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Mexican army soldiers continueto patrol the streets of Ciudad Mierin efforts to restore law and orderto the streets of the embattled townon the banks of the Rio Grande.

Earlier this week, a gunbattle be-

tween the Mexican army and mem-bers of organized crime killed twopeople in Ciudad Mier, locatedabout 88 miles southeast of Nuevo

Laredo, not far from Guerrero.Soldiers recovered several assault

rifles and thousands of rounds ofammo, military officials announcedlate Wednesday.

The confrontation came on theheels of battles between Los Zetas

WAR ON DRUGS

Mier violenceMexican army eyes restoring peace to town

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ THE ZAPATA TIMES

See MIER PAGE 10A

INSIDEVIOLENCE: Townspeople fear Miguel Ale-

man next to fall. Page 9A

Texas A&M InternationalUniversity will offer collegecredit courses this summerin Zapata during its SummerSession I, June 6 through Ju-ly 7. Classes will be held atthe new Zapata County Ad-vanced Education Center,Highway 83 and 7th Street,across from the Zapata Coun-ty Courthouse.

Registration for the sum-mer session begins May 4.Students must apply onlinefor admission to TAMIU, afterwhich they may register forthe courses offered in Zapata.“American National Govern-ment” and “Introduction toSociology” will be taught byDavid M. Brown and Cruz C.Torres, members of the TA-

MIU adjunct faculty.Brown, who is also the

new dean of the Zapata Coun-ty Advanced Education Cen-ter, is pleased with the com-munity’s response and sup-port for higher education, hesaid.

“Starting this summer, Za-pata, Texas, will become acollege town,” Brown said.

Brown credits the efforts ofelected county officials andTAMIU for developing a via-ble university curriculum forthe community.

“Both recent graduatesand students who want tocome back to school can nowtake advantage of the remark-able resources of Texas A&MInternational University andthe Texas A&M UniversitySystem right here in Zapata,”Brown said.

There must be a minimumof 120 students from Zapata

ADVANCED EDUCATION CENTER

Universityeducation

now a realityTwo classes kick-off

summer programBy ERICA MATOS

THE ZAPATA TIMES

See CENTER PAGE 10A

An alleged robbery landedthree men in jail, accused ofdemanding money from theirvictim during the earlyhours of April 23 in the Me-dina Addition.

Zapata County sheriff ’sdeputies identified the al-leged offenders as Jose Ever-ardo Esquivel, 20; FrankyIvan Muñiz, 22, and BobbyJoe Green, 23. All werecharged with aggravated rob-bery and engaging in orga-nized criminal activity.

Deputies went out to arobbery in progress call at2:44 a.m. April 23 in the 800block of Villa Avenue. A 49-year-old man told authoritieshe awoke to three men shout-ing out loud outside hishouse.

Sgt. Mario Elizondo saidthe men demanded moneyfrom the victim.

The complainant toldthem to leave if they didn’twant him to call deputies.During the argument, thevictim allegedly happened tohear someone racking a fire-

arm and called authoritiesbecause he feared for his life,Elizondo said.

Elizondo added the mengot into a 2004 Chevy passen-ger vehicle and drove off.Deputies canvassed the areaand spotted the vehicle in thevicinity of Falcon Avenue.After a traffic stop, deputiesidentified the men as Esqui-vel, Green and Muñiz and ar-rested them.

Deputies took the men toZapata County Jail, wherethey were held in lieu of acombined $100,000 bond each.

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

PUBLIC SAFETY

Three arrestedafter incidentoutside house

By CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ LAREDO MORNING TIMES

JOSE EVERARDO ES-QUIVEL: One ofthree in jail in lieuof $100,000 bond.

BOBBY JOE GREEN:One of three facingcharges after inci-dent at a house.

FRANKY IVAN MUÑIZ:One of three in jailin lieu of $100,000bond.

Military veterans ofZapata and Laredohave been celebratingVietnam War Veterans

Unsung Heroes Week the past fewdays. One such event, a memorialceremony, took place Tuesday at theLaredo Community College FortMcintosh Campus to honor areaveterans who were killed in actionin that conflict. Members of the 1stSgt. Antonio “Tony” GutierrezMarine Corps League Detachment601 of Zapata took part in theevent. The organization is made upof former Marines and Navycorpsmen. The detachment will alsobe holding an 88-mile relay runfrom Zapata to Benavides to honorVietnam Veterans. The event isscheduled for Saturday, May 28.

ABOVE: Vietnam War veteran Rafael Ramos Jr., an officer of the 1st Sgt. Antonio “Tony” Gutierrez Marine Corps League Detach-ment 601 of Zapata, rings a bell in honor of Laredoans who were killed in action during the war. Ramos participated in a memorialceremony Tuesday morning for Gold Star families at the Pvt. David B. Barkeley Cantu Memorial Chapel at the LCC Fort McintoshCampus. BOTTOM: A memorial wreath for fallen Vietnam heroes stands in the background as a memorial display is on the stageat the chapel on the LCC Fort McIntosh Campus.

Photos by Cuate Santos | Laredo Morning Times

HONORING VETERANS

PAGE 2A Zin brief SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

SATURDAY, APRIL 30The March of Dimes’ 2011 March

for Babies is today from 8 a.m. tonoon at Texas A&M International Uni-versity. To register your family or com-pany team, visit http://www.marchfor-babies.org/. For more information,contact Luis Garcia, division director,at 1-800-580-3256 or LGarcia@mar-chofdimes.com.

The first Zapata County ScoutingCompetition pitting the Zapata GirlScouts vs. the Zapata Explorers, willrun from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Za-pata County Pavilion. For more infor-mation, call the Zapata Chamber ofCommerce at (956) 765-4871.

A downtown parade in Laredohonoring all Vietnam veterans is at 10a.m. today. Dagoberto Carmona will beparade marshal. The parade will gofrom St. Peter’s Plaza to San AgustinPlaza.

The Justice in Motion Walkathon,“Preventing Sexual Violence One Stepat a Time,” is from 8 a.m. to noon to-day at North Central Park, 10202 In-ternational Blvd.

Veterans Helping Veterans willmeet in the Laredo Public Library,1120 E. Calton Road, from noon to2:30 p.m. today, May 7 and 21, andJune 4 and 18. Meetings are confiden-tial and for military veterans only. Formore information, contact GeorgeMendez at 794-3057 or georgem@bor-derregion.org or Jessica Morales at794-3091 or jessicam@borderre-gion.org.

The DEA and Webb County Com-munity Coalition of SCAN Inc. will hostthe Take Back Pill Event from 10 a.m.to 2 p.m. today. There will be two lo-cations for turning in unused or ex-pired medication for safe disposal: St.Patrick’s Church, 555 E. Del Mar Blvd.,and Lamar Middle School, 1818 NorthArkansas Ave. For more information,call Melissa Belmares-Cavazos or Ve-ronica Jimenez at 956-724-3177.

Habitat for Humanity of LaredoWomen Build will lead National WomenBuild Week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. to-day through May 8 at 506 FranceCourt. To volunteer or donate, call956-724-3227 or email volunteersup-port@habitatlaredo.org.

Muller Elementary School, 4430Muller Memorial Blvd., will hold anopen chess tournament for studentsK-12 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today.There will be a USCF rated divisionand a beginner’s division. There will al-so be a nonrated adult/college section.Registration is from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m.,with the first round scheduled for 9:30a.m. The entry fee is $7 if preregis-tered or $10 at the door. The awardssponsor is the Laredo Noon Optimist.Members of the Laredo Chess Clubwill direct. For more information, callDan Navarro at 722-4600.

The Imaginarium of South Texaswill have a celebration of youth from10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in honor of Dia delos Niños. The Imaginarium is locatedin Mall del Norte, next to Dillard’Call728-0404 for more information or visitwww.imaginariumstx.org.

The Chamber Orchestra of Lare-do performs from 7:30 p.m. to 8:30p.m. today in the Guadalupe and LiliaMartinez Fine Arts Center theater. Ad-mission is free and open to the public.

SUNDAY, MAY 1Corral Cowboys will have a Dia

Del Niño trailride from 9 a.m. to 3p.m. today in Las Peñitas Subdivision.The ride will raise money for SagradoCorazon de Jesus Church. The dona-tion is two gifts or $10. Riders maycamp free at 6 p.m. Saturday in theTemazcal Ranch Camp, 156 Chicote, 1mile east of the Peñitas Road Commu-nity Center. horses must pass the Cog-gins test. For more information, callRosie or David at 324-8820, Raul Cossat 231-4104, Rosy at 744-7505 or Ce-sar Gallegos at 324-6440.

THURSDAY, MAY 5Zapata High School is having its

annual Scholarship Night ceremony at6 p.m. today at the high school audi-torium. To sponsor a scholarship or formore information, call the ZHS coun-seling staff at 765-0280.

MONDAY, MAY 9The County Commissioners

Court will hold a meeting at 9 a.m. atthe Zapata County Courthouse.

TUESDAY, MAY 10The Zapata County ISD Board of

Trustees will be meeting at the Profes-sional Development Center at 6 p.m.

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

CALENDARASSOCIATED PRESS

Today is Saturday, April 30,the 120th day of 2011. Thereare 245 days left in the year.

Today’s Highlight in His-tory:

On April 30, 1911, a firebroke out in Bangor, Maine,destroying much of the down-town area before it wasbrought under control thenext morning. Two deathswere blamed on the blaze.

On this date: In A.D. 311, shortly before

his death, Roman EmperorGalerius issued his Edict ofToleration ending persecutionof Christians.

In 1789, George Washingtontook office in New York as thefirst president of the UnitedStates.

In 1803, the United Statespurchased the Louisiana Ter-ritory from France for 60 mil-lion francs, the equivalent ofabout $15 million.

In 1812, Louisiana becamethe 18th state of the Union.

In 1900, engineer John Luth-er “Casey” Jones of the Illi-nois Central Railroad died in atrain wreck near Vaughan,Miss., after staying at the con-trols in a successful effort tosave the passengers.

In 1939, the New YorkWorld’s Fair officially openedwith a ceremony that includedan address by PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt.

In 1945, as Russian troopsapproached his Berlin bunker,Adolf Hitler committed sui-cide along with his wife of oneday, Eva Braun.

In 1958, the American Asso-ciation of Retired Persons (lat-er simply AARP) was foundedin Washington, D.C.

In 1968, New York City po-lice forcibly removed studentdemonstrators occupying fivebuildings at Columbia Univer-sity.

In 1973, President RichardM. Nixon announced the resig-nations of top aides H.R. Hal-deman and John Ehrlichman,along with Attorney GeneralRichard G. Kleindienst andWhite House counsel JohnDean.

Ten years ago: Californiabusinessman Dennis Tito ar-rived at the internationalspace station aboard a Russianspacecraft. Federal internChandra Levy (SHAHN’-druhLEE’-vee) was last seen at ahealth club near her apart-ment in Washington, D.C.(Levy’s body was found in aWashington park in May 2002;a suspect, Ingmar Guandique,was later convicted of first-de-gree murder and sentenced to60 years in prison.)

Today’s Birthdays: Ac-tress Cloris Leachman is 85.Singer Willie Nelson is 78.Burt Young is 71. Singer Bob-by Vee is 68. Movie directorJane Campion is 57. Basket-ball Hall of Famer Isiah Thom-as is 50. Rhythm-and-bluessinger Chris “Choc” Dalyrim-ple (Soul For Real) is 40.Rhythm-and-blues singerAkon is 38. Rhythm-and-bluessinger Jeff Timmons (98 De-grees) is 38. Actor Johnny Ga-lecki is 36. Singer-musicianCole Deggs (Cole Deggs andthe Lonesome) is 35. Actor Ku-nal Nayyar is 30. Rapper LloydBanks is 29. Actress KirstenDunst is 29. Country singerTyler Wilkinson (The Wilkin-sons) is 27. Actress DiannaAgron is 25.

Thought for Today: “Lovedemands infinitely less thanfriendship.” — George JeanNathan, American author andcritic (1882-1958).

TODAY IN HISTORY

Firefighters on Tuesday continued to bat-tle raging wildfires that were consumingmore than a million acres and showing fewsigns of abating.

“The bull’s-eye is on West Texas and thePanhandle,” said April Saginor, a spokeswo-man for the Texas Forest Service, referringto the area where conditions were consid-ered “critical to extremely critical” — asthey had been for days.

Texas’ worst drought in nearly half a cen-tury has turned the state into a tinderbox.Fires have destroyed more than 105 homes inrecent days. One firefighter died Friday re-sponding to the blaze in Eastland.

In a letter to President Barack Obama re-questing federal emergency assistance, Gov.Rick Perry said that the fires threatened or

had affected all but two of Texas’ 254 coun-ties.

One of the biggest fires, covering parts ofStephens and Palo Pinto counties, about 100miles west of Dallas, has destroyed at least 31homes and threatened more than 600. Foursmaller fires converged into one, known asthe Possum Kingdom Complex, to coverabout 147,065 acres.

North of San Angelo, officials were stilltrying to contain a 150,000-acre fire. FosterCommunications Coliseum became a com-mand center and refreshment station for thewranglers of the so-called Wildcat fire, manyof whom are volunteers.

’’The smoke was bad; ashes were fallingfrom the sky,” said Kindra McClure, whohad to evacuate the home she shares withher grandparents about 15 miles north ofSan Angelo on Friday night.

AROUND TEXAS

A hilltop is ablaze in Palo Pinto County near Strawn on Monday. One of the driest spells in Texas history has left most of thestate in extreme drought, and wildfires in various parts of the state have burned more than 1,000 square miles of land inthe past week. Gov. Rick Perry asked President Barack Obama on Sunday for federal disaster funding.

Photo by Max Faulkner/Fort Worth Star-Telegram | AP

1 million acres burntNEW YORK TIMES NEWS SERVICE

Senate votes to expandcollege vaccine law

AUSTIN — The Texas Senatehas voted to require freshmenand transfer college students getvaccinated against bacterialmeningitis.

Lawmakers voted two yearsago to require the vaccine forfreshmen and other new stu-dents who live on campus. TheSenate bill expands that to coverall new students.

Sen. Wendy Davis, a FortWorth Democrat, authored thebill.

House reviews Texas Dept.of Transportation

AUSTIN — The House renew-ed the Texas Department ofTransportation on Friday, inwhat the bill’s author said wasan attempt to improve transpar-ency and efficiency at one ofstate’s largest agencies.

The legislation, known as asunset bill, reviews the stateagency every four years. The de-

partment was supposed to be re-viewed two years ago, but law-makers put it off until this year.

Texas gas prices creepingcloser to record highsIRVING, Texas — Gasoline

prices are creeping closer to re-cord highs in several Texas ci-ties.

The weekly AAA Texas gaso-line survey released Friday saysthe average price of a gallon ofregular unleaded gasoline in-creased 5 to 7 cents in many ar-eas of the state over the pastweek. The agency says prices arewithin 15 cents of the records inDallas, Fort Worth, Galvestonand Houston.

Dewhurst, Perry meet todiscuss stalled budgetAUSTIN — Lt. Gov. David

Dewhurst said he made “someprogress” after a meeting withGov. Rick Perry about the stalledstate budget.

The $176.5 billion plan for thenext two years has lost support

from both Republicans and Dem-ocrats. Senate leaders had ex-pected the legislation to get avote this week, but they didn’thave enough support to bring itup for consideration.

Committee wants to makeEnglish official languageAUSTIN — English would be-

come the official language inTexas under a law approved bythe House State Affairs Commit-tee.

The measure passed the com-mittee Thursday on a 7-3 vote.

State Rep. Leo Berman author-ed the bill. The bill declares thatthe traditional and common lan-guage of the United States andTexas is English. It goes on tosay that knowledge of the com-mon language is essential to ex-ercising constitutional rights.

Opponents argue that the lawwould hurt citizens who don’tspeak English and ignore Texas’Spanish-language history.

The bill will now be consid-ered by the full House.

— Compiled from AP reports

Even rescuers hobbled byworst twisters since 1932

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — South-erners found their emergencysafety net shredded Friday asthey tried to emerge from the na-tion’s deadliest tornado disastersince the Great Depression.

Emergency buildings arewiped out. Bodies are stored inrefrigerated trucks. Authoritiesare begging for such basics asflashlights.

The death toll from Wednes-day’s storms reached 319 acrossseven states, including 228 inAlabama, making it the deadliestU.S. tornado outbreak since 1932,when another Alabama stormkilled 332. Tornadoes that sweptacross the South and Midwest inApril 1974 left 315 people dead.

Hundreds if not thousands ofpeople were injured — 900 inTuscaloosa alone — and as manyas 1 million Alabama homes andbusinesses remained withoutpower.

Obama meets withwounded congresswoman

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. —President Barack Obama metFriday with Rep. Gabrielle Gif-

fords, the Arizona congresswo-man who survived an assassina-tion attempt in January. The re-union was a bright spot in a daymarked by disappointment in thecancellation of the space shuttleEndeavour’s final launch.

— Compiled from AP reports

AROUND THE NATION

Crystal Peppers searches for her friend’s personal items in the remains of a mo-bile home Friday morning while cleaning up from a fatal tornado that struckDeKalb County, Ala., on Wednesday.

Photo by Dan Henry/Chattanooga Times Free Press | AP

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SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 Zlocal PAGE 3A

ASSAULTCarlos Daniel Salazar, 23, was ar-

rested and charged with aggravated as-sault with a deadly weapon and resist-ing arrest at 4:20 p.m. April 23 at thecorner of 19th Street and Falcon Ave-nue. A 12-year-old boy was also de-tained and charged with criminal mis-chief. Salazar was held in lieu of acombined $50,000 bond at the ZapataRegional Jail. The juvenile was referredto juvenile probation.

Luis Angel Resendez Jr., 24, wasarrested and charged with assault caus-ing family violence at 2:45 a.m. Sundayin the 700 block of Juarez Avenue. Hewas taken to Zapata Regional Jail. Lat-er, he was released to appear in courtat a future date.

Baldemar M. Salinas, 33, was ar-rested and charged with assault causingfamily violence at about 3 a.m. April 25in the 1000 block of Diaz Avenue. Theman was held in lieu of a $20,000bond at the Zapata Regional Jail.

PUBLIC INTOXICATIONEsteban Saul Garza, 24, was ar-

rested and charged with public intoxica-tion at about 6 a.m. April 24 in the1700 block of Siesta Shores. The manwas taken to the Zapata Regional Jail.He was released to appear in court at afuture date.

Gilberto Sanchez, 33, was arrestedand charged with public intoxication atabout 12:45 a.m. April 28 in the 1300block of Diaz Avenue. The man was tak-en to the Zapata Regional Jail. He wasreleased to appear in court at a futuredate.

THEFTA 42-year-old man reported at

10:22 a.m. April 22 at Dr. Ike’s HomeCenter at 430 E. FM 496 that a manattempted to walk outside the storewith two jigsaw grips and two wrenchesin his pockets.

A 55-year-old man reported at7:20 a.m. April 25 in the 1000 block ofTexas 16 that someone stole vehiclebatteries from his yard.

THE BLOTTER

The Zapata IndependentSchool District will receive$606,672 in education funds froma U.S. Department of Educationaward of $830 million in federalfunds to Texas to create and re-tain educators’ jobs.

Education jobsThe Texas Education Agency

received the funds Monday. Thestate “will quickly make allfunding available to Texasschool districts,” as stated onTEA’s application to the U.S. De-partment of Education. The

funding will create and retaineducation-related jobs through-out the state.

“I find it important to keephigh quality teachers in our Tex-as classrooms. Our Texas school-children are our most importantasset — we must look out fortheir educational needs and in-terests at all times,” stated Rep.Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, in apress release.

$830M for TexasDuring the 111th Congress,

H.R. 1586, now Public Law 111-226, included the Education Jobsand Medicaid Assistance Act to

help save education jobs rangingfrom states to individual schools.The law allocated $10 billion infederal funds to support educa-tion jobs this academic schoolyear, including $830 million forTexas schools and $44.2 millionfor the 28th Congressional Dis-trict of Texas.

DistributionThe funds will be distributed

according to the state formula ofTitle I funding.

“I have heard from teachers,school administrators, parentsand students who have ex-pressed a dire need for adequate

funding and support of Texasschools. I stand by every child,teacher, parent, support staff,school administrator and com-munity leader as we work to-gether to provide the resourcesto give our children the best edu-cation possible,” Cuellar said.

Positions savedThe Department of Education

estimates 138,000 education jobswill be saved nationally. Jobsfunded under this program in-clude those that provide educa-tional and related services forearly childhood, elementary andsecondary education.

Zapata schools to get $606,672SPECIAL TO THE TIMES

The Zapata County Sheriff ’sOffice is better prepared to fightcrime and respond to emergen-cies.

Sheriff ’s officials recently ac-quired a state-of-the-art mobilecommand center equipped withdifferent types of technology andequipment.

It comes with a power gener-ator, a thermal camera, a confer-ence room, four 15-inch monitorsto plug into laptops, one monitorwith a DVD player, a 19-inchmonitor that shows the videocaptured by the thermal camera,a 32-inch monitor for weathernews and TV information, andthree radios.

Sgt. Mario Elizondo saidThursday afternoon the com-mand center cost approximately$138,000. Officials bought it withOperation Stonegarden grants.

“I’m very proud to say wereally have some of the bestequipment there is out there,”said Sheriff Sigifredo GonzalezJr.

He added the command centercould easily fit 10 people. Depu-ties used the command centerthis year at the county fair.

Gonzalez said the commandcenter came in handy for people

needing first aid at the fair be-cause deputies shared the spacewith Zapata County Fire Depart-ment’s emergency medical tech-nicians.

Elizondo said deputies also

used the center to provide secu-rity at the county fair. It could al-so be used at other gatherings oflarge crowds, he said.

If Zapata residents see the ve-hicle stationed, Elizondo said thedoors will be opened if peoplehave questions.

With this state-of-art equip-ment, deputies are ready to re-spond to man-made or naturaldisasters and crime scenes,among other uses.

“It could be used for severallaw enforcement agencies tocome together under the samecommand center and work acrime scene,” Elizondo said.

Gonzalez echoed the thoughtand said the center is easy touse.

“In a matter of 15 minutes, wecan set up for major types of in-cidents,” the sheriff said, notingdeputies are ready to assist theneighboring counties of JimHogg, Starr or Webb if needed.

“It’s the region’s asset,” Eli-zondo added.

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

Grant money gets sheriff mobile centerBy CÉSAR G. RODRIGUEZ

THE ZAPATA TIMES

The mobile command center is seen parked outside the Zapata County Sheriff’sOffice on April 22. It cost about $138,000.

Photo by César G. Rodriguez | The Zapata Times

PAGE 4A Zopinion SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

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

Last month morethan 14 millionAmericans were

unemployed by the offi-cial definition — that is,seeking work but unableto find it. Millions morewere stuck in part-timework because theycouldn’t find full-timejobs. And we’re not talk-ing about temporaryhardship. Long-term un-employment, once rarein this country, has be-come all too normal:More than 4 millionAmericans have been outof work for a year ormore.

UnemploymentGiven this dismal pic-

ture, you might have ex-pected unemployment,and what to do about it,to have been a major fo-cus of Wednesday’s pressconference with Ben Ber-nanke, the chairman ofthe Federal Reserve. Andit should have been. Butit wasn’t.

After the conference,Reuters put together a“word cloud” of Ber-nanke’s remarks, a vi-sual representation ofthe frequency withwhich he used variouswords. The cloud is dom-inated by the word “in-flation.” “Unemploy-ment,” in much smallertype, is tucked in thebackground.

Line of questioningThis misplaced em-

phasis wasn’t entirelyBernanke’s fault, sincehe was responding toquestions — and thosequestions focused muchmore on inflation thanon unemployment. Butthat focus was, in itself,a symptom of the extentto which Washington haslost interest in the plightof the unemployed. Andthe Bernanke Fed, whichshould be taking a firmstand against theseskewed priorities, is in-stead letting itself be bul-lied into following theherd.

Some background: TheFed normally takes pri-mary responsibility forshort-term economicmanagement, using itsinfluence over interestrates to cool the econo-my when it’s running toohot, which raises thethreat of inflation, and toheat it up when it’s run-ning too cold, leading tohigh unemployment.And the Fed has more orless explicitly indicatedwhat it considers a Gol-dilocks outcome, neithertoo hot nor too cold: in-flation at 2 percent or abit lower, unemploymentat 5 percent or a bit high-er.

Less inflationBut Goldilocks has left

the building and showsno sign of returningsoon. The Fed’s latestforecasts, unveiled atthat press conference,show low inflation andhigh unemployment forthe foreseeable future.

True, the Fed expectsinflation this year to runa bit above target, butBernanke declared (and Iagree) that we’re lookingat a temporary bulgefrom higher raw materi-al prices; measures ofunderlying inflation re-main well below target,and the forecast sees in-

flation falling sharplynext year and remaininglow at least through 2013.

Meanwhile, as I’ve al-ready pointed out, unem-ployment — althoughdown from its 2009 peak— remains devastatinglyhigh. And the Fed ex-pects only slow improve-ment, with unemploy-ment at the end of 2013expected to still bearound 7 percent.

It all adds up to aclear case for more ac-tion. Yet Bernanke indi-cated that he has doneall he’s likely to do.Why?

Long-termHe could have argued

that he lacks the abilityto do more, that he andhis colleagues no longerhave much traction overthe economy. But hedidn’t. On the contrary,he argued that the Fed’srecent policy of buyinglong-term bonds, gener-ally referred to as “quan-titative easing,” has beeneffective. So why not domore?

Bernanke’s answerwas deeply dishearten-ing. He declared that fur-ther expansion mightlead to higher inflation.

What you need to bearin mind here is that theFed’s own forecasts sayinflation will be belowtarget over the next fewyears, so that some risein inflation would actual-ly be a good thing, not areason to avoid tacklingunemployment. Thoseforecasts could, ofcourse, be wrong, butthey could be too high aswell as too low.

Missing the markThe only way to make

sense of Bernanke’s aver-sion to further action isto say that he’s deathlyafraid of overshootingthe inflation target,while being far less wor-ried about undershoot-ing — even though doingtoo little means con-demning millions ofAmericans to the night-mare of long-term unem-ployment.

What’s going on here?My interpretation is thatBernanke is allowinghimself to be bullied bythe inflationistas: thepeople who keep seeingrunaway inflation justaround the corner andare undeterred by thefact that they keep on be-ing wrong.

Misleading oil pricesLately the inflationis-

tas have seized on risingoil prices as evidence intheir favor, even though— as Bernanke himselfpointed out — these pric-es have nothing to dowith Fed policy. The wayoil prices are coloringthe discussion led theeconomist Tim Duy tosuggest, sarcastically,that basic Fed policy isnow to do nothing aboutunemployment “becausesome people in the Mid-dle East are seeking de-mocracy.”

But I’d put it different-ly. I’d say that the Fed’spolicy is to do nothingabout unemployment be-cause Ron Paul is nowthe chairman of theHouse subcommittee onmonetary policy.

So much for the Fed’sindependence. And somuch for the future ofAmerica’s increasinglydesperate jobless.

COLUMN

Fed inactioncould hurt

employmentBy PAUL KRUGMAN

NEW YORK TIMES

OTHER VIEWS

The Zapata Times doesnot publish anonymousletters.

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

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

We want to assure our

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

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

ing or gratuitous abuse isallowed.

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

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR POLICY

DOONESBURY | GARRY TRUDEAU

Now that BarackObama has madehis long-form birth

certificate available forpublic inspection, conser-vatives must hope that itputs an end to the birthernonsense. Yes, you readthat correctly. Conserva-tives, more than anyoneelse, have a vested interestin obliterating the birtherbaloney.

Started with HillaryThat baloney didn’t

start with Donald Trumpin 2011. It didn’t start withthe Republican NationalCommittee or the McCaincampaign during the 2008presidential election.

“His roots to basicAmerican values and cul-ture are at best limited. Icannot imagine Americaelecting a president duringa time of war who is not athis center fundamentallyAmerican in his thinkingand his values.” That’s atalking point issued byMark Penn, Hillary Clin-ton’s chief strategist in2007. The objective: PaintObama as someone for-eign, alien, disconnectedfrom America.

Obama may have wonthe election. But a series of

public opinion polls con-sistently show that a sig-nificant number of Ameri-cans incorrectly believeObama is Kenyan or Mus-lim or anything other thanwho he says he is — anAmerican and a Christian.

Citizen of elsewhereA USA Today/Gallup

Poll released Monday, be-fore the birth certificate,showed 24 percent of re-spondents believe Obamawas probably or definitelyborn in another country.Among Republicans, 43percent said he was defi-nitely or probably bornabroad.

The numbers are nutty.But the partisan aspect ofthe polling data provides aclue about the political en-vironment.

Not all birthers are Re-publicans, and not all Re-publicans are birthers. Butanyone who says Obamawas definitely born abroadalso definitely doesn’twant to see him re-elected.In short, saying you be-lieve Obama isn’t Ameri-can — or the willingnessto entertain doubts abouthis citizenship — is a wayof expressing political dis-satisfaction.

There’s a political corol-lary for this among thebirthers’ comrades in the

tin-foil-hat brigades — thetruthers, those crackpotswho believe 9-11 was an in-side job. A 2006 ScrippsHoward/Ohio Universitypoll found that 36 percentof respondents believed itwas very likely or some-what likely that federal of-ficials either participatedin the 9-11 attacks or tookno action to stop them be-cause they wanted tolaunch a war in the MiddleEast.

Dems and 9-11The poll noted “Demo-

crats were especially likelyto suspect federal involve-ment in 9-11.” A 2010 anal-ysis by political scientistBrendan Nyhan found theresponse among Republi-cans on Obama’s citizen-ship is comparable in pro-portion to the responseamong Democrats on a 9-11conspiracy.

Truthers weren’t sayingthey were Democrats in2006 because they likedNancy Pelosi, but Demo-crats WERE saying theywere truthers because theydisliked George W. Bush.Likewise, birthers aren’tidentifying themselves asRepublicans because theylike Donald Trump, but Re-publicans ARE identifyingwith birthers because theydislike Barack Obama.

Errors in judgementThat’s a monumental

mistake. Birtherism is afantasy that will produce afalse campaign narrativeand fatally flawed GOPcandidates. Exhibit A isDonald Trump, a rent-seeking friend of big gov-ernment who has used hispseudo-celebrity statusand checkbook to projecthis inflated ego into poli-tics.

Concentrate on govt.Here is reality. The 2012

election must be about thesize and scope of govern-ment, about the explosionin federal spending underObama, the unprecedentedexpansion of the nationaldebt and the generationaltheft it entails.

Voters must decidewhether for the first timein American history wewill bequeath to our chil-dren a nation that is weak-er, poorer and less securethan the one we inherited.Anything else is a distrac-tion.

In releasing his birthcertificate, President Oba-ma said, “We do not havetime for this kind of silli-ness.” He’s absolutelyright.

(Email: jgurwitz@ex-press-news.net)

COLUMN

Conservatives should rejoiceBy JONATHAN GURWITZ

SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 5A

PAGE 6A Zentertainment SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

‘Extranjeros’ exhibitopens May 5

The Mexican GeneralConsulate and the MexicanCultural Institute of Lare-do, in coordination withthe Webb County HeritageFoundation, is inviting thepublic of Los Dos Laredosfor the opening receptionof the “Extranjeros en laRevolución” (Foreigners inthe Revolution) exhibition.

The reception takesplace Thursday, May 5, atthe Republic of the RioGrande Museum, 1005 Za-ragoza Street, at 7 p.m.

The foreign presence inMexico is often associatedwith invasions, monar-chies and even with theloss of a big part of the na-tional territory.

Although there havebeen some extraordinaryforeigners whose presencehelped outline the Mexicowe see today, the Spanishguerrillero Xavier Mina,for example, fought untilthe death for independ-ence; the Irish of the Batal-lón de San Patricio foughtagainst the North Ameri-can invasion of 1846-1847.

More recently, Mexico’scultural life was made richwith the arrival of theSpanish intellectuals afterthe civil war. Foreignerswho made Mexico theirhomeland dedicated them-selves to its cause.

The revolutionary pro-cess of 1910 was no excep-tion. The exhibition willrun from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.on Tuesdays through Sat-urdays, from May 5 to July.

Viva! El Mariachi at LCC WednesdayLCC will host the Viva!

El Mariachi con El BalletFolklorico! Spring Concerton Wednesday, May 4, at7:30 p.m.

The concert takes placein the Guadalupe and Lilia

Martinez Fine Arts Centertheater. It will feature theLCC Mariachi Palominoand the LCC Mariachi No-chizlan, under the direc-tion of Ruben Vargas.

Admission is $5 per per-son. Proceeds benefit stu-dent scholarships.

MMA’s ‘Mayhem’Miller in Laredo

The Laredo MMA Acad-emy will present a popularMMA fighter for a specialsession.

Jason “Mayhem” Miller,the host of “Bully Beat-down” and a fighter forUFC, Dream, and Strike-force, will be in Laredo onSaturday, May 7.

The event is set for 2p.m. at 3302 Chakota, Ste.14.

It will feature two ses-sions with Miller, who willteach stand-up and floortechniques, a Q&A sessionand a meet-and-greet.

Tickets are $150 for thetwo sessions and includetwo free weeks of LaredoMMA Academy classes.The meet-and-greet costs$50.

For information, callGabriel Avila at 645-9313 orSunny Luca at 508-1196.

Ross & Friendsto play at benefitThe South Texas Food

Bank will host anotherfundraiser at Hal’s Land-ing. The event will featuremusic by Ross & Friends,and is scheduled for Tues-day, May 10, from 7 p.m. to11 p.m.

Admission is a $10 dona-tion to the South TexasFood Bank. The food bank,in turn, converts the dona-tion into 70 meals for theneedy.Tickets are availableat the South Texas FoodBank, 4602 WarehouseLane, or by calling 568-3673or 324-2432.

— The Zapata Times

COMING UP

More than 7,200 fansanxiously waited for glob-al superstar Ricky Martinto begin his concert at theLaredo Energy Arena onTuesday night.

There was a 51-minutedelay — probably justi-fied, considering most La-redoans’ promptness isquestionable. As usual,lines started forming out-side when the concert wassupposed to be starting in-side, at 8 p.m. Videos ofthe famed singer beganplaying on a large, whitedrape that covered themain stage.

Loud screams rumbledthe arena, which was fullof women and accompany-ing men, along with a fewchildren. The cameraflashes were everywhere,concertgoers vigorouslytrying for a snapshot ofthe popular artist. Thedrape dropped to the floor,revealing a three-storymetal structure andcountless colorful roboticand strobe lights, givingthe arena a club-like am-bience. Ricky himself be-gan singing an Englishsong, “Too Late Now,” offhis newest album “Músi-ca+Alma+Sexo,” the sametitle of his tour. With lyr-ics such as “Don’t BeAfraid,” the song set thetone for the entire con-cert, seemingly a coming-out party for the artist.

You see, the whole con-cert had “pride” gustoabout it — from the pink-and-purple lights shiningthroughout to the lyrics ofhis newest songs, to one ofthe dancers who talkedabout his sexuality on-stage during a solo per-formance, including dia-logue (“Dad, I’m gay,” hesaid he told his father af-ter his parents divorced)and the gyrating male en-tourage surrounding Mar-tin, to (finally) Martin

himself declaring, in Eng-lish and Spanish, towardthe end of his gig “All Iwant is equality, samerights, Mismos derechospara todos.”

Lifestyle activism aside,the entire performancehad a good vibe about it;most people were dancingin place, especially whenMartin sang his older,Spanish and English (orshould I say Spanglish?)hit songs, such as “ShakeYour Bon-Bon,” “Livin’ LaVida Loca,” “She Bangs,”“The Cup of Life,” and themoving “La Bomba” and“Pegaté.” His hardcorefans sang along, particu-larly on songs such as “TuRecuerdo” and “Vuelve,”as Martin paused to allowthe crowd to chant.

A concert that includedcountless provocativemoves from both maleand female dancers, and,of course, Martin himself,moved rapidly along, witha horn section and a liveband playing to the beats.It was like a showcase forthe television show“America’s Best Dance

Crew,” a program that fea-tures multiple dance-offs.

Shortly after 10 p.m.,Martin, the most famousPuerto Rican artist of hisgeneration, gave shoutouts to his Latin Ameri-can “brothers” and evenplugged his country, say-ing “If you guys ever wantan amazing holiday, youneed to go to Puerto Ri-co.” This was almost ex-pected as the event wassponsored, at least in part,by Puerto Rico Does ItBetter, an umbrella entityfor key economic develop-ment, according to itswebsite.

Martin then moved toan elevated side stagewalking, jumping anddancing on a movingtreadmill. He exclaimed “Que se oiga el sabor Lati-no!” while singing “LaBomba.” With his sensualmoves a lá Chippendale,Ricky Martin held courtand the women, despiteknowing he has declaredhimself gay, were stillscreaming and virtuallyhaving convulsions.

Before heading below

the stage in an elevator-type platform, Martin sa-luted the crowd, thankingthem for attending andsaying “God bless you.”The man then took off hisshirt, and his supporterswent nuts. It seemedRicky Martin had givenhis fans all they wanted tosee and hear. But thescreams were deafeningand wouldn’t stop. He wassummoned for an encore.

While several groups ofpeople made their way tothe exits, the lights werekept off and that meantMartin would appearagain. He did, singing “LoMejor de Mi Vida EresTu,” a single off his“M.A.S.” album.

IN A NUTSHELL:While Ricky Martin expli-citly stated his views, theconcert was, overall, livelyand entertaining. His mu-sic is still contagious andthe women still love him.And some even said it wasthe best concert they haveattended.

(Emilio Rábago III maybe reached at 728-2564 orerabago@lmtonline.com)

A fiesta with Ricky MartinBy EMILIO RÁBAGO III

THE ZAPATA TIMES

Global superstar Ricky Martin performs to a packed house at the Laredo Energy Arena on Tuesday.

Photos by Ulysses S. Romero | The Zapata Times

SÁBADO 30 DE ABRILMarch for Babies de

March of Dimes 2011 es hoyde 8 a.m. al mediodía en TA-MIU. Inscríbase en http://www.marchforbabies.org/. Pi-da informes en 1-800-580-3256 o escriba a LGar-cia@marchofdimes.com.

PILLAR (People withIdeas of Love, Liberty, Accep-tance, and Respect) tendráun evento de golf para recua-dar fondos hoy en el Campode Golf Casa Blanca. Para ha-cer contribución monetaria oser voluntario llame al (220)6100 o 337-2881.

Hoy es la CaminataJustice in Motion “PreventingSexual Violence One Step ata Time” (Evitando la violenciasexual un paso a la vez) eshoy de 8 a.m. al mediodía enNorth Central Park, 10202 In-ternational Blvd.

Blessed SacramentChurch, 2219 calle Galveston,tendrá una venta de artículosde segundo uso de 9 a.m. a2 p.m. en el Salón Parroquial.Se ofrecerá ropa, decoracio-nes para el hogar, joyería ymás.

Hoy es la ConferenciaJuvenil Católica “Ignite” enSt. Augustine High School,1300 de calle Galveston, de 9a.m. a 5 p.m. La conferenciaserá lidereada por Steve An-grisano. Se invita a jovenesde 14 a 18 años de edad.Cuota de 30 dólares.

Como parte del retoLaredo’s Biggest Loser Cha-llenge habrá clases de Zumbaen North Central Park, 10202International Blvd., de 9 a.m.a 10:30 a.m., cada sábadohasta el 21 de mayo, a ex-cepción del 23 de abril. Ins-cripción: 25 dólares a pagaren los centros recreativos.

DEA y la Coalición Co-munitaria del Condado deWebb de SCAN Inc. Invitan al“Take Back Pill Event” de 10a.m. a 2 p.m. Habrá dos ubi-caciones para entregar medi-cina sin utilizar o que tengafecha vencida, en St. Pa-trick’s Church, 555 E. DelMar Blvd., y Lamar MiddleSchool, 1818 avenida NorthArkansas. Pida informes en(956) 724-3177.

Béisbol: Dutsdevils deTAMIU recibe a St. Mary’sUniversity a las 12 p.m. En-trada general: 5 dólares.

La Sociedad Geneaoló-gica Villa San Agustin de La-redo y la Biblioteca Públicade Laredo sostendrn hoy de2 p.m. a 4 p.m. su juntamensual con la presentaciónde Jose Roberto Juarez, Ph.D.y el tema “San AgustinChurch and Laredo Under SixDioceses” en la Sala de UsosMúltiples H-E-B de la Bibliote-ca Pública de Laredo, 1120East Calton Road.

Hoy es el primer even-to annual “Get Out & Play”(Sal y Juega) de 4 p.m. a 8p.m. en Parque Slaughter,400 N. Stone y de 8 a.m. a5 p.m. en el Laredo CivicCenter, 2200 avenida SanBernardo. El objetivo es moti-var a hijos y padres a ser ac-tivos, ejercitarse y ser sanos.Habrá juegos, paseos y más.

Pase la tarde en elPlanetario Lamar Bruni Verga-ra de TAMIU y disfrute “TheLittle Star That Could” a las5 p.m., “Stars of the Phara-ohs” a las 6 p.m. y “Rock onDemand” a las 7 p.m. Entra-da general 5 dólares.

Laredo Center for theArts invita a una tarde de es-plendor mexicano con lasobras de Artistas PlásticosNeolaredenses, A.C. a partirde las 6 p.m. Las Damas dela Cultura de Oro tendránuna presentación a las 7 p.m.LCA está en 500 de avenidaSan Agustin.

ZAPATA — La PrimerCompetencia de Exploradoresdel Condado de Zapata entreZapata Girl Scouts vs. ZapataExplorers, es hoy de 10 a.m.a 6 p.m. en el Pabellón delCondado de Zapata.

Agendaen Breve

Zfrontera PÁGINA 7ASÁBADO 30 DE ABRIL DE 2011

WASHINGTON — El presidenteBarack Obama se reunió con unelenco de activistas, actrices y pre-sentadores famosos de la televisiónen español a quienes les ha pedidoque lo ayuden a impulsar una re-forma migratoria.

Dan Restrepo, asesor de la CasaBlanca para el hemisferio occiden-tal, declaró que “esta reunión esun esfuerzo del presidente Obamapara buscar un diálogo abierto eimportante sobre la reforma mi-gratoria. Estas personas puedenayudar en el proceso”.

Al encuentro fueron invitadosJosé Díaz Balart, Bárbara Bermu-do, Lily Estefan, Don Francisco,Vanessa Hauc y María Elena Sali-nas, presentadores de las dos cade-nas televisivas principales en espa-ñol de Estados Unidos, Univisión yTelemundo.

También la Casa Blanca esperaa las actrices Rosario Dawson,América Ferrara y Eva Longoria,

el empresario Emilio Estefan, alpresentador radial Eddie “Piolín”Sotelo y a María Teresa Kumar, di-rectora de la organización Voto La-tino.

Díaz Balart expresó al salir de lareunión que “fue muy grato con-versar uno a uno, sin cámaras yreflejarle (al presidente) los te-mores existentes en la comunidadhispana, especialmente sobre movi-mientos estatales como los de Ari-zona y Gergia contra inmigrantesindocumentados. Muchos (hispa-nos) no ven un liderazgo feroz enel gobierno federal para una refor-ma”.

El encuentro ocurrirá apenasuna semana después de que Oba-ma solicitara el apoyo de empresa-rios, sindicalistas y dirigentes devarios sectores para promover unareforma migratoria integral, du-rante una reunión similar en laCasa Blanca.

En la reunión anterior estuvie-ron el ex gobernador de California,Arnold Schwarzenegger, los al-caldes de Nueva York y San Anto-

nio y otras personalidades de am-bos partidos.

Obama había prometido durantesu campaña electoral una reformaintegral de las leyes de inmigra-ción durante su primer año de go-bierno, y el hecho de que no hayaocurrido le ha valido fuertes críti-cas entre los hispanos y los defen-sores de los inmigrantes.

Las posibilidades de que se re-forme las leyes migratorias son re-motas, ya que los republicanos tie-nen la mayoría en la cámara baja.Pero cuando los demócratas con-trolaban ambas cámaras en el peri-odo legislativo que terminó en di-ciembre, tampoco lograron progre-so alguno.

Aunque Obama ha dicho repeti-damente que está comprometido alograr una reforma, la deportaciónsin precedentes de 393.000 personasen el 2010 y otras medidas migrato-rias aplicadas durante su gobiernole han valido numerosos reprochesentre la comunidad hispana.

El representante demócrata LuisGutiérrez, un líder en el tema mi-

gratorio, expresó este mes sus du-das sobre apoyar a Obama en labúsqueda de la reeleción debido ala inexistencia de una reforma mi-gratoria.

Además, 22 senadores demócra-tas enviaron este mes una carta aObama pidiéndole que use su pod-er discrecional para postergar lasdeportaciones de jóvenes indocu-mentados que se alistaron en elEjército o estudian en universi-dades y que llegaron al país muyjóvenes, traídos por sus padres.

El presidente insiste en que lasleyes vigentes le impiden haceruso de la discreción ejecutiva y quela solución al problema radica enla reforma de las leyes migratorias.

El Congreso no ha podido daruna solución definitiva a los 12millones de indocumentados queresiden en Estados Unidos. El en-tonces presidente George W. Bushpromovió infructuosamente unareforma en 2007 que fracasó antelas críticas de que era equivalentea una amnistía para los inmi-grantes ilegales.

OBAMA SE REÚNE CON FAMOSOS PARA IMPULSAR REFORMA MIGRATORIA

Ayuda de latinosPOR LUIS ALONSO LUGO

ASSOCIATED PRESS

La Secretaría de Salud regis-tró el 25% en casos de varicela,pero no se han notificadobrotes del padecimiento, dijoNorberto Treviño García-Man-zo, Secretario de Salud.

Pero exhorto a la poblacióna tomar medidas preventivasen virtud que en la presentetemporada cuando las enfer-medades registran brotes.

“La varicela es viral y sepresenta habitualmente en for-ma bianual en años pares y ala fecha en el estado se han re-portado cerca de 5,000 pa-cientes”, dijo el Secretario deSalud Treviño. “Las jurisdic-ciones sanitarias de Tampico,Reynosa, Nuevo Laredo y Ma-tamoros registran la mayor in-cidencia de casos”.

Dijo que Refirió que el Go-bierno de Tamaulipas, se en-cuentra preparado para en-frentar este tipo de padeci-mientos, por tanto se cuentacon los medicamentos necesa-rios, además de la atenciónmédica a través de las uni-dades hospitalarias y Centrosde Salud.

Dijo, que aún y cuando estaenfermedad no pone en riesgola vida humana es muy impor-tante tomar las medidas ade-cuadas para evitar cualquiercontagio ya que afecta a me-nores de 1 a 9 años de edadprincipalmente y se caracteri-za por presentar fiebre mode-rada, ronchas en la piel y tieneuna duración de 3 a 6 días y sepresenta en brotes epidémicosen la temporada de la primav-era.

La transmisión es de perso-na a persona por contacto di-recto o por medio de gotitas delas secreciones respiratorias opor lesiones dérmicas (lesionesen la piel), también se contagiacon el uso de objetos o utensi-lios contaminados por secre-ciones infectantes que al trans-mitirse la enfermedad durahasta cinco días para presenta-rse las primeras erupciones.

Para no contagiarse, el sec-retario de Salud recomendó ev-itar el contacto con personasenfermas, no usar artículospersonales del paciente, así co-mo evitar asistir a lugares con-curridos con antecedentes decasos de varicela.

Agregó que para quienes pa-decen ya la enfermedad, deberealizar valoración médica yevitar automedicarse, procuraraislamiento en su domiciliopor espacio de 7 días, tomarsuficientes líquidos, tener re-poso, no rascarse ni manipu-larse las lesiones e incremen-tar el número de baños al díapara evitar infecciones.

SALUD

Exhortanmedidascontra

varicelaESPECIAL TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

CD. VICTORIA — Un pre-supuesto de 210 millonesde pesos se ejercerá en el2011que beneficiará a

más de 1,000 productores de lasdiversas cadenas productivasagrícolas de la entidad.

El secretario de Desarrollo Ru-ral, Jorge Alberto Reyes Moreno,informó que se encuentra en pro-ceso la recepción de solicitudesen las ventanillas de los Centrosde Apoyo al Desarrollo Rural(CADER), y están abiertas desdeel día 14 de marzo, para concluirla recepción de solicitudes ayerviernes 29 de abril.

“Son 34 CADER distribuidos

en todo el estado, para que elproductor no tenga que despla-zarse excesivamente a formalizarsus solicitudes de apoyo”, dijo.

Reyes Moreno mencionó queen el Componente Agrícola estána disposición diversos apoyos pa-ra productores y organizacionesproductivas que deseen partici-par de los beneficios del progra-ma como adquisición de trac-tores, sembradoras de precisión,aspersoras de diversos tipos paraaplicación de agroquímicos, po-dadoras y trilladoras por citar al-gunos.

Dijo que se incluye infraestruc-tura y equipo para agroindus-trias y manejo post-cosecha, sis-temas de riego tecnificado y sis-

temas de agricultura protegidaen sus diversas modalidades,entre otros. “Se beneficiará a1,050 productores de los dife-rentes sistemas producto, conuna inversión de 210 millones depesos tan sólo en el programa deInversión y Equipamiento de In-fraestructura”, agregó.

Todos los requisitos, conceptosy montos de apoyo gubernamen-tal se pueden consultar en la pá-gina electrónica www.agrotra-maulipas.gob.mx, y quien lo de-see puede también acudir aoficinas de la Secretaría de De-sarrollo Rural de Gobierno delEstado a recabar información pa-ra gestionar en tiempo y formasus solicitudes.

TAMAULIPAS

El secretario de Desarrollo Rural, Jorge Alberto Reyes Moreno, informó del presupuesto para fortalecer el campo en un recorridopor los hatos ganaderos.

Foto de cortesía | Gobierno de Tamaulipas

AGRICULTURAPresupuesto beneficiará desarrollo rural

ESPECIAL TIEMPO DE ZAPATA

BROWNSVILLE — Agentes fed-erales investigan un artefacto ex-plosivo improvisado que se encon-tró en una autopista de Texas, cer-ca de la frontera con México.

El vocero de la policía deBrownsville, Eddie García, dijoque un automovilista que pasabaalertó a las autoridades el domin-

go por la tarde, sobre una granadamodificada que estaba en un pasoa desnivel en la carretera federal77, sobre el tramo que se dirige alsur. Un escuadrón antibombas pa-ralizó el tránsito durante tres ho-ras para desarmar el artefacto.

García dijo el martes que el dis-positivo carecía de detonador, erahechizo y "pudo haber causadodaños mínimos". Sin embargo, se

estableció contacto con el FBI ycon la Oficina de Alcohol, Tabaco,Armas de Fuego y Explosivos, si-guiendo e protocolo en estos ca-sos.

No había detenidos y las autori-dades no habían determinado porqué el dispositivo estaba en la au-topista. Se encontró al norte deBrownsville, ciudad que colindacon Matamoros, México.

FRONTERA

Encuentran artefacto explosivosobre carretera federal

ASSOCIATED PRESS

8A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

Elections for membersof the Texas State Soil andWater Conservation Boardwill be held at 5 p.m. Tues-day at the Victoria Com-munity Center. The cur-rent member for DistrictIII is Zapata local José Do-dier Jr., who, as of Friday,is running for re-electionunopposed.

District III encompasses50 counties, including Za-pata, Webb, Jim Hogg, LaSalle, Duval and Starrcounties.

Dodier was first electedto the board in May 2005and is a partner of DonJose Land & Cattle Com-pany. Though the TSSWCBprimarily deals with con-servation, Dodier statedthat the recent aridity ofthe South Texas climate

has resulted in a shift offocus for the board.

“We’re obviously veryconcerned about waterand the recent drought —enhancing not so muchwater quality, which is ourmission, but we now haveto be thinking aboutenough water,” Dodier ex-plained.

If re-elected, he plans tobring more attention torepresentation by under-ground water districts.Two counties that don’thave such districts are Za-pata and Webb, a situationhe said he hopes to

change. Presently, though,TSSWCB members areawaiting the conclusion ofthe Texas legislative ses-sion on May 31 beforeevaluating what will be afeasible plan of attack forthe upcoming fiscal year.

“(When) the legislativesession ends, everythingshould be final; we’ll knowwhat programs have takena major hit,” Dodierstated, citing the possibili-ty of cuts to flood controlprograms.

(Erica Matos may bereached at 728-2567 or ema-tos@lmtonline.com)

Dodier running forre-election to board

By ERICA MATOSTHE ZAPATA TIMES Dodier was first elected to the

board in May 2005 and is apartner of Don Jose Land &Cattle Company.

BROWNSVILLE — Anex-state lawmaker pleadedguilty Friday to extortionafter admitting paying adisgraced South Texasjudge for favorable rulings.

Former Democratic Rep.Jose Santiago “Jim” Solisserved seven terms repre-senting the Rio Grande Val-ley in the Texas House be-fore retiring in 2007. He isa longtime personal injurylawyer in Harlingen, butcalls to his office seekingcomment were not immedi-ately returned.

The 47-year-old admittedaiding and abetting extor-tion committed by formerstate District Judge Abel C.Limas, the U.S. attorney’soffice in Brownsville saidin a statement.

Prosecutors say Soliswas one of many attorneyswho paid for favorable pre-trial rulings from Limas incivil matters pending in hiscourt, including $8,000 Solispaid in a case involving ahelicopter crash on SouthPadre Island. The U.S. at-torney’s office said the pairdescribed that payment aseight golf balls.

Limas, who presidedover a busy Rio GrandeValley courtroom from 2001to 2008, pleaded guilty lastmonth to one count of rack-eteering. He faces up to 20years in prison.

Solis’ guilty plea camebefore U.S. District CourtJudge Andrew Hanen inBrownsville. His attorney,Mervyn Mosbacker, said byphone that his client hasbeen a longtime communi-ty leader.

“He made a mistake andhe acknowledged that to-day,” Mosbacker said. “He’sgoing to do what’s right byhis community, by his fam-ily, and by his country.”

The U.S. attorney’s officestatement said Solis ac-knowledged his part in Li-mas’ “use of the office ofjudge of the 404th District

Court as a criminal enter-prise to enrich himself andothers, including Solis,through extortion.”

Solis also faces a maxi-mum prison term of 20years. As part of his pleaagreement, he turned over$250,000 to the governmentFriday. Sentencing is set forAug. 1 before Hanen.

Mosbacker said hewouldn’t discuss legalstrategies ahead of sentenc-ing.

The U.S. attorney’s state-ment said the investigationleading to the chargesagainst Solis is being con-ducted by the FBI, DEAand Brownsville police.

On Thursday, TheBrownsville Herald report-ed that an unnamed em-ployee for Cameron County,which includes Browns-

ville, had been listed in anindictment against Limasassociate Jose Manuel Lon-goria. The employee, called“Person F” in court papers,allegedly received propertyfrom Longoria.

Pleads guilty to extortionFormer House

member admits topaying off judge

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Former Democratic Rep. Jose Santiago "Jim" Solis exits the federalcourt house Friday, in Brownsville. Solis, an ex-state lawmaker,pleaded guilty to extortion after admitting paying a disgraced SouthTexas judge for favorable rulings.

Photo by Yvette Vela/The Brownsville Herald | AP

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 9A

MIGUEL ALEMÁN, Ta-maulipas — The bulletholes on the truck tell thestory, the man in this bor-der town said on EasterSunday. The shootouts areno longer relegated to theoutskirts of town.

The pickup with Texasplates sits parked; bulletholes have pierced thesides of the body panels.

“That happened justright here, the other day,”he said, in Spanish, of theshootout. The man, whoasked not to be identifiedout of fear for his safety,lives less than a dozenblocks from the borderthat Miguel Alemánshares with the South Tex-as town of Roma.

“It’s not fear anymore.It’s terrorism. They areagainst each other, theyare against the police, theyare against the residents,the businesses,” he said.

A convoy of maskedMexican military unitsparks close by and estab-lishes a perimeter sur-rounding the town plaza.Egidio Torre Cantú, gover-nor of Tamaulipas, is intown, briefly, to speak witharea mayors and addresssafety issues after the GulfCartel and Los Zetasclashed here last Thurs-day, the latter purportedlytorching a furniture storeand car dealerships.

Just five months ago,many residents of nearbyCiudad Mier fled followinga pre-dawn attack by LosZetas, who rolled intotown setting fire to the po-lice station, shooting outpower transformers andleaving bullet-riddledbuildings and vehicles intheir wake. A Lion’s Clubhere was the temporaryhome to hundreds of Ciu-dad Mier residents, andthe people of Miguel Ale-mán and Roma ralliedaround the scared refu-gees, offering help andsupplies.

Miguel Alemán, a townof about 27,000, is nostranger to nearby vio-lence. But last week’sshootout has many herewondering if it will be thelatest border city to fall toMexico’s ongoing violence.

“I don’t go out as much.Someone could catch astray bullet,” said theman. “Or they could catcha bullet that’s not sostray.”

While some residentssay they think twice aboutgoing out after dark, thecity isn’t completely emptyafter sunset. On EasterSaturday the plaza playedhost to a modest carnival;women gossiped, food ven-dors peddled local fare andchildren kicked up dust asthey played.

The next morning awoman stood two blocks

away from the internation-al bridge, where scaffold-ing serves as a makeshifttower from which soldierskeep watch on the city. Shewas selling cascarones,confetti-filled eggshells,which are an Easter tradi-tion. She said the violenceis exaggerated and thatshe is frustrated with themedia coverage, thoughshe admits there areshootouts.

She said they are con-fined to the outskirts ofthe city, however, and herfamily still travels on localhighways. Still, she advis-es a reporter against walk-ing around the city to askquestions or take pictures.

“They’ll approach youand ask what you are do-ing and why you are doingit,” she said.

Asked who “they” is —law enforcement or thenarcos — she said it couldbe either. Using her nameis also out of the question,she adds.

The good and the badIt’s not a typical battle

for the hearts and mindsin the region, but that’swhat the townspeople sayis happening.

“There are the goodones and the bad ones,”said a hotel manager inRoma, who also asked notto be identified. “The Gulfprotects people,” she said.The “bad ones” — thosewho kidnap, extort andkill indiscriminately —are Los Zetas, she said.

Others say that there isno difference but concedethe two labels are the de

facto terms commonlyused to differentiate be-tween the groups.

“They say the Gulfmembers drive around intheir trucks with theirwindows down and arefriendly. The ‘bad ones’you can’t see them. Theydrive around with theirdark windows up,” thewoman said.

An urban legend, im-possible to verify but wide-ly repeated, has alsoemerged: An elderly manis pulled over, beaten andhis truck stolen. Ap-proached later as he’swalking home, anothergroup confronts him andhe explains to them whathappened. They force himinto a truck and drive himhome. Hours later thegroup returns his truck tohim and he’s escorted out-side and asked to identifythe head of a man dis-played in the truck’s bed.

“Is this one of the menwho stole your truck?”they ask.

The man confirms it is,and the group, purportedto be members of the Gulfcartel, is satisfied andleaves the man with histruck — and the severedhead.

Ciudad Miguel Alemánsits at the northern tip ofan area where the high-ways that radiate towardthe rest of the state areconsidered some of themost dangerous in thecountry.

A block from the plaza afork divides the main roadinto two highways: south-west to Monterrey, NuevoLeon, and slightly southand east toward Reynosa,

across the border fromMcAllen. In its most re-cent travel warning issuedlast week, the U.S. StateDepartment said it hasbanned government em-ployees from travelingparts of those highwaysdue to the danger. Peoplein the town talk of familymembers being carjackedor kidnapped on theroutes.

Analysts say the situa-tion will only continueand in some cases, worsen.In its latest report Globalintelligence outfit STRAT-FOR explains variouspockets of Tamaulipas arestill Zeta strongholds, in-cluding Nuevo Laredo,across the Texas borderfrom Laredo, and fartheraway, Monterrey.

The Gulf controls whatSTRATFOR said is a lucra-tive section of territorythat extends from Matamo-ros, an important port thatborders Brownsville, andappears to be in control ofReynosa. As they look toconsolidate power andmove into Gulf territory,the Zetas could also betheir own worst enemy.

The attack against twoU.S. Immigration and Cus-toms Enforcement Agentsin February that led to thedeath of Agent Jaime Za-pata only served to putmore focus on the crimi-nal gang. It indicated tosome experts that the Zetaleadership could be losingcontrol over younger, inex-perienced and undisci-plined soldiers — a by-product of the group’srecruitment efforts to re-plenish its ranks followingthe arrests and deaths of

members.“A planned and sanc-

tioned attack against U.S.officials would be certainto bring the full weight ofthe U.S. government ontothe perpetrators, and thisis not something the topZeta leadership wouldwant to invite,” the reportsaid. “This suggests thepossibility that lower-levelregional leaders either lostcontrol of their operation-al cells or actually con-doned and/or ordered theattack.”

There are also rumorsof a possible split betweentwo top Zeta leaders, Mi-guel Treviño-Morales,known by his call sign“Zeta-40,” and HeribertoLazcano Lazcano “El Laz-ca.”

Webb County SheriffMartin Cuellar said he’sheard the same rumors,and said it could be due toTreviño, the second incommand, attempting togo “above Lazcano’shead.”

“It’s a controlling issue.Miguel Treviño is a wildman; that guy is not sta-ble, and he’s got to go overhis head and Lazcanodoesn’t like it,” Cuellarsaid. He’s careful to clarifythat to this point, hissources say the split is on-ly a rumor.

Ciudad JuárezPhil Jordan, who served

as the director of the ElPaso Intelligence Centerduring his role as a specialagent in charge for theDEA’s Dallas division, saidthe dangerous security sit-

uation in Ciudad Juárezwill only escalate. He cred-its the assessment to Sina-loa cartel leader Joaquin“El Chapo” Guzman’sstranglehold on the Vicen-te Carrillo Fuentes organi-zation, commonly referredto as the Juárez cartel.

“In my wildest expecta-tions, I never imagined itwould get this bad, in my30-plus years, but it has,”he said. Jordan calls Guz-man the “Michael Corle-one of Mexico,” a testa-ment to his ability to con-solidate his power and usetactics as brutal as anyother cartel leader.

“It’s like what [formerJuárez cartel leader] Ama-do Carrillo Fuentes usedto do. If he suspected oneout of 10 in a group, hewould kill all 10, that waythere would be no doubt,”said Jordan.

STRATFOR posits thatGuzman has taken controlof Chihuahua City and theoutskirts of Juárez,though Carrillo Fuentesstill maintains controlover the city’s downtownand its border crossingsinto El Paso. He is losingground, however, and theintelligence firm creditsthe prevalence of extor-tions and kidnappings inthe city to that.

It is a means for the car-tel to replenish its coffers,which is necessary due tochoked-off supply linesthat limit the amount ofcontraband the group canimport.

“As hard as it is toimagine, the violence inJuárez may actually getworse,” the report states.

Jordan credits Guz-man’s stability and powerto the control he has overthe government. While hecalls Mexican PresidentFelipe Calderón one of themost honest presidents inthe republic’s history, hesaid the leader can onlycontrol so much.

“[Guzman] is as power-ful as he is and could bethe Pablo Escobar of Mex-ico because of his connec-tions,” said Jordan. “Thisis not putting any blameon Calderón or any of hisupper echelon people, butit’s very hard to control asystematic corruption thathas been in place for along time.”

STRATFOR analysts donot allege corruption with-in the administration, butdo say Guzman and the Si-naloa cartel seemed tohave fared better sinceCalderón’s crackdown onthe cartels that began in2006.

“With the possible ex-ception of Los Zetas, thefragmentation and powervacuums have weakenedor destroyed cartels whileSinaloa has either beenunaffected or strengthenedat the primary benefici-ary.”

Miguel Alemán may be next drug victimBy JULIAN AGUILARTHE TEXAS TRIBUNE

Vehicles drive past a road sign that reads “Have a nice trip” in Spanish at a highway between Ciudad Victoria and San Fernando, Tamauli-pas, Mexico. Residents of Miguel Aleman, a town across the Rio Grande from Roma, fear the area may be the next victim of drug-relatedviolence in Mexico.

Photo by Alexandre Meneghini | AP

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10A THE ZAPATA TIMES SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

and the Gulf Cartel in Mierand Miguel Alemán.

Organized crime mem-bers fired upon soldiersfrom the Eighth MilitaryZone who were patrollingCiudad Mier at 11:30 a.m.Tuesday, according to anews release from Mexico’sdefense ministry, or SED-ENA.

Soldiers fired back, kill-ing two alleged attackers.In all, military personnelconfiscated 15 assault rifles,9,132 rounds of ammuni-tion, 187 ammo clips and ahandgun, according to themilitary’s news release. Inaddition, soldiers seized

three vehicles — one ofthem armored — and mil-itary-style uniforms.

These actions are part ofOperation Northeast,which targets narcotraf-ficking and organizedcrime, a release from thenational defense ministrystates.

Tamaulipas has becomea major area of conflict,where the two cartels arefighting for control of lu-crative smuggling routes.

On April 21, the Mexicanarmy intervened after a re-ported clash between LosZetas and the Gulf Cartelat 5 a.m. in Miguel Ale-

mán. Authorities arrested11 people. An alleged of-fender and a soldier died inthat shooting.

Soldiers intervened tostop the cartels from fur-ther damaging severalbusinesses in Miguel Ale-mán, according to the newsrelease.

That day, soldiers seized20 assault rifles, two hand-guns, eight grenades, 307ammo clips, 7,693 rounds ofammo, tactical equipment,radio communication de-vices and four vehicles.

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

MIER Continued from Page 1A

admitted to TAMIU andregistered for the classes.Students are allowed totake two classes, at most,per session since the cour-sework is condensed intofour weeks.

“The advantage is thatstudents taking two sum-mer courses taught in Za-pata are classified as full-time and eligible to receivefinancial aid,” Brownstated.

Both classes are part ofthe core curriculum for abachelor’s degree in Texas,

and the academic creditscan often transfer to otheraccredited universities. Bytaking core curriculumcourses locally, studentsand families can save mon-ey that would be spent ongas used for the commuteto TAMIU, Brown ex-plained.

The classes offered arelisted in the TAMIU 2011Summer Session catalog as“PSCI 2305: American Na-tional Government” and“SOCI 1301: Introduction toSociology.”

Brown’s class will meetfrom 8 to 10 a.m., andTorres’ sociology class willmeet from 10 a.m. to noon.Both classes will meetMonday through Friday atthe Vocational Skills class-room at the new ZapataCounty Advanced Educa-tion Center. Brown can bereached at 512-789-9635 or athis office on the secondfloor of the Zapata CountyCourthouse.

(To reach Erica Matos,call 728-2567 or email ema-tos@lmtonline.com)

CENTER Continued from Page 1A

WILLIAM AND KATE TIE THE KNOT AT WESTMINSTER ABBEY

Photo by APTN | AP

In this image taken from video, Britain’s Prince William, left, and his wife, Kate, the Duchess of Cam-bridge, walk down the aisle together at Westminster Abbey for the royal wedding in London on Friday.

Today’s Día del Niñopromises a fun-filled eventcatering to its youthful citi-zens. The celebration willbe held at Precinct 4’s Walk-ing Park, between 20th and21st Street, from 10 a.m. to 2p.m.

“We’re going to be gath-ering together and offeringfood, games and prizes,”said Nina Gutierrez, a vol-

unteer for Judge FernandoMuñoz’s office.

Admission is free, and ev-eryone is welcome. Facepainting, flying kites andfrolicking on the moonbounce will be some ofmany activities available.Volunteers will also distrib-ute goodie bags to children.

The event’s success, ac-cording to Gutierrez, relieson the generosity of variousdonors.

“Dr. Ike’s is going to be

donating all the food, amongother people who are mak-ing donations,” Gutierrezexplained.

“Anybody that’s willing tocome and volunteer … Thatwould be greatly appreciat-ed,” Gutierrez stated.

This is the first year thisevent is taking place. Orga-nizers are Muñoz, JudgeJoe Rathmell and Commis-sioner Norberto Garza, whohope to make it an annualevent.

Dia del Niño offersfun for children

By ERICA MATOSTHE ZAPATA TIMES

CELEBRATION OF LIFE

Courtesy photo | Special to TZT

Dora Martinez, left, stands with her mother, Julieta G. Martinez,who is dressed in a beautiful white suit and matching hat with pinktrim. The fresh flower corsage is a lovely accessory. Family cele-brated Julieta Martinez’s birthday in March when she turned 92.

AUSTIN — A Republicansenator made another runat allowing concealed hand-guns into Texas collegeclassrooms, a move thatwas delayed again justwhen it appeared the votesand Senate rules were onhis side to push it through.

Unable to muster the 21votes needed to pass thebill on its own, Sen. JeffWentworth of San Antoniotried to amend the con-cealed weapons provisionto make it part of anothersenator’s bill that givesTexas universities moreflexibility to deal with bud-get cuts.

By doing that, Went-worth needs only 16 votesin the Republican-majority31-member Senate. Went-worth says he’s got 20.

But the move also an-gered the Democratic spon-sor of the bill Wentworth istrying to change. Sen. Judi-th Zaffirini, chairwoman ofthe Senate Higher Educa-tion Committee, opposesthe weapons provision andpostponed further consider-ation of her bill untilThursday at the earliest.

Zaffirini said she’s will-ing to kill her bill to stopthe concealed weapons pro-vision. Zaffirini said Went-worth didn’t ask her per-mission or warn her beforetrying to amend her bill.

"It was a total shock,"Zaffirini said.

Wentworth’s bill wouldallow Texas concealed li-cense holders to carryhandguns into collegeclassrooms and other build-ings. Advocates call it aself-defense measure and agun rights issue.

Concealedweaponsbill gets

second tryBy JIM VERTUNO

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Sports&OutdoorsSATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 ON THE WEB: THEZAPATATIMES.COM

IRVING — Tyron Smith al-ready has a claim to fame in Dal-las Cowboys lore. He is the firstoffensive lineman drafted in thefirst round by Jerry Jones.

Since Smith is only 20, andthe Cowboys took him with theninth overall pick, they arecounting on him to grow intosomething a lot more special.

And get this, Cowboys fans:

Smith is, too. “I think I have the potential to

be a Pro Bowler,” Smith said,pausing for about two secondsthen adding, “and be a Hall ofFamer.”

Smith’s arrival likely meansthe departure of right tackleMarc Colombo. The 6-foot-5, 310-pound rookie is expected to starton the right side, with Doug Freeremaining at left tackle, but theCowboys think so highly ofSmith there’s at least a chance

he steps right in as the protectorfor Tony Romo’s blind side.

It’s a lot to ask for someonewho started only two years incollege and won’t turn 21 untiltwo weeks before Christmas.

“I’m willing to take the chal-lenge and work hard for it,”Smith said.

Jones was well aware of thefact he’d never taken an offen-sive lineman this high. However,“I got comfortable that he wasunique enough in his skills can

get better — big upside, all thosethings.”

Picking a blocker also is abland move for an owner who of-ten talks about spending first-round picks on guys with “awow factor.”

“I think our fans are sophisti-cated enough to know how im-portant a really talented offen-sive lineman can be,” Jones said.“I think we’ve got one here. I’m

DALLAS COWBOYS

Setting the block

Southern California offensive tackle Tyron Smith poses for photographs with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after he was selected as the ninth overall pick by theDallas Cowboys in the first round of the NFL draft at Radio City Music Hall on Thursday in New York.

Photo by Jason DeCrow | AP

Smith heads to Big D as first round selectionBy JAIME ARON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

See COWBOYS PAGE 2B

IRVING — Tony Romo and Ja-son Witten did more than justshow up at the Dallas Cowboys’practice facility Friday. Theyeven went on the field.

Though they weren’t seenthrowing any footballs, the ProBowl quarterback who missedmost of last season because of abroken left collarbone and theperennial Pro Bowl tight endwere among a handful of playerswho ran and did some condition-ing drills on one of the team’spractice fields.

At least a dozen Cowboys play-ers were seen going into the Val-ley Ranch facility a day after theNFL said players could talk withcoaches, work out at team head-quarters and look at their play-books.

“It was great to see playerswalking the halls,” Cowboyscoach Jason Garrett said laterFriday before the start of the sec-ond day of the NFL draft. “Someof the guys got a workout in with(strength and conditioning coachMike) Woicik and his staff backthere, so it was fun to be aroundthem.”

Until those guidelines wereput in place by the NFL onThursday, there had been uncer-tainty. Players hadn’t been al-lowed to work out at the facilitiesdespite a federal judge rulingMonday that the NFL lockoutwas illegal.

While NFL owners are appeal-ing that ruling, team facilitiesare open to players — for now.

“We certainly would ratherhave the players here workingout, but we understand the na-ture of this labor situation,” Gar-rett said.

“We as an organization just

Cowboysback to

businessas usual

By STEPHEN HAWKINSASSOCIATED PRESS

See LABOR PAGE 2B

DALLAS — The verbal jab-bing of Phil Jackson and themind games with Ron Artestwill begin soon enough.

First, Mark Cuban wanted aday to celebrate his Dallas Ma-vericks making it to the second

round to face the Los AngelesLakers.

The Mavs won a playoff se-ries Thursday night for only thesecond time since reaching the2006 NBA finals, and it wasn’teasy. A colossal collapse at theend of Game 4 in Portlandforced a return trip to the RoseGarden for Game 6, and Dallasalmost let another big, late leadslip away. Only this time, DirkNowitzki found a way to staveoff those pesky Trail Blazers,

scoring 33 points in the 103-96victory.

Cuban left the court Thurs-day night with a huge smile. Hesent a tweet complimentingPortland fans for their courtesyand he declined to say anythingabout his team’s next foe. In anemail Friday, he declined tocomment about anything Lak-ers-related.

The playful banter is sure to

NBA PLAYOFFS

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban hugs Dallas Mavericks’ Jason Terry (31) at the end of Game 6 of their first-roundplayoff series with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday in Portland, Ore. The Mavericks won the series by defeating theTrail Blazers 103-96.

Photo by Rick Bowmer | AP

Survival seriesDallas downs

’Blazers, faces L.A.By JAIME ARON

ASSOCIATED PRESS

See MAVERICKS PAGE 2B

HOUSTON — Houston defen-sive coordinator Wade Phillipssays his renovation of the Tex-ans’ defense begins with thedraft.

The Texans took Wisconsindefensive end J.J. Watt with the11th overall pick Thursday night,and Phillips said the team won’tstop there as they try to bolster aunit that ranked 30th in yards al-lowed last season.

“We still need some more de-fensive players,” Phillips said.

“What’s best for the team iswhat’s best for me, I don’t meanthat. I think it’s clear that weneed a lot of defense in thisdraft.”

Phillips is hoping that the 6-foot-5, 290-pound Watt developsinto a solid complement for Ma-rio Williams, the No. 1 overallpick in 2006 and Houston’s all-time sacks leader.

Watt made 43 tackles behindthe line of scrimmage, including11 1/2 sacks, in 26 games at Wis-consin. A former tight end, Watt

NFL DRAFT

Houston Texans first round draft pick J.J. Watt, a defensive end from Wisconsin,smiles as his hands is held up by defensive coordinator Wade Phillips during anews conference at Reliant Stadium on Friday in Houston. Watt was chosen bythe Texans as the 11th pick in the first round of the NFL draft.

Photo by Brett Coomer | AP

Starting the defensefrom square one

By CHRIS DUNCANASSOCIATED PRESS

See TEXANS PAGE 2B

PAGE 2B Zscores SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

come. But Cuban’s biggeststatement about the Lak-ers came last summer,when the Mavericks re-signed center BrendanHaywood, then traded foranother big man, themore-agile Tyson Chand-ler. They made it clearthey were collecting allthe size they could get totry matching up with LosAngeles.

Here’s how the piecesfit: If Chandler and Hay-wood can take turns help-ing slow the Lakers’ bigmen, Pau Gasol and An-drew Bynum; if ShawnMarion and DeShawn Ste-venson can help slowKobe Bryant; and if No-witzki can shake Artestand whatever else Jack-son throws at him, thenmaybe Dallas can end LosAngeles’ two-year reign asNBA champions.

“We have our handsfull,” Nowitzki said.

“We’re going to have toplay a perfect game tobeat them,” added point

guard Jason Kidd. “I hopewe’re up for that chal-lenge.”

Dallas and Los Angeleshave a long, interestinghistory — at least, fromthe Mavs’ perspective. Tothe Lakers, Dallas is justanother franchise usingthem as a measuringstick.

When the Mavericksfirst blossomed in themid- to late-1980s, the“Showtime” era was stillgoing strong in Los An-geles. The Lakers oustedthe Mavs from their firstpostseason appearance in1984 and did it again in’86. They met in the West-ern Conference finals in’88, and Dallas stretchedthe series to seven games.The Mavericks wouldn’twin another playoff gameuntil 2001.

Dallas went from March1990 to December 2003 be-tween road wins in LosAngeles. The Mavericks’Hollywood headaches in-clude the time they scored

only two points in an en-tire quarter, the nightBryant single-handedlyoutscored them throughthree quarters and whenthey allowed the second-biggest fourth-quartercomeback in NBA history,with Bryant and the Lak-ers erasing a 27-point def-icit.

There’s been plenty ofdrama this season, too.

It began in January,with Jackson saying thata season-ending knee inju-ry to Caron Butler “justleaves a vacuum that’s go-ing to be very hard forthem to fill.” It was an in-nocuous remark consider-ing Butler was Dallas’ sec-ond-leading scorer and an-other key part of theclub’s anti-Lakers scheme.However, Cuban used it asan opening to taunt Jack-son, targeting the coach’srelationship with Lakersexecutive Jeanie Buss.

“I love that Jeanie Buss’boy-toy had something tosay about us,” Cuban said.

“It’s nice to know that shelets him speak in publicabout other teams.”

Replied the 65-year-oldJackson: “I consider my-self an old man. To hearthat I’m a boy-toy? That’sterrific.” When the teamsmet in Dallas a few weekslater, Buss tweeted thatshe missed her “boy toy.”

The Mavs won thatmeeting, the first of theseason between the clubs.It also snapped a six-gamelosing streak and wassoon followed by an 18-1roll that sent Dallas pastthe Lakers in the stand-ings and near the Spursfor the top seed in theWest.

Around that time, No-witzki insisted Los An-geles was still the team tobeat. The Lakers soonproved it, beating the Ma-vericks in Dallas onMarch 12, then closing themonth with a 110-82spanking in Los Angeles.The Lakers wound upclaiming the No. 2 seed

and the Mavericks got No.3, giving Los Angeles thehome-court advantage inthis series.

A few days before thelast matchup, Cuban triedgetting under Artest’sskin by saying, “Anythingthat puts the ball in RonArtest’s hands is always agood thing. ... Of all thechoices you have on thatteam, you want Ron Ar-test making the decisionsin the triangle.” Artestkept his cool in that game,but others didn’t. Maver-icks guard Jason Terryshoved Lakers guardSteve Blake while the routwas on and Los Angeles’Matt Barnes shoved Terryin retaliation. There weremultiple ejections andBarnes got suspended.

“We’ve had some inter-esting games,” Kidd said.“But those games don’tmean anything. Bothteams are 0-0, so we’ll seewho hits the floor first.”

Dallas has the NBA’sbest road record over the

last two years, but haddropped eight straightroad playoff games untilThursday night in Port-land. Ending that skidcould lift a mental burdenconsidering the Maverickswill have to win at leastonce on the road to winthe series.

“We’re a team that’s theunderdog, obviously,” Ter-ry said. “But it’s going tobe fun.”

Chandler is especiallyexcited about the seriesbecause he’s from Los An-geles. He said it’s “some-thing I’ve been lookingforward to my entire life,”and he believes the Mavscan pull off the upset.

“I think we match upwell,” Chandler said.“Their size is always aproblem but I think theway we spread the floor isalso a problem for them.... They’ve been a thorn ineverybody’s side. That’swhy they’re the champs. Ifyou want to beat a champ,you’ve got to be the best.”

MAVERICKS Continued from Page 1B

not at all dismayed aboutnot making a big splash.In the last few years we’veopened a stadium, hosteda Super Bowl ... done a lotwith splash. So we shouldbe doing what you expectme to do, which is make adecision to win footballgames.”

Dallas offensive linecoach Hudson Houck wasespecially thrilled by thepick. He coached AnthonyMunoz at USC, and LarryAllen with the Cowboys,and he believes Smithcould reach their high lev-el. Houck said there was abig gap between Smith —the first offensive linemantaken in this draft — andthe other blockers on Dal-las’ draft board.

Houck raved about ev-erything from Smith’sheight being just right tohis long wingspan, frombeing strong enough to“anchor a bull rusher” tobeing quick enough to re-cover when he gets out ofposition.

“Those are things youcan’t teach,” Houck said.

Then there’s that confi-dence that was so evidentin Smith’s conference callwith local reporters.Houck said it came shin-ing through duringSmith’s two-day visit toDallas during the scout-ing process.

“Every coach, everyother person who talkedto him said, ‘This guyreally seems at ease,”’Houck said.

Speaking from the draftin New York, Smith cer-tainly didn’t sound like awide-eyed kid. (He alsoclarified that his firstname is pronounced TIE’-run.)

Even though most pro-jections had the Cowboystaking him, he wasn’tsweating it out when theirallotted 10 minutes werealmost over and hisphone hadn’t rung.

“If they didn’t take me,they didn’t take me,” hesaid.

Asked if he was a Cow-boys fan growing up inSouthern California, hesaid his family rooted forDallas and for the Ramsbut he didn’t really have afavorite team.

He said he doesn’t feelpressure to live up to be-ing a top-10 pick, or beingthe rare offensive linemandrafted so high by theCowboys. He preferredthe term “expectations,”and constantly talkedabout working hard tolive up to them.

“It’s not going to beeasy and everybodyknows that,” Smith said.“It’s about helping theteam as much as I can.”

Smith weighed 285pounds last season, waytoo light by NFL stan-dards. He’s worked with anutritionist to bulk upwhile staying lean — he’sbuilt sleek, more like anNBA power forward thana Nate Newton-esque line-man — and has met thechallenge of maintaining

his new weight. “It feel healthy, it feels

like natural weight forme,” he said.

Jones said the Cow-boys’ initial evaluation ofSmith was that he neededto gain weight. The facthe put it on, kept it onand remained svelte waswhat shot him near thetop of our draft board.

“The more he was eval-uated by our scouts, thebetter grade he got,”Jones said.

Dallas hadn’t picked anoffensive lineman in thefirst round since 1981,when the Tom Landry-Tex Schramm leadershiptook Howard Richards atNo. 26. He didn’t pan out,and neither have most ofthe linemen Jones’ Cow-boys have taken in theearly rounds in recentyears.

They whiffed with asecond-round pick on Ja-cob Rogers, also of USC,and third-rounder Ste-phen Peterman in 2004,and they got little out ofthird-round pick JamesMarten in 2007. RobertBrewster, a third-rounderin 2009, also doesn’t looklike he’s going to pan out.

The best Dallas hasdone with an offensivelineman recently is tak-ing Doug Free in thefourth round in ’07. Hestarted at left tackle lastyear and is expected to doso again next season.Once Smith is ready tomove to the left side, Freecould be moved to theright side, which is wherehe first broke into thestarting lineup in 2009when Colombo was in-jured.

“We could switch themvery easily,” Houck said.“We know we have a goodleft tackle right now. We’llsee how that goes.”

Now that Dallas has apair of 20-something play-ers at tackle, it may lookto get younger on the inte-rior of the line. But com-ing off a 6-10 season, theCowboys have other, big-ger concerns.

They have the eightpick in the second round,and the seventh pick inthe third round, on Fri-day. On Saturday, Dallashas single picks in thefourth through sixthrounds, then two in theseventh.

COWBOYS Continued from Page 1B

Picking ablocker also isa bland movefor an ownerwho oftentalks aboutspendingfirst-roundpicks on guyswith “a wowfactor.”

need to be responsive towhat’s going on and han-dle it as best we can givenwhat the rules are andwhat the situation is.”

Among those who ar-rived the earliest at theCowboys’ facility was ProBowl receiver Miles Austinat around 7:30 a.m. Austinstayed for nearly twohours, then on his way outexchanged high-fives withIgor Olshansky as the de-fensive lineman came inthrough the players’ en-trance.

No players spoke to re-

porters, who weren’t al-lowed onto the complexgrounds in the morning.

Right tackle Marc Col-ombo was also seen at Val-ley Ranch on Friday morn-ing, only about 12 hours af-ter the Cowboys used theninth overall draft pick onhis likely replacement, Ty-ron Smith from USC.Smith was the first offen-

sive lineman drafted in theopening round by Cowboysowner Jerry Jones sincehe bought the team in1989.

Romo got hurt Oct. 25, inthe first half of the sixthgame of last season. TheCowboys, who finishedwith a losing record in aseason that began withhopes of being the first

host team in the SuperBowl, finally put him oninjured reserve for the fi-nal two games of the sea-son.

Romo had been doingsome throwing and therehad been indications hemight return to practice atthe end of last season be-fore he was put on injuredreserve.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo, right, and tight end Jason Witten run drills at the team’s headquarters and training facility Fridayin Irving.

Photo by Tim Sharp | AP

LABOR Continued from Page 1B

While NFL owners are appealing that ruling, teamfacilities are open to players — for now.

transferred there after play-ing one season at CentralMichigan. He entered thedraft after two seasons withthe Badgers.

Watt knows, as a first-round pick, that he’ll be ex-pected to contribute imme-diately.

“No one has higher ex-pectations for me than Ido,” Watt said in a confer-ence call on Thursdaynight. “I am going to comein and give it everything Ihave, and at the end of theday, I hope it helps the teamwin football games because,that is what it’s all about.”

Houston ranked last inpass defense last season, al-lowing 267.5 passing yardsper game. The Texansranked 23rd in both inter-ceptions (13) and sacks (30)in 2010, and Phillips re-placed Frank Bush as de-fensive coordinator.

The Texans have taken adefensive player with theirfirst overall pick in seven ofthe past eight drafts.

Houston passed up thechance to take Nebraskacornerback Prince Amu-kamara to shore up the sec-ondary. Phillips said theTexans were also eyeingMissouri defensive end Al-don Smith, who was takenby San Francisco at No. 7.

Watt led the Badgerswith seven sacks in 2010,and also broke up eightpasses, a statistic thatcaught Phillips’ attention.He ranked second on theteam with 62 tackles, inter-cepted a pass and blockedthree kicks in 2010.

“Passes defensed for a de-fensive lineman and tacklesfor a defensive lineman atthat position are rare,”Phillips said. “This guymakes a lot of plays.”

Watt said he developed aknack for batting down pas-ses at the line withoutmuch instruction fromcoaches.

“I was never reallytaught about it,” he said. “Ifigured it’s one great way tolimit the QB’s throwingrange is to put your handsup. It’s something I havetried to work in over my ca-reer and it’s worked greatfor me.”

Watt said he’d be willingto move inside if Phillipswants to use him that way.And he wasn’t shy aboutcalling out his main target— quarterback PeytonManning of the division-ri-val Colts.

“I feel very comfortableplaying anywhere along thedefensive line,” he said.“The goal is to sack PeytonManning. That’s what ev-eryone around here is say-

ing. That’s my job.” Houston has the 42nd

overall pick in the secondround, and the 73rd overallselection in the thirdround. General managerRick Smith said this weekthat he was open to tradingpicks to move up in thedraft order, but Phillipssaid the right scenario nev-er materialized.

Phillips will implement a3-4 defensive alignment,and said he’s confident thatWatt can fit into thescheme.

“You have to project whata player can and can’t do,but he did play a lot againstoffensive tackles and five-technique type things,”Phillips said. “He’s reallygood at getting off blocks.Once he’s engaged, he getsof blocks quickly and that’swhy he’s been able to makea lot of tackles.”

TEXANS Continued from Page 1B

SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011 THE ZAPATA TIMES 3B

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

A PET HEDGEHOG?Dear Readers: Have you

ever considered getting aHEDGEHOG as a pet?These adorable, pleasant-natured, inquisitive ani-mals make wonderful addi-tions to your home. Hereare some pointers to keepin mind when consideringa hedgehog:

They can live between 4and 9 years of age, andthey do not get sick easily.They can be fed good-qual-ity cat food, or specialhedgehog food (you canfind it at any pet store).They do well in an aquar-ium or cage (about 2 feetby 3 feet). Keep their cageclean. They are nocturnal,but they can play duringthe day. They are intelli-gent and will attach to you,much like a dog. They loveto play, and a bathroom-tis-sue roll will make for lotsof fun.

What are some things tobe careful of with hedge-hogs? They have beenknown to bite, but this ishow they communicate.Your hedgehog may feelrough and bristly, so care-ful handling is a must.Hedgehogs may not be ide-al for small children, as thehedgehog quills are sharpand can poke tender skin.Hedgehogs are consideredan exotic animal, and yourcity or town may have re-strictions. Check with localregulations.

Hedgehog trivia: What isa baby hedgehog called?It’s called a hoglet! Isn’tthat adorable?

A specialty pet store orbreeder is your best bet forfinding a hedgehog. Theyusually cost around $150.— Heloise

PET PAL Dear Heloise: My cat Lu-

cy has always loved tofetch. She was the onlysurvivor of a litter of wildkittens on my son’s farmwhen she was found. Sheloves to fetch every morn-ing and evening. If shedoesn’t promptly return,

no treat.I was reading your arti-

cle in the Amarillo (Texas)Globe-News when I saw thefollowing: “Most cats areindependent, don’t playfetch and most likely won’twant to go for a run.” (Wewere comparing certaindog breeds versus cats. —Heloise).

So, I was inspired toshare my Lucy, who is awonderful, playful and lov-ing companion. — Iris R.,Pampa, Texas

Dear Readers: To see apicture of Lucy and ourother Pet Pals, go towww.Heloise.com and clickon “Pets.” Does your pet,like Lucy, have an unusualtalent, flair or skill? Whynot share it with us? Dropan action shot of your ani-mal in the mail to: He-loise/Pets, P.O. Box 795000,San Antonio, TX 78279-5000. — Heloise

CAT TOYSDear Heloise: I can get

fuzzy balls and all sorts ofsafe playthings for cats at acrafts store for so muchless than at a pet store! —Susan in Ellicott City, Md.

NAIL TRIMDear Readers: While

trimming your dog’s nails,did you trim one a littletoo close, and it is bleed-ing? It can be painful, sohere is what to do: Wrapthe nail with a clean tissuefor several minutes, or usea styptic clot-promotingpowder to stop the bleed-ing. The powder is availa-ble at the pet store. Ifbleeding continues, a visitto the vet may be needed.— Heloise

(c)2011 by King FeaturesSyndicate Inc.

Photo caption: Iris R. ofPampa, Texas, sent us thispicture of her cat Lucy,who loves to fetch.

HINTS BY | HELOISE

“HELOISE

4B THE ZAPATA TIMES Sports SATURDAY, APRIL 30, 2011

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn.— Welcome back, players.For now, at least.

The NFL opened itsdoors for some basic foot-ball operations Fridaymorning, four days after afederal judge declared its45-day lockout was illegal.There were smiles, high-fives and clear signs of re-lief as dozens if not hun-dreds of players returnedto team headquarters.

Despite the haltingsteps toward football, thelegal fight is far from over.In fact, attorneys for theplayers filed a brief Fridayto challenge the NFL’s re-quest that the 8th U.S. Cir-cuit Court of Appeals inSt. Louis restore the lock-out as soon as possible.

Attorneys for the play-ers wrote that the ownersfailed to offer evidencethat they will suffer irrep-arable harm if the lockoutis not restored. They alsosuggested that the publicand the players, with theirshort careers, are at farmore risk when the $9 bil-lion business is stalled.

About a dozen CarolinaPanthers players enteredBank of America Stadium,

where a voluntary meet-ing was planned and play-ers were expected to re-ceive their playbooks fromnew coach Ron Rivera.One of the first to arrivewas quarterback JimmyClausen, whose job maybe in jeopardy after Car-olina drafted Auburn’sCam Newton with the No.1 overall pick.

For the first time all off-season, players have beencleared to talk with coach-es, work out at team facil-ities and get their play-books. The Tennessee Ti-tans’ main gate, whichhad been chained, wasopen Friday morning af-ter players were turnedaway by two armed secu-rity guards earlier thisweek.

Mandatory minicamps

and voluntary offseasonpractices can begin underrules of the old CBA.Team-supervised work-outs will count toward bo-nuses in player contracts,and players also can workout on their own at teamfacilities if they havehealth insurance in place.

The league also will ar-range for substance abuseand drug programs tostart back up, and playerscan participate in team-sponsored community andcharity functions.

Goodell, who wasroundly booed by fans atRadio City Music Hall onThursday, said he fearedthe fight could last for awhile. He said Friday hegets why fans booed him:“It’s the fans’ frustration,and I understand that.”

Seattle Seahawks defensive back Roy Lewis drives his SUV into the team’s headquarters Friday in Rent-on, Wash. The NFL cleared the way for some basic football operations to begin Friday morning, fourdays after a federal judge declared the lockout illegal and nearly seven weeks after it began.

Photo by Elaine Thompson | AP

Basic operationsreturn to NFL

By JON KRAWCZYNSKIASSOCIATED PRESS

Once NFL Commission-er Roger Goodell men-tioned the devastating tor-nadoes that left a path ofdeath and destructionacross the Southeast, thehorde of heckling fans fellsilent.

Joined on stage by Au-burn star Cam Newton,Alabama standout MarkIngram and their collegecoaches, Goodell beganthe NFL draft Thursdaynight by asking for a mo-ment of silence to remem-ber the storm victims.

A crowd at Radio CityMusic Hall in New Yorkthat had been booingGoodell because of thelockout and chanting “Wewant football!” quickly be-came quiet.

At least 297 people werekilled in six states andhundreds more were in-jured.

“I’ve challenged ourplayers to get out and do

something to help thesepeople,” Alabama coachNick Saban said. “Be ateam.”

In Tuscaloosa, Ala.,where the University ofAlabama campus is locat-ed, 36 were killed and 800were hurt. Among the in-jured was Crimson Tidelongsnapper Carson Tin-ker — a school spokesmansaid Tinker was hospital-ized in stable condition,without detailing whathappened to him.

In Abdingdon, Va.,NASCAR Nationwide se-ries driver Eric McClureand his family felt fortu-nate to be alive. A tornadodid extensive damage totheir three-story homeWednesday night in thesouthwest Virginia com-munity.

“It was terrifying,”McClure told The Associ-ated Press by telephone.“I’ll be honest with you. Itwas probably the scariestfew seconds of our lives.”

The tornadoes post-poned the Auburn footballteam’s trip to the WhiteHouse and meeting with

President Barack Obama.The national championswere supposed to enjoythe festivities Friday. In-stead, Obama was set totravel to Alabama to as-sess the damage.

Gene Stallings, whocoached Alabama to the1992 national title, wasnear the campus Thurs-day.

In a parking lot alongmostly demolished 15thStreet, Stallings stood overa grill and prepared ham-burgers for emergencyworkers. Stallings, whonow lives in Texas, was inTuscaloosa for a golf tour-nament that had been can-celed because of thestorms.

“It just didn’t feel rightto play golf,” Stallingssaid. “Since I was in town,I just wanted to help outhow I could. I’m just outtrying to make life a littlebit better.”

Meanwhile, Bryant-Den-ny Stadium was turned in-to a makeshift emergencymanagement center. Thecity’s regular facility wasdestroyed by the tornado.

A tornado moves through Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Wednesday. A wave of severe storms laced with torna-does strafed the South on Wednesday, killing at least 16 people around the region and splinteringbuildings across swaths of an Alabama university town.

Photo by Dusty Compton | AP

Storms send shockwavesAlabama’s strife

reaches farASSOCIATED PRESS