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Smiles lit up the faces of many Za-pata children through the collabo-rative efforts of Zapata County

Justice of the Peace Anna Guerra andBorder Patrol agents when the childrenwere handed gifts by not one, but twoSantas at the annual Blue Santa ToyDrive in front of the county courthouse.

“It’s great seeing their faces. They’reso happy,” Guerra said.

While Guerra, dressed as Blue Santa,was handing out gifts, Border Patrolagents and the Border Patrol GreenSanta showed up with more gifts.

“It was a great surprise to have theBorder Patrol Green Santa Claus comehelp Blue Santa give out gifts to thechildren,” Guerra said.

Guerra sponsors the Blue Santa ToyDrive annually and was glad to see oth-er agencies, like Border Patrol, join thecharitable event this year, she said.

A long line of families waited fortheir turns to receive gifts from theBlue Santa and the Green Santa.

Approximately 300 children showedup with their parents to receive giftsand have a chance to have their picturetaken with Santa Claus, Guerra said.

After receiving their gifts, childrenwere able to take a picture with theSanta of their choice and to get into an-other line to receive bags of school sup-plies, cookies, candies, and Christmasmovies from the Zapata County Sher-iff ’s Office’s 911 program, said Capt.Aaron Sanchez.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Game War-den Sam Padgett also joined the eventand helped other agencies in their ef-forts to hand out gifts and put a smileon each child’s face.

“(Texas) Parks and Wildlife alwayscomes and help us with anything wedo,” Sanchez said.

Most toys were donated by ZapataCounty officials, employees, and othermembers of the community, Guerrasaid.

The Border Patrol Green Santa hand-ed out gifts donated by other Border Pa-trol agents, said Ramiro Cerillo, the

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

DOUBLE THE GIFT-GIVING FUN

ABOVE: Ram Cerillo, right, stands guard as Eddie Hernandez receives his gift from the Border Pa-trol’s Green Santa in front of the Zapata County Court House on Wednesday morning. RIGHT: TheBlue Santa greets the Border Patrol’s Green Santa as he makes a surprise appearance at the Zapa-ta County Courthouse on Wednesday morning during the toy giveaway.

Photo by Danny Zaragoza | The Zapata Times

Santas host community eventBy LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

See HOLIDAY PAGE 10A

In Laredo, electronic gamblingmachines and the parlors thathouse them are akin to the rep-tile’s tail that grows back afterbeing cut off.

In 2007, the city’s former policechief and two other high-rankingofficers were convicted of federalconspiracy charges after takingbribes from operators of theamusement centers. The officersknew many establishments werepaying out more than the state-al-lowed limit of $5 in cash orprizes, and they accepted pay-ments to let it continue. The citycracked down, seizing cash and

machines, known there as “ma-quinitas,” or eight-liners.

Now the makeshift casinos —most tucked into nondescriptstrip malls — are back. In truth,some never left. Their resurgenceis due to their popularity, saysstate Rep. Richard Peña Ray-mond, D-Laredo, who has offereda solution: Let the people decide.Raymond has filed legislationthat would put the issue to voters,similar to the way municipalitiesdecide where liquor is sold.

“I have a lot of people that havecome to me on this, from law en-forcement to owners to peoplethat play and pastors who don’tlike it,” Raymond says.

The proposed legislation wouldinitially shut down the centers,and then allow voters to petitionto reopen them via popular vote.A separate bill would determinethe prize amount. About 40 estab-lishments have permits to oper-ate as amusement centers, a cityofficial says.

Carlos Maldonado, Laredo’scurrent police chief, is not weigh-ing in on the issue, preferring in-stead to let the Legislature decide.

STATE LEGISLATURE

MaquinitasShould the people decide fate of parlors?

By JULIAN AGUILARTHE TEXAS TRIBUNE

REP. RICHARD RAY-MOND, D-LAREDO: Putit to a vote and letthe people decide.

See GAMBLING PAGE 10A

Zapata County sheriff ’s offi-cials put a name to the face ofthe man accused of having 30hand grenades and three as-sault rifles in the back of hiscar last week.

Deputies identified him asRicardo Herrera Jr., 32, ofEdinburg.

He is being charged with 30counts of possession of a pro-hibited weapon.

Herrera was taken to the Za-pata Regional Jail, where he

was held in lieu of a $9 millionbond as of Wednesday after-noon.

A deputy patrolling a south-ern area of the county alongU.S. 83 pulled a Dodge Neonover. Officials say the man,identified as Herrera, gave con-sent to the deputy to inspectthe vehicle.

CRIME

Police ID Valley man

with grenadesBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMESRICARDO HERRERA JR.:Edinburg man foundwith 30 grenades incar.

See ID PAGE 10A

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010

SATURDAY, DEC. 26Registration is now underway for

French and Italian courses through Jan.19. The courses are offered by TexasA&M International University’s Divisionof International Programs, InternationalLanguage Institute and begin Monday,Jan. 25, 2010. For more information,visit http://www.tamiu.edu/dip/ili/

TUESDAY, DEC. 28The Laredo Public Library would

like to invite parents to bring their chil-dren to enjoy some fun-filled holidaystory time, arts and crafts and otherholiday activities over the Christmasbreak. Simply stop by the Laredo Pub-lic Library Children’s Department, lo-cated at 1120 East Calton Road at2:30 p.m. today and make a NewYear’s Eve hat; the events are free andopen to the public. Please do not leavechildren unattended at the Laredo Pub-lic Library for these or any other activ-ities. For more information, please con-tact Diana Gallegos at 795-2400,x2247.

Invest in yourself. Spring registra-tion is underway at Texas A&M Interna-tional University. TAMIU offers morethan 70 undergraduate, graduate ordoctoral degrees. The Spring 2010schedule is now online at schedule.ta-miu.edu. Classes begin Tuesday, Jan.19.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 29The Laredo Public Library would

like to invite parents to bring their chil-dren to enjoy some fun-filled holidaystory time, arts and crafts and otherholiday activities over the Christmasbreak. Simply stop by the Laredo Pub-lic Library Children’s Department, lo-cated at 1120 East Calton Road at2:30 p.m. today to celebrate with aNew Year’s Eve activity; the events arefree and open to the public. Please donot leave children unattended at theLaredo Public Library for these or anyother activities. For more information,please contact Diana Gallegos at 795-2400, ext. 2247.

THURSDAY, DEC. 30The Laredo Public Library would

like to invite parents to bring their chil-dren to enjoy holiday story time, artsand crafts and other holiday activitiesover the Christmas break. Simply stopby the Laredo Public Library Children’sDepartment, located at 1120 East Cal-ton Road at 2:30 p.m. today andwatch a New Year’s Eve movie; theevents are free and open to the public.Please do not leave children unattend-ed at the Laredo Public Library forthese or any other activities. For moreinformation, please contact Diana Gal-legos at 795-2400, ext. 2247.

Texas A&M International Universi-ty’s Women’s Basketball team playsagainst Texas A&M – Kingsville Univer-sity at 2:30 p.m. in Austin. For moreinformation, call 326-2891 or visit Go-Dustdevils.com.

FRIDAY, DEC. 31Epoco de Oro will have its New

Year’s Eve dance from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.today in the Laredo Civic Center Ball-room, 2400 San Bernardo Ave. Ticketsare $25 at the door.

TUESDAY, JAN. 4The Alzheimer’s support group

will meet Tuesday Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. inmeeting room 2, building B of the La-redo Medical Center. The supportgroup is for family members and care-givers taking care of someone who hasAlzeimer’s.

Texas A&M International Universi-ty TexPREP is now accepting 2010 ap-plications beginning today, throughFeb. 11 at 4 p.m. Texas PrefreshmanEngineering Program (TexPREP) is anopportunity for local and area middleand high school students to be ex-posed to college-level mathematics,science and engineering studies. Thisyear’s program will be held from May31 through July 22. For more informa-tion, contact Julissa Garza at 326-2700, e-mail jgarza@tamiu.edu, or visitoffices in the Student Center, room118.

THURSDAY, JAN. 6Texas A&M International Universi-

ty will hold an Alternative CertificationProgram Information Session on Thurs-day, Jan. 6 at in room 104 of BullockHall 104. Contact Idinia Dominguez at326-3098, or by e-mail at idomin-guez@tamiu.edu

To submit an item for thecalendar, send the name of theevent, the date, time, locationand contact phone number toeditorial@lmtonline.com

CALENDARToday is Saturday, Dec. 25,

the 359th day of 2010. Thereare 6 days left in the year. Thisis Christmas Day.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On Dec. 25, 1990, the WorldWide Web, the system provid-ing quick access to websitesover the Internet, was born inGeneva, Switzerland, as com-puter scientists Tim Berners-Lee and Robert Cailliau(KAH’-yoh) created the world’sfirst hyperlinked webpage.

On this date: In 1066, William the Con-

queror was crowned king ofEngland.

In 1776, Gen. George Wash-ington and his troops crossedthe Delaware River for a sur-prise attack against Hessianforces at Trenton, N.J.

In 1818, “Silent Night,” writ-ten by Franz Gruber and Fa-ther Joseph Mohr, was per-formed for the first time, atthe Church of St. Nikolaus inOberndorf, Austria.

In 1926, Hirohito becameemperor of Japan, succeedinghis father, Emperor Yoshihito.(Hirohito was formally en-throned almost two years lat-er.)

In 1931, New York’s Metro-politan Opera broadcast an en-tire live opera over radio forthe first time: “Hansel andGretel” by Engelbert Humper-dinck.

In 1941, during World WarII, Japan announced the sur-render of the British-Canadiangarrison at Hong Kong.

In 1989, ousted RomanianPresident Nicolae Ceausescu(chow-SHES’-koo) and his wife,Elena, were executed followinga popular uprising. Formerbaseball manager Billy Martindied in a traffic accident inFenton, N.Y.

In 1991, Soviet PresidentMikhail S. Gorbachev went ontelevision to announce his re-signation as the eighth and fi-nal leader of a communist su-perpower that had alreadygone out of existence.

In 1995, singer Dean Martindied at his Beverly Hills homeat age 78.

In 2006, James Brown, 73,the “Godfather of Soul,” diedof heart failure in Atlanta.

Ten years ago: A fire incentral China killed 309 peopleinside an unlicensed disco.

Today’s Birthdays: SingerTony Martin is 97. Actor DickMiller is 82. Author AnneRoiphe is 75. Actress HannaSchygulla (SHEE’-goo-lah) is67. Rhythm-and-blues singerJohn Edwards (The Spinners)is 66. Actor Gary Sandy is 65.Singer Jimmy Buffett is 64.Pro and College Football Hall-of-Famer Larry Csonka is 64.Country singer Barbara Man-drell is 62. Actress SissySpacek is 61. Former WhiteHouse adviser Karl Rove is 60.Actress CCH Pounder is 58.Singer Annie Lennox is 56.Reggae singer-musician RobinCampbell (UB40) is 56. Coun-try singer Steve Wariner is 56.Singer Shane MacGowan (ThePogues, The Popes) is 53. Base-ball Hall of Famer Rickey Hen-derson is 52. Former Chair ofthe Council of Economic Ad-visers Christina Romer is 52.

Thought for Today: “WereI a philosopher, I should writea philosophy of toys, showingthat nothing else in life needto be taken seriously, and thatChristmas Day in the compa-ny of children is one of thefew occasions on which menbecome entirely alive.” — Rob-ert Lynd, British essayist(1879-1949).

TODAY IN HISTORY

DALLAS — A Texas appeals court haltedan inquiry Tuesday into whether a man con-victed of arson was wrongly executed, sayingthe presiding judge acted improperly by notruling on a motion for his recusal.

In a 2-1 decision, the Third Texas Court ofAppeals ruled that Judge Charlie Baird"abused his discretion" by not recusing him-self or referring a motion for his recusal toanother judge. Baird presided over an Octo-ber hearing into whether Cameron Willing-ham was wrongly executed for setting a 1991fire that killed his three daughters — a 2-year-old and 1-year-old twins.

Although Willingham was executed in2004, many of the nation’s foremost fire ex-perts, some of whom testified in October,now say the blaze was accidental. Some of

Willingham’s surviving relatives and attor-neys from the Innocence Project are tryingto clear Willingham’s name and get the stateto acknowledge he was wrongly executed.

The recusal issue must be resolved beforethe hearing into Willingham’s possible inno-cence can continue. A complicating factor isBaird’s retirement at the end of the year. Thejudge did not immediately respond to amessage left by The Associated Press.

The ruling is the latest setback for anti-death penalty advocates trying to prove Wil-lingham’s innocence. If he were exonerated,it would mark the first time an official in thenation’s most active death penalty state hasformally declared someone was wrongfullyexecuted.

Last month in a different case, a DNA teston a single hair cast doubt on the guilt of aTexas man who was put to death in 2000.

AROUND TEXAS

In this Feb. 5, 2009, file photo, Judge Charlie Baird presides over a court hearing in Austin. A Texas appeals court on Tues-day halted an inquiry into whether a man convicted of arson was wrongly executed, saying Baird abused his discretion bynot recusing himself or referring a motion for his recusal to another judge.

Photo by Harry Cabluck | AP

Court: Judge was wrongBy JEFF CARLTON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Population surge givesTexas 4 new House seatsAUSTIN — New census fig-

ures allow Texas to add morecongressional clout than any oth-er state, but a redistricting fightwas already brewing Tuesday ina state where Republicans dom-inate the Legislature but Demo-crats have traditionally been fa-vored among Hispanics, who rep-resent much of the populationsurge.

Texans arrested in Iranfunds investigation

SAN ANTONIO — A McAllendoctor and his attorney wife facearraignment Jan. 4 in Portland,Ore., after being charged with se-cretly sending more than $1.8million to Iran in funds meantfor a children’s charity.

Dr. Hossein Lahiji, 47, and Naj-meh Vahid, 35, were arrestedTuesday by the FBI in San Anto-nio on fraud and conspiracycharges related to violating theU.S. trade embargo on Iran.

2 hurt in small helicoptercrash near Hemphill

HEMPHILL — The Depart-ment of Public Safety says twomen from Center have been hurtin the crash of a small helicopterinto a shallow part of the ToledoBend Reservoir.

DPS says the accident hap-pened Wednesday about 14 milessouth of Hemphill.

Texas mom gets life overdeath of adopted son, 13MARSHALL — A Northeast

Texas woman has been sen-tenced to life in prison over the2008 starving and beating deathof her adopted son.

The victim was 13-year-old Sa-muel Hudson.

A jury deliberated nearly twohours Wednesday before convict-ing 47-year-old Cynthia Hudsonof capital murder. Prosecutorsdid not seek the death penalty, soState District Judge Ralph Bur-gess sentenced Hudson to life inprison without parole.

Texan pleads guilty, willforfeit grenade launcherCORPUS CHRISTI — A Cor-

pus Christi-area man has plead-ed guilty to two weapons chargesand will forfeit a grenade launch-er and more than 11,000 roundsof ammunition.

Jeremy Charles Davenport ofOdem will be sentenced March 9and faces up to 10 years in pris-on on each count.

Chisum wants GOPmembers to choose next

speakerAUSTIN — A GOP legislator

from Pampa who wants to beTexas House speaker says he’llask fellow Republicans to meetnext month and choose thechamber’s leader.

Rep. Warren Chisum on Tues-day announced he and 10 col-leagues will call for a meeting ofthe chamber’s GOP caucus onJan. 5.

—Compiled from AP reports

Gas pump prices riseabove $3

NEW YORK — The nationalaverage for a gallon of regulargasoline topped $3 on Thursday.

It’s the first time that the aver-age retail price has been above$3 a gallon at Christmas. Thepump price rose about a centand a half a gallon overnight, to$3.01, according to AAA, WrightExpress and Oil Price Informa-tion Service. That’s 14 centsmore than a month ago and 43cents higher than a year ago.

Stocks flat after mixedeconomic reports

NEW YORK — Mixed econom-ic reports led to a flat openingfor Wall Street Thursday.

The Commerce Departmentsaid Americans spent 0.4 percentmore in November. Analystsforecasted a 0.5 percent bump,following an increase of 0.7 per-cent in October.

Obama, Medvedev hailnuclear treaty ratification

HONOLULU — President Ba-rack Obama and Russian Presi-dent Dmitry Medvedev (dih-MEE’-tree med-VYEH’-dyev) are

hailing the Senate’s ratificationof a nuclear arms pact betweentheir nations as a historic event.

The two leaders spoke byphone Thursday, a day after theSenate ratified the New STARTtreaty.

—Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

A TSA officer checks passengers personal belongings at the X-ray machine atMiami International Airport in Miami, Thursday, Dec. 23.

Photo by Alan Diaz | AP

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

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010 Zlocal PAGE 3A

Celebrating its tenth an-niversary this year, the Za-pata Retired School Em-ployees Association met ata local restaurant lastmonth for the regularmonthly meeting to listento Rep. Ryan Guillen dis-cuss the Texas RetirementSystem for school employ-ees.

“He gave us informationon the state retirement sys-tem for teachers,” said his-torian Edna Umphres.“There is a division for re-tired teachers and the statehelps fund that.”

The organization recent-ly changed its name to in-clude all retired school em-ployees and not only re-tired teachers, Umphressaid.

“Before the name didn’tsound like it was open to

everyone,” she said.The organization has

about 40 members andholds monthly meetingsSeptember through May,Umphres said.

“We’ll have variousspeakers to keep educatingourselves and to keepknowledge of what is hap-pening in the community,”Umphres said.

Members also contrib-ute many hours of volun-teer work around the com-munity, Umphres added.

The officers are presi-dent Avon Hatfield, vicepresident Dahlia Lopez,

second vice president CruzTorres, secretary MaryMorales and treasurer AnaRamirez, as well as others,Umphres said.

In the last meeting, sev-eral officers and memberswere recognized.

Umphres, Torres andOswaldo Ramirez receiveda service award recogni-tion.

Hildegardo Flores, Ph.D., was recognized formost volunteer hours forthe year and HumbertoGonzalez were recognizedfor most steps — alsoknown as distance walked

for the year — Umphresadded.

The organization hasbeen going strong for thepast few years but was dis-banded some years back,Umphres said.

“I don’t know what hap-pened, but it’s goingagain,” she said.

The organization focus-es on two main goals, start-ing with supplying booksfor children classroom byclassroom and school byschool, Umphres said.

A school librarian rec-ommends classrooms thathave the most need,Umphres added.

The second goal is toaward two graduates withcollege scholarships,Umphres said.

“Those are our mainprojects,” Umphres said.“We started helping smallchildren and worked up tothe high school.”

Anniversary celebrationBy LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES “I don’t know what happened, butit’s going again.”HISTORIAN EDNA UMPHRES

ILLEGAL DUMPINGAn illegal dumping was re-

ported at 10:28 a.m. Monday inthe 5400 block of Betty Lane inthe Siesta Shores subdivision.

ASSAULTAn assault on a public ser-

vant was reported at 11:09 a.m.Dec. 17 at the Zapata RegionalJail.

BURGLARYA burglary of a habitation

was reported at 9:40 p.m. Dec. 17in the 400 block of Falcon ShoresDrive.

INCIDENTA complainant called depu-

ties around noon Dec. 19 fromSan Ygnacio to report a lost wal-let.

THE BLOTTER

After nearly losing a $1million grant reimburse-ment from the EconomicDevelopment Administra-tion due to not meetinggrant requirements, Zapa-ta County CommissionersCourt held a special meet-ing Thursday to receivean update from EconomicDevelopment Center presi-dent Peggy Umphres-Mof-fett.

Umphres-Moffett ac-quired the federal grantfor the construction of theAdvance Education Cen-ter that has nearly beencompleted and is expectedto open for the first day ofinstruction on Jan. 3.

In a previous Commis-sioners Court meeting,Umphres-Moffett brokethe news about the nearloss of the federal grantreimbursement due tomiscommunication be-tween her and project co-ordinator Mario Gonzalez-Davis and the lack of pro-gress reports from theconstruction company.

That same week ZapataCounty Judge RosalvaGuerra held a specialmeeting to hear fromUmphres-Moffett, Gonza-lez-Davis and the steeringcommittee, which is re-sponsible for the AdvanceEducation Center.

In that meeting, Guer-

ra, Commissioners EddieMartinez and NorbertoGarza, the steering com-mittee, and other respon-sible parties were updatedon overlooked grant re-quirements.

Guerra also clarifiedevery responsible party’sduties for the AdvanceEducation Center project.

Umphres-Moffett hasnow confirmed that all re-quired documentation hasbeen submitted to theEDA and the county iswaiting for approval be-fore a reimbursement canbe made, CommissionerJose E. Vela said.

Also at the meeting,commissioners approved amemorandum of under-standing with the Eco-nomic Development Cen-ter to identify specific du-ties for all employees,Vela said.

“Since we are fundingthe agency, we want toknow what they are doingand before we didn’t haveenough information onit,” Vela said.

“We had our attorneyidentify the duties so wecan have better control ofthe activities and thingsthey do.”

Commissioners also ap-proved the appointment ofmembers for the EDC, Ve-la added.

(Lorraine L. Rodriguezmay be reached at (956)728-2557.)

County hearsgrant update

By LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZTHE ZAPATA TIMES

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010

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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-

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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

Wow, we’re gettinga new nucleararms control

treaty for Christmas. Iknow some of you werehoping for iPads. But still,big news.

Good work, WhiteHouse! Thank heavens wegot rid of our former pres-ident, Barack Obama, whocouldn’t even get the tradeagreement he went all theway to South Korea tosign. Our current presi-dent, Barack Obama,would never let that hap-pen, and, in fact, came upwith a really excellenttrade agreement with theSouth Koreans just theother day.

“Administration offi-cials have bent over back-wards to try to solve everyproblem that’s come up,”said Sen. Bob Corker ofTennessee, one of the Re-publicans who reachedacross the aisle to get theNew START treaty withRussia ratified.

The treaty, which need-ed a two-thirds vote, wasactually approved 71-26.The Democrats did nothave to go scramblingmadly around looking forone last vote. And eventhe opponents were win-ners since they got tospend more than a weekbeating up on the Rus-sians, revisiting the gold-en days when life wassimple and wars werecold.

‘Serial cheaters’“They cheat. They are

serial cheaters,” said Sen.James Risch of Idaho, theauthor of my favorite un-successful amendment to

the treaty. It would havemade the nuclear-reduc-tion program contingenton the return of fourAmerican Humvees theRussians picked up dur-ing their conflict withGeorgia. Risch hauled outblowups of one of the en-slaved military vehicles,shouting: “You can watchyour property right herebeing towed away by theRussians! Back to Mos-cow!” If the former RedMenace wants to “holdhands and sing ‘Kum-baya,”’ he added, “Well,that is fine. But give usback our stolen militaryequipment.”

When was it that thesinging of “Kumbaya” be-came a shorthand for wee-nieness? “Kumbaya” is anexcellent campfire song,especially for groups thatborder on tone-deafnessand don’t know the wordsto anything. I remembersinging it in Girl Scoutcamp with friends whoemerged unscathed andbecame conservative Re-publicans. Some may bewriting letters protestingthe New START treaty atthis very moment. Please,give “Kumbaya” a break.

But I digress. Nothing,not even Humvees inchains, was going to stopthe progress of what hasrecently become known asthe “hard-charging lame-duck Congress.” It is aperfect image, with itssuggestion of a flock rac-ing along in the clumsiest

manner possible but stillstumbling over the finishline.

“When it’s all going tobe said and done, HarryReid has eaten our lunch,”said Sen. Lindsey Grahamof South Carolina, whocalled the hard-charginglame duck “a capitulationin two weeks of dramaticproportions.” This is therapidly evolving new hyp-er-partisan Lindsey Gra-ham, who was so tickedoff at the fact that the Sen-ate was devoting a mereeight days to the treatythat he told the anti-treatyobstructionist Jon Kyl ofArizona: “I want to apol-ogize to you for the wayyou’ve been treated byyour colleagues.”

UnrepentantHis New START-sup-

porting fellow Republi-cans appeared quietly un-repentant. Perhaps theywere afraid that if theysaid anything in response,Graham would continuehis evolution into awful-ness right there on theSenate floor and startgnawing on the ankles ofelderly legislators.

Good work, Senate For-eign Relations ChairmanJohn Kerry. We appreciatethe way you’ve evolvedfrom one of the world’sworst presidential candi-dates into an extremelyuseful senator. Unlikesome unsuccessful presi-dential candidates wecould name.

Good work, Sen. Rich-ard Lugar of Indiana, thelone Republican whostuck with the treatythrough thick and thin

and never mutated into ascary new entity.

Good work, Sen. HarryReid, the majority leader.Unlike your hapless pred-ecessor, Sen. Harry Reid,the majority leader, you’vehad legislation shootingoff to the White Houselike angry birds in thatvideo game. Unemploy-ment compensation! Gayrights! Food safety! Judi-cial appointments! Armscontrol! Health care for 9/11 responders!

CompromiseBut let’s admit it. Noth-

ing would have gottendone if Obama hadn’tswallowed that loathsomecompromise on tax cutsfor the wealthy.

If he’d taken the highroad, Congress would bein a holiday war. Thelong-term unemployedwould be staggering intothe new year without ben-efits.

The rest of the worldwould look upon the Unit-ed States as a country sodysfunctional that it can’teven ratify a treaty to helpkeep nuclear weapons outof the hands of terrorists.The people who worked atground zero would still beuncertain about their fu-ture, and our gay and les-bian soldiers would stillbe living in fear.

It’s depressing to thinkthat there was no way towin that would not haveinvolved giving away bil-lions of dollars to peoplewho don’t need it. But it’skind of cheery to think wehave a president who ac-tually does know whathe’s doing.

COLUMN

Lame ducks see triumph

“GAIL COLLINS

WASHINGTON —Last Christmas Igot a jolt.

I learned that mybrother Kevin collectscreches. They were allover his house, crammedonto every mantle, table,counter, lawn and closet— 17 in all, including thelittle plastic stable mymom put over the fire-place when we were lit-tle.

I was perturbed. Iknew Kevin, a salesman,was a fanatical guardianof the word Christmas,as opposed to the pagan,generic “holiday,” but Ihad no idea that he hadsuch a monomaniacalhobby.

Maybe I was scarredby reading “The GlassMenagerie” as a teenag-er. But, books and re-cords aside, collectionsalways struck me asvaguely creepy. I hadshuddered for years asmy sister accumulatedclowns and “Don Quix-ote” objects. And the por-celain baby collection ofan older cousin actuallymade me feel queasy.

ObsessiveI wondered why Kevin

was so obsessive aboutcreches. Was it a way tostay close to our latemother? An homage toour old church, Nativity?

As a child, he treatedSt. Joseph, the shepherdsand the three kings asaction figures, stagingsmack downs.

“The shepherd had anadvantage because hewas holding the lamb,and he could use it as aweapon,” Kevin recalledfondly.

I also rememberedthat he got very upsetone year when St. Josephwas stolen from the out-door nativity scene atNativity, and he frettedover why Christ’s stepfa-ther disappeared fromthe New Testament soabruptly.

St. JosephCould that make him

hoard a houseful of St.Josephs — and send histhree sons to a collegenamed St. Joseph’s?

I was curious enoughabout the manger maniathat when he told mehe’d been invited to theFriends of the Creche an-nual convention in NewHaven one weekend inNovember, I asked if Icould go, too.

Touring the crechedisplay at the Knights ofColumbus hall, we metcollectors who had 300,500, even 600 creches, thekind who might put anaddition on the housejust to display their sta-bles.

InadequacyKevin began to feel in-

adequate with a mere 15. Bonnie Psanenstiel, a

heavyset 52-year-oldnurse from Owensboro,Ky., told me that she has500 sets packed into her“nativity meditationroom,” even though “I’mnot really into religion.”

She got her first,which was hand-carvedout of olive wood, on ahigh-school trip to Mo-rocco and spent fouryears baby-sitting andcleaning houses to pay itoff.

She’s most attached tothe set given to her by awoman she helped whenshe was a rape-incest

counseling volunteer.“We used to sit by theMississippi River andjust talk,” Bonnie said asshe started to cry. “Shewould slowly gather upsome of this Delta clay,and she made me a set.”

RenewalShe believes nativities

represent “renewal.” The Rev. Tim Goldrick,

the gregarious pastor ofSt. Nicholas Church inFall River, Mass., said hisgrandfather told him itwas a Portugese-Azoriantradition that the man ofthe house set up thecreche. He begged to putup their Woolworth’s set.

For years, the priestkept hundreds of crechesin milk crates in hisguest room, which pre-cluded actual guests.

“There was no roomin the inn,” he said wry-ly.

MovingWhen he transferred

from his last parish, hecalled a mover and ex-plained that he owned nofurniture but did have alot of Christmas decora-tions. “It took three mentwo days to box them upand ship them,” he said.

Mike Whalen, 61, ofClinton Township, Mich.,the president of thecreche society and proudowner of 400, said hedoesn’t know of crechefixations causing anymarital battles. “There’sa lady from Californiawhose husband is Jew-ish, and he’s very in-volved,” Whalen said.“He came up with an Ex-cel system to organizethings.”

Rita Bocher of Wynne-wood, Pa., does the socie-ty’s newsletter. In the’80s, doing market re-search for the FranklinMint, she had to re-search creches. “Ithought nobody collectsnativities,” she said.“Turned out, I was total-ly wrong.” Now she has700 subscribers aroundthe world.

Her favoriteShe saw her favorite in

a German museum. Itwas a prequel, showingthe Magi getting ready togo on their trip, orderingaround servants, gather-ing gifts.

Goldrick explained toKevin that St. Josephmight have disappearedso abruptly all thoseyears ago from the beliefthat if you bury a St. Jo-seph statue in the yard,you can sell your housequicker. (A tradition thathas revived with the re-cession.)

I couldn’t fight the fa-natics, so I joined them.At the convention Ibought a Cape Codcreche made by Natha-niel Wordell of SouthChatham, Mass. Mary’s amermaid; the Wise Menare a crab, a crocodileand a sea horse. The“livestock” are a frog, aturtle and starfish. Jo-seph has a trident.

Sadly, it did not drawmy brother and me clos-er. “That is sacrilegious,”Kevin said, staring inhorror. “The Virgin Ma-ry does not have a tail.”

COLUMN

Brother hassurprisingcollection

“MAUREEN DOWD

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010 THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

The Mexican borderprison where more than140 inmates slipped out aside door last week has ahistory of cartel oper-atives acting with impun-ity within its walls.

Speaking in Nuevo La-redo on Monday, Tamau-lipas state Gov. EugenioHernández said 41 of theprison’s guards have beenarrested and are underinvestigation in connec-tion to the escape, theMexican media organiza-tion Grupo Reforma re-ported. The warden ofthe prison, Centro de Eje-cución de Sentencias No.2, known by its acronymCEDES, is missing.

The escape was orches-trated by the Zetas drugcartel to supplementranks that have beenstretched by their expan-sion efforts and thinnedby a war against theirformer allies, the GulfCartel, said Gary Hale,the former head of intelli-gence for the Drug En-forcement Administra-tion’s Houston field divi-sion and owner ofintelligence and securityfirm Grupo Savant.

The prison break itselfwas orchestrated by Or-lando Monsivais Treviño,28, a nephew of Zeta sec-ond-in-command Miguel“El 40” Treviño Morales,Hale said. But this is justthe latest in a string ofacts that shows the pris-on is largely controlledby criminal elements, hesaid.

“There’s been a bunchof retribution killingsfrom inside the prison,”Hale said. “There’s beenkidnappings inside theprison. It’s almost runlike a separate city insideitself. There’s a lot of‘criminal justice,’ in quo-tations, being adminis-

tered inside the prison.”In the last two years, at

least three high-profile ac-cused cartel members havebeen killed inside the pris-on. The first, Jesus Gonza-lez III, was a U.S. citizen ac-cused of being a Zeta sica-rio, or hit man.

Facing extraditionGonzalez was arrested in

January 2009 in Nuevo La-redo on kidnapping charges,but was facing extraditionto the U.S. where he was ac-cused of working for a crewof hit men who reported toTreviño Morales. The prose-cution of Gonzalez’s cohortsin Laredo had broughtdown heat on the Zetas andhad put his boss’ name inthe news. Gonzalez wasstabbed to death in the pris-on three days after his ar-rest.

In April 2009, Gabriel Ja-lomo Rodriguez, an accusedSinaloa hit man who hadserved a short prison stintin the U.S. before being ex-tradited to Mexico, wasstabbed to death in the Nue-vo Laredo prison. Jalomowas facing charges relatedto the 2005 killing of a Nue-vo Laredo police command-er during the Sinaloa Car-tel’s bloody war with the Ze-tas, then still part of theGulf Cartel, for control ofthe area. He had also beenaccused of taking part in ahit on a Zeta operative inLaredo, but those chargeswere dropped.

Four accused kidnapperswho Mexican authoritiessaid had been impersonat-ing Zetas were killed insidethe prison in October 2009.

Then, in September ofthis year, Jose Luis “El Tu-bi” Carrizales, an accusedSinaloa Capo who had justbeat kidnapping charges inthe western Mexican stateof Jalisco, was transferredto the penitentiary in Zeta-held Nuevo Laredo. Withinhours of arriving in theprison, Carrizales wasstabbed to death.

It’s hard to tell who exer-

cises more control in theprison, the Zetas or the GulfCartel, which split from eachother earlier this year, Halesaid. Both have had a strongpresence in Nuevo Laredo.

“If there’s collusion withthe prison warden then youcan safely say it was Zeta-controlled or heavily influen-ced by the Zetas,” he said.

The state of Tamaulipaslast week issued a news re-lease blaming the prisonbreak on the large numberof cartel members chargedwith federal crimes it has tohold in its correctional facil-ities.

Government criticismThe news release came in

response to a statement fromthe federal government crit-icizing the state for allowinga string of prison breaksalong its border with Texas.

Mexican President FelipeCalderón followed up thisweek, making political hayout of the escapes.

Calderón’s term expires in2012 and his National ActionParty will be challenged byHernández’s Institutional

Revolutionary Party forcontrol of the presidency.

In a radio interviewMonday, Calderón blamedthe rival party for the pris-on breaks. The inability ofPRI-controlled Tamaulipasto keep cartel members inprison is undermining thegovernment’s effortsagainst organized crime, hesaid.

“They let more than 300(prisoners) out onto thestreet,” Calderón said, ac-cording to Reforma. “Sowhen does it end? I arrestthem, and they let themgo.”

The Zetas are orchestrat-ing prison breaks to recruithardened criminals, someof whom are already partof the organization andsome whose loyalty the car-tel gains by freeing them,Hale said. With 141 newmembers on the street, theZetas will likely be tryingto find them vehicles at atime when hundreds ofthousands of Mexicans liv-ing in the U.S. are return-ing home for the holidays,he said.

(The Associated Press con-tributed to this report.)

NL prison has troubled pastBy JASON BUCH

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

The tax bill recentlysigned by President Ba-rack Obama includes relieffor farmers and ranchersinterested in protectingtheir property with conser-vation easements, reportsBlair Fitzsimons, executivedirector of the Texas Agri-cultural Land Trust(TALT). The extension ofBush-era tax cuts includesan extension of a conserva-tion easement tax incen-tive for tax years 2010 and2011, retroactive to Jan. 1.

Between 2006 and 2009,the tax incentive allowedfamily farmers, ranchers,and other moderate-in-come landowners to get asignificant income tax ben-efit for donating a conser-vation easement on theirland. Under this scenario,a landowner may deductthe value of a conservationeasement against 50 per-cent of adjusted gross in-come and carry the deduc-tion forward for 16 years.Landowners who maketheir living from agricul-ture may take the deduc-tion against 100 percent oftheir income.

The enhanced tax incen-tive for conservation ease-ments expired at the endof 2009, and TALT hassince been working withother agricultural landtrusts from around the

country to get it re-in-stated and made perma-nent. “TALT saw strongdemand for conservationeasements when this in-centive was in place,” Fitz-simons said. "TALT todayholds easements on almost100,000 acres — all attrib-utable to the enhanced taxincentives."

A conservation ease-ment is a negotiated agree-ment between a landownerand a qualified easementholder, which is typically aland trust. The landownerwillingly places restric-tions on the property butretains title, and can sell,bequeath, transfer andcontinue to farm or ranchas before. In addition to in-come tax benefits, a con-servation easement has es-tate tax benefits by reduc-ing the value of theproperty, and therefore theestate tax liability of one’sheirs.

New bill to giverelief to farmers

SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

NO-CONFIDENCE VOTE

Photo by Bogdan Stamatin/Mediafax Foto | AP

Adrian Sobaru, an electrician at the national television stationthrows himself from a balcony in Romania’s Parliament, Thursday,just as the prime minister began to speak ahead of a no-confidencevote. Sobaru suffered fractures to the face, and other non life-threatening injuries, according to a hospital official.

6A THE ZAPATA TIMES ZEntertainment SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010

Growing up, young LuisSalazar Jr., overheard a lotof his dad’s 1960s and 1970smusic collection.

By the time he was 7years old, he developed anaffinity for the one-and-only,Elvis Presley.

Salazar’s fondness for El-vis’ music, voice, on-stagepresence and persona wasso strong that he asked todress up as the artist forHalloween almost everyyear.

Now 16 and a junior atLyndon B. Johnson HighSchool, Salazar has takenhis admiration to anotherlevel — impersonating the“King of Rock and Roll” atseveral events in Laredo,complete with elaboratecostumes and live singing.

“People have told me thatmy voice sounds similar tohis,” Salazar said recently.

And it’s his voice thathas garnered the kinda bul-ky Salazar several gigsaround town, on stages bigand small, including localrestaurants, elementaryschools and adult day carefacilities.

Salazar, who goes by thename “Laredo’s Own ElvisImpersonator,” has memo-rized lyrics for about 20 to25 Elvis songs, plus someChristmas themed and reli-gious songs. Among hispersonal favorites are “Fol-

low That Dream” and“That’s All Right Mama.”

Dedication to thecommunity

Salazar has performed atlocal competitions and land-ed gigs at biker rallies andfestivals, such as the LaredoSister City Festival at theLaredo Energy Arena, butit’s some of the special,smaller gigs that earn himsatisfaction.

When his grandmotherwas admitted to La RetamaNo. 2 nursing home, Salazarwas touched by the elderlypeople living there andasked to perform for them.His mother Esthela, whoacts as his manager, linedup gigs for him. “I like see-ing the smiles on theirfaces,” he said. “It’s my wayof telling them that they arenot alone.”

“I got used to singing toeverybody. I get excitedwhen people clap for me,”Salazar, the singer, said.

During his Christmasbreak from school, the Sala-zar family — he travelswith his parents, a youngerbrother and a 6-year-old sis-ter, all of whom wear red“Team Elvis” shirts — hasbeen spending time at nurs-ing homes, lifting the resi-dents’ spirits.

Family’s help

His mom, Esthela, servesas his manager and rou-tinely styles his hair, whichtook him about five monthsto grow. His dad, Luis Sr., isthe performer’s spokesmanand animador, while Jo-seph, his 15-year-old broth-er, selects and DJs his mu-sic. He also takes care ofthe equipment. His sisterKelsey, 6, helps by provid-ing water and towels dur-ing performances.

Together they travel ev-erywhere, including mostgigs scheduled in Laredo.

Some years ago, the fam-ily saved up to take Salazarto Elvis’ Graceland Man-sion in Memphis, Tenn. Ascrapbook the family car-ries depicts them at themansion, as well as mu-seums in Las Vegas.

One closed dooropens another

After decades of workinglong hours as a manager ata local Church’s restaurant,Luis Sr. was abruptly let goearlier this year.

It was a devastating blowto the family, but somehowthey have managed to stayupbeat and the incident hasallowed the family to spendmore time together.

“We gotta keep on going.There’s light at the end ofthe tunnel,” Luis Sr. said.

“I like the fact that my

son is setting an examplefor the youth,” said Esthela.

‘Idol’ aspirationsIn August, after learning

from a ¿Qué Pasa? storythat American Idol wouldhost auditions in Austin,the family decided to take aroad trip.

“We were in line from 3a.m. until 4 p.m.,” the elderLuis recalled with excite-ment. “There were 7,500people there.”

Salazar made it past thefirst and second rounds ofthe preliminary auditions,only to be cut in the thirdround.

Carrying around newspa-per clippings from the Aus-tin American- Statesmanand the San Antonio Ex-press-News, the family ex-plained the thrilling event.

“We got to see the judges:Steven Tyler, Randy Jack-son and Jennifer Lopez,”Esthela said.

“We got to talk to Jennif-er Lopez and she even said‘say hello to everyone in La-redo.’”

The trip was made possi-ble with the assistance ofseveral people in Laredo,such as Madeline Lopez Es-

coto and Martha Narvaez ofNarvaez Flower & GiftShop, who made monetarydonations.

The mayor’s wife, Yolan-da Salinas, loaned the fam-ily a professional-lookingElvis costume, which Sala-zar wore at the auditions.

Live performancesBesides his regular gigs

at local businesses, Salazarhas some other events linedup. You can check him outat January’s UETA Jamboo-zie Festival, where he’ll beon stage between 5 and 6p.m.

They’ve also confirmedan appearance at the LCCFun Fest, which is part ofthe Washington’s BirthdayCelebration and held at La-redo Community College.

His show-biz skills aregetting polished every day,as was evident when the in-terview ended. His lastwords were the patented“Thank you, thank you ve-ry much,” in a deep tone.

If you would like to con-tact Salazar, you can reachLuis Sr. at 326-0880.

(Emilio Rabago III maybe reached at 728-2564 or era-bago@lmtonline.com)

Luis Salazar, Jr.: Idolizing the King By EMILIO RÁBAGO III

THE ZAPATA TIMES

Luis Salazar’s and his family, father Luis Sr., sister Kelsey, motherEsthela and brother Joseph all support his musical aspirations.

Photos by Ulysses S. Romero | Laredo Morning Times

LUNES 27 DE DICIEMBRELAREDO: AVISO: El

crucero de Lyon y Tilden ce-rrará al tráfico a partir dehoy y reabrirá el 29 de di-ciembre. Se realizarán traba-jos en las alcantarillas delcrucero. Se suplica manejarcon precaución y obedecerlas señales.

MARTES 28 DE DICIEMBRELAREDO — La Bibliote-

ca Pública de Laredo invita avivir actividades de acuerdo ala temporada durante las Va-caciones de Navidad en elDepartamento Infantil de labiblioteca ubicada en el 1120E. Calton Road, a las 2:30p.m. El día de hoy el progra-ma es: Elabora un sombrerode Año Nuevo.

MIÉRCOLES 29 DE DICIEMBRELAREDO — El Show

Mágico de Mickey tendrá dospresentaciones el día de hoyen la Laredo Energy Arena, ala 1 p.m. y las 4 p.m. Adquie-ra su boleto en Ticketmastery la taquilla del LAE

LAREDO — La Bibliote-ca Pública de Laredo invita avivir actividades de acuerdo ala temporada durante las Va-caciones de Navidad en elDepartamento Infantil de labiblioteca ubicada en el 1120E. Calton Road, a las 2:30p.m. El día de hoy el progra-ma es: Celebra con una acti-vidad de Año Nuevo.

JUEVES 30 DE DICIEMBRELAREDO — La Bibliote-

ca Pública de Laredo invita avivir actividades de acuerdo ala temporada durante las Va-caciones de Navidad en elDepartamento Infantil de labiblioteca ubicada en el 1120E. Calton Road, a las 2:30p.m. El día de hoy el progra-ma es: Mira una película deAño Nuevo.

VIERNES 31 DE DICIEMBRELAREDO — Época de

Oro tendrá su baile de Fin deAño de 9 p.m. a 1 a.m. dehoy en el Salón de Baile delLaredo Civic Center, del 2400San Bernardo Ave. Los bole-tos tienen costo de 25 dóla-res en la puerta.

SÁBADO 1 DE ENEROLAREDO — Hoy a las

8 p.m. se presentan en con-cierto Intocable, Duelo, asícomo Adrian Perez y Origen,durante el baile de Fin deAño en la Laredo Energy Are-na. Los precios varían desde25 dólares hasta 450 dólares,con mesa o sin mesa inclui-da.

JUEVES 6 DE ENEROLAREDO — Texas A&M

International University llevaráa cabo una Sesión Informati-va de su Programa de Certifi-cación Alternativa en el aula104 de Bullock Hall. Llame aIdinia Dominguez al 326-3098ó escriba a idominguez@ta-miu.edu para más informa-ción.

MARTES 11 DE ENEROLAREDO — Hal’s Lan-

ding inicia hoy el segundoaño de “una campaña de re-caudación de fondos al mes”en beneficio del South TexasFood Bank (6510 Arena Ro-ad), de 7 p.m. a la mediano-che. La música estará a car-go de Jus-B-Cuz. La entradageneral es de 10 dólares porpersona. Adquiera sus boletosllamando al (956) 726-3120 ó(956) 324-2432.

JUEVES 27 DE ENEROLAREDO — Los Harlem

Globetrotters se presentanhoy a las 4 p.m. y 7 p.m. enla Laredo Energy Arena. Ad-quiera sus boletos en la ta-quilla de LEA.

SÁBADO 29 DE ENEROLAREDO — Hoy es el

Regreso de Emilio Navaira, enConcierto, en la laredo EnergyArena, a las 8 p.m. Más in-formación en el 523-7736.

Agendaen Breve

Zfrontera PÁGINA 7ASÁBADO 25 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2010

MÉXICO — Con un go-bierno que sostiene que suestrategia contra el narco-tráfico da resultados, Méx-ico llega al final del 2010con un preocupante futuro:los golpes asestados al cri-men organizado no reduje-ron la violencia y la expec-tativa de algunos es quecontinúe en aumento.

En 2010 las autoridadeslograron algunos de susmayores éxitos en cuatroaños de combate al narco-tráfico con la captura omuerte de grandes caposde la droga e importantesdecomisos.

Sin embargo, el 2010 fuetambién el año con el may-or número de asesinatosatribuidos al crimen orga-nizado desde que en di-ciembre de 2006 el presi-dente Felipe Calderón lan-zó una ofensiva sinprecedente, apoyada conmiles de soldados.

El panorama lleva aanalistas a pensar en uninquietante futuro, aunqueCalderón afirmó en di-ciembre que al final de2010 los crímenes dejaronde incrementarse “e inclu-so parece que empezaríana declinar”.

“Es verdad que hay cap-turas muy importantes decapos, abatimientos muyimportantes de capos, in-cautación de cantidadesimpresionantes de armas,pero también es verdadque la violencia está cre-ciendo, que están crecien-do el secuestro y la extor-sión”, señaló a la AP Luisde la Barrera, presidentedel Instituto Ciudadano deEstudios sobre Inseguri-dad, una asociación queanaliza la percepción so-cial de la inseguridad.

“Es paradójico”, afirmó.Aunque para el plagio y

la extorsión no hay núme-ros claros sobre su incre-mento, para los asesinatosatribuidos al crimen orga-nizado la estadística oficiales elocuente: 62 en di-ciembre de 2006, el primermes del gobierno de Calde-rón; 2.837 el año 2007; 6.844en 2008, y 9.635 en 2009. Enel 2010, hasta el fin de no-viembre, los crímenes yasumaban 12.456.

Según recuentos de me-dios mexicanos, los asesi-natos fácilmente superaránlos 10.000 en 2010 y sonmás de 30.100 desde el in-icio del gobierno de Calde-rón, el 1 de diciembre del2006.

Y mientras práctica-mente a diario se sumanmuertos, a lo que algunosllaman el “ejecutómetro”,el gobierno sostiene que laviolencia se explica partic-ularmente por las luchasque mantienen los cartelesde las drogas tras losgolpes que les han infligidolas autoridades.

La autoridad considera“erróneo” decir que todoMéxico está sumergido enuna espiral violenta, puessólo 162 de los 2.456 muni-cipios del país concentranun 80% del total de asesi-natos.

También ha dicho que latasa de homicidios por ca-da 100.000 habitantes,muestra a un México conmenores niveles de crí-menes que en otros países:mientras aquí es de unos14, en Brasil la tasa es deunos 25 y en Colombia un-os 37.

Si bien en la mayoría delas localidades mexicanasla gente sale, camina, com-pra o va a trabajar normal-mente, cada tanto se su-man nuevos hechos en dis-tintas zonas del país quepor su brutalidad copan lasinformaciones de prensa.

En enero, en la fronteri-za Ciudad Juárez se regis-tró una masacre de 15 jó-venes sin nexos con la de-lincuencia. Al menos otrascuatro más ocurrieron en2010.

En agosto fueron asesi-nados 72 migrantes en Ta-maulipas, mientras que ensólo una semana de oc-tubre se registraron tresmasacres, sin aparente co-nexión entre sí: 14 person-as fueron acribillados enuna fiesta de cumpleañosen Ciudad Juárez; 13 dro-gadictos fueron asesinadosen un centro de rehabilita-ción en la también locali-dad fronteriza de Tijuana,y 15 personas murieron ti-roteadas en un autolavadoen el estado de Nayarit.

A finales de junio, fueasesinado Rodolfo Torre, elcandidato favorito al go-bierno de Tamaulipas, a es-casa una semana de laselecciones.

Para algunos analistas,el incremento de la violen-cia estaría relacionado conla estrategia oficial misma.

“El discurso oficial siguesubrayando que lo impor-tante es desarticular las or-ganizaciones por arrestos,decomisos, lo cual es el me-canismo que está sirviendopara generar violencia,porque fragmenta organi-zaciones y genera merca-dos más competitivos, y enlos mercados informales lacompetencia significa másviolencia”, dijo a la APEduardo Guerrero, un con-sultor en temas de seguri-dad.Guerrero destacó queuna virtual impunidad fa-vorece a los delincuentes.

Archivos obtenidos esteaño por la AP mostraronque entre diciembre de2006 y septiembre de 2009el gobierno arrestó a226.667 sospechosos de deli-tos relacionados con el nar-cotráfico, y se les abrióproceso a menos de unacuarta parte de ellos. Sólo15% recibió sentencia, perono se informó cuántos fue-ron declarados culpables.

Guerrero propuso, porejemplo, acusar a los dete-nidos no sólo de crímenesfederales, sino de variosdelitos menores que garan-ticen que pasarán por lomenos varios meses en lacárcel.

Para De La Barreda, lapropuesta de Guerrero sue-na buena como idea, “perono tenemos las policías losministerios públicos quepermitiera ese objetivo”.

Algunos de los princi-pales golpes del actual go-bierno ocurrieron en 2010:en julio fue abatido Ignacio“Nacho” Coronel, uno delos jefes del cartel de Sina-loa; en agosto fue detenidoEdgar Valdez Villarreal,alias “La Barbie” y uno delos mayores capos busca-dos por el gobierno; en no-viembre murió AntonioEzequiel Cárdenas Guillén,alias “Tony Tormenta” yuno de los líderes del Car-tel del Golfo, y en di-ciembre Nazario Moreno,líder del cartel de La Fam-ilia.

Además, en octubre sedecomisaron 134,2 tonela-das de marihuana en Ti-juana, la mayor incauta-ción de esa droga.

Erubiel Tirado, especial-ista en seguridad de la Uni-versidad Iberoamericana,dijo percibir una estrategiaencaminada más a desca-bezar a las organizacionesque a desarticular sus es-tructuras.

“Cuando se detecta a uncapo, lo que dicen los cá-nones es no ir a matarlo,sino infiltrarlo... descubrirla radiografía y en un mo-mento dado dar el golpe”,dijo a la AP.

Una encuesta de la em-presa Mitofsky señaló ennoviembre que por prime-ra vez en lo que va del go-bierno una mayoría califi-có de fracaso las opera-ciones contra el crimenorganizado.

Y para el 2011, Tirado semuestra pesimista: “elpróximo año no podemosvisualizar más que se sigamoviendo el ’ejecutómetro’con más de 30.000 muer-tos”.

2010: Méxicoasesta golpes

a narcos POR E. EDUARDO CASTILLO

ASSOCIATED PRESS

MÉXICO — La Policía Federal detuvoa un presunto líder de un grupo de sica-rios del cartel del Golfo en Tamaulipas,uno de los lugares más afectados por laviolencia del narcotráfico.

La Secretaría de Seguridad Públicafederal (SSP) informó el miércoles en uncomunicado que el hombre, identificadocomo Martín Armando Briones Muñizy/o Eduardo Flores Borrego, estaba pre-suntamente al mando de 32 sicarios quetenían como función eliminar a miem-bros de grupos rivales.

El hombre, alias “El Negro”, fue cap-turado junto con dos presuntos cómplic-es el viernes en la municipalidad fron-teriza de Reynosa por la Policía Federal,que depende de la SSP, aunque apenasahora se dio a conocer la detención.

La SSP señaló que el grupo de “El Ne-

gro” operaba en distintos puntos de Ta-maulipas y está vinculado con diversosenfrentamientos.

Presuntamente cobraba “fuertes can-tidades de dinero” por asesinar a losmiembros del cartel rival de Los Zetas,aunque no se precisó ningún monto.

A los detenidos se les incautaron tresarmas largas, una granada, cientos decartuchos útiles, radios y dos vehículos.

El noreste de México, incluyendo Ta-maulipas, es una de las zonas que en2010 ha padecido una de las peores olasde violencia atribuidas al crimen orga-nizado y que en todo el país ha dejadomás de 30.190 asesinados desde el co-mienzo del actual gobierno en di-ciembre de 2006.

Las autoridades atribuyen la violen-cia en el noreste al rompimiento de unaalianza que por años mantuvieron loscarteles del Golfo y Los Zetas.

PF: Cae ‘El Negro’,un presunto sicario

ASSOCIATED PRESS

CONSTRUYEN 300 SESENTA GRADOS

El Gobernador de Tamaulipas Eugenio Hernández Flores tuvo a su cargo el vaciado del primer coladode cemento para el proyecto de inversión ’300 Sesenta Grados’, el lunes en Nuevo Laredo. La empre-sa es la primera obra a construirse dentro del recién inaugurado Parque Industrial PYME y Logístico‘Tecnologis’. ‘300 Sesenta Grados’ desarrollará la espuela de ferrocarril para realizar los trasbordosque se hacen del tren al transporte carretero, explicó Hernández.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

INVERSIÓN

El Filósofo de la India,Mahatma Gandhi maneja-ba bien las palabras y lodijo de la mejor formacuando expresó: “La gran-deza y progreso moral deuna nación se pueden juz-gar por la manera en quesus animales son trata-dos”.

Audelia Hernández,una residente de Zapata,no es Gandhi pero tieneuna pasión por animalesdesde que era niña ysiempre está intentandoencontrar una manera pa-ra ayudarlos, dijo ella.

“Uno no necesita serresidente de Zapata paraver los efectos de mascotasabandonadas en las calles,transeúntes también pue-den percatarse de lo efec-tos”, dijo Hernández. “Loque otras personas ven esel reflejo de nuestra comu-nidad”.

Hernández ha tenidomascotas desde que era ni-ña y está agradecida porque le hayan afectado suvida de una manera posi-tiva, dijo ella.

“El ayudarles es mimanera de pagarles portanto amor incondicionalque me brindaron”, dijoHernández.

Los animales, al menoslos domésticos, dependende las personas para so-brevivir, añadió Hernán-dez.

Recientemente, Hernán-dez vigorosamente intentó

ingresar al Desafío Pepsi(Pepsi Challenge) para ay-udar a construir un refu-gio de animales en el Con-dado de Zapata con pocoéxito y ahora tendrá queesperar hasta marzo cuan-do lo pueda intentar denueva cuenta, dijo ella.

El Proyecto Pepsi le ay-udaría a financiar la ex-pansión del edificio decontrol de animales actualo la construcción de unedificio nuevo para un re-fugio de animales por sep-arado, dijo Hernández.

El condado actualmenteno cuenta con un refugiopara animales y dependesolamente de los emplea-dos y servicios de controlde animales para manten-er la población crecientede mascotas callejeras.

Mascotas callejeras re-corren por las calles ycuando son levantadoscuentan con menos de unasemana, aproximada-mente 72 horas para seradoptados o serán sacrifi-cados de manera humani-taria.

La única otra opciónpara mascotas callejerasen Zapata, si no son levan-tadas, es el hambre y lasenfermedades mientrasvagan corriendo el riesgode ser heridos o hasta ter-minar muertos, dijo Her-nández.

“Me rompe el corazón.Las mascotas callejeras aveces le pertenecen a al-guien y sólo quieren serqueridos”, dijo Hernán-dez.

El Departamento deControl de Animales hacomprobado que es másdifícil el adquirir fondos,de lo que Hernández origi-nalmente pensaba, ella ah-ora ha sugerido al Direc-tor de Control de Ani-males, Guillermo Saenz,considerar convertirse enuna organización sin finesde lucro.

“He buscado fondos enmuchos lugares y desafor-tunadamente no hay fon-dos disponibles para refu-gios bajo una entidad gu-bernamental”, dijoHernández. “A través demis investigaciones hedescubierto que existencantidades ilimitadas defondos para organiza-ciones no lucrativas”.

Subsidios específicospara refugios de animalespagarían por comida yútiles, añadió Hernández.

Para que el control deanimales se pueda con-vertir en un refugio deanimales sin fines de lu-cro Saenz tendría que reu-nir a un grupo de volunta-rios para formar el fidei-comiso del refugio, dijoHernández.

“Necesitamos tres ocuatro personas que esténdispuestos a voluntaria-mente a dirigir el refugiode animales”, dijo Her-nández.

“Cambios como los quequeremos lograr tardantiempo”, dijo Hernández.“No se ganó Zamora en unhora así que debemos se-guir adelante”.

Sigue lucha pro animalesPOR LORRAINE L. RODRIGUEZ

TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES National SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010

CHICAGO — Chicagoelection officials heardchallenges to Rahm Ema-nuel’s bid to be Chicagomayor on Thursday after ahearing officer recom-mended the former WhiteHouse chief of staff ’s nameshould appear on the Feb-ruary ballot because henever intended to perma-nently move away fromthe city.

More than two dozenpeople have challengedEmanuel’s candidacy, con-tending he didn’t meet aone-year residency re-quirement because he leftChicago to work for Presi-dent Barack Obama inWashington, D.C. He quithis job as Obama’s topaide and moved back toChicago in October afterMayor Richard M. Daleyannounced he wouldn’tseek a seventh term.

The Chicago Board ofElection Commissionerswas expected to make aruling on the residencyquestion Thursday, thoughany outcome is likely to beappealed to the courts.

Terminating residencyElection board hearing

officer Joseph Morris saidearly Thursday that evi-dence showed that Ema-nuel had no intention ofterminating his residencyin Chicago, left the city on-ly to work for PresidentBarack Obama and oftentold friends he intended tolive in Washington for nomore than two years.

At the beginning ofThursday’s meeting, thethree-member boardopened the floor for someof the more than two doz-en objectors to react toMorris’ recommendation.

"The recommendationturns the law of residencyon its head," said veteranelections lawyer BurtOdelson, one of the leadobjectors to Emanuel’scandidacy. He said Morris’recommendation was "dis-appointing."

Another objector, LoraChamberlain, argued thatthe decision was "verysimple" — that since Ema-nuel didn’t physically

move back to Chicago un-til last fall, he was not le-gally allowed to appearon the ballot.

"That was still 6 1/2months short of whatwas necessary," Chamber-lain said. "Please, just betrue to the law."

Elections boardThe elections board is

made up of two Demo-crats and a Republican.They are not bound to ac-cept the recommendationof Morris, a Republicanwho maintains his ownprivate law practice inChicago but has workedfor years as a hearing of-ficer for the board.

“The hearing officer issort of like an Italiantraffic signal — it’s amere suggestion. He isbasically giving his opin-ion,” Paul Green, a politi-cal scientist at RooseveltUniversity in Chicago,said before the rulingwas issued.

Emanuel is part of acrowded field of morethan a dozen candidates,

including former U.S. Sen.Carol Moseley Braun, U.S.Rep. Danny Davis, formerschool board president GeryChico, City Clerk Miguel delValle and state Sen. JamesMeeks, the pastor of aSouth Side mega church.

Since returning to Chica-go in October to run formayor, Emanuel has en-joyed strong name recogni-tion in the race and alreadyhas run several televisionads.

A recent Chicago Tri-bune/WGN poll showedEmanuel as the only candi-date in double digits withmore than 30 percent sup-port, although 30 percent re-mained undecided.

Abandoned residencyIn his recommendation,

Morris wrote that the ques-tion wasn’t whether Ema-

nuel established residencyin Illinois in 2010, butwhether he abandoned it.Morris said he found noevidence that Emanuelhad done so, arguing that“the touchstone of contin-ued residence is the inten-tion of the resident, andnot the physical fact of‘having a place to sleep.”’

Morris also noted thatEmanuel was born andmarried in Chicago, ownsa home in the city wherehe still keeps valuable pos-sessions, has an Illinoisdriver’s license and votedin Chicago in every elec-tion between 1999 and Feb-ruary 2010.

“Illinois law expresslyprotects the residential sta-tus and electoral rights ofIllinois residents who arecalled to serve the nationalgovernment,” Morris, aRepublican attorney inprivate practice in Chica-go, wrote in his 35-pageruling.

The rulingMorris’ ruling, issued

just before 2 a.m. Thurs-day, came after a marathonthree-day hearing lastweek in which Emanuelwas grilled by a long pa-rade of objectors to hiscandidacy, many of whomrepresented themselvesand veered off into ques-tions that had little to dowith Emanuel’s place ofresidence.

The serious, at timesstrange hearing exploredthe contents of the base-ment of Emanuel’s homewhere he said he left manyprized family possessions,including his wife’s wed-ding dress — further proofhe always intended to re-turn to Chicago, he andhis lawyers argued.

The comments by objec-tors at Thursday’s meetingalso strayed from the strictresidency issue the boardwas addressing, as theydid at last week’s three-dayhearing overseen by Mor-ris.

Board hears residence caseBy TAMMY WEBBER ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this Tuesday, Dec. 14, photo, Rahm Emanuel testifies before theChicago Board of Election Commissioners during a hearing chal-lenging his residency to run as Mayor in Chicago. Emanuel canrun for Chicago mayor although he spent much of the last twoyears living in Washington while working for President BarackObama, the board ruled Thursday.

Photo by Paul Beaty | Associated Press

PORT SULPHUR, La. —Even before the Gulf oilspill, Jennifer Reddick wasjust getting by, living pay-check to paycheck as shetried to support six chil-dren on the $400 a weekshe made working parttime as a deckhand andshrimp net maker.

Then BP’s well blew outoff the coast of Louisiana,scaring away tourists andshutting down fishing. Nowshe has no work and nomoney to buy her childrentoys or new clothes thisChristmas. Charities areproviding what they can,but it’s hard for Reddick totake handouts.

“It was never easy be-fore, but we could make it,”said Reddick, 30, of Buris, asmall fishing town alongthe Mississippi River. “Icouldn’t even afford Christ-mas this year for the kids.”

For many people alongthe Gulf Coast, there won’tbe much holiday cheer thisChristmas.

It’s been more than fivemonths since the well wasfinally capped after spew-ing millions of gallons ofcrude into the Gulf. Manyshrimpers and oystermenare catching and selling on-ly a fraction of previoushauls. Business ownerswho saw a summer of lostrevenue are still strugglingto pay their bills, and manyhad to lay off workers tomake it through the slowwinter months.

The Coastal Heritage So-ciety of Louisiana has seenrequests for help double.Many are coming from peo-ple who had never askedfor assistance before.

“Even after Katrina, itwasn’t like this,” said Joan-nie Hughes, who alongwith Vickie Perrin hasfanned out across the re-gion to deliver Christmasdinners and toys to 112families.

Perrin said the economiceffect is just starting to rip-ple through communities,from fishermen to grocerystores and restaurants.

“It’s like throwing a peb-ble into a pond. And we’reonly on the first few rip-ples,” she said.

The Second HarvestFood Bank has also seen ahuge increase in familiesseeking first-time food as-sistance. Since May, thegroup has distributed morethan 1 million pounds offood in 12 Louisiana par-ishes, the equivalent of844,760 meals, to familieshurt by the spill, saidspokeswoman Leslie Doles.

That’s in addition to themore than 9 millionpounds of food delivered topoor people in those par-ishes during the samemonths, largely to familieswho would have needed as-sistance anyway.

After the spill, manypeople found temporaryjobs on oil cleanup crews,but those operations arewinding down. Some wholost money because of thespill are still waiting fortheir first payment from a$20 billion fund set up by

BP to compensate victims,while others have beenpaid only a fraction of whatthey claim they lost.

The program has paidmore than 168,000 clai-mants some $2.5 billion.More than 467,000 claimshave been filed.

Recreational fishingguide Mike Helmer re-ceived money from the BPfund to cover his summerof losses, but business isstill down more than 50percent, and he is strug-gling with whether to ac-cept a final payout from thecompany that would re-quire him to sign away hisright to sue later.

“It’s a gamble becausewe just don’t know whatnext year will be like, orthe year after that,” Hel-mer said. “So it’s not a realgood bet.”

For him, Christmas justbrings more worries. He istrying to keep the holidaysas close to normal as possi-ble for his wife and twochildren, but the stress ofnot knowing whether hewill even be in business inthe coming years is wear-ing him down.

“There’s just a lot ofthings in the back of mymind,” Helmer said. “We’renot in the poverty line yet,but it’s the future that wor-ries us.”

Isadore Creppel Jr., 57, ashrimper in the town ofVenice, has been support-ing himself as a fishermensince he was 16. He hasweathered hurricanes andeconomic downturns foryears and always bouncedback and provided. Butnow the bills are piling up.

He has been out of worksince the spill and said hecouldn’t work for BP oncleanup because of hisasthma.

In this Dec. 21, commercial shrimper Isadore Creppel Jr., standsoutside of a community center at St. Patrick Catholic Church inPort Sulphur, La. Creppel, who has been out of work since the BPPLC oil spill, said he couldn’t afford to buy Christmas gifts.

Photo by Patrick Semansky | AP

For spill victims,a glum holiday

By BRIAN SKOLOFFASSOCIATED PRESS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010 THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

ZAPATA — Idolisa Bus-tamante 70, passed awayon Monday, Dec. 20, 2010,at Laredo Medical Center.

Ms. Bustamante is pre-ceded in death by her par-ents, Roman (Maria) Ala-niz; brothers, Julio Alaniz,Ruben Alaniz, Israel Ala-niz; and a sister, MagdaAlaniz.

Ms. Bustamante is sur-vived by her sons, Amador(Veronica) Bustamante,Ruben Bustamante; daugh-ters, Bertha Cuellar andIdalia B. (Hugo) Castillo;grandchildren, Melinda,Marissa Cuellar, Celina(Ricardo) Del Bosque,Amador Bustamante, Jr.,Roberto Bustamante andJuan Daniel Rodriguez;great-grandchild, Mia Sa-rahi Del Bosque; brothers,Alejandro Alaniz, AnibalAlaniz, Javier Alaniz, Eli-ud Alaniz; sister, Nancy A.Hernandez; and by numer-ous nephews, nieces, andfriends.

Visitation hours wereheld on Wednesday, Dec.22, 2010, from 6 to 9 p.m.

with a wake at 7 p.m. atRose Garden FuneralHome.

A chapel service washeld on Thursday, Dec. 23,2010, at 9 a.m. at Rose Gar-den Funeral Home. Com-mittal services followed atBustamante Cemetery.

Condolences may besent to the family atwww.rosegardenfuneral-home.com

Funeral arrangementswere under the directionof Rose Garden FuneralHome Daniel A. Gonzalez,Funeral Director, 2102Highway 83 Zapata, Texas.

Idolisa Bustamante

SEOUL, South Korea —One month after a deadlyexchange of artillery fire,the two Koreas ramped uptheir rhetoric Thursday,with South Korea’s presi-dent pledging unsparingretaliation if attackedagain and a top North Ko-rean official threatening a“sacred” nuclear war ifprovoked.

South Korean troops,tanks and fighter jets puton a thundering display offorce as President Lee My-ung-bak visited with sol-diers at a base near theborder, while North Ko-rea’s elite marked a keymilitary anniversary bylashing out at the Southfor encouraging war.

Raised fearsFor both countries, the

rallying cries and militarymaneuvers mainly seemeddesigned to build supportat home. But they raisedfears anew of all-out waron a peninsula that NewMexico Gov. Bill Richard-son called a “tinderbox”after returning from a vis-it to the North Korean cap-ital this week.

The two Koreas andtheir allies called a trucein 1953 to end three yearsof devastating war, but vio-lence has flared up fromtime to time, most recentlyin the disputed waters offtheir west coast. North Ko-rea does not recognize themaritime line drawn byU.N. forces, and the territo-rial dispute in the YellowSea has erupted into dead-

ly naval skirmishes.In March, a South Ko-

rean warship went downin the western waters, kill-ing 46 sailors. And amonth ago, South Koreanlive-fire drills in nearbywaters triggered a NorthKorean artillery showeron Yeonpyeong Island thatkilled four South Koreans,the first attack on a civil-ian area since the KoreanWar.

Caught by surprise, Se-oul since has beefed up itsrules of engagement andhas staged military drills,including joint exerciseswith U.S. troops, meant toremind the North of its su-perior firepower. TheSouth even carried outprovocative artillery drillsfrom Yeonpyeong Islandon Monday in a bold dareto the North to retaliate.

Christian groupOn Wednesday, rifle-tot-

ing marines ringed a hill-side near the border wherea Christian group lit asteel tower dressed up as atwinkling Christmas tree— a structure easily visi-ble from atheist North Ko-rea. Notes left on partici-pants’ chairs advised themto take cover and seekshelter if attacked.

The drills continuedThursday, with tanks fir-ing artillery and fighterjets dropping bombs attraining grounds in Poche-on, some 20 miles (30 ki-lometers) from the North.The boom of cannonsechoed throughout the val-ley and the hills eruptedin smoke during the briefbut dramatic exercise.

There was a theatricalquality to the exercises:dozens of schoolchildrenin bright yellow jacketswere shuttled to the site towatch from bleachers.

Front-linePresident Lee Myung-

bak met with troops man-ning a front-line armybase in the east on thetype of morale-boostingvisit more commonly seenin the North. He vowed toretaliate if attacked again.

“I had thought that wecould safeguard peace ifwe had patience, but thatwasn’t the case,” he toldthe troops, according tohis office. Any surprise at-tack will be met with an“unsparing” response, hewarned.

After days of showingrestraint, North Koreacondemned the drills as a“grave military provoca-tion.” Defense chief KimYong Chun said North Ko-rea was prepared tolaunch a “sacred war” andpoised to use its nuclearcapabilities to defend it-self.

Kim said in Pyongyangthat the military woulddeal “more devastatingphysical blows” if its rivalsviolate North Korean terri-tory by even a millimeter.He also threatened to“wipe out” South Koreaand the U.S. if they start awar, the official KoreanCentral News Agency re-ported.

North Korea is believedto have enough weapon-ized plutonium for at leasta half-dozen atomic bombs,and also has revealed a

uranium enrichment pro-gram that would give it asecond way to make nucle-ar weapons.

After negotiating foryears with its neighborsand the U.S. on disman-tling its nuclear programin exchange for aid andconcessions, Pyongyangwalked away from thetalks in 2009.

China, North Korea’sonly major ally and theimpoverished nation’smain benefactor, haspushed for a resumption ofthe disarmament talks asa vehicle for dialogue.

“The current situationremains highly complicat-ed and sensitive,” ChineseForeign Ministry spokes-woman Jiang Yu told re-porters. “We appeal to therelevant parties to keepcalm, exercise restraint,and adopt responsible atti-tudes and do more to easethe situation and safe-guard peace and stabilityon the peninsula.”

A warningRichardson warned in

an interview with The As-sociated Press on Wednes-day that violence couldflare anew if the Southcontinues its drills and theNorth abandons its statedintention of refrainingfrom retaliation.

“The situation is still atinderbox. There’s stillenormous tension, enor-mous mistrust and I be-lieve diplomacy is what isneeded to get us out of thistinderbox,” he said in NewMexico after returningfrom a private trip toPyongyang.

South Korea K-1 tanks fire live rounds during the largest joint air and ground military exercises on the Seungjin Fire Training Field inmountainous Pocheon, 20 miles (30 kilometers) from the Koreas’ heavily fortified border, South Korea Thursday, Dec. 23. South Koreanfighter jets dropped bombs and tanks fired artillery Thursday as the military staged its largest air and ground firing drills of the year ina show of force a month after North Korea’s deadly shelling of a front-line island.

Photo by Wally Santana | AP

Korea war rhetoric risesBy JEAN H. LEE

ASSOCIATED PRESS

DALLAS — The Environ-mental Protection Agencyis taking the unprecedentedstep of directly issuing airpermits to industries inTexas because of the state’srefusal to comply with newgreenhouse gas regulationsgoing into effect Jan. 2.

The EPA on Thursdayannounced it will issueClean Air Act Permits forgreenhouse gas emissionsin Texas beginning in Janu-ary. The agency said in a

statement that it prefers ifstates remain the permit-ting authorities but that "of-ficials in Texas have madeclear ... they have no inten-tion of implementing thisportion of the federal airpermitting program."

A spokesman for the Tex-as Commission on Environ-mental Quality did not im-mediately return a mess-age.

The nation’s largest oilrefineries are in Texas,which also is home to morecoal-fired power plants thanany other state.

EPA taking overgreenhouse gas permits

By JEFF CARLTONASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Fairweather helped make theholiday sojourn a not-so-painful experience in muchof the country Thursday,even with more people onthe move than last year, buttravelers’ luck might berunning out.

A storm was expected tobring snow and ice to partsof the heartland Friday, de-liver a rare white Christ-mas to Nashville on Satur-day, and perhaps sockswaths of the Northeast onSunday.

“People that are going toGrandma’s house,” said

Bobby Boyd, a meteorolo-gist for the National Weath-er Service in Nashville,“need to get going.”

Eric and Tatiana Chod-kowski, of Boston, weredriving Thursday withtheir kids, ages 2 and 4, tosee relatives in New York.They said forecasts forsnow on Sunday madethem wonder whetherthey’d make it back then,as planned.

They deemed the roadscongested but manageableThursday, and most peoplefound the nation’s airportsto be the same way.

Planes took off intowindy but accommodatingskies at New York’s La-Guardia Airport.

Going’s good formost travelers

By WARREN LEVINSON AND GEOFFMULVIHILL

ASSOCIATED PRESS

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010

system also invites moreserious crimes, he says,like money-laundering forlarger criminal organiza-tions. Alaniz also favorsputting the issue to a vote— with one caveat. “I am aproponent of increased pe-nalties” if the voters ap-prove the measure, hesays. “It could have a moredeterring effect."

Jose E. Baeza, the policedepartment’s spokesman,says the authorities are do-ing their best to curb theillegal activity but the par-lors continue to proliferate.

“They are taking thou-sands and thousands ofdollars from people,” Bae-za says. The manpower ittakes for a sting alsoworks in the operators’ fa-vor, he says: An officermust pose as a player, es-tablish trust and gatherevidence, all for a misde-meanor gambling charge.

The office of Isidro “Chi-lo” Alaniz, the district at-torney of Webb and Zapatacounties, has had 14 suc-cessful operations that ledto forfeitures or raids intwo years, he said. But headmits the resources couldbe better spent on crimeswith harsher penalties.

Many people “are will-ing to risk the penalties,”Alaniz says. “It’s a slap onthe wrist.” The current

GAMBLING Continued from Page 1A

“They aretakingthousands andthousands ofdollars frompeople,”JOSE E. BAEZA, POLICEDEPARTMENTSPOKESMAN

agent-in-charge for Zapata.As Nancy Contreras, a

resident of Zapata, waitedin line with her motherand two nieces, shecouldn’t help but talk toher nieces about SantaClaus and the gifts theywere about to receive.

She was told about theevent by another familymember, Contreras said.

“My mom woke us upand told us we’re gettingpresents for the kids,” shesaid. “My nieces were ex-cited to see Santa Claus.”

Contreras, now 14 yearsold, admitted her belief inSanta Claus died yearsago, but she still makes aneffort for her young nieceswho still believe.

“The event is prettycool, but Santa Claus

doesn’t catch my attentionanymore,” she said. “Mydream was killed in thefifth grade.”

Another woman, YulisToral, also a resident ofZapata, waited in linewith her two young boysto receive gifts.

“They get excited to geta gift from Santa Claus,”Toral said in Spanish.

Guerra said her motiva-tion to continue the event

annually is seeing thechildrens’ smiles andhearing them say theylove Santa, she said.

“Seeing their wish listsand them hugging youwhile they say I love youis really showing us ap-preciation and that is whyI do what I do,” Guerrasaid.

(Lorraine L. Rodriguezmay be reached at (956)728-2557.)

HOLIDAY Continued from Page 1A

While Guerra, dressed as BlueSanta, was handing out gifts,Border Patrol agents and theBorder Patrol Green Santashowed up with more gifts.

According to reports,the deputy found 30 gre-nades under the sparetire in a compartment.The deputy also foundthree high-power fire-arms — two SKS as-sault rifles and oneAK-47.

Deputies say a fur-ther investigation alsoled to the seizure ofmore than 150 poundsof marijuana in McAl-len. Officials said Her-rera drove from the Val-ley and headed north.An exact location wasnot available.

The Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms and Explo-sives bureau and theLaredo Police Depart-ment bomb squadhelped out in the case.

(César G. Rodriguezmay be reached at 728-2568 or cesar@lmton-line.com)

IDContinued from Page 1A

LOS ANGELES — ManyCalifornia residents whoendured flooding, mud-slides and evacuations dur-ing a weeklong onslaughtof rain must now clean upor even rebuild — andcould face the prospect ofnot being able to spendChristmas at home.

The storm’s push acrossthe West left a muddy messacross Southern Californiaand the threat of avalanch-es in Nevada, where ClarkCounty officials urged resi-dents of Mount Charleston,near Las Vegas, to leave af-ter snow slides near twomountain hamlets.

The inland region ofSouthern California east ofLos Angeles was emergingas among the hardest-hitareas, especially San Ber-nardino County, where asea of mud damaged 70homes in the community ofHighland.

Ibeth Garcia and herfamily returned Thursdayto a home surrounded bymud 4 feet deep to retrieveChristmas presents and

clothes left behind whenthey fled a dirty torrent.

“We left with just ourshoes, cell phones and carkeys,” said Garcia, 26. “Wedidn’t have time for any-thing else.”

They found just a lightcoating of mud inside thehouse and consideredthemselves lucky, as someof their neighbors’ homeswere uninhabitable.

Damage in the regionlargely occurred in coun-ties south and east of LosAngeles County.

San Bernardino Countyauthorities said the prelim-inary damage estimatethere was at least $10 mil-lion and would likely in-crease.

Many motorists wererescued from swampedcars during the days ofrain, but one driver waskilled. The body of AngelaWright, 39, of Menifee wasrecovered from a car thatwas swept off a floodedroad near Canyon Lake inRiverside County, the coro-ner’s office said.

While the rain had givenway to only partly cloudyskies Thursday, the danger

was not over for foothillresidents living below wild-fire-scarred hillsides.

“The ground is so sat-urated it could move at anytime” and the threat willremain for several weeks,said Bob Spencer, spokes-man for the Los AngelesCounty Department of Pub-lic Works.

More than 200 homeswere ordered evacuated formore than 24 hours in LaCanada Flintridge and LaCrescenta, suburbs of LosAngeles below steep hill-sides that burned in 2009and where mudslides inun-dated homes and backyardsin February. Evacuationsended Wednesday night.

Despite the return ofsunshine Thursday, offi-cials said Californians maywant to resist the urge tohead to the ocean.

The rain washed trash,pesticides and bacteria intowaterways and promptedhealth warnings. Fourbeaches were closed inNorthern California’s SanMateo County, and another12 miles of beach were off-limits because of seweroverflows.

A car is caught in a mud flow on Thursday Dec. 23, 2010 along a street after a major storm sweptthrough Highland, Calif., about 65 miles east of Los Angeles. Estimates of storm damage to homes,roads, levees and bridges in vast San Bernardino County have reached at least $10 million.

Photo by Nick Ut | AP

Storm lashes California,leaves polluted water

By NOAKI SCHWARTZASSOCIATED PRESS

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

It’s cold, windy, maybesnowy outside, and yourfootball team stinks. Hardlya way to enjoy the end ofthe NFL season.

That’s how folks feel inMinneapolis and Cincinnatiand Denver.

Take away the badweather and the feelingsaren’t any brighter in Dal-las, Charlotte and Phoenix.Disappointment abounds in

those cities — and throw inNashville, Houston, Miamiand San Francisco, wherethere were big hopes for2010 when everybodykicked off in sunshine andbalmy breezes 31/2 monthsago.

For every flop, there’s anascension, though, and thesmiles fans expected towear in the cities abovenow are being sported bypeople who root for theBears, Bucs, Jaguars,Chiefs and even the Rams

at 6-8. The NFL’s biggest fail-

ures and success stories,and why their seasons wentthat way:

THE GOODNo team has risen to-

ward the NFL’s elite inmore stunning fashion thanthe Bears. Chicago was con-sidered a .500 or worsesquad heading into 2010, alikely third-place finisher inthe NFC North — if theBears could hold off the Li-ons.

Then Lovie Smith turnedhis personal hot seat into atorrid team whose defenseand special teams havebeen so formidable thatmistakes by the offense gen-erally have not been criti-cal. Having a healthy BrianUrlacher and Lance Briggsat linebacker has been crit-ical, and the secondary hasdeveloped nicely.

Doubters will be vocalwhen the playoffs begin and

Surviving calamity

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is attended to after suffering a concussion against the Washington Redskins during the first half onSunday in Arlington.

Photo by Sharon Ellman | AP

Cowboys slide is greatest failure of 2010By BARRY WILNERASSOCIATED PRESS

See BAD SEASON PAGE 2B

ARLINGTON — Al-though Jerry Jones callsthis season “a huge disap-pointment” for his DallasCowboys, it sure hasn’thurt the bottom line.

Based on attendance,television ratings and mer-chandise sales, the bluestar on the shiny silverhelmet remains the goldstandard in the NFL andperhaps all of pro sports.

It’s hardly even close. Love them or hate them,

everyone pays attention tothe Cowboys, in goodtimes and bad.

Their enduring popular-ity in a season that openedwith visions of becomingthe first team to play inthe Super Bowl at home,

then cratered midwaythrough when they were1-7 and fired their coach,proves that no matter thecircumstance this fran-chise remains “America’sTeam.”

“I don’t know of anyother team that would’vegone through what theywent through and provid-ed the ratings punch theCowboys did,” said FredGaudelli, producer of“Sunday Night Football”on NBC. “Dallas is way ontop of the mountain.”

Wins and losses are allthat matter to fans, andthat’s foremost to folks inthe front office, too. Butthey also monitor the fi-nancial standings, andthat’s where the Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones speaks during a break in theNFL football owners meeting in Fort Worth on Dec. 15.

Courtesy photo | AP

’Boys continue to findpopularity despite

disappointing seasonBy JAIME ARON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

See COWBOYS PAGE 2B

COLUMBUS, Ohio —Ohio State quarterbackTerrelle Pryor and fourother Buckeyes were sus-pended by the NCAA forthe first five games of nextseason for selling cham-pionship rings, jerseysand awards, and receivingimproper benefits from atattoo parlor. All can stillplay in the Sugar Bowlagainst Arkansas.

Along with Pryor, run-ning back Daniel Herron,wide receiver DeVier Po-sey, offensive linemanMike Adams and defen-sive end Solomon Thomasmust sit out and repay be-

tween $1,000 to $2,500 tocharity.

Pryor must repay $2,500for selling his 2008 BigTen championship ring,Fiesta Bowl sportsman-ship award and his 2008gold pants, a trinket givento players who are a partof a team which beats ri-val Michigan.

Ohio State athletic di-rector Gene Smith saidthe school will appeal thesuspensions.

“While we believe sanc-tions should be rendered,we do believe they are se-vere,” he said Thursday ata news conference. “We dobelieve we can give miti-gating circumstances forthe NCAA to consider.”

The NCAA did not sus-pend the players for Jan. 4

Sugar Bowl against theeighth-ranked Razorbacksbecause the “student-ath-letes did not receive ade-quate rules education dur-ing the time period the vi-olations occurred.”

“These are significantpenalties based on find-ings and information pro-vided by the university,”Kevin Lennon, NCAA vicepresident of academic andmembership affairs, saidin the release.

Lennon said a gamewas added on to the usualfour-game penalty “be-cause these student-ath-letes did not immediatelydisclose the violationswhen presented with theappropriate rules educa-tion.”

Pryor is the team’s star,while Herron is the lead-ing rusher and Posey isthe second-leading receiv-

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

In this undated photo provided courtesy of OhioStateBuckeyes.com, Ohio State football players,from left, Mike Adams, Daniel Herrion, DeVier Posey, Tyrelle Pryor and Solomon Thomas areshown. All five were suspended by the NCAA on Thursday for the first five games of next seasonfor selling championship rings, jerseys and awards and receving improper benefits. All five canstill play in the Sugar Bowl against Arkansas.

Courtesy photo | AP

Buckeye violations foundFive players

caught breakingNCAA rules

By RUSTY MILLERASSOCIATED PRESS

JIM TRESSEL: OSUhead coach saidschool will appealsuspensions.

See BUCKEYES PAGE 2B

WASHINGTON — Newlyreleased documents showWatergate Special Prosecu-tor Archibald Cox ex-pressed "extreme interest"in a 1970s criminal investi-gation of Yankees ownerGeorge Steinbrenner for il-legal campaign contribu-tions.

Then-FBI Director Clar-ence M. Kelley echoedCox’s concern in an Aug.16, 1973 memo to the bu-reau’s Cleveland office, say-ing agents needed to make

sure the probe received "thesame, immediate and pre-ferred handling" as othercriminal cases then grow-ing from the Watergatescandal.

The memos were includ-ed in a 400-page releaseThursday of Steinbrenner’sFBI file. Most of the materi-al focused on the Water-gate-era federal probe thatled to the shipbuilding mag-nate’s 1974 conviction for il-legal contributions to dis-graced President RichardM. Nixon. There are scantreferences to Steinbrenner’slater pardon by President

Ronald Reagan and nothingon his turbulent career asthe Yankees’ "Boss."

The Associated Pressand other news organiza-tions requested the file un-der the Freedom of Infor-mation Act following Stein-brenner’s death in July.

"The office of the SpecialProsecutor has indicatedextreme interest in thismatter and requests thatthe interviews be conduct-ed as soon as possible, andas nearly at the same timeas possible," Kelley wrote in

MLB

The late New York Yankees principle owner George Steinbrenner watches a baseball game against theBaltimore Orioles from his Yankee Stadium box on Sept. 12, 1983, in New York.

Photo by Harry Harris | AP

Nixon, Watergate inFBI’s Steinbrenner files

By FREDERIC J. FROMMERASSOCIATED PRESS

See STEINBRENNER PAGE 2B

NFL

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010

really dominate. They are the No. 1 team

in the nation’s No. 1 sport,valued at $1.8 billion byForbes and at or near thetop in other major fiscal cat-egories. The astoundingpart is that they’ve main-tained that glow despite thisbeing their 15th straightseason without winning theSuper Bowl, or even reach-ing the championship game.It is the longest drought infranchise history.

“The Arizona Cardinalshave had more success late-ly than the Dallas Cowboys,but there isn’t anyone whofollows the industry thatwould want the Cardinals’brand over the Cowboys’brand,” said Marc Ganis,president of Chicago-basedconsulting company SportsCorp. Ltd.

“That’s in large part be-cause Jerry Jones is one ofthe great marketers sportshas ever seen. He findsways to keep the Cowboysrelevant, part of the nation-al conversation.”

His latest feat was build-ing a $1.2 billion stadiumthat’s the most luxurious inthe country, perhaps the

world, and luring the up-coming Super Bowl toNorth Texas for the firsttime.

With the Cowboys comingoff a division title and a rareplayoff victory — their firstsince 1996 — Jones steeredthe national conversation to-ward whether his clubwould be in the big game.The Cowboys became a chicpick, which is why the prat-fall was so devastating, al-though only in a footballsense.

“In sports marketing, yougenerally like to keep expec-tations low and exceedthem. That makes fans feelgreat and keep comingback,” Ganis said. “Jerrymarches to different beat.It’s part of what makes himunique. ... Missing thosehigh expectations has notdamaged the brand. It’s theopportunity that was lost.One season of the kind Jer-ry was hoping to have thisyear would have had bene-fits for at least another dec-ade.”

It’s hard to imagine theCowboys having a strongerhold over the public.

They’re already the

league’s No. 1 drawing cardboth at home and on theroad. They are the onlyteam that has played infront of a sold-out crowd ev-ery game this season.

They wrapped up theirhome schedule last week-end, averaging 87,047 fansper game. That is down only3 percent from last season, aphenomenal feat consider-ing the 2009 total was boost-ed by an NFL-record crowdof 105,121 in the debut ofCowboys Stadium, another100,621 for the regular-sea-son finale, and the teamwon the division.

The size of the stadium,and the fact they sell $29standing room tickets, helpsthose totals. But that’s notthe case when they go onthe road, and they still pack’em in. With two games left,they had lured an average of74,246 fans per away game.

Their TV figures areequally overwhelming.

Most-watched NFL gamethis season? Cowboys-Saintson Thanksgiving, seen by31.9 million viewers. Most-watched Sunday nightgame? Cowboys-Eagles, seenby 25.7 million. The NFL

and NBC had the chance tomove that game, but theyknew what they were doingby leaving it right where itwas. It became the most-watched game in the five-year history of “SundayNight Football.”

“You can never go wronghaving the Dallas Cowboyson,” said Gaudelli, who hasbeen producing NFL gamesfor 21 years for various net-works. “John Madden usedto have a saying, ’When indoubt, the Cowboys.’ I thinkthat still holds true.”

In the five-year history ofNBC’s prime time show, theCowboys have been featured16 times, matched only bythe Indianapolis Colts.

The Colts deserve thespotlight. They have PeytonManning, winner of multi-ple MVP awards, and havereached the Super Bowltwice in that span. The Cow-boys have Tony Romo, daterof multiple celebrities, andhave won a single playoffgame over the same span.

The Cowboys are such aratings magnet that “60Minutes” drew its mostviewers of the season to thatpoint (17.6 million) the night

it featured a segment onJones.

“Any time you have a foot-ball personality like JerryJones on your broadcast,you can expect some extrafootball fans in addition toyour normal audience tu-ning in,” show spokesmanKevin Tedesco said. “WhileJones may not have beenthe only factor in the largeaudience, he was certainly akey one.”

How many other ownerswould even get a “60 Min-utes” segment?

Across all networks, six ofthe 14 most-watched NFLgames this season have in-volved the Cowboys. TheMichael Vick-led Eagles arethe only team to get close,making four of the top 14.

This weekend, the Cow-boys-Cardinals game onChristmas night probablywon’t crack that list becauseit is being shown on NFLNetwork. Still, it’s a safe betit will be the most-watchedgame on the league-ownedchannel.

Another reasonable guar-antee is there will be plentyof blue in the crowd in Ari-zona, a reminder of all the

souvenirs the Cowboys sell.From April 1 to Dec. 3, theCowboys were second to thePittsburgh Steelers in over-all sales on NFLShop.com.

Among individual playerjerseys sold through the site,the Cowboys were the onlyteam with two playersamong the top 12 and threeamong the top 18. Jones saidthe Cowboys are responsiblefor one in every four piecesof NFL merchandise soldsince 1975.

So, what did this seasonreally cost them?

The lost profit from ahome playoff game or two isabout it.

Sure, some season-ticketholders, suite owners or ad-vertisers could back out, butother folks would be liningup to take their place.

“In my mind, if you keepworking, good things willhappen,” Jones said. “Eventhough (fans) could be criti-cal of how I do it, how we’restructured, I know they be-lieve that we’re one of thetop teams. ... I want that in-terest, not apathy. I do thinkthe reason that’s there is be-cause they know that I’ll dowhatever I can do (to win).”

COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B

the Bears could be an un-derdog at home even ifthey earn a bye, becausethe Eagles, Saints, Falconsand Giants seem to havemore supporters. Thatshouldn’t taint what hasbeen a terrific turnaroundseason.

Two other coaches sup-posedly needing to provethemselves this year wereRaheem Morris in Tampaand Jack Del Rio in Jack-sonville. Must be some-thing about the sunshine,but both have done admira-ble jobs with so-so rosters.

The Bucs have theleague’s youngest team,one filled with playmakerssuch as WR Mike Wil-liams, DT Gerald McCoy,CB Aqib Talib, RB LeGar-rette Blount and QB JoshFreeman. That certainlybodes well, even if Tampahasn’t defeated an oppo-nent with a winning re-cord this year.

Not only have the Jag-uars been in contention inthe AFC South — albeit aweakened division in 2010— but they haven’t beenblacked out all season.Maybe that’s their biggestachievement.

Maurice Jones-Drew hasemerged as a superior run-ning back, the unheraldedtrio of TE Marcedes Lewisand WRs Mike Thomasand Mike Sims-Walkerhave combined for 19touchdowns receiving, andthe defensive has some ris-

ing stars in TerranceKnighton, Jeremy Minceyand Tyson Alualu.

St. Louis, meanwhile,could become the first sub-.500 division winner inleague history. The Ramshave become competitivein Steve Spagnuolo’s sec-ond year as coach with avastly improved defenseled by youngsters DE ChrisLong, LB James Laurinai-tis and CB Bradley Fletch-er. Helped by superb RBSteven Jackson, top overalldraft pick Sam Bradfordhas been better than any-one could expect from arookie quarterback throw-ing to an obscure group ofreceivers.

How many people knowDanny Amendola? Well, heleads the Rams with 75 re-ceptions, more catchesthan Calvin Johnson, GregJennings or Brandon Mar-shall.

More names to get ac-customed to among thewinners reside in KansasCity: Dwayne Bowe, MattCassel, Jamaal Charles,Branden Albert, TambaHali and Eric Berry. ToddHaley will get strong con-sideration for coach of theyear.

THE BADCincinnati won the AFC

North and swept its six di-visional matchups in 2009.This year? The Bengalsblew a great chance for thetop overall draft pick lastSunday by doing some-

thing strange: winning.They are 3-11 after tying ateam record by dropping 10in a row. Coach Marvin Le-wis is a goner.

Jeff Fisher, with by farthe longest tenure of anycoach with the same fran-chise, also might want outof Tennessee after the Ti-tans fell from 5-2 to 6-8 andQB Vince Young becamedisruptive.

Former Titan AlbertHaynesworth was disrup-tive all season in Washing-ton, where Mike Shana-han’s first year has beenfilled with disappointmentand turmoil. Now, Shana-han has created a quarter-back controversy.

Shanahan protege GaryKubiak could be out of ajob in Houston, where ex-pectations were the Texanswould get their first playoffberth. Instead, they haveone of the league’s leakiestdefenses and a penchantfor making horrendousplays at the worst time.

San Francisco had de-signs on its first playoffsince 2002, then began theseason 0-5 amid communi-cation problems and un-derachievement. Even withtwo of the NFC’s best play-ers, LB Patrick Willis andRB Frank Gore, the Ninersare a nonentity.

Tony Sparano shouldsurvive in Miami, but ex-plain how a team can be asgood as anyone on the road— the Dolphins are 6-1 —

and go 1-6 at home. Andcan they possibly lose thisweek to the Lions, whoselast road victory beforetheir win this past Sundayat Tampa seemingly camewith Bobby Layne at quar-terback?

THE UGLYWe are talking hideous

here. Arizona, a Super Bowl

loser after the 2008 seasonand NFC West winner in2009, couldn’t replace re-tired quarterback KurtWarner or defensive defec-tors Karlos Dansby andAntrell Rolle, and tradedreceiver Anquan Boldin.The Cardinals’ QB follieswere among the biggestjokes in the NFL.

Carolina showed no in-terest in re-signing coachJohn Fox — watch himshow up quickly in anoth-er job in 2011 if he wants— and then the teamshowed no interest in theseason.

Jerry Jones trumpetedhis Cowboys’ chances forplaying in a Super Bowlthey are hosting. He wasblowing the wrong horn.

All of Josh McDaniels’bad decisions and poorrapport with just about ev-eryone cost him his coach-ing spot in Denver, and sawthe Broncos sink to thedepths of the league.

But for all-time ugly,need we say more than theMinnesota Vikings andBrett Favre?

BAD SEASON Continued from Page 1B

the memo on the investiga-tion into Steinbrenner andhis American Ship BuildingCo.

Among other things, theFBI was investigatingwhether company employ-ees were told they would bereimbursed by the companyfor campaign contributions,a violation of campaign fi-nance laws.

Steinbrenner was indict-ed the following year andvowed to prove his inno-cence in court. But in Au-gust 1974, just two weeks af-ter Nixon resigned in theWatergate scandal, the Yan-kees owner pleaded guiltyto two charges in the caseand was fined $15,000.

American Ship BuildingCo. employees told FBI offi-cials in signed statementsthat they received bonusesaround the same time theymade donations to Nixon’scampaign. The paymentsvaried from $2,800 to $3,500,according to an Aug. 30,1973 report by the Clevelandoffice of the FBI.

But the employeesclaimed the donations "wereall of their own desires andin no way were motivatedor solicited by George M.Steinbrenner or any othercompany officials . those in-terviewed stated that theywould have made contribu-tions to the Nixon campaignregardless of the receipt oftheir bonuses."

One charge that Stein-brenner later pleaded guilty

to involved a conspiracy tofunnel corporate campaigncontributions to politicians.The other accused Stein-brenner of making a "falseand misleading" explana-tion of a $25,000 donation toNixon’s campaign and try-ing to influence and intimi-date employees of his ship-building company to givethat false information to agrand jury. Steinbrennercould have faced up to sixyears in prison for theguilty pleas.

Steinbrenner bought theYankees in 1973, but base-ball commissioner BowieKuhn suspended him fortwo years, calling Steinbren-ner "ineligible and incompe-tent" to have any connectionwith a baseball team.

"Attempting to influenceemployees to behave dishon-estly is the kind of conductwhich, if ignored by base-ball, would undermine thepublic’s confidence in ourgame," Kuhn wrote in a 12-page ruling. The suspensionwas later reduced to 15months.

Reagan pardoned Stein-brenner at the end of his fi-nal term in office.

Steinbrenner told theNew York Times in 1988that he felt badly about theconviction and was willingto bear responsibility forthe crimes, but said theyhappened because he didn’tunderstand what the cam-paign finance act requiredof him.

STEINBRENNER Continued from Page 1B

er. Adams is a starter at left tackle andThomas a top sub on the defensive line.

A sixth player, linebacker Jordan Whit-ing must sit out the first game of the 2011season and pay $150 to a charity for thevalue of services that were discounted by

the tattoo artist because he was a Buck-eyes player.

“We as coaches feel the buck stopshere,” coach Jim Tressel said. “We’re theones who need to make things even morecrystal clear.”

Smith said Ohio State was not “expli-cit” in instructing players about the saleof apparel, awards and gifts.

Adams must repay $1,000 for selling his2008 Big Ten championship ring.

Herron must repay $1,150 for selling

his football jersey, pants and shoes for$1,000 and receiving discount servicesworth $150.

Posey sold his 2008 Big Ten ring for$1,200 and also received discount servic-es.

BUCKEYES Continued from Page 1B

NEW YORK — The NewYork Yankees loweredspending on players by $12million this year, cuttingpayroll by $5 million andslashing their majorleague-leading luxury taxby more than $7 million.

New York was hit withan $18 million luxury taxTuesday by Major LeagueBaseball. The tax was NewYork’s lowest since 2003and down from $25.7 mil-lion last year, when theYankees won the World Se-ries.

“Atta baby. And rightnow we’re in the $170s,”Yankees general managerBrian Cashman said, look-ing ahead to his 2011 pay-roll.

Season-ending payrollinformation and the taxwas sent to teams Tuesday

and obtained by The Asso-ciated Press.

Boston is the only otherteam that will have to pay.The Red Sox, who missedthe playoffs this year, ex-ceeded the payroll thresh-old for the first time since2007 and owe $1.49 million.

According to the collec-tive bargaining agreement,the Yankees and Red Soxmust send checks to thecommissioner’s office byJan. 31.

Red Sox president LarryLucchino declined com-ment.

Since the current tax be-gan in 2003, the Yankeeshave run up a bill of $192.2

million. The only otherteams to pay are Boston($15.34 million), Detroit($1.3 million) and the LosAngeles Angels ($927,000).

New York’s payroll was$215.1 million for the pur-pose of the luxury tax,down from $226.2 million,and the Yankees pay at a40 percent rate for theamount over the threshold,which rose from $162 mil-lion to $170 million. Bos-ton’s luxury-tax payrollwas $176.6 million, and theRed Sox pay at a 22.5 per-cent rate.

“We’re doing a betterjob of managing our pay-roll and managing our de-

cision-making as we enterthe free-agent market,”Cashman said. “Our pay-roll doesn’t necessarilyhave to live at that level,but it’s nice to know thatour owners are committedto allow us to get there ifwe need to.”

To compute the payroll,Major League Baseball us-es the average annual val-ues of contracts for playerson 40-man rosters andadds benefits. The Yankeesfailed to land free-agentpitcher Cliff Lee despitebeing given permissionfrom ownership to make a$150 million, seven-year of-fer. Lee agreed to a $120

million, five-year deal withPhiladelphia.

“We weren’t going to ex-ceed where we were thispast year, but the bottomline is that now that theLee thing has declared it-self, it would be hard-pressed for us to get up tothat level,” Cashman said.

While the Yankees arestocked with high-salariedveterans, Cashman hasmixed in young players inrecent years such as PhilHughes, Joba Chamberlainand Brett Gardner.

“You need a strong farmsystem that prevents youfrom being desperate inthe free-agent market,”

Cashman said. “You don’twant to be desperate in thefree-agent market, becauseyou’ll get slaughtered.”

New York’s payroll un-der the conventional meth-od of calculation — sala-ries and prorated shares ofsigning bonuses —dropped from $222.5 mil-lion in 2008 to $220 millionlast year to $215.1 millionthis season.

Boston’s payroll rose by$30.2 million to $170.7 mil-lion. The $44.4 million be-tween the Yankees and RedSox was larger than thepayrolls of San Diego ($43.7million) and Pittsburgh($44.1 million).

After moving into Tar-get Field, Minnesota’s pay-roll also went up by $30million, leaving the Twins10th in the majors at $103million. Cincinnati in-creased its payroll by $9.8million to $82.5 million.

Yankees pay $18 million luxury taxBy RONALD BLUMASSOCIATED PRESS While the Yankees are stocked with high-salaried veterans, Cashman has

mixed in young players in recent years such as Phil Hughes, JobaChamberlain and Brett Gardner.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

DAILY CRYPTOQUOTES — Here’s how to work it: FAMILY CIRCUS DENNIS THE MENACE

NEW TOYDear Heloise: My grand-

son came up with a new no-cost toy for our dog. He tooka 16-ounce empty water bot-tle and removed the cap.Then he put the bottle intoan old sock and knotted theend of the sock. The dogloved it, and the crunchysound kept him busy. It lastsabout three to four days -- bythen, he gets it flat, and it’stime to change bottles. --Brandon Williams in RanchoCordova, Calif.

CLEANING THE BIRDCAGE

Dear Heloise: I would liketo share a simple hint forthose of us who have para-keets. Their soft, puffy feath-ers tend to fly all over andend up out on the floor. I takeclear packing tape (about 2inches wide) and lay stripsalong the lowest part of the

cage wires with the stickyside facing in. The stickyside traps most puffy feath-ers and some seed hulls. Sim-ply lift off and apply newstrips as needed. Makes ahuge difference! -- Judi B. inBalch Springs, Texas

CATS AWAYDear Heloise: My neigh-

bor’s cats get into my plants.I put mothballs in the flowerbeds and flowerpots, and thishelps to keep the cats out.The squirrels were eating myiris bulbs, so I put mothballsaround those, too. It worked-- the mothballs kept thesquirrels out of my bulbs! --B.H. in Mississippi

HINTS BY | HELOISE

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES Sports SATURDAY, DECEMBER 25, 2010

Manny Pacquiao plansto fight Sugar Shane Mos-ley in his next bout May 7in Las Vegas.

Promoter Bob Arumtold The Associated Presson Tuesday night that thedeal will be done afterMosley’s lawyers approvethe final paperwork forthe WBO welterweight ti-tle fight at the MGMGrand Garden Arena.

Arum says Pacquiaochose the bout becauseMosley is the most ac-complished and famousboxer in the field of can-didates, which includedJuan Manuel Marquezand welterweight cham-pion Andre Berto.

“He’s the most recog-nizable name, and it’s adifficult fight for him,”said Arum, who met withPacquiao in the Philip-pines last week. “Peopleare also saying, ’Well,why hasn’t he fought anAfrican-American fight-er?’ He’s doing that, butmostly it’s because Mos-ley is the biggest name.”

Pacquiao also realizesa potential superboutwith Floyd MayweatherJr. is likely still impossi-ble because of the May-weather family’s variouslegal troubles.

Pacquiao (52-3-2, 38KOs) is on top of the box-ing world after trouncingAntonio Margarito in aone-sided decision in Tex-as on Nov. 13. The 32-year-old Filipino congressmanhas won 13 straight fightswhile claiming world ti-tles in an astonishingeight weight classes, mostrecently taking the WBC154-pound belt with hiswin over Margarito.

Arum realizes he couldhave trouble selling afight against a nearly 40-year-old opponent whowill be nearly 21/2 yearsremoved from his lastvictory when he facesPacquiao, but he believesMosley’s skill and speed

will challenge Pacquiao. “That was obviously a

negative, but Shane Mos-ley is capable of doinggreat things,” Arum said.

Mosley (46-6-1, 39 KOs)is near the tail end of aremarkable career thatbegan in 1993. The for-mer three-division cham-pion has won just two ofhis past five fights, get-ting walloped by May-weather in an unanimousdecision last May beforefighting to a dull drawwith Sergio Mora onSept. 18.

The deal further ce-ments Mosley’s acrimo-nious split from GoldenBoy, Oscar De La Hoya’spromotional company.

Mosley was a foundingpartner in Golden Boy,but he has cut ties withthe organization since hisdraw with Mora last Sep-tember, even refusing toanswer phone calls fromGolden Boy CEO RichardSchaefer. Mosley appar-ently was angry thatGolden Boy pushed Mar-quez, the talented Mexi-can champion, as Pac-quiao’s next opponent.

Golden Boy and TopRank, Arum’s promotion,are involved in a bitter ri-valry. The companieshave become unwilling tomatch any of their fight-ers against each other,which likely proved to bean insurmountable obsta-cle for Golden Boy’s Mar-quez.

Pacquiao and Marquez

have fought twice before,with a draw in 2004 and asplit-decision win for Pac-quiao in 2008. Both fightswere thrilling conteststhat easily could havebeen decided for Mar-quez, who has been cam-paigning for a third boutsince moments after theirsecond fight ended.

After straying to sub-urban Dallas for his vic-tories this year over Josh-ua Clottey and Margaritoin cavernous CowboysStadium, Pacquiao is ea-ger to return to Las Ve-gas, where his fights al-ways attract thousands offans eager to pump gam-bling money into Neva-da’s struggling gamingindustry.

“It’s great to do a pro-motion where I can sleepin my own bed,” Arumsaid.

Mosley didn’t immedi-ately return a call to hiscell phone.

Pacquiaoto fightMosleyMay 7

By GREG BEACHAMASSOCIATED PRESS

Manny Pacquiao contemplates his answer during an unschedulednews conference at his mansion in General Santos, in the south-ern Philippines, on April 26.

Photo by Bullit Marquez | AP

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.— There are only twogames left in the Minneso-ta Vikings’ miserable sea-son and Adrian Petersonis hobbling around with apainful thigh bruise.

With the playoffs out ofreach, why risk further in-jury to the team’s most dy-namic player? Why not sithim for the final twoweeks and make sure he isready to go next season?

Peterson doesn’t see itthat way. The Vikings maybe 5-9 and going nowherefast, but he wants to beout there with his team-mates until the bitter end.

“It’s been a roller coast-er season. It hasn’t gonethe way we planned,” Pe-terson said on Thursday.“But I love to play thisgame. That’s why I dowhat I do. I definitelydon’t think that way aboutit. If I can play, I’ll defi-nitely be out there on Sun-day.”

Peterson injured his leftthigh two weeks ago whenhe collided with quarter-back Tarvaris Jackson ona handoff. He missed thegame against Chicago onMonday night, the firsttime he’s sat out sincemissing two games with aknee injury his rookie sea-son in 2006.

“It’s nothing like a tornligament or anything likethat,” Peterson said. “Idon’t feel like I can do anyfurther damage to it. It’sbasically just a quad. Mus-cles are just tight. Pushingit will probably help it

stretch a little more.” Peterson did some run-

ning in practice on Thurs-day for the first time thisweek and interim coachLeslie Frazier said he hasimproved dramaticallyover the last several days.If he cannot play, rookieToby Gerhart will get thebulk of the work.

The Vikings lost 40-14 tothe Bears and have beenoutscored 61-17 in the lasttwo weeks, showing signsthat some are packing itin and thinking about theoffseason. Peterson is notamong them. He practicedon a limited basis Thurs-day and said he hopes toplay Sunday night.

The star running backhas been one of the fewbright spots for the teamin such a trying season.He has rushed for 1,149yards and 11 touchdownsand appears to have solvedhis fumbling problem. Af-ter leading the NFL with16 fumbles over the previ-ous two seasons, Petersonhas not lost one yet thisyear in 280 touches.

“That’s a story that’snot been written aboutenough, the kind of yearhe’s having, even thoughour team is not having agreat year,” Frazier said.“But Adrian, he is havinga Pro Bowl season, there’sno question about it.”

Peterson eager to return to playBy JON KRAWCZYNSKI

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson (28) leaves behindBuffalo Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams (95) on a 13-yard gainduring the second quarter in Minneapolis on Dec. 5.

Photo by Ann Heisenfelt | AP

ASHBURN, Va. — Dono-van McNabb’s agent saysthe “tension” between thequarterback and Washing-ton coach Mike Shanahanand offensive coordinatorKyle Shanahan is due toMcNabb’s suggestions forimproving the Redskins’offense.

Fletcher Smith said in astatement Thursday thatthe Shanahans have madecomments that go beyonddisrespectful and that were“unprecedented for a six-time Pro Bowl quarterbacksuch as Donovan.”

McNabb, who has de-clined requests for com-ment this week, wasbenched before last Sun-day’s game against Dallasand told by Mike Shana-han that he would not playfor the remainder of theseason.

Smith said in the state-ment that the Shanahans— “both Mike and morespecifically Kyle” — havemade the quarterback’s re-lationship with Washing-ton difficult to maintain.

He also said Washingtonused his client’s suggestedchanges against Dallas.

“I believe there is ten-sion between Donovan andKyle that’s rooted in thefact that Donovan has sug-gested modifications toKyle’s offense based on in-tricacies Donovan haslearned in his NFL career,”Smith wrote. “For exam-ple, Donovan has asked allyear that the team runmore screen passes to helpmanage the pass rushmore effectively. Ironically,Kyle decided to employ Do-novan’s suggestions afterhe unceremoniouslybenched him on Sunday.”

The Redskins did not re-spond to requests for com-ment on Smith’s statement.

The 34-year-old McNabbwas listed as the No. 2quarterback during theRedskins’ 33-30 loss to Dal-las. McNabb said he felt“disrespected” by the wayhe was benched and de-moted.

“Everything was han-dled awkwardly,” he saidTuesday on his weekly ra-dio show on ESPN980,“somewhat to a disrespectto me and to the team.”

McNabb was benched

only once in 11 years withPhiladelphia, and he’s al-ready doubled that totalwith the Redskins in lessthan one season. Shanahanyanked McNabb for RexGrossman in the final twominutes against Detroit inOctober with the game onthe line, then offered sever-al strange excuses for thedecision.

Smith said the benchingof his client has been partof what he described as a“difficult season” forMcNabb.

“Donovan is coming offa Pro Bowl season in 2009where he threw for 3,500(plus) yards on 60 (percent)completions, with aTD:INT ratio of more than2:1,” Smith wrote. “He alsoled his team to the playoffswith an 11-5 record, andthat’s what he hoped to ac-complish in Washington.

“This year, Donovan wason pace to set the Redskinsall-time passing yardsmark before beingbenched.”

Earlier this season MikeShanahan said he feltGrossman had a bettergrasp of the team’s two-minute offense, then saidMcNabb lacked the “car-diovascular endurance” torun a fast-paced drill be-

cause of nagging hamstr-ing injuries. Kyle Shana-han said McNabb had beentipped off in advance thatthe team might go withGrossman; McNabb saidhe hadn’t.

Then the Redskins gavea McNabb a five-year con-tract extension worth up to$78 million — though thequarterback is only guar-anteed to receive an extra$3.5 million this season.The deal contains a clausethat allows the Redskins tocut McNabb before nextseason with no further fi-nancial obligation.

McNabb has expressed adesire to return to Wash-ington next season, andShanahan said he wouldbe willing to have McNabbas a backup — a pairingthat seems hard to imag-ine.

Smith left the door openin his statement, sayingMcNabb has taken thehigh road during the cir-cus-like atmosphere.

“Donovan has main-tained a high level of pro-fessionalism on and off thefield,” Smith said. “He isdetermined to continue hisrelentless commitment towin and looks forward tothe opportunity whereverthat may be!”

Tension in WashingtonMcNabb feels

slighted by HCShanahan

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Washington Redskins quarterback Donovan McNabb stands on thesidelines before an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboyson Sunday in Arlington.

Photo by Tim Sharp | AP