) scraping thestatistical bottom in totaloffense and defense.

This one will be abreeze, right?

“We kind of look at thefacts here. We haven’t real-ly shown any evidence ofbeing able to steamroll any-body,” Notre Dame centerEric Olsen said. “All ourgames, no matter whowe’ve played, have kind ofgone down to the last min-ute whether we won orlost.

“So judging by that, Iguess it would be kind oftough not to expect thisgame to go into the lastminutes.”

Tight scoringIf Olsen is right and the

Cougars give Notre Dameanother spectacular finish,it will be a school record:No team in the 119-year

history of Notre Dame hasever played seven consecu-tive games decided by atouchdown or less.

Saturdays for the Irishhave been alternatingweeks of agony and eupho-ria. Notre Dame manhan-dled Nevada 35-0 in theopener, but in the sixgames since, four camedown to four points or few-er for the Irish.

They lost to Michigan ona touchdown with 11 sec-onds left, thwarted Michi-gan State in the final min-ute, sunk Purdue on atouchdown with 24 secondsremaining, outlasted Wash-ington in overtime, lost toUSC after three incompletepasses in the end zone, andsurvived Boston Collegethanks to a late intercep-tion.

“It’s one of those situa-tions where we’re goinghave to go down there andbe ready to go or else we’regoing find ourselves in thesame game that we’ve beenplaying in for the lastmonth and a half,” NotreDame coach Charlie Weissaid.

Not so closeThe Cougars, mean-

while, can’t exactly relateto close games: their aver-age margin of defeat is 26points.

Any mystery of whetherWashington State can hangwith Notre Dame will like-ly be solved early, since theCougars have been out-scored 112-3 in the firstquarter this season.

His team unlikely bowl-bound, Washington Statecoach Paul Wulff wants hisplayers to soak up whatmight be the closest thingto a bowl atmosphere the

Cougars will get this sea-son: a neutral site in awarm locale, and national-ly televised in prime time.

“There is a bowl feel toit for some people,” Wulffsaid. “There is a great op-portunity for our players tofeel this.”

Notre Dame says theuniversity has more than4,600 alumni in Texas,where the Irish haven’tplayed since losing 24-3 toTexas A&M in 2003.

A Texas firstThe game is Notre

Dame’s first offsite homegame in school history andthe start of the school’splan to play a home gameat neutral sites in Texas,Florida or New York eachyear. The Irish are alreadyscheduled to be back in theLone Star State in 2013 toplay Arizona State at Cow-boys Stadium.

Recruiting is among themain reasons for the trips.Notre Dame has just fourplayers on its roster fromtalent-rich Texas, includingleft guard Chris Stewartfrom suburban Houston.Stewart said he has 20 tick-ets to the game for familyand friends but was look-ing for more.

“It is kind of strange tothink we’re going to beplaying in Texas wearinghome jerseys,” Stewartsaid, “but from what I hearthe stadium is mostlyNotre Dame fans.”

Notre Dame linebacker Brian Smith, center, celebrates with teammates Brandon Walker, left, and Ar-mando Allen Jr. following their win over Boston College last Saturday in South Bend, Ind. The Irish aretaking a road trip to San Antonio, where they will host Washington State today.

Photo by Michael Conroy | AP

Notre Dame looks fora win in San Antonio

By PAUL J. WEBBERASSOCIATED PRESS