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Falcon Lake holds a world-class trophy fishery for a fresh-water species growing in pop-ularity among recreational an-glers, and it isn’t the one mostpeople associate with the 84,000-acre reservoir on the RioGrande in Zapata.

Falcon’s largemouth bass fish-ery, which booms and busts withthe reservoir’s wildly fluctuatingwater levels, is nationallyknown as one of the country’spremier bass fisheries — at leastwhen the drought-prone reser-voir is in "boom" mode.

But a recent months-long re-search project, in part triggeredby concerns about that large-

mouth bass fishery, documentedwhat undoubtedly is one of thebest trophy fisheries for alliga-tor gar in Texas. And that says alot; Texas waters are the na-tion’s last strongholds holdinggood populations of truly huge— 7-foot-long or longer, 200-pound or heavier — alligator

FALCON LAKE

In this September 23, 2010 file photo, Zapatans enjoy fishing in the high watersleft from floods at Falcon Lake.

The Zapata Times file photo

Officials may raisealligator gar limit

By SHANNON TOMPKINHOUSTON CHRONICLE

See GAR PAGE 11A

South Texas counties scramblingfor money to repair roads damagedby heavy trucks carrying oil fieldequipment have run into a road-block: the state itself.

Officials in many of the countieshoped to lease mineral rights be-neath county roads and rights of wayto energy companies, and use therevenue to repair those roads. But a54-year-old opinion from the attorneygeneral’s office gives leasing rights,and the revenue, to the state. Thatdoes not sit well with some countyjudges.

If counties have to repair andmaintain the roads, they deservesome of the royalties from mineralrights under and around them, saidDeWitt County Judge Daryl Fowler.From January 2011 to April 2014,leases on DeWitt County property ne-gotiated by the state’s General LandOffice raised more than $8 million,all of which went to the state generalfund, Fowler said. During that time,DeWitt County’s road budget grewfrom $2.5 million to $15.3 million.

“We still have to maintain theroads, and in many cases we’re re-building the roads,” Fowler said.“The state is actually benefiting fromthe revenue stream. We’re paying forthe maintenance, but we’re not get-ting any benefit from the production.Somebody is eating a free lunch.”

Fowler and representatives fromother counties will ask the next Leg-islature to allow counties to nego-tiate leases, or at least receive someof the money the state gets from leas-ing mineral rights around roads.

EAGLE FORD SHALE

See ROADS PAGE 11A

Nomoneyfor oilroads

Old ruling keeps countiesfrom mineral rights

By BOBBY BLANCHARDTEXAS TRIBUNE

McALLEN — The media tentthat once stood in the parkinglot of Sacred Heart Church is

gone, as are the televisioncrews and reporters who de-scended this summer when theflow of Central American immi-grants illegally crossing theTexas border was major news.

But after a brief lull, thesurge of undocumented familiespassing through a temporaryshelter set up by Catholic Char-ities of the Rio Grande Valleyseems to be rising again. The

spotlight may have turned away,but if the sense of crisis is gone,the people have not stoppedcoming.

RIO GRANDE VALLEY

Surge is not overMedia may have left, but immigrants keep coming

By JULIÁN AGUILARTEXAS TRIBUNE

See SURGE PAGE 12A

MEXICO CITY — A priestwas found dead of a gunshotwound to the head, his diocesesaid Friday, marking the latestin series of abductions, at-

tacks and highway robberiesagainst Roman Catholic cler-ics in an area of southernGuerrero state dominated bydrug cartels.

Rev. Gregorio Lopez Goros-tieta is the third Catholicpriest to have been killed in

the region this year, and thefirst to die since the federalgovernment launched a spe-cial, stepped-up security oper-ation in the area following thedisappearance of 43 teachers’college students three monthsago.

The motive in Lopez Goros-tieta’s killing remains un-clear; Bishop Maximino Mar-tinez said a group had beenseen lurking around the semi-nary where the priest taught

GUERRERO, MEXICO

THIRD PRIEST KILLED

The bishop of the diocese in Ciudad Altamirano said Friday that the Rev. Gregorio Lopez Gorostieta was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head, nearthis statue, on Christmas Day. The monument is in honor of Mexico’s former President Lazaro Cardenas.

Photo by Christian Palma | AP

Series of attacks targeted Roman Catholic clericsBy MARK STEVENSON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

See PRIESTS PAGE 12A

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

SUNDAY, DEC. 28Winterfest 2014 at Roxxy, 8510

Las Cruces Dr. From 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

MONDAY, DEC. 29Monthly meeting of Laredo Par-

kinson’s Disease Support Group. 6:30p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Laredo Medical Cen-ter, Tower B, First Floor Community Cen-ter. Patients, caregivers and familymembers invited. Free info pamphletsavailable in Spanish and English. RichardRenner (English) at 645-8649 or JuanGonzalez (Spanish) at 237-0666.

TUESDAY, DEC. 30Free basic computer classes.

Classes every Tuesday and Thursdayfrom 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. No regis-tration required. Hands on learningabout the computer, Microsoft Word, theinternet and email. The Inner CityBranch Library is located on 202 W.Plum St. next to the Inner City Pool. Formore information call John Hong at795-2400 x2521 or visit the website:http://www.laredolibrary.org/innercitye-vents.html.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 31Epoca de Oro New Year’s Scholar-

ship Dance. Table reservations and tick-ets on sale at Rolis. Call Rosa at 337-7178, Sid at 740-3572 or Daniel at 290-7341 for more information.

Elysian Social Club New Year’sScholarshipDance. Mirage Reception Hall.Call Consuelo Ramirez 286-4253 for res-ervations and additional information.

THURSDAY, JAN. 1First Day Hikes at Lake Casa

Blanca International State Park. From 9a.m. to 11 a.m., the Mesquite Bend Na-ture Hike, about 1.75 miles. From 11:30a.m. to 1 p.m., White-tail Loop FossilsHike, about 1.25 miles. From 1:30 p.m.to 2:30 p.m., Junior Ranger Hike, about1 mile. From 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Roadrun-ner Trail, about 2.25 miles.Meet at theBoat Ramp Restrooms for all hikes. Con-tact Holly Reinhard at holly.rein-hard@tpwd.texas.gov or 725-3826.

SATURDAY, JAN. 3Laredo Northside Market Associ-

ation’s Market Day. From 9 a.m. to 1p.m. at North Central Park. The marketwill feature free rides, over 25 vendorsof handmade items and baked goods.

TUESDAY, JAN. 6WWE Smackdown at 6:45 p.m. at

the Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 ArenaBlvd. Tickets available at ticketmaster-.com, the LEA box office and by phoneat 1-800-745-3000.

Alzheimer’s support group. 7 pmto TBA. Meeting room 2, building B ofthe Laredo Medical Center. The supportgroup is for family members and care-givers taking care of someone who hasAlzheimer’s. For information, please call956-693-9991.

SATURDAY, JAN. 10Professional Bull Riders at 7 p.m.

at the Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 ArenaBlvd.

SUNDAY, JAN. 11Professional Bull Riders at 2 p.m.

at the Laredo Energy Arena, 6700 ArenaBlvd.

SATURDAY, JAN. 24STCE’s Comic Con at TAMIU Stu-

dent Center from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.5201 University.

SUNDAY, JAN. 25STCE’s Comic Con at TAMIU Stu-

dent Center from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.5201 University.

MONDAY, JAN. 26Chess Club. From 4 p.m. to 6

p.m. LBV- Inner City Branch Library at202 W. Plum St. next to the Inner CityPool. Contact John Hong at john@lare-dolibrary.org. or http://www.laredoli-brary.org/innercityevents.html. Or call795-2400 x2521.

SATURDAY, FEB. 72nd Annual Krizia Lauren Keiser

Memorial 5K Run/Walk & Kids Run atthe Uni-Trade Stadium, 6320 SinatraPkwy.

(Submit calendar items atlmtonline.com/calendar/submitor by emailing editorial@lmton-line.com with the event’s name,time, location and contact infor-mation.)

CALENDARASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Saturday, Dec. 27,the 361st day of 2014. There arefour days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On Dec. 27, 1964, the Cleve-land Browns defeated the Bal-timore Colts 27-0 to win theNFL Championship Gameplayed at Cleveland MunicipalStadium.

On this date:In 1831, naturalist Charles

Darwin set out on a round-the-world voyage aboard the HMSBeagle.

In 1904, James Barrie’s play“Peter Pan: The Boy WhoWouldn’t Grow Up” opened atthe Duke of York’s Theater inLondon.

In 1932, New York City’s Ra-dio City Music Hall firstopened.

In 1945, 28 nations signed anagreement creating the WorldBank.

In 1949, Queen Juliana ofthe Netherlands signed an actrecognizing Indonesia’s sover-eignty after more than threecenturies of Dutch rule.

In 1968, Apollo 8 and itsthree astronauts made a safe,nighttime splashdown in thePacific.

In 1979, Soviet forces seizedcontrol of Afghanistan. Presi-dent Hafizullah Amin (hah-FEE’-zoo-lah ah-MEEN’), whowas overthrown and executed,was replaced by Babrak Kar-mal.

In 1994, four Roman Catho-lic priests — three French anda Belgian — were shot todeath in their rectory in Al-giers, a day after French com-mandos killed four radicalswho’d hijacked an Air Francejet from Algiers to Marseille.

In 2007, opposition leaderBenazir Bhutto was assassi-nated during a suicide bombattack in Pakistan following acampaign rally.

Ten years ago: The deathtoll continued to rise in south-ern Asia in the wake of a hugetsunami triggered by a mon-ster earthquake underneaththe Indian Ocean.

Five years ago: Iranian se-curity forces fired on Tehranprotesters, killing at leasteight and launching a newwave of arrests.

One year ago: Connecticutpolice released thousands ofpages from their investigationinto the Newtown massacre,providing the most detailedand disturbing picture yet ofthe Dec. 14, 2012, shooting atSandy Hook ElementarySchool that left 20 first-gradersand six educators dead.

Today’s Birthdays: Rocka-billy musician Scotty Moore is83. Actor John Amos is 75. Ac-tress Charmian Carr (Film:“The Sound of Music”) is 72.ABC News correspondent Co-kie Roberts is 71. Singer-song-writer Karla Bonoff is 63Jour-nalist-turned-politician ArthurKent is 61. Actress MaryamD’Abo is 54. Actress Eva La-Rue is 48. Former professionalwrestler and actor Bill Gold-berg is 48. Actress Tracey Che-relle Jones is 45. Rock musi-cian Guthrie Govan is 43. Mu-sician Matt Slocum is 42.Actor Wilson Cruz is 41. Sing-er Olu is 41. Actor Masi Oka is40. Actor Aaron Stanford is 38.Actress Emilie de Ravin is 33.Christian rock musicianJames Mead (Kutless) is 32.Rock singer Hayley Williams(Paramore) is 26. Countrysinger Shay Mooney (Dan &Shay) is 23.

Thought for Today: “Adollar saved is a quarterearned.” — Oscar Levant,American composer, musician,actor (born this date in 1906,died in 1972).

TODAY IN HISTORY

WACO — Waco workers have installed thefinal pieces of a bronze tribute to cowboysand cattle, completing an eight-year, $1.65million project.

The Branding the Brazos sculpture projectfeatures three cowboys — one white, oneHispanic and one black — and 25 cows, theWaco Tribune-Herald reported. It was fin-ished Tuesday when the last two longhorncattle and the final cowboy took their placeat the end of the Indian Spring Park Herd.

The artwork by 74-year-old Texas sculptorRobert Summers pays tribute to Waco’s loca-tion as a spot on the Chisholm Trail for cat-tle drives from South Texas to Kansas. Theproject was largely funded by Waco business-man Clifton Robinson.

“Every time you look here, you see people

wandering around (the steers), taking pic-tures,” said Liz Taylor, director of the WacoConvention Center and Visitors Bureau.“And every time they take a picture, theytake a memory of Waco away.”

Summers modeled the African-Americancowboy after Holt Collier, an actual cowboyand bear hunter most known for accompany-ing President Theodore Roosevelt on a 1902bear hunt. Collier, told to make sure thepresident got a bear, tracked one down andtied it to a tree. But Roosevelt refused toshoot the animal. The incident reported innewspapers around the country led to a toy-maker naming his stuffed toy bear “Teddy’sbear.”

Summers, who supervised the installationthis week, said after spending up to 15 hoursa day working on some of the sculptures, hesaid he can’t help but feel attached.

AROUND TEXAS

In this Tuesday photo, sculptor Robert Summers, left, helps supervise the installation, as the last bronze statue, an African-American cowboy, is installed in Indian Spring Park in Waco as part of a larger collection of the Chilsom Trail sculptures. Wa-co workers have installed the final pieces of a bronze tribute to cowboys, completing an eight-year, $1.65 million project.

Photo by Rod Aydelotte/Waco Tribune Herald | AP

Waco’s sculpture tributeASSOCIATED PRESS

Texas City officer fatallyshoots gunman

TEXAS CITY — Police are in-vestigating an officer’s fatalshooting of a man who author-ities say was firing at customersleaving a crowded Texas Cityclub at closing and then pointedthe gun at one of several officerswho responded to a call for helpfrom the club’s owners.

Texas City Police Chief RobertBurby says the gunman was shotearly Friday after failing to com-ply with warnings from the offi-cer to drop his weapon.

Report: $34M in repairsneeded at Texas collegeEL PASO — A report conduct-

ed by two architectural firmssays more than $34 million in re-pairs and upgrades are needed ata West Texas community college.The El Paso Times reports theassessment comes as the collegeprojects enrollment to grow to45,000 students in 12 years. Theyhave about 29,000 students now.

7-vehicle collision onDallas tollway injures 3DALLAS — Authorities say a

chain-reaction collision involvingseven vehicles on the DallasNorth Tollway has sent threepeople to hospitals. The DallasMorning News reports that theaccident occurred Thursday eve-ning when the driver of a speed-ing BMW crashed into anothervehicle. Lonny Haschel of theTexas Department of Public Safe-ty said the impact set off a “ping-pong” effect of vehicles.

5-year-old girl dies inChristmas Eve crash

DENTON — A five-year-oldgirl was killed and her family se-riously injured in a ChristmasEve traffic accident in Denton,authorities say.

An SUV rear-ended a car at astate trooper traffic stop. Policesay the driver of the SUV was“possibly on his cellphone” whenthe crash occurred. No criminalcharges have been filed.

Texas traffic stop yieldsnearly $500K in drugsAMARILLO — A California

man has been arrested after aTexas Panhandle traffic stopyielded nearly $500,000 in mari-juana and methamphetamine.

The 32-year-old California,man was detained Tuesday whiledriving an SUV near Conway,about 20 miles east of Amarillo.A Texas trooper stopped the ve-hicle on Interstate 40. The De-partment of Public Safety saysthe drugs were being hauledfrom Fontana to Oklahoma City.

Galveston County officialbroke ethics rules

GALVESTON — The TexasEthics Commission has deter-mined a Galveston County elect-ed official violated state electionlaws and must pay a $100 civilpenalty. The panel found CountyCommissioner Ken Clark con-verted political contributions forpersonal use. — Compiled fromAP reports

Transit officers helpmother deliver baby

PHILADELPHIA — A pair ofPhiladelphia transit police offi-cers rushed onto a downtownsubway train on Christmas andhelped make a special delivery: ababy boy.

They coached the womanthrough the delivery, unwrappedthe umbilical cord from the ba-by’s neck and placed the boy inher arms. The baby’s fatherwrapped him in a shirt to keepwarm.

“Everything just happened soquick, but it was amazing,”James told WCAU-TV.

Body of autistic boy, 4,found in Carolina pondLITTLE RIVER, S.C. — The

body of an autistic, 4-year-old boywho had been missing sinceChristmas Eve has been found ina pond in South Carolina.

Coroner Robert Edge told local

media outlets that the body ofJayden Morrison was found lateFriday morning in Little River,northeast of Myrtle Beach.

Police, first responders, K9units, dive teams and volunteershad been searching for the boysince he disappeared from his

grandmother’s house around 5:30p.m. Wednesday.

The New York boy’s familyhad been visiting his grandmoth-er. His mother, Tabatha Morri-son, had gone shopping and lefther three children at the home.— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

In this image from Thursday surveillance video provided by the SoutheasternPennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), Philadelphia transit police Sgt.Daniel Caban holds a baby boy he helped deliver aboard a subway train.

Photo courtesy of SEPTA | AP

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 State THE ZAPATA TIMES 3A

HOUSTON — FormerPresident George H.W.Bush is spending a fourthnight in a Houston hospi-tal where he’s being treat-ed after experiencingshortness of breath earlierthis week.

Family spokesman JimMcGrath said Friday eve-ning the 90-year-old Bush“remains in high spiritsand continues to makeprogress.”

No other details weredisclosed in the briefstatement.

Bush was taken toHouston’s Methodist Hos-pital on Tuesday night inwhat was reported as aprecaution. He spent near-ly two months, includingChristmas, at the samehospital two years ago for

treatment of a bronchitis-related cough and otherissues.

Bush is the oldest livingformer American presi-

dent. He suffers from aform of Parkinson’s dis-ease that has forced himto rely on a motorizedscooter or wheelchair.

Bush remains in hospitalASSOCIATED PRESS

George H.W. Bush waves as he is introduced at Texas A&M Uni-versity on Nov. 11.

Photo by Bob Daemmrich/Texas Tribune | AP

AUSTIN — The Republi-can judge overseeing thecriminal case against Gov.Rick Perry is jugglingmore than abuse-of-powercharges against the poten-tial 2016 presidential can-didate.

Judge Bert Richardsonalso keeps up with a regu-lar prison docket in SouthTexas, presides over high-profile murder cases andin January will join theTexas Court of CriminalAppeals — the state’s high-est criminal court — afterwinning a seat on thenine-member panel in theNovember elections.

In his spare time, Rich-ardson works as a free-lance photographer, shoot-ing sports for a runningmagazine and capturingmoments around his SanAntonio home, the TexasCapitol or in the countieshe visits for his day job.

Taking pictures pro-vides a focus on somethingoutside the courtroom, hetold the San Antonio Ex-press-News in a story pub-lished Friday.

“I can just forget aboutwhat I do, and nobodyknows who I am when Ishow up at my other job —and get bossed around bycops and pushed aroundby photographers, report-ers and track officials,”Richardson said.

Richardson’s profile hasbeen raised since he waspicked last year to presideover Perry’s case after aTravis County judge re-cused herself. Perry is ac-

cused of trying to leveragehis power to force the re-signation of Travis CountyDistrict Attorney Rose-mary Lehmberg followingher conviction on drunk-en-driving charges.

A grand jury indictedPerry on two felony countsin August. The governor,who will depart office Jan.20, calls the charges a po-litical witch hunt and hasassembled a high-poweredteam of lawyers that is try-ing to convince Richard-son to dismiss the case.

Despite the spotlight onthe Perry indictment,Richardson has his handsfull with other notablecases: DNA issues in thedeath penalty case of con-victed El Paso serial killerDavid Leonard Wood, anda nurse seeking a new

trial after getting 60 yearsin the 2005 shooting deathof her husband.

Without talking aboutthe cases specifically, Rich-ardson suggested that hetakes his responsibility inother cases as seriously asin the Perry indictment.

“I’ve tried lots of deathpenalty cases as a prosecu-tor and as a judge. To methose things are morestressful than this ... It’s alife and death decision,”Richardson said.

Richardson has ruledagainst efforts to get Per-ry’s case dismissed ontechnical objections to thespecial prosecutor, lawyerMichael McCrum, basedon issues related to hisoath. Richardson was anassistant district attorneyin Bexar County. .

Perry’s judge is busyASSOCIATED PRESS

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

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

This is the holiday sea-son of our consternation.Many of us are deeply con-sternated. (That soundsuncomfortable.)

The source of our con-sternation is gas. (This isgetting worse.) Specifically,it’s the price of gas.

I don’t know about you,but I grow downright gid-dy while pumping $2.059-a-gallon gas. Maybe it’s thefumes. But who doesn’tlike paying less for any-thing?

And then I read, in myvery own newspaper andwritten by one of my veryown colleagues, that lowgas prices might be bad forus — us being Texans, allof whom have an oil wellout back, right next to ourcattle and the shack wherewe store our firearms.

Remember when highgas prices were bad for us?

Let’s review: High gasprices, bad. Low gas pric-es, bad. This makes it kindof difficult to know what toroot for, kind of like whenOU plays A&M.

The benefits of low gasprices are obvious. If I re-member my advanced eco-nomics, when gas pricesare low it costs less. Less,of course, is relative. It’sstill too high. The lowest Iever paid for a gas wasback in the early 1970s as ahigh school kid in NorthMiami. The benchmarkprice was 29.9 cents a gal-lon. One price warchopped the price to 19.9cents.

Back to today, or, actual-ly, Dec. 19 when AustinAmerican-Statesman busi-ness writer Claudia “TheGrinch” Grisales inflictedreality upon us in a storyexplaining that low gasprices are bad for us.Thanks a lot, Claudia, wayto screw up the festive ho-liday season.

The headline: “Experts:Lower oil prices a threat toTexas economy.” Experts.

They think they’re suchexperts. Who needs ’em?

The experts Grisalesquoted reminded us Texas,despite recent diversifica-tion (largely the prolifera-tion of Buc-ee’s stores), re-mains linked to oil.

Local economist BrianKelsey did some math.Economists are like that.Always showing off by do-ing math. His math says ifoil and gas industry earn-ings fall 20 percent in Tex-as, the state could lose212,000 jobs and $13.5 bil-lion in earnings.

“Earnings in the oil andgas sector drive a signifi-cant portion of overall eco-nomic activity in Texas,”Kelsey said in Grisales’story. “So consumers mayenjoy seeing lower gasprices, but falling oil pricescan hurt more in otherways.”

I get it. I was around theCapitol in 1986 when plum-meting oil prices causedsignificant fiscal heart-burn for the state. Never-theless, I’m still feelingthat pleasant, light-headedfeeling when I’m paying adollar less per gallon thanI did not that long ago.Does that make me a badman?

So I called Michael Web-ber, deputy director of theEnergy Institute at theUniversity of Texas. Mr.Webber, am I a bad manfor enjoying declining gasprices?

“If you are a person whoconsumes energy, which iseverybody, then you shouldbe happy about the lowerenergy prices. If you are aproducer of energy — theguy who pulls oil out of theground — you should beunhappy,” Webber said.

COLUMN

Low gasprices aregood, bad

“KEN HERMAN

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Times doesnot publish anonymousletters.

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

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

We want to assure our

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

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

ing or gratuitous abuse isallowed.

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

CLASSIC DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Recent deaths at thehands of police in Ferguson,Mo., and on Staten Island,N.Y., have rightly raisedquestions about illegal forceand racial bias in law en-forcement. But a more basicquestion also needs to beweighed: Should police bepermitted to initiate forcewhen confronting misde-meanors and other non-seri-ous crimes? The answershould be no.

The existing rules of en-gagement for police in theUnited States invite vio-lence, not just when officersact abusively but also whentheir conduct falls clearlywithin the limits of the law.There is no question thatpolice in the United Statescan lawfully arrest anyonethey see jaywalking or sell-ing single cigarettes. Andthere is equally no questionthat any American who re-fuses a police order to cometo the station can be forcedby violence to comply.

But should police be per-mitted to initiate force insuch cases?

Consider what arrestsare for. An arrest is not pun-ishment: After all, there hasbeen no conviction at thatpoint. The purpose of an ar-rest is to prevent crime andto aid in prosecution by es-tablishing identity, gather-ing evidence and preventingflight. The steps taken to se-cure arrests therefore must,at every point, be propor-tional to the suspectedcrimes that underlie the ar-rests.

The current police rulesof engagement violate these

basic principles at everyturn. Convictions for jay-walking and selling singlecigarettes — the predicateoffenses in Ferguson andStaten Island, respectively— effectively never carryjail sentences, and nobodythinks that they should.Fines are the proper punish-ments for these minorcrimes.

But under current law,when the police arrestsomeone based on nothingmore than probable cause ofa minor crime, they cantreat the wrongdoer moreseverely than the punish-ment that would ordinarilybe imposed by a court oflaw, even after a full trial.We believe that the NewYork Police Department vio-lated current law when Offi-cer Daniel Pantaleo placedEric Garner in a chokehold.But under current rules ofengagement, Garner’s say-ing "Don’t touch me" un-questionably authorized thepolice to initiate the use offorce — non-lethal force, butstill force — to subdue him.

That’s wrong. An arrestshould not impose a burdengreater than a conviction.When it does, the arrestamounts to police oppres-sion.

To fix the wrong, weshould change the rules ofengagement. A police officerconfronting someone sus-pected of only a minorcrime should not be permit-ted to arrest the suspect byforce. In most cases, the po-lice should simply issue aticket. If the police wish totake someone into custody,they should not use forcebut instead issue a warning,like the Miranda warning,backed by a sanction. The

text might say somethinglike: "I am placing you un-der arrest. You must comewith me to the station. Ifyou don’t come, you’re com-mitting a separate crime, forwhich you may be puni-shed." If the person com-plies upon hearing thewarning, that ends the mat-ter. If not, then the policecan obtain a warrant from ajudge and make a forciblearrest for both the old crimeand the new. Similar rulesof engagement should gov-ern searches based on suspi-cion of petty crimes.

Such rules would not on-ly protect the public’s rightsbut also promote law and or-der. Many critics rightlydoubt that maximally ag-gressive "broken windows"public-order policing works.And other countries marrynonviolent rules of engage-ment with effective law en-forcement; Germany, for ex-ample, imposes strict limitson the use of force to arrestpetty offenders, and the en-tire German police, govern-ing a population of 80 mil-lion, fired only 85 bullets in2011. Moreover, nonviolentrules of engagement wouldalso protect the police. Offi-cers must of course retainthe right to defend them-selves when subject to at-tack. But by inviting policeto initiate force, currentpractices require officers tocontrol a naturally escalat-ing dynamic that can quick-ly endanger all concerned.

Garner’s tragic death il-lustrates the drawbacks ofpolicies that permit but seekto limit police use of force.In the heat of the moment,Officer Pantaleo violated thelongstanding NYPD policyagainst chokeholds. The

current rules of engagementmake such excesses inevita-ble. Once the police initiateforce, limits on escalationstand in tension with thegoal of convincing the sub-ject that resistance is futile.A policy restricting when anofficer may initiate force atall draws a coherent, brightline that is much more like-ly to be observed.

Finally, new rules of en-gagement would also pro-mote racial equality. Out-raged citizens properly em-phasize that policedisproportionately harmand kill black men. Butthese racial disparities are,once again, not simply prod-ucts of illegal police conductbut rather are invited by theexisting rules of engage-ment. Police discretion isgreatest for minor offenses,and racial discrepancies fol-low discretion. By allowingthe police forcibly to arrestpeople for these offenses, thecurrent rules place commu-nities of color at dispropor-tionate risk of police vio-lence. Reforms that aimmerely to increase policecompliance with existingrules of engagement cannotundo the disproportion.

If the police in Fergusonor Staten Island had employ-ed our rules, two men whoare now dead might insteadhave been safely placed involuntary custody, admittedtheir crimes and paid asmall fine. At worst, theywould now face an orderlyand fair judicial process fordefying the law.

In either event, rightswould be respected, ordermaintained and justiceserved.

The writers teach at YaleLaw School.

COMMENTARY

Enforce the law - without forceBy IAN AYRES AND DANIEL

MARKOVITSTHE WASHINGTON POST

Despite a host of finan-cial fears, the dollar is do-ing pretty well — relativeto the rest of the globaleconomy, at least. That’sno excuse, however, forpolicymakers to sit backand relax. We’ve got anopportunity to right the fi-nancial underpinnings ofthe economy before thedollar loses its precariouspride of place around theworld. If we don’t, we’llfind ourselves in a worldof hurt.

To be sure, it’s a pleas-ant surprise that we’re inas good shape as we are.Far in the rear-view mir-ror are last decade’s wor-ries that the euro wouldbecome the best currencyaround. Today, America’sstruggles pale in compari-son with Europe’s.

If our allies are hurt-ing, our adversaries areon even less-advantageousfinancial ground. Russia’sruble has plunged so pre-cipitously that compari-sons are being drawn toits first post-communist fi-nancial meltdown, in 1998.

And China — althoughits economy is still run-ning hot — has no basisfrom which to challengeAmerican financial dom-inance.

There are two impor-tant reasons for that.First, China’s massiveholdings of U.S. Treasurybills require it to transi-tion slowly away from thedollar-denominated finan-cial system, if it is to doso at all. Switching to adifferent currency wouldrequire either the suddendominance of a rival cur-rency or the creation of anew one. And in almostall cases, whipping up anew currency isn’t a slow-enough transition for Chi-na (or Russia, for thatmatter).

There’s an exception,however. A new currencybacked by a precious met-al, such as gold, would in-troduce a radically differ-ent alternative to the dol-lar. The dollar drives theenergy economy - in itsrole as the so-called "pe-trodollar." A rival metal-backed currency, set up byChina and Russia, woulddraw the great interest ofIran, Pakistan and others,beginning a domino effectin Asia, Africa and else-where.

We have to clean upour own act — with realfinancial reform that de-leverages the economyand disperses concentrat-ed banking power.

EDITORIAL

Strong dollar isan opportunityTHE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 State THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

HOUSTON — Battleground Tex-as, the liberal-leaning group aimingto register thousands of new voters,says Texas laws have made it harderto keep its volunteers eligible.

The deputy voter registrars thatsigned up with Battleground Texasand others lose their certificationunder state law at the end of thisyear, the Houston Chronicle reports.Texas law allows registrars to servetwo-year terms that expire at theend of even-number years.

While the two-year requirementhas been law since the 1980s, a trioof bills passed in 2011 added new re-strictions that Battleground Texas’voter protection director Mimi Mar-ziani called “wildly burdensome.”

“The only logical explanation isthat all of those things are aimed atthe same goal, which is making itmuch harder to vote,” she said.

Texas Republicans have support-ed a raft of new restrictions aimedat stopping voter fraud, though op-ponents believe those laws are in-tended to suppress voting by minor-ities, the poor and traditionally

Democratic constituencies.But Texas Sen. Jim Murphy, a

Houston Republican who sponsoredthe bill creating training for deputyregistrars, said that while moretraining might inconvenience volun-teers, the effort was worth it.

“It takes away the defense of, ’Ididn’t know I couldn’t do that,”’Murphy told the newspaper. “Clear-ly, I would agree it’s additionalwork, but so is having insurance foryour house if it burns down.”

Battleground Texas officials saidthey’ll still push to re-register theirvolunteers and try to add more vot-ers.

Texas has not elected a Democratto a statewide office in two decades,and Battleground Texas was createdin part by former organizers byPresident Barack Obama who saythey can make the state competitivefor Democrats in state and nationalelections.

The group suffered a major set-back when Wendy Davis wascrushed this year in the Texas gov-ernor’s race by Republican Greg Ab-bott, despite expectations that newDemocratic voters would help Davis.

Volunteers ineligibleASSOCIATED PRESS

AUSTIN — Fast-growing Tex-as school districts that are ab-sorbing the bulk of new enroll-ment in the state want more fi-nancial latitude to buildadditional classrooms, but theodds of success are long in theRepublican-dominated anddebt-loathing Legislature.

Nearly three dozen districtslast year maxed out a state-mandated cap on local schoolbond debt, up from five districtsin 2008 and none in 2003, ac-cording to the Texas EducationAgency.

Republican Gov.-elect GregAbbott is vowing to put educa-tion at the top of his agenda.But escalating local debt has be-come a hot talking point forsome conservative politicians,and bills that would allow dis-tricts to exceed the current caphave floundered before.

But with the Legislatureawaiting the outcome of a law-suit against the state over $5.4billion in education cuts in

2011, a coalition of 85 fast-grow-ing school districts hopes 2015is the year that lawmakers ad-dress the debt limit so that newfacilities can be built, the Aus-tin American-Statesman report-ed in a story published Friday.

“I don’t think anyone expectsthe Legislature to really try tofocus on school finance becauseof the pending lawsuit, so out-side of transportation, waterand mental health, I think thisis a great opportunity for ourrepresentatives to take advan-tage of looking at growth andhow it impacts our local schooldistricts,” said Hays Consolidat-ed Superintendent MichaelMcKie.

There are about 1,200 schooldistricts in Texas. The FastGrowth School Coalition onlyrepresents a fraction of thosedistricts, but says its new mem-bers are taking on about 80 per-cent of new student enrollmentstatewide.

In the booming corridor be-tween Austin and San Antonio,the Hays school district expects

to add upward of 1,000 studentsa year for the foreseeable fu-ture. But school board membersdidn’t include a new highschool on a recent bond pack-age ballot, in part because fi-nancing that building wouldhave exceeded the local schoolbond debt limit set in 1991.

The limit is 50-cent-per-$100-valuation.

Jesse Fields, a senior policyanalyst in the Center for LocalGovernance at the conservativeTexas Public Policy Foundation,said bond elections have shownthat school districts are inap-propriately financing short-term items such as computersand buses. Districts have also fi-nanced extravagant, non-in-structional items, like multimil-lion dollar football stadiums,Fields said.

“We have significant con-cerns about any attempt to al-low more debt to be issued toburden Texas taxpayers,” saidFields, whose influential Austinthink tank keeps pressure onRepublican lawmakers.

Schools crave bond reliefASSOCIATED PRESS

HORARIO DE INVIERNOLa Oficina de Impues-

tos de Roma ISD, estaráabierta durante el receso deinvierno el lunes 29 de di-ciembre y el martes 30 dediciembre de 8 a.m. a 3p.m.

DETENIDOSEl viernes, cuatro

hombres fueron detenidosen Reynosa, México, por ele-mentos de la Policía Estatalde Tamaulipas, debido a quesupuestamente tenían en supoder armament de uso ex-clusivo del Ejército.

Manuel Fuentes Montoya,Francisco Barbosa Simental,Mario Hernández García yEdgar Orta González sonsospechosos de tener en supoder seis armas largas, 24granadas, siete cargadores,106 cartuchos, dos lanzagra-nadas, dos celulares, un ra-dio, tres vehículos y equipotáctico.

Los hechos sucedieronen la colonia Jarachina Nor-te, cuando los agentes de-tectaron un vehículo dondeviajaban los cuatro sospe-chosos. Los detenidos fue-ron puestos a disposicióndel Ministerio Público Fede-ral.

INTEGRACIÓN DE AGENTESDoscientos cuarenta y

cuatro elementos policialesse incorporaron a agenciasdel orden.

Los egresaron recibieroncapacitación y certificaciónen Mazaquiahuac, Tlaxcala,y cursaron el diplomadosonbre Nuevo Sistema PenalAcusatorio en la Universidadde Seguridad y Justicia deTamaulipas.

El general Arturo Gutié-rrez García, Secretario deSeguridad Pública del Esta-do, destacó que los efecti-vos policiales fueron incor-porados de inmediato a laslabores de seguridad y vigi-lancia tanto de zonas urba-nas como rurales.

DESTINO TURÍSTICOEl Gobierno de Ta-

maulipas invita a visitar susPueblos Mágicos, como unaopción para visitar durantela temporada invernal

Los Pueblos Mágicos deMéxico se han convertido enun destino turístico para na-cionales y extranjeros quegustan de disfrutar las tradi-ciones, gastronomía, artesa-nías, la arquitectura y todolo que envuelve la culturamexicana, además de seruna oferta basada en la his-toria y actividades propiasdel lugar, así como de laaventura y deporte extremoen escenarios naturales.

Los Pueblos Mágicos deTamaulipas son Tula y Mier,México.

ECOLOGÍAEl estado de Tamauli-

pas busca la conservación yaprovechamiento responsa-ble de una amplia variedadde especies de flora y faunasilvestres en de los habitan-tes de las comunidades don-de se encuentran, cuidandola sustentabilidad y equili-brio, señala un comunicado.

Con el objetivo de prote-ger, manejar y mantener losecosistemas, hábitats y po-blaciones de vida silvestre,se promueve la creación denuevas Unidades de Manejoy Aprovechamiento de VidaSilvestre – UMA. Actualmen-te se cuenta con 1.952 uni-dades bajo ese esquema.

En la Colonia Parras dela Fuente en Abasolo, serealizan actividades de ma-nejo conservación y recupe-ración de los ecosistemas, yes la principal área de ani-dación de la paloma de alablanca, Zenaida asiática, enAmérica, este año se consi-guió un incremento en elnúmero de ejemplares de laespecie, de 6.630.008 millo-nes.

Ribereñaen Breve

WASHINGTON — La economíaestadounidense ejercitó sus múscu-los en 2014.

A más de cinco años de la crisisfinanciera mundial, se habíanarraigado las preocupaciones deque tal vez la principal economíadel mundo había caído en una de-presión semipermanente.

Los consumidores, empresas einversionistas, después de soportarun invierno brutal, mostraron re-novado vigor mientras avanzaba elaño y Estados Unidos se diferencióde la mayor parte del mundo.

Las acciones repetidamente es-tablecieron récords. Las contrata-ciones llevan un ritmo que casi al-canza los 3 millones de empleos, sumayor cifra en 15 años. La caída enlos precios del petróleo ha reduci-do los de la gasolina a su menor ni-vel desde mayo de 2009. Se aceleróla venta de automóviles. La infla-ción fue menor a 2%.

En resumen, Estados Unidos

permaneció aislado de los proble-mas financieros que surgieron entodas partes, desde Europa y Lati-noamérica hasta China, Japón yRusia.

¿Cómo se explica la resistenciade la economía estadounidense es-te año?

Los economistas dicen que laeconomía en esencia reflejó los be-neficios aplazados de enmendar fi-nalmente el daño de la peor crisiseconómica en 80 años. A diferenciade recuperaciones pasadas que fue-ron comparativamente rápidas, es-ta en particular fue agonizante-mente lenta. Pasaron seis años ymedio para recuperar todos los em-pleos perdidos durante la recesión(8,7 millones), muchos más que du-rante recuperaciones previas.

Pero la recuperación no estácompleta. El crecimiento en los sa-larios es magro y apenas supera auna inflación extremadamente ba-ja. La construcción de casas ha si-do tibia. A continuación algunosdatos económicos destacados de2014:

Auge laboralLos empleadores agregaron 2,65

millones de empleos en los prime-ros 11 meses del año y la tasa dedesocupación bajó de 6,7% a 5,8%.Para cuando el gobierno anuncieel dato de desempleo de diciembreel mes próximo, se espera que eltotal de contrataciones ronde los 3millones, la mejor cifra desde laera del punto com en 1999.

Caída de los precios del petróleo

En un regalo a los consumidoresestadounidenses, los energéticos sevolvieron significativamente másbaratos. Los precios del petróleobásicamente están a la mitad delmáximo que alcanzaron este año.Parte de esa caída afectó a produc-tores petroleros estadounidenses,los cuales deben sopesar despidos.Pero en general, un petróleo baratoes positivo.

Ventas de autosMuchos más estadounidenses se

complacieron con un auto nuevodespués de haber mantenido susviejos vehículos durante la rece-sión y de una lenta etapa inicial derecuperación. Las ventas se enfila-ban a incrementarse 6% este año,con 16,5 millones de vehículos nue-vos en las calles, de acuerdo conCars.com. Sería el mejor ritmo deventas desde 2006.

Bajan tasas de interésAun cuando la economía se ha

fortalecido —usualmente una señalde que las tasas de interés subi-rán_, el crédito se ha abaratado.Un mayor monto de crédito impli-ca más gasto y mayor crecimiento.El rendimiento del bono del Teso a10 años ha bajado a 2,27% en com-paración con el 3% de principiosde año. La tasa hipotecaria prome-dio a 30 años es 3,83%, debajo del4,5% del año pasado.

NACIONAL

Mejora economíaPOR JOSH BOAK

ASSOCIATED PRESS

PÁGINA 6A Zfrontera SÁBADO 27 DE DICIEMBRE DE 2014

El viernes, el Cabildo de Nuevo Lare-do, México, aprobó solicitar al Gobiernode Tamaulipas la expropiación de ochoterrenos necesarios para llevar a cabo laampliación de la Garita del Puente In-ternacional Juárez-Lincoln.

Aunque el 19 de junio de 2014 se hizola misma solicitud, debido a las modifi-caciones a la Ley de Expropiación, Ocu-pación Temporal o Limitación de Domi-nio para el Estado de Tamaulipas, publi-cada el 27 de noviembre en el PeriódicoOficial del Estado, se hace necesario ha-cerlo nuevamente.

El presidente municipal, Carlos Can-turosas Villarreal, destacó que esta mo-dificación agiliza de manera significati-va el proceso de expropiación, por loque espera que en enero se emita el de-creto para que los terrenos sean de pro-piedad pública. De los 61 lotes en cuatromanzanas necesarios para la amplia-ción, en los pasados ocho años se adqui-rieron 14, y la actual administración ad-quirió 39, pero el proceso para la com-pra de los ocho predios restantes sigue,a la par con el proceso expropiatorio.Una vez que se realice la expropiación,se procederá a escriturar los 61 prediosa nombre del Gobierno federal para queproceda a construir la garita. La obratendrá una inversión de más de 250 mi-llones de pesos, además de los recursosque se aplicarán el equipamiento contecnología de vanguardia. Los trabajoscomprenden la construcción de un áreade 4.05 hectáreas, espacios de inspecciónaduanera para aumentar la capacidadde nueve a 16 módulos, y de seis a 24 elnúmero de mesas de revisión. Ademásse crearán oficinas y alojamiento paraoficiales, estacionamiento de remolques,vehículos ligeros, de pequeña importa-ción y almacén de decomisos.

NUEVO LAREDO, MÉXICO

Apruebanexpandir

garita TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

A fin de impulsar el área deTurismo Médico, el Gobierno deTamaulipas apoyó en la aperturao consolidación de empresas através de apoyos crediticios, deno-minados CrediMedic, con base enel Fondo Tamaulipas.

Los préstamos otorgados vanen montos de 15.000 pesos a200.000 pesos, con una tasa de in-terés del 14 por ciento annual, yun plazo de uno a tres años.

El requisito es que el negociotenga como finalidad promover elturismo de salud, la actividad em-presarial y la creación de emple-os, mediante la creación o conso-lidación de negocios que buscanel bienestar de las personas.

Mónica González García, Secre-taria de Desarrollo Económico yTurismo, destacó que el Gobierno

de Tamaulipas continua detectan-do oportunidades del sector medi-co, promoviendo actividades co-mo la V Cumbre Global de Nego-cios de Turismo Médico.

“La cumbre reunió a más de500 expositores relacionados a losservicios médicos y coloca a laEntidad en la punta del desarro-llo de los servicios médicos, porlo que trabajando todos por Ta-maulipas conseguimos que du-rante el 2015 al turismo médico levaya mejor”, dijo González.

El programa CREDIMEDICbusca apoyar el capital de trabajoy a la adquisición de activos fijos.En un comunicado de prensa sedio a conocer que en 2014 se handistribuido más de un millón depesos en beneficio de empresariosdel servicio médico para nueveconsultorios, clínicas y farma-cias.

TAMAULIPAS

Consolida inversión en Turismo Médico TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

La imagen muestra una clínica de ginecobstetricia, un renglón de los varios queapoya el Turismo Médico en Tamaulipas.

Foto de cortesía

FRONTERA

COMPETITIVIDAD

El Puente Internacional del Comercio Mundial es objeto de investigación y captura de información con la finalidad de in-crementar la competitividad del Puerto de Entrada, de acuerdo con el Instituto para la Competitividad y el Comercio Ex-terior de Nuevo Laredo, México. Durante el año 2014 se realizó la captura de información de los cruces diarios delpuente y se catalogó arancelariamente cada producto importado y exportado para diferenciarlos y exponer propuestasque permitan que los empresarios locales analicen sus futuras inversiones, señala un comunicado de prensa.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Nuevo Laredo

El presupuesto del 2015 paraNuevo Laredo, México, es de ca-si 913 millones de pesos, por loque corresponderá a la Secretar-ía de Obras Públicas, DesarrolloUrbano y Medio Ambiente, pre-sentará el Plan de Obra Pública2015 para que sea aprobado en

Sesión de Cabildo, una vez quesea evaluado y analizado.

El presidente municipal, Car-los Canturosas Villarreal, dijoque entre las obras que desta-can hay pavimentaciones, con-strucción de vialidades, plazaspúblicas, infraestructura educa-tiva, deportiva y solucionesviales.

Además del proyecto de loscolectores pluviales que evitaráinundaciones en las principalescalles y avenidas, también serealizará la creación de un nue-vo parque en El Laguito.

El proyecto anual de obra pú-blica se llevará a cabo sin solic-itar préstamos, aclaró Canturo-sas.

NUEVO LAREDO, MÉXICO

Harán estimado para obrasTIEMPO DE ZAPATA

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 State THE ZAPATA TIMES 7A

BRACKETTVILLE —Time and Mother Natureare threatening to dismantlethe Alamo. Not the original,but the replica 18th-centurySpanish mission and OldWest movie set John Waynebuilt for his Oscar-nominat-ed 1960 movie and that fordecades was a tourist meccaand film production site.

“It’s not just somethingthat represents history to amovie set — it is now histo-ry for sure,” says Rich Cu-rilla, the one-man curatorand custodian of the now-closed Alamo Village.

Alamo Village, a 400-acreplot of land about 120 mileswest of San Antonio, wascarved out of a large ranchin the late 1950s for Wayne’sdirectorial debut. StarringRichard Widmark as JimBowie and Wayne as DavyCrockett, “The Alamo” hadan estimated $12 millionbudget, huge for its time.

The 4-foot-thick Alamo fa-cade was modeled off a 1936map of the historic building— drawn up for the Texascentennial that year — andset construction took nearlytwo years. Unlike the realAlamo, which is dwarfed bytaller buildings in the heartof San Antonio, the viewfrom Wayne’s Alamo offereda panorama of iconic Texasand Western images.

“To Hollywood, a movieset is just a means to anend,” said Curilla, a filmand Alamo historian whospent his summers in col-lege during the late 1960s atthe site and began workingthere full-time in 1988. “Ithink Wayne was cognizantof building a monumentand not just a movie set.”

In its heyday, Wayne’sAlamo hosted Jimmy Stew-art, Dean Martin, RaquelWelch and even Willie Nel-son. It’s where James Ar-ness reprised his famousMatt Dillon role in a “Guns-moke” TV movie.

In all, nearly 40 majorfilm and TV productions,plus hundreds of commer-cials, documentaries andmusic videos were shot atAlamo Village. And musicalshows, comedy skits andstaged gunfights drew hun-dreds of tourists daily.

“It was magical,” saidPenny Loewen, who was 18in 1979 when she arrived

from tiny St. Francisville, Il-linois. She stayed for threeyears, getting paid $350 amonth to sing and performsix days a week, 11 hours aday.

“We would do just aboutanything,” the 55-year-oldretired Nashville songwriterwho remained involvedwith movie productions for20 years said. “That was the

most fun I ever had in mylife.”

Business at Alamo Vil-lage began to wane in the1980s when traffic along themain east-west routethrough South Texas shiftednorth with completion of In-terstate 10. It closed to thepublic after the last remain-ing owner died in 2009 andthe property was dividedamong heirs. The land nowprimarily is used for cattlegrazing and hunting.

In recent years, a largecrack has developed on thefront of the Alamo facade. Atree grows inside. Otherwalls and structures thathave been replaced or re-done are failing.

At the main entrance tothe ranch, only an aban-doned ticket booth and aweathered sign telling vis-itors they’re entering theworld’s largest outdoor mov-ie set hint at its storied past.

“The weather and ele-ments are taking a toll onit,” Texas Film Commission

Director Heather Page said.“I think it would be disap-pointing to lose somethinglike that.”

Corpus Christi business-man David Jones, 74, envi-sions saving Alamo Villageas a Texas version of OldTucson, a thriving Old Westtheme park in southern Ari-zona.

Jones, who describeshimself as a lifelong friendof the former owners, sayshe’s close to raising the $8million he believes is neces-sary to buy the propertyand ready it for visitors.The remote location won’tbe a deterrent, Jones says,noting that Big Bend Na-tional Park, some 200 milesto the west, typically drawsmore than 300,000 visitors ayear.

“The place really needsto be more than preserved,”he said. “It needs to be reha-bilitated. ... It has two icons,John Wayne and the Alamo,known to everybody all overthe world.”

Movie set used by John Wayne fading awayBy MICHAEL GRACZYK

ASSOCIATED PRESS

A replica of the Alamo built for John Wayne’s 1960 movie "The Ala-mo," is framed by arches at the movie set in Brackettville, Texas.

Photo by Eric Gay | AP

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES Nation SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

NEW YORK — The wifeand two sons of a police-man gunned down alongwith his partner in a bra-zen daylight ambush werejoined at his wake Fridayby hundreds of uniformedofficers, including dozenswho saluted as his flag-draped casket was carriedinto the church.

The daylong tribute toOfficer Rafael Ramos oc-curred at a Queens churchwhere friends and col-leagues spoke of him as anembodiment of the selfless,compassionate and heroicnature the New York Po-lice Department wants itsfinest officers to project.

“He was studying to bea pastor. He had Biblestudy books in his locker,which is rare for a policeofficer, but that goes toshow you the type of manhe was,” NYPD Capt. Ser-gio Centa said before en-tering Christ TabernacleChurch.

Ramos was dressed infull dress uniform in anopen casket, Nassau Coun-ty Police Benevolent Asso-ciation President JamesCarver said. His funeral isscheduled for today. VicePresident Joe Biden is ex-pected to attend, alongwith Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Police union officialshave criticized de Blasio,saying he contributed to aclimate of mistrust towardpolice amid protests overthe deaths of black men atthe hands of white offi-cers. Union officials havesaid the mayor’s response,including his mention ofhow he often fears for thesafety of his biracial sonin his interactions withpolice, helped set the stagefor the killings.

But de Blasio, who haspraised officers for theirservice both before andamid the protests, has

stood solidly behind thedepartment since the Dec.20 slayings of Ramos andOfficer Wenjian Liu asthey sat in their patrol caron a Brooklyn street. Theshooter, Ismaaiyl Brinsley,later killed himself.

After the killings, deBlasio called for a tempo-rary halt to demonstra-tions against police aftergrand juries in Missouriand on Staten Island de-clined to charge white po-lice officers in the deathsof two black men.

He denounced as “divi-sive” a demonstration thattook place anyway and onThursday tweeted a thankyou to police for arrestinga man accused of threaten-ing to kill officers. Still, onFriday an airplane haul-ing a banner insulting themayor organized by a for-mer police officer-turned-activist flew above NewYork City.

Pastor Ralph Castillosaid Ramos was a belovedmember of the church.

“Whether he was help-ing a mom with a carriageor bringing someone totheir seats, he did it withso much love and so muchvigor and so much joy,”Castillo said.

In the evening, hun-dreds of additional mourn-ers were expected to spill

into the streets outside thechurch to hear speakerseulogize Ramos and towatch on giant videoscreens. Police Commis-sioner William Bratton,Cardinal Timothy Dolanand other politicians hadarrived for the ceremony.

Ramos was a long-stand-ing and deeply committedmember of the church,where he served as an ush-er, family and friends said.

“We feel sorry for thefamily, and nobody de-serves to die like this,”said fellow churchgoer Hil-da Kiefer as she waited toenter the wake.

His compassion was incontrast to the emotionallydisturbed loner who killedthe officers.

Investigators say Brin-sley started his rampageby shooting and woundingan ex-girlfriend in Balti-more. He also posted on-line threats to police andmade references to high-profile cases of unarmedblack men killed by whiteofficers.

The killings ramped upemotions in the alreadytense national debate overpolice conduct. Since Ra-mos and Liu were killed,police in New York saythey have arrested sevenpeople accused of threaten-ing officers.

Fellow officers saluteNY cop’s casket

By MIKE BALSAMOASSOCIATED PRESS

High ranking police officials line up outside the church to pay re-spects at the wake of Officer Rafael Ramos in New York Friday.

Photo by Andrew Renneisen | New York Times

LOS ANGELES — “TheInterview” was never sup-posed to be a paradigm-shifting film. But unusualdoesn’t even begin to de-scribe the series of eventsthat transpired over thepast few weeks, culminat-ing in the truly unprece-dented move by a majorstudio to release a film intheaters and on digital plat-forms simultaneously.

Sony is in unchartedwaters now with the film,which earned $1.04 millionfrom 331 locations onThursday, according to stu-dio estimates, in additionto the untold VOD grosses.

“Considering the incred-ibly challenging circum-stances, we are extremelygrateful to the people allover the country who cameout to experience “The In-terview” on the first day ofits unconventional re-lease,” said Rory Bruer,president of worldwide dis-tribution for Sony Picturesin a statement.

For a film that wouldhave just come and gone inthe usual 3,000 theaterswithout much fanfare, the$40 million comedy hasnow become an accidentalcase study in the world ofday-and-date releases, inwhich titles are availableboth in theaters and fordigital rental simultane-ously. The industry iswatching closely to see justwhere audiences willchoose to place their dol-lars in the coming daysand weeks. The big ques-tion is whether or not thisstrategy could be viable formajor releases in the fu-ture.

While a $3,142 per-thea-ter average and sold-outshowings when audienceshad the option to watchthe film from the comfortof their own homes is noth-ing to scoff at, analystsagree that it probablydoesn’t signal the begin-ning of a significantchange in how Hollywooddoes business.

Day-and-date releasesare nothing new, for one.Independent distributorshave embraced this strate-gy for years. But those aregenerally small films witheven smaller budgets—ones that can’t afford amore traditional, wide-spread marketing cam-paign.

For the major studios,it’s never really been anoption.

Theater chains dependon exclusive first-run con-tent to survive. If audienc-es were given the choice tojust rent anything from amid-budget comedy to a$200 million blockbuster onthe day of its release, thea-ters would undoubtedlysuffer.

“The last thing the ma-jor theater chains want isfor this kind of strategy tobe employed by the majorstudios on a more frequentbasis,” said BoxOfficeGu-ru.com editor Gitesh Pan-dya. Earlier this year, War-ner Bros. experimentedwith an unconventionalday-and-date release for“Veronica Mars.” Theaterchains Regal and Cine-mark declined to screenthe film because of its on-line availability. The filmended up showing on 270screens, most of whichwere AMC.

“The relationship be-tween big studios and ex-hibitors is so monumentalthat they’re not going tostart changing things

around anytime soon. Pos-sibly down the road, littleby little. But the old-schoolmodel of putting your ma-jor releases in 3,000 thea-ters nationwide will stayintact for the time being,”Pandya said.

Paul Dergarabedian, asenior media analyst forbox office tracker Rentrak,agreed. “Theatrical is theengine that drives every-thing else. I don’t thinkthis is a sudden gateway tostudios wanting to releasefilms this way,” he said.

Also, “The Interview” isan imperfect case. Patriot-ism, free speech, pure curi-osity and even the desire tobe part of the nationwideconversation have allplayed in to why audiencesflocked to theaters onChristmas Day to see themovie.

“Awareness is throughthe roof,” Dergarabediansaid. “People went out tothe theaters and made anevent out of it. They’re go-ing to be talking about thisfor a long time. That’s a ve-ry interesting and unusualphenomenon that’s usuallyreserved for films like ‘TheHobbit’ or ‘Star Wars.’”

Added Pandya: “Audi-ences who would otherwisenever go to see a Seth Ro-gen movie were hearingabout it and decided tocome out to see what allthe fuss is about.”

Long-term prospects for“The Interview” at the boxoffice remain a mystery.

‘Interview’ makes impactBy LINDSEY BAHRASSOCIATED PRESS

Derek Karpel holds his ticket to a screening of "The Interview" atCinema Village movie theater, in New York Thursday.

Photo by John Minchillo | AP

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 Nation THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

Public NoticeThe Local Federal Coordinating Committee (LFCC) of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) isaccepting applications from non-profi t agencieswishing to apply as the Principal Combined Fund Organization (PCFO) for the Dimmit, Duval, La Salle, Jim Hogg, Maverick, Webb and ZapataCounty areas. The PCFO is a non-profit agencyselected by the LFCC to coordinate and administer the local federal campaign. For more information or an application packet, please contact the United Way of Laredo at (956) 723-9113. Completedapplications should be mailed to the United Wayoffice at P.O. Box 1711 Laredo, TX 78044-1711 ordelivered to 1815 E. Hillside Road in Laredo. The deadline to submit applications is January 30, 2015 by 12:00 noon.

L-60

CINCINNATI — Threeboys who spent the nightwith their grandmother soshe wouldn’t be alone onChristmas died with herFriday morning as a fireengulfed her home, author-ities said.

Fayette County coronerDr. Dennis Mesker said thebadly burned bodies wereturned over to the Mont-gomery County coroner’soffice for autopsies andconfirmation.

They were tentativelyidentified as 60-year-oldTerry Harris and threebrothers: 14-year-old Ke-nyon, 11-year-old Broderickand 9-year-old BraylonHarris. Terry Harris livedalone in the single-story,ranch-style house that wasdestroyed by the fire re-ported shortly after 4 a.m.The boys lived two housesdown with their parents.

“They didn’t want theirgrandma to be by herselfon Christmas night; that’swhy they spent the nightthere,” Fayette CountySheriff Vernon Stanforthsaid. “The children justadored their grandmother.”

State Fire Marshal’sspokesman William Krughsaid state investigators arestill trying to determinewhat caused the blaze.

Stanforth said thegrandmother’s body wasfound near the front door,with the children near, soauthorities think she was

trying to help them get out.Firefighters siftingthrough the smoldering de-bris found the bodieshours after the blaze erupt-ed because the site was toounstable and hot beforethen.

“To lose three childrenand a grandparent, it’s dev-astating to the family,”Stanforth said by tele-phone from the Washing-ton Court House area some40 miles southwest of Co-lumbus. “The fact that it’sthe holidays makes it evenworse for the community.”

He said that he hadknown the family for yearsand that the oldest boy hadwrestled competitively.

“They’re a very close-knit family,” he said.“They were good boys.”

Officials said counselorswere on hand Friday after-noon for family, friendsand the children’s class-mates at Washington CourtHouse city schools’ LibertyHall, and counseling ser-vices will be availablethrough the holiday break.

Authorities investigate the scene of a house where a grandmotherand her three grandchildren were killed in a fire on Friday.

Photo by Eric Albrecht/The Columbus Dispatch | AP

Family foundburned in home

By DAN SEWELLASSOCIATED PRESS

LOS ANGELES — Whiletens of thousands of immi-grants living in the countryillegally are gearing up to ap-ply for a long-sought driver’slicense in California startingJan. 2, others are beingurged to think twice.

Immigrant advocates saythe vast majority should beable to get licensed withouttrouble but they want any-one who previously obtaineda driver’s license under afalse name or someone else’sSocial Security number tospeak first with a lawyer,fearing a new applicationcould trigger a fraud investi-gation.

The same applies to immi-grants with a prior deporta-tion order or criminal recordbecause federal immigrationofficials and law enforcementcan access Department ofMotor Vehicles data duringan investigation.

The advice isn’t meant tofrighten immigrants fromseeking licenses that aremeant to make their liveseasier — especially becausemany already risk gettingticketed or having their carimpounded simply by driv-ing to work or taking theirchildren to school.

“For the vast majority ofpeople, getting a license is agood decision,” said AlisonKamhi, staff attorney at theImmigrant Legal ResourceCenter. “At the same time, Ithink it is important peopleare aware there is somerisk.”

The nation’s most pop-ulous state is preparing tostart issuing driver’s licensesto immigrants in the countryillegally in a bid to make theroads safer and ease fears formore than a million peopleto get behind the wheel. Cali-fornia’s program eclipses thescope and scale of those ap-proved in nine other states,including Nevada, Colorado

and Illinois.The state hopes to avoid

pitfalls faced elsewhere suchas long wait times and highfailure rates on the writtentest by hiring more staff, up-dating test preparation mate-rials and hosting 180 work-shops to tell immigrantswhat they must do to apply.

California is also requir-ing all new license appli-cants to have an appointmentand will take walk-in appli-cants only at four newly cre-ated offices.

“We felt this would be amore orderly way of provid-ing service,” said ArmandoBotello, a DMV spokesman.

California expects 1.4 mil-lion people to apply for the li-censes — which include adistinct marking from thoseissued to U.S. citizens andresidents — over the nextthree years. Officials saythey don’t know if there willbe an initial surge, but thenumber of people making li-cense appointments morethan doubled to 379,000 dur-ing the first two weeks immi-grants were allowed to signup.

Immigrant advocates saidthey don’t foresee majorproblems with the rollout ofthe program because thestate has had more than a

year to prepare and an amplebudget — $141 million span-ning three years.

In Nevada, about 90 per-cent of immigrants failed therequired written test duringthe first few weeks a driverauthorization card was of-fered this year because theywere not prepared. In Colora-do, the state had no startupfunding to issue licenses thisyear and couldn’t keep pacewith demand, leading tomonthslong waits.

Jonathan Blazer, advocacyand policy counsel for theAmerican Civil LibertiesUnion Foundation, said heexpects California to licenseas many immigrants in thecountry illegally as the nineother states, WashingtonD.C., and Puerto Rico com-bined.

“If California is not able todo this right with the re-sources it put into this, otherstates will take notice,” Blaz-er said.

State officials have toutedthe licenses as a boon to pub-lic safety by getting moredrivers trained, tested andinsured. Critics have voicedsecurity concerns and ques-tioned the ability of state of-ficials to verify immigrants’identities.

Like other applicants, im-

migrants will need to provetheir identity and residencyin the state. Those who don’thave a passport or consularidentification card on a pre-approved list can submit oth-er documents for review by aDMV investigator to see ifthey qualify.

To help applicants pre-pare, Mexican consulatesand advocacy groups havebeen hosting driver’s licensepreparation classes formonths. Demand has beenhigh, with more immigrantsinterested than slots availa-ble to learn the rules of theroad.

Abel Rivera, a 37-year-oldforklift driver, took a class tobrush up on differences be-tween driving in Californiaand his native Mexico, wherehe was a truck driver formore than a decade. Onething he hadn’t consideredwas how to drive on icyroads, said Rivera, who hasan appointment in mid-Janu-ary.

“The sooner the better, be-cause it will be safer todrive,” he said, adding thathe hopes to qualify for betterinsurance coverage andavoid problems like thosefaced by his brother when hewas pulled over and had hiscar impounded.

Migrants apply for licensesBy AMY TAXIN

ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this file photo taken on April 23, California Highway Patrol officer Armando Garcia explains to immigrantsthe process of getting a drivers license during an information session at the Mexican Consulate, in San Diego.

Photo by Lenny Ignelzi | AP file

CHARLESTON, S.C. —James B. Edwards, SouthCarolina’s first Republicangovernor since Recon-struction and later energysecretary for two years inthe Reagan administration,has died. He was 87.

His son-in-law Ken Win-gate confirmed that Ed-wards died Friday.

Edwards, an oral sur-geon, helped build themodern Republican Partyin South Carolina, servingas Charleston County partychairman and supportingBarry Goldwater’s presi-dential campaign in the1960s. He later won a seatin the state Senate andthen, in 1974, was electedgovernor.

Edwards was limited toone term under state lawat the time. After leavingthe governor’s mansion, heheaded to Washington asPresident Ronald Reagan’senergy secretary.

Edwards, who was bornin Florida but moved toCharleston County as atoddler, returned in 1982 tobecome president of theMedical University ofSouth Carolina, a positionhe held for 17 years beforeretiring.

“South Carolina has losta statesman and the Repub-lican Party has lost a truepioneer,” said Iris Camp-bell, widow of the late GOPGov. Carroll Campbell, whoworked in Edwards’ admin-istration.

Republican Gov. NikkiHaley said she’s gratefulfor the support and encour-agement Edwards gave her.

“Michael and I are deep-ly saddened by the passingof Gov. Edwards, whoselove for South Carolina in-spired him to serve untilhis last day,” she said.

Senate President ProTem Hugh Leatherman, asenator since 1981, de-scribed Edwards as a “Pal-metto gentleman whosought only the best solu-tions for his community,state, and nation.” U.S. Sen.Tim Scott, a former Char-leston County Councilchairman, said Edwardswas an early mentor of his,and he’ll be “forever thank-ful for his advice.”

Entering the 1974 gover-nor’s race, Edwards wasnot sure of his chances fac-ing well-known retiredGen. William Westmore-land, who commanded U.S.troops in Vietnam, in the

GOP primary. Edwards, who served in

the U.S. Maritime Serviceduring World War II and asa Navy Reserve officer dur-ing the Korean War, wonthe nomination but wasstill a Republican runningin a Democratic state.

That year, however, theDemocrats were divided af-ter the state SupremeCourt ruled that Democrat-ic front-runner Charles D.“Pug” Ravenel did notmeet the residency require-ments to run for governor.

Edwards defeated U.S.Rep. Bryan Dorn — whobecame the Democraticnominee in a special con-vention — by about 17,500votes.

In a 1999 AssociatedPress interview, Edwardssaid the job he most en-joyed was being governor,particularly working on ec-onomic development, edu-cation and energy issues ata time when people seemed

to work together. Duringhis tenure, the EducationFinance Act was passed. Itremains the basis for howK-12 public education isfunded in South Carolina.

“Anything you wanted,you could ask anyone inthe state to help you,” herecalled. “I put away parti-san politics when I got toColumbia. We had thewhole Senate and theHouse, the vast majorityworking with us.”

As Department of Ener-gy secretary, Edwardsserved two years workingon Reagan’s plan to closedown the agency — an ideathat never made it throughCongress.

In 1982, Edwards was re-cruited to take the MUSCjob. He planned to stay on-ly a year or so but endedup staying 17 years duringa time when the universi-ty’s budget grew from $200million to $840 million.During his tenure, morethan 10,000 health profes-sionals graduated from theuniversity.

“God has blessed mewith the ability to pickgood people,” he said. “Ichoose good people andthen I’m smart enough tostay out of the way and letthem do their jobs well.”

Multiple media outletsreport his funeral will be 1p.m. Monday at St. Philip’sChurch in Charleston. Vis-itation will be 5:30-7:30 p.m.Sunday at St. Luke’s Chap-el on the Medical Universi-ty of South Carolina cam-pus in Charleston.

Former SC Gov. dies at age 87By BRUCE SMITH

ASSOCIATED PRESS

In this Dec. 8, 1999 file photo, former South Carolina Gov. JamesB. Edwards stands on the porch of his home in Mount Pleasant.

Photo by Lou Krasky | AP file

SALEM, Ore. — Commercial poultry pro-ducers say they’re concerned the outbreak ofhighly pathogenic bird flu virus found inWashington and Oregon will hurt exports byprompting some nations to impose trade bar-riers.

“It’s probably going to be a problem anywaybecause some countries aren’t going to proper-ly distinguish between backyard and commer-cial,” flocks, export council President JamesSumner told Capital Press. “This likely willhave repercussions that will likely impact theentire U.S. industry.”

Sumner said China already bans poultryimports form five states because of cases oflow pathogenic bird flu.

He said he hoped the U.S. Department ofAgriculture would be able to convince othercountries to continue buying U.S. poultry byshowing the virus has not spread to commer-cial producers.

Officials suspect that wild ducks that breedin Alaska and northeast Asia have spread thevirus to the U.S.

The Oregon Department of Agriculture an-nounced last week that a strain of highly path-ogenic bird flu virus, H5N8, had been found ina flock of 100 guinea fowl and chickens in thesouthern Oregon town of Winston. The U.S.Department of Agriculture has quarantinedthe Winston yard and will dispose of any sur-viving birds

The spot is along the Pacific Flyway, wherethe birds could easily have contact with wildbirds carrying the virus while migratingsouth for the winter, department spokesmanBruce Pokarney said.

Both the H5N2 and H5N8 strains of the vi-rus were found in Washington state. The stateDepartment of Agriculture reported H5N2 in awild northern pintail duck found in WhatcomCounty. A captive gyrfalcon that was fed awild duck from the same area died of H5N8.

In British Columbia, 11 poultry farms havebeen quarantined after discovery of the virus,according to the Canadian Food InspectionAgency.

Many countries, including the UnitedStates, have imposed restrictions on Canadianpoultry and eggs.

The USDA said Friday that it has reportedthe Oregon case to the World Organization ofAnimal Health, and is working with othercountries to minimize trade impacts.

The last outbreak of highly pathogenic birdflu in the United States was in 2004, when7,000 chickens in Texas were infected.

Bird flu toaffect exports

ASSOCIATED PRESS

10A THE ZAPATA TIMES International SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

MOSCOW — Russia iden-tified NATO as the nation’sNo. 1 military threat andraised the possibility of abroader use of precisionconventional weapons to de-ter foreign aggression undera new military doctrinesigned by President Vladi-mir Putin on Friday.

NATO flatly denied it is athreat to Russia, and ac-cused Moscow of under-mining European security.

The new doctrine, whichcomes amid tensions overUkraine, reflected the Krem-lin’s readiness to take astronger posture in re-sponse to what it sees asU.S.-led efforts to isolate andweaken Russia.

The paper maintains theprovisions of the previous,2010 edition of the militarydoctrine regarding the useof nuclear weapons.

It says Russia could em-ploy nuclear weapons in re-taliation for the use of nu-clear or other weapons ofmass destruction againstthe country or its allies, andalso in the case of aggres-sion involving conventional

weapons that “threatens thevery existence” of the Rus-sian state.

But for the first time, thenew doctrine says Russiacould use precision weap-ons “as part of strategic de-terrent measures.” The doc-ument does not spell outwhen and how Moscowcould resort to such weap-ons.

Examples of precisionconventional weapons in-clude ground-to-ground mis-siles, air- and submarine-launched cruise missiles,guided bombs and artilleryshells.

Among other things, thepaper mentions the need toprotect Russia’s interests inthe Arctic, where the globalcompetition for its vast oiland other resources hasbeen heating up as the Arc-tic ice melts.

Russia has relied heavilyon its nuclear deterrent andlagged far behind the U.S.and its NATO allies in thedevelopment of precisionconventional weapons. How-ever, it has recently sped upits military modernization,buying large numbers ofnew weapons and boostingmilitary drills. It has also

sharply increased air pa-trols over the Baltics.

Earlier this month, Rus-sia flexed its muscle by air-lifting state-of-the art Iskan-der missiles to its western-most Kaliningrad exclavebordering NATO membersPoland and Lithuania. Themissiles were pulled back totheir home base after thedrills, but the deploymentclearly served as a demon-stration of the military’sreadiness to quickly raisethe ante in a crisis.

Russia has threatened topermanently station the Is-kander missiles, which canhit targets up to 480 kilome-ters (about 300 miles) awaywith high precision, in re-taliation for U.S.-led NATO’smissile defense plans. TheIskander can be fitted witha nuclear or conventionalwarhead.

On Friday, Moscow suc-cessfully test-fired the RS-24Yars intercontinental ballis-tic missile from the Plesetsklaunchpad in northwesternRussia.

The 29-page doctrine out-lines top threats to Russia’ssecurity and possible re-sponses. It is the document’sthird edition since Putin

was first elected in 2000.The doctrine places “a

buildup of NATO militarypotential and its empower-ment with global functionsimplemented in violation ofinternational law, the expan-sion of NATO’s military in-frastructure to the Russianborders” atop the list of mil-itary threats to Russia.

It stresses that the de-ployment of foreign militaryforces on the territory ofRussia’s neighbors could beused for “political and mil-itary pressure.”

NATO spokeswoman Oa-na Lungescu responded bysaying in a statement thatthe alliance “poses no threatto Russia or to any nation.”

“Any steps taken by NA-TO to ensure the security ofits members are clearly de-fensive in nature, propor-tionate and in compliancewith international law,” shesaid. “In fact, it is Russia’sactions, including currentlyin Ukraine, which arebreaking international lawand undermining Europeansecurity.”

Russia’s relations with

the West have plummeted totheir lowest level since ColdWar times, and NATO cutoff ties to Moscow after itannexed Ukraine’s CrimeanPeninsula in March. Uk-raine and the West have al-so accused Moscow of fuel-ing the pro-Russia insurgen-cy in eastern Ukraine withtroops and weapons, accusa-tions the Kremlin has de-nied.

In 2010, NATO adopted itscurrent so-called StrategicConcept. Without specifyingwhich countries might beon the receiving end, thedocument states that “deter-rence, based on an appropri-ate mix of nuclear and con-ventional capabilities, re-mains a core element” ofNATO’s overall strategy.

Former Soviet PresidentMikhail Gorbachev, whohad been critical of Putin inthe past but has stronglybacked the Kremlin in itsdispute with the West, saidFriday that Russia’s actionswere a response to U.S. andNATO moves.

“I think the president isright to a large extent when

he draws attention to a par-ticular responsibility of theUnited States,” he said inMoscow.

The U.S. and the Euro-pean Union have slappedsanctions against Moscow,which have deepened Rus-sia’s economic woes andcontributed to a sharp de-valuation of the ruble,which lost about half its val-ue this year.

The economic crisiscould challenge Russia’sambitious weapons modern-ization program, but so farthe Kremlin has shown nointention of scaling back.

The program envisagesthe deployment of new nu-clear-tipped intercontinentalballistic missiles, the con-struction of nuclear subma-rines and a sweeping mod-ernization of Russia’s con-ventional arsenals.

Russia has been particu-larly concerned about theso-called Prompt GlobalStrike program under devel-opment in the U.S., whichwould be capable of strikingtargets anywhere in theworld in as little as an hour.

Russian military doctrine says NATO top threatBy VLADIMIR ISACHENKOV

ASSOCIATED PRESS

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 THE ZAPATA TIMES 11A

Israel Martinez, passedaway on Tuesday, December23, 2014 at his residence inZapata, Texas.

Mr. Martinez is survivedby his wife, Olga Rodriguezde Martinez; sons, Israel Jr.(Maria Lilia) Martinez, Jose(Julieta) Martinez, Gerardo(Iraselia) Martinez, David(Griselda) Martinez, Ricky(Mariselva) Martinez, LuisAlberto (Rubi) Leal, Alejan-dro (Ana) Rodriguez; daugh-ters, Esmeralda (Homero)Garza, Arabela Martinez,Humbelina Martinez (Mar-cos Salinas); nineteengrandchildren; brother, JoseInez (Blanca) Martinez, Ro-lando (Nora) Martinez, Rus-bel (Carmen) Martinez; sis-ters, Humbelina Martinez,Araceli (+Roberto) Medina,Eunice Rangel, Norma (Fer-nando) Rendon and by nu-merous nephews, nieces,other family members andfriends.

Visitation hours wereheld on Friday, December26, 2014, from 6 p.m. to 9p.m. at Rose Garden Funer-

al Home.A Chapel Service will be

held on Saturday, December27, 2014 at 10 a.m. at RoseGarden Funeral Home.

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

ISRAEL MARTINEZ

Oct. 19, 1950 — Dec. 23, 2014

gar.

‘Really huge’Falcon and the adjacent

Rio Grande, the researchsuggests, may well outshinethe trophy-gar fishery in theTrinity River, a fishery thatdraws rod-and-reel anglersand bowfishers from acrossthe state, nation and othercountries.

"There are some huge — Imean really huge, world-re-cord-class — alligator gar inFalcon," said Dave Terre,chief of fisheries manage-ment and research for TexasParks and Wildlife Depart-ment’s inland fisheries divi-sion. "What’s really cool isthat some of the data col-lected in this study has nev-er been collected before inTexas. It adds so much toour knowledge base for thisfish."

The research project,headed by Randy Myers ofTPWD’s inland fisheries di-vision, profiled Falcon’s alli-gator gar fishery and theanglers who target the na-tion’s second-largest fresh-water fish. (Only sturgeongrow larger than alligatorgar, which can exceed 300pounds.)

Impetus for the studycame from concerns voicedby Falcon anglers, fishing-related businesses and pub-lic officials after the TexasParks and Wildlife Commis-sion in 2009 adopted agency-recommended restrictionson harvest of alligator gar.The new rules replaced theprevious unrestricted, un-limited take of alligator garwith a one-fish-per-day lim-it.

The move was aimed atprotecting the state’s alliga-

tor gar population fromoverfishing. Like most top-end predators, alligator garare long-lived and slow tomature. They have relative-ly low reproduction levels,making them vulnerable tooverharvest. The fish havebeen extirpated or theirpopulations severely re-duced throughout most oftheir range. Texas and Loui-siana have the best remain-ing alligator gar popula-tions, with Texas holdingthe best trophy-class garfisheries.

The TPWD study wasaimed at addressing con-cerns that the one-fish limitunnecessarily limited har-vest of alligator gar and thata thriving gar population inFalcon was preying heavilyon, and damaging, the lake’sprized largemouth bass andother game fish.

TPWD staff, often withhelp of local rod-and-reel an-gler and bowfishers, collect-ed scores of alligator garfrom Falcon. They learnedmuch, Myers said.

Turns out, Falcon’s alliga-tor gar eat few largemouthbass. Studies of the stomachcontents of almost 400 Fal-con alligator gar showed al-most 90 percent of the fish-es’ diet were carp, tilapiaand gizzard shad. Large-mouth bass accounted foronly eight percent of thefish found in gar stomachs.

Higher growth ratesGrowth rates for Falcon’s

alligator gar were consider-ably higher than those forgar collected in previousstudies in Texas and otherstates. Female gar in Falcongrew to about 5 feet in fiveyears, with males hitting

the 5-foot mark in 10 years.Females weighing 100pounds averaged just 9years old. Falcon’s femalealligator gar reached sexualmaturity (6 feet) in just sev-en years, almost half thetime it takes females inmore northern waters toreach maturity.

Falcon’s almost year-round warm climate andgrowing season is likely afactor in the rapid growth ofthe lake’s alligator gar, aswell as the extremely largesize of some of the gar inthe reservoir and river. Alli-gator gar weighing morethan 200 pounds are not un-common in the reservoir. Agar weighing 249 poundswas landed from the reser-voir this past month and isthe pending lake record fora rod-and-reel-caught alliga-tor gar. But larger ones havebeen taken. A gar measur-ing 8 feet, 9 inches was land-ed by a Falcon angler in2013. That fish was 9 incheslonger than the 290-poundalligator gar taken from theTrinity River that holds theTexas record for bowfishers.

"That fish was probably aworld record," Terre said.

The world-record rod-and-reel-caught alligator gar,which has stood since 1951,weighed 279 pounds. It wascaught from the Rio Grande.

There are indications,Terre said, that alligatorgar in the Rio Grandedrainage may be slightly ge-netically different from oth-er populations across thefishes’ range. That differ-ence could give them the ge-netic predisposition to growlarger — kind of like thedifference between Floridalargemouth bass and north-ern largemouth bass.

The angler who caught

the monstrous 8-foot, 9-inchalligator gar from Falcondeclined repeated efforts ofTPWD fisheries biologistsand game wardens to havethe fish officially weighed.The angler wasn’t interest-ed in records; he simplywanted to eat the fish. Andthat’s another unusual char-acteristic of Falcon’s alliga-tor gar fishery: Most an-glers targeting alligator garon the reservoir do so be-cause they want to eat thefish.

Almost all of the fishingpressure aimed at Falcon’sgar is from local anglers —88 percent of the 141 gar an-glers TPWD staff inter-viewed lived within a 11/2-hour drive of the lake,Myers said. The majority —more than 75 percent —said they kept the fish toeat.

The TPWD study indicat-ed harvest of Falcon’s alliga-tor gar by the relatively fewanglers targeting the fishwas low, with anglers an-nually taking only about 1percent of the population.

That low harvest rate,coupled with Falcon’shealthy gar population andthe anglers’ desire to takemore than one fish per day,has TPWD planning to rec-ommend loosening regula-tions on the reservoir.

In January, inland fisher-ies officials officially willpropose allowing anglers onFalcon to take as many asfive alligator gar per day.

"We think this proposedbag limit is supported bythe science presented inthis study, is sufficient toconserve this populationlong into the future, and itmeets the needs and desiresexpressed by our constitu-ents," Terre said.

GAR Continued from Page 1A

Counties can already negotiate leases for min-eral rights under buildings they own, such ascourthouses.

“We would like legislation that returns thatrevenue stream to the county, and allows us touse it to offset the damages,” Fowler said. “Tohave this attorney general’s opinion to saywe’re not entitled is a real stretch.”

DeWitt County is one of 30 counties in theEagle Ford Shale in South Texas, where the oiland gas boom has drawn new residents andgenerated revenue for the state, but also dam-aged roads never meant to carry 18-wheeltrucks.

“Our road system is wholly inadequate forwhat is going on in the Eagle Ford Shale,” Fow-ler said. “We’re doing what we can with therevenue that we have.”

It would cost more than $400 million to repairand upgrade more than 300 miles of roads inDeWitt County, according to a 2012 report by anengineering firm hired by the county.

Legislation on the issue never made it out ofcommittee last session. State Rep. Garnet Cole-man, D-Houston, chairman of the House Coun-ty Affairs Committee, said he supports helpingthe counties.

“It’s important to get this right,” said Cole-man, who added that the issue had a betterchance in the next session because lawmakersare better educated about it.

The 1960 opinion by then-Attorney GeneralWill Wilson is consistent with a convention inTexas and other states that roadways are thestate’s business, said Matthew Festa, a profes-sor at the South Texas College of Law and anexpert in property laws.

“It would take some creative drafting to comeup with a law that provides an exception to thisrule against counties negotiating a lease with-out undermining the larger framework of thestate’s essential sovereignty over the road-ways,” Festa said.

A spokesman for Attorney General Greg Ab-bott, the governor-elect, declined to commenton the 1960 opinion.

Jerry Patterson, the state’s departing landcommissioner, said the land office should con-tinue negotiating the leases. But he said he didnot see a problem with money generated by theleases going to the counties.

Fowler said he did not care whether thecounties or the state negotiated the leases. Hejust wants the counties to get a piece of the pie.

ROADSContinued from Page 1A

U.S. stocks extended arally, as the Nasdaq Com-posite Index climbed tothe highest since March2000 and the Russell 2000Index reached a record,on one of the slowest trad-ing days of the year. Pre-cious metals advanced,while oil capped a fifthweekly loss.

The Standard & Poor’s500 Index added 0.3 per-cent to a record at 4 p.m.in New York, and the Rus-sell 2000 jumped 0.7 per-cent to top its March high.The Nasdaq Compositerose 0.7 percent. Gold ad-vanced 1.9 percent and sil-ver gained the most sinceDec. 9. Natural gas futuresslipped below $3 per mil-lion British thermal unitsfor the first time since2012 and settled at thelowest in 27 months. U.S.crude slid to cap a fifthweekly loss. The ruble

weakened 1.9 percent,while the Micex Index in-creased 0.7 percent.

Equity markets ad-vanced this week, and U.S.stocks regained their loss-es from earlier thismonth, with the Dow ris-ing seven straight days toclose above 18,000. The ru-ble capped its first weeklyadvance in a month amidspeculation the govern-ment is ordering expor-ters to sell foreign curren-cy. Most markets in Eu-rope and Asia are shuttoday for Boxing Day,while the U.S. reopened af-ter the Christmas holiday.About 3.3 billion shareschanged hands today, theslowest full-day of tradingthis year.

“We’ve had quite a runhere,” Eric Cinnamond,who manages the $691million Aston/River RoadIndependent Value Fund,said by phone from Louis-ville, Kentucky. “The con-sensus has been that the

domestic economy is im-proving and small-capsare more exposed to thatthan large-cap multina-tional companies. Manag-ers are making surethey’re owning what’sworking and the herdmentality is at extremesright now.”

U.S. stocks recoveredlosses from earlier thismonth as the Federal Re-serve said it will be pa-tient on the timing of in-terest-rate increases andthe U.S. economy expand-ed at the fastest pace inmore than a decade. Boththe S&P 500 and the Doware trading at records.The Dow has risen forseven days in its longestrally since March 2013.

The S&P 500 has ad-vanced 0.9 percent thisweek, while the Dow is up1.4 percent and the Rus-sell 2000 has gained 1.6percent. The Nasdaq Com-posite rose 0.9 percent inthe week.

The small-cap and tech-nology gauges haveshown resilience this year,recovering from a correc-tion that saw it slip 11 per-cent over a five-week peri-od starting in early Sep-tember. The index hassurged 16 percent sincereaching a one-year lowon Oct. 13.

Even with its 4.4 per-cent gain in 2014, the Rus-sell still trails the S&P500, which has climbed 13percent. The Dow has in-creased 9.1 percent year-to-date.

“Momentum has beenbuilding in the last monthfor small- cap names,” Mi-chael James, a Los An-geles-based managing di-rector of equity trading atWedbush Securities Inc.,said by phone on Dec. 24.It’s merely playing catchup. Given that the Russellhas lagged through thisyear, people are trying tofind beta for perform-ance.’’

Nasdaq rises to 14-year highBy JEREMY HERRONBLOOMBERG NEWS

12A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

on the outskirts of CiudadAltamirano, Guerrero, onSunday and Monday. Lo-pez Gorostieta was appar-ently kidnapped by thegang early Monday; histruck was found aban-doned two days later.

“This is another priestadded to those who havedied for their love ofChrist,” Bishop Martinezsaid. “Enough already ofso much pain, of so manymurders. Enough alreadyof so much crime. Enoughextortions.”

That was an apparentreference to the “protec-tion payments” that thelocal drug gang, theKnights Templar, demandfrom business owners inCiudad Altamirano. Onebusiness owner, who didnot want to be named forfear of reprisals, said hisfamily had been forced topay thousands of pesos(dollars) each year to thegang for the right to oper-ate a pharmacy.

While the Rev. JesusMendoza Zaragoza said

gangs have also demandedprotection payments fromparish priests in the near-by resort city of Acapulco,Lopez Gorostieta didn’thave a parish or collecttithes.

But Bishop Martinezsaid there could be othermotives: Priests have re-ceived threats when theyrefuse to perform quickiemarriages or baptisms fordrug gang members. Thechurch normally requiresextensive paperwork be-fore performing such cer-emonies.

“At times, if they ask fora baptism and you don’tdo it, they start to threat-en you,” Martinez said.“They want a marriage,or a blessing” for a car ora home, he said, andwon’t take “no” for an an-swer.

The Mexican Council ofBishops issued a state-ment saying “we demandauthorities clear up thisand so many other crimesthat have caused pain inso many homes, and en-

sure that it is punished.”But Mendoza Zaragoza

said there appears to belittle likelihood author-ities will find the killers,because they haven’t doneso in past cases. “The gov-ernment offers to investi-gate, but nothing is everknown,” he said referringto the other recent killingof a priest in the Altami-rano diocese.

In September, the bat-tered body of the Rev. As-cension Acuña Osoriowas found floating in theBalsas river near his par-ish of San Miguel Totola-pan, near Ciudad Altami-rano. Guerrero state pros-

ecutors said the priest’sbody had head wounds,but it was unclear wheth-er they were caused bythe body being dragged bythe current, or whetherhe had been killed beforebeing dumped in the river.Martinez said authoritiesnever offered more infor-mation on the investiga-tion into his death.

Residents of San MiguelTotolapan told reportersthat Acuña Osorio waswell liked in the town, butthey were afraid to speakmore about his death, orthe gang that operates inthe area. The town is anarea dominated by the

Guerreros Unidos drugcartel, which has been im-plicated in the mass kill-ing of 43 students in Sep-tember in the nearby cityof Iguala.

The area is so danger-ous that Martinez saidone priest had been brief-ly kidnapped in the moun-tains above San MiguelTotolapan by cartel gun-men who complained thepriest had been speakingin favor of “La Familia”— the name of a rivaldrug cartel.

The priest had to quick-ly explain he had beenpreaching in favor of fam-ily values, not the rivalcartel.

Nor have authoritiescleared up the killing of aUgandan priest whosebody was found in a clan-destine grave in a nearbyGuerrero diocese in No-vember.

Father John Ssenyondo,55, had been kidnappedabout six months earlier.His body was later identi-fied as one of 13 found in

a clandestine grave dis-covered Nov. 2 in the townof Ocotitlan.

Ssenyondo, a member ofthe Combonian order, wasabducted April 30 in thetown of Santa Cruz aftercelebrating Mass, when agroup of people in an SUVintercepted his car.

Several priests have al-so been victims of high-way assaults in Guerreroin recent months that ap-pear to be attempted rob-beries.

Church officials also be-lieve three abductions ofchurch workers in Marchmay have been intendedto discourage priests fromleading protests againstrampant violence. Thethree were released un-harmed.

The Catholic Multime-dia Center, a churchgroup, reports that eightpriests were killed in thepast two years in Mexico— now nine including Lo-pez Gorostieta’s death —and that two priests re-main missing.

PRIESTS Continued from Page 1A

“At times, if (drug gang members)ask for a baptism and you don’tdo it, they start to threaten you.”BISHOP MAXIMINO MARTINEZ

“The numbers increaseda lot this past month, al-most to 100 every day [lastweek],” said Sister NormaPimentel, executive direc-tor of Catholic Charities ofthe Rio Grande Valley. “Wehave seen some that havealready been caught andtried again. They have hopethat they have a chance ata better life here.”

After Christmas, shesaid, the charity will beginsearching for a facility toturn what began as a tem-porary shelter into a per-manent offering.

Pimentel oversees thevolunteer effort providingshort-term shelter to someof the thousands of womenand children who havetrekked to Texas from Cen-tral America. About 52,300families surrendered to theU.S. Border Patrol in theRio Grande Valley duringthe 2014 fiscal year, an in-crease of more than 500

percent over 2013. About50,000 unaccompanied chil-dren were caught or sur-rendered to border agentsin the Valley in fiscal year2014.

The number of unaccom-panied minors apprehend-ed, or who have surren-dered, has gone down fromabout 5,460 in October andNovember of 2013 to about3,220 during the samemonths this year. But thenumber of parents with oneor more minor children hasstayed about the same: 3,430in October and Novemberof last year compared with3,360 this year.

“It doesn’t look like it’sgoing to end any timesoon,” Pimentel said. “[TheBorder Patrol] consideredthe fact that we’re here andwe’re prepared to receivethem.”

With so many arrivals,the Border Patrol releasesmost families to the church

shelter with orders forthem to appear before animmigration judge in what-ever city they reach. Somestay in Texas. Others headfor New York, Miami, Bos-ton or Chicago, among oth-er cities.

Some of the migrantsnow show up at the shelterwith ankle bracelets so offi-cials can track their move-ments. Nina Pruneda, aspokeswoman with Immi-gration and Customs En-forcement, said the agen-cy’s first priority is to makesure dangerous criminalsaren’t released.

Beyond that, she said inan email, the agency de-cides where to send fam-ilies and children on a case-by-case basis.

During the summer’s re-cord immigrant surge, Re-publicans accused the Oba-ma administration ofspawning the disaster withlax enforcement of immi-

gration policies. Texas lead-ers responded by sending aflood of state police and theTexas National Guard tothe area.

The administration, inturn, touted its quick re-sponse, and has since saidefforts to curb the unau-thorized migration havebeen working.

“Since the spring, thenumbers of unaccompaniedchildren crossing the south-ern border illegally havegone down considerably,”Department of HomelandSecurity Secretary JehJohnson told the U.S. HouseHomeland Security Com-mittee earlier this month.

But should the numberscontinue to creep up, na-tional attention — and po-litical jousting — will al-most certainly focus againon the border. Republicanswill likely seek ammuni-tion to help shoot down thepresident’s latest unilateral

move on immigration. Lastmonth, President Obamaannounced he was usinghis executive authority togrant an estimated 5 mil-lion undocumented immi-grants already in the Unit-ed States a reprieve fromdeportation proceedingsand a work permit. Thoughthe president stressed thepolicy would not apply topeople who arrived in thecountry recently, Republi-cans have argued it will actas a magnet, enticing peo-ple to risk their lives andcome to America.

Spotlight or not, local of-ficials and charities expectto be dealing with the flowof undocumented immi-grants for the foreseeablefuture.

Through Oct. 17, localgovernments had spentabout $560,000 to aid in thehumanitarian effort. Gov-ernments including the ci-ties of McAllen and Wesla-

co, and Hidalgo and Willacycounties, have asked thefederal and state govern-ments for reimbursement,but a McAllen city officialsaid they haven’t heardback.

The crisis has also putthe area in the spotlight. Pi-mentel said the Americanand Latin Americanbranches of Catholic Char-ities will hold their annualconference in McAllen nextyear. Pimentel has beennominated for The DallasMorning News’ Texan ofthe Year award. She hopespeople won’t lose sight ofthe root cause of the shel-ter’s mission.

“It’s the right thing to doand that’s my position,” shesaid. “Your heart breaksand you want to help. It’sbittersweet. All of this at-tention comes from the factthat there are a lot of peo-ple suffering, a lot of peoplehurting.”

SURGE Continued from Page 1A

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

IRVING — Tony Romohasn’t made it throughhis past two gamesagainst Washington with-out a back injury, and themost realistic playoff sce-narios don’t require theCowboys to beat the Red-skins on Sunday.

So what does thatmean for the 34-year-oldquarterback who has ac-tually had three backproblems in less thantwo years? Not much.

“I go in with the exactsame mental approach Ido every game,” Romosaid. “If you’re a footballplayer and there’s agame, there’s only oneway to play and it’s hardthe whole time. You go

NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Out for revenge

Dallas running back DeMarco Murray and the Cowboys don’t need a win Sunday, but plan on try-ing to get some redemption after losing to Washington 20-17 earlier in the season.

File photo by Tim Sharp | AP

CHARLOTTE — Geor-gia running back ToddGurley has informedcoach Mark Richt thathe plans to enter theNFL draft.

Richt said after prac-tice Friday for the BelkBowl that Gurley won’treturn for his senior sea-son. The 13th-rankedBulldogs face No. 20Louisville on Tuesday.

The news doesn’tcome as a huge surprise.

Gurley was a presea-son Heisman Trophycandidate and got off toa strong start, but a four-game suspension and aknee injury derailed apromising season.

MEMPHIS — WestVirginia senior quar-terback Clint Trickettis retiring from footballbecause of concussionsand won’t play in theLiberty Bowl on Mon-

day against TexasA&M.

Trickett said Fridaythat he had enduredfive concussions overthe last 14 months.

“It would be danger-ous for me to be outthere,” Trickett said.

West Virginia coachDana Holgorsen indi-cated that Trickettwasn’t cleared to playin the bowl game andthat sophomore SkylerHoward would start at

HOUSTON —Should J.J. Watt be theNFL’s Most ValuablePlayer?

Many who are paidto find ways to slowdown the overpower-ing defensive end forthe Houston Texans

say yes.“I’d vote for him,”

Cincinnati offensivecoordinator Hue Jack-son said. “I’ve neverhad a game in mycoaching career whenI basically had to planto run one way all day,and he forced me to do

Houston DE J.J. Watt is making his case to be the MVP,leading the NFL with 25 tackles for loss and 47 QB hits.

Photo by Patric Schneider | AP

Watt makesMVP case

Could Houston end become firstdefensive MVP since 1986?By KRISTIE RIEKENASSOCIATED PRESS

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — AlexSmith thought he had some in-digestion. It turned out to be alacerated spleen.

Now, the Kansas City Chiefswill put their already slimplayoff hopes in the hands ofcareer backup Chase Daniel,who will make his second-everstart Sunday against San Die-go.

The Chiefs need to beat theChargers and hope that Balti-more loses to Cleveland andHouston gets beat by Jackson-

ville to reach the postseasonfor the second straight year.San Diego needs only to defeatits longtime AFC West rival toget back to the playoffs — andnow faces a second-stringquarterback.

“The guys have a lot of trustin Chase,” Chiefs coach AndyReid said shortly after Friday’spractice. “Our heart goes outto Alex. It’s not something hewanted to happen. He wantedto be out there. But the guysknow Chase. They’re comfort-able with him.”

Daniel should be comfort-able facing the Chargers, too.

Last season, the Chiefs (8-7)had already locked up theirplayoff seed before their regu-lar-season finale in San Diego.Reid rested his starters andDaniel made his first NFLstart, playing well in an over-time loss that allowed theChargers to squeak into theplayoffs.

Smith is expected to missabout six weeks, Chiefs trainerRick Burkholder said, thoughhis age and fitness level couldshorten that timeframe. TheChiefs would need to make the

With slim playoff odds, Kansas City lost its quarterback as Alex Smith has alacerated spleen. The Chiefs host San Diego on Sunday.

Photo by Tom Puskar | AP

Smith to miss pivotal Week 17By DAVE SKRETTAASSOCIATED PRESS

See SMITH PAGE 2B

Cowboysplayingfor win

By SCHUYLER DIXONASSOCIATED PRESS

See COWBOYS PAGE 2B See WATT PAGE 2B

NCAA FOOTBALL

Georgia running back Todd Gurley, who was suspended four games for improper benefits andlater tore his ACL, will enter the NFL draft according to his head coach.

Photo by John Bazemore | AP

West Virginia quarterback Clint Trickett will not pursue a career in professional football orplay in the team’s bowl game against Texas A&M, retiring from the game due to concussions.

File photo by Eric Gay | AP

Richt: Gurley willenter the NFL draft

Trickett retiringafter concussions

By STEVE REEDASSOCIATED PRESS

ASSOCIATED PRESS

See TRICKETT PAGE 2BSee GURLEY PAGE 2B

that. Even running awayfrom him, he made plays.”

No defensive player haswon the MVP since Law-rence Taylor in 1986, join-ing Alan Page in 1971 asthe only defenders to pickup the honor. Only quar-terbacks and runningbacks have won since Tay-lor had 20 1/2 sacks for theGiants in 1986 to win it.

Colts coach Chuck Paga-no has had to plan forWatt twice this season,and perhaps Watt’s bestgame this year cameagainst Indianapolis inWeek 6. Watt had twosacks, swatted down threepasses and returned afumble by Andrew Luck 45yards for a touchdown.

“He’s a nightmare,” Pa-gano said. “It’s like ascary movie ... he’s nearunblockable. And his mo-tor never stops. He’s gotgreat instincts, a greatskill set, what can yousay? He’d get my vote forMVP right now.”

Watt leads the NFL with25 tackles for losses and 47quarterbacks hits. His 171/2 sacks are second mostin the NFL and he needs 21/2 to become the firstplayer in NFL historywith at least 20 sacks intwo seasons. He leads theNFL with five fumble re-coveries and is the firstplayer since Bill Goldingin 1948 to have three offen-

sive touchdowns and twotouchdowns on takeawaysin a season.

Scott Linehan, the pass-ing game coordinator andplay caller for the Cow-boys, said you can’t stopWatt, but the focus is tokeep him from “wreckingthe game.” He doesn’t seewhy Watt shouldn’t winMVP.

“It’s hard to argueagainst it,” Linehan said.“I don’t vote for that stuffso my vote doesn’t count.But the things he’s doneare so rare. I think rarethings make people MVPcandidates.”

The 25-year-old, in hisfourth NFL season, hassparked a Houston defensethat leads the NFL with afranchise-record 34 take-aways this season.

“Some can be attributedto his pressure or some-times interceptions comefrom tips and overthrows,and he’s got his hand onthe ball quite a few times,”Jacksonville coach GusBradley said. “He’s just aguy that I think really ele-vates everybody aroundhim.”

Another highlight forWatt came in a win overBuffalo when he got bothof his oversized hands ona pass thrown by E.J.Manuel, batted it downand intercepted it beforerunning 80 yards for a

touchdown.And his contributions

aren’t just limited to de-fense. The 6-foot-5, 289-pound Watt, who startedhis college career as atight end, has caught three

both hands on the ballwhen he’s grabbing TDpasses.

“He looks like (Rob)Gronkowski out thereright now running,” Paga-no said, comparing him toNew England’s Pro Bowltight end. “The catch hemade from the fullbackspot in the flat was phe-nomenal.”

The Texans, of course,are impressed with Watt’swork, but coach BillO’Brien isn’t doing anycampaigning for theaward.

“I understand the ques-tion, but I could care lessabout the MVP,” O’Briensaid when asked if heshould win it. “I reallycould. I know that hecould care less about it,too. I think it’s about theteam.”

That doesn’t mean Wattdoesn’t enjoy hearingcoaches say he should winit.

“It’s special,” he said.“It’s very humbling tohear that from othercoaches and playersaround the league, be-cause those are the guysthat you work hard toearn the respect from. ...They’ve seen you, andthey know what they’retalking about, so those arethe guys that you’d reallylike to have the respectof.”

Some in the NFL don’tlike that defensive playersare rarely in the conversa-tion for MVP. Green Bayquarterback Aaron Rodg-ers, Patriots quarterbackTom Brady, Luck and Dal-las running back DeMarcoMurray are other top con-tenders to win this year’saward. None plays de-fense.

Pagano would arguethat Watt’s importance tothe Texans is as high asthat of any quarterback.

“Like a quarterbacktouches the ball every sin-gle play, J.J. affects thegame that way,” Paganosaid. “I know he doesn’tplay that position. Younormally don’t see it froma position at the defensiveline, but he’s as good as orbetter than anybody that’sever played on that side ofthe football.”

Watt also plays on spe-cial teams, using his hugemitts to get in the face ofkickers and punters, andhe blocked an extra pointattempt in a win overWashington in September.

With everything he doesJackson believes Watt isthe epitome of an MVP.

“You take him off thatfootball team, that’s a dif-ferent football team,”Jackson said. “The facthe’s out there playinggives them a chance towin every football game.”

touchdown passes for theTexans, who host Jackson-ville on Sunday and arestill in the playoff hunt.Watt practices one-handedcatches during the weekand in pregame, but puts

WATT Continued from Page 1B

J.J. Watt has a chance to become the first MVP from the defensiveside of the ball since 1986.

Photo by Patric Schneider | AP

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014

playoffs and then likelyadvance all the way tothe Super Bowl for himto return this season.

“I didn’t know what tomake of it,” Smith said.“Once you start hearinghow serious it is, obvi-ously yeah, you know theimplications as far as notplaying — that’s the lastthing you want to hear.At the same time, you’renot crazy.”

The Chiefs, who havelost four of five, havebeen plagued by injuriesall season.

Defensive tackle MikeDeVito and linebackerDerrick Johnson werelost to torn Achilles ten-dons and offensive guardJeff Allen a torn bicepsin Week 1. Runningbacks Joe McKnight andCyrus Gray, tight end De-metrius Harris and widereceiver A.J. Jenkinshave joined them on in-jured reserve.

Then there’s safety Er-ic Berry, who was placedon the non-football injurylist and diagnosed withHodgkin’s lymphoma.Berry is currently under-going chemotherapy andother treatments.

Smith believes he washurt on a hit early in thethird quarter of last Sun-day’s 20-12 loss at Pitts-burgh. He didn’t feel anypain until after he hadshowered, and then it feltlike cramps and pres-sure. He visited with theteam’s medical staff butdidn’t go through fulltesting.

“Thought it was some-thing I ate,” said Smith,who ultimately tooksome antacids.

Smith practiced twiceearly in the week, feelingfine other than somenausea. There had been astomach virus goingaround the team thatkept wide receiverDwayne Bowe from prac-

ticing all of last week, soSmith and the trainingstaff suspected thatmight be the cause.

The Chiefs had off forChristmas and Smithdidn’t want to leave hisfamily, but a team doctorhelped persuade him toundergo a scan, which tohis surprise found a 3-centimeter laceration.There was only a bit ofbleeding, though, whichexplained why Smith hadso few symptoms.

“If you would take an-other shot there and thelaceration would in-crease, then you have amedical emergency,”Burkholder said. “This isa 1-in-100 find for ourdoctors because he didn’thave any signs of aspleen (injury).”

Burkholder said scansalso revealed a slight en-largement of the spleen,and Smith will havemore testing to deter-mine why that’s the case.Burkholder said it mayjust be natural.

“It’s a non-surgicalcase. It will heal on itsown, but he is going tohave to have some timedown from contacts andcollisions,” Burkholdersaid. “I won’t go as far asto say that we saved alife, but you saved some-thing that could go onSunday.”

Daniel, who starrednearby at Missouri, wasacquired by the Chiefslast season. He’s ap-peared in only sevengames since, mostly inmop-up duty, but was 21of 30 for 200 yards with aTD pass and no intercep-tions in that 27-24 loss toSan Diego last year.

“We have a sharp gameplan this week. We’re ex-cited about it,” Danielsaid after Friday’s work-out, “and it was great toget out here and go overthe entire game plan.”

SMITH Continued from Page 1B

quarterback for the Mountain-eers (7-5) against Texas A&M(7-5).

Trickett hasn’t played sincebeing knocked out of a 26-20loss to Kansas State on Nov. 20.After disclosing Friday all theconcussions he’d sustainedover the last 14 months, Trick-ett suggested he hadn’t told theteam’s medical staff aboutsome of them at the time theyhappened.

“That was on me,” Trickettsaid. “If they would haveknown, they probably wouldhave been more cautious aboutit, but I was trying to pushthrough it.”

Trickett said he plans to gointo coaching and referred toit as the “family business.”Trickett is the son of FloridaState offensive line coach RickTrickett. He began his collegecareer with Florida State be-fore transferring to West Vir-ginia.

“I know he’s going to be ahell of a coach one day,” Hol-gorsen said.

Howard is 36 of 65 for 483yards with five touchdown pas-ses and no interceptions inthree games this season. Hestarted West Virginia’s regu-lar-season finale against IowaState and threw for 285 yards

and three touchdowns whilerushing for 69 more yards inthe Mountaineers’ 37-24 victo-ry.

“The improvements that hemade in the last two months,I’ve never seen it with a quar-terback before, not as a truesophomore,” Holgorsen said.

Trickett completed 67.1 per-cent of his passes for 3,285yards and 18 touchdowns with10 interceptions this season.

“I would love to be out thereand finish the season with myguys my last game,” Trickettsaid. “It’s unfortunate how itended, but I had a great senioryear.”

TRICKETT Continued from Page 1B

all out. I think you’re doing a dis-service to the game and your teamif you don’t play that way.”

Besides, the only inexplicableloss this season for NFC East cham-pion Dallas (11-4) came against aWashington team already going no-where in October. Granted, theCowboys were without Romo forabout a quarter in the second halfafter taking a direct hit to his sur-gically repaired back on a sack bylinebacker Keenan Robinson.

But they still couldn’t get keystops against third-string quarter-back Colt McCoy, who started inplace of ineffective backup KirkCousins while Robert Griffin IIIwas still sidelined with a dislocatedankle. The 20-17 loss in overtimesnapped Dallas’ six-game winningstreak.

“Everyone knows what happenedlast time,” defensive lineman Ty-rone Crawford said. “That’s not afeeling that we like around here. Sowe don’t want it to happen again.”

The earlier win means the Red-skins (4-11) can break even in thedivision in an otherwise dismalfirst season under coach Jay Gru-den. Plus, Washington is coming offa 27-24 upset of Philadelphia thatput the Cowboys in position toknock the Eagles out of the playoffs,which they did the next day bybeating Indianapolis.

“It would give us a chance to fin-ish 3-3 in our division and sweepthe Cowboys, which our fans love,”Griffin said. “It’s Dallas week. Weunderstand that. They’re playing ata very high level right now.”

In his last visit to Washington,Romo finished a winning rally lastDecember after sustaining a her-niated disk earlier in the game. Hehad surgery five days later andmissed a season-ending loss to Phi-ladelphia that extended the Cow-boys’ playoff drought to four years.

After his latest back injuryagainst the Redskins — best de-scribed as two small fractures —Romo missed a loss to Arizona andclearly had a difficult time with thequick Thanksgiving turnaround afew weeks later in a loss to the Ea-gles. They’ve put together threestrong performances since then, an-other reason to try to keep it going.

“It really comes down to just be-ing the best version of yourself re-

gardless of circumstance,” Romosaid. “These are great games to goshow that. In the playoffs, not inthe playoffs, it doesn’t matter.”

And for the Redskins, it’s a mat-ter of showing something headinginto the offseason in a string of dis-appointing years interrupted onlyby a playoff team that beat the Cow-boys in a winner-take-all finale twoyears ago.

“Winning the last two gamesagainst two quality opponentswould be the next best thing otherthan going to the playoffs,” Grudensaid. Nobody likes being in the sit-uation we’re in, but to finish strongand show the type of guys we haveon this team, the way they’re stillcompeting despite not going to theplayoffs, I think is a great tribute tothem.”

COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B

Dallas quarterback Tony Romo has suffered a back injury in his last two games againstWashington.

File photo by Tim Sharp | AP

Richt said Gurley’s rehabilita-tion is going well and his spiritsare high.

He predicted Gurley “will be avery high draft pick.”

“I wouldn’t be shocked to seehim doing a lot of things for thescouts before the draft,” Richtsaid.

Gurley attended practice withhis teammates Friday but wasnot made unavailable for inter-views.

The 6-foot-1, 236-pound Gurleyran for 911 yards and nine touch-downs in six games this season,averaging 7.4 yards per carry.

Gurley was suspended fourgames in October by the NCAA

for taking $3,000 for autographedmemorabilia and other itemsover two years.

In Gurley’s first game backagainst Auburn, he tore his ante-rior cruciate ligament, endinghis season.

In his first two seasons atGeorgia, Gurley ran for 2,374yards and 27 touchdowns.

The Georgia running gamehasn’t missed a beat since Gur-ley left, with freshman NickChubb handling the load. Chubbrattled off four straight games ofat least 143 yards rushing withGurley out. He has 1,057 yardsand 10 touchdowns in the lastseven.

GURLEY Continued from Page 1B

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

Dear Readers: The holi-day season is almost over!We do have one more bignight and day to celebrateNew Year’s! We may enjoyNew Year’s Eve with food,drink and fireworks, butour PETS don’t knowwhat’s going on. They doknow that there is morefood around, and all kindsof new and yummy treats toget into.

There are some foodsthat can be extremely harm-ful to dogs and cats, soplease take a minute or twoto read this.

The no-no list for pets:1. NO avocados (including

my much-loved guacamole).They are very high in fat.

2. NO chocolate, especial-ly dark and baker’s; it’s areal no-no for ferrets.

3. NO to most nuts, in-cluding macadamia (oh, Ilove these!), pecan (a favefrom my home state of Tex-as) and even walnuts. Allthree are very high in fatcontent.

4. NO to any food orcandy that contains xylitol.So watch out for sugar-freegum, candy and bakedgoods. You (or a guest!) may

think there is no sugar in itso it’s probably OK. But it’sNOT!

A lot does depend onbody weight – think GreatDane versus Chihuahua. –Heloise

P.S.: Keep your pets safe,and "Woof, woof" fromChammy, our adopted silkywheaten.

CLEAN WALL Dear Heloise: I would like

to know how to get driedhair spray off a sponge-painted wall. Thanks! – Dan,via email

Dan, as long as the paintis washable, you are homefree! All you need is somerubbing (or isopropyl) alco-hol, which all drugstoresand grocery stores carry.Pour some on a microfibercloth or terry towel, thengently rub in one tiny spot(to test first) and let dry. Noneed to rinse!

– Heloise

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27, 2014